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THIS SPUD’S FOR YOU

MONEY WELL SPENT

New low-glycemic potato has extra health benefits » PG 2

Ranchers’ $5-million gift will help all producers » PG 3 Publications Mail Agreement # 40069240

V o l u m e 1 1 , n u m b e r 2 5 D e c e m b e r 8 , 2 0 1 4

There’s a mountain of grain to move A big carry-over means there’s a whopping 73 million tonnes of grain to move

By Jennifer Blair af staff / lacombe

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his year’s grain crop might not be as big as last year’s bin-buster, but there’s still going to be “heavy demands” on the rail transportation system this winter.

“The initial projections from Stats Canada for the 2014 crop are 57 million tonnes in western Canada — still a very large crop,” said Bruce McFadden, director of research and analysis at Quorum Corp., Ottawa’s grain monitor.

“This year, we’ve still got 73 million tonnes (including carryover) to move, which would make it the second largest overall volume that has to be moved out of western Canada. It’s still a lot of pressure on the system.”

That prompted Ottawa to issue a new order-in-council setting out mandatory minimum weekly grain movement this winter (see story on page 6) — a move cheered by many, but not all.

“Many producer groups and the Western Grain Elevator Association indicated they’d like to see the thresholds maintained, but there’s other parties who feel the unintended consequences of those thresholds have had a serious negative impact on their business,” said McFadden, citing

MOVING GRAIN } page 6

G ETTING TO KNOW YOU: Wheat buyers pumped when Alberta farmers visit Wheat buyers have all kinds of questions from mycotoxins and food safety to supply and crop data, and they also want to meet growers in person

By Alexis Kienlen af staff

W

hen Lynn Jacobson went to Asia on a trade mission, he found his preconceived notions were completely wrong.

“My preconception of what society was like over there was completely changed,” said the grain farmer from Enchant.

“I thought they were 10 to 15 years behind us, but in some ways they’re 10 to 15 years ahead of us. Producers don’t realize that until they have travelled there.”

Jacobson, a director for the Alberta Wheat Commission, recently spent two weeks in Japan, South Korea, China and Indonesia with representatives from the Canadian Grain Commission and the Canadian International Grains Institute.

The missions, now in their second year, are part of the new world order formed after the dissolution of the Canadian Wheat Board.

“There was a big hole in customer information and what Canadian crop was out there,” said Jacobson.

“No one was making visits and the millers complained they hadn’t seen anyone in a long time.

“My impression was that the millers were very happy to see us. They really wanted to know what our crop was like. It’s important to get the Canadian crop out there, especially the statistics. This is the information that the millers live and die by and what they buy on.”

The mission uses a “Team Canada approach,” said Bentley producer Kevin Bender who participated in a week-long mission to Europe in November.

“We present what each organization does and what we do. Really, it’s Canadian wheat we’re selling and we work together as a team,” said Bender, a director of the Alberta

wheat buyers } page 7

RULING THE ROOST

Penny the pullet a champion } PAGE 23

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news » inside this week

inside » FUNDING SHORTFALL Forage association loses executive director

DECEMBER 8, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

livestock

crops

FINALLY A DEAL

UPOV ON ITS WAY

columNists Sylvain Charlebois We can’t afford complacency

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Laura Rance Food gap poised to widen

SADDLE UP Horse trainer college already a big hit

23

Alberta chicken producers back in the fold

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And that means the seed bill will be going up

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Still lagging on animal welfare

Low-glycemic potatoes don’t cause a big spike in insulin, which makes it suitable for diabetics

By Alexis Kienlen af staff

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“We’ve been more interested in improving the carbohydrate components to have varieties that are more digestible, have a low-glycemic-index potential and more antioxidant content.”

Benoit Bizimungu

The low-glycemic potato looks the same as other white, smooth-skinned potatoes at the grocery store and was developed using crosses of normal varieties, which included germplasm from South America. Its development also relied on new technologies — such as a near-infrared spectrometer for measuring starch content and potato composition — that eliminate years of trial and error by allowing scientists to identify desirable characteristics.

One of the proposed names for the new

Benoit Bizimungu is a scientist working on improved potato varieties for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. PHotos: Supplied potato, which produces a large number of tubers, is AC Hammer.

There is plenty of market potential for the low-glycemic potato, and it is agronomically well suited for both Eastern Canada and the irrigated regions of Western Canada, said Bizimungu. Test plots were grown in 76 locations across the country. Parkland Seed Potatoes in Edmonton has been granted exclusive testing rights for the final test phase and has the option to license it. Producing sufficient seed stock will take one to three years.

Breeding new varieties of potatoes with specific traits is a long process that takes around 10 years from the start of germplasm crosses to industry trials, said Bizimungu.

Bizimungu began his career at the Lethbridge Research Centre in the western potato-breeding program before moving to Fredericton to take over the national program. Even though he moved across the country, he kept his ties to the Lethbridge Research Centre, and Lethbridgebased scientists did plant pathology on potato germplasms.

“Any breeding is a team effort,” said Bizimungu. akienlen@fbcpublishing.com

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brenda schoepp

This spud’s for you — breeders develop new low-glycemic potato here’s a new spud in town, and it’s made to suit Canada’s growing number of diabetics.

The new and as yet unnamed potato has a lower-glycemic-index potential, improved digestibility, and can be enjoyed without creating a big spike of sugar and insulin in the body.

“As part of improving the food attributes, we’ve been more interested in improving the carbohydrate components to have varieties that are more digestible, have a low-glycemic-index potential, and more antioxidant content,” said research scientist Benoit Bizimungu, who developed the new variety with scientists at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Potato Research Centre in Fredericton, N.B. and the Lethbridge Research Centre.

It’s just one of several new varieties in development, including a potato with a high starch content suitable for industrial use.

Bred through conventional methods and using local or exotic potato germplasm from South America, the new varieties have improved agronomics and disease resistance and are designed to offer additional benefits to both growers and consumers.

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Low-glycemic potatoes could help control diabetes and weight loss.

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • DECEMBER 8, 2014

Paying it forward — family’s donation to create animal welfare ‘win-wins’ Already a leader in the field, the U of C’s vet school will expand research to help both producers and the animals in their care

By Alexis Kienlen af staff

I

t is, by any measure, a lot of money.

But her family’s $5-million donation to the University of Calgary’s faculty of veterinary medicine for animal welfare research is money well spent, says Cochranearea rancher Wynne Chisholm.

“We love animals and have a soft spot for cows. Cow-calf is underserved in terms of research,” said Chisholm, who operates W.A. Ranches with her father, J.C. (Jack) Anderson, and husband Bob. The family’s relationship with the faculty goes back to its opening in 2008, when officials from the vet school asked if they would be willing to have students on the ranch. For the past six years, vets in training have helped out on the cow-calf operation, getting hands-on practice calving, branding, vaccinating, and semen testing.

“We’ve been pretty impressed with the faculty and the students over that time period,” said Chisholm.

After hearing the faculty wanted to improve its animal welfare research program, Chisholm called Dean Alaistair Cribb and said she and her father were interested in supporting that work. Their $5-million donation will fund the Anderson/Chisholm Chair in Animal Care and Welfare — a position that Ed Pajor, a professor of animal

care and behaviour, will hold for the next five years.

Pajor is well known for his work on codes of practice, animal welfare assessment programs, and as an adviser for companies such as McDonald’s and Safeway as well as the Calgary Stampede.

He came to know Chisholm, who also operates an international management consulting firm, when she was on the Stampede board.

“The chair reflects a number of things (including) the generosity of the Anderson/Chisholm family and their concern about animal welfare,” said Pajor. “They recognize this as an important area and an area that is associated with societal concerns and pressures on ranchers.

“Their donation is also a reflection of the fact that animal care and welfare have been historically underresearched in farm animal production, particularly in beef cattle. This is something the Anderson/Chisholms have recognized for a long time.”

Since the money has been placed in an endowment fund, there will now be ongoing funding for animal welfare studies and researchers won’t be constantly scrambling to obtain grants, he said.

It will also enhance the veterinary school’s reputation as a leader in that field.

“It was clear when they recruited me here five years ago that animal welfare was going to be an important focus for this veterinary

school,” said Pajor. “The school is one of a few in North America that has a lot of course time dedicated to animal welfare compared to other places. When creating the curriculum, we had the luxury of creating a curriculum that had time for this new, emerging topic for veterinary medicine.”

The beef industry will be the central research area, with a special focus on the cow-calf sector.

Pajor is already working on studies on castration and pain mitigation and management. The school has also been conducting research on difficult pregnancies and deliveries, and their impacts on the calf.

Areas such as mother/calf bonding and ways to improve on-farm practices are on the radar for new studies.

And there’s lots of work to be done, said Pajor.

“From a producer perspective, animal care and welfare has always been a big issue,” he said.

“Animal welfare science is a very new science. It’s only been around for 25 years, which is not very long for a science.

“Animal welfare creates win-win situations, and that’s really the kind of research I’m interested in pursuing. Improvements in the animal also result in improvements for the ranchers, whether that be the bottom line or ease of getting a job done. When that happens, that will be a win for the consumer as well.”

Bob and Wynne Chisholm with Ed Pajor (right) of the University of Calgary.

The Chisholms and Wynne’s father donated $5 million to fund a new animal welfare research chair. Photo: supplied

“Animal welfare creates win-win situations, and that’s really the kind of research I’m interested in pursuing.”

Ed Pajor

akienlen@fbcpublishing.com

Don’t wing it — or refuse comment — if your farm makes the six o’clock news Consultant and media trainer Grant Ainsley has some basic advice for dealing with the media

By Alexis Kienlen af staff / calgary

I

f the media ever shows up at your farm, treat them like you would a “big hungry dog,” says PR consultant and media trainer Grant Ainsley.

“You have to feed it, or it will howl, bark and eventually bite,” he said. “You can’t always control what happens, but you can control your reaction.”

The worst thing you can do is try to run away, the Edmonton-based Ainsley told attendees at Alberta Milk’s annual general meeting.

“When you say no comment, what happens? It makes you look guilty,” he said. “If you tell your story properly, people will listen. If you refuse to tell your story, people will think you are guilty.”

Ainsley showed two undercover Mercy for Animals videos to his audience — one showing abuse of poultry at Kuku Farms near Edmonton and the other capturing mistreatment of cows at Chilliwack Cattle Sales, a B.C. dairy.

The owner of Chilliwack Cattle Sales had the right response, said Ainsley, because he took responsibility for the abuse and showed remorse. He had also been coached on how to act in front of the TV cameras, he said.

The key is to be prepared for the questions you’ll face and to practise responses beforehand, he said.

“You need to understand the questions that you’re going to get from the media and figure out who your spokesman is going to be,” he said. “The first time the words come out of your mouth should not be when the cameras are rolling. It should be in the privacy of your office, with somebody else asking the questions.”

But don’t be afraid of being yourself.

“Be real — don’t be something you’re not,” said Ainsley. “You don’t have to be smooth. You are dairy farmers. Good people, hard workers. People respect that because they respect hard work. So don’t try to be somebody slick. Just be yourself and get the right message out.”

If your farm does make the news, you won’t have much time to respond, he noted.

Both news organizations and their audience are most interested in a news event in the first 48 hours after it happens.

So Ainsley recommends every business, whether large or small, have a written communications policy that is shared with employees, even if they are family members and friends, he said. It’s also a good idea to delegate a spokesperson, and have a backup for that person.

And even if you don’t use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or other social media, other family members or employees likely do, and so the farm should have a policy on how the organization conducts itself online. Social media accounts should be

You need to control the message and get ahead of the story, said Grant Ainsley, media trainer, at Alberta Milk’s annual general meeting. Photo: Alexis Kienlen designated and limited to a few people. The policy should also cover how employees are to conduct themselves on their own social media accounts.

“My social media policy would say our employees are allowed to do social media on their own time, but at no time whatso-

ever are you allowed to do anything that would harm, embarrass or cause a loss of business to us or our clients,” said Ainsley.

“Failure to do so will result in discipline or termination.” akienlen@fbcpublishing.com

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DECEMBER 8, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

EDITOR Glenn Cheater Phone: 780-919-2320 Email: glenn.cheater@fbcpublishing.com twitter: @glenncheater

Prices are down but the food gap may be growing

Reporters Alexis Kienlen, Edmonton 780-668-3121 Email: akienlen@fbcpublishing.com Jennifer Blair, Red Deer 403-613-7573 Email: jennifer.blair@fbcpublishing.com

PRODUCTION director Shawna Gibson Email: shawna@fbcpublishing.com

Expert says we’ve underestimated how much food will be needed in 2050 and overestimated agriculture’s productivity gains

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The Alberta Farmer Express is published 26 times a year by Farm Business Communications.

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Publications mail agreement number 40069240

By Laura Rance

Manitoba Co-operator editor

T

he latest global supply-anddemand outlooks make it a little difficult to get too excited over worries the world will run out of food any time soon.

World grain prices are weakening under what are characterized as burdensome supplies of staple commodity crops. Most pundits are predicting we’re in for a prolonged period of depressed prices.

In other words, we’re getting back to normal.

It seems that whenever shortfalls occur, as they did following the U.S. drought of 2012-13, farmers rise to the productivity challenge and then some.

However, University of Nebraska agronomist Ken Cassman recently assessed whether the world productivity gains are on track to feed nine billion people by 2050. At the Borlaug Dialogue in October, he surprised more than few in his audience by saying no.

And, in the view of Cassman and his colleagues, we’re not off by just a little.

He suggests current estimates of how much food will be needed by 2050 are too low, the demands existing production place on the environment are too high and agri-

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sizes, rather than increasing the productivity of existing acres.

Farmers here have been busy buying out their neighbours over the past several decades and the actual area devoted to cropping hasn’t changed all that much. But farmers elsewhere in the world have been increasing their farm sizes by pushing bush and rainforest at an unprecedented pace.

“During the 1980s and 1990s nearly all of the increased food production was met on existing land, by increasing yields,” Cassman said.

“There has been an abrupt and statistically significant increase in harvested crop area beginning in 2000 at a rate of 10 million hectares per year. This is the fastest rate of crop area expansion in human history.”

He noted more than 80 per cent of that increased land is devoted to the production of just four crops — maize, rice, wheat and soya.

“Some have called this an agricultural time bomb, because it is not sustainable,” he said.

This is not something that can be fixed by market forces. Farmers produce more when prices are high, because who wouldn’t want to cash in? Farmers produce more when prices are low because how else would they survive?

“The only way to keep food prices

in check over the long term, is to produce adequate food and to do that, we need accelerating yield gains and appropriate policies holding agriculture on existing area,” he said.

Meanwhile, despite all efforts to contain them, global greenhouse gas emissions are continuing to rise, which will add to the challenge of stagnating yield gains.

Lastly, the new stores of natural gas harvested through fracking have pushed the worry about “Peak energy” back by at least a generation.

“It’s quite likely food prices will rise faster than the price of energy inputs going into the next generation, the exact opposite of what we’ve had,” he said.

Cassman’s solution to the challenge of increasing production but not the footprint? He agrees that technology is part of it, but the yield increases in developed countries prove that the technology is already available.

He sees the bigger challenge as delivering the technology to those who don’t have it, and ensuring that agronomic and climatic information remain in the public domain.

“I am going to argue that we need big, open, publicly available data,” he said. laura@fbcpublishing.com

Complacency not an option for food safety

ISSN 1481-3157 Call

culture’s ability to increase productivity enough is questionable under today’s parameters.

For starters, feeding the world isn’t a question of simple math — multiplying nine billion people by 2,500 or so calories per day. As people rise above poverty, their demand for more calories and a more diverse diet will increase just as it did after the lean times of the Second World War, he said.

“Every human being on this planet in 2050 has a right to a bottle of wine, and a dinner that includes beautiful diverse foods, because food is such an important part of culture, of our happiness and of being human beings,” he said. “If we start thinking 2,500 calories, how do we feed 9.5 billion, that’s the wrong way to think about this.”

While global production has been rising, yield gains in many key producing areas has been slowing.

“Thirty-one per cent of current global cereal supply is coming from countries which have statistically significant plateau yields or marked decrease in the linear rate of gain that was enjoyed earlier,” he said.

That means a larger share of productivity gains are due to farmers farming more land.

That should come as no surprise to anyone here on the Prairies, where production efficiency is equated with expanding farm

Canadians judge their food safety risk to be the lowest in the world, but more needs to be done, especially in terms of traceability

By Sylvain Charlebois and Jean-Charles Le Vallée

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anada ranks alongside the U.S. as a top-tiered country in terms of the performance when it comes to food safety, according to a new report from the Conference Board of Canada and University of Guelph’s Food Institute.

Over the years, such major food safety-related incidences as mad cow in 2003, listeria in 2008 and the XL Foods recall in 2012 have compelled us to rethink our practices. However, considering the future of global food safety systems, there is still much to learn.

Simply put, Canada’s ranking in the global survey is largely due to the consistency of the number of cases of foodborne illnesses and recalls that were reported. Alternatively, the survey indicates that other nations dealt with far worse situations. Canada’s new policy on allergen labelling, as well as an enhanced focus on transparency, also contributed to our high ranking.

The most fascinating data point found in the survey is Canadians’ overall perception of food safety.

Public trust is way up — 67 per cent of citizens believe their food to be safer than it was five years ago.

Aside from Ireland, whose citizens have a commensurate level of trust, there is nowhere else in the industrialized world where you can find a higher threshold of consumers who so trust their food.

In other words, Canadians judge the risks to be lowest in the world.

In survey after survey, and in comparison to other countries, consumer confidence in our country remains strong. This should reassure domestic-based regulatory bodies, at least for now.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, data show that consumers in the U.S. and Australia are the world’s most skeptical about food safety. Barely 27 per cent of American and Australian consumers believe their food to be safer than it was five years ago. As a result, public authorities are walking on a much finer line than in Canada; this is a situation that often leads

to the creation of problematic policies, since the emphasis is on managing fear, not factual risks.

After numerous recalls and international food safety crises, we have now entered the era of risk intelligence and accountability. Proactive behaviour, including learning from incidences outside our borders, is the new normal for all public food regulators, including Canada’s. Following Europe’s horsemeat scandal last year, they are focusing on taking learning outcomes from other countries to heart, which is why benchmarking our food safety performance with other nations is so critical.

Despite our regulators’ will to mitigate risks to the best of their abilities, given the scope of modern food systems, their capacity to do so will always be limited.

The recalibration of the public sector around the world compels many countries to seek more effective, sustainable, affordable and long-term options in order to mitigate risks, such as greater self-reporting.

Without succumbing to a self-regulatory regime, industry

should become more accountable to itself in order to better serve consumers.

Traceability, which remains one of Canada’s most significant weaknesses, will need to improve to protect our supply chains’ integrity, thus preventing such issues as food fraud. Food integrity will likely be our most significant supply chain challenge.

With a rising consumer appetite for more information concerning the origins of their food, of production conditions and hidden ingredients due to a growing number of allergies and dietary intolerances, data in the future will need to flow freely from farm to fork. As Europe copes with the aftermath of the horsemeat scandal, Canada should take note before some of its own consumers discover horsemeat in beef lasagna; or worse, in vegetarian lasagna.

Sylvain Charlebois (pictured above) is a professor in the College of Business and Economics at the University of Guelph and Jean-Charles Le Vallée is a senior research associate at the Conference Board of Canada.

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • DECEMBER 8, 2014

The cattle industry hasn’t fully embraced animal welfare The cattle sector has come a long way but there are still areas to be addressed and it should be leading the way

By Brenda Schoepp af columnist

T

he children and I have a map marked with every road I drove in the 20 years in the 1980s and 1990s I spent speaking about animal welfare in Canada. There were a few empty spots, but those travels included hundreds of farm stops and thousands of participants.

It was my mission to bring the message to the farming community about how cattle react to stress. To keep the message alive, I wrote articles, columns and stories about stress, shrink, and the economic cost to the farm.

I was driven by what I saw as a feedlot manager and by what I learned after an exhaustive literary search and dozens of interviews with scientists. In the end, I did it for the cattle because I could put a value on a healthy calf. Everything we do prior to marketing, during marketing and after the calf arrives affects its health and performance.

For my efforts I was bashed about pretty good.

One company tried to buy my silence and another threatened me physically, but most just talked back or yelled from the back of the room. In the end, com-

mon sense and perhaps a twinge of guilt prevailed and the introduction of feed and water pens, off-truck weighing, and reduction of commingling was introduced in cattle marketing. Our beef code of practice — adopted in 2013 (30 years later) — has one statement to address this and it reads: Locations receiving cattle should be equipped with personnel or facilities to meet the animals’ needs upon arrival, such as water or feed.

With three decades behind us, it would seem that we would have learned to make the economic and moral decision as an industry to be proactive on the animal welfare front. But today I can still see the wide gaps in the marketing of young cattle.

An excellent article in Meatingplace laid industry foot-dragging on welfare issues on the line. It features an interview with Dr. Candace Croney, Purdue’s director of the Centre for Animal Welfare Science. As a scientist, Croney comes out of the gate by stating that we should “stop pitting animal welfare against economics,” which is a completely different direction than industry takes. Industry tends to argue the economics of not changing just as it did years ago. It said we can’t put in extra pens, water, feed, or people because of cost.

The cost to the industry in not doing so was eventually seen to be much greater — but that’s not the entire point. It is: Why does someone else have to identify our areas of weakness and why is our first reaction to defend the status quo?

Many times we turn away from the scientific evidence or lack of it, as a stand for the continuation of a process. But Croney says it is more important to have trust and to say things in a way that the public understands than it is to be loaded and armed with science. Our initial reaction to focus on the voice of the problem is a weakness in itself. I have been through these exercises where there is an issue such as a downer cow. The process of handling the cow is the problem — not that a tattle-tale exposed the process (or lack of it).

The public has an expectation that we do what we say. It is not enough to claim good intentions. It is vital to actually bring that promise to life.

The article in Meatingplace went beyond animals in terms of welfare and addressed the issue of farm culture and the value in appreciated employees. Everyone in the food chain has a role to play in the welfare of farm animals and in building trust as a team.

If the welfare of the food animal is not part of consciousness, then it will be hard to legislate, regulate or sell to the buying public. As an industry, we need a platform of truthful information backed by science so folks have a go-to place to see what is happening in our barns and on our farms.

It took two decades to bring the issue of cattle stress to life and three decades to get it into a code of practice. It was tough and challenging work as all good causes are. With the information and technology of the day, it need not take another 20 years to address the outstanding areas within the food animal industry.

These creatures are entrusted to our care and how we birth, feed, transport, house, handle, treat, vaccinate, load, stand, sort, and slaughter them is part of our social licence as producer, marketer, and processor. If one person can be a change agent to an industry then an industry can be a change agent to a nation.

It is a simple matter of choice.

Brenda Schoepp is a farmer from Alberta who works as an international mentor and motivational speaker. She can be contacted through her website www.brendaschoepp. com. All rights reserved. Brenda Schoepp 2014

With the single desk gone, grain groups band together as Team Canada Trio of groups is promoting Canadian wheat abroad and gathering feedback on what needs improving

By Cam Dahl, JoAnne Buth, and Elwin Hermanson

T

here is a new Team Canada hitting the world stage.

We have two primary goals. First, to promote the qualities of Canadian wheat and durum to every region of the world. Second, to bring feedback from our customers to ensure that Canadian wheat and durum continue to command a premium in world markets.

“Team Canada” is a collaboration between Cereals Canada, the Canadian International Grains Institute (Cigi), the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC), provincial crop commissions, exporters, and farmers.

The first trade mission took place in Japan on Nov. 10. By mid-December, Team Canada will have travelled to countries throughout Asia, Latin America, Europe, North Africa, and the Mideast to conduct seminars with key customers, government officials and agencies. In total, we will reach 20 countries and provide customers with a comprehensive overview of how the 2014 Canadian crop will perform in their mills and high-quality breads, steamed buns and noodles.

In return, we gain valuable market intelligence that will help to better understand the needs of our international customers, and provide better market signals back to the Canadian farm.

The new crop seminars begin with an overview of grain farming in Canada from a farmer representative. Industry and CGC officials then review the 2014 growing season, crop conditions and grade patterns. Scientists from Cigi and CGC give a comprehensive, research-based review of the milling, baking and noodle-making properties of the 2014 crop.

Anyone interested can review the technical information presented through the Team Canada missions by visiting any of the websites of the principle organizations involved (such as www.Cereals Canada.ca).

Providing technical information and customer support is a paramount goal for Team Canada. But the new crop missions are about more than information flowing to our customers. The seminars also provide customers with a key opportunity to provide input to, and raise concerns with, the Canadian value chain.

In the past, the CWB provided a single window for concerns and questions from customers. The new Team Canada approach is designed to assure customers that Canada’s quality assurance systems are still in place and that the Canadian value chain is listening and will respond to their needs.

It will not surprise anyone in Western Canada to learn that transportation is almost inevitably one of the first areas of concern raised by customers. The trans-

portation problems experienced during the fall and winter of last year have harmed Canada’s reputation as a reliable supplier. While customers and governments have been reassured by the actions taken to clear the backlog and fill contracts, it is clear that we cannot afford to see another year like 2013-14.

While customers and governments have been reassured by the actions taken to clear the backlog and fill contracts, it is clear that we cannot afford to see another year like 2013-14.

The inclusion of the entire value chain within Team Canada gives us the opportunity to provide information directly back to Canadian farmers, Canada’s research community and private crop development companies. For example, we have heard concerns in the past few years that the gluten strength of Canada Western Red

Spring has been slipping. Providing this information to Canadian producers has allowed them to select varieties that have stronger protein, resulting in a stronger protein profile in the 2014 crop.

Knowing what customers are demanding from Canada has also promoted industry and the CGC to begin a review of the classification system to ensure that the varieties listed in each class will continue to meet customers’ needs going forward.

The Team Canada approach does not end with the new crop missions. In order to better understand the needs of our customers, Cigi and Cereals Canada have launched a comprehensive review of future customer needs. The results of this study will guide ongoing customer support and outreach as well as help the Canadian value chain develop a strategic plan for public and private investments in innovation.

Forming the new Team Canada allows the Canadian value chain to provide critical customer support as well as guide the forward development of our industry.

Both are critical to maintaining Canada’s competitive advantage on the world stage. Everyone involved in the industry will benefit.

Cam Dahl is president of Cereals Canada, JoAnne Buth is CEO of the Canadian International Grains Institute, and Elwin Hermanson is chief commissioner of the Canadian Grain Commission.

6

OFF THE FRONT

DECEMBER 8, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

MOVING GRAIN  from page 1 short lines and special crops shippers, which have had a hard time getting rail cars.

But even with Ottawa’s mandatory minimums, volumes have been tailing off since the start of the new crop year on Aug. 1, he said.

“At the end of August, the railways were 57 per cent higher in terms of the movement out of the primary elevator system,” said McFadden.

That figure was skewed because in August 2013 supplies were “exhausted,” whereas there was plenty of grain to move this summer, he noted. Nevertheless, performance in September and October has been just “marginally better” than the same time last year, said McFadden.

“We’ve gone from being 57 per cent ahead of last year to 27 per cent at the end of September and only 18 per cent ahead at the end of October,” he said.

Still, it’s not all bad news for farmers looking to move grain, he said. The balance between stock in country elevators and port terminals is “a lot better.”

“Last year, we had 3.5 million tonnes in the country system. This year, we’re running at about 2.5 to

“These are issues with the kind of capacity that is available for moving grain and probably all commodities.”

BRUCE MCFADDEN

2.8 million tonnes,” said McFadden. “There’s a lot of grain there, but there are delivery opportunities throughout the prairies.”

West Coast terminals are gearing up for a busy winter, and most have sold out their “capacity” — the amount of grain they can handle — well into spring. Terminals can actually move more grain than their capacity, but that depends on the timely arrival of grain cars and so the terminals are shying away from taking on more business, said McFadden.

“The demand is there. The markets are there. They would like to be able to handle more,” he said.

“But at this point, until they have

West Coast terminals are reluctant to book too much grain because of uncertainties over deliveries. some confidence that there will be the rail transportation to get it from the country to them, they’re reluctant to increase those programs.”

Regaining that confidence could be an uphill battle, though. Last year’s record crop “brought into focus a systemic problem” with the rail transportation system, said McFadden.

“This really isn’t just a problem that was faced last year because

of the large crop and the cold weather,” he said. “These are issues with the kind of capacity that is available for moving grain and probably all commodities.

“When any disruptions take place, there’s just no ability to recapture any of the lost capacity.”

And there’s very little appetite within the railways to increase capacity, said McFadden.

“We’re in an environment where

FILE PHOTO

the railways are really focused on their operating ratio, and shareholder returns are the real focus of railway management right now,” he said.

“These are really long-term bigdollar capacity decisions. In the current investor-focused environment, there’s some disincentives to making those decisions.” jennifer.blair@fbcpublishing.com

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Minimum amounts will vary throughout the winter STAFF

Ottawa’s new order-incouncil extends the mandatory minimum weekly grain handle until March 28.

But instead of a flat 536,250 tonnes of grain per week for both CN and CP Rail, the amounts vary.

Until, Dec. 20, each railway must move 345,000 tonnes per week. That drops to 200,000 tonnes weekly from Dec. 21 to Jan. 3, rises to 325,000 tonnes weekly from Jan. 4 to Feb. 21; rises again to 345,000 tonnes from Feb. 22 to March 21; and tops out at 465,000 tonnes for the week of March 22 to 28.

The maximum fine is “$100,000 per violation” and the railways must report on demand and volume, and also submit formal winter contingency plans, including service plans for producer car loaders and shortline railways, for the remaining crop year.

Both railways, the government said, are also expected to provide information on car order fulfillment by corridor, including the placement of rail cars at producer car loading sites and along shortline railways in order to “expand transparency in the logistics system.”

“We continue to call on all parties in the grain supply chain to work together to ensure the efficient movement of grain to markets through the winter,” Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said in a release.

CN replied the order was unnecessary as the supply chain is now “fully in sync” with movement of grain and that grain stocks are “now drawn down in line with normal levels.”

7

Albertafarmexpress.ca • December 8, 2014

WHEAT BUYERS } from page 1

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Wheat Commission and Cereals Canada.

It’s important to have producers on these trade missions, said Magrath farmer Gary Stanford, who is president of the Grain Growers of Canada.

“Farmers will ask more questions and people will ask more questions of farmers,” said Stanford, who travelled to Asia on last year’s New Crop Mission.

Buyers see farmers as independent, and they’re keen to learn more about how they produce their crops, he said.

While abroad, Jacobson and Bender gave several presentations, showing pictures of their farms and explaining the reality of grain farming in Canada. Bender even showed pictures of the September snowfall and its aftermath, so customers would have a better understanding of the challenges faced by producers.

“Customers are very interested in our production methods and what inputs we use,” added Jacobson.

He had many one-on-one conversations with buyers about cropping, production practices, equipment, and harvest techniques. He also told customers that wheat is just one option in the rotation, and prices need to be good for farmers to grow wheat.

The Canadian grain transportation system was also a hot topic, and Jacobson said he assured them there was a lot of transparency about the system, and urged them to see for themselves how much information is available.

Food safety was of great importance to all Asian customers, particularly the Chinese; Italians asked about durum supply; and British and German buyers were concerned about mycotoxins and soy contamination in wheat, said Bender.

Some of the main varieties of hard red spring have been considered subpar by the European buyers and they were pleased to learn these varieties are declining in acreage.

“I think we need to get knowledge out to the growers that these varieties are not doing well,” said Bender. “I know they’ve been popular among growers, but they’ve hurt our reputation. We’d like to encourage grain companies to put premiums on crops that the buyers want.”

SEC-FUS13-T_AFEx.qxd 1/30/13 Buyers have been critical of Har-

Kevin Bender presents to a group at the National Association of British and Irish Flour Millers. Photo: supplied

“It’s important to get the Canadian crop out there, especially the statistics.

This is the information that the millers live and die by and what they buy on.”

Lynn Jacobson

Millers in Osaka listen to a New Crop Mission presentation. Photo: Lynn Jacobson vest, Lillian and Unity because of poor gluten strength, he noted, adding all three have been declining in acreage. He also said one miller he met on the mission made a4:51 pointPM of praising Glenn CWRS. Page 1 Bender said another key take-

away was how much personal connections matter to European buyers, while Jacobson said he came home with new enthusiasm for the potential of the Asian market.

“They are hungry for products,

and they have more and more dollars to spend. The potential for future sales is huge.”

Both men will share lessons learned from their overseas missions at presentations in Canada.

And Team Canada’s New Crop

Missions aren’t over. Mundare producer Greg Porozni, president of Cereals Canada, will visit the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia this month. akienlen@fbcpublishing.com

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DECEMBER 8, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

What we don’t talk about — and why we should Manitoba farmer Beth Connery speaks about her husband’s losing battle with depression, and urges farm families to seek help when needed

BY MEGHAN MAST STAFF / BRANDON

B

eth Connery, like many who grew up on a farm, learned about death at a young age.

She knew what would happen to the cattle and chickens — they’d eventually be eaten.

“I think perhaps in the farming community we are more comfortable talking about dying,” she said to a small audience at the recent Manitoba Farm Women’s conference in Brandon.

“But not so much always talking about people dying.”

Connery knows grief well.

Her father died 14 years ago after a lengthy struggle with his health, and her sister died from a brain aneurism a couple of years later.

Then in June 2012, she lost her husband very suddenly, just months after his brother and business partner died of a heart attack.

His brother’s death had left Jeff Connery suddenly heading one of the province’s largest vegetable operations, which was still recovering after being hit hard by extensive flooding the previous year.

“When people ask, I say my husband died of depression,” Beth Connery said at the farm women’s conference.

“And it takes a minute and then it sinks in and they figure it out.”

She said she does not understand what happened, and is not sure she ever will, but she said she

finds comfort knowing her husband loved her and their children and would not have chosen to hurt them.

“He was in a place in his mind that was not normal or anywhere near what we would have conceived of,” she said. “What he chose to do was end pain. He could not see another way out. So that’s how I have dealt with it. It wasn’t a choice to do this to us. It was a choice to end pain.”

Heavy burdens

Farmers face a tremendous amount of stress, knowing Mother Nature, fickle markets, or something totally unforeseen could plunge their operation into crisis at any moment.

And that chronic stress has serious consequences. A University of Iowa study found farmers were 3.6 times more likely to commit suicide while the World Health Organization classes farming as one of the most stressful occupations.

Experts also say farmers struggling with mental illness are often more reluctant to get help, fearful of what others in their community might think if their depression or anxiety were to become known.

According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, reducing stigma requires a change in behaviour and attitudes when it comes to mental health.

That was why Beth Connery shared her story, and why she emphasized the importance of

speaking about mental health and about supporting each other.

“Everybody please, please think about yourselves and the people around you,” she said. “I know you can’t live somebody’s life for them. You can’t make their choices for them. There’re many things you can’t do. What you can do is support them to the best of your ability.”

Connery sought help from a counsellor this summer. She had just received word her farm could be flooded again as her family prepared for strawberry season. He told her to make sure to do something fun every day.

“I’d do it again,” she said. “If I ever start feeling that kind of pressure.”

“When people ask, I say my husband died of depression. And it takes a minute and then it sinks in and they figure it out.”

Picking up the pieces

Connery also spoke of going for an early-morning walk the day after her husband died. She met her father-in-law on the road at around 5:30 and the two talked about what was next. She had spoken to her kids the night before and the family had agreed they wanted to keep farming.

The asparagus crop was nearly finished and the berry season about to start. So when all the employees at the Portage la Prairie farm showed up for work that day, she made an announcement.

“I didn’t have a whole lot to say, but I went up and said there was a crop in the field. We have to take care of it. We’re going to farm.

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BETH CONNERY

Everybody has a job. We have to keep going.”

She likens her journey through grief to a dance: Moving sideways, forwards, backwards, sometimes spinning in place.

“Eventually you make it around the dance floor,” she said. “You might end up in the same place, but you’re probably feeling better about how you got there and where you are at that time.”

She tries to take a day at a time, but certain times of the year

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Seek help

Her advice to other people who might be going through a death in the family is to be kind — to yourself and to the people around you.

Get some exercise and sleep where you can. Don’t expect too much.

Give yourself time and ask for help when you need to.

“It’s never going to be the same,” she said. “But there will be a new normal for me that will allow me to continue to focus and do the things I need to do.”

The Alberta Mental Health Help Line provides support for people with an individual or family crisis. Trained consultants can help you identify stress management options and can be reached at 1-877-303-2642. meghan.mast@fbcpublishing.com

Signs of stress and depression — and how to respond

Agriculture is one of the few industries that does not have a human resource department to provide support and services to its workers. Moreover, many farmers spend much of their time working alone and dwindling populations in rural communities may lessen their contact with others. And offfarm jobs may mean that family members may not spend as much time together as in the past.

Whether you’re just getting started or have been farming for years, the flexibility of a cash advance can benefit your farm’s financial plans.

are more difficult than others.

Thanksgiving is particularly tough because both her father and sister were in the hospital at that time several years ago now.

Certain events, like the birth of a grandchild, and even mundane daily tasks, like bringing the wood in from outside, remind her of her husband.

He would call bringing the firewood inside “family time,” gathering everyone together to carry armfuls of wood.

“Those triggers come back but it becomes more comfortable with time,” she said. “And it does take time.”

Physical: • Increased heart rate • Rapid breathing • Tense muscles • Increased blood pressure • Sleep and appetite problems

What are stress relievers?

• Exercise/stretching • Humour • Deep breathing • Taking breaks and socializing • Meditation • Spiritual connectedness

Responding to someone who may be experiencing stress and depression

• Initiate conversation — “what most people need is a good listening to.”

• Ask questions — if you are concerned, don’t be afraid to ask the person if they need to talk or even, if you suspect, if they are considering suicide.

• Acknowledge, believe and listen.

Eighty per cent of people who commit suicide have verbalized it in some way beforehand.

• Provide options — talking, a help line number, other resources (medical, emotional, spiritual).

• Be empathetic without being sympathetic — identify with their stress but don’t take it on yourself.

• Be a mentor or connect the sufferer with a mentor — someone with a positive attitude, some experience and an understanding of the industry.

Resources

Most Alberta communities have Mental Health Centres. Go to www.albertahealthservices.ca/ mentalhealth.

See your medical doctor. Ongoing depression can be treated with medication.

Connect with church, family or community groups you are comfortable with.

Call the Alberta Mental Health Help Line at 1-877-303-2642. It is anonymous and confidential.

9

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • DECEMBER 8, 2014

Record-keeping rules for manure Records must be kept for five years and include who handled the manure, and what, where, and when manure was applied AARD release

A

lberta Agriculture and Rural Development is reminding producers and manure haulers and applicators who handle more than 500 tonnes per year of manure that they must keep records for a minimum of five years.

“When we are talking about manure, we’re including everything from manure, compost, bedding, and feed to the wash water,” said Deanne Madsen, an extension specialist for confined feeding operations. “Anything that touches manure is considered manure and included in this total.”

Records, which may be requested by the Natural Resources Conservation Board, are needed to ensure soil nitratenitrogen and salinity levels aren’t being exceeded, she said.

A solid manure applicator with

a 30-tonne load would hit the 500-tonne limit with about 19 loads, Madsen said. She recommends consulting the Nutrient Management Planning Guide, which includes a table with solid manure production estimates for different livestock categories. (It can be found at www. agric.gov.ab.ca — type ‘nutrient management planning’ in the search box.)

“If you are managing liquid manure, about 100,000 imperial gallons are equal to 500 tonnes of manure,” said Madsen.

“If you have approximately 20 lactating dairy cows in a freestall barn that produce about 21 imperial gallons per day each, then you are managing approximately 158,000 imperial gallons and you’re going to need to keep records.”

Records include who handled the manure, and what, where, and when manure was applied.

“Essentially, this means recording how much manure was applied to meet crop needs based on soil tests.

Repeat applications of manure at rates exceeding crop needs can reduce the soil’s ability to remain at peak productivity over the long term, as well as increase the chance of nutrients being lost to surface water and groundwater. To avoid this, it is important to keep and refer back to manure management records frequently.

There are two fact sheets covering manure-spreading regulations and record-keeping on the website for the Agricultural Operation Practices Act: www.agriculture.alberta.ca/ aopa.

Producers or applicators can also contact an extension specialist for confined feeding operations at 310-FARM ( 3276).

photo: tHINKSTOCK

Hi-Pro buys and closes New-Life Mills feed plant in Lethbridge Hi-Pro Feeds LP has purchased and closed Parrish & Heimbecker’s New-Life Mills feed plant in Lethbridge.

The company is taking “the next step in our growth strategy” after improving its manufacturing capabilities, delivery systems, and customer support following its acquisition of Viterra’s North American feed business in April 2012, said Daren Kennett, Hi-Pro founder and senior vicepresident.

Southern Alberta is a key market and farmers there are leading the way in producing high-quality meat and dairy products, he said.

“We are dedicated to ensuring that livestock producers in the region receive the highest-quality animal nutrition and expertise in the market,” said Kennett.

“Over $4 million has been invested into the Hi-Pro Lethbridge facility in the past three years allowing us to provide consistent, high-quality products for all species of animals in a costeffective, efficient manner.”

The New-Life feed mill permanently closed on Dec. 1, with its feed customers now being served by the HiPro facilty. Three New-Life employees, including feed mill general manager Jassen Jackman, have joined Hi-Pro. Okotoks-headquartered Hi-Pro Feeds has 12 feed mills in Western Canada and three U.S. states serving more than 5,000 customers. More than 70 per cent of its 438 employees are company shareholders.

— Hi-Pro release

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NEWS » Markets

}doldrums

10

DECEMBER 8, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Email marketing webinar

It’s a global bin buster

Explore Local is holding an Owner’s and Marketer’s Guide to Surviving & Thriving under Canada’s New Anti-spam Legislation (CASL) webinar on Dec. 16 at 9 a.m. “CASL may seem so restrictive that you are questioning whether you should even bother with email marketing anymore,” says Elaine Stenbraaten of Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development “But... there is no need to give up on your email lists completely.” The webinar will cover CASL-proofing an email marketing system and ways to get better responses. For more info, Stenbraaten at 780-835-7531 or elaine.stenbraaten@gov.ab.ca.

Global corn production will be just two million tonnes short of last year’s record, the International Grains Council says in its latest estimate. Increased production in China will push up the tally to 982 million tonnes. Global consumption is now expected to be 963 million tonnes, driven largely by a three per cent jump in feed consumption.

The council trimmed its forecast for the 2014-15 global wheat crop by one million tonnes, but still expects a record 717 million, up from the prior season’s 713 million.

It also expects wheat acreage to jump one per cent in 2015-16. — Reuters

Falling oil prices bearish for soy, thus for canola Foreign canola buyers notice oil’s effect on the loonie

By Terryn ShiellS

I

CE Futures Canada canola futures moved lower during the week ended Nov. 28, taking some direction from weakening Chicago soybean and soyoil futures.

The big news of the week was OPEC’s decision not to cut oil production in order to support crude oil prices, which sent oil values tumbling to nearly five-year lows.

Chart-based selling and traders exiting their long positions ahead of the end of the month — and to get out of the market — were adding to the declines in crude oil.

The falling oil market was bearish for soyoil, which in turn weighed on canola.

In return, the move sent the Canadian dollar sharply lower, as it dropped more than 1.5 cents over the week, which was underpinning canola. The Canadian dollar fell below the US87.5cent mark, attracting foreign buyers and crushers to the market.

Commercial demand remains solid for Canadian canola, and with supplies not expected to be overly burdensome, the long-term outlook is looking a bit more positive for prices.

Crushers continue to buy a lot of canola, even though the Louis Dreyfus canola-crushing plant is still shut down at Yorkton, Sask. The company had hoped to reopen the plant before the end of November, but said investigations into the explosion incident last month were still underway. Dreyfus hopes to have a better timeline in early December for when the plant will be back in operation.

Demand remains steady in the U.S. soybean market as well, though there are some worries China will slow its buying soon.

One analyst cautioned about being too bearish on beans, as nearly 60 per cent of the 2014-15 crop has already been sold into cash markets and the futures market hasn’t broken too much. There are still another four months or so until the South American crop comes off; until then, the world will have to go to the U.S. if it wants to buy soybeans.

Export demand for U.S. corn supplies showed signs of improvement during the week, but the overall pace so far this year is still slow.

Corn futures were slightly higher overall, as gains in wheat helped to lift the market. Losses in soybeans during the week, however, were overhanging the corn market.

photo: thinkstock The declining crude oil market was also bearish for corn, as it could discourage ethanol usage and blending, which would in turn lower demand for corn in the ethanol market.

With the large U.S. corn and soybean crops seen this year, demand will need

to be very strong for both crops to keep prices from falling.

U.S. wheat values were moving higher during the week, with concerns about smaller winter wheat production next year behind the advances.

Unfavourable cold weather and a lack

For three-times-daily market reports from Resource News International, visit “ICE Futures Canada updates” at www.albertafarmexpress.ca.

of protective snow cover have been raising worries about crop damage to recently sown winter wheat in parts of the U.S., Ukraine and Russia over the past couple of weeks.

Signs of improving demand for U.S. wheat were also supportive, though strength in the U.S. dollar index continues to make U.S. supplies more expensive on the export market.

Traders will be watching the Dec. 10 monthly U.S. Department of Agriculture report to see what supply-and-demand estimates look like for corn, wheat and soybeans. The Dec. 1 weekly crop report from USDA will also be important, as it will indicate how much harvest, if any, is left for corn and soybeans.

Terryn Shiells writes for Commodity News Service Canada, a Winnipeg company specializing in grain and commodity market reporting

11

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • DECEMBER 8, 2014

Guide for marketing crops and livestock updated Agricultural Marketing Guide outlines marketing basics, managing risks, and ways to get more value from crops or livestock AARD release

A

lberta Agriculture and Rural Development has recently updated the Agricultural Marketing Guide.

“This guide is for all farm mangers, agribusinesses and anyone who deals with farmers or needs a better understanding of farm product marketing,” said Jennifer Stoby, market analyst for agriculture inputs.

For example, under the grainand oilseed-marketing section there is information on how grain prices are established, the importance of basis, developing a marketing plan for your crops, using a decision grid for marketing, how price pooling works, understanding crop contracts, using grain storage as a marketing strategy, using producer cars, and why does wheat quality and pricing matter.

The livestock area of the guide contains marketing information

for hogs, beef cattle, sheep/lamb and wool.

“Some of the information includes how to hedge hogs, using forward contract for cattle marketing, understanding the cattle market sliding scale, how to calculate break-even analysis for feeder cattle, how to market wool and marketing feeder lambs,” said Stoby.

Under the forward contracting section for cattle it explains what a forward contract is, types of forT:10.25”

ward contracts and how to figure out a basis contract.

“The information also helps with deciding when to forward contract and provides an example of forward contracting,” she said. “Some of the general marketing information includes how to choose a commodity broker, margins on futures contract, how options and futures work and how to use hedging to protect farm product prices.”

Lower grain prices and higher

livestock prices make it important to know what options are available for marketing grain and livestock,” said Stoby.

“Some marketing strategies will assist with moving your product quicker or to gain a better value for your product. Marketing plans are important and to develop one you need to know what all the options are.”

The guide can be found at www. agric.gov.ab.ca. Type ‘agricultural marketing guide’ in the search box.

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news » livestock

DECEMBER 8, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Young leaders wanted

Packers no longer docking big cattle

Applications for the Cattlemen’s Young Leaders program are now open. The program, a national youth initiative by the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, offers mentorship opportunities to those aged 18 to 35 who are interested in developing their industry leadership skills or career potential. Those selected as mentees will be paired with industry leaders to begin a 10-month mentorship and given up to $2,000 to attend various industry events and meetings with their mentor. The deadline to apply is Jan. 21. See www.cattlemensyoungleaders.com. — CYL release

U.S. cattle are hitting record weights and the heavier trend should continue next year, but beef production will still fall short of demand and keep prices high, say industry experts. Processors are so desperate for meat supplies that they have stopped docking feedlots for carcass weights over 900 pounds. The latest USDA data pegs average steer and heifer carcasses weighed a record 903 pounds and 830 pounds respectively. But high beef prices are changing consumption. The USDA predicts per capita consumption in 2015 to fall to 52.2 pounds compared with 54.6 pounds this year. — Reuters

Chicken industry reaches longdelayed allocation agreement New deal gives Alberta fair share of chicken allocation by ron friesen af contributor

C

anada’s broiler chicken industry has reached a new quota allocation agreement, avoiding a potential showdown with a federal regulator that could have thrown the system into chaos.

The deal will see Alberta producers get more quota and rejoin the Chicken Farmers of Canada (CFC).

“The reason we stepped out was because our population was growing at such a greater rate than the rest of the country and our piece of the pie was getting smaller and smaller and smaller — and we didn’t think that was fair,” said Erna Ference, a producer from Black Diamond and chair of Alberta Chicken Producers.

Her organization estimated that based on the provincial population, Alberta chicken producers were only receiving 80 per cent of what their allocation should have been.

All 10 provincial chicken-marketing boards have now signed a memorandum of understanding which partially bases allocations for each of the eight-week rolling production periods on factors reflecting provinces’ comparative advantage. The result is something called “differential growth” in which some provinces get proportionately more chicken than others, depending on economic conditions.

A complicated formula bases 45 per cent of future chicken market growth on historical market share and 55 per cent on comparative advantages, including population growth, cost of living, farm input prices, and other factors.

“We had some very basic principles and all of those have been achieved,” said Ference.

Intense pressure

The Chicken Farmers of Canada had been under intense pressure by the Farm Products Council of Canada, which had threatened not to approve its allocation requests unless a new national arrangement could be struck, officials said.

If the council had rejected CFC’s allocations, the industry

photos: Thinkstock could have lost a main pillar of supply management: the ability to match supply with market demand. Lacking that ability could have produced a production free-for-all among provinces, returning the industry to the interprovincial chicken wars of the 1960s and 1970s which led to the creation of supply management in the first place.

The council’s threat helped push CFC past the dickering of recent years towards the new allocation agreement, said Jake Wiebe, Manitoba Chicken Producers chair.

“The fact that we were standing on the edge of the precipice had us saying, how much is supply management worth to us?” said Wiebe.

Wiebe said Laurent Pellerin, who chairs the Farm Products Council of Canada, had given CFC deadlines for reaching a new agreement, although he kept extending them.

“But he said if there isn’t a comparative advantage (component), Farm Products Canada

will not approve our allocations.”

Dave Janzen, Chicken Farmers of Canada chairman, said he was feeling heat from Pellerin to reach a deal or risk imploding the system.

“He was putting a lot of pressure on me and using it as a motivator for me to keep working with the provinces,” said Janzen, who farms at Abbotsford, B.C. “There was tremendous risk on us not coming to any agreement.”

Give and take

Alberta and Ontario are the big winners in the deal with some provinces giving up part of their projected future growth so they can have more.

Wiebe said, in his own case, that’ll cost him 80 birds per cycle based on future estimated growth. His Manitoba operation produces 60,000 kilograms of chicken per cycle.

But the loss is worthwhile in order to preserve the system, he said, adding Manitoba was one

of the leaders in proposing the new allocation formula.

“We’ve really rallied with (other smaller) provinces and said, ‘Sure, some of this isn’t exactly what we’d like. We’d like to be growing faster. But the reality is, we’re also the ones that’ll be hurt the most if supply management goes.’”

The increased allocation in Alberta will be distributed to existing producers, said Ference.

The agreement announced Nov. 20 still has a way to go before it is formalized, with 10 provincial boards, the farm products council, and Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz all needing to sign off on it.

“We’re hoping this is all finalized by summer and we’re back in by then at the latest,” said Ference.

Meanwhile, CFC is proceeding as if the agreement were already finalized, so the chicken sector can turn its attention to other pressing matters, said Janzen.

The main one is spent fowl

imports. Canada alleges U.S. processors are fraudulently labelling fresh chicken as spent fowl, and reselling it in Canada as fresh.

CFC says over 100 million kilograms of the product enter Canada annually this way, bypassing tariffs and displacing more than 10 per cent of Canadian chicken production.

— with files from staff

13

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • DECEMBER 8, 2014

Cattlemen can ensure biosecurity on the ranch BEEF 911  Maintaining a few simple precautions

can minimize the risk of disease outbreaks

BY ROY LEWIS, DVM

B

iosecurity refers to protecting the health of our livestock by preventing disease transmission. The extreme happened many years ago now regarding the spread of foot-and-mouth through Britain.

A more likely example would be the spread of scours from farm to farm or from pen to pen within the farm itself. This article will try and deal with a practical approach to on-farm biosecurity.

It will explain what most producers should be doing as a preventive. Hopefully I will dispel some false myths.

Every few years a severe outbreak of scours or some other disease will get the community talking; the fear of spread is the biggest concern. Often producers are afraid to even associate with their neighbours in such a situation. I have coined this the “leper mentality.” They treat the producer involved like they have leprosy.

Simple precautions

A few very simple precautions can virtually eliminate the possibility of any transmission and make producers rest easy.

The first form of any biosecurity is having your stock well protected against any disease of concern. Work with your veteri-

narians. They know the diseases prevalent in the area. Vaccines for most common contagious diseases such as scours, IBR or BVD already exist. For other diseases less prevalent, such as leptospirosis or anthrax a reportable disease, veterinarians may have you vaccinate if the disease emerges in your area.

Good nutrition also keeps the immune system strong. Keep in mind no vaccine is 100 per cent protective and in the event of overwhelming challenge, disease can still occur. Treating and removing external and internal parasites also keeps the immune system strong because it is not trying to rid the cattle’s body of these pesky parasites.

Common sense

A very common-sense approach to disease control is the best, as these steps are easy to implement and maintain. Infectious organisms are small, generally much smaller than what the naked eye can see. A good rule of thumb is anything dirty may be contaminated with infectious organisms.

Either your clothes, skin, or more commonly boots, can be the biggest source of infection. Cleaning clothes, removing coveralls and washing boots with common disinfectants after contacting sick animals will kill or remove most organisms.

Simply cleaning your hands is

Alberta Beef Producers delegates for 2014-15 ABP RELEASE

A

lberta Beef Producers’ elections have wrapped up. There were elections for delegates in Zones 3 and 5, with the remaining seven zones electing delegates by acclamation. Elections took place during ABP meetings in October and November. Zones 4, 6, 7, and 8 have vacancies.

Here are the ABP delegates for the 2014-15 year. (An asterisk notes delegates who were elected, acclaimed, or appointed during this election.)

Zone 1: Brodie Haugan (*Orion), Garth Porteous (*Bow Island), Brad Osadczuk (Jenner), John de Groot (Vauxhall), Rick Friesen (Vauxhall), Howard Bekkering (Vauxhall).

Zone 2: Cecilie Fleming (*Granum), Jake Meyer (*Welling), Bob Lowe (Nanton), Darren Bevans (Raymond), Tyler Sawley (Nanton), Jimmy Nelson (*Stirling).

Zone 3: Brian Edge (*Cochrane), Kevin Krebs (*Didsbury), Chris Israelson (Didsbury), John S. Bland (Strathmore), John Buckley (Cochrane), Bryan Thiessen (Strathmore).

Zone 4: Walter Suntjens (*Hanna), Judy Fenton (Irma), Tim Smith (Coronation).

Zone 5: Rob Somerville (*Endiang), Kelly Fraser (*Red Deer County), Arnie Tateson (Endiang), Rose Wymenga (Leslieville), Nanita Blomquist (Big Valley), Charles Christie (Trochu).

Zone 6: Assar Grinde (*Bluffton), Gary Seutter (Rocky Rapids), Ralph Buhler (Camrose), Tim Sekura (Rocky Rapids).

Zone 7: Colin Campbell (Bon Accord), Ted Ford (Westlock), Rick McKnight (Jarvie), Ken Stanley (Westlock).

Zone 8: Michael Lutzak (*Hairy Hill), Brian Chomlak (Beauvalion), Gordon Graves (Iron River), Lyndon Mansell (Innisfree).

Zone 9: Roland Cailliau (*Valleyview), Ron Wieler (*Fort Vermilion), Maartin Braat (Fort Vermilion), Dee Parke (High Prairie), Norman Hennigar (Grande Prairie), John MacArthur (Fairview).

a good hygienic practice minimizing spread of disease. Boot dips with a disinfectant such as VIRKON or water and vinegar mixed 50-50 allows one to disinfect the soiled underside of boots as well as makes a visible statement to visitors that sanitation is very important on your farm.

If possible have a garden hose there with pressure.

However, visitors should be coming to your place with clean boots and clothes. With visitors, it may be best to have extra pairs of boots they can wear or have a box of the slip-over plastic boots that can be worn over their existing footwear. This also really increases awareness of the importance of biosecurity on your farm.

Having a boot dip with brush at the entry to your farm or calving barn, for instance, is a constant reminder of biosecurity. These boot dips should be replenished at weekly intervals or sooner if lots of organic material is present. Disinfectant mats are also available which accomplish the same purpose.

Potential

The potential for disease introduction is greatest when new animals are purchased or if your own animals are taken somewhere (like to a cattle show or auction market) and then returned home. A simple fix here

is to isolate these animals for two to three weeks when you return, as most diseases picked up will express themselves by then. Contrary to this some natural exposure to infectious diseases in this way could be a good thing as it makes your herd more immune competent.

A totally closed isolated herd is really a misnomer in today’s cattle industry. Cattle are traded back and forth, taken to auction markets and brought home and, as a minimum, herd bulls are purchased off farm. Plus there is exposure to wildlife and humans, which can occasionally be a source of infection for your cattle.

Most purebred operators have very open herds. Heifers and bred cows are purchased and sold. Commercial producers are always walking through the herd selecting bulls. Cattle are taken to shows exposing them to numerous other cattle by direct and indirect contact.

As mentioned before, this could still be a good thing potentially allowing limited exposure to some organisms. It is when the concentration or exposure to organisms gets too high that disease occurs. One always has to be wary when stress from transport, processing, weaning or calving gets too high, as cattle are much more susceptible to pick up disease.

Vehicles

Mechanical transmission from people, vehicles and other equipment is another mode of transmission. Visitors from urban areas are less of a risk, but again maintaining cleanliness, boot dips and simply not allowing access to certain areas of your farm at certain times of year minimize any risk. Most infectious viruses are quite fragile; drying by the sun kills most germs.

Wildlife still pose some threat to our commercial cattle when it comes to certain diseases. They are very mobile, cover great distances, and are hard to control. You want to control wildlife, especially cloven-hoofed animals, from access to your feed and water supplies.

This prevents fecal and urine contamination.

If potentially contagious diseases are diagnosed in your area, the intensity of these control problems can be stepped up and visitor logs used. Work with your veterinarian to have the most comprehensive vaccination program you can. If you help the neighbours, such as with branding, clean your clothes and boots upon returning.

By implementing the above points you can minimize most potential biosecurity risks against your farm.

Roy Lewis is a large-animal veterinarian practising at the Westlock, Alberta Veterinary Centre.

His main interests are bovine reproduction and herd health.

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14

DECEMBER 8, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Trust the key to sustainable beef production Jerry Wulf says trust, transparency, and finding win-wins were the keys to building one of North America’s largest integrated beef operations

By Jennifer Blair af staff / calgary

Cattleman Leonard Wulf lived by a simple philosophy before he passed away in 2003: “You can get everything in life you want if you help others get what they want.”

That principle still guides his son Jerry as he manages Wulf cattle — one of the largest integrated beef companies in North America.

“As we go through this world, operating in this business that we’re in, we’ve been passionate about looking for win-wins,” the Minnesota producer said at the recent Canfax Cattle Market Forum. “Win-loses aren’t sustainable.”

For Wulf, win-wins have been built on two things: information and trust. In the early decades on the family ranch, the Wulfs bought feeder cattle at the sale barn — “most of the time not even knowing where the ranch of origin was.”

As the Wulfs started selling bulls in the 1970s, being able to track their genetics to buy the calves back became critical.

“We got to know those ranchers from selling them bulls, and we bought those calves back from the sale barn,” said Wulf. “As it’s evolved in the last two decades, we’re only buying about 30 per cent at sale barns and the rest are coming direct off the ranch.”

Buying direct has also lessened mortality rates, with the death loss of those cattle about one-third lower than those coming through sale barns, he said.

It’s also boosted efficiency, he added.

“We buy calves over the phone. We know what their calves will do and how they’ll feed. We know how they’ll harvest,” he said. “I can’t speak enough to trust and what it’s worth in the efficiency that’s come.”

Adding value through trust

It also paved the operation’s move into value-added beef.

“It couldn’t happen without being transparent, building trust in those relationships, and sharing information,” he said of his 40,000-head value-added cattle herd.

As the largest supplier of ‘natural’ and non-hormone-treated cattle for Tyson, Wulf nets around $60 more per head on his implant-free cattle and just over $100 more per head on his natural cattle.

“There’s only two ways to improve margins, and that’s either to lower costs or add value,” he said.

“The more connected we become and the more we operate with trust, others up and down the supply chain will become more efficient, and we’ll become better producers in the process.”

The trust Wulf has in his packers has “evolved with grid marketing,” a system that offers premiums and discounts based on carcass quality.

“As long as we were willing to accept the risk of selling cattle on a grid, they had to show us how they were grading,” he said, adding that the process is “very transparent.”

“We flow that information back to the ranch of origin and create the dialogue between us and it about how we can continue to build a better product. As we share that information, it opens the line of communication for some good discussion.”

As major retailers like Loblaws and restaurant chains like McDonald’s shift their focus to ‘sustainable beef,’ Wulf said he sees an opportunity to capitalize on the “new buzzword.”

“I believe we need to start tracking everything and then look at improvements,” he said. “We just need to document that we care about people, we care about our animals, and we’re going to leave the world a better place than we found it.

“There’s always a better way.” jennifer.blair@fbcpublishing.

The Canadian Forage and Grassland Association short of funds — and a manager The five-year-old organization is struggling after losing CCA funding and has now lost its executive director

By Allan Dawson staff / bromont, que.

T

he Canadian Forage and Grassland Association set up five years ago to help Canada’s struggling forage and grassland industry is struggling itself.

But chair Doug Wray is vowing the organization will carry on, despite a funding shortage that led to the resignation of executive director Ron Pidskalny.

“Nobody is saying we’re going to have to shut it down,” Wray told attendees at the association’s recent annual meeting.

Pidskalny, who took on the job as part of his consulting business, realized the association couldn’t continue to pay him, Wray, who ranches near Irricana, said in an interview.

The organization will only have around $3,000 in its bank account by year’s end after losing $20,000 in annual support that the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) has contributed for the past three years.

“Our total expenses have increased substantially this year... and our net income has dropped substantially,” said Pidskalny.

Pidskalny said part of his job was to find funding, but much of his time was spent administering the umbrella organization, which represents provincial forage associations on the national level.

“Our mission and vision is to support those who make a living with forages and grasslands and to give forages a voice in Canada,” Pidskalny said.

An organic milking herd of 29 Brown Swiss cows at Feme des Prairies Inc. at Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., was one of the stops during a Canadian Forage and Grassland Association tour. photos: allan dawson Wray said the CCA will again be asked for funding, saying forages should be part of the national beef strategy that organization is developing.

“We’ll be suggesting that they harness the horsepower of this room,” Wray said. “It would be a much more efficient and costeffective way to do it. We’re going to try and re-establish a much better partnership relationship with CCA.” Meanwhile, Dairy Farmers of Canada said it will continue contributing $10,000 annually so long as its representative on the forage association’s board says it’s worthwhile, Pidskalny said.

At 32 million acres, forage occupies 39 per cent of Canada’s cultivated land — more than any other crop. And it generates $5.1 billion in economic activity, plus ecological benefits from cleaner water to wildlife habitat that are estimated to be worth $13 billion annually.

A funding shortage has seen Ron Pidskalny, executive director of the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association, resign after just one year on the job.

But unlike most crops, forages don’t have a checkoff to fund research or crop promotion. And because forage is mostly consumed on the farm that produced it, a checkoff isn’t practical. allan@fbcpublishig.com

Hay exporters Edward Shaw (l) and Jeffrey Gao take a closer look at hay producer David Normandin’s product during a Canadian Forage and Grassland Association tour near Saint-Césaire, Que.

‘Breeding to feeding’ builds better dairy bulls Crossbred Jersey-Limousins could be the answer to rebuilding North America’s cattle herd

By Jennifer Blair af staff / calgary

A

lberta dairy producers may favour Holsteins on their farms, but down in the heart of America’s Midwest, Jerry Wulf milks around 30,000 “smaller, more efficient” Jersey cows — over half of his total dairy herd.

But Jerseys have just one problem, he said.

“That stray Jersey bull calf that she was raising was a liability, not an asset,” said the Minnesotabased producer. “What are we going to do with this little guy that you put more feed in him than he would produce for a carcass?”

In 2010, Wulf decided to see if he could turn his liability into an asset by breeding Jersey replacement heifers with purebred Limousin bulls — a process he calls ‘breeding to feeding.’

And the Beef Builder breed was born.

“We’re fetching $2,400 or $2,600 on today’s market for a fat steer, but somewhere out there, there’s a beef cow that ate for 365 days to raise that steer,” said Wulf. “We could sell a $2,400 Beef Builder steer now out of that little Jersey cow that also sold about $7,500 worth of milk in a year’s time.”

Since 2012, the Wulfs have

been selling semen to dairies across the United States, with the agreement that they will buy the calf back based on day-old Holstein dairy calf prices, plus a premium.

“It’s an incredible opportunity to add value, particularly to Jerseys, but now about a third of our semen sales are going on Holsteins,” he said.

And Wulf believes this could be the answer to rebuilding

North America’s shrinking cattle herd.

“There’s around nine million dairy cows out there, and that cow herd hasn’t shrunk. I really think that’s going to be easier to sustain than beef cattle,” he said.

“I think it’s actually our lowest hanging fruit out there to add numbers of good feeder cattle to our beef supply chain.” jennifer.blair@fbcpublishing.com

15

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • DECEMBER 8, 2014

Worker shortage labelled ‘greatest threat’ to livestock and meat sector Labour shortages are forcing Canadian plants to work at 77 per cent of their capacity

BY ALEX BINKLEY AF CONTRIBUTOR

L

abour shortages in Canada’s meat sector are cutting into profitability and resulting in more livestock being sent south for processing, says the executive director of the Canadian Meat Council. “The greatest threat to the future of Canada’s livestock and meat sector at the moment is the severe shortage of butchers and meat cutters to work in our industry,” Jim Laws told the Senate agriculture committee last month.

While companies have tried to recruit Canadians for what Laws called well-paying, full-time jobs including job training, they also need access to foreign workers, he said.

“The best means to achieve this outcome is for butchers and meat cutters to be eligible for the new so-called express entry program that Immigration Canada is putting in place next January.”

Laws said the Canadian meat industry currently has 500 unfilled jobs in meat cutting.

The Maple Leaf Foods facility in Brandon is “being challenged with being able to maintain two shifts because of a lack of workers,” Laws said. “Structurally, it needs more workers to maintain best efficiencies to compete against the Americans, who can operate world-class-size facilities at high capacity.”

Changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker program made earlier this year by the federal government took the meat industry by surprise because they made it much harder for companies to attract skilled foreign workers when domestic labour wasn’t available.

On average, the labour shortages are forcing Canadian plants to work at 77 per cent of their capacity, which hurt their competitiveness with U.S. plants that have lower wages and can ship freely into Canada.

Labour shortages also worry the country’s hog producers who have weathered a long-term bout of low prices and are looking forward to increased exports, says Bill Wymenga, vice-chair of the Canadian Pork Council and a hog farmer from Lambton, Ont. “Our growing concern is labour availability for Canadian slaughter plants,” he said. Low hog prices and high feed costs have created “a smaller but highly competitive hog sector, and we must not lose sight of our industry’s long-term interests.”

New trade agreements are of little value when companies cannot hire the workers needed to prepare products for export, he added.

“The world economy will continue to evolve and we cannot afford to overlook or suspend any efforts that can improve our market access or place our industry at a competitive disadvantage.”

More than two-thirds of hogs raised in Canada are exported either as live hogs or pork products, he said. Increasing exports is vital to hog producers and that requires co-operation between government and industry at all levels.

The meat industry is the largest component of this country’s food-processing sector, employing over 65,000 workers with annual sales of $24.1 billion.

Laws said the meat industry should benefit from a side agreement to the CanadaEurope trade deal that says the two sides will treat each other’s meat inspection systems and meat-processing technologies as equivalent.

“Japan, the United States, Mexico, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Colombia and dozens of other countries already accept our meat inspection system and processes of sanitation and pathogen control as safe and based on sound science — so should the Europeans,” he said.

“On this farm, we’re the experts.”

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PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

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} forecasts

DECEMBER 8, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Quiet hurricane season

Wine country moving northwards

A combination of cooler seas and a quiet West African monsoon season gave the south and east U.S. coasts the lengthiest reprieves from hurricanes since the Civil War era. The Atlantic Basin, which includes the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, saw only eight named storms, including six hurricanes, during the hurricane season (June 1-Nov. 30). Only one, Arthur, made landfall, grazing the North Carolina coast.

Wilma in 2005 was the last major hurricane to make U.S. landfall. Superstorm Sandy in 2012 was not a hurricane by the time it reached land. — Reuters

Warmer temperatures and new, cold-resistant vines are pushing wine production into Nordic countries in a rare positive spinoff from climate change. The Blaxsta winery near Stockholm — which is farther north than Moscow — not only produces ice wine but also Merlot and Chardonnay. “We believe the climate is getting warmer and it is more possible to grow and make wine in northerly areas,” said owner Joar Saettem. A generation ago, the northernmost frontier for vineyards was Britain. Nowadays, the title of the world’s most northerly vineyard is a moving target, experts say. — Reuters

Cold November — warm December?

Old Farmer’s Almanac, the Canadian Farmers’ Almanac, and Environment Canada all have different forecasts. Who will be right?

By Daniel Bezte

N

ovember started where October left off, nice and warm.

During the first week or so, temperatures right across the Prairies were running a good 5° above average. Edmonton saw highs in the low double digits on Nov. 6, while Calgary saw temperatures soar to 16 C on the same day. Regina topped out at 12 C on the 1 s t o f t h e m o n t h , w i t h Winnipeg seeing daytime highs right around 10 C on a couple of days.

All in all it was looking like winter was going to take its sweet time moving in.

Then came the second week of November and the remnants of a powerful typhoon over the Pacific turned into one of the strongest storm systems ever recorded in the Gulf of Alaska. This system, in turn, influenced the weather across North America, causing a strong ridge of high pressure to build along the west coast and a deep trough of low pressure to form over the western half of the continent. The end result was a pattern that allowed cold arctic air to pour southwards bringing some record-breaking cold temperatures from Alberta eastwards.

Needless to say, when all the numbers for the month were added up, all three Prairie provinces reported well-below-average temperatures. Calgary, Edmonton, and Peace River reported mean monthly temperatures that were about 2.5 C below the long-term average, Regina recorded a mean monthly temperature that was 3.0 C colder than average, while Saskatoon was not far behind with a recording of 2.6 C below average. In Manitoba it was even colder, with Winnipeg reporting a mean temperature that was 3.4 C below average. Dauphin was the cold spot, with a mean monthly November temperature of -9.1 C which was 3.8 C colder than average.

Here is the first snow cover map of the season, showing snow depth across the Prairies as of Nov. 30. The map was originally created by Environment Canada, but I did a lot of “cleaning up” to make the map easier to read. For this reason some of the data has been lost, so the map should only be used to give a rough idea as to how much snow cover there actually is. That said, we have seen a fairly early development of a significant snowpack this year as a good portion of the Prairie provinces has 10-plus cm of snow cover. The dotted black line on the map is the average extent of the one-cm snow line at this time of the year.

The pattern of precipitation during November was opposite of the temperature trend. Manitoba was the driest of the three Prairie provinces, with all three locations (Winnipeg, Brandon, and Dauphin) reporting below-average amounts. The Winnipeg region was the driest, receiving about 40 per cent of average precipitation reported. Regina saw average amounts of precipitation, while Saskatoon was wetter, with nearly twice the monthly average. Alberta saw a much wetter-than-average N o v e m b e r , w i th a l l t h r e e locations reporting aboveaverage amounts. Edmonton reported 31.4 mm of waterequivalent precipitation, which was nearly double its average. Thanks to a couple of different storm systems, Calgary recorded around 43 mm of water-equivalent precipitation, more than three times its average.

Put it all together and November was colder and wetter than average across Alberta and Saskatchewan, and colder and drier than average across Manitoba. If we look back at the different long-range forecasts, it appears none were correct. While some of them did predict wetter-than-average conditions across the Prairies, all of them either predicted near-average temperatures or warmer-than-average conditions.

Now the million-dollar question: What will December hold in store for us this year?

Well, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, December is going to be a little warmer than average right across the Prairies, with near-average amounts of snowfall. It then does a 180-degree turn for January with a call for wellbelow-average temperatures and below-average snowfall.

Over at the Canadian Farmers’ Almanac it appears to be calling for colder-than-average temperatures, especially late in the month as it indicates bitterly cold temperatures moving in just before Christmas. It looks like it will be a very snowy month, according to these folks as they mention stormy conditions at least six times during the month. This cold and snowy pattern looks like it will continue into January as they mention heavy snow and intense storms along with cold temperatures for much of the month.

Next we look at the outlook from Environment Canada’s forecasters. They are calling for above-average temperatures for everywhere except for southeastern Manitoba, where average temperatures are expected. These types of temperatures are expected to continue into January. Precipitation looks like it will be

near to slightly below average for both December and January, with much of Saskatchewan seeing the best chance of below-average amounts.

Finally, for my long-range outlook, my weather Ouija board is telling me to trust Environment Canada’s forecast. While I think we’ll still see a few bone-chilling cold snaps, overall I think the mild weather will win out over the cold. Snowfall is always much tougher as one storm can bring a winter’s worth of precipitation in a day or two. If we do see milder-than-average temperatures though, then the odds are that we’ll see near- to below-average snowfall.

Daniel Bezte is a teacher by profession with a BA (Hon.) in geography, specializing in climatology, from the U of W. He operates a computerized weather station near Birds Hill Park.

Contact him with your questions and comments at daniel@bezte.ca..

Check your canola bins Alberta Canola Producers Commission is urging producers to check their canola bins. There was a spike in heated canola being delivered in the second half of November, with some crushers maxed out in their capacity to take mildly heated canola. “Cooling the bin and stopping this early heating now can save a lot of money in lost grade and lost delivery options,” the commission stated in a release.

Cool temperatures, rainfall, and high humidity conditions experienced this harvest increased the risk for a lot of later-seeded canola. — ACPC release

Federal bill brings Canada one step closer to an end-point royalty system

Roundup Ready® is a registered trademark used under license from Monsanto Company.

Pioneer® brand products are provided subject to the terms and conditions of purchase which are part of the labeling and purchase documents.

The DuPont Oval Logo is a registered trademark of DuPont. ® TM SM , , Trademarks and service marks licensed to Pioneer Hi-Bred Limited. © 2014, PHL.

} STORAGE

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Albertafarmexpress.ca • December 8, 2014

Bill C-18 amends Plant Breeders’ Rights Act to bring it into compliance with an international seed treaty known as UPOV ’91

By Jennifer Blair af staff / lacombe

F

“No matter what model is chosen, farmer money invested in farmer-funded research needs to be directed and controlled by farmers.”

Cole Christensen

File Photo “And the most viable way of funding these companies right now seems to be through an endpoint royalty.”

One alternative is to “drastically increase the cost of new seed” — sometimes called the “canola model.” In that system, farmers assume the brunt of the risk, while plant breeders continue to be funded through the high cost of seed.

In the end-point royalty system, the cost of seed is “supposed to remain lower,” with a percentage of varietal seeds sales going back to breeders using systems created for checkoff collection, said Christensen. With end-point royalties, farmers and breeders share the

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T:15.5”

ederal NDP MPs only delayed the “inevitable” by voting against the Agricultural Growth Act (Bill C-18) in late November, said an Alberta Barley spokesperson at a recent meeting in Lacombe.

“It might slow things down a bit, but nonetheless, we believe that it will be approved by Parliament in early 2015, after which work will need to be done on the regulations that go into making this bill a reality,” said Cole Christensen, communications manager for Alberta Barley.

And the regulations are where things could go sideways for producers hoping to save seed.

“We’ve been assured that the farmers’ privilege to save seed will be guaranteed within the legislation,” said Christensen. “However, we believe we will need to watch this carefully to ensure that nothing changes.

“Basically, it’s written into the legislation, but the actual enforceable rules come in during the regulation phase. They could add any kind of condition on it post-implementation.”

Once it comes into effect, Bill C-18 will amend the Plant Breeders’ Rights Act and bring Canada in com-

pliance with UPOV ’91, a convention created by the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties that sets out the criteria for intellectual property (IP) rights for plant breeding. One of the conditions of the new trade deal with Europe is that UPOV ’91 is ratified in Canada.

“The federal government sees this not just as a step forward for plant breeders’ rights but as part of an overall IP strategy that will help Canada build relationships with key trading partners,” Christensen said.

“It’s a gateway to make trade agreements.”

And once Bill C-18 comes into effect, end-point royalties likely won’t be far behind.

“An amended plant breeders’ rights act wouldn’t necessarily result in the introduction of an end-point royalty, but it would allow the federal government to implement it at any time,” said Christensen.

As federal research funding shrinks and demand for improved varieties grows, end-point royalties seem like “the most logical system” for funding variety development, he said.

“Based on the federal government’s desire to change the current system, the future research in plant breeding in Canada is likely to be done primarily by private companies and, to a small extent, by publicly funded universities,” said Christensen.

risk — but on-farm input costs would go up.

“Farmers will pay more to put in the crop. That’s the reality of the system,” said Christensen.

Regardless of which funding model is used for ongoing variety development, it’s vital that the decision isn’t made solely by “nine guys in a board room in Calgary,” he said.

“No matter how you look at it, farmers will be paying for it,” he said. “No matter what model is chosen, farmer money invested in farmer-funded research needs to be directed and controlled by farmers.” jennifer.blair@fbcpublishing.com

18

DECEMBER 8, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Science rules threaten gains offered by European trade deal The EU’s approach to GMOs and pesticides will make market access difficult for grains and oilseeds exporters

By Alex Binkley af contributor

P

olitical interference in what should be science-based decisions will continue to plague Canadian exports to the European Union, despite the new trade deal eliminating many tariffs, says a CropLife Canada official.

While the removal of tariffs should eventually boost Canadian shipments by up to $1.5 billion a year from the current level of $2.4 billion, the deal won’t solve “consistent difficulties with EU cultivation approvals and import approvals of products of genetic engineering,” Dennis Prouse told the Senate agriculture committee holding hearings into the state of Canada’s agri-food exports.

“The reason, quite simply, is political oversight on what we believe should be a science-based regulatory decision,” said Prouse, vice-president of government affairs for the organization representing herbicide and pesticide manufacturers.

“While the EU continues to verbally support a science-based approach, the reality is that there is now a cumulative 37 years of backlogged approvals.”

The de facto ban creates a barrier to trade for Canadian farm commodities, he said. “In order for CETA (Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement) to truly be a success for Canada’s agriculture sector, we must insist that EU member states adhere to clear science-based standards.”

The European bloc also appears to be moving away from a sciencebased approach for crop protection products, he said.

“The EU approach will impact not only trade and pesticides current and future, but also food, feed and seed products produced by using these pesticides. The import tolerance specified by the EU for

Greenpeace and other anti-GM activists in Europe have been adept at raising fears about genetic modification, but Dennis Prouse says he fears EU governments will also refuse to take a science-based approach in order to skirt a new trade deal. photo: REUTERS/Thierry Roge these products is effectively zero, so even trace amounts could prevent the product from entering the EU.” Europe is also advocating a hazard-based cut-off criteria that has the potential for negative and far-reaching impacts on global commerce, even though it runs contrary to the World Trade Organization’s Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement, he said.

Basically, the policy would allow Europe to ban any crop on which particular pesticides are used

even if they are deemed safe in the supplying country.

“Growers of cereals, oilseeds, pulses, horticulture and many others destined for EU markets will potentially be prevented from using a large number of safe, effective pesticides assessed by Health Canada,” he said.

“Growers need all the tools they have as well as future innovations to combat pest problems and feed a growing world population. Europe’s actions in this area could have tremendous negative

impacts on innovation and introduction of new technologies.”

Canada faces similar headaches with China.

In 2013, Canada exported roughly $3.2 billion worth of canola and soybean products to China, accounting for more than 15 per cent of total Canadian exports to China, which more than doubled from 2008 and 2013 to surpass the $20-billion mark.

While more than 90 per cent of the Canadian canola crop consists of GM varieties, China is incon-

sistent with timely approvals of new crops.

“The inability to secure timely import approvals for new biotechnology products and a growing concern that factors other than science are being used as justification to reject applications, has created a situation where Canadian exports are in jeopardy of being rejected in China,” Prouse said. “This hurts research and development in Canada and limits the technology available to Canadian farmers.”

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Jan Slomp re-elected as NFU president Jan Slomp of Rimby was returned as National Farmers Union president after being elected by acclamation at the organization’s 45th annual convention.

Also elected by acclamation were: first vicepresident Ann Slater of St. Marys, Ont., second vice-president Glenn Tait of Meota, Sask., women’s president Coral Sproule of Dashwood, Ont., women’s vice-president Marcella Pedersen of Cut Knife, Sask., and youth president Alex Fletcher of Victoria, B.C. — NFU release

19

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • DECEMBER 8, 2014

Two-tier variety registration system proposed One category would require merit testing and the other would only require the registrant to demonstrate a variety was new, distinguishable, uniform and stable

BY ALLAN DAWSON STAFF

A

griculture and Agri-Food Canada is proposing to reduce Canada’s crop variety registration system from three tiers to two by 2016.

The current tiers are: Part I: Crops in this category require up to three years of merit testing and then the recommendation of an expert committee before being registered. New wheats are in this category. They must meet agronomic, disease and end-use quality standards for the class they are intended for.

Part II: Crops are tested but merit is not assessed.

Part III: Crops in this category don’t have to provide any testing information, but must demonstrate to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency that the variety is new, distinguishable from others, uniform, and stable.

Stakeholders in the value chain determine which category a crop belongs in.

The federal Agriculture Department is proposing eliminating Part II but keeping Part I as “enhanced” registration and Part III as “basic” registration.

“All other crop kinds currently subject to variety registration would remain where they are... but if a new crop, like Brassica carinata, wanted to enter the variety registration system it would enter at the basic registration level,” Dale Adolphe, executive director of the Canadian Seed Growers Association, said at the Interprovincial Seed Growers meeting last month.

Wheat and canola would continue under enhanced registration, which includes merit testing, he said.

Forages and soybeans, which recently moved to Part III would go to basic registration.

While Ottawa has proposed that pulse crops be moved to basic registration, some pulse industry officials want certain pulses to remain in the enhanced registration box.

“So I think pulses are still up for discussion,” Adolphe said.

Questions are also being raised about whether to continue exempting some crops, such as corn, from the registration process.

Under the proposal, the number of expert recommending committees will go to 12 from 17.

Moving crops from one category to another will be easier, too. Bill C-30, the Agricultural Growth Act, expected to pass before Christmas, includes provisions for “incorporation by reference,” Adolphe said. That means moving crops from one category to another will no longer require cabinet approval. However, industry consensus would still be required.

Some private wheat-breeding companies and some farmers say the current registration system is unpredictable, subjective, bureaucratic, and discourages innovation.

Producing high-quality wheat is important for Western Canada and the variety registration system plays a role in achieving it, Rob Graf, a wheat breeder with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Lethbridge, told the meeting.

“I think we have to differentiate our product, so there’s market

pull, recognizing that we export about 80 per cent of the wheat that we grow,” Graf said.

In July, Graf spoke at a Brazilian conference about how Canada achieved its reputation for producing the best wheat in the world. He credited the Canada Seeds Act, the Canada Grain Act, oversight by the Canadian Grain Commission, the work of seed growers, and the registration system.

“At the end of the process we know where it (a new variety of wheat) fits in terms of the class system,” Graf said. “Nobody else has that. And, in fact, what that does is it actually speeds the uptake of the varieties in the market (among farmers).”

Some companies say they can register many more new wheats in the U.S. than Canada, Graf said.

“The reality is there is no registration system in the United

States, so keep that in mind,” he said.

Critics have also said they want a predictable system.

“If everything that goes in is going to be registered, it’s not serving any purpose,” Graf said.

“The registration system is really a gatekeeper and there’s going to be winners and there are going to be losers. And that’s the way it has to be or we don’t need it.”

Seed growers like the current system, because it weeds out poorer varieties, making it easier for seed growers and ultimately farmers to pick winning ones, said Eric McLean, president of the Manitoba Seed Growers Association.

“The (current) program is working well,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that it still takes the length of time it still does to produce a variety.”

According to critics new wheats get commercialized

AAFC wheat breeder Rob Graf says the wheat registration system is integral to Canada’s unique wheat classification system and a component in ensuring customers get what they expect from Canadian wheat. PHOTO: ALLAN DAWSON in the U.S. faster, but Graf disagrees.

“The timeline from when a cross is made to release is no different than ours,” he said. “In fact,

“The registration system is really a gatekeeper and there’s going to be winners and there are going to be losers. And that’s the way it has to be or we don’t need it.”

ROB GRAF

in some cases it’s longer. So our registration system is not holding up the release of varieties.” allan@fbcpublishing.com

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20

DECEMBER 8, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Fertilizer use the latest measure for sustainability, says industry expert Fertilizer institute says farmers need to embrace 4R program — the right fertilizer applied at the right rate, the right time, and in the right place

By Alex Binkley af contributor

C

onsumers are increasingly demanding proof their food is produced in a sustainable fashion, and that’s putting pressure on farmers to manage inputs more carefully, says Clyde Graham, acting president of the Canadian Fertilizer Institute.

“Sustainable production has become increasingly important for gaining market access and market share,” he told the Senate agriculture committee, which is studying the challenges facing Canadian agrifood exporters.

“Increasingly, importing countries and food processors are including environmental and social considerations in national trade policy or product-sourcing specifications. They want to know if the food is healthy and whether it was produced in a sustainable way.”

Fertilizer use is one component by which sustainability is judged.

“While these sustainability requirements can have the potential to function as market access barriers, they also provide significant opportunities,” he said.

“Canada is already doing a great deal to facilitate the adoption of sustainable production practices and measure outcomes to satisfy customer requirements.”

While fertilizer is essential to feeding the world, “we have to use it more effectively to improve economic, environmental and social outcomes,” said Graham.

The fertilizer industry has developed a nutrient stewardship system called the 4R program, which advocates that “the right source of fertilizer at the right rate, the right time and in the right place.”

It’s estimated the program can cut greenhouse gas emissions from nitrogen fertilizer by 25 per cent and even more, while reducing fertilizer losses to waterways and air.

“This also means better yields and more money in farmers’ pockets,” said Graham.

The program has already introduced regional-specific programs in Ontario, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, and Alberta with Saskatchewan and New Brunswick next.

“We have tended to focus our programs where there is greater urgency,” he noted. “In Manitoba, Lake Winnipeg has been facing issues related to phosphorus and alga blooms.

In Ontario, Lake Erie has been challenged as well by phosphorus loading. Prince Edward Island has issues with nitrates in groundwater. Obviously, all environmental issues are important.”

The industry also participates in the Canadian Roundtable

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for Sustainable Crops, which is comprised of growers, industry, customers and the food industry assessing “marketplace demands and showcasing Canada’s performance in the area of agricultural sustainability,” he said.

The fertilizer industry produces more than 25 million tonnes of product annually and more than 75 per cent of it is exported to more than 60 countries around the world. Canada accounts for about 33 per cent of world potash production and 45 per cent of world potash trade.

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U.S. biofuel producers say the industry will fend off any attempt by lawmakers to reform the federal renewable fuel program in 2015.

Critics of the U.S. biofuel mandate have intensified calls for reform of the program after the Environmental Protection Agency said it would not be able to finalize targets for renewable fuel use in 2014 until next year — targets due a year ago.

The EPA is eyeing cuts on grounds ethanol is bumping up against the so-called blend wall, the point when the law would require the fuel to be blended into gasoline at levels higher than the 10 per cent mix that dominates U.S. gas pumps.

Biofuel supporters have rejected congressional action on the Renewable Fuel Standard, fearing that changes could weaken the program.

They argue that the EPA has all the tools it needs to administer the targets as Congress intended.

The RFS requires increasing amounts of ethanol and biodiesel to be blended into U.S. fuel supplies until 2022.

The agency has pledged to get the biofuel program back on track by finalizing the targets for 2014 through 2016 in the new year. The biofuel backers said it would be important for the EPA to stick with this plan.

“They need to get back on a predictable schedule,” said Tom Buis, chief executive of Growth Energy.

Leaders of biofuel trade groups said oil refiners pressing to weaken the program would not succeed because support for the renewable fuel industry remains strong in Congress, especially among Corn Belt state lawmakers.

21

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • DECEMBER 8, 2014

Deere says equipment sales to fall further as farm incomes drop Sales of farm equipment expected to drop 25-30 per cent industry-wide

BY SAGARIKA JAISINGHANI / REUTERS

D

eere & Co. expects equipment sales to fall further as lower grain prices discourage farmers from buying tractors, harvesters and other machinery.

Deere’s sales have been hit as bumper corn harvests drive down prices, leaving farmers with less cash to spend on equipment.

Corn prices have fallen about 11 per cent this year so far, on top of a decline of nearly 40 per cent last year.

“The slowdown has been most pronounced in the sale of large farm machinery, including many of our most profitable models,” said chief executive Samuel Allen.

Deere gets more than twothirds of its revenue from farm and turf machinery.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts falling grain prices and rising costs would drag down U.S. farm sector profits in 2014 to their lowest since 2010.

Illinois-based Deere cut its forecast for corn price next year to about $3.45 per bushel from $4.10. It also reduced its estimates for wheat, soybean and cotton prices.

Sale of farm machinery in North America is expected to fall 25 to 30 per cent industry-wide next year, Deere said.

The company has cut jobs and scaled back production of farm equipment to match demand.

Deere said in August that it

Malting barley list released

would lay off more than 1,000 employees at five U.S. plants.

“We believe Deere will be aggressive in cutting production — the company plans to cut inventory even against this weak sales forecast — which suggests that (the current quarter) could be a particularly weak quarter,” said Jefferies & Co. analyst Stephen Volkmann.

Deere, which also makes construction equipment, said it expected overall machinery sales to fall about 21 per cent in the first quarter ending Jan. 31.

Net income attributable to the company fell to $649.2 million, or $1.83 per share, in the fourth quarter ended Oct. 31 from $806.8 million, or $2.11 per share, a year earlier.

Deere expects farm machinery sales to fall by nearly a third in 2015 and is preparing to aggressively cut production. PHOTO: JOHN DEERE

Selecting the right cereal variety has never been easier

List has new, higheryielding varieties that have the greatest likelihood of being selected for malting CANADIAN MALTING BARLEY TECHNICAL CENTRE RELEASE

The Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre has released its list of recommended malting barley varieties for the 2015-16 crop year.

The recommendations are based on varieties the industry has indicated will have the greatest likelihood of being selected by grain and malting companies for both domestic and export markets from the 2015 harvest.

Members of the centre were consulted as well as grain companies, maltsters, brewers, and organizations such as the Brewing and Malting Barley Research Institute.

“Producers can select from a portfolio of newer, higher-yielding varieties,” said Peter Watts, the centre’s managing director.

Because some varieties are better suited to particular growing regions or end-use markets, producers should talk with their local malting barley buyer before deciding which to grow, he said. The use of certified seed to ensure varietal purity and increase opportunity for selection is strongly recommended.

Growers should also be aware the end-use market is changing, he added.

“The emerging craft brewing industries in North America and globally now represent a significant market for malting barley and malt suppliers,” said Watts.

There are now about 2,700 craft breweries in the U.S., according to the U.S. Brewers Association.

“The growth in the craft sector has been remarkable, although the majority of our malting barley is still being used in globally recognized beer brands,” said Watts.

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22

DECEMBER 8, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Canadians being kept in the dark on resistance issues Just where Canada stands on issues around growth-promoting antibiotics and antibiotic resistance is hard — if not impossible — to pin down

By Shannon VanRaes

“I think the feds have done an extraordinarily bad job on this file, so they’re just now getting to the point of enough embarrassment to do some acting.”

staff / atlanta

C

anada’s federal government is promoting “prudent use” of medically important antimicrobial drugs in livestock, but silencing its experts on antibiotic resistance, an international conference was told.

“They muzzled people,” said Dr. James Hutchinson, medical director of the Vancouver Island Antimicrobial Stewardship Program.

Previously, Hutchinson chaired the Canadian Committee on Antibiotic Resistance.

He has also contributed to the Canadian Integrated Program for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (CIPARS) and currently co-chairs the Antimicrobial Stewardship Working Group for the International Society of Chemotherapy.

He said the Canadian government has failed to take the threat of antibiotic resistance seriously.

“I think the feds have done an extraordinarily bad job on this file, so they’re just now getting to the point of enough embarrassment to do some acting,” Hutchinson said following a presentation at the National Institute for Animal Agriculture’s symposium on antibiotic use and resistance in Atlanta.

In 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced medically important antimicrobials used as growth promotants

Dr. James Hutchinson

Dr. David Leger Photos: Shannon VanRaes

Dr. James Hutchinson

would be phased out by 2016 on a voluntary basis. In April of this year, Health Canada quietly made a step in the same direction, issuing a vague notice to stakeholders indicating growth promotions and production claims may be removed from labels for antimicrobial drugs used in livestock production that are also used in human medicine.

The notice does not say if this measure — should it be taken — will be voluntary or mandatory, or what type of oversight might be required. Nor does Health Canada indicate how the removal of these claims will actually reduce antibiotic use, or what stakeholder consultations might look like.

Health Canada has turned down repeated interview requests, saying for 10 straight weeks that no one was available to speak on the matter.

Hutchinson said the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) is deliberately restricting media access to experts.

“The actual questions are vetted through the PMO, the questions are vetted, then the answers are vetted throughout the PMO… people don’t get that it’s really bad, it’s the worst it’s ever been, and we’ve got to step up and say we need information,” he said.

Some information on the Canadian situation can be gleaned from a report issued by the National Farmed Animal Health and Welfare Council in September, titled Antibiotic Use and Antimicrobial Resistance: strategies for animal agriculture.

The report contains several recommendations, including that industry stakeholders follow the lead of the poultry sector and end the extra-label use of Category

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1 drugs, which are considered essential to human health, as preventive measures in animal agriculture.

The council also recommended that CIPARS make its data available to the public.

Dr. David Leger, a veterinary epidemiologist with the Public Health Agency of Canada was one of the report’s authors and a speaker at the National Institute of Animal Agriculture’s symposium.

But as a federal employee, Leger said he was not permitted to speak to the media without approval. Patrick Girard, senior media relations officer, for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, denied that approval, saying Leger was “there to participate in the symposium,” not to speak to the media.

Many American doctors, epidemiologists and veterinarians taking part in the wide-reaching symposium spoke highly of the work being done on antibiotic resistance in Canada, particularly around the issue of resistant salmonella Heidelberg found in Quebec poultry operations.

“I know we’ve worked with Canada and its CIPARS program

for years; there are some stellar people up there,” said Dr. Tom Chiller, a medical doctor with the American Center for Disease Control and Prevention and former chief of the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System for enteric bacteria.

“I think you guys have some of the best data out there to show that antibiotic use can directly affect human health… they’re able to look at this and generate really good data, so I think it’s a matter of communicating that data to policy-makers and others to say here’s the issue.”

Further complicating the issue of antibiotic resistance is that while Ottawa monitors antimicrobial resistance, the provinces control production, distribution and use of veterinary drugs.

The World Health Organization warned three years ago that civilization is on the cusp of losing its “miracle cures” to the development and spread of drug-resistant diseases.

Hutchinson said statements like these have grabbed the public’s attention, but added that people need more information in order to make informed decisions.

“We’ve gotten to the place where people could say, ‘Yeah, I’m worried about this,’ but they can’t say why,” he said, adding that kind of public education would take leadership on the part of government, along with access to information.

And as long as the current government is in power, Hutchinson doesn’t see that happening. Its policy is driven by political ideology, not reason, he said.

“Information gets in the way of their policy, you believe something because you believe it… but the information doesn’t support it.” shannon.vanraes@fbcpublishing.com

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23

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • DECEMBER 8, 2014

Community news and events from across the province

Lethbridge horseman founds first equine-training college in Canada Ernie Knibb is financing the $7.5-million project and expects to have the school up and running in late March or early April

By Alexis Kienlen af staff

I

t’s the first of its kind in Canada — and a labour of love for one Lethbridge-area horseman.

Would-be horse trainers are already beating down Ernie Knibb’s door, and he hasn’t even opened the door to the Lethbridge Community Equine College.

The private college, located just outside Lethbridge on Highway 25, will be the first Canadian school to certify horse trainers.

In order to receive government approval, Knibb had to prove that there would be jobs available for program graduates.

“We found 19 different jobs for horse trainers, in one day, in Alberta alone,” he said. “There’s a big demand for horse trainers, especially for good certified ones, who are guaranteed to be trained.”

The electronics engineer and businessman grew up around horses, and following his retirement, was certified in the John Lyons method of horse training.

Curious about other methods of training, he then worked with other horse trainers and decided to create a facility offering a range of methods.

“The people who will be graduating from our college will see a whole bunch of different methods, instead of one person’s,” said Knibb. “One method may not work for one person or one horse, but a different method might work better. You have more tools in your tool box than just one method. We’re offering a whole variety of methods so the student can deal with any problem.”

The response from prospective students was immediate — with Knibb receiving more than 200 inquiries following local media reports of the school’s groundbreaking ceremony last month.

It has the largest riding arena in the province and three twostorey barns. The pre-built barns, slated to be moved onto the site this month, will house 30 horses and have dormitories for 15 students on the second floor.

A classroom and an office building still need to be constructed.

Knibb expects the school to be up and running around the end of March or early April.

Students will take nine courses, and also interact with farriers, saddle fitters, acupuncturists, trick trainers, and problem solvers. Knibb has been in contact with 68 trainers from across Canada and the U.S., who will do short sessions at the school. The curriculum has been approved by equestrian foundations across Canada. About 120 students will be able to take the program each year.

The first part of the course focuses on groundwork, horse maintenance and classroom

learning, but the second and third part is all in the saddle. Students can expect to be on their horses about eight hours a day from Monday to Friday.

“You better be prepared to ride a lot,” said Knibb with a laugh.

“Eight hours is a long time in a saddle.”

The $7.5-million project is being solely funded by Knibb, even though he has some manpower help, and support from the City of Lethbridge, Lethbridge County, and Alberta Agriculture.

“Hopefully we get a lot of sponsorships and donations.

There is money being donated to different colleges for different programs, and that’s what I am hoping. But as of right now, I’m the only person behind it.”

More information can be found at www.lethbridgeequinecollege.com. akienlen@fbcpublishing.com

“The people who will be graduating from our college will see a whole bunch of different methods, instead of one person’s.” - Ernie Knibb

what’s

up

Send agriculture-related meeting and event announcements to: glenn.cheater@fbcpublishing.com Dec. 9: Good Wheat Marketing Basics pilot, Heritage Inn & Suites, Brooks. Contact: Brenda Martin 403-380-1657 Dec. 9-11: Western Canadian Grazing Conference, Radisson Hotel (Edmonton South), Edmonton. Contact: Monika Benoit 780-523-4033 Dec. 10: Food Safety from Farm to Fork, Agri-Food Business Centre, Leduc: Contact: Karen Goad 780-538-5629

2015 Jan. 13: Alberta Urban Retail Tour, Calgary (also Jan. 15 in Edmonton): Contact: Joan Bates 403 340-7625 Jan. 15-16: Ladies Livestock Lessons, Strathmore Travelodge, Strathmore. Contact: Kelsey 403-948-8519 Jan 15-17 & 22-24: Holistic Management Course with Don & Bev Campbell, Waterhole Hall, Fairview. Contact: Stacy Pritchard 780-835-6799 Jan. 19: Manure Management Update 2015, Lethbridge Lodge Hotel, Lethbridge. Contact: Ag-Info Centre 1-800-387-6030 Jan 20: Cow-Calfenomics, Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites, Grande Prairie (also Jan. 21 in Barrhead, and Jan. 22 in Vermilion). Contact: Ag-Info Centre 1-800-387-6030 Jan. 20-21: Agronomy Update 2015, Lethbridge Lodge Hotel, Lethbridge. Contact: Ag-Info Centre 1-800-387-6030

Ernie Knibb atop Hot Rod at the Golden Age Heritage Horse show in Claresholm in August 2014.

Knibb’s school for horse trainers is slated to open next spring. Photo: supplied

Penny rules the roost at Red Deer poultry show

By Jennifer Blair af staff

There was lots to squawk about at the recent Canadian National Poultry Show in Red Deer.

With more than 60 exhibitors from across Canada showing over 800 birds, it was the largest poultry show in Alberta history, said show supervisor Kyle Lawrence.

The Nov. 22-23 event, held in conjunction with the Urban Farm Show, attracted hundreds of visitors, but the real stars of the show were the young people who exhibited for the first time.

“This year’s youth show had lots of new exhibitors, which is great to see,” he said. “Youth involvement is the only way to ensure a positive future in agriculture.”

First-time exhibitor Justin Skeels from Rocky Mountain House won Champion Large Fowl with a Partridge Chantecler pullet named Penny.

“It was exciting to see a junior do well with a truly Canadian breed of chicken, the Chantecler — the only purebred breed of chicken created in Canada,” said Lawrence. jennifer.blair@fbcpublishing.com

FOR ALL YOUR BRED HEIFER AND COW/CALF FINANCING

LOW FEES! Penny the Partridge Chantecler — the only purebred breed of chicken created in Canada — took home the lofty title of Champion Large Fowl at the recent Canadian National Poultry Show in Red Deer.

Photo: Rico Sebastianelli

ADMINISTRATION 1.75% INSURANCE $5.00 PER HEAD

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CALL: CORALEA PAVOLL – SECRETARY/TREASURER – 780-724-3872 HARRY JACULA – SUPERVISOR – 780-853-2361

24

DECEMBER 8, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

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Published by Farm Business Communications, 1666 Dublin Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3H 0H1 WINNIPEG OFFICE Alberta Farmer Express 1666 Dublin Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3H 0H1 Toll-Free in Canada 1-800-665-1362 Phone 403-341-0442 in Winnipeg FAX 403-341-0615 Mailing Address: Box 9800, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 3K7 • •

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25

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • DECEMBER 8, 2014

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Miscellaneous

BUILDINGS

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We also specialize in: Crop Insurance appeals; Chemical drift; Residual herbicide; Custom operator issues; Equipment malfunction; Yield comparisons, Plus Private Investigations of any nature. With our *Conditions apply. assistance the majority of our clients have received 10/14-40516-1A compensation previously denied. Back-Track Investigations investigates, documents your loss and assists in settling your claim.

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10/8/14 9:14 AM For more information Please call 1-866-882-4779

FARM MACHINERY FARM MACHINERY Grain Vacuums 2011 BUHLER 6640 GRAIN vacuum. NEW, never used. $19,900. Trades welcome. Call toll free: (877)862-2387 or (877)862-2413.

40’ X 60’ X 16’ RIGID FRAME STEEL BUILDING

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Call toll free 1 (877) 525-2004 or see us online at www.pioneeronesteel.com

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Miscellaneous 1999 CAT 460 1,400 sep. hrs, rake up, $47,000; MacDon 962, 36-ft pick-up reel, $14,500; MacDon 871 CAT 460 adapter, $1,000. Call:(403)665-2341, Craigmyle, AB. ACREAGE EQUIPMENT: CULTIVATORS, DISCS, Plows, Blades, Post pounders, Haying Equipment, Etc. (780)892-3092, Wabamun, Ab. CASE 621 LOADER, 3-YD; 1996 Ford 7.3 Diesel, 5-spd, XL350 w/Haul-all compactor; 1980 Ford 8000 series gas tandem, 15-ft gravel box & hoist. (780)573-0292.

FOR SALE: D7F CAT PS angle dozer, ripper, bush equipped, A1; MF 2675 dsl cab w/Degelman dozer blade. Phone:(306)238-7501.

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Miscellaneous

RON SAUER

MACHINERY LTD. (403) 540-7691 ronsauer@shaw.ca

846 Ford Versatile Designation 6, 4WD Tractor 1990, newer 18.4 x 38 dualled tires,12 speed manual, 4 hyds., 6036 hrs., looks & runs good .............................. $28,500 555 JD Crawler Loader, 250 hrs. on rebuilt engine, good condition ................................................... $17,500 8070 AC Tractor, FWA, wheel base extended, duals .. $22,500 275 MF Tractor, diesel, multi power, 3 pth, new 18.4 x 30, front weights, loader available, looks and runs great ... $12,500 B275 IHC Tractor & Loader ................................ $3,500 51’ Degelman Landroller, only done 3,000 acres, as new.... .......................................................... $40,000 Degelman Dozer Frame MF 4000 Series 4WD .. $1,000 41’ Flexicoil 300 B Chisel Plow, 3 bar harrows, excellent condition .............................................. $12,500 Flexicoil 6 Run Seed Treater .............................. $1,000 134’ Flexicoil S68XL Sprayer, 2007, suspended boom, auto rate, joystick, rinse tank, triple quick jets, auto boom height, electric end nozzle & foam marker............. $32,500 100’ 65XL Flexicoil Sprayer, complete withwindguards,elec. end nozzles single tips, auto rate,excellent condition ... $12,500 10 Wheel MATR (Italy) Trailer Type V-Hayrake, hyd. fold, as new.................................................. $5,000 7 x 1200 Sakundiak Auger, 18 HP Koehler engine, c/w sweep hyd. drive....................................$2,500 8 x 1200 Sakundiak Auger, 25 HP Koehler engine, Hawes mover, clutch, runs good ............................... $8,500 8 x 1400 Sakundiak Auger, 25 HP Robin engine, Hawes mover, clutch, spout, excellent condition, ............. CNT $9,500 1390 Brandt XL Swing Auger, elec. power swing, spout, adj. axle, as new ...................................... $22,500 225 Kello-Bilt Tandem Disc, 28” smooth front & rear blades, 10.5” spacing, oil, bath bearings, line new ............ $62,500 50’ Brandt Heavy Harrow, 27.5 x 5/8 tines, low acres ........................................................... $32,500 47’ 820 Flexicoil Chisel Plow, 4 bar harrows, line new ............................................................ $67,500 2009 GMC Topkick 20 ft. Grain Truck, automatic, silage gauge, air brake suspension,approx. 7,000 kms ..$105,000 40’ 5710 Bourgault SS Air Drill, 9.8” spacing, 3” steel packers w/ 3225 tb tank, c/w 3rd tank, new augers, drive sprockets, main clutch, excellent condition...... $25,000 New E-Kay 7”, 8”, 9” Bin Sweeps available.........Call 8” Wheat Heart Transfer Auger, hydraulic drive .. $1,500 New Outback RTK BASE stn ...................................... Call New Outback MAX & STX guidance & mapping ...In Stock New Outback E-Drive, TC’s .................................In Stock New Outback E-Drive X, c/w free E turns ............In Stock New Outback S-Lite guidance ............ **In Stock** $900 New Outback VSI Swather Steering Kit...........In Stock New Outback E-Drive Hyd. kit, JD 40 series ........ $1,000 Used Outback E-Drive Hyd. kits..............................$500

**NuVision (Spray Air) & Meridian-Sakundiak Augers, Outback GPS Systems, EK Auger Movers, Belt Tighteners, Bin Sweeps & Crop Dividers, Kohler, Robin Subaru & Generac Engines, Headsight Harvesting Solutions, Greentronics Sprayer Auto Boom Height, Kello-Bilt Discs**

We know that farming is enough of a gamble so if you want to sell it fast place your ad in the Alberta Farmer Express classifieds. It’s a Sure Thing. Call our toll-free number today. We have friendly staff ready to help. 1-800-665-1362.

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Barb Wire & Electric High Tensile Wire Spooler & Water Hose Roller

- Wire Roller can now be converted to roll up & unroll flat plastic water hose up to 6” diameter (11” flat) - Hydraulic Drive (roll or unroll) - Mounts to tractor draw bar, skidsteer front end loader, post driver, 3pt. hitch or deck truck (with receiver hitch & rear hydraulics) - Spool splits in half to remove full roll - Shut off/ Flow control valve determines speed - Works great for pulling out old wire (approx. 3--5 minutes to roll up 80 rod or 1/4 mile) - Also works great for swath grazing or rotational grazing The Level-Winder II Wire Roller rolls wire evenly across the full width of the spool automatically as the wire is pulled in Ken Lendvay (403) 550-3313 Red Deer, AB email: kflendvay@hotmail.com Web: www.levelwind.com

Farming is enough of a gamble, advertise in the Alberta Farmer Express classified section. It’s a sure thing.

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26

DECEMBER 8, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Wanted WANTED: NH BALE WAGONS & retrievers, any condition. Farm Equipment Finding Service, P.O. Box 1363, Polson, MT 59860. (406)883-2118

Spraying EquipmEnt

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HAYING & HARVESTING HAYING & HARVESTING Baling Equipment 1991 HESSTON 4655 INLINE square baler, $6,500; 1033 NH square bale PU wagon, $4,000; 1948 wide front Farmall M w/live hyds (2 outlets) & spare parts, $3,200; DEMKIW & YAKIMETZ 30-in. breaking plow rubber tires, hyd life, manufactured in Vegreville, $1,500 OBO. All equip can be delivered to Edmonton. Call (780)841-2984, La Crete, AB. WANTED: JD 7810 c/w FEL & 3-PTH; sp or PTO bale wagon; JD or IHC end wheel drills. Small square baler. (403)394-4401

Combines COMBINES Accessories RECONDITIONED COMBINE HEADERS. RIGID & flex, most makes & sizes; also header transports.

Ed Lorenz, (306)344-4811 or Website: www.straightcutheaders.com Paradise Hill, SK.

JD 9400, 9420, 9520, 8970 JD 9860, 9760, 9750, 9650, 9600 JD 9430, 9530, 9630 Case STX 375, 425, 430, 450, 480, 500, 530 CIH 8010-2388, 2188 combine CIH 435Q, 535Q, 450Q, 550Q, 600Q pto avail.

JD 4710, 4720, 4730, 4830, 4920, 4930 SP sprayers JD 9770 & 9870 w/CM & duals CIH 3185, 3230, 3330, 4430, 4420 sprayers

4955 JD low hrs, 3 pth, very clean S670/680/690 JD Combine low hrs 4730 JD Sprayer, 100 ft.

JD 8770, 4WD, 24 speed with PTO Case IH 9170, 4WD 854 Rogator SP Sprayer, complete with JD auto steer, swath pro GOOD SELECTION OF JD & CASE SP SPRAYERS AND 4WD TRACTORS

“LIKE MANY BEFORE, WE’LL HAVE YOU SAYING THERE’S NO DEAL LIKE A KEN DEAL” • Phone: (403)526-9644 • Cell: (403)504-4929 • Email: kendeal@shaw.ca

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SEED / FEED / GRAIN SEED/FEED/GRAIN Feed Grain BUYING ALL TYPES OF feed grain. Also have market for light offgrade or heated, picked up on the farm.

Eisses Grain Marketing 1-888-882-7803, Lacombe.

FEED GRAIN WANTED! ALSO buying; Light, tough, or offgrade grains. “On Farm Pickup” Westcan Feed & Grain 1-877-250-5252 Alberta Farmer Express classifieds, 1-800-665-1362.

27

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • DECEMBER 8, 2014

SEED/FEED/GRAIN Feed Grain

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KING SALMON

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BUYING HEATED/DAMAGED PEAS, FLAX & GRAIN “On Farm Pickup” Westcan Feed & Grain 1-877-250-5252 BUYING SPRING THRASHED CANOLA & GRAIN “On Farm Pickup” Westcan Feed & Grain 1-877-250-5252

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anything you need through the

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40516_A CPS_PrePay Print_4x4_rev1.indd 3

10/8/14 9:14 AM

SPECIAL EDITION Manitoba Ag Days Taking place Jan. 20, 21 & 22, 2015 at the Brandon Keystone Centre

The Manitoba Co-operator is presenting a great opportunity for you to feature your business, products or booth at Manitoba Ag Days in the Jan. 8th edition.

The Manitoba Ag Days Show is a winter indoor exposition of agricultural production expertise, technology, and equipment held in Brandon every January. The Show attracts exhibitors and visitors from across Canada and North Central United States and provides an annual opportunity for producers to comparison shop for everything they need for their agricultural operations.

DEADLINE: DEC. 22nd · ISSUE DATE: JAN. 8th Contact your Manitoba Co-operator Sales representative to book your space today!

Terry McGarry Ph: 204-981-3730 Fax: 204-253-0879 Email: trmcgarr@mts.net

SEE YOU AT THE SHOW!

RISKS AND REWARDS OF FALL

GREAT GORP PROJECT Triathlete creates home-grown energy bar » PAGE 44

The pros and cons of applying in dry soil » PAGE 17

OCTOBER 11, 2012

Communications breakdown added to emergency Firefighting made more dangerous without communications

By Lorraine Stevenson CO-OPERATOR STAFF

V

olunteer firefighters racing to reach fire-threatened Vita last week passed hundreds of vehicles headed the other direction and wondered what they were headed into, said veteran firefighter Alain Nadeau.

“I’ve been doing this for 33 years and this was the scariest I’ve seen,” said the weary La Broquerie fire chief on Friday after an exhausting week.

The air was so smoke filled around the southeastern village “we could barely breathe,” he said.

SERVING MANITOBA FARMERS SINCE 1925 | VOL. 70, NO. 41

GOT SEED?

By Daniel Winters CO-OPERATOR STAFF / MELITA

R

ising corn acres and severe drought in the Midwestern United States may crimp supplies of popular corn seed varieties for the com-

ing year.

“It’s really short,” said Ron Rabe, a Dekalb agronomist, who gave a brief talk on corn production in Manitoba at a recent WADO field tour.

Derek Erb, who farms near Oak Bluff and sells Pioneer Hi-Bred corn

|

$1.75

MANITOBACOOPERATOR.CA

Corn seed might be tight next spring Rising demand and dismal growing conditions in the drought-stricken United States may limit supplies seed, said farmers looking to secure seed for next spring should act quickly to secure their supplies, even if it means placing orders earlier than usual.

Pioneer Hi-Bred’s top varieties, which include D95 and D97, account for roughly half the acres seeded in the province. Erb said that with the harvest and quality testing still underway in some areas, it’s difficult to estimate how much corn seed will be available for next year.

One thing’s for sure, waiting until Ag Days in January to secure supplies will

be too late. “I would pretty much bank on that,” said Erb. Dry conditions throughout the province have seen the corn harvest arriving about a month earlier than usual, and seed orders have started coming in sooner than usual too.

Even with the possibility of a shortage of corn seed, Erb doesn’t expect the price of Pioneer’s supplies to rise much more than it has in recent years.

Rob Park, of RJP Seeds in Carman, who deals in Hyland seed varieties, See CORN SEED on page 6 »

28

DECEMBER 8, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

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Transfer Barley to Bin 2 0% Complete Assigned to John Due Sept 26 , 2014

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