Grant Lastiwka’s bale grazing setup.

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


Grant Lastiwka looks at all the forage growth from this bale-grazed area on his farm. Cows were fed hailed-out barley bales on this area this past winter.

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

(GFM file photo)

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


While cost likely limits the market for self-propelled balers, they do push computerization, Adam Verner says.

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

Cattle bale grazing in central Saskatchewan.


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


Using feed bunks ensures cattle consume the highest-quality portions of the plants.

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



When cows bale graze, are they letting good quality forages fall by the wayside?

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

Despite its size, wads of net wrap such as this one can be easy to miss in a full rumen if you are not looking for it.

‘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