4-H Canada CEO Shannon Benner announces $600,000 in funding for scholarship and farm safety programs, in partnership with CN. (Lisa Guenther photo)

Railway funds to deliver safety, leadership programs

4-H Canada is set to launch a new youth leadership program, along with a farm safety fund, thanks to a $600,000 contribution from Canadian National Railway (CN). Executives at 4-H and CN unveiled the 4-H Canada Leadership Excellence Awards of Distinction (LEAD) at Canadian Western Agribition on Wednesday morning. Each year LEAD will award four

4-H foods projects teach lifelong lessons

4-H foods projects teach lifelong lessons

Prairie Fare: Bread Pudding

I pledge my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service, and my health to better living, for my club, my community, my country and my world.” If you recognize this pledge, chances are you have been in 4-H, or perhaps your child and/or other relative has been in


4-H logos

4-H Canada unveils new clover logo

Changes to logo reflect the evolution of 4-H programming, say 4-H officials

The iconic four-leaf clover that has symbolized 4-H for 50 years in Canada now sports a maple leaf in the centre. The new logo for the Canadian 4-H program unveiled this month marks a “progressive new era,” 4-H Canada executive director Shannon Benner said. It is part of a larger effort updating the youth development

4-H kids cleaning up litter

Roadways are cleaner now, thanks to 4-H clubs

Kids who pick up litter are far less likely 
to toss their own trash

Manitoba’s roadways are a lot cleaner this week, thanks to hundreds of young 4-H club members who donned gloves, boots and high-visibility vests and set to work last Saturday morning with supervising parents and adult volunteers to gather up garbage in the ditches. It’s an ‘ew-yuck’ sort of job, but the young folk taking part



man riding a quadrunner

Young beef producer gaining knowledge through mentorship

Brandon-area farmer will spend eight months with an experienced grazing manager in Alberta

Brett McRae is a passionate young producer who shared a glimpse into the mindset of the beef industry’s upcoming generation during the recent Manitoba Beef Producers annual general meeting. Twenty-seven-year-old McRae is the fifth generation to raise cattle on his family’s 100-year-old farm. Mar Mac Farms is located outside of Brandon, operating with 210 head


Willie Jacob Siemens
1938 –

Agricultural Hall of Fame: Willie Siemens

Five new members of the Manitoba Agricultural Hall of Fame were inducted July 17 at a ceremony 
in Portage la Prairie. We’re featuring a new inductee each week

Willie (Bill) Siemens was born in Kronsthal, Manitoba to David and Anna Siemens. In 1960 Bill married MaryAnne Dyck. They have two daughters, Beverly and Kelly. The family lived on the family farm in the Rural Municipality of Rhineland until 2000 when Bill and MaryAnne moved to Winkler. Bill began his farming career with his

National 4-H museum comes home to Roland

National 4-H museum comes home to Roland

The national 4-H Museum in Roland will soon have significantly more artifacts

4-H capped off its celebration of 100 years in Canada this past weekend by coming home. Like a good old-fashioned rally, dignitaries, clubs and alumni joined with local residents here May 31 to celebrate. If how the venerable organization honours its past is any indication, 4-H has no worries about its future. It was on


4-H something to celebrate

The March 14 ‘status’ on my 20-year-old daughter’s Facebook page said it all: “Got a shout out from a prof for being a very “clear and confident speaker and presenter.” Second one this year. All those years of hating 4-H speaking competitions are finally paying off!” Reading that took me back a decade to the

4-H alumni step up with greetings

When the Cattle Show Committee at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair decided to do something to help celebrate the 100th anniversary of 4-H this year, they didn’t expect the response to be quite so overwhelming. Every available inch of the two large birthday cards that were displayed during fair week was filled with signatures of