Beef producers Stacy and Laurel Meisner have been recognized as Manitoba’s 2005 Outstanding Young Farmers.
The Meisners run a 2,500-acre beef operation at Moosehorn, Man. Their 285-cow herd is mainly Simmental-Red Angus. Calving is split between spring and late summer-early fall, with most of their calf crop marketed in December as part of the Triple C Charolais Sale.
After finishing high school, Stacy became the fifth generation on the family farm. He also spent 10 years working at the local Ashern Auction Mart until the farm expanded enough to support him full time. Together with his father and brother-in-law Stacy started a successful excavating company. He has since sold his shares but continues using the equipment on the farm.
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Laurel trained horses while working with Stacy on the family farm for 10 years. During that time she also marketed Quarter Horses and Paints. After the couple’s third child was born, Laurel sold her breeding stock and put the horse business on hold. She helps on the farm during the busy season, while taking care of Sara, 7, Colton, 3, and Halle, 20 months.
Always looking for new opportunities, the Meisners fed 100 bred cows this past year that will be custom calved this spring. All their tilled land is seeded to barley and harvested as silage. Alfalfa is made into dry hay or silage and surplus feed is used for custom feeding. They also sell their beef to a local restaurant and from the farmgate.
Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers for 2005 will be chosen at the national event on Nov. 16-20 in Halifax, N.S.
