Livestock Producers Can Apply For Funding To Address Dry Conditions

Sep 13, 2019

The province has announced that livestock producers who have been affected by dry conditions on pasture can apply for funding to support water access and management under Ag Action Manitoba.

“We recognize that many producers are feeling the effects of our dry summer and that they may require additional assistance to secure a safe and reliable water supply for their livestock,” said Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler. “Properly functioning and adequately protected ground and surface water sources are essential to ensuring the health of livestock and ground water sources.”

Funding is provided through the Managing Livestock Access to Riparian Areas beneficial management practice (BMP) under Ag Action Manitoba – Assurance.

Eligible projects and related costs include:

- drilling new or deepening existing wells, test hole drilling, screening, casing, well caps and related activities;

- installing water pumps and required plumbing components and related activities, such as professional and contractor fees;

- constructing new or rehabilitating existing dugouts including professional and contractor fees; and

- establishing alternative watering system equipment and permanent fencing to restrict livestock access to surface water and dugouts.

To be eligible, applicants must complete an environmental farm plan (EFP). Producers have until Nov. 1, 2020, to submit their EFP statement of completion.

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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.