CNS Canada — After a dry growing season last year in Western Canada, effects of the drought are still evident with news that most livestock producers won’t be doing a second cut of hay. “Pastures and hay fields didn’t get the moisture that they needed to really recharge over that winter period and get a […] Read more
Drought’s effects linger on Prairies
Hot weather doesn’t help when it comes to baling
Uneven yields up the risk of mouldy, heated feed, while leaf loss increases when the temperature soars
Reading Time: 3 minutes This year is going to be a challenge deciding when to bale hay, says provincial beef and forage specialist Barry Yaremcio. “With yield differences in a field, areas with a low yield will be dry and ready to bale while areas of that field with higher yield potential may need more time to dry and […] Read more
Prairie hay crops look thin in many areas
CNS Canada — Many farmers taking off their first hay cuts are also gathering more talking points to grumble over at coffee row. While many producers are still working to get the first cut done and the situation could change with the second cut, many regions are already reporting below-average yields. “In areas of the […] Read more
Creep feeding can mitigate hay shortage
If calf prices stay around current levels, creep feeding could generate nearly $200 in extra revenue
Reading Time: 2 minutes The potential for a poor hay crop is high, and producers facing a shortage should consider creep feeding, says a provincial beef and forage specialist. “Stress on plants from last summer and fall, as well as this spring’s weather across most of Alberta has slowed forage growth in pastures and hayfields,” said Barry Yaremcio. “If […] Read more
Early-season estimate of hay value is worth the effort
Having a ballpark price for this year’s hay crop is useful when working out a hay share agreement
Reading Time: 2 minutes It’s not easy to put a value on hay this early in the season, but producers considering a crop share should come up with an estimate, says a provincial farm business management specialist. Hay prices usually do not settle until about the end of October when there are firmer estimates of forage production, the amount […] Read more
Tired of providing a hay lunch for the neighbourhood?
Hay yards are magnets for elk and deer, but 3D fencing can be a lower-cost way to keep them out
Reading Time: 2 minutes A long winter coupled with a late and dry start to spring has stretched feed supplies across Alberta. Which means any loss of hay to wildlife last winter was especially painful. To avoid that grief — or at least lessen it — many producers on the Prairies have turned to three-dimensional fencing. Unlike typical fencing, […] Read more
Seeding delayed across the province, overland flooding continues
Alberta crop conditions as of May 1, 2018
Reading Time: < 1 minute A late spring has delayed seeding in all regions. Daily average temperatures in the first half of April were 8-10 degrees below long term normals postponing snow melt. Warm temperatures during the second half of the month has melted all the snow though soil dry down and warming have been negatively impacted by the late […] Read more
Have a plan to get the most out of your feed supply
Strategies include keeping alfalfa until the third trimester and monitoring the calcium/phosphorus ratio when feeding cereals
Reading Time: 2 minutes Livestock producers have several months of winter ahead of them. “It’s best to develop a strategy to get the most out of your feed supply at the start of feeding season, and it’s not too late,” said provincial beef extension specialist Andrea Hanson. By testing the various feeds and knowing the nutritional values of each, […] Read more
Watch for nitrate accumulation after a hailstorm
Water and nutrients, including nitrogen, are pushed into non-legume crops after hail damage
Reading Time: 2 minutes There are many things to consider when salvaging a damaged cereal, oilseed, or hay crop after a hail event. One of them is nitrate accumulation, which occurs in a plant when it is injured and unable to convert nitrate to protein efficiently after a hailstorm. In non-legume crops, water and nutrients are pushed into the […] Read more
U.S. northern Plains ranchers welcome hay lottery
Reuters — Hundreds of livestock ranchers in the drought-stricken U.S. northern Plains are embracing what organizers say is the first lottery designed to provide some much-needed relief to their operations. The prize? Tons and tons of hay. Ranchers in North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana have been suffering through the region’s worst drought in 30 […] Read more
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