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Dufferin County Beef Farmer Wins 2007 Ontario Pasture
Award
February 21, 2007 (Toronto) -
The sponsors of the Ontario Pasture Award - the Ontario
Cattlemen’s Association (OCA), MAPLESEED and the Ontario Forage Council
(OFC) - are pleased to announce that Mike Swidersky of Mike Swidersky
Farms near Dundalk, in Dufferin County, is the winner of the 2007
Pasture Award. The award was presented today at the OCA Annual General
Meeting. For his environmental and pasture improvements and management,
Swidersky will receive a cash award of $750 and a bag of forage seed.
Swidersky custom pastures approximately 150 stockers per
year, with animals weighing in between 750 and 800 pounds around the
first of May. They are then removed from the pasture in mid-October, at
an average weight of approximately 1000 pounds. The pasture management
philosophy used at Mike Swidersky Farms is based on the theory of
least-cost, with highest returns for the dollars invested. Minimal
equipment/machinery is required and clean water availability is a high
priority, so it is offered to the animals in close proximity to the
pasture being consumed.
The pastures mainly consist of orchard grass and white
and red clover - with some trefoil. Frost seeding is done every two to
three years, as required, to maintain a productive pasture base and to
maximize the pounds of beef per acre. The livestock are restricted from
a woodlot on the property as well as the creek that flows through the
farm. The pasture area is divided into 28 paddocks, which allows an
adequate rest period for each paddock after being grazed.
“I believe the intensive rotational pasture system,
combined with clean water that is closely accessible at all times, has
contributed greatly to improved herd health and improved daily gain,”
Swidersky comments.
Steve Bent, Sales Manager with MAPLESEED, thinks Mike Swidersky Farms is
an ideal candidate for the 2007 award, because of the innovation he has
shown in his farming operation and his willingness to share ideas, for
the benefit of agriculture and the industry in general.
Ray Robertson, Manager of the Ontario Forage Council,
said that as producers try to cope with challenging times, they will
look to practical and sustainable management practices like these to
maximize their net returns.
The deadline for applications for the 2008 Ontario
Pasture Award is November 19/07.
For details, call the Ontario Forage Council at 1-877-892-8663 or visit
either the
Ontario Forage Council’s Web site at
www.ontarioforagecouncil.com or the
Ontario Cattlemen’s Association Web site at
www.cattle.guelph.on.ca
.
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