For decades, the annual threshing bee has been a core part of the Brown family heritage in Carstairs, Alberta. It provides an opportunity to gather as a community, raise money for international food relief through the Foodgrains Bank, and preserve the farming heritage of where they live.
The family event was started by Lyle and Betty Brown, who had supported the Foodgrains Bank since its beginnings. Lyle was involved in bagging grain to be sent overseas in the early days of the Foodgrains Bank, and used a restored George White threshing machine in the 80’s to host his first threshing fundraiser event.
In 2010, the event was expanded into a bigger fundraiser – and at just three years old, it was the first time their grandchild Zander Ewert had attended the special day.
“He was a child who always had a nap in the afternoon, but there was no nap that day!” says Zander’s mother Tracy Brown Ewert. “The threshing event was the most exciting day of his life up until that point, and has been ever since.”
On average the Carstairs farming group in Alberta threshes about 200 bushels of wheat each year, with the proceeds of the grain donated to the Foodgrains Bank. “There’s no way a day like this could happen without community support,” says Zander Ewert, pictured above. (Photo: Supplied)
The process of preparing for threshing day starts in spring, with the seeding of the crop using a horsedrawn seed drill. The bundles are made with a binder machine, which is pulled by an antique tractor or horses. In fall, two threshing machines are used to thresh the grain out of the bundles, and four teamsters come with their horses to pull bundle racks while attendees get involved in pitching bundles until the field is cleared.
In July 2024, Zander, now 17 years old, presented on the age-old family tradition, and the joy of working together towards the common goal of ending hunger, at AdFarm’s Farm Voice event for 4H Club members.
“This is a nostalgic memory [for the older generation], and the joy on their faces is evident,” says Zander. “The kids are also very involved. They’re busy helping pitch bundles, load hay racks, getting wagon rides, getting the endless supply of pop, and jumping in that straw pile at the end of the day.”
This story was originally published in the 2025 spring edition of Breaking Bread.
