Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Forage crops in Saskatchewan and Alberta are badly in need of rain, while alfalfa is already being cut in Manitoba, a testament to the difference in moisture levels across Western Canada. The majority of the snow in Alberta was gone by the end of March, according to the chairwoman of the Alberta […] Read more
Forages
Prairies’ forage a tale of mixed moisture levels
U.S. agency sees El Nino likely to last into 2016
Reading Time: 2 minutes New York | Reuters — A U.S. weather forecaster warned on Thursday the El Nino weather pattern that can cause droughts in Asia and heavy rain in the Americas will likely last into next year, longer than previously expected and potentially roiling crops and commodity prices. The Climate Prediction Center (CPC), an agency of the […] Read more
Dry areas of Prairies still waiting for rain
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada –– The continued lack of moisture across a large portion of Alberta and Saskatchewan is becoming more of a concern for farmers in the region, but there is a chance of rain in some nearby forecasts. Shannon Friesen, a cropping management specialist for Saskatchewan Agriculture in Moose Jaw, said some livestock producers are […] Read more
Quebec haymakers use homemade dryer to improve quality
The Normandins also modified a small hay baler to convert big square bales into small ones
Reading Time: 2 minutes David Normandin and his brother Mathieu preferred driving tractors to milking cows and that’s why they make hay and not milk. The brothers, along with their father Luc and Luc’s partner’s daughter, Audrey Mailloux, operate Norfoin Inc., 57 km southeast of Montreal in the Montérégie region of la belle province. The operation had been a […] Read more
Nuffield scholar focuses on energy-dense forages
Study will explore using energy-dense perennial forages as annuals
Reading Time: 2 minutes One learns fairly quickly upon first meeting him that Clayton Robins is a bundle-of-energy person. So it comes as no surprise that the 2013 Nuffield Scholar has actually travelled the world to learn more about energy. Energy-dense forages, that is. “Every other country I visited looks at sugars in forages except here in North America,” […] Read more
Warmth seen as welcome relief for Manitoba forages
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada –– A recent wave of warm temperatures is just what’s needed to boost the development of forage crops in Manitoba, which have been slowed due to recent weather, according to two industry experts. “Just within the past week plants are starting to develop, we’re hoping that with the heat they’re forecasting, the crops […] Read more
Arrest made in alleged Alberta hay fraud
Reading Time: < 1 minute A Lethbridge businessman is due in court next month to answer to charges that a Taber, Alta.-area farm business was defrauded out of six figures’ worth of hay. The Taber Police Service said Friday it had completed a “lengthy investigation” into allegations of fraud in which hay was obtained “under false pretenses” from a local […] Read more
Sainfoin: a new forage legume for Ontario livestock producers
Its non-bloating qualities make it a perfect companion to long-standing favourites, or it works well on its own
Reading Time: 4 minutes Mention the term “forage legume” in Eastern Canada, and just about any producer will mention alfalfa or clover. Livestock producers can likely name off another 10 or 12 species, like birdsfoot trefoil, alsike, timothy, orchardgrass or meadow bromegrass. But few will mention sainfoin, well-known in Western Canada but a relative newcomer to Ontario and Quebec. […] Read more
Prairie forage crops to benefit from early spring weather
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Forage crops in Western Canada are in a much better place this spring compared to a year ago, as spring’s early arrival will benefit crop development. The milder winter was also beneficial in preserving forage supplies, with feed stocks adequate to good in many regions, said Terry Kowalchuk, a provincial forage specialist […] Read more
Ont. expands rain gauge options for forage insurance
Reading Time: < 1 minute Ontario farmers buying production insurance for forage crops this year can use data from up to three rainfall reporting stations in their coverage. Agricorp, which manages Ontario’s provincial farm programs and production insurance, said Thursday its move will allow forage growers enrolled in the forage rainfall plan to choose stations closer to the spots where […] Read more