Wild times here in Manitoba

[MarshallDillon]

Haven't seeded an acre in the Red River Valley just west of Winnipeg. We may not get going until June if you believe the 15 day weather forcasts.

Now they are going to breach the Assinaboine River dike and every drop of water comming down the Lasalle River will be going past my place, plus reflooding some of my land. Oh well.

[littledoggie]

I just heard on the radio that cattle producers in the area that is to be flooded are having to move their cattle to some designated crown land. GAD I hope they are all finished calving! What a nightmare! Our hearts go out to them all. I wonder if they are able to keep the herds segregated or if they will be co-mingled.

[BTOfarmallll]

Hopper I wouldn't try it. You'll rip that 535 to shreds. Heck my 765B would, nevermind the bigger one. Pitt that you gettin flooded out up there on the Lasalle????

[Hopperbin]

Not going to get the chance the cat got rented out at 8 am this morning, guess I was slow on the draw. Bought myself a 9170 case with power shift and new tires and new engine. Not working too badly.

[furrowtickler]

Rock solid tractor there hopper, good luck.

[Hopperbin]

I don't know the previous owner, I bought the tractor at FarmWorld Humboldt, gotta give credit to the previous owner for taking such good care of a tractor. Awesome condition, clean and well maintained.

[burnt]

If there is any positive to be found in the forced sale of cattle, it is that at least the prices not at giveaway levels like they were a year or two ago.

Still, it's probably not what the owner(s) had in mind.

[kato]

http://www.canadiancattlemen.ca/issues/story.aspx?aid=1000425032


May 12, 2011 12:57 AM

By: Ron Friesen
Vogar, Man. | Manitoba Co-operator
Livestock, Weather

Cattle producers in Manitoba's Interlake are frantically trying to move their herds out of the Lake Manitoba region this week after receiving emergency evacuation warnings because of rising flood waters.

Producers in nearly a dozen municipalities around the lower basin of Lake Manitoba have been put on evacuation alert for as water levels rise to dangerous levels.

Provincial authorities warned area residents at a meeting held in a local community hall earlier this week that evacuation notices for themselves and their livestock could be issued.

Those evacuations could potentially involve scores of producers and thousands of animals. It could be the largest mass movement of cattle in recent Manitoba history.

Many producers say they are at a loss as to know where to relocate their animals and how to go about doing so.

"We're being left to our own devices," said local producer Mark Emilson.

Emilson said he received a call from his local municipality on the weekend telling him he should be prepared to move himself and his cattle at a moment's notice.

Emilson, whose 400 cows are just finishing calving, said he hung up the phone stunned by the news.

"It was surreal," he said.

As of Wednesday, the threat of evacuation loomed for flood-threatened producers in rural municipalities bordering on the lower basin of Lake Manitoba. Those include: Lakeview, Westbourne, Portage la Prairie, Woodlands, St. Laurent, Coldwell, Eriksdale, Siglunes, Lake Manitoba, Grahamdale and the LGD of Alonsa. More RMs could be affected in the days ahead.

Late Wednesday, the provincial cattle producers' association stepped in and named itself as "the first point of contact from this point forward for all producers affected by the current flood crisis."

Manitoba Beef Producers urged producers to contact its Winnipeg office "immediately" if they have an "immediate situation or call to evacuation," are "in need of available pasture land or cattle boarding," or suffered losses of livestock in the snowstorm that hit parts of the province the weekend of April 30.

Heavy spring runoff, chronic wet conditions from successive wet summers and water diverted from the flooded Assiniboine River into Lake Manitoba have combined to drastically raise lake levels, forcing water inland and threatening homes and farms.

Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives estimates an additional 200 square miles of land along the shoreline are covered by flood water this spring.

"First responsibility"

Producers are scrambling desperately to locate places to move cattle and for trucks to transport them there.

MAFRI promises to help but says it's mainly up to producers to help themselves.

"The owner has the first responsibility to deal with their situation," said Gerald Huebner, MAFRI acting assistant deputy minister.

"If they're unable, we suggest they go to their municipal emergency measures co-ordinator. Through the emergency management system, our department will ensure that animals are not under threat, either from feed shortage or from inundation."

Art Jonasson, who is only days away from having his access road cut off by encroaching flood water, said he has so far located pasture space for half of his 300 cattle near Gladstone on the other side of the lake.

But getting them there will be a huge challenge, Jonasson said.

Rounding them up from muddy pastures is one problem. Loading them is another. Jonasson said he knows one producer who will have to haul cattle 30 miles in trailers just to get them to an appropriate loading site.

Leaving cattle cut off by flood waters is not an option because they would have no feed.

"We can't let our animals starve," Jonasson said.

Provincial Agriculture Minister Stan Struthers on Tuesday declared a provincial livestock emergency, enabling the government to open up Crown lands and wildlife refuges for emergency grazing.

According to Manitoba Beef Producers, leaseholders on Crown land have been granted the ability to sublet to producers in need of pasture, and are advised to contact the MBP office for help in that process.

"Special arrangements"

Huebner said MAFRI will ensure through provincial animal welfare legislation that livestock which producers cannot help will be cared for.

"In cases where feed needs to be purchased and special arrangements need to be made, we're prepared to do that."

The province also relaxed road weight restrictions to help move livestock, feed and machinery.

Manitoba Beef Producers this week issued a province-wide call for farmers to assist fellow producers facing an evacuation risk.

"The immediate difficulty is moving cattle through the mud and down roads that are almost impassable and that's causing stress and frustration," said Martin Unrau, a MacGregor, Man. producer and Canadian Cattlemen's Association vice-president.

That stress was evident last week as producers wondered if moving their cattle was even possible.

"This is more than a crisis. This is dev astation," said Theresa Johnson, who raises cattle with her husband Greg.

Even if cattle can be evacuated, it's only a temporary measure, said Jonasson. He worried about the condition of pastures after flood waters finally subside weeks from now.

"They're not going to have pastures to come back to."

[kato]

We send cows to one of the affected municipalities every summer for pasture. We're almost afraid to phone and see what the situation there is....... The fellow who keeps them for us has already lost a bunch of pasture to water over the past couple of years. Who knows what this year will bring?

[freewheat]

Hopper, is hooked up to a seedmaster in their yard???

[kato]

There's a website in Brandon called ebrandon.ca that has been the best place to find information on the local situation. Today Adam posted some photos he took from a plane, and they show the situation better than the national news does.

http://www.ebrandon.ca/messagethread.aspx?message_id=469134&cat_id=410

The last photo is particularly scarey. It's the eastern access road that is used mainly by big trucks. It's one way now, and they follow a pilot vehicle. I wouldn't want to drive on this!

[tman]

Like so many things, it's one thing to see footage of things happening on tv or the net, but it's nothing until you see it with your own eyes. It's been two weeks since I've crossed the Assiniboine, and now today on my way to sandbag, even after all the media, I was still shocked at how much that river has risen again.

The pro of not being able to do anything wtih this wet weather is it allows me and I'm sure others to help out.

I just wish I was like some of those Hutterite boys. Of course they're about half my age, but they were like MACHINES tossing those bags! Once they started moving, it was just a blur lol. Now hopefully my fingers and arm will recover overnight.