Minnedosa product to be inducted into Manitoba Agricultural Hall of Fame

Details

Published on Tuesday, April 29, 2014

myWestman.ca

Robert McNabb of Minnedosa will be inducted into the Manitoba Agricultural Hall of Fame in July.

The honour goes to those who have made a significant and lasting contribution to agriculture in Manitoba.

The Manitoba Agricultural Hall of Fame website states that McNabb currently operates a 1,000-acre farm and has been committed to zero tillage farming for 36 years. In 2005, he moved from strictly zero till to a rotation with permanent grasses for custom grazing to determine what nutrients a pasture system would add to soil and how such a system would work under zero tillage.

McNabb has received many awards for his work in soil conservation, including the L.B. Thomson Conservation Award, the Manitoba – North Dakota Zero Tillage Farmers Association Award, the Agricultural Institute of Canada Recognition Award and the Little Saskatchewan River Conservation District Farm Family of the Year Award.

The McNabb family also spent time in Zimbabwe, South Africa coordinating a CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency) funded project with the Organization of Collective Cooperatives. The goal was to introduce conservation strategies to a third world country and monitor results.

Another Westman resident who will be inducted is Ron Helwer of Brandon. Since 1968, Helwer and family members have owned and operated Shur-Gro Farm Services in Brandon. He has since added Munro Farm Supplies in 1990 and Can-Pro Equipment, whose prime business is selling and servicing field spraying equipment, is also part of Helwer’s enterprises.

Helwer and Shur-Gro are considered innovators and supporters of new technology and he was one of the first retailers to provide custom application, soil testing, field scouting and precision farming techniques.

Others to be inducted are Waldie David Klassen of Steinbach, A. Donald Kroeker of Winnipeg and Willie (Bill) Jacob Siemens of Winkler.

The induction ceremony takes place July 17 in Portage.

With files from Manitoba Agricultural Hall of Fame release