The Budinski Family: “There is just something about the smell of the dirt”

paid advertisement

Joe Budinski’s favorite thing about farming is the feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction at harvest time. He and his wife, Arlette, along with their three boys Jesse, Noah, and Sam farm the land that his great grandparents homesteaded near Mundare, Alberta, when they came from Europe after the first world war.

Joe’s mother and father, Virginia and Peter, are both still highly involved in the operation. And the boys help around the farm as well, especially his youngest, Sam. With Sam’s interest in equipment and his ability to “fix things like his Grandpa,” Joe is excited about the idea of at least one of his sons being a 5th generation farmer.

Joe’s top priority when it comes to canola is yield. But, he thinks standability and harvestability are the main factors contributing to the bushels in the bin.

“The better the harvestability and pod shatter tolerance, the less you will lose, and the more bushels you will get in the end.” Joe explained.

He added that he thought this was especially true for straight cutting canola. For years now, Joe has been straight cutting 100% of his acres.

“When we straight cut, I think we get bigger seed size, less damage, and better quality seed,” said Joe. He also pointed out other benefits of straight cutting, like savings on equipment cost and man power.

Joe’s journey with DEKALB® actually started as a result of his interest in straight cutting. He went to a DEKALB® Market Development (MD) trial in the area looking for information on straight cutting. That’s where he met local DEKALB® Agronomist, Arvel Lawson. They both joke that “it was a match made in heaven.” Now, 5 years later, Joe does his own DEKALB® MD trials with Arvel.

He says he likes doing the MD trials because it gives him the opportunity to see for himself, what fits best on his land. He also likes that he gets the chance to see new products that are up and coming.

For example, Joe had the opportunity to try out DEKALB® 74-44 BL when it was first being trialed as an experimental product in 2012. Joe still grows 74-44 BL, but also likes 75-65 RRfor its straight cut attributes. This year, Joe also planted the new DEKALB® Clubroot resistant (resistant to clubroot pathotypes 3,2,5,6 & 8) hybrid, 75-42 CR, and is excited to see how it performs.

Arvel told us, “Joe is a risk-taker.” He likes to experiment and push the boundaries. So, when Joe came to Arvel and told her he wanted to try to “grow soybeans like the Manitobans do,” she couldn’t say she was that surprised.

Although, Joe admits he is a bit of a gambler, it is appearent that he is also very strategic and considerate of maximizing his return on investment. Joe saw soybeans as an opportunity to lengthen his canola rotation.

He also likes the logistical ease of dealing with soybeans – the fact that he can take them right to the elevator was a huge benefit to Joe. Even with the risks that Arvel pointed out to him, Joe decided soybeans were part of his farm’s future.

When we visited in mid-July, you could hear the excitement in Joe’s voice when he talked about harvesting the soybeans. He even asked Arvel if they could put a DEKALB® Soybean MD trial in on his farm next year.
We are excited to see what Joe comes up with next. You, Joe, are a trailblazer.

We thank the Joe for choosing DEKALB® Brand seed for his farm and wish him and his family a safe and successful harvest this year and for many generations to come. Check out the results of farmer-managed DEKALB Market Development trials on DEKALB.ca this fall.