Mary-Jane leads a dedicated team at MBFI to advance Manitoba’s beef & forage industry through engaging stakeholders, evaluating on-farm innovation, and extension for sustainability of farmers, the public, and the environment. She deeply values the opportunity to collaborate with producers, researchers, education providers, extension specialists, conservation groups, and all stakeholders in field-testing management practices and growing understanding of improved production in Manitoba. Mary-Jane holds a PhD from Purdue University in soil microbial ecology in agricultural systems, is a Professional Agrologist, and Certified Crop Advisor. Her experience in ecology and field agronomy gives her a unique perspective on the challenges facing agriculture today. 

To start off today, Mary-Jane shares some of the things she considers when planning winter feed for MBFI’s cattle herd.  We then discuss some of the alternate winter feeding ideas they have used at MBFI to reduce winter feeding costs and how this might vary year to year based on the growing season.  Knowing how high winter feed costs can be, we chat about ways to reduce feed waste, and which strategies have yielded the most and least “waste.”

Mary-Jane also shares information on feed testing. Beef Cattle Research Council  has an excellent resource page on feed testing practices, you can find the link below.

We also discuss the 2024 silage variety trial and what the preliminary outcomes of this research, as well as what is next to come for this in the 2025 growing season.

For more info on winter feeding strategies and analysis tune in to:

Beef & Forage Roundup Episode #15: Extended Grazing at Brookdale Farm with Shawn Cabak

Beef & Forage Roundup Episode #16: The Cost of Overwintering Cattle & Feed Calculator with Ben Hamm 

Beef & Forage Roundup Episode #18: Bale Placement & Binding with Dr. Mary-Jane Orr 

Links mentioned in this episode:

BCRC Feed Quality, Testing & Analysis: https://www.beefresearch.ca/tools/feed-testing-analysis-for-beef-cattle/

MBFI YouTube Webinar Series: https://www.youtube.com/@MBBeefandForage

CowBytes Information Link: https://www.beefresearch.ca/cowbytes/

MB Ag Extension Contact Information: https://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/crops/crop-management/forages/contacts.html

The research programs and daily operations at MBFI would not be possible without the funding from the Province of Manitoba, Government of Canada, and Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, as well as the partnership with Manitoba Agriculture, Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) and Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC).

We encourage you to follow MBFI on social media, or check out the website for more information on project findings and results, upcoming events and more!

Instagram: @MBBeefandForage

Facebook: @MBBeefandForage

X (Twitter): @MBBeefandForage

Website: www.mbfi.ca 

Email address: [email protected] 

Mary-Jane’s Phone Number: 431-255-0011

Dr. Christy Morrissey is a Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Saskatchewan. Her research focuses on issues related to agricultural pesticides and other chemicals and the use of birds and insects as indicators of ecosystem health. 

Dr. Morrissey has published over 95 highly cited journal articles and book chapters and in 2020 was named to the Royal Society College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. Her work has also been featured broadly in the national and international media and documentaries (CBC, BBC, National Geographic, Nature of Things, and The Messenger film). 

She is currently co-leading the NSERC funded Prairie Precision Sustainability Network Marginal Land Solutions project and the Bridge to Land Water Sky Living Lab to implement Nature-based solutions to improve sustainable agricultural production.

To start off today, Christy shares a bit about her background and her interest in agricultural pesticides and the impact of environmental contaminants on birds and insects.

We chat about her work with the Prairie Precision Sustainability Network and how they are looking at the the environmental and ecological threats to cultivating marginal farm land, and solutions to reducing these through the seeding of marginal areas.

She also talks about the challenges does that cultivation of this land offers to producers/farmers, both ecologically and economically.

If listeners are interested in finding out more or want to become involved in this project, please visit https://www.prairiepsn.ca/.

The research programs and daily operations at MBFI would not be possible without the funding from the Province of Manitoba, Government of Canada, and Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, as well as the partnership with Manitoba Agriculture, Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) and Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC).

We encourage you to follow MBFI on social media, or check out the website for more information on project findings and results, upcoming events and more!

Instagram: @MBBeefandForage

Facebook: @MBBeefandForage

X (Twitter): @MBBeefandForage

Website: www.mbfi.ca 

Email address: [email protected] 

Mary-Jane’s Phone Number: 431-255-0011

Joey Pankiw grew up on a family farm in the Red River Valley. Joey is a graduate from the University of Winnipeg with a B.A. in Geography, and obtained a MSc. in Geography from the University of Regina. He started working with the Seine Rat Roseau Watershed District in 2019 as a Watershed Assistant and also held the ALUS/Grow Coordinator position before becoming District Manager in 2022.

In today’s episode, Joey gives us an overview of what the ALUS Growing Roots program is and what the goals of this program are.  He describes the thought process behind the moto “Farm the best, leave the rest” in relation to the Cultivated Cropland aspect of the project, which aims to improve water quality by reducing nutrient run off, reduce soil erosion, provide carbon sequestration and provide wildlife and pollinator habitat.  Joey also discusses the changes they are seeing in areas where this program has been implemented and what impacts this has to the environment.

Along with the Cultivated Cropland aspect of the program, Joey shares information about the Class 4 and Class 5 Forage/Grazing Land programs, including the annual payment, contract length and amount SRRWD pays towards the establishment cost of these forages.

He wraps up with some information on other programs that are available in this watershed district, including the Preservation Project and The Pasture Riparian Fencing Project.

For more information about the programs available in your watershed, contact your local watershed district today.

To contact Joey 

Seine Rat Roseau Watershed District Website: www.srrwd.ca

Email: [email protected]

Office Phone Number: 204-326-1030

Instagram: @seine_rat_roseau_watershed

Facebook: Seine Rat Roseau Watershed District

X: @SeineRatRoseau

The research programs and daily operations at MBFI would not be possible without the funding from the Province of Manitoba, Government of Canada, and Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, as well as the partnership with Manitoba Agriculture, Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) and Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC).

We encourage you to follow MBFI on social media, or check out the website for more information on project findings and results, upcoming events and more!

Instagram: @MBBeefandForage

Facebook: @MBBeefandForage

X (Twitter): @MBBeefandForage

Website: www.mbfi.ca 

Email address: [email protected] 

Mary-Jane’s Phone Number: 431-255-0011

Justin Girard is the Manitoba Program Manager for Young Agrarians, a peer to peer educational resource network for new, young and aspiring farmers. He is also the team lead for the Young Agrarians Apprenticeship Program, a program that sets up aspiring farmers with their first farm job and provides support to both the apprentices and the seasoned farmer mentors. Justin grew up on a farm, worked on farms, and farmed himself and is excited to help carve out opportunities for the next generation of land stewards.

In this episode, Justin tells us what Young Agrarians is and the missions and goals of this very farmer education focused organization.  He also shares about his role and some tasks within the Manitoba section of YA.

One of these roles has to do with the Apprenticeship Program through YA, and Justin shares how this program works, the number of farms included in the program for 2025 and how farms can be involved. 

Young Agrarians offers an array of courses and conferences.  Today, we are focusing specifically on the “How to Hire Farm Workers Course.”  This program discusses human resources on the farm from creating job ads, to the hiring process, retaining great employees and working together on the farm.  The course also discusses onboarding, skills training, communication and farm culture.

To contact Justin email: [email protected]

Visit Young Agrarians on their social media platforms: @youngagrarians 

Links mentioned in this episode:

To find out more about the course or to sign up, visit: https://youngagrarians.org/shop/e-learning/self-paced/how-to-hire-farm-workers/

Young Agrarians Home Page: https://youngagrarians.org/

The research programs and daily operations at MBFI would not be possible without the funding from the Province of Manitoba, Government of Canada, and Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, as well as the partnership with Manitoba Agriculture, Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) and Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC).

We encourage you to follow MBFI on social media, or check out the website for more information on project findings and results, upcoming events and more!

Instagram: @MBBeefandForage

Facebook: @MBBeefandForage

X (Twitter): @MBBeefandForage

Website: www.mbfi.ca 

Email address: [email protected] 

Mary-Jane’s Phone Number: 431-255-0011

Carson Callum is the General Manager with Manitoba Beef Producers.  Carson joined MBP in 2019, and comes with an extension background in agriculture.  He has a Master’s of Science in Agriculture, specifically related to beef cattle. Carson has worked in many areas of the ag sector, and the beef industry is near and dear to him.  He grew up on a small beef farm south of Miami Manitoba.  He now lives in Winnipeg with his family, which includes his wife Britni, and sons Cohen and Sullivan. Carson admits his favorite role in life is fatherhood, but sure enjoys working on behalf of the beef industry as well.

Today we are chatting about livestock inspection and traceability in Manitoba.  Carson shares what the proposed system looks like in Manitoba and when producers could expect implementation to occur.  He also tells us about the process, cost and what paperwork will be included with this change.

We also chat about the current holes in the traceability and inspection system in Manitoba, and the reasoning behind making this change.  We chat specifically about cattle theft and fraud, and some tips for producers to protect themselves against animal theft. 

If you would like to find out more, this will be a topic at the AGM on Feb. 20 & 21 in Winnipeg.  Register online or call the MBP office if you’d like to attend.

To contact Carson, please email him at [email protected] or call him at the office at: 204-772-4542

Links mentioned in this episode:

Manitoba Beef Producers: https://mbbeef.ca/

Manitoba Beef Producers Newsletter Sign-up: https://mbbeef.ca/news/

RealAg Radio Podcast: https://www.realagriculture.com/podcasts/

MBP Fall District Line Up Information: https://mbbeef.ca/events/district-meetings-manitoba-beef-producers/

MBP Events Page: https://mbbeef.ca/events/

The research programs and daily operations at MBFI would not be possible without the funding from the Province of Manitoba, Government of Canada, and Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, as well as the partnership with Manitoba Agriculture, Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) and Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC).

We encourage you to follow MBFI on social media, or check out the website for more information on project findings and results, upcoming events and more!

Instagram: @MBBeefandForage

Facebook: @MBBeefandForage

X (Twitter): @MBBeefandForage

Website: www.mbfi.ca 

Email address: [email protected] 

Mary-Jane’s Phone Number: 431-255-0011

Brent VanKoughnet M.Sc. P.Ag. is Owner / Manager of Agri Skills Inc. a company that

specializes in agricultural innovation and human resource development services. Agri

Skills provides market development consulting services, custom skills development and training programs, and field scale precision trial services to several major manufacturers and retailers in western Canada and the northern United States. He completed a Masters degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Manitoba in 1992, manages the family farm in Carman and is currently project lead for an ambitious Soil Health Network initiative with Assiniboine College.

This is a quote from the  Weston Family Soil Health Initiative Webpage (2024) “Loss of biodiversity on agricultural lands is occurring at an unprecedented rate due to agricultural intensification and habitat loss. Research shows that Canada’s agricultural lands offer an immediate and large-scale opportunity to mitigate further biodiversity losses, and by promoting and increasing soil organic matter, we can help support more adaptive and resilient agricultural lands.” 

On Feb. 15, 2023, Assiniboine College released a news bulletin that stated, “The Weston Family Soil Health Initiative, which seeks to expand the adoption of ecologically based beneficial management practices (BMPs) that increase soil organic matter to improve biodiversity and resiliency on agricultural lands across Canada, has granted Assiniboine Community College $1,680,827 for a five-year project to enhance soil ecosystems in Western Canadian agriculture.”

This has resulted in a project now known as the Soil Health Network.  In this episode, Brent shares information about the project and how they are using farmer peer groups to determine where the questions are in agriculture and where more research is needed.

He tells us what can be found on the Soil Health Network website (link below), how the SHAPE tool works and the resource bank that is being developed.

We also talk a bit about feeding the growing global population sustainably.

Links mentioned in this episode: www.soilhealthnetwork.ca 

The research programs and daily operations at MBFI would not be possible without the funding from the Province of Manitoba, Government of Canada, and Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, as well as the partnership with Manitoba Agriculture, Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) and Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC).

We encourage you to follow MBFI on social media, or check out the website for more information on project findings and results, upcoming events and more!

Instagram: @MBBeefandForage

Facebook: @MBBeefandForage

X (Twitter): @MBBeefandForage

Website: www.mbfi.ca 

Email address: [email protected] 

Mary-Jane’s Phone Number: 431-255-0011

Kristen Phillips is a mother, agronomist, farmer and she is the General Manager of Manitoba Ag Days.  Her and her husband Garret have 3 beautiful daughters, Leah, Bailey and Jordyn.  They farm ~ 4000 acres in partnership with Kristen's parents Doug and Denise Williamson.  Kristen loves spending time with her girls and you will often find them out scouting fields, playing catch in the front yard or swimming in their pool.  Kristen is the head leader of the Brandon Explorers 4-H Club and a leader in the Poplar Hill 4-H Club as well.  Kristen is passionate about agriculture! Her motto is "You have to Scout to Know!" 

To start off today, Kristen tells us a bit about her background in agriculture and how her position as the General Manager of MB Ag Days has changed over the years.  Along with that, she gives us a bit of history on the Ag Days Show and how it has evolved over the past 48 years.

The 2025 Ag Days show is coming up next week on January 21 - 23rd at the Keystone Centre in Brandon, Manitoba and is Canada’s largest indoor farm show.  Expecting 35,000 - 40,000 attendees, the show sells early bird tickets online which are available until midnight Jan 20th, and at the door for in-person sales.

Along with displays, vendors and a packed speaker line up, attendees can visit the Produced on the Prairies Market, which is new for 2025.

Along with the show, there are many events occurring outside of the “business hours,” as the Ag Days Board and staff realize how much business happens outside of the traditional business hours.  For more information on all that is going on, visit the Ag Days website and follow them on social media.

Or find MB AgDays at: https://www.agdays.com/

Ticket Sales: www.agdays.com/ticket

Facebook: @MbAgDays 

Instagram: @MbAgDays

X (Twitter): @MbAgDays

YouTube: @Manitobaagdays6005

This year at Ag Days, MBFI is hosting the Women in Beef Event with a keynote presentation on Building Positive Public Perception in Beef TogetHER with speaker Amie Peck, Public and Stakeholder Engagement Specialist Canadian Cattle Association.  Email [email protected] for more information or to RSVP today!

The research programs and daily operations at MBFI would not be possible without the funding from the Province of Manitoba, Government of Canada, and Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, as well as the partnership with Manitoba Agriculture, Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) and Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC).

We encourage you to follow MBFI on social media, or check out the website for more information on project findings and results, upcoming events and more!

Instagram: @MBBeefandForage

Facebook: @MBBeefandForage

X (Twitter): @MBBeefandForage

Website: www.mbfi.ca 

Email address: [email protected] 

Mary-Jane’s Phone Number: 431-255-0011

Dallas Mount is the owner of Ranch Management Consultants (RMC), home of the Ranching for Profit School and the Executive Link program. 

Dallas has led RMC since 2019 and worked with thousands of ranchers across North America, Australia and the UK to position their business for economic profit and ecologic health. After working with University of Wyoming Extension for 18 years, Dallas started teaching the Ranching For Profit School in 2012 and quickly established himself as an elite instructor. 

Dallas and his wife Dixie, have two adult children and own and manage a grazing operation near Wheatland, WY. RMC is focused on creating profitable businesses, with healthy land and happy families.

To start off today, Dallas shares about his background in agriculture and about his work and transition to ownership of Ranch Management Consultants.  

We chat about this quote, “This one-week investment with our expert instructors offers exactly what you need to boost profits, improve land health, strengthen business relationships and enhance your overall satisfaction with your operation.”  (Retrieved from the Ranching for Profit School “About” page on the Ranching for Profit website) and a broad overview of what the Ranching For Profit curriculum is and why it works.

Previously, this school was offered in a 7 day format and this year RMC offered a trial of a 5 day format.  We talk about the thinking behind this shift and the benefits of attending a full school rather than just the short workshops that RMC offers to introduce the Ranching for Profit information.

The school focuses on business strategy, economics and finance, people management, and leadership. Gone are the days when a farmer can just be a farmer and now business strategy and skills are essential.  Dallas breaks each of the curriculum topic areas down for us a bit and touches on one or two key ideas behind each.

We also discuss the following quotes from the book, “Healthy Land, Happy Families and Profitable Business” Pratt, D. 2013 “Is your ranch a business, or is it a collection of assets and a bunch of jobs? If you can’t leave, or if things would fall apart if you did…you don’t own a business you own a job.”  “We are hitting the bull’s eye, but we are aiming at the wrong target” and, “The cow/calf business is really the cull cow business.” 

Along with this, we talk about the Executive Link program, which is a program for Ranching for Profit Graduates, as well as other alumni resources that are available.  

If listeners are interested in attending one of the schools, workshops or joining the Executive Link program, you can check out the RMC website at: https://ranchingforprofit.com/

Or find RMC at:

Facebook: Ranching For Profit

Instagram: @ranching4profit

X (Twitter): @Ranching4Profit

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Ranching4Profit

The research programs and daily operations at MBFI would not be possible without the funding from the Province of Manitoba, Government of Canada, and Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, as well as the partnership with Manitoba Agriculture, Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) and Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC).

We encourage you to follow MBFI on social media, or check out the website for more information on project findings and results, upcoming events and more!

Instagram: @MBBeefandForage

Facebook: @MBBeefandForage

X (Twitter): @MBBeefandForage

Website: www.mbfi.ca 

Email address: [email protected] 

Mary-Jane’s Phone Number: 431-255-0011

In today’s episode, Brock Taylor shares his history in agriculture and about his experiences in the cattle industry.  He is the second generation at Taylor Auctions and his oldest son is now involved in the business as well. 

Brock is the Past President of the Livestock Markets Association of Canada and shares a bit about his role with this organization.

Brock gives us a breakdown of what is involved in livestock marketing and the main considerations for a producer over a production year.  He also discusses where he sees the biggest opportunities for an operation to improve profit when developing and carrying out a marketing plan. 

We discuss the optimism that was in the cattle industry early in the 2024 year and how this optimism has remained and maybe even built through the year and looking into 2025.  Along with this, Brick shares his expectations in the cattle markets looking into 2025 and the next 2-3 years.  

We round out the episode with a bit more information on marketing tips and where producers could go to find out more about when and where to market their cattle.

To contact Brock or find out more about Taylor Auctions, please visit https://taylorauctions.ca/ or call the office @ 204-522-3996 or Brock directly @ 204-522-6396.  Taylor Auctions is also on Facebook at Taylor Auctions.

The research programs and daily operations at MBFI would not be possible without the funding from the Province of Manitoba, Government of Canada, and Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, as well as the partnership with Manitoba Agriculture, Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) and Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC).

We encourage you to follow MBFI on social media, or check out the website for more information on project findings and results, upcoming events and more!

Instagram: @MBBeefandForage

Facebook: @MBBeefandForage

X (Twitter): @MBBeefandForage

Website: www.mbfi.ca 

Email address: [email protected] 

Mary-Jane’s Phone Number: 431-255-0011

Trevor Atchison operates Poplarview Stock Farm with his wife Melissa, their two children Reese and Wyatt, his parents Lloyd and Joan Atchison and nephew Tyler Scott. Poplarview Stock Farm was recognized as a Century Farm in 2005. Trevor’s children and nephew are the 5th generation. 

The farm is located just east of Pipestone, MB in sandy soils bordering Plum Lake. The operation utilizes a land base of 9000 acres of deeded and rented land for pasture, hay, and 700-900 annually cropped acres that produce silage feed grains and some cash crops. 

Around 750-800 cows are calved annually in May/June with the calves predominantly sired by Limousin bulls. Calves are weaned and backgrounded with additional purchases of 200-350 calves.  They annually pasture around 500 of these calves as yearlings for this summer.

In today’s episode, Trevor tells us about the large operation that he and his family own and operate here in Manitoba.  He is a regenerative cattle farmer with and intentional focus on soil health and utilizes rotational grazing and extended grazing in his operation.  We discuss how the operation has changed over the years and how it has evolved into the enterprises that are run today.  

Included in their operation is a large calf backgrounding enterprise, which is the focus of most of our conversation.  Trevor shares what his experience has been in backgrounding calves and what he has learned along the way.  We discuss growth implants and how these have worked in their operation.  Trevor also shares how he utilizes feed that is produced on farm in his backgrounding system, and how this changes with the year.

Trevor also shares some of his marketing strategies, economics of backgrounding in his operation, his daily cost of gain and costs, and target profit.  We wrap up with some information about his goals moving forward with the business.

To contact Trevor, call him at 204-522-5542 or email him at [email protected]

Or follow Poplarview Stock Farm on Facebook.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Beef Cattle Research Council Silage Cost of Production Formula: https://www.beefresearch.ca/blog/silage-cost-of-production/

MB Ag Cost of Production Spreadsheets: https://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/farm-management/cost-production/index.html

The research programs and daily operations at MBFI would not be possible without the funding from the Province of Manitoba, Government of Canada, and Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, as well as the partnership with Manitoba Agriculture, Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) and Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC).

We encourage you to follow MBFI on social media, or check out the website for more information on project findings and results, upcoming events and more!

Instagram: @MBBeefandForage

Facebook: @MBBeefandForage

X (Twitter): @MBBeefandForage

Website: www.mbfi.ca 

Email address: [email protected] 

Mary-Jane’s Phone Number: 431-255-0011