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MAY 2, 2024
FEATURE STORY Bison Bob shares highlights and challenges See story on page 2
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WES KEATING THE CARILLON Thomsen is on the outside and the bison are on the inside of a substantial six-foot-high fence he built with sturdy page wire around the pasture, providing a safe way for visitors to get a close-up look at his herd. Tourists visiting Dugald farm see Bison Bob’s “friendly” herd
the Stepaniuks at Rosa, years ago, and since then has grown his herd to 35. Thomsen says that’s about all one person can handle and he says his is definitely a one-man oper- ation, as the fourth generation on the family farm. Growing up on the family farm, his dad had beef and Bob Thom- sen, who was working as a diesel bus mechanic for the Transcona/ Springfield School Division, always thought he would like to try raising a few head of bison one day, “when he was older and retired.” That was nearly 30 years ago, and his wife, Yvonne, urged him not to wait until he retired. Today, he finds that was a great decision, and though he is still working for the same school division (now called Sunrise) as a spare bus driver, he is really enjoying his other career as Bison Bob. The question of why he is raising bison rather than beef has a really short answer. Bison are less work, and Bob Thomsen says he speaks from experience, for it had been his job to take care of his dad’s beef herd. It takes a great deal of patience to raise bison for meat. Both bulls and calves need to be fed on hay or green feed and supplements for three years to reach market weight for butchering and meat sales. Bison are priced on the basis of “hanging weight” which means the animal needs to be butchered be- fore “the cheque is in the mail.” But that can be worth the wait, for market price for bison in late March was $475 to $550 for finished bulls and heifers. The bigger producers ship to Colorado and move bison to the market by semi load, Thomsen says. Larger Manitoba producers, like the Stepaniuks’ Roseau River Buf- falo Ranch at Rosa, belong to the North American Bison Co-op in New Rockford, North Dakota. The United States market has been good since the resurgence of the Co-op, which was in financial difficulty years ago and went into Chapter 11 protection before being restructured and making a come- back.
by WES KEATING W hen Robert Thomsen ap- proaches the pasture fence, whether he is alone or with a visitor, his herd of friendly bison comes over to greet him. But they don’t stay long and a few min- utes later, they return to the bale feeding station at the middle of the field. People from all over the world are curious about his bison, according to “Bison Bob”, who has been rais- ing the animals on the family farm near Dugald, as a sideline to his reg- ular job, for over 25 years. The latest group of foreign vis- itors came last summer and were from Mexico, arriving in chauf- feured truck bearing Mexican gov- ernment license plates. “This group had apparently trad- ed for bison that had been raised in Texas and wanted to see how it was done here.” Other visitors over the years have included a doctor from China, someone from Australia who had relatives here, and visitors from Germany. Bison Bob is always will- ing to find time to show his visitors around, giving them a close-up view of an animal they may have never seen, except at the zoo. Visitors will stay outside the solid perimeter of the fencing of course. “My animals are friendly, but you need to watch them and when you put them in a corner while working in their pasture, unfriendly warning signs are immediate.” When a bison finds it has no- where to go, it gets angry and starts stomping feet and snorting. The next step would be charging, and at that point it is important never to turn your back on them. Thom- sen often enjoys the extra security of being on a tractor when he has work to do inside the fence. “The bison may do their snorting and stomping, but then they lose interest and wander away, giving time to do what you have to do.” And when it comes down to it bi- son are not a lot of work and eas- ier to manage than beef cattle and Bison Bob says that is one of the reasons he has enjoyed raising the animals for the past 27 years. Thomsen started his bison farm with seven heifers he bought from
See ‘Bison processed by Steinbach butcher’ on 3C
WES KEATING THE CARILLON This hide from a three-year-old bison is worth $2,500 and is one of two hides Thomsen has kept. The other is smaller and is often used as a blanket to sleep overnight in the neighbor’s quinzee or for protection from the cold around a winter bonfire.
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THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2024
BOB THOMSEN Sheltered by a stand of evergreens close to the yard, this feeding station is popular spot for bison when it gets really cold. A close-up photo is best taken through the truck windshield. Bison processed by Steinbach butcher Continued from page 2C
But joining the Co-op is an expensive prop- osition, unaffordable by a part-time producer like Thomsen. He would have to be a school teacher, not a school bus driver to afford it, Bi- son Bob chuckles. On the other hand, the Dugald producer ships his animals to slaughter two at a time and markets the meat locally. Earl’s Meats in Steinbach processes the bi- son carcasses for Bison Bob, which are deliv- ered by refrigerated truck from a killing plant in Beausejour. The whole carcasses are cut into steaks, roasts and ribs and a portion is processed as value-added bison meat products. Steaks and roasts are aged at Earl’s, and packaged and de- livered to Bison Bob who takes care of his own marketing. Earl Funk says bison patties are seasoned with Sals Steakhouse seasoning while jalape- no/cheese and regular smokies are created as well. Bison farmer sausage is made, using Earl’s recipe, as are bison sticks, which are much like Earl’s pepperettes. Funk says the bison from Thomsen are usu- ally about 450 pounds apiece and are very easy to cut. “Bob does a great job of raising them and his is a good product. Occasionally, I will buy a quarter myself to sell in my store.” Whenever Bison Bob’s stock of bison meat begins to dwindle, Earl’s Meats will get a call to schedule the processing of another two an- imals. He handles about eight to 10 animals a year for Thomsen, Funk says. The latest batch of bison meats available from Bison Bob was fresh from the proces- sor the last week in March, ready for another round of internet sales. Thomsen counts on farm gate sales through word-of-mouth sales and his Facebook page on social media. Customers pick up their orders at the farm and every Wednesday during the summer months Bison Bob can be found at a farmers market at the West Broadway Community club in Winnipeg.
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Thomsen’s most expensive piece of equipment is the “bison squeeze” used for ear tagging bison before they leave the yard.
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A special mannequin has been developed to give a more realistic feel for students learning to administer CPR.
Rural communities focus of St John first aid course
by WES KEATING S t John Ambulance instructors are currently presenting a series of one-day first aid courses de- signed especially for Manitoba farm- ers and others who live and work in rural communities. The course, supported by Keystone Agriculture Producers and Manitoba Canola Growers, gives each class of 18 par- ticipants the skills needed to deal with life-threatening emergencies and more common non-emergency farm-related injuries. Before beginning instruction at the course at the Mennonite Heri- tage Village Museum, in Steinbach, Colleen Robinson and the group dis- cussed how to best deal with prob- lems that arise when calling 911 from rural areas, where the service is often patchy at best and non-ex- istent in other areas. Often dispatch- ers have no end of difficulty in deal- ing with calls from rural residents and, a person under the stress of an emergency, cannot always give clear directions to the operator, who may be located in an urban centre. The precise location may not al- ways be clear, Robinson was told, and dispatchers may have difficulty in knowing from what location emer- gency services must be dispatched. Robinson suggested rural residents would be wise to have the numbers of the local fire department and am- bulance services readily available in the event of an emergency. A handy wallet-sized first aid pack- age, provided by Manitoba Canola Growers, contains a card on which to record numbers for police, am- bulance, fire, local hospital and poi- son control centre. The little pack- age, measures less than four inches square and also contains a dozen assorted bandages, gauze pads, two alcohol wipes, two hand wipes, an- tiseptic towelettes and a cool blaze burn relief packet. In an emergency, it would be beneficial to call the lo- cal numbers as well as reaching out to 911, Robinson said. Local emergency services are most familiar with the areas they serve and that could speed up the arrival of help. In the meantime, there are several steps that can be taken by someone arriving on the scene of a farm accident or any other medical emergency. Many of those would be dealt with during the day, Robinson added. “Pre-planning for an emergency is very important. Know what to do when something happens. Know where your co-workers are likely to be and how long they expect to be at that location, be it in a machine shed or out on the land.” Robinson took the group through a step-by-step approach to assisting someone who has suffered a heart attack or an on-the-job injury. Always check for hazards when approaching a casualty, she said. There may be something that caused
WES KEATING THE CARILLON Robinson uses a mannequin to show how to check that a casualty’s breathing before starting emergency first aid treatment like CPR.
WES KEATING THE CARILLON St John Ambulance first aid instructor Colleen Robinson demonstrates CPR for 18 people taking a course in Steinbach that has been designed to help rural residents deal with emergencies.
to safely turn the victim on his or her side, when necessary, being careful to support the head at all times, in case there was a neck injury. Robinson then demonstrated CPR, using the mannequin to show how hands should be positioned on a person’s chest before beginning a series of compressions to get breath- ing started again. When dealing with a possible heart attack or a person who is in shock for any number of reasons, it is import- ant to keep the heart beating. CPR is a way to do that. CPR is a combination of chest compressions, just over two inches deep, which are delivered rapidly, at the rate of 100 to 120 compressions a minute. Robinson said. Somebody suffering a heart attack needs an ambulance to be taken to the hospital and CPR at the site is done to keep the heart going until further help arrives. “Rapid compressions, two min- utes at a time, are gruelling, but the adrenalin you will have while help- ing the victim will keep you going.” An automated external defibrilla- tor (AED) is a valuable device which increases a person’s chance of sur- vival from heart failure by 70 to 80 percent. Ambulances have them, Robinson said, but recommended rural residents have one on hand as well, even though they are expen- sive.
an accident, like a ladder in the case of a person being injured in a fall. If the person is conscious, ask for con- sent to help them. Then call 911 and get started with on-site treatment as soon as possible. Do a rapid body survey to check if the victim is going into shock. Shock is caused by a circulation problem when tissues do not get enough oxy- genated blood, Robinson explained. “Shock causes a chalky appear- ance to the skin and can happen with any illness or injury. Shock is progressive and always needs first aid.” Shock will cool sweat glands and the heart rate increases as the body attempts to make sure blood gets to vital organs. “In that little first aid package there is something that looks like a piece of tinfoil, but is actually a blan- ket which works well for keeping a person warm until professional help arrives. Using a mannequin, provided for each of the students, Robinson demonstrated how to check the breathing of a person lying on their back. In the event the person is face- down, use the back of your hand to check breathing before moving them. If there is no breath for six or seven seconds, start cardiopulmo- nary resuscitation (CPR). Robinson, with volunteers from the group to help, demonstrated how
WES KEATING THE CARILLON Manitoba Canola Growers’ emergency pocket first aid wallet certainly lives up to the saying “good things come in small packages”.
shock button or to continue CPR. “Do not touch the patient after pushing the orange button when the voice indicates a shock is advised. Then its hands off and listening to directions from the device and re- suming CPR if told to do so.” A series of videos and the hands- on CPR and AED use, as well as the treatment of sprains, fractures, bro- ken bones, and wound care were all part of the full day St John Ambu- lance course. The afternoon session included child CPR, touched on silo gas and safety measures where it could be in a bin, and treatment of burns from chemicals farmers work with. At the end of the day, course par- ticipants were certified as “First Aid- er 1” under the Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health legislation, with certification valid for three years.
An AED is a computerized device for analyzing heart rhythm of a casu- alty and providing an electric shock to disrupt an erratic rhythm and re- store a normal one. The AED is able to identify if the heart rhythm fits one of two shock- able rhythms and will ignore other rhythms, and a voice prompt will advise to perform CPR. Kneeling in a circle on the floor of the Mennonite Heritage Muse- um auditorium, the 18 course par- ticipants followed the instructions from Robinson for performing CPR on their mannequins and the three step-process for using the AED. Step One is to open the AED and turn on the device. Step Two is to fol- low the voice prompts to apply the pads as instructed in the accompa- nying illustration. Step Three is wait- ing for the AED to analyze once the pads are in place and voice prompts indicate whether to press the orange
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THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2024
ZACK KOSCIELNY Grandma keeps a watchful eye on Zack Koscielny getting a seeder ready to zero-till a rye crop into already established clover.
ZACK KOSCIELNY
Beef cattle get an early start on spring grazing at Green Beach Farm near Strathclair, Manitoba.
Regenerative agriculture prompts return to farming
crop the vine-like ketch will climb, which makes combining easier, he said. There is also the welcome income any surplus of seeds brings to add to the profitability of the farm opera- tion, he added. While regenerative agriculture has allowed Green Beach Farm to ex- pand their livestock operation with more productive use of the land, Ko- scielny worries about the shortage of slaughter facilities in the province. There is a government inspect- ed facility within 20 minutes of the farm, but should that close, it is more than an hour to Brandon, Ko- scielny says. “We need more killing facilities in the neighborhood. Some are booked two years in advance. We need more slaughter capacity in Manitoba.” And there certainly is a ready market for their grass-finished beef, pasture-raised pork, pasture-raised chicken and eggs. Most of their marketing has been effective word-of-mouth sales, as a portion of the population prefers farm market meat. Sales have been brisk in the local community, in Brandon and in Win- nipeg. Green Beach Farm products are available at St Leon Gardens, Winnipeg; the Aristocrat Food Truck Company at Onanole and Camp Cantina at Wasagaming.
three to four weeks, and in spite of being outdoors there is very little loss to predators. To discourage predators there are motion lights, and chickens are fed at dusk and a radio is played at night. All these steps seem to be working well, Koscielny says. Last year Green Beach Farm started with 750 chickens and finished with 738 ready for market. This year the num- ber of chickens raised will again be increased. Considering there are also losses when pigs and chickens are raised in a barn, Koscielny said they are obvi- ously doing something right. Koscielny also shared a four-year plan for crop rotation which includ- ed a variety of cover crops and the sowing of winter wheat and hairy vetch as a cash crop, to be harvest- ed for seed, in the fourth year of the rotation. Hairy vetch is great feed and can be baled. It does well in the soil con- ditions at Strathclair, but Kosciel- ny wasn’t sure how well it would do in sandy soils in some areas of the Southeast. Green Beach Farm is now into seed production of that forage crop as well. At $3 a pound for hairy vetch and a very good yield, it makes sense for them to grow their own seed, Koscielny said. The challenge comes in harvest- ing, but planted amongst a cereal
change meant tractoring feed out every five to seven days all winter. Now we go on winter vacation.” But there have been challenges with the changes to the regenera- tive pasture system and it has been a learning curve for both the farmer and the cow, Koscielny said. If he had to offer one piece of ad- vice, he said, it would be to go with portable fences wherever possible. The permanent fences they have on their farm, in some cases, makes maneuverability a problem when moving cows daily. But even moving the cows daily is not that much of a hardship as it takes only 35 to 40 minutes and the benefits far outweigh the inconve- nience, he said. “The productivity is great, with plants coming back quickly after grazing. The first year of daily moves we had more winter feed than we needed.” But the Green Beach Farm is not only a 70-80 cow-calf operation, but also markets pastured pork and chicken and surplus seed from the cropping operations. Pigs and chickens are raised on an acreage not used for other purposes and seed screenings from the four cleaners in use on the farm is a wel- come supplement to the chickens’ diet. The chickens are moved every
organic grains. Green Beach Farm has always been a cattle operation and has a long history of rotational grazing. In 1985, for example, they moved their cattle from pasture to pasture every three weeks. The shift to regenerative pasture management started in 2018, when steps were taken to shorten the graz- ing period and lengthen the recovery period for the pasture. The current pasture management system has been in place since 2020, Koscielny said. Adaptive multi-paddock grazing uses a portable fencing system to move cattle strategically around a large pasture. At Green Beach, this involves dai- ly moves from May to October and moves every two days in April, No- vember and December. Bale graz- ing fills in the winter months from Christmas to April 1. This way, the grazing period is ex- tended by a month in spring, and two months in fall and winter. Feed is delivered in a quantity for two to three weeks of bale grazing at a time. Asked whether it has been worth the change, Koscielny told the group they had managed well, even through the drought with an excess of feed. “Winter feeding prior to the
by WES KEATING G rowing up on the family’s 800- acre farm at Strathclair, Zack Koscielny didn’t believe they had enough acreage for him to con- sider farming full-time. A universi- ty class in regenerative agriculture changed his mind. It was there Koscielny saw regen- erative agriculture for the first time and he says it really opened his eyes. His mindset had been that their farm was too small to make it work as a full-time job and after attending this class he began to think they could make it work on their scale. He rethought making Green Beach Farm his career. After discussing the idea with his parents, Kosciel- ny returned to Green Beach Farm to put this new approach to grazing and regenerating both pastures and crop land into practice. Their farm is mostly pasture, with just under 300 acres being cropped. Koscielny told a large group of farmers attending the Seine/Rat/Ro- seau Watershed District’s ReGen Day at Friedensfeld Community Centre last month that pasture manage- ment is where his passion lies. “I came home and here we are.” Green Beach Farm is a fifth gener- ation family farm that today focuses on grass fed beef, naturally raised pork, pastured poultry and certified
WES KEATING THE CARILLON Zack Koscielny explains his farm’s regenerative agriculture practices to a crowd of farmers during Regen Day at Friedensfeld.
ZACK KOSCIELNY
A good supply of feed is needed for bale grazing during the winter months.
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WES KEATING THE CARILLON A prairie grain elevator and train cars loaded with farm implements adds an agricultural theme to Rick Collette’s train display. The St Adolphe collector has been attending the Steinbach event every year for more than two decades. Avid farm toy collectors won’t part with favourites
by WES KEATING T he annual Farm Toy Show at Clearspring Centre is adver- tised as a show and sale, but for the most ardent collectors, it’s much more show than sale. Surrounded by tables of green John Deere toys, some dating back to the 1950s, Ken Urbaniak and Brent Chubaty spend their time reminiscing about the old days be- tween visitors, all the while refusing offers to part with any of their fa- vourites. “Maybe next year.” Chubaty, who has been instru- mental in organizing the annual show for a number of years, admits it probably is time for him to start selling some of his growing collec- tion, but says he is in no hurry. His friend from Kennedy, Minne- sota echoes these sentiments. Urbaniak, a former John Deere dealer, whose family had dealer- ships in both Kennedy and nearby Hallock, says some of his more rare toys were collected by his father. They went out of business in 2002, when John Deere was pressing deal- erships to “get big” or “get out” at a time when farms were bigger and smaller dealerships were being con- solidated. John Deere did keep the Kennedy location open, but closed Hallock, Urbaniak said. At the peak of their family busi- ness, the Urbaniaks had 40 employ- ees at the two locations and catered to Canadian farmers living closer to the border. One of these customers was Chu- baty and it could be said these two decided to “get little” rather than getting out altogether. Chubaty’s farm show collection at the mall varies from year to year. Last year, it was Massey Ferguson and next year it may be Cockshutt. One thing is constant, howev- er, and visitors to the annual event marvel at the centrepiece, which is a barn created by Chubaty, with a cabinet maker who supervised the project and didn’t let him take any shortcuts in its construction. “It was a lot of work to individu- ally glue 1,500 shingles to the roof.” The same meticulous attention to detail is evident throughout this part of the display. The bales; big round bales, square bales, small bales in stacks and bales on a con- veyor belt being loaded into the hay loft, are all made of genuine hay. There is no room for plastic, Chu- baty chuckles.
WES KEATING THE CARILLON Brent Chubaty and Ken Urbaniak spend a pleasant afternoon swapping John Deere stories with visitors to the annual farm toy show at the Clearspring Centre.
and the Friesen’s have been coming to the Steinbach show for the past five years. The Friesen boys collect their own toys to add to the display and Ben and his boys, Christopher, Bren- dan, Dustin and Ben get together a couple of times a month to work together on buildings for new and bigger displays. But there was one collector, who came all the way from Virden, who has been collecting farm toys since the 1990s and has a ready stock of farm toys for sale.
For the Steinbach show, he has created a farm related train display. Like Chubaty and Urbaniak, Col- lette is in no hurry to sell off his collection and says he would like to keep going for at least another five or six years. Another display that again at- tracted a lot of attention to visi- tors to the Steinbach mall was the Friesen family from Winkler, who have created table upon table of in- tricate farm scene displays. The detached buildings and cor- rals depicting a feedlot, a hayshed and the yard of a typical grain farm has been a decade in the creation
One of these is Rick Collette of St Adolphe, who used to be the orga- nizer before turning over the reins to Brent and Rachel Chubaty. Collette usually shared his display space at the show with Aime Boivin, another avid model railroader. This year, Collette was on his own, for his hobby train partner has moved to Carberry to be closer to family. Collette is an auto mechanic by trade, who retired a decade ago. He used to be a Meccano enthusi- ast who switched to trains when he was looking for something different to collect, and, not to mention, play with.
In the rest of his spare time, Chu- baty takes care of 20 cows on his Ridgeville farm, puts up hay bales and firewood every year and plays guitar in a band at the Pat Porter Active Living Centre in Steinbach every week. Brent and his wife Rachel are en- thusiastically involved with the toy show every year and he says he is much like the others who visit the city with their displays. “These are big kids with their toys and while expecting them to set up Thursday evening for a Friday-Sat- urday show, some were already there waiting for me at 2 p.m.”
See ‘Shows like a family reunion’ on 7C
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Shows like a family reunion Continued from page 6C
One of his sales Saturday for five bucks was an older model tractor that had seen better days as a toy. A collector interested in the tractor for parts would have gone higher, but Rene Vodon says he is not there to make “a lot of money.” He used to come to the show reg- ularly, but in 2003 he moved from Winnipeg to Virden, and this was his first time back in 21 years. The four-hour drive is worth it, just for the chance to visit with other collec- tors, he says. Some of his toys came out in the ’90s and are still in original boxes. Most everything on his tables sold for $20 or less and Vodon did a brisk trade both Friday and Saturday. He says he buys a carton of six toys, mostly 1/64 scale, that he likes and keeps one for his own collec- tion, and sells the rest. “It seems to work, and other peo- ple like the stuff too. I have a lot of repeat customers.” But even if sales were not brisk, he says he would still enjoy being on the farm toy show circuit. “The show circuit is like a fami- ly and we’re not here really for the money.” And that sentiment holds true for the Diamond Aces Flying Club, who were busy at the end of the hall, talking to potential new members for their model airplane club. John Wiebe has been a member of the club for 13 years and flies a col- lection of electric-powered aircraft ranging in wingspans from 15 inch- es to seven feet. Every day in the summer, when weather permits, Wiebe can be found at the airstrip just off Clear Springs Road, next to the concrete plant, where the club has its airfield. Often he will go home and charge the batteries and return for an after- noon of flying. Diamond Aces president Kevin Allard says he has 30 to 40 planes of various sizes. The hobby has be- come more popular as planes, eas- ily equipped with a camera, can be used for crop surveillance by farm- ers. A lightweight camera can be easi- ly attached and many farmers have their own to get a close look at crops during the growing season without entering their fields. When it comes to the question of sales, both Allard and Wiebe answer in the same way as the avid toy col-
WES KEATING THE CARILLON John Wiebe of the Diamond Aces displays a favorite electric-powered remote-controlled airplane he will be flying most every day this summer, weather permitting of course.
WES KEATING THE CARILLON Rene Vodon of Virden rings up another sale during a steady two days of customers to his display of 1/64 scale toys. Back at the event after an absence of 21 years, Vodon says it was well worth the four-hour trip to Steinbach.
lectors spoken to earlier. Neither is in any hurry to pare down their col- lection. “But for the right price, every- thing’s for sale.” At the same time, Wiebe muses about his own collection. “I fly the favorites all the time, and the rest three or four flights a year.” The Diamond Aces like to partic- ipate in the Farm Toy Show, which follows their own show, which was held two weeks earlier. Allard explains the Farm Toy Show attracts a different demographic of people and provides an opportuni- ty to bring in new members to the club, with an added incentive of free training at the field for people inter- ested in taking up the hobby. A newcomer visiting the display was discouraged from purchasing a small plane to start. “They are much more difficult to learn to fly than a bigger model and less forgiving in a crash.” Tuesday night is club night at the Diamond Aces field next to the con- crete plant on Clear Springs Road, and people are encouraged to come out and watch members in action: practicing acrobatics for competi- tion or simply enjoying an evening of flying their favourite plane.
WES KEATING THE CARILLON Ben and Dustin Friesen of Winkler have added something new to their farm displays every year. The Friesens get together at least twice a month, making the buildings and creating graneries, corrals and farm landscapes as a family hobby.
Five great years for Ag Expo at Morris June 9, 1993
by WES KEATING T he latest in modern technology from satellites to air seeders was the order of the day for Ag Expo ’93 in Morris last week. The fifth edition of the popular agricultural trade show gave farmers the op- portunity to compare a wide range of equip- ment in a “one-stop shopping” atmosphere, as well as get a glimpse of it in operation in field demonstrations. Ideal weather conditions last Wednesday had hundreds of farmers watching giant air seeders in action, trying their hand at an ob- stacle course or just browsing through dis- plays at the Big ‘M’ Entertainment Centre and Stampede Grounds. Ag Expo at Morris has been growing ev- ery year and for many exhibitors the annual event involves much more than just showing up with a product to sell. Rick Manness from Avonlea Farm Sales at Domain gave potential customers a first- hand look at an 11,000-bushel grain bin complete with floor aeration and concrete base. Before the show started June 1, the com- pany’s crew poured the concrete and erect- ed the structure. Once June 4 rolled around and Ag Expo was over for another year, they were set to reverse the process. That would include breaking up the concrete for use as fill at another site, Manness explained. Manness said they have been displaying at Ag Expo since the first year and it is an excel- lent opportunity to show customers exactly what they get for their money when they choose a Twister bin. Bob Smith from a California-based public relations firm under contract to the Nation- al Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) delighted hundreds of children with his presentation about frogs in space. Smith’s display, which will tour Canada for 75 days, shows equipment American astro- nauts used to hatch hundreds of frogs’ eggs in space during eight days last September. The latest of a South African clawed spe- cies as yet have shown no ill effects of their trip, he said. Smith explained that animal science was only one aspect of NASA’s work and appli- cation of satellite information in the field of agriculture was of equal importance.
Manitoba government remote sensing technologist Dave Busch added a further perspective to Smith’s presentation, show- ing how satellite signals are used to develop computer data to track drought trends. The technology is in its infancy, but there will come a day when farmers will be sitting at home with their own computers, analyz- ing crop production, Busch said. To get from the very new to the more tradi- tional, Ag Expo visitors needed only to cross the walkway to the Value-Added Village. Here, exhibitors like the Leclairs from St Jean and Elm Creek’s Vickie Pederson dis- played a return to the simplicity of home- made flour and the art of wheat weaving. Their displays had the added twist of showing Ag Expo visitors how to turn old hobbies into welcome cash. Rene and Collette Leclair, for instance, are supplying three kinds of bread mixes and a variety of pancake flours to 40 stores, in- cluding outlets at St Pierre, Ste Anne and La Broquerie. Pederson has a ready market for her wheat art, which has been a hobby for nine years. Each piece is different from the last and the more complicated designs involve hours of work, she said. All of her wheat woven pictures and dolls are available at fall craft shows and at the Swedish pavilion during Folklorama in Win- nipeg. CARILLON ARCHIVES The Kubota remote-controlled lawn mower drew a large crowd of impressed spectators at the company’s display at Morris Ag Expo. The machine has been on the market for a decade, but it is not a Kubota best-seller, for it carries a price tag of over $20,000.
n THE CARILLON STEINBACH, MAN. C8 n www.thecarillon.com THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2024 From Latin dance to farming: a tale of agricultural passion
communication training. We didn’t know we weren’t supposed to do that. Then we got mad and showed up online in a negative way.” Sharing your values, she says, is three to five times more effective with building trust than sharing scientific facts and expertise. “We don’t take a minute during the day to think about the values that are behind every decision we make on the farm. I would sug- gest if you’re using fungicides, and you don’t know why, you shouldn’t use them. If you re- ally haven’t taken a minute about why you use pesticides, why you choose to grow genetical- ly modified canola, then maybe that privilege won’t be there forever. And I realized if I don’t really know why I need access to fertilizer, that privilege can go away real fast.” When those horror stories hit the media, we are forced to react to them. Jolly-Nagel said farmers need to get to a place where they can promote the industry rather than always being on the defence. “Start sharing stories about life on the farm. I spend much of my time speaking to an urban audience and sharing the good news stories and I encourage you to do the same.” Her message resonates deeply with farmers and industry professionals alike, reminding them of the privilege they hold in stewarding the land and feeding the world. By sharing sto- ries of life on the farm and championing the values that guide their decisions, Jolly-Nagel believes they can shape a brighter future for agriculture and inspire the next generation of proud farmers. “We all agree its important that the next generation is proud of the agricultural indus- try and a part of that heritage is acknowledg- ing the role that farmers need to play. We must share the good news stories and put our values first. Those tools that we have available to us are a privilege. And if you’re using one of those tools today, on your farm, think about it as a privilege so that the next generation will con- tinue to be able to use it. When I think of all the tools that can be taken away. It’s a pretty bleak future for the next generation.” Since 2017 Cherilyn Jolly-Nagel has repre- sented Canada as an International Director on the board for the Global Farmer Network which seeks to amplify farmers’ voices on issues relat- ed to trade and technology. In 2021, in cooper- ation with Utensil.ca, she launched an online training program titled “So… Your Client is a Farmer?” with the goal to help people build better relationships with farmers and increase the overall level of knowledge about agriculture and food.
to that table with zero experience. They let me cut my teeth on the policy issues that we were working so hard at. They let me represent that organization. And I had the enthusiasm they needed.” Over the years, Jolly-Nagel has tirelessly advocated for the industry, emphasizing the importance of promoting its practices. She highlights the need to bridge the gap between farmers and the public, dispelling misconcep- tions and building trust through open dialogue and shared values. She admits that she grossly underestimated the importance of building relationships with the public and showing them how much farm- ers truly care about the land and the environ- ment and the safety of our food system. “I took for granted that because my family has been farming some of the same land for more than 100 years, that was enough to gain their trust. We thought we were always going to have their trust. And we just walked out of the tractor one day and wondered why doesn’t anybody trust us? And we didn’t realize that we needed to be building a relationship with the public first.” So much of the confusion stems from public perception. Or rather, misconception. “Most consumers picture farms as that little red barn and farming practices from 50 years ago. And we have not done enough of the ef- fort to bring them back up to the present day. Agriculture has gone through tremendous technological change. From precision planting to drone technology. It’s the most scientifical- ly advanced industry on the globe. The pub- lic doesn’t know how we’re farming, but even more, they don’t know who is farming.” Misinformation runs rampant, she says. “We haven’t done a good job explaining not only what we do in agriculture, but who is do- ing it. We just never took a lot of time to fill in that gap. What makes headlines today? We all Google stuff, and they’re getting bad news. Canadians are now two generations removed from the family farm. From having relatives on the farm, to losing the common sense of how food is grown. If they’re only getting their in- formation online, what are they finding? It’s not good. If they look up meat, it’s bad. GMOs are the worst. Pesticides. Sugar is bad. Chemi- cals are bad. Everything they read online about farming is bad.” How do we change it? “We can both defend and promote. But we can’t keep shoving facts down everybody’s throat. You don’t like glyphosate? Here’s a 500- page study. I’m sure it will convince you. We’ve all done that. We felt defensive. But we had no
by LORI PENNER I n a surprising turn of events, Cherilyn Jol- ly-Nagel traded her dance shoes for work boots, leaving behind a thriving career as a Latin dance instructor at Club Med to embark on a new journey in agriculture, much to the shock of her friends and family. Reflecting on that decision more than two decades later, Jolly-Nagel, formerly the presi- dent of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association, said, “I left a dream job, and when I fell in love with agriculture, I found my other dream job. I loved what I was doing, but it was a personal challenge to find my place on the farm.” Little did she know that her encounter with her high school sweetheart and her newfound love for agriculture would redefine her career trajectory. Today, alongside her husband David, Jol- ly-Nagel manages a bustling family farm in Mossbank, Saskatchewan. But her contribu- tions to the agricultural world don’t end there. She has become a prominent voice in the in- dustry, hosting Farm Show TV and engaging audiences across the country on various agri- culture-related topics. However, Jolly-Nagel’s journey hasn’t been without its hurdles. She recalls a time when morale among producers was low, and the ag- ricultural industry faced skepticism and disin- terest from the public. “When I got into agriculture, I didn’t know that farmers are their own worst enemy. At that time, I realized it wasn’t the general population losing enthusiasm for the agricultural indus- try, it was the farmers themselves.” Morale was low for producers, she said. “Newspapers shared nothing but doom and gloom financial projections. There were no jobs and no young people who wanted to be part of it. When I graduated, farming was not a popular career choice. And yet, there I was, massively gung-ho to join the ranks of the farming crew.” Determined to combat the negativity sur- rounding farming, she penned a compel- ling letter to the editor of a local paper, titled “Proud to be Involved in Farming,” urging others to recognize the value and potential of agriculture. The letter read: “Their eyes grow wider. Their chin drops. And they look at me like I’ve lost my marbles. This is a typical response to my recent decision to take an active role in Sas- katchewan agriculture. Why waste your energy on a dying profession? They asked me. Nobody makes any money farming. Disheartening,
yes. But that won’t stop me. I’m bound and determined to put an end to all this negativity. Up until a short time ago, I too took for grant- ed the lifestyle I had been provided. We rural dwellers are truly blessed. I will never again be embarrassed to drive the dirty farm truck. The agriculture industry has great potential and with your help, I would like to take part in its progression. Do your part and encourage those of us willing to put our heart and soul into improving an age-old profession. And to- morrow morning, walk into your local coffee shop and with a smile on your face, and proud- ly proclaim, “It’s great to be a farmer.” Resolved to make some changes, she was still adamant about joining the farming ranks, Over the next 20 years, agricultural policy be- came her focus. “I should have known that was going to be my fate because I always loved to argue. I will forever be in debt to the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association that welcomed me LORI PENNER THE CARILLON Since 2017 Cherilyn Jolly-Nagel has represented Canada as an international director on the board for the Global Farmer Network.
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