Enns Brothers held their second annual ladies combine clinic at the PCU Centre, Wednesday. Enns Bros. operates 8 John Deere stores in Manitoba.

Kelly Mathison, Marketing Manager for the Ag Division of Enns Brothers, said that the clinic sprung out of youth safety programs the company had done in partnership with Manitoba Agriculture Food and Rural Initiatives (MAFRI).

"We'd had some feedback from some of the people who had brought their kids and some of the ladies had said 'Gee this would be great if you could do something for us'. So that's where it really started," said Mathison.

Mathison said the clinic, which teaches how to operate the machinery and stresses safe operating practices, draws ladies of all ages and experience levels. Some have been operating for years, others might operate only in emergency situations, while some just want to understand the process better because their kids are operating the equipment.

Twenty to twenty-five people usually show up including a number of teenagers, driving from as far away as Steinbach, Arborg, Neepawa, and Brandon. Enns Brothers likes to use Portage for the combine clinic because it's central to their stores and the PCU Centre is an excellent facility.

Mathison said the ladies generally ask a lot of questions because husbands or fathers don't have the time to explain things to them.

"In our situation here we can take the time and step them though and say this is what he means by this, and this is what that terminology is. So when they get back to the farm or get operating a machine they can answer those questions and say 'I understand exactly what you're wanting me to do here'," said Mathison.

Sandra Skorne and her husband operate a farm near Elie. Skorne said she is attending the clinic to learn how to operate a combine, so she can help out during the harvest.

Enns Brothers hold other clinics throughout the year on topics like hang and air seeding and precision farming. Enns Brothers is one of the largest independently owned John Deere agricultural dealership in Canada with locations in Winnipeg, Morris, Portage, Arborg, Brandon, Neepawa, and Steinbach.

For more information visit ennsbros.com and visit the video and training link where you will find links to seminars and training videos.