Partners in agriculture
for more than 80 years
Ducks Unlimited Canada leads the development of
winter wheat, offers forage and grazing programs,
pays incentives to landowners who protect and
restore wildlife habitat, and is a proud supporter
of Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiatives.
In 2018, we paid more than $2.25 million to
landowners for conservation agreements
and forage establishment. We’ve also
invested millions of dollars
in the development
of winter wheat
varieties.
Penner helps run a 3,600-acre
family farm in Elm Creek that produces
oats, wheat, soybeans, canola,
corn, and perennial rye. Being in the
Red River Valley, he says he’s always
looking for ways to improve drainage.
“There was a demonstration using
the T-Rex and the Wolverine, and the
Hercules rotary ditchers, and they all
threw dirt hundreds and hundreds of
feet,” he explained. “I learned a lot from
that, so it could be something that we
would introduce on the farm.”
Penner said he and his family are
looking to minimize their time out on
the land, minimizing fall tillage, but
still be able to put fertilizer down –
and the expo gave him some options to
think about.
“So I was looking at a few disks and
cultivator units that might work for
that,” he said.
While farming has never been a
stress-free career, the new challenges
young farmers face give rise to many
new concerns. The expense is one of
them, and Penner admits how fortunate
he’s been that his father and father-inlaw
provide support, which has allowed
him to grow into their farms.
Another concern for young farmers
is climate.
“The whole weather uncertainty
and the inability to predict it is another
big risk on our farm,” said Penner. “If
you would have asked me five years ago
if we would have only had six inches of
rain in the last two years, there’s no way
I would have said, ‘Yeah.’
“It’s just changing. I don’t know if
it’s climate or just a dry spell or what,
but that’s a big concern right now on
our farm. There’s always been severe
YOUNG FARMERS
“Right now, I’m not ready for
an autonomous tractor out
on my farm, but I think that
could be a reality partway
through my career.”
– Collin Penner, Manitoba Young Farmers Committee
weather events, but it seems like they are
happening more frequently.”
With those concerns in mind,
Penner is proceeding with caution for
the time being – which includes holding
out on investing in any new technologies
on offer.
“I’m very curious to see what’s happening
out there, but I do want it to be
at least a little bit proven first,” he said.
“I’m not going to go try something new
just because it’s neat. There are a lot of
neat things out there, but I don’t think
it’s going to work well on my farm.” >>
Manitoba Farmers’ Voice § Fall 2019 § 35
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