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New forage lines to help Alberta cattle producers cut feed costs

It's a small number that quickly adds up to big savings for cattle producers- each extra day cattle remain on pasture during the grazing season cuts feed costs by an estimated $0.50 per head.

Now a study funded by the Canada Alberta Beef Industry Development Fund (CABIDF) has identified the most promising new forage lines to help producers extend the grazing season and realize those savings.

"The forage lines we identified feature improvements in one or more of spring growth, fall growth, yield and quality," says forage breeder Dr. Bruce Coulman of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in Saskatoon. "Several of the most promising lines will now be increased and placed in the Western Forage Testing System. When available, these lines will reduce feed costs and improve the overall economics of production for the beef producers of Alberta."

Western Canada's cool growing season has good potential for high forage yields in late spring and early fall, says Coulman. But most forage growth doesn't begin until mid spring and tends to reach the end of production by early October.

"This is clearly an area where there's great room for improvement, and that's a major reason why there's been growing interest in improving the economics of beef production by extending the grazing season," he says. "It's a matter of simple math - if producers can graze their animals on pasture earlier in spring and later in the fall, they don't have to come up with as much conserved feed in the winter."

If the lines identified in the study continue to perform well in the prairie-wide testing system, they are expected to become available as new forage varieties in two or three years following completion of testing. In all, 13 lines spanning five forage crops were selected. They include lines of Westerwold ryegrass, Italian ryegrass, meadow bromegrass, crested wheatgrass and orchardgrass.

"The main objective of the project was to select and evaluate the new forage lines for improved spring as well as fall growth," says Coulman. "But we also examined yield and quality, since ultimately a new forage variety needs the complete package. The lines identified have different combinations of strengths in these areas, but all will provide producers with more and better options."

Each forage type tested features specific advantages, he says.

Meadow bromegrass has become the standard pasture grass of the Canadian prairies. It is more productive in the fall than most other perennial grasses and will stay green longer than smooth bromegrass. But research shows there is enough variation in the species for significantly later fall growth.

Annual ryegrass - both Westerwold and Italian - can stay green and continue growth until the end of October, and provide nutritious pasture into December. Crested wheatgrass and meadow bromegrass are some of the earliest developing perennial grasses in the spring, and have shown good adaptation to Alberta conditions. Orchardgrass is known for fast regrowth after grazing, and lines with improved winterhardiness would make them suitable for Alberta.

"The major benefit of these forages will be for the beef industry, but other sectors of agriculture will also benefit," says Coulman. "Once we develop the best lines as varieties, commercialization rights will be given to seed companies with a strong presence in Alberta and the seed will be grown by western Canadian seed growers."

Along with Coulman, the study was conducted by Dr. Scott Wright, formerly of Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (AAFRD), Arvid Aasen of AAFRD Lacombe, and Duane McCartney and Dr. Vern Baron of the AAFC Lacombe Research Centre.

CABIDF is a joint $16.4 million fund of Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The Fund is administered by Alberta Beef Producers and has supported more than 50 projects in five major categories identified to benefit the Alberta beef industry.

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