Two farming operations that aim to be environmentally conscious in a variety of ways are sharing an annual award.
The Pembina Valley Watershed District (PVWD) in partnership with Manitoba Department of Environment and Climate has honoured both Fresh Roots Farm and Dogs Run Farm with this year’s annual PVWD Conservation Award.
The Dogs Run Farm is a small family business near Clearwater operated by Katie and Colin McInnes that uses agro-ecological practices to raise cattle, pigs, sheep, broilers, turkeys and laying hens in a pasture-based system. It markets its products directly to the end consumer through online sales and farm-to-table deliveries.
Fresh Roots Farm near Cartwright is owned and operated by Troy Stozek and Michelle Schram. The duo decided to bring their shared passions for agro-ecology, social justice, and community development to Schram’s home community to start a farm and food business.
PVWD manager Ryan Sheffield noted it would have been hard to choose between the two because they are both smaller farms that are creating a successful business with a smaller footprint, and they both help show what is possible by setting outstanding examples.
“They’re doing the same as us—we’re trying to lead by example and show people how to have an environmentally friendly farming practice and focus on communication and telling the story.”
For 11 years, the McInnes’ have been working to grow their farm from its start of only a few acres and feeding a few families to a full-time farm business that provides hundreds of customers every month with healthy pasture raised food.
As first-generation farmers raised in Winnipeg without ties to a farm, they were challenged with lack of access to land, capital, and infrastructure when they began their small operation in 2013.
Through the help of mentorships with experienced farmers and support from their new communities and customers, they have been able to grow to steward 230-plus acres of land, raising five different species of animals and offering an array of meat products.
In 2023 they were the second farm in Manitoba to be “land to market” certified—a global verification system which uses quantifiable metrics to ensure producer practices are regenerative.
The goals for The Dogs Run Farm centre around managing for a diverse prairie landscape with space for both native species and a robust local community.
They strive to create positive change through planting native trees, managed grazing, holding water on the landscape and creating healthy soils which sequester carbon and retain water effectively throughout the seasons.
All of these practices create habitat, provide food for wildlife, reduce erosion, and help provide resiliency to climate change while at the same time increasing their profitability by increasing the carrying capacity of their land, improving the health of animals, and lowering input costs.
They are students of holistic management, and while the direct management of their farm and farm business is incredibly important to them, what they are probably most proud of is their community-minded approach to farming and food.
They have worked diligently to help build community in the regenerative agriculture and direct marketing community in Manitoba by mentoring young farmers, creating marketing partnerships with other farmers like Troy and Michelle of Fresh Roots Farm, educating consumers, and working to advocate for farms practicing regenerative agriculture.
They also share their knowledge and strive to foster a community that helps build the local food movement in Manitoba and increase awareness about regenerative practices. They have taken many opportunities to partner with Manitoba food security organizations to facilitate donations of their meat, eggs, and handmade soap—getting them directly to the individuals who can benefit from them.
“We’re honoured to have our work recognized by the PVWD,” Katie McInnes said via email. “As new farmers, the award signifies that what we have tried to do with our farm is valued within our community and by our peers.
“We are also honoured to be recognized alongside our friends and collaborators Troy and Michelle at Fresh Roots Farm,” she added. “Our working relationship has been meaningful to our growth as farmers and as a business. It feels fitting to be presented the conservation award together.”
Fresh Roots Farm’s Troy Stozek is a first-generation farmer from Dauphin with agrarian roots, while Michelle grew up on a multi-generation family farm.
Since 2012, they have dedicated themselves to establishing a farm business on part of the family land rooted in those core environmental, social, and economic value. They raise grass-fed beef and honeybees on primarily perennial forages and floral sources.
They believe there is great value in landscapes growing a high diversity of perennial plants, which can result in a much more balanced, dynamic and resilient ecosystem. They market all of the beef and much of honey they produce directly to customers throughout Manitoba through their website and retail stores.
Their holistic management training convinced them that focusing their cattle grazing management on improving soil health and increasing biodiversity can lead to cascading positive effects ecologically and economically.
The honey business began on a whim, after bringing home two hives in 2012, but it quickly turned into a full-blown passion and scaled up commercial venture of 200+ hives and on-farm processing and packaging facility.
They now work with a number of other landowners in the area with similar land management practices to house their growing apiary during the growing season and their honey can be found in 20+ retail stores.
“It is nice when we can benefit multiple farm enterprises with the same management practices, as is the case with managing for soil health and biodiversity,” said Stozek.
“Intensive grazing with long rest periods increases desired plant species, builds soil and offers bees, cattle and other critters a more balanced diet,” he continued. “The same is true of adding more legumes and trees to the landscape. The diverse and many flowers benefit the bees as nectar and pollen sources for a longer period during the season and also provide excellent forage, shade and shelter for our grass-fed beef program.”
Stozek sees it all as coming down to focusing more on the big picture.
“We’ve always had a pretty strong compassion and commitment towards a higher purpose beyond farming. We’ve always had the motivation to try to commit to a larger environmental cause,” he said.
It would be an added benefit if they could in turn inspire others.
“That’s not ultimately what we’re motivated by, but we do see that there is a real need, and we feel a sense of urgency for the bigger picture,” said Stozek. “Agriculture has such a huge potential to have a positive impact on things like climate change and solving some of our water woes.
“There’s so much more work that needs to be done, and there are resources now than ever before to do some of this work.”
Sheffield said they value how these two farms really connect with their customers and build awareness around the importance of producing healthy food in the right way.
“They both seem to focus on every aspect of having a very environmentally healthy farming operation. They seem to always be trying to improve and develop more beneficial practices.”
