Andrew McClelland
The Advocate
Five generations is a long agricultural legacy. And 19-year-old River Morse of Hatley, in the Eastern Townships, knows that it’s a special benchmark for any farm family to reach. It’s an achievement that is one of the main joys of his life. And one that he aims to keep going.
“My first memory of being on the farm is of riding along with grandpa in the tractor while feeding cows,” Morse recalled. “Growing up, I would spend most of my days off school with my grandparents, helping out with chores around the farm.”
Morse grew up with a firm sense of his family’s farming history. His great, great grandfather Samuel Morse started the farm that the family still works today. Pork and dairy were the mainstays of production until grandfather Delmar sold the dairy herd to get into beef in the mid-1980s.
“I was raised on the family farm alongside my grandfather,” River explained. “It was him and my dad who started our beef operation. Growing up there allowed me to learn so many life skills, like having a strong work ethic, perseverance and determination.”
Growing purebred herd
That’s how the family business, Sonmar Simmentals, was born.The Morses currently calve 100 to 110 cows on a yearly basis, focusing on highly maternal cows that raise competitive calves for the seedstock industry. They have a growing herd of purebred Angus and Simmentals that River and his father, Jason, hope to expand in the coming years.
“Moving forward, I’d like to expand our purebred side of the enterprise and focus on genetic advancement with functional cattle,” he said.
Morse started participating in events with his local 4-H Club when he was 8 years old and never looked back. For the past two years he has served as the club’s provincial director. His involvement has afforded him opportunities, like interning for a summer in Forestburg, AB., (just east of Red Deer.) He credits 4-H with teaching him valuable life lessons and is eager to mentor farm kids in the way he was mentored.
“The 4-H program has shaped me into the individual I am today,” Morse said. “It’s taught me that nothing is given for granted, and if you want to be successful, you must outwork every other competitor. Luck isn’t given. It’s earned!”
Collecting prize ribbons
And Sonmar Simmentals have earned quite a few prized ribbons with its herd over the years, thanks in no small part to that work ethic and attention to genetics. A heifer that Morse and his father purchased out West last winter was named Grand Champion Female at both the Ayer’s Cliff Fair and Cookshire Fair last summer.
And the honours didn’t stop there.
“My fondest memory growing up would probably be just this past fall in receiving the honour of Supreme Champion Bull at the Expo Boeuf (in Victoriaville),” he said.
A month later, one of the family’s purebred bulls also made it among the top five finalists in the Supreme Champion Bull hunt at Toronto’s Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.
“It was a remarkable experience being with a bull we bred and own — something my father has been doing for 30 years — and then finally being able to celebrate that moment with him and the family!”
Morse enrolled in the Farm Management and Technology Program at McGill University’s Macdonald Campus in Ste. Anne de Bellevue in the fall of 2021. Last November, he was one of five students to win a Warren Grapes Agricultural Scholarship from the Quebec Farmers’ Association.
“I actually heard about the award from my friends and my father,” he said. “So I decided to apply with no intentions of winning. I was very honoured when I received the email to discover I was selected as a recipient.”
Looking to the future
These days, Morse is thinking ahead to graduation, hoping that he can one day return to the family farm while also working off-farm in the ag industry. He knows that the challenges faced by future farmers are considerable, but he’s never been afraid of hard work.
“It’s certainly going to be a challenge for young farmers to be able to progress in today’s world, but I believe my generation has the vision and ideas to continue to progress in this industry,” he said. “The cost of production is rising in all aspects of the agriculture industry, so we have to find other ways to reduce the cost or eliminate it.”
Morse seems poised to progress in his chosen vocation of farming, with both an optimistic mindset and the dedication to achieving his goals.
“I believe the non-farming public needs to better understand the day-to-day life we live. Without agriculture, the world would have a lot of empty plates come meal time. For many of us, it’s a passion that drives us to get up every morning and do the same thing over and over. I strongly encourage farms to have tourism to encourage the public to come see what the farming community does and why. Take the time and tell your story.”