MFGA Farmers to Wing their Way South for Colombia Bird Fair and Regen Ag Farm Tours


Winnipeg, MB – (February 6, 2026) -

A handful of Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association (MFGA)-connected farmers keen on regenerative agriculture and farming alongside nature will wing their way to Colombia next week to take part in an international bird conference and a series of farmer-to-farmer exchanges and farm tours.



“It’s kind of cool that some of the birds we see on our farms in the summer here in Manitoba actually make their way to wintering grounds in Colombia”, said Zack Koscielny, MFGA’s Chair and a mixed farmer from Strathclair, Manitoba. “We are grateful to have the opportunity to participate at the Colombia Bird Fair and learn more about birds and farming via regen ag farm tours organized by the National Audubon Society in Colombia.”

The MFGA farmer contingent will be in Colombia February 11-18, 2026, and will consist of Koscielny, Mike and Cheryl Duguid (Arnes), Arron Nerbas (Shellmouth), Jacques Saquet (Laurier), and Peter Tokar (Swan River) who will attend the 2026 Colombia Bird Fair as ambassadors of Canada’s working agricultural landscape and the birds, including waterfowl, species at risk and shorebirds, which rely upon them. Koscielny will also represent the group in a farmer-based panel during the three-day Colombia Bird Fair.

According to Wanderlust magazine, Colombia has the highest avian diversity in the world, and one of the most exciting traditional events on the international birdwatching calendar is the Feria Internacional de Aves de Colombia, the Colombia Bird Fair. The fair is held in Cali, Colombia’s very own ‘City of Birds.’ Sitting at the crossroads of three major biogeographic regions, Cali is home to 562 species of birds, more than the whole of Europe.

Gloria Lentijo is Audubon’s Regenerative Agriculture Director, Latin America and the Caribbean and has been leading the planning around the Bird Fair and farm tours after the grand event.

 “We will visit Audubon's demonstration farm on cattle ranching and birds, and we will visit Providencia Sugarcane Museum, sugarcane fields, conservation corridor and restoration project,” said Lentijo, who connected to the MFGA group via Jeff Wells, vice president, Canada Programs at National Audubon Society. “The next following day, we will visit rice fields in Jamundi (South of Cali) to see work on the Lesser Yellowlegs. This species of shorebird is found in Canada and Colombia and is drawing increased conservation attention.”

The importance of agriculture, wetlands, grasslands and biodiversity on an international stage fortifies the ability to make the connection between the two countries and the farmers among each group. The breeding grounds of many species of waterfowl and shorebirds are found within the wetlands and grasslands of working farms in Prairie Canada, including farms like the Manitoba farms represented on this tour. The MFGA’s bird survey report confirmed an abundance of birds on surveyed regen ag farms the past three years across a variety of farming operations helped by natural intact habitats and biological-focused principles of regen ag that focus on soil health, land and water management.

Cali’s bird fair is seen as an essential part of promoting birdwatching and encouraging conservation. MFGA is proud to play a role as Canada’s ambassadors at the 2026 event and to help highlight the bird synergies and flyways between the two countries and to help promote the 2027 Colombia Bird Fair for future connections to Canada’s conservation and agricultural interests. Especially important to MFGA, is also drawing attention to the grasslands and habitats of the Northern Great Plains of North America that the birds use as rest and feeding stops between their northern breeding grounds and their southern wintering grounds.

“We are excited and really looking forward to the event,” said Koscielny. “It promises to be an unreal experience, and we are super proud of MFGA to be one of the first Canadian farm groups to show our interest and especially, highlight our own contributions to bird life and biodiversity on our farms that have far-reaching impacts for all.”

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For more information

Duncan Morrison, MFGA executive director, Duncan@mfga.net