by Maja Menegotto, Undergraduate Student Experiential Learning (USEL) program student What is a Falling Plate Meter? A falling plate meter is a tool that can be used to estimate dry matter yield within grazing pastures (Rayburn and Lozier, 2003b). To do this, an acrylic plate is lowered against a metre stick in the center of the plate, onto the grass….
Cereals, soybeans, and silage corn are all being harvested, or will be soon! That bare ground provides an opportunity to boost forage inventories by double cropping with a winter cereal, while getting all the benefits of a cover crop in the rotation. Why use winter cereals as forage? It’s a cover crop that makes money the year it is grown….
Save the date! Forage Focus 2019 will be held December 5th 9:30 am – 3:30 pm EST at the Stratford Rotary Complex. Registration will open soon. Ontario Forage Council is looking for remote location hosts to receive the live stream in northern and eastern Ontario. If interested in hosting, contact Patricia Ellingwood at 1-877-892-8663. The OntarioHayListings.ca website is a free classifieds database…
The OntarioHayListings.ca website is a free classifieds database for producers looking to buy or sell hay and straw. Southwestern According to AAFC, the northern tip of the Bruce Peninsula, as well as Essex, Chatham-Kent, Lambton, Middlesex, Elgin, Oxford, Norfolk, Brant, Haldimand, and Hamilton received average or above-average precipitation for the month of July. The rest of the region experienced below-average amounts of…
Reports are coming in about insect pressure in forage crops and pastures across the province. Central and eastern Ontario currently have high potato leafhopper pressure, while districts across northern Ontario are challenged by armyworms. The only way to know if a field has insect pressure is to scout it! More information about scouting forage crops can be found in OMAFRA…
The OntarioHayListings.ca website is a free classifieds database for producers looking to buy or sell hay and straw. Forage Expo (West) will be held July 9th at Pendora Dairy Ltd., 6447 County Road 164, Monkton (Perth County) from 10am-3pm. For more info see Ontario Forage Council’s website. **DATE CHANGE** Forage Expo (East) will be held July 23rd at Vosbrae Farms, 140 Skyline…
Reports indicate widespread alfalfa winterkill due to several thaws that reduced snow cover and created ice in fields. Many stands were either patched or put into an annual forage. Here are some tips on managing alternative forage crops. First cut is usually (but not always) 60 days after planting Table 1. Harvest guidelines for alternative forage crops Crop Planting to…
Christine O'Reilly June 14, 2019 807 Comments Off on Slowing down the rotation protects pasture yieldCo-written by James Byrne, OMAFRA Beef Cattle Specialist Grass doesn’t just happen. Maximizing pasture yield requires management, and one of the most important decisions a manager can make is to give their grass enough time to fully recover after being grazed. Pastures have fully recovered from a grazing event when the grass plants have 3-4 new leaves. At this stage…
The OntarioHayListings.ca website is a free classifieds database for producers looking to buy or sell hay and straw. Southwestern Estimates suggest at least 50% of fields have some level of winterkill. Cool conditions have slowed forage growth. First cut of dairy-quality hay usually begins on the Victoria Day weekend; however, less than 295 GDDs have accumulated outside Essex County. Alfalfa reaches early…
Reports indicate widespread alfalfa winterkill due to several thaws that reduced snow cover and created ice cover in fields. Producers need to scout their hay fields to assess the damage, then develop a plan to ensure they will have the forage they need. Keep it, patch it, or start over? Plant counts should be done in the spring and fall…
According to Agriculture and Agrifood Canada, April 2019 brought above-average precipitation to most of the province. Southwestern Despite several thaws, forages seem to have overwintered better than expected in most of the region. See Check Alfalfa Stands This Spring and Make a Plan for scouting information. There are some reports of alfalfa heaving. The freeze/thaw cycles can “jack” the plants…
Spring is in the air, and livestock and farmers alike are eager to start the grazing season. Timing that delightful move is critical, as spring grazing management sets up both yield potential of the pasture and the amount of gain achievable for young stock. How early is too early? Livestock should go out on pasture when grasses have fully…
Dry summer conditions in some parts of the province have farmers thinking about available forage. There are several things that can be done to help ensure you have enough feed until next spring. Take inventory Knowing the amount of forage needed to get through the year is the first step to ensuring your farm has enough. Ruminants eat approximately 2%…
Map shows average start dates for the critical fall harvest period of alfalfa. Note that the CFHP is the six weeks before the first killing frost. Southwestern: Regrowth on hay fields and pastures has been good in response to adequate rainfall. As of August 29, southwestern Ontario received above average rainfall for the month of August. Some areas of Lambton,…
Map shows the percent of average rainfall received across Ontario in July, 2018 Lab analyses indicate that quality decline for first cut was very fast, and test results range from low to very high quality. Producers cutting based on calendar date rather than crop stage may have lower quality forages than expected. Pasture regrowth has been slow, and many producers…
