By Karly Rumpel, Public Trust Specialist, Tisdale
The Colborn family has never shied away from opening the farm gate and inviting people to visit their farm. Established in 1910, Colborn Farms is a fifth-generation operation where Shawn Colborn, along with his cousins, farm 12,000 acres of cropland, have 700 head of Red Angus/Charolais cattle and a 40,000 layer poultry barn. Years ago, the farm was even home to a bed and breakfast run by Shawn’s mom and grandma.
Despite having an active farm life, Shawn has also dedicated his time to agriculture-related associations such as Saskatchewan Egg Producers and Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan.
and daughter Cadence.
“I’ve been involved in the agriculture industry since I graduated from the University of Saskatchewan,” Colborn reflects. “When I started on the Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan board, it got me thinking more about getting involved and building public trust in agriculture.”
His relationship with Farm & Food Care encouraged Shawn to move beyond the bed-and-breakfast style of interacting with the public and start hosting targeted farm tours for food influencers like dieticians, teachers, politicians and policy makers.
These tours, and Shawn’s continual advocacy for agriculture, are just a part of why he was named the Farm & Food Care Champion for 2023—an award which recognizes those who have worked to build public trust in agriculture.
“Shawn and his family have tirelessly given their time and hospitality over the years to help consumers have a better understanding of farming,” says Clinton Monchuk, Executive Director for Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan. “It’s wonderful to recognize this commitment to building trust in our industry.”
Shawn also helped initiate the Delisle Crops for Community, which has raised over $300,000 for the community by growing crops on town-owned land.
“I didn’t go into this looking for an award,” noted Colborn, “but it is nice that it is recognized that we are having an impact on public trust.”
Shawn believes it’s a farmer’s job to step up, educate and tell their story. Thanks to Farm & Food Care, farmers across Saskatchewan will have the chance to tell their stories at Open Farm Days on August 10 and 11, 2024. This event will allow farmers to open the door to their operations and show consumers from across the province what a day on their farm looks like.
When hosting farm tours, Shawn focuses on providing proper information about the sustainability of his farm.
“Anything that negatively impacts the environment, negatively impacts our community and our ability to continue farming and our kids to continue farming,” he remarked. “We aren’t going to do anything that will negatively impact our livestock, environment or our consumers. Not to say we haven’t made mistakes, but we learn from them and try to get better.”