Pasture
Using natural advantages for a sustainable cow-calf operation
The 2021 TESA recipients discuss managing risk by working with the environment and the importance of building trust with customers
In a place described by poets as “the forest primeval,” Dean and Catherine Manning have built a business to be proud of in Nova Scotia’s agricultural paradise. With a unique climate and fertile farmland developed from salt marshes more than 300 years ago, all kinds of agricultural production flourish near the Minas Basin, from orchards […] Read more
The drought of 2021
From the Ground Up with Steve Kenyon
Well, that was one for the books. It will be referred to for years to come as the drought of 2021. I “herd” it was a one-in-100-year drought in my area. Hay production was about a quarter of normal. Pastures browned off in July. Dugouts and water sources are dry all over the place. We […] Read more
Testing virtual fencing’s potential in B.C.
Pilot underway to develop technology fitting the needs of grazing in B.C.
When the British Columbia Cattlemen’s Association initiated a targeted grazing project to reduce wildfire risk in the wildland-urban interface, the prospect of rebuilding lost fencing to facilitate this was costly. An estimated 900 kilometres of fenceline in B.C was burned in wildfires during 2017 and 2018, with a staggering projected rebuild cost of $14 million. […] Read more
Growth promotants and the environment
Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen
Growth promotants dramatically improve the growth rates and feed efficiency of beef cattle. Trenbolone acetate (TBA) behaves like testosterone and is used in several feedlot implants (Component, Revalor and Synovex). Melengestrol acetate (MGA) behaves like progesterone, a pregnancy hormone. Some feedlots feed MGA to suppress estrous cycles and riding activity in heifers until a few […] Read more
Drought can heighten lungworm risk in summer and fall
The effect of lungworms depends on an animal’s immune system and how many larvae it has ingested, but the worst infections tend to occur in young animals
Luke Smith’s east quarter section on the edge of the Blue Hills southwest of Avonlea consisted mainly of slough grass and willow with patches of fescue and brome where prairie sat above a large spring-fed slough. The area provided abundant grazing for 20 replacement heifers and a bull. He called after checking the group with […] Read more
Bale grazing and pasture rejuvenation
Forage extension veteran Grant Lastiwka shares his winter-feeding strategy and explains how it fits into his year-round grazing system
Grant Lastiwka eats, sleeps and dreams forages. As one of Canada’s most enthusiastic forage extension specialists, Lastiwka is the go-to man for information on year-round grazing management. Past winner of the Alberta Forage Industry Network (AFIN) Leadership Award and former livestock and forage business specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, Lastiwka has had an illustrious […] Read more
Comment: Keep your pencil sharp
“The most important tool on the farm is the pencil.” That was the best farming advice Mike Buis ever received, and it came from his grandfather. Buis recently conducted a virtual tour of his family’s Chatham, Ont., beef farm for the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation. Coincidentally, a day or two before the Buis Beef tour, […] Read more
Manitoba cattle producer signs record conservation deal with DUC
A cattle rancher in southwestern Manitoba is restoring 63 acres of farmland for waterfowl and wildlife habitat, in the biggest conservation agreement of its kind with Ducks Unlimited Canada. “It’s perfect for us,” says Sean Murphy, who farms 2,500 acres with his family west of Souris. “From both a financial and a conservation angle, it […] Read more
Putting forage theory into practice
A new online guide explains how to maximize forage production and greenhouse gas sequestration
Forage and grassland farmers now have a practical, straightforward resource to discover best management practices for maximizing soil carbon sequestration. The Canadian Forage and Grassland Association (CFGA) published the digital guide, Forage Best Management Practices for Enhancing Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration, earlier this year as one of the key deliverables of its four-year Agricultural Greenhouse […] Read more
Dealing with livestock stressors
From the Ground Up with Steve Kenyon
A happy cow is a healthy cow. I can’t remember the first time, but I have heard that saying many times over the years. On my ranch, I have found it very beneficial to keep the livestock as stress-free as possible. When we talk about animal stress, most people think about animal handling when processing […] Read more