Manitoba Agriculture has a new oilseed specialist and its new weed specialist is expected to be on the job in January.
Dane Froese, who grew up farming in the Winkler area, started work as the province’s oilseed specialist Nov. 6, Anastasia Kubinec, his boss and former oilseed specialist, said in an interview Dec. 1.
Kubinec, who is Manitoba Agriculture’s manager of crop industry development, said Froese will also work with hemp, a crop that is growing in acreage.
Froese, who is still involved in farming, graduated with a degree in agriculture from the University of Manitoba in 2014.
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For the last 4-1/2 years Froese has worked in ag retail.
“I really like the technical side and have done some research our own farm,” Froese said in an interview.
Froese said as Manitoba Agriculture’s oilseed specialist he hopes to rekindle interest in sunflower and flax — two oilseed crops that have declined in popularity, while canola, and especially soybeans, have expanded.
Kubinec was Manitoba Agriculture’s full-time oilseed specialist until March 2016 when she was appointed ‘acting’ manager of crop industry development as well. She did both jobs until March 2017 when she became the permanent manager.
Manitoba Agriculture lost its weeds specialist, Jeanette Gaultier, Sept. 20 when she joined BASF as its new senior technical service specialist for Manitoba.
At the time the Keystone Agricultural Producers said it hoped the weed specialist position would be quickly filled.
