PUBLISHED BY MANITOBA BEEF PRODUCERS
DECEMBER 2020
FIRST SNOW
As the fall run ends provincial beef producers are turning their attention to the holiday season and planning for the year ahead. (Photo credit: Hugh Greaves)
MBP encourages producers to participate in Livestock Predation Prevention Pilot Project Survey Predation is a huge concern for many livestock producers across Manitoba, and for some, predators such as coyotes, wolves or black bear can cause devastating financial losses. This spring, a three-year, industry-led Livestock Predation Prevention Pilot Project (LPPPP) was launched with the aim of reducing wildlife predation of cattle and sheep in Manitoba. The multi disciplinary committee responsible for planning and delivery of the project, has representation from Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development (MARD), Agriculture and Agri Food Canada, Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation, commodity groups including Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) and the Manitoba Sheep Association, as well as the Manitoba Trapper’s Association. MARD is providing $300,000 of funding over three years towards the project. The project will help producers most affected by predation to develop individual risk management plans, while also supporting broader industry-wide efforts to test a variety of risk management approaches and share
knowledge and best practices to reduce losses. “We continue to want to ensure that compensation is considered and properly done in relation to predation losses but this project is related to prevention or mitigation of these losses,” says Carson Callum, MBP General Manager. The first phase of the LPPPP is to collect data through a livestock predation survey that MBP is encouraging any producers affected by wildlife predation to complete. “What we are trying to do is pick the right risk management practices that will work for farmers, and collecting the survey information is the only way to know that,” says Ray Bittner, LPPPP project Lead. The survey is intended to determine what species of predators are causing problems, which class of livestock are being targeted and the timing, location and type of livestock losses producers are experiencing, for example, at pasture, in birthing pens etc. Information from the survey will help the project team understand which parts of the province are most prone to predator problems, and help it decide where to focus its efforts and deploy predator management project activities.
“The survey will provide baseline data about some of the issues that producers are facing, and help determine which producers to work with on this pilot to test mitigation strategies aimed at reducing the losses they have had on their farms,” says Callum. The next steps are to evaluate the effectiveness of various risk management practices on problem predators, share information with producers about management practices that help to mitigate predation losses, and conduct on-farm risk assessments so producers can build a plan for implementing best practices for their operations. The LPPPP survey is included in this issue of Cattle Country and is also available by calling the Manitoba Beef Producers office. It involves multiple-choice questions, is quick and easy to complete and a prepaid business return mail envelope is provided so there is no cost to producers to participate. Deadline to complete the survey is December 21, 2020. Participants will also be entered in a prize draw for a choice between a Ridgetec Lookout, Dual LTE Game Camera worth $785 or a Pit Boss® Pellet, Stainless Steel, Hardwood Pellet Grill Barbeque worth $700.
President's Column
Social distancing for livestock
Burrowing Owls
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POSTMASTER: PLEASE RETURN UNDELIVERABLE COPIES TO: MBP, UNIT 220, 530 CENTURY STREET, WINNIPEG, MB R3H 0Y4 CANADIAN PUBLICATIONS MAIL PRODUCT SALES AGREEMENT NUMBER 40005187 POSTAGE PAID IN WINNIPEG.
BY ANGELA LOVELL