Forage Program

Canadian cattle ranchers enjoy greener pastures—and get cash back

Landowners

Supporting ranchers, wildlife and the environment

Canadian cattle ranchers enjoy greener pastures—and get cash back

High quality hay and forage can be hard to come by, but we have solutions and financial incentives that you can put to work on your farm.

By participating in the Forage Program, you will:

Enhance your grazing options
Improve your bottom line
Add to your land’s natural value

Here’s how to get started:

Receive a discount on every bag of forage seed when you convert cultivated land to hay or pastureland.
Access technical support from DUC to help establish the forage on your land.
Sign an agreement with DUC to keep the land in forage for 10 years to maintain its ecological benefits.
Enjoy a healthy, productive landscape where you can graze your herd and provide essential habitat for wildlife.

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Target Maps

Check our maps to see if your land falls within our Forage Program target areas.

Ducks and cattle are better together

Cattle and wildlife share the same landscape. That’s why we work with and support beef farmers. They keep grasslands and wetlands intact, benefitting their farms and our environment.

Progress through partnership

The Forage Program is supported by two market leaders that deliver beef to Canadians. Over the next five years, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Cargill and McDonald’s Canada are working together to support ranchers to return 125,000 acres (50,585 hectares) into forage.

Measuring the environmental results

Don’t let that quiet pasture fool you. Grasslands are some of the world’s most productive and diverse ecosystems. Here’s how the Forage Program is delivering real environmental impact:

Mitigating climate change: Converting cropland to pastureland increases the carbon storage capacity of soil. Over the next five years, the impact of the Forage Program will be comparable to removing 75,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere— the same as the emissions from driving over 299 kilometres in an average passenger vehicle.
Providing habitat for wildlife: The cover provided by forage is habitat for hundreds of species of waterfowl and other grassland birds. It’s also essential to pollinators and other beneficial insects.
Enhancing water quality: Grasslands naturally filter harmful nutrients from water by slowing its flow and absorption as it moves across the landscape.

Ducks Unlimited Canada, along with our partners at Cargill and McDonald’s Canada, are proud members of the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) and support a commitment to environmental, social and economic sustainability in the Canadian beef industry. CRSB members are committed to sustainable food systems. Together, members support the continual advancement of sustainability in the beef industry in Canada by engaging and contributing to a variety of beef sustainability discussions and initiatives.