Story by Aric McBay
Photos by Suzy Lamont
“I’ve always been attracted to the beauty of Wolfe Island,” says crop farmer Jason Pyke. “Although it’s getting busier every year, it’s still a quiet place to raise a family.”
Jason and Christina Pyke farm a thousand acres at Pykeview Meadows on Wolfe Island. They grow corn, wheat, and soybeans on the same farm where Jason grew up. Christina and Jason were each raised on dairy farms. “Agriculture has always been in our blood,” Christina says, and both studied agriculture at the University of Guelph. After buying the family farm, Christina and Jason raised bison for 18 years. But they decided to focus on grain after the bison business got too busy, says Christina. “We just needed to take a step back to spend more time with our family.”
Jason and Christina farm with their children, Jack (who is 18) and Chloe (16 years old). Jack has a keen interest in the farm and will be taking a small engine mechanic's course this fall. Their daughter Chloe is an animal lover, raising pygmy goats, sheep, llamas and ponies. She is also very active in the local 4H livestock clubs. Jason’s family also helps with the farm. “We are very involved in the agricultural community, education is a big deal,” says Christina. “It’s important to take part in our local fairs and festivities and events like Taste of Wolfe Island.” “We want to remind people: your food comes from some place,” adds Christina. “People need to know where it comes from, how it’s grown, who it’s grown by.”
Christina and Jason are co-chairs of Ontario’s Outstanding Young Farmers Program, which recognizes agricultural excellence with an annual award (an award that Jason and Christina received back in 2009). Soil health is also very important for the Pyke family, Jason says: “You have to look after the soil, for your kids and the generations that come after us. It’s a balancing act, to make sure we leave the ground in better shape than we found it.” For the Pyke family, this means using no-till practices on the farm and adding tile drainage to their land.
Their busy harvest season stretches from August to November. Most of their wheat harvest is sent to the Port of Johnstown, east of Brockville. From there the harvest could be shipped anywhere in the world. (Some of the corn is turned into ethanol, which you might pump into your gas tank.) Their farm’s biggest challenge is transportation to and from Wolfe Island. “Farming on an island, you can’t just run into town to get something,” explains Jason. They recently built new grain bins so that they can dry and store grain on-farm. The bins will ease their transportation challenges, and allow them to sell grain when prices are better. This new infrastructure is all part of their long-term approach.
“Our children are the fifth generation on this family farm,” says Jason, who hopes their kids will want to carry on the tradition. Their son Jack is taking a two-year diploma in agriculture. And Chloe is an animal lover, raising pigs, goats, llamas, donkeys, rabbits, chickens, Holstein calves and a pony.
Jason concludes: “It’s always an honour to have family continue a family farm."
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