(Dave Bedard photo)

Manitoba to open up Crown lands for grazing, haying

Reading Time: 2 minutes Some Manitoba Crown lands not generally used for grazing or haying will be made available for temporary lease to producers this summer and fall. Citing “dry conditions in parts of the province,” the Manitoba government announced Monday that livestock producers “will temporarily be allowed to cut hay and allow animals to graze on Crown land […] Read more

Wheat in southeastern Saskatchewan on May 31, 2019. (Leeann Minogue photo)

Saskatchewan extends greenfeed seeding deadline

Reading Time: 2 minutes Saskatchewan farmers who still want to put in cereal crops for greenfeed with crop insurance coverage will get an extra couple of weeks to do so. Saskatchewan Crop Insurance on Wednesday announced an extension on the June 30 deadline for seeding crops for greenfeed, to July 15. Producers who have crop insurance will now be […] Read more


A variable chamber design increases pressure on the bale as it grows in size to maintain an even density.

New balers from AGCO

These Lely-influenced balers join the MF family in North America

Reading Time: 3 minutes After announcing in March 2017 that it had acquired the hay and forage division of European equipment manufacturer Lely, AGCO strode its way into the Agritechnica farm machinery show in Germany that November and proudly introduced a new Massey Ferguson baler based in large part on the engineering it inherited in the Lely purchase. There […] 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 […] Read more


(File photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Prairies’ dry weather may stem U.S. cattle stampede north

Reading Time: 2 minutes Winnipeg | Reuters — Parched pastures and crops in Western Canada are driving up cattle-feeding costs, and farmers and analysts expect the changing economics to stem a recent stampede of U.S. cattle being brought over the border. Canada imported 65,035 head of cattle from the U.S. from January through June, nearly double the pace of […] Read more

Barley south of Ethelton, Sask. on Aug. 3, 2017. (Dave Bedard photo)

Feed weekly outlook: Shortages expected for Prairie barley

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Sales have slowed for feed grain buyers in Western Canada, as concerns continue to mount about feed shortages. “The confidence from the farmer is not (there anymore). He just wants to see some crop come into his bin. So we’ve definitely slowed in our buying,” said Brandon Motz, sales manager at CorNine […] Read more


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 […] Read more



(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Prairie hay crops look thin in many areas

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Many farmers taking off their first hay cuts are also gathering more talking points to grumble over at coffee row. While many producers are still working to get the first cut done and the situation could change with the second cut, many regions are already reporting below-average yields. “In areas of the […] Read more

Chris Martin developed his own hay dryer to improve the quality of his hay.

Farmer-made hay dryer boosts quality

Chinook bale dryer uses spikes to dry bales from the inside out

Reading Time: 3 minutes Chris Martin saw how hay bale dryers were working in Quebec and thought that the concept would work on his farm in Ontario. And he figured he and his brother could make one that worked even better. Three years later, they have their dryer working – but not perfected – and have sold one other […] Read more