Forages & Farming Articles - Manitoba Co-operator

Converting marginal cropland to grass has  found new backers for Ducks Unlimited.

DUC forage program brings in the green

A DUC program trying to pitch a return from crop to forage is getting financial help from Cargill and McDonald’s Canada

By Alexis Stockford April 20, 2021

Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) has gained some big corporate names backing its Forage Program. In late March, Cargill and McDonald’s Canada, along with DUC, announced $5 million to transition a target 125,000 acres of less productive farmland from annual crops to forage or pasture by 2025. The companies have said they will provide $1.25 million

Ponds in central Manitoba, normally swollen with snowmelt, were far below the high-water mark in early April.

Forages, News

Manitoba’s hay market up in the air

Forage shortfalls are still very much on the table for this year, but how short and how that will impact hay prices is still a big unknown

By Alexis Stockford April 16, 2021

Those watching the hay market are holding their breath, and keeping a close eye on the long-range forecast, as the clock starts ticking on the province’s potential forage harvest. Manitoba’s bone-dry start has had both forage experts and producers concerned the province may be in for another season like 2019 — when low yields and

Percentage of average precipitation in Western Canada for the 90 days ending April 5, 2021. (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada map)

Crops, Forages, Weather

Manitoba forage, grassland growers burned by drought

By Adam Peleshaty, GFM Network News April 9, 2021

MarketsFarm — An ongoing lack of precipitation, which is showing no signs of letting up in the coming months according to weather forecasts, is already causing problems for Manitoba’s forage and grasslands. Growers in the province have had to deal with three straight years with lower-than-normal precipitation. In 2019, multiple rural municipalities in Manitoba’s Parkland

Forages, News

Forage insurance changes arrive for spring

Weather warning flags this spring may merit giving the province’s revised forage insurance a closer look

By Alexis Stockford March 29, 2021

With another dry spring in the offing, it might be time to reconsider forage insurance in view of recent program changes. Those changes follow a forage insurance review completed last year. The province had announced the review in late 2019, following critically poor hay yields and widespread reports of feed shortfalls. The shortfalls led to

The Green Gold forage monitoring program is seeking producer participants for its annual hay day quest.

Forages, News

Green Gold calling out for Manitoba alfalfa growers

The yearly hay quality monitoring program is ramping up again for 2021, and organizers are calling out for grower participation

By Alexis Stockford March 26, 2021

The Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association (MFGA) is once again on the hunt for producers to fill out its roster for this year’s Green Gold program. The association is looking for producers willing to tap their fields for regular hay samples, which will then feed into the alfalfa quality monitoring program. Why it matters: Alfalfa growers, particularly those

There are a number of things you need to get right when growing corn, says Sara Meidlinger, a market development specialist with Pride Seeds.

Forages, Livestock

Cows love it but growing corn for silage or grazing can be tricky

Getting the crop off to a good start through seed selection and good seed placement is critical

By Alexis Kienlen March 23, 2021

Glacier FarmMedia – Corn can be an attractive option for feeding cattle, but there are a lot of specifics to consider when you choose to grow it. “Corn just tastes good and cows love it. It’s more palatable than barley, and it has a better dry matter intake,” Greg Paranych, agriculture field specialist with Alberta’s

Herman Wehrle of FP Genetics talks hybrid fall rye and how it might best work in greenfeed and grazing systems at MBFI north of Brandon.

Forages, Livestock

Hybrid rye, coming soon to a grazing system near you?

Most of the province’s hybrid rye goes to grain, but new projects hope to get a better handle on its potential for feed, forage and grazing

By Alexis Stockford November 9, 2020

Those marketing hybrid fall rye hope their next market expansion might involve hooves. Herman Wehrle, director of market development with FP Genetics, is exploring how hybrid rye might work into greenfeed and grazing systems, having already spent the last several years evaluating its use for silage. Why it matters: Industry is trying to shift hybrid

Manitoba producers who use silage can now  get crop insurance, something the Manitoba  Beef Producers has long sought.

Forages, News

Provincial forage AgriInsurance gets upgrade

Livestock producers are getting their wish on how MASC anticipates corn silage yields, among other announcements

By Alexis Stockford November 2, 2020

Livestock producers relying on corn silage will soon be able to lock in insurance based on personal production history. On Oct. 16, Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development Minister Blaine Pedersen announced individual productivity indexing (IPI) for silage corn, among a list of other feed crop insurance changes incoming for 2021. Until now, MASC has based

An Oct. 1 workshop at Bruce Sneesby’s farm near Westbourne, Man., takes attendees through forage ammoniation step by step.

Forages, Livestock

This is your father’s forage treatment

Ammoniating poor-quality feed is an old technique that producers may want to keep in their tool box

By Alexis Stockford October 28, 2020

Manitoba’s provincial hay and livestock experts want producers to consider winding back the clock if they have to make the best of poor feed. For many livestock producers, ammoniating forage is something that fell out of vogue decades ago. But now some of those experts want to bring it back to the table, with producers

Whether you spread out bales or group them in ‘pods,’ don’t worry about the residue left behind — it isn’t wasted.

Forages, Livestock

Bale grazing is having its moment in the (winter) sun

Here are some things to bear in mind when using bales to extend the grazing season

By Beef Cattle Research Council October 27, 2020

Many producers have taken steps to extend their grazing period, and bale grazing is proving to be a popular choice. Bales can be purchased or grown on farm and placed strategically in cells or ‘bale pods.’ In some cases, cattle feed on bales directly where they are dropped from the baler, but in most situations, bales

Daily Network News

U.S. livestock: CME cattle futures rise on expectations of tight supplies

U.S. grains: Chicago soybeans fall, but achieve first annual gain in three years

ICE Canada Weekly: Canola unlikely to have a good start to 2026

Forages

DUC forage program brings in the green

Manitoba’s hay market up in the air

Manitoba forage, grassland growers burned by drought

Forage insurance changes arrive for spring

Green Gold calling out for Manitoba alfalfa growers

Cows love it but growing corn for silage or grazing can be tricky

Hybrid rye, coming soon to a grazing system near you?

Provincial forage AgriInsurance gets upgrade

This is your father’s forage treatment

Bale grazing is having its moment in the (winter) sun

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