By Jamie Shanks, Communications Branch, Regina
“Without forage, no cattle. Without cattle, no manure. Without manure, no crops. Without crops, no life.”
It’s an old Flemish proverb dating back possibly as far as the 1600s, and this wisdom isn’t lost on Jo-Anne Relf-Eckstein. She’s the executive director of the Saskatchewan Forage Seed Development Commission (SFSDC), which was an industry co-funder for one of this year’s 30 new livestock and forage-related research projects announced in January through the Agriculture Development Fund (ADF) and the federal-provincial Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.
red clover flower.
This particular project—led by Dr. Bill Biligetu, Associate Professor at the University of Saskatchewan and the Research Program Chair in Forage Crop Breeding—is focused primarily on the development of new, registered single-cut red clover cultivars for Western Canada. While Relf-Eckstein doesn’t care for clichés, in this case it’s warranted.
“This project is a game-changer,” she said, describing it as the right team, at the right time, for the right market and with the right growers.
“Never before in the history of Canada have we had a single-cut red clover breeding program, other than way back in the 1920s and ‘30s, and we still have one of those varieties—yet single cut is the most in-demand type of red clover.”
An adequate review of the history, qualities and importance of red clover as a forage would arguably fill an entire magazine. Besides helping to inhibit erosion over winter, it’s an efficient source of organic nitrogen, enhancing soil health and boosting fertility of other crops in rotation—an ace in the deck for sustainable agriculture practices. It also happens to be high in protein, which makes it a key crop for ruminant feed.
A reliable supply of high-quality seed sources helps support livestock producers, and that’s where the SFSDC comes in. Saskatchewan accounts for most red clover seed used for sowing, producing an average of 1.1 million kg annually over the last 17 years, a major reason for Canada’s position as the number two exporter of red clover seed to the European Union and the top exporter to the United States. While its total acreage here is small in comparison to major commodity crops, farmgate value of red clover sales averages $2.5 million, with most production originating in the province’s northeast where, over the decades, it has adapted to thrive.
“The problem is that the markets don’t want common seed, they want registered varieties, and we need registered varieties that are adapted for Canadian production,” Relf-Eckstein explains, noting the relative scarcity of modern single-cut red clover breeding programs and a consequent reliance on old varieties and common seed.
“This is a huge opportunity to produce top-quality seed in Saskatchewan for pedigree seed production so that we can continue to sustain access to our export markets. That is the key piece in this. The Canadian Seed Growers Association is well over a hundred years old now, and why is Canada competitive with our crops? It’s because of our seed production standards—and anybody in the seed industry around the world will tell you these standards for pedigree seed are super high.”
All of this is to say nothing of red clover’s fundamental relationship with pollinators. Besides being essential for seed production, they’re among the hardest-working heroes of agriculture whose vital role so often goes unsung. As a member of the Canadian Agriculture Sustainability Index’s committee establishing metrics for biodiversity, Relf-Eckstein will be advocating hard for pollinators as one of the most critical elements in a strong agriculture community and the entire ecosystem that enables it.
She’s witnessed it for herself. “When I went to one of our red clover seed production fields last year, I stood in the ditch and recorded a video,” she recalled.
“And all you could hear was the bees.”
For more info, visit the Saskatchewan Forage Seed Development Commission website.