NDP leader Wab Kinew is the incoming premier of Manitoba, taking over from Heather Stephenson and the Progressive Conservatives after the recent election. At press time, Kinew was still the premier-elect and had yet to announce his cabinet. However, the NDP’s ag critic, Diljeet Brar, was re-elected. Brar has ag extension experience with the Manitoba government and worked as an assistant professor at India’s Punjab Agricultural University and a field crop research assistant with Ag Quest. Derek Johnson, Torie ag minister since 2022, also held his seat. Johnson represents the Interlake-Gimli riding.
The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef recently held its AGM in Toronto, Ont. Andrea Stroeve-Sawa (National Cattle Feeders Association), Clay Holmes (Intercity Packers) and Tom Lynch-Staunton (Nature Conservancy of Canada) were all re-elected to two-year terms. Holmes was also elected to serve as vice-chair for one year. Stephen Clark (Chop Steakhouse and Bar) was re-elected for a one-year term. Hope Bentley (McDonalds Canada) and Tim Hardman (Fulton Market Group) were elected to two-year terms. Sam Wildman (World Wildlife Fund U.S.) was elected to a one-year term. The council also appointed the following as non-voting government liaisons: Karen Clark (Agriculture and Agri- Food Canada), Fonda Froats (Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture) and Jamie White (Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation). Saskatchewan rancher Ryan Beierbach remains chair. For a complete listing of council members, visit crsb.ca/about/council.
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Congratulations to John Dunn of Alliston, Ont., who won the Ritchie Bros. Auctioneer Challenge at the International Plowing Match and Rural Expo in Dufferin County, Ont., in September. It was Dunn’s first time entering the competition, but his energetic delivery caught the attention of judges. Judges evaluate contestants on clarity of speech, rhythm, dress code, accuracy of information relayed to the clerk and how well contestants catch the bidders’ eyes.
Congratulations to Kylie Cumming, a secondary school teacher from Riverdale Collegiate Institute in Toronto, Ont., for receiving AgScape’s Teaching Excellence in Agriculture and Food Education Award. The award, sponsored by Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, recognizes a teacher for integrating agriculture and food topics into the curriculum and empowering youth to become food-literate citizens. The winner receives a $1,500 cash award and a certificate recognizing their meaningful contribution to agriculture and food education in the classroom. Cumming, who grew up on a dairy farm, teaches history, careers, civics, French and geography. She uses AgScape’s programs and resources and incorporates ag-related class activities to give her students, many from marginalized communities, a better understanding of Ontario’s ag and food system, and careers within the industry.
JPM Farms of Parkbeg, Sask., received the 2023 Commitment to Excellence Award from Certified Angus Beef during their annual conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, this past September. Jean-Paul and Marlene Monvoisin, son Colton and daughter Josee Monvoisin-Garner, operate the seedstock Angus ranch, located in the Missouri Coteau. The family has a longtime partnership with Ducks Unlimited Canada, which is great news for the wildlife that relies on the pothole wetlands that dot their pastures in wet years. They also work hard to manage their native pastures in an arid to semi-arid climate, susceptible to sud- den declines in grass and water quality. To offset that risk, they worked with the Farm and Ranch Water Infrastructure Program to install a pipeline to carry water to remote pastures with conservation easements. This allows them to use land that would otherwise be difficult to graze and to distribute their grazing. Congratulations to the entire Monvoisin family!
Hannah Stamp of Vauxhall, Alta., and Sarah MacDonald of Vanderhoof, B.C., have been named the Outstanding Young Farmers Memorial Scholarship winners for 2023, each receiving $1,000 to support her post-secondary ag education. MacDonald, a Canadian Junior Angus director, plans to complete her bachelor of science in agribusiness at the University of Saskatchewan before pursuing a master’s in public policy. She feels it’s crucial to have people in policy and government with a working knowledge of agriculture. Stamp is pursuing a diploma in agriculture at Lethbridge College, and plans to embrace technology and share her knowledge with others. Canadian Cattlemen congratulates both Stamp and MacDonald, and wishes them all the best in their studies.
After several years of service to the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association, Holly Jackson has taken a position as a government-to-government co-ordinator for a First Nation community. Jackson once worked as a summer student for the association, and from 2012-2023, worked as the communications manager and editor of Beef in B.C. magazine. During that time, she worked with six association presidents and several committee chairs and shepherded 58 magazines to publication. Assistant general manager Elaine Stovin has stepped in as magazine editor for the fall issue.
Congratulations to the folks at Douglas Lake Cattle Co. in B.C., recipients of the Beef Improvement Federation’s (BIF) Commercial Producer of the Year award, presented this past July. Douglas Lake was nominated by the Canadian Beef Breeds Council. Douglas Lake runs 13,000 cattle, comprising Angus with Hereford influence, and a Charolais terminal cross. Replacement heifers are selected from the herd. The company backgrounds about 1,300 steers, and sells them as yearlings, and the rest of the calves are sold in the fall. Douglas Lake produces all the feed on the ranch, on 9,000 acres of irrigated land. The ranch employs about 120 people full-time, and provides housing for employees and their families. They also run a tourism business focusing on RV camping, trout fishing, plus a hotel and resort.
