Farmers Voice Fall 2021-Addressing the Drought

By Bill Campbell

In a year when drought conditions have impacted producers in all sectors and every region of Manitoba, KAP’s focus has been on advocacy and education to ensure that the right information, support and tools are available to producers.

KAP consulted with producers, farm groups and all levels of government this summer to address the short, medium and long-term implications of the drought. Our immediate priority was to ensure that programs supported livestock producers’ feed and transportation needs. We also urged crop producers to know their options with drought-damaged crops and hosted mental health training opportunities with Do More Ag.

There is still work to be done as the temperature falls. The drought has highlighted the need for business risk management programs that we know can, with some adjustment, provide effective support for the industry. We were pleased with the changes made to AgriStability this year and continue to advocate for programs that focus on predictability, stability and timeliness in our meetings with provincial and federal officials.

We are also in discussions with the provincial government as they develop a cowherd-rebuilding program. This will help the livestock producers that were forced to sell breeding stock in 2021 rebuild their herds starting in 2022. A crop marketing webinar is planned to help crop producers understand their options and obligations as they make business decisions in the coming years.

I want to take a moment to say that we appreciate the collaboration and commitment of producers, farm groups and all levels of government in response to the drought. As you’ll read about in this issue, KAP has worked to build relationships across the agricultural industry that we know will be important in the years to come.

At the end of the day, our takeaway from the drought is clear: producers’ issues are interconnected; no matter the commodity, we have common interests, and we need to work together.

This will help ensure that our industry emerges from the drought stronger than ever.

Bill Campbell