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.

Meet the inaugural scholars from 2024:

Kenzie Friesen

What program are you in?
Bachelor of Science in Agroecology

Where are you from?
Arnaud, Manitoba

What drew you to this program? What does sustainability in agriculture mean to you?
In the summer of 2023, I worked as a summer student for Dr. Yvonne Lawley and helped her with her experiments and her master’s students. After that experience, I thought that it would be super fun to have a project of my own. Sustainable agriculture, to me, means keeping future generations and the environment in mind when developing agricultural practices. Organizing ourselves in a way that ensures there is a promising future for everyone and agriculture.

Tell us about what you are doing this summer in your program.
In my program, I am evaluating the impact of two different nurse crops, fall rye and oats, on flea beetle damage of canola. Specifically, I will be looking at the effect the nurse crops have on soil moisture, and if it is a factor in limiting canola growth.

Julia Beechinor

What program are you in?
Bachelor of Science in Agroecology, minor in soil science

Where are you from?
Winnipeg, Manitoba

What drew you to this program? What does sustainability in agriculture mean to you?
I’ve always been interested in researching sustainability in agriculture, and Dr. Entz encouraged me to apply, as he thought my values as a student and agroecologist aligned with the intent of the RBC program. When I think of sustainability in agriculture, I think of adapting our agronomic systems to have resilience and respond to the conditions that threaten our agricultural industry. Sustainability means evolution in response to the changes we are seeing, and improving our systems to take into account the ecology that impacts them so that we can continue to provide not only food and feed, but ecological services like carbon sequestration and biodiversity.

Tell us about what you are doing this summer in your program.
I will be conducting multiple greenhouse gas experiments, comparing the nitrous oxide emissions from oat crops in organic and conventional systems, as well as nitrous oxide emissions from different green manure cover crops during the termination phase. Secondly, I will be conversing and visiting with producers across the province, to document what kind of beneficial practices they are using to promote the long term sustainability on their farms. I will form a collective of information, in which I can present as a first person article that educates other researchers, agronomists and producers on the diverse way sustainability can be applied on farms.

Briee Villeneuve-Armstrong

What program are you in?
Bachelor of Environmental Science

Where are you from?
St. Norbert, Manitoba

What drew you to this program? What does sustainability in agriculture mean to you?
I was drawn to this sustainable agriculture program due to my passion for addressing climate change and my deep-rooted connection to the land, stemming from my upbringing in a rural area and a keen interest in National Geographic entertainment. To me, sustainability in agriculture means implementing practices that ensure the long-term health of our ecosystems while also meeting the needs of present and future generations. It involves finding innovative ways to mitigate environmental degradation, promote biodiversity, and enhance soil health.

Tell us about what you are doing this summer in your program.
This summer, I’ll be exploring and harnessing soil samples from the Glenlea long-term manured NCLE plots. My focus will be on analyzing their carbon sequestration potential and conducting comparisons among various manure treatments.

Ashley Henderson

What program are you in?
Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (Animal Systems)

Where are you from?
Manitou, Manitoba

What drew you to this program? What does sustainability in agriculture mean to you?
When initially introduced to this program, I knew it was not an opportunity that I could pass up. It allows me not only to have hands-on experience within the research side of the industry, but also creates personal connections and a space to further explore my passions within animal science. Sustainability to me means not only the continued preservation of our ecosystems, while embracing new technologies/practices to enhance continued productivity, it also means the preservation of the cherished rural way of life.

Tell us about what you are doing this summer in your program.
I will be working under the supervision of Dr Anna Rogiewicz and her phenomenal research team. Taking prebiotic products derived from under-utilized feed ingredients and by-products from various agricultural and food industries – specifically SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast). By incorporating it into poultry nutrition, we then can further assess its effects on poultry gut microbiome, health, and overall nutrient utilization, thus exploring the product’s feed component capability and sustainable potential.

Is there anything you would like to add?
I would like to say that I am very grateful to have been given this opportunity, and I would like to say thank you to everyone who has made it possible.

Kingsford Amoah

What program are you in?
Master of Science in Soil Science

Where are you from?
Ghana

What drew you to this program? What does sustainability in agriculture mean to you?
In my previous role as a Research Assistant in the Department of Soil Science, University of Ghana, I worked on projects that focused on climate change impact on food systems in Ghana. We addressed the impacts through the lens of sustainable resource development, and I saw how that developed into strategies that were workable and acceptable by the farmers and other stakeholders. I am excited to be an RBC Scholar with the focus on sustainable agriculture as this provides me with the opportunity to advance my understanding of agricultural practices to promote resilient and sustainable food production systems and a healthy environment.

Tell us about what you are doing this summer in your program.
I will set up my research, which will focus on how soil freezing and thawing processes impact the interaction between soil structure and nutrient management in Manitoba. I will share my preliminary results with key stakeholders as well as present at local and national scientific meetings. In addition to my research, I will complete my coursework, which is relevant to deepening my understanding of concepts and principles that are critical to successfully executing my research.

Toby Szkop

What program are you in?
Master of Science in Biosystems Engineering

Where are you from?
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Lived my whole life in Winnipeg

What drew you to this program? What does sustainability in agriculture mean to you?
What drew me to this program was the opportunity to pursue my interest in water conservation and soil science while being able to work at the Glenlea plots to collect data. Sustainable agriculture to me looks at discovering methods to conserve water and promote optimal plant health in the crop fields. Sustainability in agriculture also looks at creating models of fields in order to find better sustainable farming practices.

Tell us about what you are doing this summer in your program.
Over the summer I plan to install data collection systems in multiple locations of the Glenlea crop fields. The sensors will collect soil moisture and temperature data. Using this information, a 3D model using Hydrus will be created to accurately represent the soil conditions at the crop field in Glenlea. The model will allow for future recommendations to be given to optimize crop yield at Glenlea.

Is there anything you would like to add?
The RBC Scholars program is an amazing chance to pursue further sustainability education while getting to work on a hands-on project with professionals in your field.

Fatemeh Mohammadian

What program are you in?
Master of Science in Animal Science

Where are you from?
Iran

What drew you to this program? What does sustainability in agriculture mean to you?
Growing up with pets during my childhood instilled in me a sense of responsibility towards animals, which led me to pursue a degree in veterinary medicine and my scholastic career deepened my understanding of animal production and welfare. Considering how important livestock production is to the health of society, my main goal for continuing graduate studies is to contribute to the sustainability of livestock production.

Tell us about what you are doing this summer in your program.
I’m working on post-weaning diarrhea in piglets and my project will centre on enhancing the health and productivity of pigs. The primary objective is to develop innovative strategies for managing infectious diseases on swine farms.

Is there anything you would like to add?
I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Hooman Derakhshani for his valuable guidance and support as my graduate supervisor.

James Watson

What program are you in?
Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Biological Sciences with a minor in Entomology

Where are you from?
Winnipeg, Manitoba

What drew you to this program? What does sustainability in agriculture mean to you?
I am passionate about pollinators and the services they provide to our food systems, as well as their ecological roles within Manitoba’s landscapes, both agricultural and non-agricultural, so I was immediately drawn to this program for the opportunity to contribute to research on the interactions between bees in both of these systems. To me, sustainability in agriculture requires us to understand the impacts of agricultural operations on non-agricultural ecosystems so that these operations can be appropriately managed to mitigate harmful impacts to the environment, and ideally so that agricultural and non-agricultural ecosystems can complement and support each other into perpetuity. The pollination services provided by bees are integral to both our food systems and natural environments, and I believe it is important to have knowledge on how monoculturally farmed honey bees are impacting the health of our native bees in order to effectively sustain their diversity and preserve the ecosystem services they provide outside of pollinating crop plants.

Tell us about what you are doing this summer in your program.
This summer I am working with Dr. Kyle Bobiwash and graduate student Kira Peters on a project examining the transmission of viruses from and between native bees and honey bees on canola fields. We are looking at the impact of agricultural landscape and honey bee density on virus levels.

Ramanpreet Brar

What program are you in?
Master of Science in Plant Science

Where are you from?
Punjab, India

What drew you to this program? What does sustainability in agriculture mean to you?
Through this RBC-sponsored initiative, I will get the chance to expand my knowledge of sustainability-related agriculture research and encourage other academics and students to pursue similar endeavours. In my view, sustainability in agriculture refers to preserving natural resources, using agricultural inputs efficiently to lessen their negative effects on the environment, reducing the negative impacts of climate change, and ensuring sustainable food production.

Tell us about what you are doing this summer in your program.
My research project will evaluate the agronomic potential of integrating cover crops in an annual crop rotation. This project aims to assess the growth and establishment of cover crops, and their impact on soil properties, cash crop yield, and quality.

Roman Song

What program are you in?
Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (Plant Biotechnology)

Where are you from?
Winnipeg, Manitoba

What drew you to this program? What does sustainability in agriculture mean to you?
I was drawn to this program by my interest in agriculture, which is a major part of Manitoba’s economy. Sustainability to me means pursuing agriculture in a way that allows us to continue farming far into the future without damaging the fields and lands we rely on for it.

Tell us about what you are doing this summer in your program.
This summer I will be working at the department of soil science on a project assessing the impact of certain manure additives on greenhouse gas emissions.

Adam Kozuska

What program are you in?
Bachelor of Science in Agroecology

Where are you from?
Winnipeg, Manitoba

What drew you to this program? What does sustainability in agriculture mean to you?
I’m interested in the intersection of and interaction between environment, food, and social systems. Sustainable agriculture to me means working with the land to create systems that improve ecosystems while providing for humanities needs.

Tell us about what you are doing this summer in your program.
This summer I am working on best managements practices for establishing pollinator habitats on farms. I am also developing a survey to better understand the current landscape of pollinator habitats in the prairies.

In recent years, significant drought in western Canada has been a major challenge for not only grazed pasture but also for the production of hay for overwintering of the cow herd. Feed shortages (both in quality and quantity) has been occurring with increasing frequency over the last decade and represent a critical challenge for producers.

At the University of Manitoba, researchers are evaluating intermediate wheatgrass (IWG) as a perennial grain crop with dual purpose potential (within a single season) not only for food but also for cattle feed. This work builds on the perennial grain breeding program of Dr. Doug Cattani which began developing a perennial grain type IWG under western Canadian growing conditions in 2011. Intermediate wheatgrass is a deep-rooted, relatively drought tolerant grass, introduced to western Canada in response to the issues of the 1930’s.

A dual-purpose forage can enhance sustainable crop/livestock intensification in a number of ways, including harvesting a cash food grain crop and concurrently providing much-needed high quality feed for cattle in late fall/early winter, when the quality of the typically offered stockpiled forages is generally low. A single planting with multiple years of grain production offers several other benefits such as providing valuable habitat for wildlife, including nesting waterfowl and songbirds, greater water use efficiency, nutrient management, and soil protection.

What did we do?

As part of a larger project evaluating the yield and nutritive value of IWG regrowth post-grain harvest as grazed late fall/early winter feed for growing beef cattle, we also evaluated if IWG could be used as a hay crop in the event of summer drought/crop failure when producers may need to abandon grain harvest to provide additional cattle feed.

This large scale (45 ac) study was carried out at the University of Manitoba’s Glenlea Research Station, with the pastures established in 2020 and field measurements taken in 2021 when widespread drought conditions occurred throughout the province. The April 1-June 30 rainfall for the Glenlea site is 179 mm compared to 103 mm in 2021, of which 12 mm fell after all harvests were completed. The average daily temperatures in 2021 for June of 19.8℃ was about 2℃ above the long-term normal. Three treatments were evaluated: 1) IWG in a pure stand with no fertilizer post establishment, representing a low input system, 2) IWG (50%) + alsike clover (50%). Alsike clover naturally fixes nitrogen and has good water tolerance relative to alfalfa but is less aggressive which is important for mixed stand establishment. These were compared to a more traditional hay mix of 50% grass (tall fescue): 50% legume (alfalfa + cicer milkvetch).

Pastures were managed for weeds in 2020, with the IWG and grass/legume mix with the IWG sampled just before flowering in 2021 and the grass/legume mix harvested at 20% alfalfa bloom on June 15 to determine their yields and feeding value. No rain was received between the timings of the forage mixture (5 days earlier) and IWG harvests. No fertilizer was applied to any IWG plots prior to grain harvest 2021.

What did we find?

Our analysis showed that under drought conditions, the pure stand of IWG yielded, on average, 2.92 tonnes of dry matter (DM)/ac, with 10% crude protein (CP) and 57% total digestible nutrients (TDN). The IWG/clover mix had a lower yield of 2.41 tonnes of DM/ac, but higher feed quality at 12% CP and 59% TDN. Comparing the IWG to the grass:legume mix, the tall fescue/alfalfa/cicer milk vetch had the lowest yield overall at 1.52 tonnes of DM/ac, but had the highest feed quality at 19% CP and 63% TDN. IWG produced 20% and 90% greater yields than the alsike clover mixture and the potential hay crop, respectively.

Additional to the evaluation of IWG as a hay potential hay crop, the researchers subsequently harvested the grain from the crop in early August. Although the grain was destined for food production, the research team evaluated the feed quality of the straw post grain harvest as an additional source of cattle feed. As expected, the feed quality of the straw was much lower than the hay, however it ranged from 5.3 – 7% CP, with TDN ranging from 50-52%, higher than may be seen with conventional annual crop straw. Although not a high-quality feed, this straw may be an important supplementary feed source in times of feed shortage.

Take home message

When faced with drought conditions, IWG offered a 90% greater yield than a traditional grass/legume mix. However, higher feed value was observed with the grass/legume, thus consideration of the tradeoff between yield and quality for hay is essential. Nevertheless, this study showed that intermediate wheatgrass, alone or in combination with a legume, offers a potential avenue to supplement hay supplies in times of limited forage growth. Coupled with its ability to provide a cash crop and potential for late fall/early winter grazing for beef cattle, this dual purpose crop offers diverse options for cattle producers.

Dairy unit

L to R: Jason Bourcier, Barry Peril, Hamid Khalouei and Mike Hummel

The members of the GRS dairy unit were presented with the Dairy Farmers of Manitoba highest milk value herd award in December, given for a combined milk value for fat and protein average per cow.

The Dairy Farmers of Manitoba Discovery and Learning Complex opened the summer of 2018, which includes a free stall barn with one milking robot and one feeding robot. The three full time staff led by Michael Hummel look after milking 48 cows and also support outreach, teaching and training activities for the general public, UM and Red River Polytech.

Swine unit

Since 2018, the University of Manitoba has partnered with swine genetics company Topigs Norsvin to collaborate on joint research projects and data capture at the research station.

L to R: agricultural attendant Sam Ariyibi, student Andrei Silvestre and facility supervisor Archie Isit. Missing from photo is student Madison Hildebrand.

Also recently, the Glenlea swine unit led by Archie Isit was presented with the Topigs Norsvin 28+ Club Award. This award is given to sow farms that achieve 28 or more pigs weaned/mated female for the one-year period ending month June 2021. The GRS swine barn registered 29.66 pigs weaned/sow.

GRS operations manager Jay Bourcier praised his staff members for their ongoing hard work through the pandemic, noting that their work efficiency and animal care skills are second to none.

“The Glenlea Research Station strives for excellence and it is wonderful to have our staff recognized by industry for all the hard work they’ve put in throughout the year. I am very proud of Mike and Archie, leading their teams towards this achievement. The dairy and swine teams are committed to the best animal care possible, and without their dedication each day these awards would not be possible,” said Bourcier.

“In addition to their achievements in production and animal care, they are also committed to transferring those skills to other staff and students within our faculty, thus ensuring the future success of our units and that of Manitoba’s livestock industry.”

Jay will provide leadership in the operations and maintenance of the research station in support of the research, teaching and outreach goals of the Faculty. He will be responsible for managing staff, facilities and equipment at the 500-hectare station, which includes modern livestock and cropping systems as well as key outreach infrastructure.

“We are excited to have Jay assume the official role as manager,” said Martin Scanlon, dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences. “The Glenlea Research Station plays a crucial part in providing our students with opportunities to experience hands-on learning, and enabling our faculty to undertake research with significant value to producers in Manitoba and beyond. Glenlea continues to be an award-winning operation which sets the standard for animal care and whole farm biosecurity, and serves as a strong foundation for our programs.”

“I couldn’t be more excited to move into my new role,” said Jay Bourcier. “With its infrastructure, and skilled and dedicated support staff, Glenlea has become an exemplar in agriculture across Canada. With industry support and the outstanding academic staff at the University of Manitoba, I plan to develop the station into a unique training and learning environment for students and producers within our province while continuing to be innovative in research practices and outreach. The potential for Glenlea moving forward is boundless.”

Jay brings extensive experience to the Glenlea Research Station role, having served in a variety of roles at the station since 2006 including poultry unit supervisor, livestock research coordinator and as acting manager since December 2019.  He received his Bachelor of Arts in Integrated Studies with a concentration in Animal Science from the University of Manitoba.

The Glenlea Research Station provides the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences with facilities and services necessary for its teaching, research and outreach programs and is the site for major infrastructure associated with the National Centre for Livestock and the Environment and the Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre, an innovative and interactive agricultural education facility. The Dairy Farmers of Manitoba Discovery and Learning Complex, opened in 2018, complements the research station’s programming.

Located south of Winnipeg on Highway 75, the station includes a dairy unit, a swine unit, and a beef feedlot. The site also houses long-term sustainable cropping systems plots, including Canada’s longest running organic cropping systems study and a greenhouse gas field emission site. The station also provides management for poultry barns located at the Fort Garry Campus.

For more information, contact:
Jay Bourcier, Operations Manager
Glenlea Research Station
Jason.Bourcier@umanitoba.ca
Cell: 204-712-6000

An innovative study at the University of Manitoba is exploring how different animal and manure management strategies influence whole farm greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in cattle production systems.

The study, which is co-led by Kim Ominski, a professor and associate head in the department of Animal Science, and Mario Tenuta, a professor of applied soil ecology in the department of Soil Science, began in 2017 and will run until 2021.

It’s unique for its layered approach: the project “stacks” feeding, animal and manure management practices to optimize nutrient efficiency and reduce net GHG emissions from stockpiled manure.

Ominski’s role in the project is to oversee animal management and supervise graduate student Rhea Teranishi, who is conducting a feeding experiment to assess four different diets designed to reduce methane (CH4) emissions.

Tenuta’s role in the project is to analyze emissions – direct nitrous oxide (N2O), indirect ammonia (NH3) and methane emissions – from stockpiled solid manure from feedlot-fed cattle consuming the four different diets.

Read the full story here.

This new facility, whose design was guided by a steering committee that included representatives from Manitoba Agriculture and DFM, replaces the circa 1960’s tie-stall dairy facility at Glenlea which no longer reflects modern dairy production techniques. The planned 60-cow operation will feature a robotic milking system, an automated feeding system, dedicated spaces for calves and above-ground manure storage. Researchers will be able to individually manage multiple groups of animals in a free-stall setting. A dedicated metabolism unit will enable intensive studies of nutrient intake and microbial diversity without needing to move the animals off-site.

“A new facility representative of Manitoba’s modern dairy industry not only gives us an excellent whole-system ruminant production environment, but will also enable us to attract research investment and the next generation of young scientists,” said Dr. Kees Plaizier, dairy scientist and professor in the Department of Animal Science.

Proposed barn layout of Glenlea Research Station Dairy Facility

The milking system will include extra milk collection tanks that will permit researchers to conduct research from production through to processing, allowing for “identity-preserved” and traceable research programs in dairy product development, and and support the growth of value-added dairy processing in Manitoba.

The dairy research unit has long been an essential facility for students interested in acquiring hands-on experience with large animals and experience in a modern dairy production system. Going forward, the Faculty will be developing an expanded experiential learning component centred around the Glenlea Research Station’s systems.

“More and more of our students are no longer from the farm, and so it’s critical that they get experience in safe livestock handling and animal health and welfare,” said Plaizier. “Our goal is to prepare graduates ready to enter Manitoba’s dairy industry.”

The Glenlea dairy has been a popular public education component for visitors to the Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre. The new facility will enhance teaching and outreach through a planned viewing gallery and public exhibit space, and provide visitors with a rare opportunity to engage with modern dairy production.

Even though many of us enjoy an abundance of food, our food system has some substantial challenges in the short and long term. Some of the short term challenges include the local need for food banks, the worldwide problem of inadequate food supplies for approximately 1 billion people and the increasingly large environmental footprint for food production, overall. However, one of the largest long term challenges for our food production system will be to sustain the steady supply of nutrients in the form of food, from farms (where most food is produced) to cities (where most food is consumed).

Who will feed the soil?

For the last 12,000 years, an increasingly smaller proportion of the world’s population is directly engaged in gathering or producing food, putting more and more pressure on each of the world’s farmers to feed more and more people. Mechanization, along with genetic and agronomic improvements to crop production have increased yields, but these increases have also resulted in larger exports of nutrients from the land, increasing our dependence on non-renewable and increasingly expensive sources of nutrients, such as synthetic fertilizers.

The overall net export of nutrients from farms is largely offset by processing huge quantities of non-renewable natural gas and phosphate rock into approximately 80 million tonnes of fertilizer nitrogen and 20 million tonnes of fertilizer phosphorus every year (for more information about the pros and cons of synthetic fertilizers for feeding billions of people every day, see books and articles by Dr. Vaclav Smil, an environment professor at the U of M who provides internationally respected analyses of these issues).

Why do farmers use so much synthetic fertilizer? Basically, the answer is because farms feed cities and cities generally don’t give those nutrients back to farms for recycling into our food production system. Why not? Generally because most current methods of wastewater processing that allow for nutrient recycling are more expensive than those that discharge those nutrients to nearby waterways (as in many small communities), release them into the atmosphere, or haul them into a landfill (as in many larger communities).

Kidney stones to the rescue

So, how do we move towards a food system that recycles nutrients more efficiently and effectively in our food production system? Part of the answer is in research. For example, several engineering, soil science, and plant science professors at the U of M are evaluating production and utilization of struvite, a novel fertilizer manufactured from wastewater for safe convenient recycling of phosphorus back into the food production system (although struvite is a novel fertilizer, it’s the same mineral that forms kidney stones).

Other professors are evaluating enhanced efficiency fertilizers that not only improve the efficiency of nutrient use by crops, but also reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other losses of nutrients to the environment. Complementing this work with commercial fertilizers, we have a team of professors collaborating at Canada’s longest running organic farming systems study, located at the U of M’s Glenlea Research Station; this study celebrated its 25th birthday in 2016. In addition, our animal scientists are developing livestock production systems that minimize overfeeding and wastage of nutrients and our plant scientists are developing cropping systems that will reduce our dependence on synthetic fertilizers by including more legumes as cash crops, green manure crops, intercrops and relay crops, for examples.

This type of work will not only reduce wastage of non-renewable sources of nutrients, it will also help us to minimize phosphorus losses to surface water and nitrogen losses to the atmosphere, where these nutrients intensify algae growth and climate change, respectively. However, researchers cannot address this challenge on their own. We also need farmers, consumers and society at large to work together and devote more effort and resources to the long term sustainability of our entire food system.

So, as we pause over the upcoming holidays to enjoy a celebratory meal with family or friends, let’s take a minute to think about where our food comes from. And let’s also remember how fortunate most of us are to enjoy a relatively bountiful and affordable supply of high quality food and also how important it is to invest a bit more than the bare minimum, in our farms and in our cities, to ensure a plentiful and sustainable supply of food for all families in the future.

Figure: The break in the nutrient “cycle” after food is consumed increases our dependence on synthetic fertilizers and threatens the long term sustainability of our food production system

[See image gallery at umtoday-wordpress.ad.umanitoba.ca]