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Before and After
Aerial photos of Kliever-owned land reveal a landscape before and after plugs were installed, creating shallow wetlands that will provide top-flight habitat for waterfowl.
Related Links
Conservation Agreements in Manitoba (PDF, 187KB)
Elkhorn farm has largest DUC wetland restoration project in Manitoba 
Wetlands help Kliever family farm remain sustainable
Brandon, Man., August 4, 2009 – The Kliever family’s 1,600 acre farm had been a grain operation since the 1970s, but a new way of thinking to do what’s right for the land changed the way they had farmed for decades, leading to the biggest Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) conservation project in Manitoba.
2004 was the last year the Kliever family put up hay up on their southwest Manitoba farm. 2004 was also the last year they bought fertilizer. By the end of 2003, the Klievers had all their land sown down to grass and currently intensively graze all their land, custom grazing 500 head of cattle in the summer on 44 paddocks. Their practice of moving the cattle every day and sometimes twice a day rejuvenates the paddocks and the forage that much more. And when cattle don’t graze forage to the ground, leaving grass means the land is being properly managed and is healthier.
What eventually changed the family’s outlook on conservation and what may have shaped a plan for the future can probably be credited to a Holistic Management course the Klievers took with Don Campbell from Meadow Lake, Sask. Holistic Management practices promote healthier and more sustainable landscapes using animals as management tools and fertilizer producers.
“We thought of it as a win-win,” said 28-year-old Kirk Kliever who now does most of the management and organization for the family’s Elkhorn, Man. operation called Kenrae Farms. “Once all our land was sown down to grass, we wanted to plug up the ditches to hold the water instead of it all running away so we can use it. Holistic Management showed us that we can have healthier land by making the cows do all the work for us.”
“Cattle need water and grass and so do ducks,” said Rick Andrews, head of wetland restoration for DUC in Manitoba. “I have always said that and this project is the perfect example of how agriculture and the environment can find a common ground and complement each other.”
So working with Ducks was a natural fit for the Klievers and they completely restored 118 wetland basins on their land with 93 earthen plugs, making it the biggest wetland restoration project in Manitoba.
Ducks supports the important cattle industry. “We have programs to help cattle producers like the Klievers remain sustainable in the long term. Sustainability and good stewardship is the key to keep rural families on the farm and we are working hard to ensure there is a viable cattle industry in Manitoba,” Andrews said.
After a bunch of dry years, Kliever said it’s good to have the water around. Restoring over 100 wetlands hasn’t changed anything the family does because they don’t crop the land or put up hay anymore. The Klievers don’t worry about equipment as far as driving around the newly restored wetlands.
Since the big wetland restoration project wrapped up this spring, the Klievers started seeing benefits right away.
“The more diverse the plants and animals, the healthier everything is and we see it more and more. Our restored wetlands add to that. We may even plant some more trees,” Kliever said. “Now that we’ve done it, I look at everyone else’s fields and wonder why they don’t do it themselves.”
The number one reason the Klievers took on such an extensive project was because they no longer lose any water, but keep it where it will actually do some good. They also don’t have to worry about the land they used to drain impacting another farmer down the line.
Restored wetlands not only provide feeding and nesting sites for waterfowl and many other species, they also reduce the impacts of floods and droughts, cleanse the water and store greenhouse gases that could otherwise add to climate change.
“Now we try to look after our land and do what’s best for it. We are also trying to avoid erosion and make the land healthier,” Kliever said.
In additional to the large wetland restoration project on the Kliever property, they also signed a Conservation Agreement (PDF, 187KB) with DUC, which means they cannot break or drain the land forever, protecting the farm for future generations.
“We don’t mind the Conservation Agreement’s terms because I see our business continuing on forever, so if it never ends, forever doesn’t matter,” the young, optimistic farmer said. “Working with Ducks is great. You get compensation, plus more water on your land. I don’t see where the downfall is at all,” Kliever said.
For more information, contact:
Karli Reimer, k_reimer@ducks.ca
National Communications Coordinator
Ducks Unlimited Canada
Phone: 204-467-3279
