Better conditions ahead for Canadian pastures

Grazing land and forage crops across the country have certainly been tested by extreme weather this past year.

The Prairies and Quebec both saw extended dry conditions throughout the spring and summer, which left many pastures looking like billiard tables and impacted forage yields, sending the price of hay through the roof.

To cap off the growing season, the Prairies saw snow and rain, which further hampered the crop, while Quebec and the Maritimes also saw moisture.

Cedric MacLeod is the executive director of the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association and a New Brunswick farmer.

He says while the snow and rain were detrimental to forage crops, the wet weather was a help to pastures.

"This is a pretty important time to be getting some moisture and restoring soil moisture reserves, so we are ready for next spring," MacLeod says. 

The dry weather situation in Alberta was so bad this summer, says Harry Brook, Alberta Agriculture crop specialist, that it resulted in hay prices spiking, making it pointless in some cases to keep cattle.

"There's astronomical prices that people are asking for, but anyone who is raising cattle for a living will not pay over a certain amount," says Brook.

He says they were better off selling cattle.

Saskatchewan saw a mix of conditions with the western part of the province dry, while the northeast saw excess moisture. Terry Kowalchuk, a forage crop specialist with the Ministry of Agriculture, says this variation between different areas of the province was reflected in the price of hay.

"We've heard of prices as low as $40 per ton for hay this year in the northeast where they had excess supplies, and anywhere from $200 to $250 per ton in drought-affected areas," Kowalchuk says.

Industry Development Specialist with the Province of Manitoba, Glenn Friesen, says he also heard reports of cattle moving to market sooner because of what farmers would need to pay to feed them.

"Producers are having a hard time seeing the economics of it, so we are still seeing some sales of animals," Friesen says.

He notes that while dry conditions were hard on pastures, producers' management practices have improved significantly, allowing them to better stand up to adverse conditions.