Duguid, now 72, who raised purebred Angus with his father, sold off the last of his herd — about 130 head of cattle — last March. After more than five decades of raising cattle, it was a significant moment in his life, but also part of the next step in his succession plan.

“Succession planning is kind of like planting trees,” says Duguid. “It should have been done years ago.”

Duguid admits that one aspect of kick-starting his succession plan is his age. He decided it was time to slow down a little bit and let a younger generation take over.

Duguid has raised cattle alongside his son, Scott, near Arnes, Man., for almost 20 years. A second son had raised cattle with him in the early 2000s, but exited the industry over time after the BSE crisis in 2003.

“I have my son, but he’s also got three kids all very active in cattle” says Duguid. “Time to let them all do their thing, and I’m going to go do mine.”

The key to keeping his succession plan on track was hiring a consultant to navigate the process. While a number of financial institutions and organizations can guide people in a succession, Duguid ultimately chose to go the private route on a recommendation from a farmer friend.

“The first thing we had to do is find an accountant who would understand not just farm families, but money,” said Duguid.

With the price of cattle and land values at historic highs, asset values have skyrocketed since the early days of his career. The last thing Duguid wanted was for a large chunk of his hard-earned work to go toward taxes.

“Accountants are very valuable in this step,” added Duguid. “They know the ins and outs of what you’re trying to accomplish.”

Duguid highly recommends hiring a consultant for anyone in the cattle sector who may be nearing a point of succession. He admits a consultant won’t always make for smooth sailing, especially when it comes time to talk with family members.

“Between us and the consultant, then it got to the next stage … which was the hard part for me,” said Duguid. “The hardest part is accepting what you’re doing.”

Losing control of his farm, something he’d worked his whole life for, made Duguid question his direction at times. But he admits that taking over the farm is ultimately what the next generation wants, and maintaining the integrity of his operartion without having to sell land was valuable in itself.

It’s a legacy that led to one of his favourite memories of raising cattle. He was at a cattle show several years ago with his granddaughter, who won grand champion steer with an animal they had raised together. It was an emotional moment for Duguid. He had won the same award 50 years earlier.

“I showed her that and she had pretty big eyes,” said Duguid. “I was pretty proud that day.”

Changing demographic

Tyler Fulton, 50, cattle rancher and president of the Canadian Cattle Association, says it would be optimistic to think that a third of the country’s cattle producers have an active succession plan in place.

After finishing high school, he left the farm to earn a degree in agribusiness at the University of Manitoba and had an off-farm job for 25 years. It was the cattle business that brought him back to the family farm near Birtle, Man., in 2006.

“I always had a passion for cattle … much more so than for the grain sector,” said Fulton.

His operation, Tyton Farms, raises mother cows and backgrounds steers and heifer calves. Fulton estimates the farm operates about 1,000 head of cattle at any given time.

Succession planning is something he’s been exposed to his whole life.

“It’s been three generations now that we’ve moved through a fairly structured succession plan,” said Fulton.

The family farm was started by his grandfather. It was converted to a corporation when the farm was passed down to his father.

“That structure actually made it easier for my wife and I to acquire the farm from my parents,” said Fulton, adding that the transition took place about four years ago.

With the cattle sector currently as profitable as it is, Fulton admits there is a major challenge among the sector’s demographics.

“The average age of a cattle operator is older than really any other sector in ag,” said Fulton.

He feels this is partly due to the BSE crisis that hit Canada’s cattle sector in 2003. A large segment of his peers simply did not come back to raise cattle because the economics did not support it.

“That’s a challenge … but arguably it’s an opportunity for the youth today,” said Fulton.

He admits that it’s an interesting dynamic for an up-and-coming rancher just starting out.

“When you’re at the top of the cycle, you’re also incurring the highest cost for, really one of your largest line items in your balance sheet, and that is your breeding cattle,” said Fulton.

However, with limited growth in the cattle supply on both sides of the border, he expects high cattle prices will be around for a while.

“I think the high prices are are not always going to be around with us … but I think for for at least two or three years we’ve got a little bit of a buffer before we can see some downside.”

Even in a time of record cattle prices, successions are never easy. They require skills from financial, accounting and strategic planning to people management. If conversations are not handled with care, successions can quickly derail.

“There’s so many aspects to it that make it complex … and then you throw family dynamics into it and it can be extremely challenging.”

Preparing the next generation

Connor English, 27, raises cattle at English Ranching near Rivers, Man.

He grew up on a mixed farm, and his love for agriculture, particularly on the cattle side of things, was instilled in him as a boy.

“I just had a love for it ever since I was young,” said English. “I loved coming out to work with animals, especially, and just felt really good about it.

He’s the fifth generation on the family operation, and with two young boys of his own, he’s excited that the potential for a sixth generation is on deck.

English’s path back to the farm began with a two-year diploma program at Lakeland College, on opportunity that provided him with hands-on farm management experience. He met new, like-minded people along the way before he returned to the family farm in 2022 to work on a neighbouring operation.

Similar to Fulton’s observations, English added that a lot of producers left the cattle industry over time due to BSE, likely upsetting many transition plans in the process.

“It was always, to be honest, kitchen table conversations with Mom and Dad growing up to find a job off farm because it is tough going,” said English.

However, in those moments, English says that he always put up a fight for life on the farm. He didn’t know how that would look, but he knew that was what he wanted.

English feels that succession conversations are a critical point for family farms.

“It needs to be brought up a lot earlier than most operations do have it,” said English. “It’s something that we need to continue to develop a process to go through.”

To help in that effort, English has been learning from other producers in the industry about how they go about succession planning.

“I think it needs to start right when you’re a teenage kid,” he added. “It needs to be in a position where you know that the farm is there, but seeing opportunities to be away from it if you want to be.”

Having a plan in place for family members who want to gain skills away from the farm should also be considered.

“I think that it’s very important to go elsewhere and find work, if that’s an option to do … just to kind of pave your own path and and then return to the farm when the time is right,” he said.

English admits that succession planning gets pushed aside among his family as well.

“It shouldn’t just be a once a year, have a half-an-hour meeting about succession or what the next year might look like,” said English. “It needs to be talked about a little bit more often.”

This leads to what he says is the biggest jump when it comes to succession planning: the family conversations.

As for his two young boys, English says he wants a process set for when his kids are of age and if they have an interest in the farm. If they don’t wish to farm, that’s fine too.

“There’s no force in it … but if they have a love like I do for a business like this, I want to be in a position where we have processes set up for them to be able to succeed entering the industry.”

The post VIDEO: Three Manitoba cattle ranchers on what succession planning really looks like appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

Kurtis Howardson, owner of Implement Solutions, combined those ideas for an invention and added a degree of safety to it as well.

“The Drawhand was designed to save the elder person from getting in and out of the tractor,” said Howardson, “and more importantly, making sure that no one is behind the tractor to get injured.”

The Drawhand is a tool that lets tractor operators disconnect a hitch pin from farm implements from the safety and convenience of the tractor seat. At Manitoba Ag Days in January, Howardson’s invention won runner-up in the Farm Safety category in the show’s Innovation Showcase.

How it works

With tool in hand, a tractor operator reaches out the open rear window of a tractor, inserts the hitch pin into place once the implement is lined up and gives the tool a twist to release the pin.

The tool extends in length as needed and a pivot feature with a locking handle allows the pin to be lined up vertically to insert the pin into the hitch. A compression spring inside the Drawhand toolbar locks the specially designed pin in place.

From hay field idea to prototype

Howardson credits the idea for his invention to a moment helping his father-in-law during hay season. He was standing between a tractor and a sickle mower, preparing to drop in the hitch pin as the operator backed up to connect to the implement.

“I thought I was kind of in the line of fire there,” said Howardson. “So I wanted to ensure a little more safety in that aspect.”

The tool Howardson had at Ag Days was engineered at a shop in Winnipeg. The Drawhand is not yet in production, but Howardson is looking for someone to buy it from him so it can be built at scale.

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Of that whole fleet, do you remember when each was serviced? Do you remember what the last fix was and when it was done? Could you walk right to that information so you know when it’s time to put that piece of equipment back in the maintenance rotation?

The Farm Shop Connect app keeps track of records on equipment, vehicles and buildings, and ensures tasks to manage it all are assigned accordingly.

For example, a farm owner or manager can quickly view when a piece of equipment needs its next maintenance interval and who they want to assign to handle that job. Another function allows the operator to assign general tasks for any employee to take on.

Potato farmers win Manitoba ag tech award

The concept won a recent innovation award for Manitoba potato farmers Brody and Kantara Robertson.

The brother and sister app founders took home the top spot in the ag tech category during the Manitoba Ag Days Innovation Showcase in Brandon in January.

“We started it in 2023 with the goal of creating a software to just replace pen and paper,” said Brody Robertson, “to get away from the whiteboard and put it all into one location.”

The app allows the user to tag tasks to specific resources and create a service record based on the work that was required.

The tool can be especially helpful when things come up after the work day is done, the founder noted.

“It’s been an efficiency tool for us,” added Robertson. “You’re not having to be there in the morning at the shop explaining to your guys all the tasks that you want done that day.”

Desktop version and additional features

For users who would rather work at the comfort of a larger screen, the employer account of Farm Shop Connect has a desktop version.

There’s also a place in the app for keeping track of vehicle registrations and notifying when a date for heavy truck safety is approaching.

“It’s been really exciting to win first in the ag tech category,” said Robertson of his app’s recent award. “Being on this side of it as an exhibitor has been a really cool experience.”

Farm Safety Connect is available in the Apple App Store and Google Play for their respective devices.

The post VIDEO: Farm Shop Connect helps farmers plan machinery schedules from their smartphone appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

Bourgault Industries wanted to test a theory in the opposite direction on its 2,500-acre commercial farm: seed less to yield more.

The trials showed that while the plant stand obviously decreased, each individual canola plant grew larger, had better rooting systems and in drier years, actually yielded higher.

Curtis de Gooijer, agronomy manager with Bourgault Industries, aimed to compare the results of singulation versus volumetric metering.

“We said, what happens if we decreased our seeding rate with an air drill?” said de Gooijer.

The trial started from the typical canola seeding rate of five pounds an acre, decreasing to 1.25 pounds an acre.

“It’s a balancing act between the plant stand that you actually want to achieve with what your mortality is,” said de Gooijer, “and then what your seeding rate is there to come into it as well.”

Watch the full video interview to learn more.

The post VIDEO: Seed less canola, harvest more? Bourgault field trials say it’s possible appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

Called the Cubix, it’s the latest in large square balers from the German farm equipment manufacturer, winning a gold Innovation Award at Agritechnica last November.

So what makes it special?

The driveline on the Cubix is integrated into the frame to deliver direct power flow to the baler. Along with a pair of 202 kilogram flywheels, this helps put the Cubix’s output as high as 70 tonnes per hour in the field.

“For the starting process, you do not need a big tractor,” Daniel Moersch, Claas’s product manager for square balers, said at Agritechnica 2025 in Hanover, Germany.

By engaging only one flywheel at a time, the Cubix is also easier and more efficient to start.

Once the first flywheel reaches 1,650 r.p.m., the second flywheel engages. Once the speed of both flywheels match, a pair of clutches on each side of the baler kick in to get the rotor operational.

While a 250 horsepower tractor gets the Cubix running and baling hay in the field, Moersch said an operator won’t reach the high throughput the Cubix is capable of with that amount of horsepower. For that, he recommended tractors have 400 h.p. or higher.

The Cubix also uses a double loop knot design to secure bales. This helps eliminate twine waste and increases tensile strength compared with other bale knot designs.

Its six-knotter system also reduces the amount of twine needed and the time it takes to change twine.

Artificial intelligence has been incorporated into the Cubix’s design when it comes to controlling bale density.

AI-supported software also assists in maintaining target ranges of density, throughput and bale length.

If an overload is detected during operation, the Cubix automatically decouples the rotor and pick-up before a blockage can occur.

At this stage in its design, the Cubix requires a tractor to operate in the field, but future designs may not require this.

“We are looking at an all automatic driving baler,” said Moersch.

“For the moment, we are within the tractor implement system.”

Moersch said Claas plans to have a pre-series launch of the Cubix baler in 2027 with a complete launch sometime in 2028.

The post VIDEO: New Claas Cubix baler aims for high feed output appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

Dave Sauchyn, University of Regina professor and director of the Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative, sees a problem with that — at least for the Prairies. Sauchyn thinks precipitation and available water need to have a bigger role.

“The focus is so much on temperature, and yet, in our part of the world, most of the climate change is in terms of water supply and distribution of water,” he said. “And also temperature is only one variable.”

WHY IT MATTERS: Farmers have been told to search out more resilient farm systems that can better absorb extreme weather shocks and protect production. A lot of times, those conversations orient around water management.

There are weather metrics outside of temperature to pay attention to, Sauchyn added during his remarks to the Manitoba Association of Watersheds late last year: things like wind, humidity and rain.

“I think we need to put more emphasis on precipitation and all kinds of variables related to precipitation: like evaporation, like runoff and snow melt and river flow,” he said. “Those are the relevant variables for our part of the world.”

Silver climate linings for farmers

Some crops are expected to benefit from warmer weather on the Prairies.

Sauchyn said that current climate and soil shows spring wheat, for example, developing growing condition advantages over other major crops, such as canola. There’s also the matter of growing season lengths, currently a limiting factor for warm-season crops.

But there is at least one caveat with this prediction. Again, it has to do with water availability.

“When there’s enough water — and that’s key — when there’s enough water, a warmer climate is good in terms of reproduction,” said Sauchyn.

Where water management comes in

Managing that need is where watershed management can play a role in helping growers manage the incoming climate shift, the researcher told Manitoba’s watershed delegates.

Sauchyn said that watershed groups, like those gathered, have been key in the absence of previous organizations like the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Agency. That branch of the federal agriculture department was very involved in water management on the Prairies before it was dissolved in 2009, Sauchyn said.

“The watershed stewardship groups play an important role in terms of water management,” he told the room, “especially just the engagement of local people and the collaboration amongst people in different agriculture.”

The best solutions are collective ones, he added.

Why temperature as a gauge?

Global temperatures have been accurately and consistently measured since the late 19th century. Since the mid-1970s there’s been a steady rise in the global average temperature.

Bruce Burnett, director of markets and weather for Glacier FarmMedia, said that there are two reason the focus is on temperature.

“Temperatures are the driver of most of the climate system,” said Burnett. “The other impacts (related to climate) usually can be traced back to temperature increases.”

Precipitation is important, Burnett added, but he said the main driver of it comes from an increase in temperature causing changes that then effect precipitation.

The second reason hinges on the process of doing science, and what data is considered most precise and easy to record.

“It goes back to the physics of the thing,” said Burnett, “Temperatures are relatively easy to measure, versus precipitation in what we call the field.”

Essentially, precipitation data is more random than temperature.

“Precipitation variability makes it harder to measure, especially when you’re dealing in records over time,” said Burnett. “That makes it easier to compare temperatures than it does moisture.”

The post VIDEO: What climate change data gets wrong about the Prairies appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

That may play into why Precision Planting’s CornerStone row unit was awarded one of several first prizes at Manitoba Ag Days’s Innovation Showcase awards in January.

WHY IT MATTERS: With today’s expensive seed and inputs, farmers want to maximize the chance the seed they put in the ground will emerge and yield.

The CornerStone is a fully customizable row unit that can be retrofit on any planter of a standard height which uses a seven-by-seven-inch planter bar.

“We’ve taken all the different benefits to each row unit on an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) platform and kind of tweaked it and added it into this one,” said Andrew Kippen, managing director with North Valley Precision Planting, a Manitoba-based provider of the piece of equipment.

Several of Precision Planting’s selling features come standard on the CornerStone row unit. The list the company hopes will entice farmers includes double-banded fertilizer placement, a two-stage closing system, plus a DuraWear gauge wheel arm and parallel arm pivot bushing systems.

Nitrogen placement can be applied in either a single or double band beside the seed row.

When it comes to seed management, the CornerStone uses Precision Planting’s electric vDrive motor and vSet seed metering system, which can be connected to an ISOBUS display.

On depth settings, Kippen said that farmers “can fine-tune the adjustment to the point of adjusting everything exactly the same across the planter.”

The CornerStone is one option on that upgrade path.

“A lot of guys are figuring out, how do I make better use of my capital?” said Crampton.

The CornerStone also markets itself on user friendliness, including the ability to easily remove parts.

The company points to its hopper design as an example. Each hopper is attached by a hinge. This allows the hopper to move out of the way of work or maintenance or to remove remaining seed. It’s available in three sizes: mini, 1.6-bushel and three-bushel.

“At the end of the day, if you had seed left over, it tips over centre,” said Kippen. “so we can actually pour it out and empty it very easily.”

“We want to have a row unit that, when there’s a problem, a customer can diagnose it easily and fix it themselves without relying on a dealership to have to come out,” he added.

The post VIDEO: CornerStone planter pitches easy operation for farmers appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

For those who were curious if anything new was coming down the pipe, the wait is over.

Hailing it as the “next generation” in the compact tractor space, the blue brand announced last month that it had added two new models to the Workmaster line: the 35C and 40C.

The new additions are the largest of four models in the Workmaster compact tractor lineup.

Using modelling software and proprietary operator data, the company claims that comfort, affordability and capability are at the core of the new compact tractors.

“Comfort was a key focus when we designed the operator’s platform,” said Mike Sevick, compact tractor business manager for New Holland North America.

The two new Workmasters are four-wheel drive and are powered by a turbo-charged, three-cylinder, 1.9-litre engine. The model names indicate each tractor’s horsepower. They’re also turbo-charged.

Chad Gillis, salesperson with Mazergroup in Portage la Prairie, Man., said the turbos provide that extra boost of power operators may need for the loader or for power take-off work such as a tiller or mower.

The new Workmasters are available with a hydrostatic transmission or a 12×12 manual transmission, Gillis said.

Rear implements can be connected on the new Workmaster tractors via a Category 1 three-point hitch.

For improved loader response at the controls, the dual pump hydraulic system provides 8.2 g.p.m. dedicated hydraulic flow so implement systems aren’t bogged down.

For customers needing hydraulics at the rear of the tractor, up to three optional remotes can be installed along with colour-coded levers for the operator.

Both new Workmaster models come with a 60-inch front bucket, Gillis added.

An all-new backhoe setup comes with a standard 16-inch bucket available for both the 35C and 40C tractors.

When it comes to appearance, the new Workmasters have a sculpted hood and new decals and are painted in New Holland’s new Dynamic Blue paint scheme.

“They have the new shade of blue as well as silver wheels instead of white wheels,” said Gillis.

On-board fuel supply is managed by a 28-litre fuel tank with an easier access fill neck atop the left rear fender.

New compact Farmalls from Case IH

The other half of the CNH brand, Case IH, took the opportunity of the National Farm Machinery Show this month to debut two new compact Farmall tractors.

The new 35A and 40A tractors complement the brand’s wide range of Small Utility A Series tractors that climbs all the way up to a 75A (74hp) model.

The 35A and 40A also get their power from a three-cylinder, 1.9-litre engine, and the same option of a hydrostatic or 12×12 gear manual transmission

The new A models also come with a three-point hitch and have a slightly higher hydraulic flow rate of 8.4 GPM than New Holland’s Workmaster tractors.

The 35A and 40A come ready for entry-level telematics, allowing for Case IH’s FieldOps integration should customers choose.

The post New Holland expands Workmaster compact tractor lineup appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

That reliability begins with the powertrain.

Having been around for more than a century, internal combustion engines are likely to remain essential in farm machinery for many years to come, but it begs the question: what could come next?

FPT (Fiat Powertrain Technologies) has dedicated some of its time and energy to answer that question. It’s been designing and manufacturing a variety of powertrains since 2005, as well as serving the agricultural equipment market.

Look under the hood of major farm equipment brands such as Case IH, New Holland and Claas and you’ll find an FPT engine at the heart of those machines.

“We have a strategy that we call the dual pillar strategy that is really focusing both on the internal combustion engine and in the improvement of the diesel,” Michele Lopez, product manager with FPT, said at the Agritechnica farm equipment show in Germany last fall.

Exploring alternatives

While fossil fuel-powered engines have been the bread and butter for FPT since its inception, the company recognizes that research and development in alternatively powered engines could be a path to the future.

“There are definitely market niches where we can exploit this type of technology,” said Lopez.

On the show floor at Agritechnica, FPT displayed the proven design of its diesel-powered N67 engine. It can also run on hydro-treated vegetable oil, which reduces emissions by as much as 90 per cent.

According to the FPT website, more than two million N-series engines have been built across the agricultural sector since its inception in 2001.

Lopez said farm operations with an on-farm biomethane digester would be a “sweet spot” opportunity for its N67 engine, which can also run on natural gas.

FPT has also designed engines that can run on methane and other alternative fuels.

“Of course, it’s a new technology. There will be early adopters … but we’re there to support,” added Lopez.

“The message that we want to share with the OEMs and the farmers is, we got your back.”

With diesel being the workhorse fuel in the field for so many years, does FPT think producers are ready to transition to alternative fuels?

Lopez said curiosity for alternative power types is building in the sector. Hybrid engines are likely to have the most appeal for farmers in vineyard and orchard sectors.

Forma on farms

He said the company’s F28 hybrid concept engine is a good example of the type of duties it could perform in those sectors. It operates in both low-voltage and high-voltage settings and could be capable of performing a variety of tasks.

FPT also had a modular battery pack concept called Forma on the show floor at Agritechnica.

Lopez said the company worked closely with OEMs to design the best shape to help position its battery pack concept as a power source for an electric-drive machine.

“This is something we really put our effort in the last years in terms of innovations to support again, the farmers with new technologies that are improving, both from a sustainability standpoint and a TCO (total cost of ownership) perspective,” said Lopez.

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Nutrient uptake and nutrient removal in crops may sound like the same thing, but they are quite different when it comes to how crops use nutrients as they mature over the growing season.

At Manitoba 4R Day in 2024, Marla Riekman with Manitoba Agriculture spoke about how, and when, major crops — and in some cases, varieties — take up their nitrogen, enhanced efficiency fertilizers and why growers can’t effectively use the 4Rs — right source, right rate, right time, right place — in isolation if they want to see ideal results.

The post VIDEO: THROWBACK: Targeting your fertilizer needs using the 4Rs appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.