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Delage Farms in Saskatchewan: History, Crops, How It Makes Money and How to Reach It

Profile updated November 2026

Delage Farms is a family-owned grain farm just north of Indian Head, Saskatchewan, growing wheat, canola, peas and lentils on a land base that published sources put at roughly 23,000 to 28,000 acres. Founder Maurice Delage is a member of the Saskatchewan Agriculture Hall of Fame and a 2018 Saskatchewan Order of Merit recipient, and the farm hosts a public open house each summer through its Doolie Project.

Delage Farms at a glance
LocationNorth of Indian Head, southeast Saskatchewan
FoundedFarmland purchased 1980; full-time farming from 2001
SectorsWheat; canola; peas; lentils
ScaleAbout 23,000 acres (Ag-West Bio) to 28,000 acres (University of Saskatchewan profile); sources differ
Why it is notableLarge family grain farm; founder in the Saskatchewan Agriculture Hall of Fame (2012); public Doolie Project open house
OwnershipDelage family; Marc and Janel Delage returned in 2011, Janel runs day-to-day operations
Official websiteAg-West Bio member page for Delage Farms (official site address not shown)

History of Delage Farms

Maurice and Janet Delage bought the half section north of Indian Head in 1980 and the farmhouse and yard a few years later. The yard was once part of the Qu'Appelle Valley Farming Company, better known as Bell Farm, which farmed roughly 50,000 acres around Indian Head in the 1880s. The Delages began farming full time in 2001, and the farm grew to about 20,000 acres in its first decade.

Maurice came to the farm after a career in the crop protection industry, starting with Niagara Chemicals in 1972 and rising to senior leadership at Hoechst Canada. His degrees are from the University of Saskatchewan. Son Marc and his wife Janel returned to the farm in 2011, and Janel is vice president and runs day-to-day operations. Maurice was inducted into the Saskatchewan Agriculture Hall of Fame in 2012 and received the Saskatchewan Order of Merit in 2018.

What Delage Farms Grows and Raises

The crop mix described by Ag-West Bio and the University of Saskatchewan is wheat, canola, peas and lentils, a classic southeast Saskatchewan rotation that balances cereals, an oilseed and two pulses. Acreage figures vary by source, from about 23,000 to 28,000 acres, so treat them as approximate.

Delage Farms opens its gates to the public through the Doolie Project, which invites people of all ages to experience farming first hand. The third annual open house, reported by Grasslands News in August 2024, drew about 350 visitors and featured a talk by the CEO of the Global Institute of Food Security.

How Delage Farms Makes Money

Crop sales

Revenue comes from the grain, oilseed and pulse crops the farm grows. The published crop list, wheat, canola, peas and lentils, points to sales into the usual prairie grain and pulse channels. No revenue or margin figures are published and none are estimated here.

Rotation diversification

Spreading acres across cereals, canola and two pulses lets a large farm manage agronomy and marketing risk. Pulses also fit into a rotation as a break crop between cereals and oilseeds.

Reputation and outreach

The Doolie Project and the open house build trust with neighbours, students, industry and policy people. That standing helps a large operation with land access, staffing and community relationships even though it is not a direct sales line.

Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Delage Farms

Lesson one: scale can be built in steps. The farm grew from a half section in 1980 to a land base measured in the tens of thousands of acres, with full-time farming only starting in 2001. Lesson two: bring the next generation in with real authority. Marc and Janel returned in 2011 and Janel now runs daily operations, a clear division between founder and operator.

Lesson three: invest in public understanding. Hosting visitors, schools and industry leaders turns a large grain farm from an anonymous neighbour into a known and trusted one.

Inheriting a yard that once belonged to the 50,000-acre Bell Farm is the sort of history most of us can only joke about owning. At farm.FM we run farm satire, farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes, and we suspect the Doolie Project's 350 open house guests learned that a combine cab has better views than any office. We say that with great affection for Indian Head's modern grain growers.

Readers who want the full experience can pair the jokes with Tractor Tunes, the country music for farmers that farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, plays between stories. This author page is a fine starting point.

How to Contact Delage Farms

Website: https://www.agwest.sk.ca/member/delage-farms

The Ag-West Bio member page lists Delage Farms as a family grain farm at Indian Head and shows a mailing address and phone, but that is a third-party listing and is not reproduced here. Confirm any visit, hiring or media enquiry with the farm before traveling; the Doolie Project open house is the public event.

Delage Farms Sources and Agriculture Authority Links

Delage Farms FAQ

Where is Delage Farms?

Just north of Indian Head, in southeast Saskatchewan.

What does Delage Farms grow?

Wheat, canola, peas and lentils, according to Ag-West Bio and the University of Saskatchewan.

How big is it?

Published figures differ, from about 23,000 to 28,000 acres, so no single number is certain.

Can I visit?

The farm hosts the Doolie Project open house for the public. Confirm dates with the farm before traveling.

Delage Farms shows how a family can build a very large grain operation from a single half section while staying open to the public. For more farms and ranches, and for provincial context on soils, crops and programs, see the Saskatchewan farms guide on this site.

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