December 23, 2011
Shellbrook Chronicle Page 7
Agriculture CWB debacle could have been avoided There are times an agricultural issue becomes bigger than simply how it may impact farmers. That is the situation surrounding the Stephen Harper government’s handling of the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB). Whether a proponent of the single-desk seller of Prairie wheat, durum and export barley, or whether you fought for a change to the system, you should be outraged and frankly scared by the Conservative government process. A government has the right to change legislation, and the Conservatives had set their sights on giving
Calvin Daniels On Agriculture
Prairie farmers marketing options, and that required changing the CWB. In their first term as a minority government the Conservatives avoided undertaking the changes knowing full well it would face a heated opposition in Parliament. With its current major-
ity the CWB moved up the hit list. But, there are rules and laws involved with how government must make legislative changes, and as it stands right now the Conservatives appear to have broken those laws, and that is something which should worry farm-
ers on both sides of the CWB, and everyone else outside of the farm sector. It is a disturbing situation when a government, within a democracy, and holding a majority they would ultimately use to make changes they wanted, chooses to run roughshod over the system, and seeming to run counter to our laws in the process. At least that appears the view of one Federal Court Judge. Recently the Federal Court of Canada judge ruled in favour of CWB directors and, Friends of the CWB (an advocacy group for the CWB).
Inside story of great Canadian farmer Meet Zach Olthuis, a Canadian wheat farmer from northern Alberta whose family has been farming wheat for a century since his great grandfather Jacob came to Canada from Holland in 1911. Like Zach, many of our Canadian wheat farmers come from families that have been farming wheat for close to, if not more than a century. With gen-
erations of expertise, hard work and genuine passion for farming, our wheat farmers produce the very best of the best. “For me, it was such a dream to farm when I got older,” says Zach. “I love being out on the fields, watching the crops grow, being able to provide this to Canadians through products like Country Harvest, and most of all, doing
all this with my family.” Zach currently farms more than two thousand acres of land with his father and brother on his family farm Old House Farms. Although they each have their own homes, fields and yards, the three of them work together as a team and meet often to discuss the state of the crops. On his farming philosophy, Zach states “dedica-
Ergot showing up in wheat By Dave Cubbon, P Ag Cavalier Agrow Ltd. Ergot is a problem that has been showing up in wheat crops in the area in the last few years. At a minimum, it is a marketing problem. In the worst case scenario it becomes a down-grading factor in the wheat and will significantly reduce the dollars per acre that a producer can generate. There are some things that can be done to reduce the level of ergot, but the weather of the specific growing season is the biggest cause of ergot each year. Ergot is caused by a fungus that is released from ergot bodies or sclerotia that are in the soil. They have been dropped to the dirt from infected plants or grasses in the field previous year. The spores that can infect a wheat head with ergot must be present when the plant is flowering. Timing of the release of the spores is critical for disease formation in the seed head of this year’s wheat crop. In the last couple of years, the wet and cool spring conditions have allowed for disease development.
Wheat variety selection is one way to reduce ergot. Selecting the right variety can help. Ergot bodies do not always release spores at the same time as flowering wheat heads are present. Certain environmental conditions must be present in the top inch of the soil for the sclerotia to germinate and release spores. The soil must be wet and the temperature must be warm enough in the soil to allow the spores to germinate. If these conditions are right, the flowers on the wheat plants will be open to allow the spores to infect the developing seeds. Certain varieties flower at specific times or flower for longer periods of time. These varieties are more susceptible to ergot infection. The variety can be a factor in the development of ergot is that some varieties flower longer. Copper can help reduce ergot. If the copper levels in the soil are adequate, the flowering period for the wheat plant is shortened. This means that the time exposed to the potential spores released from ger-
minating ergot sclerotia bodies is reduced. This will reduce the levels of exposure of the wheat plants to the diesese. Copper levels of 1 ppm will reduce the potential ergot infection significantly. Most of our soils in the area are at 0.5 ppm or less, so copper is an issue in the Meadow Lake area. Mowing headlands to reduce the production of ergot from adjacent grasses and using ergot free seed are two other ways to reduce the potential for this disease. Two year old seed with ergot bodies in it is less risk to the new wheat crop because the ergot bodies are not viable after the first year. Cultural practices should be looked at as tools to reduce ergot infections. There is no solution that works all the time that will eliminate the ergot. There are some things like picking the right variety and using copper if your soils require it that will reduce the risk. Use the ones the work for you.
tion and hard work” as the key to his family’s centurylong success. “This is our hobby and what we love and do best. Things change very fast, but we make sure we stay on top of things to provide Canadians with top quality wheat.” Like the Old House Farms, Weston Bakeries shares the same strong values and traditions that have been instilled through its long history of more than 125 years. Weston Bakeries is also committed to supporting Canadian wheat farmers like Zach by using 100% Canadian wheat in its Country Harvest, Wonder, Gadoua and D’Italiano breads.
Judge Douglas Campbell ruled Dec. 6 that agriculture minister Gerry Ritz broke the rule of law by introducing legislation to end the CWB because the government had not first consulted with the board’s directors, nor had the government held a producer plebiscite. Both the consultation and plebiscite process were steps laid out as requirements with the CWB Act. The court decision didn’t stop the Conservatives, who vow to appeal of course, and rather than waiting on the appeal process pushed through passage of Bill C-18, which has received royal assent, which would normally make it binding. The Canadian Wheat Board’s former farmerelected board members are back in court asking for an injunction stopping implementation of Bill C-18 (Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers Act). The legality of the pro-
cess will end up before the Supreme Court and could quite easily put the federal government on the opposite of a ruling by the highest court in the land, and throwing marketing of Prairie grain into complete turmoil. And thanks to the Conservative government’s arrogance that such a sweeping change can be made quickly, the timeline to straighten the mess out is now only seven months, before the new 2012-13 crop year begins. Farmers are even facing challenges in planning their plantings next spring, not sure who will be able to market wheat, durum and export barley if grown. It is a mess that a wise government would have avoided, and a situation that makes one worry if Harper and his party have the respect a democracy deserves from its elected representatives.
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