October 21, 2009,
Winnipeg, MB – The Manitoba Livestock Manure Management Initiative (MLMMI)
recently welcomed seven new members to the board.
October 21, 2009,
Winnipeg, MB – The Manitoba Livestock Manure Management Initiative (MLMMI)
recently welcomed seven new members to the board.
Since its inception, the
MLMMI has made every effort to form a board with a good cross section of
government (agriculture, conservation), academic (University of Manitoba), and
agri-industry (Manitoba Pork Council, Maple Leaf Foods) expertise. This array
of expertise allows the MLMMI to assess the research needs of Manitoba’s agricultural
communities from a variety of view points. The addition of new directors
further expands the reaches of the MLMMI into these groups, and the potential
to address the agri-industry’s research needs as they arise.
The focus of the MLMMI has
traditionally been on hog industry manure issues. As a result, the Manitoba Pork Council has held a strong
presence on the board. With the goal of diversifying in mind, over the past few
years the board has set its target on encompassing all types of livestock
production. Consequently, other
livestock commodity groups have been invited to participate on the board. Rachelle Brown (Manitoba Turkey
Producers; MTP), Pieter De Jong (Dairy Farmers of Manitoba; DFM) and Cheryl
Schroeder (DFM) officially joined the MLMMI in July 2009. Their groups have
held presence in an ex-officio capacity for over a year already.
Rachelle Brown, her
husband Marty, and their two children have owned and operated a mid-size turkey
operation in the Interlake region of Manitoba since 1996. Brown has been a
director for the MTP since 2007 as well as an alternate director for the Turkey
Farmers of Canada.
The MTP are interested in
participating on the MLMMI board because they believe it is
important to know the best, most innovative ways to handle the high nitrogen
levels present in turkey manure as well as be aware of the impact of manure on
the environment.
Pieter De Jong and his
wife Astrid have been dairy farming since 1997. They started out in Kleefeld,
Manitoba then moved to La Broquerie in 2002. De Jong has been a DFM director since 2006 and is currently
the environment committee chairperson.
Cheryl Schroeder has been
the producer relations coordinator for the DFM for the past nine years. She is
responsible for coordinating the Canadian Quality Milk program and producer
relations. She is also the traceability and environmental representative for
DFM.
The DFM board is
interested in participating on the MLMMI board in order to develop practical
and timely solutions to manure management in Manitoba.
In addition to expanded
livestock commodity group representation, the MLMMI has elected new directors
who can provide water quality, ag-engineering, nutrition, and environmental
science perspectives.
Dwight Williamson joined
the MLMMI in July 2009. Williamson
is a biologist and holds a diploma in biological technology from Red River
College, a bachelor of science from the University of Winnipeg, and a masters
of science from the University of Manitoba. He has worked with the Manitoba
government for more than 30 years in the area of water quality and water
management. Williamson is assistant deputy minister of the ecological services
division for the Department of Water Stewardship. The ecological services
division is comprised of over 100 scientists, biologists, engineers,
hydrogeologists, planners, managers, and administrative support personnel.
Williamson sits on a number of national and international boards, including the
International Joint Commission’s Red River and Souris River boards. Williamson
was the recipient of the Premier’s first Career Achievement Award in 2006 and
was awarded the Gold Medal in Pure and Applied Sciences from the Professional
Institute of the Public Service of Canada in 2007.
Harvey Chorney joined the
MLMMI in September 2009. Chorney grew up on, and is still involved in a family
grain farm near East Selkirk, Manitoba.
He holds a bachelor of science in agriculture engineering from the
University of Manitoba and a professional engineer designation. Chorney started
his career with Versatile Farm Equipment in 1980 where he worked on farm
machinery product development including swathers, combines and tractors, for
more than 20 years. He joined the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute
(PAMI) as vice president of Manitoba operations in 2003. PAMI is an applied
research, development, and testing organization serving manufacturers and
farmers with the resources needed to make technological advances in all areas
of traditional and new farming practices.
At PAMI, Chorney oversees the agricultural research division.
Les Nernberg joined the
MLMMI in September 2009. Nernberg
grew up on a small mixed grain and beef farm near Inglis, Man. He holds a
bachelor of science in agriculture (animal Science major) and a masters of
science in animal nutrition, both of which he obtained from the University of
Manitoba. Nernberg started out his career with Landmark Feeds working with
poultry and livestock producers as a sales and service representative, in 1998.
He joined the Landmark Feeds Nutrition team in 2001 and took on various duties
including program and product development, quality control, regulatory, and
technical support. Most recently Nernberg has been focusing on swine nutrition
providing nutrition consulting and technical support to swine producers, along
with training, program and product development, and technical support to the
Landmark Feeds swine sales team. Nernberg is also a member of the Animal
Nutrition Association of Canada’s Nutrition Council.
Henry (Hank) David Venema
joined the MLLMI in September 2009. Dr. Venema holds a masters degree in water
resources engineering from the University of Ottawa and a PhD in systems design
engineering from the University of Waterloo where he was also an NSERC 1967
Science and Engineering Scholar and an IDRC Doctoral Research Scholar. In
addition, Dr. Venema has a Gold Medal in Physics and Civil Engineering from the
Universities of Winnipeg and Manitoba. In 1996, Dr. Venema commenced his
doctoral research linking watershed-based ecological goods and services with
ecosystem-based renewable energy design. In 2004 Dr. Venema was appointed as
the sustainable natural resources management director at the International
Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). The program has a thematic focus
on water and agricultural issues in Western Canada. Dr. Venema also leads the
Water Innovation Centre Initiative, which focuses on governance, public health,
policy instruments and technological innovation to address Lake Winnipeg Basin
stewardship issues.
The MLMMI’s mandate is to
coordinate efforts to resolve issues relating to manure management, to assist
industry in promoting sustainable management of manure as a valuable resource,
and to encourage beneficial management practices, through research,
development, demonstration, and communication. Established in 1998, it has
funded over 60 projects valued at more than $5 million.
