University of Manitoba’s (UM) Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences (FAFS) staff, graduate students and industry partners are working together to promote agriculture production in Manitoba through a series of public events. The goal of these events is to engage the general public, including school age children about Manitoba’s sustainable agriculture practices, to promote Manitoba’s agriculture and to celebrate where our food comes from. Informational displays and presentations emphasizing the Manitoba beef industry are a highlight of the fun, educational and interactive events.

Discover Agriculture on the Farm

The annual Discover Agriculture on the Farm event is hosted at the University of Manitoba’s Glenlea Research Station (GRS) and the Bruce D. Cambell Farm and Food Discovery Centre (FFDC), located 15 minutes south of Winnipeg. This free event offers interactive family fun and opportunities to talk with Manitoba farmers, see live animals and explore prairie crops. Every year the one-day event draws between 800 and 1600 visitors in a 4-hr period. This past September the event featured ten informational displays sponsored by several Manitoba commodity groups and agriculture organizations. The displays are interactive and include hands-on activities, games, food and recipe giveaways that are all focussed on fun learning about food production in Manitoba. At this year’s event, visitors to the Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) informational display learned about the Manitoba beef industry, tried tasty food products made with Manitoba beef and had a chance to chat with Trevor Sund and Alfred Epp, beef producers who provided firsthand information about beef farming. Those that visited the MBP display were also able to play the Guardians of the Grassands interactive game that teaches the public about carbon sequestration and the benefits of grazing and beef cattle in the ecosystem. Kate Cummings, Manager of the FFDC says the event is important as it connects the public with primary producers in agriculture.

Updated and interactive MBP display attracts visitors of all ages

The recently updated MBP eye-catching display features information about the history of Manitoba beef farms and the type of commercial beef production operations found in the province, cow calf, backgrounders or feedlots. Visitors can also learn about on farm food safety, the Verified Beef Production Plus Program and the economic impact of the beef industry in Manitoba, as well as the nutritional benefits of beef. Visitors can try hands on activities that include comparing their height to that of a calf or a cow and a magnetic board revealing environmental benefits of pastures and the role of cattle in maintaining these grasslands. Cummings adds that the interactive upgrades which focus more on sustainability are of great interest to teachers, students and the general public alike.

Discover Agriculture in the City

Discover Agriculture in the City is a “twin” event to Discover Agriculture on the Farm. This free event is focused on urban consumers that may not be able to get outside of the city to visit a Manitoba farm. It is held in the springtime at locations with lots of foot traffic like the Forks or a city mall. This past March the evet was held at the Outlet Collection Mall in Southwest Winnipeg. Similar to its twin event, Discover Agriculture in the City provides an opportunity to the public to explore the vibrant and innovative world of agriculture. The event highlights the contributions agriculture makes to the economy and includes interactive displays with hands-on activities, games, take home giveaways and prizes. Visitors can also attend a UM Food Fight (a food product development competition organized by FAFS) and much more.

School age student learn where their food come from

The Amazing Agriculture Adventure is an annual weeklong event organized by Agriculture in the Classroom Manitoba and hosted by the GRS and FFDC. Agriculture in the Classroom Manitoba is a non-profit, charitable organization dedicated to developing curriculum-linked programs, resources and activities for educators and students to learn more about the importance of agriculture in Manitoba. During this event, students of all ages visit the UM facilities at the GRS to learn about food production in Manitoba. This past September approximately 700 students visited 8 fun and interactive informational displays and learned about topics like beef, forage, chickens, eggs, bees and more. One of the highlights at this year’s event was a short horn cow calf pair that was brought in by Sigga Vigfusson, a 4H Manitoba member. The students were excited to be able to see and touch the two animals. Students also interacted with Clover, a cow model with a calf inside to learn about the calving process. During the last day of the event, the commodity groups had a chance to chat with the high school students about the many careers available in agriculture.

Manitoba beef production gets international exposure

In October, students from England, Australia, US and from several Manitoba high schools learned about climate smart agriculture (CSA) including beef production at the Nutrients for Life Canada Global Student Summit. The event was held at Kelburn Farm this past October. Kelburn farm is Richardson Internationals research and demonstration farm located south of Winnipeg. CSA refers to agriculture that sustainably increases productivity, enhances resilience and reduces GHGs. The focus of the annual 3-day event was to teach students about how CSA approaches can enhance global food security. Janine Hansen, a graduate student from the Department of Animal Science was one of several speakers from FAFS. Hansen met with 60 students from local and international high schools and shared information about sustainable beef production systems in Manitoba. Her presentation included the basics of beef production, addressing questions like what is a ruminant and what are common cattle feeds. She spoke to the students about the role of pastures in carbon sequestration and the importance of maintaining and preserving prairie grasslands, as well as the benefits of grazing management like rotational grazing on soil health and biodiversity. Other presentations by FAFS students and researchers focused on beneficial insects and pollinators, soil health and perennial cropping systems. The overall goal of the summit is for students to gain an appreciation of the components needed to create a sustainable farm system and this includes grazing cattle. The students demonstrate what they have learned by designing mock climate smart farms systems where beef production is an asset.

Curriculum-linked programming for Manitoba students

Throughout the year, the GRS and FFDC are hosts to numerous curriculum-linked programs to early, middle and senior year students. Curriculum-linked programs include presentations and tours given by FFDC staff that tie in with the school curriculum. Annually, approximately 260 classes visit the FFDC to learn more about Manitoba agriculture and sustainable food production systems. During these day-long programs, the students visit all the interactive displays and the barns at the GRS and FFDC. They learn about Manitoba agriculture, talk about beef cattle as natural grazers and watch the Guardians of the Grasslands video that demonstrates the benefits of beef production on the prairies. For example, a popular program is Garde 5 Day where more than 250 students from the Pembina Trails School Division visit the GRS and the FFDC to learn about the importance of agriculture and where their food comes from. Students that were a part of Grade 5 Day this past May learned about pork, beef, swine, dairy and egg production as well as prairie fruit farming from commodity group representatives, FFDC and GRS staff, and FAFS graduate students.

Be a part of learning

Producers are welcome to join the programs! Be a part of the interactive displays, chat with visitors and share your knowledge on sustainable agriculture in Manitoba with the public. If you are interested, please contact David Hultin, Communication and Marketing Lead with the Manitoba Beef Producers at info@mbbeef.ca or 1-800-772-0458 and inquire about opportunities to be a part of the many public agriculture educational programs.

Twenty pigs run through three short aisles equipped with lights and cameras, and pool in the pen on the opposite side.

Why it matters: Today’s barns can integrate sophisticated computer and sensor technology to maximize efficiency and profits.

Franςois (Frank) Decarie, one of the research partners developing a new low-labour weighing method for livestock, leans over a table beside the stations. He hits play, and a recording of the rush of pigs pops up across three monitors.

Footage from the aisle cameras feeds into computer models trained to identify individual pigs, he tells attendees of his demonstration at the Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre near Glenlea, Man.

To read the full story of Pocus Optimus, please follow the link here to Farmtario.

Held 20 minutes south of Winnipeg at the Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre, the four-day event gives students the opportunity to explore the agriculture industry.

Agriculture in the Classroom Manitoba has been organizing the event for more than 20 years.

To read the full story, please visit the Winnipeg Free Press.