Cattle producer, Tilston, Manitoba.
Discover why Tyler works for a sustainable future
Transcript
And you want this short? My name is Tyler Fewings, and we farm here in the southwest corner of Manitoba. We primarily raise commercial cattle and we also grow grains and oilseeds as well as feed crops. Personally, I just really enjoy being outside and I think a lot of producers enjoy machinery and tractors and toys, and to me, some of the best moments I have is when it's just silence and I'm out fixing a fence or something like that. The benefits of sustainable agriculture are that we ensure a healthy food system in perpetuity without harming the environment. Some of the things that we do involve wetland protection, riparian management, rotational grazing, and we use winter feeding systems with either corn grazing or swath grazing. Sustainable production to me is important because of my family. I want to see not only an agricultural business last for them, but I also want to see the environment that's around us, the ecosystem that we're familiar with stay and be in place for them to enjoy as well. And you want this short? My name is Tyler Fewings, and we farm here in the southwest corner of Manitoba. We primarily raise commercial cattle and we also grow grains and oilseeds as well as feed crops. Personally, I just really enjoy being outside and I think a lot of producers enjoy machinery and tractors and toys, and to me, some of the best moments I have is when it's just silence and I'm out fixing a fence or something like that. The benefits of sustainable agriculture are that we ensure a healthy food system in perpetuity without harming the environment. Some of the things that we do involve wetland protection, riparian management, rotational grazing, and we use winter feeding systems with either corn grazing or swath grazing. Sustainable production to me is important because of my family. I want to see not only an agricultural business last for them, but I also want to see the environment that's around us, the ecosystem that we're familiar with stay and be in place for them to enjoy as well. And you want this short? My name is Tyler Fewings, and we farm here in the southwest corner of Manitoba. We primarily raise commercial cattle and we also grow grains and oilseeds as well as feed crops. Personally, I just really enjoy being outside and I think a lot of producers enjoy machinery and tractors and toys, and to me, some of the best moments I have is when it's just silence and I'm out fixing a fence or something like that. The benefits of sustainable agriculture are that we ensure a healthy food system in perpetuity without harming the environment. Some of the things that we do involve wetland protection, riparian management, rotational grazing, and we use winter feeding systems with either corn grazing or swath grazing. Sustainable production to me is important because of my family. I want to see not only an agricultural business last for them, but I also want to see the environment that's around us, the ecosystem that we're familiar with stay and be in place for them to enjoy as well.
[Upbeat electronic music starts.]
[A colourful video collage including some cattle, an aerial view of a herd of cattle walking together, a close-up view of a plant bulb, a scenic view of some farm land, the screen divided into a grid showcasing multiple images such as horses, cattle, farmland, and a hen.]
Text on screen: Meet the people behind your food
Tyler Fewings: And you want this short?
[Laughs.]
[Tyler Fewings standing in front of a large red barn while talking to the camera.]
Text on screen: Tyler Fewings – Cattle Producer, Tilston, Manitoba
Tyler Fewings: My name is Tyler Fewings, and we farm here in the southwest corner of Manitoba.
[Montage showcasing an aerial view of four large silos in a row on a piece of farmland, transitioning to a view of a white farmhouse a few yards away, cattle running together down a field, a close-up view of a hand holding a plant, and a overhead view of a crop field.]
We primarily raise commercial cattle and we also grow grains and oilseeds as well as feed crops.
Text on screen: What do you like about your work?
Personally, I just really enjoy being outside and I think a lot of producers enjoy machinery and tractors and toys, and to me, some of the best moments I have is when it's just silence and I'm out fixing a fence or something like that.
[Montage of Tyler Fewings leading a horse behind him, herding cattle by horse in a field, a close-up view of a person using machinery and riding a four wheeler, and Tyler Fewings closing a gate.]
Text on screen: Benefits of sustainable agriculture?
[Tyler Fewings standing in front of a large red barn while talking to the camera.]
The benefits of sustainable agriculture are that we ensure a healthy food system in perpetuity without harming the environment.
[A close-up view of a herd of cattle running through a field in slow motion and a farmer herding cattle in the distance.]
Text on screen: How do you put it in practice?
Some of the things that we do involve wetland protection, riparian management, rotational grazing, and we use winter feeding systems with either corn grazing or swath grazing.
[Montage of an aerial view of farm land, a large farm pond, a herd of cattle walking, cattle grazing off of a snow-covered pasture, and a close-up view of a crop plant covered in frost.]
Text on screen: Why is sustainability important to you?
[Tyler Fewings standing in front of a large red barn while talking to the camera.]
Sustainable production to me is important because of my family.
[Montage of a row of shoes, a herd of cattle running together in slow motion, an aerial view of a piece of farmland which includes a farmhouse and a large red barn.]
I want to see not only an agricultural business last for them, but I also want to see the environment that's around us, the ecosystem that we're familiar with stay and be in place for them to enjoy as well.
Text on screen: Canadian farmers and agricultural businesses work to feed you and future generations. Discover how they are growing a better future. Canada.ca/Taste-the-Commitment
[Tyler Fewings staring at the camera while laughing and smiling.]
[Music ends.]
Text on screen: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada
[Government of Canada logo.]
[End.]
Learn how Tyler puts sustainability into practice
Transcript
I'm actually quite optimistic about where the conversation around sustainable production is going. Sustainable food production is always evolving. We're always learning new things. And the system isn't perfect, but it's in farmers’ and agricultural producers’ best interest to be sustainable. The basis of our operation is using beef cattle and to manage cattle, especially grazing systems, we have to try to look at how grasses have evolved under grazing pressure and mimic the traditional use, which in this area would have been bison grazing. So you're building on that knowledge of a migratory or rotational grazing system and then infusing new technologies that come along to help facilitate that and improve your management of it. From my understanding, there's been 60 million or more bison that lived on the plains. And now that they're no longer here, cattle have replaced them as ruminants and the carbon produced by cattle would be similar to the carbon produced by the bison at that time. And those grasslands are out there like a giant solar panel capturing sunlight and capturing carbon from the air. We live in what's called the Prairie Pothole Region. So we're dominated by a lot of small wetlands across the landscape, and that creates a variability when it comes to moisture conditions. We've entered into a partnership with a local watershed organization to protect Class 1 and 2 wetlands. The production methods that we're trying to implement are a way to be adaptable to those varying conditions and also to conserve and maintain those wetlands for their value in their ecosystem and not have to alter the landscape. To solve environmental challenges, I rely heavily on livestock production, which facilitates using perennials in your cropping rotation as well as perennial grasslands for feed resources. They're much more resilient to environmental challenges. Conserving grasslands and grazing lands as well as utilizing perennial forages in crop production is important because it provides the environmental goods and services that the landscape evolved to provide. We also grow feed throughout the year and try to feed extensively to our cattle so that also gives us the ability to grow other assortments of feed crops when cropping conditions aren't ideal for cash cropping. And that allows us to diversify the land use and try to extract as much value from the land base as possible in a way that's actually beneficial for the land itself. Agricultural producers have the ability to make large impact just to the nature of the landscape and the land base that they operate on. And I think with that ability probably comes responsibility. It's challenging. Nothing is easy, and it's not perfect, but it's rewarding. So we persevere.
[Upbeat music begins.]
[An aerial view of four grain bins and farmhouse in background.]
Tyler Fewings: I'm actually quite optimistic about where the conversation around sustainable production is going.
[An overhead view of a livestock trailer travelling along a dirt road, pastures on either side of the road.]
Text on screen: Tyler Fewings – Cattle Producer, Tilston, Manitoba
[Tyler talks to the camera in front of a large barn.]
Sustainable food production is always evolving.
[Tyler follows his horses driving an all-terrain vehicle.]
We're always learning new things.
[Tyler rides a horse through a field, a calf runs alongside.]
And the system isn't perfect, but it's in farmers' and agricultural producers' best interest to be sustainable.
Text on screen: Sustainable Agriculture – In Action
[A fork and shovel appear on each side of the title. Tyler rubs his horse's forehead.]
Text on screen: What is your approach to sustainability?
[Tyler speaks to the camera.]
The basis of our operation is using beef cattle…
[A montage of shots of a herd of beef cattle and calves running and grazing in a field, overhead view of the cattle in a large pasture, Tyler on horseback patrols the herd, a herd of cattle grazing in a snow-covered field.]
… and to manage cattle, especially grazing systems, we have to try to look at how grasses have evolved under grazing pressure and mimic the traditional use, which in this area would have been bison grazing. So you're building on that knowledge of a migratory or rotational grazing system…
[A calf stands and stares at the camera, a close-up view of a herd of cattle, and Tyler holds a rope while walking towards some horses.]
…and then infusing new technologies that come along to help facilitate that and improve your management of it.
[Montage of the cattle herd and Tyler on horseback.]
From my understanding, there's been 60 million or more bison that lived on the plains. And now that they're no longer here, cattle have replaced them as ruminants and the carbon produced by cattle would be similar to the carbon produced by the bison at that time.
[An aerial view of a herd of cattle.]
And those grasslands are out there like a giant solar panel capturing sunlight and capturing carbon from the air.
Text on screen: What challenges have you faced?
[An aerial view of grasslands dotted with large dark green "potholes", surrounded by shrubs, trees and rows of crops.]
We live in what's called the Prairie Pothole Region. So we're dominated by a lot of small wetlands across the landscape, and that creates a variability when it comes to moisture conditions.
We've entered into a partnership with a local watershed organization to protect Class One and Two wetlands.
[An aerial view of prairie grasslands and potholes, and a herd of cattle walk in a field next to a truck and livestock trailer. Tyler drives his all-terrain vehicle, stops at a gate and walks with his dog along an empty enclosure. Aerial views of potholes in the fields, a field with round bales of hay drying in the sun.]
The production methods that we're trying to implement are a way to be adaptable to those varying conditions and also to conserve and maintain those wetlands for their value in their ecosystem and not have to alter the landscape.
Text on screen: How do you solve environmental challenges?
To solve environmental challenges, I rely heavily on livestock production, which facilitates using perennials in your cropping rotation as well as perennial grasslands for feed resources. They're much more resilient to environmental challenges.
[A montage begins with cattle next to a fence, Tyler walks towards his horses, a close-up view of a corn field and a close-up view of an assortment of grassland plants.]
Conserving grasslands and grazing lands as well as utilizing perennial forages in crop production is important because it provides the environmental goods and services that the landscape evolved to provide.
[A montage, including an aerial view of a herd of cattle, Tyler on horseback, next to a truck and livestock trailer, a close-up view of a field with hay drying in swathes, a horse grazing in a field, a horse drinking water and a close-up of a grasshopper on a green stalk.]
We also grow feed throughout the year and try to feed extensively to our cattle. That also gives us the ability to grow other assortments of feed crops when cropping conditions aren't ideal for cash cropping. And that allow us to diversity the land use and try to extract as much value from the land base as possible in a way that's actually beneficial for the land itself.
Text on screen: Can producers really make an impact?
[An aerial view of grassland, dotted with potholes and hay bales, an aerial view of Tyler's farm house and buildings surrounded by grasslands, a close up view of a herd of cattle grazing in a field, Tyler winds a crank handle on his trailer, closes a gate in a field and an aerial view of the herd of cattle, Tyler on horseback overlooks his herd.]
Agricultural producers have the ability to make large impact just to the nature of the landscape and the land base that they operate on. And I think with that ability probably comes responsibility.
It's challenging. Nothing is easy, and it's not perfect, but it's rewarding. So we persevere.
Text on screen: Canadian farmers and agricultural businesses work to feed you and future generations. Discover how they are growing a better future. Canada.ca/Taste-the-Commitment.
[Tyler stands with his arms crossed and laughs at the camera.]
[Upbeat music ends]
Text on screen: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada – Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada
[AAFC signature and Government of Canada wordmark]
[End.]
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