Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
Within Saskatchewan, a number of producers are making the transition from grain to grass and are expanding their livestock operations. Making this decision requires taking time to investigate what forage opportunities are available, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food’s Agri-Business Development Intern Sarah Sommerfeld.
“There are many opportunities out there, in various forms," she says, "but they all come down to one central idea— seeding a perennial or annual for grazing, silage or baled dry forage.”
Prior to seeding perennial forages, producers must select a species that is suitable to their specific area, says Sommerfeld. Forage selection should be based on these criteria: soil type and characteristics, time of grazing, longevity, end use, competition, forage quality and yield potential. Specific species are better adapted to soils that are prone to salinity, flooding or drought. Tall wheatgrass, slender wheatgrass and reed canarygrass have good flooding tolerance, while alfalfa, crested wheatgrass and meadow brome harbour poor flooding tolerance.
Species that are suitable for production on saline soils include members of the wheatgrass family and altai wild rye grass. In areas that are prone to drought, producers could select crested wheatgrass, alfalfa, smooth bromegrass or Russian wild rye grass.
Depending on what time of year the forage will be grazed, the producer should choose the species that offers the greatest yield potential and forage quality. Crested wheatgrass is the best source for early spring grazing, and meadow bromegrass provides optimal forage production from late May to mid-July. Native grasses provide better grazing in late June to August.
“The longevity of various perennial species does differ, but the rule of thumb – ‘take half, leave half’ – should be practiced to maintain plant health and vigour," she says. "‘Take half, leave half’ refers to using only 50 per cent of the forage produced. This practice ensures that there is adequate plant material remaining for the growth and development of a healthy root system – which ultimately dictates the longevity of the grass species. Tame grasses can be safely grazed to various heights, but the general recommendation is to maintain between four to six inches of growth.”
If the decision has been made to seed a mixture, it is important to remember to select species that are suited to the site and complement production.
“A mixture can be as simple as two species, or as complex as several species. There are benefits and costs to seeding a mixture. With a mixture, forage production can be more consistent throughout the grazing season, but a single-species stand provides more uniform growth and re-growth.”
Sommerfeld notes that animal gains can be higher when grazing on a mixture, but animal selectivity can be greater, creating the need for a more intensive grazing management plan.
A mixed grass stand may have greater longevity, as more adapted species thrive and replace less suitable species, but this can result in loss of plant diversity and the benefits from seeding a mixture.
For additional information or assistance regarding seeding forages for grazing, contact the Agriculture Knowledge Centre at 1-866-457-2377.
For more information, contact:
Sarah Sommerfeld, BSA
Agri-Business Development Intern
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
(306) 867-5557
ACAAFS Program Still Accepting Applications
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
Mid-way though its mandate, the Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food Saskatchewan (ACAAFS) program is still inviting applications from the province’s agriculture and agri-food communities, according to the Saskatchewan Council for Community Development (SCCD) executive director, Laurie Dmytryshyn.
The SCCD administers ACAAFS, the successor to the Canadian Adaptation and Rural Development Secretariat (CARDS) program, on behalf of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). Nationally, this is a five-year, $240 million program designed to position Canada's agriculture and agri-food sector at the leading edge, to capture new opportunities. Saskatchewan's share of the ACAAF program, in the amount of $3.22 million annually, is delivered by the ACAAFS committee of the SCCD.
In essence, this is a grant program with three pillars, Dmytryshyn explains.
The first pillar is called Industry-Led Solutions to Emerging Issues. This pillar is attractive to agriculture and agri-food organizations—both for-profits and not-for-profits. It is designed to provide funding to assist industry in testing new ideas and approaches of importance to their sectors. Funding is also provided under this pillar for the development of new value-added products and processes. A good example of this is the Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre's HAACP Technician Certificate Program.
Pillar II – Capturing Market Opportunities by Advancing Research Results – provides funding to organizations so they can address the pre-commercialization gap. Both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations can get funding for feasibility studies, business plans and marketing plans, and to complete engineering and product prototypes. The goal of this pillar is to help commercialize research done by industry, universities and/or government. The maximum grant under this pillar is $500,000, or 50 per cent of the cost for for-profits and 70 per cent for not-for-profits.
The last of the three pillars is called Sharing Information to Advance the Sector. It provides funding to assist industry in gathering, analyzing and sharing information that will shape the future of the sector. Industry organizations are eligible for up to 70 per cent funding for projects that demonstrate significant industry benefits.
“As an added development," explains Dmytryshyn, "we recently announced our new Speaker Sponsorship Program. Funding is available for speakers from the agriculture and agri-food sectors, just as long as they are dealing with issues of importance to industry. We will provide funding in amounts ranging from $2,500 up to $10,000 per application. The program covers 50 per cent of the speaker's fee and travel expenses."
Program details can be accessed by visiting the ACAAFS website at www.sccd.sk.ca/acaafs.
For more information, contact:
Laurie Dmytryshyn
Executive Director
Saskatchewan Council for Community Development
(306) 975-6849
www.sccd.sk.ca/acaafs
Mid-way though its mandate, the Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food Saskatchewan (ACAAFS) program is still inviting applications from the province’s agriculture and agri-food communities, according to the Saskatchewan Council for Community Development (SCCD) executive director, Laurie Dmytryshyn.
The SCCD administers ACAAFS, the successor to the Canadian Adaptation and Rural Development Secretariat (CARDS) program, on behalf of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). Nationally, this is a five-year, $240 million program designed to position Canada's agriculture and agri-food sector at the leading edge, to capture new opportunities. Saskatchewan's share of the ACAAF program, in the amount of $3.22 million annually, is delivered by the ACAAFS committee of the SCCD.
In essence, this is a grant program with three pillars, Dmytryshyn explains.
The first pillar is called Industry-Led Solutions to Emerging Issues. This pillar is attractive to agriculture and agri-food organizations—both for-profits and not-for-profits. It is designed to provide funding to assist industry in testing new ideas and approaches of importance to their sectors. Funding is also provided under this pillar for the development of new value-added products and processes. A good example of this is the Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre's HAACP Technician Certificate Program.
Pillar II – Capturing Market Opportunities by Advancing Research Results – provides funding to organizations so they can address the pre-commercialization gap. Both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations can get funding for feasibility studies, business plans and marketing plans, and to complete engineering and product prototypes. The goal of this pillar is to help commercialize research done by industry, universities and/or government. The maximum grant under this pillar is $500,000, or 50 per cent of the cost for for-profits and 70 per cent for not-for-profits.
The last of the three pillars is called Sharing Information to Advance the Sector. It provides funding to assist industry in gathering, analyzing and sharing information that will shape the future of the sector. Industry organizations are eligible for up to 70 per cent funding for projects that demonstrate significant industry benefits.
“As an added development," explains Dmytryshyn, "we recently announced our new Speaker Sponsorship Program. Funding is available for speakers from the agriculture and agri-food sectors, just as long as they are dealing with issues of importance to industry. We will provide funding in amounts ranging from $2,500 up to $10,000 per application. The program covers 50 per cent of the speaker's fee and travel expenses."
Program details can be accessed by visiting the ACAAFS website at www.sccd.sk.ca/acaafs.
For more information, contact:
Laurie Dmytryshyn
Executive Director
Saskatchewan Council for Community Development
(306) 975-6849
www.sccd.sk.ca/acaafs
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Blaine Lake farmer Preserves Doukhobor Dugout House Heritage
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
If you are driving around the Blaine Lake area on any Saturday from May 20 to August 26, you might want to stop in at the Doukhobor Dugout House on the edge of the North Saskatchewan River Valley.
This is the site of one of the earliest Doukhobor settlements in the province, and perhaps the only one left with remnants of a dugout house, according to Brenda Cheveldayoff, a local landowner and grain producer who, with her husband, has taken an interest in protecting this part of the rich Doukhobor heritage.
“I ended up with this land because, with all the movement in Doukhobor history, a lot of the land went up for sale, and my great-great-grandfather purchased the land in 1925. When my dad passed away, I acquired the land. I had always been curious about its history, and I thought professionals should document it. Research revealed that there were as many as 300 people, and perhaps more, who lived at the site as early as 1899.”
To get to the bottom of this, Cheveldayoff contacted the Department of Archaeology at the University of Saskatchewan, which led to some subsequent research and excavation work.
“Every artefact found in the house has significance—an oven door, a button, some pottery, an old shoe. All are poignant memories of life in those five early years, 1899 to 1904.”
These five years were also used to plane and build a more conventional settlement up on top of the valley. Down below, the rudimentary dwellings provided temporary shelter, Cheveldayoff believes.
“The back wall of the dugout house was all dirt. They used some rock to shore it up. There was a freshwater spring just in front of the house, which is likely why they settled there in the first place," she says. “One dugout dwelling was home to nine families, who cooked and slept in an area of about 436 square feet. During one winter, five babies were born—one of them is buried at the top of the hill to the north. With no money and little resources, these vegetarian pacifists were bent on survival. As men went to work on the railroads in the summer months, the women hitched themselves to the ploughs to turn over land for gardens.”
Doukhobors were good farmers, and still are today. They did a lot of the ploughing by hand, with women pulling the plough to break the prairie soil. Cheveldayoff works with members of the Doukhobor community during the summer to re-enact some of the past activities.
“We do the pulling of the plough from May to August on Saturdays. Visitors might encounter Peter Verigin, who enticed his people to move to Saskatchewan; or Leo Tolstoy, to whom Doukhobors owe the financial resources for their trip through the gift of his book royalties—both of these historic figures will be encountered in period costumes.”
During the rest of the week, the Cheveldayoffs carry on their regular farm activities. Brenda is always on the lookout for new information about her very special heritage site.
“Our documents show there were 57 villages assembled in Saskatchewan, but there is no evidence of dugout houses, except with this one.”
The Doukhobor Dugout House is open, rain or shine, every Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. during the summer months. Tour times are 11:00 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
For more information, contact:
Brenda Cheveldayoff
Doukhobor Dugout House
Blaine Lake
(306) 497-3140
http://www.doukhobordugouthouse.com
If you are driving around the Blaine Lake area on any Saturday from May 20 to August 26, you might want to stop in at the Doukhobor Dugout House on the edge of the North Saskatchewan River Valley.
This is the site of one of the earliest Doukhobor settlements in the province, and perhaps the only one left with remnants of a dugout house, according to Brenda Cheveldayoff, a local landowner and grain producer who, with her husband, has taken an interest in protecting this part of the rich Doukhobor heritage.
“I ended up with this land because, with all the movement in Doukhobor history, a lot of the land went up for sale, and my great-great-grandfather purchased the land in 1925. When my dad passed away, I acquired the land. I had always been curious about its history, and I thought professionals should document it. Research revealed that there were as many as 300 people, and perhaps more, who lived at the site as early as 1899.”
To get to the bottom of this, Cheveldayoff contacted the Department of Archaeology at the University of Saskatchewan, which led to some subsequent research and excavation work.
“Every artefact found in the house has significance—an oven door, a button, some pottery, an old shoe. All are poignant memories of life in those five early years, 1899 to 1904.”
These five years were also used to plane and build a more conventional settlement up on top of the valley. Down below, the rudimentary dwellings provided temporary shelter, Cheveldayoff believes.
“The back wall of the dugout house was all dirt. They used some rock to shore it up. There was a freshwater spring just in front of the house, which is likely why they settled there in the first place," she says. “One dugout dwelling was home to nine families, who cooked and slept in an area of about 436 square feet. During one winter, five babies were born—one of them is buried at the top of the hill to the north. With no money and little resources, these vegetarian pacifists were bent on survival. As men went to work on the railroads in the summer months, the women hitched themselves to the ploughs to turn over land for gardens.”
Doukhobors were good farmers, and still are today. They did a lot of the ploughing by hand, with women pulling the plough to break the prairie soil. Cheveldayoff works with members of the Doukhobor community during the summer to re-enact some of the past activities.
“We do the pulling of the plough from May to August on Saturdays. Visitors might encounter Peter Verigin, who enticed his people to move to Saskatchewan; or Leo Tolstoy, to whom Doukhobors owe the financial resources for their trip through the gift of his book royalties—both of these historic figures will be encountered in period costumes.”
During the rest of the week, the Cheveldayoffs carry on their regular farm activities. Brenda is always on the lookout for new information about her very special heritage site.
“Our documents show there were 57 villages assembled in Saskatchewan, but there is no evidence of dugout houses, except with this one.”
The Doukhobor Dugout House is open, rain or shine, every Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. during the summer months. Tour times are 11:00 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
For more information, contact:
Brenda Cheveldayoff
Doukhobor Dugout House
Blaine Lake
(306) 497-3140
http://www.doukhobordugouthouse.com
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