Ken graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture degree (Major in Plant Ecology/Range Management). He began his career with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Swift Current Research and Development Centre in 1983. The next 33 years were spent researching all things related to salinity. Forages, due to their elevated tolerance to salinity became a significant focus of research over the years. Another focus was conducting salinity tolerance tests of many of the forages and annual crops grown on the Canadian Prairies in AAFC’s Salt Tolerance Testing Lab working with Dr. Harold Steppuhn.
Currently, Ken works with Federated Co-operatives LTD as a grow team advisor for the South Sask and Southern Alberta Region as well as forage specialist for the Prairie Region. Throughout his career, Ken has operated a small ranch south of Swift Current, Saskatchewan. The majority of the land holdings consist of native prairie.
Ken’s discussion will cover the agronomic value of forages in sustainable agriculture across the Prairies. Adopting forages into a cropping rotation can have a significant role in fertilizer reduction in Canadian Agriculture. Sustainable, industry-led programs will have an important role in adopting forages to achieve sustainable cropping rotations and reductions in fertilizer use without compromising yields.