Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Greenhouse Gases Program (AGGP)

Ryan Canart farm ~ located in the upper valley of the Assiniboine River near Elkhorn, Manitoba.

Six Manitoba Fields Used to Determine Greenhouse Gas Reduction

Researchers dug down on six Manitoba fields during the summer of 2019 as part of a national project to look at the role of forages and grasslands in reducing Greenhouse Gases in Canada.

“High Performance Management Systems To Reduce Greenhouse Gases in Canada’s Forages and Grasslands” is being led nationally by the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association (CFGA) after a successful application to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Greenhouse Gases Program last year.

MFGA’s Role

Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association (MFGA) is fully supportive of the CFGA project and helped identify six fields as project sites - five producer fields in addition to the MBFI Brookdale Farm. Dr. Terence McGonigle of Brandon University will lead the research team in sampling the nominated fields.

“Quite frankly, the five producers that we selected represent a growing number of what we feel are a rapidly increasing number of really informed, really keen livestock and grass producers in our province,” said Duncan Morrison, MFGA executive director. “We want to showcase the results from the way these families are farming and the management systems they are utilizing. It’s time to add the carbon equation to the decision mix and bolster the biodiversity, water management and soil health platforms of grassland retention, forage and livestock production and producer profitability. It’s another feather in our collective farming caps as we tell our producers’ stories around the good they do for our province and country, this time via research anticipated to confirm greenhouse gas reduction on their fields.”

The research aspects of the project wrap up in 2020.

Six Manitoba Fields Designated as Project Sites

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1) MBFI Brookdale Farm
1) MBFI Brookdale Farm

Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiatives is located north of Brandon, MB on Hwy 10 and was selected for the research-history and capacity of the MBFI Brookdale Farm (located on the site formerly occupied by the Zero-Till Management Research Farm).

2) Canart Family Farm
2) Canart Family Farm

Located in the upper valley of the Assiniboine River near Miniota, the farm of Ryan Canart employs intensified rotational grazing. The study field has been put to rotational grazing for 15 years, following conversion from annual crops in 2004.

3) Preston Family Farm
3) Preston Family Farm

East of Miniota at Hamiota, the farm of Allan Preston uses balanced fertility. The study hay field is 30 ac. The field is an older stand of grasses and legumes. Applied fertilizer ac-1 in 2018 was 110 lb N, 35 lb P, and 10 lb S. No fertilizer was applied in 2019.


4) Robins Family Farm
4) Robins Family Farm

Between Brandon and the approach to Riding Mountain National Park, the farm of Clayton Robins uses annual crop integration. Two fields are being studied, with annual crops added from 2011 and 2018, respectively to rest perennials in the critical acclimation period. The cereal or cereal-fababean crop is undersown to a late-season forage mix, with grazing in strips across the field from September. The crop is baled, with feeding at the site formed.

5) Vansteelandt Family Farm
5) Vansteelandt Family Farm

At the south-west of the province, the farm of Matt Vansteelandt near Melita is utilizing adaptive multi-paddock grazing and extensive livestock wintering to build soil health. Various historic bale grazing events are evident across the site. Bale grazing is from December to April. Two selected event sites are from January 2015 and January 2017.

6) Bouw Family Farm
6) Bouw Family Farm

Directly east of Winnipeg, the farm of Jonathan Bouw near Anola utilizes intensive rotational grazing and bale grazing. Bale grazing proceeds from November to May. Animals for bale grazing are heifers and steers at 1.5 years of age at the start of bale grazing. Outside of the bale grazing period, rotational grazing is for 60 developing bulls on 3 ac for 2-3 days. Using the January date, paddocks to be studied correspond to bale grazing in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. Samples are to be taken on-bale and off-bale.

Media

MFGA MEDIA RELEASES

March 29, 2021 - Building Carbon in Soil
Winnipeg, MB (March 29, 2021) – Two recent soil-focused studies done in part on the benefits of grazing systems in Manitoba are showcasing the connection between grazing and improved water infiltration into the soil, a positive impact in production which may bode well for some of the forecasted dry times ahead on Canada’s Prairies.

June 24, 2020 - Forage production drives healthy mix for carbon
Winnipeg, MB (June 24, 2020) - Brandon University's Dr. Terence McGonigle feels he is seeing a response in forage fields and pastures via research on "High Performance Management Systems To Reduce Greenhouse Gases in Canada's Forages and Grasslands". But, as the Brandon University soil scientist and professor enters the 2020 research season, McGonigle says he's not quite ready to declare what kind of field or grazing system is providing the most greenhouse gas reductions among the six Manitoba fields he is researching. Not yet, anyway.

July 16, 2019 - Busy summer ahead for grassland carbon research in Manitoba
Winnipeg, Mb (July 16,2019) - Researchers will be digging down on six Manitoba fields this summer as part of a national project to look at the role of forages and grasslands in reducing Greenhouse Gases in Canada. “High Performance Management Systems To Reduce Greenhouse Gases in Canada’s Forages and Grasslands” is being led nationally by the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association (CFGA) after a successful application to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Greenhouse Gas Program last year.

IN THE NEWS

Nov 28, 2019 - New project to measure carbon sequestration levels in grasslands

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