AgriPost April 24 2015

The Agri Post

April 24, 2015

Farmers Can Start Fertilizer Application Including Manure

By Harry Siemens

Donkeys Finding Niche as Security

Suzanne and Ron Paddock operate Big Ear Donkey farm and have seen and increase in the demand for guardian animals.

Photo by Les Kletke

By Les Kletke

She said it is difficult to increase the supply of donkey’s Ron and Suzanne Paddock acknowledge that the current short term since gestation period for the animals is 365 days level of beef prices has been good for their business. and there are a limited number of breeders in the country.

“The returns in the beef business are better so producers The Paddocks operate Big Ears Donkey Farm and initially can’t afford to lose an animal,” said Suzanne. “We see more their intent was not to get into the business of selling guardinterest for guardian animals, but we only have so many to Continued on page 2 sell.”

The Manitoba government changed a few regulations to ease the restrictions for manure and fertilizer application from April 10 to November 10.

Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship advised rising soil temperatures to the point the government removed restriction for the application of nutrients to agricultural land effective April 1.

Doug Redekop, who is the President of Precision Pumping La Broquerie, said the first default is to put manure down in the spring just before planting however; they apply most of the manure in the fall.

“If I go back to my hog development days and looking at cost recovery for manure, I could charge about 60 percent of the nitrogen value, with the balance of the nutrients coming along for the ride so to speak, including the application,” said Redekop. “The biggest bang for the buck for manure is definitely where the livestock owner also owns the land and applies the manure reaping all of the benefits of the manures going onto his property.”

He said when a person looks at the benefits of the commercial fertilizer and balances the nutrients; he basically gets what he pays for. In applying commercial fertilizer, he can order the specifications the soil tests dictate, and apply it. Redekop said his company applies about 15 to 20 percent of the manure in the spring prior to seeding, about 40 percent post seeding onto grassland, alfalfa, and the balance after the farmer harvests the crops in early to mid-August.

The manager of Steinbach based Precision Pumping said custom manure applicators are taking added precautions to avoid the risk of spreading PED. Redekop’s company took a number of steps to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. First, they give much more thought about the farms they visit daily.

“Our focus has always been on trying to start at the top of a health pyramid, i.e. either the nucleus or sow barn,” he said. “And then trying to work our way down within the pyramid so that there are at least some assurances that the health statuses are constant within that pyramid.”

It is important to communicate clearly with the customer and the nutrient planner to know what’s going

Continued on page 3

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The Agri Post

April 24, 2015

Donkeys continued...

Continued from page 1 ian animals although now it does provide a part of their revenue. The couple fell in love with the animals about the time they got married and have been raising donkeys on their south western Manitoba farm ever since. They are regular participants in the Ninette Fair and at the Threshermen’s Reunion at Austin.

The lack of breeders in Canada has the couple going south of the border for new breeding stock and they have just imported a stud from Walgrum, North Carolina.

“We were concerned about the inbreeding and wanted to get some new blood lines into our animals,” said Suzanne.

She strictly refuses to breed animals closely related and opposes any line breeding programs to produce a single superior animal. She said the registry for donkeys is similar to any other registered breed though smaller. “We go through the Canadian Donkey and Mule Association which is done through the

Canadian Livestock Registry,” she said. The couple built their herd around a Catalonian donkey they imported from Liesburg, Virginia ten years ago.

While there are other miniature donkey breeders in the province they are the only Mammoth breeders, and that has created a demand for their animals to protect beef herds.

The miniature donkeys have the same protective attitude but can fall prey to multiple predators or packs.

“We also sell some to horse owners and they are great

companion animals,” said Suzanne. “We spend a lot of time with our animals so they are well socialized before they leave the farm.”

Suzanne takes great pride in the two sets of twins the farm has produced. Twins are extremely rare in equine species and the Paddocks have had a pair. “We have been blessed with two sets and they have done well, we have trained them to pull a cart,” said Suzanne of the unlikely match. The twins are very different in appearance and size.

The Agri Post

April 24, 2015

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Province Agrees to New Hog Barn Construction, But Ups the Standards

By Harry Siemens

In 2006, the Manitoba NDP government banned the construction or expansion of swine barns in 35 rural municipaliThe Manitoba government’s introduction of a new special ties and in 2011 extended the ban to the entire province pilot project permit evaluation protocol will allow the con- resulting in a gradual decline in hog production and shortstruction of swine barns in the province to resume under 11 ages in the processing sector. new conditions.

Mike Telliet, the Manager of Sustainable Development Programs with Manitoba Pork Council, said the recently approved special pilot project permit evaluation protocol would allow new building to occur under the new conditions.

“One of the key ones, a 200 percent reduction in soil phosphorus limits,” said Telliet. “Right now the regulation allows Continued from page 1 for 180 parts per million of soil phosphorus build up in soil. on in the area as far as health status because those fac- This new protocol will lower that to 60 parts per million for tors all play a role. Mark Fynn, an animal care specialist new barns, a significant reduction.”

The second new condition demands all new hog operawith Manitoba Pork, is encouraging pork producers to maintain their focus on biosecurity as the spring ap- tions will have to inject their manure or incorporate it within 48 hours. proaches.

“Thirdly, hog farmers will need to sample and test manure In September, the PED virus infected two sow barns, a finisher site in January, bringing the total number of over and above what’s required now,” he said. “Fourthly they will require significantly more land for spread fields Manitoba cases to five.

Fynn said transport trucks are still coming back from than required before. We estimate hog producers will need the US and to high traffic facilities within Manitoba that up to or even more than twice as much land for spread fields are continually infected, so the industry needs to stay as before.”

Telliet said hog barns must have enough land to spread at ever vigilant when it comes to biosecurity.

Biosecurity is the name of the game said Redekop as a one times phosphorus application rate. Even though they they stepped up their own security once they knew the PED virus was around here. “Considering the amount of contact that we have with these high traffic sites and with the US, as in our Manitoba pork industry,” said Fynn.

At their Annual meeting in farm, growing hogs and grain.

“I’d say we’ve been quite successful in only having five farms affected by the disease, so I think we’re doing a April, Manitoba Pork Council They expanded their business to good job of keeping it at bay but now is not the time to let (MPC) named George include other products such as Matheson of Stonewall as the pastured poultry, natural chocodown our efforts on biosecurity.”

Redekop agrees, it’s really something the industry must new Chair for the organization. late, and butter pecan honey that For over thirty years, are sold directly to consumers keep up continuously and indefinitely especially in a seaMatheson with his wife Shelley from Matheson’s Natural Farm son like this he said. have operated a mixed family Products at Stonewall.

Fertilizer continued...

Mike Telliet, the Manager of Sustainable Development Programs with Manitoba Pork Council, looks on as outgoing Chair Karl Kynoch gives his final challenge to an industry that will need to meet even bigger requirements for building new hog barns.

will not be required to spread at that rate, they will have to have enough land to be able to spread at that rate.

MPC W elcomes New Chair Welcomes Before taking on the responsibility of Chair for MPC, Matheson brings with him many years of experience in the hog industry and his involvement both nationally and internationally. He was an Executive Director at Large Chair on the Indus-

try Performance and Services Committee for MPC, a member of Canadian Pork Council on the Canadian Quality Assurance (CQA) Advisory Committee, the CQA Food Safety Technical Working Group, Identification and Traceability System Working Committee and a Commodity Representative for MPC for KAP.

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April 24, 2015

The Agri Post

The Hangover Can Last a Life Time

Surprising Benefits of Consumer Level GMOs

Some would say it is party time for beef producers, some would say that they are finally getting the prices they deserve for their product after years of market returns below the cost of production. What you call it is not as important was what the effect might be.

Last week I was at a barbecue just a few hours from Hereford Texas the self-proclaimed centre of the beef world. Yes, that is what the sign below the big fibreglass bull on the edge of town said.

As I sat on a larger plastic cooler of adult refreshments guarding the contents and enjoying the aroma of the grill, I noticed there were no cuts of beef. Let me be clear this was a festive occasion the kind that begs burgers and steaks or at least it used to.

Current prices of beef products meant that they did not make an appearance at the party; the grill was covered in chicken breasts, pork chops, brats, and wieners for the kids. Not a morsel of beef to be found anywhere.

I know that producers are no more responsible for the current prices than they were for the below breakeven returns of the past decade, they merely get the signals from the market place when they market their product. The run of low beef prices was good for consumers and producers even figured ways to get around the bottom of the market.

Many producers found their own customers and began direct marketing to the people who where the final users of those products, and some are continuing to do that. Current returns at the auction mart make that seem like a lot of work for what amounts to not much (more) money.

Cattle numbers are low, so low they cannot meet the demand, and that means two things, the supply will increase and the demand will decrease to the point they meet in the market place. Some day cattle numbers will increase and the price will come down. That is the way the market works but there is no guarantee the demand will increase.

People like those at the barbecue I was at last week are going to get used to eating those other products, and I must say there is nothing wrong with them, in fact I quiet enjoyed them. They are raising children, who are not getting burgers at their birthday parties; they won’t know that beef is the meat of celebratory occasions and that will be a hard message for cattlemen.

This kind of gyration in the market place is exactly what caused the move to supply management for chicken and turkey four decades ago. I can’t believe I mentioned beef and supply management in the same editorial but I did and I will face the consequences. Those consequences will pass a lot sooner than the ones resulting from the current beef prices.

Many consumers are incapable of looking at “genetically modified organisms,” or GMOs, in a positive light. But a new generation of breakthroughs in apples, potatoes, and even mosquitoes has the potential to change this view. These innovations are directly aimed at consumers.

Part of the problem for the average person is simply fear of the unknown. Farmers who grow crops from GMOs immediately see and directly benefit from new plant breeding. That’s not really been the case with the public until now.

Shoppers, of course, already run into some GM fruits and vegetables on store shelves, products like Hawaiian papaya, some zucchini and squash, as well as some sweet corn. But consumers can’t really tell what the difference is between these and their non-GM counterparts. That’s changby Rolf ing.

Penner The new and recently approved Arctic apple, for inrolfpenner@agripost.ca stance, will do something that no other current apple on the market will do. It won’t turn brown when you cut it open and leave it sitting on the counter. After five years of serious scrutiny by four regulatory agencies, including the US Department of Agriculture and Health Canada, it has been deemed safe for public consumption.

Arctic apples have been modified by using the apple’s own DNA. Researchers figured out how to turn off the gene that controls the enzyme, which is responsible for the browning that we see shortly after we cut an apple open. Eventually these apples will still rot and turn brown as they spoil, but the modification greatly extends the amount of time it takes for this to happen.

Simplot recently got US FDA approval for six varieties of potatoes, which collectively carry the oh-so-sexy trade name “Innate.” What makes these taters so special? They’ve been engineered to reduce the formation of black-spot bruises. This was accomplished by reducing certain enzyme levels in the potatoes. On top of that, these potatoes also produce less acrylamide, a chemical found to be carcinogenic in rodents, which is sometimes produced during high-temperature cooking like frying. The levels of a certain amino acid and sugars in the potato have also been lowered.

GM mosquitoes aren’t quite ready for prime time yet, but currently a University of Manitoba biologist is working on an exciting project. Steve Whyard is trying to breed a small army of sterile male mosquitoes that could be released into the wild with the aim of slowing down reproduction in wild populations. This strategy was tried before, using irradiation as a means of sterilizing the males.

The problem was that it left the boys in a much weaker state, which made it a lot tougher for them to compete for mates. Sterilization through GM promises to eliminate this drawback.

If it’s successful, not only could it relieve the general nuisance of mosquitoes, it could also do wonders in reducing the spread of the West Nile virus, Malaria and Dengue fever. We could capture those benefits without harming other insects that also are eliminated when we use pesticides to control the problem.

Imagine, cancer-fighting pink pineapples and heart-healthy purple tomatoes and less fatty vegetable oils. Actually, you don’t have to imagine, these already exist. But have yet to fully make their way through the regulatory process. Who knows what other wondrous fruits and vegetables we may be able to come up with in the future.

It’s good to see that consumers are going to finally get a real chance to look, see, smell, touch and taste these new GM fruits and vegetables. There’s no better way of getting past the fear of the unknown than getting up close and personal with what it is you don’t really know.

Three Plus One Equals Four Grain Buyers in Western Canada For many the former Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) and the new CWB couldn’t be bothered because it was a non-issue before the feds demolished the monopoly other than an intrusion sometimes.

For others, the diehards, those who feel they’re still owed despite no evidence they actually own something other than the mortgage of the building that is worth less than the price on the books and several mortgaged sea-worthy vessels.

However, (Just like - spring) everyone knew it was coming but when it arrived, the announcement on Wednesday made by the feds and CWB people that they had actually sold the former Canadian Wheat Board, for $250 million dollars seemed almost surreal.

But there it was – all the controversy since the feds announcement in January of 2012 they’d privatise the Wheat Board, is so much water under the bridge.

A Company called G3 Global grain will ante up $250 million for a 50.1 percent share of the CWB, and the same entity will hold the other 49.9 percent in a trust set up by CWB in 2013.

Farmers may take a position with the trust by delivering grain in return for $5 per tonne equity.

Federal Ag minister Gerry Ritz in Winnipeg on hand, for the announcement says the single fundamental reform the feds brought to the industry is an open market for western Canadian wheat and barley producers. “This historic legislation restored to farmers a basic business freedom, denied to them for decades the right to market their own grain to a company and time of their own choosing,” says Ritz.

Penners Points

The CWB will offer farmers equity in the new entity for up to 7 years. They can receive $5 equity credits per tonne of grain delivered. But after 7 years 3G may offer to buy them out but the G3 company has the right to determine that at the end of 7 years. As one company spokesperson says it is hard, obviously impossible to look into the future seven years and determine today what they will do.

To me it is also obvious that if that feature is working, and farmers are doing business with G3 because of it, they’ll fine-tune it to that purpose.

Dan Mazier, farmer and new President of the Keystone Agricultural Producers says farmers get a new buyer, a new purchaser of grain in western Canada and moving forward with the CWB. He sees very little controversy on the equity plan, either.

G3 Global grain group is a partnership between Bunge Canada and SALIC – an acronym for the Saudi Arabia Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company. Yes, I’m not sure why a Saudi Arabian company needs to be part of this, but I take comfort in a company like Bunge, just recently spending $250 million plus on a canola crushing plant in Altona will be in the driver’s seat, although the CWB management will do the driving for the most part.

You see Bunge, while big in canola couldn’t get traction in the grain sector because they didn’t have the infrastructure to pull it off. Now it does and the Saudis helped bankroll the plan.

The news conference lasted nearly 50 minutes with reporters both in Winnipeg and on the phone in Canada and the US showing huge interest in this matter.

CWB CEO Ian White and Dayna Spring, the CWB’s Chief Strategy Officer, whom along with White led the search team as she said it, virtually around the world, meeting with over 50 potential buyers of CWB before coming up with the G3 arrangement.

Former Can Oat Milling and Viterra Manager Karl Gerrand is the new President of G3 Global Grain while Ian White stays at the helm of the CWB. The questions asked at the announcement indicate that some media and other observers continue to argue the new deal will not adequately protect farmers’ interests.

Recapping, the former Canadian Wheat Board will continue to operate as CWB but after the deal closes majority interest will lie with Bunge Canada and Saudi Arabian interests – a company called G3 Global grain.

As I said since the feds announced the legislation to remove the single desk selling desk, the monopoly and made it happen August 1, 2012, it is a good deal for western Canadian farmers, the western Canadian economy, Canada, and the companies involved.

With four instead of three main grain buyers, and the farmers getting a bonus deal with the new CWB, let’s move forward and let it happen.

The Agri Post

April 24, 2015

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Auction Video Increases Attendance and Reduces Stress

By Les Kletke Mark Shologan with Direct Livestock Marketing Services (DLMS) works with video equipment but his real business is getting people to auctions and reducing stress.

Shologan provides the visual and technical aspect for livestock sales by travelling from his base in Alberta with a trailer load of electronic equipment. “We have an extra TV

and a lot of electronic equipment,” said Shologan as he was making the final preparations for the Wilkinridge Bull Sale in Ridgeville on April 11. “This is a day the producer makes money and we don’t want things to go wrong like a computer going down.”

While this was the first time that Wilkinridge Stock Farm had gone the video route, it is the 9th year of business for the Alberta firm. “We have seen

Cattle Prices a Boon for Auction Market Sales

By Les Kletke Ward Cutler admits that he likes to sell bulls live and on hand.

“It allows you to see the animal and make some comments about the specific animal, perhaps point out something that bidders may not have seen on the video,” said Cutler who conducted the Wilkinridge Tried and True Bull Sale in Ridgeville, Manitoba.

It was the first time consignors had gone route of a video sale.

Cutler said he prefers the live sales with an auctioneer’s podium but understands the advantages of reducing the stress on the cattle and saving labour costs. He readily acknowledges that this is not the first change he has seen in a long career of cattle sales. “Bull sales are different than they used to be,” he said. “We have seen the change to selling genetics and semen from the days of just selling the live animal. So this is just the next step. It allows us to reach more bidders and that is what our business is about.”

The Wilkinridge Sale was the end of the run for his bull sales, which began in early March. “We have seen real strong prices at sales throughout the season,” he said. “The Simmentals have been strongest. There numbers have been up all over.”

He credits reaction to the market place by the breeders. “We have seen them change colours to the place where now you have black Simmentals and that has been a real strong point in the marketing. They have produced red and black cattle in the breed and given the market what it wants, that shows up on sale day,” said Cutler.

Cutler who grew up on a ranch at Carlyle, Saskatchewan said that some things in the cattle business have not changed. “My grandfather used to say that you should spend up to the price of 3 fat steers or 5 calves on a herd sire, and that is a rule that some fellows still use today,” said Cutler who conducts sales at two commercial cattle yards as well as bull sales. That calculation would work out to about $7-8,000 in today’s market.

“That allows a fellow to introduce some good new genetics into his herd, which after the last 10 years is a good thing. We have been waiting for these prices for a long time,” said Cutler.

He also credits the current US exchange rate as having a strong influence in the auction ring this year. “We are seeing a lot of calves leaving Manitoba. Some are going west but a lot are going south because of the US dollar.”

The strong market for beef has allowed producers to upgrade their herd genetics for less money as well. “With the price of cull bulls where they are, a fellow can upgrade to a younger bull with current genetics for much less money than when culls are low.

That is working for a lot of producers today,” he noted.

While he likes a live sale, he had no issue with selling the first two animals during the Wilkinridge sale to internet bidders.

Ward Cutler of Virden says that current bull prices allow producers to upgrade their herd sires for not much money.

Photo by Les Kletke

Mark Shologan conducts video livestock auctions across the prairies, and travels with a trailer of electronic equipment.

Photo by Les Kletke

the business grow over the years and it is popular in Alberta and catching on in Manitoba. This year we will do 5 sales in Manitoba,” said Shologan.

According to Shologan, the switch to video sales reduces stress and increases attendance.

“It reduces stress, both on

the cattle and on the producer,” he said. “In a case like this neither of the consignors has a facility on the farm that is suitable for the sale, so in the past they have rented an auction mart and move the cattle there, then bring them back and have to ship them later.”

He explained it is much

easier on the cattle when a videographer visits the farm for pictures of the animals in the pen. “They don’t even know we were there.” The videos of the animals are then posted to the internet for viewing before sale day.

“It not only reduces the stress for the animal but for the producer as well because

Relearning Strategies for Cattle Marketing

By Les Kletke Cliff Graydon has been in the cattle business a long time, and he would be the first to admit that he is still learning.

That is the way he rates his experience with Wilkinridge in their first video auction. “It was a learning experience,” said Graydon. “We learned a lot of things about the process and things that we did well and things that we would do differently.” Graydon said that some of the animals from the Walking Plow Charlois that he put in the sale did not sell and prices were not quiet what he expected.

“Then we sold two animals from the farm the next day,” he said. “That is what he had been doing for a number of years since BSE. We joined forces with Sid [Wilkinson] last year. In a sale people do what they are used to and they are used to coming to the farm, it will take a while for them to get used to a video sale.”

While a bull sale can provide a large payday for purebred cattle producers Graydon does not evaluate his farm’s year on one day.

“We have to look at the numbers by the end of the year which is June when guys need the bulls. That is what will tell the story for our year. We might have gained some exposure from the sale that translates into a purchase later on.”

Graydon said the changes in the cattle industry have meant changes in how he markets his bulls. “We have seen a number of small producers leave the industry in the last year, they are taking advantage of current prices. Some of those producers are the fellows who might have come to my farm and bought a bull. That is the way they bought cattle. Now with the concentration of larger operations there are few bulls required and the owner buys in a different way.”

He has also taken to marketing in a different way because of the strong American dollar. “We have visited a few farms in northern Minnesota, there are a lot of cattle in the area and with the strong dollar our cattle are a good deal,” he said.

The preference for larger frame cattle has also changed. “Producers are looking for the larger framed cattle again and much of that is impacted by feed prices,” he said. “There is also a market for the smaller frame cattle on farms where the fellow is concerned about ease of calving. He won’t be there at calving time and wants a smaller frame bull to use on his cows. That is another market,” said Graydon.

When asked if he would have another video sale next year, Graydon smiled and said, “I don’t see any reason why not.”

Cliff Graydon (far right) was a guest consignor at the Wilkinridge Bull sale and says the video sale was a learning experience.

now he is not looking for staff to work the sale, and those are getting hard to find,” said Shologan. “Most times you end up asking friends or neighbours who you would much rather have in the seats at the sale. It gets awkward when a ring man is bidding on a bull himself. The video sale avoids that.”

Many producers still choose to visit the Wilkinridge farm and see the animals in the pen but most had already selected which ones to buy. Just prior to the sale, he took a call from a potential buyer in Saskatchewan. “Her kids are in the 4-H provincial speaking finals and she couldn’t miss that but she let me know which bulls she was interested in and I will call her when they come up,” he said. “Yesterday we had a fellow who visited the farm but had personal commitments for this evening. He could not be here for the sale and make it home in time.

He’ll be bidding online.”

Shologan sees video marketing attracting more bidders although not necessarily expanding the geographic area of buyers. “Ultimately the bulls have to be shipped to the buyers and that is a limiting factor but we do see some international buyers,” he said. “I have taken bids from 14 or 15 countries and shipped to at least 10 outside of Canada.”

Weather on sale day also affects attendance. “It is nice today but weather can be a factor on sale day, and when it is 40 below it is not as attractive to be around a sale. The video sale eliminates the weather factor,” he added.

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April 24, 2015

The Agri Post

Reduce Ketosis in Early Lactation Dairy Cows Years ago, I would lean over the feed bunk and smell the breath of a ketosis-suspect dairy cow. It convinced me that it had either bad breath or glue (acetone) breathing ketosis. Since then, I’ve come a long way.

Dairy nutritionists like myself and dairy producers now have access to modern BHB (Betahydroxybutyrate)-milk tests through regular Canwest DHI testing or from available on-farm ketotesting kits. By detecting ketosis in problematic cows, and by implementing strong transition cow feeding and management programs, we should be able to reduce the incidence of early lactation ketosis, which is detrimental to long-term milking cows’ health and performance.

Ignoring a ketosis cow doesn’t solve the problem, either. Untreated clinical ketosis includes a rapid drop in body condition, loss of appetite, decreased milk production, and yes, acetone-smelling breath. Most veterinarians will tell us that such clinical ketosis is relatively rare in dairy cows with the majority of ketosis symptoms in afflicted cows being hidden or subclinical in nature.

Rather, these latter cows will suffer from a higher incidence of displaced abomasums, retained placentas, mastitis, or a weakened immune system. Subclinical ketosis has also been linked to milk fever and reproductive problems. Cows with subclinical ketosis lose about 25% of their potential milk production per lactation.

Early lactation cows are the most vulnerable to either type of ketosis, because by nature they cannot meet all their energy requirements of maintenance and high milk production from the sole consumption of their diet. Therefore they are drawn into a state of “negative energy balance” (NEB) for about 5 – 6 weeks after calving.

Even well-transitioned cows experience a period of NEB, but they tend to have good post-partum dry matter intakes, which draws a lot of dietary carbohydrates from their energy-dense diets and as a result mobilize a healthy amount of body fat. This fat energy helps bridge this NEB gap during the early period of peak milk production.

By comparison, ketosis-affected cows often have limited feed intakes or energy-unbalanced diets, which cause a rapid yet life-threatening rate of fat-breakdown and ultimately poisonous ketone bodies are formed. It is these circulating ketone bodies that lead to a toxicity associated with both clinical and sub-clinical dairy ketosis.

By measuring the serum (blood) concentrations of ketone bodies such as Beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), scientists can determine the potential ketosis threat (and associated severity of NEB) in a chosen group of early lactation cows.

Measuring BHB levels in milk also underlies the keto-screen available by DHI testing as a risk indicator of ketosis. Since, the first few weeks is considered the highest ketosis risk period in early lactation cows, DHI tests the milk samples of cows of DIM 5 – 21 days and DIM 22 – 42 days.

They mark and report “positives” of these samples, which exceed a BHB threshold of 0.15 mmol/ l. Their report also shows the percentage of cows that have elevated BHB levels for that reported month as well as those from past 3 month increments.

Although, identification of subclinical ketosis in lactating dairy cows is helpful and warrants corrective actions, preventing ketosis as much as possible in any given herd is strongly recommended. One should implement a proper transition diet (three weeks before cows calve and three weeks post-partum) in order to promote optimum dry matter intake and body condition scores in susceptible dairy cows.

Initially, a good close-up dry cow diet should be palatable which ensures that pre-partum cows are consuming about 12 kg of dry feed, daily. The diet should contain moderate energy forages with some room for lead-feeding grain. Close-up dry cows (even fat cows) should not be allowed to lose bodyweight in this period.

Once cows calve, the early lactation rations should be designed to promote good rumen function (re: effective forage fibre) and yet carry enough available dietary energy to support the demands of increasing milk production. The goal is to build up dry matter intake in early lactation cows to about 3.5 – 4.0% of their bodyweight at about 9 – 10 weeks after calving.

Tying it together is good bunk management for all good feeding programs set up for both the closeup and early lactation dairy cows. This means that each transition cow should have enough bunk space and adequate time to eat. A properly mixed ration should be put in front of the cows, pushed up frequently and old feed removed. It is a matter of implementing any practice that will get dairy cows, before and after calving to eat that extra kilo of feed.

Matching the energy demands with a dairy cow’s energy needs in the close-up and early stages of lactation is critical in minimizing rapid body fat mobilization and ketosis. Alongside, we should have a ketosis monitoring program (such as DHI) that identifies subclinical cases as well as our progress in reducing ketosis.

Your program might even include my glue-breath test!

Investment to Boost Competitiveness of Food-Grade Soybeans The Federal Government is pumping in $225,000 for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada scientists to work with the Canadian Soybean Exporters’ Association (CSEA) to help boost the global competitiveness of food-grade soybeans.

The soybean industry, working with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada scientists at the Greenhouse and Processing Crops Research Centre, will develop quality-control tools to help ensure that their crops meet the specific quality attributes in demand for soybeans in global markets. The primary objective of this project is to evaluate Canadian soybean suitability for soymilk production, and it is targeted mainly at the Asian soy food market, estimated at $880 million in 2014.

Soybeans are currently the fourth-largest crop by seeded acreage, according to Soy Canada, returning $2.4 billion to Canadian farmers.

CSEA, formed in 1995, is a voluntary association that promotes the export of Canadian soybeans and soya products to world markets by continuously improving the quality and value of Canadian soybeans. A previous collaborative project between CSEA and the research centre, which received $180,000, focused on establishing procedures for testing Canadian soybean suitability for tofu manufacture.

The Agri Post

Maple Leaf Outlines the Future Challenges for Manitoba’s Pork Industry

At the MPC AGM in April Michael McCain, the President and CEO of Maple Leaf, outlined the challenges that the pork industry faces and said the entire hog industry, right through the supply chain, needs to balance production, processing, and people.

By Harry Siemens Coming off a very good year for hog producers in Manitoba, Michael McCain, head of Maple Leaf Foods said to move forward efficiently and successfully the industry needs balance.

“A balance is about pigs and people and having the right balance in the industry with the right number of pigs born, marketing and processing the right number of pigs here in the province, in balance from one end of the chain to the other,” said McCain. “Right now we’re not in balance. We have neither enough pigs nor people to operate the capacity we have in place already today, efficiently. We think that needs correcting.”

He quickly added that it does not mean his company is advocating unbridled growth. For him it means Maple Leaf needs to have enough supply and enough people to operate the assets on the ground efficiently and effectively.

McCain is hopeful that the industry can get enough barns and producers to regain confidence in the pig industry. “I think the fundamentals are in place today to be able to accomplish that. Still many challenges that we have to work our way through,” he said. “That makes me hopeful that we can solve it but we still have to address those challenges.”

The Brandon Maple Leaf plant has the capacity to process 90,000 hogs a week, but currently processes only 70,000, with an idling capacity of 20,000 a week, or processing one million hogs per fewer a year.

He thinks it is in everyone’s interest to find a way to balance that shortfall, but it will require roughly 175 barns, over how many years depends on many factors coming together. McCain said he believes that the province is adequately dealing with the shortfall and thinks that everyone is broadly supportive of the industry.

“I think everyone recognizes for this industry to be successful, it has to also be sustainable,” said McCain. “I think the framework is in place for responsible growth to achieve balance again we’re not advocating unbridled growth, we’re advocating an efficient industry that requires balance to accomplish that. We’re advocating and I think demonstrating that we support doing so in a sustainable and responsible way.”

When it comes to balancing people and pigs, McCain said most certainly the industry has more obstacles than support. “We think Brandon, particularly, but Manitoba in general was one of the role model participants in the Temporary Foreign Worker program,” he said. “We had used that program to bring in over 1,000 people to Brandon, and over 800 of them today are permanent residents of Canada.

That is something we should be proud of yes, the TFW program across the country from coast to coast, had issues and abuses, that needed correcting. Brandon and Manitoba at large was not one of them.”

He said Maple Leaf and Manitoba have the need, the infrastructure, and managed responsibly, is an important component to getting back an efficient industry. In the mean time, Maple Leaf has done its best to support domestic recruiting programs, coast to coast, with some modest success.

McCain said no industry, no processing systems needs to be the biggest to be the best, but it is important to find the balance as an industry both in pigs and people. “I have a great deal of confidence because it is an industry with enduring success, not without obstacles to deal with, but Manitoba and the Manitoba hog industry has always demonstrated its ability to overcome those obstacles. I think these will be no different.”

The Best Insurance Option for Off-R oad VVehicles ehicles Off-Road The only way ATVs, Side by Sides, Snowmobiles or Dirt Bikes are insured is if they are specifically scheduled on a policy.

All too often they get damaged or stolen and it is then that the owner finds out that it is not insured on the farm or business policy.

If you choose to insure these on your farm or business policy, it is very limited coverage and you are only covered for Third Party Liability while using it on your own private property. So, if while crossing a public road, you have a collision, you would have no coverage. However, if you were insured with Autopac you would.

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The Liability coverage issue is the largest consideration and for this reason, alone I always recommend you insure with Autopac.

It is better coverage and it costs less. How can you go wrong with that?

The Autopac options include: - Collision damage - Comprehensive coverage, including fire, theft, hail and vandalism - Accident Benefits coverage – protection for your own injuries, regardless of fault, such as disability, medical expenses and death or funeral benefits - $200,000 Third Party Liability with Family Protection coverage is included; you can increase it to $1, $2 or $5 Million.

Call your Insurance Broker to make sure all of your motorized vehicles are covered. If your decision is to insure with Autopac, just bring in your paperwork to your broker and you can add the coverage’s of your choice for the unit.

Making sure you are covered for the operation of your off road vehicle is very important, especially when you consider the liability exposure!

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 and Business P:204746-5589, F:1-866 765 3351, andya@rempelinsurance.com / rempelinsurance.com / valleyfinancial.ca.

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April 24, 2015

Dairy Farmers Want You to Love Your Cheese

By Les Kletke The Dairy Farmers of Canada have turned up the promotion of cheese a notch or two. Cheese promotion is not only getting that cheese out of the fridge but also loving it.

That was the message that David, a former Quebecer now converted B.C. resident had for those attending his cheese information seminar at the Royal Winter Fair in Brandon in

early April.

“See the logo with the heart around it?” he asked the audience. “That means love, we should love our cheese, and as Canadians we do, but we could love it even more.”

Coincidentally the love your cheese campaign is running at the same time, as McDonald’s advertising approach that promotes loving their food products.

David, who was busy promoting Canadian

cheeses, forgot to offer the audience his last name. He added that the meaning of the heart in the logo also represents the amount of love that goes into a block of cheese regardless of the type of cheese it is.

“Dairy farmers love their animals and they love the work they do,” he said.

“How else could you get up at that time in the morning to go and do chores? Farmers love their cows and you can see that by the way they treat them.”

During the cheese demonstration, he pointed out to the audience that cheese is concentrated milk and that it takes roughly 10 times the volume of milk to produce cheese. The demonstration ran three times a day during the fair in a make shift classroom that accommodated 50 people per sitting. Those attending were offered seven samples of

Chef David says the heart is in the logo because every bit of cheese is made with love.

“The fat from the cheese is the first to be burned in exercise or working out.”

Canadian cheeses and David walked them through a session explaining the characteristics of the cheeses as well as the history of the particular type.

Two of the featured cheeses were Manitoba made in the Bothwell Cheese factory in New Bothwell. “The squeaky curds are fresh cheese,” he said. “You should be able to hear the squeak when you bite through

it.”

He said a Quebec made cheese; Boursin is the most consumed cheese in Canada and perhaps in the world. It was developed by Francois Boursin in Normandy, France in 1957 and the creamy cheese still bears his name. It is now produced in several countries around the world.

Most in the audience knew it from the television commercial where various

people sneak a piece of cheese and try to reshape it to the original circular, as it grows smaller.

“It is a soft creamy cheese flavoured with herbs, and do you know why people like it so much?” asked David. “Because it is full fat, but that is not bad,” he answered. “The fat from the cheese is the first to be burned in exercise or working out. So don’t feel bad, if you love your cheese.”

The Agri Post

Time for Free Trade Inside Canada I was in a Tokyo liquor store the other day (I don’t have many opportunities to say that) and came across a bottle of Single Malt Canadian Vodka. The box contained the logo of Ducks Unlimited, showcasing the Canadian industry’s strong environmental record. Kudos to the small distillery in BC that is bringing this value-added product onto world markets.

While I can buy this product in Japan, I can’t seem to be able to get it in Winnipeg.

Internal barriers to trade make it easier for the BC company to export to international markets than ship across provincial boundaries.

It’s time for this to change. Canadians should expect fewer barriers to trade between provinces than we see in trade between nations.

Internal barriers don’t just apply to processed value-added products but also to farm inputs. Different regional regulatory regimes for farm inputs are a barrier to agriculture potential. Instead of diminishing over time, these differences are growing. This can be rectified through amendments to the Agreement on Internal Trade, provided there is political will.

Canada has a science-based regulatory system that is the envy of much of the world.

This includes the regulation of crop protection products through the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) and the regulation of new seed varieties through the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

But this science-based regulatory framework is under threat. There is a growing trend of local environmental and health regulations that are based on the perception of public opinion and not grounded in sound science. Local or regional regulations that are not science-based represent internal barriers that hamper the competitiveness of agriculture from coast to coast.

For example, a number of provinces have enacted legislation and regulations that limit the use of crop protection products that have been reviewed by the PMRA and approved for use in Canada. The result is a growing patchwork of overlapping federal and provincial regulations that differ from province to province. This patchwork of regulation puts farmers in some regions of the country at a competitive disadvantage to farmers in other parts of Canada and, just as importantly, puts Canadian farmers at a competitive disadvantage to farmers in other countries, like the US. The most recent example of provincial jurisdictions overriding the science-based regulatory decisions of the PMRA is the move by the Government of Ontario to limit the use of neonicotinoid seed treatments. These regulations will put Ontario farmers at a competitive disadvantage for two reasons. First, the provincial limitation on the use of neonicotinoid seed treatments will increase the cost of production in Ontario as alternative pest control products are more expensive to apply. Second, the regulations will limit the availability of seed for Ontario producers. This includes new varieties with increased yield potential.

The problems don’t stop at the Ontario border. Regional or local regulations that are not based on science significantly increase the risk of investing in research and development in all of Canada. A company looking to introduce a new farm input or new seed variety not only has to contend with federal requirements but must fact in the risk that their product might be taken off the shelf by local governments. If we allow this risk to continue to grow, companies will simply take their investment elsewhere – to our competitors in the US and Australia for example.

There is a straightforward concrete solution to the proliferation of regional or local regulations that are not based on sound science. Federal and provincial governments must develop a science-based dispute resolution process as part of the Agreement on Internal Trade. This provision would allow the review of regulations on agricultural inputs and products to ensure that all regulations conform to national standards and fit within Canada’s science-based regulatory framework. This is what we are demanding of our international trading partners and we should expect nothing less at home.

Bringing down the barriers to internal trade will help foster the development of domestic value added initiatives. Reducing internal barriers to investment will ensure that Canada is a top choice for the introduction of new crop varieties and inputs. The result will increased choice for both consumers and farmers and accelerated growth in agriculture across the country. Free trade within Canada based on regulations that are founded in strong science. It is something that is long overdue.

Cam Dahl is President of Cereals Canada.

Registration Process Changes to Streamline Crop Variety Registration Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz recently announced upcoming changes to streamline and modernize the way crop varieties are registered in Canada.

The Government of Canada worked closely with the crop production value chain to ensure that Canada’s Variety Registration (VR) system continues to protect Canada’s international reputation for high-quality crops and encourages innovation in crop variety development by removing potential barriers to crop innovation.

The changes include streamlining the variety registration system to two tiers for Basic and Enhanced, model operating procedures that will streamline recommending committees. These changes will give Canadian farmers faster access to the newest cutting-edge varieties.

There will also be incorporation by reference that will allow value chain consensus to speed up administrative changes by up to 24 months.

These changes will go through additional consultations with industry groups in the coming months.

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April 24, 2015

4-H Youth Learn from the Best

Kirk Stierwalt offers Niami Best some encouragement during a grooming clinic at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair.

Photo by Les Kletke

By Les Kletke For some, Brandon’s Royal Winter Fair is a chance to show of the skills and animals trained through the winter, for others it is a chance to learn from the best, in the ring and in preparing for the ring.

A two-day 4-H workshop spent the first day on clipping and the second on grooming the animal that participants had brought to the workshop. Kirk Stierwelt is one of the best at preparing animals for the show ring, and this year he was on hand at the Royal Winter Fair to provide

hands on workshop for 4H members on how to get the most out of their animal in the ring.

Ten individuals were chosen to participate in the workshop and Stierwelt rated the skill levels, “As across the board, and that is fine because you never know when someone will take an interest and decide to get into the business.”

He said one of the keys to preparing an animal for the ring is being able to down play the faults. “Animals are not perfect but you want to present them as best you can, minimize the faults for the show ring,” he said. “You can’t fool a

judge but you can make the animal look the best you can.”

Stierwelt travels the continent preparing animals for the ring and said that every breed has good ones and sometimes the crosses are the best. “We prepare a lot of purebred animals for shows, and there is a need for the purebred breeder but we see a lot of crossbreds for the steer shows,” he said. “The hybrid vigour produces some great show animals and we see that in the steer shows.”

He said there is only that much that can be done on the two days before show day.

“It depends on how the animal is raised, you can have a great calf in a bad home and it won’t make a show animal, but some very average calves go to some good homes and turn out well for the show ring,” he said.

“To get the real champions you have to have an eye for what makes a good show animal and the passion to develop that animal and work with it while it grows up,” said Stierwelt who also operates a ranch at Leaday, Oklahoma.

Young Cattle People Learn How to Prepare Animals for Show Ring

By Joan Airey Kirk Stierwalt of Leady, Oklahoma travels across North America giving clinics for all ages and was on hand helping youth at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair in Brandon.

Stierwalt provided a hands-on course with supervision, passing on his knowledge of proven techniques and tips on clipping, hoof trimming, show day dressing, showman ship, feeding and general care of animals. He shared many solutions to problems he had encountered over the years.

“I took the heifer I purchased with my 4-H steer money to the Kirk Stierwalt clinic so I could learn more about showing animals.

Mom and Dad gave me the clinic registration for my twelfth birthday. It was a great learning experience during spring break,” said Kiernan Olson.

Olson lives on a purebred Charolais farm near Portage la Prairie and belongs to the local 4-H Beef Club and the Junior Charolais Association.

“If there is another clinic with Kirk Stierwalt we know Kiernan would love to go again. The days were long but he really enjoyed learn-

ing from Kirk. Most of the information seems to have stuck which from my perspective is a huge positive,” said Rae Trimble Olson.

Justin Carvey of Alexander, Manitoba prepares his steer for the show ring during the Kirk Stierwalt clinic at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair.

Photo by Joan Airey

The Agri Post

May is Grass Tetany Month for Beef Cows

By Peter Vitti Every time I drive past a sprouting green pastures in May I think of grass tetany in beef cows.

That’s because it is essentially a magnesium deficiency in lush pasture that can have fatal consequences for a cowherd. Who wants to come across a dead pregnant or fresh cow in a field caused by grass tetany?

I recommend that producers know some of the symptoms of grass tetany as well as the pasture conditions that expose their cattle. They should implement a good mineral program that can assist with beef cow magnesium requirements in order to prevent dangerous grass tetany.

Case-in-point - last year about this time, I received a phone call from a producer who operates a 300 beef cow-calf ranch across the border into the United States. He was concerned that many of his pre- and just-fresh cows had grass tetany on sprouting pasture. Over the phone, he related that many of his older cows collapsed on their front legs and had a hard time getting back up. Some animals collapsed on pastures, while others loss muscle control in front of the water-trough. He admitted that one or two cows died.

A day after the call, I drove out to his farm. I did not see any cows collapsing as he experienced, but one or two of his cows “appeared” walking with a stiff and staggering gait, “appeared” nervous and had muscular tremors; all possible signs of a magnesium deficiency or grass tetany. Furthermore, this herd had a higher percentage of older cows and heavy milkers that are very susceptible to this metabolic springtime disease.

Subsequently, this producer also informed me that he was working with his local veterinarian, who drew some blood samples from several of the rough-looking cows. Their blood results showed deficient magnesium levels as well as marginal deficient levels of copper and zinc. Because this producer was feeding only trace-mineral salt blocks on pasture, I recommended that he feed a magnesium-enriched commercial loose cattle mineral (with organic selenium, and chelated copper and zinc).

A few weeks later, I learned that his veterinarian took more blood samples and confirmed that the collapsing cows suffered from anaplasmosis (re: a protozoa induced anemia that tends to appear in older cows and make them very weak). Whether these cattle also had, clinical grass tetany remained inconclusive due to the overshadowing of an apparent larger problem.

Because this particular herd received a questionable mineral program (re: trace-mineral salt blocks), it is my belief that these cows conceivably had a grass tetany issue as well as poor copper/zinc status, which has been scientifically proven to negatively affect cow herd health, milk production and reproduction. In a challenging feeding situation such as this one, it is often difficult to separate several issues at hand.

Regardless of another nutritional or other problem affecting this or any other cowherd at the same time, preventing grass tetany on sprouting spring pastures should be straightforward: gestating beef cows require about 15 grams of Mg per day, while lactating beef cows need closer to 20 - 25 grams Mg, daily.

Consequently, low magnesium status in beef cows that often leads to established cases of grass tetany can be traced back to Mg-deficient forage found in rapidly growing pasture grasses during a typical spring of cool, cloudy, and rainy weather. Such conditions are favourable to developing Mg deficiencies in cattle and are often seen on orchard grass, perennial rye grass, timothy, tall fescue, crested wheatgrass, and bromegrass pastures.

Here are five things that can be done to help assure that magnesium requirements of beef cows grazing potentially dangerous grass tetany pastures are met: 1. Feed a commercial beef mineral formulated with 8 – 12% magnesium at 85.04 – 113.39 grams (34oz) per head per day from 3 – 6 weeks before the beef herd is allowed out on pasture.

2. Formulate the entire diet to insure that the ratio of potassium/ (calcium + magnesium) is less than 2.2 in their total diet (estimate pasture intakes on a dm, basis). The Ca/P ratio of this diet should also be around 2:1.

3. Feed salt blocks or in loose form on pasture; salt (NaCl) has been shown to reduce the incidence of grass tetany in beef cattle.

4. Continue to feed dry hay to the beef cowherd at the beginning of the pasture season. Wait to put the cattle on pasture until the grass is 4 – 6” tall.

5. Adjust calving season to avoid high-risk grass tetany periods (first 2 - 3 weeks of the grazing season).

Lastly, it is important to work with your nutritionist and veterinarian when implementing these well-balanced recommendations. As a result, you should be able to significantly prevent or reduce many cattle cases of grass tetany in beef cows grazing spring pastures. It’s a matter of providing enough dietary magnesium or reducing the conditions, that make cows susceptible to grass tetany.

Next time you drive past your cows grazing spring pastures in May, rather than thinking about grass tetany like I do, think of the profitability of your healthy and productive cowherd.

Foreign Owners Plan to Expand CWB A deal approved by the Federal Government has been reached between the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) and G3 Global Grain Group, which ensures CWB becomes a fully private and global competitor in the Canadian grain sector.

The deal will see the investors in a joint venture between food company Bunge Ltd. and a unit of Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Co. known as SALIC Canada Ltd. form a new Canadian company headquartered in Winnipeg. The investment will cost $250 million for a 50.1-per-cent stake in the grain trader. The rest of the equity in CWB will be available to farmers who sell their grain to the company.

The new company has plans to develop a coast-to-coast grain processing and shipping network across Canada. Once fully realized, the growth associated with this deal is expected to increase Canada’s grain export capacity and add hundreds of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars of economic growth across the Prairies.

The new G3 Global Grain Group is a majority owned by Bunge Ltd., a $12-billion US agriculture company based in White Plains, New York operating in 40 countries. The other partner, SALIC Canada, a wing of the Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Co. was established by Saudi Arabia’s king in 2011 to secure food supplies for a country that imports 80 per cent of its food.

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Calf Scramble Still Popular Event Major Jay Fox Memorial Scholarship Supporting Agricultural Studies

By Joan Airey Twenty kids vie to remove a halter from one of ten calves in a Monday night calf scramble at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair held in Brandon.

The event has changed over the years. The kids used to have to put a halter on the calf and get it to a desig-

Photo by Joan Airey

nated end of the arena. Then the kids were awarded either $250 or $350 to help in the purchase of a heifer or steer and bring the animal back the next Winter Fair and show it.

Now the ones who remove the halters on Monday night receive $100 and on Tuesday night receive $200.

Grain Sector Funding Looks at Increasing Exports The Canada Grains Council (CGC) is receiving $1.4 million from the Federal Government to help the grain industry demonstrate its compliance with global sustainability requirements and expand its access to international markets.

The CGC will use over $1 million to develop tools that

will help grain growers demonstrate their crops are grown in a sustainable way. An additional investment of over $325,000 will allow the CGC to collaborate with other stakeholders in the grains and oilseeds industry on common issues related to trade and market access in order to increase grain export opportunities for the sector.

The Major Jay Fox Memorial scholarship has been developed by the Manitoba Outstanding Young Farmers in honour of Jay and the contribution that he made to agriculture in Canada.

An annual scholarship will be presented to recognize a student who is continuing in the field of agriculture and has made a significant difference in their communities.

One bursary will be awarded annually for $500. The following criteria have been developed and applications must be received no later than May 22, 2015.

All applications can be sent electronically to Manitoba Outstanding Young Farmers, c/o Tracy Bassa, labass@mts.net.

Eligibility: - Must be at least 17 years of age as of January 1, 2015.

- Must use the bursary within two years.

Requirements: - Must submit a 250 word (maximum) typed essay stating their future goals in agriculture and “In your opinion, what could be done to retain a larger number of young people in agriculture in Manitoba (Canada)”.

-Must submit proof of enrolment in a recognized institution (e.g. transcript).

- Must submit a list of community involvement (e.g. 4H, community clubs, volunteer work, etc.)

- Post-secondary program or trades training must be a minimum of 6 months in duration.

- Provide two letters of reference from persons outside of your family that indicate your work experience, community involvement, etc.

- All essays will become the property of Manitoba’s Outstanding Young Farmers and as such, will be published at the discretion of the association with proper credit to the author.

Preference will be given to those students pursuing a field of study related to agriculture or to those acquiring a skilled trade that would be beneficial to the rural economy.

Completed applications must be submitted by 4 pm on May 22, 2015. Winners will be notified and the award will be presented at the following year’s Manitoba’s Outstanding Young Farmers Regional Event.

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The Agri Post

April 24, 2015

Honey Producer’s Sweet Story

By Les Kletke Robert Heath left the honey business when the bottom fell out in 1987, but a call from a farmer who had a swarm of bees on his yard brought him back and he is still in it nearly 25 years later.

Heath has experienced the difficulties of agriculture through a few commodities and is now content to operate his hives at a level he calls a hobby.

He emigrated from England in 1975 with the intent of being a dairy farmer. He couldn’t afford to build his own operation in England and saw opportunity in Manitoba. “Then the interest rates of the early 80s hit and I left the business to become a carpenter,” said Heath who lives near Virden. He began to keep bees as a hobby and gradually grew his operation to where he had 300 hives.

“But the bottom fell out of the market in 1987 and I sold out,” he said. “In 1981, honey was 70 cents a pound and it dropped to 35 cents by 1987 and it was costing me 45 cents to produce.” He thought he was leaving the business for good but then he got the fateful phone call from a farmer asking him to help remove a rogue swarm of bees.

“I had nothing to do, so I started in business again,” he said with a chuckle. Today the price of raw honey in the barrel is $2.25.

Heath sells his production in small containers where the return is even better but acknowledges that it is much more work and commercial producers are not able to spend the time marketing all of their production that way. He sells about 95% of his honey creamed. Creamed is a process that involves whipping the honey and seeding it with the finest granules of honey sugar. Heath was on hand at the Manitoba Honey booth at the Royal Winter Fair in Brandon explaining the business and tools of the trade to interested visitors. He takes his honey from hive to jars and is able to provide the same journey in words for visitors.

Like most aspects of agriculture, the honey business has experienced a concentration of production into fewer large producers. “There are some producers in the Brandon area who have over 500 hives, there is a large producer at Gilbert Plains and there are some hobbyists who do it as a sideline and are not full time,” said Heath. The provincial average for production is 165 pounds per hive but he said that with good management he could achieve over 200 lbs from his hives.

Today’s production is primarily from canola. “We used to have a larger amount of sunflower honey but the bees don’t work the hybrid seed so that has dropped off.”

“Years ago when you had a sunflower field nearby you were assured of some sunflower honey and could keep it separate but today bees will fly by a field of sunflowers in full bloom to find another field so the bit of sunflower honey gets mixed in with the other production,” he said.

He said that pesticide use and the new regulations are a concern for his operation. “It is a concern and we don’t know where it will sort out,” he said. “We understand the concern for crops, but we also need to be concerned about the health of the bees.”

McLeod Family Share Knowledge of Horses with Fair Goers

Photo by Joan Airey

By Joan Airey For five years, Sharra Sage has been training horses full-time at Thunderbird Horse Centre that her dad Neil McLeod started over forty years ago.

“Every day I work on becoming a better horseperson working with a multiple of different horses at all different levels. At Thunderbird Centre we raise, train and sell our own horses for western performance. Along with being able to sell very nice all round horses to the public we also train horses for the public. What I have learnt is that I have been able to achieve so much with my horses because I have always had good

coaching. I have taken many clinics and learnt from many different people but the most important is my dad has always been here to help me and having a good coach is very important,” said Sharra Sage.

Sage has been giving riding lessons for the past five years. Her focus at lessons is always horsemanship and safety. “I find that once people learn how to communicate with horses it is so rewarding to see what they can accomplish. At the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair my dad and I did demos at the learning stages pen.

My dad’s focus was higher levels of horsemanship; while I did a demo on barrel racing, beginner ground work which I had a girl who takes lessons help me set it

up like a lesson. I also did a beginner lesson where I shared the important things I teach everyone in the first few lessons at the centre,” said Sage.

During the fair, Sage competed in the Barrel racing and won the first jackpot on her horse Alabama Wiki.

In the second jackpot, she placed 2nd on Alabama Wiki and third on her other horse Elvis.

“Two of the children who take lessons from me were in the barrel racing at the fair. Melayna Lockie won the 2D in both jackpot on her horse Brad and her sister Laramie Lockie who won the 3D in the second jackpot on her horse Firefly. It was an awesome week for us at the fair this year!” exclaimed Sage.

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Goat Shortage in the Making

By Les Kletke As cattle numbers decline across North American, the price of beef is a reflection of this shortage as we head into barbecue season. The shortage is happening within the goat industry.

“We don’t have enough animals to fill the demand,” said Bill Paulishyn, who raises goats at Anola. The retired schoolteacher has been involved with just about every aspect of the

goat industry and said the demand for the meat continues to grow.

Paulishyn said that producing goats in Manitoba has only served to grow the demand. “We have improved the quality of the meat that is available and people want more of it,” he said. “We are experiencing a growing population where goat is the traditional meat and people want to continue eating it especially when they can get

good quality.”

Paulishyn remembers discussion in the industry a decade or more ago when the potential of the industry was down played.

“When we talked about immigration, people said that new immigrants would want to eat beef as was the tradition in North America,” he said. “They do but they also want to keep their traditions and have goat at festivals or holidays and we cannot even keep up to that part of the demand.”

His budgets show that a producer can keep seven or eight goats on the same amount of pasture as a beef cow and a doe will normally produce two kids that will be marketed at 70 lbs. “That is 140 lbs that goes to market and at $2.50 a pound that is a return of $350,” said Paulishyn. “That gives the producer a pretty good return.”

He has 25 does on his farm and expects to market 50 kids this fall. On his farm, he raises goat for meat and said there is potential for a goat dairy industry in the province, although it is not his choice of enterprise.

The kids on his farm are born in February and March to avoid a potential parasite problem. “The only goat dairy in the province went out of business last year, and there is the potential to build that industry for someone who wants to. It is a real opportunity,”

Goat meat is gaining appeal in Manitoba and supply is not meeting demand.

Photo by Les Kletke

he said.

Paulishyn said the demand for goat meat is so strong that the majority of it is sold cubed at this time.

“It is chilled, cut into cubes bones and all,” he said.

“That is the way it is used in many traditional dishes.

It is easy to do and doesn’t require and special knowledge by the cutter.”

Fertilizer Industry Receives Research Funding In a recent announcement, the Federal Government has committed $1.1 million to the Canadian Fertilizer Institute (CFI). The funding will facilitate research and development to improve the efficient use of fertilizer, while reducing the environmental impacts and input costs, and creating competitive advantages for producers through improved crop production.

It will also enable the Institute to build on its successful 4R Nutrient Stewardship research network. A cross-Canada research network involving scientists from 11 universities and research institutes will collaborate on a three-year research project to develop and test best management practices and support systems for fertilizer use tailored to Canadian soils, climates and cropping systems.

The Canadian fertilizer industry contributes over $12 billion annually to the Canadian economy and is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of fertilizer. Canada supplies approximately 12 per cent of the world’s fertilizer materials and is the largest exporter of potash and elemental sulfur.

“Famers need the latest soil science to meet growing global demand for food, feed, fiber and fuel,” said Clyde Graham, Acting President of CFI. “The results from this research will demonstrate to environmentalists, the food industry and the Canadian public that 4R Nutrient Stewardship is good for the farm economy and the environment.”

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The Agri Post

April 24, 2015

Farm Organizations Support Return to Demand-Driven Grain Shipping Model

By Harry Siemens The Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association (WCWGA) supports the federal government’s decision to end the grain shipping volume mandates for CN and CP effective March 28.

“The Wheat Growers support the government’s decision to end the rail shipping mandates,” said Levi Wood, President of the Wheat Growers. “The Order was necessary to reduce the grain shipping backlog; however it is now time to see a return to a system where the marketplace determines grain shipping patterns rather than a government decree.”

Doug Chorney, a farmer at Beausejour and immediate past President of Keystone Agricultural Producers is also in favour of government getting out of this one. “It had some negative consequences for the smaller shippers in Saskatchewan, meaning they didn’t get the cars they requested on time,” said Chorney.

The Wheat Growers maintain the grain shipping Order, first issued by the government in March 2014, was essential to move the record 2013 crop and the ensuing backlog in grain shipments.

At the time of the initial Order, rail grain shipments were down 2% from the pre-

vious year despite a 2013 prairie crop that was 34% bigger. “The government Order, and subsequent Orders, have had the desired effect of increasing grain movement and reducing the rail shipping backlog,” said Wood.

Ultimately, the railways shipped a record amount of grain in the 2013-14 crop year and rail shipments from prairie elevators during the first six months of this crop year (August to January) are at record levels. As a result, the grain carryout at July 31 is expected to be back within the range of normal levels,” said the WCWGA. Blair Rutter, an Executive Director with the WCWGA said another effect of the

Order is that it caused the railways to limit the shipment of wheat and oats into US markets.

Rutter said according to the Grain Monitor, year to date rail shipments from prairie elevators, “Are up only 10.2 % while shipments out of the four western ports are up 27.5% suggesting that railways are focusing their resources on the movements to western ports where they can achieve the quickest cycles in order to meet the volume thresholds.”

As Chorney said, producer car shipments and shipments from shortlines have also been limited.

While the Order may have resulted in the most grain moving to market in the

Companies like Cargill, Viterra, and Richardsons International all have grain handling facilities that depend on the two railways not only moving grain, but getting timely delivery of empty cars and unit trains to move farmers’ grain to port.

fastest possible way, it may not have resulted in the highest returns to farmers.

Suspending the Order should see a return to market-driven grain shipping patterns.

“The grain shipping system still needs a significant overhaul to avoid a repeat of the problems we faced in the past 16 months,” said Wood. “But the emergency situation is over, and the focus should now be on gaining changes to the Canada Transportation Act that will improve railway service and increase grain shipping capacity to meet the long-term needs of our industry.”

Rutter said the government retains the ability to re-impose railway shipping orders until August 1, 2016, so if there is a severe breakdown in grain shipments over the next 16 months, the government could re-institute a minimum volume threshold.

He said the Federal government has also expanded the role of Quorum Corporation, the Grain Monitor, in collecting information and reporting on the Canadian grain handling and transportation system.

Western Canadian grain production in 2013, had a record high of 76.3 million tonnes, and 61.2 million tonnes in 2014, second highest on record. In the 10 previous years to 2013, the average grain production was 53.2 million tonnes.

Foodgrains Bank Projects Prepare for New Season

By Elmer Heinrichs With a new crop season beginning the Canadian Foodgrains Bank is preparing for another exciting year.

“It’s exciting to see registration forms for growing projects arriving,” said Harold Penner, Co-ordinator of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. “We look forward to another wonderful year of raising crops to help people in need,” added Penner.

When the fiscal year ended March 31, we found ourselves down a bit from last year, said Penner, noting, “We had a number of projects where participants were unable to seed last year, and it made a difference,” Penner explained.

“But we have one new community project again this year [just south of Winnipeg] and we’ll probably have a few more Hutterite colonies growing fields for us, so I think we can look forward to a really good year in Manitoba.”

Manitoba growing projects have totalled in the 5,500 to 5,700acre range for a couple of years, and Penner wonders if they might hit 6,000 acres this year. “That would be awesome!” he exclaimed.

Growing and community projects are ways Canadians support the work of Canadian Foodgrains Bank to end hunger around the world.

US Farmers Gamble By Cutting Back Inputs to Make Ends Meet

By Harry Siemens Lower farm commodity prices and record land input costs have some farmers in the US set to gamble by cutting back on input costs to help increase profit margins and decrease lost margins.

Darin D. Fessler, of Lincoln Nebraska, a senior hedge advisor specializing in grain hedging/trading with Lakefront Futures, works with producers around the country and tech traders around the world mostly focusing in agriculture.

“A lot of the corn, beans, wheat, rice, cattle, hogs, anything like that type of producer, just to help manage their risk and provide some kind of sound risk management plans when heading into some troubled waters,” said Fessler.

His tweet, that US farmers going on a bit of a gamble by cutting back on inputs caught the attention of this reporter.

“The input costs are very high, at around $700 dollars a ton, seed costs $300 dollars a bag for some of the better genetics and technology, and land rents $300 and beyond,” said Fessler. “Guys are doing anything and everything they possibly can to improve margins for this year and doing it by all means possible, reducing fertilizer, holding back on buying new machinery, decreasing the technology of the seed he puts in the ground.”

He explained that input costs for corn, could be anywhere from $650 to $900 per acre and for soybeans about $200 dollars less an acre.

The situation is not only in localized areas, it is hitting farmers right across the country and downward pressure in Chicago continues to drop

commodity prices.

“That is kind of the side effects from a good year like 2012 with record high prices, and to a lesser extent in 2013,” Fessler said. “We’ve seen a run up in a lot of the land prices and land rents. The landlords aren’t willing to budge from the rents they’re charging some of their producers now because they’re land costs and property taxes are also up.”

While 2012 was a good year price wise, farmers are now seeing some of the ramifications of those high prices three years later.

By taking this next step, in actually cutting back, Fessler sees it as more than serious for a good number of farmers he deals with.

“They are serious. The guys I work with, there are some that are probably in dire straits, far as land wise, and load wise.

Many are losing land, and when you can’t get operating loans, you can’t get crop in the ground, the situation is pretty serious,” he said.

“There is only so much hedging and risk management that a farmer can put into place to help an operation out. At some point, they’re almost too deep for their own good, more or less.”

Fessler said if there is not a higher bounce up in prices this year, up to at least $4.25 or $4.50 it will be hard to cash flow. If the increases do happen, he thinks there will a lot of cash movement. Until then the bins will be shut and locked.

With a strong basis level, Fessler thinks farmers will deliver a lot of corn in June or July when farmers need to clean up bin space for this coming crop.

“When that happens we could see basis starting to widen and that becomes a big threat looking at our already lower cash prices, balances, breakevens, and cash flows,” he said. “If the market rallies, farmers need to take advantage of this and hedge for that downside because there is no guarantee it will go to $4.50.

We need to hedge what we can and protect what we do have on those rallies.”

The Agri Post

Manitoba Spring Seeding Underway

By Elmer Heinrichs After several weeks of spring-like weather, melting snow and drying fields, sunshine and warm weather really arrived in mid-April and Manitoba farmers wasted no time getting into the fields early.

Already on Monday, April 13, Pam Rocquigny, a Provincial Cereal Crops Specialist, reported “A few producers have started seeding their spring wheat,” and notes activity in the Altona and Elm Creek areas, as well as at Lowe Farm, and near Roland.

“If the weather holds in terms of warm dry conditions, more seeding operations in other areas and further north could get underway next week,” said Rocquigny. “Winter wheat and fall rye is just starting to break dormancy and resume growth so producers should be able to make some initial assessments of survival over the next week or so. It may take a bit longer to determine actual plant stands.”

“It is anticipated based on some early indicators that winter wheat and fall rye should have overwintered okay. “However, the next couple of weeks will tell the full story, especially if the favourable weather conditions continue,” added Rocquigny.

Altona Farm Production Advisor Dennis Lange agrees that some farmers are starting already, but says it will likely take a few weeks before seeding becomes general.

It is not unusual for farmers to seed in April when there is an early snowmelt, minimal run-off and above normal temperatures. “Right now, the field activity involves farmers putting in some spring wheat and a few other cereal grains,” said Lange.

Ryan Schwartz, who farms southeast of Altona, said he seeded another 100 acres of wheat on Wednesday April 15 and now has a total of 275 acres in crop, all seeded to Prosper, a US CPC wheat variety.

Perhaps the biggest driver for early seeding is the potential for higher yields. The majority of seeding date research conducted in western Canada reports increased yields with early seeding. If seeding starts early, farmers may benefit from longer harvest days with better weather in August.

Spring seeding seems to have started in some southern areas across all three Prairie Provinces.

Canadian Wheat Board Weather and Crop Specialist Bruce Burnett said there have been reports of sporadic planting activity near the US border right across the prairies.

Burnett added it looks like the weather will be cooperative with nighttime temperatures remaining above zero.

Dan Caron, a Business Development Specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, said we are probably a couple of weeks ahead of normal in terms of field conditions.

Even though there are indications of dry conditions, Caron does not think that subsoil moisture will be a problem this season.

“In an average spring, the east side of the province doesn’t kick off seeding until the beginning to middle of May,” Caron said. But he still advises farmers to be cautious since there is still a risk of frost.

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Lure of the Lingonberry is a Win-Win for Northern Agriculture Chances are you have never heard of lingonberries, but they are to Scandinavians what cranberries are to North Americans, a favourite accompaniment to many popular food dishes.

Recently, scientists have been seriously looking into the lingonberry as a new super fruit providing unique benefits to human health. Across the country, researchers at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) are actively pursuing genetic improvement and commercialization of lingonberries.

In 2009, Dr. Chris Siow, AAFC scientist at the Canadian Centre for Agri-Food Research in Health and Medicine (CCARM) in Winnipeg, began work with Dr. Samir Debnath at the Atlantic Cool Climate Crop Research Centre in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, to select superior wild-growing plants and develop improved lingonberry cultivars. Their research suggests that the genetic types and climatic conditions prevailing in regions that are more northern give lingonberries higher antioxidant content, especially anthocyanins.

Anthocyanins are one of the valuable phytochemicals that lingonberries contain. Researchers believe these potent antioxidants can help reduce the risk of heart disease and even some cancers. Specifically, anthocyanins prevent oxidation of blood cholesterol and aid in keeping blood vessels healthy. Other studies found certain extracts from lingonberries to be effective against Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, which can cause a wide variety of infections. Lingonberries also contain health-promoting dietary fibre, vitamin C, polyphenols and omega-3 fatty acids.

“Our research team learned that lingonberries have remarkable disease-fighting properties and these properties are enhanced the farther north lingonberries are grown. Canada has the potential to increase harvest and production as demand for this health-promoting fruit increases,” said Siow.

Lingonberries are common in the boreal forests of northern Manitoba. Dr. Siow has been collecting lingonberries from the Flin Flon and Lynn Lake area and comparing them to those grown in Newfoundland. Currently, he is analyzing the chemical composition of the Manitoba lingonberries and assessing their potential health benefits. This project is a collaborative effort, involving AAFC scientists in Newfoundland, Manitoba and British Columbia and other researchers from the University of Manitoba and the Food Development Centre in Portage la Prairie.

The tart, bright red lingonberry, also known as red whortleberry, cowberry, foxberry, lowbush cranberry, northern mountain cranberry, graines rouges in Quebec, partridgeberry in Newfoundland and rock cranberry in Alaska is smaller, juicier and less bitter than its distant cousin, the cranberry. It grows on a short semi-evergreen shrub that is found throughout the cold Northern Hemisphere. It is produced commercially in Europe where cultivated varieties (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) are available.

A wild subspecies (Vaccinium vitis-idaea var. minus) grows in Canada. Most of the lingonberries here are wild harvested, with Newfoundland and Labrador producing more than 90,909 kgs (200,000 lbs) per year. The demand for lingonberries currently outstrips the supply from wild harvest, so there is a market opportunity for Canadian producers.

Ag Groups Receive Draw Winnings After the 2015, Manitoba Ag Days event, almost $10,000 was donated to various agriculture related charities.

Over the 3-day event, a 50/50 draw raised a total of $18,310. The excited winner of the 50/ 50 was Craig Mowatt who collected his $9,155 at the end of the show.

As a committee, the organizers decided to divide the other half of the 50/50 draw and donate it to three agricultural related charities. The three charities that benefited were Manitoba 4-H Council ($3,577.50), Manitoba Rural and Support Services ($3,577.50) and Manitoba Youth Beef Roundup ($2,000).

Committee members continue looking forward to supporting other agricultural related charities in the future and ask that possible recipients contact Manitoba Ag Days at coordinator@agdays.com.

Julie Labossiere, President of the Manitoba 4-H Council accepts a $3,577.50 cheque on behalf of the organization from Kristen Phillips of Manitoba Ag Days.

Stephanie Cruickshanks with Manitoba Ag Days presents a cheque to Leanne Brackenreed of Manitoba Rural and Support Services for $3,577.50.

Lois McRae with the Manitoba Youth Beef Roundup organization will use their $2,000 donation presented by Kristen Phillips of Manitoba Ag Days for two $1,000 scholarships.

Livestock: Proper Usage of Treatments Keeps Resistance Low There is no avoiding the topics of antimicrobial use (AMU) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) these days. We often see headlines like “Agricultural folly spawns superbugs”, “Antibiotic Resistance Declared A ‘Serious Health Threat’ By CDC As Use In Meat Industry Skyrockets”, and “Doctors call for ban of antibiotic use in farm animals as drug-resistant human infections hit ‘dangerous level’” in the mainstream media. Headlines like that are alarming for most consumers, government officials and us who make a living raising livestock.

At the heart of it all, we know three things about AMR and its real threat. If antimicrobials become less effective, then human health and animal welfare will suffer. AMR is a natural and very complex phenomenon, but improper use of antibiotics favours the development of AMR. AMU is necessary in beef production, and prudent AMU will slow the development of AMR. The Canadian Integrated Program for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (CIPARS) was set up to monitor antimicrobial resistance in humans and livestock, and retail meat. To date, the CIPARS has seen that resistance to drugs of Very High Importance is below 2% in bacteria isolated from Canadian cattle or retail beef, and has remained stable for 10 years. Multidrug resistance is similarly low, and is not increasing.

The Beef Cattle Research Council recommends monitoring cattle health on an ongoing basis to administer prompt treatment, which usually gives a better response rate for fewer treatments of an infection. Before using antimicrobials, an accurate diagnosis is paramount because viruses are not susceptible to antibiotics. It is important that a producer also chooses the right product to treat the condition and follow the instructions of your veterinarian and/or label.

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The Economics of Raising Replacement Heifers

By Ben Hamm With cattle prices up and feed costs down, many producers are contemplating holding back additional replacement heifers from their 2014 calf crop. An important question to ask yourself, does this make good economic sense?

The current projected total cost of developing 2014 heifer calves into preg-checked females in fall 2015 is $2,201.07/head. These heifers’ first calves will be born in spring 2016, with the heifers’ calves potentially marketed that fall, or grown out and sold as feeders in the summer of 2017. In either case, it takes two years to increase the number of calves sold.

Figure 1 summarizes this year’s projected cost of raised replacement heifers.

The analysis is based on 1,350-lb. cows producing 550-lb. weaned heifers in the fall of 2014. The current projection for 2014 weaned heifers sold in the fall is $245/cwt., or $1,362.85/ weaned heifer calf. Thus, the opportunity cost for raised replacement heifers is $1,362.85.

The winter growing period is projected to be 224 days and the winter-feed costs are based on wintering the heifer calves on barley grain, hay and supplement. The costs used are $3.25/bu. barley and $80/ton hay, which generates a winter-feed cost of $311.16/head.

The heifers were moved to pasture on May 1, at a pasture rent of $.69/head/day for 140 days, at a grazing cost of $103.27/ heifer for the year (see Figure 2).

Breeding costs were based on a $4,000 heifer bull used for four years and then culled, generating a breeding fee of $34/heifer.

The projected total economic cost of a raised replacement heifer came to $2,147.58/head before culling. After adjusting for an 88% conception rate, the market value ($1,800) for the open heifers sold increases the final cost of raising replacement heifers to $2,201.07/ preg-checked if the heifer was purchased at $245/cwt.

After all the adjustments, the development cost of each heifer exposed averages to $798.99/ head. If we add the $1,362.85 opportunity cost at weaning, and add the cost of the opens of $48.23, we have a projected total economic cost for raising a replacement heifer of $2,201.07/ head.

World-Wide Restrictions Imposed by Canada on Poultry Imports The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has increased its efforts to stem the current outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) and its spread into Canada by restricting importations of poultry and poultry products.

By mid April numerous US counties, including whole states just south of

the border and northern parts of the EU increased the established quarantine zones to six countries.

Imports continue to be restricted from affected quarantine zones (QZ) that include the states of Arkansas, California, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin.

Other QZ countries dealing with the spread of the pathogen are Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands.

CFIA has restricted all commercial imports from these specified Quarantine Zones until further notice.

Restricted items include live birds and hatching eggs, eggs, yolks, egg whites (albumen), poultry

meat (other than fully cooked, canned, commercially sterile meat products), raw pet foods containing poultry products, feathers, poultry manure and litter and laboratory material containing poultry products/by-products.

In its latest update, the World Health Organization (WHO) has tracked six subtypes of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in 26 countries from January 1 to April 16, 2015.

In less than four months many countries have had repeated outbreaks and continue to battle multiple outbreaks of avian influenza subtypes. In one reported case to the WHO from China, two tigers that were held in a zoo in Nanning, Guangxi died af-

The cost of growing replacement heifers through the winter varies from operation to operation, so calculating an individualized cost is crucial.

Each producer is encouraged to estimate winter feed and summer grazing costs. Whatever winter and summer feed costs you use, raised replacement costs for your 2014 heifer calves are predicted to be record-high.

Breakeven Calculations – Figure 3 - If the intended sale price of the bred heifer is $2,100, to break even and cover total cost the purchase price of a 550 lb heifer can be $231.87/cwt.

- If an operation is only intending to cover operating cost, the amount spent for that 550 lb heifer can be $254.95/cwt.

- If the intent is to cover operating and labour costs, the amount spent for that 550 lb heifer calf can be $247.07/ cwt.

- To cover operating and fixed cost, the amount paid for that 550 lb heifer can be $239.75.

Again, all these costs only allow the producer to break even. For this to be a profitable enterprise, either the purchase price of the 550 lb heifer has to be lower than $231.87/cwt to cover total costs, or the sale price of the bred heifer has to be more than $2,201.07/bred, after the 88% conception rate is factored in. These costs are only taking the bred heifer into fall of 2015. Extra costs will have to be added if feeding into the winter.

For detailed information on beef replacement heifer costs or other beefrelated costs of production, visit gov.mb.ca/agriculture/business-andeconomics/financial-management/costof-production for beef.

ter contracting H5N1.

The countries affected with the highly contagious and deadly avian pathogen are Bhutan, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Canada, China, India, Israel, Libya, Myanmar, Nigeria, Palestinian Autonomous Territories, Romania, United States of America and Vietnam with the prevalent subtype H5N1.

The counties which are battling the other variations of the wide spreading virus are Canada, China, Chinese Taipei and United States of America (subtype H5N2), Chinese Taipei (subtype H5N3), Palestinian Autonomous Territories, (subtype H5N5), Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong and Vietnam (H5N6), Mexico (H5N7) and Chinese Taipei, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Korea (Republic of), Netherlands, Russia, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States of America (H5N8).

The spread of the virus is primarily through domestic poultry flocks and according to the US Center for Disease Control (CDC), the risk to people from these HPAI infections in wild birds is low.

As a general precaution, people should avoid wild birds and observe them only

from a distance, avoid contact with domestic poultry that appear ill or have died and avoid contact with surfaces that appear to be contaminated with feces from wild or domestic birds. In the past transmission to humans

has occurred through close contact with infected birds or heavily contaminated environments. CFIA recommends that the National Avian On-Farm Biosecurity Standards be closely followed to reduce the spread.

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Canada Remains a Net Exporter in Agriculture and Agri-Food Sector The latest data shows that the agriculture and agri-food sector continues to generate significant economic benefits for Canada.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) recently released its annual Overview of the Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food System. The report provides historical data up to 2013, and demonstrates the sector’s continued strong contribution to the Canadian economy.

The highlights of the report show that the agriculture and agri-food sector generated $106.9 billion in 2013, accounting for 6.7% of Canada’s GDP. In 2012 and 2013 one in eight jobs in Canada, employing over 2.2 million people were related to agriculture, which includes the food service industry.

Canadian export sales grew at a lesser rate in 2013 by 5.5% to $46.0 billion. This is a marginal rate decline when compared to the growth in 2012 at 8.1%, $43.6 billion. In 2013, we maintained our 3.5% share of the total value of world agriculture and agri-food exports to keep our position as the world’s fifth-largest exporter of agriculture and agri-food products. Exports to the US increased by 10.8% in 2013 to $23.4 billion, while exports to non-US markets grew by 6% to $22.7 billion.

With import sales of $32.3 billion in 2012, an increase of 4.2% over 2011 the trend continued in 2013 up to $34.3 billion, which was an increase of 6% over 2012. The US accounted for 61.4% of the value of all Canadian agriculture and agri-food imports. Canada remains the world’s sixth-largest importer, accounting for 2.7% of the total value of world agriculture and agri-food imports and an overall net exporter in this sector. The US accounted for 61.2% of the value of all Canadian agriculture and agri-food imports.

Public investments in research and development are estimated to rise by 5.3% to $643 million in 2013-2014.

A record harvest and strong prices in the first half of 2013, contributed to the growth in farm receipts. Cattle receipts have increased for four consecutive years due to strong cattle prices. The food and beverage processing industry is the largest of all manufacturing industries in Canada, accounting for the largest share (16.0%) of the total manufacturing sector’s GDP in 2013. It also accounted for the largest share (16.7%) of jobs in the manufacturing sector.

Following the study of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, this year’s report also features a special section on Food Loss and Waste at all stages of the agri-food system. Analysis of food loss and waste in Canada, the US, and other developed countries shows that most of the food loss and waste occurs in households and in the food retail and service sectors.

In Canada, 6 billion kg of food was lost or wasted at the household and retail levels, representing 29.4% of the food supply in 2010, with household food loss and waste accounting for 20.3% of this total.

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Inter-Provincial Forage Study Looks at Keeping Cattle on Pasture Longer Researchers at the University of Manitoba (U of M) have begun an expansive research project that aims to provide new knowledge to help farmers keep their cattle on the pasture longer in the fall, saving time and money.

The U of M is collaborating with the University of Saskatchewan, Western Beef Development Centre and Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (MAFRD) on the project.

Emma McGeough, Assistant Professor, sustainable grasslands/livestock production systems in the department of animal science at the U of M is one of the researchers involved in the project.

“Many producers across western Canada use extended grazing to lower the economic and environmental costs of raising cattle. Bale grazing is a commonly used strategy but our research aims to provide new knowledge on stockpiled grazing, as an alternative to bales, to extend the grazing season,” she said. “Longer time spent on pasture, as opposed to confined feeding, can reduce labour and feed costs, as well as manure accumulation.”

The study began this spring with researchers seeding a range of grasses, legumes and cereal crops in test plots at four sites across Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The forages that perform best in terms of their yield and ability to maintain quality throughout the fall will be used in larger, test pastures with grazing cattle.

One of the unique aspects of the project is researchers are using animal GPS collars to understand more about animal grazing behavior.

“The collars will determine the amount of time the cattle spend grazing versus lying down or ruminating,” said McGeough. “The data generated on grazing behavior will provide producers with information on forage use to help in management decisions to improve animal performance on pasture.”

Glenn Friesen, Business Development Specialist – Forage with MAFRD said this work is particularly important in Manitoba, as not a lot of forage evaluation research has been car-

Emma McGeough, Assistant Professor, sustainable grasslands/ livestock production systems at the U of M researching forages to keep cattle on pasture longer in the fall, saving time and money.

ried out in the last decade, especially on this scale.

“Grazing annual crops in late fall is not a typical practice in Manitoba,” said Friesen. “We tend to get more rain or snow than other prairie provinces, which lowers the feed quality of the grazed crops, increasing feed costs. We expect the research being done at the U of M will help us better understand how to predict animal performance when they’re grazing on forages in the fall, potentially allowing us to keep cattle in the fields longer.”

While other crops such as wheat and canola are currently the subjects of many research studies, there has been limited research comparing forage crops over several years and at different locations. That seems to be changing however. In the last two years, there has been a turning point and

forage research is increasing.

“The investment in materials for this project will further support forage research in the future,” said Friesen. “It’s been many years since we’ve last seen this sort of interest in forage. The University of Manitoba gets a lot of credit for prompting the industry to invest in this area.”

Martin Scanlon, Acting Associate Dean for Research in the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences at the U of M believes the results from this research will have an effect on cattle production in Manitoba.

“We’re interested in creating safe, healthy and just food systems in a manner that is sustainable for producers and the environment,” he said.

Canada-Ukraine FT FTAA Moving Along

Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz meets with Oleksiy Pavlenko, Ukraine’s Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food, to review cooperation and other issues of mutual interest between Canada and Ukraine in the field of agriculture. Canada and Ukraine are actively engaged in negotiations toward concluding a free trade agreement (FTA) which could benefit many sectors of the Canadian economy, most notably agriculture.

In 2014, two-way agri-food and seafood trade with Ukraine totaled $44.7 million, up 44% since 2006.

Manitoba Farmland Values Slowing Down Average farmland values in Manitoba continued to rise in 2014, but the climb was not as steep as the previous year, according to the latest Farm Credit Canada (FCC) Farmland Values Report.

Manitoba showed one of the most significant changes among the provinces, slowing from an increase of 25.6% in 2013 to 12.2% cent in 2014.

Average farmland values in Canada showed a 14.3% increase in 2014, compared to a 22.1% increase in 2013. The rate of increase also slowed in many key agriculture regions, including Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan.

“While the increases are still significant in many parts of the country, they do suggest we are moving toward more moderate increases for farmland values,” said Corinna MitchellBeaudin, FCC Executive Vice-President and Chief Risk Officer. “This is good news for producers since gradual change in the value of this key asset is always better for those entering or leaving the industry.”

J.P. Gervais, FCC Chief Agricultural Economist, has been predicting a “soft landing” for farmland values since crop prices began moving closer to the long-term average following abnormally high prices due to the 2012 US drought.

While lower interest rates make it tempting to buy land, Gervais emphasized producers need to exercise caution. “Interest rates will eventually increase, even if this is not on the 2015 horizon,” he said. “Expanding world stocks of grains and oilseeds could bring prices down further, creating tighter margins.” Tighter profit margins may also affect the land rental market. Rental rates usually take a little time to adjust downward following lower grain and oilseed prices. Multi-year leases are also gaining in popularity.

“Producers should be encouraged that a weak Canadian dollar, expanding trade agreements and growing world food demand are helping to enhance the demand side of the market for Canadian commodities, creating a positive long-term outlook for agriculture,” Gervais added.

“Land is a valuable asset and there really isn’t a one-size-fits-all formula for determining when to buy or sell,” Mitchell-Beaudin said. “Producers really need to take a close look at their operations and ensure they can manage through a number of scenarios when it comes to revenues and expenses.”

Improvements to Cash Advance Program for 2015 Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz recently highlighted major enhancements to the Advance Payments Program (APP) designed to improve and streamline administration, provide greater flexibility and more repayment options, and ease access to the program for producers.

On February 27, 2015, the Government announced the coming into force of the Agricultural Growth Act, which makes improvements to the Advance Payments Program (APP). The Act modernizes and strengthens federal agriculture legislation, supports innovation in the Canadian agriculture industry and enhances global market opportunities.

The APP is a federal loan guarantee program that helps agricultural producers benefit from the best market conditions by improving their cash flow throughout the year.

Many of the changes implemented under the Act were in effect on April 1, 2015, for the 2015 Program Year, in time to help producers plan for the new production year. The new Act also allows further improvements to be implemented once amendments to the related regulations are

completed.

Producers can now request advances for all their commodities through one application with a single administrator, significantly

reducing their paper burden. In addition, there is no longer a requirement for a farmer to be principally occupied in farming in order to utilize APP.

CCGA Begins Issuing Cash Advances The Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA) officially begins issuing cash advances for the 201516 Advance Payments Program (APP).

Under the improved APP, farmers will have access to cash advances on more commodities in one place.

CCGA’s commodity lineup has expanded significantly, and now includes all major field crops and livestock, including oilseeds, cereal grains, coarse grains, corn, pulse and specialty crops, cattle, hogs, and more. All 45 commodities are on one application, with one low administration fee. Other important changes that farmers will experience immediately include the removal of withhold and added flexibility for repaying grain advances.

Farmers who apply for an advance through CCGA are eligible for a cash advance of up to $100,000 interest-free and an additional, interest-bearing $300,000 at CIBC prime.

“With over 2,000 pre-applications received in March, we’ve already seen great uptake on the program changes,” said Rick White, CEO of CCGA. “We’re excited to begin issuing funds as the growing season will soon be in full swing.”

Farmers wanting to apply for a cash advance are encouraged to call CCGA’s Winnipeg office at 1-866745-2256. Applications can also be downloaded or completed online at CCGA’s website, ccga.ca. In addition, application forms will soon be available at elevators across western Canada.

The Agri Post

April 24, 2015

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April 24, 2015

The Agri Post