Due to this year's dry conditions, the province has made changes to the Ag Action Manitoba program to enable funding for water source development, which includes wells and dugouts.

Manitoba Beef Producers General Manager Brian Lanager says this is good news for producers.

"The water just continued to get lower and lower and we've got dugouts across the province that have gone dry, we've got creeks that have gone dry, we've got water tables that have dropped and so a big challenge for us this fall and this winter was going to be water supply. We certainly appreciate the province adding that kind of infrastructure to their list of BMP's (Beneficial Management Practices) that are eligible through Ag Action."

To be eligible for funding applicants are required to complete an Environmental Farm Plan by February 15th of 2019.

It was also announced last week that the federal government will offer the livestock tax deferral provision.

"As we look at the map, with the exeption of a few spots across sort of west central Manitoba, for the most part there was a recognition that most of agro-Manitoba has found itself in a drought situation and therefore eligible for this tax deferral," commented Lemon. "This is going to certainly help those producers who are being forced to liquidate a larger portion of their herd."

Producers can request the tax deferral when filing their 2018 income tax returns.