Manitoba cattle producers will be allowed to graze cattle and cut hay on Crown land this year to better manage dry conditions and feed shortfalls.

The provincial government announced it will allow such activity, which will be administered through the Agricultural Crown Lands Leasing program.

The Manitoba Beef Producers welcomed the announcement.

“The dry conditions of the past couple of years have created challenging conditions for beef producers in terms of the amount of grazing days available on their pastures and the volume and quality of hay they have been able to harvest,” said MBP president Tom Teichroeb in a July 8 news release.

“We had identified these concerns to the Manitoba government on behalf of our producers. This announcement will provide an important option for producers who require additional feed options and we thank the government for making this available.”

Producers who make Crown land grazing arrangements must remove the stock when forage is exhausted or by Oct. 31, whichever comes first. Hay must be removed by Nov. 15.

MBP pleased producers have access to some Crown lands for haying and grazing. https://t.co/DDgyqQNPQU

— Manitoba Beef Producers (@ManitobaBeef) July 8, 2019

Teichroeb also said farmers are being asked to make crop residue available to livestock producers if agreements can be reached.

Details on Crown grazing and hay cutting can be found by calling 204-867-6550 or from local crown land representatives. On-line information is available here.