These visits and tours are the first of anything close to a resumption of pre-pandemic times and duties for me and totally remind me of why I get so stoked around our annual MFGA Regenerative Agriculture Conference, now slated for Year 4 November 15-17,2021 at Brandon's Victoria Inn. Many of the eight or so farms I have visited the past few weeks will be profiled in some way or fashion at our conference, either via video, panelist or moderator. From a regen ag perspective, there are some really cool things going on in Manitoba that producers are making happen on their farms around soil health, rotational grazing and nutrient management among other regen ag practices. Manitoba has such a strong regenerative agriculture community that features leaders that are intent on making a difference on their own farms and openly sharing that knowledge with interested producers as they consider their own farm gate decisions and operations.

By now, we hope you have locked down your calendar for our 2021 MFGA Regenerative Agriculture Conference, Water for Generations, held in Brandon, MB, November 15-17, 2021. Conference registration is open - go here!

- Before the election call, the Government of Canada announced $500 million through the AgriRecovery Framework to address the immediate extraordinary costs faced by producers due to the drought and wildfires.

- The Manitoba government is investing $62 million into the AgriRecovery program to support Manitoba's livestock producers.

- There will be an increase for the 2021 AgriStability interim benefit payment percentage from 50 per cent to 75 per cent for Manitoba producers.

- As dry conditions persist in areas across Manitoba, many #MBAg tools and resources are available at http://bit.ly/3x4K43e to help you make management decisions for crops and livestock.

Visit the MFGA Hay Relief page for more information and resources.

Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC) is now applying a quality adjustment factor to drought-stricken grain corn crops that are insured under the AgriInsurance program. Yield appraisals conducted by MASC will be reduced by 40 per cent to reflect expectations of lower quality corn because of the stress that corn crops have endured due to the extreme low levels of moisture. The adjustment applies to grain corn crops that producers intend to put to alternate use, such as for silage or grazing. For more details, visit: masc.mb.ca/masc.nsf/masc_news.html.

MFGA successfully kicked off our 2021 Regen Ag Conference event timeline with a pandemic-impacted producer-reduced field tour of South Glanton Farms (SGF). Turnout was right to the limits, spirits were high, weather was good and peer to peer regen ag learning and exchanges led by Ryan Boyd and Connor English were awesome as always. MFGA will follow with another cooperative effort with DUC Grazing Clubs at Nerbas Bros. Angus Farm, hosted by MFGA board member Arron Nerbas near Shellmouth, MB on September 15. 2021. More details soon!

Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association (MFGA) applauds the federal government’s August 12, 2021 announcement and call for proposals by Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Hon. Marie-Claude Bibeau around On Farm Climate Action Fund to support farmers in reducing greenhouse gas and build resiliency to climate change.

Read the MFGA Media Release.

Read the Government of Canada News release and backgrounder.

Read the Canadian Cattlemen article.

National TESA Winner announced at the Canadian Beef Conference.

Mervin, Saskatchewan-area rancher Mark McNinch was named Saskatchewan Forage Council (SFC) President at meetings held in Saskatoon on July 28^th, 2021, taking the helm of the organization from Tamara Carter. Jeremy Brown, a custom grazer and agrologist with Ducks Unlimited, was named SFC Vice-President. “It’s an honour to be named President of the Saskatchewan Forage Council, which has done fine work as the voice of the forage industry in this province for many years,” said McNinch. “We’re grateful to Tamara Carter for her strong leadership over the past four years and I look forward to the challenge of maintaining the standards that have been set.” Read the full SFC release.

Manitoba livestock producers continue to look for additional alternative crops to meet feeding needs for the coming months. Two of the remaining crops still standing are corn and soybeans and, like cereals, if they have been negatively impacted by drought they could be a consideration as an affordable forage alternative. Read on...

With the way 2021 is shaping up forage inventories are going to be way down and hay prices way up. In a scenario like this, the last thing that producers are looking at is throwing away what precious supplies they may have. One of the biggest losses that can happen (up to 50 percent) is right after harvest but before it gets to the animal. Poorly stored forage can have losses of 20 percent without being noticed. Read on...

MFGA Aquanty Forecasting Tool Project has launched our project management team to help bolster and plan for producer, community, and industry resiliency. This project will produce a cloud computing-based, agriculture-focused, decision support tool that will allow stakeholders within Assiniboine River Basin (ARB) to obtain soil moisture, groundwater, and surface water forecasts for a 7-day forward-looking time interval.

See Project Team Members.

The Conservation and GROW Trusts were established under the Province’s Made-in-Manitoba Climate and Green Plan to use nature-based approaches to build resilience to climate change. The Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation (MHHC) Spring 2022 call for Conservation and GROW Trust Letters of Interest will open on Tuesday September 7th 2021. The Conservation Trust process will close on October 8th, 2021; the GROW Trust Letter of Interest process will close October 15th, 2021.Letter of Interest application information and criteria will be available on www.mhhc.mb.ca on September 7th.

MFGA is pleased to post Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Manitoba Watershed Districts’ Living Lab - Eastern Prairies (LLEP) Newsletter on our website. The LLEP newsletter showcases the Living Lab initiative team and the Manitoba Watershed Districts updates and success stories. Read the newsletter.

University of Manitoba professor seeks Manitoba farmer feedback about their farmstead shelterbelts to create a snapshot of rural life, especially in the Whitemud, Redboine, Seine Rat Roseau, Westlake and East Interlake Watershed districts. Further details found here.

Well-regarded Manitoba Farmer David Rourke Authors A Road to Fossil Fuel Free Farming: An Example and a Challenge Book

Minto, Manitoba’s David Rourke has written a book around farming and climate and can be found at fossilfuelfreefarming.com. MFGA Board member and 2019 Ryan Boyd provides a book review/testimonial: “Agriculture will not always be given a free pass on carbon emissions. This book is a must read for all farmers on why we need to be concerned about climate change and how important a role in mitigating carbon emissions farmers can have.”

Ryan Boyd, 2019 Nuffield Scholar, southglantonfarms.com.

Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) is outlining its four priorities for the next federal government as the 44th Canadian federal election gets underway: business risk management programs to support producers, the role of producers as environmental stewards, economic development and public trust in agriculture. KAP is a member of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, which recently released its priorities for the federal political parties. These priorities can be found here. MFGA is a proud member of KAP.

Read the full KAP Media Release.

Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiative (MBFI) will hold this field day at the Brookdale Farm from 1pm - 3pm, covering topics such as Data Driven Decision Making; Regenerative Principles in Practice on the Farm; Extended Grazing on Annual Forages; Callum Morrison Preliminary Prairie Cover Crop Survey Findings. Details or to register: go here.

EFP Workshops - July, August and September

Environmental Farm Plans (EFP) are an essential part of every farm operation. Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development is hosting EFP workshops to guide producers through the EFP workbook. Register for a workshop.

Theme "A Whole New World 2021: Globally, Nationally, Locally. Featuring keynotes including Kim Cornish, Alberta Food Water Wellness Foundation presenting GHG/Carbon on pastures and grasslands. Register here.

Introduction to Holistic Management - Oct 4-Nov 8, 2021, Mondays

Discover how to manage your farm or ranch for the triple bottom line (social, environmental, and financial sustainability). Learn our Holistic Goal Setting and Decision Testing Framework. Scholarships available. Register by Oct 4 here.

Lock down your calendar right now for our 2021 MFGA Regenerative Agriculture Conference, held November 15-17, 2021, Victoria Inn, Brandon, MB. The theme is Water for Generations and we have secured a number of top-notch keynote speakers and producer panels including international, national and local experts, all of them focusing on regenerative agriculture and helping us all understand the great potential of working with the land to help improve your farm operations and the health of your farm lands. Registration is open - register now!!

This year's Ag Ex Conference theme, The Challenge of Change, is about acknowledging that change can be difficult and also provide immense opportunity - learning how to confront change with confidence is the key. Conference-goers will come away from AgEx equipped with the information, tools and practical skills to prosper change. Register here.

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.

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

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.

We are proud to showcase our 2021/22 Annual Supporters! 

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