Ontario’s growing community pastures will receive up to $5 million to boost the resilience and productivity of community grazing land. The funding was announced at the Ontario Forage Expo near Paisley June 26. The forage expo was put on by the Ontario Forage Council which will administer the community pastures program. Why it matters: Community […] Read more
Tag Archives grazing
Province invests in community grazing pastures
Rotational grazing tips from Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show
Managing any eventuality in rotational grazing starts with having a large area surrounding by a perimeter fence, giving flexibility and options, according to James Clark, territory manager for Ontario for Gallagher.
Conference panelist questions research favouring grain-finished beef
Ted Zettel says carbon sequestration from pasture should give grass-fed the nod
Comparing the climate impact of grass-fed versus grain-fed beef isn’t straightforward, according to panelists at the Guelph Organic Conference. A recent study claimed grain-fed beef has less of a carbon impact, but Chepstow-based farmer Ted Zettel believes it failed to account for the long-term capacity of pasture-based farming to sequester carbon from the atmosphere. Why […] Read more
Custom grazing offers benefits for livestock, farm owner
Write down the agreement because some areas will otherwise be forgotten or missed
Lands less than suitable for cropping may be ideal for custom grazing, according to two presenters at the recent 10th annual conference of the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario. Ken Laing of Sparta and Ann Clark of Warkworth, both known for leading research in the province’s organic farming community, spoke to conference attendees about contract […] Read more
Bringing livestock into high-value crop land
Here’s how a young farm family is making livestock work where corn, soybeans and wheat dominate
One of the most valuable ends for a cover crop is for it to be eaten by livestock, converted to manure and added to the soil as processed nutrients. That’s a significant challenge in areas where crops are of such high value that the investment in infrastructure for livestock, especially grazing, makes little sense. That’s […] Read more
Temporary fencing for grazing cover crops
How two Ontario producers use fencing strategies to tackle rising feed costs
Grazing livestock on rented land or on cover crops presents challenges but a number of Ontario producers are proving it’s worth a try to combine the two strategies. One of them, beef farmer Tom Aikins of Ravenna, was recently named the 2023 recipient of the Beef Farmers of Ontario Mapleseed Pasture Award. Why it matters: […] Read more
Matador, Voliam insecticides back in ‘limited’ release
Revised labels prohibit feeding, foraging of treated crops
Syngenta Canada no longer plans to keep its lambda-cyhalothrin insecticide products off the market in Western Canada this year — but it’s planning to have a smaller supply. The crop chem and seed company announced Friday it will have a “limited amount” of its lambda-cy-based products Matador 120EC and Voliam Xpress available in the West […] Read more
Rotational grazing system earns BFO pasture award
Young farmer followed his dream, started beef operation on rented land
Tom Aikins is humble about receiving the 2023 Beef Farmers of Ontario Mapleseed Pasture Award. “They decided they wanted to give me this,” said the first-generation farmer from Ravenna, Grey County, during the BFO dinner following its annual meeting last month. “I don’t really know why. I’m not reinventing the wheel, but we’re raising cattle […] Read more
Saskatchewan holds Crown grazing rents at last year’s levels
Also, leaseholders on drought-downgraded land eligible for rate cut
Cattle producers leasing Crown land for grazing in Saskatchewan won’t see a rate hike this year and may be eligible for a significant rate cut. The provincial government announced Wednesday it has frozen the rates charged to producers who lease Crown grazing land in 2023 at their 2022 level. The freeze will apply to all […] Read more
Annual forages can extend the grazing season
University of Guelph researcher explores grazing options
Can extended grazing be gained by integrating annual forages into a perennial pasture rotational grazing system? Kim Schneider, an assistant professor in the plant science department at the University of Guelph hopes to answer that question through a two-year study that incorporates annual forages into 48 acres of a perennial rotational grazing system at the […] Read more
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