Reading Time: 2 minutes Make hay while the sun shines’ is good advice in more ways than one, says a federal research scientist. “There’s fairly strong evidence that shows, by increasing the sugar concentration in forages, you can improve the performance of ruminants,” said Gilles Bélanger, who spoke during a recent Beef Cattle Research Council webinar. “If you want […] Read more
Improve performance with a sweet treat for your cattle — afternoon-cut forage
Sugar concentration in forages peaks about 11 to 13 hours after sunrise — and can be as much as five per cent higher
Poor hay causing concern
Reading Time: < 1 minute Up to one-half of Alberta hay supplies may be of lower quality, says a provincial beef and forage specialist. “Protein levels in a lot of hay that was cut late or damaged by rain over the summer, is testing 25 to 30 per cent lower than normal,” said Barry Yaremcio, noting that skinny cows have […] Read more
Experts decry lack of long-term forage research
Research projects tend to be commodity specific and short term
Reading Time: 3 minutes If you want to know what happens when research doesn’t get done, ask Doug Wray. “Where the hay yields haven’t increased in the last 10 years, the canola, wheat, and barley yields have,” says the cow-calf producer from Irricana. “It’s created a real challenge to keep forages on the landscape in that dynamic where the […] Read more
Tips for making hay during fall’s cool, damp weather
Fall is less than an ideal time for putting up forage, so the goal should be to salvage what can be salvaged and feed it quickly
Reading Time: 2 minutes Time is of the essence when putting up forage under less-than-ideal moisture conditions. “Cool and wet fall weather is great for pasture recovery and for easing forages into dormancy, but not so good for drying hay,” says Linda Hunt, forage specialist with the Alberta Ag-Info Centre in Stettler. “It’s not uncommon for fall conditions in […] Read more
Estimating the value of a standing hay crop
Buyer and seller can make a two-part agreement, with final payment made after harvest
Reading Time: 3 minutes “The month of July is usually the most difficult time of year to determine hay prices,” says Ted Nibourg, farm business management specialist, Ag-Info Centre, Stettler. “Yields and quality are uncertain and demand is an unknown factor. July of 2014 is no exception.” Last summer’s hay production was variable in quality, says Nibourg. “Two long […] Read more
Alberta crop report as of July 29
Crops rated below last year but ahead of the 10-year average
Reading Time: < 1 minute This is a summary of the AFSC biweekly crop report as of July. Click here for the full report and tables. Much-needed precipitation fell in all regions with the exception of Southern Alberta. With most crops now entering the kernel-filling stage, this moisture will be very beneficial for both yield and maturity. Crop condition ratings […] Read more
Putting a price on hay a challenge in summer
A host of factors makes it a challenge to price hay in summer, but there are ways to value your standing hay crop
Reading Time: 2 minutes July is the most difficult time for figuring out the price of hay, and this year is no exception, says provincial farm business management specialist Ted Nibourg. “Two long hard winters back to back reduced much of the hay carry-over in the province,” says Nibourg. “There were numerous reports of strong hay prices earlier this […] Read more
Sainfoin story keeps getting better
Sainfoin is a marvel when it comes to eliminating bloat, but earlier varieties were outcompeted by alfalfa
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s been neglected for years, but sainfoin is poised to come into its own, with the first new variety that regrows quickly after cutting or grazing due to come onto the market in 2015. In rotational grazing trials at Lethbridge last year, sainfoin-alfalfa pastures produced more than 400 kilograms of beef per hectare with no […] Read more
Survival of the fittest key to developing new variety
Reading Time: < 1 minute Plant breeders usually look at huge numbers of plants when searching for particular traits. But Agriculture Canada research scientist Surya Acharya took a survival-of-the-fittest approach to finding a hardy and competitive sainfoin variety for alfalfa-sainfoin pastures. He transplanted plugs of seedlings into pure alfalfa stands, and used those that thrived to create the new Mountainview […] Read more
It takes more than sunshine to make high-quality and high-yielding hay
Cutting at the right time, giving stands a chance to recover, and investing in nutrients can make a big difference to the bottom line
Reading Time: 3 minutes Producers are becoming increasingly aware of how hay quality and productivity affect their bottom lines — whether they’re selling hay or feeding it to their livestock. The biggest factor in achieving these goals is the timing of cutting, says Barry Yaremcio, beef and forage specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. “For every week a […] Read more
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