grazing Archives | Page 2 of 12 | Alberta Farmer Express

Asking for a price hike isn’t usual, but grazing lease fees had been kept far too low for far too long, say grazing associations.

New grazing lease plan a win for producers, say cattle groups

The groups feared long-frozen rental rates would be seen as a subsidy and lead to a countervailing duty

By Alexis Kienlen November 14, 2019

Reading Time: 3 minutes Grazing leases are about to change for the first time since 1994 after years of work by Alberta Beef Producers and the seven grazing lease associations in the province. The quarter-century-old system could have attracted potential tariffs on Canadian cattle, so the changes were necessary, said Rich Smith, executive director of Alberta Beef Producers. “The […] Read more

Alternative feeds could offer big savings this winter, but supplies vary by region and feed testing is a must.

Crops, Livestock, News

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

By Beef Cattle Research Council November 5, 2019

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

Ben Campbell, a rancher from Black Diamond, appears in “Guardians of the Grasslands,” which was filmed at the Waldron Ranch.

News

Film celebrates not just grass, but a special, overlooked habitat

Documentary shines a spotlight on grasslands and why they need to be protected and cherished

By Alexis Kienlen October 22, 2019

Reading Time: 3 minutes Not all superheroes wear capes — some put on work clothes and graze cows. Ranchers are the stars of a new mini-documentary called “Guardians of the Grasslands” and their mission is to protect this fast-disappearing habitat. Three-quarters of the country’s native grasslands have already been lost, and cattle are key to protecting those that remain […] Read more

Crops, Pasture

Alberta to lift residency rule for public grazing lands

By GFM Staff September 25, 2019

The Alberta government plans to remove a restriction on non-Albertans’ use of public lands for grazing, in a bid to smooth out paths for interprovincial trade. The province on Saturday announced it will do away with eight of its declared exceptions under the interprovincial Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA). Of the eight, three deal with […] Read more

Want more environmentally friendly cows? One big way is to do everything you can to ensure they have calves.

Livestock, Pasture

Producers can reduce carbon hoofprint while boosting profitability

By Alexis Kienlen September 5, 2019

Reading Time: 3 minutes If you want to raise more environmentally friendly cows, there are several things you can do, say experts. And make money from doing them. Over the last 30 years, the beef sector has improved efficiency by 15 per cent, but it can still do more to reduce methane emissions, said John Basarab, senior research scientist […] Read more

Livestock, Reuters

U.S. to move BLM headquarters to Colorado

By Reuters July 16, 2019

Reuters — The U.S. Bureau of Land Management will move its headquarters to Colorado from Washington, officials said on Tuesday, sparking ire from conservationists who said the decision would weaken the agency dedicated to managing the country’s vast public lands. The Department of Interior, which oversees BLM, announced the move in letters to key congressional […] Read more

The webinar series wraps up with fall/winter feeding strategies on Oct. 24.

News

Livestock feed webinar series underway

By Alberta Farmer Staff July 15, 2019

Reading Time: < 1 minute A livestock feed webinar series is underway. The first webinar on grazing options for dry conditions took place on July 4 but there are eight more in the series: feeding economics (July 18, co-operating with cropping neighbours (Aug. 1), safely grazing hay lands (Aug. 15), alternate feed myths (Aug. 29), effective culling (Sept. 12) feed […] Read more

File photo of cattle on pasture northeast of Calgary.

Livestock, Pasture

Alberta to lengthen public leases for ‘exemplary’ ranching

By GFM Staff July 12, 2019

Ranchers who display “exemplary” stewardship as tenants on Alberta’s public lands could soon be eligible for double the term of the usual lease. The province announced Tuesday it expects the new policy to come into effect in late autumn this year and “in the coming months” will release new guidelines on what would be considered […] Read more

Beef Cattle, Livestock, Weather

Manitoba to open up Crown lands for grazing, haying

By GFM Staff July 9, 2019

Some Manitoba Crown lands not generally used for grazing or haying will be made available for temporary lease to producers this summer and fall. Citing “dry conditions in parts of the province,” the Manitoba government announced Monday that livestock producers “will temporarily be allowed to cut hay and allow animals to graze on Crown land […] Read more

A clean source of drinking water is even more valuable in dry years. If you’re relying on dugouts, sulphates and blue-green algae  are two serious threats.

Beef Cattle, Livestock

Less rain equals more danger for cattle on your ranch

By Alexis Kienlen July 6, 2019

Reading Time: 3 minutes Polioencephalomalacia, fog fever, blue-green algae, and vitamin A deficiency. Those are just four potential health threats to cattle when conditions are extremely dry. “The biggest problem we have on the Prairies is water that is high in sulphates,” said Dr. John Campbell, professor in the department large animal clinical sciences at the University of Saskatchewan. […] Read more

Alberta hog farmers to get set-aside via AgriRecovery

No credit expected for farmers’ past work in new carbon market

Spring road bans coming into effect across Prairies

GFM Network News