Southeast Ranchers Hoping To Avoid Big Losses

Jun 12, 2020

It's a difficult situation for farmers in southeast Manitoba.

Randy Tkachyk is a cattle producer in the RM of Piney.

He says his farm got just under five inches of rain over the past week, while he's heard some of his neighbours got eight inches or more.

"We put in some of our forages, we're expecting a total loss on it," said Tkachyk. "I think it's still early enough that we can be putting in some warm season grasses that we will get back to it. Fertility is there but any of the forages we planted is a total write-off."

Tkachyk says many crops in the area are water logged and will not survive.

He was asked about a possible feed shortage.

"It is too early to tell. We don't know what the future is, we know what the situation is now. We'll help our neighbours the best way we can to move forward, to make sure that they are all comfortable and hopefully there isn't any big losses."

Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) General Manager Carson Callum had this advice for producers in the area.

"Documenting any challenges or losses that they're having as a result of flooding in case there's any sort of financial assistance that comes out, they need to make sure that you have proper documentation for those losses."

Callum says the well being of the animals is a top priority.

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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.