 Forage and Livestock
eNews
Updates and information from across
the industry
June 26,
2009 - Vol 1, Issue
9 | |
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| Dear Leanne |
 With June almost behind us,
producers are busy assessing the forage
situation. Through much of the western side of the
province, there are concerns regarding hay yields, the
ability of pastures to hold livestock through the
summer and speculation on forage and feed
prices for the fall and winter. Some areas of
the province welcomed moisture during the past few
weeks lessening these concerns, but there are still many
areas that remain dry. This edition of
the Forage and Livestock
eNews contains information on provincial
government reaction to the drought conditions and
programs that may assist producers in dealing with this
problem. You will also find information on the
alfalfa weevil, the SFC Annual Tour and General Meeting
and a user-friendly calculator that assists producers in
making decisions on their
ranch. As
always, feel free to share this publication with anyone
you think may be interested, or encourage them to join
our mailing list.
Please contact us if you have comments or questions
about our e-newsletter. Also, let us know if
you have ideas for upcoming issues. We
welcome your
input! | | |
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| Saskatchewan Forage Council
Annual Tour and General Meeting
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The Saskatchewan Forage Council (SFC) will hold their
annual tour and general meeting on Thursday July
9, 2009 in Stockholm, SK. As in past
years, the SFC is partnering with a local producer
organization, the Stockholm Grazing Club, to host the
day.
This event will begin in Stockholm at the community
hall. Attendees with then head out on pasture and
field tours of the surrounding area for
the morning. Tour stops will include grazing and
pasture management on a large yearling operation, watering
site developments on pasture and a tour of local
forage seed production fields. Following
lunch at the Stockholm community hall, the SFC
Annual General Meeting will be held.
To close the day, an individual from the forage industry
will be honored with the Forage Industry Innovation
Award. This award was developed and first awarded in
2008 by the SFC to acknowledge exemplary innovation,
leadership, service and stewardship in Saskatchewan's forage
industry by producers, land managers, agency staff and/or
researchers.
Registration is $20 and includes lunch. To
register, please contact the Saskatchewan Forage Council at office@saskforage.ca before July 6th, or
call (306) 966-2148.
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| Alfalfa Weevil Reports in
Saskatchewan
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There have been sporadic reports of alfalfa weevil coming
in to Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture (SMA) regional
offices over the past few weeks. Alfalfa weevil has
traditionally been a problem only in the southeast region of
the province, but in past years has been moving north and
west.
This year, weevils have been
reported as far north as Foam Lake and as far west as
Assiniboia. Lorne Klein, SMA Forage Specialist in
Weyburn, has been in contact with concerned producers in the
Indian Head, Grenfell and Montmartre areas. He reports
that areas where weevils were seen last year seem to have them
again this year.
Damage is inflicted by
alfalfa weevil larvae feeding on the stem and then moving up
the plant to feed on the leaves and buds of the alfalfa
plant. Fields damaged by alfalfa weevils can take on a
discoloured appearance where the crop will develop a whitish
sheen, or frosted appearance, due to foliar damage, which can
be clearly seen from the edge of the field.
 Alfalfa Weevil
Larvae Alfalfa
Weevil Adult
Photo Credit: J
Soroka-AAFC Photo
Credit: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture
Control measures are limited and generally include
cutting the crop early or spraying with
insecticide. The decision to spray should be made
based on the infestation level, stage of the crop, and the
economics involved. For information on control
thresholds and a listing of recommended insecticides,
refer to the June 18, 2009 issue of Crop Production News ( http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102623196571&s=256&e=001DnbmrXh3scyv9QNntq3xWzJfZF10cRBzTJmSWtagZhfBiLl2QITew278Zf5BoU6YTOWkP0-7tWOO8klbto2vqWPsdryyXXPafS7xmEnL9NPckOpGD3guJPbZ_3oGLkpVlPezKNqwO2KNfS_zZS32kg==). While
chemical control of alfalfa weevil is often uneconomical in
hay fields, this year it may be a viable option, as some
producers are trying to give forage crops time to develop
yield. SMA Provincial Forage Specialist, Michel
Tremblay indicates that cool spring conditions likely resulted
in delayed development of alfalfa weevil this year. He
stated that the primary concern this year is low yields,
rather than pest problems. For more information
on the alfalfa weevil and control measures, contact your
regional Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture Forage
Specialist or call the Agriculture Knowledge Centre at
1-866-457-2377.
Top of Page
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Wealthy Rancher: A User-Friendly Tool to Aid
in Decision Making
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At the 2009 Saskatchewan Pasture
School, participants were introduced to a decision-making tool
for grass managers by Arnold Mattson, a grazing manager,
livestock producer, land owner, and AAFC-AESB (formerly PFRA)
employee. The interest from those in attendance was
so high that we wanted to share this user-friendly calculator
with the Forage and Livestock eNews readership.
Arnold developed the Wealthy Rancher Calculator as a
means to assist producers, using profit centres as the
foundation, in gaining financial control of their
pasture/yearling/cow-calf business. The
calculator is designed to help graziers tell their money
where to go rather than trying to figure out where it
went. Questions the calculator can help you answer
include: "What is pasture worth? What is my cost/lb
of gain on pasture? What should I pay to rent or buy
pasture?"
The Wealthy Rancher Calculator is designed to divide
your farm into profit centres, treat each one as a separate
business, and let you know where you are making money.
The calculator employs a user friendly Microsoft excel
spreadsheet where all you have to do is click on the
enterprise (yearling, cow-calf or backgrounding) you wish to
work on, enter your production figures in the yellow area and
the calculator will give you an estimated return for each
profit centre.
Whether you are a
landowner, a custom grazier, or a livestock producer
allocating your own figures (expenses as well as revenues),
this calculator can help you assess the financial situation of
any segment of your forage and grazing
business.
This is a great tool for looking at
"what if" scenarios.
A copy of the calculator can be downloaded from the
Saskatchewan Forage Council website on the "Industry
Resources" page or by clicking on the following link:
You can also request a hard copy of the
calculator on a CD from Arnold at:
Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada -
AESB #945 9700 - Jasper Ave. Edmonton, Alberta T5J
4C3 Business: (780)495-4593 Facsimile:
(780)495-4504 e-mail: mattsona@agr.gc.ca
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| Drought Reaction from
Saskatchewan Government
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Many producers, especially in the western region of
Saskatchewan are dealing with very dry conditions which has
resulted in stunted hay crops and poor pasture
growth. The Saskatchewan Government has made two major
announcements in the past week to help producers who are short
on hay and pasture this summer due to drought
conditions.
The Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of
Environment announced that some Wildlife lands around the
province would be opened up for
grazing offering a temporary measure for producers
dealing with drought.
In the press release issued on June 19, it was reported
that approximately 100,000 acres of Fish and Wildlife
Development Fund lands will be made available. Livestock
producers who are affected by drought were invited to apply
beginning June 22. Grazing will be available until September
15.
Producers will be responsible for providing any
required temporary fencing or water improvements. The same
grazing lease fees that apply to agricultural Crown land will
apply to the Fish and Wildlife Development Fund lands.
Also this week, Saskatchewan Crop Insurance
Corp. announced that they will be
implementing changes to help producers dealing with
drought conditions aimed at accelerating program payments and
addressing potential feed shortages.
In the press release issued by the Ministry of
Agriculture on June 24, three changes were
noted.
First, Crop Insurance will be extending the seeding
deadline for greenfeed crops from June 30 to July 15. Second,
producers who have Crop Insurance will now be able to seed and
insure any cereal greenfeed crop. Third, in areas severely
affected by drought, an increased number of producers will now
have their claims processed without field inspection in order
to receive their payments faster.
If producers have a shortage of pasture or feed, they
can also access Crop Insurance features that allow forage and
annual crops to be grazed by livestock or cut for feed.
For more information on program changes, producers should
contact their local Crop Insurance office.
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Leanne Thompson - Editor
Forage and
Livestock eNews
Forage and Livestock eNews is
published by the Saskatchewan Forage Council (SFC).
Opinions
and information are provided by the authors and
publication does not imply endorsement by the
SFC. |
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The
Saskatchewan Forage Council recognizes the support of
our Annual Sponsors:
 
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Financial support for this project has
been provided by:
the Agriculture Council of Saskatchewan through the
Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food
Saskatchewan (ACAAFS) program. Funding for the
ACAAFS program is provided by Agriculture and
Agri-Food Canada
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