This speaker series allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of how small-scale producers are responding to a changing climate and stewarding land and water.
Panelists also discussed a different way forward for feeding ourselves and caring for the planet.
EVENT PANELISTS
Justin Girard | Hearts & Roots Farm
Justin Girard co-operates Hearts & Roots: A Small Farm, alongside Britt Embry. Together they manage 20 acres of field production, focusing on annual and perennial food crops with the help of animal integration. Hearts & Roots is located on Treaty 1 Territory, just south of Elie, Mb.
Roy Ross | Cross Lake farm
We are the Ross family. My name is Roy and my wife LeeAnn and our son Gregory. We live in Cross Lake Manitoba, my hometown. We have a small homestead/farm we started last September, with a few chickens, pigs, calves, lambs, goose, turkey and a rooster. Our goal is to have a farm with animals that can provide everything we need so we don’t depend on the stores as much as we do now for food.
Unfortunately, technical difficulties got in the way of Roy joining the conversation live. Thankfully, he and Lee Ann have kindly shared some notes on their farm experiences and these inspiring photos of their growing project in Cross Lake.
Read our follow up interview with Roy & Lee Ann
Amy Nikkel | Adagio Acres
Amy Nikkel manages Adagio Acres, a small organic farm and grain mill in the interlake region of Manitoba. After growing and milling oats for retail sale for several years, they began to see gaps in the large industrial food distribution system and began to devise a way to fill those gaps. They now run an annual Grain CSA where the primary goal is to reduce food waste, decrease food miles, and create meaningful connections between farmers and consumers.
HOST & MODERATOR
Rob Moquin | 2020-2022 Executive Director for Food Matters Manitoba
Rob is a settler Canadian with Franco-Manitoban and Acadian roots; he was born and raised and currently lives in Winnipeg, in Treaty 1 Territory. As Executive Director of Food Matters Manitoba, Rob works with local governments, organizations, civil society, and community members to develop and sustain initiatives that enhance food security throughout Manitoba.
Kirsten Earl McCorrister | Food Matters Manitoba Board Chair
Kirsten Earl McCorrister is an independent consultant who supports not-for-profit groups, Indigenous Nations, and small-scale organizations as they realize their strategic and collaborative goals. She has a particular interest in supporting Indigenous environmental sovereignty and is working with several Northern Cree First Nations in their individual and collective efforts to protect their traditional territories.
