Natasha Warwaruk interviewed Dean Simonson | The Voice of Zion March 2025 - Along Life’s Way Article --
Off the beaten track, following a remote road, one comes to a hill. Nestled at the bottom of the hill is a country church graced with lofty poplars and a tidy gravel parking lot. At the top of the hill sprawls a farmyard, with a farmhouse, barns, bins, cattle, corrals, fences, shops and machinery.
Saskatchewan has named this a Century Farm, which means it has been in the same family for 100 years. Dean and Charlene Simonson own and farm this land with their son Christopher. Chris is the fifth generation of the family to work the land.
The homestead was established in 1909 by Heikki Simontaival. Some 60 years later, his grandson August Simonson donated a piece of this land to believers in the area to provide a site for a church.
Dean remembers, “I always wanted to farm. It was my dream from when I was a young boy.” After high school graduation in 1984, Dean bought a piece of his father’s land and started farming with him. One year later, due to his father’s failing health, Dean started renting the rest of the land and was on his own. In 1989, Charlene joined him in this adventure when they married. They farmed Dean’s family farm near Hawarden for nine years.
In 1998, when Charlene’s parents retired to Outlook, Dean and Charlene moved their young family to the farm at the top of the hill by Dunblane. “We have lived and farmed here ever since.”
The Simonsons have a mixed farm, growing grain on about 5300 acres and raising around 120 beef cattle. “Our farm is not large by Canadian prairie standards, but it is above average. We hire part-time help in the busy seasons, but there is more than enough work at other times to keep us very busy.” The crops grown are primarily wheat, canola and lentils, and they have also planted peas, flax, barley, mustard, soybeans and chickpeas. About ten percent of their semi-arid prairie land is irrigated, which supports higher-value crops and ensures a steadier income.
“Farmers wear many hats, so to speak-- farmer, rancher, mechanic, welder, marketer, agrologist, truck driver--just to name a few. We have found that it is valuable to us to hire professional consultants and some custom work to help us navigate the complexities of our farm operation and to take some of the workload burden.”
Besides the daily chores of feeding and watering livestock, a typical year on the farm includes calving season which starts in late winter and goes until early spring. Machinery is tuned up so everything is ready for spring seeding. As the crops grow, spraying for weeds and diseases happens and summer also brings on the haying. Hay is stored up for the cattle to feed on when the pastures are frozen and covered in snow. Fall is harvest where the crops are taken in and stored for shipping out according to the markets and plans. The 8-month-old calves along with any cows that are not pregnant, have health issues or are too old, are sold in the fall. Some heifers are kept for the herd and bred heifers and cows are bought to keep up the stock. The winter months allow for things to slow down on the farm as the Simonsons rest up, contemplate the year gone by and plan for the new one ahead.
Dean was called to be a servant of the Word when he was 24 years old and his farming lifestyle has lent well to this duty. “My biggest joy is having a believing wife who supports me in my daily work and the work of God’s kingdom.” Dean and Charlene have eight children who, as they grew up, were often nearby playing, watching and working. When called to serve in other congregations or on longer mission trips, believing neighbors have been willing to do the chores and help out with difficult tasks.
Every time Dean steps outside his house or exits the driveway, he has a view of the church. He is reminded, “That’s my church, that’s my life, it’s always right there.” Over the years, this church, at the bottom of the hill, has undergone additions and renovations to fit the needs of its rural congregation. May God continue to bless and keep congregation it serves.
You can listen to Natasha’s visit with Dean on our Hearken app!