Abbey Norek wins Saskatchewan Agriculture Student Scholarship
Young farmer from Gerald awarded $6,000 for post-secondary
May 20, 2025, 1:03 pm
Ashley Bochek
Abbey Norek of Gerald, Saskatchewan was awarded the Saskatchewan Agriculture Scholarship at the Legislative Building this past week.
The scholarship is for young farmers in Saskatchewan going into agriculture in post-secondary.
Abbey Norek farms alongside her family and cousins outside of Gerald.
“I am 18 years old and in Grade 12. I grew up on a family farm near Gerald. I play a whole bunch of different sports such as volleyball, track, basketball, and I also participate in music and drama at my school. I am co-president of the student association as well. I have three siblings, my brother Dalton, and two sisters, Claire and Chloe. They are all my best friends.”
Norek says the farm has taught her many lifelong lessons. “I have learned the importance of hard work. My dad always says, ‘Work hard, play hard.’ I have learned to have a good work ethic and the importance of working as a team toward a common goal.”
Future career in agriculture
She says she learned agriculture was her lifelong career during the pandemic.
“My parents never pressured agriculture on any of us. They always pushed us to believe we could be anything we wanted to be. Obviously, my dad was more pro-agriculture, but they made sure we knew we could do whatever we wanted when we grew up—on the farm or not. So I was never pressured growing up to inherit the family farm, but I decided that agriculture was part of my future when Covid hit and I was working on the farm every day still learning and experiencing new things, while everyone else in town or in the city was stuck at home in their houses. Then, I learned how to combine during Covid when I was 14 and that is when I fell in love and knew this is what I wanted to do.”
Norek says she loves the endless opportunities farming entails. “I love the variety it gives. No day will be the same—there is always new challenges and adventures. I find it so fascinating the different kinds of agriculture that are across Canada and across the world. Like you can have an orchard in British Columbia, or wrangle cows in Alberta, or sow seeds in Saskatchewan, plant potatoes in PEI—it is so different and each method of farming fascinates me.
“Farming is more than just a job, it is more than a career, it is a lifestyle, a livelihood, and it makes up who I am. It is where I come from and what I want my future to be. It is everything.”
Norek plans to attend university in the fall.
“I plan on attending the University of Saskatchewan to get a dual degree, majoring in Agronomy and minoring in Agribusiness.”
The U of S is a family tradition.
“Both of my sisters are at U of S,” Norek said. “Chloe is in Med School and Claire is in Education. My mom and dad are also Alumni there. My dad also went into agribusiness so I am following in his footsteps. My brother was also attending U of S recently until he decided to become a heavy duty mechanic. I am so excited. It is on my mind all the time.”
Run family farm
Norek plans to continue to gain experience after post-secondary before running the family farm. “I plan on getting my degree and then working for a company like John Deere or just working anywhere as an agronomist. Then, once I get some work experience in the field I will come back to the family farm.
“Normenda is the name of my family farm. It is made up of two families, Norek which is my family, and Lomenda which is my cousins, so it is a multifamily and multigenerational farm. My cousins are younger right now and so they will begin farming, my brother is also farming, so there are a couple of us taking over eventually.”
Scholarship
Norek submitted a video about agriculture disconnects between generations in urban and rural areas.
“My mom sent me a link and I read the outline for the submission and I was really excited to do it because it was open ended,” she said. “I could make a video about anything agricultural related, and I chose to talk about the disconnect between generations in urban and rural places when it comes to general knowledge on agriculture, and solutions to help bridge that gap for those misunderstandings.
“Farmers as they grow older—the average age of a farmer I believe is 56 so there is an older population in farming which is harder to connect with younger generations most of the time. There is also increasing numbers of migration into cities like in the last 30 years if you look at the statistics it is crazy how quickly people are moving to cities. Then, changing demographics so a lot of people’s beliefs and views on how farmers are treating the environment is most of the time misleading.”
Norek says the media can be misleading with facts about farming.
“We see it every day in the media. If you see a post about farmers—some are absolutely not even true or they complain, but don’t understand the why behind it and chances are it is a very good, and valid reason for the farming practice or the type of equipment needed.”
“My mom and dad helped me and we had a brainstorming session about potential topics I could do a video on, and this one I feel like I related to the most because I go to school and I see how there are a lot of misunderstandings.”
Norek says she was ecstatic when she heard she had won.
“I had hoped I would win. I don’t want to underestimate myself, but I didn’t ever think I would actually win so it was amazing. I am so honoured and grateful I did win.
“I was working at the farm and got a call from the Ministry of Ag, and they told me I won the grand prize. I was honestly in shock and after I hung up I couldn’t stop smiling and celebrating. I told my family and they were all really excited. They were all like, ‘We knew you were going to win!’ They are very supportive.”
Norek enjoyed receiving the scholarship and meeting government representatives at the Legislature.
“Not only was it amazing to receive the scholarship to help me fund my education, but the whole experience of receiving the scholarship and spending the day at the legislature—I got to meet the Minister of Agriculture, many other ministers, as well as many MLAs, and even Premier Scott Moe. It was a surreal experience. It also just means so much to me and makes me hope my message will get out, and people will see my video and I hope other people are inspired by the message.”
More agriculture in schools
Norek explains her dedication to bring more agriculture education into school.
“I talk about solutions to bridging the gaps between generations in urban and rural, and I proposed advocacy and education.
“At my school I started a school garden so kids can learn and experience growing plants and learn more about agriculture and horticulture. Also, I am the chief editor of my school’s community fundraiser magazine so in that I include fun facts, jokes, and information about farming. I am also a representative from my school in the School Summit program for the Good Spirit School Division so I have been pushing toward getting an elective agriculture class in my school and a lot of students are interested because we did a survey and there was lots of positive feedback on it.”
Harvest Day
Norek explains her family’s involvement in teaching young kids about agriculture.
“My family farm as well as a few other farms in the surrounding area are involved in a Harvest Day. It is an outreach program that students in grades 6, 7, and younger can spend a day in the field, experience harvest, and learn how their food is grown, gathered, stored, and delivered to market.
“There are also booths there during the day—a booth about making hummus, a petting zoo with farm animals and you learn what each farm animal can provide. Mosaic is also there and sets up a booth and talks about the importance of fertilizer and potash. Kids can also go on a ride in the combine.
“It is great way for kids to see farming and experience it.”
Excited for future
Norek says she is excited to start university in the fall at U of S. “I absolutely can’t wait for university. It has been an amazing experience growing up and learning at my high school, but I am so ready for something new.
“I need summer and then after that I can’t wait for the adventures I will have in the city with my sisters.
“It is my hope that I can promote more females in agriculture. I know that is a huge movement already, but I want to be a part of that movement and I would also like to operate more equipment. Right now, I can operate a combine, excavator, a loader, and a tractor, but I have never operated a sprayer—I am learning that this spring and I am super excited. I have participated in harvest, but I have yet to participate in seeding.
“I am grateful for my family, friends, community, and Normenda family that have helped get to where I am today.”
Abbey Norek’s Saskatchewan Agriculture Student Scholarship video: https://www.youtibe.com/watch?v=Wrt5os37ups
