Manitoba Beef Producers Welcomes Hay Disaster Benefit

Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) is welcoming the news this week that the Hay Disaster Benefit (HDB) was activated again this year.

 

"On behalf of Manitoba Beef Producers, I'm really pleased that this is going to reward those producers, who do invest in Business Risk Management," said MBP President Tom Teichroeb.

 

He explained that there is some confusion over whether this is an additional subsidy, which it is not. All producers who are enrolled in the Select Hay Insurance and Basic Hay Insurance programs are automatically enrolled in the Hay Disaster Benefit.

 

"This is something that was established in 2014, so when 20 per cent of the producers who are enrolled in those two programs go below 50 per cent of the average annual production. That is when it triggers," said Teichroeb. "Last year's production was half of the average, this year's production was half of last year's, so literally we're talking about, on average a quarter of the forage production that we normally see."

 

For 2019, producers will receive an additional $40 for each tonne below their Select Hay or Basic Hay Insurance coverage. The estimated payout for 2019 is in excess of $5 million on approximately 1,500 claims.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.