 Forage and Livestock
eNews
Updates and information from across
the industry
March 13,
2009 - Vol 1, Issue
5 | |
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| Dear Leanne |
 Even though
it seemed a long way off earlier this week, spring
officially arrives in just a short 7
days! While winter weather lingers on in
March, plans for the upcoming growing
season are starting to take shape. In
this issue you will find information about a resource
publication available online, information about
Saskatchewan Crop Insurance forage programs and
deadlines as well as a research project looking at
the long-term suitability of native plant species and
mixtures in the Saskatchewan
environment. 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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| Managing Saskatchewan Rangeland: An
Essential Tool for Rangeland Managers |
The Saskatchewan Forage Council (SFC) was pleased to
publish an updated version of Managing Saskatchewan
Rangeland in 2008. Originally published
in 1990, the updated version of this publication is an
essential resource tool for any rangeland manager. The
focus of this publication is to contribute to the
sustainability of the province's rangeland resources through
education of its users. Topics covered include:
plant ecology and growth, biodiversity, Saskatchewan's natural
vegetation zones, grazing management and monitoring as well as
livestock behaviour, fencing techniques and water development
on pastures. A complete copy can be downloaded
from the Saskatchewan Forage Council's website at http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102500508219&e=001oKycIkV7M4SBvrIHE7DH06l0A0KJnAINSEAAfMISzJNNRWW6qW7c4w-tFmg-yEWOVCJnm-nm_qJ-IFq1Exn4crDlYJlI-y35qIwBuSCERdK2yA4Z2gWRjw== under
the "Resources" section, or a hard copy can be requested by
contacting the SFC office at office@saskforage.ca. Co
editors for this publication were Janice Bruynooghe, Executive
Director of the Saskatchewan Forage Council and Ross
Macdonald, a Range Management Professional. "This
publication is a wonderful guide for anyone who is involved
with managing native grassland in Saskatchewan", states
Bruynooghe. People are encouraged to download the
digital version from the SFC website, but hard copies are
available by contacting the SFC office. Bruynooghe
indicates, "We have had a steady demand for print copies,
but there are still many available for those who prefer a hard
copy. Many people were familiar with the previous
version of Managing Saskatchewan Rangeland and want to update
their resource libraries". Hard copies of
Managing Saskatchewan Rangeland are also available through the
offices of several Saskatchewan Forage Council partner
agencies such as Ducks Unlimited Canada, Saskatchewan
Watershed Authority, PFRA and Saskatchewan Ministry of
Agriculture. Funding for this publication was
provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Greencover
Canada Program. 
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Spotlight on Our Sponsors:
Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation - Forage
Programs and Deadlines |
As a frequent feature in the
Forage and Livestock eNews, "Spotlight on Our
Sponsors" will highlight information provided by a
Saskatchewan Forage Council sponsor. The
Saskatchewan Forage Council acknowledges the support of our
sponsors, without whom publications such as this
e-newsletter, would not be possible!
Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation offers a number
of options for forage producers to manage their risks related
to feed production. Yield-based coverage is
available for a variety of crops used for livestock feed in
the province. Customers are guaranteed a minimum yield at the
projected market price and are compensated for production
losses below their guaranteed coverage. Yield-loss coverage is
available for forage crops such as tame hay, greenfeed and
sweetclover. Insurance coverage can also be purchased for a
variety of feed grains grown in the province. The
Forage Establishment Benefit Option can be selected on newly
seeded acres of tame and native perennial forage and greenfeed
crops. Customers are provided compensation on crop acres
that do not establish. Coverage levels for alfalfa,
alfalfa/grass and grass are increasing in 2009 to $40 per
acre, sweetclover is increasing to $30 per acre and native
forage remains unchanged at $75 per acre. The
Forage Rainfall Insurance Program provides coverage on native
and tame grazing acres based on measured precipitation at one
of 130 weather stations in the province. The Corn Heat Unit
Program insures against a lack of heat units over the growing
season and is available to feed and grain corn producers.
Claims in both programs are not tied to individual yields, but
are triggered when seasonal precipitation or corn heat units
fall below the long-term normal as registered at the selected
station. For further information on the forage
insurance programs available, contact your local Customer
Service Office, call 1-888-935-0000 or visit http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102500508219&e=001oKycIkV7M4S1kLSpjypWTFuJSs7Q8rck1QZlHC0yMBFBVTgoP08o8xSkmyO4o2s_IM7MUszh8buk1VEZOaqs7vOzK6yT1hSRdAgrZDixipX80i0-OHES0GmR_NC9BxJ0. The
deadline to apply, reinstate, cancel or make changes to 2009
contracts is March 31, 2009. 
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| Research Focus: Tame and Native
Species Performance in Monoculture and Mixture in Southern
Saskatchewan |
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Dr. Mike Schellenberg-AAFC Research
Scientist, Semi-Arid Prairie Agricultural Research
Centre (SPARC)
At SPARC, Dr. Mike
Schellenberg is involved in several forage and rangeland
related research projects, one of which is an assessment of
tame and native forage species grown alone or in
combination.
The tame grass species
included in this trial are Crested Wheatgrass (Agropyron
cristatum) and Russian Wildrye (Psathyrostachys
juncea) while the native grass species include Western
Wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii) and Green Needlegrass
(Stipa viridula). The objective is to look at
biomass production of these grass species alone and in
combination. Initially some warm season grasses were
included in the project, but did not persist under the
environmental conditions so were removed from the trial.
This trail began in 2001 and will conclude in 2009.
Looking at the initial results, it appears that
there is not a significant difference between the forage
production of the native and tame species. This is
contrary to popular belief that native species are generally
less productive than tame. Tame grass stands out-yielded
native grass stands in the first few years after
establishment, but native grass stands caught up during
the third year. Dr Schellenberg suggests "this may
be due to tame species being early successional species
(normally associated with rapid growth) vs the late
successional species for natives".
Preliminary results also suggest that mixtures may be
more productive than monocultures.
Dr. Schellenberg is also working with soil
microbiologists on this trial to identify soil microbial
populations for grasses grown alone or in combination.
Initial results show that not only does the soil
microbial population fluctuate with season (spring vs. fall),
there appears to be an effect from grass species. Tame
and native grasses appear to be supporting different soil
microbial communities. The research team hypothesizes
that these differences in soil microbe population may have
an effect on forage production capabilities of the
stands. For more information on this project,
please contact Dr. Mike Schellenberg at (306) 778-7247 or
schellenberg@agr.gc.ca. 
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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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