A view of the grassland at Calgary’s Nose Hill Park. Preliminary results of recent research suggest Alberta’s grasslands have fared better than other such regions in weathering the effect of drought.

Research looks into drought’s lingering effects on grasslands

A global project will provide valuable insights as droughts increase, an Alberta scientist says

Glacier FarmMedia — A global study is examining the surprising ways short-term droughts can affect grasslands. “It’s not surprising that less water is going to lead to less plant growth. We’re all very familiar with that,” said Cameron Carlyle, associate professor of rangeland ecology in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences at the […] Read more

‘So what if cows eject a bit of methane out both ends. What in the name of common sense do climate alarmists think the 60-million-plus buffalo did when they roamed freely on the open Plains up until the late 1800s?’ – Les Henry.

Les Henry: Sequestering carbon with grass crops

The amount sequestered in the soil is significant

Carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere and organic matter (carbon) in our soils are topics of great current interest. Two big questions that take up much ink these days are: 1) how can we emit less CO2 with farming practices and 2) how can we sequester more carbon (C) in our soils to maintain high […] Read more


Native prairie near Hanley, Sask.

Restoring native prairie in Saskatchewan through reverse auction

Glacier FarmMedia – Tom Harrison is on a mission to reverse the tide of native prairie being converted to cropland in Saskatchewan. It’s not an easy task. Several factors are working against efforts to conserve, let alone restore, native prairie. Economics favour farming over ranching. Government programs and policies have encouraged farmers to cultivate the […] Read more

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland holds a news conference before delivering the 2022-23 budget in Ottawa on April 7, 2022. (Photo: Reuters/Blair Gable)

Supply chain improvement funds pledged in federal budget

Money also added for support of TFWs, P.E.I. potato sector

The federal government’s release last week of its Emissions Reduction Plan has turned out to be the spoiler for new ag funding in Thursday’s 2022 budget — although more money is also pledged to help strengthen cross-country supply chains generally. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on Thursday laid out a federal budget with about $452.3 billion […] Read more


File: Grazing land.

A two-step (plus) grazing plan

Use the grass, but don’t abuse it — allow for recovery time

Often I see people’s eyes glaze over and a sense of disconnect when talking about grazing plans — surely after caring for cattle all winter, we can just turn them out in the spring and go round them up in the fall. Like most of agriculture now, the pressure for returns on a land base […] Read more

Stockpiled forage for late fall and winter grazing can be produced by not grazing a pasture at all until late fall, 
or by grazing it early in the season and then “resting it” — bringing cows back when the snow flies.

More details on Step 3 of the two-step grazing plan

Use the grass, but then give it a chance to recover before coming back

Step 3 of the two-step grazing plan could also be titled, “How To Not Graze,” as this by far seems to be the biggest challenge facing pastures in Western Canada and perhaps around the world. In order for grazing to be successful, we first have to grow forage, and in order to do this to […] Read more


Ian Mitchell-Innes, centre, talks to Manitoba producers about how to use selective grazing to improve 
soil health and productivity during a three-day workshop in Manitoba last year.

The profit potential of selective grazing

High stocking density, short-duration grazing helps put carbon back into the soil

No matter where he speaks in the world, Ian Mitchell-Innes carries a message to beef producers about achieving optimal animal performance, reducing costs, and ultimately becoming more profitable. Animals instinctively know where they can get the highest level of energy — from the top third of the plant, Mitchell-Innes, a South African rancher, told producers […] Read more

A high stocking density and moving cattle quickly through pastures works well for both 
beef production and waterfowl conservation objectives.

Cows and ducks work well together

Producer applies his rotational grazing system to conservation pastures

Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and Rapid City, Manitoba area cattle producer Gerald Bos are working collaboratively on a project that’s a win-win situation for both by benefitting nesting waterfowl and Bos’s beef herd. The project revolves around ‘The Smith purchase’ — a half section of land that DUC bought in 1994, which happens to be […] Read more