February 2012 - Alberta Barley

Transcription

MINISTER BERGER
page 7
HIGHLIGHTS FROM FALL
MEETINGS
page 8
ELITE BARLEY:
BEST IN MALT
page 14
ALBERTA’S BARLEY
INFORMATION SOURCE
FEBRUARY 2012
ESTABLISHED 1991
Exploring options in a new
marketing era
Great crops
start with
good seed
By Gerald Pilger
M
any growers consider the
added expense of planting
certified seed each year, but
few take into consideration the added
value certified seed offers—particularly
when calculated against the costs of
using their own bin run seed. Growers
who have looked at both the costs of
common seed and benefits of certified
seed usually find that good seed doesn’t
cost—it pays.
The true cost of common seed
Housed in this Winnipeg building, the Canadian Wheat Board has been the hub for Western Canadian grain marketing.
Despite recent legal challenges, the federal government maintains that farmers will be able to choose how to market
their own grain as of Aug. 1, 2012.
PHOTO CREDIT: Bryan Scott
BY Lee Hart
T
hese days, everyone’s asking the
multi-million-dollar question:
“What will the wheat and barley
marketing system be like under a new
open market in Western Canada?” The
simple answer: “Whatever tools you use
for marketing canola and pulse crops
will be available for wheat and barley.”
With Bill C-18, the Marketing Freedom
for Grain Farmers Act, passed into law
in mid-December, there are few details
of exactly what grain companies and
other buyers will offer farmers in 2012.
Industry specialists, however, say they
expect producers will be able to use the
same marketing tool box they’ve used
for other crops for years.
“I think the biggest thing is producers will have to make more decisions at
the kitchen table,” says Reid Fenton, a
marketing consultant with BLB Grain in
Three Hills, AB. “They will have to look
at their options and decide when to sell,
at what price, and how much. Farmers
will have to operate with more foresight.
Some of our clients welcome the change
and some preferred the old system, but I
don’t think heading into an open market
should scare anyone.”
“
ome of our clients
S
welcome the change
and some preferred the
old system, but I don’t
think heading into an
open market should scare
anyone.
”
- Reid Fenton
Fenton says it will be important for
producers to shop around, determine
prices and delivery opportunities different companies offer, and look at contracting options.
Bill Cooper, a long-time Saskatchewan farmer and principle consultant
with Farm West Holdings Inc., says the
changes will benefit the barley industry.
“Particularly with barley, we have
seen production declining in Western
Canada in recent years and a lot of that
has to do with uncertainty,” he says. “We
have a good product, and the market is
out there, but we also need to have the
volume—increase production—so we
are able to supply these markets.
continued on page 6
The hidden costs of bin run seed
include forgoing the income from selling
that grain, but also the incurred costs
of cleaning, storage, labour, equipment,
and interest charges on that seed.
There are a number of downloadable
seed cost calculators available on the
web that can assist in determining the
actual cost of bin run seed. One of the
best can be found at: http://gostarseed.
com/certified-seed.
Star Seed Inc. of Osborne, Kansas has
posted this easy-to-use web calculator
that allows farmers to simply plug in
their own values for 14 variables—including local grain prices, cleaning
costs, and expected yields. The chart
will immediately show a farmer’s true
seed costs and will project the potential
economic advantage of using certified
seed. This seed cost calculator can also
be used for all crops.
Publications Mail Agreement No. 40068933
Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to:
Alberta Barley Commission, #200, 3601A – 21 Street NE, Calgary, Alberta T2E 6T5
continued on page 4
BARLEY COUNTRY FEBRUARY 2012
2
EDITOR’S MESSAGE
New year, new start
By Anne-Marie Bruzga Luchak
T
he Western Canadian agriculture
industry has undergone many
changes since our last issue. The
Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers
Act received royal assent before Christmas and—just as it seemed legal action
was finished for the moment—a new
$15.4 billion lawsuit was launched out
of Saskatchewan on Jan. 12, 2012.
While this new lawsuit claims that
farmers should be repaid from Canadian
Wheat Board assets, Agriculture and
Agri-Food Canada Minister Gerry Ritz
has assured Western Canadian farmers
that the government’s changes to grain
marketing will not be derailed.
This Issue
As a newspaper that’s published every
couple of months, it’s challenging to
keep up with the day-to-day progression
on this marketing issue and, as such, we
will continue to post relevant information on our website. In the meantime,
within Barley Country, we continue to
look at the bigger picture.
On the cover, Lee Hart walks us
through how open market grain trading
will likely work. On the marketing front,
Maeve O’Rourke takes us through some
courses and workshops being offered
through the Alberta Canola Producers
Commission (ACPC). And I sit down with
Alberta’s new Minster of Agriculture and
Rural Development, Evan Berger, to get
his take on the opportunities that exist
for Alberta farmers.
Whatever way you choose to market
your grain, selecting seed will directly
affect your profitability. Therefore, new
reporter Gerald Pilger examines certified versus bin run seed while Hart
covers malt seed and production tips.
For those of you with malt contracts
or those interested in taking a shot at
growing malt, we take a look at additional malt production tips from some of
Canada’s most successful malt growers
in our two-page Elite Barley feature.
Turning to Alberta Barley Commission
business, Chairman Matt Sawyer gives
us an update on the ways he’s trying to
increase the profitability of barley on
his own farm and through the work of
the Commission. General Manager Lisa
Skierka speaks to the annual general
meeting (AGM), as well as policy and
transportation developments at the
federal level.
As you know, most of our federal lobbying work is done through our participation in the Grain Growers of Canada
(GGC). We’re joined once again by GGC
Executive Director Richard Phillips,
who provides an update on national
initiatives. In her Barley Country debut,
Commission Project Coordinator Taryn
Dickson covers the highlights from the
GGC’s fall AGM.
In other ag news, Madeleine Baerg
gives us a recap of the recent Feed Summit and Terry Bullick gives us an update
on the progress of the Alberta Wheat
Commission. (Please see their insert for
more information.) Calgary writer Kailen
Renelle Krawec also profiles farmer
Gerald Finster of Valleyview, AB. And,
as a new feature, we invite the dynamic
Simone Demers Collins, ACPC’s Market
Development & Promotions Coordinator,
8Highlights from the fall
meetings
10Director and delegate contact
nnAnne-Marie Bruzga Luchak is the
communications manager for the Alberta
Barley Commission.
Alberta is Barley Country.
This province grows more barley than any other,
and Alberta’s output typically accounts for half of
Canada’s annual crop.
5Caps off to local!
6 Brushing up on the markets
7Ag Minister Evan Berger talks
growth
to write an industry guest column. Her
passion for all things local is contagious.
We also give you the highlights from
what we’ve been told was one of the
most enjoyable AGMs the Commission
has had in recent memory (and not just
because of the brew tour). With your
newly elected members in place, we’ve
provided you with the contact listing
for your 2012 directors and delegates. If
you have questions or concerns over the
next year, they want to hear from you.
From our lead research reporter
Caitlin Crawshaw, we have a story about
how smart fertilizers could change the
face of ag, as well as a feature about barley feed segregation. Commission Policy
& Research Coordinator Darcy Kirtzinger provides a research update about
the Funding Consortium. Lastly, new
reporter Helen McMenamin examines
the latest provincial Fusarium survey as
well as preventative measures.
I hope you enjoy the revamped Barley
Country. We are committed to continually improving as a newspaper. Look for
our next issue on April 15.
See past issues of Barley Country at
www.albertabarley.com
5
THINK LOCAL
7
MINISTER BERGER
Barley Country is published four times per year by
the Alberta Barley Commission to inform producers
about new technology and developments affecting
barley production, and to promote new markets for
Alberta barley growers.
list 2012
Barley Country is circulated to more than 24,000
producers, agrologists, researchers and grain
industry representatives. It is printed in Calgary,
Alberta on recycled paper using canola-based inks.
in malt circles
Publisher: Lisa Skierka
[email protected]
112011 Feed Grain Summit
12AC Metcalfe still king
13Intelligent nano-fertilizers
Editor: Anne-Marie Bruzga Luchak
[email protected]
herald the future
13Alberta Funding Consortium
14Elite Barley recognizes
excellence
16Combatting Fusarium
18Benefits of knowing your soil
19Researchers crack long-time
Graphic Designer: Candace Evans
Two Cents Creative
13
RESEARCH NOTES
14
ELITE BARLEY EXCELLENCE
feed problem
19Proposed wheat commission
Alberta Barley Commission
#200, 3601A – 21 Street NE
Calgary, AB T2E 6T5
(800) 265-9111
gains momentum
21Grain Growers AGM
22Grain Growers of Canada
update
24Events listing
24Key contacts
Contributors:
Madeleine Baerg, Terry Bullick, Caitlin Crawshaw,
Simone Demers Collins, Taryn Dickson, Lee Hart,
Michael Interisano, Darcy Kirtzinger, Kailen Renelle
Krawec, Deb Marchand, Helen McMenamin, Gerald
Pilger, Maeve O’Rourke, Richard Phillips, Matt
Sawyer, Bryan Scott
ISSN: 1188-8911
18
PRODUCER PROFILE
22
GRAIN GROWERS UPDATE
3
CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE
New year heralds new opportunity
MATT SAWYER
I
f 2011 was a year of change and
uncertainty regarding the future of
grain marketing in Western Canada,
then 2012 will be a year of greater
change leading to greater opportunity.
Despite pending legal challenges facing
the federal government on their implementation of the Marketing Freedom
for Grain Farmers Act—which received
royal assent in December 2011—the
government remains committed to
bringing wheat and barley marketing in
line with that of other agricultural commodities.
Like many of you, I’ve spent the past
few months giving serious thought as to
what these changes mean for my farm.
Although I’ve grown barley for as long
as I’ve been farming, the open market
is a game changer for me. This is why,
in addition to continuing to grow feed
barley this year, I’ve met with several
local malting companies to explore my
options for growing malt.
As you’ll read in this issue, the Alberta
Barley Commission (ABC) continues to
support the Elite Barley: Canadian Malting Barley Grower Recognition Program.
In reviewing this year’s nominees, I was
struck by how committed they are to
growing malt. Now that we’ll have an
open market, there are opportunities
to expand the demand for malt barley.
I believe that now is the time to try
something new in light of the changing marketplace. And, like many of you,
I will mitigate my risk by maintaining
a positive relationship with my local
feedlot.
As a crop, barley acreage has been on
the decline for many years now. Yet we
know that barley is a preferred feed for
livestock and that worldwide consumption of beer is on the rise. We also have
inspiring research on the benefits of
barley for human consumption as well
as a consumer health claim on the horizon.
The future is bright, but it’s up to
those of us who believe in this crop to
actively support research and market
GENERAL MANAGER’S MESSAGE
Food, feed, and malt
LISA SKIERKA
T
he Alberta Barley Commission
ended 2011 with a successful
annual general meeting (AGM)
focused on the changes and opportunities in agriculture. The AGM covered
topics ranging from marketing changes
to trade agreements to the malt barley
industry, and was followed a day later
by a feed summit that brought together
many of the different players in Alberta’s
feed industry.
While reviewing the past year, we
were able to celebrate our successes
while acknowledging the challenges that
lie ahead. One priority in coming months
is to take the findings of the feed summit
and work with industry partners to find
further common ground on which to
build a more sustainable future. Another
priority is to help barley growers access
the information needed to best meet the
changes to the grain marketing system
in Western Canada.
Our pledge, as a staff, is to provide upto-date information to barley growers
while also working with both provincial
and federal governments to address
concerns specifically related to issues
like transportation and market access.
I recently attended a meeting of the
federal government’s Crop Logistics
Working Group’s (CLWG’s) Producer
Car Sub-Committee. This meeting was
focused on addressing concerns related
to producer cars—will they exist under
the new system, how will they work, and
who will be responsible for them?
After meeting with representatives
from the major railways, the Canadian
Grain Commission, the Canadian Wheat
Board, and shortline railways, as well
as producer car administrators and
terminal operators, it became apparent
development. To increase our market
share, we need to show true leadership
through investment and ensure we’re
developing marketing initiatives that
complement the good news we have
about barley.
Part of showing leadership also means
working with our industry partners. For
o increase our market
T
share, we need to show true
leadership through investment
and ensure we’re developing
marketing initiatives that
complement the good news we
have about barley.
- Matt Sawyer
example, everyone knows the majority
of barley in the province is grown for
feed and that the feed industry has faced
some tough challenges over the past few
years.
To address the challenges facing the
feed industry, the Commission co-hosted
a feed summit with industry partners—
including the Alberta Cattle Feeders and
that everyone says they want producer
cars to continue to work. However, new
market realities will affect which organizations stay involved in producer cars
and how they are administered. We will
keep you updated as this progresses.
In terms of progress, we are still waiting for the food barley health claim to be
ne priority in coming months
O
is to take the findings of
the feed summit and work
with industry partners to
find further common ground
on which to build a more
sustainable future.
- Lisa Skierka
approved by Health Canada.
In order to make the best use of the
consumer health claim, we will be
working with researchers, government,
businesses, and industry partners to
Alberta Pork—after our annual general
meeting in December. In coming months,
Commission staff will work to develop
a committee focused on solidifying
relationships in the feed industry and
exploring opportunities to strengthen
partnerships for the benefit of the entire
value chain.
As part of the Commission’s investment in change, your Board has also
invested in the development of the
proposed Alberta Wheat Commission.
Since provincial government approval
of this new organization is likely, ABC
has committed to lending them start-up
funds to be repaid once they have access to check-off dollars from provincial
wheat sales. This investment will also be
recouped through the opportunities for
collaboration and growth provided by
strong grower representation for both
crops.
Another major initiative is the proposed national barley organization.
Modelled on the Canola Council of Canada, the Barley Council of Canada will
raise Canada’s barley profile both nationally and internationally. Stay tuned
for more information on this initiative in
the next issue of Barley Country.
hairman Matt Sawyer is the director for
nnC
region two and a farmer near Acme.
encourage market development of food
barley. Although building this market
will be a challenge, we’re up for it. After
all, barley tastes great—and not just in a
glass of beer.
On the marketing side, Commission
staff have been developing new materials and promotions for feed, food, and
malt barley. We are debuting our new
producer booth at FarmTech in February, while our new consumer booth
will make its debut this spring. On the
producer side, we’re using the slogans
“make barley work for you” and “growing value, growing results” to emphasize
the opportunities in growing barley.
On the consumer side, we’re using the
slogans “think barley” and “know your
food” as precursors to a full-fledged food
campaign.
In order to be ready for the consumer
health claim, we are also creating recipe
cards that will be available at events like
FarmTech, Aggie Days, and the Calgary
Stampede. Be sure to stop by and say
hello when you’re out and about.
nnLisa Skierka is the Alberta Barley
Commission’s acting general manager.
4
“Great crops start with good seed,” cont’d from page 1
Yield advantage
Much of the economic advantage of
using certified seed results from higher
yields. There have been many trials
comparing yields of planting certified
vs. bin run wheat. United States Department of Agriculture testing consistently
finds a 1.2–2.5 bushel per acre increase
when seeding certified wheat when
compared to bin run wheat.
While there have been few comparisons done for barley, the University of
Saskatchewan Crop Development Centre
performed a one-year, 12-site comparison that resulted in an average three
bushel per acre advantage when using
certified seed. (See table 1.)
Dr. Kelly Turkington of the Lacombe
Research Centre is the lead researcher
in a current, three-year study comparing certified and bin run malt barley.
This study is a joint effort of the Western
Grains Research Foundation, the Alberta
Barley Commission, Agriculture and
Agri-Food Canada, and Rahr Malting.
Unfortunately, weather problems in
2011 plagued the first year of the study,
flooding out four sites. While analysis
is still underway, Turkington says there
was no significant difference in yields
in this first year of testing. However, he
noted the bin run seed used in tests
was only one year removed from certified.
“
arietal purity is number
V
one for farmers growing
malt barley.
”
- Kevin Sich
Grain quality
While Turkington is still analyzing
data, he did notice differences in plant
emergence, tillering, and kernel size.
“Crops grown from certified seed had
higher emergence rates and a more
competitive start,” says Turkington.
“These crops also had more main tillers and fewer secondary tillers. Crops
grown from certified seed also had more
uniform kernel size.”
Kevin Sich, grain procurement
manager with Rahr Malting, says these
findings show growers who use certified
seed increase the likelihood their crops
will meet malt specifications. Crops that
start early and grow evenly will mature
evenly. This is one reason Rahr does not
contract with growers using seed more
than one year out of certified—the other
is seed purity.
“Varietal purity is number one for
farmers growing malt barley,” explains
Sich, who says the best way to guarantee
purity is to plant certified seed.
Sich has received harvest samples
from crops grown from bin run seed
having up to 10 per cent of off-type
barley in the sample even through the
farmer believed the seed was pure.
Added benefits
Planting certified seed provides a
number of other benefits:
• A lower risk of seed-borne diseases.
• Certified seed must have a germination of 90 per cent or better. Certified seed may also have been vigour
tested, which is as important as
germination testing when seeding
under cool, dry, stressful conditions.
• It increases traceability of the crop
and enables growers to pursue
premium niche markets that require
identity-preserved production.
• Certified is also guaranteed to be
free of prohibited and noxious weeds
and has low levels of other weeds.
Bin run seed can have high numbers
of weed seeds. (See table 1.)
Planting certified seed also minimizes
the risk of lower yields because of poor
seed quality. Buying new certified varieties gives growers access to the best
genetics for the area and increases the
yield potential.
“As much as 60 per cent of the final
yield potential for a wheat crop is determined at planting,” says Agronomist Dr.
Wade Thomason, assistant professor/
extension grains specialist at Virginia
Tech. “Seeding too thinly, using poor
quality seed and uneven stands, result
in end of season yield losses that cannot
usually be overcome.”
One of the best sources for information on new varieties and pedigreed
seed is Alberta’s Seed Guide: www.seed.
ab.ca. This comprehensive guide of
registered varieties of cereals and oilseeds is published each spring and fall.
It provides growers with a quick glance
at the characteristics of each variety as
well as a listing of Alberta seed growers
who are selling them.
This website also features a new varieties list that enables you to compare
their characteristics to each other and
to the industry standard. For example,
the Fall 2011 Seed Guide lists two new
feed barleys (Austenson and Gadsby)
and five new malt barleys (Taylor, Merit
57, Meredith, Major—all two row; and
Mayfair—a six row). All are compared to
Metcalfe.
When seeding this spring, consider
that the cost of certified seed is a relatively small percentage of the overall
cost of production of cereal crops—and
using certified seed almost always
shows a positive return over seeding
farm-saved seeds. You may find that certified seed really isn’t all that expensive.
nn Gerald Pilger is a freelance writer and
farmer near Camrose, AB.
Table 1: High Quality, Certified Seed is Important for Field Sanitation and High Yields
Crop
Noxious
Weed Seeds
(per kg)
Other Seeds
(per kg)
0
148
0
600
0
671
0
3350
Certified Wheat
Bin run Wheat
Certified Barley
Bin Run Barley
Yield
(bu/acre)
41.5
39.7
70.0
67.0
Twelve randomly selected seed samples were taken from certified and bin run seed sources. This chart
illustrates the difference in the amount of noxious weeds found in seeds and shows an improved yield in
certified seeds versus bin run seed.
(Source: www.agriculture.gov.sk.ca)
The extra investment needed to
produce high-quality seed
Special care is needed to produce high-quality seed. While
certified seed may seem expensive to some growers, the price
includes the investment a seed grower makes to meet seed
standards.
Peter Galloway, of Galloway Seeds in Fort Saskatchewan, lists
some of the extra care that he has to do as a seed grower to
ensure he is growing top-quality seed:
• Find and prepare land that has been out of production of
that crop for at least two years.
• Completely clean equipment at all stages of production.
This includes cleaning seed storage bins, trucks, drill,
combine, and augers before handling any crop intended
for use as seed. This is a major, time-consuming task. For
example: Galloway says it takes 12 man-hours to clean a
combine, and at least one hour to clean an auger.
• Plant pure seed. (Pedigree seed must be at least 99.994
per cent true to variety.)
• Field scout for weeds before and after herbicide
applications.
• Use both seed and foliar fungicide applications to control
disease.
• Have field inspections performed.
• Seed should be harvested dry and stored in bins in which
heat and moisture is controlled and monitored.
• When cleaning, accept a high rate of cut as you want
high-test weight and plump seeds of uniform size to
ensure even seeding rates.
• Have seed tested for germination, vigour, and disease.
(Agronomists recommend not using seed if germination is
below 90 per cent; vigour tests are more than 10 per cent
below germination, or if disease is present.)
5
guest Column
Caps off to local!
BY Simone Demers Collins
I
travelled throughout Alberta at the
end of 2011, giving a speech entitled
“Caps off to Canola!” At each session,
I asked producers how many would consider giving a case of canola oil to people
on their gift-giving list. I’m sad to say
that I had no takers. A lot of very strange
looks, some sneers, and the occasional
snide remark: “How do I wrap a dozen
bottles of canola oil?”
Yet, when I was visiting an oil processing plant in Italy, farmer Giovanni—who
was getting his olive harvest crushed—
was proud to say that every year he
provided this gift of oil to his family,
both immediate and extended. And
when I asked him what happened if they
refused his gift, he simply stared, wondering if the translator had provided the
correct interpretation. It was inconceivable that family members would not
gladly accept what he grew, with pride.
Likewise, members of the Japanese
crushing industry tell us that canola oil
is often provided as gifts to their family
and friends. And when I travelled to
South Korea in the spring, canola oil was
being brought into the country specifically for each of the two gift-giving
seasons.
While a $5.69 bottle of canola oil
might not meet Canadians’ criteria for
a “great” gift, I believe that the concept
and what it says about our definition
of “gift” bears examining. A gift is also
known as a contribution, a souvenir, a
reward, a donation and/or an offering. I
believe that any of the agricultural products grown in this province would meet
any of these definitions.
So, my challenge to these farmers,
and to you, is to think about what you
do, what you have and how that could
be shared with others—whether it’s a
skill like baking something made with
barley flour for a community funeral, or
supporting the local coffee shop by sharing your time with a neighbour to enjoy
each other and a cup of locally roasted
coffee. Think about the goods and services provided by Canadians….
Buying local does not just apply to
what can be purchased at the local
market garden during the summer. It’s
about being proud of what we produce
in Canada, and being aware of all that
is local—the barley, the wheat, oats,
pulses, pork, beef, bison, and canola! It’s
about the businesses who hire the trade
personnel who bake our bread, create our restaurant meals, and develop
these ingredients into world-class food
products. And it’s about those who own
businesses—the caterer, the chef, the
dietitian, and the massage therapist, to
name but a few.
So this year, make the proverbial goal
list. But add a commitment to local. Reflect on what you do, and how countries
all over the world want some of what
you produce. Speak with pride about being a farmer. And challenge the TV personalities, caterers, and recipe developers—who speak “local” but focus their
“
uying local does not
B
just apply to what can
be purchased at the local
market garden during the
summer. It’s about being
proud of what we produce
in Canada, and being aware
of all that is local—the
barley, the wheat, oats,
pulses, pork, beef, bison,
and canola!
”
- Simone Demers Collins
“recipes” on quinoa, olive oil, and other
main ingredients that are often not part
of Canadian agriculture.
Look around your neighbourhood,
and see how you could support what
others in your community are creating or doing. And set out to giving your
own brand of agriculture: gifts that are
local to support community economies;
that are healthy—there’s good science
behind all of Alberta’s ag products; that
are versatile in their uses; and that are
affordable. We have so many options for
every budget!
nnSimone Demers Collins is a professional
home economist who works as a
consultant with the Alberta Canola
Producers Commission. Follow her on
Twitter @learncanola and check out
her monthly blog at www.homefamily.
net/?p=518
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4457 AXIAL Ad_BarleyCountry R1.indd 1
12-01-09 4:33 PM
6
Brushing up on the markets
BY Maeve O’Rourke
I
n light of changes to the grain marketing system in Western Canada,
now is an opportune time to brush
up on your knowledge of markets.
Knowing how futures, options and
basis operate—as well as understanding
contracts and various grain marketing
strategies—will be a valuable asset to
farmers when it comes to selling wheat
and barley. Those looking to learn more
about grain marketing can take advantage of a series of courses that will be
administered by the Alberta Canola
Producers Commission (ACPC) over the
coming months.
Farm Marketing Advisors Neil Blue
and Lee Melvill will facilitate the grain
marketing courses. Blue will facilitate
four-day courses in Lloydminster and
Leduc, while Melvill will offer a six-day
course in Taber.
These basic-level classroom courses
will use a computerized grain-marketing
simulator as a learning tool. Participants
will practice with basis, futures, options,
contracts, and strategies for grain marketing. Blue says the knowledge gained
through the course will help producers
understand pricing and delivery functions for grain and oilseed crops.
Through classroom discussions of
marketing strategies, and by considering
cost of production and cash flow requirements for each participant’s farm,
Blue and Melvill will share knowledge
that can be applied to any operation.
“Too often, the trigger for selling product is the need for cash to meet a financial obligation rather than in response
to a good marketing opportunity,” says
Blue.
He emphasizes that pricing is always a
challenge.
“Nobody knows when the price will
peak—the market will do what it does,
regardless of what a person thinks
should happen,” says Blue. “That is why
pricing a year’s production in stages
tends to be the best approach over a
number of years.”
According to Blue, farmers who increase their knowledge of markets and
Grain and Oilseed Marketing
Course: Dates & Times
Taber, AB (9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m): Jan. 31; Feb. 2, 7, 9, 14 & 16
Instructor: Lee Melvill, P.Ag., Farm Marketing Advisor
Lloydminster, AB (9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.): Feb. 13, 14, 15 & 16
Instructor: Neil Blue, P.Ag., Farm Marketing Advisor
Leduc, AB (9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.): Mar. 5, 6, 7 & 8
Instructor: Neil Blue, P.Ag., Farm Marketing Advisor
For more information, contact Neil Blue at (780) 853-6929.
marketing alternatives report greater
confidence when making their marketing decisions. He also says he is always
available to help answer questions.
“Producers can contact me to gain
information on the grain market and to
discuss what they should consider in
respect to market functions,” says Blue.
ACPC is offering the course at the low
cost of $500 per person. For more information on course registration and locations, go to www.canola.ab.ca/events or
call the ACPC office at (800) 551-6652.
Watch the canola website as other
courses are added over winter 2012 in
Forestburg and Manning.
nnMaeve O’Rourke is a Calgary-based writer.
“Exploring options in a new marketing era,” cont’d from page 1
Grain marketing
is changing.
Are you ready?
The Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers Act takes effect on
August 1, 2012. This means barley and wheat producers will have a
choice between selling their grain on the open market or through the
Canadian Wheat Board.
To help you make a smooth transition, the Government of Alberta is
hosting a series of information sessions. The sessions will help you
understand what this change means to you, including: • Canada’s position in the world markets
• Pricing in the new system
• Delivery and grading
• Transportation and logistics
• Research and development
CITYLOCATION
Lethbridge Coast Hotel
Grande Prairie Quality Inn
Medicine Hat Medicine Hat Lodge
Peace River Sawridge Inn
Three Hills Three Hills Community Centre
Vegreville Vegreville Social Centre
DATE
January 31
January 31
February 1
February 1
February 2
February 6
All meetings are from 9:00 am - 3:40 pm. Lunch will be provided.
Please pre-register at least three days prior to the session
by calling the Ag-Info Centre at 1-800-387-6030.
“Under an open market system, I
think producers will look at market
prices, not only in Canada but in the
United States, and if they see a good
price they could lock in contracts one,
two or even three years ahead,” says
Cooper. “I think that kind of opportunity will encourage the barley industry to
get the production where it should be.”
He says, in recent years, Canadian wheat and malt barley has been
shipped to processors in at least nine
U.S. states. Although there is no reason
those sales can’t or won’t continue
under an open market, he believes
there may be increased opportunity for
Canadian farmers to deal more directly
with these customers to establish relationships, which could mean production contracts.
Lee Melvill, a long-time Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development marketing specialist, now a private marketing
consultant with MNP, says that as the
new marketing tools developed by ICE
(Intercontinental Exchange) of Winnipeg, MB, get rolling, they will provide
producers with the opportunity to
market spring wheat internationally
through a Canadian futures market.
A futures market, as commonly used
with canola, allows farmers to buy and
sell commodity contracts for delivery
on a specified future date. Along with
the futures market comes a range of
other risk management tools that include hedging (taking equal and opposite positions in two different markets,
such as cash and futures), and call and
put options, which allow producers to
buy (call) or sell (put) positions as stock
and commodity prices rise and fall.
“There are a number of marketing
strategies that can be used to help farmers manage their risk,” says Melvill.
Market analysts say the key to the
success of the ICE futures will be to get
a sufficient volume of commodity trading through futures to provide meaningful price discovery. Understanding the
futures market and related marketing
strategies will take some time.
“One of the first thing producers need
to pay attention to under a new system
is they will likely get some or all cash up
front at the time of sale,” says Melvill.
This is different than the former system
of receiving an initial payment and then
interim and/or final payments later.
“It is going to change their cash
flow which also has tax implications,”
explains Melvill. “The new system can
provide a much better timed cash flow,
but producers need to consider how
that affects their tax situation.”
Richard Phillips, executive director of
the Grain Growers of Canada, says in an
open market he would encourage producers to begin making contacts now.
“With malt barley, for example, producers should be talking to malt companies and grain buyers about what they
produce and find out what their needs
are,” he says. “Producers need to reach
out and establish those contacts.”
nnLee Hart is a long-time agricultural writer
based in Calgary, AB.
7
Ag Minister Evan Berger talks growth
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Evan Berger is also MLA for
Livingstone–Macleod in Southern Alberta.
The grain terminal at Prince Rupert has a loading rate of 4,000 tonnes per
hour and is 35 hours closer to the Asian market.
PHOTO Courtesy: Alberta Agriculture and rural development
BY Anne-Marie Bruzga Luchak
“A
griculture today is probably the
most exciting it has been in the
last 40 years,” says Evan Berger,
Alberta’s new Minister of Agriculture
and Rural Development.
Berger says now is the time to capitalize on new growth opportunities. He has
a keen interest in developing Alberta’s
terminal at Prince Rupert, drawing more
youth into agriculture, and finding a way
to meet the needs of Alberta’s diverse
agriculture sector. His belief in Alberta’s
agricultural viability comes from firsthand experience.
A third-generation farmer, Berger has
a mixed farm and ranching operation
southwest of Nanton. While he’s done
a lot of custom work and rented land in
the past, he has downsized since taking
on the agriculture portfolio. Still, he
maintains around 120 cows and—while
he’s put a lot of the farmland back into
hay—he still seeds around 400 acres to
grains and oilseeds.
With his ag background, it is no surprise that Berger considers his recent
appointment a great honour.
“We have some of the foremost producers in the world and I am very proud
to have this opportunity,” says Berger.
“I will do everything I can to further the
cause of agriculture to help it become a
rival to oil and gas as our province’s biggest industry sector.”
Part of growing Alberta’s agriculture
industry is helping farmers prepare for
the Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers Act, which goes into effect on Aug. 1,
2012. The province is currently hosting
a series of grain marketing information
sessions to update farmers.
Market access related to these changes is a specific concern the minister has
heard about from producers in Northern
Alberta.
“Really, the challenge up there is the
short piece of railway that is missing
from Grand Prairie straight over to
Prince Rupert,” he says. “The opportunity to utilize the port at Prince Rupert
more and offer a shorter transportation
route to those in the north of the province is something we need to jump on.”
Berger explains that the Albertaowned terminal at Prince Rupert is not
only 35 hours closer to the Asian market
than any other Western Canadian port,
but can be used in a far greater capacity.
“That terminal is phenomenal,” says
Berger. “It has the capacity to process
4,000 tonnes an hour of cleaning and
“
I will do everything I
can to further the cause
of agriculture to help it
become a rival to oil and
gas as our province’s
biggest industry sector.
”
- Evan Berger
4,000 tonnes an hour of loading, and can
store more ship loads than pretty much
any other terminal in the country. I think
there are plenty of opportunities there
and we just need to be cautiously optimistic as we work through the logistics.”
Berger adds that the majority of grain
farmers he’s spoken with are enthusiastic about the new marketing system.
Likewise, he believes it’s going to open
up many opportunities. If these changes
result in greater profitability, he also believes there could be the added benefit
of attracting youth back into agriculture.
“The average age of an Alberta farmer
is 51 years old,” he says. “We need to get
youth back into agriculture. It has to be
PHOTO Courtesy: Prince rupert port authority
attractive, it has to be profitable, and
there have to be new changes and ideas.”
Part of making the industry more
profitable involves securing trade opportunities. Berger sees farmers as having a large role to play in trade by being
advocates for their products. He believes
it’s time to more actively promote
Alberta’s agriculture industry.
“We in Alberta—in Canada—don’t
blow our own horn enough,” says Berger.
“We have safe, high-quality products.
We have a very good reputation in the
world. We need to make sure we don’t
shy away from letting people know that.”
Berger also believes the numbers back
up this positive messaging
“Profitability is moving in our direction,” says Berger. “As we move forward
to 2050, there will be nine billion people
and only about six countries in the
world that will be able to produce more
than they consume. That is looking good
for agriculture. Now, how do we make
sure we position ourselves as not just a
global supplier, but the preferred global
supplier.”
Part of ensuring farmers will have the
infrastructure to meet this new global
reality means that all of rural Alberta
has internet access. Currently, 30 per
cent of rural Alberta has no internet
service because of sparse population or
topography challenges. In conjunction
with Service Alberta Minister Manmeet
Bhullar, Berger is working toward getting these unserved areas—typically
those that are unprofitable for private
industry—served.
“It is imperative that our rural children, and rural ag producers, have
access,” says Berger. “We do not want
to compete with the private sector
whatsoever, but we do want to enable
everyone to get online. And for agricultural producers—it’s a huge part of their
business opportunity now.”
Berger was also involved in the Property Rights Taskforce, which travelled
around the province listening to the
diverse viewpoints on what constitutes
property and how to balance property
rights with maintaining stewardship
of the land. During the process, he was
asked to define a property right.
“I thought about that long and hard,”
he says. “The ultimate property right is
something that one produces—whether
it be intellectual or physical, it’s your
product. You have your crop of wheat,
you sell it … that is your property right.
Actual land outlives all of us. It’s fixed in
place and we can’t take it with us.
“We have to be forward looking into
the fact that in the last 40 years in
Canada, we have lost 50 per cent of our
arable land per capita,” says Berger. “The
planning aspect and the property rights
issues have to be dealt with and we have
to deal with them in a calm, rational
way to guarantee that agriculture has a
future in Alberta.”
Looking forward, the minister says
he will continue to meet with major
external commodity boards and members of the agriculture sector, allowing
the industry to drive his priorities. He
will also find new ways to engage youth
in agriculture, such as holding a youth
summit to capitalize on these exciting
changes in the ag industry.
“I think that we are on the cusp of
seeing a whole different mindset for agriculture and I’m looking forward to it,”
says Berger. “And I think we have plenty
of opportunity going forward. We have
the third highest amount of arable land
per capita in the world. We follow only
Australia—with no water—and Kazakhstan—with no transportation. Opportunities abound.”
nnAnne-Marie Bruzga Luchak is the editor
of Barley Country.
8
Highlights from the fall meetings
Celebrating 20 years of BARLEY
1
3
2
5
S
urrounded by the picturesque
Rocky Mountains, the Alberta
Barley Commission (ABC) hosted
its 20th annual general meeting (AGM)
from Dec. 7–8, 2011 in Banff.
The meeting kicked off with a director
and delegate session on Dec. 7, where
the Commission’s elected representatives reviewed priorities for the coming
year. This session was followed by the
much-anticipated Liquid Achieve Brew
Tour, sponsored by Dow AgroSciences.
At this buzz-worthy event, participants
mixed and mingled at local pubs, where
they were able to sample local food and
local beer.
The Commission attended to official
AGM business on the morning of Dec.
8, followed by industry presentations.
A banquet that evening featured a
captivating speech by the well-known
1 2012 BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
The Alberta Barley Commission’s
directors take a quick photo before
heading into the 2011 AGM banquet
dinner: (back row, left to right) Region
Five Director-at-Large Richard Mueller;
Region Four Director Bernie Klammer;
Vice-Chairman and Region Three
Director Trevor Petersen; Region Five
Director Albert Wagner; Region Three
Director-at-Large Mike Ammeter; (front
row, left to right) Region One Directorat-Large Glenn Logan; Region Six
Director Ron Heck; Chairman and
Region Two Director Matt Sawyer; and
Region One Director Greg Stamp.
futurist Dr. Lowell Catlett, capping off a
successful event.
“I think the AGM was pretty well
received,” says Region Four Director
Bernie Klammer. “There is a whole new
optimism and positive feeling moving
forward with our organization.”
The AGM was followed by a feed summit co-hosted by the Commission and
industry partners on Dec. 9. (See Feed
Summit story on page 11.)
The Commission received generous
support from the following industry
sponsors: Dow AgroSciences (platinum
sponsor); ATB Financial (gold sponsor); Syngenta (gold sponsor); Viterra
(bronze sponsor); and Rahr Malting
Canada Ltd. (bronze sponsor).
In addition to the presentations
highlighted in the photo essay on these
two pages, the Commission would like to
2 TALKING TRADE: Kathleen
Sullivan, executive director of the
Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance
(CAFTA). Sullivan gives an illuminating
speech on how her organization
addresses trade barriers in order to
open new global agriculture markets.
Sullivan tells the crowd 90 per cent of
Canadian farms are dependent on trade,
and globally 10 per cent of trade is
carried out in the agricultural sector.
She sheds light on several current target
markets, including South Korea, Japan,
and India.
“It’s the biggest exposure to the
trade talks I’ve had,” says Region Four
thank all speakers and participants for
taking the time to help shape the future
of Alberta’s barley industry.
Research and reporting at
the regionals
The Alberta Barley Commission held
its annual regional meetings in late
November and early December 2011.
The meetings brought together directors, delegates, and barley growers with
researchers, government agents, and
industry representatives.
This year, the Commission partnered
with the Alberta Pulse Growers and the
Alberta Canola Producers Commission
for the majority of the regional meetings.
Working together, producer groups
created a notable collection of speakers for each meeting in order to boost
Director Bernie Klammer. “Learning
about how long it takes to negotiate
trade agreements, the relationships
that have to be developed, and all the
work that goes into establishing them
was really informative.”
Klammer says that exposure to
new information like this helps raise
awareness about a side of agricultural
lobbying to which producers are not
normally privy.
3 A PRIVATE SECTOR VIEW OF
MARKETING CHANGE: Against
the backdrop of the changing Western
Canadian agricultural marketing
legislation, Brant Randles, president
4
meeting appeal and offer more valuable
information.
2011 AGM resolutions
Besides being informative, regional
meetings allow members to bring
forward resolutions for discussion and
debate. Once passed at a regional meeting, the resolutions are reviewed by
the resolutions committee before being
brought forward at the AGM.
The two resolutions brought forward
this year are reviewed in the box on the
adjacent page.
“All resolutions are important whether
or not they are carried or defeated,
because it brings about discussion,” says
Ron Heck, region six director and resolutions committee chair.
nn Compiled by Kailen Renelle Krawec
and CEO of Louis Dreyfus Canada Ltd.,
gives a timely presentation on myth
busting and the Canadian Wheat Board
(CWB). One of the myths Randles
addresses, is that Canadian agriculture
would lose its identity without the CWB.
Randle’s unique perspective on the
legacy and operations of the CWB gives
his audience food for thought.
4 CHAIRMAN’S ADDRESS: In his
opening remarks on Dec. 8,
Chairman and Region Two Director Matt
Sawyer spoke to the challenges facing
the industry: “With every change comes
great opportunity,” says Sawyer. “I
challenge all of you to become more
9
7
6
8
9
Resolution 1 – Submitted by Region One
Resolution 2 – Submitted by Region Five
Whereas: The per diems for the Alberta Barley Commission Chair,
Directors and Delegates are below industry standard;
Whereas:
Alberta Soft White Wheat Commission and Alberta Winter Wheat
Commission have had difficulty operating because administrative costs
have taken a large percentage of their check-offs;
And Whereas: The Alberta Barley Commission Chair, Directors and
Delegates are important to the Commission;
And Whereas: The Chair, Directors and Delegates may have to hire
staff to deal with the workload at home while attending to
Commission Business.
Therefore be it resolved: That the Alberta Barley Commission raise the
Chair’s, Directors’ and Delegates’ per diems to be in line with the industry average, such that the Chair’s per diem is raised to $300.00 for a full
day, ($150.00 for a half day), the Directors’ per diem is raised to $250.00
for a full day ($125.00 for a ½ day) and Delegates’ per diem is raised to
$200.00 for a full day, ($100.00 for a ½ day). This would be retroactive
to August 1, 2011.
Resolution moved by region one and carried at the AGM.
involved in our industry so that we can
make the most of the future.” After the
AGM, both Sawyer and Vice-Chairman
Trevor Petersen were re-elected to their
positions for another year.
5 FEDERAL COMMITMENT TO
CHANGE: In a presentation
addressing the progress of the
Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers
Act, Greg Meredith, assistant deputy
minister in the strategic policy branch
of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada,
swiftly addresses the Dec. 8 federal
court ruling.
While the ruling states that the
government acted illegally in denying
prairie farmers a vote on the existence
of the CWB, Meredith confirms that
the government will pursue its course,
despite the ruling. He explains that they
will remain on track to push forward the
passage of Bill C-18 and meet the Aug.
1, 2012 deadline to dismantle the singledesk system. The Act later received
royal assent on Dec. 15, 2011.
6 DELEGATE DISCUSSION: Region
two delegates Bernie McWilliam,
Doug Miller and Jamie Christie, enjoy a
discussion during the morning program
break at the AGM.
7 MALT BARLEY TIPS: In his
presentation focusing on the
malting industry, Bob Sutton, vicepresident of logistics and sales at Rahr
Malting, touches on a variety of malting
tips and the benefits of malting
contracts. Sutton speaks about the
newly announced expansion at Rahr’s
malting facility in Alix. He also
encourages malt barley growers to stay
And Whereas:
Oats needs progressive research and development to meet our
markets and agronomy here in Alberta, as well as Rye and Triticale.
Therefore be it resolved:
That the Alberta Barley Commission work actively to form an All
Cereals Commission here in Alberta to best and profitably serve
Alberta Grain Producers.
Resolution moved by region five and defeated at the AGM.
in touch with their maltsters for up-todate information on standards and
regulations. He forecasts that the
Canadian malting industry has a bright
future ahead.
8 INDUSTRY INVOLVEMENT: Bill
Chapman, development officer
with the crop business development
branch of Alberta Agriculture and Rural
Development, takes the opportunity to
pose a question to Kathleen Sullivan,
executive director of CAFTA.
9 LOW TECH POWERPOINT: Dr.
Lowell Catlett’s dynamic and highly
animated presentation generates huge
laughs and wild delight from a highlyentertained crowd at the banquet on
Dec. 8. Catlett, a noted futurist from New
Mexico State University’s agricultural
college, speaks about predicting future
trends in agriculture by looking at current
innovations and taking them to the
next level.
Ron Heck, region six director from
Fairview, got a real charge out of the
guest speaker.
“He was down to earth, he shot
from the hip, and his presentation
was meaningful,” says Heck. “He was
entertaining and he made people
think.”
Catlett’s catch phase, “No, mom,
I don’t want the farm!” became the
event’s most-remembered punch line.
This refers to Catlett’s lament about not
having the foresight to see potential
opportunities with his family’s farm,
which was later sold by his mother and
turned into a privately owned wind
farm.
10
Directors and delegates contact list 2012
NAME
POSITION
CITY
PHONE
EMAIL
Director
Enchant
403-634-1586
[email protected]
Delegate
Nanton
403-888-5563
[email protected]
REGION 1
Greg Stamp
Glenn Logan
Brad Berger
Brian Otto
Bernie Wickenheiser
Ken Coles
Terry Unruh
REGION 2
Matt Sawyer
David Eaton
Wade Christie
Bernie McWilliam
Doug Miller
Doug Robertson
Don Mueller
Lee Markert
Jamie Christie
Shawn Gorr
REGION 3
Trevor Petersen
Mike Ammeter
Kevin Bender
Jason Lenz
Terry Young
Harold Haugen
REGION 4
Bernie Klammer
Charlie Leskiw
John Wozniak Jr.
Brian McGonigal
Dave Solverson
Terry James
REGION 5
Albert Wagner
Richard Mueller
Bryan Adam
Darrel Henning
Peter Smerychynski
REGION 6
Ron Heck
Dan Ropchan
Mike Rudakewich
Charles Turcotte
Director-at-Large
Delegate
Delegate
Delegate
Delegate
Lomond
Warner
Hays
Lethbridge
Hays
403-792-3696
403-642-2134
403-725-2388
403-329-8263
403-725-2290
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Chairman
Acme
403-369-5071
[email protected]
Delegate
Trochu
403-442-2698
[email protected]
Delegate
Oyen
403-676-2020
Delegate
Blackie
403-684-3476
Delegate
Carstairs
403-337-2077
Delegate
Delegate
Delegate
Delegate
Acme
Three Hills
Vulcan
Trochu
403-546-2472
403-823-3177
403-485-6708
403-588-9212
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Delegate
Linden
403-546-2426
Director, Vice-Chairman
Penhold
403-886-4717
[email protected]
403-887-5795
[email protected]
Director-at-Large
Sylvan Lake
403-887-5491
Delegate
Bentley
403-748-4964
Delegate
Lougheed
780-386-3932
Delegate
Delegate
Bentley
Lacombe
403-347-7664
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Director
Vegreville
780-688-2348
[email protected]
Delegate
St. Paul
780-645-6955
[email protected]
Delegate
Delegate
Delegate
St. Paul
St. Paul
Camrose
780-636-2486
780-210-0597
780-679-9625
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Delegate
Vegreville
780-632-3871
Director
Stony Plain
780-963-7753
[email protected]
Delegate
Stony Plain
780-963-4952
[email protected]
Director-at-Large
Delegate
Delegate
Barrhead
Stony Plain
Westlock
780-674-2595
780-963-6691
780-349-4566
[email protected]
Fax: 780-674-5959
[email protected]
[email protected]
Director
Fairview
780-835-4431
[email protected]
Delegate
Fairview
780-835-2650
[email protected]
Delegate
Delegate
Grimshaw
Donnelly
780-332-1075
780-925-3777
[email protected]
[email protected]
Ad Number: SEC-AUST11-T
Publication: Barley Country
Ad Size: 10.375” x 5”
Produced by: SeCan
Product/Campaign Name: CDC Austenson
Date Produced: January 2012
11
2011 Feed Grain Summit: A step in the right direction
By Madeleine Baerg
M
ore than 60 people from across
the feed grain value chain sat
down Dec. 9, 2011 to brainstorm and commit to actions that will
improve profitability for both feed growers and feed buyers.
Taking place in Banff the day after the
Alberta Barley Commission’s annual
general meeting, the 2011 Feed Grain
Summit may not have solved all of the
industry’s problems in a day, but it was a
major step in a necessary and collaborative direction, agree participants.
“These kinds of talks are never easy,”
says Bryan Walton, chief executive officer of the Alberta Cattle Feeders’
Association. “But, in the end, everyone
FEED SUMMIT ROUNDTABLE: Darcy Kirtzinger, policy & research coordinator for the Alberta Barley Commission,
was pleased with the outcome.”
captures a discussion amongst a group of summit attendees.
At issue is the fact that the Canadian
PHOTO CREDIT: Michael Interisano
livestock feeding industry has been
faltering under growing costs, increasing demand challenges, and—in the case
of pork—low prices. Concerned about
successfully met its action-focused “Get
programs that can distort the industry,
the decline in capacity and growth of
parts: governance, price discovery, risk
’R Done!” theme. Participants identified
to the need for better yields.
its largest customer, the Alberta Barley
management, research ideas, nutrifour key industry priorities: increas“There was a growing realization, by
Commission coordinated the event with
tion requirements, what varieties are
ing industry cost efficiency; increasing
people from many different perspecindustry stakeholders in an effort to
available, all of it,” says Darcy Fitzgerald,
industry revenue; creating strategy,
tives, of how complex the issues are and
work towards solutions that benefit the
executive director of Alberta Pork. “We
structure and mechanisms for indusof how they span sectorial lines,” says
entire livestock feeding chain.
got enough people to say, ‘I’ll work on
try collaboration; and collaborating to
Don Macyk, the Summit chair. “This is
“The Commission wants to take steps
my little part of this and then blend it
leverage and drive research and innovanot a cyclical downturn; rather, it is a
to make livestock feeding more attracwith your part, and together we’ll create
tion capacity.
capacity and competitiveness challenge
tive and profitable, which will improve
something bigger.’ Before, it was just too
They also built accountable cross-inthat requires the combined effort of the
our marketplace as feed grain producdaunting a task. Now we’re at the startdustry teams to champion action in each
grain and livestock industry, governers,” explains Albert Wagner, region five
ing stage of talking about commerce.”
of those areas. Each team developed an
ments, and the science and innovation
director for the Commission.
“The extent to which those commitaction plan, and is tasked with reporting
sector. We have to ask: how can I help
Participants spent the first hours of
ments will be fulfilled will be the real
on progress to the rest of the particimake you more profitable in order to
the summit discussing the many chaltest,” says Macyk. “It’s a step at a time.”
pants during the first quarter of 2012.
make me more profitable?”
lenges facing livestock feeding: from
“We came to a real understanding that
While
decreasing
domestic demand,
to lack
SEC-AUST11-T_BC.qxd
1/10/12
11:27 PM Page
1 previous summits focused on
nnMadeleine Baerg is a born and raised farm
girl now based out of Calgary.
we need to put some effort into all the
planning and analyzing, this year’s event
of customer knowledge, to government
CDC Austenson
2-row feed barley
The new sheriff that’s bustin’ yields.
✔ top grain yield
✔ large plump kernels
✔ high test weight
✔ short strong straw
✔ improved disease resistance
Genes that fit your farm.
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®
Developed by Crop Development Centre, University of Saskatchewan.
Genes that fit your farm® is a registered trademark of SeCan.
SEC-AUST11-T
12
AC Metcalfe still king
in malt circles
By Lee Hart
A
C Metcalfe isn’t the only malting
barley variety available to Alberta growers, but it is certainly one
of the most favoured, say maltsters and
grain marketers. Some other varieties
may have a fit in some niche markets,
but regardless of how good a variety
sounds from an agronomic standpoint,
the primary rule is to grow what the
customer wants.
Malting companies and brewers are
always interested in what’s new in the
barley breeding pipeline, but ultimately
it is the varieties that consistently produce the quality and taste preferred in
well-branded beverages that are in the
greatest demand.
“
e have some market for
W
CDC Copeland as well, but
Metcalfe still seems to be
the universal favourite—the
go anywhere barley
variety.
”
- Kevin Sich
“AC Metcalfe is still our leading variety,” says Kevin Sich, grain procurement
manager with Rahr Malting, based in the
Central Alberta community of Alix. “We
have some market for CDC Copeland as
well, but Metcalfe still seems to be the
universal favourite—the go anywhere
barley variety.”
Sich says it is important that farmers
looking to produce and market malting
quality barley grow the varieties malting and grain companies want. Malting
companies are really the middle-men in
the malting barley business—it is the
brewers who ultimately call the shots on
what varieties to grow.
“The brewers have specific products
and they want a malt that will consistently produce a beer that consumers
recognize by colour and taste,” says Sich.
“It has to be consistent. It is not even a
matter of bringing them something we
think is better. If it is going to affect the
colour or taste of a particular brand,
they aren’t interested because ultimately
it could affect consumer preference for
their product.”
While brewers have their favourites,
that doesn’t mean malt barley is a static
business, says Sich.
“There is always something going on,”
he says. “We and brewers are always interested in testing new varieties, but it is
Malt barley production tips
By Lee Hart
Farmers aiming to produce barley that meets standards for
a slow process. It may take three to five
years of testing a variety to determine
if it has fit. In the initial test stages in
micro malting and brewing, we may only
need 50 pounds of grain. If that proves
favourable, the next year they will test a
larger batch, but it can be years before
there is a wide scale demand for a new
variety.”
For example, AC Metcalfe, a two-row
malt barley, was registered 14 years ago
in 1997. It eventually made its way into
the Canadian market, replacing the longstanding Harrington, which was developed at the University of Saskatchewan
in 1981. Harrington was an excellent
malting barley variety, but it just didn’t
hold up as plant breeders produced
higher yielding varieties with improved
disease resistance.
Sich says he understands the appeal
of new malting barley varieties. Farmers
are interested in varieties with higher
yield and improved agronomic packages—that’s always a draw. But the bottom line is to produce what the market
wants.
At Airdrie’s Central Ag Marketing Ltd.,
long-time grain marketing specialist
Rod Green says AC Metcalfe is still the
leading favourite among his grain buyers. CDC Copeland is gaining a bit more
demand, and CDC Meredith, registered
in 2009, is showing promise.
malting quality need to follow basic, good agronomic practices,
“
every farm, but 60 pounds of nitrogen per acre is a good starting
I f the market was there,
we could probably switch
half of the production to
Meredith overnight.
”
- Rod Green
says a malting company grain buyer.
According to Kevin Sich, grain procurement manager with Rahr
Malting, proper production begins with good quality, high
germinating, certified seed.
“Selecting the proper variety is perhaps the first thing, using
good quality seed, and soil testing to get a good handle on
fertility requirements,” says Sich.
He also has three production tips that can impact barley quality.
1. Seed early: While usually grains are left to later in the seeding
season after canola and peas, for example, Sich recommends
seeding at least a portion of the malt barley crop early. “As a good
rule of thumb, any barley harvested in August usually makes malt
quality,” he says. Seeds are plump, and usually a crop seeded
early flowers before being damaged by the high temperatures in
July and is harvested before some of the early frosts.
2. Keep the seeding rate up: While an old guideline was to seed
barley at one to one-and-a-half bushels of seed per acre (about
60 pounds per acre), the more recent recommendation is to aim
for a plant stand density of 24 plants per square foot. Depending
on the weight of seed, it works out to roughly two to 2.5 bushels
per acre (about 100 to 120 pounds of seed per acre). At the higher
seeding rate, plants tiller less, and it is seed produced on the
secondary heads that usually has lower quality.
3. Use proper fertility: There isn’t a single rate that applies to
point. The crop needs sufficient nitrogen to achieve optimum
yield, but it shouldn’t be too high of fertility, which can affect
protein levels. Find a proper fertility balance for your farm.
By following good agronomic practices, farmers can hopefully
harvest a barley crop with the following malting barley
characteristics:
“CDC Meredith is just a great variety,”
says Green. “If the market was there,
we could probably switch half of the
production to Meredith overnight. It has
good malting quality and it yields 10 to
15 per cent higher than Metcalfe. Farmers want to grow it, but I tell them they
have to wait for the market.”
And in Southern Alberta, Dave Seifridt,
marketing specialist with Market Master,
has only three words for producers wondering what malt barley variety to grow:
“‘Metcalfe, Metcalfe, Metcalfe,’ is what
I tell farmers,” says Seidfridt. “There
are other good varieties available, but
Metcalfe appears to be what the industry
wants. It is important for growers to talk
to a buyer about their specific needs, but
for now Metcalfe is the standby variety
for anyone wanting to sell malt barley.”
• a pure, clean stand
• high per cent germination (95 per cent or better)
• fully mature and free from disease
• free from frost damage
• not weathered or deeply stained
• less than five per cent peeled or broken kernels
• free from heat damage
• not artificially dried
• no desiccants
• free of insects and disease
• plump kernels of uniform size
• low protein content ranging between 10.5 to 13 per
cent dry basis
13
Intelligent nano-fertilizers herald the future
By Caitlin Crawshaw
For generations, farmers have understood the importance of nitrogen to the
growth of their crops and have struggled
to boost nitrogen levels in the soil.
Conventional fertilizer can only do this
to a small extent, since the bulk of it is
destroyed by water or wind before being
used by plants.
“For every $100 a farmer puts into
the ground, only $30 gets used by the
crop—the rest is lost,” explains Dr.
Carlos Monreal, research scientist with
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and
adjunct professor at Carleton University.
But a new technology being developed
by Monreal and his colleagues at the
University of Alberta and Carleton could
solve this perennial problem.
“We’re trying to develop a new generation of fertilizers that will increase
this efficiency from 30 per cent to upwards of 80 per cent,” he says. “The idea
is to develop a product that will release
nitrogen only when the plant needs it
and in the amount the plant needs.”
The key to this is nanotechnology.
Monreal is developing a fertilizer made
of nano-sized nitrogen molecules coated
in a polymer that protects the fertilizer
from the elements. This coating contains
nano-sized “biosensors”—made up of a
very specific chemical compound that
allow the fertilizer to be released into
the soil when the plant needs it.
These biosensors know when to
release nitrogen because they can detect
chemical signals being transmitted from
the roots of the plant to the soil.
“It’s like a chemical signal that the
plant uses to communicate with its surroundings,” says Monreal.
A plant losing water or nutrients to
weeds might send out chemicals to harm
its competitor, for instance. In some
cases, a plant under attack by insects or
soil pathogens triggers defence mechanisms that synthesize alkaloids or antibiotics emitted into the surrounding soil
to defend itself. Monreal explains that,
at certain points in a plant’s lifecycle, its
roots send out signals that ask microbes
to transform nitrogen in the soil into a
chemical form the plant can use.
By eavesdropping on this chemical
“conversation,” these biosensors can
detect when a plant requires more nitrogen and allow microbes access to the
fertilizer-nitrogen inside the polymerprotected particle.
Each plant species sends its own variety of chemical signals, which means an
intelligent nano-fertilizer product could
be tailored to respond differently to the
different needs of crops. So far, Monreal’s team has explored how this fertilizer
might work for wheat and canola, but
they also want to study barley.
Much of the work has focused on the
biochemical and molecular questions
at the heart of this puzzle, but Monreal
stresses that there’s an important industrial component, too.
“Part of the research is to develop the
mechanical tools, the engineering, to be
able to make the 3-D polymer coating
less than 100 nanometres thick,” he says,
Dr. Carlos Monreal is working to create intelligent nano-fertilizers.
PHOTO Courtesy: DR. Carlos Monreal
adding that the coating must also be biodegradable to prevent any environmental impacts. To that end, the research
team is collaborating with fertilizer
company Agrium and nanotechnology
firm NanoGrande.
But as high-tech as the research is,
it still stems from basic science and an
understanding of natural processes.
“Nature is complex, but very wise,”
says Monreal.
nnCaitlin Crawshaw is an Edmonton-based
writer.
Research Notes
Funding Consortium provides real value
By Darcy Kirtzinger
T
he Alberta Barley Commission
has invested grower check-off
contributions in research projects
for 20 years, but one way the Commission gets the most bang for the producer’s buck is through participating in the
Agriculture Funding Consortium.
Founded in 2001, the Consortium is a
group of funding agencies and producer
organizations that jointly operate a
one-window grant application process
and fund projects of mutual importance.
This single application saves researchers the effort of applying to a number of
different agencies. In turn, each member
reviews proposals based on their organizational priorities and the members
often collaborate to jointly fund projects.
The Alberta Crop Industry Development Fund (ACIDF) was instrumental
in forming the group and remains an
advocate for crop industry research at
the Consortium to this day. Since joining
in 2005, the Commission has collaborated with ACIDF on a number of projects,
including Dr. Lingyun Chen’s work on
improving oral bioavailability of bioactive compounds from barley-derivatives.
The application process
Each year, a call for proposals is sent
to researchers asking them to submit
letters of intent (LOI) in the fall. In 2011,
160 different LOIs were submitted for
review. The 14 Consortium members
then reviewed the LOIs and requested
that specific researchers provide full
proposals for consideration.
Once submitted, the full proposals are
critiqued by independent scientific reviewers who judge their merit, request
clarification, and suggest alternative
strategies. In Feb. 2012, Consortium
members will meet again to determine
which projects will receive funding.
The Commission’s picks
The Commission has a four-member
research committee that reviews each
proposal based on the Commission’s
research priorities, as well as those of
the Barley Development Council.
The Commission commits part of its
research budget to funding these projects and works with the other funding
agencies at the Consortium to ensure
that research projects address challeng-
es and provide opportunities for barley.
This “industry cash” investment has
been critical in moving many projects
forward.
The Commission is currently investing
in a number of Consortium-derived projects, including two from the University
of Alberta: Superheated Steam Drying
Barley Grains/Fractions to Improve Beta
Glucan Quality led by Dr. Thava Vasanthan and Natural Nanofibers Based on
Crop Resources for New Generation of
Bio-products led by Dr. Lingyun Chen
(another ABC–ACIDF collaboration).
Both investigate barley fractions for
value-added processing opportunities.
The Consortium remains an effective
mechanism for reviewing large numbers
of project applications and collaborating
on funding. For more information, go to
www.fundingconsortium.ca.
nnDarcy Kirtzinger is the policy and research
coordinator for the Alberta Barley
Commission.
14
Masters of malt: Elite Barley recognizes excellence
BY Kailen Renelle Krawec
P
roducing malt-quality barley is a
proud achievement for many barley growers. Each year, the Elite
Barley: Canadian Malting Barley Grower
Recognition Program celebrates producers who meet numerous production
challenges—from weather to harvest to
storage—in order to produce the best
malt barley in Canada.
An industry-led program, exceptional
producers of malt barley are nominated by participating grain and malting companies from across Western
Canada. With a total of 15 nominations,
this year’s special report featured four
Alberta farmers:
Frank Hamel of Olds (and also Outlook, Sask.), nominated by Canada
Malting Co. Ltd.; Gerard Neill of Morrin, nominated by Canada Malting Co.
Ltd.; Chris and Robert Izyk of Blackie,
nominated by Rahr Malting Canada Ltd.;
and Mike Vavrek of Sexsmith, nominated
by Viterra.
“The area we’re in is a good location
to achieve malt quality barley,” explains
Chris Izyk. “Taking advantage of the
conditions and the lower input cost
with malt, I feel that there is a bit of a
premium to be had that makes the risks
worthwhile.”
“These elite growers take great
care in pre-seeding planning and in
the growing, harvesting, and storage
management of their malting barley to
the needs and specifications of their
customers,” explains program Co-chair
Michael Brophy, president and CEO of
the Brewing and Malting Barley Research Institute (BMBRI). “They treat
their malting barley as a specialty crop.”
This year’s nominees shared best
management practices, including variety
selections, crop rotation, seed rate and
date, crop protection, harvest methods,
and storage practices. Seeding early
was key for all the nominees. Some tips,
however, were location specific, including fertility planning and seeding upon
particular types of crop stubble. Elite
growers also bought certified seed and
performed soil tests; however, a significant number only did this once every
two or three years.
The Izyks have kept up-to-date with
certified seed and approved varieties
over the years; prior to growing AC Metcalfe, they grew Harrington.
“We’re optimistic about some of the
new varieties,” explains Izyk. “The new
varieties have better agronomic packages, so if a person ended up on the
feed side of the market, at least there is
a decent amount of volume there. The
new yields are more comparable to the
feed varieties.”
In terms of harvest and storage,
straight cutting between 13.5–16.5 per
The Elite Barley: Canadian Malting Barley Grower Recognition Program celebrates the best in Western Canadian malt
barley production.
PHOTO CREDIT: Deb Marchand
cent moisture, followed by bin aeration,
was viewed as the lowest risk harvest
method. Adjusting machinery settings
according to the crop and weather
conditions also aided in maintaining the
high quality kernel condition needed for
malting.
As one of the founding partners and
a current program sponsor, the Alberta
Barley Commission sees value in promoting the expansion of barley acres in
Canada.
“Sharing effective production tips is
the key to encouraging producers to try
“
hese elite growers take
T
great care in pre-seeding
planning and in the
growing, harvesting, and
storage management of
their malting barley to the
needs and specifications of
their customers.
”
- Michael Brophy
growing malt,” says Commission Chairman Matt Sawyer. “There is a big benefit
to learning the tips of successful growers in your area. Meeting the standards
for malt barley is almost an art form.”
While malt is a valued crop, overall
production in Canada is declining. According to the Canadian Grain Commission’s Quality of Western Canadian
Malting Barley 2011 Report, total barley
production was 22 per cent lower than
the 10-year average at an estimated 7.4
million tonnes. With close to 45 per cent
of total barley production currently in
non-malting varieties, this requires a
higher selection rate of malting varieties
to achieve a 2.5-million-tonne malting
barley market requirement.
“The ultimate goal of the program is
to encourage the expansion of malting
barley production and selection rates in
the future,” says Brophy.
Elite Barley nominees will be recognized in front of industry representatives and fellow producers at the
Western Barley Growers Association’s
(WBGA’s) 35th annual convention,
which runs Feb. 15–17, 2012 in Calgary.
Program sponsors include: the Alberta
Barley Commission; the Brewers Association of Canada; the Brewing and Malting Barley Research Institute; SeCan;
Syngenta; and the WBGA.
The program also enjoys support from
these key industry partners: Canada
Malting Co. Ltd.; Canadian Grain Commission; Canadian Wheat Board; Canterra Seeds; Malteurop North America
Inc.; Prairie Malt Limited; Rahr Malting
Canada Ltd.; Richardson Pioneer; Sierra
Nevada Brewing Company; Sleeman
Breweries Ltd.; and Viterra.
Background information on the Elite
Barley program, production tips from
past nominees, and other resource information is available in this special report
and at www.elitebarley.com.
PRODUCTION ANALYSIS
The following production analysis
appears courtesy of the Elite Barley
program.
Pre-seeding plan
Elite growers often maintained production of the variety that proved to be
superior in agronomics, yield potential
and demand, while continuing to look
for new, improved varieties. Regardless
of the varietal choice, it was always
crucial to be well organized and plan
crop rotations and field selection in
advance.
Buying certified seed and soil testing
was common among elite growers, although some producers only used these
management techniques once every two
or three years. Seed treatment was also
noted as important by producer nominees.
Growers who have implemented environmental farm plans continue to reap
the benefits from these plans. Malt
barley was successfully seeded into
canola stubble, summer fallow, pea and
lentil stubble (minding the soil nitrogen
level), and even flax, depending on the
region.
It was common for elite growers to
use glyphosate or another chemical as
pre-seed weed control, although one
farmer preferred to use cultivation to
accomplish this objective.
Working closely with their local elevators/malting companies helped growers
choose an in-demand variety, analyze
market signals, and set up production
contracts with the use of Cash Plus or
other pricing mechanisms.
Crop management
Elite growers agreed that the seeding
date should be “the earlier, the better.”
This improved the crop’s chance of success at reaching maturity and developing throughout preferred weather
conditions (avoiding summer heat too
early in crop development), as well as an
early harvest.
A variety of tillage methods are still
used, from deep tillage in black soil
15
Germinating malt is tested to ensure quality.
Summarized production tips
The following summarized production tips appear courtesy of the
Elite Barley program:
• Elite barley growers understand the benefits of certified
seed and most of them use it every other year, but some
use it every third year.
Malting barley being examined upon initial delivery to a lab at Rahr Malting
Ltd.
• Growers seed their malt barley most often into canola
stubble.
• They strive for an early seeding date (early May) to allow
for early harvest and, thus, reduce concerns with drying
zones to minimum and zero tillage in
brown or grey soil zones. A wide range
of seeding rates was reported, from 60
to 135 lbs/ac (approximately 1.25 to
2.81 bu/ac), generally with increased
tillage at higher seeding rates. Some
producers even experimented with different seeding rates from year to year.
The seeding depth varied from 0.75 to
1.25 inches.
Disease management was not nearly
as prevalent as weed management,
which almost always required a chemical application, sprayed at the recommended stage (as a result of regular
crop monitoring). Some farmers have
opted for a half rate of fungicide as a
precaution against diseases.
Fertility plans for most top producers
incorporated spring applied fertilizer,
including nitrogen (from 34 to 80 lbs),
phosphorus (10 to 40 lbs), and sometimes potassium and sulfur.
Fertility plans for individual growers
are a function of soil type, topography,
soil tests, and weather conditions in
each producer’s area.
Harvest management
Straight cutting between 13.5–16.5
per cent moisture, followed by bin
aeration, was still viewed as the lowest
risk harvest method. However, a surprising number of nominees advocated
swathing, followed by combining four
to seven days later, which allowed them
to practice selective swathing if needed,
hastening and homogenizing the maturity of the crop.
Elite growers agreed that adjusting
swathing and combining settings ac-
cording to the barley crop and weather
conditions is critical. This included
slowing the rotor down, opening up the
concave and setting the wind to 900 rpm
to aid in the maintenance of high-quality
malt barley. Careful inspection of barley
samples coming off the combine by the
producer was another safeguard against
incorrect combine settings.
Post-harvest management
While it was essential for elite growers without aerated bins to take the crop
off dry, some growers with aeration did
the same, preferring to haul their barley
to malting company elevators directly
after harvest. Others stored it in clean,
odour-free, flat-bottom or hopper bins
with aeration to drop the moisture
down. This was carried out with largediametre augers set to low speeds to
reduce peeled and broken kernels. Once
in the bin, regular monitoring and necessary turning was found to maintain
top quality until delivery.
Proper sampling and labelling methods, including preparing a composite
from samples taken off each load of
barley hauled, were considered essential. Regardless of a production contract,
promptly bringing accurate samples in
to the elevator was useful for delivery
and acceptance opportunities.
The fall season was used by many top
producers to soil sample, harrow straw
into the field, or manage weed problems,
either by cultivation or post-harvest
spraying.
ailen Renelle Krawec is a Calgary-based
nnK
writer.
the grain.
• Seeding rates vary considerably, from as low as 60 lbs/
acre to as high as 135 lbs/acre.
• Rates depended on location on the prairies and
anticipated water supply during the growing season, with
higher seeding rates in areas with adequate moisture.
• Most elite growers in 2011 seeded established varieties
(AC Metcalfe and CDC Copeland), but there was increased
interest in Newdale.
• Growers were almost split evenly in their preference for
swathing versus straight cutting.
• Those who favour swathing waited for the grain to reach
16 per cent moisture and then swathed when there was a
five-day window—they liked to combine within five days
of swathing.
• Growers who prefer straight combining generally waited
for grain to reach less than 14 per cent moisture before
cutting, especially if they had no access to aeration.
• The majority of growers did aerate, even when straight
combining, to dry and cool down their barley.
• Many of the growers commented on the need to
continually adjust combine settings as the harvest day
progressed in order to reduce peeling and breakage of the
harvested grain.
• Auger speeds were also closely monitored to reduce
peeling and breakage.
16
Combatting Fusarium before it’s visible
Fusarium graminearum can be present before you see visible signs.
Fusarium thrives in cool, moist weather.
PHOTO CREDIT: Dr. Kelly Turkington
By Helen McMenamin
A
Fusarium Head Blight (FHB)
survey of over 900 cereal and
corn fields in Alberta in 2010
showed the disease is spreading beyond
irrigated areas. Research indicates it is
a disease well-worth fighting before you
see it.
FHB, also called scab or tombstone, is
caused by several species of the fungus
Fusarium, of which the most significant
is F. graminearum. Farmers in Manitoba,
eastern Saskatchewan, and irrigated
areas of Southern Alberta have to battle
it every year.
“We’ve been most concerned about
wheat, especially durum, because it’s
the most affected by the fungus,” says
Ron Howard, Alberta Agriculture plant
pathologist. “But barley, corn, oats, rye,
and grasses can also be attacked.”
Fusarium fungi can overwinter in the
soil, on infected cereal and corn resi-
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start to finish.
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Some of the most discerning food manufacturers rely on us for consistent quality ingredients, and
we pride ourselves in delivering. And we couldn’t deliver without good relationships with
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producers with more opportunities. When you work with Viterra, you can take pride in knowing
that you are producing nutritious food that finds its way onto tables around the world. To find out
more, visit viterra.com
PHOTO CREDIT: Alberta Barley Commission Archives
dues, and on seed. Overwintering fungal
fruiting bodies on crop residues release
spores in the spring and summer, which
can spread to cereal and grass heads
and corn ears when they are in flower.
Spores that reach a cereal flower can
infect the developing kernel. Infected
heads may exhibit white or pinkish fungal growth that produces more infective
spores. Spores are carried on air currents to other plants and adjacent fields.
Like most fungal diseases, Fusarium
thrives in cool, moist weather, but
it doesn’t need a lot of moisture—a
shower is enough to spread the disease
and create conditions that favour head
infection. Soil-borne Fusarium inoculum
can infect plants at different stages of
growth and cause seedling blight and
crown and root rot in cereals, as well as
stalk and ear rot in corn.
FHB cuts yields of barley and other
cereals, but the biggest loss is from mycotoxins produced by Fusarium species
in affected grain. F. graminearum typically produces more mycotoxin than the
other Fusarium species that cause FHB.
The main toxin is deoxynivalenol (DON)
and grain buyers specify a maximum
level of DON for their purchases. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada advises a
maximum of one part per million DON
for pigs, dairy cattle, and horses; and
five parts per million for poultry, beef
cattle, and sheep. Maltsters have zero
tolerance for DON—it leads to beer that
gushes when it’s opened.
“Even tiny amounts of F. graminearum
in a malthouse are a serious issue,” says
Pat Juskiw, barley breeder at the Lacombe Field Crop Development Centre.
“The fungus can grow and produce DON
on grain in the warm, humid environment of the malthouse.”
Fusarium graminearum
management plan
Because FHB is so destructive and
easily spread, Alberta designated F.
graminearum as a “declared pest” under
the Agricultural Pests Act in 1999 and
has developed a set of best management
practices to control it. These practices
are described in the Alberta Fusarium
graminearum Management Plan (www.
agric.gov.ab.ca). Under the plan, all grain
trucks must be securely covered and any
cereal seed intended for planting—even
bin run—must be accompanied by a laboratory certificate showing it has been
tested and no detectable F. graminearum
has been found. Cereal grains grown
out-of-province and destined for use as
seed in Alberta must be free of detectable F. graminearum as determined by
a lab test, and also must be treated with
a fungicide seed treatment effective
against seed-borne Fusarium.
Survey results
Howard has run FHB surveys across
Alberta in the last two years. His cooperators, including agriculture service
boards and applied research associations, sampled cereal and corn residues
and grain heads, which he then had
lab tested. A few other fungal diseases
can look similar to FHB and produce
“Fusarium-damaged kernels” (FDKs), so
a lab test helps to determine the exact
cause of these symptoms.
Not all of the Fusarium species associated with FHB or FDKs are capable
of producing mycotoxins, but F. graminearum typically produces the most
DON in infected seed.
“In 2010, we found F. graminearum
in crop residues from 5.9 per cent of
wheat, 13 per cent of durum, six per
cent of barley, zero per cent of oats, and
42.2 per cent of the corn fields sampled,”
says Howard.
Among the cereal grain samples
collected in the provincial FHB survey,
the proportion that tested positive for
F. graminearum was: 13.5 per cent of
wheat; 40 per cent of durum; 3.3 per
cent of barley; and zero per cent of oats.
continued on page 18
17
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18
producer profile
Benefits of knowing your soil
on his land followed by additional tests
in 2011. Finster has found the SARDA
research findings to be applicable and
useful.
“They do some really good work.
They’re local, and they have some really
interesting experiments,” he says. “I like
to do some of my own experiments, too.
When I soil test, I often like to interpret
on my own farm what that means.”
In 2011, Finster did a few tests with
phosphorus and the results showed
strong evidence that phosphate fertilizer
would shorten the number of days to
maturity.
“It was interesting, because sometimes you wonder about putting the
fertilizer in,” he explains. “Now I see why
I spend money on phosphorus and I feel
a lot better.”
Last spring, Finster seeded 40 per
cent canola and 35 per cent wheat, with
the remainder split between barley, peas
and oats. He considers himself somewhat of a barley rookie.
“In the mid-1980s, I had a barley crop
on solonetzic soil—grey wooded—and it
was just a disaster. I remembered swearing that I wasn’t growing barley again,”
he says. “And I didn’t, until a few years
ago. We started getting into some more
sandy loam and better soils, and it has
actually found a really good fit there.”
Finster also grows canola on sandy
loam, but he prefers to grow wheat, peas
and oats on grey wooded soil.
This year, he seeded the Lacombe feed
variety along with some Champion, a
new two-row feed variety. He’s hoping
to expand his barley acreage in 2012.
“I just grow what makes sense,” he
says, explaining that it’s important not
to chase markets and to grow what performs best on your land.
Finster started farming in 1983. He
and his wife Ester have four children:
Kyle (26), Crystal (23), Kevin (22) and
Josh (18), and the boys have shown an
interest in staying on the farm. Eldest
son Kyle joined the family business last
year, while Kevin is currently finishing
his diploma at Olds College.
“I’m excited about the transition of
the boys coming on stream to the farm.
We have expanded recently in light of
that—two sons, potentially three,” says
Finster. “There’s something about family
working toward a common goal that
“Most of the FHB-infected fields were
in irrigated areas of Southern Alberta,
but samples from four cereal fields in
Central Alberta also tested positive,”
says Howard. “The infection level was
extremely low, but it shows farmers
need to be vigilant and follow the management guidelines.”
In 2011, Howard intensified sampling
in counties that were missed in the
2010 survey, had low infection rates,
or bordered areas of heavier infection.
Lab testing of these samples should be
completed soon.
So far, 20/20 Seed Labs has seen lower levels of F. graminearum in 2011 than
in 2010—8.5 per cent of barley samples
tested positive in 2011 compared to 14
per cent in 2010. Levels of infection are
lower, too, averaging 2.1 to 5.5 per cent
in 2011, compared to six to 30 per cent
in 2010.
BioVision Seed Labs has seen similar
trends. Terry McIntee, the company’s
Edmonton lab manager, has seen a
return to “normal” levels after very high
levels in 2010.
“Fusarium graminearum is endemic in
Manitoba,” he says. “About 90 per cent
of seed lots from there tested positive
for the disease in one to two per cent
or more of seeds. Across the rest of the
prairies, disease incidence was patchy in
2011.”
McIntee says that FHB follows weather patterns and is much more common
in a wet year. He noted that, although
FHB was comparatively higher in the
areas of Saskatchewan that flooded,
it was much lower in areas with good
weather and no rain during cereal flowering.
“About 25 per cent of seed lots sent to
us from Alberta and Saskatchewan have
one or two per cent of Fusarium-infected
seed,” says McIntee. “In the past, it’s usually been 10 to 20 per cent.”
McIntee pointed out that most of Al-
by Kailen Renelle Krawec
U
nderstanding your soil is a big
part of farming and—for Gerald
Finster of Valleyview—spending
a little time figuring it out has made a
huge impact on his farm.
With a 7,500-acre operation, Finster
appreciates the edge that knowing his
soil provides. In 2010, Smoky Applied
Research and Demonstration Association (SARDA) did extensive test plots
“
here’s something about
T
family working toward a
common goal that draws
you together.
”
- Gerald Finster
Gerald Finster of Valleyview recently created a long-term yield map that
lets him micromanage his fertilizer applications.
PHOTO CREDIT: Kailen Renelle Krawec
draws you together.”
When looking at new farm technologies, Finster is the first to joke about
how the family cell phone plan and
his iPhone have been revolutionary. A
recent investment in a new grain tank
for his air drill that has variable rate
technology is a new opportunity for the
farm. He created a long-term yield map
to make use of the new equipment.
“It gives you the information to tailor
the fertilizer in order to micro-manage
different areas in your fields as opposed
to a blanket prescription,” explains Finster, who hopes to learn two things from
this process: “Number one: to make
more profit by cutting fertilizer where it
may be in excess. And number two: adding more where it makes sense.”
Apart from farming, Finster likes
to spend time hunting and is a selfproclaimed “goose and moose” man. He
snowmobiles on local terrain with family and finds time to play recreational
hockey. The Finsters also enjoy traveling
and have visited Cuba, Haiti, and South
Africa.
“It’s interesting when I travel. I can’t
help but study local agriculture,” he says.
“It’s really neat to see what they do.”
berta’s Fusarium-infected grain is from
irrigated areas.
two-row varieties,” says Howard.
Heavier seeding rates reduce tillering and shorten the time when flowers
are open and susceptible to infection.
Fungicide application at flowering
protects against infection, but a second
application may be needed if flowering
is prolonged. Under irrigation, Howard
advises filling the soil profile just before
flowering to avoid watering during flowering to minimize infection risk.
If you see FHB in the field, you may be
able to reduce the number of FDKs that
could end up in the harvested grain by
increasing fan speed to blow the lighter,
damaged kernels out of the combine.
Unfortunately, this has the drawback
of increasing the inoculum in the field,
potentially causing problems the following year.
“Combatting Fusarium,” cont’d from page 16
Management
Howard advises farmers not to seed
cereals into corn stubble or any fields affected by the disease the previous year.
“Fusarium is very common in corn,
where it causes a stalk rot and occasionally ear rot, so we advise seeding
non-cereal crops, for example peas or
canola, into corn stubble to help break
the disease cycle,” he says.
Planting Fusarium-resistant cereal
varieties would be the best strategy
against FHB; however, none of the currently registered varieties have strong
resistance, although some are less
susceptible than others. Consult Alberta’s Seed Guide at www.seed.ab.ca for
information on the relative susceptibility
of cereal varieties to FHB.
“Six-row barley varieties are generally
more susceptible to the disease than
nnHelen McMenamin is a freelance writer
from Lethbridge and a new contributor
to Barley Country.
19
Researchers crack long-time feed problem
Barley segregation could make rolling more efficient
By Caitlin Crawshaw
While animals like chickens and pigs
seem to be blessed with an iron gut,
cattle—with their complicated digestive
system—have a sensitive constitution.
This can make grain feeding a tricky
affair for farmers and feedlot operators.
Barley’s thick outer husk makes it indigestible to cattle without cracking. But
if cracked too much, fine particles can
wreak havoc in the animal’s gut.
“That’s why we can’t use a hammer mill, like we can for monogastric
animals, because that makes the grain
too fine,” says Tim McAllister, a research
scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food
Canada (AAFC) in Lethbridge. “Then, we
get too much acid in the rumen because microbes digest the particles too
quickly.”
Unfortunately, because of the variation
in kernel size, traditional rolling techniques used to crack the barley don’t
crack every kernel and less than 20 per
cent of the nutrients in whole grains will
be digested. This means a poor return
on investment for cattle farmers and
feedlot operators.
To solve this problem, McAllister and
his colleagues have been looking at ways
to segregate barley kernels by size, in
order to roll similar-sized grains at the
same time and reduce the number of
uncracked grains.
For almost a year, McAllister and his
team have been trying different sieving
techniques to segregate barley kernels.
“
Unfortunately, because
of the variation in kernel
size, traditional rolling
techniques used to crack
the barley don’t crack every
kernel and less than 20
per cent of the nutrients
in whole grains will be
digested.
”
- Tim McAllister
“We use normal screens from a seedcleaning plant that are used to separate
wheat seeds from other grains,” he says.
“It’s standard equipment, although it’s
normally not used for this.”
The work was a collaboration between
Dr. Masahito Oba’s team at the University of Alberta research farm in Edmonton,
as well as the AAFC Lethbridge Research
Centre. Thus far, the strategy seems to
be working and McAllister’s team has
reduced the variability in kernel size by
25 per cent.
This work is part of a larger $75,000
project funded by the Alberta Crop Industry Development Fund (ACIDF). The
next leg of the research will examine
how improved feed efficiency contributes to animal performance. McAllister is optimistic that this could be an
inexpensive fix to a long-time industry
problem.
“It’s something we should have been
doing for a long time,” he says. “A few
producers have undertaken the practice,
but our work shows that the practice
pays.”
That’s because barley prices have
traditionally been quite low, so feed efficiency hasn’t been as much of an issue.
But barley prices have increased over
the last couple of years and seem to be
holding steady.
“The price of barley is far from
static—barley prices have gone up and
are now around $210 per tonne. I think
producers are realizing it’s not going
down anytime soon,” he says. “Producers
want to get more value out of their feed
and this is definitely one way to do it.”
Feed segregation could lead to
increased profitability.
Proposed wheat commission gains momentum
By Terry Bullick A
lberta wheat producers are
overwhelmingly in favour of an
all-wheat commission for the
province.
“To date, producer support for forming the proposed Alberta Wheat Commission is at more than 80 per cent,”
says Kent Erickson, co-chair of the
group’s steering committee.
Committee members have been crisscrossing the province to discuss their
plans for the commission with wheat
producers. They’ve attended a number
of regional and annual general meetings for producer groups, including the
Alberta Barley Commission (ABC), the
Alberta Canola Producers Commission
(ACPC), and Alberta Pulse Growers
(APG). The committee will also be at
FarmTech 2012.
“In Southern Alberta, we have about
99 per cent acceptance,” says steering
committee co-chair Lynn Jacobson of
Enchant. “People are very interested in
how we’ll leverage our check-off dollars
in research and development.”
Current forecasts for the proposed
commission estimate annual revenue
of $3.5 million, mainly from a refund-
able check-off rate of $0.70/tonne, with
about $3 million a year going to research
and market development priorities.
This could result in up to $12 million
or more in research projects when used
with funding from organizations such
as the Western Grains Research Foundation and the Alberta Crop Industry
Development Fund.
Wheat producers are impressed,
Jacobson says, that the Alberta Winter
Wheat Producers Commission and the
Alberta Soft White Wheat Producers
Commission are leading the efforts to
form the new commission. In addition
to co-chairing the steering committee
for the new group, Erickson is the chair
of the winter wheat producers and
Jacobson is the chair of the soft white
wheat producers. ABC and ACPC have
also extended support to the proposed
commission.
“This shows the commission is not
government driven,” Jacobson says. “It’s
producer driven and supporters are
saying the time has come for this type of
organization.”
The steering committee hopes to
receive government approval for the
proposed commission this spring for an
Aug. 1, 2012 startup.
What producers are saying about
the Alberta Wheat Commission:
• “A wheat commission would be an effective way to
leverage research and development dollars.”
• “I have seen what the Alberta Canola Producers
Commission and the Canola Council of Canada have done
for canola over the past few years and if we can get the
same motivation and innovation that those organizations
have, wheat will become an exciting crop to grow, not
just a rotational crop.”
• “A commission is vital to ensuring continuity of wheat as
a competitive commodity.”
Add your opinion to the survey posted at www.albertawheat.
com. You could win a $500-draw on March 15, 2012.
To learn more about the proposed
all-wheat commission, visit www.albertawheat.com.
nnCommunications consultant Terry Bullick is
a member of the secretariat for an all-wheat
commission in Alberta.
20
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21
Grain Growers AGM focuses on meeting the upcoming
changes in Canadian agriculture
By Taryn Dickson
C
ollaboration was a key element
of the Grain Growers of Canada’s
(GGC’s) November annual general
meeting (AGM). By promoting a collaborative approach, members were able to
focus on finding solutions to the evolving challenges in Canadian agriculture.
Held in Winnipeg on Nov. 28, 2011,
the AGM addressed important issues
facing Canadian farmers.
“These meetings are a great place
to get like-minded stakeholders and
producers from all across Canada together,” says Alberta Barley Commission
Chairman Matt Sawyer, who also sits on
the GGC. “By encouraging everyone to
contribute opinions, the GGC can investigate issues—such as research funding
models—from all angles, while also
considering all commodities.”
The GGC is made up of representatives from Atlantic Canada, Ontario,
Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and
British Columbia. These members span
the industry and include canola, cereals, corn, and pulse grower groups and
commissions.
“Alberta produces more barley than
any other province in Canada,” says
Richard Phillips, the executive director
of the GGC and newly elected president
of the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance (CAFTA). “It was really important
that the Commission be there to talk
“
I t was really important that
the Commission be there
to talk about what the
marketing is going to look
like—post-single desk—but
also to get their impression
of how we get more
research into barley.
”
- Richard Phillips
about what the marketing is going to
look like—post-single desk—but also to
get their impression of how we get more
research into barley.”
Transportation is another key policy
area for the GGC, which is involved
in the Crop Logistics Working Group
(CLWG). Both Sawyer and Phillips are
members of the CLWG. This group
provides members with the opportunity
to voice concerns and suggestions in response to railway transportation issues
in Canada.
Other than transportation, the GGC—
through its sub-committees—focuses on
The Crop Logistics Working Group was formed to discuss how to improve transportation in the new market system.
Matt Sawyer, chairman of the Alberta Barley Commission, and Richard Phillips, executive director of the Grain Growers
of Canada, both sit on the group.
Credit Line: © 2007, Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
research funding, including investigating funding models to improve cereal
research programs and Agriculture and
Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) challenges.
These focus areas were addressed
throughout the AGM. AAFC highlighted
Growing Forward 2, changes to the Canadian Grains Act, and the Rail Service
Review as their main issues. The Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) discussed
grain safety, grain grading, inward and
outward inspection, and an insurance
model to provide producer security.
“We are very influential in agricultural
policy and trade policy in Canada, but
we also have a strong impact abroad,”
explains Phillips.
From the World Trade Organization
to the Canadian International Development Agency to CAFTA, the GGC
continues to push for the adoption of a
low level presence policy. This would
reduce the possibility of trade being
disrupted when low levels of a genetically modified (GM) product—which is
approved in at least one country but not
the importing country—are potentially
detected in grain shipments.
“As science has advanced,” explains
Phillips, “you can seemingly find trace
amounts of anything anywhere. Regulatory authorities need to concentrate on
genuine health and safety risks rather
than GM witch hunts.”
The GGC also addresses supply
management issues with international
markets and works to expand market
access with potential clients in India,
Morocco, and South Korea. The organization also participates in ongoing trade
negotiations with the European Union
and Japan.
Phillips believes the GGC is both effective and significant. AGM attendance
included company presidents, CEOs, and
“
artnership and
P
collaboration are integral
to address global
challenges, such as food
security for all.
”
- Harmut van Lengerich
top-level representatives from Monsanto, Dow AgroSciences, Bayer CropScience, and Syngenta.
Hartmut van Lengerich, head of
cereals and fungicides for Bayer CropScience, made the trip from Germany to
speak at the meeting.
“I find it very important to interact
and talk to stakeholders like the GGC,
with all their members around the
table,” he says. “Partnership and collaboration are integral to address global
challenges, such as food security for all.”
Van Lengerich gave a thorough explanation of the global community, as
well as the strengths and weaknesses
each grower region faces. Bayer CropScience—along with other agricultural
companies represented at the meeting—is looking for grains research and
development opportunities in the Canadian private sector, including possible
improvements to AAFC-produced grain
varieties.
“An advantage Canada has in agriculture is that the growers are very trustful
and honest in their buying and behaviour, as well as in their usage of technologies,” says van Lengerich. “Technology
development is a very long journey and
Canada has a very good track record of
being a leader in applying new technologies.”
The AGM ended with a short presentation from the Canada Foodgrains Bank,
which the GGC is partnering with in
2012. (For more information, please see
the Grain Growers of Canada column on
page 22.)
nnTaryn Dickson’s position as Project
Coordinator is divided between the Alberta
Barley Commission and the Brewing and
Malting Barley Research Institute. She is a
new contributor to Barley Country.
22
Grain Growers of Canada update
farmers who will actually have to pay for
all of this and farmer input hasn’t been
actively sought.
Therefore, the Grain Growers sent in a
position paper to CGC and the Minister
of Agriculture in early January outlining
what we feel the value to farmers is for
their various services, as well as identifying what areas the general public
should contribute to with the CGC.
It is clear that the western standards
committee and variety recommending
processes need to be reviewed going
forward, as well. Although things may
stay the same, given the changes coming
in wheat and barley marketing, now
is the time to challenge ourselves on
whether or not the current organization’s structure is appropriate.
Grain Growers of Canada and
Canadian Foodgrains Bank to
partner in 2012
People in Northern Kenya, who have been affected by drought, receive food from a Foodgrains Bank-supported food
distribution site.
PHOTO CREDIT: Barb Summers/Presbyterian World Service & Development
By Richard Phillips
T
he Grain Growers of Canada (GGC)
were recently asked to testify
before the Standing Committee
on Agriculture and Agri-Food regarding
competitiveness as a pillar of Growing
Forward 2 (GF2). Trevor Petersen, vicechairman of the Alberta Barley Commission, appeared with Richard Phillips,
where he highlighted barley-specific
issues affecting our competitiveness in
the global market. (To receive the full
Committee Hansard of the presentation,
please call the Grain Growers of Canada
at (613) 233-9954.)
Summary of Trevor Petersen’s
testimony
“With the coming changes to our barley marketing system, one of our most
important needs is a commitment from
government to help us develop new
markets for our barley.
“In the past, we as farmers have either
sold our feed barley to local mills or feed
lots. Our malt barley has gone to malting
plants via the Canadian Wheat Board,
or has been part of larger Wheat Board
sales overseas.
“Looking forward, we are excited
about the many new opportunities
in front of us. For example, in human
health: barley lowers cholesterol and
with further research we could document other health benefits, such as
lowering glycemic indexes, which would
be of benefit to people with diabetes.
Another opportunity is in the Japanese
market, where our barley is starting
to be used to make a popular beverage
called Shochu.
“In the malt industry, my local malting plant is doubling their storage and
increasing their capacity. I know other
new companies are now looking to
invest in Western Canada to take advantage of the growing, global demand
in beer consumption. This value adding
means more jobs in our communities.
“The other major area of opportunity
for barley is in the feed industry. One recent success story was the development
of low-phytate barley. In today’s world,
there is a lot of concern about safe
ground water and farm practices. When
fed to livestock, this low-phytate barley
reduces the amount of phosphorus in
the manure. This helps show consumers that we are stewards of the land and
protecting our environment.”
Research
At Committee, GGC put forward a new
funding proposal for public research.
In the absence of increased direct federal contributions, the federal government should commit to the current Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)
research budget and adjust for inflation.
Secondly, the GGC propose that the government allow all royalty streams gener-
ated by AAFC discoveries to be added on
top of the research budget.
Under this proposal, even with no new
government cash, the AAFC research
budget would grow by five or six million
dollars next year. This would increase
as scientists see that their programs can
grow when they develop products that
farmers want and need. It would be a
win-win.
AAFC’s top three list
At our recent fall meeting, AAFC officials spoke to the GGC board of directors
about the three top issues that farmers
need to focus on in coming months:
1. Growing Forward 2 (GF2): AAFC
will be coming out for a round of consultations in early 2012 with some “straw
man” ideas on where Business Risk
Management and other pillars of GF2
might land for the new “five-year plan.”
2. Rail Service Review: There has
been a Crop Logistics Working Group
(CLWG) formed by the minister and the
GGC, along with Canola, Pulse and a few
others. Members, including the Alberta
Barley Commission, were appointed to
ensure producer interests are being represented as we work through the Rail
Service Review.
3. Canada Grain Commission (CGC):
The CGC is moving to full cost recovery and is doing an internal review of
what it should look like going forward.
However, as in many bureaucracies, it is
Many communities in Alberta are part
of a new community growing project in conjunction with the Canadian
Foodgrains Bank. In this project, everyone works together on a dedicated piece
of land to produce a crop that is donated
to the Foodgrains Bank. In turn, the crop
is used in international food relief and
agricultural development, often following major disasters or droughts.
Since not every community has a dedicated project, the Foodgrains Bank and
the Grain Growers partnered to create a
“virtual farm” on-line.
Our goal is to have individual farmers pledge a couple acres of production
on-line at the virtual farm. For more
information, go to www.growingproject.
ca and then pledge your acres by emailing: [email protected].
The Grain Growers will track the acres
pledged and keep you in the loop. Even
though you may not farm side-by-side in
the field, along with farmers from across
Canada, you can be part of the virtual
Grain Growers’ farm.
At harvest time when you deliver
grain, just tell the elevator manager to
set aside the couple tonnes of grain for
the Foodgrains Bank dedicated to the
“Grain Growers” growing project. Tax
receipts are issued by the Foodgrains
Bank for the value of the grain donated
on the day of delivery.
nnRichard Phillips is the executive director
of the Grain Growers of Canada.
Canadian
Foodgrains
Bank
A Christian Response
to Hunger
1/11/12
12:10 AM
Page 1
23
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24
Events listing
Alberta Government Marketing
Information Sessions
Jan. 31–Feb. 6, 2012
The Government of Alberta is pleased to
present a series of information sessions on
changes to the barley and wheat marketing
system. Topics covered include: barley
and wheat markets; Canada’s position in
world markets; pricing in the new system;
transportation and logistics; and what it all
means to you from an on-farm perspective.
Sessions will take place in the following areas:
Lethbridge (Coast Hotel) on Jan. 31; Grande
Prairie (Quality Inn) on Jan. 31; Medicine
Hat (Medicine Hat Lodge) on Feb. 1; Peace
River (Sawridge Inn) on Feb. 1; Three Hills
(Community Centre) on Feb. 2; and Vegreville
(Social Centre) on Feb. 6.
All meetings are from 9:00 a.m.–3:40 p.m.
Lunch will be provided. Please pre-register at
least three days prior to your event by calling
the Ag-Info Centre at (800) 387-6030.
AgChoices
Feb. 7, 2012
AgChoices will be held at the Holiday Inn
in Red Deer. This one-day conference
will connect the agriculture industry with
innovative ideas and information on changing
markets and consumer demands. For more
information and registration, visit www.
agriculture.alberta.ca/agchoices or call the AgInfo Centre at (800) 387-6030
Alberta Beef Industry
Conference
Feb. 15–17, 2012
Located at the Capri Hotel and Conference
Centre in Red Deer, this event will showcase
key suppliers from the beef industry and
feature a diverse line-up speakers. This year,
the conference’s theme is: “Lead, Grow,
Prosper—think outside the bunk.” For more
information and registration, go to www.
abiconference.ca/home/index/aspx.
Western Barley Growers
Association 35th Convention
Feb. 15–17, 2012
This year’s WBGA conference will be held
jointly with the Master Brewers Association
of the Americas (MBAA) at the Deerfoot
Inn and Casino in Calgary. The WBGA and
the MBAA have put together a prestigious
event featuring world-class speakers and an
exciting, timely agenda focused on the theme
“Embracing the Future.” For more information
and registration, go to www.wbga.org.
Alberta Soft Wheat Producers
Commission AGM
Feb. 16, 2012
The Alberta Soft Wheat Producers Commission
AGM will begin at 9:00 a.m. at the Vauxhall
Legion. For more information or to register,
please contact Elizabeth Tokariuk at (403) 3456550 or email [email protected].
AARD Allergic and Gluten-Free
Living Workshop
Feb. 21, 2012
Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development
presents a workshop on market opportunities
WWW.ALBERTABARLEY.COM
for producers and processors in the rapidly
growing “free-from” (gluten-free, dairyfree, nut-free) sector of food products. The
workshop will take place from 8:30 a.m.
to 4:15 p.m. at Ernest’s Restaurant on the
NAIT campus in Edmonton. The cost of the
workshop is $30. Contact Annette Anderwald
at [email protected] or (780)
644-2404 for more information. Call (800)
387-6030 to register.
Precision AG 2.0: The Next
Generation
Feb. 22–23, 2012
The Agricultural and Research Extension
Council of Alberta (ARECA) is hosting the
“Precision Ag 2.0: The Next Generation”
conference at the Deerfoot Inn and Casino in
Calgary. As GPS and GIS is now everywhere,
the next level is to understand how we can use
this and other technologies to make a profit
and grow the industry. Topics covered include
increased profitability, land stewardship,
protecting the environment, optimizing
agricultural inputs, data management, onfarm research and more. The conference
features over 30 speakers, current information
on practices and technologies being adopted
by farmers in Western Canada and abroad,
35 tradeshow booths, and will cover topics
for all skill levels and experience. For more
information and registration, call ARECA at
(780) 416-6046 or visit www.precision-ag.ca.
Ag Expo
Feb. 29–Mar. 2, 2012
Ag Expo is one of Western Canada’s premier
agricultural shows and is held at Exhibition
Park in Lethbridge. Visitors will find exhibitors
featuring innovative products that improve
agricultural production, showcasing the
latest farm equipment, livestock supplies,
chemicals, seeds, and irrigation. In addition,
guests can meet with exhibitors who
offer new technology, brokerage services,
communications, banking, and other essential
“tools of the trade.” Ag Expo is also host to
the North American Seed Fair—one of the
oldest seed fairs in Western Canada. For more
information, visit www.exhibitionpark.ca.
Alberta Farm Fresh Food Short
Course
Mar. 1–2, 2012
The Alberta Farm Fresh Producers
Association and Alberta Agriculture and Rural
Development will be hosting the Alberta
Farm Fresh Food Short Course at the Black
Knight Inn in Red Deer. Learn how to create
a successful direct marketing farm business.
There will be sessions for new or potential
producers, as well as established producers.
For more information and registration fees,
please contact Krista at (800) 661-2642 or
[email protected].
27th Peace Country Classic
Agri-Show
Mar. 8–10, 2012
The Peace Country Classic Agri-Show will
be held at Evergreen Park in Grande Prairie.
It is the Peace Country’s largest agricultural
show and will feature the latest innovations
in agricultural technology. Look for the new
exhibit area “Elevator Row” located in the
Grand Hallway, featuring all the leading grain
and crop input companies from the area. Also
new this year is the “Peace Country Classic
Artcetera,” which will feature works of art
with a rural or western theme. For more
information, visit www.evergreenpark.ca/
peace-country-classic-agri-show.
Water Well Workshop
Wed., Mar. 21, 2012
The Chinook Applied Research Association
(CARA) is presenting a water well workshop
at the Consort Sportex Hall from 12:30–5:00
p.m. Discover how groundwater works, while
also learning more about your well and how
to best maintain it. An invaluable resource
if you are drilling a new well in the area. The
workshop is hosted by CARA and presented
by the Working Well Program, with technical
expertise provided by Alberta Agriculture and
Rural Development, Alberta Environment, and
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. To register,
contact CARA at (403) 664-3777. Please preregister as soon as possible so the drilling
report for your well can be obtained.
Alberta Pork Congress
Mar. 28–29, 2012
Alberta Pork Congress invites you to
participate in the premiere Western Canadian
Pork trade show at Westerner Park in Red
Deer. Attend the 38th annual tradeshow
and social events to learn more about the
latest products and services and connect
with suppliers. The event features over 120
exhibitors in more than 200 booths. For more
information, go to www.albertaporkcongress.
com.
Farm and Ranch Show
Feb. 29–Mar. 2, 2012
The Northlands Farm and Ranch show returns
to the Edmonton Expo Centre this year. This
event provides attendees with the opportunity
to comparison shop, as well as to listen to
innovative information sessions and witness
fascinating demonstrations presented by
Alberta agriculture industry experts. Enjoy the
Canadian National College Finals Rodeo at the
same time. For more information, visit
www.farmandranchshow.com.
Growing Rural Tourism
Conference
Apr. 2–4, 2012
Held at the Camrose Regional Exhibition
Building, the Growing Rural Tourism
Conference features experts from a wide
range of fields. The conference brings together
groups who have embraced innovative
tourism strategies and partnerships, and those
looking at how they might bring new sources
of revenue and employment to their own
communities.
Participants from a wide range of fields will
share successes, challenges, and ideas for
future growth. For more information and
registration, go to www.growingruraltourism.
ca.
If you’d like to have your event
included in our listing, please email
[email protected].
Key contacts
Alberta Barley Commission
#200, 3601A – 21 Street N.E.
Calgary, AB T2E 6T5
Phone: (403) 291-9111 or (800) 265-9111
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.albertabarley.com
Chairman & Director
Matt Sawyer, Region 2
Acme, AB
Phone: (403) 369-5071
Vice-Chairman & Director
Trevor Petersen, Region 3
Penhold, AB
Phone: (403) 886-4717
Directors-at-Large
Glenn Logan, Region 1
Lomond, AB
Phone: (403) 792-3696
Mike Ammeter, Region 3
Sylvan Lake, AB
Phone: (403) 887-5491
Richard Mueller, Region 5
Barrhead, AB
Phone: (780) 674-2595
Fax: (780) 674-5959
Directors
Greg Stamp, Region 1
Enchant, AB
Phone: (403) 634-1586
Bernie Klammer, Region 4
Vegreville, AB
Phone: (780) 688-2348
Albert Wagner, Region 5
Stony Plain, AB
Phone: (780) 963-7753
Ron Heck, Region 6
Fairview, AB
Phone: (780) 835-4431
Administration
Lisa Skierka
General Manager
(403) 219-6262
Syeda Kurram
Accounting Manager
(403) 219-6264
Mike Watson
Accounting Assistant
(403) 219-6263
Anne-Marie Bruzga Luchak
Communications Manager
(403) 219-6260
Linda Whitworth
Marketing & Events Manager
(403) 219-6261
Darcy Kirtzinger
Policy & Research Coordinator
(403) 219-6265 or (780) 878-3237
Ellen Bryan
Stakeholder Relations Coordinator
(403) 219-6267
Tania Galanis
Office Coordinator
(403) 291-9111
Taryn Dickson
Project Coordinator
(204) 927-1400
Story ideas? Email Anne-Marie at
[email protected].

February 2012 - Alberta Barley

Transcription

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