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bales of alfalfa in an open field
Crops, Forages

Five things to consider when selecting alfalfa varieties

Research shows penny-pinching doesn’t pay off

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When shopping for the right alfalfa variety, it’s usually well worth splurging for a top yielder, retired University of Wisconsin-Madison professor and forage expert Dan Undersander says. Undersander ran 298 alfalfa yield trials between 1985 and 2016. Results clearly showed penny-pinching doesn’t pay off when it comes to choosing a variety. “Out of those 298 […] Read more
An alfalfa sainfoin mix flourishing in a field.
Forages, Livestock, Pasture

Forage research a necessity in the face of decreased acres

Drought tolerance and productivity increases are targets of research programs

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Canada has seen a two million-acre decrease in forage land in the last five years. “In over a decade, we are losing about three million acres, and they’re taken over by wheat and canola. It’s a serious concern for us,” Dr. Hari Poudel, forage and breeding research scientist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Lethbridge […] Read more
Researchers have uncovered evidence that some alfalfa varieties respond differently to specific beneficial microbes in the soil.
Forage, News, News Roundup

Microbes matter during pasture restoration

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Glacier FarmMedia – Choosing the right alfalfa variety can make a difference, possibly a huge difference, when producers are rejuvenating a pasture.  After several years, a pasture’s productivity will decline and many ranchers choose to over-seed or sod-seed alfalfa to revive the pastureland.  Farmers will likely select a high-yielding alfalfa variety that is adapted to […] Read more
Close-up file photo of an alfalfa plant in a Canadian field. (Jennifer Seeman/iStock/Getty Images)
Crops, Forages

DLF buys Corteva’s alfalfa seed business

Business to be 'fully transitioned' after 2024 season

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International forage and turf seed firm DLF is stretching its reach in the alfalfa market with a deal for Corteva Agriscience’s assets in that business. The Danish firm announced Wednesday it had acquired Corteva’s global alfalfa germplasm and breeding program for an undisclosed sum, including its current commercial alfalfa varieties and their trademarks such as […] Read more
Identifying genes that play key roles in stress tolerance will help to breed alfalfa that is more resilient to environmental challenges.
Livestock, Research

Improving alfalfa’s flood and drought tolerance

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

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One of last year’s research columns bemoaned the fact that only four out of 119 alfalfa varieties registered in Canada between 2012 and 2022 had been developed in Canada. The rest were from China, Australia or the U.S. Since then, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has approved nine more varieties originating from Washington, Wisconsin, […] Read more
File photo of an irrigated alfalfa stand in Saudi Arabia. (JohnnyGreig/E+/Getty Images)
Crops, Markets

Saudi Arabia highly dependent on grain imports

Alfalfa more profitable for domestic growers

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MarketsFarm — While Saudi Arabia is a giant among the oil-producing countries of the world, the desert kingdom does produce small amounts of grain. With a population that’s about one million less than Canada’s, Saudi Arabia is extremely dependent on importing its grain from overseas. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) attaché in Riyadh explained […] Read more
Close-up file photo of an alfalfa plant in a Canadian field. (Jennifer Seeman/iStock/Getty Images)
Forages, Research

Alfalfa for Canada’s climate

Nature doesn’t always provide conveniently severe winters to select for survival

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Very few of the alfalfa varieties sold in Canada were developed under Canadian conditions. The CFIA registered 119 varieties in Canada between 2012 and 2022, but only four (AAC Nikon, AAC Meadowview, AAC Bridgeview and AAC Trueman) were developed in Canada. The other 115 came from breeding programs in China, Australia, California, Washington State or […] Read more
Crops, pastures and haylands throughout Western and Central Canada are parched.
Forages, Livestock, Research

Today’s forage research provides tomorrow’s solutions

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

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Today’s research won’t help you weather this year’s drought, but the practical information and advice you’ll read elsewhere in the September issue of Canadian Cattlemen (and at beefresearch.ca) will. Those tips, covering everything from alternative feeds to weaning, all originate from past research done by scientists and refined by producers. But producer-funded research underway today […] Read more
A large portion of feed placed in round bale feeders may be wasted.
Crops, Forages

Six tips to make forage inventory management pay

Small actions can make a big difference when looking ahead to assess the year’s feed requirements

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Back in November, Les Halliday was fielding calls from Maritime cattle producers already short on feed for winter. With difficult weather and loss of land for forage production in Atlantic Canada affecting winter feed supplies for many producers, Halliday, beef specialist with the P.E.I. Department of Agriculture, has seen how accurate forage inventory management can […] Read more

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