Demonstrating Innovative Pasture Rejuvenation in the Kootenay and Boundary Regions

Project Overview

The BC Forage Council and the Kootenay and Boundary Farm Advisors are collaborating on research demonstration trials that explore different no-till management practices for pastures rejuvenation throughout the Kootenay and Boundary Regions. Eight farm partners located in the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary and the Regional District of East Kootenay are conducting on-site trials to explore Best Management Practices for pasture rejuvenation under their operational context. Moreover, these research sites are also evaluating how these practices are related to soil carbon sequestration, as part of BC’s contribution to the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association’s (CFGA) Agriculture Greenhouse Gas Project (AGGP).

Practices that are being trialed include the use of annual cover crops as seed bed preparation, using grazing management for seed bed preparation, and frost seeding. The trials were initiated in 2019 and 2020 in order to evaluate the equipment and/or management practices’ impact on forage establishment, yield, feed quality, and soil health. The trail will be monitored over two-three growing seasons, depending on when each trial was implemented.

Map Overview of the eight demonstration research plots for pasture rejuvenation in the Kootenay and Boundary regions of BC. Red circles indicate research sites.

Extension Activities and Materials

Producer Panel on Pasture Rejuvenation

March 2021

Farm partners in the Kootenay and Boundary region discussed the best management practices for pasture rejuvenation that they have been trialing over the last two years. This panel provided the unique opportunity for producers across the East Kootenay and Boundary regions to learn about each other’s projects, ask questions, and share their knowledge.

You can access the recording of the two-hour session HERE.

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This project was funded in part by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Government of British Columbia through programs delivered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of B.C. Additional funding was provided by the Kootenay and Boundary Farm Advisors, the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association and the BC Forage Council.