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Tag Archives bale grazing

Cattle bale grazing in central Saskatchewan.

Beef Cattle, News, News Roundup

Tips for bale grazing

Feeding: News Roundup from the January 2020 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

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Bale grazing not only helps keep cows fat and sassy over the winter, but can also improve areas with low fertility and reduce yardage costs. Research studies in Saskatchewan and Alberta have found higher forage production on bale-grazed sites than control sites with no bale grazing, the Beef Cattle Research Council notes in Extended Grazing, […] Read more
Features, Hay, Livestock

Bale grazing. ‘What a waste of feed!’ NO

Grazing with Steve Kenyon

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I still receive this comment quite often when I speak about bale grazing. Our industry is hung up on being efficient. We don’t want to waste anything. I know we have all been trained to target 97 per cent efficiency in everything we do. But I would rather be effective. Most of our efficiencies come from looking at […] Read more
When cows bale graze, are they letting good quality forages fall by the wayside?
Livestock, News, News Roundup

Bale grazing trial looks at feed waste

Grazing: News Roundup from the December 2018 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

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Bale grazing is a common winter feeding practice but how much forage are those cows leaving behind? Alberta Agriculture and Food recently shared results from one trial that examined that question. The Lakeland Agricultural Research Association (LARA) measured waste from bale grazing over four winters, from 2008 through 2011. The study was done using the […] Read more
A mild winter is great for access to feed, but make sure you have enough quality snow for a water source.
Beef Cattle, Features, Forages

Strategies for year-round grazing

With careful forage management, cattle can harvest their own feed year-round

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Winter feeding is the biggest input cost when raising cattle, so many producers try to minimize the number of days they have to feed hay. In some situations, with careful forage management, cattle can harvest their own feed year-round, especially in mild climates. Even in northern climates with cold weather and snow, year-round grazing can […] Read more
Beef Cattle, Features, Forages

Extending fall and winter grazing

Crop residues are probably the most under­utilized source of winter grazing, says extension specialist

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Extending the grazing season for cattle can help reduce production costs and there are various ways to increase forage production/utilization to ensure adequate fall grazing that can often be extended into winter. Lorne Klein, range management extension specialist, Ministry of Agriculture in Weyburn, Sask., says there are four sources of forage. “These are native prairie, […] Read more
Beef Cattle, Features, Hay

The economics behind bale grazing

Grazing with Steve Kenyon

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I started bale grazing in 1999 and have had many producers over the years thank me for sharing my bale grazing information with them. The usual comment is that they will never go back to the traditional method of feeding cattle. For me, bale grazing was a no-brainer once I looked at the cost savings. […] Read more
Beef Cattle, Features, Livestock

The economics behind bale grazing

Grazing with Steve Kenyon

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A lot of farmers only see one type of cost when it comes to feeding cattle. They see the feed cost. However, there are other costs which are often overlooked. This would be the act of feeding, also called the yardage cost. The reason this is not always included is because it is not a […] Read more
Features, Hay, Livestock

Back to bale grazing

Grazing with Steve Kenyon

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A gross margin analysis will tell you the profitability of your different profit centres on your farm. My decision to choose one production practice over another is largely decided by the margin I calculate. It is, however, very important to include current market values in your calculations. Last year’s hay prices in my area are […] Read more

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