AgriPost July 25 2014

The Agri Post

July 25, 2014

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July 25, 2014

The Agri Post

The Agri Post

Crops Challenged by Wet Conditions

By Les Kletke The excessive moisture this spring not only took it’s toll on seeding or lack thereof it is bringing more challenges in the form of disease affecting crops that were planted and in some cases the less than expected stand cannot handle further challenges. The thin stand in some crops is helping keep disease to a less rampant outbreak than might have been the case in a dense stand.

Canola crops that were planted and had difficulty emerging from the soaked ground are now facing challenges from disease brought on by the high temperatures and higher humidity.

Aerial applicators report a brisk business for application of fungicide on good crops.

The reduced acreage that was planted and the questionable stands have many farmers wondering about the additional cost of fungicide on what in many cases is a less than average stand.

Agronomist Mike Klassen at Portage thinks that it still makes sense to protect crops that have emerged and are moving to maturity.

“The stand in canola is not what we normally see,” said Klassen. “But it still justifies protecting, perhaps even more so because you have to have every available plant yield to its highest potential just to get an average crop.”

He reserves judgement on the club root situation saying that it is too early to see how much damage the disease might do even with producers stepping up control measures this year.

“We know the disease is here, it is just a matter of how bad it will be,” said Klassen.

“We need every one to stay vigilant keeping it at bay.”

He noted that many cereal crops have received a treatment of fungicide in anticipation of the conditions that arrived.

“Most producers include a fungicide in their budget and after the last couple of years with good stands and high value crops they want to make sure that they get the crop that is out there,” said Klassen. “We are seeing, that

the stand justifies the treatment and producers are going ahead, they have made a big investment in the crop to this point and want to get it to harvest.”

Klassen said that many producers faced wet fields at

seeding and wetter fields when it was time to spray, “It just didn’t dry up and while some chemical went on with ground rigs, many fellows were forced to use aerial applicators for herbicides as well.”

Rancher Has Grass to Spare

By Les Kletke Peter Pawluk watches his cattle graze knowing they will not catch up to the fast growing pasture.

“It was a slow start and we had them on feed a lot longer than we would have liked,” said Pawluk. “But now there is more than they can eat and with the moisture we have now it should carry though till the end of August.”

Pawluk knows his Menisino area pasture could carry more cow calf pairs at this time and he wishes that he had more cattle on pasture in anticipation of the strong markets expected this fall. He has three hundred predominantly Angus cow calf pairs.

He considered increasing his herd last fall, deciding against it and there was a time in spring that he was thankful.

“I looked at buying more cows last fall but the market wasn’t right and with the winter we had I wasn’t sorry,” he explained with a chuckle. “As late and cold as the spring was, I was feeding enough cattle.”

Pawluk pastures his cow calf pairs on one site and heifers at another in eastern Manitoba. He has used a rotation grazing program for more than a decade to increase the efficiency of his pastures.

“This year we have been able to keep the cattle in a paddock longer than usual because there is so much grass now and that is a bonus,” he said. The wet conditions in early spring had him

After a slow start, pastures have more grass than cattle can eat. Peter Pawluk says his cows are staying in paddocks longer than usual.

Photo by Les Kletke

keeping cattle on higher ground.

“We were able to keep to the higher parts of the pastures and reduce the damage they might have caused,” he said. “It was a tough spring in the early going.”

He acknowledges that haying is behind schedule from where he would like it to be at the end of July but feels his hay supply will be adequate going into fall.

“We have some carry over from last year though not as much as we would like, the long winter drew down our stocks,” he noted. “This first

cut was late but there is good quantity and while it might be late it looks like we are going to get another cut and even though it might be less, that will allow us to build the stocks.”

He expects a strong market for his calves this fall and the overall beef market strengthening will have him hold his cattle numbers at the same level.

“It would be tempting to sell some cows,” said Pawluk. “But at the same time with prices up you think about buying some more, so it will probably mean hold my own.”

July 25, 2014

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The Agri Post

July 25, 2014

Value Added or Robbery?

Unless you have been on another planet for the past few months you have noticed the increase in the price of beef and yes I am aware of the trend that beef prices rise in the beginning of summer as barbecue season begins, but this year they have taken a significant jump. I will be the second to admit that beef has been under priced in the grocery stores for the past several years. I am second only because I could not be faster than a producer. The guy who gets hit in the wallet really has a story to tell.

We don’t have to review the whole scenario of BSE and exchange rates and the other catastrophes that hit the industry but as Abe Lincoln said, “He who does not learn from history is doomed to repeat its mistakes.” I would like to learn from recent history in the beef industry and use it to understand the future. This is where I have a problem.

The problem is with the value added component of the business. Anyone who is old enough to vote remembers the ‘Value Added Days’ and how the producer should get more involved with the food chain and be closer to the consumer. There was a time that the rule of thumb was that processing doubled the value of the product i.e. grinding wheat to flour made it worth twice as much per pound and baking bread with flour doubled the price again. This means it is now worth 4 times as much per pound and if you did something more with the bread the factor would increase to 8.

When beef prices tanked, the processing value did not increase. The reasoning was that the work performed in the packing plants and grocery stores was still just as costly, therefore the price to the consumer did not drop as much as one would think. I understand the logic that the hourly wage in the packing plant and butcher shop remained the same whether that steer brought 80 cents or a buck and a half a pound at the auction.

Fast forward to this summer and the prediction that live cattle could hit $2.50 a pound by fall. Does that labour still cost the same in the packing plant or does the doubling value rule come into play?

Somehow I have a feeling that if the price of the raw product was to go up a dollar a pound the price to the consumer would see a much great increase. Yes I know, not all of the pounds of a live animal make it to the freezer so let’s use a factor of half for saleable products and keep in mind the same factor was in play at 80 cent cattle.

I can’t claim that I was the most studious fellow in economics class however I know that the instructor talked about prices going up and down and that the market worked both ways, somehow this one is really confusing and I can feel a pinch coming.

Bogus Burgers Regular TV viewers are probably familiar with an A&W advertisement, where a friendly manager is handing out free samples and pointing out that their burgers are made with, “100% pure beef that’s been raised without any added hormones or steroids.” Over at her ‘Agriculture Today’ blog, Angela Jones has a big problem with this message and rightly so. Pardon the pun, but in many respects, the ad is a bunch of bull.

It’s a clever bit of marketing. It implies that A&W’s beef is a higher quality, healthier choice.

The claim is presented devoid of context and relies heavily on consumer ignorance, peer pressure and a touch of guilt. Jones does a wonderful job of dissecting the claims and bringing them into clear focus.

First off, they don’t say 100% Canadian beef. Some token production comes from Canada, but the company imports most of it from places like Montana

and Australia. One of the basic tenets of the ‘sustainability’ movement into which A&W is trying to tap is ‘buy local’.

They’re not really doing that.

Next, the blog focuses in like a laser beam on the phrase, “Raised without any added.” The average consumer probably doesn’t understand this, but no one can honestly say ‘hormone-free’ because cows produce their own hormones. They are a naturally occurring part of any bovine.

Yes, it is now common practice for ranchers in Canada and the U.S. to give their cattle a growth promotant early on in their lives. Certain people get their shorts in a knot about these ‘added hormones’. They are the same hormones that the cows produce themselves and the practice can be considered as a sort of ‘booster shot’ that improves the animals’ ability to process food into muscle tissue.

Government Policy Keeps Thumb on Economic Development in Manitoba Something that slipped by me about a month ago, when Gord Mackintosh, who is a minister of the crown, right here in Manitoba said in no uncertain terms the province’s NDP government isn’t budging on the hog barn ban moratorium. It doesn’t matter if the Maple Leaf Foods plant in Brandon has to cut back and work share, or whatever else they do when idling because there isn’t enough product to process.

The plant can process up to 108,000 pigs a week, lots of pork chops I know, but normally would like to do at least 90,000 and can hardly reach 70,000 because of producers going out of business over the last five years.

No not this year because pork demand and prices are record high, but Manitoba producers can’t cash in because of this moratorium.

As Doug Chorney, President of KAP told me, “It is unacceptable to have the activist’s agenda dictate government policy.”

However, Mackintosh takes a different route and some of it seems to veer a little off course.

Recently, porcine epidemic diarrhea and other threats have presented supply challenges to the pork industry throughout North America, resulting in calls for a major increase in hog production,” said Mackintosh, the Minister of Conservation and Water Stewardship.

This is absolutely not true. First off, five bad years, which I’ve noted here causing hog farmers to fall like flies resulting in supply cut backs.

I’ve not seen anyone calling for a major increase in hog production, except maybe consumers who find the current prices a little steep, but demand keeps rising.

In Manitoba, where production fell by almost 50 percent, none resulting from PED virus, except at one farm, but not enough to create cutbacks in processing plants. I’m not sure what the minister refers to when he says ‘other threats’ but suffice it to say a business that can’t grow will shrink.

As I said, in Manitoba it shrunk by half. Now the industry wants to rebuild to gain some losses back and replace aging infrastructure. Not possible under the ban/moratorium because a farmer needs to increase production to payoff the investment. Secondly, bankers are leery and gun shy.

“Our government remains committed to working with industry to protect jobs while staying vigilant on water quality,” said Minister Mackintosh. “We are not prepared to weaken the Save Lake Winnipeg Act and allow unrestricted province-wide hog production in Manitoba at the expense of the environment.”

He refused to add, or conveniently leaves out the fact that Manitoba Pork Council, KAP and other pork industry stakeholders have spent so much time trying to help the government people figure out the system and it isn’t complicated.

Yet they keep saying we’re almost there, just a few more details and we can work out something that works for us all. Then boom, Mackintosh drops the other shoe, or sledgehammer.

“Any pilot project proposal coming forward from the hog industry to the province must demonstrate zero negative impact on water quality and include effective odour control measures,” he said.

“The hog industry is an economic driver in Manitoba and we will continue to work with producers and processors to ensure the industry is strong and environmentally sustainable for the long term.”

Absolute hog wash. I find it interesting when someone tries to suck and blow at the same time. On one hand, they admit the hog industry is ‘an economic driver’ and on the other hand they take a sledgehammer and drive it into the ground.

Penners Points

by Rolf Penner rolfpenner@agripost.ca The hormone in question is estrogen. It’s easy to measure how much of it we are in fact eating. The type of meat A&W is promoting has about 5 nanograms (ng) of estrogen per 500 grams (g) of beef. Standard beef grown with the dreaded added hormones has 7 ng per 500 g. A whole 2 ng more! Doesn’t sound like a lot does it? Well, it’s less than you think.

The average human male produces in the neighborhood of 136,000 ng of the stuff every day. The average woman makes 513,000 ng a day. A pregnant woman can produce 20,000,000. What about other foods? You can find 11,000 ng of estrogen in 500 g of cabbage, 28,000 ng in a tablespoon of soybean oil and 555 ng in every 500 grams of eggs.

Here’s the real kicker. You can get 300,000 ng in 500 g

of white bread. Think about that. You receive way more of the hormone that’s supposed to scare you from the bun that you’re eating than you do from the actual meat. And, interestingly enough, no one is talking about that. Go figure.

It should also be pointed out that A&W talks about hormones and steroids as if they are two separate things from which they supposedly protect their customers. They’re not.

The terms are redundant; both refer to the same estrogen. Again, most consumers don’t know this, which is exactly what the fast-food chain counts on.

One also needs to point out the big picture in all of this, and Jones does. If ranchers stopped using growth promotants in beef production, we would need 12% more cattle, 10% more land, 11% more feed, 4% more water and 7% more fuel and fertilizers to produce the same amount of beef that they do today. The advocates of sustainability certainly shouldn’t want that.

When one takes a hard look at these claims, they appear less clever, but rather cynical and cheap. If customers actually knew the extent of the game being played against them, their trust in A&W would drop dramatically. Obviously that’s a risk the chain is willing to take. In Jones words, “They don’t care what long-term effect they have on our food production or public perception of agriculture, as long as they can sell you a burger today.”

Kudos to Angela Jones on her well-researched blogpost properly sourced with links to all of the reference material she found. It’s a shame that the mainstream media, particularly consumer reporters, can’t do the basic research needed to inform people properly about what’s really going on with our food supply. Far too often, they just jump on the bandwagon rather than doing some homework. Yet Jones, a working mother of two young children and a farm wife, can do it in her spare time. Good for her.

The Agri Post

July 25, 2014

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Increased Lameness Forecasted for this Pasture Season

By Peter Vitti Excessive wet weather seems to be the norm on the Canadian prairies during the grazing season. Thunderstorms race across open ground, dump large amounts of precipitation and are periodically replaced by a few days of sunny weather.

Most cowherds forced to stand on soggy ground, in puddles or in mud for much of the grazing season leads to many cases of painful and performance-damaging lameness. Therefore, producers should check their beef cattle on a routine basis during the summer find any lame cows or calves and treat them, immediately.

Otherwise, when not being forced to stand in a puddle of water, healthy hooves of the brood cow and her calf lose one of the hardest parts of their body as a protective barrier against invading bacteria that cause many types of lameness.

Healthy split-hooves of cattle are covered with a thick waxy hoof wall (made of keratin – a specialized protein that gives hardness to hooves), which sits upon the sole, white line (a junction between the sole and the hoof wall on the underside of the hoof) and heel.

Inside the hoof or claw, the pedal bone sits inside the laminar corium, a blood-enriched living tissue that is along the horn wall. It is the laminar corium that produces the horny nail of the hooves.

As mentioned, lameness problems start with the hooves’ constant exposure to wet pastures that causes grazing cows’ hooves to eventually become very pliable and rubbery. This makes them more prone to overall excessive wear, bruising on the underlying sole and direct physical injury such as punctures, scrapes or deep cuts to the hoof horn. It is these latter abrasions that open cattle hooves up to pathogenic invaders that cause the majority of lameness in pasture cattle.

Unfortunately some of the initial stages of lameness are subtle or invisible, because we cannot see every little scrape or wound that might compromise hoof health. So we might not realize the real candidates with damaged and infected feet until it’s too late and a swollen hoof of a particular cow is visible and painful-looking.

From the road we probably will not see swollen feet hidden by lush grass unless we walk amongst the cows in the herd.

What we might see is one or two of those animals favouring its hind legs, while another individual is limping away in pain.

It often becomes a matter of constant vigilance and how close-up to all of the animals you are to check the herd for hoof problems.

Ironically, most of us blame a higher incidence of lameness of cattle upon footrot, which seems to be a matter of universal debate. Natural surveys, field trials and available literature attribute between 5 – 75% of all diagnosis are valid footrot infections!

The chances are good if pasture animals suffer from actual footrot, the space between their claws (inter-digital space) is swollen and red. If any of these animals are suspected of footrot then most likely it has significantly progressed. Their claws will be noticeably separated and the skin between the toes will be cracked and visible tissue will be dying. The classic smell of decaying flesh should also be evident.

Footrot often shows up in cattle after a stretch of rainy weather, followed by a week or so of warm dry weather. The skin of the inter-digital claws starts to crack, chap and is eventually opened to infection by anaerobic (lives without oxygen) bacteria called Fusobacterium necrophorum, but also may include other invaders such as strep- and staph- organisms found in pasture soil and manure.

It should be suitably noted, footrot is a contagious disease. Pus and discharge from swollen feet will contaminate muddy ground or water and other cattle can become infected within a day by walking in the same pasture with similar direct physical injuries to their hooves. Several environmental studies have proven that footrot bacteria can live up to 10 months in unfrozen ground or manure. Part of the frustration of producers in controlling this common disease is that the footrot organism seems to disappear from wet or dry pastures for a few years and then may come back with a vengeance.

Similar to footrot, cows and calves from wet lush pastures are also susceptible to lameness caused by toe abscesses. These abscesses are caused by hoof sole penetration by bacteria in the toe area under the hoof wall. A mitigating factor includes when a hoof is soft and easily worn down to the sensitive tissues, especially in the outside front toe of the claw. Some producers that are able to restrain cattle with toe abscesses often trim the affected toe parts to allow drainage and relieve the build-up of pressure, which is painful to the animal.

Regardless of footrot, toe abscesses, or other infectious foot problems, the general conscience of many cow-calf producers and large animal veterinarians is that antibiotic treatments can get cattle back ‘on their feet’ with a few days. Treatment of swollen hooves is most effective when each lame animal is caught in early stages of progressive hoof damage.

Rather than waiting for individual lameness to happen and then treat each case, some beef nutritionists suggest a cowherd prevention plan to infectious hoof disease by strengthening cattle’s hooves and improving their immunity by feeding ‘hoofhealth building’ trace nutrients. They suggest that copper, zinc, selenium and Vitamin A should be fed in their most bioavailable organic forms to all cattle for a few months ahead and during the entire pasture season.

For example, a commercial loose mineral might provide 4 – 5 gm of zinc methionine per cow or calf (proven effective by decades of university research) in order to reinforce the horn of cattle hooves and make them more injury resistant and thus closed-off to lame-causing pathogens.

Keep in mind that this is only one nutritional prevention plan and the former are well-accepted treatments that may avert a high incidence of infectious lameness in some cowherds that is forecasted for the remainder of this year’s wet pasture season.

Depending on one’s pasture opportunity, it is might be best to move cattle to drier ground.

Insuring for Replacement Cost versus Market Value Replacement Cost is very different from Market Value. Insurance premiums and limits of coverage are not based on the current resale value of your building. They are based on the cost to rebuild similar size and quality without allowing for depreciation. Replacement cost includes new materials, today’s labour costs, debris removal, site accessibility, winter heating and current building codes.

Market Value is based on age, size and quality of the building, condition and use, location, land value and the selling price of surrounding properties.

Most comprehensive homeowner’s policies guarantee the replacement of your home if you are insured to full replacement cost according to industry standard rebuilding cost evaluations. This is a great benefit because if the cost to rebuild is higher than the limit of coverage on your policy, the insurance company will pay these extra costs to put you back in the same situation you were prior to the loss. This means no out of pocket costs for you.

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 Ph 204-746-5589, F 866 765 3351 andya@rempelinsurance.com / rempelinsurance.com /valleyfinancial.ca.

Developing Markets for Canadian Farmers I have recently returned from a trade mission to China, led by Gerry Ritz, Federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food. The Canadian delegation that accompanied Minister Ritz was large. Delegates included Ministers from Manitoba and British Colombia and the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada who was joined by her colleagues from Saskatchewan and Manitoba. In addition to Cereals Canada, the industry contingent also included representatives from barely, beef, pork, blueberries, flax and more.

Trade missions like this one to China are not unique and followed closely to recent trade missions to Korea and Japan. So why do both industry and governments put so much time and money into trade missions?

The quick answer to that question is, “Because they work.” Agricultural trade is sophisticated, technical and large. The flow of billions of dollars is guided by a myriad of conflicting government policies and regulations. Faceto-face visits between Ministers, senior government officials and industry has a way of cutting through this complexity. Despite the complicated nature of the business, success in agricultural trade often comes down to one-on-one relationships. No matter how efficient and effective modern communications have become, email, and social media channels like Twitter and Facebook cannot simply replace the personal touch in business relationships.

Federal and provincial governments deserve credit for the support given to developing agricultural markets. They also deserve kudos for directly involving key industry players in market development. Governments are responsible for setting the rules for trade and industry is responsible for sealing the deal and keeping the customer happy. These missions are a good example of how industry and government working together can get the whole job done.

What are some of the things we talked about when we were in China, Korea and Japan? A key focus for Cereals Canada was the Canadian quality advantage. Canadian farmers and industry can consistently deliver a high quality product that processes the same way every time.

I remember growing up when my mom was baking bread and she would say, “This batch of flour is just not right.” and the resulting bread was not quite right either. The same concept holds true for large international customers. They want their bread, noodles, or other products to be the same every time it comes out of the oven. The consistency of Canadian grains helps them achieve that goal.

Consistent high quality product has always been important for key Asian markets like Japan and is becoming more important to growing markets like China. As incomes grow across this region, people are demanding better and more consistent food products. Canadian farmers, exporters and crop development companies stand ready to meet this growing demand for quality.

This is what gives Canadian cereal grains their competitive advantage.

Our customers also talked about another Canadian advantage – clean air, clean water and clean land. Canadian agriculture has a strong reputation for delivering safe food. This is a reputation that cannot be bought and must be guarded by everyone in the industry.

How can individual farmers protect Canada’s reputation for safe food?

There are many examples and perhaps the most important is rigidly following the labels when applying pesticides and seed treatments. Do you think that bit of treated seed in the back of the truck won’t do any harm? Or those few days of pre-harvest interval won’t make a difference? Think again.

Consider the damage that could be done to Canada’s reputation if those few seeds push a shipment over an international maximum residue limit. Because testing is done at parts per trillion, those few seeds might just be the difference between a shipment being accepted and one that is rejected.

Food safety concerns and environmental reputation are growing issues in international markets. Canada can and is delivering on our promise to provide safe, clean and reliable food. As a trading nation we must protect ourselves against countries that use ‘safety’ as an excuse to block trade. We do this by fighting for trading rules that are based on strong science.

Promoting sound scientific rules for food safety and environmental sustainability is another key goal of trade missions. The Government of Canada, with the strong support of industry, is leading the way internationally. Canada is using every opportunity to promote science based trade and helping to build the scientific capacity of our trading partners. Again, this is an example of industry and government working closely together that benefits all links of the value chain – from farm gate through to our end use customers.

Canada already has a strong reputation for high-value products in the international marketplace. By working together, producers, industry and government can build on the Canadian brand and deliver long-term profit for everyone involved. That is our ultimate goal.

Cam Dahl is President of Cereals Canada.

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The Agri Post

July 25, 2014

Grain Broker Says Book Transport Early “Get in the cue because if you wait to book your grain in SeptemberOctober...”

By Harry Siemens While the grain handling and transportation system, including government, grain industry and the railways have begun correcting the backlog of grain movement, it is unlikely to clear up before the end of 2014’s harvest.

Still, grain broker Allan Johnston of Welwyn, Saskatchewan hopes farmers will not give up on the situation despite many orders out of thousands of grain cars booked for farmers remain unfilled.

“Some of them are still waiting and these cars are coming,” he said. “The contract is still in place, the buyers are expecting to move it and their end buyers have it sold.”

Johnson says honour the contracts because this will improve the transportation system he hopes and that everyone is aware of it.

“This producer car loading thing is a very good opportunity of not being

Reducing the Risk in a Risky Business

By Les Kletke Hans Stern views farming as a business with a great deal of inherent risk, so he tries to do everything he can to reduce that risk. That is what drove him to a mixed farm operation and that is what drives his crop rotation.

“With a mixed operation you reduce the risk,” said Stern. “There are lots of things that can go wrong in this business, if I can spread my risk so much the better.

I will not win the lottery but I will stay in business.” He crops 2,000 acres and has a 100-cow beef herd feeding the calves to market weight.

“Sure there are times when the market is strong and I wonder why I didn’t sell the calves in the fall,” he said. “Or when I am feeding steers on the coldest days of winter, but that is the route I have chosen and you can’t change from that because you have one bad day.”

He has increased the crop portion of his land base compared to when he first arrived as an Hans Stern tries to avoid risk on his farm. He Austrian immigrated ten says the business is risky enough even with years ago. his efforts. He runs a mixed operation to “I have built my land reduce risk. base and will continue Photo by Les Kletke to do so but I have to consider the risk as well,” said Stern. “Last year was a good crop and it would have been great to have more land but I will not always get crops like that and if the market drops the returns are not as good.”

He spreads his acres between cereals, oilseeds and forages.

“The soybeans do well, it would be good to have had more acres,” he said. “But I can’t always count on a bumper crop and I am cautious.” He has grown soybeans for 4 years and continues to expand the portion of the farm they occupy.

“There has been a learning curve, I was not familiar with the crop so there was much to learn,” said Stern. “The weed control has been good and they seem to hand the challenges of the weather.”

He would like to add corn to his operation however; he is waiting for lower the entry costs. “Corn would be a good crop for me and I would like to target grain corn and could use it for a feed source if the weather is bad and the crop doesn’t mature. But, at this time, it doesn’t fit into the operation. The cost of extra machinery, spread over the small acreage that I have makes it prohibitive; maybe someday.”

trapped into your local elevator system and gives you another out,” he added.

For farmers looking to tap into world markets, Johnston believes the producer car loading system holds huge potential, despite this past year’s logistics nightmare.

“Get in the cue because if you wait to book your grain in September-October and then you might only get March-April loading,” said Johnson.

Even with governments and farmers ‘watch dogging’ the system, there are bound to be more problems even in an improved grain handle situation which is one more reason to seize the day he explained.

“A farmer may rent a railcar and indirectly ship, say to Vancouver and then maybe end up in China or India directly,” he said. “Just a wonderful new situation now with the demise of the monopoly of the Canadian Wheat Board farmers can do this thing.”

Yet, the he said, the Wheat Board is still there if a farmer wants to go that way and all the more power to him.

“I think this new system is far more just, far more important than our old system when locked into a monopoly,” added Johnson.

Johnston’s grain began booking its first customers from a new satellite office in Calgary. The company first opened in Rocanville in 1986 and later operated from the family garage on the farm at Welwyn, Saskatchewan which is now the site of a recently built office and storage complex.

The Agri Post

2014 Rodeo Adds More Excitement “Bull-nanza” Added

By Dan Guetre The community of Richer is once again hosting an exciting action packed rodeo as the Richer Rodeo committee prepares for an encore event which saw them win Rodeo of the Year in 2013.

August 8, 9 and 10 is the date set for the Annual Richer Rough Stock Rodeo. The rodeo will feature an added addition this year with a special Bull-nanza slated for the Friday evening featuring 40 or more bull riders vying for the custom designed Championship Buckles.

Also, the Manitoba Cutting Horse Association will be out competing Friday afternoon in the rodeo arena. There is no cost to watch this event.

“Last year’s rodeo set a record attracting over 200 entries and we are expecting to break that record again this year,” says cochair Pat Stolwyk. “We are attracting a high number of competitors because of the cash prizes and custom buckles available. We knew early on, based on the tremendous success we had last year, we would have to work hard to create an even better show.

We know that those who come out will not be disappointed.”

With new bleachers built for spectators, added food choices, an improved “Trading Post” area, more activities for kids and their parents, the rodeo committee is sure everyone will be impressed.

“We again partnered with Heartland Rodeo Association and 7 Cross Ranch because of the professionalism of the organizations. The Heartland crew is a great bunch of people to work with and 7 Cross provides a healthy and exciting stock for the competitors,” says Stolwyk. “Happy competitors, and exciting animals almost guarantees a spectacular show for our guests.”

While winning the coveted Rodeo of the Year title again is on the minds of many of the organizers, pulling off a successful rodeo where fans leave knowing they got their moneys worth of entertainment is the ultimate goal. Last year the rodeo attracted almost 3,000 people through the gate. Organizers are expecting an even larger crowd this year.

“We are keeping the ticket prices affordable for families,” says Stolwyk. “The Friday night Bull-nanza and social are only $15 for adults. Kids, with their parents, are free! As for the Saturday and Sunday, we kept the 2013 prices. We want to gain a reputation of being family friendly and affordable.”

In addition to the Friday night Bull-nanza and social and the Saturday and Sunday rodeo, the weekend includes a pancake breakfast, family fun zone, a live Saturday night concert with Quinton Blair, live and DJ’ed music all weekend in the beer gardens, over 50 crafts and product vendors in the Trading Post, a parade, Gymkhana, Mutton Busting, a special Sunday intermission show featuring the Canadian Northern Lights Drill Team, and lots more.

For more information, the Richer Roughstock Rodeo has setup a new website at www.richerrodeo.ca where you will find a program, event list, area accommodations and more.

July 25, 2014

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July 25, 2014

The Agri Post

The Agri Post

Charolais Pen Show Enjoyed by All

By Joan Airey The second annual Charolais Association Pen Show and Picnic was held during the mid-July weekend in Rivers at HTA Charolais Farms owned by Shawn and Tanya Airey.

Many of the attendees travelled from Alberta, Saskatchewan and from across Manitoba. Some of the weekend participants even travelled from as far away as Vienna, Austria.

Judges Cody and Michelle Allison of Leveldale Hereford Farms were able to pick the first, second and third place finishers from a number of entrants. First place winners won $150, Second place a $100 and third place received $50 for each class entry. Class winners also received chairs donated by five Manitoba breeders.

Charolais Female with calendar year heifer at foot class was won by C2 Charolais, La Riviere, second place HTA Charolais Farms, Rivers and third by Fun Bus Syndicate, Brookdale. Charolais Female with calendar year bull calf at foot had HTA Charolais Farms taking first in class, C2 Charolais in sec-

ond and third was High Bluff Stock Farms, Inglis.

The Commercial Female with Charolais influence Calf at foot class first place winner was Kris Kristjanson, Ochre River, second Darrin Pearson, Miami and third T & M Olmstead, Carberry. The Commercial Female with Charolais Influenced calf at foot was won by HTA Charolais Farms, in second JMB Charolais, Brookdale and in third High Bluff Stock Farms, Inglis.

In the Charolais Female Born 2013 class first place went to HTA Charolais Farms, second place to Brooke Preston, Ste. Rose Du Lac and in third place Jared Preston, Ste. Rose Du Lac. To add further excitement to the competition a ‘You Be the Judge’ Jackpot Competition was held. With five dollars participants could judge the final six heifers and if the person was able to list the finalists in the same order as the judges

they received half of the jack pot. The other half of the jackpot went to the crowd favourite.

Mel Reekie, Canadian Charolais Association, Acting Manager presented Katie Steppler, of Miami with half the jackpot for choosing the same order as the judge and Shawn and Tanya Airey had the crowd favourite.

After the Pen Show a picnic barbecue was hosted

by HTA Charolais Farms for everyone in attendance.

Andre Steppler presents an event sponsor chair to Kris Kristjanson of FDKL Charolais in Ochre River, Manitoba as the class winner of the Commercial Female with Charolais Influenced calf at the annual Charolais Association Pen Show and Picnic. Judges l-r Cody Allison and Michelle Allison.

Photo by Joan Airey

July 25, 2014

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Not This Year

By Les Kletke Randy Barton knows that farming is about being in next year country however; in 2014 next year’s country came too early.

“We knew that we would get a lot of our land seeded before the deadlines came,” he said referring to seeding deadlines from Manitoba Crop Insurance. “And that is awful early to be in next year country.”

For Barton, like much of southwest Manitoba, the excess moisture comes too quickly on the heels of 2011.

“We were still recovering from the flood of 2011 and now we get this, it gets pretty tough to take when you are still recovering from one and are hit by another flood in an area that is not used to flooding. We just don’t expect this and especially twice in 5 years,” he said. Barton farms at Melita and said that in the past the drought was a much greater concern than flooding.

“We were more concerned about conserving water than trying to get rid of it,” he said. “But the conditions this year with the late spring and heavy rains made it impossible to seed.”

He seed about one third of his farm and says that it does not have the potential to give him a third of a crop.

“The land we did get onto was wet and the conditions were far from ideal, it was more a matter of trying to get some seeding done and in most cases going around low spots so it is much less than a third that actually got in.”

The conditions of crops that were seeded suffered from the heavy rains that followed shortly after seeding, adding further stress on the crop that did emerge.

“Then we got hit with cutworms that are not normally a problem; but did appear this year,” Said Barton. He said that he is left with only hope that conditions will return to longterm averages.

“We can’t put in drainage to deal with the kind of rainfall we have had this year or the previous flood year,” he added. “There has to be something done on a large scale, if that means controlling the flow of water from the west or whatever; but when we get this kind of rain there is not much you can do.”

He is hopeful that the province will come through with some type of assistance program to help farmers impacted by the flood.

“We have crop insurance but that doesn’t even cover costs much less the overhead expenses to keep us in business,” said Barton.

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July 25, 2014

The Agri Post

Good Weather to Start Second Half of a Century

By Les Kletke Good weather was the order of the day as the Big M Stampede entered its second half century in Morris. Event President Tim Lewis said that the attendance reflected the good weather.

“Our numbers were down somewhat over last year,” said Lewis. “But last year we had a lot of people on hand for the 50th anniversary celebration, comparing it to a regular year the numbers were very good.”

While the weather co-operated for the event it did take its toll earlier. The Black and White Dairy Show a longstanding tradition was cancelled just days before the event because of the wet conditions in western Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan.

“It was a go until just a day before, so we had put all the work into getting the facility ready,” said Lewis. “But we can understand that with the conditions in western Manitoba and Saskatchewan the competitors would not have been here. The show will be back next year.” The Black and White Show has established itself as one of the premier summer shows attracting a number of participants

Good weather at this year’s Manitoba Stampede was a bonus to crowds and competitors with near ideal conditions in the arena.

Photo by Les Kletke

because it gives them the opportunity to show outdoors.

The 51st version of the Big M did still have a dairy component featuring 4H competitors.

Lewis noted it was not just the current conditions that were a concern for competitors. “We know that haying has been a problem for many of the dairy producers and for some they are in the middle of putting up their first cut, and that has to be a priority.”

High winds earlier on Friday caused some concern and a few tents were blown over with no serious damage done, everything was righted for Friday’s events.

Lewis explained that the de-

cision to join both the American and Canadian Associations is paying off with more American competitors choosing to come to Morris.

“Cowboys now get points for the Canadian and NFR [National Rodeo Finals] from our event so that has helped attract American cowboys,” he said. “We were happy with the number and quality of contestants.

This year’s event also featured Canada’s Wrestling Elite with six bouts a day. “It’s not western but it is great entertainment and the crowds loved it,” said Lewis with a chuckle. “It is all a part of the show.”

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July 25, 2014

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July 25, 2014

The Agri Post

The Agri Post

Manitoba 4-H Fun Fest Records Another Success The third Annual Manitoba 4-H Fun Fest was held in Carman at the Dufferin Agricultural Society grounds from July 9 - 11.

Scheduled to coincide with the Carman Country Fair this year’s event had 61 members participating. In addition to the horse, beef and dairy shows Fun Fest offered a day of competition solely for multi-purpose members and a series of games based on Minute to Win It, as well as a Tug Of War competition, which proved to be very popular.

Of the members who attended, 20 were dairy members, 22 were equine members, 15 were beef members and four were from multi-purpose clubs.

The most coveted prize of Fun Fest was a trip to the 4-H Pro Show in Nova Scotia this September. All members were invited to submit an entry with their explanation of, ‘Why I love 4-H’.

Each of the entries also went through an interview process.

At the finale, Amanda McCullough, a senior member from the Graysville Beef Club was announced as the winner.

Several other awards were presented during the three-day event.

In the Livestock Judging Competition, the winners were Senior, Chris Jermey, Intermediate, Justin DeRuiter, Junior, Taylor Carlson and Cloverbud, Shaylee Frattinger. The High Point Winners in each age class for the horse category were Equine Senior, Shalen Martens, Equine Intermediate, Will Mantik, Equine Junior, Alyssa Matthews and Equine Clover Bud, Jaylee Matthews.

In the Beef category, the winners were Beef Senior, Amanda McCullough, Beef Intermediate, Will Jermey and Beef Junior, Taylor Carlson.

The dairy category winners were Dairy Adult, Michael Borst,

Amanda McCullough a senior member from the Graysville Beef Club standing with her steer won the most coveted prize this year and will be travelling to Nova Scotia’s Pro Show this fall.

Dairy Senior, Melissa Hamming, Dairy Intermediate, Levi Gunnink, Dairy Junior, Kelvin Hamming and Dairy Cloverbud, Ariana Borst.

Supreme Showmanship winners were Cloverbud, Jaylee Matthews, Junior, Kelvin Hamming, Senior, Bethan Lewis and Intermediate and Overall winner, Mikayla Frattinger.

In the Tug of War contest the Gold Medal was taken by Central Manitoba Dairy Club, the Silver Medal by Archie 4-H Light Horse Club and the Bronze Medal by Elm Creek Beef Club.

Wawanesa Farmer ... Most Crops Look Good

Simon Ellis of Wawanesa says this picture shows five different fields of wheat, canola, oats, corn and soybeans.

By Harry Siemens

Arabs to Take Over Brandon

Simon Ellis farms at Wawanesa and says on a scale of 10, rates their crops at about an 8.5.

“I would say 8.5, but are surface rooted so will need moisture in a week,” said Ellis.

“Our sloughs are full and the rest of the field is drying quickly.

Healthy crop uses a lot of moisture.”

He says the area that he rates at lower is fairly small and that Highway 10 west seems to be the dividing line, really depending on the field’s internal drainage.

“We have a field that is very marginal,” said Ellis. “We do have spots drowned out from too much moisture, but we are in a good area here and crop does look good. Fifteen to 20 km and the crops don’t look so good. Further west the topography is a little different, more rain, the water just couldn’t get away fast enough for the crop to survive as well.”

They broadcast their canola on the field and because it is flat the field is wet. The water doesn’t run off as well and the field ends end up with more water. As a result the crop has struggled and he thinks that more than 25 percent of the field is gone.

He added, “I think the wheat, oats, and canola crops look good, but the corn and soybeans that need more heat are a little delayed.” Ellis noted that the corn was knee high by July 1 and is now is more like waste high.

This year’s Arabian Show begins Monday, August 11 and runs through Saturday, August 16 at the Keystone Centre in Brandon.

The Canadian Nationals stands alone as the only AHA championship show offering a full range of competition with Canadian flair.

Class sessions begin at 8 am, 1 pm and 7 pm respectively. Admission and parking for the horse show is free to the public.

If you are interested in learning more about Arabian horses, attend the Total Arabian Interactive Learning (T.A.I.L.) tours held on the grounds. Tours will be given Friday and Saturday, August 15 and 16 at 10 am, 2 pm and 5 pm. T.A.I.L Tours offers an insider perspective of the Arabian breed and the horse show.

As well as the Championships themselves, spectators are treated to incredible displays in the barns that look more like lavish living rooms, water-features and lush greenery, right next to their horse stalls.

With over 700 horses, spectators will enjoy 196 different classes in youth, western, dressage, hunter and english disciplines. For schedule of events and information visit the website arabianhorses.org.

July 25, 2014

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July 25, 2014

The Agri Post

The Agri Post

Dreams are Made in Vegas

By Les Kletke Las Vegas has long been the place of dreams more broken than fulfilled and now it has cowboys dreaming of a trip to the famed city as well. The National Rodeo Finals has found a home in Las Vegas and getting to the finals is the dream of every rodeo cowboy.

Dusty Hausauer calls Dickenson, North Dakota home; if a rodeo cowboy has a home with the amount of travel, he does in what has become an almost year round sport.

Hausauer was at the Big M in Morris to compete in the Saddle Bronco competition before moving on to a couple of rodeos in the same weekend.

“This is a busy time of the year,” he said with a smile. “There are rodeos all across the west and it is the time to get some points and money with the hope of qualifying for the finals.” He acknowledges that is not likely for a cowboy from North Dakota however, it does not make

his schedule any less hectic.

The July long weekend has become known as Cowboy Christmas for the number of rodeos on that calendar all at the same time and with a little bit of planning and help from the computerized draw, contestants can enter as many as 5 or 6 rodeos over the weekend and put some extra cash in their pockets.

Hausauer likes the format of the Morris event with a sepaAmerican cowboys like Dustin Hausauer chose to compete at this year’s Big M and gain points for the National Rodeo Finals in the US.

Community Events Horticultural Diagnostic School - On Thursday, July 31 at the Canada Manitoba Crop Diversification Centre, 370 River Road, Portage la Prairie. Presented by MAFRD, CMCDC and Assiniboine Community College, this event will be of interest to market gardeners, vegetable and fruit producers. Registration starts at 8:15 am and sessions end at 3:15 pm (rain or shine). High Tunnel sessions in the morning and entomology, pathology, weeds and soils sessions in the afternoon. Registrants can choose either morning High Tunnel session, afternoon agronomy session or both for the same cost of $25/person (includes lunch and refreshments). Pre-registration is required for lunch. Contact monika.menold@gov.mb.ca, 204-745-5661.

The We Can Do It! Canning Workshop – On Saturday, August 9 from 10:30 am - 2 pm at the Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre, The Faculty of Agricultural and Food Science at 256 - 66 Dafoe Road, Winnipeg, Join us to learn how to can pickles, peaches and more. All the supplies will be provided as well as a recipe book. The cost is $65. Register soon as only 15 spots are available and closes Tuesday, August 5. Contact 204-883-2524, ffdc@umanitoba.ca.

Made in Manitoba Breakfast - On Saturday, August 23 from 9:30 am to 12 noon at 256 - 66 Dafoe Road, Winnipeg. The Farm and Food Discovery Centre teams up with Ag in the Classroom. Come out the centre and enjoy hotcakes, sausages and fruit. All products are produced right here in Manitoba. Contact 1-204-883-2524, ffdc@umanitoba.ca.

July 25, 2014 rate rodeo held each day and prizes awarded for the event. “It helps with the travel,” he said. “You can enter the day that fits your schedule and you’re in for that day, do the best you can and you’re down the road to another event.”

He was non-committal on the number of events he would compete in this year, “It depends on how things are going, when you’re doing well you want to keep going and get in as many rides as possible. If you get hurt, well that can put an end to your season or at least put a big hole in your schedule.”

While some cowboys competing in

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riding events choose air travel, because they are not burdened with a horse and trailer, Hausauer is still driving from one event to another and tries to consider distance before entering a rodeo.

“There are a lot of things to consider, first of all, if you can get there,” he said.

“Morris is a good event and it is not too far from home for me.”

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The Agri Post

July 25, 2014

Pioneers of Change Recognized

Don Kroeker

By Les Kletke The Manitoba Agriculture Hall of Fame received five new members at a Ceremony in Portage on July 17 and the background of those inducted into the Hall was as diverse as the province’s agriculture.

Waldie Klassen of Steinbach is thought of as a representative of the Supply Management sector and rightfully so spending much of his time in the poultry sector but also found the time to be involved in the provinces general farm group KAP as it was being formed and established.

Klassen saw early in his career that poultry farmers needed more stability in their industry and worked to establish the supply management system. He stayed on the Board of the Manitoba producer’s organization for 37 years and lobbied in the Uruguay round of the GATT talks to have the Canadian system protected. He was also involved extensively in food safety issues and has been recognized internationally for the work he did in the industry.

Bill Siemens

Bob McNabb

“It was a suprise!” said Klassen of the nomination. He was informed of the event on returning home from wintering in Arizona. “We were home for a couple of hours and I got the call, I was not even aware I had been nominated.”

Klassen had worked with two other inductees, Siemens and Kroeker during his career and said it was a highlight to be going into the Hall with them.

“I knew there was a Hall of Fame, but it is not something I set out to do when I got involved with the industry,” said Klassen.

Bill Siemens began his farm career in 1959 when he graduated from the School of Agriculture at the University of Manitoba, purchased 80 acres of land with his parents and obtained his first sugar beet contract.

Siemens is best known for his work in the sugar beet industry and spent a term as President of the World Association of Beet and Cane Growers, an association based in Paris, France that represents sugar producers throughout

Ron Helwer

the world. He was instrumental in hosting the group’s biannual meeting in Canada that was held jointly in Manitoba and Alberta.

He has guided the growth of his farm to a family operation that now involves his grandchildren two of which have graduated from the School of Agriculture, one this spring.

Ron Helwer’s involvement in agriculture is as diverse as the geography he covered in the business. He was born at Libau in eastern Manitoba and began working in a Massey dealership there with his father and brother before expanding to Selkirk and eventually founding Shur- Gro in Brandon.

Helwer was a founding member of the Western Fertilizer and Chemical Dealers Association in 1978 and served as its second President in 1979-80. He has been recognized by the Brandon Chamber of Commerce for his involvement in the business community there.

Don Kroeker received a degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of

Five YYear ear Old 4-H Member Competes in Rapid City RRodeo odeo Club RRally ally

David Klassen

Manitoba and returned to the family farm at Winkler where under his leadership the farm grew 10 fold to become the largest potato producer in the country. He was extensively involved with the Canadian Horticulture Council and travelled internationally to promote the potato business.

Bob McNabb of Minnedosa believes in practicing what he preaches and has been involved in promoting conservation at every level and practices it at every level on his farm. He has worked rotational grazing and other conservation practices into his grain and beef operation in Minnedosa.

His efforts did not stop in Canada; he also worked in Zimbabwe co-ordinating a CIDA project that focused on developing agricultural co-operatives.

The Manitoba Agriculture Hall of Fame is accepting nominations for the 2015 induction ceremony and nominations can be obtained from the office in Brandon.

With no help from her parents, the youngest 4-H buddy member, five-year old Jessica Wright of Rapid City prepares her horse for riding at Rapid City Chutes n’ Boots 4-H Rodeo Club Rally day before the judge.

Photo By Joan Airey

Plans Changed for Canola Grower

By Les Kletke The spring that was late in coming had Peter Dyck changing his seed plans more than he cares to remember.

“It was a tough spring,” said Dyck a Sperling area farmer. “We had plans in place from winter but they got revised a few times.”

One of the biggest changes resulted in an increase in sunflower acres, a crop that he had not grown for several years planning to put it back into a smaller rotation and instead increased the acreage.

“Our plan was for two quarters,” said Dyck. “We haven’t grown sunflowers for a few years so they fit in the rotation and the return looked good, so we planned on getting them back but as spring got later we were seeding what we could. As the land dried up the acreage grew.” He has double the expected acreage with 640 acres, a significant part of his 4,000 acre operation.

Like many Manitoba farmers Dyck has been increasing his soybean acres over recent years, however the cost of sunflower made more sense. “The cost of nitrogen has made them more attractive than canola, so our canola acreage has been cut back,” said Dyck. The excess moisture has also been a deterrent for canola.

“We have had some pretty wet conditions the past couple of years and canola has suffered, the soybeans have been able to come through those conditions, not always a bumper crop but always a crop, “ he noted. His canola acreage is down 1/3 on his farm and acknowledges it was only border line in good rotational practices.

“We were crowding our rotation for several years and now we have cut back on canola and increased soybeans,” he said. “There are still some concerns but it does have some other characteristics that help out.”

Disease was one of the concerns with short rotation but Dyck has also tried to rotate his weed control program to avoid herbicide resistance issues.

“We did have a lot of roundup ready crop and that was an easy way to handle problems but we also have to look at other modes of action to control weeds and not have a resistance problem.”

He said, “We are trying to do that and especially on the cereal crops.”

He explained that the moist conditions of this season have pushed him to a fungicide application on his cereals and he is also looking at other control measures on his sunflowers.

“We have been considering aerial application there and it seems expensive but the crop looks good to this point, so we want to do everything we can to keep it.”

The Agri Post

July 25, 2014

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The Agri Post

July 25, 2014

Benefits of Canola on a Family Farm

By Les Kletke Five students will be heading off to University this fall relying on the benefits of growing canola on their farm and the Manitoba Canola Growers Association (MCGA).

The MCGA scholarship application required an essay on what growing up on a family farm meant to the individual.

“Growing up on a farm was my whole life,” said Brad Wright of MacGregor.

“Most of my family is involved in agriculture so it has been everything to me.”

Wright will be heading to the School of Agriculture at the University of Manitoba. Other winners are Jenilee Dyck of Winkler, Elliot Kiel of Teulon and Sheena Meggison of Goodlands who will be attending the Faculty of Agriculture and Richard Watson of Rossendale who will be studying Engineering at the University of Manitoba.

Wright has chosen the

Rivers Hosts Ag Fair Rivers 4-H Beef Club took part in the Rivers Agricultural Society Fair Parade holding their Achievement Day in conjunction with the fair. The day began with a pancake breakfast and included a tractor pull, horse show, domestic classes and games for the children, ending with the beef clubs steer sale followed by fireworks.

Photo by Joan Airey

diploma program because it is a two-year commitment that allows him to enter the 4-year program if he chooses to later.

“I didn’t want to commit to four years right now,” he said. “I want to get my diploma and I can transfer in and get a degree in two more, if I choose to.” His father Kenneth is a graduate of the Degree program at the University of Manitoba.

Wright is spending his summer on the farm tending to the families 100 cow calf pairs and 500 acres of cropland. The herd is a mix of Red Angus, Semintal and Charlois genetics that are on grass in the summer and corn in the winter.

“It was a good year for calving and we have a good set of calves with more than enough grass,” he said. “There have been some problems putting up hay and we are trying to do that between rains but, it has been slow going.” The Wrights have backgrounded calves in the

The 2014 Canola Grower Scholarship winners were Jenilee Dyck, Winkler, Elliott Kiel, Teulon, Sheena Meggison, Goodlands, Bradley Wright, MacGregor, who have plans on attending the University of Manitoba to take Agriculture and Food Sciences and Richard Watson, Rossendale who is planning to attend the University of Manitoba to take Engineering.

past but now sell the calves in the fall after a summer on pasture.

The family grows canola, wheat and corn on their 500 acres.

“The corn is for winter grazing and got off to a slow start this spring because of the late seeding but it is doing alright now,” said Wright.

He says the canola is struggling a bit this year because of excess moisture.

“We got done seeding but every field has a few spots that were left because of the water,” he said.

For his first year at university, the Canola Growers Association will help with a $1,000 towards his expenses.

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July 25, 2014

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July 25, 2014

The Agri Post

Flood Waters Destroy Crops and Property Again

Assiniboine Watershed Destroys Crops in Western Manitoba

By Joan Airey

By Harry Siemens Sandi and Brad Knight farm north of Macdonald in the RM of Portage la Prairie, 4 km south of Lake Manitoba and 9 km west of the Portage Diversion growing grains, oilseeds, pulses and hay.

They witnessed first hand the suffering the Portage Diversion caused in 2011 and again in 2014. For them the flooding is man made because of the Portage Diversion and its breaches doing additional damage.

Sandi takes issue with people criticizing the people who are losing their homes and livelihoods through these manmade floods to protect the greater good. She said that someone made an online comment, “People around Lake Manitoba need to be less selfish,” which was in response to a question, ‘Flood farmland and compensate farmers, or allow entire cities to flood?”

“Really?” said Knight.

Knight said that water should not be on farmland, or any property around the lake, in the first place and the government was not proactive with the recommendations in the technical review of the 2011 flood. Despite the unprecedented amount of rainfall to the west, forethought, and proper management could have averted this disastrous situation in 2014.

“Farmers and ranchers once again will take a financial hit to protect others, despite the fact Lake Manitoba is not a flood plain,” she said. “Unfortunately, when Manitoba built the Portage Diversion in 1970, it became a man-made, government-controlled flood plain. Farmers had no choice in the matter. Government promised the use of the ‘failsafe’ would be minimal. Yet, this isn’t the case.”

Mark Peters, a third-generation farmer, knows this better than anyone. He lives about 6 km from Lake Manitoba on the west side of the diversion.

Despite being almost 20 km from the Assiniboine River, the

Brady Knight took a picture of this Portage Diversion breech and counted at least 10.

Photos by Brady Knight

This pictures of a track-hoe when government contractors started work until ‘The levels are where we want them to be.”

Soybeans on July 3, 1/2 miles west of the Portage Diversion.

water comes on to his land more than he cares to admit, with 2011 being by far the worst.

“Notwithstanding the continual water woes, he doesn’t want the diversion closed. Like many others, he merely wants to see it, Lake Manitoba, and the dikes along the Assiniboine properly maintained and operated so flooding adjacent farmland and property is not a recurring issue,” said Knight. “Continually inundating farm-land and seepage from the diversion cuts income and the productivity of the land making for growing only lowervalue crops such as barley and hay. Higher value crops such as beans and potatoes do not flourish in saline soil.”

Peters has lost numerous hay crops. In 2011, the diversion drowned out the hay field beside it, keeping the ground saturated into 2012 and could not reseed until 2013. This year he was set to take off his first crop since 2010.

Peters was cutting and baling hay when he called the province on July 2 asking how much time he had before the government would divert the wall of water heading down the Assiniboine to Lake Manitoba. He said he was told, “Five days.” Unfortunately, in less than 24 hours, what began as a trickle over the fail-safe turned into a much larger stream overnight.

On July 4, the province began a series of intentional breaches in that area pouring flood waters out of the diversion into his field. In a matter of hours, the water inundated his bales, swathes and remaining standing hay by at least a foot.

Peters now worries about compensation and knows that if the losses from the 2011 flood are any indication, the likelihood is not.

The Assiniboine River spilled its banks closing many major highways and destroying crops in western Manitoba.

Hundreds of acres of crops that had been flooded were destroyed even with receding flood waters in some areas.

The Oak River generally slows to a trickle at this time of year, continued to roar and spilled over its banks in numerous places keeping hundreds of acres under flood waters.

Many in the Melita area were evacuated and those who have off farm jobs or work on the opposite side of the river had to drive miles out of their way to cross the Assiniboine.

Some needed pontoon boats to cross the water surrounding their home to get to their vehicle on higher dry ground.

The flood made it difficult for residents travelling to work, for groceries or medical appointments.

Near Highway 21 south of Sioux Valley, the Oak River generally slows to a trickle in July and instead it continued to roar as it spilled its banks in numerous places flooding hundreds of acres of farm land and roads.

Portions of Highway 21 closed and become inaccessible to farmers and residents.

Photos by Joan Airey

The Agri Post

July 25, 2014

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First World War Changed Our Prairie Life and Communities The 1914 to 1918 editions of the Canadian Threshermen and Farmer contained a number of pencil sketching of First World War scenes that were usually meant to present a humorous view of life in the army.

Two of the main cartoon characters that appear are Old Bill with a walrus mustached and a younger soldier, Alphie. The most famous Old Bill cartoon is the one in which Old Bill and another soldier is in a muddy shell hole filled with water while being shelled heavily. Bill says to the other soldier, “Well, if you knows of a better ‘ole, go to it.” Obviously the other soldier was complaining of their plight. Old Bill’s success was such that the cartoon was copied by others.

There is one cartoon in the Canadian Threshermen and Farmer where one of the characters is referred to as Bill however the sketch does not appear to have been signed by the creator of Old Bill, Bruce Bairnsfather.

Some of the sketches, such as the one where a demure young lady is intercepted on her way to visit Lt. Barker in the hospital appear rather strange to the modern eye.

However one has to remember that Victorian morals were still largely present in Britain and the Empire through the First World War. By this standard, soldiers even those wounded in action had to be protected from young ladies who presented threats equal to those of the German Army. One also has to remember these sketches were largely directed at the home audience and probably the soldiers on active service had significantly different ideas about the activities and events depicted in the sketches.

As well as sketches, editorials discus the impact of the War on agriculture, the need for farmers to produce all that they could in order to feed the allied nations and armies, the difficulties presented to agriculture by a lack of labour and other related topics.

In many ways the First World War had significant impact on rural Manitoba and the Prairies. The heavy causalities suffered by the Canadian army did not spare Prairie communities. In addition many men who survived did not return to the Prairies while others who did return suffered from wounds incurred while in the army. Some historians point out that after the war, many Prairie communities never recovered the ‘go ahead’ attitude the community possessed before the war.

According to other historians the war experiences of many Prairie farmers and farmer’s sons lead to the wide spread support of the Prairie wheat pools in the 1920s.

These men had seen the power developed by an army when people acted together. They had also seen that the British Generals were not always right and that the ‘amateur’, Canadian General Currie was just as effective, if not more so.

Perhaps the professionals who said the Prairie wheat pools would not work and farmers could not take control of their industry were not correct. History showed that the ‘amateurs’, the farmers were capable of taking control of wheat marketing if they acted together.

2014 marks the 60th Anniversary of the Manitoba Agricultural Museum, ‘Manitoba’s Diamond in the Rough’. For more information on the Manitoba Agricultural Museum and the Threshermen’s Reunion and Stampede, see the Museum website ag-museum.mb.ca or call the Museum office at 204-637-2354.

THE CHEERY OPTIMISTS “We’re all right, Bill. I expect the navy will up next week.”

OUR CHEERFUL CHAPS The Pess-Optimist: “Wot a life! No rest, no beer, no nuffin. It’s only us keepin’ so cheerful as pulls us through.”

THE NEW SUBMARINE DANGER “They’ll be torpedoin’ us if we stick ‘ere much longer, Bill” - Bystander

Visitor (at private hospital) - “Can I see Lieutenant Barker, please?”

Matron - “We do not allow ordinary visiting. May I ask if you are a relative?”

Visitor (boldly) - “O, yes! I’m his sister.”

Matron - “Dear me! I’m very glad to meet you. I’m his mother!”

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July 25, 2014

The Agri Post

Protect Your Sunflower from Banded Sunflower Moth

By Fred Parnow The next couple of weeks are the most important time for confection sunflower producers to make critical decisions regarding the application of insecticides to maintain marketable quality of seed.

Insect damage to sunflower can financially

make or break the bank.

The economic loss caused by seed damaging insects can cost growers as much as .10 cents a pound or $200 per acre on a 2,000 lb. crop or for 160 acres, that is a $32,000 decision.

For years, the focus was on controlling the Red Seed Weevil in confectionary sunflower

when in fact the most damaging insect in Manitoba is the Banded Sunflower Moth. Red Seed Weevil is very easy to see and identified.

However, historically it has not reached the economic threshold to warrant control in Manitoba, unlike North Dakota and South Dakota where multiple insecticide applications are required.

On the other hand Banded Sunflower Moth (BSM) is the most damaging and most undetected insect in Manitoba. To the trained agronomist BSM are easily identified and control measures can be determined.

There are two ways to scout for BSM by either looking for the adult moths or by seeing the egg masses. The R-3 to R4 growth stage is the correct stage to begin looking for the adult moth. Early morning is the best time of day to look for BSM, especially in the grassy areas around the perimeter of the field.

Walk slowly towards tall grass and look several metres ahead to see them flutter. Once the beige colored adult moth with black on the mid wing lands on a leaf stem, move slowly towards it and make the correct identification. Once you spot one, it is quite easy to find more.

The second method is checking for egg mass.

BSM adults lay their eggs on the back of the developing bud and can also be seen through a magnifying lens. The hatching larvae move from the back of the head towards the developing seed. Once the egg penetrates the hull, it is nearly impossible to get satisfactory control and the damage is done.

Therefore early scouting and insecticide application is critical.

Economic threshold calculations are available, but since these moths hide in the grass and proper numbers are hard to determine, you can pretty much anticipate an application of insecticide is required. The biggest thing to keep in mind is that the higher the sunflower market price is, the lower the number of moths/eggs is necessary to get economic return for

Banded Sunflower Moth.

R-4 Growth Stage or Scouting stage.

R-5.1 Growth Stage or Control stage.

your investment.

The timing of an insecticide application is important as the target is the hatched larvae.

Typically when 10% of the plants are in the R-5.1 growth stage this is the best time to apply insecticide. Earlier is acceptable and later applications result in poor control as damage will already be done. The rule of thumb is, “Early is good, late is bad.�

There are several insecticide products available which provide excellent control. Consult the Crop Protection guide for products and rates.

Some offer residual control for additional insects like lygus, which can also tremendously damage the seed. Make sure the product fits the target.

The menu of insecticides has varying application recommendations. Consult with your aerial applicator as to when the best time of day is for application to minimize any damage to bees or other beneficial pollinators.

Fred Parnow is the Canada Business Manager for Nuseed Americas.

The Agri Post Moisture Content is the Most Important Dairy Forage Analysis It’s that time of year until autumn, when harvested forages are tested for their nutrient content and when an emailed-back analysis sheet can list up to 80 laboratory results for each forage sample submitted.

Much of this data can be input into dairy ration balancing software to help develop on-the-farm TMRs that supply essential nutrients in the right amounts, consumed and required by high milk performing dairy cows. However, much of these analytical results are secondary without a respective and simple moisture analysis taken on each collected forage samples in the first place.

That’s because the moisture content of forages and other feedstuffs have the greatest impact upon feed consumption and thus nutrient intake by dairy cows. Those rations that contain more than 50% moisture are often associated with reduced dry matter intakes by dairy cattle. As their diet becomes increasingly wet, the essential nutrients locked in the feed dry matter become less concentrated. The animal must eat more total ration in order to consume the same amount of nutrients or dry matter feed as before. Given that moisture also adds bulk to the ration, there is a point where a dairy cow can consume only so much ‘as fed’ ration (dry matter feed + moisture) because of gut fill.

It is estimated that most mature dairy cows can consume up to 45 kg (100 lbs.) of ‘as fed’ feed while first calf heifers consume between 5 – 20% less feed. With such feeding boundaries in mind, we should target 45 – 55% moisture in the overall dairy diet to accommodate sufficient dry matter intakes of between 22 and 25 kg of dry feed, particularly in early lactation cows. This parallels another rule of thumb: 1 kg of dry matter intake yields 2 kg of milk production.

Since, forages make up the majority of most dairy TMRs, we should also be aware that even modest changes to the moisture content of the ‘wet forages’ such as corn/barley silages and alfalfa/ grass hay can significantly increase or reduce the amount nutritious feed eaten by the cows and be turned into milk. Other ‘wet’ feeds such as brewer’s mash (20% DM), liquid whey (10 – 15% DM) and molasses (75% DM) also have secondary moisture content effects upon the final dairy diet.

Lastly the moisture content of well-cured hay is less variable and tends to have smaller influences, respectively.

For example let’s examine the impact of a 5% moisture content increase of forages formulated in a dairy diet designed for early lactation dairy cows:

Whether we fail to analyze moisture content of our forages, or there is an actual-absolute 5% increase in moisture content of our dietary forages, the impact upon our virtual dairy feeding program results: - ‘As-fed’ intake does not change at 41.5 kg per lactating dairy cow.

- Total dry matter intake drops from 23.6 kg to 22.0 kg per head or a 7% decrease.

- DMI per cow of corn silage and alfalfa hay drops by 1.2 kg and 0.4 kg respectively.

- Overall dietary moisture content increases by only 3.7%.

- Forage: Concentrate ratio (dm, basis) falls slightly from 62.7% to 60.0%.

From the above points, the most significant moisture content impact - is the total dry matter intake which drops by 7%”.

This leads to a probable decrease in milk production of 3.2 kg per early lactation cow (re: 1.6 kg x 2). Therefore, it is a strong recommendation that dairy producers test forages for moisture content before feeding them in a TMR to their dairy herd.

Given that there is such a major impact upon feed and management in the dairy barn, producers should choose an actual method that works best for them in determining the moisture content of dairy forages, particularly their wet-forages. While there are many ways to test moisture content in feeds, there are presently two popular ‘old school’ approaches; namely, using a Koster tester or by Micro-wave oven (MV).

The moisture-content procedures for both methods are virtually identical: (1) Weigh out 100 – 500 gram silage/hay samples that are representative of harvested fields on a gram-weighing scale. (2) Samples can be dried down by either the Koster tester or Micro-wave oven. (3) Re-weigh dried out silage/hay samples and (4) Calculate moisture results; % moisture content = ((Initial sample wt. - Dried sample wt.)/Initial sample wt.) x 100.

Therefore if a 500-gram corn silage is dried down to 184 grams, its % moisture content would be 36.8%.

Interestingly, the Koster tester is an electrical dryer that is specifically designed for drying forages and wet feeds to determine their moisture content. This apparatus has a heating element and fan built in its base that blows hot air through the feed sample placed on a built-in screen for moisture determination.

Its drying procedure takes about 20 – 25 minutes.

Sample loss tends to be a small problem in using the Koster tester. Likewise, the common micro-wave oven provides a quick means for drying samples. Its greatest challenge is to avoid burning samples into a crisp. It is recommended that a small amount of water in placed in the oven. MV drying time is about 5 – 10 minutes for most wet feeds.

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Regardless of the preferred method used to determine the moisture content of your silage, hay and other forage, it sometimes takes a bit of practice to refine their similar procedures to achieve the most accurate moisture results.

Such accurate moisture results of the forages are primary to targeting dry matter feed consumption of a well-balanced dairy diet and subsequent milk production in the lactating dairy herd. Producers should routinely test and take the necessary corrective action to maintain the optimum level for primary milk performance and revenue.

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July 25, 2014

The Agri Post