The next generation of producers
By Joan Janzen
joanjanzen@yahoo.com
BROCK, SK - Agriculture producers find it rewarding when their offspring want to work full-time on the family farm. Joleen Shea is living testimony of a girl who grew up on the family farm, which she now operates full-time, along with the help of her father, Ron Shea.
Her interest in farming began when she was young. “I’d be the one helping Dad,” Joleen said, describing her younger years. Her involvement in 4H also helped with her interest in agriculture.
After high school, she earned a diploma in Animal Science at Lakeland College and went on to work in the grain industry for several years. “But any time I took a holiday, it was to come back and work at the farm. I always had a foot in the door,” Joleen added.
It’s been almost a year since Joleen decided to work on the farm full-time, but she has a lot of help. “Dad’s still out every day. We start calving at the beginning of April. In the next couple of weeks, we’ll make sure everything is ready to go; then it’s all hands on deck until the end of May.”
Sheady Farms has a herd of 250 commercial cows, and they breed Black Angus and Black Simmental. The operation also includes some crop production to provide feed for the stock.
Besides farm work, Joleen was elected as the new Director for District 7 of the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association (SCA) in October of 2020. As part of the SCA, she recently participated in a Beef and Forage Forum, which is open to any producers to give their feedback to the researchers. “It’s interesting topics, that’s for sure. There’s a lot of new stuff in the industry,” Joleen said.
She noted that farming is always a learning process, and the weather and market conditions are always a challenge. “There’s a lot of stuff that’s out of your control. Some years there are bigger challenges than others, but you control what you can and hope it turns out for the best.”
The year 2020 presented a challenge that turned out for the best. Joleen explained, “We sell quarters and halves of beef; it’s another revenue stream for the farm. But during the pandemic, we noticed an increase in beef being purchased from the farm. We sold out faster than we ever have; it was a nice surprise. Now we’re expanding and doubling what we’ve done in the past because the interest is there.”
Soon it will be all hands on deck at the Sheady Farm, as calving will start at the beginning of April, and Joleen is happy being outdoors and working with the animals - something she always wanted to do.
Joleen Shea