LAKELAND - Water availability and water quality continue to be top of mind for agricultural producers, as many areas of the province juggle drought-like conditions.
On Jan. 31, University of Saskatchewan professor Dr. Cheryl Waldner will be addressing issues related to livestock water management during the first of a two-part online webinar series being hosted by Lakeland Agricultural Research Association (LARA).
Waldner works in the Large Animal Clinical Sciences department at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the university campus in Saskatoon.
The webinar is the first in a series of two sessions, titled Livestock Water Management Series: A Whole Year Approach. A second webinar is being hosted on March 14 with Dwayne Summach, a livestock and feeding specialist from Saskatchewan.
The timing of the seminars — which are free to attend, and available to all residents — is ideal, says Alyssa Krawchuk, the executive director of Bonnyville-based Lakeland Agricultural Research Association.
With the widespread dry conditions experienced across the province in 2023, Krawchuk says access to high quality water for livestock can be challenging. It is important for livestock producers to understand the importance of water quality in livestock performance.
As water sources such as creeks or dugouts begin to dry up, minerals and contaminants can become more concentrated, leading to negative implications for livestock health and production, she explained.
“The webinars are aimed at local producers and will include discussions on the health implications in both winter and summer conditions of water quality on livestock health and production,” Krawchuk said. “The second webinar on March 14 will go through practical water management options for livestock producers.”
Krawchuk said this is the first time LARA has hosted Waldner for a webinar on this topic.
“Her experience goes back over 30 years in both research and practical applications of water management,” she added.
Registration for the sessions can be made through the LARA website www.laraonline.ca/events.
Funding for the seminars was made possible through grant funding to LARA from the Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC).
