Reading Time: 2 minutes Developing a grazing plan is an important first step to ensure effective grazing management on an operation, and it can help save a producer on cost of production in the long run. A grazing plan that matches animal numbers to predicted forage yields should be made before animal turn out. Several key steps should be […] Read more
Have a plan to make the most of your forage
Start the grazing season with a plan and you’ll lower cost of production over time
Ag in Motion plots give first-hand view of varieties and technology
Thirty companies and organizations will share their research this year
Reading Time: 3 minutes The crop plots at Ag In Motion give producers a chance to see crops and crop protection products at work in the great outdoors, along with the opportunity to speak face-to-face with company representatives. The 2023 show features 30 companies with plots, offering a practical and immersive experience with a variety of western Canadian crops […] Read more
Survey on best livestock management practices
Reading Time: < 1 minute Organizers of the province’s Living Lab initiative are looking for producers willing to take an in-depth survey on their management practices. The “Adoption of Beneficial Management Practices Survey… is targeting annual crop, beef/forage/feedlot, or mixed producers who have not signed up to participate in the Living Lab program,” said Alberta AgriSystems Living Lab. The federally […] Read more
PHOTOS: The rough fescue grasses of Alberta
Reading Time: < 1 minute Rough fescue is a densely tufted bunchgrass. Three varieties grow in Canada: Plains rough fescue, foothills rough fescue and northern rough fescue. What makes these grasses unique, owner of Mount Sentinel Ranch Sarah Green says, is that unlike other grasses, they cure on long stems above ground, keeping palatable high-quality nutrients available even in deep […] Read more
Test plot measures the benefits of grazing in crop rotation
Researchers studying impact of including pasture in a cash crop rotation at Ontario farm
Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – They’ve been dubbed “crazy strips,” but there’s a method to Mike Groot’s patchwork of perennial pasture stands within a larger plot trial. The Ontario farmer is a participant in a project being conducted under the Living Labs initiative, a federal program that tests innovative practices and technologies on farms. Groot is hoping the […] Read more
Beef industry honours forage breeder
Reading Time: < 1 minute A federal forage breeder from Nova Scotia is this year’s winner of the Canadian Beef Industry Award for Outstanding Research and Innovation. Yousef Papadopoulos, a research scientist at Ag Canada’s centre in Truro, N.S., “is known across North America for his contributions to forage development and ruminant livestock sustainability,” said the Beef Cattle Research Council, […] Read more
Grain farmers should think about forage
Adding perennial forages to annual crop rotations can pay big dividends in more than just the bank account
Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Grain farmers can harvest a heap of benefits by cycling perennial forages through rotations, says an agronomist with Federated Co-operatives Ltd. Ken Wall said the economics of growing forage as a cash crop have changed significantly in recent years due to market conditions and a sharp increase in the price of fuel. […] Read more
There are low-cost ways to bring a tired pasture back to life
Caring for ‘baby plants’ and managing land with your cows are two pillars of pasture rejuvenation
Reading Time: 4 minutes Fertilizer and fuel prices got you down? If you have unproductive pasture, the high cost of a total redo may have you unsure of what to do. But there are low-cost possibilities, says a longtime forage extension specialist. “Everything is an option when it comes to pasture rejuvenation,” said Grant Lastiwka. One of the first […] Read more
A swath-grazing sabbatical can be a way to redo worn-out hay land
Reading Time: < 1 minute Plagued with unproductive hay land? Reseeding to an annual and swath grazing for two or three years might be the answer. The first year start with a rapid growing cereal that is hardy “like an oat or barley, if you choose to put another large seed, stick with a pea,” said forage expert Grant Lastiwka. […] Read more
OPEN TO CHANGE: Trying something new isn’t easy — but it can pay off
Two producers share their experience of heading in a brand new direction and how it played out
Reading Time: 4 minutes Have you ever acted on the recommendations of experts? Many will agree expert advice is great — however, to follow through with it often costs money and time. But Charlie Christie and Terri Mappin are two producers who listened, decided to give it a go and are glad they did. At wit’s end A very […] Read more
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