PUBLISHED BY MANITOBA BEEF PRODUCERS
DECEMBER 2025
Please see page 11 to read about new research at the University of Manitoba that found that grassland beef grazing helps protect biodiversity. (Photo credit: University of Manitoba)
Predator Resistant Fencing Helps Producers Sleep at Night BY ANGELA LOVELL Before installing predator resistant fencing last fall, Dale Myhre was losing up to 10 calves a year to predation from bears, coyotes and the occasional wolf. This past calving season he didn’t lose any. “The fence was 100 per cent effective,” says Myhre, who farms along the shores of Lake Manitoba about 45 minutes north of Ste. Rose. “Our fence is fairly large so we were able to keep the cows in there for most of the calving season. Then, once the calves were bigger, and were not so prone to being attacked, we let them out into a relatively safe area and didn’t have any problems all summer.” Myhre had tried different predator management strategies over the years, like bear traps, but none had proven effective, so when he found out that Manitoba Agriculture was offering a program to assist with the construction costs of predator resistant fencing, he decided it was worth a try. Program provided funding and guidelines The provincial Predator Resistant Fence Construction Program provided funding to producers to assist with the cost of building predator resistant fencing around calving areas, pastures, extended grazing areas and deadstock compost pens. The program funded two types of fence construction – either a high-tensile electric fence or net-wire fences with an optional apron for de-
terring burrowing. The program had strict construction guidelines for the fence and gates, and installations were inspected to ensure they met the minimum standards. To be eligible, producers must have had a paid claim under the Wildlife Damage Compensation Program sometime since 2021. The program cap was increased for 2026 to $40,000 to reflect changes to the program that required producers to construct either a 9 or 11-wire electric fence or add an apron to all net-wire fences. “The goal of the program was to encourage the adoption and uptake of some on-farm non-lethal measures that can reduce the risk of livestock predation,” says Elizabeth Nernberg, Forage and Livestock Extension Specialist with Manitoba Agriculture. “These solutions came out of the Livestock Predation Prevention Project that Manitoba Beef Producers did in collaboration with the Manitoba Sheep Association in 2020 where they tested various livestock risk mitigation strategies that offered some options for producers.” “We were grateful that the Province came up with this kind of solution, and are thankful to all the people involved, especially Manitoba Agriculture and Manitoba Beef Producers for being proactive on this issue,” Myhre says. A foolproof method to keep calves safe Myhre’s fence is a seven-wire, high tensile electric fence that surrounds 40 acres, big enough to keep his
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400 cows and their calves confined during the calving season in April/May. “We built the fence bigger because we wanted to be able to keep the cows and calves in there longer and not have issues with mud or wet corrals,” Myhre says. “Then you have the side benefit of a foolproof fence that you can put animals in at other times of the year. No predators were able to get into the fence so I would highly recommend to do it.” Although the fencing construction must adhere to strict guidelines, Myhre says it wasn’t hard to construct. “We are familiar with building fences so we made sure that we built a fence with strong corners and tried to do a good job and use high quality materials, and an electric fencer with plenty of power,” Myhre says. “And when you build it right from the start there’s not much that can go wrong with it so there’s little maintenance. I estimate it’s going to be there for at least 30 years.” The program, at the time, covered $10,000 of the cost of Myhre’s fence construction, and although he spent a total of around $19,000, he has no regrets. “The biggest thing is the peace of mind it gives me,” he says. “I don’t go to bed at night thinking about how many coyotes are going to be eating a calf while I am sleeping.”
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