After a great meeting with our forage-group partners from Western Canada this week; continued progress into next stages on the AAFC-funded Prairie Watershed Climate Project led by Manitoba Association of Watershed Districts (MAW); and plans ramping up for our fifth-annual MFGA Regen Ag Conference later this year in Brandon, I must tell you, I am feeling Prairie these days.

1. Connectivity: After meeting with our Prairie Canada-based forage groups in our Prairie Region Soil Health Network on our next collective steps together and learning that each of the four other groups in our conversation are either directly leading, included or associated within the successful Prairie-based Living Labs announced by Hon. Marie-Claude Bibeau, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) recently. Congrats to all! Excellent connectivity news on Canada’s Prairies. MFGA has had our fingernail dug in on the AAFC’s Eastern Prairies Living Labs wagon that has been led by MAW in four Manitoba watershed districts, an excellent collaborative project with AAFC leaders and researchers, local producers, Manitoba Agriculture and other groups such as International Institute for Sustainable Development.

2. Dialogues: Around the federal agriculture minister and the provincial ag ministers meeting this week on the Next Policy Framework in Saskatoon, a true prairie backdrop for the next five years of agricultural policy, directives and programming that will indeed shape the future of agriculture on Canada’s Prairies.

3. Communication: In openly telling all farmers in Manitoba and Saskatchewan to contact your local Watershed in your province or MAW and get up to speed on the Prairie Watershed Climate Project, an up-to $40 million AAFC On Farm Climate Action Fund project from February 7, 2022 – March 31, 2024, that seeks to increase producer uptake and increase acres around three key farming practices: Rotational Grazing, Nitrogen Management and Cover Cropping.

4. Prosperity: For the success of the first cut of alfalfa to all those Manitoba fields that received intense heat after heavy rains resulting in a great first cut.

5. Concern: With concerns for and extending MFGA’s best wishes and hopes around the challenges for producers and residents in areas such as Manitoba’s Interlake region as they deal with the deluge of powerful thunder storms on their fields, farms and communities.

6. Collaboration: Knowing that the Western Canada Soil Health & Grazing Conference opened registration earlier this month for their first conference in three years. MFGA purposely decreases the size of our annual conference in days and costs so as to not impact any farmers wanting to attend both of our conferences in the same year. As always, the committee of the Edmonton conference – co-chaired by well-known forage and soil-health advocate Nora Paulovich – has put together a blockbuster line-up. Register now.

7. Re-Connecting: After MFGA published a recent blog by our past chair Larry Wegner that inspired a former high school teacher of his from Alberta to stop in at Larry’s Virden-area farm on the way by to Saskatoon and let Larry know that he thought the work we do on the blogs is what is needed to challenge the producers to do better. In a half hour, Larry said they talked about soil health, protein markets and the changing world. The big take away, Larry advised, was his former teacher said to keep it up and challenged us all to do better.

8. Brand: As that’s what MFGA is. We are a Manitoba-farmer-led group anchored in the Prairies, working in the Prairies, making a difference in the Prairies and impacting many across the nation with the work, projects, collaborations and networks we work with and champion on the Prairies.

9. Most of all, though, I’m feeling Prairie: I’m Humbled and Gracious: As MFGA is supported by all of you that have such a keen interest in a vibrant, healthy, profitable, progressive Prairie region.

Registration will open August 1 for the 2022 MFGA Regenerative Agriculture Conference, November 14-15, 2022, Victoria Inn, Brandon, Mb. This 1.5 day event will feature North American keynote speakers, including Kara Kroeger and Fred Provenza, along with local producer panels, all focusing on regenerative agriculture and the great potential of profitable farm operations via your farm's soil, herds and learning more about the potential for human health benefits from soil-benefitting agriculture practices. Watch for the full agenda and further speaker announcements next week!

This year, the MFGA Green Gold Program included 21 registered fields from Central, Eastern, Interlake, and Western Manitoba. Alfalfa sampling began on May 30 with a starting height of 10 inches. The cool wet conditions at the outset of the growing season delayed the potential optimum cutting date by 5-7 days. By end of testing on June 15, the bulk of the fields were in the late vegetative/early bud stage, ranging from 17 to 34 inches in height due to intense wet growing conditions. Through testing, the MFGA Green Gold Program declared the 2022 Optimum Alfalfa Harvest Dates as June 20 for Central and Western regions and June 16 for the Eastern/Interlake areas.

Read the full report here.

The Manitoba Grazing Exchange (MGE) website virtually connects farmers who have available grazing pasture or cover crop fields with livestock owners/ranchers who are seeking grazing land through an interactive map. The platform is based off the South Dakota Grazing Exchange which has since expanded into several other parts of the United States. For questions, contact Karen.

For decades, Canadian dairy farmers have been committed to producing milk and taking care of the environment for future generations. Now they are committed to reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions for the sector by the year 2050. Sustainable objectives include various ways to improve soil health and water conservation, tackling waste, focusing on energy efficiency, protecting biodiversity and more. Visit the Dairy Farmers of Canada website for more info.

Agriculture and Agri-Food is offering a temporary increase to the interest-free limit for advances under the Advance Payments Program (APP), a federal loan guarantee program which provides agricultural producers with easy access to low-interest cash advances. The change will make the purchase of important inputs such as fuel, fertilizer and seed more affordable for producers. Additional info here. 

Cleanfarms recycling collection system is gradually transitioning to collection of empty ag jugs at Manitoba agricultural retail operations. With more drop off locations and longer operating hours, it makes recycling easier for most growers. For another, producers can return small and large bulk containers to a location that they already go to on a regular basis.

Read the full Cleanfarms media release here.

The Livestock Transportation Drought Assistance program is offered to help livestock producers affected by low moisture conditions in 2021 with extraordinary transportation costs and to manage breeding herd feed shortages. Applications due July 30, 2022 - detailed information found here.

While cattle producers mainly rely on introduced species of forage plants (such as alfalfa) to feed their animals, there’s growing interest in native species. If bison roamed the Prairies and relied on them for thousands of years, why not explore what they could do for cattle? Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Swift Current Research and Development Centre is working with native, perennial forage plants that have a proven track record in surviving the extremes of the prairie climate. Read the full article.

The search engine for Canadian beef producers just got better. Check out the new, improved BeefResearch.ca for timely beef and forage articles, production tools, calculators, research summaries, webinars and more. Check it out!  

December 13-15, 2022, Double Tree Hilton, Edmonton, AB

Earn 2.5 CCA Nutrien credits. For more info, go here or contact John Heard, john.heard@gov.mb.ca, 204-745-8093.

Watch the Assiniboine River Basin Initiative (ARBI) website for more details.

Have conversations with fellow producers on their management practices and discussions with industry specialists to help guide your forage decisions. Visit SFC's website.

Learn more about the practice of Regenerative Agriculture at this all day event which includes a morning Workshop, afternoon tour and supper. There is no fee but you MUST register with Jessie: 306 or j.nielsen@assiniboinewatershed.com. Agenda, registration and hotel details here.

Agenda and directions here. Contact: David Rourke cell 1-204-534-7531 or visit rourkefarms.com.

Connect with fellow producers, shop for a new ram(s) or ewe(s). The show portion is on Aug 19, the sale on Aug 20. More details here.

A day of knowledge sharing and engagement with industry thought leaders and innovators in sustainability, packaging, technology, automation, supply chain logistics, and more. Details here.

This conference will discuss several aspects of the globalization of agri-food research and innovation and includes a reception open to parliamentarians, government officials and key stakeholders. Registration is now open.

Our 1.5 day event will feature North American keynote speakers and local producer panels. We have announced our first two speakers, Kara Kroeger and Fred Provenza, with registration set to open August 1. Watch for details on our site.

Watch their site for details.

Early bird pricing until October 31. Full conference details here.

GBFW is run by a small committee of producers with a mandate to provide agricultural education to our communities. More information about the conference here.

The XXV International Grasslands Congress - May 14-19, 2023, Covington, KY USA 

The theme is “Grasslands for Soil, Animal, and Human Health. A call for papers now through July 15, and producers should consider attending and taking part in Congress, pre-congress tours etc. Additional details here.

We are proud to showcase our 2022/23 Annual Supporters! 

Join these leaders who are some of the best of the best in the agriculture and conservation communities - sign up here!