Managing Extremes of Moisture -
Wet Conditions and Floods
Wet conditions occur in agriculture when too much water is available for crops to grow at a particular time. Additional management practices may be necessary to help alleviate extra stressors placed on both crops and livestock during times of excessive moisture .
- Managing Crops During Wet Conditions and Floods
- Managing Livestock During Wet Conditions and Floods
- Financial Assistance
- Guides and Calculators
- Insurance and Lending (MASC)
- Monitoring Reports and Maps
- Mental Health and Wellness Support
- Resources for Emergency Preparedness and Response
Managing Crops During Wet Conditions and Floods
Crop Production
- Broadcast Seeding Canola
- Considerations for Seeding in less than Optimal Conditions
- Crop Choice Considerations in a Delayed Year
- Delayed Seeding and Wet Soils
- Drying and Storage of Damp Grain
- Extent of Crop Damage from Heavy Rains
- Forage Stands - Assessing Flooding Injury
- Late Planting of Spring Cereals
- Managing Crops For Excess Water Stress
- Mitigating the Risks of Delayed Seeding
- Seed and Seedling Survival in Flooded Conditions
Crop Pests
Soil Fertility
- Fertilizer Considerations in a Wet Spring - Challenges and Opportunities
- Impact of Spring Flooding on Soil Fertility in Manitoba
- Impact of Flooding on Soil Fertility in the Red River Valley of Manitoba
- Modifying Nitrogen Rates for Delayed Seeding of Cereals and Canola
- Nitrogen Fertilizer Options when Seeding is Delayed
- Options for Applying Nitrogen Fertilizer in a Wet, Late Spring
Managing Livestock During Wet Conditions and Floods
Feeds and Nutrition
- Assessing the Frost and Flood Damage in your Alfalfa
- Grazing Considerations for Sensitive Land
- How Rain Affects the Quality of your Hay
- Ice Encasement & Alfalfa Frost Damage
- Managing Forage Stands under Water
- Ration Planning to Stretch Hay Supplies for Cows and Feeder Calves
- What to do with Sprouted Grains
Feed Supply and Alternate Feeds
- Alternative Feeds for Beef Cattle
- Annual Forages for Silage, Greenfeed and Grazing
- Extending Livestock Feed Supplies
- Straw as Alternative Roughage Source for Wintering Beef Cows
- Stretching Feed When Supplies are Tight
- MB Hay Listing Service
Livestock Management
Flood Preparation and Recovery for Livestock Operations
- Preparing a Beef Farm for Flood Conditions
- Preparing a Swine Operation for Flood Conditions
- Preparing for Flood Conditions in Rural Manitoba
- Returning Home with Livestock after a flood
Water
Financial Assistance
Programs are available to help manage risks and financial losses during times of extreme moisture.
Guides and Calculators
Farm management resources are available to help in determining the value of straw or a crop harvested as silage or greenfeed. Decision making tools can also assist livestock producers in weighing their options in managing a forage shortfall.
- Cost of Production guides are available for different grain and silage crops.
- Standing Corn Silage Decision Calculator helps livestock producers determine the cost on a per ton and per acre basis to purchase, put up and haul corn silage from grain producers. Includes a worksheet for determining the custom silage cost per ton based on the work rate (tons/hour) and the custom rate ($/hour).
- Standing Greenfeed Decision Calculator helps livestock producers determine the cost on a per bale, per ton and per acre basis to purchase, put up and haul greenfeed cereal crops from grain producers.
- Standing Hay Cost Calculator provides two different estimates of the value of standing hay based on the market value or cost of production methods.
- Straw Cost Calculator can help determine the NPK dollar value of the straw as a crop fertilizer.
- Forage Purchase Calculator provides a method of comparing the pricing for baled forages and piled silage. This calculator takes into account different moistures and adding in the cost of freight to see what feed purchase is more economical after freight.
- Managing Low Forage Supplies Calculator estimates the forage needed for the herd based on animal category and weight, and identifies the shortfall. It identifies 8 different potential rations to fill the shortfall on a least cost basis that help decide the economics of buying greenfeed compared to hay, straw, and other alternatives.
- to hay, straw, and other alternatives.
Insurance and Lending (MASC)
Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation supports Manitoba farmers with a variety of risk management and financial programs.
- Forage Insurance including the Hay Disaster Benefit
- AgriInsurance (including alternate crop use)
- Livestock Price Insurance
- Direct Loans
- Stocker Loans
- Loan Guarantees
Connect with Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation or AGR/MASC Service Centre
Monitoring Reports and Maps
- Flood Maps and Reports: hydrologic forecast centre provides flood condition reports, forecasts and warnings to support flood response planning.
- AgriMaps - Manitoba Ag Weather Program: a network of over 100 weather stations that provide regularly updated air temperature, relative humidity, precipitation, wind speed and direction, soil temperature, and soil moisture for local areas.
- Crop Weather Report: a weekly summary of weather data from the Manitoba Ag Weather Program and Environment and Climate Change Canada, that include temperature (maximum, minimum, average) and total rainfall along with seasonal accumulations of degree days, corn heat units and rainfall (actuals and per cent of normal) for over 100 locations in five regions.
- Manitoba Crop Report: information crop development, pest activity, harvest progress, crop yields and grades, fall field work progress, haying progress, estimated yields and pasture conditions.
- Manitoba Crop Pest Updates: a weekly report and observation on insect population, diseases and weeds of field crops, including which potential pests are of current concern and where in Manitoba highest levels are occurring. Scouting tips are provided as needed.
- Manitoba Fall Soil Moisture Survey: maps that provide a good indication of what can be expected in the spring by the amount of moisture within the root zone just prior to freeze-up.
Mental Health and Wellness Support
- Manitoba Farm, Rural & Northern Support Services | 1-866-367-3276 (toll-free)
- Klinic Crisis Line | 204-786-8686 or 1-888-322-3019 (toll-free)
- Manitoba Addictions Help Line | 1-855-662-6605 (toll-free)
Emergency Preparedness and Response Resources
- Animal Health and Emergency Preparedness
- Animal Care Line Information and Reporting
- Manitoba Road Closures
- Manitoba Hydro Outages Map
- Manitoba Weather Conditions
Contact Us
For general information, contact:
- AGR/MASC Service Centre
- Agriculture@gov.mb.ca
- 1-844-769-6224