Risk of Some Spring Flooding in Manitoba

Feb 18, 2022

The Hydrologic Forecast Centre (HFC) for the Province of Manitoba released its initial spring flood outlook report for 2022 on Feb. 18, citing the risk of moderate to major flooding in most the province’s southern basins.

The HFC advised that while there is a risk of major flooding along the Red River and its tributaries, including the Roseau, Rat and Pembina rivers, water levels are expected to remain below community flood protection levels at all locations. There is also a risk of moderate flooding for most other southern Manitoba basins including the Assiniboine and Souris rivers and the Whiteshell lakes area. The risk of spring flooding is low for the Interlake region and northern Manitoba regions.

Prior to this winter, normal to below normal summer and fall precipitation resulted in a below normal soil moisture freeze-up for most Manitoba basins, according to the HFC. However, snowfall throughout much of Manitoba has been above normal, except for province’s southwest region which has been near normal. The HFC also noted that soil frost depth has been generally deeper than normal, meaning the soil is likely to absorb less water, and that could contribute to greater amounts of runoff.

Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Doyle Piwniuk said the amount of flooding will ultimately be dependent on weather conditions from now until the spring melt.

Click here to see more...

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.