Forages Archives - Page 209 of 226 - Manitoba Co-operator

Cattle on pasture in Argentina. Photo: Laureano Gherardi

Beef cattle, Forages, Livestock, Opinion

Sometimes cattle don’t displace trees — the trees displace cattle

New non-cattle-ranching owners of U.S. rangeland are one reason for brush encroachment

By Arizona State University September 2, 2014

Half of the Earth’s land mass is made up of rangelands, which include grasslands and savannas, yet they are being transformed at an alarming rate. Woody plants, such as trees and shrubs, are moving in and taking over, leading to a loss of critical habitat and causing a drastic change in the ability of ecosystems

Beef cattle, Forages, Livestock

Forage expert says bloat caused by alfalfa a “self-culling trait”

Jim Gerrish says selecting for bloat tolerance is a producer’s No. 1 defence against the deadly condition

By Jennifer Blair August 19, 2014

The fear of bloat costs the livestock industry more than the condition ever does, says a well-known grazing consultant and researcher from Idaho. “I’ve seen the figures from the States, and something like two one-hundredths of one per cent of the total cattle herd dies each year from bloat,” Jim Gerrish told attendees at a

Forages, Opinion

Editorial: The third option

Trials have shown adding a perennial forage to your crop rotation can be effective weed control

By Laura Rance-Unger August 11, 2014

At a time when soil erosion is recognized as one of the biggest threats to the world’s ability to continue feeding itself, it’s disturbing to see weed scientists advising tillage to address invading “superweeds.” There is no question that addressing the lengthening list of weeds that have developed resistance to glyphosate must be a top

Although late, Manitoba’s first-cut hay is mostly up now and yielded well outside of the flood area, says John McGregor of the Manitoba Forage and Hayland Association. This field was being baled near Miami July 29. photo: allan dawson

Dairy cattle, Forages, Livestock

First-cut hay late, but plentiful in unflooded areas

Hay will be scarce and costly in flooded areas, but that could be offset by producers reducing cow herds

By Allan Dawson August 8, 2014

Manitoba’s first-cut hay crop, while late, is yielding average to above average in areas not hit by excessive moisture or flooding, says John McGregor of the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association. “There’s a lot there, but they (beef farmers) don’t just rely on one cut,” McGregor said in an interview July 30. “They need to

Grasshopper on a sunflower under attack from red mites.

Crops, Forages, News, Oilseeds

Invasion of the body snatchers

Southwestern Manitoba grasshoppers being preyed upon by parasitic red mites

By Allan Dawson August 7, 2014

This grasshopper munching on a sunflower in southwestern Manitoba is being devoured by parasitic red mites (Eutrombidium locustarum), says Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (MAFRD) entomologist John Gavloski. The mites feed on the blood (hemolymph) of grasshoppers. They also prey on grasshopper eggs. Each female mite can lay up to 4,000 eggs, providing mite

Martin Entz (centre) leads group on Glenlea tour. photos: meghan mast

Crops, Forages

Manure improves organic forage-grain crop production

‘Experimental lakes of agriculture’ find organic crops can produce on par with conventional crops

By Meghan Mast August 6, 2014

Organic crop producers can match the productivity of their conventional farming neighbours with a little help from some four-legged friends. Composted beef and dairy manure restores important nutrients that can be mined from the soil under organic management systems, Martin Entz, an agronomy professor with the University of Manitoba’s Glenlea research station told participants in

Forages, News

Drying time can be reduced

With wet weather wreaking havoc in many parts of the province,  some producers are cutting their forage when the weather lets them, not when it’s optimal quality

By Shannon VanRaes July 23, 2014

Farmers use a variety of methods to determine when alfalfa is ready for the first cut of the year, but this season a lot of those methods went straight out the window. “So how many of you are just cutting when it’s dry enough to get on the field?” Dan Undersander, an extension and forage

Forages

Alfalfa weevils starting to cause problems

By Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association June 26, 2014

Alfalfa Weevils posed a serious problem for producers in the province last year, and now the insect is starting to be seen south of Steinbach. “On Tuesday at the Provincial Hay and Silage Day in Steinbach, I was looking in the demo field near Fredensfeld, and there was a lot of damage to the upper

Beef cattle, Forages, Livestock

Beef 911: Preventing bloat when pasturing alfalfa

Producers can take steps to reduce the risk through management and preventive products

By Roy Lewis June 25, 2014

Pasturing alfalfa can improve gains, but bloat is always a worry. Thankfully advancements in technology, along with pasture management, can make this a viable option. Several principles can go a long ways to preventing unnecessary deaths when turning cattle out into leguminous pastures. Cattle should initially be turned out in the heat of the day.

Did you know?, Forages

One invasive species leads to another

Human development linked with spread of invasive plants

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff March 31, 2014

One invasive species leads to another, says an article published in the current issue of Rangeland Ecology & Management. A release from the magazine’s publisher, the Society for Range Management, says the authors began with the idea that as people develop a rural area, they change the original habitat by introducing foreign species and spreading

Daily Network News

Moroccan fertilizer maker OCP expects output to drop 30 per cent in Q2, sources say

Feed Grain Weekly: Demand rises despite war uncertainty

How farmers can manage stress, anxiety during spring seeding