A few local farmers got together last week to harvest 110 acres of wheat, before donating all the money to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.

"The Chip-In project was started three years ago," said Chip-In Glenlea farmer Will Bergmann. Chip-In stands for Creating Hope in People in Need.

It was started when the University of Manitoba decided to rent out some of the farm land they had. Someone at the University said they should make some of the land designated as a Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB) project.

"We said absolutely and got together with five other farms," Bergmann said. 

Every year, the farmers plant a crop and donate the money made from it directly to CFGB. The only money that comes off the cheque is to pay off the land. The farms alternate different tasks such as planting, spraying and fertilizing, and in fall, all farms come together and harvest.

They have also joined with Glenlea and the surrounding community to make it happen.

"It's been a really cool opportunity to not only provide food for those who are in need but it also brings the community together," Bergmann said.

In fact, the community has worked so closely with the Chip-In project that the farmers haven't had to pay for anything except their equipment and their time.

"We are going out into the community and talking about it," Bergmann said. "Everything was donated by different local businesses [because of that]."

Even when there is nothing left to donate, businesses in the area are still finding ways to help.

"We took it directly to G3 elevator and they gave us a premium on the grain that came in," Bergmann said. "It was like their donation."

And it was a huge donation this year because the harvest was good this year. Very good.

"I've never seen a wheat harvest that high in my life," Bergmann exclaimed.

He says the group finished with 87.5 bushels of wheat per acre. For those who don't farm, Bergmann said if you get 60, you're doing good.

The group just signed a three-year contract to continue growing on the land and donating the money to the CFGB. Bergmann doesn't seem eager to stop donating his own time and money to this.

"I love feeding people, I feel very fulfilled in my calling to feed people," Bergmann said. "Everyone needs to eat, everyone has the right to eat, and we just want to be a part of that."

After an almost perfect harvest, Bergmann is looking forward to continuing his work with the other farms and with the CFGB.