This trail camera photo shows a family of grizzly bears near a well-travelled livestock trail.

Truth or bear: Reducing grizzly confrontations on the ranch

As grizzly bear numbers stabilize and perhaps increase, what can ranchers in Alberta and B.C. do to stay safe?

Cattle producers are no strangers to working through conflict and managing difficult relationships but imagine if your adversary is a 350-pound grizzly bear that has decided to help itself to one of your cows. For beef producers living and ranching in bear country, managing carnivore conflicts is a reality and can evoke a lot of […] Read more

A black bear at Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba. Producers participating in the predation trials recommended an electric wire around deadstock composting pens to keep bears out.

Manitoba trials address livestock predation in farmyards

Sheep and beef cattle producers tried everything from solar fox lights to predator-resistant penning to reduce predation in the farmyard

Manitoba’s Livestock Predation Prevention pilot continued its 2020-23 assessment of various predation risk mitigation practices focused on cattle and sheep populations in and around farmyards. More than 100 total trials were completed on 48 farms during the three-year project with approximately 75 per cent of the costs covered by the project. Predator-resistant penning Seven high-tensile […] Read more


A coyote in Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba. A recent study in Manitoba trialed several methods of managing predator risk to cattle and sheep.

Counteracting livestock predation risks on pasture

A three-year study in Manitoba tested several methods of preventing predation of cattle and sheep

Predators such as coyotes, wolves, bears, cougars and foxes have been threatening and killing young, weak and compromised cattle and sheep in Manitoba since domestic farming began. Financial losses range between minimal to potentially devastating depending on location, workforce numbers, operation size and nearby habitat. To counteract and help mitigate these challenges, in 2020 the […] Read more

Local conservation officers speak during a field day hosted by the pilot project on June 21.

Livestock predation project set to bear results

Mitigation strategy pilot filling up, but a few slots remain for producers

Glacier FarmMedia – Ray Bittner, lead of the predation pilot project being spearheaded by the Manitoba Beef Producers, is looking at a lot of ways to keep a healthy distance between livestock and predators. There is special penning, with seven strings of electric wire and predator-resistant gates to keep problem animals out. There are game […] Read more


Ranchers concerned about grizzly bear encounters in B.C.

Ranchers concerned about grizzly bear encounters in B.C.

News Roundup, from the May 2021 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

B.C. producers are seeing evidence of more grizzly bears, and with that comes growing concerns about the safety of ranching families and their livestock. George Olin, who ranches in the Vanderhoof, B.C. area, lost several cattle, including a Simmental bull, to grizzlies last fall, Cam Hill writes in the spring issue of Beef in B.C. […] Read more



A coyote hunts mice at Riding Mountain. Researchers are looking for Manitoba producers to participate in a predation study.

Researchers take aim at reducing losses to livestock predation

Research: News Roundup from the November 2019 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

Manitoba researchers are looking for beef producers interested in trying different strategies to reduce predation losses. The study will look at methods to gauge predation risk on a producer’s operation while also examining ways to monitor and deter predators. Melanie Dubois, senior riparian and biodiversity biologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, says that the methods […] Read more

Beef cattle feeding in Ontario. (DebraLee Wiseberg/iStock/Getty Images)

Ontario plugs holes in wildlife compensation plan

Ontario’s agriculture ministry has patched a glitch in its wildlife damage compensation program, in which farmers’ claims risked rejection over the validity of their farm business registrations. “We heard livestock farmers’ concerns with the program so we’re making the first changes effective immediately,” Agriculture Minister Ernie Hardeman said in a release Monday. “We’re also continuing […] Read more



Brown bear (grizzly; Ursus arctos) from side view in Denali National Park eating berries in colourful tundra in fall.

High-energy berries and bears go together

News Roundup from the October 24, 2016 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

With its rustic small mountain towns, postcard-perfect vistas, British Columbia’s East Kootenay region has an undeniable lure for outdoor enthusiasts of all varieties — and the appeal extends beyond ski bums and hikers. The resource-rich Elk Valley is also a highly desirable home for wildlife like grizzly bears which are drawn to the area’s bountiful […] Read more