Tim Lehrbass was just like any other Ontario farm kid, taking farm cues from his family and doing things the way things needed to be done and, in many ways, the way things had always been done. “I started out cash cropping,” he told a crowd at the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association annual conference […] Read more
Tim Lehrbass traded his combine for cattle
Ontario grower decides to graze cattle on his cash crop
Spurge purge tests bovine palates
Goats and sheep can eat leafy spurge. Can cattle be trained to do the same?
Like a parent convincing kids to eat their vegetables because they’re good for them, Jane Thornton is trying the same approach with getting cattle to eat leafy spurge. “Contrary to popular belief, leafy spurge is a very nutritious plant, comparable to alfalfa in quality,” Thornton says. “If cattle can become accustomed to eating leafy spurge […] Read more
Grass guys developing a forage carbon offset protocol
Forages: News Roundup from the February 2018 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Cedric MacLeod considers carbon sequestration through forages and grasslands and the soils they grow in as a long overdue, up-until-now-grossly-underplayed chit that Canada’s grass and forage producers can finally throw down and claim proper ownership on. “Our members grow forage, many run livestock and most plant annual crops too,” says MacLeod, executive director of the […] Read more
Cattle handling clinic connects in Manitoba
Cattle Care: News Roundup from the December 2017 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Raising cattle on Canada’s prairies is often a family business that requires all hands on deck working together for the best results. This necessary cohesion is never more evident than during cattle-handling times that can be stressful for cattle and pressure-packed for cattle handlers. The human-animal communication and tactics of handlers are always key factors […] Read more
Fighting floods and drought — with grass
Manitoba’s forage group is leading a project which will allow more control of water on the landscape
Floods one year, drought the next. As we’ve seen this year, it’s a fact of life for residents of southern Manitoba and Saskatchewan, but a project led by the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association (MFGA) may help reduce the extremes. It’s being conducted by Aquanty, a Waterloo, Ont. company that has developed a HydroGeoSphere (HGS) […] Read more
On-farm grass solutions embrace the sun and energy efficiencies
A few small changes can really add up to greater efficiency over time
Many of Manitoba’s agricultural producers are embracing common-sense, energy-efficient, low carbon footprint mechanisms on everything from watering and fencing systems to forage crops. Some, like the Circle H Farms, openly rely on sunshine and the power that the sun provides on numerous fronts, including allowing cattle access to grazing. “Our solar-powered Batt-Latches allow us to […] Read more
Dryland grass breeding in the Canadian Prairies
Bruce Coulman is a professor at the plant sciences department in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources at the University of Saskatchewan. He has helped develop and register 22 forage cultivars through research programs at the University of Saskatchewan and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Highlights include the development of AC Grazeland, a bloat-reduced alfalfa, and […] Read more
Silverbend Ranch shines again
Forages and livestock restore health to a badly eroded farm in Manitoba
The moon shines on the bend in the meandering Assiniboine River and reflects a shimmering silver glimmer that illuminates the lush riverside and well up the gently sloped hill toward the farmhouse. Thus the name Silverbend Ranch, or so the story goes. But while the moon may glisten at night, things weren’t always so shiny […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
