Cleanfarms hires new program coordinator in Manitoba

Sep 06, 2022

Cleanfarms has hired a new program coordinator in Manitoba.

Serena Klippenstein will be responsible for helping to operate solutions that work in Manitoba to manage used agricultural products including used grain bags, twine and empty pesticide and fertilizer containers for recycling. These programs are part of the provincial Manitoba Ag Plastic Program, which was approved under the Packaging and Printed Paper Stewardship Regulation.

She will also have a hand in implementing programs that recycle silage bags and bale wrap, which is made possible in Manitoba with funding from the Dairy Farmers of Canada’s “Here for Tomorrow” project and Cleanfarms’ “Unwanted Pesticides and Livestock/Equine Medications Collection” program that collects old, obsolete and unwanted pesticides and farm animal medications for safe disposal*.

“As people in the agricultural community know, a farmer has to be a jack of all trades to be a successful grower and that includes adapting technology that helps them do more with less. Farmers who use ag plastic products like grain bags want access to programs that help them manage those materials when they are no longer useful. That’s what I am here to do…help find solutions that make sense in Manitoba but that draw on the depth of experience that is happening across the prairies,” said Klippenstein.

Among Klippenstein's responsibilities is to help expand partnerships with ag-retailers to become conveniently-accessible collection site locations for farmers to return empty plastic pesticide and fertilizer jugs for recycling.

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Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.