Grazing Mentorship Program Provides Opportunity

Finding the time to learn more about rotational grazing and pasture management may be difficult for many cattle producers right now, but in the end, it may be the only thing keeping you from hanging up the towel in the cattle business. The Sustainable Grazing Mentorship Program pair’s producers who are looking for advice or expert knowledge on production aspects with local, experienced and trained fellow producers. This program is funded through the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Greencover Canada Program and administered by the Manitoba Forage Council.

What is it?
The Grazing Mentorship Program provides a unique opportunity for producers to receive individual input and suggestions on how to improve their profits, efficiency and forage productivity as well as land and water resources through improved grazing management. Individuals selected as grazing mentors are respected fellow producers with extensive grazing management, knowledge and experience. Extra training has been made available to them to better assist with the mentoring process.

What’s in it for You?
Your grazing mentor has hands-on working knowledge of your region – their operation is based there too. Your mentor will help you assess your grazing resources, as well as the opportunities and challenges. Working with you, your mentor will make suggestions and provide input about fencing, watering systems, grazing systems, plant growth, forage species selections, dormant season grazing, winter feeding strategies…or just about anything you have questions about.

No mater how large or small you land base is, your grazing mentor can spend a total of up to 16 hours with you. Their work may be conducted as ‘in-person’ visits or telephone follow-ups to guide you through any additional questions or decisions you may be making. To get started, your grazing mentor will contact you by telephone to make arrangements to visit your farm/ranch.

How Much Does it Cost?
Your investment as a producer is only $100, which is payable to the Manitoba Forage Council. The program will pay the balance of your mentor’s time up to a maximum of 16 hours as well as his/her travel expenses to a budget maximum.

More often than not, mentors have found that their role is to provide reassurance to their mentees rather than the plans and ideas themselves. Most producers already participating in the program have a good idea of what they want to accomplish based on their available resources, time and budget. Having an experienced grazier go over the plans before you commit to a project can help to make sure that the plan is manageable and realistic for you and that the expected results match the plan.

Larry Wagner from Virden decided to participate in the program to become more efficient and profitable in the cattle business. “It’s a good program and I wanted to learn more,” he said. But with learning, adoption and change are right around the corner. “If you’re not willing to accept change, then don’t bother”, Larry said. Change is something that all cattle producers in Manitoba are being faced with – the Grazing Mentorship Program is there to help you adjust to this change.

This program is offered throughout Canada, with over 60 mentors trained to work with fellow producers. Quarterly newsletters featuring experiences of mentors and mentees is available at the CCA website at http://www.cattle.ca/factsheets/environment/environmentmain.htm.
For more info or to request a mentor, please contact Pam Iwanchysko at (204) 648-3965 or Larry Fischer at (204) 871-2109 or visit the Manitoba Forage Council website at:
www.mbforagecouncil.ca