Pasture Archives - Page 12 of 102

Herbicide is only part of the pasture weed control program

Proper grazing management doesn't give weeds a place to start

By Grainews Staff October 4, 2023

Western Canadian livestock producers looking to control weeds on pasture should consider an integrated pasture management program that uses several tools from the tool box, says a specialties business leader with Corteva Agriscience. Mark Versluys says applying a herbicide to knock back some of the more difficult weeds is an excellent start, but that needs […] Read more

File photo of an old-school hand-operated pump on a rural Alberta property.

Columns

Digging wells and finding water

Where to find the information you need before digging

By Les Henry September 30, 2023

Unfortunately, by the time this issue hits your mailbox, many farmers will have the slim pickings of 2023 in the bin or bales. It has been especially brutal for cattle folks who have little hay to bale and face the awful decision of downsizing herds, including the loss of genetics built up over many decades. […] Read more

It is important to crunch the numbers to determine if backgrounding pays. This may not be the year.

Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner, Columns

Economics of backgrounding didn’t pencil out

With high feed costs, this example of adding 300 pounds over winter was a losing proposition

By Peter Vitti September 29, 2023

Years ago, I took one of my first beef marketing courses from a professor who wore a clean white lab coat to class. There was nothing wrong with that, but his previous class was a red meat-cutting class. One of the first thing he taught us is how to determine background-feeding profit. If its expenses […] Read more

Winter feeding bison on top of a patch of foxtail barley has been an effective way for Jacques Saquet to control the weed.

Cattleman’s Corner

Applying management to pasture weed control

Maintaining a healthy forage stand is best defence against weeds

By Lee Hart September 28, 2023

Peter Tokar and Jacques Saquet are two Manitoba livestock producers who have applied changes in management practices to help control some particularly difficult pasture weed infestations. Tokar, who owns a mixed farm — primarily a beef cow-calf operation — near Swan River in west-central Manitoba, deals with patches of burdock on his pastures. Saquet, who […] Read more

Whether they are domestic or wild species, producers need to be aware that there can be some risks with the co-mingling of different species with cattle.

Cattleman’s Corner, Columns

The pros and cons of pasturing species together

Thoughts about running cattle, bison, sheep, horses et cetera on the same piece of land

By Roy Lewis September 12, 2023

It can be a challenge to weigh the benefits and risks of running species such as beef cattle, sheep, bison and horses together on the same pastures, especially if feed is short. The pros and cons can be difficult for you and your veterinarian to address. While usually it is not a problem, there can […] Read more

The fillies we are going to keep are enjoying their new pasture.

Cattleman’s Corner

Haying begins, bulls are brought home

Eppich News: U.S. friends make a summer visit to the farm

By Heather Eppich September 5, 2023

June and July flew by in a hurry. There was lots of summerfallow to be worked, and then haying started in late June. In between everything, we finally got a few fences checked and mended. Gregory went around the neighbours’ little pasture fence July 8 and early the next week I was able to move […] Read more

File photo of palmer amaranth — the taller yellowish plants — infesting a U.S. cotton field. (Photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Crops

Palmer amaranth pops back up in Ontario

Weed infamous in U.S. for multiple herbicide resistances

By Dave Bedard, GFM Network News August 29, 2023

A single plant that showed up this summer on the edge of a southwestern Ontario cornfield is cause for concern among Canadian farmers, weed specialists warn. Writing Monday in the ag ministry’s Field Crop News, Ontario provincial weed management specialist Mike Cowbrough said the plant in question, found in Wellington County, is confirmed as palmer […] Read more

Cattleman’s Corner, Columns

Delivering a knockout punch to pinkeye

There are several tools that help reduce the risk of disease outbreak

By Peter Vitti August 28, 2023

Summer is not over and the pastures are full of flies, so when I drive down the highway and see cattle bunched up in a pasture, they are either trying to get away from the heat or from these annoying pests. One of the most notorious pests is the face fly, the leading culprit for […] Read more

“On some of our hay land, they ate the alfalfa down to where it’s gone completely.” Shawn Kramer.

News

Prairie pest offers ‘a tough battle’

Strychnine may no longer be an option for swelling ground squirrel populations, but other effective tactics are available

By Mark Halsall August 22, 2023

Richardson’s ground squirrels, which are sometimes referred to as gophers, can cause major problems for farmers and ranchers. In high enough numbers, they can decimate crops and forages and pockmark pasture land, making it hazardous for livestock. Persistent drought conditions have contributed to high ground squirrel populations in some parts of the Prairies in recent […] Read more

Finishers, Livestock, Markets

Klassen: Feedlots aggressively secure ownership

StatCan cattle inventory report due out soon

By Jerry Klassen, GFM Network News August 22, 2023

Compared to last week, yearlings straight off grass sold $3-$5 higher on average. In certain cases, larger groups of higher quality genetics traded $8-$12 above week-ago levels. Auction markets had larger volumes this past week and there was strong demand across all weight categories. It’s that time of year when major operations are stepping forward […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle and hog futures slide

U.S. grains: Corn, soy, wheat futures rise as dollar sags; crop yields eyed

Pulse weekly: Large U.S. pea/lentil crops expected

GFM Network News