The AgriPost
June 26, 2020
Manitoba Farm Women’s Conference Insuring Committee Planning Virtual Sessions Your Grain
By Joan Airey
It is with a heavy heart that the Manitoba Farm Women’s Conference Committee decided to announce the cancellation of the 34th conference which was scheduled for November 15 and 16 in Brandon due to the uncertainty of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic. After much consideration the committee believes that they would not be able to deliver the social networking speakers and workshops that their audience would expect. “We are disappointed we are not hosting a conference this year but with all the uncertainty we thought we should hold off. We look forward to planning a great conference for everyone in 2021! Thanks for the support in the past and we look forward to seeing everyone next year,” said Jody Jury, Committee Chairperson.
This year the committee is looking to provide Virtual Sessions for their audience to stay connected during these challenging times. They are looking at hosting online Coffee Breaks and Webinar sessions all while in the com-
fort of your home. Doris Doelger chairperson for the 150 cookbook said the Manitoba Farm Women’s Conference is still putting together a cookbook of recipes collected from women in agriculture, friends, family and
coworkers. Each woman is being asked to submit a short bio, a recipe and a small photo of themselves and/or their family. You can send your bio, recipe, and photograph to Doris via e-mail at mfwcsocial@gmail.com.
Photo of several of the hard working Manitoba Farm Women’s Conference Committee taken in 2019.
Scientists Look Towards Vaccine to Prevent Strep Zoo in Pigs By Harry Siemens Last November, advice went out to Canadian pork producers to step up their focus on transport biosecurity for cull sows and market hogs in the face of animals infected with Strep zoo showing up at slaughter. Streptococcus zooepidemicus, or Strep zoo, is a potential emerging disease threat in North America. Although the bacteria are naturally present in the microbiome of the pig, there are links to cases of sudden death in pigs in Manitoba and the US Midwest. Dr. Matheus Costa, with the University of Saskatchewan’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine, said the main economic implication is with animal movement and trade, especially in the case of cull sows. Fast forward to today. Scientists report progress in understanding a rare bacterial infection that results in the sudden death of pigs. Over the past 14 months, swine, health officials and scientists have tracked the movement of a novel bacterial infection in swine, Streptococcus zooepidemicus.
Researchers identified the infection, which results in sudden death in Canada in March 2019 and since found in several US states. Dr. Costa said Strep zoo is a normal part of the microbiome of several species and typically does not cause disease. Streptococcus zooepidemicus is present in healthy pigs, so that becomes a bit of a challenge when differentiating who could be carrying a potentially dangerous Strep zoo versus the other pigs that are carrying the normal ones that don’t do anything to pigs. “We’re trying to explore that right now to prevent and control the disease,” he said. “The other thing learned there seems to be a very specific Streptococcus zooepidemicus called ST-194 that causes disease in pigs.” That is what researchers are currently working on, looking at what makes this Streptococcus zooepidemicus type problematic for pigs in comparison to the other ones around for years. It looks like this disease flares up once pigs are exposed to some intense stress event, such as a long
haul or even co-mingling of many different animals from many other sources. “If you can minimize stress at any point, that is always welcome, and it seems to help prevent flare-ups of disease associated with Strep zoo.” Dr. Costa said this infection is rare, and scientists are just scratching the surface, trying to deal with this bug. However, discoveries related to one of the bacterial species responsible for swine dysentery disease could lead to the creation of vaccines to prevent the infection. There is a link between a re-emergence of swine dysentery disease from 20092010 to the emergence of novel bacteria, Brachyspira hampsonii. Scientists are investigating the mechanisms the pathogen uses to cause infection to find a way to develop vaccines to prevent swine dysentery. Dr. Costa said they understand how the bacteria prevent the pig from developing a robust immune response following infection. “It looks like the bacteria shuts down particular triggers that would allow the
pig to build an immune response,” he said. “When it shuts down these triggers, it essentially shuts down inflammation that would develop a response that would be sustainable for the whole lifetime of this pig.” Instead of being able to defend itself against a novel infection, weeks down the road, the bacteria shuts down this response; therefore, the pig cannot become immune. It appears the bacteria seem to play a bit with the microbiome and use the other bacteria that are already present in the gut to help it cause more lesions. “Brachyspira comes in, shuts down the defence response, and when it does that, it allows the gut microhome to help Brachyspira to cause more lesions,” said Dr. Costa. He said these discoveries shed light on why previous efforts to develop a vaccine for swine dysentery may have failed. “Now that we understand how the bacteria shut down the specific triggers of immunity, we may be able to reverse that by exposing the pig to the right parts of the bacteria to induce long-lasting immunity.”
Dryer
With harvest right around the corner, this is a great time to start thinking about your grain storage and drying systems to make sure they are ready for the excitement ahead! Part of the job of an insurance broker is to understand the different nuances and specialties of the various insurance companies that we represent. I often hear questions about whether there are any differences between insurers, or if they all use the same basic wordings and actuarial rating to provide insurance coverage. While there are definite similarities between companies, there are also differences that can make a large impact on how, or if, you are compensated when a claim occurs. Insuring grain dryers is an area where we see a lot of difference in coverage offerings through farm insurers. This is also a growing area of concern for most farms, as the need for a grain dryer seems to be more prominent now than ever before, and certain crops are very difficult to grow in our geography without the support of a drying system to finish the crop. Grain dryers also have been known to be more prone to a fire loss than other farm property. A brief overview of the coverage offered by farm insurers begins with the most basic actual cash valuation on your dryer. This coverage will provide the depreciated value of your dryer should a loss occur. The quick math is; if you have 5-year-old dryer system that originally cost $100,000 to build, in the event of a loss, the insurer would account for annual depreciation to determine the settlement, leaving you with a cash payout that falls short of the cost of building a new dryer system. Some insurers will provide limited waiver of depreciation for the first 3-5 years of the dryer. This removes the depreciation calculation for the first 3-5 years from the original date of manufacturing. In the above scenario with the $100,000 dryer system, the loss paid out would be the $100,000, less the policy deductible. This comes much closer to putting this farm in a place to rebuild their dryer system. The final option that we see from insurers is replacement cost coverage on the dryer system. This is the best option, although some insurers are hesitant to provide this coverage, as the fire risk with an older dryer system is potentially higher, and with the cost of grain dryers increasing over the past decade, the payouts for these systems are also increasing. With the option of replacement cost coverage, it is important to review the limit of insurance versus the current cost of a new dryer on an annual basis to make sure your limit is sufficient to replace your system. Two other considerations when insuring your grain dryer – make sure you notify your broker of any custom drying exposure. Insurance companies deem this a higher risk. The best way to limit the additional premium charged for this exposure is to give your broker all of the details so they can properly explain the risk to your insurer. Also, consider purchasing extra expense coverage which will help to offset your additional expenses should you suffer an insured loss to your dryer and have to find an alternate solution for your drying. Is insurance simple? Do you have questions? Work with someone who will explain the differences and options to you to make the best decisions for your farm. Rempel Insurance Brokers Ltd. is open for business and is glad to assist you with your insurance needs. David Schmidt is an Account Executive at Rempel Insurance Brokers in Morris, MB, specializing in insuring farms and businesses across Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Call or text 204-746-2320, email davids@ rempelinsurance.com or visit rempelinsurance.com.