The Steinbach Pistons second year of trading ice and their Zamboni for dirt and a tractor has paid off in the off-season.
The Pistons are getting close to harvesting their second crop next month with the help of Henervic Farms, MazerGroup Ltd, Southeast Seeds, Mark Hutlet Seeds, Adama, Sengenta along with the leadership and guidance of Herbsigwell Farms. And just like any farm season, there have been ups and downs.
“This year started out very promising with an early dry seeding date,” said Scott Peters of Herbsigwell. “Soon after we had large amounts of rain and a solid dose of hail. Just for good measure we had cutworm issues aswell.”
This is almost exactly what happened last year, except last year’s field experienced excess moisture instead of hail. And just like last year, the field came back to life during throughout the months of July and August.
“The crop has rebounded nicely and looks to be an above average yield,” Peters said about this year’s soybean crop.
The Steinbach Pistons wouldn’t be able to do a project like this with out involvement from key individuals like Scott and his team at Herbsigwell Farms.
“It’s a great way to give back to the community,” commented Peters, who is also one of the Pistons 38 community owners. “We all like to see a high level of hockey close to home as well as a successful team. It takes volunteers and money and time to have success in the MJHL. We try and do our part to contribute.”
The Pistons already have made some money off the crop due to the purchase of hail insurance, not it’s a wait and see game to see what the yield will be at harvest time in the next couple of weeks.