Dear Kernels Farmers,
Here is the Summary from the 2007 Crop. We did fantastic again... It was great to see even more people participating this year. I have attached a certificate in WORD that you can look at and print if you want. If I spelled your name wrong or even attached the wrong name you'll be able to fix it up easily...
This year we had 4 fields in the Kernels of Hope project. In the Western Prairie province of Alberta we had Darren and Cheryl Tiede plant and harvest 40 acres of Peas. They produced very well. We got 2,123 bushels from that field. In the breadbasket of the Canadian Prairies we had 2 fields. Slavek and Margaret Dasiuk of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan grew 40 acres of Durum wheat near Milden for us. It ran about 40 bushels per acre. We got about 1800 bushels of very good quality Durum wheat...That is the kind they make pasta out of. This year the price sky rocketed on that! We got $9.55 per bushel for that (likely with more to come) ... incredible... quite likely the highest price we have ever had in Canada. We had a second field in Saskatchewan about 4 hours drive east of Saskatoon at Hyas. (Norquay is a suburb of Hyas) It was hard red spring wheat and it yielded 43 bushels per acre on 40 acres. Good quality and high protein. It was #2 and had 14.5% protein. That was farmed by Tim and Melissa Johnson. They are a young couple that are a big part of the Norquay Covenant Church.
In Manitoba we had Jim and his brother Bryan (with a Y) Sandstrom farm 82 acres of wheat for us. The weather wasn't as cooperative here this summer. We got 22 bushels per acre but it was the lowest cost per acre and it was the highest possible quality...# 1 cwrs with 15.5 protein. The dry weather helped to boost the protein. We got a very good price for it also.
This year we had more people partcipate than ever... they were from 5 provinces and 3 states... We again sold all of our available acres (Sold is a figure of speech ...actually...had the production costs covered entirely by donors) So we had spare cash to begin with. We call this our Cash crop.
The Canadian Government matches our funds by a factor of 4 to 1. Approximately $285,000.00 will go to help people in Suakoko, Liberia to help people with tools and seed and food including food for work programs. (Year 1 we made $69,000, Year 2 we made $190,000) These people have been struggling to become reestablished after being scattered for a few years of strife and civil war. Our Kernels of Hope farmers have put aside money for people they will likely never meet to help them help themselves produce food for their nourishment and survival. Some of what we send will actually go in Grain Bags. Since the trip to Subsaharan Africa I took in March 2007 I have had a chance to process some of my experiences. If you could imagine for a moment that you are in Liberia in desperate need and some of these bags arrive...The first handful of grain you take out would be for your Hunger.... Have you ever been really Hungry? The second handful you might take out is for Health... So much of health depends on nutrition, clean water and shelter... this can contribute to all of those...the third handful out could be a handful of Hope.... A person who has no Hope has nothing.... If you reached in for one last handful you might pull out a handful of seed.... seed to start over again! If you look at one of those seeds they are very, very tiny... I like to compare the seeds to the people who were contributing here to fill those bags...One person or one seed alone can't do much at all... but look into that seed! In each seed God has a little Miracle of Life waiting to happen. When you put lots of those seeds together and put lot's of people of compassion together you really can begin to feed the World.
I am so humbled that we have been allowed the opportunity to make a difference in God's Kingdom this way. People on this earth are all connected in so many ways. Doing for others is what we are meant to do! We are now planning for the 2008 Harvest. We will be growing at least one field of Canola! You would be most welcome to come grow with us again!
Blessings,
Find out more details contact Ray the Grain Guy at 204-867-5341 or email at raybaloun@hotmail.com