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Winnipeg, MB (June 27, 2024) – Expert bird surveyors are putting their eyes and ears to work on nine regenerative agriculture-practicing farms as Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association (MFGA)’s second consecutive bird survey wingspans across six different types of farming operations.
Boosting the survey by five farms and accelerating on the momentum from last year, MFGA will once again join forces with the Manitoba Wildlife Branch and the Manitoba Important Bird Area (IBA) Program to survey and better understand the benefits of soil-focused, regenerative agriculture practices and intact natural habitats to birds – with a target on species at risk such as Bobolink and Sprague’s Pipit - on nine different farm operations this year.
As with last year, the MFGA bird survey will also benefit from an ongoing exchange agreement with Birds Canada that will see some of the MFGA farms surveyed overlaid with a separate, ongoing Birds Canada initiative.
The four farms comprised of mixed, beef, dairy and grain operations surveyed in last year’s MFGA survey have all returned. MFGA has added bison, sheep and one more each of dairy, grain and mixed farms to this year’s mix.
“Last year, we focused on four different farms using regenerative agriculture practices with hopes of benchmarks around bird populations, specifically how the birds are interacting with or responding to the respective regen ag farming practices,” said Mike Duguid, MFGA Chair. “The results were super encouraging, in fact, so much so that five more farms from our MFGA Board table put their hands up to be part this year after our inaugural survey last year was capped at four farms.”
While the survey could not fly without the leadership and expertise of Tim Poole and the in-kind contribution of Manitoba Wildlife Department as well as the keen eyes of IBA’s Marissa Berard and Meredith Stoesz, most costs associated with the 2024 MFGA bird survey will be covered by MFGA.
“The MFGA motivation is simple,” said Duguid, whose Interlake-region mixed farm will be part of the 2024 survey. “Many of our MFGA farms in our 2024 survey are non-stereotypical farms that are not traditionally looked at for determining bird abundance, while others simply fall outside the usual areas often relied upon to determine bird counts on Manitoba agriculture lands.”
Duguid also pointed out that “MFGA farms practicing regenerative agriculture often strive to work with nature and consider bird abundance as key indicators of their overall farm health, especially healthy soil and intact habitats such as grasslands and wetlands.”
MFGA vice-chair Zack Koscielny’s family farm, Green Beach Farm & Food near Strathclair, Manitoba, is back in the survey again this year. The Koscielny family have a long history working alongside nature on their farm as showcased by conservation easement with Ducks Unlimited Canada, producer partnerships with ALUS Canada and Birds Canada, and the family’s 2023 Manitoba Watershed Award from Assiniboine West Watershed District.
“We are very excited for the opportunity to be involved in MFGA's bird surveys for a second year,” said Koscielny. “As we have made some changes to our management, we have observed improvements in forage production and biodiversity, specifically in bird populations. It was really encouraging to hear from an expert third party that they counted a number of bird species at risk on our farm during their survey last year.”
As with last year, the front-end connections and conversations between participating farmers and bird experts have occurred. Data collected will include a record of each species detected, number of individuals, distance from observer and a breeding code. Any species detected not detected during a timed count, will be recorded to ensure that each producer receives a full species list for their property. The farmers, for their part, will also provide farming practices they use to boost soil health on their farms. Some of the participating farmers have also been sitting in on the morning bird counts, a testament to their interest and enthusiasm in the survey.
“We will use this data to calculate the abundance per point count for each species,” said Berard. “This data will be used to demonstrate the importance of different regenerative agricultural systems for various bird species.”
Each producer will receive a report of results, including map of points, and location of species of interest on their farms. A bird surveyors report will also be presented to MFGA and presented at the 2024 MFGA Regenerative Agriculture Conference outlining the overall results. MFGA will use the information as needed benchmarks and future accelerants to support the great work farmers are doing for biodiversity, habitats and soil health and look toward further collaborations and projects to continue to champion this great on-farm work.
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MFGA 2024 “ON THE WINGS OF SOIL HEALTH” BIRD SURVEY FARM ROSTER
MIXED FARMS: CROPS AND LIVESTOCK
· Mike Duguid, Arnes
· *Zack Koscielny, Green Beach Farm & Food, Strathclair
GRAIN FARMS
· Traditional Grain: *Chelsi Beernaert, Hartney
· Organic Grain: Zach Grossart, Howpark Farms, Brandon
DAIRY FARMS
· Lawrence Knockaert, Bruxelles
· *Sean Smith, Clanman Jerseys, Clanwilliam
GRASS-FED BEEF FARM
· *Arron Nerbas, Nerbas Bros Angus, Shellmouth
BISON FARM
· Jacques Saquet, Laurier
SHEEP FARM
· Guy Bouchard, Vita
*denotes 2023 MFGA Bird Survey farm participant
For more information: Duncan Morrison, MFGA executive director, duncan@mfga.net
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