Snowfall a welcome sight for Manitoba farmers and ranchers
While many Manitobans are likely fed up with digging out from the recent snowfall, agriculture producers in the province are breathing a sigh of relief.
They say the recent snowfall will give producers the added moisture they need to get a good start to the 2022 growing season.
Joe Bouchard, a cattle producer in Fisher Branch, has 400 cows and 1,400 acres of grain. He said last year’s drought took a toll on many producers in the province, and called 2021 the hardest year he has ever faced.
“Trying to make sure we had enough feed was our biggest concern for our cattle to get them through the winter,” he said. “The crops were poor, which also compounded the issue.”
Bouchard said last year, he had to buy feed and grain to get his herd through winter due to dry pastures, and even sold some cattle to make it through.
However, with the high volume of snow Manitoba has received this winter, things are looking up.
“The last few winters, we haven’t had so much snow, so this is a good start,” Bouchard said. “We had a large dump in November, and lots melted into the ground, and then what we’ve had over the winter is definitely going to help.”
Carson Callum, president of the Manitoba Beef Producers, agreed the heavy snowfall will definitely help producers.
“We’re still going to need some important, timely rains through the summer like we always do; however, I’m feeling a lot more comfortable looking out there and seeing the snow on the ground,” he said.
Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) also say the current trend is encouraging for production of grans and oil seeds.
“We’ll just have to see how spring melt happens, and hopefully we do get some runoff to replenish our lakes, streams and rivers,” said Bill Campbell, president of KAP.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'The world is too messy for bureaucratic hurdles': Canada still bars Afghanistan aid
Ottawa has plans to finally stop blocking Canadian development aid to Afghanistan this year.
Student anti-war protesters dig in as faculties condemn university leadership over calling police
Students protesting the Israel-Hamas war at at universities across U.S., some of whom have clashed with police in riot gear, dug in Saturday and vowed to keep their demonstrations going, while several school faculties condemned university presidents who have called in law enforcement to remove protesters.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'oesn't get' the global phenomenom.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.