FOR THE LOVE
OF FARMING
From father to sons, the tradition continues
by Jody Busk, Hardisty, Alta.Below: Colin
taking a ride
on his newly
acquired tractor,
with his son,
Brayden.M
y husband Colin has always
been a farmer at heart. He grew
up in the small town of Hard-
isty, Alta., but spent many days
out on his great-uncle’s and his grandpar-
ents’ farms, helping out from a young age.
We still reside in Hardisty and for the last
12 years, we’ve lived on a three-acre lot.
Recently, Colin purchased a 70-year-old
Allis-Chalmers tractor from a good friend.
It was in running order but had done little
but sit and look pretty. Colin was in his
glory when he took it off his friend’s hands.
He uses it on a daily basis, even if it is only
to drive in circles around the acreage or
pull our mobile chicken coop from one spot
to the next. He’s also dug out an old John
Deere cultivator at his grandfather’s home-
stead and tried to use the almost 90-year-
old piece of equipment to cultivate ourgarden! It still works—with a little bit of
extra elbow grease.
Colin is now busy teaching our sons,
Braxton and Brayden, about the history of
farming in hopes that they too will appreci-
ate what our grandfathers and great-grand-
fathers once had to do to live in this beau-
tiful country. He takes the boys out to his
uncle’s and cousin’s farms to help out with
combine harvesting in the fall, working the
cattle and sometimes helping with calving.
Braxton and Brayden are both fascinated
with farm life and the machines. Colin likes
to talk about what his grandparents used to
do on the farm and he loves the vintage trac-
tors—they are simple, less electronic con-
traptions that are less likely to break down.
One day, this old tractor will get a new paint
job, but in the meantime, it’ll be cranked
and enjoyed for many years to come! ■WHEELS