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Volume 40, Number 16 | OCTOBER 21, 2014

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PRACTICAL PRODUCTION TIPS FOR THE PRAIRIE FARMER

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New canola varieties for 2014 Disease resistance has been top of mind for canola researchers, and will stay that way for some time BY LISA GUENTHER

look through the new canola varieties submitted by seed companies reveals a focus on disease resistance. Most of the new varieties are blackleg resistant. Some also offer sclerotinia tolerance, fusarium wilt resistance, or clubroot resistance. Disease resistance is likely to remain front and centre in canola. Clubroot grabbed headlines this summer, as plant pathologists confirmed a new clubroot pathotype in the Edmonton area that could break resistant canola varieties. Blackleg is also an ongoing threat. These 15 new canola varieties will be on the market for the first time in 2015.

» CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

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In This Issue

Wheat & Chaff ..................

Features ............................

Crop Advisor’s Casebook

Columns ........................... 17 Machinery & Shop ............ 26 Cattleman’s Corner .......... 37

New soybean varieties

LISA GUENTHER PAGE 8

Balers, balers, balers

SCOTT GARVEY PAGE 28

FarmLife ............................ 43

/ grainews.ca OCTOBER 21, 2014

Wheat & Chaff STAMPEDE

BY JERRY PALEN LEEANN MINOGUE

“It may look silly, but it’s keeping my saddle cool.”

Write, Email or Fax SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (CST) 1-800-665-0502

U.S. subscribers call 1-204-944-5568 or email: subscription@fbcpublishing.com If you have story ideas, call us. You can write the article and we’d pay you, or we can write it. Phone Leeann Minogue at 306-861-2678 Fax to 204-944-5416 Email leeann.minogue@fbcpublishing.com Write to Grainews, 1666 Dublin Ave., Winnipeg, Man. R3H 0H1

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Ask for hearts When you renew your subscription to Grainews, be sure to ask for six Please Be Careful, We Love You hearts. Then stick them onto equipment that you, your loved ones and your employees operate. That important message could save an arm, a leg or a life.

arvest is still underway at our farm, if you can call a project that mainly involves checking the rain gauge, looking out the window and wandering aimlessly around the yard “underway.” We were about 60 per cent finished harvest before the dark rain clouds settled in at the end of September, and we haven’t been able to get the combine back in the field yet. We aren’t alone. Most of our neighbours are in the same boat (or considering buying that same boat). The data backs me up: Saskatchewan Agriculture calculated that 62 per cent of the crop in southeast Saskatchewan was in the bin on Sept. 29. Across the province, Saskatchewan Agriculture said 68 per cent of the crop was in by the end of September, compared with a five-year average of 72 per cent and the 10-year average of 70 per cent. Cold, wet weather is causing quality issues, not just here but into the U.S. On the morning of Oct. 6 Reuters reported that temperatures fell to -3.3 C at Bismarck the previous weekend. This probably won’t impact yields across the Prairies, but it’s also not likely to bring any good news for farmers hoping for highquality production. Here in Saskatchewan, we may be the statistically “average” situation, but there’s still a psychological factor at work when October rolls around and we’re not even close to finished harvest. By midOctober, harvest stops being an exciting whirlwind of long days and outside meals, and turns into a workaday slog with late starts, early evenings and extra jackets in the cab of every truck. Lower grain prices ahead for the winter aren’t adding a lot of joy to this situation.

CROP VARIETIES I know, I know. We’re not done with this year. But we’re going ahead and running the first of our two “new variety” issues as if next spring will actually come and

Here’s a do-it-yourself project for Grainews readers to try at home, now that you’ve got the last of those root vegetables out of the garden. In Prince Edward Island, they filled their hollowed potatoes with a sort of vile liquid they called “shine,” but you can make your own decisions about how to fill yours. we’re going to do this whole crazy thing again. Every year Grainews takes time to contact every company selling seed in the Prairie region and find out what’s new for the coming spring. As you read the lists (canola on the cover, flax on page 4, and soybeans on page 8), keep in mind that these are only lists of new varieties; they don’t include new-ish varieties that hit the market for the first time in 2013 and earlier. We’re assuming that you already know what was available last year, and that you’re going to be leafing through provincial seed guides for all of the technical specs before you make your planting decisions. (See Michael Flood’s article on page 5 for some tips on using these guides to choose the best variety for your farm.) We’ve got new oilseed varieties in this issue. We’re saving the cereals for our next issue, and we’ll run an article on new pulse varieties early in the new year.

FARM WRITERS FEDERATION The Canadian Farm Writers Federation held its annual conference in Prince Edward Island in early October. Prince Edward Island was a great location for a conference full of ag writers. There are several agriculture value-added businesses on the Island — the locals are taking every opportunity to showcase and sell their local produce, from both the sea and the land. Winners of the CFWF’s 2014 writing awards were announced

at the conference. Grainews writers took home two Silver plaques. Congratulations to our field editor, Lisa Guenther. Lisa’s win came in the Press Editorial category, for her funny and informative guest editor’s column about grain transportation. (We ran it in this space back in March.) I’m sure you’ll be happy to know that Lisa will be writing regular Grainews columns this winter, in our Columns section. We’re calling it “Reporter’s Notebook.” In this issue, you’ll find Lisa’s column on page 18. She’s written about the main event of her autumn — falling off her horse and getting a concussion. She’s doing fine now, and we’re all hoping she’ll find some less painful topics for the winter. Our second CFWF winner is Toban Dyck, for the column he wrote about GMOs last winter. Toban is relatively new to Grainews. He started writing for us after he left an editorial job in Toronto and moved home with his wife to work on his family farm in Manitoba. Toban calls his column “Can’t Take the Farm From the Boy,” since, like many young people who grew up on farms and move to the city, he found the pull of farm life too hard to resist. You can find Toban’s most recent column on page 21 of this issue. This is the story of a crop that didn’t come off quite the way he and his family had hoped it would, something most Grainews readers can definitely relate to this year. Leeann

Like us on Facebook! Grainews has a Facebook page. Find, read and comment on blog posts easily and with a thumbs up!

Find us on Twitter: Leeann Minogue is @grainmuse Lisa Guenther is @LtoG Lee Hart is @hartattacks Scott Garvey is @machineryeditor PHOTOS: LEEANN MINOGUE

Grainews field editor Lisa Guenther is never afraid of a dangerous situation when it comes to getting the story.

OCTOBER 21, 2014 grainews.ca /

Wheat & Chaff Photo contest

Farm safety

GIVE US YOUR BEST SHOT Linda Paulow sent us this photo, along with the following note: “Our son Robert has the flexibility to fit inside the triple tires on the tractor. He farms in the RM of Redberry.” I wanted to know if Linda’s 27-year-old son knew that his mother had sent this in. She said she hadn’t told him yet — he was on the combine when she emailed it. “I’m saving the news for when I deliver meals later,” she wrote. “Surprises are fun!” We’ll send Linda a cheque for $25. To see your photo in this spot, send your best shot to leeann.minogue@fbcpublishing.com. Please send only one or two photos at a time and include your name and address, the names of anyone in the photo, where the photo was taken and a bit about what was going on that day. A little writeup about your farm is welcome, too. Please ensure that images are of high resolution (1 MB is preferred), and if the image includes a person, we need to be able to see their face clearly. Leeann

Weather Lore

Business advice from the weather Do business best When the wind is in the west. he wind usually shifts to the north or northwest when a high-pressure system is coming towards us. North, northwest and westerly winds usually go with a highpressure system. During high-pressure periods people generally feel better. It’s the low-pressure systems that bring rain in summer, snow in winter, aches to our bodies and “bad” to our attitudes. This rhyme is suggesting that if we want to make a good business deal, we would be wise to do our dealing when everyone is feeling happy in body and minds. †

Shirley Byers’ book “Never Sell Your Hen on a Rainy Day” explores over 100 weather rhymes and sayings. It is available from McNally Robinson at: www.mcnallyrobinson.com.

You might be from the Prairies if...

By Carson Demmans and Jason Sylvestre

Safe handling for veterinary medicines

ivestock farming commonly requires the handling and administration of veterinary medicines such as antibiotics, vaccines, injectable or inhalation anesthetics, disinfectants and perhaps even steroids. The use of veterinary medicines for healthy livestock is linked to safe food, however, there are some precautions to take when storing, handling and disposing of veterinary medicines. Proper storage facilities improve medication effectiveness and reduce treatment errors. The ideal location for a storage unit is a clean, dry, frost-free area, such as a farm office or utility room. Animal health products should be protected from changes in temperature, sunlight, dust, moisture, animals, and insects. A clean and organized refrigerator makes an ideal drug storage unit. The refrigerator should only be used for storage of medicines and not for food for either human or animal consumption. Veterinary medicines should be kept away from children, pets and animals. One of the easiest ways to restrict unauthorized access to veterinary medicines is to lock the drug storage unit. An excellent way to maintain the effectiveness of veterinary medicine is to only purchase products in quantities which will be used in a reasonable amount of time. This will also save money as the products won’t be wasted. Before you purchase any veterinary medicine, check the expiry date. Regularly sort and discard expired veterinary medicines. While handling veterinary medicines, treat all medicinal products as potentially harmful. It’s important to read the labels to understand the hazards associated with the medicine you are handling. Labels also give information on how to react if the medicine is inadvertently inhaled, injected or if there is skin or eye exposure. Wearing personal protective equipment is also important when working with veterinary medicines. Wear disposable gloves when handling any open or loose products. Even if disposable gloves have been worn, it’s important to wash your hands after handling veterinary medicine to remove any residue. Some medicines are administered by needle and can puncture through

gloves and clothing easily. It’s important to handle any needles and other sharps carefully. Sharps should be disposed of in a leak-proof, punctureproof plastic container with a resealable lid. Some people may experience allergies or adverse effects that could be caused or made worse by the handling of or exposure to veterinary medical products. If this is the case, these individuals need to take the proper precautions to avoid these medications. Proper labels and communication about the use and storage of veterinary medications can help these individuals remain safe. Women who are or may become pregnant are also at risk from handling some medicines — they may harm the pregnancy or even cause miscarriage. Some veterinary medicines are extremely toxic to humans; having a discussion with your veterinarian will determine the level of precaution you need to take. Safe disposal of livestock medicines is essential to protect farm employees, family members, untreated livestock, and the environment from accidental exposure to potentially hazardous chemicals. Many veterinarians and manufacturers will accept returns of products at the location of purchase. In some municipalities, medicines can be disposed of on “household hazardous waste days.” Animal pesticides (such as dewormers, louse control products, etc.) must be disposed of in an identical manner to crop pesticides. It’s important to never reuse livestock medicine containers, most washed containers (with the exception of pesticide containers) may be disposed of in landfill sites. Check with your municipality. Veterinary medicines are essential on many farms and ranches. Safe storage, handling and disposal procedures will ensure that these medicines are being used in the manner they are intended. If you have questions about veterinary medicines, consult your veterinarian about preventive animal health management and proper use of livestock medicines. For more information about farm health and safety, please visit casaacsa.ca. † Canadian Agricultural Safety Association — www.casa-acsa.ca.

Crop production

Northwest harvest

eptember 24 was an ideal day to combine canola near Mervin, Saskatchewan. Farmers are on track with harvest in northwestern Saskatchewan. The September 22 crop report from Saskatchewan Agriculture noted 45 per cent of crops in the region were ready to straight-cut or swath, and 47 per cent were in the bin. Crop yields are about average in the region, with some variation. But, like many Prairie regions, crop quality could be better in the area. Saskatchewan Agriculture reported that many pulses and cereals have sprouted and bleached. Fusarium has infected some wheat crops, and wind wreaked havoc with canola swaths and shelled out some standing crops, the report noted. † Lisa Guenther

photo: lisa guenther

Agronomy tips… from the field

Add blackleg to the list

W You have driven in Toronto and shook for a week afterwards.

hen it comes to selecting canola varieties, four words describe what all growers want: an easy, high-yielding harvest. The genetic traits most of us associate with that kind of harvest are early-season vigour, great standability and high yield potential. But let’s add back a trait that you might have taken for granted: blackleg resistance. In areas where growers are pushing their rotations, new strains of blackleg are overwhelming even R-rated canola varieties. What’s happening is that blackleg is finding a way around single-gene traits that give many varieties of canola resistance to blackleg.

That’s why we’re seeing new varieties of canola with multi-gene resistance to blackleg being brought to market. Much in the same way that herbicides now contain multiple modes of action to fend off weed resistance, these multi-gene systems put up multiple barriers to blackleg. This makes it much more difficult for the disease to develop resistance. So if you farm in an area where resistant blackleg is a concern, multi-genic blackleg-resistant canola varieties should be part of your integrated approach to disease management. You won’t have to sacrifice anything either, because varieties that combine this genetic package with early-season vigour, standability and high yield potential are already available. † This agronomy tip is brought to you by Chadrick Carley, technical development lead for Syngenta Canada Inc.

/ grainews.ca OCTOBER 21, 2014

Cover Stories Crop Varieties » CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 1 6 6 6 D u b l i n Av e n u e , W i n n i p e g , MB R 3 H 0 H 1 w w w. g r a i n e w s . c a

new canola varieties

PUBLI SH ER

Bayer CropScience

Lynda Tityk Associate Publisher/ Editorial director

Bayer CropScience released the following four hybrids in limited quantities for the 2014 growing season, but Bayer is planning a much wider release for 2015.

John Morriss

Edi tor

Leeann Minogue fiel d Ed ito r

InVigor L252 Top performer in the Bayer CropScience demonstration strip trials (DST) in 2013. One of the top two hybrids in the Canola Performance Trials. This mid-season hybrid offers high yield performance, enhanced standability and superior blackleg resistance. InVigor L261 Mid-maturing InVigor L261 delivers superior standability, blackleg resistance and yield performance. It was one of the top two hybrids in the 2013 Canola Performance Trials and was a strong performer in the 2013 Bayer CropScience DSTs. InVigor L140P Patented pod shatter reduction technology offers excellent yield protection with greater harvest flexibility. In the 2013 DSTs, straight-cut InVigor L140P showed a seven per cent yield advantage over InVigor 5440 at normal swath timing. InVigor L160S Sclerotinia-tolerant trait technology makes InVigor L160S your first

Lisa Guenther photo: leeann minogue

There will be 15 new canola varieties for Prairie farmers to choose from next spring. line of defence against sclerotinia with no yield sacrifice. Offers excellent standability, enhanced blackleg resistance and all the benefits of the LibertyLink system.

BrettYoung 6064 RR The latest addition to BrettYoung’s performance Genuity Roundup Ready portfolio. Superior standability and harvest results. It is 0.7 days earlier than BrettYoung’s 6060 RR. Rated R for blackleg and came through the Co-op trials with a 138 per cent index over 6060 RR’s 134 per cent.

CPS PV 531 G Earlier-maturing Genuity Roundup Ready canola hybrid from Proven Seed. Offers competitive yields, world-class standability and an R rating for blackleg.

Available from Proven Seed at all CPS retail locations. PV 532 G Early-maturing Genuity Roundup Ready hybrid with competitive yields, excellent standability and an R rating for blackleg. Available from Proven Seed at all CPS retail locations.

DuPont Pioneer 45H33 Excellent yield potential. Built-in Pioneer Protector clubroot-resistance trait (Races 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8). Excellent early growth. Resistant to blackleg and fusarium wilt. 45S56 High-yielding hybrid with built-in Pioneer Protector sclerotinia-resistance trait. Very good standability. Moderately resistant to blackleg. Resistant to fusarium wilt. 45H76 New Clearfield hybrid for 2015. Mid-maturity hybrid. Very good standability. Resistant to blackleg and fusarium wilt. Clearfield production system provides exceptional weed control with Ares herbicide. 43E03 Very-early-maturity hybrid. Above-average early growth. Moderately resistant to blackleg. Low green seed count rejection.

photo: lisa guenther

Farmers take in a showcase plot tour at Cavalier Agrow, near Meota, Sask. The day featured, among other things, plots of new canola varieties.

Dow AgroSciences Nexera Hybrid 2020 CL Clearfield canola hybrid. High

yield potential. Strong early-season vigour. Strong disease package, including clubroot resistance. Excellent standability. Very easy to harvest.

Syngenta SY4135 Genuity Roundup Ready canola hybrid selected through rigorous field trialling. This mid-season hybrid is rated R for blackleg, and is a competitive option for growers looking for a solid return on investment. Flowers earlier, matures quicker and yields competitively compared to industry checks. SY4114 Mid-season Genuity Roundup Ready canola hybrid that offers high yield potential and fits well across all growing regions of Western Canada. Rated R for blackleg, SY4114 has demonstrated strong yield performance and very good standability versus industry checks in large-scale trials conducted across the Prairies in 2013. SY4157 High-yielding Genuity Roundup Ready canola hybrid, rated R for blackleg. Best suited for mid to long-season growing zones across Western Canada. In extensive public and private trials, SY4157 consistently demonstrated excellent earlyseason vigour, strong blackleg resistance and good lodging scores. Will be available for sale in limited quantities this fall for 2015 seeding. † Lisa Guenther is a field editor with Grainews based at Livelong, Sask. Contact her at Lisa. Guenther@fbcpublishing.com.

New flax varieties for 2015

Seed companies offering one new flax variety; two varieties from last year are seeing a wider release

lax growers have one new variety to consider this year, plus two others that are seeing a wider release. The seed’s not in the bin yet, but in August Statistics Canada was putting flax production at just over 908,000 tonnes this year. That’s a fair gain over 2013’s 712,000tonne harvest, as reported by Dave Sims at CNS Canada. This gain likely won’t come as a surprise to farmers who tried to source flaxseed at the last minute last spring. As Allan Dawson reported in the Manitoba Cooperator, many flax dealers ran right out of seed.

CPS Westlin 72 New flax variety from the CPS breeding program. Offers exceptional yield performance and yield stability, and good disease resistance and oil profile. Available at all CPS retail locations.

SeCan SeCan launched CDC Sanctuary and Glas on a limited basis in 2014, so we’re including them again this year. CDC Sanctuary Combines the yield potential of CDC Bethune with the oil quality of Flanders.Yields

Lee Hart Farm life Edito r

Sue Armstrong Machinery EDITOR

Scott Garvey Pro duction Di recto r

Shawna Gibson Des igne r

new Crop Varieties

By Lisa Guenther

Cattleman’s Corner Editor

105 per cent of CDC Bethune in the brown soil zones. It could replace CDC Bethune in these areas. Not as tolerant to lodging as CDC Bethune. MR to fusarium wilt, immune to rust. Available as reconstituted seed. CDC Glas A medium-maturing high-yielding oilseed flax – it outyielded CDC Bethune in all zones, with an overall average of 103 per cent. Better lodging resistance than CDC Bethune. Matures 0.5 days later than CDC Bethune. Slightly taller than CDC Bethune. MR to fusarium wilt. Immune to rust. Available as reconstituted seed. † Lisa Guenther is a field editor with Grainews based at Livelong, Sask. Contact her at Lisa.Guenther@fbcpublishing.com.

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Arlene Bomback Phone: (204) 944-5765 Fax: (204) 944-5562 Email: ads@fbcpublishing.com Printed in Canada by Transcontinental LGM-Coronet Winnipeg, Man. Grainews is published by Farm Business Communications, 1666 Dublin Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3H 0H1. Publications Mail Agreement No. 40069240. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage. Subscription prices: For Canadian farmers, $52.00 per year or $83.00 for 2 years (includes GST) or $104.00 for 3 years (includes GST). Man. residents add 8% PST to above prices. U.S: $43.00 per year (U.S. Funds). Outside Canada & U.S.: $79 per year. ISSN 0229-8090. Call 1-800-665-0502 for subscriptions. Fax (204) 954-1422 Canadian Postmaster: Send address changes and undeliverable copies (covers only) to PO Box 9800, Winnipeg, Man. R3C 3K7 U.S. Postmaster: Send address changes and undeliverable copies (covers only) to 1666 Dublin Avenue, Winnipeg, Man. R3H 0H1 Grainews is printed on recyclable paper with linseed oil-based inks. Published 18 times a year. Subscription inquiries: Ca l l t o l l f r e e 1-800-665-0502 U.S. subscribers call 1-204-944-5568 o r email: subscription@fbcpublishing.com

Your next issue! You can expect your next issue in your mailbox about November 11, 2014

The editors and journalists who write, contribute and provide opinions to Grainews and Farm Business Communications attempt to provide accurate and useful opinions, information and analysis. However, the editors, journalists and Grainews and Farm Business Communications, cannot and do not guarantee the accuracy of the information contained in this publication and the editors as well as Grainews and Farm Business Communications assume no responsibility for any actions or decisions taken by any reader for this publication based on any and all information provided.

OCTOBER 21, 2014 grainews.ca /

Features New seed varieties

Choosing the right variety There’s page after page of data about new seed varieties. Here’s how to find the ones that are right for you By Michael Flood

ou’ve read the markets, checked the seasonal forecast, considered your crop rotation and decided what you want to put in the ground come spring. Now it’s a matter of choosing the right variety. Opening up the seed guide, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of choices and the huge array of data on each type of seed. How do you pick the right one for your needs? We asked Matthew Japp, the Saskatchewan government’s Cereal Crops Specialist and a contributor to its Varieties of Grain Crops guide, for some help. Though this walkthrough is written based on the Varieties of Grain Crops guide for 2014, published by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture you can take the advice here and use it with your own provincial seed guide.

Yield isn’t everything The seed guide contains a lot of information, especially about the yields of the varieties in different regions of the province. These yields are all compared to an index variety, usually the most commonly grown variety for the last decade or so, one from which a lot of data has been collected. A higher yield number for a variety in your region than the index means that, all things being equal, it will likely grow more bushels per acre than the index grain. “Yield is always a consideration,” Japp says, “it gives you good return for your money if you can grow a little bit more but it shouldn’t be the only consideration”. In addition to information about relative yields the guide contains data on the disease resistance, ranked on a five point scale of Very Poor, Poor, Fair, Good, and Very Good. This info is derived from disease nurseries across the province, where varieties are inoculated with different infections and their resistance measured. You want to make sure the variety you’re considering isn’t super productive at the cost of its health; it would be a terrible shame to grow a bumper crop only to have it all wiped out by rust or ergot before harvest. You’ll also want to think about protein content and harvest times.

resistance, as it is not listed in the charts, as well as specific planting information. It also will point out which varieties are in short supply or will not be available at all this year. Other sections provide helpful advice on storing seeds to prevent diseases from becoming rooted in them before planting, as well as how to spot diseases should they manifest.

Don’t Bet The Farm Once you’ve narrowed the options and selected a variety with the right balance of yield, protein, and disease resistance, it’s important to introduce the variety gradually. “I’d say don’t change the

whole farm over at once,” Japp says. “You’ll want to put it on your farm for a couple of years before you start ramping up production.” You especially don’t want to let a particularly high yield the first year or two make your incautious, leading you to sow the variety far and wide only to have a single vulnerability wipe out all your hard work. Choosing a variety that balances yield with disease as well as pest resistance, knowing your local conditions, and making sure to introduce it gradually to your farm, you’ll be on your way to healthy harvests and bountiful yields. † Michael Flood (www.michael-flood.com) is a business writer and columnist. You can reach him at michael@michael-flood.com.

photo: leeann minogue

Researchers planted these durum varieties at Indian Head, Sask., in 2014.

Bred in Canada to feed the world. Cereal seed from Syngenta helps you harvest opportunities wherever they are. We’ve been breeding wheat in Canada for four decades, setting unprecedented standards for yield, quality and sustainability. The world depends on Canadian grain, and Canadian growers count on Syngenta.

Know your local conditions “A producer really needs to know what they have in their area,” Japp says, “know what concerns have cropped up last year, and pick a variety based on that.” Check the website of your local Ministry of Agriculture for bulletins about insects, funguses, and other threats to your crops. Make sure to also check with your neighbours and ask what they’ve been seeing in their fields. Japp also says to make sure that you read the whole guide rather than just the data tables for seed varieties. Below each table are several paragraphs of additional information; this is the only place you will be able to learn about insect

Visit SyngentaFarm.ca or contact our Customer Resource Centre at 1-87-SYNGENTA (1-877-964-3682). Always read and follow label directions. The Alliance Frame, the Purpose Icon and the Syngenta logo are registered trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company. CASE IH is a registered trademark of CNH America LLC. © 2014 Syngenta.

7442_1E_SP-Cereal Seed Ad_Grainews.indd 1

9/3/14 12:09 PM

/ grainews.ca OCTOBER 21, 2014

Features Crop Advisor’s casebook

Paling wheat plants a puzzle By Andre Laforge

Casebook winner

arly one morning back in mid-June, Rodney came by my office to share his concerns about his wheat crop at his 4,500-acre mixed grain farm near Carrot River, Sask. His wheat fields had all displayed a lush green colour just a day or two earlier, but now the crop had taken a decided turn for the worse. The weather had me wondering if moisture could be an issue. The previous fall, Carrot River had been blessed with great harvest conditions, with very little precipitation until late October. This was followed less than normal precipitation in the winter and early spring, although it was enough to insure good germination. Late May and early June had been a completely different story however, with up to eight inches of rain in the area over a threeweek period. When I drove out to Rodney’s place to have a look, I could plainly see that many wheat plants on his sandy loam farm had turned pale green; however,

T Andre Laforge is a Sales Agronomist with Richardson Pioneer Ltd. at Carrot River, Sask. the colouration wasn’t consistent throughout the fields and a regular pattern was evident. When I asked Rodney about his fertilization program, he told he had applied 80 pounds of anhydrous ammonia or NH3 just prior to seeding at a slight angle to the seeding. What was obvious is that where the seed row intersected the NH3 application, the wheat was a strong green colour, and that the crop

he Casebook winner for this issue is John Hofer with Keho Lake Colony at Barons, Alta. Johanna Rhodes, an ag sales rep at Barons, helped John out by emailing the entry. Thanks Johanna! We’ll be renewing John’s subscription for a year, and mailing him a Grainews cap. †

This photo shows a slightly more extreme example of the problem faced by Rodney. colour weakened between these intersections. Rodney also showed me some of his neighbours’ fields, which shared the sandy loam soil. The wheat in one nearby field was same pale green colour over the entire field, and I was told this grower has used NH3 applied mid-row as his nitrogen source. Another grower, whose wheat still maintained a strong green colour throughout the crop, had

dribble banded liquid nitrogen over the seed row. What could be causing the paling of Rodney’s wheat plants? And why are his and his neighbours’ fields showing such differing results, when similar soil types and similar moisture patterns were in play? If you think you know what’s ailing Rodney’s wheat crop, send your diagnosis to Grainews, Box 9800, Winnipeg, Man., R3C 3K7;

Leeann Minogue

email leeann.minogue@fbcpub lishing.com or fax 204-944-5416 c/o Crop Advisor’s Casebook. The best suggestions will be pooled and one winner will be drawn for a chance to win a Grainews cap and a one-year subscription to the magazine. The answer, along with reasoning that solved the mystery, will appear in the next Crop Advisor’s Solution File. † Andre Laforge is a Sales Agronomist with Richardson Pioneer Ltd. at Carrot River, Sask.

Many wheat plants in Rodney’s field had turned pale green. The colouration wasn’t consistent throughout the fields and a regular pattern was evident.

Crop advisor’s solution

Warm moist spring causes root rot By Mike Wassill

ack in late spring, I got a call from Allan concerning a crop of field peas at his 2,000-acre mixed grain farm near Aylsham, Sask. Some troubling patterns were showing up in the crop, with pale green areas containing small, struggling plants appearing in stark contrast to larger, healthier-looking peas in lush green parts of the field. Allan called me in mid-June, just before staging of early bloom. He said the peas in the

lush green areas were all starting to show early blooms, while those in the pale green areas were not. When I arrived at the farm, Allan told me he initially thought the reason plants in affected areas were not progressing was because of higher-thanusual spring rainfall. However, that did not explain why the problem appeared in only certain areas of the field, or why it was also showing up in higher areas of the field as well. The answers to my questions about Allan’s fertility package

and herbicide treatment for the crop didn’t sound any alarm bells, and the plants (pale or not) didn’t seem to be displaying any chemical damage either. I began to suspect that the answer lay with something in the soil or plant roots that was affecting nutrient uptake — which was confirmed upon closer inspection of plant samples from both the pale green and lush green areas of the field. When I washed the soil off the roots of the plant samples in a testing pail, it was clear by the state of the healthy

nodules and white roots of the unaffected plants that they were getting adequate nutrients. In contrast, the roots of affected plants were brown and shriveled and contained very few nodules. The roots were obviously being affected by some sort of disease, either in the stem or soil-borne. Upon review and consultation with Richardson Pioneer agronomist, Dean McDermott, it was determined that root rot caused by a fungal infection was to blame. This disease group included the pythium and fusarium species as well as rhizoctonia. The clear line between infected and healthy plants in irregular patches in the

field indicated that soil-borne fungi was at work, which was confirmed when the plants were rinsed off with water. I informed Allan that warm, moist weather conditions in the spring had allowed the disease to become active and infect the pea roots. Unfortunately, at this stage of crop growth, there was no effective treatment for limiting the spread of the disease and its damage. The only advice I could give Allan was to rotate away from peas for at least four years, and hope for a drier cycle of environmental conditions. † Mike Wassill is an Area Marketing Representative with Richardson Pioneer Ltd. at Crooked River, Sask.

OCTOBER 21, 2014 grainews.ca /

Features GRAIN MARKETING

Relief on delayed delivery contracts BY NEIL BLUE

elayed acceptance of grain contracted for delivery by farmers to grain buyers has become increasingly common. Sometimes the delays beyond the delivery period stated in the contract have been justified. Grain movement delays caused by weather are understandable, but delays of several weeks or months are hard to justify. Grain companies often blame the railways and the railways tend to blame grain companies and weather. Meanwhile, farmers waiting to deliver are frustrated by having their grain tied up by the contract and their cashflow plans impaired. While waiting to deliver contracted grain, the farmer deals

with risk of the grain going out of deliverable condition and the cost and inconvenience of storage. The federal government included in Bill C-30 (amendment to the Canada Grain Act) a measure to address concern around the issue of delayed acceptance of grain under contract. Early this crop year, the Canadian Grain Commission, which has the responsibility to “regulate grain handling in Canada,” sent all licensed grain companies a letter outlining the amendments. The letter states that “as of August 1, 2014, all grain contracts between a licensed company and a producer that contain a defined delivery period must include provisions for a penalty to be paid in respect of failure to

accept the contracted grain during the stated delivery period.” The regulations do not state the penalty amounts or types, with the intention to “allow licensees

The regulations do not state the penalty amounts and producers the opportunity to negotiate transparent, flexible and balanced agreements that set out the contractual obligations for both parties.” On reading the statement from the Canada Grain Commission, a

farmer might cheer the prospect of relief on this matter of delayed acceptance. However, few companies have actually amended their contracts yet. Grain companies’ lawyers have been working on the new clauses to be incorporated into contracts, but most local agents have not seen a revised contract. Note that the penalty only applies to CGClicensed companies so, for example, contracts for direct sales to cattle feedlots will be excluded, unless these buyers choose to include such a clause. Also, the penalty applies only to contracts with a stated delivery period. Could the stated delivery periods in standard contracts become even wider, or somehow be excluded on some contracts? Will a penalty be included in

contracts to charge a producer for late or non-delivery? Rather than speculate on what the contract clauses might be, it is best to wait and see how those contracts are written. As before these contract changes took place, it is necessary to read and understand the contract. Discuss with the company agent any uncertainties that you may have about contract clauses, and try to resolve any concerns before signing. If, on a contract with a defined delivery period, the producer’s grain is not accepted in the delivery period and a solution cannot be found, you may contact the Canadian Grain Commission to have the dispute arbitrated. † Neil Blue writes from Vermillion, Alta. Contact him at 780-853-6929.

NEW CROP PRODUCTION

Saskatchewan soybeans

hese soybeans were growing in southeast Saskatchewan on July 26, 2014. T h i s y e a r, S t a t i s t i c s Canada reported 300,000 acres of soybeans seeded in Saskatchewan, up from 170,000 acres in 2013. With western Canadian soybean acres at an all time high, a new national organization, Soy Canada, is being set up to represent the industry (farmers, crushers, exporters and seed companies). Mark Huston, a Grain Farmers of Ontario director, will be the first chair of the Ottawa-based organization. As of September 29, Saskatchewan Agriculture said only seven per cent of Saskatchewan soybeans had been harvested. † Leeann Minogue PHOTO: LEEANN MINOGUE

As a farmer, you have a lot of decisions to make. The DEKALB® brand team is here to empower you with expert advice, agronomic insight and local data. With every important decision you face on your farm, we’re behind you. And we’re ready to help you turn great seed potential into actual in-field performance. DEKALB canola... Empowering Your Performance.

Talk to your DEKALB dealer today, or visit DEKALB.ca ALWAYS FOLLOW GRAIN MARKETING AND ALL OTHER STEWARDSHIP AND PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Details of these requirements can be found in the Trait Stewardship Responsibilities Notice to Farmers printed in this publication ©2014 Monsanto Canada, Inc.

/ grainews.ca OCTOBER 21, 2014

Features CROP VARIETIES

New soybean varieties for 2015 Seed companies shorteng maturity in a bid to see varieties where no soybeans have gone before BY LISA GUENTHER

armers will have their pick of new soybean varieties to seed next spring, and seed companies are offering more and more early-maturing varieties. Brett Young’s Akras R2 is “early enough to be suited to production in Saskatchewan and western and northern areas of Manitoba,” Rene Mabon, agronomic and regulatory services manager wrote in an email. And they’re not the only ones.

DEKALB’s 22-60RY only requires 2275 corn heat units and NorthStar Genetics’ new NSC Gladstone RR2Y needs 2375 CHU. Last year NorthStar released NSC Moosomin RR2Y, which the company describes as an ultra-early variety. The variety is more widely available for next year’s seeding, and NorthStar expects it to push into areas “with growing seasons currently considered to be too short or too dry,” Claude Durand wrote via email. Farmers outside traditional soy-

bean growing areas may want to check whether crop insurance will cover the crop before ponying up for seed. Soybean coverage has expanded in both Saskatchewan and Manitoba. At press time, AFSC wasn’t offering coverage for soybeans in Alberta, but was researching the viability of an insurance program. Early maturity isn’t the only trait to look for. The companies we surveyed provided information on everything from iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC) tolerance to yield to

plant height. We hope this information will help you figure out which varieties fit your farm.

BRETT YOUNG Akras R2 2375 CHU. Outperformed many late- maturing varieties in the Red River valley over the last two years of MCVET trials. Semi-bushy plant with medium height and excellent podding height for easy harvest. Very good field resistance against phytophthora. Good tolerance to white mould and semi-tolerance to iron chlorosis.

DEKALB 22-60RY 2275 CHU. Very short, bushy line which will stand well. Performs best on fertile soils with lower Ph. 23-11RY 2300 CHU. Tall variety that may lean. Good complement to 23-10RY with more height.

WRITING A NEW CHAPTER FOR SOYBEAN PERFORMANCE When it comes to trait technology, you’re looking for leadership and innovation. Hyland™ is powered by Dow AgroSciences outstanding research and development. Balance that with exemplary customer service and you have a combination of performance and profitability that is worthy of an encore.

24-11RY 2425 CHU. Tall, branchy product that can lean. Well suited to heavier soils.

NORTHSTAR GENETICS NSC Gladstone RR2Y 2375 CHU. Bushy plant with very aggressive growth habit with maturity rated. Excellent fit for growers using planters or wider row spacing who are looking for an early variety. Yielded equal to mid-season check in 2013 public trials. Excellent complement for long season variety growers who want to spread harvest and maturity risk. NSC Sanford RR2Y Very limited availability in 2015. 2425 CHU. New mid-season variety for Manitoba. In 2013 MCVET trials, it yielded 107 per cent of NSC Elie RR2Y, which it will replace in NorthStar Genetics’ portfolio. Tall, semi-bush variety. The following NorthStar Genetics varieties were included last year, but availability was limited in 2014: NSC Moosomin RR2Y 2300 CHU. Compact, erect plant with short internodes and very dense podding. Good early vigor with excellent pod height despite shorter stature. Has demonstrated excellent yield potential (up to 50 bu./acre) in production fields. NSC Tilston RR2Y Early-mid season variety, rated at 2400 CHU. Very tall with excellent pod clearance and exceptional standability. Was a top performer in public trials in terms of both yield and maturity vs other varieties where conditions were particularly cool due to what is believed to it having cold tolerance.

PRIDE SEEDS PS 0035 NR2 2375 CHU. High-yielding Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield variety. Combination of strong soybean cyst nematode resistance and above average IDC tolerance. Excellent standability and disease tolerance. Good plant height with excellent canopy. Released previously, but wider release for seeding in 2015.

THUNDER SEED Thunder TH 35002R2Y 2375 CHU. Relative Maturity: 002. Very short season, high yielding variety. IDC Rating: 1.8. Medium height. Semi bush plant type. Distributed by Quarry Seed. † Lisa Guenther is a field editor with Grainews based at Livelong, Sask. Contact her at Lisa. Guenther@fbcpublishing.com.

BY DAN PIRARO

Bizarro

Farming Forward. hylandseeds.com ®™Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow 9/14-37905-2R GN

OCTOBER 21, 2014 grainews.ca /

Features Canola marketing

High oleic soybeans look for market share U.S. farmers planting high-oleic soybeans have their sights set on the canola market By Leeann Minogue

he brochure for this type of soybeans would catch any Prairie farmer’s eye: “With high oleic soybeans, you can take back the market share you lost to canola and other crops.” It’s not meant for us — it’s for U.S. soybean growers. Jay Myers, United Soybean Board director from Colfax, North Dakota said, “I don’t know if we want to take it away from canola. We’re losing market share right now, and we’d like to gain it back.” To gain back market share in the heart-healthy oil market, soybean growers’ checkoff dollars have been directed toward developing high-oleic soybeans. Those soybeans are on the market now, and we can expect to see more of them. The United Soybean Board’s goal is to see 18 million acres of high-oleic soybeans in the ground in 2023. If they meet their targets, high-oleic soybeans would be 22 per cent of total U.S. soybean acres in 2023.

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Left: When a visitor to the Pioneer display asked if this oil would work on her sewing machine, the woman at the display booth assured her it would. Top Right: Pioneer used its high-oleic soybean oil to fry up doughnuts at the Iowa Farm Progress Show.

High-oleic varieties

Produced by: SeCan Product/Campaign Name: SeCan AAC Brandon ‘ Wheat King Date Produced: September 2014

Ad Number: SEC_BRAW14_T Publication: Manitoba Cooperator Size: 4Col x 140 (8.125” x 10”) Non Bleed

Pioneer’s new Plenish brand of high-oleic soybeans were grown by farmers in 2014, under contract, on an identity-preserved basis. Monsanto plans to have its Vestive Gold high-oleic soybeans available to seed in 2015. Both companies says their high-oleic soybeans yield similar to other varieties, and have good disease resistance packages. Plenish soybeans are a Level III maturity bean. In the U.S., maturity levels start at Level I in North Dakota and go to Levels VI and VII in Florida. With our cooler, shorter summers, Western Canada needs beans with a shorter growing season than Level I. our soybeans are typically in the 0, 00 and 000 maturity range. The United Soybean Board’s published goal is to breed soybean varieties in Groups I to IV by 2023 — this would spread higholeic soybean across the U.S., but would still keep them south of the Canadian Prairies. There are both consumer and industrial uses for the high-oleic soybeans. Pioneer advertises that its Plenish oil has 20 per cent less saturated fat than traditional soybean oil, and oleic content of 75 per cent, “similar to olive oil.” For the industrial market, Pioneer advertises that oil from these soybeans is superior to other vegetable oils. “High oleic soybean oil has exceptional heat and oxidative stability and can be used in high temperature and extended use applications where commercial soybean oil is not an option.” The United Soybean Board is an organization run by volunteer farmer representatives, set up to oversee the spending of checkoff dollars. U.S. soybean growers contribute 0.5 per cent of the market price of their soybeans to the fund annually. The USB spends its money on research and market development, while the American Soybean Association focuses on state and national policy issues. †

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Leeann Minogue is the editor of Grainews.

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/ grainews.ca OCTOBER 21, 2014

Features Crop protection

Three major new products from Dow Dow AgroSciences is bringing products to market this fall that are more than just “new and improved”

ow AgroSciences does have improved chemistry for weed control in wheat and barley, but along with that it is also introducing a whole new weed control system that includes ramped up genetics in corn and soybeans to improve weed control options in those crops. Along with that, DAS is introducing new-to-Canada nitrogen stabilizers that will improve the efficiency of anhydrous ammonia and liquid nitrogen.

Protects anhydrous N-Serve, the nitrogen stabilizer that works with anhydrous ammonia and has been shown to increase yields, has been available in the United States for more than 30 years, says Dustin Leskosky with

Dow AgroSciences (DAS). It will be introduced to Canada on a limited basis for a “focused launch” in the fall of 2014. Along with N-Serve for anhydrous ammonia, DAS is introducing a similar product called eNtrench that works with UAN liquid fertilizer. N-Serve, which will likely have the broadest appeal among farmers, is applied at the same time as anhydrous ammonia (applicators are available from retailers) and works in the soil to slow the activity of the soil bacteria that convert ammonium to nitrites. It will be available from 16 retailers in Western Canada and 17 in Eastern Canada this fall. “For a lot of producers in Western Canada, being able to get fertilizer on in the fall helps improve work flow, and can speed up field

operations at spring seeding,” says Leskosky. “Anhydrous ammonia has been a popular form of nitrogen, although there is always concern about whether under certain conditions some of that nitrogen can be lost through leaching or a process known as denitrification.” N-Serve, injected or incorporated into the soil as NH3 is applied works to slow the activity of the Nitrosomonas bacteria — a temperature sensitive soil bacteria— the converts ammonium to nitrites. By slowing this conversion the nitrogen stabilizer reduces the risk of loss due to leaching and denitrification so nitrogen stays in the root zone. Leskosky says experience in the U.S. has shown a seven per cent yield increase when N-Serve has been applied. As much as 10 per cent of nitro-

gen can be lost to the atmosphere with just three days of very wet soil conditions and up to 50 pounds of nitrogen can be lost in a year through leaching. “Research has shown a 16 per cent reduction in leaching when N-Serve has been applied,” says Leskosky. “ And because the product slows the activity of soil bacteria it also means that anhydrous ammonia can be applied up to two weeks earlier in the fall. Farmers don’t have to wait for cold conditions.”

New herbicide system Dow AgroSciences is charting new territory with a new herbicide system that includes a genetics package for weed control in corn and soybeans in conjunction with a dual herbicide combination.

CHANGE THE WAY YOU LOOK FOR HIGHER YIELDS.

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To create what is known as the Enlist Weed Control System, DAS scientists identified and developed the genetic trait that protects the crop from both glyphosate and 2,4-D herbicides. That trait has been introduced into lines of corn and soybeans developed and marketed by DAS’ own Hyland Seeds, but the company has also licensed the Enlist trait to Dupont Pioneer for soybeans and Monsanto for corn varieties. “This is a first for us from the standpoint of developing a trait and a herbicide at the same time,” says Jeff Loessin, with DAS. “It required a real co-ordinated effort in our organization to bring both of them together from a development standpoint — setting out the criteria of what we were looking for from a trait and a herbicide and carrying that through to development.” Crop varieties carrying the Enlist trait can be treated with Enlist Duo herbicide, which is a combination of glyphosate and new 2,4-D choline containing Colex-D Technology. “Colex-D is patented technology which improves the ease of handling and use of the herbicide,” says Loessin. “Among the key features it provides low temperature storage stability, low drift, and low volatility. The Colex-D technology keeps the herbicide on target and where it is supposed to be, with much reduced risk of drift to any nearby susceptible crops.” Loessin says research has shown Colex-D technology reduces physical drift by 45 per cent, and the volatility of the herbicide (movement in a vapor form) is reduced by 92 per cent. As well, Colex-D technology also greatly reduces herbicide odour. While glyphosate is a very effective broad-spectrum herbicide, it does have weaknesses. More weed specialists these days are also recognizing the value of herbicide combinations in providing that one/two punch for more effective weed control. Dow says Enlist Duo herbicide has been found effective against 70 broadleaf and grassy weeds including some of the most common weeds to Western Canadian farmers — wild buckwheat, volunteer Roundup Ready canola, dandelion, cleavers, kochia, green and red pigweed, annual sow thistle and lamb’s-quarters. The Enlist Weed Control System will be available to Western Canadian soybean growers in 2015. In Eastern Canada, the company is launching the product with corn varieties in 2015 and for soybeans in 2016.

New Group 4 herbicide In an era when crop protection companies are scrambling to find new and effective chemistries for weed control, Dow AgroSciences is bringing two new wheat and barley herbicides, with the same active ingredient, to the market in 2015. Paradigm and Pixxaro, will both have the new Group 4, Arylex active ingredient. “They are very effective herbicides across a wide range of some the worst broadleaf weeds we have in Western Canada,” says Kelly Bennett, DAS cereals portfolio marketing lead. “And along with excel-

OCTOBER 21, 2014 grainews.ca /

Features Farm machinery

Weather disrupts farm show

photo: lee hart

Kelly Bennett with Dow AgroSciences makes the point during an earlier field day. The only good weed is a dead weed. lent weed control, Arylex active also affords farmers much more flexibility in its application.” With both herbicides effective for in-crop weed control in the black soil zone, Pixxaro stands as the best choice if kochia is one of the main target weeds. Pixxaro can be tank mixed with any registered grassy weed product. If kochia isn’t an issue then Paradigm, especially tank mixed with Simplicity, provides an excellent broadleaf and grassy weed control product in wheat. And Paradigm can be mixed with other grassy weed herbicides for use in barley. On the flexibility front, “for the most part as long as there isn’t frost on the ground or it isn’t raining you can spray,” says Bennett. “These products work very well under a wide range of crop stages and weather conditions — hot, cold, wet or dry. When plants are stressed by weather, movement by most herbicides within the plant can be inhibited. But with Arylex active products have the ability to move in the plant and be effective even under stressful conditions.” And as a systemic product, Bennet says its effects are longer lasting. The herbicides are applied at a very low rate — two grams per acre — and can be tank mixed with a wide range of grassy weed herbicides. Paradigm is available in a new GoDRI rapid dispersion technology, which means the dry formulation easily mixes in water and then later is easy to clean out of the spray tank. Arylex active represents a new chemical family within the Group 4 mode of action. Pixxaro is a combination of three Group 4 herbicides and Paradigm provides multiple modes of action on many weed species with both Arylex and Group 2 active ingredients. “The new chemistry makes these products very effective in helping to reduce the risk of herbicide resistance in a proper herbicide rotation program,” says Bennett. “Along with working well under a wide range of conditions these systemic herbicides are also fast acting. In most crops you will begin to see tremendous activity within five to seven days, whereas with other products it can take 10 to 21 days before weeds begin showing the effects.” †

ay 3 of the three-day U.S. Farm Progress Show at Boone, Iowa in August was cancelled due to wet, stormy weather. Visitors who caught the show on the one of the first two days walked through mud on the edges of the 100-acre show grounds. Planned full-scale corn harvesting demos were also called off due to weather. The cornfields seeded on the edge of the show grounds matured more slowly than expected due to cool, wet weather — they just weren’t ready for harvest by August 26. The U.S. Farm Progress Show bills itself as the U.S.’s “largest outdoor farm event,” with more than 600 exhibitors. The show alternates between Boone, Iowa and Illinois. Next year, the show will be at Decatur, Illinois on September 1, 2 and 3. †

Leeann Minogue is the editor of Grainews.

Growers can’t stop talking about its flushing weed control. ( Please accept our apologies. )

If you’ve been anywhere within earshot of a grower who’s used Ares™ herbicide for Clearfield® canola, you’ve already heard all about it. A lot. Because only Ares controls the toughest flushing weeds and keeps them from coming back. Which means you save time and money in the process. So try it for yourself. Once you see the result, we doubt you’ll be able to keep it to yourself. To find out more visit agsolutions.ca/clearfieldcanola or contact AgSolutions® Customer Care at 1-877-371-BASF (2273).

Always read and follow label directions. AgSolutions is a registered trade-mark of BASF Corporation; ARES is a trade-mark and Clearfield and the unique Clearfield symbol are registered trade-marks of BASF Agrochemical Products B.V.; all used with permission by BASF Canada Inc. © 2014 BASF Canada Inc.

Lee Hart is a field editor for Grainews in Calgary, Contact him at 403-592-1964 or by email at lee@fbcpublishing.com. 110200853_CLC_Yard_GrainNews_2014_v2.indd 1

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/ grainews.ca OCTOBER 21, 2014

EXTENDED OUTLOOK FOR THE PRAIRIES Weather Forecast for the period of November 2 to November 29, 2014

Southern Alberta

Peace River Region

November 2 - 8 Fair overall, but snow on a couple of days, with a risk of heavy snow. Seasonable temperatures with some sub zero lows on clear, cool nights.

November 2 - 8 Fair overall, but snow on a couple of days, chance of heavy snow. Seasonable temperatures with some sub zero lows on a couple of clear, cool nights.

November 16 - 22 Windy on several days with temperatures varying from mild to cool. Fair, but some snow, heavy in some regions.

BELOW NORMAL

November 16 - 22 Colder air, gusty winds and higher windchills. Minor warming brings snow and drifting. Chance of heavy snow. November 23 - 29 Changeable weather, with strong winds combining with snow on two or three days. Higher windchills and heavier snow are expected at times.

November 23 - 29 Unsettled as disturbances race by bringing snow and blowing snow to many locations. Colder days could result in higher windchills.

Manitoba November 2 - 8 Fair with variable temperatures and blustery winds. Snow on a couple of days, mixed with rain in the south. Risk of heavy snow and gusty winds. November 9 - 15 Colder air moves in from the northwest. Sub zero lows, but some above zero highs in the south. Snow, heavy in places. November 16 - 22 Colder outbreaks combine with gusty winds to create higher windchills. Fair, but snow on a few days. Risk of heavy snow. November 23 - 29 Fair skies interchange with occasional snow and drifting snow. Heavy snow in some areas, especially near larger lakes. Seasonal to cold.

Precipitation Forecast -11 / 0 Edmonton 16.1 mms

-9 / 0 Jasper

28.2 mms

-8 / 0

30.4 mms

Banff

-11 / -2 North Battleford -11 / -1 Red Deer 14.8 mms

-9 / 3 Calgary

Forecasts should be 80% accurate, but expect variations by a day or two because of changeable speed of weather systems.

November 9 - 15 Colder air advances with blustery northwest winds. Periodic snow, heavy in some areas. Sub zero lows. Risk of rain in the south.

November 16 - 22 Windy on several days with temperatures varying from mild to cool. Fair, but expect snow on a couple of occasions, heavy in some regions. Chance of rain in southwest.

November 23 - 29 Unsettled as disturbances race by bringing snow and blowing snow to many locations. Colder temperatures result in higher windchills on a few days.

28.6 mms

November 2 - 8 Snow is common on a couple of days. Chance of heavy snow, mixed at times with rain in the south. Otherwise fair skies, windy at times, and variable temperatures.

November 9 - 15 Colder air advances south bringing occasional snow mixed with rain. Chance of heavy snow. Windy at times. Milder days should raise temperatures well above zero.

November 9 - 15 Colder air brings occasional snow. Chance of heavy snow in many places. Windy at times.

-12 / -2 Grande Prairie

Saskatchewan

11.6 mms

-8 / 4 Medicine Hat 19mms cms Lethbridge 14.8 16.3 mms 26 cms -7 / 5

-12 / -2 Prince Albert 16.5 mms

-12 / -4 The Pas

26.8 mms

NEAR NORMAL

16.3 mms

-11 / -1 Saskatoon 14.1 mms

-11 / -1 Yorkton

-10 / -1 Dauphin

-9 / -1 -10 / 0 17.8 mms 22.7 mms -10 / 0 Gimli Regina -11 / -1 Moose Jaw 11.7 mms 35.2 mms Swift 13.6 mms -9 / 0 -11 / -1 Current Portage -9 / 0 -9 / 1 Brandon 22.9 mm Winnipeg 14.7 mms Weyburn NEAR 14.9 mms 21.2 mms NORMAL 11.4 mms -9 / 1 Estevan Melita -10 / 1 13.7 mms

17.4 mms

Precipitation Outlook For November Much Above Normal Below Much above normal normal below normal normal

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OCTOBER 21, 2014 grainews.ca /

Features FARM MANAGEMENT

Carbon offsets pay off in Alberta There are more options, but also more costs for Alberta farmers selling carbon credits BY JULIENNE ISAACS

n Alberta, agricultural producers have a unique way of streamlining their operations while also earning extra income. The Nitrous Oxide Emissions Reduction Protocol (NERP) allows industrial emitters to purchase carbon offset credits created by improved nitrogen management by the agriculture sector. A market for carbon offsets has existed in Alberta since 2007, when the province created its Specified Gas Emitters Regulation. This requires regulated facilities to reduce their annual emission intensity by 12 per cent, based on their 2003 to 2005 baseline. One method of compliance with these regulations is to purchase credits under the NERP protocol. According to Sheilah Nolan, a climate change specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, offset credits must be created using protocols approved by the Alberta government. These protocols were developed in partnership with stakeholders and are based on international standards and scientific research. “The protocols outline how to quantify and verify emission reductions for management improvements that lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions — for example, use of no tillage, or biomass and biofuels for renewable energy,” says Nolan. “All credits used to meet the reduction targets must be verified by an independent third party.” In total, there are 34 protocols listed on the Environment and Sustainable Resource Development website. Ten of those apply to the agriculture industry. Farmers who adopt one or more of the 10 protocols on their operations are eligible to sell offsets.

In early September of this year, the Canadian Standards Association assumed the role of handling the registry of greenhouse gas offsets in Alberta.

COSTS AND BENEFITS According to Susan Wood-Bohm, executive director of the Biological GHG Management Program with Alberta Innovates Bio Solutions, the Climate Change and Emissions Management Corporation (CCEMC) supported the Canadian Fertilizer Institute in a study to explore NERP’s efficacy in Alberta and the Prasino Group to study barriers to adoption of the protocol. One report, posted on the CCEMC website, entitled “The Benefit Cost Analysis of the

Agricultural Producer’s Position as it Relates to the NERP,” concludes, “the 4R program could provide an increase in net revenue per acre. The costs associated with the implementation of the program are not large relative to the potential revenue that can be gained.” Nolan says that costs to producers wanting to sell offsets have increased due to stricter requirements for record keeping and verification implemented in 2012 to meet new Reasonable Assurance Standards. “However, there are farmers who are continuing to earn extra income from the sale of carbon offsets, particularly those who have good records and previous experience with offset sales,” she says. And the options for farmers look-

ing to get paid to make improvements that lower GHG emissions will only increase in the future. Two new protocols are currently under review that will allow farmers to sell offsets from afforestation and the restoration of wetlands, Nolan explains. Additionally, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development is developing new opportunities for protocols, such as the conversion of cropland to perennials, and increased efficiency in transportation fuel use. Wood-Bohm says documentation is a “key element” of farmer participation in the offset system, to ensure claims can be verified by third parties. Although these “third parties” are accountants and engineers, professional agrologists who work with local farm-

ers and aggregators have a role in recording farm activity changes that result in offsets. “This is genuinely important, not just a “make work” because the offset credits are traded,” she says. “The barrier here is not really that farmers have to keep more complicated records. Farmers already keep very complete records for farm management and taxation purposes — it is also about how the information is organized and stored.” The pilot studies that CCEMC is funding, she says, are intended to assist with record keeping functions as well as to identify gaps, barriers and options to support use of the protocol. † Julienne Isaacs is a Winnipeg-based freelance writer and editor. Contact her at julienne. isaacs@gmail.com.

We’re used to other varieties bowing down to us

MINOR REVISIONS Since last year, minor revisions have been made to the protocols that apply to the agricultural sector, says Nolan. She says changes are made in order to increase clarity and ease of use for producers, based on feedback from participants. The changes to NERP have resulted in “a more reasonable method of determining the baseline yields for a parcel using crop insurance data,” she explains. “In addition, there has been increased emphasis of the 4R nutrient management plan (right place, right time, right location, right rate) developed by an approved professional that has completed training for the NERP.” Two new protocols approved in April 2012 included Conservation Cropping (no-till and summerfallow reduction to increase soil carbon storage) and Low Residual Intake for Beef (genetic improvements to lower emissions by increasing feed efficiency through the entire life span), says Nolan. Two other agricultural protocols have also undergone revision, and now identify more specific evidence requirements and streamlined approaches. The revised protocols include Reduced Carbon Intensity of Fed Cattle (lower emissions from increased feed efficiency) and Waste Biomass (sustainable removal of excess crop residue for use as source of renewable energy).

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/ grainews.ca OCTOBER 21, 2014

Features Weed management

Avoiding herbicide resistance Worried weed scientists gather to discuss the future of weed control without new chemistry By Leeann Minogue

he loss of glyphosate is something that we should all lament,” said Steven Powles, director of Australia’s Herbicide Resistance Initiative. Powles compared the importance of glyphosate to penicillin, calling it a one-in-100 year herbicide. Powles was speaking to a gathering of weed scientists at the Weed Science Society of America’s second herbicide resistance summit in Washington on September 10. Many of these seed scientists, including Powles, are deeply concerned about the future of weed control. Mainly because there are no new chemical developments coming down corporate pipelines. “Don’t hold your breath for a new herbicide mode of action,” Powles said. While we see advertisements for new herbicides, he says, these products are the addition of transgenes to existing herbicides, or mixing 2,4-D and dicamba into new formulations. “Resistance has, can and will occur for these herbicides,” Powles said. “How these are used will be critical to their longevity. They are not silver bullets.” Powles is concerned about farmers who continue to use practices that contribute to resistance development. “Does there have to be a train wreck before change occurs?” Part of the problem, Powles believes, is our history of successful weed control. The current generation of farmers have always been able to simply use herbicides to control weeds. “Changing that culture is difficult,” he said. “There’s a very strong belief that new herbicide solutions are imminent.” That perception, Powles said, is fed by industry — companies continue to signal to farmers that new solutions are coming soon. Other factors also contribute to a “culture” of relying on simple chemical solutions, said Powell. These include: — short term decision making; — high percentages of rental land; — falling grain prices; — generic herbicide suppliers; — growers used to “easy weed control”; and, — growers that do not “fear the weeds.” Powles described the current situation as HOS: “herbicide only syndrome,” with farmers using just one plan of attack. But, he said, “don’t get depressed. It’s entirely management. It starts by accepting HOS exists.” Diversity will be the solution, Powles said. “Diversity disrupts resistance evolution.” Solutions to weed resistance will range from new mixtures of existing herbicides to creative responses like the tow-behind carts that collect weeds behind combines in Australia, or “propelled abrasive grit management” — using air compressors to blast “grit” (a substance made from dried corncob bits or something with similar textures) at weeds growing between rows of corn, shredding the weeds. Another step Powles advocates is mandatory mode of action labelling, to ensure that farmers have easy access to the informa-

“

tion they need to rotate herbicides based on modes of actions, not just brands. “Industry better get on board,” he said.

Resistance extension Michael Owen, a professor and extension specialist at Iowa State University agreed that, “historically, there have not been a lot

of changes in tactics” for weed management. Meanwhile, he said, weeds have been farmers’ most consistent problem, although they have don’t get as many headlines as new diseases and novel pests. “The consistency of economic loss attributed to weeds is unprecedented,” Owen said. Owen said farmers don’t always understand weed management, and the prevalence of resistant weeds. In

2013, he calculated that 77 per cent of Iowa soybean fields had weeds above the canopy in September — weeds that were likely herbicide resistant. However, he said, as farms have expanded, farmers with lots of acres “don’t have time to go and look at these weeds,” or if they do, “the growers don’t recognize them.” Owen said farmers often don’t identify resistance problems until it’s too late. “Twenty-four to 35

BayerCropScience.ca/InVigor or 1 888-283-6847 or contact your Bayer CropScience representative. Always read and follow label directions. InVigor® is a registered trademark of the Bayer Group. Bayer CropScience is a member of CropLife Canada.

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per cent of the weed population must have the resistant trait before growers recognize that they have that problem.” The best solution, Owen said, is “boots on the ground. Scouting.” This means examining all parts of each field, and doing what it takes to control weeds in each area. In some cases, Owen suggests tillage. Farmers who have adopted non-tillage farming methods are

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OCTOBER 21, 2014 grainews.ca /

Features

photo: leeann minogue

Corn-on-corn rotations in the Midwest do not provide in the diversity needed to fight herbicide resistance.

not enthusiastic, but Owen isn’t advocating putting entire farms under cultivation. “Each field is different, and needs to be managed separately,” he said. This might mean tilling only parts of fields, where there are specific problems. Owen also suggested other changes that could have a big impact in herbicide resistance development. One of these is changing crop rotations — he cited “continuous corn in the upper Midwest” as a factor contributing to resistance. Another is agronomy. For example, changing soybean row spacing can make a difference to weed control. There

may be new non-herbicide solutions in the future, such as biological control, robotoics or developments in genomics. However, “are they going to answer all the questions? Absolutely not,” Owen said. “The key is diversity.” Farmers need to use many different weed control solutions. (Owen referred to this approach as “many small hammers.”) “Grower expectations need to reflect the control that each of these tactics may provide,” he said. Unlike the full control farmers have come to expect from herbicides, each “new” weedcontrol tactic may not kill 100 per cent of the weeds. “But they are going to be additive,” Owen said.

“You’re going to support the herbicide chemistry that we have.” “Growers need to understand that an escaped weed here or there is a problem. Scouting is critically important,” Owen said. He hopes public and private programs can create incentives for non-chemical weed management. And, he hopes to change farmers’ mindsets and increase awareness of weed resistance. Ultimately, he wants it to become socially unacceptable for farmers to have resistant weeds. “We need to kind of police our neighbours, to be sure that they aren’t contributing to the problem.” † Leeann Minogue is the editor of Grainews

Weeds choking land values

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During the Weed Scientists of America’s herbicide resistance summit, Blaine Viator, representing the National Alliance of Crop Consultants came to the microphone to ask an important question. He wanted to know if anyone in the audience knew of cases where the presence of herbicide resistant weeds had impacted farmland values. The first researcher to answer the question was Australian researcher Steven Powles. At least in Australia, he said, it certainly has. “There’s no doubt that multi-resistance in weeds reduces farm value, and that farmers will always investigate, when buying a farm, whether the weeds are multiresistant. If they are, that will influence the income that will be earned, and they will discount the value of the land.” Clyde Smith, a regional integrated pest management specialist with the University of Florida, also came forward. “We did have several farms that, once they had become infested, the farmer lost 30 per cent of their rentable value for a period of four or five years.” † Leeann Minogue

Principles of herbicide management

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These general principles were developed by the Herbicide Resistance Action Committee, an organization funded by Crop Life International. • Use integrated weed management — employing all available methods to control weeds. • Follow label directions — use recommended herbicide rates and timing. • Scout fields after spraying — check for weed control. • Clean equipment between sites. • Start with a clean field and control weeds early. • Use recommended rotation and cultivation practices. • Use good agronomic practices to grow a competitive crop. † Leeann Minogue

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/ grainews.ca OCTOBER 21, 2014

Features Farm management

Farming was the right choice After 40 years of farming, Blair Rempel knows he made the right choice when he chose to come back to the farm By Shirley Byers

lair Rempel has been farming for almost 40 years. The Nipawin area producer and seed grower earned his diploma in agriculture at the University of Saskatchewan, in 1976. He considered other careers but always came back to agriculture. “The things I found attractive was a certain degree of independence and the satisfaction of building your own operation. And I have no regrets,” he says. While most Saskatchewan producers binned and bagged their best crop ever in 2013, the Nipawin area wasn’t so blessed. “We were just a little too wet for a little too long,” Rempel says.

turned up in some of his rented land, namely Group 1 resistant wild oats and Group 2 resistant cleavers. Though resistant seed can move onto any property through the movement of water and wildlife, he believes that the proper rotation of herbicides can prevent the problem from escalating. “They (resistant weeds) are resistant to certain types of herbicides, herbicides with one mode of action... So, it’s identifying the ones they’re resistant to and switching to something else. You have to be pre-emptive. If you wait until the problem shows itself then you can’t go back to that herbicide without encouraging the resistant genes that are out there in the weed.”

“It all seems to even out over time. We’ve had years here where we were far better than pretty well anywhere in province. When lack of moisture was an issue we seemed to shine.” He chuckles. “This wasn’t one of those years where we shone.” His usual rotation is canola, cereal (wheat, barley or oats), peas, cereal and back to canola. Heavy rains early in the growing season have pushed out peas forcing him into a two-year rotation on canola. Disease concerns include sclerotinia, possibly some blackleg and a smattering of others which are hard to identify and not enough of a problem that they would be diagnosed and studied by the people who do these things, he says. Herbicide-resistant weeds have

Location, location, location Farming at the northeast end of Saskatchewan’s grain belt presents its own unique challenges. “For this province we’re in a low evaporation area,” Rempel says and explains how he learned that term and what it means. Back in university, when asked the difference in mean annual rainfall from the southwest to the northeast of Saskatchewan, he chose four to six inches in a multiple choice question. He was wrong. The answer? Less than one inch. “I challenged the prof to explain how there could be less than one inch of difference between the northeast and the

Coming soon!

south west. When you look at the vegetation you see a lot of difference.” The difference is in the evaporation, he learned. Slightly higher temperatures and more wind in the southwest create a higher evaporation rate. “It was something that stayed with me ever since,” he says. Moisture does linger longer in the northeast, and that’s not always a good thing. Most producers have grain dryers and make good use of them. Rempel estimates that he uses his dryer two to three years out of five. Canola has been grown for slightly longer in the northeast than in more southerly parts of the province which might account for a higher rate of insect issues. Fairly rigourous vigilance is necessary which means he doesn’t get away from the farm much in the summer. But that’s not a big problem. “I’m interested enough in what I’m doing here that I don’t mind sticking around. I like to see the crop develop. It’s a fascination that hasn’t changed over the years,” he says.”

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In a career that spans nearly four decades, Rempel has made some changes in the way he farms. One of the most notable, he says, has been direct seeding and chemical control of early spring weeds. Killing weeds with chemicals, he believes, is a better alternative than drying out the soil with tillage. And it’s more economical and effective, he says. “When a new technique or a new development comes out I sometimes will adopt it right away but more often, especially for a revolutionary change, I tend to study it for a period of time before I do it. I tend to have it all thought out before I make the move.” He’s having a little trouble with variable rate fertilizer. “There are different schools of thought on the subject. Some think you should apply higher rates of fertilizer where productivity has been lower and some think areas where productivity’s higher need more fertilizer. “Both positions have some merit,” he says. Then there’s the economics. Will he get a return on the investment to pay for the services and the extra hardware he’ll need to make it work? “I’m still struggling with that a bit,” he says. “At my age I don’t have a 20-year horizon. I’ve got maybe a five-year horizon. That makes a difference when you’re making your calculations.” Rempel’s father and grandfather were farmers. He has two daughters. He’d like to see them take over the farm, but right now their career choices are elsewhere, and he and his wife will honour those choices. But he can still hope. And, he says, “In five years there can be a lot of changes.” † Shirley Byers is a freelance writer based in Saskatchewan.

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OCTOBER 21, 2014 grainews.ca /

Columns FARM FINANCIAL PLANNER

Trusts can increase family trust Trust avoids family infighting for retiring Manitoba couple aiming to keep their land in the family, but also keep their kids still talking to each other BY ANDREW ALLENTUCK

n south central Manitoba a couple we’ll call Harry and Ella, both 64, face the challenge of transferring their 3,500 acre mixed grain and 400 cow operation to their three children. The problem is that two of the children, each in the 30s, don’t want to farm. It’s a good business worth about $4 million. Yet entrusting the operation to the kids is dicey, for the eldest, 38, has his own business and is not interested in farming. A middle child, 32, is unwise with money and is not a good bet to run the farm. Only the youngest child, 29, has the personality and track record to run the business. He works for Harry and Ella, and, as well, runs his own farm. They expect to take over the parents’ farm one day. The question is how get from here to there. Farm Financial Planner asked Don Forbes and Erik Forbes of Don Forbes Associates Inc./Armstrong & Quaile Inc. in Carberry, Manitoba, to work with Harry and Ella. “The situation is a paradox,” Don says. “The most logical and even the easiest solution is to sell and invest the money in stocks and bonds for, say, five per cent a year before tax. That would be a $200,000 pre-tax living.” The farm would be eligible for the lifetime $800,000 individual farm property capital gains exemption. That would apply to each partner and eliminate capital gain tax risk altogether, he explains. Sale outside of the family would destroy the farm as a legacy. So the problem is how to keep the farm in the family, ensure its wise operation, look after the two children who will not farm and keep the parents in sufficient funds to have a pleasant and secure retirement. Best bet: create a family trust to run the farm. It can have family members as trustees and outside advisors can be trustees as well. The family trust would be taxed at the highest personal tax rate, so it would have no direct financial advantage, Erik Forbes notes. Yet the trust would be multi-generational, would be a formal arrangement that would require accounting and, if necessary, be reviewable by a court. It could ease generational transition when Harry and Ella pass away. Harry and Ella want $4,000 a month before tax for their retirement. However, squeezing that return out of the operation will be tough. Harry and Ella have $414,000 of non-registered assets and TaxFree Savings Accounts. Those assets, which are mostly mutual funds, can generate five per cent a year before tax or $20,700 annually. That works out to $1,725 a month. $4,000 a month remains a distant target. If they add another $300,000 to capital, grow the assets at six per cent per year before inflation or tax and arrange payouts so that all income and capital is consumed by age 90, their financial assets would generate $52,700 a year or $4,400 a month before tax, Erik Forbes estimates. Cash for the investments will have to come from taxable investments or farm assets, for the couple has neither RRSPs nor TFSAs. That’s not all. Harry and Ella

will have permanent monthly income totaling $5,890 before tax composed of $4,400 from investments, two $558 monthly Old Age Security cheques, and two Canada Pension Plan cheques totaling $374. After age and pension credits, splitting of CPP benefits, provincial tax credits for seniors and zero tax on Tax-Free Savings Account payouts, income tax would average about 12 per cent, Don Forbes estimates. They would have $5,182 a month after tax.

also want a new house off the farm. That would be a $300,000 expense. Yet squeezing that amount of money out of current farm income is not possible. Recently, the farm has not been profitable. It produces just $60,000 of taxable income for the couple. To achieve the $60,000 pretax income stream and to take $300,000 out of the farm for a new, off-farm house requires a partial sale of assets. The easiest move: sell the cow herd. It has an estimated value of $600,000. It is a high value product, but it is easily replaceable and, with the animals gone, the farm would be a grain operation that is relatively easy to manage. In retirement, Harry and Ella

GETTING THERE FROM HERE First, Harry and Ella should each fill their TFSA cumulative

space with $31,000 of available cash. In January, 2015, they can add another $5,500 each. The last question is the cost base that Harry and Ella will leave with the farm. It is currently low with the cattle herd fully amortized plus $400,000 for land, buildings and equipment. If the farm transfers to the trust, each beneficiary of the trust could utilize his or her capital gains exemption and eliminate almost all capital gains tax at disposition. Thus the next generation would be able to add capital value to the initial $4 million and not have to worry about capital gains tax on partial sale of some of the farm assets. The arithmetic is, in fact, benevolent, for

five times the $800,000 exemption per person (the parents and the three children) is the present value of the farm, $4 million. Harry and Ella say that they want to quit the farm, but chances are they will remain close to it. If the trustees agree, the parents could provide advice and guidance and receive a fee for their services. As the reorganization of the farm and its management proceeds, the operation can be restructured as three operations: 1) the grain and grazing operation, 2) the cattle operation and 3) farm equipment and the farm house. Each asset class can generate income.

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/ grainews.ca OCTOBER 21, 2014

Columns REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK

Tough as you think you are Sure, it’s your head, your decision. But Grainews field editor Lisa Guenther knows first hand that wearing a riding helmet could save your life BY LISA GUENTHER

As we rode back to the tack shed, I dismounted to open and he worst accidents seem close a gate. And as I put my to happen when you least foot in the stirrup, I made a expect them. sloppy mistake. Bear started to I was riding with my walk off, following my dad’s dad, just tootling around the pas- horse. Usually I don’t let horses ture, on the September long week- walk away while I’m mounting, end. He was riding a palomino mare as it’s an annoying, and potenthat I’d started for him. My gelding, tially dangerous, practice. But Bear, is still a little green, but was that day I just swung up, thinkquite well-behaved that day. ing I would stop him once I was Overall I’d been happy with in the saddle. Before I could get my right foot Bear’s progress over the summer. He’d tried crow-hopping once or into the stirrup, Bear shifted into twice, but had given up easily. a lope. I was annoyed at his bad He’d even held steady when we’d behaviour, but not worried. The I2014-10-02 remember2:49 is PM trying encountered a bunch of black last thing NSG CA Print Ad Moosomin 8.125x10.pdf 1 to wiggle my right foot into the bears earlier in the year.

stirrup and tightening the reins to slow him down. Then I woke up on the ground.

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It’s not unusual to suffer some sort of memory loss after a concussion. People have been sharing their head injury stories with me the over the last few weeks. One person told me about losing two-and-a-half days after a serious head injury. Fortunately, I was wearing a riding helmet, and I only lost a few seconds. When I woke up, Bear was standing over me, his head lowered. My dad said something like “Well, I guess he still likes you.” The first thing I did was grab the reins, a move guided more by muscle memory than anything else. Then I slowly started to stand. My tailbone and left hip hurt a lot.

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I wasn’t too worried about my head at first. My dad asked if my head hurt, and I joked that everything hurt. Then he offered to unsaddle Bear so I could go straight to the house. If he hadn’t been there, I think I might have tried to jump back on. I take that adage about getting back on the horse literally. That would have been a very bad mistake, because even though I was walking and lucid, I wasn’t okay. During the brief walk to the house, I fainted again. Right before I passed out, I remember thinking I was still leading my horse (I wasn’t), and feeling worried about this for some reason. I once again

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TRUSTS CAN INCASE TRUST The grain and grazing component is relatively easy to manage. The farm could lease out the land and take rent rather than profit. The cow operation takes more management but is potentially a high value added business, which can take in more animals or lease animals to neighbours. The farm house is a primary residence and will appreciate tax-free. The equipment can be depreciated. “This solution offers the combination of perpetuation of the family farm under the control of a family trust, a flexible family-wide management plan within the trust, the ability to shift assets between the identified business components and a way of extracting money to bolster the capital Harry and Ella need to generate retirement income while also providing for a new farm house. It is low risk, it is transparent, it will tend to keep intra-family conflicts to a minimum and it preserves the interests of two non-farming children,” Don Forbes adds. Will the plan fly? The immediate need is for Harry and Ella to convene a family meeting to assess everyone’s needs, Erik Forbes says. The plan has to be explained, the role of the trust as a bridge over generational transfer has to be explained and accepted, and the costs in time and money for trust governance also have to be made clear. The trust concept means that there will be no disposal of the farm to strangers. So for the good of the farm and for the good of the family, the way the trust works, who will serve as trustees, who will audit the trust, and who will handle tax management also need to be discussed. “The plan is an agreement for the future,” Don Forbes explains. “You could say that, because it leaves so much in place that it is no solution at all. Yet the beauty of the plan is that it requires nothing but cooperation. It leaves the farm much as it is and provides for the needs of everyone.” † Andrew Allentuck’s latest book, “When Can I Retire? Planning Your Financial Life After Work,” was published by Penguin Canada in January, 2011.

OCTOBER 21, 2014 grainews.ca /

Columns woke up on the ground, this time to dogs licking my face. And so, covered in dirt and manure, I went to the emergency room.

Helmets the last line of defence to reduce head injuries Anyone who rides horses knows a wreck is a possibility, no matter how careful one is. After all, horses are large prey animals. Despite centuries of domestication, despite training designed to make them manageable mounts, that flight instinct remains a central equine characteristic. And riders are unlikely to make the right decision every time. A University of Calgary study looked at equestrians entering Calgary’s Foothills Hospital trauma unit between 1995 and 2005. The researchers note that horseback riding is more dangerous than motorcycle riding, skiing, racing cars, football, or rugby. “Horseback riding elevates the rider’s head three meters above the ground on an animal that can easily weigh 500 kg or more, kick with a force of nearly one ton, and run at speeds of 65-75 km/h. In addition, horses are less predictable than either a motorcycle or a racecar,” the report states. And it’s not just inexperienced riders, or people starting colts or riding green horses, who get hurt. The University of Calgary researchers found that most injured riders were very experienced. Nearly half had been injured in a riding accident before. Most were riding Western style, for work or recreation. And the horses that hurt them weren’t particularly green or snotty — the study states they were generally well-trained animals, with a median age of seven. Chest injuries were most common among the Foothills patients, followed by head injuries (48 per cent). The most common cause of injury, by far, was being thrown by, or falling from, the horse. You can read the full study at traumamanagement.org/content/3/1/2. Most patients in the study weren’t wearing helmets during the accident, which is no surprise. Despite plenty of evidence of the risk, most Western riders dig in their heels at the mere suggestion that they should trade in their hats for helmets. I was never able to keep a cowboy hat on my head while riding, so I gave up on them years ago. But I’ll admit they have their practical points. Cowboy hats keep the rain off your neck and the sun off your head, one of my Twitter contacts pointed out. Riding helmets aren’t great in this respect, although they’re better than you might expect. Mine had venting, and a bit of a brim, making it similar to wearing a ball cap. But I think Western riders’ aversions to helmets go much deeper than any practical considerations. It seems to be part of our culture, and it extends from the ranch to the show ring. Attitudes in some equine sports are changing. Lyndsey Smith, a reporter with Real Agriculture and fellow horse enthusiast, told me that she’s seeing more barrel racers sporting helmets these days. Saskatchewan 4-H requires members 18 and under to wear helmets while riding and other provinces have similar policies. But overall, helmets are still a rare sight within ranching and

Western circles. And I can’t see that changing anytime soon, at least on the ranching side. I didn’t grow up wearing a riding helmet, either. But when I gave up my government job and moved back to rural Saskatchewan, I was initially freelancing. With the lack of benefits, I thought it wise to protect my brain. As one of my grad school instructors pointed out years ago, a freelancer’s most valuable asset is her health. Once I started wearing a helmet, I didn’t find it onerous at all. I’ve never gotten any flak for it from other riders, although I doubt I’d care much if I did. For five years, I wondered if I’d ever put it to use, so to speak. The suspense was over on September long weekend. The aftermath included fainting spells, poor balance, crankiness, exhaustion, an inability to concentrate enough to read or write, and persistent (but mild) headaches. Some of these symptoms stretched over weeks. It was unpleasant, but

would have been much worse if I’d been bare-headed. I learned that trying to work with a concussion slows recovery. Rest is important. Avoid stress. Listen to the doctor. Don’t watch or even listen to CFL football, especially if you’re a Riders fan. Wearing a riding helmet is a personal choice, and it will remain that way on western Canadian ranches. But before you dismiss it, think about who would have to take care of you if you had a debilitating brain injury. If you have children in your life, consider the example you want to set for them. Tough as we think we are, we’re all human. We’re mortal and far from invincible. We make mistakes. A riding helmet doesn’t guarantee that you’ll walk away from an accident unscathed, but it will give you a better shot at walking away. † Lisa Guenther is field editor for Grainews based at Livelong, Sask. Contact her at Lisa.Guenther@ fbcpublishing.com or on Twitter @LtoG.

photo: lisa guenther

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/ grainews.ca OCTOBER 21, 2014

Columns OFF-FARM INCOME

Some stocks gave back profits Some stocks in Andy Sirski’s portfolio did well through the spring and summer; others not so well ANDY SIRSKI

any stocks took different paths these past few months. Some dropped right back to the price they traded at in April 2014; some did not. Silver and gold stocks did not have their normal August high but selling calls kept bringing cash in for me.

STOCKS THAT FELL There’s nothing wrong with this list of stocks but they did give back the profits they had

made since April. Selling as share price dropped through their 10-day moving average (DMA) was definitely a money saver. The U.S. is drilling for natural gas and oil to beat the band and I have heard that the U.S. is now energy independent. It likely will still import some oil but the country now allows some exports of something called condensate. The energy sector is pushing to allow producers to export all grades of oil. Large exports of natural gas are a ways off yet until LNG (liquefied natural gas) plants are up and running. This homegrown oil and gas will likely keep a lid on prices, so maybe the drop in these stocks shouldn’t surprise us. Tourmaline (TOU.TO) went from

under $50 in April to around $55 and dropped back to under $50. I sold at $54 as the price dropped through the 10 DMA. I likely will buy some again. Crescent Point (CPG.TO) broke out of the right hand side of its cup at $39, went to $47 and dropped back to $39. Depending who is talking, CPG controls enough land to keep its drills busy for the next 15 to 20 years and the monthly dividend of $0.23 per share seems quite secure. CPG recently bought some land from Light Resources and sold more shares just as the price of oil peaked. Smart move on their part but with dilution and a drop in oil prices the shares dropped to a more conservative price.

Western Forest Products (WEF. TO) is a lumber business with acres of trees on the west coast, and it has no pine trees that the pesky pine beetles can have for lunch. I sold around $2.45 as the price dropped from its high of about $2.60. Lumber is coming back into season and I think I should put in a stink bid of $2.15 or so for a month or so. If the market hits a bad day somebody’s sell at market order just might fill my limit order stink bid. WEF’s dividend yields 3.59 per cent and the company is well positioned to sell timber products to China, Japan and here at home. Suncor (SU.TO) has an almost unlimited amount of oil under control so it doesn’t have to

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spend much on exploring for more. Its shares went from $38 in April to $47 and dropped to under $40 lately. Selling as the daily price dropped through the 10 DMA at $45 or $44 would have paid off.

STOCKS THAT DID NOT GIVE BACK PROFITS I could build a very nice portfolio of stocks that did not give back profits this summer. Gilead (GILD) has two profitable drugs: one for HIV and one for Hepatitis C. It’s also starting a generic drug program which will sell drugs at a lower price in underdeveloped countries — I suspect there will still be some profits there. I own 300 shares of GILD. Alcoa (AA) has not given back profits this year to date. The shares were about $13 in April. I started buying at $13.50, with a batch of 1,200. I bought more as I collected cash, and then bought another 2,000 some time ago. AA has shut down its more expensive production plants but it has a 25 per cent share in a brand new plant, MA’ADEN in Asia, which is supposed to be the lowest cost producer in the world. As the price of aluminum rises we expect plants to reopen, especially in China. AA apparently would like to see the price of Aluminum at $2,700 a tonne before it starts to open shutdown facilities. The market price for aluminum is a long ways below that.

Lumber is coming back into season While AA shares did not drop to April prices this summer, the price did drop twice through its 10 DMA and dropped a buck and a half more. Microsoft (MSFT) was around $38 in April when its price broke out of a 13-year base. Now the price is $46 and change. I had my shares exercised at $46.50 plus a $0.50 premium. Manulife (MFC.TO) dropped to about $8 during the bear market as low interest rates beat up earnings for annuities. The company changed management, adjusted fees for policies to suit the rates of the day and now is positioned to be more profitable as interest rates rise, and they will sooner or later. The price is around $22 as I write at the end of September. Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) shares have been rising as the price of corn has been falling. I think that’s partly because ADM owns a bunch of ethanol plants that use corn. I do wonder some days how long the U.S. will keep its ethanol rules in place since the price of natural gas and oil and gasoline has really come down. † Andy is mostly retired. He gardens, travels a bit, plays with granddaughters and manages his family’s portfolio. He also publishes an electronic newsletter where he tells what he does with his investments and why. If you want to read it free for a month email sirski@mts.net.

OCTOBER 21, 2014 grainews.ca /

Columns CAN’T TAKE THE FARM FROM THE BOY

We swathed our wheat Toban Dyck’s crop went from “the crop that could have been” to… well, the crop it was TOBAN DYCK

eNswathedNour wheat.NBecause why not. Because there’s nothing like picking up a dry swath with a powerful combine. Because we didn’t want to desiccate. But swathing turned out to be a mistake. We had no idea our wheat would sprout. How could we have? And the worst thing is there’s no guarantee it won’t happen again. It was a mistake, yes, but not one we can learn from. The best we can do is add the thing that happened to the growing list of things that can possibly happen in a growing season, and move on. Filling the back of the drill fill then driving a couple of miles to fill the front is a lesson one can learn from. Nearly getting the tandem up on two wheels around a tight corner, and torqueing the box in the process was completely avoidable. “Well, you’ll only do that once,” applies. It doesn’t always. Of the almost infinite combinations of things that can change the course of a growing season, the challenge is to parse out what can be genuinely called a lesson, and what is beyond your control. You all know this. I get it. You’ve been farming for years, and have the system down. Your season ebbs and flows. Your households are tense when the weather sucks. Your fuses are short when the prices are down. But it’s not clear the lot of you know the difference between a mistake and something that happened, and would have with or without you. Full disclosure: I’m not playing with real money. Yet. I just work on a farm. And I don’t take any of its stresses home with me. Poor prices don’t affect me. Sprouted wheat is frustrating, but having to market it is not my challenge. I’m consumed by such things as the details of succession planning. My stresses are theoretical. The genuine lessons: Yes, the tandem incident applies. As does a whole bunch of other major and minor mistakes I have made since moving back to the farm. But I’ve made most of them only once. A tandem truck with a heavy back end and high centre of gravity, courtesy of a drill fill, swinging around a corner is not something I want to experience again. Things that happen: The warm, humid conditions that allowed our swathed wheat to sprout were clearly beyond our control. We needn’t have swathed. We could have straight-cut it all. But we didn’t. The distinction I am making between lessons and things that happen may seem elementary,. But try to appreciate that it isn’t either of those things.

THE LOSS OF A GREAT CROP Biting into what looks like an exceptional crop of wheat, getting excited about how much of the engine’s load is being use to

thresh it, then getting even more energized at the high number your already conservative yield monitor is displaying, are all high peaks to fall from. There were rumours of mildew and sprouting circulating through the coffee shops. But not our wheat. We were sure of it. It takes a person stronger than most to deal with the poor news well; to deal with the loss of a crop that could have been. But it’s at that exact moment, that moment when the grain elevator test results come back, when you realize that the biggest lesson in farming is not learning from all your mistakes, but learning how to pull together, take a step back, breathe, and make clear, level-headed deci-

sions amid what at times can seem like absolute uncertainty or devastation. And then live with that decision. Go to bed with that call. This makes farming one of the more difficult jobs out there, requiring more intellectual acuity than that group of coverall-wearing farmers meeting at Subway every morning would feel comfortable admitting. It’s like hockey. Players are challenged to make the best decision possible when confronted with an infinite combination of outcomes. The good ones do so well. And the burgeoning ones don’t see all the combinations. They see a shot on net but don’t take it because last time they tried, it

PHOTO: TOBAN DYCK

There were rumours of mildew and sprouting circulating through the coffee shops. But we were sure it wouldn’t happen to us. didn’t work, not realizing that a goalie saving a good shot is not a mistake on your end, it’s just something that happens. If you see a shot, take it. Will we swath again? Probably. Is there a lesson to be learned from having done it? Not really.

Make the distinction between mistakes and happenings. And make it clear. Don’t languish in the unavoidable. And always fill the front of the drill fill first. † Toban Dyck is a freelance writer and a new farmer on an old farm. Follow him on Twitter @tobandyck or email tobandyck@gmail.com.

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/ grainews.ca OCTOBER 21, 2014

Columns OPEN FIELD

You can’t have one without the other

Farmers need plant breeders to keep developing new varieties and breeders need farmers to buy their seed SARAH WEIGUM

ave you been reading articles about UPOV ’91, Plant Breeder’s Rights or Bill C-18 over the last several months? Does all the jargon leave you confused? Angry? Ambivalent? Considering the number of my fellow farmers who tell me that they bought some new variety of seed from their neighbour, I suspect that a lot of people don’t really understand the existing rules behind Plant Breeder’s Rights. If people don’t understand what’s currently in the legislation, it’s hard to make sense of the changes, and it’s easy to believe that something new and terrible is being imposed upon farmers, when in fact, not a whole lot is going to change if you’re already following the rules.

THE RULES TODAY So what are the rules? In Canada, if a plant breeder has been granted plant breeders’ rights on a new variety of grain, then farmers must pay a royalty,

usually embedded in the purchase of certified seed. Farmers are allowed to save and clean the seed produced for use on their own farms, but they can’t sell or trade it to another person. This form of intellectual property rights protects the investment of the company or public institution that invested time and money into developing this variety. Most newer varieties (with the noted exception of pulses coming out of the Crop Development Centre at Saskatoon) are protected. As a seed grower I have to be familiar with which varieties are protected because I have to remit royalties to the breeder, be it a private company or a public institution like Agriculture Canada or the CDC. When you buy certified seed, somewhere between $0.80 and $1.50 per bushel (depending on the variety) goes back to the plant breeder. People don’t usually advertise their illicit activities, so when a neighbour tells me that he sold bin run seed to the guy down the road or I see someone on Twitter who I know is not a seed grower advertising winter wheat seed for sale (true story), I’m guessing that they don’t know these rules. People who are aware of the law and flout it anyway tend to keep a lower profile.

PROPOSED CHANGES Bill C-18, which is currently being debated in the House of Commons, will, among other things, amend the current Plant Breeders’ Rights legislation to bring it in line with UPOV ’91. UPOV is an international convention that protects the intellectual property rights of plant breeders. Most of our trading partners and competitors conform to the 1991 convention, while Canadian legislation conforms to the now outdated 1978 version.

Advancements take money One of the big changes to the law is that buyers of “brown bagged” seed, as in “common” seed of a protected variety, will now have some liability. Currently, only the person producing and selling brown bagged seed could face punishment, but now, if a buyer is caught procuring seed without paying a royalty, there will be a legislative basis for the

breeder to collect compensation (royalty and damages) on the harvested material instead (i.e. grain). The law is saying: if it’s wrong to sell protected varieties of seed, it should be wrong to buy it as well. If you’re already abiding by PBR legislation and only using certified seed, your own seed or seed from a non-PBR protected variety, things aren’t going to change for you. I’m fully supportive of the provision in this bill that says that the exclusive rights of plant breeders (and their authorized distributors) to produce, condition, sell or export their variety does not apply to harvested material of the plant grown by a farmer on his own farm for his own use (Section 5.3 of the bill if you want to look it up). This is known as the farmer’s privilege. While there have been some articles saying that farmers won’t be able to save their own seed, I think this clause makes it pretty clear that they can. This system isn’t perfect, but it attempts to balance the needs of farmers and plant breeders. A majority of my fellow Alberta seed growers agree. At our last AGM we passed a resolution supporting the changes to PBR legislation, as long as it included the clause that allowed farmers to save their own seed. When some of my customers want to try a new variety of seed they’ll come for 40 acres worth. I know they’ll clean a bin of that first generation production and use it for several years and I wouldn’t change that. You might be thinking, “You’re a pedigreed seed grower, of course you want

to make it harder to buy common seed.” While I do want to sell more seed, I know the vast majority of farmers aren’t going to buy my seed, but please, if you’re thinking of trying a new variety, buy 40 acres worth from a seed grower, not your neighbour. Then some royalties will be going back into the system to fund further plant breeding. Because that’s really the crux here — how will innovation in plant breeding be funded? I found it ironic that around the same time as the would-be winter wheat salesman was trumpeting his wares on Twitter, he was also raving about how well his new variety of feed barley — one developed at the University of Saskatchewan — was yielding. I really wanted to ask him, do you think new varieties fall out of the sky? These advancements take money and if we circumvent the means for paying for them, we will soon be without. To those farmers who would never dream of using brown bagged canola seed, but do it all the time with wheat and barley, I ask: how would you like to sign a TUA and pay a technology fee on all your cereal seed? Because I honestly think that is what will happen if we continue to restrict cash flow to public and small private plant breeders. Biotech giants will step into the fill the space those entities can no longer afford to occupy, but they will be a lot more forceful about extracting a return on their investment. † Sarah Weigum grows pedigreed seed and writes in Three Hills, Alta. Follow her on Twitter: @sweigum.

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OCTOBER 21, 2014 grainews.ca /

Columns UNDERSTANDING MARKET BULLS AND BEARS

Mother Nature must be a Murphy Some years anything that can go wrong, will. Avoid further trouble with these three marketing strategies BRIAN WITTAL

or many the first week of September 2014 was no doubt an agonizing experience as you had to sit by helplessly and watch it rain and snow and freeze. Undeniable proof that Mother Nature’s last name has to be Murphy, and she was in the mood to apply the full wrath of Murphy’s Law to the farmers of Western Canada. In early September where I live, just north of Calgary, we had over 12” of heavy wet snow on the ground. My worst fears of what could happen to the crops had been realized. It hurt to look at what use to be some very nice standing wheat and barley crops that were no more. Now, thank goodness the worst of the snow storm seemed to be located along the foothills and No. 2 highway between Red Deer and Calgary. This still took in a lot of acres, but in the big picture it was a small part of the Prairies overall. The majority of the Prairie grain growing region was spared from the snow. Unfortunately the rain and frost experienced across a vast part of the Prairies did damage crops across the region. To what extent is hard to say until we see the quality of the harvest. With futures prices under pressure we are sitting at four-year lows for grain prices so you may not be eager to sell right now, but the fact remains that you will have to sell sometime in the future to meet cash flow needs. Here are a few strategies to think about.

1. SPREAD STRATEGY

price whatever the current spread difference is between a No. 3 and a Canada Feed.

2. BASIS STRATEGY

basis forward at a later date if you think you want more time to price the contract because you believe futures are going to go higher. Be aware that your basis value will be adjusted to reflect the carry costs in the futures markets and you may also be charged an administration fee by the grain company. Ask your grain company buyer if they charge an admin fee for doing a basis roll before you do a contract with them — not all companies do.

Another strategy you can use is locking in a basis contract for forward delivery when the basis is attractive in anticipation that futures prices will rebound over the next three to nine months. Here is where you can use the spread strategy mentioned above as well. When you do a basis con3. TOUGH DISCOUNT STRATEGY tract for forward delivery and you are concerned that grade spreads Another thing to consider if are going to continue to widen you know you are going to have out, lock in a basis for a lower some tough grain and you are not B:8.125” quality grain. going to be able to dry it would A basis contract strategy also be to lock in the tough discount T:8.125” allows you the flexibility to roll the if you think they may widen that S:8.125”

out as well. Again, the way to do that is to contract your grain as a “tough” so they apply the current discount. This will protect you from any future increase in cost. Talk to your grain company dealer to see what their drying costs are or could be — they may be looking to adjust their fees, as gas is more expensive now than it was the past few years. This is not as big a concern as widening grade spreads but it is something to look into and consider. Any way to reduce your costs or limit your losses keeps money in your pockets. † Brian Wittal has 30 years of grain industry experience, and currently offers market planning and marketing advice to farmers through his company Pro Com Marketing Ltd. (www.procommarketingltd.com).

Address the Elephant in the Field.

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With the potential for the majority of the Prairie crop to be of lower quality this fall we are seeing grade spread widening out at the elevators. Buyers are not sure if or when and at what price they are going to sell the lower quality grains, so they are taking protection in the spreads. Consider locking in a lower grade on the contract than the traditional No. 1 canola or No. 1 CWRS. If you have a pricing contract in place, the grade spread that will apply is based on the spread the

day of settlement. To help reduce your risk of grade spreads widening further, contract a lower grade that you realistically think you are going to deliver. This way you’ve locked in the grade spread and you don’t have to worry if it widens out further before you deliver. What happens if you deliver a grade other than what you have contracted? If the grade of the grain is different than your contract grade the elevator will adjust your spread accordingly and pay you for the grade you delivered. If you contracted a No. 3 CWRS and delivered a No. 2 CWRS they would adjust your contract price and pay you a premium — the current spread difference between a No. 3 and a No. 2. If you delivered Canada Feed, they would discount your contract

/ grainews.ca OCTOBER 21, 2014

Columns SOILS AND CROPS

Diary of a wheat crop After a successful 2014 grain harvest at his Dundurn farm, Les Henry is grateful LES HENRY

his is the story of my 2014 wheat crop at my farm near Dundurn.

AUGUST 25, 2013 Combined a 55 bushel per acre pea crop. No rain for over a month, so soil dry. SEPTEMBER 24, 25, 2013 Mother Nature declares. There was 2.25 inches of nice gentle rain, all soaked in. Soil is now moist to 18 inches and only a short, partly dry depth of about 10 inches and then residual moisture. So, by spring there will be no dry layer. Time to pour on the coals.

OCTOBER 18, 2013 Applied 88 pounds of nitrogen per acre as anhydrous ammonia. It went in very nice to three to four inches — perfect conditions with almost no “poofing” of ammonia. OCTOBER 23, 2013 Floated on 100 pounds per acre of ammonium sulphate 21-0-0-24, so another 21 pounds of nitrogen (total now 109 pounds of nitrogen per acre), and 24 pounds per acre of sulphur. The thinking: Mother Nature has given us four irrigation years in a row. With the soil full of water it is worth a chance that Mother Nature has another irrigation year in store. I like lots of nitrogen on wheat. If you do not get it a reward in yield you get it in protein which some years pays well. MAY 14, 2014 Seeded Waskada wheat at two bushels per acre with 42 lbs./acre

of 12-52-0 with the seed. Outdated technology (CIH 7200 Hoe Press Drill equipped with Atom Jet openers) but it does a very nice job of tucking the seed 1.0 to 1.5 inches in to the soil with very good row packing.

MAY 27, 2014 Nice even germination and emergence. JUNE 8, 2014 Herbicide Spray. Axial for wild oats, etc., and Dupont DB-8454 wettable granual herbicide. It is a mix of Refine SG and Dicamba. Thanks to Vern Hiebert of Richardson for suggesting that herbicide. It did a fantastic job of all broadleaf weeds, including sow thistle that resulted from late germination in the 2013 pea crop. JUNE 9, 2014 Crop stage at herbicide time. Not many weeds at this location but

some areas did need it. If there was a way to spray only the areas needed, that would save a lot. But, any time I have tried spraying patches it never seems to work that well.

JUNE 30, 2014 Looking good. Note the good broadleaf weed kill at field edge. JULY 13, 2014 Crop sprayed with Prosaro for disease, particularly fusarium head blight. Headed with only a few flowers. A few days after spraying an alarming amount of leaf disease appeared and later, some FHB. JULY 20, 2014 Grandchildren Olivia and Thomas Haidl check out Grandpa’s crop AUGUST 20, 2014 Ripening fast and fairly even, but some lodged patches were slower to turn. Crop was sprayed with one liter of glyphosate on August 26. SEPTEMBER 8, 2014 Ready for the combine but showers slow down combining. SEPTEMBER 15, 16, 2014 Crop combined. Final yield a bit

shy of 50 bushels per acre (do not have final weights yet). Protein 14.8 and graded No. 2, bleached. Fusarium was only 0.2 per cent or less which was a huge relief. With all the inputs I was hoping for more yield but that was wishful thinking. The good protein did give a worthwhile bonus. If the price was still $8.30 per bushel like the last wheat I sold it would be a great year. But, we must consider ourselves very lucky when one hears about the wet disasters in parts of southeast Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba. We are richly blessed and must be very grateful. Mother Nature has now given us five irrigation years in a row — unprecedented in my 59 years of combining. My neighbours that irrigate from Blackstrap Lake are getting tired of moving the pivots to farm under them. † J.L.(Les) Henry is a former professor and extension specialist at the University of Saskatchewan. He farms at Dundurn, Sask. He recently finished a third printing of “Henry’s Handbook of Soil and Water,” a book that mixes the basics and practical aspects of soil, fertilizer and farming. Les will cover the shipping and GST for “Grainews” readers. Simply send a cheque for $50 to Henry Perspectives, 143 Tucker Cres, Saskatoon, Sask., S7H 3H7, and he will dispatch a signed book.

By May 27, there was even germination and emergence.

On June 9, there were not many needs at this location.

Things looked good on June 30. Note the good broadleaf weed kill at field edge.

On July 13, the crop was sprayed with Prosaro.

Grandchildren Olivia and Thomas Haidl checked out Grandpa’s crop on July 20.

By August 20 the crop was ripening fast and even, but some lodged patches were slower to turn.

PHOTOS: LES HENRY

OCTOBER 21, 2014 grainews.ca /

Columns AGEXPERT TIPS AND HINTS

Importing your bank statement Importing an electronic bank statement can save you time have not yet been entered into AgExpert can be imported through the transaction entry screen. The import will pull in the transaction type, date, bank account, description and total. Once you fill in the remaining information in the transaction entry screen and click “record,” the transaction will be automatically cleared in your reconciliation list. This is a great time saving feature.

KELLY AIREY

n the last issue of Grainews I went over the importance of doing bank reconciliations to verify the accuracy of your database. The ability to import electronic bank statements is a great feature of AgExpert’s bank reconciliation tool. When an electronic bank statement is imported, any matching transactions between the electronic statement and the reconciliation list will automatically be cleared. Any transactions on the electronic statement that

THE STEPS You will need an electronic copy of your bank statement file in a qfx format. You must be setup for online banking through your financial institution to do this, and you may contact them for specific

instructions on how to download the file from their website. To reconcile January, download an electronic copy of your bank statement from January 1 to January 31 and save the file to your computer. I recommend having a folder setup under “My Documents” called “bank statements” so they are easy to find. In AgExpert click on the Transactions Menu > Bank Reconciliation. Set up your reconciliation screen as I described in last month’s article. This will bring up the reconciliation list of all outstanding cheques and deposits to be reconciled. Click “Import Bank Statement Tool.” Choose the qfx file to import —

this is the file you just downloaded from your financial institution. Choose the AgExpert bank account associated with this electronic statement. Notice the statement information from the electronic statement is displayed. Click “Next,” which will bring up a list of transactions from your electronic statement. • Transactions highlighted in blue: these match the transactions you have entered into AgExpert and will automatically be cleared on the Bank Reconciliation List. • Transactions highlighted in red: are a partial match, meaning only the total dollar amount of the transaction matches but the date may be different. These partial match transactions will not be automatically cleared on the reconciliation list. • Un-highlighted transactions are unmatched, meaning they are on your electronic statement, but you have not entered them

into AgExpert. You may click on Import to bring the transaction into the transaction entry screen where you can enter the remaining details of the transaction, and select “record.” • Once the transaction is recorded you will be taken back to the Import Screen. You can continue to import your next unmatched transaction. As you import and record transactions, the transaction will automatically be cleared for you in the bank reconciliation list. Once you are finished, click “Close.” This will take you back to the bank reconciliation screen where you can complete and record the bank reconciliation. Next Month: Tips on inventory tracking. † Kelly Airey is a producer and Ag Consultant in Western Manitoba. If you’re interested in purchasing AgExpert Software, she can help you receive $25 off your purchase. Contact Kelly at kelly.agconsulting@gmail. com or (204) 365-0136.

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/ grainews.ca OCTOBER 21, 2014

Machinery & Shop REINVENTING THE WHEEL

How engineers invented the rubber-belted ag tractor, Part 2 We finish the story by revealing how two research engineers at Caterpillar teamed up to merge ag crawlers with rubber belts BY SCOTT GARVEY

n the late 1970s, Caterpillar had been selling a limited number of SA (Special Application) crawlers to farmers. But the high-horsepower, articulated, four-wheel drive ag tractors that were pouring onto the market were eating into demand for those machines. For that and other reasons Caterpillar executives eventually decided to develop and market their own fourwheel drive ag tractor.

At the same time R&D work progressed on the Cat wheeled ag tractor program, Dave Janzen, an engineer working at the company’s Peoria Proving Ground in Illinois, was redesigning the SA crawlers to make them more appealing to farmers. At the Proving Ground he modified a D4SA specifically for ag applications, and greatly improved its field performance. Janzen put the prototype D4SA on a diet and it now weighed roughly 100 pounds per engine horsepower, giving it a power to

weight ratio similar to ag tractors. That significantly increased its working speeds compared to other crawlers. And moving the chassis forward relative to the tracks gave it a forward weight bias that improved its ability to pull. But the D4SA still suffered from the limitations of steel tracks and having the same “jerk” steering system common to most crawlers of the day. Those were big drawbacks compared to what dedicated ag tractors offered.

REMOVABLE TREAD As Janzen continued working on his D4SA, Ron Satzler, another Cat engineer working at the same Peoria Proving Ground, happened to be experimenting with alternative uses for the removable, cablereinforced rubber tread for beadless tires the company’s Rubber Products Division had developed. The tread was about the same size as a steel crawler track. Seeing the similarities wasn’t difficult. Satzler had been using a modified road grader as a test bed to

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evaluate the performance and durability of the rubber tread when used as a track. The treadcome-track had proven its durability in that application after a host of tests and evaluations. So Satzler and his team knew they were onto something. And while the rubber belts did not get approval for use on the construction equipment being produced at the time, Janzen’s D4SA ag tractor seemed an ideal use for it. “I think it was the two teams that got together and proposed putting the rubber team’s track on the ag team’s D4SA,” said Janzen. “It was obvious to everyone that the rubber track should be installed on the D4SA. That resulted in the creation of the red D4 BAT (BAT stood for Belted Ag Tractor) as it was known, which was ready for testing in 1980.” After being fitted with rubber tracks, Janzen’s original D4SA was taken to a local farm for field trials. The farm owner used Versatile tractors. So the belted prototype was pained the same colours as a Versatile four-wheel drive tractor, in case anyone saw it working in the distance they would hopefully mistake it for one of the farmer’s Versatiles. That earned the prototype the name red D4 BAT.

It was bleeding red ink Satzler and Janzen were now working together full time on the belted ag tractor’s development.

HIGHER WORKING SPEEDS To give it a wider range of working speeds, a 13-speed truck transmission was installed in the red D4 BAT. But those higher working speeds exaggerated the steering problem and showed a need for track suspension. To eliminate the steering problem, Satzler modified a differential steering system that was in limited use on other Cat crawlers at the time. Using that updated system gave the ag tractor stable steering characteristics at the much higher working and road speeds; and it kept power flowing to both tracks, even during turns. Satzler’s design remains the basis for steering systems on the Challengers to this day. After being fitted with all the design updates, the red D4 BAT had now overcome the limitations that hampered Janzen’s original steel-tracked prototype, and it now showed a lot of promise. But as the project progressed, Cat found itself in a difficult financial position; it was bleeding red ink. Money for R&D was scarce and executives no longer wanted to fund both the wheeled

OCTOBER 21, 2014 grainews.ca /

Machinery & Shop 1

PHOTO: AGCO

1. Creators of the belted ag tractor, engineers Dave Janzen (left) and Ron Satzler with their original prototype in 2007. 2. The first ever belted ag tractor as it appeared in 2007. Known as the red D4 BAT (Belted Ag Tractor) this was originally a D4 crawler modified for drawbar pulling and fitted with rubber belts. It was painted red to look like a Versatile tractor from a distance to confuse passersby during trials. 3. Cutaway view of the components in the original Challenger 65 design. 4. One of the prototype wheeled tractors is pictured with two of its contemporary competitors during development in the 1980s. 5. To confuse onlookers, the tractor needed to be a different color. The story goes that a senior engineer owned a silver Cadillac and the engineering team liked the colour, so they chose the same shade for the tractor. 6. Only one of the original wheeled tractor prototypes, this one, is known to still exist.

PHOTO: AGCO

tractor and belted tractor development programs. Even though the wheeled tractor was virtually ready for production, executives cancelled it in favour of the belted tractor after evaluating its potential, much to the shock of many engineers that had been working on the wheeled tractor. Cat’s industrial design department had developed a body style for the wheeled tractor that was transferred to the first production version of the belted tractor, the Challenger 65. The designer who created the Challenger’s body style had previously worked for General Motors and brought some automotive styling cues to the tractor’s design, including the raked-back windshield. Many ag tractors of the day used an opposite slope on windshields. Initially, senior management considered keeping a steel-tracked version as an economy alternative to the rubber-belted tractor. The steel-tracked AG6 with Challenger body styling was built in small numbers but was soon discontinued. Shortly before the 1987 market launch of the Challenger 65, the company had settled on using the Challenger name. But the space shuttle Challenger disaster occurred shortly before the tractor was to be released, and executives worried that using the same name might be a marketing problem. But they decided to stick with it, and most prospective customers didn’t seem to mind or notice. In 2001 Caterpillar management decided ag tractors were no longer a good fit for the company and the Challenger tractor brand was sold to AGCO. The original red D4 BAT and the remaining wheeled prototype tractor were donated to Iowa State University when ownership of the brand changed. However, both original prototypes are now in the hands of a private collector, although neither tractor is entirely complete, having had parts pirated at various times during ongoing development projects at the Proving Grounds. But they were saved from the scrap yard and remain symbols of an important milestone in ag machinery technology. † Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at Scott.Garvey@fbcpublishing.com.

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/ grainews.ca OCTOBER 21, 2014

Machinery & Shop John Deere

photo: john deere

Combine and bale in one pass Joining forces with Hillco Technologies, Deere introduces a single pass round bale system designed to mate to a green combine By Scott Garvey

t the launch of its 2015 product line in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in August, John Deere announced it had partnered with a few other, smaller manufacturers to offer farmers some unique specialty equipment. One of the most notable of those joint efforts was the Single Pass Round Bale System (SPRB), created in conjunction with Hillco Technologies of Nezperce, Idaho. Hillco’s design enables a Deere round baler to be hitched behind a Deere combine, allowing producers to harvest and bale in one pass over the field. It offers significant time and labour savings for those who want to bale straw for livestock or collect residue for biomass energy. And because the system does a good job of collecting any kernels thrown out the back of the combine along with all the MOG (Material Other than Grain), the straw bales produced by the SPRB have a higher feed value than those rolled up by a tractordrawn baler. That makes these bales much more than just bedding. “It’s (catching) a very high percentage of the fines,” says Lenny Hill, Hillco’s owner and president. “From a grain standpoint, even with the machine (combine) running well, there’s a one per cent loss. We’re going to get anywhere from 120 to 150 pounds of grain in every 1,750 pound bale, so there’s actually a lot of value in there. “Regarding corn, typically a bale is going to weight in the 1,450 pound range, whereas these bales are going to weigh in the 1,750 pound range. The reason for that is we’re collecting all the material coming through the combine. A lot of fine material is going to be collected and packed in there.” “(As feed) it’s a lot more digestible. When we look at TDN, ordinary corn stocks are on average around 48.5. SPRB bales are all the way up around 87. That would be very similar to a first cutting of grass hay. It’s not only a much more efficient way to collect material, now we have a much higher quality product from a feed standpoint as well. The dirt content is also much, much lower.” But combines need to run hard and fast,

especially here in Western Canada, in order to get crops off in the available weather window. The last thing anyone wants to do is slow one down in order to accommodate the frequent stops a tractor-drawn round baler requires to kick out bales. But Hill says there’s no need to worry about that with this system. “Everybody thinks if you put a round baler behind a combine you’re going to have stop and eject bales like you do with a tractor,” he explains. “That, obviously, was out. You can’t stop a machine that has to be productive.” “Instead of having to stop the machine during the eject cycle, what we do is accumulate material in the hopper. This is a non-stop process of residue collection in the field. It’s a fully automated process as well. There was concern that there is enough going on in a combine already, but we’ve really improved the automation of the system to the point where you start harvesting and bales come out the back.” The way the system achieves that is by collecting material in a hopper after it comes out of the combine. A sensor identifies when there is sufficient material built up to begin feeding the baler. That also ensures the baler is fed across its full width and creates a nice, square shouldered bale. Essentially, that achieves the same result as weaving along windrow to get material into both sides of the pickup in a tractordrawn baler. “When we get to a full bale size, the automation stops the feed system and starts the net wrapping,” he adds. “As soon as the net wrapping is done, if we have it in the fully automatic mode, it automatically opens the gate and ejects the bale and closes again. And all that time the material is accumulating in the hopper.” That also means the baler only operates when required and stops when the hopper needs to refill. That helps minimize power demands and reduces the number of revolutions material makes inside the chamber preventing fines from being pounded out of the bale, ensuring it keeps its quality. “For example, in corn we’re only running that baler about a third of the time, because we’re accumulating. Then, we feed that

photo: scott garvey

Straw, chaff and lost kernels from the rear of the combine are blown into the SPRB hopper, which is attached to the front of a standard JD round baler. all out and stop again until it accumulates more material,” says Hill.

Manoeuvrability The hitch design of the SPRB allows for very tight headland turns in the field, so there is a minimum effect on the combine’s handling. “A lot of people are concerned about manoeuvrability, as we were when we first started,” he adds. “But it’s amazing how well those machines move through the field.” And Hill says the round baler makes the best fit for this type of system. Large square balers were considered, but they were too cumbersome. “The reason we chose the round baler was really driven by (maintaining) the efficiency of the combine,” says Hill. “The total weight for this system is going to be less than 12,000 pounds, including the baler. If you contrast that to a large square baler, it’s going to weigh 20,000 to 22,000 pounds. A large square baler is going to require

typically upwards of 100 horsepower. On a round baler we’re pulling an average of 35 horsepower off the combine.” The combine doesn’t require any modifications to run the SPRB. There are a couple of bolt-on attachments designed to run off existing shafts, but nothing else. And the system can be disconnected from the combine in about five minutes. “You can see right away the advantage of a single pass system compared to making two or three passes through the field,” he adds. “It’s a more efficient way of collecting material. The early adopters are the cattle-feeding guys. There’s also potential in the ethanol market. This is the first release of this, nationally. Dealer programs will be going out to dealers in the neighbourhood of late September, early October. That’s when the product will be available to the public.” Official pricing hasn’t yet been established, but Hill estimates it will cost approximately US$80,000, not including the John Deere baler. † Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at Scott.Garvey@fbcpublishing.com.

Sit back, dial up your favourite station … and fnish 100 acres by lunch. Whether it’s unbearably hot, miserably cold or somewhere in between, long days won’t make a dent in your resolve when you’re running a 6R. You’ll have big-time performance for tough jobs … and plenty of comfort for whatever Mother Nature throws your way.

Redesigned hydraulic stack for simplicity and improved visibility.

ComfortView™ Cab: The name says it all The ComfortView cab is ideal for the highhour user. It’s spacious and user-friendly. The automotive style gauges, easy-to-access controls and standard features such as tilt, telescoping steering wheel and adjustable air seat get you in the right position. And for greater rearward visibility, get 30 degrees of right-hand seat swivel with CommandARM™ equipped cabs. Power where you need it With hitch lift capacity of up to 11,990 pounds (5,438 kg) and hydraulic fow of up to 41 gpm (155 lpm), you’ll have power for big implements and fast cycle times. The 6R features a closedcenter, pressure and fow compensated hydraulic system for effciency, and reliability.

New PowerTech™ engines put productivity in the driver’s seat The 6R is all about productivity. With models from 105 to 215 hp, you’ll fnd the size to ft your operation, each with a power bulge that responds instantly to increased horsepower requirements. All engines also include Intelligent Power Management for a boost of up to 40 extra horses. Get the right gear for the job A tractor this versatile needs a transmission to match. That’s why the 6R comes standard with the AutoQuad™ PLUS. You get four power-shiftable gears in each range. Or for even more fne-tuning, try the DirectDrive™. It gives you the convenience of our Infnitely Variable Transmission™ (IVT) with the effciency of an all-mechanical transmission.

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Just ppick one of three ranges thre and go automatic. Or select manual mode for more control. You can also choose other options, including a full IVT, and a 50 kmh (31 mph) option for fast transport

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9/29/14 5:54 PM

/ grainews.ca OCTOBER 21, 2014

Machinery & Shop NEW HOLLAND

NH updates the Speedrower for 2015 Uprated Tier 4B engines offer improved fuel economy and more horsepower

BY SCOTT GARVEY

n July of 2013 New Holland introduced the Speedrower line of self-propelled windrowers, which offered one of the fastest road travel speeds in the industry, even without reversing the direction of travel for high-speed stability. For the 2015 model year, Speedrowers get a few updates, most notably new Tier 4B engines offering more power. There are still three models in the line, but they get bumped up engine power ratings. The 130, 200 and 240 become the 160, 220 and 260. The smallest of the new group, the 160, uses a four-cylinder diesel putting out 150 rated horsepower (161 maximum). The two larger versions use a six-cylinder engine. The model 220 gets 210 horsepower (220 max.) and the model 260 puts out 250 (261 max.). “For 2015 the biggest thing we changed was the power plant, the engine,” says Jordan Milewski, brand marketing manager for crop preparation at New Holland. “We now have our Tier 4 EcoBlue SCR solution. We’re giving (customers) more power. On the four-cylinder, for example, we giving them 20 per cent more horsepower because the engine went from mechanical injection to an electronic common-rail platform. Even our larger, six-cylinder models, the 220 and 260, are getting 10 per cent more horsepower.” According to the company, the new Tier 4B engines are also pretty thrifty. Comparing the six-

PHOTO: NEW HOLLAND

PHOTO: SCOTT GARVEY

1. NH’s Speedrower is available in a Prairie Special model which is designed specifically for a draper header. 2. Jordan Milewski demonstrates ease of access to the cooling system and engine compartment. 3. The Speedrower 50th anniversary decal marks 50 years of self-propelled windrower production. In the 1960s NH introduced its first SP windrower, which featured a Wisconsin gas engine, variable belt and planetary drive and an auger header.

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OCTOBER 21, 2014 grainews.ca /

Machinery & Shop

Fast knife changes with QuickMax option

odel 313 and 316 pull-type Discbines and Durabine 416 and 419 mower-conditioner headers for the Speedrower now boast a redesigned knife blade replacement system that doesn’t involve wrenches — or even getting dirty. Simply use a special tool to pry down a retainer, which allows blades to be pulled out and replaced in just a few seconds. “With this tool you take blade changes from minutes to seconds,” says Jordan Milewski, brand marketing manager for crop preparation at New Holland. “You’ll be a whole lot more willing to change that blade with the QuickMax system. Just insert the tool, pry to pull out the knife and you’re done.” The QuickMax uses the same blade design that has been standard on the Discbine and Durabine for a while, so cylinder, Tier 3 Speedrower to the Tier 4B unit, fuel usage falls by 16 per cent and the average operating cost drops by 11 per cent, including the expense of feeding it DEF. For the four-cylinder model, the savings are even more dramatic. The Tier 4B version apparently demonstrated a 37 per cent drop in fuel usage and a 34 per cent reduction in average operating cost. “On the four cylinder, this Tier 4 solution is going to help save about a gallon and a half of fuel per hour,” says Milewski. “It’s more power, more performance, better economy.” At the rear of the hood, the air intake for the engine and cooling system is 30 per cent larger to improve air flow. The new design also creates a better seal to help keep debris out and minimize service requirements. “It’s 30 per cent larger ducting than we had before, adds Milewski. “So that cool air is better able to get into the cooling package to keep the machine cool under heavy loads. And we maintain a swing-out condenser to make it very easy to get in there and blow out any dust or chaff.” All of that is wrapped in a new hood that has the same rounded “family” styling common to several of NH’s hay and forage products.

producers who already have a stock of spare blades can still use them on headers or Discbines equipped with a QuickMax option. To keep blades in place, the QuickMax just uses a spring retainer, and the company claims that offers retention capability as good as a bolt-on design. “Inserting the tool under the spring plate, you’re actually prying down on it and it allows you to simply slide the blade out,” explains Milewski. “This is going to make a big difference for our customers this year, taking one of those acts of drudgery and making it considerably easier.” If you own any previous Discbine or Durabine header from model 2014, you can order a retrofit kit and update to the QuickMax system. † Scott Garvey

PHOTO: SCOTT GARVEY

The QuickMax blade change system is available as an option on Discbines and Durabine mower-conditioner headers. A special tool allows for blade changes in only seconds, with no other tools required.

Timeyour is onside.

IN THE CAB To keep the operator comfortable, a deluxe cab is standard equipment. If you’re a slave to style, you can even order a specially designed leather seat that includes a 50-year anniversary logo. The independent rear suspension and Comfort Ride cab suspension smoothen out the bumps for high speed operation in the field or on the road. “This is a machine you can run confidently across the field at high speed or when transporting and be comfortable doing it,” he continues. “You’re going to be able to control the machine better at speed.” To make tings even easier on an operator, the optional QuickMax knife change system is available on Durabine heads (and pull-type Discbine models), which significantly reduces the time it takes to change cutting blades. † Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at Scott.Garvey@fbcpublishing.com.

Timing is everything. Bagging preserves and protects your grain and allows you to optimize your market timing, and maximize your profits. Unloading those bags is now faster and easier than ever with the Brandt Grainbag Unloader 8510. Its compact shape fits within the contour of the bag for easier unloading – even in winter conditions. Requiring only 50-80 horsepower to operate, the 8510 is as efficient as it is fast. Best of all, our premium build quality and heavy duty design ensure a long life of trouble-free operation – just what you’ve come to expect from Brandt. That’s Powerful Value. Delivered.

Visit thanksabillion.ca for rebate details and other offers. For product details and a dealer near you, call 1-866-4BRANDT or visit www.brandt.ca

/ grainews.ca OCTOBER 21, 2014

Machinery & Shop VERMEER

New equipment from Vermeer BY SCOTT GARVEY

ermeer has just introduced a new two-model line of balers called the 600N Series. However, both versions, the 604N and 605N, are available in either a standard configuration or as “Cornstalk Specials.” The brand’s official press release announcing their introduction says their designs are based on the previous M Series, but the new models offer increased capacity and productivity. There is, of course, new styling as well. “The first thing you notice about the new 600N series balers is the sleek, modern design that evokes a sense of force and motion,” said Phil Chrisman, product manager at Vermeer. “Upon closer inspection, you will recognize many well-designed, heavy-duty components that made Super M balers so popular, as well as several new features that contribute to the high performance and durability of this new line of balers.” Among the features built into them that help achieve those performance gains are a new clutch that automatically stops the five-bar pickup when the desired bale size has been reached. That lessens the risk of inadvertently overfilling the

bale chamber and helps increase the service life of bearings, belts and rollers. As well, adjusting the wheels that control pickup height can now be done quickly and without tools. To minimize the time spent on daily servicing, the 600Ns feature automatic lubrication systems, so you can leave the grease gun on the shelf. In the tractor cab, the 600N balers’ E-Link Pro display control system can now relay more data on the bale that’s building in the chamber. That includes bale moisture readouts and weight, with the optional scale feature. Among those systems carried over from the discontinued M Line is the “Direct Crop Feed” system that channels material directly to the bottom drum and bale-starting chamber. The M’s dual-stage belt tightening system reduces the chamber size by 50 per cent and allows the hay to turn quicker also stays, along with optional net wrap. “These new features are intended to offer a productivity advantage and enhance operator convenience,” said Chrisman. And we’re confident operators will appreciate the simplicity and usability of these additions.” † Scott Garvey is a machinery editor with Grainews. Contact him at Scott.Garvey@ fbcpublishing.com.

PHOTOS: VERMEER

The new N Series line of balers from Vermeer offers two models in standard or special corn stalk configurations.

Catapult

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Cut it, Ted it, Rake it, Move it.

Sickle Bar Mower

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Tedder

Easy Rake

Easy Rake Superstar

Bat Rake

nce you’ve rolled up round bales, Vermeer has another new product that will help you feed them or turn them into bedding: the Catapult CPX9000. Catapult may be an appropriate name, because the machine can throw material up to 100 feet in a controlled direction. “The CPX9000 gives you the power and precision to control how and where the material is thrown, which is paramount for getting up and over feed bunks in a cattle operation, or distributing material for housing developments or land reclamation and erosion control purposes,” said Chrisman. The CPX9000 uses a dual fan arrangement to feed material into the directional discharge spout, which is controlled from the tractor cab. The material throw distance can be varied between 60 and 100 feet. The high position of the chute is designed to deliver material over top of corral fencing. †

Scott Garvey is a machinery editor with Grainews. Contact him at Scott.Garvey@ fbcpublishing.com.

Round Bale Carrier Model 1450

Round Bale Carrier Model 2450

Getting your hay from the field to the yard has never been easier. Farm King offers a full line of hay tools designed to increase productivity of your operation and maintain the nutrient value of your crops. From first cut to the last move, Farm King meets your haying needs.

Square Bale Carrier Model 4480

Visit www.farm-king.com to find a dealer near you.

The CPX9000 “Catapult” bale processor uses a high chute, which gives the operator the ability to deliver material in a controlled direction and get it up and over corrals or feed bunks.

OCTOBER 21, 2014 grainews.ca /

Machinery & Shop Baler prototype

Working in conjunction with partner Lely, Vermeer has built a baler that won’t require stops to eject a full bale By Scott Garvey

ow much time would it save in a day if you didn’t have to stop to eject a full bale when using a round baler? Engineers at Vermeer think it would save a lot, so they’ve been working on developing a model that will start forming a new bale while simultaneously ejecting a completed one. Working in partnership with European haying equipment manufacturer Lely Group, Vermeer currently has a prototype baler undergoing field trials. “When operators must stop and wait for each bale to eject, that eats up a lot of time that, when you add it all up, could be devoted to another field or another task,” said Jason Andringa, president of forage and environmental solutions at Vermeer Corporation. “Continuous baling will help operators become more productive, so they can produce the same, if not more, bales in the same amount of time, and with fewer balers and operators in the field.” A company press release claims the continuous round baler (CRB) prototype

uses “A simple, yet innovative design (that) allows the CRB concept machine to shape two bales simultaneously. As the first bale nears its desired size, it is guided back toward the bale ramp. At the same time, the next bale begins to take shape near the feed intake. Once the finished bale is ejected, the next bale moves into the main chamber for completion. This process is repeated continuously until the job is done.” Both Vermeer and Lely Group see a large potential market, expecting farmers all over the world to be interested in the productivity gains the CRB concept offers. “No matter where you are, there is a certain window of opportunity to perform baling and forage harvesting to create the right feed for cattle,” said van der Lely, CEO of Lely Group. “The continuous round baler allows you to bale more bales, with the right quality, in the narrow window of opportunity you have.” No official market release date has yet been announced, but the company says field trials on the prototype are going well. † Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at Scott.Garvey@fbcpublishing.com.

graphics: lely, continuousbaling.com

1. Here’s how information from Lely describes the process. Most of the belt, which is designed to handle two bales, is buffered in the belt system at the front. 2. The bale reaches its full size and is moved toward the tail gate by the bale drum. The bale chamber extends by moving the bale and tail gate backward. A new bale starts immediately in the front. 3. Net tying is completed. The tail gate opens and drops the bale on the go. The belt system takes care of the remaining bale. The tail gate returns to the start position. 4. The process then repeats.

" THE DUAL DIRECTION FEATURE ON MACDON SWATHERS IS GREAT. WE TURN THE SEAT AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY AND FEEL IT SAVES US A LOT OF TIME.” Andy Neufeld, Margaret, MB

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photo: vermeer

Vermeer announced it is currently developing a round baler that will start forming a new bale while ejecting a completed one, allowing for non-stop field operations.

Trademarks of products are the marks of their respective manufacturers and/or distributors.

Non-stop round baling

/ grainews.ca OCTOBER 21, 2014

Machinery & Shop New Holland

New round balers from NH

NH marks 40 years of round baler production with the launch of the full Roll-Belt Series, which replaces the BR7000 line By Scott Garvey

ast year New Holland introduced the first model in its new Roll-Belt round baler series, the 560, which makes a 5-foot x 6-foot bale. This year, 40 years after beginning production of round balers, the brand launched three new smaller models to round out that family, which replaces the former BR7000 Series. “Now we’re introducing the Roll-Belt 450 (4x5), 460 (4x6) and 550 (5x5), completing the Roll-Belt family of round balers for season 2015,” says NH’s crop packaging marketing manager, Curt Hoffman. “(They) have a new appearance with the shielding (panels) blending into that family appearance first set with our big balers, in terms of the round styling, and also the large, single, flip-up style shielding to be able to give excellent serviceability to our customers.” Aside from adding more models, the brand has built a few new features into them. All of which give these balers as much as a 20 per cent bump in capacity over the BR7000s, according to marketing reps. And you get choices when it comes to spec’ing out your own machine. “The Roll-Belt balers enable operations to specify the baler that suits their needs,” says Bob Hatz, head of hay and forage product management. There are three new pickup and feeder options available: the ActiveSweep, SuperFeed and CropCutter, all of which offer updated engineering for 2015. A four-bar pickup, which is standard on the ActiveSweep, gets beefier tine bars and centre shaft, along with a 23 per cent increase in overall diametre. The other two versions get a five-bar pickup as standard equipment. You can opt for a five bar pickup on the ActiveSweep as an option, too. “The product line has a SuperSweep four-bar pickup on the lower end that’s proven and been out there a long time,” explains Hoffman. “Then we have a new ActiveSweep pickup, which you saw on the Roll Belt 560 that was launched last year. It’s a rotary feeder that picks the crop up and moves the crop across the top of itself rather than underneath. It replaces our ExtraSweep pickup. Then we have something called SuperFeed.” “If you look inside the (SuperFeed) baler it has a rotary feeding mechanism with single lobes that pulls the crop off the pickup reel. The CropCutter has a dual lobe rotor much like the SuperFeed that pulls crop in off the pickup reel, cuts it across sta-

tionary knives and puts it in the chamber. The big deal with the rotor is it’s 18 inches in diametre now. So it’s much larger than it’s been in the past.”

DropFloor feature If you’ve hit a thick windrow too hard and plugged the intake on one of these new Roll-Belt models, you won’t spend the next 40 minutes on your knees digging out the slug by hand. Instead, the new DropFloor feature lets you increase the intake space leading into the bale chamber right from the cab, suck in the slug, then reset it before continuing on. “We have a new feature called a DropFloor,” says Hoffman. “It’s new to us. That allows me from the convenience and safety of the cab to unplug the baler, push the plug into the bale chamber and bale it. Just pull the floor back up and you’re off and running.” To form bales, the Roll-Belt models use new selfcleaning, seven-inch, seamless rubber belts. The company claims these belts are more stable and less likely to twist when the material flow into the bale chamber is uneven. The slip clutch on the PTO shaft is a new design, using a ratchet style mechanism that cuts out to prevent system damage rather than the multi-plate slip clutch NH has used on its baler families for several generations. The net wrap feeding system also gets an update. “The net wrapper and twin wrapper are brand new,” says Hoffman. “We simplified them. The loading rod not only comes out it also comes down, so it’s easier to slide the net roll on the tube. It sits only about a foot away from the spreader rolls and the mechanism, which is awesome. Because if you’re ever going to have a misfeed, it comes when the net comes off the roll and it’s loose. By having only about three linear feet of loose net in there, it makes that wrapper much more reliable. Its the shortest net travel path in the industry.” The Roll-Belt balers are all ISOBUS compatible, so they will simply plug into a tractor and work with any virtual terminal, but they have improved features when paired with a New Holland IntelliView III or IV monitor. If your tractor isn’t equipped with a virtual terminal, you’ll need to buy one of two dedicated monitors, the Bale Command II or Bale Command Plus II, to run the baler. † Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at Scott. Garvey@fbcpublishing.com.

photo: new holland

photos: scott garvey

1. This year New Holland introduces three more models in its new Roll-Belt baler family. Photo: New Holland 2. The seamless, seven-inch rubber belts on these balers are now self cleaning and more stable to prevent twisting. 3. The DropFloor system allows operators to open the feeding mechanism and pull slugs through into the chamber after plugging the intake. The system is controlled right from the tractor cab. 4. Curt Hoffman demonstrates the new, easier way to reload net wrap into Roll-Belt balers.

OCTOBER 21, 2014 grainews.ca /

Machinery & Shop CANADA’S OUTDOOR FARM SHOW

Hay Handler helps speed dry-down times BY SCOTT GARVEY

ooked in tandem, the Hay Handler swath consolidation and inverter implement concept on display at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show in Woodstock, Ontario, in September was an eye catcher. Hay Handlers can help forage growers speed dry-down times and blend windrows for faster baling, according to co-inventor Glen Shantz. “This is year six,” he says, about the time it has taken to get the Hay Handler market ready. “Last year was the first machine we sold.” Now, in partnership with Mar-Llo Fabricating in Forwich, Ontario, the Hay Handler is being marketed directly to farmers. The idea behind the Hay Handler is to allow mower conditioners up to 13 feet to cut hay and leave it lying in the widest possible dispersion to further reduce drying times. Then, the pair of Hay Handlers with their wide pickups can lift the full widths of two mowerconditioner cuts of material and consolidate them into a single, standard windrow for every 26 feet of cut. And they do it in a gentle manner to preserve leaf material and, therefore, feed quality. Having larger windrows also saves time by reducing field passes. The hitch assemblies on the Hay Handlers function in the same way as those on most swing hitch mower conditioners, allowing for hydraulic adjustment from the tractor cab. The second machine couples to the first using a standard goose-neck, ball-hitch design common to farm trailers. “A person can start off with one,” says Shantz, noting a grower can add a second Hay Handler at any time to get double cut width coverage in a single pass. The conveyor belt section at the rear of a Hay Handler can be removed and replaced with a standard inverter chute, so it can also function as a rake and inverter in one. “We like to suggest if you buy one of these, you don’t need a hay rake anymore,” he adds. Hay Handlers rely on hydraulic drive directly from the tractor’s system, rather than a PTO-driven pump on the implement like many mower conditions use. So a tractor will need to have a high enough flow rate to supply at least 13 gallons per minute per unit. Double that for the twin Hay Handler arrangement. The pickups use 32-inch-wide draper belts similar to those on a combine pickup header, and Hay Handlers can be ordered in either three or four-belt configurations, giving their pickups either 96- or 128-inch widths. Hay Handlers with 128-inch pickups retail for $26,500, or $55,000 for a twin unit. The 96-inch units retail for $1,000 less. They don’t yet have a dealer network. “We’re selling directly,” says Shantz. To find out more about the Hay Handler, call 866-909-2598 or email mar-llo@ mwpol.ca. †

PHOTOS: SCOTT GARVEY

Left: Designed to pick up hay left in a wide spread behind a 13-foot mower conditioner, the twin Hay Handlers can consolidate it into a single windrow for every 26 feet of cut. Top Right: Hay is dropped on a conveyor belt behind the pickup and fed out on either side.

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Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at Scott.Garvey@fbcpublishing.com. 14211_Salford_1plus1equals3_8.125x10_Grainews_Sep14.indd 1

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/ grainews.ca OCTOBER 21, 2014

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OCTOBER 21, 2014 grainews.ca /

Cattleman’s Corner KEEPERS AND CULLS

Wildlife throws a curve ball at agriculture LEE HART

recently ran into a couple situations in British Columbia where wildlife is causing problems for producers. I know it isn’t the only place in the world where wildlife can be an issue for agricultural production — it happens in all provinces — but these were right in front of me. For several years I have been urging one producer in southeastern B.C., who I know quite well, to have a look at swath or bale grazing as a way to make winter feeding simpler and to save money. I listen to ranchers in parts of Alberta and some of them say they feed very little or no hay at all over winter, due to cattle having access to swath grazing forages. And this B.C. rancher has always argued that it just wouldn’t work. Wildlife would get the benefit of the swathed forage and not the cows. Well there I was one evening in early September at the ranch near Fort Steele, and I got a firsthand look at the problem. Pictured at right, are some of the hayfields on the ranch and moving across the one field is about a 100 head of elk, with more to follow. And they weren’t stopping on this grass hayfield, they headed straight for the regrowth in the alfalfa hayfield nearby. And this isn’t even winter yet. Sometimes there are as many as 300 elk in one herd. Their option might be to camp out on a side hill of dry, old, native wheatgrass and fescue or try some high protein oats and barley swaths or even alfalfa swaths… what’s it going to be? Most ranchers don’t mind and many do what they can to encourage wildlife, but there is a limit. And then in early October, I

This photo shows about 100 head of elk in early September moving onto hayfields at a ranch near Fort Steele, B.C. While hunting pressure in the fall will disperse these animals to some extent, they will regroup in even greater numbers once the snow flies to pasture or hayfields for the winter. just happened to be interviewing rancher Werner Stump, who ranches near Sicamous, B.C. — we were talking about a range improvement project — and Werner says he has stopped sending his calves to summer pastures because of wolf predation. Wolf numbers have increased so much in the Malakwa area where he ranches, that the last year he had cow-calf pairs on crown range he lost 20 calves. Werner’s program now is to calve the cowherd in November, overwinter the cow-calf pairs in the yard until grass is ready in May. He then puts them out on pasture at home for two months and weans the calves in June. The calves will stay on grass and supplemental feed that includes some silage at home until sometime in October when they are marketed at about 700- to 800-weight calves. Living in a high snowfall area, Werner doesn’t have the option of swath grazing so he is feeding cows and calves hay and silage over winter. After weaning the bred cows head out to summer pasture on some high elevation, mostly timbered crown range. The wolves are still there but they don’t seem to bother the cows.

MANITOBA BURSARY WINNERS Four Manitoba students have been selected as the 2014 recipients of the Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) Bursary. Each student will receive $500 towards their education as they pursue a degree or diploma related to agriculture or the rural economy. All four students are the children of active beef producers or producers themselves. “Cultivating the next generation of Manitoba’s agriculture industry is very important to MBP and we are proud to assist these four deserving students as they pursue their education,” said MBP President Heinz Reimer. “We congratulate the four recipients and wish them the best in their studies.” Each applicant was required to submit an essay on what the beef industry means to their family, community and Manitoba. The MBP bursary committee evaluated the essays and selected the four finalists. The winners were Bradley Wright — MacGregor, Man., University of Manitoba — working towards an agriculture diploma; Samantha Rimke — Oak Lake,

Man., University of Saskatchewan — enrolled in the College of Arts and Science; Stephanie Dousselaere — Cartwright, MB, University of Manitoba — enrolled in the Agriculture and Food Science Degree Program; and Kendra Elliott — Brandon, Man., Brandon University — completing Bachelor of Science degree with a biology (Biomedical) major and chemistry minor. Plans to apply for the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon. Each winner’s essay was printed in the September edition of our newspaper Cattle Country. An online version of the paper can be found at: www.mbbeef.ca/cattle. country/.

RESEARCHER HONOURED The Canadian Association of Bovine Veterinarians and animal health company Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd. have presented Saskatchewan researcher Dr. Joe Stookey with the 2014 Metacam 20 Bovine Welfare Award. Stookey is a professor in Animal Behaviour and Ethology at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatoon.

Stookey completed his PhD in Applied Animal Ethology from the University of Illinois in 1991 and shortly thereafter joined the Large Animal Clinical Sciences Department at WCVM. He has enthusiastically taught animal behaviour and welfare to many classes of veterinary students. He has become an international authority and expert because of his research on beef cattle behaviour and welfare. He has published multiple book chapters and numerous refereed scientific journal articles and conference proceedings and abstracts. Stookey has been very active in promoting cattle welfare throughout his involvement in professional associations and in committee work. He was a key member to the Beef Welfare Code Development Committee and multiple other committees involved in animal welfare, both in Canada and internationally.

CANFAX CONFERENCE To hear the latest on what’s happening with Western Canada’s newest beef packing plant — Harmony Beef — as well as what is happening with the beef industry around the world, plan to attend the annual Canfax Conference in Calgary, Nov. 18 and 19. Rich Vesta, who along with family members is planning to open the Harmony Beef plant just north of Calgary in early 2015 will be the Tuesday evening keynote speaker at the Canfax conference held at the Deerfoot Inn and Casino. The following day a number of speakers are lined up to provide their perspective on what’s happening with the beef industry, beef markets and the agriculture industry in general. For more information and to register visit the Canfax website at: www.canfax.ca †

THE MARKETS

Cattle markets reflect higher demand JERRY KLASSEN MARKET UPDATE

he cattle complex remains very strong as the markets adjust to the fresh fundamental equation. While overall North American beef production will only be marginally lower than last year, a sharp year-over-year increase in consumptive demand has kept fed cattle prices near historical highs and feeder cattle prices in an upward trend. Usually, fed cattle soften during the summer months but a surge in away-from-home food spending kept wholesale beef prices quite strong. A year-over-year increase in disposable income levels along with stronger consumer confidence has enhanced beef demand for the average consumer. Cumulative year-to-date awayfrom-home food spending continues to run 3.6 per cent ahead of last year while at-home spending is also quite robust up 2.9 per cent over 2013. This may have

been the demand that so many producers longed for since the recession of 2009, but the cattle markets have definitely caught up to the overall economy.

CONSUMERS ARE BUYING Retail beef prices have been on a constant upward trend since 2011, but values for higher end cuts was relatively stagnant. Since January 2014, the market for top end beef products has increased with a notable jump during the summer period. Wholesale beef prices have adjusted to this stronger demand with choice product trading at US$240/cwt in late September, up from US$196/cwt during September of 2013. Alberta packers have been buying fed cattle in the range of $162/cwt to $165/cwt in the early fall period. The market has been relatively flat with packing margins narrowing with the strength in slaughter cattle prices. U.S. cattle on feed inventories as of Sept. 1 were 9.8 million head, down one per cent from September 1, 2013. Placements during August were 1.7 million

head, down three per cent from year-ago levels and this number is the lowest since the series began in 1996. Lower feeder cattle placements throughout the fall period will continue to result in a yearover-year decline into the spring of 2015. The year-to-date U.S. cattle slaughter is running seven per cent below year-ago levels while total meat production is down six per cent from last year. Recently, the USDA lowered the 2014 thirdquarter beef production estimate by a whopping 300 million pounds to 6.135 million pounds. Lower marginal revisions were also noted in the fourth quarter and subsequent quarters throughout 2015. Total U.S. beef production for 2014 will be down 1.4 billion pounds compared to 2013.

WESTERN CANADA Alberta and Saskatchewan inventories during September were estimated to be five per cent over September of 2013. Placements dropped off sharply during the summer months and the traditional fall run has started later than normal due to favour-

U.S. QUARTERLY BEEF PRODUCTION (MILLION POUNDS) Quarter

2011

2012

2013

Est. 2014

Est. 2015

6,411

6,283

6,172

5,868

5,510

6,559

6,475

6,517

6,183

6,060

6,737

6,584

6,608

6,135

6,100

6,492

6,571

6,420

6,135

5,970

Total

26,199

25,913

25,717

24,321

23,640

Source: USDA able pasture conditions. For the week ending Sept. 20, year-to-date Canadian beef production was up two per cent over last year while the number of cattle slaughtered was up five per cent. Beef exports of fresh or chilled cuts to the U.S. have been running 12 per cent above last year. The stronger export pace of beef products will continue given the lower overall U.S. beef production. U.S. feedlot margins are near US$230 per head while Alberta margins are hovering at $100 per head. The build up in equity in the feedlot sector continues to enhance feeder cattle prices on both sides of the border. While the fed cattle market has traded sideways over the past month, lower feed grain prices have kept feedlot margins in healthy territory. Barley prices in the Lethbridge area are quoted at

$160/mt to $163/mt and further weakness is expected given the larger supply of feed wheat. U.S. corn is also trading more readily into southern Alberta given the record crop size and limited exports of corn and DDGs into China. Feedlots usually bid up the price of feeder cattle until margins are quite snug so I’m expecting the feeder cattle market to remain firm throughout the winter. Earlier in summer, I thought the feeder market was topping out. However, my view of the market has changed given the lower feed grain price structure and positive outlook for fed cattle. † Gerald Klassen analyses cattle and hog markets in Winnipeg and also maintains an interest in the family feedlot in Southern Alberta. For comments or speaking engagements, he can be reached at gklassen7@hotmail.com or call 204 899 8268.

/ grainews.ca OCTOBER 21, 2014

The Dairy Corner FORAGE PRODUCTION

Measure the moisture in forage rations PETER VITTI

t’s that time of year when harvested forages are tested for their nutrient content and an emailed back analysis sheet can list up to 80 laboratory results for each forage sample submitted. Much of this data can be inputted into dairy ration balancing software to develop on-the-farm TMRs that supply essential nutrients in the right amounts required by high-milk performing dairy cows. However, much of these analytical results are secondary without a respective and simple moisture analysis taken on each collected forage samples in the first place. The moisture content of for-

ages and other feedstuffs has the greatest impact upon feed consumption and thus nutrient intake by dairy cows. Rations containing more than 50 per cent moisture are often associated with reduced dry matter intakes by dairy cattle. As their diet becomes increasingly wet, the essential nutrients locked in the “dry” feed become less concentrated. The animal must eat more total ration in order to consume the same amount of nutrients or dry matter feed as before. Given that moisture also adds bulk to the ration, there is a point where a dairy cow can consume only so much “as fed” ration (dry matter feed + moisture) because of gut fill. It is estimated most mature dairy cows can consume up to 45 kg (100 lbs.) of “as fed” feed while first-calf heifers consume between five to 20 per cent less feed. With

these feeding boundaries in mind, we should target 45 to 55 per cent moisture in the overall dairy diet to accommodate sufficient dry matter intakes of between 22 and 25 kg of dry feed, particularly in early lactation cows that parallels another rule of thumb: one kg of dry matter intake yields two kg of milk production.

MODEST CHANGES MATTER Since forages make up the majority of most dairy TMRs, we should also be aware that even modest changes to the moisture content of the “wet forages” such as corn/barley silages and alfalfa/ grass haylages can significantly increase or reduce the amount of nutritious feed eaten by the cows, and be turned into milk. Other “wet” feeds such as brewer’s mash (20 per cent DM), liquid whey (10

PHOTO: FILE

to 15 per cent DM) and molasses (75 per cent DM) also have secondary moisture content effects upon the final dairy diet. Last, moisture content of well-cured hay is less variable and tends to have smaller influences, respectively.

November

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For example let’s examine the impact of a five per cent moisture content increase of forages formulated in a dairy diet designed for early lactation dairy cows. Whether we fail to analyze moisture content of our forages, or there is an actual absolute five per cent increase in moisture content of our dietary forages, the following impact upon our virtual dairy feeding program results. “As-fed” intake does not change at 41.5 kg per lactating dairy cow. Total dry matter intake drops from 23.6 kg to 22.0 kg per head or a seven per cent decrease. DMI per cow of corn silage and alfalfa hay drops by 1.2 kg and 0.4 kg, respectively. Overall dietary moisture content increases by only 3.7 per cent. Forage: Concentrate ratio (dm, basis) falls slightly from 62.7 per cent to 60 per cent. From above points, the most significant moisture content impact — is a “total dry matter intake of drops by seven per cent,” which leads to a probable decrease in milk production of 3.2 kg per early lactation cow (re: 1.6 kg x 2). Therefore, it is a strong recommendation that dairy producers test forages for moisture content before feeding them in a TMR to their dairy herd.

HOW TO TEST Given such a major impact upon feed and management in the dairy barn, producers should choose an actual method that works best for them in determining the moisture content of dairy forages, particularly their wet forages. While there are many ways to test moisture content in feeds, there are presently two popular “old school” approaches; namely, using a Koster tester or by Micro-wave oven (MV). The moisture content procedures for both methods are virtually identical: (1) Weigh out a 100 – 500 gram silage/haylage sample that is representative of harvested fields on a gram-weighing scale. (2) Samples can be dried down by either the Koster tester or Microwave oven. (3) Re-weigh dried out silage/haylage samples and (4) Calculate moisture results; per cent moisture content = (initial sample wt. - dried sample wt.)/initial sample wt.) x 100. Therefore if a 500-gram corn silage is dried down to 184 grams, its per cent moisture content would be 36.8 per cent. Interestingly, the Koster tester is an electrical dryer that is specifically designed for drying forages and wet feeds, and determining their moisture content. This appa-

» CONTINUED ON PAGE 41

/ grainews.ca OCTOBER 21, 2014

Cattleman’s Corner ANYONE CAN START FARMING

Goats are special, and also profitable SELECTIVE DIET DEBBIE CHIKOUSKY

his fall marks 20 years on our farm. We have learned a lot about raising livestock over those two decades and have profited from it all, but the one species that is most misunderstood is the goat. Usually, about this time of year, we start getting calls from people wanting to learn about raising goats. A popular idea is that a goat and sheep are interchangeable due to their relative sizes.

GOATS ARE DIFFERENT Goats are different from sheep in many ways. One of those differences is their mineral requirements. Goats need a much higher level of copper mineral than the sheep can tolerate. Sheep die from a high copper load. We have pastured both species together for a day, but they must have separate time with their own minerals. High copper intake may not appear to be having any impact on goats, but copper is highly important for reproduction and the development of the neural tube in kids. Goats can easily run with cattle, on a bush pasture for example, because those two species can coexist very well. Goats also do not metabolize medications like a sheep. Safeguard wormer, for example, must be dosed much higher than in sheep, according to a company representative. This is important

PHOTO: DEBBIE CHIKOUSKY

While is it true that goats can get into trouble, the one myth about them is that can eat all kinds of junk and do well. The fact is that goats are quite selective about what the eat, however they will go to any length to be able to get at food they do like. to know because goats, which normally eat by browsing, have little natural resistance to parasites. They were made to eat brush and will graze if necessary, but do better in a bush pasture. Some medications simply are not to be used on goats. Micotil, for example, an antibiotic used to control respiratory disease in cows and sheep, will kill a goat.

DIFFERENT HOUSING When trying to plan housing for a goat operation we usually tell people goats probably do best in housing that would be suitable for a dairy calf. Goats do not appreciate getting wet or standing out in the wind. They do not handle damp weather and need shelter all year from the elements. This does

not mean that they cannot go to pasture it means they have to be able to come home to a shelter if it rains. We have had our goats push through a five-wire high tensile electric fence, which normally contains them, to run for cover when thunder starts. In the winter months, if it is windy they will not go outside to eat hay. We’ve had to devise a way to feed them inside their shelters.

CHICH MAGNETS It is a fact that buck goats smell strong in the rut. Goats, first cousins to deer, breed from August to February and they have some very strange habits used to entice the ladies. One of those habits involves the males urinating all down their front legs and

under their chins. This is a good reason to make sure that bucks’ feet are trimmed and any other required handling is done before the does start coming into heat. Usually does begin to cycle when the days get shorter. This year though we have one doe kidding in November. This will make our winter milk supply for lambs and our son easier to manage but it is quite unusual. When we first started raising goats my husband insisted we would never have a buck on the property. Now, we usually have about three at a time and although they do smell bad you get used to it. Another truth about goats is that if they get out of their enclosures, fruit trees will be eaten. The answer to this is to keep your pens maintained and your fences electrified. Goats are very intelligent creatures and get bored. There is profit in raising them and they will make you smile daily, but the human has to be diligent in their job or a bored goat will soon be eating your yard trees. We have never had a problem with a sheep learning how to open a gate or walk a tight rope to go and play on our tractors.

A very popular misconception about raising goats is that they can eat anything. It is not true that goats can eat tin cans and other junk and live. Goats are highly productive for their size. Our Alpine does, which weigh approximately 150 pounds, can wean two 75-pound kids (which sell at meat prices for about $52.50 each). On occasion these does have gone on to milk for a few more months to feed orphan lambs. Their nutritional needs are high and they are by far the pickiest eaters on our farm. Although they do not need pure alfalfa hay, goats do need good quality, fine hay. Timothy hay isn’t utilized well because they seem to just nip off the heads, which is where most of the nutrition is found, and leave the stalks. However, if timothy plants are young and fine, then goats will eat the whole plant. Goats do, however, love weedy bales with a few shrubs in them, too. We cannot supply that on a regular basis, but it makes for very happy goats in the middle of January when we give them a bale from the edges of a field. An adult doe will eat about 1,800 pounds of hay per year, and even receive feed in their night pens in the summer. We normally supplement with pea screenings in the winter to get their diet to about 16 per cent protein. This diet still leaves room to make a profit on market kids. Although difficult to calculate the value how much you save on milk replacer, that should be taken into consideration if goats are also milking to feed orphan lambs. Goats are profitable to raise if you spend time finding quality, healthy breeding stock to start with. Then you’re able to build from a solid foundation. They need quality feed and solid housing and they will reward you with production as well as some entertainment. † Debbie Chikousky farms with her family at Narcisse, Manitoba. Visitors are always welcome. Contact Debbie at debbie@ chikouskyfarms.com.

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OCTOBER 21, 2014 grainews.ca /

Cattleman’s Corner ANIMAL HEALTH

Practical management tips to control Johne’s disease PRACTICAL MEASURES

ROY LEWIS ANIMAL HEALTH

ohne’s disease pronounced “YONEES” causes a nonresponsive diarrhea with severe weight loss in cattle as well as bison, small ruminants (sheep & goats) and camelids. It may last for months and is invariably fatal. It’s caused by a paratuberculosis organism, similar to tuberculosis, and has a very long incubation period of at least two years. Young calves under three months of age are the most susceptible to first contracting the disease. Heifer offspring from affected cows should be culled, as they will most likely show clinical signs later in life. With this disease, cattle maintain a voracious appetite but a thickening of the small intestine does not allow nutrients to be absorbed so weight loss is dramatic. In winter, a huge manure ball will often be frozen to the tail. If you suspect this disease it is imperative to have the animal examined and verified. By clinical exam and/or testing, your veterinarian can confirm its presence. It is important to identify the reason for poor performance with specific animals in a beef herd. Cows culled early are often mistaken as “hardware cows.”

Producers can follow some very practical guidelines for minimizing its incidence on your beef farm. Johne’s disease has basically a worldwide distribution. The two biggest concerns are the economic losses and culling associated with cows having decreased production, and there is also a human health concern. If we all were not so wrapped up in thoughts about BSE, Johne’s disease would be our main focus. There has always been concern of Johne’s close resemblance to human Crohn’s disease. Just recently scientists isolated the same paratuberculosis organism from a Crohn’s patient as that causing Johne’s. In the future, producers may need to prove to consumers and world markets we have a low incidence of this disease on our farms. Spread of Johne’s is primarily the fecal/oral route with exposure to lots of the organisms over time necessary for transmission. Transmission through the milk or transplacentally (through the uterus) has also been demonstrated. The organism has also been isolated from bull semen. Control centers around good manure management, culling appropriate animals and herd testing where necessary.

A REAL SURVIVOR The organism can survive in moist manure packs for up to one year and is resistant to freezing.

Survival in soil or water is greater than one year. Desiccation is effective in killing Johne’s so harrowing pastures is one effective means to minimize its presence. Manure should be spread on grain land not on pasture or hay land. Don’t use the same front-end loader for handling feed and manure without proper disinfection in-between and best to have separate buckets. Any calving area such as the maternity pen should be disinfected with a phenol-based disinfectant whenever cleaned. Keep feed bunks and watering bowls clean of manure to help break the fecal/oral cycle. Always buy bulls and replacement cattle from known sources where herd health status is known. Renting bulls and in some cases pasturing in community type pastures always has the possibility of increasing your cattle’s exposure. We are fortunate in Western Canada to spread cattle out for most of the year on pastures minimizing the type of exposure confinement brings. Screen embryo transplant recipients for Johne’s.

PHOTO: ROY LEWIS

The cow in the centre of this photo with very lose diarrhea in the middle of winter was found to be infected with Johne’s.

As noted earlier, review the records of infected cows and cull recent heifer calves, as they are highly likely to contract Johne’s. They talk about the “ICEBERG” theory with Johne’s whereby for every clinical case in your herd there is probably at least 10 more incubating the disease. The worst-case scenario I have encountered was a small 20- to 30-head herd that was experiencing one to two clinical cases per year. The herd had CULL AFFECTED ANIMALS to be depopulated followed by Culling known cases immedi- thorough cleaning and disinfecately reduces disease shedding and tion of facilities as the only way if done early before severe weight we could eliminate the disease loss occurs they will pass slaugh- from this premise. ter. Cattle with severe weight loss In the future, trading partners (body condition score less than may require us to prove we have two) would still qualify under the a low incidence in our herds. In  BSE testing program and should be 1998, the Alberta government disposed of that way. in co-operation with private

practitioners sampled Alberta herds and found 4.4 per cent of herds had at least one positive animal on fecal culture. I have found in herds we deal with a proper disease control program that includes isolating and then eliminating clinical cases as quickly as possible, removing their heifer offspring and proper manure management, goes a very long way to keeping disease presence to Johne’s at an absolute minimum. From a human health aspect we must insure a safe product to the consuming public at home and abroad. These fairly simple management changes will facilitate this happening. † Roy Lewis is an Alberta-based veterinarian specializing in large-animal practice. He is also a part-time technical services vet for Merck Animal Health.

» CONTINUED FROM PAGE 41 FORAGES FORMULATED IN A DAIRY DIET DESIGNED FOR EARLY LACTATION DAIRY COWS “As Fed” Diet (kg)

Standard-Diet Ingredient Moisture (%)

Standard-Diet DMI (kg)

Wet-Diet Ingredient Moisture (%)

Wet-Diet DMI (kg)

Corn silage

7.6

6.4

Alf. Hay

7.2

6.8

Grain Corn

6.3

34% Supp.

1.8

Brewer’s grain

0.2

Bypass fat

0.5

100

0.5

100

0.5

Totals

41.5

56.7%

23.6

53.0%

22.0

ratus has a heating element and fan built in its base by which hot air is blown through the feed sample placed on a built-in screen for moisture determination. Its drying procedure takes about 20 to 25 minutes. Sample loss tends to be a small problem in using the Koster tester. Likewise, the common microwave oven provides a quick means of also drying samples. Its greatest challenge is to avoid burning samples, when they get crispy (re: recommended to place a small amount of water in oven). MV drying time is about five to 10 minutes for most wet feeds. Regardless of which methods is preferred in determining the moisture content of one’s silage, haylage and other forage, it sometimes takes a bit of practice to refine their similar procedures to achieve the most accurate moisture results.

Accurate moisture results of the forages are primary to targeting dry matter feed consumption of a well-balanced dairy diet and subsequent milk production in the lactating dairy herd. Producers should routinely test and take the necessary corrective action to maintain the optimum level in their dairy diets for primary milk performance and revenue. † Peter Vitti is an independent livestock nutritionist and consultant based in Winnipeg. To reach him call 204-254-7497 or by email at vitti@mts.net.