Nicholas Donaldson
A new perennial forage legume–galega–will be established this year for trial testing at the Emo Agricultural Research Station.
“We are always looking for new forages,” station manager Kim-Jo Bliss told the Times.
She noted that even as grain numbers go up here in Rainy River District, cattle producers aren’t going anywhere.
“We are always looking for something new to try for cattle,” she stressed.
The Thunder Bay Agricultural Research Station (TBARS) has been testing and growing galega for more than six years to see if it is a good fit for Ontario farms.
Some yields have been as high as alfalfa–and even higher.
Bliss clarified it probably will be a few years before local farmers try it themselves.
She noted most like to see how it does at the research station first before they invest the time and money into it.
Bliss will plant a large block of galega, as well as include it in a legume comparison trial.
In the trial, it will be planted in blocks next to other legumes like alfalfa, trefoil, cicer milk vetch, and sainfoin to see how it compares.
Bliss said she wanted to try it at the station after reading reports from Thunder Bay researcher Dr. Tarlok Singh Sahota.
She also heard from a farmer trying it in the Thunder Bay area.
“He is growing big acres of it so it must be worth it,” Bliss reasoned.
She added there are three farms in Thunder Bay currently growing galega.
This season, the seed is available for Rainy River District from Thunder Bay Feeds and the Thunder Bay Co-op.
Bliss said this is another reason she decided to try it.
She explained that before it could be ordered in specially, but “if they are stocking it, they obviously think it has a chance to sell.”
“They are not going to carry it just to let it lay dormant,” she noted.
A 2016 report on the TBARS website presents Dr. Tarlok’s information and experience with galega.
He noted TBARS needed to get the seed shipped from Finland because it was not yet available in Canada.
It is reported to be native to the Caucasus region, located at the border of Europe and Asia.
The plant also goes by the name Oriental Goat’s Rue.
Galega was introduced to the three Baltic countries, Scandinavia, and north-west Russia and has been reported to persist for 10-30 years.
The report notes that because it is faster growing in the spring, it is great at smothering dandelions.
This ability to smother weeds is seen even as the stand ages–something older stands of alfalfa cannot compete with.
Dr. Tarlok said it usually is ready to harvest a week before alfalfa because of its early start in spring.
Galega also has a softer stem and a canopy that is more dense than alfalfa. This means the plant quality does not go down as quickly after first bloom as it does in alfalfa, giving more time to harvest.
According to the report, the diseases in galega are the same as in alfalfa–at least in the Thunder Bay trials.
This means there will be nothing new to deal with for producers familiar with alfalfa.
Dr. Tarlok said it can be used for hay or silage while the nutrient make-up makes it good quality feed for livestock, especially dairy cattle.
The benefits are not only for farmers, however.
Dr. Tarlok also touted the beautiful violet-blue flowers and added it is a very good honey plant.
He suggested some may be interested in it for their gardens, as well.
