Cleanfarms: first Manitoba Great Twine Round-Up offers four $3,000 prizes benefiting local 4-H clubs and agricultural charities.
Manitoba farmers have a new reason to gather up the used plastic baler twine around their farms this winter.
Cleanfarms has launched Manitoba's first Great Twine Round-Up Contest, giving farmers, ranchers and other residents an opportunity to recycle used plastic baler twine while potentially directing thousands of dollars to a local 4-H club or agricultural charity.
The contest runs from Nov. 1, 2026, through May 31, 2027. Participants collect clean, used plastic baler twine, place it in bags and take the material to a participating Cleanfarms collection location in Manitoba.
After dropping off their twine, participants take a selfie with their bag or bags at the collection site and submit the photo along with their contact information through the Great Twine Round-Up website. Each qualifying entry provides a chance to win one of four $3,000 cash prizes, with the money going to the winner's chosen local 4-H club or Manitoba-based agricultural charity. That puts a total of $12,000 in community prizes on the line.
Turning a farm waste material into something useful
Baler twine is a familiar material on livestock and forage operations, but disposing of the plastic after bales are opened can present a challenge.
The contest is designed to encourage producers to keep that material out of landfills and the environment by making recycling part of their regular farm routine.
According to Cleanfarms, plastic baler twine collected through the program can be recycled into products including car parts, flower pots and composite lumber.
“We are excited to launch this contest focused on further boosting plastic baler twine recycling in Manitoba,” Shane Hedderson, Executive Director of Cleanfarms, said in announcing the initiative.
“This is one part of a larger network of recycling opportunities here that extends to grain bags and crop input packaging, so it’s a tremendous opportunity to see continued growth in this important area of agricultural producer responsibility.”
The Manitoba initiative builds on the Great Twine Round-Up already established in Alberta, where the contest is now in its third year.
The Alberta program has demonstrated the potential scale of agricultural plastics recycling. In January 2026, Cleanfarms Alberta program advisor Davin Johnson said farmers and ranchers had brought approximately 4.5 million kilograms of agricultural plastics into the broader Alberta recycling program since it began. He compared the volume to about 267 semi-trailers of grain bags and another 40 trailers of baler twine.
Recycling while supporting rural communities
The Manitoba program adds another incentive by directing contest winnings back into organizations serving rural and agricultural communities.
Duncan Morrison, Executive Director of the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association, said the organization is pleased to support the initiative.
“Manitoba farmers are always interested in programs and efforts that go back to bettering the local agricultural community,” he said.
There are two opportunities for participants to have their entries included in prize draws.
The early-bird deadline is Jan. 31, 2027, with the draw scheduled for Feb. 8 and winners expected to be notified by Feb. 19.
The final deadline is May 31, 2027, followed by the final draw on June 7. Those winners are expected to be notified by June 14.
Farmers can find participating Manitoba collection sites, complete contest requirements and additional information through the Great Twine Round-Up website.
For producers it is an easy way to keep the plastic together, get it into the recycling stream and potentially send $3,000 back to an organization in their agricultural community.
Photo Credit: Cleanfarms