Current Holsteins Wins Manitoba Young Farmers Award 2025

Mar 20, 2025
By Farms.com

Manitoba Farmers Win Young Farmers Award 2025

Darren and Allison Hueging, owners of Current Holsteins in Woodlands, Manitoba, have been named Manitoba’s Outstanding Young Farmers for 2025. The announcement was made during the regional event held at Elkhorn Resort on March 14-15. With dignitaries, sponsors, and past winners in attendance, the couple was recognized for their dedication to sustainable farming.

The Outstanding Young Farmers (OYF) competition recognizes young agricultural leaders between 18 and 39 who contribute to the industry. Darren and Allison will now represent Manitoba in Canada’s national competition in Toronto in November 2025.

The couple met while studying at the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Agriculture in 2005, married in 2011, and moved to Current Holsteins. Darren and his family established the farm in 2006, starting with 50 cows and 75kg of quota. Over time, they expanded their operations, increasing their quota to 156kg and managing 4,000 acres of farmland.

Allison, a licensed veterinarian, specializes in preventive bovine medicine and supports local farmers while managing operations. The farm focuses on maximizing butterfat production, improving genetics, and enhancing animal health. Today, they milk 80 cows daily, producing an impressive DHI average of 585kg butterfat per lactation. They also run a 300 cow-calf beef operation.

The Manitoba regional event also recognized Austin Hanslip of Triple Oak Farms in Eriksdale. Hon. Ron Kostyshyn, Manitoba’s Minister of Agriculture, attended to present the award.

Past OYF President Danny Penner praised the couple’s contributions, stating, “Darren and Allison will represent Manitoba agriculture well in Toronto.”

The OYF program is nationally sponsored by Agriculture Canada, CIBC, John Deere, Bayer, and other major industry leaders. The national winners will be announced from November 27-30, 2025, in Toronto.

Photo Credit: OYF-Darren and Allison Hueging

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.