The Governments of Canada and Manitoba have launched the Forage Advantage pilot, a province-wide program that will take effect for the 2026 crop year and offers incentives to producers who convert marginal acres from annual crops to perennial forage. Starting in 2026, producers who plant perennial forage crops on marginal land will receive a 15% discount on Forage Establishment Insurance (FEI) premiums.
The Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC) will automatically apply the FEI premium discount for acres classified as marginal (MASC soil productivity types H, I or J) when a producer selects Forage Establishment Insurance. While the pilot is available across Manitoba, it is particularly relevant to The Pas/Kelsey rural municipality and the Pasquia Land Settlement, where concentrations of H/I/J soils and chronic excess moisture and drainage challenges related to the Saskatchewan River Delta make acres less suited to annual cropping.
According to the federal announcement, the program aims to improve soil fertility and health, enhance water filtration, reduce erosion, increase carbon sequestration, and help farms become more resilient to extreme weather and climate change. Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn said the pilot supports the province’s push for innovation and regenerative practices in agriculture; federal Minister Heath MacDonald and the news release provide additional context and official quotes.
Producers who establish forage under the pilot in 2026 may become eligible for further discounts the following year (2027) once the forage is in production: MASC can extend discounts to Basic or Select Hay Insurance or Forage Seed Insurance through its AgriInsurance program. Separately, MASC has added birdsfoot trefoil to the list of species eligible for Forage Establishment Insurance—an option intended to improve northern forage options because the species tolerates wetter, cooler soils.
For more details, see the Governments of Canada and Manitoba news release and MASC information on Risk Areas and AgriInsurance.
