With fall on the way, producers are looking for options to stretch their grazing season as late as possible. In most situations, it’s cheaper to keep cows grazing on the land rather than locking them in corrals and hauling feed. It’s important that producers let the cows work for them, and it will also save […] Read more
Stories by Saskatchewan Agriculture
Stored canola at risk from rising temperatures
With the return of warm spring weather, rising temperatures could prove detrimental to producers with stored canola. As temperatures climb, spoilage and damage of stored canola can also increase, resulting in lost efforts and revenue. “We have had a fair amount of damaged seed coming in through the course of this winter to both elevators […] Read more
Watch livestock water quality
Weather conditions last spring and summer affected the quality of surface water sources for livestock, says Bob Klemmer, a livestock development specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture. It’s attributed to two main factors: too much water and not enough. While both situations can result in poor water quality and reduced cattle productivity, too much is still better […] Read more
Plan ahead before converting to forages
An increasing number of Saskatchewan farmers are looking at converting crop land to pasture or forage. Crops such as alfalfa, timothy, brome and grasses generate a lot of interest. But according to Andre Bonneau, a forage conversion specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture, there’s one ingredient that producers can’t overlook in their efforts. That’s planning. “Generally we […] Read more
Use hardy seed for forage success
Establishing a forage stand can be tricky. While there are no guarantees for success, Saskatchewan Agriculture food forage development specialist Al Foster says steps can be taken to remove much of the risk. It starts with selecting varieties that are winter hardy and adapted to a producer’s particular soil conditions. “The seedbed should be firm […] Read more
Legumes ideal for pastures
Inputs comprise such a large share of farm production costs that producers are starting to rethink their approaches to production, says Saskatchewan Agriculture forage development specialist Trevor Lennox. “One of the tools cattle producers have is legumes,” he said. “I work with cattle producers and alfalfa is by far the best resource we can work […] Read more
Benefits abound with short-term forage rotation
For most producers, the main objective of their pasture management plans is to keep a tame forage stand productive for as long as possible. This reduces the frequency of reseeding and rejuvenation and keeps costs down. Many producers also tend to keep cropland in perpetual crop production and pasture land in perpetual pasture. Al Foster, […] Read more
Improve pasture while feeding cows
Cattle don’t eat all the feed that they’re served during the winter. But rather than thinking of it as wasted feed, Glenn Barclay believes it would be better to consider it as a soil enhancer. “It seems a more appropriate description,” said the forage development specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture. “Plus, in addition to the leftover […] Read more
Sask. research team studies rangeland gas
It seems nothing escapes the scrutiny of scientists when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions. A team of researchers from the University of Saskatchewan recently completed an investigation of greenhouse gas emissions on Saskatchewan rangelands. The major greenhouse gases – carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane – have always been produced naturally as a result […] Read more
Seed dormancy model gives inside scoop
Uniform seedling emergence is critical to stand establishment and production in forage crops, but a lack of comparative data between what happens in the lab and in the field made seeding practices more of a trial and error process, until now. A recent Agriculture Development Fund research project conducted by the University of Saskatchewan has […] Read more
