New Agriculture Minister Named In Manitoba Cabinet Shuffle

Jan 19, 2022

During a cabinet shuffle announced Tuesday, Premier Heather Stefanson revealed that Interlake-Gimli MLA Derek Johnson is replacing Lakeside MLA, Ralph Eichler.

Johnson was previously Minister of Municipal Relations.

Eichler took over the role of Minister of Agriculture and Resource Development in July of 2021. He also served as Agriculture Minister from 2016 to 2019.

Bill Campbell, President of Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) released the following statement:

“KAP congratulates Derek Johnson on his appointment to cabinet as the Minister of Agriculture. As the MLA for Interlake-Gimli and as a former municipal councillor, Minister Johnson understands the challenges facing Manitoba’s agricultural industry and we look forward to working with him.

KAP would also like to thank Ralph Eichler, outgoing Minister of Agriculture and Resource Development. We have valued Minister Eichler’s desire to grow the industry through his various roles in public office and wish him the best.”

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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.