Prairies Archives - Small Prairie Farm

FARM JAM 2024- A message from Malcolm

“This year, the farm jam is on Saturday, August 3rd. Come camp and enjoy music. Directions can be found https://smallprairiefarm.com/contact-location/ or Google: Malcolm Rice’s farm. Hope to see you there.”

We usually have a lot of fun! We have chickens busting their butts making eggs. We provide supper for the night (burgers and hotdogs).

BRING YOUR OWN BANJO OR MUSICAL INSTRUMENT! Many family and friends feel like they’re musically inclined and love to put on a jam session. If this is also you, bring your musical talent!

*** PLEASE GET IN TOUCH WITH MALCOLM OR DIANE, IF YOU’RE COMING. SO WE CAN FIGURE OUT HOW MUCH FOOD TO BUY ****

June 6, 2024

Farm Jam 2022

Farm jam is Saturday, July 30th this year. We will supply burgers and hotdogs for supper. Also outhouse and water. Power will be on a first-come-first service. Bring your tents or camper. Join us for the on-stage jam.

May 19, 2022

Farm Jam 2021- The Year After COVID

The year after COVID. We didn’t get many pictures. It’s like we wanted to see people with our eyes instead of through a camera lens for once!

It was a great FARM/ FAM Jam. WE HAD BABIES! You know we are close to the end of the COVID epidemic when babies can leave the house!

Adam & Jenna had their little one out along with Raje and Mike. Aunties and grand aunties we’re loving it!

The Boiler Room Boys & friends hosted by Malcolm Rice plays the main stage.

Drew cooked up a storm again. There was of course so much food and so many aunties to make sure you ate that food. Lots of people left with leftovers (goodie bags of food) or eggs.

It was a good group of people (Claudia and Bernie didn’t get that camper they were going to look at in the morning. the table bed was too small)

Most of the 35- 45-year-olds made it out of bed by 9 am. Their parents were still disgusted with them for sleeping in. Breakfast was already over.

Tents were set up and taken down. Every time it was funny and a family event.

What do you call 12 Rice’s setting up a tent?

Friday night entertainment. TAKING IT DOWN SUNDAY…EVEN FUNNIER. (Someone send the video please).

The pigs made their debut by being the smelliest of the evening.

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July 28, 2021

Wildlife on the Critter Camera

CRITTERS, CRITTERS, EVERYWHERE! WE HAVE THEM ON CAMERA.

We’ve had several Critters families stop in to try and figure out the cameras. We’ve also had a few who didn’t notice the cameras at all.

Birds, raccoons, deer, coyotes, fox, MOOSE, Owls, house cat, bald eagle, hawk, cougar, rabbit, white weasle, and more. We’ve had the pleasure of catching a few photos of some of Saskatchewan’s wildlife wandering through the yard. We just use our simple outdoor Nest Cam. These little Critters are always welcome until chickens start going missing then we’ll reevaluate.

FOX

COYOTE

GANGSTER DEER

DEER FIGHT CLUB

PHEASANTS

RYDER AND TROPHY GOPHER

We are itching for the season to start. The family has already started staying overnight at the farm with the camper furnaces in the campers on overnight. Until the snow of course.

In the fall over 200 bulbs, were planted. We are very impatiently waiting to see what comes up. Last year we also planted Virginia creeper along 1 side of the fence line, Hollyhocks, Delphinium, and more. We are excited to see what’s going to bloom.

We bought a used metal/fabric Gazebo just to test it in the violent Saskatchewan wind. Hopefully, it can withstand a year as an outdoor TV room. We are considering the heavy COSTCO one. We just need everyone to fall in love with the idea first.

This year our 20 chickens will mainly be providing eggs for Over the Hills Orchard and Winery (A local Lumsden company).

Seedlings are growing in windows waiting for the farm. This year we are eager to plant an extra-large garden to help supplement the 2 piglets we are raising (spring to fall). You will see pictures of the new pen soon!

We will be posting more updates about the beginning of the year as the weather changes.

We are excited about spring!

Garden 2020

Summer 2020- Social Distancing!

Summer 2020 was my (Kelly’s) first full season living primarily at the farm. What better place to social distance is the farm. That’s a LIE! The Rice farm has been a haven for people looking for outdoor retreat! Bon fires, hiking, biking, sledding. We even showed up for Christmas.

Garden

Our giant garden produced a little before the swarm of grasshoppers wiped everything out. Cucumbers, carrots, garlic hardly produced. Corn surprisingly well again this year. Of course beans, peas and beets did fine. We used all heirloom fingerling potato seed this year as we couldn’t find red potato seed. WE HAVE CUTWORMS! Gross!

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Water

We ran mostly off of rainwater this year. Our dugout went dry. We shipped cooking & shower water from Pence and Regina.

Chickens

We had a flock of 20 birds on the farm laying eggs in the new chicken coop. During the grasshopper invasion they hardly had to be fed. Their Eggs were sold by Malcom at SIAST. Next year there will be a price increase in eggs, so we can make our money back. At the end of the season October 25, the chickens were sold.

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Critters and Such

For the end of the season we lit all of Jeffs old brush on fire.

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January 3, 2021

Garden 2019

Garden 2019 was huge in spite of lack of water!

This year we planted the entire Garden plot!

In the Garden 2019 we grew cucumbers, corn, raddish, (yellow, purple, green) beans, soy beans, swiss chard, spinach, lettuce, (yellow, green) zucchini, (heirloom, orange, purple) carrots, (green arrow, sugaranne, sugarsnap, mixed)peas, (red, yellow, mixed)potatoes, dill, cucamelon, garlic, onions, peppers, hot peppers, Spaghetti squash, pumpkins, beets, Dads tomatoes,

Added tomatoes along the one grapevine row.

Volunteer:

Tomato, spinach, sunflowers, chard, dill, watermelon, squash, borage

Annual:

Asparagus (not producing yet), chives, snow onions

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Fruit Trees/Shrubs/Plants

Kelly had to nurse the goji berries back from a hard winter. We’re still searching for the perfect spot to put the strawberries. This year we had ground nests in them so we had no great opportunity to get to the berries.The ones we do find are tiny. We got a sandwich bag of hascaps. Lots of plumb and apples, cherries and a few grapes

Added

2 Black currant plants, 2 Rhubarb, Gooseberry

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Canning

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Pickled:

cucumbers, swiss chard stems, beans, eggs, peppers

Pressure canned:

Beans

Frozen:

Peas, spinach

Some ideas for seeds:

See all of our garden adventures!

September 3, 2019

Farm Jam 2018

Farm Jam 2018 was smaller than usual but more fun than ever!

There was a small group at Farm Jam 2018 this year, but a lot of newcomers! We were happy to see Beth and Laurier(Sp?), Auntie Kate(from South Korea), Billie, Kendra, Cousin Danielle and family, cousin Gerry and family and of course all the regulars. There were a lot of kids which is always fun when the gocart is in action.

We’re always happy to have people out, But nobody took home CHERRIES and/or SWISS CHARD lol. It was a good event. Thank you to everyone who came out. If you have pictures send them!

Cousin Weekend 2018

Cousins Weekend Was Filled Sunshine, Drama and Food!

We camped out at Uncle Malcolm’s for the cousins long weekend! Mathew and Emmy joined us from the East coast, along with Terra and the girls(this includes Andrew). The invitation was also extended to our parents this year! Everyone packed up their tents, campers, games, footballs, baseballs, kites, pets, food, booze, kids, sunscreen, swimming trunks, and brought their partners????! Tania set up a Scavenger Hunt! There were water balloons and water gun fights. We picked berries, roasted marshmallows and more.

Not one child went without a dirty face at least once during the weekend. Jennifer got an early morning (afternoon) wake up to Oh Canada and Andrew took the kids on quad rides. People took part in signing on stage at night.

And don’t forget about the farm Jam

See all the photos, posts and comments on the Facebook Cousins Weekend thread.

Prairie Fires Are Raging This Year- 2018

Prairie Fires in Kannata Valley are Rampant

It’s only May and the Prairie Fires have already started in Southern Saskatchewan. There are Fire bans in a lot of the RMs and most people are doing their due diligence to take care not to put their land at risk.

Wascana Trails Fire – April 23

About 12 hectares of land was burned, crews sprayed fire for hours

Two fire trucks were called to the fire near the Wascana Valley Trails at around 4 p.m. CST.

Dallas Valley Fire- April 26

Crews battled a grass fire in the Lumsden Valley on Thursday, but by late evening, Lumsden’s fire department said the flames were under control.
The fire traveled east of the town along the valley.

People driving along Highway 11 reported seeing smoke for kilometers.
Dallas Valley Ranch Camp had to move its horses and human members to safety.

Kannata Valley- May 7

RBFD was dispatched as mutual aid to help the Lumsden Fire department. Along with Craven Fire department and Regina fire department, the grass fire was contained. The use of Mutual aid is beneficial to all departments and helps with protecting our communities.

6:30pm Update: Please stay off main roads at Kannata Valley unless you’rewater truck

8:23 Update: We received confirmation 68, 70, 72 have burnt down on Lake Shore Drive in Kannata Valley

Find Out Where the Wildfires are in Saskatchewan Here

Read more about what we’re doing in the News

May 8, 2018

Spring 2018

First weekend at the farm. Our dugout is down several feet. So everything froze including the fish and frogs. There were even a few trout left! Jeff and I also found some random bones.

The was a wildfire at Wascana Trails and we went to explore an abandoned house.