Extended Grazing Systems Covered in Latest Episode of Beef Research School
A new video is now available on BeefResearchSchool.com
The practice of extending grazing into the winter months is quickly gaining popularity. Extended grazing methods, including swath, stockpiled and bale grazing, have considerable economic benefits over traditional winter feeding systems. Well managed systems reduce or eliminate labour, feed and manure handling costs during the winter. New research continually informs management practices that deliver optimum results. For example, research underway by the Beef Cattle Research Council is exploring optimal seeding dates for different annual cereal crops to maximize swathed crop yield and to identify least cost crops or crop combinations.
This video features Dr. Vern Baron, an Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada researcher who specializes in forages and pasture management. He explains feed cost savings and how cattle typically respond when first introduced to swath grazing. Dr. Kim Ominski from the University of Manitoba discusses what producers should keep in mind when selecting sites for swath and bale grazing, and Dr. Don Flatten, a University of Manitoba researcher who specializes in soil fertility, explains benefits and concerns of extended grazing on future forage growth.
See the video here.
Stay tuned for more episodes of the Beef Research School, which will soon cover topics like residual feed intake (RFI), pain management, and antimicrobial resistance. Past episodes discussed managing winter nutrition, feed testing, and research on cattle transport. More information on the Beef Research School.
Learn more about extended grazing
Tips for successful extended grazing to reduce winter feeding costs
BCRC Blog
Extended Grazing
Research summary, fact sheets and links to more resources
BeefResearch.ca
Year Round Grazing 365 Days handbook
Agriculture Research and Extension Council of Alberta (ARECA)
Extended Grazing Season
BeefResearch.ca
Feed Testing
BCRC Blog
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