Agriculture

Agriculture

SVJETLANA MLINAREVIC THE CARILLON Dairy farmer Stefan Signer stands with one of his cows on his farm near Kleefeld on June 18, 2026. Signer is one producer in the agricultural sector who is worried about the unknown outcomes if a deal can’t be reached regarding the Canada-United States-Mexico deal that is currently being renegotiated.

Manitoba farmers worried about uncertainty of CUSMA negotiations as deadline looms

Svjetlana Mlinarevic 7 minute read Saturday, Jul. 4, 2026

Manitoba farmers are increasingly worried about the uncertainty surrounding whether or not the United States will sign the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, (CUSMA), and what impact America’s decision will have on their businesses.

Right now, CUSMA is shielding a lot of Canadian agricultural producers from U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

“It seems, you know, CUSMA is not that old. When it was signed, the Americans were saying this is the best trade deal ever and it has solved all of the problems. And now, a few short years later, they seem to think that it’s the worst trade deal ever and it needs to be scrapped,” said Kleefeld dairy farmer Stefan Signer.

CUSMA has tripled the value of North American agriculture and agrifood trade between 2005 and 2023, totaling about $400 billion CAD ($285 billion USD), according to the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, which represents agricultural producers and agribusinesses across the nation. Manitoba Dairy Farmers, Manitoba Beef Producers, and Manitoba Pork are members.

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Agriculture

CARILLON ARCHIVES Landmark area farmer Ron Penner expects a new straw-burning furnace will drastically reduce heating costs for his poultry barns.

COLUMN: The Carillon Flashback November 28, 2002 – Straw burner slashes barn heating costs

Wes Keating 5 minute read Preview

COLUMN: The Carillon Flashback November 28, 2002 – Straw burner slashes barn heating costs

Wes Keating 5 minute read Monday, Jun. 22, 2026

The owner of a Landmark-area poultry farm expects a new $150,000 heating system will easily be worth the investment.

Ron Penner of Primrose Farm anticipates the Rama Biomass Gasifier, which uses waste straw as heating fuel, to save $60,000 in heating costs annually.

A three million British Thermal Unit (BTU) per hour heating system developed by Vidir Biomass Inc. of Arborg was unveiled in a grand opening ceremony at the farm.

On hand for the occasion was Industry and Trade Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk, who pointed out the newly developed heating system takes advantage of a readily available resource in the form of waste straw. In the process, it eliminates the straw without the need for farmers to burn it in the field.

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Monday, Jun. 22, 2026

Agriculture

CARILLON ARCHIVES Henry Kehler, Bill Sobering and Bill Giesbrecht use two horse drawn rigs and a light delivery truck to deliver homogenized, pasteurized milk to Steinbach’s 2,100 residents daily.

1946 – 2026 Watching Steinbach Grow: Pasteurized milk delivered daily

Wes Keating 5 minute read Preview

1946 – 2026 Watching Steinbach Grow: Pasteurized milk delivered daily

Wes Keating 5 minute read Wednesday, May. 20, 2026

SEPTEMBER 5, 1952—Every morning, without the benefit of franchise or bylaw, Steinbach Creamery delivers 700 to 800 quarts of fresh milk to Steinbach’s 2,100 citizens. The milk is pasteurized, some is homogenized, and tests from 3.5 to 4.6 percent butterfat. It is produced on 11 of the districts leading dairy farms, all of which are inspected periodically by the Red River Health Unit sanitation inspector.

A dozen years earlier, the town cowherd would take the cows down Main Street, blowing his bugle for all to hear, announcing it was seven o’clock and time to bring the cows to be taken to the community pasture. Practically everyone had their own cow.

But even before the cowherd hung up his horn, and before the common pasture was made into a farm, commercial enterprise was at work.

A.A. Regehr made a sharp bid to take over the milk business, erecting the present Steinbach Creamery building. A 180-foot well was drilled to supply running water to cool the milk and provide water to wash bottles and milk cans. Equipment included bottle washers, cooling vats, and sterilizers. It was quite an ambitious undertaking under the circumstances, and during the first year, deliveries were only 200 quarts per day.

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Wednesday, May. 20, 2026

Agriculture

WES KEATING THE CARILLON Roy Bartel and Joel Friesen both launched their careers with Steinbach Hatchery and Feeds Limited, working part time, while they were still attending high school.

1946 to 2026 Watching Steinbach Grow: Steinbach Hatchery celebrates 90 years

Wes Keating 6 minute read Preview

1946 to 2026 Watching Steinbach Grow: Steinbach Hatchery celebrates 90 years

Wes Keating 6 minute read Monday, May. 4, 2026

There is an old saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going”, but the opposite was true for the feed mill staff in the early days of Steinbach Hatchery. Few men were tough enough to keep going for years on a job that required heaving 100-pound bags of feed onto the back of a farmer’s truck, day-after-day.

But that was then, and now modern equipment to go along with modern technology has made the job much easier than it was when Roy Bartel was a young man, just out of high school.

Actually, Bartel who worked his way up the ranks to become general manager, was working for the company even before he finished high school. And the same holds true for Steinbach Hatchery CEO Joel Friesen, whose father Jake was one of four partners until his death in 2017.

Bartel started working at Maple Grove Farms in August of 1970, when he was living with his grandparents, Peter and Anne Bartel, in Kleefeld. Peter Bartel worked on the Maple Grove farm on Loewen Boulevard and he asked Elvin Reimer whether he had a job for his grandson.

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Monday, May. 4, 2026

Agriculture

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

Svjetlana Mlinarevic 7 minute read Preview

Ile des Chenes farmer, former deputy minister receives award from Manitoba Canola Growers

Svjetlana Mlinarevic 7 minute read Wednesday, Apr. 29, 2026

The Manitoba Canola Growers Association has awarded Dori Gingera-Beauchemin the 2025 Canola Award of Excellence, recognizing 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 producer 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 privilege 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 Gingera-Beauchemin.

The Canola Award of Excellence recognizes individuals and organizations that have made outstanding 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.

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Wednesday, Apr. 29, 2026

Agriculture

TONI DE GUZMAN THE CARILLON Katie McInnes is a first-generation farmer and was originally from Winnipeg.

Programs needed to teach young farmers

Toni De Guzman 4 minute read Preview

Programs needed to teach young farmers

Toni De Guzman 4 minute read Tuesday, Apr. 28, 2026

Many 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 coming up against, and there’s no proper plan to deal with this huge transition 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 agriculture related — until 2013 when they decided to move.

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Tuesday, Apr. 28, 2026

Agriculture

WES KEATING THE CARILLON Paul Overby talks shop with Stanley Soil Association technician Richard Warkentin at Regen Day at Friedensfeld.

Regenerative farming: Overby shares his insight with neighbors to the north

Wes Keating 5 minute read Preview

Regenerative farming: Overby shares his insight with neighbors to the north

Wes Keating 5 minute read Monday, Apr. 27, 2026

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 Watershed District at Friedensfeld Community Centre in February.

Overby told farmers that regenerative farming practices were a way to enrich the soil and improve watersheds, while at the same time, increasing yields and resistance to climate instability.

Paul and his wife Diane operate a leading-edge regenerative agriculture farm, raising a diverse mix of canola, flax, field peas, hard red spring wheat, millet, oats, sunflowers, and soybeans.

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Monday, Apr. 27, 2026

Agriculture

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

Toni De Guzman 4 minute read Preview

National Farmers Union hopes for organization accreditation and ag minister meeting

Toni De Guzman 4 minute read Saturday, Apr. 25, 2026

The National Farmers Union (NFU) is advocating for accreditation 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 accreditation or certification gives a union a right to negotiate terms and conditions of employment, according to the Canada Industrial Relations Board website. The other accredited union is Keystone Agriculture Producers (KAP).

“Many farm voices are being lost when they’re funnelled through one majority organization,” said Kate Storey, a member of the NFU Manitoba, noting that agriculture policies 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 bigger producers and export-focused farmers, which are important, but the niche farms who sell at local farmers markets aren’t represented enough.

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Saturday, Apr. 25, 2026

Agriculture

TONI DE GUZMAN THE CARILLON Jennifer Seward spoke at the National Farmers Union convention on March 21 in Domain.

Research facilities closing raise concerns among MB farmers

Toni De Guzman 5 minute read Preview

Research facilities closing raise concerns among MB farmers

Toni De Guzman 5 minute read Saturday, Apr. 25, 2026

Manitoba farmers and advocates 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 advancements in food sciences.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) announced it would shut down seven research facilities across multiple provinces due to federal government cuts, in January 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 director 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 disease cycles and the yield potential.”

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Saturday, Apr. 25, 2026

Agriculture

CARILLON ARCHIVES Members of one of nine calf clubs parade their calves past the judge around the show ring, while the remaining eight clubs, with calves at halter, await their turn in the spectator area at the Hanover Agricultural Society’s first fair in 1946.

1946 – 2026 Watching Steinbach Grow: Hanover Ag Society sponsors its first fair

Wes Keating 5 minute read Preview

1946 – 2026 Watching Steinbach Grow: Hanover Ag Society sponsors its first fair

Wes Keating 5 minute read Friday, Apr. 24, 2026

SEPTEMBER 26, 1946 - The Hanover Agricultural Society was more than pleased with the success of a September, 1946 attempt at reviving an annual agricultural fair, which had not been organized in the Steinbach area since the Steinbach Board of Trade staged a similar event in 1932.

Two days of incessant rain preceded this first edition of the Hanover Agricultural Society Fair, and by 10 a.m. the grounds on the west outskirts of town still showed very few signs of life.

But suddenly the picture changed, and in a short time the grounds were humming with activity. Calf clubs were starting to come in and Ag Society members were busy pitching a large tent, courtesy of the Winnipeg Kiwanis Club, for use as fair headquarters.

Adding to the good humour of the morning was the sight of a man trying to catch a pig that had broken out of his trailer before he got as far as the fair grounds. An occasional glimpse of the sun also helped to further raise spirits.

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Friday, Apr. 24, 2026

Agriculture

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.

COLUMN: Carillon Flashback December 5, 2013 – Downtown dairy barn is Penfor Construction gem

Wes Keating 8 minute read Preview

COLUMN: Carillon Flashback December 5, 2013 – Downtown dairy barn is Penfor Construction gem

Wes Keating 8 minute read Friday, Apr. 24, 2026

It is not often an agricultural construction 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 general public view your work on a daily basis.

But cows downtown, 100 of them, are being pampered and studied at the new Rayner Research Centre barn, built on the campus of the University of Saskatoon by Penfor, the construction arm of the Blumenort-based Penner Farm Services.

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 because 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, involving all areas of Penfor’s expertise at the same time.

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Friday, Apr. 24, 2026

Agriculture

Southeastern Manitoba farmers face soaring fuel, fertilizer prices caused by Midde East war

Matthew Frank 5 minute read Monday, Mar. 30, 2026

Southeastern Manitoba farmers are facing extra strain ahead of the spring planting season as fertilizer and fuel prices surge due to the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

Randolph-based farmer Kevin Peters is watching the price turmoil closely. He plants rye, canola, wheat, soybeans, corn and sunflowers on his 7,500 acres. Peters locked in pricing for his year-long fertilizer supply in November and considers himself lucky.

“There’s always concern about geopolitical issues.” he told The Carillon. “Whether it has to do with trade or, in this case, fertilizer supply…it can really affect imports and exports for a lot of things.”

The United States and Israeli attacks on Iran began Feb. 28, striking multiple targets throughout the middle eastern nation and killing its Supreme leader Ali Khamenei. Iranian military personnel retaliated, launching missiles and drones at neighbouring nations and vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, which flows between Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Iran, grinding the shipping lane to a halt. The New York Times reported on March 25 at least 17 ships have been struck since the conflict began.

Agriculture

Submitted Gerry Friesen, co-founder and CAO of Manitoba Farmer Wellness Program, said he is excited that the provincial and federal governments have extended financing to the program with funding totalling $300,000 over two years.

Federal and provincial governments fund extension of farmer wellness program

Svjetlana Mlinarevic 7 minute read Preview

Federal and provincial governments fund extension of farmer wellness program

Svjetlana Mlinarevic 7 minute read Saturday, Mar. 28, 2026

The federal and provincial governments have extended their financial support for the Manitoba Farmer Wellness Program by investing $300,000 over two years through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.

The program, which was started in 2022, has seen the numbers of farmers accessing counselling double year after year, according to the program’s chief administrative officer Gerry Friesen.

“We were very excited to hear (about the funding),” said Friesen. “It’s ongoing support from them and obviously what it does is it helps us carry on with the services that we provide to the farming community, particularly farmers, their spouses, partners, kids over the age of 16 and farm employees. So, our numbers have been increasing steadily and so every dollar counts as it were.”

Friesen said there are more mental health issues facing farmers today than in the past as “farming isn’t getting less stressful, put it that way.”

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Saturday, Mar. 28, 2026

Agriculture

SUPPLIED The facility will house seed development work for canola, camelina and winter canola, focusing on trait integration, yield trial seed processing and seed quality analysis.

Bayer to build Winnipeg canola facility

Greg Vandermeulen 4 minute read Preview

Bayer to build Winnipeg canola facility

Greg Vandermeulen 4 minute read Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026

Bayer Crop Science will build a new canola research and development facility in Winnipeg in what is one of their largest investments in Canada to date.

The company announced the $45 million facility at the end of January, saying the new facility will strengthen Canada’s leadership in canola innovation by establishing what they’re calling an “innovation” centre.

The facility will house seed development work for canola, camelina and winter canola, focusing on trait integration, yield trial seed processing and seed quality analysis.

Antoine Bernet, country division head for Crop Science Canada said this long-term investment demonstrates their commitment to canola in Canada.

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Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026

Agriculture

CARILLON ARCHIVES Stony Brook Fur Farm manager William P. Wiebe with his pet silver fox.

COLUMN: Carillon Flashback October 24, 1946 – Fur farms are significant in Southeastern Manitoba

Wes Keating 7 minute read Preview

COLUMN: Carillon Flashback October 24, 1946 – Fur farms are significant in Southeastern Manitoba

Wes Keating 7 minute read Monday, Feb. 23, 2026

When people think of the animals on the farm, dairy and beef cattle, pigs, chickens and sheep come to mind. But there was a time when mink and foxes were just as important to many a farmer in the Southeast. In 1946, William P. Wiebe, who managed a fur farm in Steinbach’s east end, provided The Carillon News with an up-to-date report on the industry at that time.

Fur farming is a highly specialized industry, Wiebe said, and fur farmers get out of it only what they put in.

In southeastern Manitoba, the raising of fur-bearing animals is steadily gaining in importance, and at present it is estimated that approximately $175,000 worth of pelts are sold annually. Then there is also the revenue from breeding stock that is being sold by some of the top-notch fur ranchers. Breeding animals, of course, nets owners many times as much income as the marketing of pelts.

The gestation period for minks is 40 to 73 days, so minks increase on an average of 3½ times a year; foxes don’t do quite as well, but breeding stock outstrips income from fox pelts as well.

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Monday, Feb. 23, 2026

Agriculture

SUPPLIED The 2024 winner from Manitoba was the St Jean Fire Department.

Growing Home program returns

Greg Vandermeulen 4 minute read Preview

Growing Home program returns

Greg Vandermeulen 4 minute read Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026

Communities across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Ontario have an opportunity to access up to $25,000 from a prize pool of $160,000, thanks to BASF Agricultural Solutions and their Growing Home with BASF community program.

Back for its fourth year, the program is designed to empower Canada’s agriculture community to support the organizations that in their words “strengthen the fabric of rural Canada and make a difference in their hometown.”

Last year, thousands of Canadians nominated and voted for local organizations that help rural communities including childcare services, agricultural societies and hospital foundations.

Andrea McConnell, customer solutions for BASF Agricultural Solutions Canada said the program has gained momentum over the last four years.

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Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026

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