He and his partners were pleased enough that they’ve been active participants ever since. In fact, they’ve got trials involving wheat, soybean and canola going this year alone.

“We got started by working with a split nitrogen application in corn,” he said. “Based on that research we stopped split applications of nitrogen in our corn and we’ve also reduced our corn seeding rate.”

The first test plots set up on Beaver Creek Farm showed that the results for the split application in corn was not consistent enough to continue. Other work showed corn yields could be sustained with a lower seeding rate. Beaver Creek Farms changed some of their practices and are now spending less time and money while maintaining good yields thanks to what they’ve learned through on farm research.

“What appealed to us about working with the On Farm Research Network was that we were seeing data-driven research that was unbiased and we were able to see it on our own farm,” he said. “That was very exciting for us because we have a lot to learn and we want to grow as farmers.”

The On Farm Research Network program is offered by Manitoba’s three major grower organizations, the Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA), the Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers (MPSG) and, more recently, the Manitoba Canola Growers Association (MCGA).

“It really brings small-plot research to the field scale and that’s what we’re trying to do,” Andrew Hector, an agronomist with the MCA, said. “Small plot research trials are a metre-by-metre type of thing but research on the farm brings that to this large scale.”

WATCH: Evaluating on-farm research

We’re all familiar the the first stage of science-based agricultural research. A problem is identified, a possible solution is proposed and a small plot is set up to see if it works. It follows the scientific method — hypothesis, experiment, results, analysis and conclusion.

This academic phase may tell you how a crop treatment will work under very tightly controlled conditions — but it doesn’t tell you much more than that. The next phase is to try it in a larger plot to see if it works under the more variable conditions you get in a real farm field.

“The farmer directors of MPSG were seeking a source of information that was a bit more practical and applicable to the farm,” MPSG executive director Daryl Domitruk said. “The work done at research stations and universities is undeniably important but it is, as we say, upstream, a bit less applicable to farmers. The idea was that we could engage with farmers and entice them to to set up a valid scientific study on their farm.”

“Since 2016, Manitoba Crop Alliance has had about 400 trials with a number of different protocols for all our crop types,” Hector said. “I’m guessing Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers has had more than that and the Manitoba Canola Growers are catching up. So, for commodity organizations, it’s a way to invest on small research, but also bringing it to the field scale for farmer-members.”

So how does the process work? As with any scientific study it starts with the problem. Who better to identify that than farmers?

“We start by developing farmer-focused research questions by meeting farmers at events, field days, at winter extension events, or through agronomists,” Hector said. “The research question determines what data we try to collect.”

Hosting a trial shows farmers how well certain products and practices will work on their land. The test is conducted under the supervision of an agronomist using the formal scientific method. Three randomized test plots up to 1,000 feet long and one combine header wide are surveyed. Seeding and harvest is done with the farmer’s equipment. The field research is done by the agronomist at no cost to the hosting farmer. The samples are gathered, the numbers are crunched.

“Then at the end of the season, you get really nice report, coupled with the yield data, aerial imagery, and economic analysis, all of which can really help guide your management decisions,” Chris Forsythe, MPSG production agronomist, said. “It’s personalized and customized for your trial on your farm.”

It gets even better. Data generated in all trials are summarized in a province-wide report that anyone can find and download.

“The On Farm Network book that they compile every year is in a format where you can flip it open and have a look when you’re sitting at the breakfast table,” Wendy McDonald, MPSG agronomist, said. “The whole point is that someone like me is able to take on that research and boil it down to ‘farmer speak’ in ways that you can actually use on your farm.”

Publishing the summary data makes it possible for other farmers to use it too. Farms have become huge data generators and that can be beneficial for all Manitoba farmers. That’s more information that more farmers can share. That means better practice and better profit margins.

“That’s why the on farm research is super critical.” McDonald said. “I love that it’s farmer’s fields with farmer’s equipment. I’m married to a farmer so, at our kitchen table, we talk a lot about what we can change? What can we do better? Every decision comes with that price tag.”

Farmers interested in participating in the On Farm Research Network may get in touch with the Manitoba Crop Alliance, the Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers or the Manitoba Canola Growers Association.

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It could be a winter vista of snowy landscapes under a brilliant blue January sky.

Or it could be the agricultural abundance that the region shares with the world.

Or the innovative farm equipment that manufacturers in the region supply to farmers at home and far afield.

It might even be Manitoba Ag Days, Canada’s largest indoor farm show, which opens its doors for the 48th annual event Jan. 21-23, 2025.

This year, the theme of the event is a reprise of last year’s theme – produced on the Prairies. There’s a good reason for that.

“We decided to keep the theme because it was so well received and we have so many great Prairie products and innovations,” said Teresa Hildebrand, Ag Days media co-ordinator. “We wanted to give our exhibitors another chance to highlight what they’ve produced on the Prairies.”

Winter on the farm is a time for thought, a time for contemplating last year’s crop and getting ready for next year’s growing season. It’s also time for some fun – hockey, curling and time for socializing. It’s time for getting together, trading ideas and sharing experience.

January is also the time to take that turn off the highway and head into the Assiniboine Valley where the the river now meanders slowly under a layer of ice. It’s time to head to the city of Brandon, down 18th Street to the Keystone Centre where you can see this year’s Manitoba Ag Days spectacle. Twelve acres of farm show with over 550 exhibitors, 60 or more speakers and 34 examples of farm innovation.

Kick off

Although the official dates for Ag Days are Jan. 21-23, the first event on the roster is a craft beer tasting on Monday evening, January 20, at the Dome Building from 7 to 11 pm. It’s an opportunity to try samples of Manitoba’s up and coming craft brewing scene.

“The whole show will have the theme of Produced on the Prairies so you will see it on the Monday night event and on the Tuesday breakfast,” Hildebrand said. “The breakfast is returning again this year with Co-op as our sponsor and local businesses doing the food preparation.”

Breakfast will also be served in the Dome Building with proceeds going to Ag in the Classroom, an organization founded to bring the concepts of what farmers produce and how they do it into the province’s classrooms.

“And that’s talent, another thing we produce on the Prairies,” Hildebrand said. “So we want to talk about that too. We produce products and equipment and we often think of those things first but we also produce innovations and talent.”

There’s a new installation at this year’s show, a pavilion to showcase different Prairie products. It will run for all three days, with rotating displays exhibiting different Prairie products.

“The pavilion will be local food products, ready to consume,” Hildebrand said. “And along with that we’ll have some of the ingredients that we produce as well, locally milled flour, or butter. We have opened our minds a bit to what else we can do with local ingredients, how can we incorporate them with other local products or how might we bring them to market in different ways. That’s what we’re really trying to showcase with both the Monday night tasting event and the pavilion with the various vendors.”

Packed program

This year there’s a field of over 60 speakers for the different seminars and panels on topics ranging from agronomy through geopolitics and on to comedy. There are six keynote speakers lined up.

“Brian Hefty, a farmer and agronomist from South Dakota, is going to be talking about how we can maximize our yields,” Hildebrand said. “We talk a lot about things we can’t control as farmers. Instead let’s focus on the things we can control. What are the things that are within our control and how do we make decisions around those things.”

Attendees will also hear from Oil World’s David Mielke, speaking on the markets for oils, how those markets interact, and what impact that has on Canadian canola as well as soybeans and sunflowers.

Kristjan Hebert, of Moosomin, Saskatchewans’s Hebert Grain Ventures, will talk about running your farm as a business and how a farmer is really the CEO.

Patti Durand of Brightrack Consulting will talk about farm transitions and how your transition plan is proceeding, whether you’re taking part in it or just letting it happen.

“And then we have Jacob Shapiro and he’s our geopolitical speaker this year,” Hildebrand said. “He’s going to challenge our thinking about geopolitics.”

Shapiro describes himself as an “apolitical political speaker” and he works with an investment organization known as Bespoke, and speaks regularly on geopolitics for diverse audiences.

And then there’s farmer, youtuber and comedian Quick Dick McDick of Tuffnell, Saskatchewan with his his farmer’s perspective on where Canada fits in agriculture, trade, and a global economy, with a fair dash of humour.

Innovation recognized

The Ag Days Innovation Showcase is on again and it’s bigger than ever. There’s still seven catagories, but there are 34 entrants, two more than last year, a reflection of the quality of the prospective entrants.

“This year we could not make a decision to cap it off at 32 so it’s at 34,” Hildebrand said. “So that’s a great problem to have.”

The entrants are slotted into the usual categories: ag tech, agribusiness, agricultural equipment, agronomics, animals and livestock, farm built solutions and farm safety. They range from business apps to stone mapping systems through to farm robots for seeding and weeding.

“There’s numerous entrants in each of the seven categories and they are all posted on our website now,” Hildebrand said. “They’re posted by category and each one has a page with the details.”

Giving back

Some of the proceeds for things like the breakfast are for Ag Days Gives Back, the charity that delivers grants to different organizations or individuals whose applications are approved by the jury. The first category are the community grants.

“The community grants are not specific to a particular sector but open to all non profit organizations,” Hildebrand said. “Priority is given to organizations that have not received funds in the last three years.”

There are also $2,000 scholarships available to applicants gaining education in any program that may be employed later by agriculture. This runs the gamut from the universities and community colleges to trade programs, such as acquiring a class one licence.

“There will be three of those given away, and they are open to any high school graduate or someone in post secondary studies for any training that is related to agriculture,” Hildebrand said.

“We wanted to make sure it was inclusive and that we’re acknowledging all kinds of careers that contribute to agriculture. And then we support Ag in the Classroom Manitoba through the Education and Leadership for post secondary and the K through 12.”

For more show coverage, previews and more, check out out Manitoba Ag Days landing page here.

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You may notice a sticker or sign on a rural daycare, or you may know a young worker in the agricultural sector who received financial help in acquiring education and training in any facet of the industry. These are some of the lasting benefits of the program.

“It makes you feel good when you can give back to a community and Ag Days Gives Back strives to support the communities where our exhibitors and patrons live,” Hannah Minshull, an Ag Days board member, said. “As of April 30th of 2024 the Ag Days Gives Back program has distributed $465,000 in grants so it’s an incredible initiative.”

In 2024 alone, $51,000 was given, according to the show’s website.

These grants are made possible through the sales of 50/50 tickets at the show. They can be purchased from one of the mobile sellers or there are a couple of selling stations as well.

“Half of the funds go to the recipient of the 50/50 and the other half of the pot goes to the Gives Back program,” Minshull said. “All of the funds we raise through the Ag Days 50/50 goes toward supporting the K-12 ag education through Ag In The Classroom, the post secondary education scholarship grants and then community organizations throughout Manitoba.”

The first grants came out in 2013, just a little over 20 years ago. Many of them are directly tied to facilities and institutions that affect rural quality of life. In rural communities, hubs like skating and curling rinks are important community places, as are fair grounds, and other athletic facilities. These things always require some upgrading.

In some years the grants were awarded to something specifically related to the year’s theme. For Ag Days 2022 the theme was health and wellbeing, so the awards were given to rural fire departments, many of them staffed by volunteers, to upgrade equipment or training.

“We have been specific in some years, depending on what our theme was and and where we would like to dial in our support,” Minshull said. But this year it is open to all non-profit organizations in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, like community clubs, community rinks and daycares.

Any rural community is invited to apply and may do so through the Ag Days website at agdays.com/community-giving-program. The grant may be used for a wide variety of different things such as upgrades to infrastructure, supplies and equipment. There really are no limitations. One of the local agricultural producers must endorse the project targeted by the application and the project cannot exceed $50,000.

“So wherever the community need is, that’s where we wanted to be helpful so it’s open to any non-profit,” said Teresa Hildebrand, Ag Days media co-ordinator. “Priority would be given to organizations that have not received funds in the last three years.”

All applicants are asked to specify in what quadrant of the province their community is located. This could be in the south west, north west, south east or north east sections of Manitoba. Even some of the border towns in eastern Saskatchewan are invited to apply.

“That we can make sure that we have representation from all quadrants of the province as we distribute those funds,” Hildebrand said.

There are two other types of grants given out by Ag Days Gives Back. The first are scholarships given to deserving students at many different levels for training or study relating to agriculture.

“The scholarships are $2,000, there will be three of those given away,” Hildebrand said. “They are open to any high school graduate or senior or anyone who is in post-secondary studies for any training that is related to agriculture.”

Originally these three grants were for students at Assiniboine College or the University of Manitoba. One scholarship would go towards a diploma from Assiniboine College, one for an agriculture diploma student and the other for a degree student studying at the University of Manitoba. The qualifications have been updated to include any form of study from any institution that qualifies people in any industry related to or servicing agriculture.

“We wanted to make sure that that was inclusive and so we’re acknowledging that there are all kinds of careers that contribute to agriculture,” Hildebrand said. “We wanted to make sure that all of those folks have a chance to apply too.”

That means there is potential financial help for someone getting a class one driver’s licence, if it’s related to agriculture, for example. Any students who may be interested may also apply next year on the Ag Days website. Applications for this year closed in the beginning of November.

“And then we support Ag in the Classroom Manitoba through the Education and Leadership grant as well,” Hildebrand said. “It’s for post secondary and the K through 12.”

This grant amounts to $10,000 annually and is usually given to Ag in the Classroom for their work in showcasing agriculture in all K-12 schools throughout the province.

Winners will be announced at this year’s Ag Days. Winners from 2024 may be seen here.

For more coverage and previews of this year’s show, check out our Manitoba Ag Days landing page here.

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Dwayne Leslie, a Poplar Point-area farmer and chair of the Innovation Showcase committee, says he’s always impressed by the ingenuity, creativity and overall spirit of innovation that permeates the awards. Inventions spring from farm shops and from product development departments at established companies.

“We see a lot of innovations that come from the big companies but it’s also the farm-built solutions that can be just as interesting. When farmers have a problem, they often come up with their own solution. Farmers are natural engineers and designers because they have to be. And this is where a lot of these ideas come from.”

This year, innovations range from a unique spray nozzle design to a cutting edge combine from a major manufacturer. With this variety of products in the running, the committee must determine which ones deserves awards in seven categories.

“It’s always interesting to see what these companies come up with and we certainly have some unique entries,” Leslie said. “The committee divides the list of entries into their different categories. Some people are livestock farmers so they can look at the livestock categories and give them a proper review.”

No matter how big or small, any new technology is best judged by one basic criterion.

“We want to make sure it’s new to the Manitoba market, new to Ag Days and not just another product that’s been redone, rehashed, rebuilt or reimagined,” he said. “We want something that’s truly new and I want to know that it’s fixing a problem.”

The committee reviews the entries and selects the ones that members find most intriguing. The next step is interviewing each innovator about the product.

“We schedule a phone call with each of the selected innovators and spend half an hour to learn about their product, learn about their process, why it’s innovative,” Leslie said.

“Then comes the part I really enjoy — visiting the companies and learning about their new products. I’m especially interested in why they are launching them.”

This is the sixth year for the Innovation Showcase. In the past it was called the Inventor’s Showcase, at which a roster of 14 inventors competed for two prizes. It’s a bigger deal now, with 34 contestants competing for first and second prizes in one of seven categories.

Winners are awarded with a commemorative floor mat that they may display in their booth space and in their business space back home. First place also receives a $1,000 voucher for advertising space with Glacier FarmMedia, the parent company of many of Western Canada’s farm media, including the Manitoba Co-operator. Second place wins a $500 voucher.

Anyone entering the Innovation Showcase is housed in Barn 4 if possible, particularly if it’s a first-time entrant.

Solves problems

Leslie said new technology should have one major selling point: it fills a need. An important aspect for him, when evaluating entries, is whether he would buy it himself.

One of the innovations he singled out is the Pipe Drain, from 240 Fabricating. It’s a simple piece of technology consisting of a number of drain troughs emptying into a reservoir. The troughs rest against an idler on a track machine so lubricant can be drained from several areas at once.

“That is a great farm-built solution because it was originally made for Case Quad Tracks,” he said. “I know with my own Quad Track, when we go to change the oil in all of those idlers, there was always a mess — so if it cures a problem that you know about yourself, it goes a long way.”

The Farm Droid Seeder and Weeder is a radical piece of robotic technology. A solar-powered seeder slowly moves over the field, placing seeds according to its locational software. While it does that, it removes any plant that’s not in a “seed position.” It’s completely autonomous.

“We certainly get some products that are at the cusp of being launched,” Leslie said. “With technology moving so fast these days, what was in show last year can be completely different to what’s in the show this year, so things like the robotic seeder is from a company that’s making such big steps every year.”

Other entries of interest include:

Sairs Stone Sight

This is a farm-built artificial intelligence solution for stone mapping. An imaging system is affixed to the back of an implement (often a drill tank). Image data is uploaded to the cloud for processing. A navigable stone map is returned to the stone picker.

Area: Barn 4

Booth: 1830

www.sairs.ca

Mylivestock.ca

This is a Canada-wide movement management and reporting app. It can manage digital manifests, opt-in CCIA and PigTRACE automated reporting, humane transport records, transfer of care management, manifests, and real-time notifications of livestock movement for livestock identification and traceability federal regulations.

Area: Barn 4

Booth: 1819

mylivestock.ca

DRYit Radial Flow

This air distribution system installs inside hopper bottom grain bins to evenly distribute airflow, allowing for efficient grain drying and aeration.

Area: Barn 4

Booth: 1824

www.wavcor.ca

Verve Seeds Solutions Inc.

Hybrid Hemp Variety

Hemp is poised to become a significant crop for producers in Western Canada, with strong demand for hemp protein, omega oil and fibre. The main limitation of the crop is yield and development of hybrids addresses this.

Area: Westoba Place Concourse

Booth: 1125

verveseeds.com

Antara Insights 2.0

Antara Agronomy Services Ltd.

Insights 2.0 is the next evolution of Antara’s award-winning agronomy benchmarking service. New features such as field specific weather, input cost analysis and planter report cards give additional insights that help turn data into decisions.

Area: Barn 4

Booth: 1839

www.antaraag.ca

AgVision

AgVision HD

The evolution of implement cameras comes with new, true HD, vision systems from AgVision. These are the first wired IP digital implement camera systems that offer unparalleled clarity and scalability with a 1080P, 10.1 inch, touchscreen monitor.

Area: City Square Exhibition Hall

Booth: 466

www.agvisioncameras.ca

Razor’s Edge Concaves

These concaves feature unique variable spacing that tightens where the crop hits and opens to prevent overload. This boosts threshing efficiency, ensures even material flow, and allows versatile multi-crop performance without cover plates

Area: Barn 4

Booth: 1832

thunderstruckag.com

For more farm show content, including previews, show coverage and more, check out our Manitoba Ag Days landing page.

Innovation Showcase categories

Agronomics

Awarded to the company that has developed a new technology that improves crop production including innovation in genetics, pesticide application (non-mechanical), and the process of producing a crop.

Animal and Livestock

Awarded to the company that has a new technology that assists in the health and well-being of livestock animals.

Agriculture Equipment

Awarded to the company that has developed a new equipment concept or technology that assists farmers and agriculture professionals with farming application.

Agribusiness

Awarded to the company that has developed a new technology that assists farmers and agriculture professionals with the management of their farm business and clients. New companies are also eligible in this category as a launching pad to highlight their business model.

Ag Tech

Awarded to the company that has developed a new concept or technology that assists farmers and agriculture professionals with farming applications.

Farm Safety

Awarded to the company that has developed a new product that assists farmers and agriculture professionals with safety being of the utmost importance.

Farm Built Solutions

Awarded to the exhibitor that has developed a concept or technology that assists farmers and agriculture professionals with farming applications. Ag Days looks for grassroot inventions in this category. It’s for those who tinker in their shop, garage or yard and have created something useful and progressive.

SOURCE: AG DAYS

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It’s a chance to make good use of a little downtime for both education, entertainment and socializing, according to program chair Hannah Minshull.

“It’s really a unique opportunity to have everything under one roof, to allow everybody to access it at the same time,” she said. “With the promotion of all the newest technology and innovation, as well as the speakers talking about timely topics that are impacting all the patrons in the facility.”

In keeping with this year’s extension of last year’s theme Produced On The Prairies, the first item on the program is a craft beer tasting in the Dome Building, the old exhibition hall in behind the Keystone Centre. It’s actually kicking things off Monday night, on the eve of the show opening Tuesday morning.

“That will be highlighting some local breweries, craft beers, business owners, and some different food products produced on the Prairies,” Minshull said. “It’s a great way to highlight and promote some of our “Produced On The Prairies” businesses and products. And it was such an overwhelming success last year.”

Expanding on the theme, Ag Days will feature the first ever FCC Pavilion, a Produced on the Prairies market featuring a rotating series of locally produced products over the three days. You’ll find it at the top of the ramp in the Pioneer Lounge.

Tuesday morning things really get started with the annual kickoff breakfast, sponsored by Co-op. The annual event is a great place to meet and greet while lining up the day’s schedule. It’s also slated for the Dome Building, running from 7:30 to 8:45.

Back in the Keystone Centre, there are more than 60 speakers from which to choose in any of the venues available from the smaller seminar rooms to the two major theatres, the MNP Theatre or the FCC Theatre.

“Similar to previous years we’ll have a strong focus on agronomy, emerging technology, livestock, marketing and those kinds of things,” Minshull said.” And we have some six keynote speakers throughout the three days.”

The keynotes include:

Brian Hefty – Pushing the Limits, More Bushels Per Acre

10:30 am Wednesday, January 22 – FCC Theatre

Hefty is a farmer and agronomist from Baltic, South Dakota. He is also the CEO of Hefty Seed Company, the eighth-largest seed and crop protection retailer in the U.S. Since 1998 he and his brother Darren have co-hosted Ag PhD TV, the most-watched agronomy television show in the U.S. The brothers also host the daily Ag PhD Radio Show.

David Mielke – Price Outlook for Oils & Fats and Implications for Canadian Canola

11:15 am Tuesday, January 21 – FCC Theatre

An analyst with Oil World, Mielke will be talking about what he sees unfolding in the global oilseed markets and what that means for prices on Canadian canola. He says diminishing crushings of rapeseed, canola, and sunflowers is expected this season, raising the world’s dependance on soybeans. This will require a further appreciation of the oil share of the combined product value, which is good news for a high oil-yielding oilseed such as canola.

Jacob Shapiro – Geopolitics: What Lies Ahead

2:00 pm Thursday, January 23 – FCC Theatre

Jacob Shapiro is an adviser and researcher covering geopolitics, economics, and markets. He is head of geopolitics and macro research at Bespoke, a multi-family office serving entrepreneurs and families worldwide. He is also a partner at Cognitive Investments, which targets opportunities at the intersection of geopolitical change and technological innovation. Jacob hosts “The Jacob Shapiro Podcast”, which features interviews with subject matter experts in geopolitics, technology, agriculture, and other fields.

Kristjan Hebert – Farming Roots to Corporate Suits, The Rise of the Farm CEO

3:00 pm Thursday, January 23 – FCC Theatre

Kristjan Hebert is president and CEO of The Hebert Group and Managing Partner of Hebert Grain Ventures (HGV), a 40,000 acre grain and oilseed operation in southeast Saskatchewan. He is also the co-founder of Maverick Ag Consulting which provides custom-designed lending, accounting and insurance solutions to producers and Farmer Coach, a business management coaching program for farmers. He is also the host of the popular podcast, The Truth About Ag. Hebert obtained his CPA designation before returning to the family farm in 2008.

Patti Durand – Farm Transition Start Where You Are

11:00 am Wednesday, January 22 – MNP Theatre

Patti Durand, based in Humboldt, Sask., is a strategic action planner, speaker and author at Brightrack Consulting. She’s advised clients in the agricultural and small business sectors within finance and industry. Born and raised in Teulonatti holds a BSc – Agriculture from the University of Manitoba and is a certified Family Enterprise Advisor and Professional Agrologist. She has guided hundreds of Canadian farm business families to navigate the paths of transition decision making.

Quick Dick McDick – Agriculture: A Bearded Perspective

3:30 pm Tuesday, January 21 – MNP Theatre

After growing up as a cowboy on a PFRA community pasture, life took this speaker from eastern Saskatchewan to a “temporary winter oilfield job” in Alberta that wound up turning into a 20-year career in the oil and gas sector. After working throughout Western Canada from the plains of southern Saskatchewan to the Rockies to the frozen tundra of the Arctic, Dickson Delorme moved home to Tuffnell, Sask. in the fall of 2019 and accidentally created a social media character named Quick Dick McDick. Now when he’s not planting crops, haying or pulling calves he can be found on the internet, in small town halls or in theatres doing his best to make folks laugh at this crazy world we live in.

It should be noted that Quick Dick McDick reflects on the universe with a colourful series of words that may be unfamiliar to a constituency that makes a living under severe time constraints with complex heavy machinery while at the mercy of the vagaries of the weather and the markets.

Full program

Along with that is three days of other informative talks featuring a wide variety of agricultural experts on wide array of subjects. Or, if you like, you can stroll through the exhibitors’ booths and get the low down on some of the latest technology.

“One of my favourite moments from last year’s show was when I was walking through the facility and, looking up, I was seeing two little kids sitting up in the cab of the tractor,” Minshull said. “And honestly you could hardly see past the grins on their faces. The were just in awe of what they were seeing and experiencing and what the exhibitors were bringing to the patrons.”

All program information may be found on the Ag Days website at www.agdays.com.

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With more than 30,000 attendees expected, well over 500 exhibitors, and a packed program of presenters and activities, there’s a lot to see and do so making the most of your time at Manitoba Ag Days will require forward planning.

Here’s some information to help make your visit more productive.

1) Where and when is Ag Days?

Manitoba Ag Days, Canada’s largest indoor farm show, is at the Keystone Centre in Brandon. It runs Jan. 21- 23, 2025, and doors are open from 9 a,m. to 5 p.m. daily.

The Keystone Centre is at 1175 18th Street (a continuation of Highway 10, the John Bracken Highway) between Park and Richmond avenues.

2) Where can I park?

The Keystone Centre has a large lot with free parking. There’s also a shuttle service, sponsored by Mazergroup & Murray Chev Olds Cadillac, Buick, GMC, that will take you to any one of five entrances. Since the show is indoors, you can leave your outdoor clothes in the car or take advantage of the complimentary coat check.

3) Where can I get tickets?

Tickets may be purchased online or in person at the historic Dome Building on the west side of the parking lot behind the Keystone Centre. That structure is one of the last remnants of the 1913 Dominion Exhibition, a historic event held on what later became the grounds of the Keystone Centre. Tickets will be scanned at admission and can be presented as a mobile ticket on a phone or tablet or carried as a paper version.

4) What is the cost of admission?

Admission is $20 per day or $40 for a three-day pass. You can save a few dollars by planning ahead, because early bird tickets are available for $15 per day until a day before the show. The admission fee helps offset the costs of mounting a show of this size and helps support Manitoba Ag Days community programs such as Ag Days Gives Back.

5) What can I eat there?

There are several food vendors throughout Keystone Centre, serving sandwiches or burgers, baked goods, coffee and donuts, pirogies and pizza, just to name a few options. Some will take cash, but the Keystone Centre is a mostly cashless venue, preferring credit or debit cards.

6) What will I see there?

This year’s theme is Produced on the Prairies. Return visitors will notice it’s the same as last year’s theme but there’s a good reason for that. This region produces so much that it can’t all be highlighted in one show. More than 60 speakers will talk about subjects as diverse as agronomy, comedy and geopolitics. The Innovation Showcase will display 34 new ideas in prairie-produced technology. There will also be tasting events for locally produced craft beer, along with a rotating Pavilion of Vendors that showcases new prairie products.

7) Is there a printed program?

There is a pdf document available for download on the Ag Days website. You can find it under the “Publication” heading in the menu. It will give detailed information on speakers, events and locations in one package. It will also be available at information booths during the show.

8) Where can I stay?

There are numerous hotels in Brandon, and several more within an hour’s drive. A complete listing of Brandon and area hotels can be found on the visitor information page on the Ag Days website under the “Visitors” heading in the menu.

9) Where can I get more information?

More information is available on the Ag Days website. You’ll find detailed information on presentations, talks and displays along with maps of the Keystone Centre showing the different theatres and display areas.

Check the “Visitor Information” section under the Visitors heading in the menu for other details.

You can find all our 2025 Manitoba Ag Days coverage here.

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Jeff Kostuik of Verve Seeds would like to see it get a better foothold, and he thinks new genetics, better tailored for western Canadian conditions and western Canadian markets, can help make that happen.

“We’re a very small, yet mighty company … we probably have one of the largest breeding programs in the world right now in hemp genetics,” he said, speaking at a field day at the Westman Agricultural Diversification Organization near Melita, Man.

Why it matters: Hemp has had a roller coaster ride in Canada as acres and demand have fluctuated.

Hemp has the blessing and curse of versatility. On the Prairies, its biggest market is food-grade grain, but the industry has also flagged growth opportunity in markets like fibre and nutraceuticals.

Fibre processors have dug niches in animal bedding and absorbent materials, but innovation-oriented organizations have said its uses could extend to sustainable construction materials. High quality fibre could feed into textiles. Grain can be crushed, yielding an oil with good nutritional properties.

There was initially great excitement around CBD (cannabidiol oil), but it was later dampened by logistical challenges.

That wealth of potential end uses, and corresponding demand for different varietal traits, is split between relatively few growers. According to Statistics Canada, about 54,60o acres of hemp were harvested nationwide in 2023.

Targeting grain

The sheer size of hemp plants has made it a harvest headache in the past, particularly to grain growers, for whom the extra vegetation is just more residue to potentially tangle up in the combine.

“Fibre varieties tend to produce more fibre but less seed, so it’s another challenge for the seed company,” Kostuik said. “So the breeding efforts have been to shorten the crop, get it so that it’s more manageable.”

Verve Seeds developed hemp with more uniformity in crop size, which Kostuik counts as a major breakthroughs in their program.

“We’ve got the varieties at the height that we want and now we’re working on yield and making sure that we’re not missing anything on quality assessment.”

A botanical quirk posed yet another problem. Hemp is dioecious; each plant is either male or female. In fibre production, that’s not a problem. For seed or grain, however, the males are wasted production space, taking up room and providing no harvestable material. A field population with greater numbers of females is a more profitable field.

To address this, Verve developed the world’s first dioecious hybrid hemp.

“It’s called T3H2006, but it’s more suited for Kentucky than here,” Kostuik said.“The objective in the hybridity is reduced maleness and we’re probably down to less than 10 per cent of the plants are male as opposed to 50 per cent. If we have more females than males, there should be a yield bump on that right away.”

That sounds like a good deal, according to Clarence Shwaluk of Manitoba Harvest, a company that specializes in developing and marketing hemp food products.

“We’re in the food business so we’re not interested in the big, tall varieties. We’re just looking for the seed,” he said. “What we want to get from a field that’s contracted to us is a good high-yielding variety, one that processes well for us and one that’s good for the consumer.”

Manitoba Harvest has contracted 800 to 1,000 acres of one such hopeful variety, Rak, this year.

“It’s experimental for us, but we’re looking for a variety that works at every level of the value chain,” Shwaluk said.

In an interview with the Western Producer earlier this year, Alberta Hemp Alliance consultant Russ Crawford said he hoped hybrid genetics might significantly improve western Canadian hemp.

Two of the three biggest issues with the crop are rooted in genetics, he said at the time: yield and seed consistency.

It is the industry’s hope that average production could jump from 700-1,000 pounds per acre to 1,300-1,500 pounds per acre. That would give producers more to sell, and might decrease hemp’s cost as an ingredient, making it more attractive for food companies, the Western Producer reported.

Verve Seeds was one of the companies selected by the alliance for hybrid development.

Processing

Shwaluk says Manitoba Harvest processes hemp in two ways. The first is dehulling hemp hearts, the soft and chewy centre of the hemp seed. The result is similar to the inside of a sunflower seed, with a soft, nutty flavour. Those hearts are typically used in salads, sauces or sprinkled on cereal.

“If you’ve seen hemp hearts in the grocery stores, if it has a Manitoba Harvest label, it came from us. We also do some private label, President’s Choice, Costco and there’s a few others that we do as well,” he said.

Hemp hearts make up about 80 per cent of its processing. The rest is crushing, which yields an omega-3 oil that is popular in specialty food stores.

“In addition to that, we also make granola with hemp in it,” Shwaluk said. “We also make our own line of oatmeal with hemp. We have a snack line ready for launch and we’re just getting into the dietary fibre. We’re utilizing the shell that, up till now, (was) a waste product, so we’re looking for multiple uses for the crop and trying to build that market and keep that growing.”

Growing hemp

The food company also has its own line of agronomists tasked with coaching producers who want to grow what is, for many, a novel crop.

“As soon as they sign that contract with us, the agronomist is working to look at soil rotations, what sort of fertility do you need? What sort of crop has been in the field prior and what sort of diseases might you expect?” Shwaluk said.

Hemp is considered an oilseed, and fits fairly well in the rotation for most Prairie growers, said Kostuik. Wheat can do well the year after it. Hemp is susceptible to sclerotinia, but so are other oilseeds a farmer might grow in that slot.

“On the insect side of things, cutworms can be an issue, and that seems to be the biggest one,” he said, adding the European corn borer can be another challenge. — With files from Robert Arnason

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“Probably 25 per cent of the field was impacted,” the production specialist told field day attendees at the Westman Agricultural Diversification Organization near Melita. “One in four plants were dying off, and that was actually in the drought year 2021.”

Why it matters: The meteoric rise of soybeans in Manitoba comes with the downside of soybean disease.

Phytophthora root rot is a water mould disease and a relative newcomer to Manitoba, affecting both field peas and soybeans. It and other soybean diseases have more presence in the province as soy acres expand.

The rise of soy

Today, soybeans have a solid foothold in Manitoba’s top three crops, vying with wheat and canola. In late June, Statistics Canada reported that about 1.4 million acres were seeded in Manitoba.

Twenty years ago, they were almost non-existent. At the turn of the millennium, soybeans in Manitoba were a novelty crop, taking up less than 50,000 acres. By the middle of that decade, the crop had clawed its way to several hundred thousand acres.

From there, popularity took off. By 2013, it topped one million acres and hit an all-time high in 2017, when farmers planted almost 2.3 million acres.

Behind the crop came crop disease and pests. In 2019, Manitoba clocked its first positive soil tests for soybean cyst nematode. In 2021, above-ground symptoms were noted in central Manitoba.

Phytophthora has a longer history in the province. In 2017, as soybean acres reached their peak, samples submitted by MPSG to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada tested positive for phytophthora in 35 per cent of the 89 fields surveyed that year.

Then came the drought. The industry group found no cases through its monitoring program in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, it found it in 11 per cent of fields.

Details of the pathogen

The disease starts with resting oospores within the soil. When the oospores detect a nearby soybean root, they swim to it through a thin film of soil moisture.

The obvious first sign of a problem is when leaves start to wilt.

“The leaves stay attached to the plant when they’re wilted and you’ll have a brown lesion up from the soil,” Schmidt said. “When you pull those plants, they’ll pull really easily out of the ground because those roots are all rotted.”

Infection has a similar look to northern stem canker, which also causes brown lesions, but the latter attacks the stem rather than the root.

“When you pull that plant (infected with northern stem canker) out of the ground, there will be some resistance,” Schmidt said. “That’s a quick way to tell one from the other.

“But, at the end of the day, a lab test at the Manitoba crop diagnostic lab in Winnipeg is going to be the best way to tell them apart.”

The Souris-area field that sticks in Schmidt’s memory was infected with both phytophthora and northern stem canker.

The new disease reality

Soy and pulse experts like Schmidt are urging producers to be more vigilant against soybean disease. Phytophthora root rot is one pathogen of concern.

“We’re still in a bit of a honeymoon where we’re not facing lot of major soybean diseases.” Schmidt said. “But, coming down the pipeline, phytophthora is the one that we do have up here and, having this much moisture, I’d expect to see these symptoms in your soybeans, especially if you’re on tight rotations.”

Manitoba has had good conditions for development of fungal disease. May and June were cold and wet, sparking fears of sclerotinia and blackleg for canola growers, while Manitoba Agriculture noted problems with ergot in cereals.

For phytophthora, MPSG does have recent surveillance initiatives in place, Schmidt noted. Soil testing last year found less than five per cent of fields with symptoms, but “83 per cent of soils had phytophthora in them,” she said.

“Either we weren’t seeing symptoms mostly because it was dry or because major gene resistance and partial resistance was giving us some protection.”

Starting in 2022, the industry group began an assessment program to independently gauge resistance in different soybean varieties.

Built-in defence

There are two types of soybean resistance against phytophthora root. The first is major gene resistance, which largely stops infection at any growth stage in the plant’s life.

“That’s the most common form of resistance and the way it works is complete resistance to phytophthora throughout the growing season,” Schmidt said. “If (varieties) have a major resistance gene versus phytophthora, it will be listed in Seed Manitoba.”

The second type is partial resistance or field tolerance. In this case, plants still get infected but are able to tolerate the infection and keep growing. Symptoms aren’t as severe and can be variety specific.

“We’ve actually developed a soil test where we can sample phytophthora and find, specifically, what pathotypes are living in the soil,” Schmidt said. “We only used to be able to say we know it’s phytophthora.”

Knowing the race in a specific field can help producers choose varieties and better manage the disease, she noted, as well as informing development of new resistant soybean varieties and new approaches to management.

In 2016, four races of phytophthora were identified, according to the MPSG website. Ensuing years saw the dominant race shift and, in 2018, a new one was detected.

“We expect more PRR (phytophthora root rot) races and pathotypes to be identified over time, as is the case in Ontario and the U.S. where soybeans have a longer history,” the MPSG website states.

“Race-specific resistance is still a beneficial management tool, but partial resistance will become more important over time to combat numerous PRR races.”

Last year, the association surveyed 70 soybean fields and sent soil samples to a Quebec lab for analysis.

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But when it comes to sustainability, they’ve got a hurdle to clear because there’s no escaping some level of soil disturbance when growing and harvesting.

Why it matters: Soil health and minimized soil disturbance are major pillars in the push toward sustainable agriculture. That’s an issue for an underground crop.

That doesn’t mean the relationship between soil health and the potato sector can’t improve, according to Cam Ogilvie of the Institute for Soil Health.

“I’m part of an institution that’s based on science, so what I want to share with you is some real data-driven ways that we are thinking about soil health and particularly what that means in potato systems,” he said, speaking to potato growers at an industry event in Brandon in early 2024.

Soil is the medium in which dead tissue is absorbed, recycled and rejuvenated into living tissue. In poetic terms, it’s the shop floor of nature’s factory.

“Soil health is the continuous capacity of a soil to function, being able to do the things that we depend on it to do,” Ogilvie said. “I like to think about five different types of soil functions.”

First, soils cycle water and nutrients, two major raw materials required on that metaphorical factory floor. Secondly, soil contains a complex ecosystem that helps regulate pests and diseases. Certain organisms within the soil are themselves pathogenic to crop-damaging pathogens.

Third, structure and stability creates pore spaces within the soil profile that contain air and water. Fourth, those spaces provide habitat in which different and diverse organisms live and work and fifth, all those components filter and buffer pollutants, breaking down and detoxifying them.

Those functions work together to create a living medium on which plants depend, Ogilvie said. Understanding how they work is key to developing better ways to manage soil, so their performance must be quantified.

“We went to 124 long-term experimental sites in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico that compared soil management practices over 10 years or more,” he said. “We collected soils, ran over 30 different tests on them so we could figure out which ones are effective across North America.”

Using that data, the institute focused on three metrics that it has applied to soil sampling efforts.

The big three

The first test measures carbon mineralization potential, or the amount of carbon dioxide given off by soil organisms as they eat, digest and decompose organic material like roots and other tissue. Results indicate the size and activity of the microbial community in a given soil sample.

The second test is aggregate stability. According to Kelsey Greub of the University of Arkansas, this is “the ability of a soil to maintain its physical structure and withstand external forces.

“It’s related to physical, chemical and biological soil properties, and is sensitive to changes in soil management.”

The third measurement is soil organic carbon.

“A lot of us are familiar with soil organic matter and this is just the carbon fraction of it,” Ogilvie said. “Organic matter is made up of carbon, nitrogen, all sorts of other things. With soil organic carbon, we’re just looking at the carbon portion, which is roughly 50 percent.”

Using the factory metaphor, the three tests are equivalent to measuring the labour output, structural integrity of the building and fuel stores. The better the quality of all three, the better the work and product.

And, like a factory, quality of management will affect those measures. Ogilvie indicated four basic management principles to keep the metaphorical factory running well.

“We want to minimize soil disturbance such as tillage or chemicals. We want to maximize soil cover. We want to maximize the amount of living roots in the soil and we want to maximize biodiversity.”

A natural grassland, for example, ticks all those boxes, something often noted by Canada’s cattle sector.

In potatoes, limited soil disturbance is a challenge, but not a lost cause, said Ogilvie.

“There are some different ways that you can do this. You can completely remove a tillage pass or you can take two tillage operations and you can move them into one. Some people are starting to direct-plant their potatoes rather than making hills and planting as a separate one. That reduces erosion.”

Manitoba farms are among those trying new minimal soil disturbance strategies.

In 2020, Chad Berry of Under the Hill Farms near Glenboro hosted a demonstration trial of his own reduced-tillage efforts. In co-operation with J.R. Simplot, he looked to put yield impact numbers to his direct-seeded potato acres.

On the same field, acres were divided so that half were conventionally managed and half were direct planted into canola stubble using a one-pass hilling system brought to Manitoba with help from genAg.

Results showed no significant yield or quality difference between the conventional and direct-seeded acres. There was a slight emergence delay on the direct-seeded half, but stands caught up to their conventional counterparts during the season, and no difference in harvest date was noted.

“It definitely helped with soil erosion,” Berry told the Co-operator in 2021 after the project wrapped up. “It prevented any blowing.”

Berry also noted fuel savings.

Cover crops are another soil health tactic in potatoes, designed to keep residue in the field to feed soil biota and maintain living roots for as long as possible.

Last fall, the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association’s annual regenerative agriculture conference highlighted regenerative potato production. The main speaker, Brendon Rockey of Rockey Colorado Farm in the U.S., particularly noted his use of cover crops.

For him, the main goal was better water infiltration and holding capacity, but versions of cover crops using mustard have also garnered attention for biofumigation against pathogens like verticillium wilt.

“When we integrate cover crops into our cropping systems, we increase the size and activity of the microbial community,” Ogilvie said. “We improve soil structure and we sequester more carbon in that soil.”

Some farmers in Alberta have combined fall hilling with cover crops. Freeze/thaw cycles help mellow the soil structure in the hill, while the greater surface area of the hill allows soil to warm up quicker in spring Ogilvie said.

“An extra benefit that comes is that you can get some roots in that hill.”

There are cautions, however. Producers concerned about water availability might want to skip cover crops that overwinter so they don’t take up water that could otherwise go to the potato crop.

Switching focus

There is still a lot to learn. Chemical soil traits have typically reigned supreme in agriculture, Ogilvie notes, and only recently has soil biology started to earn more attention.

“For me, this is what I think about when I use the word ‘regenerative,’” Ogilvie said. “If you’re improving how your soil is functioning, if you are improving the services that your soil provides by using soil conservation practices, that to me is what regenerative is all about.”

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In potatoes, the fungus Verticillium dahlia is the main cause of potato early die complex. In a 2021 interview with the Co-operator, Mario Tenuta, University of Manitoba soil scientist and main investigator with the Canadian Potato Early Dying Network, suggested the condition can cause yield loss of five to 20 per cent. Other research from the U.S. puts that number as high as 50 per cent.

It also becomes a marketing issue when stunted spuds fall short of processor preferences.

Verticillium in potatoes can significantly reduce yield and, being soil-borne, is difficult to manage.

Preliminary research results suggest earlier planting of risk-prone fields could reduce losses, in part due to colder soil temperatures earlier in the season.

Unlike other potato fungal issues that can be addressed with foliar fungicide, verticillium hides in the soil.

“Commonly we use soil fumigation and that’s very expensive,” said Julie Pasche, plant pathologist with North Dakota State University.

There are options. In 2017, labels expanded for the fungicide Aprovia, Syngenta’s broad-spectrum answer for leaf spots or powdery mildews in various horticulture crops. In-furrow verticillium suppression for potatoes was added to the label.

There has also been interest in biofumigation. Mustard has been tagged as a potential companion crop for potatoes, thanks to its production of glucosinolate and the pathogen- and pest-inhibiting substance isothiocyanate.

Last fall, producers heard that a new, sterile mustard variety specifically designed for biofumigation had been cleared for sale in Canada, although seed supplies for 2024 are expected to be slim. AAC Guard was specifically noted for its effectiveness against verticillium wilt.

Timing is everything

Researchers at NDSU want to study the advantage of natural plant growth patterns.

“What we’d like to look at are other things we can do differently, like verticillium fertility management and water management, as well as some other areas and how they may be affected by planting date,” Pasche said.

The idea is to find a chink in the fungus’s life cycle.

Verticillium infects roots in the spring. From there, it colonizes the plant, moving through the root vascular tissue and into the stem. This is the cause of in-season vegetative wilting, Pasche noted.

As it progresses, plant cells die, leaving behind tell-tale black dots on dead tissue. Magnification of those dots reveals what look like dark bunches of grapes — tiny spheres containing melanized hyphae, a resting form of the fungus called microsclerotia.

The dark colour comes from melanin, the same pigment found in human skin. This pigmentation protects the microsclerotia from ultraviolet light.

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