A lot of people wonder if AdFarm only employs farmers.

The answer is … not really, but kind of.

You see, AdFarm wants its employees to help drive agriculture forward. And we do that, with pride, every day.

One of the ways to bridge the gap between those with farming backgrounds and those without is the AdFarm farm.

Each year, employees across all six offices in North America get the chance to buy shares in the AdFarm farms. We currently have a farm in Alberta, and one in North Dakota. Shares are cheaper than date night at the movies – $25 a share and AdFarmers can buy up to four shares each.

But it doesn’t end there.

Each shareholder is given a voice and a vote on what crop to plant year to year. So, you see, this essentially means all of us at AdFarm ARE farmers. We come up with some cash, choose a crop, plant it, watch it grow and, finally, meet to discuss how it all went. Was it a success or a failure?

This year, the team decided to grow InVigor canola at Graham Century Farms, which is located near Vulcan, AB in beautiful south eastern Alberta. Graham Century Farms is run by AdFarm VP Ben Graham.

Recently, fellow AdFarmer Cynthia Deitz took a trip south to Graham Century Farms to see how our crop fared in 2010. And Cynthia delivered the report, complete with pictures, to AdFarm staff last week. The boardroom was packed for Cynthia’s presentation (and the free beer had nothing to do with it).

A view of the AdFarm farm near Vulcan, Alberta

I will let you have a look at the wonderful presentation for yourself  but also wanted to share some highlights:

- The field was swathed earlier this month and will be combined in the near future (once Ben and team have combined all of their cereals

- It’s fine to leave canola in the swath, as it is less-susceptible to sprouting and weathering when compared to wheat or   barley

- Cynthia’s photos showed two fields – the one on the east side of the highway and the one on the west. The crops were noticeably different in swath size, colour and seed size and colour

- The east side was on higher ground. The west side, on lower ground, suffered frost damage, which lowered the canola grade and potential profit from the crop

AdFarmer Shannon Warren put it best: “This is a lesson in how Mother Nature always has the final word.”

What is your Harvest 2010 story? Share it with us.

Chris Jurewicz is a PR Specialist in AdFarm’s Calgary office. You can follow him on Twitter @chrisjurewicz.