Producers got a close look at several of those approaches during a Jan. 12 winter grazing tour at the Bos family farm. Jordan Bos demonstrated how cover crops, straw and silage pile grazing fit into the operation’s winter feeding plan.

Rather than relying heavily on chopped silage, the operation is grazing a mix of feed sources through the winter. These include pea straw, barley straw and hay at roughly 20 pounds of dry matter per head per day.

“Three times a week we come out with a rack of straw and just roll it out for them so they all have access,” Bos said.

WHY IT MATTERS: Experts say that using cover crops, straw and silage grazing can help cattle producers manage winter feed costs, as long as rations are carefully balanced to meet herd nutritional needs.

Cover crops on the Bos farm cost about $35 an acre to establish, with funding support for a water site provided by a local watershed district.

“It’s nice if you can get some funding and cut the cost,” Bos said.

The farm typically fertilizes its corn but not its cover crop.

The tour included a demonstration of the farm’s feed truck and TMR mixer, which they call “Mad Max.” The truck reduces labour during the winter.

“The idea is to use that truck as much as we can for a good part of the winter,” Bos said.

Silage pile grazing in practice

Silage pile grazing was another stop on the tour. Cattle are grazing the pile with minimal waste, Bos said.

“I don’t think they’re wasting much. They’re eating it right down to the dirt,” he said. “It seems to be working good.”

The silage pile is about 70 feet wide, with both sides exposed, providing roughly 140 feet of space for about 300 head. Electric wire is adjusted daily to control access and manage utilization.

“You get pretty good utilization like this,” Bos said. “It’s cheaper than hauling it out.”

The winter feeding system appears to be meeting cattle needs, Bos said.

“The animals seem pretty content and full.”

Importance of feed testing and balanced rations

While alternative feed sources like pea and barley straw can help manage costs when available, provincial livestock and forage extension specialist Kristen Bouchard-Teasdale said that it’s important to ensure proper feed testing and balanced rations.

“Winter feed supplies are our biggest expense in these cattle productions,” she said. “How people feed and what proportions they’re able to mix into their ration is going to be dictated by the quality of the feed ingredients that they have on hand.”

Producers incorporating straw into winter rations need to ensure cattle receive sufficient protein and energy, particularly during extreme cold periods like the one that has been gripping most of Manitoba for the last few weeks.

“Cows can’t eat enough of those fibrous feeds, like the pea straw and the barley straw, to be able to meet those energy requirements in particular,” she said.

That’s why feed testing is so critical for developing effective winter feeding strategies, she added.

“Get your feed tested, know how much you have of something and exactly what’s in it, and then you have that information. It makes it much easier to be able to change your strategy if need be,” Bouchard-Teasdale said.

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The choice can depend on the size of your operation, but Todd Botterill, a salesperson with AllAgParts, says that’s what he’s seeing and hearing.

Cost aside, Botterill says the Feed Eazy Pro 3020 tub grinder also significantly reduces the time it takes to grind up round bales for feed.

WHY IT MATTERS: Easily availabile equipment that offers an economy of operating cost is important for farms where the economies of scale aren’t top priority.

“What we’ve been finding here lately, the market had really been pushing towards the large TMR mixers,” he says, “but when you start grinding bales with them, quite often, you’re sitting there for an hour, hour and a half using a fairly large tractor … it’s a job that a tub grinder can do in five minutes.”

Botterill and his colleagues from AllAgParts were at Manitoba Ag Days in January, talking up the benefits of the Feed Eazy Pro 3020, a first-place winner in the Animal and Livestock category in the farm show’s Innovation Showcase.

The 3020 is the company’s mid-size machine, capable of grinding hay bales, silage bales or straw bales, Botterill said, although operators are not limited to these types.

The company produces a smaller and larger version of the 3020 as well.

“We can actually put in an attachment to grind grain as well for people who want to add grain to their mix,” Botterill says.

Livestock producers have been looking for alternative systems to speed up bale processing time and reduce operating costs, he says.

“They may still put (feed) in the TMR,” he says. “Some guys are actually going back to the less-expensive horizontal mixers, so it allows guys to reduce the cost of the machinery they’re using.”

Keeping costs low was key to making the Feed Eazy accessible to producers.

To achieve that, the 3020 unit is imported from overseas for finishing at Winkler, Man.

“Overseas production has allowed us to reduce a lot of the costs involved in getting the machine put together, but it hasn’t sacrificed any quality,” Botterill says.

The company they work with has a lot of experience working with North American companies and building to North American standards, he adds. Wear parts such as bearings or hydraulics can be easily sourced within North America when the time comes for replacement.

The result is a machine that’s tougher than its competitors, with a significant price advantage as well, Botterill says.

“There’s not a lot of fancy pieces in it,” he adds.

“I think (for) the majority of the guys we’re dealing with in Manitoba, this unit would be ideal.”

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1. On the better soil, the crops are good or at least better than expected.
2. On the lighter or poorer crop ground, we see half of the crop on better soil.

This all goes to water retention or the ability of the soil to capture and hold moisture in the soil. Certain regions received rain earlier than others, and some types of soil have a limited capacity for retaining moisture. But, we can fix this by adding organic matter. The simplest way to do this is by grazing bales in the lighter soil.

On our farm this year, we have a patchwork of green oasis amid a sea of dried-up forages. It goes to prove the adage that water is the first and most important of the nutrients required for growing plants. You can have all the other nutrients balanced for the plants to grow and be healthy, but we need the right amount of water first.

As producers, it’s easy for us to become focused on the little things that influence our environment. Sometimes, we need to stop and look over the horizon.

Tariffs and farm profit

I follow producers from all around the world online. I enjoy seeing how producers in other areas of the world deal with the same problems we deal with. There is always more than one way to solve a problem.

So far, the new tariffs introduced in the United States haven’t had much impact on us at our farm and others in my network. Hopefully, that remains the case. But, from my take, it has been six months of confusion for nothing.

I recently met and talked with a group of regenerative producers from Australia (they were touring regen ag practicing operations in Western Canada) and they too could not understand the tariff goal on their country. It was one more thing we had in common.

Now, with abundant supply of crops, the price has dropped off the charts and below the cost of production. It is hard for any producer to forward market their next crop for a loss; they are dreaming of locking in a break-even price.

The U.S. can make payments to their crop producers this year to keep them in business, but the crop inventory surplus is still there and still needs marketing, thereby kicking the can down the road.

In Canada, the main cash crop for annual production has been canola; now dealing with tariffs from China. In the last few years, canola has been paying the bills and paying to grow a rotation crop (wheat, oats, barley) to reduce disease pressure. When I sit back and think about the market price on canola, I am pleasantly surprised that it has not dropped further than it has.

There has been talk about using canola and soybeans for biofuel. We already use corn and wheat for ethanol to mix into gasoline. Biofuel is planned to be incorporated into or used as a substitute for diesel fuel. I do have to question the ethics of “Food for Fuel” … do we no longer have hungry people to feed? Do we change the mantra from “farmers feed the world” to “farmers power the world?”

Another question I have about these practices is about the best use of energy: calories of energy going into a product versus calories of energy out of a product. How many calories of energy go into producing canola, to produce biofuel and, in turn, how many calories of energy will that biofuel produce? In my view, diesel fuel will produce cheaper calories of energy. We as Canadians need to have this discussion before we start putting our own and government money into these projects.

The science is out there, but no one is talking about this. I am not against value adding, I believe we as a producers should be encouraging value adding and making use of the byproducts in every way we can. Up-valuing all we can keeps money here in Canada.

Long-term beef planning

The livestock market is hot and getting hotter every day. Now is the time to plan how to stay in the beef business when it cycles back to falling markets, like the annual crop production is now.

All ag products run on cycles of supply and demand, high production and low production, profit and loss. Producers will often say when the returns are high, “this time it will be different” and when it crashes back down will say “Please give me one more chance at a high price and I will not spend it all on new equipment.”

When we look at the beef cycle, we see that we have finished the consolidation phase and have now entered the expansion stage of the cycle.

The demand for beef has been holding out well and should remain strong as long as the economy holds on. If consumers restrict their beef purchases because of personal finances, we will see a new reality.

From my conversations with ag lenders in the area, they are lending to a few young producers for cattle purchases. All these new producers are coming in with cattle experience from home and are adding to the family operation. Overall, we are still seeing many older producers leaving the industry and few producers stepping up to replace them.

Despite the beef market boom, over last five years we have seen many pastures and hay fields broken up for annual crop production. I strongly believe that 20 to 30 per cent of these acres should be put back into forages, primarily to maintain the cow herds and improve soil health, reduce disease and weed pressure. Of course, that raises the other side of the equation: if that put back were to occur, would there be enough forage seeds to plant 20 per cent of annual crop land to forage?

Now is the time to sit down with paper and pencils and work out how you are going to make your operation more profitable and survive the current crop market downturn. Remember that no one has the right answer for your operation, but by reaching out to leading producers in your area, government agencies like Manitoba Agriculture, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada or Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation, and research groups like universities or the Beef Cattle Research Council, you can improve your own knowledge. If you are facing challenges, you cannot expect better results by doing the same thing repeatedly, as many producers tend to do. We must be proactive in our surroundings, not reactive. We need to take charge of our world.

At our local grazing club out of Lenore, the farm tour is always the highlight each year. We travel around our area to see what local producers are doing and trying out. We also visit with neighbours and, of course, consume a few barley pops to avoid dehydration.

A few years ago, I met a no-till producer who, after 25 years, was not happy with his soil health journey. He wanted to see bigger soil health gains and he thought that he needed to add a legume forage to his rotation.

He has since been happy with the soil’s response to an approach where he seeds once and harvests for the next three crops. In his mix he has 30 pounds an acre of fall rye, five pounds of hairy vetch, 20 pounds of oats, three to five pounds of millet, two to three pounds each of meadow bromegrass and orchard grass and three to five pounds of alfalfa.

On the first year, he does a chemical burnoff of spring growth and direct-seeds the blend in with a starter fertilizer. Late July or early August, a neighbour cuts and bales the crop, or cuts it for silage (silage seems to work better). In the second year, rye and hairy vetch are harvested for feed or seed in early July. After three to four years, hay is cut in July, then a chemical burn down is used before planting the following spring when the land returns to rotation. This has been a win-win deal for the annual no-till cropper and the cow-calf producer next door.

Please remember to reach out to others in this busy season and ask how they are doing. If you need to talk to someone, please reach out to the groups in the province that have farmer hot lines. You are not alone dealing with it all.

I hope to see you all at the 2025 Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association Regen Ag Conference Nov. 12-13 at the Victoria Inn in Brandon. It looks like another awesome agenda and the MFGA conference is always a great venue and opportunity for discussions and catch up with farmers interested in learning more about things you want to learn more about.

Larry Wegner is a former board member of the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association and MFGA Wall of Fame inductee. This article first appeared as a blog post published by the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association.

The post Farmer musings of post-harvest Manitoba appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

Isolated showers had minimal impact on harvesting operations as 78 per cent of the province’s crops are now off the ground, an 18-point increase from a week earlier. This was compared to the five-year average of 69.8 per cent and the 10-year average of 56.2 per cent.

The south region led the way at 84.3 per cent, followed by the northwest at 80.1 per cent, the Peace region at 77.6 per cent, the northeast at 76.8 per cent and the central region at 71.5 per cent.

The winter wheat, dry pea, fall rye and lentil harvests are complete, while durum was 92.3 per cent done. The spring wheat harvest was at 88.8 per cent, while the barley harvest was at 87.4 per cent, followed by mustard at 84.9 per cent and oats at 82.1 per cent. The chickpea harvest was 71.1 per cent complete, compared to the canola harvest at 55.9 per cent, the potato harvest at 52.5 per cent and flax at 35.4 per cent.

Average crop yields were 76.2 bushels per acre for oats, 72.6 for barley, 54.6 for spring wheat, 46.8 for dry peas and 42.1 for canola. Except for dry peas, all estimated yields increased from the previous week.

Surface soil moisture in Alberta was measured at 34.1 per cent poor, 40.8 per cent fair, 23.2 per cent good and 1.9 per cent excellent. The five-year average was 45 per cent good to excellent. Sub-surface soil moisture was at 28 per cent good to excellent, down three points from last week.

Provincial pasture growth was rated at 28 per cent good to excellent, down four points from the previous report. This was below the five-year average of 32 per cent.

Fall-seeded crops were rated 40 per cent good to excellent, below the five-year average of 57 per cent. Provincial dryland hay yields were estimated at 1.3 tons per acre for the first cut and one ton per acre for the second cut, indicating that current dryland hay yields are in line with long-term averages. Provincial irrigated hay yields were only reported for the South Region and were estimated at 2.5 tons per acre for the first cut and 2.3 tons per acre for the second cut.

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The province’s harvest was 68 per cent complete, Saskatchewan’s weekly crop report said on Sept. 25. This was compared to the five-year average of 83 per cent and the 10-year average of 72 per cent.

Harvest progress in the southwest led all regions at 80 per cent complete, followed by the southeast at 70 per cent, the northwest at 69 per cent, the west-central region at 65 per cent, the northeast at 61 per cent and the east-central region at 59 per cent.

While Saskatchewan’s winter wheat and fall rye harvest was finished, field peas were at 99 per cent completion and lentils were 96 per cent combined. Barley was at 86 per cent, durum at 78 per cent, spring wheat at 73 per cent and oats at 70 per cent. However, due to rains and high humidity, some yet-to-be-harvested cereal crops showed low quality and sprouting.

The mustard harvest was 62 per cent complete, followed by canola at 42 per cent, soybeans at 23 per cent and flax at 18 per cent.

The most rain fell in the Rhein area east of Yorkton at 44 millimetres during the week. Meanwhile, Carnduff and Blaine Lake saw 20 mm and the Calder area received 18 mm.

Cropland topsoil moisture was at two per cent surplus, 59 per cent adequate, 32 per cent short and seven per cent very short. Hayland topsoil conditions were three per cent surplus, 51 per cent adequate, 29 per cent short and 17 per cent very short. Pasture topsoil conditions were two per cent surplus, 40 per cent adequate, 36 per cent short and 22 per cent very short.

As for pastures, one per cent were in excellent condition, 31 per cent in good condition, 39 per cent in fair condition, 20 per cent in poor condition and nine per cent in very poor condition.

Most of the crop damage reported was caused by wind and dry conditions. There were also some reports of low-lying areas being lost to water accumulation. Waterfowl damage was more present this week as geese, cranes and other waterfowl moved across the province.

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The Manitoba harvest advanced six points at 56 per cent completed. Some of the progress was due to the start of the soybean and silage corn harvests. Soybean combining operations began in the central and eastern regions with three per cent finished. Meanwhile, the central and Interlake regions began taking silage corn off the ground, completing 12 per cent of the province’s harvest.

The spring wheat was 93 per cent complete, followed by barley at 89 per cent and oats at 84 per cent. Canola was 45 per cent combined.

While some areas received less than one millimetre of precipitation, Ethelbert in the northwest region saw 109.1 mm, which triggered a local state of emergency due to overland flooding and washed-out roads. All regions saw at least 37 mm during the week. Despite the rainfall, soil conditions were dry to very dry in large parts of the Interlake as well as in localized areas in other regions. Wet conditions were present in areas of the province’s other regions.

Spring wheat yields averaged 60 bu./ac. with some fields reported at 70 bu./ac. Oats yielded 110 to 130 bu./ac. and barley was at 65 to 110 bu./ac. Most corn was in the R5 (dent) stage.

Canola yields ranged from 26 to 60 bu./ac. with an average of 45. Flax was in the brown capsule stage and sunflowers ranged from the R8 to R9 growth stages with most being desiccated.

Dry beans were in the R7 and R8 growth stages and harvest has started in the earliest-seeded fields. Most soybeans were also in the R7 and R8 stages with much of their harvest to be completed in two weeks.

Moist and warm conditions aided fall grazing and pasture growth, but the rainfall has caused challenges in harvesting native hay and greenfeed. Manure spreading has started on some fields.

Producers have started weaning and marketing their calves, while cattle on pasture were in good condition despite some fly pressure. Pastures were in excellent condition with some producers in the Interlake and southwest supplementing out on pasture. Winter feed supplies were mixed across Manitoba as some producers look for more while others are selling surplus amounts.

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Rain delayed harvest progress throughout much of Manitoba, with Kane in the central region receiving the most at nearly 78 millimetres, while Poplarfield in the Interlake got four.

Harvest progress

The weekly provincial crop report said combining of winter wheat and fall rye is 100 per cent complete. The winter wheat yielded 50 to 80 bushels per acre and the fall rye ranged from 60 to 100.

Of the other reported crops being combined around the province:

• Field peas 99 per cent done, yielding 30 to 75 bu./ac.

• Spring wheat 79 per cent harvested, yielding 50 to more than 60 bu./ac.

• Barley 77 per cent finished, yielding 60 to 70 bu./ac.

• Oats 63 per cent complete, yielding 100 to 150 bu./ac.

• Canola 18 per cent finished, yielding 30 to 60 bu./ac.

Of those Manitoba crops yet to see their harvests get underway, the corn was in the R5 (dent) stage, flax reached the brown capsule stage, and the majority of sunflowers have finished flowering. Also, the dry beans are in the R8 to R9 growth stages and most soybeans are at R6 to R7.

Manitoba Ag reported spring wheat conditions have remained very firm at 80 to 90 per cent good to excellent, with fair ratings holding at 10 to 20 per cent.

Forages, pastures

With the recent frosts, producers are cautioned to watch for elevated levels of nitrates in greenfeed, crop silage still standing or in cereal regrowth.

Rainy cool weather slowed regrowth on pastures and hay lands with the frost delaying it even more. Cattle producers continued to make their way through their second cut of hay, with poor yields. Dairy producers were working on their third cut, with yields better than their second cut.

Pastures across Manitoba are reported to be in good shape with cattle remaining on them. However, rivers and dugout water levels are quite low.

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Conservative MP John Barlow, who is the shadow minister for agriculture, called for the measure in a Thursday press release, saying populations of Richardson’s ground squirrels (gophers) have been out of control on farms and rural municipalities since the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) cancelled the registration of the poison in 2020.

Why it matters: Richardson’s ground squirrels, or gophers, can cause significant damage to pastures and hayland.

The PMRA re-evaluated the pesticide and said it posed risks to non-target animals like birds. Bans on the sale, and eventually use of strychnine came in following years.

“Farmers and rural municipalities across the Prairies have been sounding the alarm about the devastating agricultural impacts of uncontrolled (gopher) populations,” said Barlow, via the release. “The loss of strychnine has led to widespread infestations, with municipalities reporting severe damage to cropland and pastureland.”

Recently, the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) asked federal ministers to reinstate strychnine under emergency use provisions.

According to the statement, Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation paid $10.6 million in gopher-related claims in 2024.

Alternative products, such as zinc phosphide, exist for gopher control, but many say they aren’t as effective.

The post Conservatives call for approval of emergency strychnine use appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

The southwest led the way at 39 per cent harvest, followed by the southeast at 33 per cent. Further back are the east-central at 16 per cent, the northeast at 13 per cent, the northwest at 12 per cent and the west-central at 10 per cent.

Cereals, oilseeds, pulses

Among the cereals, winter wheat was 85 per cent harvest and fall rye was at 79 per cent. Triticale was next at 34 per cent combined, then barley at 31 per cent, durum at 29 per cent, spring with at 14 per cent, oats at 12 per cent with canaryseed at five per cent.

Soybeans led the oilseeds at 11 per cent combined, followed by mustard at 10 per cent and canola at four per cent.

The pulses saw field peas at 73 per cent done, lentils at 59 per cent and chickpeas at 13 per cent.

Topsoil moisture levels

The Piapot area in southwest Saskatchewan topped the province with the most rain at 25 millimetres.

The ag department said cropland topsoil moisture was at two per cent surplus, 67 per cent adequate, 29 per cent short and two per cent very short.

Hayland topsoil moisture registered at two per cent surplus, 55 per cent adequate, 36 per cent short and seven per cent very short.

As for pasture topsoil moisture, levels were three per cent surplus, 51 per cent adequate, 37 per cent short and nine per cent very short.

The main causes of crop damage during the week were strong winds and dry conditions, with a high risk of fire. Minor damages were caused by grasshoppers and bertha armyworms.

The post Saskatchewan harvest advances, but behind five-year pace appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

Combining reached 29 per cent completion, the province’s weekly crop report said. The winter wheat and fall rye harvests were 99 per cent complete, while field peas were at 95 per cent. Barley and spring wheat were at 65 and 59 per cent, respectively, while oats were at 41 per cent. Canola was 10 per cent combined.

The most rainfall was recorded at Kane in the central region at 60.3 millimetres, with Dominion City in the east and Newdale in the southwest receiving 31.2 and 30.9 mm, respectively. Several areas across Manitoba received no rainfall.

Total precipitation accumulations this season were below 60 per cent compared to the 30-year average in the Interlake and parts of the Northwest and Eastern regions. Parts of the Southwest have accumulated higher than normal precipitation levels since May 1.

Spring wheat conditions ranged from 80 to 90 per cent good to excellent, while producing 50 to 60 bushels per acre. Winter wheat yields ranged from 50 to 80 bu./ac., while fall rye was at 60 to 110. Barley was at 60 to 70 bu./ac., while oats were at 100 to 150. Most corn was in the R5 (dent) stage of growth.

Canola yields were from 45 to 60 bu./ac. as swathing and desiccation were ongoing. Flax was in the brown capsule stage and most sunflowers have completed flowering. Avian Control, a bird repellent, received emergency registration in sunflowers to reduce damage by blackbirds. However, the treatment, which can be applied up to the day of harvest, can cause damage such as leaf discolouration.

Field pea yields ranged from 30 to 75 bu./ac., averaging approximately 60 bu./ac. Dry beans were in the R7 and R8 stages, while most soybeans were in the R5 and R6 stages.

Warm weather and improved moisture conditions in some areas allowed pastures to regrow, providing extra grazing days for livestock. Second cut harvest yields for beef producers were below-average and dairies were on their third cut, which were seeing higher yields than the second cut. Slough hay and straw yields appeared to be average. Silage corn harvest is set to begin in two weeks as most corn were in the dent stage.

Cattle on pasture were in good condition while producers monitor for foot rot, fly pressure and pneumonia. Water levels were mixed, causing some producers to move cattle or haul water. Winter feed supplies were also mixed with some producers sourcing additional feed and others with a surplus selling their own.

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