That’s a wrap on our 2024-2025 Winter Farm Clubs!

April 7th, 2025

*Image courtesy Kay Drudge, 2024-25 Winnipeg Farm Club Coordinator*

This winter we hosted monthly, dynamic peer-to-peer farmer clubs across various regions of Manitoba. These clubs were designed as collaborative platforms where farmers can come together to share experiences, exchange knowledge, and refine skills. By participating, farmers contribute to the collective success of sustainable agriculture.

This year, we hosted meetings in Winnipeg, Steinbach, Russell, and Souris. See the details of these gatherings below!

Winnipeg

The first gathering took place on November 21st, 2024, at Kilter Brewing Co. We were joined by Jeff from Wild Earth Farms for a special presentation recapping the cover cropping project— highlighting the lessons learned, the successes, and the challenges faced when working with this practice. For a bit of context, in summer 2024, Manitoba Organics hosted a farm tour of Wild Earth Farms to dive deep into the challenges and benefits of integrating cover crops into a vegetable rotation.

You can learn more about what happened during our 2024 Summer Farm Tour of Wild Earth Farms here: https://www.manitobaorganics.com/event-details-registration/farm-tours-summer-2024
Learn more about Wild Earth Farms here: https://www.wildearthfarms.ca/

The second meeting happened on January 16th, 2025, at Low Life Barrel House. This month, we were joined by Tom Nagy from River City Mushrooms! Tom shared simple and effective ways to integrate mushrooms into established market gardens and backyard gardens alike. He answered questions such as: what to companion plant with mushrooms, how different mushroom varieties interact with different mulches, or how to scale up mushroom production for a farm business? Tom has a breadth of knowledge about mushroom cultivation, and excitedly answered all of our mycelial questions!

You can learn more about River City Mushrooms here: https://rivercitymushrooms.ca/

The third gathering occurred on February 20th, 2025, at Low Life Barrel House. Hosted by Justin Girard from Young Agrarians, this session was a part of the University of Manitoba’s LEAP (Leveraging Ecosystems to transform Agriculture on the Prairies) Project. The LEAP Project was opened to farmer consultation and wanted to hear directly from Manitoba Farmers to inform research and policy. LEAP's goal was to help build farming systems that use technology and nature-based tools to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, capture carbon, support biodiversity, and help farms adapt to a changing climate. Speakers included: Dr. Martin Entz (Agronomist), Kyle Bobiwash (Entomology and Policy), Meagan King (Animal Welfare and Farmer Well-being), and Jess Goodwin (MSc student at University of Manitoba).

You can learn more about the University of Manitoba’s LEAP Program here: https://umanitoba.ca/agricultural-food-sciences/leap

The final session took place on March 20th, 2025, at Little Brown Jug. Graham Hnatiuk from Hnatiuk Gardens spoke on Managing Weeds in a No-Till System. He discussed establishing no-till permanent beds, misconceptions + pitfalls to avoid, implementing strategies & timing for weed control, tools & best practices for weed control, moving from short-term to long-term success, and achieving weed control that allows scaling up production. Who is Graham?: Graham Hnatiuk is an ecologist-farmer who loves the wonders & beauty of nature. Finding agriculture the perfect vehicle for applying biological science in the real world. Graham oversees an experimental 1 acre plot of no-till intensive vegetable production in a permanent bed system. Hnatiuk Gardens is a multi-generational farm growing 40 different fruits & vegetables on 20 acres for CSA, Farmer’s Market and Wholesale, just north of Winnipeg.

You can learn more about Hnatiuk Gardens here: https://www.hnatiukgardens.ca/

Steinbach

The following meetings all took place at the Pat Porter Active Living Centre, 10 Chrysler Gate, Steinbach, MB R5G 2E6.

The first gathering occurred on December 19th, 2024. This meeting was a chance to catch up with other farmers in the area and discuss how the 2024 growing season turned out. John Gehrer gave a presentation on 2024 Organic and conventional farming victories and failures (peas, thistle, and hemp).

On January 16th, 2025, we were joined by Megan Westphal, Manitoba Agriculture’s Soil Survey Specialist. Megan works on the provincial inventory of soil properties and landscape characteristics, focusing on aspects such as the agricultural capability of land/soil, and land use areas.

The last gathering occurred on February 20th, 2025. This session was a part of the University of Manitoba’s LEAP (Leveraging Ecosystems to transform Agriculture on the Prairies) Project. The LEAP Project was opened to farmer consultation and wanted to hear directly from Manitoba Farmers to inform research and policy. LEAP's goal was to help build farming systems that use technology and nature-based tools to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, capture carbon, support biodiversity, and help farms adapt to a changing climate. Speakers included: Dr. Sasha Loewen (Organic Research), Kyle Bobiwash (Entomology and Policy), Meagan King (Animal Welfare and Farmer Well-being), and Jess Goodwin (MSc student at the University of Manitoba).

You can learn more about the University of Manitoba’s LEAP Program here: https://umanitoba.ca/agricultural-food-sciences/leap

Russell

There was one meeting in a new location this year! At Russell & District Regional Library on March 20th, 2025. James and Jessica Frey presented their extensive work in organic research. Jessica presented her Masters' research conducted under the supervision of Dr. Joanne Thiessen Martens. Jessica’s research explores the role of cover crops in wheat production, providing valuable insights into sustainable agricultural practices. Their presentation delved into the methodologies, findings, and implications of their research, offering an in-depth understanding of organic farming systems and the benefits of integrating cover crops into wheat cultivation. James (Applied Research Specialist, Manitoba Agriculture) spoke in further detail about the Parkland Crop Diversification Foundation, and the potential for organic research projects.

Learn more about Jessica’s research here: https://umanitoba.ca/agricultural-food-sciences/sites/agricultural-food-sciences/files/2023-12/FREY%2C%20JESSICA%20-%20POSTER%20PDF.pdf
Learn more about the Parkland Crop Diversification Foundation here: https://mbdiversificationcentres.ca/parkland-crop-diversification-foundation/

Souris

The following meetings all took place at the Boardroom of the Souris Glenwood Memorial Complex, 27 Third Ave W, Souris, MB R0K 2C0.

The first gathering occurred on December 10th, 2024. This meeting was a chance to catch up with other farmers in the area and discuss how the 2024 growing season turned out.

The second meeting happened on January 28th, 2025. This month, Scott Chalmers from WADO (Westman Agricultural Diversification Organization) spoke about his work on intercropping, relay cropping and different variety trials.

You can learn more about WADO here: https://mbdiversificationcentres.ca/westman-agricultural-diversification-organization/

The third gathering occurred on February 11th, 2025. This session was a part of the University of Manitoba’s LEAP (Leveraging Ecosystems to transform Agriculture on the Prairies) Project. The LEAP Project was opened to farmer consultation and wanted to hear directly from Manitoba Farmers to inform research and policy. Speakers included: Michelle Carkner, an agricultural research scientist, interested in agronomy, crop adaptation and crop physiology. She specializes in regenerative, organic and agroecological production systems. Kyle Bobiwash, researching beneficial insect ecology and insect conservation in agroecosystems and natural landscapes. Meagan King, an assistant professor in Animal Physiology and Welfare. Her research looks at animal health, behaviour and welfare with the goal of improving the lives of people and animals. Jess Goodwin (Masters Student).

You can learn more about the University of Manitoba’s LEAP Program here: https://umanitoba.ca/agricultural-food-sciences/leap

The last meeting happened on March 11th, 2025. Hailey Gardham from the Central Assiniboine Watershed’s vision of ‘a future where communities, agriculture and the environment are healthy, sustainable and in balance with one and other’. She spoke in more detail about: Wetland Conservation Program, Rotational Grazing Program, Land Conversion to Perennials, Cover Crops, Shelterbelts (Funding for total cost of trees through GROW) and more!