Crossroads This Week – MASTER OF NONE

May 9, 2019May 9, 2019

PRAIRIE SCRIBBLER – CROSSROADS THIS WEEK, VOLUME 17, NUMBER 8

***Original published in Crossroads This Week, March 29, 2019***

Local Flooding Forecast – Spring 2019

Spring in Manitoba seems to have sprung with a vengeance. Was it really that long ago when we were suffering through what seemed to be an endless cold snap? This balmy weather is welcome to winter weary Manitobans and has people dreaming of drinks on the deck and steaks on the ‘barbie’. But wary old-timers are wise to Mother Nature’s annoying spring habit of washing out roads, turning fields into lakes, and filling up their basements.

This is why the experts at the Manitoba Hydrologic Forecast Centre (HFC), the local Rural Municipality offices, and the Little Saskatchewan River Conservation District have been looking into their crystal balls to determine how prepared local government agencies should be with regards to local area flooding this spring.

Degefa Senbeta, Senior Forecaster for the Province’s HFC, says that for the Oak and Little Saskatchewan River waterways, “There is a possibility of moderate flooding of localized areas.”

As for the stretch of the Upper Assiniboine from the Shellmouth Dam down to Brandon, the HFC assessment is, “Based on the current information we have and possible future weather conditions, there could be a risk of moderate flooding along the Assiniboine River, especially flooding of low-lying areas and agricultural lands. The water levels will be below the dike tops therefore there should be no major flooding.”

In anticipation of the spring melt, the Province has been drawing down the level of the Lake of the Prairies for a number of weeks. For now, Degefa says, “There have been no issues downstream of the Shellmouth dam this year caused by the drawdown.”

The water management of the Shellmouth dam has been a persistent, sore spot with farmers and area residents along the stretch of the Upper Assiniboine River that runs from the dam to the ring dike system at St. Lazare. RM of Sifton Councilor, Stan Cochrane, says “This season looks okay for now as long as we don’t receive a significant weather event. We have had an ongoing issue with the government’s water management of the Shellmouth Dam since 1995. There are Saskatchewan drainage issues that exacerbate the water flow plus the province doesn’t seem to know how to regulate a proper inflow and outflow program.”

Mr. Cochrane is also the Chairman of the Assiniboine Valley Producers and runs a mixed farm near Griswold. He and other farmers all along the Upper Assiniboine perennially have been dealing with flooding issues on their farmland due to controlled flows from the upstream dam.

A spokesperson from the Little Saskatchewan River Conservation District (LSRCD) provided some insight on historic trouble spots associated with their watershed management area. Spokesperson Colleen Cuvelier says that the Oak and Little Saskatchewan Rivers will occasionally flood over their banks. Generally, the worst flood seasons will cause some road washouts and pasture land flooding. Colleen does not expect a bad season in her area.

Over at the Harrison Park Rural Municipality, the Public Works Acting Foreman Kevin Tyschinski says this should be a normal season as far as the spring freshet is concerned. “The sloughs were so dry by the end of last summer, they will hold lots of runoff. Meanwhile, our department is getting ready to steam out any problem culverts or to dig out the odd drain. Our RM has 1000 miles of ditches but they are well maintained and kept clear of grass and trees.”

The rest of the local RMs echo this assessment. They are keeping an eye on known trouble spots. Other than a few blockages due to ice, snow banks, frozen culverts or pesky beavers, nobody is foreseeing any major flooding issues.

If you do see a problem developing, the advice is to call your local RM office and they will task their Public Works department to send out personnel and equipment to deal with the issue.

The public can also access the tools and reports from the Hydrologic Forecast Centre website (https://www.gov.mb.ca/mit/floodinfo/index.html) for Daily Flood Reports, Media Bulletins, and real-time water flow data for select monitoring stations around the province.

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May 8, 2019May 8, 2019

PRAIRIE SCRIBBLER – CROSSROADS THIS WEEK, VOLUME 17, NUMBER 4

Celebrated Equine Artist – Shannon Lawlor

***Original published in Crossroads This Week, March 1, 2019***

Former Kenton Artist Chosen for Ducks Unlimited National Art Portfolio

Celebrated equine artist and former resident of Kenton, Shannon Lawlor, is among those whose work is now up for auction as part of Ducks Unlimited Canada’s (DUC) 2019 National Art Portfolio.

Shannon’s winning entry, Klasa, follows on last year’s winning DUC National Art Portfolio entry entitled Amigo. The artist sits among rarified company as her prints are included in the small offering whittled down from hundreds of submissions. She is also a rarity as a female artist who is competing in a genre dominated by men.

Shannon, who still has close family ties to Kenton, described her journey to becoming a self-employed Western style artist like this: “Growing up, I focused on two things, horses and drawing. When I wasn’t at home in town, I was out at the barn with the horses. Although rural Manitoba was a great place to grow up, I have made Alberta my home. The connections and networking for my art style were not available back home, so I sought opportunity out West. Perhaps, when I want to slow things down, I might swing back to Manitoba for that unique rural lifestyle of my childhood.”

With no formal art training, Shannon uses an ‘intuitive desire to put pencil to paper that has been there since before she could spell. She has carried her sketchbook from the prairie of her youth to the finest Arabian breeding farms deep in the heart of Poland.’ She then transforms her sketches to incredible works of Western art via the medium of acrylic paint on Baltic birch plywood.

According to her website, her work hangs in the most authentic ranches of the Canadian West, as well as office towers, hotels, and urban homes. You would have to be a serious art collector if you wanted one of her creations as even her prints can run into the thousands of dollars. But patrons of equine art would definitely find the investment worthwhile.

Shannon’s humble beginnings have never diminished her drive and sheer talent. She has a critically acclaimed international reputation and has received numerous accolades. Besides the DUC prints and recognition, over the last decade her work has been exhibited at numerous North American Western and Equine art shows. She has been featured on several covers of Agricultural and Horse magazines. Since 2008, she has been a prominent feature artist at the Calgary Stampede. Then in February 2020, she will be honoured with a Fellowship and as a Master Artist for a prestigious ‘Art of the Cowgirl’ gathering at Corona Ranch near Phoenix, AZ.

“My art has been my life for about 15 years and I am honoured that organizations like Ducks Unlimited Canada see fit to feature it. I support DUC’s conservation efforts and I feel good about submitting my work to this worthy organization.”

The purpose of the National Art Portfolio is to spark an appreciation for conservation through the emotional connection Canadians have with nature. The 2019 collection highlights the importance of Canada’s natural environment to Canadian lifestyles.

“Among our greatest challenges in wetland conservation is transforming how people relate to the natural world,” says Karla Guyn, CEO of DUC. “Artists have a unique ability to evoke people’s feelings about the importance of our land, water, and wildlife.”

DUC has partnered with artists on the National Art Portfolio since 1986. The auction of the annually released collection raises funds for DUC’s conservation work. Shannon’s winning entry, along with the other seven prints on offer for 2019, can be viewed at www.ducks.ca/2019NAP.

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Blair is a personification of a ‘Jack of All Trades and Master of None’. He has held several careers and has all the T-shirts. Time to add the title Blogger to the list.

March 29, 2019March 29, 2019

PRAIRIE SCRIBBLER – CROSSROADS THIS WEEK, VOLUME 17, NUMBER 3

Caroline Hewson explaining her Gasification Plant plan at Rossburn Public Hearing

***Original published in Crossroads This Week, February 22, 2019***

Rossburn RM Council Hears Pitch for Zero Waste Plant

Every municipality in the Province is grappling with the complexities of dealing with the waste that Manitobans generate. There are numerous strategies being considered such as the tried and true landfill, exporting to mega-dumps, ambitious diversion projects, and the new comer – gasification schemes.

Last week on February 13 at the Rossburn Library Drop-In, Rossburn RM Council held a Special meeting to receive information on a proposal related to a ‘Waste-To-Green Power’ solution for the town’s garbage and lagoon sludge. Caroline and James Hewson of JC7 Green Life Energy described their privately funded proposal for a Rapid Organic Convertor (ROC) thermal conversion unit to produce heat and electricity to fuel a Green Energy Park. Their goal is to turn Rossburn into a ‘zero waste’ community.

Specifically, in order to get the Hewson’s plans to moving forward, they are requesting the RM to lease their company approximately 40 acres of land in the vicinity of the town’s lagoon.

Mayor Kerry Lawless was pleased with the presentation and public interest in the project. He reiterated that Council was taking the proposal seriously. In fact, contrary to a recent Crossroads Letter to the Editor, ‘The assertion that Council’s decision was effectively “to reject the Hewson’s Gasification Plant Proposal” is a mischaracterization of the facts. A resolution was introduced at our January Council meeting authorizing the Municipality to enter into an agreement to lease property for the proposed Rapid Organic Converter Project. Some members of council, including me, felt that we did not have adequate details at the time to vote in favour of the resolution. We carefully crafted the resolution (declining the leasing request) to include the words “at this time” so that it left the door open to consider the lease request upon receipt of additional information.’

Mayor Lawless did concede that there has been some community confusion concerning the proposed lease agreement for the Hewson’s proposal. Complicating factors include the fact that the entire council is new as of the last election and they have been dealing with several other handover issues. But Council is determined to rejuvenate the community while balancing the need to conduct the process of due diligence.

There already seems to be strong community support for the ROC solution to the community’s waste issues. A Rossburn business couple, Keegan and Sarah Saley, had circulated a petition asking for support for the JC7 waste disposal concept. They collected 130 signatures and also gave a presentation to Council.

The desire to move forward with the leasing arrangement was generally echoed by the 30 plus concerned citizens in attendance. In a rare move for a Council meeting, the floor was opened for a Q & A session. Most people felt that Council needed to move on this issue sooner than later. They do not want to see their community wither because they were not proactive enough. The feeling was that Rossburn’s garbage issues should be dealt with in Rossburn and not exported along with the resultant economic benefits to other jurisdictions.

Although there was mostly positive agreement that the ROC plant would be a good solution for the RM, there were some cons associated with the project. To begin with, Caroline admitted this would be the first fully functioning ROC plant in the province. Tritec Concrete in St. Eustache runs a ROC plant using grain screenings but it is only licensed to convert biomass. Evergreen Environmental Technologies by Franklin will have their own pilot gasification plant running soon. There have been numerous Manitoba gasification plant pilot projects but a fully functioning ROC plant in Rossburn would be breaking new ground.

Other RMs have expressed interest in the concept but there have been no firm commitments. Some of the reasons for the trepidation have been the shaky reputation of gasification plants in other parts of the world, the perceived newness of the technology, the initial start-up costs, lack of enough waste as feedstock, and possible complications with licensing through Manitoba Sustainable Development.

Caroline and James are confident that the technological and regulatory hurdles can be surmounted. In their opinion, once the RM leases their company the requested land parcel, they should be able to have a working ROC unit converting waste within 18 months. From there, they have plans to attract more business to an adjacent ‘Green Energy Park’ which would run off the resultant gas created from the town’s waste. Later, if all goes well, and more communities send them their waste, they can build more ROC units to handle the inflow.

Mayor Lawless closed the meeting with a pledge to keep the proposal high on the Council’s agenda. It will be discussed again at their next Regular meeting. Meanwhile, the Hewson’s are open to answering all questions related to their proposal and eager for a positive decision on the land lease from the RM.

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Blair is a personification of a ‘Jack of All Trades and Master of None’. He has held several careers and has all the T-shirts. Time to add the title Blogger to the list.

January 30, 2019January 30, 2019

PRAIRIE SCRIBBLER – CROSSROADS THIS WEEK, VOLUME 16, NUMBER

Jay Toews addressing a large crowd at Shoal Lake Information Session

***Original published in Crossroads This Week, December 7, 2018***

Shoal Lake Environmental Assessment Open House Well Attended

The Shoal Lake Community Hall was packed to capacity last Friday night to listen to a presentation by Jay Toews of Toews Environmental Ltd Consulting and Aquatic Sciences regarding the progress of the environmental assessment of the town’s lake. Mr. Toews, the senior scientist of the team that has been studying the lake for the past year, gave a detailed accounting of their findings to date and recommendations for going forward.

For people unfamiliar with some of the main issues regarding Shoal Lake, they include discussions on optimal lake levels, algae and weed growth, phosphorus loading, fish populations, recreational boating access, and shoreline erosion.

As Mayor Merv Starzyk of the Rural Municipality of Yellowhead explained, the Council has been working on some of these latest lake issues for over a decade. The project has reached the point where Council is seeking a license from the Province in order to control the water level of the lake. In order for that license to be granted, Manitoba Sustainable Development required an environmental assessment to be completed.

‘Everyone wants a healthy lake and although Council has spent a significant amount of money on this study, we feel that it is tax payer funds well spent in order for us to move forward with proper management of the lake.’

The environment assessment started in earnest after last February’s Open House on the subject. As Mr. Toews said, ‘We are conducting a proper four season study of the lake. In addition, along with keeping local residents informed on the project, my team is seeking to gather input and as much local knowledge as possible.’

As for this interim report from Mr. Toews, it was very detailed and dovetailed with local observations of long time area residents. The assembled crowd received a crash course on topics such as hydrology, bathymetry, limnology, turbidity, and aeration. A layman unfamiliar with the science could have been overwhelmed but Mr. Toews managed to keep his report and recommendations relatable.

Specifically, Toews and his team came up with the following recommendations:

In order to eliminate the ‘too low’ levels of the lake which creates poor summer boating, weed growth and fish winter kill, the lake should be kept above 1794.6 ft Above Sea Level (ASL).
In order to eliminate the ‘too high’ levels of the lake which creates shoreline erosion issues, the lake should not be kept above 1796 ft ASL.
The recommended ‘just right’ target level of the lake is 1795.3 ft ASL. This level would create the best balance between all the competing interests with regards to managing the lake’s health and recreational use. This level could be achieved by keeping just one stoplog in the water control structure at the south end of the lake.
During the spring runoff or large weather events, it was recommended to add more culverts to the east-west running #93 Municipal road at the south end of the lake plus also a spillway for the beach road in that area. Water levels during those events literally cover the control structure, so the road acts as a dyke to hold the water at excessively high levels. At those high levels, a large wind event would cause significant shoreline erosion so it is imperative to lower the water as soon as possible.
The lake’s water gauge needs to be lengthened as it goes underwater during very high levels and no data can be collected.
The aerator at the north end of the lake is doing an adequate job of keeping the stocked fish alive during winter. Oxygen levels were measured last winter and found to drop off outside of one kilometer. Outside of that zone, fish like pickerel have a difficult time of surviving. But fish are smart and know how to keep from suffocating. So for the existing fish population, the one aerator is sufficient for now. It is critical for it to remain in operation otherwise algae and lake sediment would deplete the oxygen levels to a point where fish would not survive.
There was some observed leakage through the lake’s dykes and control structure. It was recommended that engineering studies and possibly repairs should be made on the infrastructure.

Although the meeting was specifically geared towards the optimal level of the lake, Mr. Toews did touch on phosphorus issues when questioned. So far while studying the lake, it was no surprise that they observed high phosphorus levels. Surprisingly, the levels at the north end of the lake were ten times the expected amount. An obvious, likely culprit is the town’s lagoon which back in the 1980’s was found to contribute 10 to 12% of the lake’s phosphorus loading.

A RM Councilor mentioned that a solution will be put in place to mitigate that particular problem as some marsh land just to the east of the lagoon has been purchased and the plan will be to send lagoon water that direction instead of into the lake.

Meanwhile, Mr. Toews plans to continue studying how to identify and control the sources of phosphorus coming in, how to control the amounts that are already there, and how to determine and mitigate the levels of algae growth. So there is plenty of work yet to be completed in order to keep the lake healthy for all interested parties.

Mr. Toews summed up his talk with an anecdotal quote from a long time resident, ‘The Lake went up and the Lake went down with Nature, nobody tried to control it.’ Well decades ago, local government started to try and tame the Lake in order to mitigate flood events. The process will continue but with science and public discussion helping to direct the flow of progress in order to mitigate unintended consequences.

The full body of the environmental assessment report and its recommendations will soon be available to the public through the Yellowhead Municipal Office.

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Blair is a personification of a ‘Jack of All Trades and Master of None’. He has held several careers and has all the T-shirts. Time to add the title Blogger to the list.

January 5, 2019January 5, 2019

PRAIRIE SCRIBBLER – CROSSROADS THIS WEEK, VOLUME 16, NUMBER 41

A map of western Manitoba, showing some of the municipalities highlighted for Part II of The Brandon Sun focus on the Oct. 24 municipal election. (Original map by Repromap has been altered for this illustration)

***Original published in Crossroads This Week, November 2, 2018***

Long-Serving Yellowhead RM Mayor Steps Down

After participating in the local politics of Yellowhead RM for a span of close to four decades, Don Yanick decided it was time to step aside as Mayor and chose not to run in this last round of municipal elections.

Don began his career in municipal politics back in the early 80’s when he served on Council from 1983-89. In 1989, he threw his hat into the ring for Reeve but was narrowly defeated. He did a sojourn away from the Council chambers for nine years then was elected to the top job in 1998.

Although the title did some swapping between Reeve and Mayor over the years due to two municipal amalgamations, the basics of being the head of a RM have not changed.

Here is what Don had to say about his philosophy that guided his time in office:

‘First and foremost, I wanted to serve my community. I was always prepared to listen to concerned citizens even when I knew I was going to get tuned in. Council needs to have the vision to look ahead for what is good and needed for the community. Then you have to communicate that vision to the residents and get them onboard. Then after you come up with a plan, look for the negatives but do not dwell on them forever. Find a way to move forward and a way to not say no. But be prepared to make the hard decisions because that was why you were elected.”

Don has seen many changes over the decades and Council has evolved from an organization that traditionally only oversaw the management of roads and recreation. Complex projects can take many years to come to fruition and can be difficult to gain the necessary support for timely success.

The one accomplishment that Don was quite proud of was being able to bring natural gas to the Town of Shoal Lake. That project involved a three-way partnership between all levels of government cost sharing $1.6 million to run a pipeline from an existing service point in Hamiota. Don’s RM Council and other like-minded bodies floated the idea in the early 2000’s and with 12 other partners came together to form the West Central Gas Committee. Unfortunately, in 2004 the committee folded leaving only the Shoal Lake Regional Community Development Corporation to carry on. Approvals and applications for Centra’s gas pipeline started in 2005-06 and soon after natural gas was available to the town’s residents. Don explained, “Although it can take many years, if you are on Council, you have to keep working on a project until it is done.”

Don has dealt with a wide variety of items over the years. For example, there have been hog barn issues that began in the early 2000’s that are popping up again. There used to be problems with flooding in Strathclair until with the help of some old-timers and some old maps, they were able to sort out some culverts with CP Rail. High speed internet with some of the fastest broadband capacities in the world is in the area now. Council’s job is to be adaptive and to help facilitate the health of the community.

Occasionally, Don and Council had to be creative to solve issues. The old fire hall in Oakburn was sitting empty and a proposal came up to convert it to a meat processing facility. Council sorted out a solution and now the owner runs a successful business with three employees.

Of course over time, Don has had his share of odd requests. One ditty of his involves an elderly gentlemen who felt the Mayor had the authority to grant a permit to drive on RM roads. It took some time but Don convinced the citizen that as Mayor he was not omnipotent, at least not when it came to drivers licenses.

Unfortunately, not all of the long-term projects that started under Don’s watch were finished before his retirement. One such agenda item is Council’s plan to manage the water level of Shoal Lake which started back in 2005. Even during his last Council meeting on October 23, Don was presiding during a lengthy presentation from Jay Toews, the principal scientist of Toews Aquatics, on data concerning lake levels and management strategies. The subsequent deliberations and decisions will be passed on to the new crowd.

When asked about what he would be doing with his life now that he is no longer Mayor, Don replied that he was being put out to pasture, literally. With his brother in law, he will now devote more time to his red/black Simmentals and grain operation. He has plenty of fencing to get to and after freeze-up, he would like to do more curling. There will be more time to spend with his family and he has some recreational property in Rossburn that will keep him busy. Plus Don has been Chairman of the Prairie Mountain Museum for about 17 years and he has big plans for the facility.

Don enjoyed all those years on Council and is grateful for the opportunity to serve his community. “I met a lot of great people plus worked with an amazing staff at the office. I had promised myself that when I lost my passion for the job, then it would be time to step aside and pass the torch. All my best wishes to the new Council, congratulations on your election. My best advice is to keep an open mind and always try to find solutions.”

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Blair is a personification of a ‘Jack of All Trades and Master of None’. He has held several careers and has all the T-shirts. Time to add the title Blogger to the list.

December 9, 2018December 9, 2018

PRAIRIE SCRIBBLER – CROSSROADS THIS WEEK, VOLUME 16, NUMBER 39 Part 2

***Original published in Crossroads This Week, Oct 19, 2018***

New Housing Option for Hamiota Older Adults

The town of Hamiota is gaining a unique senior housing option due to the forward looking efforts of Mark Fisher and his contracting company. The first of at least two downtown 4 Plex units is almost complete and Mark is well into the planning stages of starting a second 4 Plex in 2019.

The Souris based company has been in the construction business for 15 years and has been building custom homes specifically for older adults since 2014. He started with two 3 Plexs in Souris, one 4 Plex in Hartney, and started construction of this latest project this spring.

Mark explained that he recognized that there was a niche market for high quality, small venture, housing options for older adults in rural Manitoba towns. “It’s risk management in smaller markets. In my opinion, it is not feasible in a small community to blow into town promising larger developments. With my business model, I can scale building safely without overextending financially. It has been successful for me and my previous customers, so I’ll keep doing what works.”

The buildings that Mark has designed are built with the needs of seniors in mind. All the rooms are on one level, everything is wheelchair and scooter accessible, the doors and garage are oversized, and there is no yard to look after.

Plus for the new tenants literally getting in on the ground floor, they have the option of getting together with Mark during the building process to ask for specifics suited to their needs. Upgrades or other changes are always easier for a builder before the final building is done. Mark regularly takes feedback during the building process and has already incorporated improvements into each successive project.

Unlike a condominium, Mark’s housing business model is to act as a landlord with long term tenants. With the first few projects, he was asking for a $15,000 deposit that would be applied to the first five years of the rent. The money offset the company’s financial liability during the construction process. With these new projects in Hamiota, the deposit is now optional but if it is paid, Mark will guarantee no rent increases and a commensurate rent decrease for a five year period. If the tenant decides to leave, they will receive a pro-rated deposit refund. After the five year period finishes, Mark forecasts that any rent increases will be minimal.

A selling feature for this type of housing option is there are no extra fees or hassles with a condo committee. The hardest thing for the building’s tenants to get together over is collectively sharing the costs of snow removal.

For Hamiota residents interested in the new building slated for the 2019 construction season, Mark will be holding an Open House at the 74 Maple Ave location on October 30 from 5 to 8 pm.

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Blair is a personification of a ‘Jack of All Trades and Master of None’. He has held several careers and has all the T-shirts. Time to add the title Blogger to the list.

November 27, 2018

PRAIRIE SCRIBBLER – CROSSROADS THIS WEEK, VOLUME 16, NUMBER 39

***Original published in Crossroads This Week, Oct 19, 2018***

Hog Advocacy Group takes Issue with Farmer’s Hog Barn

The RM of Yellowhead received a special presentation from the advocacy group Hog Watch Manitoba during their Council meeting in Strathclair on September 25. Hog Watch’s representative, Ruth Pryzner, went over a lengthy submission to Council regarding perceived violations concerning a hog barn located in the former RM of Strathclair.

The 17,905.7 ft² hog barn in question is located along with an existing hog facility at NE 32-16-21 and is owned by Wilhelmus Verbruggen. When he was contacted for comment, Mr. Verbruggen was unaware of any issues arising from the barn that has been in operation since the spring.

As confirmed by Ms. Pryzner, Mr. Verbruggen was never contacted by Hog Watch representatives. They never visited the site and did not consider asking for a tour. He was never contacted by the RM with any concerns and as far as he knew he had followed the correct regulatory procedures and was operating the barn in accordance to provincial regulations.

Hog Watch Manitoba’s main concerns include: the RM did not conduct a Conditional Use hearing on the expansion of the existing pig operation at the site; since the RM operates on the ‘honour’ system, there is no mechanism to verify information supplied by building permit applicants; the manure storage capacity for the new barn will be inadequate; and the farmer may be in violation of the Water Rights Act.

In their opinion, Hog Watch feels that Yellowhead RM and the Province should enforce their regulations and policies. Ruth Pryzner stated that lawbreakers should not be rewarded and punitive measures should be levied. She has documents from when Mr. Verbruggen undertook an unsuccessful Oakview Conditional Use Review back in 2016 for a 6000 head feeder barn. She contends that the farmer should have known that he could not have gone ahead with this latest barn without a Review. In her estimation, there are too many issues to be resolved and the hog barn will be unable to ever be brought into compliance.

For their part, the RM Council is going to fully review the matter. According to Mayor Yanick, it does appear that a mistake occurred and that Council should have conducted a Conditional Use hearing regarding the construction of the hog barn and expanded operations on the site. Meanwhile, the Council’s intent is to contact Mr. Verbruggen and gather information related to Hog Watch Manitoba’s concerns. After they have had a chance to conduct their due diligence, Mayor Yanick says they will determine the best course of action moving forward.

The Council’s findings and recommendations will be discussed at their next regular meeting on October 9.

Blair’s LinkedIn Profile

Blair is a personification of a ‘Jack of All Trades and Master of None’. He has held several careers and has all the T-shirts. Time to add the title Blogger to the list.

November 24, 2018

PRAIRIE SCRIBBLER – CROSSROADS THIS WEEK, VOLUME 16, NUMBER 37

***Original published in Crossroads This Week, Oct 5, 2018***

Hodgins Family Opens up Farm Gates

Recently on September 16, over 40 Manitoba farms participated in the annual Open Farm Day throwing open their farm gates for the public to come and visit. One of the family farms welcoming guests was that of Cameron and Lisa Hodgins of Hodgins Farm just southwest of Kenton.

Lisa was really unsure of what to expect for numbers as this was their first time participating in Open Farm day. They had some of the fencing and shelters that they use on display in the yard, as well as bee hives, and some cover crop plants with written information so people could self-guide themselves. Cameron took people on guided tours out to see some of the animals, plants, etc. and provided more of an explanation.

Back in the garage, people were able to enjoy hot beef and pork on a bun, coffee and lemonade, as well as learn more about the farm and products. Guests then had an opportunity to purchase farm produced products before they left. The Hodgins direct market their foods on a year round basis.

‘We had people register and we had about 50 adults and 20 kids come and join us at some point that afternoon. We thought the afternoon went great! The weather was rather cold and rainy to start but the rain stopped and it sure didn’t keep people from travelling out and enjoying themselves. Definitely something we would look at doing again next year.’

‘We were just willing to open our farm up and give people a chance to come out and see how we raise our animals, and hear a bit of why we do things the way we do. We wanted to pass on to visitors that we are farming as a family and working with Mother Nature (in the ecosystem) to produce good quality, healthy food.’

The farm’s centerpiece enterprise is their grass fed beef cattle operation. Lisa and Cameron manage about 200 cow/calf pairs with 140 being owned by them and Cameron’s parents Ed and Debra, and 60 custom grazed cows in the summer. They also manage 120 yearling heifers and steers.

There is also a small menagerie of other animals which include 50 pastured pigs, a flock of 15 sheep, 600 pastured chickens and 50 pastured turkeys this year. Also for good measure, they have two dozen bee hives and a small flock of 15 laying hens.

The family manages 1850 acres, with a mix of leased and owned land consisting of mainly perennial grass and hay.

The Hodgins Farm is not currently certified organic, however they continue to follow organic practices. Managing the farm holistically has helped them develop their practices to utilize the relationships between soil, livestock, people, and water. Lisa says that their visitors seemed genuinely interested in learning more about where and how their food is being produced and they enjoy making those connections with their customers.

Lisa had this advice for those wanting to follow our example, ‘Start on a small scale and don’t be afraid to try something new.’

For information on next year’s Manitoba Open Farm Day and the list of farms in your area or if you would like to register your farm for visitation, go to their website at http://www.openfarmday.ca/

Blair’s LinkedIn Profile

Blair is a personification of a ‘Jack of All Trades and Master of None’. He has held several careers and has all the T-shirts. Time to add the title Blogger to the list.