The Government of Canada has announced an investment of over $1.1 million for the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association (MFGA). The funding will be used to develop a new forecasting tool that will help farmers and stakeholders better understand and manage extreme weather events within the Assiniboine River Basin.
“Manitoba farmers understand the major impacts that extreme weather events, such as flooding and droughts, can have,” said Terry Duguid, parliamentary secretary to the minister of environment and climate change (Canada Water Agency).
“The Government of Canada is committed to supporting resources that help to better understand and manage these risks,” added Duguid. “With this funding, the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association will create an interactive tool that provides real-time information to help farmers and industry professionals increase resiliency of the land and communities in the Assiniboine River Basin.”
With the funding for the forecasting tool, the MFGA will create a web-based tool that will provide seven-day, forward-looking forecasts for soil moisture, groundwater, and surface water flow. Producers can use this real-time information to adopt better risk management strategies and inform decisions about their operations in the face of extreme weather.
“As a producer-led non-profit organization, MFGA has full respect and understanding of the challenges farmers and producers face with their farm operations every day when it comes to planning around water and dealing with climatic events,” said Larry Wegner, chair of MFGA.
“MFGA is very grateful to AAFC’s AgriRisk Initiatives for the project funding and we are very pleased to be delivering this new interactive forecasting tool for farmers and land managers in the Assiniboine River Basin. Besides the forecasting ability, we are equally excited that the tool will also showcase how beneficial soil and landscape management practices could potentially influence soil moisture, groundwater, and surface water conditions over the seven-day interval.”
The new interactive tool will also show how soil and landscape management strategies could influence moisture and water conditions over the seven-day interval, with the goal of encouraging adoption of beneficial management practices.
