Contrast in control of Roundup Ready alfalfa with herbicides applied in early fall (foreground) compared to late fall (background).

Pest Patrol: Killing off Roundup Ready alfalfa

#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA

Reading Time: 3 minutes Six tank-mix partners are recommended for the removal of Roundup Ready alfalfa, and since they vary significantly in cost (Table 1 below), their effectiveness was evaluated in a trial conducted at the Elora Research Station in 2018-19. Growing degree day accumulation after herbicide application appeared to have the greatest effect on the control of Roundup […] Read more

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Oats market steady, watching harvest

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Western Canada’s oats market is stable at prices a bit better than a year ago, as harvest gets underway and participants wait to see how much will move off the combine to the market. Early yield reports range anywhere from 80 to 140 bushels per acre, said Tyler Palmer, grain buyer with Emerson […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Prairie hay shortage on horizon

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — While rain across the Prairies has eased concerns of an all-out drought, worries of a hay shortage going into winter haven’t ceased. Darren Chapman, a Virden, Man. producer and chair of the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association (MFGA), explained that regrowth following the first cut of hay has been strong. First-cut hay crops […] Read more



The Green Gold program focuses on quality rather than quantity for the first cut, but it’s also helped producers harvest more cuts per year.

Knowing when it’s ‘hay day’

A provincial sampling program helps producers decide the best time to cut alfalfa for maximum RFV

Reading Time: 3 minutes An alfalfa-monitoring program designed more than 20 years ago continues to pay dividends for Manitoba dairy producers and the domestic and export dairy hay industry. Manitoba Forage and Grasslands Association’s (MFGA) “Green Gold” program just wrapped up the program’s 23rd year of helping to predict “Hay Day” — the date when harvested pure alfalfa stands[...]
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Crops mowed down by the great white combine can have high concentrations of nitrates and need to be tested before being used as feed.

Nitrate accumulation a danger in hailed-out crops

The crop, its development stage, and the amount of nitrogen in the soil all need to be considered

Reading Time: 2 minutes Think about nitrate accumulation when salvaging cereal, oilseed, or hay crops damaged by hail, says a provincial beef and forage specialist. “Nitrate accumulation occurs in a plant when it is injured and is not able to convert nitrate to protein efficiently after a hailstorm,” said Barry Yaremcio. “In non-legume crops, water and nutrients are pushed[...]
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(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Saskatchewan, B.C. areas up for livestock tax deferrals

Reading Time: 2 minutes Livestock producers in several more parched municipalities in Saskatchewan and British Columbia will be able to defer income from sales of animals on their 2017 tax returns. The federal government on Tuesday announced its final list of designated regions for 2017, including 20 more municipalities in Saskatchewan and seven in British Columbia. The initial list,[...]
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(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Hay shortage could make for difficult winter

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Many cattle producers looking for local feed this winter might have a difficult time, according to a Saskatchewan provincial forage specialist. However, producers further north in the grey and black soil zones, and those in Alberta producing high-quality feed for export, saw near-record hay production. Terry Kowalchuk of Saskatchewan Agriculture in Regina[...]
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