(Left to Right) Robert McLean (1st Vice-president KAP), Ian Wishart (KAP President), Hon. Rosann Wowchuk, Rob Brunel (2nd Vice-president KAP)
As good stewards of the land, farmers in Manitoba make sound environmental choices in their farming operations everyday. That was the message of Keystone Agricultural Producers’ fifth annual Farmer Appreciation Day at Manitoba’s legislative building.
Members of the Legislative Assembly, farmers and agricultural stakeholders attended the event as well as a number of agricultural organizations and agri-businesses which highlighted the work of Manitoba’s farmers and their environmentally responsible practices. KAP’s focus was on recycling and initiatives related to protecting Manitoba’s soil, water and air.
“It is often lost on the general public how focused on reusing and recycling primary agriculture is – including nutrient recycling and items like tires, batteries, oil and pesticide containers,” said Ian Wishart, president of Keystone Agricultural Producers. “We are very focused on being good stewards of the land because we tend to make generational decisions and look after long term benefits of the land.”
“Farmers are responsible and effective environmental stewards of the lands that they own and manage. And farmers recognize that sustaining the land resource is critical to their livelihood, and the livelihood of future generations,” said Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives Minister Rosann Wowchuk. “Our government is committed to working with farmers in their efforts to improve and safeguard the environment to the benefit of all Manitobans.”
The amount of activity under Environmental Farm Plans in Manitoba shows the willingness of the farm community to take action on environmental issues. In the course of three years there has been a tremendous uptake in the program with farmers completing over 5,600 Environmental Farm Plans and matching government dollars for EFP projects.
