News release, December 1, 2017

SASKATOON - A&W has made a substantial investment in the Canadian beef industry with a $5-million donation toward the University of Saskatchewan's (U of S) Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence (LFCE).

The unique centre will foster innovative research, training and outreach to meet the needs of both livestock producers and consumers in Canada, while also helping to sustainably produce food for a growing world population.

The donation will be used to fund the construction of the Livestock and Food Building at the LFCE site near Clavet ($3 million), create a community outreach and engagement program ($1 million), and establish a visiting fellowship in One Health research ($1 million). The new building will be completed in the spring of 2018.

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By: Michele Simili da Silva, PhD; SFC- WBDC Post-Doctoral Fellow

The 2017 Saskatchewan Advisory Council on Forage Crops (SACFC) meeting was held on November 6th in Saskatoon, SK. This year's meeting provided an overview from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Branch, Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC), Saskatchewan Forage Network, Saskatchewan Cattlemen's Association (SCA), and the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) on research being conducted, funding program opportunities and investments in forage across Canada over the past few years. An update on the new Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence (LFCE) was also provided by Dr. Mary Buhr, Dean, College of Agriculture and Bioresources, University of Saskatchewan.

The SACFC meets annually with the mission of uniting representatives from government, industry, producer groups and researchers to share information and to identify and address issues of concern regarding forage production and utilization. It is also an opportunity to introduce new members and discover new research. In this spirit, Saskatchewan Forage Council (SFC) is pleased to welcome researchers Dr. Jillian Bainard, Dr. Jon Bennett, and Dr. Sean Prager and the Post-Doctoral fellow Dr. Michele Simili da Silva. 

Dr. Jillian Bainard is a research scientist with AAFC at the Swift Current Research and Development Centre (SCRDC). As a Forage Ecophysiologist, Jillian's research involves studying forage crops and the interface between plants and their environment. She works with forage breeders, ecologists, and animal scientists to develop forages that are beneficial nutritionally, environmentally, and economically. Jillian completed her Ph.D. in Botany at the University of Guelph in 2011, followed by a postdoc at SCRDC where she studied the use of annual forage polycultures.

Dr. Sean Prager is an Entomology Assistant Professor in the Plant Sciences Department of the U of S. Dr. Prager's forage related research is primarily focused on clover and other forage seed crops with interest on how to balance pollination services, especially from native pollinators with management of insect pests such as lesser clover leaf weevils. Sean has a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences (Ecology and Evolution) from Brock University in Ontario and postdocs at USDA-ARS and at Texas A&M University.

 Dr. Jon Bennett is a Rangeland Ecologist recently hired by the U of S, Plant Sciences Department. Jon's research focuses on understanding the processes that structure grasslands and using that understanding to predict how they will respond to changes in the environment, with an emphasis on invasion. He has earned a Ph.D. from the University of Alberta, where he studied the factors regulating plant communities in fescue grassland and fellowships at the University of British Columbia and the University of Tartu in Estonia.

Dr. Michele Simili da Silva is a Mitacs Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Department of Animal and Poultry Science at the U of S in partnership with SFC and the Western Beef Development Centre (WBDC), under the supervision of Dr. Bart Lardner. Michele is an Animal Scientist from Brazil with a Master's and Ph.D. in Forage Crops and Pasture. The majority of her studies have been concentrated on analysis and characterization of the effects of species, varieties, mixtures, management and utilization on production and nutritive value of forages. Currently, she is involved in projects focused on the improvement of forage performance on the Canadian Prairies. 

  

By: Trudy Kelly Forsythe, Canadian Forage and Grassland Association
 
The Canadian Forage and Grassland Association (CFGA), in conjunction with the Ontario Forage Council, held its 8th annual conference in Guelph, Ont., Nov. 14 to 16. This year's theme was Next Generation Forage Cropping Systems: Profit Above, Wealth Below to recognize the important role forage and grasslands play in providing both economic and environmental benefits to Canadians from coast to coast.
 
The conference included a pre-conference tour, an exhibition of businesses and organizations related to forages and grasslands, a full line-up of speakers on such topics as soil carbon storage, forage exports, soil health enhancement and profitable forage systems and virtual farm tours featuring innovative producers across the country.

•  Dave Grafstrom, Northland College, University of Minnesota, Roseau, MN will talk on will talk on Managing for Top Seed Yields in Forage Grasses including using growing degree days to pinpoint pest outbreaks, plant growth regulators and fertility, fungicides and using aerial drones in agriculture research;;
• Eric Johnson, Weed Management Program, University of Saskatchewan, will discuss their herbicide tolerance and plant growth regulator research on forage seed crops at Saskatoon;  
• Jessica Pratchler, Northeast Agriculture Research Foundation, Melfort, SK will review their research on weed and insect control and plant growth regulators;
• Stu Brandt, Northeast Agriculture Research Foundation, Melfort, SK will discuss their alternate row, rotational crop and companion crop research using forage seed crops;
• Mike Scheffel, Canadian Seed Growers Association, Ottawa, ON will provide an update on  forage seed inspections, isolation borders, volunteer species and other topics on the growing pedigreed forage seed;  and
• Terry Kowalchuk, Provincial Forage Crop Specialist, Saskatchewan Agriculture, will review and update the forage seed market.

The SFSDC Annual General Meeting will be held to review SFSDC activities and financial statements and provide growers and industry members the opportunity for input into future programs.

For more informati on, please visit our website at

The Alfalfa Seed and Leafcutter Bee Conference will be held in the evening of Thursday January 11, 2018 and Friday January 12, 2018 at the Radisson Hotel Saskatoon. 

Bring your friends to the Crop Production Show and attend the SFSDC Forage Seed Information Session and the Leafcutters Conference!!

By: Beef Cattle Research Council, reprinted from Alberta Farmer Express

Match your cows and your feed, leave a 'snowshoe' if mud is an issue, and make those swaths wide and high.

If you're planning to swath or bale graze cattle this winter, here are three pieces of advice from Agriculture Canada research scientists Vern Baron in Lacombe and John Duynisveld in Nappan, N.S.

Match animal and forage

Successful extended grazing matches the energy requirements of the cow with the true quality of the forage and/or supplement being offered. Knowing the quality of the feed, by reviewing the results after sending samples to a lab for feed analysis, is the first and critical step to a successful winter grazing program.

It takes 20 per cent more energy on average for cows in an extended grazing system than in a drylot system because of the extra energy they use to search for feed and to stay warm. This means cows must be in good condition to be able to face the demands of winter grazing.

Leave some biomass on the field


Leave big swaths

Leaving some biomass in the field improves soil organic matter, but generally speaking, the more crop that cattle utilize, the more efficient the extended grazing system.

Overall utilization in extended grazing systems is relatively high - both Baron and Duynisveld have found utilization rates of 65 to 90 per cent in their research trials, with utilization declining in deep snow.

To increase utilization when swath grazing, build large swaths around three to four feet wide and 18 inches high. These big swaths are easier for cows to access even with snow cover. Choosing a type of crop and variety that is higher yielding also helps to increase utilization.

Read the full article at https://www.albertafarmexpress.ca/2017/11/02/here-are-three-tips-for-swath-and-bale-grazing-this-winter/

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