march 17, 2015

Transcription

march 17, 2015

Volume 41, Number 8 | MARCH 17, 2015
$4.25
PRACTICAL PRODUCTION TIPS FOR THE PRAIRIE FARMER
www.grainews.ca
INOCULANT:
Finding the right
formulation
Liquid, peat or granular?
Choose the best one for your fields
By Melanie Epp
I
noculants can offer tremendous value
to growers at a reasonable price. Under
ideal conditions, all three formulations — liquid, peat or granular — can
be equally effective. As conditions deteriorate, though, differences can occur.
The different types of inoculants refer to
the substrate that the rhizobium bacteria are
applied to, says Dr. Diane Knight, soil science
professor at the University of Saskatchewan.
Liquid inoculants are broth cultures that
are sold either refrigerated or as frozen concentrates. Usually, they are mixed with water
and sprayed into the seed furrow at planting.
“Liquid inoculants are probably the least
popular because they need to be refrigerated
during shipping and storage,” says Knight.
“In Western Canada, liquids are not as common as peat and granular inoculants.”
With peat inoculants the bacteria adhere
to a commercial grade, finely ground peat
moss. “The peat provides a relatively inert
substrate that the bacteria can survive on in
high numbers,” says Knight. “Peat inocu-
lants sometimes are manufactured with a
‘sticker’ substance added to adhere the peat
inoculant to the seed. With non-sticking formulations the farmer can add a sticker separately. The powdered peat is applied directly
to the seed at seeding so that the bacteria are
in direct contact with the seed.”
Granular inoculants are small pellets, usually made of an inert clay — although other
substances have been used — that the bacteria are applied to. Similar to peat, granular
inoculants provide an inert stable substrate
that supports the bacteria in high numbers.
Granular inoculants are applied to the soil
rather than to the seed.
Choosing the right rhizobium
Crops are very selective about the type
of bacteria they use to form nodules that
result in the desired nitrogen fixation. Field
peas, lentils and faba beans, for instance,
require Rhizobium leguminosarum species.
Chickpeas require Mesorhizobium cicero, dry
beans require Rhizobium phaseeoli and soybeans require Bradyrhizobium japonicum.
photo: thinkstock
The most important factor is to choose the right inoculant for the pulse crop you’re growing.
Choosing the wrong one, says Diane Knight, “is the same as applying nothing, just more
expensive.” Chickpeas require the bacteria Mesorhizobium cicero.
“Apply a pea inoculant to soybean and
no infection of bacteria will occur,” says
Garry Hnatowich, research director at the
Irrigation Crop Diversification Corporation
at Outlook, Sask.
Knight agrees. “Purchasing the correct
inoculant for a particular pulse crop is the
most important decision — makes far more
difference than whether it is a peat/granular
or liquid inoculant,” she says. “Applying an
inoculant for soybean onto pea will have no
benefit. It is the same as applying nothing,
just more expensive.”
Which inoculant works best?
Powdered peat-based inoculants were first
introduced for sale in North America in 1897,
says Hnatowich. “Up until about 25 years ago,
they remained the only commercial formulation available to growers,” he says.
“This formulation was awkward to apply
In This Issue
Publications Mail Agreement Number 40069240
with accuracy, dusty and had poor adhesion with the seed they were applied to,”
says Hnatowich. “Many farmers resorted to
mixing in ‘glues’ to help the inoculant stay
on the seed, such as powdered milk, honey
and even cola.”
“Liquid inoculants alleviated much of
the application difficulties,” he says. “They
could be conveniently metered and applied
as seed was augered into the truck or into
the seeder.”
As the number of seed/input tanks on
seeders increased, more granular inoculants
were developed. Now application rates can
be easily calibrated, and they offer a positional placement within the seed-row that
can be beneficial, says Hnatowich.
“The three types differ in the way the bacteria are delivered to the system,” says Knight.
“Because they are delivered differently, the
» continued on page 4
Wheat & Chaff .................. 2
Features . ........................... 5
Crop Advisor’s Casebook . 6
Columns ............................ 15
Farm Safety . ..................... 24
Machinery & Shop............. 28
Winter wheat, winter kill
lisa guenther
page 5
Pick up truck special
scott garvey page 28
Cattleman’s Corner .......... 37
FarmLife ............................ 44
Grow your knowledge and your business here
Find hundreds of insightful articles, videos, podcasts and webinars from
industry experts at fcc.ca.
Bookmark: fcc.ca
2
/ grainews.ca MARCH 17, 2015
Wheat & Chaff
STAMPEDE
BY JERRY PALEN
Leeann
Minogue
I
n past columns I’ve written about research levies and
wheat industry associations.
Today: canola.
You might be asking, “Why are
there so many organizations with
‘canola’ in their name?” Here’s a
quick summary.
Provincial canola
organizations
“Maybe you’re ready for some running boards.”
contact us
Write, Email or Fax
SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES:
Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (CST) 1-800-665-0502
U.S. subscribers call 1-204-944-5568
or email: [email protected]
If you have story ideas, call us. You can write
the article and we’d pay you, or we can write it.
Phone Leeann Minogue at 306-861-2678
Fax to 204-944-5416
Email [email protected]
Write to Grainews, 1666 Dublin Ave.,
Winnipeg, Man. R3H 0H1
hearts
Ask for hearts
When you renew your subscription to
Grainews, be sure to ask for six Please
Be Careful, We Love You hearts. Then
stick them onto equipment that you,
your loved ones and your employees
operate. That important message could
save an arm, a leg or a life.
Like us on Facebook!
Grainews has
a Facebook page.
Find, read and comment on blog
posts easily and with a thumbs up!
Find us on Twitter:
If you want to get involved in
canola research and policy, start
by paying attention to your local
provincial organization. Alberta,
Manitoba and Saskatchewan
each have their own farmer-led
commodity associations solely
devoted to canola. These are
funded by your refundable levies of $1 per tonne of canola
sold. Each of these associations
funds some research, extension
and policy work.
In Alberta, the group is called
the Alberta Canola Producers
Commission. It started in 1989
— Alberta’s first refundable checkoff producer organization. It runs
with a 14-person board of directors: a chair, a vice-chair and one
representative from each of 12
regions. Lee Markert, a farmer
from Vulcan, Alta., became chair
at the end of January. Ward Toma
is the general manager at the
Edmonton office.
In Saskatchewan, the job is handled by SaskCanola (more formally
known as the Saskatchewan Canola
Development Commission). This
group has been running since
1991. It’s governed by an eightmember elected board. The current chair is Esterhazy farmer
Dale Leftwich. Janice Tranberg
is the executive director in the
Saskatoon office.
In January I sat in on the
SaskCanola annual meeting in
Saskatoon. While the meeting
was well attended and there was
a couple of informative presentations and general congeniality,
there wasn’t a lot of discussion
or debate. One farmer/member made a pre-written statement about component pricing
(he believed farmers are leaving money on the table by not
demanding a system or premiums
and discounts based on canola
oil content.) But this topic had
been addressed by SaskCanola
staff, and no other farmers made
comments.
Not only were there no entertaining arguments, when outgo-
ing board chair Franck Groeneweg
(a farmer from Edgeley, Sask.) got
a little choked up explaining how
much he’d enjoyed being part of
the executive. I was worried the
room might break out in a group
hug. I’m not sure if this lack of discussion is the sign of a profitable,
stable industry where everyone is
happy, a demonstration of apathy,
or just a mark of management that
ensures all debates are held behind
closed doors.
The Manitoba Canola Growers
started as a voluntary membership
association in 1982, but moved to
a refundable checkoff in 1996. The
Manitoba chair is Ed Rempel from
Starbuck, Man., and its Winnipeg
office is managed by executive
manager Bill Ross.
The table at the bottom lists
key information from the 2014
annual reports of all three of these
organizations. They don’t use a
common accounting method, so
the research and administration
numbers may not exactly compare
apples to apples.
The national groups
There are two national canola
groups: The Canola Council of
Canada and the Canadian Canola
Growers Association, each with its
own board, staff and offices.
Why two? They have different
goals and different funders.
The Canola Growers is a farmerrun group — a national ag policy
organization. It’s funded by the
three provincial canola groups,
with additional funds from the
Ontario Canola Growers and the
B.C. Grain Producers Association.
It’s run by farmers appointed by
the provincial canola organizations. The current chair is Brett
Halstead from Nokomis, Sask.
This organization doesn’t fund
extension or research. It runs the
Cash Advance program and does
ag policy work. One great example of its policy work is their
publication: “A Practical Guide
to Navigate Grain Contracts,”
written to help farmers know
what to look for in grain company contracts when they sell
canola. This sort of publication
would only be published by an
organization solely funded by
farmers.
The other national group, the
Canola Council of Canada, is quite
different. Its website claims that
it’s the “first industry association
in Canada to encompass all links
in the value chain.” It’s funded by
the three provincial canola associations, but also funded by canola
exporters, processors, and companies selling canola inputs like
BASF, Bayer, Monsanto, Dupont
Pioneer and Syngenta. Currently,
the chair is Terry Youzwa, a
SaskCanola director and farmer
from Nipawin, Sask.
Having all of these interests
working together in one room
drives a lot of great industry and
market development. And, with
corporate contributions, the
Canola Council has the financial
resources to fund a lot of strong
agronomic and research programs.
But, you’ll notice that many of
the council’s goals and strategies
revolve around increasing canola
yield (rather than maximizing net
farm income from canola), or
increasing total canola industry
profits (versus farmer profits). Fair
enough. They still offer a lot of
great agronomic advice, and we
won’t prosper on the farm if the
rest of the industry can’t make
a buck.
Give the people
what they want
Every month or so I get a report
from our subscriptions department
— a list of the comments you’ve
passed on when you renewed your
Grainews subscriptions at farm
shows or over the phone. Almost
every month at least one reader
says, “I’d like to see more recipes.”
We’ve heard you. We have a new
columnist on board, starting with
this issue. We’re happy to welcome
Amy Jo Ehman as a regular columnist in the Farmlife pages.
A few issues ago we ran a review
of Amy Jo’s new book, Out of Old
Saskatchewan Kitchens, and I’m
a long-time reader of her food
blog, homefordinner.blogspot.ca,
where she writes stories about the
history of the recipes your grandmother used to make (Jello salad,
spareribs, maple cream fudge).
This year Amy Jo is learning about
the history of wheat and taking a
trip to Europe to learn more about
its origins. As she puts it, the
result will be “personal, travelbased and quirky.” In her column,
we can look forward to stories of
what Amy Jo refers to as our “rich
agricultural and culinary heritage,” and of course receipes.
There are always two sides to
every change. Janita Van De Velde
is bringing her regular column to
a close, but don’t worry — she’s
promised to continue to write
occasional pieces for Grainews so
she won’t completely disappear
from these pages.
And, also on the topic of giving
people what they want: trucks.
According to federal legislation,
every Canadian farmer must have
at least one pickup truck in the
yard. Preferably two. Whether
you’re in the market for a new
truck, or waxing nostalgic about
an old Chevy, Scott Garvey has
you covered. Enjoy. †
Leeann
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
FINANCIAL INFORMATION FROM THE ORGANIZATIONS’ MOST RECENT ANNUAL REPORTS
Levies collected
Alberta Canola
Producers Commission
Sask.
Canola
Manitoba Canola
Growers
$5,497,859
$5,745,886
$2,951,349
$319,970
$303,926
$241,032
$1,320,095
$466,010
Leeann Minogue is @grainmuse
Refunds
Lisa Guenther is @LtoG
Canola Council levy
$1,080,057
Lee Hart is @hartattacks
Research
$1,755,748
$1,963,952
$496,685**
Scott Garvey is @machineryeditor
Office, admin., and board costs*
$681,106*
$1,042,817*
$325,899
*In Alberta, this is shown as “board of directors” and “generation office and administration.” In Saskatchewan:
“salaries and benefits,” “general and administration” and “governance.” In Manitoba: “Administration: board and office.”
**While other organizations show line items labelled “research,” Manitoba lists “sustainable production” as a line item.
MARCH 17, 2015 grainews.ca /
Wheat & Chaff
Farm safety
Be the difference as an educator
E
ducators don’t just teach in
schools. Educators are also 4-H
leaders, coaches, Guide and
Scout leaders and other adults
with an interest in seeing youth and
children learn and thrive in the community. Educators, whether in a school
setting or in the community, can be the
difference for farm safety.
As an educator, you can help farm children and youth stay healthy and safe on
the farm. The first step is to understand
the issues. It’s important to understand
the roles that children and youth often
take on their family farms. These young
people may be depended on to help out
with chores, look after younger siblings
and generally contribute to the running
of the farm operation.
What else can an educator do? Start
by having conversations about farm
safety with children and youth. Ask
young people about their farms and
help them develop tactics that they
could use to address safety concerns
on their farm, including ideas about
staying away from ongoing farm work
and speaking up if they see something
dangerous. Let them know that you are
there to talk to about any concerns.
Become a trusted advisor.
Modelling safety-first behaviours to
children and youth can have positive impacts on young peoples’ attitudes and behaviours. When educators
model good safety practices, this shows
young people that safety-first attitudes
and behaviours are the norm. Just like
budding leaders require good role models for leadership in the community,
safe and healthy youth require safe and
healthy role models.
Helping children, youth and their
parents understand the hazards on the
farm is one of the best ways educators
can be the difference. Farm safety training and education events are excellent,
unthreatening ways to create a sense
of awareness around farming hazards.
Sometimes, parents think that their
child is faster, smarter, stronger and
more capable of completing tasks than
other young people. A farm safety education event can show children and
their parents that hazards do exist and
without knowledge and training the
risks of injury are great.
As an educator, teaching comes naturally, whether it is how to subtract, shoot
a hockey puck or build a fire. Teaching
about age-appropriate tasks is also part
of being the difference. Resources like
the North American Guidelines for
Children’s Agricultural Tasks (NAGCAT)
are excellent ways to inform parents
about age-appropriate tasks and capabilities of children and youth. The NAGCAT
is a collection of guidelines designed to
assist parents and others in assigning
age-appropriate tasks for children ages
seven to 16 who live or work on farms
and ranches across North America.
Lastly, informing young people
about their responsibilities and rights
in the workplace can be the difference
between a successful, satisfying and
safe work experience and an injury.
Speaking and teaching basic worker
Agronomy tips… from the field
rights to young people who might
be looking to work in a farm setting
empowers them to take control of their
own health and safety at the workplace. As an educator you can be the
difference!
CASW 2015 is presented by Farm
Credit Canada and brought to you
by the Canadian Agricultural Safety
Association
and
the
Canadian
Federation of Agriculture with assistance from the Government of Canada
through Growing Forward 2, a federal,
provincial and territorial initiative. In
2015, CASW sponsors include longtime corporate sponsor Farm Credit
Canada, Imperial Oil and their Esso
Branded Retailers, Ag for Life, Canadian
Fertilizer Institute, Dupont Pioneer,
Viterra and Brandt.
Canadian Agricultural Safety Week is
March 15 to 21, 2015. For more information about how you can “Be the Difference,”
please visit agsafetyweek.ca. †
Glen Blahey, Canadian Agricultural Safety Association,
www.casa-acsa.ca.
Weather Lore
Seed treatments
maximize potential
You might be from the Prairies if...
By Carson Demmans and Jason Sylvestre
S
eed treatments can’t walk on water, but they’ll help to
enhance the existing seed quality that you have. That’s why
it’s very important to select the highest-quality seed you can
possibly get. A good start to the year will put you in the best
position to maximize the genetic potential of your pulse crop.
If you have poor emergence or stand establishment, you’ll
be fighting an uphill battle. This is especially true in chickpeas,
peas and lentils, as their genetic characteristics don’t allow them
to have a big branching canopy like canola plants, where they
can compensate and fill gaps.
Even if you have high germination and vigour with little to no disease, you might not know whether a disease like
Rhizoctonia is lurking in your soil.
Rhizoctonia is very deceptive since certain strains aren’t pathogenic to cereal plants, but will infect a pulse crop. I’ve seen guys
growing a durum-lentil or durum-pea rotation that didn’t realize
they had a problem until it was too late.
That’s where seed treatments come in — as a way to protect
that pulse seed, ensure even emergence and stand establishment, and allow you to make easier decisions when it comes to
herbicide and fungicide timing. †
This agronomy tip is brought to you by Mark Mercier, seedcare specialist,
Saskatchewan South, with Syngenta Canada Inc.
Photo contest
GIVE US YOUR BEST SHOT
This photo was submitted by great grandparents
Len and Jo Lausen, with the title, “Can we farm Great
Grandpa’s farm someday?” These two cousins, Cade
Lausen, three at the time, and Josh, 1-1/2, were resting at the end of harvest back in September, 2014.
“Both just love machinery, cattle and horses,” Jo
says.
Thanks for sharing this. We’ll send you a cheque
for $25.
Send your best shot to leeann.minogue@
fbcpublishing.com. Please send only one or two
photos at a time and include your name and address,
the names of anyone in the photo, where the photo
was taken and a bit about what was going on that
day. A little write-up about your farm is welcome,
too. Please ensure that images are of high resolution
(1 MB is preferred), and if the image includes a
person, we need to be able to see their face clearly.
Leeann
Cats know best
T
his all-purpose weather saying comes from Scotland
where cats are held in their
proper high regard:
Cats are observed to
scratch the wall or a post
before wind, to wash
their faces before a thaw
and to sit with their backs
to the fire before snow.
In Greece it is said that if a cat licks
herself with her face turned towards
the north, the wind will soon blow
from that direction, while an English
weather proverb maintains that the
first point to which a cat turns and
washes her face after rain shows the
direction from which the wind will
blow. †
You have eaten all three meals in one day at a donut shop.
Shirley Byers’ book “Never Sell Your Hen on a
Rainy Day” explores over 100 weather rhymes
and sayings. It is available from McNally
Robinson at: www.mcnallyrobinson.com.
3
4
Cover Stories
Inoculants
Why nodulation fails
When nodules don’t form, yield will suffer.
These recommendations could stop fixation failures
By Melanie Epp
N
odulation failure can be disastrous to crop yields. In some
cases, yield may be salvaged.
In other cases, it will be too
late. Two experts offer recommendations to
avoid nitrogen fixation failures.
Pre-farm failure
Nitrogen fixation failures can occur at
three points, says Garry Hnatowich, research
director at the Irrigation Crop Diversification
Corporation at Outlook, Sask. The first is at
the point of manufacture, an occurrence that
is extremely rare in Canada since inoculants
are monitored for quality according to federal regulations.
“Frankly, this is not a major concern,”
says Hnatowich. “Reputable inoculant companies all adhere to rigid quality-control
procedures and a failure at the point of manufacture is extremely rare, but has occurred.”
Often, he says, in this situation, product
has been damaged in transport from the
point of manufacture to the retail distributor.
Failure can also occur at the retail level
while in storage, says Hnatowich. “If the
product is held in unheated sheds, and
night temperatures in early spring drop
below freezing then rise above freezing
during the day, this freeze-thaw cycle can
adversely affect the quality of the inoculant,” he says.
Problems can also occur if the product is
stored adjacent to loading bay doors or in
any other areas that expose the product to
direct sunlight. “Again reputable inoculant
companies advise their clients on how best
to handle and store the products,” says
Hnatowich. “Failure at this point is also rare.”
On-farm failure
The most likely source of problems is on
the farm. Diane Knight, a soil science professor at the University of Saskatchewan, says
there are a number of reasons why inoculation fails on the farm.
The first problem stems from choosing an
inappropriate species or strain of rhizobium
for the crop. Improper storage can also lead
to failure, she says. Peats and granules should
be stored in commercial packaging according
to the directions on the packages.
“The rhizobium are live organisms that
are susceptible to storage conditions, especially high heat, and sometimes freezing,”
says Knight.
Soil conditions are important, too, she
says. Seeding inoculated seed or granules into
dry soil can lead to failure since moisture is
necessary to keep the rhizobia viable. On the
other hand, seeding into waterlogged soils is
not a good idea either. “Too much water will
cut off the oxygen supply to both the nodules and the roots affecting nodulation and
proper plant growth,” she says.
Soil that is too acidic can also create problems. Although some rhizobia are adapted to
acid conditions, Knight says she’s not sure if
they are used in commercial inoculants.
Saline soils can affect both survival of the
rhizobia and growth of most legume plants,
she continues, as can inadequate soil fertility.
“Phosphorus, potassium, iron, molybdenum,
manganese and calcium are especially important for either nodule formation or for the
proper activity of the nitrogen-fixing enzyme,
nitrogenase,” she says.
Finally, soil-borne diseases can affect root
growth, especially root hairs. When this happens bacteria enters the root to initiate nodulation through the root hairs.
To avoid incompatible soil conditions, says
Knight, careful site selection is key.
“Fertilize with phosphorus and potassium
fertilizer as needed according to soil test
recommendations,” she says. “If roots are
nodulated, but the interior of the nodules are
white or cream instead of pink or red it could
indicate an iron deficiency.”
If this occurs, test the soil for iron and
other micronutrients and amend as recommended. “The red coloration is a compound
called leghaemoglobin, which is essential for
regulating the oxygen supply in the nodules,” says Knight. “If oxygen is not regulated
the nodules will be unable to fix nitrogen.”
Be sure to store inoculants according to
the manufacturer’s recommendations, and
apply at recommended amounts. “Do not
under-apply to save money,” says Knight.
“Also, follow instructions carefully for applying them.”
Finally, buy fresh inoculants each growing
season. While it may be possible to store some
formulations from one season to the next
there is no easy way to determine whether or
not an inoculant is still viable. “Most inoculants — maybe all — have an expiry date that
is usually nine to 12 months after production,” says Knight.
INOCULANT: Finding
the right formulation
equipment needed is different. The three formulations give the farmer a choice depending on the
equipment he/she has available.”
Liquid vs. granular
With the improvements to formulations,
Hnatowich says that all three types of inoculants can be equally effective. “Each can still
have drawbacks, however,” he says.
Liquids were once notorious for less than
desirable performance for two main reasons.
“For one, the bacteria can be killed by desiccation and these formulations were designed
to dry quickly once applied to seed, so bridging of seed at planting did not occur,” says
Hnatowich. “This rapid drying resulted in
reduced bacteria load on each seed and this
was further exacerbated if seeding delay
occurred.”
On top of that, liquids were often applied to
seed that had been previously treated with a seed
treatment. While seed treatments are designed to
have an impact on microorganisms, like fungi,
they can also decrease the bacteria load.
“The development of enhancers additives has
assisted with the desiccation concerns and newer
seed treatments entering the market are, generally, more inoculant friendly,” says Hnatowich.
Liquid formulations can still be problematic
if the seed is planted into less than desirable
soil moisture conditions. Peat-based inoculants
are still messy, which makes them difficult to
apply, although desiccation is less of a problem
since peat has inherent moisture content that
helps keep the bacteria from drying. The peat
also acts as a physical barrier between the seed
and the seed treatment.
“Granular inoculants have been considered
the ‘Cadillac’ of formulations,” says Hnatowich.
“Applied in kilograms rather than grams or
millilitres, the amount of bacteria that can be
PUBLI SH ER
Lynda Tityk
Associate Publisher/
Editorial director John Morriss
Edi tor
Leeann Minogue
fiel d Ed ito r
Lisa Guenther
Cattleman’s Corner Editor
Lee Hart
Farm life Edito r
Sue Armstrong
Machinery EDITOR
When nodulation fails
If you suspect failure, you should first contact your retail agronomist and the inoculant
company’s representative, says Hnatowich.
How do you know if nodulation has failed?
Indicators include poor vigour, and yellowing
chlorotic plants that develop approximately
six weeks after planting.
Carefully dig up some roots, suggests
Hnatowich. Then, gently wash them in a bucket
of water. Be careful; it doesn’t take much to
knock nodules off the roots. If there are numerous nodules of good size, but they are not reddish in colour when cut, then the inoculant is
not likely to blame,” he says.
“There could be a contributing plant
health problem that’s interfering with effective fixation,” he says. “If few or no nodules
are present then you may have an inoculant
failure claim.”
The bad news is that by the time visual
problems are apparent, yield potential has
already been lost. “Just how much yield
has been lost depends on the stage stress
appears and on the remaining growing season conditions,” says Hnatowich. “There
is no effective way to inoculate the established crop.”
The only remaining save is a top-dressed
application of nitrogen. “In most situations
an application of 50 to 60 pounds of nitrogen per acre is suggested,” says Hnatowich.
“Higher rates may only extend the maturity by keeping the crop in a vegetative state
longer than wanted and don’t guarantee
higher yields. This is usually a ‘salvage’ operation, an attempt to salvage enough yield to
break even or better.”
“However it’s a bad situation, and a catch
up and pray situation that’s unlikely to burst
any bins at the end of harvest,” concludes
Hnatowich. †
Melanie Epp is a freelance farm writer based in Guelph, ON.
Inoculants
» CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
1 6 6 6 D u b l i n Av e n u e ,
W i n n i p e g , MB R 3 H 0 H 1
w w w. g r a i n e w s . c a
applied per unit area is higher. Seed treatment
compatibility is minimized because most inoculant prills are not in direct contact with seed
treatments. And moisture content of the prills is
also such that desiccation is minimal. Bridging
of the inoculant can occur, so a limited number
of bags should be used in the tank, which means
frequent stops during seeding are required to
replenish the inoculant.”
In general, though, granular formulations
are said to be the best choice. In fact, numerous studies have shown them to be superior
to the other formulations. “Unfortunately,
there is a price to be paid, as granular inoculants are the most expensive inoculant formulation,” says Hnatowich.
“With effective nitrogen fixation occurring
in annual legume grain crops the price of inoculants is a fraction of the cost that commercial
fertilizer would be in order to achieve the same
yields,” he advises. “Therefore, treat them for
what they’re worth, not what they cost.” †
Melanie Epp is a freelance farm writer based in Guelph, Ont.
At Farm Business Communications we have a firm commitment to protecting your privacy and security as our customer. Farm Business Communications will only collect personal information if it is required for the
proper functioning of our business. As part of our commitment to enhance customer service, we may share this personal information with other strategic business partners. For more information regarding our Customer
Information Privacy Policy, write to: Information Protection Officer, Farm Business Communications, 1666 Dublin Ave., Winnipeg, MB R3H 0H1
Occasionally we make our list of subscribers available to other reputable firms whose products and services might be of interest to you. If you would prefer not to receive such offers, please contact us at the address
in the preceding paragraph, or call 1-800-665-0502.
Scott Garvey
Pro duction Di recto r
Shawna Gibson
Des igne r
Steven Cote
MARKETING/CI RCUL ATION
Dir ector Lynda Tityk
Circul at ion manag er Heather Anderson
president
Glacier farmmedia
Bob Willcox
H e ad O f f i c e
1666 Dublin Avenue,
Winnipeg, Man. R3H 0H1
Phone: (204) 944-5568
Fax: (204) 944-5562
Sa les Di re ctor
Cory Bourdeaud’hui
Phone: (204) 954-1414
Fax: (204) 944-5562
Email: [email protected]
Ad ve rtis ing Ser vice s
Co-o rdin ato r
Arlene Bomback
Phone: (204) 944-5765
Fax: (204) 944-5562
Email: [email protected]
Printed in Canada by
Transcontinental LGM-Coronet
Winnipeg, Man.
Grainews is published by Farm Business
Communications, 1666 Dublin Avenue,
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3H 0H1.
Publications Mail Agreement No. 40069240.
We acknowledge the financial support of the
Government of Canada through the Canada
Periodical Fund of the Department
of Canadian Heritage.
Subscription prices:
For Canadian farmers, $55.00 per year or
$87.00 for 2 years (includes GST) or
$109.00 for 3 years (includes GST). Man.
residents add 8% PST to above prices.
U.S: $43.00 per year (U.S. Funds).
Outside Canada & U.S.: $79 per year.
ISSN 0229-8090.
Call 1-800-665-0502 for subscriptions.
Fax (204) 954-1422
Canadian Postmaster: Send address
changes and undeliverable copies
(covers only) to PO Box 9800,
Winnipeg, Man. R3C 3K7
U.S. Postmaster: Send address changes and
undeliverable copies (covers only) to 1666
Dublin Avenue, Winnipeg, Man. R3H 0H1
Grainews is printed on recyclable paper with
linseed oil-based inks.
Published 18 times a year.
Subscription inquiries:
Ca l l t o l l f r e e 1-800-665-0502
U.S. subscribers call
1-204-944-5568 o r email:
[email protected]
Your next issue!
You can expect your next issue in your
mailbox about April 7, 2015
The editors and journalists who write,
contribute and provide opinions to Grainews
and Farm Business Communications attempt
to provide accurate and useful opinions,
information and analysis. However, the editors,
journalists and Grainews and Farm Business
Communications, cannot and do not guarantee
the accuracy of the information contained in this
publication and the editors as well as Grainews
and Farm Business Communications assume no
responsibility for any actions or decisions taken
by any reader for this publication based on any
and all information provided.
5
Features
Crop production
Don’t rush to diagnose winter kill
Despite this winter’s weather, you may not need to reseed that winter wheat after all
By Lisa Guenther
W
inter wheat growers concerned
about winter kill
should wait and
see how the plants fare this
spring before reseeding, says an
agrologist.
“Don’t make a rash decision
especially when you’ve got the
rest of your farm to go seed,”
says Paul Thoroughgood, who
works for Ducks Unlimited
and farms south of Moose
Jaw. Farmers should give winter wheat a chance to recover
and check back in mid to late
May before deciding whether to
reseed, he says.
“It is phenomenal how much
the crop can recover so give it a
shot to do that because it can often
pay fairly significant dividends.”
Before reseeding, farmers
should spray any winter annuals they didn’t control last fall,
Thoroughgood says. Fertilizing
winter wheat early will help the
crop recover and maximize yield
potential. Waiting until late May
to fertilize forgoes some yield,
he adds.
An optimum winter wheat
stand is 20 to 30 plants per
square foot. But a stand as lean
as 10 to 15 plants per square
foot can still yield a profitable
crop due to winter wheat’s tillering ability. Farmers considering reseeding should compare the potential profitability
of the late-seeded spring crop
and the mediocre winter wheat,
Thoroughgood says.
The average long-term winter kill rate for Saskatchewan’s
winter wheat is nine per cent,
says Thoroughgood. Kansas, the
largest winter-wheat growing
state, also has a winter kill rate
of nine per cent, he says. Those
numbers were pulled from crop
insurance and U.S. Department
of Agriculture data, he adds.
But that doesn’t mean the possibility of winter kill should be
ignored completely.
“We haven’t had what you
would call a normal winter,”
says Thoroughgood. Light snow
For more information
on growing winter
wheat visit www.
growwinterwheat.ca.
The site also lists
contact information
for Paul Thoroughgood
and other winter
wheat agronomists.
cover and cold winter temperatures could cause problems
for winter wheat this year. On
Thoroughgood’s farm, warm
temperatures melted snow,
causing water to run and pool.
When the mercury dipped
again, ice encased those spots,
Thoroughgood says, and he
expects to see dead plants in
those patches.
But it’s still too early to say
how widespread winterkill will
be. Thoroughgood dug up a few
plants on his farm during a
warm spell this winter. Most of
the plants were fine, he says.
Farmers concerned about
winter conditions in their
own fields can do spot checks.
Thoroughgood suggests digging
half a dozen to a dozen plants
from both a poor and a good
spot. After washing dirt off the
plants, they should look for
white, healthy crown tissue.
Brown leaves
do not mean
a dead plant
“It’s really important to
remember that brown leaves do
not mean a dead plant,” says
Thoroughgood.
The next step is to put the
plants on a wet paper towel and
put saran wrap over top, creating a little greenhouse, says
Thoroughgood. After five days to
a week indoors, farmers should
see “new, white roots coming out
of that crown tissue,” he says.
Cereal seed is in tight supply
this year, so concerned growers
may want to clean or put their
names on extra seed so they’re
not caught in a pinch, he adds.
Despite the abnormal winter,
Thoroughgood says he hasn’t
been getting as many phone calls
as might be expected. Winter
wheat acres are down this year,
and he thinks most of it was
seeded by experienced winter
wheat growers who aren’t easily
rattled by poor winter weather.
Thoroughgood suspects part
of the reason for the acreage
drop was the “unhappy surprise” that landed in Manitoba
growers’ bins last fall — fusarium. Environmental conditions
favoured the disease while winter
wheat was flowering last year.
But the main reason was the
late harvest, which didn’t leave
farmers with enough time to seed,
Thoroughgood thinks. He says
seed growers told him sales were
brisk. “So I don’t think it was from
lack of interest. I think it was just
lack of ability to execute.”
Outside the fusarium-infected
area in Manitoba, winter wheat
produced well last year, says
Thoroughgood. “It’s been one of
our higher net income crops for
the last few years and it did well
again this year.” †
Lisa Guenther is field editor for Grainews based
at Livelong, Sask. Contact her at Lisa.Guenther@
fbcpublishing.com or on Twitter @LtoG.
FASTER HARVEST.
BETTER WEED CONTROL.
NO COMPROMISES.
Timing doesn’t get more crucial than at harvest. That’s why you’ll appreciate
the rapid action of new Heat® LQ herbicide. Registered for use in field peas,
soybeans, dry beans, sunflowers and canola, it’s the only harvest aid that
gives you a faster crop dry down plus exceptional broadleaf weed control,
including perennials. Heat LQ also enables straight-cutting canola for
a faster, more efficient harvest. So get time on your side this season. Visit
agsolutions.ca/HeatLQPreharvest or contact AgSolutions® Customer
Care at 1-877-371-BASF (2273) today.
Always read and follow label directions.
AgSolutions is a registered trade-mark of BASF Corporation; and HEAT, and KIXOR are registered trade-marks of BASF SE;
all used with permission by BASF Canada Inc. © 2015 BASF Canada Inc.
110201935_HeatLQ_PH_GN_v3.indd 1
NEWSPRINT
2015-02-24 8:57 AM
6
Features
Crop Advisor’s casebook
Irregular strips of struggling canola
By Spencer McArthur
I
n early July I received a phone
call from Dwane, a grain farmer
at Davin, Sask., who was seeing a
peculiar pattern forming in one
of his canola fields. Dwane told me
that despite some heavy June rains,
his early canola establishment had
been excellent — he had achieved
his target plant density and the crop
was off to a fast, vigorous start. But as
the crop progressed throughout June,
Dwane began to notice strips developing in one field where the canola was
lagging in maturity and was noticeably less vigorous.
“I measured out an isolated
strip and it was 80 feet wide, the
exact width of my drills,” Dwane
explained. “Something must have
gone wrong at seeding time, but I
just can’t narrow down what is happening out there.”
I decided that it would be best to
meet Dwane at the problem field so
we could go through the diagnosis
together. The strips were evident as
soon as I arrived at the field, but I
observed that they were in an irregular
pattern throughout the quarter, and
that halfway through the field the
strips abruptly ended. Dwane already
had an answer for that. “I had both
my drills working in the same field,
and I think the strips are due to one
of my drills not working properly,”
he said.
My first thought was that one of
the drills had placed the seed at a level
that was either too shallow or too
deep, since seeding at proper depth is
a crucial component to getting canola
off to a fast start. Lower plant vigour
or a lag in maturity could definitely be
attributed to depth issues, especially
if the seed was placed too deep and
emergence was delayed.
When I dug up plants from both
the affected and unaffected areas,
I found that the distance from the
point of germination to where the
stem turned green (where the plants
broke the soil surface) was exactly
same in both areas, indicating that
seeding depth was consistent and
therefore not the issue.
Dwane wondered if perhaps bad
seed was to blame. That one was easy
to rule out, as the same seed-lot had
been used in both drills. Also, the
strips abruptly ended halfway through
the field even though the drills had
been filled with enough seed for the
entire piece, meaning the seed had not
changed from start to finish.
Having ruled out both seeding
depth and seed quality, I turned
my attention to fertility. Dwane
explained to me that he had applied
a strong fertility program to his canola at seeding, and that the fertilizer rates used in this field were the
same as those with his other canola
fields, which all looked normal. He
had placed seed-placed nutrients
to meet the crop’s phosphorus and
sulfur needs and there had been a
side-banding nutrient application to
match the nitrogen requirements.
The fertilizer rates used by Dwane
were more than adequate for meeting his yield targets.
I wasn’t convinced that a nutrient
deficiency wasn’t at work here, so I performed a close examination and comparison of the plants in the affected
and unaffected areas. The canola plants
were in the rosette stage in both areas,
with the buds just becoming visible at
the growing point.
There was less ground cover within the problem strips, but that was
mainly due to the plants in the
affected areas having smaller, thinner
leaves. The plants in the affected area
were also a lighter green colour, in
contrast to the dark blue-green tinge
of the unaffected canola nearby. I
also noticed that the newest formed
leaves out of the growing point in
the problem-area plants were slightly
cupped and starting to yellow.
I had a strong suspicion as to what
was going on, so I removed newly
formed leaves from plants in both
affected and unaffected areas and sent
them to a lab for tissue testing. The
results provided the answer for what
was limiting Dwane’s canola and causing the strips in his field.
Do you think you know what’s
happening to Dwane’s canola crop?
If you do, send your diagnosis to
Grainews, Box 9800, Winnipeg, Man.
R3C 3K7; email leeann.minogue@
fbcpublishing.com or fax 204-9445416 c/o Crop Advisor’s Casebook.
The best suggestions will be pooled
and one winner will be drawn for a
chance to win a Grainews cap and a
one-year subscription to the magazine. The answer, along with the
reasoning that solved the mystery,
will appear in the next Crop Advisor’s
Solution File. †
Spencer McArthur is a sales agronomist with
Richardson Pioneer Ltd. at Balgonie, Sask.
1
2
3
Casebook winner
4
T
his issue’s Casebook
winner is Benjamin
Wi p f f r o m A s s i n iboia, Sask. Benjamin,
thanks for reading and thanks
for entering! We’re renewing
your Grainews subscription
for a year and sending you a
Grainews cap. †
Leeann Minogue
1. Plants in the affected areas
had smaller, thinner leaves. The
newest-formed leaves out of the
growing point in the problem-area
plants were slightly cupped and
starting to yellow. 2. As the crop
progressed throughout June, strips
developed where the canola was
lagging in maturity and noticeably
less vigorous. 3. The fertilizer rates
used by Dwane were more than
adequate for meeting his yield
targets. 4. Spencer McArthur is a
sales agronomist with Richardson
Pioneer Ltd. at Balgonie, Sask.
Crop advisor’s solution
Nutrient deficiencies behind ailing soybeans
By Russell Thompson
B
ack in early July, I was called
out to visit a farm northeast
of Dauphin, Man. Aaron, who
grows 3,300 acres of soybeans,
wheat, canola and barley, was concerned
about soybeans in a couple of his fields.
“The crop isn’t doing so well in those
fields, compared to the rest,” he said. “The
plants are stunted, and their leaves are yellowing and dropping off.”
When I arrived at Aaron’s farm, I noted
that plants in the affected fields, while
numerous, were generally smaller and
weren’t as bushy as those in the healthy
soybean fields nearby. Leaves on the ail-
ing plants were not only yellowing but
were covered with small brown spots, and
were dropping off along with most of the
cotyledons.
When I asked Aaron about the field
history and the weather that spring, I
began to zone in the root of the problem. The results of tissue samples sent
to Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural
Development’s Crop Diagnostic Lab and
another agriculture testing service confirmed my suspicions.
As Aaron suspected, there was leaf disease, as the Crop Diagnostic Lab confirmed
the presence of brown spot. However, this
disease wasn’t unusual for soybeans in this
area and typically wasn’t a huge concern.
The real problem lay with nutrient
depleted soil. The plant tissue analysis
by the second lab confirmed phosphorus
and potassium deficiencies. The nutrient imbalance was the result of growing
soybeans for two years straight with no
fertilizer added. Because the soybeans were
under stress, they were more susceptible to
a leaf disease like brown spot.
As a rescue treatment for Aaron’s soybean crop, I recommended that he apply
a foliar fungicide as well as a nutritional
product with the next glyphosate spray.
I hoped this would help the plants fight
disease as well as establish more robust
root systems which enable them to access
more water and nutrients.
Fortunately for Aaron, the weather got
better and plant growth improved in the
affected fields. The fungicide and nutritional products definitely helped, and generated enough extra yield to pay for the
treatments.
Ultimately, though, the long-term fix
for Aaron’s soybean fields is a longer
crop rotation and adequate fertilization,
particularly since soybeans remove so
much phosphorus and potassium in the
seed. Better scouting for diseases like
brown spot is also something to consider, particularly if rotational options
are limited. †
Russell Thompson is a sales agronomist with Richardson
Pioneer Ltd. at Dauphin, Man.
7
Features
Farm management
Transitioning to organic farming
It’s not for everyone, but if you’re wondering if going organic might be for you,
here are nine tips to get you started down the path
By Patty Milligan
W
hile the number
of Canadian farms
dwindled by 17
per cent between
2001 and 2011, the Census of
Agriculture shows a whopping
66.5 per cent increase in the
number of organic farms during
the same period. In 2012 farmers
planted about 720,000 acres of
organic field crops across Canada,
78 per cent of that was on the
Prairies. Canada wide, wheat
represents more than a quarter
of organic production (203,000
acres), followed by oats (127,000
acres) and barley (82,000 acres).
Some opportunities exist
domestically, but most organic
grain producers grow for the
global market. Canada exports
approximately $458 million worth of organic products each year. A 2013 study
by the Canadian Organic Trade
Association reveals that the value
of the Canadian organic food
market overall has increased 300
per cent since 2006, which “far
outpace[es] the growth rate of
other agri-food sectors.” Still, certified organic operations represent just 1.8 per cent of all farms
in Canada and they are currently
unable to keep up with the burgeoning demand.
transition fears, though, are quite
different from what organic farmers say they actually experience.
2. Make connections
“Talk to other farmers” is
the advice organic growers give
again and again; that’s what
helped them most. Straza also
encourages farmers to contact
their provincial organic growers
organization whose expertise,
resources and contacts can help
new producers map their way.
And don’t forget to get in touch
with the provincial organic agriculture experts.
3. Do the math
You
can
use
Manitoba
Agriculture’s tool for calculating
the organic cost of production
for field crops. Saskatchewan
Agriculture also publishes an
organic crop planning guide.
Current versions of both tools
are available on their websites.
Certifying agencies make economic tools available to their
clients as well, including costreturn summaries for each soil
type.
Laura Telford is Manitoba’s
provincial organic business development specialist.
According to Telford’s calculations, on average Manitoba
farmers net $158.54 per acre
for organic crops versus $83.80
for conventional crops — an
89 per cent increase in profits. According to numbers published by OVCRT, “for every
$100 earned per acre an organic
farmer keeps $58 while a conventional farmer keeps $31.”
Economics are often the primary motivation for farmers to
convert. After years of managing a PMU operation with his
father, Alan McKenzie started
growing organic grain at his
farm south of Nesbitt, Man., in
2002. He wanted to carve out a
living on a smaller-scale acreage
by certifying organic and earning higher returns, especially
since conventional grain prices
were low at that time. Even
with lower yields and fewer crop
acres due to rotations, the math
worked for him. For instance,
McKenzie says, a 25-bushel per
acre spring wheat crop, running every third year at $25 per
bushel still makes money in the
long term.
After more than 20 years farming conventionally, Gordon
®™ Trademarks of AIR MILES International Trading B.V. Used under license by LoyaltyOne, Co. and Arysta LifeScience Canada, Inc.
Always read and follow label directions. INFERNO and the INFERNO DUO logo are trademarks of Arysta LifeScience North America, LLC. Arysta LifeScience and the
Arysta LifeScience logo are registered trademarks of Arysta LifeScience Corporation. All other products mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective companies.
©2015 Arysta LifeScience North America, LLC. INF-035
Be cautious but
not afraid
In November 2014, the Organic
Value Chain Roundtable (OVRCT)
published “Organic Advantage:
Field Crop Production” as part
of a broader, multi-commodity
campaign to attract new growers.
The report outlines the business
case for growing organic grain.
Several organizations, including Canadian Organic Growers,
Organic Federation of Canada,
and Organic Alberta’s have published the report on their websites.
If the you’re considering making a switch, here are nine tips
for moving your grain farm
toward a certified organic operation.
1. Conquer your fears
Many fears prevent farmers
from considering going organic
including weed issues, transition
time, record-keeping and the perception of fellow farmers. Telford
believes the psychological reasons cannot be underestimated
because moving to organic production requires “a major change
in thinking.”
Herbicides are not available to
manage weeds; synthetic fertilizers may not be added to increase
soil fertility. The shift can be
harder for older farmers so it’s no
surprise when Telford says, “going
organic is often a decision that
is made when a new generation
takes over the family farm.” Pre-
Tough broadleaves and flushing grassy weeds have met their match. No burndown product is more ruthless against problem
weeds in spring wheat than new INFERNO™ DUO. Two active ingredients working together with glyphosate get hard-to-kill
weeds like dandelion, hawk’s beard, foxtail barley and Roundup Ready® canola, while giving you longer-lasting residual control of
grassy weeds like green foxtail and up to two weeks for wild oats. INFERNO DUO. It takes burndown to the next level.
INFERNO DUO is now eligible for AIR MILES® reward miles
through the Arysta LifeScience Rewards Program in
Western Canada.
Go to www.arystalifesciencerewards.ca for program
details and learn how you can earn 100 bonus AIR MILES®
reward miles.
8
Features
Transitioning
to organic farming
Pusch transitioned his southeast Saskatchewan grain farm to
organic farming for health reasons. But, he says, “Come October,
we did not miss the $150,000 bills
we used to have.”
The financial side is what
attracted Cody Straza to transition his farm at Wood Mountain,
Sask., to organic production,
but “after going organic for the
financial reasons, you kind of
realize the other benefits.”
4. C
hoose a
certifying agency
All organic farms must undergo
a process of certification through
a third-party agency accredited
by the Canadian Food Inspection
Agency. A complete list of companies operating in Canada can
be found on the CFIA’s website. Certifying agencies provide
guidance during transition and
beyond, including manuals, connections to mentors and connection to buyers. Many organic producers choose an agency recommended to them by other farmers. Information about certifying
agencies is also available through
provincial associations.
When McKenzie certified
his farm, he only knew of one
agency. By now, inspectors
are available across the prairies though, Frick says, finding
an inspector may be harder in
Alberta than in Saskatchewan or
Manitoba. Certifying agencies are
competing for business so they
are highly motivated to retain
clients. The services they offer
can vary, so Frick advises farmers
to go with an agency that suits
their style. Farmers may create
a cluster with nearby growers;
if they use the same agency,
they save money by splitting the
mileage costs when the inspector
visits. Certification itself costs
about $1,000 per year depending
on the number of acres and the
complexity of your operation.
Farmers do change agencies
if they find they are not getting
the service they require.
5. Tackle agronomic
challenges
Growers must develop new
strategies. Rotation, tillage, soil
amendments and crop selection
all take on new dimensions in
organic farming.
Farming organically “does take
a lot more management,” says
Cody Straza. McKenzie believes
that by shifting to organic, he had
to “get biology working better.
Lots of cover crops and plough
downs. Grazing, getting cattle
back into it.” When the Pusch
brothers, became organic, they
also moved from growing only
grain to raising livestock because
“it works so well for the manure,
hay and pasture land.” But Pusch
recognizes “a lot of farmers don’t
want increased labour and time
and that’s understandable.”
Telford says “It’s a major
change in mindset to have to
learn how to manage green
manures and most producers
don’t like the idea of ploughdowns. Having land that does
not produce a crop for sale is just
not something farmers like to
do.” Organic agriculture requires
a focus on soil health.
it up. Under organic regulations,
he could apply rock phosphorus
but the release is very slow. If he
could do it over again, he would
load up on phosphorus before
transitioning and employ shorter
hay rotations.
For many soils on the Prairies,
Frick says, “it’s a long road back
to health.” The solutions aren’t
fast and producers must be prepared to re-orient their thinking
towards the soil.
6. Consider fertility
7. Select crops carefully
The key limiting factor in prairie organic agriculture is soil fertility, primarily the long-term
depletion of phosphorus. When
McKenzie first started farming
organically, he planted into hayland that had had no inputs on
it for years; “Five years of hay
sucked everything out.”
His crops suffered. “There was
no seed set and no bushels in the
bin.” He even struggled to grow
good plough-down crops to build
Different crops present different challenges for organic growers. Frick identifies some problems: canola is at risk for contamination; lentils get weedy
easily; chickpeas have a high
potential for disease; flax has a
long season. Organic producers
can do very well financially,
though, if they can overcome
the obstacles with any of these
crops.
Frick suggests starting with
STAND UP FOR YOUR CROPS.
Start this season with Wolf Trax Innovative Nutrients. Wolf Trax technologies deliver
important nutrients to your crops more effectively, so they can access the nutrients
earlier. With a better start, your crops can finish strong – and that’s a better use of
your fertilizer dollar. So stand up for your crops, and ask your retailer for field-proven
Wolf Trax Innovative Nutrients.
Resources
for organic
farmers
T
here are many
places to find more
information about
transitioning to
organic farming.
Provincial
• Organic Alberta,
www.organicalberta.org,
1-855-521-2400
• Alberta Agriculture and
Rural Development, Keri
Sharpe, organic business
development specialist,
403-556-4218,
[email protected]
• Saskatchewan Organic
Directorate,
www.saskorganic.com,
306-569-1418
• Saskatchewan
Agriculture, Chantal
Jacobs, provincial specialist:
organic crop production,
306-798-0945,
[email protected]
• Manitoba Organic
Alliance, 204-546-2099, info@
manitobaorganicalliance.com
• Manitoba
Agriculture, Food and
Rural Development,
Laura Telford, business
development specialist,
organic marketing,
204-871-6600,
[email protected]
National
wolftrax.com 1-855-237-9653
©2015 Wolf Trax™ is a trademark of Compass Minerals Manitoba
Inc. Compass Minerals is the proud supplier of Wolf Trax Innovative
Nutrients. Not all products are registered in all areas. Contact
[email protected] for more information. 41768 GN
• Canadian Organic
Growers (COG),
www.cog.ca, 1-888-375-7383
• Canada Organic Trade
Association (COTA),
www.ota.com,
Ph. 250-335-3423
• Organic Agriculture
Centre of Canada,
www.organicagcentre.ca,
902-893-7256
• Organic Federation
of Canada,
www.organicfederation.ca,
514-488-6192 †
Patty Milligan
9
Features
alfalfa because “you can go there
fast.” Oats is also a good choice
because there are lots of oat buyers and lots of vigorous, competitive varieties are available.
Surveys carried out by OAC show
that organic producers tend to
choose crops that offer “good
competition in the early growth
stages, taller varieties with lots of
straw, disease resistance and seed
that can be saved on farm.”
Since organic seed is not
widely available yet, growers
often purchase conventional
untreated seed or save their own
to start.
8. B
e prepared for
tricky marketing
Marketing an organic crop
isn’t as easy as hauling your
conventional grain to the local
elevator. For Straza, marketing
was his steepest learning curve.
“I felt I could use my prior farming experience to handle the soil
health and weed management.
But the marketing was new.”
Now he had to track down the
buyers and send them samples.
Since the Canadian Wheat Board
changes, Pusch points out, conventional farmers have had to
hone their marketing skills too,
so it might not be “as great a difference any more.”
Certifying agencies provide
their clients with lists of buyers. Companies such as Grain
Millers, Growers International,
and F.W. Cobbs advertise with
the provincial associations. Most
farmers overcome the challenges
of marketing by talking to other
producers. Straza says, “You learn
about the buyers who have a
good reputation and those who
don’t.” He has heard of growers
who didn’t get paid. Organic
buyers are not all licensed by
Canadian Grains Commission,
so farmers don’t always have
delivery insurance.
Finding organic prices is not as
easy finding conventional prices.
Telford prepares a monthly list
of organic grain prices that is
circulated through the provincial
organic networks. An archive of
these price lists can be found
on Organic Alberta’s website.
Examples from September 2014
include $6/bu. for milling oats,
$11.38/bu. for feed wheat HRW,
$17.69/bu. for feed peas, just
to name three. Telford uses the
highest organic and conventional prices to calculate the
organic premium for the month.
Organic premiums for September
2014 included durum wheat 300
per cent; feed peas 309 per cent;
feed barley 296 per cent; feed
oats 233 per cent; and feed wheat
291 per cent.
Trucking isn’t usually a problem; most organic grain is
picked up in the yard. As long
as the truck has been cleaned,
the grain is good to go. Some
organic grain goes out on rail
T:11.5”
cars at designated
sidings but
S:10.25”
rail transport is more of a challenge because the cars have to be
cleaned before they are loaded.
The Pusch brothers have held
flax up to four years. In the end,
they sold it for $36/bu. instead
of $21/bu., so they could afford
to hold it. That’s an abnormally
long time, according to Graham
Pusch, but, he says, holding
organic grains for two to three
years is not unusual.
Because it’s a smaller market,
Frick says, market volatility is
more of problem. Prices really
went down in 2008-09. Lately
though, organic prices have
been better so you can move
them. Frick says, “When things
are good, the buyers are very
motivated.”
9. Start small
Brenda Frick advises farmers to “be cautious but not
afraid.” Telford says “Start off
small; don’t do the whole farm.”
McKenzie urges farmers to start
with good plough down crops to
make sure the fertility Is there.
Pusch encourages organic grain
farmers to grow alfalfa and to
bring livestock into the picture.
After years of working with
organic grain farmers across the
Prairies, Brenda Frick offers up
this assessment: “They all have
their own skill sets and worries.
But they’ve never had so much
fun as they’ve had since they
started doing it. They get to
be proactive and forward thinking.” Organic farming can be
profitable. It also can be familyfriendly and intellectually stimulating.
Organic farming comes with
its share of challenges. Advice
in a survey by the Organic
Agriculture Centre offers a
hearty dose of realism in its
advice: “Don’t expect big yields
and don’t feel bad about your
weeds.” Despite the difficulties, Cody Straza is encouraging:
“Once you get some practice,
farming organically just comes
second nature.” †
Patty Milligan is a freelance writer based at
Bon Accord, Alta.
BAYER
10.0001X5.0000
000057839r1
4C
Believe it or not, there’s a simple trick to protecting your canola
yield before sclerotinia even becomes a problem – and you don’t
have to be a magician.
Based 100% in science, easy-to-use Proline® fungicide proactively
protects your profits and continues to be the number one choice
for canola growers looking for effective sclerotinia protection.
For more information, visit BayerCropScience.ca/Proline
BayerCropScience.ca or 1 888-283-6847 or contact your Bayer CropScience representative.
Always read and follow label directions. Proline® is a registered trademark of the Bayer Group.
Bayer CropScience is a member of CropLife Canada.
O-68-02/15-10284129-E
10
Features
Farm management
Pre-organic-transition fears
Farmers considering organic production often have similar worries
C
onventional farmers
considering making
the switch to organic
often have a similar set
of pre-transition common fears.
Meet three Prairie farmers who
have gone through this process
and are happy on the other side.
Pre-transition Fear 1:
Uncontrollable Weeds
“Weeds are the main thing
that keep people from transitioning,” says Brenda Frick editor of
Organic Farming on the Prairies,
a production manual published
by the Saskatchewan Organic
Directorate in 2013, “but they
are not necessarily the main
problem of organic farmers.”
Alan McKenzie runs a mixed
cattle and grain operation on
3,500 acres of land south of
Nesbitt, Man. He keeps 2,000
acres in grain including winter
wheat, spring wheat, peas, oats,
yellow mustard, flax and hairy
vetch. He knows farmers who
“would go down before switching to organic. The thought of
two weeds for these guys — they
would never convert.”
Because herbicide use is not
permitted on organic farms,
managing weeds can be intimidating for new organic growers. According to the Canadian
Organic Agriculture Centre at
Dalhousie University, wild oats,
wild mustard, thistles and quack
grass cause the most difficulties. McKenzie admits, “I’ve had
wrecks some years — thistle fluff
blowing all over the place.”
Cody Straza farms 2,200 acres of
cereals, pulses, and oilseeds near
Wood Mountain, Sask. He doesn’t
stress out about weeds because he
knows “they can be managed.”
He uses “many little hammers” to
control them, including narrow
row spacing, staggered planting
dates, long crop rotations, and
tillage. Seeding rates tend to be
higher depending on weed pressures too.
Graham Pusch and his brother
farm 4,000 organic acres near
Windthorst in southeastern
Saskatchewan. In addition to
growing wheat, oats, flax, peas,
rye and barley, they keep about
700 acres in alfalfa and 500 acres
in pasture. To control weeds,
Pusch puts cereal crops onto
land that has been in alfalfa.
Not only is weed control effective, but “alfalfa is a profitable
crop on its own.” Frick notes
that weed control is easier in
areas with less moisture; unfortunately, incorporating alfalfas
and green manures into the
rotation is easier in areas where
there is more moisture. Organic
farmers must watch and manage weeds differently, but most
don’t feel daunted by it.
Endless paperwork
Record keeping is crucial to
organic certification. Farms
can lose their organic status by
not documenting their activities. But according to Graham
Pusch, “record keeping isn’t as
onerous as it is made out to be.
Good conventional farmers do
it anyway.” Frick agrees: “If you
have ever grown certified seed,
it’s nowhere near that hard.”
Farmers must number bins and
track what is in them. They
keep accurate field histories and
maps as well as an up-to-date
audit trail.
For Straza having a system is
key to managing the paperwork
and he’s using information tech-
nology to help him. He’s downloaded Dropbox onto his smart
phone which allows him to access
his farm records. As he finishes a
task, like harrowing a particular
field, he updates his records via
his phone before he’s even off the
tractor. That way “there’s no big
panic the day before the inspector
is supposed to come.”
Unstable transition
period
Grain operations must undergo
a three-year transition period during which the fields cannot be
farmed using conventional agronomic practices but the crops
may not yet be sold as certified
organic. During this time, farms
may be financially vulnerable
because organic premiums are not
yet coming in to compensate for
the lower yields. During transition, farmers usually concentrate
on soil fertility and weed con-
trol, and launch their new record
keeping systems.
Instability makes any farmer
nervous, but Graham Pusch
says, “Transition wasn’t a major
issue for us.” The Pusch brothers transitioned over several
years, from 2004 to 2012. Every
field was in alfalfa or pasture
for a couple of years so they
still earned an income. Because
they used conventional and
organic farming systems side by
side, they had to be extra careful — for instance, they could
not grow the same crop under
both systems in the same year.
Perhaps because of this staggered approach, Pusch didn’t
find the variation in income
any greater than the usual yearto-year variations in farming
revenues.
With support from mentors
and organic organizations, farmers can effectively navigate transition both financially and agronomically. The main thing, says
Straza, is that each farm builds its
own roadmap.
Lower yields
Yields on organic farms generally
do drop but Straza says it all balances out: “The yield is less than
our conventional neighbours, but
it’s not exponentially less and the
premium makes up for that. Plus
the offset inputs are a bonus.”
The Pusch brothers’ yields are
within 25 per cent of conventional yields; at times their oats
and wheat have done as well
as conventional crops. One of
Alan McKenzie’s biggest successes was growing a 50-bushel
per acre wheat crop. The yields
are smaller, but, as these farmers
indicate, not to the economic
detriment of the farm. As producers becomes more experienced growing organically, the
yields tend to rise. †
Patty Milligan
DOW AGROSCIENCES
9.0001X6.0000
000058062r1
4CFF
ANOTHER
STELLAR
TM
PERFORMANCE.
To
re
Weeds are the main thing that keep people from transitioning,”
says Brenda Frick editor of Organic Farming on the Prairies, a
production manual published by the Saskatchewan Organic
Directorate in 2013, “but they are not necessarily the main
problem of organic farmers.”
•E
•C
•T
•G
Go
11
Features
Farm management
Don’t overdo on-farm trials
On-farm trials are the perfect way to test new technology on your farm
By Lee Hart
G
reg Stamp likes to
keep on-farm field trials on his southern
Alberta farm simple.
If he’s evaluating the effectiveness of a new fungicide or herbicide, for example, he’ll make two
or three passes with the sprayer
with the new treatment and then
two or three more passes for the
check strip (no new product).
He’ll ground check the strips
after the treatments for any visual difference, but the real test
comes at harvest when he can
measure the results.
“We plan for just one treatment
in each of the on-farm trials,” says
Stamp who is part of the family
run Stamp Seeds farm at Enchant,
southeast of Calgary. “If you try
to compare two or more changes
in your program in one on-farm
trial it is too hard to tell which
treatment really is making a difference.”
He used to just evaluate combine yield monitor data, and while
that can be useful, he also found
it limiting. He now uses a grain
cart weigh wagon to evaluate onfarm trials. “The weigh wagon is
much more accurate,” he says.
“Data from the yield monitor is
sometimes hard to read, and it
has trouble showing you small
changes in yield. So now with the
weigh wagon we can harvest crop
from the test strips as well check
strips and have a very accurate
comparison.”
Stamp says it is important to
have replicated test strips when
evaluating a product or treatment, and also important to
look at more than one year
of data. “You can have different growing season conditions
which can make a difference in
the results and even the time of
seeding can make a difference,”
says Stamp. “We have seen that
one year in comparing two seed
varieties, for example, that year
A out performs B, but the next
year you seed a bit earlier and B
out performs A. So you need to
look at this information over at
least two or three years before
you draw real conclusions.”
When collecting yield from
test and check strips, he runs the
combine down the centre of strip
to collect the “cleanest” grain he
can for weighing, which helps to
eliminate influences on the edge
or the ends of the strip that could
impact the results.
Proper plan of attack
The procedure Greg Stamp follows for conducting on-farm trials is on track with the approach
recommended by long-time
Alberta Agriculture researcher Ross
McKenzie, of Lethbridge.
“The best approach with onfarm trials is to keep it simple
and make sure it is replicated,”
says McKenzie, now retired and a
consulting agronomist. “A single
side-by-side field comparison has
some value but it doesn’t tell you
the real story. Some guys like to
take a 160 acre field and treat 80
acres with a new product and
then leave the other 80 acres as
the check. But unless you have
extremely uniform field conditions how do you know that any
difference you see isn’t due to
some other change in topography, or soil type, or whatever.”
And he cautions too, that
some farmers try to load too
many new treatments in one
on-farm trial. “If you make two
or three or more changes in
a treatment and compare that
your standard practice, how do
you know which one of those
new treatments is actually making the difference? Maybe one
is making all the difference and
the others have no effect. So
focus on one change at a time.”
McKenzie recommends
whether evaluating a seeding
or crop protection practice to
make anywhere from two to four
passes, one or two widths of the
implement being used the full
length of the field. And then
next to that make two to four
passes the same width as the
untreated check strips. Identify
those strips with your GPS and
then harvest accordingly.
“There can be variables affecting results on the headlands or
on the edges of your trial strips,
so combine the centre of the strip
to remove as many variables as
possible,” he says. “If the sprayer
is 60 feet wide and the combine
header is 30 or 35 feet wide, run
the combine down the centre
of the 60 foot strip to get the
most accurate yield.” And plan on
conducting the trials for at least
three or four seasons — exposing
the treatment to variable growing
conditions — to get the best read
on whether or when a product or
treatment is effective.
Farmers who have some basic
skills in working with statistics
are probably able to evaluate
their own yield data information,
but they can also get the advice
of provincial agriculture offices,
Agriculture Canada offices, local
applied research association specialists, or private agrologists for
help on how to read and evaluate
the information.
Keep
it simple
“It is important to replicate
the on-farm trials in a particular field, and for best results
pick areas of the field that have
the most uniform soil conditions and topography,” says
McKenzie. If a large portion of
a field has lighter sandy soil,
conduct one on-farm trial in
that area, and in another area of
heavier soils make a second onfarm trial there.
“Keep it simple, make sure it
is replicated and as uniform as
possible to get the most useful
information,” he says. †
Lee Hart is a field editor for Grainews in
Calgary, Contact him at 403-592-1964 or by
email at [email protected].
Top-performing annual broadleaf weed control + superior
resistance management.
• Excellent weed control performance in oats, wheat and barley
• Controls cleavers, buckwheat, chickweed, hemp-nettle, kochia, more
• Two modes of action, three actives, overlapping control
• Get all the benefits of Stellar in your oats too
Go to the new dowagro.ca or call 1.800.667.3852.
Download the 2015
Field Guide App from
the iPhone App Store
or at Google Play.
Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company
(“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow.
0115-41263-01 GN
® TM
These air photos show a couple of different layouts for test strips for a
solid on-farm trial. The treatment and check strips can be laid out side
by side, or, to check a performance over a wider area spread them out
over more of the field.
12
Features
Farm business
Emerging global economic trends
Find out what FarmTech delegates heard about how the world will feed it’s growing population in the future, and how we can be part of that
By Michael Flood
M
any attendees
came to this year’s
FarmTech conference at Edmonton’s
Northlands with questions about
the future of farming: What issues
will be affecting agriculture in the
future? What areas of the globe
will be driving demand? How will
climate change affect our ability to
feed the world’s growing population? Lutz Goedde, a partner at
McKinsey & Company (a leading
consulting firm) and a specialist in
agricultural economics, gave the
opening keynote to help address
these questions.
Goedde started his presenta- the audience Goedde said that
tion with some startling figures: the figure surprised him too,
agriculture employs 40 per cent but that he and the economists
of the world’s workers both on at McKinsey had run their calthe farm and in associated indus- culations of global nutritional
tries like processing and shipping; demand repeatedly and kept getagricultural demand makes up 70 ting the same result.
per cent of the world’s freshwater
consumption and contributes 30
The obstacles
per cent of annual greenhouse gas
emissions.
The obstacles to increasing outHis final figure was the most put are many: supplies of fresh
startling. To feed the world ade- water are being constrained as
quately over the next 40 years, natural aquifers (like the Ogallala
as the world grows to nine bil- Aquifer in the United States) are
lion people, farmers will have drained faster than they can be
B:8.125”
to produce as much food as
replenished, and disappearing
they’ve grown in the past 10,000
glaciers will mean less water for
T:8.125”
years. In response to gasps from vital rivers like Pakistan’s Indus.
S:8.125”
Much of the suitable land for
agricultural production is currently in use and that which
remains uncultivated and undeveloped, mostly in Africa and
South America, will need billions
of dollars infrastructure construction like roads and railways to
make them available for use. Land
in many agricultural areas is also
being lost at a record rate due to
erosion. Climate change will also
have a large effect, with much of
the world seeing mild to severe
decreases in their suitability for
crop growth due to severe weather like droughts and hailstorms
becoming more common and
more destructive.
For all the above reasons global
agricultural productivity gains
are shrinking. While an average
of 1.5 per cent per year increase
in yield will be needed to meet
the “10,000 year” equivalent
over the next 40 years we are currently seeing gains only around
one per cent. Making up the
difference will require a range of
techniques.
Goedde said he and his team
have the most hope for GMOs
(both in new crop varieties and
in crop-supporting microorganisms), refinements of classical breeding techniques, and
increased use of “Big Data” and
digital technologies to support
farmers’ decision making, enabling more efficient targeting of
crop inputs like fertilizers and
pesticides.
Other trends
Uncover the problem.
Always read and follow label directions. Pardner® is a registered trademark of the Bayer Group. All other products
mentioned are trademarks of their respective companies. Bayer CropScience is a member of CropLife Canada.
R-66-03/15-10284119-E
B:10”
For more information, visit
BayerCropScience.ca/Pardner
T:10”
Pardner® herbicide is now registered as a
pre-seed, tank-mix partner with Roundup®
WeatherMAX® herbicide and other similar
glyphosate technologies for control of all
volunteer canola, even if they’re tolerant
to other herbicide groups.
S:10”
Even though it looks the same, it’s not.
Volunteer canola can provide a host for
dangerous diseases, steal nutrients and
limit the yield performance of your crop.
But moving forward, this doesn’t need
to be a problem.
Goedde also drew attention to
other major trends in. He said
we can continue to expect massive price swings in all commodities in the coming years due to
increasingly unpredictable world
weather. He also worries that as
countries begin to fear for their
food security (reasonably or not)
we may see high tariffs put in
place against food exports, which
will only worsen the global supply situation.
By far the biggest unknown
going forward, Goedde said, is consumer attitudes. There is a massive
disconnect between farmers and
the public: most consumers make
no connection between what they
eat and how it is produced. As a
result, they are vulnerable to propaganda from quacks and alarmists
who frighten them with myths
and untruths about agricultural
chemicals and genetically modified organisms. Goedde’s fear is
that if these misperceptions are
not fought vigorously then consumers (as voters) will insist on
ill-informed legislation that will
make it much more difficult to
meet the world’s growing food
demand. It is imperative for farmers, both individually and through
their various industry groups, to
start educating the public about
how food production works and
to dispel these fears.
Goedde closed with some
encouraging notes about Canada’s
agricultural future: while the rest
of the world is predicted to see
significant output declines due
to climate change (without adoption of new crops and agronomic
practices to counter them) the
Canadian Prairies will very likely
see substantial yield increases in
the next 40 years. A warming
climate will extend the growing
season and make it possible to
grow a larger variety of crops
over a larger landmass, including corn and other high demand
staple grains. Coupled with the
easy access to water enjoyed by
farmers across the Prairies that
means that we will be “feeding
the world” more than ever in
decades to come. †
Michael Flood (www.michael-flood.com) is a
business writer and columnist. You can reach
him at [email protected].
13
Features
Pre-seeding planning
Canola rotations are key
Recommended crop rotations lower inoculum levels and risk of disease
Cropping system diversity
rop rotation is of
utmost importance to
manage residue and
soil-borne diseases, and
many insect species,” says Randy
Kutcher, cereal and flax pathologist, University of Saskatchewan.
Knowing this, it’s surprising that
many growers still don’t heed rotation recommendations, especially
with the potential for devastating
diseases like blackleg.
Blackleg is a residue-borne disease, he explains. “Residues can
be found on the lower stem and
upper root pieces of previous canola crops,” he says. “And these can
take a number of years to break
down under prairie conditions.”
To control blackleg, it’s necessary to reduce the amount of
pathogen inoculum in the field.
Rotating crops, says Kutcher, not
only helps to reduce inoculum,
but also exposure of any single
pathogen to the same fungicide.
“Without good crop rotation there
is greater selection pressure on the
pathogen and therefore increased
risk resistant varieties become susceptible and effective fungicides
become ineffective,” he says.
Why are some growers ignoring rotation recommendations?
Kutcher’s guess is that economics
might play a role. “Use of all possible pest control measure requires
planning well in advance and for
many pests, usually involves growing a number of crops,” he says. “My
guess is that to be efficient in terms
of time management, and perhaps
bargaining power for inputs, growers have advantages when they specialize in fewer crops.”
Growing several crops does
require more knowledge and experience, and sometimes equipment,
which can be challenging for some
producers. Regardless, Kutcher says
rotation is key. “A general rule
of thumb is a minimum of three
unrelated crop species: a cereal,
an oilseed and a pulse, so wheatcanola-pea,” he says. “Personally,
I still think a four-year, four-crop
rotation is desirable. When I have
been involved in rotation studies of
six different crops, there are usually
very few plant disease issues.”
In terms of blackleg, Kutcher
doesn’t think the problem is so
much the pathogen itself, but
more the number of acres of canola currently grown in the prairies.
Short rotations coupled with limited space between fields makes
for an ideal environment where
the pathogen can both spread and
survive.
Sexual recombination occurs
in the pathogen (Leptosphaeria
maculans) lifecycle, explains
Kutcher, so that means increased
genetic variability and increased
risk of new races that can overcome resistant varieties of canola.
Furthermore, it also means there’s
increased potential for insensitivity to fungicides.
“The spores formed from the
sexual stage are air-borne, so they
can spread easily from field to field
and probably many kilometres,”
says Kutcher. “And the pathogen
can survive a number of years on
the infected canola residue; two
to seven years, depending on the
environment.”
Neil Harker, weed management
researcher at Agriculture and AgriFood Canada, says that crop rotation is the basis for introducing
cropping system diversity.
“Different crops allow different
herbicide mode of action groups
to be applied, and that is important to reduce selection intensity
for herbicide resistance,” he says.
“More importantly, different crops
introduce other types of diversity
that can disadvantage weeds and
reduce herbicide resistance selection pressure.”
For example, he says, winterannual crops, like winter wheat,
fall rye and winter triticale that are
seeded in the fall, rapidly cover the
ground in the spring. “Those crops
preclude light, nutrient and water
resources from summer-annual
weeds that germinate the following spring,” he says. “Therefore,
many winter wheat growers do not
need to apply a wild oat herbicide;
reducing selection pressure for wild
oat resistance to herbicides.”
On the other hand, he points out,
in areas where repeated winter crops
have selected for dominant winter annual weeds — think downy
brome or stinkweed — the obvious
solution is to grow summer-annual
crops to disadvantage those weeds.
“Somewhat
unfortunately,”
Harker concludes, “a good weed
resistance management mantra is
‘when you find something that is
easy and works well, change it!’”
There are other important management strategies to incorporate
on the farm, including the use of
seed treatments and certified seed,
as well as keeping clean fields in
isolation, away from infected fields.
On their own, not one management
strategy is a silver bullet. For the best
results, incorporate all management
strategies into your system.
“Seed treatments are a good idea
to control seed and soil-borne diseases, and to reduce the risk of
importing new pathogen races,”
says Kutcher.
Ideally, he says, seed treatments
should be used to deal with specific issues, rather than as insurance. He does note, however, that
it is difficult to determine if and
when those problems will surface.
Choosing certified seed is
another good practice for mitigating pest and disease issus. Some
growers, however, think that using
certified seed means that they can
be more lax when it comes to rotation recommendations. Kutcher
says this isn’t so.
“Certified seed means no or
low contamination by pathogens,
which should help get the crop off
to a good start and to reduce the
risk that new races of a pathogen
will be introduced,” he clarifies.
“But it does little to deal with the
pathogen inoculum already in the
field or that is incoming from
neighbors fields.”
He notes that there is very little
fungicide on seeds, particularly
small seeds like canola. In general,
he continues, seed treatment fungicides have a limited period of
efficacy, some as little as two to
three weeks.
Aside from practicing good rotation, isolating infected fields is
also important. While isolation
Produced by: SeCan
Product/Campaign Name: SeCan CDC Meredith
Date Produced: January 2014
C
“
Ad Number: SEC-MERE-14-T
Publication: Alberta Farmer Express
3Col x 133 (6” x 9.5”) Non Bleed
By Melanie Epp
for blackleg control, in particular, has been shown to work in
Australia, in Western Canada this
could prove difficult. “In many
regions,” says Kutcher, “there is
so much canola that it may be
difficult to put a 500 to 600 metre
buffer between crops.
Even in the best of fields there’s
always the potential for disease,
which is why it’s recommended
that growers take the time to scout.
Kutcher says they should do so as
often as possible, but definitely at
swathing at a minimum. “For each
crop species there are different things
to look for and things to consider
and time of scouting will vary,” he
concludes. “It is a good time to identify many different diseases to record
potential or existing problems and
plan for the future.” †
photo: leeann minogue
“Personally,
still think
a four-year, four-crop rotation is desirable,” says
SEC-MERE14-T_AFE.qxd
1/21/14
12:45 PM IPage
1
Melanie
Epp is a freelance farm writer
based
Randy Kutcher, cereal and flax pathologist, University of Saskatchewan.
in Guelph, Ontario.
More under your cap
CDC Meredith
TWO-ROW MALTING BARLEY
✔ 13% higher yield*
✔ 1% lower grain protein*
✔ Top yields with malt quality
Genes that fit your farm.
800-665-7333
www.secan.com
®
*Compared to AC Metcalfe in Coop Registration Trials
Developed by Crop Development Centre, University of Saskatchewan
Genes that fit your farm® is a registered trademark of SeCan.
Ad Number: SEC-MERE-14-T
14
Features
Farm management
Working with returning kids
Learn how to relate to the next generation when they come home to farm
By Michael Flood
I
n a high-energy keynote presentation at this
year’s FarmTech conference in Edmonton Jason
Dorsey, a U.S.-based expert on
generational differences and the
chief strategy officer of the Center
for Generational Kinetics, briefed
a packed conference hall on the
sources of strife between parents
and children in family businesses.
His audience was ready to hear his
message: almost everyone attending that year was part of a family farm, the quintessential family
business.
Dorsey started off by pointing out that some strife between
generations is normal and in fact
healthy — young people need to
make a space for themselves in
the world and find out their capabilities and limits. What’s not
normal is the increased strife we
are witnessing now due to technological and societal changes.
The costs of misunderstandings
are being increased and threaten
both family unity and the survival of family farms.
Dorsey addressed himself primarily to the parents in the audience,
the baby boomers (ages 45 to 65)
who are struggling to understand
their millennial (ages 18 to 35)
offspring. To help create better
understanding and reduce friction, Dorsey asked them to keep
in mind the following facts about
the new generation of workers.
Entitlement
Baby boomers, Dorsey said,
often complain about their children having a sense of “entitlement,” a feeling that they deserve
things without working for them.
He admitted that this is a real factor but says that the baby boomers
have only themselves to blame;
after all, they’re the ones who
made the decision to be easier on
their children than their parents
were on them. They’re the ones
who paid for college tuition and
phones and first vehicles and, in
many cases, are still paying their
bills. It’s natural that young people who have grown up this way
have higher expectations of what
they deserve and lower estimates
of what they need to do to earn it
than their parents do.
The situation isn’t hopeless,
Dorsey emphasized. It’s a matter of introducing responsibilities
gradually and in a regular way.
That starts with not expecting
their children to have the same
experience and skills they had at
their age.
Starting ages
The average millennial, Dorsey
said, is five years older than their
parents or grandparents when
they start their first job. “If your
first job was at 18,” he said, “they
are starting at 23, by which you
had probably already had worked
at three jobs.” This is because so
Visit Help
in
bret
tyou g You G
ng.c
a/wi row Gi
n no
v
w fo eaway
r you
r cha
in Br
nce
ettY
to
o
Ends
ung
Marc
p
h 31 roduc
st, 2
t
0
Win
$10,
000
A World of Knowledge
in Every Bag…
15
many millennials have spent more
years pursuing advanced education, education that their parents
both encouraged and paid for.
The problem, Dorsey said, is that
each generation bases their expectations of competence on their
own experience, so baby boomer
parents expect their children to be
as professional and work savvy in
their mid-20s as they were.
Baby boomers need to drop
the expectations of competence,
Dorsey said. That doesn’t mean
they need to set lower standards
but they need to allow their children to mature on the job and grow
into their duties and responsibilities. Millennials can help, he said,
by realizing that they have a lot
to learn about work and that their
parents are eager to help them.
Feedback
Baby boomers grew up and
worked in careers where feedback
was regular but very spaced out,
typically an annual performance
review. For farmers it may have
come as a stern rebuke by their
parents for their performance
at the end of the growing season. They prefer to communicate
their feedback in just this way
to their children, with long periods between feedback but a large
amount of it when it was due.
Millennials, Dorsey emphasized,
have been educated in a different
way: they’ve gone to schools that
have cultivated their self-esteem
with very regular feedback and
they use social media like Twitter
and Facebook which gives them
constant approvals and ego boosts.
The way to manage them, Dorsey
says, is to communicate frequently
with them about their performance, but keep the communications brief — let them know how
they’re doing without overwhelming them at any one time.
These adjustments
may be annoying
Learning styles
Delivering Performance
in Every Field
Excellent
HARVESTABILITY
BrettYoung Clearfield® canola hybrids offer marketing
flexibility, performance, standability and maximum yields
with 5525 CL and 5535 CL. Plus get excellent weed control
when combined with the power of ARES™ herbicide. Our
priority is helping you grow. Book these varieties early.
Maturity
Yield
Blackleg
Standability
5525 CL
5535 CL
Mid to Late
Early to Mid
126%
127%
R
R
Excellent
Very Good
Visit brettyoung.ca
1-800-665-5015
ARES is a trademark and Clearfield and the unique Clearfield symbol are registered trademarks of BASF Agrochemical Products B.V. All used with permission by BASF Canada Inc. All others are trademarks of
their respective companies. BrettYoung is a trademark of BrettYoung Seeds Limited. 4127 10/14
Millennials, Dorsey emphasized,
are overwhelmingly visual learners: they learn best by being shown
how something is done and how
it is expected to look when it is
finished. “This is a generation,”
Dorsey said, “that doesn’t go to
Dad for help fixing their car; they
go to YouTube.” Those with smartphones can help them by shooting short videos of how they want
tasks done, as well as photographs
of how things should look when
finished.
Dorsey acknowledges these
adjustments may be annoying (he
admitted to the audience he had
been a great frustration to his
own father, a Texas farmer) but
that millennials are eager learners when things are put in a way
they understand. You’ll likely be
surprised, he said, how quickly
they come around and become
valuable employees. †
Michael Flood (www.michael-flood.com) is a
business writer and columnist. You can reach
him at [email protected].
4127 BY_Clearfield Canola-Contest-FINAL-GN.indd 1
Client: BrettYoung
Project: A World of Knowledge In...
2014-10-15 3:44 PM
Publication: Grainews
Size: 8.125” x 10”
Agency: ON Communication Inc
Agency Contact: Jen Grozelle
15
Columns
Soils and Crops
Phosphorus: new wrinkles
If you own the land, adding phosphorus fertilizer will pay off in the long run
les
henry
tilizer use only took off when we
finally realized that all that summerfallow was a huge waste.
1970s experiments
O
n February 8, 2010,
my column looked
at the economics of
large single applications of phosphorus fertilizer.
The economics are good, but the
practice is still rare.
Most graphs showing fertilizer
use in Western Canada start in
1960. Before that, fertilizer use
was sporadic and included only a
few acres with a modest application of ammonium phosphate
(11-48-0). Almost all fertilizer
in the early days was produced
at the Consolidated Mining
and Smelting plant at Trail B.C.
The first fertilizer manufacture
was actually a pollution control measure. CM&S was spewing
gobs of sulphur into the atmosphere. They cleaned up their act
and used the sulphur to produce
the sulphuric acid needed to add
to phosphate rock to make phosphate fertilizers.
Recent analysis
has made it clear
Each time I look at the graph
of fertilizer use I think of crawling off the Cockshutt 132 combine at Milden, Sask., August 31,
1960. Harvest over, I had two
weeks to prepare for the grand
experiment at the University of
Saskatchewan. No fertilizer had
been used on that farm from
breaking in 1906 until I left
in 1960. Dad was up in years
when I left so my brother-inlaw helped seed the 1962 crop.
They seeded one field with two
discers. Dad’s discer had no fertilizer attachment but Roy was
able to apply 11-48-0 fertilizer.
What a sight — every other
round looked great!
At that time Don Rennie and
others were using Radioactive
P32 labelled fertilizers to find out
how much of the phosphorus
actually got into the wheat plant.
The results were disappointing
— only 25 to 30 per cent of the
fertilizer phosphorus ended up in
the plant.
When I went back to Milden,
coffee row had a question. “If
only 25 per cent of the fertilizer
phosphorus gets into the plant,
what happens to the rest? Is it
available for future use?” Then
my sputtering started.
Phosphorus does not gas off or
wash out like nitrogen, but it gets
tied up with soil minerals and we
need to use it very year. That was
the answer of the day. We knew
that seed-placed was much more
efficient and broadcasting was a
waste of time. But that was all
with very low rates.
Annual applications of 40
pounds per acre of 11-48-0 to
summerfallow wheat was the
practice for years. Nitrogen fer-
In the 1970s the many experiments with high rates of broadcast phosphorus showed residual
effects. Phosphorus fertilizer is
an investment in the land. If
you own the land pour on the
phosphorus and it will pay back
in spades. But the practice of soil
building has never been adopted
on a big scale.
Recent analysis has made it
clear. A Swift Current experiment
started in 1967 shows that over
time, 98 per cent of the phosphorus fertilizer added can be
accounted for in extra phosphorus hauled to the elevator.
An article* has put it together
in very succinct terms. That paper
combined small plot data from
fertilizer experiments in Jolly Olde
(England) to statewide data on
phosphorus use, crop removal and
soil test summaries in Montana,
North Dakota and South Dakota.
After decades of fancy technology, countless wet chemistry procedures and endless field
experiments it comes down to
simple math: Using the Olsen
P test, 10 to15 ppm is the level
to be maintained and 60 ppm
is the upper limit after which
environmental considerations
hold sway. Excessive soil phosphorus levels are usually asso-
ciated with long-term manure
applications.
There are several different
phosphorus soil tests. They all
work well and should be part of
long-term planning.
If we haul more phosphorus
to the elevator than we put on
in fertilizer or manure, the phosphorus soil test will go down and
with it the crop yield potential.
If we add more phosphorus than
we haul away, over time, the soil
test phosphorus will go up along
with the crop yield potential.
Speaking of long term, the
long-term field experiments
have given us this information.
Unfortunately, our decision makers seem to be in the business
of shutting down anything but
short-term research. We will pay
the price down the road.
*Johnny Johnston, Paul Fixen and
Paul Poulton. 2014. The Efficient
Use of Phosphorus in Agriculture.
“Better Crops With Plant Foods.”
Volume 98: Page 22-24. “Better Crops
with Plant Foods” is a publication
of the International Plant Nutrition
Institute. Find it at: http://www.ipni.
net/publication/bettercrops.nsf. †
J.L.(Les) Henry is a former professor and
extension specialist at the University of
Saskatchewan. He farms at Dundurn, Sask. He
recently finished a second printing of “Henry’s
Handbook of Soil and Water,” a book that mixes
the basics and practical aspects of soil, fertilizer
and farming. Les will cover the shipping and
GST for “Grainews” readers. Send a cheque
for $50 to Henry Perspectives, 143 Tucker Cres,
Saskatoon, Sask., S7H 3H7, and he will dispatch
a signed book.
No bundles.
No rebates.
No waiting.
No kidding.
Your money. Your choice.
Adama Canada, formerly MANA Canada, is dedicated to providing choice and simplicity in crop protection,
allowing farmers to manage their farms instead of managing complicated, time-consuming rebate programs
or bundling. We partner with the highest quality local retails to bring farmers like you the advice, service and
quality products you need to protect your crops.
Weed Control
Arrow®
Badge®II
Bengal® WB
Bison®
Bromotril®II
Diurex®
Insect Control
Alias®
Pyrinex®
Silencer®
Blanket AP®
Bumper®
Overall™
Disease Control
Ladder®
Outshine™
Phantom®
W
NE
Priority®
Rush 24™
W
™
E
N Rush M
Thrasher®II
TopLine™
Simply. Grow. Together.
®
Alias, Arrow, Badge, Bengal, Bison, Blanket AP, Bromotril, Bumper, Diurex, Ladder, Phantom,
Priority, Pyrinex, Silencer and Thrasher are registered trademarks and ™Outshine, Overall, Rush 24,
Rush M and TopLine are trademarks of ADAMA Agricultural Solutions Canada Ltd. 817-01W 01.15
Toll-free: 1.855.264.6262
WEBSITE: adama.com/canada
16
Columns
Open field
Fabas: residues and don’ts
Check your herbicide history before seeding those sensitive fabas this spring
sarah
weigum
J
udging from the tweets I
read and the phone calls I
received during and after
Saskatoon’s Crop Production
Week in January, fababean fever
has hit Saskatchewan much like
it hit Alberta about a year ago. It’s
not very often that Albertans get
to give their eastern neighbours
tips on producing pulses, but it
seems that the general flow of
knowledge on this crop is west to
east. General fababean agronomics have been covered recently in
these pages, but I wanted to touch
on a specific topic.
With acres approximately tripling in Alberta between 2013 and
2014, there were a lot of opportunities for farmers, agronomists and
scientists to learn more about faba
beans. As Mark Olson, pulse crop
researcher at Alberta Agriculture
said recently, “We’re learning with
everyone else. I’ve never ran across
95 per cent of these weird things
we see in the fields.”
These “weird” things include
the affects of chemical residue,
which don’t show up in research
trials because the plots are planned
with longer intervals between herbicides and sensitive crops.
In the field, however, sometimes
herbicide history is overlooked or
the complex relationship of soil
pH, organic matter and moisture
leads to unexpected results.
doubled up the Curtail M application. The plants in those areas
started out healthy, but began
twisting, perhaps as they reached
the level to where the residue had
washed down. Those areas were
grass green when we combined
the rest of the field.
And while the yield, in my opinion, was fairly good for the year we
had, there is no way of knowing
if the crop would have produced
more if there hadn’t been that history of residual chemical.
There’s several chemicals to
be concerned about when seeding fababeans and you won’t find
mention of fababeans in the crop
protection blue book, because
there haven’t been enough acres to
» continued on next page
In 2013, Sarah Weigum combined fabas on September.
In the field
I had this experience in one
of my fields of fababeans last
year. We seeded our beans into a
field that had been treated with
Curtail M in 2013. I knew from
a presentation that Olson and
his colleague, Robynne Bowness,
gave that clopyralid (the active
ingredient in Curtail M) could
be harmful to fababeans, but I
overlooked this fact when it came
time to seed my beans.
We did have a decent amount of
rain in 2013 — about 174 mm —
which probably saved our bacon.
Overall the crop stand was healthy
and yielded fairly well, except in
the corners and around an oil
well, where I assume the sprayer
Herbicides
to watch for
B
e concerned about
the residual impacts
of these herbicides
when making plans
to seed fabas:
2,4-D/MCPA (under dry
conditions), Accent, Ally,
Assert, Atrazine, Banvel II/
Oracle, Curtail M, Eclipse
III, Everest, Infinity, Lontrel,
Muster, PrePass XC, Prestige,
Prevail XC, Primextra II
Magnum, Prism, Simazine,
Spectrum, Triton C, Tordon,
Tundra, Ultim, Unity, Velpar
and Velocity m3. †
Always read and follow label directions. Delaro™ is a trademark of the Bayer Group. Bayer CropScience is a member of CropLife Canada.
Sarah Weigum
FS:8.2”
F:8.7”
photo: sarah weigum
T:17.4”
17
Columns
Germination and disease
2
T:17.4”
014 saw early frost and snow in
much of the fababean growing
area of Alberta. This meant compromised quality. Some growers
had a lot of black or dark grey beans
amongst the typical off white colour
fababeans.
According to Joanna Cathcart, germination analyst at 20/20 Seed Labs
in Nisku, Alta., the range of germination results tells the story of weather
challenges in the Alberta last year. The
average germination for all fababeans
samples submitted to the lab was in the
70s, with some as low as 10 per cent and
others in the 90s.
Some growers found that by colour sorting by hand and removing the dark seeds
from a sample, the germination results
improved 30 to 40 per cent. Whether this
is economical really depends on the situation. If all the beans were going as feed
then cutting them in half to save some
for seed might be a worthwhile option. If
you’re giving up human edible grade pricing and end up with a bunch of screenings that can only go for feed, the value
in cleaning the beans may be lost.
Whatever you decide to do, be prepared
to wait a bit longer than usual for germination results from the lab. As Cathcart
explained, her laboratory is accredited by the Canadian Food Inspection
Agency (CFIA) and therefore must use the
approved crop testing methods as determined by the CFIA.
“Each crop type has specific requirements for temperature, media and testing
period,” said Cathcart. Technicians usually test cereals between paper and the
final germination count is done at seven
days. Fababeans are typically tested in
sand and technicians tally results after
14 days.
“Because they are a larger seed they do
typically require more moisture and it can
be easier to maintain that moisture level
in a consistent way by using sand than a
paper media,” said Cathcart.
The germination report will list what
per cent of seeds had normal germination, abnormal or were dead. In my experience, it’s not unusual to see a higher
percentage of “abnormal” seedlings in a
faba bean lot than in other crops. Often
the abnormal rate will be accompanied by
a note saying “mechanical damage suspected.” Fabas are more susceptible than
even peas to the blows combines, augers
or seed cleaning plants.
“An abnormal seedling has initiated
growth but has a critical defect on either
its root or shoot system that will cause it
to not produce a normal, healthy plant,”
explained Cathcart.
Of course, mechanical damage is just
one cause of poor germinating fababean seed. Disease can be another factor. Trevor Blois, disease diagnostician at
20/20 Seed Labs, mentioned a number of
diseases he observed at varying levels on
this year’s seed lots, including: botrytis,
fusarium, sclerotinia and stemphylium
photo: courtesy of
20/20
seed labs
This picture shows two normal fababean
seedlings at the top, with five abnormal
seedlings below.
blight. Botrytis can manifest itself on
plant foliage and is commonly known as
chocolate spot. Blois said most seed lots
are below one per cent disease infection.
Most growers treat seed with a fungicide
that controls most if not all of the above
diseases. If you’re curious about how your
seed will germinate when treated, ask the
technicians to find out. †
Sarah Weigum
» CONTINUED FROM Previous PAGE
T:10”
warrant research from the chemical companies. Most producers
have probably followed field pea
re-cropping restrictions, but Olson
and others think it might be safer
to follow the restrictions for lentils
when seeding faba beans.
“I would say the sensitivity [of
fababeans] is similar to lentils,”
said Olson. “I don’t have a big
body of research to support that,
but that’s the consensus from talking to farmers and agronomists.”
This means if you’ve sprayed
a herbicide like Infinity in your
cereal crop, you’d probably be safe
to seed peas 10 months later (if
you’re in the black, gray-wooded
or dark brown soil zone), but if
you’re seeding lentils — and by
this argument, faba beans — you
should wait 22 months. Again,
this is not based on repeatable
research trials — which hopefully will be undertaken by the
crop protection industry as faba
bean acreage increases — but on
anecdotal experience. Considering
there’s nothing a farmer can do
once his or her seeds are in ground
with chemical residue, it’s better to
be safe than sorry.
This year I double-checked my
herbicide history when making my
crop plan. We planned to seed faba
beans on Invigor canola stubble
that had a glyphosate pre-burn, so
no worries there. My concern was
the Prestige XC (which contains
clopyralid as well) that I applied to
wheat in 2013. The blue book says
“if drought conditions are experienced during the months of June
to August inclusive in the year of
application (less than 140 mm of
rain between June 1 and August 31
or less than 175 mm in the whole
year), delay seeding field peas an
additional 12 months (22 months
following application).”
As mentioned, we had 174 mm
between June and August of 2013;
251 mm between June and August
of 2014 and 447 mm in all of 2014.
With the full 22 months and that
much moisture between fababeans
and the Prestige XC, I am going
ahead as planned.
Until we have verified re-cropping restrictions, Olson suggests
considering moisture, soil organic
matter, temperature, and application rate of residual herbicide
when choosing a field. †
THERE’S A NEW
SHERIFF IN TOWN.
Delaro™ fungicide doesn’t take kindly to diseases like
anthracnose, ascochyta and white mould threatening
the yield potential of innocent pulse and soybean crops.
Powerful, long-lasting disease control with exceptional
yield protection, Delaro is setting a new standard in
pulse and soybean crops.
TELL ‘EM DELARO’S COMING
For more information, please visit:
BayerCropScience.ca/Delaro
C-72-02/15-10307583-E
Sarah Weigum grows pedigreed seed and
writes at Three Hills, Alta. Follow her on
Twitter: @sweigum.
F:8.7”
18
Columns
Reporter’s notebook
Science can be a dirty word
The public doesn’t understand science, and reporters often don’t do a great job
covering it. Not that there are good excuses, but here’s how it can happen
By Lisa Guenther
S
cience is a dirty word
these days. Or perhaps
just a word that more
and more people don’t
understand.
And you should be concerned
because that lack of basic scientific knowledge is driving distrust of modern agriculture.
“It’s a big, big issue,” Al
Scholz told me. Al is the executive director and registrar of
the Saskatchewan Institute of
Agrologists. It’s going to be the
biggest issue facing agriculture,
if it isn’t already, he said.
The pressure is on farmers to
produce more food for a growing population. How much
more food depends on who you
ask, but Al said the bottom line
is we have to produce more with
the same land — and half the
inputs — to be sustainable.
“So how the heck are we going
to do that? Well, we’re going
to do that through research,
through science,” said Al. But
if researchers’ hands are tied,
we’ll have challenges, Al added.
Part of the problem is media
missteps. Al said he doesn’t have
any concerns with farm journalists, but he does with urban media.
It doesn’t take a lot of digging
around to find examples of poor
science reporting, whether or not
it’s related to agriculture.
I think most journalists want
their work to be balanced and factual. But we make mistakes, especially when it comes to science.
Here are a few reasons why.
Controversy makes
a good story
A few months ago, a local
farmer was teasing me about
how much reporters like hearing about farmers’ problems.
And it’s true. Stories with a
problem or controversy are
interesting to write and read.
But controversy doesn’t always
add up to good science reporting.
For example, if all my sources
agree on the science, does it make
sense to then dig up someone
who disagrees, but has no real
background on the issue?
Excluding certain sources from
a story opens a reporter up to
accusations of bias. But always
seeking out contrarians and giving them equal weight is not necessarily balanced reporting. And
sometimes journalists need to ask
sources how they know what they
say they know. That single ques-
IT HAS ALL THE POTENTIAL
IN THE WORLD,
tion would take care of many of
these problems.
We love anecdotes
A well-chosen anecdote can
frame the story and pull readers
in. And sometimes all we have are
anecdotes because the research
hasn’t been done yet. Many farmers make very astute observations
about what’s going on in the field
and I’m reluctant to dismiss those
observations.
But drawing sweeping conclusions from anecdotes puts us
on thin ice, especially if those
few anecdotes contradict valid
research. Correlation doesn’t
equal causation — in other
words, just because two events
seem to be connected, it doesn’t
mean one caused the other. It
could be sheer coincidence. This
is one of the main fallacies with
the anti-vaccination movement.
And even if we are sure one
event caused another, we don’t
always know that first event
will cause the same reaction in
every situation.
Data can be
manipulated
BUT IT'S WHAT YOU
PUT INTO IT THAT COUNTS
Richardson Pioneer offers quality when it comes to seed selection, crop planning and agronomic support.
When combined with our grain marketing and handling expertise we can help you build a plan from planting
to harvest that is suited for your farm.
Since 1988, soybeans have been part of the research work done at Richardson Kelburn Farm. The data
gathered offers insight into variety differences, crop protection products, agronomic practices and yield
potential collected through our unbiased research on these side by side trials.
Contact your local Richardson Pioneer Ag Business Centre to learn more about soybeans and our soybean
treaters that will help you continue building into the future of your farm.
Let me give you a real-life
example. A few years ago, my
mom fainted at a potluck. Her
blood pressure plummeted. Her
lips turned blue. We had to call
the ambulance. The doctors ran
some tests but couldn’t pinpoint
a cause.
A week or so later, we were at
another potluck. She had one bite
of salad and started to feel ill. A
Benadryl eased her symptoms.
What was she eating when she
had both these reactions? Quinoa.
(Who kept bringing the quinoa salad to these potlucks, you
ask? Me.)
The allergy specialist couldn’t
test for quinoa, but he agreed
with her observations. And as
quinoa is now mixed into crackers and bread, she’s been able
to replicate the results at least
once more.
It’s safe to conclude my mother
By jonny hawkins
Country Chuckles
Book your 2015 soybean seed with
RICHARDSON PIONEER
www.richardson.ca
PIONEER® FOR THE SALE AND DISTRIBUTION OF SEED IS A REGISTERED TRADE-MARK OF PIONEER HI-BRED INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND IS USED
UNDER LICENSE BY THE UNAFFILIATED COMPANY RICHARDSON PIONEER LIMITED.
“We dug a pretty good furrow, Son. Next time,
i’ll need to drive you to scholl in the car.”
19
Columns
has a severe quinoa allergy. Does
this mean people should be wary
about eating quinoa? Unless
you’re my mom, the answer is
no. It’s a rare, oddball allergy.
Strange anecdotes are interesting to read about. But we
should be wary of so-called
experts who rely solely on anecdotes to convince of us of widespread problems.
Sometimes junk science
looks like the read deal
A few years ago John
Heard, fertility specialist with
Manitoba Agriculture, set out
to prove how easily data can be
manipulated. He set up a statistically valid research project,
applying a “growth enhancer”
to canola in place of nitrogen. At 11 of the 20 plots, the
growth enhancer bumped biomass yield significantly.
What was in this growth
enhancer, you ask? Diluted
maple syrup.
But don’t throw out your
nitrogen and load up on maple
syrup yet. Heard had cherrypicked the results, grouping the
positive yields together. At eight
sites, the treated plots yielded
less than the checks. Plus, he
measured biomass yield, not
grain yield.
Heard also treated spring
wheat plots with maple syrup.
Other plots received nitrogen.
Those results looked promising,
too, unless you looked at the
check. Then you would see the
untreated wheat did just as well.
The previous year’s soybean crop
had left plenty of residual nitrogen in the soil.
Heard showed us how easily data
can be manipulated. Sadly, this
happens in the real world, with
dire consequences. You know that
whole debate B:10.25”
about whether vacT:10.25”
cinations cause
autism? That was
launched by a medical researcher
who cherry-picked his results to
show a link where none existed.
The study was published by The
Lancet, a peer-reviewed medical
journal, in 1998.
I could add many more reasons why we get it wrong. We
work under deadlines, and with
the Internet, many journalists
have tighter deadlines than
20 years ago. Despite our best
efforts, we sometimes give in
to our own biases. We generally
have word counts that limit how
much detail and nuance we can
add to a story.
But I’m cautiously optimistic
that science reporting is improving. The Toronto Star faced plenty
of criticism recently for running a hatchet job on a vaccine
that prevents cervical cancer in
women. And, as I write this,
The Fifth Estate is promoting an
upcoming story that promises to
take a critical look at the antiwheat food trend.
If we keep at it, science will
cease being a bad word. Perhaps
it will get the respect it actually
deserves. †
Lisa Guenther is field editor for Grainews
based at Livelong, Sask. Contact her at
[email protected] or on
Twitter @LtoG.
S:10.25”
Quality meets quantity.
Always read and follow label directions. Prosaro® is a registered trademark of the Bayer Group. Bayer CropScience is a member of CropLife Canada.
C-53-02/15-10287620-E
T:11.375”
BayerCropScience.ca/Prosaro
B:11.375”
With two powerful actives, Prosaro provides long-lasting
preventative and curative activity, resulting in superior
protection against fusarium head blight, effective
DON reduction and unmatched leaf disease control.
With Prosaro you’ll never have to settle for second
best again.
S:11.375”
In addition to providing an exceptional yield increase,
Prosaro® fungicide protects the high quality of your
cereals and helps ensure a better grade.
20
Columns
Financial Markets — the basics
Investing: not like the casino
There is always risk in investment, but being patient and learning the best
way to allocate your assets can stabilize your portfolio in the long run
By Andrew Allentuck
I
f you read the financial pages
in the daily newspaper or
glom through some financial
blogs, you can be forgiven if
you think you’ve stumbled into a
craps game in Vegas. “Our stock
tips make money,” claims one
blog, the first I found when trying
to find a good example. Maybe the
tips do work. Studies show that
most don’t. After all, if the tips
were solid, would the tippers be
giving away their secrets?
What I do know is that there
really is a big difference between
a casino and a financial market
if you understand how risk works
over time.
It is a fundamental rule that
what counts in investing is diversification, which spreads out the
risk that something will go up or
down in a defined time period, and
allocation, which is how much of
your bankroll you will put into any
given asset or asset category.
If we look at stocks in a period of
a few minutes, price movements
reflect statistical noise. They mean
nothing except perhaps to day
traders and that species of optimist went broke a long time ago.
They were cleaned out by high frequency traders backed by massive
computing power at major banks.
These guys trade in milliseconds,
buying on one market where a
stock price may be a penny low
and selling where it may be a
penny high. They bargain these
Over long periods of time, fundamental financial strengths and corporate growth will show up in stock prices.
differences down using computers
often across the street from stock
exchanges to cut milliseconds
transfer time to nanoseconds. An
armchair trader cannot compete
in this league.
Over periods of weeks or
months, significant movements
which reflect economic trends,
interest rate changes, increases
or decreases in company earnings, and new product developments come into play. Over longer
periods, the fundamental financial strength of companies shows
up, growth of smaller companies
becomes evident. The whipsaw
lines of hourly and daily price
changes give way to movements
reflecting fundamentals.
It’s true for bonds as well. In
periods of a few minutes, bond
prices may flutter depending on
liquidity — how much of a bond
is available for sale or purchase in
the next minutes or perhaps hours
or days for big, patient traders
like insurance companies, but over
periods of months and years, the
bounces give way to steady lines.
For economically viable companies’ stocks and bonds, time
is a great leveler of statistical
noise and meaningless trading
moves. In contrast to a casino
in which every game of chance
is the same, that is, every spin
of a roulette wheel in which the
ball has the same one in 36 slots
chance of winning (or one in 37
in European casinos), the odds of
making money on a stock move
from daily jumps and sags over
the true averages to the averages
themselves. Stock cycles in which
the market as a whole moves up
and then down and then up again
used to be 36 to 48 months. Now
they are longer for many reasons,
partly because bond cycles, which
used to be a dozen years, have
recently turned into multiple decades. We’ve seen stocks collapse
in 2000-01 from the popping of
the dot com bubble and the 9-11
tragedy, then revive, then collapse in 2008 when the mortgage
bubble burst. That’s a couple of
eight- to nine-year cycles.
Using the information
ALPINE
®
foliar fertilizer keeps you
on the path to growing great crops
Norwich Optimist Corn Maze 2013
Call your local ALPINE® representative to get your farm on
Norwich Optimist Corn Maze 2013
the right path with an efficient, effective, and economical
PHAZED NUTRITION PROGRAM™.
James Bateman
Southwestern Saskatchewan DSM
306.297.7595
Blake Weatherald
North Central Saskatchewan DSM
306.441.5779
Chad Wonchulanko
Eastern Saskatchewan DSM
306.570.9317
Matt Mazer
South Central Saskatchewan DSM
306.459.7850
Jamie Bugg
Western Saskatchewan. DSM
306.480.6979
Chris Cox
Southeastern Saskatchewan
& Western Manitoba DSM
204.851.5403
Shane Falk
Eastern Manitoba DSM
204.823.4667
Keith Anderson
Neil Olsen
Central Alberta DSM
780.265.3650
Michael Hillaby
Western Peace Region DSM
587.343.6333
Albert Michaud
Eastern Peace Region DSM
780.625.5900
Southern Alberta DSM
403.589.1770
© 2015. NACHURS ALPINE SOLUTIONS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PHAZED NUTRITION PROGRAM is a trademark, ALPINE is a registered trademark of NACHURS ALPINE SOLUTIONS.
|
www.alpinepfl.com
What does all this mean for
investing in financial instruments?
The question is vital, because it is
all about time.
First, be patient. Warren Buffett,
the great American billionaire
investor, urges investors to be willing to wait out stock moves for
at least one fully market cycle.
That certainly gets rid of statistical
noise and a lot of market hype.
Second, you have to spread your
risk. That’s the allocation decision of how much to put in each
financial asset category. There are
only a few of these: bonds, stocks,
real estate, commodities, and then
the dump all category of “everything else.” That may be patents
and other intellectual property,
for example. It may be interesting,
but those assets do not trade on
exchanges.
Third, within each asset category, such as stocks, you can
diminish risk by buying the whole
market, such as all stocks on
the Toronto or New York Stock
Exchanges, the TSX 60 — the big
names, mostly banks and energy,
the S&P 500 Composite — the
biggest 500 companies in the U.S.
with tradable shares, the Dow
Jones Industrial Average of the 30
biggest companies, or, the biggest
index of all, the Morgan Stanley
Capital International (MSCI) index
of all the world’s big companies.
As a patient fisher, you know
that as your throw your net wider,
you can get more fish. In the stock
world, it means that even if the
cod don’t come, you may be able
to get some bass. And this is true.
Individual stocks dance one way,
national markets another, and the
global economy still a third way,
for even when rising or falling,
national markets are never synchronized. In statistical terms, for
risk reduction, you want to avoid
covariance. And the wider your
net, the less of a problem synchronous movement becomes.
Summing up these guidelines,
an investor who wants to be confident that his money will produce
the most return with the least risk
puts money into each major asset
category. Farmers, who already
have land or interests in land, can
leave out that category for off-farm
investments. That leaves stocks
and bonds, commodities, and that
catchall of everything else.
It is a fundamental rule of thumb
that one should have some bonds,
for when stocks sag, money rushes
to bonds. In the present economic
cycle, the prospect of deflation or
the need for liquidity has driven
an awful lot of money to bonds
which have been dancing upward
since 1983 when the Fed and the
Bank of Canada (and other central
banks too) raised interest rates to
break the double digit inflation of
the early 70s. Rates have slid down
since then and existing bonds have
produced what appear to be the
longest, biggest run of gains in
recorded history with the possible
exception of British state bonds in
the period 1815 (Napoleon’s final
defeat) to 1914 (outbreak of WWI).
Bonds may be like tulips in the
Netherlands now, so buy carefully, perhaps in a broad, diversified
bond index, say a low cost chartered bank mutual bond fund or
a cheap exchange traded bond
fund. Match the bond ratio to
your age less 20 years so that at
50 you have 30 per cent bonds
and at 70 have 50 per cent bonds,
and you’ll have a reasonable allocation. For stocks, take the complement, 70 per cent stocks at
age 30, invest widely in major
indexes like the TSX Composite
or the S&P 500 Composite and,
to get even more risk reduction,
buy the index versions in which
every stock is equally weighted
to avoid dominance by any one
company like Nortel Networks
did when it topped the TSX with
more than 30 per cent of all the
exchange’s value.
Finally, to be very safe, keep
commodities investments small.
They are volatile and hard to predict. Oil is down because OPEC
wants it that way. Copper and
many other metals are priced
on China’s demand for them.
Predicting what will happen in
Saudi Arabia or what is going to
happen in Beijing is beyond what
most mortals can manage. For
safety and a good sleep, keep your
allocations reasonable for your age
and risk tolerance and diversify
widely. And wait, as a good fisher
must. †
Andrew Allentuck is author of “When Can I
Retire? Planning Your Financial Future After
Work,” (Penguin, 2011).
21
Columns
Kelly’s AgExpert Tips and Hints
Transaction entry with AgExpert
Speed up your bookkeeping by getting the most from the transaction entry screen
Kelly
Airey
I
f you’re using AgExpert,
you’ll be entering most
of your daily transactions
through the “transaction
entry screen.” Assuming current
AgExpert users have spent a lot
of time in this screen, I want to
make sure you have all the tips
and tricks to use it to its full
potential.
Keyboard shortcuts
Getting used to using these
keyboard shortcuts, will speed
up your data entry.
• [Tab] Key: Using the [Tab]
key will always take you to the
next box that should be filled in.
• [Shift] + [Tab]: If you [Tab]
too far forward and you want to
move backwards, press [Shift] +
[Tab] to move back.
• [F4]: Press [F4] whenever
you have an option to select a
drop-down menu to activate the
menu list. You can also press F4
whenever you see an ellipsis (a
box with three dots …) For example when you get to first line
in the transaction entry screen,
[F4] will bring up selection of
account types to choose from.
Then [Tab] over to Account, and
using [F4] will bring up list of
accounts to select from.
• [First Letter] of an option
in a drop down menu will
select that option: For Example:
under Transaction Type: [D] will
select Deposit Under Type; [I]
will select Income.
Setup > Chart of Accounts. They
should be setup in the Current
Liabilities section, with “account
type” set to “credit card.”
• Reference: This can be any
series of numbers or letters.
My method is to reference the
transaction to my source document. For example: If I wrote
a cheque, my reference is: “C
#156.” To record an automatic
loan payment from my bank
statement, my reference is: “B-S
Loan #14” (for Bank Statement,
then loan number). For grain
sales, I use the ticket number as
the reference.
• Description: You can type
the customer or supplier name
directly into this box, however I
recommend adding the majority
of your customer/supplier names
example, after you fill in their
contact information, on the
right hand side of the screen
you can set the default posting
account to “vet and medicine”
expense account. The next time
you enter an expense to your
local vet, as you [Tab] through
into the first line of details, it
pre-selects “vet and medicine”
for you by default.
• Transaction Audit Number:
At the top right corner of your
screen you should see a blue
audit number. If you can’t, go
to Setup > Preferences > General
Tab and put a check mark in
the box that says “show next
audit #” > Click Save. Every
transaction in the program has
an audit number attached to
it. This number can never be
duplicated. I like to “Show” the
audit number so when I record
a transaction, I can see it. TIP:
I recommend writing the audit
number on the top corner of
your source document once
the transaction is recorded. For
example, on expense receipts,
grain tickets, loan statements,
the corresponding line of the
bank statement if you’ve entered
an automatic loan withdrawal
or bank charge. It’s my way of
keeping track of what is entered.
Later on, I can grab any receipt
or grain ticket, and look it up in
the program by searching the
audit number. †
Kelly Airey is a producer and Ag Consultant
in Western Manitoba. She offers software
setups & training, and discounts on
software purchases. Contact Kelly at kelly.
[email protected] or (204) 365-0136.
WE’RE
FARMERS,
TOO.
Speed
up your
data entry
Entry Screen tips
• Start at the top: Always
start filling in the screen from
“Transaction Type,” then [Tab]
to the next box. This way no
details get missed.
• Date: The program will
allow you to record a transaction dated outside of the current
fiscal year, without changing the
fiscal year in the setup menu.
Simply type in the date. It will
ask if you’re sure you want to
make the entry — a change to
the previous year will change the
retained earnings and balance
sheet for all future years. Check
with your accountant first, if
they have already reviewed last
year’s books.
• Bank Account: Remember,
more than your bank accounts
can be selected here. Your credit
cards and cash on hand account
can also be selected from this
list. If you are working on an
expense charged to your credit card, the transaction will be
a withdrawal from your credit
card account. HINT: If you don’t
see your credit cards listed here,
check how they are set up under
to your contacts list. Click on
the box with the picture of the
people on it and add your supplier/customer information on
the fly. Adding a supplier name
such as your local co-op to the
list allows you to generate a
report that lists the purchases
made from that supplier. Sales
reports can be generated by a
specific customer as well. View
these under Reports >Reports
Console> Contacts> Purchases
or sales. You can also print out
mailing labels from the program under Reports Console >
Contacts > Labels.
• Defaults: When adding or
editing a customer or supplier,
you can also set up transaction defaults. When adding
your local vet as a supplier, for
Farmer. Visionary.
SeedMaster Founder.
You want to seed fast and efficiently. You want to place seed and fertilizer accurately. You want
the best stand establishment possible. You want the most profitable seeding system. We know
what you want. We’re farmers, too.
1.888.721.3001

www.seedmaster.ca
22
Columns
Off-farm income
Oil inventory keeps climbing
Oil prices keeps dropping as inventories climb. Speculators will drive prices
ANDY
SIRSKI
O
il inventories keep
climbing even as the
number of drill rigs
keeps dropping. The
official increase in inventory for
week ending Feb. 17 was 7.7 million
barrels (1.1 million barrels per day)
and total inventory in storage was
estimated to be 424 million barrels.
At some point in time three
things should happen. Some
wells will get shut down. Some
wells will deplete in production and there will be fewer rigs
drilling.
Then oil supplies will start to
drop and keep dropping and speculators will start to bid up the
price of oil. Short sellers will cover
their contracts and the price of oil
could go up $15 or $20 per barrel
in a hurry. Then the speculators
will reverse their positions and we
might see a double bottom.
In the meantime, everything I
hear is that the amount of empty
storage available is shrinking week
by week.
It costs $0.65 per month to store
oil but speculators are selling it
for $10 a barrel more than it costs
today so that still works. We don’t
know how low speculators will
drive the price when there is no
new storage room.
While some attack the business of fracking oil wells, that
process is still going on all over
the world. There’s a process now
called re-fracking where drillers
go back to an old depleted well
and fix the innards so the well
yields a new supply of oil. The
estimated cost is 25 per cent
of the cost of a new well. Stats
show that very few oil fields lose
money at $40 oil. If re-fracking
drops that cost to 25 per cent
that’s $10 a barrel.
Why I sell covered calls
In 2003 I learned how covered
calls work. During the bear market
of 2008-09 I tested selling calls to
see if I could beat the bear. Stocks
dropped 59 per cent. My biggest
portfolio dropped one per cent.
Since then I have fine-tuned my
strategy so it is quite relaxed, makes
me $800 to $1,200 a week and is
very flexible. I could scale it up if
I wanted to work and think more.
In bull markets selling covered
calls can limit gains. I always go
back to the statistics: stocks go up
14 per cent of the time on average,
down seven per cent (but usually
twice as fast as they go up) and
sideways 67 per cent of the time.
Selling covered calls is part of
a larger strategy. I read a lot in
2008 about how some bought a
put when the 50 day moving average crossed the 200 day moving
average going down. Buying puts
would have worked for oil stocks
last summer. I sold out when my
stocks dropped through the 10-day
moving average but the next step
would have been to buy puts. Some
people made a lot of money as oil
stocks dropped in half. The same
thing for gold stocks as the price
of gold dropped from $1,700 to
$1,140 per ounce.
When you know about covered
calls, you can buy options and tie
up a lot less money than if you
buy the shares instead.
Skeptics will say buying calls is
risky because they do go to zero
under some conditions. But options
trade like stocks, so anyone who
buys call options can sell them at a
small loss. Buying call options is a
new skill and I certainly do not use
a “buy and hold” strategy.
Over time I have expanded my
skill of working with stocks. I can
make money with capital gains (as
many want to), I can collect the
dividends as any shareholder does,
and I can bring in extra cash by
selling calls and collecting weekly
or monthly rent.
This takes some work but I’ve
been making about a grand a
week as I fine-tuned my strategy.
I’m a student of technical analysis, I follow seasonality and I sell
mostly weekly calls but I do sell
calls every two weeks or even
monthly calls. And I sell shares
if they look like they will lose
money for me.
Do I miss out on some capital
gain from time to time? Sure, but
if I judge stocks correctly from
the seasonal and technical point
of view I sell calls above the price
of the day, capture some capital gain and collect a premium
from the calls. If I feel the stock
is going to drift down I either
don’t own it or sell a call below
the price of the day to collect a
smaller net premium but give us
some downside protection. †
Andy is mostly retired. He runs a small tax
business, manages his family’s investments
and publishes and electronic newsletter called
StocksTalk. You can read it free for a month by
sending and email to [email protected].
Understanding market bulls and bears
How to feed 50
billion people
In this second part of a two-part
installment, Brian Wittal looks
at how we can feed a growing
world population
Foreign interests in land
Brian
wittal
T
his is a continuation of
last week’s column about
how we can feed a world
with nine billion people
in fifty years.
As I noted last week, 30 per cent
of the world’s food production is
wasted. Resolving this would go
a long way toward feeding the
expected increase in population
over the next 50 years, but is that
a realistic target?
I can see developing nations
making greater headway in reducing waste loss in their systems a
lot sooner than I can see the developed nations reducing our food
waste issues.
We in the developed world are
not aware and or don’t care about
food waste. The cost of food and
access to it is not a real concern to
most of us.
Those in developing countries
are keenly more aware of the fact
that food is scarce and precious to
life and will no doubt make efforts
to reduce loss due to waste. The
food they save could mean life or
death to them.
The reality of the situation is
that we may be able to reduce the
total waste down to 20 or maybe
even 15 per cent worldwide but
I don’t think it will ever get any
better than that.
The majority of the population
growth over the next 50 years is
going to happen in the African,
Indian and Eurasian regions of
the world. These regions have
available arable lands for increasing grain production, but over
the past several years foreign
interests have been leasing or
purchasing farmlands — displacing local farmers.
On February 19, a Reuters article
began with this: “Mozambique,
a country wracked by hunger,
has signed away land concessions
three times larger than Greater
London to outside investors in the
past decade, displacing thousands
of farmers in the process, said a
report released on Thursday.”
The article goes on to say
that, since 2006, Mozambique
has signed long term leases on
more than 535 acres, in deals
that are often joint ventures
involving politically-connected
Mozambican officials. These
leased acres will mainly be used
to grow soybeans and corn
for export to Asia and Europe.
Meanwhile, the article says, the
United Nation’s World Food
Program reports that more than
42 per cent of Mozambican children are malnourished.
If the population of Africa is
going to increase exponentially
over the next 50 years why would
they give away or lease out farm
YOU WON’T FIND
BETTER VALUE OR A
GRASSY WEED.
23
Columns
Can’t take the farm from the boy
Moving the grain by rail
Before he moved home to farm, Toban Dyck didn’t worry about transportation
Toban
Dyck
I
’m pretty sure not even a
rolled-up t-shirt would have
fit in my in-law’s minivan
after stuffing it and our Jetta
to their thresholds with everything we had in Toronto and
wanted moved to our farm. It was
late in the packing process when
I realized we had no room for our
bikes. The Grand Caravan’s roof
already had two tables and some
Rubbermaids on it. Adding a couple of bikes would have no doubt
generated anxiety in anyone following on the highway.
We were leaving for our new life
on the farm in a matter of minutes, and had to do something.
Mine was a one-year-old, singlespeed Giant, and my wife’s was a
12-speed Trek. Both served us well.
We gave them away. No big deal.
They are just bikes, and we don’t
have them now.
In the city, transportation would
come up, but rarely. Someone
would mention fares, subway congestion, or how the city needs to
improve its bus routes or infrastructure, and the conversation
would veer toward planning issues
or a pat rebuke of suburbanites
and their reliance on vehicles.
I don’t feel this way anymore.
Transportation is important and
worth talking about, despite
the fact my wife and I have one
less form of it. On the farm, we
wouldn’t be able to survive without it, personally and professionally. Our workshop is full of things
that drive. And our machine shed,
the same.
When a truck breaks down, we
fix it immediately. We have no
choice. Our cars are kept in good,
working condition because we
need them to be available to us at
any given time.
Rail transport
Farmers have been receiving a
lot of flak for whining about how
the rail service failed or is failing them over the current crop
year. Railroad representatives will
say the whining is unwarranted
or that it is warranted and that
they’re on our side, doing their
best to ensure all rail car orders are
met and that both the oil and ag
industries are happy.
“CN rejects any assertion that
it favours crude oil over other
commodities or products it
transports,” Canadian National
Railway spokesperson Mark
Hallman told The Western Producer
in an email. “CN works closely
with its customers to make sure
all end-market segments receive
appropriate service.” Change is hard to fight for.
People will tell you what you’re
doing is silly, and that there’s
nothing of substance behind it.
The less-charged farmers will say
the rail service has been slow for
reasons that they couldn’t possibly
know, and they’re sure the people running the show are doing
their best to get things running
smoothly again. It’s very adult.
But it’s also lazy.
Farmers should be passionate about rail service. Passion
changes things. Believing things
could be better is how things
become that way.
The Ag Transport Coalition is
a group of association bent on
making the agriculture supply
chain more transparent. The coalition, comprised of groups such
as Alberta Wheat Commission,
Canadian Canola Growers, The
Western Grain Elevator Association
and others, has been publishing
weekly reports on rail service. This
is interesting, important material.
“Through the first 26 weeks of
the current crop year, railways
have failed to supply 19,546 hopper cars ordered by shippers,” read
the Coalition’s report for Week 26
of this crop year. “This represents a
shortfall equivalent to 10 per cent
of shipper demand.”
Both CN and CP are saying
the weekly reports issued by the
partially-government-funded
Coalition are not accurate, and
that any discussion on transparency and enhanced ag supply
chain competitiveness should
include them.
I can’t or won’t (you pick) comment on whether CP’s and CN’s
allegations against the reports are
correct, or if the reports themselves are accurate. But I will say
that it’s refreshing to see a concerned group band together for
change in a sector that has often
left producers feeling quite impotent and discouraged.
We miss our bikes. Transportation,
in all its forms, is important. I
should have found a way to keep
them. †
tle with opponents of GMOs that
have many running scared because
of the fear factor they try to use on
the uninformed consumer, primarily in first world countries where it
is easy to find the monies to wage
these battles regardless the validity
of the facts they present.
The only real way that I can see
that we will be able to feed 9 Billion
people in 50 years is with a massive
humanitarian food aid program,
because so many of the worlds
population cannot afford to buy or
access the food they will need to
feed themselves and stay alive.
How to feed
50 billion people
lands and displace their farming
population?
It looks like greed and corruption at the highest levels of government to me.
If these lands produce grains for
export, investors can make a dollar selling grains elsewhere — the
majority of Mozambique’s population can’t afford to pay market
value for grain to feed themselves.
“Too bad, so sad,” I guess.
This is the dark side of the
capitalist free market. Where is
humanity, compassion and common sense? You can be sure little
to no grain or monies from these
lands will stay in Mozambique to
help the populous.
Effect on your prices
What else do we need to do to
feed nine billion people in the
next 50 years?
Continued advancements in
grain genetics would be one more
way to move us towards that goal.
Progress in yield gains, nutritional
benefits or disease control would
certainly help the cause.
One problem is the ongoing batBy jonny hawkins
Country Chuckles
Achieve greater than 95% wild oat control† with new IntakeTM adjuvant.
• Increased wild oat control + other tough grasses
• Same crop safety you’ve come to expect
• Flexible, dependable, wide window of application
• The best value herbicide you’ll find
Go to the new dowagro.ca or call 1.800.667.3852.
†
Source: DAS Intake research trials
Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company(“Dow”)
or an affiliated company of Dow.
0315-41094 GN
® TM
“How long has it been since you went
wee wee all the way home?”
Toban Dyck is a freelance writer and a new
farmer on an old farm. Follow him on Twitter
@tobandyck or email [email protected].
The dark side
of the capitalist
free market
I fear that 50 years will not be
enough time to ensure that we
can feed the growing population
of this world.
What could this mean with
respect to grain markets and pricing? Sorry, but I have more questions than answers.
The majority of the population
increase over the next half century will be in the third world.
The majority of these people will
not be able to afford to buy food.
Can we expect this new demand
due to growth to impact grain
prices if they can never afford to
buy the grain?
There are too many other variables such as weather, war and
economic factors that will have
more impact on prices than a
growing population.
Prices cycle. They will not stay
high nor will they stay low. The
best thing to do is prepare yourself
and become a skilled marketer so
that you can take advantage of the
good times and survive the bad to
live and farm another day. †
Brian Wittal has 30 years of grain industry
experience, and currently offers market
planning and marketing advice to farmers
through his company Pro Com Marketing Ltd.
(www.procommarketingltd.com).
24
Features
Farm safety
Chemical safety on the farm
You use them so often they may not even seem to be all that dangerous
anymore. But make sure you know just what you’re dealing with
By Shanyn Silinski
E
very year farmers and
farm workers come in
contact with a wide
variety of chemicals.
Often they’re used every season and farmers can become
familiar with them, even a bit
complacent about the dangers
they pose.
Each chemical will have an
information sheet and information tag. All chemicals and
medications have Material
Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and
Medical Material Data Sheets
(MMSDS). They’re available for
free download or from your
chemical dealer or veterinarian. These sheets are important
asw they tell you about the
dangers of the chemicals and
medications you use every day
on the farm.
Handling chemicals requires
orientation and proper equipment, more importantly it
requires a commitment to
using them safely, as well as
safely storing and cleaning
up after use. Improper handling, storage and disposal can
impact more than your personal health, it can damage
equipment, contaminate water
sources and soil.
Become familiar with the
placards and warnings each
chemical carries — understand
what they mean and prepare
Grandad, didn’t they have safety
when you were young?
your equipment for handling
and train your staff to be safe.
As a farm owner or manager
you are responsible for training and orienting people to
the safe use and handling, storage and disposal of chemicals
and veterinary medicines. This
responsibility includes the use
of PPE (Personal Protective
Equipment). This can include
face
masks,
impermeable
gloves, overalls or other recommended gear. The proper
use of PPE can protect from
exposure but only in conjunction with proper training and
orientation.
Often chemical companies
and veterinary professionals
will provide training workshops and safety training. It
is in their interests that you
handle their materials safely.
But on your own farm and in
your own barn you can take
steps to provide for the health
and safety of your people, farm
and prevent costly waste or
spoilage.
Chemical safety tips
Some tips to keep in mind:
• Always store chemicals
and veterinary medicines in
the manner which the manufacturer has indicated. Don’t
use non approved containers,
store in areas where there is a
danger of puncture, freezing,
Hands up in favour of fixing
the new conveyor belt.
leaking or contact with animals
or children.
• Never mix or use chemicals
in ways that are not recommended by the manufacturer.
• Don’t mix chemicals or use
chemicals that are past their
expiry date. Return them to a
safe disposal site.
Take a photo
of the label
• Follow directions for the
time span between application
and field re-entry. Same applies
for livestock medications —
note and follow withdrawal
times accurately.
• Do not allow children to
handle or mix chemicals — no
matter how helpful they are
as farm hands, their health is
important.
• Do not allow people to use
chemicals or applicators before
they are properly trained in
their use.
• Ensure all applicators and
mixers are in good working
order by testing and inspecting before actual use. Check all
hoses, gauges, wires, containers
and make sure everything in
good working order before use.
• Plan ahead to ensure you
Tell your team to stay away from the Henderson’s
garden party. It’s mostly artifical flowers.
have done your safety checks
before you need to start your
season — plan ahead for safety
If anyone comes into contact with a chemical or veterinary medicine, take a photo of
the label with your cell phone,
read the emergency treatment
notes, call 9-1-1 or transport
to the hospital. Call poison
control and have the MSDS/
MMSDS sheet available for the
emergency medical workers.
Isolate the area of contact and
document. Make notes on how
the contact happened. If there
is a spill, contain or clean up
safely.
It is important to have your
staff familiar with the chemicals they are working with, and
understand the steps they need
to take to be safe. They also
should be aware of the hazards
posed by those chemicals and
the potential long term impacts
on their health. Be sure you
have first aid training, and do
chemical safety training each
season.
The investment in safety
pays off every time you don’t
have lost time due to spills,
injuries or improper handling
of chemicals or materials. †
Watch for
health dangers
C
hemicals and veterinary medicines
can be absorbed
into the human
body through a number of
avenues — including accidental injection or ingestion,
absorption through the skin,
or breathed in by mouth or
nose. Some chemicals and
veterinary medicines are
more dangerous to women,
children or those with weakened immune systems.
Treat every contact seriously and be familiar with
the chemicals and veterinary
medicines you use, their safe
handling and track their use,
storage and disposal in a
record book. †
Shanyn Silinski
Shanyn Silinski is a writer, published author,
speaker, rancher, farm wife, mom and
agvocate. She loves working in agriculture,
currently in primary production, and sharing
about agriculture on social media. Find her
on Twitter @MysticShanyn or on Facebook
at Photos by Shanyn.
Be careful hanging that up.
We don’t want any accidents.
Do I really snore that loud?
FEED THE WORLD
Westeel Grain Storage
When storing and managing grain, fertilizer and petroleum products, look to a name you trust. Westeel supplies
a full line of farm management products and accessories, all manufactured to the same industry leading standards
our bins are famous for. See everything we can bring to your farm. Talk to your Westeel dealer today.
25
Features
Farm safety
Spinning out with
farm equipment
W
inter is a time
when trucks are
often stuck on
ice or packed
snow. This is much different
than being stuck in the mud
and requires a bit of a change
of perspective when it comes
to getting them unstuck. Fast
is slow — move slow, don’t
lose more traction than you
already have and prevent
uncontrolled spins and overcorrections.
The first thing to consider is
how fast a large piece of equipment can shift and move on
ice. Never get close to a piece
of equipment that is spinning
on ice or packed snow. If the
truck or piece of equipment
gains traction with just one
wheel it can move quickly in
an unexpected direction, and
if the driver over corrects it
can move in surprising directions and at surprising speed.
If your driver gets stuck
the first thing to do is keep
them from spinning. This
only adds to the ice and the
slickness. See if they can gear
down and move slowly. If you
have a tractor with good traction then give them a steady
push or pull with a tow rope
and clevis.
If sand or other traction
aids are being put near the
tires have the operator stop
while the work is being done.
Prevent this by keeping your
yard sanded as much as possible and have your drivers aware of the conditions
ahead of time. Anything that
tows a trailer, or two like a
Super B, can slide in multiple
directions
Being stuck in deep snow
such as a drifted in driveway
can offer its own challenges.
This is one situation that is
best avoided. Unless you are
driving the equipment being
used to move the snow out
of the way, have your people
stay away.
If a piece of equipment gets
stuck in deep snow, first try
to back up in your tracks. The
closer to the entry point you
can get the less work it will be
to get you out, and the safer
it will be.
If you are good and truly
stuck, stop spinning. Exit
the piece of equipment and
see if you are pushing too
much snow or are high centred. If you are pushing snow
try shovelling or having the
snow behind or ahead of you
removed. If you are high centred clear an area in front or
behind you, and carefully dig
out around the tires, front
and back. At no point should
you crawl under or kneel
under the bumper to dig out
the centre areas. As you dig
out the centre the equipment
can suddenly shift and pin
the operator. Clear a path
and wait for a pull, following
the safe pulling guidelines
from pulling and towing
from mud.
Another danger to consider is the temperature. If
you are digging and hooking
things up be sure not to get
overly cold, remember the
guidelines for working in cold
temperatures. Rest, rehydrate,
warm up and work at a steady
pace to avoid sweating. Be
sure that you have called or
radioed to let someone know
of your location if you are
stuck on your own. In winter
conditions never attempt to
walk for help — stay warm,
where you are expected to be.
In winter it is a good rule
of thumb to not work alone,
and if you are going to move
equipment alone be sure to
have a check in time and if
it is missed that someone
knows to come look for you.
Don’t change your destination plans without letting
someone know. It is better
to wait for help than risk
your safety by working alone
unsafely. †
Stuck!! How to
pull them safely
We’re sure nobody has ever been stuck on your farm.
But, just in case, here’s how to handle it
By Shanyn Silinski
Y
ou’ve all read the stories about how a seemingly simple tow job of
a stuck piece of equipment turned into a tragic accident. You’ve heard it first hand
from friends or families. You may
have even been stuck yourself
and had a close call.
But have you examined what
happened and considered finding
safer ways? While the argument,
“We’ve always done it this way,”
may seem positive without actually examining how you get unstuck you could be just gambling
with your life, or someone else’s.
There are three things to consider about being stuck. The first
is the assumption that being
stuck is unavoidable — we farm,
therefore we will get stuck. Stuck
a little or a lot but stuck for sure.
The second is that there is no way
to prevent getting stuck. It is just a
part of the way of the field and road
when using farming equipment.
The third is the assumption that
there isn’t any way to make it
safer. That there are only two ways
to get unstuck — push or pull.
All three assumptions require
examination because while, on
the surface, they are correct, they
are also wrong in some potentially deadly way
Another look
at getting stuck
We can avoid some situations
where we get stuck. Staying away
from known wet spots, soft spots
or alkali spots is the easiest. Train
your staff to stay away from them
as well. A general rule of thumb
we have for new workers is “if
you see ducks don’t drive there.”
We can often get tunnel vision in
the field — gotta pick up that last
swath, bale those last bales, regardless of the ground conditions.
Knowing the warning signs of
soft ground can often help you
avoid getting badly stuck. Get to
know the feel of your front end,
how your tires move on hard
ground and soft ground. By being
aware of your surroundings you
can notice changes in conditions
early on and avoid costly situations like being stuck.
There are safer ways to get
unstuck. And they are not costly
or complicated. First check your
equipment. Are your hitches, clevisis and pins in good condition,
are they the right size for the
implement? Have you changed
from pins to clevisis for pulling? Do you have a tow rope? Is
it heavy enough for the equipment you may need to pull? Is
it in good condition: not frayed,
or stretched out? Put the chains
away — a tow rope is a much safer
alternative to chains for pulling
and towing.
A tow rope is much safer, however it is NOT safe. Anything that
is put under strain as we see in
pulling or towing, is holding a
lot of stored (kinetic) energy that
can be released unexpectedly. The
steps you should consider taking, once you know your equipment is in good order and your
two rope is also the right size
and in good condition, is to protect your workers and equipment.
The most dangerous places to be
when pulling someone out who
is good and truly stuck is in the
cab and on the ground within the
radius of the tow rope. These are
the two places where the stored
energy meets people and equipment should the rope, clevis or
pin fail.
In order to slow down the
release of energy should the pin,
clevis or tow rope fail it needs to
be muffled. The cheapest way a
few producers have found to do
this is with a child-sized sleeping bag or blanket. By draping
these over the hitch you can
absorb and muffle released energy
should there be a fail during a tow
or pull. Instead of the tow rope
flying through the back window
of the tractor or into a truck cab,
it is slowed down, the energy dispersed and the danger reduced.
(Reduced. Not removed.)
The safest way to get unstuck
is to avoid getting stuck at all.
It is also the cheapest. Consider
your fields and yard each spring.
Where do people tend to get
stuck? Mark these areas and find
alternate routes, rebuild roads or
build up with gravel, ensure your
operators know the warning signs
of dangerous ground and avoid
getting stuck. Keep your yard
clean. †
on Twitter @MysticShanyn or on Facebook at
Photos by Shanyn.
PRESENTED BY
Shanyn Silinski
FUEL YOUR
ENGINES
Westeel Petroleum Storage
CONTROL YOUR
OPERATION
Westeel Fertilizer & Seed Storage
888-WESTEEL (937-8335)
[email protected]
westeel.com
26
Features
Farm safety
Look up and stay safe
Overhead power lines are some of the most common
causes of farm accidents. Be prepared on your farm
By Shanyn Silinksi
D
o you have overhead
power lines and guy
wires around your
farm? Do you know
how high they really are from the
ground? Are you confident that
your equipment is low enough
to avoid contact when transporting? How about in the fields or
along the roads you travel?
Some of the most common
accidents in farm country
involve contact between high
voltage lines and farm equipment. You might be surprised
to know that it isn’t just augers
either. According to Fortis there
were contacts with high voltage
lines 35 times in 2013 and the
list of equipment include: air
seeders, sprayers, grain trucks
and silage trucks.
Summer, spring, winter and
fall — each busy season provides
opportunity to identify unique
hazards and be proactive for the
safety of your family, friends and
workers.
Knowing how high your equipment is as important as knowing
how wide it is. Conditions may
change your clearance and you
need to consider them. Things
like snow pack or frozen mud
can make your clearance much
smaller. In winter lines can sag,
making them lower than they
normally are. Taking a few minutes to look around and assess
the hazards can be a lifesaver.
Getting under lines can
become a matter of life and
death if you haven’t measured
properly. A good rule of thumb
is to be between 4.1 and seven
metres from the line. If you are
moving equipment and have
to go under lines, let your local
utility company know so they
can be there to lift the lines if
needed.
If you come in contact
If you happen to come into contact with high voltage lines here
are some things to remember:
• If possible, move your vehicle or equipment at least 10
metres away from the line
• If you are unable to move
your vehicle or equipment stay
inside, and call 9-1-1. If anyone approaches open the window and shout for them to stay
away. Have them call 9-1-1 from
a safe distance.
It isn’t
just
augers
• wIf you are in danger from
fire or need to exit the vehicle
do the following: jump down
and land with your feet together,
never touch the vehicle/equipment and the ground at the same
time, hop or shuffle away from
the contact, do this for at least
10 metres.
• Remember: never exit into
water or snow, stay away from
downed lines, remain calm.
Other hazards
A hidden hazard you may not
have considered is your stack
yard. Are your bales stacked close
enough to lines that moving
them with a loader, or having
someone up top tarping could
contact with a line? Not all line
contacts involve moving equipment. Pruning trees, stacking
bales and construction projects
can all bring you dangerously
close to overhead lines.
Most power utility companies will come and flag lines
which may be low enough for
contact in your yard or at field
entrances as reminders of the
overhead lines. It is relatively
inexpensive to have ground
mounted signs made as reminders. Utility company linesmen
will also come, often for free, to
measure the height of your lines
so you know exactly how high
they are.
Utility companies will come
and do training and orientation
for farmers — organize one for
your community or your staff.
They provide excellent training
materials and will share just how
deadly contact can be. Provide
materials for anyone who operates your equipment, and be
sure to make everyone aware
of the location of all overhead
lines in your yard, and by your
fields. †
The support I have received
from the Legend Seeds staff
has been remarkable. My
agronomist is dedicated to
ensuring that I grow the
best soybean crop possible.
His soybean knowledge has
made me a better farmer.
Derek Trinke
Willow Bluff Farm Ltd.
Beans are Growing
www.beansaregrowing.ca
27
Features
Farm safety
Visitors on the farm
Biosecurity is something we usually connect to livestock.
These days grain farmers should be knowledgeable too
By Shanyn Silinski
A
nyone involved in
animal agriculture
is familiar with biosecurity, especially in
businesses involving confined
livestock like birds (eggs and
broilers) and swine. Beef and
dairy have in the past few decades moved towards having
stronger biosecurity measures
in the face of FMD’s (foreign
animal diseases) and increasing
traceability for livestock movements.
Farm visitors can be expected
to adhere to extreme measures
such as “shower in, shower
out” seen in swine operations
to suiting up for entry into
bird and research facilities.
Often visitors to beef and dairy
operations are advised not to
enter if they have been a visitor to an FMD area recently.
Diseases can move from
animal to human, and from
human to animal as seen
with varieties of pig flu and
can travel on tires, shoes and
equipment.
With the exception of
research facilities and seed
farms grain, oilseed and forage operations have not seen
the same levels of biosecurity
— until this past fall when
a canola disease appeared in
Manitoba for the first time in
North America. The Canadian
Food Inspection Agency was
notified and the farm equipment for that farm, as well as
all seeds and other equipment,
have been quarantined.
In any kind of outbreak a
“zero” location is identified and
isolated, a “hot zone” is established with limited access and
monitoring zones are set up
beyond that. This is the common containment procedure
used with livestock outbreaks,
and is also being used for soil
and cropping outbreaks.
Welcoming guests
How can we, farmers, protect our farms and still be welcoming to visitors who wish
to learn about agriculture?
By educating them on what
we need from them as good
guests, and encouraging that
‘good guest’ attitude between
farms as well.
A good guest will not bring
biological materials from one
farm to another. This means
clean shoes and clothing, clean
vehicles (tires, under carriage,
interior), if you are carrying
samples keep them secure in
your vehicle. Make sure no dirt,
manure, seed or other materials transfer from farm to farm.
If you are using equipment,
hauling across someone’s land
ensure your equipment is clean
first. Respect your neighbours
and their land, as you would
expect them to respect yours.
As we enter into a new era
of biosecurity with diseases
travelling long distances we
need to consider not only how
vulnerable our farms can be
but how we can protect them
without losing what makes
agriculture so great — our love
of farming and livestock, our
desire and ability to help one
another and our commitment
to growing and raising safe
food. And of course, our duty
to educate and advocate for our
industry. Biosecurity doesn’t
close doors, it just ensures that
going through them doesn’t
leave anyone vulnerable. †
This new labelling system will
cut down on future mistakes.
Mom! Why didn’t you tell me the sandbox leaks?
John, you and your gophers are assigned to
plow the lower forty acres, just remember it’s
very rocky out there, so be extra careful.
We’ve Got You Covered.
Complete Storage and Handling Solutions Under One Roof. When it comes to your farm, you need
reliability, safety and efficiency. Meridian offers a variety of industry-leading storage and handling products,
manufactured with commitment to the highest quality that is unmatched. For all your storage and handling
needs, Meridian is the best choice.
For more information, visit www.meridianmfg.com
®
Watch our Videos Online
www.meridianmfg.com/videos
© 2015 Meridian Manufacturing Inc. Registered Trademarks Used Under License.
www.meridianmfg.com
28
Machinery & Shop
Pickup truck special feature
A lighter, aluminum F-150
Ford calls the 700-pound lighter edition of its bestselling pickup a “reinvention”
By Scott Garvey
A
fter 37 consecutive years as North
America’s best-selling
pickup, Ford hopes to
keep that winning streak alive
with the “reinvented” 2015,
F-150. This year Ford became the
first North American automaker
to make extensive use of aluminum in a pickup truck body. But
the list of design changes runs
even deeper.
In creating the backbone of the
new F-150, Ford engineers gave
the truck’s fully-boxed ladder
frame more high-strength steel
to make it stronger and lighter.
Sitting on that frame is that body,
made for the first time of highstrength, military-grade, aluminum alloys — the kind used in
aerospace engineering — improving dent and ding resistance and
saving weight. Overall, the use
of aluminum instead of steel in
the body has helped lighten the
truck by 700 pounds compared to
2014 models. So the 2015 version
can tow and haul more, accelerate
quicker, stop shorter, and drink
less fuel in the process.
The idea of keeping full-sized
pickup capability while improving fuel economy has become
the holy grail of truck engineer-
ing, and all the major brands are
now chasing it.
“More than ever before, customers want a truck that is a dependable partner, mobile office and a
go-anywhere workshop,” said Raj
Nair, Ford group vice president,
global product development. “To
meet the needs of our truck customers, we created smart new features and a whole new approach
to using advanced materials and
engines to improve capability and
efficiency.”
If the idea of all that aluminum
makes you think this new lightweight “effie” is delicate compared
to one with all-steel construction,
Ford wants you to think again.
To prove its mettle, the company claims pre-production models
logged more than 10 million test
miles before production began
late in 2014. That testing included
some tough work like cross-country
towing and loaded hill climbing.
The company even claims to have
entered a “disguised” 2015 F-150 in
the famous Baja 1000 desert race.
There is a pretty wide range of
power plant options to bolt under
the aluminum hood this year.
At the small end of the displacement range offered by the four
engine choices is the positively
diminutive, new, 2.7-litre (164
cubic inch) EcoBoost with stand-
ard Auto Start-Stop. (That’s a system that shuts off the engine at a
red light and automatically starts
it again when you release the
brake and step on the accelerator.)
If you ascribe to the notion
that there’s no replacement for
engine displacement, sit down
before you read this: Ford claims
the compact 2.7-litre EcoBoost
can deliver the same power as
many mid-range V8s. According
to the spec sheet, this little V6
actually puts out 325 horsepower
and 375 pound-feet of torque —
hard to believe.
Next up in the engine hierarchy is a standard 3.5-litre (213
cubic inch) V6 with twin independent variable camshaft timing.
Then there is the existing 3.5-litre
EcoBoost. And finally the 5.0-litre
(302 cubic inch) Ti-VCT V8, which
is rated at 385 horsepower with
387 pound-feet of torque.
In the cab
You still get your choice of a regular cab, SuperCab or SuperCrew.
Inside them is a totally new interior layout with an eight-inch
LCD screen in the centre of the
dash, which along with other
functions shows images from the
360-degree view camera option.
There are now hidden storage
compartments under the rear seat
to secure valuables.
There is no shortage of hightech electronic wizardry either.
Available adaptive cruise control
allows drivers to set a cruising
speed and use radar technology to
monitor traffic ahead and maintain a set distance between vehicles. The lane-keeping system is
designed to help avert unintentional drifting outside the lane by
automatically detecting the leftor right-hand road lane markings
using a camera mounted between
the windshield and interior
rearview mirror. The Blind Spot
Information System with crosstraffic alert uses radar hidden in
the tail lamps to detect a vehicle
entering a driver’s blind spot while
driving or slowly backing up.
The new F-150 gets LED lights
for 2015, including a couple inside
the box rails. You can also opt for
loading ramps built into the box
to help you haul ATVs.
Ford will continue the tradition
of offering the F-150 with a variety of trim levels. The five available primary trims are XL, XLT,
Lariat, Platinum and King Ranch.
Chrome appearance packages are
available with XL, XLT, Lariat and
King Ranch. Monochromatic sport
appearance packages are available
with XL, XLT and Lariat.
1
And to navigate off road —
or on typical Saskatchewan rural
roads — the FX4 off-road package can be added to most fourwheel-drive models, improving
trail capability with an electronic
locking rear axle, skid plates and
off-road-tuned shocks.
So, what is the new F-150 really
capable of? At the lightweight end
of the scale, Ford says a 4x2 with
the 2.7-litre engine can manage
a payload of 2,250 pounds (1022
kilograms) and a tow rating of
8,500 pounds (3,863 kilograms).
That jumps to a 3,300 pound
(1,500 kilograms) payload an
11,100 pound (5,045 kilograms)
towing capacity with the 5.0 litre.
Oddly, the 3.5-litre EcoBoost gets
the highest tow rating at 12,200
pounds (5,545 kilograms).
Although there is no official
m.p.g. or L/100 km rating yet on
these trucks, Ford’s own figures
show the 2.7 litre in a two-wheel
drive model gets an average cityhighway rating of 22 m.p.g. That’s
six m.p.g. better than a similar 2008
F-150. The 5.0 litre will deliver an
average of 18 m.p.g., two m.p.g. better than 2008. Remember, those are
for the smaller U.S. gallons. We’ll let
you convert those numbers to litres
per 100 kilometres! †
Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews.
Contact him at [email protected].
2
photo: ford canada
3
photo: lisa guenther
photo: lisa guenther
5
4
photo: ford canada
photo: ford canada
1. On display in Regina during
its Western Canadian debut
in November, the new Ford
F-150 gets an aluminum body
for 2015, making it the first
full-sized pickup on the market
to extensively use that lightweight material. 2. A new
8-inch LCD screen displays a
variety of information including
views from a 360-degree
camera. 3. A fold-out rear step
option that retracts into the top
of the tailgate makes getting
in and out of the box much
easier. 4. With a new design
for the F-150 comes the need
— as Ford management saw it
— for a new nameplate. 5. The
F-150 frame makes use of more
high-strength steel for a lighter,
stronger design.
29
Machinery & Shop
Configure your own Tundra
Toyota says it can offer buyers a full-sized truck matched to any need.
With 10 models available, it’s hard to argue with that
By Scott Garvey
T
oyota is providing
choices, it emphasized in its October
press release, which
announced the introduction of
its 2015 full-sized Tundra pickup. There are, in fact, 10 different models of Toyota Tundra
with enough trim options to
create 25 different configurations. “Choice” might be an
understatement.
First, there is the 4x2 regular
cab SR long bed powered by a 5.7litre V-8, which has a base MSRP
of $27,225. This model delivers
a 10,500 pound (4,760 kilogram)
towing capacity plus an 8.1-foot
bed. You can upgrade things with
the SR5 options package, which
adds a larger, seven-inch display
for the audio system, XM Satellite
Radio, advanced voice recognition, upgraded interior trim, and
other goodies.
The other two-wheel drive
model is the double cab SR5 with
a 4.6-litre engine and a starting
MSRP of $32,875. You get passenger room for six, but the trade
off is a lower tow rating of 6,800
pounds (3,080 kilograms).
The eight other Tundra models
are four-wheel drive versions that
make use of the same two engines,
although load and trailer towing
ratings vary a bit between models.
At the high end of the price range
is the 4x4 CrewMax Platinum
with the 5.7-litre engine. Starting
MSRP is a hefty $54,805.
The CrewMax Platinum offers
up a 9,490 pound (4,305 kilogram)
towing capacity behind a 5.5-foot
bed and room for five in the cab.
The entire standard features list
is long and includes a premium
12-speaker JBL audio system with
7-inch display screen, advanced
voice recognition, AVN premium
navigation, dual zone automatic
climate control, power windows,
including a power vertical sliding
rear window, privacy glass, blind
spot monitor system, rear cross
traffic alert, a power moon roof,
spray-in bed liner, and on and on
it goes.
If price is no object, order the
CrewMax Platinum as a 1794
Edition. The 1794 is an “ultra-luxurious” model. The name, 1794, is
the year the Texas ranch that once
occupied the site of the current
assembly plant was established.
The two available Tundra
engines, the 5.7- and 4.6-litre
i-FORCE V8s, crank out some
decent performance numbers. The
5.7 kicks out 381 peak horsepower and up to 401 pound feet of
torque. The 4.6 delivers 310 horsepower and 327 pound feet. Both
engines mate up to a six-speed
Super ECT transmission with
Sequential Shift Mode, which is
designed to provide smooth shifts.
The 4x2 models get standard
traction control and an auto limited-slip rear differential. The 4x4
drivetrain includes active traction
control, an auto limited-slip rear
differential, and one-touch fourwheel drive to seamlessly switch
into and out of 4WD mode. †
photos: toyota canada
Left: The Toyota Tundra is available in 10 different
models, enough, claims Toyota, to meet anyone’s
needs. Right: Interior trim levels range from
relatively basic to the luxurious 1794 Edition with
woodgrain and leather.
PERFORMANCE BY DESIGN.
You can always count on the Brandt Contour Commander for just-right seedbed preparation. Designed for
durability and ease-of-use, this heavy harrow is the ideal solution for no-till, min–till and conventional tillage farms.
Whether breaking up and evenly distributing crop residue, warming up the soil in spring, or leveling and sealing, the
Contour Commander has superior land following capabilities to ensure an ideal seed bed resulting in smooth, trouble
free seeding. Take command of all field terrains with this versatile machine. That’s Powerful Value. Delivered.
03
QUICK FOLDING
The strong and efficient latch
system moves effortlessly between
field and transport position.
02
SMOOTH
CORNERING
01
ALL TERRAIN
CONTOURING
The solid pull system
eliminates snap back and pulls
evenly for a smoother ride.
The U-Joint design allows the
sections to contour over hilltops
and into steep hollows.
04
EFFORTLESS TINE
ADJUSTMENT
05
UNIFORM FIELD
CONDITIONING
Using a parallel link, consistent
and even down pressure is
delivered to every tine.
brandt.ca 1-866-427-2638
The optional hydraulic tine
adjustment goes from a gentle 45⁰
to an aggressive 90⁰ on the fly.
30
Machinery & Shop
Ram 1500 gets a factory diesel
Chrysler’s Ram gets out in front of the half-ton competition with a diesel engine option
By Scott Garvey
W
hen Chrysler announced early in
2014 that the
2015 Ram 1500
pickup offering would include a
diesel engine option, dealer orders
poured in. The company was so
inundated with demand for diesel
1500 Rams that it announced it
would increase its planned production of diesel engine models to one
out of every five Rams rolling out
the factory doors.
In 1989 the brand was also
the first to offer a diesel-powered
three-quarter ton to the North
American market when it stuffed
a Cummins under the hood of
one, which also boosted Ram
truck sales numbers.
“Innovation sometimes
comes with risk, but being
first to market with a diesel
engine for the half-ton segment
has shown to be a great decision for the Ram Brand,” said
Bob Hegbloom, president and
CEO, Ram truck brand. “The
Ram 1500 EcoDiesel is a gamechanger in the industry, and has
proved to be a key to conquest
sales over our competitors.”
To keep pace with the rate
photos: chrysler group
Left: Ram becomes the first half-ton rated pickup to offer a diesel engine as
a factory option. Right: The Ram’s interior doesn’t change much for 2015.
of that conquest of the market,
Chrysler says it has sped up production at the Warren, Michigan,
plant where Rams are built, so 100
more Ram 1500s a day now roll
off the line — that’s 28,585 more
trucks a year than it had been
building. It is also expanding the
plant because of the 52-month
sales streak the brand is enjoying.
The turbocharged, V-6 3.0-litre
EcoDiesel engine used in the Ram
1500 is manufactured by Fiat
Group Automobiles’ VM Motori
in Cento Italy. Chrysler has used
VM Motori diesel engines since
1992. Remember, Fiat Group
owns Chrysler.
In the 2015 Ram the EcoDiesel
engine gets mated to the brandnew TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic transmission, providing four
more gears than the previous offering. Together, the new power train
system delivers a U.S. EPA fuel efficiency rating of 28 m.p.g., torque
of 420 pound feet and up to 9,200
pounds (4,181 kilgrams) of towing
capability. Chrysler claims that 28
m.p.g. rating is the best fuel economy performance of any half-ton
pickup currently on the market.
Of course you can still get the
3.6-litre, V-6 Pentastar or 5.7-litre
Hemi gas engines in a new Ram if
you really want to.
To help get those fuel consumption numbers down, Ram
trucks have incorporated a variety of innovations to reduce
parasitic load on the engine
from accessory systems. Pulsewidth modulation (PWM) is one
of them. It not only eliminates
unnecessary load on the alternator but also improves the durability of some electrical systems. The
cooling fan, too, takes advantage
of PWM, adding a 0.2 per cent
improvement in fuel efficiency.
And as opposed to a “fixed”
displacement compressor in the
air conditioning system, the
Ram’s variable displacement type
automatically varies its pumping
capacity to meet air conditioning
demands rather than working in
an on-off cycle. As a result, the load
on the engine is reduced, but the
system still maintains a consistent
cab temperature. The technology
also reduces noise and vibration.
To carry a load and further
improve fuel economy, the 2015
Ram continues to use an air suspension system, which also provides better ride control and offroad capability along with automatic load levelling. †
Scott Garvey is machinery editor for
Grainews. Contact him at Scott.Garvey@
fbcpublishing.com.
the new grainews
app is ready to load!
Keep up to date on all the latest agriculture news that
matters to you with the new Grainews mobile app!
INSTANT ACCESS TO:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Daily regional news
Daily market news
Commodity futures
Crops news
WeatherFarm data
Livestock news
Machinery tips & reviews
Plus much more!
IT’S FREE!
Scan the code to
get the app – or
visit agreader.ca
Available for Android
devices, iPhones and iPad.
Part of the
More great agricultural apps available!
Sponsored by
network
31
Machinery & Shop
Nissan adds in a Cummins engine
photos: nissan
Left: Nissan introduced the Titan XD in Detroit in January. The company
claims the larger size of the XD compared to current models “stays
true to Nissan design language, but on a big scale.” Right: The 5.0-litre
Cummins V-8 produces 310 horsepower and 555 pound-feet of torque.
The full-size
Titan becomes
the second
North American
half-ton-rated
pickup to
include a diesel
engine option
for 2015
GRADING
vERSATILITY
®
By Scott Garvey
A
t the North American
International
Auto
Show in Detroit in
January, Nissan pulled
the wraps off its much anticipated Cummins-powered Titan
XD full-sized pickup truck. The
fact that this truck was going
to debut at the show was hyped
by both Nissan and Cummins
for months ahead of its official
introduction.
With an available 310 horsepower, turbocharged, 5.0-litre
Cummins V-8 that has 555 poundfeet of torque, this Titan is much
different than current models in
several ways. Nissan considers the
all-new XD version to be a “warrior for warriors” In fact, even the
grille emblem was designed as a
stylized version of an ancient warrior’s helmet.
The XD is the first in a line of
second-generation Titans that are
bigger than their predecessors,
with a wider stance and more aerodynamic body style. However,
Nissan hasn’t yet announced
when other models in the range
will be unveiled. †
MODEL 1632
Because DIRT IsN’T aLWaYs IN THe RIGHT PLace
Reshape terraces and waterways, grade roads, remove snow, dig irrigation ditches or clean feedlots, it’s all
possible with the ICON Model 1632 Grader/Box Scraper. Designed to move material quickly and efficiently,
16-foot by 32-inch blade features six-inch forged replaceable cutting edge for wide coverage with each pass.
Two Machines in one - The Model 1632 essentially gives you two machines in one. To go from grader
to box scraper, simply straighten the blade and lower the fold-down box ends. Within minutes you’re
ready to smooth and level any area.
MODEL AG-10
MODEL 1230 PULL-TYPE
MODEL 1205 CARRY-ALL
10 yd. Scraper
12 ft Grader
5 yd. Box Scraper w/Front Gate
Contact us today at 785-738-6613 and we’ll rush you complete product information.
LANDOLL CORPORATION
1600 W. 8th Street / Beloit, KS 67420 / (785) 738-6613
www.landoll.com/icon
FEMA
Landoll reserves the right to change models, designs, and/or specifications without notice or obligation.
The diesel-powered Titan XD models
will wear Cummins badging.
Land-143C.indd 1
7/10/13 3:28 PM
32
Machinery & Shop
Small block engine power
GM has re-engineered its classic Small Block engine with the new EcoTec3
By Scott Garvey
G
M’s claim to fame in
the pickup market is
that its trucks last the
longest of any brand,
which is based, it says, on a survey
of registration data. You’ve probably heard it make that claim in
marketing and advertising for a
long time. That longevity claim
may apply even more strongly to
one of its engines. The 350 small
block that has been the mainstay
of GM pickup engines has been
around forever, it seems. And it’s
still one of the most commonly
used engines by those who modify
or build their own vehicles.
“Small block engines have been
used, abused, modified and raced
in almost every type of car and
truck imaginable,” says Jordan
Lee, global chief engineer and
program manager for small block
engines. “Our engineers are able
to draw on that experience to
build stronger, more efficient,
more dependable engines for
Chevy truck customers.”
GM says the EcoTec3 engines
used in today’s Silverado pickups
are direct descendants of the original small block V-8 design, and
they benefit from more than 60
years — and more than 100 million engines’ worth — of continuous improvement.
“The latest small block engines
are ideally suited to Silverado and to
the tough jobs that pickup customers do every day,” says Lee. “We give
customers the power and torque
of a full-size truck engine when
they need it, then use Active Fuel
Management and other advanced
technologies to seamlessly shift to
four-cylinder operation when the
truck is under light loads, making
the most of fuel efficiency.”
GM’s Active Fuel Management
technology turns 10 years old in
2015. The brand first introduced
it in 2005. All of the engines available in the Silverado this year have
the option of taking advantage of
that fuel saving concept.
For 2015 GM gives full-size pickup
buyers a choice of three of its latest
small blocks, known as the Gen 5.
First is the 285 horsepower, 4.3-litre
V-6, which puts out 305 pound feet
of torque and has a U.S. EPA rating
of up to 24 m.p.g. Next is the 5.3litre V-8 with 355 horsepower and
383 pound feet of torque, topping
out at 23 m.p.g. highway. Lastly,
the 6.2-litre V-8, which is no slouch,
with 420 horsepower and a torque
rating of 460 pound feet. It gets up
to 21 m.p.g. on the highway.
GM says it puts engine designs
through a series of durability tests
that help engineers develop and
verify the strength of its components. During development the
engines endure severe thermal
cycle testing, which quickly cycles
the engine between extreme cold
and hot coolant temperatures to
validate the durability of engine
components such as the head gaskets and exhaust manifolds. Then,
there is the “hot scuff” test, in
which a brand-new engine is run at
wide-open throttle with no break-in
period, helping test critical engine
parts such as bearings, piston ring
sealing and bore scuffing. The
Active Fuel Management system
gets tested too. It’s forced to cycle in
Three EcoTec3 engine options are available in the 2015 Silverado, a 4.3litre V-6, and 5.3- and 6.2-litre V-8s.
and out of the cylinder-deactivating
feature hundreds of thousands of
times at a variety of engine speeds.
If you opt for the 6.2-litre engine
in a Silverado this year, you will
get the all-new 8L90 8-speed automatic transmission bolted up to it.
The 4.3- and 5.3-litre engines are
matched with GM’s Hydra-Matic
6L80 six-speed automatic transmission. The 6.2-litre engine and
8-speed transmission combo will
give a Silverado a 12,000 pound
(6,000 kilogram) trailer towing
rating. GM also offers an available trailer towing package, which
features a 247.9 mm (9.76-inch)
rear axle, heavy-duty rear springs,
revised shock tuning, enhanced
cooling and an integrated trailer
brake controller. Wider trailering
mirrors and better back-up lighting are also an option.
Last year GM introduced a long
list of updates from the frame to
new body styling, which carry
over into this year’s models. But
there are still a host of other new
options and features for 2015.
The 2015 Silverado is offered in
WT (Work Truck), LS, LT and LTZ
trim levels, along with Z71 and
High Country models. All three
cab styles and box configurations
are available in WT, LS and LT
trim, with LTZ reserved for double
and crew cab models. WT models get black bumpers, door handles and outside mirrors. Chrome
bumpers are standard on LS, LT
and LTZ trims.
For the ultimate in connectivity, GM’s MyLink is available. It
offers OnStar with 4G LTE and
standard built-in Wi-Fi hotspot.
That creates a mobile Internet hub
for vehicle occupants. The hotspot
is on whenever the truck is on.
Buyers get a three-month, threegigabyte data trial. †
1
photos: gm
2
3
1: The 2015 Silverado is available with a 8-speed
transmission when the truck is equipped with the
6.2-litre EcoTec3 engine. 2: Silverado interiors are
available in a range of trim features from the basic
WT (work truck) plain Jane to the luxurious High
Country option with heated and cooled leather
seats. 3: GM Canada covered a Silverado in chrome
wrap to make a special appearance at a Canadian
event in mid 2014. It definitely turned heads.
33
Machinery & Shop
Ram
launches
the 1500
Rebel
IT PAYS TO LISTEN
FOR BLOCKAGE.
Ram engineers
stroke building
a unique off-road
truck off of their
to-do list with
the launch
of the Rebel
The Wireless Blockage and Flow Monitor from Intelligent
Ag uses patent-pending acoustic sensors to instantly
detect blockages or reduced flow, anywhere in your air
seeder, fertilizer applicator or box drill. Easy to install and
simple to use, this system utilizes Wi-Fi technology and
robust rubber tubing to take wire problems out of play,
and your iPad functions as its versatile in-cab monitor.
Keep your ears open, and never turn a blind eye to a
blocked implement. You’ll put more in the ground, and get
more profit out of it.
By Scott Garvey
O
ffering an off-road-style
package on the Ram
1500 has been on our
to-do list for some time
but the right combination didn’t
present itself until now,” said Bob
Hegbloom, president and CEO of
the Ram Truck Brand. “The Rebel
drops right into a core segment
of the truck market with unique
design cues and can-do attitude
backed by Ram Truck engineering.”
“
Meant to compete
with Ford’s Raptor
To give the new Rebel that “can
do” attitude, engineers added an
extra inch to the standard Ram
ride height and slipped 33-inch
tires under the fenders. It also sets
itself apart from the pack of runof-the-mill models with unique
grille, bumper and tailgate styling.
Clearly, this truck is meant to compete with Ford’s Raptor.
The Rebel gets a host of other
unique features ranging from its
undercarriage to the interior layout.
And under the hood you can opt for
a 3.6-litre V-6 or an iconic 5.7-litre
Hemi. Both are mated to the eightspeed TorqueFlite transmission.
Rebels will begin arriving at
Chrysler dealerships early in the
second half of 2015. †
To find a dealer near you, visit IntelligentAg.com or call:
306-978-0872 (N. SK, AB, BC)
306-546-2497 (S. SK, MB, ON)
Grainews_022515.indd 1
2/25/15 8:38 AM
34
Machinery & Shop
Machine history
Chey’s
1967 pickup
1
Here’s a brief look back
at what kind of pickup
farmers could buy almost
five decades ago
By Scott Garvey
Y
our new pickup probably has four-wheel drive
with a very efficient engine and a luxurious
interior. It goes without saying it has air conditioning and an impressive bluetooth-capable
sound system. Luxury has been the ongoing sales
pitch automakers have been using to sell their trucks
ever since the 1950s. It’s just that luxury keeps getting an updated definition. If you’ve come to take the
kinds of features your current pickup has for granted,
These images are a reminder of what luxury meant for
Chevrolet’s 1967 pickup. †
2
3
Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at Scott.Garvey@
fbcmachinery.com.
photos: gm canada
1: Chevrolet’s advertising in 1967 emphasized the car-like
comfort of its C-10 pickup, saying, “You could call it a
second car with a dual personality.” 2: Interiors in the 1960s
were pretty plain by today’s standard. 3: A four-wheel drive
version of Chevy’s half-ton pickup was available in 1967,
designated the K-10, but only 5,563 were sold, compared
to 278,044 C-10, two-wheel drive models, according to
oldride.com. Retail price for a Fleetside 4x4 with an 8-foot
box was US$3,088, compared to just $2,408 for a C-10.
Grow informed.
With the new web series: AGGronomyTV
AgCanada.com is proud to present this new informative web video series.
AGGronomyTV is a series of videos that covers today’s top issues related
to soil management and crop production. Video topics include:

New Seeding Technology

Crop Suitability for

Tire Performance
NW Saskatchewan

Plus more…

4R Stewardship

Growing Soybeans
Scan the code or visit the website for more information
www.agcanada.com/aggronomytv
Sponsored by
Sit back, dial up your favourite station …
and fnish 100 acres by lunch.
Whether it’s unbearably hot,
miserably cold or somewhere in
between, long days won’t make a
dent in your resolve when you’re
running a 6R. You’ll have big-time
performance for tough jobs …
and plenty of comfort for
whatever Mother Nature
throws your way.
Redesigned hydraulic
stack for simplicity and
improved visibility.
ComfortView™ Cab: The name says it all
The ComfortView cab is ideal for the highhour user. It’s spacious and user-friendly.
The automotive style gauges, easy-to-access
controls and standard features such as tilt,
telescoping steering wheel and adjustable
air seat get you in the right position. And for
greater rearward visibility, get 30 degrees of
right-hand seat swivel with CommandARM™
equipped cabs.
Power where you need it
With hitch lift capacity of up to 11,990
pounds (5,438 kg) and hydraulic fow of up
to 41 gpm (155 lpm), you’ll
have power for big implements and fast cycle times.
The 6R features a closedcenter, pressure and fow
compensated hydraulic
system for effciency,
and reliability.
New PowerTech™ engines put
productivity in the driver’s seat
The 6R is all about productivity. With
models from 105 to 215 hp, you’ll fnd the
size to ft your operation, each with a power
bulge that responds instantly to increased
horsepower requirements. All engines also
include Intelligent Power Management for
a boost of up to 40 extra horses.
Get the right gear for the job
A tractor this versatile needs a transmission
to match. That’s why the 6R comes standard
with the AutoQuad™ PLUS. You get four
power-shiftable gears in each range. Or for
even more fne-tuning, try the DirectDrive™.
It gives you the convenience of our Infnitely
Variable Transmission™ (IVT)
with the effciency of
an all-mechanical
transmission.
C rner
Corner
offce
comfort
comes
standard.
Just pick
p
one of
three ranges
thre
and go automatic.
Or select manual mode for more
control. You can also choose
other options, including a full
IVT, and a 50 kmh (31 mph)
option for fast transport
GreenStar™ ready for precision*
With the GreenStar and AutoTrac™ options,
you can step into precision quickly and easily.
The GS3 Command-Center™ and 7 or 10 inch
display helps you program and monitor many
tractor functions as well as compatible implements. You can also run a variety of precision
software applications for tractor control,
mapping, and documentation.
Get IVT convenience
and mechanical
effciency with
DirectDrive.
Available with technology that helps
maximize your effciency.
Comfortable and in command
Don’t let weather conditions or tough chores
slow you down. Get the comfort, power, and
convenience of a 6R and you’ll be ready to
take on the day … whatever the day brings.
The 6R can take on tillage or
planting duties and utility
chores with authority.
Work in comfort.
Work without limits.
60498.3_6RLongForm_RCCAN2pAd.Indd 1
*Requires the installation of TLS front axle with brake.
JohnDeere.ca
9/29/14 5:54 PM
36
Machinery & Shop
A brand new Colorado for 2015
GM stakes a claim in the small-truck marketplace with a “mid-sized” Colorado
1
photos: gm canada
By Scott Garvey
G
M describes its 2015
Colorado as an all-new,
midsize pickup with
the style and versatility of a truck and the refinement,
manoeuvrability and efficiency of
a crossover. The brand hopes it
will appeal to those who want
some respectable capability in a
truck but are looking for ease of
manoeuvrability and better fuel
economy ratings.
The 200 horsepower, 2.5-litre,
two-wheel drive Colorado models get a fuel consumption rating
of 8.8 litres per 100 kilometres on
the highway. That jumps slightly
to 9.2 litres per 100 kilometres
for the 305 horsepower, 3.6-litre
V-6 models, making driving one
of these to town a little easier on
the pocketbook than piloting a
full-sized truck.
Despite its smaller size, the
Colorado can still muster up a
decent trailer towing rating of
7,000 pounds (3,175 kilograms)
with the V-6 under the hood.
“Many people like the ‘can-do’
spirit of a truck, but they want a
vehicle that is easier to manoeuvre
in traffic and easier to park at work
or at home,” says Tony Johnson,
Colorado marketing manager.
“For them, bigger is not necessarily better.”
How much smaller is a Col-
Tundra
orado? The cab and bed configuration choices include an extended
cab model with a 6-foot, 2-inch
bed, a crew cab with a 5-foot,
2-inch bed and a crew cab with a
6-foot, 2-inch bed. With the tailgate down, the longest bed can
haul 8-foot-long loads.
Models and trim levels include
the base WT, LT and Z71. The
off-road-inspired Z71 features a
gunmetal grille surround — a
change from the chrome standard on the other models — projector headlamps and 17-inch
aluminum wheels with all-terrain tires.
A pretty good chunk of the
options available on its big brother, the Silverado, trickle down to
the Colorado, too. Things like a
spray-in bed liner, EZ lift-and-lower tailgate and connectivity features inside the cab.
The Colorado also gets six
standard airbags and GM’s
StabilliTrack and trailer sway
control systems for safety along
with Forward Collision Alert
and Lane Departure Warning,
which uses camera-based technology to warn a driver of
potential crash threats.
The Colorado recently began
production at GM’s Wentzville
assembly plant and hit the market
in late 2014. †
2
1: GM began producing the all-new
Colorado in time for a market release in
late 2014. 2: GM recently revealed this
Colorado concept truck in Los Angeles.
It’s designed for those who want serious
off-road capability, and it’s powered by
a 181 horsepower 2.8-litre Duramax
diesel with a six-speed transmission.
This version gets a stance four inches
wider than a standard Z71 Colorado. But
will it see production? 3: The Colorado
still offers a reasonable amount of cab
space, although rear seat legroom is
limited, to say the least.
3
Tundra
37
Cattleman’s Corner
MARKET FACTORS
COOL may be the right direction
Labelling of origin and other functional characteristics will become more important
BY GERALD KLASSEN
T
he confirmed new case of
BSE in Alberta on Feb. 13
has caused Chian, Peru,
Belarus and Taiwan to
place temporary restrictions on
Canadian beef.
South Korea temporarily suspended imports immediately
after the confirmed case while
Indonesia has placed temporary
restrictions on some non-edible
meat products.
The ability to persuade or educate the consumer is extremely
challenging at the best of times
and there is a fair amount of
fearmongering-type advertising
constantly working against cattle
producers. While this recent case
of BSE once again reinforced the
Canadian Cattle Identification
Agency’s (CCIA) traceability program, it is important to remember
there could always be another
strain of bacteria or disease that
causes trade disruptions. It is
important that cattle producers,
whether large or small, are on the
same track, across the country.
The livestock traceability program has three pillars — premise
identification, animal identification and animal movement. These
three pillars ensure an adverse
disease outbreak is managed efficiently and effectively to minimize trade disruptions. Age verification is also part of this process.
Saskatchewan does not have mandatory premise ID and producer
groups are lobbying government
for this legislation. Most producers understand why this is necessary for food and industry safety,
which I don’t have to discuss.
CHANGE IN DIETS
Canada and the U.S. have an
aging population. When the baby
boomers were in their prime earning years, beef was a staple in their
diet. Once people move into their
retirement years, they eat less beef
and in many cases, health issues
become more of a concern. As people get older, their bodies become
more sensitive to certain foods or
specific food additives. For example,
there are studies in regards to red
meat and certain types of cancers.
Even young adults are watching
their diets more closely than ever
before, despite the rising obesity
epidemic, which can be attributed
to a whole dictionary of health
problems. Once people enter their
late 20s and 30s, after their metabolism starts to slow down, body
weight becomes more of a personal issue. Different ethnicities
living within North America may
not always have the same cultural
view of beef. It is not always a staple item, especially when these
immigrants have lower income.
Research is being conducted on
“foodceuticals” and functional
foods regarding beef products.
Entering into this environment is
also a need for the traceability program, which might be considered
value added processing. This is the
food trend of the future with rising health care costs.
Functional food products are
outpacing the traditional processed food market, according to
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
Health Canada defines a functional
food as “a conventional food that
is consumed as part of a usual diet,
and is demonstrated to have physiological benefits and/or reduces the
risk of chronic disease beyond basic
nutritional functions.”
LABELLING PART OF TREND
I encourage beef producers to
check out and read articles on
the BCRC (Beef Cattle Research
Council) website. I strongly
believe in the future we will see
beef products on the retail shelf
with the functional characteristic
labelled both in Canada and in
foreign markets. I’ve mentioned
in the past articles that people
can have their DNA analyzed and
then have recommendations on
which foods will be more beneficial for their DNA. Labelling will
be become more important as this
DNA becomes more common.
Country-of-origin labelling
(COOL) can be considered a doubleedged sword. There has been a fair
amount of resources arguing against
the U.S. policy regarding COOL.
However, consumers are becoming
more conscious of where their food
is grown, how it was produced and
how animals were treated.
In some cases, consumers also
want to feel at ease that everyone involved made a fair living. I
wonder if fighting COOL is counterproductive longer term because
it is going against modern food
standards. Cattle producers are
going through all the work for
traceability and yet in the end, we
want the foreign consumer to be
“origin blind” about the product
they’re eating.
The future trend of food production and processing is more labels
and functional characteristics on
the food. COOL is simply step
one. In the future, the consumer
will naturally demand COOL and
more. The U.S. is implementing a
socialist health care policy; food
labelling and traceability can bring
down health costs if there is an
E. coli outbreak or some other
problem. We’ve all had discussions
with Americans that don’t know
where Canada is on the globe
or think that Canada is a Third
World country. In any case, this
isn’t a reason to go backward in
food labelling.
Traceability is important to
manage a disease outbreak. BSE
is in the forefront but there could
be other diseases or related problems in the future. Traceability can
also be considered value-added
processing. Functional foods are
the future trend in food production and producers will start to
feed animals for specific functional food characteristics. Labelling of
origin and other functional characteristics will be more important
in all markets in the future. †
Gerald Klassen analyzes cattle and hog markets
in Winnipeg and also maintains an interest in
the family feedlot in southern Alberta. For
comments or speaking engagements, he can
be reached at [email protected] or call
204 899 8268.
Peak Dot Ranch Ltd.
A reputation source for Angus seedstock that have been bred for
performance, maternal traits and superior phenotype. Featuring
large sire groups and affordable genetics for the cowman. Free
delivery in a 500 mile radius of the ranch.
Spring Bull Sale
Wednesday, April 1 , 2015
At the Ranch, Wood Mountain, Saskatchewan
236 BULLS
For Sale now at the Ranch ...
Peak Dot Ranch has 48 head of registered Angus heifers for sale by private treaty from our fall program .
This is a seldom offered chance to acquire some of the top females from our program. Many daughters of
SAV Eliminator 9105, SAV Bullet 0473, Peak Dot Dominator 42U, Peak Dot Pioneer 9X , Peak Dot Bold
204U and Peak Dot Ranchland 29W from the most popular cow families at Peak Dot.
Peak Dot Predominant 1052A
SAV 004 Predominant 4438 X Peak Dot Hobson 459T
BW: +3.9 WW: +61 YW: +102 M: +22 BW: 81 205 WT: 852
Peak Dot Unanimous 743B
Vision Unanimous 1418 X SAV Eliminator 9105
BW: +3.0 WW: +70 YW: +127 M: +22 BW: 78 205 WT: 863
SAV 004 Predominant 4438 X Peak Dot Volt 950U
BW: +3.1 WW: +51 YW: +90 M: +21 BW: 78 205 WT: 778
BW: +3.0 WW: +70 YW: +127 M: +22 BW: 84 205 WT: 840
Vision Unanimous 1418 X SAV Bullet 0473
BW: +2.5 WW: +65 YW: +116 M: +27 BW: 84 205 WT: 835
BW: +3.0 WW: +70 YW: +122 M: +23 BW: 70 205 WT: 797
BW: +3.0 WW: +70 YW: +127 M: +22 BW: 82 205 WT: 836
Peak Dot Eliminator 165B
SAV Eliminator 9105 X SAV 004 Predominant 4438
BW: +4.5 WW: +69 YW: +120 M: +26 BW: 89 205 WT: 961
SAV 004 Predominant 4438 X Peak Dot Hobson 459T
BW: +4.2 WW: +50 YW: +85 M: +16 BW: 82 205 WT: 725
BW: +3.0 WW: +70 YW: +127 M: +22 BW: 83 205 WT: 877
Vision Unamimous 1418 X SAV 004 Predominant 4438
BW: +2.0 WW: +66 YW: +117 M: +25 BW: 89 205 WT: 910
Peak Dot Eliminator 66B
SAV Eliminator 9105 X Mohnen Dynamite 1356
BW: +3.3 WW: +66 YW: +115 M: +24 BW: 87 205 WT: 914
View Sale Book and Sale Cattle Photo Gallery at www.peakdotranch.com
or phone Carson Moneo 306-266-4414 Clay Moneo 306-266-4411 Email:[email protected]
38
keepers and culls
Same standards
apply to all sectors
I
can’t talk much about the situation across Canada, but I certainly get the impression poultry producers in Alberta are
doing their best to produce meat
birds and eggs to deliver a highquality product raised with the best
production practices possible.
Poultry operations don’t have
a big fit with Cattleman’s Corner,
but looking around the livestock
industry at poultry, dairy and hogs
as well as beef enforces the fact
that all these sectors are on the
same track — aiming to produce
a high-quality product, looking
to improve production practices,
making a sincere effort to enhance
animal welfare, and tuned in to
the need for increased consumer
awareness of how food is produced.
Egg-laying operations are a
good example. Egg producers
have come under fire in recent
years, not about producing a quality product — the national Get
Cracking program does a good job
of promoting quality — but over
humane production practices. The
old battery cage system, with birds
cheek to jowl during their oneyear production cycle isn’t a good
system. Birds are produced within
Code of Practice guidelines, but
now the guidelines are changing.
Two operations I visited were
the New York Hutterite Colony
near Coaldale, Alta. just east of
Lethbridge and the Riverbend
Hutterite Colony, at Mossleigh,
about half way between Calgary
and Lethbridge. Both of these
operations had switched from the
Walter Decker with the Riverbend
Colony with one of the laying hens
in their enriched housing system.
conventional battery cage system
to what is called the furnished
housing production system.
In fact New York Colony poultry manager Levi Hofer last year
accepted on behalf of the colony the
first Canadian Poultry Sustainability
Award for both the table egg industry and the overall poultry industry. That award recognizes not only
an improved housing system, but
exceptional standards for the overall egg production system — quality eggs, healthy birds, and sound
environmental and sustainability
practices for the farm itself.
In the conventional battery system, usually about five birds are
confined to a relatively small cage
for their production cycle. With
enriched or furnished housing a
larger number of birds are confined
in a much larger cage area with
more amenities that support more
natural behavior.
At the New York Colony, for
example, the conventional system
was designed so each bird had 67
square inches of space, where as in
the new furnished housing system
each bird has 122 square inches of
space. With about 20 birds in each
of these larger areas, they also have
access to features such as nesting
boxes, perches, scratch pads and
dust baths. They are still confined,
but if your sole purpose in a day
is to lay an egg it is a much better
environment.
There are still plenty of the conventional battery cage systems
operating, but the poultry industry has policies which are phasing
those out — any farm planning to
build or remodel has to move to
either the enriched or furnished, or
free-run or free-range systems. The
Riverbend Colony egg operation,
managed by Walter Decker, rebuilt
its barn around the enriched housing system and operate it with
exceptional standards as well.
These changes cost money, but
at the same time if you’re planning to stay in business in any
aspect of livestock production you
have to be hitting on all cylinders
— producing a high quality product, with humane yet practical
production practices, while practicing good environmental stewardship. It is just reality and it is
the right thing to do. †
Lee Hart is editor of Cattleman’s Corner based
in Calgary. Contact him at 403-592-1964 or by
email at [email protected].
FARM MANAGEMENT
“Sustainability”
in all its forms
Industry sustainability is built
one farm at a time, anticipating
and being prepared for change
BY SEAN MCGRATH
T
he “S” word (sustainability) has been in
popular use for several years among
industry and developers and
it has recently undergone a
major surge of interest in the
beef industry. Sustainability
really reflects the long-term
viability of the industry in
terms of the three pillars of
the environment, economics
and social demands.
It would be fair to say that
the most common use of the
word “sustainable” refers to the
environmental impact associated with farming and ranching.
After all, we live on a finite planet and short of sending cows to
the moon, we are constrained by
Mother Nature and how well we
take care of her. This is also the
area that gets most of the focus
in the news, either positively
or negatively and is associated
with the majority of funding
programs (eg.: Growing Forward
2), regulations and penalties.
The environmental component
of sustainability really looks at
whether our practices can be
continued within the bounds of
nature for the indefinite future.
ECONOMIC
AND SOCIAL ASPECTS
 calving ease
 grass-based
 strong maternal
 longevity
 moderate frame
BULLS LIKE THIS
FROM COWS LIKE THIS
Shellmouth, MB 204-564-2540
2 yr old bulls
sold private
treaty off the
ranch!
Our 2014 heifer promotion has been
continued into 2015, check website for details!
www.nerbasbrosangus.com
I think that most producers who are still in the business after the last decade can
also appreciate the economic
aspects of sustainability. While
there are a lot of ways to measure productivity and success,
at some point the economics
of beef production boil down
to the ability to make a living, but also to attract and
retain capital in the industry and generate enthusiasm
and renewal. The exodus of
producers over time clearly
represents an easily understandable challenge to the sustained ability of the industry
to generate net incomes that
support generational turnover.
Also important is the transfer
of billions of dollars worth
of assets to upcoming generations.
Social aspects of sustainability are also a huge consideration. There are several
intertwining levels, including
both public awareness and
engagement with agriculture
and the implications thereof,
the level of influence a declining number of voters in the
industry have, the overall social
licence to apply technologies
to the industry and how we
approach those issues and
emerging social media. There
are also household-level social
issues, which include an aging
producer population and challenges of farm succession.
FACE THE FACTS
Sustainability is a vastly
complex issue for our industry to grapple with, however it is also vital that we
do not shirk the responsibility of addressing it. What
I find particularly interesting is the overall sustainability of the industry is built
one operation at a time. The
importance of understanding
and identifying what sustainability means in your own
operation is vital if we are to
participate in the discussion
rather than just protecting
the status quo.
Because sustainability deals
with the long-term future, we
need to think long term and
plan for unforeseen future
risk and events. Building
flexibility and ensuring resilience in our decision-making
processes is very important
to consider. Sometimes this
may come at the expense of
immediate profit but creates
a longer-term profit potential.
It also means as we discuss
the issues as an industry we
need to focus on process and
outcomes rather than rigid
rules for how to achieve “sustainability goals”.
It is pretty tough to measure sustainability when it is by
definition a forward and not a
rear-view mirror goal. In other
words, we can look back and see
if things have gotten better or
worse, but at any point in time,
sustainable is a future term. For
this reason it is important to
measure trends and monitor
how things are changing. In a
lot of ways it is easier to see if we
are missing the mark, than if we
are achieving it.
It is really important to consider the issues around sustainability on a personal and
business level since we will be
intimately involved in the discussion. It is also important
to keep the discussion somewhat grounded in measurable,
repeatable results.
Using good science is a key.
We cannot expect to productively engage in a broad industry-wide discussion without giving forethought to the topic,
and certainly without engaging
many of the solutions proposed
and imposed in the name of sustainability are going to be unsustainable. We need to objectively
identify positive progress and
rapidly correct negatives. Active
demonstration of our commitment to the future of feeding
people is one of the best ways
we can ensure that we have a
long-term future. †
Sean McGrath is a rancher and consultant
from Vermilion, Alta. He can be reached
at [email protected] or
(780)853-9673. For additional information
visit www.ranchingsystems.com
The Dairy Corner
Replacement
dairy heifers
need good
nutrition
PETER
VITTI
M
any weaned dairy
heifers have gone
from eating highquality milk replacer
and calf starter in a nice cozy calf
barn to being kicked outside in the
arctic weather and being fed leftovers from the lactating cows. It’s
a shame that many replacement
heifers are fed in this way and thus
fail to reach their full potential
as milk cows. In contrast, dairy
heifers that are raised on a good
nutrition program that promotes
steady good growth have a better
chance at making good milk and
good profit.
Such economic success is really
the result of implementing a good
heifer feeding program from three
to 24 months of age in replacement dairy heifers. This program
is based upon three timeless, yet
simple targets:
1. Reach 540 to 600 kg at 22-24
months of age at first calving
and enter the milk line.
2. Reach 380 to 430 kg at 13.515 months of age, show
strong heats and be ready
for first breeding.
3. Allow for 800 g of gain per
day after they reach puberty
until calving.
To attain steady growth, many
universities around the world have
collectively advised young replacement dairy heifers should consume a palatable diet designed
with an energy level of about
65-69 per cent TDN. Some more
definitive extension references
dictate a dietary metabolizable
energy of 2.3 Mcal/kg, diet.
These research and field trial
energy values are usually based
upon above-freezing temperatures, when little, if any significant
metabolic energy is used to keep
heifers, warm.
FACTOR IN THE COLD
In order to make Canadian
cold-weather energy adjustments,
we should use the guideline of:
for every 1 C drop in temperature below 0 C, most cattle TDN
energy maintenance requirements
increase by about two per cent.
That means we should increase
the above heifer energy requirements in their diet by 40 to 50 per
cent when they are braving -20 to
-25 C temperatures (with windchill) in an outside pen.
Unlike dietary energy, protein
levels in the same heifer rations
are not affected by winter conditions. We often recommend that
three- to six-month old animals
need a diet of about 16 to 18 per
cent protein, while older animals
from six months to breeding age
need a 15 to 16 per cent diet.
When dairy heifers are bred at 14
to 15 months of age, these protein
levels can be dropped to 13 to 14
per cent. About three weeks before
replacement heifers calve, one
should implement a well-balanced
16 to 17 per cent protein transition diet with a similar modest
energy level.
HOW THEY ARE
FED MATTERS TOO
No matter what diet is being fed
to dairy heifers, it is just as critical
as to how diets are fed. Here is an
outline of some good rules of dairy
heifer bunk management:
• Segregate heifers according to
weight and size. The key is to
avoid feeding small younger animals with older heavier animals.
Bred heifers should be segregated
from un-bred ones. As pregnant
heifers get closer (re: three weeks
before) to calving, they need their
own pen and own specialized
“transition” ration.
• Check outside feed bunks
before the next feeding. If a wintertime bunk is licked clean, it
might be good sign to feed more
heifer diet, so all energy requirements are met during cold weather. Reduce the amount fed if one
has lots of feed refusal.
• Check on your heifers. By
nature, they will have a social
pecking order. You should be
aware of animals that don’t come
to the feed bunk. It is important to
provide enough initial bunk space
and then more eating area when
they get older.
• Provide appropriate shelter
and windbreaks. Replacement
heifers should be able to get out
of the direct wind at all times.
Wherever windchill is decreased
by 5 C, 10 per cent is saved in
additional dietary energy spent on
keeping heifers warm. Extra clean
bedding should be put down on a
frequent basis adding insulation
against the cold ground.
• Scrape the pens. In abovemelting weather, occasionally
clean the concrete pad adjacent
to the feed bunk. It doesn’t make
sense that heifers should be forced
to stand in mud, melted water and
manure as they are eating.
Feeding and management of
dairy replacement heifers should
be relatively simple. They have
their own brand of nutrient
requirements, so they should
have their own designated feeding program. Raising them outside in this way should return
them to the dairy barn as promising first-calf cows. Given the
appropriate milking cow nutrition should turn them into good
mature dairy cows for many lactations to come. †
Peter Vitti is an independent livestock
nutritionist and consultant based in Winnipeg.
To reach him call 204-254-7497 or by email at
[email protected].
1 OR
10,000
ACRES
BE THE
BEST
IN YOUR
FIELD
Northlands Farm & Ranch
Show 2015 will showcase all
the business tools of the trade,
from cattle & chemicals to
brushes, oilers and chutes,
while also stimulating the
positive evolution of the
agriculture industry.
2015 Feature Breed,
Limousin
Members of the Prime Limousin
Club will be there to answer all
your questions and educate
everyone on the
unique qualities
of their
favourite
breed.
This year’s show will
spotlight a variety of beef
operations—everything
for the commercial cattleman
to the club calf enthusiast.
For more information
Visit farmandranchshow.com
Join the conversation
2015 Prospect Steer
& Heifer Show
Entries for this show dedicated to
calves born in 2014 are open from
February 1 to March 15. Features a
guaranteed $4000 ($2000 for steer,
$2000 for heifer) prize purse,
provided by Northlands,
along with 75%
of the fees
collected.
@NorthlandsAg #NFRS15
March 26-28
Edmonton EXPO Centre
39
40
The Markets
Consumer demand will rebound
Cattle prices still holding as industry moves into expansion phase
pounds sold for $264, which is
up $10 to $15 from a month
earlier. Major feeding operations
appear to be stepping forward
more aggressively for replacement cattle given the build up in
equity over the past year. Feeding
margins for the summer are now
hovering near breakeven given
the price of feeder cattle and
projected fed cattle prices.
Jerry
Klassen
Market
Update
F
ed cattle prices in
Alberta continue to trade
between $183 to $185
as the Canadian dollar
remains near six-year lows. U.S.
beef production appears to be
exceeding earlier projections;
however, retail and restaurant
demand have not slowed as
much as expected during the first
two months of 2015 and wholesale beef prices are holding value.
Feedlot margins continue to
hover in positive territory and
it appears barley stocks are not
as tight as earlier anticipated.
Therefore, feeder cattle prices have
been percolating higher throughout February, which is somewhat
surprising given the weaker live
cattle futures for the late spring
and summer timeframe.
In central Alberta, largerframe exotic steers weighing 800
U.S. MEAT
SUPPLIES BUILDING
The USDA projected first-quarter beef production to reach 5.9
billion pounds, which is up by
225 million pounds from their
January estimate. Earlier in fall,
beef production for 2015 was
expected to be sharply below
2014, but we now find production levels either exceeding or
similar to year-ago levels for each
quarter. Beef supplies are not
Secondly, pork production is now
forecasted to reach 24.1 billion
pounds during 2015, up nearly
1.3 billion pounds from 2014.
We see a building of U.S. red
meat supplies, which could temper Canadian exports of fed cattle
and processed beef.
As of early February, Canadian
beef production was 107,000 mt,
down two per cent from yearago levels while the slaughter
is running six per cent under
last year. Cattle-on-feed inventories in Alberta and Saskatchewan
have been running nine per
cent below 2014 so the lower
slaughter pace will likely continue into the summer. Lower onfeed numbers have resulted in
lower exports of fed cattle to the
U.S. Official data for the month
of January had slaughter cattle
exports at a meagre 16,400 head,
down 51 per cent in comparison
to January of 2014.
U.S. choice beef prices were
reported at 238/cwt in mid-February, down from the November
2014 highs of $256/cwt. U.S. economic data continues to show
positive signals with ongoing
job growth and higher wages.
The slowdown in restaurant traffic was not as large as anticipated
during the first six weeks of
2015, despite adverse weather
along the U.S. Eastern Seaboard.
However, the seasonal decline in
demand has taken a toll given
the lower wholesale beef prices.
DEMAND EXPECTED
TO INCREASE
Looking forward, demand will
improve later in March and April,
which is bound to be supportive for wholesale beef and fed
cattle prices. During 2014, fed
cattle prices moved in a counter-seasonal pattern strengthening from May through July. For
2015, the market will probably
return to the normal pattern
with softer values during the
late spring and summer. The
market has accounted for current supply situation trading
near historical highs. Last year,
the market experienced a sharp
year-over-year decline in secondquarter beef production and had
to ration demand accordingly.
Feeder cattle prices have
strengthened in the late winter
but are poised to consolidate
moving forward. If fed cattle
prices soften during May through
July, feeding margins will start
to move into negative territory,
which will stem buying enthusiasm. The recent Statistics Canada
Dec. 31 stocks report showed a
sharp decline in domestic feed
usage and barley supplies are not
While the trend is your friend
in the feeder cattle market, I think
backgrounding operators and
cow-calf producers have to be cautious from May forward. The U.S.
and Canadian cattle herds are in
the expansion phase. Looking at
past patterns, producers can count
on the expansion phase lasting
two to three years even if feeder
cattle prices come off the highs.
I don’t feel the market will fall
apart but we may see a softer tone
later in summer. †
Gerald Klassen analyzes cattle and hog markets
in Winnipeg and also maintains an interest in
the family feedlot in southern Alberta. For
comments or speaking engagements, he can
be reached at [email protected] or
call 204 899 8268.
TIPS FOR NEW BREEDERS
Market good bulls with sincerity
stan harder
S
elling one’s annual calf
crop is a relatively painless
marketing process for commercial cattle producers.
Purebred selling strategies however need to be substantially more
complex, since individual customers seldom buy more than a small
percentage of a farm’s annual cattle production, particularly bulls.
I don’t presume to instruct
breeders in the art of selling, particularly those well-established
ranchers who have a consistently
effective client base established
over generations or an individual
lifetime. But I have considerable
empathy for new breeders anxious
to move forward and create their
own niche in what can be a richly
rewarding segment of the beef
industry, and this is the direction
of my thoughts in this article.
Anyone grandly assuming their
obviously superior cattle will “sell
themselves” is embarked on a
business plan guaranteeing disappointment. The day a half ton
skids to a screeching halt on the
gravel and wheels into a rancher’s
yard with its driver demanding
the right to pay $5,000 for that
bull calf he just saw in the field is
a long way down the road.
Each farm and each herd is
unique but there are a number of
marketing basics common to all
purebred enterprises that might
benefit the budding seedstock
supplier.
BE MOTIVATED
The most essential element,
absolutely, has to be ambition.
You really need to want to do
this above all else. Everything
beyond that can be learned,
adjusted or adapted.
We have encouraged aspiring
young ranchers to go with a breed
they admire rather than one that
might be seen as being generally
popular. Yes, buyers need to be
interested, but seedstock marketers need to be actively engaged
in a sales presentation and come
across as truthful, credible and
trustworthy and genuinely believe
in your product.
The single most effective sales
pitch is enthusiasm rooted in
conviction. Insincerity and lack
of assurance are difficult to conceal and customers will withdraw immediately if these factors
become evident.
MARKETING OPTIONS
Once the beginning breeder has
stock to sell the question of a marketing venue becomes paramount.
There are only two practical avenues available — public auction
sales or private treaty.
Learning the auction process, first, is an indispensable step
toward the ultimate goal of “off
the farm” sales, or if things go
exceptionally well and the owner
is so inclined, home auctions.
Good, bad or indifferent, the auction ring does supply marketing
experience as well as provide product exposure and thus begins the
long and often-difficult journey
to name recognition and buyer
acceptance.
If you are new to the public
auction system, expectation that
the sales management team will
do all the promotional work and
sell your bulls for big dollars without any heavy lifting from you
is a false hope that should be
dismissed as soon as it is born.
Certainly the catalogues, advertising and hands-on activity will be
handled by professional management, but to presume that your
obligation to help sell your cattle
has been discharged by payment
of participation fees can result in
serious disappointment.
PRODUCE A GOOD PRODUCT
Your foremost responsibility is
to give the auctioneering firm a
quality product to sell. Don’t play
it too close to the vest because
you are afraid of risk. And for
heaven’s sake don’t be seduced
by the argument that if the sale
goes well you can always bring
better bulls next year. Bringing
anything except your top end to
a select sale is likely the kiss of
death for your expectations and
indeed your hopes.
Give sale management an animal that is quiet, clean, clipped,
brushed, leads well on a new halter
and is free of skin diseases, warts
and parasites. When a bull enters
the ring it should look healthy,
well cared for (in our experience
about a 3.5 condition score) and
move easily in the ring.
KNOCK ON DOORS
Every consignor should be
out actively recruiting buyers.
Potential customers should be
canvassed and invited to attend.
Classified ads as well as human
interest press and radio articles all add to sale momentum.
Exposure at local expositions is
an invaluable source of contacts
and future sales.
Having done all that is reasonably possible for your entries, the
dicey part now is deciding what
price might be acceptable to both
buyer and seller, the so-called free
market price. This is a reading
taken from other comparable sales
reflecting a host of conditions that
influence market values.
Generally speaking bids given
and taken are straightforward. But
if there is only one active bidder
the most common technique used
to “run up” a buyer is likely to
be variations of the phantom bid
“from the rafters.” The ring men
are given a figure below which
a seller will not be content. It is
then incumbent upon this ring
man to hoist invisible bidders to
use as a lever to advance bids from
the legitimate buyer, a technique
handled with admirable skill by
experienced practitioners.
RECRUIT SOME HELP
A somewhat more sophisticated
version is to have a “plant,” someone in cahoots with the consignor
who is directed to openly support
the bidding up to a previously
agreed range but who clearly has
no intention of buying for his own
account or anyone else’s. This is
simply known as “driving up the
price.” Failure to draw a genuine
bidder up to the desired amount
results in the bull going back to
the consignor as a “no sale.”
A “sight unseen” or “order buy”
is a huge advantage to sellers.
Since the sales management team
has been entrusted with the selection of the animal there is considerable latitude for them as to
which bull is finally chosen as
the favoured beast, the sale likely
having a number of bulls meeting that buyer’s specific criterion.
In the meantime this back-pocket
order can successfully be used as a
legitimate advancing bid numbers
of times without actually filling
the original requisition. The fact
that a buyer may not be present in
no way detracts from the validity
of his or her bid.
WEATHER FACTOR
Weather tends to be the largest single influence on a livestock sale. To ask producers to
commit inventory for open bids
when travel is possible for only
a few buyers would be neither
fair nor just.
Even on a normal sale day there
is risk of an unprotected animal
selling for less at public auction
than the asking price off the yard.
This would be calamitous for future
private sales and indeed for deals
already consummated. Customers
could argue that the “free market”
established a lower price for your
bulls than they had paid and that is
what they are worth and no more.
Why should a buyer pay a higher
price off the farm if the seller was
clearly prepared to sell the same
product for less at public auction ?
Then there is the matter of principle. Some breeders (ourselves
included) refuse to sell a breeding
bull at below the cost of production, a very real possibility in a
poor auction.
For beginning purebred ranchers,
public auctions are an essential first
step in the business of becoming
established as a seed stock producer.
Auctions have both up and downside potential. The level of involvement by the consignor can be the
fulcrum between the two. †
Stan Harder is a retired Angus breeder in
Alberta now living in south-central B.C. You
can email him at: [email protected]
41
Home Quarter Farm Life
Raising livestock — naturally
Couple wants their animals to be in environment that best suits their needs
BY CHRISTALEE FROESE
R
anching is in Jeff
B o v e e ’s b l o o d . H i s
great-grandfather was
legendary large-scale
rancher John Minor from the
Abbey, Sask. area. And while
Bovee is following in the footsteps of his ancestors, he’s seeking to do it in a radically different fashion.
Jeff’s wife Sabrina is a registered dietitian so they are raising their livestock on a small
scale with attention to every
morsel the animals eat and
every substance that enters their
livestock’s bodies.
“Whether it’s our beef, pigs,
chickens, turkeys, ducks or
geese, we’re raising each animal on pasture, so everything
is grass fed and grass finished,”
said Jeff.
The Bovees are not interested
in large-scale farming to make a
living, but rather on establishing a small-scale operation that
produces nutritionally superior
meats. They chose the name
Primal Pastures for their farm
to reflect the philosophy of
raising food in as natural of a
setting as possible
“Our No. 1 goal in raising
our livestock is to match each
species of animal with a pasture environment which best
fits their physical and mental
attributes, rather than fitting
them into a more controlled
farm plan.”
Jeff, 32, and Sabrina, 31, both
work off farm to support their
desire to produce antibiotic- and
hormone-free animals that have
the opportunity to live in freerange settings. The focus is on
producing more nutritional cuts
of meat that are high in omega-3
fatty acids and low in less-healthy
omega-6 and -9 fatty acids.
“Our cattle are strictly grass
fed which gives them a nutritional profile that is superior to
grain-fed cattle,” said Sabrina,
a full-time nutritionist with
the Regina Qu’Appelle Health
Region. “Our goal is simply to
raise the kind of meat that we
would want to eat ourselves,”
she said.
Jeff, whose full-time job is
as a geologist, explained that
his lifelong passion has been
to raise livestock in a way
that is as close to what the
animals would experience in
nature as possible. “The idea is
that the meat we raise has all
the health benefits of an allnatural wild animal, so we’ll
raise our ducks on a creek, pigs
in the forest and cattle on the
grass,” he said.
The Bovees found the ideal
setting for their dream farm in
2010 when they bought 320
acres of land in the Red Fox
Valley located 16 kms south of
Indian Head, Sask. The former
cattle operation consisted of
pasture land, wooded areas, a
creek and numerous large corrals overgrown with grass. This
setting has provided the perfect
home for their heritage breeds
of pigs, geese, ducks, chickens
and cattle that forage on the
rich nutrients left from the feedlot setting.
“We plan to plant a number
of apple trees in the wooded
area reserved for the pigs so they
can eat apples in August and
September and small groups of
ducks and geese will be on the
creek this summer where they
can take advantage of the marshland buffet,” said Jeff.
While the Bovee farm is not
yet a certified organic operation,
their livestock is hormone and
antibiotic free and their animals
are raised following organic ide-
The Bovees found
the ideal setting
for their dream
farm in 2010 when
they bought 320
acres of land in
the Red Fox Valley
located 16 kms
south of Indian
Head, Sask.
als of an all-natural diet in a noncrowded setting.
“I’ve always wanted to do this
since I was little and now that
we have a farm, we want to live
that beautiful way of life where
a farmer can supply their local
people with the food they’ve
raised,” said Jeff.
The Bovees currently sell
a wide variety of meats and
cuts from their farm gate with
the largest segment of their
clientele coming from within
a 100-kilometre radius. They
depend on word of mouth to
market their products which
has resulted in more demand
than supply. They charge a premium price for their naturally
raised meats, finding that their
customers are willing to pay
$4, $5 and $6 a pound for their
products.
“Right now we’re just getting
our feet wet and seeing if it
might be feasible for us to live
out this dream and raise animals
closer to the way they would live
in the wild.” †
photo: christalee froese
Jeff and Sabrina Bovee want their animals to live in as natural a setting
as possible.
LOVE HEARING FROM YOU
Do you have a story about a farm or
home-based business? How about some household
management tips? Does someone in the family have
a special-diet need? Share some of your meal ideas.
SEND THEM TO FARMLIFE
1666 Dublin Ave., Winnipeg, Man. R3H 0H1
Phone 1-800-665-0502 Email [email protected]
Christalee Froese writes from Montmartre,
Saskatchewan.
Please remember we can no longer
return photos or material. – Sue
Purchase anytime with the
RBC Equipment PurchaseLine .
®
When you need equipment for your crop, livestock or dairy
operation, time is always a factor. Now you can purchase
on your terms, so you get what’s right for your operation,
right when you need it.
Open your RBC Equipment PurchaseLine today.
Visit rbc.com/agriequipment 1-855-561-6723.
TM
® / ™ Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. Agriculture lending products are offered by Royal Bank of Canada and are subject to its standard lending criteria.
42
PRAIRIE PALATE
All about wheat
Whether it’s called spelt, farro or kamut — it’s still wheat
And, almost 2,000 years later,
it was the wheat that settled the
plains of Western Canada. Today,
bread wheat accounts for 90 per
cent of the world’s wheat crop,
while durum is about five per
cent. Einkorn and emmer (also
known in Italian as farro) are still
grown in small quantities around
the world.
I often see spelt, farro and kamut
referred to as “ancient grains” as if
they are special cases, but no matter how ancient, they are all wheat.
As you might guess, I am fascinated by the story of wheat,
so much so that next month I’m
heading to Greece, Turkey and
Ukraine to dig into the cultural,
political and edible history of
wheat. Someday, I hope to write
a book on the matter. It seems
like a natural follow to my first
two books: Prairie Feast, a culinary journey into the agricultural heartland of Canada, and
Out of Old Saskatchewan Kitchens,
a look at Saskatchewan’s early
history through the lens of food
and the recipes that fuelled the
pioneer dream.
When Grainews editor Leeann
Minogue asked me to write a regular food column for this paper, I
jumped at the opportunity. Who
better to appreciate the fruits of this
land than the farmers who put their
hearts and souls into the venture?
Amy Jo
Ehman
Y
ou could say wheat is
the reason I’m writing
this today. Because of
wheat, my ancestors
came to farm in Western Canada,
as did most of the settlers on the
great plains.
By 1906, one year after it became
a province, Saskatchewan was calling itself the Breadbasket of the
World. In 1928, Canada produced
close to 40 per cent of the world’s
wheat supply.
Before packing up and moving
to Canada, my forefathers were
wheat farmers in Russia, near the
Black Sea in what is now Ukraine.
Wheat was grown in Ukraine at
least 2,500 years ago when it was
a breadbasket of ancient Greece.
The north shore of the Black Sea
is dotted with the ruins of Greek
colonies established for the procurement and shipping of wheat.
Like my ancestors, I grew up
surrounded by wheat fields, albeit
on a new continent, yet I knew
nothing of the ancestry of this
illustrious grain. So, here’s a quick
genealogy of wheat: wild wheat
called einkorn crossed with goat-
photo: amy jo ehman
Wheat salad
grass to create a hybrid wheat
called emmer. This happened in
the fertile valleys of Mesopotamia,
in what is now Iraq and Syria.
Over time, as farmers grew
emmer century after century, new
varieties evolved such as durum,
Polish and Khorasan (also known
today as kamut). They are descendants on one side of the wheat family tree. At some point, emmer
crossed with another goatgrass to
create the other side of the family
tree — bread wheat.
The origin of spelt is a bit foggy;
some think it’s a hybrid of emmer
and goatgrass (a precursor to
bread wheat) and some think it’s
a descendant of emmer and bread
wheat. Either way, spelt and bread
wheat are close cousins.
While exact dates are sketchy,
it is generally accepted that farmers began cultivating einkorn and
emmer in the Middle East about
10,000 years ago. By the time
the Greeks settled on the Black
Sea, bread wheat was the famous
member of the family. It helped
fund the monuments of the pharaohs and fed the powerhouse of
ancient Rome.
So, let’s start with a recipe for
wheat. Whether you use spelt,
farro, kamut or wheat from your
own granary, it’s a healthy tribute
to this ancient grain.
WHEAT SALAD
1 cup wheat seeds
(also called wheat berries)
1/3 cup dried Prairie cherries
OR cranberries
3 tbsp. vegetable OR olive oil
2 cups kale, chopped
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1 apple, diced
3 spring onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
Salt to taste
Spread wheat on baking sheet
and toast in 375 F oven for 10 minutes, until brown and fragrant. Tip
wheat into pot, cover with plenty
of water, add a dash of salt and boil
until soft, about 1 hour. Near the
end of cooking, add dried cherries
or cranberries and cook a few minutes to plump them. Drain wheat
and, while still warm, stir in vegetable or olive oil. Cool. Before serving,
add kale and mix vigorously until
the kale is tender. Stir in the remaining ingredients. †
Amy Jo Ehman is the author of Prairie Feast: A
Writer’s Journey Home for Dinner, and, Out of
Old Saskatchewan Kitchens. She hails from
Craik, Saskatchewan.
EXTENDED OUTLOOK FOR THE PRAIRIES
Weather Forecast for the period of March 22 to April 18, 2015
Southern Alberta
Peace River Region
March 22 - 28
Temperatures vary through the
thaw/freeze cycle. Fair apart from
rain or snow on 2 or 3 days,
chance of heavy in places.
March 22 - 28
Temperatures vary through the
thaw/freeze cycle. Fair apart
from rain or snow on 2 or 3
days, chance of heavy in
places.
March 29 - April 4
Generally sunny and seasonal to
cool. Expect a few days with a mix
of sun and cloud or overcast
skies, along with snowy
conditions.
April 5 - 11
Changeable weather as mild, fair
days interchange with cooler, wet
ones. Heavier snow in a few
regions. Gusty.
April 12 - 18
Highs in the teens most days under
sunshine, but cooler windy
intrusions bring some rain and a
chance of snow on 2 or 3 days.
April 12 - 18
Fluctuating temperatures with
some highs near 20 in the
southwest. On cooler, windy
days expect some rain and a
chance of snow.
Manitoba
March 22 - 28
Mild, blustery, thawing. Some rain
or snow on 2 or 3 days. A weather
system threatens heavy
precipitation.
March 29 - April 4
Thaw/freeze cycle and often
windy. Fair, but expect rain or
heavier snow on a couple of
days this week.
April 5 - 11
Weather conditions and
temperatures vary as mild, sunny
days alternate with rain or snow,
chance of heavy in places.
April 12 - 18
Mild and sunny days are followed
by cooler, wet days. Windy at
times. Frosty nights. Periodic
heavier snow in the north.
Precipitation Forecast
-7 / 5
Edmonton
22.1 mms
-5 / 7
Jasper
21.2 mms
-6 / 6
32.4 mms
BELOW
NORMAL Banff -5 / 7
Calgary
Forecasts should be 80%
accurate, but expect
variations by a day or two
because of changeable
speed of weather systems.
March 29 - April 4
Unsettled on a few days as
sunshine alternates with rain or
snow. Variable temperatures.
At times windy.
April 5 - 11
Generally sunny but with
scattered rain on a couple of
days. Chance of heavier snow
in a few areas. Windy.
April 12 - 18
Fluctuating temperatures. On
cooler, windy days expect some
rain and occasional scattered
snowfall.
19.8 mms
March 22 - 28
Fair with thawing, but a couple of
cooler, frosty, windy days bring
rain or heavy snow.
March 29 - April 4
Sunny and seasonal to mild, but
on cooler, windy days expect
rain or locally heavy snow.
April 5 - 11
Generally sunny but with scattered
rain on a couple of days. Chance
of heavier snow. Windy.
-8 / 4
Grande Prairie
Saskatchewan
25.1 mms
NEAR
NORMAL
-7 / 4
North Battleford
-7 / 5
Red Deer
22.9 mms
-4 / 9
Medicine Hat
19mms
cms
Lethbridge 26.0
35.9 mms
26 cms
-4 / 9
-11 / 1
The Pas
-10 / 3
Prince Albert
21.7 mms
-7 / 4
Saskatoon
19.7 mms
27.4 mms
22.2 mms
NEAR
NORMAL
-8 / 3
Yorkton
-9 / 4
Dauphin
31.7 mms
-10 / 2
-7 / 5
20.3 mms
-4 / 5
Gimli
Regina
39.2 mms
-7 / 5 Moose Jaw 20.4 mms
Swift 24.3 mms
-7 / 5
-8 / 4
Current
Portage -7 / 4
-6 / 5
Brandon 40.4 mms Winnipeg
24.7 mms
Weyburn
35.4 mms
35.9 mms
28.9 mms -4 / 6
Estevan Melita -9 / 5
33.3 mms
33.5 mms
Precipitation Outlook
For April
Much Above Normal Below Much
above normal
normal below
normal
normal
Temperatures are normals
for April 1st averaged
over 30 years.
Precipitation
(water equivalent)
normals for April in mms.
©2015 WeatherTec Services
www.weathertec.mb.ca
43
FROM THE FARM
Home remedies for a cold
Debbie
Chikousky
O
ur family has been
blessed with the addition of two grandsons in the last eight
months. Their arrival has also
brought back the memories of
helplessness when a baby gets a
cold. Also how miserable it can be
to be pregnant and have a cold.
There is very little that is safe and
effective on the market to help
these two groups of people. It is
very important to be extra careful
during these times and to always
seek a health professional’s advice.
The one thing these two
groups have in common is a low
immune system. Young babies
haven’t fully developed their
own yet and depend on their
mother’s colostrum/breast milk
to help them out. The pregnant
person has a suppressed immune
system to protect her pregnancy,
but this means she has to be extra
diligent to keep up her own rest
and diet.
The goal for our family has
been to try and prevent the
viruses. When my husband
drove a school bus we got
every cold that went through
the school. The most effective
cleaner we found was white vinegar. Every day we took a cloth,
wet it with white vinegar, and
wiped every surface he touched
when he came home. First was
the doorknobs, then the light
switches, then phone or computer mouse etc. When we dusted
we added a bit to the dusting water. When we washed the
floors, in it went. Another helpful hint was to wipe the steering
wheel of all the vehicles including the school bus.
When prevention isn’t enough
we have a few good home remedies that help. Last winter we
all got a horrible virus, including
one pregnant daughter-in-law
who was on doctor-ordered bed
rest and not allowed to cough.
This time the sinus congestion
was dreadful which also fuelled
a cough. There wasn’t much safe
for her to use so we turned to
food-based home remedies.
ONIONS FOR CONGESTION
Chop one onion and place
in a small bowl. Drizzle two
tablespoons of honey over the
chopped onion. Go to bed
and place the bowl as close to
your head as possible (we put
it in the headboard). It will
allow you to breathe freely
for the night and helped stop
coughing that was the result of
drainage. This is perfectly safe
to use in baby’s room also.
Researching everyday items to
find safe ingredients for home
remedies has been educational.
It was a big surprise to find that
although Parsley Tea is a fantastic item for an adult’s cold remedy, it is definitely not for pregnant or nursing moms. Scientists
question the safety of very high
amounts of parsley in pregnancy
since the herb contains oils that
are known to have effects on the
uterus. As of 2011, it is unknown
what the safe limit of parsley is
for pregnant women, although
levels normally found in food
appear to be safe.
Less than one per cent of
parsley leaf is the oil component, and it is the oil that contains the potentially dangerous
substances myristicin and apiol.
These substances, in high quantities, can trigger contractions
of the uterine muscle, which
may produce premature labour
and present a danger to both
mother and child. Historically,
the herb has been used to promote the onset of menstrua-
tion, which also involves uterine contractions.
Myristicin can also affect the
baby by travelling across the placenta and into the baby’s body.
Once the chemical has gotten in,
the substance can raise the rate
of the baby’s heartbeats.
Parsley is available in various
extract forms, such as the oil, the
seeds and the juice, and these
substances may be more risky
than the natural leaf form.
Lavender essential oil also should
be avoided. A study reported in a
2007 issue of the New England
Journal of Medicine found that lavender oil is an endocrine disruptor, a compound that may
interfere with hormone production or activity. Laboratory studies
confirmed doctors’ observations,
demonstrating that lavender oil
inhibits the effects of androgen,
the hormone that controls masculine characteristics, and mimics
the actions of estrogen, the hormone responsible for feminine
characteristics such as breast tissue growth. My own experience
has been in females where when
rubbed on the lower abdomen,
it triggered a period at 21 days of
the cycle. No study has been done
showing the safe usage amount so
it is best to not use it in salves for
children and pregnant women.
A very potent and useful
salve for household health is
Garlic Salve. Rachel Weaver,
master herbalist, claims that it
is safe for the whole house and
“kills candida, parasites, bacteria, and virus by direct application. In addition, it treats systemic infections by absorption
through the skin into the blood
supply and it travels throughout the body. After two weeks,
make a new batch of Garlic
Salve,” discarding whatever is
left of the old one.
GARLIC SALVE
Put in a blender:
1/3 cup coconut oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 cloves peeled garlic
Blend at high speed until liquefied. Strain through a fine
sieve to catch any pieces. Pour
into a wide-mouth small jar and
refrigerate. For babies it is best to
use it on their feet.
With a bit of prevention,
rest, and fluids, hopefully
none of these remedies will
ever have to be used. It would
be an amazing blessing to get
through spring calving with no
colds this year! †
Debbie Chikousky farms at Narcisse, Manitoba.
What’s on the horizon
in agriculture?
Watch This Country Called
Agriculture and be informed.
This Country Called Agriculture is a new on-demand video
series that delivers relevant news & information on the
agriculture industry. Host Rob Eirich interviews ag pioneers,
professionals and academics that offer insight into today’s
trends and what the future holds for agriculture –
on and off the farm. Video topics include:
 Sustainability
 Starting a new farm
 Ag innovations
 Renewable energy
 Exporting
 Alternative energy
 New technology
 Food production
 Production
& fuel sources
 AND MORE
and marketing
Start watching now at
AGCanada.com/TCCA
Or scan the code with your phone to watch.
TCCA CURRENT EPISODES
Consumer Benefits from Genomics
Rob Eirich talking with Tom Lynch-Staunton of Livestock
Gentec, and Colin Coros of Delta Genomics, about the
benefits of animal genomics for consumers.
Brought
to you by
44
SINGING GARDENER
And the 16 winners are…
Thanks to all who entered, plus, Ted makes a bonus draw for seven more
ted
meseyton
T
his morning I gave
thanks for the light of
a brand new day, thankful for life, for gifts and
talents, thankful for strength, for
food, for shelter and the joy of
living. Even in a world of chaos
there are many reasons to be
grateful.
Let me express my deep appreciation and extend sincere thanks
to my family of readers who join
me on the Singing Gardener page
and to each one who entered
for a chance to win a package
of heritage tomato seeds. Wow!
A grand total of 381 individual
entries was received at Grainews
via Canada Post. They came from
as far west as Vancouver Island,
across the Prairies and stretched
well into Ontario. Draws have
taken place and an envelope of
heritage tomato seeds has been
mailed to 16 winners whose
names appear further along.
Many of you provided comments and some of these are also
included.
I had the good fortune to get
some Latah tomato seeds, so I,
Ted, decided to pick seven more
names in what I call the “Lucky
7 Valentine’s Day draw.” A packet
of Latah tomato seeds has been
mailed out to each of the lucky
seven. As well, let me express
my appreciation to Heather and
Belinda at Grainews for their
assistance.
Also, look for a picture of
George and Mary McKenzie from
Brownvale, Alberta. Can I get
everything on this page? Sounds
like a tall order but I’m placing
my bottom dollar on it.
photo: courtesy ted meseyton
Chris the Accordion Guy sets his
mini accordion aside to select an
entry from the draw box for a
packet of heritage tomato seeds.
Winners’ names appear in this
issue of Grainews.
HERITAGE TOMATO
SEED WINNERS
One tomato seed package of
either Ferris Wheel, Flin Flon,
Ganti, or Italian Heirloom has
been mailed to the following persons whose names were drawn
and appear below.
1. Darlene Poncelet,
Tway, Sask. S0K 4K0*
2. Helen Bially, Tolstoi,
Man. R0A 2E0*
3. Eleanor Seib,
Rosetown, Sask. S0L 2V0*
4. Mary Kawulych,
Westlock, Alta. T7P 2N9*
5. Margaret Arnett, Prince
George, B.C. V2X 5T3
6. Pauline Yurkiw,
Grandview, Man. R0L 0Y0
7. Isabel Freimark,
Walsh, Alta. T0J 3L0
8. Jocelyne Cook,
Redvers, Sask. S0C 2H0
9. Laura Hughes, Edmonton,
Alta. T6A 1Z7
10. Violette Burant,
Melville, Sask. S0A 2P0
11. Barbara A. Richards,
Wooler, Ont. K0K 3M0
12. Lawrence & Donna Kawa,
Choiceland, Sask. S0J 0M0
13. Joyce Nykipilo, Boyle,
Alta. T0A 0M0
14. Wanda Sorensen,
Ceylon, Sask. S0C 0T0*
15. Clarence Worona,
Beausejour, Man. R0E 0C0*
16. Jennie Van Straalen,
Coaldale, Alta. T1M 1M2*
Note: An asterisk after a name*
designates comments appear below.
From No. 1, Darlene writes:
“Happy New Year Ted. I enjoy
Grainews, even though we are not
farmers, just gardeners. Very good
information and tips on gardening.
I also enjoy flowers outside and
houseplants. It’s like a jungle in
our house. I don’t have email. No
new technology in this house so
I have to write. One comment. It
would be nice if we had more recipes in Grainews, so I’m enclosing a
very good recipe for perogy dough
which was passed down. It’s called
Aunty Polly’s Perogy Dough.”
Mix together:
1/4 cup oil
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups warm water
Add:
4 cups flour
Mix well and knead. Place
dough in a bowl, pat lightly with
oil and cover with saran wrap and
let rest for 1/2 hour. Roll, cut out
dough, place your favourite filling
inside. This dough freezes very
well. Tip: When making fruit perogies, mix fruit with some sugar
and flour. Place filling on dough
to form a perogy and boil. They
will not open up when cooking.
Sorry, you might have to do some
adjustments as I’m in a hurry to
get to the paying job. P.S. Keep up
the great work. Darlene.”
From No. 2, Helen writes inside
a card: “To the Singing Gardener.
What a wonderful opportunity to
send greetings to you and yours
for prosperity, good health, much
happiness and a good growing season for 2015. Your column is first
for reading and learning. Thank
God for you.”
From No. 3, Eleanor writes:
“Singing Gardener: I enjoy your
pages of interesting gardening
information on many items, especially flowers, potatoes and tomatoes. Thank you for your knowledge in every issue of Grainews I
receive. Enclosed is my name for a
chance to win a packet of tomato
seeds. Thank you for your services
to Grainews.”
From No. 4, Mary writes: “Dear
Ted: I enjoy the page in Grainews.
Lots of good information and
helpful notes. I spend all my days
in flower and vegetable garden.
I have about two acres of all this
and nearing the 80 mark. I enjoy
this work morning to evening. I
also have 20 acres of saskatoons.”
From No. 14, Wanda writes:
“Dear Ted, (fellow gardener): First
page I read in Grainews — so interesting and educational. Love the
folklore and all the garden hints.”
From No. 15, Clarence writes:
“Hi Ted: I enjoy reading your articles every time. I tried the cough
cure for sore throat with carrots
and brown sugar. I added honey,
cayenne pepper and a strong
cough candy to dissolve. It works
better than Buckley’s. I eat the carrot slices. I’m 66 years young and
plant an acre for me and everyone
who comes over. Only one problem, they only come during harvest when it’s ready! I’m cutting
down to one-half an acre.”
(Ted says: Many gardeners,
including myself can probably
relate to what Clarence mentioned
during harvest time. Reminds me of
a song. Here are some of the words.)
“The seeds were sown by
other hands than yours,
Nurtured and cared for they grew,
But those who have sown will
not harvest them,
The reaping will not be their care.
The harvest is plenty,
labourers are few,
Come with me into the fields.
Your arms may grow weary,
your shoes will wear thin,
Come with me into the fields.”
From No. 16, Jennie writes:
“Dear Ted — I enjoy your column
very much and it is the first thing
I read when we get Grainews. I love
gardening flowers, vegetables and
fruits. I have my own greenhouse
and grow most of my own plants.
In one of your columns you mentioned an orchid cactus. I had one
for close to 30 years but it froze
last winter. It would have 50 to
60 beautiful flowers twice a year.
I have another one started now
from cuttings. I’ve been told it
takes seven years to bloom. Don’t
know if it’s true but mine took
that long. Would you know of
anywhere I could get Fantasy petunia seeds? The Picobella variety
is just not the same. Keep up the
gardening news. (signed) Jennie.”
(Gardeners: Here’s where you can
help Jennie out if you know a
source for Fantasy petunia.)
Really enjoy reading your very
interesting and informative gardening page. Past couple of years
have been growing heritage tomato seeds. Some are blue black in
colour, to yellow, to orange, to
pink, to reds. Just finishing the
last few — keeping them in garage
at fridge temp. Also keeping carrots, beets and potatoes in big
plastic tubs layered with potting
soil, then layer produce, then soil.
Keeps really well into next summer. Regards, Sheila.”
From No. 7. “Dear Ted, enjoy
your page so much. Have been
getting Grainews for about 35
years or whenever it started.
Keep up the good work. Have
two amaryllis ready to bloom,
-30 outside today (Feb. 4/15).
Olive L. Smith.”
Note from Ted: Congratulations
Olive. ’Tis wonderful to learn that
you are such a long-standing,
faithful Grainews subscriber. Olive
— That’s quite a record and I’m
certain everyone at Grainews is
very proud of you and thanks so
much for your outstanding dedication to said publication.
LITTLE-KNOWN
BRIDE-TO-BE TRADITIONS
Anyone have a daughter getting married this summer? It
may still be frosty outside in
parts of the land but each brideto-be and her future husband are
already making wedding plans.
What is not so well known are
some traditions to share from
earlier times.
Five longtime practices are listed
below and one of them is false. Do
you know which one? The answer
is given at the end but don’t peek
ahead of time. Here we go.
1. Egyptian women pinch the
bride on her wedding day for luck.
2. According to Hindu tradition, it’s good luck for it to rain on
your wedding day.
3. Swedish brides put a silver
coin from their father and a gold
one from their mother in each shoe.
4. Czechs throw pickles instead
of rice at the bride and groom.
5. The mother of a Ukrainian
bride places a few flaxseeds in
each shoe of her daughter and/or
the father of each groom does the
same for his son, so the wedded
couple will prosper, never go hungry and not be poor.
If you said No. 4 is false, you
guessed correctly. Neither pickles
nor rice is thrown. They actually
throw peas. †
LUCKY 7 VALENTINE’S DAY
LATAH TOMATO SEED WINNERS
photo: courtesy george mckenzie
Meet George and Mary McKenzie holding a cob of corn in one hand and tomatoes in the other. Mary always
has a good garden, according to her husband. The Singing Gardener reflects with the following. The corn is as
tall as my nephew Paul; the tomatoes are green as any I’ve seen.
1. Noreen Thielen via Marlene
Charlesworth, Baynes Lake,
B.C. V0B 1T4
2. Joyce Derow, Tomslake,
B.C. V0C 2L0
3. Louise Bliss, Emo,
Ont. P0W 1E0
4. Wes & Martha Cook,
Moosehorn, Man. R0C 2E0
5. Claudette Pachal,
Flin Flon, Man. R8A 0H5
6. Sheila Sharko, Calmar,
Alta. T0C 0V0*
7. Olive L. Smith, Lintlaw,
Sask. S0A 2H0*
From No. 6, Sheila writes: “Ted,
This is Ted Meseyton the Singing Gardener
and Grow-It Poet from Portage la Prairie, Man.
When things go wrong as they sometimes
will, when the road you’re trudging on seems
uphill, when your funds are low and the debts
up high, and you want to smile but instead
you sigh, when cares are pressing you down
a lot, rest for a while, and pray on the spot. My
email address is [email protected].
Be First in
We’re farmers,
just like you, so we know how
important top genetics and traits are to your profit
potential. We also understand the value of a seed
company that’s more a partner than a supplier.
Our soybean, corn and corn silage seed consistently
performs for maximum yields and exceptional quality so
you’ll have more to sell at premium prices come harvest
time. And we’ll be there when you need us, any time.
See us at Manitoba Ag Days, booth 221 and 222
in UTC Pavillion.
w w w. t h u n d e r s e e d . c a
your Field
TO LOCK IN HIGHER RETURNS FOR 2015,
CALL OUR EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTOR IN
WESTERN CANADA TODAY.
QUARRY SEED
888-274-9243
More power to you.
Wind speed, pressure gauge, optimal nozzle settings, check.
All systems are go and it’s time to take down the toughest
weeds in your wheat field, whether they’re resistant or not.
With three different modes of action in a single solution,
Velocity m3 herbicide provides you with exceptional activity on
over 29 different tough-to-control grassy and broadleaf weeds.
BayerCropScience.ca/Velocitym3
Always read and follow label directions. Bayer CropScience is a member of CropLife Canada.
C-60-01/15-10303662-E

march 17, 2015

Transcription

Similar documents

john fluevog shoes - Page One Publishing

Harvest-Conference-Program--Final

Financial Strength - Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance

Farm Boy keeps it close to home with 40+ local suppliers New

Agriculture in Romania

Pro Farm Manager is a virtual simulation/management oriented game

January 2014

Farms handout (16.75" x 10.75")

25, 26,27,28 September-2015 VOC Ground, Erode-India.