MFGA Wall of Fame

JOHN MCGREGOR
Category: Government: Agriculture Extension Leadership

John McGregor retired from Manitoba Agriculture in 2010. He started as an Agricultural Representative in the St.Pierre area and then moved to the Steinbach area where worked until retirement. John’s background in both beef and hogs was a very good fit for the districts that he served during his career in extension.

Highlights:

During the early 90’s John became involved with a provincial pilot project called Green Gold. The program had been developed in Wisconsin under the leadership of Dan Undersander. Manitoba Ag ran the program for 3 years finding it very useful for alfalfa growers in Manitoba.

John continued to run the Green Gold program in the South-east area of the province as part of his forage extension program. Encouragement and financial support from the dairy producers of District 7 and various ag related industries in the area helped fund the forage testing portion of the program.

After leaving Manitoba Agriculture the Green Gold program in the south-east ceased.

MFGA (formally Manitoba Forage Council) saw the value and fit that that the program had for forage producers and hired John to continue the program through MFGA in 2011. 

With support and direction from Dairy Farmers of Manitoba and expanded financial support from the ag industry across the province, Green Gold expanded into a provincial program serving all Manitoba forage producers.

John’s other duties with MFGA were to provide extension support with monthly articles and promotions of MFGA programs at tradeshows and extension meetings throughout Manitoba.

John and his wife Bonnie now live in Winnipeg and have a small cottage in Ontario where they spent most of their summers with their daughter, son-in law and 2 granddaughters.

Testimonial:

John graduated from the University of Manitoba, faculty of Agriculture in 1976 and spent thirty-four years with Manitoba Agriculture as a professional agrologist. During that time, he was an Agricultural Representative in Beausejour, St Pierre and Steinbach districts where he was an advisor to local farmers assisting with the adoption of new farming technology. Farmers found that he was a very valuable asset as he was able to obtain technical information not readily available and was able to assist them to adopt profitable farm enterprises.

He organized many excellent Extension programs such as farm meetings, tours, on-farm demonstrations and published many articles on a variety of topics of local interest.  He was involved with many local farm organizations such as the Manitoba Milk producers and with the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association (MFGA).

Following his retirement from MB Agriculture, he assisted the MFGA in the next ten years with some of their Forage & Grassland programs.

One program of interest to John was the “Green Gold Forage Quality” program which was started in 1994 and involved the early clipping of forage samples from crops, such as alfalfa to determine the optimum time for producers to harvest a very high-quality forage. Forage crops would be sampled from various locations in Manitoba, twice a week and then the test results, from a central lab, were sent to the producer so they could plan the optimum harvest date for the highest quality feed. This program is currently sponsored by MFGA and commercial sponsors.

However, without John’s dedication and efforts this program would not be the success it is today. ~ Fraser Stewart, MFGA board of director emeritus,  MFGA Wall of Fame Inductee 2021, Manitoba Agriculture

MAE ELSINGER
Category: Government: Agriculture Research Leadership

Mae Elsinger, Rangeland Biologist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), represented AAFC as a non-voting MFGA Board member since 2014. Mae has contributed to many MFGA projects, as an AAFC contributor, since 2004 when MFGA was known as Manitoba Forage Council (MFC).

Highlights: 

• Assisted in a number of activities for MFC’s Manitoba Forage Benchmarking Project. This project gathered seven years of pasture forage production data from 2004 to 2010 from 12 Crown Leases throughout Agri-Manitoba, in partnership with Glenn Friesen, Bill Gardiner, and Brent Erlendsen of Manitoba Agriculture, and several contractors (Sarah Keen-Chanel, Danny Watson, Michael Thiele).

• Assisted in initial field data collections for MFC’s Native Pasture Improvement Project (NPIP). This project gathered field data over three years (2006 to 2008) from treatment against brush invasion on over 20 pastures, in partnership with Bill Gardiner and Glenn Friesen of Manitoba Agriculture and a contractor (Sarah Keen-Chanel).

• Wrote a brush monitoring chapter for MFC’s A Guide to Integrated Brush Management on the Western Canadian Plains, steered by Ron Moss from AAFC, Bill Gardiner of Manitoba Agriculture, and two contractors (Art Bailey and Gerry Oliver).

• Assisted in several activities for MFGA’s Manitoba Rangeland and Pasture Health Initiative (2010 to 2017). Key participants included Kerry LaForge (AAFC), Jane Thornton and Elaine Gauer (Manitoba Agriculture) and several contracting analysts and writers (Jeff Thorpe, Lysandra Pyle, and Rachel Whidden), but it also engaged funding and discussions from many rangeland and pasture stakeholders. The project created a series of stakeholder and educational workshops, and the following documents:

o   Rangeland Classification for Agri-Manitoba,

o   Ecosite maps for the southwestern R.M.s of Manitoba,

o   the first draft of the Manitoba Range and Pasture Health Assessment Workbook, and

o   the guide for Manitoba’s Rangeland Plant Communities of the Aspen Parkland and Assiniboine Delta Rangeland Ecoregions – A First Approximation.

• Collected pasture health data in 2019 and made pasture improvement recommendations for MFGA’s Kirkella Community Pasture Grassland Enhancement Project, in partnership with Ryan Canart of Assiniboine West Watershed District.

• Has provided forage and grazing and leafy spurge management advice, collected and analyzed data, written reports, and contributed to a few field tours and workshops for projects at Manitoba Forage and Beef Initiatives’ farms (MBFI) since the first year of incorporation. MFGA is one of the core partners of this organization.

Testimonial:
“Mae has contributed immensely to the knowledge base of grasslands, forages and weed pests of Manitoba. She takes a keen interest in the transfer of this knowledge to youth, producers, peers and small interest groups. Her dedication to valid research and a balanced approach to problem solving within the discipline makes her highly regarded by those who have the pleasure of working with her. Still early in her career, I look forward to the many contributions she will continue to bring to Manitoba’s most precious resource for the betterment of the resource and society.” ~ Jane Thornton, Friend and Colleague

HENRY NELSON
Category: Producer: Organizational Leadership

Henry Nelson is a retired Agrologist with a BSA (animal/plant science) and MSC (weed science).  He had permanent employment experience with U of M, Monsanto, and with the Manitoba Government in Weed Control, Crop Insurance, Farm Financial Mediation, Foreign Farmland Ownership, Sustainable Agriculture and Agri Energy.

Henry joined the MFGA Board in 2008 representing the Manitoba Sheep Association.

Following the sale of his sheep, Henry remained on the Board as an elected member and shortly after assumed the role of Vice Chair.

 MFGA Highlights:

• Led the MFGA team that secured Federal funding for Aquanty to model the Assiniboine River Basin with the aim to establish the value of forages and grasslands as they relate to water management,

• Co-Chaired the Industry Steering Committee for Phase I (2015-2018) of MFGA Aquanty model development project with the Chair of Assiniboine River Basin Initiative (ARBI),

• Initiated discussions with Manitoba Credit Unions to secure funding for MFGA,

• Cooperated with IISD (International Institute for Sustainable Development), Manitoba Agriculture and University of Saskatchewan on a PFRA  study to establish the combined dollar value of the Ecological Goods and Services of well managed Forages and Grasslands with respect to soil health, water management, carbon sequestration, biodiversity, air quality and general cultural and social benefits,

• Retired from the MFGA Board in 2017. 

As MFGA Vice Chair, Henry provided vital leadership in the early days of the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association (CFGA) where he:

• Participated on the national Task Team to review Forage Insurance,

• Chaired committee to design the CFGA Leadership Award,

• Chaired the first CFGA Leadership Award Selection Committee,

• Co-Chaired the first CFGA Environment Committee,

• Cooperated with the North American Commission on Environmental Cooperation to initiate farmer cooperation on environmental issues between Mexico, the US and Canada.                                              

Henry and his wife Lynda live in Winnipeg with their cat and dog and they keep two horses at their little farm near Portage la Prairie.

Testimonial:
“Henry has been at the forefront of many sustainable agricultural initiatives, long before the various “causes” became mainstream agricultural practices. A few that come to mind that flourished under Henry’s guidance include ecological goods and services, biofuels and bioenergy, cover cropping systems, perennial crops, wetland preservation, and watershed management driven by the MFGA’s Aquanty Project. I had the privilege of co-chairing the MFGA Aquanty Project Steering Committee with Henry. Henry is indeed a pioneer in the wide field of environmentally friendly, sustainable agriculture.”
~ Allan Preston, “Aggie” Colleague

MICHAEL THIELE
Category: Peer to Peer Leadership

Michael Thiele grew up a farm boy west of Dauphin in the shadow of Riding Mountain National Park.

“I thought Nature happened in the Park. On the farm we were too busy making a living to think about Nature. I realize now that was a dangerous mindset – agriculture and nature are interconnected. We must emulate nature in agriculture to find a balance between production and protection of the resource – soil, water, biodiversity. Agriculture = Nature.” – Mike Thiele.

Highlights:

• Partnership with MFGA and Ducks Unlimited to further the Grazing Club Initiative in SW Manitoba. Over 20 years working together to promote forages and pasture management.

• Working with MFGA to promote regenerative agriculture in Manitoba. Watched the Manitoba Forage Council evolve into MFGA as a strong provincial organization.

• Working with MFGA to promote Regenerative Agriculture in Manitoba. Proud to have attended and participated in the MFGA Regenerative Ag Conferences – 5th annual in 2022.

Testimonial:
“One of the reasons that Manitoba is more advanced in regenerative agriculture than other regions of Canada, is Michael’s ability to bring the movers and shakers of the regenerative world, to present to Manitoba producers. He has been doing this through Ducks Unlimited and the grazing clubs. He has touched all regions of the province. It has been a pleasure and honour to work with him over the past 20 years in advancing regeneration.” ~ Blain Hjertaas

RYAN BOYD
Category: Producer: Peer to Peer Farming Leadership

Ryan Boyd has recently termed off the MFGA Board in November 2021 after a sterling MFGA board career that included an important leadership role as MFGA Finance Chair. Ryan operates South Glanton Farms just north of Forrest, Manitoba with his wife Sarah, daughter Piper, son Bingham, and parents Jim and Joanne Boyd. The Boyd farm focuses on integrating cattle and grain crops to capitalize on the many synergies that exist between the two. The farm consists of approximately 300 Black Angus beef cows, calving in June and a diverse crop rotation and has recently launched a direct to consumer beef business called Boyd’s Beef.

Highlights:

• Passionate about soil health, forage efficient cattle and no-till cropping systems.

• While on the MFGA Board and as a 2019 Nuffield scholar Ryan traveled the world investigating different grazing systems and has brought many insights home, including the practice of “Total Grazing”.

• Ryan has visited with leading farmers and researchers discussing regenerative agriculture and how we can maximize the resilience or our farms in western Canada.

• Ryan brought back those experiences and conversations to the MFGA Board table where he has served as MFGA Regenerative Agriculture Conference Committee Chair for MFGA`s 2020 and 2021 conferences.

• The impact of Ryan`s Nuffield Scholarship has resonated at MFGA, helping the organization attract global keynote speakers to support the annual regenerative agriculture conference which has grown to be a can’t miss event for many Prairie producers.

Testimonial:
Ryan has been a friend and mentor of mine for many years. He is a pioneer of regenerative agriculture in Manitoba, and around the world. Ryan’s willingness to help others grow and improve is what really sets him apart as a leader in the agriculture community. ~ Brett McRae, McRae Land & Livestock

KEN GROSS
Category: Conservation: Agriculture and Conservation Leadership

As an employee of Ducks Unlimited Canada, Ken Gross Served on the MFGA Board of Directors for over 20 years in many roles including on the MFGA Executive and Hiring committees. Highlights:

• Vice-President of Manitoba Forage Council in 1999.

• Worked with many great staff over the years to grow the organization and its influence.

  • Moving from pocket gopher research with George Bonnefoy to the current day $700k Conservation Trust forage project partnership with MFGA that puts over $200k annually into producers pockets.

  • Securing federal funding in the early 2000’s for a multitude of projects, including one that grew the Grazing Club initiative to a provincial scale.

  • These initiatives strengthened the MFGA (then-MFC), industry and especially producers.

  • Original founding board member of Canadian Forage and Grassland Association.

Testimonial:
During our time together at Ducks Unlimited, Ken consistently demonstrated his dedication to Wetland Conservation and the MB Agricultural community by cultivating important partnerships with groups such as Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association, Manitoba Zero-till Association, MB Agriculture and countless individual Ag producers. Ken has always championed the important concept that the conservation of natural resources and agricultural production in Manitoba can not only co-exist, but thrive through mutually beneficial partnerships. Congratulations Ken, on this well-deserved induction into the MFGA Wall of Fame. ~ Rick Andrews, retired DU Manitoba Provincial manager

PAM IWANCHYSKO:
Category: Government: Agriculture Extension Leadership

Pam Iwanchysko started working with MFGA when it was still known as the Manitoba Forage Council in 1996 until 2020 under the guidance of Fraser Stewart and George Bonnefoy as a Manitoba Agriculture government representative.

Highlights:

• Assisted with the Chairperson duties of the Manitoba Grazing School from 1997-2011 (14 years) – one of the longest consecutive forage and grassland conferences in Canada – this also led to the organization and delivery of several provincial summer grazing tours across the province.

• Assisted with the Manitoba Forage Symposium for Manitoba Forage Marketers from 2004-2009 including two trips to assist at the forage marketing booth and promote Manitoba Hay at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin

• Assisted with the Manitoba Grazing Mentorship program in 2008 and the development of almost 30 grazing clubs across Manitoba in association with Ducks Unlimited Canada and the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association.

• Initiated the Western Canadian Holistic Management Conference in Manitoba in 2007 in Brandon with other conferences in the following years including other locations as Lloydminster, Russell, Yorkton as well as many Holistic Management 6 day workshops and clubs across the province.

• Assisted with the compilation of the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Manual in 2004 led by Fraser Stewart.

• Involved in the planning and co-ordination of Beef and Forage Week across the province in conjunction with the MFGA and Manitoba Beef Producers.

• Co-Chair first ever MFGA Regenerative Agriculture Conference 2018.

• Project lead for the Planned Grazing Project at Manitoba Beef and Forages Initiative for the past seven years and completed 2021.

Testimonial:
One of the key aspects that Pam contributed with regarding MFGA was her ability to organize events sponsored by MFGA. Not only was she key in getting things organized including staff, speakers and sponsors but she was able to tap into government funding sources that made these events viable. ~ John McGregor MFGA hay expert, retired MARD

DAVE KOSLOWSKY:
Category: Producer: Organizational Governance and Leadership

Dave Koslowsky farms with wife Rhonda on 1,800 acres beef and grain farm near Killarney MB. The Koslowsky`s have two adult children: Terra (MFGA`s social media coordinator) and Justin. The Koslowsky`s farms usesconservation practices such as minimal till, direct seeding , forages in rotation , some rotational grazing, and crop residue grazing on their farm. Highlights:

• Started with MFGA in 2012 as the MFGA board rep from Manitoba Beef Producers.

• Elected chair of MFGA in 2016 where he served as chair on the MFGA Board of Directors until 2018.

• One of four MFGA chairs who have overseen the organization`s work on the two phases of the MFGA Aquanty Model. Dave was involved in Phase 1 of the leading-edge water movement model that MFGA and partners delivered in 2018 to look at the role of forages and grasslands in times of flood or drought across the Assiniboine River Basin.

• Named recipient of the 2018 Canadian Forage and Grassland Association Leadership Award.

• Particularly proud of his time at MFGA promoting and developing the governance review and working with staff and a consultant to make necessary changes and updates. With that stronger governance, Dave encouraged a fully-engaged board that provided great ideas and feedback.

• Helped foster and steward great relationships with different organizations and government officials, providing MFGA with the relevance and the respect needed and deserved.

Testimonial:
As MFGA Chair, Dave had the foresight to see MFGA could not continue as it was operating and needed a new direction.  Dave worked with the board and the staff to update the bylaws and governance needed to give MFGA a strong base to grow from to allow growth to happen. This did not go unnoticed as Dave was selected as the recipient of the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association`s 2019 Leadership Award. We owe Dave the acknowledgement that he and the staff led MFGA forward during a time where leadership was needed. ~ Larry Wegner, MFGA Chair 2021

FRASER STEWART:
Category: Government: Organization Leadership

Fraser Stewart has had a long-term interest in the forage/livestock industry beginning on a small family farm at Selkirk where the Stewart`s sold purebred Polled Hereford breeding stock to local farmers. Highlights:

• Educated at University of Manitoba graduating in 1961 with a BSA with a major in Animal Husbandry. Further study at the North Dakota State University with a master’s in animal science with a major in Ruminant nutrition in 1963.

• Obtained a position with Manitoba Agriculture in the Extension Service in 1963 as an Agricultural Representative.

• In 1974 became the Forage Specialist for Manitoba Agriculture for the Eastern Region which also involved forage & grassland extension activities in other parts of the province until retirement in 2002. The major activity was to demonstrate new Grassland technology to Manitoba forage producers and groups. Some of these projects included: managed grazing systems, technology to improve forage storage systems.

• Following retirement from MAFRI, became the Executive Director of the Manitoba Forage Council for five years where MFGA was able to conduct many projects related to Forage & Grassland technology and was able to participate in other Extension projects such as in the Inner Mongolia region of northern China.

• Was involved with the establishment of the Manitoba Forage Council including the change in name to the Manitoba Forage & Grassland Association which was easier to recognize by the public. Also was involved in the organization of the Canadian Forage & Grassland Association.

• Some of the major activities that involved the MFGA such as: assistance with Manitoba Grazing School, Pasture Tours & Manitoba Grazing Clubs, projects to promote quality forage such as baled silage, Green Gold Program and grazing management systems including pasture renovation and forage marketing. Was also involved in the development of many producer forage & grassland publications

• MFGA BOARD OF DIRECTOR EMIRITUS

Testimonial:
Fraser Stewart saw a need for an organization in which the forage and grassland industry in Manitoba is an integral part of agriculture and could be portrayed as such. Fraser, and fellow forage specialist George Bonnefoy, were with the Department of Agriculture and were a very integral part of how the Manitoba Forage Council at the time was formed and they saw the need to stress the importance of forages and the role they play in soil conservation and carbon sequestration on the landscape. Without Fraser and his foresight, the organization would not exist today. ~ Pam Iwanchysko, Manitoba Agriculture & Resource Development