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Silage varieties for Alberta

Description

Cattle producers grow ever increasing amounts of annual crops for feed (silage, green feed and swath grazing). Measuring those crop varieties that produce the highest forage yield becomes... More ≫

Description

Cattle producers grow ever increasing amounts of annual crops for feed (silage, green feed and swath grazing). Measuring those crop varieties that produce the highest forage yield becomes increasingly important. Silage is an integral forage source in feedlots across the province and has become more prevalent in cow herds as well. With many producers trying to lower production costs, swath grazing of cow herds has increased dramatically in the last few years. It could also be argued that there is more grain forage than cereal grain fed to take a market animal from conception to plate.

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Applying manure on perennial forage : a summary

Description

Alberta has about 25 million acres of forage land (native and tame hay and pasture). In some cases, applying manure to forage land may be the best option to make use of the nutrients in manure in... More ≫

Description

Alberta has about 25 million acres of forage land (native and tame hay and pasture). In some cases, applying manure to forage land may be the best option to make use of the nutrients in manure in an environmentally sustainable way. As well, applying manure can increase forage productivity and reduce commercial fertilizer costs. Manure is a valuable nutrient source for forage crops as it contains all the major plant nutrients and a number of essential micronutrients. Manure may also enhance soil physical properties such as water infiltration rate and aggregate size and stability, leading to better tilth and improved yields.

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Perennial forage establishment in Alberta

Description

The first step to a productive perennial forage stand is strong seedling establishment. Before the seeding equipment enters the field, several factors must be considered.

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Bale silage

Description

Bale silage involves the preservation of perennial or annual forage crops. Either round or mid-sized square baling systems can be used to produce bale silage. The key is that the baler needs to... More ≫

Description

Bale silage involves the preservation of perennial or annual forage crops. Either round or mid-sized square baling systems can be used to produce bale silage. The key is that the baler needs to produce a dense bale. Soft-core bales are not as effective for making bale silage. Because the forage crop is baled, the silage is maintained as a long fibre forage source.

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Insects associated with alfalfa seed production

Description

This field guide was prepared to enable growers of seed alfalfa to quickly identify their pest and beneficial insects. The important distinguishing features are indicated on the plates by arrows.... More ≫

Description

This field guide was prepared to enable growers of seed alfalfa to quickly identify their pest and beneficial insects. The important distinguishing features are indicated on the plates by arrows. These features can be readily seen with a hand lens or magnifying glass. Economic thresholds are based on the average number of insects captured in five 90° sweeps.

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Grazing tame pastures effectively

Description

To be effective, the nutrients supplied by the pasture must be in balance with the nutrients required by grazing cattle. Given a choice, cattle tend to select plants higher in protein and lower in... More ≫

Description

To be effective, the nutrients supplied by the pasture must be in balance with the nutrients required by grazing cattle. Given a choice, cattle tend to select plants higher in protein and lower in fibre than that of the total available forage. However, plants not selected or unpalatable plants do not necessarily have poor nutritive value. To maximize overall utilization and potential weight gain per acre, cross fencing can be used to obtain more uniform grazing.

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