Technology offers a little more insurance

More evidence means more chance for a successful MASC predation claim

Some of the technology offered by the Manitoba Beef Producers to prevent predation may also give farmers a better chance of a payout for a loss. The three-year project is currently field testing different mitigation strategies on livestock predation, including GPS tracking technology and game cameras. Janine Wilmot, wildlife conflict biologist and member of the

Local conservation officers speak during a field day hosted by the pilot project on June 21.

Predation project set to bear results

Mitigation strategy pilot filling up, but a few slots remain for producers

Ray Bittner, lead of the predation pilot project being spearheaded by the Manitoba Beef Producers, is looking at a lot of ways to keep a healthy distance between livestock and predators. There is special penning, with seven strings of electric wire and predator-resistant gates to keep problem animals out. There are game cameras, able to


The crop insurance deadline for seeding Manitoba soybeans has been extended.

Crop insurance soybean seeding deadlines extended

Changes, effective this year, will be permanent

The crop insurance deadline for seeding Manitoba soybeans is being extended two days in Area 1 and five days in Areas 2 and 3, with no changes in Area 4, starting this year, the Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC) announced May 20. The new deadlines (see below) reflect farmers’ access to improved soybean varieties, MASC

Faced with spring flooding and recent historic precipitation, Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation has extended seeding deadlines to give soybean growers some breathing room.

New soybean seeding deadline welcomed

Extensions to the crop insurance seeding deadlines for soybeans in Manitoba are being welcomed. The change wasn’t prompted by this year’s delay in seeding due to wet weather, but because the data supports it, Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers executive director Daryl Domitruk said. “The seeding dates (for soybeans) were set a long time ago,”

Aerial view of flooded farmland near Rosenort, Man., about 50 km south of Winnipeg, on May 6, 2022.

No crop insurance seeding deadline extensions planned: MASC

Manitoba's wet, cold spring is keeping farmers out of the fields, but they have until June 20 to seed cereals and flax and still be eligible for coverage. Insured farmers unable to plant are eligible for Excess Moisture Insurance payouts

[UPDATED: May 20, 2022] The last time there were extended seeding deadlines for crop insurance in Manitoba, it was 2004. Despite wet weather delaying planting this year, 2022 is unlikely to see a repeat. “We’re not contemplating, at this point, any changes to our seeding deadlines,” said David Van Deynze, Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation’s (MASC)


The Canadian Organic Trade Association gave Manitoba organic crop insurance three out of five stars.

Manitoba middle of pack in organic regulation, crop insurance

COTA ‘State of Organics’ gives low scores for organic market and production supports, data collection

Manitoba’s organic crop insurance and organic regulation and enforcement land the province about in the middle in Canada, according to a new Canadian Organic Trade Alliance (COTA) report. Recent overhauls of Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation’s (MASC) organic crop insurance programs have led to “significantly larger payouts” while adding more crops to the program,” said COTA

“We knew early on, like everyone else, that hay was going to be in lots of trouble — and was in lots of trouble — in 2021.” – David Van Deynze, MASC.

MASC puts hard numbers to sky-high forage claim season

The insurer saw a fivefold increase in total claim values over the 2021 season

The Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC) saw a multimillion-dollar spike in forage claim payouts during the 2021 drought, the Crown corporation has reported. MASC reported $48.3 million in forage program indemnities for 2021, over five times higher than the previous year. MASC reported $9.2 million in indemnities in 2020. Why it matters: Higher forage insurance

Manitoba producers now have new options to insure multi-species forage mixes.

Multi-species forage gets insurance safety net

A long ingredient list no longer necessarily precludes that greenfeed recipe from being insured

Producers will have a few new options when it comes to forage insurance in 2022. The Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC) has added or expanded two programs geared towards producers diversifying their annual forage. Why it matters: Two new or expanded forage insurance options will be on offer this year for producers looking to mix


Jeff Veenstra grows vegetables on Wild Earth Farms near Birds Hill Park, northeast of Winnipeg.

Acreage requirement drop for veggie insurance first step for small-scale farmers

Move shows MASC is listening to call for scale-appropriate BRMs, says Direct Farm Manitoba

A drop in acreage required to insure vegetable crops has opened a door for smaller-scale and direct-marketing farmers. “This has really changed our ability to be insured quite significantly,” said Jeff Veenstra who farms northeast of Winnipeg. On January 25, the province announced it would reduce the minimum required acres for vegetable acreage loss insurance

Respondents to a survey launched in 2020 saw coyotes account for over 62 per cent of cases of livestock predation.

Livestock predation solutions hit proving ground

The Livestock Predation Prevention Project is still looking for takers to test out predation solutions

There are few solid take-aways yet, but the Livestock Predation Prevention Project (LPPP) — a joint initiative between government and industry to get a more deliberate handle on predation management — has officially hit the pasture. Potential solutions, such as specialized fencing, are being put to the test on multiple farms across Manitoba, project lead