pastures Archives | Alberta Farmer Express

Hay shortage in Manitoba Interlake reaches tipping point

By Marlo Glass September 4, 2019

MarketsFarm — A state of agricultural emergency has been declared in 12 municipalities, mostly in Manitoba’s Interlake region, due to chronically low hay yields. Drought and grasshoppers have hindered crops to the point that hay production is about 25 to 30 per cent of average. “We’ve moved cows out of pastures because the grasshoppers ate […] Read more

Crops, Pasture, Weather

Prairie drought reaches tipping point

By Marlo Glass June 19, 2019

MarketsFarm — The Prairie provinces have been under the influence of a large ridge of high pressure for a number of weeks, which has produced prolonged dryness with little precipitation. That high pressure system has pushed low-pressure, precipitation-carrying systems to the south, where the U.S. Midwest has already received significant rain. Environment Canada estimated the […] Read more

Crops, Forages, Weather

Forage supplies starting to dip on dry Prairies

By Ashley Robinson - MarketsFarm May 16, 2018

CNS Canada — Forage supplies are starting to dwindle across Western Canada following a long, cold, winter and rain is needed soon to make for a good forage crop this year. “People tended to kind of blend hay this year and they managed to get through. But the prolonged cold spring really I think put […] Read more

Beef Cattle, Livestock, Markets, Reuters

U.S. cattle placements hit 16-year high for February

By Theopolis Waters March 23, 2018

Chicago | Reuters — Ranchers drove 7.3 per cent more cattle into U.S. feedlots in February than a year ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported on Friday, the most for the month in 16 years. Persistent drought in the U.S. Plains withered winter wheat grazing pastures, which forced beef cattle into feedyards in states […] Read more

Crops, Hay, Weather

Hay shortage could make for difficult winter

By Terry Fries October 3, 2017

CNS Canada — Many cattle producers looking for local feed this winter might have a difficult time, according to a Saskatchewan provincial forage specialist. However, producers further north in the grey and black soil zones, and those in Alberta producing high-quality feed for export, saw near-record hay production. Terry Kowalchuk of Saskatchewan Agriculture in Regina […] Read more

Forages, Livestock, Weather

Options weighed for AgriRecovery in B.C. fire zones

By Staff August 16, 2017

Officials in British Columbia are now gauging what sorts of damages and expenses can be covered through an AgriRecovery plan for ranchers and farmers affected by wildfires. The federal and B.C. governments announced Wednesday they’re “working together to quickly assess the extraordinary costs farmers are incurring and what additional assistance may be required to recover […] Read more

Crops, Markets, Pasture, Reuters, Spring Wheat, Weather

U.S. Plains drought highlights spring wheat supply crunch

By Mark Weinraub June 29, 2017

Chicago | Reuters — Drought conditions in the northern U.S. Plains that have propelled spring wheat prices to a three-year high worsened in the past week and there are forecasts for more hot and dry weather that could crimp the harvest. As the world struggles with a glut of grain that has filled inventories to […] Read more

Forages, Livestock

Don’t let livestock graze too early

By Alberta Agriculture and Forestry May 24, 2017

Turning animals onto pastures while grass plants are still small, succulent, and their second leaf barely fully emerged, may be doing more harm than good. Provincial forage specialist Karin Lindquist said if the grass is bitten before it has reached that three-leaf stage, it is forced to revert back to those energy stores to regrow […] Read more

Jim and Barb Bauer used to calve in March, which Jim sums up as “sloppy, cold, wet, miserable, and scours.”

Cow-Calf, Livestock

Green grass and newborn calves a perfect match, says longtime grazer

The list of pluses is long, says Jim Bauer, including easier calving, reduced feed requirements, and calves that outgain their winter-born cousins

By Jill Burkhardt May 15, 2017

Assisting a cow with her calf is much nicer when the weather is pleasant — and matching calving season with the onset of green grass makes you more money, too. “When you can line up that reproductive cycle with the grass production cycle, that’s huge,” said Jim Bauer, an Acme-area rancher and former manager of […] Read more

Crops, Forages

Six limiting factors in your soil that will make or break your operation

Without these six key ingredients, your soil — and your farm — could be in trouble

By Jennifer Blair September 26, 2016

Farms and grazing operations — organic or otherwise — are only as good as their worst resource, according to Oregon-based grazier Abe Collins. “Soil is our primary infrastructure on the farm,” said Collins, who spoke at the recent Organic Alberta conference. “Biologically, chemically, and physically, you need to be looking at the limiting factors in[...]
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U.S. livestock: Firmer cash prices support CME hog futures

Strong foreign demand boosts North American hog markets

CBOT weekly outlook: WASDE yields mixed results

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