A Munson-Michichi area farmer reached an impressive milestone this spring in planting his 75th annual crop.
Ron Stanger, who just turned 98, his name and farming have become synonymous. On Wednesday, June 25, Kneehill Soil Services, during its annual customer appreciation at the Stampede Barn, took a moment to honour Ron on this milestone. Wes Pierce of Kneehill Soil Services noted that Ron has been dealing with them for 30 years and also knows when the silver SUV pulls up, it’s time to put the coffee on.
“Every time Grandad visits, I feel a little smarter when he leaves,” he said.
Ron was humbled by being honoured. He notes he has had great support from his family, his wife and neighbours.
“You can’t do it by yourself, there's always something… maybe you're stuck in the slough, and you can't get out by yourself, you need help,” Ron said.
His roots in the land go back more than a century. His father, James, came from the Orkney Islands to the Orkney District in 1908. Of course, the area west of Drumheller had no name when the land was opened to homesteaders shortly after the turn of the century, but there was an influx of Scottish settlers who made it their home. The first years were difficult, but he stuck to it. In 1919, James was able to go home and bring his sweetheart, Isabella. The couple had four sons and moved to the Munson area to be closer to school.
Ron grew up helping out on the farm and was a member of the 4H Grain Club. As a young adult, he bought grain for a while for the Alberta Wheat Pool before returning to the farm. He married Marie King in 1951, the same year he rented a bit of land in the Michichi area, borrowed some equipment from his father and struck out on his own.Within three years, he bought his first quarter for $70 an acre and paid it off in six years.
He saw a lot of change in those years, from electrification to modern farming techniques using fertilizer and commercial herbicides.
"I remember working with my dad, and we were still using horses…the horse only worked at most eight hours a day,” he chuckled.
He said back then, combining, they would do 1,000 bushels in a day. Today, a modern combine can knock out 500 bushels in 15 minutes.
The couple raised three children: Don, Dave and Jeanette. Marie had an active garden on the farm, and they also raised pigs, chickens and cattle, at one point, a 100-head feedlot.
Jeanette spoke at the presentation, recalling a time when Ron and a neighbour designed and built their very own chicken plucker.
“After many years of plucking chickens, Dad and his friend decide to build a plucker. They had seen them in the past and knew how they worked,” she recalled. “On the day they test-drove the machine, not sure what happened, but Dad and his friend were covered head to toe with white feathers, looking like giant white chickens themselves. Who knew chickens had so many feathers? Dad looked at his friend and said, ‘I think it is going a bit too fast.’”
The family was active in the community. Marie was a member of the Munson Women’s Institute, and Rob was an active member of the Drumheller Lions Club. He served as president and chaired the committee for building the Lions Campground and the committee responsible for the operation of Manors 1 and 2 in Drumheller.
His daughter-in-law, Linda spoke at the presentation.
“My children and I are blessed with a father-in-law and grandfather who is admired by all and who is a pillar of the community," she said.
Ron and his son Don were farming together when Don suddenly passed in 2004. His grandson Aaron stepped up to take on keeping the farm going. Ron mentored him, and Linda became more involved in the operations.
While Ron has cut back a bit and has lived in Drumheller for a couple of decades, he is still active at 98. He is also a regular at the McDonald’s coffee clatch every morning at 7 a.m., spreading his wisdom.
“I like farming, it’s not like any other job, you do something for a month, and then it's on to something different," he said.
