Right in the centre - Farmers feed all of us creatures

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Published on Monday, July 23, 2018

By Ken Waddell

Neepawa Banner & Press

Seems that every day we get a new picture or a report of bears being sighted.

Bear sightings have become more commonplace in Riding Mountain National Park but that has been going on for years. What seems to be on the increase is the number of bears showing up in relatively developed areas such as farm yards and even in towns. Does anyone know why this is happening? I am sure some will say natural habitat is shrinking so bears are on the prowl for new foraging territory. Perhaps it is the other way around. Maybe foraging for food has become easier and bears are doing quite well. Has anyone noticed that sightings include a mama and three baby bears? That may mean there is actually lots of food for mama bear and therefore she is well enough fed to have triplets and raise them. Makes sense to me.

There is another reason that wildlife seems to be increasing in numbers. Many animals want to avoid human contact but here’s another possibility. With the never ending decline in actual farmsteads and the ever increasing distance between those that remain there may well be more area for wild animals to sneak around relatively undetected and unbothered.

Things certainly have changed in my lifetime in rural Manitoba. White tail deer, the scourge of auto insurance companies, were actually not seen all that often in my childhood days, in the 1950s and ‘60s. We occasionally saw Canada geese, but rarely saw snow geese. I don’t recall seeing ravens, lots of crows, but not ravens. I once saw a great horned owl but, I don’t remember seeing snowy owls. Elk were not known where I lived and now there are herds of them. Moose keep showing up all over the place, although not in large numbers.

My theory is that modern agriculture has created a lot of beneficial conditions for wildlife. In addition to less farmsteads and therefore less disturbance for critters, fewer farmers and farm boys hunt nowadays. Years ago, hunting for food and sport was a lot more common than it is now. People are much more likely today to approach wildlife with a “live and let live” attitude. Years ago, people hunted sometimes just for the fun of it and that lead to lots of animals being knocked off just for sport so to speak.

Back in the day, pastures and hay land did not yield like they do today. In the past, it was not unusual to see pasture land grazed right down to the roots. Today, fence lines, headlands and patches of bush go ungrazed or unharvested. I think there is a lot more forage available today than 50 years ago and therefore, more feed for wildlife grazing. Hayfields are often harvested with rows left for snow traps which means more feed for wildlife. White tail deer love canola, corn fields and the huge rows of big round bales.

Overall, this column is a staunch defence of modern agriculture, rural life and the benefits to wildlife and the environment. The farmers feed all of us humans and much of the wildlife as well. Farmers deserves to be respected.

Disclaimer: The writer serves as a volunteer president of the Manitoba Community Newspaper Association. The views expressed in this column are the writer’s personal views and are not to be taken as being  the view of the MCNA board or Banner & Press staff.