Federal Government invests in Manitoba agriculture

Jun 14, 2016

Investment will be used to develop an online tool

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

Canada’s Federal Government is investing over $1 million to help farmers in Manitoba try to predict the effects of flooding, excess moisture and extreme drought on farmlands in the province.

$1.1 million will be given to the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association (MFGA) to develop a hydrology (science of the earth’s water) model of the Assiniboine River. The model will be used to develop a web-based tool that farmers can use to collect information on their farmland, manage moisture levels and assess risks.

Web tool

"Extreme weather events have created many challenges for Prairie farmers in recent years,” Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture, said in a release. “We're committed to working together with the agriculture sector to equip farmers with the tools they need to proactively manage business risks such as these."

Since 2007, various governments have been required to respond to severe moisture with AgriRecovery assistance; the MFGA says its model will help farmers be prepared for possible flood or drought conditions.

“The hydrology model will showcase proactive solutions for many stakeholders across the Assiniboine River Basin for flood and drought mitigation,” Henry Nelson, Vice-Chair, MFGA said in a release.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.