A three-year (2018–2020) study was conducted in Lanigan (Thin Black soil zone) and Saskatoon (Dark Brown soil zone), SK Canada to compare low-lignin alfalfa (Medicago sativa) cv. Hi-Gest^® 360 (HiGest) with alfalfa- cv. AC Grazeland (Grazeland) in monoculture and binary mixtures with hybrid bromegrass (HBG; cv. AC Success) for forage yield, nutrient profile, and establishment costs. Field plots were seeded in August 2017. Stands were harvested at three maturity stages of alfalfa (1 = 10% bloom; 2 = 40% bloom; and 3 = 100% bloom). Compared to Grazeland, HiGest alfalfa yielded 25% less in Saskatoon in monoculture, but no difference was found in Lanigan. Averaged across two sites, HiGest had 8.6% less acid detergent lignin (6.51 vs. 5.95%) and 10.3% greater in vitro neutral detergent fiber digestibility (42.7 vs. 38.7% of neutral detergent fiber). In the binary mixtures, however, differences in yield and quality between the two alfalfas were negligible. The stand establishment costs averaged 300 Canadian dollar (CAD) ha⁻¹, 205 CAD ha⁻¹, 260 CAD ha⁻¹, and 303 CAD ha⁻¹ for HiGest, Grazeland, Grazeland-HBG, and HiGest-HBG, respectively. Hi-Gest^® 360 alfalfa could provide higher digestible nutrients when it was used as a monoculture and could maintain quality better into later maturing stages. However, the higher seed price, and no actual advantage in mixtures may delay its adoption.

A new fall rye (FR, Secale cereale L.) cv. Bono was investigated as a novel cropping option in Saskatchewan, Canada. In this study, the performance of Bono was compared to Hazlet FR, and both cultivars were compared to winter triticale (WT, Triticosecale Wittm.) cv. Pika in single cropping (SC) or in double cropping (DC) systems with spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) was evaluated in the Dark Brown soil zone, 2019–2021. Five replicated (n = 4) treatments were: (i) BonoFR; (ii) HazletFR; (iii) PikaWT; (iv) Barley–BonoFR; and (v) Barley–HazletFR. The first crop of barley was harvested at soft dough stage, followed by the second crop of FR seeded in the same year and harvested between flag leaf to heading emergence the following summer for greenfeed hay. Bono did not differ (p > 0.05) in DMY (1.2 Mg ha⁻¹) or nutritive value from Hazlet, however, both FRs differed (p = 0.01) from WT by higher nitrogen use efficiency (NUE, 41.0 vs. 33.7) and NDF (541.8 vs. 479.3 g kg^–1), but lower CP (155.3 vs. 187.1 g kg^–1). Double cropping barley with fall ryes increased total DMY, nutrients yield per ha, and minerals uptake by up to 83% and NUE by 35.3%. In conclusion, Bono fall rye could be an equal quality alternative to Hazlet, although the current higher seed price may delay its adoption.

The effect of synergies between saline-tolerant grass and legume species grown in saline soil, on yield, quality, composition, persistence, and weed suppression was studied in 2019–2021 in a moderately saline soil located in the dark brown soil zone near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. ‘Halo’ alfalfa (ALF), a salt-tolerant cultivar of alfalfa, was seeded in binary mixtures with ‘Revenue’ slender wheatgrass (ALF-SWG), ‘Garrison’ creeping meadow foxtail (ALF-CMF), and ‘Radisson’ smooth bromegrass (ALF-SBG). A complex mixture (quaternary) with all three grasses was also included. Four replicated treatments (n = 4) were randomly allocated to 6.2 × 1.2 m plots in spring 2019. The binary mixtures had similar or slightly better stand establishment compared to the quaternary mixture over the two years (83.3 vs. 76.9%), the quaternary stand showed greater (p = 0.01) establishment in Yr 2 than in Yr 1 (85 vs. 68.8%). There was high weed infestation in all the stands, but ALF-SWG had less weed infestation (23.8 vs. 44.1%) than ALF-CMF, especially in Yr 2 (p = 0.05). There were no significant differences among mixtures in yield, nutritional composition, and nutrient uptake. The ALF-CMF and ALF-SWG binary mixtures had 9 to 23% greater mean total DMY than the other mixtures in the moderately saline soil. The cost of establishing forage mixtures on unproductive saline land can be up to 89% recovered after only two years. The results suggested that binary mixtures of ‘Halo’ alfalfa with ‘Revenue’ slender wheatgrass or ‘Garrison’ creeping meadow foxtail could be reasonable alternatives for adequate forage production and quality, high N-use efficiency, and ultimately livestock gain per hectare, as well as for controlling soil salinity and improving soil fertility in this saline area in the dark brown soil zone.

The potential for novel forage mixtures to address reduced herbage for late season grazing was investigated. Forage legumes, sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.) (SF) cvs. AC Mountainview, Shoshone, and Nova (MountainSF, ShoshoneSF, and NovaSF), cicer milkvetch (Astragalus cicer L.) cv. AC Veldt (CMV), Canadian milkvetch (Astragalus canadensis L.) cv. Great Plains (CaMV), and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cv. AC Yellowhead (ALF) were evaluated in binary mixtures with meadow bromegrass (Bromus riparius Rehm.) cv. Admiral (MBG), hybrid bromegrass (B. riparius × B. inermis Leyss.) cv. AC Success (HBG) and Russian wildrye [Psathyrostachys junceus (Fisch.) Nevski.] cv. Tom (RWR) for yield, botanical composition, and nutritive value on July and September harvest dates at Saskatoon and Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada from 2016 to 2018. Hybrid bromegrass-legume mixture produced 16–38% greater forage compared to RWR-legume (7.5 vs. 5.6 Mg ha⁻¹ in July and 6.1 vs. 5.1 Mg ha⁻¹ in September at Saskatoon, and 3.2 vs. 2.0 Mg ha⁻¹ in July at Swift Current). MountainSF and ALF had the greatest legume contribution to total yield at July harvest at Swift Current (67.7 ± 3.2%) and Saskatoon (62.1 ± 2.1%), respectively, while CaMV had lowest composition at Swift Current (20.2 ± 2.5%) and Saskatoon (12.6 ± 3.5%). The CMV and ALF-grass mixtures at Saskatoon and legume-RWR mixtures at both sites in July had greatest CP content. The July harvest had greatest yield, legume content and nutritive value compared to the September harvest at both sites. Study results suggest if yield is the objective, then either ALF or CMV with HBG may be considered. If nutritive value is the goal, any legume with RWR is an option. Finally, ALF or CMV in mixture with either HBG or RWR could be summer or fall stockpile forage in the Northern Great Plains of western Canada.

A 3-year study evaluated an injectable trace mineral (ITM) product (Multimin ^® 90) containing Cu, Mn, Se, and Zn on beef cow and calf performance. Each year, cows were blocked by age, stratified by body weight (BW), and randomly allotted to 1 of 2 treatments, either (i) ITM + granular 2:1 trace mineral (ITM; n = 9 797 100/year); or (ii) granular 2:1 trace mineral alone (CON; n = 98 100 101/year). The ITM was given at 4 weeks pre-calving (PC) and 4 weeks pre-breeding (PB). Cow BW and body condition score (BCS) were evaluated at ITM administration and at fall pregnancy testing (PT). Blood serum mineral concentrations were evaluated at PC, PB, and PT. Serum mineral concentrations at PC, PB, and PT did not differ ( p > 0.05) between groups. However, Cu levels at PT increased ( p = 0.03) for ITM (0.49 ppm) compared to CON cows (0.43 ppm). Over 3 years, average pregnancy rates were 92.1 and 90.6% for ITM and CON cows ( p = 0.57). Cow BW and BCS did not differ ( p > 0.05), and calves born to ITM cows did not differ ( p > 0.05) by birth weight or weaning weight. Future studies should include more cows with greater variability in initial trace mineral status.