Proudly Canadian
Proudly Canadian
Birdsfoot trefoil is a challenge to grow and harvest, but the perennial can prevent bloating in grazers
From a distance it might just seem like another field of yellow canola, but get up close and you will see something that looks quite different. Birdsfoot trefoil, although not widely grown for seed in Manitoba, is a yellow-flowered legume offering benefits to pasture-grazed animals. A new field of the picturesque seed crop was onePlants draw different amounts of moisture from different depths in the soil, and growers can make those differences work for them
Grain farmers are always hoping for a Goldilocks year — not too wet, not too dry, but just right. But since fairy tales rarely come true, researchers with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives are looking for alternative approaches. “It’s led us to wonder how we might weatherproof our crop rotations a bit,” oilseed specialistGrowers manage fertility and soil health with less tractor hours by growing perennial forage seed crops
Growing organic forage seed takes a different mindset. Larry Pollock, who has been farming organically since the 1990s on 600 acres north of Brandon, was part of a panel of experienced growers offering insights at a recent workshop hosted by Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives. He sows 100 to 150 acres of alfalfa under
