Farmer in Cudworth, SK wins $30,000 shop renovation

Ryan Jungwirth is still shocked that he won the FMC Let’s Talk Shop contest

CALGARY, AB – The Jungwirth family built a shop in Ryan’s brother’s yard 15 years ago. Winning the $30,000 Let’s Talk Shop contest from FMC means Ryan can finally get a shop of his own.

Ryan entered the FMC Let’s Talk Shop contest last winter and promptly forgot about it. This spring he called Travis Goebel, his local FMC rep, with a herbicide question. A few days later, Travis’ number popped up on his mobile phone again, but it wasn’t to continue talking about herbicides. This time, it was a conference call with two people on the line – Travis and Krista Henry, marketing communications manager at FMC.

“They told me I’d won $30,000,” says Ryan. “I was shocked. I’d forgotten about entering. It’s still sinking in. I’ve been racking my brain ever since trying to decide what to do with the money.”

The Jungwirth brothers are the fifth generation to farm, the fourth generation on the land near Cudworth. The farm looks a lot different than it did a century ago. As Ryan says, back then, “they were more rock farmers than wheat farmers.” Like most Prairie settlers, the first generations on the farm had a mixed operation. Since those days the Jungwirths have kept the home section and expanded into better land.

Now, Jungwirth Farms is 4,500 acres in a wheat, barley, canola rotation. Their father still farms and they have a hired man to help too. Ryan does the spraying, his brother seeds, and everyone is on deck for harvest. The family works on a lot of machinery themselves. They could use another shop.

Right now, Ryan’s plan is to pour a concrete floor inside a 40x60 cold storage shed in his yard. He wants to insulate the walls and get gas and power there for a comfortable place to work on equipment year round.

“We were thrilled that Ryan won,” says Henry. “We can’t wait to follow his plans and see how he uses the $30,000.”

The FMC Let’s Talk Shop contest was open to farmers across Canada. A Weyburn, SK family won the $30,000 prize in 2021, the first year of the contest. Dean Nikolejsin and his family used the money to build a shop office on the farm.