For Immediate Release
MFGA Regenerative Agriculture Week 2019 On Horizon
MFGA Regen Ag Forum & DUC Grazing Clubs team up for producers around Regen Ag
Brandon, MB (November 13, 2019) - Manitoba Forage & Grassland Association (MFGA)'s second annual Regenerative Agriculture Week in Brandon next week won't be quite as big as the first one in 2018. But, with a declared sell-out of the 2019 event's workshop on November 20, organizers are confident that interest of producers remains just as high.
"We were thrilled with the response to our 2018 Regenerative Ag Conference," said Darren Chapman, MFGA chair. "And we talked as a board as to how we would replicate that year in and year out. Our decision was to go big every second year with a major conference but yet keep our momentum building with a smaller hands-on, producer-focused Regenerative Agriculture Forum that features really strong speakers and topics in the years in between those larger events."
Embraced by a growing number of agricultural leaders and producers to merge economic and environmental outcomes, Regenerative Agriculture uses systems of farming principles and practices that increase biodiversity, enrich soils, improve watersheds, boost ecosystem services, and capture carbon in soil and above ground vegetation. For the second year in a row, MFGA has teamed up with Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) Grazing Clubs to showcase the MFGA Regenerative Agriculture Forum speakers to as many Manitoba producers as possible, giving southwest Manitoba a collaborative and spirited Regenerative Ag week vibe.
"An Afternoon with Jay Fuhrer & Dr. Dwayne Beck"
- two of the keynote speakers at the sold-out MFGA Regen Ag Workshop on Nov 20 - will be headlining a DUC Grazing Club event held at the Victoria Inn, November 19, 1:00 - 4:00 pm. Along with General Mills, DUC Grazing Clubs has stepped up as a Regenerative Agriculture Champion level sponsorship for the 2019 MFGA event. The DUC Grazing Club event will precede the MFGA AGM, which kicks off at 5:00 pm at the Vic Inn, Brandon. The sold-out MFGA Regenerative Agriculture workshop on November 20 at the Manitoba Agriculture Ag Extension Building in Brandon features well-respected keynote speakers Beck and Fuhrer. The University of Alberta's Edward Bork provides a rangeland presentation via webcast and Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiatives general manager Mary-Jane Orr will deliver the keynote over lunch. Chapman says the 2019 event includes a producer-panel night on November 19, 2019 at Brandon's Victoria Inn, featuring three different panels comprised of producers and experts discussing regenerative agriculture, carbon protocols and offsets and research needs and opportunities. Chapman says there is still room for interested producers to attend the November 19 event only.
"We are pleased with our speaker line-up on November 20 and we borrowed the producer panel concept on November 19 evening from our partners at the Manitoba Bison Association for what they do at their annual event," said Chapman, adding November 19 is a $50 fee for the MFGA Panel Night event. "What we heard from last year's event is that the producers really enjoyed having time to mingle, network and chat and exchange ideas. If anyone has followed MFGA news over the past few years, they know we have a solid roster of local experts in our loops and we are bringing a lot of those people on stage with the panels to share their insights, experiences and to answer questions from the crowd. It's about as Made-in-Manitoba as it gets and we are going to have a great time."
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Manitoba Panel Night Agenda November 19, 2019
Victoria Inn, Brandon, MB
6:00 PM - 10:00 PM
*subject to change without warning
Master of Ceremonies: Ryan Boyd (roving master of ceremonies on stage with microphone)
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM - MFGA-based Producer Panel: Enjoy the camaraderie and company of your colleagues and friends in an informal setting as MFGA presents three panels of producer experts talking regen ag, carbon, grasslands, research, innovation and producer prosperity.
Panels Topics include:
1) Regenerative Agriculture: Some of the top Regen Ag producers and experts in Manitoba will talk about experiences, trends and operations. Confirmed: Kristelle Harper (moderator) Brooks White, Matt Vansteelandt, Arron Nerbas, Michael Thiele (General Mills/Ducks Unlimited Canada Grazing Clubs), Scott Wolfe (Fresh Hemp Foods Ltd)
2) Carbon and Manitoba Grasslands: Producers and experts including some from the CFGA's Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Program underway in Manitoba talk about the importance of grasslands, why they farm the way they do, producer preparations for times ahead (offsets, Resiliency) and what we learned from Manitoba fields in 2019. Confirmed: Dr. Mary-Jane Orr (MBFI), Dr. Allan Preston, Ryan Canart, Jonathan Bouw, Larry Wegner, Carson Callum (MBP).
3) Research: Focus on Regen Ag and resiliency. Quantifying the results and the processes from the researcher lens, the role of research to producers, land managers and producer groups, gaps and needs. Confirmed: Pam Iwanchysko (Mb AG), Dr. Emma McGeough (U of MB), Dr. Steven Frey (Aquanty), Dr. Aaron Glenn (AFFC).
9:00 PM - What we heard: Event Wrap-up:
Ryan Boyd/Dr. Dwayne Beck give 5-10 minute summary of MFGA Panel Night
9:10 PM - 10:00 PM - Networking and Conversations: Cash Bar will be open during event and snacks will be served.
For More Information:
Duncan Morrison, MFGA Executive Director, 204.770.3548, [email protected]
MFGA
interacts with tens of thousands of Manitobans through our communications,
collaborative projects, and outreach that promote the importance and well-being of Manitoba`s forages
and grasslands. On a national scale, MFGA proudly partners with like-minded groups across Canada.
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