From the discovery of how-to-create-nitrogen-in-a-lab to genetic diversity concerns in crops and innovative ways to produce forage, Dr. Ralph Martin covered a lot of ground during his opening keynote address at the 15th annual CFGA Conference in Guelph, Ontario, in December. Focusing on perennial forages as a key contributor to sustainable agriculture, Dr. Martin started […] Read more
Tag Archives Forages
Forages play role in long-term farm systems
Modified systems, such as bale grazing, also make sense
Forage research a necessity in the face of decreased acres
Drought tolerance and productivity increases are targets of research programs
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
Mongolian company turns to Canada for agricultural expertise
Mongolia is behind in technology, but borders on huge markets, motivating those working in agriculture to learn as much as they can
When you think of Mongolia, you likely don’t think about how it may be similar to Canada. Instead, you might think about its vast wilderness or mountain ranges that run into the frigid Gobi Desert. You may know of the traditional culture of Mongolian nomads or the history of the Mongol Empire. Though there are […] Read more
Microbes matter during pasture restoration
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
Maritime beef farmer starts with the forage
Linking profitability and agronomy through forage production in New Brunswick potato region
It’s early July 2024 and Cedric MacLeod is already preparing for winter. He’s knee-deep in harvesting hay and silage that will be bale feed for his herd in cold weather. Calving has just finished. Yesterday, the last calf of the season walked up to him in the field. He’s so fresh he doesn’t know who […] Read more
Annual forages can extend the grazing season
University of Guelph researcher explores grazing options
Glacier FarmMedia – Can extended grazing be gained by integrating annual forages into a perennial pasture rotational grazing system? Kim Schneider, an assistant professor in the plant science department at the University of Guelph hopes to answer that question through a two-year study that incorporates annual forages into 48 acres of a perennial rotational grazing […] Read more
Olds College researchers trial new technologies to support grazing and soil health
Satellite technology, soil biologicals and rising plate metres are all on the research docket at Olds College
Laio Silva Sobrinho’s passion is soil. He initially got his undergrad in forestry in Brazil, but when he came to Canada to do his master’s, he knew it would be in soil science. “Even during my undergrad, I worked with soil remediation in relation to heavy metals. So, it wasn’t too much of a change […] Read more
Making hay when the sun isn’t shining
The 2024 forage season is looking much different in the Prairies than the last few years. As the season started, we were quite worried about the lack of moisture we had in Western Canada in the last few years, which drastically reduced forage and grain yields. However, we have generally had a lot of moisture […] Read more
Alfalfa replant disease and related disorders
While the exact cause remains unclear, we now know it’s best to wait two or three years before trying to re-establish that alfalfa stand
It has now been shown you cannot plant alfalfa immediately on land that had grown alfalfa the same or previous year, nor even where one had been winterkilled. The current theory is that autotoxicity occurs when mature alfalfa plants excrete a chemical that inhibits the germination and growth of alfalfa seedlings
Choosing forage varieties without getting lost in the weeds
Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen
Henry Ford famously said, “Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it’s black.” Today’s vehicles have endless options in terms of colour, body style, engine, drivetrain and everything else you can imagine. Some people revel in these endless options, enjoy mixing and matching and “building” exactly what […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
