Manitoba’s Ag industry gets $15.4M for growth and innovation

Dec 12, 2024

Manitoba's agricultural sector is set to receive a significant boost, with both the provincial and federal governments investing $15.4 million over the next four years in major infrastructure projects aimed at improving food processing capacity across the province. This funding, part of the Sustainable Canadian Agriculture Partnership (Sustainable CAP), is designed to help local producers increase their output, create jobs, and make the industry more efficient and sustainable.

Wab Kinew, Premier of Manitoba, spoke about the importance of this investment:

"This is all about supporting the backbone of our economy—the agriculture industry. We’re helping businesses modernize by providing them with the tools they need to boost productivity, be more sustainable, and keep moving forward."

The funding will support up to 70 projects in areas like food processing, modernization of facilities, and the adoption of new technology.

"By investing in equipment and innovative solutions, we're making sure that Manitoba’s agriculture sector can continue to grow and remain competitive," Kinew added.

The announcement was made at Burnbrae Farms, a well-established egg production facility in Winnipeg. This investment will help modernize their operations, increasing their efficiency and overall capacity. Burnbrae's CEO, Margaret Hudson, expressed her gratitude, stating, "The funding will allow us to expand our Winnipeg operation and continue providing quality eggs from responsibly raised hens."

Other projects receiving funding include:

Kimberly Packing Corporation: Based in southern Manitoba, this potato producer will use the funding to expand local processing capabilities, reducing the need to send their product out of the province for packaging.
Roquette Canada: This global leader in pea protein production, located in Portage la Prairie, will invest in new equipment to enhance the efficiency and reliability of its world-class processing plant.
Spenst Bros Premium Meats: A family-owned business in Winkler, Spenst Bros will expand its market for frozen pizzas across Canada, supported by the new funding for its meat processing and production facilities.

Chris Chinery, Manager of the Roquette Portage Pea Protein Plant, spoke highly of the partnership with both levels of government, saying, "We saw the potential for innovation in Manitoba, and we've been thrilled to see that potential come to life. This funding allows us to keep growing and supporting the sustainable food production needed around the world."

The Sustainable CAP program, which will distribute a total of $15.4 million across these projects, is part of a larger five-year, $3.5 billion investment by federal, provincial, and territorial governments to enhance the agriculture and agri-food sectors across Canada. This partnership is aimed at creating more competitive, resilient, and innovative agriculture businesses that can thrive in a rapidly changing global market.

Premier Kinew noted, "This investment will help companies across Manitoba get the equipment and technology they need to stay ahead, keep people employed, and make sure we can continue to feed our communities and the world."

Video: Turning Plant Defense Into a Management Strategy

Turning Plant Defense Into a Management Strategy

Understanding how a plant responds to stress is one thing.

Using that knowledge to make better management decisions is another.

Systemic acquired resistance, or SAR, is the plant's more direct defense response. When stress or infection occurs, the plant begins signaling throughout its system and preparing defensive compounds.

But if we know that response exists, can we help prepare the plant before the stress arrives?

The answer starts with understanding what triggers the response and what the plant needs to carry it out.

The Trigger and the Fuel

Salicylic acid plays an important role in triggering the SAR pathway.

Think of it as turning the truck on.

The engine may be running, but it still needs fuel to do the work.

In this case, manganese plays an important role in supporting the enzyme systems involved in the plant's defensive response.

This makes manganese status an important part of the conversation. Whether a producer is using tissue testing, sap analysis, or simply scouting for visible deficiency symptoms, the goal is to make sure the plant has adequate manganese available.

Manganese is required in relatively small amounts, but that does not make its role small.

If the plant receives a signal to defend itself but lacks the nutrition needed to support that response, it may struggle to carry out the process efficiently.

The trigger matters.

The fuel matters too.

Prepare Before the Stress Arrives

The best time to think about stress management is before the plant is overwhelmed.

Once a crop is already struggling, management can quickly turn into a game of catch-up.

This is similar to nitrogen management. Once a plant becomes severely deficient, correcting the problem does not necessarily erase the time and yield potential already lost.

Plant defense can work the same way.

Low-rate, targeted approaches designed to support the SAR pathway may fit best ahead of an expected stress event rather than after significant damage has already occurred.

That requires producers to think about predictable stress.

We may not know exactly what the weather will do tomorrow, but we generally know summer heat is coming. We know certain field conditions increase disease pressure. We know a herbicide application can temporarily stress a crop as the plant processes the chemistry.

Even a properly timed and labeled herbicide application can create a temporary response in the plant.

That does not mean the herbicide is bad.

Weeds can create significantly more yield loss than the temporary stress caused by controlling them.

The question is not whether we should eliminate every stressor.

The question is whether we can better prepare the plant to manage necessary and predictable stress.

Not All Stress Is Bad

Stress is a normal part of plant growth.

A perfectly stress-free environment does not exist in the field.

In fact, some stress is necessary for normal plant development. A plant responds to wind, temperature, moisture, sunlight, and countless other environmental signals throughout the season.

The environment is stress.

The plant's job is to manage it.

Problems begin when the stress load becomes greater than the plant's ability to respond.

Extreme heat, drought, high salt concentrations, disease pressure, and even certain management practices can add to that load.

This is where understanding SAR becomes useful.

Instead of waiting until the plant is visibly struggling, producers can begin identifying periods when stress is likely and make management decisions around those windows.

ISR Starts With the Soil

While SAR is a more direct defense response, induced systemic resistance, or ISR, brings the conversation back to soil health.

The longevity of a farm is closely connected to the health of its soil.

Carbon plays a major role because it supports biological life within the soil. Bacteria, fungi, and other organisms interact with plant roots and influence how the plant grows, accesses nutrients, and prepares for stress.

This is why soil health cannot be reduced to one product or one application.

It is a system.

Keeping living plants in the field longer can support biological activity. Cover crops may fit some operations. Better water management can improve soil conditions.