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Canadian Forage and Grassland Association
Making Plans for World Dairy Expo
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Consultez les chroniques du Conseil québécois des plantes fourragères (CQPF) sur le site Web de la CFGA View our Quebec Forage Council Fact Sheets on the CFGA website
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Wallenstein Sponsors CFGA
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Friends of CFGA
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Become a CFGA Sponsor Platinum - $10,000 Gold - $5,000 Silver - $2,500 |
Become a Member Overseas Exporters $1500 U.S. Exporters $250 Patrons/Friends $250 |
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Ontario Hay Marketing Forum - Exploring Forage Export & Processing Opportunities
 The Ontario Hay Marketing Forum has a keen interest in participating in the Forage Export Market and plays an active role in helping CFGA meet Canada's requirements in filling the export requests.
The members of the Ontario Hay Marketing Forum have met a few times during the past year and have taken forage exports very seriously. They have appointed a "Working Group" to further investigate the development of double compaction facilities in Ontario. The Working Group has decided it is necessary to do a feasibility study to assist in guiding the process. A "Call for Proposals" will be issued soon to obtain a consultant to conduct the study. We anticipate a final report will be available before year-end.
For further information, please feel free to contact Ray Robertson at the Ontario Forage Council. Phone: (519) 986-1484 or email ray@ontarioforagecouncil.com
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Dairy Farmers of Canada and Canadian Cattlemen's Association Provide Valuable Support to the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association
A key focus of the CFGA is to provide support to the livestock sector through "promoting the optimum use of forage and grasslands". A recent decision by the Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) to become a supporting member of the CFGA will go a long way to helping the CFGA move forward with this focus. This support coupled with that of the Canadian Cattlemen's Association (CCA) will enable the CFGA to work very closely with both organizations in addressing the opportunities and challenges in the forage and grassland area related to livestock production. In the near future the Dairy Farmers of Canada will be appointing a Director to serve on the CFGA Board of Directors. Ray Armbruster, a Manitoba Beef Producer, represents the CCA on the CFGA Board.
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CFGA Refines Research/Extension Objectives
According to Jack Kyle, Committee Chair and Grazier Specialist with Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs "the committtee has met to at least set some guidelines and objectives for CFGA research projects and extension work. It's a broad field so we've got representation from quite a few provinces to help us determine what is most needed." So far, the committee has established the following principals to guide them with their decisions. Forage research capacity in Canada. Forages (both seeded and rangeland) represent a significant portion of the agricultural lands in Canada and provide the majority of feed for the ruminant livestock and equine industries as well as export sales of forage and forage products. It is essential that the research capacity be reflective of this major role in the Canadian economy. Communication of forage research results and management practices to producers, industry and Canadians. Information gained through research must be communicated to those people who can put the research results into production practices. Enhancing the communication will be an important aspect of the Research and Extension Committee. The ecological goods and services value of forages through habitat for wildlife, erosion control, and maintaining water quality are significant. Research to confirm these values will be encouraged.
Back to top Stay tuned with our progress and sign up to receive our newsletters & event invitations (approximately 7 per year).
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CFGA Director Profile
Meet Germain Lefebvre, Representative from the Quebec Forage Council
 Germain has been involved with the Quebec Forage Council (QFC) since it was founded in 1989 and has served as President since 1995. The Board of Directors of 15 persons (14 elected) strongly believe that QFC is the necessary voice for the forage sector. "Our priority is to create awareness and draw attention to the importance of forages. We see the need to become a stronger and more active organization," says Germain.
QFC has also been involved in the creation of the CFGA. We believe that it will ensure the provincials organizations, a national voice for the whole sector and hopefully involvement in forages at a federal level.
"We hope that CFGA will help us at QFC address our most important issues: increasing the contribution of forages to our dairy and animals industry, and will help the market hay industry get a foothold."
Germain is also a founding owner of Agro-Bio Contrôle Inc., which is now in its 25th year. Agro-Bio Contrôle products and services are dedicated to forage and crop preservation, based on propionic acid formulations for hay, silage and high moisture grain as well as mixed animal feed.
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Consultez les chroniques du
Conseil québécois des plantes fourragères (CQPF)
sur le site Web de la CFGA
View our Quebec Forage Council
chronicles on the CFGA website
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 Dairy Goat Project Moving Forward in Nepal Ray Robertson (Ontario Forage Council) recently returned from a mission in Nepal to assist in moving forward on the dairy goat project. Ray has been involved with this project for a few years, however, political problems in the country has made it difficult to maintain continuous contact.  Agriculture /dairy have been Ray's major focus because more than 80 percent of the population depends on agriculture for their survival. Dairy is the primary commodity (80 % of their milk comes from water buffalo); and they sell the milk to provide for the necessities of life.
"On my first visit to Nepal back in 2000, I questioned why no one was milking goats, because in my opinion, the country is better suited for dairy goats than dairy cows. Most land holdings are 1 to 2 hectares; much of the land is terraced on the hillside and women do most of the work with the animals. The reply was that they had never actually consumed goat's milk or products. They have never had dairy goats, but have great meat goats." says Ray. "Now there are people who are willing to invest in a large demonstration project, so we will have some local ownership, which is important for a successful program." A small delegation is being invited to Ontario to get first hand information about our dairy goat industry. Ray has been working on a number of initiatives: Agri Co-operative development and ways they can be more beneficial to their co-op members. One way they can help their members is to host seminars to show them how they can make better quality hay for their animals. "Not leaving it lay in field for 14 to 21 days to cure......(that is their current practice). Just one point - brown hay is not very nutritious!!" notes Ray. Ray was also invited to meet with some of the Nepal Co-operative Banks (same as our Credit Unions) with the hope that Canada could share some of our systems/policies that could potentially help with fraud reduction. Ray is just making connections on that program now and will work with local groups here in Ontario to possibly arrange for a future Credit Union mission or potential internship program. Back to top
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Need some Forage Information?
Foragebeef.ca provides a wide array of information on current Canadian agricultural issues and forage and beef production. "We source fact sheets and research from all across Canada and the world that is pertinent to our readers," says Ken Ziegler, forage/beef specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development.
The technical section of Foragebeef.ca has three levels of information, structured to provide a vast amount of information quickly an easily.
Level 1 is the straight forward "cut to the core" type of information that you may want on a particular topic. "Knowledge Nuggets", contain approximately ten of the most important pieces of information that address a topic.
Level 2 provides a series of fact sheets that are the most applicable for your topic of interest. From literally hundreds of fact sheets, we selected the best and culled the rest, looking for the most comprehensive and applicable fact sheets to western Canadian agriculture.
Level 3 is for the analyzer who wants to know how the information was derived. In this level you'll find a collection of scientific review papers, research abstracts and links to research communities throughout Canada and the world. Level 3 is the storehouse for the research community.
To join the list of folks receiving announcements, send your email to Grant Lastiwka at grant.lastiwka@gov.ab.ca
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Silver Sponsor
Wallenstein Feed & Supply Ltd.
Wallenstein Feed and Supply Ltd. (WFS) is an independently owned, Ontario feed manufacturer headquartered in Wallenstein, ON with a second location in Monkton, ON. WFS' goal has always been to help the customer succeed, so in 2009 they purchased Great Lakes Nutrition (on-farm premix) and Nuhn Bio-Tech (forage preservatives and applicators).
WFS still works closely with the Nuhn Family, who spent over two decades developing Canada's leading line of forage preservatives. WFS's highly trained ruminant team has had expertise in dealing with both small market and large commercial hay producers. With continuous product development and innovation - our goal is to provide the best solutions to forage preservation.
The Juice represents our commitment to serious hay producers. This buffered, propionic acid based hay preservative improves colour retention, feed value and bale weights. This ensures that customers receive a premium price for their product, one that maximizes profitability and reduces costly spoilage losses.
WFS's innovative products are manufactured in accordance with Agriculture Canada CFIA guidelines which include inspection of all storage & mixing equipment, record keeping and quality control measures.
For more information on our products and services, please contact us at 1-800-965-9127 or visit
www.juicehay.ca
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Make Serious Hay!
Wallenstein Feed & Supply Ltd. is a proud sponsor of the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association; we look forward to your continued growth and prosperity.
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Canadian Forage and Grassland Association
Making Plans for World Dairy Expo
In the past the annual World Dairy Expo (WDE), Oct 4-8, Madison, Wisconsin has been an important opportunity for Manitoba forage producers to create market access for their forage products in the US and to overseas markets. This year the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association is working with Manitoba Forage Marketers along with forage marketers from other Provinces to have a presence at World Dairy Expo. The WDE is not only an opportunity to develop market access and awareness among US producers, it is also a chance to meet with delegations from other countries and develop overseas markets. World Dairy Expo
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Aid for Manitoba Forage & Beef Producers
 "The Manitoba and federal government's announcement of aid for our Manitoba forage and beef producers is a welcome relief," says Doug Wray, Chair of the Canadian Forage & Grassland Association. "This AgriRecovery Program is definitely a step in the right direction - we appreciate that the Manitoba Government has issued support so quickly for our farmers."
The funding is expected to be shared 60/40 between the provincial and federal governments and includes:
* $30 per acre for unseeded and flooded-out acres;
* assistance for forage shortfall for flooding on pasture and hay land, for immediate and overwinter needs;
* transportation assistance based on costs associated with moving feed to animals and animals to feed;
* $15 per acre to plant green feed by July 22, 2011;
* $50 per acre for forage restoration assistance to restore and reseed tame hay and forage seed acres damaged by flood water;
* infrastructure rehabilitation and flood-mitigation assistance for feedlots, dairy farmers, and potato and horticultural operations that suffered damage from the flood; and
* assistance for nurseries, vegetable and fruit producers, and leafcutter bee producers for lost perishable inventory.
Unprecedented flooding in the province has resulted in 3 million unseeded acres, and an expected loss to the economy of over $1 billion. This program will cost $194 million according to Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives Minister Stan Struthers, and will be in addition to crop insurance and the AgriStability and AgriInvest programs already in place for farmers.
Read the Provincial Press Release
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