About this project

Bird experts surveyed bird populations at four different Western Manitoba regen ag-focused farm operations - dairy, beef, grain and mixed farm - to explore the benefits of regenerative agriculture to birds.

Manitoba Forage & Grassland Association (MFGA) joined forces with the Manitoba Wildlife Branch and the Manitoba Important Bird Area (IBA) Program to explore the benefits of regenerative agriculture to birds on four different farm operations this year. The four farms were part of the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association (MFGA) network and each support diverse, abundant bird population according to a small-sample 2023 bird survey conducted by a Manitoba government bird expert.

MFGA Survey Highlights released at the 2023 MFGA Regen Ag Conference include:

Beef: Nerbas Bros Angus, Shellmouth, MB – The main highlight was the relatively high abundance of a grassland specialist SAR, Sprague’s Pipit. Poole surveyed two distinct areas on this property, the drier, sandier grasslands above the Assiniboine River Valley and lusher valley bottom grasslands. Pipits were abundant at the top and Bobolink at the bottom demonstrating the juxtaposition in grassland structure between two different grassland SAR.

Grain: Nathan and Chelsi Beerneart, Hartney, MB – Exceptional abundance of Horned Lark, a grassland bird which associates with bare or patchy ground and a candidate for SAR status in Canada. Five species of shorebird, all of which breed in the area, were also detected.

Dairy: Clanman Jerseys, Clanwilliam, MB – The highest overall diversity of birds including three Species at Risk (Barn Swallow, Red-headed Woodpecker and Bobolink).

Mixed: Green Beach Farms, Strathclair, MB – Highest species richness (59 species) and highest abundance of one grassland SAR, the Bobolink (1/point count). The diversity of habitats on this property supported the highest overall diversity of wetland birds, facultative grassland birds (those birds which use grasslands but are not dependent on them at all periods during their life cycle) and aerial insectivores (birds which catch insects in flight).

A video of the conference presentation video will be posted on our Regen Ag Resource page in January 2024.

Media Releases

On The Wings of Healthy Soil

2023 bird survey on four regen ag farms in MFGA network connects soil health and abundance of bird populations

Brandon, MB (November 13, 2023) - Four individual regenerative agriculture-focused farms with four different farm operations: dairy, beef, mixed and grain across the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association (MFGA) network each support diverse, abundant bird population according to a small-sample 2023 bird survey conducted by a Manitoba government bird expert.

“We wanted to get a better idea of how birds are responding to different types of farming operations that are focused on soil health boosting practices,” said Lawrence Knockaert, MFGA Chair “And what we learned is that these four properties supported diverse, abundant bird populations.”

Manitoba Bird Study to Survey Four MFGA-network Regenerative Agriculture Farms

Bird experts to survey bird populations at dairy, beef, grain and mixed farm regen ag-focused operations in Western Manitoba

Winnipeg, MB (May 2, 2023) - Manitoba Forage & Grassland Association (MFGA) will join forces with the Manitoba Wildlife Branch and the Manitoba Important Bird Area (IBA) Program to explore the benefits of regenerative agriculture to birds on four different farm operations this year.

“This is an exciting partnership project for MFGA,” said Lawrence Knockaert, MFGA chair and dairy farmer from Bruxelles, Manitoba. “Increasingly as we focus on the soil health benefits of regenerative agriculture practices, more and more producers are getting interested in some of the benchmarks on their farms. Here we will look at four different regen ag-focused farms from dairy, forage/beef, grain and mixed farms that are owned by MFGA board members to get benchmarks around bird populations, specifically how the birds are interacting with or responding to the respective regen ag farming practices.”