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Photo credit:Jeanette Beyer/ Bear Lake Growing Project Facebook page.
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Seeding complete on 2020 Bear Lake Growing Project field

Jun 4, 2020 | 3:26 PM

A 130-acre field seeded to barley will be this year’s Bear Lake Growing Project.

The money raised each year from selling the crop is donated to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.

Project member Gary Beyer says seeding finished Monday after starting Saturday.

“It was really wet. Almost too wet to seed, but it’s that time of the year we had to do it and see what happens.”

Jim and Deb Polasek donated the use of the land. All the inputs were also donated.

Beyer says some old-time equipment was used for some of the work.

“In the fall, if it’s a reasonably nice day, we have members and people who like to come with their antique combines and do a little bit of the combining for us. This year, Gary Dixon brought his John Deere 80 out and he did the harrowing after the seeding”

That John Deere 80 tractor was made in 1956.

Harrowing with a tractor made in 1956. Photo credit: Jeanette Beyer / Bear Lake Growing Project /Facebook

Beyer adds most project members are also done seeding their own crops.

“Some people went to more barley, oats, just earlier-maturing crops. By the time some of the fields dried up, it wasn’t early enough to seed wheat anymore.”

Beyer says as far as he knows, all the harvest left over from last year in his area has been completed.