June 2012 - Quebec Farmers` Association

Transcription

Vol. 32, No. 6
June 2012
Family farms growing
bigger to stay afloat
What’s Inside
QFA at the
National
Assembly... p. 12
4-H Provincial
Rally... p. 7
News on
Levinoff-Colbex...
p. 8
Preserving
farmland from
sprawl... p. 20
PHOTO: KIM FAIRES
Young farmers on
Green Paper... p 19
According to Statistics Canada, 88 per cent of farm corporations in Canada are family-owned, but many are wondering if a family-owned farm corporation is the same thing as a
“family farm.”
www.quebecfarmers.org
Andrew McClelland
Advocate Staff Reporter
The look of the family farm
seems to be changing fast,
according to new information
released by Statistics Canada.
The
government
agency
released data from the 2011
Census of Agriculture that
shows the nation’s farms consolidating, growing ever-bigger
and switching to different types
of production in an attempt to
stay profitable.
Over the past five years, the
number of farms in Canada has
gone down by 10 per cent, leaving the national total at 205,730.
But at the same time, the size of
the average farm has jumped by
seven
per
cent,
with
Saskatchewan taking the lead in
this trend: the total number of
farms dropped by 17 per cent in
the Prairie province, but those
that hung on increased their
acreage by 15 per cent, leaving a
provincial average of 1,600 acres
per farm.
According to Statistics Canada,
the number of farms in Canada
has been dropping since 1941.
Here in Quebec, farm operators seem less convinced by the
“go-big-or-go-home” strategy.
While the province saw a four
per cent decrease in the number
of farms, those still in production increased their acreage by
only 0.4 per cent. Quebec now
has 29,437 farms within its borders, and the average operation
is 280 acres in size.
Many would ask if that’s a
sign that Quebec is behind the
times, or merely an indication
that la belle province is content
to work on a different model of
farming?
“When it comes to the size of
farms, there’s a reality for the
western provinces and another
here in the east,” says William
Van Tassel, a grain and oilseed
producer from Hébertville.
“Quebec is the largest province
in the country, but only two per
cent of our land is arable land, so
we can’t have the 15,000-acre
farms that you see out west.”
“There were 114,006 farms
operating as sole proprietorships in 2011, a decrease of 12.9
per cent since 2006,” notes
Statistics Canada. “By contrast,
the 40,714 farms operating as
family or non-family corporations represented an increase of
11.2 per cent. Family corporations accounted for 87.8 per cent
of all corporations in 2011.”
Family corporations?
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Statistics Canada is quick to
point out that the trend towards
larger farms doesn’t mean the
family farm is being swallowed
by
corporate
agriculture.
Instead, it suggests, family
farms are incorporating their
businesses and getting away
from having one owner, opting
instead to form partnerships to
better manage the larger scale of
their operations.
Help a young farmer follow their dream
Donate to the QFA’s Warren Grapes fund
Pu b lic at io n M ail N o .: 4 003 377 3
See p. 16 for details…
Those who would give up
essential liberty to purchase
a little temporary safety,
deserve neither liberty nor
safety.
—Benjamin Franklin
PHOTO: THIERRY LARIVIÈRE
Page 2 - Quebec Farmers’ Advocate / June 2012
William Van Tassel, vice-president of the
Ontario-Quebec Grains and Oilseeds
Farmers’ Coalition.
Among other things, the biggeris-better trend means farms that
generate over $1-million in revenue annually are the fastestgrowing part of Canada’s farm
economy. And even more startling is the fact that those farms
account for nearly half of
Canada’s food production. In
other words, out of the 205,730
farms in Canada, 9,602 of them
are family-owned corporations
that generate 49 per cent of the
$51-billion in total gross farm
receipts the farming business
brought in last year. That’s five
per cent of farms earning almost
half the money of the entire
Canadian agriculture industry.
Backing away from beef
Canada’s trust in beef and
grain as the backbones of the
agriculture industry is also
being called into question.
Canola has surpassed spring
wheat as the nation’s number
one field crop, now being planted on a whopping 19.4 million
acres. StatsCan also reported
that grain and oilseed farms
make up 30 per cent of the
national total, up from 26.9 per
cent, while beef farms tumbled
from 26.3 per cent to 18.2 per
cent.
“It’s not hard to see why a lot
of producers have switched to
grains,” says Van Tassel, who
acts as vice-president of the
Ontario-Quebec Grains and
Oilseeds Farmers’ Coalition.
“Grain prices have been pretty
good recently, and the herd size
has never really gotten back up
to where they were before the
BSE crisis in 2003.”
It seems that many of the
trends that Statistics Canada is
noticing are coming into play in
the work and lives of many
Canadian farmers in very real
ways.
“When a farmer sells his beef
herd,” explains Van Tassel, “It’s
rare that he starts all over and
gets back into it—even when the
prices come back up. I think it’s
partly a question of age.
Livestock production is very
time-consuming and as farmers
in Canada get older, they’ll want
to pick a kind of production that
is a bit less demanding.”
To read a summary of the Census of
Agriculture
data,
go
to
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/dailyquotidien/120510/dq120510aeng.htm
To read Statistics Canada’s full
report, go to
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/95640-x/2012002/00-eng.htm
Bilingual Vocabulary Builder
The Best of
Expand your agricultural wordpower in French
as well as English!
Aislin, Quebec’s favourite political cartoonist, recently asked readers at The
Montreal Gazette a pointed question: “What animals should represent Canada’s
major political parties?” Starting this month, we reprint the series, starting with
the Bloc Québécois...
Grazing system = système pastoral
Reprinted from Vocabulary of Agriculture.
Government of Canada publications, 1990.
Quebec
Farmers’Association
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Mission
To defend the rights, provide information and advocate for the
English-speaking agricultural community
in Quebec
Vision
The QFA’s actions contribute to a sustainable future
for both agriculture and the environment while providing a decent quality of life and financial return for the individuals and their families who have made agriculture and food production their chosen professions.
Shared Values
Members of the QFA believe in:
• Maintaining family-owned and operated farms • Food sovereignty and
self-determination by individuals and nations • Intergenerational involvement
• Lifelong learning • Protection of the physical environment • Preserving land for agricultural production • Minimum government interference • Working
alone and in partnership with others
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Quebec Farmers’ Association
555 boul. Roland Therrien, office 255,
Longueuil, Quebec J4H 4E7
Receipts are issued upon request. Memberships are valid for
12 months from month of purchase.
Quebec Farmers’ Advocate / June 2012 - Page 3
Quebec has its own farm model,
says Mac professor
Andrew McClelland
Advocate Staff reporter
Dr. John Henning has been
keeping a close eye on the farm
economy for decades. A professor at McGill University since
1985, Henning is the program
director of Agricultural Economics at Macdonald Campus.
The Advocate sat down with
Henning to see what he made of
the most recent Census of
Agriculture figures…
Quebec Farmers’ Advocate:
StatsCan’s agriculture census
has shown that farms in
Canada are getting fewer, but
increasing in size. Saskat-
chewan leads this trend with a
15 per cent jump in acreage in
the past five years. But the size
of Quebec farms is essentially
unchanged. Does this mean
that Quebec farms aren’t
“keeping up with the times?”
Dr. John Henning: I don’t
think Quebec is falling behind.
The differences you note have
to do with the different type of
farming in Saskatchewan versus Quebec. Here, we have a
significant
dairy
industry
which they don’t in Saskatchewan. Slowly, Quebec dairy
farms are getting bigger, but
not at the same rate as grain,
oilseed and pulse farms in
Western Canada. The same
question might have been asked
about Ontario.
The number of farms covered
by supply management is concentrated in Eastern Canada, so
it would be expected that farm
size, that is to say in acres or
hectares, would grow more
slowly here than in the Prairies
where they depend on crop production and being able to benefit from getting bigger and having a lower average cost per
tonne of whatever it is they are
producing.
QFA: StatsCan also points
out that farms which bring in
over $1-million in gross are
increasing in Canada. They say
most of these farms are “family-owned farm corporations.”
Are these large farms still what
we would call “family farms?”
JH: First you have to start with
a definition of what a “family
farm” means. Historically, the
vast majority of farms, corporate
or otherwise, have been owned
by a family. I have neighbours
like this who have very significant assets, but are a family
operation — they are incorporated for tax reasons, but it is still a
family-run business.
quite a bit over the past few
decades, but that has been the
result of the tax treatment given to
corporations versus individuals.
In the past few years, there has
been more interest in Canada
and other countries from “corporat” interests. These are companies that are buying land as an
asset that they believe will
appreciate over time at a rate
that is higher than other assets.
These companies still represent
a very small proportion of the
total farm land in the US and
Canada, but it is growing.
The number of family-owned
farm corporations has increased
Dr. John Henning, program director for Agricultural Economics at Macdonald Campus, says that Quebec farmers shouldn’t be fooled into thinking that they are behind the times simply because they aren’t expanding their
operations at the same rate as Prairie farmers.
Board Members
Mark Boyd
Wakefield
Douglas Brooks
Executive Member
Franklin
Ken Brooks
Franklin
Ben Nichols
4-H representative
Wendall Conner
Executive Member
Canton de Hatley
Roy Copeland
Lachute
Gib Drury
Executive Member
Alcove
Bill Fairbairn
Executive Member
Wakefield
Chris Judd
President
Shawville
Patricia Keenan
Brompton
Walter Last
Poltimore
John McCart
Vice-President
Grenville-sur-la-Rouge
Armin Ruf
Stanstead
Ronald Strutt
Shawville
SOURCE: STATISTICS CANADA
PHOTO: HCRPHOTO
GUEST EDITORIAL
The Advocate is running a series of editorials asking Canada’s farm leaders to discuss the importance and history
of their agricultural organizations. This month’s guest editorial comes from Wally Smith, president of Dairy Farmers
of Canada.
Dairy Farmers of Canada:
defending dairy
Wally Smith
President
Dairy Farmers of Canada
Dairy Farmers of Canada
was born during the Great
Depression in a meeting room
of the Château Laurier Hotel in
Ottawa. On March 12, 1934,
dairy farmers reached an
agreement to “proceed to form
a national organization to rep-
resent the dairy farmers of
Canada.” Farmer representatives came from British
Columbia,
Alberta,
Saskatchewan,
Manitoba,
Ontario and Quebec. This faction believed that dairy farmers’ interests would be best
served by breaking away from
the existing producers’ section
of the National Dairy Council
of Canada and forming their
own organization.
In 1942, the remaining dairy
farmer associations or co-ops,
including the breeds and the
federation itself that were still
UPCOMING EVENTS
August 12 to 17, 2012
“The Healthy World of Meat”
The 58th International Congress of Meat
Science and Technology
Hotel Bonaventure Hilton, Montreal
Info: www.icomst2012.ca
September 17 to 21, 2012
World Congress of Agronomists &
Agrologists
Quebec City Convention Centre
Registration from $50 to $675
Info: www.worldagro2012.com or 514-596-3833
November 16, 2012
QFA’s 2012 annual general meeting
Confirmed speakers:
Ron Bonnett, CFA president
Marcel Groleau, UPA president
Centennial Centre, Macdonald Campus
Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue
Quebec Farmers’ Advocate
members of the producers’ section of the National Dairy
Council of Canada, joined to
form Dairy Farmers of Canada
(DFC). The members stated
that its purpose was “to provide a means whereby dairy
farmers may, in a national way,
deal with problems concerning
their industry and whereby
such producers, as a body, may
work with other organized
bodies in advancing the interests of dairying and agriculture
in general.”
The
organization
soon
adopted policies seeking to stabilize markets and ensure fairer prices for farmers. Dairy
farmers wanted policy instruments to sort out the boomand-bust cycles in the industry.
Price stabilization policies and
agricultural assistance programs were instituted to control fluctuating prices and
incomes, as well as manage
supplies. Together, these policies and programs became the
precursors for legislation at the
provincial and federal levels
for supply management in the
dairy industry, which were
developed in the 1960s and
1970s.
Today, DFC continues to act
as the voice of all Canadian
dairy farmers. We work to promote and defend the interests
of our farmers nationally and
internationally. DFC is a forum
for constructive discussion and
consensus-building, working
on maintaining and improving
farmers’ viability by constantly
striving to improve the dairy
system, with the support of
farmers. Every day, we live our
vision to ensure the supply
management is dynamic, offers
an increasingly wide variety of
Editor-in-Chief
Ivan Hale
[email protected]
Managing Editor
Andrew McClelland
[email protected]
Published to benefit the English
agricultural and rural community in Quebec
Vol. 32, No. 6: June 2012
All contents copyright and may not be reprinted or translated without
permission. Published in Quebec by The Quebec Farmers’
Association. Legal deposit: National Library of Canada. Dépôt légal:
Bibliothèque nationale du Québec.
ISSN#0714-9518
Publication Mail No: 40033773
THE QUEBEC FARMERS’ ASSOCIATION GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES THE SUPPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CANADIAN HERITAGE IN THE PUBLICATION OF
THIS PAPER.
Production Manager
La Terre de chez nous
Sales Director
André Savard
[email protected]
450-679-8483 ext. 7221
dairy products to Canadians,
and farmers are encouraged to
constantly improve the safety
and high quality of milk that
goes into these thousands of
products. DFC was one of the
first agricultural groups to promote its products to consumers
in Canada.
DFC is proud that the system
proves, day after day, that it
works for Canada: governments pay no subsidies to supplement dairy farm income,
and receive three billion dollars in taxes from the dairy
industry. Consumers have several thousands of dairy products to choose from, including
over 1,000 cheeses—close to
700 of them are made from
cow’s milk! Processors can
maximize their plant use as
they can expect regular supply
of milk. Dairy farmers of
course see a more stable and
higher price for their milk than
many other dairy farmers
around the world. As dairy
farmers of Canada don’t
receive subsidies for producing
milk from the government,
Canadian consumers pay only
once for their milk—at the
store, whereas Europeans and
Americans pay twice.
Since 2007, world prices for
agricultural
commodities
including milk have fluctuated
wildly. While the roller coaster
effect has caused many farms
to go out of business around
the world and caused governments to pay out record subsidies, Canadian dairy farmers’
income remained steady.
Farmers are often asked
about the impact of the system
on consumers. The reality is
that milk prices have followed
the Canadian Price Index over
Sales Representatives
Daniel Lamoureux (National Sales
Representative), Christian Guinard,
Sylvain Joubert, Marie-Claude Primeau.
Contributors
Angie Beaudet, Jean Brisson, Sonia
Dumont, Alyssa Fourneaux, Jean-Charles
Gagné, Katherine Gombay, Thierry
Larivière, Eve Martin, Hubert McClelland,
Paul Meldrum, Julie Mercier, Myles Mellor,
Terry Mosher, René Roy, Wally Smith,
Bobbie Variantzas.
the years! Prices of milk at
retail are comparable in various countries. They also vary
from region to region and store
to store. A recent compilation
of Nielsen data in many stores
in several countries around the
world show what consumers
pay on average for milk. The
following numbers (for the 12month
period
ending
November 2011) take into
account the habits of consumption, for example the fact that
close to 80 per cent of milk
bought in Canada is in a 4-litre
format:
Canada $1.45/L ; US $0.99;
NZ $1.65; Australia $1.55;
Norway $2.74; France $1.66;
Germany $0.95; China $1.70.
What place do Canadians
give to dairy in their diets?
While in general they need to
consume more to follow the
food guide, comparing per
capita consumption of milk
and dairy in Canada to that of
other countries, Canadians
belong in the category of “big
fans of dairy.”
If you appreciate what DFC
does for you, join us in busting
some myths! Visit yourmilk.ca
and like us on Facebook!
This editorial space is provided by
the Quebec Farmers’ Advocate in
the interest of starting democratic
debate about urgent issues facing
Canadian farms. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the
Quebec Farmers’ Association and
its members. If you would like to
write an editorial or comment on
one you have read, please write to
[email protected] or The
Quebec Farmers’ Advocate,
555 Roland-Therrien, office
255, Longueuil, QC J4H 4E7
QFA memberships, which include a
free subscription to the Advocate, are
$68.99 ($60 + $3 GST + $5.99 QST)
for one year OR $137.97 ($120 + $6
GST + $11.97 QST) for two years. See
the Membership Application form on
page 2.
Send cheques to:
The Quebec Farmers’ Association
555 Roland-Therrien, office 255
Longueuil, QC J4H 4E7
Phone: (450) 679-0540, ext. 8536
Fax: (450) 463-5291
E-mail: [email protected]
In the midst of a
chaotic world,
filled with
overloaded
schedules and
people always on
the go, Riverdance
Farm seems to
stand still in
time.
Angie Beaudet
Advocate Eastern Townships
Correspondent
It is a place where the soft
breeze caresses the rolling hills
and a herd of horses roam
freely on more than 30 acres of
pasture. It’s a simplified way of
life, where there’s a sense of
serenity as I stand amongst a
herd of warmblood horses with
owner Jane Mitchell.
When Mitchell bought the
Melbourne farm five years ago,
her main ambition was making
the world a better place for
horses. Taking in several cases
of horses with physical or psychological problems, she began
to rethink traditional methods
of training and horse keeping.
Everything on her farm is
designed to give the horses the
most natural environment possible, from the large pastures
where the horses live in herds,
to barefoot hoof trimming.
Observing the dynamics of
herd life, Mitchell started to
perceive the way they communicate amongst themselves.
“With now three generations
from my broodmares, I can see
how last year’s foals almost
always become babysitters for
the new offspring,” she
explains about the interaction
between ages.
The farm—currently offering
training, riding lessons and
young horses for sale—has
new projects brewing. One of
these plans includes “developing a project in which kids with
difficulties, either at home or in
school, would be able to come
spend a few hours at the farm.”
“Horses helped me get
through the most difficult
times of my life,” says Mitchell,
which is why she wants to
share the benefits of humanhorse interaction, “whether it
be feeding, brushing, or learning skills such as how to handle a horse.”
Horse clinics are another
project currently being developed, along with business partner Valérie Paquet. Rather than
the regular training clinics in
which the emphasis is learning
a particular training method,
the plan is to “put the focus on
exploring with me more natural methods of horse-keeping;
things like bitless bridles,
cooperative training, correct
balance and alignment and
barefoot hoof trimming,” says
Mitchell. The clinics would
therefore be a combination of
all aspects of horse life.
Participants would also be able
to wander through the pastures amongst the herds and
observe their behaviour, gaining insight into horse psychology—how horses think, communicate and interact with
each other.
Passionately devoted to the
well-being of these hoofed animals, Mitchell is forever finding new ways of improving
accepted horse-rearing practices. By observing what works
and what doesn’t, she is constantly evolving to improve
their quality of life.
Therefore, her focus is also
developing a partnership with
horses that “treats them with
respect, rather than imposing
force and domination” to get
the results she wants. It is with
this philosophy in mind that
she trains and rides her horses,
waiting for the horse to accept
being ridden of its own free
will and obtaining a horse that
stands with her without being
tied and follows her as its
leader. To Mitchell, this only
seems natural if we are to consider ourselves as partners
with our horse counterparts.
Always trying to learn from
what horses have to teach us,
Mitchell is dedicated and passionate about her work. To her,
it is about finding balance and
sharing her experiences with
others. “If what I have learned
and experienced helps a horse
or person find balance in their
life,” she says fondly, “Then
my mission is accomplished.”
Angie Beaudet grew up in the
picturesque village of Ulverton,
where her passion for horses led
her to pursue her studies in the
Equine Technologies program at
the Agri Food Institute in La
Pocatière. She has worked many
years in the field, specializing in
horse training and is also a graduate from the Institute of
Children’s Literature.
PHOTO: ANGIE BEAUDET
People and horses live a natural and
balanced life at Riverdance Farm
Jane Mitchell stands with one of her favourite young horses at Riverdance Farm. Raised
in the most natural environment possible, Mitchell’s main goal is making the world a better place for horses.
What you can do for your pasture this year
It looks like an early grazing
season is upon us, and I hope
you have main elements in place
for a successful grazing year. At
this time of year, it’s important
to take stock of those things that
lead to good grazing—such as
grass height at turnout, water,
fence energizers and mineral
supplementation—so that your
pasture is as productive as it can
possibly be.
Our goal should be to let the
grass plant be defoliated once
and then give it a rest period of
20 to 60 days—depending on the
paddock, the growth rate, and
how much grass you left at last
grazing the previous fall. One of
the most controversial arguments in grazing management is
when to begin grazing in the
spring. The regular crop guides
in Ontario and Quebec advise
you to wait until you have threeto four-inches of growth and to
leave half of it by reducing it to
one and one-half inches. But
that’s not always easy.
When early spring growth is
slow, you can do one of two
things: move your cattle to new
paddocks sooner or put them in
a sacrifice parcel until grass
growth in the original paddock
is adequate to provide a full forage ration. Early grazing is recommended
providing
the
ground will not be punched up,
and has the occasional benefit of
forcing the grass plant to produce more tillers. When I visited the United Kingdom in 1990,
many expert grazers were putting their sheep out in early
spring to graze and create tillering in their ryegrasses. Being
Choose a high spot in the field
for the line and bring in sand or
bark if they become muddy, otherwise make them movable from
one year to the next. Water is
your cattle’s cooling system and
can mostly replace their need for
shade. It is also your control on
the equal utilization of grass and
the equal distribution of the
manure in a parcel. If you’re
looking for quick couplers for
water lines, go to the Kentucky
Graziers Supply website at
http://kygraziers.com/kgshop
and click on “Plasson Quick
Coupler” on the left.
tial leaks and the vegetation that
will inevitably come in contact
with the fence. Spending $200
extra for a larger energizer that
you’ll use over the next ten years
is worth the convenience on a
fence system.
Mineral and salt
supplementation
A study carried out by the
Ministère de l'agriculture, des
pêcheries et de l'alimentation du
Québec found that the province’s
beef producers were not giving
enough mineral to their herds.
In an article published in the
ting a TMR, or total mixed
ration, of many species. Due to
our variable soil fertility and frequent lack of lime, we need to
provide
adequate
mineral
supplementation on pasture.
Recently,
while
keeping
upon
my
reading
on
www.grazinginfo.com, I learned
that in New Zealand they analyze their pasture herbage for all
15 to 17 elements needed for
plant growth. The New Zealand
industry considers pasture forage a total mixed ration, so they
feed minerals in a mineral solution in the drinking water to
Water
Since 2005, many efforts have
been made to get water lines to
pasture paddocks, when Quebec
environmental
regulations
required cattle to be fenced out
of watercourses.
The system
does require some capital, but
with one-inch 75 PSI plastic pipe
costing about 40 cents per foot,
you can lay a line for 2,500 feet
for about $1,000 on the surface
and pump water a considerable
distance—provided you have a
water source. Amortized over 10
to 20 years, it makes the system
fairly low-cost. In the fall, all you
need do is remove the pressure
and open the valves and the system should remain undamaged
by freezing. In visiting grazing
farms throughout Quebec in
recent years, I’ve seen many lines
laid underground at great
expense. This also makes them
inflexible for future connections.
Surface lines with quick attachments, a portable plastic tub to
hold the water, and cattle-proof
float valves will do just fine. In
my opinion, the watering sites
do not need to be on poured concrete slabs, an unnecessary cost.
PHOTO: HUBERT MCCLELLAND
Hubert McClelland
Advocate Grazing Specialist
lighter than cattle, sheep could
not punch up the moist soil.
Researchers found they could
get up to 30,000 tillers or growing points per square metre
through using this practice.
That makes for very dense pastures—every single square centimetre would have three growing points on it—and, remember, there’s 10,000 square centimetres in a square metre.
Cattle could be placed on these
thick, leafy pastures later when
soil condition permitted. Early
grazing does have it benefits as
long as you make sure that you
leave enough rest periods to
restore root reserves, and see to
it that defoliation does not occur.
For species like the persistent
orchard grass, early grazing cuts
down on the amount of seed
heads in early pasture. In the
Gatineau valley, my orchard
grass parcels normally head by
May 19. This year, seed heads
appeared on May 14. So if you
have an early well-drained field
with orchard grass, May 1 is not
too early to get the cattle out,
provided they’re ready and soil
and weather cooperate.
Bringing water to your pasturing cattle doesn’t need to be an expensive operation. A portable plastic tub to hold the water and piping
lain across the field surface will do the job just as well as lines running underground.
Electric fencers
I made the mistake of buying
the recommended size of fencer
for my acreage according to the
fence company norms. But, in
practice, you may be better off
with something a little bigger. A
unit that offers more Joules will
help burn off vegetation, and
provide a sufficent shock for
small animals like young calves
that may not ground as well as
big stock. I measured 3,000 to
4,000 volts for many years and
my fencer worked alright, but
more power is always better
(6,000 to 8,000 volts) for peace of
mind—particularly when there
are voltage losses caused by par-
Bovins du Québec magazine in
2005, veterinarians found insufficient levels of selenium in the
blood. Selenium prevents muscular dystrophy, but is also
involved in reproductive and
immune-system
response.
According to the study, only 11
per cent of herds consumed
more than 100 grams of mineral
per cow, per day—which is the
recommended quantity—and
more than 50 per cent of herds
fed less than 50 grams per cow,
per day. To read a copy of the
study (in French only), go to:
www.agrireseau.qc.ca/bovinsboucherie/navigation.aspx?id=
83118
Livestock on pasture are get-
QFA members save on high-speed internet
Get the fastest high-speed internet available to rural
residents today — through satellite technology !
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Offer ends June 30th !
ensure adequate intake. Those
elements not easily transmitted
through drinking water are
mixed with limestone and
applied to pasture. That may be
as good a sign as any to show
that, here in Canada, we have a
fair way to go in getting mineral
supplementation perfected for
pasture.
Hubert McClelland has been
encouraging grass-based beef and
dairy production for over 35 years.
He offers consultation through the
Réseau Agriconseils to Quebec producers who wish to improve their
grazing management. He can be
reached at
[email protected]
Shawville to welcome 4-H clubs
from across the province
Alyssa Fourneaux
Public Relations Assistant
Quebec 4-H
The Shawville 4-H club will be
hosting the 37th annual Quebec
4-H Provincial Rally next month.
Laura Stephens-Dagg, press correspondent for Shawville 4-H,
said the members of the club “are
team in their barn display and
costume class.
“Since Shawville is known as
a ‘hockey town’ and the home of
players such as Frank Finnigan,
we are embracing our town history while letting each club take
on the role of a hockey team,”
said Stephens-Dagg.
The Provincial Rally originated
psyched” for the coming rally,
particularly younger members.
“Hosting rally is important
for our club because this year
many of our young members
(ones that are too young for
rally otherwise) will also be
able to attend,” said StephensDagg. “This experience will
help to strengthen the bond
between our members and help
the younger ones to make
friends with members in other
clubs.”
The theme for this year’s rally
is “The Good Ole Hockey
Game.” Each club selected an
NHL hockey team and their
challenge is to represent the
in Richmond in 1976 and has
grown into an anticipated event
for many members of the 4-H.
Lorelei Muller, executive director
of Quebec 4-H, said the Provincial
Rally gathers members from 4-H
clubs from across Quebec to
demonstrate their skills and have
fun—while giving them the
chance to meet new people.
“They make friends from different regions across Quebec,”
Muller reported. “It’s beneficial
when it comes to things like
their [post-secondary] schooling
because they’ll already have
friends on the same campus.”
Eighteen-year-old
Emily
Simms is the current president
Celebrate
100 years of 4-H
The 4-H Association is celebrating its
centenary in 2013. We’re creating an
e-history of the 4-H club along with the rest
of Canada. Send us your old photographs,
videos, memorabilia and stories.
Send your memories to
[email protected] or
Quebec 4-H
Macdonald College
Harrison house 3-40
21, 111 Lakeshore Road
Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3V9
PHOTO: 4-H ARCHIVES
“The Provincial Rally lets 4-H members make friends
from different regions across Quebec. It’s beneficial
when it comes to things like their [post-secondary]
schooling because they’ll already have friends on the
same campus.”
—Quebec 4-H Executive Director Lorelei Muller
The Shawville 4-H club at last year’s Provincial Rally. Shawville’s club represented France for the rally’s “We are the World” theme.
of the Shawville 4-H club. While
only an a 4-H member for a few
years, she said the club has
given her many positive experiences.
“I have had the opportunity to
make friends from all across
Quebec,” Simms said. “I have
also been able to help give back
to my community with the help
of our club members.”
The Shawville 4-H club makes
a point to give back to their community. Stephens-Dagg said at
the end of an event all the mem-
bers wear a smile on their face
despite the fatigue.
“Community service is important to the Shawville 4-H club
because we are a community
based club,” explains StephensDagg. “Without community
service our club would go unnoticed and unsupported by the
community. They so do much to
help us out, we decide to give
back as much as possible.”
Last year’s annual report of
the club describes various
fundraising events for charities
like Free the Children and Relay
for Life. The club also helped
plant 100 trees around the town
to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Woman’s Institute of
Shawville.
The Provincial Rally takes place
from July 5 to 8 at the local fairgrounds in Shawville, Quebec.
The opening ceremonies kick off
at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday followed by the Farmers’ Olympics.
Show day is on Saturday. Events
continue until the banquet on
Saturday evening.
The Quebec Beef Producers Federation
Fédération des producteurs de bovins du Québec
Levinoff-Colbex in receivership
As a result of the financial situation of the cull-cattle slaughter
enterprise Levinoff-Colbex, a
receiver has been appointed by
the court, at the request of its
creditors. Effective June 1, the
receiver will administer the
entire process and will make the
decisions regarding the followup activities.
Although it has no control
over the affairs of the business or
its having been placed under
receivership, the Fédération des
producteurs de bovins du Québec
(FPBQ) would favour the option
of a block sale to a single buyer,
in order to avoid the dismantling
of the assets, thus facilitating the
reactivation of the business. For
the FPBQ, the objective remains
the continuity of operations at
Levinoff-Colbex.
In the meantime, the FPBQ
will continue to assume its ex
officio role and will take all necessary measures to ensure the efficient and organized marketing
of cull cattle through the auction
network. The animals sold this
week and in the future will be
redirected to slaughterhouses in
Quebec or elsewhere in Canada
and the United States. The FPBQ
will continue to inform producers on the various cattle marketing methods that are available to
them, with the continued objective being that they obtain the
best possible prices.
Today, our thoughts are also
directed towards the company’s
employees and their families,
who are presently going through
some difficult times. We wish to
thank them, as well as the commercial and governmental suppliers and partners, who have
contributed directly or indirectly
in maintaining the operations of
the business.
Information:
Fédération des producteurs de bovins du Québec
Sonia Dumont
Communications Officer
450-679-0540, ext. 8354
Changes in the reporting
of beef prices
Eve Martin, Feeder-calf marketing coordinator
Since January 2012, the chart of cattle prices from the feeder-calf specialized auctions, which appeared weekly in La Terre de chez
nous, is no longer being published. A change to the newspaper’s deadline for articles has resulted in the pricelist being two weeks out
of date. The marketing agency has therefore opted to continue only with the average weekly prices for specialized and regular auctions
published in the paper’s market review section, notwithstanding the two-week delay.
Several ways to obtain prices
You can now learn of cattle prices through three different ways:
• Publication of the specialized auctions’ price charts on the website of the Fédération des producteurs de bovins du
Québec (www.bovin.qc.ca), using the tabs Info-prix and Veaux d’embouche. The charts are available on Monday afternoon following the
previous week’s sale. The content and appearance of the price tables are virtually identical to those previously published in La Terre de
chez nous.
• A mailing of the specialized auction price charts by fax or email to a list of stakeholders and producers early on Monday afternoon.
To be included on this mailing list, please contact Mrs. Kathleen Soucy at the Feeder-Calf Marketing Agency at 450-679-0540, ext. 8361.
• A recorded telephone message, in English and French, is available by dialling 1-855-ENCAN VE (1-855-362-2683), which gives the
volumes sold and the weekly prices for the principal animal categories at the specialized auctions. The categories covered are: Castrated
males 500-600 lb, 600-700 lb and 700-800 lb, as well as females 500-600 lb, 600-700 lb and 700-800 lb.
Also, the federation’s website continually posts the sale prices from specialized auctions in real time, while statistics of each sale are
available the following day.
For more detailed information
Producers interested in obtaining more details on prices and market trends can register on the feeder-calf producers’ Externet site
(450-679-0540, ext. 8361) to get access to the bi-monthly report Vue d’embouche. This bulletin is divided into three parts:
1. A quick look at beef markets (weekly prices from Quebec, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario
2. Market commentary
3. Info-flash: a section giving generalized statistics on the markets and the evolution of certain issues being dealt with by the agency.
Thus, the marketing agency offers a variety of options to disseminate prices to producers. Use the method best suited to you to stay
informed about market prices!
The secret to good forages?
Start early and make it quick!
How much will corn
be worth this fall?
Who knows? The
best way for dairy
producers to cushion
the impact of the high
price of grain and
other concentrates is
to produce superior
quality forages. May
the 2012 harvest be a
good one!
Jean Brisson, agronomist
Dairy Production Expert
René Roy, agronomist
Agroeconomist
Research and Development
Valacta
It’s now common knowledge
that good quality forages are
the core of profitable dairy production. Good forages lead to
good production, using reasonable quantities of concentrates,
expressed as the “milk:concentrate” ratio. This ratio is the
quantity of milk produced for
each kilogram of concentrates
fed. Obviously, there are some
distinctions to be made at the
farm level. If the ration is composed mainly of corn silage, a
higher ratio is expected. If component levels are very high, a
somewhat lower ratio is expected. If high-moisture grain is fed,
it will need to be converted to
an equivalent dry matter basis.
Cows fed less than the required
amount of concentrates will
lose weight; sooner or later,
they will require more feed to
regain body condition.
Figure 1 presents the milk:
concentrate ratio for the whole
of Quebec for the last four
years. Notice how the ratio
increased appreciably between
the end of spring 2010 (2.85)
and the end of summer 2011
(3.17). That jump was due to the
excellent quality of the forages
harvested in the summer of
2010. You may recall that
Mother Nature was particularly
benevolent throughout the
province that summer. We saw
a great deal of forage containing
about 30 per cent ADF, a sign of
high energy levels.
Producing good quality forages is hence the best strategy
to lessen the impact of rising
grain prices on the herd’s feed
costs. So now how do we maximize forage quality? While
there are several factors to consider, producers are advised to
adhere to two basic principles:
start at the right time and harvest quickly.
1- Start at
the right time
ing dates, and number of boxes
or bales harvested. This is obviously valuable information for
managing inventories and
assessing yields.
Figure 2 shows the respondents’ position in terms of their
first mowing date and the number of days required to make
first-cut silage. The graph is
divided into four sections. To
and harvest over several weeks.
The graph shows that the stand
reached maturity earlier in
2010, since the vast majority of
producers had completed their
first mowing before June 16.
When we look at the length of
the first-cut period, however,
we see that there is no significant difference between the two
years. While some harvest sys-
includes both large and small
herds.
Efficiency is therefore a question of organization rather than
size. It’s a simple matter to
change the start date of the harvest since that decision is up to
the producer. But shortening
the length of the first-cut harvest is another story entirely,
because it means completely
It’s hard to make milk with
timothy or alfalfa harvested at
the flowering stage. You need
to keep a close watch on the
maturity of the stand because
the optimal time to start mowing is highly dependent on
growing conditions. The date
varies widely from one year to
the next, so you need to be vigilant. The best way to determine
the right moment for the first
cut is to start visiting the field
regularly early in the season.
Since the plants mature
extremely rapidly in the spring,
you’ll need to increase the frequency of your field visits as
the forage stand approaches the
desired maturity stage.
2- Harvest quickly: work
efficiently
You’ve decided on the ideal
day to start harvesting your forage crop. How many days will
it take to harvest the first cut?
Obviously, you need to take
into account the weather, but
you’ll be more likely to produce
good quality forage if you harvest 150 round bales per day
rather than 60. It’s all very well
to start in early June, but you’ll
gain nothing by it if the harvest
drags on until July 15! Hence
your harvest operation should
be organized in such a way as to
enable you to harvest your first
cut within a few days under
typical weather conditions…
The best way to determine the right moment for the first cut is to start visiting the
field regularly early in the season.
One size fits all?
At the regional dairy seminar
held in Rivière-du-Loup and
Mont-Joli, on February 1 and 2,
2012, dairy producers in attendance were invited to take part
in a little memory exercise.
They were asked to write down
three dates for the first cut in
2010 and 2011: the date of the
first mowing, the date of the
last mowing for silage, and the
date of the last mowing for hay.
It is standard practice to harvest
silage first and finish with hay.
Readers are invited to try the
exercise as well. We know there
are producers who will have no
trouble doing this because they
have been keeping records for a
number of years now: field
number, mowing and harvest-
the bottom left are the producers who start promptly and harvest quickly. To the bottom
right are the producers who
delay harvesting but work
quickly once started. In the top
left area are the producers who
start at the right time but whose
daily harvesting capacity is low,
which means the first-cut harvest stretches out over several
weeks. Finally, the top right section groups together the “laidback” producers, who start late
tems are able to complete the
first cut within a week, many
require more than three weeks
to complete the operation. We
asked the producers who took
part in the exercise to indicate
the size of their herd to see if
that might account for the
length of the harvest period. We
weren’t surprised to find that
there was almost no link
between herd size and the duration of the harvest period: each
of the sections in Figure 2
reworking your harvest operation and may involve some
investment as well. There are
two conditions for success:
draw up a realistic plan and be
prepared to change the way you
do things. The month of May
isn’t too late to revise your harvest system. Your advisors are
well equipped to support you
in your efforts to improve forage quality.
Canada poised to become world leader
in next-generation biofuel development
BioFuelNet Canada – made possible by federal NCE program – will bring together
industry and academics to research and develop biofuels of the future
A plane powered by grass?
Sounds unlikely, but thanks to a
new research network led by
Prof. Don Smith from McGill
University’s
Faculty
of
Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences, this could one day
become a reality.
BioFuelNet Canada is one of
three new Centres of Excellence
announced [this month] by the
Honourable Gary Goodyear,
Minister of State for Science and
Technology, during an event
held at McGill.
“Our government’s Economic
Action Plan 2012 focuses on the
drivers of growth and job
creation
innovation,
investment, education, skills
and communities,” said the
Honourable Gary Goodyear,
Minister of State for Science and
Technology. “Improving health
care, sustaining the environment
and managing natural resources
are three very important
priorities for Canadians and
focussing research investments
on these areas will build a more
sustainable future for all
Canadians.”
BioFuelNet
Canada
will
receive close to $25 million from
the Networks of Centres of
Excellence program (NCE).
NCEs
are
large-scale,
academically-led
virtual
research networks that bring
together
partners
from
academia, industry, government
and not-for-profit organizations.
For more than 20 years, the NCE
program
has
successfully
brought together the best minds
in many disciplines and sectors
to find solutions to critical issues
for
Canadians,
and
has
leveraged more than $386
million in industry cash and inkind support.
“Our goal is to develop the
knowledge, the tools and the
policies so that 25 per cent of the
fuel used in Canada will come
from advanced biofuels within
10 to 20 years,” explained Prof.
Smith, Scientific Director of
BioFuelNet Canada. “We are
looking at sources for fuel that
are as varied as forestry and
agricultural residue and fastgrowing
plants
such
as
switchgrass, as well as those
from algae, processed paper
waste, sewage and trash.”
With close to 100 researchers
from almost 25 institutions
across Canada, the network
includes most of the researchers
who are working in biofuels in
the country. They will be
divided into four regional
platforms
(West,
Prairie,
Central, and East) that will focus
on the sources, conversion
processes,
uses
and
sustainability practices that are
most appropriate for each area.
At the same time, by being
integrated into a national
network, investigators will
benefit from the synergy of the
shared research process.
“This is a great opportunity
for industry and academics in
Canada to work together to
advance the development of
next-generation biofuels, a key
component of the energy mix of
the future," said Mr. Thierry
Vandal, the Interim Chair of the
At the BioFuelNet Canada NCE announcement event, from left to right: McGill Principal Heather Munroe Blum, Don Smith, James
McGill Professor in the Department of Plant Science, the Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for Science and Technology
and Suzanne Fortier, President of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and President of the Networks of Centres of
Excellence Steering Committee.
Board of Directors of BioFuelNet
Canada and Hydro-Québec’s
President and CEO.
“By pooling expertise and
working together, members of
the network can create a realistic
roadmap which will put Canada
at the forefront of secondgeneration biofuel production,
while at the same time
significantly reducing Canadian
greenhouse gas emissions and
dependence on fossil fuels,”
added
Smith.
“We
are
committed to research that will
lead to results in the near future.
By working with our partners in
industry and in government, we
should be able to identify and
begin to implement best
practices and technologies
within five years, and also guide
policy to move us closer to
where we want to be.”
“We are grateful to the
government of Canada for the
important support provided
through the NCE program, and
we
congratulate
Professor
Smith’s
team
for
this
outstanding recognition of their
groundbreaking work,” said
Professor Heather MunroeBlum, McGill’s Principal and
Vice-Chancellor. “An exciting
exemplar of the synergies that
come from great science,
BioFuelNet also furthers the
development of products and
policies for a sustainable future.
McGill is proud to be a part of
this process.”
For more information about
BioFuelNet Canada:
www.biofuelnet.ca
Watch a video about the
research:
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=nLzE9 X1Z6o
MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR 2012 • UPCOMING EVENTS AT MACDONALD
SEPTEMBER 13
5th ANNUAL BOB PUGH GOLF CLASSIC
www.mcgill.ca/macdonald/alumni/events/bobpugh
OCTOBER 11-13
HOMECOMING 2012
Celebrating reunion classes ending with “2” and “7”
www.mcgill.ca/macdonald/alumni/alumevents/homecoming
OCTOBER 16-18
5th ANNUAL McGILL CONFERENCE ON GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY
Food Prices and Political Instability
October 16: Public Lecture Forum; October 17-18: Conference Sessions
www.mcgill.ca/globalfoodsecurity
P
Katherine Gombay
Media Relations
McGill University
Summer Fair calendar !
EXPO DE SAINT-HYACINTHE
July 26 to August 5
Saint-Hyacinthe ,QC
Summer fun for the entire family! Over 2,000 animals, as well as rides, activities for the little ones,
local products and shows.
EXPOSITION VALLÉE
DE LA COATICOOK
August 2 to 5
Coaticook, QC
This family fun fair includes animal exhibits and
competitions, tractor pulls, samples of dairy and
regional products, farm tours, shows, handicrafts
and much more.
SHIGAWAKE MUSIC FESTIVAL AND
AGRICULTURAL FAIR
August 16 to 19
Shigawake, QC
Horse pulls, handicrafts, baking, flowers, fun for the
kids and some of the best music the Gaspé region
has to offer!
COOKSHIRE AGRICULTURAL FAIR
August 16 to August 19
Cookshire, QC
Traditional country fair with judging of animals and
agricultural products, rides, vendors and shows.
STANSTEAD COUNTY AGRICULTURAL
EXPOSITION
August 23 to August 26, 2012
Ayer's Cliff, QC
This agricultural event is in its 167th edition.
Discover four days of family activities and shows.
On the program: livestock competitions and judging, arts and crafts, horticulture, rides and games,
horse pulls, truck pulls, pari-mutuel harness racing
and petting zoo.
Symbols
for Safety
There are dozens of
hazard and safety
symbols that you may
encounter in working
around your farm.
Below are some pictograms that can appear
on heavy machinery or
in your work area. Each
one is industry-recognized internationally,
and remembering what
they mean may help
you prevent an accident
or injury.
WARNING: Crush of whole body Force applied from side
WARNING: Crush of fingers or hand Force applied from side
WARNING: Severing of fingers or
hand - Impeller blade
To learn more,
visit the Association
1of Equipment
Manufacturers’ website
at www.aem.org
and click on PICTORIALS
BROME FAIR
August 31 to September 3
Brome, QC
Annual country fair held Labour Day weekend with
all kinds of attractions: midway, arts and crafts, livestock competitions, horses, music and much more!
SHAWVILLE FAIR
August 30 to September 3
Shawville, QC
Music, midway rides and everything you every
wanted from a county fair!
QFA SPEAKS OUT ON GREEN PAPER
Gib Drury (right), past-president of the Quebec Farmers’ Association, and QFA
Executive Director Ivan Hale were invited to address the Quebec commission responsible for the government’s Green Paper on Agriculture. QFA President Chris Judd also
attended and presented the association’s recommendations on the upcoming agricultural policy.
Ivan Hale
QFA Executive Director
It was mid-May, warm and
unseasonably dry. Driving to
Quebec
City
with
QFA
President Chris Judd and pastpresident, Gib Drury, we saw
farmers on the land with dust
clouds
following
behind.
Spring had come early. After
much anticipation, QFA was
going to present its comments
and recommendations on the
government’s Green Paper to
the government commission,
known
officially
as
the
Commission sur l'agriculture, des
pêcheries, de l'énergie et des
ressources
naturelles
(the
Commission for Agriculture,
Fisheries, Energy and Natural
Resources.)
When the provincial government released its discussion
paper last year, all Quebecers
were invited to participate in
developing a strategy to secure
a sustainable future for
Quebec’s agriculture and food
sectors. Like the Union des producteurs agricoles du Québec
(UPA), and over 200 groups and
individuals having a stake in
Leaders
everyone!
the outcome, the QFA prepared
and submitted its recommendations last summer (see the
September 2011 issue of The
Quebec Farmers’ Advocate for
our full list of recommendations
on the Green Paper.) QFA also
requested an opportunity to
appear before the government
committee studying the issues
to present its recommendations.
The day had finally come.
QFA was allotted forty-five
minutes and its request for
simultaneous interpretation had
been granted. The hearings
were being held in a committee
room of the main building of
Quebec’s National Assembly.
Eleven members of the provincial legislature were in attendance, six Liberals, including
Minister of Agriculture Pierre
Corbeil, and five from the Parti
Québécois.
Speaking in French, Drury
began by explaining the importance of English-speaking farmers being able to access information in English. He said this
has become more difficult in
recent years, especially from
MAPAQ and La Financière
Agricole.
Judd then explained that the
opinions of French- and
English-speaking agricultural
producers on issues affecting
them are usually the same.
Rarely is there disagreement.
Judd presented QFA’s 31 recommendations. Among them,
he suggested that La Financière
Agricole should declare its
intentions in advance of implementing any changes to the programs it administers. He advocated for on-going support to
families planning farm transfers. QFA called upon the
province to actively participate
in the development of a national food policy for Canada, and
urged the government to focus
on reducing the burden of
paperwork required of producers. QFA also stressed the
importance of the province
working together with other
ties. Judd answered, “It is vital
that we maintain a stable, predictable working environment.
Quebec is doing many things
right, especially its ASRA programs. Keep them and improve
them.
It is most important
however, for us to be able to
obtain information in English.”
Minister Corbeil then asked,
“How would the Quebec government address recommendations that are under federal
jurisdiction? “ Judd replied that
on-going high level meetings
are essential to develop a
national food policy and
Quebec can take the lead.
A Parti Québécois MNA commented that even French-speaking producers have difficulty at
times understanding government programs and keeping up
with changes. He asked if producers are kept well informed.
actions we know that the UPA
is looking out for the interests of
all producers across the
province, big and small, and
including the English.”
In the remaining time available the MNAs asked questions
about food banks and animal
welfare. At the end of the time
available Minister Corbeil
thanked the QFA for having
made its views known saying,
“English producers will always
be welcome in the National
Assembly.”
During the long drive home
we discussed the events of the
day and asked ourselves if it
had all been worthwhile.
Alongside the autoroute we
could see farmers racing to
plant before the next rainfall.
Chris Judd summed up our
thoughts, “We can never know
for sure. But one thing I know is
PHOTO: JULIE MERCIER/TCN
PHOTO: ARCHIVES/TCN
QFA’s recommendations to MNAs
well-received
The QFA addressed MNAs gathered in the National Assembly, including Quebec Minister of Agriculture Pierre Corbeil.
provinces and the federal government to harmonize inspections and bring about reciprocity of standards, for example, in
meat inspection.
Speaking in English, Minister
Corbeil asked what the QFA
would choose as its top priori-
The MNA for St-Hyacinthe,
also representing the Parti
Québécois, asked about QFA’s
position on a single organization being accredited to represent all agricultural producers.
Judd replied, “QFA has no
problem with this.
By its
that if we had not gone they
would not have heard the views
of English-speaking farmers.”
Nothing is guaranteed in agriculture but farmers are eternal
optimists and are always anxious to plant their seeds and
watch the next crop grow.
The QFA extends a warm welcome to the following individuals, businesses and organizations
who have either renewed their memberships or who have joined the QFA family for the first time.
Your membership is greatly appreciated. Together we are supporting and strengthening the
English-speaking rural community in Quebec.
Benjamin Ball
Philippe Hardy
Patrice Levesque
Perry Cheslock
Marilyn Harland
Malcolm Orr
John and Judy Evans
William Kremmel
Fred Sundborg
To become a QFA member, clip out our membership form on page 2,
or call 450-679-0540 ext. 8536
Theode and
Kelly Turgeon
Montreal school digs farming
Bobbie Variantzas
CLC Coordinator
Gerald McShane School
On Saturday, May 5th 2012,
the Gerald McShane school community situated in Montreal
came together to create our
Community Teaching Garden.
This included students, parents
and family members, staff and
friends, and individual volunteers from two different community organizations. Almost 100
people participated in this wonderful day!
Our event took place from
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and included a
BBQ for all. We had tables set up
for different activities, such as
planting seeds to take home
(nasturtiums and bush beans,
both edibles), making newspaper pots for the students to start
seeds that will be planted directly into the garden, and a station
for facepainting (just for fun!).
We also had a big trolley set up
with equipment from our Phys.
Ed. department. We also had
two erstwhile woodworking
teachers build us a beautiful
arbour!
Our main activity, though,
was the creation of the garden
itself. We set up groups of volunteers (adults and children)
and set to work. We adopted a
permaculture model, which
involves re-using the grass and
any tree branches that have been
pruned and using them as a
green compost in the beds
before piling them with garden
soil and compost. This creates
mounds which are then topped
by hay to retain moisture. We
also planted two pear trees,
three currant bushes, four blueberries and three raspberry
canes.
Our BBQ was a feast of delicious food enjoyed by all. Being
entrenched in a wonderful
Italian community, we served
Italian sausages in paninis with
a Chilean tomato salsa made by
one of our community partners
(Les Fourchettes de l’Espoire) to
top off our sausages, as well as a
quinoa salad as a side dish. We
also had a selection of vegetables
for everybody to choose from
(mushrooms, cauliflower, carrots). For desert we had watermelon and we drank fruit juices,
lemonade and water.
This was a great day for the
entire Gerald McShane community. By mobilizing our families,
neighbours,
partners
and
friends, we created a garden
where there had not been one
before and had a fun and active
day in the process!
The simple pleasures associated with growing our own food
will continue to be taught to the
students who will take these lessons into their own homes and
share them with their families,
thus spreading the message of
healthy foods and healthy
habits.
Our garden will grow and
thrive during the summer
months under the care of our
community partners and we
look forward to celebrating our
Community Share-Day once we
are back in school in September
to show what we have learned
through our garden project.
We extend our thanks to all
our financial supporters, namely: Health Canada (CHSSN),
Metro Green Apple and the
Coeur et Berlingot Awards (Heart
and Stroke Foundation). Thank
you very much for your support
in the implementation of Gerald
McShane’s
Community
Teaching Garden.
DEVOTION TO DAIRY
Searching for the perfect feeding system
Paul Meldrum
Manager
Macdonald Campus Farm
In our quest to find quick,
efficient methods to feed
calves, many in the dairy
industry have been using outdoor hutches. These are unparalleled in providing fresh air
and a clean environment for a
newborn calf. To be sure, using
hutches has its challenges.
The people feeding in outside
hutches have to contend with
those bitterly cold days, as well
as drifts of snow, strong winds
and freezing rain. And the
calves need to be fed up to 20
per cent more to provide
enough energy to keep warm.
Calves often need coats and
sometimes ear covers in cold
weather which have to be taken
off and put back on as the
weather fluctuates.
Since most calves in hutches
are fed milk by pail, it is difficult to get enough milk into a
calf in just two feedings
because of an increased possibility of scours (see column in
May issue). For the conscientious producers, this means
lugging out pails of milk for a
third feeding in the middle of
the day.
The most labour saving
method of feeding calves is
group feeding. This can be
done using fence rail pail feeders with multiple nipples, but
that still necessitates filling two
or three times/day. Using nipple barrels with acidified milk
or milk replacer, or an automatic milk feeder (AMF) allows
calves to have ad lib or multiple
feedings with minimal labour.
The first group feeding systems were simple barrels with
nipples with tubes running to
the bottom of the barrel, originally embraced by seasonal
milk producers because of the
sheer number of calves they
had to feed at the same time.
The original system used fresh
milk, but there were problems
with bacterial growth. The system was improved by acidifying the milk to extend its shelf
life and quality. The drawback
with this is that the milk gets
cold, which may discourage
consumption and affect the
clotting of the milk in the stomach. There are now insulated,
heated nipple barrels that can
be installed in calf pens, allowing calves to drink acidified
milk or milk replacer ad lib
without causing scours. Calves
nurse when they are hungry
and stop when they are full,
much like beef calves on pasture with their mothers. There
is no problem with calves sucking on each other because that
urge has been satisfied while
nursing.
Automated calf feeders work
on the same principle, except
that milk replacer is mixed
fresh, at the correct tempera-
track daily gain. One AMF can
supply two feed stalls. There
are also companion grain feeders set up the same way.
The challenge with using
these systems is the facilities
where they are located. We
originally moved calves outdoors into hutches due to poor
air quality inside dairy barns.
Nipple barrels and AMFs need
to be located in separate rooms
or facilities with good ventilation systems. Efficient feeding
in a poor environment defeats
the purpose, as you will spend
The use of any group feeding system does
not exempt a producer from spending time with the
calves. Pens still have to be cleaned and calves
observed for signs of ill health.
ture, each time the calf enters
the feeder. AMFs are more
expensive, but allow more control. You can program how
much you want a calf to eat on
a daily basis, and divide it up
into as many feedings as you
like. The computer keeps track
of how often the calf enters the
feeder and how much it consumes; any unconsumed milk
is discarded after the calf has
left so the next calf entering
gets fresh milk replacer. The
AMF also has an automatic
cleaning system, to keep the
lines from getting dirty or
clogged. Some systems come
with weigh scales, so you can
more time treating calves, have
a poorer growth rate and a
higher mortality rate.
The
other potential drawback is
that bacteria will be transferred
more readily as calves share the
same nipples.
The use of any group feeding
system does not exempt a producer from spending time with
the calves. Pens still have to be
cleaned and calves observed for
signs of ill health. The AMFs
provide data that flag health
problems right away, but you
have to take the time to look at
the computer generated reports
at least once/day. If a calf
stops eating, then something is
definitely wrong. As good as
these reports are, they are a tool
— you can’t replace observation time on the part of the calf
manager.
At the Macdonald Campus
Farm, we are exploring the possibility of switching from
hutches to an automatic milk
feeder. It would save a lot of
labour, especially in winter
with the necessary snow
removal, three times/day feeding, and putting on and taking
off coats and ear covers as the
temperature fluctuates. An
AMF would fit in well with our
requirement for data collection
for research and teaching.
However, with our calf mortality rate at less than half of one
per cent, we want to be
absolutely certain that moving
our calves inside will not compromise calf health. Either
way, we want to increase the
amount of milk we feed to our
calves, and to do that, we will
be feeding our calves from nipples rather than pails, be it in
individual hutches or with an
AMF. I will keep you posted as
to our decision and the results.
Paul Meldrum is the manager of
McGill University’s Macdonald
Campus Farm. In the past, he has
run successful dairy operations in
both Ontario and New York State,
hosted and produced CJOH TV’s
“Valley Farmer,” and has been
heard on agriculture reports for
CBC Radio Noon in Ottawa.
It pays to be open-minded about gardening:
The Three Flower Pot Theory
Robert Savage, Agronomist
MBA
CEO
Solutions affaires
experts-conseils
A patient went to the doctor to
get a prescription for his various
symptoms. The doctor carefully
listened to the patient, asking
questions about the patients’s
work and family all the while. He
finally asked: “Do you give your
three flower pots the same
amount of water? That is your
work, your family and yourself?”
The doctor is real and so is this
story. The story has been repeated many times, especially when
the patient became a business
owner. It’s no wonder why!
The basics of gardening
If you know about agriculture,
you know, among many other
things, how to care for animals,
how to grow plants and how to
manage human resources. If one
of these three aspects gets less
attention than another, the farm
is going to suffer. In fact, the success of a farm business is often
based on the farm manager’s
ability to balance the many
aspects of the business. But your
farm is only one aspect of your
own life. How can you deal with
your work while still taking care
of your family and, most importantly, yourself? These are the
professional, mental and physical aspects of your personal life.
The art of making money, or
today’s success, makes it too easy
to put off a long overdue vacation, to turn down a fishing trip
or just spend a weekend away
with your spouse. You did just
that a couple months ago? Okay
then. Was it a threesome with
you, your spouse and your
iPhone? You know, that thing
that hangs by your belt, that
rings, vibrates, and constantly
reminds you that you are a business owner after all?
water for your family flower pot
and your own flower pot makes
more sense. Even so, if you try
to disconnect and then long for
the adrenaline rush of your
overbooked schedule, it might
be time to wonder if you have
become a workaholic, which by
the way, rhymes with alcoholic.
Both are diseases, both are an
equal threat to your business,
your family and yourself. If two
of your flower pots are almost
dried out, then the last one is
getting overwatered. Every
farmer has seen it before,
whether it is a dry or wet summer, the impact is the same:
poor crops with low profit, if
any profit at all.
In my last article, I urged you
to seriously consider becoming
more open to technology.
Today, I am telling you to make
sure you remain in control of
that technology. If you have
access to the World Wide Web,
that is the internet, you can
receive and send information in
real time. It can either help you
to be a better manager and make
better decisions, or it can
become an addiction which is,
like any addiction, very difficult
to get free from its clutches.
Better safe than sorry
How do you manage to properly water your three flower
pots? One thing is for sure, the
impact of overlooking one
aspect of your life will have a
financial impact on your farm
business. Whether it be through
making bad decisions, getting
sick due to overstress or having
to face a divorce, sooner or later
it will hit you in the face like one
of those bugs hitting your windshield on the highway. You’ll
never see it coming, and you
most likely won’t be able to
avoid it. When it does happen, a
good step to take would be to
call someone like myself to talk
about why your farm business is
going through difficult times. If
it’s you, what will you do?
Having worked for over 16 years for
various financial organizations,
Robert Savage, founder of Solutions
affaires experts-conseils, has established an innovative approach to
farm consulting services. With the
help of a multidisciplinary team of
experts, Solutions affaires expertsconseils can get your farm on its
way to greater profitability by
working with your existing
resources and by having access to a
network of professionals involved in
agri-business.
Tight-rope act
A successful business person
is one who invests everything he
or she has in the business. That
is what people expect and probably what you expect as well. If
this isn’t what you expect, if you
have any doubts about this, you
might find the concept of saving
A donation to the Warren Grapes Fund will
help a young person get one step closer to
his or her agricultural dream
The QFA’s Warren Grapes Agricultural Education Fund helps to
promote agricultural and silvicultural education and learning among the
English-speaking farm community of Quebec.
Bursaries are distributed to post-secondary students of agriculture
each fall.
Support the young farmers of tomorrow and give to the Warren Grapes
Fund!
Please make cheques payable to “Warren Grapes Agricultural
Education Fund”. Receipts will be issued for all donations of $20.00
or more.
QFA Vice-president John McCart
presents Krystle Hauver with a
Warren Grapes bursary at the QFA’s
2011 annual meeting.
Warren Grapes Fund
c/o Quebec Farmers’ Association
555 boul. Roland-Therrien, Office 255
Longueuil, QC J4H 4E7
Land speculators active
in the Mascouche region
The local UPA syndicate for
L’Assomption-Les
Moulins
made an impression on the
Parliamentary Commission on
the Green Paper for Agriculture.
“We’ve come here to speak to
you about land speculation and
the hoarding of farmland,”
declared Marcel Papin, the syndicate’s
president,
while
appearing
before
the
Commission on Agriculture,
Fisheries, Energy and Natural
Resources (CAPERN) on May
16.
Using a map of the region,
Papin and syndicate Vice-president Gilles Gouger, explained to
what extent the farms in the
areas
of
Mascouche,
L’Assomption and L’Epiphanie
have already been bought up by
numbered companies, real
estate developers and other
non-agricultural purchasers.
“The green zone is getting
quite
pale,”
emphasized
Gouger. These farms are usually
rented to farmers without any
lease, for a small amount of rent
plus the payment of taxes. The
problem with this, according to
area farmers, is that it is impossible to make any long-term
investments. “I am practically
the only one in my area whose
farmland is drained,” declared
Gouger, even though the soil is
of high quality. Another conse-
quence of the leasing practice is
that young farmers are faced
with paying high prices for
farms, which can reach $10,000
per acre or more.
“Beginning farmers are not
able to compete with these
investors,” declared Papin.
Some of the non-agricultural
buyers have told farmers they
do not expect high yields on
their investments for several
years. Indeed, they are hoping
for an eventual rezoning over a
PHOTO : BEATRIZ SALAS/TCN
Thierry Larivière
The UPA syndicate for L’Assomption-Les Moulins is calling for a freeze on all agricultural land classified 1 to 5, which would leave
only marginal land for eventual development in an effort to save the region’s farmland.
long period, thus causing land
values to easily increase tenfold.
The local syndicate is calling
for a freeze on all agricultural
land classified 1 to 5, which
would leave only marginal land
for eventual development.
“There wouldn’t be so many
land speculators if there was no
rezoning,” suggested Papin.
The syndicate’s position
paper also proposed solutions
taken from other countries, such
as France and the United States,
where land trusts have been put
in place to preserve the agricultural nature of the land. These
trusts make purchase offers
equivalent to those of the financial investors and then register a
permanent agricultural easement on the property title.
The local syndicate also cited
the example of the Sociétés d’amenagement foncier et d’établissement rural (SAFER) in France,
which facilitate farm transfers
and succession. The position
paper also noted that, according
to French law, notaries are legally bound to publicize all sales of
farmland.
LTCN 2012-05-23
Keeping control of joint poultry plans
Jean-Charles Gagné
the entire Quebec territory.” In
2011, poultry production generated on-farm revenues of close
to $700 million in Quebec and
the sector generated jobs for
over 16,000 people. The EVQ
therefore asked to maintain in
its entirety the Act respecting
the marketing of agricultural
products. They also supported
single trade union accreditation
in agriculture. “The power held
by the agrifood multinationals
and the large food processors in
the marketplace make it imperative that Quebec farmers remain
united,” said the federation.
Competition
The EVQ signalled its intent
to conserve and expand its
Quebec market to cover the
entire
country.
Quebec’s
Corbeil welcomed the QuebecOntario agreement.
“We intend to defend our
market share (coveted by
Alberta and Ontario) with all
our might,” declared Bouchard.
The centralized quota sale system for chickens and turkeys,
soon to be in operation, will also
help to maintain the competitiveness of Quebec producers.
The EVQ also believes “that
short market channels can be
supplied through volumes
available under the current collective poultry marketing systems in Quebec.” About 30 producers already practice direct
marketing for a portion of their
production in order to satisfy
niche markets. Others could be
added in accordance with the
new marketing agreement.
Members of the National
Assembly learned that new regulations regarding poultry density will come into effect on
December 1, 2013, under an animal welfare program presently
being developed. “We intend to
switch to a bird density of 34
kg/m2 as in Europe,” declared
Bouchard. “Also, we’re studying the possibility of apportioning our production over seven
cycles per year instead of the
present 6.5.” The commission
also learned about the introduction of a support program for
young, non-family-related farmers, scheduled for 2013.
LTCN 2012-05-30
PHOTOS : BEATRIZ SALAS/TCN
The Éleveurs de volailles du
Québec (EVQ) [Quebec poultry
producers] are refusing to
accept a forced representation of
industry in its decisional proceedings.
“That would dilute the powers of producers and would render negotiations with buyers
practically useless,” declared
their
president,
Jean-Paul
Bouchard, during hearings on
the Green Paper on May 14 in
Quebec City. In fact, he advocated in favour of maintaining the
present decision-making structures regarding the joint plans.
Bouchard justified his position
by the fact that there are only
two turkey buyers in Quebec,
who also purchase over 85 per
cent of the chickens. Moreover,
there are already several bodies
available for consultation and
working together with all of the
sector’s stakeholders, such as
the Conseil du poulet and numerous other committees resulting
from the marketing agreement.
“The purpose of supply management, which includes the
joint plans, is certainly not to
serve the needs of the agricultural materials and service suppliers,”
he
emphasized,
although they do benefit indirectly.
The EVQ reiterated that “supply management and collective
marketing are the best tools
available to distribute and
maintain the poultry farms over
Les Éleveurs de volailles du Quebec reiterated the benefits of collective marketing and supply management for the production of chickens and turkeys in Quebec.
Quebec looks good in the census of
agriculture
Marcel Groleau
UPA President
It’s always nice to hear good
news. That’s definitely the case
with the last agricultural census
(2006-2011), recently made public by Statistics Canada.
Agriculture in Quebec looks
good in several areas—something to celebrate if it were not
for the dark clouds presently
hanging over the meat sector.
In fact, Quebec continues to
be number one in dairy production, with 37 per cent of the
Canadian dairy cattle. It’s also
in the same position for swine
production, in spite of the serious difficulties the sector is
going through. Moreover, 90
per cent of all maple taps can be
found in Quebec, as well as the
largest areas of production for
strawberries, blueberries, cranberries and Christmas trees.
Québec-bio has also distinguished itself, with its certified
organic growers (and those in
the process) making up 3.5 per
cent of Quebec farms, compared to two per cent in the rest
of Canada. Organic maple production is particularly active,
with 37.6 per cent of sugarbushes being certified in 2011.
One other bit of encouraging
news. Although the number of
farms in Canada decreased by
10.3 per cent between 2006 and
2011, the drop was only four
per cent in Quebec. Better yet,
Quebec has been able to turn
the tide. In fact, between 2001
and 2006 (the previous census
reference period), the corresponding figure was 4.6 per
cent. For the rest of the country
over this same period, farm
abandonment went from 7.1 per
cent to 10.3 per cent.
Furthermore, Quebec farms
posted the highest net incomes
in Canada. Also, the average
age of our farmers is slightly
lower than the national average
and Quebec has the highest rate
of farm succession. With regard
to the number of farmers with
jobs off the farm, Quebec’s figure is 35.6 per cent, compared
to 46.9 per cent for Canada—
another sign of the superior
financial state of our farm businesses.
However, the data from the
last census confirms another
trend which merits some con-
cern: the number of large farm
businesses (more than $500,000
of income) and small operations
($24,999 or less in income) have
both increased, while those in
the middle bracket ($25,000 to
$499,999) have decreased. This
phenomenon could end up having a negative impact on our
agricultural model.
There is a direct relationship
between all of these results and
the quality of our agricultural
programs in Quebec. I’m referring in particular to our productions sectors under supply management, which are advantageous in many ways, including
their ripple effect on the development of organic production
(dairy and maple products, for
example). I am also thinking
about our income stabilization
programs,
which
ensure
increased sustainability for our
businesses.
We have a very dynamic agriculture here—a dynamism that,
in turn, supports a very vigorous food processing industry. In
fact, 70 per cent of agricultural
revenues are generated by
Quebec food processors, compared to 27 per cent in the other
provinces. Additionally, agriculture and food processing together return four billion dollars in
taxes to government coffers.
The agriculture and agrifood
sector in Quebec is an important economic lever. An investment in agriculture generates
support to the entire agrifood
chain—an avenue which is all
the more attractive now, since
the medium and long-term
forecast for agriculture is looking quite favourable. The data
from the latest agricultural census should be enough to tell us
that we’re on the right track in
our way of doing things in
Quebec. Now it’s up to us and
our partners to invest in these
same strengths.
LTCN 2012-05-23
Livestock producers should stick together,
says UPA president
Thierry Larivière
UPA
President
Marcel
Groleau showed a great deal of
openness by inviting other
stakeholders in livestock production chains to participate in
redefining the sharing of risk
within the industry.
While speaking to members
of the Association québécoise des
industries de nutrition animale et
céréalière (AQINAC) [Quebec
association of animal nutrition
and grain industries] on May 14
in Saint-Hyacinthe, Groleau
took the opportunity to invite
industry representatives to participate in discussions regarding a new solution for the agrifood sector, in which all levels
of stakeholders could be winners.
“If our aim is a renewal of our
industry, we must work together,” insisted Groleau, after
explaining the major difficulties
being faced by the pork, beef
and lamb sectors, which are all
showing a decrease in production. The UPA president
emphasized that processors and
farm input suppliers also
depend on farmers in order to
prosper and grow.
Groleau suggested that the
farm income stabilization insurance (ASRA) “has its limits.” He
even alluded to an idea where
the four major partner groups
(farmers, federal and provincial
governments and industry)
could work together in a way
that would ensure the viability
of the different production
value chains.
“Farmers will not go back to
block the doors of La Financière
agricole
by
themselves,”
declared Groleau. He therefore
invited grain processors to
work together with farmers to
find new solutions. This “new
way of doing things” could
include all levels of industry
stakeholders. Groleau insisted
that “time is of the essence,”
especially in pork production.
“How long can we wait before
taking action—we’ve reached a
critical point,” he stated while
speaking to some 200 industry
representatives.
Groleau also cited an example
of the support given to the
Ontario wine industry. In this
case, there was a significant
investment by the government
to develop this industry.
Contrary to Quebec sectoral
development plans, no obligatory capital outlay from producers was required in order to
get this government aid.
“Quebec’s sectoral plans are
slow to get started and very
demanding,” remarked Groleau
to the newspaper La Terre de
chez nous. He referred to the
example of market gardeners,
whose sectoral plan has been
“put on ice” during the past
two years, causing some growers to begin to convert their
fields to corn and soybeans.
Favourable reactions
“It’s not a bad idea to work
together,”
commented
Christian Breton, pork producer
and AQINAC president, during
an interview with La Terre de
chez nous following Groleau’s
presentation. He said that he is
open to discussion. Will the
final solution tend towards a
“rationalization of production,”
a “sharing of risk” or a “mixture
Christian Breton, president of the Quebec association of animal nutrition and grain industries, greets UPA President Marcel Groleau
following his speech to association members on May 14.
of all these things?” That
remains to be seen.
“It is important that independent producers remain,”
Breton conceded, while adding
that it is better to invest in a
diversified and growing industry than one on the decline.
Indeed, costs are higher when
processing volumes decrease.
The Coop fédérée also showed
openness towards a search for
solutions. “Is there a word that
comes closer to cooperation
than consultation?” commented
Vincent Cloutier, director of
agricultural affairs for the Coop
fédérée, whose organization is
certainly “very concerned” by
the situation in the pork sector.
The
president
of
the Fédération des producteurs de
porcs
du
Québec,
David
Boissonneault, believes that the
current system of income stabilization insurance does contribute to the viability of
slaughterhouses. He therefore
suggested that the government
could consider increasing its
participation in ASRA on condition that all stakeholders of the
sector commit to doing their
part, which would thus ensure
the long-term sustainability of
the sector.
It now remains to be seen if
all of these stakeholders can
negotiate together successfully
and if the government will consent to taking a step in this
direction in its biofood policy,
or through other means.
LTCN 2012-05-23
Young farmers federation says more
resources are needed
The Fédération de la relève agricole du Québec (FRAQ) [Quebec
young farmers federation]
believes that the problem for
the future of agriculture is not a
shortage of young farmers, but
rather a lack of ways and means
to achieve their objectives.
“There are plenty of students
in our agricultural schools,”
declared Alain Audet, FRAQ
president, responding to a
question from Quebec Minister
of Agriculture Pierre Corbeil,
who wondered about the federation’s statement that there is
no shortage of young farmers.
“There is still work to be
done,” added Magali Delomier,
the federation’s director-general, who emphasized that the last
census showed that the average
age of Quebec farmers has gone
up by two years.
The FRAQ’s recommendations to MNAs sitting on the
Parliamentary Commission for
Agriculture, Fisheries, Energy
and
Natural
Resources
(CAPERN) were divided into
four themes. Firstly, FRAQ is
concerned about young farmers’ access to farm assets, especially considering the present
context of having to purchase
farmland in competition with
established farmers, gentlemen
farmers and even investors in
the
financial
sector.
Nevertheless, the group stated,
it is important to maintain a
“critical mass” of farms if we
hope to preserve jobs and a
thriving agricultural community. FRAQ also raised concerns
over farmers quitting the profession, most notably those who
wish to retire and sell their
farms. The young farmers
group is calling for “a series of
strong measures” in order to
combat the dismantling of
farms.” It has suggested a special retirement fund for agriculture and a farm transfer savings
plan, similar to the educational
savings plan model. The
amount contributed by the government would have to be reimbursed if the farm is eventually
dismantled. Fiscal incentives to
encourage farm transfers were
also suggested. “These retirement measures are very important,” answered Delomier when
questioned about the organization’s priorities regarding these
PHOTO: THIERRY LARIVIÈRE/TCN
Thierry Larivière
types of approaches.
FRAQ also hopes to see
increased incentives for training. The group noted that only
11 per cent of established young
farmers had obtained a college
diploma (DEC) in farm business
management (GEEA). It suggested increasing and indexing
the farm establishment grants
as a desirable solution. The
grants should continue to be
determined as a function of
education and training levels.
Also, an increased recognition
of acquired knowledge was
suggested.
Finally, to help with the
development of agricultural
organizations, the federation
proposed adequate coaching for
each phase of projects undertaken by young farmers, sufficient financing for advisory
services and increased promotion of existing programs. It
also suggested a farm labour
replacement service to help
farm businesses find qualified
workers, which could do much
in helping farm owners maintain a balance between work
and family.
LTCN 2012-05-23
In a recent address to the committee discussing the provincial Green Paper on agriculture, the Quebec young farmers federation made
a number of suggestions to fight the trend of dividing and dismantling farms.
Improving collaboration in grain
“It’s essential that we work
together in the commercial crop
sector,”
said
Christian
Overbeek, president of the
Fédération des producteurs de cultures commerciales du Québec
(FPCCQ), while speaking at the
hearings of the Commission on
Agriculture, Fisheries, Energy
and
Natural
Resources
(CAPERN) on May 16.
Initiatives such as the uniformity of wheat for human consumption and the system for the
collection and dissemination of
information (SRDI) are aimed at
improving the marketing system, which is “far from transparent,” said the federation president. A new grain sector consultation group, which is scheduled
to meet soon, is another important new element to help to disseminate information.
“It’s all well and good if I
decide to grow buckwheat, but if
I produce 100,000 tonnes, I could
supply the entire market for several years with one year’s crop,”
Overbeek illustrated to show the
importance of transparency.
“Efficiency in the production
chain is achievable through
access to accurate information,”
insisted the federation president.
The FCPPQ also asked the
CAPERN not to ignore the
importance of “competitive”
support programs for income
stabilization, considering the
substantial subsidies that exist
for grain sectors in several competing countries. When questioned by Quebec Minister of
Agriculture Minister Pierre
Corbeil on the importance of
either more collective or more
individual programs, Overbeek
replied that both were necessary.
“A producer can try to be as
efficient as possible at the technical or agronomic levels, but the
markets fluctuate—so there has
to be a complementary system,”
commented Overbeek.
The federation also suggested
a “Reciprocity Observatory,” in
order to ensure that Quebec
remains competitive. To achieve
this, access to high-quality technical support and adequate
research are needed. On this lat-
PHOTO: THIERRY LARIVIÈRE/TCN
Thierry Larivière
FCPPQ Director-general Benoit Legault and President Christian Overbeek at the CAPERN hearings on May 16.
ter point, the federation mentioned the possibility of a concerted action plan in collaboration with industry and the federal government.
Minister Corbeil also asked
the FCPPQ what it thought of
five-metre riparian buffer strips,
as suggested by Nature Québec.
“Research has indicated several
answers to that question,”
answered Overbeek, adding that
soil type, topography and the
crop involved are all elements
that can cause variations in the
width of buffer strips required.
Land grabbing or hoarding
was a concern brought up by
MNA André Simard, the opposition party spokesperson for
agriculture, who asked the
FCPPQ president about his perception of the problem. “This is
an extremely worrisome issue,”
Overbeek answered, also noting
that with adequate income from
the market, combined with an
income stabilization program,
young farmers should be able to
compete with the land investment funds currently buying up
Quebec farmland.
Cash crops in Quebec represent revenues of one billion dollars for about 10,000 families, of
which $300 million are exports.
LTCN 2012-05-30
Collective marketing works for maple syrup
The Fédération des producteurs
agricoles
du
Québec
(FPAQ) believes that collective
marketing for maple syrup has
proved itself and must be
defended in the upcoming agricultural policy.
“In 1998, I was not able to sell
my maple syrup,” explained
FPAQ President Serge Beaulieu
at hearings of the Commission
on
Agriculture,
Fisheries,
Energy and Natural Resources
(CAPERN) on May 16. That
being said, in the following 10
years, demand for syrup
increased by 24.5 per cent and
the strategic reserve helped to
maintain prices, even during
several years of high yields.
“There may even be a lack of
syrup this year,” speculated
Beaulieu, noting that the small
harvest in the US will probably
lead to a decrease in the present
strategic reserve of 37 million
pounds.
Questioned by MNA Jean
D’Amours on the possibility of
increasing production quotas,
Beaulieu explained that there
have been three or four increases approved since 2005 and that
this question is studied each
year on the basis of supply and
demand. Thus, over 500 new
good relationship,” answered
Beaulieu adding that the market
agreement was negotiated for
two years with the Conseil de
l’industrie acéricole, the accredited buyers’ group.
possible, the quality and authenticity of maple products in
Quebec and elsewhere. The
maple sector is also hoping for
the introduction of a world-wide
strategic reserve for maple
one of the numerous examples
in this expanding niche market.
In fact, this issue will be dealt
with in the FPAQ’s strategic
plan, which is presently being
prepared.
The FPAQ is also asking that
the maple sector obtain a catastrophic risk program, to cover
hurricanes or other extreme
storms that can destroy sugarbushes.
Traceability
The FPAQ’s director-general, Anne-Marie Granger Godbout, and president, Serge Beaulieu, at the CAPERN hearings on May 16.
maple operations were created
between 2007 and 2008. Quebec
Corbeil was interested in the
relationship between the federation and buyers. “We have a
The FPAQ consequently insisted that the government maintain
the current regulations and
allow the marketing agency system to continue to play its role,
while preserving, as much as
syrup. Finally, the federation
hopes that non-food products
(pharmaceuticals, cosmetics,
etc.) will be recognized in the
future agricultural policy.
Maple sap as an energy drink is
The FPAQ’s position paper
included a letter from Costco, a
buyer of 10 million pounds of
maple syrup per year, calling
for the introduction of a traceability program extending from
sugarbush to bottle, as well as
the adoption of a logo to certify
quality, in order to assure consumers of the purity of the
product. The FPAQ president
declared that a traceability project extending “right to the grocery store shelf” should be
introduced in the coming
months.
LTCN 2012-05-30
Saint-Rémi increases city density to
preserve farmland
Jean-Charles Gagné
The appetite for agricultural
land in Montreal’s north and
south suburban belts is wellknown. What is less known are
the efforts of certain cities to
reduce urban sprawl in the agricultural zone. Saint-Rémi, located southwest of Montreal and
renowned for its rich, black soil
conducive to vegetable market
gardening, has decided to
increase its city density in order
to lessen the encroachment on
the green zone.
“We have never lost site of the
fact that agriculture is the basis
of our economy and of our
pride,” declared Saint-Rémi
Mayor Michel Lavoie and
Director-general
Nancy
Corriveau, in an interview with
the newspaper La Terre de chez
nous. “In fact, we’ve planned our
development in
order to minimize the impact on
agriculture.”
Agriculture, which occupies
98 per cent of Saint-Rémi’s territory, is mainly made up of market gardening and greenhouse
operations, now that there are
less than five dairy farms
remaining in the area. But that
doesn’t stop Lavoie from seeing
himself as “a developer” of his
municipality, situated within the
boundaries of the Montreal
Metropolitan Community. He
has worked hard to see SaintRémi reach a population of
10,000 before he quits. By then,
the city will have doubled its
population in 30 years. Lavoie
acknowledges that the completion of Autoroute 30 went a long
way towards reaching those
numbers.
A shift
Repeated resistance to dezoning by the Fédération de l’UPA de
Saint-Jean-Valleyfield
and
the Commission de protection du
territoire agricole du Québec
(CPTAQ) has helped elected
municipal officials to make the
shift. The CPTAQ refused the
initial request for dezoning submitted in 2005 by the previous
municipal
council.
Mayor
Lavoie maintains that since then,
the city “has done its homework
in order to maximize the use of
its available space.”
Following much discussion,
many meetings and a modified
rezoning
application,
the
CPTAQ declared that it was satisfied with the municipality’s
efforts to increase density and
consolidate its urban areas. The
commission also indicated that
Saint-Rémi’s thoroughness was
evident in its effort to continue
with its land development plan,
which includes an even more
rigorous densification to preserve
precious
farmland
resources for future generations.
Therefore, in 2009, the CPTAQ
approved the rezoning of a 19-
hectare parcel of land located
between Highway 221 and rue
Saint-Paul, to permit the construction of 550 housing units on
the site known as “Les Jardins de
Saint-Rémi.” The buildings will
be primarily two-storey houses,
duplexes, triplexes, row-housing
and condos.
Over the past five years, SaintRémi has progressively abandoned the concept of 9,000square-foot building lots for
bungalow construction and has
opted for smaller lots.
“The municipal council had to
be
convinced,”
admitted
Corriveau and Lavoie—something that was far from evident
for people used to rural living
with lots of space. “Our first
examples were well received by
the population,” noted Lavoie.
“We put our efforts into developing beautiful, well-equipped
neighbourhood parks, making
sure there’s play areas for children as compensation for the
smaller residential lots.” Now,
Repeated resistance to dezoning by the Fédération de l’UPA de Saint-Jean-Valleyfield helped Saint-Rémi municipal officials make the shift towards higher-density housing.
Saint-Rémi citizens no longer
ask for bigger lots to build on,
perhaps on account of the high
cost of land.
In 2011, agriculture generated
about 10.2 per cent of the $5.6
million in the town’s tax revenues. As a pole of development
in the MRC Les Jardins de
Napierville, Saint-Rémi provides
work for 75 per cent of its population. Three companies have
more than 200 employees and
some 500 foreign workers arrive
each growing season to work on
the market gardening farms.
Lavoie is pleased that the erection of 10 windmills in the green
zone did not meet with much
resistance. “These windmills
will bring $60,000 per year to the
municipality for 20 years—
money that will be reinvested in
services to the public.”
LTCN 2012-05-30
Michel Lavoie, mayor of Saint-Rémi
Young farmers celebrate at Macdonald Campus
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF MACDONALD CAMPUS
Macdonald Campus held its Spring Convocation on June 1. The Quebec Farmers’ Association would like to congratulate each
and every future young farmer on their graduation from agricultural studies !
2012 Farm Management and Technology graduates and their instructors present at the convocation. From left to right: Dr. Caroline Begg, Karl Butler, Mr Christian Molgat, Mr Serge Lussier, Margaret Lang, Peter Pertschy,
Stéphanie Vasseur, Rosemary Beth Grant, Colin Murphy, Alexandre Labonté-Dessailly, Michael Santschi, Andreas Pertschy, Philippe Vernier, Melissa Duncan, Ms. Patricia Landry, Summer Mason, Mr David Wees, Mr Peter
Enright and Mr Pascal Thériault. (Also graduating but absent from photo) Yannick Benoît, Krystle Hauver, David Gasser, Lisa Kent, Thomas Legault, Marc-Antoine Poirier and Nicholas Soesbergen.
FMT grads Krystle Hauver, Rosemary Beth Grant, Melissa Duncan and Summer Mason.
Margaret Lang, Summer Mason and Colin Murphy.
QFA CROSSWORD - by Myles Mellor
ACROSS
DOWN
1
5
8
9
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
10
14
15
16
17
19
20
22
24
26
28
29
11
12
13
15
18
21
22
23
25
27
30
31
32
33
34
Cultivation of soil
Hardy wheat
Route, for short
The most cultivated forage legume in the
world
Farmer's land measurement
Agricultural vehicle brand, for short
Like some soil
Porgy and bass
Keeping produce cold
Cured salmon
___ Lady, apple variety
Clubroot, for example
Useful farm vehicle
Set of values
Emotional intelligence (abbr.)
British Lady
Compass point
Podded vegetable (2 words)
Area of ground
Farm vehicle
Picks up
Area for cod fishing
Organic may be a future one
Labrador for one
Piece of corn
Chore
Musical scale note
Produce
Source of oil (2 words)
Nutritious green vegetable
Not enclosed, running wild
Financing
Profit, abbr.
Dark red fruits
Layer
Piece of advice
Up to, informally
Bed and breakfast
SOLUTION ON PAGE 22
THE
CLASSIFIEDS
MACHINERY FOR SALE
NEW DIGITAL SCALE – Ideal
to weigh your cows, calves and
more – 5000lb capacity. 1 year
warranty. Special price of
$1,295. QFA members receive
10% discount! Please call Armin
Ruf on 819-876-7326 / 819-8232705 or e-mail [email protected] (4/7)
TRACTORS FOR SALE BELARUS 5430, loader, 4x4,
30hp, like new - $12,000.
BELARUS 425, loader, 4x4, 60hp
1500hrs - $5500. White 105 pto
4x4, 2700 hrs, $9800 – All tractors in very good condition. Call
450-272-9185. (1/1)
FOR SALE. Always a nice
choice of new and used cattle
and horse trailers. 6’ x 10’ .
Starting at $5,800 New! Please
call Armin Ruf on 819-876-7326
/ 819-823-2705 or e-mail [email protected] (4/7)
LIVESTOCK
5 Black Angus bulls for sale.
Western
breeding
(Chico
Ranches), easy calvers, 12-16
months of age, pure-bred, registered. Contact; [email protected] or Ben 514-4974244. (2/2)
3 FREE QFA CLASSIFIEDS –
for all your machinery & livestock sales, auctions and other
announcements.
10% DISCOUNT ON MARK’S
WORK WEARHOUSE SELECT
ITEMS – The discount card is
sent with your welcome pack on
receipt of your membership
payment. Items eligible for discount include:- Dakota Work
shirts and pants, cover-alls,
overalls and coats; All Carhartt
merchandise; DH Merchandise
– Jeans, shirts, knits and polar
fleece wear and coats; All WR
coats – winter underwear and all
CSA approved footwear.
DO YOU NEED SOMETHING
TRANSLATED?
Translate
English to French or French to
English. No job is too big or too
small! QFA members automatically get a 10% discount with
additional rebates available to
return customers. Call us at 450679-0540, Ext. 8536 or e-mail us:
[email protected]
QFA ACCOUNTING BOOKS,
bilingual, easy to use, $25 for
QFA members. $30 for nonmembers. Call the QFA office to
order your copy. 450-679-0540,
extension 8536.
Your Community Marketplace
Reaching all of Quebec’s
English-speaking Farmers
Rates: 1 month $7.00.
2 months $13.00.
3 months $18.00.
4 months $22.00.
Full year $55.00.
Note: Rates based on 20 words/classified ad. Each additional word is 10 cents.
Photos (black and white) $5.00 each. Taxes are extra.
Deadline: Noon. Tuesday, July 31st.
BOOK YOUR aD tODaY: Fax: (450) 463-5291. E-mail: [email protected]. Place
the words ‘Advocate ads’ in the subject line.
Best Value: Members receive 3 classified ads FREE.
WANT AN AD?
Don’t forget that QFA members
get 3 FREE classified ads per year!
Send in your ads now!
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 450-679-0540 ext. 8536
Fax: 450-463-5291
✄
QFA MERCHANDISE
QFA MEMBER BENEFITS
HEALTH INSURANCE – There
is strength in numbers and the
QFA has negotiated a competitively priced comprehensive
group insurance plan for its
members. Call the plan administrator toll free for further information: 1-800-268-6195.
HIGH SPEED INTERNET –
Satellite internet is now available throughout Quebec. QFA
members save on next generation 4G service. For information
call: 1-866-841-6001
FARM FOOD FORUM – Free
admittance for members – nonmembers are charged $5 at participating Community Learning
Centres. The QFA’s pioneering
information network using
videoconference technology.
QFA
CROSSWORD
SOLUTION
QFA Sign and pin combo: $7
QFA Pins: $3 each
Dessert Cookbooks: $12
Vests: $40
Caps:$15
While supplies last !
For more information or to
order contact the QFA office.
BECOME FRIENDS WITH
THE QFA ON FACEBOOK
Quirky QFA Crack-Ups
Clever excuse
A truck driver is driving along
on the freeway. A sign comes up
that reads “Low Bridge Ahead.”
Before he knows it, the bridge is
right ahead of him and he gets
stuck under it. Cars are backed
up for miles. Finally, a police
car comes up. The cop gets out
of his car and walks around to
the truck driver, puts his hands
on his hips and says, “Got stuck,
huh?” The truck driver says,
“No, I was delivering this bridge
and ran out of gas.”
Local flavour
Two guys were riding in a car,
arguing about how to say the
name of the city that they were
in. One said “Louieville” and the
other “Louiseville.” They went
on arguing and arguing, until
they came upon a local restaurant. The one guy goes inside
and says to the waitress, “Tell
me the name of the place where
I am right now really, really,
really slowly.” The waitress
replies, “Bur-ger-King.”

June 2012 - Quebec Farmers` Association

Transcription

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