The Redboine Watershed District (RBWD) recently presented Ale Riedstra of Riedbow Dairy with the 2024 RBWD Watershed Award. This award recognizes Ale’s outstanding contributions and the impact they have had and continues to have on the provincial landscape.
The Redboine Watershed District encompasses an area of approximately 5,200km². It includes all or parts of the participating RMs of Victoria, Norfolk Treherne, Dufferin, Grey, Cartier, Ritchot, Stanley, Thompson, Lorne, Morris, Roland, Pembina, and the Town of Carman.
Ale and Hilly Riedstra and three children first immigrated from the Netherlands to Canada in March of 1987. Four more children were born in Canada. The start of Riedbow Dairy went from conception to reality in 1987 with 25 milking cows. The Riedstras worked hard and took advantage of the opportunities that were presented to them.
In the early years, the family faced many challenges, with the lack of forage due to drought being the critical one. Because of this, the Riedstras felt strongly about building a good feed inventory so that when a bad year came around again with low forage production, they could change their feeding strategies and make it to the following year. Soil health and nutrient management became very important, directly impacting forage production and quality. Having high-quality forage increases the performance opportunity of the dairy herd.
At Riedbow Dairy, the Riedstra’s work closely with advisers in several different departments.
They have a close relationship with their veterinarian to discuss animal health and a nutritionist who samples all their feed and inventories and formulates and balances a ration that supplies the cattle with their daily requirements while optimizing performance. They also utilize an agronomist who takes soil samples and advises on optimizing on-farm nutrients and where to supplement fertilizer, taking into account the crop nutrient requirements to maximize yields.
They also work with the environmental sector in the RM of Grey and Water Stewardship on how to best utilize farmable acres without negatively impacting the local district.
Riedbow Dairy, near Elm Creek, now milks 850 cows with a Delaval VMS (voluntary milking system). This robotic system was installed in 2015 and allows the cows to be milked 24 hours a day as they please. As a result, milk production and cow health have improved, and it has proven to be a positive and economic step towards the future.
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Riedstra’s commitment to positively impacting the watershed was evident when they purchased a quarter section that included a sizeable wetland. The former owner had illegally drained the wetland, which the province ordered restored to its previous function. Riedbow Dairy understood they would be responsible for covering the restoration costs at the time of purchase and decided to go one step further.
With the help of the Redboine Watershed District and Manitoba Drainage and Water Rights, a plan was developed to restore the six acres of wetland as mandated by the province and increase the wetland area to over ten acres.
A fixed crest weir would control the wetland, maintaining a set water level while protecting the municipal road upstream from backflooding. The wetland would outlet into a large retention pond that Riedbow Dairy would construct to provide water for its dairy operation to the north. Any excess water could flow through the natural drainage channel east across the property.
The disputed area had been left to reseed itself naturally, and it was agreed that altering the vegetated regions would be an unnecessary disruption to the re-established ecosystem. Earthwork in the wetland was kept to a minimum, removing enough of the illegal berm to satisfy the provincial requirements and constructing a new retention berm to the south to maintain water in the recreated wetland while providing a physical barrier to prevent encroachment of the cultivated land.
The project was a resounding success. It not only increased the site’s flood water retention capacity but also increased and improved the habitat area of the wetland ecosystem. This provides space for dozens of native species to live and thrive while improving water quality for the dairy, which in turn improves the health and productivity of the livestock. It also provides a working example of the benefits of cooperation between landowners and the Watershed Districts.
The Redboine Watershed District would like to congratulate Ale and Hilly and Riedbow Dairy on their commitment to the Redboine Watershed. They will be recognized at the Manitoba Association of Watersheds Annual Conference in Brandon in December.
“The Riedstra’s willingness to knowingly purchase a piece of land with an existing court order to replace a wetland that they would become responsible for, and showed their extreme commitment to making the watershed a better place,” said RBWD manager Justin Reid.
