Source: RDAR
“Industry has come together to invest in furthering producer knowledge translation pasture and hay productivity including a cost-benefit analysis aimed at producers – we are excited for the launch of this project and the recommendations that will be generated from the research for Alberta producers.”
The Pasture Rejuvenation Project (PRP) collaborative team is very excited to have been awarded $601,413 in total funding that will provide producers with low-cost methods to improve hay and pasture longevity, as well as improve overall soil health.
This collaborative project brings together industry investment from Results Driven Agriculture Research ($304,865), Beef Cattle Research Council ($235,492), Alberta Beef Producers ($61,050), and additional in-kind research funding support from Agriculture and Agri-food Canada (AAFC), Concordia University of Edmonton (CUE), the Saskatchewan and British Columbia Forage Councils will total over $1 million dollars.
The PRP is a four-year project (2022 to 2026) led by forage researcher Dr. Vern Baron at AAFC in Lacombe. It will investigate potential low-cost and sustainable approaches for improving yields on old low-yielding perennial grass stands. This project will include evaluating the impacts of sod-seeding, grass-legume mixtures, and grazing on forage productivity, as well as physical, chemical and biological health indicators for soil. The research site will be at the AAFC Lacombe Research Centre in Alberta, and demonstration sites will be set up in other parts of Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan.
PRP team members include Dr. Emmanuel Mapfumo (associate professor, environmental science, CUE), Darren Bruhjell (range and forage specialist, AAFC, Edmonton), Campbell Dick (purebred livestock breeder, North Slope Inc., Bawlf, AB), and Serena Black (manager, BC Forage Council, Prince George, BC).
“I am really excited to work on this collaborative Pasture Rejuvenation Project between CUE, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, British Columbia Forage Council, and Saskatchewan Forage Council – the outcome of this research could reduce economic pressure on the livestock-pasture industry if low-cost approaches, such as sod-seeding and inclusion of legumes in grass stands, improve hay and pasture yields.”
Dr. Emmanuel Mapfumo – Associate Professor, Environmental Science, Concordia University Edmonton
“Industry has come together to invest in furthering producer knowledge translation pasture and hay productivity including a cost-benefit analysis aimed at producers – we are excited for the launch of this project and the recommendations that will be generated from the research for Alberta producers.”
Clinton Dobson, Research Director for Results Driven Agriculture Research
This exciting research aligns with the recently introduced Bill C-203 on the National Soil Health Strategy for Canada, which focuses on best practices for improving and sustaining soil health.
This funding will provide opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students interested in conducting research on forage productivity, soil physical, chemical and/or biological health.
