Category Archives: Hay Exporter

From Harvest to International Markets

At Barr-Ag, quality and consistency are at the heart of everything we do. We recognize that many factors play a role in crop quality, which is why our focus on careful handling and quality control at every stage. From the fields of Canada to farms around the world, every crop we handle, including hay, straw, grains, pulses, and corn, goes through a process designed to protect its value and meet the needs of our customers.

Hay: Cut, Cured, and Ready to Ship

The hay season typically runs from the end of June through September. The process begins with cutting the hay and allowing it to dry in the field before baling. Once baled, hay is stored in sheds to protect it from moisture and the elements. To ensure stable moisture levels and prevent heating or damage during shipping, hay undergoes a natural curing period of six to eight weeks after baling.

Throughout this process, we follow quality checks such as sampling and monitoring moisture levels to help preserve quality. After curing, hay is either pressed and prepared for shipping or dried in our dehy facility and pressed into bales or processed into pellets. These steps help Barr-Ag hay maintain its quality during transport and storage, providing dependable feed for livestock in many markets around the world.

Straw: From Swath to Storage

Straw harvest begins once grain crops are ready, typically from late August through October. Barr-Ag purchases straw directly from farmers in the swath, bales it, and transports it to our yard for storage in sheds. This helps maintain export standards, though in some cases straw is stacked in the field and hauled over the winter.

Grains and Pulses: Stored for Quality

In addition to hay and straw, Barr-Ag also handles grains, peas, lentils, and other crops. These are harvested in late summer to early fall and either sold directly to elevators or stored in bins. While fewer of these crops are exported, proper storage and regular quality checks are essential to maintain their condition and value.

Corn: From Chop to Silage

Corn is harvested differently from hay and straw. At Barr-Ag, chopped corn is hauled directly to our yard and packed into a large silage pit. The pit is continuously packed as loads arrive, ensuring efficient use of space and proper fermentation. Once all fields have been harvested, the pit is sealed with plastic and weighted with straw bales. The silage remains closed for at least 90 days before being opened, fluffed, and dried in our dehy facility. This process helps corn silage retain nutritional value for livestock feed.

A Variety of Products and Bale Types

Barr-Ag offers a range of bale types and weights for hay, straw, and processed crops. Customers can choose from traditional bales, pellets, or processed feed depending on their needs. Detailed product sheets are available for both domestic and international buyers.

Delivering Quality to Global Markets

Every step of Barr-Ag’s process, from harvest and curing to storage, production, and shipping, includes quality checks that help maintain consistency. While we cannot control every factor that affects crops, our goal is to do everything we can to protect quality and provide dependable products. By combining careful practices with modern facilities, Barr-Ag is proud to deliver Canadian crops that farmers around the world can rely on.

Partnering for Success: How Barr-Ag Supports Global Importers of Hay and Grain

In the dynamic world of hay and grain exports, finding the right partner is crucial for global importers seeking quality products and reliable supply chains. At Barr-Ag, we are a leading hay and grain exporter, established with a strong reputation for excellence and commitment to serving the needs of importers worldwide. In this article, we will explore how Barr-Ag supports global importers, offering exceptional products, tailored solutions, and a collaborative approach that sets us apart in the industry.

Uncompromising Quality: At Barr-Ag, quality is the cornerstone of our operations. Our team of experts work closely with farmers and suppliers to ensure that only the finest hay and grain products meet their stringent quality standards. From the fertile fields of Alberta, Canada, Barr-Ag sources premium crops with exceptional nutritional value, providing global importers with the peace of mind that they are receiving top-quality products.

Customized Solutions: Understanding that each importer has unique requirements, we offer customized solutions tailored to our customer’s specific needs. Whether it’s volume preferences, packaging specifications, or timely delivery schedules, we collaborate closely with our clients to design solutions that meet their individual demands. This flexibility and adaptability empowers importers to optimize their operations and drive their business success.

Transparent and Reliable Supply Chains: At Barr-Ag, we pride ourselves on maintaining transparent and reliable supply chains, ensuring a seamless flow of hay and grain from our farms to our customers. Leveraging our extensive logistics network and strategic partnerships, we carefully manage every stage of the supply chain to minimize transit times, preserve product quality, and meet delivery deadlines. Importers can trust in Barr-Ag’s commitment to efficiency and dependability, knowing that their products will arrive on time and in excellent condition.

Long-Term Partnerships: Barr-Ag believes in building long-term partnerships based on trust, mutual growth, and shared success. Our collaborative approach fosters open communication and a deep understanding of our customer’s evolving needs. By forging enduring relationships, we strive to become a true extension of our customer’s teams, working together to overcome challenges, seize opportunities, and drive sustainable growth in the hay and grain industry.

In conclusion, global importers seeking exceptional hay and grain products can rely on Barr-Ag as their trusted partner. With an unwavering commitment to quality, customized solutions, transparent supply chains, expert guidance, and a collaborative approach, Barr-Ag sets the stage for long-term success for farmers and suppliers. Partnering with Barr-Ag empowers importers to access the finest products, optimize their operations, and navigate the complexities of the industry with confidence.

Canadian Alfalfa Hay and Its Many Benefits

Canadian Alfalfa Hay

Over the past four decades, the Canadian Alfalfa processing industry has experienced tremendous growth. Today, it ranks as one of the top five largest exporters of Alfalfa in the world. Alberta-grown Alfalfa hay offers many benefits and advantages when compared to hay grown in other parts of the world. Canadian Alfalfa hay provides farmers with a consistently higher quality product, while also offering a more rapid harvesting time than many other types of hay.

Because of its high protein content, farmers across Canada and the United States use dehydrated Alfalfa hay as food for their livestock. The soil on the eastern slopes of the Canadian Rockies is rich in calcium and magnesium, which helps to produce a more robust, nutrient rich hay.

The clean air, long warm days, and cool nights in Canada ensure a vigorous production during the shorter growing season. Dry land alfalfa hay may be harvested up to twice per season, while irrigated alfalfa hay can be harvested up to three times each season. Because of it has a deep perennial root system, Alfalfa hay is a high water use forage crop. Although it optimally requires 540 to 680 mm of water per growing season in Alberta, the crop is relatively drought tolerant.

The long Canadian winters allow farmers to grow Alfalfa hay using more natural methods. This significantly reduces the need for pesticides and herbicides, as the cold temperatures effectively discourage pests and most weeds. The shorter growing season allows the land a greater resting period to recuperate. This recovery time helps eliminate the need for artificial fertilizers to coax more production, as is commonly necessary in areas with warmer climates.

This non-GMO crop also offers more stringent quality control guidelines. Instead of being graded by observation and smell the way Timothy hay is, Alfalfa hay is tested and graded by independent labs. Canadian Alfalfa hay promises a more consistent product, year after year.

Barr-Ag is a family-owned operation with a farm-to-farm business model. This allows them the unique ability to maintain much tighter control over the product they export. Barr-Ag’s farms and producers are strategically positioned near the eastern slopes of the Canadian Rocky Mountains where they are fortunate to have clean air, long warm days with cool nights, soil rich in calcium and magnesium and a pristine environment in which to grow their non-GMO alfalfa hay.

Growing 60% of all exported hay ensures that they can set high standards in place at each stage of their product, from planting to packaging. The remaining 40% of their stock is purchased from local growers with the same dedication to quality. Barr-Ag’s quality standards allow them to guarantee mold-free hay with less than 12% moisture content.

Contact Barr Ag to get more information on any or our crops including Alfalfa, Timothy, Mixed Hay, Canadian Grains and Pulse corps.

Alberta Alfalfa Hay

Medicago sativa is the Latin name for “the Queen of Forages”, alfalfa, the most popular and important forage legume grown in Canada. (Agriculture Canada, 1987) It owes its monarchic nickname to its many virtues and merits. Alberta Alfalfa Hay is considered to be one of the most palatable and nutritious of hays. Rich in protein, vitamins and minerals, alfalfa hay is one of the chief components of dairy cattle feed, as well as serving as an important dietary ration for milking goats, beef cattle, sheep and horses. Aside from the nutritional advantages that it provides for ruminants and a variety of equine species, alfalfa is also an indirect source for honey as bees gather a substantial amount of nectar from alfalfa flowers. (Alfalfa) This high-yielding cultivar also has a great ability to improve soil quality and provide weed control for ensuing crops.

The plant itself is a bushy perennial legume which grows to a height of 60-100 cm. Its leaves consist of 3 leaflets which can range in shape from almost round to lanceolate. The stems are slender and may be either hollow or solid. Flowers grow in clusters of 10-20 and the florets are usually blue or purple, white or yellow, occasionally bronze and green and may be variegated with shades of blue and green. (Goplen, 1987) Seed pods are slightly downy and vary from kidney or sickle shaped to single, double or triple-coiled in appearance; however “the sickle pod has been almost eliminated by selection because it contains few seeds and shatters easily”. (Goplen et al., 1987, p.6)

The roots of the alfalfa plant are of four types: tap, branch, rhizomatious and creeping. The majority of roots probably penetrate most soils to a depth of about 2 m. (Fulkerson) Taproots typically penetrate “from 7 to 9 m, but roots have been observed 39 m deep in a mine beneath an alfalfa field”. (Sheaffer & Evers, 2007, p. 182) “Depending on the length of the growing season and maturity at harvest, alfalfa will have from 2 to 10 regrowth cycles”. (Sheaffer & Evers, 2007, p.182)

One of the distinctive characteristics of alfalfa is its ability to tap into the nitrogen supply in the air. It does this through an especially unique symbiotic relationship with a particular type of soil bacteria. These bacteria produce nodules on the root that convert nitrogen in the air into a form that is readily used by the plant- a process called “nitrogen fixation”. Soil acidity directly affects the growth and survival of these bacteria and can be a significant impediment to high alfalfa yields. Saline soil conditions also deter productivity because salinity adversely affects seed germination and also prevents roots from taking in water and essential nutrients.

At Barr-Ag, we take up to three cuts of the early maturing varieties of Alberta Alfalfa Hay from our irrigated farms. This alfalfa is sought after for its higher protein content. The later maturing variety is grown on our dryland properties and we harvest up to two cuts. All of our alfalfa hay is non-GMO.(See to the attached article: USDA to OK Genetically Modified Alfalfa )

Barr-Ag’s head office is located at 5837 Imperial Drive, Olds, Alberta, Canada, T4H 1G6. Please visit our website or call or write if you have any questions about our timothy hay, non-GMO alfalfa hay or any of our other products. We can be reached by telephone at: 403 507 8660 or by email at: [email protected] or [email protected]

References:
Fulkerson, R.S., Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Publication 59
Goplen, B.P, Baenziger, H., Bailey, L.D., Gross, A.T.H., Hanna, M.R., Michaud, R., Richards, K.W., Waddington, J., (1987) Agriculture Canada: Growing and Managing Alfalfa in Canada, Publication 1705/E
McKenzie, Ross H., (2005) Agri-Facts: Soil and Nutrient Management of Alfalfa
Sheaffer, Craig C., Evers, Gerald W., (2007) Forages: The Science of Grassland Agriculture
Alfalfa: http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/life/botany/alfalfa-info.htm
Forage: http://www4.agr.gc.ca/AAFC-AAC/display-afficher.do?id=1174594338500&lang=eng

Reducing Risk of Fire on Your Farm & Ranch

Part 2 – Reducing Risk of Fire on Farm & Ranch

As we discussed in Part 1 of Farm, Ranch & Fire, an agricultural fire tends to be more costly than other industrial fires. Not only is property and equipment affected, so too are crops and livestock – the combination is a double whammy which increases the commercial value of the loss.

Clearly all the safety precautions in the world won’t help if a wildfire has advanced to the point that evacuation of your farm or ranch is necessary, nonetheless whatever fire prevention precautions can be taken should be. In Part 1 of this article we looked at some simple steps every farm or ranch can take with a mind to fire prevention. Now we will take a closer look at ways to reduce the risk of fire to your farm or ranch.

Fire Prevention Measures

Forest Fire. No one ever wants to have to use it, but it is a good idea to develop an evacuation plan (bearing in mind livestock) and incorporate drills into your staff training and education.

Noncombustible Zones. Keep dry and flammable vegetation at least 5 feet away from barns, outbuildings and residences. Establish a noncombustible zone around fuel, chemicals, hay and equipment. Welders/ and cutting torches should only be used in clean areas well away from flammable materials (at least 35 feet). Keep roofs and eaves troughs free of combustible debris. Maintain appropriate fire guards around crops and pastures.

Equipment. Replace belts, bearings and electrical components in a timely manner. Keep engine compartments clean. Be sure mufflers and manifolds are in proper working order. Follow maintenance schedules for machinery. Machinery or vehicles with special hazards should be stored separately. Fire extinguishers should be on tractors, combines and other farm and ranch vehicles.

Buildings. Be sure to include updating buildings with fire resistant materials (and sprinklers) in your budget and short and long-term planning. To prevent the spread of fire, construct new buildings away from preexisting ones. Keep vegetation cut around and between buildings. Use fire doors and smoke detectors.

Electrical. Be sure staff and family know how to disconnect main power. Extension cords are not designed to be permanent wiring solutions. When you need to use them for a temporary purpose, be sure they are rated appropriately for the task. Keep an eye out for exposed wiring or frayed insulation around wiring. Better safe than sorry. Bring in a licensed contractor for advice, inspections, renovations and new construction.

Heating Sources. Use dust and moisture resistant covers on lights. Tank heater cords and heat tapes should be protected against damage by pests or livestock. Use heaters with tip-over protection and be sure they are not placed in high traffic areas or where combustibles and flammables are stored. Dispose of oily rags in a timely manner. Cure hay to the proper moisture content before bailing.

Controlled Burns. The Government of Saskatchewan has a great little article online entitled “FireSmart: Farm and Ranch Practices”. The article has some excellent tips about controlled burns, as well as fire prevention in general for farmers and ranchers.

Farming and ranching may feel a bit like gambling sometimes. There are many variables at play which can affect the prosperity of an operation from year to year – don’t let careless fire prevention be one of them. Be vigilant, establish a culture of safety on your farm or ranch.

Contact Barr Ag to get more information on any of our crops including Alfalfa, Timothy, Mixed Hay, Canadian Grains and Pulse crops.

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