By paNOW

‘Field of the Future’ raises funds for charity

May 24, 2013 | 5:26 PM

The seeds of a new charity program were planted in a field at the south edge of Prince Albert on Friday afternoon.

The Field of the Future initiative, spearheaded by Moker and Thompson Implements, will raise money through crop proceeds for Victoria Hospital and the Red River Riding and Roping Club.

“We were looking for land to test and demo our units … and we ended up getting this basically quarter section of land and realized we don’t need that much so we thought we’d do something good for the community,” said Moker and Thompson’s operations manager Arron McLean.

With the help of several other key sponsors, McLean said three varieties of wheat were planted on more than 200 acres of land and will be maintained throughout the growing season.

Moker and Thompson provided the farm equipment and manpower, Arysta Life Science donated the crop spray, Crop Production Service tested the soil, Viterra donated the wheat seed, and Prince Albert Coop provided the fuel. Other sponsors include Farm Credit Corp., Case IH, SeedHawk, and MacDon.

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When the crop is harvested at the end of the growing season, half the proceeds will go towards helping the Red River Riding and Roping Club build its new arena.

“It’s amazing and with all the volunteers and the people we have in our club, this just gives us a big shot in the arm,” said the president of the Red River Riding and Roping Club, John Beaulac.

The rest of the money will be donated to the Victoria Hospital. Rob Dalziel, executive director of the Victoria Hospital foundation said there are already plans for the money.

“The proceeds will be tied in with our annual ‘Rawlco Radio Give a Little Life Day’” he said, referring to a radio-a-thon that raises funds for much needed medical equipment. Dalziel added that once the profits are realized and the crop is sold, the total will be added to what is raised that day.

Although it’s always hard to predict crop yields, McLean is hopeful that this year’s initiative will raise around $40,000.

Moker and Thompson is hopeful that this year’s first ‘Field of the Future’ will turn into an annual event, “We’re already planning for next year,” said McLean.

sleslie@panow.com

On Twitter: @_seanleslie