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Northumberland County Beef Farmer
Wins 2008 Ontario Pasture Award
February 21, 2008 (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
Scott Honey of Loval Farms near Warkworth, in
Northumberland County, is the winner of the 2008 Pasture
Award. The award was presented today at the OCA Annual
General Meeting. For his environmental and pasture
improvements and management, Scott will receive a cash
award of $750 and a bag of forage seed.
Scott Honey is the fifth generation to
farm the lands at Loval Farms. The operation consists of
a cow/calf operation of 85 beef cows. About 2000 acres
is cash cropped and consists of corn, soybeans, wheat
and hay. Much of the hay is exported to the United
States for the horse market. In addition to the work on
their own operation, the Honey’s are involved in working
about another 1500 acres of custom planting and
harvesting in the local area.
As Scott says, “Every time I subdivide a
pasture field into more paddocks, it increases
production. The farm has gone through many changes, and
in the past 14 years, we have increased our beef cow
numbers from 35 to 85. A good rotational pasture
management system is the key to the success of our
pasturing operation”.
The pastures consist mainly of an
alfalfa/orchard grass mix, and are over-seeded in the
spring using a mix of Red Clover, Orchard Grass and
Ladino Clover.
The livestock are restricted from a
woodlot on the property as well as the springs and swamp
areas of the farm. The pasture area is divided into 18
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,” Scott
comments. Scott has also had a major focus on extending
grazing days by using a variety of different crops to
greatly minimize his costs.
Steve Bent, Sales Manager with MAPLESEED, thinks Scott
Honey is an ideal candidate for this year’s award,
because of the innovation he has demonstrated 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 2009 Ontario
Pasture Award is November 21, 2008.
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 after March 1st.
For Further Information Contact:
Scott Honey, Loval Farms: (705) 924-3809
Ray Robertson, Ontario Forage Council: 1-877-892-8663
Steve Bent, MAPLESEED: 1-800-461-7645 |
