MFGA eBulletin - November 2021

photo credit: Nerbas Bros. Angus

From the Desk of the Executive Director

A sincere heartfelt thank you to all delegates, sponsors, trade show participants, speakers, panels, staff and board members for your support of the 2021 MFGA Regenerative Agriculture Conference. By the time all the activities had drawn to a close, MFGA had welcomed more than 140 delegates in person and saw more than 160 virtual registrations – often with multiple viewers at each site – join us online. As promised, we will be making the conference available online to the 300 plus delegates for six weeks before we hive off segments to be viewed at no charge by general viewers. More details on that soon, we are just giving the videos a general edit of downtime and spacing.

I must tell all those wondering that offering a conference online and in-person in a hybrid format is like running two concurrent conferences with two different audiences and we could not have done it as well as we did without Dean Stewart and Steve Hills of Howling Pro Audio Visual who brought their expertise and leading-edge technology skills to the event. Thank you!

On a really cool board succession note, the MFGA Board added two new board members: Chelsi Malach and Peter Tokar to our 2022 MFGA Board. On a far less celebratory note, we lost our Wayne Gretzky: Ryan Boyd who termed off our board. Ryan was an absolute workhorse and rock star at the 2021 conference and we have already started our overtures to keep him as a key member of our conference committee. Will keep you posted on that front. :)

Building off the good vibes of the MFGA conference, MFGA and our partners at Manitoba Beef Producers kept the good news rolling with an exciting partnership with Fort Whyte Alive, details are below. This will give grasslands and livestock grazing an excellent and positive profile to thousands of urban visitors, including school children each year.

And finally, a special thanks to Larry Wegner, MFGA Chair, who by the end of the week will be our MFGA past chair, for his excellent work on behalf of MFGA. Your vision and commitment to MFGA is exemplary.

Thank you, Larry!!

Muchos Grasses,

Duncan Morrison, MFGA Executive Director

MFGA announces first-ever MFGA Wall of Fame group

Two producers, two provincial government representatives and a long-time agrologist from Ducks Unlimited Canada comprise the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Associations’ first-ever inductee group to the MFGA Wall of Fame.

Read the full MFGA Media Release.

MBP and MFGA supporting the new FortWhyte Alive Prairie Soil exhibit

Nancy Howatt, Manitoba Beef Producer (MBP) board member passes cheque to Liz Wilson, president and chief executive officer, Fort Whyte Alive to support the enhancement of the Prairie Soil exhibit and the development of associated programming in FWA’s newly renovated Interpretive Centre and Climate Action Lab. Looking on, (l to r) Carson Callum, MBP general Manager, Howatt, Wilson, Lawrence Knockaert, Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association (MFGA) vice chair, and Duncan Morrison, MFGA executive director.

MBP and MFGA are both supporting the new FortWhyte Alive Prairie Soil exhibit, a collection of three dioramas with narrative panels telling the story of prairie soil health as it has evolved over time from prior to settler contact through to today. Read more.

November Hay Situation & Price Update

Although there was rain in October, soil moisture conditions throughout the province continue to be dry in November. Even areas that show optimal moisture are only at 60 percent field capacity and additional moisture will be necessary to keep crops growing in 2022. Read on...

2021 Seed Manitoba features forage trials

Manitoba forage producers have a very good reason to check out Seed Manitoba this year says Anne Kirk, editor of the annual publication. “Annual forages were included in our Manitoba Crop Variety Evaluation Team (MCVET) trials this year, and the results are published in Seed Manitoba,” said Kirk. “Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development’s Tim Clarke and Shawn Cabak also wrote an article on forages so there is good profile for forages in this year’s publication.”

Read the full article.

Keeping the Pilot Light Lit in Your Cows

Typically we wait until it starts to get cold to talk about cold weather stress and supplementing energy to cows. But 2021 hasn’t been a typical year. Last year, forage supplies were tight but the mild winter and early spring of 2020-21 saw most operations stretch limited feed supplies through this period and come out at the end with some inventory. Read on...

Cross-boundary Watershed Management Necessary for both sides

Leaders of the Assiniboine River Basin Initiative (ARBI) were pleased to hear a new five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) had been signed between Manitoba and Saskatchewan. However, ARBI also hopes the MOU will springboard more action and collaboration between the two Prairie provinces that share a number of transboundary watersheds including the Assiniboine and Saskatchewan Rivers’ watersheds. Read the full ARBI media release.

Learn More about Chronic Wasting Disease in Manitoba

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a disease that impacts members of the deer (cervid) family. The province has a proactive program for management and surveillance of CWD and has been monitoring wild cervids for the disease since 1997. Manitoba announced its first positive confirmation of CWD in the province on November 1, 2021. This fact sheet covers some of the questions about risks to humans and livestock, management efforts by the province, and how individuals can assist.

Harvested Production Report deadline is Nov 30

November 30 is MASC’s deadline to complete your Harvested Production Report, file post-harvest claims, and select your 2022 Excess Moisture Insurance coverage. HPRs and claims can be completed online through myMASC or with one of our team members at an ARD and MASC Service Centre. It’s important to file your HPR as soon as possible.

IISD Webinar title: Canadian Prairie Agriculture under Climate Change: How can we chart a resilient path?

Thursday December 2, 2021, 11am CT, 90 minutes

Join IISD for a discussion on the future of agriculture in the Canadian Prairie provinces. The impacts of a warming climate are already being felt in the Prairies, amid extreme weather events ranging from floods to droughts to wildfires. The summer of 2021 was hard on many producers. Where do we go from here? Join IISD and ClimateWest and a panel including MFGA chair Duncan Morrison to hear about what these climate challenges mean for agriculture, with an open Q&A and discussion about the road ahead. Registration required.

Manitoba Agriculture Resource Development funding

- AgriRecovery Drought Assistance funding is available for farmers overwintering feeding of eligible breeding animals for feed purchase, testing and transportation.

Deadline: April 15, 2022.

- AgriRecovery Drought Assistance funding is available for farmers transporting eligible breeding livestock to alternate feeding locations for the purposes of overwintering.

Deadline: July 30, 2022.

- The Canadian Agricultural Partnership has funding available for farmers and industry service providers to implement and adopt beneficial management practices. This intake is currently open and closes December 10, 2021.

- The Canadian Agricultural Partnership has funding available for Agricultural Crown Land forage lease holders to implement and adopt beneficial management practices. This intake is currently open and closes December 31, 2021.

- The Canadian Agricultural Partnership has funding available for farmers for training and consulting on items like farm transition, farm risk management and financial management.

LAST CALL: MBP Student Scholarship application deadline Dec 3

Manitoba Beef Producers is offering six $500 scholarships for MBP members or their children attending a university, college, other post-secondary institution or pursuing trades training. Deadline: 4:30 p.m. Friday, December 3 2021. Contact: info@mbbeef.ca

Industry Events

IISD Webinar: Canadian Prairie Agriculture under Climate Change: How can we chart a resilient path? - Dec 2, 2021, 11am CST

Join us for a discussion about the future of farming in the Canadian Prairie provinces Registration required.

KAP Annual District Meetings - Dec 7, 2021, virtual

President Bill Campbell and general manager Brenna Mahoney will speak about KAP’s recent work, while Minister Eichler will bring greetings on behalf of the Government of Manitoba. Following the conclusion of the plenary session, members will move into breakout rooms for their individual district meetings. Register here.

2021 Mb Watersheds Annual Conference - Dec 6-8, 2021, Brandon, Mb

Registration is open for the 2021 Manitoba Watersheds Annual Conference which will be hosted in-person at the Keystone Centre in Brandon Manitoba. This year’s theme Coming Together, Celebrating Success focuses on bringing environmentally passionate people together and giving them the opportunity to share, learn and educate one another on issues that matter, and that have a direct, and positive impact in communities throughout Manitoba. Details or to register found here.

Fields on Wheels Conference - Dec 14, 2021 virtual

The 26th Annual Fields on Wheels Conference will be held virtually on Dec. 14, and is free to attend. This year’s conference will focus on “Congestion and Logistical Challenges in the Late-Pandemic.” The conference will bring together industry leaders from a wide spectrum of the agricultural and supply chain industry to discuss congestion and logistical challenges.

Beef & Forage Week - Jan 11-13, 2022 in various Mb locations

TOPICS INCLUDE: Marketing, Alternative Watering Systems, Forage Restoration, Mental Health for farmers and more. Watch for details.

Manitoba Ag Days - Jan 18-20, 2022, Brandon, Mb

Don't miss this three-day annual event, held in-person at the Keystone Center. Details found here.

Prairie Organics: Think Whole Farm 2022 Conference - Feb 8-9, 2022, Keystone Centre, Brandon, Mb

A two-day conference, tradeshow and organic ingredients event that strives to help farmers increase their understanding of the science of organic agriculture while providing practical farmer-tested solutions to improve the economic and environmental health of the farm ecosystem. More here.