MCA News

At our AGM earlier this year, a resolution was brought forward regarding regulatory requirements for gene edited crops in Canada.

Specifically, our governance committee requested that MCA clarify its position on how gene editing should be regulated by, and communicated about, by Health Canada, and whether gene edited seed and genetically engineered seeds should follow the same regulations.

Following this resolution, our board got to work on becoming informed on the issue. We consulted with national experts on the issue, including the Canada Grains Council, CropLife Canada, Cereals Canada, Health Canada, and more, and reviewed information available to us. Following this, we developed our own formal position on the topic, which centres around the following core beliefs:

• Seeds produced using any plant breeding technique, including gene editing, should be subject to science-based regulations and policies related to health and safety.
• All value chain participants must abide by the appropriate science-based regulations and policies/best management practices when launching products of plant breeding innovations in Canada to our export and domestic markets.
• All value chain participants, including federal regulatory agencies and seed developers, are fully transparent in implementing regulations around plant breeding technologies, in order to maintain trust and reputation in domestic and global markets.

Furthermore, within our formal position, our board re-iterates that:

• We recognize the importance of research and innovation to the success of Manitoba farmers, including the area of seed development.
• We believe variety development and plant breeding innovations will help unlock yield potential for Canadian crops, remove production barriers and help farmers meet sustainability goals
• We support that all food in Canada – novel or not – should be regulated by the appropriate government agencies in order to ensure its ongoing safety for consumers.

This formal position, approved in April 2022, will be used to guide MCA’s participation in the conversation around the topic going forward, as well as our involvement in any related initiatives.

If you have questions or feedback on this issue, please contact us.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, March 16,2022 (Carman, MB) – Manitoba Crop Alliance is proud to introduce its new board executive for the upcoming year.

Last week, Robert Misko was elected as Chair, Jonothan Hodson was elected as Vice-Chair and Warren McCutcheon was elected as Secretary.

“It is an honour to be elected as chair for the MCA board of directors. I look forward to working with the new and existing directors for the coming year,” says Misko.

“As a representative of the farming community, I believe it is important we build strong connections and work together towards the same goal: to continuously improve the competitiveness and profitability of spring and winter wheat, barley, corn, sunflower and flax for Manitoba farmers.”

Misko farms 6,500 acres with his wife and children near Roblin. Misko’s previous and current board experience includes Reeve for the Rural Municipality (RM) of Hillsburg, Association of Manitoba Municipalities director for the Parkland Region, delegate for Manitoba Pool and Agricore, director with one of MCA’s founding organizations(Manitoba Wheat and Barley Growers Association), director for Cereals Canada, and director and research representative for Western Grains Research Foundation. He is currently Head of Council for the RM of Roblin and sits on the Parkland Crop Diversification Foundation Board.

Hodson is a fifth-generation farmer from Lenore with a keen interest in on-farm research. His mixed farm features a wide variety of crops in any given year – including spring wheat, canola, soybeans, grain corn, barley, yellow peas and some forage crops – as well as a Black Angus cow/calf operation. Hodson previously served as a director for one of MCA’s founding organizations(Manitoba Corn Growers Association), as well as the Manitoba Angus Association, and he is currently a director for the Valleyview Co-op.

“I’m extremely excited to have the opportunity to serve as MCA’s vice-chair,” says Hodson. “MCA is an organization focused on research, with a goal of creating sustainability gains for farmers throughout Manitoba.”

McCutcheon farms with his wife, Meghan, and their two girls near the Carman/Homewood area. He is the third generation on their family farm and alongside his dad, Shawn, grows corn, edible beans, seed soybeans, wheat and canola across 3,000 acres. McCutcheon has previous board experience with one of MCA’s founding organizations (Manitoba Corn Growers Association), as well as the Carman Golf and Curling Club. He also spent 10 years competing at the highest levels of hockey, where he developed the leadership skills he now brings to MCA’s board.

“I am extremely passionate about agriculture and believe we have many challenges facing our industry,” says McCutcheon. “I got involved with MCA to help navigate these issues, so our farms can continue to be successful. I also want to ensure the dollars being contributed by farmers are returning the highest possible value to them.”

For more information about MCA’s Board and Crop Committees, please visit mbcropalliance.ca/about/board-crop-committees.

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About Manitoba Crop Alliance:

Manitoba Crop Alliance is a non-profit organization established August 1, 2020 representing over 9,000 farmer-members. Manitoba Crop Alliance puts their farmer-members first and strives to continuously improve the competitiveness and profitability of all crops represented by the organization by focusing on four main areas: research, agronomy, market access and development, and communications. It is through investment in these key areas that Manitoba Crop Alliance can ensure wheat, barley, corn, sunflower and flax are sustainable production choices for Manitoba farmers. For more information, visit mbcropalliance.ca.

For more information, please contact:

Pam de Rocquigny
Chief Executive Officer
204-745-6661
pam@mbcropalliance.ca

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, March 14, 2022 (Carman, MB) – The Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA) is now accepting letters of intent (LOIs) for new projects under the Whole Farm Research Program.

The Whole Farm Research program is a whole-farm, cross-commodity approach to research. This research is not crop-specific and leads to innovative solutions that will benefit Manitoba producers now and into the future.

“Now that the Whole Farm Research Program is in its second year, we’re excited to build off the success of last year’s call for proposals and keep growing this important, multi-disciplinary research,” says Katherine Stanley, Research Program Manager, Special Crops at MCA. “This program continues to be driven by the valuable input and carefully considered priorities voiced by Manitoba farmers.”

Whole Farm Research priorities include crop rotation innovation, soil health, cover crop and intercropping, pest management, and water. General principles for MCA funded Whole Farm Research projects are:

• Innovative and forward-thinking.
• Designed to answer farmers questions or resolve issues.
• Solution-oriented, with actionable outcomes that producers can implement in their operations.
• A pathway to assess and integrate new/next technology into Manitoba cropping systems.
• Another channel to communicate and collaborate with other organizations, consumers and the public, in Manitoba and across Canada.
• An opportunity to enhance communication with consumers and the public.

“Not all crop production issues are crop specific, which is why the Whole Farm Research Program is so valuable to Manitoba farmers,” says Boris Michaleski, farmer chair on the Whole Farm Research Committee and director with MCA.

“The cross-commodity or ‘Whole Farm’ research model encourages researchers and organizations Canada-wide to collaborate in unique ways. The goal of this approach is to discover efficiencies and solutions to a variety of issues, making farmers more profitable and sustainable, not only in Manitoba but across Canada.”

LOIs will be accepted until Wednesday, April 13, 2022 for projects to begin in 2023. MCA will consider proposals of up to five years in length related to grain production and value‐added processing. An overriding priority is improving profitability for Manitoba’s barley, corn, flax, wheat and/or sunflower producers.

In 2021, the Whole Farm Research Program’s inaugural year, MCA’s call for LOIs resulted in funding for three projects that will begin in 2022. For more information, please visit our blog.

To learn more about MCA’s Whole Farm Research Program or to review the LOI eligibility criteria, please visit mbcropalliance.ca/projects/whole-farm-research.

For more information, please contact:

Katherine Stanley

Research Program Manager, Special Crops

204-898-4122

katherine@mbcropalliance.ca

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, March 1, 2022 (Carman, MB) – The Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA) is now accepting applications for the 2022 Advance Payments Program (APP), with funds to be issued starting April 1, 2022.

The APP is a federal loan program administered by MCA on behalf of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). It offers Canadian farmers marketing flexibility through interest-free and low-interest cash advances, allowing them to sell their agricultural products based on market conditions rather than the need for cash flow.

“The APP is a valuable resource for farmers across Manitoba,” says Pam de Rocquigny, CEO of MCA. “We are proud to provide personalized, friendly, small-town service to all our APP clients to make their experience with the program as smooth as possible.”

MCA provides cash advances on over 35 different crop kinds, including cereals, grain corn, oilseed crops, pulses, speciality crops, hay and grasses, and honey. Farmers can access up to $1 million per program year in advances based on the value of their agricultural product.

AAFC pays the interest on the first $100,000 advanced to a producer. For interest-bearing cash advances, MCA’s interest rate is competitive with major banks and credit unions.

“As an APP administrator for more than 40 years, MCA is committed to offering the exceptional level of service our clients have come to expect,” says de Rocquigny. “This commitment is fully defined in our APP Service Standards, which are available on our website.”

For more information about the APP – including 2022 application forms, rates and fees, and important dates and deadlines – visit mbcropalliance.ca.

For more information:

Cole Christensen

Communications Manager

403-589-3529

cole@mbcropalliance.ca

About Manitoba Crop Alliance:
Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA) is a non-profit organization established Aug. 1, 2020 representing over 9,000 farmer-members. MCA puts its farmer-members first and strives to continuously improve the competitiveness and profitability of all crops represented by the organization. We do this by investing farmer levy dollars into meaningful, independent research, valuable knowledge and targeted advocacy. Through these investments, we can ensure wheat, barley, corn, sunflower and flax are sustainable production choices for Manitoba farmers. For more information, visit mbcropalliance.ca.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022 (Carman, MB) – Effective immediately after the conclusion of the Manitoba Crop Alliance’s (MCA) 2022 annual general meeting, there will be a few new faces representing Manitoba farmers at a provincial and national level.

Today MCA officially introduced its 2022 board of directors, including three new members: Carl Bangert (Beausejour), RauriQually, (Dacotah) and Boris Michaleski (Ashville). Bangertis an existing delegate of the Corn Committee, while Qually and Michaleski are delegates of the Wheat and Barley Committee.

The new directors join eight returning directors, including:

• Jonothan Hodson (Lenore) – Corn Committee
• Warren McCutcheon (Carman) – Corn Committee
• Gregg Fotheringham (Reston) – Sunflower Committee
• Mark McDonald (Virden) – Sunflower Committee
• Eric Fridfinnson (Arborg) – Flax Committee
• Nick Matheson (Stonewall) – Flax Committee
• Robert Misko (Roblin) – Wheat and Barley Committee
• Ryan Hueging (Woodlands) – Wheat and Barley Committee

Each of the new directors were elected from their respective crop committees during meetings held in January. Together, the new board will be tasked with carrying out the organization’s 2022 strategic plan, revolving around a central goal of maximizing farmer levy dollars by investing in meaningful, independent research, valuable knowledge and targeted advocacy, says Chief Executive Officer Pam de Rocquigny.

“Our strategic plan features five objectives to meet our overall organizational goals, as well as a strong focus on meaningful and measurable goals,” she says. “Having a strong plan in place is the first step towards achieving real results for our farmers and I am excited to have a new board – including new faces, perspectives and areas of passion – in place to drive this plan forward. It’s going to be a great year for MCA and Manitoba farmers.”

The 2022 strategic plan is available here.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, February 17, 2022 (Carman, MB) – Today Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA) has awarded six students from Manitoba with MCA 2021/22 bursaries valued at $2000 each. The MCA 2021/22 bursary recipients are George Meggison from Goodlands, Jada Ricard from Baldur, Joelle Little from McConnell, Nicole Jonk from Bruxelles, Simon Hodson from Lenore, and Taylor Mutch from Crystal City.

“Congratulations to all of the MCA 2021/22 bursary winners and thank you to everyone who submitted applications,” says Fred Greig, Chair of MCA. “Through the establishment of this bursary program, MCA hopes to encourage and support students studying work in or supporting the agriculture industry.”

The MCA 2021/22 bursary program was established this year and intends to assist with the financial needs of students who are enrolled in a post-secondary agricultural program within the Province of Manitoba. MCA received 14 applications, and six bursaries were presented today during MCA’s virtual Annual General Meeting. Bursary applicants needed to meet the following criteria:

• have completed their first or second year of post-secondary education at the college or university level (Diploma or Degree) and are enrolled, full-time for the 2021/2022 school year in an agricultural program within the Province of Manitoba;
• have achieved a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0;
• have an interest in wheat (spring or winter), corn, barley, flax or sunflower crops, or agriculture in general, as demonstrated in a brief, one-page letter;
• are from a farm that is a member in good-standing of MCA.

An independent selection committee was contracted to evaluate the applicants based on their connection to or interest in agriculture, explanation of why they decided to enroll in an agriculture-related post-secondary program, how they hope to benefit the agriculture industry once they have graduated and are in the workforce, and their academics and writing skills.

The selection committee included Patti Rothenburger, Director of the Agriculture Branch for Manitoba Agriculture, Scott Chalmers, Diversification Specialist with Manitoba Agriculture and Stephanie Cruikshanks, Labour Specialist with Manitoba Agriculture.

For more information about the MCA 2021/22 bursary program and to read biographies of the winners please visit mbcropalliance.ca.

About Manitoba Crop Alliance:
Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA) is a non-profit organization established August 1, 2020 representing over 9,000 farmer-members. MCA puts its farmer-members first and strives to continuously improve the competitiveness and profitability of all crops represented by the organization. We do this by investing farmer levy dollars into meaningful, independent research, valuable knowledge and targeted advocacy. Through these investments, we can ensure wheat, barley, corn, sunflower and flax are sustainable production choices for Manitoba farmers. For more information, visit mbcropalliance.ca.

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For more information, please contact:

Cole Christensen

Communications Manager

403-589-3529

cole@mbcropalliance.ca

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BRANDON, Man. (November 15, 2021)—The Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA) has committed $100,000 to the Collaboration Zone within Assiniboine Community College’s Prairie Innovation Centre for Sustainable Agriculture. The Collaboration Zone is an integral piece of the Centre, where education and industry connection will meet.

MCA is an important organization in Manitoba’s agricultural landscape, representing five key commodities in the province: spring and winter wheat, sunflowers, corn, barley and flax.

“The birth of MCA unified multiple organizations—a great example of evolving with industry needs, much like the college is looking to do with the Prairie Innovation Centre,” said Tim Hore, Dean, School of Agriculture and Environment. “The Prairie Innovation Centre is an important piece of tomorrow’s ag landscape and we are grateful for support from partners like MCA, who are crucial to the success of the Centre.”

Assiniboine has a long and successful history of delivering agricultural programming that is responsive to the need for highly trained workers across the province. The Prairie Innovation Centre is the college’s next step as a national leader in agricultural training, and will aim to meet the growing labour demands in this important sector.

“Students are the future of agriculture,” says Fred Greig, Chair of MCA. “MCA is proud to support the Prairie Innovation Centre Collaboration Zone at Assiniboine Community College as it will enable students to form strong connections within the agriculture industry. The new facility will greatly expand the College’s programming capabilities to educate more students, and will provide new opportunities to learn, connect and collaborate with each other and with industry professionals.”

The Centre will combine indoor and outdoor learning spaces for seamless hands-on learning experiences. It will be a hub for agricultural innovation and collaboration, and stand as the academic heart of agricultural and environmental education in Manitoba.

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About the Manitoba Crop Alliance

Manitoba Crop Alliance is a non-profit organization established August 1, 2020 representing over 9,000 farmer-members. Manitoba Crop Alliance puts their farmer-members first and strives to continuously improve the competitiveness and profitability of all crops represented by the organization by focusing on four main areas: research, agronomy, market access and development, and communications. It is through investment in these key areas that Manitoba Crop Alliance can ensure wheat, barley, corn, sunflower and flax are sustainable production choices for Manitoba farmers. For more information, visit mbcropalliance.ca.

About Assiniboine Community College
Assiniboine Community College has been providing exceptional learning experiences for more than 55 years and offers certificate, diploma and post-graduate programs across a variety of disciplines including culinary arts and hospitality, business, agriculture and environment, health and human services, and trades and technology. The college also delivers apprenticeship programming in a range of skilled trades disciplines.

With more than 3,600 students, and campuses in Brandon, Dauphin and Winnipeg, Assiniboine provides comprehensive educational opportunities throughout Manitoba. The college also partners with many communities and organizations across the province to deliver customized education and training. Assiniboine’s annual provincial economic impact is $612 million.

Assiniboine Community College campuses are located on the traditional territories of Treaty No. 1 and Treaty No. 2, the shared traditional lands of Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, Dene and Anishinabek/Ojibwe peoples, and the homeland of the Métis Nation. We acknowledge their welcome to the students who seek knowledge here.

For more information, please contact:

Anya McNabb

Communications Specialist

Assiniboine Community College

204.868.5453

mcnabba@assiniboine.net

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 12, 2021 – Carman, MB. Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA) is pleased to announce they received approval to start issuing cash advances on winter wheat and fall rye planted fall 2021 through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Advance Payments Program (APP).

The Advance Payments Program is a federal loan program administered by the Manitoba Crop Alliance. It offers Canadian farmers marketing flexibility through interest-free and low interest cash advances. Under the program, eligible farmers are eligible for up to $1,000,000 with the Government of Canada paying the interest on the first $100,000 of the advance. Funds can be issued in three to five business days once the application process is complete. MCA’s interest rate on interest-bearing cash advances is a competitive rate with major banks and credit unions.

“Manitoba Crop Alliance provides quick, courteous service when farmers apply for and manage their APP cash advance,” says MCA chair, Fred Greig. “When a farmer phones or emails the MCA office, they will be speaking with staff who know the program and can provide answers to any questions farmers have.”

To apply for an advance under the 2022 program year on winter wheat and fall rye planted fall 2021, farmers can phone Manitoba Crop Alliance’s office at 1-204-745-6661 or toll-free 1-877-598-5685 to request an application form.

Manitoba Crop Alliance also continues to process applications for the 2021 program year on over 35 crop kinds and honey.

“Since 1981, we are proud to offer a competitive option for farmers who are interested in applying for a cash advance through the APP,” says MCA vice-chair, Robert Misko. “Our APP clients are a high priority, and our staff Tammy Cote and Rae Jackson will work with them every step of the way to make sure they receive their advance as quickly as possible.”

If farmers would like to be notified regarding Advance Payments Program specific information, please email hello@mbcropalliance.ca to request to be added to the email list. More information on the Advance Payments Program can be found on Manitoba Crop Alliance’s website at mbcropalliance.ca.

For more information, please contact:

Darcelle Graham

Chief Operating Officer, Manitoba Crop Alliance

204-745-6661

darcelle@mbcropalliance.ca

By Canadian Wheat Research Coalition

August 31, 2021 (Calgary, AB; Saskatoon, SK; Carman, MB; Winnipeg, MB) – The Canadian Wheat Research Coalition (CWRC), alongside the Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF) and the Saskatchewan Winter Cereals Development Commission (SWCDC), have committed funding to a core breeding agreement with the University of Manitoba (UM). Valued at over $3.5 million over five years, this agreement will ensure the continuation of the successful Fusarium head blight (FHB) nursery program, along with the winter wheat breeding program.