The increase in beef cows requires utilization of cropland. Land use is embedded in long-term thinking and the individual desires of those involved in farming and ranching. Agricultural production systems incorporate land eco-types, along with associated capital purchases and investment in equipment. Once these systems are implemented, change is difficult to initiate. In addition, financial partners prefer the well-trodden path in contrast to newer, unknown paths that have greater risk. Data from the 2012 U.S. agricultural census (https://www.agcensus.usda.gov) tell us that within North Dakota, 69.1 percent (27,147,240 acres) was in cropland, 26.1 percent (10,247,184 acres) was in permanent
Forage stands require attention when it comes to fertility management. Check out OMAFRA's article on advice and recommendations for forage fertilizers: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/pub811/3fertility.htm
It’s springtime and we are anxious to get on the land and get our new forage seedings in the ground. There are a few common mistakes made that limit the success of new forage seedings and future yields and quality. 1. Not Seeding New Forage Stands Often Enough Many alfalfa-based stands are simply too old, resulting in huge losses of forage yield. Alfalfa yields are usually at their maximum during the first year or two following the establishment year and then decrease. By the third year, yields have often declined by about 15-20%, and possibly 35% by the fourth year. That is a lot of yield to give up! There are many benefits from alfalfa in a rotation in addition to the improved soil health
Soil microbes provide billions and billions of teeny helping hands to your crops. Those helping hands are key to sustainable, profitable crop production. Crop growers can choose practices that promote healthy soil microbial communities, and researchers like Bobbi Helgason are developing ways to further enhance agriculture’s ability to tap into the remarkable capacity contained in soil microbial life. “Healthy microbial communities perform a wide range of critical ecosystem functions, such as regulation of nutrient availability and pathogen suppression. They decompose organic matter such as crop residues and release the nutrients. And they do many other things, like maintaining soil structu
Economics of soil loss Soil health is vital, but soil loss is paramount because you’re losing 15 bushels per acre/year worth of corn. Kurt Lawton | Mar 13, 2017 Think Different The average soil loss rate is 5.8 tons per acre per year. Most farmers unfortunately believe their erosion loss is a fraction of that amount. When you’re losing soil, you’re losing yield – to the tune of about 15 bushels per acre per year of lost potential. Over 10 years, 0.37-inch topsoil loss totals about $12,225 in lost yield and nutrients on 40 acres (given 5.8 tons/year average). When no-till and cover crops are used, that cumulative erosion cost drops to $500 per decade, on that same 40 acres. Multiply that over
There’s a spreadsheet that can do that. Provincial farm management staffs have developed tools for everything from converting bushels to tonnes to planning a whole year’s cropping plan Sharing equipment or renting from a neighbour? This guide by the Saskatchewan and Manitoba departments of agriculture helps determine a rate. Photo: Government of Saskatchewan Smartphones and their apps may be handy for some purposes, but they’re not tools for making detailed calculations, especially the kind that you have to take to your banker. That’s where you’re better off with an old-fashioned Excel spreadsheet, and thanks to government extension staff in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, there are many
DUC/CPS forage program offers financial break for grassland conversions (Jan. 25, 2017—Camrose, Alta.) On land not so far away, farmers across the Canadian prairies will see their herds going to the green side thanks to a forage program available now from Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and Crop Production Services (CPS). Available to agricultural producers in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, the DUC/CPS forage program provides cash-back incentives on all Proven® Seed forage seed purchases paid at full-retail price when producers convert cultivated land to hay or pastureland. In Alberta and Saskatchewan, producers receive a rebate of $100 per 50 lb. bag of forage seed; in Manitoba, producers
Making Sense of the Many Systems of Rotational Grazing Five minutes exploring the grazing literature is enough to be horribly confused about the many systems of livestock rotation. Each model has fervent devotees, and none is inherently right. The meaningful question is what level of rotation makes sense for your farm and life. That answer will almost certainly vary, by the day or over decades – to account for a weekend away, a poorly growing area, a desire to increase profitability, a problem with pink eye, kids to be kept busy, or any other of dozens of factors. Understanding the models as a continuum with trade-offs can be helpful in getting beyond the terminology and to the right deci
