Saskatchewan Outstanding Young Farmers a sibling team

REGINA — A sibling partnership will represent Saskatchewan at the national Outstanding Young Farmers event in 2026.

Jordon Lynch and Chansi Bourke won the provincial competition at Canada’s Farm Show in Regina.

The brother and sister, joined more recently by another brother, are the fourth generation to grain farm near Osage, Sask. They grow cereals, oilseeds and lentils through Lynch Farm Partnership.

The farm was established in 1907. Lynch said the family was historically small, so there wasn’t a need to expand much. But their parents, Les and Deanne, bought lease land and built the business big enough to pass down to their children.

“To give you a picture of that growth, when I came back to the farm in 2012 we were running 5,000 acres with one seeder and two combines. Heading into 2026 we’ve successfully grown to 15,000 acres, operating three seeders and four combines,” he said.

About half the land base is owned and half rented and they rely on two full-time and three seasonal staff to help.

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Lynch obtained a diploma in ag business from the University of Saskatchewan in 2010, and then spent 10 months in New Zealand on a grain and sheep farm. In 2012, he and his parents formed the Lynch Farm Partnership.

Bourke is an agronomist for Top Notch Farm Supply in Fillmore and joined the LFP in 2018.

Their brother Keegan is a journeyman plumber who worked for LFP since 2009 and officially joined in 2023.

Lynch, with wife Dakota and daughters Amelia and London; and Bourke, husband Patrick and daughters Hudson, Ivy and Sage, all live in Osage. Keegan, wife Shelbi, and daughters Georgia and Macklyn live in Sedley.

Bourke said teamwork and relationships are the farm’s foundation.

“It starts with our efforts to improve ourselves as owners. We are driven and pushing ourselves to learn and evolve, personally and as a team,” she said.

For example, she recently completed her Certified Crop Advisor requirements and both she and Patrick just attended Learn to Lead from SaskOilseeds. They all stay up to date through webinars and field days.

Keeping their families at the forefront is critical, she said. The expansion to their land base has put pressure on their work-life balance.

“How do we remain a viable farm and maintain that family farm feeling that brought us back to our roots in the first place?” Bourke said.

The family uses a three-part approach to management and succession: family; business development; and human resources.

Their parents researched succession management before their children ever came back to the farm and talked to the siblings early on about how they could return. The partners have regular governance meetings, communication management plans and organizational charts defining roles and responsibilities. And, they’ve worked with succession management consultants to ensure the goals are clear and communicated.

Lynch said they can’t control weather or markets but the plan provides financial stability and security.

“It’s how we ensure our farming values and successful practices actually make it to the next generation,” he said.

They have standard operating procedures, regular employee reviews and on-farm safety workshops.

He said they aren’t afraid to admit they don’t know everything and rely on experts to help in those areas.

Sustainability is another focus. The partnership takes marginal land out of production and seeds it down to salt-tolerant grass. They use deep ripping to break up hard pan and improve water infiltration to plant roots. Seed and soil testing are used extensively, and they have run farm trials on canola varieties and biologicals.

In addition, all are involved in their communities on organizations and boards; Lynch is a medical first responder.

The other nominees in 2026 were also siblings. Brothers Cashe and Beau Stevenson and their families work with their father and grandfather at Hi-Lite Feedlot west of Melfort. Since 2020 they expanded capacity and modernized the facilities. It has a capacity of 4,500 feeder cattle and they use part of it to winter and calve 500 cows.

The Stevensons also farm 5,000 acres.

The national OYF event is scheduled for Nov. 25-29 in Vancouver.