AgriPost August 29 2014

The Agri Post

August 29, 2014

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August 29, 2014

The Agri Post

Russia Says Nyet

By Harry Siemens Canada’s Agricultural minister Gerry Ritz said Russia’s sanctions show short-sighted desperation from the Putin regime and negatively impact the citizens of Russia far more than Canadians.

“Thanks to the continued efforts of our government and industry, Canadian pork producers have access to numerous other lucrative markets around the world,” Ritz said.

“Our Government will continue to put Canada’s national interests first, but we cannot allow business interests alone to dictate our foreign policy.”

On the day after the announcement by Russian President Putin, Brennan Turner, President of FarmLead, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan said the big news the market is watching right now is Russia. They signed an agreement for 500,000 barrels of oil per day with Iran or 1/3 of their total exports and banned agricultural imports for one year from most of the western world.

“While the ag import ban is surely significant, the oil deal with Iran is another push away from the US Dollar being the world’s reserve currency, echoing the Russia-China energy deal signed in May,” said Turner. “Power is everything in Russia and according to one Russian sociologist, Vladimir Putin can’t afford to look like a loser in the eyes of the people.”

As such, many experts agree the risk of direct intervention in the Ukraine is growing as a victory for pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine only seems likely if it involves Russian troops.

Further to the August 6 ban, Russia placed a one-year ban or limitation on the import of food including fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, milk and dairy products and nuts from the US, Europe, Australia, Canada and Norway.

“For Canada, the pork sector looks to take the biggest hit, as from January to May, Canadian pork exports to Russia equalled $207 million, an increase of 103 percent of the same period in 2013,” he said. “Moreover, Russia accounted for 21.5 percent of EU vegetable and 28 percent of EU fruit exports in 2011 and the second largest buyer of American chicken last year.”

Turner said the ban on agricultural trade could send food prices inside Russia higher, given the fact they import about a third of their food consumption needs and are the fifth largest food importer in the world.

“So who benefits? Likely Latin and South America, especially the Brazilian beef sector and other former Soviet Union states like Kazakhstan and Belarus,” he said. “So now, both new and old trade partners watch Russia earnestly as the situation continues to unfold.”

Karl Kynoch, Chair of Manitoba Pork said the loss of the Russian market will force Canadian processors to seek alternative markets impacting pricing for awhile.

“Russia is actually the fourth largest pork buyer of pork out of Canada right behind the United States, Japan and China and then we have Russia coming into place,” said Kynoch. “In 2012 Canada exported $492 million of Canadian pork to Russia, in 2013, $260 million, but in 2014 we were headed for very good numbers. From January to May, Canada had already exported $213 million of Canadian pork into Russia.”

So any time, the Canadian pork industry loses something like Russia, it will definitely have an impact on product leaving Manitoba as well as Canada for now, he added.

The Agri Post

August 29, 2014

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Making Sense of the GMO Debate

By Les Kletke A former soil scientist with Agriculture Canada said it is time to rethink the use of glyphosate. Dr Theirry Vrain does not find fault with the registration system rather he said, that at the time the product was registered no one could imagine how the use of the product would expand to the point that today there is traces of it in most foods in North American stores.

Dr. Vrain retired from Agriculture Canada 12 years ago after beginning his career as a soil scientist, moving to molecular biology and eventually heading the molecular biology department for the Federal Agency. Today he speaks about the dangers of glyphosate in the food supply but does not discredit genetic engineering or blame it for unsafe food. He was in Manitoba recently as part of a cross country speaking tour.

He began by giving a history of the product. “The molecule was developed by the Stoffer company to clean boilers and pipes, the

“It is like we are taking a small dose of bacteria everyday in our food supply because the molecule is in almost every part of our food supply.”

kind of scum you get built up in your kettle after boiling water for a long time,” he said. “It was a descaling agent and very effective, it was patented as a chelating agent in 1964.”

The molecule was effective for what it was intended and worked by removing metal molecules from the water by binding to them. Then Monsanto purchased the technology from Stoffer and patented it 1969.

Vrain said the registration system was not at fault and was not flawed.

“No,” said Vrain. “At the time it was registered as any other herbicide and the testing protocols were followed. No one could

imagine how the use of the product would expand.”

He was a graduate student at the time and said it was viewed as one of many herbicides that were available to farmers. It’s method of action made it appear very safe.

“It grabs onto minerals and holds them,” he explained. “It kills plants and bacteria by not allowing them to manufacture necessary amino acids, these are not required by animals and so it was viewed as extremely safe,” said Vrain.

The company went on to register it as an herbicide in 1970. The glyphosate herbicide was effective on most plants but did not work on a few plants where it was not absorbed through the leaves.

In 1996 with development

of bio engineering, the resistance gene could be placed into crops and the use of glyphosate exploded, the price was reduced further increasing the use.

“It is not the genetic engineering that makes the product unsafe,” said Vrain.

“That just allowed scientists to make tolerant plants and that further increased the use because the herbicide was so effective and economical.

The resistance gene was introduced to major crops like corn, sugar beets and canola.”

“It is not used in vegetable or fruit production, but if you look at the items in the centre of our grocery store the molecule is found in most food items,” said Vrain. “80% of our food supply contains engineered crops and that is where the problem arises.”

He said he was surprised

Opposition to COOL Continues

By Les Kletke The United States continues to uphold COOL legislation despite rulings from the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The U.S. COOL measure has forced the livestock industry in Canada and other trading countries with the U.S. to go through a lengthy labelling and tracking system with an unnecessary paperwork burden and additional red tape, the Provincial Agricultural Minister Ron Kostyshen explained. He further noted that it has led to disintegration of the North American supply chain, created unpredictability in the market and imposed additional costs on producers on both sides of the border.

Since COOL was introduced in 2009, the Manitoba government has been working with the federal government and industry groups to lobby the U.S. government to overturn the rules.

Kostyshen has come out

in support of the Canadian position citing the impact it has on the nearly 24,000 jobs dependant on the livestock industry in this province.

“We are disappointed by the ruling and surprised the U.S. court ruled against its own meat industry, which has been clear for several years that this legislation is bad for producers and processors while doing nothing to enhance food safety,” said Kostyshyn. “Manitoba has maintained from the beginning that country of origin labelling (COOL) harms our livestock producers and is inconsistent with our efforts to create jobs in the agricultural industry.”

Melinda German the General Manager of the Manitoba Beef Producers Association said the opposition to the American position is growing in the US and that might be good news for Canadians.

“We are hearing about plants that are being cut back or shut down by the additional costs of the COOL legislation and they are lobbying the American government to drop the legislation,” she said. German said that the

lower number of live animals may also be having positive impacts.

“We are seeing it with plants in the northern US that were built to handle Canadian cattle,” she said.

“They are getting fewer cattle because of the numbers and it would be difficult for them to be competitive with other plants that don’t have the costs incurred with COOL.” Kostyshen agreed that pressure from within and the US economy might have a greater impact on stopping COOL than international court decisions.

“I have heard of at least one plant in the US shutting down because of the shortage of cattle and that will bring pressure on the US government to step back,” he said. Kostyshen himself a long time cattle producer said that the current strong prices for cattle are something that producers have been waiting for and should not be taken away by legislation.

“As a producer myself I always said that you need three good years to recover

from a bad one, and beef producers have had 10 bad years going back to BSE, I don’t think they will get 30 good years to make up for it, but cattle numbers are low and that should translate to strong prices,” said Kostyshen.

The Minister said that he met with the head of the Manitoba Pork Council the week of August 22 and was pleased that the Russian embargo has not had as severe an impact as first thought.

“While Russia is a significant market there have been advances in other international markets that have made up for the Russian situation,” he said. “We would like to see things get back to normal with the Russian situation but at this time Manitoba pork producers are doing alright.”

Kostyshen said that he would like to see better relationships with Russia for the pork industry but also to further expand the use the Churchill port.

“We think of it as an export port, but it could be an import port as well and with conjunction with CentrePort could be a very important part of the Canadian transportation system,” he added.

when he heard of tests with laboratory animals being found harmed by being feed glyphosate grain.

“As a scientist I could not understand it,” he said.

“Genetic engineering is the transfer of DNA to another organism. DNA is not harmful, how can this be?”

He said the molecule is as effective as it was when developed and continues to take metals out of the substance it is applied to.

The molecule continues to take the metals out of the system and these are the elements that are required for life. Vrain cites studies done by Dr. Nancy Swanson in the US. “She has found a correlation between the increased use of glyphosate herbicide and diseases like thyroid cancer, Alzheimer’s, autism and celiac,” said Vrain. “She used data from the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta and the USDA. Her work is very credible and it shows a correlation but that is not enough to have the product banned. A correlation is not scientific proof.”

Vrain also makes the point

that glyphosate is toxic to bacteria and was registered as an antibiotic in 2010.

“It is very effective as a broad spectrum antibiotic, but that means that it kills bacteria and it kills some of the bacteria in the gut that we need to live,” said Vrain.

“It is like we are taking a small dose of bacteria everyday in our food supply because the molecule is in almost every part of our food supply.” He said the study of bacteria in the system has gained much more attention and is now considered to be as important as the heart or lungs to the human body.

This is why it has been given its own name, ‘bionome’.

Thierry Vrain does not find fault in the system that has allowed the growth of glyphosate herbicide; his concern is for the future and making food supplies safe.

He does not offer an absolute cure all but rather encourages people to be aware of their food supply and asks that regulators also consider the possibilities.

Ritz Continues Fight on COOL at UU.S .S ’s .S.. National Cattlemen Cattlemen’s Beef Association Conference Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz recently addressed the U.S.’s National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) summer conference where he stressed the importance of ending the discrimination against Canadian cattle and hogs under mandatory Country of Origin Labelling (COOL) and emphasized the growing recognition that COOL is harming farmers and industry in the U.S. and Canada alike. Ritz stressed that should Canada prevail in the compliance proceedings as anticipated, the Government will seek authorization from the World Trade Organization (WTO) to impose retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports.

While in Denver, Ritz took the opportunity to meet with key U.S. meat stakeholders, business and government leaders to discuss next steps for advocating against COOL in the coming months.

“With the full support and active engagement of Canadian and U.S. industry, our government will continue to fight against this protectionist policy which is hurting producers and consumers alike. We will continue to use whatever tools necessary to achieve a fair resolution of this issue so that our livestock sectors on both sides of the border can realize their true economic potential,” stated Ritz.

COOL continues to significantly disrupt the North American supply chain, creating unpredictability in the market and imposed additional costs on producers on both sides of the border.

Following Canada’s successful challenges of COOL at the WTO in 2011 and 2012, a WTO compliance panel was established on September 25, 2013, to determine whether the U.S. has brought COOL into conformity.

On 26 March 2014, the WTO Chair of the compliance panel had informed Canada that the compliance panel expected to issue its final report to the parties towards the end of July 2014.

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August 29, 2014

The Agri Post

What if We Did It Before It’s Legislated?

What if a great product came along then the price came down so that it was affordable for even more uses than you imagined and then they expanded the range to where it could be used?

What if there was a danger of using the product so much that you might lose it entirely.

Would you be angry at legislators for taking it away or might you cut back on the use of it to ensure that it stayed in the market place.

That is the situation with glyphosate. The Roundup Readiness has become a relatively easy gene to transfer into plants and it has become so popular that it is used on some crops destined for most of our food products.

Lets clear one thing up from the get go. I have not become a long hair, shaggy beard protestor that is for hire to march against any cause. I have no problem with Monsanto and the way they operate their business. Keep that in my mind, it is their business.

The man who is often called the Father of Conservation Tillage, Dr. Elmer Stoebbe is someone I count as a friend and he shared with me that the biggest tipping point in reducing tillage was not his lectures but the drop in price of Roundup to where it was a more affordable option than tillage. Stoebbe says his lectures were just as riveting when the price was $30 a litre but when the price dropped to $12 he became a visionary.

The use of the product took off because it was affordable, and then along came crops that were tolerant of the product and its use expanded even further. It was an affordable way to control weeds with an exceptional success rate, in fact you could even use a higher than recommended rate and not damage the crop. It was that safe.

There are probably a few more reasons why the usage continued to climb, things like the availability of an even lower priced generic and things I don’t have the space to list.

The issue here is not the morals of Monsanto, or the testing procedures of products, or the registration of agricultural products. Glyphosate has become wildly more popular that imagined and if even a trace is found in the crop it is applied to, when it is used on so many crops that form so much of our diet it could have a detrimental effect.

Could it be that farmers might have to be the ones to make the choices and cut back on how much of a good thing they use, not because of legislation but before legislation to ensure the availability of the product in the future and the health issue may just be a bonus like conservation was to the economics when it was introduced?

Fungi, Grain, You and Your Pocketbook I like mushrooms, but learnt a long time ago that not all mushrooms are good for you. The same holds true for other fungi that like to grow on grain. Some are harmless, but others produce toxins that are detrimental to human health. The toxins that these fungi produce are becoming more and more heavily regulated both here in Canada as well as in our international markets.

It’s harvest time – and it’s busy. But even during this busy time of year, farmers can take a few steps to help reduce fungi in grain. Not only will this help your bottom line, it will help preserve Canada’s well-deserved reputation for food safety and high quality.

There are two basic types of fungi that cause problems for Canadian grain producers. The first kind is the most visible – diseases like fusarium that cause visible damage resulting in yield loss and shrunken kernels.

There will be a lot of discussion about fusarium this year in coffee shops, boardrooms and offices of government regulatory agencies, since this year’s conditions in many parts of Canada were right for the growth of the fungus. Fusarium damage may be a significant degrading factor, despite the best management practices used by producers.

The Battle Lines on Antibiotics and Animals Battle lines are hardening over a growing controversy, the use of antibiotics to raise livestock. People are rightly concerned about the possibility of a dangerous trend, an increase in human resistance to antimicrobial medical treatment – in short, germs that can’t be defeated with antibiotics. Animal agriculture is taking at least some of the blame for this.

This has stirred up a lot of talk about eliminating the use of antibiotics as growth promoters. That would be a misPenners take. In his regular FoodLaw column, Ronald Doering, a lawyer and past President of the Canadian Food InspecPoints tion Agency, points out why.

by Rolf Doering notes that an estimated 90 percent of on-farm Penner medications are used for the purpose of disease control and prevention. Growth promotion is just an added borolfpenner@agripost.ca nus, a side-effect. So banning antibiotics used only for growth promotion would cut their use by only 10 percent.

Some argue that antimicrobials shouldn’t be used to fight disease but that their use should be limited to treating infections. Others work the opposite side of the question; they say that there is scientific evidence that giving small amounts of antibiotics to animals over time contributes to resistance in humans is insufficient. Eliminating the practice might just make things worse, as more drugs would then be needed to deal with an inevitable increase in severe outbreaks.

Instead, Doering advocates a strengthening of veterinary oversight and a concept known as ‘One Health’. He believes that we can be more prudent with how we use these drugs. He thinks Canada’s veterinarians and their provincial regulatory bodies need to take a greater leadership role when it comes to the issue.

First off, vets need to be aware of the potential problem and to follow the recommended guidelines. Right now they are not all doing so. Doering suggests a mandatory continuing education program similar to what Quebec is currently doing. Another problem is that we really don’t have a good handle on what or how much is being used right now; there is a ‘gap in reliable usage data’. That has to change if we really want to figure out what’s going on and what isn’t.

Veterinarians also face a potential conflict of interest, as many derive an income stream from the sale of antimicrobials. Veterinarians need to do a better job defending this practice and convincing the general public that they adhere to the highest ethical standards.

We also have to remember that while the practice of using antibiotics in animal production carries risk, so does not using them. “Two thirds of animal diseases are zoonotic, meaning the disease is transferable to humans,” Doering reminds us. That’s a good reason, he argues, to strengthen the connection between animal and human health, a concept known as ‘One Health’.

It makes sense. We can’t have a healthy human population if we don’t also have a healthy animal population. Just because the animals seem to be isolated from the general population on farms outside of cities doesn’t mean that urbanites are necessarily safe from zoonotic diseases. Policy makers would be wise to remember this reality if they are considering a new regime of regulation to address the problem.

The fungi that cause visible head and kernel damage also produce a toxin called deoxynivalenol or DON that is a food-safety concern in many parts of the world. DON is part of a family of toxins called mycotoxins and it is not the only member of this family that we are concerned about. Other fungal infections also produce mycotoxins, except these do not leave the visible damage like fusarium. Also unlike fusarium, these other fungi grow in storage and transport. These are problems we can do something about.

One of these fungal infections that grows in stored grain is Penicillium verrucosum that produces ochratoxin A. What is ochratoxin A? You can’t see it. You can’t taste it.

You can’t smell it. It is not easy to test for it. However, ochratoxin A can definitely impact your pocketbook.

Our ability to detect minute levels has significantly increased over the past decade.

This has resulted in countries putting regulations in place for things that we could not detect in the past. Ochratoxin A is one of those things that has recently been regulated.

For example, both the European Union and China have a limit of five parts per billion in raw grain. If you can visualize five seconds in thirty-two years, you will understand five parts per billion.

So why does this matter to you and what can you do about it? It matters to you because the presence of detectible levels of mycotoxins can be used by importing countries as an excuse to block trade. These kinds of tactics are used to protect their domestic industry or simply to negotiate a lower price. Either way Canadian producers will get less for their grain.

So what can you do about it? Think like a fungus for a moment. A mushroom likes to grow in a moist, warm dark place. Don’t let your grain bin be that place. I know that this is just best practice, but keep grain temperature and moisture content low, aerate your bins regularly and be careful about what you deliver to the elevator. Fungal infections can begin long before there is visible evidence of spoiled grain. But if you do see visual evidence of mold or other spoilage, do not put it onto the truck. This is not just about grade and dockage but about Canada’s reputation for constantly delivering the highest quality safe food. That reputation matters to your pocket book.

Cam Dahl is President of Cereals Canada.

The Agri Post

August 29, 2014

Fusarium Head Blight Affects Yields

By Harry Siemens Harvest 2014 is underway in parts of Manitoba with first reports coming in from the Pembina and Red River Valleys as well as the United States.

Provincial reports to date on yields vary greatly including canola yields of 50 bushels an acre to red spring wheat at Lowe Farm of 80 bushels and acre. Overall, the earlier yield reports are averaging, 60 - 70, depending on the conditions of geography, location and rain or lack of rainfall.

Dale Gall, the elevator Manager at Viterra, just west of Winkler, said that in about the first dozen or so samples of winter wheat the yields range from 60 to low 60’s and there is significant Fusarium damage varying from a low of one percent to a high of five percent.

“Those samples range from below the escarpment at Morden, east to Altona, north to Roland and south to the United States border,” Gall said during an interview. “All crops could use an inch of rain and soybean leaves are starting to curl a little,” he further added.

According to Gall one farmer north of Plum Coulee had said at the beginning of August, his field of soybeans had stopped blooming and another said his beans were in the retracting stage going dormant although not completely stopped.

Bud McKnight of Carman said some of the earlier samples of winter wheat are showing up with close to 17 percent Fusarium Head Blight.

The reason farmers’ plant winter wheat is to get that head start in spring and in some cases hoping to beat the onslaught of Fusarium Head Blight. The early planting does not appear it to be much of an advantage in the Pembina Triangle according to Jake Davidson, the Executive Director of Winter Cereals Canada. He said excess moisture took a dramatic toll on the quality of winter cereal crops planted last fall.

Because of last year’s late harvest farmers planted fewer acres of fall seeded cereal crops. In western Canada abundant snow cover protected the crops from winter kill but excess moisture during the growing season caused problems.

Davidson said the growers he spoke with indicated they have never seen their crops take so long to start growing.

“My group of farmers, extending from east Selkirk through to Outlook, Saskatchewan, generally figure they’re going to get an average yield with quality a bit of a concern,” he said. “There seems to be a significant amount of Fusarium showing up in one variety in particular and it’s a little worrisome. It’s Flourish that’s showing a little more Fusarium than we expected.”

He noted that Emerson is the Fusarium resistant variety which is still in multiplication and it is showing good resistance.

Investigation into Pig Barn Fire Continues

On August 21 at approximately 6 pm, St. Pierre-Jolys RCMP responded to a call of a pig barn fire in the RM of Hanover, approximately 10 kilometers southwest of La Broquerie.

When police responded, the barn was already engulfed in flames and three local fire departments were on scene keeping the blaze under control.

It took fire crews over 5 hours to extinguish the fire. All 1,100 pigs inside the barn perished and no people were hurt. The barn was completely destroyed.

The Office of the Fire Commissioner is assisting with the investigation and the cause of the fire is unknown at this time.

Left: Canola is looking good with yields of 50 bushels an acre or more in the Red River Valley.

Above: While farmers are cutting and combining, some are still spraying.

Right: Dale Gall, Manager of the Viterra elevator west of Winkler said early winter wheat samples had lots of Fusarium Head Blight.

Crop PProducers roducers Granted More Time to RRepay epay Cash Advances Western grains and oilseeds producers who have been unable to market their crops due to rail transportation challenges and flooding have been granted more time to repay their 2013 cash advances under the Advance Payments Program (APP).

Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced a stay of default on the repayment of advances for producers who received an advance through the Manitoba Corn Growers Association (MCGA) on their 2013 crops.

The stay of default extends the 2013 repayment deadline by six months to March 31, 2015 and affected producers will have the option to repay their APP advances in cash without penalty. Technical changes are also being implemented to make it easier for all producers to repay their advances by allowing them until the end of the production period to provide proof of sale on any commodity covered by APP. “The Manitoba Corn Growers Association is very pleased with the granting of the stay of default. Due to transportation issues and flooding in some areas of the province, many producers have been unable to move their 2013 crop. This will be extremely well received as it will take the pressure off and bring much needed relief to those producers,” said Myron Krahn, President of the Manitoba Corn Growers Association.

Producers in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia who received a 2013 APP advance on their crops through the MCGA are eligible for the six-month stay of default and are encouraged to contact the MCGA for more details.

On July 10, a stay of default with the same terms was announced for western crop producers who received 2013 APP advances from the Canadian Canola Growers Association.

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August 29, 2014

The Agri Post

A Sweet Relation Between Canola and Honey Producers The Road to Tomorrow Summer is traditionally a time when Manitobans regroup. They engage in some fun, food and festivities.

Unfortunately the summer of 2014 brought some different kinds of ‘f’ words to the fore for our cattle producers in flooding, feed shortages and frustration.

Manitoba’s beef producers truly are a determined group.

In the past decade, they’ve battled through BSE, trade disputes and a daunting series of natural disasters.

Unfortunately these challenges proved too much for some, forcing them out of the business.

But many persevered. Recently, prices have been improving, allowing producers to rebuild lost equity and to consider herd expansion. There has been a growing sense of optimism and for good reason. Governments and industry have been working diligently to secure new trade opportunities in Europe, Asia and beyond. It’s essential that Manitoba’s beef industry ? be it primary producers or processors – is positioned to capitalize on these emerging opportunities.

Not surprisingly, the 2014 flooding and excess moisture conditions are causing some producers to re-consider their options, especially if they cannot source enough feed for the winter. These producers need to be able to move forward from a position of confidence and to know that governments are listening to their concerns.

To that end, MBP is seeking a forage shortfall program and accompanying transportation program to help producers facing feed shortages. We have also requested that the Livestock Tax Deferral provision be made available should producers have to sell off breeding stock due to flood-related feed shortages. We are also seeking adjustments to business risk management programs, like forage insurance, to make them more responsive.

When I speak to decision makers in government, I remind them of the need for sound policies and programs that will lead to the beef industry’s expansion, instead of the continued contraction. I also remind them of the many trade opportunities that we worked collectively to achieve and how we need to position the beef industry to take advantage of them.

Canada’s beef industry is at a critical junction. I worry that our current weather-related challenges will cause more producers to exit the industry. I am concerned we will no longer have the producer numbers to ensure Manitoba is a strong industry player and is positioned to drive the bus on the new opportunities. That is why it’s so important to have the right programs and policies to address the short and long-term challenges and to provide us with the infrastructure to help capture the emerging opportunities.

Despite the challenges, Manitoba’s beef producers continually demonstrate their determination to move our industry forward.

A case in point is the Manitoba Youth Beef Round-Up in Neepawa. It has been a long time since I was at an event where the energy and passion for our industry was so contagious. I must commend the organizing committee that has worked so diligently to host this event, year after year and make sure the attendance from youth and sponsors has grown. It is a dangerous game to name names, as one will always leave someone out, but I feel I must congratulate Blair and Lois McRae for their hard work, dedication and support of our industry and our youth.

At this event, I had the extreme pleasure of judging the team marketing competition and the cook-off. I am not sure which one I enjoyed the most, but I do know the future beef producers from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario could outshine any master chef in Canada, cooking solely off of a BBQ. The fun events were also combined with a great show of beef cattle genetics. The youth and the cattle at this event truly are the future of our industry and I know we are in good hands.

I truly believe this event and others like it reflect our industry’s potential, as well as the unflagging power of our young producers. Yes, our industry will always face challenges and they will come in various forms. But I do believe we can climb over them and continue to move forward. The youth are the future. We will continue to push for smart programs and policies to help ensure we have an industry in which our youth can stay, or return to, so that we can prosper and capture new and emerging opportunities.

Statistics Canada data show that the number of honeybees in Canada has reached near-record levels in the past decade, with more than 700,000 colonies Canada-wide in 2012, up from 600,000 in 2000. More than 70 percent of these colonies are in western Canada because canola is the main crop for honey production in western Canada.

“Bees tend to do very well on canola. The crop has profuse blooms and nutritious pollen high in protein as well as fat and with all the amino acids bees need to complete their lifecycle,” said Shelley Hoover, an apiculture research scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development.

“Bees can produce quite a good honey crop off of canola.”

Hoover along with beekeepers and canola growers are featured in a new series of videos produced by the Canola Council of Canada (CCC) with cooperation from the Canadian Honey Council. One video posted at youtube.com/ canolacouncil, titled “Canola and Bees — A Sweet Relationship,” describes how beekeepers and canola producers benefit from each other.

“Honey producers are not the only ones who gain from this relationship. Canola growers also know it is in their own best interest to protect bees,” said Gregory Sekulic, agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada (CCC). “Bees and other pollinators are needed for production of quality hybrid seed, a vital component of the industry. And research suggests that pollination by bees may also encourage higher canola yields by increasing the number of pods per plant and seeds per pod.”

“Our bees have a few crop options in our area, but canola is the most common flowering crop and the bees seem to do well on canola,” said Lorne Peters who operates a honey farm with his brother near Kleefeld.

“Our honey season is intense. It only lasts as long as the crops are flowering,” he explained.

“We have long-standing relationships with many of the canola growers around us and we try to work with them as close as possible so we can keep our bees safe during this short flowering period and so they can protect their crops when necessary.”

The CCC promotes insect management practices that take bee health into account by recommending the avoidance of spraying insecticide on flowering canola since bees are actively working the crop when it is flowering. The CCC also urges the use of economic thresholds when making control decisions. This ensures that growers only spray when it is economically beneficial to do so. A few pests in the crop are normal and control should never be enacted unless the damage exceeds the cost of control. The coun-

cil asks that insecticide use should be for the targeted pest and that the product used is with lower toxicity to beneficial insects.

Other measures are take measures to minimize drift by constantly monitoring wind speed and direction leaving a buffer area (50 metres) from beehives and use drift reducing nozzles.

If economically necessary to apply products to flowering canola, apply after 8 pm until dusk or at night when bees aren’t actively foraging. Producers are asked to stop spraying in the morning when temperatures approach 15°C. Producers should maintain a dialogue with beekeepers.

Knowing where beehives are, when safe times to apply products occur and who will be there can go a long way to mitigating any potential problems. The beekeeper may be able to move bees during spraying, or cover the hives.

“We also encourage beekeepers to report pesticide damage when it happens,” Sekulic said.

“With an accurate log of pesticide damage, including the timing, location and product used beekeepers, the canola industry and regulatory bodies have accurate data to use when making decisions.”

Up Close and Personal with Blackleg Disease surveys show an increase in blackleg incidence across the Prairies over the past few years. Canola growers may need to redeploy a more integrated approach to manage the disease.

“After 15 to 20 years of good control from resistant varieties alone, growers may have to implement other practices to protect canola yields and preserve the efficacy of genetic resistance on some fields,” said Clint Jurke, agronomy specialist for the Canola Council of Canada (CCC). “Growers and agronomists who may have forgotten what the disease looks like and how to manage it will have to rebuild their knowledge and experience base.”

To scout, visit canola fields in the week or two before swathing or straight cutting. Pull up a few random plants and clip the stem just below ground level. Look for black discolouration of the cross section. A rating of “0” means no blackleg stem discolouration. A rating of ‘5’ means the stem is completely discoloured and blackleg has killed the plant. A wedge of black that covers 26-50 percent of the cross section is considered a ‘2’ on the severity scale.

Repeat this at a few sites within the field. If average severity is 1.5 or more, blackleg races in that field are likely starting to overcome the genetic resistance in that particular variety. Rotating varieties to bring a mix of blackleg resistance genes to the field over time can help prevent or delay the breakdown of resistance.

A key component of integrated pest management (IPM) of blackleg is to combine agronomic best practices and stewardship of blackleg resistance, if the disease is present in the field.

“A two- to three-year break from canola on a high-risk field along with genetic resistance is recommended,” said Plant Pathologist Ralph Lange. “In that time, most of the infected canola

residue will have decomposed, reducing the spores available to infect the next canola crop.”

Controlling volunteer canola and other Brassica weeds in all crops in the rotation will also prevent blackleg buildup, Lange added.

Applying fungicides could also help although research is ongoing to determine the best methods. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada found no benefit to tillage or burning stubble for blackleg management.

The Agri Post

Weaned Pigs Perform on High Canola Meal Diet New research supports increased use of canola meal in the diets of weaned pigs. The research team of Dr. Martin Nyachoti at the University of Manitoba demonstrated recently that canola meal can be included in the diets of weaned pigs at levels up to 25 percent while supporting high growth performance.

Canola meal is often limited in the diets of weaned pigs due to its high fibre levels, but as Nyachoti’s team has shown, proper diet formulation practices can allow canola meal to be utilized at higher levels when economically favourable to do so.

Nyachoti’s new research also supports findings from Dr. Ruurd Zijlstra and Dr. Eduardo Beltranena from the University of Alberta, which showed positive results with canola meal inclusion up to 20 percent in the diets of weaned pigs.

“These research projects show how outdated perceptions on maximum inclusion levels of canola meal in weaned pig diets are no longer relevant in diets formulated on net energy and digestible amino acids,” said Brittany Dyck, Canola Meal Manager for the Canola Council of Canada.

Dr. Arnold B. Pierce of Preferred Animal Nutrition Services Inc., says nutritionists formulating rations can soften their canola meal restrictions in least cost feed formulations.

“This new information requires further validation but will allow formulating nutritionists to provide lower cost diets containing canola meal that still support high production levels,” Pierce said.

Additional canola meal research was showcased this summer at the American Dairy Science Association Joint Annual Meeting in Kansas City, Missouri and at the Annual Poultry Science Association meeting in Corpus Christi, Texas. Researchers and industry professionals from across the U.S. and Canada attended these meetings.

“The CCC prides itself in funding research that is applicable to the livestock nutrition community. If a swine nutritionist in Canada has easy access to canola meal and access to research demonstrating its full utilization potential, then fewer high cost ingredients may need to be brought into the ration,” Dyck said.

Canola meal also helps dairy performance. Canola meal got a boost this summer in the dairy sector, too. Researchers from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Sherbrooke, Quebec, University of California, Davis, South Dakota State University, University of Wisconsin and University of Nevada, Reno were also at the American Dairy Science Association meeting in Kansas City. The dairy team of researchers presented new abstracts that continue to demonstrate increases in milk production when dairy cows are fed canola meal over other protein ingredients, such as soybean meal.

These results have driven the dairy team of researchers to further examine the mechanisms in how the cow digests and utilizes canola meal.

“Key findings indicate that canola meal provides the cow with higher levels of rumen bypass protein than is reported in popular literature,” Dyck said.

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The Agri Post

Take the Mystery Out of Cystic Ovaries in Dairy Cows Cystic ovaries seem to be a dairy cow’s disease, which affects between 5 to 20% of the cows on most herds. Mature cows have a higher reported incidence (as high as 40%), compared to freshened 1st calf heifers (about 10%), while replacement heifers of breeding age have a low natural incidence of less than 3%.

From these simple statistics, one could think that a number of cystic ovaries among the older ‘profit-makers’ could have dire economic consequences, if they couldn’t get rebred and conceive with their next calf. Therefore it is important to identify cows within your herd, successfully treat them and also have a good feed and management program that helps reduce its occurrence.

Such cyst identification might start off with some speculation that a high producing dairy cow should be in heat, but exhibits abnormal breeding behaviour or shows no signs of heat at all. At this point, the veterinarian should be called in, to confirm that a cystic case exists by rectal palpation or preferred ultra-sound exam. Once an actual cystic is identified, it falls into two main categories, namely a follicular or luteal cyst.

Follicular cysts occur in about 70% of the positive herd-health cases at about 15 – 45 days in milk. Instead of ovulating and releasing the egg (no ovum is released for fertilization and conception), the follicular cyst disrupts the normal 21-day estrus cycle of the infertile cow by growing into a thin-walled soft structure with an abnormal size of about 2.5 cm (one inch) structure.

Luteal cysts on an infertile cow’s ovaries are similar to follicular cysts in that they also incite ovulation failure, but some luteinisation (the process of hormone and structure changes after ovulation) occurs. Consequently, some reproductive physiologists believe that luteal cysts are likely follicular cysts in the later stages of follicular development, because luteal cysts produce hormones such as progesterone that blocks normal follicular development. By comparison, luteal cysts tend to be much firmer structures than follicular cysts.

Some reproductive physiologists also believe that many ovarian cysts regardless of type; originate from failure of pre-ovulatory release of luteinizing hormones by the pituitary gland. Normally, these hormones would trigger normal ovulation, luteinisation and lead to the development of the corpus luteum (follicular structure involved in pregnancy).

With this in mind, subsequent treatment of follicular cysts involves the therapeutic administration of gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH), which stimulates problematic dairy cows to release luteinizing hormone that promotes ovulation. GnRH treatments are often given 30 days post-partum because many follicular cysts can regress on their own accord. Luteal cysts are treated in a similar manner, but are also induced with prostaglandins, which is effective in causing their significant regression. Each follicular and luteal protocol has about an 80 – 85 % success rate in returning cystic dairy cows to a reproductive life.

Such successful cystic ovarian treatments are hard to ignore, yet preventative measures might be a better alternative to often costly therapeutic treatments, despite the seemingly widespread spontaneity of cystic ovaries in dairy cattle. It is known that controlling reproductive disorders at calving and shortly afterwards, namely dystocia, retained placentas, ketosis and uterine infections often decreases the occurrence of cystic ovarian disease in a lactating dairy herd.

There might be a nutrition and management link as well. Here is a brief summary of some recommendations that could be implemented on an ‘everyday’ basis that might help reduce cystic ovaries in a typical dairy herd: - Monitor body condition scores (BCS) – Post-partum dairy cows that have low BCS (less than 2.5) often exhibit anestrus. Researchers at Colorado State University also showed that over-conditioned cows were 2.5 times more likely to develop ovarian cysts. It is advised that cows have a BCS of 3.5 to 3.75 at dry-off and dairy producers should maintain this BCS level to calving.

- Maintain energy balance - Implement a proper transition feeding program (three weeks before cows calve and three weeks post-partum) in order to promote good dry matter intake and optimum body condition (above). Such close-up dry cow diets should dovetail into early lactation rations. Both diets are formulated with the central idea of maintaining good rumen function (by providing adequate effective forage fibre) and yet carry out enough available dietary energy to meet respective vital and production needs. Another goal is to maintain adequate DMI in dairy cows prior to calving (re: 12 kg, DM basis), while building up feed intake in early lactation to about 3.5 – 4.0% of their bodyweight at about 9 – 10 weeks post-partum.

- Maintain good trace mineral status – Copper, Manganese, Zinc and Selenium are part of several enzyme systems that are involved in production and release of many reproductive hormones. This means a marginal deficiency in one of these trace mineral could adversely affect endocrine activities. For example, Copper deficiencies have been linked to changes to hormone behaviours due to repeat breeding and inactive ovaries. Zinc deficiencies have been shown to lower follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels. Lastly, Ohio State University animal scientists reported that cystic ovaries were diagnosed in 19% of a split group of dairy cows injected with Selenium compared to a 47% incidence of cystic ovaries in untreated cows.

- Record and monitor cystic cows – It is a good idea to record all cows that have confirmed cystic ovaries, age of cow, parity, whether it is of follicular or luteal type and reoccurrence amongst individual cows. Record cows that do not respond to hormonal treatment. Consider the profitability of all cystic cows and those respective cows that should be culled.

Nobody will argue that taking the above herd-health or on-the-farm actions will totally eliminate ovarian cysts from occurring on any commercial dairy herd. However, it will take much of the mystery out of this reproductive challenge by identifying cystic candidates and successfully deal with their immediate problem as well as implementation of one or more above suggestions in order to help prevent its incidence. Even the reduction of one cystic cow in any herd helps restore reproductive performance in a big way.

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She Just Wants Healthy Food

By Les Klekte Rose Stevens says it is the desire for healthy food that got her involved in the anti-GMO movement and has her raising her own food organically on a farm at Beausejour.

“I have always been an activist and was involved in the health industry,” she said. “I saw people gaining weight and having more health problems and I blame it on the food they are eating. I just want to raise healthy food for my family, I wish I could get to the point I was providing it for others.”

Stevens was one of the organizers that brought Dr. Theirry Vrain a former genetic engineer and soil biologist with Agriculture Canada to Manitoba as part of the Cross-Canada Speakers Tour on Genetically Engineer Foods and Your Health. The tour had 3 stops in Manitoba and attracted the largest crowd in Winnipeg with 350, while 50 turned out for the event in Lac du Bonnet and 30 in Brandon.

“The Brandon crowd was not large but it was farmers,” said Stevens. “And it was what I call good farmers, the ones that are concerned about the safety of the food they produce.”

Stevens was previously involved in the production of a video opposing Roundup Ready alfalfa.

“That took a lot of resources,” she said. “It could have been inheritance for my kids but I felt it was important and I want healthy food for my grandchildren.”

Stevens said the very regulatory process that she is lobbying to strengthen is keeping her from producing the food she wants.

“The regulatory bodies are treating organic products the same way as commercially produced pesticides,” she said. “I cannot get neem oil from India because it is not a registered product here and because it is not protected by a patent no company will go through the registration process and the costs.”

Neem oil is a naturally occurring pesticide found in seeds from the neem tree that act as a repellent for insects such as aphids, cabbage worm, moth larvae, mushroom flies, locust and nematodes. It is considered toxic for bees and should not be applied when bees are active just like any other pesticide. It is slightly soluble in water and can be dispersed.

There has been no association with increased cancer risk when exposed directly and it is registered with the US Environmental Protection Agency as a pesticide.

She argues that it is a matter of common sense

with products like the control measures she wants to bring in but agrees there is no easy answer.

“What’s next citronella oil?” she asks. “I can see the need for a regulatory body but when a product has been used for generations we have to be able to use some common sense.”

Citronella oil is also a plantbased insect repellent which has been registered in the United States since 1948. It is insoluble in water and considered toxic to aquatic organisms.

Stevens believes that the extensive use of glyphosate on crops has lead to the removal of several minerals in the plants and resulted in poor dietary products.

“I take organic sulphur everyday to make up for it,” she said. “We need to educate people about the problems of these crops.”

She would like to see a stronger regulatory program for labelling of food products.

Scientists Look at Expanding Organic Sector The Organic Federation of Canada (OFC) will receive $8 million from the Federal Government to lead an organic science cluster that will help the sector respond to market demand and capture new opportunities.

The cluster brings the best and brightest together, from academia, government and industry, to focus on cutting-edge research and development that will improve the organic sector’s competitiveness, market potential, adaptability and sustainability. This will be accomplished through a series of activities focused on expanding organic production in response to market demand for hops, sprouts, ornamental potted plants and poultry.

Two hundred collaborating scientists will work on several priorities, including crop breeding for improved cultivars, developing new reduced tillage systems for organic crops, enhancing soil to improve plant health and developing new approaches to manage crop pests, diseases and livestock parasites.

“This project involves researchers across the country working together to provide us with the tools needed to expand production to meet the ever-growing consumer demand for organic food,” said Ted Zettel, President of the Organic Federation of Canada.

Canada’s organic exports have been valued at over $458 million, with most going to the U.S. and the European Union.

Organic Federation of Canada receives $8 million for research activities focused on expanding organic production and market demand for hops, sprouts, ornamental potted plants and poultry.

Jamaican Market Opens to Beef Canadian livestock producers will benefit from more export opportunities in the Americas as Jamaica has approved all imports of beef from Canada.

Effective immediately, Canadian producers can export beef to Jamaica, with full access now restored after the closure of this market in 2003 due to BSE. Canada Beef Inc. estimates that the Jamaican market for Canadian beef is annually worth roughly $4.5 million, or 1.5 million pounds of beef.

Jamaica is Canada’s second largest market for agricultural exports within the Caribbean region, only after Cuba, with 2013 agricultural exports to Jamaica totalling $54 million.

Canada’s top agricultural exports to the Jamaican market include non durum wheat, frozen french fries, whey, pig fat and skim milk powder.

The Agri Post

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Clack Heritage Museum Celebrates Days Gone By

By Joan Airey On August 10, a heritage celebration and open house was held in memory of Tim (Vernon) Clack who donated the museum to the Clack Family Heritage Museum Foundation Inc. in 1997.

“The museum was put together by Tim and his brothers Doug and Fred who predeceased him. Tim passed away this summer at the age of ninety-six,” said Margaret Burt one of the volunteer board members who manage the museum.

The museum by Blanchard, Manitoba is open during the summer months and in July and August the board employs students to help manage the heritage museum and events.

Tim built numerous miniature replicas of antique machinery which are on display along with everything related to agricultural in the past,” said Margaret Burt.

Along with the hand made replicas, visitors enjoyed numerous contests such as log sawing and spinning

Horses Get Pedicures Too!

Dick Heapy and Jim Brown of Oak River compete in the log sawing contest at Clack Heritage Museum Open House on August 10.

Photos By Joan Airey

wool demonstrations.

The museum is located in the Rural Municipality of Blanshard and has numerous buildings housing everything from what you would find in an old railway station to a drugstore in days gone by.

Photo By Joan Airey

Using their Louet spinning wheels brought from Holland, Rina Schueler and her daughter Rebecca from Minnedosa demonstrates the art of spinning wool at the Clack Heritage Museum open house.

Harry Matis a farrier from Portage trims Ty a gelding hooves on one of his regular calls in western Manitoba.

Hoof care should be just as routine as watering or feeding and horses should have their hooves trimmed regularly to maintain their health.

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The Agri Post

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Check-Off Dividends in Research Success

By Les Kletke Manitoba Pulse Growers are seeing their check-off dollars at work while attending the Field Day in early August. The event was held at the Agriculture Canada Research Facility in Morden and variety trials were one of the stops that got the most interest.

According to Francois LaBelle the General Manager of the Manitoba Pulse Growers Association the variety trials were always a popular stop this year and particular interest was seen in the bean varieties.

“Some of the trials that are going on are partially funded by the check-off dollars.” said LaBelle. “So the fellows could see their money at work and that there are some new varieties that are only a year or two away from registration.” He says that edible beans are in a catch up situation because there has not been the same emphasis placed on edible beans compared to soybeans.

“The life of a soybean variety is probably 4 or 5 years,” he said. “The large private companies are involved and they see the potential for the acreage of the crop to expand in western Canada. The edible bean varieties that we are growing are much older and have not had the advantage of recent breeding programs.” Some edible varieties are more than 25 years old he further noted.

La Belle said that even smaller companies have gotten involved with the soybean breeding programs in an effort to get involved with the increase in soybeans.

“Saskatchewan is ready to grow the crop.” he said.

“But, they are more prone to drought and I don’t think they will see the same yields as we have in Manitoba.

But, they still make sense in some crop budgets and guys are willing to give them a try.”

Machinery Loss of Use Coverage Bob Connor tells growers attending the Manitoba Pulse Growers Field Day about disease control efforts and a joint program with North Dakota State University.

La Belle advises growers in Manitoba to be on the watch for disease and insect problems which have not challenged the crop seriously to date.

“The insects and diseases do not need a passport and will cross the border and easily,” he said. “We may see some advantage with our winters helping control problems but they will blow in and there is a channel of crops through North Dakota.”

La Belle explained that program that is operating in conjunction with North Dakota State University and is looking at anthracnose control that makes sense. Anthracnose infections on deciduous plants are more severe in areas where prolonged spring rains occur after new growth is produced because the fungi need water to be disseminated and infect. The fungi do not spread under dry conditions.

“The problem is the same and the varieties are the same, so it makes sense that we have a joint venture in looking for control,” said La Belle on one of the jointventure field presentations.

If you have an insurance claim with any of your machinery you will likely need to rent a replacement while the damaged one is being repaired or replaced. This can be very costly unless your insurance policy covers the expense.

The Machinery Loss of Use Coverage will pay the rental cost of the replacement machinery if the damage to your equipment is covered by the insurance policy. Also you have to explain that you need the replacement. It will not pay if you simply experience a breakdown and the coverage will not pay the full cost of custom work service but it will very likely pay a good portion.

In all cases the rental unit or custom work has to be approved by the adjuster.

In a number of situations we have seen the Loss of Use claims add up to be more than the machinery claim itself.

You also need to make sure you have enough coverage.

It used to be that $2,000 per day rental coverage was enough but today machinery rental rates are higher. Daily rentals can now exceed $3,000.

For a very minimal difference in cost you should consider insuring at the higher level.

Be sure to seek advice and purchase insurance from those who understand your business!

Andy Anderson is an Associate Insurance Broker specializing in General, Life and Group Benefits for Farm, Commercial/Agri-business P 204-746-5589 F 866-7653351 andya@rempelinsurance.com/ rempelinsurance.com/valleyfinancial.ca.

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The Agri Post

Neepawa Hosts Youth Beef Roundup Sixty-five Juniors from Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta’s enthusiastic Junior Cattle Producers attended the 7th annual Manitoba Youth Beef Roundup August 1 3 in Neepawa. Excitement in the cattle industry brought out a top notch group of interested cattle producers and 115 head of cattle.

This was not just a cattle show. It was an all around event to promote youth continuing on in the livestock industry.

The 65 youth gathered for the 7th Annual Manitoba Beef Roundup pose for a group photo.

Harvesting Old Trees from Farm Yards

By Harry Siemens

Roundup Grand Aggregate winners - Vanessa Sheppard, Royce Mollenbeck, Naomi Best and Carson Baker on the tractor. Far right Sponsor Justin Pollock of Enns Brothers.

Gordon Ginter of Winkler said he’d like to start a different kind of farming by harvesting trees meant for the trash heap and destined to become ashes in short order.

“I’m trying set up a business that uses up trees that would other wise be destroyed via harvesting due to development, age, disease, etc.,” said Ginter. “I believe it is better for our provincial forests that we use these trees

for camp fires rather than... going into our provincial forest to harvest lumber quality trees for camp fires.”

He is willing to harvest some of the shelterbelt trees, if people are willing to pay him.

Even if it is somewhat com-

plex, he enjoys the work.

“A lady west of Morden, had some trees on either side of the ones needing harvesting that she wanted to maintain as is,” said Ginter. “A power line ran at a 90 degree angle through these trees. So, needless to say, problematic. I simply fastened my chain to all the trees and forced them to fall in the right direction.”

In another case, a couple had some very aged towering poplars. Their neighbour was unable to clean them up, but Ginter could. The yard in town left little room to manoeuvre, so he used his winch block, pulled the trees in a different direction and harvested the poplar trees for someone else to use as firewood and ultimately saved a tree or two in the wooded forests.

So far, sales are slow, yet he is hopeful to see a return for his time and invest in additional harvesting equipment.

“Since I’m harvesting mostly poplar, most clients want oak or ash,” said Ginter. “Oak and ash trees take a considerable amount of time to re-grow, about 90 to 150 years, poplars re-grow in 40 years.”

Ginter thinks that with harvesting at the present rate, oak and ash may disappear and leave the next generation with only poplar.

“Poplar is a hardwood. Try driving a nail into a poplar board. It does not spatter when you sit close to it around a campfire,” Ginter said.

He explained that the idea came to him one day as he was cutting down trees and cleaning up some lot lines. Someone told him he couldn’t compete with the big companies up north who harvest trees commercially and sell for firewood. That is when he realized that these companies harvest from crown lands sometimes for only firewood and end up taking down the forests.

His current stack of about 70 trees is being sold mostly to campers in half cord lots and carried away by pickup truck or put into bags.

“I get the best price from campers - or people in town who want to burn it in their little fire pit,” said Ginter.

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Vita Farmers Market Sweetened with Berries and Honey

By Les Kletke

Denis Bogen of Winkler offers customers a choice of raspberries at this stand at the Vita Farmers Market. Bogen also took orders for honey from later crops.

Late Spring Tough on Greenhouse Operators

Ask Dennis about the colour of the raspberries at his stand and the answer comes quickly. He offered both the traditional deep red berries and a yellow variety for the same price.

“Only the colour,” he said with a smile. “They both taste great.” He is right about the great taste, the ultimate raspberry connoisseur might be able to find a difference but most customers are happy just to have the fruit as fresh as his stocks are.

Bogen and his family farm at Winkler and are part of the regular Friday afternoon Farmers Market at Vita. He acknowledges that it is a long drive from the home farm to the market, “But we were invited so we thought we would try it.”

He was doing a brisk business in honey and taking orders for other types that would be available later in the season. Bogen’s first visit to the market was in early August and he planned to return for other markets and deliver the

honey for later crops.

“We have canola honey now.” said Bogen. “But there the sunflower honey will be coming later and we will have buckwheat honey as well. There is more interest in the Buckwheat honey in this area and people are asking if we have some, it will be later.” He said the slow cool spring had delayed honey production because most crops were planted later than usual and came into bloom late.

The Bogens are not looking to control the honey market but rather supply people with the specialty honey they want. The family has 4 hives and the bees work various crops around the families 2 and half acre farm at Winkler. The hives yield about 200 lbs of honey for the season.

“The buckwheat honey is a little stronger in taste.” he said. “Not everyone likes it but the people that prefer it over the canola honey really like it but, have a difficult time finding it because of the small acreage of the crop.”

Bogen said that the mar-

Farmer’s Markets Adding VValue alue with Direct Sales Photos by Les Kletke

Brenda Dyck says the late spring impacted her greenhouse sales and has delayed harvest of her vegetables as well.

By Les Kletke Brenda Dyck says the weather this spring has caused all kinds of problems, she operates a greenhouse near Vita and while the colder than usual temperatures drove her heating bill up they also kept customers away when her plants were ready.

“We had plants ready but people weren’t ready to plant things outside,” she said. “Then by the time the weather warmed up people thought it was too late to be putting in their garden.” It is a problem faced by many of the greenhouse operators around the province this year. The extended cold winter drove up their initial costs and kept client from their doors when plants were ready.

Dyck has salvaged some of this year by placing the plants

in her garden and marketing them at the Vita Farmers Market.

“Even at this time [early August] we are way behind because of the late cold spring,” she said. “We should have lots of cucumbers by this time and we don’t have any.”

“When we finally did get some heat in May it was too late and people don’t want to plant a garden in June, “ said Dyck.

Dyck has seen a steady increase in herbs in recent years both at her greenhouse and at the summer market. “People are buying more rosemary and basil,” she said. “They getting used to having fresh herbs and like to have some of their own in pots even in winter.”

She did have a good supply of peppers for the early market and a good range of colours from purple through yellow and green.

“But the red ones are late and we have not had many of them yet,” she said.

She also has a plant that can be used as a sugar replacement and said that it has caused considerable interest at the market.

“I don’t know if people are using it as a sweetener or drying some of it themselves,” she said. “But there has been good interest in the plant in the spring and now at the market.”

Overall, customers at the market are aware of the late spring and seemed patient about the arrival of vegetables later in the season than usual.

keting venture grew out of selling the excess produce from their farm, “We started to grow the vegetables for

ourselves and then began selling the extra, now we are growing some for the Farmers Market.”

His booth offered strawberries, cucumbers and zucchini along with the red and yellow raspberries and the honey.

Looking for a Kitchen

Dean and Sara Wall are looking for a commercial kitchen to produce their new energy bar. They source local material for the bar.

By Les Kletke For Dean and Sara Wall a trip to the Vita Farmers Market and setting up their booth was an exercise in multi-tasking.

They were there to test market, find a commercial kitchen for preparation of their product and sell some of the produce from their farm. It appeared they accomplished all three on one of the early market dates.

“We are looking for a kitchen to produce our bars,” said Dean Wall who proudly claims to be the developer of the recipe that contains locally sourced Quinoa. “We have looked at some in halls or community centres but have not found a good fit. We are talking to the baker in the next booth and it sounds promising.”

The Zhoda couple need a kitchen that has been inspected and certified to produce the healthy snack bar. They try to use as much of their own production as possible and when they are forced to go elsewhere they still make an effort to shop local.

“We found some Quinoa that is produced in Saskatchewan and we use that.” He said. “We have it shipped in but would love to work with a local producer if we could find some closer.” The couple say they access the crop by a mail order business on the internet.

Sara Wall has the same approach to her jams and uses berries that she picks on their farm or in the wild nearby.

The couple operate Zhoda Family Farms and have a120 acres which is mostly grass and trees but have an acre of crops for their own use and in the foods they bring to the market. The have chosen not to certify organic but try to produce their products without commercial inputs.

“We haven’t certified organic,” said Dean. “We might consider it in the future, but for now we could not see the advantage and there are several bodies that certify. It is something we might look into.”

One of their best crops this year was rhubarb. “We have had a great crop, and I use it in some of the jams,” said Sara. “It is hard to keep up with the growth this year.”

The couple also have some less traditional products like nettle and wild mint.

“There is a growing interest in these plants for medicinal reasons,” explained Dean. “So we offer them for people who might want to use them in making tea or other compounds; people who may not have access to pick them.”

He acknowledges that the nettle plant does offer some challenges to giving up its growth.

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Hop Trials and Research Being Conducted

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Cereals Canada Releases Strategic Plan

By Les Kletke Craig Linde has no illusions that Manitoba will become the centre of hop production in North America. That honour belongs to the state of Washington and they are likely to maintain that title for the foreseeable future.

Linde is with the Canada Manitoba Crop Diversification Centre in Carberry and with the help of Going Forward 2 funding is conducting trials on hop production in the province. He said the immediate results are promising and a local market exists for some small scale production and local producers have cultivated the provincial microbrewery and home brewing market.

“There is some production and there is a market for what is produced but it is limited and the harvest of hops is difficult without expensive equipment,” said Linde. “So it is not likely to go to large scale commercial production in the near future.” His early results show promise and justify more work with the crop.

Hops are a perennial and can last for several years when established, they also spread by rhizome and a stand will increase but the plant is not as aggressive as some crops that have been tested and later became problems in the field.

“We have had small plots and have been testing their ability to over winter,” said Linde. “That has shown promise especially after the harsh winter we had last year, though the crop did have good snow cover and that helped.”

The next issue the program will be testing for is diseases and Linde said hops are susceptible to mildew and spider mites.

“We have not seen them be a problem in Manitoba yet, but we need to carry out further testing to see it those things will be a problem or if there is something else that

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will affect the plant,” said Linde.

The hop plant responds well to fertilizer and is grown under irrigation in Washington State but it is too early to tell where the production would fit in Manitoba.

Testing is also being done in Arborg at the Prairie East Sustainable Agriculture Initiative.

Farmery Brewery owned by brothers Lawrence and Chris Warwaruk has show interest in the crop and the brothers have done some testing on their farm at Neepawa. They began plantings in 2011 and hope to harvest some hops this year.

“It is unlikely to get any production in the first year.” said Linde. “We would hope for some in the second year but realistically it takes a couple of years to get the plant established.”

It Started with a Goose

By Les Kletke Tanja Parisien loves animals and a lone gosling propelled her to operating a rescue farm.

“I found a gosling last year but could not find anyplace that would take it,” she said. “I nursed it back to health and when I took it to the sanctuary they said if it had imprinted on me they would have to kill it.” That was the motivation that lead her to what is now a home for 40 chickens and a half dozen horses.

“When I told my husband about it and that I wanted to start a rescue facility, he said okay and we bought this place.”

“When I told my husband about it and that I wanted to start a rescue facility, he said okay and we bought this place,” said Parisien of a farm just north of Sprague. The farm was home to a standard bred horse operation that raised horses for the American market but came up for sale when the operation was splitting up. The Parisiens bought the farm and use it to house the horse rescue operation.

They had about 30 horses go through the farm in the first year and she still cries when one leaves. “But in a good kind of way,” she said There is no outside funding for rescue operations so she tries to sell the recovered horses for a price that will cover her input costs.

“I go to some auction rings and buy horses that would be going to the packers,” she said. “I also get some from people who no longer want the horse. It could be kids that are no longer riding or people that are getting older and can’t look after them, the reasons are as varied as the horses.” Parisien says she tries to heal the horses before finding them new homes.

“They may have some physical problems or they may have physical injuries. I get them back to shape and sell them to cover my costs,” she explained.

They expanded to another species this spring when she heard of a poultry farm loosing its quota. “Someone told me that this farmer was going to destroy 2,000 chickens,” she said. “I could only take 40 but, I did and now I have them laying eggs. When they got here some of them didn’t even have feathers because of the small cages.”

Parisien and her nephew Carter Spafford created nests for the birds from old banana boxes and Tupperware containers.

“They are loose during the day but we have to close them up at night because of the foxes and wolves in the area,” she said. “We are working on getting them some more permanent housing and I hope to sell the eggs to cover the costs.” She laughs as she explains that the meal worms she uses as treats are expensive but the birds enjoy them.

“I talk to them and give them treats. They do respond,” she added.

Her egg production is 1.25 eggs per bird per day. “We get about 50 eggs from the 40 birds,” she said.

Cereals Canada released its first strategic planning document in August that was built on input gathered from a broad spectrum of organizations and individuals from across the value chain.

Greg Porozni, Chair of the Board of Directors stated, “Cereals Canada brings together a broad and diverse collection of partners from all parts of the cereals sector. Our goal is to ensure a profitable and vibrant future for all links in value chain.”

The three priority areas that have been established are in providing leadership for the Canadian cereals industry, building and implementing a market development plan for Canadian cereals and shape the environment for innovation in cereals.

“Our overarching goal is to ensure that all links in the Canadian cereals value chain are profitable,” continued Porozni.

“We will accomplish this by meeting the demands of our customers for consistent, high-valued quality products.”

“The cereals sector in Canada is in a period of transition that presents the industry with a unique opportunity to create the environment that will allow Canada to realize its full potential in international and domestic markets,” concluded Porozni.

The plan is available at CerealsCanada.ca.

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The Agri Post

August 29, 2014

Value of Trace Minerals and Vitamins in Pre-Condition Feeding Programs

Central, Eastern Farmers Harvest Average Crop Over 1,000,000 acres no crop this year year..

By Peter Vitti For those producers, whom decide to take advantage of a pre-condition feeding program that is implemented weeks ahead of weaning should also consider the importance of feeding balanced levels of essential trace minerals and vitamins (TMV).

This wise choice helps build good health status in calves before and after, they are shipped off to a feedlot. As a result, up to an extra couple hundred dollars are likely returned for each healthy feeder sold.

That’s because good trace mineral status (along with fat-soluble vitamins) underlies good health status in young cattle by the time they are weaned. A long time ago, bovine scientists discovered that essential minerals and vitamins although required in very small amounts in their diet were critical to prevent or fight disease.

Unseen by our naked eye, microscopic amounts (re: milligrams) of trace minerals; copper, zinc, manganese, iron and selenium act as ‘on switches’ in specialized proteins (enzymes), which in turn are activated antioxidants that destroy dangerous ‘free radicals’ that are produced during a normal immune response against disease. Without sufficient levels of these essential trace minerals in the calves’ body to activate these protective enzymes, free radical compounds would be simply allowed to multiple. As a result, they oxide and destroy vital immune cells and thus may compromise the entire calves’ immune system.

Even a single marginal deficiency of trace minerals such as copper, zinc, manganese, iron and selenium in cattle has specifically been linked to lower immunity against disease in many very good studies.

For example, zinc is required for the activity of over 300 enzymes in the body and thus tied to many cellular functions. Rather, than a direct link between zinc and immune function, research has discovered that a primary zinc deficiency causes a number of abnormalities in both the innate- and cell-mediated immunity. Specifically there is a reduction of thymus weight and hormones, that leads to reduction of T-cell participation in antibody production as well as interferes with T-cell helper function and results in lower humoral immune capacity.

On the bigger picture, American field trials have shown that infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) may contribute to a vicious cycle associated with a dietary zinc-deficiency. This disease/ compromised immune system increases urinary excretion of essential zinc, which may further compound an already existing zinc problem in stressed weaned cattle. In addition, feed intake is often depressed in these zinc-deficient situations and further results in less zinc (as well as other essential trace minerals) being consumed.

In contrast, University of North Carolina experiments showed that supplementing zinc to the diets of weaned and transport-stressed calves increased their feed intake. As well Texas A&M researchers discovered that zinc supplementation increased the recovery rate of IBR-infected cattle.

Such trace mineral studies dictate that weaned calves should be pre-conditioned with a daily dose of these essential trace minerals, whose levels at least match published NRC recommended levels.

These trace minerals also need to be added in forms that are also biologically available to cattle; absorbed, metabolized and retained, so animal tissue levels can be drawn upon at critical times in order to support good immune function that directly promotes good animal health.

Another reason, we want to build up immunity in pre-weaned calves with a good summerautumn mineral program is that most pre-conditioning calf vaccination programs become much more effective. It is well established that many cattle fail to acquire good ‘vaccination take’ (increase antibody titers) not because there is something wrong with the vaccine, rather beef calves are marginally or severely deficient in certain trace minerals that are essential for a strong immune response. Active immune cells must be stimulated in order to induce immunity against an induced antigen or vaccine.

Consequently, the best practical feed option that avoids such a TMV shortfall is for fall-weaned calves to consume a well TMV-fortified nutritious pre-conditioning (creep) feed in the next 4 – 8 weeks ahead of weaning.

Most pre-conditioning field studies have demonstrated that pre-weaned calves on a declining plane of late-summer/fall pasture nutrition, nominal cow milk intake and supplemented with good creep feed can potentially maintain a daily bodyweight gain of about 1.8 – 2.5 lb/head/day by which 30 – 60 lbs of this gain can be traced back to creep feeding.

From its core formula, this pre-conditioning diet should contain levels of copper, zinc, manganese, cobalt, iodine and selenium (as mentioned: meet at least the calves’ NRC requirements) to prevent a basic or primary deficiency. Some trace mineral levels should be heightened even further, such as copper to correct possible secondary mineral deficiencies caused by antagonistic dietary factors that bind copper and makes it biologically unavailable to pre-weaned calves.

Some research also suggests pre-weaned and weaned calves be fed ‘organic or chelated’ trace minerals (i.e. – mineral-proteins), which respond more favourably to disease challenges or stressful conditions due to assured good trace mineral status of a strong immune system. This class of specialized trace minerals offer the advantages of superior absorption, retention and metabolism in the cow’s body compared to respective inorganic trace minerals.

Aside from the trace minerals put into the pre-weaned feeding program; Vitamin A, D and E are often included to meet the calves’ own respective requirements. In particular, Vitamin A is involved in the immune response against pathogens, where it is required for the production of white blood cells to fight disease. Vitamin E (along with selenium) plays an anti-oxidant role in animal cells, which again is associated with a strong immune system.

In reality, the actual amount of TMV added - is a very small part of the overall formulation of most sound pre-conditioning feeding programs that also contain large amounts of carbohydrates, protein, fibre and macro-elements. However from a daily feeding of a couple hundred milligrams of copper to a few pounds of protein to pre-weaned beef calves; all these nutrients have equal biological value.

They work together to reduce: cattle stress, build good healthy calves and promote pre- and post-weaning gains; all of which should add solid profits to most cow-calf operations.

By Elmer Heinrichs Continued warm to hot weather, occasional showers and hot humid conditions has advanced crops and allowed swathing and combining of early crops in central and eastern regions to proceed.

Doug Chorney, President of Keystone Agricultural Producers, has noted that although the winter wheat harvest has begun there will be no harvest from over a million acres affected by flooding.

Manitoba moisture has been lurching from one extreme to the other this year.

Chorney, said in the spring the fields were sopping wet and now it’s so dry some producers are worried about what’s happening to their late crops.

The winter wheat harvest continues, yields range from 30 - 90 bu/acre with average quality. Harvest is wrapping up in eastern areas of central with western areas reported about 50 per cent done.

With winter wheat harvest beginning in the eastern area by mid-August early yields ranged from 55 - 80 bu/acre and the crop will be downgraded due to fusarium damage.

Harvest of spring cereal crops in the central region has started with much of the barley crop in eastern areas harvested, with respectable but lower yields than last year. The first of the spring wheat fields was combined with good yield and quality reported.

Altona farm production advisor Dennis Lange says the dry beans look variable, a little set back and ripening early. Harvest should begin in early September. Some of the soybean yields may be affected by little moisture in the critical R4 to R5 pod filling stages. A mid-September harvest is likely, said Lange.

Winter wheat in the Altona-Morris area has yielded 55 - 65 bu/acre, with quality down, he added. Isolated thundershowers, including some over the August 15-17 week end resulted in variable precipitation. Carman, Rosenort, St. Adolph, Starbuck and Portage in the central region received from 25 - 50 mm. Most areas are still looking for rain, especially for later maturing crops.

Central areas also reported that topsoil conditions are poor with large cracks evident in many fields. Crops are maturing and turning colour rapidly in areas that have poorer soil moisture-holding capacity.

Moisture stress is evident in corn, soybean and edible bean fields due to lack of rain and lower leaf drop has occurred. Crop fill is a concern in the later maturing crops, unless they receive rain.

Pre-harvest applications continue, as does swathing. Oats are turning rapidly, which may result in lower bushel weights and yields. Some oats are harvested with early reports of average yields.

The later-seeded canola fields are close to the end of flowering. Swathing of canola has started with 10 to 20 per cent cut in the more advanced areas. A few fields have been harvested.

Soybeans are podding, edible beans are podding and filling and some are turning early due to dry conditions. Corn is variable; most are advancing well, although some fields are impacted by a lack of moisture. Sunflowers are in bloom.

Eastern region reports that winter wheat harvest has begun with 55 - 80 bu/acre yields. Grain quality is low due to fusarium damage and will be downgraded. Spring cereals are progressing rapidly.

Haying is in full swing in both eastern and central regions.

Winter wheat combining in progress near Altona in early August.

Photo By Elmer Heinrichs

The Agri Post

August 29, 2014

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Swine Manure Applicator Calls for More Open PED Reporting

By Harry Siemens Doug Redekop, President and General Manager of Steinbach based Precision Pumping, a custom swine manure applicator is calling for more open reporting of PED virus to give those who provide services to the swine industry the best opportunity to avoid spreading the infection.

Under more stringent Manitoba government regulations, the swine manure fertilizer application season runs from April 10 to November 10. Redekop said that to reduce the risk of transmitting PED virus from one farm to another, custom swine manure applicators use strategies to eliminate any contact between manure application equipment or personnel and anyone or anything that might come into contact with pigs.

“People are quite concerned about the epidemic, especially since so many herds broke with it in the U.S. and closer to home in Ontario so that it’s high on the radar,” he said. “But what I will say is as the weeks go on and we don’t

have any new cases, I have a feeling that people will start to get a bit complacent.”

Since PED is a reportable disease within Manitoba, he hopes as a service provider, the industry could help remove this cloak of secrecy around the announcements of new cases.

“This way, we could do our best to minimize the transmission of disease if and when they identify new outbreaks,” he said.

Redekop further added, if custom applicators can access roadways away from the barn, to wash and disinfect the equipment that comes into contact with the lagoon and any heavily manure equipment in the field that will do a lot to minimize the transmission risk.

“Our focus is always to start at the top of a health pyramid. Either the nucleus or sow barn and then work our way down within the pyramid,” said Redekop.

“This gives us some assurances the health statuses are constant. We communicate directly with our customer and nutrient planner the health status and all of those factors play a role.

Poultry Codes to Get Updated

Building on previous work done with the National Farm Animal Care Council, the CAHC will update two existing codes and develop three additional codes.

Doug Redekop, President of Precision Pumping in Steinbach said closer communications within the hog industry will benefit all.

That’s number one.”

He said the cooperative bought a wash trailer with its own holding water specifically to wash equipment and work closely with the farm to identify critical areas to stay away from like roadways close to the barn offices and feed bins.

“We ask for separate driveway access to the lagoons to stay as far away as possible from the normal day to day activities of the farm and also washing and disinfecting a lot more frequently than we did before this breakout,” he said.

Redekop said that even with only two Manitoba

A manure applicator takes the manure from the attached hose, inserts the liquid into the ground and covers it up, all in the same pass.

cases on farms he encourages the industry to work even more closely, while stepping up the biosecurity protocol.

A recent survey of custom swine manure applicators showed they are communicating more closely with their clients, while taking more time to plan manure applications to help reduce the risk of spreading PED.

The Federal Government announced funding of over $2 million to the Canadian Animal Health Coalition (CAHC) to develop and update poultry codes and further advance best practices for the care and handling of other farm animals.

The CAHC is a not-for-profit organization serving Canada’s farmed animal industry and is a partnership of organizations that recognize the shared responsibility for an effective Canadian animal health system.

Building on previous work done with the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC), the CAHC will update existing animal care codes for the poultry sector and develop three new codes of practice for additional sectors. Guidance materials will be developed to ensure that farmers have access to the latest, most up-to-date codes and assessment programs, assuring customers that the product they choose has been raised to the strictest standards of animal welfare.

Grain Logistics Move Forward With the announcement of the regulations that will bring C-30, the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act, into effect Cereals Canada sees grain logistics moving forward.

“The Government of Canada has recognized the seriousness of transportation failures,” noted Cam Dahl, President of Cereals Canada. “Cereals Canada thanks the Hon. Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and AgriFood, for his efforts to clear the logistics logjam and move towards long-term solutions that will prevent the transportation problems from happening again.”

“Restricted grain movement during the last fall and winter placed a significant economic strain on western Canadian farmers and has put at risk Canada’s international reputation as a reliable supplier of high quality grains, oilseeds and special crops,” continued Dahl.

“The Order in Council adopted in spring and the Fair Rail for Farmers Act recently passed by Parliament help to reassure our customers that Canadian will be a reliable supplier. Maintaining this reputation is critical to the growth and development of our industry,” concluded Dahl.

The next step is the comprehensive review of the Canada Transportation Act that has been accelerated by the Government of Canada because of the recent transportation failures. Cereals Canada will be an active participant in this review.

The Manitoba Livestock Manure Management Initiative (MLMMI) released the first results from their survey together with the University of Wisconsin Madison.

MLMMI Executive Director John Carney said one of the first things, the survey showed is that hog producers and their com-

mercial manure applicators are talking much more about how to contain the spread of this virus.

“Discussions between the farm and the manure applicator about when they are you coming, where were you before coming to my farm, what are you going to do, and who’s coming,” said Carney.

Changes to Grain Handling and Transportation System Now in Force Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and Transport Minister Lisa Raitt announced recently the coming into force of a series of important regulations and an Order in Council (OIC) related to the implementation of the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act (Bill C-30), which received Royal Assent on May 29, 2014.

The Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act amended the Canada Transportation Act and the Canada Grain Act to ensure that Canada’s rail transportation network moves grain to markets as quickly and efficiently as possible, following a record crop year for Canadian farmers.

The measures take effect immediately and include the passing of an OIC, which sets out the minimum grain volumes of 536,250 metric tonnes a week that Canadian National Railway Company (CN) and Canadian Pacific Railway Company (CP) are each required to move from August 3, 2014 to November 29, 2014. Potential volume requirements would take into consideration weather and other factors and could be in the range of (in metric tonnes, per railway.

Specific minimum volumes by month are in December approximately 430,000 per week, January to February approximately 400,000 per week, March approximately 455,000 per week and April to the end of the crop year approximately 536,250 per week. The maximum penalty amount payable for each violation to the regulations is $100,000.

The regulations also require CN and CP to provide additional data on grain movement to better monitor the overall performance of the rail-based supply chain. The new regulations clarify the operational terms in a service level agreement that can be arbitrated by the Canadian Transportation Agency, to support commercial negotiations between shippers and railways.

Two further changes that comes into force is an amendment to the Railway Interswitching Regulations extending the limit for rail interswitching from 30 kilometres to 160 kilometres in the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba for all commodities to increase competition among railway companies and give shippers access to alternative rail services and there are provisions to provide farmers with better protection through more accountability for grain companies in contracts.

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August 29, 2014

The Agri Post

Port of Churchill Marks the Beginning of 85 Years Shipping Grain

By Harry Siemens On Tuesday, August 5 the short shipping season began for the Port of Churchill which moves less than a million tonnes of wheat annually.

OmniTRAX Canada is a Manitoba based transportation and logistics company, run by Manitobans and owned by Americans in Denver, Colorado.

“Our transportation network provides a critical connection for northern Manitoba and the Arctic to the rest of Canada,” said OmniTRAX Canada President Merv Tweed. “For more than 16 years, OmniTRAX Canada has provided access to people and businesses in northern Manitoba and supporting a variety of industries including grain companies, farmers, tourist operators and petroleum producers.”

On that Tuesday in August the Port of Churchill celebrated its 85th anniversary by holding its annual First Vessel Ceremony to mark the start of the shipping season. Captain Saw Din Maung hosted the ceremony joined by more than 50 people including Manitoba Minister of Agriculture Ron Kostyshyn, Federal MP Larry Miller who chairs the House of Commons Transportation Committee, Senator Don Plett and Richardson International, whose spring wheat is on this season’s first vessel. As the ceremony took place, port employees loaded the wheat onto the M.V. Ikan Suji destined for Mexico.

“We’re looking forward to another successful shipping season with our dedicated shippers, like Richardson International, who provide continued, long-standing support to the Port of Churchill,” said Tweed. “Following last year’s record crops we are preparing for another stellar shipping season.”

As Canada’s only deep sea Arctic port, the Port of Churchill operates from late July through mid-November shipping grain, as well as other crops around the world.

Manitoba CFGB Harvest Begins

By Elmer Heinrichs The first Manitoba field of the Canadian Farm Grain Bank in the 2014 harvest was combined in the afternoon of August 7, said Harold Penner, Coordinator for Manitoba and Northwest Ontario regions.

It was 45 acres of Perennial Rye grass; part of the Helping Other People Eat (HOPE) project centered at Arnaud and is part of seven fields making up 434 acres in 2014.

This field is located on Marsh River Farms, near Ste. Elizabeth.

Penner said he is still waiting to hear if any winter wheat is being harvested for CFGB. He said other projects were planning to harvest, but that he’s still waiting to hear if they did and of their results.

The vessel, M.V. Ikan Suji loading grain at the Port of Church on August 5. The first vessel to load grain this shipping season with 34,000 metric tonnes of No. 2 wheat headed to Mexico.

In the captain’s bridge of the M.V. Ikan Suji, [left - right] Captain Saw Din Maung, Manitoba’s Agricultural Minister Ron Kostyshyn and Merv Tweed, President of OmniTRAX Canada.

Photos by Harry Siemens

The Port of Churchill, a division of OmniTRAX Canada, also handles various cargos and provides custom handling services including; consolidation, marshalling, packaging and heavy equipment moving.

Tweed and OmniTRAX Canada chartered a Perimeter Air Dash 8-turboprop airplane with 39 seats filled near to capacity to give us a tour of this wonderful event and celebration. Not only did the group participate in the ceremony and have lunch up in the captain’s quarters, we also took a ride on a tugboat looking for beluga whales and rode up to the mouth of the Churchill River and Hudson Bay. Tweed of OmniTRAX Canada said to really make this an outstanding, long-term viable port, it will take a

cooperative effort, already underway, between the federal government, Saskatchewan and Manitoba governments, people of the North and companies like theirs.

“We bought the Port and the Hudson Bay Railway (HBR) in 1997 at a time when service was poor and the infrastructure of both had fallen into disrepair,” he said.

“We believed then, as we do now, in the promise of the north. We have invested over $110 million, along with an additional $40 million from the Canadian and Manitoba governments, to repair and upgrade the rail line and port.

We’ve dramatically improved safety and travel times so that we can provide better access to the north and expand our operations.”

KIOTI Recognized as Top Performing Tractor Manufacturer in 2014 The North American Equipment Dealers Association (NAEDA) named KIOTI Tractor a Gold Level status award recipient in 2014. The Gold Level status award recognizes those manufacturers who have achieved exceptionally high dealer rating levels as part of NAEDA’a Manufacturer recognition program.

KIOTI Tractor was one of eight tractor manufacturers evaluated by over 1,400 dealers. The company received ratings well above average.

“We are honored that KIOTI Tractor has been wellreceived within our dealer network and recognized by one of the industry’s leading associations,” said Peter Dong Kyun Kim, Chief Executive Officer, Daedong-USA, Inc. KIOTI Tractor Division.

In its annual Dealer-Manufacturer Relations Survey, NAEDA sought out agricultural and outdoor power equipment dealers and asked them to rate the compa-

nies whose products they represent on 12 key categories of dealership operations and support. The survey categories include: overall satisfaction, product availability, product quality, product technical support, parts availability, parts quality, return privileges, communications with management, warranty procedures, warranty payments, marketing and advertising support and manufacturer response to dealer needs and concerns.

One Manitoba Dealer, Crikside Enterprises from just outside Steinbach agrees with the industry’s decision to elevate KIOTI with the gold level status.

“In our local market we have experienced great market acceptability,” says Bob Brandt of Crikside. “People are looking for tractors that are sturdy, handle great, have fast hydraulics and don’t break down… these are the qualities that are used to evaluate before the awards are handed out.”

The Agri Post

When It’s Hot and Dry Canola Should Not be Cut

Ron Krahn of Rivers cutting canola in August which he said looks good.

By Harry Siemens The harvest is well underway in southern Manitoba, especially the winter wheat, canola and some barley.

The soybeans have about another month to go. Farmers are hoping that the low’s stay above the freezing mark for at least another month. Those areas that did not receive the most recent rain are still looking for it, especially in soybeans, corn, sunflowers and potatoes.

The crop insurance deadline is less than a month away and to get coverage on next year’s winter wheat farmers must plant before September 15.

Ron Krahn of Rivers started cutting canola on August 14 and sampled some red spring wheat that also looked good.

While canola is a little light, he said, the winter wheat sample has no Fusarium Head Blight.

Fraser Redpath at Mather also cut his canola, but it is all weather dependent and sensitive because canola lying in swath matures even better with rain on it.

“We’re actually quite a bit later this year cutting canola,” said Redpath. “We should be finishing up cutting now, not just starting the first field.”

MB Wheat and Barley Growers Association Joins Cereals Canada Cereals Canada is pleased to welcome the Manitoba Wheat and Barley Growers Association (MWBGA) as a new member.

Greg Porozni, Chair of the Board of Directors stated, “Cereals Canada brings together a broad and diverse collection of partners from all parts of the cereals sector and across the country. Representation from farmers from all regions is a critical element to our future success. It is very important to us to have the voice of Manitoba growers at our table.”

“The MWBGA is in full support of a collaborative and coordinated approach to a number of major cereal market development and research issues. We support Cereals Canada as the primary organizational vehicle to coordinate and provide leadership on how much of that work gets done,” stated Don Dewar, Chair of MWBGA. “The Cereals sector in Canada is in a period of transition that presents the industry with a unique opportunity to create the environment that will allow Canada to realize

its full potential in international and domestic markets.

Cereals Canada was created to seek out opportunities for the entire value chain and fill gaps in industry leadership, market development and innovation strategy,” concluded Porozni.

“You never know how the pods have filled until the combine gets into the field of course, but there will be lots of stuff to put through the combine,” he said. “It is swathing easy for the most part and standing good. That is encouraging.”

This is his very first crop he’s swathing, although his barley last weekend was ready, and depending on the weather he was not sure if was going to cut more canola or barley.

Farmers do not like to cut canola when it is too hot and dry for fear of shattering the ripened pods, but barley can be cut when it is 25 to 30 degrees Celsius.

When asked about his barley and disease potential, Redpath said with so much Fusarium Head Blight in neighbours’ winter wheat fields; he is a little hesitant to check out the barley fields.

“From walking in a little ways, the barley doesn’t look to have it, but hearing some neighbours having it in winter wheat; the Fusarium, it is a little scary,” he said. “I guess we’re just sitting with our fingers crossed that it will be okay until the combine gets there, but who knows.”

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The Agri Post