Agriculture Now
thecarillon.com
NOVEMBER 20, 2025
FEATURE STORY U.S. ethanol imports force out Canadian producers, domestic industry at risk: expert See story on page 2
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MATTHEW FRANK THE CARILLON
Piles of dried distilled grain are one of the two byproducts from ethanol production. The grain can be used as livestock feed.
U.S. ethanol imports force out Canadian producers, domestic industry at risk: expert
by MATTHEW FRANK M anitoba ethanol producers and ex- perts are raising alarms that U.S. sub- sidized biofuel imports could push domestic biofuel production to the brink of collapse. The province’s only ethanol plant, located in Minnedosa, 240 kilometres west of Steinbach, will no longer be profitable by 2034 and could face layoffs or potentially shut down, said se- nior plant manager Avi Bahl. Owned by Calgary-based oil and gas firm Cenovus Energy, the Minnedosa Ethanol Plant produces more than 160 million litres of eth- anol annually. But due to heavily subsidized U.S. ethanol being imported at cheaper pric- es and favoured by federal policies, he said his plant can’t compete. “We’re not looking for handouts, we just want a level playing field,” Bahl told The Car- illon . In September the federal government an- nounced $370 million in measures to incen- tivize biofuel production, along with amend- ments to the Clean Fuel Regulation. However, no details were given on what the amendments are, and ethanol wasn’t included in the mea- sures. “I was so excited. I pull up my phone and thought ‘Oh, this is great,’” Bahl said. “Then we get more details a couple days later, and there’s nothing in there for ethanol.” He said there’s no federal policy that dif- ferentiates his ethanol from what’s imported from the U.S. The only thing that separates ethanol is whoever has the lowest carbon in- tensity, Bahl said, and that person gets the pre- mium price. In 2024, Canada imported 60 percent of its ethanol supply from the U.S., according to the Biofuels in Canada 2025 annual report. Since regulations in the U.S. allow for larg- er operations, pricing can be lower and more competitive with what he’s offering to buyers, he said. Bahl describes ethanol as a “marginal industry.” “It has tiny margins. And then some years you make money, some years you lose money, and it flips back and forth. You’re always hover- ing around that,” he said. If the 57-year-old plant shut down, Bahl said roughly 50 local jobs would be lost, grain farm- ers would lose a key buyer and Minnedosa would lose a revenue source. Forty trucks deliver grain per day, five days a week, to sustain the plant’s ethanol produc- tion. Annually, the plant processes 385,000 tonnes of corn. Since opening in 2008, the plant has spent $1.2 billion on Manitoba grain. He said the plant sources 85 percent of its corn from Southeastern Manitoba. Bahl would ramp production if he could, but since the province doesn’t produce enough corn domes- tically, he said the plant is forced to supply the rest from the U.S. Manitoba produced 1.7-million tonnes of grain corn in 2024 and still had to import more than $429 million worth of corn from the U.S., according to the province’s agriculture depart- ment. Not only is there not enough corn to supply his plant, Bahl said he has to compete against buyers who want the corn for silage and feed. The plant is also subject to industrial carbon taxes due to its need to operate a natural gas dryer for its unavoidable ethanol byproduct,
MATTHEW FRANK THE CARILLON
Bahal says there’s not enough corn produced in Manitoba to sustain ethanol production.
dried distilled grain. Bahl said the only reason the dry grain is needed is because feedlots are too far away to ship it wet because it would spoil faster. “We can’t sell it wet because we don’t have a big enough feed lot close by. So now I have to truck it and it needs to go three to four hours away. Now you’re shipping mainly water,” he said. Many of the U.S. ethanol plants are located near large livestock feedlots, which means they can ship the byproduct wet and ship more of it, removing the cost and the carbon emissions from needing a dryer, he said. Not needing a dryer gives American-made ethanol another competitive advantage when supplying Man- itoba compared to what’s made domestically, he said. ““I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place,” Bahl said. Policy pain points Under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the federal government’s main environmental policy for fuel, the Clean Fuel Regulation, was established on June 21, 2022. It required the carbon intensity of fuel production, including ethanol, be reduced over time in exchange for compliance credits. The policy’s goal was to push producers to continually reduce their emissions and increase the amount of biofuels in their fuel mixes, regardless of where the bio- fuel originates. See “Preserving the industry’ on 3C
MATTHEW FRANK THE CARILLON The plant’s cooking pipes are crucial for converting the ground corn into ready-to-use fuel.
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Preserving the industry and domestic jobs
Continued from 2C Robert Parsons, a University of Manitoba supply management instructor, points to both the federal regulations and two Ameri- can policies that accelerated U.S. exports to Canada. With the subsidized American ethanol “flooding” Canadian markets, he said it’s a miracle that Manitoba’s plant has stayed afloat this long. “What has happened under the Clean Fuel Regulations is U.S. ethanol is welcomed into Canada with literally open arms. And they (the federal government) give them (U.S. ex- porters) carte blanche on this,” he said. Former U.S. President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act in August 2022 — two months after Canada’s regulations were cre- ated. The act offered tax credits and grants for American ethanol and biofuel producers, al- lowing them to scale up production. Those subsidies were further bolstered when President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act was passed in July. It extend- ed existing tax credits and removed land use emissions penalties for ethanol production. Those tax credits add up to roughly 34 cents-per-litre CAD for American renewable biofuels, regardless if it stays in the U.S. or shipped abroad. The combination of domestic regulations and the U.S. ethanol subsidies saw American imports explode. U.S. ethanol exports to Canada hovered at roughly 1.2-billion litres annually from 2011 to 2021, according to the U.S. Energy Infor- mation Administration. In 2022, exports jumped more than 50 per- cent to 1.9-billion litres. Those numbers con- tinued trending upwards, with 2024 seeing a record 2.6-billion litres of American ethanol exported to Canada. In August alone, Canada imported 255-mil- lion litres. Nationally, Canada produced nearly 1.7-billion litres of ethanol in 2023, ranking it as the sixth largest global ethanol producer behind the U.S., Brazil and China, according to Statistics Canada. Parson said U.S. ethanol gets a strong ad- vantage because Canadian producers still have to pay the industrial carbon tax on emissions, known as the Output-Based Pric- ing System, and the Americans don’t. “Look at that 34-cent subsidy. How are peo- ple going to be able to compete with that,” he said. “It’s created almost an untenable situa- tion.” That cheaper, subsidized U.S. ethanol out-competing the domestically-produced alternative has built a reliance on American imports. “I’m perfectly fine for the U.S. to build their own country and build their own ethanol. But if they’re using that to subsidize exports to us, and we are their biggest export location, well, that’s not good, and somebody is not think- ing that through,” Parsons said. He said the federal and provincial govern- ments need to take action by removing the Clean Fuel Regulations, slashing the indus- trial carbon tax and banning U.S. ethanol im- ports, similar to how U.S. booze was ripped from Canadian retail shelves in March. While it would be painful for Canadians be- cause ethanol supply would drop, preserving the industry and domestic jobs is worth the price of not relying on the U.S., Parson said. Both B.C. and Ontario governments have already put made-in-Canada requirements on ethanol use. B.C. announced in February the five percent renewable fuel requirement for gasoline must only use Canadian-pro- duced renewable fuels. Ontario announced its own on Aug. 8, mandating 64 percent of its renewable fuel for gasoline be made domestically. Adrian Dix, B.C.‘s minister of energy and climate solutions, said at the time the mea- sures were targeting U.S.-subsidized ethanol. “By increasing the Canadian biofuel con- tent in our transportation fuels, we will sup- port local producers, protect jobs and reduce our dependence on foreign energy,” he said in a Feb. 27 statement. The federal government could increase the amount of credits for domestic ethanol production, bringing it into parity with U.S. exports, Fred Ghatala, president of Advanced Biofuels Canada said. He said the federal relief funding isn’t enough to support the biofuel industry. “If there is not viable Canadian biofuel pro- duction, we worry about the long term viabil-
MATTHEW FRANK THE CARILLON
Roughly 85 percent of the corn supplied for ethanol production is Manitoba grown.
ity of the clean fuel regulations,” he told The Carillon. Manitoba requires 10 percent renewable fuels in gasoline and five percent renew- ables in diesel. Ghatala said the province has a “strong opportunity” to increase that re- quirement, which, combined with domestic protections, could spur growth for the local biofuel industry. “Renewable fuels are a supply chain that connects Canadian farms to Canadian cities, and having that be a made in Canada supply chain is something that we can all be proud of,” he said. Bahl said while the protection measures in B.C. and Ontario help stabilize producers there, he’s worried it will redirect the U.S. eth- anol supply to provinces that don’t have sim- ilar measures, including Manitoba, and flood the market. Canadian producers aren’t the only ones suffering from American ethanol imports. In August, one of the U.K.’s two ethanol plants shut down because it couldn’t compete with U.S. imported ethanol undercutting its pric- es. That’s something Parsons fears will soon happen in Canada if there’s no change. “If we do nothing, we’re going to lose this industry, period. That’s the stark choice that we have got,” he said. “American friends are not our friends.” The Prime Minister Mark Carney-led gov- ernment is too focused on big projects, said Parsons, while existing industries like etha- nol production, are “eroding,” Parsons said. Last month, Manitoba released its plan to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Part of that plan is to “develop renewable fuel strategies and support industry to set up production fa- cilities” for biofuels. While Parsons sees the plan as a “noble idea,” he said it won’t work unless protec- tions are put in place for domestic ethanol producers. A provincial spokesperson said Manitoba will work with industries and stakeholders as the plan is implemented. The current provin- cial ethanol mandate helps reduce the reli- ance of petroleum and supports the Minne- dosa plant, the spokesperson said in an email statement. ”These efforts will attract investment, cre- ate jobs, and position Manitoba as a clean energy leader on the path to net zero by 2050,” she said. The spokesperson didn’t say what Manito- ba will do to address the concerns of rising subsidized ethanol imports. Federal Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Canada Tim Hodgson didn’t re- spond to interview requests by deadline.
From whiskey to ethanol
From there, the grain slurry is piped over to the four fermenting units, which mix in yeast and hold the slurry for nearly 60 hours. As the yeast feeds on the corn’s sugar, it produces carbon dioxide that is released through the plant’s steam flumes. When the yeast digests all of the sugar, it begins converting into alcohol, the basis for ethanol. The alcohol goes through distilla- tion processes to remove excess water to raise its concentration level. To make it not drinkable, gas is added to the ethanol. From there, the fuel is ready for blending with the gas going into any vehicle’s fuel tank. Bahl said the plant’s ethanol is trucked to Winnipeg, Regina or Edmonton, with up to 50 percent of its ethanol staying in Manito- ba, to gas companies ready to mix the etha- nol to meet provincial quotas. After finishing an ethanol batch, the plant is left with two byproducts: fibre-filled mash from cooking the slurry, and the leftover corn oil. The mash is moved to a spinning dryer that removes the liquid. Since Manitoba doesn’t have any biodies- el factories, it has to be shipped and sold elsewhere in Canada. The other product, known as dried distilled grain, is a high-pro- tein animal feed trucked to farms across Manitoba and neighbouring provinces.
by MATTHEW FRANK M innedosa’s plant got its start as a whiskey distillery in 1968, shipping its whiskey to the U.S. Costing $4 million at the time, the distillery owned by Canada’s Manitoba Distillery Limited was one of the province’s first distilleries. It was opened with provincial fan-fair, as former Premier Walter Weir drove a forklift carrying the symbolic first barrel, according to a 1968 Manitoba press release. The plant garnered international atten- tion, with The New York Times publishing an article on the distillery’s announcement in 1960. The distillery closed in 1973 and re- opened as a ethanol fuel plant in 1981, ran by Husky Energy. Ownership transferred to Cenovus Energy when it bought out Husky Energy in 2020. To take corn from feed to fuel, giant ham- mers grind the corn into a fine flour to prepare its starch for interacting with the water and the enzymes needed to ferment. The crushed grain is transferred to a cook- er pipe, where 130 C temperatures cook the grain, now mixed with water and enzymes, under pressure for roughly 20 minutes.
MATTHEW FRANK THE CARILLON Minnedosa’s senior plant manager Avi Bahl shows the first jar of ethanol produced from the plant.
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Grow Hope addresses global food insecurity thanks to Canadian farmers
by SVJETLANA MLINAREVIC F or the past 10 years, the Men- nonite Central Committee’s Grow Hope has been address- ing global food insecurity by enlist- ing farmers to donate their time and fields to growing grains which are sold for a profit and the money dis- tributed to people in need. “It’s lovely to celebrate 10 years because every new initiative has a first year, and yet you wonder how it will grow over time. It’s grown to a pleasant size for us at MCC Manito- ba,” said Darryl Loewen, executive director. Grow Hope began when Niver- ville farmer Grant Dyck had the idea to donate some of his land to grow food for the hungry. He approached MCC Manitoba staff to run a pro- gram similar to the ones being run through the Canadian Food Grains Bank (CFGB). The difference with other CFGB programs is that MCC Manitoba would manage it, recruit farmers, and recruit donors. “The notion being that we put food producers together with food con- sumers, rural and urban, and con- nect people in the effort to address food security around the world,” said Loewen. The CFGB is a Christian organi- zation comprising of 15 Canadian churches and church-based agen- cies, who work with locally-based organizations in developing coun- tries around the world to end hun- ger. Most responses are either short-term emergency projects or long-term development projects. Grow Hope farmers collective- ly grow between 300 to 400 acres of grain (for example peas, corn, wheat, canola, oats, and/or flax) and then sell the grain, giving the money to the CFGB MCC Manitoba account and that amount is then multiplied by a donation from Global Affairs Canada. Donors cover the farmers’ input costs and this year $128,328 was raised as of Oct. 31. This rep- resents about 367 acres of a goal of 450 acres, which is 81 percent of MCC Manitoba’s goal for 2025. Each acre costs $350. The multiplier for this year by the government is un- known at this time. Loewen said the donors who give to Grow Hope are people in the pews. One of those donors is Dan- iella Rempel from Winnipeg. She has been a donor to the project for several years and found out about it by reading the newspaper. She said it was a tangible way of helping de- veloping nations and the people who live there. She thinks the farm- ers who volunteer their time and resources are exceptional. She feels good about donating every year. “It’s a game changer for many of these families. And also the leverage and also you get an income tax de- duction as well when you file your tax return. So, it’s a win-win situation for people like myself, and the real win-win situation for these global community people that need the food security, need the help.” Rempel also liked that the money gets multiplied by the government. “You get a lot of bang for your buck,” she said. Since 2015, Grow Hope has raised more than $1.9 million to fight food insecurity in developing nations. In 2016, MCC Manitoba, farmers, and donors raised money for Syria during its civil war. Loewen couldn’t say how much was raised as it was part of a larger fundraising effort, but he did say the Syria project for a number of years became the second largest designated project anywhere in the world with MCC until that time. According to MCC Manitoba, in 2016 the organization received $47,225 in acre sponsorships from donors, which turned into $90,814 in crop proceeds, which were sent to fund CFGB projects. Money given to CFGB in 2016 was multiplied four times by the federal government. MCC Manitoba supports rural food projects in 46 countries around the world. One of the projects sup- ported by MCC Manitoba is in Ne- pal, where women are given money to grow gardens and the food they raise supports the family nutrition- ally and financially, while the men do day labour jobs. The money the women earn can then be used to cre- ate fish ponds or for egg production, for example, and eventually they can take that money and own a shop or food stall. “So, it turns you from a day laborer into a multi-cropper, and a diversi- fied agricultural farmer…in some measure, (there is still day labour), but decreasingly over time. Once the household production has capacity, then there’s less need to do day la- bor. Or maybe one adult parent can do some day labor while the other farms,” said Loewen. “Most of the world’s farmers are women, especially in the global
Submitted Aarti Kumari Mandal, center, with Nikita Mandal, left, and Chanchal Kumari Rishidev, right, are students of agriculture at Sailaja Acharya Memorial Polytechnic in Jahada Rural Municipality-4, Moran , Nepal April 25, 2024.
SVJETLANA MLINAREVIC THE CARILLON MCC Manitoba executive director Darryl Loewen said that MCC Manitoba puts food producers together with food consumers, rural and urban, and connects people in the effort to address food security around the world. MCC Manitoba held a 10 year celebration of the Grow Hope program at Canadian Mennonite University on Nov. 2.
Hope is Edward Wollmann from Springwinds Colony, three miles south of Sperling, who grew 40 acres of grain consisting of peas, wheat, canola, and flax for MCC Manitoba. “(We do this) to reach out to help the poor. To help somebody in (a) Third World country who is not as lucky as we are? Give them a chance at life? As I said to Darryl, I’m glad we’re doing this,” said Wollmann. Wollmann said it’s difficult being a farmer as you’re dependent on the weather and commodity prices as the cost of everything else keeps rising. As it was a dry year, he said his pea and wheat prices were down to $7 per bushel. He said on the high end he has received $11 for peas and has sold his wheat for as much as $13. As for canola, he said its prices are fluc- tuating and right now he is getting $14. “Several varieties we try this every year. I try 80 or 160 acre piece of a new variety of wheat. If it yields what we’re growing then I’ll plant one va- riety, stick to this variety, that’s better than what we’re doing. Canola same
south. They manage the yard, they manage the production, they man- age the children. And men might be further away in day labor or short- term, that kind of thing.” Recently, MCC Manitoba through CFGB has been helping with aid going into Gaza. About two million Palestinians are trapped in Gaza and are short supplied with food, drink- ing water, medicine, and safe shelter due to Israeli attacks. Food parcels distributed by MCC partner Al-Najd Developmental Forum in the Grow Hope program, will see MCC send six shipments of emergency food to support 2,000 families — approx- imately 12,000 individuals — over the course of the project. This re- lief is specifically directed towards families with exceptional needs, in- cluding families that have lost their primary caregivers, have members hospitalized or families with special needs like diabetes, disabilities or other sicknesses. This year, MCC Manitoba has six farms contributing to Grow Hope, the largest farming group was seven. One of the farmers involved in Grow
PHOTO COURTESY OF AL-NAJD DEVELOPMENTAL FORUM/BASHAR AL ARJA Al-Najd Developmental Forum staff distribute emergency food that has arrived in Gaza on March 19, 2024, for distribution to families. Names withheld for security reasons.
thing, trying new varieties every year.” Wollmann said when prices are down he’ll store the crop until prices go up and he can earn more. He said the international market for wheat is tough as countries like Brazil, Argen- tina, Russia, Ukraine, and Australia have a surplus which brings the price for wheat down internationally. “We haven’t sold at a loss in the last 10 years. We haven’t sold our crops at a loss, but we’re close right now. It’s tight,” he said. He said the colony has donated anywhere from $18,000 to $32,000 in crops to Grow Hope. He wants to
spread the word to other Hutterite colonies as he thinks they will jump on board if they knew about the pro- gram. “It’s a great project. I’m honoured to be a part of it.” The Grow Hope program has spread to MCC Saskatchewan, MCC Alberta, and MCC Ontario. Loewen said the program has been replicat- ed by other church denominations and account holders with the CFGB. “So, it’s growth by replication, which is exciting,” he said.
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Getting the harvest off
GREG VANDERMEULEN THE CARILLON When wet clay roads and field conditions make transporting the harvest difficult, farmers have to come up with solutions. This producer used Provincial Road 305 this month as he used his grain wagon to transfer corn to waiting trucks southwest of Domain.
Labour and immigration important to agriculture
has been revitalized by the influx of new Cana- dians. The town is one of the fastest growing in Canada, boasting a new hospital and new road infrastructure because of investment by the hog sector and immigrants brought in to support the industry. The negative impacts of labour shortfalls on hog producers and pork processors go beyond productivity losses. The sector has invested heavily in improving biosecurity and the ability to manage production diseases like Porcine Ep- idemic Diarrhea (PED) and Porcine Reproduc- tive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), as well as keeping foreign animal diseases like African Swine Fever (ASF) and Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) out of the country. Labour shortages make this work more difficult and add strain to producers’ efforts to protect the animals under their care from disease. The impact of diseases like PED and PRRS are not theoretical. The last major outbreak of PED in Manitoba, which began in the fall of 2021 and ran through the spring of 2023, is estimated to have cost the industry more than $100 million. Current estimates indicate that PRRS in the U.S. is costing the industry there $1.65 billion annu- ally. Hog production and processing in Manitoba have the opportunity for growth, if barriers like labour shortfalls can be overcome. New build- ing and investment not only provide on-farm and spin-off employment opportunities but also help build and sustain Manitoba’s rural com- munities through population growth, increased school enrollments, additional small business opportunities, and enhanced community ser- vices. Budget 2025 included commitments to prior- itize immigration for rural, remote and tariff-hit businesses and to increase the number of new Canadians that are coming to fill specific jobs. These are positive announcements. However, it is not all that is needed. First, we need to aban- don a blanket approach for all of Canada. Cana- da is a vast country with different needs for ev- ery region. Canadian immigration policy should reflect the country’s diversity. For example, the Provincial Nominee Program has successfully helped meet regional needs. This program needs to be enhanced, not reduced. Second, policy should shift emphasis to the quality of immi- gration, versus a primary focus on the number of people entering Canada. More newcomers should have skills aligned with market needs, like the hog sector in Manitoba. Immigration and labour needs vary widely across Canada. Rather than governments deliv- ering, short “social media ready” soundbites we should be focused on thoughtful immigration and labour policies targeting regional, and sec- torial, needs. Cam Dahl is the general manager of the Mani- toba Pork Council.
by CAM DAHL, GENERAL MANAGER, MANITOBA PORK COUNCIL
I mmigration is a hot button political issue. High unemployment rates for young Cana- dians, housing shortages, and skyrocketing rents have many politicians calling for dramatic changes to Canadian immigration policies. For example, some have been calling for an end to critical programs like the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and slashing the number of new permanent residents. The policy of the government of Canada from 2015 to 2023 was one of wide-open doors, with Canada admitting a record number of newcom- ers. Facing housing shortages, rising rents, and high unemployment for youth and in some im- migrant populations, the government of Canada took a 180-degree policy pivot, cutting immigra- tion targets. The targets for 2025 were almost 20 percent below the 2024 levels with further reduc- tions planned in the years to come. The initial allocation for the Provincial Nominee Program was cut in half. These broad shifts do not serve the Canadian economy nor new Canadians. The drivers behind the policy shift are real. Canada’s big cities do have a housing crisis. Ca- nadian youth are facing a difficult time finding jobs. Some regions of the country have seen an increased strain on social services and health care. Too many people have been admitted to Canada without a link to employment opportu- nities. However, a country wide one-size-fits-all immigration and labour policy is not the right answer. What is needed for Toronto, Vancouver, or Montreal is not what is needed in other parts of the country. Pressures in other regions of Canada are not the same as in our large cities, and new Canadians are a critical part of the Manitoba la- bour force in places like Notre Dame de Lourdes, Neepawa, Brandon, and Winnipeg. Provinces, not the federal government, are best positioned to manage the labour requirements in their own region. Lack of access to labour is an issue today for hog producers. There are current cases where farmers have shuttered barn sites due to labour shortages. This problem will only be exacerbated if further restrictions are placed on immigration. To ensure ongoing sustainable hog produc- tion and pork processing, Manitoba producers and processors rely on immigration programs like the Provincial Nominee Program. The sector hires foreign workers and supports them on a path to permanent residency to fill vacant posi- tions. This approach successfully matches newcom- ers with stable full-time work. There is a high re- tention rate of foreign workers brought in by the hog sector. Foreign workers receive training and put roots into the communities where they set- tle. Neepawa is a prime example of a town that
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SUPPLIED
Razor’s Edge concaves are being put into use around the world.
Made in Winkler invention garners international attention
by GREG VANDERMEULEN P roducers have a more efficient way to separate the wheat from the chaff thanks to a new style of concave invented by Thunder- struck Ag CEO Jeremy Matuszewski. It’s an invention that has already garnered international attention and was listed as one of Time Maga- zine’s best inventions of 2025. Matuszewski said he started working with combines in 2016 and quickly became aware of some of the challenges involved in the concave, the part that separates the grain from the chaff. “I realized there was an issue, but I didn’t really have a solve for it,” he said. Farmers normally run different concaves for different crops or use inserts to make them work. “They were always changing something based on the crop,” he said. “Maybe cover plates, maybe inserts, maybe changing concaves. Typically, in Manitoba we grow a lot of different crops, and you could change the concaves quite a few dif- ferent times.” His product, called Razor’s Edge Concaves, are made for different combines and can be adjusted in- side the combine by changing set- tings. That’s led to other advantages. “Because of how we have made the separating area more efficient to increase that capacity, that allows the increase in ground speed be- cause typically before you’d have to slow down so you don’t put it out the back,” he said. Other changes also allow a reduc- tion in fuel use. Some of the changes are simple. “Our bar being notched is what leads to increased grain quality,” he said. Matuszewski said after coming up with the idea he reached out to Win- kler based Ironmen Industries who came up with 25 prototypes. He also started the patenting process. But even then, he wasn’t sure it would achieve the success it has to- day. “I actually didn’t think it was going to work to be honest,” he said. In 2023, he tested his design in Australia. “That’s when I knew it was going to work,” he said. “What we were able to do in Australia with those combines with our prototype was pretty spectacular.” Prototypes were also tested across North America the following year. Thunderstruck Ag launched it at three western Canadian farm shows, Agri-Trade in Alberta, Crop Produc- tion in Saskatchewan and Ag Days in Brandon. They’ve also sourced a manufac- turer, an Illinois based company that’s been building concaves for 25 years. This year 450 have entered the market. “Of course, no invention is ever fully done,” he said. “We’ve made a few changes that we’re rolling out into the 2026 models.” The name of the product is actual- ly linked to the name of the compa- ny, and a song that was playing in a vehicle a long time ago. “I came up with that (Thunder- struck) on the way to a hockey game I was coaching my son in, and the song came on,” he said, referring to AC/DC’s 1990 hit Thunderstruck. After Googling the meaning he dis- covered to be thunderstruck means to be shocked or awed. “Of course, it’s one of my favour- ite songs so I named the company Thunderstruck,” he said.
SUPPLIED
Thunderstruck Ag CEO Jeremy Matuszewski shares his invention at one of the many trade shows he attends.
“It’s one thing to have an idea,” he said. “It’s a whole other thing to mar- ket it, sell it, inventory it and order it.” “It’s such a group effort,” he add- ed. “No one person can pull it off.” To learn more, go to Thunder- struckAg.com.
The product name began as kind of a joke, he said. Because the song Thunderstruck was on the album Razor’s Edge, he began referring to the concave with that name. Ironmen made the concave pro- totype with a sharper edge than Ma- tuszewski anticipated. “What we found is that sharpened edge made a big difference,” he said. “It was pretty simple from there. It just stuck.” Thunderstruck Ag continues to sell a variety of products including a variety of concaves. Meanwhile his concave has been marketed around the world. While the idea may have come from him, Matuszewski said it took the entire Thunderstruck family to bring it to fruition.
SUPPLIED Thunderstruck Ag CEO Jeremy Matuszewski poses after winning an Ag in Motion Innovation award.
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in Manitoba, the Schlossers were able to find the farm they now live on. “It was a surprise. When you want a farm quickly, it is usually very hard to find one.” One advantage of this farm was that the previous owner had a con- tract with Cargill Limited to produce hogs and they were able to take his contract over as it was. As a result, they were able to get their first cheque from Cargill two weeks after moving in. If they had taken over an empty barn, it would have been seven months before they got paid, the Schlossers said. The first three or four months on the farm were difficult, as they had to learn how to operate a large far- row-to-finish operation, while learn- ing a new language at the same time. “That first winter was very hard. We had to learn how to deal with things like frozen water pipes and we did not have warm enough clothing for a Manitoba winter.” Since then, they have become accustomed to the cold and have learned how to deal with the prob- lems caused by it. The Schlossers actually consider the mosquitoes of summer a more difficult problem to adjust to than the cold of winter. A year-and-a-half after buying the farm, the Schlossers converted it from a farrow-to-finish operation to strictly a farrowing operation. They have adjusted well to farm- ing in Manitoba, Lorenz said, add- ing their barns are only around five years old, so major expenditures for new barns will not likely be needed for some time. “I’m happy. I have my own farm, I’m my own boss; I can do whatever I want.” The Schlossers enjoy the lifestyle of Manitobans. They have, indeed, found life here to be much less hur- ried and stressful than in Europe. Even school has proved less stressful, Waltreud said, and their son Christopher enjoys school here much more than he did back home. “We’re happy here. We have all that we need,” with files from Tim Plett Carillon Flashback February 27, 1985 Canada is seen as the only opportunity to farm again Theo and Riet Van Der Kroon moved to Manitoba with their four sons in 1980, to be able to return to farming a decade after the Nether- lands’ government expropriated his father’s farm and they had to give up farming as an occupation. Theo and Riet, accompanied by sons Nick, Art, Frank and Theo, moved to the Giroux area in Decem- ber, 1980. They now milk 100 cows. Theo grew up on his father’s dairy farm near Amsterdam. He worked on the farm until it was expropriat- ed for industrial use in 1970. Follow- ing expropriation of the farm, Theo worked in the construction industry in Amsterdam. In 1979, the Van Der Kroons came to Manitoba on a holiday to visit Ri- et’s sister and decided, if all four of their sons agreed, they would like to move to Canada. “I was born to farm. I lived on a farm for 35 years, but I could never buy a farm in the Netherlands, as land is too expensive. If we wanted to farm, we had to move.” In August of 1980, Theo and Nick spent two weeks in Manitoba look- ing at farms and decided to buy land and buildings without a herd. During their first year in Manitoba Theo worked for another dairy farm- er. “It was good to work for somebody else, as it gave me a chance to learn how things are done in Manitoba.” In Holland, fields are surrounded by water-filled ditches rather than fences and yields tend to be con- siderably higher, Theo said. A crop which might yield an average of 50 bushels per acre in Manitoba might produce as much as 120 bushels per acre in Holland. “It is not that farmers are better in
February 6, 1985 FLASHBACK Europeans start farming dreams in the Southeast
were absent, brought him to the Steinbach area for the first time. The job gave him a chance to see different farming areas across Manitoba. “This seemed a good area. Maybe it doesn’t have the best soil, but overall it is very favour- able.” The Applebys began to deal on their farm, which was then owned by Joe and Renate Bach- meier, in fall of 1979. They used money saved since moving to Canada to make a deposit and took over the farm Dec. 1 of that year. While it took them longer to get on their own farm, the fact they came here without financing, hasn’t really hurt, Sam explained. “After we took over the farm we had no surprises, because we had been here three summers and two winters.” His father’s farm in England had just pasture land and hay, so Appleby’s biggest challenge has been the field work in Canada. “I’m growing crops now I never had anything to do with before. I had a heck of a lot to learn.” The Appleby’s credit Bachmei- er with helping them adjust to farming in Manitoba. “Joe helped me seed the first year and brought a couple of chickens for the freezer that win- ter.” “The Manitoba winter is just one of those things you accept,” Sam said, noting winter often causes greater problems in En- gland than here, because people there are not prepared. The Applebys agreed they miss the friends they grew up with. They also miss the British pubs, both added, pointing out the En- glish pub is not so much a place where people go to drink as it is a place to meet people and social- ize. “If I wanted to see my sister, I’d go look for her in the pub. Likely as not, I’d find her and she would be drinking a Seven-Up,” Anne said. However, while they miss their old friends, loneliness has proved no real hardship for the Apple- bys, because they have lots of family here. Anne added they probably have spent more time with their parents since moving to Canada than they did while living in En- gland. During a two-week visit, they get to know someone better than they did while living just a short distance apart, she said. Last year, visitors from England spent 13 weeks with them. “We’re happy we made the de- cision to come here; we’re here to stay.” Carillon Flashback February 6, 1985 New Canadian farmers are urged to be flexible Lorenz and Waltreud Schloss- er, who moved to the Sarto area from southern Germany in the fall of 1982, advise Europeans considering a move to Manitoba to farm, to be prepared to change the way they do things. “Some guys think that what they’ve learned in Europe can be done here, but we have to switch over to Canadian methods.” The Schlossers cite a number of reasons for leaving Europe, including the high cost of living and better prospects for their children, Christian who is 10 and six-year-old Ingrid. In Europe, the children could look forward to spending three years after school learning a job, spending time in the military and “then no job.” Lorenz was a surveyor in Ger- many and Waltreud a nurse, but they chose to take up farming because it had been a boyhood dream for Lorenz. “When I was a little boy, I said I would be a farmer. In Europe, it would cost millions to start farm- ing; so if I wanted to be a farmer, I had to come here.” They chose Manitoba, be- cause in Quebec they would have to learn French, Ontario is too much like Europe and Alberta is too expensive. The Schlossers first began thinking of a move to Canada in 1981, after Lorenz and his broth- er visited a friend who had taken up farming in Alberta. After Lorenz returned to their home in Rosenheim, Germany, they began the process of obtain- ing a Canadian visa. Within a few weeks of arriving
by WES KEATING T he drop in the value of the Canadian dollar in the ear- ly 1980s was among several factors which prompted dozens of Europeans to immigrate to Manitoba to take up farming. Fred Hardy and Rod Siemens of the department of agriculture indicate the immigrants have by and large come from England, Holland, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Most of these new Manito- ba farmers fall into one of three categories: Experienced farmers, who have come to Canada to give their grown children an opportu- nity to enter farming; young peo- ple with farming backgrounds, who felt they had no chance to enter farming in Europe; and people who view farming as a way of moving to Canada and eventually getting citizenship. The La Broquerie Chamber of Commerce recognized newcom- ers at a social gathering in No- vember. It was noted that of the 80 new households established in the area over the past five years, the majority came from England and Switzerland. Most, but not all, came when the value of the Canadian dollar was low relative to European currency and their property back home was selling at relatively inflated values. While the European immi- grants may have had some prob- lems due to their own circum- stances, their experiences reflect the experience of most people who have taken up farming in Manitoba in the last five years, Hardy and Siemens said. The department of agriculture spokesmen do, however, point out some of the Europeans have experienced problems unique to them. Some, for instance, did not re- search the local economy thor- oughly enough and, as a result, paid inflated values for farms. Others, perhaps prompted by the relatively low value of the Canadian dollar, spent too freely upon arriving in Manitoba. The quality of the European farmer can range from very good to very bad, just as it does with native Manitobans, the ag de- partment spokesmen said. with files from Tim Plett Carillon Flashback February 20, 1985
CARILLON ARCHIVES Lorenz and Waltreud Schlosser, who operate a hog farm, moved to the Sarto area from Germany in fall of 1982 and say they would not move back for anything.
CARILLON ARCHIVES Theo and Riet Van Der Kroon, who milk 100 dairy cows near Giroux, enjoy the roominess and relatively low population of Manitoba compared to their native Netherlands. From left to right are son Frank, Riet and Theo.
CARILLON ARCHIVES Sam and Anne Appleby and three-year-old son Jim live on a half-section farm near Friedensfeld. They milk 48 cows.
Wanting to live in Canada prompts move to Manitoba
the “nice sunshine” of Manitoba compared to the frequent rain and overcast conditions in their native land. She enjoys the fact you “can see for miles and miles” and can take a drive on the highway and see “just a few cars.” “Holland is a nice country,” Theo said, but hastened to add, “we’re glad we made the decision to come here.” All four boys in the family support- ed the decision to move to Manitoba, Nick is now a computer programmer in Winnipeg, Art is studying comput- er programming, Frank is working on the farm and Theo Junior is a high school student. The Van Der Kroons suggests to others considering a similar move “to know what you want to do” in Canada. They must also be willing to learn from Canadians who have lived here a long time and know the reason for doing things differently. “Some people come here and try to do things exactly as they did in Hol- land. Those people get into trouble.” with files from Tim Plett
Holland, but that they are farming better land and get more rain.” Buying only land and buildings gave the Van Der Kroons the oppor- tunity to take time in setting up their herd of 100 milking cows. The differences in weather be- tween Manitoba and Holland have proved no real hardship for the Van Der Kroons. Winter here is colder, longer and it snows more, Theo said, indicating winter lasts six months here, com- pared to three or four months in Holland. “In Manitoba, when it’s winter, it’s winter, when it’s summer, it’s sum- mer. In Holland, one day it’s winter, the next day it’s raining.” The Van Der Kroons enjoy the life they lead in Manitoba. They particu- larly appreciate the wide, open spac- es of Manitoba and the less-hurried lifestyle. “The part of the Netherlands we lived in is one big city and peo- ple hurry over here and hurry over there.” Riet expressed appreciation for
While it would have been diffi- cult for them to begin farming in England, Sam and Anne Apple- by moved to Manitoba in 1977, more because they wanted to live in Canada, than because they wanted to leave England. In a recent interview with The Carillon , Sam pointed out his mother had 19 first cousins living in Manitoba. “In the back of my mind, I al- ways had this idea that I wanted to move to Manitoba.” Appleby grew up on his father’s farm in Staffordshire in the Brit- ish Midlands, where his mother’s relatives would occasionally visit and talk about Canada. In 1973, Sam and a friend took a six-week vacation in Canada. Sam and his wife Anne moved to Canada June 14, 1977, shortly af- ter getting married. “After getting married, it’s time to strike out on your own,” Sam said. In addition to Sam’s longstand- ing dream of moving to Canada, the Applebys cite practical rea- sons for the move. At a price of 2,000 pounds per acre (between $4,000 and $6,000 CAD) land in England is out of reach for most people. At the time they left, 60 pounds per week represented a good salary. “We would have worked things out, but we wouldn’t have gotten ahead with the same speed.” Unlike many of the Europeans who have immigrated to Man- itoba in recent years to take up farming, the Applebys did not ar- rive with enough money to buy a farm immediately. After moving, Sam took a job in the Balmoral area as a farmhand with one of his mother’s rela- tives. Sam pointed out it was the promise of this job that resulted in their visa being granted. In 1979, Sam took a job provid- ing a dairy relief service for the Manitoba Milk Marketing Board. This job, which saw him take care of dairy herds while owners
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Are you an eagle-eyed reader? Read the paragraphs below and circle the seven errors you find. Then rewrite the paragraphs correctly on the lines below or a separate sheet of paper.
© 2025 by Vicki Whiting, Editor Jeff Schinkel, Graphics Vol. 41, No. 51
Last saturday, I was raking up the leafs in my backyard. Two squirrels were chasing each other from branch two branch in our tree. They raced around the trunk of the tree and onto the lawn. My dog Jethro started running across the lawn toward the tree and barking lowdly. The too squirrels scrambled up to the highest branch of the tree. As I went back to raking leafs, an acorn bonked poor Jethro on the head. Did the squirrels throw that acorn? I’ll never no, but they sure seemed to be giggling!
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a squirrel???
ow do some squirrels fly? They don’t have wings like birds. The flying squirrel has a flap of skin that stretches from its front legs to its hind legs. When it stretches out its legs, these skin flaps form “wings.” The squirrel uses these to glide from tree to tree.
Flying squirrels use their tails to change direction and even move up and down. They turn and dive like stunt pilots and even turn somersaults! Using their tails as brakes, they land
feet first and sink their sharp claws into the bark of a tree. After landing in a tree, they climb up higher in the tree and look around for the next landing.
Standards Link: Life Science: Animals have external features that help them thrive in different kinds of places.
Standards Link: Life Science: Adaptations in physical structure improve an animal’s chance for survival.
Use the code to learn some amazing facts about the flying squirrel. Flying squirrels can glide as far as feet ( meters). Flying squirrels live in the forests of Asia, Europe and North America. Most of them grow to be to inches long ( - centimeters). Some Asian flying squirrels grow to be more than feet long ( meter)!
SECRET CODE:
Standards Link: Word Analysis/Phonemic Awareness: Distinguish sounds in words.
How many leaves can you count on this page?
1 3 0 2 4 5 7 8 6
9
ne day, when a ________ squirrel came back to the cozy hole in the oak tree where her little babies were _______, she saw a frightening sight. A lumberjack was in the tree, __________ a limb off. In horror, she watched him pull
her four hairless babies from the nest. She knew she would have to act fast! Not ________ a moment, she climbed the tree, then up the man’s pant leg and grasped one of her babies in her mouth.
She then __________ higher and sailed with her baby 86 feet across the river. She ___________ the baby up to a hole in another tree. She did this again and again until all of her babies were safe.
Standards Link: Measurement: Use standard and non-standard units to measure. paper. Measure your newspaper strips and line them up to show the number of feet (or meters) a flying squirrel can glide. Use the columns in the newspaper as guides to cut out long strips of
With hundreds of topics, every Kid Scoop printable activity pack features six-to-seven pages of high-interest extra learning activities for home and school! Get your free sample today at:
Find where each word belongs in this story.
Standards Link: Life Science: Describe similarities and differences in the behavior of animals.
FLYING TREE EAT
Find the words by looking up, down, backwards, forwards, sideways and diagonally.
G I G G E B
S E I
R N R S
I
N S A I L E D R A
I G N I Z A M A E
K R S W A
S A M T C A I S D
H S G J B D S I T
O P
R E I H I V I K U
R D V
O U E Y A K L Z C
R S R E E R T F B
AMAZING GRASPED SAILED CLIMB DIVE CLAWS HORROR SINK RIVER COUNT SKIN ACT
The flying squirrels are having a feast, but which foods will they eat? Start with the letter in the square and read every other letter in the border to find out what foods flying squirrels like to munch. Then circle those foods.
E C S T E
The verb glide means to move smoothly or fly without effort. GLIDE I watched the squirrel glide from tree to tree in my backyard. Use the word glide in a sentence today when talking with your friends, and family members. This week’s word: Up in the Air Up in the air, it’s a bird, it’s a plane, no it’s … Finish this story about something flying through the air.
R N G M P
Z T Y W L O
L C V R
N N
Standards Link: Reading Comprehension: Follow simple written directions.
N S U T F U S N
Standards Link: Letter sequencing. Recognize identical words. Skim and scan reading. Recall spelling patterns.
Cut out pictures from the newspaper and paste them on paper. Write words for the people, animals or objects in the pictures to say. Draw “talking bubbles” around the words to create comics. Talking Pictures Standards Link: Reading Comprehension: Answer questions about information found in the text.
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