COMMUNITY PASTURES: Business as usual this summer

The province is still mulling options as 
federal government plans to phase out its role in community pasture management

It will be business as usual this summer, despite the recent announcement by the federal government that it is getting out of the community pasture business. “Hopefully, by this fall, as people are taking their cattle out of pastures, it’ll be clear what to expect for next year,” said Robert Fleming, director of policy and

Community pastures still open for now

To ensure long-term prosperity for farmers and the entire agricultural value chain, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) is refocusing on the changing priorities of the agriculture industry. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz today reassured patrons of the Community Pasture Program that all pastures will remain open for the 2012 season. “No pastures will be affected this


Wet on top, dry down below

Notoriously wet country looks to better grazing management to solve chronic water infiltration problems

Saskatchewan grazier Neil Dennis figures five centuries of continuous grazing has more to do with the drought affecting the British Isles than a lack of rainfall. “When you get 70 inches of rain, and the water table is dropping, there’s sure something wrong,” said Dennis, who just returned from a U.K. tour where he had

Young farmer champions the soil

It’s the kind of story that the farming industry takes great pride in today. A young producer, recently graduated with an agriculture degree, recently married, joining his family farm, and building a farming future on high principles of conservation and sustainable management. Ryan Boyd, who farms with wife Sarah and parents Jim and Joanne Boyd,


Family key to ranching success

Cattle prices are up, but for ranching families, the cost of not getting along with each other has stayed the same. Of the three fundamental principles of holistic management, “caring for your people” comes first, followed by “improving the land” and “making a profit,” says Don Campbell, a Saskatchewan rancher who teaches holistic management, which

Project aims to make the case for more shelterbelts

Everywhere you look around the Manitoba countryside, shelterbelts and bush can be seen lying in big, ugly bulldozed piles. Farmers just can’t seem to get rid of it fast enough, it seems. A two-part, four-year project sponsored by the Upper Assiniboine Conservation District (UACD), Brandon University’s Rural Development Institute (RDI), and a handful of other


Corral water after in-field feeding

In-field winter feeding can save time and money, while fostering healthy crop and forage growth, according to Jeff Schoenau of the University of Saskatchewan. Schoenau and colleagues at the university’s College of Agriculture and Bioresources conducted a three-year study following the effects of in-field winter feeding on animal and pasture health, as well as on

Corral water after in-field feeding

In-field winter feeding can save time and money, while fostering healthy crop and forage growth, according to Jeff Schoenau of the University of Saskatchewan. Schoenau and colleagues at the university’s College of Agriculture and Bioresources conducted a three-year study following the effects of in-field winter feeding on animal and pasture health, as well as on