When Donalee Jones stepped back into the family farm in Cartwright, Manitoba, she thought she would have to leave her career as a television producer behind. She soon discovered that there was a huge need for someone with her skills and experience as both a documentary producer and a farmer, to connect and share stories of the diverse and hardworking people working across Manitoba’s agriculture and agri-food sectors. She is now living her dream as a grain farmer and senior producer with Great Tastes of Manitoba.
Describe your job in one sentence.
I share stories about locally grown ingredients and Manitoba’s agriculture and agri-food sector with consumers.
What was your dream job when you were a kid?
My dream job when I was a kid was to be an artist, but I also always knew I wanted to farm.
What was your first job in the agriculture or agri-food sector?
I grew up on a mixed grain and cattle farm near Baldur, Manitoba and have always been involved in farm work. But then I went away to college and studied media production and landed a job at MidCanada Production Services (now Frank Digital) and started working in TV. I enjoyed the creative arts and storytelling so documentary and commercial production seemed to be a good fit. I worked there for seven years before my husband and I decided to return to the farm to begin implementing a succession plan with his parents. At that time, I thought my career in TV would be over. Who’s going to hire a television producer from Cartwright? But my colleagues kept calling and I would take small TV contracts here and there as farm duties allowed.
In 2016, Frank Digital took over production of Great Tastes of Manitoba and Chris McIvor called me and said “you know, this job would be perfect for you” so I took the opportunity to jump back into the workforce full time and I have been producing the show ever since.
What advice would you give someone considering a career in digital agriculture?
There are so many exciting opportunities in the ag space, and so much potential for career advancement. I encourage anyone considering a career path or career change to give agriculture a look! I don’t think agriculture is often considered by creative folks, like myself, but there are a lot of creative careers in the ag sector.
Through my job I have interviewed hundreds of people from across the agriculture and agri-food sectors and when I ask them what they enjoy most, almost all of them say it’s the people. The agricultural community is made up of some wonderful, caring, passionate people who work collaboratively towards the common goal of providing safe food to consumers – it doesn’t get much better.
What’s your favourite part about working in digital agriculture and agri-food?
My favourite thing about working in agriculture is the lifestyle. I get to raise my kids rurally and be close to my family. I get to work outside and I have the autonomy to work independently and I get to be outdoors a lot. I feel privileged to have been given this opportunity. Not everyone gets a chance to farm.
What’s something that surprised you when you started working in digital agriculture?
Growing up in ag, I thought that I was pretty knowledgeable, but since taking this role with Great Tastes of Manitoba I’ve learned so much. I’ve learned about different sectors in the industry I never would have had access to before – like dairy, poultry and pork. My crew and I have been granted behind the scenes tours of food processing facilities and research and development labs.
What has surprised me the most is how complex and nuanced a system the food system really is. We naively think that food and farming is simple. It’s 1. Grow food, 2. Process food, and 3. Distribute food to consumers. What we, as consumers, don’t think about are all the different steps and stages within each of those processes. There are so many people working behind the scenes to ensure that food gets from the farm to the plate, and in my experience each and every one of them are taking steps to ensure it’s done efficiently and as sustainably as possible. Everyone is working towards the same goal – to ensure food remains safe and affordable to consumers.
Innovation Farms featured in Season 35 of Great Tastes of Manitoba
Donalee visited EMILI’s Innovation Farms powered by AgExpert this summer as part of a series of documentaries she is producing about Manitoba’s agriculture and agri-food sector. Season 35 of Great Tastes airs on CTV Winnipeg, Saturdays at 6:30 pm. Full episodes are also streamed on demand on Great Tastes Manitoba website, or on their @GreatTastesTV YouTube channel. The episode featuring Innovation Farms will premiere at EMILI’s Agriculture Enlightened Conference on Thursday, November 7, 2024 and will air on CTV on Saturday, November 9, 2024.
This profile is part of EMILI’s This is Agriculture series, highlighting talented and diverse individuals across the digital agriculture sector. While individuals working in agriculture come from a variety of backgrounds, they share a common interest in growing and strengthening Canadian agriculture to ensure an environmentally and economically sustainable future for generations to come.