Mbc150129

Winning invention

There’s an app for that

New online crop protection guide » Pg 8

New resource for fighting farm stress » Pgs 3

January 29, 2015

SERVING MANITOBA FARMERS SINCE 1925 | Vol. 73, No. 5

AgriInsurance rates drop Rates are dropping by an average of 11 per cent

By Shannon VanRaes co-operator staff/Brandon

F

armers are accustomed to seeing commodity prices rise and fall, while operating costs rarely go anywhere but up.

However, Manitoba farmers learned last week the cost of insuring their 2015 crops under AgriInsurance will drop by an average of 11 per cent — all because the effects of the 1988 drought have faded from memory and the long-term calculations used to determine insurance rates.

“As a result of removing the 1988 losses from the 25-year calculation… rates are down by an average of about 11 per

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Advocating for agriculture through social media Young farmer, Greg Peterson has become a YouTube sensation after creating a video about his life on the family farm

By Jennifer Paige Co-operator Staff with files from Laura Rance

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fter creating an agriculturefocused music video parody, Greg Peterson and his brothers found themselves in the world’s spotlight.

The Peterson brothers, who farm together on their fifth-generation family farm in Kansas, transformed the LMAFO song, “I’m Sexy and I Know It,” into their own, “I’m Farming and I Grow It.” Shortly after its release in 2012, their YouTube video went viral, receiving over six million views from over 200 countries.

“Apparently, we’re good at being terrible dancers,” Peterson told a packed seminar Jan. 21 during Ag Days in Brandon.

Peterson, 24, said the whole thing started as a joke. He convinced his younger brothers Nathan, 21 and Kendall, 18 to help him produce a video that he could show some of his college friends to help explain what he did back home on their Assaria, Kansas farm. “I wanted to show my friends farming is cool,” he said.

So he purposely picked a song that was popular in urban circles. The See SOCIAL MEDIA on page 6 »

Greg Peterson spoke at the Manitoba Ag Days sharing his parody music videos with the crowd and encouraging farmers to become ‘ag-vocates.’ photo: Laura rance

BEHIND: Railways not keeping up with car orders » PAGE 9

RELENTLESS ON WEEDS. SAFE ON WHEAT. FLUSH AFTER FLUSH™ CONTROL. Always read and follow label directions. EVEREST and the EVEREST 2.0 logo are registered trademarks of Arysta LifeScience North America, LLC. “Flush after flush” is a trademark of Arysta LifeScience North America, LLC. Arysta LifeScience and the Arysta LifeScience logo are registered trademarks of Arysta LifeScience Corporation. ©2015 Arysta LifeScience North America, LLC. ESTC-268

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The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

INSIDE

Did you know?

LIVESTOCK

Cap’n Crunch and chocolate chip cookies don’t score well

Hazy horizon Demand remains high and supplies tight, but the beef price outlook is unclear

12

Researchers find that Canadian and U.S. labelling systems make little difference

CROPS

C

Chess or checkers?

Different farming systems require a different game plan

17

FEATURE The dirt on land values Whether you are buying or renting, it’s all relative

29

CROSSROADS

anadian and U.S. nutrition labelling systems aren’t helpful in helping consumers make wise food choices, say McGill University researchers.

In a study published in the December issue of the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, the researchers compared four different labelling systems and found that the Nutrition Facts label currently required on most food products in the U.S. and Canada was least usable. That label, which lists the percentage daily value of several nutrients, took more time to understand and led to nutrition choices hardly different from chance, the researchers said in a release.

The researchers said the best system was NuVal, a shelf sticker used in some American food markets. It indicates the overall nutritional value of each food item with a number from 1-100.

NuVal scores are calculated by nutrition experts

The NuVal system used in some U.S. stores rates foods with a single number, and doesn’t require reading glasses.

at several U.S. universities, including Yale, Harvard, and Northwestern, and emphasize both the positive and negative aspects of each food.

For example, several fruits and vegetables rate 100.

The NuVal number can also be used to compare products.

For example, Cap’n Crunch cereal rates only a 4, while Post Frosted Shredded Wheat earns a 31.

At the bottom of the sample list on the NuVal website?

Nabisco Chips Ahoy Chewy Real Chocolate Chip Cookies, which rate a 1.

Selling the farm As a good place to work is key to finding hired help

4 5 8 10

Editorials Comments What’s Up Livestock Markets

32

Grain Markets Weather Vane Classifieds Sudoku

READER’S PHOTO

11 16 23 26

ONLINE Visit www.manitobacooperator.ca for daily news and features and our digital edition. (Click on “Digital Edition” in the top right corner.) At our sister site, AGCanada.com, you can use the “Search the AGCanada.com Network” function at top right to find recent Co-operator articles. Select “Manitoba Co-operator” in the pull-down menu when running your search. photo: jeannette Greaves

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The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

New app launched to assist farmers in combating stress

The new tool helps farmers understand stress and offers strategies for increasing resiliency

By Jennifer Paige Co-operator staff

C

iting repeated floods in some parts of the province, Farm and Rural Support Services of Manitoba h a s l a u n c h e d a new webb a s e d a p p l i c ation to help farmers manage stress.

“Working with the Manitoba Fa r m a n d R u r a l S u p p o r t Ser vices Manitoba, I have seen a definite need for this ser vice,” said Janet Smith, program manager with Farm and Rural Support Services o f M a n i t o b a . “ Fo l l o w i n g a few years of severe flooding, producers in Manitoba have certainly been under an immense amount of stress.

This offers them a quick, confidential resource that they can access any time they are feeling overwhelmed.”

Representatives from We s t e r n F i n a n c i a l G r o u p presented the agency with a $10,000 donation from i t s We s t e r n C o m m u n i t i e s Foundation to support the new app called “Calm in the Storm.”

“The Western Communities Foundation cer tainly sees value in this project and as such, we are excited to be able to make this donation to support the initiative,” said Earl Martin, account executive with the Western Financial Group.

The new digital stress management tool promotes resilience, positive mental health and allows users to better understand what stress is, their current level of stress and how to best manage it.

“Ma n a g i n g s t re s s i s n o t about avoiding or escaping daily pressures, but learning how to calmly weather the storm,” said Smith. “Stress has profoundly negative effects on the body and this application can allow users to track the development of

Janet Smith, program manager with Manitoba Farm and Rural Support Services and Leanne Brackenreed, councillor with Manitoba Farm and Rural Support Services accept the $10,000 donation from Derrall Farmer, managing partner with the Western Financial Group and Earl Martin, account executive with the Western Financial Group. [Martin (l to r), Smith, Brackenreed, Farmer] photo: jennifer paige

their stress over time and also offers personalized reco m m e n d a t i o n s, se l f - c a l ming practices and clinically researched methods proven to help manage stress.”

T h e C a l m i n t h e St o r m application project has been a result of the partnership between the Manitoba Farm and Rural Support Services, Winnipeg’s Klinic Community Health Centre, the Winnipeg Suicide Prevention Network and the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention.

Along with the Westman Financial Group, the project has also seen financial support from the Manitoba government and the Winnipeg Foundation.

“Following a few years of severe flooding, producers in Manitoba have certainly been under an immense amount of stress. This application offers them a quick and confidential resource that they can access any time they are feeling overwhelmed.”

Janet Smith

program manager with Manitoba Farm and Rural Support Services

1+1=3

“While stress is a normal part of life, we know that too much stress can be harmful,” said Healthy Living and Seniors Minister Deanne Crothers. “ We are pleased to support Klinic in this initiative that focuses on keeping Manitobans of all ages h e a l t h y a n d s a f e, a f o c u s

that mirrors that of our government.”

D e v e l o p e d b y Ta c t i c a Interactive, the app allows producers to access help anywhere at any time and is completely confidential. The application is currently available free of charge at www. calminthestorm.com.

“Many times it is after the helpline’s operating hours that people begin to realize their stress levels and that is why this application is a great resource. It is accessible any time and always anonymous,” added Smith. jpaige@fbcpublishing.com

New reporter joins Co-operator staff Jennifer Paige will be based in Minnedosa Staff

A

new reporter has joined the Manitoba Co-operator reporting staff.

Jennifer Paige will be covering events and issues in western Manitoba from her home base in Minnedosa.

Originally from Brandon, Paige graduated with honours from the print journalism program at Lethbridge College in Alta., and began her writing career with the agriculture-based magazine publisher, Issues Ink. For the past two years, she has been reporting for the Minnedosa Tribune.

Jennifer can be reached at: jpaige@fbcpublishing. com or by phone: 204-730-2570.

Jennifer Paige

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The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

OPINION/EDITORIAL

Farmland — always a good buy?

K

laura@fbcpublishing.com

The COOL facts

By Alan Guebert

Country-of-origin labelling, or COOL, for meat, fruit, vegetables and nuts sold in the U.S. has been kicked around by the courts, politicians, international trade panels and special interest farm groups since it became law in 2008.

The only people who haven’t kicked it are American consumers. Polls consistently report that at least 85 per cent of all Americans love COOL. The reason is simple: Americans now know where the food they put in their cupboards, refrigerators and mouths was born, raised and processed. It means that decades after we required country-of-origin labelling on our bathroom fixtures, we finally have it on our food.

Livestock groups in Mexico, Canada and the U.S. maintain it harms Canadian and Mexican producers, increases costs, and is anti-trade. The World Trade Organization, the final arbiter on global trade disputes has repeatedly ruled against America’s COOL. A new study on the impacts of labelling on the North American cattle market, however, demolishes the arguments used by the WTO to claim COOL anti-trade. The study, by C. Robert Taylor, the Alfa Eminent Scholar and professor of agricultural economics at Auburn University, shows that COOL had little to no effect on cattle prices or markets in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. (The Taylor report is at http://farmandfood file.com/in-the-news/. His research was partly funded by several U.S. farm and food groups that support COOL.) Two earlier studies the WTO leaned heavily on to condemn COOL claimed just the opposite.

Those earlier studies, by economists in California and Iowa, says Taylor, were done “for the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) and the

OUR HISTORY: ISSN 0025-2239

FOR MANITOBA FARMERS Vol. 58, No. 25

Winnipeg, January 25, 2001

$1.50

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CANOLA INK

For WCE members

Demutualization vote set

By Kanina Holmes Winnipeg (Reuter) — Members of the Winnipeg Commodity Exchange (WCE) are poised to vote on whether or not the 113-year-old institution, Canada’s only agricultural futures and options trading floor, should demutualize.

The WCE board of governors is recommending the exchange become a federal for-profit share corporation with all equity owned by WCE Holdco. Ballots for the mail-in vote were sent to the WCE’s 240 members on Monday.

The members, which include 70

registered companies, such as James Richardson International, Louis Dreyfus, Cargill and Bunge and international commission merchants that include FIMAT and Benson-Quinn GMS, must cast their votes by February 20.

“It’s really to create flexibility in the structure, in the management structure in particular of the exchange, so we can go and pursue other opportunities,” said Bruce Love, the WCE’s director of marketing.

For example, the exchange is currently exploring adding new Please see VOTE on page 2

Green reputation gone

Rapeseed oil fuel a polluter Stockholm (Reuter) — Rapeseed oil used as a green alternative to conventional vehicle fuels can produce 10 times more cancer-causing emissions and pollutants than diesel, a Swedish research report showed last week.

Rapeseed oil or rapeseed methyl ester (RME) had been considered one of the best alternatives among biodiesels.

Its use as a green alternative was rising in Europe, especially in Germany, Associate Professor Jim Olsson at the department of physical chemistry at Chalmers University of

In this Issue…

Grains & Oilseeds . . . . . . . 25 Livestock & Forage . 20 & 21 Editorials . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 & 5 Markets. . . . . . . . . . . 26 & 27 Gate to Plate . . . . . . . 15 & 16 Rural Life. . . . . . . . . . . 11-14 Mark the Calendar. . . . . . . 38 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Weather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Special Features Ag Days Coverage Starts . . . 7 MCPA Annual Meeting . . . 17 DFC Annual Meeting 18 & 19

VOL. 58, NO. 25

Technology in the southwestern city of Gothenburg told Reuters.

In the study, scientists burned rapeseed oil at temperatures equivalent to those in a combustion engine and compared the emissions with those formed when burning a superior grade of diesel oil, SEC1.

“Rapeseed oil and RME produced factor 10 more 1-alkenes, dienes and benzene in comparison with diesel SCE1,” the report said.

“The reactive intermediate organic compounds produced during oxidation of rapeseed oil and RME have strong ozone-forming potentials.

Subsequently they can promote formation of organic smog,” it said.

Some of the rapeseed products such as alkene, 1.3 butadiene and benzene are also considered to be carcinogenic, it added.

“When it comes to alternative fuels, people often advocate the advantages and overlook the disadvantages. I think this is a disadvantage which has been overlooked,” Olsson said.

Somewhat lower and less dangerous emissions could be achieved if engines were optimized for rapeseed oil but this would only reduce, not eliminate, the disadvantage compared with diesel, he said, adding: “People tend to use them (rapeseed oils) in ordinary diesel engines and that is a problem.” ❏

A piece of rural history peeks from beneath the snow.

— Sharlene Bennie photo

Report urges increased monitoring

Tighter enforcement needed The public has no confidence in the current system

By Ron Friesen

A provincially commissioned report says the Manitoba government must do a better job of controlling the expanding livestock industry because the public has no confidence in the current system.

The report by the Livestock Stewardship Panel urges the province to greatly increase its monitoring of livestock operations and to enforce regulations more rigorously.

The 72-page report released Monday also calls for a central data system to give the public more information about livestock farms and their impacts.

In short, the government should move forcefully to deal with public fears about intensive livestock oper-

ations and their effect on human health and the environment, the report concludes.

Public apprehension is driven by a sense that the government isn’t doing enough to manage livestock production. As a result, many people feel the industry, especially the rapidly growing hog sector, is out of control, said panel chairman Ed Tyrchniewicz.

“There’s an awful lot of emotional outpouring that everybody is screwing up,” Tyrchniewicz told reporters at a news conference.

“There’s an unease that maybe government isn’t on the ball in terms of monitoring to make sure things are being done right.”

The report by the three-member panel follows a series of public hearings held throughout Manitoba last fall, which focused mainly on large hog operations.

Many presenters argued that intensive hog units pose a clear danger to human health and the environment. They also said authorities aren’t doing enough to monitor

intensive livestock operations and punish environmental infractions.

In its report, the panel said there is no scientific proof that large livestock operations have a damaging effect on the environment. But there’s no proof they don’t because nobody is monitoring them sufficiently.

That’s especially true of water quality, according to the report.

“Unfortunately, inadequate monitoring of current livestock operations and cutbacks in the 1980s and 1990s to both federal and provincial government water quality monitoring programs have left us in the situation of not being able to adequately assess the water quality effects of large livestock operations,” it said.

“The current level of monitoring and the system for co-ordinating and reporting monitoring results are insufficient to give the public confidence that the current intensification of agriculture is environmentally benign.”

Please see REPORT on page 2

For beef production

Manitoba portrayed as land of opportunity Postmaster, Please Return Undeliverable Labels To: THE MANITOBA CO-OPERATOR, BOX 9800, WINNIPEG, MAN. R3C 3K7

eep renting, or buy that land now before it gets even more expensive?

Alberta farm management adviser Merle Good provided some perspective on that for an attentive crowd at Ag Days last week.

So far, it’s been a truism that farmland is a good investment. That’s not to say it is always the right investment or that land values never go down. They do. But the Laura Rance last time that happened was more than 20 Editor years ago.

Now there is speculation that the meteoric rise in values in recent years has peaked. One indicator is how farmland prices compare if you use the same price-to-earnings ratio used to assess stock market values.

Good says that over time, they should correlate. Right now, land prices are at a premium.

Another measure is the cost of land relative to cash rents.

Based on this calculation, the best time to buy land on the Canadian Prairies was in 1993 when land was 18 times the cash rent value. “Any time you can buy land at 20 times cash rent, back up the bus and buy it,” Good told the audience at Ag Days. Today, that ratio is 40 times the value of cash rent.

All these indicators suggest some sort of adjustment is in order. But that still doesn’t make land a bad buy. Land value appreciation over the past three decades has consistently outperformed other investments, especially the stock market, by a factor of 1.5 to two times. Good noted this is a point worth highlighting with a significant proportion of farmland about to pass on to a non-farming generation over the next few years.

Taxation rules around capital gains tax add to its status as a favourable investment. “If I transfer land to a child, that person qualifies for the capital gains deduction whether they farm or not,” he said.

Another truism has emerged within the past generation, and significantly changed the dynamics of operating a farm business. Historically, farmers owned their land.

Today, farming is based on “access” to land through a combination of ownership and rental that could well be different for every farm operator. Some may own all of the land they farm; some may own none of it.

Good and other farm advisers speaking at last week’s Ag Days stressed neither those extremes or the various combinations in between are a recipe for success or failure. What matters is whether farmers are paying a fair and reasonable cost for accessing land, and whether the farm business is capable of supporting that cost.

This is a complex issue, and one that farmers have traditionally done a poor job of analyzing. It’s largely because they have treated their status as a farm business operator as one and the same as their status as a real estate investor. This muddies two very different questions: whether a farmer can afford to buy more land, and whether his or her farm business can afford it.

Buying land is an investment decision. It isn’t the same as determining whether buying, or renting, or expanding acres at all is the best strategy forward for the farm business. For example, has the farmer done everything possible to maximize returns from the existing land base?

Yet all too often farm management decisions over land access are driven by the emotionally charged mantra — “buy now — they aren’t making more of it,” or by its geographical proximity. “It’s the next quarter. How can I not buy it?”

“The difference between whether I can afford to buy land versus whether the business can afford to buy it is really, really, really important,” Good said.

He said farmers can get an idea of whether land investment is a strategy worth considering by calculating their business’s “land access cost,” which is the sum of current land payments, future land payments, and land rental costs divided by the number of acres. Is it higher or lower than cash rents in the area? If it is higher than area cash rents, then the farmer needs to be able to demonstrate the business can support the land purchase through betterthan-average productivity or marketing. If it is lower, the farm business can probably afford to buy.

The other consideration that has become more complex in recent times is determining fair and reasonable values for cash rent. In the old days, there were two models available: crop share and cash rent. More recently, some new models for calculating fair rent values, sharing risk and determining what the farm business can afford to pay have emerged. Farm business adviser Roy Arnott has posted some examples on the “Business and Economics” section of MAFRD’s website.

Farmers would do well to review them before signing on the dotted line. If land values have peaked, rent values may be in for an adjustment as well.

By Ron Friesen Brandon — A slick publication released by a provincial industry committee earlier this month paints Manitoba as one of the best places in Canada to raise beef cattle.

The 70-page publication titled Manitoba Beef Prospects: A Range of Opportunities for Growth, says Manitoba has all the natural advantages necessary to double its beef cowherd.

Those include: low feed grain costs, a central location, clean water, abundant grass, low land prices and good transportation connections to major processing plants in North America.

The province intends to use the document to promote more beef production in Manitoba, said Manitoba Agriculture Minister Rosann Wowchuk.

“This document has been put together to highlight what some of the opportunities are,” Wowchuk said in an interview during Ag Days last week.

“We are encouraging (producers) to look at beef production as one of the options they can add to their farming operations.”

The document is the product of a 14-person industry committee charged with developing a strategy for beef production in the province.

The publication notes that Manitoba is already a major beef producer, although that fact isn’t always known because Alberta so dominates the Canadian cattle industry.

However, according to the statistics: • With 554,000 head, Manitoba has the third-largest beef cowherd in Canada, behind Alberta and Saskatchewan.

• Manitoba is home to 12,000 beef producers. More than half the commercial farms in the province have beef cattle.

• Manitoba producers have a huge potential to increase the number of cattle they feed to slaughter weight. Fewer than 30 per cent of the calves produced in Manitoba are finished here.

• The number of feedlots in Manitoba, while small compared to Alberta, is growing.

• The size of the average cowherd in Manitoba is 50 head, compared to 45 head nationally.

• Manitoba could have nearly four million extra acres in forage if 25 per cent of current crop acres were converted to grassland.

• Manitoba in 1999 had a feed barley price advantage over Alberta of $27 a tonne (59 cents a bushel).

• Between 1985 and 1998, Manitoba cow/calf producers averaged a 7.2 per cent return on investment. For feedlot production, it was 12 per cent. Backgrounding showed a 7.7 per cent return.

Peter Blawat, a Manitoba Agriculture farm management specialist, said the beef initiative hopes to encourage farmers either to diversify into beef production or to expand existing herds.

However, unlike the Manitoba Pork Advantage, the program will not focus on attracting investors from outside the province to build production facilities.

Rather, it will concentrate first on working with people who are already here, said Wowchuk.

“We are very much encouraging the industry to grow from the inside.” ❏

Canadian government with Canadian market data provided by CCA” even though “much of the data… is not publicly available, and public use of the data is controlled by the CCA.” In short, writes Taylor, the WTO based its decision on reports where “Not only is the data inaccessible but it was supplied… by an industry group that is adamantly opposed to COOL and is a plaintiff in COOL lawsuits against USDA.” Taylor claims neither report used Mandatory Price Reporting data that U.S. beef packers legally must file with USDA. That data, is both public and “highly detailed, including origin, import or domestic, of cattle slaughtered in the U.S. and is thus statistically and economically rich and robust… for analyzing COOL.” When the Auburn economist dove into the USDA data, he discovered that the difference between U.S. cattle prices and the prices for cattle acquired either north or south of the border “was generally lower, not higher by class, grade and purchase arrangement after COOL…” That discovery, “belies the claims that… COOL compliance would create substantial segregation costs” for U.S. packers because post-COOL, the price spread between U.S. and Canadian cattle actually narrowed.

USDA slaughter data also shows that the percentage of all Canadian cattle killed in the U.S. prior to COOL was 21.2 per cent and 20.5 per cent after COOL. Taylor says that change is far from the market catastrophe Canada claimed in its WTO case.

Given Taylor’s report — he was scheduled to present it to both USDA and the U.S. Trade Representative’s office — will U.S. consumers be able to continue their love affair with COOL? Sure, if the WTO just follows the COOL facts.

The Farm and Food File is published weekly through the U.S. and Canada www.farmandfoodfile.com.

January 2001

T

he advice may have been good, but the timing was wrong. As reported in our Jan. 25, 2001 issue, Agriculture Minister Rosann Wowchuk speaking at Ag Days unveiled a 70-page report touting Manitoba’s advantages in beef production, saying the province had all the resources to double its cow herd. On the other hand, a report by the Livestock Stewardship Panel, more in reference to the hog industry, suggested the province had to do a better job of controlling its expansion.

In the following Feb. 1 issue we reported on the annual meetings of KAP and the Western Canadian Wheat Growers.

Delegates at both passed resolutions opposing the introduction of Monsanto’s Roundup Ready wheat, citing concerns over customer acceptance and herbicide resistance.

We also reported on a proposal that suffered the same fate as Roundup Ready wheat — CN Rail had signed a memorandum of understanding in which 1,000 miles of branch lines, mainly in Saskatchewan, would be transferred to a co-operative.

Speaking to the KAP meeting, CFA president Bob Friesen called on Manitoba farmers to follow Ontario farmers in a phone blitz targeting Prime Minister Chrétien and other government officials.

The CFA was demanding that Ottawa contribute another $900 million in safety net and income disaster programs for farmers.

5

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

COMMENT/FEEDBACK

The customer is always right... unless Communicating the message of modern sustainable agriculture should become a part of every farm’s marketing plan

By Cam Dahl

T

he bottom line truth about marketing anything, from wheat to widgets, is, “the customer is always right.”

But does that mean that modern agriculture, and specifically Canada’s cereals sector, should follow every breeze that blows out of the foodie fad factory? The answer is “yes” and “no.”

There are some long-term consumer trends that the Canadian value chain, from crop developers through farmers and exporters, must address.

The broad category of sustainability is one of these areas.

As incomes around the world rise, consumers are asking more often where their food comes from. These are precisely the consumers that Canada depends upon to pay a bit more for our high-quality production.

“Sustainability” is not a short-term fad. It is a consumer trend that food companies (our customers) have been experiencing for years. Canada has a good story to tell when it comes to sustainability. I am happy to go onto the world stage and talk about Canada’s clean air, clean water and sustainable production practices.

Modern agriculture practices, including the use of varieties derived from modern plant biotechnology and precision farming are improving soil health, conserving water, reducing erosion, improving nutrient efficiency and much more. The Canadian grains and oilseed industry will continue to address this challenge through the Canadian Roundtable for sustainable crops.

But addressing consumer trends should not be confused with trying to jump on the bandwagon of the latest Internet and celebrity fads such as gluten free and the Paleo Diet.

These fads will fade to the past like the Atkins or the South Beach diets, but until they do, farmers and other industry leaders must respond.

The first thing we need to do is weed out the fads from the real consumer trends.

A good starting point comes from recognizing that a fad is usually a thinly disguised way for a celebrity to make a bit more money, usually by convincing consumers to be afraid of something. By not responding, agriculture is giving permission for the fad to become fact.

The low-carbohydrate phase of the past decade did real damage to the

reputation of cereal grains and the important role they play in a well-balanced diet. The misinformation at the heart of the current gluten-free fad is further weakening public perception of cereal crops. The Canadian grain industry needs to continue addressing the misinformation behind diet fads.

How do we do that? We must respond with solid scientific fact. For example, there is no scientific backing to claims that glyphosate causes autism, and there is no scientific link between modern biotechnology and negative health impacts, despite the many millions of dollars spent searching.

Unfortunately, technical scientific journals do not catch on in social media nearly as well as the latest feardriven fad.

We cannot deviate from a solid foundation of strong science, but we can present information in a way that is much more accessible to the ordinary consumer, such as social media.

Farmers must be part of this communication effort.

Why are modern agricultural practices more sustainable than the ways of our grandparents? Every farmer in Canada can tell this story, and it’s

a good story. For starters, clouds of dust don’t block out the sun from the Rockies to the Ontario border, better water management practices are allowing farmers to produce in years where moisture is scarce and we don’t see the grasshopper plagues that past generations recall. On top of that, farmers are producing more, and increasing the quality of the product delivered to world markets.

This is a message that everyone can understand, even if they do not have a connection to the farm. But it is not good enough to hear this story from people like me who are paid to support Canadian agriculture.

Consumers need to hear this message directly from farmers, through blogs, social media and in direct response to the latest fads based on misinformation. Communicating the message of modern sustainable agriculture should become a part of every farm’s marketing plan. Some farmers have made the leap and become social media activists. But Canadian agriculture should not rely on only a few to be their “agvocates.”

Many more producers need to participate.

Cam Dahl is president of Cereals Canada

Dark days ahead for supply management The recent one per cent drop in farm gate milk price presages threat from CETA

By Sylvain Charlebois Troy Media

D

Letters

ark days are ahead for supply management in Canada.

For the first time in 22 years, the Canadian Dairy Commission has decided to reduce the price of milk at farm gate by one per cent. The price reductions will commence in February.

Under its supply management regime, established in 1966, the commission’s mandate has been to set the price of milk per hectolitre for dairy farmers owning production quotas. The new decision to reduce prices, according to commissioners, is to stimulate domestic demand for milk per capita which has been decreasing for decades in Canada. As surprising as this decision may be, such a move from the commission is evidence that the dairy sector is fully aware of systemic pressures on supply management.

Big changes are coming. If ratified, the Comprehensive European Trade Agreement would allow over 17,000 tons of cheese into our country.

Currently in Europe, milk is cheap, and getting cheaper. In April, Europe ends its quota system,

We welcome readers’ comments on issues that have been covered in the Manitoba Co-operator. In most cases we cannot accept “open” letters or copies of letters which have been sent to several publications. Letters are subject to editing for length or taste.

We suggest a maximum of about 300 words.

Please forward letters to Manitoba Co-operator, 1666 Dublin Ave., Winnipeg, R3H 0H1 or Fax: 204-954-1422 or email: news@fbcpublishing.com (subject: To the editor)

and many producers have started to flood the market.

There is an abundance of supply which has depressed milk prices at farm gate and retail.

Prices have gone down by more than 40 per cent in some regions, which makes European cheese more competitive against our own. In addition to having concealed subsidies, European cheeses have a significant competitive advantage.

As such, the commission is giving a chance for our dairy sector to compete, domestically and globally. Restaurant owners and processors alike are applauding the decision, and why wouldn’t they? This will make them more competitive, allowing them to increase margins, innovate and recapitalize some of their infrastructure.

Most importantly, this move from the commission is indicative that it can adapt to change, at least to a certain degree. Even if many have criticized the virtues of supply management for years, we should render to Caesar what is owed to him.

Price reductions at farm gate have been uncommon in Canada due to the commission’s lopsided cost assessment scheme. This is an audacious decision, but it should not stop there. More should

Stick to the facts when communicating about agriculture In the Jan. 22 opinion article, “How not to fail at Twitter,” Stefan Signer’s observation on “… an unwinnable debate with a fanatic” is bang on.

I also agree with his statement, “Our job is to be polite, factual and open.” However, two of his statements are then problematic when cast in that light.

In regard to the slaughter of cattle, Mr. Signer states: “Surgery is no less gory, but we accept it as a positive part of life.”

Surgery normally involves anes-

be done to promote excellence and productivity in the dairy sector instead of using averages as a price-setting benchmark for an entire sector.

Indeed, the commission operates obscurely, away from any media attention. In fact, more than 90 per cent of Canadians are not even aware of the commission’s role, let alone its existence, and yet its influence on our lives is real. Consumers will likely be affected by this. This could very well impact the price of dairy products Canadian consumers buy regularly, like cheese and yogurt. But whether or not processors and restaurants will pass on their savings to consumers remains to be seen.

As for our own artisan cheese makers who are about to face tougher competition from abroad, they are still waiting for the Harper government to provide any details on support programs. Even if Ottawa has been indefinite on this issue, the commission’s decision is likely the help they need, at least part of it. It will certainly be welcome news and may ease the burden of increased competition.

Sylvain Charlebois is professor of food distribution and policy at the University of Guelph’s College of Business and Economics www.troymedia.com.

thesia and life-saving or enhancing measures. Consumers will hope that if they have surgery, the outcome will be very different from what happens to livestock during slaughter. Animal rights activists will argue that such an analogy is wholly misleading. There is just no way to effectively — and factually — explain that livestock slaughter is on par with surgery.

Mr. Signer states, “Animals have needs, not emotions.”

Scientists have not come to a consensus on this. Many people see in their pets what they believe are emotions. Denigrating others’ beliefs is not a way to win converts or even to get them to leave you in peace with your beliefs. There is no factual

stance one can take on either side of this issue.

Unfortunately, producers are sometimes forced to deal with shameless manipulators, but many who spread misinformation are just poorly informed and open to suggestions that support their beliefs.

Producers need to be incredibly accurate in their own communication so they are not painted with the same brush they are using on the animal rights activists. They need a voice as unified as the activists, with leaders who can communicate effectively and follow Joe Friday’s advice: “Just the facts, Ma’am.”

Barb Galbraith Oakville, Man.

6

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

FROM PAGE ONE SOCIAL MEDIA Continued from page 1

RATE DROP Continued from page 1

brothers have followed suit with more videos, equally as popular, parodying songs such as “Gangnam Style” and the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” theme song. Some people have asked why they didn’t choose country songs, but Peterson said that missed the point of trying to appeal to his urban friends.

The end product is far from slick. The videos were shot with either a home video camera or a smartphone, with their little sister Laura directing some of the shots. The lyrics are creative, albeit a bit corny, and they suit the down-home warmth people associate with farm life — three agile young men jumping in unison from round bale to round bale, getting licked in the face by a cow, bale tossing, family dinners and kittens.

cent in 2015,” Ron Kostyshyn, M a n i t o b a’s m i n i s t e r o f Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, told farmers attending Ag Days.

“That year, 1988, was a really terrible year,” added Craig Thomson, vice-president of insurance operations at the Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation, which administers the program in Manitoba.

Speaking to producers at the Brandon Keystone Centre during Ag Days, the minister also noted that with the inclusion of the whopper 2013 harvest, probable 10-year averages have increased, meaning that participating producers will, on average, be paying lower premiums for higher coverage this year.

Other changes have also been announced for the long-standing program.

“Every year, Manitoba’s insurance and risk management programs are adjusted based on feedback from producers and other stakeholders,” Kostyshyn said. “These changes help provide a strong risk management framework for crop and livestock producers, young farmers and those affected by flooding and other challenges.”

Those changes include offering higher coverage for pedigreed soybeans in an effort to reflect the additional cost of producing pedigreed seed.

The escalating deductible for coarse hay has also been changed to a flat rate of 20 per cent under the harvest flood option — one of the new features introduced to forage producers last year.

The grade for which sunflowers — oilseed — can be guaranteed has also been increased to No. 1. The minister said this move was taken to reflect the average grade of Manitoba’s s u n f l ow e r o i l , w h i c h h a s improved.

Kostyshyn noted that 8,600 Manitoba farms have enrolled in AgriInsurance this year, representing more than 90 per cent of all annual crops in the province and putting total insured coverage at more than $2.3 billion.

The Peterson brothers on their Kansas farm. Supplied photo.

“There are many misconceptions about modern-day farmers and we feel it is our calling to help correct some of those misconceptions.

Aside from our production on social media, we travel around the country to perform and speak on advocating for agriculture.”

Greg Peterson

“It’s really cool to see the p ow e r o f s o c i a l m e d i a ,” Peterson said, noting the family now maintains a Facebook page about the farm’s daily life. They have started hosting tours, amazed at how far people will travel to see a real farm.

They have also used their sudden rise to fame to help finance their college educations through online marketing of T-shirts, calendars and autographed posters.

Peterson, who majored in agricultural communications in college, said the experience has reinforced for him that farmers need to be proactive about telling their own story.

“Ever since we began producing content, we have con-

tinued to realize a need to inform people about what we do in farming and in agriculture as a whole,” Peterson said.

“There are many misconceptions about modern-day farmers and we feel it is our calling to help correct some of those misconceptions. Aside from our production on social media, we travel around the country to perform and speak on advocating for agriculture.”

But he stressed farmers need to be respectful in their dialogues with non-farmers, even when they don’t agree with them. “Talk to people as you would a friend. Because if you get into bickering and fighting, it’s not going to go anywhere.” jennifer.paige@fbcpublishing.com

Canada’s Annual Ag Outlook Conference

February 23 & 24, 2015 The Fairmont Winnipeg

“Every year, Manitoba’s insurance and risk management programs are adjusted based on feedback from producers and other stakeholders.”

Ron Kostyshyn

“AgriInsurance is the first line of response for producers dealing with weather-related damages to their crops,” said Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, who was also on hand for the announcement. “We continue to work closely with Manitoba to ensure producers have access to predictable and bankable programming designed to meet their needs.”

For most AgriInsurance programs, premiums are shared 40 per cent by participating producers, 36 per cent by the Government of Canada and 24 per cent by the Manitoba government. Administrative expenses are paid 60 per cent

by Canada and 40 per cent by Manitoba. shannon.vanraes@fbcpublishing.com

Resolution Guidelines for MCGA’s AGM Are you interested in submitting a resolution to the Manitoba Canola Growers Annual meeting?

Farming has become a competitive business once again, as it usually is. One way to do the best you can on your farm is to grow the crops that the market will want.

Wild Oats Grainworld, Canada’s Annual Ag Outlook Conference, will be held in Winnipeg on Feb 23 and 24, 2015. Traders of the crops we grow in western Canada will give their outlooks for crops that they trade.

Grainworld is a rewarding experience. You’ll mix with the Canadian grain trade, other farmers who understand marketing and businesses that serve our industry. You’ll hear from marketing experts who make their living trading grain plus specialists from around the world with their own insights into how markets are working.

Do yourself a favour. Mark your calendar for two days in February at the Fairmont at the corner of Portage and Main.

Early-bird registration is $400 and includes all sessions and meals. Register at wildoatsgrainworld.com or 1-800-567-5671.

Check out the guidelines and worksheets for resolutions on MCGA’s website www.mcgacanola.org or call Liz at 204-982-2122 for the guidelines and worksheets.

All resolutions must be submitted to the MCGA office

by February 2 2015 at 4:30 pm. Forms can be faxed to 204-942-1841 or emailed to rossb@mcgacanola.org.

MCGA’s Annual Meeting will be held Wednesday February 18, 2015 at 10:05 am during the CropConnect conference at the Victoria Inn in Winnipeg.

7

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

Biofuels important ingredient for agriculture industry A recent summit in Abu Dhabi looked at factors influencing global energy policies

By Alex Binkley co-operator contributor

B

iofuel organizations have urged the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi to ensure renewable fuels remain an important component in the world’s power supply.

The summit Jan. 19 to 22 drew 30,000 delegates from 170 countries to examine the industrial, technological, financial and government factors influencing global energy policies, says Bliss Baker of Toronto.

“The economic, environmental, agricultural and social success story of biofuels is a natural fit for the summit’s series of panels and presentations,” said Baker, a former president of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association (CRFA) and the spokesman for Global Renewable Fuels Alliance.

Biofuels have to be included in discussions on energy polic i e s “ b e c a u s e t h e y c re a t e much-needed rural jobs, significantly curb greenhouse gas emissions, reduce our reliance on crude oil, and encourage energy diversity,” he said.

Baker noted that Jose G r a z i a n o d a Si l v a , d i re c tor general of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), recognized biofuels as a key part of the global agriculture complex during the recent Global Forum for Food and Agriculture in Berlin.

“Throughout his remarks, the director general praised biofuels for their social, agricultural and environmental benefits and the necessity for agriculture to accommodate both food and fuel,” he said. “We applaud the FAO director general for stating what over 62 countries with biofuel-friendly policies have known for years — that biofuels deliver much-needed rural jobs, significantly curb greenhouse gas emissions, reduce our reliance on crude oil, and encourage energy diversity.”

G r a z i a n o d a Si l v a “a l s o stressed the need to shift to sustainable agriculture systems, achieving greater efficiencies in their use of natural resources, in particular water, energy and land, to allow room for both food and fuel,” Baker pointed out.

Based on 2010 numbers, biofuels production generates $277.3 billion worth of economic activity internationally and supports nearly 1.4 million jobs. By 2020, the global biofuel industry is forecasted to grow to support over 2.2 million jobs in all sectors of the global economy.

Baker also noted that the International Energy Agency’s Tr a c k i n g C l e a n E n e r g y Progress 2013 report stated that biofuels will have to play an increased role in order to reduce greenhouse emissions by 2020. The estimated 85 billion litres of ethanol produced in 2014 are estimated to have reduced GHG emissions by more than 106 million tonnes, the equivalent of removing 21 million cars off the road.

The CRFA says independent analysis has shown that compared to conventional gasoline and diesel fuels, biofuels have markedly lower GHG emissions through their entire production and burning phases.

“We are fortunate that the federal gover nment – and many provincial governments – have r ightly put renewable content regulations into place that are spurring economic growth and supporting agribusiness.”

Canada’s renewable fuels industry generates gross economic benefits in excess of $3.5 billion to the Canadian economy every year and has delivered more than 14,000 direct and indirect jobs — many of which are in small, rural communities in need

of good employment opportunities. All told, the federal government will realize a net return on investment of more than $3.7 billion, he said.

Bi o Fu e l Ne t Ca n a d a w a s formed in 2012 with government funding to promote the growth of biofuels “through co-ordinated research, innovation, effective education, smart policy and strategic partnerships… BFN brings together academic researchers, industry professionals and government representatives in order to harness the opportunities and address the barriers to sustainable biofuels production.”

The network brings together 27 post-secondar y institutions, more than 130 leading researchers, over 140 partner organizations, including 57

industrial partners and several international partnerships.

In a backgrounder, the network notes that first-generation biofuels, which are produced from food crops, pose risks for global food security.

“Many conventional biofuels offer little improvement over fossil fuels in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and there have been concerns of negative social and economic impacts.

However, advanced biofuels, made from non-food materials, such as algae, agricultural waste, forestry byproducts and even municipal waste, offer ethical and social benefits.

Ad v a n c e d b i o f u e l s n e e d “m o re re s e a rc h a n d c o m mercialization activities are needed to unlock their full potential.

Current biofuels are made from food crops, which raises ethical and environmental implications. photo: canstock

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8

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

Inventor’s Showcase front-runners focus on streamlining farm operations Manitoba Ag Day’s Inventor’s Showcase highlighted emerging technology

By Jennifer Paige Co-operator Staff

T

wo technology-integrated farming tools earned the top spots in the annual Inventor’s Showcase at the 2015 Manitoba Ag Days.

The Inventor’s Showcase, which is sponsored by the Manitoba Co-operator, is an annual feature at the trade show and is designed to encourage the development of products that are geared to assist in farm operations.

A Canadian Internetbased agronomic program, AgChemExpert was awarded the first prize out of 10 competing inventions.

AgChemExpert is an online crop protection guide that allows producers to find the appropriate chemical tailored to their needs in a timely fashion with great detail.

“Every farm faces different challenges requiring different types of information. As a retailer and an agronomist myself, I saw a need for a fast, detailed and accurate chemical guide and so I created it,” said Chris Hawkins, managing director of AgChemExpert.

In 2000, a large influx of agricultural chemicals was introduced into the Canadian marketplace, which motivated Hawkins to streamline the process of determining which chemicals to use on what crops.

“This tool was designed to eliminate 13 years’ worth of crop guides and put all that information in one place for quick and easy reference in the palm of your hand. It has been created for ease-of-use to allow the user to get in, find the information and get spraying,” said Hawkins.

AgChemExpert is available online, does not require downloading any additional software and is a live program, receiving daily alterations and updates to ensure it is accurate to the marketplace.

“All of your new chemicals will be in there for spring with all the up-to-date prices, as well as all of your new packaging. The whole idea is that every chemi-

cal and all the information that you need is here in one convenient spot.”

Hawkins notes that the program also offers a number of additional tools besides the crop protection guide, including a resource section with advice on when to spray, water quality, generic products, resistance management, tank-mixing guides, conversions and calculations and details on rebate programs.

“We were also lucky enough to partner with spraying expert Tom Wolf. All of his research is available on here, including tips on how to increase your productivity, nozzle selection and droplets and drift management. This really rounds off the program nicely because we can find out not only what the proper chemicals are but also how to apply them correctly and with the most efficiency,” Hawkins said.

Second place in the Inventor’s Showcase was awarded to Agrimatics for its Libra grain cart weighing and data management product.

The Libra device is coupled with an application that works congruently to create a fullfeature grain cart weighing and data management system.

This first-ever tablet and smartphone-based grain cart weighing and data management system automatically detects how much grain has been harvested and allows remote users to view grain cart data on any device.

“The Libra device mounts directly to the grain cart and connects to any industry-standard load bars. A smartphone, tablet or computer running the partnered application then wirelessly connects to the device, reducing cables between the grain cart and tractor,” explained Ian Meier, chairman and CEO of Agrimatics.

“This app simplifies the calibration process and virtually eliminates hand calculations.”

Meier highlights the unload detection feature on the app that ensures that every load is accurately tracked.

“This application also eliminates the need for logbooks or

Ian Meier, chairman and CEO of Agrimatics, as well as marketing co-ordinator Jasmine Brodziak proudly display their Inventor’s Showcase second-place plaque at the Manitoba Ag Days.

saving data to USB drives as the data collected from the device can be shared through email and opened with any standard spreadsheet software,” said Meier.

The Libra device is weatherproof, designed to withstand extreme temperatures, high vibrations and possesses an energy-efficient design to guarantee it will outlast harvest season on a single battery.

“We launched the product about a year and a half ago. It was used by a number of producers throughout the last harvest season and we have received overwhelmingly positive feedback,” added Meier. jpaige@fbcpublishing.com

Chris Hawkins, managing director of AgChemExpert displays the plaque he was awarded after earning first place in the 2015 Inventor’s Showcase at the Manitoba Ag Days. photos: jennifer paige

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9

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

Farmer seeks clarity on Bipole III It may be close to the 11th hour for farmers faced with Bipole III expropriations, but some still believe negotiation is an option

By Shannon VanRaes

“If I hit a tower that’s $500,000 in value, what’s my liability? Why would I sign an agreement if I don’t know for sure?”

co-operator staff / Brandon

F

armers along the established route for the new Bipole III transmission l i n e a re a s k i n g M a n i t o b a Agriculture, Food and Rural Development Minister Ron Ko s t y s h y n t o advocate on their behalf.

While the massive highvoltage transmission project wasn’t included in Kostyshyn’s prepared remarks at Ag Days last week, it was raised following a speech Jan. 21.

“We’re just asking to negotiate, that’s all,” said Jürgen Kohler, who farms near Brunkild and represents the Bipole III Landowner Committee.

To the minister, Kohler said, “We were wondering if you would be an advocate for us, because despite the expropriation, we still think there is an opportunity to negotiate a good business agreement.”

Although he was the only representative of his organization present, Kohler said that the committee represents about 200 landown-

Jürgen Kohler

Jürgen Kohler puts questions to Minister Ron Kostyshyn during Ag Days.

Photo: Shannon VanRaes

e r s. Ro u g h l y 1 2 0 o f t h o s e landowners have also joined the Canadian Association of Energy and Pipeline Landowner Associations in the hopes of collectively negotiating a deal.

So far, Manitoba Hydro has not sat down with the association and in November of last year, an order-in-council was put before Manitoba’s

executive council authorizing expropriation.

Ko h l e r s a i d h e re c e i v e d a letter in the mail recently regarding the expropriation of his land, but how much was being expropriated and where wasn’t clear to him.

“It’s been frustrating,” he said.

Kostyshyn said he was willing to speak to Kohler about

his concerns with the Manitoba Hydro development, but added that he couldn’t speak on behalf of the Crown corporation.

“As I indicated to the landowner, I will talk to Minister Robinson and will get together with the landowner and have some further disc u s s i o n ,” s a i d Ko s t y s h y n , referring to Minister Eric Robinson, who is responsible for Manitoba Hydro. “I definitely will continue to advocate for farmers and producers.”

Many producers have also expressed concerns about liability issues around the transmission line and the towers that will support it.

“From a liability perspective it’s huge,” said Kohler. “Right

now when I hit one of those skinny hydro poles, I’m being charged $10,000… Well if I hit a tower that’s $500,000 in value, what’s my liability? Why would I sign an agreement if I don’t know for sure?”

Producers affected by the transmission line have also cited worries about crop contamination and the spread of pathogens, via inadequately cleaned Hydro vehicles.

But while expropriation has begun, Kohler felt the minister’s willingness to talk was a good sign.

“That’s why I’m interested in tr ying to salvage something… we can still sit down,” he said. shannon.vanraes@fbcpublishing.com

Data from shippers shows rail car supply/demand gap Almost half the shortfall in car demand is for orders at least a month old

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umbers pooled from over 15 Canadian grain shippers paint a picture of a wide and still-widening gap between the numbers of rail cars they say they need and what they say they’re getting.

The Ag Transport Coalition, which so far includes eight Canadian grain-handling and crop commodity groups with backing from the federal/provincial Growing Forward 2 funding framework, released data Jan. 26 shows an 11 per cent shortfall in shipper demand for cars.

Overall, the railways “have at no point this year been able to meet shipper demand for rail cars,” Greg Cherewyk, chief operating officer for coalition member Pulse Canada, said on a Jan. 26 conference call.

The coalition’s report, covering the first 21 weeks of this crop year, said railways through that period have “failed to supply 11,461 hopper cars ordered.

Of that shortfall, the coalition said, over 5,500 orders have been outstanding for four weeks or longer.”

Boxcar shippers — mainly handling bagged commodities such as pulses, to be transferred to intermodal containers — have seen an average weekly fulfilment rate of about 60 per cent during the crop year to date, and just 50 per cent for Week 21, the report said.

The shortfall for both Canadian National and Canadian Pacific railways “has continued to grow weekly since the beginning of the crop year,” the coalition said in the report, prepared

by Edmonton-based QGI Consulting.

Timeliness of supply in response to orders has “consistently declined throughout the course of the crop year for both railways,” the report said. “To date, the railways have supplied only 50 per cent of customer orders in the week for which cars were ordered.”

The QGI report also shows traffic destined to Western Canada’s bulk port terminals getting 30 per cent more cars than other corridors, while “nonbulk” traffic corridors such as to the U.S. and Mexico, Vancouver transloading sites and domestic Canadian buyers are seeing “significantly lower” fulfilment rates.

In Week 21, non-bulk corridors got just 15 per cent of cars ordered for delivery. CN that week fulfilled about 30 per cent of its orders in non-bulk corridors and CP supplied no cars.

Wade Sobkowich of the Western Grain Elevator Association, another coalition member, said WGEA members have found the railways put on only enough resources for “100 per cent asset utilization,” a level below what shippers demand.

“We believe the railways have the ability to bring on more capacity; they just choose not to,” he said.

Given the number and scope of the coalition shippers providing data so far, QGI’s Milt Poirier said the report’s figures represent about 65 to 70 per cent of grain industry participation.

Future reports will fold in data from more shippers as the crop year goes on, bringing the representation figure to about 90 per cent, he added.

10

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

LIVESTOCK MARKETS Cattle Prices

Heifers

Alberta South — — 124.00 - 142.00 110.00 - 125.00 — $ 223.00 - 235.00 231.00 - 244.00 242.00 - 260.00 262.00 - 284.00 290.00 - 315.00 315.00 - 346.00 $ 209.00 - 221.00 216.00 - 229.00 227.00 - 239.00 240.00 - 259.00 262.00 - 287.00 285.00 - 309.00

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

(850+ lbs.)

Futures (January 23, 2015) in U.S. Fed Cattle Close Change February 2015 153.35 -0.85 April 2015 151.80 -1.00 June 2015 145.77 -0.68 August 2015 144.77 -0.78 October 2015 147.25 -0.72 December 2015 148.27 -0.03

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

Cattle Slaughter Canada East West Manitoba U.S.

Ontario $ 174.48 - 195.30 166.88 - 192.42 97.28 - 130.50 97.28 - 130.50 128.71 - 161.21 $ 217.58 - 249.36 213.57 - 246.20 212.88 - 272.79 223.06 - 295.74 238.36 - 319.96 271.87 - 331.63 $ 180.64 - 213.97 191.16 - 217.09 195.16 - 234.15 199.25 - 242.10 208.68 - 268.62 220.23 - 282.89

$

(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.)

Close 215.97 206.32 207.05 207.92 209.52 209.20

Change 0.32 0.72 0.70 0.77 0.47 1.15

Cattle Grades (Canada)

Week Ending January 10, 2015 47,674 11,072 36,602 N/A 538,000

Previous Year­ 37,137 9,015 28,122 N/A 573,000

Week Ending January 10, 2015 1,151 23,902 12,794 407 489 8,389 31

Prime AAA AA A B D E

Previous Year 466 21,264 15,796 589 484 10,184 30

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 177.00 E 164.00 E 164.23 166.80

Futures (January 23, 2015) in U.S. Hogs February 2015 April 2015 May 2015 June 2015 July 2015

Last Week 176.90 165.42 164.10 168.05

Close 71.60 72.87 79.52 83.15 83.15

Last Year (Index 100) 169.19 158.21 160.05 161.55

Change -4.02 -5.48 -5.43 -4.77 -3.90

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

(95 - 109 lb.)

(80 - 94 lb.)

(Under 80 lb.)

(New crop)

$1 Cdn: $0.8063 U.S. $1 U.S: $1.2403 Cdn.

COLUMN

(Friday to Thursday) January 23, 2015 Winnipeg Slaughter Cattle Steers 170.00 - 173.00 Heifers 168.00 - 172.00 D1, 2 Cows 117.00 - 124.00 D3 Cows 107.00 - 116.00 Bulls 135.00 - 144.00 Feeder Cattle (Price ranges for feeders refer to top-quality animals only) Steers (901+ lbs.) $ 180.00 - 228.00 (801-900 lbs.)

215.00 - 237.00 (701-800 lbs.)

220.00 - 248.00 (601-700 lbs.)

235.00 - 280.00 (501-600 lbs.)

260.00 - 307.00 (401-500 lbs.)

275.00 - 325.00 Heifers (901+ lbs.)

180.00 - 217.00 (801-900 lbs.)

200.00 - 227.00 (701-800 lbs.)

210.00 - 235.00 (601-700 lbs.)

220.00 - 248.00 (501-600 lbs.)

230.00 - 265.00 (401-500 lbs.)

245.00 - 278.00 Slaughter Cattle Grade A Steers Grade A Heifers D1, 2 Cows D3 Cows Bulls Steers

EXCHANGES: January 16, 2015

Winnipeg (355 Hd) Wooled Fats 110.00 - 126.00 170.00 - 186.00 180.00 - 190.00 180.00 - 205.00 180.00 - 205.00 —

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 January 11, 2015 Broiler Turkeys (6.2 kg or under, live weight truck load average) Grade A .................................... $1.965 Undergrade .............................. $1.875 Hen Turkeys (between 6.2 and 8.5 kg liveweight truck load average) Grade A .................................... $1.945 Undergrade .............................. $1.845 Light Tom/Heavy Hen Turkeys (between 8.5 and 10.8 kg liveweight truck load average) Grade A .................................... $1.945 Undergrade .............................. $1.845 Tom Turkeys (10.8 and 13.3 kg, live weight truck load average) Grade A..................................... $1.900 Undergrade............................... $1.815 Prices are quoted f.o.b. producers premise.

Toronto 95.37 - 125.48 194.92 - 223.94 224.77 - 239.15 229.05 - 262.14 243.37 - 301.43 —

SunGold Specialty Meats —

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

Volatile cattle futures add anxiety in markets Milder weather allows producers to hang on to feed stocks Dave Sims

“The dollar was dropping steadily, which offset some of the losses we saw.”

CNSC

T

here was a restless and slightly volatile tilt to the Manitoba cattle market for the week ended Jan. 26, according to an industry watcher. Values weren’t abnormally out of place, but the see-saw movement caught the eye of Rick Wright of Heartland Order Buying Co. “Futures this past week have been very volatile; we’ve had huge losses, huge gains this past week, and that certainly puts anxiety into the market,” he said.

According to one analyst in Chicago, large spec traders and managed funds moved out of the market, leading to some of the uncertainty.

The recent plunge of the Canadian dollar was another aspect that moved values around, Wright said. The loonie’s descent was largely caused by plunging oil prices, which have lost 40 per cent of their value since November.

“The dollar was dropping steadily, which offset some of the losses we saw,” he said.

Approximately 11,350 animals made their way through the rings at the province’s major auction marts last week, over twice the number recorded from the week previous.

“We’ve seen good volumes, back to normal,” Wright said, noting interest was particularly strong from the U.S. Prices were steady to slightly lower on the heavy (750-plus pounds) cattle, and light cattle remained strong.

Steers (400-500 lbs.) typically attracted

rick wright

bids within the C$300 range, while slaughter cows and bulls were down roughly three to eight cents/lb. One yard reported twoto five-cent pressure on heavy cattle, even while prices softened across the board.

“Light cattle were very aggressive on feeder cattle markets, as some back grounders and grass operators are starting to put inventories together,” Wright noted, adding that a lot of the heavier cattle tended to head east or west, not to the U.S. Finding trucks is still a challenge, particularly for shipments headed east. Fortunately, temperatures stayed mild, which helped producers.

“The weather was good in moving cattle around, which helped deliveries,” said Wright, adding that the balmy weather also helped producers extend feed piles beyond their normal range.

All of the backgrounding lots to which Wright spoke had enough feed to get through the winter.

“We’ve seen some movement in grain lots; haven’t heard of anyone who had to sell their cows ’cause they’re short of feed,” he concluded.

Dave Sims writes for Commodity News Service Canada, a Winnipeg company specializing in grain and commodity market reporting.

briefs

U.S. cattle placements slowed more than anticipated

By Theopolis Waters chicago / reuters

The number of cattle placed in U.S. feedlots in December 2014 fell versus last year, a government report showed Jan. 23, but more than was expected, said analysts.

They said feed yards bought fewer calves for fattening, noting that expensive feed and pricey calves wore down margins.

Ranchers held back heifers to rebuild the U.S. cat-

tle herd, now at a 63-year low after several years of drought hurt crops, analysts said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture report showed December placements at 1.544 million head. It was down eight per cent from 1.679 million last year.

Analysts, on average, had expected a 4.1 per cent December placement decrease.

USDA put the feedlot cattle supply as of Jan. 1 at 10.690 million head, or up one per cent from 10.590 million a year ago. Analysts, on average, forecast a 1.6 per cent increase.

The government said the number of cattle sold

to packers, or marketings, was down five per cent in December from a year ago, to 1.655 million head.

Analysts projected a drop of 4.9 per cent from 1.736 million last year because of one more day to market cattle last month than a year ago.

In December, ranchers placed more cattle than expected and the feedlot supply declined more than anticipated.

But the recent liquidation of positions by funds out of live cattle futures may continue to have more influence on the market than the latest cattle report, said Dan Vaught, an economist with Doane Advisory Services.

Goats Kids Billys Mature

Winnipeg (130 h Fats) 100.00 - 148.00 230.00 - 275.00 —

Toronto ($/cwt) 97.63 - 314.54 — 113.27 - 302.52

Horses <1,000 lbs.

1,000 lbs.+

Winnipeg ($/cwt) — —

Toronto ($/cwt) 15.00 - 67.50 32.00 - 51.00

Looking for results? Check out the market reports from livestock auctions around the province. » PaGe 14

11

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

GRAIN MARKETS Export and International Prices

column

Canola values rising in theory, cheaper in practice South America’s crop prospects are dragging on corn and soy Phil Franz-Warkentin CNSC

I

CE Futures Canada canola contracts moved higher during the week ended Jan. 23, but the strength had little to do with anything fundamental for the commodity. Rather, the story of the week was focused solely on the Canadian dollar.

The currency fell by three cents alone during the week, and has lost six cents relative to its U.S. counterpart over the past month. At about US80.5 cents, the Canadian dollar is at its weakest levels since 2009. In addition to the continued weakness in crude oil, a surprising move by the Bank of Canada to cut interest rates contributed to the drop in the currency.

March canola ended the week at C$461.50 per tonne, up by $10.90 compared to the previous week. However, on a U.S. dollar basis, canola actually lost ground. On Jan. 16, when canola closed at C$450.60, the currency was still worth US83.5 cents, which translates out to a tonne of canola at about US$376. Doing the same calculation a week later, with canola at C$461.50 and the dollar at US80.5 cents, it works out to about US$371 per tonne. As a result, canola may be up in theory, but is actually cheaper for international buyers pricing in U.S. dollars.

Another interesting development in the canola market during the week was the narrowing in of the March/May spread.

The front month has been trading at a premium to the more deferred positions, but that inverted relationship is starting to erode. Line companies were shifting their basis contracts over to May, partially in an effort to ensure delivery moving into the spring.

In the U.S., soybeans and wheat futures were down during the week, but corn managed to finish steady to a bit higher in many months.

Major technical and fundamental trends are pointing lower in both corn and beans, especially as South American crop prospects remain relatively favourable. While reports of some dryness emerged from parts of Brazil, the continent overall is still expected to have large crops, which are already starting to displace higher-priced U.S. stocks in the export market.

For wheat, global economic uncertainty is a key factor in the background, with renewed Ukraine/Russia tensions also important to keep in mind. U.S. wheat does remain overpriced in the international market, but if there are logistics problems, or export restrictions elsewhere, the buying interest will come back.

North American weather conditions also have the potential to provide some direction for wheat, as mild temperatures across many winter wheat-growing regions are raising some concerns over early emergence and possible damage, if/when the mercury drops.

Phil Franz-Warkentin writes for Commodity News Service Canada, a Winnipeg company specializing in grain and commodity market reporting.

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

All prices close of business January 23, 2015

Last Week

Week Ago

Year Ago

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

196.12

195.75

207.70

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

211.46

213.48

225.24

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

151.07

149.60

169.09

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

188.69

182.69

256.94

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

358.90

364.13

472.07

Chicago soyoil ($US/tonne)

704.94

727.43

827.76

Coarse Grains

oilseeds

Winnipeg Futures ICE Futures Canada prices at close of business January 23, 2015 barley

Last Week

Week Ago

March 2015

195.00

195.00

May 2015

197.00

197.00

July 2015

199.00

199.00

Canola

Last Week

Week Ago

March 2015

461.50

450.60

May 2015

455.60

446.40

July 2015

448.90

440.60

Special Crops Report for January 26, 2015 — Bin run delivered plant Saskatchewan Spot Market

Lentils (Cdn. cents per pound)

Spot Market

Other ( Cdn. cents per pound unless otherwise specified)

Large Green 15/64

40.50 - 41.00

Canaryseed

Laird No. 1

37.50 - 41.00

Oil Sunflower Seed

Eston No. 2

24.00 - 30.00

Field Peas (Cdn. $ per bushel)

23.00 - 24.50 —

Desi Chickpeas

15.20 - 16.00

Beans (Cdn. cents per pound)

Green No. 1

8.30 - 9.50

Fababeans, large

—

Medium Yellow No. 1

7.90 - 8.00

Feed beans

—

Feed Peas (Cdn. $ per bushel)

No. 1 Navy/Pea Beans

26.00 - 26.00

Feed Pea (Rail)

No. 1 Great Northern

42.00 - 42.00

4.10 - 4.10

Mustardseed (Cdn. cents per pound)

No. 1 Cranberry Beans

42.00 - 42.00

Yellow No. 1

No. 1 Light Red Kidney

54.00 - 54.00

31.40 - 33.00

Brown No. 1

23.80 - 25.00

No. 1 Dark Red Kidney

70.00 - 70.00

Oriental No. 1

29.50 - 31.00

No. 1 Black Beans

30.00 - 30.00

Source: Stat Publishing SUNFLOWERS

No. 1 Pinto Beans

24.00 - 32.00

No. 1 Small Red

44.00 - 44.00

No. 1 Pink

44.00 - 44.00

Fargo, ND

Goodlands, KS

19.05

NQ

Ask

—

Report for January 16, 2015 in US$ cwt NuSun (oilseed) Confection Source: National Sunflower Association

Russia adds new informal grain export curbs in 2015 Quality checks are becoming tougher as ports delay providing documents to shippers moscow / reuters

R

ussia has strengthened informal curbs on grain exports since the start of the year, further complicating trading before the introduction of an export tax, a Russian grain exporters’ lobby said Jan. 13 in a letter to officials.

Russia, expected to be the world’s fourth-largest exporter this year, hopes export curbs will cool domestic grain prices and constrain food inflation as it tackles a financial crisis linked to plunging oil prices and western sanctions.

T h e s e c u r b s “c o m p l i c a t e t ra d i n g o p e ra tions and completely stop them from time to time,” the National Association of Exporters of Agricultural Products said in a letter to Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich and other officials.

Moscow imposed tougher quality monitoring in December and later decided to impose a tax on grain exports from Feb. 1.

The grain exporters’ group listed a new set of curbs, including more and longer quality monitoring by food safety watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor and delays on getting the final documents needed from ports for loaded ships to set sail.

The association, which accounts for more than 75 per cent of the country’s grain exports, asked the government to ease the curbs so traders could meet their contracts before the export tax is imposed.

The tax, or a duty on wheat exports, will amount to 15 per cent of the customs price plus 7.5 euros and will be no less than 35 euros ($41) per tonne until June 30, 2015.

“Problems are becoming more complicated in two ways — through technical and economic mea-

sures,” said Dmitry Rylko, head of IKAR agriculture consultancy. “They make Russia’s grain less competitive on the global market.”

Russia, which has imposed grain export curbs for the third time since 2008, had been exporting record volumes from a large grain crop of 105 million tonnes before the limits.

Its main wheat buyers are Turkey, Iran and, vulnerable to supply disruption, Egypt.

Russian officials also hope the curbs will make it cheaper for the Agriculture Ministry to replenish its stocks, and, according to traders, domestic prices are declining.

However, the ministry is still far from its goal of buying up to 3.5 million tonnes of grain this 2014-15 marketing year, which started on July 1, as its prices are lower than the market price. It has bought 308,860 tonnes of grains so far, including 8,505 tonnes acquired during a tender on Tuesday.

12

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

LIVESTOCK 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

Expect volatility in 2015 beef business, says Ag Days speaker Will 2015 be a repeat of 2014’s amazing ride? Unlikely, says beef industry analyst

By Lorraine Stevenson co-operator staff / Brandon

C

anadian cattle and beef prices reached all-time highs in 2014 but 2015 will be a different story, market analyst Anne Wasko of Gateway Livestock told an Ag Days seminar last week.

Retail prices will remain high and are expected to go even higher, while export and domestic demand should stay strong. But there are changes coming to supply and more volatility coming to the market, Wasko said.

Last year the market headed straight up week after week during what she dubbed “the perfect storm” of high retail prices protein-hungr y customers were willing to pay and a North American inventory of tight supply.

“This year will be very different than last year. It’s not straight up from here,” she said.

“I do think we’ve moved into a price plateau as far as where prices can trade.”

The Canadian cow numbers are down, which comes as no surprise to anyone, said Wasko.

“I think when we do see the StatsCan release with the numbers for this year (which will be the third week of February) they’re going to show it down again, and we did not move into any kind of expansion phase,” Wasko said. She noted producers did sell fewer cows last year, but the cull rate, as a

“This year will be very different than last year. It’s not straight up from here.”

Anne Wasko

Gateway Livestock market analyst

Bruce Anderson grooms a black Angus bull at the Ag Days bull congress. This bull and others will be up for sale on Anderson’s farm March 28.

Photo: Shannon VanRaes

percentage of the size of Canada’s cow herd, remains high.

“It’s likely up around 13 per cent. We’re going to need to see that number drop down into that 10 per cent or below bracket before we can say we’re in expansion,” she said. And watch what producers are doing with 2014 heifers, she added, because that, plus what does or doesn’t happen at the slaughter plant, will tell that tale.

“The only way we’re going to grow a herd is seeing more heifers and slowing the cow kill down.”

However, we are past the big liquidation years post-2005, Wasko added. “In the last four or five years, we’ve been in a kind of consolidation phase, where we’ve been just kind of

dropping numbers a per cent a year.”

But it’s a different story south of the border. There have been significant improvements in moisture conditions in the U.S. this past year, leading analysts to anticipate the soon-to-be released U.S. cattle inventory to show Americans are now in an expansion phase.

The rains have returned, and the cows are coming back with them, said Wasko, noting that 20-year data kept on U.S. pasture conditions showed at November 1, 2014 pastures were the best they’ve been in two decades. That’s the exact opposite of 2012, when they were at their worst.

“Three-quarters of the U.S. cow herd saw great moisture conditions in 2014,” she said.

“That’s why they have already moved into what we believe is expansion phase.”

Wasko said there continues to be tight supplies on the beef side of the equation, and demand for beef is also expected to stay strong. But the question arising through 2015 will be how it will hold up as more pork and poultry eventually come on the market.

Right now, the USDA is forecasting U.S. pork production up four and five per cent in 2015 as the declines from the PED virus are made up. There is a similar percentage increase in annual broiler production too.

“Retail pork prices are under lots of pressure. Even though pork supplies aren’t really larger today, the industry is

pretty confident they’ll be larger by summertime and possibly larger after that,” she said.

“Those things are making the big differences as we go forward into 2015.”

Overall, the year ahead for cattle producers looks to be one of trading ups and downs, and more volatility, she said.

Last year was all about moving from one price range to another.

“2015 is going to be about finding our range,” Wasko said, adding producers should be prepared for some big swings.

“2014 was moving us up out of one price range to another.

Now we’ve got there. Now I think we find a bit of trading range within this area.” lorraine@fbcpublishing.com

We don’t buy grain and we don’t own elevators.

We do provide unbiased grain marketing advice.

Get a no-risk two month free trial today.

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13

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

COLUMN

A vet’s guide to the proper use of calf pullers The goal is to deliver a lively calf, not just one that’s alive, and have the cow in good shape to rebreed Roy Lewis, DVM Beef 911

A

lthough calf pullers are not used today near as much as past years they still have an important place in the calving barn if used properly.

To me, every cow-calf producer, and some feedlot owners, need one — especially if they are often alone when calving. By using common guidelines when pulling, a calf puller can be a very valuable piece of equipment and save calves’ lives.

There are several makes on the market, each with their ow n u n i q u e f e a t u re s. T h e most important features are being able to release pressure easily and allowing the operator to work close to the back end of the cow when first jacking. Older block-and-tackle types necessitated having two people — one by the cow and one running the pulling mechanism. These are archaic and should be discarded or used for wire stretching and a new or new/used puller purchased.

The cost is about $200, so it’s cheap insurance.

The puller should be well cleaned and disinfected after usage so infectious organisms are not transmitted between calvings. A lot of the pullers I see are rather grungy with fetal fluids, placenta or manure allowed to freeze or dry onto the puller. Keep them like you would a kitchen utensil and clean often. That i n c l u d e s t h e b re e c h ( p a r t that goes over the cow) and strap. Often they are hung up in the calving shed and these days collect dust but before use hose them off and always know where they are in case you need them suddenly. Take a few minutes and go over them at the start of every calving season. There is no time to do a calf jack overhaul when the calf is stuck at the pelvis and bellowing for his life.

Any time I am going to use the pullers I ensure I have two wraps of the chains on each leg (above and below the fetlock joint). This will spread out the force to minimize damage to the legs and avoid the disastrous broken leg if the pull gets tighter than you would like.

It is easy for me being the veterinarian as I have the farmer to help pull. In this circumstance I will not put the pullers on unless two people can pull the front shoulders through in a front presenta-

tion. That is the rule of thumb that the rest of the calf should follow even with the help of pullers. By yourself you may put a puller on sooner to avoid fatigue from trying to pull by hand. Be wary — good pullers can put on forces approaching 2,000 pounds, so in inexperienced hands or when adrenaline kicks in, they can do considerable damage to calf and mother cow when care is not taken. I will periodically check the tension on the chains, always be patient, and try to time pulling with the cow’s contractions. Pulling too fast does damage and I believe results in the odd prolapsed uterus as the suction seems to have the uterus directly follow the calf.

If we absolutely know the calf is dead we can pull a bit harder, but remember it is now the cow we are concerned

about. Use lots of lube as a dead calf is drier and the vaginal vault is dry as well and again, pull slowly. If still too tight know your limits and when to stop. A skilled veterinarian with using different techniques or a one-cut fetotomy can save the cow and many times have her breed back. A downer cow from too hard a pull is never a good thing. Some do get over obturator paralysis but many are gimped for life from the calving experience.

Where the puller is a lifesaver is when the calf appears stuck at the hips (farmers refer to this as hiplock) although seldom is this true as usually it is just tight, or in rare occasions it is the stifle that is locked. Relaxing and rotating the calf slightly may alleviate this issue.

By pulling by hand, all you

Plan

Assign

Track

hopefully she will start contracting.

Always be methodically slow and steady when pulling. We want to save the calf by delivering a lively calf, not just an alive calf, and have the cow in good shape to rebreed. Use a calving suit and obstetrical gloves when assisting, keep the cow clean, and have a happy calving season. Hopefully you don’t have to use the puller too often — and if that happens, evaluate both your breeding and feeding programs. Overly fat, out-ofshape cattle also have more difficulty calving. Know your limits and phone your veterinarian for help if not making progress after 20 minutes.

Roy Lewis is a Westlock, Alberta-based veterinarian specializing in large-animal practice. He is also a part-time technical services vet for Merck Animal Health.

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will do is pull the cow around.

The way a puller is designed means it pushes back against the cow’s pelvis and by being able to manipulate the angle of the pull you can extricate the calf easily most times.

This one advantage will pay for the puller in one usage.

The tighter the calf, increase the angle with the puller so eventually you are down between her back legs with your puller.

This steep angle can only be achieved with the cow down in lateral recumbency (lying preferably on her left side). A cow down in lateral also has her pelvis tip slightly which helps with delivery and I find their contractions are also more forceful, again helping with delivery. The cows that don’t force make for a very hard delivery. By keeping the puller firm, you can wait and

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14

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

LIVESTOCK AUCTION RESULTS Weight Category

Feeder Steers

Ashern

Gladstone

Grunthal

Heartland

Heartland

Brandon

Virden

Killarney

Ste. Rose

Winnipeg

Jan-15

Jan-20

Jan-20

Jan-22

Jan-21

Jan-19

Jan-15

Jan-16

800*

589

374*

1,157*

3431*

1,112

1,832

750*

Over 1,000 lbs.

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

180.00-207.00

900-1,000

n/a

n/a

n/a

200.00-220.00

217.00-228.50

215.00-229.00

210.00-225.00 (231.00)

200.00-228.00

800-900

216.00-235.00

190.00-229.00

190.00-214.00

225.00-238.00

225.00-238.50

220.00-235.00 (242.00)

225.00-245.00 (248.50)

215.00-237.00

700-800

220.00-257.00

220.00-251.50

200.00-225.00

240.00-255.00

233.00-248.00

235.00-260.00 (265.00)

225.00-250.00 (255.50)

220.00-248.00

600-700

240.00-286.00

240.00-271.50

220.00-247.00

265.00-283.00

247.00-274.00 (280.00)

260.00-290.00 (298.00)

260.00-295.00 (308.00)

235.00-280.00

500-600

286.00-333.00

280.00-314.00

240.00-282.00

275.00-312.00

265.00-296.00 (302.00)

275.00-300.00 (313.00)

275.00-318.00 (326.00)

260.00-307.00

400-500

n/a

300.00-334.00

270.00-320.00

315.00-340.00

290.00-330.00

300.00-331.00

275.00-330.00

275.00-325.00

300-400

n/a

290.00-321.00

324.00-425.00

320.00-355.00

n/a

320.00-345.00

295.00-315.00

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

185.00-205.00

180.00-205.00

n/a

n/a

200.00-195.00

800-900

n/a

180.00-204.50

190.00-210.00

200.00-223.00

195.00-213.00

n/a

200.00-217.00

200.00-227.00

700-800

200.00-220.00

190.00-218.00

210.00-228.00

210.00-225.00

210.00-229.00

208.00-224.00

200.00-232.00 (238.00)

210.00-235.00

600-700

222.00-254.00

240.00-261.00

220.00-245.00

235.00-254.00

224.00-252.00

225.00-245.00

225.00-245.00 (250.00)

220.00-248.00

500-600

244.00-277.00

260.00-285.00

245.00-310.00

255.00-280.00

255.00-282.00

245.00-265.00 (272.00)

260.00-280.00 (287.00)

230.00-265.00

400-500

n/a

280.00-304.00

275.00-320.00

275.00-315.00

270.00-300.00

265.00-298.00

270.00-315.00 (323.00)

225.00-278.00

300-400

n/a

280.00-298.50

285.00-380.00

300.00-325.00

n/a

n/a

285.00-300.00

245.00-300.00

No. on offer

300

n/a

111

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

250

D1-D2 Cows

118.00-129.00

n/a

118.00-128.50

124.00-135.00

117.00-130.00

110.00-120.00

117.00-129.00 (131.00)

117.00-124.00

D3-D5 Cows

100.00-118.00

n/a

100.00-115.00

108.00-122.00

110.00-117.00

n/a

105.00-118.00

107.00-116.00

Age Verified

130.00-145.50

90.00-135.00

120.00-130.00

n/a

122.00-134.00

116.00-128.00

n/a

n/a

Good Bulls

140.00-156.00

n/a

130.00-145.50

140.00-158.00

140.00-154.00

135.00-147.00

130.00-148.00 (155.00)

135.00-144.00

Butcher Steers

n/a

n/a

n/a

160.00-173.00

158.00-165.00

n/a

n/a

170.00-173.00

Butcher Heifers

n/a

n/a

n/a

160.00-172.00

156.00-164.00

n/a

n/a

168.00-172.00

Feeder Cows

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

125.00-139.00

116.00-128.00

n/a

120.00-130.00

No. on offer

Feeder heifers 900-1,000 lbs.

Slaughter Market

Fleshy Export Cows

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Lean Export Cows

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Heiferettes

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

125.00-149.00

125.00-140.00

* 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.)

Yourmobile smartphone Instant info. With the Manitoba Co-operator app you can

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15

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

SHEEP & GOAT COLUMN

High prices for lightweight lambs

GOAT DOES

$ / lb.

meat

1.02

animal weight 112 lbs.

1.00

114 lbs.

0.98 / 0.97

116 lbs.

The Winnipeg Livestock Auction had 539 sheep and goats delivered to the January 21 sale

1.00

118 lbs.

1.12

122 lbs.

0.97

124 lbs.

By Mark Elliot

0.95

129 lbs.

0.88

60 lbs.

Co-operator contributor

T

here was a limited supply of ewes. Buyers were interested in these ewes, with a price range from $1.01 to $1.15 per pound. The heavierweight ewes of 153 lbs. brought $175.95 ($1.15 per pound).

There appeared to be no price differences between wool and haired ewes.

The heavier-weight rams drew lower bids. A 215-pound Katahdin-cross ram brought $1.10 per pound. A 215-pound Suffolk-cross ram brought $1.07 per pound. A 160-pound Katahdin-cross ram brought $1.23 per pound.

There appeared to be no price differences between wool and haired lambs. However, there seemed to be no pattern or reason for the bidding on some of the lambs. The lower biddingpriced lambs were not truly considered as cull lambs. These lower bids ranged from $1.225 to $1.39 per pound. Those lambs of

greater interest received a price range from $1.60 to $1.80 per pound.

The market lambs were in big demand. The price ranged from $1.90 to $1.96 per pound. A group of seven 99-pound Katahdincross lambs brought $1.85 per pound.

Feeder lambs kept this strong bidding from the buyers. The price ranged from $1.89 to $1.96 per pound.

The lightweight lambs also moved into a higher price range.

This price ranged from $1.95 to $2.07 per pound. A group of four free-spirited 76-pound Barbadoscross lambs brought $1.89 per pound.

A group of 31 67-pound lambs brought $133.33 ($1.99 per pound). A 65-pound Suffolk-cross lamb brought $130.65 ($2.01 per pound).

Lambs in the 50-plus weight range continued this strong bidding. The price ranged from $1.89 to $2 for lambs in the weight range from 56 to 59 pounds.

A 35-pound lamb brought $1.50 per pound.

A 25-pound Dorper-cross lamb brought $1.40 per pound.

There was more interest in the meat does. The quality of the does on offer was good for either increasing or improving a producer’s herd. The dairy does were represented by Alpine-cross goat does, and the bidding was fairly constant. A 100-pound Boer-cross doeling brought $137.50 ($1.38 per pound).

A 165-pound Boer-cross goat buck brought $210 ($1.27 per pound). An 80-pound Boer-cross goat buck brought $165 ($2.06 per pound). An 85-pound Boer-cross goat buck brought $70 ($0.82 per pound).

Bidding on goat kids remained strong compared to the last sale.

The demand of the goat kids was constant. A group of 27 78-pound Boer-cross goat kids brought $137.50 ($1.76 per pound). Quality goats determined the price bidding excitement with the buyers.

dairy

$143.10 - $175.95

$177.10 - $180.80

$80.80 - $85

$140.40

Lambs (lbs.) $195 - $212.40

95 - 110

$176.40 - $192

n/a

80 - 94

$151.20 - $166.60

$175.74 - $184

70 - 70

$138.45 - $163.53

$105 / $143.50 / $135.19 (70/71 lbs.)

65 / 67

$130.65 / $133.33

$124.20 (69 lbs.)

$105.84 / $114 / $116.23

$79.75 (55 lbs.)

Under 80

56 / 57 / 59 35

$52.50

25

$35

Ranchers to cull fewer cows as rains revive wilting pastures, but more needed Sydney / Reuters

A

ustralian beef exports are likely to fall short of official estimates in the year to June, with ranchers in the world’s third-biggest supplier culling fewer cows as heavy rains revive pastures scorched by a prolonged drought, analysts said.

A slower slaughter rate could boost Australian cattle prices to record highs and ramp up costs for key consumers such as the United States, which is battling tight supply at home, while forcing others such as China to opt for Brazilian beef.

But it will also ease concerns about long-term global shortages as the rains in Queensland — Australia’s largest cattle-producing state and home to about half the national herd — will

0.95

129 lbs.

meat

2.06

80 lbs.

1.27

165 lbs.

MEAT

1.76

78 lbs.

MEAT

1.98

53 lbs.

2.21

58 lbs.

1.78

59 lbs.

MEAT

1.97

33 lbs.

DAIRY

1.29

35 lbs.

KIDS - Under 80

REGISTER TODAY!

36TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING & PRESIDENT’S BANQUET February 5-6, 2015 | Victoria Inn, Brandon, MB REGISTER AT WWW.MBBEEF.CA OR CALL 1-800-772-0458.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER:

THURSDAY FEB. 5

Dan Ohler “Thinkin’ Outside the Barn”

allow farmers to rebuild stocks that are at 17-year lows.

“It is dependent on followup rain but we do expect a pretty sharp correction in slaughter rates and much tighter exports,” said Matt Costello, animal proteins analyst, Rabobank.

Rabobank estimates that total cattle slaughter will fall to approximately eight million head, with lower slaughter rates to continue over the next five years as producers look to rebuild.

While higher prices could turn some buyers away, Australia’s sales to the United States — which accounts for over a third of its exports — will remain steady, analysts said.

“We will still sell into the U.S. despite the rally,” said Paul Deane, senior agricultural economist, ANZ Bank. “If you look at

Choose from two Breakout Sessions: • Capitalizing on New Market

Opportunities THURSDAY FEB. 5

KEYNOTE SPEAKER:

Dan Ohler “Thinkin’ Outside the Barn”

FRIDAY FEB. 6

MORNING • Panel Discussion: The Changing of Canada’s Beef Industry Choose from two BreakoutFace Sessions: and the Opportunities it TRADESHOW Presents • Capitalizing on New Market Opportunities Come see the new ‘Gadget Corner’ • Updates frommove Nationalmy • Programs and initiatives that can highlighting new technology for the Organizations operation forward beef industry • Programs and initiatives that MORNING can move my operation forward

TRADESHOW

Australia beef exports seen missing forecast

By Colin Packham

124 lbs.

MORNING

$180.70 - $210.69 $140.88 - $152.22

110+

116 lbs.

0.97 BUCKS

January 7, 2015 Ewes

0.97

the U.S., the market is very tight and slaughter numbers are well back year on year.”

Brazilian beef is prohibited from being imported into the United States due to concerns about foot-and-mouth disease.

Higher cattle prices will offer some financial respite to Australian farmers, but analysts cautioned the sector was not out of the woods yet as much of the country’s prime grazing area continues to struggle with drought.

Pockets of Queensland and South Australia have recorded the lowest rainfall in 27 months, data shows.

“The widespread rain has clearly sparked some producer confidence, the longevity will depend on timely followup falls,” industry body Meat and Livestock Australia said.

NOTES: AFTERNOON • Corner’ There will be a Verified Beef • Come Openingsee remarks from the new ‘Gadget highlighting REGISTER TODAY! Production workshop Friday Agriculture Minister Ron new technology industry All producers welcome.

TH for the beefafternoon.

Kostyshyn Please contact the MBP office to • AFTERNOON MBP Business register.

36 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING & PRESIDENT’S BANQUET

• |Association of Manitoba Community February 5-6, 2015 Victoria Inn, Brandon, MB • •Resolutions Debate Opening remarks from Agriculture Minister Pastures’ Annual General Meeting REGISTER AT WWW.MBBEEF.CA OR CALL 1-800-772-0458.

Ron Kostyshyn February 4, Victoria Inn Brandon EVENING 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

MBP Business • •President’s Banquet

• Resolutions KEYNOTE THURSDAY FEB. 5 Debate SPEAKER: MORNING WE ENCOURAGE ALL PRODUCERS AND BEEF INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS TO ATTEND. EVENING

Choose from two Breakout • President’s Banquet featuring Sessions: 00498.MB_Beef_MBCoop_Ad.indd 1 pitalizing onspeaker New MarketDan Ohler • Cakeynote

Dan Ohler “Thinkin’ Outside the Barn”

2015-01-08 3:29 PM

FRIDAY FEB. 6

Opportunities

FRIDAY FEB. 6

MORNING • Programs and initiatives that • Panel Discussion: The Changing can move my operation forward Face of Canada’s Beef Industry MORNING and the Opportunities it TRADESHOW • Panel Discussion: The Changing Presents Face Comeof seeCanada’s the new ‘Gadget Corner’ Beef Industry and the • Updates from National highlighting new technology for the Organizations

Opportunities it Presents • Updates from National Organizations

beef industry

AFTERNOON • Opening remarks from Minister Ron •Agriculture There will be a Verified Kostyshyn

NOTES:

NOTES:

• There will be a Verified Beef Production workshop Friday Beefafternoon.

Production workAll producers welcome.

Please contact the MBP office to afternoon. All producers welcome. register.

shop Friday Please contact the MBP offi ce to register.

• Association of Manitoba Community • Resolutions Debate Pastures’ Annual Pastures’ General Meeting • Association of Manitoba Community February 4, Victoria Inn Brandon Annual General Meeting February 4, EVENING 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

• President’s VictoriaBanquet Inn Brandon 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

• MBP Business

WE ENCOURAGE ALL PRODUCERS AND BEEF INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS TO ATTEND. 00498.MB_Beef_MBCoop_Ad.indd 1

2015-01-08 3:29 PM

16

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

WEATHER VANE

Instant info.

With the Manitoba Co-operator mobile app you can stay up to date on all things ag.

Download the free app at agreader.ca/mbc

“ E v e r y o ne tal k s a b o ut the weathe r , b ut n o o ne d o e s an y thin g a b o ut it . ” M a r k Tw a i n , 18 9 7

Weather models having trouble agreeing Issued: Monday, January 26, 2015 · Covering: January 28 – February 4, 2015 Daniel Bezte Co-operator contributor

L

ast week’s weather pattern played out pretty much as expected. As anticipated, the timing and exact paths of the lows coming out of the northwest were a little off, with the first low that moved through late last week taking a much more westerly route.

Weather models have done a pretty good job with the general forecast out to about four or five days, but beyond that period, they’re having a bit of a hard time trying to figure things out. Initially, the models had been trying to bring much colder weather back into our area later this week, then switched to only a brief cold snap followed by more mild weather. Now the models again show a generally colder pattern developing later this week, lasting through to about the middle of next week, as a cross polar flow develops. Due to the inconsistency of the weather models, confidence in this forecast is fairly low.

This forecast period will start off with a weak low crossing southern and central regions on Wednesday, bringing clouds and some light snow or flurries. A small area of arctic high pressure will drop southeastward behind this low. This will start to cool our temperatures back down toward the middle to lower end of the usual range on Thursday, with the coldest air moving in over the weekend as a reinforcing arctic high builds in.

The weather models then show an area of low pressure sliding down from the northwest on Monday or Tuesday, which could bring the chance of some snow along with a brief warm-up. This system will move through quickly as arctic high pressure builds southward, again bringing with it more cold weather for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Usual temperature range for this period: Highs, -22 to -4 C; lows, -33 to -13 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

1 Month (30 Days) Percent of Average Precipitation (Prairie Region) December 24, 2014 to January 22, 2015

< 40% 40 - 60% 60 - 85% 85 - 115% 115 - 150% 150 - 200% > 200% Extent of Agricultural Land Lakes and Rivers

Produced using near real-time data that has undergone initial quality control. The map may not be accurate for all regions due to data availability and data errors.

Copyright © 2015 Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada Prepared by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s National Agroclimate Information Service (NAIS). Data provided through partnership with Environment Canada, Natural Resources Canada, and many Provincial agencies.

Created: 01/23/15 www.agr.gc.ca/drought

This issue’s map shows the total amount of precipitation that fell across the Prairies during the 30 days from Dec. 24 through to Jan. 22 compared to the average. A good portion of agricultural Manitoba and Saskatchewan and eastern parts of Alberta saw 60 per cent or less, than average amounts, with some areas seeing less than 40 per cent. The only really “wet” area was in Alberta, around Slave Lake, where 150 to over 200 per cent of average was reported.

Western ridge responsible for mild conditions The ridge of high pressure that parked on California last year has made a comeback

By Daniel Bezte co-operator contributor

A

fter a bitterly cold start to 2015 across the Prairies, a fairly long-lasting winter “heat wave” moved into our region, bringing a fairly long period of well-aboveaverage temperatures, with a few record highs thrown in for good measure.

T h e w a r m t e m p e ra t u re s moved in on Jan. 13 over Alberta and then quickly spread eastward, arriving in both Saskatchewan and Manitoba on the 14th. The warm temperatures, with the exception of the odd day here and there, stuck around until at least the time when I wrote this ( Jan. 26), and when I checked out the medium-range forecast, temperatures should have stayed mild right up until the last couple of days of the month.

The warmest temperatures during this winter heat wave were found over Alberta, as this region was closest to the ridge of high pressure responsible for the winter heat. The daily high temperatures in the Calgary region went above 0 C starting on Jan. 13 and there is a good chance that the daily highs will remain above 0 C until almost the end of the month. While

So far this month, all three Prairie provinces are reporting above-average temperatures, but only by a degree or two.

this is certainly an impressive stretch of above-0 C highs for January in Calgary, it is not unheard of in this region. Farther north, Edmonton also saw the same stretch of above-0 C highs, with the exception of Jan. 18 when it only made it to -2.8 C; now that is impressive!

As we go farther east into Saskatchewan the number of days with highs above 0 C drops, but it is still a fairly impressive period of mild weather, with most days seeing highs between -2 and +3 C. In Manitoba, the length of warm weather lasted just as long as that of our western neighbours, but being farther from the ridge of high pressure, and closest to the cold trough of low pressure to the east, meant the colder weather won out for a few extra days during this warm snap.

If we l o o k a t t h e m e a n monthly temperatures so far this month, all three provinces are reporting above-average

temperatures, but only by a degree or two. The reason for this is due to the very cold start to the month — something the warm weather has pushed to the backs of many people’s minds. The cold weather moved in right after New Year’s Day and by Jan. 4 all three Prairie provinces saw the coldest temperatures of the month.

Edmonton and Regina bottomed out at a very cold -35.8 C, with Brandon and Winnipeg only slightly warmer at -34.5 C and -34.3 C respectively. Saskatoon was the cold spot with a bone-chilling -37.6 C, while at the same time Calgary pretty much missed out on the cold weather, with an overnight low of a measly -21.7 C.

An eastward shift

Just what brought our spell of warm winter weather? Well, in the words of Christopher C. Burt, weather historian from the Weather Underground, it has to do with the RRR: the

“Ridiculously Resilient Ridge.”

This is in reference to the upper ridge of high pressure that has been dominating the weather over the West Coast of the U.S., and in particular California, over the last year or so. After disappearing in December and allowing some much-needed rain to make its way into California, this ridge has redeveloped. This time the ridge shifted a little more to the east and northeast, allowing mild Pacific air to flood across the Prairies, bringing the nice mild temperatures.

At the same time, over the eastern half of North America, there has been a fairly persistent trough of low pressure bringing colder-than-average conditions to this region. Now, picture in your mind’s eye the jet stream, riding up and over the ridge of high pressure over the West, lifting up and over B.C and most of Alberta, then diving to the southeast across northern Saskatchewan, through central Manitoba, and into the eastern U.S. before curving back to the northeast along the East Coast. Warm air will be found on the south side of this jet, with cold air to the north. Understandably, over the course of days, the strength and position of the western ridge and eastern trough

change, resulting in the jet stream pushing a little farther north (warmer temperatures) or a little farther south (colder temperatures). Now, on top of this, you need to add areas of low pressure that ripple along this jet stream, and you have a complete picture of our current weather pattern.

What is the long-term forecast for this pattern? Will it break down, eventually allowing for a different pattern to take hold? Will it remain the same? Or will the pattern simply shift positions a little bit?

None of the long-range forecasts I’ve seen are leaning toward any of these three outcomes. If we go with “persistence” forecasting, then the current weather pattern will remain the dominant one. If we go with “gut” forecasting, then my gut says the western ridge will continue to dominate but will also continue to slowly drift eastward. If this should happen, it would mean milder and milder weather across the Prairies along with dry conditions. My worry is that it might last into the summer and bring very hot and dry conditions.

But as they say, if you could predict long-term weather accurately, you would be rich… and I am far from rich. Until next time.

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

17

T:10.25”

CROPS husban d r y — the science , S K I L L O R A R T O F F A R M I N G

Will it be chess or checkers?

A researcher explores different ways of sustainably playing the farming game

By Julianne Isaacs Co-operator contributor

I

t was standing room only in the University of Manitoba’s Carolyn Sifton Lecture Theatre Jan. 21 for a seminar entitled “Conservation agriculture, organic farming and agro-ecology: the three musketeers of a sustainable food system.”

“I try to do this every year because I want to give the graduate students permission to ask tough questions and to think about things differently,” said Martin Entz, a researcher and professor with the plant science department.

Although conservation agriculture, organic farming and agro-ecology were named in the presentation as the “three musketeers” of a sustainable food system, Entz says “agro-ecology” is really an umbrella term for any approaches to food production that bring ecological principles to bear in agro-ecosystems, including conservation farming and organic farming.

Soil health is at the heart of conservation agriculture, which emphasizes soil management practices that minimize disruption to soil structure and biodiversity.

No-till (or zero-till) farming aims to increase the soil’s moisture retention and minimize run-off.

According to Entz, no-till farming

“It’s like designing a farming system using the approach of chess, which is upstream thinking, planning several moves ahead, versus our current agricultural science paradigm, which is reactive, like checkers.”

MARTIN ENTZ

®

Organic farming

Entz has spent 25 years studying organic farming. His ongoing study at Glenlea, Man., is Canada’s longest-running organic/conventional cropping comparison study.

The Glenlea study has produced a host of research papers comparing the productivity and health of conventional and organic systems.

“Glenlea has brought a lot of interesting collaborators together, and we’ve learned to respect the science,” he said.

In his presentation, he identified two reasons for moving to organic farming: it’s a market-driven, accredited production system; and it provides the advantage of avoiding synthetic inputs, GMOs or animal growth hormones.

There are many challenges ahead for organic farming, but Entz sees these as opportunities for creative research. He points to a recent study that looks at the contributions of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to wheat production and nutrient uptake in conventional and organic systems. The

Martin Entz discussing crop rotation studies at the Glenlea Research Farm in August 2014. Entz has been studying agro-ecological approaches to farming for the past 25 years. Photo: Laura Rance

paper argues, in brief, that conventional systems create environments more conducive to healthy AM symbiosis for wheat than organic systems.

“In the paper, they suggest we reduce the abundance of mycorrhizal species in the soil. But reducing biodiversity should not be our first step — we’re already doing that with glyphosate,” argues Entz. “What are the other ways of doing that?”

Entz sees organic farming as a puzzle the scientific community is trying to put together. “In many cases we’re coming up with solutions to problems that are both more creative, which makes the scientist happy, and also more durable, because they’re based in ecology,” he says. “It’s like designing a farming system using the approach of chess, which is upstream thinking, planning several moves ahead, versus our cur-

rent agricultural science paradigm, which is reactive, like checkers.”

Agro-ecological farming

Entz defined agro-ecology as the science of applying ecological concepts and principles to the design and management of sustainable food systems, and as a “scientific discipline.”

He cited a meta-analysis of agro-ecological innovations in the developing world by Jules Pretty that argues that application of these systems would result in a 79 per cent increase in yields and food supply.

“This kind of thinking goes against current dogma. Canadians and Americans want to sell technology. Agro-ecology is a new discipline and we need to develop the art and social science around it,” he said. “It will allow us to move forward both in conservation agriculture and organic agriculture.”

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T:15.58”

Conservation agriculture

is a system of “organized complexity” that increases soil microbial levels, and increases the soil formation rate, while reducing soil loss.

“Soil biology is the newest of the soil science disciplines but it’s very important — it has helped farmers and watersheds and made a difference,” Entz said.

He went on to argue that conventional systems of agriculture are herbicide dependent, with Roundup still the world’s mostused chemical input, and this puts too much pressure on the soil. “Glyphosate is implicated in having an influence on soil microbiology and gut microbiology of ruminant animals,” he said. “Can we imagine a no-till system without herbicides?”

Entz and his team have worked in various sites around the world studying mulch-based systems that require no weeding or synthetic herbicides. Cover cropping and crop-livestock integration studies are underway that analyze the effects of such approaches on long-term soil stability.

18

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

Panel wants India to get nimble on grain exports

Monsanto plans first seed plant in Russia

The country sits on mounds of rice and wheat thanks to bumper harvests since 2007

The falling ruble has made local production more attractive

By Mayank Bhardwaj and Ratnajyoti Dutta

paris / reuters

Reuters

I

ndia needs to become more nimble in allowing wheat and rice exports from overstocked government silos if it wants to cut waste and get the best price for its grains, a panel appointed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi recommended.

Despite stocks that are often more than double the government’s target, India exports only about 10 per cent of its wheat and rice output of 195 million tonnes.

The Food Corporation of India (FCI), a government behemoth set up 60 years ago after acute food shortages forced India to import, sits on mounds

of rice and wheat thanks to bumper harvests since 2007.

“Because of bureaucracy, we take a long time to agree on exports and market dynamics change by then, thwarting our efforts to make the best out of attractive prices abroad,” Shanta Kumar, chief of the panel, said after unveiling the report Jan. 22.

Currently the government takes a call on exports and local sales after a lengthy consultation process.

The panel would like the FCI to abolish regional offices, focus on key states for procurement, invest in computerization and bring in technical and managerial expertise from the private sector.

“A nimble-footed FCI will

help us earn precious foreign exchange and save a lot of money that is blocked in terms of extra grains stocks that is prone to pest attack and wastage,” said Ashok Gulati, a noted economist and a member of the panel.

Modi, who formed the panel in August to suggest an overhaul of India’s theft-prone food distribution network, has asked the Food Ministry to examine the recommendations before acting on the report.

I n d i a , t h e w o r l d’s b i g gest rice and wheat producer after China, runs a mammoth $18.64-billion food welfare program. But nearly half of the ultra-cheap rice and wheat meant for the poor is either wasted or stolen, according to various experts.

A farmer eats an ice cream as he waits outside a wholesale grain market in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh last April. In 2013 India saw monsoon rains of 106 per cent of the long-term average, resulting in a record grain harvest for the 2013-14 crop year. Photo: REUTERS/Ajay Verma

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By Sybille de La Hamaide

M

onsanto, the world’s largest seed company, plans to open its first plant in Russia in coming years, stepping up its activities in the world’s fourthlargest grain producer as it seeks to counter the effects of a plunging ruble.

The ruble has almost halved in value against the dollar in the past year, hit by falling oil prices, a crumbling economy and political tensions, making local production more attractive.

“We have plans to increase local-produced seeds in Russia and to have a facility there,” Leticia Goncalves, who heads Monsanto’s operations in Europe and the Middle East, told Reuters in an interview Jan. 22.

Monsanto currently operates in Russia through a network of local partners and distributors.

Goncalves declined to name them or give financial details of the firm’s ongoing or future business in the country.

Last year the company said it would launch a corn seed plant in neighbouring Ukraine, whose currency has also dived, with initial investments of about $140 million possibly rising to $300 million over several years.

Ukraine is the world’s sixthlargest grain grower this season, and Goncalves said the region remained a priority for Monsanto. “ We still believe that Ukraine and Russia both are long-term opportunities for our business and we want to make sure we are in a position to accelerate our business growth despite the short-term geopolitical and macroeconomic challenges,” she said.

Genetically modified organ-

isms (GMOs) are not used in seed production in Ukraine and Russia, as is generally the case in the European Union, which has been historically hostile to biotech crops.

No comeback on EU GMO market

Despite a recent EU policy shift that some anti-GMO activists said might usher in GMO crops, Goncalves said Monsanto did not plan to try to reintroduce biotech products in the bloc.

Monsanto, whose MON 810 maize (corn) is the sole GMO crop allowed for cultivation in the EU, withdrew all pending approval requests to grow other GMO crops in the EU in 2013 due to a lack of commercial prospects there.

The EU reached a compromise last week giving member states the possibility to ban cultivation of a GMO, while opening the way for EU authorities to review pending approvals.

But Goncalves said it would be very difficult to operate in a non-unified market.

“You can imagine movement of illegal seeds between a country that has GM and a country that is not favourable,” she said.

Past experiences showed GMO seeds stolen in Argentina were being illegally planted in Brazil, she said.

Growth in the EU could instead come from the firm’s core business of fruit and vegetables seeds, conventional row crops and crop protection products, as well as future technologies.

The company plans to invest at least 500 million euros (US$574 million) over 10 years to expand seed production in Europe.

It had already injected $150 million into two French plants, Goncalves said.

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19

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

Canola council launches new online database The Canola Council of Canada says the database offers ‘top science for your bottom line’ Canola Council of Canada release

T

he Canola Council of Canada has launched an online database, called the Canola Research Hub, to provide growers with the latest research findings to increase both productivity and profitability.

“This is a first-of-its-kind technology transfer tool,” said Curtis Rempel, the council’s vice-president of crop production and innovation. “It will allow growers to access canola research behind particular recommendations and quickly zero in on the findings most relevant to their region and concern.”

The database, which can be found at www.canolaresearch. ca, was developed to illustrate the science behind best management practices of Canadian canola production, provide practical tools to evaluate agronomic performance, and to inform production management decisions. Users can navigate through a library of research summaries, view and filter research data, watch video interviews and clips, access published resources, download multimedia materials, and keep up to date on science-based industry news and events.

“The practical application of science-backed production management relies on getting our story out,” said Neil Harker, a researcher with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Lacombe.

“Scientists are often only available for two or three tech transfer events per year with audiences ranging from very small up to a few hundred,” added Kelly Turkington, also of AAFC Lacombe. “This online resource is available to all audiences at all times.”

The Canola Research Hub also provides the platform for collaboration between growers, consultants, agronomists and the scientific community said Turkington.

The canola council has set a target of achieving 52 bushels per acre and production of 26 million tonnes by 2025.

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‘Pyramid’ approach to bug control may be too optimistic Selection for resistance to one Bt toxin often causes cross-resistance to another Staff

U

niversity of Arizona scientists say developers of transgenic insectresistant crops may be a bit too optimistic about their success.

Since 1996, more than a cumulative total of a billion acres worldwide have been planted with crops incorporating the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxin to control rootworm and other pests.

Writing in the journal Nature Biotechnology, the scientists say crop developers have recognized the potential for the pests to become resistant to Bt and used a “pyramid” approach of producing two or more different Bt toxins. If the insect becomes resistant to one toxin, one of the others will still kill it. They compare it to a “lock and key” approach — if you lose the key to your front door, you can still get in the house if you have a key to a different lock on the back door.

“So, if you can’t kill the insect one way, you can kill it another way. That’s how pyramids work. It’s like having two different keys, so the insect needs two different mutations to become resistant,” study co-author Bruce Tabashnik says in the university release.

However, he says the theory may not work as well in practice, and that selection for resistance to one toxin in a pyramid often causes cross-resistance to another.

The scientists say their findings could improve management practices for current biotech crops and promote development of new varieties that are more effective and more durable. One goal of the study is to help biotech companies decide which toxins to put in their pyramided crops based on data that already exists, rather than by a time-consuming process of trial and error.

Despite extensive planting of transgenic cotton that produces two toxins active against the cotton bollworm, use of insecticide against this voracious caterpillar pest has increased in the United States. Photo: Thierry Brévault

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The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

China to raise local grain reserves Supplies are expected to be tight over the long term Beijing / Reuters

C

hina will ask local governments to increase their grain reserves and give more responsibility to local governments in maintaining supplies as it bids to head off “long-term” food security problems, the country’s cabinet said Jan. 22.

The State Council said in a notice that the governor of each province will be held responsible for increasing local grain production and

reserves and maintaining stable regional prices.

According to the notice, grain supplies in the world’s most populous nation are expected to remain “tight in the long term” due to water and land constraints, and it faces growing food security challenges.

“Local governments and departments should fully realize the extreme importance and complexity of ensuring grain security,” said the notice, which was posted

on China’s official government website.

Big cities should hold enough grains and edible oil reserves to cover half a month of consumption, it said.

Besides production and management of reserves, local authorities should also take responsibility for food safety and introduce measures to reduce the use of fertilizer and pesticides and treat heavy-metal-polluted farmland, it said.

A farmer piles wheat up after a harvest in Shandong province in 2013. Local governments have been asked to ensure security of supply. Photo: REUTERS/China Daily

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Ontario student develops bioherbicide Garlic mustard properties prevent seeds from germinating; they might treat malaria too

By Lilian Schaer AgInnovation Ontario

W

hen Jessie MacAlpine was in Grade 10, she learned that garlic mustard is considered a problem weed in Canada because it produces a chemical that keeps seeds from germinating.

Intrigued by the possibilities, she spent the next two years researching and developing a herbicide based on an aqueous extract of that invasive species — and won the gold medal at the Canada-wide science fair two years in a row for her efforts.

“The bioherbicide is broad spectrum, extremely effective but non-toxic, and inexpensive to produce,” said MacAlpine, who is originally from Woodstock and is now in her second year of microbiology and computer science studies at the University of Toronto.

Because it inhibits germination of all seeds, not just weeds, it could be ideally suited for farmers who transplant seedlings propagated in greenhouses or who are in the turf business, for example.

The product has been effective on everything she’s tested it on, including during small-scale field trials using corn and soybeans.

It’s something that needs further research, though, and she’s hoping to find a commercial partner to help her with that.

A project in Grade 11 that involved sending mosquito nets overseas to help combat malaria made her wonder if her bioherbicide research couldn’t have human health applications too — as a treatment against a disease that killed 627,000 people worldwide in 2012, according to World Health Organization statistics.

She found a possible solution in mustard oil, which contains the most highly concentrated form of the natural chemical she found in the garlic mustard, and is produced and used as cooking oil in many malaria-endemic countries.

Student inventor Jessie MacAlpine.

Heat disrupts the oil’s chemical composition, which makes it less effective at treating malaria when it’s been cooked, but ingesting the raw oil could treat the disease, she says.

“The raw form is where the anti-malaria properties are, and why we haven’t seen this in the past. Because they use the oil to cook, they’re not seeing that effect,” she explains.

The oil could be taken in liquid or pill form, and early research results are showing that a dose of 10 mg per person might be a sufficient treatment.

Canadian farmers shouldn’t rush out to plant a lot of mustard acreage just yet, though.

Mustard oil is cheap to produce in countries like China, India and Brazil, so $30 could buy about 10 million doses and producing it locally where it is needed to combat malaria would be more cost effective than producing it in higher-cost countries like Canada and then exporting it, MacAlpine says.

So far, her malaria research is still very preliminary, but it has garnered her some prestigious awards, including the International Co-operation Prize at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists, Best in Category at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, and Canada’s Top 20 under 20 in 2014.

Locust eradication efforts in Madagascar face cash crunch The pests have caused massive crop losses since they invaded in 2012

By Chris Arsenault Thomson Reuters Foundation / Rome

M

adagascar could lose its fight against a plague of locusts, potentially causing hunger for 13 million people, unless international agencies can find an extra $10.6 million for eradication efforts, a United Nations agency said Jan. 21.

The money is needed to complete a monitoring and spraying program targeting the pests on the island in order to prevent a future hunger crisis, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said.

A locust plague started spreading across Madagascar in 2012, prompting the FAO to initiate its program, which involved surveying more than 30 million hectares, an area almost the size of Japan, and spraying which has kept the insects at bay in much of the country.

Locusts remain active in some regions, however, and could reemerge if the spraying and monitoring efforts stop.

Money is needed to pay for pesticides, aerial surveillance and salaries for local workers on the front lines of the fight, said FAO team leader on locusts Annie Monard.

Even a brief interruption in the program because of a funding shortfall could erase the progress that has been made, she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

“I don’t know where the money will come from.” The United Nations has appealed to member states, large foundations and other financial institutions to no avail, she said.

As much as 40 per cent of crops in southern Madagascar, including staples like maize and cassava, are at risk from the locust crises in combination with the droughts and cyclones to which the island nation is prone, the FAO said.

21

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

D’oh(a) round — time to talk farm trade some more We’ll drop our subsidies if you’ll drop yours, says U.S. trade representative Reuters

N

Fossil fuel reserves must remain unused to limit climate change

By Kate Kelland

ize that their instincts to completely use the fossil third of the world’s oil fuels within their countries reser ves, half of gas are wholly incompatible with reser ves and 80 per their commitments to the cent of current coal reserves 2 C goal,” said Christophe should not be used in the McGlade, who led the study coming decades if global at University College Lonwarming is to stay below an don’s Institute for Sustainable agreed 2 C target, scientists Resources.

He said policy-makers and said Jan. 14.

In a study published in the the public should be made journal Nature, researchers aware of the discrepancy said the vast majority of coal between what they are doing reserves in China, Russia and and what they are saying — the United States should stay particularly ahead of United in the ground, as well as more Nations talks on a deal to than 260,000 million barrels combat global warming due of oil reserves in the Middle in Paris in December 2015.

For the study, McGlade East, equivalent to all of Saudi and his co-researcher ProArabia’s oil reserves.

The Middle East should fessor Paul Ekins, director of also leave more than 60 per the UCL Institute, first used cent of its gas reserves in the various published studies to ground, the study found.10/28/14estimate SEC_BRANDON14_T_AFE.qxd 5:48 PMquantities, Page 1 locations “Policy-makers must real- and nature of the world’s oil, london/reuters

A

gas and coal reserves and resources.

They then used an integrated assessment model to explore which of these, as well as low-carbon energy sources such as nuclear and renewable energy sources, should be used up until 2050 to meet the world’s energy needs.

Ekins, a UCL professor of resources and environmental policy, said investors in energy companies should take note of the study’s findings, and question whether they might want to hedge their bets.

“Greater global attention to climate policy... means that fossil fuel companies are becoming increasingly risky for investors in terms of the delivery of long-term returns,” he said. “I would

expect prudent investors in energy to shift increasingly towards low-carbon energy sources.”

He said energy companies spent more than $670 billion last year searching for and developing new fossil fuel resources, which may never be extracted or used if politicians stick to their word on limiting global warming.

The scientists compared their findings with a wide variety of alternative modelling approaches from groups across the world, and said their results were consistent.

Almost 200 countries have set a 2 C global average temp e r a t u re r i s e a b ov e p re industrial times as a ceiling to limit climate change, which scientists say will bring more droughts, floods, heat waves and rising sea levels.

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ew world trade talks had to level the playing field between developed and developing economies on farm support and avoid being held hostage by countries unwilling to open markets, U.S. Trade Repres e n t a t i ve Mi chael Froman said in an opinion piece published Jan. 22.

As a group of World Trade Organization members prepared to meet in the Swiss resort of Davos to discuss the 2015 agenda, Froman called for “soul-searching” about the next steps for the 20-year-old institution, which late last year clinched the first global deal in its history.

In an opinion piece to be published on Reuters, Froman said success in cutting customs red tape, which was hard won after strong opposition from India, could be a “brief blip” unless countries could start afresh on the broader Doha round agenda, which seeks to lower trade barriers and set common rules in a range of areas.

Officials had to consider the “tectonic shifts” in the global economy as emerging markets gained economic muscle, while avoiding double standards in giving emerging markets easier treatment on agricultural subsidies, and ask whether a small group of trade laggards should dictate the agenda, he said.

“Put simply, many of the Doha round’s primary goals w i l l re m a i n i n c o n c e i va b l e as long as a subgroup of countries are dogmatically opposed to the whole concept of liberalization,” he said.

The Doha Development Ro u n d , l a u n c h e d i n 2 0 0 1 , was originally meant to help developing economies and was strongly supported by India, Brazil and China. A deal to cut tariffs on information technology products has been held up because of opposition

by China and South Korea.

Doha negotiations have effectively been on hold since 2008, giving way to smaller, piecemeal deals and discussions of “plurilateral” agreements forging coalitions of the willing rather than those that include all WTO members.

Fro m a n s a i d t h e Un i t e d States was prepared to pick up the thorny issue of support for domestic agricultural production and exports, but only if emerging markets did the same.

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The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

U.S. to debate fast-track trade bill

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he head of the U.S. Senate committee responsible for trade said on Jan. 22 he wanted to introduce a bill by the end of January that grants the White House authority to fast track trade deals.

Senate Finance Committee chairman Orrin Hatch said talks with Democrats on the final form of the bill, seen as key to sealing major trade deals, had come a long way.

“We want to do it before the end of this month if we can get everything put together,” he told reporters. He said the aim was to move the bill out of the committee stage by the end of February, which could suggest a vote in March.

Fast track limits Congress to a yes or no vote on trade deals in exchange for setting negotiating objectives, although U . S . Tra d e Re p re s e n t a t i ve Michael Froman said on Wednesday any deal would still take several months to pass through Congress.

Critics of fast track, who include conservative Republicans and many of President Barack Obama’s own Democrats, say the legislation does not allow lawmakers to properly scrutinize trade deals which could hurt jobs and wages.

Ukraine traders to curb wheat sales Wheat exports should not exceed 12.8 million tonnes kiev / reuters

U

kraine’s Agriculture Ministry and traders have reached a preliminar y agreement to limit milling wheat exports to 1.2 million tonnes in the period from January to June, traders said Jan. 22.

They said the memorandum, which was likely to be signed in coming days, states that exports of milling wheat should not exceed 900,000 tonnes in the first quarter of this year and 300,000 tonnes in the second quarter.

Traders said according to the deal, Ukraine-origin overall wheat exports should not exceed 12.8 million tonnes this season, which r uns from July to June.

23

The 1 Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

The Manitoba Co-Operator | October 6, 2011

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– Brahman – Brangus – Braunvieh – BueLingo – Charolais – Dairy – Dexter – Excellerator – Galloway – Gelbvieh – Guernsey – Hereford – Highland – Holstein – Jersey – Limousin – Lowline – Luing – Maine-Anjou – Miniature – Murray Grey – Piedmontese – Pinzgauer – Red Poll – Salers – Santa Gertrudis – Shaver Beefblend – Shorthorn – Simmental – South Devon – Speckle Park – Tarentaise – Texas Longhorn – Wagyu – Welsh Black – Cattle Composite – Cattle Various – Cattle Wanted Horses – Horse Auctions – American Saddlebred – Appaloosa – Arabian – Belgian – Canadian – Clydesdale – Draft – Donkeys – Haflinger – Miniature – Morgan – Mules – Norwegian Ford – Paint – Palomino – Percheron

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Outfitters Personal Pest Control Pets & Supplies Photography Propane Pumps Radio, TV & Satellite ReAL eSTATe – Commercial Buildings – Condos – Cottages & Lots – Houses & Lots – Land For Rent – Land For Sale – Mobile Homes – Motels & Hotels – Resorts – Vacation Property – farms & Ranches – Acreages/Hobby Farms – Manitoba – Saskatchewan – Alberta – British Columbia – Pastureland – Farms/Ranches Wanted ReCReATiOnAL VehiCLeS – All Terrain Vehicles – Boats & Water – Campers & Trailers – Golf Carts – Motor Homes – Motorcycles – Snowmobiles Recycling Refrigeration Restaurant Supplies Sausage Equipment Sawmills Scales CeRTiFieD SeeD – Cereal Seeds – Forage Seeds – Oilseeds – Pulse Crops – Specialty Crops COMMOn SeeD – Cereal Seeds – Forage Seeds – Grass Seeds – Oilseeds – Pulse Crops – Common Seed Various

SeeD/FeeD/GRAin – Feed Grain – Hay & Straw – Feed Wanted – Grain Wanted – Hay & Feed Wanted – Seed Wanted Sewing Machines Sharpening Services Silos Sporting Goods Stamps & Coins Swap Tanks Tarpaulins Tenders Tickets Tires Tools TRAiLeRS – Grain Trailers – Livestock Trailers – Trailers Miscellaneous Travel Water Pumps Water Treatment Welding Well Drilling Well & Cistern Winches CAReeRS – Career Training – Child Care – Construction – Domestic Services – Farm/Ranch – Forestry/Log – Health Care – Help Wanted – Management – Mining – Oil Field – Professional – Resume Services – Sales/Marketing – Trades/Tech – Truck Drivers – Employment Wanted

✁

Classified Ad Order Form MAiL TO: Manitoba Co-operator, Box 9800, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 3K7

FAX TO:

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Expiry Date: Signature: _______________________________________________ Published by Farm Business Communications, 1666 Dublin Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3H 0H1 WINNIPEG OFFICE Manitoba Co-operator 1666 Dublin Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3H 0H1 Toll-Free in Canada 1-800-782-0794 Phone 204-954-1415 in Winnipeg FAX 204-954-1422 Mailing Address: Box 9800, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 3K7

AGREEMENT The publisher reserves the right to refuse any or all advertising for any reason stated or unstated.

Advertisers requesting publication of either display or classified advertisements agree that should the advertisement be omitted from the issue ordered for whatever reason, the Manitoba Co-operator shall not be held liable. It is also agreed that in the event of an error appearing in the published advertisement, the Manitoba Co-operator accepts no liability beyond the amount paid for that portion of the advertisement in which the error appears or affects. Claims for adjustment are limited to errors appearing in the first insertion only.

While every endeavor will be made to forward box number replies as soon as possible, we accept no liability in respect to loss or damage alleged to a rise through either failure or delay in forwarding such replies, however caused, whether by negligence or otherwise.

(unless otherwise stated)

ADVERTISIng RATES & InfoRMATIon REgulAR ClASSIfIED

plEASE pRInT youR AD BEloW:

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noon on THuRSDAyS

Or (204) 954-1415 in Winnipeg

plEASE noTE: Even if you do not want your name & address to appear in your ad, we need the information for our files.

No. of words

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CAUTION The Manitoba Co-operator, while assuming no responsibility for advertisements appearing in its columns, exercises the greatest care in an endeavor to restrict advertising to wholly reliable firms or individuals.

However, please do not send money to a Manitoba Co-operator box number. Buyers are advised to request shipment C.O.D. when ordering from an unknown advertiser, thus minimizing the chance of fraud and eliminating the necessity of a refund where the goods have already been sold.

At Farm Business Communications we have a firm commitment to protecting your privacy and security as our customer. Farm Business Communications will only collect personal information if it is required for the proper functioning of our business. As part of our commitment to enhance customer service, we may share this personal information with other strategic business partners. For more information regarding our Customer Informa-

TOTAL: ______________________ tion Privacy Policy, write to: Information Protection Officer, Farm Business Communications, 1666 Dublin Ave., Winnipeg, MB R3H 0H1.

Occasionally we make our list of subscribers available to other reputable firms whose products and services might be of interest to you. If you would prefer not to receive such offers, please contact us at the address in the preceding paragraph, or call 1-800-782-0794.

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

• Minimum charge — $11.25 per week for first 25 words or less and an additional 45 cents per word for every word over 25. Additional bolding 75 cents per word. GST is extra.

• 10% discount for prepaid ads. If phoning in your ad you must pay with VISA or MasterCard to qualify for discount.

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DISplAy ClASSIfIED • Advertising copy deviating in any way from the regular classified style will be considered display and charged at the display rate of $32.20 per column inch ($2.30 per agate line).

• Minimum charge $32.20 per week + $5.00 for online per week.

• Illustrations and logos are allowed with full border.

• Spot color: 25% of ad cost, with a minimum charge of $15.00.

• Advertising rates are flat with no discount for frequency of insertion or volume of space used.

• Telephone orders accepted • Price quoted does not include GST. All classified ads are non-commissionable.

24

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 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

AUCTION SALES Auctions Various

BUILDING & RENOVATIONS Doors & Windows

BUILDING & RENOVATIONS Doors & Windows

NICKEL AUCTIONS LTD

The Auction Sale for Schimmel’s Olde Style Bakery in Minnedosa, MB has been CANCELED

Birch River

AUTO & TRANSPORT

Swan River Minitonas Durban

AUTO & TRANSPORT Trucks

Winnipegosis

Roblin

Dauphin

Grandview

Ashern

Gilbert Plains

Fisher Branch

Ste. Rose du Lac Russell

Parkland

Birtle

Shoal Lake

Reston Melita

1

Langruth

Neepawa

Gladstone

Carberry

Brandon

Treherne

Westman Boissevain

Stonewall Selkirk

Portage

Killarney

Elm Creek

Sanford

Ste. Anne

Carman

Mariapolis

Pilot Mound Crystal City

Lac du Bonnet

St. Pierre

242

Morris Winkler Morden

Altona

06 GMC DURAMAX DSL 4x4, extended cab, runs very nice, 310,000-km, good rubber, $9,000 w/new safety. (204)871-0925

• 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.

Beausejour

Winnipeg

Austin

Souris

Waskada

Interlake

Erickson Minnedosa

Rapid City Virden

Arborg

Lundar Gimli

Hamiota

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

Riverton Eriksdale

McCreary

Steinbach

1

Red River

ANNOUNCEMENTS

BASF Knowledge Harvest Join growers from your area to hear from industry experts and watch live plant demos.

Hear a presentation on leadership from former NHL All-Star, Lanny McDonald.

Register at www.agsolutions.ca/knowledgeharvest Feb 12th, Brandon-Feb 17th, CalgaryFeb 19th, Edmonton-Feb 24th, SaskatoonFeb 26th, Moose Jaw

AUCTION SALES AUCTION SALES Manitoba Auctions – Interlake

95 F800 CAB & Chassis, 5.9 Cummins DSL, $5,500. F800 tandem water truck w/hoist, 3208 CAT engine, $6,500. (204)871-2708.

BUILDING & RENOVATIONS BUILDING & RENOVATIONS Roofing

PRICE TO CLEAR!!

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

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

2

Multi-coloured millends.........49¢/ft.2 Ask about our blowout colours...65¢/ft.

2

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

FOUILLARD STEEL SUPPLIES LTD. ST. LAZARE, MB. 1-800-510-3303

McSherry Auction Service Ltd

BUILDINGS

AUCTION SALE Estate & Moving

Sat., Jan 31 @ 10:00 am Stonewall, MB - #12 Patterson Drive

08 Dodge 3500 dsl 4x4 Crew Cab, 111,000 km, Sft * New Bldg Supplies * Windows * Tire Machine * Gas Power Air Comp * Along w/ Tools * Yard * Antiques * Household * Go to the Website for Listing & Pictures!!

(204) 467-1858 or (204) 886-7027

www.mcsherryauction.com

AFAB INDUSTRIES IS YOUR SUPERIOR post frame building company. For estimates and information call 1-888-816-AFAB(2322). Website: www. postframebuilding.com

CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT 06 D6R CAT LGP 6 way dozer, double tilt, A/C cab & heat, 1-bbl MS ripper, system 1 U-C, top con GPS system, $97,500. (204)871-0925 1998 JD 270 LC hyd excavator, quick attach, hyd thumb, 12-ft. stick, A/C, $40,000. Phone: (204)871-0925, MacGregor.

Call our toll-free number to take advantage of our Prepayment Bonus. Prepay for 3 weeks and we’ll run your ad 2 more weeks for free. That’s 5 weeks for the price of 3. Call 1-800-782-0794 today!

AUCTION SALES U.S. Auctions

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

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

TIMED ONLINE

1991 LOREAL FLOATER: 466 dsl engine, Trimble auto-steer w/mapping. Shedded all winter. 60-ft booms, Allison auto. trans. Motor & trans. in excellent shape.

Phone:(204)466-2822 or (204)856-9176 If you want to sell it fast, call 1-800-782-0794.

LOCATION: 19026 391st Ave, Hitchcock, SD

Reduction

CONCRETE FLATWORK: Specializing in place & finish of concrete floors. Can accommodate any floor design.

References available. Alexander, MB. 204-752-2069.

BUSINESS SERVICES BUSINESS SERVICES Crop Consulting

OPENS: Tuesday, Feb. 3 / CLOSES: Tuesday, Feb. 10

FARM CHEMICAL SEED COMPLAINTS

AUCTION SALES Manitoba Auctions – Red River

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

AUCTION

BANK REPO FARM & CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT SATURDAY FEBRUARY 14th 10:00 AM Location: 218 Brandt St. Steinbach, MB

NEW SKID STEER ATTACHMENTS

• Stout Brush Grapple 66-9 w/ skid Steer quick attach • Stout Brush Grapple HD72-4 close tine w/ skid steer quick attach • Stout Brush Grapple XHD84-6 w/ skid steer quick attach • Stout Rock Bucket Grapple HD72-3 w/ skid steer quick attach • Stout 96” Snow Bucket w/ skid steer quick attach • Stout Receiver Hitch Plate • Stout Regular Weld-On Skid Steer Plate • Stout Solid Weld-On Skid Steer Plate • Stout Walk-Thru Pallet Forks 48in w/ skid steer quick attach • Stout Full Back Pallet Forks 48in w/ skid steer quick attach • New 12-16.5/F Forerunner SKS-1 SKid Steer Tire 12 ply w/ rim guard, super traction, high stability • 2-84in Hydraulic Skid Steer Snow Plow Dozers

VEHICLES & ATV

• 2007 Dodge Ram 2500 Laramie SLT Quad Cab, 4x4, 285K • 2001 Ford F250 Super Cab, 4x4 Powerstroke Diesel, 228K • 2006 Chevrolet Uplander, Safety Certified, 179K • 2002 Buick La Sabre, 179K, 3800 Engine, Safetied • 2011 Honda Foreman TRX500 4X4 ATV • 2003 Chevrolet G3500 14ft Cube Van, Gas, Safety Certified, 454K

FARM EQUIPMENT & TRAILERS

• 2008 Highline Bale Pro 8000 w/ EZ Feed & Twine Cutter • 2010 Load Trail 18ft Car Hauler, Tandem Axle Trailer w/ 3000lb axles • 2008 Load Max 18ft Tandem Axle Bumper Hitch Trailer w/ 5200lb axles • 16ft Tandem Axle Bumper Hitch Trailer

CONSTRUCTION SUPPLIES & INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT

• King Power Portable Light Tower w/ 14ft Mast Powered by Diesel Generator New • Tyre Changer Machine 110V New • New 110V Wheel Balancer Machine • K-Line 15 HP 40 Gal Gas Powered 3 Stage Horizontal Air Compressor New • New 20 gal Vertical Air Compressor w/ wheel Kit • Industrial Air Hose Reel w/ 50ft 1200 PSI Soft Rubber Air Hose • 300 PSI 50ft 3/8” Rubber Air Hose • Battery Chargers/Boosters w/ 300 amp Engine Start • New Chain Saws • 2 New 10ft Heavy Duty 20 Drawer Work Benches w/ Stainless Steel Drawers & 4” Rise • 3 Ton Hydraulic Floor Jacks • 2 Ton Hydraulic Floor Jacks • 3”X30ft 27,000lb Tow Straps • 12 Ton 20ft Round Tow Sling • 10 Ton Hydraulic Ram Body Frame Repair Kits • 14” Cutting Wheels • 10” Carbide Saw Blades • 10” Concrete/Stone Cutting Blades • 4 1/2” Angle Grinder Blades • Battery Load Testers • New Submersible Sewage & Water Pumps • 100ft Snow Fence & Construction Barrier • Cement Forms • Misc Lumber • Pallet Lots Of Tools & Misc Goods Sold by the Pallet

BUILDINGS & POP UP TENTS • 30ftX85ftX15ft High Ceiling Storage Building w/ 12ftX12ft Drive Thru Door & 6ft Side Door at 2 ends • 30ftX40ftX15ft High Ceiling Storage Building w/ 12ftX12ft Drive Thru Door & 6ft Side Door at 2 ends • 10ftX20ft Commercial Instant Pop Up Tents

Full Listing At www.pennerauctions.com

PENNER AUCTION SALES LTD. 218 Brandt Street Steinbach, MB Ph: 204.326.3061 Fax: 204.326.3061 Toll Free: 1-866-512-8992 www.pennerauctions.com

Sale Conducted by: PENNER AUCTION SALES LTD.

Complete terms, lot listings & photos at SteffesGroup.com

PREVIEW & LOADOUT: By appointment

TRACTORS 2013 JD 9510R, 4WD, premium pkg., leather trim, 18 spd. powershift, 5 hyd., high flow pump, 1000 PTO, 7” color touch display, command arm, right & left hand elec. adj. mirrors, HID lights, front axle supports, wide rear fenders, 800/70R38 Michelin duals, 330 hrs. (tractor and dozer blade sell separately as listed) JD 7520, 4WD, CAH, 16 spd. syncro, 3 hyd., 1000 PTO, 23.1-30 duals, motor & transmission problems, S/N2975R DOZER BLADE FOR TRACTOR 2013 Grouser Ag Pro 18 dozer blade, hyd., 18’, 6-way, silage ext., JD mounts, S/N62S181135P (Note: If dozer blade and tractor sell to separate buyers the owner will remove the dozer blade at his expense)

hookup, S/N1H00635FLA0737899 J&M HT874 tandem axle header trailer, front dolly wheels, automotive steer Maurer tandem axle header trailer, front dolly wheels

35 ton, 10’ top deck, 30’ well, 13’ rear deck, aluminum outriggers, aluminum outside & steel inside rims, bought new, used very little

PICKUPS 2011 Dodge Ram 2500HD, crew cab, short box, Cummins turbo diesel, GRAVITY WAGONS automatic, 4WD, power Parker 4800 gravity wagon, hopper ext., Demco windows, locks, & seats, sunroof, LT285/70R17 4-wheel running gear tires, shows 119,406 miles Nu-Bilt gravity wagon, 1991 Dodge Ram 350 van, automotive steer gas, automatic, shows OFF ROAD 116,208 miles DUMP TRUCK 1985 Chevrolet Custom JD 300C tandem axle offDeluxe 30, 3x3 crew cab, road dump truck, ROPS, 454 gas, 4WD, steel flatbed, 6x6, 6 spd. powershift, rear hitch, rear duals, articulated, Bell electronic S/N1GCHK33M2FS170659 distribution system, PLANTER 23.5R25 tires, 9,145 hrs.

JD 1700 MaxEmerge FUEL TRUCK Plus rigid frame planter, 1980 GMC Sierra Grande 8x30”, vacumeter, 3 bu. fuel truck, 8.2 liter diesel, boxes, guidance wheels, 5&2 spd., hyd. brakes, rubber closing wheels, (3) 500 gal. & (1) 300 gal.

4” gauge wheels, markers, compartments, 12 gpm always shedded, pump, 10:00R20 dual tires S/NH01700R675771

FORAGE, HAY, & LIVESTOCK EQUIP. Richardton 700 dump wagon, 4-wheel, automotive steer, top ext., 11:00-20 tires, S/N1577 2007 Haybuster B1100 tub grinder, tilt tub, 1000 PTO, nice condition, S/NGJ13573 Brandt VSF bale processor, 1000 PTO, rear load, nice condition, S/N60038 Bearcat 950 grinder mixer, No PTO shaft Kuhn Knight 2054 Pro Bush tandem axle manure spreader, vertical rotors, hyd. gate, 540 PTO, 21.5-16.1 tires, S/NC0042

GRAIN HANDLING EQUIPMENT Westfield MK130-91 auger, 91’x13”, hyd. swing hopper, hyd. drive, 540 PTO, S/N44367 Westfield MK130-91 Plus auger, hyd. ground drive, hyd. lift, 540 PTO, S/N175538 FLEX HEADS & TRAILERS TILLAGE EQUIPMENT Batco PS2500 Pit Stop HEADER TRAILERS 2012 Wilson PSGNSummers rolling chopper, conveyor, hyd., S/N19620 2010 JD 635F flex head, 5724T tandem axle REM 3700 grain vac, 51’, 5-fold, rock flex, hyd. fore/aft, pickup reel, aluminum gooseneck vacuum tubes, 540 PTO, walking tandems, wing poly dividers, single pt. livestock trailer, 24’x7’, 439 hrs. gauge wheels, Summers hookup, nice condition, ST235/85R16 tires 3-bar harrow, S/NJ0103 S/N1H00635FLA0737900 SCRAPER & MOWER 2001 Merritt tri-axle Case-IH ripper, 7 shank, 2010 JD 635F flex head, Caterpillar 80 pull-type aluminum livestock auto reset, dual gauge hyd. fore/aft, pickup reel, scraper, 8 yd., all hyd. trailer, 52’x102”, spring wheels, 1 shank missing poly dividers, single pt. conversion, 23.5-25 tires, ride, 11R24.5 tires, Trailer part of the auto reset S/N5W700 Model: 53X192X116X14 components, Plainsman Land Pride XCX18X019XC0SDS S/NJAG0362063 2013 Jet hyd. detachable ROW CROP CULTIVATOR RCRF3515 batwing mower, 15’, No PTO shaft, tri-axle trailer, 53’x102”, Hiniker 6000 row crop S/N502796 cultivator, 12x30”, spring shanks, rigid frame, 3 pt.

Danny Peterson 605.350.4717

PETERSON

FARMS

Or Chris Bair of Steffes, 605.271.7730 IQBID is a division of Steffes Group, Inc. 2000 Main Avenue East, West Fargo, ND 58078 Scott Steffes ND81

701.237.9173 | SteffesGroup.com

25

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

FARM MACHINERY Grain Bins

FARM MACHINERY Parts & Accessories

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Miscellaneous

CUSTOM BIN MOVING Book now! Fert Tanks.

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

NEW & USED TRACTOR PARTS NEW COMBINE PARTS

FARM MACHINERY Grain Vacuums

Large Inventory of new and remanufactured parts

TRACTORS Case/IH

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

FARM MACHINERY Parts & Accessories

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

Tractors Combines Swathers 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.

FYFE PARTS

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

1-800-782-0794.

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.

STEINBACH, MB. Ph. 326-2443 Toll-Free 1-800-881-7727 Fax (204) 326-5878 Web site: farmparts.ca E-mail: roy@farmparts.ca FARM MACHINERY Machinery Miscellaneous 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.

42-FT 960 JD FIELD cultivator, w/brand new shovels & good mulchers, $8000; 40-ft Blanchard packer bar, $4000; 30-ft JD 9350 press drill w/factory transport, always shedded, $7500; 7x41 Westfield auger w/13-hp Honda engine w/electric start, $1800; 10x60 Westfield swing auger, $3000. All equipment well maintained & in VGC. (204)825-2799 or (204)825-8340.

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.

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

WATROUS SALVAGE

AUCTION SALES U.S. Auctions

Will Haul/Tow any items Capability –30,000 lbs Call for details 1-204-483-2113 or 1-204-724-0274 Terdel25@hotmail.com FARM MACHINERY Machinery Wanted SMALL GARDENER LOOKING FOR a corn planter. Call (204)268-2392 ask for Gordon.

Combines

AUCTION SALES U.S. Auctions

Hwy #205, Grunthal • (204) 434-6519 AGENT FOR T.E.A.M. MARKETING

FOR SALE: JD 1840- Hi/Low Shift, 3PT; JD 2130- Hi/ Low Shift, 3PT, w/FEL; JD 2750- 2WD, O.S., 3PT, Hi/ Low Shift, w/146 FEL; JD 2750- MFWD, CAH, 3PT, w/24 FEL; JD 2955- MFWD, 3PT, CAH, w/265 FEL; JD 4020- PS, 3PT; JD 4055- MFWD, PS, 3PT; JD 4240Quad Shift; JD 4440- (2) Quad Shifts; JD 4450- MFWD, 3PT, PS; JD 4640- Quad, add on 3PT, w/FEL; JD 6400MFWD, CAH, 3PT, PQ, w/640 FEL; JD 6420- MFWD, 3PT, 24-SPD w/LHR, loader; JD 7710- MFWD, PS, 3PT, w/740 FEL; JD 7810- MFWD, PS, 3PT, fact duals; JD 8650- 4WD, PTO, quad. All tractors can be sold with new or used loaders. Mitch’s Tractor Sales Ltd. St. Claude, MB. Cell:(204)750-2459. www.mitchstractorsales.com

TRACTORS Massey Ferguson 1994 3660 MF, front wheel assist, 140-hwp, loader & grapple, good rubber. Asking $23,000 OBO. Also, triple axle 48-ft flat deck trailer, $5,000. Phone: (204)325-5264.

USED MF 255 TRACTOR w/4cyl Perkins dsl motor, dual hydraulic couplers, 3PTH, 6.5x16 front tires, 16.9x30 rear tires. New: starter, battery, seat cushions, brake job & PTO clutch. Only 1,295-hrs. $11,900 OBO. Phone Evenings:(204)683-2479.

TRACTORS Versatile 875 VERS W/ATOM JET kit; 895 Vers w/Atom Jet kit. (204)325-2416.

2008 CIH 8010 4WD combine.(it will drive as far as a track machine in mud), 30-ft flex draper, very low hrs 800-hrs, $200,000 OBO. (204)871-0925

COCKSHUTT 1850 W/DUALS 2 hyds, good tires, $2,500.

1200 Case 4WD, good tires, $6,000. (204)871-2708.

Big Tractor Parts, Inc. Geared For The Future

STEIGER TRACTOR SPECIALIST

Farming is enough of a gamble, advertise in the Manitoba Co-operator classified section. It’s a sure thing.

1-800-782-0794.

15363 Cty Rd. 15, Minto, ND 58261

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 TRACTORS 2-Wheel Drive

FARM INVENTORY REDUCTION

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.

HEAT & AIR CONDITIONING

The Icynene Insulation System®

OPENS: Monday, February 2 / CLOSES: Tuesday, February 10 | 1PM

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

TRACTORS

2013 JD 8310R, MFWD, deluxe cab, IVT, ILS, implement power management, 6 hyd., 60 gpm pump, 3 pt., quick hitch, 1000 PTO, integrated auto steer, 7” touch display, JDLink, radar, Cat 4 heavy duty drawbar, HID lights, cold weather pkg., premium radio, (12) front weights, 1,400 lb. rear weight, front fenders, 380/80R38 front duals, full coverage rear fenders, 380/90R54 rear press steel duals, 1,465 hrs., basic warranty until Feb. 22, 2015 or 2,000 hrs., ext. power train warranty until Feb. 21, 2017 or 3,000 hrs., emissions warranty until Feb. 22, 2018 or 3,000 hrs., S/NRW8310RADD069442 2013 JD 8285R, MFWD, deluxe cab, leather trim, ILS, IVT, 5 hyd., 60 gpm pump, 3 pt., quick hitch, 1000 PTO, integrated auto steer, 7” touch display, JDLink, radar, Cat 4 drawbar, HID lights, cold weather pkg., premium radio, (8) front weights, front fenders, 380/80R38 front duals, full coverage rear fenders,

380/90R54 rear press steel duals, 746 hrs., ext. powertrain warranty until Feb. 5th, 2017 or 3,000 hrs., emissions warranty until Feb. 6, 2018 or 3,000 hrs., S/N1RW8285RPDD069020

PLANTERS

2013 JD DB88, eSet, CCS, 48x22”, ProShaft variable rate drive, RowCommand, active pneumatic down force, screw adj. row cleaners, 5-section, corn plates eSet, 1,000 gal.

GPS EQUIPMENT liquid fertilizer cap., JD rate JD Starfire 3000 SF1 globe, controller w/hyd. fertilizer 2,287.2 hrs., pump, Hypro Totally Tubular S/NPCGT3TA344156 liquid system, Precision JD Starfire 3000 SF1 globe, bullseye seed tubes, 216.3 3,087.9 hrs., hrs., 5,214.9 acres, S/NPCGT3TA345368 S/NA0DB88XTCG750107 JD GreenStar 3 2630 SF2 2013 JD DB88, CCS, 48x22”, swath control, I guide, 1,674.2 ProShaft variable rate drive, hrs., S/NPCGU2UA345129 RowCommand, active JD GreenStar 3 2630 SF2 pneumatic down force, swath control, I guide, 2,009.6 5-section, soybean plates, hrs., S/NPCGU2UA341473 JD XP units, 1,000 gal. liquid fertilizer cap., JD rate controller CHOPPING CORN HEAD with hyd. fertilizer pump, Hypro & HEADER TRAILER Totally Tubular liquid system, 2013 JD 618C chopping Precision bullseye seed tubes, corn head, 18x22”, opposed 171.8 hrs., 3,472.6 acres, knife rolls, hyd. deck plates, S/NA0DB88XTCG750110 stubble lights, outer gathering TILLAGE EQUIPMENT ext., 70 Series hookup, 2013 JD 2410 chisel plow, S/N1H00618CJDC755266 39’, single pt. depth, 28” Shop-built header trailer, TruPosition shanks, 550 lbs. fits 30’ & 35’ heads trip force, 12” spacing, full

JAY & LEE GUDAJTES FAMILY FARM

floating hitch w/caster wheels, tandems across, JD 240HD coil-tine harrow, DOES NOT sell with wave coulters, will sell separately, will have 4” New beavertail points, S/N1N02410XKD0750203 IHC 800 auto reset plow, 12x18”, on land 2007 McFarlane HDL 1060-16 harrow, 60’, 16-bar, rear fold, S/N10466 Farm King spike tooth harrow, 70’, hyd. fold

SEED TENDERS ON TRAILERS

1984 Southwest tandem axle flatbed, 30’, with 2008 Convey-All BTS 405 with scale, roll tarp, 18’ tube, 405 units (338 bu.), twin 50/50 compartments, control on spout w/switch, 2,000 gal. fertilizer tank, 2” pump, 30 gal. mix cone, 11:00-20 tires 1984 Southwest tandem axle flatbed, 30’, with 2008 Convey-All BTS 405 with scale, roll tarp, 18’ tube, 405 units (338 bu.), twin 50/50 compartments, control on SUGARBEET EQUIPMENT 2012 Artsway 6812 harvester, spout w/switch, 2,000 gal. fertilizer tank, 2” pump, 30 12x22”, fully equipped, all updates installed, field ready, gal. mix cone, 11:00-20 tires S/NAWH262A003169 TIRES & PARTS Keller mechanical beet (2) sets of 380/90R54, with thinner, 70’ extensions (39) 8-wave coulter TRAILER attachments for chisel plow 2012 Trinity Eagle Bridge (4) lots (24) JD sorghum/beet live bottom trailer, plates, used, part #A43066 36’x96”x72” sides, 48” belt, (4) lots (24) JD soybean stainless, spring ride, fully plates, New, part #A42586 poly-lined, hyd. endgate with (4) lots (24) JD edible bean vertical sliding grain door, plates (small), used, part roll tarp, 455/55R22.5 Super #A52903 Single tires (2) lots (24) JD Pro Max plates, New, part #A52391

Lee Gudajtes, 701.520.1703 | or Dave Krostue of Steffes, 218.779.6865

IQBID is a division of Steffes Group, Inc., 2000 Main Avenue East, West Fargo, ND 58078 Scott Steffes ND81 701.237.9173 | SteffesGroup.com

Complete terms, lot listings & photos at SteffesGroup.com

GRUNTHAL, MB.

REGULAR CATTLE SALES

every TUESDAY at 9 am February 3rd, 10th, 17th & 24th

Monday, February 23rd at Noon

Sheep and Goat with Small Animals & Holstein Calves

Saturday, February 28th at 10 am Bred Cow Sale

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

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

WWW.GRUNTHALLIVESTOCK.COM

LIVESTOCK Cattle – Angus 45 RED & BLACK Angus 2-yr old bulls, suitable for heifers & cows, private treaty at the Ranch. Info sheets available. Contact Triple V Ranch. Dan: (204)522-0092 or (204)665-2448. Matthew: (204)264-0706. vvvranch.com D.B. MICHIELS RED ANGUS purebred two-year old bulls for sale. Catalogue information available by email at DBMREDANGUS@gmail.com. Contact David at (204)723-0288 or Brian at (204)723-0474.

LIVESTOCK Cattle – Black Angus 20TH ANNUAL CATTLEMANS’ CONNECTION Bull Sale, March 6th, 2015, 1:00pm. Heartland Livestock Brandon. Selling 100 Yearling Black Angus Bulls. For Catalogue or more information call Jack Hart, Brookmore Angus (204)476-6696 or email brookmoreangus@gmail.com Barb Airey manager HBH Farms (204)566-2134 email rbairey@hotmail.com Sale management Doug Henderson (403)782-3888 or (403)350-8541.

BULL SALE WED., MAR-25TH. 50 Black Angus 2-yr olds & select yearlings. Bar H Land & Cattle Co. Langenburg SK. Robin (306)743-2840, cell (306)743-7490. Sales Manager Chris (306)933-4200.

CRANBERRY CREEK ANGUS REGISTERED bulls for sale. Sired by Windy 702, Remitall Rachis, Vemilion Yellowstone, Game Day, Cranberry CRKPioneer, HF Kodiak.

Bulls are easy going withgreat dispositions. Hand fed for longevity. Semen tested,guaranteed & delivered. Will hold until the end of April.All weights & EPD’s available.

Call (204)534-2380, or cranberrycreek27@gmail.com for more info, David & Jeanette Neufeld, Boissevain OSSAWA ANGUS AT MARQUETTE, MB has for sale: yearling & 2 yr old bulls. Also 3 yr old & 6 yr old herdsire. For more info call (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.

STEWART CATTLE CO & GUESTS BULL SALE 50 Black Angus & Simm/Angus Bulls View catalogue online: www.stewartcattle.com Email for catalogue: stewartcows@wificountry.ca Phone: (204)773-6392

LIVESTOCK Cattle – Red Angus FORSYTH F BAR RANCH have for sale 20, 2 yr old & 5, 3 yr old PB Red Angus bulls. For more info & prices contact Roy Forsyth (204)448-2245

LIVESTOCK Cattle Various FOR SALE: 3 BLACK white faced cows 3rd calvers, calving Mar & Apr, are approx 1,500-1,600-lbs, good milkers. Very good natured. Bred to Char bull (A.I. son of Blue Grass). Phone(204)748-1024, Virden.

FOR SALE: APPROX 100 beef cows, Char, Black & Red, start calving Mar 20th. Phone (204)768-2567 or (204)739-3620.

AUCTIONEER’S NOTE: Jay and Lee have changed their farming operation and are no longer raising corn and reducing their sugarbeet line. The following pieces of equipment, used in support of those operations, will be sold at Absolute Auction to the highest bidder.

These items are late model, some with remaining warranty. This farm operation has an excellent care and maintenance program.

PREVIEW: Mon.-Fri., 9AM-4PM or call for weekend appt. LOADOUT: Thur., February 12, 9AM-4PM or call for appt.

GRUNTHAL LIVESTOCK AUCTION MART. LTD.

TRACTORS John Deere

TRACTORS Various

COMBINES Accessories

LIVESTOCK Cattle Auctions

08 STX 430 brand new 620-70-42 tires, delux cab, heated leather seat, just over 3,000-hrs, $150,000.

Phone (204)871-0925, McGregor.

COMBINES Case/IH

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

WaTRoUs, sK. Fax: 306-946-2444

TracTors

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

SPECIAL HOLSTEIN STEER SALE (In Conjunction With Regular Butcher & Feeder Sale) Fri., Feb. 6, 2015 @ 9:00 a.m.

SHEEP, LAMB & GOAT SALE Wed., Feb. 4, 2015 @ 1:00 p.m.

BRED COW SALE Mon., Feb. 9, 2015 @ 11:00 a.m.

Butcher & Feeder @ 9:00 a.m.

ANGUS FEEDER SALE Fri., Feb. 13, 2015 @ 9:00 a.m.

We Buy Cattle Direct On Farm “Where Buyers & Sellers Meet” To Consign or for more information call:

204-694-8328 or call Mike at 204-807-0747

www.winnipeglivestocksales.com Licence #1122

LIVESTOCK Cattle Wanted

TIRED OF THE HIGH COST OF MARKETING YOUR CALVES??

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

P. QUINTAINE & SON LTD. 728-7549 Licence No. 1123

26

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

Hold YYour our Horses!

by Adrian Powell 2

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Wendy's dog in "Peter Pan" Bancroft, for one Holly plant, technically Time wasters Bobbed up Bligh's vessel Roman caviar?

Norway's noted playwright Flight unit Ducks' habitats Extreme unease Noah's oldest son Alternative to "Eat in" 2012 film about the "Canadian Caper" Industrial haze St. Columba's isle, once Corner, in a way SOLUTION TO PUZZLE

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34 35 36 38 39 44 45 46 47 DOWN 49 1 Jumpin' Jack's last name 50 2 Major artery 51 3 Australia's largest theme park 52 4 Close up tight 53 5 Clouded up, as skies 6 Stubble remover 54 7 Lingerie shade 55 8 Sign of constant use 56 9 Actress Scales of "Fawlty Towers" 10 Former Celtics star Danny ___ 11 Exotic Indonesian isle 12 Spider-Man creator Lee 13 Winners break it 21 Spider Man creator Stan 22 Credo 27 Feminizing suffix 28 Italian noblemen 29 Cut from the payroll 30 Kuala Lumpur folk, mostly 31 Metal-bearing rocks 32 Funeral fire 33 Touch up against

A X E D

Torture chamber noise Hit the bell Angry trick or treater, perhaps "Put a lid ___!"

Everyday connections Mars has a couple Selinger's predecessor Hissy "Hey, there!"

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ACROSS 1 Pet rocks and Rubik's Cubes 5 Increased in size 9 Blue Ribbon beer brewer 14 Folk tales 15 Formula 1 event 16 Vaquero's lasso 17 Surface measurement 18 O.T. book followed

by Nehemiah 19 Get your circuit back at Indy 20 Lose power, in a way 23 Hog's fate, maybe 24 Always, to a poet 25 Pebble Beach peg 26 Purple loosestrife, e.g.

28 Writer Roald of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" 30 Janitorial item 33 Auth. unknown 35 Reserve 37 One who tells "Do-si-do!"

40 Ignorant 41 Get less intense 42 Small amount 43 Sufferings 44 Like the Nissan Cube 46 They're checked at airports 47 Part of USSR 48 Back yard bubbler 51 State of equilibrium 57 Beast you can quarter at the beginning of 20A, 37A and 61A

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If you're not the owner/operator of a farm are you: q In agri-business (bank, elevator, ag supplies etc.) q Other total farm size (including rented land)_______________ Year of birth________ q I’m farming or ranching q I own a farm or ranch but i'm not involved in it's operations or management

My Main crops are: No. of acres 1. Wheat ____________ 2. Barley ____________ 3. Oats ____________ 4. Canola ____________ 5. Flax ____________ 6. Durum ____________ 7. Rye ____________ 8. Peas ____________ 9. Chick Peas ____________ Livestock Enterpise No. of head 1. Registered Beef ____________ 2. Commercial Cow ____________ 3. Fed Cattle (sold yearly) ____________ 4. Hog Weaners (sold yearly) __________

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27

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

CERTIFIED SEED Cereal Seeds

GRANT TWEED:

SANDERS SEED FARM: Certified AAC Brandon, Carberry, Domain, Glenn wheat; celebration barley & Cangerra canola varieties. (204)242-4200. Manitou, MB.

Court Seeds

12V. or Hydraulic Electronic Scale Opt.

1 877 695 2532 www.ezefeeder.ca

MISCELLANEOUS WANTED LOOKING FOR INSTANT DEEP freezer for freezing potato chips. Phone (204)638-8415.

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.

REAL ESTATE REAL ESTATE Cottages & Lots RECREATION PROPERTY NEAR RIDING Mountain National Park! Prime hunting! 120-ac. of bush.

40-ac. cult. Log cabin. 24-ft x 24-ft metal storage shed. 30-ft x 36-ft heated shop. Camper. Power, water & sewer. Karen Goraluk, Salesperson.

(204)773-6797. NorthStar Ins. & Real Estate. www.north-star.ca MLS# 1409718

REAL ESTATE Houses & Lots READY TO MOVE HOMES- 1520-sq.ft, 3-bdrm, $85,000; 1320-sq.ft, 3-bdrm, $75,000; 1320-sq.ft, 3bdrm w/dormers & covered front porch, $85,000. All homes completely finished including cabinets, inNOTRE USED terior woodwork, DAME light fixtures, bath OIL fixtures, 200-amp service, painted. Flooring not included. & FILTER DEPOT Will also custom build your plan. Call for quote.

MARVIN HOMES (since 1976) (204)326-1493 or • Buy Used Oil Steinbach • Buy area, Batterieswww.marvin(204)355-8484 • Collect Used Filters • Collect Oil Containers homes.ca

Southern and Western Manitoba

RUSSELL: 316.92 TOTAL AC. Approx. 230 cult.

Tel:Eaton’s 204-248-2110 ac. Class B soil. home, established bed & breakfast - great revenue property. 2nd house is 3 bdrm bungalow. Various outbuildings. Treed. Landscaped. Includes equipment. Karen Goraluk, Salesperson. (204)773-6797. NorthStar Ins. & Real Estate. MLS#1417127

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

Providing professional service in all farm property matters. 50-yr in the Ag industry. Call for an obligation free consultation.

Call: (204)761-6884 grant@granttweed.com

REAL ESTATE Farms & Ranches – Manitoba 320-AC. ROBLIN: 180-AC. seeded to pasture/hay.

All fenced. 3 dugouts. 1,120-sf bungalow. 3 bdrms.

21-ft x25-ft attached garage. Quonset. Karen Goraluk, Salesperson. (204)773-6797. NorthStar Ins. & Real Estate. www.north-star.ca EXCELLENT LIVESTOCK FARM EXTENDING to 1,732 deeded acres w/4,425-ac of Crown land. All the land is fenced & the farm has very good buildings & metal corral system. The farm can carry up to 400-450 cow/calf pairs. There is a small bungalow home. Also, excellent 254-ac property located in the RM of Alexander at the junction of Maskwa & the Winnipeg River. This would make a first class cottage development, or is suitable for other uses.

235-ac of pastureland in Rapid City area. Jim McLachlan (204)724-7753. Homelife Home Professional Realty Inc. www.homelifepro.com FARMS FOR SALE: 1. 72-acs of pastureland 1-mi East of Kelwood. Kelwood loam soil, fenced, 2 dug outs. 33-acs cult w/new posts ready for Alfalfa, remainder pasture, $47,000. 2. 640-acs of pastureland east of Gladstone. Fenced w/dug outs. Will handle 100 -11- cow calf pairs. Lakeland soil, $249,000. Call Liz Sumner Gill & Schmall Agencies (204)476-6362.

GRAIN FARM: 803 TOTAL ac. 702-ac are cultivated. Land is in a block. Yardsite w/house, 48-ft x 96-ft machine shed, grain storage. N of Roblin, MB. Karen Goraluk - Salesperson. Call:(204)773-6797.

NorthStar Ins. & Real Estate. www.north-star.ca GRAIN/MIXED FARM-GRANDVIEW: 1,944 total Ac. 1,294 cultivated. Most of the land is in a block.

2 yardsites. Some of the land is fenced. Karen Goraluk, Salesperson. (204)773-6797. NorthStar Ins. & Real Estate. north-star.ca. MLS #1425508

REAL ESTATE Farms & Ranches – Wanted GOOD QUALITY GRAIN & Cattle Farms wanted for Canadian & Overseas Clients. For a confidential meeting to discuss the possible sale of your farm, or to talk about what is involved, Phone Jim McLachlan:(204)724-7753. www.homelifepro.com HomeLife Home Professional Realty Inc.

RECYCLING

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 Looking for a hand around the farm? Place a help wanted ad in the classifieds. Call 1-800-782-0794.

PASTURE SPACE AVAILABLE at the following Manitoba Community Pastures Alonsa, Gardenton-Pansy, Lenswood-Birch River, McCreary, Mulvihill, Narcisse, Pasquia, Sylvan-Dale. Contact Barry Ross (204)841-1907 amcp@pastures.ca TAKING TENDERS ON THE following land: 80-acres of the NW 36-20-15W also 149.36-acres of SE 03-21-15W until Feb 6/15. Separate tenders accepted. 10% of tender required. Balance to be paid in 30 days. Send tenders to G/M Butterfield, Box 302, McCreary, MB R0J 1B0.

REAL ESTATE Farms & Ranches – Acreages/Hobby Country Retreat: 163-ac of scenic rolling land near Erickson, MB. 120-ac arable, large mature yard w/ natural shelter belt & small lake. Cozy bungalow, garage, machine shed. Grant Tweed,Century 21 Westman. Brandon MB. Phone: (204) 761-6884 grant@granttweed.com

Plumas, MB courtseeds@gmail.com 204-386-2354 courtseeds.ca

We BUY used oil & filters Collection of plastic oil jugs Glycol recovery services Specialized waste removal Winter & Summer windshield washer fluid Peak Performance anti-freeze

The only company that collects, recycles and re-uses in Manitoba!

888-368-9378 ~ www.envirowestinc.com

CERTIFIED SEED CERTIFIED SEED Cereal Seeds LESS FUSARIUM MORE BOTTOM LINE. GP Wheat WFT603 seed available. Suitable for ethanol production, livestock feed. Western Feed Grain Development Co-op Ltd. 1-877-250-1552 www.wfgd.ca ACC ELIE SPRING WHEAT, ACC Brandon Spring Wheat, Meridith Malting Barley, Faba Bean Seed.

Phone (204)944-1654.

DURAND SEEDS: CERT AAC Brandon, Cardale & Carberry Wheat; Souris & Stride Oats; CDC Bethune Flax; Mancan Buckwheat avail w/contracts; Forage & Canola Seed.

(204)248-2268, (204)745-7577, NotreDame, MB. INTEL SEEDS at Oakville, MB. Now taking bookings for colour sorting seed/grain. Taking SHB egort upgrading damaged grain. Call Don Campbell for booking schedule (204)267-7389.

JAMES FARMS LTD Brandon, Cardale & Carberry wheat, summit oats, Mcleod & Chadburn R2 soy-beans, tradition barley & forage seeds. Various ca-nola & 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 PUGH SEEDS: CERT CARDALE WHEAT, Souris oats, Conlon barley, Registered & Certified Sorrel flax. Phone:(204)274-2179 or Cell:(204)871-1467, Portage,MB.

Midwest USA ~ June 2015 Ireland/Scotland ~ June 2015 Scandinavia ~ June 2015 Western Canada ~ June 2015 NWT/Yukon ~ July 2015 Alaska Cruise ~ July 2015 Italy Tuscan Villa Tour ~ October 2015 Australia/New Zealand ~ Jan 2016 Kenya/Tanzania ~ Jan 2016 South America ~ Feb 2016

WE BUY OATS Call us today for pricing Box 424, Emerson, MB R0A 0L0 204-373-2328 *6-Row* MALT BARLEY Celebration & Tradition *2-Row*

MALT BARLEY

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

*Portion of tours may be Tax Deductible

Select Holidays 1-800-661-4326

www.selectholidays.com CAREERS

BOOTH 1309

Phone: 204-526-2145 | www.zeghersseed.com Email: shawnz@zeghersseed.com

QUALITY PEDIGREE SEED SALE CWRS Wheat Other Crops • Cardale • Carberry • Harvest • New, Brandon • Pasteur GP

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North Star Seed - Forages Delmar Legend - Soybeans Zeghers Seed Inc. is also a exporter of special crops. Dealing in Flax, Mustard, Rye, Triticale, Spelt, Peas, Canary, Damaged Canola, Millets, and others.

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COMMON SEED Forage Seeds FOR SALE: ALFALFA, TIMOTHY, Brome, Clover, hay & pasture blends, millet seed, Crown, Red Prozo, cleaned common seed oats. Leonard Friesen (204)685-2376, Austin, MB.

SEED / FEED / GRAIN

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 Phone FARMERS, RANCHERS, Agent: M & J 306-455-2509 Weber-Arcola, SK. PhonePROCESSORS 306-455-2509 SEED 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

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. 1ST CUT ALFALFA HAY for sale RFV 123 & protein 18.9, avail in 3x3 bales, asking $.05 per lb. Delivery avail. Phone (204)856-3561.

1ST CUT ALFALFA ROUND bales for sale. Phone (204)585-5370, Sandy Lake, MB. 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 HAY FOR SALE. 700 big 4x4x8 square bales, very good condition, no rain, bale weight approx 1500lbs- $.05/lb. Will load, can be delivered additional cost. (204)773-6890 Rick.

LARGE ROUND BALES OF wheat & oat straw; Large round bales of hay. (204)325-2416.

Manitoba Co-operator classifieds, 1-800-782-0794.

SEED/ FEED/GRAIN Grain Wanted

BUYING:

HEATED & GREEN CANOLA

We have been in the seed production and retail business in Southeastern Manitoba for over 30 years and are looking to expand our sales team. We are looking for an outgoing sales and service oriented person willing to contact both existing and potential new customers through cold calls to expand our sales territory.

The selected individual must be able to promote new seed genetics and agricultural products in a professional manner. During the peak season, he or she must be able to assist in the distribution of both seed and chemicals.

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IS ENOUGH OF A GAMBLE...

Applicant must have a valid drivers’ license, basic knowledge of agriculture is a plus and prior sales experience would be an asset as well, but not necessary.

Wages and commission are to be determined during the interview based on experience and knowledge and willingness to perform and achieve target sales.

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If you feel that you are the person for this position and enjoy a challenge, please contact us by:

1-888-413-3325 SEED/FEED/GRAIN Seed Wanted WANTED: BIN RUN RED & Crown Prozo millet.

Phone:(204)685-2376.

TRAILERS

Email: info@catellierseeds.com Phone: 204-347-5588 (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) Monday to Friday Fax: 204-347-5890 Box 25, Dufrost, MB. R0A 0K0 Go public with an ad in the Co-operator classifieds.

TRAILERS Grain Trailers 1998 JET HOPPER TRAILER, steel spring ride, 42x68x96. Good condition, Asking $12,000; 1984 Stoughton aluminum hopper trailer, spring ride, 42x80x96. Good condition, Asking $8,800. Phone: (204)728-1861 or (204)724-9497.

AG EQUIPMENT

DEALS ON THE GO!

Round up the cash! Advertise your unwanted equipment in the Manitoba Co-operator classifieds.

CAREERS Professional

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Applications must be self motivated & enthusiastic with a positive desire to achieve. Sharpe’s markets 4 core product lines: liquid fertilizer, dry fertilizer, crop products & seed.

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RESUME DEADLINE: FRIDAY FEB. 6TH 2015 Sharpe’s Soil Service Ltd. C/o CEO Dan McKenzie Box 880 Langenburg SK. S0A 2A0 P: 306-743-2677 F: 306-743-5409 E: dan.mckenzie@sharpes.ca

Licensed and Bonded Grain Brokers

37 4th Ave. NE Carman, MB R0G 0J0 Ph. (204) 745-6444 Email: vscltd@mts.net A Season to Grow… Only Days to Pay!

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SALES & PRODUCT DISTRIBUTION

CERTIFIED CONVENTIONAL GRAZING CORN. Early maturing, leafier for increased grazing yield.

For ruminant livestock including cattle, sheep, bison & wildlife food plots. CanaMaize Seed Inc., 1-877-262-4046, www.canamaize.com LESS FUSARIUM MORE BOTTOM LINE. GP Wheat WFT603 seed available. Suitable for ethanol production, livestock feed. Western Feed Grain Development Co-op Ltd. 1-877-250-1552 www.wfgd.ca

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BUYING ALL FEED GRAINS

SEED/ FEED/GRAIN Feed Grain

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LEONARD KIESMAN of Moosehorn, MB intends to sell private lands: N1/2 02-28-07W, SW 2-28-07W, E1/2 03-28-07W, NE 34-27-07W, N1/2 10-28-07W, SW 11-28-07W to DARCY ALAN HUEGING who intends to acquire the following agricultural Crown land leases: W1/2 34-27-07W, SE 35-27-07W, SE 02-28-07W, SW 03-28-07W, SE 11-28-07W, SW 22-28-07W PT LS 3 & 5 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.

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REAL ESTATE Land For Sale FOR SALE: 153-ACRES (140-cultivated), Gladstone, MB (Ogilvie) area. NW 15-15-12W. Summer cottage (Hydro), pole shed (wired), 1750-bu Westeel Bin. 2 dugouts. Asking $1,600.00 per acre. Call Ron (204)918-3169 cell.

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FOR SALE: POLY-CAST SLEIGH, 24-in x 48-in x 12-in high; Small calf-squeeze w/head holder, 15 x 30 x 40-in high; Budd calf de-horner; Cattle shock prod; Birdizzo; Stop-Doctor medicine injector; Lawis cattle oiler. (204)825-8354, (204)825-2784.

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FOR SALE: FARM KING model 100 rollermill w/5-hp motor; 20-in Better Air barn fans; 2-in Chore Time feeding system w/4 drives. Ph:(204)836-2434.

SEED/FEED/GRAIN Grain Wanted

COME SEE US AT AG DAYS IN THE CONVENTION HALL BOOTH 1309

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.

REAL ESTATE Farms & Ranches – Acreages/Hobby

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 EQUIPMENT

www.sharpes.ca www.facebook.com/sharpes Angusville 204-773-2466 Rocanville 306-645-4555

Langenburg 306-743-2677 Stockholm 306-793-4333

Moosomin 306-435-3319 Wapella 306-532-4372

28

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

See the lAteSt in the FielD

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29

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

MORE NEWS

Search Canada’s top agriculture publications… with just a click. Network SEARCH

loc a l, nationa l a nd internationa l news

Land values may have peaked Land prices could fall, but the only thing that really matters is if you can afford to make payments on what you’ve already bought

By Shannon VanRaes co-operator staff / Brandon

F

or years land prices and rents have only been doing one thing — climbing.

But with the drop in commodity prices and changing markets, it seems that prices may have peaked.

“I think we’re at the top of the cycle,” said Merle Good, a former tax specialist from Alberta Agriculture, and a speaker at Ag Days in Brandon last week.

“The increase in farming profitability, that’s been the big driver,” he said.

“We’ve also had a successful run of good prices… it’s very rare in agriculture that you get six years in a row of substantial revenue increases, that in my view has been capitalized into the land value and I believe we are at the top.”

What happens next remains up for debate, but farmers who bought land over the last few years shouldn’t waste time wringing their hands if prices fall.

“The real question is, based on what you just paid, can you afford to maintain your payments?” said Good.

Interest rates

Producers with heavy debt loads could be seriously impacted when interest rates rise, but that’s not likely to happen in the near future. Just last week the Bank of Canada once again lowered its overnight lending rate to .75 per cent from an already low rate of one per cent.

“Yes, always a word of caution on interest rates,” said Roy Arnott, a business management specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development. “But I think you’ve got time before some level of increase, interest rates have been fairly stable, I don’t think they’re going to go up.”

But he said now is the time to plan for when interest rates do eventually increase.

Variable or locked in?

Good advised those with variable-rate loans to begin thinking about when might be the best time to lock in a rate, and ensure they are going to be paying what their business can afford in the long run.

“Because right now a lot of young guys are saying, oh, wow, I’m going to stay on the variable rate ’cause it’s four per cent and I can’t afford to pay more than that,” Good explained. “Which is fine, but you should, in my view, perhaps look at the flexibility with some lenders where you do have it, to actually say, I want to lock in 30 per cent of that mortgage, and let 70 per cent float.”

Those who rent land are also facing tough decisions and changing prospects.

“So have prices peaked? Are they on the decline? Are they going to go down?

I don’t know, but I think they almost have to. We’re in a situation where land rental rates are quite significantly high, and when you look at the commodities that we can grow… we’re not going to make as much as we did over the last two years,” said Lance Stockbrugger, a farmer and chartered accountant from Saskatchewan.

“From September 2012 to September 2014, corn has gone down 51 per cent gross value, canola has gone down 41 per cent, wheat 31 per cent, and soybeans to a lesser extent have gone down by 22 per cent,” he said. “That’s straight out of the profit, that’s the

file photo

“I think our role as educators of agriculture is trying to convince a girl in Calgary or in Brandon that if she inherits farmland from her parents, maybe she should hang on to it, and not flip it the next day.”

Merle Good

money that you get to take home, that’s the money you get to use to pay your bills and your principal/interest payments, that’s gone.”

That means producers with rental agreements are going to have to look at renegotiating those agreements. Something that underlines the importance of having a good working relationship with the landowner you’re renting from, Stockbrugger said.

That sentiment was shared by Good, who said, “you have to get creative, if you’re going to rent the majority of your land, you’ve got to really make sure you’ve got a good relationship with the landowner.”

In the past, renters had to choose between a share crop model or paying straight cash rent, he noted. But today it’s better to have something in between, such as “flexible cash rent with a guaranteed floor,” said Good.

Buy or rent?

All this still leaves producers who want to expand with their biggest decision — whether to buy or rent.

“Land purchase is a long-term investment decision specific to you farm’s current cash and equity position, long-term enterprise cash flow, profitability and your view of land values in the future,” said Arnott. “Land value planning is not easy, simple or straightforward, this is challenging stuff, definitely makes my head hurt for sure, but I definitely think it’s worth the work if you’re going to move your farm forward in a positive direction.”

The first step is knowing exactly what your farm is making and what it’s cost-

Merle Good Photos: Shannon VanRaes

ing, making sure margins are known and gross revenue is understood.

Good suggested producers look at their operations as two separate businesses.

“The real reason I like the idea of two separate businesses is primarily for succession, because the transferring of the farm is not transferring one bundle of assets, the farm to me is the operating business, the cattle, machinery, inventory and that structure, the land is a separate issue, because I can be a successful farmer with not inheriting every acre,” Good said. “So when we have that separation of land versus the operations, we can then understand what our business is making, versus what our real estate investment is making or costing us.”

But perhaps before producers even think about acquiring more land they need to be asking if they can increase their profit margins using the land base they already have at their disposal.

First step

Before buying more land, Good suggested farmers look at ways of increasing their returns from existing land through improvements such as tile drainage, or

Roy Arnott

increasing productivity through strategies such as variable-rate seeding, or improving their bottom line through better marketing.

He also noted that new challenges are on the way that will impact what farmland becomes available. As existing landholders, many of them retired farmers, pass on, more farmland is being inherited by children who don’t farm.

“When they get that land, what are they going to do with it? And I think our role as educators of agriculture is trying to convince a girl in Calgary or in Brandon that if she inherits farmland from her parents, maybe she should hang on to it, and not flip it the next day,” Good said, noting that over the long haul, land still proves to be profitable regardless of ups and downs along the way.

“Over the 30-year cycle, land from 1983 has increased approximately twice as much as the TSX,” Good said. “In addition the bull run has continued from 1992 which is the last year in Canada that farmland year over year had a negative change in value.” shannon.vanraes@fbcpublishing.com

30

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

Organic milk is different — sort of The difference comes down to breed and diet Staff

N

ew Zealand researchers reviewing studies of conventional and organic milk composition have concluded that they are different, but not because of strictly organic production practices.

Writing in the journal Dairy Science, they said that in a review of almost 200 studies of milk composition, the differences have been “largely ambiguous.”

“The differences in milk composition observed are actually due to the different diets of the cows (i.e. pasture versus concentrate feeding) rather than organic versus conventional farming systems,” lead investigator Don Otter of AgResearch Grasslands Research Centre in New Zealand said in a release.

The researchers said the definition of “organic” varies from country to country. In most parts of the world, conventional dairying is associated with high levels of grain feeding, the use of cow breeds which produce high milk volumes and the application of large amounts of fertilizer, while organic dairying is tied to pasture and forage feeding.

“The vast majority of differences reported between organic and conventional milk come from what cows are fed and their breed, and is not anything unique to being organic or conventional in itself,” the researchers said.

Salmonella levels have increased as chickens are processed into parts

By Tom Polansek Reuters

U It’s the grass that makes the difference. photo: thinkstock

WE’RE FARMERS, TOO.

Farmer. Visionary.

SeedMaster Founder.

USDA plans more checks on chickens

.S. meat inspectors are set to toughen their standards for the nation’s poultry production in March in a bid to reduce foodborne illnesses such as salmonella, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture proposals released Jan. 21.

Under new guidelines, the USDA plans to begin testing raw chicken parts for salmonella after an 18-month outbreak of the bacteria linked to Foster Poultry Farms ended last year. The outbreak sickened more than 600 people.

The USDA estimates implementation of new s a f e t y s t a n d a rd s f o r s a m pling poultry for salmonella and another bacteria called campylobacter will prevent an average of 50,000 illnesses annually.

Oversight of chicken parts, including breasts, legs and w i n g s, i s c r i t i c a l f o r f o o d safety because they represent 80 per cent of the chicken available for purchase in the United States, public health officials said. The gover nment implemented standards to assess food safety for whole chickens in 1996 but said it has since found that salmonella levels increase as chicken is processed into parts.

Un d e r U S D A’s p r o p o s e d measures, inspectors will routinely assess throughout the year whether companies are effectively addressing salmonella in poultr y. Currently, inspectors infrequently test samples at facilities on consecutive days.

“We are taking specific aim at making the poultry items that Americans most often purchase safer to eat,” USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement.

FARMING IS ENOUGH OF A GAMBLE...

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31

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

Co-operator barn series revival Do you know this barn?

I

f you do, a Manitoba historian wants to hear from you. In early 1981 the Co-operator worked with provincial Manitoba Historic Resources Branch staff to photograph and publish a series on rural buildings in Manitoba. Each week a photo and a story were published about why each of the buildings was rare or unusual.

Now Gordon Goldsborough, webmaster and journal editor with the Manitoba Historical Society (MHS), is looking for Co-operator readers to help him find the GPS co-ordinates for these barns. He has looked for them during road trips in rural Manitoba, but because the site’s location details are scant, he has been unable to find them. He wants to include the buildings, with their GPS co-ordinates on a map of historic sites being prepared for the MHS. This photograph was taken by now-retired Co-operator editor Bob Hainstock who took the photo in the 1980s for the earlier project. Many of the photos were eventually included in Hainstock’s 1986 book Barns of Western Canada: An Illustrated Century.

We are including the original “caption” that ran with his photo, hoping a reader can answer these questions: 1. Does the building still stand?

2. If so, where is it?

3. What are its GPS co-ordinates?

4. What other information can you provide on its state of preservation or other details about its history since the original story in the 1980s?

Please send your responses to Gordon Goldsborough at: email: gordon@mhs.mb.ca Telephone: (204) 474-7469 Mail: 2021 Loudoun Rd. Winnipeg, Man. R3S 1A3

Cell wall may provide FHB resistance Italian researchers hope to breed resistance into durum varieties Staff

R

esearchers at Sapienza Università di Roma in Italy say they have identified cell wall characteristics that provide resistance to fusarium head blight.

In a paper published in the journal BMC Plant Biology, the researchers compared a disease-resistant variety of common wheat and a susceptible variety of durum wheat.

They infected both with the fungus, and then compared the detailed characteristics of their cell walls.

The cell walls of the FHB-resistant variety had a particular composition of lignin — a structural component which plays a crucial role in cell wall reinforcement — and showed unique compositions of other structural components including pectin and hemicellulose.

FHB has been present in Italy since 1995.

“Now that we’ve identified the cell wall characteristics that make a common wheat variety resistant to FHB, work can begin on transferring these traits to vulnerable dur um wheat varieties,” joint author Agata Gadaleta from Università di Bari Aldo Moro said. “These could be cultivated in Italy and other countries to help produce safer food with reduced fungal contamination and reduced amounts of dangerous toxins in food stocks.”

It is estimated that several hundred more Manitoba farms will become eligible in 1982 to join the growing list of Century Farms in this province. The O’Callaghan farm at Arrow River is one of them.

Homesteaded by Donald McKenzie in 1882, the property passed to his daughter and son-in-law Heremiah O’Callaghan, then to grandson John O’Callaghan, and finally to current owner William O’Callaghan.

The first years of homesteading weren’t easy for the McKenzie family, with sons John and Murdoch lost to diptheria the first year the family arrived from Ontario.

This fine barn of board-and-batten exterior wasn’t built until 1901. Measuring 80x60 feet, the structure was located on the banks of the Arrow River. In addition to double dormers on both the east and west sides of the barn, it also boasted a 12x30-foot basement for storage of garden product. The lumber was hauled from Riding Mountain sawmills some 30 miles to the north.

The construction was accomplished with two hired carpenters and some neighbourly help. All framing was fastened with handmade dowelling. During its heydays, the barn was divided into three main use areas — the middle area for horse stalls, the west side for milk cows, and the east side (right) for young market cattle. The upper level was used for feed storage. The structure has not been used for several decades.

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32

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

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

Farm jobs need better profile and promotion, says Ag Days speaker Increased competition for labour and decreasing rural populations mean farmers need to get smarter about their hiring practices

By Lorraine Stevenson co-operator staff / Brandon

F

armers at Ag Days might have left the farm in good hands so they could take a day or two off last week — but maybe not.

A n e a r- c a p a c i t y c r ow d i n t h e Keystone Centre amphitheatre listening to a speaker talk about why it’s so tough hiring help on the farm these days is one sign there might be a problem out there.

Brandon-based MNP farm management consultant Peter Manness says he thinks part of the problem may be how farmers are trying to recruit, or not trying hard enough. A common complaint is, ‘we can’t find people because the oilpatch has taken them all,’” he said.

“But have we done all we can to find people and literally can’t find them?

I don’t think that we’ve really done as much as we can to try to solve our labour problems.”

Manness said he mostly sees farmers who can’t find employees buying bigger equipment to get the job done faster with fewer people — a very expensive way to deal with the problem, he said.

Farm businesses are trying to meet their labour needs hiring local retired farmers who possess the required skills. But when trying to hire mainly from their own local agricultural community, they’re fishing in a dwindling pool as the rural farm population shrinks. They could improve their prospects by looking further afield, Manness said. Just because someone hasn’t grown up on a farm doesn’t mean they don’t have transferable skills, or couldn’t be trained. Farmbased employment is an attractive prospect to the right person.

“Think about the trucking industry right now,” he said. “I find it hard to believe that there aren’t people driving a truck right now that wouldn’t be qualified equipment operators and whose families would be very interested in having them working in a job closer to home.”

But looking further afield requires boosting the farm business’s presence online, he continued. You are going to need to create an online presence to drive people to you, Manness said, and that’s where he isn’t seeing enough effort. His own Google searches don’t turn up many farm job advertisements, he said.

“If I Googled your farm, what would I find out about you and your farm business?” he asked the Ag Days crowd. In an inter view, he added that the days of putting a two-line ad out on Kijiji or in the farm press and expecting a response are over.

A better approach is a combination of Internet advertising and a farm website, detailing who you are and giving prospective employees a way to find out about you and learn about the work opportunity you offer.

“I think we’ve got to be able to sell ourselves more,” he said. “Because

Farm business adviser Peter Manness says farmers could be doing more to solve their labour shortages. PHOTO: LORRAINE STEVENSON

“I think there’s a huge opportunity to go out and resell agriculture as an opportunity that exists for meaningful employment for people.”

Peter Manness

Farm business adviser

if I’m looking for full-time employment, I’m more likely to call people who have an online presence, so I can learn about them a little bit before I go to see them.”

Manness says some farms do fine hiring and retaining staff. They’re the ones who have not only adopted a professional approach in recruitment and hiring practices, but have devoted time to better understanding what employees want and need.

Those needs and expectations aren’t just about money. Surveys show one

in every five workers say they expect to change jobs in the next five years.

You need to be clear about benefits, work expectations and what sort of an opportunity you are offering a prospective employee, said Manness.

And what they want is job stability, respect in the workplace and work-life balance in addition to fair compensation. Work-life balance has become a bigger issue even among the incoming generation on the farm, he added.

Manness said he’s convinced farm workplaces have attractive and unique employment opportunities. What they need to do is talk up the benefits.

Meals, use of vehicles and certainly accommodations are all of value to prospective employees. Farmers are also able to offer an outdoor worksite, and opportunities to engage with their work that enables an employee to see the progress and purpose of it. Many farm employees become an integral part of the farm family too, he said.

“I think there’s a huge opportunity to go out and resell agriculture as an opportunity that exists for meaningful employment for people.” lorraine@fbcpublishing.com

How far afield have you looked for employees?

Ag Days seminar speaker urges farmers to rethink their recruitment strategies. PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

33

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

COUNTRY CROSSROADS

RecipeSwap The cure and comfort of soup Lorraine Stevenson Crossroads Recipe Swap

C

ough, cough, cough! That’s the sound of January. Sit through any meeting, classroom or other public gathering and you’ll hear it.

Maybe we’re the one coughing. We should stay home, say health authorities, because it’s when we insist on, cough, trying, sneeze, to go about our regular routines, cough, that we spread our germs around.

Have you had a winter cold yet? Are you down with one now?

There’s no cure for the common cold. But there is comfort.

It’s called soup. Researchers have even looked at the curative qualities of chicken soup and find it can act as a mild anti-inflammatory while loosening congestion when we’re sick.

Soup has long been a remedy for illness.

In Secrets of a Hutterite Kitchen, author Mary Ann Kirby writes of maultosche, a name Hutterites have for soup which means “big cheek

soup,” and served to those who are ill, as well as the elderly and new moms.

Soup is good for us, sick or well. A bowl of low-calorie soup can help lower overall calorie intake at a meal making it a good weightloss habit. Soup can contain any number of healthy ingredients too, from always good-for-you vegetables to whole grains such as barley and quinoa.

Soup, of course, is a healthy choice in other ways too. It provides much-needed daily fluid, especially for those of us who don’t usually consume the required nine to 12 cups of fluid per day.

Soup is a great way to use up odds and ends in the fridge, so making it frequently can reduce food waste. There are literally endless ways to combine ingredients for soup.

Soup feeds us on another level too. We told you awhile back about a collection of soup recipes Winnipegger Wendy Erlanger had combined into a cookbook she called More Than Soup after realizing the way she and others were taking care of numerous sick friends and family members was by making pot after pot of soup.

Soup warms the heart, and there’s good reason why popular selfcare books are about soup and the soul.

Here are two recipes from the website of Manitoba Chicken Producers sure to please on a cold winter day.

Easy Chicken Noodle Soup 6 c. chicken broth 1 stalk celery, minced 1-1/2 c. chopped cooked chicken 1 c. wide egg noodles 1/8 tsp. ground pepper 2 c. frozen mixed vegetables 1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

photoS: Thinkstock

Hearty Chicken Soup 2 tbsp. butter 1/2 onion, chopped 1-1/2 tsp. curry powder 2 medium potatoes, skin on, cubed 4 carrots, sliced 4 stalks celery, sliced 1/2 tsp. dried oregano 1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley 2 c. chopped cooked chicken 3 c. chicken stock 1 can evaporated milk (354 ml — skim or 2 per cent) 2 tbsp. flour

Melt butter in a soup pot. Add onion and curry powder and stir-cook over medium heat until onions are softened. Stir in potatoes, carrots, celery, oregano, parsley, chicken and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender (about 20 minutes).

Mix evaporated milk and flour until free of lumps. Pour into soup and stir-cook until slightly thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with whole wheat soda bread.

Freezes well.

Preparation time: 30 minutes.

Cook time: 45 minutes.

Serves: 4 to 6.

Source: www.chicken.mb.ca

Pour chicken broth into a saucepan. Add celery and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Stir in chicken, noodles, and pepper; cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add frozen vegetables and cook for another five minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

Variation: Bring to a boil six cups chicken broth, two cloves minced garlic, one tbsp. minced fresh ginger, one tbsp. soy sauce and one tbsp. lemon juice. Stir in 1-1/2 cups cooked chicken and two cups frozen stirfry vegetable mix and simmer five minutes.

Stir in three oz. rice vermicelli and continue cooking for about two more minutes or until vermicelli is tender.

Tip: Need cooked chicken but don’t have time to cook? Bring home a rotisserie chicken from the deli counter at the grocery store. It only takes a few minutes to take the meat off the bones and cut it up. You’ll get about three cups of cooked chopped chicken – enough to make this recipe and have 1-1/2 cups left over. Use the extra for tomorrow’s lunch or wrap it tightly in foil and freeze it for up to three months.

Preparation time: 10 minutes.

Cook time: 25 minutes.

Serves: 4.

Change coming

W

hen I started writing this column, BSE was still to come, the term 100-mile diet had not been coined, and no one knew what love — and scrutiny — would come farmers’ way during a decade of intensifying interest in where food comes from.

Suffice it to say, there’s always something to write about in a food column each week. The challenge of choosing is little like what to make for supper.

I’ve had help, and appreciate all of it, especially from the home economists and dietitians I’ve consulted on various matters and often quoted here.

It’s been rewarding to select and pair a few recipes with this column each week too. ( That’s one of those tough jobs but someone has to do it!) I’ve appreciated recipes sent my way from readers, as well as those from commodity organizations such as Manitoba Canola Growers Association, Dairy Farmers of Canada, and many others.

I’ve also appreciated your feedback on this column, and hope at least some of the recipes featured have been enjoyed around your table.

This is my last contribution to The Re c i p e Sw a p. Ne x t w e e k y o u’ l l s e e a change to this page. We’re switching Prairie Fare written by North Dakota State University professor and food and nutrition specialist Julie GardenRobinson, who you’ll already be reading in the Country Crossroads section, to these pages. I’ll continue writing about food matters elsewhere in the paper, and will be contributing short features to this page on new made-in-Manitoba food products and the people and stories behind them.

Thank you for all your interest, feedback and support of The Recipe Swap.

34

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

COUNTRY CROSSROADS

“

I

keep expecting to hear geese flying overhead.”

Brady Jackson looked up at the sky through the curved glass walls of his parents’ brand new sunroom. “It feels absolutely like spring out there.”

“It certainly looks like spring,” said Andrew.

“Early spring. Grey and dreary and mucky.”

“I don’t like it,” said Rose. “It’s too warm. And you know what’s going to happen. We’ll just be getting used to it and then one night we’ll go to bed and the snow will be melting on the roof and we’ll have the window open a crack because the bedroom gets too hot if we don’t and then we’ll wake up at four in the morning and our hair will be frozen to the headboard because the temperature’s gone down to -65 outside and the north wind is howling through the trees like a Florida hurricane.”

There was a moment of silence.

“Or it could just stay warm,” said Andrew.

“My uncle and aunt will be so ticked off if it stays warm,” Amanda piped up.

“Really?” said Rose. “Why would anyone be ticked off about that?”

“Because they’re going to Mexico,” said Amanda. “They’ve never gone south in winter before but they’ve saved up so they can go this year to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary.

Uncle Bob says if it’s not at least 25 below when they go to the airport he’s going to cancel the tickets and stay home just to make a statement.”

“Make a statement to who?” asked Andrew.

Amanda shrugged. “Mother Nature I guess,” she said. “He’s kidding obviously. He knows if he did that Auntie would just go without him. Uncle Bob is kind of the epitome of hyperbole anyway,” she added.

“They should have gone last year,” said Brady.

“They could have gone literally any day between November 1 and February 28 and the temperature would have been -25 at the airport.”

“Now who’s being the epitome of hyperbole,” said Rose.

There was a brief lull in the conversation as the four of them gazed out into the backyard.

“So, Amanda,” said Andrew at length. “How are you enjoying life in the country? Not missing the hustle and bustle of city life that you used to get

The

Jacksons

By Rollin Penner

here?” He looked over at Rose. “Yesterday,” he said, “a car drove by at 11:30 in the evening, and Rose said honey, we have to move back to the country, there’s too much traffic here.”

Amanda laughed. “We lived here for like three years and I don’t think we ever had a car drive by after 11 o’clock. Did we Brady?”

“Nope,” said Brady. “But, the times, they are a changin’.”

“And to answer your question, I love it in the country,” said Amanda. “I will never get tired of just standing outside at night look-

ing at the stars! Growing up in the city, as a kid, I had no idea there were so many stars.

Seriously, I thought there were maybe a couple of hundred.”

“Yeah, that’s really something, isn’t it?” said Rose. “Can you imagine? There are people living in cities like New York who have never seen stars.

I mean, in the movies maybe, but never in their natural habitat.”

“Oh and I love the coyotes,” said Amanda. “They get to howling at the moon, it makes me feel like I’m back in the Wild West, homesteading on the great open prairie.”

Andrew grimaced. “Ah yes,” he said. “It’s all very romantic until somebody loses a dozen sheep.”

“I know,” said Amanda. “I feel like I shouldn’t like the coyotes, but I can’t help it.”

“It’s OK,” said Andrew. “You’re a city girl. The harsh realities of frontier life haven’t become real to you yet.”

Brady snorted. “Ah yes pops,” he said looking around. “A hot tub and an all-glass sunroom with padded Adirondack chairs. Those are the harsh realities of frontier life for you.”

“Well, the realities aren’t as harsh as they used to be,” said Andrew. “We’ve managed to build a civilization that affords us relative peace and comfort, despite the depredations of roving bands of coyotes. But it wasn’t always easy.”

“Packs of coyotes,” said Rose. “They’re called packs.”

“Call them what you will,” said Andrew, “we have brought them under control. It’s not the coyotes that are going to threaten the civilization we love.”

“It’s not?” said Amanda. “Then what will?”

“We will,” said Andrew. “The adolescent human race. Capable of all kinds of amazing things of which we have no idea what the consequences will be. But we’ll do the things anyway, because like adolescents, we’re not that worried about consequences.”

There was another brief lull.

“This room is awesome,” said Brady.

“Civilization,” said Andrew. “It’s worth fighting for.”

What causes brown leaves on houseplants?

There’s many diseases that attack foliage plants so know how to identify and treat

By Albert Parsons Freelance contributor

T

here is nothing like living plants to add beauty and warmth to an indoor space, and because they are grown for their foliage, it is important to keep them looking healthy and attractive. There are certain diseases that attack foliage plants; some are easily treated while others can be fatal.

Knowing how to identify these diseases and then how to treat them is essential to keeping your collection looking its best.

The best defence against diseases is prevention. Buy disease-free plants and keep newcomers in isolation until you are sure that they are disease free.

Examine plants carefully for any sign of disease before you buy them. Use sterilized planting medium and clean containers that have been scrubbed and disinfected. Most diseases take hold because plants are under stress, so giving plants the proper growing conditions will prevent many problems.

Give plants lots of TLC, provide them with appropriate light levels, check them frequently, water carefully — more plants are killed by overwatering than from any other cause, provide

good ventilation, and practise proper hygiene. Remove dead leaves and spent blooms that might harbour disease organisms.

Anthracnose is one disease that can strike houseplants; leaf tips that turn yellow and then brown. The leaves gradually die. Sometimes this disease is mistaken for leaf-tip burn from overfertilizing, but since we do not usually fertilize our plants during the winter months, if these symptoms appear at this time of year, they are probably caused by disease.

Root and stem rot usually occur because of improper watering. Some plants, such as Rex begonias, are especially prone to rot and extreme care must be taken when watering plants prone to this affliction. Stems become limp and blacken, then die. These dead pieces should be removed promptly and the soil around the stems of the plants worked up to aerate it. If the infection is severe you might want to dump the whole pot and discard all diseased parts and plant any that seem healthy. Swishing these healthy pieces in a fungicide solution and then planting them in barely moist soil might result in success.

Watch for brown leaves on your houseplants and if you find some, determine the cause and take immediate action to stop the disease from progressing.

Leaf spots are a fungal disease and are evidenced by small brown spots with yellow margins. Sometimes the spots are black; in any case the spots get bigger until the entire leaf is dead. Removal of diseased leaves is the first defence, along with regular watering.

Infrequent and erratic watering can promote this disease, as well as poor ventilation.

Pothos is one plant that seems susceptible to leaf spot but the disease can be controlled by the above-mentioned actions.

Botrytis or grey mould is also a fungus disease, but it is very hard to treat and it is usu-

Determine what’s causing brown leaves and then take action. PHOTO: ALBERT PARSONS

ally best to discard the plant and start fresh if this disease gets a foothold. Fuzzy grey mould covers the stems and foliage of an infected plant, resulting in death of the plant.

It is sometimes confused with powdery mildew which results in the foliage of a plant being covered with a fine white powder-like coating. The plant will smell mouldy. Fungicide can be used to combat powdery mildew. Overwatering, high humidity, and poor air circula-

tion encourage the development of both of these diseases.

Wa t c h f o r b r ow n l e a v e s on your houseplants and if you find some, determine the cause and take immediate action to stop the disease from progressing.

Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so practise good cultural practices.

Albert Parsons writes from Minnedosa, Manitoba

35

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

COUNTRY CROSSROADS Safe handling of shellfish

Reader’s Photo

Government of Canada release

Shellfish is a nutritious food choice but it must be stored, handled and prepared properly to help prevent food poisoning. Children, pregnant women, seniors and people with compromised immune systems are particularly at risk and should avoid eating raw or undercooked shellfish.

Here’s some food safety tips: • Keep raw shellfish separate from other foods in the grocery cart and in the refrigerator to prevent cross-contamination of food.

• Refrigerate shellfish as soon as possible after you buy it. Keep it cold (below 4 C) until you are ready to cook it.

• Check the packaging on frozen shellfish before you buy it to make sure that it isn’t torn or open and that there isn’t a lot of frost on the package. If there is a lot of frost, it may mean it has

Enjoying the sun on a cold winter day. PHOTO: VANESSA LEBEAU

Cold winters are hard on birds Consider some ways to help them out in frigid temperatures

By Donna Gamache Freelance contributor

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

There’s an app for that Despite interest in apps to help manage diabetes, research shows small number of older adults actually using them

F

or the last eight winters, our backyard has been home to a mourning dove, a species which does not normally overwinter in Manitoba. It appears that this dove (my husband and I assume it is the same one) does not realize that it is supposed to migrate! One winter a second dove joined the first in late December and stayed the rest of the winter, but that has not been repeated.

I re a d i n Wi n t e r Bi rd Highlights (sent out to member bird counters by Project FeederWatch), a report about mourning doves overwintering in Ontario, with a majority having lost one or more toes to frostbite. This prompted us to check out the feet on “our” dove, and we were dismayed to see, using our binoculars, that it too, has badly damaged feet. We wondered if this had happened during last year’s long, cold winter, but when I enlarged a photo from 2014, we could see stubby-looking feet at that time as well. A photo from January 2011 also shows some damage but not as much as now. Both feet of our dove are now very chopped-off looking, with all the claws and toes missing. I’m not sure how the bird manages to cling to tree branches, but so far, as of the beginning of January, it seems to be doing all right.

Birds that normally overwinter in cold climates have developed methods of protecting their extremities. Snowy owls have feathered feet and legs,

been frozen for a long time or that it was thawed and refrozen.

• Never defrost shellfish at room temperature! Thaw it in the refrigerator or in cold water.

Cook shellfish right after you thaw it.

• Wash your hands before and after handling raw shellfish.

• Do not use the same plate or utensils for raw and cooked shellfish, and wash counters and utensils with soap and warm water after preparation.

University of Waterloo release

A sheltered area will help ground-feeding birds.

A dove’s damaged feet.

while on other birds the scales help insulate them. Some have a unique circulatory system by which they can constrict the veins along the outsides of their legs and feet, or the veins may lie adjacent to arteries where the outgoing blood is warmer.

Mourning doves, however, have not lived for very long in colder regions, and have not yet adapted to frigid temperatures.

Some people think that the increase in non-migrating doves is because of a greater supply of waste grain in fields.

Others believe that bird feeding may be a factor or perhaps global warming. We have modi-

GAMACHE PHOTOS

fied our backyard over the years to help the dove and the other birds. A heated bird bath sits outside the kitchen window, which in winter is not used very often as a bath, but frequently for drinking. Here we see the dove coming to drink once or twice each day.

Doves are ground feeders, and my husband has used old plywood to create a sheltered area below our other feeders.

This offers some protection on snowy days and helps to keep an area that is easier for us to put out seeds for them. We feed our dove a mixture of safflower, white millet and sunflower seeds.

If you have ground-feeding birds at your feeders, such as juncos, sparrows or a dove, consider offering some protection for them as they feed. Any bird tough enough to brave Manitoba winters deserves a little extra help.

Donna Gamache writes from MacGregor, Manitoba

Welcome to 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

Despite showing interest in web or mobile apps to help m a n a g e t h e i r Ty p e 2 d i a betes, only a small number of older adults actually use them, says a new study f ro m t h e Un i ve r s i t y o f Waterloo. Approximately 2.2 million Canadians are living with Type 2 diabetes, two million of whom are age 50 or older.

The study found that although more than 90 per cent of research participants owned a computer or had daily Internet access, just 18 per cent used applications on this technology to help manage their diabetes. While almost half owned smar t phones, only five per cent used them to manage their disease.

“There was a strong association between age and confidence — confidence about technology use really dropped off in the oldest age groups,” said Professor Peter Hall, of the faculty of applied health s c i e n c e s a t Wa t e r l o o a n d senior author of the paper.

“This drop in confidence was mirrored by a corresponding drop in intentions to use the technology in the near future.”

Earlier research shows that people who use smartphone and web apps to manage chronic diseases follow their doctors’ recommendations more closely and make positive changes in their health, at least among those already positively inclined toward such technology. In diabetes management, technology can provide platforms for glucose logs, dietar y and physical activity journals, and create

opportunities for scheduled prompting or interventions.

“It may be that older adults are unaware of apps available, they had low confidence about using them regularly, or both,” said Kathleen Dobson, a graduate student and lead author on the paper.

Despite the low use of assistive technology among older adults, the majority of study participants felt that adopting Internet or smartphone applications to manage their diabetes was a good idea. More than two-thirds intended to adopt assistive technology moving forward.

“Successful diabetes mana g e m e n t i m p rove s q u a l i t y of life, reduces risk of complications and generally extends life expectancy,” said P r o f e s s o r Ha l l . “My h o p e is that we can find ways to encourage adoption of these new self-management tools, even among those older adults who don’t consider themselves to be especially tech savvy.”

The development of seni o r- f r i e n d l y a p p s t h a t a re easier to see and use along w i t h e n c o u ra g e m e n t f ro m health-care practitioners to use assistive technology could help increase the number of older adults who use their phones and computers as tools to better manage their diabetes. Raising awareness about existing applications and boosting confidence is also key in increasing the use of assistive technology among older adults.

A future phase of this research will involve sen iors who aren’t tech savvy t o d e t e r m i n e t h e i r re c e p tivity to different types of applications.

36

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 29, 2015

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