Document 2025599

Volume 40, Number 6 | MARCH 4, 2014
$4.25
PRACTICAL PRODUCTION TIPS FOR THE PRAIRIE FARMER
www.grainews.ca
Delays caused
by harsh winter
Prairie farmers are left frustrated by slowed grain
movement. Railway officials say weather and
a large crop are the culprits
PHOTO: LISA GUENTHER
BY LISA GUENTHER
M
ost years Jay Millard
trucks about 10
loads of grain a
month. But between
September and mid-January this
year, he’d only hauled six loads of
wheat and five of canola.
“There’s just no movement. I
don’t have an empty bin in the
yard, and there’s still grain on
the ground,” said Millard, who
runs a mixed farm and trucking business near Livelong, in
northwestern Saskatchewan.
Millard says this is the worst
he’s seen it in the 20 years he’s
been trucking. “There was always
a trickle going all the time.
There’s nothing (this year).”
Millard’s had phone calls
about hauling to the U.S. “But
it’s just not viable. Not from
here, anyway.”
The lack of movement has
Millard thinking about summerfallowing some of his acres in
2014. “What’s the point of growing it if you can’t ship it and
don’t get paid for it?”
The problem, in Millard’s
opinion, is the railroads. “You’ve
got no competition and no
accountability so why bother
hauling grain?”
Publications Mail Agreement Number 40069240
RAILWAYS SAY WEATHER AND
CROP VOLUMES CHALLENGING
Ed Greenberg, Canadian Pacific
(CP) spokesperson, wrote via email
that as grain is CP’s largest commodity, it’s very important to the
railway. “The fact is this crop year is
at extraordinary levels,” he wrote.
CP has also been dealing with
extreme weather, Greenberg wrote.
But CP’s grain products volumes
from September through January
were 17 per cent above the five year
average, he added.
CN spokesman Mark Hallman
said CN is not flat-lining service for grain shippers. After harvest, grain hopper placements in
Western Canada were 12 per cent
higher than the five year average,
he said.
But the polar vortex, which first
hammered North America in early
December, “has temporarily curtailed throughput capabilities for
all the commodities we move, not
just grain. CN is suffering as much
as grain producers, if not more,”
Hallman wrote in an email.
Asked how CN is suffering,
given their 2013 fourth quarter
revenues were up for grain and
fertilizer markets, Hallman stated,
“When I say CN is suffering, it’s
that the harsh winter conditions
are increasing costs of rail operations, not revenues. Revenues
minus costs equal income.”
A media release posted to CN’s
website six days prior to the email
exchange provided more details. At
$2,612 million, overall net income
for 2013 was slightly lower than
2012, which hit $2,680 million.
But CN booked $635 million of
net income in the fourth quarter
of 2013, compared to $610 million
for the fourth quarter of 2012.
The January 30 release attributes
CN’s revenue increases to higher
freight volumes due to strong
energy markets, market share
gains, a growing North America
economy, a weaker Canadian dollar, freight rate increases, and a
higher fuel surcharge.
Canadian Pacific released its
2013 financials on January 29. Last
year the railway reported $82 million in net income for the fourth
quarter, a significant lift over $15
million in 2012’s fourth quarter.
Adjusted net income for the last
quarter of 2013 was $338 million,
which was a 49 per cent boost over
the same quarter in 2012.
Full media releases on each railway’s financials are available on
their websites, under news or media.
O n F e b r u a r y 1 0 t h , Wa d e
Sobkowich, executive director
of the Western Grain Elevators
Association, told the House of
Commons agriculture committee
the railways are only providing
between 3,000 to 4,000 cars a week
right now.
Asked whether CN will add
more grain cars to the system
to deal with the current backlog,
Hallman wrote that “putting too
many grain hoppers in the system will create inefficiencies, like
putting more cars on a freeway at
rush hour — it will ultimately slow
down the system.”
Last fall’s bumper crop “generated
a significant increase in grain car
orders, and CN performed well until
recent weather challenges took a
toll,” Hallman said.
TRANSPORTATION
CONSULTANT SKEPTICAL
Terry Whiteside, a Montanabased transportation and marketing consultant, was skeptical about
the assertion that 2013’s bin buster
was responsible for this year’s transportation woes. “Look, we’ve been
growing wheat and grains on the
Prairies, for what, 150 years? The
railroads have been hauling it for
100. It comes by every year about
the same time.”
“The problem is that they’re
In This Issue
already at capacity with all these
other commodities, and then grain
came on top of it,” Whiteside
told reporters at CropSphere in
Saskatoon in January. “But grain
should not have to pay for that.
Because think about grain. Grain
is the lifeblood of the Prairies. It’s
the lifeblood of Canada. It’s the
balance of payments.”
Although it’s likely cold comfort,
U.S. farmers have faced many of
the same transportation issues as
their Canadian cousins.
Montana terminals are paying
premiums of up to $3,000 per car,
said Whiteside.
One elevator ordered trains
last summer when it cost $700 to
$900 per car. “Now they can sell
them for $3,000 a car. So they
got into the car-brokering business, the train-brokering business,
and they’re still piling grain on the
ground in Montana right now, this
week,” said Whiteside.
“Now that’s nuts. We’ve never
had a situation like that before.”
Four railways control 95 per cent
of the business in the United States,
Whiteside said. He characterizes
railways on both sides of the border
as “duopolies.”
Duopolies price the same way,
» CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
Wheat & Chaff ..................
2
Features ............................
5
Crop Advisor’s Casebook
7
Columns ........................... 20
Machinery & Shop ............ 32
Cattleman’s Corner .......... 37
Everything you forgot
about growing flax
SARAH WEIGUM PAGE 20
The super-sized rotary pull-type
combine that never was
SCOTT GARVEY PAGE 32
FarmLife ............................ 41
2
/ grainews.ca
MARCH 4, 2014
Wheat & Chaff
STAMPEDE
BY JERRY PALEN
LISA
GUENTHER
Editor’s note: I am still the editor
of Grainews, but I’ve given this page
over to our field editor Lisa Guenther
for this issue. As you saw on our
cover, Lisa’s been looking into the
transportation fiasco. She has some
well-researched, timely opinions that
I wanted to highlight at the very
front. — Leeann Minogue
I
“Stop complaing. It’s your doctor who told you
to get outside and get some sun.”
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f anyone should be outraged
by the railways’ poor service,
it’s Gerry Ritz.
The federal agriculture
minister has diligently worked
on market access for Canadian
agricultural products. And, in
November 2011 Ritz told a legislative committee that the single
desk’s end would mean better
rail service “because we won’t be
dragging our sales out at the rate
of one-twelfth every month, as
the wheat board does now.”
“There will be a lot more moving off the combine and a lot more
going to market positions earlier,
getting us away from starting our
trucks and our augers at -40 C in
January,” Ritz said.
Well, that obviously hasn’t happened. Last year’s bin buster has
exposed the holes in our grain
transportation system. And it’s costing the ag industry big time in
demurrage charges, lost customers
and lost income for farmers.
Ritz ought to be worried about
the railways unravelling his work
securing foreign markets. And you’d
think he’d be furious on behalf of
farmers, grain elevators and the rest
of the industry.
There’s little doubt that CN and
CP should shoulder most of the
responsibility. After all, western
Canadian shipments are 51,000 cars
behind, Greg Cherewyk of Pulse
Canada told the House agriculture
committee Feb. 10.
And the railways don’t seem
inclined to bump up car shipments.
They’re only providing between
3,000 and 4,000 cars per week right
now, Wade Sobkowich, executive director of the Western Grain
Elevators Association, told the committee.
For some historical perspective, in late 1983-84, in one week
Thunder Bay unloaded over 9,500
grain cars and Vancouver handled
over 3,000.
Why, exactly, are the railways
stiffing the agriculture industry on
hoppers these days? Mark Hallman,
CN’s spokesperson, told me the
polar vortex was slowing service, and Ed Greenberg of CP cited
extreme weather as a challenge, too
(see the cover story).
But this excuse wears thin. Winter
rolls in every year. It’s often miserable on the Prairies. How many
Tundra
more winters do the railways need
to experience before they adapt?
Ritz has made some positive
announcements in the last few
weeks. He’s called for more frequent reporting of grain movement. And the federal government
is kicking in $1.5 million for a fiveyear study, led by Pulse Canada, to
examine the grain transportation
and logistics system.
But Ritz was singing a different
tune last fall. In November, he told
reporters in Winnipeg that although
he wasn’t a railway apologist, “I do
agree with (CN). Putting more cars
on the freeway at rush hour doesn’t
make it more efficient.”
And when asked about rail
service issues last December in
Edmonton, Ritz told reporters “I
think those who are complaining
should look in the mirror and realize that there are efficiencies that
they can do themselves.”
While grain companies don’t
do a perfect job, one imagines
they’re highly motivated to avoid
demurrage and fill contracts. And
efficiency will only get them so far
when they’re getting fewer than
4,000 cars a week.
Ritz’s solution last fall was to
chop the revenue cap. In Winnipeg
last November, he said, “in a market-driven economy, that needs to
be looked at.”
Ritz seems to be confused about
the difference between a “marketdriven economy” and a “monopoly” or “duopoly.” This is perplexing, given his work dismantling
the Canadian Wheat Board’s single desk.
Ritz should know that a duopoly
exists when two companies own
the entire market for a service or
product. The railways are, at best,
duopolies. And since most grain
elevators only have access to one
railway, the ag industry is basically
dealing with separate monopolies.
I’m no economist, but that
doesn’t sound like a market-driven
economy to me. Removing the
revenue cap seems like a good way
to further beef up the railways’
bottom lines at the agriculture
industry’s expense.
Not everyone is surprised by
this year’s grain transportation
gong show, by the way. Richard
Phillips, who is part of the
Canada Grains Council and the
National Rail Shipper’s Coalition,
told me shippers predicted the
system would melt down once we
had a huge harvest.
The railways are not being
competitive, and so the government needs to give them a nudge,
Phillips said. “With the understanding that if you don’t like this
nudge, then there will be something more than a nudge. Next
time it will be a push.”
Last year Ritz and his colleagues
pushed through legislation meant
to bind railways to service agreements with shippers, if the shippers request them. The Fair Rail
Freight Service Act would slap railways with penalties if they refuse
to meet agreements, or, as Ritz
told Country Guide’s Maggie Van
Camp, “make the railways play
nice in the sandbox.”
But the grain companies have
not negotiated service agreements.
Phillips told me the regulations
have no teeth.
And what shippers would want to
go up against a railway, which they
depend completely on to move
their products, when all they have
are toothless regulations?
After all, the railways don’t seem
like the type to play nice in the
sandbox, despite Ritz’s lukewarm
efforts to referee. They seem more
likely to kick in your sandcastle
and blame it on someone or something else (polar vortexes, disorganized grain companies, rail operation
costs). And then complain about
the sand between their toes.
“People do perceive that if
they speak out too strongly their
service may suffer,” Phillips told
me. He stressed that he doesn’t
know whether railways will
actually cut service in retribution for complaining.
But, in a way, it doesn’t matter,
does it? A perceived threat is a great
way to silence squeaky wheels.
Minister of Transport Lisa Raitt
should be the one to nudge CN
and CP back on track. But we’re not
likely to see much positive action
from her department. The Office
of the Commissioner of Lobbying
of Canada, which tracks meetings
between paid lobbyists and government, reported 39 meetings
between Transport Canada officials,
including Raitt, and CN lobbyists
last year.
CP met with Transport Canada
officials 12 times in 2013. The
Railway Association of Canada,
which counts CP and CN as members, also met with Transport
Canada 12 times.
But railway lobbyists had few
meetings with Agriculture and AgriFood Canada officials — in fact CN
only met with federal agriculture
officials twice last year and CP and
the Railway Association didn’t meet
with Agriculture Canada once. The
database doesn’t include 2014 numbers yet, but there are no records of
the railways’ lobbyists meeting with
Ritz since May 2012.
Although Ritz has been slow to
champion the agriculture industry in this whole mess, he is still
our best hope. He’s a free market
disciple and it seems the railways
haven’t been whispering in his ear.
So come on, Minister Ritz. It’s
time to put on your ostrich cowboy
boots, march into the sandbox, and
give the railways a hard nudge. The
rest of the agriculture industry will
be right behind you.
Lisa Guenther
With files from Allan Dawson,
AgCanada.com, Country Guide,
iPOLITICS, Reuters,
and The Canadian Press
MARCH 4, 2014
grainews.ca /
Wheat & Chaff
Farm safety
Building your farm safety team
I
t’s no secret that a serious farm injury or
fatality can be devastating emotionally and
financially to a farm operation and farm
family. But it’s never going to happen to you.
Right? Well, according to Canadian Agricultural
Injury Reporting statistics, an average of 104 people die in agriculture-related incidents in Canada
every year. Almost half of all agricultural fatalities
in Canada involve farm owners and operators.
That means a little more than half happen to
other people working, living, or visiting the farm.
So what can you do to prevent these injuries?
Nothing’s for sure but if you build a culture of
safety on your farm and encourage your family
and farm employees to get involved, you can help
reduce the risk of injury while growing your business and engaging your workforce.
Make sure to start out on the right safety foot
with new employees. Before they set foot on your
operation, make certain they understand that
health and safety is your priority.
Communicate safety policies and standard
operating procedures. Before your new employees begin work, review job descriptions to ensure
they have a clear understanding of their roles and
responsibilities when it comes to work and safety.
Determine what training each employee
requires based on their specific job duties and
ensure they receive that training. Monitor their
performance and provide feedback and coaching
in a positive way until you are sure they are able
to do their work safely. If in spite of multiple corrective actions, an employee continues to engage
in risky behaviour, don’t be afraid to let them go.
Ultimately you need to protect your other workers, and yourself.
If an employee doesn’t feel comfortable bringing
up a safety issue, you might not know there is a
problem until it is too late. Get employees involved
in safety by conducting regular safety meetings.
Encourage feedback by implementing clear hazard
reporting procedures. Let employees know about
any changes on your farm so they are not caught
off guard and can prepare for new situations that
could pose risks or hazards on the farm.
Lastly, stay positive. If you care about your
employees and demonstrate that by expressing
concern for their well-being, they will respect you
as an employer and strive to work safely. Lead by
example and try to make safety fun, with lots of
opportunities to get involved and ask questions. If
you treat safety like a chore, they might lose interest and disengage.
While every farm is different, the need for a
safe work environment is universal, so cultivate
an open, positive working relationship with your
employees based on communication and trust
and you will be well on your way to building a
successful farm safety team.
For more information on building a farm safety
team, visit agsafetyweek.ca/producer-tools and
browse through over 20 free resources designed to
help producers make their farms safer.
This article was produced in support of the
Canadian Agricultural Safety Week 2014 Let’s Talk
About It! campaign, which encourages farmers
to engage in conversations about safety. CASW
is brought to you by the Canadian Agricultural
Safety Association and the Canadian Federation of
Agriculture, with support from the Government
of Canada through Growing Forward 2, long-time
corporate sponsor Farm Credit Canada, Ag for
Life, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development,
CHS, Imperial Oil and Pioneer Hi-Bred Limited.
Glen Blahey, Canadian Agricultural Safety Association, www.
casa-acsa.ca.
Weather Lore
Photo contest
The hills are alive...
You might be from the Prairies if...
T
This photo came from Marcel Hounjet. Marcel wrote, “As I
was going through the mail, my daughter Natalie was clearly
interested in the Grainews paper, so I passed it on to her to
have a look. She was thrilled!”
Marcel runs a grain farm at Prud’homme, Sask., with
his wife Jenn and their two daughers, Isabelle and Natalie.
Thanks so much for sending this in, Marcel! We’ll mail you
a cheque for $25.
Send your best shot to leeann.minogue@fbcpublishing.
com. Please send only one or two photos at a time and
include your name and address, the names of anyone in
the photo, where the photo was taken and a bit about what
was going on that day. A little write-up about your farm is
welcome, too. Please ensure that images are of high resolution
(1 MB is preferred), and if the image includes a person, we
need to be able to see their face clearly.
he farm I grew up on was just
a few miles from the beautiful Pasquia Hills in northeast
Saskatchewan. From our farm
the hills were a soft blue-grey in colour. When they were a darker blue and
seemed closer, someone might remark
that rain was coming. And they were
usually right.
When hills put on a coat of deepest blue
And move across the fields to you,
Expect rain.
This phenomenon occurs when a
southeast wind brings in moisture. The
warm air at ground level rises, creating
a mirage. The hills (or any stationary
object) appear to be closer and the moist
air often produces rain. †
Shirley Byers’ book “Never Sell Your Hen on a Rainy
Day” explores over 100 weather rhymes and sayings.
It is available from McNally Robinson at: www.
mcnallyrobinson.com.
Leeann
You have gone to the Maritimes and needed a translator.
Agronomy tips… from the field
Getting the most from your nozzles
H
ere’s a question I hear
often: “What are the
best nozzles I can buy
for my sprayer?” There
isn’t a simple answer to this question. Growers need to consider a
number of factors, with pressure
and water volume being amongst
the most important.
Pressure: You need to know the
pressure range of your sprayer and
the pressure you need to use for optimal application. From there, select a
nozzle that will deliver the required
spray volume at a pressure that is
GIVE US YOUR BEST SHOT
midway on the nozzle’s rating chart,
so you have leeway to alter the pressure during spraying. If you’re considering an Air Induction (AI) nozzle,
remember that it requires high pressures to form a proper pattern.
Water Volume: You need to
match the spray quality to the crop
canopy and target weeds. During
pre-seed burnoff, the target weeds
are very small. Hitting such small
targets requires small droplets.
Later in the season, when penetrating the canopy and reducing drift
are more important, a coarser spray
will be more effective, but you’ll
likely need to increase the water
volume to get proper coverage.
These rules can also answer the
question “How do I get better results
from my current nozzles?” Learning
how to properly use your nozzles
will help you get better performance
out of your spraying operation. †
This agronomy tip is brought to you by Christine
Spasoff, Agronomic Service Representative
for Syngenta Canada Inc. Christine holds a
Bachelor of Science in Agriculture degree from
the University of Saskatchewan. She’s worked
in the crop protection industry for 21 years,
including 19 with Syngenta.
3
4
/ grainews.ca
MARCH 4, 2014
Cover Stories
Crop nutrition
» CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Delays caused
by harsh winter
said Whiteside. Where they have
a captive market, “they sock it
to ’em.”
Where they don’t have captivity,
they compete because of regulatory
oversight, said Whiteside.
Along with inadequate railway
capacity, the other basic problem
with grain transportation is that
railways don’t see farmers as freight
bearers, Whiteside said.
Because grain elevators directly
pay railroads, the railways don’t
recognize farmers as freight bearers, even though farmers ultimately
pony up for freight. But farmers
need standing as freight payers or
railways will argue they shouldn’t
be heard in cases, Whiteside said.
Whiteside said it took four years
to get one U.S. railroad to recognize farmers as the ultimate freight
bearers. “Once we did that, then
we had standing to talk to them
about real issues that were affecting us. That’s what’s got to happen
up here.”
The Washington, D.C.-based
Alliance for Rail Competition, a
group representing grain growers,
along with other shippers and trade
associations, is making progress,
Whiteside told delegates.
Whiteside chairs the alliance
and represents several barley and
wheat commissions in transportation issues, along with other
shippers. He said the United States
currently has the best regulatory
oversight they’ve ever had.
“I think we’re getting some place.
I’m really excited about it,” said
Whiteside.
Whiteside said they started plucking the low-hanging fruit, looking
for issues they knew they could
get agreement on. He suggested
Canadians do the same.
“The problem the railroads have if
they don’t work with you is they’ve
got to work with Ottawa. And even
with all their hundreds of lobbyists,
they can still get consumer stuff
through, especially for ag,” he said.
“The railroads may not want to
talk at first, but they will.”
And now is the time to act,
Whiteside said.
“In the next few years, coal and
oil are going to sap up capacity. Big
time,” said Whiteside. “We’ve got
to get ahead of that. And we’ve got
to get the government to recognize
that there’s a public service component here that the railroads need to
work with us on.”
Hallman wrote there is no merit
to the idea that crude oil is displac-
1 6 6 6 D u b l i n Av e n u e ,
W i n n i p e g , MB R 3 H 0 H 1
w w w. g r a i n e w s . c a
PUBLI SH ER
Lynda Tityk
Associate Publisher/
Editorial director John Morriss
Edi tor
Leeann Minogue
fiel d Ed ito r
Lisa Guenther
Cattleman’s Corner Editor
Lee Hart
Farm life Edito r
Sue Armstrong
Machinery EDITOR
Scott Garvey
Pro duction Di recto r
Shawna Gibson
Des igne r
Steven Cote
photo: wanda millard
Jay Millard and his son, Conner, shovel snow from the 13,000 bushel pile of wheat on the Millard farm near
Livelong, Sask.
ing grain on CN’s tracks, as crude oil
accounted for under two per cent of
CN’s freight in 2013.
National Rail
Shipper’s Coalition
lower cost commodity, leading into
debates over the rail cap. “But the
railways make a lot of money hauling grain,” Phillips said.
The railways aren’t working with
the coalition at this point, Phillips
said, but the coalition is working on its next move. Phillips and
Chantelle Donahue, chair of the
Canada Grains Council, were also
meeting with Transport Minister
Lisa Raitt at press time to discuss
issues specific to the ag industry.
P h i l l i p s s a w R i t z ’s r e c e n t
announcement to increase the frequency of railway reporting as a step
in the right direction. More reporting will reveal whether the railways
and grain companies are doing their
jobs, Phillips said. “Sometimes it’s
not 100 per cent the railways fault.”
But, in the immediate short term,
“We simply have to have more
crews. And they have to have more
locomotives,” said Phillips.
Phillips said allowing CN and CP
to make profits without enough
regulation is “going to drag down
the entire economy overall. And
the losses to Canada are far greater
than whatever income tax is going
to be paid by those two companies
on their earnings.”
“And so I think that’s more a
moral issue,” said Phillips. “And if it
becomes uncompetitive behaviour,
which a lot of shippers would say it
is, then the government does have a
role to step in in an uncompetitive
environment and play a role. They
can’t stand back and wash their
hands of this.”
With files from iPOLITICS †
T
C
Lisa Guenther
Lisa Guenther
Bizarre Merchandise Roundup
he U.S. railways are not pleased with U.S.
transportation consultant Terry Whiteside
— they’ve stopped sending him free merchandise.
“They will send anybody calendars, but they
don’t send me calendars,” he told CropSphere delegates in Saskatoon.
Whiteside might not get free calendars anymore,
but he could still order one for $11.95 (USD) from
the Union Pacific website. Or, if he’s thrifty, a 2013
calendar for $2 (USD). Union Pacific also sells everything from fishing lures to baby onesies.
Dealing
with winter
Whiteside also brought Union Pacific-opoly, a
board game similar to Monopoly, to CropSphere.
The cards say “if you own the Denver Rio
Grande and the Western Pacific, you can charge 10
times the rate,” Whiteside said.
Union Pacific no longer sells the game from
its website. A customer service rep with the
railway thought it had been discontinued. But
railway lovers could still purchase it at Amazon.
ca for anywhere from $65.90 to $102.45, as of
February 4th.†
Lisa Guenther is a field editor for Grainews.
Contact her at [email protected].
Lynda Tityk
Circul at ion manag er Heather Anderson
old weather cuts air
pressure in brake
lines, which means
shorter trains.
Canada Grains Council
president Richard Phillips
would like the railways to look
into measures to counteract
the cold, such as research into
heat tapes running through
the lines. “Rather than just
saying, ‘That’s the way it is,’ is
there any innovation that can
be done?”
Asked whether CN was
looking at heat tapes going
through the lines, CN’s Mark
Hallman replied the suggestion was impractical.
If such innovations aren’t
possible, the question is “how
do we get more crews and
engines running in the winter,” Phillips said.
CN invested an extra $100
million to boost network
capacity in the Prairies last year,
Hallman wrote. This included
double track and siding extensions on the mainline between
Winnipeg and Edmonton, the
line between Saskatoon and
Wainwright, and Winnipeg
and Saskatoon’s yards. CN also
bought locomotives and grain
hoppers, and trained management employees as conductors
and engineers so they could
relieve regular crews, he added.
CP put $1.2 billion into
their rail network in 2013,
Greenberg wrote. For example, the company upgraded
the north main line through
Saskatchewan.
A media release on CN’s
website states that CN plans
to invest $2.1 billion on capital programs, including $1.2
billion in track infrastructure,
in 2014. CP intends to invest
$1.2 to $1.3 billion in capital expenditures next year,
according to a release on their
website. †
Canadian shippers have also realized there is strength in numbers.
Richard Phillips, president of the
Canada Grains Council, is part of
Canada’s National Rail Shipper’s
Coalition. The coalition is made up
of shippers representing about 90
per cent of the annual freight revenue of CN and CP. Along with other
representatives from the agriculture
industry, it includes members of the
steel, mining, fertilizer, chemistry,
car shippers, and forestry industries.
When the coalition first formed,
the agriculture members thought
their shipping stories would shock
the other industry reps. But everyone has major issues, Phillips said.
“It’s been really, really good
to share what the challenges are
because sometimes it helps put your
stuff in perspective,” said Phillips.
“It also helps put in perspective that
clearly, if 90 per cent of your customers aren’t happy, then maybe
you are the problem.”
Philips said convincing the railways that farmers are the freight
bearers is a tough sell because the
grain companies sign handling
agreements. “I think the grain elevators are a fairly effective lobby,
but they’re actually more effective
if we go in together with farmers.”
Shippers don’t share specific
freight rates because of competiveness issues, but they do share
ranges, Phillips said. Grain is a
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The editors and journalists who write,
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MARCH 4, 2014
grainews.ca /
5
Features
Crop varieties
Selection Scrutiny
Don’t just base your canola variety selections
on last year’s results. Get more information
By Kari Belanger
W
hen evaluating
canola varieties for
your farm in 2014,
take a long, hard
look at as many sources of information you can lay your hands
on, says one industry expert.
“Don’t plant for last year,” says
Shawn Senko, an agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of
Canada. He suggests evaluating
varieties based on last year’s results
may not be the best strategy. “If you
tried a new variety last year and it
did well, (keep in mind) most areas
experienced an exceptional year
with excellent growing conditions,”
he says. “You don’t know how that
variety will perform under some
stress. It could be completely different conditions (next year).”
Senko recommends examining
past data to determine how the
variety that performed so well in
2013 may have fared in years with
poorer growing conditions. “Maybe
it is the variety for you to plant this
year… but look at the data available
from a number of sites with different growing conditions and from
multiple years,” he says.
When it comes to evaluating
varieties, the more sources of information, the better. “Take a look
at multiple sources and multiple
years,” says Senko. For example,
the Canola Performance Trials,
crop insurance data, company
strip trials, and Western Canada
Canola/Rapeseed Recommending
Committee data are a few sources
producers can turn to for information to base selections on.
When data conflicts, farmers
can contact the source of information for more details — perhaps
extenuating circumstances, such
as extreme environmental conditions, caused the discrepancy —
or they can disregard anomalous
results. “If you’ve got two good
sources and they’re saying one
thing and the third is saying something completely different, you
probably wouldn’t use the third in
your selection criteria,” says Senko.
When it comes to variety selection, Senko warns although yield
is an important characteristic, consideration of other factors may be
just as essential and should be
taken into account at the beginning of the selection process. “Look
first at other important agronomics of a variety and then narrow
(your choice) down by performance data,” he says.
For example, if clubroot is of concern in a region, begin by choosing
clubroot-resistant varieties and then
compare performance data for narrowing the selection. In another
scenario, matching a herbicide-tolerant variety to the particular weed
spectrum in a field should be the
primary consideration for a farming
operation, says Senko.
Canola
performance trials
One tool helping western
Canadian producers evaluate canola varieties has undergone some
significant changes from its previous incarnations, says Senko.
Having just completed its third
year, the Canola Performance Trials
program is built on past variety
trial systems, such as the Prairie
Canola Variety Trials, but addresses
concerns the industry was voicing
about the previous structure.
“Some participants felt (the
PCVT) didn’t accurately reflect
what was happening in the field
at that point for varieties,” says
Senko. The revamped system aims
to provide growers with more relevant, unbiased and timely performance data that reflects actual
production practices and to provide comparative data on leading
and newly-introduced varieties.
“The biggest change in procedure
is the old system treated all varieties
the same. The new system breaks
into herbicide-tolerant groups and
with their appropriate herbicides,”
says Senko. Although results are also
still organized by short-, mediumand long-season zones.
Another major change is the
large, field-scale trials that are
being seeded, sprayed and harvested by producers across the
Prairies, says Senko. The purpose
of these comparisons is to add
perspective when assessing consistency in variety performance.
Other major points of the fieldscale program include:
• Although the question of yield
monitors is addressed every year,
weigh wagons are used because
“we still feel [they] are most accurate,” says Senko.
• Varieties must already be
included in the small-plot program in order to participate in the
field-scale trials.
• All field-scale sites must be
declared at the beginning of the
season so they are included in the
audit process.
• Each site has a common check
— 73-75 RR.
• Two or more varieties are
compared at each site.
CPT results for 2013 are based on
20 small-plot trials and 108 fieldscale trials. According to the 2013
trial summary, the small-plot system ensures all varieties are treated
with the appropriate commerciallyassociated herbicides and seed treatments, trials are inspected by an
independent third-party representative and varieties are in blocks based
on maturity.
The program is managed and
funded by the Alberta Canola
Producers’ Commission, the
Saskatchewan Canola Development
Commission and the Manitoba
Canola Growers’ Association. The
B.C. Grain Producers’ Association
also participates via trials conducted
in the Peace River region. The CCC
delivers the program. A summary
booklet and online database is available at canolacouncil.org.
This decision-making tool also
includes interactive maps, an economic calculator and the ability
to refine searches by season zone,
herbicide-tolerance type, yield,
days to maturity, lodging and
height. Users can also compare
results from 2011 through 2013.
Although the weather is beyond
control, careful scrutiny of all data
from multiple sources over multiple
years when selecting varieties will
increase the likelihood of a successful harvest in 2014. “Don’t just go
by last year’s results on your farm,
look at other environments and
see how the variety you’re selecting
performed on conditions you could
have next year,” says Senko. †
Kari Belanger is a freelance writer writing
from Winnipeg, Man.
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Publication: Grain News
6
/ grainews.ca
MARCH 4, 2014
Features
Crop production
Crop Advisor’s casebook
YELLOW DURUM MAKES FOR CHALLENGING PUZZLE
Left: Steve Leavitt is a regional sales agronomist with
Richardson Pioneer Ltd. at Stirling, Alta. Right: The
plants were turning yellow in this Alberta durum field.
By Steve Leavitt
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canola. And for even healthier profits, EclipseTM III delivers the
best broad-spectrum weed control for your high-yielding
Roundup Ready® canola hybrids. Get bonus flexibility and value
at your Nexera crusher or retailer. Or visit healthierprofits.ca.
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MAKE IT NEXERATM
AND MAKE
MORE.
I
n June of 2013 I received a
call from Gord, a farmer near
Stirling, Alta., with 15,000
acres of durum wheat, peas,
barley and canola. Gord told me he
was seeing a poor plant stand and
plants turning yellow in one of his
durum fields, which was currently
in the four- to six-leaf stage. Gord
thought one of the herbicides he
was using might be causing the
problem, but he wasn’t certain.
I paid Gord a visit and he took
me out into his 320-acre durum
wheat field. Sure enough, I could
see the crop was plagued by a
poor stand, with some plants
dying off and others exhibiting
yellow streaks and blotches.
I inquired about Gord’s fertility program for the crop, and his
mix of 80 pounds of nitrogen and
30 pounds of phosphorus per acre
sounded fine. I then asked him
about his crop protection program,
and whether he’d noticed any issues
with the herbicides used in any of
his other durum wheat fields.
I could see a couple of things
that made this unlikely to be a
herbicide problem. Those areas
Casebook winner
D
ara Calon is the
Casebook winner
for this issue. Dara
is an assistant agricultural fieldman for Starland
County, Alberta. Thanks for
entering, Dara! We’ll send you
a cap, and renew your Grainews
subscription for a year. †
Leeann Minogue
By Dan Piraro
Bizarro
According to Canola Evaluation and Intentions,
Canada, 2012, Stratus Agri-Marketing, Inc.
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All other products are trademarks of their respective companies.
0114-36473_36511 GN
MARCH 4, 2014
grainews.ca /
7
Features
Crop production
Crop Advisor’s Solution
By Audrey Bamber
L
ast July I received a call
from John, a wheat
farmer located near
Medicine Hat, Alta. His
wheat crop had recently headed
out, and John had noticed wild
oats mixed throughout it despite
his use of an in-crop herbicide.
I went out to John’s farm and
when he took me out into the
affected field to have a look,
I could see exactly what he
meant — large patches of very
healthy wild oats grew among
his wheat. They appeared
totally unaffected by the herbicide application from a month
earlier, so I asked John what
product he had used and how
it had been applied.
What he’d used was clodin-
afop, a very efficient Group 1
herbicide for the post-emergence
control of grasses in wheat. John
assured me that the herbicide had
been applied the right rate, time
and conditions.
John also didn’t believe the
crop had been under any stress,
like drought, heat or flooding,
so he was stumped as to why
the herbicide hadn’t worked.
He had been using it for years
on the wheat crops on his land,
and this particular field had
been in a long-term fallow
wheat rotation.
What, then, could be the
source of the problem? I immediately researched clodinafop.
The label states that under
stressful growing conditions,
weed regrowth can occur. This
may have happened in John’s
HERBICIDE RESISTANCE SOLUTION TO WILD OATS MYSTERY
field, but it is difficult to prove
unless the stressful conditions
were obvious.
That left Group 1 herbicide
resistance as the probable cause.
Herbicide-resistant weeds have
been on the increase. In a 2007
Alberta provincial weed survey,
39 per cent of fields tested had
Group 1-resistant wild oats.
University of Alberta professor
Hugh Beckie predicts that if a
single herbicide is used every year
for five straight years, 30 per cent
of the weeds in that field will be
resistant to it.
Unfortunately, it was too
late to make a second herbicide application in John’s field.
Cutting the crop for silage to
remove the wild oat seeds was
considered.
I encouraged John to take a
multifaceted approach to weed
control. This would include
switching to other herbicide
groups for weed control and
avoiding Group 1 herbicides on
this field as well as others with
a similar cropping/herbicideuse history.
“As much as possible, you
should prevent any wild oats
from setting seed, to lower the
buildup of herbicide-resistant
seeds,” I said. I also recommended that John clean his equipment
between fields and keep ongoing
field records of crops, herbicides
and weed populations.
John could also increase
the competitive ability of his
crops by using measures such as
using treated seed and planting
it at a higher seeding rate and
at an optimum seeding depth
T:8.125”
(not too deep). In addition, I
recommended that he consider
using tank mixes when possible, as research has shown that
tank mixes of products with
different modes of action can
delay the advent of herbicide
resistance.
John’s wild oat problem illustrated the need for herbicide
group rotation and crop rotation, as well as the importance
of an integrated weed management system. Rotating herbicide groups, rotating crops, and
diligent weed scouting to watch
for weed escapes and possible
resistance are the best weapons
in John’s arsenal to ward against
more wild oat outbreaks in the
future. †
Audrey Bamber is a sales agronomist with
Richardson Pioneer Ltd. at Dunmore, Alta.
T:10”
most affected were in the lowerlying areas of the field. If the damage was caused one of the applied
herbicides, I would have expected
to see the poor stand and yellowing plants throughout the field,
rather than mostly in one area.
Also, this particular field of
durum wheat was the only one
affected — Gord’s other 2,500 acres
of durum wheat had the same fertility package and herbicides applied,
and they were not exhibiting any
symptoms, even in the lower-lying
areas of those other fields.
I asked Gord to tell me about
the history of this particular field
that was afflicted with yellowing
durum. “Well, last season I grew
Roundup Ready canola,” he said,
“and the year prior to that I had
planted winter wheat.”
Gord said there had been
some heavy rains in the spring,
which could possibly explain
why the problem was most severe
in low-lying areas of the field.
But why weren’t the rest of his
durum fields affected? They too
had also received the heavy rains.
Something didn’t add up.
If you think you know what’s
behind Gord’s yellowing durum
problem, send your diagnosis to
Grainews, Box 9800, Winnipeg,
Man., R3C 3K7; email leeann.
[email protected] or fax
204-944-95416 c/o Crop Advisor’s
Casebook. Best suggestions will
be pooled and one winner will be
drawn for a chance to win a Grainews
cap and a one-year subscription to
the magazine. The answer, along
with reasoning that solved the mystery, will appear in the next Crop
Advisor’s Solution File. †
Steve Leavitt is a regional sales agronomist
with Richardson Pioneer Ltd. at Stirling, Alta.
By Dan Piraro
Bizarro
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8
/ grainews.ca
MARCH 4, 2014
EXTENDED OUTLOOK FOR THE PRAIRIES
Weather Forecast for the period of March 2 to March 29, 2014
Southern Alberta
Peace River Region
Saskatchewan
March 2 - 8
Seasonal to cold and fair overall, but
snow falls on a couple of occasions,
possibly heavy in a few areas.
Windy at times with drifting.
March 2 - 8
Seasonal to cold and fair overall, but
snow falls on a couple of occasions,
possibly heavy in a few areas.
Chance of rain. Windy with drifting.
March 9 - 15
Changeable weather as gusty winds
bring mild and cold days.
Occasional rain or snow in the
south, changing to heavier snow in
the north.
March 2 - 8
Sunny weather interchanges with
unsettled, windy, cold conditions.
Snow mixed with rain on a couple of
days. Chance of heavy precipitation.
March 9 - 15
Changeable weather and
temperatures as gusty winds bring
mild and cold days. Occasional rain
or snow.
March 9 - 15
Temperatures oscillate through the
thaw/freeze cycle. Sunny skies
on many days apart from occasional
snow or rain in the south.
March 16 - 22
Unsettled on a few days as
disturbances move through.
Thaw/freeze cycle with intermittent
snow or rain, chance heavy in
places.
March 16 - 22
Seasonal to cold temperatures and
often pleasant, in spite of 2 or 3 days
of unsettled, blustery conditions with
heavier snow mixed with rain.
March 16 - 22
Unsettled on a few days as
disturbances move through.
Thaw/freeze cycle with intermittent
snow or rain, chance heavy in
places. Often snowy, cold.
-12 / 0
Grande Prairie
18.6 mms
Precipitation Forecast
-11 / 0
Edmonton
17.0 mms
-9 / 4
Jasper
15.7 mms
NEAR
NORMAL
-8 / 4
21.5 mms
Banff
-12 / -2
North Battleford
-11 / 1
Red Deer
16.5 mms
-8 / 3
Calgary
Forecasts should be 80%
accurate, but expect
variations by a day or two
because of changeable
speed of weather systems.
14.7 mms
-7 / 5
Medicine Hat
19mms
cms
Lethbridge 16.0
26.0 mms
26 cms
-7 / 5
March 2 - 8
Windy on several days with variable
temperatures from cold to mild.
Sunny skies interchange with some
snow, with a chance of rain in the
south.
March 9 - 15
Temperatures are on the cold side
but mild, windy days boost
temperatures well above zero in the
south and central areas on 2 to 3
days. Risk of rain.
March 16 - 22
Seasonal to cold although thawing
occurs on a few days under fair skies.
Scattered snow or rain south changes
to occasional heavy snow north.
March 23 - 29
Changeable temperatures and
blustery with intermittent rain/snow
in the south, and heavier snow in
the north.
March 23 - 29
Unsettled, blustery at times with
occasional rain/snow south, heavy
snow north. Changeable from mild
to cold.
March 23 - 29
Unsettled, blustery at times with
occasional rain/snow south, heavy
snow north. Changeable from mild
to cold.
Manitoba
-15 / -2
Prince Albert
18.2 mms
March 23 - 29
Weather conditions and temperatures
vary. Often windy. Intermittent
rain/snow in the south with heavier
snow at times in the north.
NEAR
NORMAL
-16 / -4
The Pas
Precipitation Outlook
For March
23.6 mms
17.3 mms
-12 / -2
Saskatoon
16.0 mms
-14 / -3
Yorkton
-13 / -2 24.6 mms
Regina
-11 / 0
-11 / -1 Moose Jaw 16.5 mms
Swift 18.1 mms
Current
-11 / -1
19.5 mms
Weyburn
BELOW
NORMAL 16.0 mms -11 / -1
Estevan
T:10.25”
19.9 mms
Much Above Normal Below Much
above normal
normal below
normal
normal
-14 / -2
Dauphin
25.7 mms
-16 / -3
Gimli
22.6 mms
-12 / -1
Portage
-13 / -2
-12 / -2
Brandon 26.3 mms Winnipeg
20.5 mms
Melita -14 / -1
25.0 mms
23.1
mms
Temperatures are normals
for March 15th averaged
over 30 years.
Precipitation
(water equivalent)
normals for March in mms.
©2014 WeatherTec Services
www.weathertec.mb.ca
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MARCH 4, 2014
grainews.ca /
9
Features
Crop production
Getting optimum canola emergence
Canola seed is expensive. Better seeding practices can lead to a 70 or 80 per cent emergence rate
By Melanie Epp
O
n average, only 50
per cent of all canola
planted makes it to
harvest. A number of
factors contribute to canola’s survivability, says Autumn Barnes,
an Agronomy Specialist with
the Canola Council of Canada.
Better understanding them could
increase those rates.
Understanding these factors and
the best combination to use on
a given farm is the first step to
increasing that emergence rate. In
fact, Barnes says that better seeding
practices can lead to a 70 or 80 per
cent emergence rate. Don’t expect
much higher than that, though.
“It’s really rare to get 90 or 100
per cent emergence,” she says.
The second factor, one that’s
often overlooked, has to do with
fertilizer placement. It’s important not to place too much fertilizer with the seed, says Barnes. She
suggests that producers stop frequently while seeding to make sure
that there’s adequate separation
between the fertilizer and the seed.
“The faster you go, depending
on what your seeding implement
is, you likely aren’t going to be getting as good a separation between
your seed and your fertilizer, so
you could be risking some burn
from that,” says Barnes.
Check for emergence
After seeding, Barnes suggests
checking your fields for emergence. To do this, simply bend
a piece of PVC pipe into a hulahoop. To make a two square foot
hoop, cut a 60-inch length of
three-eights NH3 hose and loop
the ends together.
“You basically go out into the
field and throw it into a few spots
randomly and count the number of
plants that come up,” says Barnes.
The calculation is pretty simple: count the number of plants
in the hoop, then divide by two
(assuming you have a two square
foot hoop).
Barnes uses a square-meter calculation, rather than a hoop.
“You could use anything that
would measure a square meter,
and take a few measurements
from different spots across the
field and then record them,” she
says.
Finally, Barnes suggests keeping clear and complete planting
records.
In fact, the importance of
record keeping can’t be understated, she says.
“If we get better at recording our data then we can look
at our practices and figure out
where we can make improvements on our farm. Every farm
is different, and many fields are
different. As long as we’re keeping an eye on those differences
and figuring out how we can be
more efficient with the situation that we’re in.”
So what should producers be
recording? Barnes says there isn’t
a set list, but if there was it would
include the following:
• Soil temperature
• Surface residue management
• Seeding rate
• Planter speed
• 1000 seed weight
• Fertilizer — blend and rate
• Date/time of day
• Herbicides
• Pre-seed burn down
“I’d say the most important
ones would be your seeding
rate, and your thousand-seed
weight,” she says. “I wish I could
say that a lot of people use it,
but they don’t. A lot of people
still seed at the standard five
pounds per acre with canola,
regardless of what their thousand-seed weight is.” †
Melanie Epp is a freelance writer who
specializes in writing web copy for small
businesses. She is based in Guelph, Ont., and
can be found online at melanierepp.com.
Increase your survivability
There are two key seeding practices that affect seed survivability.
The first is well known, but
important, so it bears repeating.
Slow down, says Barnes, and really
keep an eye on seeding depth.
“Because the quicker you go, the
less uniform your seeding depth
is. Canola seeds are pretty small.
If you bury them really deep, they
have to work pretty hard to get out
of the ground.”
Calculating
seeding rate
T
he formula for calculating a seeding
rate based on seed
size, provided by the
Canola Council of Canada, is
as follows:
Seeding rate (lb./ac.) = [9.6 x
desired plant density (plants/
ft2) x TKW (in grams)] ÷ estimated seed survival.
In this formula, TKW is
the thousand kernel weight
of your seed. Estimated seed
survival will be a percentage,
expressed as a whole number
for the calculation.
Because canola yields aren’t
highly correlated with established plant densities, seeding
rates may not need to be precise
to the decimal point. Be sure to
follow up 10 to 14 days after
planting, doing plant counts
to determine what population
was actually achieved. †
Melanie Epp
By Dan Piraro
Bizarro
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through the use of multiple modes of action and are offering growers a
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*The Roundup Transorb® HC, Roundup Ultra2®, HEAT and DISTINCT offer off-invoice discount acres will be calculated using the following label rates: One case of HEAT = 640 acres (one jug of HEAT = 80 acres), one case of DISTINCT = 80
acres (one jug of DISTINCT = 40 acres), Roundup Transorb HC 0.67L = 1 acre (10L = 15 acres, 115L = 172 acres, 450L = 675 acres, 800L = 1,200 acres), Roundup Ultra2 0.67L = 1 acre (10L = 15 acres, 115L = 172 acres, 450L = 675 acres, 800L =
1,200 acres). Predetermine the compatibility of tank mixtures by mixing small proportional quantities in advance.
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Canada Inc. © 2013 Monsanto Canada, Inc. and BASF Canada Inc.
10
/ grainews.ca
MARCH 4, 2014
Features
Crop disease
Alberta’s fusarium management plan
Not all agronomists believe Alberta Fusarium graminearum management plan is a net benefit for farmers
By Andrea Hilderman
F
usarium graminearum is
listed as a pest under the
Alberta Agricultural Pests
Act. To control the disease
and keep it from lowering grain
yield and quality, the province
of Alberta has an extensive management plan in place. But some
believe the Fusarium Management
Plan is be too restrictive.
Alberta’s Fuarium Management
Plan was developed to limit mycotoxin production and subsequent
grain contamination, prevent the
spread of Fusarium graminearum is
list into Alberta or from infected
areas to non-infected areas of the
province; and to reduce the economic impact of the disease on
Alberta farmers.
“At first glance, the Alberta
Fusarium Management Plan may
seem like a good idea,” says Todd
Hyra, Western Canada business
manager with SeCan. “And it probably was, but not anymore. It’s now
becoming a burden for Alberta’s
seed growers and it’s responsible
for Alberta farmers having delayed
access to new genetics.”
One example Hyra highlighted
was with the general purpose wheat
variety Pasteur. Pasteur is a very
high-yielding, very late-maturing
variety that SeCan had targeted
originally to the eastern Prairies.
During 2010 and 2011 a great deal
of interest for the variety started
to come from Alberta. “We were
unable to move seed into Alberta
because it contained low levels of
F. graminearum is list,” explains
Hyra. “We had to start the multiplication process from scratch and
Pasteur launched two years later in
Alberta.”
When a variety is registered and
Fusarium
in Alberta
F
. graminearum is one
of a number of species
of fusarium, a common and serious fungal disease of wheat, barley,
oats and corn. Causing problems for cereal farmers for over
100 years, fusarium negatively
impacts grain yield and quality, as well as having the potential to produce toxins such
as vomitoxin, also known as
DON or deoxynivalenol.
F. graminearum is considered
to be the most threatening
fusarium species in Canada
at this time. First identified
in Manitoba in 1923, it didn’t
cause farmers any major problems until 1984, when the first
serious outbreak was reported.
Since then, the frequency
and severity of outbreaks has
increased. The disease itself
has spread west across the
Prairies and is now detectable
in northern British Columbia.
In Alberta, F. graminearum
has been present at very low
levels since it was identified
in 1989. It increased over time
to 2010 and 2011, when it
resulted in grade losses in the
south of the province. †
CROP DISTRICTS
FUSARIUM DAMAGE IN ALBERTA CWAD
Crop District
1
2
3
Year
Incidence (%)
Severity (%)
Incidence (%)
Severity (%)
Incidence (%)
Severity (%)
2013
31.4
1.08
38.9
0.88
38.5
0.43
2012
11.1
0.91
16.1
1.19
0.0
0.00
2011
1.8
0.87
2.9
2.44
0.0
0.00
2010
19.6
1.77
11.3
1.81
0.0
0.00
2009
7.7
1.65
17.6
2.10
0.0
0.00
2008
0.0
0.00
2.5
1.55
0.0
0.00
2007
1.5
0.90
0.0
0.00
0.0
0.00
2006
0.0
0.00
1.9
1.20
0.0
0.00
2005
1.6
1.50
0.7
2.00
0.0
0.00
2004
0.8
0.55
1.0
1.60
0.0
0.00
2003
4.2
0.06
11.5
0.05
3.4
0.03
Source: Canadian Grain Commission Harvest Sample Program.
Fusarium damage observed in Canada Western Amber Durum (CWAD) wheat grown in Alberta crop districts
from 2003 through 2013. Incidence (%) represents the mean percentage of samples containing fusarium
damaged kernels (FDK). Severity (%) represents the mean percentage (mass basis) of FDK in samples
containing damaged kernels.
the seed multiplication process
commences, breeder seed is usually
only available in very small quantities. “We will often have to heattreat the seed lot for it to test negative for F. graminearum is list and
then we typically would seed it in
an area of central Alberta where we
would not expect to encounter the
disease,” explains Hyra. “But we
are losing seed lots regularly now
as F. graminearum is list is present
into central Alberta, and this slows
the multiplication process. Even if
F. graminearum is list is detectable
only at very, very low levels, we
cannot use a seed lot in Alberta. It
has to be discarded or moved out
of Alberta and losing stock seed in
this way is very tough for Alberta
seed growers.”
Crop districts of Alberta
WHAT MATTERS MOST?
Farming is not just putting seed in the
ground. Everything before and after,
from new technology to timing, is crucial
to a successful crop. And my Syngenta
Reps give me the advice I need every
step of the way.
Clayton Gellner, 3rd generation farmer
and Syngenta seed grower near Southey, SK
Visit SyngentaFarm.ca or contact our Customer Resource
Centre at 1-87-SYNGENTA (1-877-964-3682).
Always read and follow label directions.
The Syngenta logo is a registered trademark of a Syngenta Group Company. © 2014 Syngenta.
Andrea Hilderman
6306-1F_SYT_ROI_ad_CG_GrainNews.indd All Pages
MARCH 4, 2014
grainews.ca /
11
Features
FUSARIUM IN ALBERTA CWRS
Crop District
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Year
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
Incidence (%)
23.6
7.5
2.2
3.8
9.6
0.0
0.0
0.0
1.3
0.8
1.0
Severity (%)
0.47
0.55
0.18
1.50
1.67
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.98
1.20
0.02
Incidence (%)
25.8
18.6
10.2
7.6
10.8
0.4
0.3
0.6
0.0
0.5
0.3
Severity (%)
0.48
0.70
1.06
1.50
1.10
0.95
0.40
0.78
0.00
0.80
0.06
Incidence (%)
21.7
5.0
6.1
0.0
1.9
2.1
0.0
0.0
1.0
1.0
0.7
Severity (%)
0.31
0.37
0.83
0.00
0.62
0.88
0.00
0.00
0.90
0.50
0.02
Incidence (%)
14.1
12.9
4.8
4.3
0.7
0.0
0.0
0.0
2.3
1.2
1.4
Severity (%)
0.37
0.64
0.64
1.65
0.47
0.00
0.00
0.00
1.34
0.37
0.05
Incidence (%)
29.2
19.4
3.5
6.4
0.0
1.6
0.0
0.0
2.5
2.3
2.9
Severity (%)
0.57
0.65
0.73
2.51
0.00
0.70
0.00
0.00
0.70
0.30
0.15
Incidence (%)
25.7
8.8
5.9
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
5.3
Severity (%)
0.37
0.86
0.48
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.02
Incidence (%)
9.0
1.9
2.3
0.8
0.0
0.4
0.4
0.0
0.3
2.0
2.1
Severity (%)
0.17
0.12
1.09
1.35
0.00
0.50
0.50
0.00
0.00
1.18
0.14
Source: Canadian Grain Commission Harvest Sample Program.
Fusarium damage observed in Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat grown in Alberta crop districts
from 2003 through 2013. Incidence (%) represents the mean percentage of samples containing fusarium
damaged kernels (FDK). Severity (%) represents the mean percentage (mass basis) of FDK in samples
containing damaged kernels.
Other provinces
Saskatchewan and Manitoba
do not have the same regulations
for F. graminearum is list on seed.
“Although seed growers test their
seed for F. graminearum is list, it is
not a requirement of the Seeds Act,”
says Hyra. “Seed growers are conscientious about maintaining their
reputations as reputable and trustworthy suppliers in their local communities, so often, they have selfimposed restrictions on the levels of
F. graminearum is list on their seed.
Add to that the fact that growers in
Saskatchewan and Manitoba will
use the latest technologies in seed
treatments to control the disease.”
Hyra fears that Alberta’s zerotolerance on F. graminearum is list
hurts pedigreed seed growers, and
their customers, unfairly. “It’s not
that growers using farm saved seed
have an unfair advantage,” he
explains. “It that it’s encouraging
these growers to ignore the problem and that will lead to a disaster.”
For over 20 years, Manitoba grow-
ers have been using all the technologies and management strategies
to control F. graminearum is list and
reduce inoculum loads. They grow
cereals very successfully, only having bad F. graminearum is list years
on occasion. Hyra feels that loosening up the zero-tolerance regulations in Alberta will encourage
farmers to test seed more, embrace
the available technologies and management strategies that have been
learned elsewhere and help Alberta
keep a lid on F. graminearum.
Tom Gräfenhan, research scientist at the Canadian Grain
Commission (CGC), reviews the
CGC harvest samples for fusarium damaged kernels. Since 2009,
when fusarium incidence in hard
red spring wheat first measured
over the one per cent level, incidence levels have been climbing.
Looking at Canada Western Red
Spring wheat in Alberta Crop
Districts 1 and 2 in southern
Alberta from 2009 to 2013 inci-
» continued on page 12
Alberta’s Fusarium
Management Plan
T
he objectives of the
Management Plans are
to prevent the introduction, escalation
and spread of F. graminearum.
These are the guidelines:
• Always use healthy seed
with no detectable levels of F.
graminearum.
• Treat all cereal and corn
intended to be used as seed
with a registered fungicide that
includes the genus fusarium as
one of the fungi it controls.
• Ensure at least two years
between host crops of F.
graminearum (all small grains,
corn).
• Avoid corn in rotation
with corn.
• Avoid planting small
grains or corn adjacent to
fields where elevated levels of
F. graminearum are known or
suspected to occur.
• Increase seeding rates to
promote more uniform stands,
reduce tillering and shortening the flowering period of the
crop. The crop is infected during
flowering and this practise may
reduce the risk of infection, as
well as ensuring if an in-crop
fungicide is necessary, staging is
more precise and uniform.
• Stagger small grains and
corn planting dates on the farm
to stagger flowering dates.
• Manage irrigation as the
JOB ID: 6306 1D
crop enters
the flowering stage
thus DATE:
preventing
the humidity
FEB 4, 2014
levels the disease favours.
CLIENT: SYNGENTA CANADA
informed about fusar• Be
ium infection
PROJECT: ROIrisk
AD –in
CG the area
and applying a fungicide if
PUBLICATION: GRAIN NEWS
necessary.
harvest,
ifANTON
the crop is
• At
DESIGNER:
JEFF
infected with fusarium, set the
( ) MECHANICAL ( ) PDF/X
combine
to blow out fusariumdamaged
kernels
and
FINAL SIZE:
17.4" X (FDK)
10"
chaff to improve grades and
240%
reduceUCR:
the
risk of mycotoxin
production
in
stored grain
CLIENT SERVICE
• Remove loose crop residues PROOFREADING
from equipment moving from
fields with fusarium
ART DIRECTION
infected crops
PRODUCTION grassy
• Control
weeds
and volunteer cereals on
infested lands, including
headlands. †
Andrea Hilderman
14-02-05 12:33 PM
12
/ grainews.ca
MARCH 4, 2014
Features
Crop varieties
Harvest: the F150 of wheat varieties
With an all around package, Harvest has had a long run
By Andrea Hilderman
E
very year, farmers get the
opportunity to grow new
and improved varieties
of wheat. Wheat breeders
are continuously raising the bar by
adding disease or insect resistance,
additional agronomic benefits
or earlier maturity. But every so
often, a variety comes along that
just seems to have a consistency
and reliability that gives it incredible longevity in the field.
The Canada Western Red Spring
wheat variety Harvest seems to
be just that variety. Harvest was
bred by Fred Townley-Smith, at
the Cereal Research Centre in
Winnipeg. It was registered in 2001
and Farm Pure Seeds acquired the
distribution rights. “It was slow to
take off,” says Ron Weik, portfolio
manager at FP Genetics. “It wasn’t
until about 2005-06 that it started
to ramp up acres in a big way.”
FP Genetics is the company that
was formed when Farm Pure Seeds
went out of business in 2007-08,
and it acquired most of the variety
licenses Farm Pure Seeds had at
the time.
This past year, Harvest was the
second to only Stettler in Alberta
by a small margin, followed by
CDC Go, Lillian and CDC Abound.
In Manitoba, Harvest was third, at
14 per cent, behind Carberry at
32 per cent and Glenn at 17 per
cent. When the CWB conducted
the variety survey, Harvest was
in the top three CWRS varieties
on the Prairies for three years in a
row 2008 to 2011, or until those
surveys came to an end due to the
changes to the CWB monopoly.
What’s the secret?
What is it about Harvest that
has given it the longevity it
has displayed for the past 10 or
more years?
“There’s no one reason to grow
Harvest,” says Randy Court of Court
Seeds at Plumas, Manitoba, “but
there are lots of little reasons to
grow it.” Court goes on to say that
it’s the particular combination of
good yield, early maturity and kernel quality that makes Harvest so
attractive for a farmer. “Add to that
good straw strength that is suitable
for straight cutting and kernel quality as good as anything out there,
and Harvest is often the first one in
the bin. Early harvest really helps
when it comes to quality.”
Another seed grower who has
now retired from the seed business,
Warren Kaeding, of Churchbridge,
Saskatchewan, is also a big fan of
Harvest wheat. “I liken it to a Ford
F150,” he explains. “It’s not maybe
the best in any particular category,
but as an overall package it’s hard
to beat. It’s the same with an F150.
You just get such consistency with
it year after year and that was its
best-selling feature.” While Ford
F-series trucks have been the bestselling trucks in North America for
over 30 years, Harvest is unlikely to
last that long.
If Harvest has an Achilles heel, it’s
fusarium resistance, which is rated
as very poor. On the plus side, it
has good, consistent yield, excellent
harvesting benefits like strong straw,
resisting shattering and sprouting
as well as retaining its color and
holding grade if harvest conditions
are not ideal. Because it is an older
variety now, certified seed sales are
not reflective of its dominance in
acres. “Certified seed sales are tailing
off now,” says Kaeding.
“I put in quite a few acres of
Harvest last year,” says Court.
“Based on my experience and how
well this variety performs, I still see
substantial acres going in for 2014.”
It’s very likely that Harvest will
lose acres as new varieties are registered that deal with pests like
midge and sawfly, or improved
disease resistance. However, both
Court and Kaeding believe that
none of the new varieties have
come to market with the same
comprehensive, all-around package that Harvest did. †
Andrea Hilderman has her master’s degree
in weed science and is a member of the
Manitoba Institute of Agrologists. She writes
from Winnipeg, Man.
Always read and follow label directions. FMC and Authority are trademarks and Investing in farming’s future is a service mark of FMC Corporation. ©2014 FMC Corporation. All rights reserved. F101-032481 1/14 Kochia image by Howard F. Schwartz, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org
» CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11
Alberta’s fusarium
management plan
dence levels have gone from about
10 per cent, in what was admittedly a bad year, to 25 per cent this
past year, and in Canada Western
Amber Durum, it’s even higher.
“Incidence is a measure of how
widespread the disease is,” explains
Grafenhan. “Severity, on the other
hand, is based on the percentage
of fusarium damaged kernels (%
FDK) in affected samples. As one
of several grading factors, the CGC
uses tolerances for per cent FDK to
determine grades of cereal grains.
In 2013, affected samples were
generally less than 0.5 per cent
infected which is considered low.
The problem with these high incidence levels is that if conditions
are supportive of fungal growth,
and Alberta gets rain and warmer
temperatures around cereal flowering time, then this disease can
have a devastating effect on the
crop,” warns Gräfenhan.
As a comparison, incidence levels in harvest samples of hard red
wheat in Manitoba run around 45
per cent. Gräfenhan does not see
these incidence levels declining,
rather, the likelihood is that Alberta
will mirror what happened on the
eastern Prairies 10 to 20 years ago.
“In many ways, zero-tolerance
for F. graminearum on seed creates a false sense of security,” says
Gräfenhan. “Growers might be
better served through education
and adoption of the strategies
farmers on the eastern Prairies
already practise as standard operating procedures for growing crops
that are susceptible toFusarium
graminearum is list”
The Fusarium Action Committee
undertook a science-based review
of the Management Plan. Possible
changes should be announced
soon. “Knowing that the Fusarium
Action Committee is actively working on options is something that
will be well received by everyone
from industry through to farmers,”
says Hyra. “Alberta needs to be
focussed on good, sound fusarium
management practises and technologies to keep the disease in
check.” †
www.fmccrop.ca
Andrea Hilderman has her master’s degree
in weed science and is a member of the
Manitoba Institute of Agrologists. She writes
from Winnipeg, Man.
F101-032481-01_AuthorityAd_Obit_Grainnews.indd 1
F101-032481-01_AuthorityAd_Obit_Grainnews
12/19/13 4:58 PM
MARCH 4, 2014
grainews.ca /
13
Features
CROP PRODUCTION
Farming your marginal land
Pulling marginal acres into production may look like an attractive proposition.
But there are strings attached
BY LISA GUENTHER
P
ushing marginal land
into grain production
may add up to shortterm gains when grain
prices crest. But it comes with
risks, too.
“I would have some grave concerns about the notion of bringing marginal land back into
annual grain production,” says
Dr. Reynald Lemke, research
scientist with Agriculture and
Agri-Food Canada. Lemke examines how farming systems affect
soil quality and greenhouse gas
emissions.
“My presumption is that it is
marginal and now maintained
under a grass cover or some
sort of permanent cover for a
reason.”
So before breaking that land
and seeding canola or wheat,
it’s worth considering how well
those risks can be managed.
WHY IS IT MARGINAL?
Farmers may eye land under
forage or grass cover as potential grain acres. But pulling this
land into annual production
will degrade soil somewhat,
even if farmers do the best job
possible.
“I think it’s just the nature of
the beast that you are going to pay
some price in terms of soil carbon
balance. And, of course, with that
some fertility and so forth.”
“Marginal can be considered
marginal for many reasons. The
reason that it’s classed as that
will have a large impact on
whether or not it’s all feasible
to bring it into annual grain
production,” says Lemke.
Sandy soils are more likely
to leach nutrients such as soil
organic nitrogen. Sandy soils and
sloping land are also “particularly fragile in terms of soil structure and erosion risks and so on,”
Lemke adds.
Steep land and sandy soils are
drought-prone. Native prairie in
southwestern Saskatchewan also
has moisture limitations. Most
farmers have seen adequate, or
more than adequate, rainfall in
the last few years. But it’s impossible to know how long this rain
cycle is going to last.
“And if we move into more
marginal areas, and then we
run into a drier spell, that could
really cause some issues here,”
says Lemke.
Other marginal land might
have specific problems such as
very acidic soil, or shallow soil,
Lemke adds. Sometimes farmers
can do precise things to offset
issues such as acidity. Such problems have to be addressed on a
case-by-case basis, he says.
THREE WAYS TO BEEF
UP MANAGEMENT
Lemke says recommendations
for managing marginal land are
often the same for other fields,
but the risk is much higher.
Farmers will need to pay
attention to all management
aspects to optimize production
and maintain biomass, he says.
“Does that balance
out or not?”
— Reynald Lemke
The three main things to do
are minimize tillage, exclude
fallow and maintain the best
cover possible.
Zero tillage is best, and sum-
mer fallow is a no-go on marginal land.
“So if you’re in an area where
there’s moisture limitations, even
chem fallow still increases your
risk beyond say, continuous crop.”
Marginal land is generally
more vulnerable to water or
wind erosion. A permanent
cover, such as grass or forage,
does the best job of holding soil
in place, building soil organic
carbon and maintaining structure. But farmers can help
maintain cover by extending
the rotation or otherwise tweaking the rotation.
“You might consider pulling
it into canola production, for
example, then back into forage
for a few years,” says Lemke.
He adds this may not work in
all situations, especially in areas
short on moisture.
Farmers also need to manage fertility more carefully on
marginal land than other acres,
he says.
Once the management plan
is in place, it’s worth penciling
out the economics again.
“If you need to take these
extra measures to try and do the
best job you can of protecting
the soil, does that balance out
or not?” †
Lisa Guenther is a field editor with Grainews.
Contact her at [email protected].
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to feed the world.
Cereal seed from Syngenta helps you harvest opportunities
wherever they are. We’ve been breeding wheat in Canada
for four decades, setting unprecedented standards for yield,
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grain, and Canadian growers count on Syngenta.
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Bizarro
Visit SyngentaFarm.ca or contact our Customer Resource Centre at 1-87-SYNGENTA (1-877-964-3682).
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MARCH 4, 2014
Features
Farm management
Farmers and the law
Know your legal rights and make sure you have the
documentation to back up your claims if things go wrong
By Julienne Isaacs
I
n today’s increasingly litigious business landscape,
it makes sense for farmers
to be aware of their legal
rights and take every action
possible to protect themselves
against lawsuits — or prepare to
bring claims themselves when
necessary. Increasingly, farmers
are bringing claims of defective
seed or herbicides against seed
and chemical companies.
According to Terry Zakreski,
a
partner
at
Saskatoon,
Sask.-based Stevenson Hood
Thornton Beaubier, LLP, well-
prepared farmers can minimize
litigation risks.
In a paper presented at a
recent Law Society seminar on
agriculture, Zakreski argued that
seed or chemicals that do not
live up to their promised benefits can be grounds for successful litigation. “Whether such
claims make it to harvest, are
wiped out by killing frost in the
form of skilled defence counsel,
or wither on the vine, hinges
on being able to marshal solid
evidence linking the chemical or
seed to the loss,” wrote Zakreski
in the paper, entitled “Seeds,
Chemicals and Spray Drift.”
Defective seed
Canada’s Seeds Act and Seeds
Regulations require a baseline level
of germination to be present in all
certified seed. Farmers should reasonably expect that level of quality
in any certified seed they purchase.
While cases involving defective seed are less common than
herbicide cases, there is still legal
precedent for farmers who have
experienced crop losses as a result
of defective seed.
However, to make a successful case, the farmer must be able
to prove that the crop losses
occurred as a result of the seed,
not poor management or negative environmental conditions or
any other reason. Zakreski says if
a farmer suspects they have purchased defective seed, they must
act fast.
First, germination tests are
crucial. “If seed does not meet
its required germination for its
grade under the Seeds Act, the
seed company has potential liability,” says Zakreski. “Farmers
should always keep the seed tags
for the seeds they are planting
(as these contain a great deal of
information) as well as retain
samples for testing if defective
seed is suspected.”
INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR PRE-SEED CEREALS
Herbicide claims
Herbicide claims are more
common than claims of defective seed, according to Zakreski.
But as with defective seed claims,
the onus is on the farmer to
prove that crop losses occurred
as a direct result of the herbicide
in question.
There are several steps a farmer
can take if they suspect a particular herbicide has caused crop
damage or losses, says Zakreski.
First, the farmer should notify
the seed retailer or a manufacturer’s representative, so that they
can make an effort to correct the
problem. “The herbicide company will also complain bitterly
if it was not notified early on in
the process and provided such an
opportunity,” adds Zakreski.
The farmer should also involve
a professional agrologist or crop
investigator early in the process to evaluate the crop, assess
whether it exhibits any herbicide
injury symptoms and rule out
other causes. Plant and tissue
samples can also be sent to a lab
for analysis.
While consulting professionals will document the claim, the
farmer should also record the
damage, and a good way to do
this, says Zakreski, is to take photographs at varying stages of crop
development. “Pictures showing
stark differences between spray
misses and the rest of the crop
can be compelling. Getting a GPS
spray map from the sprayer can
also be a useful source of information,” he says.
Lastly, at harvest, the farmer
should evaluate the yield differences between the crop supposed
to be damaged by the herbicide,
and undamaged crops.
“If a farmer is able to show that
he used a product in accordance
with label directions and heeded
all label warnings but nevertheless sustained crop damage, he
or she should be able to recover
against the chemical manufacturer,” argues Zakreski in “Seeds.”
Whether facing an immediate
threat of litigation, or considering starting the litigation process
based on crop damage or losses, Zakreski says a farmer’s best
recourse is to consult a lawyer as
soon as possible. †
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However, if farmers wish to
make claims based on poor vigour, this is much more difficult,
as there are no industry-wide
standards on seedling vigour.
Zakreski says that patented
crops must be treated like business software — in other words,
they must have all appropriate
licenses and respect the intellectual property of the companies whose technologies they
are using. “Having solid records
of the seed that was purchased
and planted is probably the most
important thing that a farmer
can do to protect himself from
such claims,” he says.
“Unfortunately, this favours
farmers who purchase certified
seed and causes hardship to seed
savers who might not. Seed saving is difficult to sustain with the
proliferation of patented varieties.”
If a farmer has inadvertently
planted a patented variety, or is
accused of violating the IP agreement for a particular variety,
their best immediate recourse is
to consult a lawyer.
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/ grainews.ca
MARCH 4, 2014
Features
CROP PRODUCTION
Critters in the soil
We don’t pay much attention to fungi and
nematodes. But they’re making a big difference
BY LISA GUENTHER
S
oil organisms go unnoticed
on farms most of the time.
But when it comes to crop
production and international trade, these tiny creatures
punch above their weight.
Some soil organisms benefit crop
production. For example, micorrhiza fungi, or AM fungi, colonize crop roots such as flax and
wheat. Beneficial species extend
crop roots, scavenging nutrients
and sharing with the plant.
AM fungi can also help prevent
pathogens from infecting plant
roots. Many pathogens recognize
plant roots by CO2 concentrations. AM fungi are also a source
of respiration, which confuses the
pathogens.
“(The pathogens) will germinate
sometimes too far from the roots.
And they will just exhaust their
resources and die,” says Dr. Chantal
Hamel, Agriculture and Agri-Food
Canada research scientist.
Micorrhizal fungi can also trigger the plants to shut down root
access before pathogens arrive. And
plants may produce more pathogen-killing compounds if AM fungi
have latched onto the roots
NEMATODES ABOUND
Fungi aren’t the only soil critters
that influence western Canadian
crop growth.
“Nematodes are the most abundant animal in the world. There are
a gazillion nematodes in Western
Canada,” says Dr. Mario Tenuta.
Tenuta is a Canada Research Chair
in Applied Soil Ecology at the
University of Manitoba.
Nematodes are worms, and they
inhabit everything from soil to
animals’ intestines. Agricultural
soil in the Prairies will see from
30 to 70 nematode species, says
Tenuta. Nematode species number
about 150 in native prairie soils.
Most soil nematodes are beneficial. They help out with mineralization and prey on fungi and bacteria. They’re also like a fingerprint
for soil health, Tenuta adds.
“There are some nematodes that
are very sensitive to tillage and to
fertilizers and pesticide. And they’ll
die in response to those stresses.”
These larger nematodes reproduce
slowly, and so it takes them a while
to rebuild their numbers.
“But if they’re stressed again by
tillage or fertilizers or pesticide, then
they’ll die out and you’ll never see
them rebound,” says Tenuta.
Meanwhile, some bacteria
and fungi grow rapidly after
fertilizer application and tillage. Smaller nematodes eat the
bacteria and fungi, and so their
numbers balloon.
Farming practices affect AM
fungi, too.
Between 2009 and 2011, Hamel
and her colleagues collected samples from over 300 sites on about 30
farms, plus ditches. They focused
on seed growers and organic producers who were growing wheat.
Roadsides had the most diverse,
robust microbe populations by far.
Researchers also found differences
between organic and conventional
farmland.
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“There are different community
structures. Some fungi are more
abundant in organic. And overall
they are more abundant than in
conventional systems,” says Hamel.
Hamel attributes the differences
to lower nutrient levels in organic
soils. Fewer nutrients encourage
plants to work with AM fungi to
scavenge nutrients. “The more
phosphorus we have in the soil, the
less micorrhizal fungi work for us.”
Researchers found that populations were similar on agricultural land in Nova Scotia and the
Prairies. But roadside populations
in Nova Scotia and the Prairies
were different.
“So that tells us that when we
cultivate the land, we are selecting
for some species,” Hamel says.
Hamel says researchers are close
to understanding how to encourage beneficial microbes, such as
AM fungi, in the field. “We’re still
missing tools for management in
the field, but we’re getting there.
It’s just a question of cost and who
will give the service.”
It’s worth knowing if beneficial
AM fungi are in the soil as farmers wouldn’t need as much fertilizer for crops such as wheat and
flax. “And if you don’t put on as
much fertilizer, then these fungi
will work better for you.”
Hamel notes not all AM fungi
bonds with plant roots. Farmers
can’t rely on these micorrhizae
to help plants scavenge nutrients,
and so they’ll need to apply more
fertilizer.
TRADE BARRIERS
Parasitic nematodes not only
damage crops, but can prompt
trading partners to slam borders.
Several years ago the Canadian
Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
reported finding potato cyst nematode in a U.S.-bound shipment
originating from an Alberta farm.
CFIA notified the U.S., halting
imports of Canadian seed potatoes.
“It’s a devastating nematode for
the potato industry, so they want
to keep it out,” says Tenuta.
Other areas of Canada and the
U.S. have reported the potato
cyst nematode. But CFIA didn’t
find any more nematodes on the
Alberta farm despite repeated tests.
Eventually Canada and the U.S.
hammered out an agreement, giving Canadian producers market
access as long as CFIA tests seed
potato soil.
Seed potato producers aren’t the
only ones with trade woes caused
by nematodes. For the last several
years, India-bound yellow peas
have been tested for stem nematodes. CFIA collects samples in
Canada, but the ship is en route by
the time results are in.
Stem nematodes are rare, but
they are a hassle. Ships with
the nematode are re-routed to
Indonesia, where they’re fumigated. This delays the shipment,
which importers leverage to try
to negotiate cheaper prices. Costs
pile up for the industry and are
passed on to growers.
But Tenuta and his colleagues
have been working on a stem
nematode project funded by
Alberta Innovates Bio Solutions
and the Saskatchewan, Alberta
and Manitoba Pulse Growers. At
first there didn’t seem to be much
rhyme or reason to where the
rarely-seen nematode was found.
“But we found that the nematode was associated with weeds
seeds, particularly weed seeds of
Canada thistle.”
Researchers confirmed the nem-
MARCH 4, 2014
grainews.ca /
17
Features
atode parasitizes Canada thistle,
not yellow peas. A genetic analysis
shows the Canadian nematode isn’t
the same species on quarantine lists.
More research needs to be done
ensure this nematode doesn’t parasitize other pulses. But Tenuta
says they are working with CFIA
and India.
Stem nematode
from thistle
A
DETECTING
PARASITIC NEMATODES
Researchers are surveying soybean fields in Manitoba for the
soybean cyst nematode. The
nematode hasn’t been found in
Manitoba yet. But it’s knocking on
the door, having been found in
Minnesota and North Dakota. “It
seems to be going up the Red River
Valley,” says Tenuta.
Potato and soybean growers
should keep parasitic plant nematodes in mind. Parasitic nematode
populations build because no one
recognizes the signs, Tenuta says.
Agronomists and extension people need to keep in mind that what
looks like a root problem may be
nematodes. “Often times it looks
like poor crop performance because
of water logging, or lack of iron.”
Commercial labs will test for
nematodes. But results might not
be specific enough to differentiate
between parasitic and beneficial
nematodes.
Tenuta is working on a commercial test for soybean cyst nematodes. He encourages Manitoba
farmers to forward him soil samples through their provincial specialists. He’s especially interested
in samples from soybean growers
who can’t troubleshoot problem
areas. If farmers in Saskatchewan
or Alberta have soil test results
showing nematodes, he’s willing
to help them as well.
Root lesion nematodes aggravate Potato Early Dying disease.
Crops such as wheat, canola,
chickpeas and mustard are also
known to be susceptible to the
nematode in Australia. Tenuta
is interested in whether root
lesion nematodes affect Western
Canadian canola yield.
Tenuta and his colleagues have
also come up with an economical
way to kill root lesion nematodes
in low pH soils. Farmers can apply
about 7,000 gallons per acre of liquid hog manure. The hog manure
secretes a vinegar-like compound,
which is activated by acid soils.
The vinegar basically disinfects
the soil and kills root lesion nematodes. Bacteria and fungi clean up
the vinegar within a couple days.
Farmers can add lime to liquid
hog manure if their soil has a pH
of eight or more. Ammonium in
the manure will change to ammonia when it contacts basic soil.
Root lesion nematodes die, but the
ammonia doesn’t kill everything
else in the soil, Tenuta says.
Farmers can also control many
nematodes through rotations.
This is a key strategy for the sugar
beet cyst nematode in Alberta, for
example.
Hamel’s team is now working with plant breeders to develop
wheat varieties that will connect
with good micorrhizal fungi in the
soil. They think they’ve found the
trait to target.
“The good genotypes are the
ones that have high leaf nitrogen
and potassium,” says Hamel.
AM fungi-friendly wheat varieties are a ways off. “It takes about
12 years to produce a genotype.
But it’s in the pipeline.” †
Lisa Guenther is a field editor for Grainews.
Contact her at [email protected].
B
C
D
PHOTO: DR. MEHRDAD MADANI, RESEARCH ASSOCIATE, U. OF M.
Stem nematode
from garlic
PHOTO: DR. MEHRDAD MADANI, RESEARCH ASSOCIATE, U. OF M.
PHOTO: AAFC
Left: These are stem and bulb nematodes from Canada thistle. Top right: Cyst Nematode studies in Manitoba. A: The extraction of nematode cysts
from soybean field soils. B: Nematode cyst. C: Nematode juvenile. D: Head section of the cyst nematode. Bottom right: AM fungi associated with
an alfalfa root in soil — extending the root system’s ability to capture nutrients.
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18
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MARCH 4, 2014
Features
CROP PRODUCTION
Lower seed costs with planters
Switching to planters can save costs through lower seeding rates, but there is more to consider
BY MELANIE EPP
T
here is great interest in
using planters instead of
air drills to seed canola.
Farmers are especially
curious about the planter’s accuracy, and the possibility of saving
on seed costs. Switching planting techniques isn’t as simple as
buying new machinery, though.
There’s more to it.
Dwayne Kirchner, owner of
Kirchner Machine Limited in
Lethbridge, Alta., says there aren’t
a lot of products on the market that
offer the same accuracy as a rowcrop planter. Yields from planters
are about the same as they are from
air drills, he says, although less seed
is needed. While air drills need
about five pounds of canola seed
per acre, Kirchner says a planter
can get away with just two pounds
per acre.
While this is a significant cost
saving, there are other factors
to consider, such as the cost of
the planter, and the extra time
needed to apply fertilizer. In a notill situation, farmers using planters need a way to manage residue
from previous crops in the fields.
“We’ve worked
out a few of
the kinks.”
— Neil Harker
“A lot of planters aren’t
equipped with the type of system
for putting all your fertilizer product on at the same time,” says
Kirchner. “It may mean having
to do another pass. That’s kind of
the issue for trying to sell planters
for commercial canola production because guys are used to
using one big air seeder and going
out and seeding everything and
putting all of their fertilizer and
everything in and not having to
do any prep work to their fields.”
Neil Harker, a research scientist
with Agriculture and Agri-Food
Canada has conducted two years
of research using a Monosem
precision planter out of Kansas.
Although the planter proved to
seed more uniformly, there were
other problems. The first prototype had no residue clearance,
which made for extra work.
In its second year, after modi-
fications were made to address
the residue clearance issue, the
planter had unfortunate hydraulic
issues. The research will continue
in 2014, with no new modifications being made to the planter.
“We think we can get a good
assessment in 2014, now that
we’ve worked out a few of the
kinks,” says Harker.
In the end, Harker syas the
benefits may not outweigh the
additional time and the costs of
the planter.
“The benefit would have to be
fairly substantial, and I’m not
sure that we’re going to get that
benefit. But it’s too early to tell
without real production scale
models around.”
Harker has been working closely
with Craig Shaw, a Lacombe-area
canola grower. He says that the
downside of planters is that you
have to put fertilizer down ahead
of seeding. The further north you
move, says, the fewer crops you
can seed with a planter.
“Most guys will still have their
air seeding system to do their other
crops and they’ll use the planter
specifically for canola, but then
you get into the issue of if I put a
fertilizing system on my planter,
then I add substantially more cost,”
says Shaw. “So you have to weigh
those types of things in there.”
SEEDING RATES
Autumn Barnes, agronomy specialist with the Canola Council
of Canada, says that lower seeding rates might lead to higher
emergence, but you still might
not be getting enough plants per
square foot for adequate plant
density. This can especially be a
problem if the crop is hit with
frost or other issues, like cutworm or wireworm.
“It really depends on the year,”
Barnes says. “Because if you get all
of the right growing conditions
and you only have five plants per
square foot, you could hit your
yield potential — if you have perfect conditions.”
“But if you have less than five
plants per square foot and maybe
flea beetles come in and take out
a few plants, or maybe you have
a really hard frost that comes in
and takes out a few plants, those
are chipping away at your yield
potential,” she continues”
Barnes says that it’s important to know that all the Canola
Council of Canada’s insect thresholds are based on optimum plant
stands, seven to 10 plants per
square foot.
“Once we get below that mark,
if you have insects come in, you
can’t accurately make a spray
decision because the economic
thresholds that have been developed are not suitable for your
plant stands. It makes management a lot tougher.” However,
Barnes does acknowledge that
there is some promise when it
comes to planter technology for
canola. †
Melanie Epp is a freelance writer who
specializes in writing web copy for small
businesses. She is based in Guelph, Ont., and
can be found online at melanierepp.com.
WHAT MATTERS MOST?
Our team farmed 14,000 acres of crops
and surpassed one million bushels last
year. Teamwork is the key to everything.
And Syngenta is part of our team.
Ed Waldner, farm boss,
Wild Rose Hutterite Colony near Vulcan, AB
BY DAN PIRARO
Bizarro
Visit SyngentaFarm.ca or contact our Customer Resource
Centre at 1-87-SYNGENTA (1-877-964-3682).
Always read and follow label directions.
The Syngenta logo is a registered trademark of a Syngenta Group Company. © 2014 Syngenta.
6306-1H_SYT_ROI_ad_EW_GrainNews.indd All Pages
MARCH 4, 2014
grainews.ca /
19
Features
CROP NUTRITION
Self-fertilizing crops
around the corner
When a U.K. researcher found bacteria supplying
nitrogen to Brazilian sugar cane plants,
he began research that may change the future
BY REBECA KUROPATWA
D
r. Edward Cocking, director of the University of
Nottingham’s Centre for
Crop Nitrogen Fixation,
may have just discovered something that could one day change
the industry.
Alberta Agriculture’s Murray
Hartman, provincial oilseed specialist, first learned of Cocking’s research
results about six or seven years ago.
C o c k i n g ’s i n i t i a l r e s e a rc h
involved bacteria living in conjunction with the roots of sugar
cane plants in Brazia. The bacteria were supplying the sugar cane
plants with about 60 per cent of
their nitrogen.
Hartman said, “Sugar cane is
not a legume (like alfalfa or peas)
that would get an actual nodule
that, with the help of rhizobia
bacteria, would be able to fixate
nitrogen from the air.”
The naturally occurring bacteria were taking up nitrogen
from the air.
THE RESEARCH
Cocking wanted to see if he
could get this process to work
with other types of plant roots.
He succeeded in doing this in a
greenhouse with wheat and canola, to the point of getting some
colonization of the bacteria. The
signals potential to do the same
with other crops.
“Even if we don’t get to the
same level as the sugar cane,
we can get a significant level of
nitrogen fixation for the crop.
That would cut back on fertilizer
costs and help with the environment,” said Hartman.
Cocking published and patented his findings. Then he
licensed them to the U.K.-based
company Azotic Technologies.
Azoticis working on the concept
of using a coating to inoculate
the seed with the bacteria. They
call the product N-Fix.”
N-Fix is currently at the field
testing stage. In October, 2013,
trials done by Azotic and the
University of Nottingham found
that the bacteria successfully colonized the roots of the field crops
(wheat, canola and pasture grasses).
These bacteria allowed the plants
to receive between a quarter to
a half the recommended rates of
nitrogen from the bacteria. That
is not as high as the 60 per cent of
supply seen with sugar cane, but it
is significant. Using the technology
on the Prairies could mean big savings for farmers.
ON THE MARKET
“Next, they’ll be looking to
begin field trials on canola in
Western Canada,” said Hartman.
“Being at the field trial stage,
we’re past proof of concept and
past the last stage, getting closer to
commercialization.”
Once data is collected from
Western Canada field trials,
Hartman expects N-Fix to be made
available in the form of a fertilizer/
supplement, which would be fairly
simple registration in Canada. It
could conceivably be on the shelf
in five years.
“We’ve had experiences with
other biologicals — like some on
the market now to help with phosphorus utilization — shown to be
beneficial in greenhouses and field
trials,” said Hartman. “But one of
the problems with biologicals is
they don’t always respond well
in field environments, where it’s
maybe too dry or too cold.
“Biologicals aren’t as consistent
as fertilizer and I’d expect similar
problems with N-Fix.”
Hartman is eager to see the field
trial data, to see if the results are
consistent.
N-Fix is
currently at the
field testing stage
Looking ahead, five or 10 years
down the road, Hartman anticipates that farmers may be able to
cut back almost half of their applied
nitrogen fertilizer, and researchers
can begin to look at other possibilities, such as putting fertilizer close
to the seed after biological fixation,
matching the right seed treatments
with inoculations and breeding to
select varieties more conducive to
colonization.
“There is certainly potential to
improve on how much nitrogen
can be fixed and how consistently,” said Hartman.
There may also be a local bacteria that can fix nitrogen. Hartman
referred to a project funded
by the Saskatchewan Canola
Development Commission in
the late ’90s. “Researchers went
through the fields and found there
was about per cent of the bacteria
in the field that fixed nitrogen.” A
couple of these bacteria, he said,
JOB ID: 6306 1H
had “fairly
high potential.” †
DATE: FEB
2014
Rebeca Kuropatwa
is a4,professional
writer in
Winnipeg, Man.
CLIENT: SYNGENTA CANADA
PROJECT: ROI AD – EW
BY DAN PIRARO
Bizarro
PUBLICATION: GRAIN NEWS
DESIGNER: JEFF ANTON
(
) MECHANICAL (
FINAL SIZE: 17.4" X 10"
UCR: 240%
CLIENT SERVICE
PROOFREADING
ART DIRECTION
PRODUCTION
14-02-05 12:30 PM
) PDF/X
20
/ grainews.ca
MARCH 4, 2014
Columns
OPEN FIELD
Everything you
forgot about
growing flax
With many farmers growing flax
for 2014, Sarah Weigum’s been
researching the latest agronomy info
SARAH
WEIGUM
thought I’d do some research and
report my findings.
UPDATED AGRONOMY
WITH A TWIST
W
ith
prices
for
wheat and canola
depressed and not
looking to perk up
any time soon, many farmers are
looking for alternative crops to
plant in spring 2014. One garnering
a lot of attention is flax. As recently
as early February, one Alberta buyer
still had new crop flax contracts
(with an act of God clause) available
for $11.25 per bushel. At my seed
farm we’ve nearly sold out of CDC
Glas, a newer flax variety. Many
of my customers haven’t grown
flax for over a decade, if ever. As a
result, I’ve fielded many agronomy
questions from customers, some
of which I couldn’t answer, so I
PHOTO: JAN SLASKI AND ALBERTA INNOVATES
-
TECHNOLOGY FUTURES
These plots were grown at Vegreville, Alta. There will be an Alberta Innovates field day at Vegreville on July 29.
One of the biggest proponents
for growing flax that I talked to
is Jan Slaski, senior researcher at
Alberta Innovates — Technology
Futures (AITF). Slaski is part of
the multi-year Northern Adapted
Flax Variety Development Program
(NAFVDP) in collaboration with the
Saskatchewan Flax Development
Commission, Viterra and the B.C.
Grain Producers Association.
“Five years ago SaskFlax identified the need to move flax beyond
areas the crop is presently grown,”
said Slaski, adding that existing
flax breeding programs suited the
needs of farmers in the south.
Viterra’s contribution comes from
flax breeder Michelle Beaith who
focuses on developing new varie-
ties suited to cooler climates, while
Slaski runs agronomic trials at
AITF’s site in Vegreville.
“You need eggs and bacon for a
good breakfast,” he said. “It’s the
same with breeding and agronomy.
We’re offering to producers a complete package.” Since 2010, Slaski
and team have trialled a variety of
management practices on three flax
varieties commonly grown in the
south — Prairie Grande, Bethune
and NuLin 50. While Vegreville
may not be considered “northern”
by some, it is certainly outside the
traditional flax growing areas.
One of the surprising results of
Slaski’s study (and one that’s hard
to take for a seed grower) is that
higher flax seeding rates don’t
seem to have an economic benefit.
Slaski seeded flax at 30, 40 and
60 pounds per acre and found no
yield gains going from low to high
rates. (Standard bushel weight for
flax is 56 pounds).
“Flax plants seeded at lower
rates, even if they’re affected by
disease, have this great ability to
compensate production by secondary, seed bearing branches,”
explained Slaski. Elmer Kaskiw,
farm production adviser with
Manitoba Agriculture, also recommends a moderate seeding rate of
40 to 45 pounds per acre.
“If we seeded 60 pounds per acre
in Manitoba the crop would go
flat,” said Kaskiw. “In a wet year,
often the crop will take off and look
great but it will become rank and
any kind of a heavy rain will put it
down flat. Once the crop lodges you
really cut into your yields.”
Seeding date is another important consideration for growers. Because flax is tolerant to
fall frosts, it is often seeded quite
late, but both Slaski and Kaskiw
caution against waiting too long.
Slaski found the optimum seeding
date to be between May 16 and 19.
While there was a yield penalty for
seeding too early, he said that the
bigger penalty comes when seeding flax at the end of May or later.
“Flax seeded late tends to grow
taller plants which are more susceptible to lodging, which can contribute to a problematic harvest,”
said Slaski. In western Manitoba,
where Kaskiw advises farmers, ideal
seeding date is in the first 12 days
of May. Under the right conditions,
flax can take up to 100 days to
mature and early seeding usually
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MARCH 4, 2014
21
grainews.ca /
Columns
means a longer flowering period
which leads to higher yields.
“The key is to get it flowering
under cooler conditions, around the
July long weekend,” said Kaskiw.
Slaski tested seeding depth and
found 1.5 inches was better than
shallow seeding, even in cooler climates. Flax yields better on cereal
stubble than on canola stubble.
He compared seed bed preparation
practices and found that direct seeding flax into a zero-till seed bed
yielded the best as the crop made
better use of available soil moisture.
Flax seeded into minimum tillage or
tilled ground often did not germinate until a rainfall and the tillage
before seeding led to increased weed
competition which impacted yield.
Weeds are always a main concern when growing flax, as it’s
not a very competitive crop. (In
fact, we take advantage of flax’s
non-competitive spirit and use it
as a cover crop when establishing
a perennial grass stand for seed
production in subsequent years).
Typical in-crop weed control is
graminicide for grassy weeds and
Buctril M, FlaxMax, Curtail M,
or Lontrel for broadleaf weeds.
In 2014 we are considering using
Authority from Nufarm as part of
our spring burn-off where we’re
seeding flax. This Group 14 chemistry can be mixed with glyphosate and applied either before or
just after seeding and will provide
up to 60 days of flushing control
on cleavers, kochia, lamb’s quarter
and wild buckwheat. Authority is
designed for use on soils with 1.5
to 6 per cent organic matter.
Another surprising result from
Slaski’s trial was the benefit of
using a fungicide on the crop.
Pasmo is a common disease and
can be controlled with Headline,
but Slaski was so skeptical of the
need for fungicide that he didn’t
even include it in his original
trials. However, enough flax producers championed its value that
he later included it and found it
to be the single most profound,
yield-increasing factor, even when
symptoms of pasmo were nonexistent or very mild.
“Farmers were right,” said Slaski,
adding that in some years he saw
a 30 per cent increase in yield from
a dual application of Headline. “It
means there is something more
than controlling pasmo in the fungicide. When we looked at this
product it contains not only fungus
control agents, but perhaps includes
some plant promoting agents too.”
Future trials at Slaski’s site will delve
deeper into the reason behind the
yield boost from fungicide. While
the label recommends an application of Headline at early flowering
and again at the end of flowering,
some producers make one application at mid-flowering.
Flax may not yield like canola
— Kaskiw said most producers in
his area can budget on a 30 to
35 bushel crop with upside yields
in the 45 to 60 bushel range —
but it is a decidedly lower input
crop. Kaskiw recommends 65 to
75 pounds of nitrogen per acre,
depending on soil tests. An average flax crop is profitable and the
residual benefits of adding variety
to the rotation, while difficult to
measure, can not be discounted.
FLAX VS. CANOLA ECONOMICS
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
CANOLA
Input cost ($/ac)
Price/MT
Revenue ($/ac)
162
332
66
169
254
-25
193
261
-4
244
369
-6
209
500
215
228
400
127
213
412
87
244
532
100
240
582
114
257
547
276
FLAX
Input cost ($/ac)
Price/MT
Revenue ($/ac)
110
372
86
117
391
57
126
226
-7
121
344
59
157
584
197
145
376
98
120
417
82
144
535
94
156
534
75
167
571
253
Source: Anastasia Kubinec, MAFRD
This chart was developed by Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development. Input costs are based
on Manitoba figures.
(See charts for flax versus canola
economics, courtesy of Anastasia
Kubinec at Manitoba Agriculture)
NORTHERN ADVANTAGE,
NORTHERN CHALLENGE
One reason for expanding the
flax growing region is the “northern advantage” for flax production. According to Slaski, there is
evidence that the cooler nights
of the north produce flax with
more oil and higher Omega-3 content. Longer daylight hours in the
north also promote rapid growth
of flax stems and increased fibre
yield as a result. While many producers see flax straw as a nuisance,
work is afoot at Alberta Agriculture
to develop a market for the sturdy
bast fibres that compose flax and
hemp straw.
I hadn’t heard of the Alberta
Biomaterials Development Centre
(ABDC) until recently, but it is a
B:10.25” engineers and
team of scientists,
T:10.25” who help the
business professionals
industry develop products made of
agriculture and forestry fibres. LoriJo Graham, client manager at ABDC
told me about recent trips her team
made to Grande Prairie and LaCrete,
Alta where they met with farmers and agribusiness owners who
have an interest in processing flax
and hemp fibre into a variety of
industrial products. Flax fibres can
be used to make woven mats, erosion control products, paper, green
building and packaging materials,
biocomposite automotive parts and
biofuels. Flaxseed oil has industrial
uses, but is also popular in the
health food market.
Processors can take advantage
of the ABDC research facility at
Vegreville, where a one metric
tonne per hour processing plant
can test and fine tune biomaterial products. Graham says there
is strong interest from both the
producer and processor side of the
equation, although there are always
some stops and starts along the way
to developing a new market.
“If we could have both a market
for the grain and the straw, then
the farmer would have the dual
income stream. It would be good to
manage their risks,” said Graham.
Earlier this year I talked to a
grower in Fairview who said that
he would grow flax if it wasn’t so
difficult to get grain movement.
Because so few farmers grow flax,
he would basically have to move
it in railcar-sized lots and elevators are reluctant to handle such
a meagre amount. No farmer likes
to see low grain prices for their
traditional crops, but perhaps this
bearish wheat and canola market
bodes well for flax development.
With attention directed towards
agronomy and variety development and a focus on local processing for what was once considered
a by-product, more producers may
be inclined to add flax to their
rotation. †
Sarah Weigum grows pedigreed seed and
writes at Three Hills, Alta. Follow her on
Twitter: @sweigum.
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“ Once the soybean crop
has emerged, there
are no weed control
options. You must
get control of these
resistant weeds before
the crop emerges.”
Drawing a Line in the Soil:
Options to control glyphosate-resistant Canada
fleabane in soybeans
Many Ontario producers and agronomists
have noticed a considerable amount of
Canada fleabane in the fields this year,
and no wonder. Not only does fleabane
spread quickly over great distances, but
glyphosate-resistant biotypes are also
being confirmed in more counties across
southwestern Ontario each year. And it
continues to spread.
In terms of weed resistance, glyphosateresistant Canada fleabane is potentially the
biggest threat to eastern Canadian growers,
and it is particularly problematic for soybean
growers due to limited control options
in-crop. However, there are several ways
to manage glyphosate-resistant fleabane
in your fields.
Distance is no defence. If glyphosateresistant fleabane has been identified two
counties over, it could be on your farm
by next year, or it may be there already.
Depending on its size, one fleabane
plant can produce tens of thousands
to hundreds of thousands of seeds.
To compound the problem, some
glyphosate-resistant fleabane biotypes are
also resistant to Group 2 herbicides. Once
the soybean crop has emerged, there are
no weed control options. You must get
control of these resistant weeds before
the crop emerges.
Your best option to manage fleabane in
soybeans is tillage. But if you’re counting on
tillage to take out those weeds, the plants
must be completely uprooted or buried.
The next best option is using a herbicide
containing the active ingredient saflufenacil,
such as Eragon or Optill, with your pre-plant
burndown. Another pre-plant option is 2,4-D
Ester, but you must wait seven days after
application before planting soybeans.
A diverse crop rotation will also help
prevent or manage the spread of
glyphosate-resistant fleabane. However,
by treating all fleabane on your farm as if
it is glyphosate resistant, you’re already
managing it. To read the complete story,
visit asktheexpertnetwork.ca.
Leanne Freitag,
Regional Agronomy Manager
24
/ grainews.ca
MARCH 4, 2014
Columns
FARM TALK
Branding principles — on your farm
You might not think of your farm as a company with a brand,
but Kim Althouse thinks you should
BY KIM ALTHOUSE
F
or about 150 years ranchers have been branding
their cattle. First, to distinguish them from other
ranchers’ cattle and second, to
establish and identify a quality
product. Modern corporations
are also identified by a brand
that says to their customers that
they offer the quality their customers have come to expect.
Many brands can command a
premium price because the quality is assured and consistent.
This is evident in corporations
from premium food suppliers like
Kraft to fast food suppliers like
McDonald’s, Pizza Hut or Burger
King, or other product suppliers like Coors or Budweiser and,
okay, Molson’s. As individuals we
may prefer one brand to another
but generally we are assured that
the quality of the brand will be
consistent.
A very significant issue for grain
buyers is quality. Not only are
there price differentials in quality
it also has an effect on the way
grain handles manage their facilities and sell to their buyers. Their
businesses are based on throughput — a delivery that does not
meet their shipping needs can tie
up space or place the company at
considerable risk of a missed-shipment or having discounts applied
to the whole shipment.
However, not all end users
want or need top quality. They
may have built their own operations around lower quality feed
stocks, and built a particular
brand that is accepted by the
shoppers that eventually consume their products. Other end
users have built their brand and
processes around top quality feed
stocks. These users can command
a premium price for their brand
and are willing to pay a premium
to suppliers who consistently
and uniformly supply a premium
feed stock. Both processors supply a demand. Though they’re
on different ends of the spectrum, it is quality that establishes
demand for each brand.
Good business people know
that whether they are supplying a product or service or both,
they must differentiate themselves from their competition.
Their brand may be a level of
service, their product quality
or their business knowledge,
but somehow they have branded themselves; they survive or
prosper because their brand is
in demand.
Now, let’s apply these principle
to your farm. Is your brand in
demand by your consumers —
the buyers of your production? If
not, why not?
Is it because you accidently
or intentionally misrepresent the
quality of your product? Do you
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consistently fail to deliver within
the terms of the agreement? Do
you treat your customer with
disdain and disrespect? Have
your previous dealings fostered
an atmosphere of distrust? Do
you consistently feel you are getting less for your product than
you deserve? Are you selling into
the right market? In other words,
does your product match your
customers’ demands?
If you have answered (now
be honest) yes to one or more
of the questions in the previous
paragraph your brand is probably not in high demand and
you’re sitting on your production waiting for a better grade,
or warmer weather, or you have
other things more important
than providing quality assurance
and service to your customer.
“My customer?” Yes, your
customer. Over the past, elevator companies and grain buyers
have claimed you as a customer.
They’ve bought you hats, taken
you out for lunch and bent over
backwards to retain your business. Have you noticed a change?
The post-CWB grain trade is
not as it was, and it never will be
again. Grain companies can no
longer charge a guaranteed fee
to the Canadian Wheat Board for
every tonne of grain they handle. While they may still refer to
elevation as a line item charge,
it should more accurately be
referred to as profit margin.
No longer can you expect
a quota or contract call to
be announced, assuring you
of a delivery opportunity. As
Dorothy once said “You’re
not in Kansas anymore, Toto”
Actually, that is exactly where
you are. With the exception of
being considerably colder, we
have the Kansas model. The
grain trade has adopted the U.S.
grain trade practices, and why
not? With a few exceptions the
companies are all U.S. based.
Cargill, ADM, Bunge, Louis
Dreyfus or owned by other
off shore corporations as in,
Viterra. The two most prominent Canadian companies are
family owned. As farmer-owned
terminals are sold off, it is very
difficult to even own shares in
one of our grain handlers.
Back to branding. You are a
farmer, a family business or corporation whose business is to
supply agricultural production
to consumers. Families who sit
down to breakfasts of cheerios
or puffed wheat or corn flakes,
or cook french fries with canola
oil in their deep fryers. Your production is found in breads and
baking worldwide, but to get it
there you need the services of
one of our Prairie grain handlers
who clean and blend to provide
a consistent product demanded
by consumers. These guys, my
friends, are really your customers.
If your brand is to be accepted
and demanded you may want
to re-think your relationships.
What is your brand? Is it in
demand? Why or why not?
Think it over. †
Kim Althouse is a market coach with AgriTrend at Tisdale, Saskatchewan. He is also
the president of www.eGrainCanada.com.
MARCH 4, 2014
grainews.ca /
25
Columns
Reader
response
K
im Alhouse’s last
column generated comments
from readers. This
response came from Horst
Schrieber, and has been edited
for length.
I take exception to the
article by Kim Althouse in
the Feb.4 issue.
His points regarding the
grain handling and transportation issue are valid.
We have talked about
Common Running Rights
for years, but the folks
with influence make it
hard to make any changes.
What really stuck in my
craw was the idea that
farmers need to learn more
about marketing because
we have been lulled to
sleep by the Canadian
Wheat Board.
The main problem is not
farmers unable to sell their
produce, it is the concentration in the grain industry
which is mostly giving farmers the choice of “take it
or leave it,” since the grain
companies are all very similar in their pricing. They
are also not above taking
advantage of a situation.
I would like to remind
Mr. Althouse that the CWB
used to give advice, coordinate shipping, organize marketing with overseas offices and advertise
a great brand for around
$0.08 cents per bushel.
That included looking after
bonding of vessels and
financing for purchasers. I
suspect Mr. Alhouse’s company charges close to that
just for giving advice.
The market as Mr. Althouse
presents it would be excellent if everyone along the
way was honest, had integrity and passed profits along
because they certainly pass
on losses. Who does Mr.
Althouse think is paying the
demurrage on the 30-some
vessels waiting for grain in
Vancouver?
I agree something has to
be done about transportation and should have been,
but gutless politicians and
well-paid lobbyists make
sure the right people make
money. Don’t deflect from
the issue by blaming farmers — they have done
more than their share to
try to make grain handling
more efficient. Let’s not
forget, it was mostly farmers’ money that built the
terminals and tore down
the old, wooden, structures and it was farmers
who took no patronage
allocations to finance the
modernization of the Port
Terminals. Farmers should
have gotten a medal for
their efforts, instead we
get criticism and lectures.
A check on the number
of lobbyists in Ottawa
might show who has more
influence and (hint) it is
not farmers. †
Hortst Schrieber is a farmer at Ohaton,
Alberta.
Farm financial planner
Income from farm assets
Preparing for life in town, a Manitoba farm couple prepares
to pull an income out of their farm corporation assets
By Andrew Allentuck
C
entral Manitoba grain
farmers we’ll call Mel
and Judy, 56 and 53, are
in the process of selling
their farm and migrating to town.
They are making what you could
call a pre-emptive move, for they
have two children with off-farm
jobs. Neither of the children has an
interest in keeping the farm going.
Mel and Judy have 640 acres
of farmland they own personally.
They have already sold off the
only assets in their farming corporation, machinery and various
bits of equipment. The remaining
parcel of land is rented to a local
farmer for $36,000 per year.
Judy has a professional career
position with a $65,000 annual
salary — which will produce a
pension — from a large industrial
corporation. She intends to take
early retirement at 55. Her pension will be $1,000 per month
before tax at 55. Were she to stay
at work to 65, it would be $1,500
per month. If Judy were to retire
before 55, she could take her job
pension and convert it to a Locked
In Retirement Account. It’s a tough
choice, for the company pension
plan is underfunded and employees are being asked to contribute
an extra one per cent of salary to
make up some of its deficit. The
LIRA would be hers, subject to
tax on payouts. She would carry
the investment risk and could give
money to her heirs, charities or
in trust to a pet if she wishes.
The defined benefit pension shifts
investment risk to an insurance
company but can pay income to
her for as long as she lives. She
might appoint Mel as a survivor
beneficiary, but cats and dogs don’t
usually qualify as contingent beneficiaries. The choice is hers.
Mel has stopped actively farming. Health issues complicate his
outlook, but he still does seasonal work for neighbours in the
spring and fall. That produces a
$10,000 annual salary. He figures
he can do this seasonal work
for another three years until he
retires.
What’s left now is $800,000 in a
corporate account. They have lifestyle expenses of $36,000 per year
and do not expect to spend a lot
on travel. They plan to live frugally
during their retirement.
For the moment, the problem is
what to do with the $800,000. It is
in a corporate bank account earning about one per cent interest.
The book value of the farm assets
in the corporation is $200,000,
including all contributions to
AgriInvest, the federal farm support program which matches
investments dollar for dollar
on eligible sales of commodities. Thus they have $600,000 of
» continued on next page
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6504_1G_SP-Quilt on Cereals Ad Update_Grainews.indd 1
2/5/14 12:04 PM
26
/ grainews.ca
MARCH 4, 2014
Columns
» CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE
retained earnings that are vulnerable to being taxed as ineligible
dividends — at a high tax rate of
nearly 40 per cent when taken
out of the corporation.
THE RECOMMENDATION
Farm Financial Planner asked
Carberry, Manitoba-based Don
and Erik Forbes of Don Forbes
Associates/Armstrong & Quaile
Associates Inc. to work with Mel
and Judy. His advice: leave the
balance inside the corporation
and invest it. They have ceased
active farming but intend to continue the corporation in order to
shelter their retained earnings.
The corporation is no longer
eligible for the small business tax
rate of 11 per cent, so it will have
to be converted to an investment
holding company in which all
interest and taxable investment
income will be taxed at the highest personal rate, 49 per cent.
The first step in avoiding this
prohibitive tax rate is to have
the farm’s accountant pay out all
investment income each year to
be taxed at lower personal rates.
They can then invest in
Canadian blue chip corporations. Their dividends will be
eligible for the dividend tax
credit and, with some combination of good portfolio management and luck, they will be able
to generate capital gains, Don
Forbes suggests.
The proposed stream of dividends will have been taxed at a
higher rate in the hands of the
issuing corporations, so it flows
through to the investor with
income tax partially paid. This
structure will give the couple
higher net after-tax retirement
income and some future market
appreciation than just leaving
the money idle in a farming corporation account earning almost
nothing and taxable to boot.
The total of the $200,000 personally owned and $600,000
in the corporate account asset
base, if invested to produce three
per cent per year, will generate
$24,000 of pre-tax income and
potential capital gains. The dividend tax credit on the dividend
income alone will be about 28
per cent, making it equivalent to
about $31,000 of ordinary interest income.
This is a
modest plan
Mel and Judy should continue to make full use of their
Registered Retirement Savings
Plans and Tax-Free Savings
Accounts for the tax shelter they
provide. Money held in TFSAs
is regarded as tax-paid and can
be distributed with no tax liabilities. RRSP contributions are
taxable, but they provide immediate tax shelter. The couple’s
income will rise in the next few
years, so deferral for 2013 and
the next few years until complete retirement will provide
effective tax relief.
MANAGING INVESTMENT
The couple has a substantial
body of financial capital, but they
should not start off as do-it-yourself investors, Don Forbes warns.
They can hire an independent
financial advisor for one to 1-1/2
per cent of assets to be managed.
The fee is deductible from tax.
Some advisors use managed funds
with concessionary management
fees reduced from the customary 2-1/2 per cent on managed
stock portfolios to just a fifth of
that. On an $800,000 portfolio,
the two per cent saving, $16,000,
would more than pay for management fees of $8,000 to $12,000.
The couple’s future income
will be the investment cash
flow, $24,000 per year less tax
cushioned by deduction of man-
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fordetails.
agement fees, say $15,000 net
plus Judy’s $65,000 salary, Mel’s
$10,000 farming wages and other
investment income which will
push pre-tax income to $116,000.
That income can rise with investment returns until the time Judy
retires, say in 2016, when their
pre-tax income would fall to
$74,000 per year and hold fairly
steadily until Mel draws CPP at
age 61 at a reduced amount of
$4,469 per year and he can begin
Old Age Security at 65 and, later,
Judy’s at 67.
When both are retired,
their continuous income from
all investment sources, that
is, Judy’s company pension,
Canada Pension Plan and Old
Age Security, would be about
$130,000 before tax. Allowing
for splitting of pension income,
such as Registered Retirement
Income Fund payouts and Judy’s
company pension, pension
income credits, and personal
tax credits, they would have
$97,500 per year after average 25
per cent income tax. That works
out to $8,125 per month, more
than enough to sustain a modest way of life which consumes
only $6,500 per month now and
which, might decline a little if
Judy no longer has to use her
car and gas to commute to her
town job and Mel quits driving
around the countryside for his
seasonal work.
“This is a model case for what
successful farming combined
with a reasonable lifestyle can
produce,” Erik Forbes explains.
“This couple ran a second generation family farm. Now, with
no one to take it over, he is acting
when he has choice and options.
He can monetize assets by sale,
boost returns and make them
fairly secure by picking the right
financial assets and generate what
may be hefty capital gains down
the road with an advisor paid
up front rather than through the
back door of commissions and
fees on stock trades he recommends or products he sells.
The excess income the couple
will generate in their 70s when
all their savings and government
and job pensions are flowing can
go to their adult children and perhaps grandchildren to help them
later in life. By selling assets now,
they can ensure there won’t be a
lot of loose ends. Moreover, by
bringing an adviser into the picture, when there is a generational
transition of assets and control,
there won’t have to be a lot of
hunting for stocks and deeds.
This is a modest plan, but it will
work, Don Forbes says. †
Andrew Allentuck’s latest book, When Can I
Retire? Planning Your Financial Life After Work,
was published in 2011 by Penguin Canada.
BY DAN PIRARO
Bizarro
MARCH 4, 2014
grainews.ca /
27
Columns
UNDERSTANDING MARKET BULLS AND BEARS
Understanding market bulls and bears
In this column Brian Wittal talks about market access problems, including transportation
I
n my last column I began
a discussion about world
demand issues. The first issue
was affordability.
The next issue is increased world
production and access to markets.
Over the past eight years over
125M additional acres of production have come online worldwide. Land clearing, rejuvenation
of abandoned acres and set aside
acres coming back into production are all part of this. Most of
this increased production comes
from emerging nations, which has
a double whammy effect on western Canadian producers.
First, farmers in emerging nations
produce grain more cheaply, either
because they are partially subsidized
or because they can grow two crops
in one year. And, they are consuming it locally or nearby, which
reduces freight and handling costs.
World demand for grains is going
to continue to grow and the major
players in that grain game have
been positioning themselves very
strategically over the past several
years. They are investing billions in
infrastructure to handle and ship
grains around the world.
Issue No. 3 is concern about
the long-term competitiveness of
western Canadian grains.
With limited to no subsidies for
western Canadian producers, production costs that are comparatively
higher than emerging nations and
a transportation system that cannot
move the increased production in
a timely manner to meet buyers’
needs, can western Canadian producers remain profitably competitive in the world markets? This is
going to be a very big challenge.
What needs to change?
In the new global marketplace
western Canadian producers are
going to have to continue to try to
produce more through improved
genetics and agronomic practices
in order to keep their cost of production down to be competitive
with emerging nations. Producers
have continually proven that they
can do this. If we leave this part
of the problem to our farmers,
I’m quite sure they are more than
capable of doing what they need
to be remain competitive.
That leaves us with a bigger problem of transportation and logistics
bottlenecks. More tracks, more
engines or more cars? What really
is the problem, how long is it going
to take to fix it, who is going to do
it and who is going to pay for it?
TRANSPORTATION THOUGHTS
The railroads own the tracks so
it would stand to reason that they
would be the ones to upgrade and
build new tracks. The question is,
is the problem really the tracks
through the mountains or is it
something else? If it is the tracks
through the mountains why
can’t they build a second track? It
should be a lot easier with today’s
technology compared to 100 years
ago when the last one was built.
Hey, it’s only money and they can
make that back easily by raising
freight rates, right?
2013, a 68 per cent increase over
2012. By 2015, CP is aiming to
more than double this figure to as
much as 210,000 carloads.
According to the article CP
moved around the same number
of grain cars in 2013 as it did in
2012. The problem is we had
a bigger crop in 2013 than we
did in 2012; how is maintaining status quo helping grain
producers?
Power or car shortages can’t be
the problem if CP is reducing its
engine and car fleet.
That would leave me to surmise
that the problem lies with the
tracks and not being able to get
any more trains on them.
What type of cars were pulled
out of service?
If the number of oil cars has
gone up continuously the last two
years, has that impeded the ability
of grain volumes to increase?
Our country and economy
depend on exporting resources and
importing consumable goods. This
is not going to decrease. How will
we ensure continued economic
growth across Canada? Where is
the Federal Government with a
National Transportation Strategy?
What is the plan for future rail
transportation growth in Canada?
The way I see it, moving grain
is always going to take a back seat
to other commodities because of
the revenue cap and the reality
that the railways have the right to
maximize profits.
Where is the incentive for the
railways to want to do a better job
moving grain?
Until grains pay the same
freight as other commodities, rail-
ways will not look for options or
solutions to improve and increase
shipment volumes.
Maybe it would be better to
take the revenue cap off so that
the railways will take this problem seriously and include grains
in their strategic growth strategy
going forward.
Then, to show continued support for grain producers the federal government could pay a direct
freight rebate or allow for a freight
tax credit for all producers who
ship their grains by rail, as an offset for removing the revenue cap.
Would that not be a possible
solution? †
Brian Wittal has 30 years of grain industry
experience, and currently offers market
planning and marketing advice to farmers
through his company Pro Com Marketing Ltd.
(www.procommarketingltd.com).
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Is the problem a shortage of
power (engines) to pull the trains?
Are the railroads running at maximum capacity on the lines? If not,
why not? If that is the problem get
more engines, fast!
Are we short of cars to carry the
product to market? If that is the
problem get more cars!
Have the railroads displaced
grain shipments with other commodities? If so, why? And how can
that be rectified?
The Globe and Mail ran an article Jan 29, 2014 titled, “How CP
engineered a smart turnaround.”
Here are some of the numbers
from that article.
Since mid-2012 Canadian
Pacific has cut its staff by 4,550,
and pulled 400 locomotives and
11,000 rail cars off the tracks. CP
moved 90,000 cars of crude oil in
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28
/ grainews.ca
MARCH 4, 2014
Columns
SOILS AND CROPS
Agronomic field experiments
Before you take the advice of experts giving presentations at
conferences, make sure you understand their data sources
LES HENRY
I
’ve taken several runs at this
topic in this column, but the
message is not getting through.
Attendance at recent seminars
has prompted me to try again.
PROBLEM NO. 1
A single experiment.
As farmers listen to speakers
at winter conferences they might
hear something like this:
In this four-times-replicated
Randomized Complete Block
experiment we compared a control (no fertilizer) to 80 pounds of
nitrogen per acre of fertilizers A, B
and C for canola production. We
will assume all three fertilizers cost
the same per pound of nitrogen.
The experiment was on a grey soil
with two per cent organic matter.
Low soil test nitrogen and other
nutrients were applied to insure no
other deficiency.
Results:
• Control: 25 bu./ac. of canola
• Fertilizer A: 44 bu./ac.
• Fertilizer B: 40 bu./ac.
• Fertilizer C: 46 bu./ac.
Statistical analysis of the replicated plot data was conducted and
the following conclusions drawn:
1. All three fertilizers yielded significantly more than the control.
2. There was no significant difference among the yield for any of
the three nitrogen fertilizers.
But, the presenter goes on to do
an economic analysis of the data.
If we take canola at $10/bu. (does
anyone remember the good old
days last year of $15/bu.?):
• Fertilizer A: gross = $440/ac.
• Fertilizer B: gross = $400/ac.
• Fertilizer C: gross = $480/ac.
That is where the trouble begins.
The $80/ac. difference in gross
profit between B and C is very
definitely significant to the producer. So where does this gal/guy
get off saying that difference is not
significant?
The problem is in using the
term significant. It is a dumb term
and should be completely thrown
out of statistical analysis of data.
The terms that should be used
are real (to replace significant)
or due to chance (to replace not
significant).
So, the difference between the
control and all three fertilizers is
real but the difference among the
three fertilizers is due to chance.
It is completely inappropriate to
do any kind of economic analysis of
differences that are due to chance.
If an experiment is replicated and
the statistics calculated then the
statistics should be believed and
used. To do economic analysis on
the data in this example is to disregard the experiment.
What the results really mean is
that the experiment was not sufficiently precise to be able to distinguish between the three fertilizers.
This happens far too frequently
in research. Folks will say they
cannot afford the additional replication to get a more precise
answer. If that is the case, then
do not to the experiment in the
first place.
PROBLEM NO 2
A precise single experiment does
not an answer make.
Most agronomic questions need
an answer that is applicable across
a range of soils and climates. Even
the very best single experiment will
not do much for the agriculture of
the whole Prairie region or even an
entire province like Saskatchewan.
So what does it take to get a credible answer to a significant question?
Example: Nitrogen soil test correlation in Saskatchewan.
When a nitrogen soil test correlation in Saskatchewan was conducted
in the 1960s and 70s Don Rennie
and Ed Halstead were the main drivers. The program involved:
Field half-mile strip tests with
nitrogen rates at 0, 20, 40, 60,
80 and 100 pounds of nitrogen/
acre. For each rate, 10 subsamples
were taken for yield at each strip
of each site.
There were five sites in each of
the dark brown, black/thick black
and grey soil zones. The study was
repeated for five consecutive years.
Additional experiments were conducted at the federal research
stations at Swift Current, Indian
Head, Scott and Melfort — many
of those included trials at sub stations. All that data was pooled to
come up with the early nitrogen
fertilizer recommendations.
So, even a very well designed,
executed and interpreted field
experiment in one year at one location proves very little. A coordinated program across many conditions
is needed.
In its day the former Westco
Fertilizers Company conducted
some of the best field fertilizer
experiments, and they included
all three Prairie provinces. John
Harapiak and Rigas Karamanos
were the operatives that made it
happen. It is still my wish that
the Westco data be compiled in
to a book as reference for Western
Canadian farmers.
FAST FORWARD TO 2014
We have a great array of new
and wonderful products that
promise to keep the trucker very
busy in fall. Be very wary of “data”
that “proves” the money it will
put in your pocket.
On the other hand there could
be experiments that show no real
difference from using the new
product but the experiment is not
precise enough to measure a difference that would be significant
to a farmers bottom line.
Great advances in GPS and yield
mapping have opened up new
possibilities for field experiments.
Current technology has the potential to deliver on farm experiments
much better than garden patch
experiments done by conventional
research.
But, it will take a determined
effort to design the experiments to
get valid data.
Many individual consultants and
companies have evolved good ways
of making valid comparisons. But a
simple comparison of side-by-side
strips may prove nothing.
At a recent conference I heard
results of yield on strips across a
full quarter section. Many strips
recorded quite different yields —
and all had been treated the same.
Conclusion: field strips in that
quarter cannot be used to compare
A to B. In other situations replicated side-by-side comparisons could
provide valid results.
Precision agriculture is still far
from mainstream and there are
still many false starts. In a future
column I will take another run at
that topic. †
J.L.(Les) Henry is a former professor and
extension specialist at the University of
Saskatchewan. He farms at Dundurn, Sask. He
recently finished a second printing of “Henry’s
Handbook of Soil and Water,” a book that mixes
the basics and practical aspects of soil, fertilizer
and farming. Les will cover the shipping and
GST for “Grainews” readers. Simply send a
cheque for $50 to Henry Perspectives, 143
Tucker Cres, Saskatoon, Sask., S7H 3H7, and he
will dispatch a signed book.
If only you could bottle conf idence.
Done.
Roundup.ca
ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Roundup Transorb® is a registered trademark of Monsanto Technology LLC, Monsanto Canada, Inc. licensee. ©2014 Monsanto Canada Inc.
MARCH 4, 2014
grainews.ca /
29
Columns
OFF-FARM INCOME
Weekly calls boost cash flow
Last week, Andy Sirksi more than met his income goal by selling covered calls on shares he owns
ANDY
SIRSKI
I
have juggled my portfolio a
bit since my last column. I
sold my 3,000 shares of Ford
(F) in late January for a small
loss. It seemed that every time
some news came out the shares
dropped in price. I replaced them
with 3,000 shares of Barrick Gold
(ABX) and have sold weekly calls
on them twice.
I don’t know if the price of gold
and silver has bottomed. It looks
like it, but over the last 35 to 40
years the price of silver and gold
has dropped going into June.
In any case I have been selling
weekly calls on ABX a bit below
the price of the day but I still manage to pick up some good cash —
well over $1,000 for the week.
I had 2,000 shares of Corning
(GLW) in one account. The shares
moved up enough to convince
me to buy the calls back and sell
the shares for a nice profit. By
then, Ford shares had dropped to
under $15 and came back up so I
used the money from GLW to buy
2,000 shares of Ford and sold a call
with a Feb. 14 strike price of $15
for $0.17 per share or $340. That
already put me over my goal of
$1,000 a week but I did not stop
there.
The price of GLW dropped, so
I bought 2,700 shares and sold
calls with a strike price of $18.50
for Feb 14 and collected $490 for
the week. That almost doubled my
weekly goal.
I did five sets of bull puts for
Feb. 14 and collected $1,285 for
the week. As I write on February 12
it looks like all those options will
expire worthless and I will keep
the $1,285. I did bull put spreads
on Apple (AAPI), Green Mountain
(GMCR) and Tesla (TSLA); I do not
own those shares.
Some of the shares I sold calls
on might get exercised (sold), but
it sometimes doesn’t pay to buy
the calls back and sell more calls
or buy the shares so I let will
someone buy the shares. There are
so many stocks now with weekly
calls that if one stock goes there is
always another.
As I have written before, ABX
now has weekly calls on the U.S.
side, and January, 2014, Silver
Wheaton (SLW) has weekly calls
on the U.S. side. So now there is
a gold and a silver stock that has
weekly calls.
If the price of gold and silver drop going into June, selling
weekly calls can help me prevent losses unless I decide to just
sell the shares. But if/when the
normal recovery starts after the
downturn, I now know enough
and have had enough practice
that I should be able to milk ABX
and SLW in various ways. I can
buy some shares and not sell calls
or sell calls well above the price of
the day. I can buy options which
can go up much faster than the
shares and I can do bull puts.
I normally don’t buy calls —
I’d rather collect cash than pay
it out. I did buy calls on Bank
of America (BAC) for strike price
$15 for January 2015. They cost
me $2.34, and they now trade for
$2.78. BAC has a book value of
$20.50. If the shares get anywhere
near the book my option will be
worth a lot more than it is now.
Buying calls is not for everyone
since their value can go to zero.
I often refer to my shares as my
“cows.” But I don’t have to put
up hay or silage. I don’t have to
put anything into the front end
of my “cows” and there is nothing
to clean up at the back end. So in
cow-calf talk, by selling weekly
calls my “cows” can have 40 to 50
calves a year.
Many investors don’t understand much of this stuff so they
call selling options risky. Shows
how little they know. A good
professional investor will say
that selling covered calls is one
of the most conservative strategies around.
WILL THE MARKET CRASH?
Research shows that stocks drop
three to five per cent at least
three times a year. If they miss
one drop stocks usually catch up
with an extra drop. From January
to February the overall market
dropped about 6-1/2 per cent and
then has had a nice recovery.
I don’t know if the doom and
gloom guys will be correct when
they predict markets will crash. I
do know that I have proven over
and over again that if we sell our
stocks when the daily price crosses
the 10-day moving average going
down that we can preserve our
portfolio and our attitude.
During most bear markets about
80 per cent of stocks drop but 20
per cent go up. Money has to go
somewhere. So if the market does
drop in 2014, I would expect 20
per cent of stocks could easily run
against the overall falling market. I
can’t say for sure, but I expect that
gold and silver will be the winners
during the next bear market.
We can buy puts on the overall
market or on individual stocks.
Puts go up in value as the market
drops. We can also do bear calls
where we sell calls at market and
buy them for a lot less as the stock
drops. This is not for everybody,
but it is a learnable skill.
During the last bear market I
sold calls on my stocks. Each time
the shares dropped I bought them
back for pennies and sold another
call below the price of the day. By
the end of the 2008 I was down
one per cent while the market kept
on dropping 50 per cent or more.
That bear market was the bear
of the century. I would not expect
to see another like that in my lifetime. But I try not to take chances;
if a stock starts to drop I can sell
calls below the price of the day but
it is a lot easier on the brain to just
go to more cash. †
Andy Sirski is mostly retired. Between naps,
travelling, playing with granddaughters and
gardening, he also publishes and electronic
newsletter called StocksTalk. Read it free for
a month by sending an email to [email protected].
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MARCH 4, 2014
Columns
CAN’T TAKE THE FARM FROM THE BOY
The upside of taking a life
Toban Dyck goes hunting, and uses the Internet to learn how to butcher and make sausage
TOBAN
DYCK
T
aking a life. It seems morbid, grave, wrong to even
mention. But in some
ways, and for reasons tied
to country living, it felt justified.
I have always been a pretty good
shot. Rifle Club is to blame for
this. I made my way to the second
floor of the arena to shoot targets
with a .22 every week for a couple
years. Then, to summarize a story
you’ve all read a few times over,
I moved to the city leaving those
skills to tire and never see the
light of day. Until I returned to
the farm, to country life, to a way
of life I once abandoned, and shot
a deer. I’m a little soft. This was
not easy.
Commodity prices are plummeting, and that trajectory seems
near permanent when headlines
still read congestion, congestion,
congestion. When I first moved
back to the farm, many asked if
I did so because the prices were
high and the consensus was that
it’s good to be a farmer, now and
for the foreseeable future. I was
blissfully unaware of the good
prices, and chose to return for
the lifestyle and the opportunity
to run a farm that has been in
my family for over 100 years.
It was a clean, direct shot through
the heart. I felt bad, immediately.
“What had I done?” It was living
two seconds ago, and now at my
hand it is dead. I got over it. I knew
I had to; I had a lot of work to do
yet. Gross work. Work I’d never
done before.
I watched YouTube videos on
field dressing deer before the hunt.
The two ladies who walked me
through where to cut and how to
do it were fresh on my mind.
“This is where meat comes from,
and this process is no more or less
grotesque than what is done to
every animal before it gets to my
plate,” I told myself as I broke
through this newly-killed animal’s
skin for the first time. And again
while I gutted it.
And now, a year and a bit in,
uncertainty and fear dominate
conversations about farming. But
I don’t buy it.
Farmers, you have an uncanny
and infectious ability to get things
done. I want in. I’ve wanted in
since we moved here. That pioneer
spirit is very attractive. My wife
embraced it by preserving on a
large scale last summer, and now
it was my turn.
The coursework required to get
one to this point is merely a step,
as is waiting for the right season.
These hoops make it legal, but do
little if anything to prepare you
for the moments before you hit
pull the trigger, and even less to
prepare you for what you need to
do next.
Changing Weather
is Changing Farming.
Better Get Ready.
The growing season of 2013 was one for the record
books. We had it all: too wet, too dry, too cold, too hot.
Although variability in the weather cannot be changed,
we can learn to better manage under these conditions.
Conservation of water and soil is vital to your success in
all kinds of weather.
The 6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture in
Winnipeg, Manitoba, will present new ideas on all these
topics and more. Be there June 22-25, 2014, for innovative
solutions for challenges facing today’s agriculture.
Weatherproofing agriculture is one of three major
themes for the conference, along with Growing More
with Less and Sharing Innovation Success Stories.
I surprised myself and did it,
cleanly and without puncturing
the organs that shouldn’t spill
onto the meat.
The next video on my playlist
was what to do next. Hang the
carcass, allowing the meat to tenderize. I did this. And I waited.
It still has eyes, hooves, and
skin at this point, bearing an
eerie resemblance to a living
deer. But it was time. I had to
sharpen the knives and butcher
this animal. I don’t think it’s yet
possible, even among the best
writers, to explain to you how
distant such a procedure is from
what I know and am comfortable with.
What is the difference between
what I am doing here in this
garage, and something terrible?
Lots, I hope. But that distinction
was too weak for comfort when
I had a bone saw in my hand.
To leave the process at this stage
would, however, be criminal. I
shot the deer to learn and harvest
the meat, and that is what I am
going to do.
I did it. I butchered it, again having learned from a YouTube video.
Sausage has always been a favourite of mine, and one that we usually spend a bit, perhaps too much,
money on. I found two great recipes
online, one for hot Italian and the
other for fennel sausage.
I don’t need to tell you how I
learned to make the sausage. This
video was the shortest of them all,
and finally I had an excuse to buy
a sausage stuffer.
For weeks, I didn’t want
to look at it. People were
impressed, but when they asked
how the sausage turned out,
I couldn’t tell them. This was
scary. I wanted to keep the
whole process in pristine condition: I had shot, gutted, hung,
butchered, and made into sausage a deer. Like a pioneer. The
only thing that could ruin it
was if the links tasted gamey.
They didn’t.
My wife took the first bite,
smiled, and said, “This tastes
exactly like hot Italian sausage.”
Apologies to my vegetarian friends, but this was a deeply
rewarding experience. I am inching closer to a farmer/countrydweller who gets things done,
and is not afraid of new challenges. †
Toban Dyck is a freelance writer and a new
farmer on an old farm. Follow him on Twitter
@tobandyck or email [email protected].
BY DAN PIRARO
Bizarro
June 22-25, 2014
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Winnipeg Convention Centre
Winnipeg, Manitoba
•
•
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WCCa6.org
Register today at www.wcca6.org.
•
•
•
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32
/ grainews.ca
MARCH 4, 2014
Machinery & Shop
MACHINERY HISTORY
The combine that never was, Part 1
In the 1980s, engineers were working on a super-sized rotary pull type at White Farm
Equipment’s facility in Brantford, Ontario. This giant never did see production
BY SCOTT GARVEY
M
ore than 25 years
after he helped
design and create
the model 9550 pulltype combine prototype, Murray
Mills, a former engineer with
White Farm Equipment, stopped
into a rural farmyard in Southern
Ontario because he caught sight
of what was left of the one-off
machine. It was just rusting away
in a patch of weeds along with
some other old machines.
“It was just two or three miles
south of Brantford,” says Mills.
“I happened to see it there, and
one day we decided to go out and
look at it.”
In the 1980s, White Farm
Equipment’s engineering office
and combine assembly plant were
located in Brantford, Ontario. And
Mills was involved in creating all
of White’s line of axial rotary combines. The 9550 was to be the company’s first pull-type offering to the
market with rotary technology.
“The White rotary, pull-type
program was proposed to provide a
machine to compete with the IHC
1482 PTO rotary and the Versatile
Trans-axial PTO machines, primarily in the western Canadian market,” recalls Mills.
But when that development
program began, in the early
1980s, times were tough for farm
equipment manufacturers. Some
machinery brands were severely
haemorrhaging red ink due to
declining sales. Nowhere was that
more true than at White. The
company had sought bankruptcy
protection in 1980 and emerged
from it ready to try again in 1981.
Soon after that, White’s engineering staff were set to forge
ahead with an ambitious five-year
plan to create a full line of rotary
combines. The new White combine line was intended to compliment the 9700, the first of the
brand’s new generation of rotary
machines, which debuted in 1980.
All White’s other available models
at the time were conventionals,
and they, along with conventionals at all the brands, were losing
market share to the rotaries ever
since New Holland introduced its
TR70 in 1975.
“The earlier production White
conventional pull-type combine
was the model 8650, with many
parts common to the production
8600 self-propelled combine,”
Mills explains. “It was a 45-inch,
5-straw walker machine with 150
bushel grain tank.”
When it came to pull-types,
International Harvester’s axial
rotaries practically owned that segment of the combine market in
North America in the early 1980s.
If White was going to continue to
be a player there, it needed a new
and strong competitor.
“The IHC rotary pull type was
dominating the market,” he continues. “And the companies with
conventional PT combines were
having a difficult time competing. The rotary machines were
doing a superior job in crops such
as barley.”
But investing the necessary
resources into pull-type combine
development was risky. There was
only a small market to fight over.
There was only
a small market
to fight over
“The profitability aspect of producing a pull-type combine of any
kind was always a question mark
due to the regional market, mainly
Western Canada, and the number
of players in the game,” says Mills.
“It was, however, deemed to be a
requirement so that the western
Canadian dealers could compete.
As I recall there were six manufacturers chasing a annual volume of
about a thousand PT combines.
When the subject of developing
a White rotary PT machine was
discussed, the sales people were
able to convince management
that they could capture sufficient
market share to make the project
profitable, so the necessary engi-
neering resources were allocated to
begin the ground work.”
Documents outlining White’s
five-year engineering plan, which
was launched in 1983, reveals the
company intended to have four
rotary combines in the marketplace by 1986 in order to keep
pace with market demand. There
would be three self-propelled
models and one pull type. The
pull type was to get the model
designation 9550 and it would be
built to the same specifications as
the proposed mid-sized, self-propelled 9520. Management wanted
the 9550 ready to land on dealers’
lots by mid 1985.
On schedule, engineering
started work on a test bed for
the pull-type combine in May of
1983. But that wasn’t really the
beginning of the project.
“It actually started in ’82,” says
Dave Houston, who was project
engineer for the 9550. “There was
some preliminary benchmarking,
basically theoretical work to see
what kind of (a machine) might
this be.”
Total development cost for
the new line of combines was
expected to be just over $11.1
million, with the Government
of Canada kicking in $1.9 million through the Enterprise
Development and Industrial
Research Assistance programs. The
pull-type 9550 would eat up about
$661,000 of that on its own.
“The White rotary PTO
machine was planned to have
the equivalent capacity and
make use of many of the parts
and systems used on the proposed mid-sized, self propelled
rotary combine,” remembers
Mills. “And it would be code
named the 9550 to indicate the
similarity in capacity to the
9520 SP machine.”
That would make it a Class V
combine, using a 27.5-inch rotor
that was 168 inches long. The
threshing and separating area
was 3,617 square inches, and the
cleaning area was given 6,426
square inches, which included a
125 square inch pneumatic area.
It would also get a 225 bushel
grain tank.
Those specifications one-upped
IHC’s 1482 in nearly every category and would give the 9550 a
capacity of about 900 bushels per
hour in wheat. But that capacity
in a pull type would come at a
price. Farmers would need to put
a pretty sturdy tractor in front of
it if they expected to work it to
capacity.
But listing specifications on
paper and creating a working machine are two different
things. Next time we take a
look at what it took to move
the 9550 from pencil drawings
to real prototype. †
Scott Garvey is machinery editor with Grainews.
Contact him at [email protected].
PHOTOS: RAY BIANCHI, CLASSIC FARM PHOTOS
Left: Decades after it was built, Murray Mills, one of the engineers
who worked on the 9550 project, found the remains of the
prototype in a farmyard near the plant where it was assembled. Top
right: Pictured outside the company’s Brantford offices in 1984, the
9550 prototype was ready to start field trials. Bottom right: SIN
number plate: The serial number includes an “X,” indicating the
experimental status of the combine.
We just couldn’t leave well enough alone.
6M SerieS TracTorS - iT waSn’T eaSy iMproving perfecT.
item/model may not be exactly as shown.
If you owned a John Deere 6030 or 7030 Series Tractor, you know why
they were so popular. Some owners even called them “perfect.” But we just
couldn’t leave well enough alone—not with the ever-changing demands of
today’s agriculture.
We engineered the 6M Series Tractors in response to those demands.
Six models are offered from 105 to 170 horsepower.* Refned John Deere
PowerTech™ engines offer more performance from every drop of diesel.
(And yes, diesel is the only fuel you need.) We increased the hydraulic
performance up to 45 percent. Hitch capacity went up. Loader cycle times
went down. There are now a variety of transmission choices for fast loader
work, and fast transport. And optional, PowerFill™ Brakes give you better
stopping with less effort.
See what else we did to make great tractors even better.
Visit your John Deere dealer to learn more.
*Manufacturer’s estimate of power (ISO) per 97/68/ED.
57712-2_10.125x15.5.indd 1
JohnDeere.ca
2/7/14 8:20 PM
34
/ grainews.ca
MARCH 4, 2014
Machinery & Shop
Project CJ3A
How to fabricate steel brake lines
Our project Jeep needs a complete brake overhaul, that means
making our own replacement steel brake lines
By Scott Garvey
T
he brakes on our ongoing
Jeep restoration, Project
CJ3A, were a complete
disaster. Virtually every
part in the system needed replacement, including the steel lines. We
could have purchased those lines
already preformed, but the cost
would have been much higher
than buying the basic materials
and fabricating our own. So, we
spent extra time in the shop and
saved a few dollars. Here’s what’s
involved in making them.
The Jeep needs 3/16-inch mild
steel brake lines, so we stopped at
an auto parts store and picked up a
full 25-foot roll along with the correct number of fittings. The total
cost was about $50.
The tools
To turn that role of steel tubing into formed lines, we need to
cut and bend the pieces into the
correct shape. Then, a 45° double
flare has to be put on each end.
Doing that requires a few special
tools. In true Grainews style, we’re
going to stick with the basic, low-
cost types for this job. We want to
use tools anyone can justify adding to their roller chest.
This project calls for a special
tubing bender, which costs about
$15. Aside from that we needed
a basic flaring tool kit that typically retails for $40 to $50. Other
than that, only ordinary hand
tools are required.
Cutting and bending
When doing a project like this,
keep the original lines — or what’s
left of them — to use as patterns
to fab up new ones. Measure the
overall length of the originals and
unroll that length of tubing from
the roll. Cut it with the tubing cutter that comes with the flaring kit.
After cutting the pieces to
length, ream out the resulting
minor deformity on the ends. We
used an ordinary step-style drill bit
for that. Next, file a bevel onto the
outside edge with a hand file. After
that step it’s possible to get right
to flaring the ends on the shorter
pieces. But a couple of sections for
the Jeep were too long to lock into
the vice without standing on a
step ladder to reach the end. With
1
those, we went ahead and bent
them to shape first, which made
it easier to fit them into the vice.
The tubing bender came in
handy, but it can only make bends
with one radius. In some places we
wanted tighter curves, that meant
improvising by locking two 3/8
bolts into the jaws of a bench vice.
Sockets from a 3/8 drive could be
slipped over one bolt to give us
the radius we wanted. The other
bolt acted as an anchor to force
the bend.
We mostly used a socket for
a 5/8 nut, which gave us a tight
bend, but not so tight we risked
kinking the line.
Flaring the ends
To put the 45° flare on each end,
the first step is to make sure the cut
ends are perfectly square. One easy
way to do that is to put each end
into the flaring vice upside down.
When the tubing is locked into
the flaring vice and protruding just
slightly from the bottom, a hand
file can be used to file it flush with
the surface.
Then flip the vice over and
insert the tubing into it the cor-
rect way. Let the tubing stick out
exactly the same height as the
shoulder on the appropriate flaring die. That ensures exactly the
correct length of tubing will be
bent over to form the double flare.
Forming the double flare is a
two-stage process. First, the die is
placed in the end of the tubing.
It is forced down by the hand
tool. Twist the tool until the die
bottoms out on the vice. Then
remove the die and twist the point
of the hand tool down onto the
tubing end. This folds over the single flare left by the die and creates
the double flare. Don’t over torque
the hand tool or it could compress
the flare too much.
This sounds like a simple process, but with the kind of flaring kit
we used, it can be challenging to
get the flares correctly shaped. Both
halves of the flaring vice need to be
perfectly even. If they aren’t, the
flare won’t be formed at 90° to the
tube, and it might not seat properly. That means it will be a leaky
line. It’s easier than you’d think to
end up with a useless flare. Getting
everything lined up correctly can
sometimes be a slow, frustrating
process.
Take your time at this stage or
you’ll find yourself starting all
over again.
If you forgot to slide both fittings onto the line before flaring
both ends, you’ll be left with a
useless piece of tubing and have
no choice but to cut off a flare you
just made. You can’t get them on
if both ends are flared. And if you
are putting small radius curves in
the line, make sure the fittings are
where they’re supposed to be or
you won’t be able to slide them
into place over a tight bend.
Before installing the line, use
compressed air to blow out any
metal filings from the cut that might
contaminate the brake system.
Getting the fittings on the line
to thread into place usually means
tweaking the angle of the tubing
a bit. Lubricate the fittings with a
little brake fluid before threading
them in. Never use any other type
of lubricant, that could contaminate the brake fluid.
With the brake job out of the
way and the Jeep now capable of
stopping, the next thing we have
to do is make it go. †
Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews.
Contact him at [email protected].
2
3
4
5
7
6
photos: scott garvey
1: Overhauling the brakes on our Jeep restoration project meant replacing all the steel brake lines. We fabricated replacements in the farm shop. 2: The basic components.
This is the roll of tubing, fittings and bender we used. 3: Using the bottom of the flaring vice, leave the end of the line very slightly proud and file it level with the vice surface.
That will ensure the cut end of the line is perfectly square. 4: To correctly place the tubing in the vice for flaring, let it stick out above the top of the vice the same height as the
shoulder of the forming die. 5: The double flare is formed in two stages. First insert the die into the end of the line and screw the tool down on it until the die bottoms out on
the vice. Next, remove the die and use just the pointed end of the tool to bend the flare over on itself, creating the double flare. 6: When the double flare is formed, the fitting
will compress it into place sealing the line from leaks. 7: To bend the tubing into shape, a cheap and easy way is to lock two bolts in a bench vice with a socket over one that
matches the radius of the bend you want to make. Hold the tube close to the socket and bend it. Go slow and be careful not to kink it.
MARCH 4, 2014
grainews.ca /
35
Machinery & Shop
Machinery restoration
Keeping busy restoring the past
Gunnar Nordal has fully restored eight vintage tractors
By Andrea Hilderman
G
unnar Nordal and his
wife Helen live just
outside Moosomin,
Saskatchewan. Fully
retired for five years, Nordal spent
his whole life farming, mostly in
the Foam Lake area, but when he
and Helen retired from farming in
the ’90s, they operated boarding
stables for 10 years near Regina.
Retired, but busy, Nordal
describes himself. He spends a lot
of his time restoring old tractors,
mostly from just before or after the
war years.
“I like a challenge,” Nordal says.
“I’m a farmer by trade and I did
have my welding ticket back in
the ’50s, so I’m able to do most of
these restorations by myself.” He’s
completely restored eight tractors
now, and others are in the works,
including a 1928 John Deere.
“I have a John Deere M, an AR
and a John Deere A, a Case 300,
a Cockshutt 80, a Massey-Harris
44 Special and an Allis-Chalmers
that’s in the shop right now.” All
of the tractors in the collection are
gas engines except for the AllisChalmers, which is the only diesel.
“International had diesels in the
’40s,” says Nordal. “They sold terrifically well, but they’re very rare
now. Most went for scrap during
the war years. I don’t have an
International yet, and I would like
to add one to my collection. I’ll
have to keep looking.”
The 1956 Case 300 is the most
rare tractor in the collection.
“These tractors were only made
for a couple of years in ’55 and
’56 and there are very few left
now,” says Nordal. “I personally
don’t know of any others around
or restored.”
He purchased the Case 300 at an
auction at Punnichy, Sask. “I don’t
know how well advertised that auction was but I got it for $100, really
cheap,” says Nordal. It appeared
as if no one really knew about
the tractor and how rare it was,
obviously thinking it was another
heap of scrap metal. “After getting
it home, I had it running within a
day,” explains Nordal. “There were
valve problems though and I had
to take the head off, and it needed
new tires. I fabricated the body
from pictures.”
The Case 300 was a utility-type
tractor that was quite low-set. It
was too expensive and farmers
didn’t buy many of them. They
were soon dropped by Case, who
then came out with a 310 (a diesel),
then a 311 model before dropping
the line altogether.
Cockshutt 80
The oldest tractor Nordal has
restored is the Cockshutt 80 from
1939-40. “These were manufactured during the ’30s,” says
Nordal. “However, they never sold
because there was no rubber —
that all was going into the war
effort at the time.”
It was after the war when soldiers
came home that the Cockshutt
80 came into wider use. Land and
loan programs were initiated to
help demobbed soldiers get into
farming, and the Cockshutt 80 was
a typical tractor of that time.
“The only other Cockshutt 80 I
know of that is restored is at the
museum in Yorkton. I got mine at
another auction in Churchbridge,”
explains Nordal. “It had sat in a
shed for 40 years, but it was still
loose. The motor didn’t need much
work, although the radiator and
water pump did.” Finding parts for
this tractor was hard and what he
couldn’t find he had to improvise
a fix for instead.
Nordal doesn’t display his tractors, however, he would like to show
his collection at the Farm Progress
Show in Regina or in Manitoba.
He’s just too busy in his shop to do
it. “The most I do is run one of my
tractors in the Moosomin parade,”
he laughs. †
Andrea Hilderman has her master’s degree in
weed science and is a member of the Manitoba
Institute of Agrologists. She writes from
Winnipeg, Man.
photos: courtesy of gunnar nordal
Top: These are five of the eight tractors Gunnar Nordal
has completely restored. Right: The 1956 Case 300 is
the most rare tractor in the collection.
36
/ grainews.ca
MARCH 4, 2014
Machinery & Shop
2014 MODEL INTRODUCTIONS
New Holland upgrades
combine features for 2014
A larger hopper, faster unloading rate capacity
boost are among the improvements
BY SCOTT GARVEY
W
“
e were the first
company to commercially design,
introduce and build
a rotary combine back in 1975,”
said Igor Kuzmenko, combine and
header marketing manager for
New Holland North America, as
he stood beside a combine in an
Iowa field during a brand field
day. “Since then we’ve had many
other firsts. So with the model
year 2014, we’re continuing that
tradition.”
Among those firsts for the current model year is what Kuzmenko
claims is the largest grain tank
in the industry. At 410 bushels
it’s a big jump up from a previous maximum of 355 bushels on
NH Class 8 and 9 machines. “It’s
standard with extensions, on our
large-frame models, the CR8090
and CR9090,” he explained. “Next
year we’re going to introduce the
electronic, in-cab folding extensions option.”
To help support the extra weight
from larger loads in the hopper,
NH combines will be available
with wider 900/75R32 tire options
to minimize soil compaction.
The entire range is also compatible with 900/60/R38 Michelin
Cerexbib specialist combine tires.
According to the company, testing
has shown in-field compaction
rates can be reduced by up to 35
per cent with the Cerexbibs when
compared with standard tires.
And to get that grain out
of the tank, unloading speeds
have been boosted to four bushels per second, so emptying the
hopper now takes only about
100 seconds.
“We’ve also increased the capacity of our machines up to 15 per
cent to match customer requirements for more capable heads,”
Kuzmenko added. To accomplish
that, the Dynamic Feed Roll
option, part of the Dynamic Stone
Protection system, will also be
available on the smaller CR6090
and CR7090. It’s a beater located
between the feeder house and the
rotors that accelerates and evens
out the material flow. According
to the company, Dynamic Feed
Roll boosts feeder house performance by up to 10 per cent and
overall combine capacity by 15
per cent.
“That improves the grain quality
even further,” added Kuzmenko.
“It minimizes the affect of slugs
that come into the machine and
keeps the rotors feeding at maximum capacity. It positively feeds
the rotors. For example, our largeframe combines with 22-inch
rotors can harvest and unload on
the go with heads up to 45 foot.”
The cleaning shoe on CR8090
and CR9090 models now features
a larger diameter clean grain cross
auger to speed the flow of grain
into the elevator, which improves
air distribution across the cleaning
shoe and leads to an increase in
capacity of up to eight per cent in
high yielding corn.
Up front, there is a new header
option for 2014. An integrated
slow-speed transport feature is
available on the brand’s draper
head. A combine operator can
hydraulically deploy wheels
mounted permanently on the
header to immediately get it ready
for road travel.
“Today, New Holland offers
the widest selection of heads
among mainline manufacturers,” says Kuzmenko. “We offer
rigid auger heads, flex auger
heads, high-capacity heads, varifeed heads, and draper heads
(both flex and rigid).”
Operators will find their working environment a little nicer as
well. “We’ve also improved (what
already is) the best cab in the
industry,” adds Kuzmenko. “We’ve
improved the comfort, which is
important.” †
PHOTOS: SCOTT GARVEY
A New Holland combine on display at a field day in northern Iowa
in September. The Brand’s 2014 combine lineup gets a variety of
improvements and a capacity boost of up to 15 per cent on some models.
Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews.
Contact him at fbc.publishing.com.
The low-speed, self-transport option on this draper header is new for
2014. It has wheels that fold into place hydraulically before the header is
detached from the combine, leaving it immediately ready for road travel.
Igor Kuzmenko is combine and header marketing manager for New
Holland North America.
MARCH 4, 2014
grainews.ca /
37
Cattleman’s Corner
RISK MANAGEMENT
The basics of feeder cattle insurance
BY GERALD KLASSEN
F
eeder cattle prices have
been trading near historical highs and we all know
how the market dynamics can change within a short
period. Earlier in February, Federal
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz
announced all four western provinces will be able to participated
in the Western Livestock Price
Insurance Program (WLPIP).
This program was started by the
Alberta government in 2009 and
the program will still be administered by Alberta’s Agriculture
Financial Services Corporation.
Each province will be in charge
of relaying information to their
producers.
As I look at this program, I
note I have been explaining put
options to producers for many
years and there always seems to
be some confusion. I always say
the best way to “learn is by doing”
and producers will have to be
prepared to spend some money,
even if it involves a governmentadministered program.
Producers have to pay a premium to protect against a drop
in price of the feeder cattle. The
WLPIP is available for cow-calf
producers selling 550- to 650pound calves in the fall and for
backgrounding operators selling
750- to 950-pound feeder cattle.
The program is also available for
fed cattle but I’m not going to
discuss this category in the article.
The insurance program uses
the Chicago Mercantile Exchange
feeder cattle futures to calculate
a forward price, which is the
expected price when the feeder
cattle will be sold. Looking at
the appropriate futures month, the
forward currency is used to convert
the price into Canadian dollars
and then the basis is subtracted
from this forward price. The basis
is made up of projected currency
swings, current market conditions,
PHOTO: FILE PHOTO
The new Western Livestock Price Insurance Program can protect cow-calf producers and backgrounding
operations from a downturn in cattle prices.
the three-year average basis for the
selected timeframe, along with a
forecast of the current basis.
After calculating the forward
price, the program administration
comes up with the premiums for
the appropriate amount of insurance starting at 95 per cent of the
forecasted price. The administration has an index based on the
market for each region of Western
Canada on which the settlements
will be made.
The premiums or the cost of
the insurance is similar to buying insurance for any other program. If you require 95 per cent
coverage, then of course this
will cost more than if you only
require 75 per cent coverage.
Also, the program offers coverage in four-week increments
from 12 to 36 weeks. If you want
a longer period, the premium
will be more than for a shorter
period of insurance.
Finally, the volatility in the
market also comes into the equation. When the market is more
volatile, such as a $20/cwt jump
within four weeks, the premium
will more expensive.
EXAMPLE
Here’s a basic example of how
the program works. In April, a
cow-calf producer plans to sell 600pound calves in the September.
The forward expected price, calculated by the administration taking
into account all the factors above,
is $1.88 per lb. This producer wants
to ensure a selling price for 95 per
cent of the forward expected price,
which would be $1.78 per lb. The
premium for this price level is
$0.03 per lb. If the producer has
100 calves expected to weigh 600
pounds each, the total premium
cost would be $1,800.
In September, the feeder cattle
index for the region for the 550- to
650-weight category falls to $1.68
per lb. The producer would receive
$0.10 per lb. or $6,000. If the price
is higher than $1.78, then the producer receives no payout.
I encourage producers to look
at the information available from
each of the provincial agriculture offices. The program is fairly
straightforward and simple to
understand and the forms are easy
to fill out. One major benefit of
the program is the forecasted price
is determined for your specific
region in Western Canada. We
all know that the market can be
quite variable from Manitoba to
southern Alberta. Cattle producers
have a local price to compare to
as well as local basis information
to help forecast their insurance
requirements.
OPTIONS
Of course, many producers are
familiar with futures and options
markets. The WLPIP is basically
the same as buying put options on
the Chicago Mercantile Exchange
feeder cattle futures. However, this
program offers a price in Canadian
dollars and also provides a basis
for the local region.
The federal and provincial governments have tried to make a
program easy to understand and
easy to use for large and small producers. However, producers still
have to do their part and do a bit
of homework by knowing their
costs and knowing how much
coverage they need. Of course,
there is a also a cost, which is the
premium paid. If the market does
not drop below this coverage level,
then there is no payout and the
premium is used up.
For producers who are a bit
more sophisticated, an outright
short futures position may be more
advantage because this provides
more of a correlated hedge for 100
per cent coverage. However, with
the WLPIP, there are no margin
calls after paying the initial premium. When a producer has a short
position on a futures contract,
there will be margin calls if the
market continues to go up.
Another strategy for experienced marketers is to buy put
options on the feeder cattle and
sell out of the money call options.
This is essentially equivalent to
a short position on the futures
market but the margin calls are
only necessary if the futures move
above the strike price of the out of
the money call option.
In many cases, futures and
options brokers don’t have time
to explain futures and options
strategies so there are courses
available to learn on your own.
Producers familiar with futures
and options, who have excellent
market analysis can probably
manage the price and exchange
risk themselves through a futures
and options broker.
In any case, with the market at
historical highs, it is prudent to
have some type insurance. †
Gerald Klassen analyzes cattle and hog markets
in Winnipeg and also maintains an interest in
the family feedlot in southern Alberta. For
comments or speaking engagements, he can
be reached at [email protected] or call
204 899 8268.
BETTER BUNKS AND PASTURES
Zilmax has its own hooves
trimmed without explanation
PETER
VITTI
L
ast summer, Tyson Foods
announced it would no
longer accept Zilmaxfed feedlot cattle at their
slaughter facilities due to a small
number of animals showing up
with sloughed-off hooves during
a particular stretch of hot weather.
Cargill plants followed suit and it
wasn’t long before Merck Animal
Health, the manufacturer of
Zilmax (Zilpaterol hydrochloride)
pulled this popular beef feed additive off the market.
A couple of months into 2014
have passed and there is no significant explanation or any effective
solution to the whole affair.
Despite a possible public relations and liability nightmare for
Merck, six months have passed
and two burning Zilmax-related
questions have yet to be answered
— how widespread is this problem, and what is the verified scientific link between observed painful
lameness and those affected cattle
fed Zilmax?
The answer to the first question is straightforward despite
limited available information. Of
the 30 million cattle slaughtered
each year in the United States,
about 100 Zilmax-fed cattle were
cited to have lost their hooves
since FDA Zilmax approval in
2006-07. That is 0.0003 per cent
affected animals of those nationally slaughtered. Of the approximate 3.7 million feedlot cattle
slaughtered annually in Canada,
no reports of Zilmax-fed lameness were reported. Such Zilmax
“revealed” lameness pales in comparison to conducted U.S. national surveys that report an average
incidence of about three per cent
general/specific lameness among
feedlot cattle.
In a similar fashion, the answer
to the second question is that a
scientific link between Zilmax and
severe lameness in feedlot cattle
has yet to be proven. However,
one plausible theory abound links
that Zilmax-fed finishing cattle
are put on a heightened plane of
weight gain and feed efficiency
performance that makes them
significantly more susceptible to
common feedlot ailments such as
rumen acidosis-related hoof laminitis. Last summer’s mitigating
factors such as heat stress only
elevated this respective vulnerability and suffering.
APPROVED PRODUCT
The performance part of
such as a hypothesis has arguably some credibility in Canada,
because Zilpaterol hydrochloride,
the active ingredient of Zilmax,
has been effectively tested by
Merck and approved by strict
Canadian government approval
“for increased carcass leanness,
increased dressing per cent,
improved rate of body weight
gain and improved feed efficiency
» CONTINUED ON PAGE 40
PHOTO: FILE PHOTO
Science isn’t behind the decision to pull Zilmax feed additive from the market.
38
/ grainews.ca
MARCH 4, 2014
Keepers & Culls
Dairy family named Alberta OYF
CONTACT US
LEE
HART
Write,
E-mail or Fax
I
f passion, enthusiasm, hard
work, smart business thinking and a strong sense of
family and community values count for anything, a young
dairy farming couple from St. Paul,
Alberta (northeast of Edmonton)
are well on their way in life.
Richard and Nicole Brousseau,
who run the 50-head Moo-Lait
Family Farm were recently named
Alberta’s Outstanding Young
Farmers for 2014.
They are not the biggest dairy
farmers in the country by any
means, but they exemplify what
this farming business is all about.
They are passionate and enthusiastic about what they do. As sometimes happens in life, they don’t
have a lot of money, but they are
hard workers and determined to
build this family farm.
I was fortunate to be a judge
again for the Alberta regional
OYF competition. Joining me on
the panel were Richard Mueller,
a farmer and seed grower from
the Barrhead, Alta. area (northwest of Edmonton) and Brittany
Long, with ATB (Alberta Treasury
Branch), a chief sponsor of the
Alberta regional Outstanding
Young Farmers program.
The Brousseaus, in their early
30s and their three children,
Ethan, Cassie and Emery are working with Nicole’s parents, Bert and
Yvonne Poulin, on the long-time
dairy farm. Each couple owns their
own cows and milk quotas but
they farm together. Richard and
Alberta Treasury Branch representatives Brittany Long, left and Karen
Hunter were on hand to present the Alberta regional Outstanding Young
Farmer trophy to the Brousseau family of St. Paul, Alta. Family members
include Nicole and Richard Brousseau and their three children Cassie,
eight, Emery, six, and holding the trophy is Ethan, 10.
Nicole handle most of the day-today management, although the
Poulins are still actively involved.
The Brousseaus met at Lakeland
College in Vermillion. Richard
comes from a nearby family farm
that was involved in the hog business for many years. They both
worked on the college-run farm,
both did some instruction as well,
but always had this desire to get
back to farming. They decided to
focus on the dairy farm and partnered with Nicole’s parents.
In 2006 they joined the 25-cow
dairy farm — Richard also worked
off farm for a while, but eventually they built the herd to about
50 milking cows. They were fulltime farmers by 2008. They initially worked with an older tie-stall
milking system, but as this issue
of Grainews comes off the press
they should be nicely moved into
a new loose housing barn with a
double seven-herringbone milking
parlor. They had maxxed out the
old facilities, and the new barn
gives them a new starting point to
build their dairy farm.
Along with the milking herd,
they crop about 945 acres of
deeded and rented land, producing forage crops, grains and peas.
They run everything within their
means. Richard notes their line of
equipment is almost as old as he
is, but it is affordable, it works, and
serves the purpose until it needs to
be replaced.
They focus on optimizing milk
production. They work with a nutritionist to feed a properly balanced,
high-forage ration. Except for the
concentrate they produce all their
own feed. The new loose housing
barn is geared for cow comfort.
Their philosophy is that if cows are
comfortable and fed a well-balanced
ration that isn’t too “hot,” cows will
not only milk, but will also have
longevity. Their strategy is aimed at
minimizing udder, leg and feet ailments which often send productive
young cattle down the road.
They are actively involved
in their children’s lives too —
archery, Brownies and gymnastics — along with their community. Now that the dust is settled
Contact Cattleman’s Corner
with comments, ideas or
suggestions for and on stories
by mail, e-mail, phone or fax.
Phone Lee Hart
at 403-592-1964
Fax to 403-288-3162
Email [email protected]
Write to
CATTLEMAN’S CORNER,
PO Box 71141 Silver Springs
RPO, Calgary, Alta. T3B 5K2
around new barn construction,
they hope to get back to staging
more on-farm community education programs, which involves
hosting school groups to show
kids and their parents where milk
comes from. Nicole also likes to
fill those spare hours by raising
pasture poultry and a few pasturefinished hogs. The kids are keen
to put their labour into pastureraised laying hens this year.
The Brousseaus are a young couple that gets excited when they talk
about farming. Along with plans,
they also have the skills to make
this well-run dairy even better. Both
say they don’t want to be rich, they
just want to produce good quality food, provide proper care for
their livestock, raise their family,
and enjoy a sustainable farming
operation. That’s a very simple, yet
eloquent mission in life. Go for it.
LAZY S
SALE RESULTS
H
ere are the results
of the Lazy S Ranch
Bull Power Sale
Jan. 25, 2014,
held at the ranch near Mayerthorpe, Alta. Auctioneer was
Don J. Raffan.
• 204 bulls, average sale
price of $4,732.
High-selling sale bull lot 84
Red Destiny 598A sold
for $15,000.
• Black Simmental
high sellers:
Lot 5 GTA Black 203A
sold for $7,800.
Lot 1 Lazy S Black Superior
207A sold for $7,500
Lot 3 GTA Black Superior
231A sold for $6,750.
• Red Simmental
high sellers:
Lot 71 Destiny 981A
sold for $12,000.
Lot 87 Destiny 39A
sold for $9,300.
Lot 88 Hustler 374A
sold for $9,000.
• Black Angus
high sellers:
Lot 189 GTA Black Biz
sold for $7,200.
Lot 190 GTA Black Up 82A
sold for $7,200.
• Red Angus high seller:
Lot 172 NLDA Lazy S 715A
sold for $6,400.
• Black Beefmaker
high sellers:
Lot 120 (Simmental /Angus)
sold for $7,400.
Lot 125 (7/8Simmental 1/8
Angus) sold for $7,400.
• Red Beefmaker
high sellers:
Lot 167 (Simmental/Angus)
sold for $7,000.
THE MARKETS
Cattle prices reach record highs
JERRY
KLASSEN
MARKET
UPDATE
C
attle prices reached
record highs in late
January due to lower
than expected production. Adverse weather across a large
portion of the U.S. Southern Plains
also contributed to erratic prices.
Packing plants were scrambling
to source market-ready cattle and
the weekly slaughter pace dropped
sharply behind year-ago levels.
The beef pipeline became relatively thin and consumers were
caught off guard by the sudden
jump in retail prices. Usually, we see
consumer spending drop sharply
after the holiday season but this
year, the economy appears to be
more stable relative to past years.
The decline in “at home” and
“away from home” food spending
was not as severe after the holiday season resulting in strongerthan-expected beef consumption.
Moving forward, there are a number
of risks in both the supply and
demand equation that will influence the price of fed cattle and
spill over into the feeder complex.
Replacement cattle will also be vulnerable to the price of feed grains
over the next few months and it
looks like the downward trend in
barley has come to an end.
LOWER SUPPLIES
Fed cattle prices in the Nebraska
reached up to $150/cwt in late
January, but as of mid-February, the
market was actively trading near
$140/cwt. U.S. year-to-date beef
production is running nine per cent
behind last year but the industry
was earlier projecting first-quarter
beef production to be down only six
per cent in comparison to the first
three months of 2013. The market
had to contend with lower-thanexpected supplies rather suddenly
causing the volatile market.
Carcass weights are actually 14
pounds heavier than last year so
we may see overall beef production
catch up in upcoming weeks. Cattle
on feed as of January 1, 2014 were
down five per cent from last year.
Wintry conditions slowed feeder
marketings in January and early
February, therefore feedlot inven-
tories are projected to stay five to
eight per cent below year-ago levels
into spring.
Alberta fed cattle prices topped
out at $148.50 and then softened
to $140/cwt by mid February. In
Western Canada, the year-to-date
beef production for the week ending February 1 was down five per
cent in comparison to last year.
Similar to the U.S., extremely cold
temperatures across the Prairies
slowed cattle marketings during
the first five weeks of 2014. Cattle
inventories are expected to drop
below year-ago levels later in spring,
which should keep feedlots current
and support local basis levels.
The smaller-than-expected
weekly slaughter in Canada and
the U.S. caused wholesale beef
prices to reach record highs.
Choice wholesale beef topped out
near $240/cwt in January but is
currently near $216/cwt. Unlike
the old days, packers have shorter
term contracts with grocers and
restaurant chains thereby allowing
the jump in wholesale prices to
be passed on more quickly to the
consumer.
It is interesting to note grocers
were featuring beef for the Super
Bowl weekend but grocery store val-
ues were actually a bit softer when
wholesale beef was at record highs.
This suggests consumers were backing away at the higher price levels.
The average American consumer
has not had an increase in the disposable income needed to sustain
higher beef values. Colder temperatures across the Eastern Seaboard
have also stemmed restaurant traffic
in major urban centers.
SOFTENING TREND
The weekly slaughter pace will
improve through March and with
moderate temperatures, the supply chain will be replenished and
prices for fed cattle and wholesale
beef will stabilize. There is usually
an increase in consumer spending
in March, which will keep prices
well supported. Consumer spending generally eases in April and
weekly beef production increases,
which is expected to result in softer
fed cattle prices.
As of mid-February, larger-frame
medium-flesh exotic steers weighing just less than 850 pounds sold
for $168/cwt landed in southern
Alberta feedlots. The break-even
price on this animal with barley
trading at $155/mt is about $130/
cwt. It is important to realize the
June live cattle futures are trading at
a $9 discount to the April contract
which suggests Alberta fed cattle
prices during the summer will be in
the range of $132. Feedlot operators
have bid up the price of feeders so
the margins are quite snug.
Futures markets tend to incorporate “constellation of prices” whereby the June contract trades in a
similar pattern to the April contract
(even though there is a discount
between the two contracts). Price factors that influence the April contract
such as adverse weather also pull up
the June contract. Once the April
contract expires, June becomes the
main pricing month and trades on a
totally different set of fundamentals.
Beef production will increase in the
second quarter and there is usually a
downward trend in fed cattle prices
from April through June.
In talking with an “old-time”
cattle feeder recently he mentioned
replacements bought in February
seldom make money. This is important to realize given the current
price structure. Look for feeders
to stay firm into March but then
decline as fed cattle prices come
under pressure. †
Gerald Klassen analyzes cattle and hog markets
in Winnipeg and also maintains an interest in
the family feedlot in southern Alberta. For
comments or speaking engagements, he can
be reached at [email protected] or call
204 899 8268.
MARCH 4, 2014
grainews.ca /
39
Cattleman’s Corner
ANYONE CAN START FARMING
Learn from lambing
season experience
DEBBIE
CHIKOUSKY
creep-fed pea screenings. The lambs
receive their vitamins when processed at about 24-hours-old, while
the dams are treated for parasites.
LARGE LAMB MYSTERY
T
hankfully the 2014 baby
season got off to a slow
start with the sheep. Due
to our not removing the
ram from the flock in August,
ewes started lambing by the end
of January. This wasn’t really a
plan — we were engaged heavily
at that time with a family health
crisis, but as time is progressing it
seems to be working okay.
We did lamb at the end of
February last year so we knew with
thick bedding in the three-sided calf
shelters and an overnight temperature of no lower than -20 C when
lambs were about a week old, it was
safe to let the mom’s return to the
great outdoors with their young.
This is only true though for the
larger lambs. We have been blessed with singles weighing 15 to 20
pounds this year and they can handle more cold than a seven-pound
lamb. It is also very important that
the ewes are well fed. Our ewes
are getting our best hay and 1-1/2
pounds of pea screenings per day.
We also find this is the best time
of the year to supply lambs with
These large lambs are a mystery. We have the same ewes
and ram as last year on the same
rations, but lambs are certainly
larger than last year. The lambs
are robust and healthy but a bit
larger than has been comfortable
for our young ewes to deliver.
We also experienced this winter
our first, and hopefully last, sheep
caesarean section due to an overly
large lamb. The plus side of the
C-section visit was that it fulfilled
our requirement to have a veterinarian on our property at least
once a calendar year.
With lambing well on its way
now it is time to start preparing our goat herd for kidding. So
nutrition and animal care is a hot
topic around the lunch table these
days. It reminded us there is a free
online course available, which our
family has taken part of in the past
and needs to be revisited.
The classes are offered by Langston
University, Oklahoma and can be
found at http://www2.lu.resext.
edu/goats/training/qa.html.
While part of the program is
geared toward goats, with some
adjusting much of this course can
be used for any species of on-farm
livestock. After completing the
nutrition unit, for example, a producer should know the nutritional requirements of the goat and
adjust the ration at specified times
during the goat’s production cycle.
The producer should be able to
recognize nutritional deficiencies
or toxicity within the goat herd
and make management decisions
for correcting such deficiencies.
They should also be able to use
the Langston Interactive Nutrient
Calculator for specific goat rations.
NUTRITION CHANGES
When evaluating livestock,
remember that 70 per cent of
fetal growth occurs during the last
four to six weeks of pregnancy in
goats and sheep, which have a
150-day gestation. In cattle, the
calf weights about 15 pounds at
the start of the last three months
of gestation. These figures tell us
the females need feed in order
to ensure healthy viable young.
Most of udder development occurs
at the same time. While this is
happening, rumen capacity is
decreasing. To meet the need for
increased nutrition, a more nutrient-dense diet is required. This
PHOTO: DEBBIE CHIKOUSKY
With lambing season underway at the Chikousky farm in Manitoba, this
lamb found sitting on top of its mother kept him high, dry and warm.
is when the Langston Interactive
Nutrient Calculator is genuinely
useful because it takes the guesswork out of the decision.
During late gestation, energy
is the nutrient most likely to be
deficient. The level of nutrients
required will depend upon the age
and weight of the pregnant female
and her expected level of production — is she carrying singles, twins,
or triplets? For us, it is difficult to
determine if a female is having one,
two or three babies. Sometimes they
are absolutely huge and have only
one very large baby. Therefore we
have tried to sort according to the
female’s body condition or at least
feed to the majority of the pen. If
there is a dam that is markedly thin
we will feed her separate. It has also
been beneficial to ensure goats have
no lice in the pen four weeks prior
to kidding. Sheep don’t have lice
and our flock has never had keds.
We’ve also found this year once
the females are getting heavy with
young they avoid pushing into the
hay feeders. If they can’t or don’t
eat, this can result in health issues
if not corrected quickly. Ruminants
need roughage for their rumens to
function correctly. We’ve had to
increase space in our hay feeders
by 50 per cent to accommodate
the dams’ increased girths.
Another interesting tip is to move
females into the lambing or kidding area about 14 days prior to
the event. This will allow time for
them to produce antibodies specific
to the environment in which their
offspring will be born. This is also
why it is highly recommended to
save excess colostrum for your own
animals for use in emergencies.
As we progress through our baby
season hopefully we’ll learn more
to help us next year. One of the
best parts of farming — that keeps
us country people young — we
never stop using our brains long
enough for them to realize that we
are getting old! †
Debbie Chikousky farms with her family
at Narcisse, Manitoba. Visitors are
always welcome. Contact her at debbie@
chikouskyfarms.com.
RANCHER’S DIARY
Early calf saved from bitter cold
HEATHER
SMITH
THOMAS
JANUARY 23
ast Wednesday Rusty
Hamilton hauled us 20
big straw bales. Weather is
cold; the cows are eating a
lot of straw with their daily ration
of alfalfa hay.
Emily turned 16 last week and
Sam had her 11th birthday, and we
had a combined birthday party. Em
passed her driving tests and now
has her driver’s licence. She can
take the younger kids to the bus
or to hockey practice when Andrea
is busy.
Sunday we took off Breezy’s
mask and gently washed her eye
socket. That area is no longer so
painful, but swollen again. The
stitches are itchy; she’s been rubbing the side of her face. We are
glad it’s covered and protected
with the padded mask. It gives
protection on that side, and keeps
the shaved area warmer in the
cold weather.
This evening Charlie had
hockey practice so Lynn got the
little girls from the bus and they
ate supper with us. Dani made
our calving calendar for this year
— writing the names of the cows
on the dates they’re due to calve.
L
ainjans.com
FEBRUARY 2
finally published — The Real Wolf:
The Science, Politics, and Economics
of Co-existing with Wolves in
Modern Times. Ted Lyon and
Will Graves (who wrote Wolves
in Russia) co-authored the book,
with chapters by several others
including Dr. Valerius Geist of
Canada, a leading expert on wolf
behaviour. I wrote the chapter discussing wolf impacts on livestock
and ranchers. The book presents
facts and dispels popular fictions
about wolves in North America.
The wolf issue has become highly
emotional; it’s time for a realistic
look at wolves.
Wednesday it snowed, covering
the icy spots, and Lynn fell down
hard on his back when he went to
do morning chores. His back and
hip are sore, but no broken bones.
This weekend Emily had a
hockey tournament here, and her
team won some of their games.
Today Andrea went to her early
game, then got home in time to
help us bring the cows down from
the field. Dani helped, too. We
gave the cows their pre-calving
vaccinations and deloused them.
s
j
n
i
n
p la a
The new book on wolves was
FEBRUARY 12
We’ve had colder weather
again, and wind; the cows are eating more straw. Last Wednesday
Carolyn and Heather drove the
truck up with straw, and chopped
ice out of the waterholes in the
creek. While they waited for Lynn
to move the feeders to a different
location with the tractor — out of
the wind, along the brush — they
looked at all the cows and noticed
Heather’s cow was getting more
udder and relaxed muscles around
the vulva. None of the cows are
supposed to calve until late March
at earliest (Michael’s herd isn’t due
to start calving until mid-April), so
this was a concern.
The next morning it was -25
F (-33 C), even colder with wind
chill. Andrea kept the kids home
from school; her car wouldn’t
start. She helped me feed horses
and break ice out of all the water
tubs, then helped us feed cows
and break ice on the creek.
We looked at Heather’s young
cow and saw frozen blood down
her tail and knew she’d calved in
the night. We figured she aborted,
but Andrea was determined to
find where she calved, and hiked
down through the fields, checking the brush, as Lynn and I drove
home with the feed truck. As we
pulled into the driveway we saw
Andrea struggling across the field,
with a calf! We drove up past the
horse pens and through the field
to help her.
Andrea had found a full-term
calf, in a deep ditch in the brush
along the fence. Its ears and feet
were frozen but it was licked dry
and alive. She had a hard time
getting it up out of the ditch. She
covered it with her coat and was
bringing it across the field. We
helped her load it into the pickup
cab and hurried home.
We brought it into the house to
warm. Dani, Carolyn and Heather
came to help. We thawed out
her ears, tail and feet with warm
water, and discovered she still had
circulation in her feet after we
800-235-6140
PHOTO: HEATHER SMITH THOMAS
Granddaughters Dani, left and Heather Jr. tend to calf being warmed in
the house.
warmed them. She won’t lose her
feet but she will probably lose tips
of ears and tail.
We fed the calf two quarts of
colostrum by bottle. Then Dani
babysat the napping calf by the
stove while we drove the feed truck
back to the field to bring the herd
down so we could sort off the young
cow that calved, and Buffalo Girl.
Emily’s pet cow, Buffalo Girl,
is the one we always use to lead
heifers into the barn to calve, or to
stay in the barn to babysit a nervous heifer. Heather’s young cow
had never been in a barn. They
bought her as a pregnant heifer
and she calved midsummer. So we
used Buffalo Girl to lead her into
the barn, and left her in the adjacent stall. The nervous mama was
glad to be reunited with her baby.
We speculated about how the
young cow became pregnant so
early, since the bulls weren’t with
the cows until early July. She was
part of a group of pregnant cows
and heifers that Michael and
Carolyn purchased the year before.
She calved mid summer as a firstcalver and didn’t breed back; she
was open last year. There were several late-born calves in that group,
including a bull calf that didn’t get
branded or castrated. He was still
with the herd the next spring for
awhile, and apparently bred the
open cow before he and several
other late calves were weaned and
removed from the group. †
Heather Smith Thomas ranches with her
husband Lynn near Salmon, Idaho. Contact her
at 208-756-2841.
More on the web
those s”
“famou
plainjans.com
Roper
620-872-5777
gloves m: p l a i nj a n s
fro
40
/ grainews.ca
MARCH 4, 2014
Cattleman’s Corner
ANIMAL HEALTH
Some great new farmer ideas
ROY
LEWIS
ANIMAL
HEALTH
B
eef producers are always
a good source for “great
ideas” that can be practically implemented,
don’t cost any more money and
yet can help to minimize time
or labour, keep people safer or
allow for proper handling of
biologicals. Here are a few tips
I have picked from producers
during farm visits.
HANDLING VACCINES
Many vaccines are now given
in the fall and even winter
at preg-checking time. In cold
temperatures it is important to
find a means to keep product
from freezing. Warming product before it goes into the cow
at 39 C is fine, but freezing
vaccines is a definite no-no and
absolutely must be avoided.
I think a producer in our area
has solved the problem. To keep
vaccines warm he’s hung a cord
and light bulb (100-250 watt)
in an old-style upright fridge.
With multiple shelves the products can be spread out and extra
stored. The large handle on the
door allows easy access and a
fridge is very well insulated. It
is also great for keeping product
cooler in the summer months.
This producer experimented
and found a heat lamp bulb
too warm as it melted some of
the plastic shelves. It might
be best to experiment yourself
with an ideal heat source. On
warmer fall or winter days keep
the product on lower shelves to
avoid overheating. If you don’t
have an expired fridge, all the
dumps have many to choose
from. It’s a great recycling exercise as well.
If away from permanent
power use a power converter
in the pickup truck to convert
12 volt to 120 power. I use
a power converter to run my
microscope during semen testing, or in emergencies my clip-
» CONTINUED FROM PAGE 37
ZILMAX HAS ITS OWN
HOOVES TRIMMED
WITHOUT EXPLANATION
in beef cattle” (re: claim No. 1 of
the medication ingredient brochure No. 83, Canadian Feeds
Act). To date (2014), Zilmax is
still a government-approved feed
additive for feeding feedlot cattle
in Canada (and in the U.S.).
The Canadian Food Inspection
Agency (CFIA) dictates that
Zilpaterol is to be fed at the rate of
8.3 mg/kg of the total diet (forage
and grain, dmi basis) to finishing
cattle greater than 450 kg body
weight in the last 20 to 40 days on
feed. Merck claims that Zilmax-fed
cattle (in claim compliance) gain
an extra 10 to 15 kg on high-grain
diets compared to similarly fed control groups. Its’ nearest competitor,
Optiflexx from Elanco (active ingredient — Ractopamine hydrochloride) reports about five to nine kg of
respective weight gain, accordingly.
PHOTOS: ROY LEWIS
Above are two versions of homemade storage boxes used by ranchers to keep vaccines at proper temperature when they are being administered
in cold weather. At left, a producer has converted an old refrigerator outfitted with a standard light bulb to keep product above freezing, and at right,
another producer just built a plywood box with a heat lamp inside.
pers to prepare for C-sections
when no power is available.
With the power converter you
are also prepared in case there
is a power outage, but have a
vehicle handy. The power converter can be used to run a
safely positioned and fastened
heat lamp inside your vehicle. This also keeps drugs warm
and alleviates running a vehicle
burning expensive gas.
BATTERY WARMER
Another slick idea involved
using an old wrap-around battery warmer to keep a work
surface warm. When plugged in
and laid flat, the warmer provides a warm surface where you
can lay filled syringes and other
materials on. If the warmer gets
too hot, cover with a towel.
I always keep the disposable
chemical hand warmers around
and have had the person giving
injections hold them around
the filled syringes and needle to
prevent freezing. If you freeze
product it is useless so take
the necessary steps to get this
valuable management tool into
your animals in good condition. Otherwise all the hard
work is wasted.
To achieve such weight gains
and increased feed efficiencies,
the mechanism for Zilpaterol
hydrochloride (as well as
Ractopamine) is found within its
origins of a new class of beef finishing growth promotants called
beta-Agonists.
These are a group of non-hormone feed additives that have
been developed in the last couple
of decades. They work by taking
dietary energy found predominantly in high-grain diets fed to
finishing cattle and divert it into
lean muscle tissue rather than fat
deposition. As a result, they help
feedlot animals produce more
marketable meat. Critics of betaagonists point out that no additional marbling is produced and
thus produce lower-quality meat
of less tenderness and flavour.
Some recent university research
supports their anti-Zilmax beliefs.
Regardless as to one’s tastes,
no information is presented that
Zilmax-fed animals are more predisposed to common feedlot nutri-
PAINTBALL ANYONE?
Paintball guns are a fun toy but
can also provide three practical
uses on the farm. They can be used
to mark animals to be pulled for
treatment by others. Or, if working
alone they can be used to spur on
the stragglers. A shot from a paintball gun can also be directed at a
charging cow or be used to break
up fighting bulls. Shots can be fired
in close succession, colours can
be varied, and the dye is all water
soluble. The pellets can leave welts
on people, but my guess this would
be minimal in cattle with their
thick hides so bruising at slaughter
would be minimal.
CARRYING TOOLS
There are many commercially made soft toolboxes with
side pockets, which are ideal for
carrying medical supplies. That
way you are never in need of a
syringe needle thermometer or tagger, and can save time and steps.
HANDLING TIPS
In spring, attach tie down rubber straps to your calf sled to keep
slippery active calves secured for
the trip to the barn or other pen.
tional disorders such as rumen
acidosis, which can lead to lameness in days prior to shipment to
a packing plant. It is quite conceivable that Zilmax-fed feedlot
animals can suffer from rumen
acidosis at the same rate as nonZilmax-fed cattle given the right
feedlot conditions.
LAMENESS IS COMMON
Acidosis is a common nutritional rumen disorder among finishing feedlot cattle that are fed
high-grain diets in a short period.
Under normal rumen conditions, large amounts of starch
found in grains such as corn or
barley are fermented and metabolized as a source of energy, which
drives vital functions and growth
performance in feedlot cattle.
During this process, lactic acid
is also produced, but is normally
buffered by bicarbonates found in
the cattle saliva. Unfortunately, if
too much lactic acid is produced,
the buffering capacity of the ani-
Make sure the tow cord is long
enough to keep you safely away
from the overaggressive cow.
Caps with miner’s lights or
strong LED lights attached
make checking cattle easier at
night and free up your hands
for other things.
I use booster cable clamps
attached to tarp rubber straps
mounted on the maternity pen
as a device to hold the tail out of
the way while examining a calving cow. This is especially critical
if you are alone at calving and
helps keep the cow cleaner. I insist
on using this method or having the tail tied out of the way
for C-sections. But don’t forget to
untie the tail or you may leave it
on the fence. The beauty of the
booster clamps is if you do inadvertently release the cow, only a
few tail hairs are left behind.
PORTABLE WASHER
Another useful piece of hardware to have handy around
a chute is a portable sprayer
you pressurize by hand with a
plunger. The ones I am thinking of hold about two gallons
of water are pumped to provide
pressure and have an adjustable
nozzle. If your chute is not close
mal is often overwhelmed and
as a result the pH of rumen fluid
drops below a healthy threshold of
5.6, which leads to a higher incidence of unhealthy internal disorders such as rumenitis, internal
gastrointestinal sloughing, liver
abscesses and lameness.
Lameness or laminitis is a
generic term that refers to inflammation of tissues located in the
cattle hoof. Acute laminitis is the
visible and most severe form of
lameness that frequently seen
as feedlot cattle limping to the
feed bunk. One of the primary
causes of laminitis is feeding finishing high-grain rations without
enough effective fiber to combat
the effects of rumen acidosis.
Under such rumen acidotic conditions, toxins are also absorbed
in the bloodstream, which causes
small blood clots to form. These
particles disrupt peripheral blood
flow in the hooves. This circulatory disturbance cause destruction of this tissue that leads to
abnormal hoof horn growth
to a running water supply these
are great for irrigating wounds
or providing hydrotherapy to
swollen areas such as swollen
sheaths on bulls. The wand can
be directed right into the problem area and if you need more
water simply refill it.
With today’s ever-decreasing
labour supply on the farm make
use of pulley systems or ropes to
control sorting gates. Some with
hydraulic chutes have even built
in extra valves with cylinders controlling these gates. Simple fixes
like these save countless hours
of labour and speed up processing. Many producers have utilized
wooden alleys and constructed
safe palpation cages by constructing sturdy doors with either rod or
pipe slides which lock. These can
be very safe and constructed with
materials already on the farm. You
don’t always need the commercially made palpation cage.
All the above “ideas” are not
my own but garnered from producers looking to do a better job
and minimize labour. Hopefully
some of them may find a place
on your farm. †
Roy Lewis is a Westlock, Alberta-based
veterinarian specializing in large-animal
practice. He is also a part-time technical
services vet for Merck Animal Health.
and if severe enough will cause
the hard part of the hoof to be
sloughed. Because this area is also
rich in nerves and nerve endings,
pressure from inflammation and
dying tissue makes acute laminitis, a particularly painful problem
for finishing beef cattle.
Everybody should agree that
severely lame and suffering Zilmaxfed cattle that entered a Tyson
Foods packing facility were justifiably euthanized last summer.
However, six months have passed
and whether the incident was
directly related to feeding Zilmax,
a severe bout of heat stress-fuelled
rumen acidosis, or a combination
of both is really still anybody’s
guess. On its own recognizance,
Merck continues to suspend its
public sale of Zilmax until more
of these questions about the animal safety of Zilmax in cattle are
explained with good answers. †
Peter Vitti is an independent livestock
nutritionist and consultant based in Winnipeg.
To reach him call 204-254-7497 or by email at
[email protected].
MARCH 4, 2014
grainews.ca /
41
Home Quarter Farm Life
POSTCARDS FROM THE PRAIRIES
Life’s secrets, according to you…
worst thing you will go through,
and you will be stronger and
smarter because of it.
People of the world, tell me this — if you could go back in time and tell a
younger version of yourself just one thing, what would it be? Part One
JANITA
VAN DE VELDE
I
n our last article, we
talked about the best
pieces of financial advice
ever received. What’s that,
you say? Money doesn’t grow
on trees? No, little grasshopper. Wealth must be earned, not
plucked. The same can be said for
wisdom. There are times when
I wish I would have been a different me… the me who knows
more now, not the me blinded by my insecurities, or the
blitheness of youth. The me who
would have done things differently and made better choices.
But hey, it wasn’t really my fault,
was it? Parts of the brain don’t
fully develop until your early
20s, especially that sneaky little
thing called foresight. So I guess
it’s sort of expected that we’ll all
do stupid things in our lives, and
wish we could go back and do
things differently. And maybe,
just maybe, looking back on parts
of our life and wishing we would
have done things differently, is a
prerequisite to wisdom. And that
gift, little grasshopper, can’t be
plucked from a shelf either. This
one too, must be earned.
Here forthwith are your
responses to what you would tell
a younger version of yourself.
Part One
Relax. In five years, this moment
and these people won’t matter.
Everything will be all right.
Love yourself first, because you
are worth it.
Listen to your parents when
they tell you that you should date
more people, rather than marrying
the first person you date — so I
got married because they told me
I shouldn’t.
Confidence can be beautiful,
and your opinion matters.
Wait. Be patient. Everything will
be OK.
Things do have a way of sorting
themselves out. Just be patient
and trust.
RELAX!
Don’t worry so much about
finding the love of your life — it
will happen when you least expect
it, and with the absolutely most
perfect person.
Don’t sweat the small stuff.
Real friends are worth waiting for.
Don’t buy into the expectations
that everyone else has established
for you — create your own.
You are worthy. Pass it on.
Finish your schooling. Your true
love will wait if it was meant to be.
Always, always trust your
instincts. Your subconscious exists
for a reason, one that you may
never know, but it will never do
you wrong.
Don’t rush into marriage.
dren doing fun stuff — housework
can wait, nor does the house have
to be perfect.
Get a math tutor.
Stop worrying about
everyone else thinks.
what
Don’t be so negative and judgmental about other people! Be
gracious and forgiving and kind.
Just be you. Don’t listen to the
losers and the naysayers — just be
you. Follow those things that you
love, regardless of who says you
will fail. And for the love of God,
don’t stop exercising!
Don’t take life so seriously
because it will all work out.
It gets better.
Be nicer to your parents — they
love you. That jerk guy doesn’t!
Be true to yourself. Don’t go for
second best, be the best.
Relax and enjoy life more, don’t
worry so much about all the little
things, and most importantly be
confident in yourself and your
abilities.
You DO have talent. Your work
is unique because you are the only
one who can create it.
Spend more time with your chil-
Getting your heart broken is the
Don’t let “x” touch you that way.
My parents taught me that you
can do it on your own, and that
independence is important. I think
that I may have taken that advice
a bit too literally, and because of
that, I feel that I may have missed
out on some wonderful relationships. I held a lot in, and still do,
because I feel that I don’t need
anyone. I’m 38 years old and am
now just learning to ask for help.
Believing in yourself and asking
for something makes you stronger,
not weaker. I wish I would have
known this at a younger age.
Chill. Cut yourself some slack.
Stop overanalyzing. Stop taking
things personally and only say
things out loud that you would
say if that person was in the room.
This is great advice that I try to follow. Unless I drink — then all bets
are off on what comes out of my
mouth. †
Janita Van de Velde grew up on a farm near
Mariapolis, Man. She holds a bachelor of
science degree in agricultural economics from
the University of Manitoba, and has worked for
a financial institution since graduating. She
lives in Regina, Sask., with her husband Roddy
and their children Jack, Isla and James. Her
first novel, Postcards Never Written, was the
recipient of the Saskatchewan Reader’s Choice
Award and also listed by CBC as one of the top
funny books in 2009. She donates a portion of
proceeds from the sale of her book to World
Vision to help those less fortunate. For more
information, or to order her book, visit her
website at www.janita.ca.
Grow informed.
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42
/ grainews.ca
MARCH 4, 2014
Home Quarter Farm Life
FROM THE FARM
Protect your eyes
HUMAN EYE
Here’s an experience our family member had.
Fortunately it ended well
DEBBIE
CHIKOUSKY
C
orneal dystrophy is a
genetic disorder that
affects the cornea, the
clear, dome-shaped surface that covers the front of the
eye. In a corneal dystrophy eye
one or more parts of the cornea
lose their normal clarity due to a
buildup of cloudy material. The
condition allows fluid to build up
between the layers of the cornea
which leads to other problems. In
a normal eye there is an easy flow
between these layers.
Our adventure started last summer when the family member,
after working under a vehicle, kept
waking up in the middle of the
night in severe pain. Then they
would spend most of the day feeling like there was “something”
in their eye. A similar thing had
happened years ago when they got
straw in their eye but it resolved
on its own, but this time it wasn’t
resolving and the pain was increasing along with an inability to sleep
because of stabbing eye pains.
Due to the fact we no longer
carry extended health benefits
an eye doctor appointment had
been avoided and medical doctors are not the right choice.
Then we found out that in
Manitoba if a person needs to
seek medical attention for their
eyes it is covered by Manitoba
Medical. When the eye doctor
was consulted it was discovered
that the cornea had been torn
and due to the dystrophy was
not healing. The fluid was built
up between the layers of the
cornea so there were small bubbles on its surface, and when the
person sleeps and the eye jumps
around during REM sleep, the
bubbles would stick to the inner
surface of the eyelid and tear
more, causing all the stabbing
pains in the night. These tears
are called corneal abrasions.
Corneal abrasions are generally
a result of trauma to the surface of
the eye. Common causes include
jabbing a finger into an eye, walking into a tree branch, getting
grit in the eye and then rubbing
the eye or being hit with a piece
of projectile metal. Being on a
farm means that we could easily
encounter at least one of these
circumstances on a regular basis.
In reality walking across a grocery store parking lot in a wind
storm could also expose a person
to this. If a person has experienced
any of these traumas and is having pain, light hurts their eyes, a
foreign-body sensation, excessive
squinting, and a constant tearing
it is recommended that they have
their eye checked. Again, in some
provinces this is free because it is a
medical reason.
When we did get a diagnosis as
to why the cornea wasn’t healing
it was a relief. The layers of the
cornea were not adhering to each
other properly due to the corneal
dystrophy inhibiting the flow of
fluids etc. between the layers of
the cornea. The first line of treatment was to use lubricating ointment at night so there would be
no sticking. The eye doctor also
recommended not covering the
eye with a patch but did apply
a contact lens (bandage lens) to
protect the new growth. After several weeks the cornea still wasn’t
healing so it was off to a cornea
specialist. That was when the fun
really started.
At this point the specialist
chose “debridement of the epithelium and basement membrane,” which means he placed
freezing drops in the eye then
took a tool (which looks like a
dental pick) and proceeded to
remove the layers of the cornea that were affected by these
erosions. Pain management after
this procedure is difficult due to
the fact that the cornea has little
blood flow to it. The hope is that
as the eye grows new corneal layers they will adhere to each other
and the scarring will be minimal.
In our case it took months of
checkups and a great amount
of pain and stress but the eye
doctor assures us that the acuity
of the eye has remained undamaged. We are very thankful for
this because there are very few
options if it hadn’t adhered.
One option is to have the pro-
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cedure redone which was terrifying. The pain level after the
freezing left the eye was unimaginable for days. Living with it
torn would mean one eye not
functioning properly which in
turn made the good eye not function as it should, leaving a patient
disabled. Corneal transplants are
an option but a last one as they
usually don’t work.
The mission now is to keep the
eyes healthy. It is disappointing
that the condition was never
disclosed. We were told that was
because most people can live
their lives with no problems but
due to it being genetic we do
encourage people to question
their eye-care professionals especially if they experience blurry
vision in the morning that sub-
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I have a great desire to retire on a farm. I have a large
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sides as the day progresses. To
diagnose corneal dystrophy the
doctor only has to look into the
eye, so it isn’t invasive.
Would knowing have made a difference? Yes. Had we known there
was a problem that could cause a
seemingly harmless event, getting
dust in an eye, to escalate into
months of pain and potential blindness an eye professional would have
been consulted immediately. Our
medical professional only knows
about this condition in depth now,
because of treating it. So, going to
emergency to have a foreign object
removed from one’s eye would
not have resulted in proper treatment. This is what people usually
do though. Many people we know
weld, for example, and if they get
metal shavings in their eyes they go
to the local hospital emergency. Up
until last summer no one had ever
told us it was better to go to the eye
doctor and there was no wait for an
appointment. Emergency medical
situations were treated with great
respect.
Researching this condition it
was discovered that there is a
Facebook group for people who
need support dealing with corneal
dystrophy. There is a foundation
dedicated to research of it and
support of sufferers: http://www.
cornealdystrophyfoundation.
org/. There are differing opinions
on whether or not diet or
supplements can help. There are
eye clinics in the United States
and U.K. that recommend special
eye drops while in Canada we
couldn’t find anything.
Thankfully our journey seems to
be coming to a positive conclusion.
There is no vision loss although
there is some scarring but not in
the line of vision. We have opted
to use the special eye drops and
adjusted diet even more to further
reduce stress on the body. Our
medical doctor has recommended
major lifestyle changes because
he believes this would have never
gotten as bad as it has had we not
been pushing so hard in different
areas of our lives. For me, I believe
that our bodies were created to
heal. With the right tools all things
are possible so we will definitely
be careful, but we are very glad to
know what we are dealing with
now so we can be. †
Debbie Chikousky farms at Narcisse, Manitoba.
MARCH 4, 2014
grainews.ca /
43
Home Quarter Farm Life
Going back to the country
After pursuing many different careers, the time
had come to purchase that piece of land
BY EDNA MANNING
P
urchasing land in
the Hafford area of
Saskatchewan was like a
homecoming for Peter
Zuck. His parents had been pioneer
homesteaders in that region, but
had moved to the United States
when Peter was young. Although
he spent the first 10 years of
his life in Indianapolis, his family made regular trips back home
to Saskatchewan. The young lad
loved visiting the farm families living the old way the homesteaders
had done for so many years.
As a teenager, Zuck spent
summers helping his uncle on
the farm near Hafford, operating equipment, driving the grain
truck, and doing the necessary
chores. The love of rural life was
planted but would remain dormant for a number of years.
Zuck started his career as an
auto body finisher, moving on to
become a flooring mechanic, then
a welder. In Vancouver he worked
in a winery, followed by a long
stint with the Canadian Pacific
Railway, where he became a yard
foreman and a conductor.
On returning to Saskatchewan
in 1982, he pursued a career as a
machinist for a number of years
and went on to start several of his
own businesses — a window glass
shop, a beer-brewing supply outlet, a piano technician company
and currently, a commercial fireworks display company, Pyroex.ca.
In 2009 Zuck
located his dream
homestead on the
banks of Gordon
Lake, north of
Hafford
The opportunity to experience
country life occurred again when
he was asked to look after an
acreage near Spiritwood for the
summer while the owners were
away. It proved to be all he had
envisioned — raising free-range
chickens, planting a vegetable garden, and enjoying the peace and
solitude of country living. The
time had come for him to find his
own plot of ground.
In 2009 Zuck located his dream
homestead on the banks of Gordon
Lake, north of Hafford. Renovating
the house was the first priority, but
he also soon began raising heritage
breed chickens — blue laced red
and black Wyandotte. He feels the
eggs from chickens allowed to free
range are healthier and tastier.
Zuck also acquired some honeybees and began a small-scale operation, Beeware.ca, producing natural
skin-care products. He uses only
the finest natural ingredients to
make a range of products including
Honeybee Lip Balm, Honeybee Skin
Cream, Diaper Barrier Cream and
Deet-Free Insect Repellant. Zuck
currently has a wholesale distributor
in Saskatoon, Terry Jacobson, who
distributes his products through her
company Sugar ’n Spice.
In 2011, Zuck met Jennifer
Brown, a research scientist who
works at the Prairie Swine Centre
in Saskatoon. Although she works
full time, Jennifer spends weekends at the farm. “I’ve been interested in small farming for a long
time, and had recently purchased
an acreage near Aberdeen. Then I
met Peter,” she laughs.
Together the couple grows vegetables, raises chickens for meat
and eggs, and trades renovation
jobs for beef and lamb. “We live an
inexpensive life.
“Between us, we have the tools
and know-how to do anything
from tractor repair to making
cheese or wine, home butchering
and tanning. The work is all pleasant — putting in fences, cutting
firewood, picking and canning veg-
etables. With Pyroex.ca I also put
on between 10 and 15 commercial
fireworks shows a year. That’s my
income,” Zuck said.
Recently, Zuck and Brown have
been contemplating running
a CSA (Community Supported
Agriculture) operation that would
offer a destination for people to
come and visit the country, feed
the various birds, gather eggs and
perhaps pull a few weeds. They
could also go on a hike to enjoy the
surrounding countryside.
To learn more, contact Peter
Zuck at 306-883-2221 or email
[email protected]
or visit www.beeware.ca, www.
pyroex.ca and www.gordonlake
homestead.ca. †
Edna Manning writes from Saskatoon, Sask.
PHOTOS: EDNA MANNING
Top: Peter Zuck and Jennifer Brown picking cucumbers in the vegetable
garden last year. Bottom: A family of Bantams enjoys free range.
It PAYS to Study Ag
CABEF offers six $2,500 scholarships to Canadian
students enrolling in agricultural or agri-business
related programs.
Deadline for applications: March 1, 2014
Apply at cabef.org
@CABEFoundation
CABEF is a registered charity (#828593731RR0001). For more information on all registered charities in Canada under
the Income Tax Act, please visit: Canada Revenue Agency www.cra-arc.gc.ca/charities.
44
/ grainews.ca
MARCH 4, 2014
Home Quarter Farm Life
SINGING GARDENER
All about tomatoes
Plus, send your tomato-growing tips and share what works for you
TED
MESEYTON
O
nce more it’s a tip of
my hat and a big welcome to all gardeners
wherever you might
be. So get comfortable while I
pose a question and let loose on
my Singing Gardener page. Maybe
you’ve heard this one before.
What’s the difference between
knowledge and wisdom as it
applies to a tomato? Regardless, for
those who have not: Knowledge is
knowing that tomato is a fruit and
wisdom is not putting it in a fruit
salad.
FROM MY TOMATO SONG
“Maybe strawberries and homegrown potatoes, but I still think
it must be tomatoes.” Those are
words I speak and sing directed
to men and the women who love
them. It promotes prostate awareness, health and wellness. Along
with that it’s a tip of my hat
to everyone and welcome to all
my Grainews companions on the
Singing Gardener page.
GREG AT MAPPLE
FARM WRITES
Hey Ted: Kudos to you and your
publisher for getting word out
to your readers on the wonders
of Latah tomato last year. I want
you to know that we’re making a
difference. I’m getting lots of positive feedback from Prairie growers
who, before Latah, struggled to get
tomatoes to ripen in time. Now,
I’ll let you in on another significant achievement. I can’t wait for
you to read the forwarded message below. After asking Larry (the
original sender) if I could share
this with you, he replied, yes, no
problem, tell others. Prepare to be
amazed! I’ve attached for you the
SUE
ARMSTRONG
LOVE HEARING
FROM YOU
Do you have a story about a
farm or home-based business?
How about some household
management tips? Does
someone in the family have a
special-diet need? Share some
of your meal ideas.
Send them to FarmLife,
1666 Dublin Ave., Winnipeg,
Man. R3H 0H1. Phone 1-800665-0502 or email susan@
fbcpublishing.com. Please
remember we can no longer
return photos or material. †
Sue Armstrong
picture Larry emailed me of his
speedy tomatoes. Again, he says
you’re welcome to use it. Keep up
the great work and best wishes for
a healthy 2014, with thanks.
Greg Wingate
129 Beech Hill Rd.
Weldon, N.B. E4H 4N5
mapplefarm.com
LARRY WRITES
Hi Greg: Exciting news from
our little greenhouse — we picked
our first ripe Latah tomatoes today
(March 14, 2013). They were
small but delicious. I knew Latah
was an early variety, but this is
REALLY early. I planted the seeds
on December 31. Counting the
four or five days it took for the
seeds to germinate, that translates
into 73 days to maturity. Now
we know that this variety can be
grown successfully during winter
in a greenhouse. Early ripening is
its claim to fame.
Larry Herr
Note from Ted: Greg has
received a lot of feedback from
Latah tomato growers. Here are two
examples: I’ve tried growing tomatoes outdoors a few times without
much success here so I was a bit
skeptical. Latah grew beyond my
wildest dreams. It produced about
the first week of August. ((L.W.
Labrador City, Labrador) and, “It’s
my preference among other early
types.” (C.C. Victoria, B.C.)
You’ll notice those comments
are from both ends of the country.
Maybe it’s appropriate to say something such as, “from Atlantic to
Pacific, Latah is terrific,” especially
for gardeners in regions of the
country where the growing season
is short, summers sometimes cool
and early frosts possible.
OTHER TOMATOES
Are you looking for a mainseason, low-acid, medium-size red
tomato? Then Cougar Red might
do you proud when neighbours
come calling and asking about
it. This sweet variety grows on
compact, semi-determinate vines
with meaty fruits that are ideal for
home canning.
If you’re searching for appearance and flavour that are reminiscent of plums, look no further than Indigo Rose tomato.
This open-pollinated variety is the
darkest of all tomatoes ever bred.
Fruits are bluish purple and loaded with antioxidants. Certified
organic seeds for Cougar Red and
Indigo Rose tomatoes plus numerous other varieties are available
from West Coast Seeds, 3925-64th
Street, Delta, B.C. V4K 3N2, phone
1-888-804-8820 or go to www.
westcoastseeds.com.
Last year, I told you about hybrid
Tasti-Lee tomato from Dominion
Seed House. Generous-size fruits
have deep-bright-red flesh, high
sugar content and superior flavour. Extra firmness when ripe is
a bonus. They hold well in transit
adding to marketable qualities at
vegetable stands and farmers’ markets. What I particularly appreciate is Tasti-Lee’s high lycopene
content, a nutrient essential for
prostate health in men. Lycopene
is every bit as important for women’s health too.
PHOTO: COURTESY DOMINION SEED HOUSE
PHOTO: COURTESY LARRY HERR
Shown are three Latah tomatoes on the vine (each about two inches across) and Tasti-Lee tomato favoured for
its slicing size, deep-red colour inside and out, high sugar content, eye appeal and wonderful true tomato taste
both fresh and cooked. The Singing Gardener page is filled with good information and according to Ted it’s all
about tomatoes and things Grandma used to say.
If you’re looking for a tomato
that is strawberry sized and strawberry shaped, go for Tomatoberry.
Vines are loaded with firm, meatytextured, dark-red fruits with sweetas-a-strawberry taste. Seeds of both
Tasti-Lee and Tomatoberry are available from Dominion Seed House,
Georgetown, Ontario L7G 5L6;
phone 1-800-784-3037; or go to
www.dominion-seed-house.com.
While thumbing through the
tomato section of seed catalogues
you may occasionally see reference to the word “parthenocarpic.” It implies fruits set without pollination and usually will
not develop seeds until the latter
part of the season.
The old practice of doing preserves has been neglected somewhat in recent decades but now
continues to rebound and shows
no signs of stopping. Grandmas
and mothers are teaching their
daughters and grandchildren the
importance of preserving their
own fresh-from-the-garden produce. Even men are getting in on
the revival of home canning.
I SHAKE MY TOMATOES
… or call it a gentle form of
spanking. Please don’t interpret
this as plant abuse or keeping them
disciplined, but think of it as an
effort to help plants produce the
biggest tomato crop ever. Shaking
or spanking ’em creates a vibration
that contributes to pollination by
moving the pollen from the yellow
stamen to the green pistil within
individual flowers. Shaking each
plant is especially critical when
tomatoes are growing inside a
greenhouse or there is little or no
airflow outdoors. It also helps stimulate growth from roots and up the
stem to the tips of top growth.
Here’s how to shake or spank
your tomatoes. Take a newspaper
of a dozen or more pages. Roll it up
lengthwise several times. Start at the
base of the plant just above ground
level. Lightly and repetitively strike
directly on the central stem or on
the outside of any support such as
stakes or tomato cages. Do it gently five or six times all the way to
the top without hurting any leaves
or flowers. Be very careful around
the flowering areas. The trick is to
dislodge the pollen without inflicting any damage. The goal is to
shake each tomato plant and create
good movement as though a breeze
was blowing through it. Another
approach is to give tomato flowers a light misting of water, then
firmly grasp the main central stem
and give each plant a shake by
hand to help dislodge the pollen.
Here’s a third thing you can do. Buy
a battery-powered toothbrush and
vibrate each individual flower or
cluster of flowers for a few seconds
as though it was the facsimile of a
buzzing bee. Do this on the underside where tomato blossoms are
attached to a stem and not on the
blossoms themselves. Remember
you’re trying to imitate what pollinating insects and the wind do.
Make sure no foliage ever
touches the ground and prune off
any that does with your thumb
and forefinger. Matter of fact you
might choose to prune away all
foliage to just below the first set of
flowers. Remember to also prune
off all suckers growing in the joint
between the main stem and side
leaf branches.
This may come as a surprise but
if your tomatoes are slow at setting fruit, try the following. Go to
your store and buy a litre carton
of pure unsweetened 100 per cent
apple juice such as the SunRype
brand. Pour some into a handheld sprayer and mist said apple
juice directly onto tomato blossoms to hasten fruit set and even
prevent blossom drop.
Each time you notice new tomato flowers, remember to give them
an apple juice misting. Apple juice
gives off methane and also acts as
a ripening agent. Truly, tomatoes
are wonderful. Next to root crop
potatoes they are definitely fruit of
Canada-land.
be your way and vice versa, but we
definitely learn from one another,
so send along your tomato-growing
tips or anything else to the Singing
Gardener and we’ll share with the
whole, wide country.
CORRECT MULCHING
TIME IS IMPORTANT
Here’s a lesson. If mulch is
applied before the soil is thoroughly warmed, it will delay the
ripening of tomatoes. Apply only
when the flowers are profuse or
even wait a bit longer until fruits
begin to set. That’s when mulch
seals in the heat instead of repelling it out. Juicier and better-flavoured tomatoes are generally ripened on plants that are mulched.
Well this page is pretty well
filled and it’s all about tomatoes.
Out in the garden they get along
well growing next to asparagus,
chives, carrots, marigolds, onions
and parsley for companions but
place tomatoes well away from
potatoes and peppers. Remember
to keep your rows wide for airborne circulation and avoid walking among or touching tomato
plants during or after a rainfall
until foliage has dried.
That’s it good people and thanks
for coming by and hanging out
with me. Glad to have you as part
of my readership. We’ll never know
it all when it comes to gardening
and that includes yours truly. Each
experience is a new tool. †
TOO MUCH NITROGEN
… can lead to lush and excessive green growth and blossoms
are apt to fall off. You’re not likely
to encounter this problem if you
feed your plants with plenty of
well-aged compost and compost
tea. If you’re a smoker of cigarettes, cigars or a pipe be certain
to always wash your hands well
each time before handling tomato
plants. Burnt smoke from any of
these can lead to a disease known
as tobacco mosaic virus.
Lots of folks have challenges with
peppers and you’ll do them a good
turn by shaking or spanking them
too. As with tomatoes, such action
directs energy upwards into pepper
plants. Each person has their own
ideas of gardening. My way may not
This is Ted Meseyton the Singing Gardener
and Grow-It Poet from Portage la Prairie,
Man. Grandma spoke a lot of expressions from
a bygone era that I don’t hear anymore. We
never dined on french toast. At Grandma’s place
we ate “fried bread” as she called it and
cooked it in her “spider.” She parked the car in
the “car building” rather than a garage. A field
“all blowed out” with flowers meant they were
in full bloom. Potatoes that had not been cooked
sufficiently when tested with a fork were said
to “still have a bone in ’em.” She referred to
an exceptionally tall man as “a long drink of
water” and get this — a fun-filled occasion
was described as “a big-eyed time.” My email
address is [email protected].
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Company is a licensee. All other products mentioned are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies. Member of CropLife Canada.
©Copyright 2014 E. I. du Pont Canada Company. All rights reserved.
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