AgriPost May 31 2019

The AgriPost

May 31, 2019

Assiniboine Students Design Sensor System to Help Beekeepers Save their Queens

Congratulations 2019 Agricultural Grads See Feature Pages 28 - 31

Canada Expands Beef Access to Japan

Kent Collins, recent graduate in Communications Engineering Technology at Assiniboine Community College, examines a beehive at 4K Honey.

The queen bee is a vital part of any hive; without her, the colony will not survive. If worker bees and drones cannot find their queen, they will fan their wings to move air around the hive, hoping to find her scent. In the process, they create more noise than a hive that has its queen. That’s just one of the signals for bees and beekeepers that Assiniboine students Adam Lennox and Kent Collins are trying to capture with their Bee Aware project.

Bee Aware was the capstone project for the pair as they recently completed their second year of Communications Engineering Technology at Assiniboine

Community College. Lennox and Collins have designed a wireless sensor network to be installed inside bee hives, providing instant feedback to beekeepers.

The students are collaborating with 4K Honey, a producer located about 80 km southeast of Brandon. Collins knows two of the owners, inspiring him to try to help them out. The network’s features and functions were designed after several meetings with 4K to determine what information from the hives would be beneficial.

Bees do not hibernate, but must stay inside the hive during winter to keep warm enough to survive. “I know last year, they

had cows knock over some of their hives.

It was the end of the year. It was cold out, so they all died. Basically, the bees would leave the cluster; make it about 10 feet and die. If the beekeepers could have got there earlier, maybe they could have saved them,” Collins said.

One of the sensors used is an accelerometer that can detect movement in any direction as well as any vibrations. If everything in the hive is humming along routinely, the sensors report the status of the hives to the beekeepers twice a day. If the data collected indicates the possibility of an urgent event, then a notification is Continued on page 3...

Building on a successful G20 Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting and trade visit to Japan, Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, and Jim Carr, Minister of International Trade Diversification, announced that the Government of Canada has secured expanded market access for beef from cattle older than thirty months of age to Japan, the world’s third-largest economy.

Japan is an important market for Canadian beef, with exports to Japan totaling almost $215 million in 2018.

Based on industry estimates, the expanded access has the potential to further increase exports by up to 20 per cent, contributing to the government’s goal of $75 billion in annual global agri-food exports by 2025.

This success is due in part to Canada’s competitive advantage in the region, thanks to a recent trade deal with Asia-Pacific countries. Expanded market access for beef provided by the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) creates further opportunities for Canadian beef exports to Japan. In the first three months CPTPP was in force, Canadian agri-food, fish and seafood exports to CPTPP countries increased 3.6 per cent over the same period in 2018, with Canadian beef exports to Japan increasing by more than 117 per cent.

In early June, Minister Carr will lead a trade mission to Japan and South Korea to promote Canadian exports, including agricultural goods. This mission will build on Canada’s ongoing efforts to maintain market access and to diversify destinations and consumers for Canadian products.

Canada’s exports of agriculture, agri-food and seafood products to Japan have increased by 5% in the first three months of 2019 compared to the same period in 2018 and Canadian beef exports to Japan have increased over 117% in the first three months of 2019, compared to the same period last year.

The AgriPost

May 31, 2019

Halting the Spread ASF Tops Discussion at Manitoba Pork’s AGM

By Harry Siemens and Kelvin Heppner

Manitoba’s Minister of Agriculture Ralph Eichler encouraged barn building and expansion.

John Ross, Executive Director of the Canadian Pork Council pushed for wild pig development.

Manitoba Pork Chair George Matheson spoke about the effects of ASF.

Manitoba Pork’s 54th Annual General Meeting and Banquet took place on April 11 at the Fairmont in Winnipeg.

Halting the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF) was top of everyone’s’ mind at the AGM with virtually every speaker addressing the threat of ASF to North America.

While the potential has never been more significant and the risk higher, North America’s infrastructure is one factor that while not comforting may help to stop the spread of the virus.

Manitoba Pork Chair George Matheson borrowed a famous Charles Dickens line to describe what lies ahead for pork producers.”It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.”

ASF is devastating the Chinese pork production, creating a global pork shortage that could support stronger prices here at home for several years. But borders would likely close immediately, and stay closed for months if the virus were to appear in Canada.

On a much more positive note, there is a wave of new investment on Manitoba hog farms. Since January 2017, there have been 28 barn builds-expansions.

Manitoba’s Minister of Agriculture Ralph Eichler spoke about wanting to see the industry build more barns to supply unfilled processing capacity, to bring more jobs to rural communities and to fulfill the goals laid out in his government’s highly-touted protein strategy. “We are building barns in Manitoba, something we have not seen in a while,” said Matheson.

Trade and market access remain vital in the face of global protectionism since 90 per cent of Manitoba pork production is exported making trade part of almost every conversation about Manitoba pigs. US hog industry representatives from Iowa and Minnesota spoke with envy about Canada remaining in the CPTPP, giving Canadian pork a tariff advantage into the important Japanese market. Meanwhile, Chinese tariffs continue to impact the US pork market, which is how the industry bases its price on. This tariff determines the amount that Manitoba producers are paid.

One of the AGM discussions asked if it is time for a made-in-Canada hog price.

After years of discussion and increasingly thin US live hog trade to use for pricing formulas, the Canadian Pork Council has a team of consultants to look at the feasibility of a made-in-Canada pig price. They are not only looking at the currency conversion from US dollars, but trying to find indicators that could be used to account for differences in how processors grade Canadian pigs and the value of each cut across different export markets.

They are expected to report in late June.

While it appeared that as of April 11 the PEDv is slowing somewhat two new cases in the province have occurred in 2019, after 17 last year and 80 in 2017. However, as reported elsewhere in the PHC there are ten new cases as of May 24.

Wild pigs warranted special attention at this year’s AGM. “We’re probably, quite frankly, 20 years behind on this, but we need to get go-

Andrew Dickson, General Manager of the Manitoba Pork Council.

Trade and market access remain vital in the face of global protectionism since 90 per cent of Manitoba Photos by Harry Siemens pork production is exported.

US hog industry representatives from Iowa and Minnesota spoke with envy about Canada remaining in the CPTPP.

ing,” said John Ross, Executive Director of the Canadian Pork Council. He explained that wild pig territory in the Prairie Provinces is expanding by 25,000 square kilometres per year, according to research presented by Canada Pork Council Veterinary Counselor, Dr. Egan Brockhoff. “You probably couldn’t think of a more successful invasive species,” he said. Brockhoff described this wild herd as having “high health,” but cautioned it could quickly become an out-of-control disease reservoir he noted.

Many of the producers attending the AGM would like to receive more value for onfarm programs that have been implemented. The Canadian Pork Excellence certification program started January 1, 2019, building on the Canadian Quality Assurance program. Delegates at the meeting passed a resolution to have processors pay a $7/ head premium for CPE certified pigs. MPC is not sure where this resolution will go, but producers want to have recognition for the additional effort required to meet this traceability, food safety and animal care standards.

Public awareness and food trends continue to be a primary focus for producers.

Matheson said that Manitoba Pork continues to invest in public awareness, especially in the City of Winnipeg. The goal of these media campaigns is not only to sell pork but, more importantly, to maintain a positive public image of pork production.

Over 80 percent of Manitobans say they believe pork production is good for the province, according to the latest survey by Probe Research.

At the same time, several speakers referenced vegan views gaining mainstream attention such as A&W selling ‘meatless’ burgers and the Federal government’s new food guide, which advocates replacing meat with plant protein. “The Canada Food Guide didn’t do us any favours this year,” said Matheson.

Finally, whether it is production practices, consumer trends or evolving viruses, the meeting was a reminder that the pig business is always changing, as Dr. Brockhoff wrapped up his presentation with this quote from General Eric Shinseki, “If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less.”

The AgriPost Assiniboine Students Design Sensor Systems to Help Continued from Page 1...

Beekeepers Save Their Queens sent to the beekeeper immediately. These events could be the death of a queen bee, a cow knocking over a hive or someone trying to steal the hive. Theft of hives can be a costly problem for beekeepers. The Regina LeaderPost last week reported that a theft of 150 bee hives cost a beekeeper in Saskatchewan $60,000 in lost honey production and replacement costs.

Another sensor uses a laser beam to be able to tell when bees are leaving the hive and when they return. “At different times of the season, the bees will get different flowers. They’ll take clover, then they’ll take canola, then they’ll take buckwheat.

They’ll leave the hive at different times,” Collins said.

“What I want to do is log the times when they leave and the times when they come back. How long is their day?

Does it get shorter with the sunlight? Do they care about sunlight? Or do they just do it until they’re done?”

Collecting this information will allow the beekeepers to apply data analytics to improve operations and

Jordan Kulbacki, one of the owners of 4K Honey, examines a beehive at his farm.

Adam Lennox, left and Kent Collins, recent graduates in Communications Engineering Technology at Assiniboine Community College, have designed a wireless sensor network to be installed inside bee hives, providing instant feedback to beekeepers.

increase yields and profits.

Collins is designing the sensors, while Lennox is designing the network that will deliver the sensor information to the beekeepers by email or text on their computers or smartphones.

The sensors in the hives send data to a microcontroller unit that will collect the information from up to four hives. These units will then transfer data to a collector device in each yard, using Bluetooth technology for short distance communications. With this system, there could be up to 10 hives per yard, Lennox said.

The collector device in each yard then sends the data to a central gateway, which could be up to 10 km away, using long-distance wireless protocol on a low-power wide area network. “When the data is sent to the gateway, it is processed and sent via cell towers to a cloud-based server. Data and notifications are then forwarded to the beekeeper by email or text message. It could also be uploaded to a web page, where they could view that data at

any time as well,” Lennox said.

The system uses solar panels to recharge batteries, saving farmers from having to replace batteries several times a month. This also allows for installation in hives in remote areas that do not have electrical service.

Collins and Lennox estimate they can deliver the system to 4K Honey for less than $1,000 in capital costs and with low ongoing operating costs. Keeping an eye on the hives remotely would free up the beekeepers to perform other tasks.

Jordan Kulbacki, one of the owners of 4K Honey, said the sensors would give the beekeepers the ability to quickly identify any issues and make plans to deal with them. “Typically, we only visit a yard every one to two weeks. These devices would give us a way to monitor our hives 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If a hive is having issues, we can find out sooner and do what we can to correct it or save the hive, which saves us both time and money,” Kulbacki said.

Seeding Progresses Quickly on Foodgrains Bank Projects

By Elmer Heinrichs It looks like most of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank grow projects have their fields seeded, said Gordon Janzen, Regional Coordinator for the church-based-relief agency.

“For farmers this is a busy and exciting time, but it also brings a lot of uncertainty.

The weather is always unpredictable, and in some regions it seems more variable than normal,” said Janzen. “Our first grow project got seeded on April 26 when Heidi and Ted Krahn seeded 152 acres of wheat for the Acres of

Hope project near Rivers.”

Janzen also noted that the Killarney GP group seeded in April. “Some, two weeks ago; the CHUM, Common Ground and Share GP grow projects in the Altona, Winkler and Morden areas got their wheat seeded, and these crops are emerging quite nicely, though they also need more rain,” he said.

The last week of May seemed to be a busy seeding week as grow projects in Swan River, Boissevain, and Arborg indicated that their fields were done. However,

said Janzen, some regions are not as far along, noting that farmers northwest of Minnedosa had to complete their 2018 harvest before seeding a new crop.

In summary, Janzen said, “It’s very much the same as last year; we’ll have about 35 projects, with around 5,000 acres in crops.”

“The main concern now in many areas is for rain. As one grow project leader said, ‘We only received one-quarter inch of rain during April and May. We really need rain now!’” quoted Janzen.

May 31, 2019

May 31, 2019

The AgriPost

The AgriPost

May 31, 2019

Rain Very Much Welcomed for Manitoba Crops

By Elmer Heinrichs Fairly widespread rain across central and eastern Manitoba has brought longawaited relief to the long standing dry conditions that have been in place for quite some time.

Light rains beginning just after the May long weekend were welcomed by farmers and most Manitoba residents as it offered at least a break from dry soil conditions.

With much of the crops seeded, the rains are very timely and will allow seed placed in dry soil to germinate, rejuvenate pastures, and boost the overall outlook for this year’s crops.

Already in its first crop report of the season, Manitoba agriculture reported favourable weather and field conditions that allowed seeding operations to begin in most areas of the province, with spring cereals and peas going in, along with some corn and fababeans in central and eastern regions.

After cold and damp condi-

tions slowed field operations early in May, farmers across central and eastern regions and elsewhere hit the field with a running start. Much of the crop is now seeded and amazingly, it’s almost done.

Although dry conditions have aided the pace of planting across Manitoba’s farmland, the lack of precipitation has now become a concern, according to Manitoba Agriculture’s weekly crop report.

In its May 21 report, Manitoba agriculture said earlyseeded crops have emerged and those just seeded are germinating. But rainfall is needed to assist with germination and crop growth.

Altona Farm Production Advisor Dennis Lange said some growers are done and most others are finishing up seeding of beans, soybeans and canola. “We just had a nice little rain and crops are emerging well. More rain in the forecast and warm weather will boost crop prospects.”

“The weather’s been cool,

crops are coming slowly, but all crops should be in by the end of the month. Farmers are only making minor changes in crop types in their planned rotations,” added Lange.

In the latest crop report analysis for central regions, some producers have completed seeding, and overall progress is estimated to be at about 90 per cent complete.

Seeding is most advanced in the eastern and southern parts of the region.

Some low-lying fields along the Red River in the Emerson to St. Jean Baptiste area are drying up and seeding is progressing as the topsoil dries.

Canola, flax and sunflower seeding became the focus for the last week, with canola about 95 per cent done. Potato planting continued near Morden, Portage and Carberry.

Seeding progress is estimated to be 85 percent complete in the eastern region, and is expected to wrap up in the next week. Rain is need-

ed though, with producers reporting it is harder to find soil moisture at proper seeding depths.

Winter wheat fields are looking good with plants in the 4-leaf, 2 to 3 tiller stage, and corn planting is estimated at 95 per cent complete, with many soybean acres going in now with warm temperatures.

With seeding winding down, producers hope the rain in the forecast holds true. All planted acres would benefit greatly from a soaking rain to aid in germination and establishment.

Weeds are the main pest at this time, with herbicide applications ongoing. Hay and pastures are greening up, and livestock is being moved onto pasture, most with feed supplementation. Dry sub-soil is drawing down surface water levels and causing drops in sloughs and dugouts though.

Livestock water supplies are adequate for now, but feed supplies are quite limited.

Manitoba Liberals Offer Real Climate Change Solutions

By Dougald Lamont Manitoba Liberal Leader Just recently, Manitoba Liberals released our Climate Plan for Green Growth and Renewal in Manitoba and agriculture plays an incredibly important role.

No one knows better than farmers the need for stewardship of the land. When it comes to climate change, we recognize the special place agricultural producers find themselves in. Unless we act now, farmers will face major costs due to climate change - deeper droughts, flash floods, and new pests and diseases. At the same time, farmers and agriculture also face costs in addressing climate change.

We have set out a plan that is bold in ambition while staying realistic and achievable. By working with others, harnessing the power of agriculture to make a tremendous impact in fighting the climate crisis and quickly improving the environment.

The first step of our plan is to take back control and renegotiate with Ottawa so that the Manitoba Government can choose what’s best for Manitobans. The only reason we’ve got Ottawa’s plan is

because the Premier ripped up his own plan.

Our basic plan is straightforward: reduce emissions based on fossil fuels by developing green fuels instead, while also using nature and technology to draw down excess CO2 from the atmosphere and store it in new wilderness and in the soil.

While pushing as hard as we can for change, Manitoba Liberals want to be realistic. There are over 1-million cars, trucks and machines in Manitoba that run on gas or diesel. The problem is not the technology – it is the fuel.

That is why we want to make Manitoba a leader in clean energy - including synthetic, carbon neutral fuels.

There is incredible technology that already exists in Germany that converts organic waste and hydrogen into synthetic natural gas, diesel and gasoline.

Manitoba is an ideal place to set up these plants, powered by excess hydro, solar and wind, to make carbonneutral and carbon-tax-freefuels. Our goal is to produce fuels that can be mixed and used straight from the pump.

A homegrown Manitoba company, HD-Petroleum,

has developed a micro refinery in rural Manitoba that converts waste oil into a high-quality diesel fuel. This would reduce new emissions while reducing costs for producers.

The other major strategy is to draw down CO2. This includes paying producers for providing environmental services that help store carbon. Sometimes called “carbon farming” this includes incentives for regenerative agriculture techniques, planting trees, shrubs, and windbreaks together with soil and wetlands management.

These practises not only store carbon, they can enrich and improve soil health and increase yields.

Nitrous Oxide, a GHG with approximately 300 times more greenhouse warming potential (GWP) than carbon dioxide harms the ability to produce sustainable crop yields. Nitrous oxide contributes to about half the warming effect of agricultural emissions while making up 15 percent of Manitoba’s Greenhouse gas emissions.

We will work with farmers to develop a plan to improve nitrogen management. Small improvements in NO2 emis-

sions make huge differences.

Reducing nitrous oxide outputs by one third by 2025 and by two thirds by 2030 will achieve a reduction of total greenhouse gas emissions in Manitoba by 2000 kilotons, or 10%, of current greenhouse gas production by 2030.

Farmers know that we rely on a healthy environment for a healthy economy. Manitoba Liberals know that we get more done when we work together. We want to leave Manitoba in a better state than we found it.

The Manitoba Liberal Plan for Green Growth & Renewal is a blueprint for how to make it a reality.

Find it on our website at manitobaliberals.ca.

The Siemens’ brothers seeding canola near Altona in early May. Photo By Elmer Heinrichs

The AgriPost

May 31, 2019

Believe in “Science”?

How Much is Too Much?

I don’t think I have ever been sitting around when a thought came to me about how we need more choices in food selection or even the style of jeans or more toys on my car. We seem to have a lot of choices and more times than not I am overwhelmed by them. I have in the past used this space to outline the choices we face when going to by a product as seemingly simple as flour. There is enriched, bread machine, whole wheat, organic, gluten free and three or four options that I did not even understand.

We as consumers have more than enough choices when we head to the grocery store, and that includes products like motor oil and windshield washer fluid which is now colour coded.

I will be the first to admit I have not kept up with advancements in the horticulture and fruit industry. I did take a couple courses in pruning and was more informed at one time but somehow I stayed away from the catalogues for a few years and was overwhelmed at a recent trip to Costco.

When I wandered into the fruit tree area of the greenhouse section I thought I would see what was available in apple tree stock. I remember planting Goodland and Norland apples and being more than happy with the result.

To my surprise the trees available had not only Goodland and Norland braches on one stem but two other varieties that seemed based on Saskatchewan names like Swift Current or Roughrider or something like that. I knew that grafting was making huge advances but I did not realize that the common apple tree stock at my local big box store now carried 4 different varieties and was still in the range of 50 bucks for a 6 foot tree. One that could be giving you apples as early as next year.

Not only do you have a choice in the variety of apple tree you plant, but you have a choice of 4 varieties in your back yard for years to come. My mind was flooded with questions and the situation a tree such as this could pose.

What if such a tree would have been in the Garden of Eden? Would the serpent have been as successful in convincing Eve to try an apple? What if she could not decide which one she wanted, and dawdled until the urge had passed? Oh well, I could not dwell in things gone by, what does this tree mean today?

Could the non GMO consumer of today have one of these apples or would this be forbidden fruit? This is not a tree produced by natural breeding techniques. Does it matter how the genes are transferred come into play?

Is grafting a branch to an apple stock different than gene transfer by another method? What about grapes and new varieties being grafted to disease resistant root stock? Do non GMO consumers request that labelling on their wine?

The whole situation was too overwhelming. I bought some traditional cereal and made my way to the check out.

Penner’s Points

Do you believe in science? Kind of a silly question isn’t it?

The typical answer is, of course. No one ever says they don’t believe in science. Well Robert Tracinski just did, in an interesting essay called, “Why I don’t believe in science”.

Tracinski points out that the now popular phrase has been By Rolf turned from a statement of common sense into a trope by politi- Penner cians and activists usually pushing a global warming agenda.

We certainly see that here in Canada, particularly from our Prime Minister and his merry band of climate crusaders.

In the US Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang used it in this way to try and bolster his chances, “My father has a PhD in physics, I believe in science.” This, thanks to twitter, instantly got some hilarious responses like, “My father was a cartoonist, I believe in Daffy Duck”. Tracinski explains what’s so annoying about these vacuous statements, “It reduces a serious intellectual issue - a whole worldview and method of thought - to a signifier of social group identity.”

We’d like to think that people are just acknowledging the ability of the scientific method to get results. Or help us to better understand how the world works. But unfortunately that’s not true anymore. Particularly in the political arena, if anything it’s the opposite, where people, “use it as a way of declaring belief in a proposition which is outside their knowledge and which they do not understand.”

Notice how people who push the trope actually have little patience for actual science? They don’t have time to get bogged down in the details and have no interest in actual discussion or debate about what we actually know and don’t know. What they are in hurry for is collecting taxes and then handing them out to favoured industries or just good old fashioned vote buying.

“The problem is the word ‘belief.’ Science isn’t about ‘belief.’ It’s about facts, evidence, theories, and experiments. You don’t say, ‘I believe in thermodynamics.’ You understand its laws and the evidence for them, or you don’t. ‘Belief’ doesn’t really enter into it,” says Mr. Tracisnki adding, “If you don’t understand the basis for your conclusion and instead have to accept it as a ‘belief,’ then you don’t really know it, and you certainly are in no position to lecture others about how they must believe it, too.”

Nullius in verba- is Latin for “take nobodies word for it”. It’s also been the motto of the Royal Society since the late 16oo’s and for good reason. When it comes to science you don’t just take someone’s word for it, you are to “verify all statements by an appeal to facts determined by experiment”.

Again, when we’re being brow beaten about global warming or climate change or now the socalled climate crisis it’s the exact opposite of this. We are supposed to trust the politicians who don’t really know much about the subject, who trust researchers who know about little bits and pieces of the puzzle, but not the whole picture, and rely on computer models that have never been right, to implement an economic model that’s never been tried.

A nearly infinite number of variables all interacting with each other in multitudes of unknown, chaotic ways in both the natural and economic world gets reduced to the overly simplistic slogan, “I believe in science” with anyone asking questions about the specifics being labeled a “science denier”. If manipulation were a science this would get an A+ but it’s not science, science.

Mr. Tracinski clarifies, “The point isn’t just that scientists can get things wrong. The point is that science is hard.” This is true even for experienced scientists who constantly battle with their own biases, blind spots and herd mentality, let alone for politicians who have far more in common with unscrupulous salesman.

As Judith Curry, who is a scientist, points out on her blog, “Tracinski’s essay does a superb job of identifying the intellectual laziness, tribalism and politics surrounding these ignorant ‘arbiters of science,’ who are easily identified by their statements – “I believe in science.” She’s right and it’s well worth checking out.

Manitoba Farmland Values Continue to Climb Average farmland value in Canada continued its steady climb in 2018, driven by fewer, but more strategic investments by producers.

“With the steady rise in farmland values, producers are making more strategic investments,” according to J.P. Gervais, chief agricultural economist for Farm Credit Canada (FCC).

“Whether it means paying a higher price for land that has potential to be more productive or buying in blocks to improve the efficiency of their operations, producers are sharpening their pencils with an eye

on variable commodity prices.”

The average value of Canadian farmland increased 6.6 per cent in 2018, following gains of 8.4 per cent in 2017 and 7.9 per cent in 2016, according to FCC’s 2018 Farmland Values Report. In Manitoba, average farmland values increased by 3.7 per cent in 2018, following gains of five per cent in 2017 and 8.1 per cent in 2016.

In all provinces, except for Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador, average farmland values increased. Quebec experienced the highest average

increase at 8.3 per cent, followed by Saskatchewan and Alberta, both at 7.4 per cent, and British Columbia at 6.7 per cent. The rest of the provinces were below the national average with Prince Edward Island’s average increase at 4.2 per cent, Manitoba at 3.7 per cent, Ontario at 3.6 per cent and New Brunswick at 1.8 per cent.

Nova Scotia recorded a decrease of 4.9 per cent in average farmland values, while Newfoundland and Labrador did not have enough publicly reported transactions to fully assess farmland values.

Although average farmland values have increased every year since 1993, recent increases are less pronounced than the 20112015 period that recorded significant average farmland value increases in many different regions.

Gervais said fewer land transactions in 2018 is consistent with a tight supply of land available for sale and a softening in demand, which is a reflection of farm income levelling off, variable commodity prices and rising borrowing costs.

Farm operators need to exercise caution, especially in regions where the growth

rate of farmland values significantly exceeded that of farm income in recent years. At the same time, there is still a strong business case for buying more land, but not without carefully weighing the risks and rewards, he said.

“There was a strong demand from producers for lower-valued land, which explains part of the average value increase recorded in some regions,” Gervais said. “It’s a strategic investment that can pay off if the operation is able to extract more from that land and improve its overall efficiency.”

The AgriPost

HyLife Sees China’s Demand for Pork Increasing

With China and Canadian governments still at loggerheads over canola trade, Claude Vielfaure, the President of HyLife Foods of Manitoba said it has not affected the Company’s pork production and exports with China.

By Harry Siemens Even with China and Canadian governments still at loggerheads over canola Claude Vielfaure, the President of HyLife Foods of Manitoba said it has not affected their pork exports to China.

Speaking to several reporters at the recent Manitoba Pork AGM, Vielfaure said there were no effects politically on pork. The only pressure that is affecting pork is the increased demand over the past month because China historically produces 50 per cent of the global pork supply. Now, there is a lot pork not there, explained Vielfaure because of the spread of Afri-

can Swine Fever (ASF).

“The risk of this situation, currently being realized with ASF, is of significant inflation based on food and shortages, and perhaps actual protein reduction for many people,” said Vielfaure. “China is especially vulnerable to inflation driven by pork as it has been about 80 percent of total meat protein in the Chinese diet, according to, The New Geo-Political Economy of Food by Agri-Food Economic Systems.”

Vielfaure said it would be good for Canada as long as we keep ASF out of North America translating to a massive demand for pork in the next year. “It [ASF] spread over China over the last 6 to 12 months. All the reports; I’ve read a lot of reports, people I’ve talked to in China, it certainly looks like at least 40 per cent of the hogs have disappeared, and so it’s, significant.”

One of the questions asked was, for HyLife either as a processor over there or as a producer, what steps are being taken. “It’s challenging we do have a joint venture in China with a partner there, and have many thousands of sows across all the different provinces in China. Our company is a little bit more

of a modern farm, better by biosecurity, so we’ve been affected in a couple of sites, but generally, we’ve been able to withstand,” he said.

“The pressure is on as the virus keeps moving and getting through it. A lot of back yard farmers in China, a lot of smaller farms’ biosecurity is not as good, so that’s a bit of the reason it’s spreading so quickly around all the provinces. That’s what is, creating a demand for pork, so as a processor selling pork and exporting pork around the world, China has certainly shown signs here in the last month to increase their demand, and want to buy more pork.”

Vielfaure said China has a willingness to buy muchneeded pork. “Yes, the country before ASF was producing 50 per cent of the pork in the world, and so because of that, there’s huge demand there. Their primary protein is pork; they eat it a lot. So it has created demand,” he noted. “They need to backfill the emptiness of those hogs that they don’t have anymore and so they’re buying pork, and they’re buying a lot of pork now.”

HyLife as a prominent Canadian producer, Vielfaure was asked how they

will continue to operate in North America to keep ASF out and to what extent the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has implemented changes to protect the hog industry. “In North America, we’ve been working very, very closely with CFIA, and the government in the last four to six months to try to do different things that will prevent it from coming in. One of them is Canadian Port Services have increased the fines and putting fines on people bringing sausages in their bags, and their carryon luggage coming into the country, it was a big concern. They increased the inspection on that, on feed ingredients coming in; like I said there are new rules that just came out for importing grains from China that CFIA has implemented here as of March 29.”

He said the government and CFIA’s response is terrific. In these situations, they can always do more. “You always want to do more, it could be devastating to our industry, but the government and CFIA have been fully on side, and are fully working with our industry to try to do whatever they can to help us prevent it from coming in North America and Canada.

Grain Growers Insist that Meaningful Support Needed Amidst Trade Disruptions Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) have called on the Federal government to develop a strategy to address an increasingly unpredictable trade environment affecting the incomes of grain farmers across Canada. The strategy should recognize that China’s blocking of Canadian canola is politically motivated, which was acknowledged recently by Prime Minister Trudeau.

The US Government announced $15 billion in aid to help farmers whose products may be targeted with Chinese tariffs amid the deepening trade war. This marks the second round of assistance after the $12 billion plan last August to compensate American farmers for lost sales and low prices as a result of trade disputes with China and other countries.

President Trump has also indicated that the government will not hesitate to purchase grains from US farmers for distribution as food aid, further distorting markets.

The escalating trade war between the US and China is having a significant impact on grain farmers across Canada. In addition to the recent suspension of canola imports from Canada over unproven phytosanitary concerns, soybean prices are dropping and imports to China have slowed to a trickle, reaching levels not seen in a decade.

Industry and government officials have confirmed that Chinese importers are reluctant to sign contracts for other Canadian agricultural products given the uncertainty in the market.

“The time has come for the Canadian Government to aggressively defend the interests of Canada’s agriculture sector in China and around the world,” said GGC Chair, Jeff Nielsen from his farm in Olds, Alberta. “This is a non-partisan issue and Canadian farmers need government support to ensure that we are well positioned to weather this storm.”

GGC is calling for the

Government of Canada to develop a strategy to address the increasingly complex and unpredictable trade environment in which Canadian farmers find themselves. As they work towards this goal, GGC is asking the Government to consider ways in which it can support Canadian farmers starting by the immediate implementation of meaningful changes to the AgriStability Program to ensure it is a bankable, predictable, simple and scalable program. This includes coverage for margin losses below 85 per cent and removal of the reference margin limit. These changes can be made under the current Business Risk Management program framework.

While changes to the Advanced Payment Program (APP) may only help farmers manage cash flow issues in the near-term, the increase in the interest-free portion from $100,000 to $500,000 should not be limited to canola. Several commodities

are being negatively impacted by the current situation either directly or indirectly and the government needs to open the interest free portion up to all commodities.

“The issues we are seeing with trade into China can no longer be said to be commodity specific,” said GGC Vice Chair Markus Haerle from St. Isidore, Ontario.

“As a soybean farmer I’ve seen my prices plummet and markets close due to the flooding of the market by US product.”

In addition to Chinese disruption, the loss of the Indian pulse market and Italian durum market has added to the long list of risks that farmers are expected to manage. Canada’s grain producers appreciate it when the Government stands behind its world-class products.

“Now it is time for them to do everything in their power to keep markets open so the sector can reach its full growth potential,” said Haerle.

May 31, 2019

The AgriPost

May 31, 2019

Protecting Trade The world has become protectionist. There is, justifiably, much focus on issues with China. But it is not just China. Canadian agriculture commodities are blocked in India, Italy, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam and face issues in key markets like Peru.

Countries are turning inward, finding new ways to block trade. How do we protect our trading relationships when the rules of trade have been thrown out the window?

A critical component of protecting our trade is using the dispute resolution tools that are part of the agreements we have signed. Canada has a very competent diplomatic service that works with our scientific regulators to help resolve issues that threaten to block trade. The value of these efforts, which almost always occur behind the scenes, cannot be overstated. However, this dedicated work cannot combat the political agendas that are driving protectionism. There are times when we need to move out of the back rooms of diplomacy and publicly defend ourselves.

Canada is the only G7 country that has a free trade agreement with every other G7 country. But when our partners put up trade barriers the question quickly becomes “so what?” What good are trade agreements when countries refuse to follow them? We have tools at our disposal through the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) to challenge Italy’s protectionist country of origin labelling requirements. But these tools have not been utilized. We are also able to initiate WTO dispute resolution processes with China, but have not chosen to do so.

Dispute resolution processes are long and can be expensive. But the willingness to defend trade agreements sends an important signal to other would-be protectionists, namely Canada is willing and able to defend itself if it is bullied by countries pursuing a protectionist agenda.

Canada also needs to be engaging in proactive measures

to prevent trade barriers from cropping up in the first place.

This will take resources – time and money – from both industry and government.

One of the ways to proactively prevent border closures is to work together with importing countries to build their regulatory capacity. Canada exports wheat to almost 100 countries around the world. Some customers, like the United States and Japan, have well developed science and risk-based regulatory systems that facilitate open trade. But this does not apply to the majority of the markets to which we export.

If regulatory systems are not well-developed, or lack the human resources necessary to implement a science and risk-based approach, they can become vulnerable to political or activist interference. When these systems are responsible for approving the importation of Canadian grains, oilseeds and special crops our agriculture sector becomes vulnerable.

Canada needs to develop outreach and development programs that are focused on

increasing the science and risk-based regulatory capacity in key markets. Examples include, growing markets in West Africa, Bangladesh, new partners in the TransPacific Partnership agreement and neighbors in Latin America.

The mandate of regulatory agencies like the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) should be adjusted to explicitly include regulatory capacity building in key export markets. And the agencies need to be given dedicated funds and people to carry out this work.

Trade barriers can also arise because of a lack of understanding of the sophisticated nature of Canada’s production and logistics systems and the regulatory oversight that helps ensure we continue to deliver safe, high quality food. For example, there are markets for Canadian crops where the capacity and technology employed in Canadian on-farm storage exceeds that of the importing mills. Many concerns raised

in these markets are already addressed within the Canadian value chain.

Bringing regulators from these markets to Canada, to gain a better understanding of the capacity of the Canadian system, would go a long way to preventing barriers to trade from arising.

There are other areas where additional proactive focus can help prevent future trade disruptions. This includes work through international bodies like CODEX. We need to continue efforts to reform of the WTO. And we need to be a leader in the development strong sciencebased rules that will facilitate the trade of new varieties developed through new plant breeding techniques. All of these options require revisions to the mandates of regulatory agencies to explicitly include facilitation of trade and new resources, money and people, dedicated to proactively preventing non-tariff trade barriers.

We have entered a new age of protectionism. A new barrier to agriculture trade is brewing someplace in the world. I don’t know where, I don’t know what commodity will be hit next time, but in our current environment I am sure it is coming. When new barriers arise, Canada needs to be ready to quickly and actively respond using the dispute resolution tools we currently have available. We also need to see governments and industry cooperatively engage in capacity building, regulatory exchanges and other proactive trade facilitative measures aimed at preventing barriers from rising up in the first place.

World attention has shifted away from multi-lateral cooperation. This is not good for Canada. We need to adjust our focus and resource allocation to address the new reality.

The AgriPost

What Goes Down, Must Come Up

The old saying “what goes up, must come down� is true, but in grain markets, the opposite is also true.

For almost exactly a year now (May 29, 2018 to be exact), grain markets have been in a fairly steady decline. Spearheaded by the start of the US/China trade war at the end of May last year, it sent commodities lower across the board, with soybeans taking the brunt, but taking canola and grains with it. This was just exacerbated by another big US soybean crop in 2018, making an already bad situation even worse.

While politics were the catalyst in this price decline, grain fundamentals were providing no support to change the negative tone either, as soybean stocks in the US doubled over 201718 levels, and global stocks

swelled with big South American crops also.

Meanwhile, closer to home, we had a big canola crop in 2018 as well, and then we got caught in the political tit for tat game with China with the arrest of the Huawei CFO in Vancouver in December. This led China to cut back drastically on their purchases of Canadian canola (hitting us where it hurts), which led canola futures to drop by 15% in a matter of months also.

During this entire timeframe, the spec funds were trading on all of this news, and slowly but surely racking up a massive short position in the grain markets in the midst of all this negative news. As a refresher, a short position is when someone sells grain on paper, with the intention of buying it back at a later date (and presumably lower price) to make money. That selling pressure has the same effect as farmers selling grain, which

is to push prices lower.

From last May before the trade war started, until this week, the funds went from a long position (had bought futures) on corn of 214,000 contracts (1.07 bil bu), and long 82,500 contracts (422.5 mil bu) of soybeans, and a small long position in wheat. At the end of April and early May this year, those positions had switched to a record short position of 334,262 contracts of corn (1.67 bil bu) meaning they sold 2.7 billion bushels of corn in the last 12 months. They were also holding a record short position of 177,035 contracts in soybeans (885.1 mil bu) indicating they sold 1.3 billion bushels of soybeans in this timeframe. They also tacked on a record short position in canola (reporting of which just started last fall, so I can’t compare the same data as corn and soybeans).

However, what goes down must come up, in the grain markets. Eventually there is no more selling to be done, and things turn around.

Grain markets have always

been (and likely will always be) cyclical, and the funds have served to push the ranges between high and low. In the last two weeks with the abysmally slow planting pace in the US, it has caused enough concern that the funds have been buying back their short positions in massive amounts, causing grain markets to turn back up. While the global fundamentals are still not bullish, I think we have hit a point where the downside was overdone, particularly in light of the current conditions in the US. A bounce may not last long but should give farmers the opportunity to clean up old crop sales and get some new crop sales on the books as well.

Brian Voth is the president of IntelliFARM Inc, working with farms to create customized grain marketing plans and carrying them out. For more information visit .intellifarm.ca or call 204-324-3669.

May 31, 2019

The Future Farmer

Young Walker helping Dad on the cattle ranch with bails of hay near Langruth, Manitoba.

Photo submitted by Charlene Fedyk

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May 31, 2019

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The AgriPost

May 31, 2019

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Creep Feeding Spring Calves Pays Dividends in 2019

By Peter Vitti It’s always heart-warming to see the twitch of a spring calf’s tail as it nurses its mum. As this calf approaches three months of age, the brood cow’s milk production decreases, which can only supply about half of the calf’s nutrient requirements.

The rest must be delivered by sprouting pastures, which spells trouble to calf growth, when drought hits or grasses naturally mature, thus; failing to supplement good nutrition. This is where a good calf creep feeding program is beneficial by providing supplemental energy, protein, minerals and vitamins in order to help calves achieve heavy saleable weaning weights.

As a beef nutritionist, I have formulated many creep rations that fill’s this nutritional gap for spring calves.

One of my favorites is a 14% protein and medium-energy feed pellet that is made mainly of wheat middling, and some barley, supplemented with high-protein concentrates such as soybean meal and corn distillers’ grains.

Its mineral/vitamin profile also contains a compliment of calcium, phosphorus and salt with essential trace min-

erals and vitamins A, D and E. It should be noted that I have formulated rolled creep feeds with a similar nutrient profile, largely utilizing steam-rolled oats in combination with a special protein pellet.

Both types of these creep feeds contain 5% molasses to improve feed consumption by young calves. As well, brewer’s yeast is added to improve forage digestibility and monensin sodium (cocciostat) to prevent the devastating effects of coccidiosis.

Consequently, it has been my experience that when producers use these creep feeds in a traditional feeding program they should wait until mid-summer to put out creep-feeders since creep feed intake by 3-month-old calves is dictated significantly by pasture quality. This means calves usually come up to the creep feeders and eat a couple of pounds of creep each day, for a few days and then might not come up again for half-a-week. It’s only toward the end of the summer when pasture grasses mature and are less nutritious that calves tend to build up their creep consumption to an optimum 7 - 8 lbs per day, which continues until they are weaned

in the fall.

As an alternative, I often recommend a more aggressive creep feeding program, when creep feeders are put out, much earlier in spring.

Initial consumption by spring calves starts off at 1- 2 lb/head/day, but steadily increases throughout a normal grazing season (with timely rains, no drought) in a stepup fashion toward autumn.

As a result, weaning-weights of spring calves tend to be higher by 20 - 30 lbs with steady feed efficiencies of 6 - 7 lbs of feed per lb of gain as compared to the above conventional creep feeding program.

Regardless of which creep program is used the final amount of weight put on young calves is also affected by good feed management.

For example at the beginning of the pasture season, creep feeders should be filled to half-capacity in order to maintain its freshness, so that more calves come up, more frequently to eat. Once this break-in stage is achieved, creep feeders can be filled to capacity. A typical 130-bushel metal feeder (on wheels) holds about 1½ ton of rolled calf creep feed or 2 ton of feed pellets, while a 250-

bushel feeder holds about 4 6.0 and an 8 cent cwt market tons of rolled feed or 6 tons discount – there is about a of feed pellets (re: disparity $23 premium or 25% returnof volume and weight is due on-investment for crept-fed to shape of metal feeder in calves.

There is only one year in the this case).

Several university tri- last decade, when creep feedals demonstrate that spring ing calves was not profitable. calves that eat more creep That was in 2011 when grain feed are heavier at weaning. Yet to be profitable, the feeding cost of putting on this extra bodyweight must be less than the sale of this weight gain.

For 2019, the financial statement to put 80 lbs of creep-fed bodyweight on large-framed calves (segregate out the replacement heifers) in a 150-day creep feeding program looks promising.

I estimate that by using a $2.05/lb fall weaned calf price (based upon $1.50/lb USF) and account for: the current creepfeed prices of $0.19/lb, its feed Spring calf’s tail twitching as it nurses. efficiency of

prices were strong relative to soft calf prices. Otherwise, creep feeding is still profitable in 2019 and is a timeless way of supplementing essential nutrients to saleable beef calves, where milk and forage supplies may become short.

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The AgriPost

May 31, 2019

Bothwell Cheese Makes Plans for Growth

By Les Kletke A Manitoba cheese maker continues to establish itself internationally with future plans to grow the manufacturing plant in New Bothwell as well as increasing the number of skilled employees and its global market share even more.

Kevin Thomson the President of Bothwell Cheese said, “Bothwell Cheese has been crafting a premium, all natural, artisanal cheese since 1936. With support of our local dairy producers and dedicated employees we have been able to with many Canadians grow our business and share our cheeses. With the help

of this grant funding we will continue to expand and look to even larger markets to show case this great Manitoba product.”

Thomson made the remarks at a press conference announcing an investment of $1.132 million from the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, AgriFood Canada and the Provincial government. The grant will be used to modernize waste water treatment equipment and increase efficiencies in the plant.

On hand for the announcement Minister Ralph Eichler said, “Our goal is to retain and grow our world class enterprises to meet the growing

demand for protein rich foods while fostering job creation within the agricultural sector.

This funding will allow Bothwell Cheese to create more jobs and process more milk right here in Manitoba, while also promoting water conservation.”

Money from the grant will allow Bothwell Cheese to increase its labour force by 20 full time employees and another 30 jobs upon completion of the project in 3 years. The company also has plans to upgrade the skills of 25 employees.

Once completed Bothwell Cheese expects to increase its exports by $24 million annually.

St. Boniface MP Dan Vandall representing Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Minister MarieClaude Bibeau said, “This investment will allow Bothwell Cheese to modernize their operations and increase their efficiency to meet growing consumer demand for their highquality products here and around the world, while creating well-paying jobs in their community.”

The company which was founded in 1936 is Canada’s largest independent cheese manufacturer and currently has 60 employees.

Government Takes Action for Canada’s Canola Sector Canada’s canola producers are key drivers of jobs, economic prosperity and growth for the middle class, exporting $11 billion in canola to more than 50 countries in 2018. The Government of Canada is committed to maintaining full market access for Canadian canola seed exports to China, while supporting Canadian producers and their families to meet the challenges ahead and grow their business.

Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau and Minister of International Trade Diversification Jim Carr have announced actions to support Canadian farm families.

Bibeau announced that the Government intends to amend the Agricultural Marketing Programs Regulations to temporarily increase loan limits under the Advance Payments Program (APP).

These changes will help ease cash flow pressures that farmers are facing and help them manage the impacts of market disruptions in key export countries.

The regulatory amendment would change the loan limits for the APP for the 2019 year with up to $1 million available on all commodities, more than double the previous limit of $400,000. The first $100,000 will remain interest-free on all commodities, except canola. Canola advances will be eligible for up to $500,000 (total) interest-free.

“The current market situation is creating great uncertainty for farmers,” said Bernie McClean, President of Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA). “With cash flow being farmers’ most immediate concern, we welcome enhancements that will help build financial predictability for at least the short to medium-term.”

“The Canola Working Group established by Minister Bibeau has focused on a number of short, medium and long-term tools that could help farmers and the wider industry manage through the current market access issues with China,” said Rick White, CEO at CCGA. “With planting just getting started and higher than normal stocks of last year’s canola crop remaining in farmers’ bins, we’re pleased to see actions being taken on the recommendations of the working group.”

“We’re already working on the necessary changes to our systems so that farmers can access these benefits quickly,” said White. White expects CCGA will be in a position to process applications at the new limits in the near future. CCGA began issuing advances under the 2019-20 APP on April 1, 2019. “This will help with the uncertainty and the stress the canola industry is going through, as farmers worry about what to plant and how they will deal with the falling price of canola,” said KAP President Bill Campbell. The canola crop contributes $1.72 billion to the Manitoba economy. “There has already been a $1.30 per-bushel loss on the crop, and that means a $160 million loss to Manitoba farmers which will drastically affect our provincial economy.”

Campbell said that many farmers still have the 2018 crop in their bins, and now with the rock-bottom prices some stand to lose $50,000 or more. If the dispute is not solved before the 2019 harvest, the same fate awaits this year’s crop.

The government also announced an extension until July 2 for enrollment in the AgriStability program.

According to the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA), while additional flexibility with regard to AgriStability deadlines is also appreciated, trade disruptions such as those the canola sector is experiencing with China; continue to highlight the importance and urgency of undertaking comprehensive reforms to Canada’s Business Risk Management suite. Similarly, efforts to promote continued trade diversification are critical as we continue to see producers affected by trade disruptions and associated volatility in the marketplace.

Recognizing that these are solutions that will get farmers through in the short term, KAP’s Campbell said a long-term solution is needed, and welcomed the announcement that Carr will be undertaking a trade mission to find new markets for Canada’s canola.

“We’re glad to see the effort going into market diversification,” he said. “That’s the reason Canada entered into the new trade agreements, but they don’t do farmers much good if they’re not adhered to.”

Carr announced that he will be leading a canola trade mission to Japan and South Korea in early June. Carr’s outreach will build on his work to engage other high-potential countries including UAE, Thailand, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Mexico, Germany and France. Trade missions open doors and provides onthe-ground support so that companies can compete and succeed on the international playing field.

With the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Canadian farmers and producers now have preferential market access to an estimated 1.5 billion consumers in more than 50 countries.

Manitoba Pork Builds Prototype Disease Response Trailer

Manitoba Pork builds a new prototype Conceptual model 181016.jpg In recognition of the need for a special trailer to help deal with the spread of swine viral diseases and humane euthanization especially with the threats of African Swine Fever and even PED virus a prototype disease response trailer has been designed and will be further tested before being put into use in Manitoba and world-wide.

By Harry Siemens In an interview at the recent annual meeting of the Manitoba Pork Council, Mark Fynn the Manager, Quality Assurance and Animal Care Programs described a new prototype disease response trailer.

“We recognized the need for a trailer to help us deal with disease situations in the province, especially when we look at the threats of African Swine Fever and even PED virus. We realized there was a need to develop a disease response trailer to be able to help in those situations,” said Fynn. “Yeah, the disease response trailer is meant to help with making sure that we can help euthanize pigs and give them a better death than they would otherwise have. Like sick pigs that need euthanizing, and so that’s the purpose of it.”

He said because of past viral outbreak situations; they recognized the need for this type of trailer. He explained that some of the PED barns they dealt with had a lot of pigs that were quite sick and went on to die a much worse death than if someone euthanized them.

“We do the euthanasia, but it’s very hard on staff. No one that’s cared for the animals wants to go and euthanize the animals,” said Fynn. “And so we’re trying to develop the technology that provides a very humane death for the animals and takes the stress off the workers too.”

He said the prototype trailer being worked on will help set the designs.

“Then we’ll learn some lessons as

Mark Fynn briefing attendees.

well on the design of it too so that if we do want to build additional trailers in the future, we can,” said Fynn. “This particular prototype trailer will be ready very soon for us in Manitoba, but we realize a lot of other areas also deal with similar issues when they’re responding to disease. And so we want to make that technology available to them as well if they’re in need for it.”

Building this prototype is a collaborative effort he explained.

“Yes, especially in getting this disease response trailer built. It’s quite a big investment, but we recognize the need to make sure that we can do euthanasia very well and we can help people handle the mental stress of it,” he said. “We’ve invested $1.5 million in developing this trailer, helped by our Provincial and Federal governments, Alberta Pork and Sask Pork. But Manitoba Pork has put a large contribution into making sure that we can get this done and do it right.”

Fynn said the next step is making it readily available and making those designs available as well.

“We want to make sure that this technology can help other pork producers, other people, and other pig industries across the country and the world. The prototype will be a functional trailer that we can use. If we have lessons learned about how to improve it for future situations, then we have that and we can scale that out. But this one will be functioning to help us with those very tricky situations,” he added.

Photo by Harry Siemens

The AgriPost

May 31, 2019

Safety Reminders for Manitoba Producers:

Tips and Legal Requirements Spring is finally in full swing, and in Manitoba that means there is a small window of time for farmers to get seed in the ground. Being prepared before you begin is critical to avoiding risk and potential fines. The Manitoba Farm Safety Program has identified ways you can ensure successful, safe season: 1. Train your help.

All farms in Manitoba are required by law to provide, and keep records of safety orientation for all workers - paid or unpaid, causal or otherwise. In the event of Workplace Safety and Health carrying out a general inspection or investigating a serious injury or fatality on your farm, they can ask to see these training records.

2. Know when escort vehicles and permits are required on provincial highways.

Permits: Over width permits are not required for any implements or farm tractors being operated or towed on a highway for agricultural purposes.

However, height and length permits are required if exceeding the following: - Height: 4.6 metres.

- Length: 35.0 metres.

Implements and farm tractors loaded on standard trailers must obtain over width permits if the load exceeds 6.1 metres in width. However, specialized trailers designed specifically to haul that particular implement do not require over width permits. Height and length permit restrictions still apply.

Escort vehicles: Escort vehicles are not required for any implements or farm tractors being operated or towed on a highway for agricultural purposes.

If loaded on a trailer, an escort vehicle is required for loads up to 6.1 metres in width that protrude over the centre line of the highway and are subject to the following: - One front escort vehicle on a 2 or 4 lane nondivided highway.

- One rear escort vehicle on a 4 lane divided highway.

All trailer loads exceeding 6.1 metres in width require one front and one rear escort on all highways.

The above is a partial summary of the provincial regulation, and does not include information regarding night time travel. For more information about permits and escort vehicles, contact the Manitoba Permit Services Office at 204-945-3961.

3. Create or update descriptions of your farmland.

Keep descriptions and directions to all farmland in the house, in the shop, in your equipment and in farm vehicles. This information should be easily accessible to family, neighbours and workers so they know exactly where to send help if needed.

4. Restock and buy personal first aid kits.

As per Manitoba safety and health legislation, you are responsible for ensuring that anyone working alone on your farm has immediate access to a personal first aid kit. It may be helpful to keep kits and farmland descriptions in the same spot in your farm equipment. Personal first aid kits must contain the following items: a) 10 sterile adhesive dressings, assorted sizes, individually packaged; b) 5 10 cm × 10 cm sterile gauze pads, individually packaged; c) a 10 cm × 10 cm sterile compress dressing,

with ties; d) 5 antiseptic cleansing towelettes, individually packaged; e) a cotton triangular bandage; f) a waterproof waste bag; g) a pair of impervious disposable gloves; h) a roll of 2.5 cm adhesive bandage tape.

5. Let other motorists decide when it is safe to pass you on roadways.

While you may want to be polite and pull over to let cars pass you, it is not always a good idea to wave them around. By allowing motorists to decide for themselves when it is safe to pass, it takes the responsibility off of you.

6. Inspect and replace fire extinguishers.

The following is a guideline for the type of fire extinguisher needed for each location on your farm: Shops - 10 pound dry chemical, multi-purpose ABC extinguisher.

- 5 pound dry chemical ABC extinguisher.

Barns - 10 pound dry chemical, multi-purpose ABC extinguisher.

- 2.5 gallon pressurized water extinguisher.

Farm Vehicles - 5 pound dry chemical, multi-purpose ABC extinguisher Combines -10 pound dry chemical, multi-purpose ABC extinguisher.

-2.5 gallon pressurized water extinguisher.

Balers -2.5 gallon pressurized water extinguisher.

Tractors - 10 pound dry chemical, multi-purpose ABC extinguisher.

Silos/Bins - 20 pound dry chemical, multi-purpose ABC extinguisher.

- 2.5 gallon pressurized water extinguisher.

Remember, fight small fires only. Water extinguishers can only be used on crop, straw and grass-type fires. For any fire involving oil, grease or electrical a dry chemical extinguisher must be used.

On machinery fire extinguishers should be mounted on the outside if possible.

7. Inspect personal protective equipment.

Replace any faulty or worn out personal protective equipment. Damaged safety harnesses and lanyards must be cut up prior to being disposed of, so if found, they cannot be used.

Things to check for are distorted or broken Drings, frayed or cut edges in the webbing, bent or rusty buckles and missing rivets.

8. Polish up reflective signs and lights on your equipment.

Inspect and clean off all lights and signage.

Make sure turn signals and flashers work properly and that your safety reflective tape and slow-moving vehicle emblems are fully visible to other motorists.

9. Support hydraulics during maintenance.

Ensure you are using a second support system on machines that use hydraulics while performing maintenance. Two safety measures should be standard practice.

10. Don’t skip meals.

Along with sleep, proper meals and getting plenty of water is key to reducing accidents by maintaining energy levels and alertness. Sleep deprivation and malnutrition slows response time, and that is when things can go wrong.

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The AgriPost

Minister Bibeau Concludes G20 Ministerial Meeting and Visit to Japan

Western Hemisphere agricultural leaders meeting on the margins of the G20 Agricultural Ministerial in Niigata, Japan.

Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, wrapped up a successful four-day visit to Japan where she represented Canada at the G20 Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting and met with her counterparts to discuss the importance of rules-based trade, market access for Canadian agri-food products and opportunities resulting from the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Comprehensive and Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).

At the G20 meeting in Niigata, Bibeau discussed Canada’s approach to the three core themes of the forum, innovation, value chains and sustainability. She highlighted Canada’s world-leading research centres and how collaboration with industry and academia has led to innovative practices and technologies that help farmers prosper and all while reducing their carbon footprint. In addition, she talked about Canada’s support for the next generation of farmers, including women, to ensure they are equipped for success.

Agroecosystem Living Labs is an innovative approach to agricultural research aimed at accelerating adoption of new technologies. Canada introduced this concept at last year’s G20 meeting and it was endorsed again by Ministers in their declaration. The Living Labs approach was also recognized by G20 Agricultural Chief Scientists as an important mechanism for scaling up climate smart technologies.

While in Niigata, Bibeau held productive meetings with her counterparts from Japan, the United States, Mexico, the Netherlands, and the EU to enhance bilateral trading relationships and discuss priority issues for the Government of Canada.

Other topics of discussion included the early success of the CPTPP and CETA, which are already creating good, middle class jobs and providing farmers with new

opportunities in key markets, and global cooperation in taking concrete actions to prevent and respond to the threat of African Swine Fever.

She had the opportunity to have an introductory conversation on the margins of the G20 with Minister Han, the Agriculture Minister of China where she expressed Canada’s deep concern with the suspension of Canadian canola exports to China, and urged that this issue needs to be resolved quickly. She expressed strongly that the Government of Canada stands firmly behind its robust inspection system and good reputation of being a reliable supplier of quality products worldwide.

Minister Bibeau took every opportunity to advance Canada’s trade diversification strategy as the Government continues to seek out new customers for Canadian agrifood products abroad and help farmers diversify into new markets.

Bibeau concluded her visit in Tokyo where she was joined by Jim Everson, President of the Canola Council of Canada and Co-Chair of the Government-Industry Canola Working Group for meetings with key industry leaders from Japan’s grains, oilseeds and meat sectors to raise the profile of our high-quality Canadian products and foster new business opportunities. Japan continues to be a an important destination for Canadian pork, beef, wheat and canola and the CPTPP has given exporters a competitive advantage as more and more Japanese customers see the value in what Canada has to offer.

Japan is Canada’s third-largest trade partner in agriculture and food. In 2018, Canada exported approximately $1.2 billion in pork products and $215 million in beef products to Japan. Japan is also a stable, consistent and long-term canola seed market for Canada. Canada exported approximately $1.3 billion in canola seed and canola oil to Japan in 2018.

May 31, 2019

How Manitoba Farmers Can Help Control TickRelated Health Risks Cases of Lyme disease resulting from blacklegged tick bites continue to increase in Manitoba, according to the provincial government’s most recent tick-borne disease report. In 2018, there were 28 confirmed cases in Manitoba as compared to only one in 2009. The highest incidence rates have been found in the Interlake region and primarily occurred in males over 60.

For farmers, avoiding the outdoors and contact with vegetation where ticks are most abundant is nearly impossible, especially for commodities like beekeeping. Paul Gregory, VicePresident of the Manitoba Beekeepers’ association and President of Interlake Forage Seeds in Fisher Branch, said Lyme disease is a major concern among beekeepers.

“We work kneeling down in grassed areas close to trees, every day, all season long. Ticks pose a serious threat to our employees and their family’s health, this cannot be understated.

Several of our members have been hit hard by Lyme disease and it is truly sad to see.”

Lyme disease cannot be transmitted by wood ticks. A bite from a blacklegged tick carrying the Borrelia bacteria is the only known way a person or animal can contract Lyme disease.

That said, not all blacklegged ticks carry the Borrelia bacteria.

According to Dr. Kateryn Rochon, professor at the University of Manitoba’s entomology department, only around 10% of the blacklegged ticks analyzed test positive for Lyme disease, most of which are female ticks.

Ronchon said this is because male ticks do not normally attach and feed, and are therefore less likely to carry and transmit Borrelia bacteria.

The nymphal stage is the stage most likely to infect people with Lyme disease, and occurs during the spring and early summer months. This is due to their small size which prevents people from promptly noticing and removing them from their bodies.

“The most common symptom is a target-like rash with the centre or ‘bulls eye’ being where the tick would have latched. This may not be obvious though, as ticks prefer the hairline, armpit and groin area.”

Dr. Bullard goes on to say that a second rash of the same appearance and location typically occurs a few weeks after the first, but is more obvious as it

spreads across the body. He notes that joint pain and swelling are the other common symptoms, and that Lyme disease is very treatable with an excellent response to simple antibiotics. “Your doctor can order a simple blood test to determine if you have Lyme disease, and if a rash is present within one month of infected tick exposure, this test yields more sensitive results.”

Preventative Measures and Proper Removal DEET is the recommended repellant for ticks and should be reapplied every four hours to ensure its effectiveness. Apply the repellant over the entire body with particular attention on the foot and leg area. When walking in grassy and/or wooded areas, close toed shoes and long pants tucked in to socks should be worn to reduce the chances of a tick reaching your skin.

A tick must be attached for at least 72 hours to transmit the Borrelia bacteria as the bacteria needs time to migrate from the tick’s gut to its salivary glands. Because of this delay, prompt detection and removal of ticks is one of the key methods of preventing Lyme disease. Regular tick checks are important.

Remove the tick as close as possible to the skin using a pair of tweezers. Do not squeeze a tick by the body or panic and smack it.

When startled, ticks will expel saliva which may contain dangerous bacteria or pathogens.

Once removed, swab the area with alcohol. If you suspect it is a blacklegged tick, you can submit a photo to Manitoba’s Blacklegged Tick Passive Surveillance Program using their online tool at forms.gov. mb.ca/tickSubmission. Their staff will review the image to determine if it is a blacklegged tick and contact you with further instructions.

Note that the purpose of the passive surveillance program is meant to gain further information about the distribution of blacklegged tick populations, not to inform a clinical diagnosis.

Finally, one of the most effective ways to defend your own yard and land against ticks is keeping grass short and other vegetation groomed. Whether by animal grazing pasture land, or mowing, the goal is to reduce the places ticks can thrive.

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May 31, 2019

First Ever International Forum on African Swine Fever Takes Place

By Harry Siemens The first ever international forum on African Swine Fever (ASF) wrapped up in Ottawa on May 1. Over 150 leaders and decision makers from government and industry from 15 countries shared their expertise, engaged in productive discussions, and contributed to developing strategies to address ASF, a serious animal disease impacting swine herds in Europe and Asia.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) for Canada, Dr. Jaspinder Komal, accompanied by Dr. Jack Shere, CVO for the US and Dr. Juan Gay Gutierrez, CVO for Mexico offered the following statement. “Jointly, we have developed a framework that will support ongoing international collaboration and action in the areas of preparedness planning, enhanced biosecurity, business continuity and coordinated risk communications.”

This framework lays the foundation for a high state of readiness to swiftly control ASF should it enter the North America, strengthening biosecurity measures to prevent the entry and mitigate its spread, establish agreements in the swine sector to mitigate the trade impact, and provide effective communication to best inform Canadians and neighbouring countries about the risk of ASF. “Through our dialogue over the past two days, we have also identified several key partnerships and governance options to advance the implementation of the jointly developed framework at the regional, or the Americas level, as well as at the sub-regional and national levels,” continued the joint statement.

Jointly the three North American CVO’s held a telephone conference call with the media at the conference windup.

Dr. Jaspinder Komal CVO with CFIA was asked about the kind of input did the forum receive from the countries that have African Swine Fever. “So I said in my previous answer that we had colleagues from FAO who are helping some Asian countries to manage their emergencies. I can summarize in a nutshell, it’s a very complex problem based on where do you find it. You find it in domestic hogs or do you find it in wild pigs? And what is the geographical area in that place?” responded Dr. Jaspinder Komal.

“And what type of biosecurity measures do you have? How is your animal movement? How are people moving? How is product moving, not only the meat products but also any other ingredients that are supporting the production of hog.”

“We knew a lot of stuff, but it was also an eye-opener that one strategy does not fit all. We have to develop strategies based on the problem that you have at hand,” said Dr. Komal. “The density of panic mode of the production; if you look at our country in Canada, if you look at Quebec, Ontario or Manitoba, versus the rest of the country, we want to be developing different strategies based on our pig population density.”

Dr. Jack Shere, CVO with the US spoke of the examples of specific measures that some of the countries at the forum provided.

“The only thing I’d add is China was there, and they spoke to the level of infection and the rapid spread, and the fact that they had it not only in their domestic hogs but also in their wild boar,” said Dr. Shere. “Now wild boar issues became a topic of discussion for the EU, especially the Czech Republic. They eradicated it from their wild boar, but they destroyed a lot of their wild boar doing it. But they had a strategy that they talked about, and that was an interesting strategy when they spoke about passive surveillance and how they went about it.”

“The FAO talked to us extensively about plans for the future and how they were going to deal with things. And then the European Union really spoke to us a great deal about their plans for zoning and how they were working on those types of things. So, all in all, we had a lot of different discussion about different countries,” said Shere. “The China discussion was, to me, the most interesting and what went on there. It’s always a question of, ‘Where did you get it from?’ And it was interesting for them to frame where they thought it came from. They believed that it was passengers bringing contaminated meat to them. So that was their definition of how they became infected.”

The AgriPost

A Visit with the Prairie Swine Centre’s New CEO

By Harry Siemens In an early April interview, less than one year after, Dr. Murray Pettitt became the new CEO of the Prairie Swine Centre (PSC) in Saskatoon the AgriPost had an opportunity to interview him at a PSC producer meeting in Niverville where he explained what the Centre’s current plans are.

“We’re currently working on our strategic plan for the next five years. It’s allowed me to go out and talk to lots of folks throughout the industry and hear what they’re thinking and what kinds of information they might need and allowing us to focus our efforts to serve the industry in western Canada even better than we already are,” he said. “Historically, we’ve focused on three areas, nutrition, engineering, animal behaviour

and welfare. And I’m sure we’ll continue to do that because those are important aspects of what the industry does, but you know there are new things on the horizon. It’s now the internet and all this new digital technology coming our way, and how do you make sense of it, and how do you decide what’s useful and what will pay back or will make your life easier, so that’s one area that has potential. Whether or not the Swine Centre gets involved in that, we’re not quite sure yet. I think that’s probably the big one.”

Pettitt said that another primary focus is on the health and the disease status of the Canadian swine herd and throughout the world.

“Not so sure the Swine Centre has a big role to play in that, but we’re certainly a part of the industry, too. We’re hog producers just like

July 1, 2018, Dr. Murray Pettitt became the new CEO of the Prairie Swine Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan succeeding Lee Whittington, who retired after 26 years, the last ten years as President/CEO.

Dr. Murray Pettitt explained that being at producer meetings is part of the Prairie Swine Centre’s mandate to keep being relevant to the industry by presenting information and research, getting feedback from producers, hearing about concerns first Photos by Harry Siemens hand and needs that to be addressed.

everybody else, so we’ll certainly do our part for the biosecurity and involvement,” he said. “Part of being here today is taking our information right to the industry and getting the feedback from producers and allowing us to understand what the concerns are and what the needs are so that we can stay focused on the job at hand.”

The PSC is also doing an indepth transport study, looking at transport conditions and at the new trailers coming onto the market, how best to use them. The health of piglets as they are transported on trailers and how to improve biosecurity on the trailer is part of the research.

While looking at the changes in the pig business, consolidation is the significant change he noted.

“It’s changed even since I started in this business with fewer small producers out there, and a lot of amalgamation and integration, so that’s part of the questions I’m asking industry, too. How does the Swine Centre stay relevant to the changing demographics of the industry?” he asked. “That’s important for us because if we’re not serving our customers well, then we’re not doing our jobs.”

One example of a significant change is with the switch over to group housing for sow barns, something that many have viewed with scepticism. “And it will take time, but I think as it goes along, we’re working the kinks out of it, and people see that it is, in fact, a good way to manage the pigs,” said Pettitt. “The Swine Centre has done a lot of that background, research, and extension work into this, so we’ll be there as a resource when the industry needs us to assist with the transitions.”

Pettitt is originally from Russell and has spent almost 20 years in Saskatoon with about a decade at the Swine Centre, followed by nearly nine years at the University of Saskatchewan as a researcher.

He said that coming back to the Swine Centre as CEO was just like coming home. “It is like coming home, to be able to return to the Centre after nine years pursuing my research interests in my area of specialization,” said Pettitt in 2018. “The position of CEO will allow me to further my interests in bringing science to agriculture, and adding to the long, successful history of Prairie Swine Centre’s service to the pork industry.” years as President/CEO. Dr. Pettitt has worked in the swine research community for the past 21 years and was previously employed at Prairie Swine Centre (PSC) for ten years, managing Contract Research from 2003-2009. During that time he grew the program’s capabilities while being responsible for the business development and the design and implementation of customer-driven research.

The AgriPost

Suits and Boots Launches Campaign in Support of Canadian Canola Farmers Canadian grassroots group Suits and Boots launched a nationwide #StandUpToChina campaign today to persuade China to lift its ban on Canadian canola entering that country, first implemented in March.

“Today, we are standing up for Canada’s Prairie farmers, who are being used as pawns in a diplomatic and trade-war chess game between the US and China that has nothing to do with them,” said Suits and Boots founder and Edmonton businessman Rick Peterson. “This is causing immense pain in Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba as well as in B.C., Ontario and Quebec.

Our canola farmers are crushed, and need Canadians’ support.”

Suits and Boots’ 3,700 supporters have mobilized in the #StandUpToChina campaign to persuade China to lift its ban on Canadian canola, as well as peas, soybeans and pork, which have also been restricted.

As part of the campaign, Suits and Boots members began calling and emailing China’s Ambassador to Canada, based in Ottawa, as well as the four Chinese Consuls-General located in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal.

The organization will also be contacting Canadian businesses, trade organizations, cultural and sporting groups, and any entity that is visiting with or doing business with China and asking them to join in the effort. Every week from now through the fall, when the Prairie canola crops are harvested, the group will be reaching out to new groups and individuals, asking for their support.

“The canola ban was clearly in retaliation to Canada’s role in arresting Meng Wanzhou, the CFO of Chinese tech giant Huawei, last December in Vancouver. Our government is using quiet diplomacy to resolve this issue, but all that they’ve been able to do is offer loans to farmers, which just gets them deeper into debt,” Peterson said.

“It’s time someone stood up to China and spoke out loud on behalf of our canola farmers, and that’s what we’re doing.”

Suits and Boots enjoyed considerable success in leading the fight against Bill C-69 in the Senate through an intensive national phone and email campaign that started last September. Peterson said he believes that the same effort will yield results for its #StandUpToChina campaign.

Peterson pointed out that it was 30 years ago this summer that Chinese government tanks crushed a student protest in Beijing, with an iconic photo of an anonymous “Tank Man” standing before a column of Chinese tanks in protest being a powerful symbol of resistance.

“It takes courage to stand up to a tank,” said Peterson. “And it takes courage to stand up to China today. Canada is having its own ‘Tank Man’ moment. Will we stand strong and support our Prairie farm families and push back, or will we let China destroy our canola farms? We know where we stand on that issue; it’s time to #StandUpToChina”.

Suits and Boots is a not-for-profit group of Canadian investment industry professionals working alongside farmers and resource sector workers. For further info visit suitsandboots.ca.

Founding Member of Foodgrains Bank Dies Len Siemens, one of the founding members of Canadian Foodgrains Bank, passed away on April 25, 2019. He was 93.

Siemens, a retired agronomy professor and former associate dean in the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences at the University of Manitoba, played an important role in the establishment of the Foodgrains Bank.

In the mid-1970s he was part of a small group that envisioned the creation of a Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Food Bank into which farmers could donate grain for shipment overseas.

At the time, there was pressure on MCC to respond to the hunger crisis around the world. The MCC Food Bank was enlarged to include other churches in 1983 and became Canadian Foodgrains Bank.

In these developmental years, Siemens was on the board of directors of MCC and served as secretary. He acted as a liaison between the businessmen and farmers who dreamt up the MCC Food Bank and MCC leadership in Akron, Ohio. “His mission

was to feed the world,” said John Wieler, who directed the MCC Food Bank at the time. “He was an agriculturalist and academic who brought credibility to what we were discussing to the MCC board.”

“He battled through a lot of problems and was willing to answer the tough questions,” added Wieler, noting that there was some opposition to Canadian Foodgrains Bank being formed at its very beginning by those who thought that it could overtake MCC itself.

“I’m very thankful he was there during that time. He gave the best of what he had and was a very important contributor.”

“His various contributions were proved by the fact that Canadian Foodgrains Bank worked, it was accepted, and 40 years later, both MCC and Foodgrains Bank are vibrant agencies.”

“It is people like Len Siemens that leave lasting legacies,” said Jim Cornelius, executive director of the Foodgrains Bank. “He envisioned what could be and then helped work through the practical and organizational issues to help

Len Siemens

make it a reality.”

Today, the Foodgrains Bank is providing over $40 million in annual assistance around the world, providing food where it is needed, and supporting the efforts of households and communities to improve their farming, livelihoods and nutrition. In 2018-19, over 800,000 people were assisted in 36 countries.

Since its establishment in 1983, over a billion dollars of assistance has been provided.

May 31, 2019

Stats Canada Survey Predicts Increased Wheat and Corn Crop

By Elmer Heinrichs Canadian farmers anticipate planting more acres of wheat, corn, dry peas and oats in 2019 compared with 2018, while seeding intentions for canola, soybeans and lentils have declined relative to the previous year, according to StatCan’s April farm seeding intentions report.

Planting intentions may have been influenced by ongoing issues, including lower prices for some crops as a result of global supply, tariffs and decreased foreign demand due to ongoing trade issues.

Data on actual seeded area, to be released in June, may differ from current intentions depending on these and other factors, including weather or natural disasters such as flooding.

Given the intention of farmers to plant a greater area of wheat, corn, and dry field peas, there is an expected increase in seeded area for grains, pulse and special crops, while oilseeds are anticipated to decrease given lower seeded area of canola and soybeans.

Canadian farmers intended to plant 25.7 million acres of wheat in 2019, up 3.8 per cent from 2018. Seeding intentions indicate that area allotted to spring wheat will increase 12.0 per cent to 19.4 million acres compared with the previous year, while durum wheat acreage is expected to decrease 18.8 per cent to 5.0 million acres. The anticipated decline in durum wheat area is the largest since 2010, when seeded area declined by more than 2.5 million acres. Manitoba farmers anticipate planting 3.3 million acres of wheat in 2019, up 12.7 per cent from 2018.

Nationally, farmers expect to plant 6.6 per cent fewer acres of canola, to 21.3 million acres in 2019 compared with the previous year. If seeding intentions are realized, this would represent the lowest seeded area of canola since 2016 and 1.6 per cent lower than the five-year average of 21.7 million acres.

Record high year-end stocks for the 2018 calendar year, coupled with concerns regarding limited access to China’s canola market, may have affected anticipated seeding area.

These factors have contributed to lower than average prices, which may have some farmers considering seeding fewer acres of canola or other crops. However, resolution of trade concerns or increased canola prices could alter final seeding decisions.

Producers in Manitoba also anticipate seeding fewer acres of canola, with expected seeded area declining from 3.4 million acres in 2018 to 3.3 million acres in 2019.

Nationally, farmers in Canada expect to seed 5.6 million acres of soybeans in 2019, down 10.7 per cent from 6.3 million acres in 2018. Dry conditions over the past two years in western Canada contributed to lower yields, which may have contributed to some farmers deciding to decrease seeded area of soybeans.

Manitoba was the main contributor to the decrease in expected soybean area, with farmers expecting to plant 319,000 fewer acres from the previous year, at 1.6 million acres. This is the second consecutive year that farmers expect to plant less soybeans in the province, falling to the smallest area since 2015.

Nationwide, farmers anticipate planting 3.8 million acres of corn for grain, up 4.6 per cent from 2018. In Ontario, producers expect to plant a record 2.2 million acres of corn for grain, up 3.3 per cent year over year, while Quebec farmers expect to plant 992,200 acres, up 4.1 per cent.

Conversely, Manitoba farmers expect to plant 1.7 per cent fewer acres of corn for grain, at 413,700 acres.

Meanwhile, producers expect to plant 11.6 per cent more acres of dry field peas, rising from 3.6 million acres in 2018 to 4.0 million acres in 2019.

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The AgriPost

May 31, 2019

Progressive Conservatives Turn Backs on Rural Manitoba Cliff Graydon, MLA for Emerson, expressed frustration after the Progressive Conservative Party defeated his resolution removing educational tax from farmland by not allowing a vote on the matter.

The Progressive Conservative Party passed an identical resolution at their 2018 convention, calling upon the government to end educational taxes on agricultural land before the next election. The current Ministers of Agriculture, Growth, Enterprise and Trade, as well as Justice, are all on the record as being in favour of the resolution.

“All of these members were in the convention hall that day, and stood up to say what they truly thought, but at the same time, have not acted upon it, once they were in a position of power, to not only raise the cap, but eliminate the education tax on farmland,” Graydon continued.

“It is frustrating and disappointing to all Manitobans when their government says one thing and does another.”

Graydon brought this private members resolution forward after a number of constituents raised this issue with him. A farmer himself Graydon has experienced the effects of the educational tax, which has increased over 72% in a single year in parts of the province. “During the last provincial election, the government, and I include myself in that, went door to door, farm to farm, assuring Manitobans that taxes would not increase. However, year after year, educational land tax has increased on agricultural land,” said Graydon expressing his frustration. “And just like every other farm owner in Manitoba, I was duped. The Pallister government wants to make life easier for their friends in Tuxedo, in Linden Woods, in Charleswood, in St. Vital. However, it appears [the Premier’s] strong support in rural Manitoba is taken for granted.”

Saskatchewan taxes arable land at 1.4% of 55% of its assessed value and rangeland at 1.4% of 45% of it’s of assessed value.

In contrast, Alberta taxes agricultural land at the low rate of 2.56%. “The other Prairie Provinces have both adequately funded their education system for years, yet neither disproportionately affect farmers,” Graydon continued. “Manitoba is the only province that allows school districts to demand how much money they require and require municipalities to collect it. As a result, educational taxes are double the municipal rates.”

Agriculture is the backbone of the Manitoba economy, consisting of 5.7% of Manitoba’s overall GDP. However, unlike the rest of society, farmers do not have a pension plan and often use their land as a way of storing up equity for retirement.

Currently, Manitoba has no tax on pension plans and investments that work as similar vehicles.

“This government has never shied away from promoting lower taxes. I do not understand why they would not support this resolution and proceed to eliminate the education tax on agricultural lands immediately as was passed at their last AGM November 2018,” Graydon concluded.

Active PED Cases Confirmed in Manitoba

By Harry Siemens As of Wednesday, May 24, 2019, Manitoba Pork said there are ten cases of the PED virus confirmed in 2019, all in the southeast region.

Jenelle Hamblin, Manitoba Pork Council (MPC)s Manager of Swine Health Programs, said they have some suspicions of some spring manure application of previously positive operations close by some of the barns that have broken this spring and are looking to that as a potential source. Hamblin said there still lies a biosecurity measure that someone broke for that virus to enter the barn.

Hamblin said producers and other service personnel need to follow strict biosecurity measures, adding the Manitoba Coordinated Disease Response (MCDR) is an excellent resource to utilize.

May and June are when a lot of cases of PED surface. “We are working closely with the Chief Veterinary Office of Manitoba and the herd veterinarians to investigate these cases, as well as monitoring those sites that are currently under surveillance around the infected sites. We also continue to work through previous PED cases. From the 17 cases confirmed in 2018, 12 have reached Presumptive Negative and five are Transitional,” said the Manitoba Pork Chop Talk.

Manitoba Pork strongly recommends that producers ramp up their biosecurity efforts. This time

Jenelle Hamblin, Manitoba Pork Council Manager of Swine Health Programs, said they have some suspicions of some spring manure application of previously positive operations close by some of the barns that have broken this spring and are looking to that as a potential source.

Photo by Harry Siemens

of year presents the added risk of disease transfer from manure application. Producers are asked to consult the herd veterinarian and visit Manitoba Pork’s biosecurity webpage for ideas on where producers can make improvements in their operations.

Registered producers can log in to the password protected Manitoba Coordinated Disease Response (MCDR) to ac-

cess more detailed information on PED-affected premises, including status, location and manure application. All Manitoba producers are urged to sign up for the MCDR. To register for the MCDR, or any other swine health concerns, contact Jenelle Hamblin, Manitoba Pork’s Manager of Swine Health Programs, at jhamblin@manitobapork.com or 204-235-4442.

Local Herbalist to Lead Workshop on Growing and Foraging

By Janet Kroeker The Woodmore WI Food Security Initiative is organizing another presentation and identification walk in gardens and wild areas on Tim and Janet Kroeker’s acreage in Roseau River, June 11 from 6:30 - 9 pm.

The presenter is gardener and herbalist Penny Roy who resides on a small acreage between St. Pierre-Jolys and Grunthal with her partner Maurice, their dog Housely and “too many cats!”

Roy attended Dominion Herbal College and had a practice as an herbalist. While she no longer has a clientele, she still teaches, mentors and makes medicines. She and Maurice have operated Penny’s Farm Stand for the last ten years growing their own herbs, heirloom tomatoes and garlic.

The couple are dedicated to sustainable practices and continue to incorporate new ideas in their gardens.

She has become more passionate

about nature conservation and education especially with children. Roy also loves to travel and learn about indigenous plant folklore and medicines.

At the Food Security workshop, Roy will focus on a number of useful herbs, both culinary and medicinal. From the perspective of a fairly diverse landscape, she will lead a walkabout through garden, meadow and forest to help us identify useful plants. Participants will learn about ethical foraging of trees, shrubs, berries, herbaceous plants, roots and weeds.

Following the walkabout Roy will guide attendees on the use of these herbs in the kitchen, as beauty preparations and in the herbal medicine cabinet.

Bring your questions and wallet as Roy will bring along herbs left over from her spring sale for those interested and still have room in your garden.

To register, contact Red River Recreation at 204-373-2002. Directions will be sent when you register.

The workshop will focus on a number of useful herbs, both culinary and medicinal.

The AgriPost

May 31, 2019

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Congratulations 2019 Agricultural Grads See Feature Pages 28 - 31

4-H Canada Receive Funds to Support the Next Generation

Minister Bibeau at the 47th annual 4-H Canada Citizenship Congress in Ottawa.

Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food MarieClaude Bibeau announced funding of up to $3 million under the AgriCompetiveness Program for 4-H Canada while meeting with a

group of youth taking part in the 47th annual 4-H Canada Citizenship Congress in Ottawa. The funding will allow 4-H Canada to continue to deliver impactful national programming that will em-

power youth to be responsible, caring and contributing leaders.

With this investment, 4-H Canada aims to reach even more youth across Canada through relevant youth

leadership programs and initiatives in the areas of sustainable agriculture, food security, science and technology, the environment, health and nutrition, and community engagement.

Through the delivery of exchanges, internships, handson learning activities, and conferences like the annual Citizenship Congress, 4-H Canada will provide youth with opportunities to develop knowledge and capacity in these areas, advance their leadership skills, and explore various career paths.

In support of these activities, 4-H will deliver social media content, publications, and other communications materials and resources to a diverse spectrum of audiences in order to further expand the reach of 4-H clubs in rural communities. “4-H Canada helps prepare generations of leaders, including girls, to take leadership positions in the agriculture sector and our government is committed to support this important work. Young farmers across Canada must have a public voice and play an active role in shaping the future of our agriculture industry to ensure our rural communities continue to thrive and that all Canadians have access to healthy food,” said Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agricul-

ture and Agri-Food.

This funding under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, ensures that 4-H’ers are empowered to develop relevant skills and knowledge, and explore career paths in the areas important to their generation: agriculture, science and technology, environmental sustainability, and health and nutrition,” said David Hovell, Board Chair 4-H Canada. “Through impactful programs, activities and mentorship, 4-H will continue to have support youth in their role as responsible, caring and contributing leaders positively impacting the world around them.”

Started in 1913, 4-H Canada is one of the country’s longest-running and most well-respected positive youth development organizations. In 2018, more than 114 new 4-H clubs were formed in Canada.

Now, one of the world’s largest youth organizations, 4-H can be found in more than 70 countries across the globe. 4-H in Canada has more than 25,000 members and 7,700 volunteers.

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May 31, 2019

The AgriPost

Congratulations 2019 Agricultural Grads Agriculture Students Celebrate Convocation at the U of M

The Class of 2019 for the School of Agriculture,

Fifty-eight students received their Diplomas in Agriculture at the 2019 convocation of the School of Agriculture held on May 3, at the University of Manitoba. This was the 112th graduating class.

Michelle Pottinger from Neepawa received the Governor General’s Bronze Medal, an award given to the graduate with the highest academic standing in the two-year Diploma Program in Agriculture. Dawson Sabourin from St. Jean Baptiste was the recipient of the President’s Medal, given annually to a student who combines scholarship with outstanding qualities of leadership.

Diplomas with Distinction, awarded to students who obtain a Grade Point Average of 3.75 or better out of a possible 4.5, were presented to Aman Bawa (Oak Bluff), Tara Lee Bouchard (Brandon), Jenai Buchanan (Crystal City), Donald Chaput (St. Adolphe), Jacquie Manaigre (Lorette), Michelle Pottinger, Dawson Sabourin and Easton Sellers (Orlando, FL).

The Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences annually awards Certificates of Merit to those who have made significant contributions to the agri-food industry. This year’s recipients include two lifelong producers with extensive leadership in the agricultural industry, Roberta Galbraith and Bill Toews.

The Teacher of the Year Award was presented to Dr. Kim Ominski from the Department of Animal Science in recognition of teaching excellence and contribution to the students’ program of study. This award is selected by the graduating class of Diploma students.

Since its inception in 1906, the Diploma in Agriculture program at the School of Agriculture has undergone many changes and challenges to meet the ever-growing needs of Canada’s agri-food industry. Students opt for one of four programs in crop management, livestock management, business management or general agriculture, depending on their career aspirations.

Photos provided by the University of Manitoba

Graduates of the Class of 2019:

Anderson, Cole - Gimli Bawa, Aman* Oak - Bluff Blerot, Eric - Grande Point Bouchard, Tara Lee* - Brandon Bruneau, Dallas - St. Claude Buchanan, Jenai L.* - Crystal City Buller, Jordyn M. - Lac du Bonnet Chappell, William J. - Hamiota Chaput, Donald* - St. Adolphe Côté, Philip G. - Haywood Dandenault, Pierre - Ile des Chenes De Luca, Antonio J. - Winnipeg Derksen, Brent M. - Winkler Dolyniuk, Sarah C. - Dugald Duthie, Ashlynn A. - Oakbank Dyck, Griffin L. - Winkler Enns, Ruth C. - Schanzenfeld Girouard, Corinne M. - Notre Dame de Lourdes Hallick, Dylan J. - Starbuck Heide, Julian T. - Winkler Hicks, Kevin T. - Winnipeg Instance, Tommy J. - Russell Janke, Tristen E. - Marquette Johnson, Kailey A. - Clearwater Kaminski, Matthew W. - Beausejour Klassen, Carolyn J. - Winkler Lappage, Curtis P. - Fisher Branch Lee, Tessa - Winnipeg Lehmann, Mychaela M. - Carman Lindal, Arik S. - Fisher Branch Manaigre, Jacquie* - Lorette

Martens, Tyler J. - Portage la Prairie Michiels, Jeff - Holland Nordick, Nicolas Robert - Ste. Agathe Pankiw, Kyle T. - Dufrost Papp, Zach - Oakbluff Pelepiuk, Krystal M. - Pansy Philippot, Nicolas G. - St. Claude Pinkerton, Brett - Pilot Mound Pischke, Amber E. - Whitemouth Pottinger, Michelle T.* - Neepawa Preston, Brooke A. - Ste Rose du Lac Reutter, Adam M. - Grunthal Ross, Kira - Stonewall Rushigira, Roger - Winnipeg Sabourin, Dawson R.* - St. Jean Baptiste Sabourin, Wyatt R. - St. Jean Baptiste Sellers, Easton* - Orlando, Florida Sharpe, James L. - Manitou Simard, Mathieu - Winnipeg Storey, Branden T. - Grandview Strecker, Devan C. - Beausejour Strecker, Julia L. - Beausejour Van Hulle, Samantha - Lake Francis Webster, Shelby L. - Ashern Wiens, Grace K. - Glenlea Wolf, Owen M. - Elm Creek Wytinck, Miguel C. - Cypress River *With Distinction. The Diploma in Agriculture with Distinction is awarded to Agriculture Diploma students who obtain a Grade Point Average of 3.75 or better out of a possible 4.5.

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Congratulations 2019 Agricultural Grads School of Agriculture 2019 Medals, Awards and Prizes:

Governor General’s Bronze Medal - Michelle T. Pottinger President’s Medal - Dawson R. Sabourin James Farms Award - Aman Bawa Pallister Farm Award - Michelle T. Pottinger Ian R. Seddon Memorial Award - Grace K. Wiens Manitoba Pork Council Prize - Grace K. Wiens Cyril L. Anderson - Feed Rite (Masterfeeds) Prize - Michelle T. Pottinger Canadian Association of Agri-Retailers (CAAR) Agronomy Award - Easton Sellers Manitoba Ag Days Convocation Prize - Easton Sellers Dr. Eugene H. “Papa” Lange Memorial Prize - Tara Lee Bouchard FASO Minor Awards - Mathieu Simard and Julia L. Strecker John Roth Memorial Award - Samantha Van Hulle Rylan Laudin Memorial Prize - Tara Lee Bouchard Prof. Paul and Anna Stelmaschuk Awards - Philip G. Côté and Michelle T. Pottinger Brad Jonk Award - Philip G. Côté Teacher of the Year - Dr. Kim Ominski, Professor

Dawson Sabourin receives the President’s Medal from Dr. David Barnard.

Michelle Pottinger receives the Governor General’s Medal from Dr. Harvey Secter, Chancellor of the University of Manitoba.

Graduates toss their mortarboards in the air as they graduate from the School of Agriculture, University of Manitoba with their Diplomas in Agriculture.

Department of Animal Dean’s Honour Roll:

Science

Aman Bawa

Jeff Michiels

Tara Lee Bouchard

Michelle T. Pottinger

Jenai L. Buchanan

Easton Sellers

Philip G. Côté

James L. Sharpe

Curtis P. Lappage

Devan C. Strecker

Jacquie Manaigre

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The AgriPost

May 31, 2019

Congratulations 2019 Agricultural Grads

Grad Student Heads Back to the Family Farm

By Les Kletke Although seeding was in full swing, Dawson Sabourin could spare the time to attend the 112th Graduation of the School of Agriculture and pick up the President’s Medal. The award is given to the student who combines academic achievement and leadership qualities.

Seeding was a bit later than usual on the Sabourin Farm which is east of St. Jean Baptiste in the Red River Valley.

“About 80% of our land is river lots so we were held up by the flood,” he said.

“We usually start in April and are finished by the 8th of May. This year we were held up but that does not mean we won’t get a good crop.”

He said the conditions on the farm this year were similar to the flood of 2011, “Which was the last bad one, before that it was 2009 and before that the one, by which all floods are measured, 1997.”

Sabourin said it is not so much the snow and conditions in Manitoba, as what comes up from the south.

“We are much more impacted by the conditions of Fargo and Grand Forks and they had more snow so there was more water coming than usual.”

He is returning to a 3,600

Dawson Sabourin received the President’s medal at the School of Agriculture graduation in early May. He has returned to the family farm at St. Jean. Photo by Les Kletke

acre grain farm operated by his father and uncle who have plans for him and a cousin to work into the operation, with the intent of eventually taking over.

“We are ready to but there is not much opportunity to expand,” said Sabourin.

“There is not much more land available in our area.”

The one thing that has expanded on the family operation is their corn acres, which have grown steadily since 2017. “We try to keep our rotations in place and while we had to wait a day or two for fields to dry out

we only had to change the seeding plans of one field,” he said.

He is not sure if the flood waters will have an impact on weeds this year. “That can be a problem with new weed seeds washing in and possibly the introduction of herbicide resistance weeds coming from the south but we try to monitor that as carefully as we can to keep it under control,” said Sabourin. The farm produces wheat, canola and soybean in addition to the expanding corn acreage and their intent is to stay with a strict rotation that pays attention to herbicide resistance and over use of any one group of herbicide.”

As of May 25 the farm was left with one day of seeding which he felt could be handled in the upcoming week. “We had some concern about getting our corn in by deadline time but that is all done.”

Ag Student Chooses Manitoba Farm Life

By Les Kletke Times have changed. There was a time when nearly 100% of the graduates of the University of Manitoba were only young men returning to family farms. A significant portion of the 2019 graduates were female and many are heading into jobs in the Ag industry while others are moving over to the Faculty of Agriculture to complete their degree.

Easton Sellers who was a co-valedictorian of this year’s class is heading to a farm at Teulon although it was not his family’s farm.

Sellers who did not have an agricultural background before attending the University of Manitoba is from Orlando, Florida. Now he has chosen to immigrate to Manitoba.

“It is a long story,” said Sellers with a smile. “I wanted work on a farm and signed up for a program that placed young people on farms. It was a fellow from Manitoba that told me about it and I ended up coming to Manitoba and working on a farm.”

When the program ended he found work at Plum Ridge Farm and liked it so much he is buying it. The farm has long operated as an organic operation that used geese to weed the strawberry patches. “They were pretty unconventional when they started, I’m sure,” said Sellers. “I like the production practices, and it fits with what I want to do, so it is a good fit.”

He said that he has some plans for expansion which will happen over time. “The owners were moving to re-

Easton Sellers was a co valedictorian at the School of Agriculture.

Originally from Florida, he has chosen to buy a farm and make ManiPhoto by Les Kletke toba his home.

tirement so in recent years they were not as diligent at replacing varieties and upgrading the facilities, that is my first priority,” he said.

The farm has 40 acres of upic Saskatoons, strawberries and sour cherries as well as its fruit production. “I will start with the strawberries,” he said of the task ahead.

“I plan to rejuvenate a 1/2 acre a year for now, being a one man operation means a somewhat limited labour force.”

He is expecting to have his first crop available in early June when the asparagus is ready. “That is the first crop that will be coming in, and

from then it moves to the strawberries and with a upick operation there is always something to do,” said Sellers. He also plans to market some of his produce at a Farmer’s Market.

When asked what changes he has planned he looks at decreasing some of the labour intensive tasks. “I want to do things more efficiently,” he said. “There is only one of me, so manpower is a limited resource. I also want to incorporate more technology but that will come with time. For now it is about getting the first crop of the season and bringing in some revenue.”

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Congratulations 2019 Agricultural Grads Farming Industry a Family Tradition for U of M Graduate

By Les Kletke For some of the 2019 graduates of the School of Agriculture at the University of Manitoba, attending the school is a family tradition.

Some could trace it back two generations, may had at least one parent who had graduated from the school. This year marked the 112th graduating class so there was a good chance someone in the family had attended the school.

For Aman Batwa agriculture is a family tradition but not at the University of Manitoba. Batwa was born in India and his family immigrated to Canada when he was a young child.

He said that growing up he was exposed to agriculture even though his family did not have a farm. “My Dad was an agronomist so I was aware of agriculture and the industry,” said Batwa. “I could not help but be exposed to it, my Dad worked in it.”

Batwa was co-valedictorian of the class with Easton Sellers. Sellers as well had a non-

traditional introduction to the School being from Orlando, Florida. He had come to Manitoba to work in an agricultural program and decided to buy a farm near Tuelon.

Batwa is not going into production agriculture. He will return to work for J.R Richardson at their Starbuck faculty. “I worked for them last year,” he said with a smile.

“And I am back this summer.”

Batwa is not entirely sure of his career path yet. “I was interested in agriculture so I thought I would try the two year program,” he said. “I wanted to make sure that it was what I wanted to do.”

Two years into the program and a summer job seems to have convinced him. He plans to continue his studies in the fall in the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Manitoba. “I will be going back to the Faculty to complete my degree,” he said. “I plan to study agricultural economics.” He is one of several students in the class who will

Aman Batwa says his Dad, being an agronomist, influenced him to attend the School of Agriculture.

Photo by Les Kletke

be returning to school in the fall to obtain their degree in Agriculture. Students who enter the faculty after completing their diploma are able to complete their degree in two years.

Although Batwa does not have a family farm in Manitoba to return to he is confident that the industry that provided a career for his father can do the same for him. “I am not sure which area I want to work in,” he said. “It is a large industry and at this time there are a lot of opportunities for people entering the industry.”

Family Dairy Farm Awaits Fourth Generation

By Les Klekte Samantha Van Halle knew that she would have a job waiting for her after obtaining her diploma from the School of Agriculture.

Van Halle’s parents operate Lake Frances Holsteins, milking 230 cows.

“It has been a long term plan,” she said. “It is a family operation and with my involvement it will give my parents some time off.”

The farm has a land base that provides feed for the dairy operation but no cash crops. They grow corn and alfalfa silage which is then custom chopped and stored in bunker silos. The farm recently added a new calf barn which incorporates robotic feeders. Bull calves are sold to a feedlot in Alberta and heifers are raised for replacements to their herd or sold after reaching maturity.

Van Halle will be the 4th generation to work the farm that began with her great grandfather that passed down to her grandfather

and father after he returned to the farm in 2010.

Her plans for the dairy farm will start with overall operations. “I think we can do a better job at management,” she said. “I am more aware of record keeping and how important that is.” She said one of the things she would like to incorporate into the family operation is more time spent at sit down meetings where a plan is developed for not only the daily work but longer term farm management.

While the School of Agriculture does not place a specific emphasis on dairy management Van Halle did take the dairy course and some of the other livestock courses. “The program does not have a huge emphasis on dairy management,” she said.

“That information is available at other places. I appreciate the overall management techniques the program did teach and I look forward to incorporating them into the farm at home.”

She has no illusions of transforming the farm over-

Samantha Van Hulle has always planned to work in the family dairy after graduating from the School of Agriculture. She has some new ideas to work into the farm management.

Photo by Les Kletke

night. “We have been successful with what we are doing,” she said. “So I don’t plan to make major changes but I think our farm or any other can benefit from better management and fine turning the things we do.”

“I feel I can contribute to the management of the farm, and increase my role,” she added.

Agricultural and Food Sciences Alumni Recognized for Service Two alumni of the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences were honoured on May 3, for their outstanding contributions to Manitoba’s agricultural community.

Roberta Galbraith and Bill Toews received Certificates of Merit from the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences at the recent School of Agriculture convocation in recognition of their leadership with agricultural organizations and outstanding service to the community at large.

Roberta Galbraith was raised on her family farm north of Minnedosa and graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Diploma in Agriculture in 1983.

Galbraith’s career in agricultural finance included positions with Farm Credit Canada, Manitoba Agriculture Credit Corporation and Minnedosa Credit Union.

She is currently serving as

the member relations manager for Manitoba Canola Growers, responsible for professional development programs for Manitoba farmers such as CropConnect, CanolaPALOOZA and Canolab.

She has been a strong advocate for farm safety contributing to the formation of the Manitoba Farm Safety Program and is a supporter of STARS Air Ambulance. Galbraith has been a tireless volunteer for organizations such as Agriculture in the Classroom and 4-H, and has mentored high school students in world-wide charitable events and youth sports teams. She has been a long-time member of the Minnedosa Rotary Club serving in several leadership positions.

Galbraith has farmed for 30 years with husband Neil on their 4,100-acre grain and oilseeds operation, and now also with sons Jason and Ryan. The couple also have

Certificate of Merit recipient Roberta Galbraith with Dr. David Barnard, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Manitoba.

Certificate of Merit recipient Bill Toews with Dr. David Barnard.

three daughters Lauren, Tizita and Fikira.

Bill Toews grew up on his family farm near Kane and graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Honours Degree in 1968 and a Master of Science in Soil Science in 1971.

Over his career, Toews was employed as a soil

School and taught courses in the Agriculture Diploma Program.

Toews has provided extensive leadership to the agricultural industry and the community through roles with the Canadian Wheat Board, the Canadian International Grains Institute, the Western Grains Research Foundation, the Manitoba Farm Prod-

management specialist for Alberta Agriculture and an international development agronomist for the Canadian International Development Agency in Kenya and in Pakistan. In the mid-1970s, he returned to Kane where he and his wife Barb operated their grain and oilseeds farm.

While farming he served as the associate director of the

Photos provided by the University of Manitoba

ucts Marketing Council, the Canada-Manitoba Agri-Food Research and Development Initiative, Keystone Agricultural Producers and Lowe Farm Credit Union.

Toews and his wife Barb have a daughter Shawna, two sons, Darryl and Ryan and two grandchildren Mira and Ty.

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The AgriPost

Pastures Taking More Time to Rejuvenate this Spring

By Les Kletke Peter Toews would like some more heat, especially on his pastures. Toews runs a 200-head beef herd at Pansy and says that rains in late May will help but now pastures need some heat to establish a reasonable growth.

“We need some warmer temperatures to get things going,” he said. “We are heading to the end of May and still putting additional feed out in the pasture.”

For him the need for supplemental feed is a double whammy. “We were so dry last fall that we did not get enough hay and had to buy feed, now we are getting late into spring and having to supplement the pastures, when you do that with expensive feed it hurts the bottom line.”

His herd came through the

winter well and thinks that the market does not look strong enough to continue using purchased feed. “Normally I get more than enough feed for my herd,” he said. “Sometimes we sell a bit if we have enough on reserve but these last two years have been so dry that we have used the reserve and had to buy feed.”

He said the situation has him considering other options like corn silage, but he is not set up to handle the switch. “I have been feeding hay bales and that is what my system is built for,” said Toews. “To switch now is not really in the plans, but it is something I am thinking about.”

It is not too late but he would like to see a change in the weather soon. “Normally by the first week in June we have a good growth in the pastures

and I am moving cows from one paddock to the other as the grass regenerates. That is not going to be the case this year, even if the weather turns around and we get some heat, there will not be an abundance of hay in early June.”

He credits rotational grazing allowing him to get the most from each pasture, but the cool weather has restricted overall growth. His current concern is doing damage to pasture as he rotates grazing. “I may have to sacrifice a paddock or two, even with supplemental feeding,” he said. “We just don’t have enough growth out there and by this time of year we want the animals on pasture.”

He is still optimistic that a week or two of warm weather would green things up providing enough growth well into the fall.

Uneven Emergence Affecting Crop Quality

By Les Kletke Don Smith is concerned about the quality of the 2019 crop even though it is not even out of the ground yet. That is the problem; it is coming out of the ground unevenly.

“When the crop emerges in stages you are virtually assured it will mature in stages,” said Smith. “The only thing that fixes that staging is heat or drought when the entire crop dries off and we don’t want that.”

Smith farms 3,000 acres at Waskada. Most of his concern is for his barley crop. “It is not as much of an issue on feed barley, but for malt barley the malters want to see a nice even sample, that does not happen when you have the crop emerging like this.”

He said the reason for uneven emergence is twofold,

drought and cool temperatures. “We went into fall dry and while there was a slow melt that allowed most of the moisture from the snow to soak into the ground it was not enough. The surface had dried out by the time we seeded,” he said. “We have not had much heat after seeding and that has not helped get the seed out of the ground.”

Smith treats his malt barley as a special crop preparing the field the year before so that he can plant an even firm seed bed. “I do everything I can do to get a nice firm seed bed and place the seed at uniform depth, that helps with even germination and a crop that will mature at the same time, I have found that to be a big factor in growing malt barley,” he said.

Not as concerning are his

wheat fields which are also emerging unevenly. “We have a bit more leeway in the wheat,” he said. “But in recent years we have moved away from swathing and an uneven ripening crop does no lend itself to straight cutting.”

Smith is a firm believer in the adage that you seed into the best conditions you can and the potential of the crop deteriorates from that day on.

“You try to do the best you can to prepare the seed bed and seed uniformity but from then on conditions come along that will decrease your potential crop,” said Smith.

“We all have great plans when we are doing our budgets in the winter but this crop is not getting off to a good start, and that reduces the potential already.”

Poultry Sector Receives Funding for Research Alternatives to Antibiotics The Federal government is providing partnership funds of up to $8.24 million to the Canadian Poultry Research Council under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, AgriScience Program Clusters that will be combined with an investment of $3.78M from industry to develop new products and processes to address threats to the poultry value chain and improve poultry health and welfare. It also aims to develop best management practices at the farm level to improve food safety and reinforce public trust.

“Our Government is committed to helping Canada’s

poultry sector maintain consumer trust and stay on the cutting edge by finding new and innovative solutions to challenges faced by the industry. This funding will play an important part in ensuring that the sector is able to continue to grow sustainably and do more to meet high consumer demand,” said Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

The project builds on the successes of two previous poultry clusters, and is expected to result in the development of alternatives to antibiotics through research on antimicrobial use and resistance, as well

as healthier and safer products by the poultry food chain.

The research is also expected to lead to improvements to the health and welfare of turkeys and laying hens, and maintain the long-term viability of the poultry value chain through improved bird production, virus benchmarking, development of precision agriculture tools, and controls on effluents from production operations affecting the environment and greenhouse gases.

In 2017, Canada produced poultry and egg products worth $4.4 billion, contributing 7.1% of cash receipts to farming operations.

The AgriPost

Match Well-Balanced Diets to Dairy Heifer Growth Feeding replacement dairy heifers from weaning until they enter the milk-line is a gray-area. As a result, many replacement heifers are either fed not enough or too many nutrients, which makes them struggle as they become milk cows. With a little consideration, we should feed replacement dairy heifers, good nutrition that they actually need to develop them into profitable milk cows.

When mixing up a load of heifer feed, I believe that we can avoid producing thin or over-conditioned heifers by providing replacement heifer diets that meet, but do not exceed specific dietary targets, namely: energy level of 66 - 69% TDN (total digestible nutrients), 14 - 16% protein and a compliment of essential minerals and vitamins.

These post-wean diets support growth rates of about 1.8 - 2.0 lbs per day until young heifers are bred at 13 - 15 months of age. Then, these dietary specifications can be relaxed by 10 - 15% in order to maintain consistent growth and a desired BCS of 3.0 (re: 1 - skinny and 5.0 – obese), until bred heifers are just about to calve and enter the milk-line at 22 - 24 months.

It’s a funny thing that I find such heifer feeding programs tend to work only when dovetailed with pre-weaned calf starter feeding programs, which promotes strong rumen development. That’s because when a healthy replacement heifer achieves a full-developed rumen (at about 6 months of age and 400 lbs) it can consume and digest post-weaned diets formulated from a variety of nutritious forages and other feedstuffs.

It’s their actual dry matter intake of such wet, ensiled

and dry feeds as well as of high-fibre/low energy feeds and enrichedenergy feeds that will dictate how close that I match their nutrient requirements for good heifer growth. By using their DMI capacity to my advantage, I can then formulate and reformulate replacement heifer diets in order to assure that desired BCS and growth rates are achieved.

For example, a growing dairy heifer is able to consume about 1% of her bodyweight as NDF (neutral detergent fibre) in feed.

This means a pen of 1,000 lb heifers may consume a 50:50 TMR of alfalfa haylage-corn silage at a rate of 25 lb of DMI, which takes in about 17 lbs of TDN dietary energy. Now, if this group of heifers look a little over-conditioned, I can easily substitute some ensiled feed with 3 - 4 lbs of high-fibre/low-energy straw. It would increase the whole diet’s dietary fibre content and decrease overall TDN. The increased bulkiness of the diet would also decrease DMI by 2 -3 lbs.

As a result - less total energy consumed by the heifers should prevent them from getting fat.

Along similar lines, I have formulated and customized dozens of well-balanced heifer diets. My most popular diets, I have categorized into three main groups: 1. Straightforward diets – Free-choice alfalfa-grass mixed hay supplemented with a 14 - 16% complete grain ration. Its main advantage is simplicity, since the amount of grain ration can be increased or decreased, depending on the body condition and growth of the heifers and other factors such as weather.

2. Ensiled TMR diets – These are more complex diets which may employ legume, grass, corn or cereal silage; mixed with dry hay and grain/protein supplement into a complete TMR. Their advantage is good formula flexibility by feeding the most nutritious feedstuffs. They also introduce young heifers to similar diets that will be fed in the lactation barn. The downside of these diets is a supply of excessive dietary energy unless balanced with complimentary low-energy forages.

3. Low-cost diets – These diets take advantage of using low-cost forages balanced with low-cost concentrate by-products. Case-in-point: researchers at the South Dakota University (SDSU) mixed low-quality-high fibre corn stalks supplemented with wet distillers’ grains to match the energy and protein requirements of growing dairy heifers. The results showed that although heifer gains were somewhat lower than traditional heifer diets, their former cost of gain was cut nearly in half (40%).

By feeding any one of these three diets has the potential to match young replacement heifers’ nutrient requirements for good growth and body development. Most of the time, I don’t need a weigh scale or measuring stick to see if young replacement heifers are growing well. All I need to do is to sit back and assess their current body condition.

That tells me if they are on the right dietary track - up until they become good first lactation milk cows.

AgriStability Enrollment Deadline Extended A two-month extension has been added to the AgriStability enrollment deadline for the 2019 program year without penalty from April 30 to July 2, 2019. This allows farmers more time to sign up and benefit from the program.

This exceptional step agreed to by Federal-provincial-territorial (FPT) governments will enable the program to help more

farmers manage the impact of current market disruptions and production challenges facing many farm operations.

Farmers experiencing financial challenges are encouraged to access assistance available under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership’s suite of business risk management (BRM) programs to help them manage risk due to

severe market volatility and disaster situations that are largely beyond their capacity to manage. Farmers enrolled in AgriStability may receive support should they experience a large margin decline.

Farmers can also draw on their AgriInvest account balance at any time to help manage income declines or access cash flow.

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The AgriPost

First Ever Western Drone Show and Conference Held in Winnipeg

By Harry Siemens Calvin Reich of Vernon, BC spoke at the first-ever Western Drone Show and conference in Winnipeg about what the drone industry is, where it is going, and whether it is going in the right direction.

Reich is on the Board of Directors with Unmanned Systems Canada. He attended the Western Drone Show in Winnipeg because of the excellent educational session made available to the public.

Unmanned Systems Canada has been in existence for about 18 years and is the organization that helps represent the operator to the government.

“We try to encourage the government to make reasonable regulations. Sometimes they listen to us; sometimes they don’t,” Reich said. “But, we try to work closely with them but also to encourage them to make things make sense so that we can carry on and grow this industry.”

While owning a fixed-wing aircraft commercial pilot’s license, he doesn’t fly drones but is involved in the drone sector for about ten years.

“My aviation background and my background before what I’m doing now which is I work for a helicopter company, my background before was insurance,” Reich said.

“And there was always a big gap for the insurance world, and the drone side and they didn’t know how to handle it.

So, I helped coordinate that side of things with my aviation background, with my insurance background and they work hand-in-hand with the drone side.”

He liked what he heard at the drone conference, while not perfect, it is a step forward. “And I think there’s a lot of positive things that will come out of this. I think it’s really in the big picture of things; it gets us one step closer to the real big picture which is obviously beyond visual line of sight.”

Reich spoke about the reports of problems caused by drones and their flyers, about the near miss reports, and how drones are causing accidents. “There will always be reports, and we see the news, see the stories and you know there are two sides to everything. What we’re seeing is there is some misuse going on, and there always will be.

Some people speed on the freeway, people that do things they shouldn’t be doing but I

Calvin Reich of Vernon, BC spoke at the first-ever Western Drone Show and conference in Winnipeg about what the drone industry is, where it is going, and whether it is going in the right direction.

think overall we’re seeing a trend of improving attitudes towards it. And people recognize that it’s a little more complex. More people are learning and asking the right questions,” he said. “Unfortunately sometimes an incident that we see in the newspaper isn’t always a drone. There are reports of a plastic bag and things like that but right now drone is a buzzword, and it works well for the media, so they use that word. Certainly, if it’s a confirmed incident, we’re concerned. But I think the new regulations have shown that Transport Canada has stepped back from their concern a little bit and are less restrictive than a few years ago.”

A drone conference participant asked Reich, “When are we going to see these guys with the drones doing an aerial application?”

He said in some cases it has started although very limited.

Part of that is the payload that they can carry and the regulations apply to under 25 kilograms. “So, by the time you have a drone that’s big enough and some liquids or whatever, that you have onboard you lose your payload pretty quickly. It has to be effective and efficient. And at this point, 25 kilograms is probably still a bit light for a spraying application or that type of thing,” said Reich. “I would say the technologies are there with companies that

Great attendance at the first Western Drone Show.

have spent a fair bit of time and effort building spraying equipment, you know Yamaha is one of them, and they’ve got a mid-sized helicopter. I shouldn’t say midsized, it’s a small helicopter but it’s big for a drone, and it has a sprayer on it, but again the regulations don’t always keep up with the technology.”

He thinks the sky’s the limit and somewhere in his lifetime, the industry will see crewed aircraft without a pilot or a pilot sitting in Winnipeg flying an airplane that’s taking off in Edmonton. “We’re still a long ways away from it, but I think that is the direction it’s going.”

Photos by Harry Siemens

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Ag Manitoba Action Funded Research Projects Announced As part of the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, the Canadian and Manitoba governments are investing more than $4.8 million for 22 projects under the Ag Action Manitoba Research and Innovation Activity Stream.

The Ag Action Manitoba Research and Innovation Activity Stream provides grant funding for researcher and industry-led projects that contribute to the development of agricultural knowledge and skills and improve the competitiveness and sustainability of Manitoba’s agriculture, agri-food and agri-product sectors.

Funded Projects: Recipient Project Description Approved Funding University of Manitoba – Department of Plant Sciences Cover crops and cropping systems innovation for Manitoba $155,509 International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Improving outcomes from agricultural best management practices in Manitoba’s watersheds $199,982 Manitoba Wheat and Barley Growers Association Inc. A comprehensive multi-disciplinary, multi-stakeholder approach to the development of tools and techniques to manage extreme moisture $703,214 University of Manitoba – Department of Human Nutritional Sciences Costeffectiveness analysis of the anti-inflammatory effects of flax oil $103,259 University of Manitoba – Department of Animal Science Perennial forage grain for fall grazing of beef cattle $121,345 Cytophage Technologies Inc. Creating bacteriophage to replace antibiotics in disease prevention within Manitoba’s swine industry $327,600 University of Manitoba – Department of Soil Science Biobed for managing pesticide rinsate with on-farm testing under Manitoba conditions $192,074 Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance Defining best management practices and technologies for safer storage, aeration and drying of whole hemp plants and seeds $204,400 Function Four Inc. Smart apiary management using embedded sensors, machine learning, and AI to optimize production, improve product quality, economic diver-

sification $458,448 St. Boniface Hospital Research Centre The effect of flax milk on arterial hypertension –evaluation of blood pressure response by 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring $103,825 Manitoba Wheat and Barley Growers Association Inc. Enhancing pre-harvest sprouting tolerance in wheat $116,000 University of Manitoba – Department of Plant Science Tools for optimized plant spatial arrangement for wheat production in Manitoba $125,064 University of Manitoba – Department of Plant Science Linking malt quality defects with traits of fussarium species and with malt microbiomes $127,440 Morden Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Evaluation of genetic resistance and commercial fungicides for the management of fussarium head blight on barley and oat $130,195 Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers Building knowledge and achieving genetic improvements to overcome the effect of drought and salinity on soybean $131,220 Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers Defining pathogen-related soil quality targets for annual legumes to pursue through crop rotation $165,610 Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers Development of an integrated weed management package to mitigate an manage glyphosateresistant weeds in soybean $199,044 St. Boniface Hospital Research Centre Effects of dietary flaxseed on memory and cognition $215,373 St. Boniface Hospital Research Centre Flaxseed prevents broken hearts in breast cancer (CANFLAX study) $229,113 University of Manitoba – Department of Plant Science Breeding and development of intermediate wheatgrass as a perennial grain crop for western Canada $231,374 University of Manitoba – Department of Plant Science Building soil health on farmed clay soil in Manitoba $392,040 Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers Development of superior Rhizobium species strains to support biological nitrogen fixation in dry bean $177,336

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May 31, 2019

Central Region Shows Even Crop Growth But Needs Heat

By Les Kletke Seeding got off to a slow start in the central region of the province but crops have emerged and are waiting for some heat.

Josh Pauls said that overall emerge of the crop has been good but some higher temperatures would be appreciated. “The cereals are out of the ground and off to a good start but the corn and soybeans would benefit from some heat.”

Pauls farms 4,000 acres at Sperling and said conditions are uniform across his fields. “We probably travel 20 miles from corner to corner and the conditions are not usually this uniform, he said.

“Even at seeding we were able to get on all the fields at about the same time and that does not usually happen.”

It is not only crops that are emerging. He said that after one flush of weeds which was controlled with early season burn off the next one is out of the ground and providing competition for crops.

“We would benefit from some heat there to,” he said. “The weeds don’t seem to be held back by the cool weather and the crop is a bit slow to get going. We will get to some post emergent spraying in the next week or so but have been holding back because of the staging.”

Pauls did not let trade talks affect his seeding plans. While talks continue with China and canola, he planted his normal amount. “It is a long way from market for this crop,” he said with a chuckle.

“And it is too early to decide what will happen, a lot can happen on the trade scene in the three months it takes to grow a crop.”

He said weed control and disease issues are a bigger problem for him when determining planting intentions. “We try to pay attention to our herbicide usage and rotate through different groups,” he said. “That has more of an impact on our decisions than market conditions at the time of planning. Markets have a way of turning around and I don’t want to get caught guessing wrong or betting on a rumor.”

When asked if he change crop acreage from past years he said, “Very little. We have a fixed rotation and we try to stay with it.

This year our fields dried up at the same time and when we started seeding we could go right through.”

Savings Account Running Dry

By Les Kletke Jon Peters want to recharge his account and the weather is not cooperating. Peters operates a 200 cow dairy near La Broquerie and views his stored feed as a savings account.

“We like to have about a years’ worth of feed on hand,” he said.

“We did and it came in very handy last year, but now we have drawn down that account and this year is not looking like a good one to build up the reserves.”

The dry fall last year meant that he used much of his reserve feed supply. Going into this year he would have liked to put up two years’ worth of feed but it does not look like that is going to happen. “In an ideal situation we would have put up this years feed, which is our first priority and then used the later cuts to build a reserve,” said Peters. “When you get off to a late start like this it is not likely that we will get the third cut which we would use to build stocks.”

There was a time when Peters viewed the extra production as a bonus and sold it to other producers mostly in the US. “That is attractive and was a good income source,” he said. “But now we view that extra feed as a savings account and like to have it on the farm. We know that there are years when we are short of feed and don’t want to be caught buying feed in a strong market.”

It is not only his hay fields that are slow developing; his pasture is showing signs of slow growth. “We have got some rain lately but we were very dry going into the fall so growth was slow this spring especially with the cool temperatures,” he said. “The cows do better in warm temperatures as well, they are like people they like sunshine and spring like conditions.”

The lack of feed has him evaluating all aspects of his operation, though he normally sells the bull calves into the beef market he is also considering the number of heifer calves that will be kept. “We normally raise the heifer calves and keep them for replacements or sell them later,” he said. “But this year we may have to rethink the amount of young stock we keep and their feed requirement.

We don’t want to put ourselves in a difficult situation short term but we have to consider the impact two years down the road when those heifers would be coming into the herd.”

The AgriPost

Educators and Industry Meet Drones at the First Western Drone Show

By Harry Siemens Matthew Johnson, the President of M3 Aerial Productions a drone service provider of Pilots of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) pilot training ground school in Canada, organized the first Western Drone Show (WDS) in Winnipeg, held on May 3. The event provided a professional opportunity for teachers, government personnel, and industry experts to collaborate, and learn about the latest developments in drone technology.

“I just wanted to thank everyone who helped support the first Western Drone Show hosted in Winnipeg on May 3.

The drone industry pulled together and showed its strength in numbers with a near sellout,” said Johnson.

Sally French, TheDroneGirl delivered an inspiring keynote speech at the inaugural event; Hal Anderson of #CJOB, the emcee of the show; Transport Canada, NAV CANADA and Unmanned Systems Canada took part in an informative panel discussion.

Over $1000 was raised towards Crohn’s and Colitis Canada research and treatment programs through the Drones4Crohns lunchtime drone aerial photography auction, with some absolutely stunning submissions from across the world said Johnson. “I’m stunned. It was a huge success.

It’s more than I could have expected. Everything came together amazingly. It just blows me away.”

The whole idea of the conference was to bring educators together to meet the drone industry. “So I wanted not just to hold an educational conference because then I wouldn’t bring in the drone industry,” he said. “I wanted to hold a drone conference so that the drone industry would come and provide value to the drone industry, and then say hey, education, come and check this out. Meet these people; see

The organizer of the first Western Drone Show (WDS) in Winnipeg, on May 3, Matthew Johnson the President of M3 Aerial Productions is thankful to everyone who helped support the first Western Drone Show hosted in Winnipeg on May 3.

Photos by Harry Siemens

what’s happening in the industry. That way, we’re able to integrate and introduce education to the drone industry successfully.”

There is not only the education aspect to flying drones there is commercial potential for drone pilots including in the agricultural sector. “Yeah, we’re early in the stage in the industry, just on the curve of development. One of our presenters showed us the innovation curve and the adoption of technology, and we’re early in the stage here,” Johnson said. “And people are adopting the technology and learning more about it. And governments and organizations are learning more and saying, hey, we can do this. We can find efficiencies here and find new applications here. I think this conference has been a success in helping open a lot of people’s eyes as to what those opportunities are and where they can find, not just the opportunities, but how to take advantage of those opportunities.”

Much had to do with changing the attitude of those people that think about how he or she can buy a drone, fly and sell the services. “For sure I think with the new regulations there needs to be a

little more of a public awareness campaign to help people realize, you can go and buy a drone from Best Buy,” said Johnson. “But you also need to know the regulatory requirements to operate that. You can go and buy a car, but you need to know that you need a license to drive that car around. And it’s the same sort of idea. It’s not a four-ton piece of steel, but it’s still something that has a regulatory framework and to use it safely and effectively, you need to understand those requirements.”

As the organizer of the first annual Western Drone Show and conference he is confident next year’s show will be bigger and even better, “Absolutely!” Johnson said drones are already impacting Canada’s workforce and society. Why then, are schools neglecting the use of this technology when it so clearly has an impact on the future?” he asked. “Regulations have precluded many school divisions from exploring the applications of drone technology in the classroom. Previously, there was a lack of clarity as to how teachers could integrate drones safely, meaningfully, and legally. This is no longer the case!”

The first Western Drone Show (WDS) event in Winnipeg was nearly a sellout with 150 plus participants.

The AgriPost

Moving Forward on USMC Ratification Trade Deal

By Harry Siemens With the lifting of US trade tariffs on imported Canadian and Mexican steel and aluminum both Canada and Mexico reciprocated by ending their retaliatory tariffs that targeted specific US imports.

With this good news, the National Pork Producers Council is shifting its focus to the ratification of the USMCA and seeing the end of the US trade war with China.

Jim Monroe, the Senior Director of Communications with the National Pork Producers Council, said its excellent news that zero tariff pork trade is back with Mexico. Now each country can move on to swift ratification of the United States-MexicoCanada Agreement and preserve zero tariff pork trade for the long term.

“We’re turning our focus to a couple of things,” said Monroe.

“Ratification of the USMCA, we will be watching very closely how members of Congress vote on that managing it as a key vote and tracking closely those who support and those who don’t support the agreement. The other issue is China because of an unprecedented sales opportunity in China. Always an important market but what we have shipped

there in the past pales in comparison to the potential now, given the drop in domestic production in China with the African Swine Fever outbreak in that country.

Right now, we’re facing 62 percent tariffs there.”

He said most of that are punitive tariffs because of the ongoing trade dispute. China is the largest pork-consuming nation in the world. It is a staple of the Chinese diet, and they need supply. There is no better supplier and more reliable supplier of pork than the US, explained Monroe. He said the growth potential in China is tremendous if US pork producers can get out from under the punitive tariffs they currently face.

Colin Robertson, the Vice President of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, said the resolution to end steel and the aluminum tariffs is a crucial step for North American trade. He believes this decisiveness was in part from pressure from within the US. The retaliatory tariffs that Canada imposed in response to the American Tariffs were hurting the American farm community particularly because the tariffs affected a whole series of American agricultural production and machinery coming from the US. “A lot of the farm machinery

used in Canada the US makes, some of it with Canadian steel and so these retaliatory tariffs put pressure on American workers. They found that their ability to sell into Canada was less because it meant that we could sometimes buy things from Europe and other parts of the world for cheaper and so they were putting pressure on their members of Congress, both in the Senate and the House of Representatives,” Robertson said.

“Remember the steel and aluminum production employment in the US is probably around somewhere between 45 thousand and 60 thousand workers; whereas there are hundreds of thousands, estimates of up to 600 thousand workers who use steel in the production of everything from tin cans to tanks.”

He said with their costs going up it meant that they were less competitive with the rest of the world, so the domestic pressures, he thinks, which was the determining factor that convinced the President and Mr. Lighthizer to lift the tariffs.

Robertson said this is a positive development for North American trade and an essential step in moving the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement forward.

May 31, 2019

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Reflections of a Canadian Agronomist on Conservation Agriculture in Kenya

By George Lubberts When one travels to other countries, one often focuses on the way the people from that country do the work that you are involved with at home. It was in such a mindset that I visited Kenya last fall and visited projects supported

by Canadian Foodgrains Bank and World Renew in the Scaling-Up Conservation Agriculture in East Africa program.

Farmers in Kenya face many challenges that are similar to farmers in western Canada, where I practice agronomy. For example, prices of inputs are high. Land is expensive and difficult to obtain. Yields are dependent on rainfall. Weeds and insect pests reduce yields. Wind and rain cause soil erosion.

But most Kenyan farmers face other challenges as well. The farmers I met did almost all their work by hand on farms that averaged between 1-2 acres in size. Most inputs were out of reach of their budget.

Because of these challenges, many Kenyan farmers struggle to provide consistent food for their families all year long. In one of the communities we visited, only five percent of households have enough food year-round.

That means 95 percent of households go hungry for at least one part of the year. And often that hungry period of-

ten coincides with the main growing season. How do you work efficiently on an empty stomach?

Due to past intensive farming without nutrient inputs, most soils are depleted and have low organic matter, resulting in poor yields. As well, farmers prioritize growing staple crops usually a grain crop such as maize (corn), millet or rice. This can reduce soil fertility over time, especially if the cost of chemical fertilizers is too high and there is no source of animal manure.

Pests can also become difficult, if not impossible, to manage.

George Lubberts of Shaughnessy, Alberta is an agronomist and a member of the Foodgrains Bank board of directors representing World Renew.

George Lubberts and Angela Boss, agriculture and livelihoods program manager for World Renew, inspect the soil on a conservation agriculture plot of Kenyan farmer Irene.

Photo provided by World Renew

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The AgriPost

May 31, 2019

Demand for New Crop Increases for Manitoba Gardeners

By Joan Airey Since 2011 Tiffany Grenkow has enjoyed growing the root vegetable called sweet potato, which is often and peculiarly mislabelled as yams at the super market. They are indeed different and if you google yams you will see how very different they are.

Sweet potatoes grow much like potatoes under-ground, however rather than planting portions of the

roots; sweet potatoes are propagated from vine cuttings or young shoots called slips.

Since these plants are a bit of a new undertaking for most Canadians, Grenkow does her best to share helpful information so other growers can also see success. Special techniques to boost warmth, harvesting and curing tips are all shared on winnipegsweetpotato/ facebook.com.

As an avid gardener Grenkow is also a volunteer garden club instructor-orchard steward at the Sustainable South Osborne Community Commons in Winnipeg, where she has ample space to trial sweet potatoes and keeps learning more about how they grow.

“In 2014 I gifted slips to eager fellow gardeners. My surprise was how quickly surplus plants were snapped up and the feedback was

Photos by Joan Airey

Sweet Potato harvested in Manitoba.

fantastic! People loved growing them and reported impressive results,” said Grenkow. “My largest single root, to date has been 1.2lbs, with no special soil warming techniques.”

“A market gardener friend of mine did provide the luxury of a cold frame for the first 2 weeks and I ended up with one weighing in just over 2.2 lbs. People have been impressed and clearly intrigued by this sweet new offering becoming locally accessible for the first time,” said Grenkow. “In 2015 my slips were made commercially available at one of my favourite local garden retailers, as well as a few small scale farmers who were searching for something new and interesting to add to a CSA box.”

Following this success she grew a business. “I personally planted out over one thousand slips for commercial production and all of those were in turn sold to five different restaurants,” said Grenkow. “Positive feedback along with booming interest has allowed Winnipeg Sweet potato to sprout into a sustainable enterprise with a very small carbon foot print.

Fast forward to 2019 and this seemingly endless interest pushed Winnipeg Sweet Potato to sprout into a sweet and sustainable little business.”

“My advice to new growers especially this year is to be sure and wait for soil to warm sufficiently. Sweet potatoes need warm soil, and they prefer consistently warm weather so in Manitoba that means they shouldn’t be planted before June 7,” stressed Grenkow.

Sweet Potato slip ready to plant after June 7.

“Planting sweet potatoes early does not give them a good start; they won’t grow until they are happy with the weather so unless you are covering soil with black plastic or using a cold frames, row covers, etc. then it’s wise to wait. They do need ninety to hundred days but ‘growing days’ only start when warm weather arrives. In Winnipeg I normally leave them in the ground as long as I can before frost, so that means a typical harvest around the first week of October.”

Even though slips are now “sold out “on her website, she continues to supply T & T Seeds which also offers mail order, Jensens’ Nursery and Jardins St. Leon in Winnipeg. New for 2019 is the availability at Sabados’ greenhouse in Lundar and next year at The Greenspot in Brandon.

This year’s demand has surged and after gaining two large nurseries she hopes to continue expanding her sweet potato business so they can be made available to more and rural nurseries.

More information can be found on her website winnipegsweetpotato.com.

Majority of Seeding Completed

By Elmer Heinrichs Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s May preliminary outlook at the upcoming 2019-20 crop year said it expects seeding to be generally finished by the end of May across western and eastern Canada.

Total area seeded to field crops in Canada is expected to be only marginally lower than 2018-19 as the decrease in the area seeded to durum, canola, soybeans and lentils is more than offset by higher area seeded to wheat ex-durum, coarse grains and peas.

For all crops, average or trend yields have been assumed. Total production and supply in Canada are expected to increase. Carry-out stocks are forecast to increase significantly, especially for both wheat and canola which are forecast to increase by more than 40 per cent.

World grain prices will continue to be pressured by an abundant supply of grains at the global level but the impact on grain prices in Canada will continue to be partly mitigated by the low value of the Canadian dollar.

The AgriPost

May 31, 2019

39

Year Round Market Now Open

By Les Kletke A Manitoba entrepreneur Jared Davidson said that what drove him into a new venture was to provide consumers the opportunity to access fresh products year round. With the new venture he may be the first to provide Manitoba producers with a place to sell their products well past the season of traditional farmers markets.

The new store with a familiar name is on Roblin Blvd in west Winnipeg on the site that has been home to T & T Seeds for years. Davidson purchased

the business in 2017 after meeting Kevin Tooney who with his brother was the second generation to run the seed business.

“Kevin is still involved with the business and I hope will be for a long time to come,” said Davidson. “The site is 36 acres and has a residence on it.”

He said he was content to be in the seed business but one day he got a phone call from Erin Crampton who operated Crampton’s Market on Route 90. Her lease for the site was not being renewed by Mani-

Managing Risk Without Insurance Most of my articles focus on how you can transfer risk by purchasing insurance to transfer that risk to an insurance company. However, there are additional ways to control risk.

One of these ways is called risk separation. In its basic form, it is a risk control method that involves separating key assets to prevent them all from being lost in the event of a catastrophe.

I remember this strategy as a young child. When my behaviour eroded throughout my childhood, common punishment for me was to lose my hockey card collection for a period of time to encourage improved behaviour. After suffering through several weeks of life without hockey cards, I started implementing a risk control program that separated my hockey cards into several strategic storage areas, different packaging and methods of disguise to prevent all of my cards from being confiscated at the same time.

It’s interesting that I am now employed to provide similar advice and strategies. Risk separation on a farm can be as simple as having several storage sites for your grain storage so that a tornado, fire or meteor strike does not jeopardize your entire inventory at one time. Storing farm machinery in multiple sheds, locations and sites is another important strategy to avoid losing all of your machinery in one loss. Parking your fleet of trucks and trailers in a straight line looks great on social media, but also lines them up like bowling pins in the event of a fire or plow wind.

There are many well managed farms that intentionally separate their crops to avoid catastrophic results from having the same soil conditions, moisture, hail storm, etc. from wiping out a specific crop. Even though government run crop insurance programs can actually reward farms who “put all of their eggs in one basket” by planting each crop together in a small geographical area, risk separation is a wise decision for the best possible results each year.

Separation of key personnel is also crucial to consider whether you are running a family farm, a small business, or are serving on a board of directors, management team, etc. Booking tickets on separate flights, taking separate vehicles to events, and booking your back-woods camping trips at separate times provides some separation should a catastrophe occur.

So, the next time you are planning a team sky-diving event, or are thinking of parking all four combines next to each other in your shed during harvest, think of risk separation. And please, whatever you do, don’t put all of your hockey cards in the same box!

Would you like to work with an insurance broker who provides advice, not just insurance? Consider making Rempel Insurance Brokers your insurance broker of choice. We work hard to make sure our clients have the resources required to make good decisions on risk. Be sure to seek advice and purchase insurance from those who understand your business!

David Schmidt is an Account Executive at Rempel Insurance Brokers in Morris, MB, specializing in insuring farms and businesses across Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Office 204-746-2320, Text 204-712-6618, Email davids@rempelinsurance.com, rempelinsurance.com.

toba Hydro and faced with the option of moving the business decided to sell it rather than relocate. “It was a good fit and we came to an agreement and have modified the house on the Roblin property and turned it into a year round market complete with a bakery,” said Davidson.

He plans to operate the two businesses at the one location but has no intention of changing the names. “The brand value of both is exceptional, so there is no intent to combine or change names,” he said.

The retail outlet will operate year round and he said it is a combination community grocery store and destination shopping centre. “We have some people that stop by every second or third day to get fresh produce,” he said. “We have no intention of competing with the large grocers.

Our intent is to have Manitoba organic products and if they are not available we will source other organic products and failing that we will final a product that is produced in a spray fee environment.”

Davidson said he spends

Jared Davidson says his Roblin Blvd shop has only been open a couple of weeks but has a loyal consumer base for Manitoba raised prodPhoto by Steven Stang ucts.

much of his time looking for new products. “I found a bee’s wax product at a trade show that is produced in Manitoba and replaces plastic wrap.

We now carry it in our store.

There are a lot of great products produced in this province and our goal is to provide a market place for them.”

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May 31, 2019

The AgriPost