Winnipeg | Reuters — With drought turning Chad Ross’s pastures brown, the southeastern Saskatchewan rancher sent 140 head of cattle to slaughter earlier than usual this spring, as the Prairies’ three-year drought made them too expensive to feed. The ranch and feedlot near Estevan has lost money two straight years. Long-awaited rains that swept the […] Read more
Tag Archives Pasture — page 4
Rain gives farmers relief, for now, from three-year drought
Flexibility available for farmers on FCC loan payments
Farm Credit Canada says it remains willing to work around the various forces majeures standing between its farmer clients and their cash flows this year. The Crown lending agency reiterated Monday it will work with customers “to come up with solutions for their operations on a case-by-case basis” in view of this spring’s weather worries […] Read more
Hay prices skyrocket as Prairie drought continues
MarketsFarm — Hay prices have continued to skyrocket across the Prairies as conditions remain dry enough that many hay growers won’t produce a first cut this spring. “We’ve had a tough start here,” said Darren Chapman, chair of the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association. “We had a cold, dry spring with frost, so first cut […] Read more
TESA winner matches cover crops with cow herd
Steve Sickle rotationally grazes his cows and calves on pasture, but uses cover crops at the end of the season
Steve and Amanda Sickle of Brant County ended up in the beef cow business when they realized a rolling part of a farm they’d turned from pasture to crops was much better suited to pasture. The family had sold their beef cows when Steve’s dad broke his hip. “We brought them back when we realized […] Read more
Cattle turnout timing a balance of forage growth, nutrition
Maintaining top feed quality should be the goal of any pasture system
Producers anxious to turn cattle out onto pasture after the long winter months could sacrifice pasture yield later in the summer if the cattle are turned out too quickly. Why it matters: Turning cattle out to pastures too early or too late has consequences on the cattle’s health, the forage quality and quantity. Tim Prior […] Read more
Modified mob grazing makes efficient use of pasture
Piper Creek Farm won the 2019 Mapleseed Pasture Award for its sustainable pasture management
Doug Gray and Bonnie Wilson started Piper Creek Farms in 2002 with five head of Limousin cattle on 40 acres. They started 2019 with good news at the Beef Farmers of Ontario annual general meeting — the Mapleseed Pasture Award from Mapleseed and the Ontario Forage Council. Why it matters: Intensive grazing systems show efficient […] Read more
AgriRecovery offered for B.C. wildfire costs
British Columbia ranchers and farmers who lost pasture or cropland or had to move livestock out of the path of wildfires this year may be eligible for AgriRecovery funding. The federal and B.C. governments on Thursday announced a new AgriRecovery program worth up to $5 million to help defray “extraordinary costs incurred” due to wildfires […] Read more
Drought’s effects linger on Prairies
CNS Canada — After a dry growing season last year in Western Canada, effects of the drought are still evident with news that most livestock producers won’t be doing a second cut of hay. “Pastures and hay fields didn’t get the moisture that they needed to really recharge over that winter period and get a […] Read more
Wildfire-damaged grazing areas up for Saskatchewan aid
Saskatchewan’s provincial disaster assistance program (PDAP) will be opened up to cover southwestern grazing areas damaged by this fall’s wildfires. The province’s government relations minister, Larry Doke, on Wednesday announced producers who incurred wildfire damage on “tame and native lands” intended for grazing may now apply for assistance to get feed for affected livestock. Winds […] Read more
Saskatchewan offers provincial pasture leases to patron groups
Cattle producers using provincial pastures heading into the final three years of the Saskatchewan Pastures Program (SPP) will get the first chance at leasing them. The province announced in March it would wind down the SPP, kicking off a public consultation process. Based on those consultations, the province confirmed Thursday it will grant the 50 […] Read more
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