Sheila Elder and her husband Jeff grow malt barley, canola, soybeans and wheat on their farm near Wawanesa, Manitoba. Elder says the best advice she’s ever been given is “never stop learning.” This advice, she says, applies to all areas of life, but especially farming.
“It doesn’t matter how much I learn — there is always so much more to learn as we strive to always be improving on what we do.”
Elder has made the journey from “non-farm girl” to successful farmer. “It’s been an eye-opening experience,” she says. “I had no idea just how much science was involved.” Once she saw what was involved in growing crops, Elder realized just how many areas of science she’d need to draw on to be effective. Now, she’s grateful for the wide range of people that give farmers the tools they need to do their jobs: crop pathologists, entomologists, weed specialists, soil scientists, crop breeders, and more. “They help us make knowledgeable decisions that are good for the environment and our farms,” Elder says.
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These days, Elder is learning through her role as a farmer delegate on the Manitoba Crop Alliance’s wheat and barley committee. “Being part of this group has taught me so much,” Elder says. The board members, staff, and others that she’s worked with through this role are “an incredibly talented and dedicated team of people,” she says. Elder is proud to take an active role in a system that’s doing relevant research and making valuable agronomic information available to farmers. “All of these people have taught me a lot along the way and shown me what teamwork is,” Elder says.
Elder’s dedication to learning is essential, as farming becomes more complex every year. Even so, she says, “I am so fortunate to do this fulfilling job with my husband.”
