World-Record Attempt In Winkler Postponed

The Children's Camps International (CCI) world-record harvest attempt, originally set for summer 2017 in Winkler, has been postponed.

Harvest For Kids National Director Dave Thiessen explains one of the factors was timing; the winter wheat crop wasn't planted as early as they would've liked.

"We just did not feel comfortable moving forward," Thiessen says, adding the original date of August 5, 2017 would've created a time crunch.

Together with the departure of VP of Operation Mark Bergen and the amount of volunteers required, he says seven months wouldn't be enough time to prepare.

"To do an event like this takes a good year of planning, probably closer to two years," Thiessen says. "We anticipate there will be over 20,000 people coming out to the event and the logistics... it's quite an undertaking."

Organizers had hoped to host 300 combines creating two lines of rumbling farm machinery, each a mile long, harvesting a 320 acre field South of Winkler.

Thiessen notes after announcing the 2017 attempt many farmers had expressed interest in joining the attempt, and says the anticipation will have to build a little longer.

"We're excited, we just want to do this well, and when that day comes we want to have a day for the entire family," Thiessen says, adding they plan to feature a farm show and international food expo on the grounds as well.

"It's a great way to draw the farming community together," Thiessen says.

He notes the commitment from farmers includes donating their time, fuel, the wear and tear on an expensive, $750,000 farming equipment, "it's a huge cost to them but they do it, and they love doing it."

In the mean time, organizers continue working towards a likely target of summer 2018 for the world-record attempt.

"We all want this to go well... it's about sending kids to camps in developing countries around the world," he says.

A goal of raising $3,000,000 has been set, which would send thousands of children to CCI camping ministries around the world.

CCI originally broke the unofficial record for fastest harvest in 2006 when 100 combines harvested a 160 acres of wheat South of Winkler in just 11 minutes. A 2009 attempt in Ireland by Combines 4 Charity took the record boasting 175 combines.

Then in 2010 the record returned to CCI with 200 combines South of Winkler. Later in 2012, CCI's Saskatchewan office broke the same record with 244 combines.