The Agri Post
June 27, 2014
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The Agri Post
June 27, 2014
Major Market Access Achieved in China Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz held key bilateral meetings with the Chinese government that have yielded key developments benefiting a wide range of producers, processors and exporters across Canada’s robust agricultural economy. Ritz met with Han Changfu, China’s Minister of Agriculture (MOA) and Wei Chuanzhong, China’s Vice Minister of General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ). Following these meetings, China formally agreed to work with Canadian officials to provide access for Canadian bone-in beef derived from animals less than thirty months of age as well as access for live cattle. Once access for Under Thirty Month bone-in beef is fully implemented, industry estimates the Chinese market for Canadian beef will grow to $240 million annually, while the market for live cattle will total $150 million. Ritz also signed protocols with Vice Minister Wei, one to secure access for timothy hay to China, which industry estimates to be worth $8 million over the next five years and the other to modernize our countries’ live swine protocol, reflecting recent animal health and disease control science-based approaches. The estimated benefit is expected to boost Canadian live swine competitiveness resulting in sales of up to $11 million annually. The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) welcomed the news that China will work towards the necessary approvals to permit access for Canadian bone-in beef from animals under thirty months of age (UTM) and live cattle. CCA President Dave
Agreement with China Expands Beef Exports
Minister Ritz meets with China’s Minister of Agriculture, Han Changfu, during his current trade mission in China.
“China could double its global imports of beef per year before the end of this decade. Canada is ready and able to help fill the void.” Solverson said China is an important market for Canadian beef and cattle and holds significant potential. “Canadian beef exports to China have grown rapidly since 2012, as a result of rising demand from a growing middle class with an appetite for beef. Chinese demand for beef has grown well beyond what they are able to produce domestically. In fact some forecasts we’ve seen indicate that China could double its global imports of beef per year before the end of this decade. Canada is ready and
able to help fill the void,” said Solverson. Solverson and other CCA officials attended the June World Meat Congress and met with the International Meat Secretariat in Beijing to help Ritz promote Canadian beef in China. Ritz used these bilateral meetings to reinforce the importance of Canada and China’s long-term and mutually-beneficial relationship in agriculture and to obtain commitments that formally establish annual Ministerial-level bilateral meetings.
Minister Ritz delivers keynote address to delegates of the World Meat Congress in Beijing, China.
A formal agreement in mid-June between Canadian and Chinese officials will provide access for Canadian bone-in beef from animals under thirty months of age, as well as access for live cattle is sitting well with Canada Beef.
“We deem China to be a coveted destination of choice.” “We deem China to be a coveted destination of choice. We will increasingly leverage our global brand to solidify loyalty and demand for Canadian beef,” said Rob Meijer, President, Canada Beef. “We need to ensure we can provide consistent supply to meet the growing demand in this market and strengthen trust for the Canadian Beef Brand across the market through to consumers.” Canada Beef, the organization responsible for the marketing and promotion of the Canadian cattle and beef industry worldwide, accompanied Agriculture and AgriFood Canada Minister Ritz, federal officials and other agriculture groups on a threecity trade mission in China recently. The delegation included more than 70 people representing over 30 agricultural groups and four provinces focusing on efforts to expand and improve trade access, building on research and science collaboration, showcasing Canada’s agricultural capabilities and promoting increased imports of Canadian agricultural products including Canadian beef. With the federal government’s recent announcement of four new Canadian trade offices in China, Canada Beef is poised to ramp up activities in China alongside the trade commissioners. Efforts include facilitating hands-on educational opportunities to feature the Canadian Beef Advantage, with the ultimate goal of creating Canadian beef brand awareness and loyalty.
The Agri Post
Wet Pastures a Challenge
June 27, 2014
Cereals Canada ’s Canada’s Website Launched Cereals Canada announces the launch of its new website at CerealsCanada.ca. “Cereals Canada is proud to unveil its new website,” stated Cam Dahl, President. “This site will be the go-to spot for updates on key issues relating to Canada’s cereals value chain.” Dahl explained that the website contains the vision and mission for Cereals Canada, reviews of policies and news releases, Cereals Corner commentary and much more. “Bookmark this site for frequent updates and for future expansions, including valuable crop information to our customers,” concluded Dahl.
These two calves are content to stay on higher ground even through the grass is not as good as the rest of the pasture. A cool wet spring has slowed pasture development. Photo by Les Kletke
By Les Kletke With beef prices coming up faster than pastures, cattlemen across the province are concerned that there could be extra costs in feed this year. “It’s not a panic yet,” said Don Hamilton at Hamiota. “But, we need some heat to
get the grass growing and more importantly to have the land dry out.” Hamilton said it is a combination of things that made the spring challenging. “The long winter was the first thing, we could not get the cattle out onto pasture as soon as we would have liked,
spring was slow to come and the temperatures were such that the grass never got started.” he said. With the above normal rainfall in June cattle farmers face further challenges. “Now we have some grass and the ground is wet, we don’t want the cattle on there
because of the damage they do to the grass itself. It’s there for them to eat, but we are hesitant to let them on the pasture and have them damage the grass.” He has taken to putting some temporary fencing in his pasture to keep animals on the higher spots. He likens it to rotational grazing. “I have seen a lot of fellows’ use temporary fencing for rotational grazing, but now we are using it to keep the cows and calves on the higher spots of the pasture where the land is a little drier,” said Hamilton who has 200 cow calf pairs. “It has added a lot to our work load,” he explained. “We should be working on the feedlot and getting things cleaned up but we are out in the pasture adding fences. Things are wet all over, it is not ideal for cleaning up the feed lot either.” He said that the increase in cattle prices has been a welcome reprieve for the industry that went through a series of bad years all the way back to the BSE issue. “We got hit with a lot of things in a row on the marketing side and now that it appears straightened out we have to deal with the weather. We can handle one or two things but just like the markets of the past couple of years now it is a series of things with the weather and that is making it tough. Hamilton said that he was fortunate to have a good supply of feed from last year and was able to get through the extended winter without a problem but the feed supply he intended to carry over is being used up to supplement the slow growth of pasture.
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The Agri Post
June 27, 2014
Finally, Some Real Science Regular readers of this column know that its unbending author has a particular burr under his saddle when it comes to shoddy or ‘junk’ science. From GMO’s, to pesticides, to global warming, to hog manure, hormones in beef, etc., we are bombarded daily with poorly researched and highly politicized socalled ‘science’ coming from people whose agenda does not include a great passion for the truth. How refreshing it was, then, to come across Peter Gibson, a real scientist, practicing real science when it comes to – of all things – gluten sensitivity. All sorts of people are now convinced that you’re not eating healthy if you don’t go glutenfree. Even though most have no idea what gluten is, or what it’s supposed
to do. Late night talkshow host Jimmy Kimmel recently did a man-on-thestreet segment asking health-conscious people, “What is gluten?” None of the people who had declared themselves gluten-free could answer the question. The humorous segment can be found on You Tube. Gluten is a mixture of two proteins found in grains such as wheat, barley and rye. It is well established that people who suffer from Celiac disease will have a violent allergic reaction to eating gluten. An estimated 300,000 Canadians have this condition. But, what about the general population? A few years back an Australian gastroenterologist by the name of Peter Gibson put out a study showing a correla-
Penners Points by Rolf Penner rolfpenner@agripost.ca
tion between eating gluten and digestive problems. That kicked off the whole ‘gluten-free’ fad so prevalent today. Here’s what is so remarkable about the story. Gibson had huge financial and social incentives to ‘ride the wave’ caused by his research. But he didn’t. He wasn’t particularly convinced by his own investigation. So he went back and did the study again. Gibson knew that correlation wasn’t
necessarily causation, and that many more variables needed to be controlled before he could be certain. The trial was repeated, “With a level of rigor lacking in most nutritional studies.” This time participants would be given every single meal for the length of the study, with any possible ‘triggers’ removed such as, “Lactose, preservatives like benzoates, propionate, sulfites and nitrites and fermentable, poorly absorbed short-chain
carbohydrates, also known as FODMAPs.” Three groups were monitored, high gluten, low gluten and no gluten. Nine days’ worth of urine and fecal matter were collected. The new final conclusion was that reactions were largely psychosomatic. It didn’t seem to matter how much, if any, gluten was in any of the diets, “Subjects reported a worsening of gastrointestinal symptoms to similar degrees”. In short, people felt sick because they thought they were supposed to. That this is how science is supposed to work, and it’s amazing because so often in our times it just doesn’t. Scientists such as Gibson don’t necessarily have to reject their own theory; that depends on the strength of the
evidence. But they do have to be open to rejecting it. Far too often what we see these days are pseudo-scientists who dig in their heals, refuse to share their methodology or their data, all while making apocalyptic claims and calling people names such as ‘denier’. They sometimes even take them to court for disagreeing with them. That’s the case right now, with global-warming alarmist Michael Mann who went after historical climatologist Tim Ball and who is now suing the popular opinion writer Mark Steyn. Peter Gibson seems to be a bit of a throwback, someone who is more interested in being right than in being popular. We need more of this kind of scientist.
Does Government Know Better Than You Regulations continue to hit us mere mortals in the pocketbook whether paying for recycling levies like bottles, batteries, containers, carbon plus or minus credits, or outlawing lawn pesticides or making tracing your animals coming and going from your yard or farm mandatory. I’ve said it before and I say it again, there are those who sit on government committees, advisory boards, mixed in with bureaucratic representatives fronting for the current government minister flexing his/ her regulatory muscles appeasing some group that thinks this is important enough to make mandatory. U.S. President Obama keeps doing it and some think illegally passing executive orders that Congress should deal with, but don’t because they know nothing about
it. Suddenly, during a quiet Friday or slow Monday a media release says the President of the United States passed an executive order making this or that mandatory or this illegal. There is no discussion, no comment period, he just does it, because he thinks he knows best, but that isn’t the case. Rather it is a case of ideology appeasing his own, or a group of people wanting something that they know wouldn’t ever pass a sane Congress. The other thing that bothers me is the fact that often at the provincial or federal government levels, someone, some group, or even something suggests a new level of legislation or regulations and more often than not, the administration or bureaucracy tacks it on to a similar law or amendment instead of removing the old one. This in effect keeps the old part and
lawyers will always use it and now we have the new one to boot, making a schmozzle out of the whole thing, instead of letting the old thing or new thing rule. There was a time and it seems like many moons ago, where people did things like that for practical purposes instead of political and ideological reasons. I think town councils and other public organizations; maybe even school boards would rescind something old that wasn’t of any use anymore, and remove it from the books. Not true anymore. Today it seems people in power come up with things that someone designs to bamboozle instead of improve. Let me ask you something - How many of you know the Manitoba NDP government is ready to implement a ban on grass pesticides? The Manitoba govern-
ment introduced legislation recently restricting the use of certain chemicals for weed control on lawns to start in 2015. The pesticide ban is also on grass around hospitals, sidewalks, schools and daycares under the new legislation. Conservation and Water Stewardship Minister Gord Mackintosh says the legislation will help keep children safe. “Synthetic chemical pesticides pose a risk to human health, especially in the early stages of life,” said Mackintosh. So be it… While farmers can still use pesticides on their crops, is this the slippery thin edge of the wedge for this government to restrict, ban pesticides on their crops, or at least keep it a further distance away from water bodies, creeks, ponds, ditches and so forth. Governments have this navel-gazing superiority in their opinions they
collectively know better what is good for us than you or me. The other aspect of this has to do with all the other testing our food safety bodies do on food, health products, prescribed medications and safety features on baby and children’s products. It appears that this testing and certification doesn’t mean much, if anything because those same products this government has just banned with the stroke of a pen; pesticides for our grass, also passed momentous testing for years, costing mucho dollars. Doesn’t the saying ‘what is good for the goose is good for the gander’, apply here? I guess not, because the testing for certain lawn pesticides wasn’t safe enough, but the testing for blood pressure, diabetic control, painkillers and life-saving medications are.
The Agri Post
Pass the Chips It was a year or two ago that a dairy farmer told me the best thing about installing robotic milkers in his barn was what it did for labour costs. I made the assumption that the reduction in labour and the reduction in back breaking, knee bending repetitive procedures was what he was talking about. “No,” he said, “It is the people I can hire, now the hired man is a guy that can work on computers and he comes to the farm for 8:30 am to 4:30 pm and they go home. Those guys are much easier to hire and cheaper than people who have to milk cows twice a day.” I thought about what he said and agreed there are more computer techs around that people who want to milk cows twice a day. A trip to Farm Progress Show confirmed the same thing is happening in just about all aspects of our industry, the changes to farm equipment are coming in the form of computer chips. There was a time only a few years ago, where the challenge was, “How big can we build it?” That was preceded but the, “How can we make it better?” time. Some old timers will remember there was a time that combines were combines and were not differentiated by terms like conventional or rotary. Engineers were actually working on making farm equipment that did things differently. That time brought a lot of advances to our industry, the “Make it bigger time”, brought an increase in the number of acres in each unit and now the concentration appears to be operator comfort or ease of operation. There is little doubt GPS had made row crop production a lot easier for the operator. The cell phone has replaced the Leatherman as the tool of choice in the holster. For you younger readers, let me explain. There was a time farmers had leather pouches on their belt for things like a knife or a pocket tool. Those days are long gone, now it is a cell phone that adorns the belt of a farmer and provides his information and control of things on the farm, time changed what we carry on our belt and the Leatherman is doomed to museums. The North American automobile industry saved itself with the addition of a few computer chips, cars that can park themselves proved extremely popular and did not cost a lot more to produce but did spur a buying frenzy of sorts at least enough to keep car manufactures in the black. The farm machinery business has done much the same thing, but the question remains, what’s next?
Got Life Insurance? Your life is an asset, just like a car, a home or a business. When you lose it, you may want to be compensated for its value and you do not have to trade in other assets. The mortality rate in this country has not changed. It remains at 100%. The question remains, what is the length of your life? This means, that the only time you have a chance at buying the family lifestyle protection or business insurance you need is today. Tomorrow might be too
late and that is just the truth. If you want to protect the ones you love, you buy the insurance before you need it because if you wait until you need it, it is too late. House, car and farm insurance works the same way. Another reality about life insurance; whatever amount you buy, you’ll be wrong. For example: If you plan to buy what you need if you die today and you don’t die for 20 years, you may likely have too little. If you buy what
you’ll need to protect your expanded lifestyle 20 years from now and you die tomorrow, you may have too much. Remember life insurance rates are a lot lower when you are younger. You can also review your needs regularly by making the review appointment when you buy. Also a few examples of when it is a good idea to review your life insurance needs are when you buy something significant, your income rises, get married or have a baby. Once you know the whole story, you can adjust the purchase based on your comfort level and budget. Be sure to seek advice and purchase insurance from those who understand your business!
Andy Anderson is an Associate Insurance Broker specializing in General, Life and Group Benefits for Farm, Commercial/Agri-business P: 204-746-5589, F: 866-7653351 andya@rempelinsurance.com /rempelinsurance.com /valleyfinancial.ca.
June 27, 2014
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New Drainage Regulations and Water Management Strategy are What We Need The Manitoba government has announced two new plans for water management in the province and while they won’t take effect until a public consultation process occurs, they will be positive for farmers. In the first document, Towards Sustainable Drainage, the new drainage regulations outlined means producers will no longer need to complete a lengthy approval, inspection and licensing process for minor drainage projects. They will simply register the drainage work with the Province and then proceed with work in a timely manner. KAP was a part of the stakeholder group that consulted with the Province on these regulations, and I believe we have done our job well. Since these minor projects account for the vast majority of the drainage undertaken, this will be a huge step forward in getting land into production that may otherwise risk flooding every year. The second component of the proposed regulations addresses drainage of permanent and semi-permanent wetlands, which only makes up a small portion of the drainage work done by farmers. Currently, it is challenging to get a license to drain a permanent or semi-permanent wetland, but in the proposed new system a formal process would be established that will strictly define the criteria that a landowner must meet in order to undertake this type of drainage project. This includes ensuring any downstream effects associated with removing a permanent wetland, including flooding neighbours’ land, is mitigated through the reconstruction or retention of wetlands in other areas of the watershed. As an example, if there is a permanent or semi-permanent wetland in an area of a field that impedes planting and production, the farmer would be able to drain that area and designate another area in the same field – or at another location within the watershed – as a wetland. I expect that a system will also be developed which will allow farmers to purchase wetland credits from other farmers and landowners to offset drainage on their private lands, rather than undertaking retention and reconstruction projects on their own. The Province has also proposed an increase in the en-
forcement of regulations to address illegal drainage projects, and while there have been issues in the past when legal projects have come under unnecessary scrutiny; I anticipate these simplified regulations will provide clarity for both landowners and water resource officers. KAP is committed to continuing to work with the Department of Conservation and Water Stewardship to ensure that enforcement of these regulations is done fairly and consistently throughout Manitoba. While we accept these proposed wetland regulations, KAP has always maintained that in any situation where land is taken out of production in the interest of watershed health that will benefit all of society, farmers must be compensated – and we will continue efforts to make this happen. Another component of the proposed regulations addresses the use of tile drainage. Similar to surface drainage, tile drainage projects that meet basic criteria and do not involve draining permanent or semi-permanent wetlands would be allowed through a simple registration process. I have heard of some municipalities that are concerned about tile drainage projects having negative impacts due to incorrect installation, which is why the issue will be the focus of a government-stakeholder working group. Following farmers in North Dakota and Minnesota, Manitoba farmers have embraced this new technology and it is encouraging to see the Manitoba government and municipalities attempting to further understand the opportunities and constraints of this type of drainage. This is an important tool, and it should be accessible to all farmers. The second plan announced by the Province is the Surface Water Management Strategy that takes an all-encompassing view of water drainage across Manitoba, including that from agricultural, municipal, industrial and all other sources. KAP has been pressing for a comprehensive water management strategy and we are pleased that it appears it is finally coming to fruition. Instead of working with individual drainage issues, the strategy proposes to address entire watersheds and their inter-connectivity. It includes 50 specific actions that would be completed be-
By Doug Chorney tween now and 2020 and if done correctly will drastically reduce the effects of flooding and drought. They would also mitigate the effects of terminal basins, such as Whitewater Lake and Shoal Lakes, on surrounding landowners. To help achieve the actions set out in the strategy, the Province will be implementing light detection and radar (LiDAR) digital imagery that produces very accurate data for land elevation. KAP has lobbied for the use of this technology on a large scale because it is an excellent resource in land and water management planning. From what I have heard, some farmers are concerned about these new developments in provincial water management, but I am convinced they are positive news. In the short term we will see expedited minor drainage projects and in the long term we will see solutions to perennial flooding and drainage issues. Conservation and Water Stewardship Minister Mackintosh made it clear during his announcement of the new strategies that farmers need to be able to be productive on their land, and the goal is to have ‘sustainable drainage’ as a tool for all farmers. The work being done in Manitoba, however, cannot stop at the borders. Our neighbours to the south and to the west are also home to the watersheds that eventually flow into this province and now they must do their parts to adopt similar measures. Manitoba can no longer be a recipient for unwanted water originating beyond its borders and a multi-jurisdictional effort can recognize and solve this longstanding problem. This is something that we will continue to press for, but for now, I think that producers in Manitoba should recognize that drainage regulations will be simplified and that a six-year strategy will be put in place to alleviate many of the drainage issues we experience.
Doug Chorney is President of Keystone Agricultural Producers, Manitoba’s largest farm policy organization. He farms grains, oilseeds and soybeans near East Selkirk, Manitoba.
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The Agri Post
June 27, 2014
Reach for the STARS By Les Kletke
Fred Hiebert of United Driver Training turned the company anniversary into a $30,000 gift for STARS. Miranda Lanouette says STARS saved her life after an ATV accident. Photo by Les Kletke
What started out as birthday party with gifts for others turned into on the largest single events that STARS Manitoba has received. Fred Hiebert who operates United Driver Training in Steinbach decided to turn the company’s anniversary celebration into a fund raiser for STARS and co-spokesperson Shandy Wells said it was one of the largest donations the company had received from a single event. Heibert had set a goal of $15,000 for the celebration that featured everything about the trucking industry from the big rigs themselves to an opportunity to see the STARS helicopter up close. The Steinbach Fire and Police Departments were on hand as well
to show off their latest equipment and allow visitors a firsthand look. The event raised twice what Hiebert had targeted and when he turned over the $30,000 it was an emotional moment for Wells and several of the speakers at the ceremony. Miranda Lanouette had told the story of how she was out ATVing with her family at Woodmore and had flipped her ATV. Her helmet hit her spine and she is now confined to a wheel chair but the young woman says it could have been worse. “STARS was not operating in Manitoba at that time, they were here because of the flood and when the call went to local authorities they could not access the spot where I was,” Miranda. “I could have died by the time regu-
lar methods got me out. You have no idea how long twenty minutes is in that situation.” The STARS helicopter airlifted her to Winnipeg where she was rushed to hospital and treated; she believes STARS saved her life. Hiebert chose the STARS organization because he says it has done great work in the area. “We have had former students who have benefited from STARS and other people in the area, if we can do something to give back I consider that a great opportunity.” Hiebert gave up his traditional United Driver Training garb for the day and was outfitted in blue coveralls bearing the STARS logo. “I am very proud of these coveralls,” he told the crowd. “These are from the STARS crew and I will be
wearing them in fall when I go to the island.” The island is another funder raiser event where people, like Hiebert, are taken to an island and not released until they raise a designated amount of cash.
Parts of Manitoba Welcomed Recent Heavy Rains By Harry Siemens While farmers in western and south western Manitoba are looking to next year for an opportunity to seed a full crop into soil conditions conducive to growing a great crop, many farmers in other parts of Manitoba welcomed recent rains. Steve Sample who farms near Killarney said the rain amounts were welcome and varied around the area. “Perfect timing for the crops,” said Sample. Ron Krahn at Rivers agreed and noted that, “Conditions are looking real good.” “Weed control is going good, for the most part on schedule in spite of the wind and rains,” reported Reg Friesen of Niverville, who owns and operates, Prairie Sky Crop Solutions, an independent seed, crop protection and custom application business. “We’re battling flea beetle in canola and in some cases farmers reseeded. We are now getting some reports of grasshoppers and doing some control measures for that. Also we are now in the window for fungicide applications in winter wheat.” Friesen added that farmers are treating corn fields around Niverville and sunflowers in the Dugald area for cutworms. “I personally have not seen the fields but the damage is described as substantial. The corn was planted on canola stubble, soybean stubble and summer fallow,” he said. He urged farmers to, “Check your fields, looks like one of those years.”
The Agri Post
Do Not Feed Mouldy Corn to Dairy Cattle Last year’s weather conditions were not particularly kind to growing corn on the eastern prairies. A late spring planting, cold weather in July that was topped off by a cloudy fall created millions of bushels of corn that was not initially dry enough for storage. Some of this wet corn was dried down and augured into a bin, much of it was also put up as high-moisture corn and even a small portion was left out in the field until harvested earlier this year. Regardless of how this corn was eventually handled, moulds and mycotoxins seem to have hit this previous corn crop particularly hard. Without taking the necessary actions and precautions, feeding mouldy corn to dairy cattle can be very dangerous. Mould growth in corn can develop in a grain bin when grain moisture levels are above 14%, the storage temperature is above freezing and the corn is exposed to air (oxygen). High moisture grain corn also can be at risk for mould growth, if the moisture content of storage is incorrect (recommended 25% - 28% moisture for oxygen-limiting tower and 30% - 35% moisture for ag-bags and bunks) or pH of the corn mass is not quickly stabilized to an acidic 4.5 by proper respiration (oxygen removal) and fermentation processes. Many moulds can grow and proliferate in harvested corn due to improper storage conditions. However, there are three major moulds that pose the greatest dairy cow threat with associated deadly mycotoxins, Aspergillus fluavus that produce aflatoxins, Fusarium moulds that produce vomitoxin and zearalenone and Penicillium fungi that produce related penicillium mycotoxins. Most Canadian climates do not to favour the growth of Aspergillus fluavus and therefore aflatoxins are of little threat to our dairy cattle. Consequently, Fusarium-derived mycotoxins are more of a danger to our livestock because they grow in cooler conditions found in western Canada. Initially, it was thought that Fusarium-derived vomitoxin was toxic to dairy cattle, yet various field trials fed up to 66 ppm vomitoxin in dairy diets and most dairy cattle failed to exhibit any visible signs of reproductive or health problems. Most of these trials did show that once vomitoxin reached over 3 - 5 ppm in different tested grains. There was a detrimental effect upon respective grain bushel weight and cited as lower energy feed for lactating dairy cows. In contrast, zearalenone, another fusarium mycotoxin has estrogen-like properties which will cause infertility in dairy cattle. As little as 300 ppb (parts per billion) in the total dairy diet (dmi, basis) from z-contaminated corn has been implicated in disrupting heat cycles, reducing conception rates, causing visible symptoms such as swollen vulvas, prolapsed vaginas and spontaneous abortions. Furthermore, zearalenone can cause liver damage and has been shown to suppress the immune system in dairy cattle. An honourable mention should be given to other Fusarium mycotoxins such as T2 and Fumonium that can cause reproductive and health problems in cattle but are seldom found in Canadian feedstuffs. Similarly, Penicillium mycotoxins have also been linked to reproductive and health problems in dairy cattle. Unfortunately, without ‘the smoking gun’ of large known amounts of mouldy corn consumed by ailing dairy cattle that cause direct negative effects, it is very difficult to many dairy producers to know if they have a mouldy corn problem in the first place; namely, for two major reasons. First, mouldy corn kernels are often not uniformly distributed in a bin of corn, but much of them are located in isolated pockets or could be found along the bin walls. Even if a significant shot of mouldy corn was going into the total mixed ration (TMR) for dairy cows, most people may simply not notice as it gets hammered or rolled and then mixed along with the ‘good corn’ in the TMR and become invisible anyways! Secondly, symptoms of mould and mycotoxins poisoning in cattle is likely non-specific and often the result of a negative progression of health, reproductive and performance problems caused by the contamination. Even a post-mortem examination of a dead cow may yield inconclusive results and could mistakenly be attributed to another cause such as malnutrition or disease. If one suspects a mouldy corn problem on the farm such as mouldy corn is seen coming out of bin or cows are off their feed with visible symptoms such as lack of cud-chewing, loose manure and substantial breeding problems after feeding suspect corn, it is a good idea to take a representative number of corn samples from the bin and send them to a laboratory for mould testing. Mould count tests are inexpensive, yet their usefulness as sound information is limited, since most moulds are not poisonous and it says little about the presence of any mycotoxins in grain corn. A more reliable test called a mould-screen test is very useful in identifying and eliminating mould species and their mycotoxins. If test samples of corn come back positive for mould and mycotoxin such as vomitoxin; one might consider feeding the contaminated corn to dairy cows, but adjusting the nutrient density of the dairy diet, given the bushel weight of the corn. If the corn samples come back with zearalenone, which is detrimental to dairy cattle reproduction, the best solution is not to feed this mouldy corn at all. Although the dangerous dietary threshold is 250 - 300 ppb for dairy cattle, lower concentrations might be equally avoided, because of its potential toxicity to specific groups of cattle, particularly young and pregnant animals. Subsequently, mixing such mouldy corn (re: zearalenone) with ‘clean’ feed is not a good idea, because this does not eliminate the problem and reduces the quality and safety of the available good feed. In situations of vomitoxin, commercial mould binders might offer a suitable solution, when there are no other viable dairy feeds available. Such mould and mycotoxins found in last year’s corn and mixed into a dairy diet might be very harmful to the health and performance of all dairy cattle. It should be our primary job to identify what kind of dangerous moulds and mycotoxins that we are potentially dealing with and keep them out of feed bunk.
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Cutworms Spotted Across the Province By Les Kletke Cutworms have been making their mark across the province and in most crops. Marc Hutlet of Marc Hutlet Seeds reports they have been doing damage in corn crops in the eastern part of the province and Al Manshrek, a farmer by Deloraine, said they have appeared in the southwest as well. “It is the first time I remember spraying for cutworms on our farm,” said Manshrek. “And that goes back to the 1980’s.” As of June 20 he was hopeful that he can control most of the problem and there would not be another cycle of the pest. In the southeast Hutlet says that some of his corn growers had been reporting the insect taking its toll on some corn crop. John Gavloski, the entomologist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (MAFRD) said the insect can cause varying degrees of damage in different crops before reaching the economic threshold. Some crops like flax and peas have the ability to recover and replace the stems that have been cut off by the pests. Canola yield may even increase with a certain amount of pruning of plants. On the MAFRD website Gavloski advises that the amount of canola plants taken by cutworms may not be what provides the maximum plant population for highest yields so producers should consider control measures. In crops like corn there is little chance for the plant to expand into the blank space in the row and the impact of damage may be much higher. John Friesen at Ile-desChêne said that cutworms were causing damage to his corn. “I noticed that there were gaps in the rows and that had not been there before,” said Friesen. “It was not from problems with the planter, we had a good stand and it was deteriorating.” He said that it is too early to access the yield damage that may result but feels it could have impact.
“The crop would come back and fill in the spaces but if conditions are good we can still have a decent crop,” he said. “It is a matter of getting some heat and getting the
plants growing. We saw the crop get off to a slow start last year and them it came along well in August and we had an excellent crop and this point last year I didn’t hold much hope for our corn crop and it turned out well.” MAFRD reports that the grasshopper hatch has already begun and the insects are appearing in most areas of southern Manitoba.
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The Agri Post
June 27, 2014
Honouring the 61st Battalion and the 1916 Allan Cup Champions
‘Manitoba’s Military Heritage’ is the feature attraction for the 60th Manitoba Threshermen’s Reunion & Stampede this year from Thursday, July 24 to Sunday, July 27. To honour this history, the Manitoba Agricultural Museum digitally copied a number of photographs from the collection of Mr. W. Wilson of Gladstone including a postcard of the 1916 Allan Cup Champions, the 61st Overseas Battalion. The 61st Overseas Battalion was raised in Winnipeg in 1915 and while training and waiting to fight the unit put together a hockey team. They played against the Winnipeg Patriotic League in the fall of 1915 and the team progressed to the finals managing to defeat the opposing team the 1915 Allan Cup Champions, the Winnipeg Monarchs. Apparently the movement of the battalion to
Europe was delayed so as to allow the team to participate in the Championship. The 61st then faced challengers for the 1916 Allan cup and defeated in succession the Winnipeg Victorias, Fort William and the Regina Victorias. The battalion was declared the winner of the 1916 Allan Cup that spring. Shortly after, the 61st was transported to Britain. Once there, the unit was broken up and the soldiers in the battalion redistributed to Canadian army units in France as replacements. Many battalions raised on the prairies and the rest of Canada was redistributed once they arrived in Britain even though it was hard on morale. Leadership felt it was better that veteran units could better pass on there experience to new re-enforcements. Four members of the 61st Battalion hockey team eventually went on
to play in the National Hockey League, John ‘Crutchy’ Morrison, Emery ‘Spunk’ Sparrow, Hal Winkler and ‘Bullet Joe’ Simpson. Bullet Joe played six years for the New York Americans and won a Stanley Cup with the team later being elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. ‘Bullet Joe’ was wounded twice while on the Western Front serving with the 43 Battalion Canadian
Expeditionary Force (CEF). Unfortunately, two members of the 1916 hockey team died in action in France. Lieutenant William Alexander Simpson was killed at Hill 70 on August 15, 1917 while with the 8th Battalion CEF and Private David Morrison was killed at Passchendaele on November 6, 1917 while serving with the 31st Battalion CEF. The bodies of neither man were recovered and the
Leasing Can Be More Cost Efficient By Les Kletke Denise Broomfield credits two factors to the increase in leased capital on Canadian farms. “Certainly the increase in the cost of items and the capital required for the business have been a factor but the tax situation is also a significant factor,” said Broomfield who was at the Western Canada Farm Progress Show as part of the company’s exhibit. The fact that 100% of leasing costs are tax deductible in the year they are paid makes it more attractive to farmers who are in a high tax situation. Broomfield’s reasoning explains why leasing is attractive to so many farms, it applies to
those who are in a tight cash flow situation and those who have profits they don’t want to turn over to Canada Revenue Agency. She has been with the firm 15 years and said she has seen a tremendous increase in the amount of agriculture business the company does. “We have seen an increase in agriculture and the company continues to look for other opportunities,” she said. “It has moved into the golf industry and the medical industry in recent years.” Bloomfield said about the only thing the company does not write leases for is vehicles and that is because the auto manufactures have their own programs in place.
“We do write contracts for grain trucks though,” she noted. “We try to fill just about any need their might be on the farm and that includes buildings.” The company does not have individual offices with sales staff but works through existing firms. “Like Valley Agro in Manitoba, they might recommend us to a client and we can set up a program for them,” she said. Broomfield manages business in Manitoba and Saskatchewan and says that the company has guidelines in place for business but tries to be as flexible as possible. “We can do monthly payments but farmers still prefer semi-annual
payments because that works with their cash flow, so a lot of our agricultural contracts are semi-annual,” said Bloomfield. She says some prefer to write contracts on individual items while some farms package all of their leasing requirement into one large contract and make the payment twice a year to look after all of their equipment or buildings. Broomfield added that the leasing business took a dramatic upswing 8-10 years ago and continues today. “It depends on the individual but many farmers are finding leasing makes more sense than buying a piece of equipment and today it is available for just about anything,” she said.
men have no known grave. Their memories live on though. Lieutenant Simpson is listed on the Canadian Memorial at Vimy Ridge and Private Morrison is listed on the Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres. The special event will commemorate the 100th Anniversary of World War I and the 75th Anniversary of World War II with Manitoba’s largest public display of operating
vintage military vehicles in decades, including many unique tracked vehicles. The event will also showcase the current capabilities and role of Canada’s Armed Forces. For more information on the Manitoba Agricultural Museum and the Threshermen’s Reunion and Stampede, see the Museum website or call the Museum office at 204-637-2354.
Fresh Berries Ready in July By Elmer Heinrichs The Prairie Fruit Growers Association (PFGA) is optimistic about the coming season even though some of the crop may not be ready. Spokesman Waldo Thiessen, who also operates Berry Hill Farm near Altona, said the strawberry, raspberry and Saskatoon berry crops will be late, with the first berries ready in the first week of July. ”It’s been a cold winter and a cold spring too, so the first strawberries will likely be ready for picking in the first week of July, even later in parts of northern Manitoba,” added Thiessen. “Raspberries look really good this year, with bees finding them particularly attractive; but all three berries will be ready about the same time, with Saskatoons and raspberries not far behind the strawberries.” Consumers wishing to locate berries can access the Berry Hot Line to find the addresses of various growers and speak directly to growers to check on berry availability, readiness for picking and hours of business. Prairie Fruit Grower brochures with maps are also available from Manitoba’s Growing Forward offices across rural Manitoba, at Canadian Tire stores and at Manitoba tourism offices. Fruit is often available on a ‘pick your own’ basis, but many growers are also prepared to have fruit picked for you at slightly higher cost.
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Primary Ag Sector Somewhat Excluded from Changes to TFWP By Harry Siemens
The Right Tools for Your Business Toolbox Abraham Maslow once said, “If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.” It has been just over three months since I joined Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) and I must say I have learned a lot. What has impressed me the most is the number of key programs and services MBP has been involved in, either through lobbying or helping with development. These programs and services are instrumental in providing options for a changing business world that you, the producer, can use to better manage your risk. Some of the most significant initiatives in which MBP has been instrumental are the Western Livestock Price Insurance program, forage insurance and the Manitoba Livestock Cash Advance program. MBP lobbied for years for the development and implementation of price insurance and in April 2014, the Western Livestock Price Insurance Program became available for Manitoba’s beef producers. The program, administered by Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC), is testing the waters with a four-year pilot project. This risk management tool helps producers navigate market volatility by providing an insurable floor on cattle prices. The program has been well received locally and as of May 29, the number of Manitoba producers that have signed up is at 540, with 381 policies sold. This amounts to 21,982 calves, 13,534 feeders and 131 fed cattle on the program. Even though May 29 was the last day to purchase coverage for calves for settlement this fall, MASC will be taking applications year round on the feeder and fed policies. The revamped MASC Forage Insurance program provides more options and lower premium rates than its predecessor. The old program had limited uptake as it did not meet producers’ needs. MBP worked with MASC to secure changes and provided input into the new program. This tool can provide production and quality coverage on five hay types, as well as flood and enhanced quality options. Plus, at no extra cost, producers can take advantage of the Hay Disaster Benefit that provides added coverage when a severe, province-wide shortfall occurs. Having lived in Manitoba for 14 years, I can say I have seen that happen more than once. I would encourage you to look into this program to see if there is an option that fits your business. The Manitoba Livestock Cash Advance Program was established in 2007 through the hard work of dedicated MBP Directors in consultation with the federal government. This program tool helps producers gain access to cash to meet financial obligations and to improve cash flow. Such a program was needed after the devastating impacts of BSE. Last December, the federal government announced Bill C-18, The Agriculture Growth Act. It amends several pieces of legislation, including the Agricultural Marketing Programs Act (AMPA), under which the Advance Payments Program falls. One of the key changes in Bill C-18 affects the way all cash advance programs (livestock, crops and other commodities) are administered in Canada. Once enacted, these changes mean producers will be able to apply for their various cash advances from one provider instead of having to go to multiple organizations for funds, thereby creating one-stop shopping. A date for this change has not yet been finalized as the legislation is still working its way through Parliament. These programs are just three of the crucial tools that help Manitoba’s beef producers manage the risk that is inherent. I am proud to work for an organization that had the vision to pursue these programs and the fortitude to not give up until they were implemented. I want to mention the recent changes to the Community Pastures Program. In early 2012, after more than 80 years, the federal government announced it was getting out of the grazing business. In June 2012, MBP pulled together stakeholders, particularly the pastures’ Patron Advisory Committee Chairs to examine what could be done to ensure this valuable resource remained a tool for Manitoba producers. Over the next several months a proposed business plan for the nonprofit Association of Manitoba Community Pastures (AMCP) was developed. In late February 2014, the Manitoba government provided funding for three years to transition the land over from federal management to administration by the AMCP. This too is a key tool for producers. With seven of the 24 pastures already transitioning over this year, it secures the 440,000 acres of grazing land for future use. MBP continues to provide input as this transition process rolls out. I look forward to next year when I can reflect back again to see what progress we, as an association and producers, have made and how our industry will change in just 12 short months. Melinda German is the General Manager for Manitoba Beef Producers.
On-farm primary agriculture operations are mostly exempt from the Federal government’s changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). According to Dan Kelly, President of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) Canadian workers will suffer; it will lead to business closures with entire regions excluded, higher costs, and more red tape. Kelly said changes to the TFWP will leave some small businesses completely out of options when it comes to hiring and retaining workers. “We are deeply troubled by the exclusion of entire regions from the program, the quadrupling fees and the government’s seemingly complete disregard for entire sectors of the economy,” he said. “For a government that has made significant strides to reduce the red tape burden on small business, this is a complete 180 degree turn. This change represents a ‘gutting’ of the TFW program for many in the restaurant, hotel and retail sectors and is the most small business unfriendly move ever made by this government.” However, when asked if Kelly sees it affecting farms, he said for the most part the changes exempt primary farms. The government release explains that the on-farm primary agriculture, including the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP), is exempt from the measures, as there are proven acute labour shortages in this industry and the unfilled jobs are truly temporary. The Labour Market Impact Assessment Fee (LMIA) of $1,000 is the cap on low-wage temporary foreign workers, has one-year duration and results in a reduction of the period that a low-wage temporary foreign worker can stay in Canada under the SAWP program only. This is good news for farmers who often require the foreign workers for seasonal work during the year and often find it very difficult to find local workers for temporary jobs. However, it may change the hiring practices for secondary food processing sectors. Kelly said the changes that affect other sectors include the complete exclusion from the program of the hotel, restaurant and retail sectors in regions considered to have ‘high unemployment’ as defined as 6 percent or above. The non-refundable fee that is payable for to the TFWP increased from $275 to $1,000 per position and employers must provide much more documentation. Kelly sees these changes doing nothing to preserve Canadian jobs and is adding more cost for small and medium-sized businesses that use the TFWP to address genuine labour shortages. “Regional jobless rates mean very little to a small business owner who can’t find enough interested workers to keep the doors open,” said Kelly. “Unless the Federal government is prepared to force unemployed Canadians to move to take jobs they don’t want, these changes leave a huge gap for employers. Let’s face it an unemployed computer programmer in Toronto isn’t applying for a job to make pizzas in rural Saskatchewan.” Chuck Davidson, President of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce said, “The changes make it virtually impossible for businesses to use temporary foreign workers.”
Hog FFarmers armers FFace ace Lengthy W ait Before Wait Hiring a Foreign W ork er Work orker By Harry Siemens Even before the Federal government announced the changes to the Temporary Farm Workers Program, hog farmer Cal Penner, a farrow to finish operator in the Argyle area, wants the government to speed up the process of approving the hiring of foreign workers within the Canadian swine industry. Hog farmers called for and passed a resolution at the annual meeting of the Manitoba Pork Council in April asking MPC to explore ways to improve the availability of foreign workers, including the forming of a pool of foreign workers who are ready to come to Canada on short notice. Penner said the biggest problem employers in the hog industry face is the length of time it takes to demonstrate a lack of available domestic workers and then get approval to hire a foreign worker. “Our biggest problem is the process of getting the labour market opinion,” he said. “To qualify for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program you have to show that you can’t find domestic help.” Penner explained the lengthy period as starting with the hog farmer advertising for the job for a minimum of three weeks. If no people apply and the hog farmer can show this, the process of getting the labour market opinion can take up to ten weeks for approval. “So you’ve got maybe two to three months loss there when we’re short staffed even before you can get the approval,” Penner said. “Then the processing of the foreign worker in the other country takes probably another three to four months. So what we’re finding is the whole process, by the time the worker gets here, could be six to eight months and that’s an awful long time to be short staffed.” Penner said there seems to be an interest within government in shortening the waiting times for getting the labour market opinion, however it needs to happen sooner than later.
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Manitoba Shorthorn Association Plays Hosts to National AGM By Adrianne Vandersluis The Manitoba Shorthorn Association was pleased to host the Canadian Shorthorn Association Annual General Meeting recently at Elkhorn Resort. The event was well attended by members from across Canada and began with a BBQ at the Shorthorn Chalet, where members took the opportunity to connect with each other. Guest speaker Sean Thompson gave a presentation on Residual Feed Intake. He explained the goal behind measuring Residual Feed Intake is to identify the cows and bulls that produce, are easy to keep, and are feed efficient animals. The study will help lower input costs, reduce environmental impact and make a high quality product that consumers feel good about buying.
According to Thompson there are some exciting and positive results coming from this area of study. Clayton Robbins, the Executive Director of Manitoba 4-H Council and a recent recipient of the Nuffield Scholarship shared his knowledge on highsugar grasses. His presentation covered high-sugar grasses that may be an excellent alternative for pasture cattle feeding. His enthusiastic presentation had many cattle farmers thinking how to integrate this on their own farming operations. Monty Soules, CEO of the American Shorthorn Association gave a brief overview of where the breed is at and where breeders need to go moving forward. His speech was followed by the Legends of the Breeds Award, which was presented to Poplar Park Farm from Hamiota. John
and Susan Thompson along with their children, William, Sean, Russell and Evelyn have been very active in the Shorthorn breed with the 4-H program, purebred shows such as Agribition, as well as selling quality purebred cattle for many years. Their excellent knowledge of cattle, and generous support for junior members and fellow breeders made them an easy choice for this award. Auctioneer Kolton McIntosh treated the attendees to a live auction of excellent Shorthorn genetics. First on the auction block was the big ticket item for the evening, a buyer’s pick of a 2014 shorthorn heifer calf that was donated by Herbourne Shorthorns of Somerset. Hatfield Shorthorns of Gladstone was top bidder on this item. Also up for auction was semen and embryos with proceeds going towards the AGM and the National Junior Shorthorn show to be held in conjunction with Junior Beef Round Up August 13, in Neepawa.
Above: Recipient of the Legend of the Breed Award was Poplar Park Farm. From left to right: Russell Thompson, Sean Thompson, Ray Armbruster, and John Thompson.
Right: Monty Soules, CEO of the American Shorthorn Association speaking at the banquet Saturday night.
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Nature’s Rodent Control
These fox pups should help keep the rodent population under control near Rivers. The den of six pups could be seen playing early every morning. Photos by Joan Airey
M-COOL Retaliation Gets Closer By Harry Siemens When hog producers and industry representatives get together internationally as they did in Des Moines, Iowa at a recent World Pork Expo, M-COOL discussions was a main topic among the issues for the industry. According to Andrew Dickson, the General Manager of Manitoba Pork Council he said more Americans are recognizing the need to resolve Mandatory Country of Origin Labelling. In late July or early August, it is expected that the World Trade Organization (WTO) will release its ruling on whether changes made to M-COOL in May 2013 brought the United States into compliance with its international treaty obligations. Dickson said he expects Canada to win and the de-
cision would open the door to retaliatory tariffs on imported U.S. products which could start a trade war hurting all three countries. “We emphasized to them that, can we not try to get round that by looking at some alternatives in terms of a solution to M-COOL,” said Dickson. “It became very clear that everybody is waiting to see what the panel will do before taking any further action. We know there’s a growing groundswell in basic opinion amongst industry and politicians that something needs doing to address the matter.” Dickson noted that it is difficult to expect the U.S. government to take action before the WTO decision is announced because this is legislation passed by Congress. He thinks that there is a greater need to move forward by looking at
some alternative legislative vehicles to get some amendments in place. “We also pointed out that we need to get M-COOL out of the way so that we can get back to our normal trading patterns but more importantly we have other issues that we need to deal with like how we are going to coordinate a North American response to a disease outbreak,” he said. “This PEDv outbreak has illustrated that something that happens in the United States will have a direct impact on producers here in Canada, not in just a theoretical sense but actually in practical terms.” In the U.S. there are many organizations voicing their concerns and requesting the right action. Audrey Adamson, the Vice-President for domestic policy with the U.S. National Pork Producers
Council called on the U.S. government to address MCOOL to head off retaliatory trade action. Adamson added that Canada and Mexico have made it clear, if the U.S. loses again, they will retaliate. “This retaliatory action, meaning tariffs on U.S. products coming into both Canada and Mexico; and it is not going to be just pork and beef,” she predicts. “It will be manufactured goods, wine from California, furniture, berries, cherries and other things going into these countries.” Adamson believes it becomes a much broader issue than just a case over the labelling of meat, especially while many countries are in the process of negotiating the Trans Pacific Partnership, which includes Canada and the U.S.
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Read the Contract Before Selling Grain
Don McLean, a farmer at Manitou says do your due diligence before shipping grain to a company you do not know.
By Harry Siemens The new marketing freedom is a good thing as long as farmers continue to use due diligence and sound business practices before you sell their grain. Don McLean, a Manitou farmer, a Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) member and a Director with the producerestablished Boundary Trails Rail Company (BTRC). McLean said they are seeing many grain companies they have never heard of. “Once your grain leaves, you have no control unless you have all your ducks in a row,” McLean said. “Even if you trust the buyer, you need to follow that handshake up with a solid contract. Selling grain to a company you’ve never heard of without a contract is not smart business.” KAP recommends producers use the checklist when selling grain. Insist on a contract, and read the details before signing. In particular, see what the deductions are for changes in grade. Before shipping, keep grain samples and have them graded by an independent third party for reference, in the event of a dispute. The Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) also provides this service. The producer must complete the paperwork with the CGC before they can issue a producer car. Generally, the grain buyer does this, but make sure it is done properly. McLean says the KAP advisory/warning is because of the increased use of producer cars and short lines working, there are many companies starting to put out some really nice bids. “There are many farmers not familiar with the system and with these companies,” he said. McLean says no reports so far of producers getting burned by a company. McLean said the BTRC has had a very good year, one of the best years shipping wise since they started in 2010. “It is due to the competition that we have for our producers with eight companies bidding for mostly Hard Red Spring Wheat right now,” said McLean.
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Versatile Tackles Efficiency and Environmental Emissions
Versatile unveiled its newest addition to the line up, a self propelled sprayer that went into production earlier this year. Photo by Les Kletke
By Les Kletke Most farmers would agree that the greatest concern in the industry today is the environment. Annette Kroeker of Versatile agrees and says that the environment can mean many things especially when talking about the company’s newest machine, the model SX240 and SX 280 self propelled sprayers. The company began producing sprayers under its own name in 2009 after the acquisition of U.S. sprayer manufacturer Redball and this is the first model fully developed by Versatile’s engineers. “We have basically the same cab as on our tractors and that gives much more visibility,” she said, “There is more room in the cab. Now there’s room for a full trainer’s seat.” She chuckles at what used to be called the buddy seat that can no longer be referred to as that. The new seat is now intended for training of a new operator. The unit is equipped with a Cummins engine that meets current emission standards, a significant issue for the company. “It is what’s called a Tier 4 interim rating,” said Kroeker who works in the company’s service department. “That meets current requirements.” Not only is the cab of the unit larger than previous models marketed by the company, a narrow consol was designed to increase operator visibly and controls are mounted to the side. The side windows also give an increased view of the booms when in transport position. Kroeker laughed when questioned on what the firm had purchased this year and acknowledged that there had been an aggressive expansion of the company in recent years. “We have added several companies that have increased the line of equipment we offer, but that has slowed a bit,” she noted. “This year the sprayer is the new item and we are very excited about it.” The unit has been in development for several years and 2014 is the first production year of the sprayer. “It is in production and we have some units out in the field,” said Kroeker. “We will be evaluating them as the year goes on but we believe that operators will be happy with the increased size and visibility from the cab.” The tanks and booms are designed to give the operator maximum efficiency and options for product application and reduce the environmental challenges while applying the spray.
Telling the Farm Story on Twitter
Will Bergmann, a grain, special crops and hog farmer, took this picture on May 23 when he was back in the fields seeding after a four-day rain delay.
By Harry Siemens Will Bergmann is a farmer, a musician, a photographer and loves seeing passionate people, apples, bold coffee and conversation. Bergmann, part of Bergmann Brothers, south of Winnipeg was like so many other farmers hoping to cash in on the winter wheat seeded last fall however, it did not make it through the very cold winter. “Sounds like the people who planted it into longer stubble may have faired a little bit better than those with shorter stubble,” said Bergmann bent on making sure his spring
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Canola Struggling in Wet Fields By Les Kletke The province’s canola crop is struggling to get a good footing after the cool spring and excess moisture across the province has kept the crop back as well. Bruce Friesen farms at Portage and had 1,200 acres of canola that he describes as behind in growth compared to where it should be for the end of June. “We had some problems getting in the ground,” he said wryly. “We used conventional methods for most of it but had to use a floater to get some of it on and then when the ground dried we could harrow it in,” he said. The extreme methods work but, are not as forgiving as normal seeding. “I don’t know what normal is any more, we have had so many challenges and it seems that each year brings something new. In the past, fellows have seeded by plane and harrowed it in and got a good crop but, this year things got wetter and the crop didn’t get out of the ground and growing,” said Friesen. The lateness of the canola crop has impacted gardens and market gardeners as flea beetles which would normally feed on a growing canola crop were forced to find other food sources. The beetles have made their way to gardens and feeding on other canola related crops. “Yeh, you know the crop is slow when the flea beetles have to move into gardens,” said Friesen with a gloomy chuckle. “We really need some dry weather to get the crop up and growing, canola is pretty good at recovering and even a weak stand can produce a good crop if conditions are right, but that’s not the case.” He said the crop that has emerged would be enough for a decent crop but the hope of a bumper crop has already faded. “We had a great crop last year and that raised the bar, but we know that we won’t be close to that this year, the stand is just not there and we are moving into summer with a crop that is well behind normal. If we get a lot of heat on it when it’s flowering we know that is going to kick the yield even more.” Friesen is hopeful that the weather will allow the crop to establish itself and produce an average yield, “It’s not going to be the crop of last year, but we still have hope for an average crop if things smarten up.”
Riverton Flax and Fibre Processor Expands its European Market In a recent speech at the Canadian Ambassador to France’s residence to a Manitoba delegation, the Provincial Government announced its support for a joint project that will see increased flax production and fibre processing in Manitoba, as well as new research and development that will make the province a North American leader in the bio-composites industry. “Manitoba is a major flax production centre and we are looking ahead to new markets including composites,” said Premier Greg Selinger. “These agreements with partners in Normandy will help our province continue to be at the forefront of the industry.” EcoTechnilin, a U.K. based company that specializes in non-woven composite materials made of natural fibres that are mixed with polypropylene, signed an agreement this week with Manitoba’s Erosion Control Blanket based in Riverton, to market its needlepunched, non-woven mats manufactured in its Normandy, France plant. Erosion Control Blanket makes blankets and mats from straw to protect grass seed and topsoil. “In the next several years, we are expecting $2 million sales of this green biomaterial,” said Mark Myrowich, owner of Erosion Control Blanket. “There is tremendous opportunity and potential in this field. We anticipate building a new matting facility in Manitoba as sales continue to grow.” Selinger also advised that Composites Innovation Centre (CIC) in Winnipeg is developing FibreCity, a unique facility in Canada to evaluate and grade natural fibres for biomaterial applications. The premier noted in particular the work of Sean McKay, Executive Director of CIC, for his leadership in bringing together these new partnerships. wheat, oats, canola and corn get in on time. “My attitude is the same as every year going forward with an unlimited number of possibilities that can happen,” he said. “I put my best foot forward at all times, a smile on my face and really excited to see what this year holds again.” While farming cereals and special crops the Bergmann brothers continue to raise about 3,000 pigs each year before sending them off to market. “I think it is important that farms can diversify and get into different markets all the time and some days the grain is good and the hogs aren’t so good and some days vice versa whatever you can spread the love around is a good thing,” he said. Good decision making by his father and his brothers through the years put them in a good position to weather the storm of the last three to five years in the hog business. “It is a good time to be back in hogs for price wise; obviously there is the scare of the virus, hopefully we can weather that storm too,” said Bergmann. “I think everyone has to concentrate on tighter bio-security and that isn’t an option anymore.” His passion form farming is relayed to others through Twitters. “Twitter is a phenomenal tool focusing on what people have to say around the world,” said Bergmann. “I know I guy in the UK real well and I see how they interact there on a Twitter account called Club Hectare and I want to start something like that in Canada. Club hectare is a hashtag you can follow and know you are talking to people of similar occupation; not necessarily the same mind set.” He described a similar account on Twitter called ‘Farmers of Canada’ moderated by a person from the east coast. Every week, a different person in the agricultural community moderates the account by tweeting about what is happening on their farm with pictures, and answering questions that farmers and non-farmers may have. “Non ag people are following just to learn and understand what is happening on farms these days,” he said.
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Western Provinces See Dryer Sales Picking Up By Les Kletke James Tully and Darden Connelly are not afraid to rock the boat a bit, though that might not be the right phrase to use around farmers at this time. The pair work for Western Grain Dryer out of Elie, Manitoba and were at the Farm Progress Show in Regina offering a Winnipeg Blue Bomber sweatshirt as a door prize at the company’s booth. A brave move when it seems that at least every third visitor to the show was sporting Saskatchewan Roughrider garments. The pair took some good natured ribbing from several passers-by but faced serious questions from many producers. The lateness of this year’s crop across western Canada and excessive moisture conditions in many areas, had producers thinking grain dryer already. Tully said that a dryer is not viewed as much of a last resort as it once was. “We are building grain handling systems for farmers where they are including a dryer or we are replacing an existing dryer and in some cases we are putting up a dryer where a farmer has a few existing bins,” said Tully. The firm services all three Prairie Provinces. He said the company has seen steady growth westward with the expansion of corn acres to western Manitoba and into Saskatchewan. “There is no doubt that increased corn acres have affected our sales,” he said. “We see more and more interest in the crop from Saskatchewan and producers are looking at building a system that incorporates a dryer and can handle a much higher volume of crop then they did in the past.” He noted that it is not only corn producers that consider dryer standard equipment on today’s farm yard. “Larger operations are including a dryer and while they might not have to use it every year, it is there for the years they need it,” said Tully. “We also do a significant amount of work on existing systems,” said Connolly. “We are one of the few companies that carry parts for Vertex and Ibec dryers and we service those systems.”
Darden Connolly of Western Grain Dryer, takes some good natured ribbing about the Blue Bomber sweatshirt the company offered as a door prize at Canadian Farm Progress Show. Photo by Les Kletke
With wet conditions across western Canada and farmers already thinking about a difficult harvest with a crop that is struggling in wet conditions, Connolly may be a soothsayer for dryers that have not been used for a few years and will be hard pressed into service.
Pork Producer Survey was Key for the Swine Traceability Initiative By Harry Siemens During Manitoba Pork Council’s (MPC) AGM, the council reported that information gathered in a 2012 producer survey is playing a key role in developing the infrastructure needed to accommodate swine traceability. The survey, collected information not only to help represent producers while discussing issues with governments it was used to update producer contact information and used by the provincial agriculture department to assign premise identification numbers for hog producers. Arnie Thorlacius, the Services Coordinator with MPC said they received excellent producer participation in the survey. Over 90 percent of producers with an active Canadian Quality Assurance account filled out a registration. “We also received registrations from producers that are not necessarily active on CQA, or from people that were not necessarily still in the industry or were planning on exiting. So, we actually have a larger number of responses than we have active premises at this point but, in terms of CQA registered premises, we’re just over 90 percent,” said Thorlacius. “All of the producers that have filled out a registration with us should have a premises ID number now. He stated that the premises ID numbers serve an important role in the new traceability program starting on July 1. Producers that haven’t received a premises ID number must contact his office so they can have one in place before the new regulation comes into effect. Jeff Clark, the Manager of PigTrace Canada explained to members at MPC’s AGM that both shippers and receivers must report movements. With less than a month to go Clark said custodians of pigs must familiarize themselves with new requirements for reporting pig movements in Canada and the tools in place to do so. Under Canada’s Health of Animals Act anyone moving pigs must report those movements to the PigTrace Canada
Jeff Clark, the Manager of PigTrace Canada, an initiative of the Canadian Pork Council, told members attending the Manitoba Pork Council’s AGM that both shippers and receivers must report movements.
“Under the new regulation both shippers and receivers of pigs must report those movements within seven days.” database said Thorlacius; “Under the new regulation both shippers and receivers of pigs must report those movements within seven days.” “We are targeting to get that information reported as soon as possible, hopefully real time,” said Clark. “We have a lot of electronic based tools that can help facilitate movement reporting as quickly as possible including a mobile application, a desktop application on the web, different programming instructions for programmers to link commercial herd management software with PigTrace and we also have a toll free number.” Clark said they realize not everyone has the technology to do it electronically but it does save Pig Trace a lot of time and effort and reduces traceability errors. “That is the departure and destination locations, the date and time of loading and unloading, the number of animals as well as the vehicle licence plate and any animal identifiers that must go on the animals,” Clark explained on the types of pig movements. According to Clark, the swine traceability program should give Canada’s pork industry an advantage in terms of animal disease response, food safety and market access.
Aggressive Timetable Set for Canada-Korea FTA The Canadian pork and beef industries welcomed the news that the Federal government tabled the text of the Canada-Korea Free Trade (FTA) Agreement in the House of Commons. “The Canadian pork industry is pleased that the Canadian and South Korean governments are working toward an aggressive timetable to bring the agreement into force,” stated Canada Pork Council Chair, Jean-Guy Vincent. “The tabling of the Canadian-Korean FTA text is a clear demonstration of the commitment to bring the agreement into force for January 1, 2015.” “We are extremely fortunate to have excellent animal health status, a good supply of high quality feed grains, a very low animal population density and a strong reputation all over the world as a supplier of safe high quality pork,” added Jean-Guy Vincent. “Canada is a globally competitive and successful producer and exporter of pork and pork products. The key factor to sustaining our success is the ability to access a wide variety of markets.” The FTA will allow the pork industry the possibility of being on an equal footing with the United States, the European Union and Chile which already have free trade deals in place. Without an FTA, Canada’s $223 million of pork trade in 2011, $129 million of pork trade in 2012 and $76 million in 2013 would continue to disappear. South Korea has always been a top 5 market and the high value of the items sold there, such as chilled (shoulder) butts and bellies, is significant enough to have a major impact on Canadian hog prices and jobs in both the farming and processing sectors should Canada lose access to the market. An American study evaluated the benefits for the US pork sector of the FTA between US and Korea at US $10 per hog. According to the pork industry the benefits for the Canadian pork industry of a Canadian FTA with South Korea should be similar. The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) also welcomed the news. CCA Vice President and Foreign Trade Chair, Dan Darling, urged the Government of Canada’s efforts to get the FTA implemented in time to avoid the U.S. gaining another year’s tariff reduction ahead of Canada. “It is critical for the Canadian beef sector that the agreement be implemented by January 1 or earlier so that we can keep pace with our U.S. and Australian competitors,” Darling said. Under the terms of the agreement, the 40 per cent Korean tariff on fresh and frozen beef will be fully eliminated in 15 equal annual steps and the 18 per cent tariff on offal will be fully eliminated in 11 equal annual steps. Since the U.S. implemented its own FTA with Korea in 2012, it has enjoyed an increasing tariff advantage on beef exports. Australia also reached a FTA with Korea in December 2013 and is working to implement it as soon as possible. In 2002, Korea was a $40 million market for Canadian beef and its fourth largest export destination. In 2013, with a growing tariff disadvantage relative to U.S. beef, Canada’s exports dropped to $7.8 million. The ability to get every piece of the animal to the highest value market is what maximizes the price that farmers receive for their cattle. In particular, the aggressive phase-out for Canadian offal exports to Korea will enable us to derive more value in Korea for those items than they command in North America. “Tabling the text of the agreement in Parliament will allow the CCA and all Canadians to fully examine its provisions,” said Darling. “The next step will be for the Government to introduce an implementation bill in Parliament for passage before the end of the year and for the Koreans to do likewise.”
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The Next Generation Carries On By Les Kletke Jerrod Wilson was in Regina for Western Canada Farm Progress show and polishing the newest piece of equipment for the Wilson farm but it was not new by any means. “Dad, remember when your Dad bought a new Versatile 145, he was 8 years old and rode home in the cab from Morden with grandpa,” recollected Wilson, who farms with his two Jerrod Wilson of Rathwell (right of brothers and father at Rathwell. tractor) put the final touches on a The tractor he was polishing for Versatile 145 the family has restored. It the antique tractor display was not was part of the antique tractor display the same one, but the same model at Canada Farm Progress Show. as his grandfather had bought. Photo by Les Kletke The ride home had an impact on Ian Wilson and he decided to restore a tractor like the first 4 wheel drive that came to the Wilson farm. “Dad always said if he found one like it he would restore it, he found this one in Montana and bought it. We had it restored and painted and this is the first time it has been off the farm,” said Wilson. “We’ll take it to a few local parades this summer.” Versatile began producing the 145 at its Winnipeg plant in 1967 and at the time its 180 hp made it a giant in the field. The company continued to produce the model for several years into the 1970’s. The one purchased by Allan Wilson did duty on the Wilson farm for several years but then gave way to a larger more modern model. More than tractors have changed on the Wilson farm, crop rotation has evolved as well. “We grow corn and edible beans as well as canola and wheat,” explained Wilson who completed a Diploma in Agriculture at the University of Manitoba this year. The farm maintains traditional crops like rye as well, “But, only when we get a good price for it.” Wilson acknowledges that rye and edible beans seem a strange mix on a single farm. Though both crops do well on lighter soil, rye was used mainly as a conservation measure in previous years. “Now we grow it when we have a good contract price,” he said. “We do grow more row crops like the corn and beans.” Wilson said the farm was able to get everything seeded this year and crops seem to be off to good start with more than adequate moisture. After seeding, he had found the time to take the farm’s ‘new’ Versatile 145 to Regina and be a part of the activity in the Antique Tractor Show.
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Farmers Take Action on Rail Service The Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA) has filed a Level of Service Complaint with the Canadian Transportation Agency, contending that Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway did not fulfill their common carrier obligations for the movement of western Canadian grains and oilseeds this crop year. “The breakdown of the western Canadian rail transportation system this year is completely unacceptable for grain producers,” said Brett Halstead, President of CCGA and a farmer from Nokomis, Saskatchewan. “Ultimately, it is farmers who are bearing the cost of this supply chain failure.” CCGA has filed its complaint referencing sections 113 through 116 of the Canada Transportation Act, which states that the railways shall provide ‘adequate and suitable’ accommodation for all traffic presented to it for carriage. “The 2013-14 shipping record shows just how inadequate the railways have been in meeting the needs of grain shippers,” continued Halstead. “Farmers simply cannot tolerate a repeat of this year’s events.” Halstead cited a number of consequences farmers are facing as a result, including, unprecedented carryout stocks that will negatively impact the markets for several years to come, a sustained wide basis and a potential shrinking or loss of international markets due to perceived vulnerability and ineffectiveness of the Canadian supply chain. “A Level of Service complaint is a serious undertaking, but in the face of the dismal rail system performance it is farmers’ only recourse,” said Rick White, CEO of CCGA. “The railways cannot continue to restrict the commercial success of the Canadian grain sector and the broader national economy to fit their business plans or their historic approach to operations.” The Canadian Transportation Agency will investigate the complaint and issue a determination within 120 days of receiving the complaint. “We have compelling arguments that the railways have failed in their statutory service obligations, and we are asking the Agency for a decision,” said White. “This complaint is about clarifying the statutory obligations of the railways to provide suitable and adequate service, now and for the future.” The Wheat Growers are expecting a positive ruling from the Agency, given the railways’ poor grain shipping performance this year. Until recently, the pace of grain shipments this crop year was below the pace of the previous year, even though the 2013 crop was 34% larger than the 2012 crop. “We applaud the Canola Growers for taking this action on behalf of all prairie farmers,” said Levi Wood, President of the Wheat Growers. “Given the performance of the railways this year, we’re glad to see the Canola Growers step up to the plate and hold them to account.” A positive ruling from the Agency will establish that the railways have an obligation to increase capacity to meet grain shipping demand. A negative ruling would point to a need to strengthen transportation legislation to ensure the requirements of the grain sector are met.
Wheat Growers See Biotechnology Research Good for the Crop Sixteen organizations from Australia, Canada and the United States including farmers and millers re-confirmed support for innovation in wheat, including the potential future commercialization of traits developed through the use of biotechnology. In 2009 farm groups in Canada, Australia and the U.S. joined to support research investment aimed at improving wheat yield and value. The effort was prompted by a growing concern regarding the future supply of this critical crop and because of a growing gap between investment in wheat research and investment in other crops, especially in corn, oilseed crops and cotton. “Canadian farmers have seen tremendous benefits from the introduction of biotechnology in canola, soybeans and corn,” said Levi Wood, President of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association (WCWGA). “We want to gain those same advantages in wheat.” The group believes advanced breeding will help protect the continued availability of wheat foods, which represents 20 percent of human caloric intake. The introduction of biotechnology in wheat will contribute to a more profitable and sustainable industry as the technology will offer farmers the ability to produce more wheat using less fertilizer, pesticides and fuel. This technology will also lead to new wheat varieties with an improved nutritional profile and a greater ability to withstand environmental stresses such as crop diseases, insect infestations, drought, excess moisture, and cold weather. The WCWGA recognizes that biotechnology is only one tool toward improvement in wheat yields and quality. Improvements in germplasm, agronomics and management will also be key to greater productivity and profitability gains in wheat. “Farmers around the world have embraced biotechnology as a safe and profitable way to produce more food using less inputs,” explained Wood. “Our goal is to make sure western Canadian farmers gain access to the benefits of this technology.” Signatories encourage the governments of wheat producing and importing countries to maintain sound, science-based regulatory systems as well as to adopt reasonable low level presence policies to minimize trade disruptions. For the same reason, the groups stated they will work toward the goal of synchronized commercialization of biotech traits in wheat in the three countries. All signatories have also agreed that customer choice remains paramount. The organizations envision wheat derived from advances in biotechnology coexisting with wheat developed using more traditional plant breeding methods. We believe our current production, grain handling, exporting and processing sectors are able to meet specific customer demands. Currently there is no commercial production in Canada, or anywhere in the world, of wheat varieties developed utilizing biotechnology. Development is still at the early stages of a process that could last up to a decade before any wheat trait developed utilising biotechnology is commercialized.
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Bio-Security Measures and Pig Code Gives Canadian Producers an Advantage By Harry Siemens When Dr. John Carr, an international livestock consultant and veterinarian living in England, read the Canadian Draft Pig Code of Ethics in June 2013, he said Canada could well be at a significant disadvantage if the hog industry followed the draft recommendations. In a recent follow up with Dr. Carr at a producer meeting in Portage la Prairie he said he actually likes the new revised Pig Code. “In truth it actually looks okay,” he said. “There is very little of it I totally disagree with and some of the issues we raised, they addressed in the rewrite.” In Carr’s view, the fact producers can keep sows in a breeding stall area until confirmed pregnant as in 28 days plus seven will be beneficial. “Even in Europe, we can still have sows in stalls until confirmed pregnant,” he said. “I have various
Dr. John Carr speaking to hog producers at a recent meeting in Portage la Prairie, MB organized by Nutrition Partners tells producers it is not about how many hogs they sell, but about what it costs them to bring those hogs to market.
breeding technologies which we need to be able
to use which really work on the fact that you can keep a sow in a stall for that first critical 28 days because the pigs don’t tend to like each other very much.” He told producers that he has many concerns about the PED virus outbreak in the U.S. “It is highly contagious, highly infectious and it is almost how, has Canada stayed relatively free?” he questioned. “Some of these things don’t really add up. I appreciate we have a slight problem on a couple of farms, but I was dubious and can buy in to the blood plasma in that particular case possibly being the cause.” He suspects what possibly happened is that they batch feed and somehow the blood plasma didn’t process correctly. While doubtful in his mind, blood plasma is the cause, but if it is, then obviously blood plasma is the risk. However, soon as there’s one case, everyone would have it, but
that is clearly not true he said. He knows hog farmers in Europe use American blood plasma, but Europe is negative to the current U.S. virus problem. That is good news in some respects. He’s hoping if Canada can dampen down PED cases and it does not spread, there is a good chance it will be contained. With a little bit more tightening of biosecurity, a little more care and concern, who knows, Canada could well stay free of a massive PEDv outbreak. His experiences with PED in Asia have shown that hog industry stakeholders can not remove any of the precautions even if there have not been any new cases for a month or so. Dr. Carr added that PEDv is a disaster for the industry and the spread of the virus should not be belittled, however on the other hand he believes the industry can control the spread.
Game Changing Projects Planned for Swine Research The Canadian Swine Research and Development Cluster also known as Swine Innovation Porc (SIP), received $13 million in funding from the Growing Forward 2 program. The funds will support strategic research to enhance competitiveness, drive innovation and promote the long-term growth and sustainability of the Canadian swine industry. “Swine Innovation Porc has become an organization with a deep understanding of science innovation that is relevant to its partners’ needs,” stated SIP’s Chair, Stewart Cressman. “The federal government’s contribution together with contributions from industry and direct investments from provincial pork industry groups to this cluster bring the total investment to $17 million.” “This investment in the Swine Research Cluster will allow our industry to engage the best Canadian scientists on critical production and product issues,” said Jean-Guy Vincent, Chair of the Canadian Pork Council (CPC). “Our focus is on research that is aimed at reducing cost and creating more ‘game changers’ through greater and quicker innovation breakthroughs that will further strengthen our industry.” Fifteen research projects have been identified with objectives related to meeting consumer demands, enhancing disease resilience, promoting animal welfare by looking at reducing production and feed costs, increasing product attributes and prices, accelerating knowledge transfer and enhancing adaptability and sustainability. SIP is committed to provide national leadership in coordinating and facilitating research, knowledge transfer and commercialization initiatives to enhance the competitiveness of the Canadian swine industry.
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Temporary Plant Brown-Outs Planned by Maple Leaf By Harry Siemens Maple Leaf Foods in Brandon is cutting processing time by one day per month, for the next five months. “This temporary brownout is because of a lack of market hogs. This situation will not improve until producers build more barns to produce market hogs,” said Karl Kynoch, Chair of Manitoba Pork Council (MPC). Kynoch said producers will invest in new barns but the current environmental regulations are killing that investment opportunity. “We have better technologies that protect the environment, but are more cost effective for producers,” he said. Iain Stewart, a Senior Vice-President for Maple Leaf Foods says the five day brownouts are for one day a month, over the next five months and is not a big deal but the lack of supply is. “You will see it a lot in the U.S. in the next little while where many of the plants will cut back on production
as it relates to the PED virus and lack of hogs,” said Stewart. The temporary slow down for the Maple Leaf plant in Brandon is related to the number of hogs available in the summer, from about May through September. “In this case it is the seasonal drop, but also attached to the fact, there are less hogs available in western Canada,” said Stewart. “A lot of people left the industry based on the last three years of unprofitable and challenging times for producers and the government buyout just before that, allowing producers to cash out and get out of the business.” “Karl is right in that, but let’s be honest, people aren’t about to pour a bunch of money into losing ventures either,” he said. “Now farmers are making good money on hogs
and now if they want to expand they’d be up against those concerns that Karl is raising.” Maple Leaf Foods in Brandon is processing at 75 percent of where they would normally like to be around this time of year. The plant can process about 90 thousand hogs a week and instead were at 86,000 a week. “That plant can actually do a lot more than that, about 106,000, but we’d have to make some adjustments environmentally on the plant side,” said Stewart. Over the past five to six years the number of finished pigs produced in Manitoba has dropped by about three quarters of a million pigs per year while the number of baby pigs shipped to the U.S. has fallen by about two million pigs per year. Kynoch said Manitoba could raise another 1.5 million more pigs per year just to allow the packers to reach full capacity which would also help them compete with U.S. plants.
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Agriculture, Agri-Food Canada Projects Smaller Crop Year By Elmer Heinrichs The market analysis group of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada provides a June outlook for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 crop years in Canada beginning on August 1. The outlook is based on the Statistics’ Canada report and indicates the total area seeded is expected to increase slightly due to lower area in summer fallow. A significant increase in the area seeded to pulses and special crops is forecasted to more-than offset a slight decrease in area seeded to grains and oilseeds. Assuming normal rates of abandonment, across all crops, average yields are expected to decline, on trend, by about 15 per cent to a more normal level compared to 2013. Due to the decline in yields, total crop production in Canada is forecast to decrease by 17 per cent to 81.2 metric tonnes (Mt.) Carry-in stocks from the 2013 crop will be a major component in supply which is expected to decline only slightly. Carry-out stocks are expected to decrease significantly from the 2013-14 level. For grains and oilseeds, due to lower production, supply is forecast to decrease by about three per cent but exports are expected to increase while domestic use increases marginally. As a result, carry-out stocks of grains and oilseeds are expected to decrease by 23 per cent to 16.3 Mt, only slightly higher than the average of the previous 10 years which was 14.4 Mt. For pulses and special crops, production and supply are forecast to be similar to the 2013 level however, as lower domestic use more-than offsets higher exports, carryout stocks are expected to rise to 0.8 Mt, largely dry peas. In general, abundant world grain supplies are expected to continue to pressure world prices and a weak Canadian dollar that is anticipated to remain at a 10-15 per cent discount to the US dollar should provide some support to prices in Canada. In general, average grain prices in Canada are forecast to be similar to, or slightly lower than, prices for crop year 2013-14. In the 2013-14 crop year, production of grains and oilseeds (G&O) increased to 90.1 Mt, 27 per cent higher than the previous year and production of pulses and special crops (P&SC) increased to 6.4 Mt, 14 per cent higher than the previous year. Although the increase in supply, combined with a very cold winter in western Canada, created a number of issues related to grain transportation and storage, exports of grains and oilseeds are expected to increase by about 8 per cent to almost 40 Mt, representing 45 per cent of production.
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Big Bluestem Declared Manitoba’s Official Grass The Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association (MFGA) is giving the province of Manitoba full marks for the recent selection of Big Bluestem as Manitoba’s official grass. “When it comes to grass species, one could say the Big Bluestem is at or near the apex of all tall grass prairie categories,” said Wanda McFadyen, MFGA Executive Director. “The tall leafy grass species is great for forage, has high conservation and reclamation values, provides excellent soil and wind erosion control and is utilized as valuable wildlife shelter.” Big Bluestem was named as the province’s official grass, alongside the Walleye as the province’s fish and the Plains Bison as the province’s mammal. “Historically, Big Bluestem were among the native grasses grazed on by bison when they roamed our prairies centuries ago,” said McFadyen. “To this day, big bluestem remains high quality forage in Manitoba for all livestock.” McFadyen hopes the province’s announcement will help build awareness around Manitoba’s grasslands and the valuable and necessary ecosystem services that it provides. “Grasslands are such a critical part of Manitoba’s agricultural scene whether they are native grasslands that are still in place or forages,” said McFadyen. “Grasslands are critical to the development and promotion of sustainable hay, forage and livestock industry and the protection of our land, waterways and wildlife diversity.” McFadyen explained that the producers looking for forage and grassland solutions are quick to learn and quick to act once they are up to speed on programs available. “I think more producers are starting to understand that with more tools in their tool box to manage the various grassland scenarios on their operation, that they are not only seeing diversity in the area of sustainability but economic benefits as well,” she said. “And we think that’s great. We need more forages and grasslands. The province’s acknowledgement of Big Bluestem is a great step in the right direction for higher awareness about our grasslands and native prairie ecosystems, which are some of the most threatened ecosystems on the continent.”
Nominations open for Pollinator Conservation Award The Pollinator Partnership (P2), Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) and Canadian Forage and Grassland Association (CFGA) are pleased to announce the call for nominations for the 2014 Canadian Farmer-Rancher Pollinator Conservation Award. Individuals or families in Canada currently implementing pollinator protection measures on their farm or ranch are encouraged to apply. The award recognizes farmers and ranchers who have made significant efforts in conserving natural ecosystems, fostering additional pollinator habitat and protecting pollinators on Canadian farms and ranches. Nominations are open until July 11, 2014. The recipient of the 2014 award will be recognized during an evening reception at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington D.C. on October 21, and will also be featured in various industry publications across Canada. “We know the farming community is already contributing to conservation efforts on working landscapes. The award is an opportunity to showcase these efforts and share ideas,” noted CFA President Ron Bonnett. “Pollinators are incredibly important to our food supply. A thriving pollinator system and agricultural practices can exist simultaneously; this award and the applications demonstrate that,” said P2 Research Director, Victoria Wojcik. CFGA Environment Committee Co-Chair, Chad Anderson, added, “Farmers and ranchers are best positioned to maintain pollinator populations. We are pleased to be a part of this award as it recognizes the value agriculture producers make to providing healthy landscapes.” More information about the award, including the nomination form can be found at pollinator.org.
Agricultural Adaptation Program Renewed Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has renewed the five-year Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP) to help the sector continue to adapt and remain competitive. Under CAAP (2014 – 2019), over $50 million will be available for projects that are led by the industry to help the sector seize opportunities, respond to emerging issues, investigate and pilot approaches to deal with new and ongoing challenges. The renewed program will enable the agricultural industry to be more proactive and tackle unforeseen challenges, similar to the projects pursued by Pulse Canada and the Flax Council of Canada that received funding under the previous CAAP program (2009 – 2014). “Funding from the CAAP program for the Pulse Flour Milling Project enabled the industry to investigate and develop optimal processing techniques to produce pulse flours for a variety of food product applications,” explained Gordon Bacon, CEO of Pulse Canada. “This work is paving the way for greater value-added processing of pulses in Canada and is creating new opportunities for pulses in a wide range of processed foods.” “The financial contribution from AAFC, through the CAAP program, allowed the Canadian flax industry to develop and implement a comprehensive farm stewardship, export testing and market awareness program that was instrumental in reopening the export market in the EU, Japan and Brazil,” said William Hill, President, Flax Council of Canada. “The financial support from CAAP made this industry-led initiative possible and has allowed flax growers in Canada continued access to these export markets.” Applications will be accepted on a continuous basis until funds are fully utilized over the duration of the five-year program. All projects must be either national or sector-wide in scope.
German Publication Gets Geography Lesson and Customized “Tour” By Les Kletke Sometimes it is easier to take the Mountain to Mohamed, and then have Mohamed come to the Mountain (with apologies for political incorrectness). Bruce Nesbit is the Export Manager for MacDon Industries and says when he was contacted by a German farm publication about a group touring the company’s facility in Winnipeg he was pleased to plan a visit for them. “The publication was bringing a group to Regina for Farm Progress and wanted to visit our plant, they did not realize the distances involved in travelling in Canada,” he says with a chuckle, “So we put together an event in Regina, with a couple of other companies.” Nesbit says the company is looking to increase its market share in Germany particularly with its draper header. “Some of the equipment we make is large for the Germany market but we think the draper header would be a good fit,” he says, “We gave the group an overview of the company and we hope they stop by the booth to see our products and we will go from there. One of the group who identified his self as Hans said that the trip was proving extremely valuable and the technology of farming around the world is similar, “There are things that we see here which apply to our farms in Germany even though we are much smaller, and the opposite is true, North Americans have been adopting management systems that we have used in Europe for years.” He sees the exchange increasing as technology and information flows even more freely. “We have farmers traveling back and forth, but the internet allows farmers to see what is happening anywhere in the world and they are always searching for new technology that will apply to their farms.” Eilbote is the magazine that organized the tour is a German magazine that prides itself in providing the most up to date technical information on land management and machinery. It offered the trip to its readers and had some technical writers on the trip as well. Hans said the trip was more of an exploratory trip than a shopping trip, “We are here to look at things and see what we can apply to our situation at home, and we will make the contacts and might be buying in the future but not today.” The shopping approach was one held by more than just the international visitors.
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Profitable Pest Management Early weeds, insects above thresholds, and sclerotinia stem rot in a moist summer are three situations where canola growers are likely to get a good return from a pest management investment. However, not all situations provide such economic clarity. In some situations spray applications may not provide a return on investment. A pre-seed burn off and one early in-crop herbicide application are often enough to remove the economic threat from weeds. As long as canola plant populations are on target, the crop should have enough ground cover to out-compete any subsequent weeds. “Second in-crop applications may make the crop look cleaner but, they often do not provide an economic return and weeds left to escape do not contribute significantly to weed seed banks,” explained Gregory Sekulic, Agronomy Specialist for the Canola Council of Canada. If made after the recommended leaf staging of the crop, second applications can also injure the crop enough to reduce yields. Blackleg that infects early is most likely to cause economic yield loss later in the season. According to, unpublished Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) study results from the past few years there is no economic benefit to early-season fungicides for blackleg control, except
when susceptible crops are grown under high blackleg pressure. “Until there is third party data that clearly demonstrates improvement in yield from a fungicide use in absence of disease, we suggest that blackleg fungicides only be used in situations with high blackleg pressure and when varieties are susceptible,” Sekulic said. An important management step with blackleg is to scout at harvest for obvious signs of damage and look to crop rotation and different varieties if improved management is required. The ideal economic herbicide timing often occurs before flea beetle control is warranted and holding off herbicide until flea beetle feeding gets serious could be costly. In the case of cutworms, target sprays as opposed to full field coverage are often enough. Most other insects rarely cause economic damage this early in the season. “It may only cost a few dollars an acre to add an insecticide to the herbicide tank mix, but that cost comes right off your profit margin if there are not enough insects to cause economic harm,” Sekulic said. “This practice also causes unnecessary damage to beneficial insects.” Natural insect predators can stop pest insect threats from escalating and may prevent the need for sprays later in the season. One good example is the Diadegma Insulare, a para-
Bee Sector Set to RRamp amp Up Biosecurity and Food Safety Communications The Canadian Honey Council (CHC) recently updated its Canadian Bee Industry Safety Quality program, and a federal grant of $340,000 will enable them to develop various communication, training and outreach materials that will help Canadian beekeepers access the information and tools needed to maintain high standards for food safety and bee biosecurity within their beekeeping operations. Formed in 1940 as the Canadian Beekeepers Council, the CHC assists in negotiating fair practices for labeling, grading, and marketing honey at the national level. “This grant will ensure that beekeepers across Canada will have access to information and programming that addresses consumers’ growing awareness of food safety issues,” said Rod Scarlett, CHC Executive Director. Honeybees are vital for the pollination of fruit, vegetables and hybrid canola seed. The value of honeybees to pollination of crops is estimated at over $2 billion annually. Canada also produces 75 million pounds of honey annually, half of which is exported.
sitic wasp that attacks the Diamondback Moth, also known as the Cabbage Moth. During large influx years like 2003 and 2005, canola growers in western Canada were spared millions of dollars on millions of acres as Diadegma took out over 90% of Diamondback Moth larvae. When making an insect management decision, scout for damage, identify the cause and check the specific thresholds for each insect to make sure the threat is sufficient enough to provide an economic return for a pesticide application. Insect economic thresholds represent the breakeven point for an insecticide spray. If insect counts are at the threshold, yield benefit from an insecticide spray will be enough to cover the product and application cost of the spray. When insect numbers rise above the threshold, there will be a return on investment. “Pest management decisions that consider the whole economic spectrum, including potential hidden losses from late herbicide applications and unnecessary insecticide applications, will reduce costs per bushel produced and improve economic and environmental sustainability at the same time,” said Sekulic.
FNA Announces Site for Proposed Farmer-Owned Fertilizer Plant By Harry Siemens FNA Fertilizer Limited Partnership says they have chosen a location for its new nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing facility. In a recent announcement made by the Farmers of North America (FNA) and if all goes according to plan, Belle Plain, Saskatchewan will soon be home to two major fertilizer plants. FNA is asking farmers to invest up to $10,000 each in optional one thousand dollar increments. Spokesperson Bob Friesen explained the motivation behind ProjectN is the return farmers will have on their annual nitrogen fertilizer needs. FNA member farmers will be able to purchase their fertilizer at a discount price and will see a ‘robust’ return on investment. “We saw what happened to fertilizer prices this spring where some farmers actually thought they may not get supply,” said Friesen. “This is about the farmerinvestors getting the manufacturer’s margin and using it to their advantage.” Friesen said the $1.7 billion plant is about two miles north of the current YARA plant at Belle Plain, just west of Regina. “It has access to national railways, good water supply, good access to natural gas, road infrastructure and we also believe Saskatchewan and the surrounding area will have the labour pool that we need,” he said. Although, FNA hopes to build the fertilizer plant in 2017, construction will not start until the company meets the equity targets and other key project milestones. “This announcement is an important step in project development and demonstrates a distinctly tangible milestone,” said Friesen. “The types of industries that are already located in the Regina-Moose Jaw corridor make it a logical place to locate.” According to some farmers and industry leaders the plan may not succeed. “I don’t think it will go to completion because of a flawed ownership, business plan in my opinion,” said grain farmer Ron Krahn of Rivers, Manitoba. “The idea of owners [farmers] having to take actual product instead of cash profit makes it very unwieldy. Let’s use the network that already exists. Why not sell output to highest bidder, take profits and ‘lower’ our fertilizer bill with existing suppliers.” “I’m still not convinced,” said David Asbridge, President and founder of NPK Fertilizer Advisory Service in St. Louis, Missouri. “They [FNA] would not be the first company to announce a location but then not get the funding to build. Timing is a bit suspect as well since nitrogen prices are up right now but not expected to stay that way much longer.” Asbridge does not hold out much hope either for the similar farmer initiated Northern Plains Nitrogen facility, a $1.7 billion plant planned in Grand Forks, North Dakota. When asked whether the long construction check list needed for preparation to build the plant is the reason for difficulty, he replied that this was not the difficulty. “Those are just operational issues which could be overcome IF they were able to come up with the money,” Asbridge said. “It is the financing which I believe will keep those farmers from building that plant.”
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Creep Feeding Adds Weaning-Weight Dollars By Peter Vitti Record high prices for feeder cattle and modest grain costs make creep feeding spring calves very attractive. However, before putting out the creep feeders on pastures, each operator should pencil their economic return for creep feeding and also take note of any relevant side benefits. It’s also important to know the main objective of creep feeding for one’s cowherd. Creep feeding might not be for everybody, but in today’s unprecedented market it should be investigated for its potential of good revenue and profit. For the 2014 creep feeding season, the profitability of most situations can be evaluated by the following worksheet that uses a ball-park estimate of autumn weaned-calf prices and feed costs in order to calculate yield creep-feeding returns. Assumptions: We are raising healthy large-framed calves that are still nursing their mums and grazing medium quality native-grass pasture. The creep feeders are filled with a well-balanced creep feed that put on an extra 60 lbs of bodyweight using a 7 lb creep/gain ratio and in a 150-day creep feeding program, until calves are weaning in the fall. Replacement heifers are segregated away from the rest of the herd and not creep fed. Your own numbers can be entered in the last column to forecast your own creep feeding returns. Worksheet to calculate creep-feeding returns:
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Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef Works on Strategy Leaders from across various industries have come together to form the first Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB). With over 68,500 beef farms contributing more than $33 billion to Canada’s economy and conserving over 50 million acres of Canada’s environmentally significant grasslands, the Roundtable aims to be a leader in the continuous improvement and sustainability of the beef value chain. Fundamental to the success of the Roundtable will be science-based information, multi-stakeholder engagement, communication and collaboration. “The Roundtable represents a breakthrough for the Canadian beef industry,” said Cherie Copithorne-Barnes, Chair of the CRSB. “It’s important for industry stakeholders to come together to combine their expertise to ensure the industry remains economically viable, environmentally sound and socially responsible for future generations.” The three CRSB technical working groups, the Development Task Force, the Sustainability Assessment Working Group and the Communication Working group continue with phase-one of the project that will benchmark the sustainability of the Canadian beef industry as well as set strategic targeted goals for continual improvement. The project is expected to take 18-24 months and initial outcomes will be presented at the CRSB annual general meeting in the fall of 2014. Membership in the Roundtable includes agriculture businesses, processors, beef producers, retailers, foodservice operators, NGOs among other industry sectors. Funding for the Round Table initiative includes resources from its founding members, Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, McDonald’s Canada, World Wildlife Federation, Cargill, JBS, Loblaws Companies Limited, Costco as well as Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency, Saskatchewan Agriculture Development Fund, Royal Bank of Canada, Alberta Beef Producers, Merck Animal Health, Beef Farmers of Ontario, Ducks Unlimited, National Cattle Feeders and Canada Beef.
Elmer’s in Altona is Ready for the Next Generation By Harry Siemens The above calculations illustrates the objective of a true creep feeding program with a nutritious creep feed in order to maintain and promote overall spring calf performance that is directly related to how much milk the nursing cows are producing and to good available grass quality. For example at the start of the summer, calves that are receiving lots of milk from their cows and grazing lush pastures might only be eating about 2 – 3 lbs of creep feed. However by mid-summer (3 – 4 months after calving), milk production is declining such that the average beef cow might meet only about 50% of her growing calf’s requirements. In addition, pasture quality is also on a decline. Lush grasses are maturing and essential nutrients such as energy and protein are not so readily available. As a result, the same calves are being drawn to the feeders and dramatically consume about 8 – 10 lbs of creep feed by summer’s end and well into autumn before weaning. In a similar way, creep feeding calves that are grazing higher quality pastures translate into lower feed efficiencies of 9 – 11 lbs per lbs of gain compared to a standard creep feed efficiency of 5 – 7 lbs of feed per lb of gain grazing the same but mature fall-time pastures. Therefore, it will be the entire season’s feed conversion of creep feed into saleable weaning weight that is the driving force behind calf creep performance and profitability of an annual creep feeding program. Case-in-point: In the above spreadsheet; a feed conversion of 7.0 yields about $43 per calf due to creep feeding, while a lower feed conversion of 10 yields only about $15 per calf. Aside from the variable dollars per calf generated by most creep feeding programs in a given year (including 2014), keep in mind that there are many benefits in setting up creep feeders on pasture, such as: - Improves weaning weights on calves that are born during a late-calving season. - Effective on cow-calf operations with a substantial amount of poor-milking cows. - Supplements calf nutrition from thin and poorly conditioned cows. - Provides more essential nutrition to exceptionally good growing calves. - Develops a more uniform calf crop at weaning time. - Easier to wean calves and acclimatizes them to bunk feeding. - Reduces sickness of calves that often occurs after weaning. To take advantage of all direct economic and side benefits of creep feeding, one should feed a good commercial or home-made creep feed for the entire grazing season until weaning. This creep ration should be formulated for 14 – 18% protein and have dietary energy value of 65 – 75% TDN. Its list of ingredients should contain some high-energy grains (such as corn and/or barley), added modest-energy feed by-products (such as wheat-middling and/or corn distillers’ grains) and concentrated feed proteins such as soybean or canola meal. A mineral-vitamin pack as well as a growth promotant such as monensin sodium might be added to the final mix. Unfortunately, a good quality creep feed is not recommended for every nursing calf on the farm. Replacement heifers on good quality pasture, need a modest energy diet comprised mainly of milk and forages. Otherwise, they could get over-conditioned. Most university field trials have proven this could lead to a life-time of lower milk production as mature cows and leads to lower weaning weights of future calves. In situations where replacement heifers cannot be divided from the main cowherd and forage/milk production can support relatively good calf growth, the decision might be made to forgo creep feeding of the entire herd. Similar, ‘not to creep feed’ situations include: weaned calves going back on pasture as grassers, in drought areas where calves should be early-weaned and in some rotational grazing systems. Despite these real obstacles, the decision in 2014 to creep feed spring calves for many people still rests on the new economics of high calf/modest grain prices coupled with the main objective of supplementing calves’ nutrient requirements on pasture. In many cases, it’s a real opportunity to put more weaningweight dollars in their pockets.
Elmer’s Manufacturing Ltd. designs, develops and manufactures specialized agricultural equipment in the heart of the Red River Valley. The farm business started in 1978 by building row crop cultivators and bean- sugar beet planters and today, carries a group of equipment lines for any size farming operation. Eric Braun, Sales and Marketing Manager said the NH3 Caddy with powered tracks is a brand new product for Elmer’s this year. “Twin 2,400 NH3 [anhydrous ammonia fertilizer] caddy, 4,800 US gallons and our existing track technology,” said Braun. “The power track is new for this year and so is the anhydrous caddy.” He said the 2 for 1 is interesting equipment and the power unit is much like two big combine hubs that hydrostatically power the whole thing. “You get into a sticky situation or people out west pulling large hoe drills, air seeders with 1,000 bushel air carts, they need that extra push on the backend just to keep their wheel slippage down,” said Braun. The power track unit’s computer allows the operator to set the
hydraulic fluid pressure controlling the speed of the powered track unit at the same speed as the tractor. “As soon as the tractor wheels start to slip slowing the unit down, the power track will kick in to go from freewheeling and will actually push the rig through whatever caused it to slow down in the first place,” he stated. “Wet conditions or going uphill, it will push you right through and keep your rig’s speed at the desired seeding speed.” Braun said in wet conditions it will pull the tractor out of the mud or push it through the mud. A massive hydraulic pump driven by the tractor’s PTO shaft drives the hydrostatic drive of the power tracks. While Elmer’s builds everything in house, they worked closely with a German company, Horsch Anderson to develop the power track unit itself, added Braun. Horsch is centrally administrated from its location in Sitzenhof and headquartered in one of its factories located at Mapleton, North Dakota. “They have the power unit technology and we have the track technology and work very closely with the Horsch
people in Germany developing the track technology,” he said. With significant growth in the last few years, Elmer’s wants others to see them as being on the cutting edge of farm implements. Mike Friesen, the son of Elmer Friesen the founder is the Vice President has made improvements by retooling the manufacturing area and adding qualified staff to help him make it happen. “He keeps coming up with these new ideas, not just anything, but the right thing. Having to make sense and it has to be what farmers want, but sometimes you need to tell guys what they want,” noted Braun. Braun added that Elmer’s is also building a transfer track system so the farmer can use the power tracks all year round for seeding in spring and hauling grain with the grain cart in fall. “This is true recycling, making it work for the farmer year around, saving him money and making their equipment as efficient as possible,” he said. “It is exciting coming out with these new products because no one else is doing them; not just another planter or another tractor.”
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Seeding Done Despite Wet Conditions By Elmer Heinrichs By mid-June, seeding was over 95 per cent complete in both central and eastern regions and due to wet soil conditions little seeding is expected to continue. Estimates are that one million acres of cropland, about 10 per cent of farmland in Manitoba may go unplanted this year due to cool, wet weather and overland flooding. Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (MAFRD), Farm Production Advisor Dennis Lange said that generally in the Altona and Morris area crops are looking good. The mid-June rainfall was welcome and will benefit the crops in the region. “Edible beans and soybeans are looking good as well. The beans have had a good start this year and were out of the ground within the first 7-10 days after planting. The warm soil conditions at planting and adequate moisture allowed the beans to emerge quickly,” added Lange. In the week to June 16, varied amounts of precipitation fell across the area and impact to crops is being assessed. Crop injury will depend on the stage of crop development and duration of the excessive moisture conditions. Weed control operations progressed rapidly but were hampered by windy conditions in some areas and precipitation. Weed control will remain a priority for producers as fields dry. A return to warmer temperatures should allow crops to advance quickly. “In the central and eastern areas, they got some good seeding off so we weren’t hit that hard,” MAFRD, Weather Program Meteorologist, Mike Wroblewski said. “I don’t think we’re as bad off as anyone fears. Actually, 90 mm is pretty normal for this season,” he added. Rainfall was spread evenly in central areas and fortunately most producers in the area have completed seeding, with the exception of the northwest corner. The wettest areas, including MacGregor and north and west of Gladstone, were the least advanced and farmers were doing their best to seed around wet areas to get the crop in. Advancement in crop growth slowed with cooler temperatures however crops are growing well. Cereals are emerging or as advanced as the five-leaf and tillering stage. Emergence is generally even and stands look good. Canola development ranges from emerging to as advanced as the six-leaf stage and soybeans are coming along well, with minimal issues due to crusting that has been noted. Edible beans, corn and peas are growing well, with sunflowers now emerging or up to the four-leaf stage. Varying amounts of rainfall occurred throughout most of eastern region, ranging from 40 to 105 mm. In northern areas there is standing water in fields and the drainage system is at full capacity. It is expected lower areas of fields will sustain some damage and the recent heavy rainfall will end seeding. Winter wheat is growing rapidly but wet field conditions will impact fungicide application on most fields. Cattle in the region are on pasture and haying has begun with many dairy producers taking their first cut of alfalfa. Heavy rainfall however will slow hay harvest progress. Across central areas the forage crop is rated as good to very good and there are reports that Alfalfa is up to 60 cm high.
Hogs Farmers Keeping Their Fingers Crossed By Harry Siemens According to Jim Long, a hog commentator who spent four days outside in an exhibit tent at this year’s World Pork Expo in Des Moines Iowa, profits make for happy producers. “There is sow herd expansion,” he said. “Units that were empty are getting filled back up. At this point while talking to builders and others, hog farmers are building very few new sow units. Some talk but shovels not in the ground, yet.” Long said that the PED virus has slowed any new expansion in the U.S. he reported that the vaccine maker MJ Biologics has seen some promising developments for a killed virus vaccine for PED that may be available late 2014, if testing goes well. Dr. Howard Hill, a pork producer, veterinarian and President of the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) in the U.S. said accurate information on the number and distribution of PED cases will be important in maintaining access to foreign markets for U.S. pork. “Producers have been impacted by the release of data from EPA and sometimes people don’t differentiate the EPA from the USDA,” said Hill. “They say both are government institutions or groups. But the Secretary [Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack] emphasized an issue that is very, very important. We exported about 26 percent of our product last year and we’ve had some countries that have closed their borders to live swine.” Dr. Hill said while no major trading partner has refused to take pork, the potential is there and it is vital the U.S. protects that market. “Unfortunately the virus has spread very rapidly but that doesn’t mean there will be a shortage of pork,” he added. “As far as how widespread, we have pretty good evidence there’s about 2.5 million sows affected and people estimate each sow loses about 2.7 pigs if she has the infection. So, you multiply that together and you come up with about seven million pigs lost,” said Dr. Hill. In a public statement issued by the NPPC, PEDv has affected hog operations in 30 states, killing an estimated 8 million animals, mostly pre-weaned piglets. For the most part, producers compensated for the loss of pigs by increasing the weights of each pig. Before, a producer sold his pigs between 270 to 275 pounds, now they are selling them at 280 to 285 pounds picking up lots of weight, meaning it’s not going to be a tremendous shortage of pork, he explained. Steve Meyer, Publisher of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange daily livestock letter reports meat protein supplies are lower than a year ago and combined with a booming export demand, this implies a notable reduction in meat protein availability in the US market. “In large part this is due to the fact producers have offset the reduction in slaughter by bringing hogs to market at significantly heavier weights,” said Meyer. Canada, and in particular Manitoba has kept the PED virus somewhat at bay with the exception of the 50 plus farms infected in Ontario.
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