Introduction of millets as a sustainable livestock feed crop for marginal lands in Southern Alberta

Most Albertan crop farmers have substantial resource-intensive but non-profitable marginal lands and dry zones where, due to reduced water availability, seeded crops don’t thrive. On the other hand, livestock producers demand nutritious, low-cost feed with a stable supply chain. We aim to connect and solve both problems by introducing hardy millet species that can:
1. thrive on low-productivity marginal as well as agricultural lands dedicated to feed production,
2. require low water and fertilizer inputs
3. likely sequester more carbon than wheat and canola, making them an attractive environmentally sustainable crop
4. are nutrient-rich, and
5. potentially low-cost feed alternatives that have been used as livestock feed in South Asia and Africa for centuries.
With this project, we aim to conduct field tests for five millet species to assess their growth and yield potential in a Canadian agroclimate, assess their nutritional profile, and assess their likelihood of being beneficial as chicken feed supplements through in-vitro assays. We are jointly supported by Lethbridge County and Lethbridge North and St. Mary’s Irrigation districts who are interested in identifying a short-season and less resource-intensive (irrigation) cover crop that could reduce soil erosion and economically benefit the Southern Alberta farming community.

Faculty Supervisor:

Neha Vaid

Student:

Partner:

Lethbridge County;Small Plot Inc

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Public administration

University:

University of Lethbridge

Program: