Innovative agricultural insurance product to strengthen Manitoba forage and livestock sectors

Feb 18, 2022

Winnipeg, Manitoba – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada - The Canada and Manitoba governments are investing $253,600 through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) to develop a new usage-based insurance (UBI) product, in collaboration with Dairy Farmers of Manitoba (DFM), to respond to needs expressed by forage crop growers and other stakeholders in a 2020 review of forage insurance programs, federal Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South Terry Duguid and Manitoba Agriculture Minister Derek Johnson announced today.

The province will enter a two-year contribution agreement (2021-22 to 2022-23) with DFM to provide up to $253,600 in CAP-Ag Action Manitoba Strategic Initiatives (industry-led) federal flow-through funding. The project will be led by DFM in partnership with the Manitoba Beef Producers and four additional producer organizations.

The project will develop a usage-based, farm-specific index insurance product for Manitoba forage growers. It includes the integration of satellite remote sensing and other big data, combined with an interactive web-based application that farmers can use to individualize their insurance, receive real-time and dynamic pricing, monitor forage production throughout the season and fast-track claims settlements.

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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.