10 The Northern Horizon, July 8, 2022
Through the Looking Gla Forage Extension and Kn By Nadia Mori PAg, PRFA Coordinator The Peace River Forage Association (PRFA) of BC is celebrating 30 years and looking back over 26 research and demonstration projects completed and over 100 forage factsheets published.
Map representation of research and demonstration projects completed by the PRFA of BC. Regenerative agriculture, soil health, and greenhouse gas emissions reduction are some of the latest buzzwords in the forage and livestock industry. Long before those terms gained popularity, the PRFA worked with many of its members to help them solve practical problems on the farm and ranch. One of these early projects looked at forage nutrient management for stand longevity. Winterkill was assessed on a number of fields, soil, tissue, and feed information was collected to get a snapshot of forage health. On a subset of fields, nutrient applications were completed based on earlier soil tests. The project also looked at agronomics to determine if the nutrient applications paid off for the landowner. In two occasions it was noted that earlier nutrient applications might have helped prevent winterkill and supported stand longevity better than trying to reverse any winterkill damage that had already occurred.
Summary table taken from Forage Fact #28 available at peaceforage.bc.ca Other projects to help farmers and ranchers with land and soil management practices included: Improving Forage Productivity & Profitability, Innovative Management for Resiliency, an interactive soil course project, a soil quality survey conducted in 2015 though to 2020, a liming project, a demonstration on manure spreading & composting, and a demonstration of the AerWay pasture rejuvenation equipment. In a project on Soil and Nutrient Management as part of the Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Project (GHGMP), the association helped farmers and rancher investigate various Best Management Practices (BMPs) in support of greenhouse gas mitigation and determine their potential effectiveness and economic impact. A long list of projects was completed as part of forage and grazing improvement
practices. An early alfalfa variety demonstration project evaluated 5 varieties at field scale while measuring and comparing yield data over a span of 3 years. In the Peace Region, agriculture co-exists with logging and oil & gas industries. When the various industries overlap in their land use, opportunities and challenges can arise. Aspen logged lands can create dense mats of sucker re-growth which make effective grazing challenging. A 2-year project monitored the effectiveness of controlled, intensive grazing in those areas to reduce aspen and willow regrowth.
Brush and Broadleaf bustin’ was one of the Forage Facts produced out of this project. Re-seeding forages after oil and gas disturbance not just requires an adjustment in species selection but also in seeding techniques including seeding rates, timing, and overcoming less than ideal conditions during germination. Sharing results with oil & gas industry staff, professional agrologists, and forage seed representatives was part of the knowledge extension to build more bridges between various land use industries.
Species seeded for trial and demonstration in one of the disturbed site re-vegetation projects.
10 The Northern Horizon, July 8, 2022
Through the Looking Gla Forage Extension and Kn By Nadia Mori PAg, PRFA Coordinator The Peace River Forage Association (PRFA) of BC is celebrating 30 years and looking back over 26 research and demonstration projects completed and over 100 forage factsheets published.
Map representation of research and demonstration projects completed by the PRFA of BC. Regenerative agriculture, soil health, and greenhouse gas emissions reduction are some of the latest buzzwords in the forage and livestock industry. Long before those terms gained popularity, the PRFA worked with many of its members to help them solve practical problems on the farm and ranch. One of these early projects looked at forage nutrient management for stand longevity. Winterkill was assessed on a number of fields, soil, tissue, and feed information was collected to get a snapshot of forage health. On a subset of fields, nutrient applications were completed based on earlier soil tests. The project also looked at agronomics to determine if the nutrient applications paid off for the landowner. In two occasions it was noted that earlier nutrient applications might have helped prevent winterkill and supported stand longevity better than trying to reverse any winterkill damage that had already occurred.
Summary table taken from Forage Fact #28 available at peaceforage.bc.ca Other projects to help farmers and ranchers with land and soil management practices included: Improving Forage Productivity & Profitability, Innovative Management for Resiliency, an interactive soil course project, a soil quality survey conducted in 2015 though to 2020, a liming project, a demonstration on manure spreading & composting, and a demonstration of the AerWay pasture rejuvenation equipment. In a project on Soil and Nutrient Management as part of the Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Project (GHGMP), the association helped farmers and rancher investigate various Best Management Practices (BMPs) in support of greenhouse gas mitigation and determine their potential effectiveness and economic impact. A long list of projects was completed as part of forage and grazing improvement
practices. An early alfalfa variety demonstration project evaluated 5 varieties at field scale while measuring and comparing yield data over a span of 3 years. In the Peace Region, agriculture co-exists with logging and oil & gas industries. When the various industries overlap in their land use, opportunities and challenges can arise. Aspen logged lands can create dense mats of sucker re-growth which make effective grazing challenging. A 2-year project monitored the effectiveness of controlled, intensive grazing in those areas to reduce aspen and willow regrowth.
Brush and Broadleaf bustin’ was one of the Forage Facts produced out of this project. Re-seeding forages after oil and gas disturbance not just requires an adjustment in species selection but also in seeding techniques including seeding rates, timing, and overcoming less than ideal conditions during germination. Sharing results with oil & gas industry staff, professional agrologists, and forage seed representatives was part of the knowledge extension to build more bridges between various land use industries.
Species seeded for trial and demonstration in one of the disturbed site re-vegetation projects.
The Northern Horizon, July 8, 2022
ass – 30 Years of nowledge sharing Forage stand establishment and subsequent rejuvenation are one of the ongoing areas of interest to forage producers. The ‘Healthy and Vigorous Forage Stands Project’ took a closer look at more effective and economic ways to maintain or improve pasture and hayfield health. The project ‘Forage Starting Over Do’s and Don’ts’ evaluated the use of cover crops, different timing of seeding, looked at soil amendments, innovative forage mixture, and new legume-based mixtures. In addition to a solid list of extension and knowledge transfer events, a product from this project also included a set of 28 forage identification cards, weather proof and in a field friendly pocket format bundled with a carabiner. The latest project around forage rejuvenation looked at Interseeding using the relatively new Vredo drill. This is a zero till with V-shaped disc that creates slits in the soil and a smooth roller to close the slits by packing the ground thereby reducing 90% of soil erosion. The drill is easy to calibrate and can seed from 2 to 30 pounds per acre.
The zero till Vredo drill which was used in the lasted demonstration project and is available for rent through the PRFA. Just about every land manager has to tackle invasive weeds at some point. Invasive plants can overtake otherwise productive pasture and hay lands. Despite various management techniques available to assist in weed control, the problem often persists. Hence sometimes ‘If you can’t beat them you might as well eat them’. A project looking at integrated pest management strategies including trained livestock to graze Canada thistle on pasture. Forage Fact 108 available on the PRFA website outlines a detailed 7-day schedule on how livestock feeding behaviour can be adjusted to essentially train animals to utilize and select for new foods, including certain weeds. A similarly pesky problem that appears to be on the raise in the Peace region is wildlife damage, including ungulate feeding pressure and predator issues. The PRFA worked on early initiatives to inform the public of the role farmers and rancher play in feeding wildlife throughout the year, clarify who is accountable for wildlife activity on private land, and gather educational materials on wildlife mitigation strategies. Two 3-D fencing projects looked to develop economically feasible fencing to deter ungulates from entering producers’ critical areas, determine efficacy of various 3D fencing designs, and solutions for chronic wildlife penetration problems. A total of 15 Forage Facts were produced to
assist producers with many aspects around wildlife fencing and any issues they may encounter along the line.
Water is the most abundant nutrient in beef cattle, accounting for approximately 98% of all molecules in a beef cow. Access to sufficient water of adequate quality is critical to pasture development and management. An early water development project looked at the use of barley straw bags in dugouts to reduce algae growth. Results were inconclusive and other best management practices such as livestock exclusion, aeration, gated inlets, and grassed buffer strips and waterways are more likely to improve dugout water quality. As the animal health benefits and improved animal gains became well documented, a demonstration project comparing 3 winter watering systems including a Kelln solar pump, a Frost Free nose pump, and a CAP solar remote winter system. A summary note from Forage Fact #2 on an early project evaluating different watering systems noted that: “When developing a watering system one must plan whether they are going to water directly from their source of water or at a separate offsite location.” If one wishes to move the water then a plan must be made as to how the water will be removed and where it will be stored. There are many options available to the forage manager for improving their watering systems. Our advice is: go out, look at what other ranchers have done, then consider how it could work in your own situation.” Along with offsite watering systems often comes the question of how to run water pipeline to various watering points across the ranch. One way to distribute water across the land is through shallow-buried pasture-pipeline. The PRFA demonstrated a pasture pipeline plough in action and is also making the equipment available for rent to farmers and ranchers. The PRFA is also still running a water pumping equipment rental program to support farmers and ranchers who need to pump water to supplement their dugout water supplies. Three Berkley irrigation pumps and up to 3 miles of 6” irrigation pipe are currently available for rent. For a full list of all 100+ Forage Facts or any of the research and demonstration projects completed by the PRFA in the span of the past 30 years, please visit our website at peaceforage.bc.ca.
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32 The Northern Horizon, July 8, 2022
The Northern Horizon, July 8, 2022
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The Northern Horizon, July 8, 2022
ass – 30 Years of nowledge sharing Forage stand establishment and subsequent rejuvenation are one of the ongoing areas of interest to forage producers. The ‘Healthy and Vigorous Forage Stands Project’ took a closer look at more effective and economic ways to maintain or improve pasture and hayfield health. The project ‘Forage Starting Over Do’s and Don’ts’ evaluated the use of cover crops, different timing of seeding, looked at soil amendments, innovative forage mixture, and new legume-based mixtures. In addition to a solid list of extension and knowledge transfer events, a product from this project also included a set of 28 forage identification cards, weather proof and in a field friendly pocket format bundled with a carabiner. The latest project around forage rejuvenation looked at Interseeding using the relatively new Vredo drill. This is a zero till with V-shaped disc that creates slits in the soil and a smooth roller to close the slits by packing the ground thereby reducing 90% of soil erosion. The drill is easy to calibrate and can seed from 2 to 30 pounds per acre.
The zero till Vredo drill which was used in the lasted demonstration project and is available for rent through the PRFA. Just about every land manager has to tackle invasive weeds at some point. Invasive plants can overtake otherwise productive pasture and hay lands. Despite various management techniques available to assist in weed control, the problem often persists. Hence sometimes ‘If you can’t beat them you might as well eat them’. A project looking at integrated pest management strategies including trained livestock to graze Canada thistle on pasture. Forage Fact 108 available on the PRFA website outlines a detailed 7-day schedule on how livestock feeding behaviour can be adjusted to essentially train animals to utilize and select for new foods, including certain weeds. A similarly pesky problem that appears to be on the raise in the Peace region is wildlife damage, including ungulate feeding pressure and predator issues. The PRFA worked on early initiatives to inform the public of the role farmers and rancher play in feeding wildlife throughout the year, clarify who is accountable for wildlife activity on private land, and gather educational materials on wildlife mitigation strategies. Two 3-D fencing projects looked to develop economically feasible fencing to deter ungulates from entering producers’ critical areas, determine efficacy of various 3D fencing designs, and solutions for chronic wildlife penetration problems. A total of 15 Forage Facts were produced to
assist producers with many aspects around wildlife fencing and any issues they may encounter along the line.
Water is the most abundant nutrient in beef cattle, accounting for approximately 98% of all molecules in a beef cow. Access to sufficient water of adequate quality is critical to pasture development and management. An early water development project looked at the use of barley straw bags in dugouts to reduce algae growth. Results were inconclusive and other best management practices such as livestock exclusion, aeration, gated inlets, and grassed buffer strips and waterways are more likely to improve dugout water quality. As the animal health benefits and improved animal gains became well documented, a demonstration project comparing 3 winter watering systems including a Kelln solar pump, a Frost Free nose pump, and a CAP solar remote winter system. A summary note from Forage Fact #2 on an early project evaluating different watering systems noted that: “When developing a watering system one must plan whether they are going to water directly from their source of water or at a separate offsite location.” If one wishes to move the water then a plan must be made as to how the water will be removed and where it will be stored. There are many options available to the forage manager for improving their watering systems. Our advice is: go out, look at what other ranchers have done, then consider how it could work in your own situation.” Along with offsite watering systems often comes the question of how to run water pipeline to various watering points across the ranch. One way to distribute water across the land is through shallow-buried pasture-pipeline. The PRFA demonstrated a pasture pipeline plough in action and is also making the equipment available for rent to farmers and ranchers. The PRFA is also still running a water pumping equipment rental program to support farmers and ranchers who need to pump water to supplement their dugout water supplies. Three Berkley irrigation pumps and up to 3 miles of 6” irrigation pipe are currently available for rent. For a full list of all 100+ Forage Facts or any of the research and demonstration projects completed by the PRFA in the span of the past 30 years, please visit our website at peaceforage.bc.ca.
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