A new video is gaining praise for the way in which it documents the operations of a modern Saskatchewan farm.
Brian Zinchuk spent more than a year taking photos and filming LeBlanc Farms Inc. and R+ Simmentals, which are located west of Estevan and operated by the LeBlanc family. The 18-minute video was uploaded to YouTube on Monday and has already been viewed more than 2,300 times.
Jason LeBlanc, who is an owner for LeBlanc Farms, said the video project started last year for the 80th birthday of his father, Ross. The LeBlancs hired Zinchuk to take photos of the birthday celebration, and Zinchuk started discussing the work he has done in the oil patch through his company Brian Zinchuk Publishing, and through his job as the editor of Pipeline News.
“We started thinking we should do up a video of farming for my dad … for him to watch,” said LeBlanc. “And then it progressed from there. It became a passion for Brian to do all these different things, and different sides of the farm, and different things that we do all year long.”
Zinchuk showed at different times of the year, such as seeding, spraying and harvest.
“Every season, every aspect of putting the crop in, from start to finish, including making corn silage,” said LeBlanc.
Often times Zinchuk used aerial drones for the footage.
Zinchuk then took all of the footage and added music into the background.
“Brian is a perfectionist, and he won’t quit until it’s done to his satisfaction, with many, many shots from different angles and so on in order to make a video. It was a lot of hours he put into it,” said LeBlanc.
The video features members of the LeBlanc family, reflecting the role of family in the operation.
There is also footage of LeBlanc’s brother Marlin, who looks after the ranching side of the operation through R+ Simmentals.
LeBlanc noted it was going to be a video for the family at first, but then Zinchuk suggested putting it on YouTube to showcase the technology used on the farm, and the life of a modern farmer.
The harvest footage stands out to LeBlanc the most. It touches everybody on the farm, it’s visible to those not on the farm. During the harvest, people often stop at the side of the highway and watch the combines.
“It’s lots of work, but it’s also lots of fun, and it’s the thing we do,” said LeBlanc. “If you look back at history, my dad started farming with a tractor on steel wheels, and he’s still farming today on a quadtrac, which is one of the most advanced tractors in the world. That’s what’s interesting to me, is listening to his stories when we’re out in the field.”
LeBlanc admits he’s surprised by the reaction from people who have seen it. He thought it would be popular with family members, who know about the history of the fifth-generation farm. But it was quickly shared by family, friends and others in the farming community.
“Some of the people from the cities, from as far east as Toronto, have made comments that they didn’t realize this is what happens on the farm, but we see it every day,” said LeBlanc. “We think it’s normal.
“One of the comments which was unique was they brought up the point that they have cars now that … can drive by themselves, and they said they didn’t think that was acceptable on a farm. I said we’ve had it for 15 years already.”
There have been just as many advances in the technology that goes into crops, like genetically modified organisms, as there is into the actual machinery, he said.
The grain farm component of LeBlanc Farms has about 15,000 acres, with canola and durum as its mainstays. Lentils, green peas, sunflowers, soy beans and corn can also be found on the land.
R+ Cattle Company is a purebred cattle operation that calves out more than 600 cows.
Between the two operations, there is nearly 30,000 acres.
