Posts by New Harvest
May the Forage Be With You
The PRFA of BC proudly presents May the Forage be With You: a weekly podcast series with engaging forage, livestock, soil health and pasture management topics.
Check out our first episode: a chat about ‘Forage Breeding and Forage Varieties’ with Dr. Bill Biligetu. Dr. Biligetu is a forage breeder and Associate Professor at the University of Saskatchewan. He is also the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture Strategic Research Program Chair in Forage Crop Breeding. Find out more about the latest forage varieties in the works and the five basic questions to consider when you think about establishing a new forage stand.
Our next episode: discusses the How-Tos of Cattle Marketing (Part 1) with Brian Perillat, Manager of Canfax. Although looking at cattle marketing charts can feel overwhelming, Brian can help you narrow down the key indicators to analyze, depending on the market you are interested in. Like anything, practice makes perfect, and Brian offers some easy first steps that you as a producer can take to get more comfortable with cattle marketing to ultimately capture more profits for your operation.
Please listen once a week, maybe while you eat lunch or cook supper. You can click on the link and hear the episode on your morning commute. Or you can install the FREE Podbean App (Podcast App & Podcast Player – Podbean) to your phone or tablet, and download the episode ahead of time. Search for the podcast series “May the Forage be With You” for our episodes.
It’s going to be interesting, enlightening and fun too! Please come along for the ride.
Website Redesign
The PRFA is currently undergoing a redesign of our website with New Harvest Media. While the website may seem static or unchanged for this spring, it is still running and functional while a lot is going on behind the scenes for the redesign. Once transferring all of the existing pages to a new host and testing of the new site is completed, the new website (with its new look) will be live for members. We will of course let you know when our redesigned website is up and running.
Factsheet #1: Runoff, Drainage & Erosion Project
Factsheet #1: Runoff, Drainage & Erosion Project
This factsheet is an overview of the project. It has a great map showing the 29 watersheds in our region.
Factsheet #2: Erosion Risk Mapping
Factsheet #2: Erosion Risk Mapping
This factsheet describes how map & image processing tools can be used to access erosion risk on a watershed basis.
Factsheet #3: Conversations About Runoff, Drainage & Erosion
Factsheet #3: Conversations About Runoff, Drainage & Erosion
This factsheet helps us understand the erosion processes by linking the RUSLE to the soil landscape.
Factsheet #4: Soil, Water & Residue Management Tools
Factsheet #4: Soil, Water & Residue Management Tools
This factsheet describes the management tools that a farmer or rancher can use to decrease runoff, drainage and erosion problems on their land.
#122 Interseeding with Vredo 101
FF_122_Interseeding with Vredo
Sharing what has been learned in first years of interseeding project
#121 Plants Solve Soil Quality Crimes
#121 Plants Solve Soil Quality Crimes
A soil quality case study in Montney area with Shellie English
#120 Soil Quality Study
#120 Soil Quality Study
A summary of soil quality study 2015 to 2020 with 17 cooperators
#119 Up Your Grazing Game
#119 Up Your Grazing Game
A glimpse of some impressive farm innovations near Syphon Creek
#118 Grazing Improvements: Starting from Scratch
#118 Grazing Improvements: Starting from Scratch
How approach & grazing management improves productivity
#117 Innovation & Farm Decision Making
#117 Innovation & Farm Decision Making
A people first & last approach to understanding farm decision making
#116 Bale Grazing Improves Your Pastures
#116 Bale Grazing Improves Your Pastures
A summary of 2 demonstration plots where soil health was improved
#115 Improving Your Manure
#115 Improving Your Manure
Turn your manure piles before spreading for 4 key benefits
#114 M&Ms of Controlling Alsike Clover
#114 M&Ms of Controlling Alsike Clover
An approach to identifying & controlling alsike clover in pastures
#113 Are You Happy With Your Forage Stand?
#113 Are You Happy With Your Forage Stand?
A quick field method for comparing plant counts & densities
#112 Estimating Forage Yields Yourself
#112 Estimating Forage Yields Yourself
Using the hula hoop method to estimate forage yield is quick & easy
#111 How Photogenic is Your Forage?
#111 How Photogenic is Your Forage?
A photo reference point procedure is described to monitor fields
#110 Locating Field Benchmarks for Monitoring
#110 Locating Field Benchmarks for Monitoring
Well placed benchmarks provide insights & year to year comparisons
#109 Brix values & forage: practical uses & limitations
#109 Brix values & forage: practical uses & limitations
A handy Brix field test provides comparative values but has limits
#108 Using Livestock for Weed Management
#108 Using Livestock for Weed Management
A 7-day schedule to get started is provided
#107 Soil Water & Resiliency
#107 Soil Water & Resiliency
Discussing the importance of soil water & AWHC
#106 Soil Quality for Resiliency
#106 Soil Quality for Resiliency
Results from soil quality comparisons from 13 pairs of sites
#105 Birdsfoot Trefoil The Pasture Legume
#105 Birdsfoot Trefoil The Pasture Legume
Sharing both producer & plot experiences with birdsfoot trefoil
#104 Nutritional Value of Thistle
#104 Nutritional Value of Thistle
Results from nutritional analysis of Canada thistle are shared
#103 Using Livestock as Weed Managers
#103 Using Livestock as Weed Managers
In a pilot project livestock are taught to eat Canada thistle
#102 Marvelous Microbes + Manure Make Money
#102 Marvelous Microbes + Manure Make Money
Turning manure piles increases the value of the soil ammendment
#101 What’s All the Fuss? Cocktail Cover Crops
#101 What’s All the Fuss? Cocktail Cover Crops
Cocktail cover crop produced a nutrient rich feed late in the season
#100 Celebrating A Hundred Forage Facts
#100 Celebrating A Hundred Forage Facts
Over 100 forage factsheets have been circulated over 16 years
#99 Managing On Farm Nutrients To Rejuvenate Hayland
#99 Managing On Farm Nutrients To Rejuvenate Hayland
Using feeding, grazing & nutrient management to revitalize hayfields
#98 Fertilizer Placement, Variable Rates & Nitrogen Losses
#98 Fertilizer Placement, Variable Rates & Nitrogen Losses
Reducing nitrogen losses through fertilizer placement & variable rate
#97 Legumes for Resiliency & Non Bloating
#97 Legumes for Resiliency & Non Bloating
Special adaptations of birdsfoot trefoil, sainfoin & cicer milkvetch
#96 Soil Quality Field Kit Part II
#96 Soil Quality Field Kit Part II ll
The interactions among chemical, physical & biological properties
#95 Soil Quality Field Kit Part I
#95 Soil Quality Field Kit Part I
Soil properties that can be measured with the kit & importance
#94 Revegetation Project: More Lessons Learned
#94 Revegetation Project: More Lessons Learned
Plant stage, vigour, seed mixes, fertilizer response, species
#93 2012 Reveg AllStars? Keepers or Traders in 2014
#93 2012 Reveg AllStars? Keepers or Traders in 2014
Compiling 3 years of species performance data
#92 Spring Verses Fall Seeding
#92 Spring Verses Fall Seeding
Sharing results from fall seeding demoes & recommendations
#91 Understanding Legal Land Locations
#91 Understanding Legal Land Locations
Details of the Dominion Land Survey system used in Peace
#90 Resources for Better Seeding Decisions
#90 Resources for Better Seeding Decisions&_Resources
References & website tools to assist in seeding decisions
#89 Healthy Start for Drought Resistant Forages
#89 Healthy Start for Drought Resistant Forages
The role of phosphorus and potassium in a strong start for forages
#88 3D Fences Spreading Across the Land
#88 3D Fences Spreading Across the Land
Experiences with 3D fences from regions outside the Peace Region
#87 Luring Wildlife to Your Fence
#87 Luring Wildlife to Your Fence
Selection of lures to improve the first interactions with electric fence
#86 Responding Quickly to Wildlife Pressure
#86 Responding Quickly to Wildlife Pressure
Fence designs built mid winter in response to wildlife pressure
#85 Wildlife Fence Behaviour
#85 Wildlife Fence Behaviour
A description of how ungulate wildlife interact with fences
#84 Chamomile Conundrum
#84 Chamomile Conundrum
Preliminary results controlling scentless chamomile in forage fields
#83 Beef Nutrition
#83 Beef Nutrition
A refresher on what to look at & how much in terms of beef nutrition
#82 Re-vegetating Berms & Additional Lessons
#82 Re-vegetating Berms & Additional Lessons
Lessons about natural regeneration & landscaping berms
#81 Re-vegetating Berms & Fertilizer
#81 Re-vegetating Berms & Fertilizer
Fertilization demos show improved success of re-vegetation
#80 Re-vegetating Berms & Cover Crops
#80 Re-vegetating Berms & Cover Crops
Preliminary results with fall rye as a cover crop to establish forages
#79 Why Do We Care About Seed Quality?
#79 Why Do We Care About Seed Quality?
Seed quality indicators, seed analysis, noxious weeds
#78 How Important is Timing of Seeding
#78 How Important is Timing of Seeding
Comparing fall verses spring seeding of various forages
#77 Emerging Re-vegetation Superstars
#77 Emerging Re-vegetation Superstars
Germination and emergence data from Year 1 of the project
#76 Are you Grounded?
#76 Are you Grounded?
Comparing an earth return ground system with hot/cold grounding
#75 Re-vegetation of Oil & Gas Disturbance
#75 Re-vegetation of Oil & Gas Disturbance
Overview of methodology and monitoring in the re-vegetation project
#74 Creeping Red Fescue and Reed Canarygrass
#74 Creeping Red Fescue and Reed Canarygrass&_Reed_Canarygrass
Re-vegetation series of forages for berms, roadways & pipelines
#73 Slender and Crested Wheatgrasses
#73 Slender and Crested Wheatgrasses
Re-vegetation series of forages for berms, roadways & pipelines
#72 Alfalfa and Creamy Peavine
#72 Alfalfa and Creamy Peavine
Re-vegetation series of forages for berms, roadways & pipelines
#71 Timothy and Hybrid Bromegrass
#71 Timothy and Hybrid Bromegrass
Re-vegetation series of forages for roadways & pipelines
#70 Meadow and Smooth Bromegrasses
#70 Meadow and Smooth Bromegrasses
Re-vegetation series of forages for berms, roadways & pipelines
#69 Comparing Your Fencing Costs
#69 Comparing Your Fencing Costs
Comparison of costs between woven wire, electric & 3-D fences
#68 Wildlife Electric Exclusion Fence
#68 Wildlife Electric Exclusion Fence
How to build a high tensile smooth wire electric fence
#67 Wildlife Woven Wire Exclusion Fence
#67 Wildlife Woven Wire Exclusion Fence
How to build a woven wire exclusion fence
#66 Dealing with Predators: Problem Wildlife
#66 Dealing with Predators: Problem Wildlife
How to prevent/deal with predator problems
#65 Ungulate Damage: To Be or Not To Be
#65 Ungulate Damage: To Be or Not To Be
Overview of ungulate mitigation strategies from farmers
#64 Where There Is A Will, There is A Way- 3D Fencing
#64 Where There Is A Will, There is A Way- 3D Fencing
Update of best ways to build a 3-D fence
#63 Snow Depth Adjustments in 3D Fencing
#63 Snow Depth Adjustments in 3D Fencing
Multiple insulators to increase and decrease the height of the fence
#62 Nimitzs’ Adjustable 3D Wildlife Fence ABS hollow pipe to adjust fence height decreases as snow increases
#62 Nimitzs’ Adjustable 3D Wildlife Fence ABS hollow pipe to adjust fence height decreases as snow increases
ABS hollow pipe to adjust fence height decreases as snow increases
#61 Silage Bags with 3D Wildlife Fence
#61 Silage Bags with 3D Wildlife Fence
Modifying an existing fence to a 3-D fence
#60 Seeding Your Knowledge
#60 Seeding Your Knowledge
Overview of seed certificates and analysis
#59 Ungulate & Predator Pressure
#59 Ungulate & Predator Pressure
Impact predators can have during cattle breeding season
#58 Wildlife, Swaths & Soils
#58 Wildlife, Swaths & Soils
Wildlife impacts to feeding management and soil nutrient composition
#57 Wildlife Mitigation Project
#57 Wildlife Mitigation Project
Introduction to project and survey for members
#56 Does 3D Fencing Pay?
#56 Does 3D Fencing Pay?
Cost benefit analysis of 3-D fences
#55 Winter Feeding with 3D Wildlife Fence
#55 Winter Feeding with 3D Wildlife Fence
Changing wildlife movement patterns around a pasture
#54 3D Stackyard with 3D Wildlife Fence
#54 3D Stackyard with 3D Wildlife Fence
Protecting stored hay from wildlife
#53 Grain Bags with 3D Wildlife Fence
#53 Grain Bags with 3D Wildlife Fence
Fencing deer out of grain bags
#52 3D Fencing Keeping Wildlife Away
#52 3D Fencing Keeping Wildlife Away
Create a 3D Fencing System
#51 Meeting the Regs With Manure & Compost
#51 Meeting the Regs With Manure & Compost
Explore the regulations for working with manure and compost
#50 Equipment to Increase Manure Value
#50 Equipment to Increase Manure Value
Using equipment to increase the value of manure
#49 Compost Costs & Benefits
#49 Compost Costs & Benefits
Compare the costs to the benefits
#48 Compost Moisture
#48 Compost Moisture
What is the optimum moisture level for compost
#47 Compost Temperatures
#47 Compost Temperatures
What is the optimum temperature for compost
#46 Compost Coffee at Hogberg Ranch
#46 Compost Coffee at Hogberg Ranch
Alter soil biology to grow what you want
#45 Compost Coffee at Rainey Ranch
#45 Compost Coffee at Rainey Ranch
Improve soil nutrients with compost coffee
#44 Compost Coffee
#44 Compost Coffee
Info on how to make compost coffee
#43 Cow Poo Compost
#43 Cow Poo Compost
New tech way to manage manure
#42 Better BS
#42 Better BS
Improving manure management
#41 BC Producers Demo BMP’s
#41 BC Producers Demo BMP’s
Greenhouse Gas Mitigation projects
#40 Environmentally Friendly Forages
#40 Environmentally Friendly Forages
Association Activities for 2004
#39 Nutrient Management-Anhydrous
#39 Nutrient Management-Anhydrous
Coulter style applicator for anhydrous
#38 Zero Till
#38 Zero Till
Why zero till?
#37 Sutherlands Soil
#37 Sutherlands Soil
Ideas to improve soil quality
#36 Did Lazinchuks get more rain?
#36 Did Lazinchuks get more rain?
Moisture not the only thing that helps yields
#35 Double M Ranch
#35 Double M Ranch
Different nutrients help in different ways
#34 Clarkes Boost Forage Quality
#34 Clarkes Boost Forage Quality
Fertilizer makes a difference in quantity & quality
#33 Cowgers Beef Up Carrying Capacity
#33 Cowgers Beef Up Carrying Capacity
Manure application improves yield
#32 Forage Nutrient Management
#32 Forage Nutrient Management
Winter hardiness & longevity study – 3 year project results
#31 Maintaining Legumes in Pasture
#31 Maintaining Legumes in Pasture
Hay & Pasture Stand Management
#30 Soil Moisture
#30 Soil Moisture
Understanding & managing soil moisture
#29 Forage Seed Sources
#29 Forage Seed Sources
Choosing the best seed & finding seed sources
#28 Learning from Alfalfa Winterkill
#28 Learning from Alfalfa Winterkill
Results of 3 year research survey
#27 Maximum Mileage Feed Silage
#27 Maximum Mileage Feed Silage
Introduction and improvements to Silage
#26 Brush & Broadleaf Bustin
#26 Brush & Broadleaf Bustin
Brush control remedies for pastures
#25 Producers Partner on BMP’s
#25 Producers Partner on BMP’s
Best Management Practices for Soil Conservation
#24 Busy as a Bee in 2003
#24 Busy as a Bee in 2003
Activities of the Association in 2003
#23 Frostfree Nosepump
#23 Frostfree Nosepump
Frostfree Nosepumps a winter watering option
#22 Kelln Solar System
#22 Kelln Solar System
How the Kelln solar winter watering system works
#21 CAP Solar System
#21 CAP Solar System
A look at CAP solar winter watering systems
#20 Understanding Feed Tests
#20 Understanding Feed Tests
In Depth Look at Feed Test Results
#19 Bale or Silage
#19 Bale or Silage
Silage as an Alternative
#18 Feed Testing
#18 Feed Testing
How to Feed Test
#17 Phosphorus
#17 Phosphorus
Phosphorus in Animal and Plant Health
#16 Management
#16 Management
Management Brainstorming
#15 2002 Activities Fact
#15 2002 Activities Fact
What’s New for 2002 Forage Association Activities
#14 Potassium Fact
#14 Potassium Fact
Potassium – A Role in Root Carbohydrates & Winter Hardiness
#13 Permanent Pasture Fact
#13 Permanent Pasture Fact
Promoting Permanent Pasture for the Peace
#12 Intensive Grazing Fact
#12 Intensive Grazing Fact
Increased Forage by Managed Grazing of Logged Lands
#11 Pasture Land Aeration Fact
#11 Pasture Land Aeration Fact
Pasture Land Aeration Update
#10 Liming Fact
#10 Liming Fact
Field Liming Impacts Forage Production
#9 Manure Fact
#9 Manure Fact
Pot of Gold at the End of the Barn
#8 Sulphur Fact
#8 Sulphur Fact
Sulphur – Important for Animal and Plant Health
#7 Solar Pumps Fact
#7 Solar Pumps Fact
Put the Sun to Work for You
#6 Alfalfa Variety Fact
#6 Alfalfa Variety Fact
Alfalfa Varieties Under the Test of Field Scales and Time
#5 PRFA of BC Activities
#5 PRFA of BC Activities
What is our Forage Association Doing?
#4 Nose Pump Fact
#4 Nose Pump Fact
Nose Pump: Cattle Pump Their Own Water
#3 Water Systems Fact
#3 Water Systems Fact
Wisdom From The Watering Holes
#2 Electric Fencing Fact
#2 Electric Fencing Fact
Hot Tips From Electric Fencers
#1 AerWay Rejuvenation Fact
#1 AerWay Rejuvenation Fact
Peace Region Ranchers Knife Life Into Forage Fields
Equipment Rentals
Did you know that you can rent water pumps/pipes, a pasture pipeline plough, a plastic mulch spreader, a tree planter and a VREDO zero till drill from the PRFA? Check out the Equipment rentals and services that the PRFA provides.
Thank you to our Events Coordinator Samantha Dilworth
Thank you to our Events Coordinator Samantha Dilworth for her dedication, resilience and creativity in finding ways to provide events and extension during these Covid times. Even though the Forage Extension and Mentionship Community Outreach Project is finished we hope there will be an opportunity to work together with Samantha in the future.
A summary of the 2021 Winter webinars are included in the spring 2021 newsletter (Forage First, 86th edition).
Other courses and pasture walks were covered in the winter 2021 and fall 2021 newsletter (Forage First, 85th and 84th editions.
If you don’t get a copy of our newsletter in the mail please join and become a member (click on the blue “Join” button on the home page for details).