In a release Jan. 19, the two companies described their plan as a way to consolidate their businesses and operate as a single, larger dealership network meant to combine the two companies’ capabilities.

“By combining resources, expertise, and technology, we’ll be able to serve farmers with an even broader range of solutions and faster access to the parts and service they depend on,” said Curwin Friesen, president of Greenvalley Equipment.

WHY IT MATTERS: The companies say the merger aims to give Manitoba farmers faster, more reliable access to parts, service, and technology through a larger dealership network.

Enns Brothers, which started at Sanford in 1953 and has sold Deere equipment since 1956, today operates nine locations at Oak Bluff, Brandon, Steinbach, Portage la Prairie, Arborg, Shoal Lake, Melita, Neepawa and Morris.

Greenvalley, which began at Morden in 1989, has since acquired Deere dealerships at Altona, Killarney and Treherne. It operates under the Agri Western Dealer Group, which works with other Deere dealer chains on the Prairies.

Both dealerships share similar priorities, said Ray Bouchard, chief executive officer of Enns Brothers.

“Together, we’ll have the scale and financial strength to continue investing in innovation and meeting the evolving needs of our industry for years to come.”

According to the companies, the merger would bring their equipment lines, parts inventories and service teams under one umbrella. Local ownership and existing staff are expected to be maintained after the transition.

The companies aim to complete their merger in April.

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The changes affect both the province’s crop insurance program and wildlife damage compensation, with updates designed to better reflect current farming realities across the province.

High participation

Risk management tools are more important than ever as producers contend with tighter margins and increasingly unpredictable weather, Kostyshyn said.

“Over 90 per cent of Manitoba’s annual crop acres are enrolled in ag insurance… The risk of loss of crops due to unpredictability is more important than ever.”

WHY IT MATTERS: Changes to agriculture insurance signal broader coverage and fewer blind spots.

Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation expects to provide $4.3 billion in coverage on 9.8 million crop acres in 2026 as weather extremes continue to affect regions throughout Manitoba in different ways, from flooding to droughts.

New forage pilot

Among the changes announced is a new pilot program aimed at encouraging sustainable forage production. The Forage Advantage Pilot Program, announced in November, will offer farmers a 15 per cent discount on forage establishment insurance premiums for growing perennial forage crops on designated land types.

The province is also expanding insurance coverage to include meadow fescue grown for seed, following years of discussions with commodity groups, Kostyshyn said.

Wildlife coverage expanded

Manitoba is also making a major update by expanding its wildlife damage compensation program to cover additional species and different kinds of losses.

“For 2026 crop year, farmers will be able to claim for crop damage due to blackbirds, raccoons, damage to livestock caused by vultures, eagles, hawks, ravens and other bird species,” Kostyshyn said.

KAP applauds changes

The updates to this year’s crop insurance and wildlife damage compensation programs reflect the growing risks farmers face, said Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) President Jill Verwey.

“Expanding coverage, updating values, and piloting incentives like the forage advantage program are positive steps.”

KAP will continue to work with the province to help inform and shape practical solutions for Manitoba farmers, Verwey added.

Manitoba Ag Days, marking its 49th anniversary, will be held from Jan. 20 to 22 in Brandon. The event is expected to attract producers, exhibitors, and agricultural businesses from throughout the Prairie region. For more coverage of the show, visit the Manitoba Co-operator’s Ag Days page.

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“The research WGRF is investing in is intended to provide farmers with new tools to improve profitability on the farm,” said WGRF board chair Laura Reiter in a Jan. 13 news release.

These projects aim to create crop varieties that can better withstand challenges in the field, focusing on improving resistance to diseases and insects, and developing useful new traits for farmers.

All of these projects align with the organization’s research priorities, said WGRF executive director Wayne Thompson.

“The funding will work toward the priorities of WGRF to support research that will lead to new crop varieties and management practices,” Thompson said in the release.

Funding is a joint effort between WGRF; Saskatchewan’s Agriculture Development Fund, which includes federal funding through the Sustainable CAP agreement; and producer groups.

The WGRF website will share the full list of funded projects once all the research contracts are finished.

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Canada’s national standard for companies to voluntary label genetically modified foods is currently open for public review. Part of that involves comment on how gene editing should be defined within the standard and where they do, or do not, fit in the rules.

The federal consultation is accepting comments until Jan. 23.

WHY IT MATTERS: Canada has already ruled that gene-edited plants don’t need to meet the stricter threshold that genetically modified plants do to be approved for cultivation (as long as there’s no foreign DNA involved), and that gene-edited crops are safe for livestock feed. Now, the topic is entering the food labelling arena.

The standard in question is formally titled CAN/CGSB-32.315 Voluntary Labelling and Advertising of Foods That Are and Are Not Products of Genetic Engineering. It provides guidance on how food companies may decide to mark packaging as to whether products are or are not, products of genetic engineering. This standard is maintained by the Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB).

Canada does not require genetically engineered or gene-edited foods to be labelled differently from other foods, according to the federal government’s website. Claims are voluntary, although they must be truthful and not misleading under the Food and Drugs Act and related regulations.

According to the Standards Council of Canada, the purpose of the voluntary labelling standard is to provide a framework for truthful labelling, not to create mandatory requirements.

Edited versus modified

Industry groups such as the Canadian Health Food Association (CHFA) have noted that the federal government’s current proposal would draw a line between gene editing and genetic modification —similar to Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s take on the subject in recent years. Seed and feed guidance in recent years have put gene-edited plants on largely the same regulatory ground as conventionally bred crops, unless foreign genetic material is being incorporated, in which case they’re back to needing a pre-market safety assessment and authorization before they hit the farmer’s field.

Those decisions have drawn ire from the organic sector, worried about contamination with their crops, and praise from much of the rest of the seed sector as a gateway to faster innovation and variety development.

The CHFA, meanwhile, says the new label proposal could allow foods made with gene-editing techniques to be marketed as not genetically engineered, despite gene editing being a form of genetic modification in scientific terms.

In a CHFA report released in October, the association argued that a majority of Canadians surveyed by the study believed gene editing is a form of genetic engineering and that labelling should disclose its use.

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“I do think that we are seeing more durum being grown,” Kirk said. “I anticipate we will see some increased interest in durum with these newer, better varieties that are being released.”

Manitoba isn’t exactly known for its durum production. According to Statistics Canada, Manitoba producers brought in 24,100 acres (9,800 hectares) worth last year, producing about 35,588 tonnes.

That’s a fraction of the rest of the Prairies. In 2024, Saskatchewan alone harvested 5.11 million acres (2.07 million hectares), good for 4.48 million tonnes, while Alberta produced 1.29 million tonnes off of 1.17 million acres (475,400 hectares).

Wetter conditions in the eastern Prairies, and the disease risk and associated quality concerns that come with them, are a big reason for that divide. Mycotoxin-causing infections such as fusarium and ergot are of particular concern, and Manitoba producers tend to reach for less susceptible spring wheat varieties.

AAC Frontier enters the game

New genetics highlighted at the Ag in Motion farm show at Langham, Sask., look to close that susceptibility gap.

AAC Frontier is being pitched as Canada’s first ergot-resistant durum variety. It also brings intermediate resistance to fusarium head blight, as well as resistance for stem and stripe rust.

It was developed at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Swift Current station, under the guidance of lead breeder Yuefeng Ruan, and was officially registered last year. Commercial rights for the variety currently fall under SeCan.

“When talking to durum producers, they would say that (after) fusarium, ergot would be the No. 2 downgrading factor in durum wheat,” said Todd Hyra, SeCan’s business manager for Western Canada.

The variety is currently in the seed multiplication stage of full commercialization. Seed growers in southern Saskatchewan and Alberta have it growing, Hyra says, and it’s currently on track for commercial release in 2027.

Trade assistance

Even with a better disease package, Kirk doesn’t expect that durum will suddenly explode to areas around the province.

More likely, she said, durum production will stay concentrated in the drier, southwest portion of Manitoba.

READ MORE: Let’s close the circuit on what leads to ergot

Looking past Manitoba’s interest, the advent of better disease resistance may help Canadian durum growers on the world stage.

Moroccan grain processors, who buy Canadian durum wheat for couscous, prioritize the colour of imported grain.

Rachid Chamcham of the Federation Nationale De La Minoterie (National Millers Federation) in Morocco made that point during the 2025 Durum Summit in Swift Current this winter.

“Moroccan millers look for semolina that boasts a vibrant, golden yellow colour — a hallmark of high-quality durum wheat,” Chamcham said.

“This is why they (millers) prefer Canadian amber durum wheat, particularly CWAD No. 1.”

That makes the dark, fungal sclerotia that are a hallmark of ergot an increasingly problematic issue.

Moroccan buyers examine semolina, the flour produced from durum wheat, for dark “specks.”

“Speck counting is often a mandatory quality control parameter, which ensures that the semolina meets customer specifications,” the Canadian Grain Commission said in a 2022 report on ergot in Canadian crops.

“The physical presence of the dark-coloured sclerotia … can negatively influence consumers’ acceptance of semolina and finished products.”

Ergot contamination on the rise

Ergot typically isn’t a significant threat to durum production in most years, but the grain commission report indicates that ergot occurrence has been rising since approximately 2010.

Between 1995 and 2009, ergot incidence (percentage of plants with symptoms) averaged 2.9 per cent in durum. The average incidence jumped to 13.1 per cent from 2010 to 2020.

Additionally, durum wheat has a strict grading tolerance for ergot at just 0.02 per cent of net weight, creating a genuine concern that producers may face downgrading at elevator facilities.

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Indigenous communities in North America were cultivating crops such as potatoes and corn long before anyone from Europe had heard of the crops. Materials from the Manitoba Museum cite evidence of agriculture in the eastern United States dating back 3,800 years.

More locally, bison scapula bones found in Gainsborough Creek in 2018 showed convincing evidence of pre-European contact farming in the Melita region. And agriculture was an undisputedly big part of the Métis way of life in the Great Lakes region. Farms surrounded fur trade posts by the 16th century, and some cereals were being farmed in the 1830s.

When it comes to reconciliation, agriculture presents a unique challenge. How can the treaty rights of Indigenous peoples be honoured in a way that gives them a proper seat at the table when it comes to farming in Canada?

It’s something that groups like the Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO) in Manitoba, headed by Grand Chief Jerry Daniels, and the Manitoba Métis Federation, with its agriculture minister, David Beaudin, have been working on for years. I recently had the chance to speak with both about why they feel agriculture is so important, and what still needs to be done.

Daniels and Beaudin share views on several pivotal issues, including engaging youth and the continued importance of food security. Both expressed that, while regular conversations do take place with the Manitoba government, there’s still a ways to go when it comes to proper recognition and reconciliation.

Currently, there are several programs funded by the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (S-CAP) that would partner with Indigenous communities, such as the Indigenous Agriculture & Food Systems Program and the Indigenous Agricultural Relationship Development Program. Eligible activities include revitalizing traditional food systems; training, skill and resource development; climate change adaptation; increasing Indigenous participation in agriculture; engagement between industry, academia and Indigenous Peoples and the development and delivery of engagement activities.

I was unable to find a list of specific projects that have benefited, although Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn highlighted Fox Lake Cree Nation’s Food for All program and collaboration with Brokenhead Ojibway First Nation, Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation and the SCO on bison-related projects.

Meanwhile, both the MMF and the SCO have made strides towards agricultural autonomy through their own programming, including garden box programs, community gardens, climate action plans, bison herds and lobbying for more access to Crown lands.

It seems like both Indigenous organizations and the Manitoba government are eager for relationship building and programming designed to reclaim agricultural traditions tied to local Indigenous history and culture. There are stories like these emerging across Canada.

I think education is another important aspect—not just having Indigenous leaders with ties to the land remind their people, especially the youth, of their rich agricultural traditions, but for Manitobans who descended from settlers to learn that history and those tradition as well. If anything, it will only lead to more common ground between Indigenous communities and non-Indigenous farmers, both of whom are tied to the land in real, rich, and meaningful ways.

Hopefully soon, this country’s fertile soil might produce the right growing conditions not just for healthy crops, but for more healthy relationships built on respect, understanding and a motivation to keep moving forward together.

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Developed by Invasives Canada, Animal Health Canada and the Invasive Wild Pig Leadership Group, the website, Wild Pigs Canada, was announced on Aug. 20.

“Animal Health Canada is proud to be a collaborator on the new Wild Pigs Canada website that shares information to support the prevention, management and removal of invasive wild pigs from the Canadian website,” said Dr. Leigh Rosengren, industry co-chair on Animal Health Canada’s board of directors in an Aug. 20 news release.

The website represents a team effort across sectors, said Rebecca Lord, executive director of Invasives Canada.

“Wild Pigs Canada is the result of the strong and meaningful co-ordination across sectors and regions, developed through our partnership with Animal Health Canada and the Invasive Wild Pig Leadership Group, and informed by our ongoing work with international partners in the U.S. and Mexico,” Lord said in the release.

Farmers, hunters, hikers and the general public are encouraged to use the website for keeping up to date with information about wild pigs in Canada and to know what to do if one is sighted.

Wild pigs can be destructive to natural habitats and crops and may be a vector for disease.

“Remember, people on the land and out in nature are our first line of defense against invasive species like wild pigs,” said Matt DeMille, executive director of the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters in the release.

To learn more or report a sighting, visit WildPigs.ca.

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Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, Progressive Conservative critics, federal NDP and federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre are all calling for urgent government intervention in the matter.

WHY IT MATTERS

The latest move in the trade dispute between Canada and China risks effectively shutting Canadian producers out of one of their most important canola seed markets.

China’s preliminary 75.8 per cent tariff on all Canadian canola seed shipments, which took effect Aug. 14, is the most recent escalation in a months-long trade spat. Last year, China announced an anti-dumping investigation against Canadian canola seed, a move many considered retaliation for Canada’s decision to impose 100 per cent tariffs against Chinese electric vehicles. In March, China imposed 100 per cent duties against canola meal, oil and peas, as well as 25 per cent duties on pork and aquatic products, pointing to Canadian tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum.

China has claimed that its investigation found the Canadian canola industry has benefited from substantial government subsidies and preferential policies, a claim that Canadian industry and government disputes.

China has since announced another anti-dumping investigation into Canadian pea starch.

Canola Council of Canada president Chris Davison confirmed the severity of the situation in an Aug. 12 press release.

“With this preliminary determination of dumping for canola seed together with the existing 100 per cent anti-discrimination tariffs on canola meal and oil, the Chinese market is effectively closed to the Canadian canola industry,” Davison said.

Politicians call for federal action

“Yesterday, a billion dollars. That’s what the Chinese tariffs cost Western Canada,” Kinew said at a press conference in Winnipeg on the afternoon of Aug. 13, a day after the new canola tariff was announced. “Today, you’re talking about a further impact, hundreds of millions of dollars, and this is primarily going to be born by the farmer in the field.”

Federal NDP echoed Kinew in a press release Aug. 13. NDP critics for agriculture (Gord Johns) and international trade (Heather McPherson) said China’s move “demands urgent action from the Liberal government.”

Speaking from a Saskatchewan grain farm Aug. 14, Poilievre criticized Prime Minister Mark Carney’s handling of Chinese relations, especially a taxpayer-backed loan for B.C. Ferries to buy Chinese-made vessels.

“Can you imagine that the sign of weakness that Carney is sending to the dictatorship in Beijing? You tax and tariff our farmers, and we’ll give you a billion-dollar loan to create jobs in your country,” Poilievre said.

In a post on X Aug. 14, Carney said that he had spoken to Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe on the matter and discussed farm support, although no specifics had been announced as of press time.

Carney also said federal agriculture and international trade ministers had met with industry

“Canada does not dump canola,” the prime minister wrote. “Canadian canola products meet the highest standards and our inspection systems are robust.

“We will advance a constructive dialogue with Chinese officials to address our respective trade concerns, while diversifying our trade abroad and supporting our canola producers at home.”

Farmers worried

The timing couldn’t be worse for Manitoba farmers entering harvest season, according to Manitoba Canola Growers chair Warren Ellis, who joined Kinew at the podium in Winnipeg, along with Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) president Jill Verwey.

“We don’t know how long it’s going to last. There’s just so many things we don’t know,” Ellis said. “Farmers are going to harvest their crop and they’re going to have to make a decision. Are they going to store it and wait for calmer times, or are they going to dump it on the market and take their loss, or are they going to end up doing a combination of that?”

China represents the canola industry’s “second-largest customer,” making the market closure particularly devastating, he added.

“All the loans we take out, all the cash flow that we use to finance growing the crop, now paying that back is in jeopardy. It’s really critical that solutions come up. We can’t be left to drift here.”

Verwey, meanwhile, argued for a comprehensive federal strategy that handles trade issues and negotiations deftly.

“The volatility and the prices of our crops places undue strain on our producers, specifically and directly at this point of time when farmers are out taking the crops off right now,” she said.

ˆ

China trade escalation and EVs

Both Kinew and Poilievre suggested that money from Chinese electric vehicle duties should support canola growers, in light of the economic damage to their sector.

“When we look at what has brought us to this situation, it is the EV tariffs that the federal government chose to apply to the Chinese producers that got this retaliation put in place, and so that’s why we’re asking the federal government to use those revenues that they’ve been collecting,” Kinew said.

Poilievre said that “I think we should look at ways we can penalize the regime in Beijing for targeting our farmers,” but also argued that China’s trade hostility predates the electric vehicle dispute.

“Let’s recognize that China’s tariffs on our canola producers are totally unjustified. They had already targeted our beef producers before there were any EV tariffs imposed on them,” Poilievre said. “So, the Chinese government has mistreated our economy for many years.”

China blocked Canadian beef imports back in 2021, following an atypical BSE case found in Alberta. Beef, pork and canola have all had previous trade hurdles with China in the last decade prior to the latest flare in relations.

The federal NDP also cited a broader pattern of trade escalation, pointing to existing impact from Chinese tariffs on canola meal and oil.

Even footing

Both Kinew and federal New Democrats are demanding Ottawa provide the same level of support for agriculture that other industries have received during trade disputes. The Manitoba premier pointed to comprehensive federal responses to U.S. tariffs, which included countertariffs, strengthened import controls, and a $6-billion aid package for affected businesses.

“We know that agricultural producers are the pillars of their communities, and are a source of strength for the Prairies, and really for all of Canada, and so as they navigate these turbulent waters, we need to see this sort of support from the federal government,” Kinew said.

When asked about federal support for canola producers compared to other industries, Poilievre pointed to what he says is unequal treatment for Western producers.

“The forestry sector received some federal support about a week ago. It’s a similar size to the canola industry,” he said. “I think I’m 100 per cent behind the auto workers, steel workers, aluminum workers and forestry workers. Obviously, we should back them up, because they have faced unfair tariffs from the U.S., but the same support and attention should be given to our farmers.”

The federal NDP is asking for the federal government to increase the cap on cash advances to exceed the current limit of $250,000 under the Advance Payments Program.

In-province criticism

While Kinew has focused his criticism on federal policy, provincial Progressive Conservative opposition members are targeting his government’s handling of agricultural support. The party’s ag critic, Jeff Bereza, asked what the NDP government is doing to support Manitoba canola producers in an Aug. 12 statement.

“I’ve talked with farmers and cattle producers across Manitoba, and they are suffering,” he said. “Drought conditions are plaguing the Interlake. U.S. and Chinese tariffs are causing widespread disruptions and uncertainty to southern Manitoba. 2025 has been one of the worst years for the ag industry and we’re hearing nothing from the NDP.”

He added that “We’ve known these tariffs were coming. We’ve seen them before, and we’ll see them again.”

“What has Wab Kinew’s NDP government done to open up new markets for Manitoba’s ag producers?”

In July, the province and federal government said they were facilitating faster insurance payouts, loan deferrals and were moving the quality line on crop insurance to open up more drought-stricken cereal crops for the feed stream in light of drought conditions.

Kinew pointed to those moves, but argued the scale of the crisis requires federal intervention. The tariff impact extends far beyond individual farms, creating “spillover” effects throughout provincial and national economies, he said.

“When it comes to this relationship, there’s a lot of national security and other dynamics when we’re talking about the Chinese Communist Party, but at the same time, we have to engage. This is the second-biggest economy in the world,” Kinew said.

Weathering the storm

Despite the current issues, Ellis offered a message of cautious optimism.

“This is a problem. It’s devastating,” he said. “But we’ve got good partners in our premier and government, along with KAP, the Canadian Canola Growers. We’ve got numerous people working on this, and I think we need to consider that this will also pass.

“What we have to do is stay together, work together, and understand that this may not be solved quickly, but we’ve got good people on it with good hearts moving in the right direction.”

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International regulations are a complex web for Canadian producers, speakers on a late-July Keep It Clean webinar warned.

“When you think about the different crops that are represented, our major field crops, canola, our cereals and our pulses, a large proportion of those are exported,” noted Krista Zuzak, director of crop protection and production for Cereals Canada.

WHY IT MATTERS: Failing to follow the pesticide label or pre-harvest application windows sets farmers up for marketing issues and also risks Canada’s international trade reputation.

This export dependency means farmers must consider regulations beyond Canada’s borders, Zuzak added.

“Countries do have the right to set their standards and their rules that are around human and plant animal or environmental health,” she said.

Glufosinate-ammonium is a prime example, said Jeff English, vice-president of marketing and communications at Pulse Canada. While glufosinate-ammonium has generic registration for lentils in Western Canada, it shouldn’t be used due to misaligned and unset maximum residue limits, he warned.

Even glyphosate, widely used for pre-harvest weed control, carries market risks.

“We do have MRLs established in all major markets,” English said. However, the product is still flagged for caution because market acceptance varies based on end users.

Technology innovation meets trade reality

The disconnect between domestic approvals and international acceptance extends to new technologies. Zuzak pointed to spray drones as an example of innovation constrained by market considerations.

“While there are a lot of advancements in research happening around this technology, spray drones cannot yet be used to apply pesticides on field crops in Canada,” she said. “Currently, there aren’t any agriculture field crop chemicals or pesticides that have labels right now that authorize spray drone use.”

Applying via drone, besides being illegal, is thus also considered an off-label use and could pose a market risk.

Daily decisions carry global consequences

The complexity translates into detailed operational requirements for farmers.

Curtis Rempel, vice-president of crop production and innovation at the Canola Council of Canada, said that careful precision is required for glyphosate applications on canola.

“For canola staging, because of the indeterminate nature of the crop, it can be a little tricky, but we have enough research, and I think, enough visual guidelines now to really indicate that 30 per cent moisture is 50 to 60 per cent seed color change,” he said.

Farmers must also consider disease management for trade purposes.

Market-driven precaution

So far, the industry has adopted a precautionary approach where even legal products may be restricted based on market concerns rather than safety issues.

“We have our product advisory … which is annually updated, as well as our pre-harvest glyphosate staging guides and our pre harvest interval calculator,” Zuzak said.

The importance of farmer-buyer communication can’t be overstated, English said.

“We always recommend talking to your grain buyer before application, just to confirm as a fail safe.”

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The Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC) will provide support through its AgriInsurance program to improve cash flow for producers needing additional feed, Federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald and Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn said in an announcement made on July 23.

“Our livestock producers play a critical role in our food supply and our economy. We need to do everything we can to support them, especially in the face of these dry conditions,” MacDonald said in a press release sent out that day. “These program changes will ensure producers in Manitoba receive claim payouts faster, so they can source other feed options as quickly as possible.”

MASC will apply a quality adjustment factor to reduce yield appraisals by 40 per cent for drought-stricken cereal crops converted to livestock feed. The adjustment covers wheat, oats, barley, fall rye, triticale and grain corn. The same measure was last used in 2021 and resulted in over 100,000 acres of grain crops being converted to livestock feed.

Producers with forage and pasture insurance will also see changes, including the option to defer premium payments on claims made before Oct. 1, receive partial payments when possible, and allow livestock to graze insured forage after the first cut without penalty.

“We recognize that some of Manitoba’s livestock producers are facing challenging conditions with the lack of precipitation in certain regions of the province,” Kostyshyn said.

“With pastures drying up and minimal sources of feed for livestock, it is important to give producers the resources they need to maintain their herds. These measures will help to improve cash flow for Manitoba’s livestock producers and provide additional options to access feed.”

MASC will also offer lending clients the opportunity to defer loan payments and provide guidance on financing feed purchases if needed.

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