Coordinating agronomists: Serge Pageau and Émilie Blondeau
Organization: Conseil québécois des plantes fourragères
Practices: Cover crops, rotational grazing
Trial started: Fall 2025
Barrier: There is limited local economic and agronomic data to guide farmers on strategies to effectively extend the fall grazing season while reducing labour and feeding costs. Without comprehensive comparisons to conventional confined hay feeding, farmers lack the support needed to make informed decisions about integrating beneficial management practices like grazing cover crops.
Description: This trial compares three late-fall grazing strategies in a cattle operation: stockpiled forage, standing cover crops, and bale grazing on pasture. Forage yield and quality, dry matter intake, and labour requirements will be recorded. The economics of these extended grazing systems will be compared with the established costs and labour associated with the industry-standard practice of feeding stored forage in confinement. Results will help farmers evaluate whether these strategies can improve cost-efficiency and reduce labour, while delivering environmental benefits.