Ag Notes

B.C. names Outstanding Young Farmers

Thomas and Catherine Cuthbert of Southcoast Agro Farms near Ladysmith, B.C., are this year’s Outstanding Young Farmers for British Columbia/Yukon.

The other nominees were Albert Gorter and Chelsea Enns of Little Qualicum Cheeseworks near Parksville, B.C.

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The Cuthberts, along with their four children, farm on Vancouver Island with a focus on producing broiler chickens for Island Farmhouse Poultry.

They began self-marketing free-range roasting chickens in 2018 and expanded to a grass-fed beef operation in 2022, growing their flock to meet increasing demand.

In addition to their farm, Thomas also manages the family dairy.

His parents, Ben and Suzanne Cuthbert, were named the province’s Outstanding Young Farmers in 1996.

Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers will be chosen during the national competition in Toronto, from Nov. 27-30.

Scientists receive research grant

Bryan Cassone, a professor from Brandon University, has been awarded the Research Manitoba Innovation Proof-of-Concept Grant for his project on soybean disease diagnostics.

Cassone, alongside co-investigators Baljeet Singh from Assiniboine College and Chris LeMoine from BU, is developing a molecular-based tool for the rapid and accurate detection of root and stem diseases in soybean crops.

It’s hoped the new diagnostic innovation will provide farmers with an accurate, cost-effective and rapid means of detecting four of the most common and economically damaging root and stem pathogens of soybean.

The project aims to optimize the tool for widespread commercial use in Manitoba and other major soybean-growing regions.

The research team has outlined three key objectives to advance the commercialization of the diagnostic tool:

Validate the utility of the diagnostic tool across multiple growing seasons.
Assess the tool’s ability to detect diseases early in the growing season before symptoms develop.
Evaluate the tool’s capability to detect pathogens in soybean seeds.

FCC board members re-appointed

Three members of Farm Credit Canada’s board of directors have been re-appointed to another four-year term.

Michele Hengen has more than 25 years of expertise in the insurance, investment and pension industries. She holds the designation of associate certified coach and is also a published author. She operated an independent risk consulting and executive coaching practice for five years before joining People First.

James Laws has more than 40 years of experience in agriculture. As an agricultural consultant, he has undertaken projects overseas in Suriname, Senegal and Tanzania. He also served as executive director of the Canadian Meat Council from 2004–16 and the Canadian Farm Business Management Council from 1999–2003.

Govert Verstralen has more than 45 years of expertise in banking, finance and agribusiness. He served as a principal officer and president and chief executive officer of Rabobank Canada and was a member of the North American Compliance Committee and Operational Risk Management Committee. He has also been a board member of Food Processors of Canada for 11 years and served on the Canadian Agri-Food Marketing Council for five years.

Yield challenge winners announced

Hofmann Brothers Investments and Chris Mclean are the winners of Nutrien Ag Solutions’ first Hometown Yield Challenge.

They each received $20,000 to donate to a community organization of their choice.

Three runners-up, Garry Nykyforak, Brent Gillis and Lawrence Vogel, were each able to donate $5,000 to a community organization of their choice.

They were among 47 farming operations that participated in the competition.

The growers were required to plant at least 80 acres of a Proven Seed hybrid of their choice with phosphorus treated with Atlas XC. Throughout the season, field boundaries were mapped in Echelon, and Loveland Product applications, such as Awaken and Radiate, were applied.

The chosen community organizations were: