Agrarian After Dark

Event Moderator

Moderator Evan Bowness is an Assistant Professor of Community Food Systems at the Trent School of the Environment. His research program on equitable sustainability transitions prioritizes reciprocal relationships with community partners in Canada and Brazil. Evan’s research is guided by questions about how urban/rural, human/non-human, intergenerational, and Indigenous/settler relations can be repaired and reconfigured to support sustainable and just futures. This includes a new research project and videos on “Prairie Agroecology” being publicly released during Agrarian After Dark. Evan was born and raised in Winnipeg and was a co-founder of Sustainable South Osborne.

Regenerating the Spirit and Culture of Farming

Dana strives to support inspired thinking and action in agriculture and rural communities. By thinking broadly and deeply about the systems upon which our society depends, Dana sees us better positioning the industry and our communities for the future. Dana’s work with Holistic Management Canada and with the Human Venture Institute has been foundational in developing her passion for supporting people to become resourceful, resilient, responsible and adaptive. Dana’s formal education was in Animal Science, earning a B.Sc. from the U of A but her much-valued informal learning has come from being on the land with other humans, flora and fauna. She believes that grazing livestock and poultry can heal our planet.

Adapting our family farm: pivoting towards and away from producing local, organic food

Ryan Pengelly operates Tamarack Farms with his family near Erickson, Manitoba. Ryan started his education in psychology, anthropology and natural resource Management. After working in environmental consulting for several years, he returned to his family farm with his partner Alexandra and young son to attempt a new but familiar career with his parents. Local, organic direct-marketed food was the initial aspiration, including quinoa and other organic grains. After nearly 10 years, Tamarack Farms has pivoted away from producing local food and back to growing native grass and flower seed for conservation and reclamation projects just like Ryan’s parents did for several decades.

Planned Grazing: Improving the Landscape & the Business

Zack Koscielny is a 5th generation farmer from the Strathclair, MB area. He completed his Agroecology degree at the University of Manitoba in the spring of 2018 and returned to the family farm. Zack farms with his parents on their mixed farm comprised of a cow-calf operation, organic grain production and direct-to-consumer sales of grass-finished beef, pasture-raised pork, pastured chicken and farm fresh eggs. Under the new farm name, Green Beach Farm & Food, Zack and his family have pursued regeneration of their agroecosystem by considering the 6 principles of soil health when making management decisions on the farm. Off the farm, Zack serves on a number of committees in the Strathclair area, while also serving as a board member with the Manitoba Forage & Grassland Association.

Soil to Soil: Growing our clothing in the grasslands of the Canadian Prairies

Anna Hunter is a first generation sheep farmer and wool mill owner in Eastern Manitoba, Treaty One Territory. Anna, her husband Luke, and their two kids raise Shetland sheep and run the only wool mill in Manitoba. Anna is passionate about building community and connecting rural fibre farmers with urban consumers, fibre artists and crafters. Anna believes that regenerative agriculture and climate beneficial food and clothing is integral to moving forward as farmers, fibre artists and Manitobans. Anna is passionate about growing a vibrant Canadian wool industry and has recently published her first book Sheep, Shepherd and Land. To learn more about Anna and her farm/wool mill, check out www.longwayhomestead.com

Commercial fishing on Lake Winnipeg

Lucas Robinson is a 7th generation commercial fisher on Lake Winnipeg. He was raised on Matheson Island, a small fishing village nestled at the mouth of the North Basin of Lake Winnipeg. When Lucas was 15 years old, he moved away to attend high school in Selkirk, where he was awarded the P.A.S.S. (Promoting Aboriginal Student Success) scholarship upon graduation. After this he attended the Asper School of Business where he was a proud member of IBEP (Indigenous Business Education Partners), and UMICS (University of Manitoba Indigenous Commerce Students). It was at Asper he received his Bachelor of Commerce Degree with a double major of Marketing and Entrepreneurship. In the early days of COVID Lucas moved back home to Matheson Island and Founded R&B Wild Caught Fisheries Canada (WCFC) in the spring of 2020 with his parents. WCFC slogan is “Our Boat to Your Table” meaning that Lucas and his team catch, fillet, package, and sell all their own fish. Local Manitobans purchase their fish through farmers markets and local stores such as Fireweed Food Co-op. In the future they hope to expand to sell across Canada and into the States.

Community Supported Agriculture: what, why, how?

Ari is a first generation farmer going into her seventh season of small-scale vegetable farming. Ari has developed a love for growing good, unique and flavourful vegetables while learning from many different small scale producers across Manitoba and British Columbia, most notably Hearts & Roots in MB and Zaklan Farm in BC. Now going into her third season as co-owner and operator of Natural Collective Farm she is working to expand the diversity of vegetables grown in Manitoba for market and restaurant use and inspire a sense of pride for locally grown, seasonal produce.