grazing Archives | Canadian Cattlemen

Ryan Boyd and his daughter Piper during a farm media tour in the fall of 2018.

Nuffield Canada scholarship expands horizons for Manitoba producer

Ryan Boyd shares how he’s applying the insights from his international travel on his family’s cow-calf operation

By Piper Whelan 3 days ago

A mindset of continual improvement led Ryan Boyd on an international adventure with benefits for his family’s farm upon returning home. Boyd runs South Glanton Farms at Forrest, Man., with his wife, Sarah, and his parents, Jim and Joanne. He is passionate about implementing the principles of regenerative agriculture and the soil health movement, including […] Read more

Percentage of average precipitation in Western Canada for the 90 days ending April 5, 2021. (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada map)

Crops, Forages, Weather

Manitoba forage, grassland growers burned by drought

By Adam Peleshaty, GFM Network News April 9, 2021

MarketsFarm — An ongoing lack of precipitation, which is showing no signs of letting up in the coming months according to weather forecasts, is already causing problems for Manitoba’s forage and grasslands. Growers in the province have had to deal with three straight years with lower-than-normal precipitation. In 2019, multiple rural municipalities in Manitoba’s Parkland […] Read more

Before settlement in the B.C. interior, fires were a normal part of keeping grass from building up in the forest understory.

Forages, Livestock

Fighting forest fires with cattle

Targeted grazing keeps the risk down around British Columbia interior communities

By Trudy Kelly Forsythe March 30, 2021

There’s a new group of firefighters in British Columbia, but not the usual two-legged kind. They’re cattle and they’re just doing what they do naturally — grazing — but under the watchful eye of the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association. It’s leading a project to use a management tool called “targeted grazing” to reduce the intensity of […] Read more

Dallas Mount believes understanding both the ecology and economics of livestock production can help these operations thrive.

Features, Livestock

The economics of livestock and grass

Dallas Mount helps beef producers dial in their business practices, while also taking care of the land

By Bruce Derksen February 24, 2021

Livestock farms and ranches can slowly become stale enterprises with owners satisfied to view them simply as infrastructure supporting a way of raising a family. Conceding to this long-term mediocrity is a dangerous stance for many operations. Dallas Mount of the Wyoming-based Ranch Management Consultants (RMC) is in the business of helping ranchers transition from […] Read more

Bootsman uses a quad to roll and unroll aircraft cable for electric fence.

Cow-Calf, Features

Working with farming neighbours to graze crop residue

Here’s how a cow-calf producer is extending the grazing season by working with local farmers

By Heather Smith Thomas February 2, 2021

Fall and winter grazing can help a beef producer reduce winter feed costs, and some cattlemen are finding value in creating co-operative relationships with neighbouring farmers to graze crop residues. Joey Bootsman has a cow-calf operation near Rapid City, northwest of Brandon, Man., and for several years has made arrangements with farming neighbours to graze […] Read more

The South East Research Farm’s trial on soybeans and flowery silage corn after frost.

Features, Forages

Forage intercropping trials show promise in Western Canada

Research is underway to fully understand the best practices for incorporating forage mixtures in this cropping method

By Piper Whelan November 27, 2020

The practice of intercropping is receiving more attention on the Prairies, and research centres are exploring the possibilities for forage options. The potential benefits are promising, researchers say, but more work is needed to provide producers with accurate information on how best to apply this method. “I think it’s really interesting that there’s some combinations […] Read more

Steve Kenyon has five principles he follows that make up his regenerative grazing strategy.

From the Ground Up, Livestock

Regenerating grain land

From the Ground Up with Steve Kenyon

By Steve Kenyon October 19, 2020

I am not a grain farmer, and as many of you know, I do not like monocultures. I also don’t like tillage, or the use of synthetic fertilizer, or the overuse of chemicals. Some say that I am against grain farming. I would like to set the record straight. Our mission statement at Greener Pastures […] Read more

Features, From the Ground Up

What is regenerative grazing?

From the Ground Up with Steve Kenyon

By Steve Kenyon September 29, 2020

I was reminded again the other day that regenerative grazing is not the norm. We need to make regenerative agriculture a household word. If you are on social media, and you see a meme or a story about regenerative agriculture, share it. And share it again and again. Let’s look at the basics. I have […] Read more

Beef Cattle, Livestock

Beef sector aims for new 2030 targets

Organizations involved in Canada's National Beef Strategy have announced new goals for the beef sector for the next decade

By Alexis Stockford, GFM Network News September 23, 2020

The Canadian beef industry has new benchmarks to reach for in the next decade. The organizations involved in Canada’s National Beef Strategy — the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, Canada Beef Breeds Council, Beef Cattle Research Council, Canada Beef, The National Cattle Feeders’ Association, Canadian Meat Council and Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef have announced new 2030 […] Read more

Ted Unruh of Cromer, Man., says his automatic fence lifter has made for a less labour-intensive method of high stock density grazing.

Beef Cattle, Livestock

Automatic fence lifter makes short work of high-density grazing

Ted Unruh’s cattle are on the move four times a day, but he usually isn’t in the field to see it

By Alexis Stockford August 7, 2020

The first time Ted Unruh came across the idea of an automatic fence lifter, it was over social media. Unruh, along with a number of other farmers, had been chatting about a fence lifter that could take the place of a conventional gate, with some suggesting that a water jug could be used as a […] Read more

Conservatives’ new climate plan puts price on carbon

Agriculture, agrifood wish lists pile up ahead of long-delayed budget

Prairie cash wheat: Bids soar after weather events

GFM Network News