Harvesting memories: Leo Gaboury reflects on farming’s evolution

Spiritwood, Sask. — On a sunny fall day, Leo Gaboury and his grandson, Tanner, sit side by side in the cab of a combine.

You’d likely assume it would be a challenge for the 93-year-old to make his way up into the massive piece of equipment, but you’d be dead wrong.

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“It’s better than a ladder because I’ve got a railing on both sides,” Gaboury exclaims, pointing to the sturdy steps leading up to the combine. “I could run up there!”

Tanner chuckles, “You always think you should be helping him, but he just climbs up there on his own, no problem!”

The long-retired farmer settles in for the ride, preparing to take in the sights and sounds of harvest on the farm while sharing memories of days gone by.

The Gaboury homestead sits six miles west of Spiritwood. Each fall the family harvests roughly 3,000 acres of wheat, canola and oats from the land, originally purchased by Gaboury in 1957. He now lives in town but still enjoys visiting the farm every chance he gets.

A love of farming runs deep through the roots of the Gaboury family tree. Leo Gaboury shared his love for the industry with his descendants, many of whom are now farmers themselves. He says he is very proud of them, including his grandson Tanner and son Jim. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)

With the gentle hum of machinery and the vibrant colours of fall surrounding them, Gaboury reminisces about the early days of his farming career.

“When I started, there was what you call a press drill, a discer (disc harrow), and then there was a plow,” he recalls. “There were a few gimmicks on there that had controls for the depth. You’d have four to six horses pulling that.”

With a grin, Tanner jumps in, “So, if the horses were good enough, you technically had auto-steer back then, right?”

Gaboury smiles as he continues with his tale. “We also had a steam engine. You had to haul water if it wasn’t handy. We had a little lake on the farm, and one guy had the job of hauling the water,” he explains. “We burned wood — there was always a dry tree around to start the fire. You had a gauge, and when your steam was up, you’d pull the lever to make it go. Just like a train!”

Curious, Tanner leans closer. “How fast did your steam engine go, Grandpa?”

“Only three miles an hour! That was top speed!” Gaboury laughs, the sound echoing in the small cab.

Tanner teases his grandfather, “There was a reason you guys were all skinny bean poles back then, eh? There was a lot of hard work to do.”

“Oh yeah, but we ate good!” Leo replies, a smile spreading across his face. “My grandma was a very good cook. She believed in gardening stuff. And at that time, you caught the meat and you smoked it. You know, the food was tasty.”

“He was a really good role model — a hard worker. We’re lucky to still have him here. At 93 years old, he can still come up in the combine and have rides with us. I’m very fortunate,” says Tanner Gaboury of his grandfather. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)

As the decades on the Gaboury farm went by, the trusty steam engine was eventually upgraded to a tractor — self-propelled with an open cab. At the time it was considered state-of-the-art, but it was a far cry from the comfortable cab the pair find themselves in today.

Tanner operates a John Deere S680 Combine Harvester. The combine is equipped with all of the bells and whistles a farmer could possibly need. Gaboury says it gets the job done much faster than the threshing machine he used to run, which he says took 12 men to operate properly.

“When I’m in my combine and it’s a dusty day, and I can’t see out of my window because it’s too dusty, I think about the open cab tractors and combines you had,” Tanner says. “All of the dirt would be coming in, right in your face.”

“Oh yeah, I would be standing right on top, like a bird!” Gaboury laughs. “It was dusty!”

The conversation turns to the challenges of colder days on the Saskatchewan prairie.

“What happened when it got cold late in the fall?” Tanner asks, eager to learn more about the trials his grandfather faced. “Would you have to bundle up, Grandpa?”

“We had to dress up,” Gaboury says, recalling one specific winter where he claims the temperature reached -60 C. “Some guys had buffalo coats! It’s easier now by a long way. When you push a button,” he says, blowing air through his lips and making a whooshing noise, “Air conditioning!”

Tanner nods thoughtfully before adding, “It was a lot of work. I mean, we work hard… but not in the same ways. Hearing these stories really gives you a good perspective. Now it’s more technology, and there’s more money involved. But it’s substantially easier. You don’t even have to steer anymore. The satellites go down, and you’re like, ‘Oh geez, now I’ve got to steer my tractor!’ We’ve got it pretty good. It’s pretty cushy.”

Leo Gaboury purchased his homestead six miles west of Spiritwood, Sask. in 1957. Today, his grandson Tanner lives on and farms this land. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)

As their tour in the combine comes to an end, the pair make their way back to Gaboury’s home quarter, where Tanner now lives with his wife and two small children.

Gaboury descends the combine steps, just as sure-footed now as when he was a young farmer.

With admiration, Tanner says, “I’m very proud of my grandpa. He was a really good role model — a hard worker. We’re lucky to still have him here. At 93 years old, he can still come up in the combine and have rides with us. I’m very fortunate.”

While the methods and technology these men have used to harvest this land may be different, it’s clear that the love of farming that has been passed down through the Gaboury family tree stands the test of time.