Sheep under solar panels on Sun Cycle Farms. Photo: Submitted by Jason Bradley

Solar and sheep provide valuable farm diversification

Thousands of acres of solar panels across Canada can actually enhance agricultural production

Reading Time: 6 minutes Agrivoltaics - the system of grazing sheep or conducting other agricultural activity under arrays of solar panels - can provide farmers with diversification options for their operations.




Preliminary results from a winter feeding trial at Lakeland College show that the overall feed quality of a forage blend in a swath grazing program is better than just oats.

Forage blends benefit swath grazing

Winter feeding trial studies virtual fencing as well as potential of moving away from using only one crop in swath grazing

Reading Time: 2 minutes A researcher at Lakeland College says he wanted to investigate using forage blends in winter swath grazing systems to ease producer hesitancy. Obioha Durunna, who is now in the third year of the study, says he was also prompted by the limited information available on backgrounding weaned calves in such systems. Durunna says producers are […] Read more



Ducks Unlimited Canada’s Kristine Tapley says the focus is on unproductive cropland.

Farmers urged to use marginal land for forage

Ducks Unlimited Canada, Farm Credit Canada lauch program to turn uneconomical farmland into perennial forage

Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – A new program sponsored by Ducks Unlimited Canada and supported by Farm Credit Canada hopes to spur producers to turn uneconomical farmland into perennial forage. The Marginal Areas Program on the Prairies is open to producers in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, with DUC providing financial support to convert unproductive cropland to forage […] Read more


Forage sources sought

Forage sources sought

Reading Time: < 1 minute As winter begins, cattle and sheep producers are reassessing their forage needs and sources to ensure they have adequate feed for the winter. Neil Blue, provincial crops market analyst with the Alberta government, says although the early season dry weather allowed hay crops to be harvested in good condition, there were lower than average yields. […] Read more

Dandelions are among the bitter plants that horses are drawn to.

The benefit of bitters for horses

Bitter plants can provide a natural booster for horses’ gut health

Reading Time: 2 minutes Domestic horses are known for their preference for lush green pastures and sweet hay, yet their natural foraging behaviour intrigues equine professionals, scientists and horse owners: their attraction to a specific group of plants known as bitters. Horses, with their remarkable sense of taste and intuition, display a strong and deliberate inclination toward certain plants […] Read more


Aric Wilson of Leading Edge Equipment(left) discusses the Finnish-made, front-mounted Agronic rake during the Ontario Forage Expo.

Europeans take aim at North American rake market

Speed of operation is a key selling point for forage producers, company says

Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Large fields and gentle terrain are the norm in forage-producing areas of North America. Now some European companies aim to have their forage equipment, developed with the typical European farmer in mind, adapted for widespread use on this side of the Atlantic. Two companies in particular hope to gain traction with North […] Read more

Kainai-Blood Chief Roy Fox (Blackfoot name Makiinima) stands in front of a painting of Stamikso’sak, a Blood Tribe war chief from the early 1800s.

Alberta First Nations tribe spins hay into gold

Kainai Forage sets a new record with a 40,000 tonne first cut and it has no plans of stopping there

Reading Time: 4 minutes Four years ago, Kainai Forage set out to increase its premium forage production fivefold by 2024. If its first cut is any indication, it could be on its way to that 100,000-tonne goal. The plant-to-processing company recently set a record-best first cut when it harvested more than 40,000 tonnes of export-destined timothy hay grown under […] Read more