Producers are being encouraged to consider using crop residue to help compensate for potential forage shortages this season.

Lorne Klein, Forage Specialist for the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, says producers facing forage shortages may consider using crop residue for feed, including chaff and straw.

"It depends on the type of combine they have. If they have a conventional, they have the option of collecting chaff only, or they can collect both the chaff and straw. With a rotary combine, you have to collect both the chaff and straw because that comes out in a single stream," he said.

He adds there is some other equipment available for collection.
 
"Whether it's for field grazing or whether it's for bailing afterwards, there is a chaff box, there' s a Whole Buncher and then there's some Redekop equipment where they can collect it in a wagon and field graze it that way," Klein said.

More information on crop residue collection for grazing can be found at the Ministry of Agriculture's website.