For over a decade Paige and Marcus Dueck have embraced their passion for farming while striving to innovate and expand their Kleefeld, Man., dairy operation.
Today, they are proud to say they’ve doubled their milk production during their short tenure and have optimized robotic technology to create a successful and balanced lifestyle for their young family.
Operating as a multi-generational family farm, Paige and Marcus manage Four Oak Farms with the help of Marcus’s parents.
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The dairy milks 50 Brown Swiss cows three times a day using the only tie stall robot in Western Canada and crops 900 acres of corn, soybeans and forages.
The couple credit their adoption of robotic technology and recent barn renovations for their ability to balance their farm and family commitments while diversifying their operation.
In addition to the dairy, they run a crop management and agricultural solutions business, Four Oak Ag Solutions, along with an expanding hay business.
Country Guide sat down with them to learn about their Outstanding Young Farmers experience and their plans for the future.
CG: How long have you been farming, and what’s changed since you started?
Marcus: We joined the farm in 2013 as the third generation on our family farm. Since then, we have welcomed two daughters who we hope will make the fourth generation. When we started, we each took turns working off the farm and I think these experiences have helped shape how we farm today.
One of the most significant changes we made was to automate our milking with a Robomax robot to milk in our tie stall barn. This allowed us to move to milking three times a day without increasing our labour and maximize our existing barn facility without building a new barn to accommodate robotic milking.
Paige: The robot has helped us achieve our on-farm goals by allowing us to make the most of our existing farm facilities and grow our business with what we have. The automation also enables us to collect as much data and information as possible to help us make informed decisions. We’re data driven. We like to know why, not just how, when we make our decisions.
CG: Tell us about your Outstanding Young Farmers experience
Paige: This was our second time participating in the Outstanding Young Farmers (OYF) program. We competed in 2016 at the provincial level, but this time we were successful when we were announced as Manitoba’s OYF last year. The first time we competed we were very fresh and used it as a learning experience. This time around we were more seasoned and integrated into the farm and could articulate our goals and vision.
Marcus: Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers (COYF) is a really big deal. It’s amazing to see the people who rally around this program and support each other, including our national cohort and program alumni. The national event was an opportunity to learn from other regional winners and each other, and while there are so many differences between us, we all have so much in common.
Paige: The COYF event helped us dig deeper and think bigger about ourselves and our farm.
CG: In your opinion, what makes a good leader?
Paige: A good leader should be willing and open to share with others while being encouraging. A leader should also have a sense of direction and be aware of the destination or desired outcome they are leading others to.
Marcus: Honesty is important too, along with a willingness to learn from their own experiences. One thing I noticed at the COYF event is that everyone who attended had a “glass half-full” approach and were very optimistic. I think that type of attitude is important in a leader and a testament to the agricultural leaders who participate in the COYF program.
CG: How do you think your approach to farming is different from previous generations?
Paige: We are fortunate to have two previous generations of our family still living close by. We know first-hand how hard Marcus’s grandparents and parents had to work to farm, and we acknowledge just how much technology has allowed each generation, especially ours, to ease the physical workload while expanding the business.
We can progress aggressively thanks to technology, like robots and the internet, and this is evident in just how far we’ve come and the changes we’ve made in the past decade.
Marcus: We are fortunate we were born into a time where tools can make progress easier and give us more time for ourselves. We can use the time that would have otherwise been spent doing physical labour to learn, research and study data, new methods and practices to continue to enhance our farm. Our ability to double our milk production with each generation is tied to the tools, technology and genetics that are available to us.
I also think our approach is different because of our age and stage of life. Taking risks and chances is easier when you’re younger.
CG: What does farming look like today compared to when you started out?
Marcus: Over the years, we’ve been focused on implementing new ideas. We’ve improved efficiency, our work environment, made renovations, created and innovated to make the farm our own. I think we’re happy with our approach and we’re now in a position where we have time to think of the bigger picture now, like a long-term approach to our farm’s sustainability.
Paige: I agree, we’re thinking and planning ahead versus dealing with the daily grind like we used to. I think the changes we’ve made in technology have helped us do that. Now we make the time to educate ourselves so we can respond to the data technology provides us to make decisions about things like herd health, cropping and soil nutrients. We make more informed decisions today, compared to the early days when sometimes it felt like we were guessing. The information and data we collect also help us save money and reduce our environmental footprint.
CG: What is your best advice for young farmers, or those coming into “the game”?
Marcus: Surround yourself with good mentors who you can trust and are honest. This might require you to make the effort to seek out mentors and nurture relationships, but it’s important to do.
Paige: Farming means producing food for people and that’s an amazing honour. It’s also a very unique lifestyle, so you have to really want to do it. My advice is to ask questions, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.
