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Drought conditions in Canada at Feb. 28, 2022. (Map courtesy Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)
Crops, Weather

Most of Prairies still very dry, but recovery possible

Southern Manitoba considered out of drought

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MarketsFarm — Despite the Prairies receiving above-normal amounts of precipitation during February, the great majority of the region remained highly vulnerable to more dryness going into spring, according to the Canadian Drought Monitor. The monitor’s latest report showed those areas of the Prairies tackling extreme drought to have retracted somewhat. As of Feb. 28, that […] Read more
Lastiwka sought out efficient cattle genetics, such as Luing-cross cows, that can make use of a variety of forages. And he says fences may not be in perfect shape, but as long as they work that's the main thing.
Cattleman’s Corner, Forages

Short and long-term thoughts on forage management

Some good lessons to be learned from more than three decades of experience of what works and doesn’t work

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A farm without a tractor. Some of the fences could use a bit of work. The cows have been known to eat thistles. And the farmer doesn’t hesitate to say “this really didn’t work out the way I planned.” So could a person trust any advice from this operation? If it was any place other […] Read more
Four generations of the Cole family enjoying a harvest meal in the field at the family farm near Coronation, Alta.
Features

New investment model provides capital for land acquisitions and farmland improvement

With investments from Area One Farms, an Alberta farmer expands his operation so his kids and their families can return home to farm

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It was seven or so years ago that Kurt Cole realized he needed a bigger farm. Three of his five daughters and their families wanted to return home to farm with Cole, so the Alberta grain producer started searching for a way to raise $7 million — the price tag for some nearby land belonging […] Read more
Down the middle of this photo is a line of cattle working on a swath on Copperfield Colony. It takes about 20 minutes to advance a hot wire to the next swath once cattle clean up a windrow. The colony is now taking off more tons of forage per acre with the cover crops and swath grazing than with three cuttings of hay.
Cattleman’s Corner, Hay, Livestock

Year-round grazing reduces winter feeding costs

Cover crops, swath grazing and double cropping are all ways to produce more forage

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The cattle managers at the Copperfield Hutterite Colony near Vauxhall, Alta., northeast of Lethbridge, are using livestock to improve soils and pastures. Phil Hofer and the boys in charge of the cattle are using them in a year-round grazing system that includes intensive pasture rotations on swathed cover crops. “I am thankful to the management […] Read more
Programs are in place that will reward Western Canadian grazers for their efforts in carbon sequestration and/or for not converting fragile grassland to annual cropping or some other use.
Cattleman’s Corner, Livestock

Multi-paddock grazing offers AMPed up carbon opportunities

New programs are geared toward rewarding livestock producers for carbon sequestration efforts

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Looking back at a Grainews from last winter, I read a line I wrote saying that the options for cattle producers to take advantage of carbon markets are currently limited. This is still largely true, but a lot sure has changed in the past year, which has seen the release of new programs geared towards […] Read more
Central Alberta beef producers, Andy Rainforth and his wife Shannon and son Caed have worked to improve beef genetics as well as forage and pasture management over the years as they work toward a year-round grazing system.

Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner, Livestock

Producer closing in on year-round grazing

It’s an ongoing process of learning what works and doesn't work as growing conditions change

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Andy Rainforth and his wife Shannon and young son Caed farm near Lacombe in central Alberta not far from where Andy grew up. They raise Angus cattle and various crops. They have been on a journey over the past dozen years or more to develop a more efficient beef herd as well as a more […] Read more
AAFC’s Drought Monitor map effective Jan. 31, 2022. (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)
Crops, Weather

Drought conditions ease slightly across Prairies

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MarketsFarm — Mixed precipitation throughout January helped drought conditions improve across much of the Canadian Prairies during the month, according to the latest Drought Monitor report from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), released Tuesday. Conditions have deteriorated in some areas, however, and the majority of Western Canada was still in some kind of drought state. […] Read more
The sole purpose of these cold winter-feeding strategies is to increase the plane of nutrition to help the cowherd cope with frigid weather and to maintain vitality and optimum body condition.
Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner, Livestock

Cold-weather feeding strategies help overwinter beef cows

Cattle acclimatize themselves by eating more to increase their metabolic rate

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After New Year’s, I was driving just south of the Trans-Canada Highway in southern Manitoba and noticed a 100-cow beef herd swath-grazing just along the fence line. Most of these cows were in good body shape, despite it being -25 C and a 25 kph wind (-40 C windchill) on open prairie. I could only […] Read more

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