Agriculture Now
thecarillon.com
APRIL 23, 2026
FEATURE STORY Young farmers face challenges getting into the field See story on page 2
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THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2026
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Research facilities closing raise concerns among MB farmers
by TONI DE GUZMAN M anitoba farmers and advo- cates are worried a slew of job cuts and farm research closures announced by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada will drive food prices up and hinder ad- vancements in food sciences. Agriculture and Agri-Food Can- ada (AAFC) announced it would shut down seven research facilities across multiple provinces due to federal government cuts, in Janu- ary 2026. In Manitoba, the Portage la Prairie research farm is closing down slowly. Around 665 jobs will be cut, according to their 2026-27 department plan. Jennifer Seward, executive di- rector at Manitoba Seed Growers Association, said the impacts are “overwhelming,” and ripple effects will show when “it’s too late.” “It’s a huge deal. Consumers won’t care about it now because they won’t see an impact, but in 10 years, the food prices are going to go up more,” said Seward. “That’s because we won’t be ahead of dis- ease cycles and the yield potential.” She predicts genetic diversity for plants will be limited, Canada will fall behind global competitors when it comes to crop innovations, farmers will pay more for seeds which will include fewer disease resistant varieties, and food securi- ty will depend on private suppliers. Research facilities look into en- hancing a plant by giving it desir- able traits like higher yield, taste, and disease resistance through crossing plants, which improves a farmer’s food security, choice, and crop diversity. She said the work on sustainabil- ity, soil health and organic services were cut, so it’s going to impact the crops. Local plant variations need to be developed because every re- gion has a different soil, climate, and market. Seward said we won’t ever bounce back from the lost research facili- ties that took generations to build, adding that the expertise lost will result in Canada falling behind. “It’s infrastructure that has taken generations to develop and build. To get it back, we just won’t ever.
TONI DE GUZMAN THE CARILLON
Jennifer Seward spoke at the National Farmers Union convention on March 21 in Domain.
ry about the environment,” said Mitchell Fetch. The Brandon and Morden Re- search and Development Centres will still be open, and every prov- ince will continue to have at least one research centre, according to a spokesperson from AAFC. The spokesperson said it’s too soon to say what the final number of jobs cut in Manitoba will be.
Fetch. She said pathologists aren’t al- lowed to go and survey the country and identify diseases due to lack of funding. The pathologist would work with a breeder to find a breed to make a plant variety with some resistance to a specific issue. “The whole time you’re working you’re trying to fight against man- agement cutting back your pro- gram. Then you also have to wor-
imated by these cuts. AAFC has good jobs and it’s very important for those small rural communi- ties,” she said. Jennifer Mitchell Fetch, a retired oat breeder at AAFC, has witnessed many cuts since she started in 1998. “If the test hasn’t been growing near your farm, we can’t honestly say to you, this line will do great for you in your farm,” said Mitchell
That’s the consequences of inac- tion,” she said. Seward said the federal govern- ment needs to recommit to plant breeding which she said is just as important as National Defence. The federal government an- nounced it would spend over $35 million to fortify Canada’s North, according to a news release this month. Communities have been dec-
Programs needed to teach young farmers
can go wrong very quickly. “There’s been days where I would be literally in tears,” he said, citing 16-18 hour days and animals dying. “I think farmers are one of the most resilient people out there.” The 2026 provincial budget an- nounced plans to increase the Young Farmer Rebate from $400,000 to $425,000.
ships to work at different farms. McInnes has mentored six young people on their farm from the Young Agrarians program. Kishon Warmington, a first-gener- ation farmer in St. Clements, Man., said he didn’t know what he was get- ting into when he traded city life for the country. He said without programs, things
see more increased food waste, and unharvested crops, increased food prices, less food availability, and food insecurity. McInnes said farmer to farmer hands-on experience is one of the best ways to learn, and is a mentor at Young Agrarians, a farmer-to-farm- er education network that provides classes, training, and apprentice-
Manitoba’s average farmland price went up 12.2 percent in 2025, ac- cording to Farm Credit Canada’s re- port. For each acre of farm land in Man- itoba it costs $3,697 in 2024 com- pared to $2,532 in 2020, according to Statistics Canada. McInnes said because of the lack of labour on farms, Canadians will
by TONI DE GUZMAN M any Manitoba farmers are worried there are less young people replacing retiring farmers because of the lack of access to the career, programs, and rising costs. “It’s such a huge thing we’re com- ing up against, and there’s no prop- er plan to deal with this huge tran- sition that’s coming up,” said Katie McInnes, a first-generation farmer near Clearwater, Man. Less than one in ten, 8.6 percent, farm operators were under 35 years, according to Statistics Canada. Three in five, 60.5 percent, farm operators are 55 or older in 2021. McInnes, 39, and her husband grew up in Winnipeg, and she had no ties to farming, land, or anything ag- riculture related — until 2013 when they decided to move. She said some of the barriers she and other young farmers faced in- cludes land access, taking out loans, not having enough capital, and housing. The average farmland price stayed at 9.3 percent across Canada, and
TONI DE GUZMAN THE CARILLON Some of the attendees at the National Farmers Union Manitoba Region 5 2026 Annual Convention at Domain, Man., on Saturday, Mar. 21.
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TONI DE GUZMAN THE CARILLON Katie McInnes is a first-generation farmer and was originally from Winnipeg.
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THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2026
FLASHBACK
December 5, 2013
Downtown dairy barn is Penfor Construction gem
by WES KEATING I t is not often an agricultural con- struction company is afforded the opportunity to build a huge dairy barn in the midst of a city. It is even rarer an opportunity to be able to install all the bells and whistles in that barn and then have the gener- al public view your work on a daily basis. But cows downtown, 100 of them, are being pampered and studied at the new Rayner Research Cen- tre barn, built on the campus of the University of Saskatoon by Penfor, the construction arm of the Blu- menort-based Penner Farm Ser- vices. Penfor began work on the $11.5 million project in February of 2012, and by June of 2013, construction of the 60,000 square-foot facility was in the main part completed. Project manager Ron Dick said be- cause the barn is a research facility, each area had its own challenges and there was a lot of variation in design for different parts of the structure. The project involved three different milking systems under one roof, in- volving all areas of Penfor’s expertise at the same time. Each area has its own ventilation system and concrete work was com- pleted in smaller increments due to the differences in design for different parts of the building. The walls at the Rayner Research Centre are of a design that incorpo- rates a poured concrete core, using a hollow insulated form, which pro- vides a complete finish both inside and out. Construction costs were also in- creased because of the nature of the project, and although this may not have been the largest dairy barn their company has ever built, it certain- ly is the most expensive per square foot, according to Penfor manager Rudy Dyck. And the same may well be said when it comes to operation of the research centre, which replaces an aging structure on the Saskatoon campus. A commercial dairy barn of this size would house triple the number of cows and there wouldn’t be the large number of feed testing portals and other research tools that are part and parcel of the state-of-the-art equipment featured in this research facility. All the attention to detail required the input of several levels of gov- ernment and corporate partners in the planning and funding. It took months to put the finishing touches to the project. An open house, origi- nally planned for April, was delayed several times until it was finally held the day after Thanksgiving in Octo- ber. A couple of hundred invited dig- nitaries, guests of the University of Saskatoon, got to tour the facility and get a close up look at how dairy research there has moved, almost overnight, into the 21st century. Included guests for the Oct. 15, 2013 open house were the Penner brothers, Reg and Darrel, and their Penfor Construction project team of Rudy Dyck, Dave Williams and Ron Dick. For Dave Williams, the open house was a celebration of the completion of a project that required a year-and- a-half of total commitment on his part. Williams practically lived at the Saskatoon site since construction started in February of 2012. The on- site supervisor for Penfor spent most of his time in Saskatoon for the du- ration of the project, flying home for most weekends.
PHOTO COURTESY OF PENFOR A host of dignitaries mingle in the feed aisle getting a close-up look at the computerized feeding station, while another group views the action from a balcony, during an open house at the Rayner Dairy Research centre.
Penfor Construction was awarded the $8 million building construc- tion phase of the project with Sas- katchewan companies providing equipment for all facets of the dairy research program to be carried out there, Dyck explained. Spacious quarters for 100 cows The Rayner Research Centre hous- es the entire University of Saskatoon dairy herd, which will be expanded to 100 cows by the end of the year. The facility offers superior animal handling spaces, as well as a com- puterized feeder system for real-time monitoring of on-demand feeding. In both the conventional parlor and the milking robot, milk produc- tion data for each cow is collected automatically. The barn is also equipped with self-activated grooming brushes, not only for the comfort of the cows, but to advance research into how ani- mals cope with stress. The interpretive galleries of the Rayner Research Centre provide a way for visitors to explore the agri- cultural story of Saskatchewan and its role in global food production. The dairy barn features an over- head walkway, giving visitors a bird’s-eye view of the herd, the milk- ing parlor and the computerized milking robot. Ron Dick and Rudy Dyck agree the catwalk is the outstanding feature in the barn and is what makes it such a valuable research facility, accom- modating full classes of students monitoring every aspect of dairy op- erations and giving the public access to an interpretive centre at the same time. Saskatchewan Agriculture Minis- ter Lyle Stewart told the open house that this modern facility showcased agriculture technology and gave the public an opportunity to see the dairy industry. The Feeding the World interpre- tive galleries play an important role in educating youth about agricul- ture and are open to the public from noon to 4:30 p.m. daily for self-guid- ed tours. When the construction project
DAVID STOBBE / STOBBEPHOTO.CA The Penfor team of Reg and Darrel Penner, Ron Dick, Dave Williams and Rudy Dyck, tour the Rayner Dairy Research Centre during an official opening of the new facility in October of 2013.
was first announced a year ago, Jack Ford, chair of the research commit- tee of the Saskatchewan Milk Mar- keting Board, noted the importance of the location on the university campus and also the importance of education for the general public. “At least 5,000 students per year can have a bird’s-eye view from the public gallery, and a major benefit will be how the public views agri- culture. If we can show how to have a 100-cow facility in the middle of a city of 250,000 people, it really helps agriculture across the province.” Next city project closer to home While Penfor has earned its rep- utation as the premier builder of dairy barns through dozens of rural projects in the Southeast, occasion-
of Blumenort. The system has been tested in three barns in Canada, but the Lely Vector feed kitchen at Welden Plett’s dairy is the first commercially sold unit in North America. The unique computerized system mixes and distributes specific ra- tions to meet individual cow’s needs. An overhead crane in the “kitchen” delivers feed to a hopper on the ro- bot, which in turn delivers it to spe- cific areas of the feeding aisles, 24 hours a day. Penfor is building the 50,000 square-foot barn, with a capacity of 240 lactating cows, to replace the barn the Pletts at Sunny Glade lost to a fire this spring.
ally they shift their focus to an urban project and commercial construc- tion as well. Such was the case when they submitted the winning bid for a long-awaited upgrade to the City of Steinbach’s operations building. An addition to the building is the next project on the go for Penfor, and while it may only be the size of the average dairy milking parlor, it car- ries a price tag of nearly $700,000. But dairy is, of course, still a big part of what Penfor Construction does and with new construction comes new technology. The latest innovation is the auto- mated robotic Lely Vector feed kitch- en to be installed in Welden Plett’s new dairy barn, two kilometers east
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SUBMITTED BY MARILYN BOUW
SUBMITTED BY MARILYN BOUW Pony rides are some of the activities kids can do at the Springfield Agricultural Society’s Springfield Country Fair.
A group of visitors to the Springfield Country Fair enjoy their lunch. Springfield Ag Society nominated to win $25,000
ety is to bring awareness to agricul- ture in the RM through displays, a demonstration of vintage and mod- ern tractors by The Springfield Trac- tor Club, exhibits in the curling club that consist of horticulture, quilts, and homecrafts such as sewing, bak- ing, and canning. “Just a presence in the commu- nity that sort of demonstrates that agriculture is here and benefits their lives (in) the community” said Bouw, who raises Angus bulls with her hus- band on their farm west of Anola. She said the 4-H Club used to be a part of the festivities at the fair, but that has fallen by the wayside as par- ticipation in the club declined. “We think it’s very important to maintain historical presence in Springfield, but also to highlight agriculture ongoing in the area be- cause we can thank a farmer three times a day. I think the more urban neighboring communities that are next to Winnipeg, the more urban the residents are, the less aware they are of where the food comes from,” said Bouw. She noted the fair is community building. “To the residents of the communi- ty, I think when it first began, which was a very long time ago, it was an amazing affirmation of how import- ant community is in a rural lifestyle. Because people were otherwise overwhelmed by just the process of raising food and feeding their fam- ilies and feeding the world. And if we think about how difficult that was in the past, of course we have it much easier now. But it was import- ant enough for them to set aside, in those days, it was a two or three day fair when it first started and livestock were a big part of it as well.” “So, I think it’s a very important as- pect of the community to just have that continuity of knowing that ag- riculture is an essential part of our society.” At the time of of writing, the soci- ety was in second place in the com- petition. Winners will be announced on April 28.
“The goal is to provide what we temporarily do at our fairs is we rent a tent,… an open-sided shelter. And it just sort of came to us that that ac- tually would be something that the whole community could use and it would be a really positive asset,” said Bouw, who noted that when the shelter is built it will be the only one of its kind in the RM. The Springfield Agricultural So- ciety was established in 1882 and is one of the oldest agricultural societ- ies in Western Canada. It takes about $12,000 to run the Springfield Country Fair every year and it wouldn’t happen without community sponsorship. “We’re very thankful for the com- munity businesses that support us by sponsorship. It’s pretty essential for us to be able to continue,” said Bouw. “We keep our entry at the gate at $3 per person and $10 per family in order to make it super accessible. And it’s only because we have spon- sorship that we’re able to do that. We’re really otherwise not covering anything, you know.” The annual fair is held on the fourth Saturday of July and Bouw said it’s an old-fashioned country fair with clowns, magicians, boun- cy castles, kids activities, and kids games provided by Fit Kids Healthy Kids. There is no midway. About 800 to 1,000 people attend the fair annually, although numbers have slipped a little since COVID. One of the most anticipated games at the fair, and its signature event, is the Wellington boot toss, a game that was started in the 1950s or 1960s by a Springfield resident with Scots heritage who wanted to have a little bit of Scotland in his commu- nity by playing a game that is pop- ular in that country. He would pipe the players onto the field and they would toss rubber boots to see who can throw it the farthest. “We have a local piper now who continues that tradition,” said Bouw. But all though the fair can be quite fun, the main purpose of the soci-
by SVJETLANA MLINAREVIC T he Springfield Agricultural So- ciety has been nominated as one of three organizations in the province eligible to win $25,000. BASF has released the nomina- tions for its Growing Home with BASF contest. The contest provides financial support to organizations that strengthen rural communities in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manito- ba, and Ontario, according to a press release. The three finalists in each province will be awarded: First Place ($25,000), Second Place ($10,000) and Third Place ($5,000). These or- ganizations were selected by a panel of judges, and winners are ultimately determined by public votes. “Oh, it’s so exciting,” said soci- ety president Marilyn Bouw. “I was visiting a friend and just out of the blue got a phone call, ‘Hello, this is so-and-so. And we’re just excited to let you know that you were in the top three. It’s a possibility of one of these three prizes.’ And of course then the nitty-grit- ty happens, right? ‘Well, and here’s what you need to do.’ So, you know, with other grants, you do your grant writing, and you’re selected or you’re not selected, but in this case, the onus is on us to get the word out. And we’re very much trying to do that with all the contacts that we can think of.” “But it’s so very exciting. And we’re, of course, very hopeful that we get the largest amount, the $25,000, because our goal is to build a shelter right at the fairgrounds.” The shelter the ag society is look- ing to build is located in Dugald on land owned by the society at the cor- ner of Highway 15 and PR 206, the site of the Springfield Curling Club and the ballpark for the Springfield Braves baseball team. The shelter will be a 20x40 foot (800 sq. ft). outdoor pavilion style picnic shelter with a concrete ce- ment pad and a metal roof. The es- timated cost of the shelter is $60,000.
SUBMITTED BY MARILYN BOUW Springfield Agricultural Society president Marilyn Bouw (pictured here with her husband Herman) said the organization was excited to learn they were nominated as one of three organizations in the province eligible to win $25,000 from the Growing Home with BASF contest. The money would be used to build a pavilion style shelter on the Springfield Country Fair grounds. Residents are asked to vote as they’re votes will decide the winner.
SUBMITTED BY MARILYN BOUW
SUBMITTED BY MARILYN BOUW Visitors to the Springfield Agricultural Society’s Springfield Country Fair, which sees about 800 to 1,000 people every year, put condiments on their food under the open air tent the society rents every year. The organization has applied for funding from the Growing Home with BASF contest, which could see it garner $25,000 as first prize to build their own shelter on the fairgrounds.
A boy is seen with his calf at the Springfield Country Fair.
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THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2026
TONI DE GUZMAN THE CARILLON
Jenn Pfenning leads the National Farmers Union representing thousands of farm families across Canada. National Farmers Union hopes for organization accreditation and ag minister meeting
Pfenning, an Ontario farmer. “It can- not be an either we defend ourselves militarily or we feed ourselves one. Without the other (it) doesn’t work. Every army throughout history had to feed itself. This country has to be able to feed itself more, not less.” This comes just after Prime Minis- ter Mark Carney announced a plan to spend $35 billion for defence. Pfenning said if the government doesn’t listen they’re ready to plan the next steps: “rallies, protests, and civil disobedience.”
creditation, the first thing would be to advocate against the Agriculture and Agri-food Canada cuts, and speak with KAP to find common ground. Jenn Pfenning, NFU President, said she’s optimistic about the future of farming despite the cuts, but the government needs to listen. “If that is the path we continue on, the future looks pretty bleak for Canada. We will become beholden, more and more beholden to the rest of the world to feed ourselves,” said
ger producers and export-focused farmers, which are important, but the niche farms who sell at local farmers markets aren’t represented enough. “There isn’t just one kind of farm anymore — and maybe there never was,” said Storey, noting the NFU has been advocating for their ac- creditation since the 1980s. The NFU is hoping to get a meet- ing with the minister of agriculture to plead their case. Storey said if they are given ac-
to the Canada Industrial Relations Board website. The other accredited union is Keystone Agriculture Pro- ducers (KAP). “Many farm voices are being lost when they’re funnelled through one majority organization,” said Kate Storey, a member of the NFU Man- itoba, noting that agriculture poli- cies are geared towards big farms. “It leaves [some] farmers out in the cold.” Storey said that’s because many of the policies are geared towards big-
by TONI DE GUZMAN T he National Farmers Union (NFU) is advocating for ac- creditation to strengthen their advocacy and better represent farms in Canada. The NFU is an organization that advocates for policies and income security for farmers. Gaining accred- itation or certification gives a union a right to negotiate terms and con- ditions of employment, according
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SUBMITTED BY THE MANITOBA CANOLA GROWERS ASSOCIATION
Dori Gingera-Beauchemin has worked in agriculture for 43 years, first as a public servant with the Department of Agriculture and then as deputy minister.
Ile des Chenes farmer, former deputy minister receives award from Manitoba Canola Growers
cacy meetings, Gingera-Beauche- min taught farmers leadership skills in how to work with government in advancing their ideas, raising issues, and being a part of informing gov- ernment priorities by refining their messaging, improving their delivery, and building confidence. “So, it was amazing. Lots of young people, learned lots from them. Wow, they’re smart. They’re quick. They get it. They’re well-informed. They know how to get their issues on the table. Their communication skills are strong. So really, we were just really taking what was really smart folks and just giving them re- al-life situations,” she said. “If you’re going to walk through the door at the minister’s office in the Manitoba legislature, how to do it most effectively on behalf of your membership, not personally, right, and that’s a really important piece for leaders to remember.” Last fall, Gingera-Beauchemin went to Mongolia on a contract working with farmers who had live- stock. While there, she realized the importance of having a farming as- sociation, such as the MCGA, to ad- vocate for farmers. “So that, regardless though of the quantity, regardless of the crop, the importance of a producer organiza- tion is just equally critical. And so, it’s always about getting producer input, having producers identify what their needs are, and the asso- ciation (MCGA) is trying to advocate and lobby for that,” she said. Gingera-Beauchemin said the volatility in the world is affecting canola producers, which include the increase in costs for fertilizer due to the war in the Middle East, the lack of control regarding input costs, and trade challenges with the United States. “They’re not sure, as the saying goes, when the next shoe will drop and what it will mean to them. And so that kind of uncertainty, stress, no control over it is just adding to… the stress level that they carry. Those things are very critical to producers. “They’re always trying to make good decisions. But how do you make them when you don’t know what factor is going to come from the side that you’ve never planned for, right? And so that’s tough.” In speaking with Gin- gera-Beauchemin it is evident that she is passionate about agriculture. She said her passion comes from growing up on a farm and participat- ing in the 4-H Club, which has its or- igins in the agriculture industry. She also was exposed to the Department of Agriculture growing up and had a lot of people she looked up to in that department. In her career, she also worked with people who were pas- sionate about their jobs and the pro- ducers that were equally passionate. “I love the (agricultural) industry. I love the fact that it’s a cornerstone of the Manitoba and the Canadian economy,” she said. “But you know, it was always one of those parts of my life that when I got up in the morning, I never re- gretted going to work. Never. And so, yeah…I’ve had a cool career.”
by SVJETLANA MLINAREVIC T he Manitoba Canola Growers Association has awarded Dori Gingera-Beauchemin the 2025 Canola Award of Excellence, recog- nizing her long-standing support for agriculture in Manitoba and her lasting contributions to the canola industry. “I was inducted into the Canadian Agriculture Hall of Fame in the fall, which is an amazing award, and so it was really exciting, but I told the Canola Growers to have a produc- er organization in Manitoba award me, you know, it was just as exciting because the national award comes from all kinds of folks all around the countryside that I’ve had the privi- lege of working with, and all of their accolades, but to come from our own group in Manitoba, our own farmer group, is just equally exciting and very important to me,” said Gin- gera-Beauchemin. The Canola Award of Excellence recognizes individuals and organi- zations that have made outstand- ing contributions to the sustained growth and prosperity of Manitoba’s canola industry. Gingera-Beauchemin grew up on a cattle farm in McCreary, just north of Dauphin, before her father got a job working in education and they moved to a small town. Currently, she and her husband farm near Ile des Chenes growing canola, cereals, and other oilseeds. After finishing university, she got a job working in the Department of Agriculture for the province in 1979, spending 43 years there, first as a 4-H specialist in Steinbach for 10 years and then eventually growing into the position of deputy minister in 2011. She retired in 2023. “I was in the department for 43 years. I was hooked. There was no other place for me. In every job I had along the way I thought, ‘Geez, this is the best job in the world. I could stay in this job forever.’ But more, I was fortunate that others maybe thought I could, if pushed along, I could take on some additional responsibilities,” said Gingera-Beauchemin. One of the ways that Gin- gera-Beauchemin was instrumental in working with the Canola Growers was with its Learn to Lead program, a long-standing leadership devel- opment program designed to grow confident, informed farmer leaders within Manitoba’s canola sector. The program focused on strength- ening skills in advocacy, strategic thinking, communication, media engagement, and industry represen- tation. Over its 10-year run, more than 170 farmers completed the pro- gram, creating a strong and active leadership network across the prov- ince, according to the MCGA. “Dori was generous in sharing her time and expertise with farmers through the early years of our Learn to Lead program,” stated Warren El- lis, chair of MCGA, in a press release. “She took part in lobbying work- shops and gave participants real-life, valuable experience on how to effec- tively engage with government.” Through roleplay in mock advo-
SUBMITTED BY THE MANITOBA CANOLA GROWERS ASSOCIATION Dori Gingera-Beauchemin accepts the 2025 Canola Award of Excellence from MCGA board Chair, Warren Ellis on Feb. 11 during the CropConnect conference in Winnipeg.
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THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2026
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SRRWD ReGen ag program coordinator Virginia Janzen visits a cover crop field near La Broquerie. Regenerative farming: Overby shares his insight with neighbors to the north
by WES KEATING A North Dakota grain producer has taken crop diversity to a whole new level with the addition of a wide variety of crops to a regular rotation, as he practises regenerative farming methods on his 1,800-acre farm, just south of the International Peace Gardens. Paul Overby shared his insight with a large group of farmers at the fourth annual Regen Day hosted by the Seine Rat Roseau River Wa- tershed District at Friedensfeld Community Centre in February. Overby told farmers that regenerative farm- ing practices were a way to enrich the soil and improve watersheds, while at the same time, increasing yields and resistance to climate in- stability. Paul and his wife Diane operate a lead- ing-edge regenerative agriculture farm, raising a diverse mix of canola, flax, field peas, hard red spring wheat, millet, oats, sunflowers, and soybeans. The farm has been “no-till” since 2006 and fields are zoned for variable rate nutrient man- agement, Overby explained. Since 2011, the Overbys have worked to in- clude cover crops in the rotation. The farm also has rotationally grazed pastures, mixed forage buffers on wetlands and field edges, and per- manent vegetation on low-productivity soils, not to mention, many acres of wildlife habitat. Overby said as they learned more about re- generative agriculture, they reduced the use of fungicides and the planting of cover crops started becoming important. “When we plant cover crops, we also use a diverse mix of species such as buckwheat, peas, lentils, radish, clovers, flax, triticale, and oats.” The mix depends on the time of planting and the crop it is following. For example, cov- er crops following oats are going to have more broadleaf species and when following field peas, the cover crop will have more grass spe- cies. “In 2025 and again in 2026, we are adding winter camelina to our rotation. This is a crop used for sustainable aviation fuel.” Camelina is planted in the fall, so it saves time in the spring, and because the crop is harvested in July, it further spreads out har- vest and gives the Overbys a bigger window for growing cover crops. Because there are only 1,250 crop acres at Lee Farms, some of the crops don’t require a lot of storage capacity. In a way that has result- ed in substantial savings on bin storage costs. The Overbys are able to efficiently use smaller, 2,000 to 4,000 bushel bins, instead of absorb- ing the cost of building new, big bins.
PAUL OVERBY
Paul and Diane Overby are knee-deep in a field of flax on their North Dakota Farm.
“We have been able to buy the smaller bins from other farmers cheap because otherwise they sell them for scrap or simply crunch them up and bury them.” Overby was the first of two guest speakers at the SRRWD’s annual Regen Ag Day. The second speaker was Scott Beaton, a first generation mixed farm in the Stonewall area, who is trying to increase the biodiversity of his farm by using shelterbelt planting, and the use of perennials and planting pollinator strips. Beaton, who grows organic grain and raises grass-finished Angus beef cattle, talked about conservation on his farm. Thirty percent of his small mixed farm is dedicated to habitat con- servation, he said. Both speakers stressed that using regenera- tive farming practices was an important aspect of land stewardship. Regen Ag Program Coordinator Virginia Janzen outlined programs and the funding available for farmers in the SRRWD. A wide variety of projects, including planting cover crops, nitrogen management, and rotational grazing are supported by the watershed dis- trict. Janzen said over the past four years a variety of speakers from Manitoba, Saskatchewan and North Dakota have shared their experiences in regenerative agriculture at Regen Day, talking about both the challenges they have faced and the successes they have enjoyed. WES KEATING THE CARILLON North Dakota grain farmer Paul Overby speaks to a full house at the fourth annual Regen Day at Friedensfeld.
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WES KEATING THE CARILLON Paul Overby talks shop with Stanley Soil Association technician Richard Warkentin at Regen Day at Friedensfeld.
n THE CARILLON STEINBACH, MAN. C8
n www.thecarillon.com THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2026
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