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12 WC DAIRY NEWS  CHRISTMAS 2024
Meet the Duecks!
Manitoba’s 2024 Outstanding Young Farmers
Amanda Poelman
About 40 minutes southeast of Winnipeg,
Manitoba, you’ll find Kleefeld, a small town
with a population of 2000 people and a
welcome sign that reads ‘The Land of Milk
and Honey.’ The town itself is surrounded
by sprawling farms, many of which have
been there for several generations,
including this year’s provincial Outstanding
Young Farmer recipients, Marcus and Paige
Dueck of Four Oak Farms.
The farm was purchased in 1958 when
Marcus’ grandparents left Germany and
emigrated to Canada. At that time, the
property was just a piece of land and
some old buildings. His grandparents
started with chickens and eventually
moved into the dairy business. To make
anything successful, a vision is needed and
when Marcus’ parents, Armin and Antje,
took over, they really began investing in
the cows. It didn’t take long for them to
start winning production and milk quality
awards.
Today there are four generations living
at Four Oak Farms. Marcus’ Oma is 97
years young, his parents live in the main
farmhouse and Marcus and Paige, along
with their two daughters Sutton (4 1/2
years) and Brielle (1 1/2 years), live close by.
Past Experiences Shape Future
Endeavours
While Marcus grew up around the farming
lifestyle, Paige did not. “I SHOULD have
been born on a farm,” laughs Paige, “I loved
being outside and working with animals.”
Growing up, Paige worked on many farms,
but despite living only a mile away from
Marcus, she never had a job at Four Oak.
“They didn’t have any outside help for
many years,” she says. Marcus and Paige
met while studying animal science at the
University of Manitoba and were married
in 2009.
Since the smaller operation was not big
enough to support two enthusiastic people
full-time, both Marcus and Paige had off-
farm jobs that taught them a lot. Paige
worked for Dairy Farmers of Manitoba
as the Producer Relations Coordinator
and then trained to become a proAction
validator. “I definitely learned a lot about
various management styles on farms,
which gave me lots of ideas to bring back
home.”
In addition to his degree, Marcus also
earned a Professional Agrologist license.
He started selling seeds with Marc Hutlet
Seeds Ltd. from 2008-2017, slowly growing
into a support role for producers in the area
using Pioneer® seed products. During this
time, he started Four Oak Ag Solutions,
giving advice to farmers on manure
management and planning, crop land
testing, and plant tissue testing. “This
role constantly gives me the opportunity
to see how things work on a large scale
outside our farm when it comes to crops,”
says Marcus.
Four Oak Farms Today
Currently, Paige and Marcus milk 49
registered Brown Swiss cows with a
robotic milking system in their tie-stall
barn. The first of its kind in Western
Canada, the Robomax
is a robot that moves
up and down the aisles
three times daily. “The
cows enjoy the quiet
routine,” says Paige,
although the couple
agrees that the start
wasn’t easy. “The
robot was installed
Four
generations of
Duecks (L-R):
Antje, Irma,
Armin, Sutton
with FOUR
OAK TANK
TROMBONE,
Paige, Brielle
and Marcus.
in 2020 when our daughter was six months
old,” says Paige. “While I took baby calls
in the house at night, Marcus tended the
‘baby’ calls in the barn.” Since they are the
only ones with a robot of this type, Marcus
had to learn a lot when it came to its care
and maintenance, however, sharing the
robot callouts has always been an evenly
split task.
“When Sutton was first born, I was in the
barn a lot,” Paige remembers, “I didn’t
feel like I was being the best mom I could
be.” The addition of the robot certainly
changed that for the better, along with
the support of Marcus’ parents. “We are
so lucky that our in-laws are so flexible!
Armin and Antje take the kids a lot when we
are busy with the farm, but they absolutely
love it,” says Paige, “Not every farm family
has that freedom.” While Paige handles
management of the dairy and Marcus
oversees the cropping, the couple works
Paige adjusts the arm on their tie-stall
robotic milking system, the only one
in Western Canada.
together on everything. Armin and Antje
are both still active on the farm daily as
well.
When they were first married, Paige and
Marcus entered a succession plan with
Armin and Antje immediately. Paige says,
“Marcus’ parents were very flexible with
the transition so that we could farm the
way we wanted. It certainly doesn’t work
like that for everyone.” Since taking over
the farm, Paige and Marcus have made calf
barn renos, added a freestall calving area
to the main barn, as well as an office for all
the technology. “Our target is to maximize
the facility we’re in, use every square inch
and pay close attention to the details,” says
Paige. “We want to be small, but influential
and really ENJOY farming.”
The couple crops 785 acres seeded in grain
corn, silage corn, soybeans, alfalfa, and
grass. All the feed needed is produced on-
farm and they do all their own harvesting
during crop season. Most of the hay
produced is sold and their investment in
a new baler and hay dryer ensures that
they always have a quality product to offer.
Outstanding Young Farmer
Previously nominated in 2016, the Duecks
agree that the process for the award
has been much less daunting this time
because they knew what to expect. “We
were too young in 2016 and really just
starting out,” says Paige, “But it’s good to
be back this year since next year Marcus
won’t be a ‘young farmer ’ anymore!”
Marcus appreciates that the program
“forces you to look back on what you’ve
all accomplished.” He adds, “You have to
justify what you’re doing financially, but
it’s a good self-check, not just for money
but also environmental impact and overall
sustainability.” They both agree that the
program is also very motivating and
the networking opportunities, plus the
chance to get off the farm and be “a little
spoiled,” isn’t bad either.
When the national contest takes place
in Lethbridge, Alberta, November
27-December 1, Four Oak Farms will be
the only dairy represented this year. “It’s
really interesting to see what other people
are doing in their operations, from beef to
wineries,” Paige says, “In the end we are all
feeding people!”
The mission of the Outstanding Young
Farmers program is “to discover, celebrate
and recognize progress and excellence in
Canadian Agriculture.” With their personal
goals of being innovative and progressive,
Marcus and Paige Dueck are certainly
aligned with that mandate.
Marcus and Paige, along with their daughters,
enjoy their purebred Brown Swiss herd.
Four Oak Farms, Kleefeld, Manitoba.