29 Apr 2024 CARA Grazing Club Recap
By Karin Roen, CARA
It was another successful winter of hosting “Grazing Clubs” for the Chinook Applied Research Association. From December 2023 to March 2024 CARA hosted ten Grazing Club meetings and over 170 producers from across the Special Areas. The intention of the Grazing Clubs is to gather like-minded producers who have an interest in increasing rotational grazing, improving pasture management, or extending the grazing season.
The meetings were open to any ranchers, farmers, pasture managers, or livestock owners. At each meeting there was a supper provided along with copies of the information presented that were shared via email after the meeting all for a $20/person fee. It was a great opportunity for friends and neighbours to visit, share ideas, and learn from the speakers during the less busy months of the year.
Each month had a main theme that the speakers shared more information on. The themes were “Technology & Infrastructure”, “Nutrition & Health”, “Pasture Management”, and “Business” from December to March, respectively. The meetings were held in Consort and Pollockville every month plus a meeting in Oyen in February and in Spondin in March.
The experts and speakers who came to the Grazing Clubs ranged from University researchers, Government of Alberta specialists, feed and equipment industry members, private consultants, and local producers who shared their trials, tribulations, and successes surrounding grazing practices. Everything from water source development and delivery systems, virtual fences, drought-affected feeding considerations, gopher control, genetics for feed efficient cattle, funding opportunities, and types of extended grazing systems like swath or bale grazing was shared at the meetings.
CARA was grateful to partner with local agricultural societies to help deliver the meetings including Berry Creek Ag Society donating the use of the Hardgrass Hub Community Centre and the Spondin Ag Society for hosting and providing snacks to the meetings participants. CARA partnered with RangeWard Canada during the pasture management themed meetings. The primary sponsor for each meeting was the Canadian Forage and Grasslands Association who are promoting grazing clubs across Canada with the intent to provide producers with the information and tools to increase rotational grazing practices. Another supporter and extremely useful resource for the Grazing Clubs was the Beef Cattle Research Council.
If you are interested in learning more about the Grazing Clubs, have suggestions for speakers or topics, or would like to attend more CARA events please contact Program Agronomist and Extension Coordinator, Karin Roen at cara-3@telus.net or 403-664-3777.
More upcoming events and all kinds of agricultural resources can be found on CARA’s social media or chinookappliedresearch.ca.
