The tools will help forage and pasture managers identify best practices
Canadian producers will soon have access to province-specific online Habitat and Biodiversity Assessment Tools for individual provinces. Each provincial tool is meant to help land managers gain an understanding of important habitats and biodiversity on their land and the beneficial management practices they could implement to sustain them. The tool was originally developed in Alberta […] Read more
Province-specific tools help evaluate habitat and biodiversity
Forage markets hit by volatility
Exports have been down with less demand from Asia
Hay and forage export markets have been hit hard in the past few years. In 2023 the decline was caused by numerous challenges in global trade. Shipping disruptions lingering from the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, commodity inflation, droughts in the U.S., Canada and Europe in 2022, and the U.S. dollar strengthening all contributed. This […] Read more
Making forage insurance more accessible across Canada
One challenge is insuring a crop for sale versus one for on-farm feed
An industry-government forage insurance task team is working on ways to make forage insurance more widely available across the country. Currently, producers can insure forages under AgriInsurance, but other forage insurance isn’t equal across Canada and very few forage producers use it. Ryder Lee, general manager of the Canadian Cattle Association and chair of the […] Read more
More N, more yield, less diesel
Perennial forage can keep nitrogen in the soil rather than escaping as greenhouse gas
A North American leader in advanced forage production systems wants producers to think about legumes as more than a feed source. University of Wisconsin professor emeritus Dan Undersander says they should also think of them as a nitrogen source for other crops, with a bonus of reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs). “By using legumes appropriately, we […] Read more
Overgrazing means less carbon and more methane
Research is demonstrating the importance of legumes in a forage system
[UPDATED: April 2] Thirty years ago Dr. Bart Lardner’s research focused on production efficiency. More recently, the researcher and professor at the University of Saskatchewan says his research program has moved toward ways the beef industry benefits the environment. His presentation last November at the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association’s 14th annual conference in Harrison […] Read more
Another take on livestock GHGs
UC Davis professor says the source of methane is carbon that was already in the atmosphere
A professor and air quality specialist in co-operative extension in the department of animal science at UC Davis in California says the topic of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and how they affect climate is not always well understood. Dr. Frank Mitloehner took on the topic in his opening address to the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association’s […] Read more
Sending hay abroad
Canada’s export forage market: trade missions, tips for producers and market trends
Canadian exporters say they’re receiving more overseas inquiries for high-quality forage. Last May, one inquiry led the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association (CFGA) to organize a trade mission that brought representatives from Al Dahra Holding LLC, an Abu Dhabi-based agribusiness that trades three million tonnes of forage annually, to tour Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta. Siju […] Read more
More grass, less gas, more money
Good grazing management pays dividends for both farmer and the environment
As Canada works to reach the goals set in its 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan, many industries, including agriculture, are looking at ways to cut emissions, but discussed less often are measures to prevent them in the first place. Alberta rancher and custom grazier Steve Kenyon is the lead grazing mentor in the Canadian Forage and […] 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
Fighting forest fires with cattle
Targeted grazing keeps the risk down around British Columbia interior communities
There’s a new group of firefighters in British Columbia, but not the usual two-legged kind. They’re cattle and they’re just doing what they do naturally — grazing — but under the watchful eye of the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association. It’s leading a project to use a management tool called “targeted grazing” to reduce the intensity of […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
