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Tag Archives Hay — page 2

Producers should be aware of heat levels and use a thermometer rather than a hay moisture probe to check temperatures. A sweet smell or musty odour are signs that hay should be checked.
Crops, News

Forage fires an increased risk this harvest season

Forage specialist urges producers to be on alert

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Hay and forage fires are a significant risk on farms throughout Ontario so prevention strategies are important. Many regions of the province had a particularly dry May, increasing vulnerability to fire. Why it matters: Dry conditions have increased fire risk, particularly for forages. Fires can start when heat builds up in high-moisture material, causing spontaneous […] Read more
Figure 1. Early planted corn is at the 5-6 leaf stage and nearing the end of the critical weed-free period.
Crops, News

Cereal crops parched, fears of spontaneous combustion in hay

OMAFRA Field Crop Report for the week of June 5

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Field conditions across most of the province are drier than normal. This generally will have little effect on corn and soybeans since both are at the early vegetative growth stage. The impact on winter cereals could be significant since they are already out in head and at, or nearing, pollination. Forages There is an unusually […] Read more
(JPNM/iStock/Getty Images)
Crops

Saskatchewan to top up some claims for wildlife-damaged forage

Affected producers in southwestern, west-central areas eligible

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Producers in southwestern and west-central Saskatchewan who lost stacked forage to wildlife feeding last winter may see a bump up in their compensation. The Saskatchewan and federal governments on Wednesday announced a “supplemental freight adjustment” to their wildlife damage compensation program, administered by Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corp. (SCIC). SCIC, the province said, has “reassessed and […] Read more
Smoke rises from a wildfire near Wildwood, Alta., about 100 km west of Edmonton, on May 5, 2023. (Photo: Alberta Wildfire/Handout via Reuters)
Livestock

Alberta ‘crossing fingers’ for rain amid wildfires

CN mainline traffic west of Edmonton suspended

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Reuters — Firefighters were counting on rain and cooler weather forecast for Monday to help them quell a dramatic start to Alberta’s wildfire season. The province declared a state of emergency on Saturday in response to wildfires in northern and central regions that have displaced nearly 30,000 people and prompted energy producers to shut in […] Read more
Operators can monitor and control the autonomous machine through a mobile device.
Machinery

Autonomous tillage and haying

Lemken and Krone partner on multi-functional robotic system development

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Glacier FarmMedia – As more attention is turned toward autonomous field operations, even companies that haven’t been known for offering powered systems are revealing their efforts to produce self-propelled robotic equipment.  Tillage equipment producer Lemken recently announced it had partnered with forage-focused Krone (both companies are based in Germany) to create an autonomous power unit […] Read more
East Coast farmers are hoping things have improved enough on the Prairies this year to help them settle some of the accounts from the Hay West initiative.
News

Some bills remain unpaid as Hay West winds down

CFA initiative helped drought-stricken ranchers on the Prairies source hay from eastern Canada last year

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Glacier FarmMedia – Nearly 20 million tonnes of feed made up the 2021 Hay West program. Now eastern Canadian farmers are hoping things have improved enough on the Prairies this year to help them settle accounts as the aid program’s sponsor, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, wraps up the initiative. Todd Lewis, CFA second vice-president, […] Read more
File photo of a sunrise over an Alberta barley crop. (MNphotography/iStock/Getty Images)
Crops

Alberta issues final crop report for year

Harvest over 98 per cent done by region and crop type

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MarketsFarm –– For the second year in a row the Alberta harvest wrapped up well ahead of the five-year average. With a gain of three points for the week ended Tuesday, Alberta Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development (AFRED) pegged the combining of major crops at 99.2 per cent complete. That’s 22 and a half […] Read more
(Lightguard/iStock/Getty Images)
Crops

Saskatchewan crops advancing quickly

By
MarketsFarm — Hot and humid conditions saw crops in Saskatchewan advance quickly during the week ended Monday, according to the latest provincial crop report — although the humidity has slowed haying. When humidity is high, cutting hay becomes more challenging and hay that is cut does not dry down as quickly, which can result in […] Read more
A Canada-wide map of drought conditions. Photo credit: Canadian Drought Monitor
Crops

Drought conditions remain in Alberta, Saskatchewan

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MarketsFarm — After copious amounts of precipitation alleviated the most severe drought conditions in Saskatchewan and Alberta, there were still some areas dealing with extreme dryness entering July, according to the Canadian Drought Monitor. At the end of June, only 22 per cent of the Prairie region was classified in the Abnormally Dry (D0) to […] Read more
bales of alfalfa in a field
News

Are tighter hay supplies in Ontario’s future?

High crop prices and other factors drive growers away from forage acres

By
Commodity crop prices are sky high. The same can’t be said about Ontario’s hay. A generally good 2021 production season contributed to a glut of dry forage, lowering hay prices across Ontario. In the face of much higher-value commodities, acres that would normally be reserved for forage production, specifically dry hay, are being turned to […] Read more

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