Cattle are turned out on pasture near Priddis west of Calgary in mid-May. Recent precipitation in the area has improved field and pasture outlooks and helped reduce wildfire risk.  |  Wendy Dudley photo

Grazing prospects improve

The grazing season has had some memorably bad starts in recent years, but 2024 promises to break the cycle across much of the Prairies. “This is the best start we’ve had for a year for a long time,” said Graeme Finn, founder of Union Forage and rancher near Crossfield, Alta. “These pastures now are looking […] Read more

Producers should ideally ensure forage growth is adequate — the three to four leaf stage and 15 centimetres tall — before turning cattle out to pasture so that their nutritional needs will be met.  |  File photo

Pasture outlook seen as ‘cautiously optimistic’

Agronomists urge cattle producers to practise patience when they are tempted to graze immature pastures this spring

The grazing season has had some memorably bad starts in recent years, but 2024 won’t likely be one of them. Producers had a better feed buffer last fall. In 2022, for example, turnout was hindered by the double whammy of a cold, wet spring and the lingering impacts of the 2021 drought on feed supplies […] Read more