PUBLISHED BY MANITOBA BEEF PRODUCERS
AUGUST 2026
The birds and the beef: Columbia's Birdfair is a premier international birdwatching event in a region famous for its biodiversity. (Photo credit: Duncan Morrison)
Manitoba Producers Attend Columbia Birdfair
Smart Farming
www.mbbeef.ca
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Just how did six Manitoba farmers end up at a major birdwatching event in Cali, Columbia this past February? It all started with a bird survey that the Manitoba Forage & Grasslands Association (MFGA) conducted from 2023 to 2025 that recorded species of birds present on 14 regenerative farms across Manitoba including dairy, beef, bison, sheep, grain, and mixed farms. The data was then used to calculate the abundance of each species, and determine the significance of different areas for different groups of birds. That survey caught the attention of the Audubon Society and led to Audubon Columbia inviting MFGA and a number of producers who participated in the survey to the annual Columbia Birdfair held in Cali, Columbia. The Columbia Birdfair is an important event in the birdwatching community that raises funds for bird preservation projects in the country. According to Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology, there are about 1,920 bird species in Colombia, and more than 400 bird species can be seen during the event.
“They said, why don’t you come down to the Birdfair because it sounds like we’re doing the same thing and working on the same principles,” says MFGA Executive Director, Duncan Morrison, who accompanied the six Manitoba producers, all of whom had participated in the bird survey, to Columbia. Cartel activity in recent years has negatively affected development in Columbia, but has been a boon for the re-establishment of natural habitat that has encouraged bird species to proliferate and helped develop ecotourism around birding in the country. Learning about birdwatching PUBLISHED IN STEINBACH, Former MFGA Chair, Mike Duguid and MANITOBA, CANADA his wife Cheryl, were keen to attend and find out more about farming in Columbia and the connections between the migratory birds that they have on their own farm and those in South America, although touring with avid birdwatchers proved to be an interesting experience. page 4 AGREEMENT NUMBER 40005187 POSTAGE PAID IN WINNIPEG.
BY ANGELA LOVELL