Red-winged blackbirds fly over a U.S. sunflower crop in 2017. Pic: Supercaliphotolistic/iStock/Getty Images

Bird repellent gets emergency approval for sunflowers

Manitoba sunflower growers can now apply Avian Control repellent to keep blackbirds away during their 2025 harvest season

A product called Avian Control has received emergency-use approval to become the first chemical bird repellent available to Manitoba sunflower growers, in time for use this harvest.



Livestock guardian dogs are among the eligible investments under the new Livestock Predation Prevention Program.

Funds back anti-predation front-runners

Beef producers welcome new predation prevention program

Work from a three-year pilot project aimed at understanding the livestock sector’s predator problem has become provincial policy. On April 25, the federal and provincial governments jointly announced the Livestock Predation Prevention Program, funded through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership. Why it matters: Manitoba livestock producers lose thousands of animals every year to wild predators.

A graphic of a deadstock composting pen tested during the Livestock Predation Prevention Pilot.

Final word on livestock predation pilot

Composting, fox lights, predator-resistant pens among winners of tested prevention strategies

The predators haven’t gone away, but the livestock industry now has better ideas on how to handle them. The Livestock Predation Prevention Pilot, Manitoba’s three-year examination of its predator loss problem, is over. Prevention strategies have been tested, reports sent, and every resulting bit of advice has been made available in print and video form


“…the trappers that have to expend fuel to haul all their equipment out are not seeing a return. The incentive for them is not there.” – Carson Callum, Manitoba Beef Producers.

Does B.C. hold the answer to predator removal?

Local beef producers say Manitoba program lacks incentive for trappers

Manitoba Beef Producers are looking to other jurisdictions for solutions to predation. It’s the second year in a row that MBP’s District 10 meeting in the Arborg area, held Oct. 19, featured a resolution to overhaul Manitoba’s Problem Predator Removal Program. The Interlake is a hotbed for predation. Northern reaches of the district have more

“As long as you can live with the animals, that’s great, but once you’ve got one or two generations that have been trained to feed on your animals, there is no other option with them.” – Mary Paziuk.

Big Bad Wolves: Beef producers call for support on problem predators

Producers say removal options are often too slow to arrive to be effective

Manitoba’s beef producers want more resources to go after problem predators. In particular, according to farmers stepping up to the mic during the Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) annual meeting in early February, there are issues with wolves. Interlake producer Glen Metner said that farmers in his area have individually lost dozens of head, sometimes despite the use


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


Predation numbers dip in Manitoba

Predation numbers dip in Manitoba

Predation claims have seen a slight drop so far this year

It may have been a lean year for grazers, but that has not translated into a spike in predation, according to insurance numbers. The Manitoba Agricultural Service Corporation (MASC) has actually seen slightly fewer predation claims to date than last year. As of Oct. 25, a total 1,310 claims had been reported, compared to 1,494 as

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