Canadian Forage and Grassland Association
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Canadian Forage and Grassland Association
Welcome to the second annual Forage & Grassland Guide, produced in partnership by the Canadian Forage & Grassland Association (CFGA) and Farm Business Communications and distributed through Country Guide, Canadian Cattlemen and Le Bulletin des agriculteurs. It focuses on issues of importance of forage and grassland to crop and livestock producers across Canada. For more information on forage and grassland management in your area, we encourage you to contact and participate in the activities of your regional or provincial association. Canadian Forage & Grassland Association C/o Corie Arbuckle 63 Clearwater Road Winnipeg, Man. R2J 2T4 Phone: (204) 254-4192 info.cfga@gmail.com www.canadianfga.ca BC Forage Council Fran Teitge Phone: (250) 267-6522 Email: bcfc@bcforagecouncil.com Alberta Forage Industry Network Lyndon Mansell Phone: (780) 592-2262 Email: basicman@telusplanet.net www.albertaforages.ca
Saskatchewan Forage Council Phone: (306) 969-2666 Email: office@saskforage.ca Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association Wanda McFadyen Phone: (204) 475-2241 Email: info@mfga.net Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association Andrew Graham Phone: 1-800-265-9751 Email: agraham@ontariosoilcrop.org www.ontariosoilcrop.org
Ontario Forage Council Ray Robertson Phone: 1-877-892-8663 Email: ray@greyagservices.ca Soil & Crop Improvement Association of Nova Scotia Carol Versteeg Phone: (902) 758-3530 Email: carol.versteeg@scians.org www.scians.org Quebec Forage Council / Conseil québécois des plantes fourragères
Helene Brassard Téléphone : (418) 719-9972 Courriel: info@cqpf.ca
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Forage Guide 2015 Trends in the Canadian forage industry Regional groups across Canada agree in the need for more recognition and research for forage and grassland By Doug Wray, Chair, Canadian Forage and Grasslands Association
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he Canadian forage industry is impacted by dynamics at home and around the globe, as is all of agriculture. In a changing world, producers continually evaluate and build strategies that will support successful business plans. Identifying trends is one way to clarify the picture and provide direction. The following is a look at several trends at play in the forage industry.
Demand
Beef and milk consumption are increasing in many developing countries as their economies grow and their citizens have more disposable income. This is having an impact on our forage industry in a couple of ways. First, Canadian beef is being successfully marketed in many of those countries, helping create the record-high prices for cattle and beef here at home. Those record prices are widely expected to drive herd expansion. The cow herd diet is almost exclusively forage, and more acres and higher-yielding varieties will be needed to fill the gap. The second impact of improving diets in developing countries stems from their desire to produce more meat and milk at home, despite the lack of all the resources necessary. For some, importing high-quality forages is a successful strategy to increase production. Japan, Korea and China are importing Canadian forages. Some Middle Eastern countries have decided to concentrate their available irrigation water on the highest-value crops and are now major importers of for-
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ages for their dairy and camel herds. Canada, with our fertile soils, rainfall, infrastructure and skilled producers, is well placed to export to these markets.
Supply
Forages are Canada’s largest crop by area, with 32 million acres of tame perennials and annuals. These are the pasture, hay, greenfeed and silage acres. Another 37 million acres of native pasture rounds out the forage supply for Canada’s ruminant herds. Approximately 80 per cent of the beef diet is forages. For dairy, the portion is 60 per cent. Competition for land with cash crops and other uses will limit the increase in acres to feed a larger herd. Producers will look to improved varieties, better management, more use of legumes, and production systems that optimize their resources to create the most value. Most of the increased acres will come on mixed farming operations as they adjust rotations to grow more feed. Some cash crop producers have successfully included high-quality hay acres in their rotations. These acres are intensely managed to produce specific products for the dairy and equine markets in North America as well as primarily dairy markets overseas. While these acres are relatively small in the big picture, they bring important diversity to monoculture rotations and farming enterprises.
Environment
While there is increasing recognition of the environmental goods and services provided by forages, progress has been slowed by the science to sup-
port it. The wide variability of growing conditions and huge complexity of interacting cause-and-effect factors make it extremely challenging and costly to quantify dynamics such as greenhouse gases, carbon sequestration, nutrient flows, water infiltration and runoff. Fortunately management practices that enhance forage productivity and longevity are also positive for the environment. When producers adopt better management practices, along with more production, they get environmental benefits they intuitively know are there, but rarely can quantify. Support may be coming from multinational retailers wanting a “sustainable production” stamp on the food they sell. This will play out through organizations like the Canadian Round Table for Sustainable Beef.
Research
Forage research has been declining in Canada for the last 30 years. The tide is turning. Since forming five years ago, the CFGA has effectively promoted the need for, and value of, forage research. Great work by the provincial forage and livestock associations and strong leadership from the BCRC and its staff, particularly Andrea Brocklebank and Reynold Bergen, have greatly increased the investment in ways that will help retain capacity and encourage succession plans for retiring scientists. Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba have collaborative research programs to deliver more productive forages, and management systems which have an energized focus on realizing the full potential of the sector. n
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Dryland grass breeding in the Canadian Prairies
By Duncan Morrison, Freelance writer
Bruce Coulman is a professor at the plant sciences department in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources at the University of Saskatchewan. He has helped develop and register 22 forage cultivars through research programs at the University of Saskatchewan and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Highlights include the development of AC Grazeland, a bloat-reduced alfalfa, and the development of several hybrid bromegrass cultivars. We recently contacted professor Coulman for his thoughts on perennial forage breeding, research, climate change and the advantages of forages as a crop.
Q: Why is forage breeding important?
A: In all crop types, it is important to have breeding programs to consistently improve the varieties grown by farmers. In the case of forages, they have a larger acreage of land in Canada than other crops. Our forage-breeding programs allow us to improve production, and develop varieties resistant to diseases.
Q: Is some of the forage breeding you are working on in response to our changing world, in particular climate change on the Prairies?
A: As long as plant breeders are testing their breeding populations in the field, varieties adapted to a gradually changing climate will be selected, since we select the most productive lines each year, whatever the climatic conditions. In addition, as part of our program, we are evaluating species which are presently marginally adapted to our climate but which may become better adapted under climate change.
Q: Where do you feel the most potential is in breeding new varieties — native vs. tame?
A: Most of the focus is with tame grasses and legumes as producers are
most often growing these. With native species, there are challenges with producing seed, which drives up seed cost to the producer. A collaborative program over the last 20 years involving Ducks Unlimited Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Universities of Manitoba and Saskatchewan has resulted in seed of “ecological varieties” of a number of native species being available to producers.
Q: What traits do producers demand? Is it primarily yield?
A: It is primarily yield; however, there is demand for improved varieties for grazing purposes that grow early in the spring and stay green later in the fall. There are numerous other traits that interest individual producers, such as alfalfa varieties that retain their leaves when dried or when frosted in the fall.
Q: Why did the hybrid bromegrass produce the highest beef gains as compared to the meadow and smooth bromegrass?
A: That is likely due to a slightly better forage quality of hybrid bromegrass, especially at the late vegetative stage of growth when grazing is often done. The fibre content of hybrid brome is somewhat lower than smooth and meadow brome at this stage.
Q: What is the reality for the potential of grasses for biomass production? Is ethanol really viable on the Canadian Prairies?
The University of Saskatchewan has evaluated biomass production of adapted cool-season grasses and found intermediate wheatgrass to be the highest yielding. Photo: Dehaan/Creative Commons
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A: There is still work to do on the methodology for economically producing ethanol from cellulosic materials. If this was to become a reality in Western Canada, cereal crop straw would provide a high-volume reliable source of material for ethanol production. There are also certain grasses that can
be grown on marginal land that could be used for ethanol production, but yields on these areas would be lower. There has been a tremendous amount of money and time put into developing switchgrass and miscanthus grass as biomass sources south of the border. But these species are not as well adapted to Western Canada. We have evaluated biomass production of adapted coolseason grasses and found intermediate wheatgrass to be the highest yielding. Rather than for ethanol, grasses may have more potential as energy sources through direct combustion of pelleted materials. Pelleted switchgrass is already being used as a fuel source in Eastern Canada and the U.S.
Q: What would you tell the world about Western Canada’s forages?
A: Forages have a lot of advantages as a crop. They provide large amounts of quality feed for ruminant animals. In addition, perennial forages provide numerous benefits to the environment, such as soil conservation and wildlife habitat. It is important we continue to improve these kinds of crops. n F o r a g e & G r a ss l a n d Gu i d e
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The Normandins have modified a small square baler to turn big squares into small squares. While Norfoin Inc. puts up all its hay in large square bales, half the hay is sold as small squares. The conversion is made after the hay is harvested and dried.
Photo: Allan Dawson
Quebec haymakers use homemade dryer to improve quality The Normandins also modified a small hay baler to convert big square bales into small ones By Allan Dawson, manitoba co-operator
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avid Normandin and his brother Mathieu preferred driving tractors to milking cows and that’s why they make hay and not milk. The brothers, along with their father Luc and Luc’s partner’s daughter, Audrey Mailloux, operate Norfoin Inc., 57 km southeast of Montreal in the Montérégie region of la belle province. The operation had been a dairy farm started by David Normandin’s grandfather in 1958, but switched to haymaking in 2000, Normandin told
“We dry about 90 per cent of our hay with a custommade bale hay dryer.” David Normandin
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a tour group attending the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association annual meeting in nearby Bromont on November 17. The company also provides snow removal services during the winter. The family operation puts up around 6,000 large square bales from its own 618 acres of land, plus bales from another 198 acres under contract. It also buys 6,000 large square hay bales. The Normandins dry almost all their hay, have almost an acre of inside hay storage, including a new 50x110-foot building, which will eventually be heated, and they can convert large bales to small square ones as required. About half of Norfoin’s hay is sold in Quebec and the rest is exported to the United States through hay brokers, Normandin said. The company puts up various hay
mixes, including alfalfa, timothy, orchard grass, fescue and clover. And the hay goes to a wide variety of livestock, including milk cows, dry cows, calves, horses and even zoo animals. Hay buyers demand top quality so the Normandins strive to get their hay up in good condition and keep it that way. After the hay is crimped and cut, it’s ‘tedded’ or fluffed up to speed drying. Then it’s raked and baled. The bales are picked up the same day to prevent sucking up moisture from the field. They can pick up bales as quickly as they are made, Normandin said. The hay is baled at about 25 per cent moisture. “We dry about 90 per cent of our hay (to 10 to 12 per cent) with a custom-made bale hay dryer,” Normandin said. “We saw a dryer in Europe but it was really expensive so we thought about building it. We began the first year with
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some prototypes, then we built a dryer to meet our needs. Now we dry 100 (big square) bales at a time.” The dryer is wood fired. Wood is plentiful and cheaper than other forms of energy, he said. Hay and fire don’t mix. A wood fire heats water, which feeds a radiator used to warm air blown through the bales. It takes six to 15 hours to dry a bale depending on its moisture content. They can dry about 300 bales a day. The dried bales are stacked 11 high in sheds. All of Norfoin’s hay is put up in large square bales because it’s faster, Normandin said. “We can do the work of 10 people with a small square baler with only four people with one big square baler,” he said. However, five years ago, after sales of large squares slowed, the company built its own system to turn large square bales into small ones. Now half of Norfoin’s hay is sold as small squares. The family brought a small square baler into one of its sheds, powered it
A World of Knowledge in Every Bag…
David Normandin of Norfoin Inc., a family-owned haymaking operation in Saint-Césaire, Que., explains the operation, including their homemade wood-fired hay dryer, which can dry 100 large square bales at a time.
Photo: Allan Dawson
with an electric motor and modified it so it turns a big bale into small ones. Normandin said they cut their hayfields two to four times a season. Nitrogen is applied after each cut and manure is spread every spring. n allan@fbcpublishing.com
See the Manitoba Co-operator’s website for a video about Norfoin Inc.
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2015-01-29 11:20 AM
Research has shown that forages, like cereals in the rotation, can provide an added boost to subsequent corn crops.
Getting back to the basics the fundamentals of good forages New market opportunities may beckon, but quality remains the key By Ralph Pearce, production editor, country guide
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very time commodity prices start to cycle lower, questions are asked and pencils are put to paper: “Should I start thinking of a cropping alternative?” In Eastern Canada the considerations are often edible beans, identity-preserved soybeans, oats… maybe even barley or flax. But what about forages? The answer can be less than straightforward, depending on whom you ask. Today’s challenges to produce quality and quantity are different than 15 years ago. Some are based on demographics, or the availability of land and dairy quota. In the past three years, there also has been considerable speculation on the potential for export opportunities through the construction of an alfalfa compaction facility somewhere in Eastern Canada. Despite the potential for marketing forages to New York State or the Middle East, reality always comes back to the fundamentals. Forage growers tend to adhere to the notion of “the more you know, the better you grow.” Joel Bagg, forage adviser with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), says growing forages for compaction or export requires strict quality standards. Stepping into a relatively new crop often requires new equipment purchases or the adoption of a new production regimen, not to mention a level of familiarity that takes several years of experience.
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Planting considerations
Still, there is room for a quick refresher on the basics of forage production. For instance, is spring or fall better for establishing a good hay crop? Aric Bos and Martina Pfister, agronomists for DuPont Pioneer, say spring is becoming the easier choice for establishment. It depends on the individual producer’s situation, and there are some who simply default to the fall because there’s a wider window. But spring planting can offer several advantages.
“Moisture is the biggest challenge (and) the longterm trend would say that moisture is a lot more dependable in the spring.” Aric BoS, DuPont Pioneer
“Moisture is the biggest challenge,” says Bos, who is based in Exeter, Ont. “This past year (2014) there was no problem: I saw a lot of good, established forage crops planted mid- to late-August after wheat, but there was plenty of moisture throughout the year. The long-term trend would say that moisture is a lot more dependable in the spring, so that would be my first choice. Get it in between the end of March and most of April is a
good window — even until mid-May, depending on where you live.” But that may not be convenient from a logistics standpoint, as it conflicts with the other seeding and spraying operations. On the other hand, late summer to early fall provides a wider window following wheat harvest, with the midsummer dry spell usually done by the time a forage crop should be planted. But finding the balance between sufficient moisture late in the season and a narrowing window before first frost may be expecting too much. By the same token, heavy driving rains in May, June or October can make things difficult for early stage forage stands. That’s also why Pfister also prefers spring, and the earlier the better. “Alfalfa only needs 3 C to germinate, so it can go in earlier in the spring,” says Pfister, who is based near Baltimore, Ont., just north of Cobourg. “But what we need in the summer is about six weeks of growth before the first frost, so if the alfalfa can’t get established enough — whether it’s due to dry weather or planted too late — the risk of winterkill is higher.”
Other influences
Pfister notes a pair of trends taking place in forage production. One is more young farmers are entering the family operation, so it’s important in helping them understand why
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their fathers or grandfathers grew forages as feed for their cows. And Bos notes some recent management challenges such as herbicide resistance provide an opportunity to put forage into the rotation. “Just by geography, there might be some weed resistance problems, like some of the counties of southwestern Ontario where there’s dairy but also pressure with glyphosate resistance. A lot of those guys would be growing Roundup Ready corn and soys in the other parts of the rotation, and that can make things more complicated in terms of keeping glyphosate resistance at bay.” Bos says that even in times of higher commodity prices, the renewed interest in forages has been positive. Farmers generally have a good grasp of their cost of production, he notes, and many are “pencilling out” the numbers for forages, even if they’re not involved in livestock. In the 1990s, Ridgetown College provided a comprehensive study that found that wheat in the rotation provides a yield boost to subsequent corn and soybean crops. Bos says forages can do the same thing. “From what I’ve seen, OMAFRA and the industry and also the University (of Guelph) have done a good job of showing the benefits of alfalfa in the rotation,” says Bos, citing the potential for a seven to 10 per cent benefit to the corn crop that follows alfalfa. “Even though growers are making margins in their cash crop ventures, they’ve started looking at forages with more interest. And there’s a pretty well-established hay market that’s always been there, and that always has a need for good-quality forage. Hay making — at least dry hay — has always been something of an art form.” Pfister adds that farmers do realize the importance of good-quality forages. “When you have high commodity prices it means that any supplementary feed coming in will be more expensive, too. So the better quality forage is, the cheaper the feed bill may be at the end of the month.” n Moisture is the limiting factor in establishing a good forage crop, which is why spring planting is favoured over the fall.
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The forage challenge — higher yield and higher quality One goal is to break the inverse link between yield and digestibility
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orage production is a vital component of Canadian agriculture, since it covers nearly half of our cultivated land. Moreover, forages make up around 60 per cent of dairy rations and 80 per cent for beef cattle. Innovations in forage production will be essential for these sectors. The challenges and opportunities will mainly hinge on four major issues: economic and environmental sustainability, social acceptability of farming activities, climate change and world population growth. What are the “forage solutions” to these issues? They will have to involve the improvement of both yield and nutritive value, which represent the two mainstays of successful forage production. A consistent higher yield will improve profitability and competitiveness of dairy and beef farms, while reinforcing our capacity to feed a growing world population. At the same time, forages that are more digestible and show higher sugar content will allow us to increase their share in the ration. They also allow us to decrease our use of grain, sta-
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By Gilles Bélanger
bilizing production costs, reducing nitrogen release to the environment and making those same grains available for human consumption.
Potential versus actual yield
Yield of perennial forage crops has not increased as fast as for many annual crops like corn and wheat. A recent study showed that U.S. alfalfa yield increased by 0.25 per cent per year, compared to 1.4 per cent per year for silage corn. The authors attribute this low yield increase to the complexity and large number of forage species, to the fact that all their above-ground biomass is harvested and to a lack of investment in breeding. Potential yield at any location depends on conditions like solar radiation, temperature, CO2 concentration in the atmosphere as well as on the characteristics of the species. However, this yield potential is rarely achieved due to stress — cold, drought, pests, poor drainage and other reasons. Hence, we sometimes observe a big difference between the potential yield and what is actually achieved. This difference could fur-
ther increase if we intensify our use of marginal land for growing forages. Improving the yield potential of our forage crops is perhaps possible, but will require major and well-targeted research. Avenues for research include improving photosynthetic efficiency, or modifying biomass distribution between above- and belowground parts of the plant. In the short and medium terms, reducing the difference between potential and actual yield seems a more promising approach. Very little research has been carried out to quantify this difference. A recent
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U.S. study suggests that the average yield of alfalfa in the field is only around 30 per cent of its potential yield. In order to decrease this difference, one must better understand the effects of different stresses on our forage species, so that we can develop cultivars and agronomic practices that will enable them to better tolerate these stresses.
Cold tolerance and digestibility
Our winter conditions are a good example of stress conditions that can cause significant yield losses of perennial forage crops, particularly in winter-sensitive species like alfalfa. Since the introduction of alfalfa in Quebec, breeder selection and sound agronomic practices have improved winter survival. One only has to think about the “Apica� alfalfa cultivar or the recommendations on harvest management in the fall. However, these improvements are not sufficient to eliminate the risk of winter damage.
the expense of the yield. Also, alfalfa cultivars expressing better digestibility have been developed in recent years but, in most cases, these have showed lower yields or a lower persistence. Therefore, the challenge is to increase digestibility of forages while maintaining or even increasing their yield. It is quite a task, since it requires dissociating yield and digestibility. Our research studies on timothy have shown this to be feasible if we decrease the ratio between lignin and cellulose. Similar results on
alfalfa have recently been obtained by an American research team. Thus, there is hope. Producing more forages of higher quality is vital to Canadian farmers and to our planet. However, to achieve this goal, sustained multidisciplinary research efforts are necessary. n Gilles BĂŠlanger is a researcher for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and recipient of the 2013 Canadian Forage and Grassland CFGA Leadership Award. This article is based on his presentation to the CFGA annual meeting in October 2014.
A recent study showed that U.S. alfalfa yield increased by 0.25 per cent per year, compared to 1.4 per cent per year for silage corn Other recent studies show more promise. Using a new selection approach, Canadian breeders have shown it is possible to improve cold tolerance of alfalfa and red clover by more than 5 C. These innovations are especially valuable in the context of climate change in which we foresee an increasing risk of winter damage for alfalfa. Is it possible to improve the nutritive value without decreasing the yield? Digestibility of forages is one of the crucial aspects of their nutritive value. Improving digestibility is possible but is often associated with a decrease in yield or persistence. For example, shortening the interval between cuts, and harvesting at a younger stage allow improving the digestibility of forages, although at Photo: Tessa Nybo
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Forage & Grassland Guide
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Nuffield scholar focuses on energy-dense forages Study will explore using energy-dense perennial forages as annuals
By Duncan Morrison, freelance writer
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ne learns fairly quickly upon first meeting him that Clayton Robins is a bundle-of-energy person. So it comes as no surprise that the 2013 Nuffield Scholar has actually travelled the world to learn more about energy. Energy-dense forages, that is. “Every other country I visited looks at sugars in forages except here in North America,” says Robins, who now spends his post-Nuffield Scholar travelling days as executive director of the Manitoba 4-H Council. “We are fibre-focused. My report will provide a big-picture perspective as to how we can adapt the beef production model we currently are using, which will require a shift in thinking. I feel very privileged for a guy from Rivers to present my report and knowledge on beef production gleaned from the top experts in the world. There was no other way for me to do that without doing so as a Nuffield Scholar.” Robins still operates a mixed farm in Rivers, Man., with wife Rebecca and son Quinn, who Clayton says stepped up bigtime during his Nuffield travels to keep the farm in good stead with the help of Clayton’s parents, Brian and Arlene, who live on the property as well. “I travelled to Argentina, England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Sweden, Finland, U.S.A., Australia, and New Zealand for my study,” says Robins. “I met with some of the top scientists in their field, in their respective countries and, in some cases, globally, with top producers in each country, as well as leading extension experts and consultants.” Robins expects his much-anticipated energetics-themed study to be ready for peer review and distribution soon. He mentions two themes: energy-dense perennial forages used as annuals and early development of marbling cells in calves.
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“The report will focus on several key areas as to the impact of incorporating energy-dense forages into key points in Canadian and, in particular, Prairie beef production systems,” Robins says. “Utilizing specific species of short-term perennial forages capable of high levels of metabolizable energy that are currently not often considered due to overwintering ability, is the core of the strategy being recommended in the report.” He says focusing on sugar and digestible fibre to evaluate their potential is key, and that data collected from experts around the world will demonstrate that the grazing of these forages has the potential to: • Provide several positive benefits to rumen digestive efficiency. • Decrease greenhouse gas emissions versus traditional grazing. • Lower the beef carbon footprint. • Improve soil structure and biology, in addition to sequestering carbon. • Induce programming of intra-muscular fat cells in suckling calves.
Clayton Robins (r), with son Quinn and father Brian, travelled to 11 countries as part of the Nuffield Scholarship program.
• Improve the healthiness and eating quality of forage-fed beef. Robins says his report will also address the potential for improved energetic efficiencies and the role of genomics in the strategy. The Canadian Prairies, he says, have an advantage over other regions regarding the potential for plants to accumulate high levels of water-soluble carbohydrates (sugars). “Longer days, cool evenings, and degree of solar intensity provide the basis for this opportunity,” says Robins. “High-sugar forages elicit beneficial shifts in rumen fatty acid profiles and microbial communities that mimic grain-feeding, without the same risk for acidosis. All I hope is that the report will motivate the right people to ask the right questions. And then, eventually, we will get the right answers.” n
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Get in line and move on “I call it my ‘big red swather,’” Brian Harper told a group of cattle producers visiting his farm near Brandon, Man., last August. Harper smiled when, as if on cue, 63,550 lbs. of his herd of Shaver Beefblend/Lincoln Red cattle started munching their way down one of his field’s narrow one-acre grazing paddocks. “Up to 2013, we had 16 plots that we moved the cattle around on. This allowed 45 to 60 days of rest for each of the plots to recover from the grazing until next rotation,” said Harper, who runs his forage-only, purebred operation Circle H Farms with his wife Sonja. “This year, we switched to the high-stock density system for grazing and are moving our herd among 128 one-acre plots within the old 16-paddock system, allowing 127 days rest for each plot.” Harper moves his herd from paddock to paddock using an automatic gate opener called a Batt latch, a solarpowered, self-contained unit that is set to open at a time and date that he chooses.
“The benefits to our herd, the grass, the soil and the environment have been substantially noticeable,” Harper said. “On the business side, we doubled the carrying capacity as we were only half done the pasture at the time of year when in past years we were generally through it already once. This would be the big factor for most producers as there is more return per acre.” Harper was joined by Neil Dennis, an experienced mob grazier from Wawota, Sask., who was brought in by organizers to help showcase the high-stock density grazing systems as a viable economic and environmental option for cattle producers. The tour of Harper’s mob-grazing system was funded by the federal government’s Commission of Environmental Cooperation (CEC) as part of an 18-month agreement with the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association (MFGA). The aim is to implement and promote ranch-level beneficial management practices (BMPs) that improve environmental and economic sustainability of live-
Brian Harper says he’s doubled the carrying capacity of his pastures by using a high-stock density system.
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Switching to a high-stock density system with 128 paddocks instead of 16 By Duncan Morrison, Freelance writer
stock production. “The CEC have collaborated in protecting North America’s environment in the United States, Canada and Mexico through the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation,” said MFGA executive director Wanda McFadyen. She quarterbacked the larger agreement with CEC that has similar events planned in Saskatchewan and Alberta. “When CEC connected with us about Prairie forages and grasslands and the beef industry, we felt it was an excellent fit to showcase the environmental stewardship that producers such as the Harpers provide to Manitobans as well as their economic savvy as businesspeople in the cattle industry.”
Local partner
With the CEC agreement in place, MFGA turned to Manitoba Grazing Clubs, a long-time partner, to organize the event. Grazing club co-ordinator Michael Thiele suggested the Harpers Continued on page 16 Photo: Duncan Morrison
Forage & Grassland Guide
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Continued from page 15 — with Dennis in support — as excellent candidates to anchor the half-day tour. “These two producers are strong advocates for grazing systems and they are extremely well respected by other producers,” said Thiele, a contracted employee of Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC). “The narrow width of the paddocks mean the cattle work it hard back and forth. What they don’t graze they stomp down, which enables the regeneration of forages during rest.” Thiele refers to the highstock density grazing system as “biological agriculture,” as he says the principles of biology are being applied to healthy, high-quality food production. He quickly lists off benefits such as soil health, range health, biodiversity, carbon capture and critical wildlife habitat that the narrow paddocks provide within the scheduled rotation. In addition to the paddock with Harper’s “big red swather,” the tour made three other stops to highlight the benefits of areas that were currently being rested or had been established with cicer milk vetch. Harper pointed out the excellent vegetation health, the high sugar content in the forage, and lack of bare ground spots above the soil. “Most pastures are high nutrients and low sugar,” said Dennis. “The healthier the soil and the healthier the plant, the higher the sugar content in the plant will be, and the more nutritious it will be for the cattle. Also, with the more nutrientdense plants, they are better able to withstand frost as they get started earlier and last longer.” The action below the sur face drew just as much of the tour’s attention as the visible action above. “Look at the soil armour,” Dennis said as he and Harper hovered over a fresh spade full of soil and grass. “A deep healthy root system like this really benefits soil erosion and is excellent for increasing the water-holding capacity of the soil so the water is not running off and increasing erosion or adding to floods.”
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Each plot now gets 127 days of rest, leading to more soil cover and a healthier root system.
Photo: Duncan Morrison
To see the video of Brian Harper’s system, visit www.manitobacooperator.ca/livestock/video-highdensity-grazing-for-cattle-at-circle-h/ The soil is where the Harpers have focused their attention as they pursue healthy, high-quality, nutrient-dense food. “We believe that ever ything we are and everything we eat has come from the soil either directly or indirectly,” said Brian Harper. “With this system, there is also the
benefit of improved soil health which may not seem an economic return in the short term. However, I believe that in the future as the soil health improves, there will be even more grass. As stock density goes up everything keeps getting better, but only if the proper rest period is allowed. Rest is the key!” n
2015
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Sainfoin
a new legume for Ontario livestock producers Its non-bloating qualities make it a perfect companion to long-standing favourites, or it works well on its own By Ralph Pearce, production editor, Country Guide
M
ention the term “forage legume” in Eastern Canada, and just about any producer will mention alfalfa or clover. Livestock producers can likely name off another 10 or 12 species, like birdsfoot trefoil, alsike, timothy, orchardgrass or meadow bromegrass. But few will mention sainfoin, well-known in Western Canada but a relative newcomer to Ontario and Quebec. It’s a perennial forage legume, typically taller than alfalfa up to a height of three feet. The plant has hollow stems with leaves that are divided and look similar to vetch leaves. It also has a deep and branched taproot. Sainfoin’s origin is unclear, although it’s known to have been cultivated in parts of Europe and Asia for several centuries. It was introduced to North America in the early 1900s, with early varieties from Europe displaying poor winter hardiness and low yields. It wasn’t until varieties were developed in Russia and Turkey that improved winter hardiness became part of the plant’s genetic makeup. Despite a 90 per cent yield index relative to alfalfa, tests at Winnipeg, Man., and Lacombe, Alta., have showed yields comparable or better than alfalfa. Growers in Western Canada have
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been the benefactors of breeding efforts by Surya Acharya at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Lethbridge, Alta. His varieties include Mountainview, Nova, LRC 3900, LRC 3519 and LRC 3432. Acharya’s colleague, Tim McAllister, who specializes in ruminant nutrition and microbiology at the Lethbridge station, has also worked with sainfoin.
Moving east?
One of sainfoin’s vocal supporters in Eastern Canada is Tarlok Singh Sahota, director of research and business at Ontario’s Thunder Bay Agricultural Research Station (TBARS). Sahota planted his first trials in 2014, and says he will have a better handle on its particular attributes in the year to come. Yet he sees no reason why the legume can’t work as well in Eastern Canada as it does in the West, regardless of concerns over heat or humidity or soil types. “It should do well,” says Sahota. “I’ve seen it do well here at the research station, and I was happy with what growth I saw.” Some of the other positive attributes of sainfoin include its adaptability, digestibility and health/ nutrient benefits. There are also some reported agronomic advantages that make it a compelling supplement or
replacement for alfalfa. To start, sainfoin can be grown on its own or as a blend, and is suitable for hay, ensiling or for pasturing. “The one key difference between alfalfa and sainfoin is the hollow stem similar to clover,” says Sahota, noting that the plant retains its leaves longer than alfalfa. “When it’s hollow, you can harvest it at any stage and you get consistent levels of protein. That’s why we like the hollow stem — because it remains soft; it will not gather much fibre as compared to alfalfa, which has a solid stem.”
2015
According to the research, the condensed tannins in sainfoin protect the protein and enable it to pass through the rumen and into the lower gut, where more of the protein is digested and retained. Research has also shown sainfoin has lower acid detergent fibre (ADF) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) levels compared to alfalfa. If there’s a drawback to its palatability, it’s that sainfoin is also preferred by wildlife as much as by cattle, horses, sheep or goats.
Weeds, pests and diseases
As a relative newcomer, there hasn’t been a herbicide registered for sainfoin yet. It does, however, show a natural resistance to glyphosate, and its growth is competitive enough in its establishment year that it can easily provide a weed-free stand the following year. It’s also immune to alfalfa weevil and, to date, there are no mentions of disease issues in the crop. Sahota says the field trial at TBARS will be closely monitored in 2015.
“You can harvest (sainfoin) at any stage and you get consistent levels of protein.” Tarlok Singh Sahota, Thunder Bay Agricultural Research Station
Cutting and grazing
Mountainview, is a newer high-yielding, low-bloat variety, but seed will not be widely available until 2016. Photo:AAFC
It’s tasty
Sainfoin has a higher “voluntary intake level,” which means it’s preferred by ruminants. Some research puts it as much as 25 per cent higher than other forage sources. Tests have shown weight gain at more than 400 grams per day in sheep. In cattle, feeding alfalfa plus sainfoin (without a specific percentage mentioned) resulted in weight gain of 1.2 kilograms per day.
2015
The general accepted practice is that sainfoin can only be cut once, as it doesn’t regrow as vigorously after a first cut as alfalfa. On the other hand, it also starts growing earlier and faster in the spring than other legumes, often blooming up to two weeks ahead of alfalfa. If it’s to be cut for hay, the literature recommends it be done at 50 to 100 per cent bloom or it can be grazed at bud or early bloom to encourage the best regrowth. In spite of what the earlier research indicates, Sahota plans to test those “standards” in 2015. “They say you can take two cuts, but sometimes it won’t give a good yield on the second cut,” he says. “But when we are growing it here, we’ll be planning on two cuts, just like with alfalfa.” One of the more attractive benefits of sainfoin, adds Sahota, is its nonbloating property. In blends of just 15 to 25 per cent with alfalfa, sainfoin can overcome most bloat in livestock.
Sainfoin is gaining popularity, not just with livestock and their producers but with bees as well, with sainfoin honey considered to be of the finest quality.
Photo: rgbstock
Based on work done in Western Canada, it’s advised that seeding be done early in the spring, at eight to 10 seeds per foot-row at 1/4- to 3/4-inch depth in soils that are firm and moist. In the fall, the plants have a rosette appearance and will remain green under a snow cover in winter, exhibiting a high tolerance to frost in either fall or spring. Although it’s said to do well on deep, well-drained soils (pH 6.2 and up), sainfoin also performs adequately in shallow or gravelly soils, which is another property that sets it apart from other forage legumes. Foundation seed was lost in 2014 for Mountainview, the highest-yielding of the four varieties bred at AAFC Lethbridge. It’s projected that it won’t be available in large commercial supply until 2016. Sahota says that Nova and the three other Lethbridge varieties are well suited and available for 2015 and beyond. n Forage & Grassland Guide
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Sliverbend Ranch in western Manitoba had been subject to severe erosion before Brian and Karen Greaves took it over in 1993.
Silverbend Ranch shines again Forages and livestock restore health to a badly eroded farm in Manitoba
T
he moon shines on the bend in the meandering Assiniboine River and reflects a shimmering silver glimmer that illuminates the lush riverside and well up the gently sloped hill toward the farmhouse. Thus the name Silverbend Ranch, or so the story goes. But while the moon may glisten at night, things weren’t always so shiny during the day on the long-time family farm operation located north of Miniota, Man. In fact, had it not been for urgent stop-gap measures, the sandy soil of Silverbend Ranch might have blown away to the point of no return. “The ranch was being run by Karen’s two uncles who had run the operations for some time,” says Brian Greaves, who came to Canada in 1993 with Karen Hill, a Canadian he met while she was teaching near his home in New Zealand. “The land was so burnt out. They were advancing in their years and were struggling to make things work. They were going to sell it but it was so burnt out and degraded from the years of traditional agricultural practices and cropping that didn’t work on this soil. Good topsoil was being blown away. It was the poorest land in the municipality.”
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Greaves credits Dave Hill, Karen’s father and a former provincial ag rep in Dauphin, for taking the largest step toward saving the ranch in 1988 by putting large portions of it into alfalfa and hay and halting the worst soil erosion. He and Karen were offered the opportunity of running Silverbend Ranch in 1993. They jumped at the chance. “When we arrived, there were windblown ridgelines that we needed to use the rural municipality’s grader to move. Still, some ridges were impossible; they were pretty much gravel,” he recalls. “But after Karen’s dad started the alfalfa stand, things turned around. I was coming from a system in New Zealand where we pastured year-round. We took that concept and we saved the land via a rotational grazing system that we designed for the ranch. In order to have healthy livestock, we needed to have healthy pasture.”
Sheep/cattle mix
Besides his understanding of healthy pastures, Greaves also brought a businessman’s grasp of the value of sheep to both the farm operations and the bank account.
By Duncan Morrison, freelance writer
Brian Greaves takes a break during a hard day of shearing, a skill he learned in his native New Zealand.
Photo: Daniel Winters
Fast-forward to 2015, and the mix of sheep, cattle and a dedication to conservation practices over the past two plus decades are showing their worth. “We currently run 120 cows and 400 ewes,” says Greaves. “When we came over, I was used to sheep. Sheep are cheaper and easier and when it
2015
comes to multi-species grazing, sheep clean up the lower-quality grass species and they are not competing. This allows the plant species that the cattle like to graze to get stronger which improves production.” Sheep are browsers and cattle are grazers and therefore sheep need an effective rotational grazing system as they are more prone to bloat. Coyotes, bears and eagles have prompted Greaves to implement a guard dog system to deter the predation. But sheep have helped the bottom line. “Before the cattle industry boomed over the last two or three years, sheep were bringing more annual income to our operations,” he says. “There’s a ratio I use of five sheep to one cow. They eat the same amount of food and cost the same amount of money.” Greaves and Hill were awarded the 2008-09 Farm Family of the Year by the Manitoba Conservation Districts Association. Since then, Greaves has intensified the conservation aspects of Silverbend Ranch’s operations. “Our pasture rotation is good for the soil,” Greaves says, noting his system’s success with crested wheatgrass. “We have replanted tree lines for shade, our dugouts are fenced and we use watering systems away from them to maintain water quality for the livestock. We’ve donated a conservation easement on our property that includes sloughs and restored wetlands and walking trails with public access.” During the day, besides her work on the ranch, Hill works for Agriculture in the Classroom. The willingness to mentor and use Silverbend Ranch as an example to others is something Greaves obviously takes pride in. Ryan Canart is the manager for the Upper Assiniboine Conservation District that nominated Silverbend Ranch for the conservation honour in 2008 and continues to work closely with Hill and Greaves. They’re basically doing everything from a conservation perspective,” says Canart. “Shelterbelts, restoring wetlands, watering systems, donating land for an easement, native grasses, managing soil and pasture and on and on. They are a farm family that go above and beyond.” n
2015
A ‘living library’ for forage and beef producers Foragebeef.ca has had 200 research papers added in the past year
F
Alberta Agriculture Agri-News
oragebeef.ca contains the latest information on forage and beef research for producers in Canada and the northern United States. “The site summarizes research for farmers and ranchers,” says Ken Ziegler, beef/forage specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. “It’s a unique approach to developing and organizing North American research information for the Canadian forage and beef cattle industry.” As an example, extending the grazing season is a popular topic, and foragebeef.ca is well equipped to provide visitors with various folders on the subject. “The grazing season can be extended in different ways at different times of the feeding season either at the beginning of the season using well-established forage regrowth that is grazed into the Christmas season, during the winter months using swath grazing of annuals like barley, oats, or triticale, by saving carryover forage over from the previous summer as fine youthful regrowth that the nursing cows or backgrounded yearlings can use as soon as the snow has melted off. Foragebeef.ca also offers folders on other strategies such as using brassicas or using corn,” he said. Foragebeef.ca is updated regularly as fact sheets and research papers are added to the folders on the website. Approximately 200 research papers have been added to the website over the past year. “The site is a living library for research and extension information that is useful to Canadian beef and forage producers,” Ziegler said. The website provides three levels of information. The top level is “cut to the core” information on a particular topic. Called “Knowledge Nuggets” this level provides the most important pieces of understanding on that topic. The next level is for the reader who wants more information about that topic. Links are provided to the best related information, usually in fact-sheet format. The objective is to select the most comprehensive and applicable information for Canadian and northern U.S. agriculture. The third level is for people who want research-related information. This level focuses on relevant scientific review papers, research abstracts, research papers, major publications and links to research communities throughout Canada and the world. The site features in-depth information on forage production, silage management, forage seed production, beef cow-calf management, animal health issues, grazing management, and range management in addition to many other topics. “This is a living website and news items, research results and summaries will continually be added to the site,” added Ziegler. “With these knowledge summaries, fact sheets, and research reviews, Foragebeef.ca is the gateway to the future for forage and beef information for the forage and cow-calf industry.” n
Forage & Grassland Guide
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Is your pasture ready to graze? Start counting leaves Grazing a pasture for six weeks costs about half of the annual production potential for your forages By Jennifer Blair
D
eciding when to graze a pasture has nothing to do with plant height, says an Idahobased grazing expert. “Height doesn’t tell us ver y much,” Jim Gerrish said at a Foothills Forage and Grazing tour near Acme, Alta., last summer. “What we really want to know is, physiologically, is a plant ready to be grazed?” And leaf stage is the best indicator of that, he said. “What really determines if a plant is ready to be grazed is the carbohydrate balance in that plant,” he said. “We know if we have a lot of leaves, we’re capturing solar energy and converting it to sugar. “The question becomes at what point is energy flowing more from the top of the plant to the bottom, or from the bottom to the top? Leaf stage is a good clue for that.” Grass growth happens in three phases, he said. In Phase 1, there’s limited solar energy capture, so growth is slow. As leaf area expands and more solar energy is captured, the growth rate accelerates, and the plant enters Phase 2. In Phase 3, the plants mature, and growth slows down. The two- to three-leaf stage is “the high side of Phase 1,” while the three- to four-leaf stage is the “low side of Phase 2,” said Gerrish. “Ideally, we would like to be grazing at four or five leaves, but is it OK to graze at 2-1/2 to 3-1/2? It depends on what you’re going to do tomorrow,” he said. In a study conducted in Idaho, researchers found that when they removed the cattle from the pasture after one week, the total production for
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Forage & Grassland Guide
the year was not reduced. Grazing for two weeks resulted in a 10 to 20 per cent loss in annual production potential, while grazing for four weeks cost 20 to 40 per cent in production potential and six weeks cost 40 to 60 per cent. “Going out on high Phase 1 or low Phase 2 grass and parking for six weeks costs you half the production potential of the year,” said Gerrish. “But you can go out early in a rotational system, take a bite, and leave it, and it’s going to be OK. If you allow it next time to recover to four or five leaves, you haven’t hurt a thing.” If a random sampling of 10 tillers is at the two-leaf stage, Gerrish recommends waiting to graze until they hit the three-leaf stage. “If they’re at a three-leaf average, you can go out there and get started, but take that bite, get off, and next time allow it to get to four-, five-, or six-leaf recovered stage,” he said. But waiting until every pasture is at the four- or five-leaf stage isn’t feasible for most operations, he said. “We do have to get started earlier than the optimum to create the type of pasture that we want later in the season.”
Recovery period
The length of the recovery periods depends, again, on leaf stage. “For recovery, we’re really looking at growing more leaves,” said Gerrish. Early in the grazing cycle, plants might be at the two-leaf stage, but optimally, plants should be at the five-leaf stage before they’re grazed again. And how long it takes to grow the necessary number of leaves — in this case, three more leaves — will dictate how long the recovery period needs to last. “In very good growing condi-
Grazing consultant Jim Gerrish says that leaf stage, not plant height, is the best indicator of when a pasture is ready to graze. Photo: Jennifer Blair
“Ideally, we would like to be grazing at four or five leaves, but is it OK to graze at 2-1/2 to 3-1/2? It depends on what you’re going to do tomorrow.” Jim Gerrish
tions… it takes about five to seven days to grow a leaf,” he said. “In those perfect growing conditions, how long does the recovery period need to be? Fifteen to 21 days, if you multiply five and seven by three.” In poorer growing conditions, however, it may take the plant 10 to 15 days — or even longer — to grow a new leaf, and the recovery period needs to lengthen accordingly. “That is what is determining how long your recovery period needs to be — how long does it take it to put out a single new leaf? Once again, we’re back to counting leaves.” Gerrish admitted it “almost sounds nerdy” to pick tillers and count leaves. “But if you’re at the point where you’re ready to take your grazing management up to the next level of fine-tuning management, I think that becomes an essential part of the program.” n jennifer.blair@fbcpublishing.com
2015
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