33 The Business of Prairie Agriculture Better Farming | February 2024 parenting their two children, full-time jobs and industry involvement. “I work for a seed company, and I am also a board member on Manitoba Canola Growers. I am in my second year on the board now,” says Jackie. “In December 2021, they were looking for nominations and I decided why not. I put my name in, and it went to election and I got elected in. It’s one of the best things I’ve done. “Through a lot of my career, I’ve been in sales and I love it. I love working with growers and making sure they have the right seed and the right fit for the farm. But there’s something to be said about sitting on a not-for-profit and making sure the money goes to the right research, and we are promoting canola across the country. We are doing it to make a difference and not to hit targets at the end of the day.” Jackie’s husband also works fulltime as a welder. The family still has a few goals for the farm. “One of the obstacles we are currently running into is our land base. Dad’s farm isn’t huge by any means, but over the years, people who he was renting from decided to sell their land and it didn’t make sense to purchase it at the time,” says Jackie. “We are around 1,000 acres at the grain farm, which is perfectly fine – we don’t need more when we have cows and jobs – but we are going to have to make our land more profitable rather than buying new land.” Jackie says they would ideally become more efficient with their crops and cattle, while also building up soil health and looking at options for diversification. They would also like to continue to develop their direct-market beef business. “There is a lot of opportunity there that hasn’t been explored yet.” What is your favourite thing about being a farmer? The community. Anywhere you go, if you run into a farmer, you are almost automatically friends. We are all really supportive of each other. UP CLOSE Devon and Jackie Dudgeon-MacDonald with children Walker and Sloane. Jackie Dudgeon-MacDonald photo Walker and Devon check the herd. Jackie Dudgeon-MacDonald photo
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