Ron Kostyshyn says rural economic development is critical to the health of agriculture in Manitoba.
“We don’t need to be chasing producers away. We need to have more of them involved for the economic development of rural Manitoba,” said Manitoba’s reappointed agriculture minister.
Kostyshyn represents the Dauphin region, the only heavily agricultural electoral district to go orange when Manitobans went to the polls Oct. 3. The win saw him reclaim a spot in legislature, which he lost during the Progressive Conservative wave in 2016, and his previous post as provincial agriculture minister once Premier Wab Kinew’s cabinet was announced two weeks later.
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His official mandate letter arrived Oct. 19. In it, Kinew charged Kostyshyn to “support the sector so that Manitoba can be a leader in agricultural innovation, research and job creation.
“A strong agricultural sector means a strong Manitoba,” Kinew wrote.
Kostyshyn said farmers “really felt that they were losing ground with the previous government.”
Its handling of agricultural crown lands stands out as one example, he added.
In 2019, an overhaul of the crown lands system came with new regulations. Forage leases were allocated by auction, replacing the old points-based system. Rents were to be calculated through a market-based formula, which promised to steeply increase payments.
Lease terms were shortened to 15 years, although existing leaseholders were later granted first right of renewal to address business continuity concerns. The ability to transfer a lease (unit transfers) with the sale of private property was eliminated.
Those changes sparked outrage among producers heavily reliant on crown lands and became consistent ag-related fodder for the NDP during question period.
“We’ve gone through some pretty rough times for the beef producers, or anybody that rents the crown land,” Kostyshyn said, singling out the up-to-300 per cent rent increases laid out in the 2019 regulations.
“It came as quite a shock and was financially challenging for the beef industry at that point in time.”
Another major irritant for leaseholders was elimination of unit transfers, which meant they could no longer transfer lease rights to a new owner when they sold their farms. Many farms in the Interlake and Parkland were so reliant on crown lands that their operations were virtually unsellable unless the lease rights came with it.
That anger played into Kostyshyn’s electoral battleground. The Dauphin district is at the heart of cattle country, and crown lands were top of mind for many voters, despite later changes made by the previous government in 2023.
The NDP’s campaign promises included a vow to reinstate unit transfers and Kostyshyn took it a step further. In at least one election flyer distributed in his district, he said his party had committed to “the return of a point system that ensures local producers get treated fairly.”
When asked about a possible return of the points system, Kostyshyn was less definite.
“What we are doing is basically starting from ground zero and reviewing the present crown land lease legislation that was brought in by the previous government,” he said.
Kostyshyn’s mandate letter specifies that he should “reinstate unit transfers to the crown land program while also making leases more affordable to give the next generation of producers a fighting chance.”
When asked about that, Kostyshyn said he is “definitely prepared to sit down with producers and go through the regulations that have been generated by the previous government and how we can address them.”
He is firm about the consultation process over crown lands and adamant that problems might have been avoided if his predecessors had done the same.
“Once it was announced that they were going to modernize crown lands, I would have really thought that there would have been proper consultation with the producers in order to move forward with their proposals,” he said.
“But they were obviously announced without a minimum amount of consultation. That became quite evident when they came out with the initial regulations.”
Kostyshyn further characterized those changes as too little, too late. He said amendments were as good as admission that the original changes went too far.
Kostyshyn’s mandate letter also committed to funding construction of Assiniboine Community College’s Prairie Innovation Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, a project that has been on the books for years and has drawn millions in private support.
In a September election debate, Kinew committed to providing $60 million to see the centre built.
The facility, planned for the college’s North Hill campus in Brandon, is part of a planned expansion of the college’s agriculture programming. The school has said it hopes to grow agriculture-related student spaces from around 300 to more than 800 annually, largely through the new centre. It also intends to expand its course offerings to include more technical training and applied research.
The college has said the expansion will target labour shortages in the province’s ag sector and has touted its collaboration with companies that will employ graduates.
“This opportunity will allow us to invest in people who, in turn, invest in our industry,” said Kostyshyn.
The budget for the centre is currently reported at approximately $118 million. The previous government committed $10 million to help finalize the design of the building, while the college’s fundraising goal — increased several times since the centre was first announced — now sits at $20 million. ACC hopes to break ground on the project in mid-2025.
Kostyshyn said the exact distribution of the promised $60 million is still being sorted.
“We are working with the minister of advanced education and training to deliver funding to build (the centre) at Assiniboine Community College,” he said. “It’s in the elementary stage right now. We’ll have more information as we get into it more with the Assiniboine Community College.”
Kostyshyn stressed the importance of robust business risk management programs in an increasingly variable climate.
His mandate letter calls on him to “work with the federal government to ensure strong AgriRecovery and AgriStability supports to help producers make ends meet while they navigate the impacts of climate change.”
Kostyshyn said conversations with the federal government on ways to improve those programs is ongoing, but gave no specific details.
Manitoba cattle farmers have long asked for business risk management options tailored to livestock production. They say existing programs are not suited to their production systems. Cow-calf expenses are less likely to trigger AgriStability. Livestock Price Insurance, one of the programs specifically designed for livestock, is expensive, since premiums are not cost shared with government.
Kostyshyn said he has yet to speak with Manitoba Beef Producers about program improvements, but he’s open to new ideas.
“Everything’s on the table. That’s why we talk about two-way communication. Let’s have that discussion. Let’s go through a template of experimental ideas for the betterment of the sector. And then I’ll move it forward with the premier and move it forward with the partnering governments, whether they’re federal or provincial.”
Kostyshyn said the same approach will apply to his work with any commodity organization.
He said his party will look at reopening Manitoba Agricultural Services Corp. offices in many rural locations across the province. In 2021, the province closed all but 10.
“We’ve heard loud and clear from municipal governments and producers that maybe we should consider reopening some of them,” said Kostyshyn. “It’s in front of us; it’s definitely in the discussion stage, but we have made no decisions.”
It’s an honour to be given the ag portfolio again, Kostyshyn said, adding that his success in the role hinges on effective dialogue with industry partners.
“Communication is probably the best medication moving forward because, once we communicate, we can build a province,” he said.
“Our government is committed. We want to work together with all people. We’re here to listen, and we’re here to rebuild the team.
“And we’re here to work with producers and with all agricultural commodities in the province of Manitoba for the betterment of the agriculture sector.”
