Building off the success of the 2-year program Forage Management Knowledge Transfer Outreach Events in the Central Interior (2019-2021), the new program will focus on topics including: 1) Conservation practices that promote health soils; 2) Carbon sequestration; 3) Water cycling; 4) Enhancement of biodiversity; and 5) Ecosystem health.
This two year program (starting January 2022) is focused on building collaborative opportunity for regional producer associations to provide contextual extension activities to all involved in the forage sector.
We gratefully acknowledge that the webinar series is funded by the BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries.
Schedule
February 15th – Soil Quality & Water
Soil Quality & Water – Dieter Geesing (AFF)
An in-depth look at how soil texture, structure and organic matter impacts soil quality and movement of water, improving resilience to drought and flooding conditions through effective soil management.
Tools to Measure Water in Soil – Mike Witt, PAg, CCA (Witt Precision Ag) & Serena Black
This short presentation will cover a few tools that could help farmers measure their water infiltration and soil moisture levels, and resources that exist to support getting started.
February 22nd – Soil Quality & Nutrients
Nutrient Management & Soil Quality – Josh Andrews (AFF)
Matching nutrient sources to crop demand is a key principle to sustainable forage production, and understanding the impact of these sources on soil quality is a key component. This presentation will provide an intermediate level look at nutrient management in forage production, and how to develop adaptive management approaches to meeting your crop’s nutrient demands.
February 25th – Management Practices for Soil Quality
Management Practices for Soil Quality: Lessons from the Peace River – Sandra Burton (First Resource) & Dr. Bill McGill (UNBC)
With a more in-depth understanding of soil quality as it relates to water and nutrient management, this webinar focuses on how to connect management practices to improve these soil traits. This highly interactive session will have producers working in both small group discussions and reporting back to the whole group, as they dig deeper into management practices.
March 1st – Cover Cropping & Intercropping
Introduction to Cover Cropping & Intercropping – Dr. Jillian Bainard (AAFC)
This presentation will introduce to how cover crops and intercropping can be incorporated in a forage production system, including considerations and potential risks that are involved.
Regional Experiences Producer Panel: Jeremy Farmer (Roddie Creek Ranch) & Rene Dieleman (Thompson Creek Ranch).
This producer panel will highlight regional experiences with cover crops – what they’ve tried, what worked (and didn’t) and what they’re interested in trying next.
March 8th – No-till Pasture Rejuvenation
Pasture Rejuvenation Techniques – Serena Black, PAg, MSc (Consulting Agrologist)
For the past three years, BC Forage Council has led demonstration research projects focused on no-till pasture rejuvenation across the northern interior of BC (and throughout the Kootenay-Boundary regions). Building from the lessons learned from these sites, this presentation will focus on how producers can match field rejuvenation techniques to their specific context – their assets, their goals, and their soil and climate conditions.
March 15th – Integrated Pest Management
Biodiversity on the Ranch: Integrated Pest Management
This presentation will introduce the principles involved with Integrated Pest Management in forage production. Lessons from other regions will be shared, as well as some preliminary results of regional data collected to date.
Pest Monitoring Pilot & Landscape Dynamics Assessment
The University of Northern BC and the BC Forage Council have partnered together to design a pest monitoring program for the region, as this was an identified priority through the Regional Adaptation Strategies plan from the Climate & Agriculture Initiative of BC. The project starts in 2022 and this brief overview will give you insight of the project goals and activities.
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