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Tag Archives Winter Feeding

The landscape of the Special Areas varies, with differences in vegetation, moisture and soil type all coming into play across the region.
Environment

Ranching in the Special Areas

In this arid part of the Prairies, sustainable production practices mean the difference between kochia and crops

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In this arid part of the Prairies, sustainable production practices mean the difference between kochia and crops

In the heart of Palliser’s Triangle, Clay and Jesse Williams are proving the value of using cattle to improve depleted soils. Making a living in this part of the world isn’t easy. Characterized by brown soil zones and often negligible precipitation, the semi-arid steppe reaches from Regina to just east of Calgary. Nestled deep in […] Read more
Roxanne and Kevin Ziola, along with daughters Josi and Cami, ranch near Red Deer, Alta.
Beef Cattle, Features

Alberta ranching family teaches cattle to forage through snow

Roxanne and Kevin Ziola transitioned their operation from a mixed farm to a grass-fed ranch, where winter grazing is a key part of their production

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A panel of three producers sits at the front of a room filled to bursting with farmers and professionals in the industry. It’s a chilly day in December in Edmonton, Alta., at the Western Canada Soil Health and Grazing Conference, but these producers don’t mind the cold — in fact, they often use it to […] Read more
Grant Lastiwka’s bale grazing setup.
Foraging

Evaluating options for feeding bales

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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
A relay crop growing after the swath grazing crop has been cut.
Features, Grazing

Stocking cattle and stockpiling forage

Tim Wray walks us through his family’s plan for the grazing season as they seek to balance forage supplies with cattle inventory

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When it comes to handling drought, a little planning and strategy go a long way for the Wray family. Tim Wray grew up on his family’s cattle operation in Irricana, a small town located 50 kilometres northeast of Calgary. Today Tim and his uncle, Doug Wray, operate Wray Ranch, which has endured dry conditions for […] Read more
Feeding the pregnant beef cow
Livestock, Nutrition

Feeding the pregnant beef cow

Nutrition with John McKinnon

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In my previous column, I discussed how pregnant beef cows prioritize nutrient use for different physiological functions, including maintenance, lactation, pregnancy and growth. For those of you in Western Canada who were feeding cows during the last half of December 2021, you know full well how the cow’s maintenance requirements increase during extremely cold weather. […] 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.
Features, Livestock

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

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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
Cattle bale grazing in central Saskatchewan.

Beef Cattle, News, News Roundup

Tips for bale grazing

Feeding: News Roundup from the January 2020 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

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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
Hay is likely to be expensive in many areas this year due to weather.
Beef Cattle, News, News Roundup

Penciling out economics of winter cattle feeding

Feeding: News Roundup from the September 30, 2019 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

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Drought took its toll on many hay fields, while others were so wet that producers struggled to get a dry bale. For many beef producers on both ends of the spectrum, the result is high-cost feed. Ted Nibourg, a farm business management specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Food, outlined some of the economic factors producers […] Read more

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