Conservation Award
TMCD Conservation Award Winner – Sleepy Creek Farm
Sleepy Creek Farm: Lloyd, Leanne Bugg & Family Sleepy Creek Farm is located 2 ½ miles east of Napinka. The Medora Creek meanders through the farm and up until they named the farm a few years ago the creek hasn’t been that sleepy since! Lloyd and Leanne Bugg have three sons, Tyler (19), Kenny (15) and Riley (6). Lloyd not only farms but is a Battery Operator for Arc Resources and his wife Leanne is a full-time grade 6 teacher at Melita School. The family is readily involved in the community. Lloyd has coached baseball and hockey on and off for 12 years. He has been an active volunteer on the Napinka Cemetery Committee and Community Hall for 15 years having Leanne join him in the last 3 years. Tyler and Kenny have enjoyed countless years in the 4-H program along with Leanne as their 4-H Leader. The kids help out on the farm when they can but its Kenny who has a real interest in taking over the family farm some day. Riley is too young to know what he wants to do but he really likes going for tractor rides! Lloyd grew up on a mixed farm west of Napinka. He continues in his father’s footsteps who had farmed for 55 years. In 1984, Lloyd purchased his first quarter and has continued to increase his land base. Currently, Lloyd and Leanne are in the process of purchasing Lloyd’s family farm. Leanne did not grow up on a farm, but was familiar with the farming environment as her grandfather had farmed and her father instilled in her a keen interest in horses. Her parents now live at the family farm north of Oak Lake and organic farm. Sleepy Creek Farm consists of 1600 acres of which there are 600 cultivated acres and the rest is hay and pasture land for their cattle and horses. They have 110 cow-calf pairs and a few saddle horses. They grow feed grains with a little canola and millet. Each year they usually do about 200 acres of corn for cattle grazing. Lloyd says, “My farming practices have changed over the years since we first started farming. We used to cultivate everything and sowed with a press drill but now we pretty much do all zero-till on the farm and occasionally some minimal tillage. We’ve been doing zero–till now for 19-20 years.” “The main focus is the cattle”, says Leanne. They feed the cattle away from the yard which helps with manure management on the farm. “It’s been years since the cattle have been confined,” says Lloyd. They use a rotational grazing system of 12 paddocks rotating the paddocks every 10-12 days to avoid over-grazing. “I’ve noticed an increase in the carrying capacity in each of the paddocks since we’ve started rotational grazing. The grasses restart better after each grazing,” says Lloyd. Just over half of their pasture is native grasses. In 1999, Lloyd started corn grazing through the winter and has continued this practice ever since. “This year was the only year we didn’t get any corn sown just due to the amount of moisture we had,” said Lloyd. The cattle calve in April and Lloyd has noticed a big difference in the calving ease of his herd. “As they corn graze the cattle get more exercise walking back and forth from the watering system to where they left off grazing. It’s way less labour intensive. There is no manure handling and it all gets put out on the land which really helps with the light land,” says Lloyd. The Bugg Family has worked with Turtle Mountain Conservation District (TMCD) on several projects including installing a solar watering system and a half mile of exclusion fencing along Medora Creek. They have also taken part in TMCD’s salinity management, stone crossing and rotational grazing programs. They worked with TMCD to build a dyke to retain more water in a corner of his field where the Medora Creek backfloods into. “It’s great for surface water management,” says Lloyd. The Bugg Family has completed an Environmental Farm Plan where they received funding to install a winter watering system and fencing for a rotational grazing system. They were also part of a Low Stress Cattle Management Tour in which their cattle herd participated in. Lloyd also plans to bale graze this winter. “Its low maintenance and the calves do really well, says Lloyd. Lloyd and Leanne are currently in the planning process of establishing shelterbelts on their farm. “We plan to start with a farmyard shelterbelt first then look into establishing a shelterbelt in the pasture for natural protection,” says Leanne. “The future plans for Sleepy Creek Farm is to continue establishing a grazing program to maximize the number of days in which the cattle can graze on their own. In order to achieve this goal, different varieties of grasses will be sown including early maturing varieties and grasses that will hold their feed value late into the fall. This will then lead into the winter corn grazing program”.
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Past Award Winners |
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1981 |
Bob and Lori Gustafson (Provincial Winner) |
1982 |
Edward and Elfrida Andries (Provincial Winner) |
1983 |
Tom Scott |
1984 |
Ivan and Linda Carey |
1985 |
Frank and Doreen Smith |
1986 |
Tom and Doris Conroy |
1987 |
Barry and Helen Hole |
1988 |
Ross and Dorothy Hainsworth |
1989 |
Alfred and Maureen Epp |
1990 |
Ed Billiaert |
1991 |
Keith and Louise Scott (Provincial Winner) |
1992 |
Hilt Wallace Family (Provincial Winner) |
1993 |
Tom and Joan Stewart |
1994 |
Michael and Myna Cryderman |
1995 |
Don and Noreen Greig |
1996 |
Dwayne and Lynn Vanbeselaere |
1997 |
Glen and Doreen Hicks |
1998 |
David Day Family |
1999 |
Wayne and Adelyn Nichol |
2000 |
Dan and Heather Meggison (Provincial Winner) |
2001 |
Phil and Myrna Adams (Provincial Winner) |
2002 |
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2003 |
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2004 |
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2005 |
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2006 |
Todd and Julie Racher, Racher Acres Ltd. |
2007 |
Bill and Shirley McKinny, McFamco Ltd. |
2008 |
Kelly and Vanessa Vandoorne |
| 2009 | David and Jeanette Neufeld |
| 2010 | Killarney Lake Action Committee |
What is the Conservation Family Award?
(formerly the Conservation Farm Family Award)
In 1981 the Manitoba Conservation Districts Association (MCDA) of which the TMCD is a member started the Farm Family Competition to recognize the efforts made by farmers towards conservation. Each Conservation District (CD) selected a farm family who actively promoted wise farm management and conservation practices on their farm. All CD farm families were judged on a provincial scale and one farm family was presented with the Syd Ransom* trophy to recognize the MCDA Farm Family of the Year.
Each year Board or Sub-District members nominate deserving farm families and select one to be recognized by the TMCD. The following is the list of farm families that have been recognized by the TMCD over the years as well as those who were provincial winners.
In 2003 the MCDA terminated the provincial judging thereby eliminating a provincial winner and they changed the name to Conservation Family from Conservation Farm Family.
*The late Syd Ransom was a farmer and conservationist who resided in the Turtle Mountains southwest of Boissevain. He played a key role in the establishment and early operation of the TMCD and was the first chairman of the Turtle Mountain Conservation District.
