Grant: Collaborative Research and Development Grants

Recently, Canadian faba bean seeded area has been dramatically increasing in western Canada. Pulse*producers and livestock industry raise following crucial questions: What is best feeding strategy of utilizing*these faba forage (hay and silage) and faba bean grown in western Canada? What is the best cutting stage for*faba forage hay and silage (Growth Stage 1= Full Flower Stage vs. Growth Stage 2= Mid Pot Filled (Round*Green) vs. Growth Stage 3=Late Pot Filled (Full Round) ? Does tannin content in faba forage and faba bean*matter to ruminant livestock? If yes, what is an optimal level in faba forage and faba bean? What are feeding*guidelines on faba bean or faba forage including grazing, hay, silage, and crop residue after harvest? All these*questions are vital important to NOT ONLY pulse industry BUT ALSO livestock and feed industries.*Unfortunately there is little information that can be found in the literature, in western Canada, particularly for*newly developed faba varieties/new lines with zero/low and high tannin levels. There is no systematic study*found in literature for western Prairie Provinces in Canada. There is an urgent need to get all the above answers*for our pulse and livestock producers and related industries in Canada. The objectives of this research program*are to use a systematic approach to investigate effects of recently developed variety/new line, growth stage*(cutting time), tannin level, and various feed processing technology on nutritive values of whole crop faba*forage (for hay and silage) and faba bean (for energy and protein concentrate) grown in western Canada under*low heat unit climate condition and to develop new feeding strategies for livestock industry for using whole*crop faba hay, faba silage and faba bean as energy and protein concentrate. It is expected that the research will*highly benefit to our industries to extract value from faba forage and faba bean to maximize economic return to*our pulse and livestock industry.