The future is here
Cheese champions
U.K. researchers say hands-free cropping can happen » PG 17
A local couple is taking over a Trappist tradition » PG 7
SERVING MANITOBA FARMERS SINCE 1925 | Vol. 76, No. 2 | $1.75
January 11, 2018
Bison farms stand to be counted Canada’s bison producers are taking a snapshot of their industry with a recently released census BY ALEXIS STOCKFORD Co-operator staff
manitobacooperator.ca
Manitoba putting points system out to pasture Producers will have to bid for forage and grazing Crown lands as of next fall rather than the current points-based system
T
he Canadian Bison Association is counting heads for the first time in five years. The group has released its 2018 bison census survey, available until Jan. 15. Terry Kremeniuk, Canadian Bison Association executive director, says the census will provide much-needed information on herd distribution, animal numbers, age groups, gender and size of the breeding herd. Results will help direct association policy and programming. “We want a little better understanding of what the makeup of the bison (herd) is, because then it can assist us in planning growth in the industry,” he said. “If we see more heifers coming on board, that demonstrates growth in the herd and that is a good thing for the supply side of the bison business.” The census has been an every-five-years tradition since 1996. Results will update herd numbers, bull totals and numSee grading system on page 6 »
Manitoba’s new Crown land leasing system for grazing is getting a cautious endorsement from the province’s beef industry.
Industry support BY ALEXIS STOCKFORD Co-operator staff
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M
anitobans will have to jump through different hoops to access Crown lands for haying or grazing this year. The province announced an end to the old points-based system in December, to be replaced by a tendering system similar to how cropped Crown lands were already leased. Changes will be in place for the next round of Crown land leases. The new regulation came into force Jan. 1, although Manitoba Agriculture says it is still consulting stakeholders on what policies will be needed to support the new framework. The province plans to have everything in place when the next list of available Crown lands is released in fall 2018.
Ma n i t o b a B e e f Pr o d u c e r s, p r o ducer voice for one of the industries expected to feel the most impact, generally welcomed the change. The province has promised a more open system under tendering, something MBP president Ben Fox says will solve a standing concern for farmers. “The biggest cause of frustration right now is the points system and, basically, the overall inability to really see how lands are allocated,” Fox said. “As far as MBP’s concerned, having an increased transparency in that process is a big win.” Under the points system, producers were given credit for forage and land management, herd size, non-farm income, age, first-time applicants, proximity and distance to the Crown lands applied for. Applicants with
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the highest points were awarded the lease. According to the Crown Lands and Property Agency, however, those points might be ignored if the highestpoints applicant was not “the logical user.” Under cropping leases, the system that forage and pasture Crown lands will now mirror, the names of all bidders and their tenders can be reviewed. But while Manitoba Beef Producers has lauded the change, producers themselves are still waiting to gauge the final impact. “Nobody seems to know what is actually going to happen yet,” Kim Crandall, a beef producer from Winnipegosis and former MBP director, said. See grazing Crown land on page 6 »
MERGER MANIA: CANADIAN FERTILITY GIANT FORMED » PAGE 32