The Canadian Beef Cattle Research and Technology Transfer Strategy is a five-year program focused on coordinating national beef research priorities, funding, and technology transfer. It emphasizes that increasing producer awareness and adoption is vital for improving feed efficiency and utilization.
To support this goal, small-plot silage crop research validation trials (RVTs) will be conducted at various locations across Alberta. These trials will provide farmers and ranchers with valuable information regarding the performance of different silage crop and green feed varieties. In addition to making this crop data available, it is important that the information be accessible and easy to understand. Therefore, enhanced research extension activities and outreach efforts will be crucial components of the trials planned for 2025 to 2027.
The 2023/24 silage RVTs have brought significant success to the industry with the development of field books, sourcing and distribution of seeds, and analysis of silage data. Trial locations were able to be moved and expanded across the province to areas with higher concentrations of livestock production, and the data was also vetted by the Alberta Regional Variety Advisory Committee (ARVAC) Silage Subcommittee, providing a Western Canadian perspective and experience to the data vetting process prior to publication in the Alberta Seed Guide.
RDAR’s latest funding announcement, leveraged to $650,000, with an additional investment of $40,000 from Alberta Beef Producers (ABP), will build on this success, expanding the initiative to include testing of additional silage crops, such as fall rye and corn. Program researchers will explore the possibility of presenting crop-yield and nutrient stability data so producers can assess the production risk associated with specific varieties; and research extension activities will be broadened to encourage producers to test their feed through tools such as feed calculators, example diets, webinars, and interpretation guides for seed data.
The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, said: “Every day, producers have to make tough choices to protect their businesses, land, and livestock. We’re committed to making sure Alberta’s farmers and ranchers have the information they need to expand their operations and boost their bottom line – and these initiatives will do just that.”
Commenting on today’s announcement, the Honourable RJ Sigurdson, Alberta Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, said: "Silage is an increasingly critical feed to our Alberta farms. The investments and progress made to date on RVT's are significant and are to be commended. I am very pleased to see this RDAR investment extended, leveraged and used across the province. This research will provide essential, useful data that will assist our farmers’ decision-making, helping them ultimately attain higher yields while reducing costs. This investment is another example of RDAR's commitment to getting research back to the farm quickly and in usable form for our farmers."
Dr. Mark Redmond, RDAR CEO, said: “The promising initial results from silage RVT research encouraged RDAR to invest in this larger project. We aim to provide Alberta producers with valuable insights to make informed crop selection decisions and enhance productivity.”
Alberta Seed Processors General Manager, Monica Klaas, commented: “This valuable project will provide significant benefits across various sectors, including the beef, cropping, and dairy industries. We would like to acknowledge the dedication and hard work of Dr. Sheri Strydhorst, the past project coordinator and proposal author, whose leadership made this project possible. Looking ahead, we are excited to welcome Western Crop Innovations as the new project coordinator, ensuring continued progress and success.”
The Alberta Seed Guide, where all silage RVT results are published, helps put results into the hands of producers, cattle feeders, and ranchers, allowing them to make more informed and sustainable decisions on their farms. More information can be found here: seed.ab.ca.
For further details on the Canadian Beef Cattle Research and Technology Transfer, please visit: beefresearch.ca.
About RDAR
RDAR is mandated to target strategic investments in producer-led, results-driven agriculture research to power the profitability, productivity, competitiveness, and sustainability of agriculture in Alberta. As a not-for-profit organization, RDAR's funding comes from the Government of Alberta and the Government of Canada through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership. For more information, please visit: www.rdar.ca
About Alberta Seed Processors
The Alberta Seed Processors are a network of seed and grain processing professionals focused on providing Alberta farmers, seed growers and the agriculture industry with value-added services to support the growth of the local and global agriculture economy. We are a collective of community-minded businesses, working together to offer our members group benefits, professional and business development, through membership and the power of peer networking. Please visit seedprocessors.ca
About ABP
Alberta Beef Producers (ABP) is a not-for-profit industry commission representing Alberta’s cattle producers. ABP’s work spans critical areas such as research, production, communications, marketing, policy advocacy, and stewardship. Run by producers for producers, ABP is dedicated to maintaining a sustainable, competitive beef industry for the benefit of all Albertans. albertabeef.org
About the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership
The Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) is a five-year, $3.5-billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen competitiveness, innovation, and resiliency of Canada’s agriculture, agri‐food and agri‐based products sector. This includes $1 billion in federal programs and activities and a $2.5-billion commitment that is cost-shared 60 per cent federally and 40 per cent provincially/territorially for programs that are designed and delivered by provinces and territories. alberta.ca
Media Contact:
For all enquiries, please contact:
Richard Hilton, Manager, Stakeholder Relations and Communications
richard.hilton@rdar.ca