Wildlife Lands Available for Cattle Grazing
Environment Minister Scott Moe is reminding livestock producers that 90,000 acres of Fish and Wildlife Development fund (FWDF) lands are available to producers for grazing until September 15. This will enhance producers’ ability to manage potential feed shortage due to Saskatchewan’s current dry conditions.
“We know grazing and haying benefits wildlife habitat management and provides additional opportunities for producers,” Environment Minister Scott Moe said. “That is why we are pleased to make this FWDF land available and hope this helps to address the challenges some producers are facing due to dry conditions.”
Recent crop reports state that significant rain is needed to enhance hay and pasture volumes. Currently, only 24 per cent of the Saskatchewan hay crop is cut and 39 per cent is baled or put into silage. Therefore, the Ministry of Environment’s 90,000 acres of FWDF land could be a significant benefit to producers. To date, 23 Saskatchewan producers in 18 different rural municipalities have grazing agreements on FWDF lands.
The ministry has a land management trust agreement with Ducks Unlimited Canada, the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation to manage all provincial FWDF lands.