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Beef and Forage RoundupA Manitoba Beef & Forage Initiatives Production Author: MBFI Inc.
Hi and Welcome to the podcast! My name is Chantel McRae and I will be your host. I started working for MBFI in January of 2022 as an Extension Specialist with the goal of increasing awareness and information regarding the projects and important research happening at MBFI. One of the ways we have decided to do that is through a podcast that shares information on the research projects that are being conducted here, as well as extension events and on farm practices and technologies. MBFI is a not for profit organization developed through partnership with Manitoba Agriculture, Manitoba Beef Producers, Ducks Unlimited Canada and the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association with direction from stakeholders collaborating for the advancement of the industry. MBFIs mission is to advance the Manitoba beef and forage industry by engaging stakeholders, evaluating on-farm innovation, and extension for sustainability of farmers, the public and the environment. In short we Engage, Evaluate and Extend. MBFIs Goal is to promote excellence, efficiency, and sustainability of practice in the agricultural industry in Manitoba for the dual benefit of the public and the environment by conducting on-farm research and field testing of practices related to beef cattle and forage production and disseminating the results to farmers and the public, as well as through providing hands-on learning opportunities and work placements for the development of professionals entering beef cattle and forage production. We will be sharing information through interviews with General Manager, Mary Jane Orr, project leads for various projects, MBFI team members, speakers from our extension events, industry leaders and industry suppliers. This podcast will dig deep into on-farm research and field testing practices related to beef cattle and forage production and efficiency and sustainability of practice in the agricultural industry in Manitoba. We will be sharing information on upcoming training and workshops, Language: en Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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Using Drones for Seeding Marginal Areas with Charlotte Crawley (DUCs)
Episode 108
Wednesday, 21 January, 2026
Charlotte Crawley was raised on a mixed farming operation in Clanwilliam, MB. She received her Bachelor of Science in Animal Systems from the University of Manitoba in 2003 and headed to Alberta where she worked as a meat inspector at the Cargill plant in High River, followed by a two year position at Ballo Feeders feedlot.Charlotte returned to the family farm in 2005 where she farmed full time for 8 years with her parents, farming 2500 acres, including forages, backgrounders, and cow/calf. Her parents retired from grain farming in 2014 and Charlotte continued to farm 3 quarters of pastureland and maintained a herd of 65 cow/calf pairs. Her family was awarded with the Heritage Farm award in 2022, recognizing that the farm has remained in the same family for 125 years – this is one of Charlotte’s greatest accomplishments.With her parent’s retirement in 2014, Charlotte sought off farm employment to help supplement her cattle addiction. She was fortunate enough to land a position as the farm manager for the inaugural season at MBFI. In this position she happened to hear of an opening with Ducks Unlimited Canada where they were looking for someone to establish forage on all newly purchased lands and to work with farmers to establish forages on their own lands. Charlotte believes that sometimes the best things in life happen when you don’t expect them, and she jumped at the opportunity to join the DUC team. Today, Charlotte oversees the Ducks Unlimited Canada forage and marginal areas programs, manages all forage restoration field activities on purchased lands, and assists with grazing management on DUC’s existing properties.Cattle farmers are conservationists at their core, and Charlotte feels so fortunate that she can work for Ducks Unlimited Canada during the day and moonlight as a cattle farmer. Charlotte and her cows recently moved to Rapid City, where she lives and works on her partner’s cattle operation, where they run a hay and straw business, backgrounder operation, grassed yearlings, and somewhere in the neighborhood of 650 head cow/calf operation.In this episode, we are discussing using drones to seed marginal areas, as the first episode in our mini series on Technology in Agriculture. This program took place in Manitoba and Saskatchewan in 2024 and 2025 through the Marginal Areas Program, Agriculture Demonstration of Practices and Technologies Program and the Fall Dormant Seeding Program. There is no cost to producers to seed using drones through these programs. Charlotte describes what marginal areas are and some of the benefits to seeding these areas from the weed control and habitat enhancement lens. Further to that, we chat about the benefits and opportunities that arise through seeding these areas using drone technology.We also discuss challenges that arise when using drones to seed, but in general, Charlotte sees the pros out weighing the challenges of seeding these areas with drones.We wrap up with a discussion on programs that are available to producers for the 2026 season. To find out more, head over to the website below!Website: www.ag.ducs.caThe research programs and daily operations at MBFI would not be possible without the funding from the Province of Manitoba, Government of Canada, and Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, as well as the partnership with Manitoba Agriculture, Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) and Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC).We encourage you to follow MBFI on social media, or check out the website for more information on project findings and results, upcoming events and more!Instagram: @MBBeefandForageFacebook:...
