KAP Statement On Province's Forage Insurance Review

Jun 22, 2020

The following statement is attributable to Bill Campbell, president, Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP):

“We commend Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development and Manitoba Agricultural Service Corporation (MASC) for undertaking a review of Manitoba Forage Insurance and for releasing the full contents of the review publicly. The contents of this review will help government better understand risk management behaviour and insurance purchasing decisions of Manitoba forage producers.

Manitoba forage producers continue to face challenges including inadequate coverage levels, payment timing not reflective of the cash flow requirements, limited options relating to crop quality, and others. Participation in the forage insurance program continues to decline.

The recommendations outlined in the review are a huge step forward to addressing these challenges. We are looking forward to working with MASC and providing input on:

- examining new ways to assign coverages to producers

- reducing red tape so that more producers can participate

- adopting an approach that relies on weather or satellite-based technology

- enhance future programming to include options that reflect modern dairy operations’ forage crop choices.

- creating forage insurance payments timeline that are effective for operational cash flow management

We also look forward to provincial government developing a livestock forage insurance team to help improve the effectiveness of forage insurance program and support the growth of Manitoba’s livestock sector.”

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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.