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1*1 Agricultureand Agncultureet Agri-FoodCanada AgroalimentaireCanada MAKING EVERY BLADE COUNT Cattle producers have it tough these days. High teed • A famed forage flower costs are among the most daunting challenges. Alfalfa isfamousfor itsdesirableforagecharacteristics: Producers have long relied on grain as feed because it it's perennial so it re-growseveryyear.And ifproperly was inexpensive and high in energy which helped beet managed, it can pull nutrients from the air into the up these critters. Now less grain is available in the world, soil (something called nitrogen fixing). There are and feed grain is expensive, soalternatives are necessary. expensivedownsides, however. It may need to be replanted if it's notwell-managed, and itcauses To address this reality,Agriculture andAgri-Food Canada cows to bloat, and possiblydie, iftheygorge (AAFC) is working with the Manitoba Cattle Producers themselves on it. Association (MCPA) and the Province of Manitoba to explore cost-effective feed alternatives.AAFC scientists Nevertheless, the pros of alfalfa outweigh the cons, Dr. Shannon Scott and Dr. Hushton Block at the which is why it is widely-used as forage.The Centre's Brandon Research Centre in Manitoba are examining early research suggests that if alfalfa is properly mixed forage-based solutions. with other pasture vegetation, the need tofertilize may be reduced or avoided. And ifthe alfalfa is properlygrazed, "This centre has been working to develop a feed it may not need replanting. management package based on alfalfa forage and barley to help producers make the most oftheir resources and "Current results suggest that knowing when to graze, ultimately minimize their costs," said Dr. Block. and what to plant can saveyou fertilizer orseed costs," Dr. Blockexplains. "In a nutshell, the goal isto make the animal heavyand healthy in the least amount oftime, atthe lowest cost," Perennial forage plants like alfalfa are amazing.When explains Martin Unrau, president of the Manitoba MCPA. they sense winter coming, theystop sending nutrients "But it's harder and harderto make a living producing a up to their leaves and start sending them down totheir premium product for our valued customers." roots.This stores their energy in a safe place so the plants can sproutquickly in the springtime. If plants are grazed while they're busy storing this energy, they're less likelyto survive the winter. Canada Once all the plant's energy is sately stored, and the "Grazing may also be extended into the cold months ground is completelyfrozen, the plantcan then be grazed through a method called 'winter bale feeding' where again. But during the in-between time cattle need to stay numerous hay bales are placed throughout a pasture," awayfrom these pasture forages and given something said Dr. Block. "A movablefencing system is used to elseto eat (known as 'deferred grazing.') control when cattle can access each bale.This allows forageto be a primary feed source during the snowy • Notjustfor beer season, while saving on winterfeeding expenses." Tofeed cattlewhile alfalfa pastures prepare for winter,MFC researcher Dr. MarioTherrien is creating • What it means for consumers a 'waxy' barleyvarietywith characteristicsthatwould Consumers expecttender, well-marbled beef, and preserve itthrough the fall. It would be cut into piles that's whatthe Brandon Research Centre aims (swaths) and used to feed hungry cattle during that to produce forconsumers.To ensure theirforage importantfall period when pastures need a break. research producesthe best results in cattle and thefinal meat products, the scientists team up with This is also handy because pasture forage is scarce in specialists in meat quality and food science. winterand storedforage is expensive, sothis barleycould reduce feed storage costs and off-farm feed purchases. "We workwith other research teams inWestern Canada to see how our research affects the carcass "We did some earlytests on this barley's spoilage of animals," said Dr. Block. "If we help producers resistance, but before the tests were complete, the earn a better living producing quality, healthy beef local deerwere already helping themselves," explains for Canadians, we've done ourjob." Dr. Block. "If the deer prefers this waxy barley, we hope cattle will too." To learn more about research conducted by Dr. Block believes that these management methods could MFC scientists, please visit help producers increase pasture productivity byas much www.agr.gc.ca/scienceandinnovation.com. as 50 to 100 per cent without major costs increases. ©HerMajestytheQueeninRightofCanada,2008 Cat.No.A52-137/2-2009E ISBN978-1-100-11535-1 MFCNo 10852E Aussioffertenfrancaissousletitre Unmeilleurrendement,un limbealafois.