Valley Ag Society Raffles Grain Bin To Raise Funds For Upgrades

May 26, 2016

A grain bin on the site of the Manitoba Stampede grounds isn't being used to store grain — its purpose is to stock funds for upgrades that could determine the future of Manitoba's only professional rodeo.

Manitoba Hydro says the Valley Agricultural Society (VAS) — the group which puts on the Manitoba Stampede — must complete the remainder of an estimated $150,000 in electrical upgrades to comply with today's standards — and it must be done in time for the 2017 show.

To help with the cost of the repairs, Meridian Manufacturing has donated a grain bin that the VAS will be raffling off to help with the cost of electrical improvements.

"We've printed 500 tickets, we're going to be selling the tickets for $100 a piece, we're going to raise $50,000, and that (will) go toward the hydro upgrades that we are currently dealing with," VAS president Pat Schmitke explains.

Phase one of the electrical work, which cost just shy of $50,000, was completed in 2015, but the rest is still to go.

Source : Steinbachonline

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.