thecarillon.com
NOVEMBER 14, 2024
FEATURE STORY Hutterite colony invests in aquaculture See story on page 2
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RIDGELAND COLONY PHOTO
A walkway down the middle of the barn allows easy access to the tanks at Ridgeland Aqua Farms.
Trout fishing great on Ridgeland Colony
by WES KEATING P eter Waldner goes fishing ev- ery Tuesday, and if you make arrangements ahead of time, you will be able to get a taste of the freshest trout you will ever put in the frying pan. That is, of course, unless you catch it yourself. Waldner, and a staff of five to 10, spend Tuesdays processing the weekly harvest of steelhead trout at the Colony’s “fish farm”, which began in a converted hog barn some 23 years ago, and more recently moved into a new state- of-the-art facility at the Ridgeland Colony, just off Highway 12, six miles north of the Trans-Canada Highway. Peter Waldner is a willing tour guide for the new aqua-farming facility, but because bio-securi- ty comes along with all the bells and whistles, visitors get a birds’ eye view of operation from behind the glass of a second-level viewing room. Aqua-farming is nothing new for the Ridgeland Colony and it was more than two decades ago that fish were added to a long list of agricultural enterprises, which included dairy, pigs, poultry lay- ers and honey bees. There is also Ridgeland Manufacturing, which today uses laser cutting and weld- ing, to create a variety of parts for agricultural equipment. Innovation and diversity are the order of the day at Ridgeland and the next enterprise being consid- ered, according to Peter Waldner, will be the processing of fish by- products by composting heads and bones left behind when the steelhead trout are filleted for market. Now that their new barn is in operation, there will be a lot more fish heads and bones for that com- post pile. The new facility has in- creased production capacity from 60 tonnes to 200 tonnes of trout annually, Waldner says. The new barn is three times the size of the old one. Ridgeland did the concrete work and metal work, and brought in a lot of the equipment from Spain and Denmark, to complete the new facility. There are six tanks 12 metres in diameter and three metres deep, and another dozen larger tanks measuring 26 metres wide and three metres deep, which run the full length of the barn. This impressive array of tanks is connected with an equally impres- sive system of automatic feeding equipment, oxygenators, “ozone- ators”, bio-filters and a maze of water recycling pipes, to create the perfect growing conditions for this hungry species of trout.
WES KEATING THE CARILLON With the latest state-of-the-art equipment in the new barn, Peter Waldner is able to run the aqua farm by himself, bringing in extra staff on processing day.
system completes this most effi- cient way of raising fish in a con- trolled environment. Solids are removed from the tanks with drum filters and bio-fil- ters, with thousands of tiny plas- tic discs, where good bacteria re- moves ammonia from the liquid before it is pumped back through
two months. Waldner points out that these pellets are custom-manufactured for the different growth stages of the trout and range in size from a powder-like substance for the ti- niest of fingerlings, to 5mm pellets for nearly fully grown fish. An overhead water circulation
And trout do have healthy appe- tites, and these healthy appetites require quite the feeding regimen. One hundred and sixty tonnes of fish meal is shipped in from Sur- rey, BC every year, Waldner ex- plains. Six semi-loads of shrimp meal pellets, each carrying 26 tonnes, arrive at Ridgeland every
the system and returns to the tanks from overhead ducts, with a controlled amount of ozone and oxygen added through tubes from the monitoring equipment.
See ‘Filling Manitoba’s trout market’ on 3C
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2024
RIDGELAND COLONY PHOTO
A maze of pipes supply food and oxygen, as well as remove waste and recycle the water in the advanced rearing tanks at Ridgeland Aqua Farms.
Filling Manitoba’s trout market Continued from page 2C
allowing up to 200 tonnes annual- ly. Initially, plans had been to ex- pand their market beyond the pro- vincial borders. While waiting for Canadian Food Inspection Agency approval (which was delayed and delayed, and finally never mate- rialized), Waldner perfected the smoking process that was start- ed when the smoking facility was brought up to federal standards. Testing and the development of a nutrition label was carried out at the Portage Food Development Centre and Ridgeland worked out a quality management plan, he said. Ridgeland Aqua Farms aban- doned the idea of getting Canadian Food Inspection Agency approval, which in the end was proving to be extremely costly, and was con- stantly bogged down in red tape, and decided to depend on a Mani- toba market alone. Operating strictly on a provin- cial license and switching from arctic char to steelhead trout has been a worthwhile move, Waldner says. Currently, there is no trouble marketing all the trout produced. Waldner says they haven’t been ac- tively pursuing a direct consumer sales market or the restaurant market, but there is certainly room for increased production to serve those areas in the future. “There are not always leftovers, but there are usually a few five- pound packages available for pick up if you come by Wednes- day afternoon. In order to avoid disappointment, it is best to call ahead if you want more than five pounds.” Waldner says he keeps a list of people who would like to buy any surplus and if he is short one week, he promises to put those custom- ers on the top of the list the follow- ing week. Asked for his recommended method of preparation for steel- head trout, Waldner says he per- sonally likes it smoked, however it is good pan-fried or prepared on a cedar plank, as well. “I don’t eat nearly as much as I used to, when I took what was left over. Leftovers are hard to come by these days.”
If oxygen levels ever drop below a certain level, the computerized equipment will call Waldner on his cell phone. In the mechani- cal room, dozens of oxygen tanks stand at the ready in case any un- foreseen failure of the equipment will create a need for an emergen- cy oxygen supply for the fish. Much like fishermen, aqua-farm- ers raising steelhead trout must be patient. It takes approximately 18 to 22 months from the time the eggs hatch until the trout is ready for the frying pan. When Ridgeland Aqua Farms was raising arctic char, they oper- ated their own fish hatchery, but now they bring in 120,000 trout eggs a year. The fertilized eggs are flown in from the United States, 20,000 at a time, every two months. Eggs begin hatching within days of arrival, Peter says. During the growing period, fish pumps move the fish through grader pipes, which drop the fish into the appropriate growing tank according to size, small, medium or large. Fish are graded in this manner once or twice during the growing period, Waldner explains. After the trout reach a certain size, they aren’t graded any more. When the trout reach market weight of between four and five pounds, they are moved to a con- ditioning tank stocked with pure well water to get the fish ready for the processing facility next door. A large green pipe connects the barn and on processing day the fish swim over to the other building. They have been processing on average 1,500 pounds per week, Waldner says, but because orders fluctuate somewhat, there are al- ways a few extra trout in the con- ditioning tank to fill extra orders. All of the trout at Ridgeland Aqua Farms stay in the Manitoba market, and whatever is left after wholesale orders are filled is avail- able on a first order, first serve ba- sis. Ridgeland Aqua Farms’ web- site has price lists and a shopping cart, offering a convenient way for customers to pre-order trout for pick-up at the Colony. Waldner says in addition to fresh and frozen trout they have been marketing smoked trout for just over a year on a provincial licence,
WES KEATING THE CARILLON The thousands of steelhead trout are a hungry bunch and are delivered tonnes upon tonnes of shrimp meal pellets through an automated feeding system.
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An aerial view of this field in the Aubigny area shows five rows of new trees extending existing shelterbelt around the farmyard as part of the SRRWD’s shelterbelt program. Watershed projects good for organic crop producer
by WES KEATING I t has been years since the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administra- tion discontinued the popular shelterbelt program in western Can- ada, but today the planting of shel- terbelts is very much a part of the Seine Rat Roseau River Watershed District’s strategy aimed at the long term sustainable use and manage- ment of land and water resources. The SRRWD shelterbelt program provides landowners funds to es- tablish, or re-establish, shelterbelts to protect soil from wind erosion and to capture moisture. Funding is provided for trees and shrubs to be planted along creeks, around farm- steads, and in wide open spaces. Dani Gosselin, during a tour of a project along a creek near Sarto, ex- plains the benefits of shelterbelts for the land owner and the conservation district. Shelterbelts not only protect soil from wind erosion, but also increase snow cover and provide wildlife hab- itat, she said. This is the third year for the deliv- ery of the shelterbelt program by the SRRWD. Shelterbelt projects eligible for funding must be on agricultur- al land or adjacent to the owner’s farmstead. Small projects and urban yards that just need a few trees, don’t fit into the program. Most projects are in the range of three to five acres and Royden Loew- en’s shelterbelt south of Sarto is one of the earlier ones, planted in 2022. Gosselin talked about seven proj- ects that are on the go this year. Three shelterbelts were planted this sum- mer and three other sites are being prepped this fall with the planting trees to take place in spring. Spring plantings are slated for Friedensfeld, Aubigny, St Malo and Randolph. Right now, Gosselin is lining up projects for next year. Approvals in- volve staff and board member visits to the site and their recommenda- tions before a partnership advisory council and the main board of SRR- WD makes the final decision. Once approved, the landown- er is responsible for the planting of the trees, or in the case of Loewen, hiring someone to do the plant- ing. For Loewen’s project, involving both sides of a creek, running in a northerly direction, different species were selected. On the eastern side, Okanese poplars are interspersed with white spruce, alternating every 10 feet. The west side has a row of willows, which will grow faster and provide thicker cover for the winds from the west. This year was ideal growing weath- er, with mostly even rains for most areas, so it does not take long for the trees to find the moisture needed to root well. For Loewen, the growing of a shel-
CARILLON ARCHIVES Royden Loewen, who has been an organic crop producer for eight years, has tapped into a SRRWD program to plant a shelterbelt on both sides of a creek that dissects a field on his 700-acre farm in the Sarto area.
Dana Gosselin with a well-established poplar in a shelterbelt planted along the east side of a creek, which runs through a field in the Sarto area.
soil and beautifies the land at the same time. “Nothing is more attractive to a farmer than a green field.” Loewen also admits he enjoys rais- ing the eyebrows of the local farmers. He tells the story of being stopped by a farmer while he was seeding barley after the harvest one fall. Being so late in the growing season, the man wondered when Loewen planned to harvest his crop. The man was dumbfounded when Loewen told him he planned to plow it under in the spring. But Loewen says barley is an ef- fective cover crop for him and it is so much less expensive than the cover-crop “cocktail” he tried a few years ago. Loewen says they also use a lot of manure as fertilizer and pay its dis- tribution on their 700-acre farm. Al- though that is expensive, it still is a lot cheaper than synthetic fertilizer, which of course is not an option, for this organic crop producer. Planting cover crops and the es- tablishment of shelterbelts are just two of the many programs eligible for funding in the 3,700 square kilo- metres that is the SRRWD. The Seine Rat Roseau Watershed District, was established in partner- ship with local municipalities and the Province of Manitoba in 2001 to provide an avenue for local people to work together on issues related to sustainable land and water manage- ment. The district includes an area of approximately 3,700 square kilome- tres in southeastern Manitoba and
terbelt and buffer strips along the creek, which runs through his 700- acre farm, is just another way to im- prove the soil and help the environ- ment. The reduction of soil erosion and the creation of wildlife habitat are equally important to Loewen. “On the organic side, strips beside the shelterbelt, planted to some- thing other than grass is great for a well-balanced ecology.” At the farm south of Sarto, the strips on either side of the creek are 20 feet wide, which makes this shel- terbelt a five acre project. Loewen says a Saskatchewan com- pany owned by a veterinarian enthu- siastic about trees recommended the varieties he should plant. He hired a Morden company to do the planting, and it took them just three hours to create the mile-long shelterbelt, in- volving about 1,000 poplar, spruce and willows. For years, Loewen has been plant- ing cover crops on this field, which produces organic hemp and alfalfa. The field has 320 acres of organic hemp and 120 acres of certified or- ganic alfalfa seed. The alfalfa seed is produced for a contract with an American company, while hemp goes to the hemp oil plant on High- way 75. Loewen, who has been in organic crop production for eight years, is no stranger to the benefits of cover crops, which is another program the SRRWD promotes and funds. Loewen says he has any number of reasons for growing cover crops. In addition to reducing soil erosion, growing anything also improves the
Plastic mulch was spread along the row to stop the encroachment of weeds between the trees of a shelterbelt in the Ridgeville area.
area management, water conserva- tion, soil conservation, and surface water management. The SRRWD also provides oppor- tunities for watershed management education through school presen- tations and at their Tourond Creek Discovery Centre.
partners with a dozen rural munic- ipalities, the Towns of Ste. Anne and Niverville, the Village of St. Pierre-Jol- ys and the City of Steinbach. The SRRWD focuses its efforts on addressing locally identified land and water management issues. The District offers program funding in groundwater protection, riparian
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2024
YOUNG AGRARIANS BUSINESS MENTORSHIP NETWORK
Promotional campaigns featuring those who benefitted from the program are helping draw others. Cultivating success: mentorship program nurtures new generation of farmers
learning and listening, and we want to meet farmers where they’re at.” The deadline for applications to the 2025 mentee cohort has been extended until Nov. 15 for B.C., but remains ongoing elsewhere. “That’s not the case in the prairies, because we’re still new there. We want to be as open and flexible as possible, so we’re going to do ongoing intake, with no deadline.” Meanwhile, mentor applications are also ac- cepted year-round. For more information and to apply, visit: Young Agrarians Business Mentorship Net- work. To learn more about this program, please contact the Business Mentorship team at busi- ness@youngagrarians.org.
gram and mentors, new farmers’ confidence and clarity grow. The program is open to farmers in their first one to five years of business located in one of the Western Canada provinces, including new farm operations and those taking over family farm businesses. It also includes a wide range of production types. While priority is given to new farmers be- tween the ages of 18 and 35, new farmers over 35 are also strongly encouraged to apply. “We’re looking for an enrollment minimum of 10 participants per province,” Buffel says. “In all our programming, we’re reaching out to that new kid on the block, trying to build rela- tionships and asking these farmers what their gaps are and what their needs are. We’re still
ly looked at yet,” Buffel adds. “We want to give them the tools to figure out their cost of production and keep their pricing on track. We also do a session on marketing and a session on risk management. That’s hap- pening when they’re meeting with their men- tors, and they get to really dig into aspects that are relevant to them in their stage of business.” Buffel explains that the business mentorship comes in later, once participants are on their own farms and have at least a year of produc- tion under their belts and selling commercial- ly. “This is when they get to a point where they don’t know their gaps. They have some clear goals for how they want their business to look, and now, what they need is another farmer who has been in their shoes,” she explains. “They need not just business acumen and support, but also emotional support. Some- one to be a sounding board. And that really is what our program offers. It’s not a ‘learn to farm’ program; it’s very focused on the busi- ness aspect of farming. It’s framed as a kind of coaching style.” BMN pairs new farmers with a mentor who will analyze their business and tell them what to do. “This is about meeting them where they’re at. What are your goals? Where are your gaps? What are your systems that you’re not clear on yet? And how can we help you build your knowledge, your skills and your confi- dence?” Additionally, it offers opportunities for net- working with other young farmers across Western Canada, a critical aspect of building relationships and support systems within the sector. The Young Agrarians Business Mentorship Network aims to foster strong rural communi- ties by creating support networks that enable experienced and new farmers to collaborate and share knowledge. “Learning that I am not alone and that oth- ers are trying to contribute to and improve our local food system has had a significant positive impact on my energy and hope for the future. This experience has been important for better business planning, focus, and confidence in my venture and skills. I have a better under- standing of my strengths and weaknesses as a farmer,” says 2023 BMN mentee Terra Pombert of Sunflowers Urban Farm. Building a strong business foundation on top of the challenges of farming can feel over- whelming, but with the support of the pro-
by LORI PENNER S ince 2015, the Young Agrarians Business Mentorship Network (BMN) has been a cornerstone in supporting new and young farmers. The program helps them de- velop the skills, knowledge, and confidence needed to manage their farm businesses by pairing them with experienced farm owners in their sector. BMN began in British Columbia 11 years ago. “The original idea started when we were seeing new farmers with a passion for the pro- duction and lifestyle. They were excited about contributing to the food security in their com- munities, but there was a gap in their business knowledge, particularly in British Columbia, where there wasn’t the same family farm gen- erational model, and there were a lot of new people coming into farming,” says Melanie Buffel, Business Mentorship Network Manager for the Young Agrarians Foundation. BMN expanded in 2022 to include Alber- ta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. To date, the program has worked with 163 farmers on 118 farms, pairing them with 75 mentors. During their mentorship year, mentees reported im- pressive results: an average increase in rev- enues of 87 percent, a 65 percent increase in the volume of food produced, and a 42 percent increase in land production. This year, Young Agrarians is excited to offer the program once again, supporting up to 10 mentorship pairings in each Western Canadi- an province: British Columbia, Alberta, Sas- katchewan, and Manitoba. The program provides 30 hours of one-on- one mentorship and an eight-week financial literacy webinar series that focuses on devel- oping business skills for running a financially sustainable farm business. “What we’re really trying to do is build a continuum, from supporting people that are farm-curious through our online program, to the apprenticeship with a more hands-on model, which is for someone who really wants to make this a career,” Buffel says. The webinar series covers everything from opening your business and getting your pay- roll accounts, right through the financial as- pects of managing a business, like creating cash flow, projections, and keeping your re- cords clear and doing your cost production analysis. “This is very often an area they’ve never real-
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Career opportunities focus of Amazing Ag Adventure WES KEATING THE CARILLON Katharine Cherewyk, Executive Director of AITC-M and Carson Callum, General Manager of Manitoba Beef Producers and AITC-M Board Member, with Clover the life-sized beef calving model at this year’s Amazing Agriculture Adventure.
by WES KEATING D ozens of high school stu- dents, at Agriculture in the Classroom’s Amazing Agri- culture Adventure for the first time, learned that whatever their career choice for the future, they are likely to find it in some way connected to agriculture. This year’s Amazing Agriculture Adventure again featured 10 inter- active stations, giving elementary students a close-up view of differ- ent phases of agriculture from hon- ey bees to beef, but added to the event for the first time, was a high school component. High school students also toured the five stations at the Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discov- ery Centre and then moved on to the Manitoba Dairy Farmers dairy barn and outdoor stations, includ- ing one featuring beef. For the older students, volunteer presenters con- centrated on the various agriculture careers involved, as well as provid- ing details about raising livestock, protecting the environment and caring for animals. The veterinary, dairy, beef and watershed stations helped students gain an understanding of how ani- mals are cared for, how agriculture plays a role in their daily life, and how they could one day be part of an exciting career in agriculture. At the watershed display, Ed- ward Shao used a water spray bot- tle shaped like a cloud to “rain” on a model depicting the different kinds of pollution which could be produced in different settings. Shao explained how runoff would take pollution to various waterways and challenged older students to sug- gest ways the damage to the envi- ronment could be mediated. As part of his presentation, us- ing the model, Shao showed high school students a number of exam- ples of the kind of environment-re- lated career options that were avail- able, be it in a factory, farm or rural community setting. Sharing his own career path, Shao told students that after graduating with a degree in Environmental Studies he had tried the Winnipeg job market and found the same
WES KEATING THE CARILLON Edward Shao, manager of the Swan Lake Watershed District, uses a display and spray bottle to demonstrate how runoff carries pollution into waterways from farms, factories, roadways and communities, both urban and rural.
side. Pederson is the extension coordi- nator for youth programming at the Manitoba Beef and Forages Initia- tives near Brandon.
body.” Over at the beef station across from the dairy research barn, Josie Pederson demonstrates how to as- sist a cow during a difficult birth, using Clover, a life-sized calving model of a beef cow with a calf in-
Watershed District and was hired. In a small community, getting a job is sometimes easier than tackling the job market in a big city. “It’s not always what you know, but who you know. In a rural com- munity, everybody knows every-
obstacle at every turn. Employers wanted somebody with a degree and experience. Having just gradu- ated, he had the qualifications but not the experience. Returning home to Swan Lake, he applied for a job with the Swan Lake
See ‘Students shown various roles in agriculture’ on 7C
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Students shown various roles in agriculture Continued from page 6C
horses, or with dogs and cats. Most people have pets in their homes. In rural areas, there are some outside and some inside.” Veterinarians also work outside the animal practise by making recom- mendations to the feed industry to create better nutrition for livestock, Bazinet said. “Sometimes I think animals get bet- ter nutrition than we do.” Enthusiastic about the AITC pro- gram, Bazinet says it exposes young people to agriculture, and if one of these students thinks about becoming a veterinarian, he will be happy. At another station in the dairy re- search building, Bill Ryaniczuk, Man- itoba Agriculture Industry Develop- ment specialist and rural leadership specialist Leanne Tibbatts use dozens of business cards, and a cattle “fit bit” collar to demonstrate the connection countless careers have with agricul- ture. Students are asked to pick five cards they think are part of developing the “fit bit”. It turns out that in this case there are no wrong answers, for every one of the cards on the table can be connect- ed in some way to agriculture. Ryaniczuk suggests that trying to come up with a profession that does not have any agricultural connection would be difficult. It takes countless different people just to come up with this one product, he said. The farmer who uses the fit bit is the most obvious, but along the way, the development of this modern technology includes manufacturers of the equipment, livestock consultants, software developers, accountants and attorneys. Ryaniczuk and other volunteers at the Manitoba Ag station explained how each card students picked played a role in agriculture. And as Agriculture in the Classroom plays a pivotal role in making sure that students have the opportunity to learn about opportunities for a future in agriculture, government and the agriculture industry alike are stepping forward with funding to make their task that much easier. Recently, through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, the governments of Canada and Man- itoba provided $400,000 to Agriculture in the Classroom Manitoba.to be used for the Amazing Agriculture Adven- ture Program. At the same time, Agriculture in the Classroom-Manitoba announced a three-year funding partnership with Manitoba Beef Producers amounting to $105,000. Katharine Cherewyk, Executive Di- rector of AITC-M, says her organiza- tion is incredibly grateful for the un- wavering support of the province, and the many sectors of the agriculture industry. “Their commitment is a testament to the vital role agricultural educa- tion plays in shaping informed and engaged citizens. Together, we are paving the way for students to gain a comprehensive understanding of the agriculture sector, including the beef industry.”
She told students she had grown up on a cattle operation and had early as- pirations of becoming a veterinarian. She changed her mind while study- ing Animal Science at the University of Manitoba and spending summers working at MBFI, 20 minutes north of Brandon. Manitoba Beef & Forage Ini- tiatives is a research and demonstra- tion farm dedicated to working with farmers to support the advancement of the beef cattle and forage indus- tries. When a position in extension work at Beef and Forages Initiatives be- came available, Pederson decided this would give her the best of both worlds, and has been there ever since. Her po- sition became full time in January. Joining Pederson at the beef station was Mark Good, a beef farmer from Alonsa, and a member of the board of Manitoba Beef Producers. He told students he had become a beef producer as a teenager, when his father presented him with his own cow as payment for the chores he did on their beef operation. The fami- ly, which operates a 300-head cow- calf operation, moved to Manitoba in 2001, because “land was cheaper here.” An interested group of students from St Mary’s Academy peppered both Pederson and Good with ques- tions ranging from the average lifes- pan of a cow, which is nine years, to, “Does a cow go inside during the win- ter?” Good assured the students that beef cows are outside year round. Five months are spent outside on grass pasture and then their food is supple- mented once cold weather sets in. “The beef cow has a fur coat and only needs shelter from the wind. They only come into the corral twice a year, once to be vaccinated, and again at calving time.” The students were also interested in the slaughter process and were told the animals were killed as humanely as possible, by firing a bolt into the brain. Good explained that the cow and calf in the display were brought to Amazing Agriculture Adventure for their beef station because all the cat- tle at Glenlea are dairy cows. After their visit to AAA, the beef cow-calf pair would be going back to Miami, he said. Over at the dairy barn, retired vet- erinarian Doug Bazinet explains the function of a cow’s collar in tracking the movements of the animal, through automated feeding and milking by ro- bots up to three times a day. He tells an astonished group of high school students that a cow produces an average of 24 litres of milk every single day. Bazinet, who has been a veteri- narian for over four decades, says he volunteers for the Agriculture in the Classroom event because he enjoys talking to young students and is hope- ful some will choose to follow careers as veterinarians. Bazinet tells students there are many great career opportunities as a vet. “You can work with cows, pigs, and
WES KEATING THE CARILLON Leanne Sprung, Rural Leadership Specialist at Manitoba Agriculture, displays a “fit-bit” collar and an array of cards depicting the countless careers connected to the development and use of the device which tracks the movement of a cow.
AGRICULTURE IN THE CLASSROOM Retired veterinarian Doug Bazinet tells a group of high school students the cows on the other side of the glass each produces up to six jugs of milk every day.
FLASHBACK
February 24, 1993
Bovine beauties featured on newest collector cards
be rolling off the presses at Derksen Printers in Steinbach in time for June release nation- ally. After that, a couple of series every few months will give collectors the opportunity to build a serious collection of the cream of the crop of the world’s finest dairy animals. An enthusiastic Fuchs said he came up with the Cattle-Lyne idea while browsing through back issues of Canadian Holstein magazine. Looking at the photos, he was struck by the fact dairy producers were probably paying hundreds of dollars for eight-by-ten photos of their cows, which seldom got farther than the barn office wall. Prominent breeders may tour a couple of hundred people through their facilities in a year, he said, but they had the pictures taken anyway. A collector card could provide an inex- pensive advertising tool to be distributed through feed companies, implement dealers and parts garages, Fuchs thought. Add the competitive nature of a 4-H club fund-rais- ing project and the potential market keeps expanding. Sold in sets of eight, the cards will compare in price to a lot of sports cards being collect- ed now, Fuchs said. A quick browse through a few card shops showed that a five-card set selling between $1.69 and $5 was common. Cattle-Lyne cards should be available at un- der $2 for a set of eight.
by WES KEATING C ollecting celebrity sports cards has spanned generations and amassed more than a few fortunes for owners who had long-forgotten the cardboard duc- ats they hoarded as youngsters. The fad of collecting cards has by no means been restricted to sports, but enjoys consid- erable popularity by comic book and auto- mobile enthusiasts, movie buffs and country music fans as well. All in all, card collecting is serious business. So why is it when talk turns to a new se- ries of dairy cards, the temptation is to ask whether the set will include Moo-reese Rich- ard, Tee-Moo Selanne, Randy Cow-lyle or Mario La-Moo? Cattle-Lyne is the brainchild of Friedens- feld-area milk producer Wayne Fuchs, who expects the cards to be a hit with both the dairy farmers of the future and their class- mates at school. He sees the cards as a novel way to educate the general public about the dairy industry and provide dairymen another opportunity to show the best of the breed. To date, breeders and milk producers alike are pretty much limited to people who tour their farm or catch a glimpse at dairy shows, Fuchs said. The first set of Cattle-Lyne cards should
CARILLON ARCHIVES The idea of bovine trading cards has sparked national interest and a CBC television camera was on hand to film the first run of Cattle Lyne cards coming off the press at Derksen Printers.
At present, card options include half a doz- en categories. A show series, for instance, in- cludes All-Canadian, All-American and 4-H animals; a Top Farms and Breeders series will include great names like Hanoverhill, Ray- brook, Hansons, Benner and Continental; Past Greats, Candids and Red and Whites will add to the variety and to the excitement of collecting. It will not be too long before someone of- fers to trade their Mona Lisa for another work of art. Experienced collectors will realize im- mediately the reference is to Hanson Prestar Monalisa Ex and it is a collector card of an- other bovine beauty this trader is after.
Fuchs passed the idea on to Derksen Print- ers president Rick Derksen over coffee earlier this year, and the first samples of the dairy trading cards were presented to Eastern Manitoba Holstein Club members at a Feb- ruary seminar. Fuchs said the idea has proved to be far from being a “hard sell.” While mass produc- tion is still more than three months away, over 100 of the top dairy cattle in Canada are lined up to be included. Cattle-Lyne invites producers from across Canada and the United States to send in a color photo (preferably taken professionally by a livestock photographer) and official re- cords of both show and production.
n THE CARILLON STEINBACH, MAN. C8
n www.thecarillon.com THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2024
WE HAVE FUNDING AVAILABLE Transitioning Cultivated Land to Perennial Grasses
Rotational Grazing Nitrogen Management Rotational Grazing Nitrogen Management
Livestock Watering Systems Water Storage / Retentions Riparian Fencing Pasture Diversification Livestock Watering Pasture Diversification
Erosion Control Cover Cropping Erosion Control Cover Cropping Shelterbelts
Per Acre Annual Payments Available for the Following Management Practices: Riparian Fencing - Water Retention - Transitioning Cultivated Land to Perennial Grasses - Wetland Fencing - Erosion Control Wetland Fencing - Erosion Control - Shelterbelts
204-326-1030 www.srrwd.ca info@srrwd.ca Contact us with your project idea
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