We Produce Habitat

We often think of habitat as wild, unmanaged lands or parks. That can be true, but farms provide a lot of habitat as well. Cattle farmers, like Cameron, often utilize native grasslands, the upland areas around wetlands and woodlands to graze their cattle. In that way, cattle are filling a role in the ecosystem that used to be filled by bison, helping maintain the health of the prairie ecosystem. As a bonus, the undisturbed pastures create habitat for wildlife, birds and pollinators.

Manitoba Beef & Forage Initiatives is a research and demonstration farm where they evaluate different farming practices. They have studied the impact of cattle on biodiversity and found that cattle pastures create habitat for many native pollinators and birds, including some endangered and species at risk. Mary-Jane Orr, MBFI’s General Manager, says “Producers don’t even realize what amazing conservationists they are. We have intact native prairie that would never have been conserved if there wasn’t a cattle producer who needed to graze cattle on them.”

Produced on the Prairies is sponsored in part by Manitoba Ag Days – Canada’s Largest Indoor Farm Show