Harvesting for Hope World Record Day Fast Approaching
The Agri Post
On Sunday, July 31, the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and the Manitoba Agricultural Museum will host Harvesting Hope: a World Record to Help the Hungry. To help end global hunger, over 500 volunteers from 100 communities across Canada will operate 125 early 20th century threshing machines to harvest a 100acre crop of wheat. When in operation, the equipment will require over four football fields of space. For more information on attending or how to participate please visit harvestinghope.ca or follow them on twitter @harvesthope2016.
June 24, 2016
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The Making of a Dairy Farm from the Ground Up By Harry Siemens Jeremy Dueck of Dueck Holsteins near Landmark milks 60 cows in a relatively modern tie stall barn and the land he owns is the yard site with the house, barn, and room for an earthen lagoon. Dueck farms with his wife and three sons, rents all of the farmland, about 200 acres several miles away on the other side of Landmark that provides enough forages, for all of our milking animals and heifers. “What we don’t use for forages on the farm, my dad’s a grain farmer, seeds and harvests about 150 acres for me,” said Dueck. “I have a separate farm from my dad, I’m 29 years old. I was a young guy on my own for about 6 years.” With his rented land too far away, and owning no farm land nearby Dueck has an agreement with his neighbour and every fall he gets all of the manure free. “We have an earthen registered permitted lagoon that holds just over a year’s storage, enough for the whole year. Every fall we empty it onto their land,” he said. Dueck grew up on a mixed farm, where his dad had a 75sow farrow to finish barn, and cropped about 800 to 1,000 acres. “I grew up a farm boy, and knew I always wanted to farm,” he said. “Dad’s desire was never to colonize and become a big-time farm so he never expanded when any of the boys showed interest. He told us, go out and earn enough money to buy your
“It seems like a lot of guys my age get golden spoons put in their mouths, where dad did all the hard work in the 80s, 90s and early 2000s, they often don’t know the value of what blood, sweat, and tears is all about.” own farms and buy him out some day.” That was his attitude and Dueck appreciated it. “It seems like a lot of guys my age get golden spoons put in their mouths, where dad did all the hard work in the 80s, 90s and early 2000s, they often don’t know the value of what blood, sweat, and tears is all about.” He dropped out of school in grade 8, never went back, and started working in construction, illegally, still under 18 years of age. “By the time I was 19, I was supervising a sewer and water installation crew in Winnipeg, making good money, and I knew I had to do that to get a down payment together for a farm. Whatever farm, I didn’t care what kind of farm either,” said Dueck. “The desire was always there, the knowledge that I’d be a farmer someday,
Jeremy Dueck of Landmark milks 60 cows in a tie stall barn, gives the manure away to his neighbour and hopes to be milking in a new location and new barn by March 1, 2017.
I never questioned that. After enough years in the construction industry, I had close to $600,000 saved up, invested in a house and different things, but enough of a network I could put a down payment on a small farm.” During his last few years in construction, he started seriously looking for an opportunity to buy, or find something that would work for him and stay within budget. “It was about the time when land was becoming quite scarce
and it became pretty obvious that if I wanted to grain farm, I’d have to move where the land was much cheaper and more readily available. Places like Brandon, Swan River, maybe even Saskatchewan, somewhere not in the Red River Valley,” he said. He looked at all the options, poultry, hogs, and grain and nothing pencilled. Dairy was not even an option at that time. After telling a friend that dairy was out of the picture, a year later, he was milking 60
cows. That was six years ago. For this, young farmer and his wife and young family things are not standing still. He recently bought a different farm closer to Ste. Anne where his dad farms and plans to move this fall. The new farm comes with 450 acres, securing a land base. He plans to build a new barn starting this fall and milking by March 1, 2017. Dueck always knew the first barn on the current farm would be a temporary stepping-
stone to something bigger. “A temporary stepping stone, get in the door, buy the quota, get milking, start making personal payments on the quota, and in five to ten years, I’ll be in a position to buy a different farm,” he said. “Just so happened one came up for sale close to my dad’s farm, a grain farm, no livestock. We outbid everyone else I guess, here we are, thinking of making a move and taking on a
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June 24, 2016
The Agri Post
Fruit Crops RReady eady to PPick ick By Elmer Heinrichs
It is that time again across Manitoba when a consumer can exercise their right to “pick your own” fruit, from the delectable juicy strawberries, perhaps the always delicious raspberry, or the large saskatoons.
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June 24, 2016
There are about 10 to a dozen berry farms in eastern and central regions that operate as “U-pick farms, while others prefer to pick for you. “Consumers should be picking Strawberries have a very brief season strawberries by late June,” said Waldo and this year it looks like Manitobans Thiessen, operator of Altona’s Berry Hill will be able to pick berries in the last Farm, and representative for the Prairie week of June, and perhaps early July. Raspberries and saskatoons will also be Fruit Growers Association. Strawberries ready to pick or buy at fruit stands and are a little earlier; raspberries will be ready by early July, with saskatoons market gardens throughout the ready by July week two.” summer.
The Agri Post
Manitoban Named Outstanding Young Angus Breeder By Les Kletke
cial cows that is somewhat non-traditional. “I want to get the best genetics I can, as Looking at his list of quickly as I can,” he said. accomplishments it is not To that end, he uses the hard to believe that Shawn commercial cows as receptors Birmingham qualified as for embryos from his purethe Outstanding Young bred animals. This year he Angus Breeder for the had over 40 embryos placed national competition. He not only qualified, he won in his commercial cows. “We rely on a veterinarian for it. Birmingham and his wife that,” he noted. “It is fairly complex and we are busy Teresa operate TSN Livestock at Forest, north concentrating our efforts on other things.” Those other of Brandon. He got an things include a 5,800 acres early start with the breed when he was with 4-H and grain farm that is part of the operation with his father and bought his first cattle. brother. That was nearly 20 years His intent is to grow his ago. A Diploma in Agriculture from the U of M along purebred herd to 200 cows, with several positions in 4- but he is concentrating on H and the Angus Associa- the quality of the genetics tion he now has 250 cows. not just the numbers. He has chosen to grow the herd from Birmingham has 80 the animals he produces. “We purebred cows and 170 use the top genetics availcommercial cows that he able, and we us A.I. because calves out early in the that allows us to choose the year. He uses the best best in genetics and change genetics available on his purebred cows but it his is bulls,” he said. “We typically use two bulls on the mature approach to the commer-
The Birmingham’s sell their cattle directly from the farm north of Brandon.
cows and two other bulls on the heifers because we are keeping the heifers for our herd. We have a strong line of genetics from the bulls
Building a Dairy continued... Continued from page 1 whole bunch of new debt.” He said the transition would require some juggling. “The people that bought this farm only want to start milking next summer coming here from Alberta. He first must sell his farm in Alberta and we don’t want to start milking in winter so we’re going to own two farms for a period of time. Keep milking in the tie-stall, until the new barn is ready by next spring. It will be inconvenient, but that is how it sometimes has to go.” The new barn being built is a simple 84-head free stall. Dueck said that for now they would put in one robotic milking unit. “I’m on a budget, severe really. This opportunity came along five years too soon.” He said their feeding system would be comprised of a TMR grinder that sits in a feed room and fed out with a conveyor into the manger. “Currently all the calves and young stock are being custom raised.” Dueck does not intend to increase his 60-cow quota immediately. The extra space will be used to house his dry cows. About 10 to 15 percent of his herd is always dry and his close-up heifers will be moved home about two months before calving. Eventually his goal is to have between 85 and 90 cows and two robotic milkers. He already has plans in the works for the types of crops. “We’ll plan for the home quarter to go into hay and alfalfa, and right around the barn the next closest field will be the corn silage and after that soybean crushing operation in Blumenort,” he said. “On any extra land I typically grow beans.” Dueck noted that he could deliver right off the combine to his dad and brother’s soybean crushing plant room so that he has no need for bean storage.
we use that allows us to choose other bulls next year.” He has a ready market for the bulls he produces and sells them off the farm. “There is a lot of expense in moving cattle and consigning them to sales so at this point we sell from the farm,” he said. “We might get to the point that we have our own sale on the farm in the future.” He breeds the cows for a 75-day calving period beginning January 1. “We like the calves early in the year, and we want to concentrate the calving period into a short time,” he said. The operation uses its own homegrown corn silage for its feeding program as well. “We have a silage pit and feed with a wagon,” said Birmingham. “That works in our system and allows us to keep an eye on the cows.”
The Agri Post
June 24, 2016
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History Makes Its Way Through Southeast Manitoba
Drivers await the final instructions before embarking on Tractor Trek 7 from the Heritage Village Museum. Photo by Les Kletke
By Les Kletke It was apparent that history keeps rolling along for the annual Tractor Trek event in southeastern Manitoba. Anne Toews was on hand as one of the event organizers
and a reason the event keeps rolling as smoothly as it does. After the initial instructions to drivers and support staff at the Mennonite Heritage Village, it was Toews that gave the official, “Gentlemen, start your engines.” With
those anticipated words, the group headed to their tractors to get rolling. “After 7 years you get some things worked out,” she said with a smile. “There are some changes each year but we have a pretty good under-
standing what is involved and how things move along.” The route this year went to Richer for lunch followed by a brief history of the community. “We really appreciated being hosted by the community of Richer,” said Toews. “They had a great facility for the tractors and it gave people an opportunity to come and see the tractors involved.” It is not only the tractors that were rolling on a beautiful summer day in June; the funds raised by the event go to support the Eden Mental Health Foundation and the Mennonite Heritage Village. Toews said that as of June 15, the event had raised just over $36,000. “But funds keep rolling in, we will see cheques come in through the month of June so that amount should increase somewhat,” said Toews. The 7th offering of the Tractor Trek attracted 44 tractors and each had a goal of raising a thousand dollars. For some of the Tractor Trek partici-
Richer Comes Together as Host Community for Tractor Trek By Les Kletke The community of Richer pulled together to host the annual Tractor Trek recently and helped organize a lunch for the drivers, support staff, and spectators who attended the noontime gathering of nearly 50 tractors at the Richer Dawson Trail Park.. “We had great weather,” said Laura Zimmermann one of the organizers involved with the host committee. “We also have a nice facility that allowed the organizers to park their tractors and display them during lunch.” The 44 participating tractors had lots of room to form a two deep semi circle and allow spectators to take the time and wander between the horsepower of yesteryear. Annually, the host community provides lunch for participants in the Trek but the Richer Community also had lunch available for spectators that helped raise funds for the Eden Foundation and Mennonite Heritage Village. “We covered our costs of the lunch and donated any profits to the main organizers,” said Zimmerman, who was aided by twenty volunteers. “We had great support from the community and even had volunteers from outside the Community Club show up and ask what they could do on the day of the event.”
Judging by lunch sales Zimmerman estimates that the event attracted 50 spectators from the community. “It is not a great number, but we also had competing events in many of the neighbouring communities and that hurt our attendance,” she said. She is already looking forward to next year. The event typically follows the same path for two years before changing its route. “We are looking forward to next year, and we know what to expect,” she said. “We have a great space to display the tractors and that helps.” The noontime break also included a presentation by local historian Roger Godard who outlined how the various ethnic groups had worked together during the early days of the settlements in the area. Zimmerman said there are few changes planned for the event next year and is hopeful that word spreads about the quality and number of tractors on display. “It would be great to see even more people from the community come out to see the tractors and visit with the drivers,” she said. Judging from the response of the drivers there is little doubt that the event will be back for lunch in Richer for the 8th edition of the Tractor Trek.
pants it is an annual event. For others it was a new experience. “We had 7 first time drivers this year, which is about what we normally get,” said Toews. “Some fellows might take a year off and come back the following year, while some make it a family event every year.” She listed several families that have three generations or grandfathers that make it a special outing with their grandson. There was no correlation between the colour of the tractor and
families ties, though at least one family was riding entirely on International production. Every two years, event organizers change the route she explained. “We try to take the same route for two years,” she said. “So we will discuss that in the fall when we look at the comments from the drivers but it would appear that we would follow the same route next year, because there were no major problems this time around.”
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The Agri Post
June 24, 2016
Just Having Fun Sometimes we get caught up taking ourselves too seriously; actually, it is a lot of time that we take our self too seriously. We have to be believe that we are the most important thing in the world and completing our “to do” list is all the matters. A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to attend the Tractor Trek that rolled from Steinbach to Richer for lunch and then back again. I had reluctantly agreed to attend the event. When I got there it didn’t take me long to realize this was all about having some fun. Sure the trip would raise close to 50 grand for the Eden Foundation and the Mennonite Heritage Village, and that alone is enough reason to do the event again on the west side of the Red River and again next year. While there is a grand plan and purpose, in the trenches and on the road it was about having some fun. When I pulled up, I immediately started looking for the tractors we had on the farm, it was not long before I found a John Deere M, and with it was a MT which designated Trike, (or close front wheels). I remember a story about my Dad buying it used after it had run one day on an American farm… you see it was still the time of steel shortages, and used equipment could cross the
border while new equipment was in short supply so equipment dealers got creative with how “used” that “used” had to be. I digress, this day was about fun, I saw a few familiar faces and played the catch up game, and then it got down to the serious. “Do you have a tractor?” I did not and I have no need or desire to have an antique tractor but for the guys that do, more power to them. They don’t have to explain to anyone why they have a tractor or two or 7. That is up to them. If they want to get together with other guys who have tractors and drive down the road a bit, good for them. We need more of that in our industry. I remember when the end of June rolled around there was the school picnic community event that ended in the evening with baseball games and a wiener roast. People showed up to visit and have some fun, we talk about the benefits of rural living and how great the lifestyle is but it seems to me it has slipped away into the fast lane on the gravel road. I for one am going to another Tractor Trek, and I am looking for a Cochshutt 560, the one with the yellow motor (the red ones were later and any Cockshutt guy can tell you that).
Credit has to be given to these collectors as our industry needs a healthy dose of fun and you are the ones that can deliver it.
AMM President Lays Out Plans for New Government In perusing the aisles of a Winnipeg box store, I stopped to read the label of a product claiming to control, not kill selective weeds on residential lawns. In looking a little closer, it didn’t say which weeds it controlled, only selective weeds. I recall this product isn’t cheaper either. I asked another gentleman who was looking at the same product, and asked him what it meant to control only selective weeds. He said that means it probably doesn’t work very well - in fact, he said his neighbour tried it, and found it mostly useless. I put in a call to Chris Goertzen, President of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM), also the Mayor of Steinbach. Goertzen adamantly says AMM does not support the cosmetic pesticide ban that became law in this province in 2015 and remains consistent with its position. The former NDP government passed legislation to implement
the ban that requires lawn care companies and municipalities to use ecofriendly products for weed control. That is what I held in my hand where the label refers to controlling selective products. Goertzen tells me Manitoba’s Sustainable Development minister Cathy Cox will review the province’s cosmetic herbicides ban to ensure it is in the best interests of Manitobans and intends to meet with stakeholders to discuss their concerns. “Obviously, it is a regulation that is burdensome to municipalities and yes, we do want to see this government change it,” said Goertzen. “If we keep the same level of service, and use the product we should be using instead of the ones that are approved by Health Canada, our costs in Steinbach go from $18,000 a year to well over $200,000 plus per year. That’s just not doable for RMs. That is just one anecdotal evidence plus
they are much less effective.” Guess what, it kills the green stuff, burns it off so to speak, and the root stays alive meaning you have to use it multiple times. The AMM has met with both ministers. Blaine Pederson, Infrastructure and Minister Cox, and have generally very positive discussions. “These are early days of this new government and we continue to be consistent with our message, but feel this government will definitely review this legislation and ensuing regulation,” says Goertzen. “The point is we all want to use less chemicals in our municipalities and in our lives in general, absolutely! But we want to be practical, and not ideological about it. We want a review of that regulation so that it is practical for our municipalities and doesn’t put a huge burden on them, and so we can have healthy communities and beautiful communities.” Having the president of the AMM on the line offered opportunities to
discuss some other issues facing his organization and in turn rural Manitoba, and farmers alike. There are many issues that we will be dealing with, with this new government, just like with old one. The AMM’s overriding theme includes two issues, partnership and one already touched on, regulations, or as I sense it too many regulations that make no sense and only cost money. “We want to have a partnership with this new provincial government to solve the issues we have in common. When it comes to infrastructure, we want to do this in partnership with the Pallister PC government to help solve the infrastructure issue. We think if we work together, we can do it cheaper and more effectively, than if we just have our hand out and not working as a team,” he says. “When you look at regulations, which is our other main thing that we want to talk about, so many times there are regulations implemented
that are very difficult for municipalities to deal with; either there are costs involved, or very difficult to administer,” says Goertzen. “In the end, had the government consulted us first, viewing us as a body that can help them get the right perspective, we can help them make better regulations, we can reduce regulations where needed, and we can be that partner that can bring better government, better ideas.” He cites the cosmetic pesticide ban as a prime example. It is not useful and not practical and what it creates is a scenario of dramatically increased costs, and there are different standards that people apply to their own properties. Yes, how right he is. This person standing next to me at the product stand in that box store says if you go to another home, lawn and garden store, ask for the product that acts as a pesticides too you will have the product that actually kills weeds, too.
The Agri Post
June 24, 2016
Manitoba’s Aerial Show Was Not to Be Missed On June 4 just south of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba’s first air show in close to a decade took place. Despite reports that many people were unhappy with the organization and logistics, the event was a success. Those who saw the show were quite happy with the performances. It’s always a challenge to put on something like this. First, you never really know how many people are going to show up. One report said the organizers had hoped for 5,000, prepared for 15,000 and in the end sold 22,000 tickets. Rain was a very real threat; even the night before, forecasters were predicting showers. The ability to scale up, or scale down, an event this size due to changing weather is not easy, particularly for volunteers who’d never done this kind of thing before. With the air displays scheduled to start at noon, my kids and I had planned to arrive by 11 am. Once we hit a line of cars backed up from the
site, it took another two hours to get in and then another half an hour waiting in line at the portapotties to get rid of the extra-large Tim’s I drank on the trip. I can certainly understand the public’s frustration; at times, my leg cramped up from riding the brake in the backed-up traffic. But in the end, it was worth it. We did get to see the Skyhawks parachute team that opened the show, and the search and rescue plane following that. But we watched from the highway, as we were still waiting to get in. Our plan was to eat lunch at the food trucks, but the line-ups were so long we waited until after the show was over. It was a good thing we’d had a big breakfast. People who brought their own lunches made the right call. I thought the general location was excellent, with lots of room for parking, even if it was a bit muddy. With everyone spread out on a big grass field, we had lots of room to enjoy the show. The
P.A. system was loud enough that the public could hear announcers and the background music. Ground displays were interesting; with all sorts of planes, classic cars and some military equipment, you could get up close to. Even the planes in the show were parked in a good spot for viewing. They were roped off but you could still get a good look at them. We were entertained by lots of great flying demonstrations, everything from small stunt planes to vintage warbirds to some nifty remote control planes, and even an air cadet’s glider demonstration. But the highlights of the day were the CF-18 Hornet and the Snowbirds. The Hornet is not a new plane but it sure is loud, fast and impressive to watch in action. Likewise, the Snowbirds have to be seen in person to be really appreciated. The tightness of their formations and the precision with which they
fly is really amazing. It’s a combination of discipline and craziness that you just don’t see every day. After they were done, the Skyhawks went back up again for an encore performance for anyone who had missed them earlier in the day. We also shouldn’t forget how inexpensive the tickets were; $20 for adults if you bought them ahead of time, $25 at the
gate; for youths it was a $10 early price and $15 at the gate; kids under 12 were free. That’s a bargain for a whole afternoon’s worth of entertainment. Sure, they could have had more food trucks, more porta-potties and some better traffic management. But it was still a great show to see. It would be nice if we could have one of these on a regular basis. It’s obvious
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Penners Points by Rolf Penner rolfpenner@agripost.ca
from the turn-out that the demand is there. It wouldn’t surprise me if that would still be the case even if they doubled the ticket prices. The massive traffic jam seems to have disheartened the show’s volunteer organizers, who did a terrific job. I hope they learn from this experience and decide to put on another air show, real soon.
Social License – Where Do I Buy One?
I saw a cartoon recently that showed an oil company executive at the Department of Motor Vehicles asking if this was the place to buy a social license. If only it actually worked that way. What is “social license” anyways? Generally speaking, it is the acceptance by society of a particular industry or industry practice. The issue is becoming increasingly important to agriculture because more and more consumers – especially consumers in wealthy developed countries – are becoming concerned about the origins of their “stuff”. Did that beautiful coat once belong to a seal? One hundred years ago, that answer would not have mattered, but today it does. And the answer has meant the end of an industry that has been part of the Canadian landscape longer than the life of the nation itself. This might not be all that difficult to address if the things that drive the evolution of society’s norms were rational and based on careful thought. However, many times the fad of the day is not based on fact or rationality and in some cases, those who profit drive fads from misinformation. This brings up the first difficult task of farmers and their partners in the value chain. How do we differentiate between long-term consumer trends and misplaced fads that will be gone in a year or two? We should adapt to the first and try to correct the second. But how do we know the difference?
For example, for the vast majority of people who do not suffer the pain of celiac disease, the gluten free fad is not based on science or rationality. Unfortunately, this fad has had an impact on sales of bread and other cereals products, but we are seeing evidence that this food-fad is starting to fade. The cereals sector has responded through the provision of rational, evidence based information through organizations like the Healthy Grains Institute. While we likely can learn to be more effective in responding, this is the right approach. Some things, however, go beyond short-term fads and are long-term consumer trends. These long-term trends become part of our social license. This is clearly evidenced by consumer demands that are driving animal welfare practices. The grain industry is not isolated and we do need to pay attention to the question, “Where does my food come from and how is it produced?” If we do not correctly respond to genuine trends, we might find ourselves on the wrong end of a major marketing campaign. I do not want bread on Canadian shelves made from Australian wheat because they allow the baker to make a sustainability claim and we don’t. As an industry, we also need to recognize that not all customers are the same. Our industry needs to be flexible enough to respond to the trend driven market signals of some customers, like those in North America or Europe, while keeping our price sensitive customers at the table. The sustainability file is one of these long-term trends that the grains industry needs to address head on. There are about a million definitions of “sustainability.” For me the simplest definition is treating the land and water we use for agriculture in a way that ensures it will be productive for generations to come. I don’t know of any farmer who would disagree with this objective.
Responding in a meaningful and reasonable way to the growing number of consumers who are asking the question “where does my food come from” is the reason why the Round Table for Sustainable Crops (CRSC) has been created. We also want to ensure that producers are not saddled with a different approach for every crop they grow. That would not be cost effective. We need to have one program that is an umbrella for all crops grown on a farm. The Round Table is aiming to facilitate sustainability assessment using broad regional measurements rather than always going down to the farm level. In this way the CRSC will provide the tools necessary to tell the very good Canadian story on sustainability without unreasonably driving up the costs to farmers and every other player in the handling and processing system. If we as an industry (my definition of industry always includes farmers) do not develop our own approach to social license that works both for us and the customer then we will have something imposed on us. An approach imposed from outside will certainly not consider the needs of Canadian agriculture and it will almost certainly not be considered cost effective. Farmers play a vital role in the development of a Canadian approach to social license. Get in touch with your provincial association to see how they are contributing to this effort. Get informed about the progress being made. Get involved – you will make a difference. Modern Canadian agriculture has a good sustainability story to tell. The CRSC will help farmers and their partners tell that story to our customers, here at home as well as around the world, in a way that does not place unnecessary burdens of paperwork and red tape on producers. Cam Dahl is President of Cereals Canada.
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June 24, 2016
The Agri Post
Petmobile Vet Clinics Popular in Manitoba
Petmobile Vet Clinic meets a client at the Keystone Centre.
and was accepted. I graduated in 2000,” said Liana Mawer. For five years, Mawer worked in a mixed practice at Minnedosa then two years for the government. While working for the government she missed the hands on work with the animals. “I went back to private practice filling in at various practices in Brandon working with small animals. Focusing on more training in behavioural medicine for cats and dogs and started doing behaviour work as well. I really wanted to start my own business where I could incorporate behaviour/low stress handling into my work. Last June I started the Petmobile Vet practice in the Brandon area. I believe we are the only clinic in Manitoba certified in low stress handling. We try to use gentle behaviour techniques with stressed pets or sedation rather than holding them
By Joan Airey The first mobile practice in Manitoba was started by Dr. Keri Reykdal Hudson. Hudson works in the Interlake and does a lot of spay/neuter clinics and some remote clinics as well. “Dr. Keri Reykdal Hudson was a classmate of mine in Saskatoon and inspired me to have a mobile practice. She comes to the dog shows in Brandon and often does hip xrays for the dog show crowd. Her rig can be seen around the Keystone when shows are on,” said Liana Mawer DVM. Liana Mawer always had a love of animals growing up on the farm. She had a pet rooster, calves, cats, dogs and horses. When she graduated from high school, she went to secretarial school and moved to Calgary to work as an executive secretary for the directors at Canadian Airlines. “After working as a secretary for a few years I realized I didn’t want to be a secretary forever and since I was in the marketing department I took some marketing courses but they weren’t interesting to me. Living in the city, I really missed animals so I decided to go back to school and became a vet. I took Biological Sciences at the University of Calgary and this allowed me to get the courses I needed to apply for vet school. When I was in my third year, I applied to Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon
down and worsening their fear,” said Mawer. Currently Mawer holds clinic’s in Rivers for vaccinations twice a year. Most of her work is in Brandon, Shilo and Wawanesa area. “To promote vaccines and care for pets that may or may not receive care otherwise or simply for clients that find it convenient. The clinic fees are greatly reduced over my regular fees and I don’t charge a house call fee. We can do blood work, thyroid tests, heartworm tests, lyme tests, and feline leukemia testing. We do spay/ neuter of cats and dogs less than 20 kg due to size restrictions in the surgery suite. We don’t have an x-ray machine, as it is too costly for start-up. So lame pets or those requiring long-term hospitalization or critical care we refer to the Brandon clinics. Due to time constraints we try to stick to basics for the vaccine clinics,” said Mawer. Petmobile Vet Clinic can be found on Facebook and has a website at petmobilevetclinic.com. The website contains lots of interesting behaviour articles for pet owners.
MB Ag Minister Speaks to Senate Committee
Judy Suttie a registered animal technician calms Sam a golden retriever for Dr. Liana Mawer DVM (standing) before they take a blood sample in her mobile clinic. Photos by Joan Airey
Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler made a presentation to the Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry on June 7, providing Manitoba’s perspective on international market access priorities and making recommendations. Eichler appeared in front of the committee via teleconference. The Senate standing committee has been formally hearing from stakeholders and government officials on international market access priorities for the Canadian agricultural and agri-food sector since Feb. 4. The presentation by Eichler to the committee included an overview of Manitoba’s strengths in agri-food exports, concerns about international market access, and recommendations on policy, investment and regulations related to agricultural export and trade. As part of the presentation, Eichler reinforced Manitoba’s support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement for the purpose of expanded export opportunities and protection of jobs.
The Agri Post
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Rain is Bad for Harvesting Good Quality Dairy Hay The other week, I was driving in southern Manitoba and saw a group of dairy cattle grazing tall lush pasture. The grass was up to their bellies and I thought, “When was the last time that our pastures looked so good?” The next field had cut-down hay in wide swaths that looked rained-on and bleached. My heart sank. That’s because rainy weather in the last couple of months has made harvesting good quality dairy hay, nearly impossible. While rained-on hay like in the field that I drove past may not replace high quality hay in a well-balanced dairy diet, we should acknowledge such damage. Therefore, effective actions can be taken to minimize its negative effects upon any kind of dairy performance. It’s no secret that rain damage on hay starts immediately after the first raindrop hits cut-down field grass and every minute afterwards, that passes until swaths can be dried down to under 15% moisture and harvested into bales. For example, the University of Wisconsin demonstrated that field plots of alfalfa hay lost 22% of their dry matter content after a 2.5 cm (1 inch) rainfall fell on it after one day, while cured hay without any rain damage lost about 6% dry matter. The researchers also found that rained-on hay lost 44% of its dry matter content after persistent rains lasted a few more days. In addition to such research of dry matter field losses, here are three more fundamental problems feeding rainedon hay to dairy cows:
1. Loss of dairy nutrients Similar to field losses of rained-on hay, there is a leaching of water- soluble carbohydrates, which are a good source of energy for lactating dairy cattle as well as a significant loss of soluble protein stored in its leaves. Not only is rain-on hay less nutritious, it tends to fill dairy cattle up quickly with indigestible fibre, which is fermented slowly by their ruminal microbes. As a result, what energy and protein is leftover in damaged hay often cannot support even the lowest dietary nutrient requirements of lactating without some type of nutrient supplements.
2. Mold growth If hay is harvested at moistures above 20 - 25%, it becomes an environment for dangerous mold growth. I have seen many times in my travels, the leaves and stems of tough hay covered with white mold. Some practical field trials with white and other hay molds have proven that cattle will eat most hay with about 1 – 2% storage mold without any problem. However, feed hay with over 10% mold contamination and they will likely reject it or slow down consumption if they have no other forage choice. Even unpalatable moldy bales are not rejected by dairy cattle; there is a fair amount of essential nutrients (in addition to field nutrient losses) that are naturally consumed by mold organisms. It is estimated that an established mold in damp hay reduces its energy content up to 15 – 20% that could have been eaten otherwise in a mold-free state by lactating dairy cows and help contribute to milk production.
3. Caramelized hay Mold growth produces a lot of heat, which not only denatures essential nutrients such as forage protein, but reduces overall nutrient digestibility of the hay. This process is known as the ‘Browning reaction’. It occurs when internal temperatures of poorly cured hay reaches 60 °C (140 °F), which binds heated forages’ carbohydrates and proteins together, and thus renders a significant amount of dietary protein unavailable to dairy cattle. In order to measure the extent of protein damage by caramelization; producers should take rained-on forage samples and request an ADIN (Acid Detergent Insoluble Nitrogen) analysis at a feed-testing laboratory. Subsequently, what can dairy producers do to minimize the adverse effects of such rained-on hay upon milk production in their herds? Here are a few suggestions: - Consider using hay preservatives such as propionic acid sprayed on to cut-down forages. While propionic
acid will not stop field losses, it can reduce “dry down time” and hay can be harvested at higher moisture. - Reduce the amount of poor quality forages fed to dairy cows and compliment with more silage or better quality hay. Avoid feeding extra grain to compromise poor quality forages. - Consider using “forage extenders” such as beet pulp to add dietary energy and digestible fibre back into the dairy diet. - Save it for the non-lactating cows. I am only advocating the feeding of rained-on hay that is mold-free. Since, this hay is more fibrous and contains less energy; it may have a place in faraway dry cow diets. - Some producers have switched to round baled hay silage, where cut forage is harvested at 50 – 60 moisture compared to 18% moisture in cured dry hay. Studies on baled hay silage show significant reduction in comparative field and nutrient losses. Like cured hay, it works well with other dairy feeds such as corn silage to achieve high milk performance in lactating dairy cows. - Invest in an outside forage source, if available. It may be economical feasible to buy better quality dry hay to support milk production than to rely on nutrientcompromised hay. Nobody can stop the rain for good haying weather. However, we should recognize the bad effects of rain upon cured hay quality, and consider one of the above recommendations to deal with rained- on hay when it happens.
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But Can this “Dragon” Farm? “There is no elevator to the top, take the stairs to success.” By Les Kletke Manjit Minhas had just finished telling the audience how she and her brother have built an empire from their $10,000 saving account and opened the floor for questions when the challenge came. “You should try farming, you would find that you can’t do it without borrowing money,” said a member of the audience. Minhas answered the question saying that their company bought 100% of its malt from Saskatchewan and the company had followed the path of vertical integration, from brewing and distilling to the point of owning a glass company that supplied the bottles for their product. The Alberta entrepreneur is known as the Beer Baroness for her appearance on the Dragon’s Den and attracted the largest crowd to the three days of presentations held in conjunction with the Farm Progress Show. She outlined how after being turned down by a bank for a startup loan she and he brother had turned their $10,000 savings into a distilling and brewing empire. She closed her presentation with 5 points that she said would apply to any business. “Find a mentor or mentors,” she said. “Someone who knows the business and will take you under their wing. Realize life is not fair, you get what you can negotiate not what you deserve.” Minhas had explained how her firm had tried to break into the beer market in Ontario and had been stoned walled by the existing large breweries. “Two foreign firms own the beer stores in Ontario and the regulations say that they must carry other company’s beer but the conditions they put on it are almost impossible. When we met those conditions, they came up with something else to keep us out of that market. Monopolies and duopolies are
Minjit Minhas says the key to a successful business in not borrowing money, and vertical integration. Photo by Les Kletke
alive and well in Canada.” “Spend what you can make and no more,” she said. Minhas apologized to the bankers in the audience and FCC her sponsor for the comment but stayed true to her conviction that borrowing money was not a good business practice. She had earlier told the audience how when she wanted to enter the spirit business she had developed a business plan and taken it to a bank only to be told, “That is a good plan and we would be happy to loan you the money if your father comes in and co-signs your loan.” “I was too stubborn to ask my Dad to do that,” she said. “So my brother and I pooled our savings and started the company. I had $10,000, he had zero so together we had $10,000.” Her final recommendation was to find a passion and pursue it. “My parents used to say find a job you love and you won’t have to work a day in your life,” said Minas. “I used to think it silly but now I live it.” She ended her presentation with a comment that the farm audience understood. “There is no elevator to the top, take the stairs to success,” she said.
Silage Pays Off for Interlake Beef Farmer By Les Kletke Ben Peters likes feeding silage. “I like what it does for the cows, but I also like what it does for me,” he said. “It takes a lot of the pressure off of putting up quality feed. I can get good quality feed for my cows and know that I only need a narrow window to get it put up.” Peters acknowledged that he did get some strange looks when he made the switch to silage for his beef herd; it was not a widely accepted practice in the Interlake area. “We were used to grazing the cows in summer and putting up hay for the winter,” he said. “The quality of hay was not that great a concern and the management practice was to feed a maintenance ration of poor hay until the cows were later in their pregnancy.” Peters said he took the approach that his cows were his most valuable asset and provided him with a marketable product. “I wanted to get the most I could for my calves,” he said. “I could do that by having a group of high quality calves ready at the same time. I could only do that by having my cows in better shape, and having them calve in a tighter window, and give me a bigger more vigorous calf.” He made the switch to silage with minimal costs. “We started with a pile of silage and covered it,” he said. “I had it custom chopped the first year as a trial to see how it would fit into my system without investing in the equipment myself.” He has since made the switch to his own equipment again paying attention to his costs. “Sure, I would like newer bigger equipment, but that was not in the budget, we had to catch up on the bills from the last couple of years,” said Peters. “Now we have a bit of breathing room but not enough to get silly.” Peters had but up a quantity of feed by mid-June and expects that he should have adequate feed for his herd this year. “That is one of the benefits of silage, I know that I have a better chance of putting up feed without watching the weather, and I know that my cows like it. It also gives me the calves that the market wants.”
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The Importance of Good Beef Cattle Mineral Intake By Peter Vitti Beef cows cannot live without minerals and vitamins, which are often deficient or biologically unavailable in many pastures. So, I routinely recommend that cattle producers feed enough well-formulated loose cattle mineral to their cowherds on a regular basis. Interestingly, I find that most people will take this time in choosing a commercial beef mineral that’s formulated to meet their cows’ respective seasonal needs, but some of the same people do not feed it, right. Either, they put it out on pasture and forget about it and/or don’t use a proper mineral feeder. Both failures are roadblocks to good cattle mineral intake. Therefore, I believe that when people purchase cattle mineral, they should calculate the right amount of mineral to be fed, poured in a clean durable mineral feeder and monitor/adjust mineral intake; all-encompassing assurance that the whole cowherd is actually consuming enough each day. Consequently, I use a standard recommendation that targets 80 - 100gr (3 3.5 oz.) of cattle mineral per
day to prevent any mineral and vitamin deficiencies from occurring in the first place and account for some natural variability. If salt makes up at least 25% of the cattle mineral, then one should adjust proposed mineral use accordingly. For example, a 200 cowcalf operator puts out loose mineral every 3 days; we can figure out the number of bags that are needed by using the following calculations: 1. 200 cows x 100 gr = 2000 gr or 20 kg 2. 20 x 3 days = 60 kg. 3. Each bag = 25 kg. 4. Need 60/25 = 2 ½ bags. 5. Put out 3 x 25 kg bags. It is also recommended that mineral feeders should be located where cattle will make frequent visits. Moving mineral stations closer to water sources generally increases mineral intake by cows, while moving feeders farther back from the water will often decrease mineral intake. It is always a good idea to have enough mineral feeders for the whole herd; one standard recommendation is one feeding station for every 30 – 40 cows. Good mineral feeders should be easily accessible
to all cows, but protect mineral from the effects of water, wind, sunshine and the cows, themselves. I will be the first to admit that I am not a fan of wooden boxes, oil drums cut in half, barrels hanging from trees, inverted tractor-tires and even concrete or belt feed bunks to feed mineral to cattle. Years ago, I knew a cow-calf operator that had 100 beef cows and fed cattle mineral in one plastic children’s swimming pool. All went well until a cow put her foot through it. There are literarily dozens of brands of mineral feeders available, which contribute to the good mineral nutrition of beef cows. Here are the three common types of mineral feeders
that I often see on my travels from pasture to pasture: 1. Three-compartment ground feeder - Durable heavy-duty plastic feeder with a fixed metal bar in the center to secure a weatherproof rubber flap. There are notches molded into the base for security feeder to a truck tire (keeps feeder out of water and mud). Two bags of mineral and one bag of salt can be poured into the separate compartments. The metal bar may become loose over time, but can be replaced by a ½ - ¾” bolt. Rubber flap can be replaced easily when torn. I have seen min-
eral feeders of this type with a wick that is attached to a rubber flap that can be filled with insecticide. 2. Molded-barrel ground feeder – Basically a durable plastic barrel with a large hole cut into its side, so a cow can get her head inside to eat the mineral. A 22 - 24” tire can be easily slipped over it to stabilize it. It’s a simple one-piece feeder that effectively protects the mineral from weather. It holds 2 bags of mineral. I know of a 150 cow-operator that prefers this type, because he likes to see growing spring calves get their first taste of mineral from them. 3. Weather-vane mineral feeder – One of the first types of mineral feeders that I saw appearing on pastures, decades ago. It protects cattle mineral from wind, rain and keeps mineral off the ground. However, they tend to tip over in strong wind, and are rust-prone. These feeders are not particularly durable, particularly when cattle want to abuse them, but
there are some especially “bull -proof”. Regardless of above mineral feeder choices, some producers might find that mineral consumption by beef cows is often lower or higher amounts than originally calculated (see above). Such deviation is due to several interdependent factors such as water source/consumption, pasture quality, inclement weather and the body condition and health of the cowherd. One timeless technique to adjust mineral intake by beef cows is to mix salt with the purchased mineral. It is common to mix 1/3 salt with 2/3 mineral and feed it. Getting healthy cows to eat this “right” amount of cattle mineral will help them meet essential mineral and vitamin requirements at any stage of their production. Success of such mineral consumption builds mineral status and I believe that as a beef nutritionist this is always essential for a viable and profitable cowcalf operation.
Sunrise Foods Expands by Getting into the Business of Transportation By Les Kletke Kelly Anderson is in the transportation business. He buys organic grains and sells fertilizer and while the two seem unrelated, even at odds with each other, they fit well together in his business. Sunrise Foods International is a Saskatoon based business that buys lentils, durum wheat, soft wheat and oats. “We are well established in Saskatchewan and moving in to Manitoba,” said Anderson. “We have been in the organic grains for a while and have expanded into the non-organics.” The company has ties to a processing facility in Nebraska that specializes in organic grains. “The plant there processes corn and soybeans,” he said. “It provides organic feed to a larger area in the US.” Anderson acknowledged that organic production does have a yield lag in some crops and said the premium in price more than makes up for it in most cases. He said his company pays a premium of 2 to 4 times the price for organic production over conventional. He offers no judgement on the health issues or use of the commodity.
His business is to bring producer and users together. That is what has allowed his expansion into the fertilizer business. “We had connections in the transportation business and that introduced us to some opportunities in the fertilizer business. So we began importing bulk fertilizer.” He has no intention of becoming a full line farm input dealer. He brings in primarily phosphate fertilizer and has them delivered to farms that have storage space. “Typically we can provide a fertilizer at 60-80 dollars a tonne under what it might be from a full service retailer,” said Anderson, “If the farmer can store it or use it immediately he can realize the savings from us being able to buy
right and take advantage of the transportation connections we have.” Anderson said that while his business has grown in recent years with changes in the Canadian grain marketing system he is also seeing a change in the size of farmers he is dealing with. “We used to see organic producers as smaller operations,” he said. “We now have some large scale operations that seed the price advantage in organic production and are very sophisticated operations that are driven by the business side rather than their beliefs.” Anderson also sees high yielding soft wheat become a larger part of the production throughout Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Kelly Anderson is in the transportation business, grain out... fertilizer in. Photo by Les Kletke
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First Canadian Equestrian Artist Featured on Hampton Poster By Joan Airey Shannon Lawlor a Manitoba born artist is the first Canadian to be featured on the Hampton Classic Horse Show Poster in Bridgehampton NY. Hampton Classic posters become collectors’ items and are the hottest selling item at the show. Lawlor artwork “Flexible Soul” is a painting of Flexible the mount of US Olympic veteran Rich Fellers. “I was displaying my artwork at the Masters Tournament at Thunderbird Show Park in Langley, B.C. last year when I came across Flexible and Fillers, the 2012 FEI World Cup Champions. Just before they entered the show ring and I captured a photograph of Flexible. My vision was to do a close-up, rather an intense portrait reflecting the soul of the jumping horse. Flexible captured the essence of everything I was looking for in a portrait. He was soulfully engaged in distant activity, inviting the viewer into the wonder of what might be. I did the original portrait ‘Flexible Soul’ in acrylic on Baltic birch. ” said Lawlor. Lawlor grew up in Kenton, Manitoba and before she could walk was riding horses. She has been involved in many facets of the equine and agriculture industry her entire life. A decade ago
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A New Business Tool for Dry Bean Growers By Harry Siemens
she decided to focus her life on her artwork and is a well-known Canadian Equestrian Artist. “It’s an absolute honour to be selected as the Hampton Classic Horse Show poster artist. It’s really a big deal for me. There are a lot of strong artists out there with amazing talent and I’m thrilled, yet humbled too at the same time, that my piece was chosen out of so many applicants. This will be my first trip to the Hampton Classic,” said Lawlor. Hampton Classic hosts more than a hundred classes of competition for horses and riders, showcasing the highest levels of equestrian show jumping in six rings on Long Island. It features a Boutique Garden with more than seventy vendors on immaculate sixty-acre show grounds. Lawlor is also collaborating for the first time with well known Vancouver fashion designer Noel Asmar to make available to the public an equestrian limited edition linen tee featuring two of Lawlor’s paintings ‘Casey’ and ‘Breeze’. The tees will be marketed through Lawlor’s and Noel Asmar Equestrian websites. They will be available the end of June.
No Bumper this Year, Maybe Next Year By Les Kletke Glen Haley knows the potential for a bumper crop is gone for this year. “We are not in next year country, yet,” he said philosophically. “We still have the potential for a good crop but it will not be a bumper. You know that when the low spots are gone in June and we might lose the high spots in August.” Haley farms at Souris and has gradually switched his acres to a higher portion of soybeans. “We used to grow sunflowers because of the potential in dry years,” he said. “That is gone now, the last couple of years have been wetter that we have seen for decades before, so we have moved them out of the rotation and increased our soybean acres.” He started slowly with the crop that is now moving into the corner stone of his farm. “We found that soybeans will give us a crop through most conditions and this year with the wet coming early we know there is still potential,” he said. Hailey avoided the temptation to seed lentils a crop that has seen a dramatic increase in Manitoba acres. “There are a lot more lentil acres this year,” he said. “They had almost dropped to zero. Now the price is up and guys went back to them. We used to grow lentils.” He said they would not have withstood the wet conditions his farm has experienced this spring. “We know they would have been done. They don’t like wet feet and so much of our land has had water on it this year.” While the spring has been unusually wet, he was able to get his crop seeded in good time and he thought soil conditions were ideal heading into and during seeding. Then the rains started. “Now we are wet but that holds no guarantee for the rest of the season. We have seen that before where the tap turns off and it can get to dry in August and we lose the crop on the higher spots,” he said. Haley thinks that at this point he has not lost a lot of crop but rather has seen the potential of his crop decreasing. He is already thinking about next year, though he has not given up yet. “We are considering planting some winter wheat this fall, if conditions are right. It has been wet before and then gets to dry. There is no use in putting the crop into dust and that has been a concern in the past.”
When the Froese Brothers of Reinfeld, Jack, John, and Alan, started growing edible dry beans in 1979, little did the Manitoba farmers realize the size this industry would become. In 1998, there were predictions that Manitoba would be the edible bean capital of Canada with a projected 100,000 acres planted by farmers, many who would plant the crop for first time. That year, Ontario growers, who grew most of the edible beans were changing to soybeans and acreage dropped to under 70,000. Froese grew at least 2,500 acres of edible beans in 1998. Today the dry bean acres in Manitoba have jumped to 200,000 for some years depending on the markets and price. On the average, the province has 100,000 acres planted depending on the weather. To help promote the sector, drybeanworld.com, owned and operated by Alvin Klassen of Winkler will be launched this year on June 30. “We will profile regions in North America representing approximately 75 percent of dry bean production in 2016, roughly 1.2 million acres,” said Klassen. “Our goal is to provide producers with accurate production information to assist in your marketing and growing decisions of dry edible beans. Regions will be visited during the growing season, once in late July and again near harvest. We will include pictures, videos, interviews, descriptions as well as supply you with a variety of production and marketing resources.” Starting July 31, 2016, the website will include a real time weather feature, which will lead to an application providing alerts for heavy rainfall, frost, strong winds, and extensive drought conditions on your smart phone. This website includes information from growers in Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota and Nebraska. “Your support will provide the resources to expand into other global regions. Give us a call to find out how you can become a part of Dry
Alvin Klassen of Winkler who will launch his new website on June 30, called Drybeanworld.com.
Bean World Inc.,” said Klassen. He said the idea came from his own struggle to find information for his crop. “I’ve been working with edible beans for the past 14 years in Manitoba, North Dakota and a little in Saskatchewan,” he said. “One common thread of information that growers always seem to not get enough of, is how the crop is doing in other areas. We would often try to find that information via the Internet, or go on a crop tour ourselves, look at the crop, and relay that information to growers. It is very difficult to find any real accurate information on the edible bean crop, because it is such a small industry.” Klassen said it is important for growers to know how the crop is developing and whether there is any trouble with production in other regions because this will influence their decisions to market the beans and whether they should wait for a better opportunity. “And to make decisions based on how many acres of what type of beans are grown in certain regions. Also, help influence their decisions on what they decide to plant next year. And whether they decide to contract beans or to grow without contracts.” Advance membership fees right now are $1,500, which can be paid at $125 a month for a 12-month membership. He arrived at the $1,500 membership mark after some growers said it is too expensive and others said it is almost too cheap. “Once the website actually goes live, our intention is because I actually have to set up Visa accounts, and so forth, get the staff in place then the fee goes up to $1,800 Canadian,” he added.
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New Rules Coming for Fabric Covered Buildings
Peter Reimer, Tim Nash, and Larry Whitehead expect an increase in fabric covered building as the structures become insulated. Photo by Les Kletke
“Our company is working on a building that is 1,000 ft. long and 175 feet wide with no internal supports, that gives the owner a lot of options inside the building.” By Les Kletke Peter Reimer said there are changes coming to the national building code that will mean big changes for the fabric covered building industry. Reimer, from Winnipeg, is the Dealer Development Manager with Calhoun, one of the country’s largest manufacturers of fabric-covered buildings. “We are going to see changes in the national building code that will mean big changes in our industry,” said Reimer. “The code will require that buildings withstand the weather events of 1 in a hundred years instead of the current 1 in 50.” For the new owner of a fabric-covered building this means higher standards and most likely higher prices. “The buildings are going to have to be engineered to withstand much more extreme conditions,” said Reimer. “That means that some manufactures will have to upgrade their buildings. Our industry is one that has been driven by price and builders have done things to keep their price down.” He stops short of saying there are some fly by night operators who work on providing a low cost building with little support after the structure is erected. Reimer is not sure if the new codes will drive them from business. “Certainly not, it is driven by price and those manufactures will always have a place, there is a demand for low cost buildings and there are builders who do not have any aspect of their building engineered. They erect it and move on to the next one, they do not have any idea of what kind of conditions it could withstand. Some customers are okay with that kind of building.” He expects the new rules to further separate the industry. “Some firms that build according to engineered specifications will do well,” he said. “This will meet the new regulations and provide the buildings that long term customers want.” He said his firm is concentrating on the next generation of fabric buildings, which will be insulated. “We are seeing people ask about insulating the building and using it for a manufacturing facility,” said Reimer. He said interest in fabric buildings has always been good. “It the fabric is tight, it can last 20 years and be replaced in a day,” he said. “That is attractive to a manufacturer because of the small amount of down time.” He said the clear span of the building also makes it attractive. “Our company is working on a building that is 1,000 ft. long and 175 feet wide with no internal supports, that gives the owner a lot of options inside the building.”
The Agri Post
Insuring Your Grain Protects Your Investment There is property on your farm that you may not have thought to insure. The Threshed Grain Floater is an important coverage when you consider this is what you worked all year to produce. Each bin or truckload represents thousands of dollars of investment and can be insured adequately. It is your cash flow, the lifeblood of the farm. This needs to be considered carefully. When placing coverage on
your grain, you insure to the maximum value that you have on hand at any one time. The premium charged takes into consideration the fact that this maximum amount is typically for a very short time each year. Threshed Grain Floaters do vary greatly between different companies. For example, some companies provide theft coverage while located on a vacant yard to the full limit amount while others only provide up to 10% of your total limit and others do not cover
theft at all. These points may or may not be important in your situation but it is a good discussion point. Theft coverage is the main concern but also important is coverage for collision, fire and wind. You could consider only insuring the grain that is in your grain dryer and adjacent cooling bin. We mention this because embers do travel from the dryer into the cooling bin,
which has a good oxygen source provided by the aeration fan. Some examples of claims we have seen are theft from a vacant yard, fire in a grain dryer and cooling bin, fire in a truck and combine. An odd one, fire in a very typical flat bottom bin with full floor aeration and unloading tube. Be sure to seek advice and purchase insurance from those who understand your business!
Andy Anderson is an Associate Insurance Broker specializing in General, Life and Group Benefits for Farm, Commercial/Agri-business P 204-746-5589, F 866-765-3351, andya@rempelinsurance.com / rempelinsurance.com / valleyfinancial.ca.
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Success for a Truly Mixed Farm
Ian Smith raises about 250 to 300 feeder pigs from his 25 sows selling through two local stores and direct to the consumers.
By Harry Siemens The Smith farm at Argyle has been in the family since 1953. Originally, a dairy farm, the Smiths began raising pigs on their quarter section in 1967. During the 80s and 90s, as pork, production became concentrated in huge hog barns across Manitoba and the rest of North America, the Smith farm stayed small, mixed, humane and environmentally friendly. Today the farm is home to about 250 to 300 pigs, 8 cows, 80 chickens and horses. Ian Smith who took over from his parents, said his quarter section farm is truly a mixed farm, maybe the last one left in Manitoba, no off-farm income, no pensions, but where life is good. “On this farm you will not find the animals confined in 2 foot by 7 foot stalls, nor will you find pigs living on straw-less, slatted metal or concrete floors above a pool of their own waste which is how most large hog operations are these days,” said Smith. “We grow our own barley with green clover and as a result you get a wholesome feed, a richer soil and a cleaner environment which in turn produces natural pork, a healthier meat product.” Since 1999, the Smith farm has held a Canadian Quality Assurance Certification (CQA). To meet the CQA requirements, a veterinarian comes out every third year followed by 2 years of the farm submitting production records to the Vet. If the CQA Vet recommends CQA validation, he sends the paperwork to the Manitoba Pork Council for approval. Smith started selling sides of pork in the fall of 2003. In early 2004, he had the farm inspected, passing certification by the Winnipeg Humane Society.
“I am proud to be producing the most consistent, highest quality natural pork in the industry,” said Smith. “To be honest, there was nothing the Humane Society could find that I had to change because it was the old fashioned way. They understood I had to use farrowing crates and explained to them that the purpose of the farrowing crates was to not crush the little pigs. They had to change their thought pattern and realizing the need for those crates. I don’t have stalls for the sow; they are outside with the boars.” He now uses A.I. breeding even though he still has boars. “The A.I. has helped by improving the genetics and increasing my litter size, meaning I’m selling more pigs from the same number of sows.” Smith describes his threefield rotation on his quarter section farm. He has three fields for canola, barley and summer-fallow, two are 45-acres and one is a 55-acre field. The summerfallow field goes into canola
the following year, and the canola field this year becomes barley the next year. He uses solid manure, and does not use a pit system. They clean out the strawbased barns twice a day taking the manure to the field every day and works it into the soil when preparing it for seeding the following spring. “My fertilizer bill is virtually nothing for the canola field because I put nitrogen back in and canola takes lots of nitrogen,” said Smith. “But of course I’m losing a crop on the fallow each year; it works for me because it is the area I put my manure on every day.” The system works for him. He has the neighbouring New Haven Colony swath and combines his canola, hauling it to the elevator the same day, selling it the next, and never puts any into his own storage. “I don’t even seed it because I cultivate the field I want my canola to go on, the fertilizer company comes in and broadcasts the seed, puts on the fertilizer, I harrow it twice and it’s ready to go,” said Smith. With his barley, he works the field, the same company adds the fertilizer, and then seeds it with his own press drill. The chickens, about 80 laying hens, one customer takes 40 dozen a week if he has them and at $2.75 a dozen, it gives him some grocery money that helps out but the pigs are his main income. He started selling online picking up the idea from another beef producer selling beef online when the BSE hit the cattle industry
back in 2003. Now, Smith has over 800 customers listed in his binder. Although some have died, but it is safe to say he has about 300 customers that regularly buy from him. He sells to two stores, Crampton’s Market in Winnipeg, and Good and
Natural, a health food store in Steinbach. They are the only outlets besides selling directly to individuals. He works with about 25 sows, and sells about 250 300 finished pigs a year. What he does not sell privately, he sells to Maple Leaf at Brandon, the only
option he has for now. From the day Smith started in 2013, he has never dropped his price whether the hog market drops or not. “When I’ve sold to people my price is this, it will never drop it may go up because of costs going up for me,” he said.
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The Agri Post
Different Solutions Needed for Same Challenges By Les Kletke Farmers around the world face many of the same challenges, the fact that they are in different places means they require different solutions to those problems. Brent Friesen, of Elmer’s Welding said the company’s 2,000-bushel grain cart appeals to farmers in western Canada and Australia because of the large fields they are dealing with and noted that one Australia farmer told him his smallest field was 37,000 acres. “They grow two crops and haul directly from field to port,” said Friesen who farms at Altona and works for the company at Trade Shows, “They cannot understand that we grow six different crops on a much smaller acreage.” While Friesen was staffing a booth at Regina’s Farm Progress Show another representative of Elmer’s was in Europe. “He is meeting with farmers and discussing the possibility of a narrower longer cart to deal with the roads and field sizes in Europe,” said Friesen. Friesen said the 2,000-bushel cart proves popular in western Canada where producers are using more than one combine and loading directly to a
Brad Friesen of Elmer’s Manufacturing says harrows have become an important part of trash management on most farms. Photo by Les Kletke
B-train. “It is all about efficiency,” he said. “No one wants to keep the truck driver waiting, that costs money, so this way they can load the entire B-train and have a bit more to make sure they get the maximum load.” The company has come out with a limited edition of the cart for this year. “We will see how the response is to it and if it will stay in the line up,” he said. Friesen who has worked shows for the company for several years said he noticed a real change in the questions farmers bring to the show. “For example our harrows,” he said. “They used to be overlooked and thought of as something that was used and then parked until next year. Now fellows are looking at it as a
real management tool and paying much more attention to their harrows.” He said reduced tillage and more attention to seed placement and even germination have driven the interest in harrows. “Fellows are paying more attention to seed placement so they are paying more attention to preparing the seedbed. They are looking for harrows to break up some straw and level the ground. So now they are looking for a heavier implement that will help break up straw in the fall.” He said the increased yields have also been a factor. “New varieties are bred to have less straw but overall we are growing heavier crops and that means more straw to deal with.”
Elmer’s Builds First Conveyor for Controlled Traffic Farming By Harry Siemens Agroservis, a Czech dealer and farm operation came to Elmer’s Manufacturing to adapt a new 1600-Bushel HaulMaster Grain Cart to their Controlled Traffic Farming (CTF) methods. CTF is when all equipment throughout the season uses the same tracks in the field. This presents an issue when using a grain cart as the cart needs to approach in the neighbouring track. This is where the CTF conveyor comes in, to close the gap between the combine auger and the grain cart. The Elmer’s CTF Conveyor includes a belt conveyor to bring the grain to the cart and a second, horizontal auger that runs lengthwise on the grain cart to disperse the grain throughout the cart. The CTF Conveyor also needed a hydraulic fold out and resting height requirements making the installation more complex. Riley Dyck, the lead engineer on the project travelled to the Czech Republic to oversee the installation of the product. Aside from the engineering challenges, Dyck said the language barrier is one of the biggest issues as one of the service personnel could speak English, but the others could not. When asked why this type of grain cart with this type of conveyor Dyck said, “With the combine they use, they get the largest header possible. After attaching the large header to the combine, the tractor pulling the grain cart just could not get close enough for the combine’s auger to reach the grain cart. So, that is why they need the extra conveyor to reach out past the side of the grain cart so that the combine’s auger does not have to reach all the way to the grain cart, but just to the end of the conveyor. Then that conveyor can move the grain into the grain cart.” Dyck said the Czech farmers came to them for a solution. Elmer’s sold them a couple of
The Elmer Controlled Traffic Farming Conveyor attached to an Elmer’s grain cart becoming one of the first advancements to prepare Elmer’s Manufacturing with a product for the European environment.
grain carts a few years ago. “They really liked them just because we offered a bigger size than what they could get from other manufacturers,” he said. “But they wanted to use the grain carts with the combines, using larger headers so they asked us if it was possible to make the CTF conveyor because CTF farming is becoming more popular in Europe.” He said this is the very first one and it became a learning experience for Elmer’s and for Agroservis. Being a brand new product, the goal is to make it work on their farm first and then hopefully develop it for others in the future. The conveyor may not be considered groundbreaking but it is different in how it is attached and placed on the grain cart. Because of the road regulations, they could not make the grain cart any wider or taller. The conveyor design had to be as compact as possible, sitting on top of the grain cart and when ready for use in the field, the conveyor had to extend out the side to reach the combine’s auger added Dyck. “The conveyor is basic, but the action that moves the conveyor on the grain cart is new.”
The Agri Post
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The Agri Post
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“Ag” Weatherman Packs the Room By Les Kletke Mention the weather in an agricultural community and you are sure to get a response. Promise them Drew Lerner and it is standing room only. At the Farm Progress Show in Regina, it was no different. The man who has established himself as Agriculture’s Weatherman drew a standing room only crowd. Lerner based in Kansas has a following across the prairies not only from his appearances at events like Ag Days in Brandon and Farm Progress show but also through local radio stations carrying his regular weather forecasts. He opened his presentation by asking, “How many of you were told it was going to be a hot dry summer?” Then when he had a few hands in the audience go up, he encouraged them to be more truthful. “You all heard it, but what are we having?” It was then that he launched into a series of slides showing how the rainfall in many areas of the prairies was well above normal even to the end of April. Lerner’s charts showed that southern Manitoba has as much as 200% of normal precipitation to the end of April. “That is what we got and that is what we are continuing to get,” said Lerner. Most producers in the audience were quick to agree they were having a growing season wetter than usual and that
MB Farm Women’s Conference Celebrating Three Decades By Joan Airey Over the past six months, a group of volunteers has been working tirelessly to organize the 30th Annual Manitoba Farm Women’s Conference. Since it is the International Year of Pulses fittingly, the theme of the conference is ‘Fuel the Pulse’. Lou-Anne Stefankiw is Angela Lovell, one of the one of the keynote speakhard working committee ers. She will be addressing members organizing the 30th ‘Igniting the Fire Within Manitoba Farm Women’s You and Your RelationConference. ships Even the Most Challenging Ones’. Lou-Anne grew up in rural Saskatchewan with their nearest neighbour being ten miles away. In this environment, with her sister and brother they discovered the world through their inquisitiveness and nature to explore and question the world. She has always had a real curiosity about human nature and what make us, us. She now offers Corporate Workshops and Personal Coaching for Emotional Intelligence and Personality Types. “It’s been my pleasure to serve as a planning committee member for the Manitoba Farm Women’s Conference for the past few years and I am always excited to see the program come together because it provides so many wonderful networking and learning opportunities. For example, this year I am looking forward to hearing Cherilyn Nagel who has a successful career as a farmer, and as an influential advocate for agriculture, including a stint as President of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association. She will speak about how we can all share positive messages about the food we grow and how we grow it with consumers,” said Angela Lovell a devoted volunteer keeping the Manitoba Farm Women’s Conference website updated and is also head of sponsorship. The conference has numerous speakers and workshops, which will interest all rural women involved in agriculture. For more information about the conference check out their website at manitobafarmwormensconference.com.
while the crop had advanced they would like a dry period. Lerner was not able to give them much relief saying that conditions would continue through the growing season. Manitoba Agriculture’s weekly crop report bears out what Lerner was saying about western Canada with no area of the province below normal precipitation and some areas having received over 150% of normal precipitation to date. Producers attending Lerner’s presentation acknowledged there was little they could to about the rain but they did like to know what was coming. Some indicated that the above normal precipitation did serve a purpose in recharging ground water, which in some areas had been seriously depleted by several years of below normal precipitation. Lerner told the audience to expect more of the same throughout the growing season but stopped short of telling them to check on tracks for their combines on their way out of the show. Judging from the following that Drew Lerner has in the farming community, if he would have called for wet conditions in harvest, he could have influenced the sales of track vehicles at Farm Progress Show. Weather draws a crowd, add Drew Lerner and you have a large crowd. Photo by Les Kletke
Prison Farms Feasibility Study and Survey Prison farm supporters welcomed the announcement recently that the Federal Government will conduct a feasibility study on restoring the Kingston prison farms. “We applaud that Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale has included public processes in the feasibility study,” said Dianne Dowling, a member of the Save Our Prison Farms (SOPF) organizing committee. “Members of the public will have the opportunity to contribute to an online survey and to attend a town hall meeting in Kingston.” “The feasibility study on restoring the prison farms will allow citizens, business leaders, and other interested stakeholders to share their visions for what the program could look like, and it will allow the Government to review the cost and efficacy of its reinstatement,” according to a statement by MP Mark Gerretsen (Kingston and the Islands). In 2010, the Conservative government ended the prison farm program at six minimum-security prisons across Canada. Two of the six prison farms are located within the boundaries of Kingston, and hundreds of people in the Kingston area were involved in 2009 and 2010 in an effort to prevent the closure of the farms. One of the prison farms in Kingston, Frontenac Institution, had a large dairy herd and several thousand laying hens. The farm provided milk and eggs to prisons in Ontario and donated eggs to the local food bank. The other farm, at Pittsburgh Institution, has an abattoir serving beef farmers in the region who sell to the local market. The fields at that farm are rented to nearby farmers for crops and pasture. “Many people said closing the prison farms didn’t make sense,” said Jeff Peters, also a member of the SOPF organizing committee. “The farms provided meaningful work experience and training, as well as rehabilitation and therapy. Prison staff told us that inmates who participated in the prison farm program were less likely than inmates overall to re-offend when they were released, so the program made our communities safer.” Upon release, inmates obtained employment in manufacturing, truck driving, heavy equipment operation and construction, as well as work related to agriculture. “Many people said it was a good idea that inmates were contributing to the prison system by producing food for it,” said Peters. “As well, the prison farm helped support farm service businesses in the area, which was good for farmers and the local community.” “Another important reason to save the prison farm program is to preserve the farmland,” Dowling said. “The two prison farms in Kingston total about 1,500 acres of some of the best farmland in our area. Without a prison farm program, the farmland could be at risk. Given the
uncertain political, economic and climate situation of the world, every community needs to increase its ability to feed itself. Kingston needs that land to stay as farmland as a source of food security.” In August 2010, when the dairy herd at Frontenac Institution was removed from the farm to be sold, prison farm supporters formed the Pen Farm Herd Co-op and raised $30,000 in a week through $300 shares. The co-op bought 23 cattle from the prison herd and has been “fostering” the cattle at area farms since then. The herd now numbers just over 30 cattle. “Both the Liberal and New Democratic parties supported saving the prison farms, and committed to restoring the farms if they were elected to government,” said Peters. “So we bought some of the cattle, with the plan to sell the cattle back to Corrections Canada when the program is restored.” “Another sign of the determination of our supporters is the weekly vigil,” said Peters. “Every Monday night since the cattle were removed, vigil-keepers have been at the entrance to Frontenac Institution, to remind the government and the public that closing the prison farms was a mistake that can be corrected.” Dowling and Peters are members of the board of directors of the co-op, and also members of the National Farmers Union. “During the campaign, there were about a dozen people on the organizing committee, and hundreds of people participating in advocating to save the prison farms,” said Dowling. “The SOPF committee persevered because the supporters persevered, and contributed their energy and resources to the campaign. We thank them for their support, and we thank our Kingston and the Islands MPs, Ted Hsu and Mark Gerretsen, for their work in advocating for the prison farms.” The link for the online survey is csc-scc.gc.ca/consult/ index-en. The survey will be online until August 4. “Anyone in Canada is able to complete the survey,” Dowling said. “Please submit your ideas about the value of the prison farm program and how it can contribute to good corrections and to the community.”
The Agri Post
Spreading the Word with Technology
By Elmer Heinrichs
Andrew Campbell is a farmer who uses technology, and he will be the first to tell you things do not always turn out as expected... that is technology as part of life on a farm. When the southern Ontario dairy farmer started posting pictures of what was happening on the family farm he had no idea he was creating an off farm job, but that is what has become of his efforts to use social media to explain farming to an urban audience. Campbell was in Regina to speak to a group at Farm Progress Show. “We have set up the farm so that I can be away for a day or two at a time,” said Campbell. “Dad can handle things for a day or so and I make an effort to get back to the farm as soon as possible. That is what I do for a living.” Campbell is clear his first priority is the family dairy farm, and then his objective is to explain to non-agricultural audiences about things that happen on the farm, and that it does not stop once in 365 days. When the opportunity arises, he speaks to farm audi-
Farm field operations ground to a halt Friday June 17 when a line of severe thunderstorms moved through southern Manitoba during the early morning hours bringing large hail and heavy rain. Altona farm production advisor Dennis Lange said, “It’s very wet. It’ll take a few days to assess the actual effect on crops. But there will definitely be some losses.” Lange noted that 110,000120,000 acres of peas and dry beans was seeded, and lots of soybeans commenting, “This is a crop that can handle moisture somewhat better.” Manitoba crops this month have benefitted from the warmer temperatures, and adequate rainfall, even if it delayed late seeding and slowed down producer progress on weed control operations. By mid-June, seeding was reported to be essentially complete in central regions, while some acreage was still unseeded in the east due to higher rainfall accumulation. Some producers there have decided to summer fallow or chemfallow the remaining unseeded acres. Manitoba agriculture, in its weekly crop report, also noted that excess moisture conditions in some areas are impacting crop growth, particularly in the lower areas of fields. Crop yellowing is evident, and wet field conditions have
ences about how they can do the same thing, and why they should do the same thing. Judging from the Regina audience his message was well received. When asked what will be next for his delivery process he said, “I have thought about video. But that requires much more time, and I have to determine how much time I spend on the farm and how much time I spend spreading the message of farming.” He has learned that the ultimate test is the delivery not perfection. “I have thought about video and how long it would take to get the perfect video, but it does not have to
be perfect, just as my pictures weren’t perfect. But people want the story and that is what I might do with the video. It is more important to get it done, than waiting for the perfect media, and we on the farm should know that, sometimes you just have to get things done in the best way that you can and move on.” He also views each opportunity to travel and speak to a farm audience as a chance to learn, and take something home. “In the end I am looking for things we can incorporate on our farm; I always take some time to look around when I am at a show like this,” he said.
Herbicide May Be Stressing Your Crop Recent wet weather has coincided with the window for post-emergent herbicide application in many crops. The ability of a crop to ‘tolerate’ an herbicide application depends on its capability to metabolize or compartmentalize the active ingredient before it causes plant injury. This is the basis for herbicide selectivity. Excess soil moisture reduces oxygen availability to the crop, which affects physiological processes like metabolism. As such, waterstressed crops may not be able to effectively metabolize herbicides, resulting in crop injury. What can you do reduce the risk of crop injury from herbicide application. - Check for new growth as an indicator that the crop has resumed physiological processes like photosynthesis and metabolism. If you don’t see any new growth in a stressed crop, wait 24 hours and reassess. - Consider your herbicide choice. Some herbicides are more likely to result in injury to stressed crops than others. Group 2 herbicides, especially the more residual products, are an example. However, the risk of crop injury can also vary among chemistries within an herbicide group. For instance, pinoxaden may be a safer
group 1 on stressed wheat than fenoxaprop. - What’s in your mix? Increasing the number of different products in your tank can overwhelm a stressed crop’s metabolic capabilities. Tank mixes that cause antagonism generally increase crop safety but also have decreased efficacy on weeds. Avoid using products that ‘heat up’ a tank mix, which can increase the risk of crop injury. Talk to your chem. rep if you’re unsure; they may recommend different tank mixes or separate passes. - Wait until the end of the day. Applying herbicides in the evening can reduce their impact on a stressed crop, although research has shown that later-in-the-day herbicide applications can also be less efficacious. The trade off may be worth it since daytime temperatures over 27°C can add additional stress to the plants and can increase the activity of certain herbicides. - Check the forecast for rain. Trying to get an herbicide application on before a forecasted rain works for healthy crops but may not be the best strategy for stressed crops as addition rain may compound the problem. Besides additional stress, shallow, stressed crops roots can be impacted by herbicides moving into the
root zone as well. - And finally, compare the risk of potential crop injury (i.e. how stressed is the crop, what proportion of the field is stressed, etc.) to the risk of yield loss due to weed pressure. If the stressed crop is limited to a few low spots in the field, it’s likely worth risking a few acres of injury to protect yield from weed competition. However, if most of the field is water-stressed, it might be worth moving on to a different field and returning after a day or two. Submitted by Jeanette Gaultier (Weeds Specialist) and Ingrid Kristjanson (FPE Morris), Manitoba Agriculture.
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Extra Rains Hurting Central Region Crops , Eastern Crops Look Promising
By Les Kletke
Andrew Campbell tells the story of what happens on the family dairy everyday.
June 24, 2016
hampered some field operations. “Some of those producers just can’t finish seeding those final acres, and we’re well into weed control time, but wet field conditions are kind of playing havoc. Some of the fields are just too wet to access at this point,” said provincial cereal crops specialist Pam de Rocquigny. Central areas report that emergence has been rapid with warmer temperatures and moisture. The more advanced crops are better able to handle higher rainfall. The last of the edible beans were seeded, some have also been re-planted and some acres have been replanted to alternate crops. Cereal crops are growing rapidly, later canola is now emerging, early crop has reached the rosette stage, corn and soybeans are also coming along well, and peas are advancing well but plants are shorter due to the earlier cool temperatures and dry soil conditions. Fall rye is headed and flowering, winter wheat is starting to head out, and some fungicide applications are being made for fusarium head blight suppression in winter wheat. Eastern regions experienced higher rainfall in some areas, particularly up north, and some loss in yield potential is occurring due to excess moisture stress and delayed weed control. Producers are looking for good drying conditions in
the days ahead so they can access fields to spray the crops as needed. Here too, winter cereals are heading, spring cereals are at advanced tillering, most canola is in rosette, and soybeans and field peas too are growing well and crops overall look quite promising. According to Manitoba Pulse Growers, resurgence in eastern Manitoba has led to pea production in fields with little or no previous history, which should reduce the incidence of root rot. Dairy producers continue with first-cut haying operations. Most of what was cut has gone into silage. Average yields are generally reported. Livestock are on pasture with some pastures showing lush growth after the recent rains. Across the region, most hay lands are rated in good condition. It looks like it might be an early season for Manitoba fruit growers, said Waldo Thiessen, operator of Berry Hill Farm and spokesperson for Prairie Fruit Growers Association. “Consumers could start picking strawberries in later in June; raspberries aren’t far behind with picking likely in early July, with Saskatoons ready by July week two,” added Thiessen. It looks like harvest of winter wheat and rye are just ahead.
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The Agri Post
Once Upon a Time By Les Kletke
Werner Rempel with the DC 4 Case his father bought new. Werner drove the tractor home from Winnipeg February 4, 1954. Photos by Les Kletke
Werner Rempel remembers the day that his father took delivery of a pair of Case DC 4 tractors. “It was February 4, 1954 and we got them at the rail yards in Winnipeg,” said the retired teacher. “We drove them home to the farm at Randolph. It was an unseasonable warm day and by the time we got home, the tractors were dirty. That evening we had a blizzard.” Case built the DC 4 at its plant in Racine, Wisconsin for over the 14 years ending in 1955. It sold over 14,000 of the model in different configurations. The DC 4 indicated a wide front end, while the DC model was a row crop tractor. The company promised 33 hp on the drawbar and 37 hp on the PTO. “This was one of the later models and had aluminum pistons,” said Rempel. “We thought that it had 45 horsepower,” he said with smile. The aluminum pistons were not the only change that came to the model dur-
ing the production run, earlier models had a longer arm supporting the operators seat and suspension was provide by a single coil spring. This model has a shorter support beam for the seat and dual rubber shock absorbers providing suspension. The change in the seat support also meant moving the toolbox from between the operator’s legs to a forward position on the left side of the tractor. The DC 4 proved a popular workhorse on their dairy operation and his father bought a third one. “I think originally he would have preferred an International but it was shortly after the War and there was not a lot of tractors available so he bought a Case from John Engbecht and the pair developed a relationship that grew and Dad bough more Case tractors.” Tractors became more complex with more features and the DC 4 was relegated to being parked in the back of the yard. “It was parked behind the lagoon and my nephews were cleaning up the yard,
The DC 4 was build to 15 years and came in several configurations including a row crop.
they said it was going to the shredder and I said, ‘I would take it’.” That was 15 years ago and was his first restoration in what became an on going hobby. “I was fortunate I had a heated shop and a good place to work,” he said. “It
was a relatively easy restoration and I did not get to frustrated, so I just kept on going and learning more.” Just as his father bought more tractors, Rempel has restored more and has an LA, S, VAC, and SC in his collections.
Later models like this one had the tool box on the left side of the tractor, earlier it was between the driver’s legs.
The George Kent Outfit The Manitoba Agricultural Museum during its research on the Winnipeg Tractor Trials reviewed copies of the Canadian Threshermen and Farmer and in a 1904 edition came across an image of the George Kent outfit, which consisted of a Waterous 22 horsepower steam engine and a 35 X 50 McCloskey separator. George Kent farmed somewhere around Shoal Lake. The photo contains a wealth of detail. Very noticeable is the large number of men visible in the photo. If you count the legs of the man standing beside the water wagon team, there are 17 men and one boy visible in the image. The entire crew must have come in from the field to appear in the photo. While the McCloskey is equipped with, a wind stacker there is no high bagger so the grain is coming off the grain shoe and being conveyed to the side of machine where the grain is being bagged then loaded into the grain wagon. This was a very laborious activity to say the least. If you look closely at the rear of the engine, you will note that the firebox door has been replaced by an open-ended square metal tube about two feet long. When the engine was being fired this tube would be stuffed full of straw by the fireman who is standing at the back of the engine on the ground holding a long handled firing fork. When firing, he would pack the straw into the box and on into the firebox. The steam after powering the cylinders is exhausted into the smoke stack where it helped create a draft through the boiler. Air would be pulled through the straw and as the straw reached the firebox, it burned. Apparently when fired properly the straw burned very clean. When viewed through a fire box port it appeared as if there was a sheet of white flame in the firebox. Oddly enough while the belt appears to be revolving as the belt is blurred in the photo, there appears to be no straw in the firebox tube so cold air would be pulled through the firebox, boiler and up the smoke stack. This was not only wasteful heat but also hard on the boiler as it cooled the
boiler surfaces, particularly the flue sheet in the firebox, too rapidly. Leaks would have occurred. The John Goodison Threshing Machine Company was formed in 1889 by John Goodison of Sarnia Ontario who purchased the Sarnia Agricultural Implement Company from the Sawyer Massey Company, which had purchased the business the preceding year when it went bankrupt. John Goodison rapidly built up a successful threshing machine business, which managed to penetrate the US market, quite an achievement at the time. In 1892, Goodison secured the rights to build a threshing machine designed by John McCloskey of Sarnia and persuaded McClosky to work for Goodison for the next 10 years. John McCloskey with his parents and siblings had come to Canada from Ireland in 1864. His family began farming in Ontario with some of the older McCloskey boys establishing a small carriage factory as they had been mechanics in Ireland. John learned the trade and worked in various places in Ontario. While in Fingal, Ontario John became interested in threshing machines particularly the new “vibrating” machines with straw walkers that were replacing the older apron style machines in which the straw, grain and chaff was ejected from the cylinder on to a revolving slatted inclined chain. As the mixture moved along the chain, hopefully the grain fell through the chain onto the grain shoe below. The vibrating machines were an improvement
over the apron style however; the balance of the straw walkers and grain shoe left much to be desired. John McCloskey worked out how to balance the straw walkers and grain shoe with a double throw crankshaft and patented the invention in 1881. McCloskey assigned the rights to build his designs to three farm implement manufacturers at separate times between 1881 and 1892. Over the next few years, Goodison become the first manufacturer to add wind stackers, high grain elevators able to fill grain bins and self-feeders to their threshers. For some reason, Goodison never had a western Canada branch, which was odd as they sold a fair number of machines in the west. Goodison did have branch operations in the US and today Goodison threshing machines are better known there than in Canada. Goodison went on to build their own steam engines beginning in 1904. However, the boilers were supplied by the Waterous Company and then Sawyer Massey. Steam engine manufacture ended in 1926 and threshing machine manufacture ended in 1928 when Goodison moved from their original location in Sarnia to another site. In 1920, Goodison became a distributor for Hart Parr and after the 1928 merger that formed Oliver, Goodison became the Canadian distributor for Oliver. There is a steel Goodison threshing machine in the Manitoba Agricultural Museum’s storage yard.
The Agri Post
Options for Wet Soils and Yellowing Crops
Wheat yield as affected by placement of post-seeding applications of urea and UAN solution (Grant 1997).
By Don Flaten and John Heard With the large rainfall events across many parts of Manitoba recently, some farmers are noticing yellowing in their crops and wondering if, they should top up their fields with some more nitrogen fertilizer. Unfortunately, there are no easy rules to follow or large experimental datasets to refer to for making this type of decision. However, there are some principles to consider. What’s causing the yellowing? The first issue to consider is whether the crop yellowing is from N deficiency or simply flooding stress due to excess water. Applying N fertilizer onto crops that are suffering primarily from flooding stress could be a poor investment. However, the risk of losing large amounts of N due to excessive rainfall is significant. Heavy rains and saturated soils can cause large losses of nitrogen in sandy soils due to leaching or clay soils due to denitrification, especially when the weather is warm. Medium textured soils might experience moderate losses of N due to both processes. The only way to tell for sure if the N is still there is to soil test, but that’s very difficult to do in a timely manner at this time of year, especially under conditions of excess water. How efficient is midseason application of N? If the crop is likely to recover from the excess moisture problem and yield potential is good, a midseason application of N can increase yields dramatically. Research conducted by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at Indian Head, Saskatchewan showed excellent yield responses in most years to midseason dribble or coulter-banded applications of 30-60 lbs of N as UAN liquid fertilizer (28-0-0) as late as the 5.5 leaf stage for wheat (stem elongation) and the mid-bolting stage for canola. However, in one of the three years, the weather turned very dry after the fertilizer was applied and this midseason-applied N did not perform very well, due to surface stranding. Timing - Ideally, post-emergent N should be applied to cereals at or before the 3-5 leaf stage and to canola prior to bolting. There may also be an enhanced risk of stranding of N at the soil surface with prolonged dry weather. Therefore, likelihood of a benefit from postseeding applications increases with the likelihood of receiving significant precipitation shortly after the fertilizer is applied. This is because the crop is more likely to be able to access and take up the applied N and because if yield is primarily limited by available moisture, moderate amounts of in-season rainfall increases yield potential and response to applied N. Sources and Additives - The risk of gaseous losses from volatilization will be higher on high pH soils, which are common throughout most of Manitoba. Another factor that increases the risk of volatilization is the warm and often windy conditions that often occur at this time of year. Farmers who are concerned about volatilization losses from UAN liquid fertilizer (28-0-0) or from granular urea (46-0-0) may want to add Agrotain N-stabilizer with their fertilizer or use a source of urea that has the Agrotain “built into” the granules. Agrotain inhibits the urease enzyme and slows down the conversion of urea-N to ammonia in both of these types of fertilizer, helping to reduce the risk of gaseous losses due to volatilization. Placement - Surface applications of fertilizer are often less efficient than in-soil banded or incorporated fertilizers, because lack of fertilizer incorporation will increase the risk of volatilization and immobilization losses. Use of a dribble-band rather than a spray or broadcast application reduces contact between the fertilizer and crop residue, reducing volatilization and immobilization losses from surface applications (see above figure). As a result, in several field studies in Manitoba, surface dribble-banded applications of UAN were nearly as effective as in-soil banded applications.
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