When Dori Gingera-Beauchemin learned she had been selected as the 2026 Canola Award of Excellence recipient, her first reaction was shock.
“I was excited and thrilled. I was actually shocked, to be honest,” she said. “When I read it, I thought, me?”
While she has received several honours over the course of her career, being recognized by a Manitoba producer organization carried special meaning. “The canola growers and producer groups here were my people,” she said. “For them to select me is a real honour.”
The Manitoba Canola Growers Association (MCGA) selected Dori in recognition of her long-standing support for agriculture in Manitoba, and for the way she showed up for farmers and MCGA with her time, expertise, steady leadership and real-world experience.
Dori’s connection to agriculture began early. She spent her early years on a farm in northwestern Manitoba and has always lived in rural communities.
“I’ve always lived in rural Manitoba, that’s where my heart is,” she said. “I am a small-town girl through and through. And I’m proud of it. I think I was country before country was cool.”
As a young person, Dori was involved in 4-H, alongside her sisters, with her mother serving as their club leader. “I bought into it whole; head, heart, hands and health,” she said. That experience shaped both her values and her career path.
After initially considering pharmacy, Dori chose to study agriculture, earning a degree in animal science. During her university years, she worked as a summer student with Manitoba’s Department of Agriculture, gaining hands-on experience across several locations.
“That experience confirmed for me that this was the work I wanted to do,” she said.
Dori began her full-time career with Manitoba’s Department of Agriculture in 1979 as a 4-H specialist. She would stay for 43 years.
“I was a lifer,” she said, laughing. “I got in and I never left.”
Over four decades, Dori held a wide range of roles, including 4-H specialist, head of Manitoba 4-H, regional director, director of marketing and farm business management, assistant deputy minister and ultimately deputy minister of agriculture. Throughout that time, she remained focused on one core principle: staying connected to farmers.
She describes that approach as extension, but not in the traditional sense.
“Extension is not really about handing out pamphlets or pointing people to a website,” she said. “It’s the art of helping create the conditions for people to meet their goals and then removing the barriers where you can.”
That mindset earned her trust across the industry.
“Agricultural issues are uniquely complex, and Dori really understood that,” said Delaney Ross Burtnack, executive director of MCGA. “Her leadership gave us confidence that even during times of change in government, there was a steady hand at the table.”
Industry partners have often said they knew agriculture would be in good hands when Dori was part of the conversation.
One area where Dori’s impact was especially meaningful for MCGA was her involvement in the association’s Learn to Lead program in its early years.
“Dori was generous in sharing her time and expertise with farmers through the early years of our Learn to Lead program,” said Warren Ellis, chair of MCGA. “She took part in lobbying workshops and gave participants real-life, valuable experience on how to effectively engage with government.”
Dori admits she was a bit nervous heading into those sessions, not because of the topic, but because of the people in the room.
“Knowing our farmers, and knowing they speak from the heart with deep knowledge behind them, I knew we would be in for interesting discussions,” she said. “And I wasn’t disappointed.”
Drawing on real-life experience, she shared advice about meeting with government, presenting policy issues and advocating effectively for the long haul. She also valued what she learned in return.
“It wasn’t all one-way,” she said. “I got out as much, if not more, than the participants themselves.”
What stood out most to her was seeing the next generation step into leadership roles. “It warmed my heart,” she said. “You could see the confidence and capability at those tables.”
Dori speaks about the canola industry with pride, particularly the way farmers and organizations work together to respond to challenges, invest in research and build long-term resilience.
“I love Hello Canola,” she said with a smile. “And I travel with my Canola Eat Well tag on my suitcase all over the world.”
Even after retiring from government, Dori has not stepped away from agriculture. She and her husband farm south of Winnipeg, growing canola, cereals and other oilseeds, and she remains active on several boards and advisory groups, including Protein Industries Canada and Protein Manitoba.
When asked what she hopes for the future of Manitoba agriculture, Dori points to confidence, collaboration and opportunity.
“I hope Manitoba reminds itself how important we are in Canadian agriculture,” she said. “That we never shortchange ourselves.”
She hopes young people are drawn to farming, investors see opportunity in the province and governments continue to work through differences to support farmers and the landscape they depend on.
At the heart of it all, she added, “I hope kids want to grow up being farmers.”
Manitoba Canola Growers are proud to recognize Dori Gingera-Beauchemin as the 2026 Canola Award of Excellence recipient and thank her for the lasting impact she has made on Manitoba agriculture through her leadership, dedication and commitment to working alongside farmers.
