lab test results for testing forage seeds

Benefits to farmers of testing forage seed

The benefits of testing forage seed can be long-lasting

When establishing a new forage stand that will ideally be productive for five or 10 years, producers want to set themselves up for a good outcome. Using high-quality perennial or annual forage seed that is certified — or tested for purity, germination and viability — is a good place to start. “There is a certain […] Read more

File photo of a fall rye crop plot at Ag in Motion in 2024.

Rye silage: From the field to feedlot

Nutrition: Evaluating how barley silage and rye silage compare in feed quality

Acres seeded to hybrid rye as a source of silage for feedlot cattle in Canada and the U.S. have increased in recent years. Increased use of hybrid rye as a forage source may be driven by greater yield potential relative to conventional rye and the early harvest may allow for double cropping. In some areas, […] Read more


cattle on a very dry-looking pasture during a drought

Drought preparation is better than reaction

News Roundup from the June 2025 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

Glacier FarmMedia – When it comes to drought, imagining the worst may be the best way to start planning for it. Wayne Knight, executive director for Holistic Management International, is originally from South Africa, a country known for drought and dry conditions. Because of his background, he’s learned to always be prepared for drought. “I […] Read more

forage research plots in Quebec

Evaluating forage performance in different environments

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

About 20 years ago, Doug Wray drove in from Irricana, Alta., for an informal meeting at the Alberta Beef Producers’ office, where I worked at the time. He asked why the beef industry didn’t fund more forage breeding. Back then, the usual beef industry response to forage breeding proposals was “Let the government and forage […] Read more


two people conducting a prescribed burn of grasses

Reintroducing fire to Saskatchewan pastures

Prescribed burns can be effective at 
revitalizing native grasslands when done right

Pastures evolve over time. Woody plants and shrubs, which cattle can’t eat, may encroach on natural grasses. Invasive species, such as Kentucky bluegrass, may also move in, cutting into native grass productivity. One way of managing this is through fire. At the Saskatchewan Beef Industry Conference, Eric Lamb and Renny Grilz presented recent research regarding […] Read more

Getting your cattle to the right place, at the right time, for the right length of time and for the right reasons can optimize both animal and plant performance.

VIDEO: Doing the math on cattle grazing

Depth of Field with Kelly Sidoryk

An integral component of good grazing management is tracking yield or production. It is how we project carrying capacity and adjust for drier or wetter conditions. It’s also an important part of the planning process. When we switch to a more intensive grazing approach, with multiple paddocks and grazing periods based on plant recovery, tracking […] Read more


bales of alfalfa in an open field

Five things to consider when selecting alfalfa varieties

Research shows penny-pinching doesn’t pay off

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

Forage brassica growing in a demonstration plot.

No recipe, only guidelines, to cover crops

There are many factors to consider when growing cover crops

More farmers and ranchers are looking at cover crops for many reasons, ranging from animal health, to reducing erosion, to capturing moisture. But how can people make them work on their operation? Kevin Elmy sees the benefits of a more hands-on approach to cover crop management. Through Cover Crops Canada, he talks with farmers and […] Read more


a drone flying over a farm field

The sky’s the limit with Ducks Unlimited drone seeding program

Seeding forages into marginal areas has benefits for the farmer, the land and local wildlife

When seeding forages in marginal areas, there might be a new way to do things — from the air. Many producers have marginal land on their operations that have poor yields and are uneconomical. For years, Ducks Unlimited Canada has urged seeding those areas to perennial forages.  A recent project with drones could make that […] Read more

assorted green grasses on a prairie

Icebergs and native forages: What you can’t see can sink you

Research On the Record with Reynold Bergen

In April 1912, the RMS Titanic sank off Newfoundland’s coast after an iceberg tore a hole in her hull 25 feet below the waterline. Only a tenth of an iceberg is visible above the water; most lurks beneath the surface. Forage plants are similar; how things look on the soil surface may not reflect what’s […] Read more