The local growing projects for the Canadian Food Grains Bank is looking for farmland to help feed the hungry.

“Our food grains project has been around for 27 years now. We're looking for some land in Lacombe County so we can grow a crop, sell the crop and use the money to help hungry people around the world,” said Doug Maas, a Canada Food Grain Committee Member. 

Last year, the local project was able to fundraise $120,000 which was matched 4 to 1 by the Federal Government. Maas says the Canadian Food Grains Bank was able to help nearly one million people in 2021. 

“That money went to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank in Winnipeg, and they're using it to help hungry people in places like South Sudan, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Cambodia,” said Maas. 

Maas says farmers can donate their land to the project or they will be able to pay cash rent for the land. 

“We will use any parcel size of land. Some years it's 160 acres last year it was 120. Some years it's been 90. It doesn't have to be that the full quarter section of 160 acres. A parcel of any size that we would grow a crop to meet the crop rotation requirements of that field,” he explained. 

Now that it is March, the organization is hoping to secure the land before the end of April and early May. 

“[Once we secure the land], we know what crop we can grow, then we'll need to arrange with Agri-businesses for donations of items like seed, fertilizer spray and depending where the land is Lacombe County will need to touch base with some farmers to help us put the crop in the ground this spring,” said Maas.

There are food grains projects in Lacombe, Red Deer, Calgary, and Edmonton and there are over 200 growing projects across Canada. 

If there is a farmer who is interested in helping out or providing land, they can reach out to Vic Bergen at 403-782-2545.