DUC celebrates leaders in their fields

Ducks Unlimited Canada recognized five farms in Westman for planting forage on their properties through the 2024 season program in a bid to improve farm sustainability and contribute to environmental health.

The conservation charity Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) in February recognized farms in Rapid City, Hartney, Rossburn, Baldur, and Carroll. The farms were announced as winners after the charity found them to have been most successful at establishing forage plots on their properties, which add to the sustainability of rural Manitoba and support wildlife.

The winning farms were judged by DUC for the best density, biodiversity, height and lack of weeds in the newly planted forage area. The forage plots mostly consisted of grass and legumes.

A total of 47 farms, spanning 5,200 acres participated in the program in 2024. The five winning farms chosen were Bridgeman Land & Livestock; Bill and Nina Cowan; Ekford Ranch; Blaine, Hilary and Van Damme family; and Greg and Pam Wesley.

“These folks had the best ground cover, the best plant diversity, the best plant vigor,” Charlotte Crawley, manager of the forage program, told the Sun. “They ended up with the best possible establishment.”

The farms each received $2,000 in incentives to help recoup the costs of establishing the forage areas. Crawley said the goal is to identify and promote the best techniques other farmers can put into practice.

“Seeding grass is difficult. It’s very hard to get a good catch,” she said. “These folks that we recognized in this media release and through the program this year demonstrated the most exemplary agronomic practices, resulting in the best forage catch.”

The goal is to establish food sources across Manitoba that can regrow and sustain farms and animal life. Crawley told the Sun that grass and legume forage can benefit wildlife, but also double as a benefit for farmers, such as by feeding their cattle.

“By getting more grass on the landscape, we’re not only helping ducks,” she said. “We’re helping forage producers and cattle producers alike by establishing perennial forages (that they can use to feed their herds).”

DUC put out a media release in February detailing the program. Blaine van Damme, a grain and cattle farmer in Baldur, described in that release how his family wanted to seed a ridge that was disappointing for grain crops. The family converted the land to forage through seeding, and Crawley pointed out that the grass can now serve to feed van Damme’s cattle.

In the last 10 years, the program has helped 433 farmers establish 39,000 acres of forage, DUC wrote in February.

A list of benefits provided by Crawley and DUC includes that forages can create a habitat for pollinators, a feed source for livestock, build organic matter in the area and increase the capacity for the land to hold water.

DUC is a charity that works with landowners in Manitoba to protect and restore wildlife habitat.

Crawley emphasized that the charity will next put together a list of farmers that are interested in participating for the 2025 growing season. The program manager said anyone interested should reach out to Alex at 204-848-0514.

» cmcdowell@brandonsun.com