Pasture Archives - Page 10 of 102

The young Packard’s grasshopper is green with black scattered dots that resemble pepper. The adult version seen here is grey to dark yellow with two light-coloured stripes behind the eyes and grey forewings.

Grasshoppers: Brace for impact

The past year was bad for grasshoppers on the Prairies and 2024 could be worse, experts warn

By Jim Timlick January 31, 2024

It’s still the middle of winter, but it’s never too early to think about grasshoppers. That was one message delivered at last month’s Canola Week annual meetings in Calgary, which brought together canola industry leaders from across North America. Meghan Vankosky, a field crop entomologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada based in Saskatoon, spoke during […] Read more

General, Livestock

Sask. livestock drought program extended

Ten RMs added to area eligible for per-head payment, application deadline lengthened

By GFM Network News January 30, 2024

Governments have expanded and extended the Canada-Saskatchewan Feed Program available to the province's livestock producers. Ten rural municipalities have been added to the area eligible for the initial $150 per head payment, and the application deadline has been extended to March 15.

Graeme Finn’s cattle on a high-legume pasture at breeding time.

Cattleman’s Corner, Cow-Calf

Six areas you should watch to maintain your cows’ fertility

High-quality forage and the right mineral package at the right time can set cows up for success

By Melissa Jeffers-Bezan January 25, 2024

As a rancher and a senior forage specialist with Union Forage, Graeme Finn has spent much of his time looking into how feeding cattle affects their fertility. He says it was something drilled into him as a child in Australia. “My grandmother always said, ‘Feed the cattle good at breeding time,’ because that’s when you […] Read more

Weather

Prairie forecast: Warm weather returns

Issued Jan. 24, 2024, covering Jan. 24 to 31

By Daniel Bezte, GFM Network News January 24, 2024

For this forecast period, it looks like our weather pattern will undergo a shift back to the mild pattern we experienced at the beginning of the winter. It also looks like the warm weather will stick around for at least a couple of weeks. The million-dollar question is whether we will see another outbreak of cold arctic air, or will we see an early start to spring? Well, if I knew that answer to that, I would be rich, but I don’t think winter is over quite yet.

Cattleman’s Corner, Columns, Rancher’s Diary

It’s been a wonderful visit

For years we've shared our lives with Grainews readers and they've done the same with us

By Heather Smith Thomas January 14, 2024

This will be my final Rancher’s Diary column. I was recently informed that with the current business changes at Grainews, my column will no longer be published, but I was graciously given the chance to say goodbye to my readers — many of whom have become personal friends over the years. I first became aware […] Read more

Here we see a cover crop grazing blend at the Ag in Motion farm show near Langham, Sask., in 2023.

Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner, Forages

Grazing cover crops shows soil health dividends

Livestock producers see the benefits but say they could really use more information

By Melissa Jeffers-Bezan January 12, 2024

Glacier FarmMedia — If you’ve wondered whether livestock producers are taking a different approach to cover crops than those growing them for the grain — and are seeing distinct benefits in doing so — the surveys so far say yes. Callum Morrison, a crop production extension specialist for Manitoba Agriculture at Carman and a master’s […] Read more

Columns, Crops

A new year, a new soil moisture map

Let's take a Prairie-wide view of soil moisture at freeze-up in 2023

By Les Henry January 12, 2024

To make a soil moisture map, you need to understand the soil moisture constants: saturation, field capacity, wilting point and plant-available water. Saturation (Sat) is when all soil pores are filled with water — in other words, the water table. Until recently we did not consider the water table to be high enough to provide […] Read more

Cattleman’s Corner, Columns, Rancher’s Diary

Making a wish list of bulls for next breeding season

There are always several late fall projects to complete before the ground freezes

By Heather Smith Thomas December 19, 2023

October 20 Last week we moved the cows to the lower back field to join the heifers They can all graze there a few weeks. We checked the temporary fence around the deep gully — to make sure it was still secure enough to keep cows out of that gully. It’s so deep and narrow […] Read more

This old trough, no longer useable for water, was repurposed into an inexpensive feeder for the bulls. Tucked into the corner of the fence with a bit of reinforcement, it can easily be refilled as needed.

Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner, Columns, Pasture

A handy inexpensive feed bunk

A repurposed water trough and other fencing materials were all put to good use

By Heather Smith Thomas December 15, 2023

This fall, we decided to let our two yearling bulls out of the corral for winter and have them eat down some willows. Last winter, we created a new little pasture by clearing out the trees and willow bushes, then piling and burning them in hopes of growing more grass. We grazed that new pasture […] Read more

Under sunny skies, neighbour Ken Reiniger loads some slough hay bales, that will make good winter feed, onto the trailer.

Cattleman’s Corner, Livestock

Weather co-operates for fall projects

Digging potatoes and hauling feed all completed under fairly warm dry conditions

By Heather Eppich December 13, 2023

The weather this fall has been very nice. The wind has been cold at times, but we really couldn’t complain about the temperatures. I gave the foals a few days to settle down after weaning and then started refreshing their halter training. We try to work with them to introduce the halter a few days […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures higher on screwworm news

Trade mission heads for Japan as Canada becomes the country’s top pork supplier

U.S. grains: Soybeans drop on lack of Chinese demand, wheat hits contract lows

GFM Network News