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Off-Source Watering Systems for Livestock

Description

Many producers are using off-source water systems and applying the latest technology available to keep livestock away from the water source and to extend livestock grazing and winter feeding of... More ≫

Description

Many producers are using off-source water systems and applying the latest technology available to keep livestock away from the water source and to extend livestock grazing and winter feeding of livestock away from the farmyard.

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Alberta range plants and their classification

Description

Plants are the primary producers on rangeland. Range plants cluster in communities. Effective range management requires that plant communities, vegetation types, pastures, and finally ranches, be... More ≫

Description

Plants are the primary producers on rangeland. Range plants cluster in communities. Effective range management requires that plant communities, vegetation types, pastures, and finally ranches, be operated as range ecosystems. A range ecosystem is a complex of living and non-living (biotic and abiotic) factors of an environment where everything is connected to everything else. It functions as a unit and anything that affects one part of the unit, such as by grazing, affects the whole complex.

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Nutrient management on intensively managed pastures

Description

Pastures are unique to agricultural production systems in that only a very small portion of the nutrients required for crop production are removed from the system. Up to 90 per cent of the... More ≫

Description

Pastures are unique to agricultural production systems in that only a very small portion of the nutrients required for crop production are removed from the system. Up to 90 per cent of the nutrients ingested by grazing animals are returned to the land in manure (excreta), which is comprised of urine and dung. The rest is utilized in animal maintenance and growth or milk production. Nutrient cycling is faster on grazed than ungrazed grassland because most of the nutrients in manure have been converted from organic (plant material) to inorganic, plant-available forms during the digestive process.

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Range and pasture management when dealing with drought

Description

Every district or ranch has poor production years because of drought. One of the risks in farming or ranching is based on whether drought occurs often or as infrequently as once every 20 years.... More ≫

Description

Every district or ranch has poor production years because of drought. One of the risks in farming or ranching is based on whether drought occurs often or as infrequently as once every 20 years. Good range and pasture management will minimize the effects of drought when it occurs.

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Agronomic management of stockpiled pastures

Description

Stockpiling pasture is a form of deferred grazing. The producer stockpiles the forage grown during the spring and summer for use when the pasture is in short supply or when cows need fall or... More ≫

Description

Stockpiling pasture is a form of deferred grazing. The producer stockpiles the forage grown during the spring and summer for use when the pasture is in short supply or when cows need fall or winter feed. This practice can mean savings for the producer: harvesting, hauling and feeding costs associated with conserved feed are eliminated; and manure does not need to be removed from feeding areas. Winter grazing on native range is common on the southern prairies. Depth of snow cover frequently limits winter grazing of standing forage in the Parkland and Boreal forest regions. However, the grazing season may be extended by several weeks by using stockpiled forage in late fall and early spring.

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Agronomic management of swath grazed pastures

Description

Feed, feeding, cow management and manure disposal can account for up to two-thirds of the total cost of production in a cow-calf operation. Systems that can extend the grazing season and reduce... More ≫

Description

Feed, feeding, cow management and manure disposal can account for up to two-thirds of the total cost of production in a cow-calf operation. Systems that can extend the grazing season and reduce these costs are of great interest to cow-calf producers. One of these systems is swath grazing.

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Remote pasture water systems for livestock

Description

No matter the size of a livestock watering system, proper planning and design play an important role in its effectiveness. Good installation cannot compensate for an inadequate water source. Good... More ≫

Description

No matter the size of a livestock watering system, proper planning and design play an important role in its effectiveness. Good installation cannot compensate for an inadequate water source. Good quality water and sufficient quantity are both vital to livestock. Dugout and off-stream livestock watering systems are an important tool in protecting water sources, riparian areas and livestock.

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Pasture pipeline design [2000]

Description

As pasture systems become more intensively managed, producers are considering piping water directly to paddocks. These pipelines are typically small diameter polyethylene (PE) pipes that are... More ≫

Description

As pasture systems become more intensively managed, producers are considering piping water directly to paddocks. These pipelines are typically small diameter polyethylene (PE) pipes that are buried about 12 inches below the soil surface. They are only used in the summer and must be drained and blown out with an air compressor in the fall. Pasture pipelines can be easily placed underground with a farm tractor and three-point hitch type of plough. The following section provides the information needed to design a basic system.

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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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Winter cereals for pasture

Description

Livestock producers can use winter cereals to produce pasture in the same year that it is needed. Winter cereals can supplement perennial pasture or increase the carrying capacity of a livestock... More ≫

Description

Livestock producers can use winter cereals to produce pasture in the same year that it is needed. Winter cereals can supplement perennial pasture or increase the carrying capacity of a livestock operation. Winter cereals are the first choice for growing annual pasture because seed is readily available and the crop is easy to establish. The best cereals to use are fall rye, winter wheat and winter triticale. They may be fall seeded and fall grazed, or overwintered and grazed in the spring. Winter cereals may also be seeded in the spring and used in the year of seeding.

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