Reading Time: 4 minutes Letting cattle ‘pick and choose’ what they want to eat is no substitute for feed testing. The quality of forage needs to be matched to the animal’s needs — and those nutrition requirements are going to change throughout the year. And that’s why you should test your forages, say experts and groups such as the […] Read more
Put your forage to the test – and money in your bank account
High-quality forage will save the cost of supplementing, and avoid costly calf losses
The test results are back —so what do they mean?
Test results should drive a feeding program, but you need to know what the numbers signify
Reading Time: 2 minutes Interpreting forage test results can sometimes be like trying to read a foreign language. But there’s a new translation tool — the aptly named ‘A Tool for Evaluating Feed Test Results.’ “The tool is designed to take feed test results and compare them to basic nutrition rules of thumb for different classes of cattle,” said […] Read more
Converting hay land to crops in spring is challenging
Fertility, soil moisture, herbicide applications, and a substantial seeding delay must all be considered
Reading Time: 2 minutes Producers should consider a number of factors before deciding to terminate hay land to seed an annual crop. “Traditionally, forage stands have been terminated in the fall by using one of three approaches — tillage only, herbicide application combined with tillage, and herbicide application followed by direct seeding into sod,” said provincial crop specialist Mark […] Read more
Forage seed rebate offered for cropland conversion
Reading Time: < 1 minute Discounts on forage seed are once again being offered to producers who convert cropland to pasture. The 2019 forage program from Ducks Unlimited Canada and Nutrien Ag Solutions offers a $100 rebate on a 50-pound bag of Proven Seed forage varieties for farmers in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Manitoba producers receive a rebate of $50 for every new forage […] Read more
Some points to consider when shopping for horse hay
Our own senses are wonderful tools — choose hay that is as fine stemmed, green, and as leafy as possible
Reading Time: 4 minutes Hay selection is an important aspect of horse ownership. The type and quality of hay the horse eats can make a big difference in its overall nutrition, and its value in a horse’s diet is unquestionable. The extra dollars spent on sourcing good-quality hay and its proper storage is invariably cost effective on many levels […] Read more
Five tips for grazing corn this winter
Corn grazing is becoming more popular across Canada because producers can grow more biomass on less land. If you are planning on grazing corn this winter, here are five tips to help you make the most of the corn grazing season:
Hay losses will be especially costly this year
Winter can be hard on both the weight and quality of hay — and push up feeding costs
Reading Time: 3 minutes Hay goes on a diet in winter, but how much weight it loses depends on how it was stored. “Over the course of a winter, bales weather and lose both weight and quality,” said provincial beef and forage specialist Barry Yaremcio. “This poses the key question of what kind of value losses occur when storing[...]
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Four options to help deal with a feed shortage
What is your best option if you’re short on feed? “Each farm is different and therefore doing your numbers as they pertain to your situation is paramount,” said provincial economics extension specialist Herman Simons. “In addition, each option has different pros and cons, which should be listed and taken into account when determining the best[...]
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Rain, rain don’t go away: How to capture more moisture on your land
When it comes to retaining rainfall, seeing is believing — and new infiltration tool does just that
Reading Time: 3 minutes Drought is a four-letter word in Alberta right now — but also proof that it’s critical to make the most of any moisture we get. “If we’re getting the types of rain we normally get, water infiltration probably isn’t that big of a deal,” said Ken Lewis, conservation co-ordinator with Red Deer County. “But in[...]
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Feed skyrockets in many areas — but there are options out there
Hay is uneconomical in some areas, forcing producers to either cull or find alternative feed sources
Reading Time: 5 minutes Record-setting temperatures in mid-August have added pressure to an already desperate situation for cattle producers across Alberta. “There are some people who are going to be really short on feed and pasture,” Alberta Beef Producers executive director Rich Smith said in mid-August. “Some people are in a really tough situation. The heat last week was[...]
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