Glacier FarmMedia – There are many good reasons to include alfalfa in a grazing stand and one big reason not to: bloat. That’s a shame, experts say, because appropriate management practices can help farmers reap the legume’s benefits while minimizing problems. Alfalfa is rich in nutrition and good for the land, but bloat can kill […] Read more
Tag Archives grazing — page 2
Poisonous plants can lurk in pastures
Livestock producers are advised to protect their animals by identifying plants that can cause acute or chronic poisoning
REGINA — Turning cattle onto fresh spring pasture can come with risks from the plants growing there. Some plants are acutely toxic and others cause chronic poisoning. These include weeds that have appeared during the last few years of drought as water body boundaries receded. Jennifer Hayden and Chelsea Siemens, livestock and feed extension specialists […] Read more
Working with crop farmers provides another feed source
Cattle producers and grain growers who enter into grazing partnerships are urged to write a rock-solid agreement
Working with crop farmers may be one answer for cattle producers struggling with feed shortages. Kevin Elmy told the recent Advancing Organics conference in Saskatoon that he started looking for alternative management practices when he moved back to the family seed operation near Saltcoats, Sask., in 1999. What he came up with was a partnership […] Read more
Feeding problems worsen impact of cold weather
MEDICINE HAT — Poor grazing conditions last summer due to drought may make cattle especially prone to this winter’s extreme cold conditions, according to a Medicine Hat veterinarian specializing in livestock. Temperatures across Alberta dipped below -30 C in mid-January following a season of poor growing conditions across the southeastern rangeland portion of the province […] Read more
Conservation deal to protect historic Alta. ranch
Agreement reached with Nature Conservancy of Canada and Ducks Unlimited will curtail development at McIntyre Ranch
The sprawling, nearly 130-year-old McIntyre Ranch, located 60 kilometres south of Lethbridge, will allow for cattle grazing in perpetuity while curtailing development along rolling native grasslands.
Alta. introduces rangeland initiative
Rangeland Grazing Framework encourages leaseholders to invest in long-term infrastructure that supports stewardship
The framework is a significant step toward recognizing the importance of ranchers who manage crown rangeland, agriculture and irrigation minister Nate Horner said in a statement.
Sask. rolls out strategic programs
Saskatchewan has signed its bilateral agreement on farm supports with Ottawa and announced its strategic initiatives program for the next five years. Agriculture minister David Marit, with federal rural economic development minister Gudie Hutchings, announced the $485 million spending plans under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership March 20. It takes effect April 1 and represents […] Read more
Grazing management pays off
Alberta cattle producer Sean McGrath has been employing intensive grazing methods for more than 20 years. Steve Kenyon has been doing it just about as long, and Alberta Agriculture grazing expert Grant Lastiwka has been studying it. All of which is to say that high-intensity grazing is sustainable. If you do it right. “From an […] Read more
Study questions benefits of extended grazing
For more than a decade, Canadian cattle ranchers and researchers have looked for ways to extend the grazing season. They’ve studied and implemented bale grazing, swath grazing, corn grazing, using crop residues, perennial pastures held in reserve and other techniques to keep cattle on the field in the fall and winter. Meanwhile, American researchers say […] Read more
Southern Alta. ranchers told to use Mother Nature’s ‘unfair advantages’
FORT MACLEOD, Alta. — Country singer Corb Lund, who grew up in Alberta, knows the difficulties associated with raising cattle in the chinook country of the south. He sings about it in Long Gone to Saskatchewan, a song about moving east to avoid some of the costs and consequences. Of Alberta, he sings: Well it’s […] Read more
