Manitoba NDP Ag Critic Questions MASC Layoffs

May 15, 2020

Manitoba NDP Agriculture Critic Diljeet Brar doesn't understand why the province has decided to layoff workers at Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC).

He says farmers still have a need for the service, regardless of the situation surrounding COVID-19.

"Cutting budget to a Crown corporation, it's unfortunate. It would impact the services that our producers are [using] for so many years. If you talk about insurance claims and if you relate it to COVID-19, this pandemic does not impact the weather patterns. It won't impact the harm the animals are doing to crops."

Brar says the reduction in service is just another thing for farmers to worry about.

MASC is being required to reduce its workforce expenses by 20 per cent as part of the province's effort to cut spending during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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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.