Justin & Laura Rogers named Atlantic’s 2019 Outstanding Young Farmers

Moncton, NB – Alumni gathered to celebrate Justin & Laura Rogers of Picturesque Farms from Coleman, PEI as Atlantic’s Outstanding Young Farmers for 2019. The announcement was made at the Atlantic regional event held in conjunction with The Atlantic Farm Mechanization Show March 8-10.

 

As owners of Picturesque Farms, Justin & Laura Rogers maintain a diverse business model. They produce beef, seed grain, commercial grain & soybeans and corn & forages on their 500+ acre farm.

 

Justin began his farming career when he purchased a calf at the age of 8, his first tractor at 13 and 50% of the 6th generation family farm from his uncle at the age of 21. This was the start of his seed potato business. While attending College Justin met Laura, they married in 2004, and purchased the remaining 50% of the family farm from his parents.

 

In operating their 7th generation farm, the Roger’s mission is a diverse business model, quality products, good customer service, strong financial health, secure future land health while making contributions to their community.  In order to achieve their missions they have converted some of their commercial grain production into pedigreed seed.  With the pedigreed seed has come grain cleaning, custom seed treating, a focus on genetics and assisting customers with agronomics and crop planning.

 

Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmer Program 1st  VP, Franck Groeneweg was in attendance and commented “Only passion and determination empowered the Roger’s to start their operation from scratch, something that most people say is impossible today in agriculture”.

 

The Atlantic’s Region of Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers Program were pleased to honour two couples at their 2019 Regional Event. The finalists recognized were:

Celebrating 39 years, Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers’ program is an annual competition to recognize farmers that exemplify excellence in their profession and promote the tremendous contribution of agriculture. Open to participants 18 to 39 years of age, making the majority of income from on-farm sources, participants are selected from seven regions across Canada, with two national winners chosen each year. The program is sponsored nationally by CIBC, John Deere, Bayer, La Coop fédérée and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and supported nationally by BDO and Farm Management Canada.

 

Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers for 2019 will be chosen at the National Event in Fredericton, NB from December 3-8, 2019. 

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.