Candice is back from Canada

After all, Candice spent eight years living in the heart of the state in a town with the most Canadian name of all time, Moose Jaw.

“It’s so flat. There are no fences. Just crops as far as you can see,” she said.

This is heaven for a Leeton born girl with a passion for canola and legumes.

When Candice left Australia with her partner, diesel mechanic Brent Shearer, she had an agricultural degree from CSU Wagga and an urge to see the world.

The pair secured work, Candice landing a job as an agronomist for Nutrien (before it became a household name in Australia) and Brent working on mine and agricultural equipment.

But how does a Riverina girl adjust to life as a Canuck?

“There are no words to describe how it feels to be in minus 50℃ weather. You can never ever get used to it,” she said.

According to Candice, Australian farmers run far more complicated operations than their Canadian counterparts and it’s no surprise that it all comes down to moisture.

“In Australia, there are so many systems on a farm to prepare for those regular dry years. Whether it’s irrigation, summer and winter cropping or livestock enterprises,” Candice said

Apparently, it’s much easier in the land of hockey and maple syrup.

“There’s a timeliness of things when farming in Canada because their season is so short. There’s also a guaranteed crop, year in year out. The average growing season rainfall is 250-330mm plus snow melt and snow contributes to moisture,” Candice said.

Her average client in Canada would run around 1821 hectares acres and spend their winters far away from their frozen crop, preferably somewhere warm.

Fast forward to today and Candice and Brent are the parents of two-year-old Lachlan, born in Canada and being raised in Tocumwal as the pair adjusts to the Australian way of life and farming.

“I love the challenge and the opportunities here, whether it’s summer crops or pasture rotations, Australian farmers have a real appetite for variety and I’ve missed that.”