MFGA receives Conservation Trust funding for two projects

Two Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association (MFGA) Conservation Trust Projects were among the Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation Board of Directors recent approval of $2.86 million in new grants to 20 projects delivered by 14 Manitoba-based conservation groups.

The $2.86 million in Trust funds is being matched by $6.6 million in funds and services by the successful groups, which will result in $9.5 million of conservation activity in Manitoba.

- Soil Health: Addressing watershed priorities for producers and wildlife habitat - Phase 3 (2022) was approved in the Soil Health Category for $200,000 Conservation Trust funding over two years for MFGA to continue to lead a cover crop/soil health regenerative agriculture partnership approach with three southwest Manitoba watershed districts: Assiniboine West, Souris River and Central Assiniboine to keep a growing root in the ground for as many days of the year as possible.

- A new approach to restoring profitability, wildlife habitat and soil health - Phase 3 (2022) was also approved for the third year of the project under the Habitat Wildlife Category. MFGA works very closely with Ducks Unlimited Canada on this $239,800 Conservation Trust funded-project designed to keep marginal acres intact via forage production. In both projects, the match of funding and services by the project partnership and landowners are crucial to each project’s success.

“This marks the third successful proposal for both of these projects, which underscores their importance to producers and their lands and also the intentions of the Conservation Trust,” said Lawrence Knockaert, MFGA chair. “That is really what MFGA wants to see: producers are helped with decisions that profit their operations and improve the soil health of their lands while returning great benefits to society. That is the beauty of the Conservation Trust and we are lucky to have it here in Manitoba.”

The two projects bring MFGA’s total to ten projects over the course of the Conservation Trust’s run as a Made-in-Manitoba funding source for groups interested in promoting healthy and profitable Manitoba agriculture-based lands.

The revenue source for these projects is $204 million in contributions made to The Winnipeg Foundation between 2018 and 2020 to establish three trusts dedicated to land, water and wildlife conservation. MHHC manages granting programs for the trusts. Establishment of the Conservation Trust, the GROW Trust, and the Wetlands GROW Trusts in Manitoba resulted in permanent revenue sources for new conservation activities. The Trusts focus on restoring natural areas in the rural landscape to help address floods and droughts, water quality, wildlife habitat and biological diversity, carbon sequestration and connecting people to nature.