The Association of Manitoba Community Pastures is managing 14 of the province's community pastures, and over the next year, the AMCP will take control of the remaining nine.
Bill Gardiner, Provincial Pasture and Rangeland Specialist for MAFRD, says he thinks the decision to turn the pastures over to a private entity, made in 2014, was a good one.
"Overall I think the decision that was made both in terms of how the lands are going to be used and managed, as well as who is going to use them was a good one."
Gardiner says pasture lands are very important for grazing purposes and they will continue to be there for that purpose, which will serve both older and younger producers.
Ag minister Ron Kostyshyn calls it a victory for the cattle industry and anyone thinking of getting into it.
"It's an investment of lease or rental of the pasture, but it's the least costly of a scenario for buying land, putting up fences and maintaining cattle, you have that option with the community pasture program. It's a minimum investment so to speak, but it's a lot less investment off the start rather then buying land and putting fences around it."
The federal government ended the PFRA community pastures program in 2013, transferring ownership of the pastures to the provinces. Manitoba announced in 2014 it would be providing funding over three years to transition management to the AMCP.
