Tag Archives bales
Taking some of the guesswork out of winter feeding
This column usually focuses on research projects funded by the Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) through the Canadian Beef Cattle Check-Off that producers pay when they market cattle. But most individual research projects are like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Some of them may look interesting on their own, but they’re almost always a lot […] Read more
Evaluating options for feeding bales
The hay is baled and stacked in the yard. Now’s the time to decide how to feed it. If the current method wastes a significant amount of feed, it might be time to re-evaluate your feeding system. Bale grazing has become more popular in recent years. Before an entire feeding system is switched over to […] Read more
Bale grazing and pasture rejuvenation
Forage extension veteran Grant Lastiwka shares his winter-feeding strategy and explains how it fits into his year-round grazing system
Grant Lastiwka eats, sleeps and dreams forages. As one of Canada’s most enthusiastic forage extension specialists, Lastiwka is the go-to man for information on year-round grazing management. Past winner of the Alberta Forage Industry Network (AFIN) Leadership Award and former livestock and forage business specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, Lastiwka has had an illustrious […] Read more
CFA’s Hay West program up and running
Program website now online
A revival of the “Hay West” initiative, aimed at shipping feed from Eastern Canada to supplement drought-dented supplies in the West, has gone live. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture on Friday announced its Hay West 2021 initiative is “now operational and seeking applicants to both receive and supply hay.” Applicants interested in either supplying or […] Read more
Balers evolving to make silage and run non-stop
Given the short haying windows, Adam Verner sees growth potential for wet hay and silage balers. But manufacturers still face challenges around speed, bale density and cost
The earliest round balers were amazing but frustrating machines. During forage season, I would exhibit a semi-permanent crick in the neck combined with a disturbing vocabulary of profanities. Constant fear of a plugged pickup, a twisted belt or a roller bearing displaying the telltale signs of smoke before the fire plagued my working days. These […] Read more
Tips for bale grazing
Feeding: News Roundup from the January 2020 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
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
Running the numbers on bale processors
Research shows that bale processors can increase digestibility and cut feed waste, especially if used in the right system
When I was growing up, if someone had mentioned the words “bale processor,” I would have assumed they were describing my twice-daily task of manually transporting heavy square bales from the stack through herds of playful cattle intent on destroying them before they reached their destination. The processing part was snapping the sisal twine and […] Read more
Hay shortage in Manitoba Interlake reaches tipping point
MarketsFarm — A state of agricultural emergency has been declared in 12 municipalities, mostly in Manitoba’s Interlake region, due to chronically low hay yields. Drought and grasshoppers have hindered crops to the point that hay production is about 25 to 30 per cent of average. “We’ve moved cows out of pastures because the grasshoppers ate […] Read more
Bale grazing trial looks at feed waste
Grazing: News Roundup from the December 2018 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
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
‘Software disease’ — The hazards of plastic, net wrap and twines
Animal Health: Ingestion of plastics has become a common killer
Cattle, especially young ones, are curious and chew on anything within reach. They may eat baling twines, plastic bags and other debris that ends up in their pen or pasture. The strange material may taste or smell interesting, so the animals chomp it down. Sometimes they accidentally ingest foreign objects in their feed. Cattle eat […] Read more