Document 2025686

Volume 42, Number 4 | february 9, 2016
$4.25
P RA C T I C A L P R O D U C T I O N T I P S F O R T H E P RA I R I E FAR M ER
www.grainews.ca
By Lee Hart
FARMERS WEIGH IN R
esponding to “consumer
demands” isn’t necessarily
about making some wholesale changes in farm operating
practices, say Prairie farmers contacted
for the February Farmer Panel.
Those often heard claims that “the
consumer is demanding…” everything
from healthier, safer food, to reduced
environmental footprint, to improved
livestock and production practices need
to be heard, say panel members. But
sometimes it may just mean farmers
need to do a better job of explaining to
consumers how they actually do farm.
Here is what panel members had to
say when asked how important is the
phrase “consumers are demanding…?”
Consumers need to be educated, but also willing to pay
ROD BRADSHAW
BECK FARMS, INNISFAIL, ALBERTA
As a long-time vegetable producer,
with wheat, barley and canola included
in rotation as well, Rod Bradshaw says
it has been important to him to work
to shape consumer demand, or consumer perception of agriculture.
“As long as we have been involved
in direct marketing going back to the
mid 80s we try to influence or inform
consumer thinking,” says Bradshaw,
who farms with family members at
Innisfail in central Alberta. “With vegetable crops, consumers often ask ‘is
it organic?’ And we say no, but our
photo: rod bradshaw
» continued on page 4
Publications Mail Agreement Number 40069240
In This Issue
The Bradshaws at Beck Farms at
Innisfail, Alta., have for years invited
customers to an open house at the
farm to keep them informed.
From left Rod and Shelley Bradshaw
with their sons Kurt and Brent.
Wheat & Chaff .................. 2
Features . ........................... 5
Crop Advisor’s Casebook . 6
Columns ............................ 16
Machinery & Shop............. 24
Cattleman’s Corner .......... 31
Blackleg evolving
leeann minogue page 10
Truck special
FarmLife ............................ 35
Scott Garvey page 24
Cardale
seeddepot.ca for free seed offer
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Less Sprouting* - Weathering
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Semi Dwarf
Faster Harvest Speeds
Easier Straw Management
*Better Falling Numbers
Working Hard to Earn Your Trust
2
/ grainews.ca FEBRUARY 9, 2016
Wheat & Chaff
STAMPEDE
BY JERRY PALEN
Leeann
Minogue
“The mechanics all agreed. It’s a loose nut
between the driver’s seat and the motor.”
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photos: leeann minogue
N
ormally our machinery editor,
Scott Garvey covers all of the
machinery-related stories.
But this summer Scott was
called away to Australia to cover a special
event, so I filled in for him at John Deere’s
media product launch in Waterloo, Iowa
in August.
As you can probably guess, the highlight of the two-day media program was a
first look at John Deere’s new 9RX tracked
tractors. But that wasn’t all. There was
also a factory tour, a look at some other
machinery modifications and, since we
were in Waterloo anyway, a trip to the
official John Deere museum.
Many Grainews readers will already
know much more than I do about the
history of John Deere, but since I had
a chance to visit Waterloo, I thought I
would share some of the photos from the
museum, and tell you about a few things
I learned there.
1. First, John Deere was a real person. I suppose it should be obvious
from the company name, but I’d never
given it much thought. The company
founder didn’t start out making tractors. He actually got his start in manufacturing when he made a plowshare
out of a broken saw blade. Is the one
on display the actual one made back
in the 1800s? Your guess is as good as
mine. But the museum guide did tell
us that, by 1849, the enterprising Mr.
Deere had a workforce of 16 people.
They built 2,136 plows that year. But,
it wasn’t until 1868 that the company first incorporated as Deere and
Company.
2. I knew the definition of horsepower
had something to do with horses. I did
not know it was so specific. The actual
definition of one horsepower is the ability to lift 550 pounds vertically in one
second. There is a great display at the
museum that allows you to take a shot
at pulling 550 pounds yourself. Most visitors, I assume are not actually as strong as
a horse, but if you take your kids there, let
them see for themselves.
3. Not only did John Deere, the man,
not start out making tractors. In fact,
at first his company didn’t even make
its own tractors. Instead, they bought
out the Waterloo Gasoline Company for
$2.25 million in 1918. The Waterloo
Gasoline Company was the first company
to manufacture and sell gasoline-powered
tractors. The star of the company’s portfolio was a tractor called “Waterloo Boy.”
4. The first “pan seat” was a hard,
cold-looking metal seat introduced in
John Deere’s tractors in 1914 as a “comfort feature.” That so-called comfort seat
wasn’t replaced until 1947, when the
“deep cushion” seat came into fashion.
But even the deep cushion seat brought
in back then was nothing like the highquality heated/cooled seat that attracts
farm labour taday.
5. Before WWII, there were about 150
women working at the John Deere plant
in Waterloo, Iowa. But after April, 1944,
when many men were called into service,
the number of the women employed at
the plant increased by tenfold, to more
than 1,500 women.
If you find yourself taking a vacation
in Iowa, stop in and see the John Deere
Tractor and Engine Museum at Waterloo.
If you find yourself at a drinks and dinner
event at the Museum, I might recommend that you visit the John Deere gift
shop before they serve the drinks. †
Leeann Minogue
On display at the John Deere Tractor and Engine Museum, Waterloo, Iowa
FEBRUARY 9, 2016 grainews.ca /
3
Wheat & Chaff
Farm safety
Create safe play areas for kids
T
his
year,
for
Canadian
Agricultural Safety Week, the
Canadian Agricultural Safety
Association is working towards
“Keeping Kids Safe” as a part of the
three-year theme of “Be An Ag Safe
Family.” Part of keeping kids safe on the
farm is creating, using, and maintaining
a safe play area.
Play teaches children co-operation.
Play helps children improve their balance and co-ordination, to strengthen
their muscles. Play also challenges kids’
imaginations, and teaches children how
to problem-solve and how to be part of
a team. And play lets kids be kids. With
a safe play area, children can experience
the joys of play and reduce the risk of
injury on the farm.
Location matters. A safe play area
should be designated by boundaries
or physical barriers such as fences,
gates or shrubs. It’s important that the
play area is away from the majority
of farm activity. Keep in mind traffic,
livestock, farm machinery, open water
and noise when deciding where the
play area should be located. Make sure
the location is free of hazardous plants
like poison ivy and pests like wasps.
Ensure that there is sufficient shade
and is free of obstacles like power lines
or unstable structures. Also, make sure
the location of the play area is within
sight and hearing distance of a responsible adult.
When selecting a location for the safe
play area make sure to keep in mind
how much space the children using it
will need. A small area appropriate for
a three-year-old, won’t be as useful for a
faster, bigger 10-year-old.
Equipment matters too. A big factor in creating a safe play area is having equipment that kids want to use.
Playground equipment, a club house,
balls, balance beams, and swings are all
great ideas to include in your safe play
area. Make sure that they are hazardfree and secure. Protrusions like bolts
can be hazardous while playing.
Maintaining and improving the play
area is an on-going task. Develop a routine inspection and maintenance plan
that includes keeping grass mowed,
checking equipment for loose or broken
parts, adding protective ground surfacing and reviewing safety rules. Make
improvements as needed and modifications as children outgrow the existing
play equipment.
There are no guarantees that any play
area is truly safe. Children can be unpredictable and they don’t always make
the safest choices. What we can do is
to create, use and maintain a safe play
area combined with careful, competent
supervision can help greatly reduce the
risk to children on the farm.
According to the National Children’s
Center for Rural and Agricultural Health
and Safety, there are six steps in developing a safe play area. Here they are for
quick reference:
1. Locate a site to be developed into a
safe play area. The location should provide maximum play options with minimum exposure to agricultural hazards.
2. Sketch out the ideal play area
for that site, considering ways to promote fantasy, manipulative, swinging,
climbing and riding activities. Plan
for modifications in play activities as
children grow.
3. Determine materials needed.
Make, buy or adapt for different play
activities. Refer to playground equipment Web sites or other resources for
specific guidance related to residential
play areas.
4. Build the play area including appropriate ground surfacing, borders, fences
and gates. Older children can assist with
this process if they are supervised.
5. Use the play area. Explain safety
rules and post signs if needed. Observe
young children, older siblings and adult
supervisors as they enjoy the area.
Think about immediate modifications
and future changes based on how the
area gets used.
6. Maintain and improve the safe
play area. Develop a routine maintenance plan that includes keeping
grass mowed, checking equipment
for loose or broken parts, and reviewing safety rules for visitors. Let older
children help with inspection and
maintenance because this enhances
their ownership and reinforces the
importance of telling adults about
possible hazards. Make improvements
as needed and modifications as children outgrow play
For more information about safe play
areas and keeping kids safe, visit agsafetyweek.ca.
Canadian Agricultural Safety Week
(CASW) is a public education campaign
focusing on the importance of farm
safety. CASW takes place every year
during the third week of March. In
2016, CASW takes place March 13 to
19. CASW 2016 is presented by Farm
Credit Canada. For more information
visit agsafetyweek.ca. †
Canadian Agricultural Safety Association,
www.casa-acsa.c
Agronomy tips… from the field
Photo contest
GIVE US YOUR BEST SHOT
Adding soybeans
could work for you
W
ith lentils, and even peas, fetching higher prices this year,
you may also want to consider adding soybeans to your
acreage as an added insurance policy.
If we have a dry year, chances are the lentils and peas
will do better than your soybeans. But if we get high moisture, your soybeans will thrive. Either way, you’re diversifying your acres and spreading out your potential weather risk.
Planting soybeans can deliver several other agronomic benefits, including reduced weather risk from pod shattering, and spoilage if your beans
are exposed to heavy fall moisture. Soybeans can also extend your harvest
time frame and don’t demand high fertilizer and fungicide inputs.
With all that in mind, ask yourself a few questions: What’s the probability of rain from mid- to late July to Early August in your area? Getting
plenty of rainfall during that period when the soybeans are in the flowering and pod filling stages is critical. Second, what are your average heat
units available and can you get crop insurance in your area for soybeans?
And finally, where is the local market for your beans?
If you’ve decided that growing soybeans is for you, a great place to
start your search is by looking at performance data in this year’s Western
Adaptation Trials. †
This agronomy tip is brought to you by Richard Marsh,
technical development lead, Syngenta Canada.
You might be from the Prairies if...
By Carson Demmans and Jason
This photo came from Nadine Jones, from Shell Lake, Saskatchewan. Nadine has named this
coyote Wylie, now that he’s become a regular visitor. Nadine wrote, “As I no longer have a dog, I
welcomed, and looked forward to Wylie’s visits. After he picked the apples that fell on the ground
he decided to pick his own. When he couldn’t reach any more I picked some for him.”
This is a great photo of a very unusual situation! Thanks Nadine. We’re sending you a cheque
for $25. Maybe you can use it to buy treats for Wylie.
Send your best shot to [email protected]. 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.
Leeann
You get into a car accident involving a moose,
two coyotes and a wolf and say “not again.”
4
/ grainews.ca FEBRUARY 9, 2016
Cover Stories
farmer panel
» CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
FARMERS WEIGH IN
standard response today is that we believe in
the science and technology used in agriculture,
and used appropriately we produce a very safe
and wholesome food product.
“Sometimes I ask a consumer how much
more they are willing to pay for organic, and
I have been told 10 per cent more. And I tell
them for me to produce organic the price
would have to be double, because I would need
to use different production practices, including
an extended rotation, and many consumers
aren’t interested in paying double.”
Bradshaw says their farm has made a point
of having an “open house” for customers, long
before the idea of farm visits was popular. “We
feel it is important to show our customers how
we produce their food,” says Bradshaw. “It is
getting now that consumers are three or four
generations removed from the farm. So for
several years we have had 200 or more customers come to our farm on an open house day
to see how we produce what we produce. By
being open and transparent hopefully we are
shaping consumer demand. They can see that
we produce a good product and we are not out
here destroying and pillaging the environment
but are committed to looking after the land.”
GERRID GUST
DAVIDSON, SASK.
Gerrid Gust says he can produce just about
anything the consumer wants, in any way they
want it, but he needs to first see how much
they are willing to pay. “I hear lots of talk about
producing organic, or producing gluten free,
or certifying your farm to produce under ISO
(international) standards,” says Gust. “But, to my
knowledge most consumers aren’t willing to pay
for it. And I think if they ever are willing to pay
for it, then it is up to individual farmers to decide
how that fits with their business operation.”
Farmers are willing to adapt and do what the
market wants, as long as they are paid for their
efforts, says Gust, who runs a grain, oilseed
and pulse crop farming operation at Davidson,
about half way between Regina and Saskatoon.
“Forty years ago on this farm we didn’t
grow lentils, or peas or canola, and now we
do,” says Gust. “If the market says there is a
demand farmers will jump on new crops in a
big way, and produce it to customer specifications, but they aren’t going to do it for free.”
Gust, who is also on the board of Western
Canadian Wheat Growers Association, says
he recently was part of a Saskatchewan government trade mission to Algeria, Morocco,
Dubai and Ivory Coast countries.
“We talked to consumers, and bakers and
millers and they want high-quality, consistent-quality wheat, delivered in a timely manner, and produced under ISO standards and
they are willing to pay, but they are not willing to pay very much,” says Gust. “And I am
willing to produce everything to the specifications they want, but I want to be paid a lot…
so those are our two positions.
“I really don’t get too excited when I hear any
consumer “is demanding” something, until I see
what they are willing to pay,” says Gust.
He says often concerning environmental
issues consumers or society are urging farmers to be good stewards of the land, which is
fair, but Gust says for most producers that is
standard operating practice.
“We try to do that every day,” says Gust.
“Each generation on this farm has tried to do a
better job of farming practices than the last. Like
they say “we’re not inheriting this land from
our fathers, we are borrowing it from our kids.” I
want this land to be as productive as possible for
my family and if they don’t want it, then it still
needs to be productive for the person who does
buy it. No one is going to pay much for it, if my
land is worn out and unproductive.”
CHERiLYN NAGEL
MOSSBANK, SASK.
In an era of “the consumer is demanding…”
farmers need to not take their social licence to
farm for granted, says Cherilyn Nagel, who along
with her husband farms at Mossbank, Sask.
Nagel, who has been very active in mostly
ag policy issues for the past decade, says her
focus these days is to work with farmers,
ranchers and consumers to help educate people on both sides of the issue.
“As farmers we can take this social licence
to farm for granted,” says Nagel. We can
think we have a right to farm, whereas really
we have a privilege to farm. As an agriculture
industry farmers do an excellent job of producing crops and livestock, and being excellent stewards of the land, but they need to be
able to communicate that to consumers.”
In 2015 and again in 2016 Nagel — along
with farming — is also working as a facilitator
for Farm and Food Care, Saskatchewan. It is
part of a national initiative aimed at increasing consumer understanding of the agriculture industry and at the same time works with
farmers and ranchers to help them communicate their story better.
“It is often heard that consumers are concerned about agriculture, but what they are
really concerned about is food — they want to
know how their food is produced,” says Nagel.
“And in agriculture we use a lot of jargon, or
we assume people just understand and with
most consumers now at least two generations
removed from they farm, they don’t understand and they find it confusing.
“So my role with Farm and Food Care is to
serve as a facilitator working with farmers and
ranchers to help them better explain their message to consumers. I will talk with consumers
at every opportunity I can, but we need more
farmers and ranchers telling their story.”
Nagel says there is nothing wrong with producers using the latest technology, but they
need to be able to explain why to consumers.
“If you are growing GMO crops, for example,
that’s fine, but know why and be able to explain
that to a consumer so they understand too,”
she says. “If the public doesn’t trust us (the
agriculture industry) then we could see policies
or guidelines come along that we don’t want. So
we need to be able to talk to consumers and to
the public to protect our social licence.”
GREG STAMP
STAMP SEEDS, ENCHANT, ALBERTA
As the second generation on the southern
Alberta family farm, Greg Stamp says “consumer or media demand” doesn’t necessarily
change how he farms, but it makes him more
aware of the how and why he uses certain
production practices.
“When I hear reports about what consumers
are demanding — and sometimes it may be
more about what the media is saying — but
when I hear that what it does do is make me
realize how important it is to document and
justify what we are doing on the farm,” says
Stamp. “It is about keeping good records, it is
about if we are using a certain herbicide then
knowing what weeds we wanted to control
and how the product was used. It doesn’t necessarily mean I will change what I do, but it
makes me stop and know I can be accountable
for how we are farming.” †
Lee Hart is a field editor for Grainews in Calgary, Contact him
at 403-592-1964 or by email at [email protected].
crop production
A hail of a book
L
ynn Gidluck wants to hear your stories about hail.
To mark the 100th anniversary of the
Saskatchewan Municipal Hail Association,
SMHA asked Saskatchewan writer Lynne
Gidluck to write a book.
She’s not interested in writing a dry corporate history.
“Photos and stories of hailstorms will hopefully add
some colour and really drive home how devastating hail
can be (even with insurance coverage).”
Lynn would like to see your photos and read your
stories. There will be prizes for the best entries, and
she’ll use some in the book. Because, until 2014,
SMHA only offered hail insurance in Saskatchewan,
she’s most interested in Saskatchewan stories. But,
she says, if she gets good stories from Alberta and
Manitoba in 2014 or 2015, she’ll consider including
those too.
Contact Lynn Gidluck at [email protected] or
(305) 352-2304 to share your story. I know every farmer
has one. I have one myself. This is one of the hailstones
that fell on our farm on July 23, 2013. We lost about half
of our crop in that storm. †
Leeann Minogue
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The editors and journalists who write,
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FEBRUARY 9, 2016 grainews.ca /
Features
5
Crop production
Studying soil responses to sulphur
U of S researchers look at responses to sulphur fertilizer in different soil zones
By Lisa Guenther
W
ill farmers see a
yield bump from
sulphur, given that
most soils aren’t
severely depleted? How tolerant
are crops to sulphur fertilizer in
the seed-row? How long does it
take for plants to use sulphur?
Those were a few of the questions Dr. Jeff Schoenau, University
of Saskatchewan soil scientist, set
out to answer at CropSphere in
Saskatoon in January.
Schoenau and his colleagues
have completed two years of a
three-year project looking at sulphur fertilization. They ran trials
in different soils — grey luvisol soil
near Star City, black chernozem
near Melfort and at Schoenau’s
farm in the brown chernozem
zone near Central Butte.
They tested five different sulphur fertilizers on wheat, canola,
and yellow peas. Treatments had
20 kg per hectare of sulphur fertilizer. Some treatments also had
20 kg per hectare of monoammomium phosphate (MAP). All
treatments and controls had 100
kilograms per hectare of nitrogen.
Soils generally had good phosphorus stores, Schoenau said. “It’s
really hard to find a highly sulphur-deficient soil out there these
days, folks, because most growers
out there have been putting lots
of sulphur on for their canola and
their rotation.”
an effective fertilizer for wet soils
prone to leaching, Schoenau said.
Researchers also applied elemental sulphur fertilizer, which
requires time to oxidize before
it’s plant-available. Schoenau
said the elemental sulphur wasn’t
effective in the short term, but
could work if applied well before
crop demand.
Elemental sulphur tends to work
best when broadcast “and allowed
to weather,” Schoenau said. But
even broadcasting it in the fall
doesn’t give it a lot of time to
oxidize, he warned. He suggested
soil tests in the spring to see how
much sulphate is in the soil.
There was no evidence that the
MAP interacted with the sulphate to
affect sulphur availability, he added.
The study also examined crop
tolerance to seed-row placed sulphur. Researchers used controlled
environment chambers at the U
of S, with optimum moisture conditions on a loamy textured soil.
They looked at several different
brassicas, including hybrid canola, open-pollinated canola, high
erucic acid rapeseed, polish canola, juncea canola and camelina.
Researchers found that rates
exceeding 20 lbs. per acre of
ammonium sulphate reduced
emergence for most crops.
But Schoenau cautioned that
Manitoba researchers have seen
crop injury with rates as low as
10 lbs. per acre in dry, sandy, high
pH soils.
If farmers have MAP in the
row, they should cut sulphur rates
as well, Schoenau said. That’s
because the MAP has a salt effect,
Schoenau said.
Ammonium sulphate is mobile,
so it’s probably best to band it.
“And I guess, thinking about
it, if you’re forced to choose
between sulphur and phosphorus in the seed row, I certainly
would tend to be going with
the phosphorus in the seed row
rather than the sulphur.”
Researchers also looked at MES15, an NPS specialty fertilizer. The
napus cultivars could tolerate up
to 30 kg of sulphur per hectare
as the MES-15 product. Schoenau
explained half the sulphur is in
the sulphate form, making it
plant available. The other half
Setting
New
Standards
is elemental, insoluble, and has
no salt effect. But it does need to
oxidize to become plant available.
Brassicas varied in their sensitivity to seed-placed sulphur.
Rapeseed was quite tolerant to
rates as high as 30 lbs. per acre.
Argentine varieties were generally more.
Camelina was “really sensitive to
the seed-placed sulphur and phosphorus,” Schoenau said. “Once
we got up above 10, we started to
see some significant reductions in
germination and emergence, especially when we had some phosphorus in there.” †
Lisa Guenther is field editor for Grainews
based at Livelong, Sask. Contact her at Lisa.
[email protected] or on Twitter
@LtoG.
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Schoenau said. They also saw a
significant response to treatments
in 2014 at Central Butte, especially
with gypsum fertilizer. This may
be because since gypsum is only
slightly soluble, it wasn’t leached
away during the wet year.
The Melfort site wasn’t very
responsive either year, which
Schoenau attributed to plenty of
sulphate available through mineralization.
As farmers might expect,
researchers didn’t see a yield
response in wheat or peas. In fact,
they saw some pea injury with
liquid ammonium thiosulphate.
“And that’s because we didn’t get
very good separation with the liquid ATS band and the seed.”
Researchers also collected soil
samples from seed-rows one week,
four weeks and eight weeks after
seeding. They measured sulphate
and phosphate, and took samples
to the synchrotron to examine
sulphur compounds.
Based on those samples, they
found crops took up nearly all the
sulphate between days seven and
28. Gypsum treatments had some
sulphate left after 28 days, as it’s
only slightly soluble. That made it
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6
/ grainews.ca FEBRUARY 9, 2016
Features
Crop Advisor’s casebook
Pea conundrum for Alberta farmer
By Dallas Funke
B
ack in June I received a call
from John, a farmer who
grows mostly durum wheat,
peas and flax on his 1,500-acre
spread located about an hour southwest
of Regina. He told me that despite the
hot, dry conditions the area had been
seeing of late, his durum crop had
established quite nicely — but things
had changed suddenly.
John had recently driven by his
durum field, where the plants were
in the four- to six-leaf stage, when he
noticed a yellow tinge to large areas
of the field. Upon closer inspection
of the crop, he could see the bottom
understory leaves were yellowing and
appeared to be dying off.
John asked if I could come down
and have a look. When I arrived at the
problem field, I could see what he was
talking about. Chlorosis, or yellowing,
was indeed occurring in the understory
leaves of many of the plants, and in
some cases, the bottom leaves had died
off completely. When I dug up a few of
the affected plants, I could see a poor
rooting structure with lesions beginning to appear on the crown right at
soil level.
These plant symptoms were not uniform across the entire field, but covered
a large portion of it. The hardest hit
areas also appeared to be in the highest
parts of the field.
John said the problem started showing up about a week-and-a-half before
he called me. He didn’t know for sure
what was behind it, but he had an idea.
“I wouldn’t have thought it was
possible to have root rot in durum
with conditions this dry, but it looks
similar to what we have seen with
root rot in the last few wet years,” he
explained.
John was clearly stressed and the
fact he had already experienced a
tough year didn’t help. He told me
that things had got off to a difficult
start, beginning with his planting and
fertilizer application program. John
had intended to set up his drill to side
band nitrogen fertilizer while seeding,
but due to time limitations he ended
up spreading the nutrient out in front
of the drill instead.
When I first saw the crop, I immediately thought a seed borne disease
might be to blame, so I asked John
where he got his durum seed from.
Turns out it was quality seed from a
reliable source, so that likely wasn’t the
issue. The durum had also been treated
with a contact and systemic seed treatment prior to seeding, and when I
inquired about the treatment process, I
determined inadequate coverage probably wasn’t an issue either.
The problem didn’t appear to be the
result of a leaf disease, as the leaves of
plants (even those that were dying off)
had no signs of any lesions on the outside. The leaves were simply yellowing
and dying off.
Another possibility was the dry
weather the area had been experiencing. This could have very well been the
cause, because the signs the plant was
showing looked just like those a plant
would exhibit when it was stressed
because of heat and drought.
I took a look at some neighbouring
durum wheat fields, and while the
plants in them generally appeared
smaller than normal because of the
dry weather, they weren’t exhibiting
the intense chlorotic and necrotic
symptoms that were showing up in
John’s field.
John was looking for an answer, but
providing him with one would clearly
take a little more examination. But
where to look next?
If you think you know what’s behind
John’s yellowing durum, send your diagnosis to Grainews, Box 9800, Winnipeg,
Man., R3C 3K7; email leeann.minogue@
fbcpublishing.com or fax 204-94495416 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. †
CASEBOOK
WINNER
1. Dallas Funke is
a sales agronomist
with Richardson
Pioneer Ltd. at Corinne,
Sask. 2. Chlorosis,
or yellowing, was
occurring in the
understory leaves of
many of the plants.
In some cases, the
bottom leaves had
died off. 3. Some
plants had a poor
rooting structure with
lesions beginning to
appear on the crown
right at soil level.
1
This issue’s Casebook
winner is reader Cam
Ferguson, from Spalding
Saskatchawan.
Cam, thanks for reading
and thanks for entering!
We’re sending you a
Grainews hat and a one-year
subscription to Grainews.
Leeann Minogue
2
3
Dallas Funke is a sales agronomist with Richardson
Pioneer Ltd. at Corinne, Sask.
Crop advisor’s solution
Think rotation when considering peas
By Travis Elford
B
ob, a dryland farmer east of
Warner, Alta., who grows canola,
lentils, peas and cereals, called me
in mid-June to see if I could come
out and scout one of his pea fields. The
crop was turning white and Bob wanted to
find out why as soon as possible.
While I was walking through the problem field, it was obvious that some plants
were showing symptoms of white leaf
tissue on the newest nodes. Bob had told
me he noticed the symptoms around the
10-node stage of the crop and he was
thinking that it could be due to nutrient
deficiency.
As I continued to scout the field, I
noticed that while most of the peas were
healthy and growing fine, the plants with
white leaf tissue appeared in patches
throughout the crop. As I pulled an
affected plant to take a closer look, it
was also apparent that there was significantly less nodulation on the roots than
expected at that stage of growth.
I observed that affected areas within
the field were mainly situated on hilltops
and high spots but stand establishment,
uniformity and growth stage were equal
in both healthy and affected areas.
Tissue samples taken from the affected
and unaffected areas of the field showed
that both had the same level of macro
and micronutrients within the optimum
range. This eliminated any possibility of
nutrient deficiency.
It was when Bob filled me in on the history of the field that I began to hone in
on the cause of the problem.
Prior to the field being seeded with
peas, sulfentrazone had been applied
to the soil for pre-emergent control of
kochia. Bob had used his sprayer to apply
glyphosate and 2,4-D to a chemfallow
field before that, but the grower assured
me he had flushed his sprayer multiple
times with ammonia prior to moving on
to this pea field.
In any case, the glyphosate and 2,4-D
products that Bob had used would not
cause this type of damage in a pea crop, so
I knew leftover residue from the sprayer
wasn’t to blame. I was also sure the preseed burndown product wasn’t responsible either, as it was registered for safe and
effective use prior to seeding peas.
The culprit was one of the in-crop herbicides that had been applied to the previous year’s durum crop in the same field.
Bob’s field notes showed that he applied a
Group 27 herbicide, pyrasulfotole, to that
crop. This, coupled with dry field conditions, enabled me to conclude that Bob’s
whitening peas were the result of residual
herbicide damage.
I explained to Bob that under optimal growing conditions with adequate
moisture, organic matter and pH, peas
can be seeded the year after a Group 27
herbicide is applied — but it is not recommended. When springtime moisture
is lacking, as was the case on Bob’s farm,
it is highly recommended to consider a
different crop to rotate into other than
pulse crops.
To avoid situations like this, it’s important for growers to consider proper crop
rotation practices that take into account
herbicide applications from previous
years. Understanding soil characteristics, which products have residual activity in the soil and which do not will
ensure better rotational decisions, especially for sensitive crops like pulses.
For this reason, it’s recommended to
consult an agronomist or supplier representative for situations when growers
are unsure of the re-cropping restrictions for a product. †
Travis Elford is a sales agronomist with Richardson
Pioneer Ltd. at Stirling, Alta.
FEBRUARY 9, 2016 grainews.ca /
Features
7
Crop production
Recommended malt barley varieties
Tired of the same old thing? Try a new malt barley variety this spring
By Leeann Minogue
TWO-ROW BARLEY VARIETIES RECOMMENDED FOR 2016-17
ast year, 73 per cent of
Prairie acres that grew
two-row malt barley were
seeded with AC Metcalfe
or CDC Copeland. Because both
of these varieties have been available for quite a few years, Michael
Brophy, President and CEO of
the Brewing and Malt Barley
Research Institute (BMBRI),
would like farmers to have more
options. “My hope is that we
never have another 20-year-old
variety again in Canada.”
There are new varieties that
yield higher than AC Metcalfe
and have lower protein (a quality valued by many malt-buyers).
However, there must be demand
for new varieties before farmers
will be willing to grow them.
Before they will be welcomed
into the system, replacement
malt barley varieties must be
high yielding, adaptable across
Western Canada, resistant to disease pressure, and have the quality specs that end users want.
The BMBRI works at the beginning of the Canadian value
chain, funding and guiding
breeding and research, evaluating and testing new varieties,
and then assisting with the official registration of new varieties.
Getting a new variety from the
breeding stage to the registration
stage can take time.
“It takes 12 years to actually
bring in varieties to the state of
registration,” Brophy told farmers at CropSphere in Saskatoon
in January. “So we’re really evaluating the outcome of crosses
made 12 or 13 years ago.”
There is a lot of barley breeding research happening across
Canada. However, Brophy says,
“to those looking for one replacement for Metcalfe, I don’t believe
that’s the solution going forward.”
The varieties in the table are possibilities for farmers looking for a
variety other than CDC Copeland
or AC Metcalfe. Some buyers are
contracting for Newdale, Brophy
said, but if you plan to grow it,
“you want to make sure you have
a contract.” There is also, he said,
“a lot of interest” in Synergy. It
yields higher than AC Metcalfe
and is potentially suited to AC
Metcalfe markets.
Brophy asked farmers to push
malt buyers to try new varieties.
“Tell them you’re fed up with
growing Metcalfe.”
As for six-row varieties, demand
has been declining. “We’re not
funding six-row breeding anymore,” Brophy said. †
Variety
Market comments
CDC Copeland
L
Seed distribution rights
% of acres in
2015-16
Established demand
SeCan
35.0
AC Metcalfe
Established demand
SeCan
38.1
Bentley
Limited demand. Contact Canada Malting Company
Canterra Seeds
3.3
CDC Meredith
Limited demand
SeCan
5.2
CDC PolarStar
Limited demand. Contact Prairie Malt-Cargill
Canterra Seeds
1.4
Newdale
Limited demand. Contact Canada Malting Company or North American Food Ingredients
FP Genetics
5.2
Merit 57
Limited demand. Contact BARI-Canada
Canterra Seeds
0.7
CDC Kindersley
Under market development — growing demand
SeCan
1.7
AAC Synergy
Under market development — growing demand
Syngenta
0.8
The CMBTC recommends that farmers consult with their grain company representative or malting companies regarding commercial opportunities
for specific varieties. Source: cmbtc
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BURNDOWN?
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45824-02-02/16
PHOTO: Glenbow Archives NC-6-3334
Leeann Minogue is the editor of Grainews.
Demand for six-row varieties is falling. For 201617, recommended varieties
are Legacy, Tradition and
Celebration. †
Leeann Minogue
45824-02_NFC_2016_PSBurndown_AN_8_125x10_GN.indd 1
1/19/16 3:41 PM
8
/ grainews.ca FEBRUARY 9, 2016
Features
Crop production
Buffer strips are not that effecient
Riparian buffer buffer strips’ reputation for filtering nutrient runoff may be overblown
By Julienne Isaacs
Three years ago, Lobb and colleagues completed a study on
water quality for Environment
Canada under the Lake Winnipeg
Stewardship Fund that examined
the effectiveness of riparian buffers on multiple sites. The report
received little attention, and
its recommendations have yet
to turn into policy. This year,
Minnesota passed a buffer strip
requirement into law requiring
“perennial vegetation buffers
of up to 50 feet along rivers,
streams, and ditches that will
help filter out phosphorus, nitrogen, and sediment.”
Lobb says there are many benefits to riparian buffer strips. They
improve wildlife habitats, promote stream health, and offer a
B
uffer strips around cropland are typically viewed as
“filters,” taking up excess
nutrients before they can
reach waterways. Some provincial
governments are considering legislation requiring farmers to leave
buffer strips. However, new work
from the University of Manitoba
questions their effectiveness.
Dr. David Lobb, senior research
chair for the Watershed Systems
Research Program and a U of M
soil science professor, says riparian
buffer strips are “highly inefficient”
when it comes to filtering nutrient
runoff from agricultural land in the
Prairies, and in fact might contribute nutrients to runoff.
setback for additional farm safety
near waterways.
“But we don’t know the optimum width for corridors or habitats. We don’t know what the
minimum should be. Many jurisdictions, including Manitoba,
have promoted buffers as a filter
— that’s a problem. They aren’t.
They’re so inefficient that it
would be ridiculous for a farmer
to propose establishing a riparian
buffer for the purpose of protecting water quality,” says Lobb.
Lobb says there are two reasons
riparian buffers are not effective in
“filtering” nutrients in the Prairies.
First, in northern environments,
the heaviest runoff events occur in
the spring with snowmelt, when
soils and vegetation are frozen and
infiltration is extremely limited or
nonexistent. “The vegetation is
likely contributing nutrients to any
runoff that’s occurring,” says Lobb.
About 80 per cent of the runoff and
nutrient losses occur during spring
snowmelt in this region.
The second reason has to do
with basic hydrology. When
water runs off the land it concentrates. “Water passing through
the riparian buffer will pass
through maybe one per cent of
the area,” he explains. “Ninetynine per cent of the buffer does
not intercept runoff.”
Lobb says vegetative filter
strips were developed as an engineered technology in which runoff passes through the vegetated
area during growing season as
a sheet of water in a controlled manner, and the vegetation is harvested to remove the
nutrients. “Now we’re looking
at undulating land, where water
runs through an unmanaged
riparian area, and through only
a very small percentage of that
riparian buffer. Based on that
fact alone, riparian buffers are
highly, highly inefficient, and
more likely to cause a water quality problem than to solve one.”
Management
To make them more effective,
Lobb says buffer zones should
be “shaped” and smoothed out
to promote evenly dispersed
flow through more of the riparian areas and to detain runoff
and retain sediments. And, they
must be designed so the vegetation can be harvested and the
accumulating nutrients can be
removed.
“In low-lying areas where runoff occurs, producers should put
in a broad grassed waterway and
harvest the grass. This means that
you put vegetation where the flow
is occurring and then harvest that
vegetation. That’s the best thing
producers can do,” he says.
Riparian
buffers are
highly, highly
inefficient
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“If you don’t remove the vegetation, it senesces and dies and
releases those nutrients into the
runoff and waterways. There’s a
problem with a strict naturalist
approach to managing riparian
areas. If we don’t manage the
riparian areas, they will not be
effective as buffers.”
Sandi Riemersma, an environmental biologist with Palliser
Environmental Services, says the
effectiveness of buffers depends
on several factors, including the
slope of land, soil characteristics,
buffer width, vegetation, season
and management.
“A riparian buffer strip is a
good tool to reduce sediment
transport and often can reduce
particulate phosphorus mobility,” she says. “But buffers are
not effective in winter and early
spring when vegetation is dormant, soils are frozen and microbial activity is low or absent,”
she says.
Riemersma emphasizes nutrient application management as
an essential aspect of protecting
waterways from nutrient runoff.
In addition, she says permanent
cover should be maintained
near waterways, steep slopes
and on erodible and saline soils.
“Riparian buffers help to maintain stable streambanks, thereby
reducing soil erosion and associated sediment and nutrient
transport in waterways,” she
says. †
Julienne Isaacs is a Winnipeg-based freelance
writer and editor. Contact her at julienne.
[email protected].
FEBRUARY 9, 2016 grainews.ca /
Features
9
Crop protection
Two modes are better than one
The newest pulse fungicides have chemicals from two different fungicide groups
By Leeann Minogue
F
armers across the Prairies
are looking at high pulse
prices and trying to find
ways to add pulses to
their 2016 rotation. Crop protection companies are ready to help,
releasing new fungicides to help
farmers protect their yield from
diseases like ascochyta blight and
anthracnose.
As with herbicides, to extend
the life of fungicides and slow
the development of disease resistance, provincial crop protection
guides recommend that farmers
rotate fungicides, using products
from different Groups to control
the same diseases, year after year.
Fungicides are categorized into
groups based on their active ingredients, and how those chemicals
target the disease.
There are more than enough
fungicide options in the market
to make fungicide rotation possible. In fact, several of the newlyreleased fungicides have two
modes of action.
Last year, Bayer released a new
fungicide, Delaro, for use in chickpeas, peas and lentils. Delaro has
two modes of action, prothioconazole and trifloxystrobin and is
classified as both a Group 3 and
Group 11 fungicide.
BASF’s Priaxor was launched in
2014. It also uses two modes of
action, fluxapyroxad (Group 7)
and pyraclostrobin (Group 11).
Now Syngenta has launched
another new dual-action fungicide for the 2016 season. Elatus,
says Syngenta’s technical lead
for Western Canada, Robert
Klewchuk, “was designed specifically for pulses.” After last year’s
research experience, Klewchuk
says Syngenta is, “very satisfied
with how this product performs.”
Like Piaxor, Elatus is classed
as both a Group 7 and a Group
11 fungicide. Its active ingredients are benzovindiflupyr (an
SDHI active, or fungal respiration inhibitor that Syngenta has
trademarked as Solatenol), and
azoxystrobin, a mobile active
within the strobilurin class of
fungicides.
For now, Elatus comes in two
separate jugs, for on-farm mixing.
(Klewchuk says that Syngenta’s
goal is to eventually sell this premixed.) The application rate will
be the same for all pulse crops.
Klewchuk say Elatus has residual action due to Syngenta’s new
ingredient Solatenol. Solatenol, he
says, polls in the waxy cuticle of
the plant’s leaf and stem. “And
it slowly penetrates over time.”
Meanwhile, the other active ingredient works in the leaves and stem
too, moving upward and outward
to protect new growth.
Klewchuk recommends that
farmers apply Elatus preventatively, to secure their yield and
quality while protecting their
investment, rather than waiting
until damage can be seen before
applying. With lentils, the best
time to spray is before row closure.
“Once they close over the canopy
it’s hard to get it into the canopy.”
He also advises farmers to pay
attention to water volume, even
though it may take more time
in the field. “You increase your
protection and coverage with
increased water volume.”
Pulse growers anticipating a dry
growing season may still want
to consider applying a fungicide,
Klewchuk says. Even in drier years,
the closed canopy “creates that
warm humid environment” that
you can detect if you walk through
a lentil field in the early morning.
This microclimate, Klewchuk says,
is “a perfect greenhouse for disease
to fester.” †
Leeann Minogue
Crop promotion
T
here’s no doubt, pulses
are having a good year.
And not just here,
where all kinds of farmers are adding pulses to their
rotations in hopes of getting in
on high pulse prices. The United
Nations General assembly has
declared 2016 the International
Year of Pulses.
Along with the designation,
the UN’s Food and Agriculture
Organization wants to promote
increased pulse production,
tools and research.
The UN has come up with some
key messages about pulses that it
wants to share with the world:
• Pulses are highly
nutritious.
• Pulses are economically
accessible and contribute
to food security at all
levels.
• Pulses have important
health benefits.
• Pulses foster sustainable
agriculture and contribute
to climate change
mitigation and adaptation.
• Pulses promote
biodiversity.
But Grainews readers already
knew all of that.
Are you thinking of getting in
on the lentil boom? Worried the
neighbours’ pea production will
blow up the market and send
the high prices plummeting?
You aren’t the only one
paying attention to this. The
Saskatchewan Pulse Growers
have even made some videos
about markets. Watch them
for at saskpulse.com/growing/
pulse-school-videos/. †
The majority of
yield potential is
determined at
flag-leaf.
This is no time
to compromise.
Because up to 65% of the crop’s yield potential is determined at flag-leaf1,
disease control is critical at this stage. Twinline® fungicide doesn’t stop
there. Unlike other fungicides, in addition to exceptional disease control,
it delivers the unique benefits2 of AgCelence® . In short that means greener,
larger leaves and stronger stems, resulting in higher yield potential3. So
it’s no wonder Twinline is ranked the #1 leaf disease fungicide by growers4.
Check it out for yourself at agsolutions.ca/twinline or call AgSolutions®
Customer Care at 1-877-371-BASF (2273).
HGCA Wheat disease management guide hgca.com, 2012. 2 AgCelence benefits refer to products that contain the active ingredient pyraclostrobin.
All comparisons are to untreated, unless otherwise stated. 4 Stratus, 2013
1
3
Always read and follow label directions.
AgSolutions is a registered trade-mark of BASF Corporation; AgCelence, and TWINLINE are registered trade-marks of BASF SE;
all used with permission by BASF Canada Inc. TWINLINE fungicide should be used in a preventative disease control program. © 2016 BASF Canada Inc.
Leeann Minogue
NEWS
Client: BASF
Publication: Grain News
.
.
.
Tawn
10
/ grainews.ca FEBRUARY 9, 2016
Features
crop disease
A race against evolving blackleg
The blackleg pathogen is evolving to challenge blackleg resistant canola varieties
By Leeann Minogue
B
lackleg is not going away.
In fact, AAFC researcher
Dr. Garry Peng told
Saskatchewan farmers at
a November meeting, “we are seeing a creeping up of the disease
over the last five, six years, in all
provinces.”
Researchers first began to recognize blackleg in canola in the mid70s. Blackleg incidence reached
a peak in the late 80s and early
90s. Then, with changes in canola
management practices and the
development of blackleg resistant
seed varieties in the early 90s, the
degree of incidence of blackleg
fell. In the future, however, we
may be seeing it more often.
Peng is part of a group of
researchers monitoring and mapping the evolution of the blackleg
pathogen across the Prairies. He
spoke to farmers about his latest
research at Saskatchewan’s oilseed
producer meetings, sponsored by
SaskCanola, SaskMustard, SaskFlax
and Saskatchewan Agriculture.
Peng listed a few reasons for the
resurgence of blackleg. One is a
change in the makeup of the pathogen that causes blackleg. Another
is shortened canola rotations, “in
comparison with 10 years ago.”
Crop damage from insects or hail
also increases the potential for
blackleg damage. “With those injuries the disease tends to be much
more pronounced,” Peng says.
Since the 90s, farmers have
been buying canola seed rated “R”
(resistant) for blackleg. “With the
resistant cultivars,” Peng says, “the
disease was kept in control very
well for very many years.”
Now, the resistance built into
our seed supply may be breaking
down.
To understand how this could
happen, it helps to start with some
basic information about how canola seed breeders create blackleg
resistant canola.
Canola seed breeders have two
types of resistance to work with.
The first type is quantitative resistance. This type of resistance is
thought to be caused by several
genes working together, each contributing a small effort to the overall resistance. Although the crop
may not be highly resistant at the
seedling stage,” Peng says, “(quantitative resistance) somehow slows
the infection down a little bit, and
that will reduce the infection into
the stem and alleviate the disease
at a later stage.” As the blackleg
pathogen evolves over time, this
type of resistance is still effective,
but it may not be enough to fully
protect canola crops against the
blackleg pathogen under the conditions conducive to infection such as
hail or insect damage, or a warm,
wet spring.
The second type of resistance,
qualitative resistance, can be
stronger and more effective. It is
very specific. The resistance gene in
the canola variety must match the
specific pathogen avirulence (Avr)
gene in the blackleg pathogen population. Where there is a match,
the plant will be able to stop the
blackleg pathogen at the site of the
photos: courtesy of the canola council of canada
Disease resistance
Much of the seed we buy is blackleg resistant. However, that resistance
may be beginning to break down.
initial infection — on the cotyledons, leaves and stem. But, if there
is no match, the plant is not resistant to blackleg infections.
In developing this qualitative
resistance, canola breeders don’t
have a lot of genetic material to
work with. “We have a limited
number of resistance genes for
blackleg control,” Peng says. “In
order for them to work, you need to
have the pathogen population carrying the specific gene, called the
Avr gene, in the pathogen.” There
are only 16 major resistance genes
identified so far. However, most of
the blackleg resistant seed available
in Western Canada is based on just
one or two of these 16 genes: Rlm3
and/or Rlm1. This seed is resistant
to the AvrLm3 or AvrLm1 avirulent
genes in the blackleg pathogen.
“The diversity is not that high,”
Peng says. “We have very limited
choices of resistant genes,” Just
one gene, Rlm3, is in close to 60
per cent of Canadian canola varieties and breeding lines.
The Rlm3 resistant gene in our
canola seed will fight the AvrLm3
gene in the blackleg pathogen. This
works well when AvrLm3 is the
main gene in the blackleg pathogen
in the soil. However, over time, the
pathogen population changes.
Peng has had a first-hand look
at this evolution. Along with Dr.
Dilantha Fernando, plant science professor at the University
of Manitoba and Dr. Ralph Lange
from Alberta Innovates, Peng is in
the middle of a five-year Growing
Forward 2 project to map blackleg
pathogens in the farmers’ fields.
“Unfortunately, the AvrLm3
gene in the pathogen population
has diminished over the years,”
Peng says. “That means the major
gene resistance is not the major
function in our variety performance. That’s the important message to the seed companies.”
When resistant canola plants
don’t allow blackleg’s AvrLm3
genes to thrive, the other Avr genes
in the pathogen may increase, and
can become a larger portion of the
pathogen population.
Blackleg can evolve quickly.
Some researchers have found that,
if the same variety is seeded three
years in a row, the blackleg fungus
can evolve to overcome the majorgene resistance, especially in areas
with a lot of canola production
and short crop rotation.
Peng says the blackleg population is evolving, with AvrLm7
reaching a very high level on the
prairies. So, the next opportunity
to fight blackleg with a major
resistance gene is Rlm7.
In language similar to the terms
we use to describe weeds that
develop resistance to commonlyused herbicides, Peng refers to
the ever-changing nature of the
fungus and our resistance as an
“arms race.”
“It’s going to be an endless battle if we look at it that way.” And,
Peng says, “the pathogen always
wins, although we beat them back
temporarily.”
Plant genetics
Just as we need to rotate herbicides to extend their lifespans and
fight herbicide resistant weeds, we
need to try to keep our canola
seed varieties resistant to blackleg.
The slower the pathogen changes,
Peng says, “the better longevity
varieties will have.”
One way to slow down the evolution of the pathogen would be
to use seed resistant to different
blackleg pathogens. However, in
tests that Dr. Dilantha Fernando
has conducted in his University of
Manitoba lab, Fernando has found
that most companies are using
“almost the same resistance gene.”
While there are other differences
in different corporations’ seed
profiles, in tests at his Manitoba
lab, Fernando has found that one
major gene, the resistance gene
Rlm, is present in almost 60 per
cent of the Canadian germplasm.
This low genetic diversity in our
seed supply makes it difficult for
FEBRUARY 9, 2016 grainews.ca /
Features
farmers to manage the pathogen,
and easier for the pathogen to
evolve to survive.
Ideally, seed companies will
work to find other resistance genes
that could be incorporated into
the Canadian canola germplasm.
Fernando suggests genes from wild
species, or other brassica species.
“Those might carry different resistance genes,” he says.
Many companies are advertising
new canola varieties with “multigenic” blackleg resistance. These
lines have been found to carry two
different genes for resistance to the
blackleg pathogen. This should
lead to better blackleg control, but
Fernando says, “In theory, yes, but
again, depending on the pathogen
population, maybe not.” This is
something he’s studying right now.
“The pathogen population is
fairly diverse in the farmer’s field.
When the pathogen population is
fairly diverse putting several different genes together at the same
time may be counterproductive.”
With only two resistant genes,
Getting
an R rating
The Canola Council
of Canada organizes and
operates co-op trials across
the Prairies to evaluate
new seed varieties.
To test for blackleg
resistance, new varieties
are compared to “Westar,”
a canola variety that is
highly susceptible to blackleg. Researchers examine
at least 100 plants of each
variety over four replicated
plots at each of 10 locations across the prairies.
They pull the plants, cut
through the stems, then
evaluate the severity of
blackleg in the plant.
Dr. Dilantha Fernando
runs the co-op trials at
Carman, Man. Fernando is
concerned that the co-op
trial locations may not have
the same avirulent-gene
profile for the pathogen as
in farmers’ fields. In fact,
he says, the pathogen is
changing so rapidly that the
pathogens at a co-op site in
2012 might be very different from the population at
that same site in 2015. To
address this issue, Dr. Peng
has initiated a new project
to assess the blackleg pathogen avirulent-gene structure
at each of the co-op sites
commencing in 2015.
So, seed that has been
characterized as resistant
(“R”) for blackleg will have
been resistant to the pathogens in the co-op trial
in the year that variety
was tested, although that
doesn’t necessarily mean
the variety will be resistant
to the particular pathogen
populations in every farmer’s field in future years.
However, Fernando says,
most of the inoculum in
the soil at the co-op sites
is natural inoculum. “It is
getting fairly close to what
is out there in farmers’
fields.” †
Leeann Minogue
one can fight resistance of one
strain of pathogen, while the second fights the resistance of another
strain. Ultimately, the pathogen
may wind up resistant to both of
these genes. For example, some of
our cultivars carry both Rlm1 and
Rlm3. After years of use, however,
the AvrLm1 and AvrLm3 are now at
almost undetectable levels in the
pathogen population. As a result,
these two resistance genes are no
longer effective against blackleg on
the Prairies.
“Even though in theory, on
paper, it sounds exciting to have
multi-gene resistance, for a few
years it might be a little better
than having a single gene. But it
(the resistance), might be broken
fairly quickly.”
In addition to the 16 major
genes in canola plants, there are
also minor genes present. These
minor genes are difficult to identify
and work with, but using breeding
lines carrying these minor genes
could lead to longer-term solutions for blackleg control.
In the field
RESISTANCE RATINGS
While there are fungicides registered for control of blackleg on
canola, Fernando says using a
fungicide to manage blackleg isn’t
usually a good economic decision.
What he does recommend will
come as no surprise to farmers
familiar with herbicide resistant
weeds: good rotations.
Fernando recommends limiting
canola rotations to one year in
three or four. In between, growing
crops that are non-hosts to blackleg (like cereals, pulses, or soybeans), will prevent the pathogen
from developing and multiplying.
Over time the blackleg pathogen
population will slowly decline.
Fernando understands that
farmers also have to take economics into account; blackleg or not,
some will use tighter rotations.
“That’s where the R-gene rotation
comes into play.”
Fernando would like to see
seed companies adopt a system
Rating
Severity
R (Resistant)
< 30% of the severity of Westar
MR (Moderately Resistant)
30 to 49% of the severity of Westar
MS (Moderately Susceptible)
50 to 69% of the severity of Westar
S (Susceptible)
70 to 100% of the severity of Westar
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11
Source: Canola Council of Canada
of identifying their seed by resistance “group.” Farmers could
rotate canola seed, planting varieties with resistance to different pathogen races. Or, better
yet, farmers could choose seed
varieties with specific resistance
to the inoculum in their area.
“We almost have a Prairie map
for blackleg pathogen races,” he
says. “We now need to come
up with the other side,” that
is, seed marketed with specific
resistance placed by resistance
“group.” “That can only be done
with the participation of the seed
companies.”
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In the past few years, environmental conditions have
not been terribly conducive
to blackleg. Particularly in
Saskatchewan, where the incidence has increased only slightly
since 2010. However, in southern Manitoba and east-central
Alberta, incidence has increased
substantially.
“In a year that we have very
good environmental conditions
for the pathogen, there could
be an epidemic. Unfortunately a
lot of people do not understand
that part.” †
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12
/ grainews.ca FEBRUARY 9, 2016
Features
crop production
Fertilizer prices, now and into spring
Timing fertilizer purchases is a guessing game. Here’s one expert’s take on the issue
By Dilia Narduzzi
T
he time to buy fertilizer is now, if you don’t
have enough stored up
on the farm. December
and January, if you look at numbers from the last ten years, is
the best time to buy fertilizers if
you have the resources and space,
says Todd Bergen-Henengouwen,
project assistant at Alberta
Agriculture and Forestry, because
that’s when prices tend to be at
their lowest. It’s common to see
prices increase as we move into
March, April, and May because
that’s when demand starts to get
higher. Prices can start to creep
up even as early as February, says
Bergen-Henengouwen, because
even though farmers in the prairies aren’t seeding yet, those down
south in the United States are.
Now that we know the overall
trend, where are prices at the current moment for the two most
prominent types of fertilizers,
the nitrogen-based (ammonia
and urea) and the phosphorusbased products? When I spoke to
Bergen-Henengouwen on January
6, 2015, the provincial price averages for Alberta (rather than for
any particular retailer) were as follows: phosphorus was at 11 51 0
(the first number is the percentage
of nitrogen, the second number
is the percentage of phosphorus,
and the third number is percentage of potassium) and the average
price for this product was $807 per
tonne. For urea, at 46 0 0, the average price was $551 per tonne. For
ammonia, at 82 0 0, the average
price was $944 per tonne.
“Nitrogen-based fertilizers are
currently below 5-year averages,”
says Bergen-Henengouwen, while
“phosphorus-based fertilizers are
above average.” The nitrogenbased fertilizers are lower in price
partially due to the “lower oil and
natural gas prices than we’ve seen
historically, as well as the lower
commodity prices,” says BergenHenengouwen. Since natural gas
is a major feedstock for nitrogen
fertilizers, the fact it’s low means
that the cost of producing nitrogen-based products falls. Fertilizer
prices tend to follow the price of
corn, says Bergen-Henengouwen,
Check out the page at http://www.agric.gov.ab.ca/app21/farminputprices
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because if corn is selling really high
farmers will want to grow as much
as possible, but when the price
of corn is lower then people will
skimp a bit on fertilizer on their
corn crops because it’s too expensive. Here in the prairies, where
canola is a huge crop, BergenHenengouwen has looked at the
price of urea divided by the price
of canola over the last 10 years and
found that right now we’re just
below the 10-year average in terms
of the nitrogen-based fertilizers and
just above the 10-year average for
the phosphorus-based fertilizers,
which means that, relatively speaking, phosphorus-based products
are a little more expensive and
nitrogen-based products are a little
less expensive, based on what farmers have been able to sell canola for.
Part of the reason that the prices
of phosphorus-based products are
a bit higher at the moment is
because “phosphorus is brought
in from outside of Canada,” so the
United States-Canadian exchange
rate, with the current Canadian
dollar being so low, plays a role.
Additionally, demand for phosphorus-based fertilizers have also
been higher in the last year, which
has also driven up the price.
Some good news, says BergenHenengouwen, is that phosphorus prices out of New Orleans
have been falling in the last two
months, so there’s the hope that
that decrease will filter down into
our local markets.
Ammonia and urea are most
often used on the farm, while
phosphorus is secondary, though
it’s still vital to plant growth, says
Bergen-Henengouwen. With the
current high phosphorus prices,
then, some farmers might make
the choice to reduce the usage
of the phosphorus-based fertilizers while prices are running high.
Though the 10-year trends are
known, it’s really hard to definitively predict what prices will be at
any given point in the future. But
Alberta Agriculture and Forestry
keeps the most up-to-date information on their website under the
Alberta Farm Input Monitoring
System. Check out the page at
h t t p : / / w w w. a g r i c . g o v. a b . c a /
app21/farminputprices
where
you’ll find, in addition to current
fertilizer prices and prices from the
last five years, average prices for
feed, farm machinery and other
common expenses. †
Dilia Narduzzi is a freelance writer in
Dundas, Ont.
FEBRUARY 9, 2016 grainews.ca /
Features
13
Farm finance
Defining roles can save the farm
Deciding and confirming “who’s in charge here” can take frustration out of the family farm
I
mproved communications
and actually defining roles
and responsibilities on a
family farm can not only
make the day go better, but can
actually save a farm business, says
a long-time Alberta consultant.
Confusion over who is in charge
can lead to some very stressful
situations, says Merle Good, a well
know consulting agricultural tax
specialist who has also learned
plenty about human resource
issues over the years. And that
stress and frustration can potentially lead to someone just walking
away from the whole farm business, says Good.
“In any business, particularly a
multi-generation family farm it is
important that everyone is clear
about responsibilities,” says Good.
“Whether it be parents working
along side their children, or siblings or other family members
running a farm, it is important to
define management roles. Be clear
on each person’s responsibility
and then let them do their job.”
Good, as part of a recent presentation to the Canada’s Outstanding
Young Farmers in Edmonton,
described a real-life farm conflict
he encountered in the fall of 2015.
The issue involved a long time
mixed farming operation, that
included a large grain operation
along with a 300 head cow-calf
operation, says Good. The son,
now 36, had been back working
with his father on the farm for
about 15 years.
“First of all it was a fall where
they were dealing with the harvest from hell,” says Good. The
weather just hadn’t co-operated,
harvest was delayed, everyone was
feeling the tension. “And after
harvest the son comes to me, he
wants to leave the farm, because
he is just so frustrated,” says Good.
Here is what happened.
The son was responsible for
looking after harvest and getting
equipment lined up, but the dad
comes to the son as soon as there
appeared to a decent stretch of
harvest conditions ahead, and says
“we should get a couple extra
combines in the field to get this
harvest done, do you have anything lined up?” And the son
replied that he was looking after it.
And that’s where the conversation
ended. That was the Friday.
Come Monday morning, four
extra combines show up on the
farm. Two had been lined up by
the son and two by the father. The
father, not trusting the son to deal
with the equipment situation, had
lined up two machines as well.
Neither had communicated their
specific plans to the other.
“In that case the son sent the
two combines he had lined up
home,” says Good. “Harvest got
done, but the son was extremely
frustrated, he saw his father as
always challenging his decisions
or ability to make decisions. And
the father in that situation later
claimed “I was just trying to help.”
“The issue these farmers needed
to sort out was the difference
between leadership and management — they need a proper business structure,” says Good. “If you
are the leader or take the lead
in a particular area of the farm
management you ask for advice as
you make decisions. If you are the
manager or on the management
end then your responsibility is to
follow that advice or implement
the decision.”
Good says in any farm business
it is essential that roles be clearly
defined. He challenged farmers to
go home and define 16 areas of
farm operation and management
and decide who is the lead. Who
is the leader of cropping decisions,
lead of seeding operations, lead of
harvest operations, lead of haying
operations, lead of managing the
cattle, lead of financing, lead of
rental agreements — look at 16
areas of the farm operation and
decide who is going to take the lead.
“And on any farm business
different family members will
likely lead in different areas,”
says Good. “But it is important
to decide who is leader in each
area, and then who is the manager that will carry out that decision. Determine 16 areas that are
critical to your business and put
names beside them — specify
who is leadership and who is
management.“
In the example of the farming
operation with double the combines showing up in the field, that
problem would have been avoided
if the roles had been properly
defined, says Good. †
Lee Hart is a field editor for Grainews in Calgary,
Contact him at 403-592-1964 or by email at lee@
fbcpublishing.com.
photo: lee hart
By Lee Hart
Alberta consultant, Merlse Good, right, speaks with Nova Scotia farmers
Wayne and Nicole Oulton in Edmonton about getting the most out of tax
strategies and new approaches to farm business arrangements.
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14
/ grainews.ca FEBRUARY 9, 2016
Features
Farm management
Writing those monthly paycheques
Are we farmers paying ourselves as much as we’re paying our hired help?
By Susanna Heinrich
T
he paycheques have
been signed for another
month and it brings to
mind the joke about the
tax man and the farm owner/
operator having a conversation
about wages: “I need a list of your
employees and how much you
pay them,” demanded the agent.
“Well,” replied the farmer,
“there’s my farm hand. I pay
him $200 a week plus free room
and board. The cook is paid
$150 per week, plus free room
and board. Then there’s the halfwit who works about 18 hours
every day and does about 90
per cent of the work. He makes
about $10 per week, pays his
own room and board and I buy
him a bottle of bourbon every
Saturday night. He also sleeps
with my wife occasionally.”
“That’s the guy I want to talk
to… the half-wit,” said the agent.
“That would be me,” replied
the farmer. So that’s where the
money goes. Or doesn’t.
I am not begrudging the
wages we pay our employees.
Absolutely not. As farmers we
know that hired help is necessary. Happy hired help means
long-term, stable working conditions for all of us, and a farm
that functions smoothly makes
money to pay everyone’s wages.
However, sometimes I wonder if
we’re making as much as we’re
paying our hired help.
According to the website
payscale.com,
the
average
hourly wage for an agriculture worker in Saskatchewan
is $18 per hour. The number
my accountant quoted (off the
cuff) when I quizzed her about
“hired-man” wages in my area
of Saskatchewan was $25. As I
perused the online ads for farm
labour, I could not find wages
that reflected that wage — it
was more in the range of $16 to
$20. This is not to say that wages
wouldn’t go up as you proved
your worth and commitment,
but they sure don’t seem to
start off at that rate. As I dug to
see how Manitoba and Alberta
measured up, I found them to
be similar.
As each month passes and I
see those cheques to the hired
men being filled out for more
than the one I know is coming
my way I wonder: Are we doing
this right?
Valuing ourselves
Joe Moffatt of Blue Whale
Financial Solutions in Moose
Jaw, Sask., says that the business
of farming is a culture in and of
itself. Farmers treat “The Farm”
as an entity like the “most valuable child in the family.” That,
from his view, is not the best
way to run a business.
Moffatt believes there is psychology behind how much we
farmers value ourselves. The
farm is not like, for example,
a tire shop. The owner of that
business gets up in the morning, drives to work, unlocks the
doors and starts his day. Not
so for “Joe Farmer.” Joe goes to
bed in the yard where he works
and wakes up looking at the
same, every morning. There is
no physical (and by extrapolation no emotional or financial)
division. But that doesn’t mean
there shouldn’t be.
Trying to find an average yearly
income earned by a farmer has
been a challenge. I was curious
to know just what we are paying ourselves. I wanted to know
how farmers were doing —really.
“Family farm income” is often written about, but always seems to
include a blend of off-farm income.
Accountant Leah Herback
suggests $45,000 is the minimum annual income all farmers
should claim. That breaks down
to approximately $24 per hour
and a 40-hour week. From a
tax perspective it keeps you in
the lowest tax bracket; from the
living perspective, it keeps the
lights on. Some take more, some
take less, for many different reasons. Overall family income may
also be boosted by paying each
spouse that $45,000, bringing
farm family income to an annual
$90,000 payout. Of course this
payout can be altered depending
on off-farm income.
The Saskatchewan government
agriculture site (agriculture.gov.
sk.ca) refers to Farm Families as
“those involved in a single, unincorporated farm with gross operating revenues of $10,000 and
over.” On these types of farms,
in 2011, 29 per cent of income
was from net farm operating
income ($32,979) and 71 per cent
($80,811) was off-farm income,
for a total annual income of
$113,790. And that’s just according to one definition.
For varying government or
non-government organizations,
the definition of a farm or
farmer varies. Another statistic
on the same website, showed
a “Farm Operators” average
income for 2012 to be $98,929,
and of that only 58 per cent
or $57,557 to be net farming
income. Comparisons are difficult to achieve. I found at
least eight definitions of term
“Family Farm” on the website.
Every farmer is going to have
to decide what is reasonable,
realistic and liveable.
If the money isn’t there, it
isn’t there. It’s the bottom line
of any business and it’s no different here.
There are many factors to
consider; emotions and family
pressures also comes into play.
It’s not necessarily about what
the farm can afford to pay, but
about what the farmer thinks
they need to live. Most of us
are not extravagant. Most of
us would rather take less for
ourselves and give more to that
laborer or put it back into the
farm than give ourselves a cash
injection.
Cash in the pocket is not
the only way we as farmers are
compensated. There are perks
that maybe we don’t always
recognize. There are definite
areas where we quietly benefit,
although the wage that is coming in the door at the end of
the month may seem meager
INDUSTRY STANDARD CEO SALARIES
Gross annual sales
Annual CEO salary
$500,000 - $1 million
$90,000 - $120,000
$1 - $3 million
$110,000 - $125,000
$3 - $5 million
$135,000 - $150,000
>$5 million
$150,000 and up
in comparison to the cheque
that was just written to a hired
helper. Consider fuel, gas, propane, electricity, phone, taxes
— these are all costs most likely
off-set by the farm. Meaning: it’s
not money out of your personal
pot, but actually paid for by the
farm before you even realize it
has been covered. At the end of
the year, your accountant has
used a percentage of the overall
costs as personal (and you will
pay this) but the majority is
absorbed, relatively painlessly,
by the farm.
There is no black or white. It’s
all grey and each farm has to
What are you worth?
In
Herbacks’
experience
how much a farmer actually
pays themselves varies widely.
Moffatt concurs. But how much
should you pay yourself?
When this question was posed
to Moffatt, he suggested you
consider how much you would
have to pay someone to replace
you. What would that take?
Remember — you are not irreplaceable. It may take another
management style, it may take
two people (one for management, another for labour) but
you could be replaced. How
much would that cost? That
should be your salary. You’d pay
it to someone else. Why not to
yourself?
Moffatt provided current
industry standard wages for corporate CEOs, as shown in the
table. These salaries are considered average, legitimate, and
reasonable values for income of
CEO’s of corporations with gross
sales in the different brackets.
46844-01 DAS_2016 Tandem_13-1667x9_AFE_a4.indd 1
structure itself and its resources
using information and ideas
gleaned from the sources
around them to decide what
will work for them. Realizing
the wages paid to employees
are an investment in the future
of your farm company and that
that the almighty dollar is not
the only reason we are doing
this may help alleviate any feelings of discontent when those
cheques are written. It’s not
a cross anyone bears, it’s the
realities that farmers are willing
to accept. †
Susanna Heinrich is a farmer, trucker and
mother on a farm near Davidson, Sask.
FEBRUARY 9, 2016 grainews.ca /
Features
15
Farm management
How farmers can up their game
10 ways to run your farm more like a professional business
By Lilian Schaer
F
arming is often described
as both a lifestyle and a
living. And and although
not every farm is a small
business, even a small farm is a
business.
That concept of running a business like a business, though, can
often get lost in the day to day
management of a farm operation, especially if there are few or
no employees to help share the
workload.
To help farmers up their game
in the professionalism department, Business Management
Specialist Nick Betts with the
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture,
Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)
has 10 tips that can make a farm
more like a professional business.
If time or resources are limited, even just concentrating on
one or two can make a difference — in particular, goal setting
to give you an idea of where
your focus should be, and time
management so that you can
devote time to the things that are
important before the things that
are urgent, advises Betts.
1. Find and adopt
innovation
Staying on top of technology
and innovation trends is key in
the business world, and can be
anything from trying out new
equipment to implementing new
accounting software or coming
up with new ways to compensate
employees.
“I challenge farmers to try
something on their farm every
year. It doesn’t have to be a multimillion dollar innovation, but
even just something new to you
that you’ve never tried. It’s not
just about apps,” explains Betts.
He advises farmers to look
outside of their own sector for
innovations that can be adapted
for use in agriculture. Air BnB,
for example, is now the biggest bed and breakfast provider
in the world without owning a
single property. What’s important though, is evaluating all the
costs and benefits while trying
out something new in order to
make an informed decision about
its successful use in the operation.
2. Develop a capital asset
and investment strategy
Sometimes it is beneficial to
buy equipment and other times
it makes more sense not to. Set
emotion aside when it comes
to investments, says Betts, and
instead, focus on the cost and
benefit. Establish a “return
on assets” goal and monitor
it annually, and think about
the impact an increase in interest rates might have on your
finances.
3. Plan and hold regular
farm meetings
“It can be hard to separate
family from farm and business,
especially when the farm house
is on the farm and your labour
is related to you,” says Betts,
adding that divorce rates are up
to five times higher for owners
of failing small businesses.
Just as organizations and corporations have board or staff
meetings, regular and businessfocused communication is
important in farm businesses
too. Having a regularly scheduled meeting outside of breakfast or dinner hour allows family members to have input into
the goals and plans of the farm.
4. Take some time for
self-reflection
This means considering what
your strengths are and what you
like to do. Perhaps your true
love lies in working with livestock instead of field work, so
finding someone to do things
you don’t enjoy or don’t have
particular expertise in will not
only make your life easier, it
will also benefit the farm as a
whole.
5. Implement transition
planning steps
A transition planning process
requires investigating and analyzing the farm business, understanding the goals of all family
members, and balancing needs
against business, legal and tax
considerations. And transition
doesn’t just have to mean a
change in generation, it can
also involve diversifying into
new ventures — perhaps you’re
adding an on-farm market or
bakery, for example — or simply
planning for emergencies that
will bring change.
“It’s always important to have
a plan. Anyone can die tomorrow, for example, so it’s always
a good idea to know what the
next step would be in a situation like that,” Betts says.
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example? Are you interested in
growing a different crop that
might appeal to a new buyer or
to a new group of customers?
7. Borrow from others
The lean business principle
is widely used in the manufacturing sector, and involves the
five Ss:
Sort
(remove
unnecessary tasks and processes); Set
(arrange items so they can be
used easily); Shine (use cleaning
as an inspection activity to keep
your equipment up to date);
Standardize (ensure your business is up to current industry
standards); and Sustain (perform regular audits).
“These principles help you
organize yourself to make your
operation more efficient, and if
you can follow this for everything from the workshop to the
finances, it will make your life a
lot easier as a business owner,”
Betts says.
8. Manage your time
According to Betts, the golden
rule of time management for
full time business owners is
the 3,000/500 rule — spend no
more than 3,000 hours per year
working and 500 hours on community and other activities. If
you do, your family life and
health will suffer. And although
farming doesn’t follow the nine
to five schedule of an office job,
Betts advises loosely tracking
hours over the course of a year
to see where your time is being
spent.
“In our society, we glorify the
busy and how much we work,
but you also need down time
and your family needs to see
you,” he says. “There are some
things you’ll never get back no
matter how much canola you
grow.”
Three strategies that can help
make time management easier:
set aside 20 minutes to plan for
the next day; focus on $10,000
decisions and not the $10 ones;
and delegate work to others
where you can.
9. Set goals
Think about where you’d like
to be six months, a year or
even three years from now and
put those goals on paper. Not
only will that help these goals
be achieved more quickly, but
it will also help measure your
progress.
10. Beware of killer toys
and side-shows
Although there may be
enough resources to support
them when times are good,
hobbies and toys can be a drain
on the business when markets
aren’t as strong or other problems arise. Stay true to your
original goals, advises Betts,
so that success and enjoyment
won’t impact the future fruits of
your labour. †
Lilian Shaer is a professional farm and food
writers based in Guelph, Ontario. Follow her
blog at foodandfarmingcanada.com.
2015-12-18 3:19 PM
16
/ grainews.ca FEBRUARY 9, 2016
Columns
Hart Attacks
Be on guard for clubroot in canola
If it’s in your community, be on the lookout for clubroot in your canola fields this year
By Lee Hart
photo: lee hart
I
’m using this photo of a flowering
crop heavily hit with a pest to make
the point to watch out for canola
diseases this year — and in particular be on the ball to detect and hopefully
prevent clubroot.
This southern Alberta farm didn’t expect
to be coping with staghead, but it suddenly
appeared out of no where, and fortunately
didn’t last long. Actually there is a disease
known as staghead (also called white rust)
and it particularly affects Polish canola and
Juncea or mustard variety brassica — this is
a field of a regular old hybrid brassica napus.
The truth is I was just so impressed with
this photo I took about a year ago of these
deer crossing a field of canola, I wanted
another reason to use it. (Please take a few
seconds to be really impressed with this
picture, before reading on. As I recall there
was actually at least one more buck in this
group, but he was camera shy.)
But I’m on the warning about clubroot after a recent talk with Dan Orchard,
a Canola Council of Canada agronomist,
who also chairs the Alberta Clubroot
Management Committee. Orchard, after
navigating some winter roads in late
January had just landed somewhere taking
kids to a weekend hockey tournament, but
upon arrival he took time to talk about diseases... it’s just that important.
Staghead disease is of relatively low risk, but certainly be watching for clubroot.
It’s out there, you don’t want it
Clubroot is found in high, moderate or
low levels across much of Western Canada
— the point being you may not farm in a
real high risk area, but be on guard. It’s out
there and you don’t want it.
Orchard has a bit of a fear-of-God-message when it comes to clubroot, which
is good. Nobody wants to invest $300 to
$400 per acre to produce a canola crop and
then not be able to harvest it because of
clubroot. And that has happened.
It’s a life changing disease. Once it is
in a field it is there for essentially a farm-
ing life time. The spores can survive in
the soil for 15 to 20 years. It can spoil
the opportunity to grow canola on a particular field and there’s also the risk of it
spreading.
In a recent presentation, Orchard
reminded growers that it’s an issue with
soil rather than just with canola.
North-central Alberta is certainly a
hotspot for the disease with more than
2,000 fields infected. There are only a
few reports from Saskatchewan primarily
because of lack of testing. And a reasonable
surveillance program in Manitoba shows
low levels of the disease in many areas.
And it is a very adaptable disease with
as many as nine different strains so far
identified. Plant breeders certainly have
to be running to keep up with the need to
develop clubroot resistant varieties.
Orchard says boron looks promising as a
potential management tool, which means
canola varieties with a high tolerance for
boron could be one answer.
“I think this is a huge opportunity
for the seed industry to start breeding
boron tolerance into our canola,” says
Orchard.
His advice to growers — be careful about
introducing seed from outside your region
to your farm unless you are sure it is clean
and disease free; be careful about allowing
vehicles or machinery from a clubroot
infected area onto your farm, those vehicles can carry the disease; and be vigilant
for any signs of the disease. As a general
guideline Orchard says to really pay attention if clubroot is in your “community” —
whatever area you determine that to be. If
there is a risk grow clubroot resistant varieties. There is plenty of good information
on clubroot online at: www.clubroot.ca
The one good thing about the staghead
outbreak I discovered... within a couple of
minutes it can hop the fence and disappear
without a trace. †
Lee Hart is a field editor for Grainews in Calgary,
Contact him at 403-592-1964 or by email at lee@
fbcpublishing.com.
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17
Columns
Farm financial planner
Widow wants to wind down farm
With no children wanting to farm, this widow wants to sell up and minimize taxes
The advice
Susan’s advisors, Erik Forbes
and Don Forbes of Don Forbes
& Associates/Sterling Mutuals in
Carberry, Manitoba, note that
all corporate assets have already
been converted to cash. There
is a remainder of $85,000 of
retained earnings to be paid out
over the next three years as taxable dividends. Susan can continue the corporation or use it
as an investment holding company. However, Susan does not
want to pay a lot of accounting
fees and live with the complications of the corporate structure
if the company can be wound
down easily.
In order to reduce the taxes
on payout of retained earnings,
she can make offsetting RRSP
contributions. That would not
eliminate the tax liability, but it
would postpone it until, in retirement, she could withdraw the
money at a lower tax rate. This
has the same effect of continuing the corporation but without
hefty accounting bills. Currently,
Susan has $75,000 of RRSP space
and will generate more room in
the next few years.
For 2015, Susan can take
$30,000 of dividends and make
an equal contribution to use the
space. For 2016, she would take
$30,000 of dividends and make
a $25,000 RRSP contribution. In
2017, she would take $25,000 of
dividends and make a $20,000
RRSP contribution.
In the year Susan turns 65,
she can convert the RRSPs to a
Registered Retirement Income
Fund and start paying out $6,000
a year, $2,000 of which would
be free courtesy of the pension
a lot or make a lot in stocks.
But actual government bonds,
bought with a series of terms
from five years to 10, 15 and 20
years, will generate income and
mature at precisely known values. Bond investment funds can
accrue gains or losses forever,
so Susan should stick to actual
bonds. The returns are not going
to be spectacular, but inside of
RRSPs, for example, interest
paid and any gains realized from
price appreciation at maturity
will not be taxed until paid out
in RRIFs. It’s a security conscious
alternative to life insurance.
At retirement, Susan will have
an estimated $754 in Canada
Pension Plan benefits each month,
$570 of Old Age Security benefits
at present rates, $275 a month
from her Life Income Fund, $500
a SEC_KIND15_T_GN_SEC_KIND15_T_GN.qxd
month from her RRIF and an
estimated $1,500 a month from
land rented out. That’s $3,599 a
month. After 15 per cent average tax, she would have $3,060 a
month for expenses, more than
enough for Susan to continue living as she does in a paid-for house
with no large outlays expected,
Don Forbes notes.
For large future expenses, perhaps a new or newer car from
time to time, a bit of travel
or gifts to her children, she
has abundant investments and
liquidity. If she wishes to take
holidays in the U.S., she can
achieve a natural hedge against
the rising value of the greenback
by investing in dividend-paying U.S. stocks in a U.S. funds
account. A US$100,000 account
generating three per cent per
year would provide money for
several weeks
2015-12-30
12:04 PMsouth
Page 1 of the bor-
der, especially if she elects to
drive rather than to fly.
“You have to give Susan a lot
of credit for her foresight,” Don
Forbes says. “She has received
good advice, has worked to anticipate and control income taxes,
dealt with the fact that her children will not take over the family
farm, and has even anticipated
and worked out a way of funding
her own funeral expenses and
potential distribution costs for
her estate. Relatively few farm
families and fewer widows do all
of his. Our advice to her is to stay
the course, pay out farm corporation earnings in a tax-efficient
manner, examine the risk and
returns of investments, and live
well in a life well planned. †
Andrew Allentuck is author of “When Can I
Retire? Planning Your Financial Future After
Work” (Penguin, 2011).
The investment advice
Susan has had competent
investment advice. Her accounts
hold blue chip stocks in lowcost pooled funds. They generate Canadian source dividends
which, due to the low fees for
the funds, have modest deductions for administration. She has
a term life insurance policy with
premiums level to age 100. The
policy has no cash value. She
has paid $667 in premiums each
year for $90,000 of death benefit. The money could be used
for settling her estate when she
dies, but there are less expensive
ways to get the same result.
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A
widow we’ll call Susan,
64, has a 1,120 acre
farming operation in
central Manitoba. She
owns 800 acres personally and
has another 320 acres in her
farming corporation. When her
husband — we’ll call him Burt,
passed away, the estate was probated and quickly transferred to
Susan. Now she wonders what
will become of the farm. Her
four children all have off-farm
careers and no interest in maintaining the family farm.
Susan has a long-term goal
of winding down the farm. The
corporate land was sold with
a plan to wind up the corporation. Her personally owned
land was to be kept for passive
rental income to be used for her
retirement. She was told by her
accountant to pay out remaining earnings of $200,000 over
four years.
Susan is in good shape in
financial terms. She spends
modestly and plans her financial
future actively with advisors.
But taxes are a problem. Last
year, her accountant suggested
that Susan take a $110,000 dividend from the farming corporation. That generated a $44,000
tax bill. That liability prodded
Susan to seek further advice to
manage future taxes and her
retirement.
income credit. Susan will also
receive an age credit of $7,033
when she turns 65. That can be
applied to taxable income from
any source. $85,000 of RRSP
purchases will support a $500
monthly RRIF payment for the
next 20 years, Don Forbes notes.
Susan is a good custodian of
her money. She should hold
a cash reserve of at least six
months of living expenses, perhaps even more given that she
receives rent from her leased
land only once a year.
Liquidity is important. Susan
should keep at least $20,000
in her chequing account and
$50,000 to $100,000 in a socalled high interest savings
account that would yield perhaps one per cent per year. She
also has $370,000 of non-registered investments outside of
the family farming corporation.
There is $270,000 in chequing,
a Locked-In Retirement Account
of $55,000 and $85,000 of cash
still in the company. She has
sufficient cash to top up her
Tax-Free Savings Account to its
$46,500 contribution limit as
of 2016.
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She could
lose a lot
or make a lot
in stocks
Her Tax-Free Savings Account,
which is yet to be established,
would do the same job as life
insurance without the premiums. On the other hand, she
would be giving up the benefit of immediate payment of
$90,000 should she die in the
near future. Her life expectancy
is nearly 90, she does not smoke,
and she is very healthy. If she
does keep the policy for another
25 years, she will have paid
another $16,675. In the end, if
the risk of early death is ignored,
the policy returns the premiums
paid. It does not return foregone
income. That’s the cost of shifting the risk to the insurance
company. The choice is hers,
Erik Forbes explains.
Should Susan elect to give
up life insurance and save the
premiums, she should invest to
achieve a known result with
minimum risk. She could lose
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18
/ grainews.ca FEBRUARY 9, 2016
Columns
Agronomy management
Learn to manage your sodic soils
Got sodic soils on your farm? Here are three options for managing those areas
Ross
McKenzie
I
n the last issue of Grainews
(January 5, 2015) I discussed
the physical and chemical
characteristics of sodic soils.
In this issue, I’ll discuss managing
those soils.
Solonetzic soils in the brown
or dark brown soil zones of
southern Alberta or southern
Saskatchewan, that are in native
grassland may be best left in
their native condition and used
for carefully managed livestock
grazing. For more information
about improving or reclaiming Solonetzic soil, refer to
Alberta Agriculture Agdex 518-8
Management of Solonetzic Soils
available at Alberta Agriculture’s
website.
Sodic soils have limited crop
production potential. The relatively high sodium and pH levels restrict the growth and yield
potential of most annual crops
and even a number of forage
crops. Farmers with sodic soils
are faced with decisions on how
to best manage their land.
Unfortunately, the options are
limited.
1. Leave it alone
Option 1: Leave it in its native state.
Sodic soils in native grassland
are often best left in their native
state and utilized for carefully
managed livestock grazing.
2. Work with it
Option 2: Grow sodium-tolerant
crops.
Barley is the most tolerant
annual crop to sodium, and crops
with moderate sodium tolerance
are wheat, oat and rye. However,
none of these crops will be very
productive at SAR levels above
eight to 12. The crops most sensitive to sodium toxicity are pulse
crops, including pea and lentil;
therefore, these crops should not
be grown on soils with moderate
to higher levels of sodium.
A good option is to establish a
sodium-tolerant forage mixture.
The most sodium-tolerant forages
include various wheat grasses and
alfalfa. Fescue grasses have moderate sodium tolerance. Soils that
have higher levels of sodium are
probably best seeded to a tolerant
grass mixture and used for livestock grazing.
3. Reclaim it
Option 3: Reclaim sodic soils.
Reclamation or improvement of
sodic soils can be very expensive,
and improvement will take time.
Reclamation involves careful soil
sampling and analysis to determine the severity of the problem
and then calculating how much
®
calcium must be added to the soil.
Often, several tons of a calcium
product must be applied and well
incorporated into the soil to modify the sodic condition.
To improve a sodic soil, most of
the exchangeable sodium must be
removed by leaching it downward,
below the root zone. To accomplish this result, the sodium on
the soil exchange complex must
be replaced by calcium. If free lime
(calcium hydroxide) is present in
the soil (determined by a soil test),
applying elemental sulfur will
reduce the soil pH, which will also
dissolve the calcium hydroxide
that naturally occurs in the soil,
to free up the calcium and the calcium will displace the sodium, for
gradual soil improvement.
If free lime is not present in the
soil, calcium must be added with
application of a chemical soil
amendment. Soil amendments
are calcium-containing materials such as gypsum (calcium
sulphate) or calcium chloride.
Calcium carbonate is normally
not recommended as an amendment due to its lower solubility.
Calcium carbonate is ideal for
improvement of acidic soils but
not for sodic soils.
The calcium amendment is normally broadcast onto the soil surface, followed by thorough incorporation with cultivation. Then,
adequate moisture is necessary to
dissolve the calcium to initiate the
displacement of sodium from the
soil exchange complex.
This takes considerable time
(many months to years) for natural precipitation to leach the
sodium from the root zone. In
drier regions, this process could
take a number of years and may
not be completely successful.
However, greater success can result
with the application of significant
amounts of good quality irrigation
water to leach the sodium from
the root zone.
Additional organic matter such
as livestock manure or green
manure will help to improve the
physical soil condition (e.g. tilth
and water infiltration). However,
care must be taken to ensure that
any material added to the soil
(e.g. manure) does not contain
sodium.
The amount of a chemical
amendment used to replace the
exchangeable sodium in soil will
depend on the amount of sodium
in the soil, the desired level of
soil improvement, the type of
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FEBRUARY 9, 2016 grainews.ca /
19
Columns
SOLENETZIC SOIL
This Solonetzic soil
has a columnarstructured B horizon,
which restricts water
and root penetration
into sub-soil.
NORMAL SOIL (GOOD GROWTH)
SOLONETZIC SOIL
(POOR GROWTH)
BLOWOUT
Source: Alberta Agriculture Agdex 518-20 Management of Sodic Soils
amendment used and the volume of soil to be reclaimed. If
chemical amendment application
is considered, a landowner should
work with a qualified agrologist
with a specialty in soil science.
To learn how to determine gypsum application rates refer to:
Alberta Agriculture Agdex 518-20
Management of Sodic Soils.
Once the amendment has been
applied, it must be thoroughly
mixed into the soil by cultivation. The soil must be very moist
for the exchange process to take
place. The sodium must then
be leached down the soil profile
by rainfall or by the application
of good quality irrigation water.
Short, frequent irrigations will
give the best results.
If a sub-surface hard pan layer
is preventing internal soil drainage, the soil may have to be deepripped to break up the hard pan
to allow the sodium to be flushed
downward.
The installation of a sub-surface drainage system may be necessary to permanently move the
sodium salts from the soil root
zone; however, drainage systems
are expensive and safe disposal
of the high sodium drainage
water is essential. Your provincial
Environment Department must
be contacted prior to installation of a subsurface drainage
system to determine the process
of approval and licensing of the
drainage system.
The amendment of sodic soils
can be a long and laborious process and is not always successful
or permanent. The occurrence of
large rainfall events can cause the
water table to rise, moving the
sodium salts back into soil root
zone, and leading to deflocculation of the surface soil. Therefore,
the management of a sodic soil
must be considered as an ongoing
process.
It is important to note that
calcium-containing amendments
should never be added to saline or
saline-sodic soils because this will
only increase the amount of soluble salts in the soil and worsen the
salinity problems.
If you are getting technical
assistance from a consultant, be
sure that person has proper soils
expertise to assist you. †
Ross H. McKenzie, PhD, P. Ag., is a former
agronomy research scientist. He conducted
soil, crop and irrigation research with
Alberta Agriculture for 38 years. He has also
been an adjunct professor at the University of
Lethbridge since 1993.
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20
/ grainews.ca FEBRUARY 9, 2016
Columns
Off-farm income
Build a five-legged stool
In this first part of a three-part series, Andy Sirksi explains his income philosophy
ANDY
SIRSKI
S
ometime around 1993 I
developed a way to explain
how almost anyone could
set up a personal business
plan that helps a person have several streams of income, deal with
the upsets of losing a job or a business and claim business expenses
against that income.
Along the way the concept of
“dual income” came about which
backed up my concept of the fivelegged stool. By dual income I mean
have a farm business plus another
income either as a back up or a
permanent part of a business plan.
Briefly the five-legs of the stool
include: the farm or main job or
business; another skill; proper insurance for your time in life; an RESP
to help pay for children’s education;
and making money with stocks.
Most
good paying
jobs need extra
education
jobs need extra education. Most
farms need a critical mass.
Does every farmer need a critical
mass size of farm? No, but every
farmer needs a critical mass size
of financial plan. That could be
a combination of a farm and an
income producing leg of the fivelegged stool.
I know a lot of farmers who are
using an education or skill to make
good money. That combination
becomes a comfortable system of
two or more incomes that together
can provide the family’s personal
and business needs.
Choosing a second skill
That second skill should be one
that can be used as a business.
When a person has a business on
the side, he or she can claim business expenses for part of a mortgage, taxes, utilities and maybe
travel that can be partly vacation
and partly tax deductible.
I know people who have started
businesses and earned considerable income over the years doing
income tax, carpentry, plumbing
and so on. I encourage them to
treat these activities as businesses
— keeping track of expenses and
income and, if necessary, paying some income tax on the net
income.
Having a full time job, young
children, a farm and a sideline
business can create new stress.
It’s easy to become impatient and
begin to think that the business
will never develop. But if a person locks onto a business that has
long-term potential and works at it
slowly and surely, the business can
be developed over time.
Many carpenters, electricians,
plumbers and tax filers are getting
older and ready to retire or cut back
on business. Word of mouth can
spread the word about the business
and so can some cheap promotions
like letters on windshields, email
messages or notes on Twitter or
Facebook.
I know a fellow who was looking for something to do as he
got older. I suggested he look
into doing income tax. He took
a course, did a bit of advertising
and this summer a retiring tax
filer offered to sell his business
at a decent price. By this winter
he will have enough customers
to keep him busy and make him
some good money. He’ll also save
his current business big bucks on
accounting fees. I know others
who have had small businesses
hire them to do the monthly
paperwork like GST for a fee. Most
of the time these are businesses
or people who are too small for
the professional tax consultants so
there is little conflict. More on the
five-legged stool next issue. †
Andy Sirski is mostly retired. He travels with
his wife, plays with granddaughters, runs
a small tax business and looks after his
family’s investments. Andy also publishes
an electronic newsletter called StocksTalk
where he tells in detail what his investments
are doing. To to read it free for a month email
[email protected].
FCC Ag Outlook 2016
Understand the trends, see the opportunities
Why a five-legged stool?
When I graduated from university in 1970 I and most of my
classmates had a choice of job
offers. I chose the job where I
could work with farmers. These
days most Aggie grads likely have
choices too. But along the way a
lot of my classmates had jobs that
ended because their employer sold
out or was merged or the company
downsized and some employees
had to go.
These days that process is common. Along the way, a lot of farmers also lost their farms because
of the high interest rates in 1981,
poor prices for years, disease such
as BSE and other causes.
Consider a farmer who had the
skills to have a decent paying job
that gave him raises and flexible
time. Covering living costs gave
the farm extra money for growth.
Other farmers married women
who could earn thousands of dollars off the farm to pay for living
costs or help make payments on
expansion plans.
Sure the off-farm work interfered
with life and often cost the farm
cash, but for most farmers the trade
off paid off.
Some farmers did not want to
make that trade off. They cut living costs to the bone and ran old
equipment so they could expand
the farm. This takes a special kind
of personality and dedication. Some
do it and survive. Others could not.
They should lay the ground work to
earn off farm income that lets them
afford the lifestyle they prefer.
The main leg
The main leg of the stool
should be the farm, other business or job. Most good paying
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FEBRUARY 9, 2016 grainews.ca /
21
Columns
Understanding market bulls and bears
Market life after the USDA report
The day that USDA crop reports are released is the most important day of the year
by Brian wittal
J
anuary 12, 2016, was the
day that the United States
Department of Agriculture
came out with a number
of reports covering intended
seeded acres for U.S. winter
wheat, 2015 production reports
for both domestic and world
grains and quarterly stocks and
ending stocks reviews for U.S.
and world grains. In the world
of grain marketing this is by far
the most important day for anyone in the U.S. grain trade.
For weeks in advance of this
report being made public traders
and speculators make their best
guesses and position themselves
in the markets to try to be on
the right side of the potential
market swing that could come
based on the numbers released
in these reports.
This year’s reports had very
few surprises. The numbers were
relatively close to what the trade
was anticipating so they were
said to be neutral to slightly bullish (supportive) for grain futures.
World wheat stocks were the only
ones reported to be larger than
expected, which was seen as bearish for the wheat markets.
Meaning for the markets
For the near term the markets are
going to be focused on supply and
demand based on those numbers.
Right now, overall, world supplies
are ample to meet demand for the
foreseeable future.
Add to that low world oil
prices and the economic stressors out there in the world such
as: China continuing to struggle to revitalize its economy;
parts of India and Africa in the
midst of another potential dry/
drought year; South America
looking at better than average
second crops about to be harvested; big supplies of grain still
in the bins from last year; uncertainties and tensions building
in the Middle East and Baltic
regions. You have many possible
outcomes that could and will
affect world grain prices.
The recent devaluation of currencies in some countries like
China and Argentina will have a
definite impact on China’s ability to buy grains and Argentina’s
ability to sell grains into the
world market place.
China, the No. 1 buyer and
importer of grains in the world,
will have less buying power with
a lower currency. That will force
sellers to reduce their asking
prices when selling to China or
end up holding more inventory
than they would like to if the
No. 1 buyer can’t afford to buy
anymore.
Argentina, as a major net
exporter will be able to be more
aggressive selling its grains into
a competitive world market
place because of their devalued
Peso. This will force other sell-
Mike Jubinville
President, Pro Farmer Canada
Mike is lead analyst and president of Pro Farmer Canada, an independent market analysis
and advisory service he started in 1997. Benefit from his experience as he explains current
and future trends in agriculture, the current state of commodity markets and what we can
expect next.
Andy Nadler
Agricultural Meteorologist, Peak Hydromet Solutions
Andy undertakes a variety of weather, climate and agriculture-related projects across
western Canada. Find out how understanding the weather can help you make better
marketing, agronomic and management decisions for your operation in 2016.
Peter Gredig
Partner, AgNition Inc.
Peter grows corn, soybean and wheat near London, Ont., and builds apps and mobile
resources for Canadian farmers, agribusinesses and organizations. He’ll help you discover
how emerging technologies could benefit agriculture – and your operation.
J.P. Gervais
FCC Chief Agricultural Economist
J.P. has over 15 years of experience in domestic and international analysis of agricultural
policies and markets. He’ll provide insight into major economic trends shaping the Canadian
agriculture industry and how they could impact your farm in the coming year.
ers to match those competitive
prices if they wish to sell, driving futures values lower. Overall,
currency devaluation is not usually a positive for grain markets
or futures values.
How long will currency devaluation go on? Which countries
might be next to attempt this
strategy? Good questions that,
sorry, I don’t have answers for.
Add in the weather
El Niño is still very dominant.
It could be at its peak, but it’s
expected to have a major influence on world weather until
early or mid-summer 2016.
Over the past three months we
have seen an intensification of
world weather events that are evidence that El Niño’s influence is
alive and well. Heavy rains have
moved into California with stronger
storms expected through February.
Parts of South America have seen
torrential rains and flooding. Recent
weather havoc on the U.S. East
Coast along with deadly storms
in the southern U.S., heavy snow
in the Pacific Northwest, drought
and fire in Australia and massive
flooding in Northern Europe and
South America are all blamed on
the strong El Niño event happening
in the waters of the south-central
Pacific Ocean.
The hard
part is
keeping track
of it all
This could mean that here on
the Prairies we’ll have another
early spring and a summer that
is warmer and dryer than usual.
The key will be if and when
the El Niño effect starts to wear
off. If it is early spring then
the chance for summer rains
are a lot better. If El Niño persists until mid- or late summer
we could be facing another dry
growing season.
If El Niño persists and some
of the dryer regions around
the globe stay dry, we could be
headed for some big production
problems that could send world
grain markets higher yet again.
World supplies are adequate
to meet demand for the next six
months to a year but beyond
that is the big unknown exists.
If El Niño fades and overall
world grain production is average or better, prices will be pressured lower as world supplies
continue to build.
Many variables could come
into play over the next month
to a year that could affect world
grain markets and prices. The
hard part is keeping track of it
all so you can better plan when
you should be selling your grain.
It’s your business to know what
is affecting your business. †
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).
22
/ grainews.ca FEBRUARY 9, 2016
Columns
Soils and crops
Stubble soil moisture, November 1, 2015
Les Henry’s annual soil moisture map gives us a true view of water availability
les
henry
T
his map shows the best estimate
of subsoil moisture from three
inches to four feet.
First — this is a map of general
conditions in general areas. Do not get too
hung up on the exact placement of lines.
But, it is still very useful in planning for
2016 outcomes. With a soil full of water a
crop will hang on for a long time.
Second — the thank yous. A special
thanks to Andy Nadler of Hydromet
Solutions for the new basemap.
Thanks also to Ernie Sirski of Dauphin
(brother of Andy Sirski, Grainews editor
for many years and regular columnist.)
The Dauphin airport site showed only
5.5 inches of rain for April 1 to October
31, which would have put it in the RED
for a bit more global warming. It was the
cold weather in May that hurt many hay
crops, not the drought.
With the dry weather the diseases were
at bay and crop quality was mostly good.
I have never seen a canola crop with
such great cabbage leaves that hardly had
a trace of disease. In August I suggested
to my grain buyer that they should get
ready for more canola than forecasters
with fancy computers were predicting.
For 2016 most of Saskatchewan east of
a Swift Current-Battleford line and most
of Manitoba is well set to survive a dry
spell in spring, if the crop comes up. Seed
it to moisture. The main period of crop
water use is from mid June to late July
— the grand period of growth with long
days and warm temperatures.
I still keep hoping that smart young
folks will come along with a better map
than this and I can retire my four colored
pencils. It will certainly not be the SMAP
program using satellite data, even if the
dead satellite comes back to life. SMAP
category. But Ernie assured me that the
very dry area did not go far. Grandview
and Roblin had 12 inches for the year.
Yorkton east was also on the dry side so I
mapped a small area of Dry.
I am always hesitant to use anything
but GREEN or BLUE for wet Manitoba
but last year I mapped Dry in the Morden
Winkler area. Lo and behold, in late
May John Morris of Grainews staff in
Winnipeg sent me a video of soil drifting
in the Winkler area.
For the last few years the map showed
good to excess soil moisture for all but a
big chunk of Alberta and West Central
Saskatchewan. When the 2015 May rains
failed almost everywhere and June rains
also a bust, many were surprised by the
good crop. No surprise to me. As this
columnist has said many times: “Water in
the soil is like money in the bank.”
As long as the seed was placed to moisture and the crop came up and did not
freeze, good crops were had by many.
With all the frost in May I was wishing
reads only the surface few centimeters.
Surface moisture is here today and gone
tomorrow. And if a farmer wants to know
surface moisture all s/he has to do is kick
the soil with the toe of their boot. It is
critical to germination but not much else.
It is the subsoil moisture from three
inches to four feet or more that determines the ability of a crop to survive a
long dry spell.
What is needed is a map showing
areas with potential high water tables
that have residual moisture at depth and
those areas with permanent very deep
water table that never reacts with surface
moisture. We will talk more about that in
a future column. †
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.
STUBBLE SOIL MOISTURE: NOVEMBER 1, 2015
(General guide only — check your own fields in spring)
VERY DRY
Sandy Soils Medium Soils Heavy Soils
Wet to 12-24” Wet to 6-18”
Wet to 6-12”
(About 1 to 2 inches of available water)
DRY
MOIST
WET
GrandePrairie
Prairie
Grande
Stubble has essentially no moisture storage below 6 inches
Sandy Soils
Medium Soils
Heavy Soils
Wet to 24-48” Wet to 18-30”
Wet to 12-24”
(About 2 to 4 inches of available water)
Will include local areas with no dry layer
No dry layer in sandy, medium or heavy soils
Will include local areas of Super Wet
SUPER WET
Excess rain - water table rise. Not mapped 2015
Edmonton
Edmonton
Lloydminster
Lloydminster
PrinceAlbert
Albert
Prince
NorthBattleford
Battleford
North
RedDeer
Deer
Red
Melfort
Melfort
Saskatoon
Saskatoon
Drumheller
Drumheller
Calgary
Calgary
Base map
courtesy of Andrew Nadler
PEAK HydroMet Solutions
www.peakhydromet.ca
Lethbridge
Lethbridge
Yorkton
Yorkton
MedicineHat
Hat
Medicine
Regina
MooseJaw
JawRegina
SwiftCurrent
CurrentMoose
Swift
Weyburn
Weyburn
Brandon
Brandon
Portage Winnipeg
Portage
Winnipeg
Estevan
Estevan
Prepared by Les Henry, January 16, 2016
FEBRUARY 9, 2016 grainews.ca /
23
Columns
Reporter’s Notebook
Ag reporting gets more glamorous
Film premieres are not usually on the list of events that farm reporters are asked to cover
By Lisa Guenther
F
ilm premieres are rare
events for farm journalists. I’ve been told by
better-dressed people that
farm journalists are not known
for their fashion sense, so perhaps
that’s the reason. So naturally
I couldn’t pass up a chance to
attend the License to Farm premiere at the Roxy Theatre in
Saskatoon.
If you haven’t seen the film
yourself, you can check it out at
licensetofarm.com. It’s about half
an hour, and features unscripted
interviews from farmers, scientists, communications specialists,
and other industry. Personally,
I thought it was well done. It
cost about $200,000 to produce,
and $150,000 of that came from
SaskCanola.
The film’s audience is not consumers. It’s farmers like you. The
goal is to inspire farmers to start
talking to consumers about what
they do.
In the back of my mind, I worried a little that SaskCanola was
preaching to the choir with this
documentary. But then I thought
it was probably better to focus
on getting their audience (you)
to act, rather than trying to be
everything to everyone.
The reality is there’s no silver
bullet to slay consumers’ food
fears, and so it’s not fair to judge
the film against those standards.
Instead, the question is whether
it will meet that goal, of getting
farmers talking.
Time will tell, but from what
I’ve seen on social media, it’s
certainly inspiring farmers to
speak up. It’s also garnered coverage from non-farm media. One
farmer in my Twitter network had
even asked an online commenter
to email him to carry on the
conversation (I think that might
work really well, but I’d be a little
cautious about giving out your
personal information. I say this
as someone whose personal info
is already in the wild. It can be
nerve-wracking).
aren’t enough. People don’t necessarily trust science these days,
and sometimes they have very
good reason for that distrust.
Any researcher can skew results
through the experiment’s design
or data analysis. Consumers
don’t generally have the time or
expertise to check whether that’s
the case.
So if you’re speaking with
someone who doesn’t know a
lot about farming, have a little empathy. We’re all ignorant
about something. Listen to what
they say. Explain how you know
what you know. Whatever you
do, don’t tell them their food
sensitivities/anxieties are bunk.
Think of how annoyed you feel
when a stranger tries to give
you unsolicited health or nutrition advice.
People talk about ag advocacy
a lot these days, and I don’t think
there’s anything wrong with
advocating for your own interests.
I don’t think that’s necessarily
what these conversations should
be about, though. They can also
be about both parties learning
something new and walking away
with a better understanding of
each other, even if they don’t
agree on everything.
For an interview with Alexei
Berteig, director of “License to Farm”,
visit Grainews.ca/video,. †
Lisa Guenther is field editor for Grainews
based at Livelong, Sask. Contact her at Lisa.
[email protected] or on Twitter
@LtoG.
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think like a consumer
I know very little about how
clothing is manufactured. I read
the stories about factory fires
and poor working conditions.
I don’t like the idea of people
being exploited or the environment being trashed so I can have
relatively cheap clothing, but I
have no idea what to do about it.
That’s how many people feel
about their food. But to make
things worse, some are afraid
their food might make them sick.
Add that up, and you get an
effective argument for more food
labelling, etc.
I’m all for better ingredient
labeling. I know people with serious food allergies to everything
from eggs to quinoa.
Personally, I don’t think GMOs
fall into the need-to-label category. I’d rather focus on nutrition and ingredient labeling. But
when the food and ag industry
says GMO labels are unnecessary,
people assume it’s because the
industry has something to hide.
Reciting scientific facts alone
License to Farm is a full-length film produced by SaskCanola. The goal of
the film is to inspire farmers to start talking to consumers.
(306) 541-3320
IntelligentAg.com
24
/ grainews.ca FEBRUARY 9, 2016
Machinery & Shop
Pickup truck special
LOOKING
BACK
How manufacturers
tried to convince
farmers to buy
trucks in the ’60s
by Scott Garvey
“
S
tacked! Built!” are the
first two words in the
body of this Mercury
Trucks advertisement
from the early 1960s. Clearly,
they have that nudge-nudgewink-wink feel to them. I’m
pretty sure those terms had the
same double entendre meaning
back then that they do today.
No current marketing manager
would ever let that kind of ad
go to press now.
Among other things, how
these ads were presented
reflect who we were as a society
back then.
To find these old gems we
dug deep into the archives of
our sister publication Country
Guide (Grainews didn’t exist
back then), specifically to
take a look at how truck
brands tried to win favour
with farmers a few decades
ago. Compared to today, there
are clearly some differences
in how manufacturers try
to get their messages across
to potential buyers. But the
main message back then, just
as now, is that the trucks are
tough and capable workers
worthy of finding a home on
Canadian farms.
Here are a few of the ads we
found. Enjoy. †
Scott Garvey is machinery editor for
Grainews. Contact him at Scott.Garvey@
fbcpublishing.com.
FEBRUARY 9, 2016 grainews.ca /
Machinery & Shop
25
Pickup truck special
A Ford F150 sync’d to your UAV?
Ford issues a new “Drone-to-vehicle developer challenge” to software engineers
J
ames Bond has his special
Aston Martin car complete
with ejection seat and all
kinds of high-tech gizmos. If
Ford has its way, farmers may soon
have an F150 pickup at their disposal that would make Q, Bond’s
car creator, proud.
Ford has been working with
drone developer DJI and the
two companies have launched
the “Drone-to-vehicle developer
challenge” aimed at attracting the attention of software
engineers. It’s a contest that is
looking for software program
entries capable of integrating
control of a UAV through an
F150’s onboard digital system.
The winners will bank $100,000
for their efforts.
The goal is to create a rapid
deployment aerial survey system
which allows a Ford F150 and a
UAV to work together. This is how
Ford’s press release describes what
the winning software entry needs
to accommodate:
“In a disaster, an emergency
response team would drive an F-150
as far as possible into an emergency
zone caused by an earthquake or
tsunami (or whatever).”
“Using the Ford SYNC 3 touch
screen, the driver could identify a
target area and launch a drone by
accessing an app projected through
Ford SYNC AppLink. The drone
would follow a flight path over the
zone, capturing video and creating
a map of survivors with associated
close-up pictures of each.”
“Using the driver’s smartphone,
the F-150 would establish a realtime link between the drone, the
truck and the cloud, so vehicle
data can be shared. Data will be
relayed to the drone so the driver
can continue to a new destination,
and the drone will catch up and
dock with the truck.”
Precision ag uses
Initially, the system is being
developed for United Nations
rapid response work in emergency
areas around the globe. But Ford
points out this kind of system
has applications well beyond that,
including agriculture.
“These types of mobility innovations are part of Ford Smart
Mobility,” reads the official press
release from Ford announcing the
challenge. “The plan [is] to take
Ford to the next level in connectivity, mobility, autonomous
vehicles, the customer experience,
and data and analytics.”
photo: ford
By Scott Garvey
Ford and drone developer DJI are looking to integrate UAV control into a pickup’s digital system for a variety
of future applications, including agriculture.
It’s not hard to see how this
kind of system could fit into a precision ag program.
If a producer wants to investigate a crop production issue, he
or she drives up to the edge of
the field, launches a drone from
the back of the truck, controls
it through the truck’s connectivity system while viewing aerial
images in real time and copies
them to a cloud-based server to
share with an agronomist or a
machine operator to immediately
coordinate actions.
In the last decade farmers have
seen the digital world become
increasingly important in precision ag operations. Ford’s vision
for a high-tech truck-UAV fusion
seems pretty likely to eventually
find its way onto farms.
Anyone who wants to participate in the challenge and create
the software needed to support
Ford’s Bond-like vision should
visit http://developer.dji.com/
challenge2016. †
Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews.
Contact him at [email protected].
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26
/ grainews.ca FEBRUARY 9, 2016
Machinery & Shop
Pickup truck special
Ford unveils the 2017 Super Duty
Trailer towing capability is a priority for the brand’s new Super Duty trucks
By Scott Garvey
photo: lisa guenther
M
ost of the new vehicle introductions in this country have
typically taken place at the
Canadian International Auto
Show in Toronto. But Ford didn’t choose
to use that venue to unveil its 2017 line
of Super Duty trucks. Instead, the brand
picked the Canadian Western Agribition
in Regina last November to show potential
buyers what was coming their way.
“Take a look around,” said Bill Rowe, Ford’s
product marketing manger, when asked why
the company chose to introduce the new
trucks in Regina. “These are our customers.
Agribition is the largest agricultural show
in Canada and we wanted to showcase the
2017 Super Duty to the people that use the
Super Duty.”
The 2017 models are still several months
away from production and not all of their
specifications have yet to be published, but
a December press release claims there will be
“16 class-exclusive new features.”
Making these models even more capable in
front of a trailer has been a priority. “We know
the people who use a Super Duty need it for
either payload or towing,” added Rowe. “The
vehicle’s payload and capability for trailering
will be higher than it’s ever been.” Official
load ratings haven’t yet been released.
To make trailer towing easier, the new
trucks will be available with seven onboard
cameras. Four will provide a 360 degree view
around the truck, while another is in the bed
to make backing up to a gooseneck hitch
The Canadian unveiling of the 2017 Ford Super Duty took place in November at the
Canadian Western Agribition in Regina.
easier. A camera for the trailer will also be
able to tell if there is a vehicle in the trailer’s
blindspot. And just like on the truck, there
will be tire pressure monitors available for the
trailer as well.
One of the biggest changes for these
trucks will be switching to aluminum body
construction, which the F150 went to
a year ago. Engineers have gone to that
material to save weight. Overall, aluminum-bodied Super Duty trucks will tip the
scales at about 350 pounds less than the
previous all-steel versions.
“Changing to the aluminum alloy probably took out a lot more weight than that,”
says Rowe. “But what we did was reinvest that
weight into components that are required on
the vehicle. Things like a heavier-duty frame,
bigger brakes, axles, and things like that, just
to make the vehicle tougher.”
Ford claims the high-strength steel frame
on 2017 models will be 24 times stiffer than
before and fully boxed from the rear of the
cab forward on all models.
The adaptive steering feature changes
steering wheel input sensitivity based on
the truck’s speed, increasing it a low
speeds and reducing it at highway speeds
for better handling.
Buyers will get a choice of a “second generation” 6.7 litre V-8 Powerstroke diesel or
a 6.2 litre gas engine. Gas engines will be
mated to Ford’s TorqShift-G transmission in
the F-250 pickup.
Up front, a new grille and LED light package give the 2017s a little different face.
Buyers can also get new side-view mirror
LED spotlights and rear LED cargo lights.
Of course the list of digital “driver assist”
features is a long one. There is lane departure warning. The Blinds Spot Information
System with trailer tow is enhanced for the
Super Duty, using radar embedded in the
taillights to detect vehicles Super Duty drivers may not be able to see in their mirrors.
There is also adaptive cruise control and collision warning which detects slower-moving
vehicles ahead.
“We’re trying to make it easier for our
customers and make towing smarter,” Rowe
said. “The Super Duty is going to be our
smartest, toughest, most capable truck ever.”
All 2017 Super Duty trucks will be built at
Ford’s Louisville, Kentucky, assembly plant,
which has just been give a U.S.$1.3 billion
update and will hire on an additional 2,000
workers to meet the expected demand.
For a video look at the Super Duty
unveiling in Regina watch the e-QuipTV
episode online under the videos link at
Grainews.ca. †
Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at
[email protected].
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FEBRUARY 9, 2016 grainews.ca /
Machinery & Shop
27
Pickup truck special
A new face for the Silverado 1500
GM gives its Silverado truck a facelift and some digital updates for 2016
2
photo: gm canada
3
4
photos: scott garvey
1
1. The Silverado is available with three
different engine options, a 4.3 V-6 along
with 5.3 and 6.2 litre V-8s. 2. The 2016
Silverado has a redesigned hood and grille
with LED lighting. 3. The High Country
package offers a brown leather interior and
all controls are designed to be accessible
while wearing work gloves. 4. Depending
on the trim level of the truck, a seven or
eight inch monitor offers back up camera
views and access to GM’s MyLink.
By Scott Garvey
T
he 2016 Silverado that
GM sent to the Canadian
Truck King Challenge in
October was a preproduction model, so the event judges
were among the first Canadians
to get behind the wheel of one.
Unfortunately because it was a
preproduction model, it will soon
be crushed; it can’t be sold. That’s
a real shame, because it (and all
the new Silverados) was a very
nice truck.
The 2016s get a variety of
updates. The first noticeable difference on the truck is the new
grille with LED lighting and the
sculpted hood. The company
describes it as a “bolder” look than
on previous models.
Underneath that sculpted hood,
buyers can opt for either of three
engines: a 4.3 litre V-6, or a 5.3 or
6.2 litre V-8. The V-8s get Active
Fuel Management (cylinder deactivation) and continuously variable
valve timing to help keep fuel consumption down. The 2016 models also see expanded use of the
brand’s eight-speed transmission.
The entire Silverado line is available with a number of features to
enhance trailer towing, including
the available NHT max trailering
package, which includes a 9.76-inch
rear axle, heavy-duty rear springs,
unique shock tuning, enhanced
cooling and an integrated trailer
brake controller. When equipped
with the big V-8 and NHT package,
Silverados get a 5,443 kilograms
(12,000 pounds) trailer tow rating
and maximum payload of 1,025
kilograms (2,260 pounds).
There are enhancements in the
Silverados’ digital capability as well.
GM’s MyLink is accessed through
the dashboard screen and allows
users to access navigation and connect to compatible cell phones.
There is also is the Silverado’s connectivity feature via OnStar 4G LTE
with a Wi-Fi hotspot. The hotspot
supports up to seven mobile devices
and is on whenever the vehicle is
on. It comes with a three-month,
three-gigabyte data trial.
Silverados also offer electric
variable assist power steering
that reduces the amount of steering wheel input necessary at low
speeds. Electric power steering is
also billed as a fuel saver compared
to traditional power steering and
it requires less maintenance. †
Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews.
Contact him at [email protected].
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28
/ grainews.ca FEBRUARY 9, 2016
Machinery & Shop
Pickup truck special
How the 2016 pickups stack up
Grainews helped out with the judging at the 2016 Canadian Truck King Challenge
By Scott Garvey
1
W
2
hen it’s time to bring
home a new farm
pickup truck, there
are a lot of things to
consider. For example, every new
pickup on a dealer lot has a window
sticker showing Transport Canada
fuel mileage ratings. Trouble is,
those mileage figures may not
really reflect what a truck’s actual
consumption will be on the farm.
And how do a truck’s features
compare to what’s available in competitive models? It’s almost impossible to make a detailed comparison
of trucks if you test drive one, then
have to wait a couple of days to test
another on a completely different
route. And it’s unlikely any dealer
would welcome you showing up
for a test drive with a loaded
trailer to measure a truck’s pulling ability.
There’s only one way to find
out how today’s crop of halfton trucks really compare with
each other, and that is to operate each of them in exactly the
same way on exactly the same
roads. And make them do what
farm pickups do: work.
That’s precisely what happens at the annual Canadian
Truck King Challenge. This year
Grainews was there and took
part in the testing and judging.
The major brands with something new to offer in the halfton truck category each submitted a model for testing.
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Here’s who showed up:
Ford entered two F150s, one
with a 2.7 litre EcoBoost V6 and
six speed transmission, as well as
another 3.5 litre version. A Ram
1500 with a 3.0 litre EcoDieseleight speed combination was there
too. And lastly, GM delivered a
pre-production Silverado with the
5.3 litre EcoTech3 V8 mated to an
eight speed transmission.
To evaluate exactly how these
trucks perform and how much
fuel they drink in the process,
each of the four judges drove
all the trucks along the same
predetermined route under the
same conditions. They were
driven over an off-road course
as well.
For the on-road portion of
the test, trucks made the trip
empty as their performance, ride
and other characteristics were
reviewed. Second, the trucks
again drove the route with a 454
kilogram (1,000 pound) load in
the bed. Third, a 2,727 kilogram (6,000 pound) trailer was
hitched to the back, and the
FEBRUARY 9, 2016 grainews.ca /
Machinery & Shop
29
3
photos: scott garvey
3
1. This Ram 1500 scored an overall win in the competition
along with racking up the thriftiest fuel mileage ratings
in the group. 2. The trucks were required to navigate test
courses both on and off road. 3. Each full size pickup,
like this Ford with a 2.7 litre EcoBoost engine, had to
pull a 2,727 kilgram (6,000 pound) trailer. 4. The 2.7 litre
EcoBoost engine in this Ford is almost hard to find under
the hood, but its power and performance impressed all the
judges, even when towing a trailer.
trucks were once again driven
along the test route. To really
simulate farm conditions, that
route included both pavement
and gravel roads in a rural area.
To provide an overall evaluation, judges rated a variety of
features and characteristics, such
as throttle response, handling
and braking feel. Some of the
categories rated required a little
subjective opinion; but to compensate for that, all the scores
were added up and averaged.
An overall winner was declared
based on the total scores.
Here are the results of the half-ton truck evaluations at the 2016 Canadian Truck King Challenge.
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The winners
The scores were close, reflecting just how good today’s crop
of half tons really is; but the Ram
1500 EcoDiesel inched out victory by a few overall points, and
three out of four judges rated it
highest in the group. So the decision was almost unanimous.
The Ram also had the lowest overall fuel consumption in
the group, and by quite a bit. It
averaged 9.76 litres per 100 kilometres across the entire testing
period, roughly three litres less
than the second-place 3.5 litre
Ford gas engine. It achieved the
lowest consumption numbers in
every test.
All of the trucks seemed to
excel in at least one or two areas.
Take the 2.7 litre Ford, for
example. This relatively tiny
engine showed impressive ability, even when pulling the
trailer, much better than most
judges expected. If, however,
you believe there is no replacement for displacement, Chevy’s
Silverado had the biggest power
plant, and it was clear during
the trailer towing test this V-8
had loads of torque. To help
with fuel consumption, it has a
cylinder shut down feature.
The updated Chevy has new
front-end styling, which makes
it a good looking truck, but the
high hood would also make it
the most difficult of the group
to navigate through a parking lot
with tight quarters. It just wasn’t
as easy to see obstructions close
to the front bumper on this truck
as it was on the others.
To see our e-QuipTV video of the
testing at the Canadian Truck King
Challenge, go to grainews.ca and
click on the videos link. †
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Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews.
Contact him at [email protected].
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FEBRUARY 9, 2016 grainews.ca /
31
Cattleman’s Corner
New technology
New tech improves tag readers
New system works at greater distance and can read groups of animals
BY ANGELA LOVELL
CAPTURING BIG DATA
IMPROVED TRACEABILITY
Kathler says the system will also close any
existing gaps in traceability, especially from
the feedlot to the processing plant.
“We will be able to create an electronic
manifest, untouched by human hands, of
animal movement through different production stages right to the plant, so any
trace-back in the event of a disease outbreak
will involve a few keystrokes rather than
days of searching to discover what animals
have been co-mingled.”
photo: courtesy of sait
R
esearchers at SAIT Polytechnic in
Calgary have developed a new
Radio Frequency Identification
(RFID) system using Ultra-High
Frequency (UHF) tags that will make it
easier and faster to track and trace cattle
at every stage of their movement from the
farm to the processing plant.
With the new system, animals do not
need to go through a squeeze chute because
it reads the new UHF-RFID tags from up to
30 feet away, and records and tracks data
from multiple animals at once.
“Producers can read the tags of groups of
animals en route as they move them from
pen to pen or pasture to pasture,” says Glen
Kathler, the scientist leading the research
team, which recently received an award for
Innovation in Agricultural Science at the
2015 ASTech Awards. “It will make the whole
movement and tracking of animals a lot more
efficient and accurate all the way through the
supply chain, and minimize stress on the animals, which has an effect on animal performance and productivity.”
These overhead ultra-high frequency transponders can read tags as cattle pass by.
REDUCING STRESS AND SAVING COSTS
Early production UHF-RFID tags will cost
around $5 each and a wide-alley, fixedreader system and associated software will
cost about $10,000. Kathler’s team has
done an economic analysis that showed an
average Alberta feedlot could potentially
save $87,920 through adopting UHF-RFID
technology. They estimated about $14 per
animal could be saved by not putting it
through a squeeze chute, which has been
shown to reduce body weight by one per
cent due to stress on the animal.
Kathler anticipates savings will increase
as UHF-RFID technology becomes more
widely adopted, which will drive down the
cost of the systems. He expects to see some
commercial UHF-RFID systems in place in
2016.
“To begin with I would expect to see this system being used on feedlots or larger primary
operations with some sort of closed-loop,
herd-management system,” says Kathler. “But
I think we will see increasing interest from
within the industry. We see some trials now
occurring with the USDA in the United States
as well, so it’s gaining momentum.”
SAIT’s RFID Application Development Lab
(RADLab) is the first in North America — and
one of only three worldwide — to establish
an ISO-certified RFID test lab to certify new
animal-recording technologies. SAIT researchers are also working with the International
Committee for Animal Recording to ensure
the lab meets international standards.
The Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency
(ALMA) contributed $950,000 towards
the UHF-RFID project. President and CEO
Gordon Cove says it presented a great
opportunity.
“SAIT was a good choice as a partner
because it was setting up an RFID lab and it
made sense to take advantage of its expertise and work on furthering the technology
for the benefit of the livestock sector,” says
Cove. “Data is king and the more data producers have, the better decisions they can
make to improve productivity and performance. This technology has the potential to
capture data and tie in genomic, feed-conversion and health information, environmental footprint; the list is endless. We are
happy to be a part of making it all happen.”
The UHF-RFID technology is being
tested on ranches in Alberta and British
Columbia, as well as at feedlots and auction marts, and on transport trucks. The
next step is to tie up any loose ends and to
work on helping the industry transition to
the new technology.
“We are now looking at working with
existing industry partners to make combination LF/UHF tags,” Kathler says. “We are
also doing some work with smartphone
readers that can use both the LF and the
new UHF tags on the same device. So we
are also thinking about what it’s going
to take for the industry to transition. We
hope for the next phase of the project to
integrate this UHF technology into some
of the existing herd-management software.
We see it as a great opportunity for the
industry.” †
Angela Lovell is a freelance writer based in Manitou, Man.
markets
Dollar likely to fall lower in value
‘Ill-conceived’ deficits don’t help the economy in the long run
Jerry
Klassen
Market
Update
I
’ve received many inquiries from cattle producers
regarding the outlook for
the deteriorating Canadian
dollar. Many cattle producers
don’t watch daily market activity
and recently, we’ve seen sharper
changes from week to week as
the Canadian recession deepens.
A dovish monetary policy from
the Bank of Canada along with
left-leaning fiscal policy from the
ruling Liberals have enhanced the
ongoing weakness brought on by
overall lower commodity prices.
In January, Canadian exports
of live cattle to the U.S increased,
cleaning up market-ready supplies,
which was partially brought on by
the softer Canadian dollar. We’ll
likely see an increase in exports of
replacement cattle to the U.S after
a year-over-year decline in feeder
cattle exports during 2015.
The main question is where
do we go from here and what
are the factors to watch moving
forward so that cattle producers
can factor in a reasonable value
when doing their price projections or budgets?
When interest rates or bond
yields are lower in one country versus another, investors will move
funds from the lower-yielding currency to the higher-yielding currency. Over the course of the next
year, the Bank of Canada will have
a tendency to lower interest rates
while the U.S. Federal Reserve will
be inclined to raise interest rates.
In Canada, mortgages are based
on the yields of five and 10-year
bonds and the central bank needs
to keep rates low as consumers
struggle with high household debt
and rising taxes.
Secondly, the lower currency
generally stimulates exports not
only for export commodities but
also the manufacturing sector.
Growth in Eastern Canada manufacturing is needed to offset the
lows in the commodity cycle. A
lower currency is viewed as a tax
on the consumer to support the
country’s export values. The price
of imported goods valued in U.S.
dollars are sharply higher such as
fruits and vegetables while producers of agriculture products and
other commodities are enhanced
on the world market when valued
in Canadian dollars.
Alberta, Ontario and other
provincial governments are running massive deficits while the
Federal government is following
this ill-conceived behaviour in an
effort to stimulate the economy.
Higher taxes, less revenue and
deficit spending are all factors
that wreak havoc on a currency.
BETTER APPROACH
The
investment
climate
in Canada has fallen sharply
on the world stage and major
institutional investors are pulling money out of Canada. The
environment has radically shifted
within a year. The solution to the
current recessionary problem is
“Klein economics” (reference to
the late Alberta Premier Ralph
Klein) whereby you run the government like your house. In year’s
of tough times, you cut spending
and keep the tax burden low
thereby letting consumers stimulate the economy given we have
a PST and GST in most provinces.
Secondly, create an investment-friendly edge over all
other areas of the world with
lower personal and corporate
taxes. Given the prolonged outlook of the recession for Canada,
government injections will run
the course and then fade and
the overall situation will be
worse than in the beginning.
Provincial and federal fiscal policy will continue to pressure
the Canadian dollar long term.
We will not see a turnaround in
these policies anytime soon.
It appears that China’s growth
rate is not as large as earlier anticipated and the slower growth has
set a negative tone for major
currencies reliant on commodity
exports. China’s equity market
is like a casino because investors cannot trust the balance
sheet. Major investors cannot
trade shares in larger corporations so the large swings are due
to the inexperienced, untrained,
and cash-strapped consumer.
Economic data from China is
also unreliable so there are hints
that this bubble from past year’s
growth got ahead of itself. The
world is interconnected with
trade and when the second largest economy slows down, all
economies will feel it. China is
moving to a consumptive economy (similar to the U.S) from
an export economy. Therefore,
expect easing of growth from
the China and don’t expect this
region of the world to stimulate
local demand.
Finally, I have to talk about the
oil sector given the high correlation with crude oil values and
the Canadian dollar. U.S. crude
oil stocks are sharply above the
five-year average, which has
weighed on energy prices and it
is extremely difficult to forecast
when stocks will start to drop.
There is no signal of slowdown
from major exporters and with
Iran coming on stream, the burdensome supply could actually
get worse before getting better.
Overall, the dovish policy
from the Bank of Canada and
fiscal policy of the federal government will keep pressure on
the Canadian dollar. Crude
oil stocks have been building
and there is no signal that the
burdensome supply will be
alleviated anytime soon. The
Canadian dollar is currently
at 13-year lows and there is
downside potential to 0.62/Cdn
which was the low in 2002. †
Jerry Klassen is manager of the Canadian
office for Swiss based grain trader GAP SA
Grains and Products Ltd. He is also president
and founder of Resilient Capital — a specialist
in commodity futures trading and commodity
market analysis. Aside from owning farmland
in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, he’s a
University of Alberta graduate who grew up
on a mixed farm feedlot operation in Southern
Alberta, which keeps him close to the
grassroots of grain and cattle production. He
can be reached at 204 504 8339.
32
/ grainews.ca FEBRUARY 9, 2016
Cattleman’s Corner
Keepers and Culls
The next project after COOL
Lee
Hart
I
have to give the Canadian Cattlemen’s
Association (CCA) and Canada’s federal
government credit for their patience
and persistence. I never thought the
U.S. government would ever do away with
its country-of-origin labelling (COOL) law
once it was enacted in 2008.
And after all the trips and lobbying to
the U.S. capital over the past eight years, I
figured “You guys are wasting your time.”
But lo, there at the end of 2015, President
Barack Obama signed the order to do away
with COOL.
The World Trade Organization kept holding the U.S. feet to the fire in its rulings that
said COOL was unfair. Canada and Mexico
(because it affected them too) joined with
their threats and plans to impose about $4 billion in levies and surcharges on U.S. imports.
The WTO ruled that $1 billion was fair.
And it wasn’t even that the U.S. government administration that supported COOL.
The U.S. agriculture secretary, the National
Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the U.S.
meat industry all were in agreement with
WTO rulings. It was just relatively strong
and somewhat radical Ranchers-Cattlemen
Action Legal Fund (R-Calf) that lobbied long
and hard to have COOL created.
Writer Jeff Gaye in the January issue
of Beef Business, the Saskatchewan Stock
Growers magazine, had a good article on
the rise and fall of COOL (available online
at skstockgrowers.com). In the article SSGA
past-president Harold Martens said at one
point COOL was costing the Canadian meat
industry about $640 million per year in lost
business and it also cost Canadian producers about $2 million to fight COOL. I’m not
sure what the final figures are, obviously the
fight was a worthwhile investment.
But I decided over the years that these
trade matters are fickle and irrational. I
remember sitting in the office of Nithi
Govindasamy years ago and marvelled as he
talked about the slow pace of trade negotiations. Govindasamy is now deputy minister
of Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways and
Infrastructure, but back in the day he was
a young international trade specialist with
Alberta Agriculture.
But I guess the grain guys also know a
bit about patience and persistence. How
many decades of lobbying and protesting
did it take to end the Canadian Wheat Board
monopoly? I was probably the last to discover this information, but recently during
some reading I learned that when the wheat
pools were created back in early 1920s they
themselves created a Central Selling Agency
to pool the price and market grain. That system was successful for several years, but then
the Agency ran into financial difficulties
after a crop failure in 1928-29, so the federal
government stepped in to bail it out, and
then created the CWB in 1935.
Maybe now that the CCA guys have a
lot of spare time after slaying the COOL
dragon, they can work on dismantling or
fixing the Middle East oil cartel to get the
world economy going again.
COMING EVENTS
• Alberta Beef Industry Conference — Beef
producers from across Western Canada are
invited to the annual Alberta Beef Industry
Conference, Feb. 17 to 19 at the Sheraton
Hotel in Red Deer, Alta. The conference will
feature more than a dozen speakers on a wide
range of topics including marketing, business management, nutritional advice, animal health, and North American and global
economics and markets. One session bound
to have an interesting message will feature
former Alberta Conservative cabinet minister
Doug Griffiths with a talk on 13 ways to kill
your beef industry. For more details visit the
conference website at: www.abiconference.ca
• SSGA Spring Break — If you’re looking to get away to someplace warm, the
Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association
may still have room on its seven-day spring
break trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico March
4 to 11. Along with being able to attend
the Campeonato Nacional Charro Rodeo,
it sounds like there will be plenty of time
to relax at the Sheraton Buganvillias. Cost
of the trip is CDN$1,610 (based on double
occupancy). Call Katherin at 1-306-690-5309
for details.
• Livestock care in Alberta — Fresh opportunities, global perspectives and lively discussion are set to capture the spotlight at
the 2016 Livestock Care Conference, March
22-23 in Olds, Alta., hosted by Alberta
Farm Animal Care (AFAC). The Livestock
Care Conference begins Tuesday, March
22, with special sessions including a sheephandling workshop,and the AFAC Annual
General Meeting. The main speaker agenda
is Wednesday, March 23, kicking-off with
a message from the provincial Minister of
Agriculture and Forestry and a welcome and
update from the AFAC Executive Director.
Brenda Schoepp discusses The Interconnetion
Between Human and Animal Welfare; Dr.
Jennifer Walker talks Animal Welfare at the
Intersection Between Politics, Policy, Profit
photo: lee hart
The key to farm policy change is persistence
And the man even makes house calls —
this is Greg Evans, chief veterinarian for
the Calgary Stampede, applying his equine
dental skills to one of the horses at the
Calgary Stampede Ranch near Hanna,
Alberta. The horses who are trained to
be bucking broncs and other competitors
receive excellent and regular animal health
care. Evans may not make it in human
dentistry field, but his patients at the ranch
didn’t voice any complaints.
& People; Leona Dargis presents on Animal
Welfare Around the World; Dr. Alexandra
Harlander discusses Hot Topics in Poultry
Welfare; and Marion Popkin presents on All
About Rabbits. In addition, the conference
features a ‘Bear Pit’ Panel Session on “When
Manure Hits the Fan.” Bear Pit panelists
include Darren Vanstone of World Animal
Protection, Jackie Wepruk of National Farm
Animal Care Council (NFACC), Brandy Street
of the BC.SPCA and Michelle Follensbee
of the Animal Welfare Branch of Alberta
Agriculture and Forestry. Complete agenda
details and registration information is available at www.afac.ab.ca. Follow at hashtag
#LCC2016. †
Lee Hart
Innovations
Great ideas for lifting hogs recognized
T
he 2016 F. X. Aherne award for Innovative Pork
Production is being shared by two winners.
Sam Gelowitz of the Prairie Swine Centre
in Saskatoon, Sask. received the award for an
innovative carcass-removal cart, while Steve’s Livestock
Transport of Manitoba received the prize for a new
hydraulic lift deck trailer. The awards were presented at
the 2016 Banff Pork Conference.
“Innovation is the lifeblood of any industry and this prize
recognizes individuals who have developed either original
solutions to pork production challenges or creative uses of
known technology,” says Dr. Michael Dyck of the University
of Alberta, chair of the F.X. Aherne prize committee. “With
the quality of applicants it is not hard to see why this award
is popular.”
The prize is named after industry icon, the late Dr. Frank
Aherne, a professor of swine nutrition and production at the
University of Alberta in Edmonton and a major force for science-based progress in the western Canadian pork industry.
CARCASS CART
The carcass removal cart designed by Gelowitz is designed
out of safety and ease of removal of dead sows and large
grower/finish pigs from the building. Previous carts use a vertical manual winch system to hoist the carcass, which became
top heavy when transporting animals to the disposal site, and
took a lot of manual labour.
The new design transports animals safely with a minimal
amount of lifting by employees. The design uses a pallet
jack, a parcel-and-product rolling system and a 12 volt
electric 2,000-lb. winch.
The pallet jack has excellent maneuverability allowing access
to areas 30 in. in width and has zero-turn radius to maneuver
around sharp corners. The roller system eases the strain of barn
workers in moving animals onto the platform. The battery system is housed in an RV or marine storage unit for protection
from the elements. A charger system keeps the battery charged
at all times. Additional design elements add strength and help
prevent the loaded cart from tipping over.
It all adds up to quick and easy removal of dead animals, less
risk of staff injury and increased productivity.
HYDRAULIC DECKS
The new hydraulic lift deck trailer from Steve’s Livestock
Transport, based in Blumenort, Man. was designed in conjunction with Wilson Trailer Company of Sioux City, Iowa.
The all-aluminum deck system has a powerful hydraulic
lift cylinder and stainless steel cable system that raises two
full-length decks into locked position. It acts as an elevator to
lift livestock into different deck levels, which eliminates ramp
usage to enter or exit the trailer. Loading animals on the level
and then lifting the deck reduces animal fatigue, stress and
injury during movement and improves meat quality.
The new design has other attributes. It has superior ventilation through the trailer and the common contamination areas
are easier to wash out. Biosecurity is enhanced. Heavy-duty
gates contain and separate loads. The design is also physically
easier on drivers.
The Banff Pork Seminar is coordinated by the Department
of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University
of Alberta, in cooperation with Alberta Pork, Alberta
Agriculture and Forestry and other pork industry representatives from across Canada. A Special Report on the 2016
Seminar is available at www.banffpork.ca. Meristem Land
& Science, is based in Calgary, Alta. Phone 403-543-7420
or visit www.meristem.com. †
A winch and roller system on a pallet lifter makes
it easier to move dead animals.
photo: courtesy steve’s trucking
BY MERISTEM INFORMATION RESOURCES
photo: lprairie swine centre
Two different lift systems reduce stress for people and animals
Steve’s Trucking developed a hydraulic system to
lift two decks inside an livestock trailer making it
easier to load and unload animals.
FEBRUARY 9, 2016 grainews.ca /
33
Cattleman’s Corner
focus on management
A pound is a pound, right?
Some simple changes in production and management can add extra value to cattle
BY SEAN MCGRATH
O
ver the past year
we’ve had unparalleled high prices in
the beef industry, but
with the last few months representing one of the largest price
declines in the history of the
industry. Yet prices are still relatively profitable for the cow-calf
industry.
Not so for cattle feeders, who
have just undergone a period
of historic losses. Thankfully (I
think) the fall of the Canadian
dollar has buffered the Canadian
feeding industry from some
of the full impact of this price
inversion.
Most of us on the cow-calf
side of the business sell cattle
by the pound. The more pounds
we sell, the bigger the cheque
we receive, but when we look at
the context of the whole industry it becomes readily apparent
that not all pounds are created
equal. This creates the potential
to capture premiums or risk
discounts.
Feedlots buying cattle typically have pretty solid risk management programs in place and
they are usually acutely aware
of their break even and how
much they can afford to pay
for cattle. Capturing extra dollars really boils down to making
your pounds more valuable than
the average pounds. So the first
question is how we accomplish
this feat?
or three weeks. That can have a
huge impact on cost of gain.
This is part of the appeal of
pre-sort sales, but also why larger
groups of calves will tend to
receive a price premium.
UNIFORMITY
LOAD AND PEN LOTS
This relates to load and pen
lots, but deserves separate consideration. On any given day
at a market there is potentially
huge differences in cattle in the
same weight range. If we fall
back on our 600-pound weaned
calf example, the most basic
difference could be weeks to
months of difference in age of
the cattle. A calf that takes eight
months to reach 600 pounds
is significantly different than
one that accomplishes the same
feat in six months. It is highly
likely the feeding characteristics
of these cattle are also significantly different. For this reason
alone it may be worth seeking
out like-minded programs used
by other producers whom which
you can co-market cattle. There
is a premium for uniform cattle
for a variety of reasons including ease of management and the
ability to feed to their expected
potential.
Many producers may not realize the premiums available from
being able to sell truckloads or
pen loads of cattle. A truckload
is roughly 60,000 pounds, and
a pen load in a modern lot may
range from 150 to over 600 head.
The ability to fill trucks or pens
completely may seem like small
potatoes, but consider the savings. Let’s take a $1,000 truck trip
divided against a truck that is 3/4
full of 600-pound calves. Instead
of 100 calves there are 75 head.
That works out to an added cost
of $3.33 per head. That seems
pretty small until you consider
it across an entire feedlot. If you
have this added cost in a small
lot of 5,000 head, that equates to
$16,650.
Consider the logistics of filling a large pen over a short time
frame and getting cattle onto a
uniform feeding program versus
filling the same pen over two
HEALTH
Most cow herds have a reasonable health program. Taking some
extra steps to ensure the health of
cattle marketed is often as simple
as providing a booster shot prior
to weaning. This should take place
two weeks to a month prior to
weaning/shipping so that the calf
can build some immunity. It is
likely the calf will receive similar
shots upon initiation to the feedlot,
but the investment of a few dollars
at the cow-calf end can result in a
reduced death or chronic count,
particularly during that first stressful month in the feedlot. Healthy
calves are worth more and feeders
certainly remember losses.
GENETICS
As mentioned previously, not
all cattle are created equal. As
well, every management system
is unique and requires something a bit unique to fit the bill.
For most of us, fertility is much
more important than growth or
carcass characteristics. That said,
there are some basics we should
consider. Some cattle are not
well suited to go onto full feed
post-weaning, and should not be
marketed that way. Additionally,
The 2016
FBC
7.7500X5.0000
000066215r1
4CPULL ONLY IF LATE AD COMES IN
some calves are not well suited
for backgrounding and have the
genetic makeup to handle a bit
of a push. Separating the offering
of these basic genetically different packages can go a long way
toward improving performance
and price.
As well, some base level of
post-weaning performance, feed
efficiency and carcass merit
should be considered when looking at sire purchases, even if you
are not retaining ownership of
your calves past weaning. Profit
has to come from somewhere
and if cattle do not have the
basic characteristics to perform
in the marketplace, the profit
will be made in the purchase
price. It is easier than ever to
obtain some of this knowledge
with new technology such as
BIXS that can provide feedback
from further down the chain.
TALK ABOUT IT
Good communication is one of
the weaknesses that many of us
share. We can’t get angry when
we take all the right steps and
still receive average price for our
calves if we failed to tell anybody
» continued on page 34
“Where the serious
bull buyers are
looking”
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PUBLICATION SCHEDULE
rAnge
WArs
long WAY
From lA Crete
But country stars Brad and
Curtis Rempel haven’t forgotten
their farm roots » PG 32
Report on grazing leases
ignites an old debate » PG 22
ThE
ANNuAL
ROuNDup
Young beef
producers
meet in
Neepawa
» Pg 15
MO
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scan the code or go to
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Stonewall pays tribute to
artist William Kurelek » Pg 3
Publications Mail Agreement # 40069240
LATE FEBRUARY ISSUES: Deadline: Feb. 1, 2016
February 29 - Alberta Farmer
February 22 - Saskatchewan AgDealer
February 25 - Manitoba Co-operator
AlbertA eDItION | Issue #18 | August 31, 2015 | ADVeRtIsINg INFORMAtION: 1-888-999-4178 | www.agdealer.com
serVing mAnitobA FArmers since 1925 | Vol. 73, no. 33 | $1.75
August 13, 2015
Vo lu m e 1 2 , n u m b e r 1 6
no word on
farm aid until
after harvest
Livestock producers have
a tax deferral option, but
government waiting to
see if crop insurance is
adequate
By Alexis Kienlen
AF STAFF
C
August 3, 2015
Farm leaders say
workers’ compensation
coverage is a good thing
Mandatory enrolment could be announced this fall, but leaders
say cost and paperwork won’t be onerous
cP Rail says
it’s ready to
move this
year’s crop
to market
MAFRD is looking at how well these oversize cold frames
can extend horticultural growing seasons
The company is
investing billions to
move even more grain
as western Canadian
production continues
to increase
see CP Rail on page 7 »
JOHN DEERE HEADERS
High tunnel production has potential to extend the Manitoba grower’s season, says MAFRD’s fruit crops specialist Anthony Mintenko. He and the provincial
vegetable crop specialist are evaluating fruit and vegetable crops for high tunnel production at the AAFC site at Portage la Prairie. PHOTO: LORRAINE STEVENSON
BY LORRAINE STEVENSON
A
You don’t have to go far to find hazards on a farm, and that’s why new workplace safety regulations are inevitable, say farm
leaders. PHOTOS: COURTESY Canadian agRiCUlTURal SafETY aSSOCiaTiOn
AF STAFF
tors for workers’ compensation.”
Oneil Carlier, the new NDP
agriculture minister, has
vowed to extend workplace
safety regulations to farm
workers who aren’t currently
covered by workers’ compensation or Occupational Health
and Safety regulations.
Today, only around seven
per cent of Alberta farm
employers voluntarily carry
workers’ compensation for
their operations. But offering
that protection — both for
employers and employees —
is one of the realities of farm-
Mike Millar
ing today, said Jacobson, who
farms near Enchant.
“There’s getting to be more
and more hired help on the
farm and we’re employing
more people,” he said. “It gives
protection from litigation and
other advantages, and if you
don’t have it, there can be
some serious consequences.”
And farm workers today
“aren’t just interested in a paycheque,” he said.
“They’re starting to realize,
‘If I get hurt on this job, where’s
the protection for my family?’
When it comes down to it, a
farm that has some type of
protection for those people is
going to have a lot easier time
hiring people.”
Cost and paperwork
There are “some misconceptions” about workers’ compensation that have made Alberta
farmers reluctant to offer coverage to their workers, said
Jacobson.
“Some people don’t like that
administrative role and the
paperwork that is associated
with the program at this point
in time,” he said.
Publication Mail Agreement 40069240
By JenniFeR BlAiR
Advertising Sales
Cell: 403-393-7493
[email protected]
OTHER COMBINES
CIH 2388 - 2003
CIH 2388 MF 8780 NH CR9080 - 2010, 1031/790 HRS
NH TR98 - 2218 HRS
NH CX8080 MF 9790 -
Co-operator staff / Portage la Prairie
hanges to farm safety
regulations are expected soon — and that
might not be a bad thing
for Alberta farmers, says the
president of the Alberta Federation of Agriculture.
“Workers’ compensation
or private insurance really
is a great risk management
tool for farms nowadays,”
said Lynn Jacobson. “That
protection against litigation
is one of the big selling fac-
T
WOU
BLO
JD S670 - 2012, Duals
JD S670 - 2012
JD S670 - 2012
JD S680 JD T670 JD 8820 - 1983
JD 8820 JD 8820 - Titan II
JD 9501 - PT
JD 9650 - Walker
JD 9660 - Walker
JD 9760 - STS
A
senior executive with
CP Rail says the company is “well positioned” to move this year’s
g ra i n c r o p d e s p i t e re c e n t
cutbacks in staff and
locomotives.
Grain is, was and will continue to be Canadian Pacific
Railway’s biggest cargo, John
Brooks, vice-president of sales
and marketing for bulk commodities, said in an interview
Aug. 6.
And the historic railway
founded in 1881 is investing to
move even more in the future,
he said. “Make no bones about
it, grain is king at CP,” he said.
“It is our life-bread. There is
nothing we want to do more
than move a lot of grain.
“I think we feel pretty good
about our handling capacity…
to move this new crop.”
C
VISIT WWW.DEERMART.COM FOR MORE USED INVENTORY
JOHN DEERE COMBINES
Co-operator staff
rop producers will have to
wait until after harvest to
find out if there is any government drought assistance, says
the president of the Grain Growers
of Canada.
The question of additional farm
aid was put to Oneil Carlier, the
new NDP agriculture minister,
when he attended an Alberta
Wheat Commission directors’
meeting in Red Deer on July 21,
said Gary Stanford, who is also a
director with that organization.
“I asked him if there will be any
form of funding for cattle and hay,
and also for some areas that are so
dry that crop insurance for grain
farmers won’t really cover everything,” said the Magrath-area producer.
“He said that he will probably
wait until after harvest is over and
he gets the crop insurance information back from the Agricultural
Financial Services Corporation to
see what the facts are. He’ll then
find out which counties are in the
worst shape.”
That same stance was taken
by Federal Agriculture Minister
Gerry Ritz at a national meeting of
agriculture ministers held in mid-
USED INVENTORY LIQUIDATION
2010 NH CR9080
WAS $269,900 NOW $199,900
BY ALLAN DAWSON
see FARM AiD } page 6
Rick Dibben
mAnitobAcooperAtor.cA
Researchers study how to
extend the growing season
see COVeRAGe } page 7
National Advertising Sales
Cell: 306-251-0011
[email protected]
production system that extends
the growing season, offers growers a competitive edge in the
marketplace and potential to make
more money sounds mighty tempting.
That’s why fruit and vegetable growers were out in large numbers at Hort
Diagnostic Days in late July to hear
more about construction of high
tunnels.
This is the first year a variety
of fruits and vegetables has been
planted in the high tunnel built in
2014 at the Agriculture Agri-Food
Canada location in Portage la Prairie.
Growers are keen to hear what
Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural
Development (MAFRD) specialists are
learning.
High tunnel production is commonplace in other parts of Canada and
in northern and central U.S. where
nearly every type of fruit and vegetable is now grown, even tree fruits.
MAFRD staff are researching how high
tunnels work in Manitoba growing
conditions.
“We have a lot of recommendations
from other places like Minnesota
and Ontario about what to grow in
a high tunnel but nothing for under
Manitoba conditions,” said fruit
crop specialist Anthony Mintenko,
who is evaluating day-neutral strawberries, early-season June-bearing
strawberries, fall-bearing raspberries
and blackberries at one end of the
100x15x7.5-foot tunnel. Provincial
vegetable specialist Tom Gonsalves is
experimenting with vegetables such
as tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers
at the other.
High tunnels are like greenhouses,
except they don’t have a double layer
of poly, and no permanent heat or
electricity. But they have a similar
function — they keep cold out and,
conversely, heat in.
JD 635D - Cross Auger
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JD 2950 - 2WD, Cab, recent wo
JD 4450 - 2WD, JD 725
JD 4455 - MFWD, PST, JD 265
JD 4960 - duals, MFWD, 3 PTH
JD 5075E - Cab, MFWD, H240 loader
JD 5075M - DEMO
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JD W150 - 2013, 430D
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JD W150 - c/w 430D Platform 2014 DEMO$179,900
JD W150 - c/w 430D Platform 2013
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MACDON M150 - 2009, D60, 30ft
$119,900
MACDON M150 - 2008
$114,500
MACDON M150 - D60 25ft 2008
$115,900
MACDON 960 HDR - 21ft, 1997
$15,900
PREMIER M150 - 25ft, 2008
$159,000
PREMIER M155 - 30ft, 2012
$145,900
PREMIER M155 - 30ft, 2012
$145,900
PREMIER M155 - 30ft, 2012
$153,900
PREMIER M155 - 30ft, 2012
$155,900
WESTWARD 9352 - 2002, 30ft
$75,900
CIH 8820 - 25ft Rotosheears
$29,900
WAS
$23,500
$25,900
$71,900
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NOW
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JOHN DEERE 2WD
JD 5200 - MFWD, cab, 540 loader
JD 6125M - MFWD,
JD 6430 - Premium, 673 loader
JD 7200 - MFWD, 740 loader
JD 7215R - MFWD, H480
JD 7210R - IVT, 50 k, frt 3pth & pto
JD 7210R - 50 k, IVT, frt 3pth & pto
JD 7210R - 50 k, IVT, H480 loader
JD 7210R - 50 k, IVT, H480 loader
JD 7220 - 741 loader
JD 4440 - 2WD, 740SL loader
JD 5100E - cab, MFWD, low hrs
JD 7430 - MFWD, 741 loader
JD 7830 - AUTOQUAD, 746 loader
JD 8335R - IVT, frt hitch REDUCED
JD 8345R - 2 To Choose From
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WAS
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JD 9430 - PS
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into Canadian Cattlemen –
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– Alberta Farmer Express
– Manitoba Co-operator –
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(Ask Your Rep for Rates! Available Upon Request)
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TOLL FREE: 877-613-3373
TEL: 403-343-2238
Mike Gait
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403-302-9101 (cell)
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403-588-9942 (cell)
403-350-5644 (cell)
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www.deermart.com
see ReseaRCheRs on page 6 »
COOL: U.S. challengeS canada’S claim» PAGE 3
Tiffiny Taylor
Sales & Special Projects
Cell: 204-228-0842
tiffi[email protected]
REMINDER Contact your Rep
to tell them about your Post
Sale Results so we can publish
them in Canadian Cattlemen
34
/ grainews.ca FEBRUARY 9, 2016
Cattleman’s Corner
calf management
Strong immunity key to calf health
It all starts by making sure newborns have adequate and timely colostrum
heather
smith
thomas
I
llness occurs when the body is overwhelmed by infection. A healthy animal with strong immunity is less likely
to become sick. Immunity refers to the
body’s ability to fight off bacteria or viruses,
and this ability is developed in a complex
process in which the body creates specific
weapons for fighting specific invaders.
When viruses or bacteria enter the body,
they start invading tissues and causing damage by multiplying and creating toxic products. This damage stimulates the body to
create an antibody (a serum protein called
an immunoglogulin) to react with the invading agent and neutralize it. Antibodies are
carried through the body in blood and
lymph systems. The main role of one type of
lymphocyte (white blood cell) is to produce
antibodies, the proteins that can neutralize
certain infectious agents.
If an animal already has antibodies
against a specific disease organism, then
whenever that particular organism invades
the body again, an army of white blood cells
(with their antibodies) converge on the site
to kill the invader.
Vaccination can stimulate production of
antibodies, since the vaccine serves as the
antigen (like an invading pathogen). The
body builds protective antibodies to fight the
invader. Then when the animal later comes
into contact later with the infectious agent,
the antibody is present in the bloodstream to
inactivate the pathogen. If enough antibodies
are present to inactivate all the pathogens that
invade the body, the animal will not get sick,
and the invasion stimulates rapid production
of more antibodies for future protection.
A cow in a natural environment may not
be exposed to very many disease-causing
organisms, but today most cattle are confined during some parts of the year (in corrals, small pens or pastures that have been
contaminated by heavy cattle use) and come
in close contact with other cattle, with more
chance of disease spread. But with vaccination and natural exposure to various pathogens, the cow develops many antibodies and
strong immunity. During the last part of
pregnancy she puts these antibodies into the
colostrum she produces, so her calf can have
instant immunity after his first nursing. The
antibodies in colostrum are very important
to the newborn calf because he has very little
disease resistance of his own.
PASSIVE IMMUNITY
Young calves are vulnerable to diseases
such as scours and pneumonia but Mother
Nature has this loophole covered. To help
protect calves during this precarious period,
» CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33
A pound is
a pound, right?
about the steps we take. It is OK to
talk to buyers about your cattle, or
prepare information sheets.
We’ve been fortunate over the
years to work with markets and
buyers who will allow and even
encourage us to provide information on our cattle and our program. This not only helps to tell
a positive story of why your cattle
photo: heather smith thomas
ANTIBODIES
blood-borne infections caused by bacteria
such as salmonella, pasteurella, streptococcus, but cannot directly prevent gut
infections such as those caused by E.
coli. But high levels of certain antibodies
in the blood can help reduce severity of
scours, and the antibodies that stay in the
gut after the intestinal wall closes (colostrum ingested in subsequent nursings)
can attack any scours-causing pathogens
found there.
The number of colostrum antibodies that
fight scours organisms such as E. coli can be
increased by vaccinating the cow ahead of
calving. Make sure the vaccine is given far
enough ahead (at least two weeks), allowing
the cow time to develop the antibodies. On
the other hand don’t vaccinate too early
(no more than 50 days) so that her immunity level is dropping. Some types of scours
can be prevented by giving the calf a commercially prepared concentrated antibody
source or oral vaccine soon after birth.
It’s important for baby calves to be up and nursing within an hour or two.
HEIFERS’ CALVES
the necessary antibodies are provided in the
cow’s colostrum, to give the calf a temporary (passive) immunity against the challenges he will soon face.
Antibodies in a cow’s bloodstream are
unable to cross the placental barrier because
these molecules are too large. A calf can
receive the antibodies from his dam only
from drinking her colostrum. During the
last three weeks of pregnancy she accumulates antibodies from her bloodstream into
her mammary glands; a well-fed, healthy
cow produces an abundant amount of
colostrum and a large volume of antibodies.
You can maximize those antibodies by making sure she is not too thin (undernourished
cows produce less total colostrum), and that
her vaccinations are up to date so she will
produce a high level of antibodies against
those specific diseases.
At the time she gives birth, the concentration of antibodies in her milk reaches its highest peak, then drops rapidly. It is important
that the calf nurse as soon as possible after
birth, to get full benefit from her antibodies.
Heifers’ calves are at greater risk of disease than calves born to older cows. Heifer
colostrum does not contain as many antibodies and has less variety of antibodies
because young cows have been exposed to
fewer infectious organisms in their short
lives. Heifers may also have less volume of
colostrum. A heifer’s calf may not absorb as
many antibodies as it should if it is slow to
nurse after a difficult birth. The stress of a
hard birth can also make the calf less able
to absorb antibodies efficiently; stress may
affect absorption even if you make sure it
gets plenty of colostrum.
ABSORBING ANTIBODIES
There are several types of antibodies
present in the cow’s colostrum. Their absorption rate and role in disease prevention varies depending on the class of antibody (IgG,
IgM, IgA). Some are designed to be absorbed
immediately and directly through the calf’s
intestinal wall, where they enter the lymph
system and bloodstream to be ready to fight
disease organisms, while others stay in the
gut and attack any pathogens found there.
The newborn calf must nurse quickly
(to absorb the immunoglobulins that go
through the intestinal wall before it thickens) and continue to obtain colostrum during its next several nursings. This helps to
keep the other antibodies in its gut to protect against scours bacteria hit may ingest
from dirty teats or a dirty environment. The
are not average, but also provides
a tremendous risk reduction for
the buyer. Knowing that calves are
vaccinated may allow them to factor in a lower death loss, or understanding the type of sires used may
allow them to price in a feed efficiency or carcass grid premium into
the price paid for weaned calves.
ACCOUNTABILITY
AND THANKFULNESS
Accountability probably
should go without saying, but
it should be mentioned. When
remaining antibodies in the mother’s dwindling supply of colostrum (as it becomes
diluted with regular milk) continue to benefit the calf even though it can no longer
absorb any through the gut lining.
The crucial antibodies the calf needs in
its bloodstream are absorbed by a process
called pinocytosis, which involves creation
of a fluid pocket that aids in movement of
antibodies through the wall of the intestine
and into the lymph system. This works best
when the calf is first born and its gut lining
is thinnest, making it easier for big molecules to slip through. The lining begins to
thicken after birth. The calf gets maximum
antibody absorption if it nurses within the
first 15 to 30 minutes after birth.
By the time a calf is four hours old it
has lost 75 per cent of his ability to absorb
antibodies, and absorption rate decreases
rapidly after that. Any calf that has not been
able to nurse in the first hour or two should
be assisted, or given colostrum by bottle,
stomach tube or esophageal feeder. A calf
needs to receive enough colostrum equal
to about five per cent of his body weight
soon after birth (1.5 quarts for a 60-pound
calf, two quarts for an 80-pound calf, or 2.5
quarts for a 100-pound calf), and the same
amount again about six hours later.
Once the calf starts to nurse, gut closure
is hastened. This is probably nature’s way to
insure that nothing else slips through the
intestinal lining (such as bacteria or viruses).
Thus it is important that a calf have a full
feeding of colostrum soon after birth. If a
calf is cold and weak and only able to nurse
a little, or if you feed him a small amount
rather than a full feeding, this will speed up
closure of his gut lining. The calf may not
be able to absorb any more antibodies by its
next nursing. After the gut closes the calf
will only get the benefit of antibodies that
fight pathogens in the gut itself.
Antibodies in the calf’s bloodstream
obtained via colostrum can help it resist
we take steps to add value to our
cattle and market that added
value it is extremely important to “put your money where
your mouth is” so to speak.
Misrepresentation will always
come back to bite you.
Being thankful is also something that should probably go
without saying as well. Obviously
being thankful for a sale/purchase happens post-sale when
the price is already established,
but an attitude of gratitude goes
a long way. Consider the investment that a feeder is making
ACTIVE IMMUNITY
Calves lose their temporary immunity (protection gained from antibodies via colostrum)
by seven to eight weeks or earlier, at which
time their own immune system must take
over. The time it takes for a calf’s immune system to gear up to ward off invaders will vary,
depending partly on how strong its passive
immunity was. If the calf had a high level of
antibodies from colostrum, which effectively
neutralized any invading organisms, its own
defences are not stimulated to develop until
that protection begins to wear off.
The antibodies gained through colostrum
can also interfere with effectiveness of vaccinations. If a calf is vaccinated young, while
it still has high levels of maternal antibodies
in its blood, the calf’s own immune system
won’t bother to respond to the antigens in
the vaccine because they are being neutralized by the maternal antibodies. Many types
of vaccination given to a calf when it is only
two to three weeks old won’t give protection,
since it will not stimulate immunity. Most
vaccines should be given at eight weeks of
age or older, and repeated with a booster
shot two to six weeks later to ensure the calf’s
immune system will be able to respond. †
Heather Smith Thomas ranches with her husband Lynn
near Salmon, Idaho. Contact her at 208-756-2841
in filling their feedlot and the
subsequent costs of feeding those
cattle. This is a huge annual
investment for often small or
even negative returns.
A customer-focused approach
involves gratitude for supporting our businesses. This is as
simple as shaking the buyer’s
hand after a sale, or even sending a thank you note. Perhaps
not surprisingly this is also one
of the most effective and lowestcost methods of adding value to
your cattle, and one that is often
forgotten.
As market volatility increases
and prices move we have to realize that although a pound is a
pound, one pound can be worth
more than another. Adding value
to each and every pound we
produce does not have to cost
a lot, but can result in happier
customers that are taking on less
risk and can significantly change
our bottom lines. †
Sean McGrath is a rancher and consultant
from Vermilion, AB. He can be reached at
[email protected] or (780)8539673. For additional information visit www.
ranchingsystems.com.
FEBRUARY 9, 2016 grainews.ca /
35
Home Quarter Farm Life
SEEDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
Farm life tension audit —
time to fix your stress mess
Complete this checklist to see how you could help fix your tension this year
elationships… People tensions:
R
Why? Helping or hindering your
vision?
• Spouse/partner , we are working on
making our relationship stronger.
• Siblings are in contact and understand
our vision for our farm.
• Parents are transparent and sharing
their future life chapter expectations.
• Children are engaged with farm chores
and learning to be independent.
• Extended family members can
celebrate good times with us.
• Friends are part of our weekly
plans to stay connected.
• Neighbours know they can ask for
help, and we appreciate each other.
• Co-workers at the farm are
appreciated, engaged, and happy
to be on the team.
• Farm manager is learning to
let go and delegate responsibility
to others.
Elaine
Froese
R
ecently Mike Lipkin (see www.
mikelipkin.com) offered me a
checklist of champions, and it
encouraged me to think about
being more intentional about identifying how to be a champion. Here is
another checklist of what might be
creating tension on our farms when you
don’t feel like a champion! Take a few
moments for self-care and self-awareness
to complete this checklist and see where
you want to be more creative about fixing your farm stress mess this year.
arming with family:
F
Why the stress and tension?
• Job dissatisfaction, no ability
to make decisions, founder
won’t let go!
• Future job potential, no
agreements in place.
• Work project, the farm work
is “never done.”
• Deadlines, well actually we
don’t have any, that is the problem.
• Expectations are unrealistic,
this is 2016!!
• Education, would like more but
how can I make this work?
Money. Financial tension: Why?
• Income is irregular, we need
to meet our family living needs.
• Credit card debt is too high,
should we cut up the cards?
• Farm debt for land is
overwhelming us.
• Operating loans are maxed out.
• Retirement plans are nil, parents
will just “reinvent and take
on new roles.”
• Savings, sounds good, how do I
feed the tax-free savings account?
• Cash flow/spending habits are an
issue. We don’t track our spending.
• Emergency fund needs to be built.
Three months of salary is $9K!
• Future money needs, it is all
going back into the farm.
• Past financial mistakes have scared
parents about hiring
expert advisers.
• Investments all go back
into capital purchases for the farm.
No personal wealth bubble.
In which category did you check
the most boxes?
Are your sources of tension mostly
about relationship?
List your top five sources of tension:
1. _________________________________
www.mikelipkin.com
• Mortgage on our house is difficult.
• Living expenses/bills seem to be
increasing with young children.
• Care-giving costs are something
our aging parents refuse
to talk about.
• Planning for the future sounds good
with a certified financial planner.
Health tensions: Why?
• Overall health status is not
where I would like it to be.
• Appearance could be improved,
I don’t like muffin tops!
• Weight has been an ongoing
issue and now my doctor is
encouraging weight loss.
• Fitness is not staying on the couch.
I need to walk and work out more.
• Current health challenges are
my sleeping patterns,
and ______________.
• Stress load will always need
managing. I need more time
for self-care.
• Mental well-being is critical.
Am I depressed? Ask my doctor
for the test.
• Future health is a concern as my
aging friends are getting sick.
• Chronic conditions are being
managed. I need to check
family history.
2. _________________________________
Personal tensions: Why?
• Time management. What is the
important thing to do, not
just urgent?
• Household management.
How can I ask for more
help or delegate?
• Personal hygiene/upkeep.
Grooming is slipping. Slob alert.
• Priorities/organization. Need
to write my action plan down
with deadlines.
• Faith is growing with connection
to other believers and community.
• Ability to get things
done/goals.
• Making a difference/giving back.
• Happiness/emotional stability.
• Confidence/self-esteem grows
as I become a lifelong learner.
• Sense of balance is fleeting,
more like buoyancy.
An unresolvable issue.
• Sense of personal fulfilment
is great. I love farming with
my family.
4. _________________________________
3. _________________________________
5. _________________________________
Are your relationships drawing you
closer to your vision and goals or
blocking you?
Are you paying attention to your
intuition and inner voice to take better
care of yourself?
Once you identify the main sources
of tension in your life, you can start to
work on them. Knowing which areas of
your life need improvement will help
you be more intentional about working
on those areas.
What do you want to let go of?
What do you want to hold on to?
What do you want to take on?
What do you want to move on? New
paths will appear. New beginnings. †
Elaine Froese would like to hear what your next steps are
going to be to have less stress and tension on your farm
this year [email protected] or Facebook “farm
family coach,” YouTube.com “farmfamilycoach.” Book
her for you next ag event. Visit www.elainefroese.com.
!
ay d.
tod ite
ter lim
gis is
Re ting
a
Se
This is a great opportunity to learn from great, powerful women in Ag and other industries. Sometimes it can be easy to forget all the possible connections we can make,
so getting into a room with 570+ women really helps! – Jamie Y., Regina, Saskatchewan, AWC Delegate
LISTEN, LEARN, NETWORK & GROW ~ HYATT REGENCY CALGARY, MARCH 28 & 29, 2016
Open your mind to the endless possibilities. Prepare to be inspired. Acquire the life skills you need to reach your goals.
This conference could be life-changing. Register today! Visit advancingwomenconference.ca or phone 403-686-8407.
Advancing Women Conference WEST 2016 / Grainews / 10.25” x 3”
36
/ grainews.ca FEBRUARY 9, 2016
Home Quarter Farm Life
For the love of the Prairies
Potter’s work reflects feelings about the land
BY EDNA MANNING
photo: courtesy bob siemans
C
arol Furman’s pottery is
a reflection of her love
of the Prairie landscape
with all its beauty and
diversity. “Like many Prairie people, I love the wide Prairies and
hope my work reflects my feelings
about the land,” she says.
Furman was born in Regina
and moved to Edmonton for
high school and nurse’s training. She met her husband John
in Edmonton and it wasn’t until
they moved to Brooks, Alberta
that she had the time to pursue
her longtime interest in pottery.
“I’ve always been drawn to the
natural look and feel of pottery
and clay. Brooks had a Potter’s
Guild, and that was where I had
my first experience with clay,”
Furman says.
In 1977 the family moved
to High River, Alberta, not far
from the small community of
Brandt. The Southern Institute
of Technology had an arts dropin centre here, offering many
different workshops such as
weaving, stained glass, pottery
and painting. “The wonderful
aspect about Brandt was the
stimulation and the different
creative minds all in one place.
We all grew and expanded our
skills at the workshops and we
could go every week to prac-
Some of Carol Furman’s pieces.
tise what we were learning,”
Furman said.
In 1983 the Furmans, who had
always longed to live in the country, moved to an acreage near Rush
Lake, northeast of Swift Current.
Here they did market gardening
and sold their vegetables at the
farm gate and at the local farmers’
market. “We always tried to grow
everything without pesticides or
commercial fertilizers,” she said.
It was here that Furman set up a
studio. “My husband built a workshop for me with all the things I
needed to get started, including
a wheel and a kiln. It was a big
learning curve, and a time of trial
and error,” she said.
The clay Furman works with
comes from the east end area of
the province. “Timing is very
important because of its moisture
content. If too much moisture is
lost, the clay is no longer malleable. It is quite fragile until it’s fired,
but once fired to its maturity, it
can last for centuries.
“One can do sculptural work,
hand-built pieces, or use the wheel
for uniformly round pieces. The
forming of your object is one part;
the glazing or staining is a completely different area of skill. It’s
always a thrill to open the lid
of a kiln load of pots and pieces
that have turned out the way
you’d hoped. On the other hand,
it’s heartbreaking and a learning
experience if there have been big
problems.”
Furman has attended craft
shows in her area, but more
recently has focused her efforts
on the Highway 1 Studio Tour,
a two-day event that takes place
every September in the southwest
Saskatchewan area. Visitors can
go on a self-guided tour of artists’ studios in various locations
to check out high-quality, locally
made items.
“One of the most satisfying
aspects of my work is when someone finds a piece they love and
enjoy and use,” Furman said.
To check out Carol’s studio,
contact her at carolfurman@
sasktel.net or phone 306-7734576. To learn more about the
studio tour in her area, visit www.
highway1studiotour.ca. †
Edna Manning writes from Saskatoon, Sask.
FROM THE FARM
Used kitchen items or memories from the past?
The gifted supplies may be just second-hand things to some but to me they told stories of how life changes
R
ecently our family was gifted
with two boxes of kitchen supplies. To some, they may just be
used appliances and bowls and
things, but in reality, they told stories of
how life changes.
For me, the most exciting item in one
box was the bread bowl. The memories
it must have held for the woman who
had gifted it to me. The many batches of
bread she had punched and risen in that
bowl to feed a growing family that now
didn’t have the need for Mom to bake
all that bread because they were now
baking their own.
The other box contained another
woman’s cookbooks — each well used
with notations in the margins of things
she had changed to give her own touch
to the recipes. She is now passed and I
will forever cherish those cookbooks,
honoured by the knowledge her family
gave them to me so they would continue to be used.
The job now is to put these two gifts
together.
Reading cookbooks is a form of relaxation amongst the ladies in our house.
One very chilly afternoon my daughter
and I were sipping hot coffee and dis-
BIG-BATCH BREAD RECIPE
8 c. warm water
3 eggs
1/2 c. melted butter
1/2 c. sugar OR 1/4 c. honey
3 tbsp. instant yeast
Combine these ingredients and let
bubble. Add 6 cups of flour and beat till
smooth. Let rise till double. Add 6 more
cups flour, or enough to make soft dough
that doesn’t stick to your hands. I find
that weather makes a difference of how
much flour this takes. Divide into six
greased loaf pans, cover with a clean tea
towel and let rise to the top of the pans.
Bake at 350 F for about 25-30 minutes.
The loaves will be nicely browned and
sound hollow when tapped. If desired,
brush tops with butter.
We go to a lot of potlucks so big-recipe
desserts would also be a good use for
this new bowl. The bowl matches the
12.5x17.5-inch baking pan we were also
gifted so this is going to be fun.
CHERRY BARS
(makes 7-1/2 dozen bars)
1-1/2 c. softened butter
2 c. sugar
Pinch salt
6 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract
4 c. flour
3 cans cherry pie filling
Glaze:
1-1/2 c. icing sugar
3/4 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract
3-4 tbsp. milk
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large
bowl, cream butter, sugar and salt until
light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time,
beating well after each addition. Beat in
extracts. Gradually add flour. Spread 3
cups of dough into a greased 17.5x12.5inch pan. Spread with pie filling. Drop
remaining dough by teaspoonful over
photo: debbie chikousky
Debbie
Chikousky
cussing some recipes that would be large
enough to use our new bowl for, when
our 18-month-old grandson decided
that he had a much better use for the
bowl. He had heard me tell his daddy
that I had been gifted with a bowl big
enough to bath a baby in, and little
Zachery decided that playing in the
bowl was a grand idea!
Thankfully, the woman who gave me
this bowl is still with us, so I sent her a
picture of how much enjoyment it had
brought to another family. Hopefully it
brought a smile to her face.
Growing up I learned to make bread in
a house that baked at least a 10-kg bag
of flour at a time. My recipe isn’t quite
that ambitious but now that we have a
proper bowl things could change.
Grandson Zachery thought it would be
more fun to play in the bowl.
filling. Bake 30-35 minutes or until
golden brown. Cool completely in pan
on a wire rack. In a small bowl, mix
icing sugar, extracts and enough milk
to reach desired consistency, drizzle
over top.
The best part of using these big-batch
bowls and pans, is that we can freeze for
later, or give some away! It really takes
no more time to bake huge amounts for
future use than just enough for now,
and it’s handy when people stop in
for tea and you have a treasure in the
freezer! †
Debbie Chikousky farms at Narcisse, Man.
FEBRUARY 9, 2016 grainews.ca /
37
Home Quarter Farm Life
PRAIRIE PALATE
Canary seed approved for humans
Amy Jo
Ehman
I
got the news, appropriately, via
Twitter, i.e. a tweet: Canary seed
has been granted the status of
human food. Last month, regulatory authorities in Canada and the
United States gave canary seed the
human stamp of approval. Which
raises the question, if canary seed is
for the birds, why would we humans
flock to eat it?
Before we consider the culinary
credentials of canary seed, let’s consider the source. Farmers in Western
Canada, particularly Saskatchewan,
grow 80 to 90 per cent of the world’s
supply of canary seed, a key component in bird feed blends. That’s a farm
gate value of $90 million and more
than 300,000 acres of prime farmland gone to the birds. However, the
bird market is declining. From Bogota
to Barcelona to Beijing fewer of we
humans are feeding pet birds or our
wild feathered friends. Now, farmers
have a new market. What’s good for
the goose is also good for Gordon and
Gabrielle and Glenn.
A few years ago, I spoke with Carol
Ann Patterson, a food scientist who
was investigating the culinary potential of canary seed. She found that
canary seed is nutritious, having
higher levels of protein and unsaturated fat compared to other cereal
grains. It’s gluten free, so it may be
safe for those who can’t eat wheat.
And it’s an alternative for sesame
seeds, one of the leading food allergens in many parts of the world.
“It’s got a really nice clean flavour,”
Patterson told me. “The two colours are quite distinct, so brown-coloured canary seed would look good
in whole grain bread, while yellow
canary seed has a really nice golden
colour that we used in pasta, bread,
crackers, tortillas, muffins, cookies
and energy bars.”
It could also replace sesame seeds on
bagels and hamburger buns.
Canary seed is native to the Canary
Islands, a Spanish protectorate off the
coast of West Africa. Both canary seed
and canary birds were named for it.
In Spanish-speaking countries, where
canary seed is known as alpiste, it’s
often sold as a health food supplement
with broad but unsubstantiated medical claims. Patterson found evidence
that Canada was importing canary
seed in the late 1800s along with
caraway, fenugreek and mustard seed.
Canadian farmers began growing it
in the 1970s, particularly around the
towns of Eston and Eatonia in westcentral Saskatchewan, as an alternate
source of income.
Before canary seed could make the
leap to human food, it had to undergo
testing and transformation. It is naturally brown with little hairs similar
to fibreglass that are extremely itchy
for farmers to handle and an irritant
to swallow and breathe. New varieties developed at the University of
Saskatchewan have hairless hulls and
an appealing yellow colour.
The Canaryseed Development
Commission of Saskatchewan was
formed in 2006, collecting a levy from
canary seed farmers to support this
research and initiate the novel food
process. It could take some time before
we start to see “canary seed” listed as
an ingredient in our grocery stores, as
the food industry figures out how to
use it. But if you know a canary seed
farmer, you might just grab a handful
and, well, eat like a bird.
This recipe comes from Inspired by
Mustard by the Saskatchewan Mustard
Commission. When I made it I switched
in canary seed for the poppy seed and
now I’m tweeting its praises. †
Amy Jo Ehman is the author of Prairie Feast: A
Writer’s Journey Home for Dinner, and, Out of Old
Saskatchewan Kitchens. She hails from Craik,
Saskatchewan.
photo: amy jo ehman
And why not? It’s nutritious and gluten free
SEED BREAD
1 large egg
1 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. canola oil
2 tbsp. prepared mustard
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. finely chopped nuts
(your favourite)
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large mixing bowl, combine
egg, buttermilk, oil and prepared mustard and mix well.
In another bowl, mix all remaining ingredients. Add
dry ingredients to wet, mixing until moistened. Spray
a 9x5-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. Turn
mixture into loaf pan and bake 50 to 60 minutes or until
a toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool 10
minutes before removing from pan. This is nicest served
warm, but it is also very nice toasted.
Grow informed.
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1 large carrot, grated
3 tbsp. yellow mustard seed
2 tbsp. whole flaxseed
2 tbsp. sunflower seed
2 tbsp. poppy seed
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
Sponsored by
38
/ grainews.ca FEBRUARY 9, 2016
Home Quarter Farm Life
SINGING GARDENER
Information on planting potatoes
Plus, a white strawberry, benefits of sauerkraut and a simple way to help shed some pounds
S
prouting spuds and
plantingn potatoes according to the moon. Also,
I, Ted am focusing attention on a white strawberry with
red seeds. Raw fermented veggies such as sauerkraut can contribute to intestinal tract wellbeing and shall also share a simple low-cost way to help shed
some body weight. The script
is ready and my hat is tipped as
a welcome gesture to both new
and established readers. It’s all
laid out right here before you on
this Grainews page.
PRE-SPROUTING SPUDS
Depending on where my travels take me, I sometimes say to
my listeners I’m from North
America but my citizenship is
Canadian, something of which I
am highly proud and that I protect and promote with dignity.
Throughout much of Europe
sprouting or green sprouting potatoes is known as ‘chitting.’ Not all
gardeners pre-sprout their seed
potatoes. It’s a personal choice
and not on any must-do list. This
optional practice is encouraged
none the less since it can reduce
growing time in the garden by
up to a couple of weeks. That’s
particularly important if you’re
in an area with a short growing
season. It also allows the planting
of a late-season variety to mature
that might otherwise not reach its
full potential. A primary reason
to green sprout seed potatoes is
the expectation of many spuds
in each hill at harvest time. After
all, aren’t more potatoes what
we all anticipate? Both earliness
and greater yield can make a substantial increase in sales if you’re
a vendor at a farmers’ market or
operate a garden products roadside stand.
POTATO PLANTS
ARE EASILY STRESSED
Getting stressed isn’t only
a people thing. So do potato
plants stress easily especially
during July, August and even
into September. Stressors include
drought, disease, too much
moisture from rainfall and high
humidity. Then there’s the ever
presence of potato beetles and
flea beetles.
Potatoes grown from presprouted seed have an edge.
They possess more stamina to
handle such stresses when they
have that 10- to 14-day growth
advantage in development. That
can make a substantial difference
THE HOW AND WHY
Commence pre-sprouting
(a.k.a. break dormancy) about
a month prior to the recommended planting date outdoors
for your region. Here are steps
to accomplish this. Keeping
seed potatoes in a regulated
temperature and darkness initiates the process. Aim for a
temperature between 18 C (65
F) and 22 C (75 F) for seven to
10 days. Watch them closely.
Sprouting seed potatoes as indicated holds back or suppresses
the central dominant sprout.
Take a look at a spud. You’ll usually see the dominant sprout or
eye at the highest point, at the
top or peak with a group of several smaller eyes concentrated
nearby or around it. When the
primary sprout or prominent
eye is left to do its own thing,
it has the advantage to suppress nearby eyes and rule the
roost. Because the dominant
sprout is held back during the
darkness period, it allows the
group of smaller nearby eyes to
break bud and sprout. Pinching
back the dominant sprout isn’t
recommended. Remember, the
chief aim is to suppress its dominance over nearby smaller eyes
until they have broken dormancy and produced a squatty
sprout under an inch.
The next step is to bring the
potatoes from darkness into
strong daylight for about 10 or
12 hours daily at a controlled
temperature near 10 C (50 F) to
harden them off. Place sprouted
potatoes in single rows on pieces
of cardboard, sheets of dry newspaper, screens, empty egg cartons or some similar flat material
for about two or three weeks. If
sprouts show signs of becoming
leggy or elongated, lower the
temperature and increase light.
When danger of frost threatens
take appropriate action to protect
from cold. Come planting time
there’s benefit gained if seeds are
planted in soil that’s first warmed
by the sun. Note the opposite
or bottom side of each potato is
called the stem end.
PLANTING ACCORDING
TO THE MOON
Here are some best planting
dates in 2016 for potatoes, other
tubers such as dahlias, grapevines, raspberry canes, strawberry plants, rhubarb and other
perennials — shade trees, fruit
trees, shrubs, bulbs, corms —
and — seeds of beets, carrots,
onions, parsnips, radishes and
turnips. They are: April 27 and
28, May 24 and 25, June 20, 21
and 22. The moon is particularly
productive, dry and earthy on
aforesaid days. Next-best days
for planting spuds and other
indicated crops are: March 24,
25, 26, 27 and April 22 and 23.
WHITE PINEBERRIES —
SOMETHING NEW FOR 2016
As for myself, it may take a bit
of getting used to white strawberries with red seeds but am willing to try. The White Carolina
pineberry hybrid (Fragaria x
ananassa) is Vesey’s top pick this
year. Pineberries are actually said
to be the oldest strawberry variety known whose aroma and flavour never disappoint. Matter of
fact, the striking berries possess a
flavour uniquely similar to pineapple. Culture is just as typical as
any red garden strawberry performing well in raised beds, pots,
hanging baskets or the open
field. When genetics were passed
down in the cross of which
white pineberries resulted, they
revealed a distinct pineapplestrawberry blend for flavour with
red seeds and white flesh. Sizewise they’re generally smaller
than a large Canadian-grown red
strawberry. In a fruit bowl or on
a fruit tray, both white and red
strawberries contrast superbly.
For more information or to place
an order for No. 1 roots, call
Vesey’s in Charlottetown, P.E.I. at
1-800-363-7333.
WANT TO DROP
EXTRA POUNDS?
It’s called — the Grape Juice
Remedy. Anyone out there
who’d like to drop a few extra
pounds? Standing on the
weigh scales doesn’t always
reflect the reading hoped for.
Here’s a health-promoting
way for shedding a few extra
pounds. It’s inexpensive, simple and easy to follow. Go to a
store and read the label. Make
sure there’s no sugar added.
Or, head for a health food
store that sells pure grape juice
with no sugar or preservatives
added. It can be ready-to-serve
grape juice or concentrated
grape juice that’s diluted with
water according to directions.
Of course, during the season, if
you grow grapes, harvest your
own clusters and make pure
unsweetened grape juice.
Mix 50 ml (three ounces) of
pure grape juice (no sugar, no
preservatives, no additives) with
one ounce of water and take it
a half-hour before each meal
and at bedtime. That’s a total of
three ounces of pure unsugared
grape juice four times daily and
instructions are very specific.
The grape juice must be consumed very slowly. Take between
photo: courtesy vesey’s
ted
meseyton
in outcome and income. You
may have noticed when seed
potatoes are not pre-sprouted
each plant is more apt to produce just a single dominant stem
that sets maybe a couple of potatoes. Pre-sprouting enables secondary, third and fourth sprouts
to be on a level playing field
and keep pace with the dominant, kingpin sprout. The net
result is increased tuber set and
greater return. Note that tuber
set occurs more or less about
a month after surface growth
becomes visible above the soil.
At that time sufficient moisture
and adequate plant nutrition are
critical to anticipate desired size
and highest yield.
White Carolina pineberries with red seeds were only recently introduced
to North America in 2012. White strawberries were endangered in the
South American wild. In 2003 Dutch farmers crossed them with red
strawberry cultivars from Europe to create this hardy, prolific, very
fragrant white variety with a slight pineapple flavour. Be the first
gardener in your area to dazzle family, friends and neighbours by
growing these white-flesh strawberries with red seeds.
five to 10 minutes during each
of the four daily grape juice servings. Sip some and then swirl it
in your mouth to incorporate
with saliva before each swallow.
Do not gulp it down all at once
or desired results may not be
achieved.
WHAT WILL YOU NOTICE?
After starting this grape
juice regimen, your cravings
for desserts and sweets will
begin to diminish and almost
completely disappear over
time. Eating habits gradually
change for the better too, as
taste buds begin to adjust. You
may even eventually begin to
wear clothes that have not fit
for years. There is no scientific evidence supporting grape
juice as a weight-loss aid, but
many have seen it work provided the consumer sticks with
it faithfully. The bold flavour
of pure grape juice without
any added sweetener curbs the
appetite and gives a good daily
dose of potassium and vitamin
C to boot.
Green veggies, especially cabbage are associated with money
and thus thought to bring good
fortune. A practical reason for
the tradition may be because
cabbage is a late-fall crop, and
the best way to preserve it for
the winter is by making sauerkraut. Here’s another traditional reason to eat sauerkraut.
It contributes to healthy flora
in the human gut by preventing
disease-causing bacteria from
colonizing and reduces their
activity. A balance of healthy
gut flora can be maintained by
adding other fermented veggies
too. If historical folklore is correct it may even bring good
fortune and luck too, although
I’ve heard some folks who’ve
said: “I don’t believe in good
luck. You make your own good
luck.” †
THREADS OF LONG LIFE
Many cultural traditions call for
eating fermented vegetables, especially sauerkraut on Ukrainian
New Year’s Day to bring good
fortune. Folklore says that eating
long threads of sauerkraut potentially represents a long life. I, Ted,
don’t mind sauerkraut at all and
ate sauerkraut and drank sauerkraut juice both during Malanka
and on Ukrainian New Year’s Day,
Jan. 14, 2016.
This is Ted Meseyton the Singing Gardener
and Grow-It Poet from Portage la Prairie,
Man. Do you have a loaf of bread or
other baguette that’s become a little on the
stale side? Here’s a simple way to restore
stale bread to freshness with a renewed
delectable taste. Mist exterior of the loaf
with a bit of water or milk of choice and
wrap it in aluminum foil. Place it in a
preheated 180 C (350 F) oven for about
six to eight minutes depending on size.
Once extracted from the oven it should
taste every bit as good as the day the
original baker made it. My email address
is [email protected].
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