The Agri Post
February 22, 2013
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February 22, 2013
The Agri Post
The Agri Post
February 22, 2013
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Warwaruk Brothers Use Farm Ingenuity to Build Farmery Beer By Les Kletke The story of Manitoba’s newest brewery reads more like the little engine that thought it could than the building of the traditional brewing empire, though it does have the same family lines as Labatt, Coors or Busch. The Warwaruk brothers have been partners and worked together at various ventures in the food business over the years. Eric Warwaruk is back behind the bar at Luxalane and
working the shovel handle draft tap releasing the family’s newest product, Farmery beer. Brothers Lawrence and Chris have operated Luxalune Gastropub on south Osborne for several years. It evolved from Luxole restaurant, their initial venture, which was intended to bring food production and consumers closer together. The eatery evolved into a pub that today features over 100 beers from around the world but the brothers wanted more, they wanted to
market a beer that was made from the crops they grew themselves. The idea for the Farmery brewery was born. The brothers have purchased land and planted hops on the site at Neepawa. The longterm plan is to build a brewery on the site but for now, the brothers are growing crops that can be converted to a local beer. Having grown up on the farm at Erikson and lived through the challenges of high interest rates in the
Amanda Dyck draws a glass of Farmery beer made by Manitoba’s newest brewery. The shovel handle tap handle is from an actual shovel used to plant the hops on the Neepawa farm. Photo by Les Kletke
1980s, they are familiar with the challenges of agriculture production. Lawrence Warwaruk readily admits the business of growing the crop got in the way of planning a building to house the province’s first estate brewery. “We have had the concept for a long time and looked at locations in Winnipeg but then thought about why we were doing this and decided to go back to the farm and start growing the crop. We plan on building the estate brewery on the land at Neepawa but then got busy growing the crop and after harvest brewing beer, now it is only a couple months from putting in another crop
so we don’t have a definite time line for construction. We have a good working agreement with the craft brewery that is making our product and we can work with them for the present time.” He is cautious about announcing plans for the company’s next product but smiled when he said, “We cannot announce that yet, but there are some exciting things happening in the brewing industry and we will be a part of introducing them to Manitoba.” Warwaruk is realistic about plans for the future and has no intention of taking on the brewing giants, “If we get to 5,000 hectolitres that is only
about 1 1/2 percent of the Manitoba market so we have a long way to go.” He said the shovel handle tap at the Luxalune Gastropub was as much farm boy resourcefulness as marketing research. “It was a shovel on the farm that broke when we were planting the hops. We thought we should put it to use and it became the tap handle. Now it seems to be a marketing tool. Who knew?” he says. He does know that he can succeed in establishing the province’s first estate brewery or at least he thinks he can, just like the little engine that did.
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The Agri Post
February 22, 2013
Are Our Pensions Retiring the Family Farm? By Matt Gehl In recent years, pension funds have started buying up farmland around the world, seeing it as a safe, long-term investment. Farmland investment companies like AgCapita, Assiniboia Capital, Bonnefield Financial and Prairie Merchants are sowing the seeds of speculation across the prairies. Saskatchewan, with our low land prices and a farming population averaging 58 years old, is shaping up to be very fertile ground for them. Already hundreds of thousands of acres of Saskatchewan farmland are under the management of these investment companies. Several seek to attract “institutional investors” such as pension funds and RRSP-eligible mutual funds to finance further land purchases. AgCapita as of 2011 had purchased $12.8 million of Saskatchewan farmland, is RRSP eligible. Two RRSP mutual funds, Golden Opportunities and SaskWorks, have invested in farmland investment funds. SaskWorks has invested $20 million with Agco Ag Ventures, and Golden Opportunities has funnelled $3.5 million into Assiniboia Capital (via ADC Enterprises) as well as another $2.5 million into Input Capital Limited Partnerships, a division of Assiniboia. Some of the financing for Assiniboia Capital’s acquisition of over 115,000 acres across Canada has been provided by Farm Credit Corporation, which is funded by Ottawa to pays dividends to the federal government. Retiring farmers and those suffering under the high debt levels seemingly inherent to modern farming are targeted by these companies. While the investment companies wait for the selling price of this land to rise to sufficiently profitable levels, they rent the land back to farmers. Usually this is done on a cash rent basis where all of the day-to-day risk of farming is borne solely by the renting farmer. This situation has similarities to that in Europe of the 19th century, ironically a situation that led many Europeans to uproot their families and escape to settle in Canada. Retiring farmers are faced with a choice: look to pass your land on to another family farmer, possibly taking less than the maximum value, or sell to the highest bidder with no concern for the legacy of the land. Retiring farmers should be happy in their twilight years; urbanites with pensions invested in farmland are happy with the long-term outlook of their retirement monies; the land grabbing companies are happily taking their cut as land values and rents keep rising. However, how do we expect young Canadians to consider becoming farmers? The unavoidable reality is that today there are not enough young farmers. Farmers under 35 only represent 8% of the farming population, begging the question, “Who will work the land in the future?” Who will grow our food? This is where the long-term vision of retirement planning seems to have a blind spot. Speculation around farmland is already putting the cost of land out the reach of many individual farmers looking to either start or expand an operation, leaving investment companies with millions of dollars in capital in an even better position to increase their land holdings. If more of them are able to generate investment dollars through RRSPs, it will further this cycle. While policies and tax breaks that encourage Canadians to plan responsibly for their retirements are essential, there is a clear lack of planning for the next generation of farmers. Family farms have been the backbone of Canadian agriculture for our entire history and now they are being priced out of the market for the most essential of assets: the land. Without a plan and policies in place to ensure that the next generation of Canadians can carry on our proud farming tradition, the only future in store for Canadian agriculture is one occupied only by the largest, most corporate farms sparsely scattered over an increasingly empty prairie. This is not a future that bodes well for Canadian food security and sovereignty, and it certainly does not look promising for family farms. That is not a future I want to see in Canada. In “The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz” Mordecai Richler wrote, “A man without land is nobody. Remember that Duddel.” I wonder what Duddy’s grandfather would have to say about a farmer who has no land? Twenty-eight year-old Matt Gehl is a National Farmers Union Board Member who farms grain with his family near Regina.
NDP Needs to Put Money to Work Dear Editor: The NDP doesn’t understand the entrepreneurial spirit of Manitobans. That’s why when a group of private investors, through a private entity, decided to invest in the construction of
a slaughter facility in Manitoba, the NDP didn’t want to listen. I want to congratulate this keen group of investors for recognizing a need for a slaughter facility in this province. At the same time, I want to invite Minister of Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade Peter Bjornson to meet with these fine entrepreneurs, and get the NDP onside with this vital project.” The proposed facility in Carman, Manitoba would satisfy the needs of the province, and the requirements that this government laid out. While the NDP continues to back an investment in a slaughterhouse in St. Boniface, entrepreneurs and producers
in this province are doing what needs to be done. They are not waiting for another government handout and more indecision. The NDP can do the right thing right now; invest in a slaughter facility that is being led by entrepreneurs that understand what is required to be successful. We call on them to put cattle producers first and use the money they took from them to enhance slaughter capacity on slaughter capacity. Cliff Graydon MLA for Emerson
Water Must Be Used Innovatively in Manitoba As spring approaches, and with so much snow remaining on the ground, flooding remains a real possibility in Manitoba. Another possible flooding contributor is cliBy Dr. Jon Gerrard mate change, resulting in greater episodes of wet weather. It is time for the NDP to effectively help farmers deal with Manitoba’s wet springs and dry summers. They must work with farmers to create an incentive-based water management system so that water can be used innovatively. Drainage has been the focus of water management in most of Manitoba. Yet, when water is drained away, farmers lose the potential to use water resources in dry years or in drying spells when water can be used for irrigating crops. A shift from drainage to water retention is long overdue. When water is drained off the land rapidly the water can contribute in a major way to increased flooding and in addition such water has been found to have very high levels of phosphorous, which when it arrives in Lake Winnipeg contributes to the problem of giant algal blooms on the lake. Effective water retention would reduce the amount of flooding downstream into Lake Winnipeg. In February, Lake Winnipeg was named the most threatened lake on our planet by the Global Nature Fund. The declining health of the world’s tenth-largest freshwater lake needs to be a wakeup call of preventing the damaging rapid drainage of water from the land into Lake Winnipeg. I recently held a “Save Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba” forum in Winnipeg with panellists from the University of Manitoba, Ducks Unlimited Canada, the Wilderness Committee and the Experimental Lakes Area. There was a unanimous call for water retention to prevent phosphates from draining into Lake Winnipeg. How can we act to retain water so that it can be used as a resource instead of being flushed away? Increasingly, we must look to what has worked elsewhere in the world and to what has worked in Manitoba. Along South Tobacco Creek farmers got together to put in 27 small dams which hold back water. In some cases, it was temporary retention, as in back flooding a pasture. Sometimes it was in more permanent locations in gully’s or along streams. In other regions, including in Manitoba, water retention ponds for irrigation or other purposes are helping farmers manage their crops or livestock in times of less rain or drought. We need to move quickly to change the way we manage water in Manitoba. I would like to hear your ideas. Please email me at jon.gerrard@leg.gov.mb.ca or phone my office at 204.945.5194. Jon Gerrard is the Leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party.
Let the Good Times Roll There is something about human nature that has us believe that whatever the conditions are at that time will last forever. When it is dry we believe that our part of the world is on its way to becoming a desert, a few clouds appear in the sky and we wonder if it will ever stop raining or if we should be building a big boat and collecting pairs of animals. That is just the way we are. Last summer had some challenges but thankfully a drought in the part of North America that really impacts grain prices sent prices soaring and we were the benefactors. It is a harsh reality that North American prices are established by the yields of the Midwest United States not the Red River Valley despite what we might think. For now prices are strong and things look good. If you’re planning on leaving the business, land values have jumped and your retirement package just got a whole lot better in the last year. If you’re new to the business, prices from last year have allowed you to meet your payments and maybe put extra away… okay just a little extra. History has taught us that things will change and many times sooner than we think. Droughts don’t last forever in our part of the world nor do floods, thankfully. Things will change and there is the distinct possibility that grain prices might fall or as the market says, soften, or as the trade calls it, see a correction in the market. Call it what you want nothing lasts forever not even bad times or good prices. That doesn’t mean we have to pretend that good times are not here and hide any extra we have in a tin can in the backyard. It means this is a time when the business plan will work and give us a little cushion. Enjoy it and prepare for the times when we come up short. One of the other characteristics of our industry is to forget that tough times are coming (they always have) and then we ask others for help, and my taxpayer friends tell me they are getting tired of that, so this could be the year to buy and umbrella because it is going to rain again and we may have to shoulder the responsibility ourselves.
The Agri Post
February 22, 2013
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Freedom is Personal Opportunity For centuries, the concept of “equality” has spurred a longstanding battle between the left and the right. The former prefer a world characterized by “equality of outcome” and the latter one based on “equality of opportunity.” According to Yaron Brook and Don Watkins, co-authors of a book released last fall, the Free Market Revolution, both positions are wrong, and in a truly free society, irrelevant. On their shared blog, LaissezFaire, Yaron Brook explains, “The only relevant thing in a free society is how am I doing? Am I doing as good as I can do? If not, it’s up to me to improve.” He goes on to say that, the central issue is not about how people are doing relative to their neighbours; the whole issue of income inequality compares people, entirely the wrong approach. He argues that the focus should rather be on the individual. “Am I doing the best that I can? Is my standard of living rising? Am I living a better life?” Watkins points out some of the problems with the traditional argument for equality of opportunity. “The more you promote ‘equality of opportunity,’” he said. “The less opportunity any of us will have. Equality of opportunity is incompatible with freedom. Indeed, in practice there is no difference between the egalitarian attempt to equalize outcomes and the attempt to equalize opportunity. One man’s outcome is another’s opportunity. A parent’s success is his child’s opportunity. A business owner’s success is a future employee’s opportunity. The only way to try to equalize opportunities is to equalize outcomes.”
Penners Points by Rolf Penner rolfpenner@agripost.ca
He makes a good point. Do you have the same equality of opportunity as someone who has a farm twice the size of yours? Nope. Do your children have the same opportunities as say Barack Obama or that of Wayne Gretzky? No, again. Do I have the same equality of opportunity as maybe one of Bill Gates’ kids? Certainly not. Do you think the government needs to do something about all of these inequalities in opportunity? It doesn’t, and furthermore it shouldn’t. History has shown us repeatedly that when governments try to make everyone equal in these ways they simply drag everyone down to the lowest common denominator. According to Watkins, “The sad irony in all this is that freedom is the source of opportunity. When a country is free, everyone has the opportunity to succeed. Although some will inevitably face greater struggles than others, no one can stop another person from suc-
ceeding.” Self-admittedly an uncompromising pro-capitalist, Yaron Brooks nonetheless makes another surprising comment on the subject: “Life’s not about money. It’s not about being the richest you can be. What about the happiness inequality? That’s what it’s all about. It’s about being the happiest you can be.” He cites an example: “You’re never going to be super rich if you’re a teacher. But you can be a great, great teacher and be as happy as a billionaire.” “An opportunity is only valuable to someone who prepares himself to take advantage of it,” said Don Watkins. “A talent scout wouldn’t benefit a couch potato—because he’s not in the game, and even if he were in the game, he would be completely awful because he didn’t spend years practicing. Getting into a particular school wouldn’t benefit a lousy student—because chances are he wouldn’t get in, and even if he did get in through some accident, he wouldn’t be able to benefit from the professor unless he made the effort to become a better student. Even inheriting a million dollars wouldn’t benefit the kind of person who can’t spend $10 responsibly.” The final word goes to Watkins, “The great virtue of capitalism is not that it provides people with ‘equal opportunity’, whatever that means. It’s that capitalism provides the best possible environment to capitalize on opportunity—for those who choose to do so.”
How a Super Bowl Ad Brings Back Great Memories The Ram Trucks Super Bowl commercial entitled “Farmer” featuring the voice of Paul Harvey reciting the popular speech “So, God Made a Farmer” was powerful. Powerful because of its message and also because it sought to kick-off a yearlong campaign to raise money for the U.S. National Future Farmers of America (FFA) Foundation, while declaring 2013 “The Year of the Farmer.” The opening statement was from their website that started this whole thing about a year and a half ago. More on that later. I’m so happy to relive that awesome day as my wife Judith and I stood up on the media platform to hear Paul Harvey speak that day at the FFA convention, and to stay and hear then President Jimmy Carter. We took in our first National Association of Farm Broadcasters (NAFB) convention in 1978 in Kansas City, U.S.A. We stayed for that now grand and glorious day of the 50th FFA convention to hear both Paul Harvey and President Jimmy Carter. What memories! I have more, as they say in this
business, stay tuned, or if you like, now the rest of the story. Joe Dales, owner of Farms.com, a good friend for some years, called up to catch up and arrange a time we could get together the week he would spend in Winnipeg for a few days in February. We shared things going on in our lives, and he talked about this Ram commercial, the Farmer. While somewhat familiar with it, I had not paid much attention to it because I did not watch the Super Bowl and we don’t have television. Joe told me about how he’d taken this speech and how it went viral on You Tube, to make a long story short. Dodge people called him and the rest, they say, is history. The remarkable thing for me and for him is the fact that my wife and I attended that meeting in 1978 and I have the pictures to prove it. Some other time I will comment on the poem and Paul Harvey, but the rest of this column has to do with a sidebar,
meaning a secondary part to that story. At first, when people from the NAFB suggested we stay for the FFA meeting and in particular, the day when both Paul Harvey and President Carter were to speak, it seemed like totally impossible. We had no media identification other than our birth certificates and a business card. Well, we figured we had nothing to lose but the time spent trying to get in. We passed the first security inspection after some doing, talking, and looking as innocent as possible. It wasn’t only one person, but two, and a ton of equipment, including recording equipment, big stuff, and cameras, big stuff, too. We passed the second one, and the third one, and finally the fourth security checkpoint and each one seemed heavier, but it kept getting easier. I really think someone was watching out for us and wanted us there. We finally got to the huge media stand to take in Mr. Harvey’s speech in the morning and then try to hang on for the
President’s speech in the afternoon. The trickiness started when the secret service contingent moved in. You see, this media stand was for the national mainstream media TV networks and their cameras, and it was filling up. They asked us to move, but we stood our ground. Finally a short stocky fellow came to us and said I’ll make you a deal. He asked whether I’d get off the stand if he and I would crawl to the front of the podium so I could get a close up picture of the President. Crawl we did, at least a hundred feet. I took my pictures and crawled back on all fours. Climbed back onto the media stand, joined Judith, and never moved until the President finished speaking. This secret service man simply kept looking at us, but never said a thing.
It takes a Super Bowl ad to bring back those lovely memories. Mr. Harvey, thank you for sticking up for the farmer then, and now your message lives on today. Mr. Farmer, you keep making us healthy, safe and affordable food.
President Jimmy Carter.
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February 22, 2013
The Agri Post
Fate of Hog Producers Depends on Weather By Harry Siemens The Manitoba hog industry, while still hurting contributed $1.55 billion dollars to the Manitoba economy. Andrew Dickson, General Manager of Manitoba Pork Council (MPC), outlined both the benefits at the annual Manitoba Pork Seminar in Winnipeg in January and quickly added that the 2013 weather is expected to determine the fate of pork producers. Dickson said in 2012 that Manitoba produced over 8 million pigs from about 314,000 sows, down from about 10 million and 370,000 sows in 2007. There are about 500 hog producers in Manitoba on about 1,600 sites, down from 1,200 producers in 2005. In 2012, the industry saw sales of about 4.7 million market hogs to the two plants in Manitoba, Maple Leaf Foods in Brandon and HyLife in Neepawa. More than half a million hogs came from Saskatchewan to the two Manitoba plants for processing. In addition, in 2012, Manitoba exported over three million live weanlings and about 400,000 live slaughter hogs, mainly sows, to the U.S., down from 5.5 million weanlings and 1.2 million market hogs exported in 2007, largely as a result of the M-COOL restrictions, Dickson said. Over 93 percent of the pork goes out of Manitoba to other provinces and about 35 other countries making Manitoba the largest exporter in Canada. Dickson outlined the financial picture on Manitoba hog farms with $638 million invested in 540 sow barns, $218 million in 170 nursery barns, $754 million in 375 finisher barns, for a total of $1.66 billion dollars. Manitoba hog farmers sold $825 million worth of commercial pigs with $475 million in feed purchases, fixed costs of $130 million and $105 million in labour costs. “Impact on the Manitoba economy involving labour, with 1,800 supplier jobs, 2,000 indirect, on-farm paid and family 2,000 jobs, 3,800 in-plant processing jobs, and 2,300 in-direct jobs for a total labour force of 11,900 jobs,” said Dickson. “Export sales of live hogs, $225 million, $476 million of pork products with 58 percent going to Japan and into the domestic Canadian market $800 million for a total benefit to the Manitoba economy of $1.51 million dollars.” On the issue of weather determining the fate of pork producers in Manitoba, Dickson said weather in the U.S. Corn Belt this coming spring will be the factor that
determines the challenges pork producers will face in the coming year. He recalled how good 2012 looked until June when the impact of the drought on the U.S. corn crop started driving up feed costs, pushing producers into negative margins and many out of production. “This is going to be a weather year, no doubt,” said the MPC General Manager. “It’s going to be absolutely critical to know what spring moisture conditions are when it comes to planting the U.S. corn crop.” He commented on the trade mission to Minnesota and Iowa in January and how the talk mostly focused on the corn crop and what’s
going to happen this year. Southern and western Iowa are very dry. “There are no reserves in many areas so this is going to present a real problem if we don’t get timely rains in the spring and through the growing period all the way through to harvest in what we would consider late fall,” Dickson said. The other difficulty is that there is very little carry-over of grain reserves. It’s not as it was 20 years ago when countries held significant amounts of grain in stock, easily and quickly releasable into the marketplace to deal with issues like droughts and so on, he noted. “So we’re going to have some challenges trying to get feed costs back to a five year
average like we’ve had over the past number of years,” he said. Dickson said to cope, producers avoided capital expenditures, pulled pigs earlier resulting in slightly
lower weights, tried to lock in summer prices, and tried to get a handle on grain supplies and in some cases physically accepted grain in advance because of doubts over availability.
General Manager of Manitoba Pork Council, Andrew Dickson, said the Manitoba economy gets 1.55 billion dollars from the pork industry, but its fate lies in the weather for 2013. Photo by Harry Siemens
The Agri Post
Focus on the Problem and Embrace the Technology By Les Kletke The President of Alltech France is not sure what the capabilities of livestock production are. He does know that North American producers have not yet reached the level they are capable of and sees a real opportunity in the future. Julian Martin told an audience in Winnipeg that by focussing on the problem that limits their production and embracing the technology available to them, the bar for production levels would continue to rise. Martin joined Alltech 8 months ago after working in Eastern Europe, Asia and South America. He said producers in various areas have different levels which they think is the maximum of production but the tools available to researchers today will solve some of the challenges producers face and they must make choices that will increase the production on their farm. During his presentation, he pulled a credit card size object from his pocket and explained how it held the Julien Martin of Alltech France told a geonome for an animal and that information could be meeting in Winnipeg that focusing on the used to design the proper feed regime that would specific production problems, they face increase production at several levels. and embracing technology would lead to “Danish producers target 35 piglets per sow per increased efficiencies and better margins year,” he said. “While in Asia they are content with on the farm. 18, but when you decode the genetics of the animal and identify the limiting factor you can address that and move the bar up.” In the dairy business, he cited a Canadian cow that produced 32,000 kg in her third lactation. “The average in France is 8,000 kg and there are limiting factors like the feed and other factors but as we unlock the geonome we can increase the production of these animals dramatically. Will every animal produce 32,000 kg? Probably not, but we can raise production levels dramatically.” He said that many things have changed on the farm and some have lagged behind in technology. “Our animals have changed and our plants have changed,” he said. “But in some cases we have not changed the charts for feed production in 20 years. This tool will allow us to consider things like selenium levels in the corn and how it affects animals. We used to be content with 20 percent absorption of nutrients in an animal. That is no longer acceptable or necessary. We can do better.” Martin is part of Alltech’s North American tour that will visit 23 cities across the continent and challenges everyone to ‘Stay Curious’, this year’s lecture focus for the company. “You have to keep looking at the challenges that limit you on your farm and embrace the technology that will allow you to solve the problem and that will increase the production and profitability on your operation.” Alltech is headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky U.S.A. and has offices and distributors in 128 countries, 4 bioscience centres, and 31 manufacturing facilities throughout the world.
February 22, 2013
Economic Impact of the Insurance Industry Insurance affects everything and everything affects insurance. We can all agree that insurance allows those who own a car, a home or operate a business, to do so without the fear that some terrible incident could leave them unable to function. However, few people are aware of the extraordinary impact the industry has on the country’s local and national economies. Both property and life insurance contribute to our economy far beyond helping to manage risk. Property/casualty (auto, home, farm and commercial) insurance allows those who are the victims of accidental loss to recover financially through the payment of claims for property damage and injury. When property/casualty insurance claims are paid, funds are transferred to local businesses in the form of payment for goods or services. Among those that receive the most revenue are auto repair shops, building contractors and the health care community. Life insurance helps households manage their finances in the face of death and disability by minimizing disruption to a wage earner’s dependents. Annuities reduce the likelihood that a retiree will run out of money. By providing a measure of financial security to individuals, life insurance products help stabilize the economy. Insurance companies also contribute to the economy through their investments. As part of the financial services industry, insurers act as financial intermediaries, investing the funds they collect for providing insurance protection. P & C Insurers alone have sales of over $30 billion. Their taxes amount to $6 billion every year. They are also very large employers, providing jobs to 100,000 Canadians. This is a great industry to be involved in as the consumer’s advocate; your insurance broker gets to provide insurance advice and coverage. Be sure to seek advice and purchase insurance from those who understand your business! Andy Anderson is an Associate Insurance Broker specializing in General, Life and Group Benefits for Farm, Commercial/Agri-business Ph: 204-746-5589 Tf: 866 765 3351 andya@rempelinsurance.com / rempelinsurance.com / valleyfinancial.ca.
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February 22, 2013
The Agri Post
The Agri Post
February 22, 2013
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February 22, 2013
The Agri Post
The Agri Post
February 22, 2013
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Use MUN Testing to Improve Dietary Efficiency in Lactating Dairy Cows A milk urea nitrogen (MUN) test is a still an effective management tool that many dairy producers use to improve dairy dietary efficiency. Routine bulk-tank MUNs should not be used by themselves. Rather, milk samples should be taken and their results should be reviewed with other milk and component data, forage/diet analysis and reproduction records to get an overall dairy picture. Therefore, if necessary, quick and effective changes made to the dairy diet and other areas of interest can be taken. Testing milk urea nitrogen (MUN) gives the dairy producers an actual tool to evaluate whether the proteins in their dairy rations are efficiently being converted into body function, tissues and milk. The underlying idea of MUN is the ruminal microbes are digesting feed proteins into ammonia. Ammonia that does not get used in microbial protein synthesis is quickly absorbed through the ruminal wall and transported to the liver, where it is converted into urea. This urea is spilled back into the bloodstream. As the blood flows into the udder, some of this urea quickly diffuses into milk. A general range of 11-16 mg/100 ml milk is considered acceptable MUN levels in bulk-tank milk tests, although there are no actual official MUN standards for lactating dairy cows. Its general acceptance among dairy producers and nutritionists is based upon information derived from many university and extension field studies. For example, some European studies have demonstrated that broad linear relationships exist between MUN and the amount of protein formulated in the dairy diet. Such researchers and others have shown that as ration protein for lactating dairy cows increase; MUN values increase, urinary nitrogen increases and the efficiency of protein utilization by the rumen microbe population decreases. Respective excessive MUN values are usually explained as a reflection of too much soluble protein (lush alfalfa protein) or not enough readily available starch-energy (grain) in the dairy diet. Such dietary imbalances are thought to prevent ruminal microorganisms from turning ammonia into microbial protein that helps dairy cows meet their own protein requirements. Other smaller contributors to high MUN values are pH imbalances or a poor rumen environment for good fermentation of the dairy diet. These practical MUN values taken from an individual farm are also
affected by a number of nonprotein factors as well; size of the dairy cows, stage of lactation, herd health status, dry matter intake and water consumption. Such variation in MUN tests is one of the main reasons that bulk-tank MUN testing, rather than individual cow tests, are often preferred. Despite bulk-tank or individual MUN tests, there is much agreement that high MUN tests could be a sign of wasting dietary protein in the dairy barn. It is also coupled with the belief that excessive MUN values are a link to a possible cause of poor reproduction in dairy cows. Subsequently, Cornell University (1996) showed that a concentration of MUN greater than 19 mg/ 100 ml in the milk of early lactation dairy cows was associated with a 20% decrease in pregnancy rates. They explained that high MUN values are associated
with an increased energy demand in the cow’s body to detoxify ammonia in the bloodstream and convert it into MUN. Associated high ammonia levels in the uterus (originating from the bloodstream) may cause unfavorable conditions, which often leads to early embryonic deaths. Although there is a lot of focus upon the MUN values that exceed the normal 11-16 mg/100 ml milk, dairy producers are advised to develop their own MUN baseline that is normal for their own particular herd. When this personal baseline changes by more than 2-3 points, look for dietary or animal changes in one’s own herd. Finally, it is advisable to record and review weekly averages rather than large day-to-day variations. Dairy producers might notice large/subtle trends or out-of-range changes over significant time in their herds’ MUN bulk-tank tests.
To return to more modest MUN levels producers might look into the following areas: 1. Dairy diet formulation: As mentioned, review the total protein content of the ration as well as the rumen degradable protein (RDP), dietary soluble protein levels (SP) and available non-fiber carbohydrate (NSC) levels. It is also a good idea to know the rumen undegradable protein (RUP) levels; too much RUP versus RDP might lead to too low MUN levels. 2. Adequate effective forage fiber: Dairy cows that are not receiving enough effective forage fiber can lead to sub clinical acidosis (SARA). When rumen acidosis occurs, resident microbe function is often inhibited which could lead to not enough ammonia being turned into microbial protein, thus contributing to high MUN values. 3. Ration changes: Opening
a new bag of lush alfalfa haylage and using it at the same significant level as a more grass-based alfalfa silage may cause a dramatic rise in MUN values. It is a good idea to test all forages and know their nutrient analysis before implementation. 4. Mixing and Sorting: Inadequate mixing could lead to technical erratic MUN levels in the milk of individual cows (which might not be shown in bulktank MUN tests). Sorting by milk cows could lead to a similar situation. In contrast, excessive mixing of the ration could cause effective fiber breakdown, SARA conditions, and excessive MUN tests! 5. Sampling and analytical errors: An automatic infrared instrument is used to measure MUN. Organic molecules such as protein,
fat and urea molecules in normal cow’s milk have a unique spectrum when heated and analyzed for accurate results. Very high fat and protein component levels in milk, as well as high somatic cell counts, have been shown to produce erroneous MUN results. Even by following these suggestions there will an occasional blip in producers’ MUN tests. However, there is no need to panic because even long-term MUN values can be adjusted. It is a matter of noting undesirable MUN in the lactation herd and taking corrective action. By following this route we tend to promote well-balanced dairy diets, make the cows’ rumen work more efficiently, as well as avoid possible reproductive problems. It also provides a good direction that leads to profitable dairy herd performance.
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February 22, 2013
The Agri Post
CFGB Marks 30 YYears ears By Elmer Heinrichs
Manitoba Resource Coordinator Harold Penner, for the Canadian Food Grains Bank, says, “It’s a special
year, as the CFGB marks its 30th anniversary.” He announced a new initiative for 2013 - a partnership with Seed Depot. It’s an offer of free seed if you would like
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to grow Conlon Barley or Souris Oats for the CFGB. “So far we have two new projects for 2013, with a few more communities thinking about it. And so far, I don’t know of any projects closing down, so things look very promising indeed!” said
Horse Treadmills
With the invention of farm machinery such as the ground hog thresher, came the need for a power source on the farm. Wind was one answer but the wind does not blow all the time so other means of generating power were needed. The treadmill was an obvious candidate having been around since Roman and Greek times. Both animals and people were used by the Greeks and Romans to power treadmills and on up to the 1800s to pump water, grind flour, and even power cranes. Treadmills were even in use in British prisons as a means of supplying labour. Prisoners could be on a treadmill for up to eight hours a day with few breaks and were feared by even the most hardened prisoners. So as mechanized farm machinery was introduced the treadmill was a logical choice as a power source. Treadmills had some advantages and disadvantages over power sweeps. The treadmill was more compact and so could be operated in a barn; however, treadmills were limited to usually two horses, limiting its power output. The larger horse sweeps could accommodate eight horses. With a treadmill, it was not necessary to apply the whip to the horses because the horse treadmill’s bed is inclined. Once the horses were brought onto the bed and the tread began turning, the horses naturally kept walking forward as the horse would find it unnatural to stop walking to be moving backwards due to the inclined bed. In addition, the horse’s weight was more efficiently applied when using a horse treadmill with the result the horse treadmill provided more power on a per horse basis than if the horse was involved in a straight pull. The downside to the treadmill was that if the belt connecting the treadmill to the threshing machine were thrown off, suddenly reducing the load on the
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CFGB Executive Director Jim Cornelius added that during the year they will spend some time thanking the many people and organizations that have created, built and supported the Foodgrains Bank.
The horse treadmill stored at the Manitoba Agricultural Museum. Showing the rear of the machine with the inclined belt made of wooden planks hinged together to form a continuous belt.
treadmill, the treadmill would immediately gain speed. This could possibly throw the horses off their feet, perhaps breaking legs. A brake was fitted to treadmills and someone had to be in close attendance to throw the brake if the drive belt came off. Horse sweeps did not suffer this problem. Overall, it is thought that treadmills were more common than horse sweeps in agriculture. Oxen were not used on treadmills for the simple reason that oxen will not back up and very difficult to get off the bed. Also it was thought the oxen would become dizzy walking in a circle. The Manitoba Agricultural Museum has a horse treadmill in its collection donated in the late 1950s by Charles Nicholson of the Franklin district. Because of the danger to horses it is not operated. There are no markings on the treadmill as to its manufacturer but it is largely built of wood with a few pieces in the drive train made of iron. Horses were the primary source of farm power up until the late 1920s when tractors finally became reliable and economical enough to replace them. However, with the onset of the Great Depression horses once again became a more economical source of power on farms. Horses continued on farms through the Second World War due to the limited production of tractors. Only when normal production was resumed after the war, were horses finally retired on most farms. However, draft horses have retained a significant following and attract much attention. A Horsepower Expo celebrates the role of horses in agriculture. If you have Horsepower artefacts or Massey artefacts, remember the 2013 Reunion at the Manitoba Agricultural Museum and consider displaying your items.
You Ain Ain’t’t Seen Nothing YYet et By Les Kletke Livestock producers can expect to fine-tune their feed rations to fit the needs of their livestock in the near future. Ty Yeast is the Canadian Managing Director with Alltech and he told producers and industry representatives who attended a meeting in Winnipeg that by adjusting the rations for their animals they would be able to ‘wake up’ the genes and achieve better results in reproduction, weight gain or early maturity. Yeast said that with the challenge of feeding nine billion people by 2050 the efficiencies of production have to be increased to keep pace with the demand. He said that current aqua culture practices are yield products that do not give the consumer the benefits they expect from eating fish but that could change in the near future. He points out that while the area of productive land is decreasing the advances in technology are bringing marginal land into greater production and the two thirds of the earths surface that is covered by water could be used to produce much more of the increasing population’s food. Yeast said that one of the products being tested by his company shows an increase of half a ton an acre in corn yields, “And that may not seem like much but when it is turned into milk it provides an increase of $728 or $928 per acre for an investment cost of $11.” Alltech has gained a reputation as a company, which, bases its technology on yeast but said that they are also adding algae production and utilization. “There are over 3,000 different types of algae,” said Yeast. “And they are much different than the types we think of on lakes that require light to multiply. There are opportunities that have not been developed in the utilization of algae in food production but it is something that our company is looking at.” Yeast acknowledged that the use of algae in food production maybe a bit further down the road, but he said changes in the genome mapping of animals enables researchers to make advances much more quickly in traditional production methods. “We no longer have to feed and weigh animals to see the result. We are able to see which components of feed have the desired affect on animals and that is making advancements come much more quickly.” “We will see advancements in fertility that will increase the number of piglets per sow dramatically,” added Yeast. “We can see advancement in the rate of gain of beef cattle and at the same time see improvements in the taste of the steak the animal yields. We are closing the gap from nutrition to conversion.”
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February 22, 2013
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February 22, 2013
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Back to Being a Farmer is SMART By Les Kletke A marketing expert with Alltech Corporation suggests that farmers shed the title of producers and go back to being farmers. “How many of you tell people you are farmers and that you produce food,” asked Emily Kay to a group in Winnipeg. “We have gotten caught up in being ‘producers’, but to people that can mean someone in a movie editing suite or a dozen other things. Tell them that you are a farmer. They want to know where their food comes from.” Kay cited the example of horsemeat from France finding its way into British supermarkets where it was labelled beef, “The consumer wants to know where the food came from and that it is what the label promises. An event like the one in Britain destroys a lot of confidence in the food chain.”
“The story is becoming more important than the product, and that is where farmers can come in, telling the story of how food is produced.” She uses the acronym SMART to describe what today’s consumer is looking for in their food. “S is for Safe, they want safe food. M is for Measurable difference, the want to be able to measure why a specific brand is different. A is for Appetizing, it has to taste good as well as be good for you,” she said. “R is for Researched. The information available today is amazing, and T is for Traceable. They want to be able to see which farm or tank it came from.” Kay’s message to farmers is to be aware of the brand they portray in the actions. “You are your own brand in what you do and it is a way that you can differentiate your product.” She said that the image of the farmer is becoming more important in the sale of food at all levels and now even McDonalds have the face of a farmer in their restaurants. “McDonalds uses the face of a farmer to represent their products,” she said. “They use their Olympic sponsorship to give staff and customers the chance to be involved in the experience of the Olympics and you probably would not have thought of them as the food choice of Olympians.” Kay said that while scares like the one in England do hurt the consumer confidence level, most consumers are comfortable with the safety of their food but are looking for something more. “The story is becoming more important than the product, and that is where farmers can come in, telling the story of how food is produced.”
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February 22, 2013
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Stockman’s Club is a Slice of University Life By Les Kletke The University of Manitoba’s (U of M) Faculty of Agriculture’s Stockman’s Club is representative of most things at University, a blend of educational and social events with a healthy mix of personal interaction. This year the club has 30 members and President Lisa Weins said they are representative of the makeup of the faculty. “We have some people who have been involved in 4-H and judging livestock for a long time, and we have other members who have little experience with animals and joined the club to get some experience with live animals,” said Weins. Weins has been a member of
4-H for 13 years and continues to be involved with the program. She is in her fourth and final year of studies. “I came from a dairy farm and had a lot of experience with dairy animals so I joined the club to get experience with other animals,” said Weins, who was part of a contingent that attended a competition in Regina at the Canadian Western Agribition. “The Regina event had more emphasis on the beef competition and had a judge come to speak to the group about judging beef cattle and that was really good,” she said, “Our group did not place well at that event because of our lack of experience with beef.” The club hosted its own
event in early January as a part of Hoe Down Week and invited teams from other institutions in western Canada to compete and take part in other faculty activities. The U of M team has been invited to several competitions in Alberta but has some scheduling problems. “We have been invited to Olds and to Lakeland College in Alberta but those two events are the first two weeks in March and that makes it difficult for us,” she said. The club has its own events at local dairy farms and equestrian arenas. Weins said that some members have an urban background and may have riding experience and are not familiar with other species. The club accepts members at all levels of experience and offers everyone the experience of judging various species of animals. “We have some experienced members and some who join to gain the experience and get the club membership listed on their resume,” she said. Weins already has a job offer with Cargill after graduation working with the firm’s dairy division in Alberta.
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Lisa Wiens of the University of Manitoba Stockman’s Club says the club is a mix or urban and rural students. Members of the club staffed stations at a recent event for Alltech to raise money for club activities. The club has been invited to participate in two competitions in Alberta in March. Photo by Les Kletke
Beef ’s Information Revolution Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) has just completed its Annual General Meeting (AGM). I know I might be perceived as biased, but I think it was a great success. Producers from all across Manitoba came together to debate policy and give direction to the board. This will help drive what the organization tackles in the coming year. But, the information flow is not just one way. One of the roles of associations like MBP is to look down the road and give producers a bit of a heads-up about what is coming at them. That is what I would like to do now – polish my crystal ball and look down the road. It is almost a cliché to say that we live in an information age. New technologies from Apple or BlackBerry seem to be coming at us every second week. Televisions that used to have rabbit ears and 13 channels are now “smart” and give us access to billions of pieces of information from the comfort of our couch. While it is true that we are in the information age, it has not been as quick to envelope the beef industry. That is changing and it is changing rapidly. The information revolution is coming to beef production. This will make us more efficient, competitive and profitable. If Canadian beef production is going to remain viable on the world stage as an industry, we need to embrace the opportunities that information management has to offer. The beginnings of this revolution are with us today. But often the systems are viewed as a large pain rather than a competitive tool that will allow us to differentiate Canadian beef from our competitors. Traceability is the best example of an information exchange system that is often viewed with scepticism. That is because most of us don’t view traceability as an information tool. Rather it is looked upon as a cost imposed upon our industry because of BSE. But, the components of traceability will be able to provide you with the tools to improve your genetics increase your return from your management skills and better connect with consumers. One of these new tools built around traceability is the Beef InfoXchange System, or BIXS. BIXS allows producers to capture exchange and track specific individual animal data. For example, the system can give you the carcass yield and grade data when your animals eventually go for slaughter. Not only does the system give you the individual data, it also shows you where you rank compared to the rest of Canadian production. BIXS will also facilitate targeted marketing plans for specific niche requirements on the world stage. If a particular client in Japan or another country wants to purchase a specific quality of cut, we can do a better job of meeting their needs through programs like BIXS. What is the result for producers? This will allow you to adjust your breeding programs and marketing plans based on the productivity and quality of the cattle you produce. The program has the potential to help you improve your efficiency, lower your costs, and down the road increase, what you are paid for your cattle. This is how information can help you become more profitable. BIXS is a flow of information from processors back to the producer. Information flow in the other direction-from producers to consumers-is also an important marketing tool. Consumers are asking two key questions. First, “Where does my food come from?” and second, “How is my food produced?” Producers who can answer these questions will open up access to a different kind of consumer, one who is willing to pay a little bit more for their food. This applies to individual operations but it also applies to Manitoba and Canada as a whole. If we, as an industry, can answer these questions more completely than our competitors can, we will better differentiate Canadian beef on the world stage and do a better job of securing high value customers. How do producers answer consumers’ questions? Production management programs like Verified Beef Production (VBP) are key tools in the process. Verification processes like VBP, combined with traceability, will allow you to tell producers exactly how their beef was produced and exactly where it comes from. This is not as far-fetched or as far off into the future as you might think. Earlier this year, McDonalds in Australia released a smart phone app called “Track My Macca’s.” Users can download the free app, point their phone’s camera at a special code on the side of their burger box and see where the beef originated. Why is McDonald’s doing this? Because answering the question “where does my food come from” will help them, sell more burgers and increase their profit. Part of that profit is shared with the producers who take on the information management practices that allow the program to function. Traceability, Verified Beef Production (VBP) and BIXS are just some first examples of the coming information revolution. Millions of dollars are being spent on genomics research. The end results of this research will allow you to tailor your breeding programs based on the genetic analysis of your cattle, leading to better growth rates, increased feed efficiency and improved meat quality. The science of genomics is rapidly changing. Tests are now available that allow an animal to be tested for 50,000 genetic differences. Other research, such as Residual Feed Intake, or RFI, will help increase efficiency and lower costs. This research will also help lower your carbon footprint, which might just be a selling point that you can market to a willing buyer using programs like VBP and BIXS. When will the information revolution hit your ranch? That is not an easy thing to predict. But you have already seen the first changes on your operation. More information management tools like BIXS and VBP are starting to become available to you. I think the potential value of systems like these is going to grow exponentially in the coming months and years.
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February 22, 2013
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Good Trace Mineral Status in Beef Cows Leads to Good Economics By Peter Vitti Profitable cow-calf operations achieve a calfcrop of more than 90 percent, while herds struggling to meet a threshold calf-crop of 85 percent will likely not meet most production expenses. The root of reproductive success often lies in cows consuming nutritious postcalving diets, which encompass a good supply of essential trace minerals. As part of this postpartum trace mineral package, there are four principal trace elements that are very important for good beef cow reproduction, namely copper, zinc, manganese and selenium. All too often in nature they are either low or marginally deficient in soils and cattle forages or are bound up by inorganic antagonistic compounds that make them “biologically unavailable” to even the most fertile beef cows. For example, even the most promising beef cows that are truly marginally or clinically copper-deficient will often suffer from poor first-service conception rates and poor embryonic survival. Some of these copper-deficient cows may actually show normal estrus behaviour, but normal ovulation does not occur and may lead to future estrus retardation. Such erratic heat cycles might also be caused by antagonistic minerals such as molybdenum or high levels of zinc, which affects copper metabolism. Unfortunately, beef producers could have a hard time pin-pointing copper, and the other three essential trace mineral deficiencies because there many nutritional as well as unrelated reasons that cause poor reproductive performance. Sometimes beef cow trace mineral-linked reproductive problems are caused by producers not providing on a regular basis a wellbalanced commercial cattle mineral fortified with bioavailable copper, manganese, zinc and selenium. Failure to invest as little as 15c per cow per day to assure good trace mineral status after calving and into the subsequent breeding season has dire consequences. It may start with a good portion of the cowherd having one delayed estrus cycle by 80 – 85 days postpartum. The consequence of only heat cycle offsets the birth of their respective calves by a corresponding 21 days. Because they were born later, these calves lose a potential 21 days of growth and if they should have gained 2.0 lbs per head; results in 42 lbs of
lost weaning weight on any specific sale date. Assuming $1.55/lb for a 600 lb weaned calf translates into $65 of lost revenue per late-born calf. These calves from delayed mothers might still be sold at a targeted weaning weight at a later date, but there is always a likelihood of off-season discounted markets. Fortunately, producers can still recoup some revenue from selling late-weaned calves, but if the same cows continually fail to cycle due to poor mineral status they may become “open” cows. It is no secret that if a cow that does not cycle, conceive and produce a calf for the fiscal year she not only does not produce any calf-revenue, but her existing feed and management costs become a financial burden to the rest of the productive cows in the cowherd. We might choose to illustrate an un-pregnant cow’s liability to rest of the operation in the following way: (1) assume it costs about $2.00 to feed a brood cow during a 200-day winter and $1.00 per day to feed her on summer pasture and these feed costs account for 65 percent of her total costs (housing, medical, fuel, etc). Consequently, the total cost per beef cow would be about $870 per year, (2) we pencil in that X percent calf-crop produces: X multiplied by 600 lb calves = sold lbs, and (3) there is no open cow salvage value. By using only these three parameters and regardless of the sale price of the present calf crop, the “additional” cost of keeping open cows, which must be covered by actual sold lbs of weaned calves, increases dramatically;
90 percent calf-crop = $0.16/ lb, 85 percent calf-crop = $0.25/lb and 75 percent calfcrop = $0.48/lb! This is an undesirable trend that dictates that as the herd’s calf-crop shrinks, an open cow’s herd liabilities dramatically increases and inherently must be covered by diminished revenues. How easy it would be to prevent such reproductive drama and chaos if a good mineral feeding program was established in the first place! Consequently, the following nutritional and management suggestions are helpful in assuring that fertile beef cows build good trace mineral status for the breeding season, when commercial cattle mineral is poured into their feeders: - Target cowherd mineral consumption. The best wellformulated mineral containing adequate copper levels cannot do its job unless cattle eat it. Target the above-mentioned 50 – 100 grams per head per day. If cattle are not eating enough or too much, add 1/3 portion salt to the mineral mixture. - Know the dietary trace mineral sources in your mineral. This is particularly important when purchasing cattle mineral. For example, knowing copper’s final concentration of your cows’ diet without knowing the source of supplemental copper is of little value. Copper comes in many forms such as copper oxide, copper sulphate, and chelated copper that has relative biological availabilities of 5 percent, 100 percent, and 125-150 percent in beef cattle. - Feed a “Breeder mineral” all winter long. Some
producers feed a more fortified breeder mineral (with more bio-available organic trace minerals) all winter long. The costdifference between a basic gestation and calving/ breeding mineral calculates to about $4.00 per head premium for the first half of the winter. - Fill your mineral feeders on a regular basis. Mineral feeders should be filled every 2 – 3 days and hardened old mineral should be removed. It is also important to remove snow and debris that prevents good mineral consumption. The success of taking such conscious trace mineral feeding actions to build good trace mineral status for good rebreeding in beef cows is easily visible; post-partum cows cycle one or two times before a limited breeding season actually begin and they tend to get pregnant by breeding bulls within weeks of release. These cows also tend to give birth and nurse healthy calves, which in turn are heavier and thus more profitable on an established weaning date.
Monthly Cattle Chat Cattle Chat is a monthly webinar happening the third Wednesday of each month, which brings current information to livestock producers throughout Manitoba. The internet web conference allows you to sit at your personal computer (or iphone/ipad), see the presentation, hear the presenter and ask questions of the specialists by typing them into a menu provided. The webinars are recorded, so if you are unable to watch them live you can watch it on your schedule. Contact your local GO Office to get a registration form emailed or if you feel your internet is too slow there are some GO offices that provide a better location. Here are some highlights from the January 23 Cattle Chat. Calving toolbox and tips and equipment needed in the barn: -
Maternity pen Chains and handles (no twines) Head snares or extra chain (no twines) Obstetrical gloves Lube or surgical soap Esophageal feeder (colostrums)
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Clean puller Calving suit Calf cart Disinfectant Kit – tags, shots, etc.
With this cold weather, it is important Calving Tips to make sure that lac- Check viability of calf first tating cows have - Keep yourself and the cow clean enough nutrients to - Don’t pull in improper position - Always, check for tears sustain herself and her - Use lots of lubricant especially calf. It is a good pracin fat heifers or dry calves tice to keep an eye on your cows to make sure they are maintaining in this cold weather and not going backwards. If you are not sure how your cows are doing, have another set of eyes look at them to check to make sure they are maintaining their body mass. Some of the forage this year that came into the office tested poorly and supplements may have to be used. During cold weather calving, it is important that cattle be given nutrition that will carry them through the winter months and calving season. If you are looking for more information contact your local GO Office.
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February 22, 2013
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That’s a Good Story By Les Kletke They may not win Oscars at this year’s Academy Awards but three short videos produced by the Canola Growers of Manitoba do a noteworthy job of telling the story of Manitoba food production. “They are all a part of a larger Be Well program that includes a blog and a newsletter,” said Ellen Pruden, Education and Promotion Manager with the Canola Growers. The three-minute videos tell the story of three individuals from very different parts of Manitoba’s food industry. “We selected people who represented different aspects of the industry,” said Pruden. “But they are all very passionate about what they do, and that was the criterion for the selection. For 2014, there will be two more videos produced and the selection will be run as a contest that is open to nominations until April 2013 at the association’s websites blog.canolarecipes.ca and facebook.com/ bewellcanola. Pruden said reaction to the release of the videos at an event at Winnipeg’s Park Theatre on February 12 was overwhelming. “We had people coming to us and saying they loved what they saw and they had people who would be great subjects for next year,” she said. “That is what the contest is about, we want to drive people to the website to watch the video and think of other people who are passionate about the food production and what they do.” The contest will have two winners next year, one from Manitoba and one from outside the province. “We want to partner with other organizations, like our sister grower associations in other provinces, and tell the story of people who are passionate,” said Pruden. She is not relying only on traffic to the website but will take the videos with her to show at meetings she will be attending, “Like the Home Economist conference, or the Food Bloggers or Ag in the Classroom and of course 4 H.”
Getty Stewart, MJ Feek, and Doug Chorney faced some questions about the videos outlining their passion for agriculture at a screening at Winnipeg’s Park Theatre. The three videos tell individual stories of why people feel passionate about food produced in Manitoba.
n io s s a P Pa y il m a F Fa ’s s y y’ e n r The Cho
t leading Manitoba’s ture story to be abou na sig his ose to en os ch ve ha sident, but Chorney ch Doug Chorney could n he has made as its pre tio ibu ntr co the d an largest farm group over the family farm. to be on the farm until tell the story of taking nts were with my mom and her being able and seeing my me ab ily farm is all out, fam “Some of the best mo the at wh is t ha orney. “T she was 90,” said Ch at the business.” the in up Agriculture and was w gro r hte daug dent in the Faculty of s of her in the vegetable stu ar ye d on sec a is ph Erin Chorney l still photogra eo that featured severa screening of the vid said Erin. “I look a great part of my life,” have grown up.” business. en be s ha nd sta le getab wI “Growing up in the ve people every summer and they laugh at ho plans to return to the same s ha the t, ing Bu n. see tio to ca rd vo wa life for r he t ou ab ion cis a final de She has not yet made siness. the direct marketing bu m in the winter,” she said. “I am not as w gro d an m far ily fam the ss mi lly rea s.” le and I what the future bring “My passion is peop siness but we [will] see screening of the three videos, Doug bu in gra the t ou ab the excited swer period following of her strawberries mother selling some In the question and an his th wi d rte sta d ha siness recounted how the bu to other produce d. roa the of e sid t she should expand the tha at r he g the lin tel ts en her cli to buy it directly from “I remember one of and would be willing d foo sh fre for g kin loo because people were tables.” pansion to other vege r, who began growing farm that led to the ex Chorney farm features Doug’s grandfathe The video profiling the our family it is all at East Selkirk. 03,” he said. “So with potatoes on the farm 19 in re he g food ng mi far rted nt to be here producin “My grandfather sta over 100 years and wa re he en be ve ha We . about sustainability hy .” ties together with healt for another 100 years a, Be Well Story. “It all opportunity to tell our ing be of y nit rtu po Chorney sees the op t food. This is a great ing here to produce tha ume our products.” the people that cons food and producers be th wi ess sin bu r ou in d was an infant turned story and move ahea the things they started when his daughter e of Chorney said that on in the l. too g crop and posted them tin rke into a ma r every year with the be served by the person in hte ug da my of es “We took pictur d they liked to how she had grown an and my daughter as shop, people like to see t pictures was of my mom when she was 90 las the picture. One of the a young adult.”
M J Fe e k ’ s F o o d I n s ti l l s Fa m i l y S t r e n g t h
Feek readily adm its that food is he her to work with r food every day is passion and having found a voca somewhat of a dr tion that allows She began in the eam come true. restaurant busine Selkirk called Be njamin’s (her mai ss when she was only 19, openin de g operation as wel l as an outdoor re n name). Now Benjamin’s is a fu a restaurant in ll service caterin staurant in the su indoor facility w g ith seating for 10 m mer and she rece 0 called the Cella might be a supper ntly opened an r. Looking to the club in the future future, she hints th , “But we are conc before we start so ere en mething else and suffer the growin trating on doing what we do well She is trained as g pains.” a pastry chef and has competed at ask someone in the Culinary Oly town, I am prob ably known for oven.” our pizza that w mpics, “But if you e make on an ou For Feek the love tdoor of and calories, for m food runs much deeper than nu tri e tio instilling a value it is about emotion and memories,” n. “Food is more that vitamins for food. “My m other always mad she said crediting her mother with a family. That is e great meals and wha we are more than eith t I try to instill into my kids, th at food and family ate together as er alone.” go together and “I opened Benja m she said. “We ha in’s as a place that people would ve co vegetable supplie been fortunate to have good su me [to] and enjoy good food,” r from just across ppliers of local fo th Her supplier has greenhouse facilit e river in East Selkirk and that has od. We have a helped so much.” ies that accommod and allow her ac cess ate th She said that durin to greens not normally thought of e production of micro greens in Manitoba prod g ev en ts lik e the to have products sourced locally. beef scare this past summer it was uction. “We know where a real advantage us the confidence we source our in th puts and that give this time when th at comes through to our custom s ers. It is great to ere is increased in be terest in eating lo cally grown food in Manitoba at .”
Stewart ’s Drive for Fruit Sh are
Getty Stewart had an ide a to share some of the fru it that was not being use to her idea as “overwhel d by Manitobans and des ming”. cribes the response Stewart also authored a cookbook that was releas ed this past year and rem available at several book ains on the bestseller list stores in Manitoba and is A Home Economist by pro in the province. fession Stewart said it wa a venture called Fruit Sh s seeing fruit on trees in her are. The organization par tners people who have un neighbourhood that inspired her to start food banks. used fruit with pickers and groups such as “It was seeing unused fru it and knowing that 860,0 something,” she said. “I 00 Ca nad ians use food banks eve had read an article about ry month that drove me a fruit rescue in another of the season we had 13 to do city, so in 2010 with 10 ,000 lbs of fruit that had people and by the end been transferred to peo She said not everything ple who could use it.” happened on a grand sca le but sometimes the litt one of the early events wh le thing ere she came away with two pounds of rhubarb and s made a big difference. She recounted it to a senior who was so thankful, and said he wo felt somewhat disappoin uld use the pound of rhu ted, “But I took moments like that when barb to make rhubarb cri you know it is all worth sp for his wife. It is wh ile “We set up partnerships .” where the fruit is shared equally by the owners, can end up in the hands pickers and groups like of people who need it the food banks where it most,” Said Stewart wh to reach the greatest numb o credits modern technolo er of people. gy with allowing her “We use things like Faceb ook and a website,” she said. “Otherwise we wo telephone tree system, now we post the news tha uld still be trying to con tact people with the t there will be a pick and “Food is a staple. We nee many more people know d it to survive. By know about it.” ing that others are needed “Bridging the gap betwe en growers and consum to produce it helps us con ers is an important part nect,” she said. of what we do.”
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