Farming for Tomorrow July August 2022

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July / August 2022

ENTREPRENEURS IN AGRICULTURE

Redefine Success

Two generations partner up to create new opportunities for the farm, family and community

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Redefine Success

By Natalie Noble

08

20

Crop Input Investment and Replicated Data

Can Variable Rate Technology Save Input Costs?

A Farmer’s Viewpoint

Variable Rate Technology

by Kevin Hursh

by Lisa Kopochinski

10

26

Regenerative Practices Hold Marketing Potential

Stop Telling Farmers How to Farm, Ask Them

Grain Market Analysis

by Scott Shiels

Agricultural Empathy

by Jake Leguee

12

40

Profit Begins with Peace

Carbon Credit Value Still Not Clear to See

Farming Your Money

Carbon Compromise

by Paul Kuntz

by James Snell

16

48

Weed Control Ahead of the Combine

Applying Pesticides by Drone

Those Wily Weeds

by Tammy Jones

KEVIN HURSH 6

PAUL KUNTZ

Spraying 101

by Tom Wolf

SCOTT SHIELS

TAMMY JONES

TOM WOLF

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A FARMER’S VIEWPOINT | CROP INPUT INVESTMENT AND REPLICATED DATA

Crop Input Investment and Replicated Data Kevin Hursh, P.Ag. Kevin Hursh is one of the country’s leading agricultural commentators. He is an agrologist, journalist and farmer. Kevin and his wife Marlene run Hursh Consulting & Communications based in Saskatoon. They also own and operate a farm near Cabri in southwest Saskatchewan growing a wide variety of crops. Kevin writes for a number of agricultural publications and serves as executive director for the Canary Seed Development Commission of Saskatchewan and the Inland Terminal Association of Canada (ITAC).

Twitter: @KevinHursh1

I can’t keep up with all the new products being offered to farmers, often from companies new to Canada. Some of the products are definitely in the miracle crop cure category and are a big waste of money. Others may have merit in certain circumstances. A few may be great innovations on the verge of a big breakthrough.

“Just try it on a few acres,” you might be told. That’s certainly better than going whole hog, even if the cost is only $5 or $10 per acre. Unfortunately, data to support product claims is often sketchy. Testimonials tend to be employed rather than trial results.

Renowned soil scientist Rigas Karamanos has a great saying when it comes to unproven products and practices. It goes something like, “In God we trust. Everyone else bring replicated data.”

Some farmers obviously use products with questionable efficacy. Otherwise, the companies wouldn’t have a business or be employing people.

If you’re trying something out that seems too good to be true, here are some thoughts on how to do a meaningful test.

Trying something on one field and comparing it to your fields with no treatment is unlikely to tell you much. Fields normally differ in yield due to soil quality, rainfall patterns and a host of other factors. Splitting a field in half with treatment on one side and not on the other is a little better, but again, how do you know what the crop performance would have been without the treatment?

If you want a more meaningful trial, alternate strips of treatment versus no treatment across a field. This can be easily done with the GPS guidance everyone is using. Then, do accurate yield assessments with a calibrated combine monitor or weigh wagon.

While many of us, myself included, would like to do such trials, they take a lot of time and effort.

When push comes to shove in the busy seeding and spraying seasons, good intentions for on-farm trials often go by the wayside.

While alternating strips makes a much more valid on-farm comparison, consider that replicated yield results done by researchers can often be inconclusive at a particular site. Data is discarded if the coefficient of variation is too great.

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A FARMER’S VIEWPOINT

Publishers

Pat Ottmann & Tim Ottmann

Editor

Natalie Noble

Design

Cole Ottmann

Regular Contributors Kevin Hursh Tammy Jones Paul Kuntz

Scott Shiels Tom Wolf

Copy EditorS

Nikki Mullett Nerissa McNaughton

Sales

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Surprisingly, many producers discount some of agriculture’s most reputable trial results – the crop variety trials. This comprehensive work compares numerous varieties at various sites over a number of years with the results vigorously scrutinized.

Surprisingly, many producers discount some of agriculture’s most reputable trial results – the crop variety trials. This comprehensive work compares numerous varieties at various sites over a number of years with the results vigorously scrutinized. Yield isn’t everything and the results also show traits like disease resistance, maturity and lodging. Look at the results published in your provincial seed guide. An immense amount of work went into this and yet many producers are seemingly oblivious to the information.

I’m a brown mustard grower. Dr. Bifang Cheng, the brilliant mustard breeder at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Saskatoon, developed the first hybrid brown mustard a few years ago. Variety trials conducted at numerous locations over many years show an average 19 per cent yield advantage over the old check variety Centennial brown.

Did the hybrid brown outperform Centennial at every location every year? No. But the average yield advantage is a whopping improvement.

It would seem logical to accept the data and calculate whether it’s worth the extra cost for the hybrid seed. With new crop contracts for brown mustard in the 90 cent a pound range, or $45 per bushel, it doesn’t take much of a yield increase to make this a paying proposition.

You see this in other crops as well where producers cling to older varieties when newer offerings are clearly better. These same producers might buy some unproven bio-stimulant while not investing in new seed varieties.

When a yield advantage is only a few percentage points, this may not be noticeable at the farm level. However, 10 and 20 per cent yield boosts should not be ignored.

With crop varieties, you don’t have to trust in God; the replicated data is available.

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GRAIN MARKET ANALYSIS | REGENERATIVE PRACTICES HOLD MARKETING POTENTIAL

Regenerative Practices Hold Marketing Potential Scott Shiels Scott grew up in Killarney, Man., and has been in the grain industry for more than 25 years. He has been with Grain Millers Canada for five years, doing both conventional and organic grain procurement as well as marketing for their mills.

Scott lives in Yorkton, Sask., with his wife Jenn. www.grainmillers.com

With increased focus coming to agriculture on sustainable and regenerative farming practices, it’s a great time to share some information on the marketing side and the potential held within these new “buzzwords.”

Consumers across the globe are constantly shopping for products produced in a more sustainable manner, while not always understanding what that really means. This scenario has created a demand from food companies that then extends back to millers and processors. In turn, it has created opportunities for farmers to fill these needs.

While some companies are content to market traditionally produced products as “regenerative,” “sustainable” or even “carbon neutral/negative” to encourage consumer spending, there are actually real initiatives on the table to encourage production practices by farmers that meet the goals set out by these standards. In fact, the practices being used to do this have the potential to not only improve the soil on your farm, but your bottom line as well.

The research that goes into the production practices necessary to attain these accreditations has been going on for years across North America. However, the guidelines and protocols that we as an industry need to share with producers to enable them to meet the standards are still relatively in their infancy.

Where previously zero tillage appeared the best way to go, recent studies are showing a more minimum tillage plan is often better in the long run. The common assumption held by many that livestock integration was necessary to meet the carbon goals of the regenerative programs has also now been proven false. While the practice can drive a distinct benefit, if farmers are excelling in other practices such as cover cropping, inter-cropping and variable rate fertility, they can still meet the standards for carbon neutral and regenerative markets without raising any livestock. While this fact came as quite a shock to some in the industry, it means that we have the potential to bring farmers with zero interest in having any livestock on their farms into these markets.

The practice of cover cropping has long been the domain of the organic producer. However, in recent years conventional growers have begun to embrace the practice, leading to some positive results as far as their carbon scoring goes. For most of these producers, their goal was likely based on anything besides being carbon related. In many cases, these acres were seeded down to grass to try and improve weed control for certain chemical resistant weeds or to give the land a break from grain production while still having something there to grow and catch snow in the winter. It is possible we will see more of these cover crop acres put into regular rotation on conventional farms if this market does in fact take off and add some premiums to the grain prices that farmers receive.

Because of consumer demand, as well as government initiatives directed at reducing artificial fertilizer application on the farm, the growth potential for these markets is tremendous. While we sit here today and look at them as a “specialty” market, it won’t be surprising to see them as the mainstream markets by the end of the decade.

Until next time…

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FARMING YOUR MONEY | PROFIT BEGINS WITH PEACE

Profit Begins with Peace Paul Kuntz Paul Kuntz is the owner of Wheatland Financial. He offers financial consulting and debt broker services.

Kuntz is also an advisor with Global Ag Risk Solutions.

He can be reached through wheatlandfinancial.ca.

There are many crucial decisions we make each year that impact our financial outcome. For grain growers, it can be everything from the crops we choose to grow to the varieties and the marketing.

For livestock producers, it’s the feed plan, when the offspring are to be born and, again, the marketing plan. Over a lifetime, decision making impacts only grow larger, such as whether to expand the operation, to downsize, to switch from livestock to grain or vice versa, or to bring in successors. The financial wellbeing of our operations hinges on all of these decisions, small or large, over a lifetime.

Looking at what is going on in Ukraine and my own family history, I’ve been led down a path of gratification for decisions made long ago. My family is not unique in its journey to Canada. Like most western Canadian farmers, my family originated in Europe, often as conditions there came to a point where a decision had to be made.

Considering many farming families I have met, it is my opinion that the Western European immigrants left because of a lack of opportunity. There was only so much farmland available and as families expanded, someone had to move if they wanted to farm. Although not a life-or-death situation, it is difficult to imagine how tough that decision was, and, perhaps how tough our ancestors had it. We make decisions today based on a mountain of information and research, all available at our fingertips.

If I wanted to move from Saskatchewan to Europe to begin a farm, my process would be much easier than my ancestors’ journey. I could gather information, do my own research, hire someone to do the research, talk to people who have already done it and I could fly over to see what everything looked like before I made the decision. Our ancestors did not have that luxury.

The families I meet who hail from Eastern Europe have most often immigrated because of oppression in one form or another, typically at the hands of a ruthless dictator or religious persecution. Perhaps the decision was clearer in these cases with so few options: stay and die or leave and hope to live.

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FARMING YOUR MONEY | PROFIT BEGINS WITH PEACE

When I see the images of Ukrainian farmers out in their fields wearing bulletproof vests, it solidifies my understanding around how fortunate we are in Canada. I feel very grateful that someone in my family made a decision many years ago that today allows me to live and farm in peace. they had ever known. As most from that region did, my family first came to New York as Germans from Russia seeking a better life.

Many Germans from Russia stayed in the U.S., including large populations in North Dakota. My family had set their sights on Saskatchewan, taking up residency here in 1914. This paved the way for uninterrupted prosperity from that time until this very day. Decisions made by family I have never met ensured that I had a chance to live and farm in a country where we are at peace.

When I see the images of Ukrainian farmers out in their fields wearing bulletproof vests, it solidifies my understanding around how fortunate we are in Canada. I feel very grateful that someone in my family made a decision many years ago that today allows me to live and farm in peace.

Although my family always considered ourselves German, we came from Russia. We are part of a group that has come to be known as “Germans from Russia.” In the early 1800s, Russia embarked on a plan to bring people in to inhabit an area of their country. For my family, it was part of the Kutschurgan colonies as they settled about 70 kilometres from where Odesa, Ukraine, is today. This region remains a highly fertile area.

My family stayed there until around 1905-06 as the Russian Revolution was taking place with great unrest. There was war, poverty and massive inflation. It blows my mind to think that in the early 1900s, my great grandfather was farming just outside of Odesa, Ukraine, as a war broke out. The situation was so threatening that he left the place he was born and raised, moving his wife and family to an unknown continent and left the only life 14

One of my most common phrases is, “everything in life is relative.” It takes effort to have empathy for people in other situations. I joke that if you have $100,000 in your bank account all the time, when it drops to $90,000 you start to feel broke when the reality is you still have more money than most will ever have in their account. We can get very comfortable with our lives and take that for granted. It is easy to complain when even one small aspect of our life does not go the way we want it to. We need to realize how fortunate we are.

The events in Ukraine are sadly just one of thousands of events that take place and oppress people. We live and farm in a region that can be challenging as we deal with weather, markets, diseases in animals and crops, and all sorts of other issues we have zero control over. The difference is, we have the opportunity to take on these challenges and reap the rewards when they are due. We have the right to work hard and build our farms. We have the opportunity to create solutions to the problems in front of us. We are free from oppression.

As we go through this year and experience the challenges in front of us, it helps to be thankful for the people who came before and paved the way for us. We need to keep things in perspective. We need to be thankful for the bounty laid out in front of us.

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THOSE WILY WEEDS | WEED CONTROL AHEAD OF THE COMBINE

Weed Control Ahead of the Combine Tammy Jones B.Sc., P.Ag Tammy Jones completed her B.Sc. in crop protection at the University of Manitoba.

She has more than 15 years of experience in the crops industry in Manitoba and Alberta, with a focus on agronomy. Tammy lives near Carman, Man., and spends her time scouting for weeds and working with cattle at the family farm in Napinka.

It happens every year for different reasons. Weed patches appear in fields late in the season, when crop staging means there are limited-to-no weed control options. Pre-harvest herbicide applications, swathing and patch management techniques are all options historically utilized for managing weeds at harvest. Depending on the weed spectrum, some options are better than others. If those weed patches are perennial weeds, a pre-harvest herbicide application has proven to be a highly effective management strategy. With annual weeds, it is typically too late to control them effectively. Instead, the strategy is to minimize the impact of those weed patches on harvest operations, as well as on future years of weed control.

One of the first considerations with picking a weed management tactic is to consider the biology of the weeds present. Certain weeds are known to reduce harvest efficiency, negatively impacting crop dry down and making it more challenging to feed the crop through the combine.

In addition, weed seeds are often dispersed by the combine, spreading future weed problems and prolonging the issue by increasing the seedbank. Weed seeds similar in size to the crop being harvested will also downgrade the quality of the sample and in some situations are almost impossible to remove from the grain.

While stinkweed, shepherd’s purse and wild oats are generally not an impediment at harvest, three annual weeds that leap to mind as being problematic are kochia, cleavers and wild buckwheat. Kochia, the weed everyone loves to hate, is a challenge to kill at any time of the year.

Its significant biomass often impedes straight-cutting crops and well documented herbicide resistance limits the effectiveness of pre-harvest herbicide applications. Cleavers may not have quite as much biomass as kochia, but the vines can easily overcome a crop and the seeds are a problematic contaminant, especially in canola. In addition, biotypes of cleavers have been confirmed as herbicide resistant to at least two herbicide groups. Finally, wild buckwheat is known to emerge throughout the growing season, with the tangly vines growing up to two meters in length, wrapping around headers and plugging straw choppers. While wild buckwheat is relatively sensitive to herbicides at early stages, it does have some tolerance to glyphosate which is increasingly evident when plants are larger.

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THOSE WILY WEEDS | WEED CONTROL AHEAD OF THE COMBINE

Pre-harvest herbicides are often the first choice for minimizing weed issues, although we know kochia, cleavers and wild buckwheat can be resistant or tolerant of herbicides at that time of year. In addition to harvest efficiency, preharvest weed control is intended to ensure high quality grain and possibly reduce weed seed viability. In a study conducted for the Canola Council of Canada, Dr. Steve Shirtliffe with the University of Saskatchewan’s Department of Plant Science found that pre-harvest herbicide applications did not actually prevent weed seed set or reduce weed seed viability. This means that even though there might be dry-down of any susceptible weeds, there would still be spread of weed seeds by the combine. By contrast, desiccants that promote rapid dry down of plants may increase seed shed or seed drop, therefore helping minimize the spread of these problematic weeds throughout the field.

That aspect truly is one of the opportunities with these three weeds–there is not a lot of seed shed prior to harvest. In that same study, Shirtliffe noted that cleavers and wild buckwheat do not start losing seeds off the plant until 1,390 growing degree days (GDD), typically in late August. Kochia doesn’t start dropping seed until 1,585 GDD, typically well into September. That means there are ways to limit the seed spread and/or minimize the amount of seed present in harvested grain. One option is to swath or harvest those patches separately. Swathing aids in minimizing the amount of green material shoved through the combine, reducing the chances of staining seed or having green material heat in a grain bin and cause spoilage. Additionally, harvesting this patch separately means the plant’s seeds are not distributed throughout the rest of the field and managing small patches of weeds is typically easier than full fields.

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Certain weeds are known to reduce harvest efficiency, negatively impacting crop dry down and making it more challenging to feed the crop through the combine. In addition, weed seeds are often dispersed by the combine, spreading future weed problems and prolonging the issue by increasing the seedbank.

The concept of selling the swather and switching to straight cutting crops leads to certain efficiencies, but does rely on uniform, weed free crops or managing weed patches to ensure harvest progresses smoothly. While a pre-harvest herbicide application may help with perennial weed problems, they are less effective in reducing future problems with annual weeds. Desiccants will not help with perennial weed control nor will they reduce seed viability. Rather than allowing the combine to spread weed seed farther across the field and expand problem areas of the field, patch management or swathing may be a more effective strategy.

Or perhaps it’s time to consider harvest weed seed management, but that’s a topic for another day.

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SECTION | RATE VARIABLE TITLE TECHNOLOGY | CAN VARIABLE RATE TECHNOLOGY SAVE INPUT COSTS?

Can Variable Rate Technology Save Input Costs?

Topography plays a big role as fields with large variation show most benefits

By Lisa Kopochinski

Technology continues to change the landscape across western Canadian industries, but for agriculture, it’s a literal phenomenon. Coming off last season’s drought and straight into rising input costs, fertilizer market instabilities and predicted supply issues in years to come, Prairie farmers are relying more heavily on new technologies and their agronomists’ advice to reduce risk. Many wonder if variable rate technologies (VRT) can actually help them achieve a better bottom line in applying optimal rates of fertilizer precisely where needed across all their fields.

Terry Aberhart, CEO of Aberhart Farms in Langenburg, Sask., has long seen proof that VR fertility and precision technologies pay when implemented correctly.

“There’s a lot of different articles that have come out questioning the value of the return of a variable rate fertilizer saying that it does not pay,” says Aberhart. “I always find this kind of blanket statement about whether something works or not in agriculture as suspect. You cannot say that variable rate fertility is going to pay for every farm in every situation across the Prairies or across the globe. However, I can say that we have seen many examples where VRT has paid very well and this is through our own work on our farm and what we have seen through the agronomy network.”

A few years ago, Aberhart compiled aggregated data and results 20

through his previous relationship with Agri-Trend Agrology.

They surveyed data from numerous coaches and clients across multiple years and Western Canadian geographies.

“The aggregate value averaged an approximate $35 an acre return, which was a combination between an increase in yields and saving on inputs and fertilizer. In some cases, input prices and crop prices have doubled, so simply in that standpoint, VRT and precision approaches in agronomy are even more valuable than they have ever been before,” he says. “What happens with technology is that usually the cost of implementing new technology either stays the same or actually reduces over time.”

When Aberhart’s team began VRT planning, it was a more complex and time-consuming effort, costing $8 to $10 per acre. With new tools, better technology, software and simplified systems today, he can deliver these same types of programs at 30 to 50 per cent less.

“Either way, the cost of implementing these technologies usually goes down over time,” he says. “The value of the grain and inputs are going up. If we gained five bushels an acre with a strategy when canola was $10, that was worth $50 an acre. Now, the same return is worth $100. If this is something that growers are not thinking about, they very well should be. VRT achieves a better bottom line for farmers and we do this by identifying where we are going to get the best return from that investment of inputs.”

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VARIABLE RATE TECHNOLOGY | CAN VARIABLE RATE TECHNOLOGY SAVE INPUT COSTS?

“You cannot say that variable rate fertility is going to pay for every farm in every situation across the Prairies or across the globe.

However, I can say that we have seen many examples where VRT has paid very well and this is through our own work on our farm and what we have seen through the agronomy network.”

- Terry Aberhart Dr. Jeff Schoenau, professor of soil fertility and professional agrologist at the University of Saskatchewan's Department of Soil Science, says precision application of plant nutrients can increase crop nutrient utilization efficiency and obtain improved returns on input dollars spent. It starts, he says, by adjusting rates field-to-field using tools like soil testing and remote imagery. “[These technologies] reveal differences in soil fertility and productivity that may arise from differences in past management and soil properties among your fields,” says Schoenau. “This then extends to varying applications within fields to account for differences within the field area.”

Topography is paramount. Fields with large variations will typically show the greatest potential benefits in VRT practices.

“The challenge is coming up with a robust prescription for how, and to what extent, the rate will be varied within a field,” says Schoenau. “Many factors have to be considered and predictions made, not the least of which is the anticipated weather and soil moisture variations in that field in the upcoming growing season.”

The intent is to apply fertilizer at a rate that meets the crop’s nutritional needs in relation to its predicted growth and nutrient demand along with the soil’s ability to provide a portion of those nutrients, all the while using economic principles to maximize net return.

“This requires assessment of the initial soil nutrient supply, prediction of root demand and what is lost and gained over the season,” says Schoenau. “Models are employed to do this.”

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Variable rate manure spreading at the University of Saskatchewan’s Livestock Forage Centre of Excellence.

Photo courtesy of Dr. Jeff Schoenau

Strategies that minimize potential nutrient loss before the roots can take it up are of economic and environmental benefit.

Timing, placement and source strategies all play a role–applying at a time close to when the crop is actively taking up the nutrient; placing it in a manner that reduces volatilization and runoff; using product forms less susceptible to loss by leaching or denitrification according to zone; and using increasingly popular enhanced efficiency fertilizer products or additives.

VR fertility practices are further beneficial in using less fertilizer overall to achieve the same yield, says Schoenau. More uniform crop development and yield across a field area and reduced fertility variations in soil over time are added bonuses.

However, this may not hold true in all cases, especially where there’s less field variation and upcoming season conditions don’t meet the model’s predictions. “You may put more fertilizer onto highly productive areas of the landscape like low

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VARIABLE RATE TECHNOLOGY | CAN VARIABLE RATE TECHNOLOGY SAVE INPUT COSTS?

An aerial view of Aberhart Farms in Langenburg, Sask. Terry Aberhart says variable rate fertility and precision technologies pay when implemented correctly. Photo courtesy of Terry Aberhart

Seeding wheat at Monarch Farms in Foxwarren, Manitoba.

Photo courtesy of Monarch Farms

“VRT has given us the opportunity to become more aggressive on our fertility program by allocating fertilizer from the underperforming areas of the field to areas where we can maximize yield potential. By doing so, we were able to lower the input cost in areas–which have a poor ROI to start with–and increase the profitability of the more productive areas.”

- Ernest Hofer slopes in anticipation of capitalizing on higher yield potential from better soils and moisture,” says Schoenau. “But if it ends up being too wet and flooding them out in a very wet growing season, in hindsight that was not the best decision.”

For the average farmer, the transition to VR can be a lot to process initially. Hofer says sticker shock on equipment that is VR capable, possible consulting fees and the complexity of VR maps can be an initial deterrent in adopting the technology.

Ernest Hofer, manager of Monarch Farms in Foxwarren, Man., says VRT can provide a better bottom line by increasing overall efficiency of the farm’s fertility program.

“However, with the proper support, it can certainly be a win-win for everyone,” he says. “But it’s important to set a goal on what you want to achieve. It has certainly helped our farm be more efficient and profitable, and the professional consultants we work with have made the transition to VR technology a positive experience.”

“VRT has given us the opportunity to become more aggressive on our fertility program by allocating fertilizer from the underperforming areas of the field to areas where we can maximize yield potential,” says Hofer. “By doing so, we were able to lower the input cost in areas–which have a poor ROI to start with–and increase the profitability of the more productive areas.”

24

Corey Leonard, vice-president of precision agronomy at Western Sales/Western Tractor in Rosetown, Sask., says based on sales activity, customer adoption is growing as farmers gain

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Northern Alberta a better understanding of what VR can mean to their overall farm profitability along with understanding the right tools and tasks to have in play.

“The tools and information–data–are key and that’s a big focus of ours,” says Leonard. “Having clean and accurate data also requires learning and patience. Unfortunately, given the lack of moisture, 2021 was not a great year to keep the momentum going but interest is still growing. And with the price of inputs and commodities as we head into the 2022 crop, the stakes for farmers have never been higher.”

Leonard says the biggest pros of VR technology are the insights gathered before and after a VR application is implemented. “It really comes down to optimizing dollars via inputs and production while considering variable soil characteristics, as well as available water and looking at the whole farm as a production system.”

Early October (3rd to 7th)

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As for the biggest con, it’s the journey to get there. That is, having the right mindset, patience and trust.

“There is a lot of learning and becoming clear and confident with the right tools and tasks required such as soil testing, EC mapping, data connections, maintenance and cleaning,” says Leonard. “It takes time to learn, develop a plan, execute, adjust and repeat.”

SCAN ME

Cleanfarms.ca info@cleanfarms.ca @cleanfarms

25

SECTION | TITLE EMPATHY | STOP TELLING FARMERS HOW TO FARM, ASK THEM AGRICULTURAL

Stop Telling Farmers How to Farm, Ask Them

By Jake Leguee

I recently attended a virtual conference which included discussions around regenerative agriculture, soil health, reducing carbon emissions and so on. It was an interesting event, with many of the speakers and panelists taking thoughtful positions on the ideas surrounding regenerative agriculture. There were even a couple of farmers on the panels and they did a good job speaking about their experiences with trying newer “regenerative” practices.

All the while, though, I got the same sinking feeling in my stomach that I get almost every time I’ve attended an event like this. So many of the presenters often lack actual experience in operating a real farm, yet they seem to think they should impose their ideas on how to farm upon those of us who do. Too often, farmers are sidelined at these events in lieu of academics, non-governmental organizations, regulators and social media stars or celebrities. When I attended the World Food Prize in 2017, thanks to the Global Farmer Network, there were just a couple farmers asked to be presenters or even panelists.

At events like this, I often hear lots of questions like: how do we convince farmers to switch to “better” practices, or to reduce pesticide and fertilizer use? How do we switch farmers 26

We don’t need people who have never set foot on a farm explain to us how to reduce pesticide and fertilizer use. We don’t need policy makers to “encourage” us to be more environmentally friendly. Why? The incentives are already there. to organic or regenerative management, or to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions? So much dialogue is generated on how to convince farmers to switch practices without farmers there.

It’s not just at big events. Almost every time I log into any social media site, I see numerous attacks on modern agriculture. People with little to no understanding of science are terrified by irresponsible news media claiming we’re all

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27

AGRICULTURAL EMPATHY | STOP TELLING FARMERS HOW TO FARM, ASK THEM

Jake Leguee runs a progressive grain, oilseed and pulse operation near Fillmore, Sask. He wants farmers more involved in discussions around changing farming practices, including showcasing what they’re already doing.

being poisoned and the environment is being destroyed, all thanks to agriculture. People are, unsurprisingly, worried by all this and wonder why farmers don’t change their practices.

In most of these cases, people are asking the wrong questions.

In fact, they aren’t even listening to the right people. What they should have done instead was to actually speak with genuine farmers who make an authentic living off the land.

Farmers don’t need people to tell us how to farm more “sustainably” or “efficiently.” We don’t need people who have never set foot on a farm explain to us how to reduce pesticide and fertilizer use. We don’t need policy makers to “encourage” us to be more environmentally friendly. Why? The incentives are already there.

Farming is hard. The two factors that have the largest degree of effect on our income–weather and commodity markets–are outside our control. I don’t know if it will rain enough (or too much) at the right times this year, and I can’t predict the commodity markets. What this means is my job as a farmer, when it really comes down to it, is in managing risk.

28

Our inputs and machinery are expensive. Even if I do everything right in growing a crop, I can still lose money. I am incentivized to invest only as much money into my crop, and into my farm, as I can reasonably expect to make a profit on. I can guess wrong on this, and often do, but every failure is another lesson I can use next time to tune my inputs more finely to my outputs.

One of the things I often say about farming is, we stand on the shoulders of our grandparents to create a future for our children. What this speaks to is the generational nature of farming; I am a third-generation farmer with hopes of building a business strong enough to survive–no, to thrive–into the fourth generation. Most other farmers have this very same goal.

Does this mean we’re perfect and we have it all figured out? No! Farmers like me rely on scientists and experts to help us learn how to improve our practices, with research into agronomy, variety development and so much more. The success of my farm, and all others, is driven to a significant degree by the contributions of brilliant scientists and technicians, accountants, business consultants and much more.

STOP TELLING FARMERS HOW TO FARM, ASK THEM | AGRICULTURAL EMPATHY

When it’s time to try something new, I have to try it on my farm to see if it works here. Whether it works or not depends on each farm. This highlight is what I would call the hyperlocality of agriculture.

The campaigns many multinational companies choose to employ, which are, of course, driven by their own profit margins, often ignore this reality and can change consumers’ view of agriculture. This can lead to government regulation.

These often-misinformed companies and governments rarely take the time to talk to farmers first and to understand agriculture’s tremendous regional variability.

Don’t get me wrong, regulation is often necessary. Sometimes it’s farmers who need protection from monopolies and oligopolies in the agriculture industry. But these regulations should be designed with the absolute minimum components necessary to achieve security against this.

Our federal government in Canada is embarking on a mission to reduce GHG emissions, specifically, nitrous oxide emissions, from fertilizer by 30 per cent by 2030. If they want to succeed, they must talk to farmers and hear our concerns and fears.

I am a third-generation farmer with hopes of building a business strong enough to survive–no, to thrive–into the fourth generation. Most other farmers have this very same goal.

They also need to listen to our ideas–we have lots of them!

Collaboration is the key to success.

So, if you want to create change in farming systems to improve the impact on the environment, make your food safer or even to protect farmers, make sure your first step is to talk to farmers. A grain farm like mine is very different from others, both locally and internationally. We all have our challenges and struggles. We have all had our great successes, terrible failures and varying opinions on almost everything we do. But no one on this planet knows more 29

AGRICULTURAL EMPATHY | STOP TELLING FARMERS HOW TO FARM, ASK THEM

about their farmland than farmers do. No one else spends thousands of hours going across the land, crawling over every little pothole and knoll, watching as the snow melts and rain falls, observing the waving of wheat heads in the wind, listening to the buzzing of millions of insects and animals in the calm of the evening. No one else understands how the water moves across the land, how this spot or that one dries out first, where the air drill is most likely to get stuck if it rains. No one else feels the deep connection that comes from farming the same piece of land for decades, even centuries, from one generation to the next.

So next time you think about farming, its impact on the environment and how that could be improved, reach out to me or any of the other 193,000 farmers in Canada, or the farmers in the country you’re from. Next time you decide to put on a conference or digital event about agriculture, ask some farmers to be involved as presenters and panelists. Then, give them the freedom to speak their minds. You might be surprised at what you hear, and what solutions might be beneficial for the people who actually make a living from the land.

The best way to move forward is to talk to each other.

And listen.

Leguee reminds people that no one knows the land like a farmer knows their own. Afterall, they spend thousands of hours working and observing it.

30

NEWS & INNOVATIONS

Olds College Olds College Smart Farm Receives $440,000 for Livestock Production Applied Research

will use and gain value from,” comments Dr. Joy Agnew, associate vice president, Applied Research at Olds College.

The Technology Access Centre for Livestock Production (TACLP) at Olds College received $440,000 from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for enhancing climate change resiliency and environmental sustainability of the livestock industry with innovative technology and rotational grazing practices.

The TACLP will help validate the efficacy of Union Forage and AdvancedAg Inc.’s products in improving productivity and environmental sustainability in tame and native pastures in Western Canada. It will also help Wyvern Inc. and Carbon Asset Solutions Ltd. develop and validate remote carbon monitoring technologies with the potential to increase rancher access to carbon credit programs.

The Applied Research and Technology Partnership (ARTP) grant is funding numerous projects on the Olds College Smart Farm–specifically 308 acres at Pitstra Farm west of Carstairs, AB–over two years. The TACLP is using its facilities and expertise to test products and technologies which support multiple small to medium–sized industry partners.

“Our goal is to provide industry-driven, college-led, applied research to support small to medium enterprises, and help technology developers commercialize products that ranchers

“The TACLP is addressing the critically important issues of environmental sustainability and climate change resiliency,” says Sean Thompson, manager of the Olds College TACLP. “We’ve been conducting great research with rotational grazing and regenerative agriculture practices in the last few years, and look forward to continuing the research with this ARTP grant and industry partners.”

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31

MNP | HIGH STAKES

HIGH STAKES

Miscalculating cost of production not worth the risk

By Natalie Noble

I

n farming, every year comes with its challenges and opportunities. This year’s exorbitant fuel prices and rising fertility costs, along with some very attractive grain pricing, suggest 2022-23 may be one for the books.

“This will be one of the riskiest years we’ve seen in terms of what’s at stake,” says Stuart Person, senior vice president of agricultural services and national leader of crop services at MNP. “On the flip side, it’s also one of the best opportunities we’ve ever seen in the grains and oilseeds sector. There are huge profits to be made if we get a crop, we just need the weather to cooperate.”

With that in mind, savvy farmers will look to measure their profitability for the year, the overall success of their operation and what their growth potential looks like for next year, all dependent on their cost of production.

“Knowing the farm’s true cost of production annually impacts the decisions farmers make around whether to invest in longer-term projects, such as to construct a new building or buy that new piece of equipment they’ve had their eye on and whether it makes sense at this point in time or not,” says Person.

He refers to this calculation in the “true” sense, because working it through tends to be more intensive than is typically realized. “When calculating cost of production, we need a solid understanding around the many things that factor in. It’s more than just your fertilizer, chemical and seed,” says Person.

“There are so many less obvious things that need to be considered. To arrive at an accurate and useful calculation, every contributing piece must be included beyond those basic expenses.”

MNP breaks everything down into three key cost 32

categories to ensure every expense is accounted for.

The first group includes the operation’s production expenses. These are those familiar basic input costs like seed, fertilizer and other chemicals.

Second are labour, power and machinery. “This includes all the costs around the people doing the work, the machinery deployed to execute it and the diesel, gas and electricity involved in making that work happen,” says Person.

The third category includes land and finance costs.

“These are more stable costs and often longer-term expenses, including land rent, interest expenses and amortization on large buildings,” says Person.

Once that breakdown is complete, each category carries a benchmark depending on region. Where a farm sits in relation to others can show how it’s holding up to the competition, where to focus on improvement and where to seize opportunities.

It’s also critical to factor in the inflation impacts for each expense category. This year, variable expenses like fuel and input costs are likely to play a major role while fixed costs like equipment amortization or long-term land leases should remain more stable.

An operation’s cost of production figures largely into key decision making. So, it’s often best left to the experts, especially when many are dealing with six-to-seven figure calculations. “Having a professional help with this can make a huge difference,” says Person. “Many farmers could be doing themselves a disservice in trying to make business decisions based off the wrong number. It’s going to be big this year in most cases and it should play a key role in how you manage your risk management strategy for 2022.”

Stuart Person is the VP of Agriculture Services with MNP. For more information, contact him at stuart.person@mnp.ca.

The business of agriculture today

Wherever, whenever you need us, we’re here. Many of our Farm Management Consultants are farmers too, so we understand the hard work that goes into your success. We’re here to help you make the best decisions for your farm, and your future.

Eric Olson , BSAg, PAg | 204.788.6066 | eric.olson@mnp.ca

MNP.ca

COVER STORY | REDEFINE SUCCESS

REDEFINE

SUCCESS Two generations partner up to create new opportunities for the farm, family and community

By Natalie Noble All photos courtesy of Debra Scholer, This Little Light Photography

34

REDEFINE SUCCESS | COVER STORY

This May, Holman Farming Group celebrated their Eighth Annual Feast for Families. It kicks off each growing season for everyone involved on the fourth-generation grain farm near Luseland, Sask.

Owned and managed by the third and fourth generations, Rod and Gayle Holman along with their son Dan and his wife Stacey, the operation covers over 20,000 acres of cropland, impressive storage facilities, and an elevator with rail siding.

The celebration saw the family, their team of five employees, spouses and children, gather over a meal featuring farmgrown ingredients and two employee-built BBQ smokers. As the close-knit group prepared to take in the feast, an employee prayed in thanks for a new growing season, asking for protection, safety and prosperity.

It’s a different dynamic than the early 2000s when Rod took over the then 3,000-acre farm on his own. It’s also something Dan’s purposely designed since his 2007 entry that brought robust skills to the four-partner table.

“Our farm runs like a play performance. The frontstage is what the public sees, the equipment and the fields,” says Dan. “Rod likes to improve field efficiency by removing obstacles, moving equipment, seeding and harvesting. This is Stacey’s sixth year running the land roller, combining, coordinating meals and scheduling. As general manager, I do a bit of everything.”

Backstage is the behind-the-scenes strategic planning and analysis while Gayle manages the complex financials. “When we bring any idea forward, there are four different ways of looking at it based on our unique personalities,” says Dan. “This diversity creates much stronger decisions.”

They’re also in capable financial hands. “My off-farm career brings the farm comprehensive financial management and informs the financial structures we’ve set up,” says Gayle, who spent 15 years as CFO at North West Terminal (NWT) before retiring as she continues her involvement with the professional accounting body, CPA Saskatchewan through board committees.

At Holman Farming Group, Gayle’s the accountant and Dan’s the economist. Stacey, a veterinarian, offers scientific reasoning while Rod brings decades in valuable hands-on farming, trucking and entrepreneurial experience.

New technology and larger equipment have played a key role in Holman Farming Group’s average 1,000acre annual expansion since 2007.

Since 2005, the farm’s averaged 1,000 acres in expansion each year. One might expect sleep deprived seeding and harvest windows. However, a single event in 2012 changed Dan’s entire philosophy on what defines success in the farming world. “In the initial stages of growing the farm, Stacey and I were both working off-farm and trying to accomplish more by working harder, the only way we saw to do things,” says Dan. “I’d worked nearly two days straight to finish seeding. After a 3 a.m. parts run, I fell asleep driving and woke up in the ditch.”

35

COVER STORY | REDEFINE SUCCESS

While no one was hurt, the couple were expecting their third of four children. “This was a wake-up call to sort out what we were doing, become better farm managers and work smarter not harder,” says Dan. It’s a relatively new notion for Prairie farms, more acceptable today than not so long ago. During Rod’s earlier days, rest and seeding didn’t mix.

“When I farmed with my dad, I also ran a custom grain and fertilizer hauling business, splitting my time between both,” says Rod. “It was very hectic. I’d run the tractor, seed, get in the truck and go get another trip with fertilizer. There were a lot of four-hour night’s sleeps. I’d be home every night, but as a baby, Dan would be sleeping when I got home and when I left. I’d see him but he didn’t see me.”

Burning that candle at both ends may be a nod to Rod’s grandfather, Allen Vivian (A.V.), who broke ground using horses to grow wheat and oats on the original quarter of land 25 kilometres west of Luseland in 1908. In the 1950s, A.V. and his wife Pauline transitioned the farm to their son Ernie, who’d farmed with A.V. since completing eighth grade, and his wife Angie Holman. Barley was added to the rotation along with a new crop, canola.

A young Rod rode the school bus from that original homestead to Luseland. Completing Grade 12 in 1976, he started farming with Ernie. When he married Gayle, they lived on the farm two years before building a house in town to raise their three children, the oldest being Dan. “Dan’s wanted to be a farmer since Day One,” says Rod. “I’d be getting ready to go to the farm first thing in the morning and get a tap on the shoulder when Dan was four or five. He’d come along, bring his pillow, and ride along in the tractor all day. Later, he’d take his 80cc Honda motorcycle and backroad the 16 miles from town to help Grandpa for the day.”

At the same time Rod was helping on the farm, he grew his commercial trucking business into the early 2000s.

Meanwhile, Ernie and Rod had expanded the farm to approximately 3,000 acres before Ernie died in 2004. The family’s loss meant decision time. Rod wound down his business to pursue his true passion of farming. “It was a difficult decision,” he says. “No matter if you’re farming or running your own business, you put your heart and soul into it. But it was the right time to move on.”

The partnership between Rod, Gayle, Dan and Stacey allows the fifth generation of Holmans, Lily, Claire, Harper, and Stella to understand what it is to farm and whether a natural inclination to carry on the operation develops naturally.

36

Despite half the manpower, Rod quickly expanded the farm to 5,000 acres. “One of the biggest technologies that changed our operation was the onset of direct seeding,” says Rod. “We could expand as a one-man operation because I could cover more ground in the same number of hours. Dan would come

REDEFINE SUCCESS | COVER STORY

Rod and Gayle Holman are working to transition the farm to its fourth generation in a way that supports and empowers Dan and Stacey.

“One of the biggest technologies that changed our operation was the onset of direct seeding. We could expand as a one-man operation because I could cover more ground in the same number of hours.”

-Rod Holman home from university and help whenever he could, but I was doing about 80 per cent of the work, including the crop planning and management.”

As Dan completed his master’s in agriculture economics in 2007, he worked with NWT to help market the production of their new ethanol plant and develop the company’s hedging and grain purchasing strategy. “This gave me a tremendous background knowledge around how the markets work,” says Dan. “It certainly helps with our grain marketing strategies, including the marketing side of our elevator.”

Joining the family farm, Dan and Stacey married that same year and moved to Luseland. Stacey worked at a clinic in Provost, Alta., until the birth of their third daughter. “Dan was

extremely busy. If I was called out at night, there were a few times I’d have to take little kids with me,” says Stacey. “With one little one, it wasn’t so much, but when we had three within just over three years, the decision was clear. And we liked the flexibility in farming together.”

Dan continued with NWT until 2012, also delivering market outlook presentations. “Teaching farmers how to market grain is an awesome thing to do, but I just didn’t have the time to focus with the farm and my family growing at the same time,” says Dan. By 2016, Holman Farming Group planted 14,000 owned and rented acres across a 65-kilometre radius. Today it’s up to 20,000 acres of pulses, including green peas, Kabuli chickpeas, 37

COVER STORY | REDEFINE SUCCESS

Vertical integration factors heavily into the Holmans’ future plans, including impressive storage facilities and a grain elevator with rail siding where product is processed and shipped directly to their end user.

red and black lentils, durum, soft white spring wheat, red spring wheat and canola.

The goal is to keep converting that rented portion to owned land.

“Land ownership is a really important part of farming in having that controlled access,” says Dan. “The goal of our farm is not to be miles wide in the production sense. We want to become more vertically integrated, to do more up and down the supply chain.”

Helping achieve this is a massive storage and elevator project.

The farm’s base sits on six acres near town where a 50- by 100-foot shop originally used for the trucking business is now the farm shop. Here, large capacity storage bins allow crop carryover for strategic marketing. First, four 55,000-bushel steel bins were added, then two more 75,000-bushel bins.

Next, Dan saw opportunity in a vacant grain terminal in town.

Recognizing potential, the Holmans scooped up the elevator with its own rail siding. “It’s taken a couple years to get it back up to speed but one of the biggest successes is the ability to ship out rail cars of our own grain,” says Dan. “It’s much easier to move that way, especially with fuel costs constantly rising.”

The added value raises the farm’s margin. “On the sales side, we look to get more value for our grain by processing it 38

ourselves and delivering it to customers by rail or our new larger trucks,” says Dan. “We have cleaning equipment in the elevator that allows us to upgrade our grain. Rather than selling raw grain to an elevator, we want to sell processed product to an end use customer.”

Ever focused on efficiency, Dan’s brought a whole new level of organization across the farm. During the growing season, every task is outlined for each week on a colour-coded chart, including who’s responsible and which machinery will be in use. Involved are a heavy harrow, a Seed Hawk seed drill, two Bourgault 3320 air drills, a land roller, a rock picker, three Rogator 1300 sprayers, five combines, two grain carts, four super-Bs and a pair of swathers. For each task, such as hauling seed and fertilizer or combining, there’s a lead person listed at the top, with others named underneath according to the likelihood they may step in where needed.

“Like a Broadway play, we always have a star for each task with an understudy ready,” says Dan. “If something comes up, there’s always someone competent and ready to step into that role so the farm never slows down.”

That weekly operations chart functions by reverse engineering from an end goal. For instance, looking at the projected final

REDEFINE SUCCESS | COVER STORY

“On the sales side, we look to get more value for our grain by processing it ourselves and delivering it to customers by rail or our new larger trucks. We have cleaning equipment in the elevator that allows us to upgrade our grain. Rather than selling raw grain to an elevator, we want to sell processed product to an end use customer.” - Dan Holman in crop science, and an employee with his master’s in plant science. “We know how to manipulate data and make things work,” says Dan. “We’ve taken a lot of training in trial and error, but it’s a powerful tool once you get it figured out.”

week in late September, it shows a production goal of 425,480 bushels of canola with the corresponding combines and operators. “In order for us to produce that many bushels of canola, all these other things need to happen at any given time of the year as mapped out,” says Dan. The chart shows the massive quantities involved in such production. For instance, in the first week of May alone, 600 tonnes of canola seed and fertilizer were hauled to the field.

“That’s the equivalent of 15 super-B loads,” says Dan. “We have to ensure that happens to seed the 3,875 acres of canola indicated the following week.”

Dan’s vision to continuously raise the bar is dedicated to bringing others along in the farm’s success. “We believe in creating full-time careers for people to work in our business,” he says. “We’re moving up and down the supply chain here to make the pie bigger for everyone working on this farm.”

Such growth depends strongly upon embracing technology and progressive practices. Precision agronomy, including comprehensive soil sampling and EM38 electro connectivity mapping, make for more effective input use precisely in the places it drives economic return. The work is done through the internal team’s expertise including Dan’s undergrad work

That specialized internal team handles most everything the farm needs - quality maintenance and repairs, leveraging data and software, soil sampling and generating prescription maps, including salinity mapping. “This identifies where we can cut our inputs back in areas with salt or seed them to grass. Soil sampling is a good mathematical way to figure out how to apply nitrogen. The savings can be enormous,” says Dan. The fresh perspective is welcomed by the team. “Dan’s entry brought a lot of new ideas to the farm,” says Gayle. “It was interesting for Rod to look at all these different ideas. The ones we went ahead with have turned out to be real game changers for our operation.”

Dan has wider hopes for that continued progress. “We want the businesses we create to drive our community forward.

Entrepreneurship is the key to making our small towns survive,” he says.

It’s a purpose filled with pride for the innovative contributions Saskatchewan farmers have made to global food production.

“We farm in one of the more difficult parts of the world. It’s too dry, too wet, there’s late frost and early snow, always something,” says Dan. He points to the Beaujots with SeedMaster, the Bourgaults at St. Brieux and Halford selling ConservaPak to John Deere. “They’ve forever changed the way dryland farming is done with the technology developed on their farms. It makes us all better farmers.”

39

CARBON COMPROMISE | CARBON CREDIT VALUE STILL NOT CLEAR TO SEE

Carbon Credit Value Still Not Clear to See Will rising pollution pricing incentivise more farmers to sell carbon credits on global markets?

By James Snell

With rising carbon taxes and soaring input costs due to war and inflation, asking stressed Prairie farmers to adopt more complex practices to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and fight climate change might not be the most popular subject.

stakeholder commitments can purchase farmers’ carbon credits to offset their emissions. Regenerative farming practices can also reduce input costs, including synthetic fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides.

There is, however, a nascent economy within agriculture, known by many and engaged by few, that is trending towards paying farmers for reducing GHG emissions. It uses regenerative farming practices that lead to enhanced carbon sequestration.

Some of the practices include balancing soil nutrition limits, keeping soil covered, minimizing soil disturbance, increasing plant and microbial diversity, incorporating living roots year-round and integrating livestock.

How does this opportunity work? Essentially, farmers who are actively adding soil carbon, and can measure and prove it, can sell it on the global voluntary market as a carbon credit. “They must prove they are adding atmospheric carbon to the soil – not just estimating the amount of carbon, but are actually measuring it,” says Bradley, whose company uses patented technology to measure and deliver soil-based carbon credits to global markets to generate income for farmers. “There is an existing market for carbon credit. It’s still organizing, but that’s a secondary outcome. The real incentive for farmers and ranchers when they start thinking about changing their practices and looking at a regenerative agriculture approach is it improves profitability and increases functional soil health.

According to industry expert Jason Bradley, president of Carbon Asset Solutions, the evolving practices can potentiate the sale of carbon credits on emerging global carbon trading platforms where commercial polluters with environmental

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The third part of that is it often creates an improvement in food nutrient density.”

Bradley says some advanced regenerative agriculture practitioners are altogether eliminating the use of inputs because they’re achieving the same, or higher, yields by accessing abundant nature-based nutrients. As an example, farms with adequate moisture can plant legumes like alfalfa and clover.

“They are fixing nitrogen free of charge out of the atmosphere,” he says. “There’s 35,000 tons of inert nitrogen gas in the air above every acre of land. This could be accessed through cover crops or crop cocktails for grazing. There are people planting clovers at the same time they have their canola growing. The clovers are growing in between the canola.”

Bradley emphasizes new farming practices should not be seen as a right versus wrong proposition. He says the evolution of farming is not an “either-or” situation but a “both-and” situation,

adding agriculture is diverse. Society, he explains, can no longer afford to be polarized in different ideologies. Finding common ground is the path forward in the context of farming practices.

Carbon credit markets are organizing and gaining momentum, promising more income and higher taxes as governments continue to raise taxes on pollution. Even so, many prairie farmers remain skeptical about regenerative farming practices and selling carbon credits.

According to a recent report published by the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary, Alberta forms a huge part of Canada’s agriculture sector. The province, emitting the highest level of agricultural GHGs, has the most beef cattle and the second highest number of farms and farmed area in the country.

Report authors Prof. Sven Anders and Nimanthika Lokuge say there is an active carbon-offset market in Alberta, but farmers rarely participate due to a history of risk. Agriculture, they

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CARBON COMPROMISE | CARBON CREDIT VALUE STILL NOT CLEAR TO SEE

Jeff Ivan, president and CEO of Soilgenic Technologies, is working on enhanced efficiency fertilizer technology to reduce the release of nitrous oxide, a powerful greenhouse gas associated with nitrogen fertilizer use.

“But the value of carbon has gone up now. So, we might look at getting back into it. As far as regenerative agriculture, I’d say it’s probably not a huge uptake right now, but it is growing.”

- Dean Hubbard explain, has seen the revocation of carbon-credit eligibility for certain farming practices, while invalidated credits can lead to significant financial losses for farmers.

“Farmers are also reluctant to participate due to the inadequacy of offset credit revenues in covering the foregone costs of implementing emission-reduction practices given current carbon-offset prices and the emissions level per farm,” they say in their report. “Some lower-emission farming protocols have proved profitable for farmers by improving efficiency, even without carbon-offset incentives. While farmers may adopt these practices for their own reasons, they are reluctant to participate in Alberta’s carbon-offset market 42

unless they are sufficiently rewarded. Market conditions thus far have not encouraged them to do so.”

Grain farming margins are very tight given skyrocketing input costs says Alberta Wheat Commission director and Claresholm area farmer Dean Hubbard, adding there’s little room for mistakes. He sold a few carbon credits several years ago but found the paperwork onerous. He says it was difficult back then to see the value of carbon credits. “But the value of carbon has gone up now,” he says. “So, we might look at getting back into it. As far as regenerative agriculture, I’d say it’s probably not a huge uptake right now, but it is growing.”

Hubbard says his soil is quite dry, making it difficult to establish a cover crop. Further north, where there’s more moisture, planting successful cover crops is possible, he says. “Pretty well every farmer now is using minimal soil disturbance through direct seeding where you leave your stubble in the field all through the winter,” he says, adding he has increased his soil organic matter by two per cent since 1995 without cover crops. “But I don’t think by most definitions of regenerative agriculture that we would fit.”

Hubbard and a few of his colleagues are using stripper headers on their combines. The machines strip grain and maximize the amount of straw left in the field. The practice has reduced his harvest diesel fuel consumption by 50 per cent. “To me, as long as you are building your soil, if you can

CARBON CREDIT VALUE STILL NOT CLEAR TO SEE | CARBON COMPROMISE

Alberta Wheat Commission director and Claresholm area farmer Dean Hubbard has increased soil organic matter on his farm significantly over the years. Currently using a stripper header on his combine to leave more straw in the field and sequester more carbon, he says regenerative farming practices are increasing on the Canadian prairies.

increase your soil organic matter, that’s a big thing,” he says.

“You’re locking in carbon. And as your carbon-nitrogen ratio changes, you need to add less fertilizer. As your organic matter changes, your pH can change.”

Hubbard expects a greater shift in knowledge and farming practice over time. “As people work their way through this, they’re going to find a lot of unexpected advantages to some of these things,” he says.

According to Jeff Ivan of Soilgenic Technologies, a company developing enhanced efficiency fertilizer technologies to reduce agricultural nitrous oxide GHG emissions, Bill Gates may be taking the lead when it comes to carbon sequestration and carbon credits. The Microsoft co-founder has made headlines around the world by purchasing massive swaths of U.S. farmland.

“What is his motive for buying that farmland?” says Ivan. “I think it probably has to do with carbon capture and carbon credits. And let’s face it, too, farmland has always been a great investment. So, it’s a very complex situation, but I’d say the whole carbon market is evolving and farmers are starting to receive the benefit, but it’s a long way from what they need to offset what they are paying for their fuel, for their equipment, for their trucks. There are new carbon taxes being charged for pickup trucks.”

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BUSHEL PLUS | AN IDEA THAT FOREVER CHANGED THE AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY

AN IDEA THAT FOREVER CHANGED THE AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY Marcel Kringe’s background in Ag Engineering and Agronomy means he is always thinking about agriculture and solving the challenges ahead. While working as an Agronomist around the world, Kringe kept seeing large amounts of wasted grain, grain farmers worked so hard to grow. But this waste didn’t come from poor storage or excess moisture, it was created by the very equipment meant to capture it – the combine. Kringe, a German-born farmer, relocated to Canada and introduced the Bushel Plus Harvest Loss System to help farmers assess grain loss more safely and accurately during harvest.

FROM FARM BOY TO SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR Kringe describes the family farm enterprise where he was born and raised in the mountains of Germany as, “Ten acres, five cows, 10 chickens and a goat.” Four generations lived together and worked the farm which provided supplemental income, food and an education. “I stood beside my great-grandfather, grandfather, and father and learned a lot,” says Kringe.

He knew from childhood he wanted to own or work on a farm, yet the family operation could never generate enough income to be his life’s work. So, he pursued an education in agriculture engineering and agronomy in a program that combined classroom theory with the American equivalent of a series of internships.

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Pursuing his dream, Kringe found a way to satisfy both his love for farming and his interest in seeing the world. His first internship in 2009 took him to Canada for harvest with stops following in Russia and Brazil. After earning his degree, Kringe settled in Canada with “nothing but a bag of clothes” and an opportunity to “learn English on the go.” He worked on various farms, eventually hired by Cargill to sell seed and serve as an agronomy consultant to farmers. Meanwhile, as a hobby, he and his team worked on designing a drop tray that would safely measure waste from a combine. Their prototype was a success as farmers reported “it saved us $60,000 to $70,000 Canadian in one week.” Kringe refined the prototype and produced enough units to meet the demand generated through farmer recommendations. Working for Cargill by day and Bushel Plus by night, Kringe eventually left Cargill to focus full-time on Bushel Plus. At that time his goal was to sell 120 pieces of equipment. Sales exceeded that goal by many hundreds.

RETHINK HARVEST EFFICIENCY The Bushel Plus integrated drop pan system helps combine operators safely and efficiently check and quantify what is being lost from the combine during harvest. Operators remotely drop the pan, from the cab

AN IDEA THAT FOREVER CHANGED THE AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY | BUSHEL PLUS or from a safe distance, onto the ground to capture loss. Farmers can quantify their losses in seconds using the Bushel Plus smartphone app. The tool even allows them to estimate dollars lost per acre and dollars lost per hour – a new way of looking at efficiency.

Calibrating the loss sensors in combines is more important today than ever. The only way an operator can trust the loss sensor display in the cab is if these sensors have been benchmarked and calibrated with the Bushel Plus system, which further allows the combine automation mode to function and operate at maximum efficiency. Additionally, knowing how much grain is falling to the ground can signal a problem with the combine’s settings. This allows the operator to adjust the machine to capture more grain in the hopper, placing more in the bin.

A LONG, LONG TRIP TO AUSTRALIA In the summer of 2018, a big order arrived from Australia. So, Kringe flew over 14,000 kilometres, eventually leading to an eight-month ordeal. “For one week, I went from dealership to dealership, stopping to talk to farmers and talking about the product,” says Kringe. “I went around with an agronomist who showed me the Australian way of farming.”

The warmth he encountered would be on display in an extraordinary way when Kringe was involved in a two-car collision. Among his injuries were a spine fractured in a dozen places, a shattered rib cage, an open pelvis break, a shoulder virtually broken in half and internal bleeding. “Angels were watching,” he says. “I survived, and the other driver survived.”

Kringe was in intensive care in a hospital in Perth.

The seven-hour trip from the places he’d been visiting additionally separated him from his family in Germany and coworkers in Canada. It would have been a lonely situation if not for a network of compassionate people. The agronomist Marcel had met the week before flew to Perth with his wife to sit at his bedside. Farmers he’d spoken with over dinner stepped forward to assist with arranging health insurance, establish an Australian phone number and simply visit. An Australian “second family” even provided their home as a longer-term rehabilitation centre as Kringe learned to walk again.

AG INNOVATOR Kringe returned home to Canada in July 2019. While recovering in Australia, Bushel Plus’s growth continued. Today, Bushel Plus sells its product on

every continent in more than 28 countries. In addition to being featured in Ag Innovator magazine, Bushel Plus has created partnerships with combine manufacturers who are incorporating the drop pan into their products, utilizing Bushel Plus technology in their R&D efforts to create new combines. John Deere and CLAAS recently released a marketing video of a new combine that shows the drop pan product in its field testing. In 2022, Case IH spent time with Marcel’s team learning about harvest precision during the 2,000 mile U.S. harvest. Additionally, there isn’t a combine dealer demo in Australia currently not using the Bushel Plus system for setups, regardless of brand.

Bushel Plus is a proud member of Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada (AMC) and the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association (FEMA) which provides avenues to continuously promote agribusiness development and growth.

Kringe’s entrepreneurial spirit drives him to expand his business opportunities. He recently acquired Kinetic Ag, a high-speed conveyor company, and founded Freebird Digital Partners, an agribusiness-focused mobile app and software development, website design and high-end professional video production firm. On top of this, Kringe shares his experience by providing motivational talks, presenting at combine clinics, and discussing agtech concepts. His entrepreneurial efforts were recognized at the 2022 Brandon Chamber of Commerce Awards Gala and the Outstanding Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, recognizing individuals between 18 and 40 who have effectively created and managed a business while managing the dangers and rewards of the endeavour.

As Bushel Plus continues to expand its distribution network while refining its products and app, Kringe is grateful for his supportive, dedicated team as they remain focused on their mission. “Our number one priority will always be making farms more profitable.

Happy customers are what drive us,” says Kringe. “We love to work with our customers and are looking forward to making many more great relationships with hard-working people around the world.” Stay tuned. Kringe has more plans and announcements coming for the harvest precision field.

This item was prepared by Freebird Digital Partners based on previous article by the AG Innovator magazine of FEMA. Learn more, visit: www.BushelPlus.com @BushelPlus (all social media channels) 45

CARBON COMPROMISE | LEADERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP

Leaders in Environmental Stewardship

By James Snell

Prairie farmers are becoming leaders in environmental stewardship thanks to changing attitudes and organizations involved in the coordination and delivery of agricultural recycling programs, say executives.

Canada generates 62,000 tons of agricultural plastics a year, says Barry Friesen, executive director of Cleanfarms, a non-profit industry stewardship organization committed to helping farmers be environmentally responsible through proper management of used agricultural plastics and packaging. Thanks to farmer cooperation, the organization collects about 6,000 tonnes for recycling annually and works to increase that year over year. Since 1989, an industry stewardship program now operated by Cleanfarms collects small polyethylene pesticide and fertilizer containers, – about

143 million of them by the end of 2021. The organization also collects containers up to 1,000 litres.

“There’s been a change in the marketplace in a lot of the materials that are being used,” says Friesen. “Our next goal is to collect other plastics that are generated, from bale wrap and grain bags to twine. Right now, we are running a large pilot project to collect grain bags and twine in Alberta. There is a permanent program in Saskatchewan to collect grain bags and one in Manitoba this year to collect both grain bags and twine.

So, the change in attitude is that farmers are taking advantage of more opportunities to recycle rather than managing the material behind the farm gate.”

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CARBON COMPROMISE

containers every year, says Ethan Richardson executive director of the Saskatchewan Association for Resource Recovery Corp. (SARRC), an organization providing a recycling network for used oil, filters, antifreeze and plastics.

Cleanfarms executive director Barry Friesen is on a mission for 100 per cent recovery of unused agricultural plastics and packaging. The organization currently collects 6,000 tonnes of recycling per year in multiple provinces.

However, even before the SARRC program, there was a trend among farmers to containing and repurposing waste materials to preserve land quality.

“Thirty years ago, each individual farmer, it was up to their own devices to figure out how best to deal with it,” says Richardson.

“Pre-program, we estimate that maybe somewhere in the realm of 40 per cent of used oil was reused. After the program was in place, we are up to, in a normal year, 80 per cent of all the oil reused. Certainly, the agriculture community values being efficient with the resources that are on hand and not being wasteful [while] managing the land sustainably.”

Richardson says there’s much more awareness among farmers when it comes to plastic containers, used oil, antifreeze and filters even though many large farms receive bulk product deliveries. Twenty per cent of used oil in Saskatchewan is refined into new lubricating oil, the rest is upgraded into diesel fuel.

“Certainly, the agriculture community is a strong proponent of environmental measures, especially when they make sense, and this is one of those examples where it does makes sense because the products that are being managed are truly recycled and reused,” says Richardson. “The agriculture community takes a real leadership position when there’s good rationale for doing it and when the benefits of recycling are easily demonstrated.”

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SPRAYING 101 | APPLYING PESTICIDES BY DRONE

Applying Pesticides by Drone Tom Wolf, PhD, P.Ag. Tom Wolf grew up on a grain farm in southern Manitoba.

He obtained his BSA and M.Sc. (Plant Science) at the University of Manitoba and his PhD (Agronomy) at Ohio State University. Tom was a research scientist with Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada for 17 years before forming AgriMetrix, an agricultural research company that he now operates in Saskatoon. He specializes in spray drift, pesticide efficacy, and sprayer tank cleanout, and conducts research and training on these topics throughout Canada. Tom sits on the Board of the Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association, is an active member of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers and is a member and past president of the Canadian Weed Science Society.

Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), a.k.a drones, are receiving much attention as means to apply pesticides. They are relatively inexpensive, easy to operate, don’t leave tracks in the field and can reach difficult places with ease. RPAS have been used to apply pesticides in many parts of Asia for over a decade. It’s estimated 40,000 agricultural RPAS operated in China in 2020, where significant government subsidies for their purchase have been available to speed the transition.

South Korea estimates 30 per cent of its arable area is treated with RPAS-deployed sprays. It’s a great leap forward for many farmers, replacing manual hand-held booms that were slow and posed exposure hazards to applicators. It’s been particularly helpful for aging farmers.

Here’s a look at the status of the situation in Canada and the United States.

Pesticide registration In the U.S., spray application by RPAS does not currently require a specific label statement. In many states, RPAS application is grandfathered in as another form of aerial spraying. However, individual states have jurisdiction over the deployment of RPAS, and not all states allow them equally. Rantizo, a leading custom RPAS spray company, currently operates in 23 U.S. states.

In Canada, RPAS spraying is considered a new form of application. Product labels for its application are not yet approved by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA). They have, however, issued several “Research Authorizations” permitting limited use of a pesticide for research purposes. Canadian provinces do not have the authority to overrule the PMRA, except to be more restrictive. The PMRA has determined that a proper risk assessment is necessary before a regulatory decision can be made. They have reason to believe that spray drift and efficacy in particular, but also possible operator exposure and plant residues, may be associated impacts. As such, they have requested experimental data to inform those decisions.

The availability of RPAS-specific labels for products is the prerogative of each registrant, the pesticide manufacturer or importer. If they believe it makes economic sense and are prepared to spend the resources to pursue a registration and service this new segment, then the process is set in motion.

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APPLYING PESTICIDES BY DRONE | SPRAYING 101

We can expect a similar product availability for RPAS as we have for piloted aircraft. High-risk pesticides are less likely to receive RPAS labels, and someone planning to use RPAS exclusively on a farm, even in the distant future, will likely not have all products available for use with this application method. In the past 20 years, we’ve seen a reduction in the number of herbicide labels, and a growth of fungicide and insecticide labels registered for aerial application.

Operator licensing In both the U.S. and Canada, an operator must be licensed to fly an RPAS. Regulators have divided RPAS into two broad size classes. Those under 25-kilogram total weight can be operated with a Basic Certificate in Canada. Relatively easy to obtain, the basic license requires knowledge of flight regulations, airspace types, mission planning and the like, and can be issued by passing an online exam. The RPAS must also be registered and display its registration number on the fuselage. Those weighing 25-kilogram or more require an Advanced Certificate, a significantly more difficult task that includes greater knowledge of flight and possibly radio operations, as well as an on-site evaluation by a trained individual that observes one’s flight planning and execution. Since these RPAS can interfere with piloted flights in shared airspace and endanger bystanders, these certificates are essential to ensure operation is done by a competent individual.

In addition to operator licensing, the larger spray RPAS require a Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC) issued by

Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), a.k.a drones, are receiving much attention as means to apply pesticides. They are relatively inexpensive, easy to operate, don’t leave tracks in the field and can reach difficult places with ease.

Transport Canada. The SFOC application requires identifying the purpose of the mission and the areas of deployment.

Approvals take weeks.

In the U.S., the rules have different names and their navigation is byzantine, but the end result is the same, pilots must be certified and authority to fly from federal agencies is necessary.

This requires applying for both permissions and exemptions under laws originally intended for piloted aircraft.

Spray operation From an applicator’s perspective, an RPAS differs from a ground sprayer in an important way. Nozzle size selection requires knowledge of the sprayer swath width.

49

SPRAYING 101 | APPLYING PESTICIDES BY DRONE

A ground boom sprayer has a swath width defined by the physical width of the boom structure holding the nozzles at precise spacing. But for an RPAS, the swath width is the result of the variable spreading the initial spray cloud in the turbulent air under the aircraft.

A typical drone will have four, eight or even 12 individual nozzles They are usually placed close to the rotors, either as a single nozzle or in clusters of two or four. The downwash from the rotors spreads laterally while reaching the ground, carrying droplets with it, spreading them beyond their original width. Although there are some general rules for estimating swath width, it must be measured to be sure that overlap is correct.

To measure swath width, collectors such as water-sensitive paper (WSP) are placed at one-metre intervals perpendicular to the prevailing wind direction. The RPAS is operated directly into the wind using plain water in the tank and the spray deposits are collected by the WSP. A scanner is employed to estimate the quantity of spray deposit on the WSP. The spray pattern is plotted on a graph and will likely appear tapered towards the edges. The point where the deposit is approximately 50 per cent of the average is noted on each side of the pattern. The distance separating these points is the swath width.

As with all tests, this procedure should be repeated to ensure the results are similar and therefore reliable. Smaller droplets and higher flight heights will usually increase the swath width. In a sidewind, the spray will be displaced downwind prior to reaching the ground, and this should also be measured to eliminate surprises with the pattern.

Once a reliable value for the swath width is obtained, the possible travel speeds and water volumes are calculated for a specific nozzle size. In field operation, the RPAS control software requires entering the swath width and water volume.

Using an internal flow sensor, it will then adjust the pressure, or PWM duty cycle, to achieve the required flow for the actual travel speed used.

The mission planning is nicely controlled through the RPAS software, allowing the field edges to be defined and the proposed passes to be displayed. Unfortunately, spray pressure is usually not reported to the pilot, leading some operators to mount a pressure gauge on the RPAS and obtain readout through an on-board camera. The lack of easy pressure readout is a pretty significant oversight, as spray pressure will determine droplet size which is imperative for swath width, droplet coverage and spray drift.

Actual features vary amongst RPAS manufacturers, but the spray mission is typically autonomous and the pilot may be 50

APPLYING PESTICIDES BY DRONE | SPRAYING 101

The U.S. market has supported the establishment of dozens of custom RPAS applicator businesses. Some of these fly their RPAS in swarms – up to five RPAS can be legally flown in Canada under the control of one pilot – with surprising productivity.

needed at the controls simply for unforeseen situations.

Nonetheless, Canadian law requires that Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) be maintained at all times, so it may be necessary to employ a spotter to assist the pilot.

Spray mix refills either involve adding mixed product directly to the tank, or for some smaller RPAS, swapping in pre-filled tanks. Batteries are swapped and a generator-driven charging station maintains adequate battery reserves requiring approximately eight-kW per 30-litre RPAS. The effort of tendering these application jobs is significant, particularly with a swarm operation, raising the question of staffing numbers.

The path forward The U.S. market has supported the establishment of dozens of custom RPAS applicator businesses. Some of these fly their RPAS in swarms – up to five RPAS can be legally flown in Canada under the control of one pilot – with surprising productivity. One such company uses three RPAS simultaneously, each with a 20-foot. swath width, for a total of 60-foot coverage while filling is staggered. Productivity of 50 acres per hour is possible for a fraction of the capital cost of a ground sprayer.

Niche market possibilities abound. RPAS are capable of reaching difficult terrain either too steep, densely vegetated or wet to be reached by ground. This makes site remediation, planting, biocontrol agent distribution and more, practical while possibly preserving endangered species or controlling invasives.

We can expect to see further evolution of laws surrounding RPAS spray application, particularly regarding the licensing of pilots. As RPAS spray application comes closer to reality in Canada, the knowledge requirements for this unique and primarily autonomous mode of flying will need to adapt and be simplified. Perhaps flying height limits can be employed, reducing danger in regulated airspace.

Pending the outcome of registration efforts which are in part contingent on drift and efficacy data, pesticide application by RPAS in Canada remains illegal as of 2022. If required, coarser spray requirements to mitigate drift will cause a ripple effect, needing commensurate higher water volumes to maintain adequate coverage. This in turn will hurt the productivity numbers and push the drive to larger drones.

Nonetheless, the rapid rate of change in this space will provide continuing improvements and new capabilities. The future looks interesting, indeed.

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NEWS & INNOVATIONS

BASF BASF Canada Agricultural Solutions (BASF) is excited to relaunch its popular BASF Safety Scouts program in support of farm safety for kids and their families.

The BASF Safety Scouts program engages young children in a fun and interactive way by inviting them to act as safety ambassadors on their family’s farm. The kits equip children with the tools needed to develop lifelong habits and foundational skills through hands-on play. Two thousand kits are available this season free of charge to farm families while supplies last.

“At BASF, we believe in supporting the long-term health and safety of farming communities across Canada – a value that is shared by our network of growers, retailers and industry partners,” said Nicole McAuley, head of communications and public affairs. “Beyond our product line-up and agronomic expertise, BASF is dedicated to helping make farms a safer place to live and work. In 2021, our Safety Scouts program was a valuable tool for families, and we are thrilled to welcome more participants to our growing network of over 2,000 kids, who are committed to helping shape a bright future for Canadian agriculture.”

How to play safely on the farm is one of the most important lessons a child can learn. Participants are encouraged to share pictures, videos, drawings, and safety tips by tagging @ BASFAgSolutions on Twitter using the hashtag #BASFSafetyScouts.

To learn more about the BASF Safety Scouts program and register to receive a free kit, please visit BASF | Our Stories Safety Scouts.

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OILSEEDS. The all-new 1650-TL takes all the features that makes a Convey-All the most durable, functional and reliable conveyor on the market. Adding the versatility of handling oilseeds such as canola or hemp. The addition of extra flashing and scrapers along the belt keeps the fine material on the belt and prevents build up. Unlike other ‘Canola Approved’ options where capacity is sacrificed, the OILSEED Series offers 7,900BPH, keeping your operation running.

The 1650-TL is fully equipped with Convey-All’s signature hydraulic drive and mover kit. Being self-contained and fully hydraulic means no dealing with belts, pulleys, chains or sprockets.

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