COCHIN — The Saskatchewan Pasture Tour trekked northwest Aug. 9.
The tour route started and ended in Cochin and included stops at Hatherleigh Pasture, Rising Sun Ranch near Sandwith, Siklenka Seed Farm near Glaslyn and Sunset Bison Ranch near Livelong.
With about 70 people in attendance, the day started with a land acknowledgement and some history of the community pasture era and Hatherleigh Pasture in particular. This was followed by a session of native plant identification led by partner group members.
At the Rising Sun Ranch, Jessie and Rob McNabb described their journey into an expanding rotational grazing program and provided some insight into their purebred Angus operation. They talked about the possibilities and pitfalls they have encountered along the way and the satisfaction they realized with a move from a large commercial herd to a more compact purebred operation.
At this site, participants also learned about some Ducks Unlimited forages programming from Brooke Howat.
The next stop was Glaslyn and Siklenka Enterprises and seed farm. Alison Fransoo and Trish Johnson from the Ministry of Agriculture provided overviews of the Resilient Agricultural Landscapes Program (RALP) and Farm and Ranch Water Infrastructure Program (FRWIP) before introducing Nathan Siklenka.
An insightful presentation about forage seed production and its vital role in the industry was provided by Nathan who led a tour his field of Cicer milkvetch as he answered many questions.
From seed production back to grazing with a side of soil health, participants travelled on to Sunset Bison Ranch, where Avery Shepherd and his family have a growing bison cow-calf herd. Avery is passionate about the rejuvenation of the land, using bison. His switch to cover crops, swath grazing and rotational grazing has increased the soil health on his ranch significantly, and he shared many relatable stories about what works, and what doesn’t, on the road to better land management for healthier soils.
Producer presentations, and the willingness of site hosts to freely share their experiences with wisdom, honesty and humour, are a big part of the ongoing success of the Saskatchewan Pasture Tour. The opportunity to compare operations and best management practices and to take home useful nuggets of information that are immediately relevant to individual businesses is invaluable. Tour organizers are grateful to the McNabb, Siklenka and Shepherd families for opening their farms to us for the day.
Participants also made good use of the travel time, with updates and presentations from Annette Smith with the Saskatchewan Association of Watersheds (SAW) who provided an overview of the Prairie Watershed Climate Program (PWCP); Duncan Morrison, executive director of Manitoba Forage and Grasslands Association spoke about their Aquanty Forecasting Tool and Casey Rempel with The Nature Conservancy of Canada summarized NCC’s Stewardship Investment Program (SIP).
The weather was perfect for a tour that ended with supper at the Cochin Community Hall and more networking opportunities. The day would not have been possible without the generous support of funding partners and sponsorsThe Saskatchewan Association of Watersheds provided the transportation and the Nature Conservancy of Canada supported administration efforts. Many day sponsors have supported this event for years and organizers are grateful for their loyalty, as well as the contributions of first-time sponsors.
The Saskatchewan Pasture Tour is organized by a partnership group including Agriculture and AgriFood Canada, Ducks Unlimited, Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association, Saskatchewan Forage Council, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, University of Saskatchewan and Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence and the Young Cattlemen’s Council.
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