Ontario Hay Listings is a free classifieds service provided by the Ontario Forage Council. Producers looking to buy or sell hay or straw are encouraged to post an ad. The optimal time to summer seed alfalfa mixes depends on the length of the growing season: More than 3100 CHU: August 10-20 2700 – 3100 CHU: August […]
Pasture managers can determine the minimum grass growth rate required to feed their herd or flock. Producers who track grass growth rates and compare them to their minimum required rate can make proactive management decisions to avoid running out of pasture. […]
South and West According to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada: Bruce, Grey, Dufferin, Simcoe, Niagara, Elgin, and parts of Lambton and Middlesex received average or above average precipitation for June. The rest of the region had below-average rainfall. Above-average levels of winterkill reduced yields in affected fields. Although some dairy producers cut on their preferred calendar […]
Weather A derecho hit Ontario and Quebec along the Windsor-Québec City corridor on May 21st. High winds caused widespread power outages in central and eastern Ontario. Damage included downed/uprooted trees, snapped hydro poles, and several collapsed barns. Resources are available to help producers cope with stress and find mental health support. South and West According to […]
On-off grazing is a management technique to minimize damage while grazing wet pastures. It is an alternative to using a sacrifice paddock. Livestock do the least amount of pugging damage to a field when they are actively grazing. It is other activities, such as visiting the water trough or mineral source, lying down, or socializing […]
Key Points: Forage and pasture plants are more tolerant of saturated soil conditions in early spring when they are growing slowly. Excess water increases the risk of root and crown diseases. Dig up plants to check for disease after the water has subsided. Flood water may leave behind silt that can smother a crop, raise […]
Frost seeding is a popular way to renovate an existing forage stand and is most effective in fields where patches of bare soil at least the size of a loonie are visible. With spring around the corner, many producers have questions about how to best use this technique to improve their hay fields and pastures. […]
Pugging is sod damage and soil compaction caused by livestock hooves. Prevent pugging by moving livestock to a barn, dry lot, or sacrifice paddock. Assess the severity of pugging to determine the most appropriate repair options. Timely repairs maintain pasture yield and keep weeds out. […]
The author of this article is Mary O’Connor, an OMAFRA summer student who, under the supervision of James Byrne (OMAFRA Beef Cattle Specialist), assisted with this project. The article was first published in the October 2021 edition of Virtual Beef. Introduction In Canada, grazing land, consisting of natural and planted pastures, accounts for approximately 50 million […]
This article was written by Breann Saulnier, OMAFRA Grazing Livestock Assistant You may look out into a pasture and see an abundance of tall, delicious-looking grass for livestock to graze but this is not necessarily what the livestock see. The amount of forage available for grazing is the portion of plant material that the animal […]
Co-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 […]
This post was written by Jessica Brasier, OMAFRA summer student. Jessica works under the supervision of Christine O’Reilly (Forage and Grazing Specialist) and James Byrne (Beef Cattle Specialist). Grazing pasture is a great way to save on feed costs and utilize marginal land. To maximize the profitability of a pasture, a producer can use different […]
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 […]
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 […]
Key points: Improper grounding is the most common reason for electric fence malfunctions Install 90 cm (3’) of ground rod for every joule of output from the energizer Ground rods should be more than 3 m (10’) from each other Ground rods should be more than 23 m (75’) from other grounds, waterlines, or utilities. […]
