n THE CARILLON STEINBACH, MAN. C2
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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