News Releases

Media Bulletin - Manitoba

May 18, 2021

Province Advises of Services Available for Agricultural Producers Affected by Dry Conditions



Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development is reminding agricultural producers affected by dry conditions of the programs and services available to crop and livestock producers. To date, low levels of precipitation and soil moisture have impacted seeding operations and slowed the growth of pastures and forage crops in parts of Manitoba.

Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development (ARD) provides several tools and resources for producers to manage the impact of dry conditions including:
• The department will be proactively listing several parcels of Crown land located within Wildlife Management Areas and other lands, preapproved for temporary use under a casual hay permit. For information on unallocated Crown land leases and other Crown land haying and grazing opportunities visit www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/land-management/crown-land/index.html or contact the Agricultural Crown Lands Leasing Program at 204-867-6550.
• The Manitoba Hay Listing Service provides an inventory of hay and alternative feed for sale and pasture for rent. For more information visit https://web31.gov.mb.ca/HayListClntExtrnl.
• For alternative feeding strategies, visit Resources for Producers Affected by Dry Conditions section at www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/livestock/beef/index.html.
• The Managing Dry Conditions resource section of ARD’s website provides information on a variety of drought-related topics and resources for livestock and crop production. For more information visit www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/dry.html
• Producers can access the Manitoba Crop Report at www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/crops/seasonal-reports/crop-report-archive/index.html, the Manitoba Drought Monitor at www.gov.mb.ca/water/drought_condition/ and the Manitoba Ag Weather program at www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/weather/weather-conditions-and-reports.html.

Manitoba also provides risk management programs under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership that help producers to manage production and price risk. These include:
• Crop and forage insurance under the AgriInsurance program, which insures crop, hay and pasture production and establishment against potential losses.
   - Extended seeding deadlines can assist during difficult seeding periods. Producers can learn more at www.masc.mb.ca/masc.nsf/crop_seeding_deadlines.html.
• Livestock Price Insurance provides a range of coverage and policy options to help manage price risk against market volatility. ARD and MASC Service Centre teams can tailor coverage to individual livestock operations. Producers can purchase price insurance year-round for their feeder and fed cattle. Calf price insurance is available until June 10. More information is available at www.lpi.ca.
• Producers can use MASC's Contract Price Option (CPO) to increase their canola and field pea dollar coverage in a potentially difficult year. CPO allows producers to blend the price from their production contract with the base AgriInsurance dollar value to reflect market prices better. More information is available at www.masc.mb.ca/contractpriceoption.
• Forage Insurance provides a Hay Disaster Benefit, which compensates forage producers for the increased costs of hay and transportation when there is a severe provincewide forage shortfall. This benefit is provided at no cost to producers with Forage Insurance. More information on forage insurance is available at www.masc.mb.ca/masc.nsf/program_forages.html.
• AgriStability is an important tool that can help producers manage risks and financial losses because of poor yields, low commodity prices or rising input costs. The program provides support when producers experience a large margin decline. The deadline to enrol in AgriStability was extended to June 30 from April 30.
• If producers are not currently enrolled in AgriStability, governments encourage them to take advantage of the support offered under the program. Participants may be eligible for an interim payment as an advance on the final 2021 AgriStability benefit. The deadline to apply for an interim payment is March 31, 2022. Producers can access their AgriStability information with their My AAFC Account, visit the AgriStability website at www.agr.gc.ca/agristability, or call AgriStability at 1-866-367-8506 (toll-free) for more information.

For more information, producers can check their coverage at www.masc.mb.ca or contact an ARD and MASC Service Centre (toll-free) at 1-844-769-6224, by email at ARD@gov.mb.ca or online at www.masc.mb.ca/masc.nsf/locations.html.

Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development will continue to assess the conditions and strategies as the season progress. Producers can visit the Managing Dry Conditions section of the department website for further updates at www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/dry.html.

- 30 -