The Province of Manitoba recently announced its recipients of the newly created Conservation Trust. Among those awarded part of the $2.2 million trust, were partners of the Kirkella Community Pasture Association’s Grassland Habitat Enhancement Project.

The group, comprised of the Rural Municipality of Wallace-Woodworth, along with Manitoba Forage and Grasslands Association (MFGA), and the pasture’s patrons committee, received $100,000 for a two-year pasture improvement project on the community-owned pasture.

“The Kirkella Community Pasture is a municipally-owned tract of land that includes grassland, wetland and woodland habitats that have been managed by a municipally-operated grazing cooperative for many decades,” says Garth Mitchell, Wallace-Woodworth’s chief administrative officer. “We see a great opportunity to undertake improvements to the pasture for the purpose of enhancing grazing opportunities as well as the environmental benefits that result from more effective grazing and landscape management practices.”

The pasture is about 4,000 acres and is located in the RM of Wallace-Woodworth in western Manitoba and has significant environmental and cattle production values according to the news release.

The Conservation Trust was announced in last year’s provincial budget and is now permanently endowed so it can “support and inspire important conservation projects for generations.”

According to a news release, the fund is expected to generate about $5 million a year and will be managed by The Winnipeg Foundation, with projects administered, tracked and evaluated by the Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation (MHHC).

Parrish & Heimbecker (P&H) has announced an expansion of its Hamilton grain terminal and flour mill to nearly double the current capacity. The shovels are already in the ground and the Hamilton site will include a second flour mill, which will make P&H the single largest user of Ontario wheat.

“Canadian producers are known for growing top quality crops and we are dedicated to not only helping them continue to maintain excellence in crop quality through our crop inputs division but also providing producers with access to worldwide markets through our grain handling, processing and marketing capabilities,” says John Heimbecker, president of grain division and executive vice president, of P&H.

According to a news release, the new flour mill will significantly increase the company’s capability to receive and process locally-grown Ontario wheat. The current mill came online back in 2017 and the new one is expected to be active in 2020.

Along with the news about the Hamilton facility, the company also announced it will be building a new fertilizer tower at Kerwood, Ont. The addition to the existing site will triple fertilizer blending capacity and adds micronutrient, N stabilizer, and liquid additive blending capabilities.