This fall, local farmers have once again committed to donating their time and property to grow crops for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB). The Niverville Growing Project Committee is comprised of Ken Krahn, Paul Loeppky, Scott Rempel, and Marc Loeppky. Many other farmers and input dealers have pitched in to the effort.
Two fields have been cultivated this year. The committee has planted 140 acres of corn off Crown Valley Road a half-mile west of the railway tracks, and 75 acres of soybeans off Highway 305, also west of the tracks.
In mid-September, the committee will host an onsite picnic to draw attention to the local effort. “It’s important to have these events, so non-farmers can get involved and understand what these projects are about,” says Marc Loeppky.
Loeppky says that he expects to have twenty to thirty volunteer farmers on hand to bring in this year’s harvest.
Earlier this year, Loeppky travelled to Ethiopia as part of a tour with twelve other Canadian producers affiliated with the CFGB.
“It was phenomenal,” he says. “They’re trying to take some of the younger guys—in the farming world, at 38 you’re still young—across the world to see things. The idea behind it is to promote the project and keep it going. What an eye-opener!”
The tour lasted two weeks between late January and early February and proved to be a life-changing experience. “I think in general it was just seeing that what we’re doing is actually making a difference. When people recognize that [the aid] is coming from the Canadian food bank, they’re just so grateful. It just makes you excited about what’s happening on this end.”
The Canadian Foodgrains Bank has been operating continuously since 1983, formed from 15 church agencies across the country representing 30 different denominations. Their mission is to end global hunger.
