PUBLISHED BY MANITOBA BEEF PRODUCERS

MAY 2020

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President's Column

Page 2

Ticks and Cattle

Page 12

Market Report

Page 9

BY RON FRIESEN

The COVID-19 pan-demic has disrupted the economy, caused wide-spread unemployment and upended millions of lives. But in a strange sort of way, it may actually be a silver lining for Canada’s beef sec-tor.

By declaring food pro-duction an essential service, the federal government is giving Canadians a new un-derstanding of the impor-tance of agriculture, includ-ing beef cattle, in their lives, industry officials say.

As well, with restau-rants and food service out-lets closed, Canadians are headed back to the kitchen to rediscover cooking meals from scratch, giving beef a major role to play, said Mi-chael Young, president of Canada Beef.

“We’ve got kitchen-captive Canadians now with lots of time to cook,” said Young. “Having Ca-nadians back home and cooking for their families, they may rediscover some things that us older people know quite well. And beef may be very well suited to the challenge.”

Young said Canada Beef has seen a 75 per cent increase in downloads off its website for beef recipes and cooking information since the COVID-19 cri-sis hit. Beef began flying off grocery store shelves in March as consumers began stocking up on food sup-plies. Shutting down restau-rants has pushed beef out of the food service sector and into the retail sector, giving shoppers an abundance of meat to choose from, from ground beef to middle cuts.

With an availability

of supply and versatility of cuts, beef is well positioned to meet the needs of con-sumers with time on their hands, tight budgets and hungry families to feed, said Young.

“Everyone is worried about the cost of food and I can see a lot of people go-ing back to the basics, going back to preparing full meals the way we used to. And I’m hoping we will hang on to this as we come through to the other side.”

Dennis Laycraft, ex-ecutive vice-president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, agrees declar-ing agriculture an essential service gives consumers a whole new outlook on food production and the people who make it happen.

“Up until two months ago, people didn’t think very much about whether there would be a regular supply of food and where their food really does come from,” said Laycraft. “All of a sudden it’s more front of mind than it may have been since the last time there was a food shortage, which was the Second World War.”

“There’s going to be a fundamental change in terms of how people view the importance of agricul-ture and food production.”

On April 2 the fed-eral government released a guidance document nam-ing 10 sectors, including food and agriculture, as es-sential services. This allows industry supply chains to continue functioning while still following procedures to prevent the spread of CO-VID-19.

“We’re trying to keep the critical mass operating as close to capacity as pos-sible,” Laycraft said. “(But)

I certainly wouldn’t want to leave the impression it’s business as usual.”

Laycraft said the indus-try is working with truck-ers, packing plants and auc-tion markets to implement procedural changes related to COVID-19. He said last month supply chains seemed to be working, de-spite additional procedures and heightened security.

“Every aspect of how we do business has changed but so far I think we’ve maintained a fairly signifi-cant level of business con-tinuity.”

That’s not to say there’s been no negative fallout, especially among cattle pro-ducers.

“They’re just getting hammered by the market,” said Janice Tranberg, presi-dent and CEO of the Na-tional Cattle Feeders Asso-ciation. “There is so much instability in the market today and it’s driving prices down, which is causing a lot of concern with our pro-ducers.”

Brian Perillat, man-ager and senior analyst with Canfax Research Services, said the impact of CO-VID-19 on markets and prices has been “big time.”

“With the crazy uncer-tainty in the marketplace, equity and commodity markets are off and cattle are not immune to that,” Perillat said.

He said fed cattle pric-es in late March were $10 to $20 a hundredweight below where they were predicted to be. Prices later this year may also be lower than pre-viously expected.

“Short term, the biggest thing is keeping the supply chain running as smoothly as possible and getting

cattle processed in a timely manner. That right now is number one. The secondary effect longer term is, what’s the impact going to be on beef demand?”

Laycraft said he doesn’t expect beef consumption to change a lot, although eat-ing patterns will.

“Basically what we’re hearing is, they’re going to eat about the same quan-tity of beef. It’s just going to be, instead of going out and eating it, they’re going to be eating it at home.”

Laycraft expressed confidence the beef sector will emerge from the CO-

VID-19 crisis stronger, not weaker.

“The food industry’s going to become, as we go through this, one of the cornerstone industries,” he said. “If we manage this properly, it’ll be one of the growth industries coming out of this.”

Beef demand good despite COVID-19

A SPRING UNLIKE ANY OTHERThe melting snow and mild temperatures are a welcome sign of brighter days ahead but the ‘new normal’ brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic is weighing heavily on the minds of Manitobans. We have extensive coverage of the virus and its impact on the beef industry in this issue of Cattle Country. (Photo credit: Jeannette Greaves)

May 2020CATTLE COUNTRY2

www.mbbeef.ca

DISTRICT 13MARY PAZIUK R.M. of Shell River, Shellmouth,Hillsburg, Boulton, Grandview, Gilbert Plains, Ethelbert, Mossey River, Dauphin, LGD Park

COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATORDavid Hultin

OFFICE ASSISTANTTanya Michalsky

DESIGNED BYTrinda Jocelyn

CATTLE COUNTRY EDITORDavid Hultin

FINANCEDeb Walger

DISTRICT 14JIM BUCHANAN R.M. of Minitonas, Swan River, Mountain, The Pas

MANITOBA BEEF PRODUCERS

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PH - (204) 772-4542FX - (204) 774-3264

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Maureen Cousins

Carson CallumGENERAL MANAGER

DISTRICT 1 GORD ADAMS R.M. of Albert, Cameron, Whitewater, Edward, Brenda, Winchester, Morton

DISTRICT 2 NANCY HOWATT - SECRETARY R.M. of Riverside, Strathcona, Argyle, Lorne, Turtle Mountain, Roblin, Louise, Pembina

DISTRICT 3 PETER PENNER - TREASURER R.M. of Portage la Prairie, Cartier, Grey, MacDonald, Dufferin, Thompson, Roland, Morris, Stanley, Rhineland, Montcalm

DISTRICT 4 KEVIN DUDDRIDGE R.M. of Richot, Ste. Anne, Hanover, De Salaberry, La Broquerie, Franklin, Stuartburn, Piney, LGD Reynolds

DISTRICT 5 STEVEN MANNS R.M. of Elton, North Cypress, North Norfolk, Cornwallis, Oakland, South Cypress, Victoria, South Norfolk

DISTRICT 6 MELISSA ATCHINSON R.M. of Wallace, Woodworth, Daly, Pipestone, Sifton, Whitehead, Glenwood

DISTRICT 7 TYLER FULTON 1ST VICE-PRESIDENT R.M. of Russell, Silver Creek, Rossburn, Ellice, Birtle, Shoal Lake, Strathclair, Archie, Miniota, Hamiota, Blanshard

DISTRICT 8 MATTHEW ATKINSON R.M. of Harrison, Clanwilliam, Rosedale, Glenella, Saskatchewan, Odanah, Minto, Langford, Lansdowne, Westbourne, LGD Park

DISTRICT 9 DIANNE RIDING - PRESIDENT R.M. of Woodlands, Rockwood, St. Andrews, Rosser, St. Francis Xavier, Springfield, Tache, Whitemouth, Lac du Bonnet, Brokenhead, St. Clements, LGD of Alexander, Pinawa

DISTRICT 10 MIKE DUGUID - 2ND VICE-PRESIDENT R.M. of Bifrost, Gimli, Fisher, Armstrong

DISTRICT 11 ROBERT METNER R.M. of Siglunes, Grahamdale, Eriksdale, Coldwell, St. Laurent

DISTRICT 12 MARK GOOD R.M. of Lawrence, Ochre River, Ste. Rose, McCreary, Alonsa

POLICY ANALYST

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S E R V I C E S

CARSON CALLUMGeneral Manager’s Column

MBP focused on COVID-19 and more

Initiatives to help producers are key

As cattle producers we take great efforts to pre-pare for different events that might affect our op-erations, such as floods, droughts, bad storms and feed shortages. But still the unforeseen happens, throwing us for a most

unwelcome loop. That’s certainly the case with CO-VID-19.

Manitoba Beef Pro-ducers (MBP) and other members of the Canadian beef industry have been strongly advocating with governments to try to ad-

dress challenges arising from COVID-19. On the positive side, as I write this there has been no disrup-tion of trade with our key trading partners. There is still good demand for our product in grocery stores as people cook at home, helping to partially offset diminished sales on the restaurant side. On the negative side are the on-going questions around market volatility, and the effects of reduced pro-ductivity at processing plants. No one can defini-tively predict how this will play out in the weeks and months ahead. We recog-nize this situation is creat-ing tremendous economic and personal stress for pro-ducers and others in the value chain, so continued advocacy work is key.

Throughout this pan-

demic, Canada’s beef in-dustry has held ongoing calls and virtual meetings with value chain members and governments discuss-ing what can be done to help the industry weather both short-term and long-term matters arising from COVID-19. The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (of which MBP is a mem-ber) has put forward sev-eral recommendations to the federal government to provide immediate stop-gap support for producers to keep their operations fi-nancially sustainable, some of which will require the involvement of provincial governments if programs are cost shared. Among these are: having the pan-demic deemed a natural disaster under AgriRecov-ery to hep flow immediate aid to producers; seeking

changes to AgriStability to make it more responsive; and, making modifications to the Western Livestock Price Insurance Program in light of the spike in pre-mium costs that has affect-ed affordability.

Another key recom-mendation is to establish a set-aside program. A simi-lar initiative was used dur-ing BSE. It would help ad-dress processing challenges by managing inventories throughout the beef pro-duction system and better match the number of cattle ready to market with avail-able processing capacity.

MBP has shared these asks with Manitoba Ag-riculture and Resource Development Minister Blaine Pedersen and pro-vincial government staff as well, seeking support for them. And we have raised

other matters with the province such as: interest rates charged on lending programs offered through MASC; labour shortages; ensuring that producers have timely access to driver testing and training; access to rural mental health ser-vices; and, the importance of personal protective equipment for the agricul-ture sector. Please share your concerns about how COVID-19 is affecting your operation with your elected officials at the fed-eral and provincial level. Your first hand perspec-tive is very important and drives home the urgency of this situation.

Although there are challenges with some busi-ness risk management (BRM) programs that need fixing, MBP still encourag-es producers to Page 8

DIANNE RIDINGPresident's Column

I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy in these unprecedented times. With all of the issues we have been dealing with in the past year, I never would have expected a pandemic would be a major cause of our challenges mov-ing forward in 2020. As most can attest to, this ramped up very fast on a global scale and caused us at MBP to make swift changes to the way we conduct business. As you may have seen on our website and social media accounts, we have transitioned staff to a virtual office, as health of staff, directors, and our families is extremely important. We need to do what we can to reduce the spread of CO-VID-19, and do our part in practicing social distancing.

However, this has not impacted our ability to serve our members as best we can. We have been very focused on challenges related to COVID-19, and working in col-laboration with other provincial cattle groups, the Canadi-an Cattlemen Association (CCA), National Cattle Feeders Association (NCFA), Livestock Marketing Association of Canada (LMAC), and various other industry stakehold-ers to provide support for the beef sector. We also have been working hard on many other ongoing files important to producers in the province, such as Agricultural Crown Lands (ACL) and Predation.

As I sit here in my makeshift home office, I realize we are not out of the woods when it comes to the virus. Our team at MBP is being diligent and adjusting as best we can to this ever evolving situation. I sincerely ask for your pa-tience, as I want to ensure you we are trying to get support for producers that have been significantly impacted by a dramatic drop in prices as a result of this global crisis.

As I mentioned, we have taken a very collaborative

approach as an industry to tackle this global issue. We are working with the CCA and other provincial cattle asso-ciations daily to provide input on how this is impacting producers in Manitoba. We fully understand the financial strain this has put on producers across the province. To get support for producers, the industry has made many recommendations to the federal government such as an extension to the Advance Payment Program, listing the beef supply chain as “Critical Infrastructure”, cost shared premiums for Western Livestock Price Insurance Pro-gram (WLPIP), and triggering AgriRecovery to provide immediate financial support for impacted producers. More information on these recommendations, and more COVID-related documents can be found on our website, or the CCA website. So far, as of April 13, there has been a Stay of Default for all eligible farmers who have an out-standing Advance Payments Program (APP) loan due on or before April 30, thereby giving them an additional six months to repay the loan. Farm Credit Canada (FCC) has been provided with additional funds in lending capacity for the agriculture sector, including producers. The fed-eral government has also deemed agriculture, including the beef supply chain, as “Critical Infrastructure.” These developments are positive, and we will continue to push for other support. We encourage producers to talk to their own financial institutions as well, to determine what can be done to support them in this difficult time.

Another important step that the industry is taking to tackle the issues related to COVID-19 are protocols to en-sure things keep moving. I want to commend the LMAC for their work on protocols to use at busy auction marts to reduce the spread of this virus. Processing facilities are also implementing strategies to keep the supply chain flowing, which is crucial for beef to make it to the grocery store shelves. There also has been work to get temporary foreign workers to Canada who are very important in the agricul-ture sector. It’s hard to say what will happen between now and the time you read this, but industry and government

are collaborating strongly to maintain a strong food sup-ply.

Now, moving back to other non COVID-related is-sues, since our Annual General Meeting, we have been moving on many important files that came from the busi-ness component of the meeting. We have continued to push our stance related to the Agricultural Crown Land Leasing Program changes to the province, such the impor-tance of the first right of renewal and a longer transition period for increased rental rates. We hope to see the pub-lic consultations related to the right of renewal open very soon. If they have not happened in the time since I wrote this column, I strongly encourage you to put your voice in to the provincial government when they do. Other major files we have been working on have been predation, public trust, the Manitoba Protein Advantage, and the Species at Risk Partnerships on Agricultural Lands (SARPAL) initia-tive. Though many efforts recently have been related to COVID-19, we still are working to advance many files that will benefit the Manitoba beef sector.

Before I close, I hope you all stay safe and well in these challenging times. This may not be a time where we can physically come together to tackle issues, but we need to come together from far and wide as an overall sector to keep the wheels turning. This is impacting so many peo-ple and sectors, and we will need to support each other moving forward. I want to thank all farmers, health care workers, truckers, veterinarians, auction marts and all of the other essential services for everything they do in these trying times. I hope everyone is able to get through the recommended isolation that is being asked of us as a soci-ety, and maintain a strong mental state. However, I know many of you have the experience in hunkering down, as calving season can already lead to folks spending lots of time on the farm.

We will get through this, and we will get through it together.

Carson

May 2020 CATTLE COUNTRY 3

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Coping with stress and anxietyBY ANGELA LOVELL

Recognizing the signs of stress

Nobody is immune from stress, as the current situation with the global COVID-19 pandemic dem-onstrates all too well, heap-ing new doses of anxiety on top of the usual day-to-day pressures of life and work.

“Most people have ex-perienced difficulties with mental health but wouldn’t recognize it because it’s so common in life and our human experience,” says clinical psychologist, Dr Rehman Abdulrehman. “What’s important is that we learn to identify when we are having difficul-ties and seek the help that we need.”How can we tell when we are getting beyond our

capacity to cope?“If we find that our dif-

ficulties are interfering with our everyday life, and our abilities to carry out with what we need to do, and it’s causing some signifi-cant level of avoidance or distress, likely our mental health is impacted and we should consider thinking about how to address it,” says Abdulrehman.

The most common type of mental health diffi-culty is anxiety. “With anxi-ety, we typically notice that we’re starting to avoid do-ing the things that we used to be able to, or that we can’t do them or are struggling to do them,” says Abdulrehm-an. “People will often strug-gle to actually get to work, or avoid going to work for, example, if it’s making them anxious.”

The current environ-ment is also highlighting another common symp-tom of mental health dif-ficulty in that people avoid their feelings and begin to engage in compulsive be-haviours, such as constantly checking or counting to avoid their feelings. “Gen-eral avoidance of our feel-ings or circumstance is a key thing to watch for,” says Abdulrehman.

Another common symptom is depression and mood changes. “The signs we should look for is that our energy is not at the same level that it was, sleep is disturbed, concentration and memory is impacted. People also find changes in appetite, in libido,” says Ab-dulrehman. “Those things happen periodically, but the moment they remain con-sistent over several weeks is when we really need to be able to review this.”

Helping someone seek help

It can be hard to recog-nize and accept these symp-toms of mental health dif-ficulties in oneself, and it’s often loved ones or friends who can see the differ-ences in behaviour, mood or function that point to a problem. So, how do you go about helping someone that you can see is struggling, and maybe persuade them to seek professional help?

“It’s important to use language that makes sense for that person,” says Abdul-rehman. “If someone who is struggling with depres-sion is not willing to ever accept that term, they’re not going to get help. But if you say, you’re looking stressed out and I’m worried about you, maybe you need to talk to somebody, that would be more familiar as the first step.”

It may also be that a person will need to make several efforts to broach the subject with a loved one or friend that they see strug-gling. “It maybe that we bring up the topic, leave the door open and bring it up periodically,” says Ab-dulrehman. “Sometimes when we push excessively, if somebody’s not used to that, they might push back.”

The other important thing is to be as specific as possible about how that person could go about get-ting some help.

“For a person who has never considered getting mental health care, it can be a daunting task to go search it out, and it’s unlikely that they’ll follow through,” says Abdulrehman. “But if you say, ‘I know or I spoke to this person and they said this is what they can do for you. Do you want to have a conversation with them?’ that’s very specific and you’ve done some of the legwork for them.

Where to find help?

Although accessing mental health services will depend on a lot of factors such as the individual’s needs and location, a good place to start is the Mani-toba Psychological Society, which has an online referral base. “You can find a psy-chologist, you can learn a little bit about them, so you can do all of this informa-tion gathering well before you actually make that call, so it’s nice to be able to do that on your own,” says Ab-dulrehman.

Another avenue is to have a conversation with your own physician. “Phy-sicians are often the gate-keepers, and they can also present options,” says Ab-dulrehman. “They might look at medication, or they might recommend a psy-chologist.”

The most important thing is that people are comfortable with the men-tal health professional that they talk to.

“I would encourage people to have conversa-tions with the therapist before they make an ap-pointment because the right fit is critical,” says Abdulrehman. “There needs to be a level of trust, so if you feel like you need some help, read up on the people that you want to go see. Feel that you can have some sense of relatability.”

Mental health can have physical impactsMental health, Abdul-

rehman emphasizes, is not just about our feelings. Our mental health can impact our physical bodies as well.

“There are things that we can’t do sometimes just because our head’s not in the right space,” he says. “That could be intimate relations, or other health-related issues. There’s even a condition called shy bladder that’s impacted by

anxiety where people can’t use the bathroom in cer-tain cases. So, our mental health will impact our body and sometimes the thing we’re looking for is not just hurt feelings.”

People also have ac-cess to more information than ever before, so they can inform themselves, and in some cases even ac-cess online psychologists. “Reading about things can be a really effective way of coping,” says Abdulrehm-an. “Maybe you are not at the point where you want to go and get some help, but knowledge when man-aged well and from a repu-table source can be very therapeutic.”

Today’s current situ-ation, as people deal with new realities such as self-isolation and social dis-tancing, is forcing many people to deal with a lot of issues at once that can im-pact their mental health.

“The pandemic is not just being worried about getting sick, it’s about not being able to get out, and being forced to deal with a lot of our demons,” says Abdulrehman. “Maybe there’s difficulties in rela-tionships, others just like to be outdoors more and are stuck indoors in small spaces. Others are trapped in abusive situations. There’s a whole set of cir-cumstantial situations that are tied to what we’re doing to cope with the physical health that are going to im-pact our mental health.”

Thankfully, the stigma around mental health is eroding as people under-stand that visiting a psy-chologist doesn’t mean a person has a serious mental illness any more than going to see a doctor means they

have cancer.“There’s a lot of very

common mental illness-es, and they are tied to our humanity, so when

we can see that it allows us more comfort to deal with what we need to deal with when it comes up,” says Abdulrehman.

Dr. Abdulrehman’s top six tips for coping with stress and anxiety

1. Ensure you make use of your social supports as much as possible. That means company, but also trying to talk about what you’re feeling. Research shows that social support is a critical factor that promotes psychological resilience.

2. Challenge negative thinking. Negative thinking is often unrealistic, and/or not solution focused. Looking for what we can do or have control over (even if it is small) can be helpful in producing hope.

3. Face our fears, wherever possible. In our current pandemic climate, some of our fears may be harder to overcome given we are indoors more. But facing fears, appropriately, gradually, will allow our body to adjust to discomfort to the point that it no longer bothers us, or bothers us much less.

4. Be as active as you can. Both physical activity, and a diversity of tasks are good for mood and the brain.

5. Be mindful of alcohol and marijuana intake. Research demonstrates they can be tied to difficulties with mental health, especially when we use them to cope with difficult feelings or situations.

6. Be okay with imperfection. Do our best, but always understand that imperfection is humanity.

Dr. Abdulrehman(Credit: Abdul Abdulrehman)

May 2020CATTLE COUNTRY4

www.mbbeef.ca

Kevin DuddridgeDistrict 4

Representing: RM of Richot, Ste. Anne, Hanover, De Salaberry, La Broque-rie, Franklin, Stuartburn, Piney, LGD Reynolds.

Kevin Duddridge is a first-generation farmer, who emigrated to Canada in 1967, and now operates

a 220-head cow/calf ranch near Grunthal with his wife, Ruth.

Duddridge has a passion for the beef industry and its potential, which is why he agreed to stand as a director for MBP, and says he has been ‘blown away’ by how many capable people are representing the industry.

“Having just attended the [Manitoba Beef Producers] AGM, I was taken aback by how well we are represented at all different levels, from government to marketing, re-searchers and all the expertise that is out there,” he says.

That expertise will be needed to help meet some of the challenges facing the industry, he believes, such as stagnant returns and increasing inputs. Personally, Dud-dridge wants to see young people come into the indus-try and believes that there are plenty of opportunities for them if they embrace all the tools available.

“There is equipment technology, feed and genetic op-portunities that are underutilized in the industry,” he says. “If new entrants and existing producers can embrace them and capitalize on this production technology, and we can increase the amount of high-quality Canadian beef going to markets like Asia, the future for the industry is bright.”

Melissa Atchison District 6

Representing: RM of Wallace, Woodworth, Daly, Pipestone, Sifton, White-head, Glenwood.

Melissa Atchison had a pretty good idea what to expect when she decided to stand for election to the MBP board because her

husband, Trevor had also served for six years, one as MBP President.

Melissa and Trevor’s children are the fifth generation to farm Poplarview Stock Farm, a 650-head cow/calf and backgrounding operation at Pipestone. Melissa has a lot of first-hand experience as a beef producer and with govern-ment, and she hopes to use those skills to help further the industry.

She also decided to stand as a director for her own personal growth. “I am excited to have the opportunity to broaden my perspective, especially at the national level, and see this industry beyond the lens of my own experi-ence,” she says.

Melissa says one of the biggest challenges facing the industry is public perception. “I think we need to do a bet-ter job of sharing our story and being transparent,” she says.

That said, she feels there is also tremendous oppor-tunities to better leverage technology in the beef indus-try. “We are an industry that currently uses 50 per cent of available technology, so I think with younger producers getting excited about joining the farm and making use of that technology, there are opportunities for sure,” she says.

Matthew AtkinsonDistrict 8

Representing: RM of Harrison, Clanwilliam, Rosedale, Glenella, Sas-katchewan, Odanah, Min-to, Langford, Landsdowne, Westbourne, LGD Park

Matthew Atkinson, his wife Kate and daughter Ev-elyn ranch with his parents

on the south edge of the Riding Mountain escarpment, about 20 minutes from Neepawa. Originally from Eng-land, the family, which has farmed for many generations, came to Manitoba 30 years ago, and now raise their 250-head cow/calf herd with a focus on producing good qual-ity, commercial replacement heifers.

One thing he has already noticed in his new role as MBP director is the vast and diverse scope of MBP’s in-volvement in the beef industry. “The range of support, representation and involvement, both internally and ex-ternal, on various committees is extensive,” he says. “It gives me a whole new level of appreciation for the MBP office staff to keep on top of everything and everyone in-formed.”

Atkinson says the past two years have been particu-larly full of challenges for Manitoba’s beef producers, with drought conditions, Crown Land concerns, changes to transportation rules, and other difficulties.  “It is hard to look at these challenges without also feeling amazement and pride at the resilience and innovation born of tough conditions,” says Atkinson. “I look forward to seeing that strong will to succeed make our operations more success-

ful and profitable given the return of better years and hope that I can some play a role in assisting with that.”

Mark GoodDistrict 12

Representing: RM of Lawrence, Ochre River, Ste. Rose, McCreary and Alonsa.

Mark Good is a first-generation rancher, who moved to the Alonsa area in 2001, where he currently has a 300-head cow/calf op-

eration on about 42 quarter sections of owned and rented land.

In his capacity as MBP director, Good hopes to make a difference on issues like the agricultural Crown land legislation, and help promote beef to allow the industry to remain profitable, which he sees as one of the biggest challenges going forward.

“A profitable industry entices young producers to come and stay in the industry and helps us to increase production, which encourages the use of marginal land in Manitoba,” he says. ‘“A thriving industry is good for cattle, the grassland and communities.”

He sees great opportunities ahead for the industry particularly in promoting beef as a safe, nutritious prod-uct. “If we have a market for our product, we can continue to raise beef and use cattle to improve Manitoba’s grass-lands,” he says.

Besides serving on the committees with MBP, Good also serves on the Research Advisory Committee for The Manitoba Beef & Forage Initiatives and locally on the inter-Ridge Veterinary Clinic Board and museum board.

Jim BuchananDistrict 14

Representing: RM of Minitonas, Swan River, Mountain, The Pas

Jim Buchanan is a new cattle producer, who pur-chased heifers four years ago and now has a 80-head cow/calf herd near Minito-nas.

Since becoming a MBP director, Buchanan has been surprised by the amount and complexity of work there is to be done. “I didn’t realize how much govern-ment lobbying is being done and all the financial deci-sions that are made,” he said, adding he is impressed by the job Manitoba Beef Producers directors and staff all do to communicate effectively across the industry.

“I haven’t had a lot of experience in doing that, but I really want to learn more about how to communicate,” he says, adding he sees promoting a positive image one

of the big challenges fac-ing the beef industry.

“If we want strong markets for our cattle, we have to keep the public informed so they under-stand their beef comes from healthy, quality ani-mals that are well taken care of,” he says.

As a young producer, Buchanan sees a lot of op-portunity in the beef in-dustry going forward and plans to expand his own herd. “I can see myself ex-panding my herd and hay-ing and pasturing more of my grain land because I enjoy being a cattle pro-ducer and think there is a wonderful opportunity to expand in the cattle indus-try today,” he says.

Some introductions to MBP's five new board directors

May 2020 CATTLE COUNTRY 5

www.mbbeef.ca

Box 274, Austin, MB R0H 0C0 President: Tracy Wilcox 204-713-0029

Secretary: Laurelly Beswitherick 204-637-2046 b2@inetlink.ca

w w w . m b s i m m e n t a l . c o m

2020 CSA AGM & YCSA ShowP o r t a g e L a P r a i r i e , m b

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Presorts MUST be booked in advance. Bred cow sales must be pre-booked and in by NOON on Wednesday prior.

Age verification papers must be dropped off with cattle.

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Thurs., Feb 1 Butcher Sale 9:00 am; Bred Cow Sale 1:00 pm Tues., Feb 6 Feeder Sale 9:00 amThurs., Feb 8 Butcher Sale 9:00 amTues., Feb 13 Presort Sale 9:30 amThurs., Feb 15 Butcher Sale 9:00 am Bred Cow Sale 1:00 pm Tues., Feb 20 Feeder Sale 9:00 amThurs., Feb 22 Butcher Sale 9:00 amTues., Feb 27 Presort Sale 9:30 amFri., Mar 2 Cattleman’s Connection Bull Sale 1:00 pmTues., Mar 6 Feeder Sale 9:00 amTues., Mar 13 Presort Sale 9:30 amThurs., Mar 15 Bred Cow Sale 1:00 pmTues., Mar 20 Feeder Sale 9:00 amTues., Mar 27 Feeder Sale 9:00 am

April 14 Regular Sale 9amApril 21 Regular Sale 9amApril 28 Regular Sale 9amMay 5 Regular Sale 9amMay 12 Regular Sale 9amMay 19 Regular Sale 9amMay 26 Regular Sale 9am

ALL PRESORT SALES WILL BE BROADCAST LIVE ON THE INTERNET. Presorts MUST be booked in advance. Bred cow sales must be

pre-booked and in by NOON on Wednesday prior. Age verification papers must be dropped off with cattle.

REGULAR SALES WILL RUN ON TUESDAYS ONLY THROUGHOUT APRIL AND MAY

NO SPECIAL SALES AT THIS TIME DUE TO COVID-19. NO ACCESS TO GENERAL PUBLIC AT THE SALES AS WELL.

BY MAUREEN COUSINSMBP Policy Analyst

The following are some of the key gov-ernment initiatives announced in recent weeks related to the COVID-19 pan-demic. As programs have been evolving, check the government websites for the latest information.

APP Stay of DefaultThe federal government announced a

stay of default for 2018 cattle and bison ad-vances and 2018 crop advances to Septem-ber 30, 2020 for those using the Advance Payments Program (APP) administered by the Manitoba Livestock Cash Advance Pro-gram and some other local administrators. Eligible producers with an outstanding APP loan due on or before April 30 will receive the stay, giving them another six months to repay the loan. Contact the MLCA office at 1-866-869-4008 for more information.

Agristability Enrollment Deadline Extended

The AgriStability enrollment deadline for the 2020 program year has been extend-ed without penalty, from April 30 to July 3, 2020 to give producers more time to sign up for it. Call 1-866-367-8506 for more in-formation. Farmers experiencing losses are encouraged to apply for interim payments under AgriStability for more rapid support.

FCC ProgramsFarm Credit Canada (FCC) has re-

ceived an additional $5 billion in federal funding to help its producer, agribusiness and food processor clients. FCC has put in place the following measures:

• a deferral of principal and interest payments up to six months for existing loans; or

• a deferral of principal payments up to 12 months;

• access to an additional credit line up to $500,000, secured by general security agreements.

FCC customers should contact their relationship manager or the FCC Customer Service Centre at 1-888-332-3301 to dis-cuss options, or see https://www.fcc-fac.ca/en/covid-19/program-details.html.

Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan

The federal government has launched a detailed economic response plan targeted at individuals, businesses and industries af-fected by the pandemic. For example, for individuals and families, this includes: in-creasing the Canada Child Benefit, a Special Goods and Services Tax credit payment,

and mortgage support. For businesses ele-ments are aimed at avoiding layoffs and rehiring employees, including the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, an extension of the work-sharing program, temporary changes to the Canada Summer Jobs pro-gram, and the establishment of a Business Credit Availability Program.

The plan also includes the creation of a Canada Emergency Business Account to ensure small businesses have access to capital. This program provides interest-free loans of up to $40,000 to small businesses and not-for-profits, to help cover their op-erating costs during a period where their revenues have been temporarily reduced, due to the economic impacts of the CO-VID-19 virus. Repaying the balance of the loan on or before December 31, 2022 will result in loan forgiveness of 25 per cent (up to $10,000). Access is open to businesses that paid between $20,000 and $1.5 million in total payroll in 2019. Contact your finan-cial institution for more details.

The Canada Emergency Response Benefit is aimed at people who have stopped working because of the pandemic who are not eligible to collect employ-ment insurance and are facing unemploy-ment. It will provide a taxable benefit of $2,000 a month for up to four months to eligible workers who have lost their in-come due to COVID-19.For more details call 1-800-959-2019 or 1-800-959-2041 or apply online at https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/cerb-application.html .

The federal government is allow-ing businesses to defer until after August 31, 2020 the payment of any income tax amounts that becomes owing on or af-ter March 18 and before September 2020. This relief would apply to tax balances due, as well as instalments, under Part I of the Income Tax Act. No interest or penalties will accumulate on these amounts during this period. The filing due date for 2019 in-come tax returns for individuals has been deferred until June 1. Any new income tax balances due, or instalments, are also being deferred until after August 31 without in-curring interest or penalties.

For complete details of the federal Economic Response Plan, go to https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/economic-response-plan.html .

Temporary Foreign Workers ProgramThe federal government is allowing

temporary foreign workers (TFW) in ag-riculture and agri-food to travel to Canada under exemptions to the air travel restric-

tions that took effect on March 18. In ad-dition to health screening protocols before travel, all individuals entering from abroad must isolate for 14 days upon their arrival in Canada.

A temporary modification is being made to the Labour Market Impact As-sessment process for agriculture and food processing employers, as the required two-week recruitment period will be waived for the next six months. The federal govern-ment is also increasing the maximum al-lowable employment duration for workers in the low-wage stream of the TFW Pro-gram from one to two years. This will im-prove flexibility and reduce the administra-tive burden for meat processors.

For more details go to https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-develop-ment/services/foreign-workers/employer-compliance/covid-faq.html

Provincial ActionsAs part of its Manitoba Protection

Plan, the provincial government is provid-ing the following protections to Manitoba residents until Oct. 1:

• not charging interest or penalties for Manitoba Hydro, Centra Gas, Workers Compensation Board and Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI);

• not disconnecting customers of Manitoba Hydro and Centra Gas;

• instructing MPI to relax ordinary practices on policy renewals and collec-tions;

• supporting Workers Compensation Board (WCB) to do the same and asking WCB to extend relief from penalties for late payments;

• working with municipal partners to ensure municipalities do not charge interest on provincial education taxes and school division fees and the province is encour-aging municipalities to do the same with respect to their own taxes and will start dis-cussions to support implementation.

Provincial income tax and corporate income tax filing deadlines and payments have been deferred to coincide with the current revised federal deferral of income tax to August 31.

Repayment of Manitoba Student Aid loans has been suspended for six months through September 30.

Manitoba Public Insurance will be re-turning up to $110 million via rebates to its policyholders. Rebates will be based on what policyholders paid last year and ex-pected to be around 11 per cent, or between $140 to $160 per average policyholder. Re-bate cheques will arrive at the end of May to early June. This surplus is the result of fewer claims during this COVID-19 period, cou-pled with strong year-end financial results. As a public insurance model, MPI operates on a break-even basis and is required to maintain its reserves at a level set by legisla-tion.

Re: mental health services, the prov-ince is providing Manitobans aged 16 or older free access to an internet-based cogni-tive behavioural-therapy program. Services are available in English and French. It can be accessed at www.manitoba.ca/covid19 . Crisis mental-health services are available at www.gov.mb.ca/health/mh/crisis.html or call Manitoba Farm, Rural & Northern Support Services at 1-866-367-3276 (hours Monday-Friday 10 am to 9 pm).

For a complete list of provincial gov-ernment resources related to COVID-19, including health resources, go to www.manitoba.ca/covid19 .

Government Activities UpdateCOVID-19 dominates activities of governments in recent weeks

For a complete list of provincial government resources related to COVID-19, including health resources, go to www.manitoba.ca/covid19

May 2020CATTLE COUNTRY6

www.mbbeef.ca

Manitoba Angus AssociationP: 1-888-622-6487

mandi.mbangus@gmail.com

JACK HART MEMORIAL FEMALE FOUNDATION AWARD

Deadline June 1/20 - check www.mbangus.ca

for more information

MAA SUMMER GOLD SHOWJuly 27/20 - Harding, MB

CJA SHOWDOWNJuly 23-25/20 - Brandon, MB

We hope all cattle producers are staying home and staying safe!

For more information and events check www.mbangus.ca

COVID-19 reduces North American beef processing capacity: CCA recommends implementing set aside program(Credit: CCA statement)

The Canadian Cattle-men’s Association (CCA) is working with industry stakeholders and govern-ment to continue to sup-ply beef and keep markets moving in these difficult times. In the last week, North American beef pro-cessing capacity has been reduced at a number of facilities due to challenges brought forth by the CO-VID-19 pandemic.

For Canada, this in-cludes the Cargill pro-cessing facility in High

River, Alberta , temporar-ily reducing shifts start-ing the week of April 13, 2020. This Cargill facility represents 36 per cent of total Canadian process-ing capacity. Other plants within Canada have also marginally reduced pack-ing capacity to be able to implement COVID-19 protocols such as spac-ing of workers within the plant. These reductions in packing capacity will create challenges for Ca-nadian beef farmers and ranchers, and additionally may have impacts at the

consumer level depending on the length of interrup-tions.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CCA submitted a set of recommendations to the Federal Government including changes to the Business Risk Manage-ment (BRM) programs. Additionally, within the submission was the rec-ommendation to re-build the BSE era set-aside framework to be imple-mented should a critical situation, such as a signifi-cant reduction in packing

capacity, arise. The CCA recognizes that we are now in a critical situation and recommends that this program be reinstated and implemented immediately to best address the array of challenges brought for-ward by packing capacity shortages. The CCA is in discussion with the Fed-eral Government on our recommendations.

“We learned many lessons during the hard years of BSE, and it is time to implement the policies that previously helped us weather the storm,” says

Bob Lowe, President of the CCA.

The objective of a set-aside program is to delay the marketing of cattle when processing capacity isn’t available. The pro-gram would be designed to encourage farmers to hold cattle on mainte-nance rations. This would allow cattle marketings to stretch out over a lon-ger period of time and be managed by existing packing capacity, until slaughter capacity can be regained. The program was originally developed in concert between gov-ernments and the Cana-dian beef industry during the BSE era and consid-ered successful.

“We also must look at and support all actions that can assist in our cur-rent situation. This could include increases in pro-cessing capacity at pro-vincial packing plants and holding back cows so that we can focus slaughter on fed cattle - everything is on the table,” states Lowe.

Canadian processing facilities have developed and implemented mea-sures in consultation with public health agencies in-cluding: taking tempera-tures of employees before

the start of work each day, additional cleaning

and disinfection for high touch surfaces, mon-itoring of hand washing with soap and water by quality assurance person-nel, use of a sanitizer to disinfect hands, and the requirement for employ-ees to self-monitor and not to come to work if observable symptoms are present.

Health and food safety is paramount in all agriculture and food production operations in Canada. The above pro-tocols are in addition to regular cleaning and sani-tation.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) continues to indicate that they do not anticipate any food product recalls or withdrawals from the market due to COVID-19 contamination. Currently, there have been no report-ed cases of food or food packaging being associ-ated with the transmission of COVID-19.

For further informa-tion, contact: Michelle McMullen Communications Man-ager 403-451-0931mcmullenm@cattle.ca

Fresh straw in the pens attracts the attention of curious young calves at a farm in Deerwood in late March. (credit: Jeannettte Greaves)

May 2020 CATTLE COUNTRY 7

www.mbbeef.ca

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BY ANGELA LOVELL

Producers around the province are reporting more twin calves – and at least one set of triplets – born this year, so what’s the cause, and is it actually as unusual as it seems?

Dave Koslowsky usu-ally averages between two to five sets of twin calves per year, but this spring is the first time he’s ever had triplets born on his farm, southeast of Killarney.

“We have had one set of triplets and five sets of twins so far and are about two-thirds done calving,” said Koslowsky during the fourth week of March. Ko-slowsky had gone in for coffee the Sunday morn-ing that one cow had given birth to twins and when he came back out a short while later, he was surprised to find a third calf in the pen.

The triplets, two heif-ers and a bull calf, averaged around 68 lbs. birth weight each, and seem to be doing well, although Koslowsky did have to pull the male off after the cow began to reject him.

“What we found in-teresting was we kept the calves in the barn because it was still fairly cool out and after about a week the cow would let the two female calves suck, but was push-ing the male away,” said Koslowsky. “The next day another cow lost her calf, so we were able to put him onto her and it worked out.”

In all his 50 years of calving cows, Fred de La-roque has never seen as many twins born as this year, and the timing has also been unusual.

“We calve 125 cows and on a normal year we get one or two sets of twins,” said de Laroque, who farms near Woodlands, and was over halfway through his calving season when inter-viewed. “This year we have six sets of twins so far and they all came out of the first week of last year’s breeding

season, out of the first 15 to 20 cows to calve, which is really interesting.”

Gladstone veterinar-ian, Dr. Tanya Anderson, may have an explanation for de Laroque and other producers who seem to have had a higher number of twins at time of writing.

“It could simply be that many producers are near the beginning of the calv-ing season,” said Anderson. “Most twins are born a little earlier so may be over-rep-resented at this time.”

That said, multiple births do seem to be trend-ing a bit higher than usual, although it’s hard to know exactly why. Most experts agree that genetics has a lot to do with multiple births, and Anderson said one of the main reasons for twins is breed.

“Higher milking breeds tend to have more twins, and it can be heri-table from both the dam as well as the sire,” she said. “I do know that certain clients of mine seem to get more twins than others. Charolais and Simmental cows appear to be over-represented.”

The role of nutritionThe other part of the

equation is nutrition.“A lot of multiple preg-

nancies come about be-cause of nutritional status at breeding time,” said Ray Bittner, a livestock specialist with Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Develop-ment. “For many producers cows are released onto pas-ture the same day as breed-ing season starts. With the transition from dry hay to extremely damp grass, and having a calf at side, the cow suffers a very dramatic tran-sition.”

In dry years like last year, when nothing is grow-ing at the start of breeding season producers either keep cows on hay, or pro-vide supplement to main-tain nutritional status, which in turn would more likely allow more concep-tion and less delays in con-

ception, added Bittner.Another factor could

be that some cattle produc-ers were forced to supple-ment their herds at the end of last winter and into early spring, leading to higher feed intakes, said Anderson.

“Progesterone levels are decreased with high feed intake and this increas-es the likelihood of double ovulation and the concep-tion of twins,” she said.

Enhanced nutrition pre-breeding and during breeding season also can in-crease the rates of twinning.  

“Synchronization and AI programs may also pro-duce more twinning due to fertility drugs being ad-ministered to synchronize heats,” said Anderson. “Yet some synch programs have been noted to decrease the incidence of twins in dairy breeding programs.”

Bittner added produc-ers who ran out of hay, and chose not to supplement may have had low concep-tion and late calving.

“In the Interlake, many producers found low con-ception and late cows at preg check time in fall,” he said. “Some producers chose to remove up to one-third of their herds due to low conception. This was primarily due to very dry conditions and minimal pasture growth in 2019.”Managing multiple calves

As producers know, one of the biggest concerns with twins is whether the mother will accept both, and be able to feed them successfully.

“One of the challeng-es with twins is does the mother have enough milk to sustain her, so if you have a spare cow that has lost her calf, you do have the option to take one calf off,” said Koslowsky. “But, on the flip side, the nutritional needs on a cow that’s feeding twins is higher, especially as you want her to cycle and get bred again.”

Koslowsky likes to keep a careful eye on cows

that have had twins. “They do sometimes

come in from pasture in poorer condition in fall than the ones that just had one calf,” he said. “It’s some-thing you have to keep an eye on, and if the cow is get-ting run down you need to pull the calves off or bring her home earlier in the fall and feed her extra to get her in shape for the winter, because if she’s growing a calf inside her she’s working hard.”

de Laroque lost two calves – one from each of the first sets of twins born, and prefers to leave only one calf on with the cow, so had four bottle feeding.

“I have found over the years if you leave two calves on one cow you end up with two poor calves, and the cow comes in either not bred or in poor condi-tion,” he said, adding he is always prepared with some colostrum in the freezer and plenty of milk replacer around. Apart from that, he said, he just makes sure to keep an eye on things, es-pecially if he starts getting more twins than usual.

“When you start to get this many, it makes you a little more careful, if it’s a big, old cow and out comes a little calf, we are checking to see if there is a second one in there,” he said. “

In handling twins, Mike Duguid generally sep-arates them and the cow for a while to ensure that the cow accepts both and is tak-ing care of them well.

“We have had twins born out in the pasture and the stronger calf got up and went with the cow and the weaker one was left behind, so that’s why we separate them, even if it’s only 36 hours, because the calves do strengthen quickly,” he said.

Duguid, who calves 175 cows near Camp Mor-ton, had already had 17 sets of twins when interviewed, which is high, but not un-heard of. “We have had the same number in the past; it

seems to come in waves,” he said.

Generally, Duguid added, he puts cows with twins into the first calvers’ pen to allow the calves to steal milk more readily, so that pen gets on a higher plane of nutrition, and pro-vides a creep feeder for the calves to take some pressure off the cows.

Something to be wary of, said Duguid, is male and female twins, because there is a higher chance that the female calf will be infertile (called a freemartin).

“If the twins are born male and female, the male’s hormones can affect the female in the uterus,” said Duguid. “Then there is a chance the female won’t reproduce, so we generally never keep the female of

male and female twins.”“In the case of twin-

ning, there is also some evidence that the fertility of male calves is lowered,” said Anderson, who em-phasized that not all female calves born with male twins are sterile. She suggested that producers have those heifers examined prior to selection for replacements, although often twins aren’t kept as replacement ani-mals because they are usu-ally smaller.

Ultimately, how pro-ducers deal with twins will depend on their own man-agement style and resourc-es, said Duguid, but the fundamentals of lots of nu-trition, vitamins and min-erals for a prolonged period – are always sound practice for any breeding herd.

Producers see a lot of twins – and triplets

Three's company at the Koslowsky farm near Killarney.(credit: Dave Koslowsky)

May 2020CATTLE COUNTRY8

www.mbbeef.ca

March/April 2020Available in accessible formats upon request.

SAFETY ALERT

Safety. It’s in your hands.

Recognizing natural gas leaksWhen it comes to natural gas safety, it’s important to know how to recognize the warning signs of a natural gas leak both inside and outside your home and then take the necessary steps to ensure safety.

Natural gas is colourless and odourless, so in order for it to be easily detected an odourant called Mercaptan is added to give it a rotten egg smell.

Know what to do if you smell natural gas. The three R’s of natural gas safety are:

• Recognize the smell;

• React by evacuating the area;

• Report natural gas odours to Manitoba Hydro immediately.

Other warning signs that can indicate a natural gas leak outside may include dirt being blown in the air, continual bubbling in a ditch, pond or waterway, and/or patches of dead vegetation among healthy plants, and a hissing sound.

Leaks from gas pipelines, although rare, can be a fire hazard. If you think there may be a natural gas leak, do not use any electrical switches, appliances, telephones, motor vehicles or any other source of ignition such as lighters or matches.

If you suspect a natural gas leak of any type, react by evacuating the area immediately. If you are at home, leave the door open as you exit. Stay away from the area until safety officials say it is safe to return.

The next step is to report the smell of natural gas immediately. Call Manitoba Hydro at 204-480-5900 or 1-888-624-9376 (1-888-MBHYDRO) toll free and have the odour investigated. Manitoba Hydro employees are available 24-hours-a-day to respond to natural gas emergencies.

Visit hydro.mb.ca for more information about natural gas safety.

Q. My pastures were grazed hard last year be-cause of the tough condi-tions in 2019. What can I do this year to speed their recovery?

A. Pastures will need time to recover. There are a number of ways to aid pas-ture recovery.

Rent Extra PastureRenting additional

pasture can take the pres-sure off your main pas-ture. Rented pasture can be used early in the season to allow your pasture to re-cover through May, June and July. You can also use it to reduce the herd size on your existing pasture or place the rented pasture into your rotation. All these strategies will take pressure off your pasture and allow it to recover faster.

Good grazing man-agement starts in the spring. Grazing too early in the spring can cost you up to 45 per cent of that year’s forage production.

Though renting pas-ture may be expensive, it is less expensive than the cost of stored feed, yardage and feed delivery to the cows. In addition, if you have abundant pasture in fall,

your cows will gain weight and fat reserves and be less costly to feed in winter, once your cows are reliant on stored feed.

Annuals for GrazingAnnuals are another

option for easing pressure on your pasture. Depend-ing on the soil and mois-ture profile of your farm, you could try annual rye (for high precipitation ar-eas), spring seeded fall rye (for drier areas), or win-ter wheatgrass (average moisture).

You might also look toward cover crops to add pasture. There are many options to choose from, such as turnip, radish, kale, Chinese cabbage, forage rape, phaselia, plantain, crimson clover or hairy vetch and more. These nov-el crops can often be grazed multiple times throughout the season. They also pro-vide other features, such as high protein, season-long ground cover, and late sea-son grazing.

However, with new crops, there are new man-agement techniques re-quired. For example, the brassicas will often require flea beetle control, because

the seed is not treated to resist flea beetle pressure. Most of these seeds are very small and require shallow incorporation, and often a separate seeding pass. Gen-erally, a mix of both tradi-tional cereal and broadleaf cover crops are more fail resistant than single spe-cies pasture. However, if broadleaf weed pressure is significant, a mix of many species may make chemical weed control impossible.

Rotational grazing and some level of rest is required for all of these an-nuals to return to full leaf and resume growth. Under good fertility conditions, nitrate testing should be done once killing frosts are affecting the crops.

Allocate pasture with a plan

If you have no other choice than to go to pas-ture before it is ready, you can minimize the impact on your pasture’s health, and ensure your cattle’s nu-tritional needs are met by using some of the following strategies:

a) Skim graze – This is the practice of moving your cattle through the pasture system at a very rapid rate. The objective is to only take off the very tips of the leaves, allow-ing the plant to continue photosynthesis with the remaining part of the leaf. This is not as harmful to the plant as grazing off all

of the leaves. How fast you have to move from pasture to pasture will depend on the size of your pastures and herd, but may be from a few hours to a few days.

b) Sacrifice pasture – In this practice, the pro-ducer will choose a field and keep the cattle there until other pastures are ready for grazing. It is usually accompanied by supplemental feeding of hay or concentrates. Ten pounds of oats per day will keep condition on cows on a pasture that is other-wise too thin. The same pasture can be used year after year, or you could choose a different pasture each year. Only choose pastures that are high and dry, as punching soft soils will further injure the for-ages and reduce produc-tion. Regardless of the pasture you use, a very long rest period will need to follow this early season grazing. A long rest peri-od would range from 60 to 100 days.

c) Implement a rota-tional grazing system – If you haven’t done so al-ready, this is a good time to put up some fences and develop some water sources. Rotational graz-ing works because it al-lows time for your best pasture to recover. In the long run, it will produce better and reduce your risk.

Herd ReductionThough most beef

producers have already reduced their herd due to feed shortages, spring is a good time to do another assessment. Often, pro-ducers will carry a barren cow through the summer and market her in the fall. This year, market all ani-mals that you don’t plan to keep in your herd. Every head counts.

We want to hear from you

For the next issue of Cattle Country, a Mani-toba Agriculture forage or livestock specialist will answer a selected ques-tion. Send your questions to Ray.Bittner@gov.mb.ca

The StockTalk Q&A Feature for Cattle Country is brought to you by Man-itoba Agriculture and Re-source Development. We encourage you to email your questions to our department’s forage and livestock team, who have a combined 200 years of agronomy experience. We are here to help make your cattle operation success-ful. Contact us today.

StockTalk Q&A Feature brought to you by Manitoba Agriculture Resource Development, Livestock Extension Branch

JANE THORNTONLivestock Extnesion Specialist, Manitoba Agriculture

jane.thornton@gov.mb.ca

Weathering COVID-19 Page 2look at the different programs to see what may work for you. The federal government announced a stay of default for 2018 cattle and bison advances and 2018 crop advances to September 30, 2020 for those using the Advance Pay-ments. And, producers now have until July 3 enroll in AgriStability. Reach out to your financial institution to dis-cuss options.

In other matters, MBP is still talking to the provincial government about the modernization of the Agricultural Crown Lands (ACL) Leasing Program and ongoing pro-ducer questions and concerns related to this. MBP has re-stated our request for the rental rate increase to be phased in over a longer period, which is even more pressing in light of the uncertainty created by COVID-19. Our other com-ments continue to focus on matters such as: the need for the first right of renewal, the importance of maintaining unit transfers, challenges related to the new system for valuing improvements, the need for informed access before people enter ACL, potential sales of ACL, recognition of ecosystem services provided by producers in managing ACL and more. MBP has requested that the provincial government initiate its consultation process related to the first right of renewal as soon as possible and we strongly request that all lease hold-ers consider providing their feedback during this process.

As well, MBP has been providing input to Mike Lesiuk, the lead person on the review of the province’s forage insur-ance program. We thank all producers who have provided comments into this process, identifying both what does or does not work. The aim here is to come up with BRM tools better suited to our sector’s needs.

As we move through these challenging times, where we are taking social distancing to an even new level by the standard of producers who are used to working alone or with few people around, it is really important that we stay connected. Farming and ranching can be very stressful at the best of times. Reach out to your friends and neighbours to talk – over the phone, via social media or even consider something old school like putting pen to paper. If you’d like to talk privately to someone about your concerns, there are free resources like the Manitoba Farm Rural & Northern Support Services. Call 1-866-367-3276 or 204-571-4180 or visit supportline.ca. The Manitoba government has teamed up with the firm Morneau Shepell to launch a free internet-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy program to all Mani-tobans 16 years old and over to help people dealing with mild to moderate anxiety due to COVID-19. And, if your kids want to talk, but are more comfortable talking to some-one outside the family, they can call the Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868 or visit https://kidshelpphone.ca.

Covid Information Resources:• MBP is providing information about COVID-19 on

its website: https://www.mbbeef.ca/news/covid-19-updates• CCA has resources on its website: https://www.cattle.

ca/cca-resources/covid-19. If you have not already done so, contact our Commu-

nications Coordinator David Hultin at dhultin@mbbeef.ca to sign up for the MBP e-newsletter to stay current on the latest developments. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. There is more information about governments’ COVID-19 programs and initiatives elsewhere in this edition of Cattle Country.

In closing, I would like to take a moment to offer a heartfelt thanks to all of those who are providing the needed supplies and services to keep our farms and ranches operat-ing and to keep us safe and healthy. Thank you to the vets and their staff, the auction marts, the feed suppliers, the health care providers, the police officers, the fuel companies, the grocery and farm supply stores, the equipment dealers, our restaurants, our food processors and their staff for keep-ing the plants running, and the teachers for trying to keep our children busy with at-home learning. Thank you to the truckers and all those others keeping the many elements of the supply chains running so there are as few disruptions as possible. Thank you to the other industry associations for working together to tackle the many different elements of COVID-19. Thank you to elected officials and government staff for continuing to listen to industry concerns and sug-gestions and who are trying to develop programs and ini-tiatives to move through and beyond this pandemic. And thank you to the consumers who have been so supportive of the agriculture sector. We are stronger together when we tackle major challenges like this. Stay safe and here’s to a pro-ductive spring on the farm.

May 2020 CATTLE COUNTRY 9

www.mbbeef.ca

Cattle markets dur-ing the past six weeks have been on a roller coaster that would make the most ex-perienced rider sick. Days of limit gains on the futures followed by days of limit declines revealed just how volatile the cattle markets have gotten. For a while the cattle futures followed the movements in the stock markets, then for a few days they detached and went in the opposite direction; this left cattle feeders and in-vestors in the cattle market extremely cautious about purchasing new inventory.

So what happened to cause these mammoth swings in the cattle mar-kets? My friend, Dr. Derrell Peel, a market analyst and professor from Oklahoma State University, used the term “black swan” to de-scribe what happened. Ac-cording to Dr. Peel, a “black swan” is a rare, unforeseen, event that has sudden, un-expected and dramatic im-pacts on the market.

In the space of a couple of days, the North Ameri-can economy was attacked by two separate “black swans.” The first was the realization and recognition that COVID-19 was here and it was a world pandem-ic. The second was the total collapse of world oil prices and the impact on both the American and Canadian economies.

A dispute between Russia and Saudi Arabia resulted in OPEC flooding the market with cheap oil. With no immediate resolu-tion in place, the oil-based economies of both Canada and the US were thrown into turmoil. The stock markets started to crash, investment values declined rapidly and all of the com-modities started to slide down a very slippery slope.

COVID-19 presented its own unique problems. In an effort to slow the spread and deal with the unknown, restrictions on travel, public gatherings, and non-essential services were put in place. Physical distancing measures were added to the new and rap-idly changing ways we live and do business. These restrictions resulted in massive unemployment in the food service, entertain-ment, tourism and many service provider industries.

Schools and education centres were closed. Every major sporting event and entertainment venue was cancelled or closed.

In the cattle industry, questions such as, “Will the border close?, Will the packing plants be able to stay open?, Will livestock transportation be affected?, Will the auction markets be able to have sales? And will there be any market for my cattle?” were common questions being asked on a daily basis.

Starting in early March, the Canadian Cat-tlemen’s Association, along with the support of industry stakeholder groups from across the country, started working with the Federal and Provincial govern-ments to formulate plans to keep the cattle industry and beef production function-ing at a normal level. The staff and board members at CCA and their provin-cial counterparts have been working 24/7 attending strategy meetings and con-sulting with industry in or-der to develop viable plans. Other organizations such as the Canadian Meats Coun-cil, the Beef Breeds Asso-ciation, Livestock Markets Association of Canada and the Trucking Association are working with CCA and government to keep the supply chain operating without interruption. CCA is also working on devel-oping financial aid and as-sistance programs for the cattle industry to deal with the damage done by COV-id-19. It is my opinion that if every cattle producer and feeder had the opportunity to see the work that CCA and MBP have being doing behind the scenes during this crisis, there would be no one complaining about check-offs or asking for their check-off refunds.

Canadian and US offi-cials from CFIA and USDA are working closely to keep the border open for ship-ments of all food items and essential products. CFIA is working with the packing industry to keep the plants operating. Truckers are still operating at the normal lev-el despite a high risk to their drivers and warehouse staff. Markets are still providing marketing services and cat-tle sales for producers and buyers to move product to

the plants and replacement inventory to the feedlots.

Through this time, the demand for beef has been extremely high at the retail level. Some reports suggest a 77% increase in the re-tail sales, with some stores in larger urban locations running out of beef on a daily basis. Packers have responded by planning six-day harvest weeks to meet the demand. Feedlots are entering a high period of market-ready fed cattle so supply should not be a problem. The demand for ground beef has skyrocket-ed, and combined with the seasonal shortage of cull cows, the result has been a very robust cow and bull market. The rub is, that de-spite the strong demand for beef and the increased kill, packers have yet to share the massive profits with the feeding industry. Immedi-ate deliveries of cash cattle have seen an improvement in the price paid, but lon-ger-term bids do not reflect any strength. Packers are only bidding 30 days out for cash cattle leaving smaller feeders very little leverage.

Part of the reason is this. The spike in the de-mand for beef may not last very long. Demand from the food service industry has all but disappeared due to the majority of the restaurants being closed down, and for how all long, no one knows! The bulk of the higher priced middle meats are sold to food ser-vice providers. Consumers are buying and stockpiling beef. They are not eating it and coming back to pur-chase more the next day! With the unexpected high numbers of unemployed workers, available dispos-able cash will be a concern.

Price point and essential items will determine what they buy and how much they spend at the store. Exports will be volatile as well; many countries have restrictions affecting labour to unload boats and distrib-ute product. Many manu-facturing and process-

ing warehouses are either closed or short of labour.

These two “black swans” will not disappear in the short term. Producers can expect market volatility over the next few months. While the heavy weight cattle over 700 pounds have been a tough sell, the

grasser type cattle are back to pre-COVID 19 prices. There is optimism that the fall will see some type of normality in the cattle mar-kets.

Until next time, stay safe my friends.

Rick

RICK WRIGHTThe Bottom Line

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON CORONAVIRUS:

ABOUT CORONAVIRUS DISEASE (COVID-19)

COVID-19 is an illness caused by a coronavirus. Human coronaviruses are common and are typically associated with mild illnesses, similar to the common cold.

WHAT IT ISSymptoms may be very mild or more serious.

They may take up to 14 days to appear after exposure to the virus.

DIFFICULTY BREATHINGFEVER COUGH

SYMPTOMS

Coronaviruses are most commonly SPREAD from an infected person through:

f respiratory droplets when you cough or sneeze

f close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands

f touching something with the virus on it, then touching your eyes, nose or mouth before washing your hands

These viruses are not known to spread through ventilation systems or through water.

HOW IT IS SPREAD

The best way to prevent the spread of infections is to:

PREVENTION

If you have SYMPTOMS of COVID-19 — fever, cough, or difficulty breathing:

IF YOU HAVE SYMPTOMS

1-833-784-4397 canada.ca/coronavirus

f stay home to avoid spreading it to others

— if you live with others, stay in a separate room or keep a 2-metre distance

f call ahead before you visit a health care professional or call your local public health authority

— tell them your symptoms and follow their instructions

f if you need immediate medical attention, call 911 and tell them your symptoms.

f wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds

f avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth, especially with unwashed hands

f avoid close contact with people who are sick

f when coughing or sneezing:

— cover your mouth and nose with your arm or tissues to reduce the spread of germs

— immediately dispose of any tissues you have used into the garbage as soon as possible and wash your hands afterwards

f clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces, such as toys, electronic devices and doorknobs.

f stay home if you are sick to avoid spreading illness to others

Cattle markets a roller coaster ride

One of the recommendations for cattle sales during COVID-19 is where possible view bulls ahead of time. (Photo credit: Jeannette Greaves)

May 2020CATTLE COUNTRY10

www.mbbeef.ca

Verified Beef Production Plus

Workshops are being delivered by webinar during the evening

• Webinars take place in the evenings so producers aren’t taken away fromtheir daily chores.• The interactive webinars are delivered using web based video conferencingsoftware.• Participants can interact during the presentations, hear the presenters,and ask questions or make comments in real time.• Also available via app for iOS and Android.

Webinars will take place on Tuesdays at 7 p.m.

• Webinar may be cancelled on a given week due to a lack of registeredparticipants.• Pre-registration is required.• Contact Melissa Atchison at (204) 264-0294 or email:verifiedbeefmanitoba@gmail.com for details.

How to register for webinars or LIVE workshop

• To sign up to attend a webinar or the LIVE workshop, please contact MelissaAtchison at (204) 264-0294 or email verifiedbeefmanitoba@gmail.com.• Alternate times and days can be arranged based on producer demand.

BY JORDAN DICKSONResearch and Extension Coordinator

Building partnership and collaboration is a cen-tral pillar to activities at Manitoba Beef & Forage Initiatives (MBFI). Op-portunities to partner with Assiniboine Community College (ACC) have come in the form of student field days held at MBFI, staff leading a team-taught course in forage and pasture management, and most re-cently collaborating with Land and Water Manage-ment students completing a capstone final project.

Land and Water Man-agement students at ACC, are gaining not only class-room knowledge but also practical experience of working with industry. Students in the second year of this program com-plete a capstone project along with their assigned coursework using real world problem solving, communication, and proj-ect management skills to complete projects by the end of the school year.

The capstone project is designed to get students engaged with industry to identify a real-world prob-lem and work with indus-try partners to plan and execute the project. James Hood, Instructor for Land

and Water Management, helps to guide students through each step of their project from planning to execution and conclu-sion. He believes it is an excellent opportunity to give students practical exposure to career life. James said “project top-ics are diverse every year, but they all focus around conservation and sustain-ability. Students can follow their passions and choose their own project topics as long as it works to help solve a real-world need or problem.” This year topics range from wild boar con-trols, dry dams, problem weed removal from lakes, a reusable bag program at the ACC bookstore, and endangered species conservation, along with many more.

MBFI Extension and Research Coordinator, Jor-dan Dickson, attended a whirlwind brainstorming session in September where industry partners had 10 minutes to connect with each of the 14 students. Stu-dents were excited with a clear passion for coming up with solutions that address issues and knowledge gaps surrounding conservation and sustainability. Partner-

ships were identified and planning conversations took off as links were made between industry and the student’s interests.

Breanna Sheppard partnered with MBFI for her capstone project to build two Ferruginous hawk nesting structures at MBFI’s Johnson Farm. Breanna has combined her passion for conservation and endangered species to design a project around a need for Ferruginous hawk nesting habitat in south-western Manitoba. Fer-ruginous hawks are found primarily on grasslands in southern Alberta, Sas-katchewan and Manitoba and are a specialist preda-tor of Richardson’s Ground Squirrels (RGS). They have been listed as a threatened species in Canada for the last 40 years due to habitat loss. Ferruginous hawks typically nest in isolated trees or elevated structures but avoid nesting in heavily treed areas and are sensitive to nest disturbances. The project is a great fit at MBFI as it builds on previous con-servation work completed by Kim Wolfe (Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development; MB ARD) and Melanie Dubois (Ag-riculture and Agri-Food Canada) on control mea-sures for RGS and Northern

Pocket Gophers (NPG) at MBFI’s Johnson Farm.

Breanna and MBFI selected the Johnson Farm station to carry out the project as it has limited trees, open grasslands and a large RGS population. The structures will be built in spring 2020 on two loca-tions that will have minimal disturbance. The hanging-basket nesting structures are modeled after a design that was proved successful in Alberta’s Species at Risk Program with modifica-tions as suggested by retired Species-at-Risk Biologist, Ken De Smet, and current Species-at-Risk Biologist, Timothy Poole (MB ARD). The two nesting structures will be included as part of MBFI’s rodent control trap-ping program and will serve as a model to others who are interested in becoming a Ferruginous hawk landlord.

The overall goal of Breanna’s project is to help increase populations of Fer-ruginous Hawks by pro-moting the development of nesting sites in multiple areas in Manitoba with the help of landowners and farmers. Increasing Ferru-ginous hawk habitat con-tributes to biodiversity, or species diversity, which pro-vides many ecosystem ben-efits to other wildlife and humans. A Ferruginous Hawk pair are excellent bio-control by consuming up to 500 Richardson’s Ground Squirrels in a single breed-ing season, so areas that are home to an abundant num-

ber of gophers are ideal. She hopes this project will expand to target areas that have livestock as the hawks will use their remnants such as hair and bones as supplies in their nests along with twigs and branches.

Breanna has been working closely with Timo-thy Poole (MB ARD) to create an updated guide that will provide private landowners, conservation districts, farmers and the public with information and contacts to assist in providing this endangered species with suitable nest-ing habitat. The guide will include instructions on how to build a nesting structure and what to look for when monitoring for Ferruginous hawk activity. The guide and more information will be available on MBFI’s web-site at www.mbfi.ca/ferru-ginous-hawk-acc-capstone-project for anyone to access. Breanna said, “my hope is that this project will en-courage landowners to use the guide to build their own

Ferruginous hawk nesting sites and monitor them for activity for years to come to promote species diver-sity and conservation of a threatened species.”

Part way through the school year in December, the capstone cohort of stu-dents presented their proj-ect topics and progress to fellow students and indus-try partners. Typically, the capstone projects finish the year off with a public trade-show where students show-case their work to instruc-tors, industry members and the public. This year will unfortunately look different due to COVID-19 social distancing measures as the showcase will be switched to a virtual presentation. In looking back on her last year at ACC, Breanna said “the Land and Water Management program as given me the tools to gain industry connections be-fore entering the work force and valuable practice expe-rience in project planning and management.”

ACC capstone project brings Ferruginous hawk habitats to MBFI

Ferruginous hawk artificial nest poles (photo credit: Alberta Species at Risk Program)

Ferruginous hawks are found primarily on grasslands and have been a threatened species in Canada for the last 40 years. (photo credit: Ben Ponsford)

May 2020 CATTLE COUNTRY 11

www.mbbeef.ca

DR. TANYA ANDERSON, DVMThe Vet Corner

Research has shown that calf losses in Western Canadian cow/calf herds average 4% from the time between birth and wean-ing with the majority oc-curring within the first seven days of life. Many factors contribute to these statistics: calving difficulty, cow nutrition and mother-ing behaviour, climate, en-vironment and infectious disease. Attention to each of these areas is required for optimal management and a successful stress-free calving season.

This article is going to focus on environmen-tal control as an aid in the

prevention of the most common cause of calf sickness - scours. Howev-er, I must emphasize that it is critical that calves get quality colostrum as soon as possible after birth or it doesn’t matter what you do, they will get sick and they will die before wean-ing.

Colostrum is our most valuable “drug” and must be given within the first few hours of life. Keep in mind that new research has shown that giving 4L of colostrum within the first 6 hours is the best insur-ance for good health and maximum lifelong pro-

ductivity. The old adage of 2L twice before 24 hours of age is no longer recom-mended. If using a colos-trum replacement prod-uct, strive to supplement a minimum of 100 grams of immunoglobulin but the calf ’s own dam’s colostrum is the best. As difficult as it is to accept, the major-ity of cases of diarrhea, navel infection, sepsis and pneumonia in calves un-der two months of age are a result of failure to receive adequate colostrum. The calf may have been seen to be nursing but it either did not consume enough or the colostrum quality was inadequate.

Despite adequate co-lostrum intake (as mea-sured by total protein levels in calves sampled under one week of age) and an excellent cow vac-cination program, disease can occur if pathogen pressure is high. Environ-mental management has been shown to be critically important in the preven-tion of calf scours.

Most of the disease agents that cause scours

are found in the manure of normal cows. Shedding rates may be increased during the stress of late pregnancy, inclement/harsh weather and sub-optimal nutrition. It is for this reason that cows should never be wintered in the calving area. Move cows onto the calving less than two weeks before calving and group them by estimated calving dates. The different scour patho-gens cause infections at different ages so grouping calves by age helps mini-mize disease transmission.

This is also not the time to introduce new pur-chases to the herd - wheth-er as a bred cow or the pur-chase of an orphaned calf. Those healthy animals are shedding scour pathogens and, if your herd has not been previously exposed to that particular bug, a severe scour outbreak can happen. It is better to leave a cow to dry off or ship her rather than risk the pur-chase of disease with a calf bought online or from the neighbour. If you are in the market for bred cows,

ensure that they are well vaccinated and manage them as a separate herd before introducing them as cow/calf pairs when turned out to pasture.

Also minimize con-tamination by avoiding confinement and over-crowding. Remove snow and provide adequate bed-ding with access to shelter. Remember that cows will congregate in areas with protection from the wind and where there is ac-cess to feed. Shelter can be natural in the form of trees or valleys or por-table wind breaks need to be used. Feeding areas should be moved around to “spread out the manure” but should be stationed where there is shelter. It is important to note that during inclement weather and extreme cold, cows will prioritize shelter over eating.

If possible, rotate calving areas from year to year. This can be difficult in operations where con-finement calving must be utilized. In those cases, it is critical that manure be

cleaned out annually and that drainage prevents pooling of water. Having creep areas or “calf con-dos” ensures that calves can access clean dry bed-ding without cow manure contamination. But be sure that these shelters are maintained - regularly bedded and well ventilated to avoid moisture buildup. If out in an open calving area, move the shelters regularly to clean ground.

In a scour outbreak, it is important to move diar-rheic calves out of the area as the shelters can quickly become disease cesspools. Get diagnostics done so that you can manage your outbreak more effectively and, more importantly, take steps to prevent a sim-ilar occurrence in future calving seasons. In herds using scour vaccines, often the pharmaceutical com-pany will support diag-nostics to investigate scour issues so be sure to discuss any health concerns with your veterinarian and to get updated treatment pro-tocol advice.

Thank You! To all the bidders and buyers at our 13th

annual 2yr old Bull and Female Sale!

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BY ELISABETH HARMS

In light of the unique circumstances that we are trying to navigate, I want-ed to write something that would help make cooking one of the things that you DON’T worry about. Ev-erything is changing: how we work, how we live, how we shop, and how we eat and cook. We are all strug-gling to figure out what the new normal is for us, but we all still have to eat.

This has changed the way we think about food and, for some, it has pre-sented new challenges in making sure our fami-lies are getting nutritious meals. It may be difficult to ensure everyone is still getting enough nutrients, but along with this article, there are many resources that share new and exciting meal ideas for your family.

There are different ways to incorporate Cana-dian beef into your meals that are easy and that don’t require a lot of extra time. Ground beef, along with some pantry staples, is one of the best ways to do this and ensure your family is getting all the great nutri-ents that beef has to offer.

Ground beef is some-thing that’s easy to buy in large amounts and freeze for later use. You can freeze it either cooked or uncooked, seasoned or un-seasoned, although, how you choose to use it in the end will determine how you prepare it. Ground beef can be cooked and seasoned with taco sea-soning, then frozen, which

makes it a great option for a quick weeknight meal.

If you decide to freeze your ground beef cooked and unseasoned, then you can easily throw it into a soup or stew, with a reduced amount of prep time. Beef and barley soup and minestrone are great options for a quick meal that provides your fam-ily with a nutritious meal. Both of these recipes have the added advantage of us-ing those pantry staples I mentioned earlier, which can help make shopping for ingredients quicker and easier.

Casseroles are also a great way to use ground beef and your favourite pantry staples in a cre-ative way. With a minimal amount of preparation, you can make a tomato-bolognese sauce pasta cas-serole.

All of these ideas are family-friendly and easy to do in a short amount of time. They also use ingre-dients that you are likely to have in your pantry al-ready. I hope these ideas help you to make some tasty meals without mak-ing extra trips to the store for ingredients you might not have.

On a more personal note, I hope everyone stays well!

Canada Beef ’s web-site (www.canadabeef.ca) has some great options for meals like beef and barley soup and baked pasta cas-seroles. For other great weeknight meal ideas, like tacos, check out www.gre-attastes.mb.ca.

Ground beef versatile

Biosecurity for scours prevention

May 2020CATTLE COUNTRY12

www.mbbeef.ca

SOCIAL DISTANCING (also called Physical Distancing) is the best way to reduce the spread of viruses like COVID-19 during an outbreak. It means changes to our day-to-day lives to minimize close contact with others, whether we know them or not. With patience and cooperation, we can do this, and we need to do it NOW.

It only takes one person to infect many.DON’T BE THAT ONE PERSON.

COVID-19 IS HERE, MANITOBA

Keep at least 2 arms lengths awayWe still need to go out in public for things like essential appointments and shopping. Where possible, spending time outside and utilizing green spaces is also important. In all situations, keep at least 2 metres or 6 feet from others as much as possible. This only applies if you don’t feel sick. If you feel sick, you must stay home.

Stay home as much as possibleThings you can do at home like reading, watching TV, playing games, sitting on your deck, spring cleaning, yard work, and cooking are all good! Staying home whenever possible makes us all safer right now.

Shop wiselyThere are things we need like groceries, fuel and the like. Where possible, use online shopping and home delivery. Please remember that panic buying is not needed. Finally remember that if you feel sick, do not go out – you must stay home.

Use technology to keep in touchWe all need to keep in touch with our friends and loved ones, especially when keeping physical distance. Phone calls, texting, and video chats are all great options.

Non-essential gatheringsWe all need to avoid things like parties, weddings, birthdays, play-dates, sleepovers for kids and other non-essential visitors to our homes. Also, avoid all non-essential travel.

Physical greetingsHandshakes and hugs are out. We need to get good at non-physical greetings like waving or nodding. Limiting unnecessary touching makes us all safer right now.

Walking or exercising outside is good, but keep your distance from others and avoid things like hand rails, public play structures and public phones whenever possible

Touching surfaces people touch often

We all have a responsibility to protect those in our community who are most at risk from COVID-19, which includes the elderly and those with other health conditions. We can use non-physical ways to stay in touch, and where possible we can help these people with getting groceries and other essential errands.

Contact with people at higher risk

DO THIS: DON’T DO THIS:

ALSO REMEMBER:• Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds and avoid touching your face• Cough or sneeze into the bend of your arm• Disinfect frequently-used surfaces often

PROTECT yourself, PROTECT your loved ones and PROTECT your community

FOR MORE INFO VISIT: covid19manitoba.ca

BY CHRISTINE RAWLUKNational Centre for Livestock and the Environment, University of Manitoba

Mention ticks and a fat blood-filled tick comes to mind. Ticks are well known for their blood sucking na-ture, but they can also transmit diseases to people, cattle and other animals.

Ticks are moving into new areas, expanding the geo-graphic range of where they can be found, but what does this mean for cattle producers in Manitoba? Manitoba Beef Producers is supporting new research at the University of Manitoba that will shed light on the health and economic risks associated with ticks on pastures and develop strate-gies to reduce these risks.

The two most common tick species in Manitoba are the American dog tick (a.k.a. wood tick) and the black-legged tick (a.k.a. deer tick). American dog ticks have been present for a long time in Manitoba, yet how far their range has increased over the past 50 years was only recently de-termined. Extensive multi-year sampling by University of Manitoba entomologist Kateryn Rochon and her col-leagues showed this range has expanded 300 km to the west and 350 km further north in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

American dog ticks can carry the bacterium that causes bovine anaplasmosis, a blood-borne disease that can severely impact the health and productivity of infect-ed cattle. In the US, where this disease is widespread, the total cost to the beef industry is estimated to exceed $300 million annually. In addition, daily gain is lower for cattle with heavy tick infestations, due mainly to blood loss and altered behavior.

Blacklegged ticks only recently arrived in Manitoba, being first reported to the Department of Entomology in 1989. Yet over the past decade they have spread through-out southern Manitoba and expanded northward into the Interlake region. Cattle can serve as hosts for blacklegged ticks, but there is no information on the presence of black-legged ticks on pastures or cattle in the Prairies, or the importance of this parasite-host relationship. Blacklegged ticks can also transmit several tick-borne infections like Lyme disease, granulocytic anaplasmosis, and babesiosis to humans, dogs, and horses.

The increased abundance and distribution of both tick species means there is greater economic risk as more cattle and ranchers are now encountering ticks at multiple time points during the pasture season. The team’s earlier work showed the chance of encountering ticks can vary greatly from year to year and at various locations throughout their range. This new research, led by Dr. Rochon, focuses at the pasture scale. “We need to know when and where these ticks are most prevalent, and how this translates to tick in-festations in cattle in order to properly assess productivity and health risks,” notes Rochon. “This risk is created at the pasture level, where ticks encounter their hosts, so that is where we need to look.”

Project results will lead to the development of manage-ment strategies that will improve tick management, reduce disease risk, and increase cattle welfare and productiv-ity. Assessing the risk of exposure to blacklegged ticks for producers who spend large portions of their days working outdoors during late spring and fall will result in the im-plementation of safe work practices to prevent infections. “Ticks numbers differ based on the habitat. Therefore, it should be possible to target control measures to areas of high tick abundance within pastures, thereby reducing ex-posure risk and reducing the economic loss due to reduced weight gain, disease, or lost wages and labour,” says Rochon.

What does the study involve?Kateryn and her team will conduct their research in

five pastures in southern Manitoba, selected based on the intensity of cattle production, history of bovine anaplas-mosis, and presence of specific tick species. “Two sites are located at the Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiative (MBFI) farms in the Brandon area. A demonstration project by Manitoba Agriculture taking place there may allow us to also compare the impact of different grazing management strategies on tick populations”, says Rochon. “We will be looking for three collaborating producers in districts 4 or 9, 3, and 12.”

GPS collars on the cattle will monitor movement within pasture and within areas where ticks are commonly found. At each site ticks will be collected from approxi-mately 50 animals, as well as from locations where cattle congregate - near water or mineral sources, along fence lines, wooded areas, and other tick habitat areas within

and alongside the pastures. Producers will also be provided with sampling kits. Ticks collected from the environment, animals and humans will be counted, identified and tested for pathogens.

“We will be sampling at times that coincide with criti-cal activity periods,” says Rochon. Pastures will be sampled in May when cattle enter the pasture, June which coincides with peak American dog tick activity, and in October when cattle are taken off pasture and which is also the period of peak blacklegged tick activity.

Providing training where the need is growing but expertise is greatly lacking

Problems related to insect pests are expected to increase in Manitoba due to environmental changes as-sociated with global warming. Already flies, lice, and ticks are becoming resistant to treatment, invading new territory or transmitting new pathogens. As the only livestock entomologist in Manitoba, Rochon knows the importance of training students in this area so that they can bring this knowledge to their future roles within the agricultural sector.

This project will provide critical training in veterinary entomology, tick management and animal health and wel-fare to eight students. Hands-on experience and opportuni-ties to interact directly with cattle producers will equip stu-dents with the blend of practical and scientific knowledge needed to support the livestock sector in facing emerging

pest challenges. The funding provided by Manitoba Beef Producers will support a graduate student whose research will focus on the relationship between tick abundance and cattle infestation with American dog ticks in Manitoba.

In addition to funding provided by Manitoba Beef Pro-ducers, support is also provided by the Ag Action Manitoba program, funded under the Canadian Agricultural Partner-ship.

Ticks and cattle: what you need to know

American dog tick