Kim Wolfe is a Research and Development Specialist - Ag Resources, with Manitoba Agriculture based in Portage la Prairie. She provides technical support for the Research and Innovation Program in the Department, which involves facilitating proposal reviews and helping researchers connect with industry. She has also spent the last five years working on riparian health and pollinator habitat establishment projects at the Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiatives. Kim sits on the MBFI Research Advisory Committee and the Manitoba Pollinator Working Group.

Based in Indiana, Stephanie Frischie works with the Xerces Society to provide pollinator and beneficial insect habitat expertise in Canada, the U.S. and Latin America for a range of land use types - farms, energy infrastructure, natural areas, and urban green spaces. She also works with the native seed industry and researchers to plan and develop seed supply of important plant species for creating and restoring habitat. Stephanie volunteers as a rare plant monitor with Plants of Concern and is a founding board member of the International Network for Seed-based Restoration.

In this episode, we are exploring two projects that were undertaken at MBFI revolving around increasing pollinator habitats; The Cows and Bees Project and Operation Pollinators.  

Kim and Stephanie share a wealth of information on why we are seeing a decline in pollinating insects in the Prairie Region and why pollinators are so important, not only in agriculture, but in ecosystems as a whole.  They also discuss each of the projects in detail, along with the project findings. 

During our conversation, we discuss how this is relevant to farmers and what implications increasing pollinator habitats could have for the land and crops they farm.  We wrap up this conversation by discussing some ways to use pollinator plots or strips, the timing to plant them and the maintenance they require.

For more information, you can contact Kim or Stephanie at their email addresses below:

Kim Wolfe: [email protected]  

Stephanie Frischie: [email protected]

In this episode, Stephanie also mentions a great resource for you to read.  If you would like to learn more, you can view, “Rangeland Management and Pollinators: A Guide for Producers in the Great Plains” (U.S. focused, but applicable to Manitoba) at the link below:

 https://xerces.org/sites/default/files/publications/20-001.pdf

Each of these projects link to snap shots and a full report on the project and its outcomes, which is located on the MBFI Website or can be accessed by following the direct project links for the final reports below:

Operation Pollinator Project: www.mbfi.ca/pollinator-habitat

Cows & Bees Project: www.mbfi.ca/cows-bees

A very important thank you goes to Mae Elsinger (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada) for her advisory role in the Cows & Bees Project. 

MBFI would also like to thank project funders and supporters for these projects; Syngenta Seeds and Xerces Society. 

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

For information on upcoming events, visit www.mbfi.ca.