The study’s co-author Jourdyn Sammons presented its results during a rotational grazing lunch-and-learn hosted by the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association at Ag in Motion last July.

Researchers measured the performance of four different blends, grazed by yearling steers in 14-acre paddocks over two years at the Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence near Clavet, just southeast of Saskatoon.

One annual blend included forage brassica, forage peas and barley, while the other included fall rye and clover. Two perennial blends were also tested, including a hybrid bromegrass and alfalfa blend, and a mix of sainfoin and meadow bromegrass.

Researchers measured the enteric methane emitted by steers on the various blends. The study also looked into soil health metrics, although those results are still being analyzed.

The study highlighted different potential advantages across the blends.

The hybrid bromegrass and alfalfa treatment consistently produced high biomass and provided adequate nutrition. Steers gained well on it, making it profitable — as long as a producer has time to establish perennial stands.

For producers needing a quicker turnaround, a barley, pea and brassica mix also grew plenty of biomass, topping production from the sainfoin and meadow bromegrass blend.

Sammons expected the sainfoin and meadow bromegrass to produce the least methane, due to chemical compounds in the sainfoin. However, the barley, pea and brassica blend beat it, coming in with the lowest emissions in the study.

Steers grazing the fall rye and clover blend had the best average daily gains, but the “yield wasn’t adequate to provide enough forage for a producer,” Sammons said in an interview.

“I wouldn’t say it would be a profitable investment, even though it did produce the high-quality forage for a period of time.”

Those results could be due to how they handled fall rye. Although fall rye is typically seeded in the fall, overwintered and grazed in the second year of growth, U of S researchers seeded their fall rye in spring. It was grazed while still immature, so it didn’t yield as well as hoped.

“The steers did really well on it, but they were only on there for a short amount of time.”

The annual blends also had more shallow moisture, which Sammons says they weren’t expecting.

“Typically, you would expect that your perennials would have more moisture continuously, but I think the biggest difference is that because the perennials are growing all year long — although they’re dormant in the winter — there’s more continued growth.”

Annuals, on the other hand, are seeded mid-spring, grazed and then quite likely “toast” right after grazing, she says.

“I think because of that and the continuous pull of the perennials, that’s why we’re seeing the increased levels of moisture in the shallow levels of the soil.

“But the flip side of that is because of the deeper rooting systems, because of the more complex tap roots that our perennials may possess there, they are able to utilize that moisture and they are able to access the moisture.”

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I hope you find time to page through this issue in between everything else you do. We’ve got three articles that have been approved for continuing education (CEU) credits. But don’t tarry, as we’ll be discontinuing the credits after June 2025. (Find those three articles online here, here and here.)

If you’re wondering why we’re no longer offering CEU credits, it’s mainly because we realized that our readers already have plenty of options. That’s not a bad thing, when you think about it.

Still, offering the CEU credits has been a good experience. A hearty thanks to all the writers who tackled those lengthy articles, my colleagues who sought approvals and administered the quizzes before I stepped in, and the readers who applied for credits, especially the regulars (you know who you are). A huge thank you as well to the folks at the Prairie Certified Crop Adviser board who helped me submit credits and get this last batch of articles and quizzes approved — I greatly appreciate it.

If you have ideas for future issues or feedback, drop me a line.

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Reg Schellenberg, former president of the Canadian Cattle Association, died suddenly in December 2022. In lieu of flowers, the Schellenberg family requested that donations be made through the Canadian Cattle Foundation to support the Canadian Cattle Association’s Young Leaders program (CYL), the association’s mentorship program for up-and-coming leaders in the beef industry.

The Reg Schellenberg Next Generation Legacy Award honours individuals who embody the spirit of humble leadership, mentorship, collaboration and dedication to the Canadian cattle industry. Recipients receive a buckle, sponsored by Schellenberg’s family’s ranch, and a bursary to attend the Saskatchewan Beef Industry Conference.

“Reg was always bringing a CYL under his wing on Parliament Hill to give them a taste of the lobbying activities of CCA,” said Shannon Schellenberg, Reg’s wife, adding that he served as a mentor in the program as well. “Even though a program like CYL didn’t exist when he was getting into leadership opportunities, he still sought out the mentors in his life for the wisdom he needed to become a great leader.”

“Reg was very passionate about the industry. He was also especially passionate about bringing along the next generation, both in terms of operation of ranches, as well as being involved in the industry, advocating for policies to the benefit of the industry,” said Lynn Grant, a Saskatchewan rancher and vice president of the foundation.

Grant explained the young leaders are asked to nominate three people to the judging committee from their cohort for consideration. This year, there was a tie, resulting in four nominees: Alberta’s Brayden Schmidt and Ashley Nicholls, Saskatchewan’s Marianne Sytnyk and Marchand.

Marchand grew up on a ranch near Keremeos, B.C., and now ranches with her husband and his family in the north Okanagan. Alberta rancher and marketing entrepreneur Sarah Wray served as her mentor for the program. Marchand was accepted into the program in 2023 and was part of the 2024 graduating cohort honoured at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference. She cited networking and having “a seat at the table” with decision-makers, particularly those setting policy, as two benefits of the program.

Active in the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association public affairs and education committee before the program started, Marchand was initially focused on educating producers and consumers. However, during the mentorship program, things “shifted” for her slightly, she said, as she increasingly saw the value of working on advocacy and creating content with corporations such as McDonald’s, as well as other partners.

Marchand said she had nothing but great things to say about the program. “Highly recommend it for anybody that’s interested in it.”

—Updated Aug. 23. Adds missing information to lead paragraph.

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Kihn was born on May 5, 1960, in Dryden, Ont. In 1966, the family moved to a farm near Minnedosa, Man. His childhood on the family farm later served as material for stories published in the Western Producer and Manitoba Co-operator.

Kihn graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Valparaiso University in Indiana in 1982. While at Valparaiso, Kihn edited the school paper, played on the school’s soccer team and provided colour commentary on Crusaders basketball broadcasts. That interest in sports and physical activity remained throughout his life, later manifesting in long cycling trips.

After graduation, Kihn began working at a beef trade publication, before moving to the Charolais Banner. Within a few years, he was publisher and owner of the magazine. Kihn moved the magazine to Calgary, where he bought a home and remained for the rest of his life.

Outside the beef industry, Kihn is likely best known for his work fundraising for Stephen Harper, rustling up over $3.5 million for Harper’s two leadership campaigns, the Globe and Mail reported. He also served as returning officer for several federal Conservative nominations in Alberta in subsequent years, including a contentious contest in Calgary’s Signal Hill riding in 2014. He was seen by senior Conservatives as organized, neutral and by the book, reported the Globe and Mail.

Kihn’s connection with the Harper family was formed in the 1990s, when he hired Laureen Teskey, a marketing and graphic design specialist. Teskey was dating Harper at the time and went on to marry him. Kihn remained close to the Harper family and was known as “Uncle Mark” to their children, his obituary notes.

More recently, Kihn returned to farm journalism, freelancing for the Manitoba Co-operator, Western Producer and Canadian Cattlemen. His contributions to Canadian Cattlemen included feature articles on everything from historical subjects to hosting private treaty sales as well as obituaries for Purely Purebred. Kihn also suggested featuring the artwork of Maxine Abraham on the cover of the December 2022 issue, starting a new annual tradition at the magazine.

Kihn’s Christian faith was an important part of his life. He was an active member of the Foothills Lutheran Church in Calgary and volunteered with Samaritan’s Purse on initiatives such as hurricane relief in Houston.

Kihn was diagnosed with advanced colorectal cancer in early 2023. He was told he had six months, but soldiered on for a year and a half after the diagnosis. Friends Ken Greenfield, Tim and Tracy Roth provided extraordinary care in his final years.

He is survived by sisters Helga (nee Kihn) Jensen of Camrose, Linda (nee Kihn) Zibin of Port Alberni and brothers David (Edmonton), Tim (Fort Saskatchewan) and Ron (Winnipeg), along with their spouses and significant others, several nieces and nephews, his church family and several friends.

Kihn’s funeral was held on Monday, July 29, 2024, at Foothills Lutheran Church, 3104-34 Avenue NW, Calgary, Alta.

—Updated Aug. 1 – corrects graduation date.

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The university set out to compare the performance of forage and annual blends under a planned grazing system.

Study co-author Jourdyn Sammons presented results during an Ag in Motion rotational grazing lunch and learn July 17, hosted by the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association.

Researchers measured the performance of four different blends, grazed by yearling steers in 5.7-hectare paddocks over two years at the Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence near Clavet, Sask. One annual blend included forage brassica, 4010 peas and barley, while the other included fall rye and clover. Two perennial blends were also tested, including a hybrid bromegrass and alfalfa blend, and a mix of sainfoin and meadow bromegrass.

Researchers also measured the enteric methane emitted by the steers on the various blends. The study also looked into soil health metrics, although those results were still being analyzed.

The study highlighted different potential advantages across the blends.

The hybrid bromegrass and alfalfa treatment consistently produced high biomass and provided adequate nutrition. Steers gained well on it, making it profitable, as long as the producer has time to establish perennial stands.

For producers needing a “quicker turnaround,” the barley, pea and brassica also grew plenty of biomass, topping production from the sainfoin and meadow bromegrass blend.

Sammons expected the sainfoin and meadow bromegrass to produce the least methane, due chemical compounds in the sainfoin. Again, however, the barley, pea and brassica blend beat it out, coming in with the lowest emissions in the study.

Steers grazing the fall rye and clover blend had the best average daily gains, but the “yield wasn’t adequate to provide enough forage for a produce,” Sammons said in an interview.

“I wouldn’t say it would be a profitable investment even though it did produce the high-quality forage for a period of time.”

Those results could be due to how they handled fall rye. Although fall rye is typically seeded in the fall, overwintered and grazed in the second year of growth, U of Sask researchers seeded their fall rye in the spring. As it was grazed while still immature, it didn’t yield as well as they’d have liked.

“The steers did really well on it, but they were only on there for a short amount of time.”

The annual blends also had more shallow moisture, which Sammons said they weren’t expecting. “Typically, you would expect that your perennials would have more moisture continuously, but I think the biggest difference is that because the perennials are growing all year long — although they’re dormant in the winter — there’s more continued growth.”

Annuals, on the other hand, are seeded mid-spring, grazed and then quite likely “toast” right after grazing, she said.

“I think because of that and the continuous pull of the perennials, that’s why we’re seeing the increased levels of moisture in the shallow levels of the soil. But the flip side of that is because of the deeper rooting systems, because of the more complex tap roots that our perennials may possess there, they are able to utilize that moisture and they are able to access the moisture.”

Although the annuals had more shallow moisture, “perennials have way more yield because they can access the moisture.”

The post From AIM: Perennial and annual grazing mixes go head-to-head appeared first on Grainews.

Wunder, who farms with his family south of Foam Lake, Sask., spoke about the synergies between grain farming and cattle during the Canadian Forage and Grasslands Association lunch and learn at Ag in Motion on Wednesday. The family runs about 300 head of cows, and crops between 1,000 and 1,500 acres, depending on the markets. Some of that cropland is certified organic, Wunder said, while the balance is in a regenerative system.

“We’ve grown everything from buckwheat to hemp to your staples of oats and barley and mustard and peas and things.” Wunder adds they’ve done season-long cover cropping, relay cropping and intercropping. They integrate perennials into the rotation as well as the cattle, and use the cattle manure as compost. A few years ago, they also “bought into vermicompost,” said Wunder. They make compost extracts such as tea and seed treatments, and apply them to their grain acres. “My favourite part is the grazing side of it. And on our operation, we are very heavily into AMP grazing — adaptive multi-paddock grazing.”

As a smaller operation, every field is different, and they can intensively manage things. That’s reflected in their stocking densities. Wunder said they sometimes graze with “extreme densities” of cattle, but with multiple moves a day, density can change quickly.

“At times we’ve been over two million pounds of live weight per acre.” The same day, they might drop to 5,000 pounds, depending on what’s happening in that field, he adds. Livestock help with nutrient cycling, weed control and residue management on the farm, he said. They offer “so many options to build soil health.”

They also like to add value by stacking enterprises, he said. That might mean grazing before seeding a cash crop, grazing after harvesting a cash crop, seeding a relay crop, or grazing residue or chaff piles.

“We’re not making bales, we’re not hauling bales. We’re not putting the bales out, cutting off frozen netwrap and questioning your choices in life. There’s a lot of things that we’re not doing.”

They supplement with grain or screenings. If they want to improve sandy patches, they’ll supplement with hay. He’s seen the cows eat the chaff piles before eating the hay, and said the chaff can provide some “decent feed nutrition.” He did have one caveat. “I’m not telling you to not feed your cows and do chaff pile grazing.”

There are a few pitfalls, Wunder said. Not all the cows will stay in the program with a system like this. Plus, deep snow can bury feed, creating losses and leaving a mess to deal with in the spring. This system fits a spring calving window well, but may not work for a January or February calving window. It does limit fall weed control, and producers need to think about water and shelter. Wunder touched on mindset when trying new things. “I always ask myself, why do I want that to work on our operation? What outcomes am I trying to achieve?”

Rather than writing something off as a complete failure, he said they try to figure out how to modify things before trying again. They are continuously learning, he said, and they expect, and plan, to fail. “And I just try really hard to limit the zeros behind those mistakes.”

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For those tired of sick of cutting ice and looking for a lower-cost alternative, Lee Smith has a solution. The Water Box is a livestock waterer producers can insert through the ice of a dugout, slough or slow-moving creek. Once frozen in place, cattle can flip a lid near the ice surface and drink their fill. A chain inside the water box pops out any ice so the cow can drink. Once the cow is done, the lid closes, keeping the water hole relatively clear of ice — although Smith recommends checking it daily, and cleaning away any ice buildup in front of the waterer, as well as any inside. It’s portable and requires no power, making it ideal for remote locations.

The Consort, Alta., rancher wanted a waterer that would help out his parents, who were “getting up there in age,” and provide access to water throughout the day, without requiring constant checking and ice-cleanout. He didn’t want cows crowding around the water hole, risking a slip or a fall through the ice, and that meant a device that reliabley kept the water hole open.

“It makes the water available to drink 24/7 and the cows can go back and forth and it eliminates that frenzy to go for water,” he says.

Over about 10 years, he created about 19 models, using them on his family’s operation. Then, in 2021, he launched the Water Box, receiving an Award of Distinction for Innovation from Alberta Farm Animal Care. Since then, Smith has also launched a couple of models for bison. The Water Box also comes with a mineral insert, which also helps train the herd to use it.

This is the first time Smith has been at Ag in Motion. Producers can find him in Livestock Central. Ag in Motion is on now, from July 16-18, 2024.

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The bovine influenza A virus has infected one person so far but the risk to people and cattle seems low, says Brian Perillat, agribusiness specialist at Bullseye Feeds. However, it has introduced unwanted risk to a red-hot cattle market.

“Some of these people have bought very expensive calves anticipating much higher prices. And now there’s some question as to whether those high prices will actually be attained or not.”

The question is whether fears around bovine influenza will affect demand, Perillat adds. The old saying is that supply determines the price trend, but demand drives the magnitude of the price change, he says.

At these price levels, “mistakes or market shifts become that much more costly.”

Perillat says people buying calves should have a plan and know their break-evens. Though the markets have dropped, producers could still lock in a break-even on a grasser program using price insurance.

Some might have locked in profits but without knowing break-evens, it’s “pretty hard to build a risk management plan.”

Price insurance is similar to a put option, in that both protect the downside, says Perillat. Some people buy put options on feeder cattle futures directly from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

Puts have to be bought in 50,000-pound increments and can still be fairly costly. But they do provide flexibility because they can be sold during the feeding period as market or risk management strategies change.

Producers also have all the risk around the Canadian dollar and basis with puts, Perillat notes.

Feeders can sell yearlings immediately, if the risk exceeds their tolerance, and “rent the grass,” Perillat says. Or they can forward sell, although that means they’re locked into the market.

If people want to capitalize on rising markets, they can buy call options. They could also sell their calves and buy futures, although Perillat notes few people do that, and it’s not necessarily something he recommends.

“You’re just transferring the risk from the cattle ownership to a futures position,” he says, adding he hesitates to even bring it up. But it is a technical option for those who follow basis levels and understand the ins and outs of the market.

Those running yearlings don’t necessarily need to commit to one option, either, especially if they have big numbers. They can, for example, buy price insurance, forward sell some calves and buy a put option, or any other combination of those.

Cow-calf producers have fewer risk management options than most stockers or feedlots.

It’s a challenging time to forward-sell calves, but cow-calf producers could consider that, Perillat says.

Ideally, a producer would have an even, large group of similar calves to sell, or perhaps a neighbour with similar cattle to team up with and attract interest. However, if the market recovers, producers are locked in at the weaker price.

The good news is that cow-calf producers are still in a strong position. Though price insurance coverage has dropped due to bovine flu, cow-calf producers can still lock in a profit, Perillat says. He often suggests buying price insurance in small bites, 10 or 20 per cent at a time.

“You may not like this price today, this coverage. But if you have 20 per cent locked in and it does get worse, you at least have some locked in.”

If there is a market bump in the next month, producers can lock in more, at a better price. Put options can also work for cow-calf producers, he adds.

Perillat, former senior analyst and manager of Canfax, remains a big supporter of that organization, which provides “great market information.” It’s also helpful to follow the futures markets.

Don’t start hedging right away, he advises. Perillat recommends that producers initially follow the trend and see how it compares to the previous month, how much the futures move day to day and how they look in 2025 compared to today.

Given the stakes, some beef producers might consider hiring a cattle market advisor, Perillat says, or finding a peer group focused on marketing.

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“There’s a number of loud voices that tend to dominate the conversations,” says Ian McCreary, a grain and cattle farmer from Bladworth, Sask. McCreary is co-leading the Prairie Farmer and Rancher Forum with Gord Bacon, former CEO of Pulse Canada. Farmers for Climate Solutions is organizing the forum.

McCreary says many of the innovative farmers and ranchers aren’t talking to each other about what they’re doing to improve sustainability on their farms. The forum organizers plan to bring together 36 randomly selected producers for three meetings, held in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Each meeting will run over two-and-a-half days.

Some producers will have received invitations in the mail, but other producers from the three Prairie provinces are welcome to register as well. The more people who register, the more representative it will be of western Canadian viewpoints, McCreary says.

Producers do not need to hold any particular view on the environment or climate change to participate, but they must earn most of their income from farming or ranching, and be able to attend all three forums. Forum organizers expect to recruit people with diverse opinions.

McCreary’s wife, Mary Smiley, is facilitating the discussions, and her goal will be to set the tone “to make sure that everybody, regardless of how much their opinions differ, treat each other respectfully,” says McCreary.

Participating producers will also get a phone call before the first session to ask questions, so forum organizers can build the agenda around those questions, he adds.

“And then similarly, the agenda for the second set of meetings will be determined by the discussions and the questions that come out of the first set of meetings.”

McCreary says that to some extent they’ll be able to manage diverse views “by answering people’s questions, providing information and creating an environment where people who disagree with each other can have respectful conversations about ideas that have the potential to work for more than just individuals.”

McCreary sees a few potential outcomes from the forums. One is a report that outlines how to create a more sustainable future. Another is a network of farmers and ranchers who are trying new things, who can discuss what works and what doesn’t on their operations. He also hopes to find a practical way to measure gains in sustainability on the farm.

“You can’t measure nitrous oxide coming off your fields. You can’t measure methane coming off your cattle herd and it’s really difficult to know the volume of carbon dioxide that came from the nitrogen fertilizer that you used and that was produced.”

McCreary is no stranger to farm politics, having been a Canadian Wheat Board director for 10 years and having chaired a community pasture patrons association. Afte that, he decided to take a break from farm boards, unless it was focused on long-term sustainability or relations with First Nations.

While combining one day, he got a call from someone asking if he’d be interested in chairing a task force looking at climate solutions for the farm. At first he tried to deflect the request, but then looked into who else was involved.

The people involved weren’t interested in “screaming and sort of waving placards. They’re interested in trying to find solutions. And so I agreed to chair this task force.”

Farmers for Climate Solutions is a relatively young organization focused on the science around climate, as well as what’s practical for producers. Part of McCreary’s focus is keeping it as grounded as he could on Prairie issues, as it’s difficult for people from the Maritimes or Vancouver Island “to understand how vast the Prairies are.”

Interested producers can register online or by calling 1-833-537-1758. The registration deadline is Nov. 28. More information is available on the FCS website.

— Lisa Guenther is editor of Canadian Cattlemen.

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The event spotlighted companies creating technology for the livestock industry, with products ranging from water sensors to artificial intelligence-powered monitoring systems.

Australia’s Smart Paddock received the Innovation Award. The company’s GPS ear tags allow producers to track and monitor their cattle. Producers can also track other assets such as vehicles, and monitor fence lines and water tanks with the company’s products.

Producers are looking for “timely solutions” to alert them to “stray or stolen animals,” says Darren Wolchyn, founder and CEO of Smart Paddock.

FarmSimple, based out of Vibank, Sask., received the Rising Star Award.

The company, founded by brothers Katlin and Dustin Lang, sells Herd Hand, a product that monitors remote water systems. Herd Hand texts producers if water runs low. FarmSimple in 2022 won an Innovation Award at Ag in Motion at Langham, Sask.

OneCup AI was awarded Business of the Year. The Canadian company uses artificial intelligence and cameras — a system dubbed “BETSY” — to recognize individual cattle and monitor nutritional intake, growth, lameness and other health indicators.

Producers can monitor animals through their smartphones or laptops, and the system will notify them in emergencies such as calving issues or animals escaping.

Other finalists included Flokk, Dyneval, CATTLEytics Incorporated and HerdWhistle Technologies.

Each finalist pitched their technology to a panel of judges on show grounds on Wednesday. Judging criteria included team/experience, technology and market potential/finance.

Deloitte sponsored the event and presented the Business of the Year Award, while Innovation Saskatchewan presented the Innovation Award, and Economic Development Regina presented the Rising Star Award.

— Lisa Guenther is editor of Canadian Cattlemen.

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