Mbc150101

End of an era

Sorting out bad seed

Municipal amalgamations take effect » Pg 3

Fusarium detection technology » Pg 18

January 1, 2015

SERVING MANITOBA FARMERS SINCE 1925 | Vol. 73, No. 1

Not your average soil moisturemeasuring project A satellite that measures soil moisture expected to launch in January

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manitobacooperator.ca

$1.75

Holy crap! New bedding made from manure Producers can save time and money by not having to bale or buy, then transport straw

By Meghan Mast Co-operator Staff

I

f you Google “SMAP” two things will come up — a Japanese boy band from the ’90s and a NASA satellite project that will attempt to measure soil moisture on a global scale.

The latter is the subject of new soil research from the University of Manitoba. The satellite, set to launch on January 29, 2015, could contribute to a greater understanding of how moisture affects agricultural lands.

“Most people don’t care See SATELLITE on page 7 »

Henry Holtmann demonstrates how bedding is extruded. Photo: Shannon VanRaes

By Shannon VanRaes Publication Mail Agreement 40069240

co-operator staff

H

enry Holtmann reaches into a large pile of what looks like a cross between wood shavings and down feathers, then lets the soft fibres slip through his hands.

“When you grab it in your hand, it’s like a brown fluff, that’s the best way to describe it; it’s not like sand and it’s

not like straw,” said the dairy farmer, as he described the new bedding product being produced at Rosser Holsteins, just northwest of Winnipeg.

“It’s almost like a wet shavings sort of feel to it, and when you squeeze it in your hand, it doesn’t stick, it falls out, even though it’s at 30 per cent moisture, so it’s very soft.”

But only 30 hours earlier, this high-quality bedding for dairy

cows was something not so nice to touch — manure.

The farm is the first in the province to install and operate what is called a bedding recovery unit.

“It’s not a cheap venture to get into, but for us, the benefits have a lot of merit, especially with the animal care side of things coming down,” Holtmann said, adding that the fluffy bedding has done an

excellent job of keeping animals both comfortable and clean.

It also means that he isn’t buying or baling straw to bring into his barns, although some straw is still used for calves and calving.

Clay Sawka, nutrient management specialist at Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development is working with

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See MANURE on page 6 »

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The Manitoba Co-operator | January 1, 2015

INSIDE

Did you know?

LIVESTOCK

Shooting wolves backfires on livestock

Beefing ‘er up A good body condition score on your cows makes for healthier calves

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Staff

T

CROPS Room at the top Canada’s flagship red western spring wheat class is no longer alone as tops for quality

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FEATURE Weighing the pros and cons Some farmers like the idea of paying into a fund that compensates if grain buyers fail

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CROSSROADS An iconic wetland protected Two amalgamating RMs made protecting Big Grass Marsh one of their last official acts

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Editorials Comments What’s Up Livestock Markets

Lethal control leads to more dead sheep and cattle

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Grain Markets Weather Vane Classifieds Sudoku

he best way to control wolf populations and minimize livestock predation may be to stop shooting, trapping and poisoning them, Washington State University researchers say.

A review of 25 years of data from lethal control programs from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services found that shooting and trapping the carnivores leads to more dead sheep and cattle in subsequent years, rather than less.

Writing in the journal PLOS ONE, WSU wildlife biologist Rob Wielgus and data analyst Kaylie Peebles say that, for each wolf killed, the odds of more livestock depredations increase significantly.

The trend continues until 25 per cent of the wolves in an area are killed, a rate of removal that is unsustainable for maintaining the species.

Researchers found that killing one wolf increases the odds of depredations four per cent for sheep and five to six per cent for cattle the following year. If 20 wolves are killed, livestock deaths double.

Work reported in PLOS ONE last year by Peebles, Wielgus and other WSU colleagues found that lethal controls of cougars also backfire, disrupting their populations so much that younger, less disciplined cougars attack more livestock.

Wielgus did not expect to see the same result with wolves.

“I had no idea what the results were going to be, positive or negative,” he said. “I said, ‘Let’s take a look at it and see what happened.’ I was surprised that there was a big effect.”

PHOTO: canstock

Wielgus said the wolf killings likely disrupt the social cohesion of the pack. While an intact breeding pair will keep young offspring from mating, disruption can set sexually mature wolves free to breed, leading to an increase in breeding pairs. As they have pups, they become bound to one place and can’t hunt deer and elk as freely. Occasionally, they turn to livestock.

Wielgus said wolves generally account for between .1 per cent and .6 per cent of all livestock deaths — a minor threat compared to other predators, disease, accidents and the dangers of calving.

He encourages more non-lethal interventions like guard dogs, “range riders” on horseback, flags, spotlights and “risk maps” that discourage grazing animals in hard-to-protect, wolf-rich areas.

“The only way you’re going to completely eliminate livestock depredations is to get rid of all the wolves,” Wielgus said, “and society has told us that that’s not going to happen.”

READER’S PHOTO

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3

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 1, 2015

New era in municipal history begins Not since the time between 1880 and around 1910 has the municipal map been so dramatically redrawn, says historian

By Lorraine Stevenson co-operator staff

T

he Rural Municipality of Lansdowne has reached its 130th year, but a cake served at a do just before Christmas in Arden wasn’t to celebrate that milestone.

It was for a retirement and farewell for two of its councillors who won’t be sitting at the table after January 1, 2015.

Their wards are gone, and so is Lansdowne, incorporated in 1884, as its merger with neighbouring Glenella becomes official New Year’s Day. Across Manitoba amalgamated municipalities have been similarly getting ready for the big day. Manitoba now has 137 municipalities — or 60 fewer — since the province decreed in 2012 those with fewer than 1,000 residents must amalgamate.

The first day of 2015 is one for the history books, says Gordon Goldsborough, Manitoba historian and author of With One Voice — A History of Municipal Governance in Manitoba.

Not since the years between the 1880s and 1910, when the original entities emerged from a previous county system, have we seen such dramatic redrawing of the municipal map, he said.

“I would say it’s probably the most significant rearrangement of the municipal landscape we’ve had in over a century.”

Change

But for leaders like Richard Funk, who’ll be reeve of the n e w G l e n e l l a L a n s d ow n e Municipality, it’s all happened too fast and too soon.

“Amalgamation has probably come 20 years too soon is what we were thinking,” he said. “It’s been like painting your house before it needs it.”

They have just 723 residents, but were otherwise in fine fiscal shape, he said. “ We didn’t feel this was needed,” he said. “We weren’t filthy rich or anything but we’re in good shape. Our taxes are the lowest in the province.”

But the time for protesting forced amalgamation is over.

Goldsborough says events of the past two years have reminded him of how rankled Manitobans were with school boundary reform in the 1960s.

“People were mad as heck about that too,” he said. “But I think most will agree today that it was a good thing. Their kids got a better education because of it. They were better social-

The RM of Lansdowne’s first council meeting was held in 1884. The civic building in the heart of Arden, Man. was built in 1904. PHOTOS: JOHN DIETZ

ized with more people to interact with, and they had more options.

“I think the same will hold tr ue with this (municipal reform),” he adds.

Lessons from history

Present-day municipalities emerged from a county system copied after Ontario and enacted in 1877. By the early 1880s, there was rapid increase in new municipalities around the province as the CPR pushed through carrying a massive influx of settlers and as Manitoba enlarged from its initial ‘postage stamp’ size to is present eastern and western boundaries.

Those earlier counties covered huge territories, and ultimately proved unwieldy for horse-and-buggy-driving leaders of the day.

Present-day municipal leaders often evoke that piece of their history and use it to support arguments for getting bigger, or keeping the status quo. Those who point out it didn’t work then say we haven’t learned from history if we go that way again.

But the historian points out that the reality today is a far cry from yesteryear.

“In those days to get from point A to point B you basically got on your horse to ride for hours or days within the same county. Today you can be in your truck or car and be at any point within these new municipalities within minutes.

Communication is better, transportation is better, infrastructure is better.”

“Increasingly the province is looking at managing watersheds and conservation districts typically span several municipalities.

Wouldn’t it make sense to reconfigure municipalities along watershed boundaries too?”

Gordon Goldsborough

Manitoba Historical Society

Expectations

The newly amalgamated municipalities of 2015 will unquestionably face chal lenges, especially if they can’t find ways to spur economic development and stop further rural depopulation, he adds.

Wa t c h i n g t h e e v e n t s o f the past two years unfold, Goldsborough says he’s begun to think we’re someday due for boundary changes along something beyond political lines.

“O n e o f t h e t h i n g s I ’v e always wondered about is why, when we’re rearranging municipalities, do we insist on combining the current ones?” he said. “Increasingly the province is looking at managing watersheds and conservation districts typi-

On December 12, 2014 the RM of Landsdowne council held its final meeting in its civic office in the village of Arden presided over by Richard Funk (l) who will begin his new term in office as reeve of the amalgamated GlenellaLansdowne Municipality.

cally span several municipalities. Wouldn’t it make sense to reconfigure municipalities along watershed boundaries too?”

Enough kerfuffle

But given the kerfuffle over merging with a next-door neighbour or two, that’s not likely happening soon.

Funk said they were “disappointed” to be forced to merge and maintains he still doesn’t see much advantage in it. At least, not for Lansdowne. But Glenella will benefit, he adds.

“They’ll see a little more gravel on their roads. We’ve got more machinery to add to their collection. It’ll work. They have very fine folks up there but they were very limited because of their assessment.”

Lansdowne can be proud of many things. It hasn’t raised taxes for eight years and the roads and ditches are in good shape. They’ve signed multiple and large conservation agreements over the years and they’re home to “the finest gravel in the world.”

They have a rich history.

“We were one of the founding municipalities beyond the ‘postage stamp’ province and at one time our town was the biggest town around,” he adds.

“That was at the start at the turn of the other century. We were bigger than Neepawa.

But we were off 16 highway and that’s what caused us not to grow.” lorraine@fbcpublishing.com

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The Manitoba Co-operator | January 1, 2015

OPINION/EDITORIAL

Doggerel 2015 As you may know, in each year’s first edition We take stock of the past one, and in line with tradition Using proven techniques such as analyzing innards of turkey Tell you what to expect in the future, so it isn’t so murky

John Morriss Editorial Director

Expecting another crop like 2013’s might be a little unreasonable But it would have been nice if 2014 was a bit more seasonable After a cool and wet spring and conditions

generally inferior Things warmed up and by August the farmers seemed cheerier But then the skies opened again and harvest got kind of rough Much of grain ended up coming off damp if not tough About Manitoba’s southwest corner I once used to thinka That it was usually a bit dry around Dand and Napinka But now many of those fields that once were a bit parchy Are full of rushes and cattails and look rather marshy Looking for a reason? Well, I think I can catch you one It’s not just the rain, but drainage from Saskatchewan If we don’t find a way to slow it, perhaps with some storage The southwest won’t be much good for crops; maybe just forage That we need some drainage is a point I don’t need to belabour But drainage policy can’t just be “Send it all to the neighbour” While I’m not so old that I’ve seen a train of Red River oxcarts I do recall when grain had to be shipped out in boxcarts From thousands of old wooden elevators on branch lines located But according to the railways, that was a system outdated “To use a few concrete elevators would make much more sense “And instead of branch lines, use roads” (built at public expense) But now the railways have got just what they requested You’d think their performance should be somewhat bested Now they want the revenue cap lifted, but I want to know Why they shipped more cars per week when we still had the Crow As the crop year began Ritz was still under the railways’ spell And insisting that shipments were really going quite well But after an earful from farmers whose bins were still busting He realized he might take a beating if he was out on the hustings So suddenly Ritz said, “Get a move on,” after acting quite meekly “If not I’ll fine you daily,” he said (or did he mean weekly?)

Elevators say that the case when they have no more space is That they discourage deliveries by widening the basis But at this claim some farmers and others will scoff it They say last year’s wide basis was pure company profit I’m not really sure, and perhaps I’m just living in history But I recall when these things weren’t as much of a mystery If the co-ops were stiffing you, at least you could keep count By reading their annual reports you’d know the amount And the CWB annual report could also be evidential But Ritz won’t release it because it’s now confidential (That he wants to unload CWB cheap has a few people upset But I wouldn’t take it for free, I think it’s got too much debt) It’s fine for Gerry to say that we now have marketing freedom But for a free market to work, more details we need ’em Down south the USDA provides all kinds of backing Reporting sales, stocks and prices — all of which we are lacking In the card game of marketing it seems that the case is That farmers just have deuces, but the grain companies have aces But more happily if you’re a seller of bovine-type critters Things are now going much better after a few years quite bitter Perhaps all those tough years post-BSE are the main reason why To retain some more heifers, so far the farmers seem shy But sooner or later I think that I’m right in assuming That the cattle cycle will be at some point resuming So now’s a good time for cowboys to admit that they’re lacking In comparison to others in things such as quality tracking To stay competitive in future it might be that the tricks is To invest in farm-to-plate systems like the new version of BIXS But I know that too much on the past you don’t want me dwelling You’re anxious to know more of my future foretelling Plant more wheat or canola — what’s my recommendation?

Definitely, as long it makes sense for your long-term rotation And to grow some more barley I wouldn’t be halting As long as you’re sure to plant the kind that goes malting Keep heifers or sell ’em — what’s the best way to prepare?

(Shhh… hang on to yours, but tell the neighbours to ship theirs) I’ve got much more good advice, but I’m sorry the case Is that I must come to an end, there’s just no more space So once again I’ll close with a message from all of us here For good crops and good prices, and a Happy New Year! john.morriss@fbcpublishing.com

Expropriation for Bipole III questionable Two basic principles have not been met

By Jim Collinson

E

xpropr iation by a gover nment directly or for a third party involves two basic principles. First, there must be a clear public benefit to the intended use of the land; and second, the current owner must be fairly compensated for resulting losses. In the case of Bipole III, it would appear that both are either being violated or are pushing the margins beyond credible limits.

The argument that Bipole III is required for the public good is on tenuous ground.

It has been argued by Manitoba Hydro that Bipole III is essential for the security needed to guarantee Manitobans available electricity.

Strong technical arguments that have been made to the Clean Environment Commission, the PUB and to the general public illustrate this argument is without merit. Hydro’s justification included export of surplus power to U.S. utilities for prices (undisclosed) that would pay off construction costs for Manitoba customers.

The PUB has negated this argument by the deferral of Conawapa for reasons of uncertain markets. Clearly, Bipole III is not needed solely for the limited incremental power expected from Keyask (itself of doubtful viability). The short of it is that Hydro’s demand projections for electricity, along with optimistic prices for U.S. export distort the economic basis for the entire proposal.

The second requirement for expropriation is recognition that landowners are making a contribution to the “public good,” and thereby deserve appropriate compensation for their losses.

Special conditions face farmers to the south of Highway 16 and the Trans-Canada Highway. Compensation for farmers north of this line largely involves mixed farming that includes hay lands and pastures as well as grain production. These farmers, with some exceptions, have greater flexibility to vary their land use to avoid impacts from a major transmission line beyond those directly associated with the towers.

In the more intensively farmed areas of Manitoba, special conditions and operations mean impacts occur well beyond the towers and the lines. Particularly in heavier clay soils, aerial spraying may be neces-

sary, and needed up to eight times during the growing season.

These soils, following a rain, do not dry quickly. Ground-based spraying on wet ground causes considerable crop damage, making this not practical. Aerial spraying, however, is dangerous for the operator in the vicinity of transmission lines for a distance of up to half a mile, depending on conditions. Rightly, operators will not accept contracts that involve putting their lives, and perhaps those of others, at risk.

This fact was forcefully pointed out to the Clean Environment Commission during its hearings.

The need for spraying may vary from year to year, as can the need for aerial spraying. For this reason and for many others, a fixed sum is not appropriate for compensation.

Secondly, current techniques for fertilizing the ground involve the use tractors towing long “umbilical” hoses that have their starting point in a sewage lagoon. The presence of towers severely curtails such operations.

Again, annual payments would be more appropriate, and better reflect reality. This is the case for many pipelines. Annual payments would acknowledge the rapid pace of technological change in agriculture, which could go both ways over time.

Given the above, there is a serious question if either of the underlying requirements of expropriation are met. First, the proponents of the project itself have not satisfactorily demonstrated the need for the project. Secondly, the approach to compensation is too restricted to address in fairness the impacts to farmers on some of Manitoba’s most productive lands, which are providing a greater public good than an inappropriately routed power line.

During the Clean Environment Commission Hearings in 2012, Manitoba Hydro officials proudly stated they had only used expropriation once during all their years of operation. One expropriation in the history of the utility is commendable, but a sudden addition of about 150 cases for a single transmission line clearly indicates something is wrong.

Given the unclear political circum stances in Manitoba today, there is adequate justification to task Manitoba Hydro to reconsider its compensation approach.

Jim Collinson is an Ottawa-based consultant.

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The Manitoba Co-operator | January 1, 2015

COMMENT/FEEDBACK

Why we don’t need better forecasts It is far better to build systems that can manage uncertainty than to try to forecast the future

By John Kemp london / reuters

O

Letters

ne of my first assignments as a newly minted graduate in the late 1990s was to produce a 30-year forecast for the Bangladesh taka against the U.S. dollar on behalf of a client contemplating a multibillion-dollar investment.

Even then, I realized this was not a sensible question. I wasn’t even sure how much of Bangladesh would still be above sea level in 30 years, let alone the exchange rate. If the economics of the project depended on an exchange rate forecast in three decades’ time, it was not a very good project.

But the client is always right, so we produced a forecast, and everyone was happy. The client got an independent third-party forecast to use in their financial calculations and we got paid. If the forecast turned out wrong, the clients could blame their independent forecaster, and we could blame an unforeseen change in circumstances.

Like many other analysts, I have spent most of my working life producing forecasts of one sort or another — ranging from interest rates and exchange rates to metal prices, oil prices and politics.

Fo r a n a n a l y s t , t h e s o l u t i o n to any problem is always more information, more data and more sophisticated models, so decisions can be based on more accurate predictions about the future.

But the truth is that we are not very good at it.

In some areas, our forecasting has become amazingly accurate.

Employing enormous super-computers, we can make short-term weather forecasts that are far more accurate than 30 years ago. Britain’s four-day weather forecast is now as accurate as the one-day forecast was in 1980, according to the Meteorological Office.

But once we move beyond physical systems to systems involving human agents who adapt and learn from their surroundings, or push the forecasting horizon further into the future, forecasting accuracy breaks down quickly.

With hundreds of PhDs and lots

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of fancy dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) models about how the economy works, the world’s top central banks cannot reliably predict unemployment, inflation and growth even six months ahead let alone spot looming recessions and financial crises.

Large-scale weather and climate models quickly break down once the forecasting horizon is pushed further into the future. For much of the first part of this year, the major models have been predicting an El Niño in the Pacific — which has still not occurred.

None of the world’s intelligence agencies and international relations specialists successfully predicted the sudden collapse of the Soviet Union, or the fall of the Berlin Wall, or the Arab Spring.

And no one has consistently and successfully predicted bond yields, stock market valuations or oil prices with a track record that cannot be explained simply by random chance.

These are all examples of complex adaptive systems (CAS) in w h i c h a l l t h e c o m p o n e n t s a re tightly linked to one another, can adapt to past outcomes, and are sometimes very sensitive to even a small change in conditions deep within the system, which occasionally produces an enormous change in outcomes through cascading effects and reinforcing feedback.

When it comes to complex and adaptive systems, our forecasting abilities have not improved much since classical times, when Paris o f Troy p ro n o u n c e d Ap h ro d i t e the most beautiful goddess and abducted Helen of Sparta without realizing it would set in motion a complex chain of events that would end with the destruction of his home city.

Cope with uncertainty

The common response is to redouble our efforts, collect more information and build more sophisticated models. But perhaps it makes more sense to focus on managing uncertainty about the future rather than trying to predict it out of existence.

In a powerful paper on “Dealing with femtorisks in international relations,” published in the Pro-

Minister agrees with farmers calling for mail-in ballots As the Minister for Agriculture Food and Rural Development for the province of Manitoba, I felt obliged to express my support for those voices who are calling for a mail-in director’s ballot for the newly formed Wheat and Barley Growers Association.

It is my feeling that since they

Large-scale weather and climate models quickly break down once the forecasting horizon is pushed further into the future. For much of the first part of this year, the major models have been predicting an El Niño in the Pacific — which has still not occurred.

ceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, an international group of researchers argues the best way to deal with low-probability/highconsequence risks which occur in complex adaptive systems is to create “new ways of coping with uncertainties that do not depend on precise forecasts of the probability and consequences of future events.”

Rather than employing the forecasting approach central to elementar y physics and relying on “improvements in the quality of predictions about increasingly small-scale actors, low-probability events and the cross-scale implications of rapidly evolving technologies” they suggest employing an approach borrowed from biology.

In evolutionary biology, the most robust and resilient systems are those which exhibit diversity, flexibility, redundancy and adaptability to cope with unknown threats.

“Ra t h e r t h a n s e e k t o d e s i g n robust institutions and strategies that may fare well only against specified futures, risk measurement and management professionals would benefit from imitating how evolution has dealt with unknowable challenges,” the researchers urged.

“This approach shifts... policy options away from optimal, often brittle solutions that require accurate predictions in favour of resilient solutions that can be adapted in response to new information and experiences.”

are contributing to the organization in the form of a checkoff, as many producers as possible should have a say in who will be managing their money. There are many farmers who may not have the ability to travel to meetings, and these hard-working Manitobans need to feel that they have a role to play.

Officials with my department have already expressed my concerns about this issue, and I am pleased that the Wheat and Barley Association has said it will look at options going forward.

There is nothing new in the idea that the best strategies are the ones which maximize flexibility and adaptability. The concept is central to John Maynard Keynes’ theory about investment in the “General Theory of Employment, Interest a n d Mo n e y ” ( 1 9 3 6 ) a n d Fra n k Knight’s theory about the role of the entrepreneur in “Risk, Uncertainty and Profit” (1921).

It is central to the idea of defence in depth employed by the designers of nuclear power plants. It has been taught for decades in business schools as real options theory.

It is essential to the strategy of successful traders: no investor should ever put on a large position without knowing how they would get out of it and preferably having several options for doing so. Traders and executives look for real options and natural hedges to protect them against an uncertain future.

F l e x i b i l i t y, a d a p t a b i l i t y a n d options are central to success. Systems, organizations and individuals that adapt and evolve survive.

Those which cannot or do not die.

None of this is meant to disparage the work that forecasters do or suggest it is not valuable. Forecasts can tell us a lot about simple systems in the short term. Even for longer time horizons and complex systems, building forecasts can enforce intellectual discipline and consistency, sharpen our thinking about causal relationships, and help us focus on risks and opportunities.

But it is a powerful reason to be humble about our predictive abilities and realize the best way to face an uncertain future is to focus on creating flexible, adaptive and innovative systems, avoiding rigidity, rather than simply throwing money and effort at ever-more complex forecasting systems.

I can’t remember what 30-year currency forecast we provided back in the late 1990s. At the time, the taka was trading around 42 to the U.S. dollar. Almost 20 years later it is trading at nearly 80. I still have no idea where it will be in 10 years’ time. And I’ve learned not to worry about it.

John Kemp is a Reuters market analyst.

I encourage all present and future members of the association to express their opinions on this issue, and encourage their friends and neighbours to do the same.

We live in a large and diverse agricultural region, and in order to ensure fairness, I strongly feel that a mail-in ballot system is the best way to go.

Ron Kostyshyn Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development

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The Manitoba Co-operator | January 1, 2015

FROM PAGE ONE Manure Continued from page 1

Rosser Holsteins as it studies the system’s impact on nutrients and bacteria, with the help of funding from Growing Forward 2.

“If we can remove some of that phosphorus that’s in the solid portion of the manure and reallocate that around the farm, that helps. You still have the nitrogen-rich liquid material, so your crops are still getting the good nitrogen fertilizer,” Sawka said.

“As well, you’re not bringing in as much straw, so you don’t have to import nutrients onto the farm — or spend that time and effort baling. Straw does a good job in the field, so if you leave it in the field that’s great.”

The bedding recovery unit works by separating manure solids from liquids using a screw press, the solids are then put into a rotating drum that allows the material to heat to around 70 C. Liquids go off to traditional manure storage to be land applied, while the fibrous solids emerge with all the harmful bacteria killed off.

Ongoing research at the farm is aimed at answering remaining questions about the process, particularly, what bacteria remains after the heating process and how does the process affect nutrient loads?

“But the biggest question that dairymen have, is, is it safe for my cows… and all the studies we’ve seen, and the producers we’ve met who are using it, say it is,” said Holtmann. “But we need to see how it works in our coldclimate conditions and so forth.”

“The next thing I’m particularly interested in is to see how much nutrients are actually being removed from that liquid stream,” Sawka said.

There are also economic aspects that bear fur ther investigations.

Depending on a farm’s existing infrastructure, installing a bedding recovery system can cost between $500,000 and $700,000, said Sawka. How that compares to cost offsets, sustainability and time saved needs further examination.

Holtmann said he would also like to investigate the possibility of marketing surplus bedding material.

“We’re really interested in solving that question, because right now we do produce about 25 per cent more than we require, and right now we’re just putting it on our land, but maybe there is an opportunity there for other farms to use it as premium bedding material,” he said.

Currently, bedding recovery units are quite common in parts of the United States. But they have been slow to catch on in Canada.

However, that may be changing. Holtmann notes a second farm in Manitoba is about to begin operating a similar system and other dairy producers have expressed interest.

“It’s looking to do a pretty good job, production numbers are actually going up in the barn, so they’re producing more milk on average, for sure not less and it’s doing a good job on cow comfort,” Sawka said. “So from that perspective the BRU does seem to be living up to expectations.” shannon.vanraes@fbcpublishing.com

Henry inspects a rotating drum full of manure solids.

Henry Holtmann adjusts a piece of equipment on his bedding recovery unit. Photos: Shannon VanRaes

Bedding is extruded.

Cows exhale while waiting to be milked.

Henry stands in front of piles of bedding made from manure.

Henry Holtmann is approached by a curious cow in a barn where bedding recovered from manure is used.

7

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 1, 2015

much about soil moisture,” said Paul Bullock, head of the soil science department at the University of Manitoba. “But soil moisture affects a lot of things people do care about like flood risks. It will impact your crops. It will impact whether you have some insects and other types of pathogens develop in your crop.”

The satellite, being launched

by NASA and researched by American and Canadian interest groups, will measure soil moisture, using active and passive microwave sensors. “We don’t have any mechanism in place right now for monitoring soil moisture on a continuous basis,” he said. The hope is this satellite will produce accurate, more economical, measurements.

Timely updates

SMAP will be able to get an image of the Earth every two to three days. So any person or group who wants this information can receive an updated status of soil moisture from their area of interest every few days.

To e n s u re t h e s a t e l l i t e measurements are accurate, researchers have inserted soil moisture sensors in the ground that will measure the moisture directly and can be used to test the satellite measurements. Once they are confident that the satellite readings are reliable in the locations with ground measurements, the technology can be applied to the entire landscape and used to benefit farmers, the agriculture industry, planners and policy-makers.

seat in the global spotlight this year, but small-scale soil surveys in Manitoba date back as early as 1926. The first reconnaissance soil survey in the province covered the southwest area of Manitoba and was published in 1940.

Since then the research has become more complex.

To p o g r a p h i c a l c h a l lenges have changed as well.

Historic drought areas, such as the Palliser’s Triangle, once p l a g u e d by g ra s s h o p p e r s, have been flooded beyond recognition.

Extreme weather and wetterthan-usual conditions make SMAP satellite research timely for Manitoba. Soil moisture distribution is an important input variable that goes into flood-risk models because the amount of water in the soil changes how much precipitation can be stored and how much runs off into streams and rivers. The greater the soil moisture levels, the greater risk an area has of being flooded.

The SMAP satellite will use active and passive radioactive waves to measure soil moisture. photo: NASA illustration

Being able to consistently and regularly measure the amount of water in the soil could help flood-laden areas prepare.

“At the time that the 2012 SMAP validation experiment in

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“Soil moisture affects a lot of things people do care about like flood risks. It will impact your crops. It will impact whether you have some insects and other types of pathogens develop in your crop.”

Paul Bullock

Healthy soils, an important part of food security and functioning ecosystems, are a global focus this year since the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations declared 2015 the International Year of Soils.

A movement, called the Soil Renaissance, launched a year ago, is attempting to bring attention to the crucial role soil plays in our natural resource systems.

The group, partnering with producers, educators, researchers, NGOs, foundations and governments, began implementing a strategic plan focusing on four key issues — economic tools to assess the value of soil health, a standard for measuring soil health, determining research needs and educational outreach.

Tackling flood risks

Soil research may be given a

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Manitoba was being planned, we did not anticipate the extent to which flooding would affect the province of Manitoba, but the project seems to have become more relevant ever since,” said Bullock. “There’s a

bit of serendipity to have this research happening at the same time that the province is dealing with such an extreme bout of flooding.” meghan.mast@fbcpublishing.com

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The Manitoba Co-operator | January 1, 2015

Should farmers pay for protection against grain company defaults?

The Canadian Grain Commission has proposed setting up a security fund paid for by grain companies, but Rob Brunel says Ontario’s farmer-funded model has merit

By Allan Dawson co-operator staff

“Remove the middleman — that being the grain companies — and have farmers pay into it directly is something to be explored.”

R

ob Brunel knows farmers aren’t keen on more checkoffs, but the Ste. Rose du Lac farmer believes that’s the best way to replace the Canadian Grain Commission’s (CGC) current security program.

“My preference has been to set up something like Ontario has,” the chair of Keystone Agricultural Producers’ (KAP) Grains and Oilseeds Committee said in an interview Dec. 17.

Ontario grain farmers pay 10 cents or less a tonne, depending on the crop, to self-insure. The money goes into crop-specific funds, which as of March 31, 2014 totalled $13.87 million.

When an Ontario farmer isn’t paid by a licensed buyer, 95 per cent of what’s owed comes from the fund to compensate the farmer. The Grain Fa r m e r Pr o t e c t i o n B o a rd , made up of farmer and grain c o m p a n y re p re s e n t a t i v e s , oversees the fund, administered by Agricorp, a provincial Crown corporation.

Currently, when Ontario farmers sell soybeans or canola, 10 cents a tonne is deducted and added to the respective funds. The wheat deduction is five cents a tonne; the corn checkoff is just one-tenth of a cent, Anna Siderius, corporate secretary to the Grain Farmer Protection Board, said in an interview.

The funds are monitored and the checkoff raised or lowered to keep the funds actuarially sound, Siderius said. The corn checkoff is low because the

Wade Sobkowich

Ste. Rose du Lac farmer Rob Brunel says farmers should insure themselves against grain company payment defaults as producers in Ontario do. Farmers pay anyway so they might as well do it directly so they know what’s costing and what they’re getting, he says. photo: allan dawson

corn fund is large and defaults few, she said.

Although Western Canada produces more grain, the Ontario program is a working model that can be scaled up, Brunel said.

Ontario’s scheme is also cheaper than the CGC’s current protection program, which requires licensed grain companies to post security in the form of a bond or letter of credit to cover farmer liabilities.

A 2009 study estimated the CGC program cost $9 million a year or about 23 cents a tonne based on covering 40 million tonnes of grain. Almost $8 million of it is a cost to grain companies, but it’s assumed most of it is passed back to farmers.

CGC administration was estimated at $1.4 million a year.

In 2007, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said he wanted

to scrap the program, claiming it was too expensive, it discouraged new grain companies from starting up and it is flawed because sometimes farmers weren’t fully compensated.

But farmers pushed back.

Several alternatives were studied including a clearing house and insurance-type program.

The CGC pursued the latter and proposed grain companies pay mandatory premiums.

But last summer the CGC and Atradius Credit Insurance N.V. failed to reach a deal to set the program up after a year of negotiations.

In December the CGC proposed, as part of amendments to the Canada Grain Act, companies instead contribute to a fund to compensate farmers. In that way it’s similar to Ontario’s plan; the difference is how the money is raised.

The CGC hasn’t said how much the new plan will cost, but promises it will be cheaper than the current one.

Since farmers ultimately pay for the program, Brunel says it makes sense for them to pay directly instead of indirectly t h ro u g h c o m p a n i e s. T h e n farmers would know the full cost of the program, be able to gauge if it’s worth the money and have more influence over it, he said.

In 1998, a panel of three western Canadian farmers — Doug Livingstone, Owen McAuley and Germaine Dauk — submitted a report to then agriculture minister Lyle Vanclief proposing the same thing.

They also said it must be mandatory to work.

The Western Grain Elevator Association, which represents the West’s major grain companies, supports a farmer-paid security plan proposal, said executive director Wade Sobkowich.

“Remove the middleman — that being the grain companies — and have farmers pay into it directly is something to be explored,” he said.

Ontario farmers support Ontario’s security program, said Grain Farmers of Ontario CEO Barry Senft, a transplanted Sas-

katchewan farmer and former CGC commissioner.

“The protection program is well liked here,” he said.

The biggest challenge is coverage until the fund is large enough, he added.

KAP is not calling for a farmer checkoff-funded plan, but it’s not ruling out exploring the idea either, said KAP president Doug Chorney.

“We’re not putting up solid lines here and saying, ‘this is the box we need to stay in,’” he said.

But KAP does agree with Brunel that whatever program is implemented it must be less expensive and more transparent.

KAP is also pushing to include feed mills, which currently aren’t licensed by the CGC and exempt from the CGC’s security program.

When Manitoba feed mill and hog producer Puratone went into creditor protection in September 2012 farmers were owed an estimated $1.5 million for delivered grain.

“It’s the biggest loophole in the current system,” Brunel said. “It would be a massive failure, massive... if we don’t automatically include feed mills and feed purchasers. allan@fbcpublishing.com

CGC producer security concerns have a long history There has been much discussion and many reports over the years on how best to protect western Canadian grain farmers when companies fail to pay them

By Allan Dawson co-operator staff

T

he Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) and federal government have wrestled with producer security for more than 30 years.

And while the CGC says it wants a better, less expensive program, it also needs to keep its costs and government liabilities down.

In 1982 Manitoba-based Econ Consulting Ltd., and Memco Limited of Red Deer, Alberta went bankrupt, owing farmers $1.4 million, but the CGC held only $600,000 in security.

The farmers successfully sued the CGC for negligence. Sixteen farmers were awarded $950,000.

When Econ failed around 200 farmers claimed they were owed almost $4 million. The CGC had only $700,000 in security.

In 1990, Federal Court Judge F.C. Muldoon ruled the CGC was negligent

in allowing Econ to operate with insufficient security. He ordered the federal government to pay nine farmers $175,000.

Both cases demonstrated the CGC and the federal government could be held liable if companies failed to post enough security.

Until then, so long as farmers had the proper documentation, they could leave grain unpriced indefinitely. If a licensed grain dealer ever went broke, the security held by CGC was supposed to cover it.

After losing those lawsuits the CGC starting tightening the rules, putting more onus on farmers to protect themselves.

The CGC encourages farmers to get paid in cash when they deliver grain.

The CGC also introduced a time limit on its protection. If a licensed company refuses or fails to pay, producers must notify the CGC in writing within 30 days or their claims are invalid.

In the case of a cheque or cash purchase ticket that is not honoured by the bank, the deadline is 30 days after the cheque or cash purchase ticket is given to the producer. The same rule applies to postdated cheques.

Farmers who deliver grain to a licensed company and aren’t paid must make a compensation claim within 90 days from the date of the delivery to qualify for CGC protection.

There have been other cases since Memco and Econ where security held by the CGC fell short. In 2007 Ritz said that was evidence the program “has done poorly,” bolstering his case for ending it.

But CGC figures show between 2002 and 2008 farmers got 77 per cent of money they claimed. Of the nine cases where a company’s security held by the CGC was distributed, farmers were 100 per cent compensated in six and in one they received 99.8 per cent or virtually 100 per cent.

Not all farmers were so fortunate.

In two cases farmers were not fully covered. Twenty-seven farmers owed money by Venture Seeds Ltd. received just 28 cents on the dollar taking an average loss of $14,323.18.

The 112 farmers owed money by Naber Seeds & Grain Co. Ltd. received 51.4 per cent of what they were owed, leaving them out an average of $8,448.60.

During that period 204 received 100 per cent of the $3.35 million they were owed for an average payment of $16,435.32.

Although the CGC aims to have enough security to cover farmers’ liabilities, there are no guarantees, CGC chief operating officer Gordon Miles told reporters during a briefing last month. The CGC hasn’t said what percentage of claims the proposed new company-supported fund will cover. allan@fbcpublishing.com

9

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 1, 2015

Innovative food processors get funding kick-starts Growing Forward 2 funding aims to help this province’s unique processors and agribusinesses grow, says provincial agriculture minister

By Lorraine Stevenson co-operator staff

A

small on-farm processor hoping to start selling milk in old-fashioned recyclable glass bottles is one of seven companies to receive Growing Forward 2 funding supporting investments in made-inManitoba food products.

Dairy farmers Jim and Angie Appleby, who farm with Jim’s family near Steinbach are developing an on-farm micro-creamery to pasteurize and bottle milk and yogurt products produced from the farm’s organically managed herd.

“The stage we’re at right now is just learning to make a really, really good pure product,” said Jim Appleby in an interview just before Christmas.

The owners of Stoney Brook Creamery intend to use their $15,000 portion from the Growing Forward 2’s Growing Value

WHAT’S UP Please forward your agricultural events to daveb@fbcpublishing. com or call 204-944-5762.

Jan. 7-8: 30th annual St. Jean Farm Days, Centennial Hall, 203 Caron St., St. Jean-Baptiste. For more info call the Morris MAFRD office at ​204-7462312 or 204-746-5579.

Jan. 7-9: Western Canadian Wheat Growers annual convention, Fairmont Winnipeg, 2 Lombard Place, Winnipeg.

For more info call 306-586-5866 or visit wheatgrowers.ca.

Jan. 11-12: Manitoba Forage Seed Association annual conference, Victoria Inn, 1808 Wellington Ave., Winnipeg. For more info call Heather at 204-376-3309 or email hmcbey@forageseed.net.

Jan. 15: Southeast Beef and Forage Day, Vita. For more information call MAFRD’s Vita GO office at 204-4255050.

Jan. 17: Manitoba Sustainable Energy Association (ManSEA) Sustainable Energy Workshop and AGM, 10:30 am – 3:30 pm, Knox United Church, 451 - 18th Street, Brandon, Man. (use 17th St. entrance). For more information please visit the ManSEA website at www.mansea.org or email info@ mansea.org.

– Commercialization program to finish equipping their farmbased business and are awaiting final approvals from health inspectors to start operations.

Ash Apiaries Ltd. in Gilbert Plains is another firm receiving $36,000 through the program to develop and commercialize a line of energy beverages, plus another $50,000 to purchase equipment for affixing labels and seals on product packages.

Honey beverage

The family-owned company is the second-largest honey processor in Manitoba, with over 8,000 bee colonies and is currently producing liquid honey, creamed honey and flavoured honey spreads.

This funding will help complete projects they otherwise couldn’t pursue on their own, said Brent Ash, co-owner of Ash Apiaries, in a news release.

“The idea behind the beverage project is to produce a refresh-

ing drink that provides an energy boost using honey as the sweetener. There is currently very little honey being used in beverage manufacturing so if this drink takes off, it will be good for the honey industry as a whole.”

A total of $369,500 is being shared between the seven recipient processors to be used for equipment purchases, product development, market research and other productivity improvements.

Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development Minister Ron Kostyshyn jointly announced the funding late last month saying these cash infusions will help spur business development and diversify the agricultural sector in Manitoba.

“There are many unique processors and agribusinesses throughout Manitoba, growing, designing and selling a wide range of products,” said Kostyshyn in a news release.

Feb. 17-18: CropConnect Conference, Victoria Inn, 1808 Wellington Ave., Winnipeg. For more info visit cropconnectconference.ca.

Feb. 23-24: Wild Oats Grainworld conference, Fairmont Winnipeg, 2 Lombard Place, Winnipeg. For more info call 1-800-567-5671 or visit www.wildoatsgrainworld.com.

Feb. 25-26: Manitoba Young Farmers Conference, Victoria Inn, 3550 Victoria Ave., Brandon. For more info visit www. gov.mb.ca/agriculture/business-andeconomics/events-and-deadlines/ young-farmers-conference.html or call 204-266-2930 or 204-697-1140.

Buttery

Other projects getting funding include Notre Dame Creamery Ltd. in Notre Dame de Lourdes, which is getting $60,000 to purchase a printer to package smaller butter portions and create new flavoured products.

Red River Milling Inc. in Niverville is receiving $100,000 to add a pneumatic conveyance to its hemp-processing facility to boost efficiency, food safety and quality.

Cavalier Candies Ltd. in Winnipeg is receiving $50,000 to purchase new equipment to wrap and seal its candies and $16,000 will go to Red Dog Enterprises Ltd. in Swan River to help commercialize compounds for use in human health supplements and animal feed. The company has since 2011 been exploring the properties and potential health benefits of the red osier

dogwood, a hardy shrub found in many regions of Canada.

The Winnipeg Old Country Sausage Ltd. is getting $42,500 to upgrade its facility’s hot water, shipping, holding and cooling areas.

Government funding can represent up to half of the cost of each project, to a maximum of $100,000. In total, these projects are expected to create 19 new jobs plus an additional 18 jobs in three years.

Manitoba’s goal is to establish a value-added food industry worth $5 billion within the next five years.

Value-added agricultural industries are eligible to apply to the program, including food processing and biofibre production companies.

For more information about this program or the Food Development Centre, visit www.gov. mb.ca/agriculture. lorraine@fbcpublishing.com

Learn about risk management at the

2015 Manitoba Young FarMers ConFerenCe

GM’S MESSAGE

February 25 and 26, 2015 · Victoria Inn, Brandon

 F inancial risk management: understanding cash flow, income and expense records, and more.  P roduction risk management: land and equipment investment strategies for decision making.  m arketing risk management: what to consider to minimize risks when deciding how to market your production.  s trategic Planning risk management: understanding margin, price and production insurance, the value of cash advances, using insurance as a risk management tool.  k eynote sPeaker: Dr. John Fast, the “family business doctor” will provide insight into farm transition from generation to generation, including interaction with participants at different stages of the succession process.

Presented in part by Keystone agricultural Producers Young Farmers Committee and Manitoba agriculture, Food and rural Development. For more information visit the MaFrD website.

Jan. 20-22: Manitoba Ag Days, Keystone Centre, 1175-18th St., Brandon. For more info visit www. agdays.com or call 204-866-4400.

Jan. 20-22: Red River Basin Land and Water International Summit Conference, Fort Garry Hotel, 222 Broadway, Winnipeg. For more info visit www.redriverbasincommission. org.

“Strategic investments like these create growth, new jobs and a diverse agricultural sector.”

2015 manitoba young Farmers conFerence registration Name(s):

conFerence Fees (non refundable) • early bird: $125 per person

by February 2

Address: Phone:

Fax:

Email:

Special dietary request:

send form and cheque (made out to Keystone agricultural Producers) to: KaP Young Farmers, 203 - 1700 ellice avenue, Winnipeg Mb r3H 0b1 Proudly sponsored by

• regular: $135 per person

by February 18 • Daily: $75 per person by February 18 (no banquet) • banquet: $50 per person

by February 18 Hotel inFormation group name: MB Young Farmers; group number: 276095 rate: $114.99 + taxes (single occupancy) – includes one complimentary breakfast $124.99 + taxes (double occupancy) – includes two complimentary breakfasts

10

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 1, 2015

LIVESTOCK MARKETS Cattle Prices

Heifers

Alberta South 178.00 — 120.00 - 136.00 105.00 - 121.00 140.94 $ 215.00 - 229.00 225.00 - 235.00 238.00 - 249.00 254.00 - 275.00 277.00 - 303.00 307.00 - 339.00 $ 207.00 - 214.00 210.00 - 220.00 220.00 - 234.00 235.00 - 253.00 254.00 - 274.00 276.00 - 308.00

($/cwt) (1,000+ lbs.)

(850+ lbs.)

Ontario $ 156.01 - 187.98 150.16 - 183.02 81.63 - 118.97 81.63 - 118.97 109.85 - 138.69 $ 212.10 - 245.56 213.53 - 246.91 200.85 - 260.31 221.59 - 286.45 241.36 - 310.47 248.08 - 311.83 $ 174.90 - 208.96 190.57 - 222.56 183.68 - 232.37 186.77 - 248.37 203.79 - 269.08 230.28 - 296.29

$

(901+ lbs.)

(801-900 lbs.)

(701-800 lbs.)

(601-700 lbs.)

(501-600 lbs.)

(401-500 lbs.)

(901+ lbs.)

(801-900 lbs.)

(701-800 lbs.)

(601-700 lbs.)

(501-600 lbs.)

(401-500 lbs.)

Futures (December 19, 2014) in U.S. Fed Cattle Close Change December 2014 158.70 -3.70 February 2015 158.52 -4.05 April 2015 158.20 -3.90 June 2015 150.45 -4.20 August 2015 148.25 -4.00 October 2015 149.65 -3.70

Feeder Cattle January 2015 March 2015 April 2015 May 2015 August 2015 September 2015

Cattle Slaughter

Close 217.07 213.77 214.17 214.95 215.75 215.12

Change -11.53 -10.48 -9.93 -9.47 -8.47 -9.00

Cattle Grades (Canada)

Week Ending December 13, 2014 Canada 50,072 East 12,513 West 37,559 Manitoba N/A U.S. 566,000

Previous Year­ 51,474 13,111 38,363 N/A 608,000

Prime AAA AA A B D E

Week Ending December 13, 2014 1,364 23,669 13,400 874 780 9,259 186

Previous Year 541 20,509 15,919 875 788 11,906 140

Hog Prices Source: Manitoba Agriculture

(Friday to Thursday) ($/100 kg) E - Estimation MB. ($/hog) MB (All wts.) (Fri-Thurs.)

MB (Index 100) (Fri-Thurs.)

ON (Index 100) (Mon.-Thurs.)

PQ (Index 100) (Mon.-Fri.)

Current Week 189.00 E 175.00 E 180.52 185.65

Futures (December 19, 2014) in U.S. Hogs February 2015 April 2015 May 2015 June 2015 July 2015

Last Week 192.33 178.86 183.61 186.30

Close 81.87 83.22 87.45 90.87 90.00

Last Year (Index 100) 162.79 153.94 154.93 157.67

Change -5.68 -1.13 1.75 -0.57 -1.85

Other Market Prices Winnipeg (Hd) Wooled Fats 70.00 - 85.00 — 165.00 - 188.00 185.00 - 202.00 190.00 - 210.00 —

Chickens Minimum broiler prices as of April 13, 2010 Under 1.2 kg................................... $1.5130 1.2 - 1.65 kg.................................... $1.3230 1.65 - 2.1 kg.................................... $1.3830 2.1 - 2.6 kg...................................... $1.3230

Turkeys Minimum prices as of December 21, 2014 Broiler Turkeys (6.2 kg or under, live weight truck load average) Grade A .................................... $1.940 Undergrade .............................. $1.850 Hen Turkeys (between 6.2 and 8.5 kg liveweight truck load average) Grade A .................................... $1.920 Undergrade .............................. $1.820 Light Tom/Heavy Hen Turkeys (between 8.5 and 10.8 kg liveweight truck load average) Grade A .................................... $1.920 Undergrade .............................. $1.820 Tom Turkeys (10.8 and 13.3 kg, live weight truck load average) Grade A..................................... $1.885 Undergrade............................... $1.800 Prices are quoted f.o.b. producers premise.

2014 a ‘bull of all bulls’ kind of year Record-high prices will make last year memorable Dave Sims CNSC

T

he past calendar year may be rememb e re d a s t h e “ b u l l o f a l l b u l l s” when it comes to reflecting on good years in the cattle industry, according to a market-watcher.

“It was an amazing 2014,” said Anne Wasko, an industry market analyst with Gateway Trading in Taber, Alberta.

“We had record highs that we weren’t even randomly thinking about at this time last year,” she said.

A shortage of animals in North America was caused largely by sell-offs following the U.S. droughts of 2011 and 2012 which sent beef prices soaring. As well, a weaker Canadian dollar towards the latter half of the year further exaggerated the prices Canadian producers were getting.

However, prices for Manitoba cattle softened somewhat during the week ended December 19, as producers hurried to get their animals to market prior to the Christmas break. Just over 6,000 animals made their way through the rings of the province’s stockyards before the end of the calendar year.

The decline in price was noticeable to most observers with steers 400 to 500 lbs. falling from bids of $290 to $337 (per hundredweight) at one auction mart in late November to $260 to $323 (per hundred-weight) this week.

Although tight volumes may have exaggerated the differences in prices, there’s no doubt values have stepped off the record highs they saw in the fall, according to Rick Wright of Heartland Order Buying Co. “Oil futures have a lot of effect on the global economy. That’s had one of the major

Toronto 117.47 - 139.40 150.85 - 193.51 184.01 - 215.20 194.46 - 231.28 175.51 - 314.43 —

SunGold Specialty Meats 50.00

Eggs Minimum prices to producers for ungraded eggs, f.o.b. egg grading station, set by the Manitoba Egg Producers Marketing Board effective November 10, 2013.

New Previous A Extra Large $2.00 $2.05 A Large 2.00 2.05 A Medium 1.82 1.87 A Small 1.40 1.45 A Pee Wee 0.3775 0.3775 Nest Run 24 + 1.8910 1.9390 B 0.45 0.45 C 0.15 0.15

effects in pushing the cattle futures down,” said Wright.

The butcher cow market stayed full steady, according to Wright, because packers were stockpiling as much product as they could, so they would have cows for the kill over the Christmas break.

The weaker Canadian dollar also was beneficial for sales to the U.S., he noted.

However, the feeder market was spotty in places.

“Certainly a shortage of pen space to put cattle into,” Wright remarked, adding there was definite uncertainty about what feeder cattle would be worth in the new year.

“Certainly those who were trying to sell some feeder cattle for early in the new year were not getting the prices they wanted.

There was tax buying, and careful buying, especially in Manitoba,“ said Wright.

He added most Ontario and American orders had been pulled off the market due to the seasonal volumes that were coming in, so it was mainly local demand that was supporting the market.

“So they got away fairly well but it certainly wasn’t as good as what it was prior to that,” said Wright.

Higher grain prices have also put a damper on the feeder cattle market. “They (grain prices) seem to be finding some strength as of late which is a key factor in what’s going on with feeder cattle prices too,” Wasko observed.

Holiday cattle schedule:

Brandon – closed until early January Ste. Rose – first sale of 2015 on Jan. 15 Killarney – first sale of 2015 on Jan. 12 Gladstone – first sale of 2015 on Jan. 13 Grunthal – first sale of 2015 on Jan. 6 Winnipeg – closed until early January Virden – closed until early January Ashern – reopening in mid-January

Cheaper feed fuels higher-thanexpected U.S. hog herd growth

By Theopolis Waters

Sheep and Lambs $/cwt Ewes Choice Lambs (110+ lb.)

(95 - 109 lb.)

(80 - 94 lb.)

(Under 80 lb.)

(New crop)

$1 Cdn: $0.8599 U.S. $1 U.S: $1.1629 Cdn.

COLUMN

(Friday to Thursday) December 19, 2014 Winnipeg Slaughter Cattle Steers 160.00 Heifers — D1, 2 Cows 109.00 - 120.00 D3 Cows 100.00 - 112.00 Bulls 134.00 - 140.00 Feeder Cattle (Price ranges for feeders refer to top-quality animals only) Steers (901+ lbs.) $ 180.00 - 211.00 (801-900 lbs.)

200.00 - 235.50 (701-800 lbs.)

230.00 - 249.00 (601-700 lbs.)

245.00 - 275.00 (501-600 lbs.)

270.00 - 295.00 (401-500 lbs.)

280.00 - 312.00 Heifers (901+ lbs.)

175.00 - 191.00 (801-900 lbs.)

190.00 - 205.00 (701-800 lbs.)

210.00 - 236.00 (601-700 lbs.)

220.00 - 245.00 (501-600 lbs.)

240.00 - 275.00 (401-500 lbs.)

280.00 - 310.00 Slaughter Cattle Grade A Steers Grade A Heifers D1, 2 Cows D3 Cows Bulls Steers

EXCHANGES: December 19, 2014

T

he U.S. hog herd during the SeptemberNovember quarter grew more than anticipated, a U.S. Department of Agriculture report showed Dec. 23, reflecting a market driven by cheaper feed that extended producer profit, said analysts.

The deadly porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv), which has killed an estimated 8.5 million pigs since May 2013, was less virulent than some had expected due to enhanced biosecurity measures, moderate fall weather and the use of two vaccines, they said.

The USDA report showed the U.S. hog herd as of Dec. 1 at 102 per cent of the yearago level, at 66.050 million head. Analysts, on average, expected 65.747 million head, or 101.5 per cent of the year-earlier herd.

The U.S. breeding herd was 104 per cent of the year-ago level, at 5.969 million head, compared with average trade expectations for 103 per cent, or 5.930 million.

The Dec. 1 supply of market-ready hogs for sale to packers was 102 per cent of a year earlier at 60.082 million head. Analysts, on average, expected a 1.3 per cent increase, or 58.785 million.

The data showed pigs per litter, the categor y most affected by the virus, at 10.23 head during the fall period, or 101 per cent of the 10.16 in the year-ago period.

There were fewer pigs l o s t t o t h e v i r u s, s a i d Un i v e r s i t y o f Mi s s o u r i economist Ron Plain. And farmers were more profitable given less-expensive feed and record-high hog prices, he added.

The report suggests increased supplies at least through the middle of January, which could challenge prices for slaughter hogs at that time, Plain said.

Goats Kids Billys Mature

Winnipeg (h) 100.00 - 165.00 225.00 - 275.00 —

Toronto ($/cwt) 111.07 - 258.65 — 135.85 - 283.18

Horses <1,000 lbs.

1,000 lbs.+

Winnipeg ($/cwt) — —

Toronto ($/cwt) 10.00 - 33.00 24.00 - 46.00

Looking for results? Check out the market reports from livestock auctions around the province. » PaGe 22

11

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 1, 2015

GRAIN MARKETS Export and International Prices

column

A review of 2014, and factors at play for 2015 CNSC

G

rain and oilseed futures markets saw some wide price swings over the past year, but, at least for canola and spring wheat, they exited 2014 at levels not that far off from where they started.

Nearby canola futures were trading at around $430 to $440 per tonne back in late December 2013, which is right in line with levels a year later of just over $440. In the months in between, the nearby futures traded within a $100 range, topping $500 back in the summer, and edging below $400 at harvest time. The Minneapolis spring wheat chart had a similar pattern through 2014, with the front month futures nearing US$8 per bushel in May, dropping below $5.30 in the fall, and closing out the year right in the middle of that range at around $6.50 per bushel.

Where 2015 will take the markets remains to be seen. However, as history has a habit of repeating itself, here are a few of the top marketmoving factors of the past year, in no particular order, that could come to play again in 2015.

• Supply/demand — Canada grew recordlarge crops in 2013-14. According to Economics 101, the bigger the supply, the lower the price.

However, the demand side of that equation was also solid during the calendar year, with Canadian exports and domestic usage running at some of their best levels ever. Canadian grain supplies were considerably tighter at the end than at the beginning of 2014 and demand remains solid, but the U.S. had record soybean and corn crops which will overhang the North American markets.

• Transportation — Canada may have had large crops, but the early months of 2014 were fraught with logistics issues moving those commodities out to export positions at the coast.

Most of the blame was placed on the railways, and government legislation was eventually introduced to help improve the flow of grain.

Opinions remain somewhat divided on the benefit of the legislation, but transportation issues should remain at the forefront of the conversation in 2015 as the government and industry groups work on creating more permanent solutions.

• Weather — A bitterly cold winter in 2014 took some of the blame for the rail problems, and winter weather will continue to be watched in 2015. Over the growing season, excess moisture caused problems in many areas, while adverse conditions at harvest time also took a toll on some crops. Farther abroad, drought conditions in the U.S. Southern U Plains were supportive for wheat earlier in the year, but moisture levels have shown some improvement as the 2015 winter wheat crop goes through dormancy. Weather in other grain-growing regions

Week Ago

Year Ago

Chicago wheat (nearby future) ($US/tonne)

240.77

219.55

224.41

Minneapolis wheat (nearby future) ($US/tonne)

242.88

226.07

237.46

Chicago corn (nearby future) ($US/tonne)

161.80

156.88

169.48

Chicago oats (nearby future) ($US/tonne)

205.06

201.98

225.81

Chicago soybeans (nearby future) ($US/tonne)

383.33

382.96

487.59

Chicago soyoil ($US/tonne)

707.36

706.04

867.23

Coarse Grains

Currency, oil and uncertainty in Russia among market forces at the beginning of 2015 Phil Franz-Warkentin

Last Week

All prices close of business December 18, 2014

For three-times-daily market reports from Commodity News Service Canada, visit “Today in Markets” at www.manitobacooperator.ca.

oilseeds

Winnipeg Futures ICE Futures Canada prices at close of business December 19, 2014 barley

of the world, including Europe, the Black Sea region, Australia, and South America will also be watched closely.

• Quality — Canada’s weather problems at harvest time cut into the quality of the country’s wheat crop, with top-end grain harder to find this year. Those quality issues come to play in basis levels and protein spreads more than the futures, which can make for some complicated calculations. Premiums and discounts will be the order of the day in the cash markets for the foreseeable future.

• Crude oil — Energy prices took a dive in the last few months of 2014, which has a mixed impact on the ag markets. On the one hand, cheaper oil means cheaper inputs. However, losses in oil also speak to larger economic issues, which are bearish for prices in general.

• Currency — As far as Canada is concerned, the drop in oil has also weighed on the Canadian currency. A weaker currency is a supportive factor for Canadian grain and oilseed prices relative to the U.S. Other parts of the world, especially Russia, have also seen their currency weaken over the past year. While weaker currencies can encourage exports, there is also an argument to be made that the resulting economic uncertainty will cause farmers to hold off on grain sales, as agricultural commodities are seen as a bit of a “safe haven.”

• Russia/Ukraine — That “safe-haven” sentiment will be important to watch for in Russia, as the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine has already been behind some volatility in the grain markets over the past year. “Will they or won’t they” speculation on exports from Russia and Ukraine remained at the forefront of the grain markets heading into 2015, with ideas circulating that Russia will put in measures to slow exports in an effort to prop up domestic supplies.

• Other — Some of the other market-moving factors that came to play over the past year, and will continue to do so in 2015 include: South American soybean and corn production; U.S. soybeans and corn; Chinese demand; technicals; the spring “fight for acres”; the CWB’s move towards privatization; and speculative money flows — to name only a few.

Last Week

Week Ago

March 2015

177.00

177.00

May 2015

179.00

179.00

July 2015

181.00

—

Canola

Last Week

Week Ago

January 2015

442.40

439.80

March 2015

437.10

436.20

May 2015

436.10

435.80

Special Crops Report for December 29, 2014 — Bin run delivered plant Saskatchewan Spot Market

Spot Market

Lentils (Cdn. cents per pound)

Other ( Cdn. cents per pound unless otherwise specified)

Large Green 15/64

Canaryseed

35.50 - 40.75

Laird No. 1

35.00 - 40.75

Oil Sunflower Seed

Eston No. 2

27.00 - 31.00

Desi Chickpeas

23.75 - 25.00 — 15.20 - 16.00

Field Peas (Cdn. $ per bushel)

Beans (Cdn. cents per pound)

Green No. 1

8.30 - 9.50

Fababeans, large

Medium Yellow No. 1

6.90 - 7.75

—

Feed beans

—

Feed Peas (Cdn. $ per bushel)

No. 1 Navy/Pea Beans

25.00 - 25.00

Feed Pea (Rail)

No. 1 Great Northern

42.00 - 42.00

No. 1 Cranberry Beans

41.00 - 41.00

4.10 - 4.10

Mustardseed (Cdn. cents per pound) Yellow No. 1

31.40 - 33.00

No. 1 Light Red Kidney

52.00 - 52.00

Brown No. 1

23.80 - 25.00

No. 1 Dark Red Kidney

57.00 - 57.00

Oriental No. 1

29.50 - 31.00

Source: Stat Publishing SUNFLOWERS

No. 1 Black Beans

29.00 - 29.00

No. 1 Pinto Beans

23.00 - 32.00

No. 1 Small Red

42.00 - 42.00

No. 1 Pink

42.00 - 42.00

Fargo, ND

Goodlands, KS

18.85

19.55

Ask

—

Report for December 26, 2014 in US$ cwt NuSun (oilseed) Confection Source: National Sunflower Association

Phil Franz-Warkentin writes for Commodity News Service Canada, a Winnipeg-based market-reporting service.

NEWS

China approves contentious biotech corn Beijing / Reuters / China has officially approved imports of a genetically modified corn seed at the centre of a string of lawsuits over U.S. grain shipments, seed firm Syngenta said Dec. 22, ending uncertainty after a five-year review.

Syngenta’s Agrisure Viptera corn strain has been under scrutiny since late last year, when China rejected over a million tonnes of corn shipments after

it detected traces of the unapproved biotech seed, known in the industry as MIR162.

The rejection of corn shipments — which later extended to distillers dried grains, a byproduct of corn — roiled global prices and led farmers and traders Cargill Inc. and Archer Daniels Midland Co. to sue Syngenta for hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.

“The approval covers corn grain and processing byproducts, such as distillers dried grains (DDGS), for food and feed use,” the company said in an emailed statement.

Syngenta, the world’s top crop chemicals company, did not say when the import approval would take effect.

The lifting of the ban will allow Chinese traders to buy cheaper supplies of corn and DDGS from the United States.

But several large importers in China said they were unhappy over what they said was a lack of transparency in Beijing’s handling of the matter, which likely gave state-owned buyer COFCO an unfair trading advantage.

Market speculation of an imminent import approval began earlier, just as

state-owned COFCO ordered as much as 900,000 tonnes of DDGS from the United States, according to a report by the China National Grain and Oils Information Center (CNGOIC), a state think-tank.

Even as speculation swirled, there was no confirmation from China’s Agriculture Ministry, or in state media.

“Many private buyers are angry and think it is unfair. The lifting of the ban was first disclosed overseas and some players were given tipoffs,” said one senior analyst, who declined to be identified.

12

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 1, 2015

COUNTRY CROSSROADS CON N EC T I NG RU R A L FA M I L I E S

Iconic Lake Manitoba wetland protected in largest conservation agreement yet signed Merging municipalities wanted the regions’ biological diversity and watershed values protected

By Lorraine Stevenson co-operator staff

T

wo amalgamating municipalities made preserving Manitoba’s third-largest wetland in perpetuity one of their last acts as independent councils.

Big Grass Marsh, a 45,000acre swamp straddling the boundaries of the former RMs of Westbourne and Lakeview has become the largest land donation to date for the Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation.

“It’s our last hoorah, you might say,” said RM of Lakeview Reeve Philip Thordarson.

“It’s our heritage,” he said.

“Small communites can do big things.”

The wetland area — five times the size of Birds Hill Park — will now be under the jurisdiction of newly amalgamated Westlake Gladstone Municipality. The agreement signed with MHHC is also the largest conservation agreement of its kind in Canada, permanently protecting a vast area of wetland and aspen parklands near the south basin of Lake Manitoba.

The new Westlake-Gladstone municipality is going to be a big one too — roughly 30 miles north to south and 24 miles east to west, although not quite as large as the original RM of Westbourne once was under its original configuration after 1877.

Big Grass Marsh has been internationally designated an Important Bird Area (IBA), a critically important habitat for tens of thousands of waterfowl and songbirds.

On the other side of the municipal border that dissolved December 31, 2014, the new mayor of Westlake Gladstone Municipality, David Single is equally pleased an agreement was struck. Keeping the land intact was what both RMs wanted. They shared Lakeview’s concern that this wasn’t land to leave vulnerable to being sold or cultivated in the future.

“The RM of Westbourne is pleased to know that these lands will continue to be managed and maintained the way they are now,” Single said. “We wanted this land kept so that future councils wouldn’t sell it off and farmers try to farm it. It is flood land.”

Lakeview has worked with the Big Grass Grazers Co-op, a notfor-profit organization made up of local ranchers, since tak-

The Big Grass Marsh is an internationally recognized wetland that’s become a destination of choice for birdwatchers. PHOTOs: MANITOBA HABITAT HERITAGE CORPORATION

ing back tracts of what was formerly a PFRA community pasture after a dispute over rental.

The size of the contribution is matched only by the significance of the large parcel’s biological diversity.

John Whitaker, chair of MHHC, also called the donation a win for the region’s cattle producers, who retain access to reasonably priced pasture in the marsh under pre-existing arrangements.

Local cattle producers can continue to use area land for grazing, and it will also remain open for hunters and trappers.

“They (the RMs) see the future of their municipality in having a healthy cattle industry,” Whitaker said.

A recent provincial news release also highlighted the significant watershed values of Big Grass Marsh, which stretches more than 40 kilometres from south to north.

It reduces the amount of phosphorus heading to Lake Manitoba by about 40 tonnes per year, and stores approximately three million tonnes of organic carbon, or the equivalent of a year’s worth of greenhouse-gas emissions from about 2.2 million vehicles, the release said.

Big Grass Marsh also plays a significant role in flood control by holding significant volumes of water from the Whitemud River each spring.

“This is the kind of forwardthinking, responsible habitat management that ensures the

“As more areas become cleared and cultivated, it is important to keep land like this in its natural state and available for grazing.”

Philip Thordarson reeve of the RM of Lakeview

protection of an iconic wetland that provides flood control, water quality enhancement, protection from drainage, carbon storage and wildlife habitat,” Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship Minister Gord Mackintosh said in a news release.

Historic

Big Grass Marsh remained public land because it was never suited to farming, said Thordarson, who will continue serving as a councillor in the new Westlake Gladstone Municipality.

The Big Grass Marsh is the backdrop of Settlers of the Marsh, written by Canadian author Frederick Philip Grove, who chronicled the struggles of early Icelandic homesteaders in the region.

“They were forced to leave because of flooding, because the land proved to be not suited for farming,” said Thordarson.

Two municipalities have signed conservation agreements with the Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation that will permanently protect 45,000 acres of wetland and aspen parklands near the south basin of Lake Manitoba.

“As a result, the land went back to the RM because of taxes not paid. Departing private owners could not pay the taxes.”

The Big Grass Marsh is historically significant for other reasons as well. It was the first wetland project tackled by Ducks Unlimited more than 75 years ago.

“As more areas become cleared and cultivated, it is important to keep land like this in its natural state and available for grazing,” said Thordarson.

Langr uth, which named itself the birdwatching capital, greets many annual birdwatching visitors and is now eyeing more opportunities to support

and diversify the local economy with the conservation agreement in place.

Visitors come each year to see the annual massive migrations of mallards, snow geese and Canada geese to the area, globally significant populations of more than 5,000 nesting Franklin’s gulls, as many as 6,500 migrating sandhill cranes in parts of the marsh, and the wide variety of neotropical songbirds nesting in the forested ridges of Hollywood Beach, east of Langruth along Lake Manitoba’s shoreline. lorraine@fbcpublishing.com

13

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 1, 2015

COUNTRY CROSSROADS

RecipeSwap

Send your recipes or recipe request to: Manitoba Co-operator Recipe Swap Box 1794, Carman, Man. ROG OJO or email: lorraine@fbcpublishing.com

Waste less food in 2015 Lorraine Stevenson Crossroads Recipe Swap

F

ood bloggers and various groups love talking about what’s ‘in’ on the food scene as a new year begins. For 2015, we’re told to expect sustained interest in local food and how food production impacts the environment, eating healthier, a fondness for ‘mini’ food, more meatless Mondays, demand for more intense flavours and so on.

There’s some gab about lessening the amount of food we waste too.

I was thinking about that as I chopped up a crown of broccoli the other day.

We’ve been reminded again recently how utterly wasteful we are with our food. Just before Christmas, the Canadian consulting firm Value Chain Management International, published an updated report on the amount we throw away; it’s an enormous and expen-

PHOTOS: Thinkstock

Broccoli Soup Use any other leftover leafy vegetable you like in this soup such as brussels sprouts, cauliflower, or that kale that always seems to wilt before you get around to using it. No one could taste the handful of shrivelled cilantro I threw in.

4 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped 2 carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks A handful of pearl barley or red lentils Leftover broccoli stalks (about two cups) Salt Black peppercorns Sour cream A few tarragon leaves (optional)

Put the potatoes, onion, carrots, pearl barley or lentils in a large pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add the broccoli stalks and continue to cook until all the vegetables are just tender. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before blending to a smooth pure purée. Add a dab of sour cream and a few sprigs of herb if you wish.

sive heap worth $31 billion a year. That doesn’t even account for all the energy, water and other resources to produce it.

Why does so much food end up trashed? Waste happens at all levels, including about 10 per cent on farms, and plenty more at stores, hotels and restaurants. As one unnamed food industry expert quoted in VCM’s report puts it: “Consumers are busy picking off deals, while retailers and suppliers are busy picking off each other. This produces enormous amounts of food waste and is unsustainable.”

That might make you want to blame The Big Bad Food System, of course, yet you and I are the biggest culprits of all. Consumer food waste accounts for a full 47 per cent of that total volume of food thrown out. We buy too much and we don’t use it. We throw it away.

Early January is when we often make food and resolutions for a new year. One of mine for 2015 is to waste less food. I started with that broccoli. I save the stems and make soup. Here’s the recipe for that soup as well as some other ideas for reducing waste.

Barley and Lentil Salad with Kale, Apples, Almonds and Feta

Five simple things consumers can do to prevent food waste

After overeating at Christmas, lighter healthy foods are in order for January. This is a beautiful side dish or winter salad, brimming with good taste and nutrition and just 180 calories per serving. Enjoy. You can find more recipes like this one at lentils.ca.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that an estimated one-third of the food produced worldwide for human consumption is wasted annually. To make the world more food secure consumers need to make better use of the food that is produced by wasting less.

2-1/2 - 3 c. water 1/2 c. green lentils 1/2 c. pearl or pot barley 1 garlic clove, finely grated or crushed 2 - 3 c. finely chopped kale or spinach 1 tart apple, cored and diced 1/2 c. crumbled feta 1/4 c. finely chopped purple onion

Vinaigrette: 1/3 c. canola oil 2 tbsp. lemon juice 2 tbsp. white wine or rice vinegar 2 tsp. grainy mustard 1 tsp. honey or granulated sugar 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 1/3 c. chopped toasted almonds

In a large saucepan, combine water, lentils, barley and garlic. Boil for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain well, discarding the garlic, and set aside to cool completely. In a bowl, combine lentils and barley with kale, apple, feta and purple onion. To prepare vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together canola oil, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, honey, salt and pepper. Pour over the salad and toss to combine. Top with almonds just before serving.

Preparation time: 15 minutes.

Recipes provided by: Canadian Lentils.

Recipe Swap If you have a recipe or a column suggestion please write to: Manitoba Co-operator Recipe Swap, Box 1794, Carman, Manitoba R0G 0J0 or email Lorraine Stevenson at: lorraine@fbcpublishing.com

1. Compost Rotting food that ends up in landfills releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas, that is a major contributor to global climate change and can negatively affect crop yields.

Composting is a process that allows food waste to be converted into nutrient-rich organic fertilizer for gardening.

2. Donate to food banks Donating food that you don’t plan to use is a great way to save food while helping to feed the needy in your community.

3. Improve food storage Food is often wasted because it isn’t stored properly which allows it to mould, rot, or get freezer burn. By storing food properly, consumers can reduce the amount of food they waste.

The National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) is a great resource for consumers to learn a range of techniques to increase the shelf life of food such as learning to blanch and freeze vegetables.

4. Buy less food People often buy more food than they need and allow the excess food to go to waste. Reducing food waste requires that consumers take responsibility for their food consumption. Instead of buying more food, consumers should buy food more responsibly.

5. Shop for groceries responsibly Consumers should make sure that they shop at places that practise responsible waste management. Many grocery stores are hesitant to donate leftovers to food banks because they are worried about possible liabilities if someone gets sick. But consumers can encourage grocery chains to reduce food waste by supporting local food banks in a responsible manner.

Source: www.worldwatch.org

14

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 1, 2015

COUNTRY CROSSROADS

R

ose Jackson sat comfortably in the corner of the sectional couch in the living room of the Jackson farmhouse. Her two grandchildren nestled in beside her, four-year-old Allison on her right and little Andy on her left, waiting impatiently for her to open the book she held in her hands.

“Are we ready?” said Rose.

“Yes,” said Allison. “Please read!”

Rose turned her attention to the book. “’Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse!” she began.

“Wait!” Allison jumped off of the couch and raced towards the kitchen. “I’ll be right back!” A moment later she reappeared with her Auntie Jennifer in tow. “Auntie Jennifer wants to listen,” she said, jumping back onto the couch and pulling on Jennifer’s hand to get her to sit down as well.

“But Allie!” Jennifer protested. “I have to help in the kitchen! I’m supposed to be grating the cheese for the vegetable casserole. If I don’t do it we won’t have any vegetables.” “ That’s OK,” said Allison. “I don’t like vegetables.”

“But I like vegetables, darling” said Rose. “I would be disappointed if there were no veggies to go with the turkey and the potatoes.”

Allison looked up at her grandma. “But I want Auntie Jenn to hear the story,” she said. “And then she can go grate the cheese.”

Rose looked at Jennifer who smiled. “It’s not a long story,” said Jennifer. “I can stay.”

“Well all right then,” said Rose. She turned her attention back to the book. “The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there,” she read.

“St Nicholas is the same as Santa Claus!” said Allison. “Did you know that?” she asked looking up at Jennifer.

“I did,” said Jennifer. “Grandma used to read this story to me when I was little.”

“It’s my favourite story!” said Allison. “Well, my favourite Christmas story. The rest of the time my favourite story is Stella Luna.”

“Really?” said Jennifer. “I don’t know that story.

Did you just get it? What’s it about?”

The

Jacksons

By Rollin Penner

“I got it from my other grandma for my birthday,” said Allison. “It’s about a bat. Her name is Stella Luna and she gets lost and can’t find her mommy but she finds some baby birds in a nest so she stays with them and tries to be a bird. It’s funny!”

“It sounds funny,” said Jennifer. “Maybe we can read it later.”

“We’d better finish this one,” said Rose, “so Auntie Jenn can get back to the kitchen.”

Allison snuggled up against Jennifer. “OK,” she said.

“The children were snuggled all safe in their beds,” Rose continued, “while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads.”

“What are sugar plums?” asked Allison.

“I’m not sure,” said Rose. “Some kind of candy, I suppose.”

“Do you know, Auntie Jenn?” said Allison.

Jennifer shook her head.

“You could Google it,” said Allison. “Mommy Googles everything.”

“Later then,” said Jennifer. “We should finish the book.”

“OK.” Allison turned back to the book. “Keep going,” she said, and so Rose continued.

“And Mama in her ‘kerchief,’ and I in my cap, had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap,” Rose read on. She had hardly finished the next line when Allison again jumped off of the couch.

“Wait!” she said again. “I think Uncle Brady is here!” and she dashed off to the kitchen again.

Rose put the book down. “I think we may have to finish this later,” she said.

Jennifer got to her feet. “The cheese isn’t going to grate itself,” she said.

Rose got up as well and picked up Andy.

“Let’s go see what’s happening in the kitchen, shall we?” she said.

Allison, was right. Brady and Amanda were just arriving and Jackie was putting the dessert they had brought into the fridge. Brady had already picked up Allison who pulled the tuque off of his head and flung it into the open closet.

Brady saw Rose.

“Hi Mom,” he said. “Sure smells good in here,” he added.

“Everybody sit down at the table,” said Jackie.

“By the time you’re sitting the veggies will be ready and we can eat.”

Andrew and Randy appeared from the family room as if by magic.

“Did somebody say we can eat?” said Andrew.

“I did,” said Jackie.

There was a general bustle and sliding of chairs and a few minutes later they were all seated. There was a moment of silence.

“Who wants to say a few words before we eat?” asked Randy.

Allison held her fork up high in the air.

“Merry Christmas to all!” she said. “And to all a good night!”

“Amen,” said Randy. “Let’s eat!”

Visit Rollin Penner’s online blog at rollinon.me/blog.

New Year’s resolutions for the gardener Here’s the top five gardening mistakes you may want to resolve not to make

By Albert Parsons Freelance contributor

D

o you make New Year’s resolutions? Many people resolve at this time of year to improve upon themselves, and gardeners are no different. We vow to do things differently to improve our gardening skills — and therefore our gardens. I did a bit of research and found the top five mistakes that gardeners make — and not just novice gardeners, but some veteran gardeners as well! I call them the top five deadly sins of gardening, and perhaps you will make a resolution not to commit them during the upcoming year.

The first of these transgressions has to do with fertilizing plants. There are several blunders that gardeners make.

One is that if some is good, more will be better — overfertilizing can cause serious problems. Too much fertilizer can burn plant roots and cause the tips of leaves to brown, particularly on potted plants where the fertilizer has less soil and space to become diluted. Fertilizing a sick and ailing plant is another faux pas. When seeing an unhappy plant, the urge is to give it a shot of nutrients to perk it up, but an ailing plant will be unable to utilize the added nutrients and the fertilizer will simply compound the original problem. Fertilizing infrequently with a relatively high dose instead of more regularly with a reduced rate of application is another mistake gardeners make. It is always better to fertilize at a

It is always better to fertilize at a reduced strength and apply the fertilizer more often.

reduced strength and apply the fertilizer more often.

In the outdoor garden, fertilizing too late in the season causes new growth to emerge that will not have a chance to mature and harden off before winter. This growth will suffer frost damage and the plant will be adversely affected.

Another blunder is to apply a lot of fertilizer to a tree right under the tree. Firstly, the fertilizer will not reach most of the tree’s roots because they extend several metres out from the trunk. Secondly, if the tree is located in the lawn area that is regularly fertilized, the tree will already be receiving more fertilizer than it needs and these added nutrients will not be good.

The second deadly sin committed by gardeners is plant lust; they see a plant and they just have to have it. This addiction can lead to problems because the gardener will likely buy more plants than can be easily accommodated in the landscape so extras are crammed in here and there where they will not thrive.

Buying a plant and then trying to find an appropriate place for it — whether in the outdoor garden or indoors — is not wise.

Look at the available spaces, discern the growing conditions, and then buying a plant suitable for the particular location is the best course of action.

Watering practices make up the third deadly sin. More potted plants are killed by overwatering than by being dried out. Plants that are forced to sit in sodden soil will quickly deteriorate. Some gardeners mistake the wilted appearance of a water-sodden plant for a water-deprived plant and add even more water. Another faulty watering practice is to water often but to use little water.

It is much better, whether outdoors or when dealing with houseplants, to water thoroughly less often rather than to give a bit of water often — water that may not even get down to the root system of the plants.

Probably the most deadly sin is in dealing with weeds — not weeding, not weeding often enough to prevent weeds from going to seed, and not weeding late in the season when weeds grow and set seed quickly. The result is a garden where the weeds get out of control and the newcomer gardener will become very discouraged, which leads to the last of the deadly sins. That transgression is to simply give up and abandon the project entirely. Many novice gardeners take on gardening in a big way, things don’t work out (often because of the five deadly gardening sins), and they give up.

Two of the mistakes gardeners often make have to do with fertilizing and watering.

PHOTO: ALBERT PARSONS

It is better to start small, be conscientious about watering, feeding, and weeding; then there will not be an urge to give up. The plants will thrive, the gardener will be happy and in control, and there will be no need for gardeners’ New Year’s resolutions next year!

Albert Parsons writes from Minnedosa, Manitoba

15

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 1, 2015

COUNTRY CROSSROADS

‘Jackrabbit’ ski clubs Gaining in popularity, program teaches techniques through fun

By Donna Gamache Freelance contributor

F

or cross-country skiers the word Jackrabbit means more than just a large bunny hopping across the trail. It is the national Skill Development Program (SDP) for young Nordic skiers which has been slowly spreading in popularity. Last winter the program was introduced in the MacGregorAustin area, under the guidance of local teacher, Pam May, and several other parents. Nearly 30 children joined up, and the plan is to continue again this winter.

Jackrabbit skiing was developed in Winnipeg in 1975 by local cross-country skiers — Gordon Konantz, in particular — eager to get their children involved in the sport. They named it after the famous crosscountry skier from Quebec, Herman Smith-Johansen, commonly known as “The Jackrabbit.” Originally from Norway, he had promoted the sport throughout Eastern Canada. He believed in balancing work and play, and lived to be 110!

As membership in the Manitoba Jackrabbits increased in the late ’70s, they created a manual for instructors, covering techniques and games, clothing and nutrition, and in 1981 a national organization was formed.

The Jackrabbit method uses fun to teach cross-country skiing techniques. By participating in a variety of games and relays, with some ski instruction mixed in, children will gain skills, balance, strength and endurance, but most importantly — have fun. Parents and guardians are encouraged to take part in the activities as well, and extra adults are needed if transportation is occasionally required for field trips to nearby hills or ski clubs.

Over the last 40 years the Jackrabbits organization has helped many youngsters learn how to ski, and nationwide, there are now approximately 10,000 participants in the program.

Jackrabbits in action. Photo: donna gamache

Across Manitoba there are about a dozen Jackrabbit clubs, including those in Teulon, Pinawa, McCreary, Boundary Trails, Riding Mountain, Birch Ski Club, and several based in Winnipeg. The group based in MacGregor is associated with the Bittersweet Ski Club, which operates cross-country trails south of Rossendale.

The upper age for Jackrabbits is usually about 15, with some clubs operating a Bunny rabbit program for the very youngest members. Prices vary according to the club but they must include fees to cover the provincial insurance and dues.

Last year, despite the very cold winter, the newly formed

2014 Citizen of the Year Liz Finch recognized for contributions to Birtle and area

By Darrell Nesbitt Freelance contributor

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lizabeth (Liz) Finch was named the 2014 Citizen of the Year of the Town and Rural Municipality of Birtle in November.

The wife, mother, career woman, volunteer and longtime resident of Foxwarren has been involved in many community activities, sitting on numerous boards and committees, and always one of the first to step up to an event.

Through her career and volunteerism, Finch has been dedicated to health care. In her career she worked as a lab and X-ray technologist, a health records technician, a paramedic, and a health information co-ordinator for the Regional Health Authority. As a volunteer, she was very involved on the “Save the Hospital” committee, which later became the Birtle Health Focus Group, and giving time to promoting doctor recruitment.

Finch has been involved with fastball and hockey in her hometown, picking up a glove

Mayor Dwight Stewart (l), and Reeve Roger Wilson present Elizabeth Finch with the 2014 Citizen of the Year plaque. PHOTO: DARRELL NESBITT

and lacing up a pair of skates. Along with playing, she has also served on both the arena and Foxwarren Minor Hockey boards, as well as lending a hand with the arena kitchen.

Se r v i n g o n n u m e r o u s b o a rd s , F i n c h’s involvement has touched on finance, faith, youth, seniors and the memory of a loved one — helping out with the beautiful and creative Foxwarren Memory Garden.

As chairperson of the Centennial Committee, she was pleased to see the community of Foxwarren triple in population for the weekend celebration back in 2012, but it was not only Foxwarren that her dedication to community has been felt. Finch has also helped with causes in the Town of Birtle including being the co-ordinator for the Birtle Emergency Measures Organization, and being among the volunteers to make the Value Shoppe, an important link to the community with funds generated turned back to Birtle organizations.

The Citizen of the Year award recognizes individuals who have been a positive influence on the community in a social, cultural, or economic manner. Fitting those requirements, Elizabeth and husband Bill have passed those values on to their children, Kris and Alissa.

Along with the Citizen of the Year award, Birtle & District CDC Volunteer awards were presented to the Birtle Playground Committee a n d Bi l l Wr i g h t . F i re f i g h t e r s , C h r i s t i n e Radalinsky and Patrick Corr were recog nized for 10 years and five years of service respectively.

Each year, every nominee for the award has been an inspiration to the people around them. Together, a wealth of knowledge, dedication and spirit of enrichment is shared wholeheartedly for the betterment of community.

Darrell Nesbitt writes from Shoal Lake, Manitoba

group in MacGregor carried out activities for about three months on the groomed trails of the MacGregor Golf Course, with members coming from the MacGregor, Austin and Sidney areas.

This year an additional feature has been added, with the creation of a small hill on the south side of the golf course.

If anyone is interested in starting up a Jackrabbit program in their own area, assistance is available from the CCSAM (Cross-country Ski Association of Manitoba).

Check out the information at http://www.ccsam.ca or by calling 204-925-5639.

Donna Gamache writes from MacGregor, Manitoba

READER’S PHOTO

A new day and a brand new year. PHOTO: CINDY MURRAY

Wishing you a Happy, Healthy New Year from Country Crossroads If you have any stories, ideas, photos or a comment on what you’d like to see on these pages, send it to Country Crossroads, 1666 Dublin Ave., Winnipeg, Man. R3H 0H1, phone 1-800-782-0794, fax 204-944-5562, email susan@fbcpublishing.com. I’d love to hear from you.

Please remember we can no longer return material, articles, poems or pictures.

— Sue

16

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 1, 2015

WEATHER VANE

Your smartphone just got smarter.

Get the Manitoba Co-operator mobile app and get the latest ag news as it happens.

Download the free app at agreader.ca/mbc

“ E v e r y o ne ta l k s ab o ut the weathe r , but n o o ne d o es anyth i n g ab o ut i t . ” M a r k Tw a i n , 18 9 7

Cold winter weather moves back in Issued: Monday, December 29, 2014 · Covering: December 31 – January 7, 2015 Daniel Bezte Co-operator contributor

A

fter a nice extended period of warm weather it looks like cold weather is going to stick around for at least the next couple of weeks. For those of you hoping for a little more snow, it looks like you’re out of luck.

This forecast period is going to be dominated by two different areas of arctic high pressure. The first high slid down from the high Arctic late in December, bringing with it some of the coldest weather in over a month. This high will slowly weaken as it slides o f f t o t h e s o u t h e a s t d u ring the rest of this week. By the middle of the week we’ll be on the northern edge of the high, which should allow slightly milder air to work into our region. High temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday should make it to around -12 C, taking a bit of an edge off any outdoor New Year’s plans you may have.

A second high is poised to drop southward from the Arctic early in the new year. This high looks as if it will take a very similar track to the first, dropping southward through Alberta, then curving southeast through the U.S. This will bring a reinforcing shot of cold air starting on the weekend, with daytime highs dropping back into the -20 C range and overnight lows around -30 C. This high will take until the middle of next week before it finally moves off to the southeast. This means we’ll not see any moderation in temperatures until then. Also, these strong areas of high pressure will keep any storms well to our south, resulting in mainly clear skies with little to no chances of seeing any snowfall.

Usual temperature range for this period: Highs, -22 to -5 C; lows, -32 to -14 C. 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.

WEATHER MAP - WESTERN CANADA

This issue’s map shows the total amount of precipitation that fell across the Prairies during the 30 days ending Dec. 21. It’s easy to see just how dry it has been across agricultural Manitoba during this period, with most regions seeing less than 60 per cent of average snowfall. The only average to above-average area was in the far northwest, around Swan River. Farther west it has been wetter than average, with several pockets of 200 per cent or greater scattered from central Saskatchewan into Alberta.

My picks for the top weather stories of 2014 Winnipeg got the worst of it during that record-cold December-through-March stretch

By Daniel Betze Co-operator contributor

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s I write this, another year is drawing to a close, and that means it’s time to once again pause and look back at the previous year’s weather. I figured I would begin globally and then slowly zoom in on our part of the world.

I think one of the biggest weather stories of 2014 was the warm global temperature. As many of you who read my articles or follow global weather already know, while our part of the world has mostly seen below-average monthly temperatures over the last year, the world as a whole has seen very warm temperatures.

In fact, 2014 saw three recordwarm months globally and seven months with record-warm ocean temperatures. With December’s data still to come, it looks more and more likely 2014 will turn out to be the warmest year for the planet since reliable records began in 1880. Of interest is that these record-warm temperatures occurred during a non-El Niño year. Most of the previous recordwarm years occurred when El Niño conditions were present.

Despite these record values, I’m still surprised at how many people will only believe something is happening if they are directly experiencing it themselves.

While we experienced record

cold, to help you visualize what has happened over the rest of the globe for the last 11 months, I have included a map showing global temperature anomalies from January to November 2014.

You can see there were only a couple of areas in the Northern Hemisphere that saw belowaverage temperatures: one centred over the east-central U.S., which includes our region, and one over the north-central Atlantic Ocean.

The second-biggest global weather story, in my books, is linked to our cooler-than-average weather pattern: the extreme drought in California. A persistent ridge of high pressure over the west coast of North America, which in turn resulted in a persistent trough of low pressure over eastern North America keeping that region cold, resulted in very dry conditions over California for well over a couple of years now. Researchers now state the drought has been California’s worst one- and three-year droughts over the past 1,200 years — that’s right, 1,200 years! It’s estimated the drought has resulted in at least $3.6 billion in agricultural losses.

What I considered the third biggest story is one a number of people have not even heard about and is also a drought.

Southeastern Brazil in 2014 went through what’s reported

as its worst drought in 50 years.

Losses from this drought are estimated to be at least $4.3 billion, making it the third-mostexpensive natural disaster in Brazil’s history.

Closer to home, my fourthbiggest weather story of 2014 has to be the record- to nearrecord-breaking cold weather that gripped central and eastern North America, and Canada in particular, for much of last winter. The cold moved in early last winter and stuck around for a five-month stretch of well-belowaverage temperatures. While we all seem to pride ourselves on how we can handle cold weather, it was the continuous nonstop cold that eventually drove many of us to the edge of sanity.

According to Environment Canada, nobody had it worse than Winnipeg. No one alive today can say they’ve experienced a colder winter, as residents survived the coldest December to March (inclusive) since 1898. To top off the cold weather, most places also experienced wellabove- average snowfall. This, combined with the cold that continued into early spring, meant a very late snowmelt, with some areas still reporting snowdrifts well into May. My fifth and final weather story of 2014 is listed as the secondbiggest Canadian weather story

by Environment Canada: the

late-spring and early-summer flooding that affected a large portion of agricultural Manitoba and Saskatchewan. According to Environment Canada, it was the third-wettest spring on record, dating back to 1892 for Saskatoon.

Yorkton had 252 mm of rain in June, more than triple the normal accumulation and the wettest ever since 1884, when recordkeeping began.

In Brandon, June 2014 was the wettest month ever, with 252 mm — three times June’s normal total and, incredibly, 34 mm higher than the all-time previous wettest month of August 1980. June had four days with rainfall over 25 mm, including 75 mm on June 19, and three days in a row on

the final weekend of the month — all on top of it being Brandon’s wettest spring on record. Farther west, in Regina, one site recorded 198 mm of rain in June, nearly triple the normal of 70 mm and almost the wettest month on record. Total April-to-June rainfall was 312 mm, or 216 per cent of normal, and the second-wettest such period with records dating back to 1883.

That’s about all the room I have for this issue. I guess the next big question is, what will the weather have in store for us in 2015? That, and a more detailed look at last year’s weather, will be covered in the next few issues. Until then, have a great start to the new year!

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 1, 2015

17

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CROPS h u sbandr y — the science , S K I L L O R A R T O F F A R M I N G

Asian markets interested in Canada Prairie Spring wheats Manitoba farmers haven’t shown much interest in the class in recent years focusing instead on CWRS

By Allan Dawson co-operator staff /brandon

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®

Asian markets are increasingly interested in the Canada Prairie Spring wheat class and that could lead to some new marketing opportunities, David Hatcher, of the Canadian Grain Commission’s Grain Research Laboratory, told the Manitoba Seed Growers’ Association’s recent annual meeting. photo: allan dawson

“After every seminar customers were asking me about where can I get some CPS wheat (and) what varieties do you suggest? There was a lot of interest there.”

David Hatcher

In the short term there won’t be large sales of CPS or CWRW wheat, but small or new grain companies might be able to earn premiums shipping those wheats in containers, Hermanson said.

“If we can give them what they want year after year — and we’re known for that — there is opportunity,” he said.

Seed grower Eric McLean said growers are uneasy about producing seed for a market when they don’t know how much demand there will be. Hatcher acknowledged there’s a catch-22 — farmers can’t sell a product they don’t have, but farmers are reluctant to grow something until they know there’s a market.

“All I can tell you is the market is calling for it,” Hatcher said.

CPS wheats may have had a yield advantage in the past, but Manitoba crop insurance data shows that’s no longer so. The five-year pro-

vincial average (2013-09) yield for CPS wheat was 44 bushels an acre compared to 49 for CWRS. In four of those five years, CWRS yielded more than CPS, except in 2011 when they tied.

Moreover, during that period average CWRS yields exceeded 48 bushels an acre three out of five years; CPS wheat did it just one year.

CPS wheat hasn’t been popular with Manitoba farmers. During that period, on average just 33 Manitoba farms grew just under 8,600 acres a year.

In contrast, an average 7,900 farmers grew 2.25 million acres of CWRS wheat.

CPS wheat hasn’t attracted much interest in Manitoba, but that’s not the case for “feed wheat,” which under crop insurance collection includes unregistered wheats and those in the Canada Western General Purpose (CWGP) class.

In 2013 Manitobans grew almost 134,000 acres of feed wheat — triple the 2012 and the 10-year average of 46,041 and 40,590 acres.

The 2013 provincial average feed wheat yield was 77 bushels an acre, shattering the previous record of 58 bushels set in 2003.

In the Rural Municipality of Woodlands, just north of Winnipeg, Pasteur, which is in the CWGP class, averaged 99 bushels an acre in 2013 on almost 1,300 acres. allan@fbcpublishing.com

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T:15.58”

anada’s Western Red Spring wheat, this country’s flagship wheat that is famous for its bread-making quality, is accustomed to having the spotlight all to itself.

But lately two of its siblings — Canada Prairie Spring (CPS) and Canada Western Red Winter classes of wheat have been earning quite a name for themselves with buyers.

Interest is growing because CPS red “makes an excellent loaf of bread... particularly the new varieties,” the Canadian Grain Commission’s David Hatcher told the Manitoba Seed Growers’ Association’s annual meeting Dec. 11.

Hatcher, program manager of the Asian Products and Wheat Enzymes Crops Section of the CGC’s Grain Research Laboratory, visited a number of Asian cities in the fall to brief Canadian wheat customers on the quality of the 2014 crop.

“After every seminar customers were asking me about where can I get some CPS wheat (and) what varieties do you suggest? There was a lot of interest there,” Hatcher said.

The CPS class was established in 1985 for wheats with medium protein, medium kernel hardness and medium dough strength relative to CWRS wheat. In the early years CPS wheats were generally higher yielding too, which offset the lower return relative to CWRS. Now there are some very good quality milling wheats in the CPS class, Hatcher said. Not only does CPS wheat make good loaves of bread, it is well suited for noodles and steam breads, which are popular in Asia, Hatcher said.

The same holds for wheats in the Canada Western Red Winter class. The milling quality in that class has improved too, thanks in part to moving CDC Falcon to the Canada Western General Purpose class.

CGC chief commissioner Elwin Hermanson said some years CDC Falcon made milling quality, but most years it didn’t, undermining the whole CWRW class.

An open Canadian market might also result in CPS gaining more popularity among western Canadian farmers, Hermanson said. When it had a sales monopoly, the Canadian Wheat Board focused on selling CWRS and Canada Western Amber durum (CWAD) wheat “and was good at it,” he said.

CWRS and CWAD account for the vast majority of western Canadian wheat exports.

But in recent years the sale of some minor wheat classes has doubled, Hermanson said.

“From a layman’s point of view that tells me there’s potential,” he said. “They may start out as niche markets. I think there is opportunity and growing interest.”

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The Manitoba Co-operator | January 1, 2015

Cigi testing fusarium damage-control technology

New equipment shows promise for sorting fusarium kernels out of wheat and durum

By Shannon VanRaes co-operator staff

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igi researchers are working with two technologies that show promise for upgrading fusarium-damaged grain.

In partnership with the University of Saskatchewan, the institute has spent three years investigating the possibilities of near-infrared spectroscopy using a Swedish-designed BoMill.

The institute has also been looking at the use of optical sorters, and presented both technologies at a series of recent workshops.

Producers recently brought in samples of fusarium-affected grain to see whether wheat and durum infected with the disease could be salvaged.

“We looked at some pretty extreme stuff, we where looking at, in the case of durum, anywhere from 6.6 per cent to 18 per cent fusarium, and in the case of winter wheat, we did try one at .8 per cent up to as much as 26 per cent,” said Rex Newkirk, the institute’s vice-president research and innovation.

“In some of these cases we could upgrade them to a one, in other cases you could only take them so far… because of issues like mildew or sprouting.”

Grading tolerances relegate levels above four per cent fusarium-damaged kernels in both crops to feed status, although even that is too high to be safely fed to some species of livestock.

Newkirk said fusarium head blight was particularly bad across the Prairies during the summer of 2014.

“We’ve had a major downgrading of winter wheat because of fusarium, the majority of the winter wheat crop was affected… there are some pockets where they didn’t get it, but for the most part the vast majority of the winter wheat has been decimated by fusarium, and when I say decimated, I mean really large concentrations,” he said.

Sp r i n g w h e a t w a s a l s o affected, although not as significantly, and durum took a solid hit as well, said Newkirk.

Sorting wheat. Photo: Courtesy Cigi

“We looked at some pretty extreme stuff, we were looking at, in the case of durum, anywhere from 6.6 per cent to 18 per cent fusarium.”

Rex Newkirk

“Only about 12 per cent of the durum crop is going to make it into the grades one and two, so from a buyer’s perspective, there’s just not much available,” he said.

Newkirk said as it appears the disease is here to stay, the two technologies showcased at the recent workshops merit consideration.

“One we did some research on and the other one we relied on the experience of others who have been using it.”

It was with optical sorting, which has been in use for a number of years now, that Cigi relied on the experience of others.

“They used to call them colour sorters because they sorted out grain based on colour, but now they’ve gotten more sophisticated where it’s a highspeed camera. The grain is falling sort of like a waterfall… and it’s got cameras pointing at it in different directions… and then if it sees something that you’ve trained it to say you don’t want, it will, you can set it to say after 2.2 milliseconds blow a puff of air throughout that waterfall and kick out the kernel that is defective,” he said.

Optical sorters are less expensive than infrared technologies, and have higher throughput, but they do have limitations.

While visual identification of problem kernels can clean wheat and even upgrade it, it can’t sort based on problems that can’t be seen with the eye.

That is where something like the BoMill comes in, Newkirk said. Using near-infrared analysis, chemical compositions can be detected, and sorting can look at disease without visual manifestation or even sort grain kernels based on protein content.

“The way the machine works, imagine a large drum on its side, and that drum had little holes drilled into it on the inside that fit the wheat kernel, so the drum is turning and the wheat is being spun to the middle of it and when it falls out of the drum it spreads out through the whole drum and the grain kernels get trapped individually,” he said.

Each of those kernel-trapping pockets also has an exit hole, and using near-infrared transmittance to determine which seeds go where, kernels are

sorted into as many as three categories.

But the technology, especially infrared sorting, does not come cheap. A BoMill costs about $350,000.

Newkirk says where these technologies fit and pay dividends is someplace like a seed-cleaning plant.

“It fits well into a seed-cleaning plant, the idea being that in the seed-cleaning plant, if you can’t upgrade it with just a gravity table and things like that, then you would take that material you’ve cleaned and put it through something like a BoMill,” he said.

And seeing that fusarium is here to stay, Newkirk said these technologies bear further examinations.

“I think fusarium is here to stay with us, but this year was especially bad, and hopefully we never see a repeat of this but that’s not exactly how it works, these things come and go, and this year it’s coming,” he said. shannon.vanraes@fbcpublishing.com

Brazil farmers turn to grain storage bags Farmers can save on freight and take advantage of higher prices by storing

By Gustavo Bonato sao paulo / reuters

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razil’s use of giant, sausageshaped grain storage bags will increase by at least 30 per cent in 2015 as corn stocks reach the highest level ever and farmers postpone soybean sales in hope of better prices.

Storage bags have been used in neighbouring Argentina for decades, but bagging only recently became a valid alternative in Brazil, the world’s No. 2 soybean grower after the United States.

Storage space has not kept up with soaring corn and soy output in Brazil,

one of few countries able to put new farmland into productive use each year, and conventional silos are now either full or too expensive for many farmers.

“Brazil’s main bottleneck in agriculture is logistics. By using the bags, farmers can save on freight costs and with half those savings, they can pay for the technology,” said Hector Daniel Malinarich, head of sales for Argentine storage bag maker Ipesa in Brazil.

In 2014, single-use grain bags stored 10 million to 12 million tonnes of grains, mostly corn, here, according to Ipesa, which has 70 per cent of Brazil’s storage bag market. For 2015, the company projects 13 million to 15 million tonnes

will be bagged, or up to 7.5 per cent of the 200-million-tonne grain crop.

When harvesting of soybeans and the first of two annual corn crops starts by February, there will be more than 15 million tonnes of old corn stockpiled across Brazil, the largest amount ever after several years of record corn output.

Farmers are also holding on to oilseeds as long as possible as spot soy trading is 20 per cent below year-ago levels on the Chicago Board of Trade.

Forward sales of 2014-15 soybeans by the end of October reached 21 per cent of the expected crop, down from 34 per cent a year ago, according to local consultant AgRural.

“Farmers are expecting to simply sit on their crop,” said analyst Aedson Pereira, from Informa Economics FNP consultancy.

But to do that, they need to invest in their own storage. Conventional metal silos are mostly operated by large farms and trading houses in Brazil, and smaller farmers usually haul their crop to the buyer’s elevator after harvesting, leaving the prices to be settled later.

Independent storage market analyst Carlos Cogo said farmers could get 10 per cent more for soy or corn if they stored their harvest themselves and market it freely.

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The Manitoba Co-operator | January 1, 2015

Iowa farmland prices down 8.9 per cent

Winter wonderland

It is the biggest drop in values since the mid-1980s

By Christine Stebbins chicago / reuters

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he average price of Iowa farmland slumped 8.9 per cent in 2014, the largest annual decline since 1986 as crop prices fell, according to the Iowa Land Value Survey released Dec. 18.

It is only the second year since 1999 that the benchmark survey, conducted in November by Iowa State University researchers, has shown a decline in farmland values. The findings are similar to those of the Realtors Land Institute and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

The value of farmland in Iowa, typically the top U.S. corn- and soybean-growing state, is closely tracked by farm economists, bankers, the Federal Reserve, farmers and investors as a gauge for the health of the farm and rural economy.

The average price of Iowa farmland fell to $7,943 an acre in 2014, after hitting a record peak at $8,716 in 2013, the survey said.

Values have more than doubled in 10 years and were up 18 per cent just since 2011 given the historic boom in land and grain prices driven by demand for biofuels and food exports.

“We had a reality check that $6 corn wasn’t what we were going to settle in at and the decrease in land values is just a reflection of that,” said Michael Duffy, a retired Iowa State University farm economist who conducted the survey.

Cor n pr ices fell to $3 a bushel during fall harvest, down sharply from the summer of 2013 when corn was $6 to $7.

The Iowa State survey, begun in 1941, is based on transaction reports from licensed real estate brokers and selected individuals considered knowledgeable on rural land market conditions. The 2014 survey is based on 608 county land value estimates from Iowa’s 99 counties.

Farmland remains the basic collateral for farmer loans.

Economists have worried that a farmland “bubble” may pop as it did in the 1980s, hurting a rural economy which has been one of the healthiest sectors of the U.S. economy.

“A lot of people are concerned that we’re heading into big troubles. I don’t share that pessimism,” Duffy told Reuters.

“The lower grain prices are going to cause pain and everyone is going to have to adjust.

But because we have so much equity left I think most people will be able to refinance or readjust,” Duffy added.

Northwest Iowa reported the highest average values at $9,615; the lowest average was in south-central Iowa at $4,475.

Mild temperatures decorated trees for the holidays. photo: les McEwan

COCORAHS, 4-H MANITOBA & THE MANITOBA CO-OPERATOR PRESENT…

WEATHER You Like It or Not… It Matters!

Hey 4-H’ers!

We are calling upon 4-H youth members & citizen scientists alike to submit an exciting short story or experience you’ve had with weather. If you can tie that in with the importance of “en-gauging” in the CoCoRaHS program (those details below), then you may be eligible for a cash prize and have your story published in the Manitoba Co-operator, along with 4-H’s eZine & The Banner.

CONTEST

Contest Categories: Open to ages 9-11 in the Junior category ~ Ages 12-14 in the Intermediate category ~ Ages 15-25 in the Senior/Adult category. *Ages 6-8 in the Cloverbud category can submit a colouring activity sheet or photo collage.

Criteria: We are looking for a written, one page, short story about weather, the environment, or experience you have had that impacts you. A few examples might be a severe weather event like flooding, heavy rains, hail, a snow storm…even how the weather may have affected and/or benefited your farm, or business, even your 4-H Achievement. Include pictures if you like.

You are going to need to do a little bit of research folks!

All stories must conclude with a tie-in to the CoCoRaHS program. Visit www.cocorahs.org/canada to find information, watch the video http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=eXHM-v_2H8I and then tell us how using a rain gauge and contributing to weather monitoring can benefit you or your community, or farmers, flood & drought forecasters, meteorologists, or conservation, and so much more!

Prizing: There will be a 1st place winner picked for each category: Junior, Intermediate & Senior/Adult. The winner will receive a $ 150 cash prize (pre-paid Visa card), and their story will be published in the Manitoba Co-operator in the Jan 8th, 2015 Issue…just in time for pick up at the Ag Days Show in Brandon! 2nd & 3rd place contestants in the older categories, and Cloverbud winners, will receive items from the 4-H Manitoba Store.

Submission Details: Please email submissions to 4-H Manitoba at 4hassist@ 4h.mb.ca with the contest name “Weather You Like It or Not It Matters” in the Subject line, your age category, full name and contact information. *Cloverbuds can access and print off their colouring sheet at: www.4h.mb.ca or by email request to: manitoba@cocorahs. org. Please mail them to: Manitoba 4-H Council, 1129 Queens Avenue, Brandon MB, R7A 1L9 Contest will open for submissions starting Thursday Oct 30th, 2014, and closes by Noon on Dec 18th, 2014. Submissions will be reviewed during the school break. Winners will be announced and published in the Manitoba Co-operator on Jan 8th, 2015. For more details please contact Tiffiny Taylor at 204-228-0842 or email: manitoba@cocorahs.org

http://www.cocorahs.org/CanadianApplication.aspx

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The Manitoba Co-operator | January 1, 2015

After the flood(s)

One farmer tells his story and talks about how he restored his forage and feed acres

By Meghan Mast Co-operator Staff

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ust days after Tom Teichroeb moved his cattle onto higher land his pasture flooded.

Already in mid-May of 2011, the water was starting to rise near his Langruth ranch.

Some of the cattle had to swim to get across to the dry hayfield before they were moved 12 miles across the highway to a rented pasture on higher ground.

Several days later a windstorm hit, blowing at 90-100 km per hour for nearly 36 hours, lifting the south basin of Lake Manitoba and effectively flooding his and many other people’s land.

His once lush and green land was nearly unrecognizable.

Teichroeb shared his story, one that is familiar to many Manitoba producers, at this year’s Forage and Livestock Symposium in Portage la Prairie recently, and talked about some of the techniques he has used to restore forage and feed acres on his farm.

“We try and use sustainable practices that are going to be there for this generation and the next,” he told the Co-operator.

Water covered most of his land for the first year and into the second year. It wasn’t until the end of 2012 that he and his wife could begin rehabilitating the pastures. They cleaned up the debris that had washed in with the water and then surveyed the damage.

The water levels were still high so they focused on the land that was at the lowest risk of flooding again. Teichroeb knew desiccating the land would likely alter the soil biology and damage the biodiversity of the grass so burning was out of the question.

Instead he brought his cattle in to do some high-impact grazing and bale grazed on top of that to restore nutrients to the soil.

The family tries to tend the land as sustainably as they know how. Teichroeb likes to refer to himself as a steward of his children’s land. “There isn’t much sense in doing what we do if we don’t have a bigger picture in mind of what we do,” he said.

In 2013, the water had largely retreated and they could tackle the hayfields. They did have to burn areas of their forage land.

About 30 per cent of the fields were under water for so long that reeds sprung up.

“We try and use sustainable practices that are going to be there for this generation and the next.”

Tom Teichroeb

He burned heavily weedcovered areas and hired his grain-farming neighbours to reseed the alfalfa grass mix for hay and forage seed with their high-speed double disc and John Deere disc drill because the new equipment could disc the crops without disturbing the soil.

As time passed, the grass returned. First the flat grass, then the slender wheat grasses and finally the broad-leaf grass.

Then the floods hit again in 2014. The Teichroebs, and many other producers around the Interlake area, took a step backwards again. Though the effects weren’t as severe as the initial event, he estimates the

Moving to higher ground after flood waters inundated the Teichroeb pasture. photo: Supplied

water affected about 30 per cent of his feed production and 40 per cent of his total acres.

“It’s overwhelming and you feel a tremendous sense of loss,” he said.

The future is uncertain. Will the land be flooded again?

Meanwhile he does the best he can with what he has left.

Teichroeb doesn’t claim to be an expert. He has experimented with different methods

on his ranch and simply wants to share what has worked well for him. But his advice to other producers is cautious.

“Find out what’s economic to you. What’s more effective, what’s most efficient, what’s a sustainable practice that’s going to turn that land back into an economic engine.” meghan.mast@fbcpublishing.com

COLUMN

Canadian dollar continues to trend lower, slipping to a 5-1/2-year low A lower Canadian dollar makes our exports more competitive but it increases the cost of imports David Drozd Market Outlook

and is drawn parallel across the lows of each progressively lower decline.

canadian dollar monthly Nearby Chart as of December 12, 2014

Market psychology

T

he Canadian dollar has been trending lower for the past three years. As recently as December 2012, it was trading at par to the U.S. dollar. Last year at this time it was worth 94 cents to the U.S. dollar and this year it is down to 86 cents.

Canada is a resource-based country and as a result the Canadian dollar is negatively impacted by the declining value of commodities such as energies and metals. Over the past two years gold has lost much of its lustre having lost a third of its value, and in the past six months crude oil prices have plunged 50 per cent.

A lower Canadian dollar makes our country’s exports such as soybeans and livestock more competitive in the global marketplace, but it also makes it more expensive to import international goods such as soybean meal and corn.

Being aware of the major trend of the Canadian dollar can add profitability to your farm’s bottom line. If you have a livestock operation and are purchasing soybean meal from the United States, you would benefit by converting Canadian currency to U.S. funds each time the loonie rallies into resistance.

If you are delivering soybeans into the United States and being paid in U.S. funds,

you would gain by converting to Canadian currency when the Canadian dollar is lower.

Chart analysis can be used to determine the price trend and where resistance to the trend may be anticipated. During the course of a trend and all the fluctuations which compose it, there is a well-observed characteristic for prices to follow a sloping straight-line path. During a period of falling prices, this path is determined by a line drawn across the highs of the reactions. This line of resistance is identified as point A in the accompanying chart.

When an emerging trend can be identified and followed to its conclusion, it translates into opportunity. The use of trendlines is a valuable tool for accomplishing this.

Trendlines and channels

In a falling market, for a trendline to be both valid and reliable there should be at least three points of price contact, each of which coincides with the high of a market reaction that must peak at progressively lower levels. Once a trend begins in earnest, it has a high tendency to persist, so a prop-

erly constructed trendline (A), may be touched more than three times by the fluctuating market during the course of a big move without being penetrated.

After a trend is established and a trendline constructed, a line may be drawn that is parallel to the trendline depicting the channel within which prices will fluctuate as the trend proceeds.

In a downtrend, the channel’s upper boundary (A) is the downtrend line and it is constructed first. The lower boundary (B) is the return line

Sell orders materialize as a new downtrend begins to emerge, but many are at a limit price above the market. In the normal ebb and flow of the market some of this selling is satisfied on price advances. However, a portion of the demand is not satisfied and when prices begin to move down, some of these sellers jump in for fear of missing the move, pushing prices lower.

In a downtrend, the market declines and then bounces when the shorts take profit, only to uncover additional selling. Once this process is set in motion, it develops a momentum which strengthens the trend and makes it persist.

Until this market begins in earnest to trade above the upper boundary (A) of the downtrending channel, the downtrend in the Canadian dollar persists.

Send your questions or comments about this article and chart to info@ag-chieve.ca.

David Drozd is president and senior market analyst for Winnipeg-based Ag-Chieve Corporation. The opinions expressed are those of the writer and are solely intended to assist readers with a better understanding of technical analysis.

Visit Ag-Chieve online at www.ag-chieve. ca for information about our grainmarketing advisory service and to see our latest grain market analysis. You can call us toll free at 1-888-274-3138 for a free consultation.

21

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 1, 2015

LIVESTOCK

Android-able.

The Manitoba Co-operator mobile app is available for Android mobile phones.

Download the free app at agreader.ca/mbc

h u s b a n d r y — t h e s c i e n c e , S K I L L O R ART O F F AR M IN G

Successful calving starts with healthy cows Dr. Wayne Tomlinson shares some information on herd health

By Meghan Mast Co-operator Staff

N

ow is the time to body condition score (BCS) your spring calving herd, according to an MAFRD extension veterinarian.

Separate the thin cows, from the aggressive larger cows, so you can give the little ones extra feed. And don’t wait too long.

“The longer you wait to put condition back on cows, the more expensive it becomes,” Dr. Wayne Tomlinson said during the December 16 StockTalk, where he shared information on how to set the herd up for a successful calving season.

Healthy calves start with cows that are well fed and strong. Mid-gestation is the ideal stage to put on weight.

As cows approach the last trimester of pregnancy, the last

month or six weeks, weight gain will be nearly impossible because the calf will require increasing energy and protein demands. The same goes for the early-lactation stage.

‘Thin-cow syndrome,’ otherwise known as malnourishment, leads to a cascade of events including abortions, stillbirths, weak calves and reproductive inefficiencies.

As the BCS drops so does the production value. Cows with a BCS of two produce three-quarters of the value of a healthy cow with a BCS of three.

“If they get skinny now it’s going to affect the next two calf checks,” he said. “Not just the one in 2015, it’s going to affect the 2016 calf crop as well.

“There’s just no place for skinny cows in my books.” And malnourishment, is a preventable risk.

Administer pregnancy tests to your cows now, if you haven’t already, so you can sell the open cows and funnel resources towards the ones that are carrying calves.

“It is difficult for an open cow to make up for a year of lost production,” he said.

Relaxing expectations that a cow should conceive and raise a live calf every year will eventually lead to reproductive inefficiencies. The average annual cash cost to carry a cow in 2014 was $366.

“I look at how many years a cow will be productive,” said Tomlinson. “When she starts sliding that’s a sign she’s starting to show her age and that’s when you can start getting rid of her.”

Pregnancy tests are also a good time to weigh the cows, treat lumps and parasites, and administer scour vaccines and vitamins.

“There’s no place for skinny cows in my books.”

Dr. Wayne Tomlinson

After culling the herd, focus on raising the BCS on the remaining cows by 0.5.

That means, for most cows, weighing an average of 1,350 lbs., gaining 90 lbs. of weight — 1.5 lbs. every day for 60 days. To do so, Tomlinson recommends feeding 51 lbs. of barley or six pounds of pellets, or 21 lbs. of barley silage or eight pounds of good alfalfa hay.

Next, spend some time this winter preparing your calv-

ing area and equipment. “This is a good time of year to do t h i s,” s a i d To m l i n s o n . “It makes things easier so if you do have to assist with calving, you’re ready.”

Have colostrum ready — natural colostrum if possible because it contains immunoglobulins, which prevent disease, and white blood cells that will prime the calves’ immune system.

T h i n k a b o u t w h e re y o u can warm a cold calf, where you’re going to house a scouring calf, and where you could perform a C-section if necessary.

The beginning of a calf’s life is a crucial point of development and the time they are most likely to get sick. Fifty to 60 per cent of calf mortality occurs within the first 24 hours. meghan.mast@fbcpublishing.com

22

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 1, 2015

LIVESTOCK AUCTION RESULTS Weight Category

Ashern

Gladstone

Grunthal

Heartland

Heartland

Brandon

Virden

Killarney

Ste. Rose

Winnipeg

Feeder Steers

Dec-17

n/a

Dec-16

Dec-16

Dec-19

Dec-15

Dec-18

Dec-19

No. on offer

1,574

n/a

789*

807*

1,791*

340*

610*

376*

over 1,000 lbs.

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

900-1,000

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

195.00-216.00

n/a

n/a

n/a

800-900

n/a

n/a

190.00-210.00

215.00-230.00

218.00-235.00

n/a

n/a

200.00-232.00

700-800

n/a

n/a

200.00-228.00

225.00-241.00

228.00-244.00

230.00-250.00

225.00-250.00

210.00-255.00

600-700

240.00-290.00

n/a

215.00-260.00

245.00-266.00

235.00-255.00 (264.00)

240.00-265.00

240.00-275.00 (284.00)

235.00-285.00

500-600

250.00-317.00

n/a

245.00-297.00

275.00-304.00

255.00-285.00 (290.00)

250.00-299.00

275.00-312.00 (326.00)

265.00-302.00

400-500

260.00-323.00

n/a

275.00-340.00

290.00-337.00

280.00-336.00

290.00-328.00

275.00-330.00

275.00-355.00

300-400

n/a

n/a

300.00-400.00

n/a

n/a

n/a

295.00-310.00

300.00-375.00

900-1,000 lbs.

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

178.00-204.00

n/a

n/a

180.00-185.00

800-900

n/a

n/a

185.00-200.00

205.00-215.00

200.00-214.00

n/a

n/a

180.00-207.00

700-800

n/a

n/a

190.00-210.00

210.00-223.00

203.00-220.00

n/a

200.00-232.00

200.00-222.00

600-700

n/a

n/a

200.00-230.00

220.00-235.00

216.00-239.00

225.00-245.00

225.00-245.00

220.00-246.00

Feeder heifers

500-600

240.00-281.00

n/a

225.00-292.00

250.00-267.00

235.00-272.00

240.00-280.00

250.00-270.00

230.00-275.00

400-500

250.00-281.00

n/a

265.00-330.00

275.00-295.00

265.00-295.00

265.00-299.00

270.00-303.00

255.00-305.00

300-400

n/a

n/a

280.00-370.00

n/a

n/a

n/a

285.00-310.00

275.00-325.00

500

n/a

167

264

n/a

n/a

n/a

165

D1-D2 Cows

105.00-115.00

n/a

95.00-115.00

117.00-127.00

114.00-124.00

92.00-105.00

117.00-128.00 (136.00)

114.00-120.00 (122.50)

D3-D5 Cows

95.00-105.00

n/a

n/a

100.00-116.00

105.00-112.00

n/a

105.00-115.00

100.00-112.00

Slaughter Market No. on offer

Age Verified

110.00-128.00

n/a

n/a

n/a

117.00-128.50

108.00-115.00

n/a

n/a

Good Bulls

120.00-139.00

n/a

130.00-139.50

135.00-147.50

137.00-149.50

135.00-145.00

130.00-143.00 (145.00)

125.00-140.00

n/a

n/a

n/a

155.00-163.00

156.00-163.00

n/a

n/a

n/a

Butcher Steers Butcher Heifers

n/a

n/a

n/a

154.00-162.00

154.00-161.00

n/a

n/a

n/a

Feeder Cows

n/a

n/a

120.00-135.00

n/a

125.00-139.00

115.00-130.00

n/a

115.00-123.00

Fleshy Export Cows

n/a

n/a

118.00-123.00

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Lean Export Cows

n/a

n/a

100.00-114.00

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Heiferettes

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

125.00-141.00

130.00-325.00

* includes slaughter market

(Note all prices in CDN$ per cwt. These prices also generally represent the top one-third of sales reported by the auction yard.)

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23

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 1, 2015

U.S. researchers develop CWD vaccine May hold promise for protecting humans and animals against other prion diseases Langone Medical Center release

R

esearchers at NYU Langone Medical Center and elsewhere say that a vaccination they have developed to fight a brain-based, wasting syndrome among deer and other animals may hold promise on two additional fronts: Protecting U.S. livestock from contracting the disease, and preventing similar brain infections in humans.

The study, to be published in Vaccine online Dec. 21, documents a scientific milestone: the first successful vaccination of deer against chronic wasting disease (CWD), a fatal brain disorder caused by unusual infectious proteins known as prions.

Prions propagate by converting otherwise healthy proteins into a disease state.

Equally important, the researchers say, this study may hold promise against human diseases suspected to be caused by prion infections, such as

“Now that we have found that preventing prion infection is possible in animals, it’s likely feasible in humans as well.”

Thomas Wisniewski NYU Langone

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, kuru, familial insomnia, and variably protease-sensitive prionopathy.

Some studies also have associated prion-like infections with Alzheimer’s disease.

“Now that we have found that preventing prion infection is possible in animals, it’s likely feasible in humans as well,” says senior study investigator and neurologist Thomas Wisniewski, MD, a professor at NYU Langone.

CWD afflicts as much as 100 per cent of North America’s captive deer population, as well as large numbers of other cervids that populate the plains and

forests of the Northern Hemisphere, including wild deer, elk, caribou and moose. There is growing concern among scientists that CWD could possibly spread to livestock in the same regions, especially cattle, a major life stream for the U.S. economy, in much the same manner that bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, another prion-based infection, spread through the United Kingdom almost two decades ago.

According to Dr. Wisniewski and his research team, if further vaccine experiments prove successful, a relatively small number

of animals (as few as 10 per cent) could be inoculated to induce herd immunity, in which disease transmission is essentially stopped in a much larger group.

For the study, five deer were given the vaccine; another six were given a placebo. All of the deer were exposed to prioninfected brain tissue; they also were housed together, engaging in group activities similar to those in the wild. Scientists say this kept them in constant exposure to the infectious prions. The animals receiving the vaccine were given eight boosters over 11 months until key immune antibodies were detectable in blood, saliva, and feces. The deer also were monitored daily for signs of illness, and investigators performed biopsies of the animals’ tonsils and gut tissue every three months to search for signs of CWD infection.

Within two years, all of the deer given the placebo developed CWD. Four deer given the real vaccine took significantly

longer to develop infection — and the fifth one continues to remain infection free.

Wisniewski and his team made the vaccine using salmonella bacteria, which easily enters the gut, to mirror the most common mode of natural infection — ingestion of prioncontaminated food or feces. To prepare the vaccine, the team inserted a prion-like protein into the genome of an attenuated, or no longer dangerous, Salmonella bacterium. This engineered the salmonella to induce an immune response in the gut, producing anti-prion antibodies.

“Although our anti-prion vaccine experiments have so far been successful on mice and deer, we predict that the method and concept could become a widespread technique for not only preventing, but potentially treating many prion diseases,” says lead study investigator Fernando Goni, PhD, an associate professor at NYU Langone.

Australia cuts wheat export forecast, raises beef

Western Canadian Holistic Management

Drought brings national cattle herd to a 17-year low of 26.4 million head

2015 CONFERENCE

By Colin Packham Sydney / Reuters

A

ustralia cut its forecast for 2014-15 wheat exports and increased its beef export forecast as dry weather hits crops and drives up slaughter rates, taking the national herd to at least a 17-year low.

The forecasts come as Australia’s weather bureau warned last week that an El Niño weather event — linked to hot, dry weather — is likely over the next three months, darkening the outlook for agricultural producers.

Australian wheat exports were pegged at 16.99 million tonnes, down six per cent from a September forecast, the country’s official commodities forecaster said. The move followed a cut in its wheat output forecast earlier this month.

Beef exports by the world’s third-largest exporter were seen at 1.18 million tonnes in the 2014-15 season, up four per cent from a September estimate, the Australian Bureau of Agriculture, Resource Economics and Rural Sciences (ABARES) said.

The bureau warned this number could be exceeded without a break in the dry weather.

“Australia’s cattle industry is mostly pasture based and unfavourable seasonal conditions would result in a further weakening in carrying capacity, leading producers to continue liquidating their herds,” ABARES said.

With many parts of Queensland state experiencing below-average rainfall over the past two years, the country’s national herd will fall to at least a 17-year low of 26.4 million head of cattle, it said.

Analysts said the longer the drought continues to drive up slaughter rates, the bigger a likely contraction in beef exports should rains arrive and allow farmers to rebuild stock numbers.

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24 1

Manitoba Co-operator| |October January6,1, 2011 2015 The The Manitoba Co-Operator

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25

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 1, 2015

AUCTION DISTRICTS Parkland – North of Hwy 1; west of PR 242, following the west shore of Lake Manitoba and east shore of Lake Winnipegosis.

Westman – South of Hwy 1; west of PR 242.

Interlake – North of Hwy 1; east of PR 242, following the west shore of Lake Manitoba and east shore of Lake Winnipegosis.

Red River – South ofHwy 1; east of PR 242.

The Pas

Swan River

1980 230 TIMBER JACK cable skidder, excellent condition, new starter, injectors, main line, c/w chains on front tires. Call (807)466-7610 or (807)548-4435or email angelica@talomafarms.com

75 truckloads 29 gauge full hard 100,000PSI high tensile roofing & siding. 16 colours to choose from.

1999 REM 1026B GRAIN vac, $7800; 930 JD Rigid header, 60 series hookup w/trailer, $7000; Sunflower pans for JD header, $1250. Call (204)712-0377.

Ask about our blowout colours...65¢/ft.2

Winnipegosis

Roblin

Dauphin

Grandview

Ashern

Gilbert Plains

Fisher Branch

Ste. Rose du Lac

Parkland

Birtle

Riverton Eriksdale

McCreary

1

Langruth Gladstone

Neepawa

Brandon

Carberry

Treherne

Killarney

Crystal City

Elm Creek

Sanford

Ste. Anne

Carman

Mariapolis

Pilot Mound

Lac du Bonnet

Beausejour

Winnipeg

Austin

Souris

Boissevain

Stonewall Selkirk

Portage

Westman

Waskada

Interlake

Erickson Minnedosa

Rapid City Virden

Arborg

Lundar Gimli

Shoal Lake

Hamiota

Melita

PRICE TO CLEAR!!

Multi-coloured millends.........49¢/ft.2

Minitonas Durban

Reston

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Miscellaneous

B-Gr. coloured......................70¢/ft.2

Birch River

Russell

BUILDING & RENOVATIONS Roofing

St. Pierre

242

Morris Winkler Morden

Altona

Steinbach

1

Red River

ANTIQUES ANTIQUES Antique Equipment WINTER PROJECTS: IH W4; IH WD6; IH H; JD AR; JD R; JD 70 DSL; JD 730 RC DSL; 1929 JD D; Oliver 77 RC; MH 44 RC DSL; MH 55 DSL; Fordson Major; Caterpillar RD4. (204)745-7445.

ST. LAZARE, MB. 1-800-510-3303

BUILDINGS AFAB INDUSTRIES IS YOUR SUPERIOR post frame building company. For estimates and information call 1-888-816-AFAB(2322).

Website: www.postframebuilding.com CONCRETE FLATWORK: Specializing in place & finish of concrete floors. Can accommodate any floor design. References available. Alexander, MB. 204-752-2069.

BUSINESS SERVICES Crop Consulting

AUCTION SALES Manitoba Auctions – Red River

Winkler, MB • 1-204-325-4433

NOW BOOKING SPRING & SUMMER 2015 FARM AND OTHER AUCTIONS Professional Full Service Auction Company.

For No Obligation Auction Consultation See our website: www.billklassen.com or call 204-325-4433 cell 6230

BILL KLASSEN AUCTIONEERS

AUTO & TRANSPORT AUTO & TRANSPORT Trucks 2001 3/4 TONNE DODGE 4x4, club cab, 6-spd, safetied, 335,000-kms, $13,500 firm. Must be seen.

(204)436-2571, cell (204)857-2561.

FOR SALE: 1998 CHEV 1/2 ton 4x4, runs decent, fair condition, $1,200 OBO. Phone:(204)637-2393 or (204)212-2393.

BEEKEEPING BEEKEEPING Honey Bees STRONG SINGLE HIVES OR nucs for sale. Phone Andy Loewen:(204)326-1500 or (204)381-7993. andyloewen@hotmail.ca

BUILDING & RENOVATIONS BUILDING & RENOVATIONS Doors & Windows

BREAKING DISCS. KEWANEE 12, 15, 16-ft; Towner 18-ft, Wishek 14, 26, 30-ft. Feeder wagons, Roorda 300-bu, $2000; Kelly Ryan, $2000; Gehl 130, $900; Auger feeder, $750; Phoenix harrows, 35, 42, 53-ft; Flexi-Coil 50-ft winged packer, $9500; Oval 340 loader, $2000; Allied # 2795, $4500; Gehl 400-bu spreader, $7500; Knight slinger spreader, $3500; JD Double auger snowblower, $1250; Single auger, $1000. Call (204)857-8403.

FOUILLARD STEEL SUPPLIES LTD.

BUSINESS SERVICES

AUCTION SALES

5230 CASE IH, 3,200-HRS, 3PH, loader grapple $30,000; 16-ft Hesston disc-bine, cut 1,000-ac $25,000; 2005 NH BR780 net/twine, shedded, $13,000. Millet, AB. Phone:(780)352-4947.

Also in stock low rib white 29 ga. ideal for archrib buildings BEAT THE PRICE INCREASES CALL NOW

FARM CHEMICAL SEED COMPLAINTS 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 assistance the majority of our clients have received compensation previously denied. Back-Track Investigations investigates, documents your loss and assists in settling your claim.

Licensed Agrologist on Staff.

For more information Please call 1-866-882-4779

CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT CAMBRIAN EQUIPMENT. 25 FORKLIFTS, some good ones & some parting out. Over 80 sets of forks, frames & attachements of all types. Central Canada’s largest wreckers of construction equipment, with two yards over 50-ac. We have what you need. Call:(204)667-2867 or Fax:(204)667-2932.

Located 494 Panet Rd, Winnipeg, MB. CAMBRIAN EQUIPMENT. CRAWLER DOZERS, D8H bush equipment, old D7 good runner, D6 high track & old D6 9U series, D4 40. Now wrecking mini truck type dozers & loaders. New parts at low, low prices. Salvage all types on two yards over 50-acres.

Call: (204)667-2867 or Fax: (204)667-2932.

CAMBRIAN EQUIPMENT. OVER 500 new & used buckets, snow buckets for loaders & skidsteers, buckets for large front end loaders, buckets for backhoes and attachments of all sizes. Dozer blades for snow & several snow blowers small & large. 5 gas & diesel trucks w/blowers & blades attached. Acres & acres of salvage. Central Canada’s largest wreckers of construction equipment with two yards over 50-ac we have what you need.

Call:(204)667-2867 or Fax:(204)667-2932. Located at 494 Panet Rd Winnipeg MB. CAMBRIAN EQUIPMENT. PARTING 20 graders, John Deere 772 A1B, Fiat-Allis 100 DD, Cat 112-120-12E-8T-140. Champion 562 -600 -720 -930-740-760. Some new parts in stock, central Canada’s largest wreckers of construction equipment with two-yards over 50-acres. We have what you need. Call: (204)667-2867 or Fax: (204)667-2932.

Located at 494 Panet Rd Winnipeg MB.

AG DEALS TO GO!

BUILDING & RENOVATIONS Doors & Windows

CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT CAMBRIAN EQUIPMENT. TRACK & four-wheel drive loaders ready to work. 966 w/pulp loader.

Fiat-Allis 345-605-840, Clark 45, Dresser 530. Case 621-B. Nine-yard Volvo. Five two-wheel loaders need work track type. TD92 w/loader, Cat 941 w/loader, 955H w/loader, Dresser 175-C. Over 900 tires & over 500 new & used hydraulic cylinders.

Have dismantled loaders for parts. New parts for low prices, acres of salvage. Call:(204)667-2867 or Fax:(204)667-2932.

FARM MACHINERY FARM MACHINERY Fertilizer Equipment USED FERTILIZER SPREADERS, 4-8 ton, large selection. Portage La Prairie. (204)857-8403 www.zettlerfarmequipment.com

FARM MACHINERY Grain Bins CUSTOM BIN MOVING Book now! Fert Tanks.

Hopper Bins/flat. Buy/Sell. Call Tim (204)362-7103 or E-mail Requests binmover50@gmail.com

FARM MACHINERY Grain Elevators 80-FT. BUCKET ELEVATING LEG w/3 phase 10-HP electric motor. Phone (204)886-3304.

FARM MACHINERY Grain Vacuums CURT’S GRAIN VAC SERVICES, parts & repair for all makes & models. Craik SK, (306)734-2228.

FARM MACHINERY Parts & Accessories GOODS USED TRACTOR PARTS: (204)564-2528 or 1-877-564-8734, Roblin, MB. MURPHY SALVAGE New & used parts for tractors, combines, swathers, square & round balers, tillage, press drills & other misc machinery. MURPHY SALVAGE (204)858-2727 or toll free 1-877-858-2728.

Harvest Salvage Co. Ltd. 1-866-729-9876 5150 Richmond Ave. East BRANDON, MB. www.harvestsalvage.ca New, Used & Re-man. Parts

The Real Used FaRm PaRTs sUPeRsToRe Over 2700 Units for Salvage • TRACTORS • COMBINES • SWATHERS • DISCERS Call Joe, leN oR daRWIN (306) 946-2222 monday-Friday - 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

WaTRoUs, sK. Fax: 306-946-2444

FYFE PARTS

• Quality Commercial/Agricultural/Residential Overhead Doors & Operators.

• Aluminum Polycarbonate Doors Available.

• Non-Insulated and Insulated Sectional Doors Available.

• Liftmaster Heavy Duty Operators.

• Mullion Slide Away Centre Posts.

• Commercial/Agricultural Steel Man Doors and Frames.

• Your washbay door specialists. • Quality Installation & Service.

• 24 Hour Service. • Replacement Springs & Cables.

Phone: 204-326-4556 Fax: 204-326-5013 Toll Free: 1-855-326-4556 www.reimeroverheaddoors.com email: kurtis@reimeroverheaddoors.com

CAMBRIAN EQUIPMENT NEW STEAMCLEANER Easy-Kleen magnum plus 4000. New electric & gas fuel pumps, 12V, only $59/each; New standard 12V fuel gauges, $13/piece; New Delco Remy 12V type 300 starters, $249; 7 units of scissor type lifts, up to 52-ft; Large stock of new & used loader & tractor parts, acres & acres of salvage, 2 yards over 50-ac.

Phone:(204)667-2867, Fax:(204)667-2932.

COMPLETE POULTRY PROCESSING LINE. All Stainless Steel, kill & eviscerating line to process 250-400 chickens/hour. Includes scald tank, plucker, vacuum &more. For more info, Contact Rudy:(204)322-5558.

DISCS JOHN DEERE 637 rock cushion 35-ft new notched blades on front, $39,000; Wishek 842 26-ft, $39,000; Rippers DMI 5 shank, $8,900; 7 shank, $10,500; Degelmen 14-ft rock rake PTO, $9,500; Degelmen scoop type rock picker, $3,000; Melroe auto reset plows 7 & 8 furrow, 10 x 70 Westfield auger w/swing bottom, $2,500; 7 x 40 Westfield electric motor, $1,000; 8 x 32 Farm King electric motor, $1,000; Leon 12-ft front blade, $3,000.

(204)857-8403.

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

GRAINVACS REM 2500 HD, $9,500; Brandt 4000, $7,000; Jump Auger, $500; New Gravity wagons 400 bu, $7,400; 600-bu $12,500; 750-bu $18,250; Tarps available large selection of used gravity wagons 250-750-bu, 375-bu $3,200; 500-bu, $5,500; Used grain carts 650-1100-bu, 672 Brent tarp & scales, $15,000; 874 Brent $22,000; UFT 750 hyd drive, JD 544 Payloader, $14,000; Grain screeners DMC 54, $5,000; DMC 48, $3,000; Hutch 1500, $1,500; Snowco, $800; 5 & 7 tube Kwik Kleens.

(204)857-8403.

SMALL HYSTER FORK LIFT, solid rubber wheels, propane, asking $1,850; New large natural gas Ford generator unit, can be converted to gas, asking $2,000; Lifter diesel generator, asking $1,500; Natural gas boiler unit, asking $700.

Phone:(204)728-1861 Round up the cash! Advertise your unwanted equipment in the Manitoba Co-operator classifieds.

Combines COMBINES Accessories

1-800-667-9871 • Regina 1-800-667-3095 • Saskatoon 1-800-387-2768 • Winnipeg 1-800-222-6594 • Edmonton “For All Your Farm Parts”

www.fyfeparts.com

STEIGER TRACTOR SPECIALIST

RED OR GREEN 1. 10-25% savings on new replacement parts for your Steiger drive train.

2. We rebuild axles, transmissions and dropboxes with ONE YEAR WARRANTY. 3. 50% savings on used parts.

1-800-982-1769 www.bigtractorparts.com

HEAT & AIR CONDITIONING

The Icynene Insulation System® • Sprayed foam insulation • Ideal for shops, barns or homes • Healthier, Quieter, More Energy Efficient®

www.penta.ca

1-800-587-4711

IRON & STEEL FREE STANDING CORRAL PANELS, Feeders & Alley ways, 30ft or order to size. Oil Field Pipe: 1.3, 1.6, 1.9, 1 7/8, 2-in, 2 3/8, 2 7/8, 3 1/2. Sucker Rod: 3/4, 7/8, 1. Casing Pipes: 4-9inch. Sold by the piece or semi load lots. For special pricing call Art (204)685-2628 or cell (204)856-3440.

LIVESTOCK LIVESTOCK Cattle Auctions

GRUNTHAL LIVESTOCK AUCTION MART. LTD.

Hwy #205, Grunthal • (204) 434-6519

Season’s Greetings from the owners and staff GRUNTHAL, MB.

AGENT FOR T.E.A.M. MARKETING

REGULAR CATTLE SALES every TUESDAY at 9 am

* First Sale of 2015:

Harold Unrau (Manager) Cell 871 0250 Auction Mart (204) 434-6519 MB. Livestock Dealer #1111

HEADER TRAILERS & ACCESSORIES. Arc-Fab Industries. 204-355-9595 charles@arcfab.ca www.arcfab.ca

Tillage & Seeding TILLAGE & SEEDING Air Seeders 1996 36-FT. BOURGAULT AIR seeder, 8880 cultivator w/2155 tank, good condition, $25,000 OBO. (204)745-7445.

TILLAGE & SEEDING Seeding Various 2012 375 RT MERIDIAN Seed tender, 450-bu extension, roll-tarp, $16,000. Can deliver, Call evenings (306)524-4567.

TracTors

Large Inventory of new and remanufactured parts

TRACTORS John Deere 1997 9400 4WD, very good tires, 7,000-hrs, VGC, $95,000 OBO. (204)745-7445.

Toll-Free 1-800-881-7727 Fax (204) 326-5878 Web site: farmparts.ca E-mail: roy@farmparts.ca

Geared For The Future

For on farm appraisal of livestock or for marketing information please call

NEW & USED TRACTOR PARTS NEW COMBINE PARTS

STEINBACH, MB. Ph. 326-2443

Big Tractor Parts, Inc.

Tuesday, Jan. 6th

Tractors Combines Swathers

WATROUS SALVAGE

Serving Manitoba, Saskatchewan, NW Ontario & Alberta....Since 1937

CAMBRIAN EQUIPMENT CASE 125B delimber, good working order; IH 3964 feller buncher; (2) new Pembenton tree shears to fit CAT 320 & 330; sawmill all steel 48-in blade, 50-ft long; 450 Timberjack grapple skidder; Clark 668 skidder; CAT 966C hilift w/pulp clam; parting out several skidders. Acres & acres of salvage, 2 yards over 50-acres!

Phone:(204)667-2867, Fax:(204)667-2932

TRACTORS Various

FOR SALE: 2004 9420T 3,440-hrs, 30-in. tracks at 85%, guidance ready, PWR shift, front weights, 4 SCVs, excellent condition, $150,000.

Phone (204)746-5312, Rosenort.

TRACTORS 2-Wheel Drive STEVE’S TRACTOR REBUILDER specializing in JD tractors in need of repair or burnt, or will buy for parts. JD parts available. Phone: 204-466-2927 or cell: 204-871-5170, Austin.

WWW.GRUNTHALLIVESTOCK.COM

LIVESTOCK Cattle – Angus 3 YR OLD PB Black Angus bull w/papers, $3,400.

Also rolled or crushed Barley & Oats by tote bag or small 50-lb bags, $10. Phone (204)886-2083.

LIVESTOCK Cattle – Black Angus FOR SALE: PUREBRED BLACK Angus heifer calves, also bull calves, long yearlings & 1 coming 3-yr old herd sire. Ossawa Angus at Marquette (204)375-6658, cell (204)383-0703.

REGISTERED BLACK ANGUS BULLS for sale. Low birth weights & quiet. Buy now & save, no disappointments! EPD’s & delivery available. Phone Amaranth (204)843-2287.

LIVESTOCK Cattle – Charolais 2 MATURE POLLED CHAROLAIS herd sires, easy calvers, Steppler Charolais bloodlines. Available for fall calving. (204)857-8220, (204)857-2260.

LIVESTOCK Cattle Various FOR SALE: 15 EXCELLENT fall calving cows w/calves. Calves as early as end of June. $3,050/pair. Phone:(204)278-3438.

FOR SALE: 3 BLACK white faced cows 3rd calvers, calving Mar & Apr, are approx 1,500-1,600lbs, good milkers. Very good natured. Bred to Char bull (A.I. son of Blue Grass). They could have 4H or show steer calves. Phone (204)748-1024, Virden.

FOR SALE: 500 BRED heifers, 300 Black & Black X bred.

100 Red & Red X bred, & 100 Char X. Heifers have all had their vaccinations, Blacks are bred to Black Angus bulls, Reds & Chars bred to Red Angus & are all easy calving.

Calving start date, March 20th. Call (204)768-0184.

26

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 1, 2015

L et's F ollow the Snow!

Follow

by Adrian Powell

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Verboten act Knife-edged mountain ridge Udders, slangily Cough syrup meas.

"Four Strong Winds" writer

DOWN 1 Rich ore vein 2 "Famous" cookie guy 3 Deals with the bill 4 Uses heroin, maybe 5 ___ de Cologne 6 Swayed drunkenly 7 Fends off starvation 8 Common tattoo spot 9 Toilet paper layer 10 Roll in to town 11 Poker strategy 12 Surmise 13 Inanely silly 18 Elk or moose 19 Male mallard 24 Credit union device, briefly 25 Blackthorn berry 26 While away the time 27 Turn towards 28 Measuring stick 29 Concerning the mouth 30 Roman place of assembly 33 Fly like an eagle 34 Socks complement 35 Political buddy

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Complainant in court Points in favour Butterfly-like Pot Winter bane Sinatra songs, now "A & W" employee, once Epicentres Decided Amazonian web-footed rodent Remove, from the clothesline Has the deed to Sorrows Jaguar or Mustang Tommy gun's cousin This'll do a bang-up job Cry hard Bit of skin art, briefly SOLUTION TO PUZZLE

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ACROSS 1 Small error 6 Collect wheat 10 Desert-like 14 Nebraska's largest city 15 English blueblood 16 Nagpur noblewoman 17 "Understand?"

20 Petro-Canada competitor 21 Waxman and Capone 22 Gets up 23 No longer feral 25 What the Underground Railroad got you away from 27 Sugary Kellogg's morsel 31 Gold, chemically speaking 32 Primordial stuff 33 Swanky hotel amenity 36 Start an ovation 37 Spendthrift's outing 39 Mare's babe 40 Conger, e.g.

41 Beatle adviser, at times 42 Thrash about 43 Fillet-O-Fish accompaniment, perhaps 46 Telescope eyepieces 49 Juillet follower 50 Toads' abodes 51 Evil Tolkien creation 52 "___ the night before..."

56 Old office corrective concoction 60 Fencing tool

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Sudoku 3

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5 7 9 4 2 1 6 8 3

1 4 2 6 8 3 9 5 7

6 8 3 5 9 7 1 2 4

4 5 7 9 6 2 8 3 1

3 2 8 1 4 5 7 6 9

9 1 6 7 3 8 2 4 5

2 6 1 3 7 4 5 9 8

7 9 4 8 5 6 3 1 2

8 3 5 2 1 9 4 7 6

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6 2 9 3 1 4 6 7

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27

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 1, 2015

300-700 LBS. Steers & Heifers Rob: 528-3254, 724-3400 Ben: 721-3400

• Buy Used Oil • Buy Batteries • Collect Used Filters • Collect Oil Containers

Southern and Western Manitoba Tel: 204-248-2110

3 KIPLING LANE 1604 sq. ft. 2 storey $319,900 in Niverville, 20 min. south of Wpg. 3+1 BR. 3.5 bath.

Modern open concept main floor w. espresso finished hardwoods. Gas fireplace. Island & high end stainless steel appliances, under cab. lighting.

Huge master w. tray ceiling, WIC + bath. 2nd flr. Laundry w. front load appl. Fin. bsmt. 12x20 deck, dble detached garage. Must see!

NIVERVILLE,MB · PH:1-204-899-7684

800-1000 LBS. Steers & Heifers Don: 528-3477, 729-7240

Contact: D.J. (Don) MacDonald Livestock Ltd. License #1110 LIVESTOCK Swine Wanted

WANTED: BUTCHER HOGS SOWS AND BOARS FOR EXPORT

REAL ESTATE Land For Sale 410.08 acres for sale in the RM of Fisher NW 33-25-2W, NE 33-25-2W, SW 33-25-2W $329,000, Contact Dolf Feddes (204)745-0451, Canadian Farm Realty

P. QUINTAINE & SON LTD. 728-7549 Licence No. 1123 LIVESTOCK Specialty – Bison/Buffalo BRED COWS, CALVES, YEARLINGS. (807)466-7610 or (807)548-4435.

NOTRE DAME USED OIL & FILTER DEPOT

Call

LIVESTOCK EQUIPMENT ALTERNATIVE POWER BY SUNDOG SOLAR, portable/remote solar water pumping for winter/summer. Call for pricing on solar systems, wind generators, aeration. Carl Driedger, (204)556-2346 or (204)851-0145, Virden.

LIVESTOCK SCALES made to fit in your chute alley. We have a variety of sizes to choose from, no electrics. Also bale scales, hopper feeders in various sizes. Elias Scales (306)445-2111 www.eliasscales.com

12V. or Hydraulic Electronic Scale Opt.

1 877 695 2532 www.ezefeeder.ca

PERSONAL SHARE YOUR LIFE, as it’s meant to be... A lasting Relationship. CANDLELIGHT MATCHMAKERS is here to help you. Confidential, Rural, Photos and Profiles to selected matches, Affordable, Local.

Serving MB, SK, NW Ontario. Call/Write for info: Box 212, Roland, MB, R0G 1T0, (204)343-2475.

CRAIG & LORNA MARR of Silver Ridge MB intend to sell private lands: E1/2 14-21-11W, W1/2 10-21-12W, NW 03-21-12W, SW 14-21-11W, N1/2 08-21-11W, SE 08-21-11W, W1/2 08-20-01W, S1/2 30-21-11W to Garrett Cameron who intend to ac-quire the following agricultural Crown Land leases: SW 13-21-11W West of PR No. 467, NW 30-21-11W, NE 31-21-11W, SE 31-21-11W, SW 31-21-11W, SE 02-22-11W, NE 03-22-11W, SE 0322-11W East of road by Unit Transfer. If you wish to comment on or object to the eligibility of this purchaser please write to: Director, MAFRD, Agri-cultural Crown Lands, PO Box 1286, Minnedosa, MB R0J 1E0, or Fax:(204)867-6578.

JOEL & STEPHANIE DELAURIER of Ste Rose du Lac MB intends to sell private lands: E1/2 36-24-11W, Sec 1-25-11W, N1/2 02-25-11W, Sec 12-25-11W, E1/2 11-25-11W, SE 14-25-11W, W1/2 13-25-11W, W1/2 2624-11W, SE 26-24-11W to Anthony Duffy who intends to acquire the follow- ing agricultural Crown land leases: NW 02-25-11W, E1/2 10-25-11W, NW 31-24-10W, W1/2 25-24-11W, E1/2 35-24-11W, SW 35-24-11W, W1/2 36-24-11W, W1/2 06-25-10W, S1/2 02-25-11W, NE 35-24-11W, W1/2 30-24-10W, SW 31-24-10W, NE 24-24-11W, NE 25-24-11W, NE 26-24-11W, SE 36-2411W, SW 05-24-10W, E1/2 06-24-10W, SE 07-24-11W, W1/2 11-25-11W, Sec 13-25-11W, SW 14-25-11W, NE 35-25-11W, SW 07-24-10W by Unit transfer. If you wish to comment on or object to the eligibility of this purchaser please write to: Director, MAFRD, Agricultural Crown Lands, PO Box 1286, Minnedosa MB R0J 1E0; or fax (204)867-6578.

THE FOLLOWING PRIVATE LAND is being of- fered for sale: SW30-31-15W, SW19-26-14W. The following Crown Lands have been approved by Manitoba Agriculture, Food & Rural Development for transfer to the purchaser of the private lands listed as these lands are part of the ranch unit held by Harold Fleming of Meadow Portage, MB. NE17-26-14W, NW17-26-14W, NE18-26-14W, NW 18-26-14W, SE19-26-14W, SE2026-14W, SW20-26-14W. If you wish to purchase the private land & apply for the Unit Transfer, contact the lessee: Harold Fleming Box 17 Meadow Portage, MB. R0L 1E0. If you wish to comment on or object to the eligibility of this Unit Transfer, write the Director; MAFRD, Agricultural Crown Lands, PO Box 1286, Minnedosa MB R0J 1E0; or Fax (204)867-6578.

BuyUsed Used Oil Oil ••Buy NOTRE •• Buy Buy Batteries Batteries DAME ••Collect CollectUsed Used Filters Filters • Collect Oil Containers • Collect Oil Containers USED • Antifreeze OIL & Southern,Southern Eastern, and Manitoba Western Western FILTER Manitoba DEPOT Tel: 204-248-2110

We BUY used oil & filters Collection of plastic oil jugs Glycol recovery services Specialized waste removal

REAL ESTATE Land For Sale The following Private land is being offered for sale: NW 04-26-11W, NW 26-25-11W, SW 26-25-11W, SE 26-25-11W. The following Crown Lands have been approved by Manitoba Agriculture, Food & Rural Development for transfer to the purchaser of the private lands listed as these lands are part of the ranch unit held by Allan & Rebecca Johnson of Arnes, MB. NE 09-25-11W, NW 10-25-11W, SW 10-25-11W, NW 15-25-11W, SW 15-25-11W, SE 16-25-11W, NE 16-25-11W, SE 21-25-11W, NW 14-25-11W, NE 15-25-11W, SE 22-25-11W, NW 22-25-11W, NE 22-25-11W, NW 24-25-11W, SW 24-25-11W, SE 24-25-11W, SW 27-25-11W, NW 35-25-11W; SW 35-25-11W, NE 14-25-11W, NW 23-25-11W, SW 23-25-11W, NE 23-25-11W, SE 23-25-11W, NW 27-25-11W, NE 34-25-11W, NE 03-26-11W, NW 03-26-11W, SE 03-26-11W, SW 03-26-11W, SE 04-26-11W, SW 04-26-11W, NE 04-26-11W, SE 09-26-11W, SW 09-26-11W, SE 10-26-11W, SE 09-25-11W, SW 22-25-11W, NW 23-25-11W, SW 23-25-11W, NE 33-25-11W, NE 24-25-11W. If you wish to purchase the private land & apply for the Unit Transfer contact the Lessees Allan & Rebecca Johnson at Box 324, Arnes, MB. R0C 0C0. If you wish to comment on or object to the eligibility of this Unit Transfer write the Director, MAFRD, Agricultural Crown Lands PO Box 1286, Minnedosa, MB R0J 1E0 or Fax (204)867-6578.

REAL ESTATE Farms & Ranches – Manitoba FARMLAND AUCTION JANUARY 12TH 7:00pm Westwood Inn, Swan River, MB - 13 parcels for sale - productive farmland, farm residence & buildings, recreation land & pasture land - 2 parcels RM of Swan River, 1 parcel RM of Minitonas, 1 parcel (treed rec land) RM of Ethelbert, 9 parcels RM of Mountain South. For more info view website www.mckay2000.com or call Darin McKay at (204)734-8757, McKay Real Estate & Auction Co., Swan River, MB

RECREATIONAL VEHICLES RECREATIONAL VEHICLES Snowmobiles FOR SALE: 1996 POLARIS XLT snowmobile. Very good condition, $1,200. Phone:(204)637-2393 or (204)212-2393.

Winter & Summer windshield washer fluid Peak Performance anti-freeze ( available in bulk or drums )

Proud Supporter of Manitoba Businesses & Municipalities

READY TO MOVE HOMES -Marvin Homes- Your RTM Home Builder since 1976. Super Deal!Only one unit left. 1320-sqft, 3 bdrm, 2 bath; Master suite has walk-in closet & 3-piece bath. Main floor laundry; Beautiful kitchen w/island. Suitable for basement or crawlspace. Call for more info. Marvin Homes, Mitchell, MB. (204)326-1493 or (204)355-8484. www.marvinhomes.ca

The only company that collects, recycles and re-uses in Manitoba!

888-368-9378 ~ www.envirowestinc.com

CERTIFIED SEED CERTIFIED SEED Cereal Seeds JAMES FARMS LTD Brandon, Cardale & Carberry wheat, summit oats, Mcleod & Chadburn R2 soybeans, tradition barley & forage seeds. Various canola & sunflower seed varieties. Custom processing, seed treating, inoculating, as well as delivery are available. Early payment discount. For info call (204)222-8785, or toll-free 1-866-283-8785, Winnipeg. djames@jamesfarms.com

Court Seeds

BUYING:

HEATED & GREEN CANOLA • Competitive Prices • Prompt Movement • Spring Thrashed

MALT BARLEY “ON FARM PICK UP” *6-Row* 1-877-250-5252 MALT BARLEY

Celebration & Tradition *2-Row* AC Metcalfe &BARLEY CDC feed Copeland We buy feed barley, wheat, MALT MALT BARLEY oats, soybeans, corn & canola We buy feed*2-Row* barley, feed wheat, *6-Row* oats, soybeans, cornCopeland & canola AC Metcalfe & CDC & Tradition COMECelebration SEE US AT AG DAYS IN We buy feed barley, feed wheat, THE CONVENTION HALL SEE barley, US AT AG DAYS IN WeCOME buy feed feed wheat, oats, soybeans, corn & canola CONVENTION HALL BOOTH 1309& oats,THE soybeans, corn canola BOOTH 1309 COME SEE US AT AG DAYS IN COME SEE US AT AG HALL DAYS IN THE CONVENTION THE CONVENTION BOOTH 1309 HALL

BOOTH 1309

2013 Malt Contracts Available 2015 AOG Malt Contracts Available Box 238 Letellier, MB. R0G 1C0 BoxPhone 238 Letellier, MB. R0G 1C0 204-737-2000 Phone 204-737-2000 2014Toll-Free AOG Malt Contracts Available 1-800-258-7434 Toll-Free 1-800-258-7434 BoxMalt 238 MB. R0G 1C0 Agent: M &Letellier, J Weber-Arcola, SK. 2013 Contracts Available Agent: M & J Weber-Arcola, SK. Phone 204-737-2000 Phone 306-455-2509 Box 238 Letellier, MB. R0G 1C0 Phone 306-455-2509 Toll-Free 1-800-258-7434 Phone 204-737-2000 Agent: M & 1-800-258-7434 J Weber-Arcola, SK. Toll-Free FARMERS, RANCHERS, Phone Agent: M & J 306-455-2509 Weber-Arcola, SK. PhonePROCESSORS 306-455-2509 SEED

MALT BARLEY

TIRED OF THE HIGH COST OF MARKETING YOUR CALVES??

*6-Row* Celebration & Tradition We buy feed barley, feed wheat, oats, soybeans, corn & canola

REAL ESTATE Houses & Lots

SEED/FEED/GRAIN Grain Wanted

RECYCLING

COME SEE US AT AG DAYS IN THE CONVENTION HALL BOOTH 1309

REAL ESTATE

2013 Malt Contracts Available Box 238 Letellier, MB. R0G 1C0 Phone 204-737-2000 Toll-Free 1-800-258-7434 Agent: M & J Weber-Arcola, SK. Phone 306-455-2509

LIVESTOCK Cattle Wanted

BUYING ALL FEED GRAINS Heated/Spring Threshed Lightweight/Green/Tough, Mixed Grain - Barley, Oats, Rye, Flax, Wheat, Durum, Lentils, Peas, Canola, Chickpeas, Triticale, Sunflowers, Screenings, Organics and By-Products √ ON-FARM PICKUP √ PROMPT PAYMENT √ LICENSED AND BONDED SASKATOON, LLOYDMINSTER, LETHBRIDGE, VANCOUVER, MINNEDOSA

1-204-724-6741

Choice Semi-dwarf Variety...

AC© Summit Oats  High yields & protein levels  Good for milling, white hulls  Less thins, better returns

Plumas, MB courtseeds@gmail.com 204-386-2354 courtseeds.ca SEED / FEED / GRAIN

TIRES FOR SALE: 4 SPRAYER tires, 385-85-34 on 8 bolt rims, off rogator sprayer, $1,800 OBO. Phone (204)648-7136

TOOLS FOR SALE: OTC INJECTOR tester model 4200B new condition, $600 OBO. Phone (204)648-7136.

SEED/FEED/GRAIN Hay & Straw

TRAILERS

1ST CUT ALFALFA HAY for sale in 3 x 3 squares. $0.04/lb. Hay test available. Phone:(204)242-2074, Harry Pauls, LaRiviere, MB.

TRAILERS Grain Trailers

300 BALES OF ALFALFA Brome & Timothy mixed. Big round bales, $60 per bale. Phone (306)542-4401.

SUPER B TRAILERS. 2009 Lode King; 2006 Lode King; 2009 Castleton; 2006 Castleton; Current Safeties. Good rubber, good condition. (204)734-8355.

400 5X6 ROUND BALES for sale. First cut alfalfa & alfalfa/brome. Net wrapped, feed tested. Phone: (204)248-2643 or Email: colletfarm@gmail.com Notre Dame, MB. ALFALFA GRASS MIX in round or large square bales, delivery avail. Call (204)730-3139.

BALE SCALES NON ELECTRIC 3,000-lb, cradle type, 3-pt end truck mount. Various sizes of livestock scales & hopper feeders. Elias Scales (306)445-2111 www.eliasscales.com BEEFMAN SPECIAL: LARGE SQUARE bales 2nd cut Alfalfa w/25% Orchard Grass 18-22% protein, in hay shed, $0.05/lb. Rye Grass, $0.04/lb. Delivery avail. Phone: (204)355-4980, Cell: (204)371-5744.

FOR SALE: 150 FIRST cut & 100 second cut round alfalfa bales. Located in Woodmore area. Phone Larry (204)373-2452.

FOR SALE: 200 GREEN feed rye bales, approx.

1,400-lbs, lots of grain, $22/each. Phone: (204)637-2393 or (204)212-2393.

SMALL SQUARE FIRST CUT alfalfa bales, 3,000 bales, $4.25/each, large order discounts. Phone: (204)828-3648.

SEED/FEED/GRAIN Grain Wanted

WE BUY OATS Call us today for pricing Box 424, Emerson, MB R0A 0L0 204-373-2328

Vanderveen Commodity Services Ltd. Licensed and Bonded Grain Brokers

37 4th Ave. NE Carman, MB R0G 0J0 Ph. (204) 745-6444 Email: vscltd@mts.net Andy Vanderveen · Brett Vanderveen Jesse Vanderveen

A Season to Grow… Only Days to Pay!

TRAVEL

AGRICULTURAL TOURS Costa Rica ~ Feb 2015 South Africa/Zambia ~ Feb 2015 India ~ Feb 2015 Greece ~ April 2015 Japan ~ May 2015 Ireland/Scotland ~ June 2015 Scandinavia ~ June 2015 Alaska Land/Cruise ~ July 2015 NWT/Yukon ~ July 2015 *Portion of tours may be Tax Deductible

Select Holidays 1-800-661-4326

www.selectholidays.com CAREERS CAREERS Help Wanted FARM HELP REQUIRED for vegetable farm near Carman, MB. Duties may include planting, hoeing, harvesting & packing vegetables. Outdoors, stoop labour, variable hours, minimum wage. April through September. Dufferin Market Gardens (204)745-3077, fax (204)745-6193.

F/T POSITION AVAILABLE WORKING on a grain & livestock hog operation. Need a valid driver’s license, Class 1 would be an asset. Annual salary starting at $30,000. Some experience preferred.

Phone Luc:(204)248-2107, (204)745-7306 or Email: lluc@mymts.net Notre Dame de Lourdes, MB. HALARDA FARMS is seeking a full-time/year round employee to operate equipment & work with cattle. The successful applicant will be self-motivated & a team player. No experience needed. Competitive wages and an extensive health & benefit package offered. Halarda Farms is a modern, large mixed farm located in the Elm Creek area. Email re-sume to office@halarda.ca or fax to (204)436-3034 or call (204)436-2032.

WE ARE LOOKING FOR a reliable, detail-oriented person who is familiar with dairy cattle & their care, including feeding, bedding, treating, calving, etc.

Farm machinery experience is required. If interested, please send your resume to borstlap@xplornet.com or call (204)745-7864. Haywood, MB.

28

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 1, 2015

country-guide.ca

EASTERN EDITION

Search ag news and stories from the sources you trust.

March 4, 2014 $3.50

ALREADY FARMING THE SURPRISING SUCCESS OF NEW FARMERS LIKE

BROOKE AITKENPONOKA MORE MAJOR FLOODS IN FUNDRAISER ALBERTA’S MAKING A S +PLU FUTURE » PAGE 2 DIFFERENCE » PAGE 28 WOULD YOU PASS THIS CEO INTERVIEW? IT’S A BIG JOB TO RUN A FARM

Publications Mail Agreement # 40069240

SENDING BOTH GENERATIONS TO SAME BIZ SCHOOL MAY APRIL 28, 2014 UNBLOCK SUCCESSION

VO LU M E 1 1 , N U M B E R 9

Ranchers have no beef with new antibiotic restrictions HUGE PROFITS, BUT THINK TWICE BEFORE INVESTING IN ARGENTINA

Publications Mail Agreement Number 40069240

Health Canada pushing to end of routine use of antibiotics important in human medicine because of resistance threat

BY ALEXIS KIENLEN AF STAFF

H

ealth Canada’s move to end the use of “medically important” antibiotics as growth promotants won’t hurt livestock production, say an Alberta producer and industry experts.

“There won’t be as much restriction as we first thought,” said Camrose rancher and Canadian Cattle Association president Dave Solverson. “(But) there will be a little more consultation with veterinarians on the use of antibiotics.”

The North American livestock industry has been a heavy user of a class of antibiotics called antimicrobials, notably ionophores and tetracycline. The former is not used in human medicine and is exempt from the new rules, but tetracycline is a key drug used to treat pneumonia, other respiratory tract infections, and other conditions.

It is feared — although the science is not definitive — that using human medicinal drugs for raising livestock is hastening the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Solverson has used tetracycline to treat sick cattle, but not as a growth promotant.

“We don’t use it mixed in with feed or anything,” he said. “Very few producers do.”

SOLID-STATE DIGESTER SHOWS PROMISE THE BEEF MAGAZINE

SEE ANTIMICROBIAL  page 6

Avadex® is a registered trademark used under license by Gowan Company, L.L.C. PMRA Reg. No. is 25112. Always read and follow label directions. 12002 09.12

FEBRUARY 2014 $3.00 WWW.CANADIANCATTLEMEN.CA

31st Annual

Rawes Ranches Ltd.

View our ad on page 59

TUESDAY,

FEBRUARY 18TH, 2014 at the ranch, Strome, AB

New limits on antimicrobials won’t be too restrictive, says Alberta rancher and CCA president Dave Solverson.

TESTED 130 PERFORMANCE CHAROLAIS BULL SALE

PHOTO: COURTESY OF DAVE SOLVERSON, KATHY BROEN

two year olds

Un-sow your

Wild Oats

KEEPING it SIMPLE

Scott and Calla Blair,

For more information call: Drake, Sask.

Cory Bourdeaud’hui 1.204.390.2340 Javan Davis 1.306.590.8600 Jim Vancha 1.306.951.7008 Gowan 1.800.883.1844 www.gowanco.com

PLUS

Volume 40, Number 3 | FEBRUARY 4, 2014

$4.25

Moderate Gains For Heifers Get Green Light 16

with F1s

Undernourished Bull Calves Don’t Catch Up 32

Network

SEARCH

Publications Mail Agreement Number 40069240

PRACTICAL PRODUCTION TIPS FOR THE PRAIRIE FARMER

www.grainews.ca

Farmers tweak rotations to reflect markets Farmers contacted for the February Farmer Panel are making changes to get the most from a falling market in 2014

For many farmers, wheat in the $5.50 to $6 bushel range doesn’t pencil out well at all.

PHOTO: JOYCE BARLOW

BY LEE HART

W

hile the high rolling wheat, barley and canola prices of the past couple years are into a market slump in 2014, that doesn’t mean western Canadian farmers are making major changes to their cropping plans this coming year.

Some adjustments, yes, as they

PAmi reseArcHes summer cAnolA storAge Publications Mail Agreement Number 40069240

» Pg 31

consider crops with lower inputs, or bring back specialty crops they haven’t grown for a few years.

Some say after pushing rotations hard for a few seasons, the market slowdown is giving them a chance to get proper or at least better rotations back on track.

For some, wheat in the $5.50 to $6 bushel range doesn’t pencil out well at all. For others, canola in $9.50 to $10.50 bushel price range

still offers an acceptable, albeit not exceptional, return.

Here are what farmers contacted for the February Farmers’ Panel had to say about their cropping plans for 2014:

DUSTIN WILLIAMS SOURIS, MAN.

plies to work through the system, Dustin Williams says he will be cutting back on both wheat and canola acres in 2014.

Williams, who farms at Souris, Manitoba says with higher prices he has been pushing canola rotations in the last couple of years. “We have been bumping the acres to pay the bills, but I think we’re also seeing a bit more disease pressure out there, so cutting back a bit may be a

notHing to In This Issue crow About Realizing it will take a while for excess wheat and canola sup-

good thing,” he says. “We can work toward a more realistic rotation.”

As he scales back on wheat and canola, Williams says he plans to bring sunflowers back into his rotation, and grow more oats and flax. “Unfortunately as wheat and canola have fallen off, many of the other commodities have too,” he says. “While prices are dropping,

» CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

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

infertile roosters in the u.s. » Pg 12

2

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

5

Crop Advisor’s Casebook

10

Columns ........................... 18 Machinery & Shop ............ 29 Cattleman’s Corner .......... 34

Herbicide-resistant weeds and pulse crops

Alfalfa seed production

KARI BELANGER PAGE 6

july 17, 2014

SerVinG manitoba FarmerS Since 1925 | Vol. 72, no. 29

short-term aid, longterm solutions needed

204-825-2000 www.seeddepot.ca

The province is assessing whether AgriRecovery can be triggered

New “Straight Cut”

|

$1.75

manitobacooperator.ca

CARDALE

co-operator staff/brandon

S

MAFRD’s Rejean Picard was spreading the word about drones and the required certification for flying them at the recent Crop Diagnostic School. photo: Laura rance

get a permit before flying that drone

see COMPENSATION on page 7 »

Transport Canada deems field-scouting activities as commercial and therefore a Special Flight Operations Certificate is required

By Allan Dawson co-operator staff

Publication Mail Agreement 40069240

F

armers flying drones to check their crops or livestock could get their wings clipped by Transport Canada if they don’t have a Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC).

“It is Transport Canada’s policy that UAVs operating in

Canada must meet equivalent levels of safety as manned aircraft,” Transport Canada’s website says. “Requirements for the operation of a UAV fall under the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs).”

It can take 10 to 20 business days to get an SFOC, said Martin Eley, director general of civil aviation at Transport Canada, in an interview July

11. The process can take longer if the applicant doesn’t clearly explain where and when the proposed flight or flights are to occur. And the operator needs to have liability insurance.

Every time

In some cases applicants have to apply for SFOC every time they want to fly, which would

We would like to provide complimentary cardale seed to CFGB growing projects

“More Wheat...Less Shatter” Less Fusarium

By Allan Dawson

pecial programs will be needed to help compensate far mers for nearly 3.5 million acres of cropland either unseeded or drowned out by flood waters, Keystone Agricultural Producers said last week.

Manitoba farmers need short-term aid through AgriRecovery to offset an estimated billion dollars in losses caused by flooding and excessive rains and longer-term efforts to mitigate future flooding, including establishment of the Assiniboine Basin Commission, said Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) president Doug Chorney.

“I don’t think anyone expected it to be as bad as this,” Chorney told KAP delegates attending their general council meeting here July 10.

“There is a case to be made for some type of assistance for the producers affected.”

Frustrated KAP delegates

FarmLife ............................ 39

LINDSAY GRIFFITH PAGE 12

be impractical for farmers.

However, Transport Canada has issued certificates allowing applicants to fly in different areas, multiple times under certain circumstances, Eley said.

“If the farmer wants to fly over his own fields that’s one thing, but if he wants to go to

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