Do you want to learn how to get more out of your pasture? The Canadian Forage and Grassland Association’s (CFGA) Advanced Grazing Systems Program is the program for you.

Participating in the CFGA’s Advanced Grazing Systems Program means you can:

• Learn the basic techniques of rotational grazing independently with the Advanced Grazing Systems online courses
• Create a grazing plan with the help of a grazing mentor
• Apply to the On-Farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF) for financial assistance to put your grazing plan into action if you are a producer in Alberta, B.C., Quebec or Saskatchewan
• Receive support throughout the entire process

OFCAF

The CFGA’s OFCAF project, Rotational Grazing On-Farm Implementation, is open to farmers in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Quebec. It’s goal is to help them plan and implement rotational grazing BMPs to store carbon and reduce greenhouse gases while also demonstrating benefits to forage management and overall grazing health of the pastures.

With the development of a rotational grazing plan that implements CFGA’s promoted grazing concepts producers can apply for up to $20,000 in funding per year with a cost share of 70 per cent from the program and 30 per cent from the producer for eligible project expenses. Projects of a larger scale may be eligible for more than $20,000 on a case-by-case basis. A total of $75,000 is available over the life of the program (combined total OFCAF funding from all sources).

Funding can be used for the following activities: 

• Costs incurred for new fencing materials and livestock watering systems infrastructure to create new or strengthen existing rotational grazing systems 
• Planning, technical assessments or engineered designs, such as rotational grazing plans, or engineering or technical design work by a qualified professional  
• Activities to implement grazing plans 
• Activities to implement low-methane pastures including increased alfalfa content, high quality forage and species containing tannin, such as sainfoin   
• Other activities related to the adoption of short-duration grazing suited for rangelands 

The CFGA is working with the following provincial partners to deliver its OFCAF project: British Columbia Forage Council (BCFC), Agricultural Research and Extension Council of Alberta (ARECA) and Conseil québécois des plantes fourragères (CQPF).

More info

Sign up for updates, as well as find out more information under Projects, on the CFGA website. You can also check the CFGA calendar of events for numerous events including in grazing plan workshops, grazing clubs, producer information sessions and more.