Governments invest in Manitoba milk

Dec 15, 2014

Emphasis on safety and quality

By Diego Flammini, Farms.com

In an effort to keep the safety and quality of dairy products coming from Manitoba high, the federal and provincial government reached an investment agreement worth over $397,000.

The funds will be given to Horizon Lab in Winnipeg to buy a top-level chromatography unit to identify and measure impurities in milk, including antibiotics that may be present. It can be used to analyze nutritional content like omega-3 fatty acids. The new equipment will also allow for specialized testing and reduce the number of samples sent to other provinces.

“The quality of milk produced and sold in Manitoba continues to be the top priority with this new, state-of-the-art equipment,” said Manitoba Agricultural Minister Ron Kostyshyn. “I commend Horizon Lab for finding ways to improve the quality and types of testing performed at their facility. Together, we are building local capacity and expertise related to food safety and quality.”

Workers at Horizon Lab are excited and thankful for the investment and the opportunities it presents them with.

“We appreciate the governments’ investment in the new, high-performance liquid chromatography unit for the lab, which allows us to support the continuous improvement of milk quality in the province,” said Yolo Ortiz, lab director at Horizon Lab.

The investment will reach more than just the agricultural sector.

“Demand for safe and nutritious Canadian milk creates jobs and opportunities for our farmers and processors to expand their operations,” said Federal Agricultural Minister Gerry Ritz. “Our government is proud to support initiatives like these that ensure top-quality food products and increase consumer confidence.”

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.