A national conference being held in Olds this fall will be a good opportunity for forage producers to meet and talk about ways to address challenges facing the industry, the Mountain View County agricultural services board heard.
During the board's latest regularly scheduled monthly meeting, Grant Lastiwka, a grazing and beef specialist with Alberta Agriculture, spoke to members about plans for the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association annual general meeting and conference on December 9 to 11.
The theme of the conference is ‘“Taking Forages Mainstream – Challenges, Pitfalls and Opportunities”. The conference will be held at the Pomeroy Inn and Suites at Olds College.
Forage is a high-fibre product, including hay, silage, and pastures, used by the livestock industry, he said.
Challenges facing the forage industry include “the high price of cereals and oilseeds and the movement away from forages on land and the movement toward more cereals and oilseeds based on support for the biofuel industry” and higher returns from the grain industry, he said.
“We are running into challenges along the way so we need to work together so we can move this industry forward,” Lastiwka told the Gazette. “It certainly has been an industry that has been thought to be secondary in value by so many for so long.
“Like anything, we need to be on the same field. If we are on the same playing field we can build an understanding and we will have an opportunity to make the pitfalls into challenges that are going to be an opportunity we can capture.”
Forages are a “big part of the agriculture industry in Mountain View County,” he said, noting that recent provincial and national reports have come out showcasing the value of forage.
The Olds conference will include a tour of area farms and other sites. There will also be workshops, presentations on research being conducted across Canada, and addresses by keynote speakers.
The conference program will include discussions of forage and grassland research, the role of forages in rotations, forages and the environment and the public perception of the value of forages.
Keynote speakers will include agricultural journalist Laura Rance and research scientist Dr. Pascal Badiou.
Topics at the expert workshop will include the U.S. forage situation, opportunities and challenges facing Canadian exporters, international forage markets, and emerging international markets.
Organizers are expecting 150 producers and others to attend the conference, he said.
The agricultural services board advises Mountain View County council on agriculture issues.
