Four Generations of Farming
A CHARLES LEFEBVRE
lberta is a land of agriculture. The economy initially was, and continues to be, built on farming. Throughout the province families
are continuing to wake up every morning spending countless hours in the fields, raising cattle and other animals and bringing it all to market.
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In the region, a number of families have been farming for a century, such as the Bingeman family of Oyen, the Booker family of Empress, the Coultis family of Duchess and the Haas family of Hilda.
The Haas family has been farming a mixed farm of cattle and grain in the Hilda area since 1912, and run of the farm has spanned four generations. The farm was started by John Stockberger, and was passed on to his daughter Tilly (who was born on the farm in 1912 and was 102 years old when the interview was
Working together to build a Solid Community now and into the future
ild a Solid Community now and into the future
conducted in January), and her husband Adam Haas.
Adam’s son Floyd Haas, born in 1939, took over the farm and has since passed it on to his oldest son Brad in 1983. The family was recognized in 2013 by the Alberta Government with a Century Farm award, with Floyd and his wife Marian, who now call Medicine Hat home, accepting.
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Growing up on the farm brings back a number of memories for the family. Brad says he can remember the introduction of colour television, and the fact they didn’t have running water when he was a kid. Once a week, he and his two brothers would bathe in a tub of water in the garage on the farm.
Floyd says one of his earliest memories growing up on the farm was walking to school a mile each way until it closed when he turned 15.
“Back in that time there were a lot of rural schools,” he said. “There was one every few miles away. There was a population at that time in Hilda, where people lived on almost every corner.”
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Brad, who says he hasn’t travelled too far from home, says there are a number
of reasons he has continued to run the farm.
“I feel comfortable, I enjoy being out in the country and I like being my own boss and the independence,” he said.
Floyd noted that farming practices have changed tremendously over the years.
“We’re not tilling the soil anymore, that’s probably the biggest and best change,” he said. “Also, at the time, everything had to be black, now you want the stubble, you want everything standing ... a lot of people have gone to headers and leave the stubble tall to catch the snow, so the wind can’t get to the soil. Things have changed a lot for the better.”
While he was more of a hands-on farmer when he first started, Brad said today his role is largely managerial.
“I farm fairly large,” he said. “I’ve got a couple of really good employees and it’s more just looking after paperwork and guiding guys along, and marketing grain. It’s way different from when it was when I started out.”
Floyd says the number of family farms has dropped in the region over the years.
“We were standing at a cemetery with
41188821•03/31/15
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