David Wiens speaks to dairy producers at an April 4 meeting in Steinbach.

Dairy quality program largely in place

Consumers trust farmers more than they trust farming, 
a recent study says

Most dairy operations already have the quality assurance program known as proAction in place, but some producers still have lingering questions about how the whole system will work. Speaking at a district Dairy Farmers of Manitoba meeting in Steinbach earlier this month, chair David Wiens said it’s not uncommon to see some resistance to new

“Certainly there are benefits to reinvesting some of this money, but we also have to bear in mind producers on every farm in the country will be taking an economic hit.”
 – David Wiens

Government expropriation of dairy ‘assets’ requires compensation

A resolution to pass on personal compensation in favour of market development was defeated

It’s been called a handout, a subsidy and even a bailout. Proposed compensation for supply-managed commodities as Canada signed on to the Trans-Pacific Partnership has garnered much negative publicity, prompting some Manitoba dairy producers to put forward a bold proposal for farmers to reject cash payments. Instead, they want to see the money — should



semi truck transporting milk

Thousands of litres of milk heading west

Demand for milk is up as dairy marketing takes hold

A combination of factors, including an increased demand for dairy products, has Manitoba’s dairy farmers shipping 75,000 litres of milk out of province every day. But changes to the province’s processing capacity have also played a key role, according to Dairy Farmers of Manitoba chairman, David Wiens. “Probably the biggest reason that that’s been happening


ProAction aimed at quantifying quality

Piles of paperwork won’t be the result of a new program that tracks dairy practices and biosecurity, as efficiencies are sought

Manitoba dairy producers are pushing ahead on a national initiative to distinguish Canadian milk products as being among the best in the world. The new initiative, called proAction, will encompass the Canadian Quality Milk program, as well as issues related to animal care, biosecurity, traceability, and environmental sustainability. It will also allow for concrete measurement