On Tuesday morning, the players of the Drumheller Dragons were on hand at the “Field of Dreams” located along North Dinosaur Trail to help kick off the harvest of the canola crop that was planted earlier this spring.
According to Boedy Shields, Director of Operations with the Dragons, things are looking great this year. “It’s probably the best crop that we’ve had since we started the project four years ago. (This year we are) running some Pioneer Canola from Rivett Seeds. So far it’s running about 40 bushels an acre and that’s really good, especially in the valley. It’s looking like a really good year and definitely going to be pulling a really big cheque from the crop that is really going to help the team this season.”
This project helps to counter some of the larger costs for the team. “Most of our proceeds from this crop goes towards covering our billet fees. It will come pretty close to covering our billet fees for the whole year. It is one of our biggest expenses as a junior hockey team, so that really frees up a lot of budget to reinvest back in the team, to put the best product on the ice.”
The uniqueness of this fundraiser is rare in junior hockey as the Dragons are one of the few teams to run this type of fundraising effort. “I’ve said it for many years, it’s a great reflection of our community,” admits Shields. “A ton of our volunteers, season ticket holders, and our fans come from a farming background. It is just a perfect fundraiser for our team and our community.”
Crews were hoping to get the nearly quarter section of land harvested in one day and then crews will take the canola to Camrose to be sold. A huge thank you to all the sponsors of the Field of Dreams including Brandt Tractor Drumheller, Koch Fuel Supplies, Westview Co-op, BrokerLink, Rivett Seeds, Brett and Terra Adams, Sharpe’s Trucking, Richardson Pioneer, Fox Coulee Farms, and Cargill.
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