Farmers gathered in Winnipeg this week for the Manitoba Dairy Conference.

The event is put on by Dairy Farmers of Manitoba (DFM), Manitoba Holsteins, and Jersey Canada.

DFM Chair David Wiens talked about Manitoba's milk production.

David Wiens

"It will be close to 390 million litres a year," he said. "We are also receiving some milk from Northwestern Ontario, as well as from our neighbouring provinces. That is to help us service some of the commitments that we've made here in the province that has enabled us to have some new processing in the last few years."

Wiens notes they continue to pursue other production opportunities.

"We shouldn't just be thinking about the larger projects," he commented. "We also have the smaller processors that we're working with. Getting them started, that's quite exciting to see."

Wiens says DFM is supporting the new proposed concentration plant in Alberta, which will serve customers better and reduce the carbon footprint of the dairy industry in western Canada.

The conference included speaker sessions on Wednesday dealing with dairy barn design, dry cow treatment, and social media. The groups also held their annual meetings throughout the week.

The event wraps up on Friday.