Trials & Demonstrations

This multi-year project will demonstrate the benefits of a systematic approach to breeding and how sire-progeny and other herd performance information can be used to generate measurable productivity and profitability improvements.

Utilizing soil probes and weather stations, this project is looking at differences in soil moisture profiles in various forage & cropping systems, and the overall usefulness of these technologies for forage producers.

This project focuses on the process of adopting new innovations and/or technology on Alberta ranches. Producers throughout the province have adopted a variety of innovations on their operations through this project.

This project is working to assess and document soil health indicators at over 200 locations per year across Alberta and information from these sites is being compiled into a large data base by the CARA Soil Health Lab.

WCFA and other research organizations across the province have been working on the Regional Silage Variety Trials since 2009 to provide variety performance data to producers and industry.

WCFA regularly evaluates a number of perennial forages and perennial forage mixtures for regional establishment, persistence, dry matter yield and nutritional quality.

Industrial hemp variety trials are used to evaluate a number of grain and dual-purpose hemp varieties for yield and quality at the Brazeau County Research Site near Drayton Valley, AB.

Corn variety trials are used to evaluate the performance of grazing and silage corn varieties in the west-central region of Alberta.

WCFA has conducted several cocktail/cover crop trials to evaluate the performance of a number of these crops in the west-central region of Alberta.

This trial explored the agronomic and economic impacts of fall grazing through small plot studies in Alberta (one near Wildwood and two near Medicine Hat under irrigation) and field scale information from a local producer using the system.

Pollinator Mixes could have multiple benefits for ecosystem regeneration and need to be actively investigated for their potential in habitat development, soil enrichment and conservation of local biodiversity. Performance Seed, Lethbridge has developed Performa Pollinator Mix and WCFA trialed the mix at our two research sites in 2017.

A two year field trial was conducted to demonstrate the potential of sainfoin in a high-legume pasture mix on a field scale level from 2016-2017. The goal was to provide cooperators experience with establishing a high legume pasture, and in grazing that pasture during the second year.

With increasing interest in growing Sainfoin in the west-central region of the province, research to determine suitability in the gray wooded soil zone was needed. Beyond determining the suitability of this crop for this region, varieties were tested for yield and winter survivability from 2013 until 2016 to assess and compare the new and old sainfoin varieties.

Beginning in 2009, under the direction and management of WCFA, Alberta producers and specialists evaluated the suitability of triticale swath grazing in terms of nutrition, palatability, practicality and cost.

This series of 47 videos shares the personal perspectives and practices of ranchers across Alberta and how they have implemented management practices to reduce risk in winter grazing systems.