Manitoba beef producers are struggling to feed their herds amid a provincewide feed shortage brought on by back-to-back dry years, farm groups say.
Dry conditions across the province have resulted in yields of hay and forage — both traditional feed sources for cattle — far below expectations, the farm group said in a joint release with Keystone Agricultural Producers this week.
Riding said farmers in her area, about 65 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, are faced with the prospect of selling off half of their herds or more this fall if they can’t find a way to feed their cattle.
Culls of that size would deal a major financial blow, she said, and could drag down the price of cattle and shrink calf crops in coming years. If prices fall dramatically, it could take as many as four or five cows to buy one back, she said.