Cedric MacLeod
From the executive director's desk
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As the CFGA dealt with end-of-year reporting and bookkeeping, the CFGA operations team and I had the opportunity to reflect on just how much the association is currently tackling, the value this brings to CFGA membership and to the Canadian forage industry as a whole. I want to share a quick summary of our recent successes and details on what we have in development.
CFGA currently has a number of funded projects, including:
- A $600,000 investment from Agriculture and Agri Food Canada (AAFC) to deploy the Canadian Grassland Protocol which was developed and deployed by the CFGA with investment support from Shell Canada to retain grasslands in Canada
- A $1,000,000 investment from AAFC to assess the winter survivability of alfalfa in Canada and develop a producer interface tool to support management decisions
- A $1,000,000 investment from AAFC to assess the yield and quality of alfalfa in Canada and develop a producer interface tool to support management decisions
- A $600,000 investment from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) to develop a Habitat and Biodiversity Assessment Tool for the Canadian agriculture landscape coast to coast. This is phase-1 of a three-phase project
We also have a number of projects in the hopper, including:
- A $600,000 investment from ECCC to develop additional habitat and biodiversity assessment modules for British Columbia, Ontario and New Brunswick that will support the message of maintaining grasslands in Canada to support biodiversity on the landscape
- A $1,000,000 application for funds to develop a Canadian Grasslands Inventory
- A $6,000,000 application for funds to fully develop a Canadian Soil Carbon Roadmap for Canadian forage and grassland acres, allowing the forage sector to fully leverage the soil carbon stores that it currently stewards and the soil carbon stores that will be generated by current and future generations
- A National Grazing Mentorship program concept has been in development for the past several months following announcements from Minister Bibeau around climate smart agricultural BMP investments. We continue to work with provincial members to develop this project and gear up to deploy rotational grazing infrastructure across the country
We are excited about the soon-to-be-launched, redesigned CFGA website and are currently working on several projects of value for our export-specific members – watch for additional details on these as they become available. And, we have been busy planning the 2021 conference with our provincial association host, the Quebec Forage Council. You can read more about the conference below in this newsletter.
Exciting initiatives are taking place and I invite you to get in touch if you have any questions.
- Cedric MacLeod
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CFGA Conference
Where do you cultivate inspiration?
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When Chris Martin attended the CFGA annual conference in Quebec in 2014, he went to learn about forage production in that part of the country and find ways to improve production on his own farm in Ontario. And he did. But he also left inspired to invent a product to solve a common problem many Canadian farmers face – drying hay faster and more efficiently.
The CFGA returns to Quebec in 2021 for our 12th annual conference – although virtually this time – and Martin, now the chair of CFGA, says the time since the first Quebec conference has been a period of rapid business growth and development for Chinook Hay Systems.
While in Quebec for that first conference, Martin observed hay-drying systems and wondered if he could find a different method. After much research and development, he came up with an original, automated design for a hay dryer that injects heat and air into a hay bale with a spike.
With financial and moral support key partners, Chinook Hay Systems was born and now has 16 hay-drying systems throughout North America. Some using the Chinook dryers are farmers, while others are hay exporters selling high-quality hay to lucrative Canadian and American equine markets.
2021 Conference details
As the 2014 conference did for Martin, the 2021 edition of the CFGA conference, Forage Landscape Synergies, is set to bring more inspiration to attendees and forage industry experts together from throughout North America.
The conference will explore themes such as:
- the Quebec forage industry - land of opportunity
- a resilient agri-system pathway
- domestic and export market opportunities
- ecological services and grassland ecosystems
Each theme will offer discussions on topics which will delve deeper into the matter. For example, A Resilient Agri-System Pathway will explore topics like navigating the water: soil interface and tools for the modern forage manager to maximize yield and quality. Domestic and Export Market Opportunities will look at current and emerging forage market opportunities and pollinator functions in the Canadian forage seed world.
The conference will be held Dec. 14 to 16, 2021 via Zoom. The CFGA opted to continue with another year of virtual meetings considering uncertainties surrounding COVID-19. The event will be held in both French and English.
In addition to exploring Forage Landscape Synergies, the 2021 CFGA conference will once again accept student posters on forage and grassland research projects underway at agricultural universities across the country. The CFGA Leadership Award will be presented during the conference and virtual breakout rooms will be the location of casual conference conversations and meet-ups.
More info
The 2021 CFGA conference and surrounding events combine to present many opportunities for forage and grassland learnings, discussions and inspiration with forage producers and other industry experts from across the country. Watch the CFGA website for details in the weeks ahead.
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CFGA excited with launch of On-Farm Climate Action Fund |
The CFGA is pleased with the launch of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s $200-million On-Farm Climate Action Fund, a new fund under Agricultural Climate Solutions.
The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, announced the call for proposals from potential delivery partners. Potential delivery partners could include producer groups and associations – such as the CFGA, commodity organizations, Indigenous groups, non-governmental organizations, provincial or territorial Crown corporations, and other organizations.
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CFGA receives $2.6 million to improve alfalfa growth and develop a grassland carbon offset system |
The Canadian Forage and Grassland Association (CFGA) is pleased with the announcement today by the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, of over $2.6 million to support three projects that will assess and improve alfalfa growth using artificial intelligence and develop a Canadian grassland carbon offset system.
CFGA executive director Cedric MacLeod joined Minister Bibeau for the announcement at the farm Bergerie Malvibois in Sawyerville, Quebec, one of the key data collection sites for the project.
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New Brunswick Soil and Crop Improvement Association
2020 NBSCIA Forage Research Recap
by Alexandra Green
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The NBSCIA has a few forage projects on the go with the hope of improving multiple aspects of forage production in New Brunswick. The first project is the New Brunswick Forage 4R Nutrient Stewardship project, which focuses on convincing producers to implement a 4R nutrient stewardship approach to forage production and determining the cost of producing high-quality forage on N.B. livestock farms. Six producers are participating in this project. The participating forage stands are being monitored for forage yield, quality and cost of production. In the fall of 2020, NBDAAF staff soil sampled the sites and made fertilizer recommendations.
In the second branch of this project, NBSCIA set out to evaluate the fertility status of alfalfa in N.B. through a provincial tissue test survey. Although the 2020 growing season was very dry, the tissue samples of alfalfa stands show that sulfur levels in the province were varied but sufficient while magnesium and boron were low in the alfalfa tissue samples. Since these results could derive from the drought conditions of the 2020 growing season, the project team suggests that sampling should continue under different climatic conditions.
The Tantramar Community Pasture Project aims to demonstrate the benefits of improved pasture management through rotational grazing on beef pastureland and to validate increases in soil health and carbon sequestration rates. In 2020, cross fences were installed and the pasture was able to complete the avoided conversion of grasslands protocol for carbon credit generation. The results of their protocol are found in Table 1. Soil health samples did show differences from 2019 to 2020; however, more data is required before these results can be attributed to grazing pattern changes. Future soil samples will be tracked via GPS to ensure greater accuracy in results.
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Table 1: Potential for carbon credit generations through the avoided conversion of grasslands protocol at the Tantramar grasslands corporative Sackville, N.B. Low numbers assume a 50% cropland premium; high assume full cropland value.
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Finally, the third project deals with the evaluation and management of forage varieties in N.B. These trials aim to identify nutrient uptake and removal requirements of legume and grass forage stand at the higher forage yields being obtained and at medium fertility and pH levels and evaluate the role of annual forage species and cereals (oats, barley, peas, etc.) as a companion or nurse crop and evaluate numerous plant species for suitability as emergency forage crops on N.B. livestock farms.
An alfalfa stand was planted in Knightville to test new fertilizer recommendations for higher potassium. At another test site, alfalfa was planted with various nurse crops. Results showed that alfalfa plant numbers were highest without a nurse crop at all.
For the last evaluation during this study, global warming and changing weather patterns were brought into consideration when choosing emergency/annual forage crops. These trials revealed that Sorghum-sudangrass has the highest yield in the first cut and seasonal dry matter yields despite the dry climatic conditions which plagued all crops during the 2020 growing season. Results from annual forage evaluations can be seen in Figure 1.
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Figure 1: Seasonal dry matter yield (t/ha) of annual forage plots planted in Sussex, NB.
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The NBSCIA continues to provide research results on all of these forage projects. Check the website for updates.
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Alberta Forage Industry Network
AFIN launches new and improved FarmingTheWeb.ca
Alberta Forage Industry Network (AFIN) is proud to announce the launch of the new and improved FarmingTheWeb.ca – an agriculture-focused online classified website.
FarmingTheWeb.ca is an easy-to use, secure online buy-sell marketplace that connects individual and larger operational agriculture-related product, supply and service providers to relevant buyers. The long-term goal of FarmingTheWeb.ca is to connect Canadian producers to global buyers.
In mid-2020, AFIN rolled out the soft launch of FarmingTheWeb.ca with a commitment to testing the site and asking for industry feedback throughout the annual supply-and-demand cycles. As a result of this collaboration, “we’re proud that the new and improved website meets the current needs of the agriculture community and can only continue to do so in the future,” said Dr. Surya Acharya, research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Lethbridge and chair of AFIN.
Additions and improvements to FarmingTheWeb.ca include expanded category and search functionality, sector-specific listing details, streamlined account setup and enhanced posting capabilities, including the addition of a short-term rental option for those looking to obtain and use equipment for a limited time period. Additionally, competitive advertising options have also been created to easily connect businesses and organizations to a highly qualified audience.
“As farmers and ranchers, we trust and appreciate the value of a handshake deal,” adds Grant Lastiwka, board member of AFIN. “We’ve applied this sentiment to the digital space, directly connecting like-minded producers and buyers to each other to enable and support mutually beneficial transactions during a time when our industry needs it most.”
FarmingtheWeb.ca is a not-for-profit initiative, all proceeds from advertising and boosted listings go directly to maintaining and promoting the site.
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Ontario Forage Council
The Ontario Hay Listings new and improved
Until now, the Ontario Hay Listings on the Ontario Forage Network website has provided an avenue for buying and selling only hay, straw and biomass products. In an effort to improve the site, and provide increased value to producers, the categories have been expanded to include everything from manure exchange to the labour to shovel it. There is always room for expansion and improvement, so if you have something forage-related to advertise that isn’t included, please let the Ontario Forage Council know.
The process has been simplified and you don’t require a user account to post an ad. Simply fill in the form and click post. The site will remember your information for your next ad.
New available categories include:
- Hay/straw wanted/for sale
- Switchgrass and Miscanthus wanted/for sale
- Cover cop grazing opportunities – Do you have a cover cop you would like grazed, or are you seeking winter grazing opportunities?
- Farm labour
- Equipment - limited to forage equipment
- Manure exchange – Do you have excess manure, or are you seeking it for your land?
- Hay hauling and transport
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Quebec Forage Council/Conseil Québécois des plantes fourragères
Western Canadian Forage U-Pick expanding to include Eastern Canada
The Western Canadian Forage U-Pick tool is expanding to include Eastern Canadian provinces. This project will ensure that the user-friendly Forage U-Pick tool is available for forage and beef producers across Canada, providing a valuable resource when making forage management decisions. It will also increase collaboration among extension groups in Eastern Canada and will help promote BeefResearch.ca and other extension resources to producers in Eastern Canada to increase awareness of and motivation to understand and adopt best forage management practices.
The collaborators will assemble teams of people who have technical knowledge of forage production in their geography. Team members will include researchers, extension staff, farm advisors, industry representatives, or producers.
The project includes an extensive group of collaborators including:
- Ontario Forage Council
- Maritime Beef Council
- Conseil Québécois des Plantes Fourragères (Quebec Forage Council)
- Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
- Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation
We thank the funders that are supporting this project:
- Beef Cattle Research Council
- Canadian Beef Cattle Check-Off
- Ontario Grassroots Growth Program
- Quebec Innov’Action
- Pan-Atlantic Initiative (Canadian Agricultural Partnership)
- Canadian Heritage Translation Grant
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CFGA Gold Sponsor
News from Kemin
Maximizing Nutritional Value of Alfalfa Hay with Propionic Acid Based Preservatives
by Eugene Rodberg, Kemin Animal Nutrition and Health – North America
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Across Canada, climate change is having a dramatic impact on long established weather patterns. For forage and livestock producers, these changes are modifying the way crops are grown, harvested and stored. For producers who raise their own forage, every hectare counts and maximizing nutrient value from the land helps drive down overall production cost. However, how can a producer safely harvest and store their alfalfa crop when drying conditions are not favourable?
For many producers, the answer is to use a preservative, specifically a preservative with a blend of organic acids. Hay barn fires cost producers and the insurance industry millions of dollars. When hay is stored at a moisture greater than 15 per cent, the internal temperature of a large round bale, baled at moisture higher than 15 per cent, can exceed 60°C and can lead to spontaneous combustion. Recent research demonstrated the efficacy of using propionic acid-based preservatives to control bale heating and ultimately preserve the nutritional value of hay1.
This evaluation was conducted in the summer of 2016 at the University of Wisconsin Marshfield Agricultural Research Station in North Central Wisconsin. The trial was conducted to evaluate the storage characteristics and changes in nutritive value of large round bales of alfalfa or alfalfa-grass hays treated with a propionic acid-based preservative.
For this evaluation, 18 large round bales were harvested and baled with a moisture concentration of 20.6 per cent. The bales received either no preservative (control) or two variable applications of the preservation, 5.6 kg and 4.5 kg per ton. For each of the two treatments, two-bale diameters were used, 1.2 metres or 1.5 metres.
After 76 days of storage, the temperature data were evaluated. Each bale was fitted with a thermocouple placed inside the bale. Bale temperatures were cataloged and heating degrees days (HDD) calculated for each treatment and bale diameter. Larger bales were 7°C warmer during the first 30 days of storage when compared with smaller bales (37.5°C versus 30.5°C; P=0.022). This is consistent with other findings in previous research using variable bale sizes.
During the first 30 days of storage, acid treated bales were 6.3°C cooler versus untreated bales (32.0°C versus 38.3°C for untreated bales; P=0.042). Total HDD accumulation during the first 30 days was less for treated bales (258 HDD for untreated bales versus 125 HDD for treated bales; P=0.088).
The bales were also evaluated for nutritive value. There was no difference between the two acid treatment levels related to nutritional value of the hay. There was a difference between the large bales and the smaller bales. The small, 1.2-metre diameter, bales showed little change in nutritional value regardless of treatment. However, treated bales had improved levels of acid detergent fibre (ADF), hemicellulose and cellulose as well as more net energy for lactation (NEl). Spontaneous heating in bales causes sugars and other highly digestible components to oxidize, leaving greater concentrations of fibre components.
For the 1.5-metre bales, the treated hay had significantly lower levels of fibre components relative to energy and total digestible nutrient (TDN). One other measure which improved with acid treatment in large bales was protein content. Treated bales retained more neutral detergent insoluble crude protein (NDICP), likely due to less protein degradation caused by bale heating.
The application of organic acid-based preservatives is a powerful tool for producers who struggle to bale hay at less than 15 per cent moisture. The application of preservative products can aid producers in baling a more nutritious hay which can result in more money at the hay market or more milk for the dairy operation.
(Scientific references available on request. Email us.)
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Calendar of Events
At the time this newsletter was distributed, all event times and locations were accurate, but please check event websites for the most current information. Some events may have been postponed or cancelled.
Dec. 14-16: CFGA 12th Annual Conference co-hosted by CQPF, virtual. More information www.canadianfga.ca
More event listings:
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