It was a far cry from the usual energy surrounding cattle movement. In fact, to those watching the low-stress cattle-handling demonstration at Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiatives near Brookdale last month, there seemed to be little going on at all. Movement seemed to grind to a halt for long moments at the end of the
Calmed-down cattle handling tagged for farm safety
Low cattle stress turns to lower human risk
Breaking down the basics of low-stress cattle handling
Proponents advise producers to get inside a cow’s head
Low-stress cattle handling is more art than science, Reg Steward of Buffalo Creek Consulting admits, but it might be boiled down to, ‘think like a cow.’ For many experienced handlers, that principle comes as little surprise, he acknowledged although some details of the practice may give some food for thought. [VIDEO: MBFI staff demonstrate low
Time to tighten enforcement on land access after cow shot
Curtis Gervin says most hunters are responsible but it’s time for a crackdown on the bad apples
Curtis Gervin wants more action on informed land access after he says one of his cows was shot in the head on his southwestern Manitoba farm. Gervin, who farms near Reston, noted blood and swelling on the face of the animal after going out to feed his cattle one morning, soon after the start of
Beef producers seek fast lane for Crown land sales
Beef producers want more and faster privatization efforts on Agricultural Crown Lands, but not everyone agrees
Northern ranchers are not happy with changes to forage and grazing Crown land leases, but some say the issue would not be as critical if they could buy that land outright. Producers near Ste. Rose du Lac were among the producers calling for a fast track to Crown land privatization when Manitoba Beef Producers made
Shortage of livestock feed leads to balancing act
Cattle can eat anything from potatoes to grain byproducts, but coming up with the right nutrition for the right price is the challenge
It’s been a dismal weather year from start to finish — but at least there will be plenty of feed grain. That’s the searching for a silver lining thought among Manitoba livestock producers facing yet another year of scrimping and culling to get their cattle through the winter. Stressed pastures, silage harvest difficulties, extended feeding
Livestock predation losses could gain fresh attention
Beef producers hope departmental amalgamation will kickstart action
Manitoba beef producers are hoping a provincial cabinet consolidation will mean action at long last on predation losses. They’ve had a long-standing complaint, but it was an agriculture issue that was under the authority of the provincial Conservation Ministry. Now fish and wildlife management is part of the new provincial Department of Manitoba Agriculture and
Calling all cover croppers!
A survey is looking for hard numbers on the practice and what it looks like on Prairie farms
The University of Manitoba is looking for numbers on local cover crop use, and it’s turning to producers to get them. Yvonne Lawley of the University of Manitoba is spearheading the Prairie Cover Crop Survey, which hopes to gauge how widely and in what form cover crops are taking root across the Prairies. The survey
District producers back step on AUM cap
Some producers now say they want a new, albeit larger, AUM cap on Crown lands
Ranchers near Ste. Rose du Lac want the province to take another step back on Crown lands — although this change was initially heralded as a victory. Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) had welcomed the removal of a 4,800 animal unit month (AUM) cap from forage and grazing lease eligibility, one of a number of sweeping
Ranchers push for lease changes even as first Crown lands auctions arrive
The livestock sector says right now it’s being asked to bid on a pig in a poke
Manitoba is about to hold its first auctions for Crown land leases later this month — but bidders still have no clear idea of what they’re getting themselves into. They’re bidding under a new auction system that eliminates the long-standing ‘points’ process. It also will have a 15-year limit, as opposed to the old 50-year
Beef producers not backing down on livestock transport regs
Beef producers have four months until new transport regulations come into force
Beef producers are still fighting transport regulations that they say will cut off trade of live cattle. Livestock transportation will look very different when new regulations come into effect next February. The livestock sector was given one year to comply with new humane transport regulations, published by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in February 2019.