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Manitoba Beef Producers president Tyler Fulton speaks in Winnipeg on July 22, 2021 at a federal/provincial announcement including planned changes to crop insurance against this summer’s drought, alongside federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and Winnipeg MP Kevin Lamoureux (r). (Dave Bedard photo)
Crops, Hay, Weather

Manitoba triggers hay disaster benefit

Per-tonne rate lifted to cover feed, transport costs

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Manitoba’s crop insurance agency is set to lift the per-tonne rate paid out on insured forage crops to help cover livestock producers’ bills to buy and truck in replacement feed. Manitoba Agricultural Services Corp. (MASC) on Thursday announced a 2021 hay disaster benefit to provide another $44 per tonne, for every tonne below coverage, to […] Read more
Critically dry pasture in the Manitoba RM of Fisher shows little growth in July after only three weeks of grazing.
Forages, News

Feed fears come into focus after poor first cut, flagging pasture

Livestock producers are facing yet another year of both poor first-cut yields and ongoing pasture concerns

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Glacier FarmMedia – Producers are seeing their fears realized with light hay cuts and pasture supplies once again running thin. With the exception of very localized patches of the southeast, which are seeing almost normal growth, most producers harvested 50 to 70 per cent of their normal forage in the first cut, according to John […] Read more
(Valerie Loiseleux/iStock/Getty Images)
Beef Cattle, Forages, Livestock, Weather

‘Time is ticking’ on drought response for beef cattle sector

'We need answers like yesterday'

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As Canada’s beef farmers and ranchers face drought, industry leaders are trying to find ways to secure feed and help those forced to sell rebuild their herds. B.C. ranchers are dealing with high temperatures that have “parched the grass that was there,” Kevin Boone, general manager of B.C. Cattlemen’s Association, said during a Canadian Cattlemen’s […] Read more
While it is important to be aware of risks associated with feeding canola forage, it may provide an alternate forage option for drought-stricken livestock producers.
Forages, Livestock

Drought-stressed canola a possible forage for livestock

Poor canola stands may provide an alternate forage option for drought-stricken livestock producers

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Drought stress has resulted in poor canola stands that are unable to be harvested in North Dakota. Poor canola stands may provide an alternate forage option for drought-stricken livestock producers. “Livestock producers facing forage shortages may be able to feed their cows canola, provided they take certain precautions,” says Miranda Meehan, North Dakota State University […] Read more
Farmer and Grainews columnist Toban Dyck inspects wheat on July 6, 2021 near Winkler, Man., where hot and dry weather has led to thin, uneven stands. (Photo: Reuters/Rod Nickel)
Beef Cattle, Crops, Forages, Weather

Saskatchewan raises salvage threshold for parched crops

Stock watering program also boosted; APAS, Tories' ag critic had called for more drought aid

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Saskatchewan’s provincial crop insurance agency is raising the yield threshold at which drought-damaged crops can be grazed, baled for greenfeed or cut for silage with no penalty on future coverage. Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corp. said Wednesday it would double the “low yield appraisal” threshold values on cereal or pulse crop acres put to feed. SCIC […] Read more
A 3-D illustration of Bacillus anthracis bacteria. (Dr_Microbe/iStock/Getty Images)
Livestock, Pasture, Sheep/Goats, Weather

Anthrax kills southeastern Saskatchewan sheep

Spores forced up by changes in soil moisture

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Dramatic shifts in soil moisture are again bringing anthrax spores to the surface on the Prairies, this time in a southeastern Saskatchewan sheep pasture. Lab results on Wednesday confirmed anthrax as the cause of death of one animal in a flock of sheep in the R.M. of South Qu’Appelle, about 50 km east of Regina, […] Read more
When the government pulled out of community pastures, operations became the responsibility of board members and patron volunteers.
Features, Pasture

Community pasture patrons adapt to new business models

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The following is the second in a three-part series exploring how different community pastures shifted from government to producer operation, and the ongoing effects of that shift. Years after government decided to turn over community pasture management to patrons, board members and staff are still finding new approaches to managing and improving operations while ensuring […] Read more
Cows grazing winter wheat and fall rye in September 2018.
Cereals, Crops, Forages

Adding winter cereal crops to the annual forage mix

Dr. Vern Baron makes the case for winter cereals as cow chow

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Spring barley and oats are typical annual forage choices for many beef producers, but winter cereals can add forage flexibility to beef cattle diets. Dr. Vern S. Baron has worked with forage crops since the 1980s — with a master’s and PhD in corn production and physiology. Much of that time has been with Agriculture […] Read more
Rye ready for chopping at milky head stage.
Cereals, Features, Forages

Hybrid fall rye offers high yield, flexibility to beef producers

This relatively new forage can be grown for grazing, silage or grain, and can fit into double-cropping systems

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Hybrid fall rye is one of the newer forage options available today, and can be a good fit to producers looking for a high-yielding feed with flexibility. Herman Wehrle, director of commercialization and market development at FP Genetics, says his job is to bring new crops to the marketplace. “After five years of commercialization, we […] Read more
Tips for managing through a drought
Forages, Livestock, Pasture

Tips for managing through a drought

News Roundup from the June 2021 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

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It’s a given that farmers and ranchers will face drought cycles over their lifetimes, and as the Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) notes, managing forage and water through those cycles is challenging. Drought reaches beyond the southern Prairies, too — as Saskatchewan Agriculture recently noted, even producers in northern growing regions with plenty of sloughs, […] Read more

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