Beef research council adds grazing resources

Beef research council adds grazing resources

Here are factors to consider when creating a grazing management plan for your operation

Reading Time: 2 minutes The Beef Cattle Research Council is expanding the grazing management section of its website. This example, which has been slightly condensed, was posted on the website last month. Effective grazing management on pastures not only ensures high forage yield, sustainability, animal health, and productivity — all of which impact cost of production, it also benefits […] Read more

There may be slim pickins in the pasture

There may be slim pickins in the pasture

Water-stressed forages have more fibre and less protein, and that can reduce 
feed intake and body conditioning

Reading Time: 2 minutes A hot, dry summer hastened the maturity and dormancy of native and improved pastures in many parts of the province, reducing both quality and digestibility of forages. “Plants do not grow as tall as normal in dry conditions,” said beef and forage specialist Barry Yaremcio. “Fibre levels increase faster and overall energy content of the […] Read more


South African holistic management specialist Ian Mitchell-Innes discussed management tactics with a group of Manitoba producers last month.

Focus on nutrition will also help pastures

World-renowned holistic management specialist says green is not the only right colour for grass

Reading Time: 3 minutes Many graziers have a theory that if you look after the soil, the rest of the operation will take care of itself, but Ian Mitchell-Innes looks at it the other way around. “The biggest mistake that people make after learning about holistic management is they try and save the ground. I did this also when […] Read more

Grasshoppers want you to overgraze your pastures

Grasshoppers want you to overgraze your pastures

The voracious pests gather on bare patches in the morning to warm up – and that allows them to start their day earlier

Reading Time: < 1 minute A dry fall and spring up the potential for grasshopper problems this year — and putting cattle on pasture too early greatly improves their habitat and increases their resulting damage. “From work by Llewellyn Manske from North Dakota, grazing before plants are ready sets back plant growth, and creates an open plant canopy with areas […] Read more


Steve and Amber Kenyon, along with their four kids, keep things unconventional 
on their ranch near Busby.

Want your pastures to handle a drought year? Do things the ‘redneck’ way

A handy mnemonic for this ranching method is ‘grass’ — 
graze period, rest period, animal impact, and stock density

Reading Time: 3 minutes The first thing ‘redneck ranchers’ plant is a post. “That’s why we call it ‘redneck ranching’ — we definitely don’t work in the same manner as the conventional method,” said Amber Kenyon, who operates Greener Pastures Ranching with husband Steve and their four children. “You need to start putting fences in and moving the animals […] Read more

Diverse pastures and mixing up intensive grazing routines are two of the key practices of grazing consultant Allen Williams.

Want to up your grazing game? Disrupt, diversify, and stock high

Use a rich mix of forage species, build organic matter, and fight 
that urge to do the same things year after year, says expert

Reading Time: 3 minutes More of the same is not a good thing when it comes to pastures. “When you have a monoculture above the ground, you have a monoculture below the ground,” said grazing consultant Allen Williams. “In most monoculture situations, you have mined out many of the available minerals within the first two or three strata of […] Read more