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DUC Drought Response Program Excludes Manitoba - For Now 
Province's extremely low precipitation last winter should have producers contemplating water resources
Brandon, Man., May 10, 2002 - Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) recently announced a Drought Response Program targeted to the drought stricken areas of Saskatchewan and Alberta. A total of 80,000 acres of DUC grassland has been opened for forage for producers in record and extremely dry areas of the two provinces. The program will not be implemented in Manitoba this year. Many Manitoba producers have struggled with excessive water over the past five years. Moisture conditions are not as severe as those in the rest of the Prairies even though precipitation was below normal in Manitoba this past winter.
DUC Manitoba staff will continue to provide land for hay as part of normal management of grass nesting cover. In 2001, approximately 2,500 acres were offered to producers as part of DUC's cover management. Producers only took advantage of 1,700 of those acres. While it will be business as usual for most Manitoba agricultural producers, Ducks Unlimited Canada is urging people to consider opportunities to drought proof their agricultural operations. This winter's below normal snowfall, when considered with consecutive drought years in Saskatchewan and Alberta, could be a sign of things to come.
"Alternating cycles of flood and drought are part of life on the Prairies. They provide us with our great diversity of plant and animal life, along with our production challenges," said Bob Grant, DUC's manager of field operations in Brandon. "The severity of the drought in Alberta and Saskatchewan is a good reminder that we can't forget the value of conserving water."
From its field offices in southwestern Manitoba, Ducks Unlimited Canada offers a number of programs designed to reduce weather associated risks to productivity. DUC actively promotes winter wheat as a viable cereal crop in Manitoba because it gives producers a jump on spring seeded cereals and offers waterfowl better nesting cover in the spring.
"Winter wheat takes advantage of spring moisture conditions. It's sown in the fall and is actively growing in the early spring, long before spring wheat is even in the ground," says Ken Gross, a senior agrologist with DUC. In addition, DUC funds research at the University of Saskatchewan to develop hardier varieties of winter wheat with increased drought tolerance.
DUC's forage assistance programs provide cattle producers with additional forage to get through the feeding season. Many of DUC's producer partners improved native pasture for summer grazing by giving cattle a source of tame forage for spring and fall grazing. By working with producers to establish alternate watering systems, riparian habitats are improved, water quality improves and the clean water helps increase cattle weight gain. That translates into higher returns for the producer.
DUC has also proposed to the federal government a framework for a conservation cover program that would see government led payments to landowners who voluntarily conserve and restore grasslands and riparian areas. These lands would provide a financial return to producers for securing habitat while society would benefit in terms of cleaner air and water and conserved soil. Grasslands created if the proposed Conservation Cover Incentive Program were adopted could serve as a forage reserve for producers through periodic grassland management and in times of drought.
For over 60 years, Ducks Unlimited Canada has been conserving, restoring and managing wetlands and associated habitats for waterfowl. These habitats also benefit other wildlife and people. For more information on drought proofing, contact your local Ducks Unlimited Canada office. Call 1-800-665-DUCK (3825) to be connected.
