The Farm Stewardship Association of Manitoba was established about two years ago to assist producers in the environmental farm planning process.

Participants are given environmental farm planning workbooks and are asked to attend two workshops after which they can apply for certification.

To help gauge the program's success a random sampling of participants was asked what they thought of it.

Association Chairman Allan Ransome says about 290 responded, representing two to three percent of participants and the results were encouraging.

Allan Ransome of the Farm Stewardship Association of Manitoba

More than 90 per cent of respondents rated the overall value as good or excellent to average, 92 percent indicated they would recommend it to others and 80 percent indicated they had implemented some environmental improvements on their farm and this is without any assistance from outside programs.

They found it useful and that's what the workbook was to do.

It was an awareness document and certainly I think it indicates producers have accepted it from a very positive aspect.

I think they also were comfortable in how it was delivered and the confidentiality of the program.

I think this bodes very well for agriculture in Manitoba.

It certainly indicates very strongly that farmers are trying to be good stewards of their land and property.

Ransome notes the survey results will be used by the association to help determine what should be delivered in the future and by the Agriculture and Agrifood Canada and Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives to determine their future participation.