The AgriPost
September 29, 2017
Phosphorus is Like Money in the Bank
New Agricultural Market Opportunities with CETA Begin Exports represent about half of the value of what Canadian farmers and food processors produce. With the provisional application of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with the European Union (EU), according to the Government of Canada, Canadian exporters now enjoy unprecedented duty-free access to the world’s largest import market for agriculture and agri-food. Canadian industry estimates CETA will boost agriculture
and agri-food exports by up to $1.5 billion annually. This historic Agreement will give the sector a competitive advantage in the EU and help Canada move towards meeting its target to grow agrifood exports to at least $75 billion annually by 2025. The Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance (CAFTA) welcomes the beginning of provisional application of the historic CETA Agreement with the EU and looks forward to timely resolution of remaining barriers. “While
we urge the government to resolve the outstanding issues, we are also encouraged that Canada is forging ahead with its commitment to freer trade with the world’s second largest economy,” said Brian Innes, CAFTA President. “Eventually, CETA will mean preferential access for Canadian agri-food to an $18 trillion market that includes 500 million people.” While the results will not be immediate for some agrifood sectors, the agreement presents the potential to drive
additional exports of up to $1.5 billion per year. This includes $600 million in beef, $400 million in pork, $100 million in grains and oilseeds, $100 million in sugar containing products and a further $300 million in processed foods, fruits and vegetables. “At a time when some countries are looking inward, it’s critical that Canada continues to pursue free trade agreements like CETA,” Innes said. “Our growing export-oriented agri-food sector relies on access to markets. We encourage our government officials to keep up the hard work required to resolve remaining issues.”
Observations from Australia After 26 days covering 32,000 km, Naomi Best the winner of the Canadian Junior Limousin Association’s 2017 Award, returned from an Australian tour with endless memories, knowledge, and many new friends. There was one herd of black Simmentals and they were all embryo calves with Canadian genetics. The amount of Canadian Genetics that were in pedigrees was tremendous she added. They had an impact on the following breeds, Limousin, Black and Red Angus, and especially Charolais and Hereford. See full story page 3 ...
Photo courtesy of Naomi Best.
By Les Kletke Ray Bittner stops short of giving a rate of return on the investment but he does liken phosphate in the ground to money in the bank. He said alfalfa producers should consider the phosphate they have in the land bank as a valuable savings account. Bittner was one of the speakers at a field day held earlier this summer and spoke about an ongoing trial that is evaluating the impact of phosphate in the soil on alfalfa production. Bittner with Manitoba Agriculture is involved with a research program at Manitoba Beef and Forages Initiative Farm at Brookdale. The farm has 640 acres of pasture and wetlands to conduct field scale trials on various combinations of grazing and forage production. He said that he has seen alfalfa stands produce double and triple the amount of feed when given adequate supplies of the nutrient. “They also last long,” he said. “Phosphate is the lifeblood of alfalfa.” “Phosphate makes a more robust plant with more stems and crowns,” he said. “The thicker stems come through the winter better and get off to an earlier start.” His recommendation is for producers to pay attention to fertilizer prices, take advantage of lower prices, and build back up the phosphate in their soil. He said research findings show that phosphate applied after first cut and up to mid-summer are beneficial because it is places to take advantage of summer rains, dissolving the prills and making the nutrient readily available to the plant. For manure applications, he said that beef manure provides a more balanced nutrient content and more benefit to an alfalfa crop. Hog manure tends to be higher in nitrogen and can actually encourage the plant ‘to get lazy’. With hog manure, alfalfa instead of producing nitrogen it takes the nutrient from the soil. Bittner said the high content of phosphate in the soil translates to higher content in the feed and a higher quality feed for animals. “Build the additional phosphate into your budgets and apply it to the field when prices are low,” he said. “You can take advantage of the pricing and store the nutrient in your soil.” The study at the Kellwood research farm has another year of evaluating phosphate application rates and benefits in crop production. The plots yielded three cuts of alfalfa last year but dry conditions this year limited the plots to two cuts.