A new course by the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association delves into all these components and more.

“The High-Performance Forage course will be available early in 2026 to producers, agronomists and technical teams interested in improving the quality of Canadian forage available for market both domestically and internationally,” according to Kaylee Healy, the CFGA’s communications and knowledge technology transfer logistics manager.

The course covers a range of topics designed to give participants in-depth knowledge on the different aspects of growing high-performance forage across Canada, including examining regional challenges.

This 12-module course is designed for producers who are already growing forage and who are ready to take their product to the next level to take advantage of existing and new markets. Participants can expect to walk away with an in-depth understanding of forage production and practical next steps to improve the quality of forage produced by their operations.

The course is being developed with the help of forage specialist Dan Undersander from the University of Wisconsin, who brings knowledge of more than five decades of advancing forage production.

His expertise spans all aspects of forage management, including production and harvesting methods for hay, haylage, baleage and silage, as well as forage analysis and grazing. His work is supported by other subject matter experts from across Canada and the United States.

“We’ve been building this information for the last three years with Dr. Undersander,” Healy said.

“It’s building on a series of workshops held back in the early 2000s. They were in-person workshops geared towards agronomists and technical experts in forage to help develop higher-quality forage across Canada.”

Course content

The course takes a ground-up approach, starting with planning growing systems, defining the rations and yield potential. Planning the system helps identify goals, determine labour and management costs and determine crop goals. It is the foundation for the rest of the course and includes elements to help producers track and assess performance.

It’s important to understand the seed mix, including seed genetics, which will grow best in a producer’s region based on climate, soil fertility and other growing conditions.

The module also looks at seeding rates and seeding strategies.

Fertility is an important component of growing quality forage. It begins with understanding the nutrients and density required to match the seed selection made.

Emphasis on soil testing illustrates the need to understand soil pH and existing nutrients, plus soil additives including nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulphur, calcium and magnesium. This module also explores the use of liquid and solid manure and touches on the impact of salinity.

Seed management looks at different tillage systems designed to facilitate proper seed placement and other seedbed preparation considerations, while weed control covers topics such as assessing weed pressures and challenges. It specifically looks at when weeds cause a problem, how to manage weeds through pre-seeding and post-seeding, mechanical needs for weed control and when spraying may be required.

Disease and pest management dives into understanding the pressures that these problems place on crops. The module looks at how to identify problems and manage them.

The course offers a diverse look at harvesting and harvest systems, beginning with targeted harvesting time. This is a natural segue into matching forage quality to animal requirements and targeting moisture levels at harvest.

The harvest module also looks at minimizing field losses, selecting the best mower for your operation, the use of conditioning systems, racking, preservation and making baleage.

Making forage is only part of the equation. The course also features modules on storage including packing density, bunk filling rates and other storage considerations to minimize loss.

Producers feeding out forage will appreciate the module on feed-out management, which touches on topics such as maintaining a fresh bunk face, designing storage systems and engaging a nutritionist. It closes with tracking forage quality and building rations.

As the course winds down, participants will gain a better understanding of tracking and performance, including what records to keep, why producers should keep them and how to inventory quantity and quality in storage.

The initial plan, the tracking and the records help producers better understand the cost of production for an operation. Producers walk away from training with a template to develop the cost of production for their own operation, looking at the cost of harvest and storage losses and the overall cost of forage production.

The course closes with discussion on sustainable management, greenhouse gas impacts and management strategies to help producers with soil carbon sequestering and determining manure storage and application methods for their operations.

Producers will complete training with a plan on how they can improve the quality of forage they produce.

“The course presents information using a combination of written and video materials and provides resources and action items so producers can take the techniques and strategies outlined in the material and apply them to their farm,” said Healy.

Why now?

The CFGA has been working with Undersander and other experts for several years to create this training series based on the demand from producers and extension specialists to improve the quality of forage produced in Canada. It has been long recognized that forages are essential to maintaining the health of cropping systems in addition to being an important crop on its own.

Growers face a number of challenges regionally, including disease, pests, drought, excessive moisture and varying rates of soil fertility.

A pilot, three-day workshop offered this past March in Manitoba underlined the desire for knowledge and the need to build new supports and connections for growers.

“With experts planning retirement or moving into other roles, the CFGA recognized the opportunity to capture this knowledge now and assist with transferring it to the next generation of producers, agronomists and technicians who are looking to improve Canadian forage,” Healy said.

“This free online course will be available through the CFGA’s learning management system in both English and French early in 2026.”

The new High-Performance Forage course joins other online educational opportunities provided by the CFGA, including Advanced Grazing Systems with sub-courses on dairy and brown soil zones.

– Susanne Wagner is the OFCAF/AGS course developer for the Canadian Forage & Grassland Association.

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According to Blue, Alberta has enough forage and feed grain to meet livestock needs heading into the upcoming winter season.

“The Peace River area and eastern side of Alberta generally had below average hay yields due to lack of rain and spotty showers,” said Blue, who is based in Edmonton and farms near Vermilion.

Hay yields from central and southern Alberta were mostly average to above average, he said.

“The hay was generally baled in good condition with little to no rain while it was curing in the field,” he said.

Marketing sites in Edmonton and Calgary areas show lots of hay for sale, but there is less hay advertised for sale in northeastern Alberta and generally down the east side to Medicine Hat, he said.

“It’s tighter than maybe we would like, but it will be fine. Farmers are resilient so they’ll find a way. They’re making other arrangements in some cases,” said Blue.

He has been following hay sales on websites like Facebook and Kijiji.

“Asking prices for large round bales seem to be in the range of 10 to 12 cents a pound picked up. And of course, for any trucking distance required, trucking would add or could add significantly to that price,” he said.

Some hay is available outside that price range, but 10 to 12 cents a pound seems to be average.

“That’s not that much higher or different than last year, when we had higher volumes of hay produced,” he said.

The years of drought have made feed supplies patchy across the province.

“In the Vermilion area, some yields are average or better and some are just not good at all. In that central upper area, things are pretty good, generally, but variable,” he said.

“On the other hand, there were enough showers in most areas to have provided a reasonably okay, not always average, sometimes below average cereal crop. In some of those areas, there is quite a bit of straw being baled. In the case where there aren’t adequate feed supplies, some producers will use straw and combine it with feed greens, like oats or barley, along with some pellets to try to get by,” he said.

The eastern side of the province, the northeast and the Peace Country will have some deficits, but there aren’t as many cattle in that region that will be affected by short supplies.

The Peace Country has the lowest supply of feed, and people in the area may decide to buy hay from other areas.

“Even up there, in some areas west of Grande Prairie, for example, and north, there are some showers that came through and some of the crops weren’t too bad. And yet, just a mile or two away, or a few miles away, the crops weren’t good. And the same applies to the forage situation and to pasture for that matter.”

Farmers in areas with low feed will buy feed from surplus feed areas. “Some might ship a portion of their cattle away from the area to be custom fed in areas that have more hay. It might be cheaper to ship the cattle and have them custom fed then bring the hay in. Some might even sell part of their herd to reduce winter feeding costs,” he said.

Blue said there was a reduction of the herd during the summer based on the dryness, which reflected poor pasture conditions.

“I guess the one good thing about that alternative is that cattle prices are record high, and so at least the prices were high when they were selling or reducing their herd,” he said.

Alberta’s cattle herd is smaller, which means less need for feed.

“On the hay side, like perennial forage, there’s been a reduction in hay acreage over time too, in favour of annual crops which have had better economic conditions for the last number of years. I guess, despite me promoting the idea of seeding more acres to hay, just from a rotational benefit point of view, it generally hasn’t happened yet,” said Blue.

More acres could be seeded to hay if the current mediocre or lower annual crop prices remain, he said.

Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation has a product that it put out in the spring called Cropping Alternatives, which can be found online. Blue said the website showed that forage may have been one of the better promises of net income compared with the annual crops.

Crop prices are generally weaker at harvest time, but since the spring, prices have dropped on a lot of annual crops.

“There may be a bit of a rebound in forage acres or interest in it. I’ve even promoted that idea for those that do not have cattle, that they could maybe arrange in advance with someone who does have cattle, or who does custom cutting and baling of hay,” he said.

The feed situation going into the winter is decent.

“Farmers will find a way and the bright spot is for those who decide they don’t want to ship their cattle out, or pay the cost of getting hay brought in, they could reduce the herd a bit or ship some of their herd to be fed elsewhere. Cattle prices remain very high,” he said.

High cattle prices mean farmers will have the ability to pay for hay and likely have a profit, barring some kind of problem with livestock prices, he said.

The other option is to sell some livestock to reduce the herd to manage available supply.

The post Alberta has adequate feed supplies going into winter appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

The southwest led the way at 39 per cent harvest, followed by the southeast at 33 per cent. Further back are the east-central at 16 per cent, the northeast at 13 per cent, the northwest at 12 per cent and the west-central at 10 per cent.

Cereals, oilseeds, pulses

Among the cereals, winter wheat was 85 per cent harvest and fall rye was at 79 per cent. Triticale was next at 34 per cent combined, then barley at 31 per cent, durum at 29 per cent, spring with at 14 per cent, oats at 12 per cent with canaryseed at five per cent.

Soybeans led the oilseeds at 11 per cent combined, followed by mustard at 10 per cent and canola at four per cent.

The pulses saw field peas at 73 per cent done, lentils at 59 per cent and chickpeas at 13 per cent.

Topsoil moisture levels

The Piapot area in southwest Saskatchewan topped the province with the most rain at 25 millimetres.

The ag department said cropland topsoil moisture was at two per cent surplus, 67 per cent adequate, 29 per cent short and two per cent very short.

Hayland topsoil moisture registered at two per cent surplus, 55 per cent adequate, 36 per cent short and seven per cent very short.

As for pasture topsoil moisture, levels were three per cent surplus, 51 per cent adequate, 37 per cent short and nine per cent very short.

The main causes of crop damage during the week were strong winds and dry conditions, with a high risk of fire. Minor damages were caused by grasshoppers and bertha armyworms.

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The report said farmers in the southwest continued to lead combining at 23 per cent done while those in the northeast lag at two per cent.

Winter wheat at 70 per cent harvest and fall rye at 66 per cent remained well ahead of the spring crops. Those were led by field peas at 45 per cent combined, followed by 42 per cent of triticale and 35 per cent of the lentils. Next were barley at 17 per cent off the field and then durum at 13 per cent.

The remainder of Saskatchewan’s crops were in single digits with oats and chickpeas at eight per cent combined. Spring wheat came in at three per cent complete with canola and canaryseed at one per cent.

Following the rains, cropland topsoil moisture levels rated three per cent surplus, 77 per cent adequate, 18 per short and two per cent very short.

For hayland, the topsoil moisture was three per cent surplus, 66 per cent adequate, 27 per cent short and four per cent very short.

The topsoil on pastures were three per cent surplus, 60 per cent adequate, 31 per cent short and six per cent very short.

Saskatchewan Ag said Bertha armyworms caused minor damage to canola, with more as a result of grasshoppers and other wildlife. Strong winds and hail led to damages in the areas they struck, then hot temperatures and a lack of rain in other areas led to crop stress in dry areas.

The post Saskatchewan harvest lags behind appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

Richmound in the southwestern corner of Saskatchewan received the most rain at 62 millimetres, while several other locations throughout the province had between 35 and 50 mm.

The ag department rated the province’s winter wheat at 55 per cent good to excellent and the fall rye at 66 per cent. For the spring cereals, the oats and spring wheat were pegged at 68 per cent good to excellent, with the barley at 65 per cent and the durum at 55 per cent.

Among Saskatchewan’s oilseeds, the soybeans rated 92 per cent good to excellent, followed by the flax at 75 per cent, the canola at 68 per cent and the mustard at 54 per cent.

For the pulses, field peas and lentils were placed at 75 per cent good to excellent and the chickpeas at 67 per cent.

In terms of soil moisture levels, the topsoil provincewide rated 65 per cent adequate, 28 per cent short and seven per cent very short. For hayland it was 55 per cent adequate, 36 per cent short and nine per cent very short. As for pastures, they were 55 per cent adequate, 32 per cent short and 13 per cent very short.

The report said the first cut of hay was winding up with 68 per cent either baled or for silage, rating at 64 per cent good to excellent. A second cut was deemed to be unlikely unless there was sufficient rainfall.

Heat, dryness, gophers, grasshoppers, flea beetles and aphids were among the sources of crop damage.

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The spring wheat changed the most in the Interlake region, with the crop at 70 per cent good to excellent, down 20 points, while the fair to poor added that amount at 30 per cent.

Eastern Manitoba saw its spring wheat give up 10 points at 80 per cent good to excellent, while the fair to poor rating rose by 10 at 20 per cent.

Spring wheat in the central region climbed 10 points to 80 per cent good to excellent, switching from fair to poor now at 20 per cent.

Ratings for spring wheat in the southwest and northwest were unchanged at 85 per cent good to excellent and 15 per cent fair to poor.

The crop report said the earliest seeded spring wheat in Manitoba was in the late dough stage, with the winter wheat and fall rye in seed colour change. The barley and oats were in the grain fill stage and the corn ranged from V8 to tasseling.

As for the province’s canola, the extended planting period has led to the earliest seeded being fully podded to that going in late at mid-flowering. The flax ranged from late-stage flowering to bolls.

The sunflowers were R2 to R5, the soybeans were R1 to R3 and the field peas were largely filling pods.

Rain across most of the province was welcomed, with greatest amounts in the central and east regions. However, the Deloraine area in the southwest recorded the heaviest rainfall at about 61 millimetres.

Since May 1, the southwest has received 40 to 106 per cent of its normal precipitation, with the central at 37 to 92 per cent, the northwest at 31 to 83 per cent, and the east at 43 to 72 per cent. The Interlake remained the driest at 26 to 56 per cent.

The crop report said pastures were improving in the areas that got rain, but conditions still varied from location to location. Water levels in numerous dugouts were sufficient but on the low side.

The rain led to some haying being delayed. Dairy producers have largely wrapped up their second cut of hay, but beef producers aren’t expected to get a second cut.

The post Changes to Manitoba’s spring wheat: crop report appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

While some areas received little to no rainfall, other places saw more than 60 millimetres, including Windygates in the central region (72.4 mm), Ninette in the southwest (62 mm) and Zhoda in the east (54 mm).

Northwestern and eastern Manitoba, as well as the Interlake, have large areas where accumulated precipitation since May 1 is below 50 per cent of normal. Most of central Manitoba and the southwest are at 70 per cent or less, while some places received more than 80 per cent of the 30-year average.

Spring wheat quality was rated at 90 per cent good to excellent across the province with the Interlake showing the best rating at 60 per cent excellent. The earliest seeded spring wheat is in anthesis. Meanwhile, winter wheat and fall rye are in the grain fill stage, while most corn fields are in the V8 to V10 stages. Barley and oats range from stem elongation to head emergence. Fungicide applications to prevent Fusarium head blight are still ongoing.

A long seeding window meant the earliest seeded canola is in full flower while late-seeded canola is in the four-leaf stage to rosette. Also, the earliest seeded flax fields are flowering while late-seeded fields are up to 15 centimetres tall and are budding.

Field peas have flowered in most areas, with the earliest seeded fields having progressed to the R2 and R3 stages and beginning to pod. Soybeans planted early are in the R1 and R2 stages, while those planted later are in the V3 to V5 stages.

Pasture conditions vary across the province, with dry and grasshopper-damaged areas found in the east, southwest, the Interlake and the Rural Municipality of Kelsey in the northwest. Beef hay quality has been good in areas with sufficient moisture, but some fields in the east, Interlake and the RM of Kelsey are seeing yields as low as 25 per cent of normal. While some dairy producers in eastern Manitoba are anticipating a second cut of hay, others in the Interlake don’t expect one unless there is substantial rainfall. Corn for silage is faring well, even in drier areas.

Cattle on pasture are in good condition, but fly pressure and foot rot were observed. Water levels in dugouts and natural waterways are lower than normal, with some at 50 per cent capacity.

The post Manitoba Crop Report: Rains not enough to curb dryness appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

According to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) via CTV News, some regions received more than 100 millimetres of rain that weekend. Much of the rainfall was focused on the foothills south of Calgary as well as many parts of eastern Alberta, said the agency.

Rain in the Peace was spotty, but it wasn’t alone. Grant Lastiwka, a beef producer and forage consultant from the central Alberta town of Innisfail, says patchy rainfall means a grower could have received abundant moisture while their neighbour’s land a few miles away could be dry as a bone.

These regional moisture patterns are “probably more notable” than Lastiwka has ever seen.

”When somebody says “I’ve had four inches this year’ — which we’ve had — you go ahead 10 miles east and they’ve had one inch.”

That said, he called the two-and-seven-tenths inches of rain that fell on his Innisfail farm June 21 a “godsend” with the soil absorbing it almost immediately.

Ed Shaw, chair of the Alberta Forage Industry Network (now ARECA), is optimistic the new precipitation will make a difference.

“It’s going to improve primarily the cereal crops. It may improve the hay crops. It’s definitely an improvement to have some more moisture.”

Hay situation ‘serious’

The outlook is looking bleak for some areas of Alberta even after the weekend rainfall, says Shaw.

“The hay situation is serious,” he says, speaking primarily of regions south of Edmonton.

“I was talking to a farmer yesterday. He farms about 5,500 acres. He’s got about 500 acres less than normal, which is not great, but he wanted to cut it in case of rain, so he might get a good second cut.”

Others he’s spoken to haven’t been even that lucky. He’s seeing — on average — less than a tonne of forages per acre to half a tonne per acre.

“South (of Edmonton) is roughly dry and then there’s areas down in the south from Medicine Hat to Pincher Creek — some areas that have some moisture but the hay is very short this year.

“Even the irrigated people are saying it’s pretty bleak down there.”

Meanwhile, in the Alberta Peace Country, Shaw has heard unofficial reports of “okay” but marginal rainfall.

Alberta’s forage acres got off to a poor start with little soil moisture, little runoff on pastures and empty or semi-filled dugouts, says Lastiwka, calling the situation a “profound problem.”

“This year my neighbour sold a bunch of cows because they don’t have sufficient water. The dugouts didn’t fill. The wells can’t handle it. So the reality is now we’re in a progressive stage of too dry and it’s not the first or second year for the majority of people — it’s a third or fourth.”

Lastiwka has been travelling around the province checking forage conditions in several areas including Athabasca, Duchess and Oyen.

“In general, what we’re seeing are stressed forages that are lacking moisture and hay crops that are heading out with low yield potential.”

He believes Alberta is in a “declining moisture environment” that is making this year’s forage acres even more challenging than usual. ”

If there’s a ray of sunshine on the horizon, it’s the decent state of annual crops, he says.

Forage a ‘mixed bag’ in Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan also received some much-needed rain over the weekend, but so far forage conditions have been a mixed bag. All respondents pointed to previous lack of rainfall as a common denominator, even in the usually moisture-rich Parkland region of the province.

Just ask Duane Thompson, a mixed holistic farmer from that region (specifically Kelliher).

Although rain has been sparse, a hit of fall snow melted into his unfrozen soil, and marginal spring rain has replenished some of Thompson’s soil moisture, giving his hay and forage crops a chance to germinate.

Thompson plants about a section of first-year hay every year for haylage. He doesn’t think his new hay is going to do very well in the short term, but some of his older haylage land is looking good, he says.

Calvin Gavelin, who also describes himself as a holistic mixed farmer, got seven-tenths of an inch of rain over the June 21-22 weekend. However, overall rainfall in the drought-prone Palliser’s Triangle area where he farms remains elusive.

His forage season got off to a bad start due to lack of rain and insufficient subsoil moisture. His perennial forages didn’t even get off the ground. Instead, he may have to lean on his annual forages, which benefited from a surprise shower over the May long weekend.

”It didn’t help the other stuff, because it has all gone dormant. But our annuals are our gold star plan if it works,” he says.

Extra hay cuts hinge on rain in Manitoba

In Manitoba, dairy producers are mostly done their first hay cuts while many beef growers are just getting started, said Cindy Jack, livestock and forage extension specialist with Manitoba Agriculture on June 17.

Alfalfa has so far weathered Manitoba’s dry spring better than the grass thanks to its strong root structure, At the time of her comments, most alfalfa had entered early bloom and grasses were starting to head out.

Jack also suggested that overall forage growth was being compromised by older stands and fields that did not receive fertilizer. “(They) generally have lower productivity.”

The prognosis for further hay cuts will be weather-dependent, she added.

“Without significant rainfall soon, regrowth will be limited due to moisture stress, reducing the likelihood of subsequent cuts.”

Southeastern Manitoba dairy farmer Stefan Signer echoes Jack’s concerns.

“At this point, we are really hoping and needing some rain so that the fields can recover for maybe a second and maybe a third cut,” the Kleefeld-area farmer said.

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The provincial agriculture department said crop ratings rose two points at 61 per cent good to excellent. Among the major crops the good to excellent totals were:

• Spring wheat up two points at 62 per cent

• Barley up two points at 63 per cent

• Oats up two points at 60 per cent

• Dry peas hold at 60 per cent

• Canola holds at 58 per cent

There’s a wide variation among Alberta’s regions, with northwest leading at 77 per cent good to excellent but the Peace is the worst off at a mere 23 per cent.

For crop development, the report said spring cereals are ahead in their growth with most in the booting stage. The cereals in the south were beginning to form heads.

Of the broadleaf crops, those flowering were:

• Lentils 58 per cent

• Dry peas 53 per cent

• Canola 42 per cent

• Mustard 42 per cent

• Chickpeas 35 per cent

Also, 48 per cent of Alberta canola was in the rosette stage and 43 per cent of the dry peas were in the seven-to-12 node stage.

Meanwhile the province’s soil rating lost eight points on the week at 57 per cent good to excellent. Tops in Alberta was the central region at 82 per cent and the Peace came in at 31 per cent.

The report said June rains helped soil moisture levels in the south, central and northwest regions, but below normal levels persist in the northeast and Peace as well as in some parts of the south.

Tame hay quality improved five points to 42 per cent good to excellent and the first cut is underway. Dryland hay quality rated 54 per cent good to excellent and that on irrigated land was 82 per cent. Alberta’s pastures are at 49 per cent good to excellent.

The post Alberta crop ratings nudge up appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

“The east and Interlake regions have large areas of accumulations below 50 per cent of normal. The majority of the central, northwest and southwest regions have accumulated less than 70 per cent of the 30-year average of precipitation,” the crop report said.

For the week ending July 1, numerous locations throughout Manitoba received very little to no rain. Those that received the most precipitation include Fisher Branch at about 12 millimetres, Gladstone with around 19, Elma at nearly 30, Inglis just short of 44 and Neepawa close to 58.

Among the province’s cereals, the winter wheat and fall rye are in the grain fill stage, while the barley and oats are in stem elongation to head emergence.

The corn ranges from V5 to V8, with that for silage said to be advancing rapidly.

Of the spring wheat, Manitoba Agriculture said only 10 per cent of the crop is in fair condition with none rated as poor or very poor. All of the regions reported their wheat at 90 per cent good to excellent. While eastern Manitoba has no spring wheat rated as excellent, 60 per cent of the crop in the Interlake is.

As for the oilseeds, the canola ranges from the four leaf stage to rosette, with the earliest planted fields in full bloom. The flax was reported to be to up 15 centimetres tall with buds forming. Of the soybeans, the earliest seeded are in the R1 to R2 stages and those sown the latest were in the V3 to V5 stages.

For the pulses, field peas have begun to flower with furthest along in the R1 to R2 stages.

The recent rains will help grass growth on Manitoba’s pastures. Beef producers have started haying, but there are reports of below average yields.

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