Reading Time: 2 minutes With feed quality and quantity “all over the map this year,” producers face challenges weaning calves and maintaining cows, says a provincial beef and forage specialist. “If calves were not provided with creep feed over the summer, weaning weights will be lower than in most years — as much as 150 pounds per animal,” said […] Read more
There are extra challenges in wintering cows this year
Early weaning, supplement feed, and feeding vitamins earlier should be considered
Some feeds can be too easy to digest for horses
The mechanics of nibbling, chomping and crunching are important to horse health
Reading Time: 3 minutes There is a harmonic resonance that is audibly evident when a horse chews. This chewing sound soothes, calms and contents the nervous system of the horse, and most horse owners would agree that it also soothes the nervous system of the human. There are many reasons chewing is an important part of a horse’s life […] Read more
Stubble grazing presents nutrition issues for cattle
Reading Time: < 1 minute If you’re turning cows out in stubble fields or allowing them to graze slough hay or mature hay along fences and headlands, there are nutritional factors to consider, says a provincial forage specialist. Straw, chaff and overmature grass hays are typically low in protein, energy, calcium and magnesium, but relatively high in phosphorus, said Barry […] Read more
Alberta harvest continues, 11 per cent of crops remain
Alberta Crop Report: Conditions as of November 5
Reading Time: 6 minutes Following a cooler than normal growing season, September brought several wet spells, interspersed by two major dry spells, each lasting less than two weeks. In October, wet spells occurred more frequently, with the northern half of the province blanketed with a few cloudy days. Over the past month, all areas in the province experienced below […] Read more
Harvest woes increase supply of alternative feeds
Prices are down and depending on the region, availability is up — but you need to do the math
Reading Time: 2 minutes Hay costs vary significantly this year, with prices in some areas with short supplies nearly double those in areas with adequate supplies. On the other hand, there could be numerous options for alternate winter feeds this year as some crops originally intended for grain are being harvested as feed. Alberta feed barley prices have dropped […] Read more
Poor weather continues to hamper Alberta harvest
Snow, rain and cold winds continued to hamper harvest operations in Alberta during the week ended Oct. 29, according to the latest provincial crop report. Total harvest progress across the province was pegged at 81 per cent done, which was up eight points from the previous week. Southern Alberta was farthest along, at 95 per […] Read more
Weather plays nice to see Alberta harvest pick up pace
Alberta Crop Report: Conditions as of October 22
Reading Time: 5 minutes Significant momentum was made in some areas getting crop in the bin this past week, with the provincial average currently estimated at 74 per cent of all crops combined. This jump is primarily attributed to Central, North East and North West regions where 26, 16 and 13 per cent respectively of Major Crop* acres were […] Read more
Saskatchewan farmers make good harvest progress
MarketsFarm – Farmers throughout Saskatchewan made good progress in their harvesting over the last week, according to the province’s latest weekly crop report. With little precipitation during the week ended Oct. 21, the harvest rose from 69 to 83 per cent complete province-wide. However, it’s still 10 points behind the average pace. Also, the report […] Read more
Manitoba agriculture merged into new provincial ministry
Manitoba’s provincial agriculture ministry is being merged with its resource development arm under the oversight of the minister responsible for the latter. Premier Brian Pallister on Wednesday announced a reorganization of his government’s ministries along with a shuffle of his cabinet in the wake of his Progressive Conservative government’s re-election last month. The realignment sees […] Read more
Industry reacts to divided vote, minority government
Ottawa — A regionally divided federal election resulting in a minority Liberal government leaves a clear challenge for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his caucus colleagues on how to handle the future of agriculture. Trudeau said clearly in his victory speech Monday night that Alberta and Saskatchewan are part of the country and will be […] Read more