My name is Erin and I am a grain farmer in northern Alberta. My husband and I live and farm alongside my parents. Our kids are the fifth generation to live on the homestead. I grew up living beside my grandparents, helping with the farm and garden, and it is a rare gift to see my children have a similar childhood. I appreciate the support and resources from the National Farmers Mental Health Alliance. I have found encouragement and good reminders. I am so delighted to write a piece for them.

I enjoy ultra-running as a hobby. Yes, I run really long distances on purpose, and a lot of my training for a run translates to the ultimate ultra challenge: harvest!

Proper Fuel for our race: Just like fueling my body to run well for a long time, farming takes the right fuel to operate well. Not just purple dye either! There is meal prep, seasonal workers, and keeping a clean and organized bin yard. This year I had the privilege of having house cleaners come in once a week to maintain the house and help with the overflow of dishes as we fed a crew of six workers and our family of five. It takes many people doing different and important jobs to give everyone else the energy and ability to work through harvest.

First up on our run is the warm-up: Prepping equipment, having pre-harvest meetings to make sure we are all communicating, and discussing anything we know might be a challenge (old equipment, bad weather, shortage of workers, health issues) The more we can warm up and anticipate the better we will run and the less injuries we will incur.

The first 20 km: We are off and running! Working out any kinks and finding a smooth pace.

The second 20 km: This is when fatigue hits me both in running and farming. The long nights and constant pressure start to feel heavy. We can get stressed with each other and ourselves. There is less patience and decision-making fatigue. This is the part where my mental self-talk can help or hurt the process. Am I asking for help? Am I assuming the best? Do I understand the viewpoints and priorities of the other people on my team? We dig deep here, reminding ourselves why we do this, why it is important, and relying on the many months of preparation to carry us through.

The last few km: We are almost there! The end is in sight and rest is on the horizon! This is the part where we really need to watch our footing and stay focused. Hurrying too much on tired legs can lead to a wipeout or injury. Keep focused on the breathing and footwork that have led you through the whole race.

Crossing the Finish Line: What a relief to have crop off and dry and in the grain bins! The time crunch is over and we can celebrate the wonderful teamwork and effort that led us through.

Post Race: The race may be over but there is stretching and recovery ahead. Maybe some equipment needs to be fixed, and if you can get a fill of anhydrous for the field all the better. There is value in the rest, lessons to be learned and reflections to be had. Share the funny stories, ask questions and reconnect as a family. Appreciate the amazing crew that all works together to accomplish a really challenging and beautiful lifestyle.

As you enter into this year’s late summer and early fall, it is my hope that the ultimate ultra challenge of harvest begins and ends in a celebration of the teamwork and effort shared.

Written by Erin Schroeder

Erin is a busy wife, mother, 4^th generation grain farmer, owns Great North Electric company with her husband Chris, and sits on her municipality’s agriculture board. Erin and her family live on their family farm—McDonald Homestead EST. 1911— near Grande Prairie, Alberta. They are renovating two family homes on the farm and are adjusting to a new era of farming.

You can get to know Erin better here on Instagram:

@mcdonaldhomestead @erin_nicole_schroeder @greatnorthelectric