E-Newsletter E-Newsletter
NEWS AND HIGHLIGHTS Province Freezes ACL Rental Rate, Proposes Regulatory Amendments The Manitoba government is bringing forward regulatory changes that would extend the freeze on Agricultural Crown Lands (ACL) forage-leases rental rates at $3.66 per animal unit months into the 2027 growing season, keeping leases affordable for livestock producers, Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn announced August 26 See detailed update on page 3.
July 1, 2026 Canadian Livestock Estimates Released Canadian cattle producers held 12.1 million cattle and calves on their farms on July 1, 2026, up 3.2% from one year earlier, marking the largest year-over-year increase since 2004. Cattle producers retained more breeding stock on July 1, 2026, compared with the same date the previous year, notably more beef heifers for breeding (+5.7%), beef cows (+1.9%), dairy heifers for breeding (+1.2%), bulls (+1.0%) and dairy cows (+0.9%). Producers also held a greater number of feeder heifers (+3.8%) and steers (+3.4%). The number of calves grew 4.6% to 3.9 million head.
Canada Announces Targeted Countermeasures, Support for Workers & Businesses Following the U.S. decision to impose a 50 per cent tariff on $27.6 billion of Canadian goods effective August 22… Canada will match the new U.S. tariffs dollar for dollar, rate for rate, with additional Canadian tariffs on U.S. goods... Effective September 8, Canada will impose counter-tariffs of 15, 25 and 50 per cent on products drawn from those targeted by U.S. Section 338 and Section 232 tariffs, with the rate for each product matching the corresponding U.S. rate. In addition, to support Canadian workers and businesses impacted by U.S. tariffs, the government is also introducing a $7.5 billion package of new and enhanced measures that deliver fast, simple and agile supports to Canadian workers and businesses, building on the nearly $25 billion in supports the government has provided since the implementation of the U.S. unjustified tariffs.
August 28, 2026
Please Consider Completing the AAFC Agroclimate Impact Reporter August Survey This is a quick reminder that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is still collecting reports for the June Agroclimate Impact Reporter. We’re not just interested in hearing about negative conditions; we’re also interested in hearing if conditions are normal or even better than normal for the time of year. Whether your dealing with excess moisture, drought or ideal conditions we want to hear from you. Help AAFC verify the impacts of weather events in your region.
Agricultural Crown Lands Leases and Permits Regulation Engagement Source: https://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/land-management/crown-land/ Manitoba Agriculture is asking for feedback on proposed changes to the Agricultural Crown Lands Program. These changes would update the Agricultural Crown Lands Leases and Permits Regulation under The Crown Lands Act. In fall 2025, Manitoba Agriculture asked producers, Indigenous governments and organizations, industry partners, and the public for input through the ACL Program Review. This feedback helped shape the proposed changes. The changes focus on how leases are awarded, how much land one leaseholder can hold, and how modern leases can be renewed. Based on what we heard, the proposed changes would strengthen the Agricultural Crown Lands Program by: Improving How Leases Are Awarded: Moving from an auction-based process to an application-based process. This would give new and emerging producers a better chance to access land. Limiting Total Leaseholder Holdings: Bringing back an Animal Unit Month limit so agricultural Crown lands are available to more producers and are not held by only a few large leaseholders. Allowing Modern Leases to Be Renewed: Allowing modern leases to be renewed for additional 15-year terms, where requirements such as Treaty Land Entitlement and Duty to Consult are met. This would give producers more certainty for long-term planning. More information about these proposed changes can be found in the Manitoba Agriculture Crown Lands Lease and Permits Regulation Proposed Changes. How to Participate All Manitobans are invited to provide feedback on the proposed changes. Comments can be submitted through the Manitoba Regulatory Consultation Portal at http://reg.gov.mb.ca/home until October 2, 2026. Your feedback will help shape future updates to the regulation and improve the program. For more information, please contact Manitoba Agriculture at agcrownlands@gov.mb.ca.
MBP Accepting Applications for The Environmental Stewardship Award Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) is accepting applications until Friday, December 18, 2026 for consideration for the local awarding of The Environmental Stewardship Award (TESA). Since 1996, TESA has recognized producers who go above and beyond standard industry conservation practices and set positive examples for other cattle producers and the general public. As stewards of a vast portion of the Canadian landscape, Canada’s beef cattle producers play a significant role in protecting and enhancing the environment. They continuously strive to improve existing stewardship conservation practices to create a sustainable future – always farming for tomorrow. At the local level, a producer receives provincial recognition for their outstanding environmental contributions. In Manitoba, this occurs in conjunction with MBP’s annual general meeting in February. All provincial award recipients then move forward to compete for national recognition from the Canadian Cattle Association (CCA). The national TESA recipient is announced during the CCA’s semi-annual meeting held in mid-summer or early fall. Each nominee exemplifies significant innovation and attention to a wide range of environmental stewardship aspects in their farm or ranch operation. Such innovations extend beneficially to areas far beyond their land, including water, wildlife and air. How to Nominate All beef cattle operations in Canada are eligible to apply for consideration for TESA. Interested producers can either nominate themselves, or be nominated by another individual or an organization. All methods are equally encouraged. More details and the application form can be found at: TESA Information Note: If you are a producer who is considering self-nomination, MBP can provide you with guidance and suggestions on completing the application process. The completed application form, along with all supporting documentation (such as letters of support, photos and/or videos), is to be submitted to Manitoba Beef Producers by email to info@mbbeef.ca no later than Friday, December 18, 2026. If you have questions, please contact the MBP office at 204-772-4542.