BMO Farm Families -2023

Historical Background

The farm was started by Alex and Ella Boyd in the late 1940s.

Type of Farming Operation

The farm grows grain and raises beef cattle.

Family Participation

South Glanton Farms is a multi- generational farm involving family members Ryan and his wife Sarah, their kids Piper and Bingham, his parents Jim and Joanne, and sister Janelle.

Combining the Past and the Future

The farm’s focus is on intensive grazing practices to promote biodiversity. This has created a resilient farming system that will sustain the family and the community for years to come.

South Glanton Farms is a leader in grazing management practices. Many miles of electric fences, water pipelines, and off-site watering systems have been developed to allow cattle to be pasture managed efficiently. Pastures contain a diverse strand of perennial forages and are grazed intensively and then cattle are moved on to allow the forage time to regrow. This technique helps biodiversity flourish. Recently, the Boyd’s launched an online direct to consumer grass-fed beef business called Boyd’s Beef. Customers can actively participate in creating a regenerative agriculture system.

Land Stewardship

Zero tillage has been practiced on the crop land for over 25 years, greatly reducing soil erosion. Keeping rainwater on the farm is a priority, and every effort is made to allow all precipitation to soak into the soil where it can be used to grow plants. This improves the soil by adding carbon and creating a natural habitat for soil life. Working with the Central Assiniboine Watershed District, three water retention structures were constructed in the fall of 2022 and will help reduce the flows heading downstream to the Assiniboine River. The farm is a haven for wildlife because of the management practices which integrate wetlands, perennial ground cover and bush into the farm landscape.

Community Involvement

The Boyd’s take pride in being active in their local community. Ryan has served on several boards in the past, including the Manitoba AG Days Board of Directors and the Manitoba Forage and Grasslands Association. Jim has served two terms on the RM of Elton Council both as Councilor and Reeve.

In addition, Ryan and Sarah are involved with their local sports teams and clubs, including the Glanton Guzzlers and the Rivers Minor Hockey program.

Awards and Highlights

Ryan completed a Nuffield Scholarship, during which he travelled the world studying intensive grazing systems. He has shared his findings through the AG community in Canada.

The farm has received several awards, including the 2015 Provincial TESA Award, the 2019 Nuffield Scholarship, and the 2021 MFGA Wall of Fame.

Historical Background

The Campbell Land & Cattle Inc. is a fourth-generation operation that was established in 1881.

Type of Farming Operation

The farm is a mixed operation with grains, oilseeds, pulses, forages, including a purebred Limousin seedstock operation.

Family Participation

All generations of the family are heavily involved in the farming operations, from helping with the day-to-day to participating in local fairs and national shows across the country.

Combining the Past and the Future

In looking to create efficiencies and help advance operations, the youngest daughter, Kaitlin, and her husband Cameron, have leased cows from the farm and have assisted with haying and marketing activities.

Land Stewardship

The family farm has incorporated several sustainable practices over the years, including continuous cropping, forage, rotational grazing, soil testing, multi crops, zero till, one pass seeding, nitrogen inhibitors, variable rate application of fertilizer, and 4R nutrient management.

The Campbell’s have utilized forages for salinity and erosion control over the years, as well as applications of livestock manure on sensitive areas.

Community Involvement

The Campbell’s have been involved in several local municipal boards, community organizations, and provincial and national associations for the betterment of agriculture. They also continue to be active in many sports and rink management in their community. Bill Campbell is a former President of the local restaurant board, has served on the Boissevain Veterinary Executive for the past twenty years, and has been active as a 4-H leader in his community. Lauren is active with the local church and has also held a position on the local recreation board.

In addition to their community involvement, Bill has been active in the Keystone Agricultural producers, serving as Vice President and then President. He also served on the Manitoba AG EX Board as breed representative and has been a key member of the Manitoba Limousin Association for close to fifty years.

Awards and Highlights

Bill was awarded the University of Manitoba Distinguished Award in 2017. He was also recognized by being awarded the Canadian Limousin Association Award of Distinction. Lauren has also been recognized in several publications.

Historical Background

William and Julia Agnes Jackson started the family farm in August 1881, in what is now Oakland-Wawanesa, MB. Both operated and managed the farming operations until their son, Charles, the youngest of 12 children, took over in 1903.

Type of Farming Operation

The farm has evolved over time, but currently grows grains and oilseed that span 2,630 acres.

Family Participation

Charles (C.E.) and Julia Anne Jackson raised seven children on the farm. C.E. Jackson also had an International Harvester implement dealership in Wawanesa that stayed in the family for three generations.

In 1930, their daughter, Marie Jackson, married Graham Elder, who grew up just a few miles north. Graham and Marie farmed together until their son, Keith, and his wife, Marilynne took over from them in the late 1960s.

Jeff and Sheila Elder began the transition to running the farm in 1998. They raised their two children, Laura and Andrew, there and continue to farm in the same location today. Sheila’s grandfather, great- grandfather and great-great-grandfather also farmed in the area.

Combining the Past and the Future

In 1896, one of the first plowing matches in Western Canada was held on the James T. Elder farm. These continued in the area until about 1910. Several provincial championship matches were hosted on the farm, with James’s son Andrew T. Elder, participating in many of them.

Land Stewardship

Both Jeff and Sheila continue to learn and adapt new social, sustainable, and cost- effective practices to help keep the farm operations more efficient.

Community Involvement

Jeff and Sheila are active members of their community. Sheila was instrumental in the establishment of the Wawanesa Daycare and served as the first board chair. She has continued to pursue her education over the years, completing her Bachelor of Science at BU as well as an agronomy program, which allowed her to become much more involved in on-farm activities.

In addition, she serves as a delegate with the Manitoba Crop Alliance on the Wheat and Barley Committee. Recently, Sheila was chosen to represent western Canadian wheat farmers on the Cereals Canada New Crop Mission to Latin America. She traveled to Mexico, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile promoting Canadian wheat quality and the sustainable farming practices used in Canada.

Jeff has kept himself busy by coaching their kids in sports and managing a local hockey team. He has also been involved in the Conservation/Watershed District movement for many years and has chaired the board for the past 10 years.

Historical Background

In 1896, the family’s great-grandfather, Sidney Jefferies of England, purchased a 320-acre farm after working in the area for several years. Like many others of that generation, Sidney and his wife, Mary, worked hard to overcome the hardships of pioneer life. In 1927, a large new red barn was built which is still in use today. Sid and Mary moved to the village of Glenboro in 1929. Little did they know that their love of farming would be passed down to so many generations of family members. It would remain a Jefferies farm for over 125 years.

Type of Farming Operation

The farm has continued to grow and evolve, and crops have varied over the years. Canola, flax, sunflowers, and corn were added to the cereal grain rotation.

Family Participation

Farming runs deep in the hearts of the Jefferies family members. The Jefferies farm continues to thrive as five generations have worked the land and built the farming business.

Sid and Mary’s son, Archie, and his wife Lily, took residence on the home farm in 1929. Despite the depression years, they worked the land and made a living for their family of four children. In 1950, they built a new house on the homestead, the first with electricity. Good family times were had with relatives and neighbors enjoying picnics by the river, attending fairs, and country school functions. As their sons, Ivan and Gordon, grew, they worked with their dad on the farm and eventually took over as Archie and Lily retired to town in 1960.

The family farming tradition grew as Ivan and his wife Gwen moved to the farm and raised their three children there. Their sons worked together growing cereal crops and making important purchases like land and equipment to grow the farm business. Gwen continued the tradition of producing a large garden, preserving fruits and vegetables, and delivering meals to the field during harvest. Eventually, Ivan and Gordon ventured out on their own, expanding their farms as their families grew.

Ivan continued to work with Ron on the farm managing through years of drought, rain, grasshoppers and disease. Over the years, diversifying their farming practices became necessary to succeed, which included selling off their cattle and solely concentrating on grain production.

Ron and Wanda eventually moved to Glenboro. Their son, Riley, and his wife Shelby moved to the farm in 2016. The sixth generation arrived in 2021 when Riley and Cale each had a child.

Combining the Past and the Future

The farm continues to evolve. Some family members have started new businesses, growing their farming production. In 1994, Ron started Jefferies Seeds, turning the 1927 cattle barn into the seed cleaning building. This seed business offers their customers a variety of seed choices.

A larger seed plant with the newest technology was built and opened in 2018 at Jefferies Seeds. Growth continued when Cale and his wife Hailey founded Prairie Fava, a fava bean company in 2015.

Land Stewardship

Farming looks different today with irrigation pivots spanning some of the same original acres on this farm.

Historical Background

John Pottinger’s grandfather, James, purchased and operated the original farm.

Type of Farming Operation

Pottinger Farms Ltd. is a 2,400-acre cattle farm with just under 300 heads of cattle.

Family Participation

John’s father, William Pottinger, farmed with James for many years. William married Myrtle and purchased the original homestead consisting of 480 acres in 1964. John and his brother Brian both had plans to work on the farm, however, the existing farm wasn’t large enough to support three families. As a result, John and Denise purchased a neighboring farm in 1991, where they raised three children; Shane, Tanya and Sheldon.

In 1995, John joined his father and brother and began a cattle herd which they farmed for several years. When Brian passed away in 2011, John took over some of the grain production as well. The farm expanded operations over the years, adding more land in both 2016 and 2021. John incorporated the farm in 2016 and now operates it as Pottinger Farms Ltd. John and Denise manage the farm along with their son, Shane, whose young daughter Olivia also lives with him on the homestead.

Combining the Past and the Future

John and Shane have adapted a crop rotation, which helps with disease management and weed control. They have utilized GPS mapping and employed practices such as cover crops and controlled drainage that helps reduce erosion in their sandy type of soil. In the future, they will investigate tilling their farmland to better assist with collecting water from the light soil that they farm.

Land Stewardship

John and Denise have 320 acres that have been protected by Wildlife Conservation. Part of the land is still cut and used for feed, and the remainder remains bush and wetlands, which are havens for migrating ducks and deer.

Community Involvement

John and Denise are involved in several areas of the community, including Councillor on the Lansdowne Board and Deputy Reeve of Municipality of Glenella/Lansdowne. As well, they have volunteered for several local boards and organizations such as the Big Grass Grazing Coop, Lansdowne Recreation and the Arden Curling Club.

Historical Background

Scott Brothers Livestock is a multi- generational farm. The family celebrated the 100th anniversary of the farm in the summer of 2022, along with the family’s matriarch, Joyce Scott’s, 90th Birthday.

Type of Farming Operation

The farm operates as a feedlot, grain farm, and cow-calf farm.

Family Participation

The farm has grown substantially over time. The farm is operated by Alan Scott, alongside his brother Clair Scott and Alan’s son Bryce Scott. Clair’s children remain actively involved in the farming operations. Bryce’s three young children all participate in day-to-day farm activities with their dad and Grandpa Alan.

Combining the Past and the Future

The family has continued to expand the farm through land acquisition, as well as adopting new nutritional supplements including incorporating a pea biproduct into their feeding operation. They have built and developed new systems to store and distribute the feed and use technology in calculating rations and simplifying the feeding process.

Land Stewardship

Scott Brothers continues to maintain pastureland to protect wildlife habitat. They have conserved a large portion of grassland to graze cattle instead of converting all land to cropland. They used the community pasture at Lake William for many years but after acquiring neighboring pasture were able to keep their herd of approximately 250 cow/ calves grazing closer to home. The family enjoys “crocus hunting” every spring, photographing but not picking Manitoba’s native flower as they flourish in these undisturbed grasslands.

Community Involvement

Alan, Clair, and Bryce all serve on the local AG Society, organizing events and participating in meetings throughout the year. All three family members remain active in the operation, have served on the board as President, Vice President, and other positions, and can be seen in the cattle ring year after year. All three were active in 4-H in their youth and still assist with Rally Day. Bryce currently serves as a board member of the Southwest Livestock Association, is a board member of Boissevain Minor Hockey and coaches Jasper’s U-9 hockey team. Alan’s wife, Bonnie has served on the Boissevain-Morton Foundation committee and is an active member of the local United Church. Bonnie, Lori (Clair’s wife) and Brooklyn (Bryce’s wife) are active members of the Turtle Mountain AG Society, volunteering with the homecraft/display building and serving as directors in junior baking. Brooklyn has volunteered teaching Sunday School and served on various local boards.