Forage rejuvenation pays off

Escalating land prices mean cattle producers must pay attention to the productivity of their forage stands.

University of Saskatchewan economic researcher Kathy Larson said land prices in southwestern Saskatchewan have quadrupled in the last 10 years.

The price per acre was $321 in 1996, rose to $506 in 2011 and in 2021 was pegged at $2,000.

“If you do the numbers on that…your principal and interest payments would be about $115 an acre, at five percent on a 25-year loan,” she said. “My point is that you really need to see forage productivity in a forage stand given the cost of it.”

Yield data gathered by Statistics Canada have shown declines in forage yields while cash crop yields are rising.

In this Mesonet Weather Report, Oklahoma state climatologist Gary McManus explains how drought conditions are expanding across the state, while new rain chances may offer some relief. Get the latest Oklahoma weather outlook, drought updat