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KEEP TESTING

IT’S THE PEOPLE

BSE surveillance key to keeping markets open » PG 3

Young farmers share passion for innovation » PG 2 Publications Mail Agreement # 40069240

V o l u m e 1 2 , n u m b e r 5 M a r c h 2 , 2 0 1 5

Worker shortage handicapping ag sector

McDonald’s sustainable beef pilot moves into high gear

Plants have jobs but not enough Canadians interested in them

Fast-food giant has a long list of ‘indicators’ and is seeking producers ready to prove they’re good stewards

By Jennifer Blair af staff

A

chronic shortage of workers isn’t just a problem for meat packers, but all of agriculture, say experts.

Mark Chambers sees the impact every day at Sunterra Farms, but also knows his experience is being mirrored across the country.

“If we can’t get enough labour to produce the value-added products or to expand and grow, we’re going to be at a competitive disadvantage

see WORKERS } page 7

McDonald’s has promised its customers that it will ‘begin purchasing‘ verified sustainable beef in 2016, and officials say they will make good on that promise in Alberta next year. Photo: Thinkstock

By Alexis Kienlen af staff / red deer

M

cDonald’s has put its foot on the gas, and is revving up its verified sustainable beef pilot.

The largest buyer of Canadian beef has developed a set of 40 ‘indicators’ to assess sustainability; created a scoring system

to grade ranches, feedlots and others in the beef value chain; and chosen an American verification company to oversee the process.

But producers shouldn’t be worried by these moves, McDonald’s sustainability manager for Canada said at the recent Alberta Beef Industry Conference.

“This is not a certification

regime — this is a verification opportunity,” said Jeffrey Fitzpatrick-Stilwell. “It’s about information sharing, not policing. It’s about producers demonstrating how they meet the criteria. It’s not an audit and it’s not pass/fail.”

Since picking Canada for its global sustainable beef pilot last year, the fast-food giant has given few details on how that

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will work — even though it has promised to start using sustainable beef in 2016.

But in consultation with an advisory board from across the Canadian beef sector, the company has developed ways — dubbed ‘indicators’ — to score practices on animal care, environmental stewardship, and

see MCDONALD’S } page 6

GO Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow. 0115-41246-2 AFE TM

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news » inside this week

inside » PULSE CROP WIKI New online database takes production manual to next level

MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

livestock

crops

A DIFFERENT APPROACH

PLANT 2015

columNists Laura Rance Getting the rail system back on track

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Brenda Schoepp

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Three keys to successful marketing

A ‘GREAT CAUSE’ Growing project going strong after 20 years

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Expert urges producers to curb use of growth promotants

Roy Lewis

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Four farmers outline their seeding plans for this year

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Why seemingly healthy calves don’t make it

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People make the difference in Outstanding Young Farmer program Participants say the chance to connect with innovative farmers is at the heart of the program that showcases producers under the age of 40

By Dianne Finstad af contributor

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here’s been a changing of the guard, but last year’s winners are still pumped about their experience as the province’s Outstanding Young Farmers and their trip to the finals in Quebec City in November.

“Phenomenal is the best word I can find,” said Nicole Brousseau, who operates Moo-Lait Family Farms with husband Richard near St. Paul. “We were very welcomed in Quebec. The whole event was put on where we just were able to network and connect, and constantly build relationships.”

Although not selected as national winners, getting to know progressive young producers from across the country is what the program is all about, they said.

“Not just at the national event, but even here this weekend,” Richard said at the provincial event in Banff in early February. “A lot of the discussions go around working with family members and making that work. Succession planning seems to be the hot item now, so there’s some discussion about that.

“But some of it was just simple, innovative stuff that wasn’t necessarily for our industry, but we could take parts of it. Everybody is so open to sharing ideas.”

“It really rejuvenates and lifts your spirit, and brings back a new energy to keep going,” added Nicole.

At Banff, the Brousseaus gave the presentation they delivered in Quebec City, showing the path to the recent addition of a new barn at the dairy farm they operate with Nicole’s parents. They’re also active in sharing the story of agriculture by regularly hosting school tours at the farm. Both see that as an important piece of everyday farming today.

“I think the biggest thing we like so much about this group is the people we’ve met,” said Richard. “But at the same time, we see winning it as a responsibility. We’re ag ambassadors.

We use that now. It’s our responsibility to be out there and be a voice, and we really like that aspect.

Patrick and Cherylynn Bos were chosen as this year’s Outstanding Young Farmers for the Alberta and NWT region.

The Ponoka couple operates Rock Ridge Dairy, which includes 1,400 dairy goats and the largest goat milk-processing facility in Western Canada. They also make cheese and process organic cow’s milk from a neighbouring farm.

Being the province’s Outstanding Young Farmers was a ‘phenomenal’ experience, say Nicole and Richard Brousseau. Photo: Courtesy Moo-Lait Family Farms “Change is the only constant on our farm,” said Cherylynn. “This spring, we’re going to be introducing our new rotary parlour, which will be the first of its kind in North America. We’ll see our operation changing from milking about 180 goats per hour to 900. So we’ll have international interest in that venture.”

Milking 600 goats now, the new goal is to increase that to around 1,200 next year.

“We have four other farms that ship milk to us that we process at the plant,” said Patrick. “Four years ago we were doing 30,000 litres a month. Now we’re doing 120,000 litres of the goat’s milk a month, so we’ve expanded a lot on the milk processing, too.”

The goat dairy owners see more potential for both milk and cheese products, but they’re also very aware they’re serving a niche market. So they don’t want to “sink the boat” and are approaching expansion carefully. With expansion happening nationwide, and the fact Alberta’s goat industry has taken several major body blows in the past, getting more stock is a challenge. So is taking their own product to the marketplace.

“(We’re) learning about marketing and that whole new aspect that we knew nothing about before,” said Cherylynn.

“But it’s really important just to build another cornerstone of your business, so you’re not relying on just custom work to see you through.”

Two new barns are being built now on the farm, with equipment installation scheduled to start this month.

The commitment of preparing for the national OYF program — to be held in Edmonton in November — comes on top of an already busy schedule for the parents of four.

But it’s worth it, they both said.

“It will be really exciting, especially actually that it’s hosted in Alberta,” said Cherylynn. “Everybody thinks, ‘Oh that’s kind of boring to be in your own home province to go to nationals.’

But for me it’s great because that’s our home province and I want to represent it, and do the best we can for it.”

“It’s the most exciting farmers in Canada that we’ll be meeting with, and talking with, for a week, and that’s always an encouraging thing to do,” added Patrick. “It’s going to be fun.”

Cherylynn and Patrick Bos with children (from left to right) Jocelyn, Adelle, Connor, and Amelia. Photo: Courtesy Bos family The other nominees for the regional OYF program this year were Randy and Tasha Alexander, grain farmers near Grimshaw; and grain and purebred Angus producers Kurt and Becky Pedersen of Edgerton.

The national event will be held Nov. 17-22 at the River Cree Resort in Edmonton.

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MARCH 2, 2015

Officials stress need for testing The latest BSE case only increases the need for Canada to test 30,000 animals yearly BSE TESTING BY THE NUMBERS

By Alexis Kienlen af staff / red deer

K

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TESTING

30,000 ANNUALY

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BY THE WORLD ORGANIZATION FOR ANIMAL HEALTH

A STEADY DECLINE IN CATTLE TESTING The number of Canadian cattle tested for BSE since 2005

60,000 50,000 40,000

The investigation

Investigators have already identified the birth herd and the cow’s date of birth, and are currently looking for equivalent risk animals. The first step is to look for the birth cohort, which includes animals born on the same farm within one year of the birth of the positive animal. This group has the highest risk of being exposed to the same feed. Investigators are also looking for the 4:51 PM Page 1 progeny of the infected animal.

Korean ban

It was no surprise South Korea closed its borders as it had previously indicated it would if another BSE case was found in Canada, said Price.

“When South Korea decided to open its market (in 2012 after

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35,655

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“It’s rare, and relatively undocumented, but there is a possibility that BSE can pass from mother to daughter,” said Price.

Other animals of equivalent risk include the feed cohort, as these animals may have used the same feed bunks or feed mill. The animal itself is also being investigated.

“We want to know who the sire was, who the dam was, and all the progeny; anything around the birth, life and death of that animal that might point to indicators as to how it got sick,” said Price.

“What we’re trying to figure out right now is how the animal got sick, and how it caught BSE.” Equivalent risk animals will be destroyed and tested for BSE.

48,808

and processors — still need to do their best to keep suspect or inferior animals out of the food chain, the officials said.

And surveillance is especially important with BSE because it has such a long incubation period.

“Surveillance is an investment in the future,” said Hauer. “We don’t do surveillance today and get immediate results. We have to accumulate information over many years, and by doing so, that’s how we all help the industry.”

20,000

58,177

Photo: Alexis Kienlen

30,000 55,420

Surveillance and BSE testing is more important than ever, CFIA official Craig Price said at the recent Alberta Beef Industry Conference.

57,768

eep calm and carry on testing.

That’s the message going out to producers following the latest case of BSE in an Alberta cow.

“At times like this, it’s as important, if not more so, to continue with surveillance and be vigilant,” Canadian Food Inspection Agency official Craig Price told attendees at the recent Alberta Beef Industry Conference.

The animal infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy was born in March 2009 — two years after an enhanced feed ban took effect. It died at a farm near Spruce Grove and BSE was confirmed in mid-February. The last confirmed case was in 2011.

“Surveillance is a measuring tool — it doesn’t control the disease, it doesn’t keep the disease out of the food chain, and it doesn’t keep the disease out of the animal feed chain,” said Price, director of the CFIA’s Alberta North region As a controlled risk country, it’s acceptable for Canada to have 12 cases of BSE a year. However, the latest single case prompted South Korea to impose a temporary ban on imports of Canadian beef and, at press time, four other countries (Taiwan, Peru, Indonesia, and Belarus) had followed suit.

But those moves only reinforce the need to fulfil Canada’s pledge to the World Organization for Animal Health to test 30,000 animals yearly, said officials.

“We are meeting our targets.

But to be honest, in Alberta, we are struggling to meet our individual targets,” said Dr. Gerald Hauer, chief provincial veterinarian with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development.

“Now is not the time to take our foot off the gas. We still need to collect the samples and demonstrate we have a system that works.”

In a time when cull cows are attracting high prices, all segments of the beef sector —1/30/13 cowSEC-FUS13-T_AFEx.qxd calf producers, feedlot operators,

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 SOURCE: Canadian Food Inspection Agency

an eight-year ban), it included a protocol to cover this situation,” he said. “We’re in regular conversation with South Korea now, keeping it abreast of what we’re finding, what we know, and when we wrap this investigation up.”

Price said he was not expecting bans from major buyers of Canadian beef.

“They’re respecting the fact that we are a controlled risk country, that we have a job to do right now to investigate the disease and try and figure out how this animal got sick,” he said. “They’re watching and they’re listening, and they’re just paying attention and not signalling anything drastic at this time.”

The age of the cow will have an impact on Canada’s status with the OIE (Organization of World

Animal Health). If a country wants to apply for a negligible status, it must wait 11 years after the birth of the infected cow before application. Since the last infected case was born in 2004, Canada could have applied for status this August. However, because the latest infected animal was born in 2009, Canada will not be able to apply for negligible status until 2020.

Controlled status signifies to trading partners that there is some risk of BSE. A negligible status means a country has never had a case of BSE or it has been so long that the chance of a new case is extremely low. Both Australia and the United States have negligible status. akienlen@fbcpublishing.com

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MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

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

Reporters Alexis Kienlen, Edmonton 780-668-3121 Email: akienlen@fbcpublishing.com

Some straight talk on rail woes and why we need to get it right

Jennifer Blair, Red Deer 403-613-7573 Email: jennifer.blair@fbcpublishing.com

PRODUCTION director Shawna Gibson Email: shawna@fbcpublishing.com

Murad Al-Katib offers a few glimpses of where he’s coming from for getting the rail system back on track

Director of Sales & Circulation Lynda Tityk Email: lynda.tityk@fbcpublishing.com

CIRCULATION manager Heather Anderson Email: heather@fbcpublishing.com

By Laura Rance

national ADVERTISING SALES James Shaw Phone: 416-231-1812 Fax: 416-233-4858 Email: jamesshaw@rogers.com

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president Bob Willcox Glacier FarmMedia bwillcox@farmmedia.com 204-944-5751

Manitoba Co-operator editor

H

e’s been called Saskatchewan’s prince of the pulse crops, but Murad Al-Katib was putting on no royal airs when he spoke to farmers attending the recent Keystone Agricultural Producers annual meeting.

Far from it, the founder and CEO of Alliance Grain Traders, one of this country’s global success stories, was just a guy from Davidson, Sask. who is as interested as anyone in agriculture these days in making sure Canada can deliver the goods.

Al-Katib has a special vantage point though, as the federally appointed grain adviser serving on the committee reviewing the Canada Transportation Act. A comprehensive review of the act was part of the federal government’s response to last year’s grain transportation fiasco.

During his dialogue with delegates, he offered a few glimpses of where he’s coming from for getting the system back on track.

For starters, he reminded delegates that the focus of the review extends far beyond grain — and that’s a good thing.

“It’s the economic agenda for the country,” he said. “I like that focus more than a focus on grain.”

That means the whole country has a stake in the outcome. He also pointed out that Canada’s reputation as a reliable supplier is in jeopardy and that the ability to get grain to market is an essential ingredient in the country’s growth as an exporter.

Those were comforting words to farmers who fear their interests are getting lost in the shuffle.

But he also pointed out the grain sector stands out among other exporting sectors as being somewhat disparate and prone to finger pointing, rather than pulling together. In other words, blaming the railways alone for last year’s problems doesn’t cut it.

“We have people on this advisory committee who are shocked at how grain is organized,” Al-Katib said. “We are famous as the ones who don’t know how to act together.”

And he made some in the room downright nervous when talk turned to the Maximum Revenue Entitlement, a.k.a. revenue cap. Al-Katib said it comes down to three options: Leave it alone, eliminate it, or modernize it.

“My gut says it is probably not the right answer to leave it alone,” he said.

But he said nothing can be decided without undertaking a full review of what it is costing the railways to provide service to the grain sector, which hasn’t been done since 1992.

“I want to know the truth,” Al-Katib said.

“Once I know the truth, I’m willing to pay more if it means getting better service.”

He noted one of the “unintended consequences” of the federal government’s decision last year to require the railways to move a certain volume of grain per week or face fines was that grain only moved east and west on corridors with the quickest car turnaround times. Exports of flax or oats south or of feed grains into the British Columbia interior fell by the wayside.

“I am not in favour of overregulation — be careful what we ask for,” Al-Katib said.

“We want to incent competitive behaviour on all sides.”

As the industry learned last year, the costs of getting it wrong are staggering. But the potential from getting it right is huge.

As Al-Katib put it: “If we get it right, it lays the groundwork for foundational growth.” laura@fbcpublishing.com

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

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GM crop disputes show the dark side of agriculture in Hawaii GM variety has helped protect papaya against a deadly virus, but some growers have found their crop vandalized

By Karen Daynard

H

awaii — the name conjures up thoughts of beautiful beaches, waterfalls, fresh exotic fruits, flowers. However, there is a much darker side that most tourists are unaware of — an atmosphere of distrust, vandalism, and legal wars sparked by genetically modified (GM) crops.

With a 12-month growing season, Hawaii is a mecca for crop-breeding programs. All of the large agricultural companies have operations on several islands. Corn, soybeans and papaya are the main GM crops grown, although research is currently being done on bananas, pineapple and lettuce. Over the last few years though, Hawaii has become Ground Zero of the war over GM crops.

Over the past two years, the counties (islands) of Kauai, Hawaii, and Maui have passed laws restricting the use of GM plants, although courts have overturned the laws on two islands and Maui’s law — which would impose fines of $50,000 per day for farmers who knowingly grow GM crops — is under appeal.

GM technology has been used since the mid-1990s in Hawaii, and is credited with saving the state’s papaya industry, following the arrival of the papaya ringspot virus in the 1980s (which not only kills an infected plant but means another papaya can never be planted on the same spot). Dennis Gonsalvez is credited as the “saviour of the papaya industry” after recognizing the potential threat while still a young plant virologist at Cornell University.

His initial approach was to try to vaccinate the papayas, but the system required every seedling to be injected which was incredibly cumbersome. Finally, in 1991, Gonsalves successfully modified the fruit with a specific protein gene enabling resistance to the virus. Although it took over nine years to pass through the various U.S. levels of approval, the Rainbow papaya was the first GM horticultural crop. This variety now accounts for about 77 per cent of the crop (although production is now in the 30-million-pound range — less than half that of three decades ago).

Ken Kamiya, a second-generation papaya farmer from Oahu, remembers the days of the virus.

“We got completely wiped out.

We were cutting down trees every week, but the only option for replanting was to find virgin ground, and we ran out of that pretty quickly.”

Kamiya, a longtime friend of Gonsalvez, credits GM papaya for saving his farm. Since Hawaii is a net food importer, Kamiya views his land as critical for the assurance of local food supply. “I’ve had customers who have been with me for close to 40 years. They know me and my family, and realize that we’re doing our best.”

It’s disheartening to see the current backlash against agriculture, science, and especially biotechnology, he said.

“Our community is divided, the conversations can quickly turn ugly and there’s a definite lack of respect and trust for us farmers.”

The hostility is to the point that several papaya farmers have awoken in the morning to find that their entire acreages were chopped down by vandals in the night.

All of the papaya farmers in the state pay a self-imposed levy for research, and Kamiya believes scientists in both corporations and universities are necessary for continued advancement.

“We need all the tools in our tool box. With the papaya virus,

there are no other tools except for GM.” When asked about the future of GM crops, both Gonsalvez and Kamiya wonder why, after 25 years, papaya remains the only GM horticultural plant to be commercialized. Aside from the cost, Gonsalvez suggests that “most horticultural biotech research has been done in the public sector by those lacking skills in commercialization.”

Science needs to be doing more to commercialize transgenics for smaller crops, those which can truly benefit Third World countries, he said.

“Think of the benefit that GM cassava could have in Uganda, for example. And we already know that Golden Rice (high in vitamin A) has the potential to improve the health of millions of people.”

Ultimately, the now 77-year-old Gonsalvez remains excited about the potential of GM technology.

“It’s the one way we can beat the diseases impacting our food supply. There’s no such thing as a viricide, so we must use gene technology and resistance as tools.”

Karen Daynard is handling communications and PR for the Know GMO movie, www. knowgmothemovie.com.

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MARCH 2, 2015

The three basic rules of selling cattle The key to long-term success is to pay attention to the basic marketing tools you need to stay in the game

By Brenda Schoepp af columnist

T

he spike in cattle prices has led to some earnest soul-searching on farms and ranches. The concern is not so much in whether to buy or sell, but the longevity of high prices. How do we stay in the game for the long run?

That is the question that has been asked of me in many communities across the Prairies this winter.

Cow-calf operators enjoyed a fabulous (and long overdue) rally in prices as the Americans pounced on feeder cattle, driven by their own shortages, an abundance of corn, and a vastly depreciated Canadian dollar. If you were an average Prairie producer, then your cost of developing a weaned calf should be around $110 cwt. That put your total costs at an approximate $660, weight dependent, with a good $800 per head in the money jar. If that is where you play and want to stay, then it is important to be aware of the basic marketing tools that you need to stay in that game.

We know that uniformity (U) is a reflection of fertility in a herd. This is the first driver in the development of cattle prices. I have always maintained that as a buyer of calves and feeders, I want to lay a board across their backs and a board under their bellies with little space to show.

More importantly, I want to see that degree of uniformity across the whole lot of cattle because it is a first indicator of relative age and performance in cattle that are genetically complimentary.

From the producer’s perspective, uniformity is achievable by careful selection of bulls, nutritional attention to all stock, and heavy culling on the outliers that come in late. There are simple relationships to fertility in bulls as even scrotal size for the breed has a bearing. And cows with good feet and udders compliment the longevity of the fertile cow in the herd. Most important in the benchmarking of these cows is to have the majority calve in the first cycle (21 days) and to have a continuum of growth performance on the calf from birth to bistro. That means that as we measure the performance of the calves and record

that data, we look for fertile cows that as a group produce uniform calves that have a continuous growth curve.

Post-calving scours will cost the calf in terms of performance on the cow, in the feed yard and on the rail. The astonishing evidence of the effect of scours points to it as one of the biggest handicaps to profitability.

Calving in clean, open areas and moving cattle to a plot of clean land post-calving is very important in the overall profitability of the herd, because it is preventive in nature.

The next step in lining up for both good and bad times is to understand pricing (P) when it comes time to sell cattle. There are many methods to price cattle and manage that risk. Generally, feeder cattle are always priced on the average. What this means is that unless you differentiate in some way or manage your price risk in some way, you will not obtain premium pricing or sale conditions. A good example is “dumping” the cattle at an auction without any discussion on the merits of the cattle such as no administered hormones or treatments. They will be priced

on the average of the day — both the low and the high of the average. The same cattle that have a description of production practices will bring more money. We see this especially in any type of electronic auction or direct sale where the buyers may review the attributes of the cattle. In some cases this past year, the premium over the average high on differentiated cattle was $30 cwt.

Selling cattle is a very transparent process. In addition to many options including direct sales, there is a wider variety of buyers who have special interests because they have contracts with end-users that may widen in reach be they restaurants or export sales. At all levels, animal welfare is the primary concern. Producer, seller, buyer and transporter all have a stake in the game. Stress causes shrink (S) in cattle and that lost weight is lost pounds. Sure, the calves may have brought $300 cwt because they weighed 450 pounds at the time of sale. But the real question is — how much did they weigh before that?

As a cattle buyer, one likes to see a little shrink or lost weight

to account for the gut fill. Calves and feeder cattle bought on a full stomach are costly and all opportunity of compensatory gain for the buyer is lost. What nobody should sell or buy is the extremely stressed and shrunk calf that is health compromised.

Cattle are entrusted to our care from start to end of sale and by not paying attention to stress, dehydration, starvation, discomfort and excessive light, movement, mixing or sound we not only should dismiss ourselves as cattlemen and women from a welfare perspective but we simply do not make any money.

Think of it this way. The job of the cattleman and cattlewoman is to make money in both the production and sales of cattle.

As you plan the future, remember the simple rules of UPS — uniformity, price and shrink.

That keeps us focused on basic fundamentals of profitability.

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

Cloudless skies make Texas producers nervous about herd expansion A lot of American ranchers want to expand their herds, but fear a return of drought and going ‘backward in a hurry’

By Tom Polansek

reuters/ Zuehl / Texas

T

exas rancher Jim Rackley would like to add more cattle to his herd of about 50 to take advantage of sizzling beef prices and growing demand from health-conscious consumers for his grass-fed beef. But the prospect of cloudless skies keeps him cautious.

Rackley’s worries are typical of many U.S. beef cattle producers trying to restock after a yearslong drought, which peaked in 2011, decimated ranches built up over generations and shrank the nation’s herd to its smallest in more than 60 years.

Now a combination of recordhigh cattle prices and cheap grain has prompted ranchers to start adding back cattle earlier than expected. But the rebuilding will still be long and slow.

Producers like Rackley worry the drought will return, shrivelling scant pasture and sending grain costs soaring again. At the same time, there is no guarantee Americans will continue to consume beef at the current rate, given high prices.

“Every time we think we’re coming out of the drought, we get hit again,” said Rackley.

Feeder cattle futures are up 20 per cent from a year ago and corn futures down 13 per cent lower, but the price for new cattle is nearly $3,000 a head and pasture is still patchy in places.

The nation’s herd edged up one per cent to 89.8 million head by Jan. 1, stunning analysts who had predicted a decline and prompting some to bring forward to late 2016 from 2017 their expectations of when beef supplies will increase.

“Herd rebuilding is on the way, but putting a calf into the herd today will take at least a year and a half before you get anything out of it,” said Jack Salzsieder, owner of Iowa-based brokerage firm JRS Consulting.

Drought dilemma

In Oklahoma, Joe Smith wants to rebuild his cattle herd after selling three-fourths of his animals in 2011.

Smith said he was being “very cautious” in his attempt to expand production, holding back 10 cows of his 100-head herd to breed, instead of sending them to slaugh-

ter. His ranch still needs more rain to grow grazing grass.

About 33 per cent of the southern U.S., including the big cattle states of Texas and Oklahoma, was in some form of drought as of early February — down from about 37 per cent a year earlier. However, 8.7 per cent of Texas was considered to be in extreme or exceptional drought, the two worst categories, up three percentage points from a year ago.

“Every time we think we’re coming out of the drought, we get hit again.”

Jim Rackley

It may be 2018 or 2019 before increased supplies start to significantly push down beef prices, said Derrell Peel, an agricultural economist at Oklahoma State University, adding there are “a lot of

Photo: Thinkstock places that are vulnerable to go backward in a hurry” if conditions turn dry.

In the meantime, beef prices are likely to stay high, squeezing consumers in grocery stores and restaurants and prompting some Americans to eat less beef.

Per capita consumption (an estimated 54.3 pounds) has fallen by two pounds per person in the past year, and is forecast to slip to 52.7 pounds, according to the USDA, even though overall consumption

still outstrips domestic production.

Packers, which have shuttered beef-processing plants in recent years, are anxious to see the herd expand, and so are ranchers like Kevin Kester. But he’s located in drought-hit California. In 2010, he had 500 head, but that’s now down to 300 and he plans to reduce his herd further.

“Everybody wants to expand,” he said. “We’re looking for Mother Nature to co-operate.”

6

Off the front

March 2, 2015 • Albertafarmexpress.ca

MCDONALD’S } from page 1

from verified sustainable sources,” said Banik-Rake. “And our plan, over time, would be to continue to grow that number.”

food safety. Not every indicator is applicable to all segments of the value chain, but each one comes with a scoring system ranging from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent).

Each aligns with principles set out by the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef and the Global Roundtable on Sustainable Beef.

The process

Producers wanted

It has also chosen a third-party verifier, Colorado-based Where Food Comes From, Inc., a global leader in agricultural verification. That company will collect information that producers will provide in order to show how they meet the indicators, along with animal identification data that will track cattle from birth to burger.

The program will utilize both an enhanced version of the Verified Beef Program and the Beef InfoXchange System (BIXS), which is currently being revamped after the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association partnered with Edmontonbased ViewTrak Technologies.

McDonald’s is now looking for cow-calf producers, backgrounders, and feedlot operators interested in participating in the pilot, said Fitzpatrick-Stilwell and Michele Banik-Rake, director of sustainability for McDonald’s worldwide supply chain.

“We need to get out on farms to establish our baselines,” said Banik-Rake, who also spoke at the Alberta Beef Industry Conference.

As they have said throughout the process, the McDonald’s officials stressed that they view beef production in Canada as sustainable and that their program is about documenting that in order to assuage consumer concerns.

“If we start going out on farms and everyone’s a 5, we will not have a credible process.”

Michele Banik-Rake

Jeffrey Fitzpatrick-Stilwell, senior manager of sustainability with McDonald’s Canada, outlined details about the McDonald’s global pilot project at the Alberta Beef Industry Conference. Photo: Alexis Kienlen “You wouldn’t be in business if you weren’t operating in a sustainable way,” Fitzpatrick-Stilwell told conference attendees.

“But customers don’t trust us to tell them that. They don’t trust Cargill to tell them. So we need to develop some way of verifying the good work that is already happening.”

Credibility key

But the program has to be meaningful for consumers, said BanikRake.

“If we start going out on farms and everyone’s a 5, we will not have a credible process,” she said. “That will not be credible in

a consumer’s mind or an NGO’s mind. Conversely, if we go out and everyone is a 1, we’ll need to address that as well. Our next step is to get feedback on farms and do some of these verifications.”

They also said the sustainable beef program won’t see cattle segregated at the packers. When it announced its sustainable beef program a year ago, McDonald’s only promised to “begin purchasing” such beef in 2016. The company is committed to meeting that target, and if things were to go south in Canada, it would look elsewhere for sustainable beef, said Banik-Rake.

“When we hit our 2016 target — T:10.25”

and we firmly believe we will — we’ll set a target for a quantity,” she said.

Using BIXS will give the company a good handle on how much verified sustainable beef is being used in the 70 million pounds of hamburger patties produced at Cargill’s Spruce Grove plant west of Edmonton.

“We’ll be able to do a pretty good estimate of how many verified cattle arrived at the facility (Cargill’s High River slaughter plant) that day, how much was processed, and how much ended up at Spruce Grove to be turned into McDonald’s burgers that day,” said Fitzpatrick-Stilwell.

“We won’t be able to say next year that this hamburger is a sustainable hamburger, but we will be able to say that X per cent of all the meat that was processed in the Spruce Grove facility came

Ranchers who sign up for the pilot will begin by filling out a self-assessment online. That will be followed by a ‘pre-verification’ stage in which the verifier will see if there are any areas for improvement. The third stage will be the official verification.

The process will be confidential and participants will receive benchmark data from the program.

“What we will do with this information is share information about why somebody is a 4 with other ranchers in Canada,” said BanikRake. “This is about providing information so you can continue to improve.”

About two dozen producers have already signed up for this stage of the pilot program. Following this stage, there will be workshops to explore lessons learned, before moving on to a second group of producers.

Getting the process right and ensuring it works for everyone in the beef chain is the top priority at this point, the two McDonald’s officials said.

“We have no target in mind for numbers or per cents,” said BanikRake. “If it means that it’s a small percentage (of verified sustainable beef) that we start to buy in 2016, so be it. We all agree that it was done in the right way.”

Producers who have questions or who would like to participate in the pilot can contact Jeffrey Fitzpatrick-Stilwell at 416-4501484 or jeff.fitzpatrick-stilwell@ ca.mcd.com. akienlen@fbcpublishing.com

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7

Albertafarmexpress.ca • March 2, 2015

WORKERS } from page 1 to our neighbours south of us,” said Chambers, senior production manager at Sunterra Farms and also a member of a national task force trying to find solutions for the worsening labour situation.

“That’s not a good thing when you’re trying to grow your economy.”

There are currently 800 to 1,000 vacant positions in Canadian meat-packing plants alone, including 20 at Sunterra’s facility near Acme, which processes mainly hogs (but also some bison, cattle and lamb). The plant employs about 100 people, said Chambers.

“It’s not a big plant — it’s a small business — and we export about 70 per cent of that product to international markets,” he said. “It’s a challenge to try and take advantage of those opportunities when you don’t have enough people. We just cannot kill enough pigs if we don’t have the people there.”

The labour shortages at processing plants have a “trickle-down effect” all across agriculture, said Portia MacDonald-Dewhirst, executive director of the Canadian Agricultural Human Resources Council.

“There are many plants that are sitting with hundreds of positions that are unfilled,” she said.

“When that happens, the plant isn’t operating as efficiently as it could be, and those big operations start thinking about whether they want to stay in Canada or move operations to the States.

“The whole of the value chain, whether it be in the pork industry or the beef industry, is really quite concerned about this issue.”

And the problem isn’t unique to food processing, said MacDonaldDewhirst. It’s also impacting primary producers who can’t find farm labourers.

“We know vacancy rates have typically been nine to 10 per cent for this industry, and we know that that has increased in the last little while,” she said.

“With so many positions being open and people really scrambling to fill them, it impacts not just production capacity right now but also business growth and expansion opportunities that producers aren’t able to take advantage of.

“Everybody is implicated if one part of the value chain is in dire straits.”

While some workers leave Sunterra once they become permanent residents, many stay with the company.

“We can’t run the business on temporary work,” said Chambers.

“We need reliable employees that are going to be with us every day.”

But backlogs in the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program, where processing applications takes from one to two years, have put the brakes on Sunterra’s plans for a stable workforce.

“In the meat plant, it is problematic because there’s a lot of people who want to be nominated, and there’s a huge backlog,” said Chambers. “It would be a lot better if that program ran more efficiently.”

Until that backlog is reduced, the company can’t even seek a labour market impact assessment that would allow it to hire more temporary foreign workers.

Right now, the Labour Task Force is “working diligently” with the federal government to address some of the problems that have arisen because of the changes to the temporary foreign worker program, said MacDonald-Dewhirst.

“We’re trying to work with the government to explain that the agriculture and agri-food indus-

try is different. It’s an industry that depends on temporary foreign workers,” she said.

“When there is a need for foreign labour to be used, there’s a real need and it’s pressing. These businesses are using the program in the way that it should be, and we want to tweak it so that it’s working as best as it can.”

The group has developed a series of recommendations for how the temporary foreign worker program can be administered “in a way where there’s consistency and fairness across the industry,” she said. “Farmers in Canada are absolutely dedicated to ensuring that their businesses are operating as efficiently as possible and using Canadian workers to do so. But when there is a need for immediate relief of a labour issue, we need to be able to quickly access temporary foreign workers and move them toward permanent residency.”

Missed opportunities

At Sunterra, Chambers will continue to seek Canadian workers, but it’s getting more and more difficult, he said.

“It’s tough to get people to move out to the country,” said Chambers. “Rural communities are getting smaller and smaller,

so it’s getting tougher to attract people there.

“Ten or 15 years ago, we had a lot of good farm people working on the farms, but as the oil and gas sector took off in Alberta, a lot of those good farm boys took off to the oil industry because they can earn six-digit money.”

The drop in oil prices, and resulting layoffs, have resulted in “a few more resumés coming through the door,” but that’s a short-term solution, he said.

“As the oilpatch calls, they’re gone. It’s really difficult for us to run a business like that.”

And the fact remains that some jobs in the agri-food sector are “not the most desirable,” he said.

“I mean, I work in agriculture.

I raise animals. But I wouldn’t want to work in a meat plant,” said Chambers. “Some of (those jobs) are not the most desirable thing to do.”

The shortage of workers has also limited Sunterra’s ability to grow its grain operation and hog production.

And it also means that opportunities to grow the agri-food industry in Canada are being curtailed, said Chambers.

For example, his company has seen strong demand from export customers for organ meats.

Pork processors are being hit hard by industry-wide labour shortages, says Mark Chambers of Sunterra Farms. Photo: Courtesy Mark Chambers “Food is being thrown away because there’s not enough people to process it and send it off to international markets,” said Chambers. jennifer.blair@fbcpublishing.com

Foreign workers

But an already bad situation is getting worse because of changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, said Chambers, who also serves on the Agriculture and Agri-Food Labour Task Force, a national body set up in 2012 to find solutions for the labour shortage.

Like many companies in the food industry, Sunterra is constantly searching for Canadian workers, but gets “very few” applications, said Chambers.

“Our first goal is to try and get Canadians hired because it’s the easier way to do it and it’s the right thing to do,” he said. “But people move on to bigger and better things, and we’re just having a real hard time trying to replace them with Canadians.

“There’s just fewer people to choose from. We’re not getting the applications.”

His company has relied heavily on temporary foreign workers in the last few years, but it also assists them in becoming permanent residents.

“Basically, we’ve brought people in on a work permit, and then we’ve put them through the provincial nomination program,” said Chambers. “They come in as a temporary worker, and then eventually they become a permanent resident.”

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8

MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

In their words: Beef leaders talk about new national strategy More co-operation, research, and efficiency — and less red tape — hailed as keys to a more prosperous future moving forward to help with the demand side and increase productivity.

“Right now, we’re at this tipping point where we can really move things forward, in terms of decision-making and data collection and where it ties in with social licensing and the ability to transfer information.”

By Alexis Kienlen af staff / red deer

T

he new national beef strategy (www.beefstrategy.com) is being led by a group of “Canadian beef advisers.” Five of those industry leaders spoke about the five-year plan at the recent Alberta Beef Industry Conference. Here is a condensed version of some of their comments.

Jack Hextall, Canada Beef Inc. chair, on consumers and checkoffs

Jeff Warrack, National Cattle Feeders Association past chair, on working together:

“We’ve been criticized in the past for being fragmented as an industry. We’ve got to start connecting along the various segments in this beef industry. The strategy is pretty ambitious, but to me, that’s the No. 1 thing we have to start to do. One of the things that we’ve done in that direction is the establishment of this beef advisers’ committee.

“What we’ve boiled it down to is that we need to focus on some key areas — like labour recruitment and retention, emergency preparedness, social licence to operate, and the sharing of information through the chain.

“We’re asking people to keep investing, and we need to make sure we target these investments appropriately, and we’re also making sure that these investments are targeting their desired outcomes. This is also part of the role of the beef advisers.”

Dave Solverson, Canadian Cattlemen’s Association president, on competitiveness

“We need to make sure that we have a regulatory environment in Canada that does not burden us. In order for the industry to be competitive, it’s necessary to have that regulatory system that supports the industry, encourages innovation and efficiency and doesn’t add unnecessary costs. The current federal government’s focus on regulatory reform is positive for our industry. They have a one-for-one approach now where one regulation is removed for every new regulation introduced. We support that, and we will be holding them to that if we can. The government’s current focus on regulatory reform is a significant step to producing more industry competitiveness moving forward.

“The strategy will also address regulatory co-operation with our major trading partners, which is also essential to the future and competitiveness of our industry.

The reduction of regulatory barriers would not only have benefits to the cost of production, but it could also result in enhanced food safety, and animal health.

This is about the relative cost of our inputs, so the prices we pay are not artificially inflated by our regulations. It’s a cumbersome approval process we have, and the lack of access to new and more innovative products has held us back in the past. Some of the changes in Bill C-18 should give us more access to products.

It’s very important that we have access to those competitively priced inputs.”

Five beef advisers commented on the national cattle strategy.

Left to right; moderator Bryan Walton, (Alberta Cattle Feeders CEO), Jeff Warrack, Dave Solverson, David Bolduc, Tim Oleksyn and Jack Hextall. Photo: Alexis Kienlen David Bolduc, Canadian Beef Breeds Council president, on productivity and efficiency

“In the purebred sector of our industry, it’s very exciting.

Never before have we had the tools to improve the cattle that influence every segment of this industry so much. This strategy has a set of benchmarks to get to an improvement of 15 per cent in production in the next five years. I think a significant amount of this increase in production will be generated by the seed stock sector in improvements in genetics. The main area of improvement is going to come from genomic evaluation, and our ability to evaluate these cattle for what they have.

It’s far beyond what we’ve seen in the past.

“Projects that will make a difference include bovine respiratory disease research. Essentially, we’re going to be able to genomically select cattle that have a resistance to BRD. This could be significant from a feedlot perspective and could result in a huge reduction of antimicrobial use. This will be acceptable to consumers, since it relies on natural selection at an accelerated pace. So much of this technology will put our industry in a sustainable light.

“We’re also looking at things like feed efficiency, which will have a tremendous economic impact. The big challenges include education and adoption of this technology and this is going to take funding. Already, we’re seeing increases in the purebred industry of membership fees.”

Tim Oleksyn, Beef Cattle Research Council chair, on research benefits

“We’ve had some real value by having a national beef research strategy. Provincial, federal and even global governments have supported this document and the organizations in it, and this has led to taking some leadership and moving things forward in a collaborative nature.

“The strategy will help us prioritize. There are so many decisions made by researchers on an ongoing basis, and research touches so many things in the strategy, like the expansion of the productivity demand and how we move forward on that, to the forages and grains efficiencies. It also touches on the

need for information on antimicrobials, and dealing with the food safety aspects.

“Our role is to identify brilliance among groups of people and get those collaborations going and

HOT.

“Everyone knows that con sumers make choices based on many things, including loyalty. We’re not the only protein choice out there and we’re not the only beef choice out there.

An aligned industry can help us meet consumer expectations of confidence, and expectations of how our beef is produced, raised and sold across the country.

“It’s also about creating a good, consistent experience.

Consistency means that we do what’s right every time and that

COLD.

can be taste, or buying experience or education, etc.

“Demand for beef is high and growing in international markets. We need to align our industry to achieve greater successes in all sectors, to capitalize on growing beef demand around the world, and increase the cut-out value.

“To be sustainable, we all have to be profitable, and that collaborates to help sustain demand.

“Achieving the goals identified in the national plan are estimated to require a checkoff investment of approximately $19 million, or $2.50 per head, which is a $1.50 increase from the current $1 national checkoff. Checkoff dollars trigger significant investments at both the national and provincial level. If industry isn’t at the table, then why would anyone else want to be there with their money as well? It really boils down to an investment in our own future.” akienlen@fbcpublishing.com

BIG.

.

9

Albertafarmexpress.ca • March 2, 2015

Beavers cause problems, but also provide benefits Understanding beaver biology and ecology can help you coexist with beavers on your property

By Alexis Kienlen af staff

T

Photo: Thinkstock

SMALL.

EARLY.

LATE.

hey’re one of Canada’s national symbols but for some farmers, beavers are nothing more than pests who destroy trees and flood land.

But it’s time to think of the industrious rodents in a new way, says Lorne Fitch, provincial riparian specialist with Cows and Fish.

“Beavers are a keystone species,” said Fitch. “They are one of those species upon which many other fish and wildlife species depend. Having them active at a watershed or landscape scale means that we can maintain biodiversity.”

Climatologists are predicting droughts and floods will be more common in the future, and beaver dams can help alleviate the severity of both, he said.

“Water (retention) is a substantial benefit, particularly in drought situations, because it slowly seeps back into the stream and the river and keeps downstream water users and fish supplied with water,” said Fitch.

As well, “taking off some of that flood peak means a basement might not be flooded downstream.”

Fitch said he doesn’t discount the damage caused by beavers, such as flooded roads and fields, plugged culverts, and the loss of trees. But there are a number of strategies that can be used to address such situations.

Cows and Fish has created a fact sheet called An overview of beaver management for agricultural producers to help people deal with unwanted beaver activity. (It is available at www. cowsandfish.org — click on the Publications tab and then on FactSheets.)

“It can be something as simple as wrapping your favourite trees and shrubs with chicken wire to keep them from being cut down, to installing a pond-levelling

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Lorne Fitch

device that keeps water levels in a beaver pond at a desirable level,” said Fitch.

Shooting or trapping beavers can actually make the problem worse as it creates a vacuum that can attract even more beavers, he added.

“If an area has a high capability for beaver... you may invest a lot of time and money in a herculean way, simply to be overwhelmed by beavers,” he said.

Understanding beavers helps to devise the best solutions for management.

For example, beavers are attracted by the sound of running water by building dams. If a producer has a culvert that is continually plugged by beavers, installing a weir that reduces that sound can help. Planting more coniferous trees — beavers prefer deciduous trees and shrubs — also makes an area less attractive.

“Beavers do bring tremendous benefits.”

Lorne Fitch

“It’s not to suggest that beavers should be everywhere all the time,” said Fitch. “But beavers do bring tremendous benefits, so if they disappear from the watershed completely, we may have missed opportunities to adapt to the implications of climate change. It’s really about working together on a community basis, on a watershed, to get out the knowledge of how beavers operate, and to think about how beavers might exist where they don’t cause issues and where they are manageable.” akienlen@fbcpublishing.com

NEWS » Markets

}economy

10

MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Trade talks almost done?

Farm management workshops

Negotiators for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, say an agreement on the trade deal is getting closer. But no date has been set for a ministerial meeting to make final decisions on politically sensitive issues such as how long drug companies can have a monopoly over new medicines and the enforcement of environmental provisions in the pact. The agreement would stretch from Japan to Chile and cover 40 per cent of the world economy. The U.S. Congress has yet to debate key trade legislation, nor pass legislation to streamline its passage of trade deals. But Republicans and the White House support the deal. — Reuters

Managing market risk is one of the topics being covered at the Leading Edge Farm Management Series later this month. Other topics include assessing your farm’s financial position, use of corporations, managing production risks; and, little steps farm businesses can take to create bigger profits. The daylong events will be held in Grande Prairie (March 24), Nisku (March 25) and Red Deer (March 26). The cost is from $85 to $150 with early-bird discounts for registering by March 10. For more info, go to www.albertacanola.com or by calling the Alberta Canola Producers Commission at 1-800-551-6652. — AARD release

Canola futures rising into upper end of range WILD CARD } Wheat futures weren’t able to hang on to their gains

By Phil Franz-Warkentin

C

anola futures at ICE Futures Canada continued their three-month uptrend during the week ended Feb. 20, hitting their highest levels since July.

While there is still more room to the upside from a chart standpoint, the fundamental arguments for any further strength are getting harder and harder to find.

A lack of significant farmer selling has been cited on numerous occasions as an underpinning factor, keeping canola pointed higher. However, deliveries appear to be coming in, rail movement is still running behind, and commercial stocks of over 1.4 million tonnes (according to Canadian Grain Commission data) are far from tight.

The weaker Canadian dollar has also been a supportive factor for canola, as it’s crashed to the US80-cent mark and below. However, the currency appears to be stabilizing for the time being, according to analysts who are mostly of the opinion that the lows may be in for the time being as far as the loonie is concerned.

The exchange rates helped canola outpace Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) soybeans to the upside during the runup, with some fund spreading between the two markets also said to be benefiting the Canadian futures. However, canola remains the little brother in the relationship and where the soy complex goes will eventually pull on the Canadian oilseed as well.

Soyoil already lost ground over the week, and most reports out of South America point to a big soybean crop as the harvest moves forward in Brazil.

With the South American crops coming online, international demand for soybeans is also starting to shift southward.

CBOT soybeans did manage to see some strength during the week, with expectations for declining U.S. acres this spring providing a modest boost.

However, just as in Canada, a lack of farmer selling has contributed to gains in beans and those unpriced supplies are expected to start weighing on prices shortly.

Wheat futures, meanwhile, hit some of their best levels in a month to start the week, but were hard pressed to hold on to any gains and dropped lower across the board.

The failed ceasefire in Ukraine provided the catalyst for some early buying interest in wheat. Cold temperatures

Photo: Thinkstock across the U.S., and the resulting winterkill threats, were also supportive. However, world wheat supplies remain large and the U.S. continued to miss out on export opportunities during the week.

Egypt is the world’s largest wheat importer, and even a US$100-million line of credit was not enough to convince the country to buy U.S. wheat in a tender during the week. With shipping factored in, U.S. prices were said to be about US$50 per tonne above the wheat being offered from France and Romania.

U.S. wheat exports are running about 24 per cent behind the year-ago pace, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data. That slow export pace has led to upward revisions to carry-out estimates, and a retest of the nearby lows hit at the beginning of February is

likely more plausible for wheat than any continued strength. However, Ukraine’s situation does remain a wild card, while U.S. weather concerns also have the potential to provide a nearby boost.

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 Resource News International, visit “ICE Futures Canada updates” at www.albertafarmexpress.ca.

11

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MARCH 2, 2015

Zilmax label update allows for lower daily dose Drug use had been suspended in 2013 because of health concerns in feedlots AgCanada.com

C

The label will now include an updated caution statement that emphasizes cattle shouldn’t be fed Zilmax beyond a 90-mg dose per head per day. Photo: Supplied T:8.125”

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T:10”

anada has granted the makers of cattle feed additive Zilmax an expanded product label that allows for component feeding at the lower end of its dosage range — and draws the line for a maximum rate in complete feed.

Merck Animal Health announced approval from Health Canada’s Veterinary Drugs Directorate to update the growth-promoting additive’s label to include component feeding.

The update allows for a lower targeted dose of 60 milligrams of the drug’s active ingredient, zilpaterol hydrochloride, per head per day through “one of multiple daily feedings,” such as in a morning or evening feeding, Merck said.

In 2013, Merck suspended sales of the drug, nicknamed “vitamin Z” in some feedlots, in both Canada and the U.S. after packers Tyson Foods and Cargill stopped accepting Zilmax-treated cattle.

A Reuters news agency review in late 2013 of reports submitted

by Merck and others to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) showed at least 285 cattle to have died unexpectedly or been destroyed in the U.S. after being fed Zilmax since the drug was introduced in 2007.

The new method, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved for Zilmax last fall, gives Canadian cattle feeders “an alternative option to deliver the appropriate dose of Zilmax to cattle every day,” the company said.

Merck said a revision to the “complete feed” information on the Zilmax label has also been approved.

The complete feed label dose for zilpaterol is 8.3 grams per tonne (100 per cent dry matter basis) to provide 60 to 90 mg of active ingredient per head per day, Merck said.

The label will now include an updated caution statement that emphasizes cattle shouldn’t be fed Zilmax beyond a 90-mg dose per head per day.

If pen consumption of complete feed exceeds 10.8 kilograms per head per day (100 per cent dry matter basis), Zilmax “should not be fed in complete feed,” the company said.

Zilpaterol, a beta-agonist drug, is prescribed for increased carcass leanness, increased dressing per cent, improved rate of body weight gain and improved feed efficiency in feedlot cattle during the animal’s last 20 to 40 days on feed.

The drug’s label specifies it should be used only in feedlots and only in cattle weighing at least 450 kilograms (992 pounds). The label requires it to be thoroughly mixed into manufactured feeds, and never used undiluted or as top dressing on feed.

Tyson said at the time its decision followed observations that some animals arriving at its packing plants were having trouble walking or moving.

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news » livestock

MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Feedlot placements down

Beef exports to fall

The number of cattle placed in U.S. feedlots in January fell compared with a year ago. Lower prices for cattle ready for processing discouraged some ranchers while others are expansion minded and holding back heifers. The USDA puts January placements at 1.787 million head, down 11 per cent from 2.014 million last year. Analysts, on average, had expected a 12.7 per cent January placement decrease. The feedlot cattle supply as of Feb. 1 was 10.711 million head, nearly in line with 10.678 million a year ago. The USDA said the number of cattle sold to packers was down nine per cent. — Reuters

U.S. beef exports will decline in 2015, as tight supplies, high prices and a strong dollar constrict demand from buyers holding other currencies, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Exports will likely fall 4.8 per cent to 2.5 billion pounds this year, USDA said during its annual Agriculture Outlook Forum. Beef imports are forecast to drop to 2.8 billion pounds, down 4.6 per cent from a record high in 2014. Imports will be suppressed by the tighter supplies in other countries like drought-stricken Australia. The USDA also said the cattle herd will continue to expand in 2015. — Reuters

Expert says prepare to raise beef in a world without growth promotants While there’s no question beta-agonists and antibiotics work, there are ways to lessen the need for them, says ruminant nutritionist

By Jennifer Blair af staff / red deer

G

et ready — changing consumer demands could spell the end of growth promotants in Canadian cattle production, says a ruminant nutritionist from Brazil.

“Increased public concern with animal welfare, and also with antibiotic resistance in humans, has really drawn attention to the use of these kinds of products,” said Gabriel Ribeiro at the recent Feed Coalition workshop.

“We have to understand that demand drives production, and as beef producers, we have to produce what the consumer wants. And if that’s what the consumer wants in the future, we might have to change the way we produce beef.”

Right now, producers use beta-agonists and antibiotics to promote growth, improving everything from carcass gain to feed efficiency, he said.

And improved efficiency is critical as global demand for beef grows.

“By 2050, we will need around 43 per cent increase in beef production. That means a little over one per cent increase per year,” said Ribeiro, a visiting scientist at the Lethbridge Research Centre.

“The question is: How are we going to do that? Are we going to increase efficiency and improve the way we feed and raise our cattle? Or are we going to increase our area and our number of animals?”

Doing the former is going to be tough without growth promotants, according to a recent U.S. study.

“By removing this growthenhancing technology, we would need to increase the animal population by 11.8 per cent and increase feed stuff by 10.6 per cent to produce the same amount of beef,” said Ribeiro.

“We would also need to increase land area by 10 per cent, water use by 4.2 per cent, and carbon emissions by 9.8 per cent.”

But with federal legislation phasing out the use of antibiotics for growth promotion within the next three years and mar-

Growth promotants have been key to producing more beef with less feed, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be around in the future. photo: ISTOCK kets increasingly demanding implant-free beef, producers will need to start rethinking their production practices.

Five suggestions

“We have to think about the whole system and the points we can manage and change that can reduce problems,” said Ribeiro. “We have to think about preventing disease, not treating disease.”

Reducing stress during transport and handling is a major factor in preventing disease, he said.

“Nowadays, people have been moving their cattle more often, with animals changing groups, and that puts animals in higherstress situations,” said Ribeiro.

“If you’re always moving your animals between pens, you’re increasing this. Your animals

“We have to think about the whole system and the points we can manage and change that can reduce problems.”

Gabriel Ribeiro

are stressed, and the probability of having disease problems is higher.”

Diet also plays a role.

“That might be the easiest way nowadays to try to reduce acidosis and liver abscesses,” he said,

adding that may mean bumping up fibre levels.

“People are feeding less than 10 per cent forage in their finishing diets. What we’re doing is transforming ruminants into monogastrics, and we can expect problems with that. That’s not in their biology.”

Proper grain processing also can reduce the risk of acidosis.

“We know if we increase processing, we increase fermentation in the rumen, but if we increase too much fermentation, it causes acidosis,” said Ribeiro.

“We’ve got to fine tune that to have the minimum processing so that we can effectively use the grain, but not promote excessive acid production.”

Improved feed delivery could also help.

“Delivering the feed more often would promote the reduction of

meal size,” he said. “We know that animals that eat too much have higher fermentation and more acid being produced.”

Reducing animal density would help drive down disease as well, he said. “We have lots of animals very close to each other, and maybe we will have to reduce the number of animals in a pen.”

These changes “will involve costs,” said Ribeiro, but eventually, those costs may be offset by higher prices, as was the case in Europe, where growth promotants are banned.

“These technologies have an impact on production, so if we remove them, it will be a problem. But if we can add value to Canadian beef, this loss might be reduced by the opening of new markets.” jennifer.blair@fbcpublishing.com

13

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MARCH 2, 2015

Free quota allows producers to break into the egg industry With the cost of quota north of $300 per bird, the New Entrant Program offers producers a way to beat the biggest barrier to egg production

By Jennifer Blair af staff

R

ichard Molenaar wouldn’t have even considered becoming an egg farmer without free quota.

“If we weren’t accepted for the New Entrant Program, we wouldn’t be doing it. I know that for a fact,” said Molenaar, who farms near Grande Prairie with wife Mandy and his parents.

“Unless you’re born into an egg farm, you’re probably not going to be able to get started because of the burden of the cost of quota.”

Launched by the Egg Farmers of Alberta last year, the program sets aside five per cent of new quota allocation specifically for new entrants. New producers get free quota for up to 1,500 birds and are allowed up to two years to begin production.

The program addresses one of the “biggest barriers” to entering the egg industry, said Christina Robinson, producer services manager for Egg Farmers of Alberta.

“With barn renovations and equipment costs, we’re expecting to spend between $170,000 and $200,000. If we had to buy the quota on top of that, it wouldn’t be viable.”

Richard Molenaar

“Quota can be very difficult to find, and it can be very expensive,” said Robinson. “With the New Entrant Program providing the quota at essentially no cost to the producer, that really takes away that financial burden.”

The program generated an immediate and huge response.

“The applications were open for two months — from May to June — last year, and we got over 40 applications from people who are interested in accessing quota through the program,” she said.

“In the end, we had enough quota for seven new entrants.”

To be eligible, producers must meet a number of criteria, including having facilities for the birds and experience working in agriculture. Otherwise, the learning curve would be too steep, said Robinson.

“It’s not just as easy as flipping a switch — they have to get a barn in place and learn a lot about industry standards,” she said. “To come into the agriculture industry really fresh would make it really challenging for them.”

Egg Farmers of Alberta has been hosting workshops and sharing resources with the seven new entrants from last year’s program to bring them up to speed, she said.

“There is a lot to learn. It’s surprising for a lot of people to learn how much is involved in raising a chicken.”

The Molenaars can attest to that.

Even though they grow grain and have raised pigs in the past, learning the ins and outs of the egg business has been a challenge.

“It’s required a lot more effort than we initially thought it would take,” said Molenaar. “There’s a lot more regulations than we were familiar with.”

When he applied, Molenaar didn’t realize the industry was shifting toward enhanced laying cages. And while he “would have applied anyway” had he known, the equipment he needs isn’t yet widely used in Canadian egg production.

“It’s very new. Some are changing to this free-run system, but very few have,” he said.

He’s ordered a Combi system from Germany that combines both enhanced cages and freerun space — one of only a few such systems in Canada so far.

“The biggest challenge we had was trying to find a system that we liked and that would work,” said Molenaar. “We’ve ordered the system, and we like it, but we don’t know if it will work yet. We’ll find out in a year from now.”

The Molenaars will be converting an old hog barn this summer between seeding and harvest, with production expected to begin in November.

“With barn renovations and equipment costs, we’re expecting to spend between $170,000 and $200,000,” he said. “If we had to buy the quota on top of that, it wouldn’t be viable. With just buying the equipment, it’s going to be tough enough to make a decent profit at it.”

The investment will pay off for the couple — eventually, said Robinson.

“If you’re in production for about 15 years, the cost of your facility will be covered by your egg production,” she said.

That’s part of the reason the Molenaars are already thinking about expanding.

“I think once it’s going, it will be OK, but if it had to pay for itself, I think it would be a very long and painful payback,” said Molenaar.

“There’s a fairly narrow margin, and volume is where it’s at. That’s why we’ve got to expand.”

But expansion comes with its own problems.

“We’re hoping to lease quota and double that to 3,000. If it goes well, we can expand the system and probably go to 4,000,” he said.

“We’re hoping to grow into it, but one of the biggest challenges we’re actually finding is trying to get our hands on quota. A lot of it is not what you know, it’s who you know.”

Bringing in new producers is key to having a vibrant egg industry, said Robinson.

“I think it’s really important in agriculture, where we’re seeing that farms are getting bigger and there are less farmers, to keep encouraging new producers to enter the industry and bring new ideas and new energy.”

Applications for the 2015 New Entrant Program will be available on the Egg Farmers of Alberta website between May 1 and June 25. jennifer.blair@fbcpublishing.com

Christina Robinson demonstrates biosecurity to industry newcomers as part of the Egg Farmers of Alberta New Entrant Program. PhotoS: Courtesy Egg Farmers of Alberta

Workshops with industry professionals is a key part of the Egg Farmers of Alberta’s New Entrant Program, says producer services manager Christina Robinson.

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MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Intestinal problems are frustrating, and not well understood beEf 911 } Some conditions will strike calves that seem

to be flourishing until they are suddenly struck down

By Roy Lewis DVM

E

very spring, the sudden deaths of apparently healthy calves frustrate good managers. This article will shed some light on the cause of these internal conditions and help producers realize some things are simply beyond their control.

We see one to two per cent perforating ulcers every spring on many well-managed farms.

These are ulcers on the abomasum (fourth stomach), which have eaten right through the entire wall, allowing gut contents to spill out into the abdomen. These calves die within 24 hours of this happening, and most are found as a sudden death. If alive they are very shocky, weak, and dehydrated, may be down, and are often full or bloated on both sides of their abdomen. It is very often your oldest calves that seem to be doing very well.

Initially the cause of these was suspected to be everything from clostridial diseases and hairballs to BVD and copper deficiency to genetics. A lot of these probable causes were pretty much ruled out by a group of researchers out of the veterinary college in Saskatoon in a study done more than 15 years ago. They surveyed herds across Western Canada and found these calves generally are in the six- to eight-week range when they ulcerate and are generally

the upper end as far as growth.

The incidence was just as high in well-managed herds where a lot of the suspect causes could be ruled out.

At the six- to eight-week stage, calves are changing from essentially a single-stomached animal to one that ruminates, whereby the rumen is enlarging. As a result the calves’ diet is changing from only mother’s milk to roughage and something triggers this ulcer formation.

Ulcers happen on calves picking at hay or where their mothers are primarily fed silage. No study has followed up since, but I rarely see ulcers on laterborn calves that go through this transition at pasture. The diet change is much more subtle going from milk to milk and very fine soft new grass. Perhaps this more natural change has something to do with it. Perhaps dead calves are not found to be checked at pasture but in the future perhaps this question can be researched and answers found.

For now, some producers must live with the fact a low percentage of good calves gets this condition and dies. For a very few — if found early enough and just have colicky signs — surgery can be done and the area resected.

But they must be found fast and the veterinarian react before the ulcer has perforated.

Calves in spring can be presented to a veterinary clinic simply full with no manure being passed. If they are alert

Photo: Thinkstock and lively a hairball or other object causing an obstruction could be the cause. Often these are initially treated with laxatives to see if the object will pass. If not, surgery is performed and an enterotomy (cut into the intestines) incision done right over the obstruction and the calf will generally

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make an uneventful recovery.

If this situation is left, an intussusception may develop, which is essentially the telescoping of the intestine into itself. Peristalsis is the contractions, which move feed down the intestinal tract. With an obstruction or sometimes spontaneously the intestines overdo this process and telescope on themselves.

The resultant swelling and scarring in itself then will also cause a blockage. Surgery can again be done and often the involved area of intestines is removed back to normal and the two ends are then joined together.

The intestines will heal quickly and again an uneventful recovery is often the result after a few days of convalescence.

Torsions are intestinal accidents generally involving the small intestines, spiral colon, ceacum (equivalent to the human appendix) or the abomasum. Calves get shocky and bloated very quickly. Again, if surgery is performed to correct the torsion, it must be done right away. Otherwise, blood supply is damaged to the intestines or stomach since the torsion acts essentially like a tourniquet on the affected tissues. If you wait even a couple of hours the prognosis is very grave indeed on all the intestinal-related torsions. These can be harder to fully diagnose and with all these intestinal problems an exploratory surgery can be the most revealing. Your veterinarian can give a very good idea on eventual outcome if they have experience dealing with these intestinal-type accidents.

Every year we have several cases of small intestines on newborn calves eviscerating out through an umbilical hernia site. Sometimes the hernial contents will be contained within a sac. These are a dire veterinary emergency and if rushed into the

clinic for surgery they can have a high rate of success. If the contents are contaminated by straw or dirt, or stepped on by the calf, the odds reduce drastically.

The best thing to do with these calves is get them upside down so no more intestines fall out from gravity. Wrapping a clean wet towel around the area facilitates this and prevents any exposed intestines from drying out. If surgery can be performed without much contamination to the area the veterinarian replaces the herniated contents, repairs the hernial site and covers them with antibiotics. What is really critical here is how quick producers discover them and how they are transported into the clinic. The minute your veterinarian examines them he/she can give you a fairly accurate prognosis as to the final outcome and whether surgery is worth it.

The causes of abdominal problems are varied. In half of the cases, diagnosis is made on autopsy. Other cases can have favourable outcomes if surgery is performed. So quickly have any of these conditions checked by your veterinarian as time is often of the essence as they are true veterinary emergencies. With prices of calves today and their future potential value, the cost to perform individual surgeries is often worth taking the chance if the prognosis is reasonable. If in doubt, quickly phone the veterinary clinic to get advice on the specific intestinal problem your calf has. Many times, heroics will win the day and it will be a case you will talk about for years to come — especially if the calf becomes marketable.

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

His main interests are bovine reproduction and herd health.

15

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MARCH 2, 2015

PEDv is now a ‘new normal’ for hog producers Expert says porcine epidemic diarrhea virus is likely here to stay, but the disease can be managed

By Ron Friesen af contributor

F

or Dr. Sue Burlatschenko, the most striking thing about porcine epidemic diarrhea virus was the eerie silence in infected nursery barns because the baby pigs were either sick or dead and the sows are too ill to rise.

“You walk into a barn at feeding time and you won’t hear a sound,” she said.

Burlatschenko was the first veterinarian in Canada to diagnose this silent killer when it was detected on an Ontario farm a year ago, and has been on the front lines trying to contain it.

But it’s an uphill battle because PEDv is a “stinky” virus which is difficult to work with immunologically. As a result, scientists have yet to develop a vaccine for it, she said.

For now, the best producers can do to prevent its spread is to practise strict biosecurity, emphasize sanitation and control anything going in and out of their barns, she said.

Burlatschenko, who operates a swine veterinary service in Tillsonburg, Ontario, updated producers on PEDv during a presentation at the recent Manitoba Swine Seminar in Winnipeg.

The first North American case of PEDv was detected in the U.S. in May 2013. According to genetic tests, the strain

originated in China but no one knows how it crossed the ocean.

Since its arrival, PEDv has carved a deadly swath through the U.S., killing millions of baby pigs and inflicting huge losses on producers. Canada has seen under 100 cases, mostly in Ontario, because producers here realized the disease was coming and were able to “batten down the hatches” in preparation, said Burlatschenko.

GRAPH U.S. HOG INDUSTRY QUARTERLY LITTER RATES, 2000-14 This graph shows the sharp drop in U.S. hog litter rates after onset of PEDv in 2014.

Rates are now recovering as producers learn how to manage the disease.

“You walk into a barn at feeding time and you won’t hear a sound.”

Dr. Sue Burlatschenko

“I think we have just been amazingly successful because we haven’t had the big explosion like the U.S. had to endure.”

The PED virus is highly concentrated and virulent — it’s estimated one thimble-full of feces could contain enough virus to infect all the pigs in the U.S. There’s also some suggestion PEDv can be spread through infected feed. Burlatschenko said one surge of cases involving 17 Ontario herds may have originated from a batch of creep feed

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using National Agricultural Statistics Service, Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report.

containing dried blood plasma protein infected with PEDv. Barring a miracle vaccine, pork producers need to get used to the idea that they have yet another virus to deal with, along with TGE, PRRS and circovirus, she said.

But PEDv can be managed, she added.

“It’s become our new normal,” Burlatschenko said. “It’s not one I like. But as with circovirus, PRRS or anything else, we learn to adapt to the virus, work with it and deal with it.

“It is a new virus in North America, yes, but it’s not the end of the world. We can work with it, we have the technology, we can manage it. There are far more serious things out there than PEDv. Keep it in perspective.”

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MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Animal welfare expert calls for more federal funding and less red tape Specialist says livestock industry has to better articulate that animal welfare is a high-priority area

By Alex Binkley af contributor

T

he federal government has essentially withdrawn from funding animal welfare research even as controversy rages on several related topics, says David Fraser, an animal welfare professor at the University of British Columbia.

The result is that industry is left trying to pay for research, which is often dictated by government policy or public concerns and provides little direct benefit to farmers, said Fraser.

“The federal government cut back animal welfare research funding severely in the 1990s and has moved since then from being the main provider of research funding to relatively a non-player,” said Fraser, a member of the board of the National Farmed Animal Health and Welfare Council.

Unlike the National Farm Animal Care Council, which is developing codes of conduct to guide the humane raising of farm livestock, the council is focused on the science and research needed to ensure livestock are properly treated, Fraser said.

“Animal welfare is a high-priority area for the public and governments need to contribute to the research that’s going on,” he said.

The council is hoping to come up with a plan for later this year

on how to bring Ottawa and the provinces back into animal welfare research.

“Right now there’s nothing to cover the public good and government policy demands being placed on farmers,” he said. “At the same time, the industry has to better articulate that animal welfare is a high-priority area.”

“Animal welfare is a high-priority area for the public and governments need to contribute to the research that’s going on.”

David Fraser

The council also wants Ottawa to improve administration of the limited research funding so its rules stop forcing scientists to spend more time on paperwork for bureaucrats than studying animal behaviour, Fraser said.

“They couldn’t have made it more difficult for scientists to get important work done if they’d

tried,” he said. “We need to standardize the application and reporting process instead of having every program under completely different rules. The scientists spend far too much time applying for and administering grants.”

Include commodity groups

Another priority for the council during 2015 is to convince commodity groups to make sure their research projects include the social and economic aspects of farm animal welfare issues and not just the biology and technology of livestock production systems.

“Hopefully we’ll have something for 2016,” Fraser said.

Action is needed because the livestock industry suffers “from blind spots. For example, the public is opposed to the use of confinement systems for livestock,” he said.

But the industry responds too slowly to their concerns and doesn’t explain why they were adopted. There were good economic reasons for their introduction decades ago, Fraser said.

“Now we have to look for other systems that would work for farmers. We need more economic analysis of alternate methods.

Often they’re not more expensive in operation than what producers now use. However, the cost of converting to them discourages many farmers. This is an area we hope to address.”

A University of B.C. animal welfare professor says the original cost of non-confinement systems may not be higher than conventional, but the cost of conversion discourages producers. File pHOTO The National Farm Animal Care Council has agreed to take charge of developing better coordination among existing animal research initiatives, getting all livestock groups involved and connecting them with government policy proposal, Fraser said.

Responding to growing concerns about antimicrobial resistance in humans that could be linked to the use of the same medicine in humans and animals is one area where the livestock industry has to make its record clearer, he said.

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T:10.25”

} SOIL

Moisture outlook generally good The latest provincial soil moisture outlook is generally promising. South of the Trans-Canada, below-normal snowpacks are being offset by above-normal soil moisture levels, said Ralph Wright, manager, agrometeorological applications and modelling section, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, Edmonton. The situation is reversed north of the Trans-Canada. “One notable exception remains in the extreme northern Peace County, where soil moisture reserves and snowpacks are below normal for this time of year,” he said. The full report can be found at www.agric.gov.ab.ca (type ‘moisture situation’ in the search box). — AARD release

Decisions, decisions — what will you plant this spring?

It’s only a small sample, but rotation looms large for these four farmers — although there’s an opening for something that’s the right fit

By Alexis Kienlen af staff

A

Rotation a priority

Lee Markert said he’s been seeding more and more pulses over the past five years.

“We’re going to continue on that trend and we’ll have more pulses in this year than we ever have before,” said Markert, who operates Markert Seeds, north of Vulcan, with his parents.

The family, which crops about 4,700 acres, decided to go with more pulses for both marketing and agronomic reasons. They’ve moved into yellow peas and faba, and are also producing peas for certified seed because of increasing demand.

“It’s kind of a ripple effect because the commodity market is demanding more yellow peas and as a result there’s a higher demand for more certified seed,” he said. “With the value you can extract from yellow peas right now on the commercial

Tried and true

It’s steady as she goes for John Guelly, who crops about 900 acres near Westlock.

The third-generation farmer has stuck to a wheat-canola rotation for a decade and this year will again seed about 450 acres of each.

“We’re looking at trying to find another crop that we can use to lengthen our rotation out,” said

Guelly. “Years ago, we were big into malt barley, but we started having problems with markets and pricing, so we went away from it. But it’s something that I’m considering getting back into — if something better doesn’t come along.”

Guelly has typically grown Canadian Western Red Spring wheat — Roblin for many years and more recently Stettler. He has tried Canadian Prairie Spring wheat several times, but isn’t sold on it yet.

“It looks like the markets for CPS may be increasing,” he said. “I think we may put a little more CPS in, in future years. Not this year though.”

But he will be growing AC Muchmore, a semi-dwarf variety, to see if it reduces lodging issues.

Weighing options

Graeme Rice farms with his father, uncle and cousin near Lacombe, where they raise cattle as well as cropping 1,500 acres divided between canola, wheat, and barley. Wheat and canola acreages alternate as the main crop — this year it will be 700 acres of wheat (mostly CPS but they’re also trying some hard red spring), 200 for canola, and 400 for barley.

They will also be transitioning some of their acres on poorly producing fields to pasture this year.

The family has been looking at additional options but haven’t found the right one yet. They looked at growing malt (soil tests weren’t favourable) and are currently investigating the possibility of growing quinoa. Some of their neighbours have tried faba beans, but Rice is waiting to see what happens to faba bean markets.

“I’m concerned that the production of them is going up so fast that there won’t be a market for them,” he said. “We considered this, and decided we’re not ready to give this a shot yet.”

Peas are another option, but they’ve never grown them before.

But there’s a spot open for the right crop.

“The lower prices are making us look around, but we haven’t leaped into anything,” said Rice.

Finding balance

Warren Sekulic and his father operate an 800-acre grain farm east of Rycroft, growing canola, peas, and wheat, as well as pedigreed seed farm.

This year will see some new pea varieties, including commercial peas, but rotation generally dictates their cropping decisions because something that pencils out better in winter won’t necessarily be the best option come harvest, said Sekulic.

“Some is based on spring pricing, but that can change throughout the year, so we tend to stick to our rotation,” he said.

The pea acres do change based on market signals, but won’t change that much because not all of the ground is suited for peas. The Sekulics have also looked at a few scenarios involving alsike clover or creeping red fescue. About 15 to 20 per cent of their total acres are fluid, based on market signals, the drive to experiment, and lengthening out the rotation due to their pedigreed seed business. akienlen@fbcpublishing.com

THE END OF THE LINE FOR BROADLEAF WEEDS. When tough broadleaf weeds invade your cereal crops, it’s no time for half-measures. You need action now.

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Questions? Ask your retailer, call 1-800-667-3925 or visit barricade.dupont.ca As with all crop protection products, read and follow label instructions carefully.

The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPont™, The miracles of science™, Barricade® and Solumax® are registered trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. Member of CropLife Canada. © Copyright 2015 E. I. du Pont Canada Company. All rights reserved.

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g Canada is forecasting a jump in canola, barley and wheat acres this year — but rotations and sticking with the tried and true seem to be top of mind for many Alberta producers.

But specialty crops are getting a look as grain and oilseed producers look for options that could beef up the bottom line.

Alberta Farmer asked four producers about their seeding plans, and while not a statistically meaningful survey, their comments show that more cereals isn’t necessarily the route favoured in this province.

grain side of things, I think a lot of producers are more inclined to purchase certified seed on a more regular basis and maintain their quality more consistently year after year.”

Agriculture Canada is forecasting nearly four million acres of peas — a four per cent increase over last year — because of high returns, but Markert is keeping an eye on the rise of root rot, both in southern Alberta and across the Prairies.

Ag Canada is also predicting more canola acreage. But that won’t be the case at the Markert farm, where the plan is to maintain or even reduce canola acres despite Markert becoming chair of the Alberta Canola Producers Commission.

Nor will there be a lot of barley — a decision also driven by rotation.

“I think there’s a lot of malt barley being seeded this year, based on what you could get for malt barley last year after harvest, and some of the early numbers that you hear for new crop,” he said.

“Malt barley is probably an attractive option for a lot of people, in this area anyways.”

He said he’s also expecting wheat acreage in his area to be flat, but durum acres to be up.

18

MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

New pulse website takes a (web) page from Wikipedia Alberta Pulse Growers has launched a new online manual in a familiar Wikipedia-style format to share up-to-date research and agronomic best practices

By Jennifer Blair af staff

W

ikipedia has replaced encyclopedias as the go-to tool for people conducting a little research — and that’s just what Alberta Pulse Growers is banking on with the launch of its pulse crop wiki.

“The PulsePOD — or the pulse crop wiki, as we sometimes call it — is designed to take the place of a paper manual that was created some years ago,” said Leanne Fischbuch, executive director of Alberta Pulse Growers.

“Our organization wanted to have something that was updated and accessible for growers, and in the

PulsePOD offers growers detailed and continuously updated information on either their computers or smartphones.

age of new technology, a manual in hard copy didn’t really seem to be the way to go.”

The POD — which stands for Pulse Online Database — was designed to look and work like Wikipedia, where people can access the most current information on a given topic from their smartphones or computers, said Fischbuch.

“Our goal is to see the PulsePOD become a way for us to extend information from our research projects and extension projects and be able to put up relevant, current, and proven scientific information up on the site as soon as we get it,” she said.

One of the challenges of conducting agricultural research is that the reports are usually “very scientific,” said Fischbuch, and as a result, the

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papers tend to gather dust on the shelf.

“Sometimes, the information is hard to distil down to a level that’s useful, where growers can grasp what the research was about and how it would benefit them,” she said.

“We feel that we can get that information distilled into the wiki format easily.”

That means working with researchers to make sure they communicate their results “in a way that’s easy for growers to understand,” with pulse growers’ staff populating the wiki with updated information. But eventually, researchers and other experts will be able to make changes themselves.

“We hope to see our researchers become engaged and help support it by providing information through the wiki format,” she said. “What we see in the future is working with them to give them access to the wiki to post their results.”

“Our organization wanted to have something that was updated and accessible for growers, and in the age of new technology, a manual in hard copy didn’t really seem to be the way to go.”

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Leanne Fischbuch

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The wiki format offers “controls” so that “you don’t just get anybody putting random information about pulse crops up on the site,” said Fischbuch.

“There are controls in place with the wiki format, where we are gatekeepers who can add information to the site.”

With the increase of pulse crop acres over the past five years — including relative newcomer faba beans (which saw acreage nearly triple to 80,000 acres last year) — the wiki holds “a lot of knowledge” for both first-time growers and seasoned veterans seeking the latest agronomic information.

“We’re constantly learning about new best practices for the different crops,” said Fischbuch. “Once we have research that’s been completed and published, we can add that new information up on the site to keep people on top of the advancements.”

Keeping information current will be the biggest priority — and the biggest hurdle — moving forward, she said.

“That was one of the challenges with the previous paper copy of the manual,” said Fischbuch. “While it was a fantastic resource and a good base for growers, because it was developed years ago and not updated, there were a lot of things that were out of date.”

The pulse crop wiki is available at www.pulsepod.ca.

*Contest begins February 4/15; ends March 30/15. Open only to farmers in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba. Prizes: 1 ball cap ($25) to first 200 entrants; 3 Grand prize trips (approximately $4,559); three 3-piece luggage sets 2nd prizes (approximately $550). For entry methods and prize allocations, see full rules at expresscontest.dupont.ca.

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The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPontTM, The miracles of scienceTM and Express® are registered trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. All other products mentioned are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies. Member of CropLife Canada. ©Copyright 2015 E. I. du Pont Canada Company. All rights reserved.

jennifer.blair@fbcpublishing.com

19

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MARCH 2, 2015

Experts say the future is rosy for organic Organic hard spring wheat is expected to fetch $22/bushel this year — but there’s no futures market to confirm that

By Jennifer Paige staff / Brandon

S

witching to organic farming is challenging — but the payoff can be worth it.

“It is being said that organic (hard spring) wheat in 2015 will be sold at $22 per bushel. That is almost four times higher than the conventional wheat (price) this fall,” said J. Wallace Hamm, founder of ProCert Organic Systems and former director of the Saskatchewan Soil Testing Lab. And the trend is the friend of organic farmers, Hamm said.

“If we look at historical relative grain prices, there has always been an advantage in organics and now we are finding those advantages are getting bigger.”

The cost side is attractive too, with the per-acre average input bill half of what a conventional Prairie farmer lays out, he said.

“Given that organic farmers can net twice as much per acre as their conventional neighbours, they only need to own or rent half as much land for the same net income,” said Hamm. “As well, there is a complete absence for the need for fertilizer and pesticide storage, transportation, application and equipment.”

However, those costs are somewhat offset by the greater need for traditional tillage equipment such as discs for legume plow-down, light-duty cultivators and rod weeders.

Things look good on the sales side too, said Jennifer McCombe, agronomist with Growers International Organic Sales, noting 58 per cent of Canadians report purchasing some organic products at least once a week.

“Organic foods used to be a niche thing that you would have to go to a specialty store for but now your average grocery store has entire aisles dedicated to organic products,” said McCombe.

More than half of Canadians now buy at least one organic food product each week, said Jennifer McCombe of Growers International Organic Sale. Photos: Jennifer Paige

The premiums for organic wheat are increasing, J. Wallace Hamm said at Manitoba’s Ag Days.

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“If we look at historical relative grain prices, there has always been an advantage in organics and now we are finding those advantages are getting bigger.”

J. Wallace Hamm

She said her company has been working in organics since 1985 and has recently begun to offer transitional contracts to producers as well.

“In organics there is no futures market, there is no basis,” she said.

“Historically organic prices were related to the conventional market and in the past they have been 50 to 100 per cent premium over the conventional market. But now the price is completely related to supply and demand.”

So think about risk and markets, not just the agronomic challenges, she said.

“Make sure there is a market for the crop you are growing and know who you can sell it to and that the logistics make sense.”

Jennifer.paige@fbcpublishing.com

Nothing maximizes yield potential and overall cereal quality like using Twinline® and Caramba® fungicides. And as if getting the most out of your crop wasn’t enough of an incentive, here are two more. Watch the online video by March 31, 2015 and you’ll receive an incentive item of your choice. Then if you purchase1 640 acres of Twinline and/or Caramba in 2015, you’ll be entered to win a Snap-on® shop makeover valued at $100,000. View the video now and enter PIN SHOP82 at agsolutions.ca/cereals/shopmakeover.

No purchase necessary. Open only to age of majority Canadian growers who: (i) reside in AB, MB, SK, or the Peace Region of BC; (ii) are the owner, operator or designated representative of a farm; and (iii) are legally permitted to accept a promotional prize from BASF. Enter online and read full rules (including complete prize/reward descriptions, entry requirements and details on how to enter without purchase) at www.agsolutions.ca/cereals/shopmakeover. Offer begins Jan 2/15 (12:00 AM ET) and ends Apr 30/15 (11:59 PM ET). Contest begins Jan 2/15 (12:00 AM ET) and ends Sept 30/15 (11:59 PM ET). Each eligible entrant will earn one (1) reward (ARV: $15 CAD) and have the opportunity to earn one (1) entry for the chance to win a Snap-on shop makeover worth a maximum of $100,000 CAD (inclusive of all fees and taxes). Odds of winning the Snap-on shop makeover depend on the number of eligible entries. Skill-testing question required.

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Always read and follow label directions.

AgSolutions is a registered trade-mark of BASF Corporation; CARAMBA is a registered trade-mark of BASF Agro B.V.; AgCelence, and TWINLINE are registered trade-marks of BASF SE; all used with permission by BASF Canada Inc. Snap-on is a registered trade-mark of Snap-on Incorporated. TWINLINE and CARAMBA fungicides should be used in a preventative disease control program. © 2015 BASF Canada Inc.

NEWS Client: BASF File: Twinline-Caramba_SnapOn_Ad_AFE_v4

Publication: Alberta Farm Express Page Position: Junior Page

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20

MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

DID THEY LOOK BOTH WAYS?

A small herd of deer crosses the highway west of Pincher Creek, in southern Alberta. Photo: Wendy Dudley

Funding for Rural and Farm Safety Days

Ag Outlook 2015 Understand the trends, see the opportunities

Commodities

Economy

Weather

Boost your management knowledge at this half-day event with industry experts and make more informed decisions for your business.

Economy – Understand economic trends and how they could impact your farm this year.

Ag for Life and The Co-operators are partnering on a new three-year partnership in support of rural and farm safety education programming in Alberta. The Co-operators is providing $75,000 to support the expansion of Rural and Farm Safety Days across the province, with Ag for Life providing safety education to youth.

Ag for Life brings together corporate stakeholders, not-forprofit organizations, farmers, ranchers, and community leaders to deliver curriculum-based safety education to rural students. In 2014, the safety programs reached more than 26,200 children, youth and adults.

Ag for Life’s supported safety programs include the Barnyard and Boots Program, the Roll Over Simulator Project, Progressive Agriculture Foundation, and school- and community-based Rural and Farm Safety Days. — The Co-operators release

Weather – Hear how 2015 weather trends could affect your operation.

Commodity markets – Learn how you can make big trends in agriculture work for you.

Farm management – See where Canadian agriculture is headed, and get insights that will help improve your farm management skills.

Thursday, March 12

1:15 – 4:30 p.m.

Vic Juba Community Theatre

Lloydminster

Ag Knowledge Exchange offers over 100 events that anyone with an interest in Canadian agriculture can attend, free.

Presented in partnership with Country Guide.

Seating is limited – register for free today.

fcc.ca/AgOutlook | 1-888-332-3301

34082 E Ag Outlook_8.125x10.indd 1

2015-02-10 3:27 PM

Barley research updates now online Alberta Barley has posted up-todate research project summaries on its website.

The project summaries, written by researchers, detail the project’s timeline, project partners, total funding, and a description of its benefit to farmers.

Updates on AgriInnovation Program projects are also on the website. The 27 projects, funded under the $11-million National Barley Research Cluster and to be completed by 2018, are categorized in four main focus areas: agronomy, feed, food and malt.

To see the summaries, go to www.albertabarley.com, click on the Our Priorities tab, and follow the links. — Alberta Barley release

21

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MARCH 2, 2015

Grain commission kicks off wheat class consultations Proposes tighter specifications for CWRS and CPSR and creating a new class for weaker U.S. wheats such as Faller

By Allan Dawson staff

C

Western Hard White Spring class The class system is not about to be scrapped because it helps Canada compete, CGC chief commissioner Elwin Hermanson said in an interview.

“If we’re just selling it on price and availability... we’re going to be beat out by countries that have lower labour costs and have shorter distances to transport grain,” he said.

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“So we have to get these other things right. We won’t make these changes without consulting our stakeholders.” allan@fbcpublishing.com

CLUBROOT

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RESISTANCE IN OUR SEED. NEW HYBRID

Check CWRS varieties

To protect the milling and baking reputation of CWRS, the CGC proposes changing the check varieties used to measure the quality of new class entrants.

“Glenn will serve as the upper limit of gluten strength, Carberry as the minimum value, Teal as the moderate-high, and BW971 as the moderate-low check variety for gluten strength (in the central and western bread wheat trials),” the paper says.

“Candidate cultivars exhibiting gluten strength below Carberry will be removed from the CWRS class and assigned to another wheat class. Candidate cultivars exhibiting gluten strength above Glenn will also be assigned to another wheat class.”

Canada’s lineup of wheat classes could look a little different after if CGC proposals are implemented. Photo: CGC

Average Yield From 169 Proving Ground TM field comparisons in 2013.*

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pioneer.com/yield * Canola yield data summarized from Proving Ground TM trials across Western Canada from 2013. Yield data averaged from DuPont Pioneer Proving Ground TM competitor canola trials as of June 18, 2014. Product responses are variable and subject to any number of environmental, disease and pest pressures. Individual results may vary. Multi-year and multi-location data is a better predictor of future performance.

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The DuPont Oval Logo is a registered trademark of DuPont. ® TM SM , , Trademarks and service marks licensed to Pioneer Hi-Bred Limited. © 2015, PHL.

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anada’s wheat class system could get a major overhaul, including the addition of a new class for lowergluten-strength American varieties such as Faller.

The Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) has issued a discussion paper and wants public comment by April 20 on its proposals, which include tightening the quality specifications for the CWRS, CPSR and Canada Western General Purpose (CWGP) classes. The discussion paper is available at www.grainscanada. gc.ca.

The review also includes Eastern Canada’s wheat classes.

The paper says Canada’s wheat class system helps ensure quality control for end-users, but there have been a lot of changes in Western Canada’s wheat industry, starting with the elimination of kernel visual distinguishability in 2008. That policy required the seeds of new wheats look like others in the same class so inspectors could segregate by appearance. (Now farmers must declare the class of wheat they are delivering to a buyer.) Also, the end of the Canadian Wheat Board’s single desk in 2012 meant more flexibility between buyer and seller.

In 2012, Canadian customers complained about low gluten strength in CWRS. An investigation determined the problem was a combination of unusual weather and low gluten strength in the three varieties representing 33 per cent of Prairie wheat crop.

Meanwhile, farmers are growing more unregistered wheats, including U.S. varieties. Since some grain companies have special contracts to buy these wheats, that “may indicate a demand for alternative varieties,” the paper says. “Producers are increasingly willing to grow these high-yielding varieties.

This raises questions about balancing emerging demands with the need to protect existing markets and customer needs.”

Several years ago some in the grain industry proposed the CPSR class be modified to include U.S. Dark Northern Spring wheats such as Faller.

Some worry adding a new class will add cost.

The CGC would also review all the varieties in the CWRS and CPSR class and transfer those that don’t meet the specifications to other classes.

The CGC says the CWGP class, which was created for high-yielding wheats suitable for livestock feed or ethanol production, has become a catchall, including some wheats used in milling and baking. It would transfer inappropriate varieties to other classes.

The paper hints the Canada Western Extra Strong class might disappear, noting no new varieties are in trials and the quality specifications overlap with CPSR. The same applies to the Canada Prairie Spring White class, which can be covered off by the Canada

22

MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Manitoba corn growers seek better risk management Corn growers in the province can only get insurance for 50 to 60 per cent of their cost of production

By Shannon VanRaes staff

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Inadequate crop insurance coverage is keeping a lid on Manitoba corn acres, says Myron Krahn, president of the province’s corn growers’ association. Photo: Shannon VanRaes

orn acres in Manitoba aren’t expected to grow this year, partly because of a lack of risk management tools, according to the Manitoba Corn Growers Association.

“The coverage that most corn producers have is maybe 50 to 60 per cent of their cost of production,” said association president Myron Krahn. “In a risk management strategy, that leaves a lot of financial risk out there for producers, so that certainly holds them back for sure.”

Krahn said it’s a perennial issue.

“We meet with crop insur-

ance every year and we talk about this; they are aware of our plight,” he said. “It gets talked about at almost every board meeting… there is a tremendous onus on the producer to manage risk.”

But the longer you grow corn, the better existing risk management tools become, added Theresa Bergsma, general manager for the corn growers.

“It is individual coverage… so if you have five years, you should get to your 10-year average pretty quickly, because they’ll do two for one,” she said.

Crop insurance notwithstanding, those who believe in corn’s potential are willing to take the risk, said Krahn.

“The producers in this province, even the new producers,

they seem like they have lots of confidence in them to grow the crop, so that does sometimes outweigh the financial risk,” he said. “Because they do believe they can produce a crop that is profitable in the end, even without crop insurance.”

Approximately 315,000 acres were seeded in Manitoba in 2014; of those about 65,000 were for silage. Acreage peaked at 430,000 in 2013.

“A normal spring would be any year where we’re getting seeding done in the month of May. If that happens in most areas of the province, we’ll see acres similar to, or slightly above the acres last year.”

Myron Krahn

“I know we’re in a little bit of a lull right now, but I think corn is going to move ahead and will follow soybeans,” said Dennis Thiessen, who sits on the association’s board and farms near Steinbach, Man. “With new, earlier varieties with good yield that are coming forward — things look promising for corn… and I think we’ll see more corn going west and going north, and down the road the corn industry will be very healthy.”

To that end, the association is putting its checkoff dollars toward research. Funding has also been provided through Growing Forward 2 and the Western Grains Research Foundation.

While corn is unlikely to ever command the number of acres that canola or wheat do, Krahn said he expects to see strong growth in the next 10 or 15 years. shannon.vanraes@fbcpublishing.com

Increase your yields by using Authority and removing weeds early Kochia and cleavers were put to rest by a group 14 mode of action with extended residual weed control. Lamb’s quarters, redroot pigweed, wild buckwheat and others met the same fate. Authority is registered in peas, flax, soybeans, chickpeas and sunflowers. www.fmccrop.ca

Always read and follow label directions. FMC and Authority are trademarks of FMC Corporation. ©2014 FMC Corporation. All rights reserved.

Approximately 315,000 acres of corn were seeded in Manitoba in 2014, of those about 65,000 were for silage. Manitoba acreage peaked at 430,000 in 2013.

Photo: Thinkstock

14FMC028_Authority AB Farmer Express, Grainews, MB Co-operator Junior Page (8.125” x 10”)

23

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MARCH 2, 2015

Canola council offers tips for better establishment New video offers tips for seeding rate and depth, and other factors which produce an optimum stand Canola Council of Canada release

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FARMING IS ENOUGH OF A GAMBLE...

Photo: youtube

Trim: 8.125”

R CROP SELECT YOU

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Acapela

Fungicide

ent -class movem in ts e B • n io ditions se protect ovative disea ible under a variety of con n in & l u rf e w flex • Po and apid uptake & , anthracnose w e d il m ry e properties • R d rust, pow erotinia, leaf cl S : s e s a e is D many more.

Trim: 10”

he Canola Council of Canada has a new video that describes key stand establishment steps using animated video and a question-andanswer format with growers.

The video describes how uniform stands of seven to 10 plants per square foot act as insurance, preserving yield potential in the face of early-season threats from frost, insects and seedling disease.

“Achieving this target stand often requires seeding rate adjustment based on seed size and soil conditions,” says Justine Cornelsen, agronomy specialist for the canola council.

Seed with higher thousand seed weights will have fewer seeds per pound, so heavier seed may have to be planted at higher pounds per acre to achieve the target stand. And if soil moisture conditions are favourable and seed survival is 80 per cent, canola will only need nine to 13 seeds per square foot to reach the target. However, if survival is 50 per cent, a minimum of 14 seeds per square foot are required.

The video also describes how seeding too fast for the drill or soil conditions can lead to uneven seed placement row to row. Drills tend to sacrifice precision placement when operated too fast, and back rows of openers will throw more soil over the front rows, creating uneven soil cover for each seed row. Uneven seed depth results in uneven emergence.

The video can be found by going to www.youtube.com and typing ‘canola stand establishment’ in the search box.

Other factors in stand establishment include straw and chaff management to create an even layer; seed depth of onehalf to one inch for more rapid emergence; and more seedling vigour, and safe rates of seedplaced fertilizer. The definition of “safe” varies based on soil moisture and seedbed utilization, but the general recommendation is to apply no

more than 20 pounds per acre of phosphate in the seed row and place all other fertilizer in a band away from the seed, said Cornelsen.

Plant establishment is one of the key components to boosting yields in the canola council’s strategic plan, which targets an average yield of 52 bushels per acre by 2025, up from the three-year average of around 34 bushels per acre. Improved plant establishment agronomy could add three bushels per acre. Improved fertility management is forecast to add another three bushels; with two bushels per acre each coming from advances in integrated pest management and harvest management; and eight from genetic improvement.

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The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPont TM, The miracles of scienceTM and Acapela® are trademarks or registered trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. Member of CropLife Canada. © Copyright 2015 E. I. du Pont Canada Company. All rights reserved.

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24

MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Industry leader says stop the blame game and find a fix for rail system Head of Alliance Grain Traders says rail system overhaul needs to work for all the players

By Shannon VanRaes staff

T

he review of the Canada Transportation Act is still 10 months away from completion, but one thing is clear — Ottawa’s crackdown on grain movement has changed the landscape.

“The words ‘unintended consequences’ are in everybody’s vocabulary in Ottawa today, and the unintended consequence of the order-in-council is that the north-south movement has shut down,” said Murad Al-Katib, a grain industry adviser to the panel conducting the review.

Al-Katib is also president and CEO of Saskatchewan-based Alliance Grain Traders, the world’s largest pulse-processing and trading company.

It’s shocking to see vessels coming through the St. Lawrence Seaway to bring European oats to U.S. customers, as American processors there struggle to import Canadian oats, Al-Katib told a recent farm meeting in Manitoba.

The federal government’s minimum grain movement targets have also reduced the railways’ incentive to provide cars to locations farthest from ports — something that has hit his province hardest, said Al-Katib “The question is, how do you balance it?” he said. “If there are going to be targets, there has to be a debit and credit system.”

Reviews of the transportation act are mandated by law, but after the problems experienced last winter, the federal government moved the current one up by one year.

“We need to create the right conditions for a system that has the capacity and flexibility to respond to global and domestic demands,” Transport Minister Lisa Raitt said in announcing the review in June.

Looking south

That’s prompted the panel, headed by former federal cabinet minister David Emerson, to not only examine how the rail system functions in Canada,

Higher basis costing wheat growers billions?

Economist Richard Gray says elevator prices are down even though f.o.b. Vancouver prices have been steady to higher since October

By Allan Dawson staff

Export wheat prices are similar to or higher than last October, but farmers are receiving about $20 per tonne less, according to the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission.

“Rail transportation and handling capacity have not improved and this is being reflected in even lower returns for producers and a lower share of export values as the year progresses,” commission chair Bill Gehl said in a news release.

“We were forecasting this would cost farmers $2 billion (this crop year), but it’s likely to be closer to $3 billion now if this keeps up,” Gehl added during an interview.

Recent numbers prepared for commission and other farm groups by University of Saskatchewan agricultural economist Richard Gray show that even though wheat prices f.o.b. Vancouver are unchanged to slightly higher than in October, country elevator prices have dropped $20 a tonne.

The excess basis cost for producers, relative to the posted costs for rail freight and primary and terminal elevator charges, is now more than $62 a tonne compared to $40 in October, the Saskatchewan wheat commission says.

Grain companies want to export almost all western Canadian wheat from the West Coast because that’s where prices are highest, said Gray. So long as there’s more wheat than can be exported through the West Coast in a crop year, prices will continue to be discounted at country elevators, he added.

“As long as there’s this idea that there’s going to be grain left over at the end of the year, nobody is bidding for it very hard,” said Gray.

Still, Gray said he was surprised the basis has widened given that grain has been moving to export relatively well this crop year. That could be because farmers don’t think all grain will move by the end of the year, and so are taking every chance they can to deliver.

Grain buyers use basis to signal to farmers how badly they want to make a purchase. The basis last crop year widened when many elevators were too plugged to take deliveries.

More capacity needed

More West Coast export capacity is needed to reduce the difference between country and port wheat prices, but there are huge barriers to entry, he said.

Not only is it expensive to build terminals, there isn’t much room along Vancouver’s waterfront, he said. While Prince Rupert has space and is a couple of days closer to a number of Asian markets, it is only served by CN and grain shippers don’t want to rely on just one railway. However, that could be countered if the federal government allowed other railways to use CN’s line for a compensatory fee.

Gehl said his organization wants more farmer participation and planning in grain movement.

“What we really need, and what we asked for in our CTA (review) submission, is that farmers be there so we can make sure that we have a good system that has the capacity and the co-ordination to make sure it’s not just the railroads and grain companies that are making all the money,” he said. allan@fbcpublishing.com

but also how it interacts with the U.S. network, said Al-Katib.

“North-south shipments are a part of our future, they need to be reliable, because that market will be there every year, year after year,” he said.

Farmers also need to do their part to make sure producer cars can be maintained as a viable part of the system, he said.

“I heard it loud and clear… producer-car loading is a fundamental right that all of you want maintained, you want it reliable,” said Al-Katib. “My response to you is, ‘OK, but don’t abuse it. Don’t let the grain companies in the U.S. that don’t have assets use producer cars in a way to circumvent the system then, because that’s not fair.’”

But the review isn’t about laying blame, he stressed, but about finding solutions and improving the way commodities are transported in Canada.

“I want accountability on all sides, I want collaboration, I want to stop the finger pointing

Murad Al-Katib Photo: Shannon VanRaes and I really want to invent the railways to truly deploy capital into capacity that is delivered to the users,” said Al-Katib. “And I want them to make money for it.

I’m a free enterpriser. That’s the way I was born.”

That doesn’t, however, mean that producers and processors should stop their lobbying

efforts. He said all the time and money farm groups have spent developing transportation policy have been invaluable to the process and the review, helping to ensure they have good ideas on the table.

“It is paying off,” he said. shannon.vanraes@fbcpublishing.com

25

Albertafarmexpress.ca • March 2, 2015

Fungicide application offers best bang for your buck — in the right conditions Expert says fungicides paid off big for wheat in wet conditions, but plant growth regulators and extra nitrogen weren’t worth the cost

By Jennifer Blair af staff / red deer

Y

ou know the old saying: In order to make money, you’ve got to spend money.

But spend it wisely, says an Alberta Agriculture research scientist.

“There’s a lot of different agronomic practices out there that you can spend money on — but which ones are going to make you money?” Sheri Strydhorst asked attendees at the recent Feed Coalition workshop.

As part of a multi-year, multisite research project, Strydhorst is looking at “advanced agronomic practices,” evaluating how nitrogen, fungicide, and plant growth regulators interact to help — or hinder — yield in wheat and barley.

“Farmers don’t just use one thing in their fields; they farm as a system,” she said.

But only one input she studied

offered a solid return on investment.

“Foliar fungicide is where we’re really getting the best returns on our input dollars,” said Strydhorst.

“These advanced agronomic inputs were not good bang for your buck.”

On wheat, in high-moisture environments, nitrogen resulted in “small yield increases” — even actually decreasing yields at one dry site.

“If you’re just adding more nitrogen to a system that doesn’t have sufficient rain to take advantage of that nitrogen, you’re not going to see a response.”

It was the same story with plant growth regulators on wheat.

“The plant growth regulators under dry conditions actually caused a yield decrease,” she said, adding that under wet conditions they “didn’t do a thing for yield.

“Plant growth regulators are really finicky things. If you’ve got stressful conditions, do not use them.”

But at the high-moisture sites, applying fungicides resulted in a substantial yield bump.

“The single and dual fungicide applications increased yields between 28 and 48 per cent, and that’s where we saw the positive economic benefits,” said Strydhorst.

“From a risk perspective, using that single late fungicide application is where you’re getting the biggest bang for your buck.”

Yield increases were smaller at the drier sites — between six and 15 per cent — because the conditions weren’t conducive to disease development, she said.

“If you have a variety that has genetic resistance and also dry conditions, you’re not going to see a yield response to the fungicides,” said Strydhorst.

“On the other hand, if you have a cultivar that’s susceptible to everything under the sun, as well as warm, moist conditions, you’re going to get really high response to your fungicides.”

“We lost money with most advanced agronomic practices.

Most things actually resulted in a net economic loss.”

Sheri StrydhorsT

Dual fungicide application yielded better than a single one, but the gain didn’t outweigh the cost, she said.

“We might have had more yield with our dual fungicide application, but our return is the same,” said Strydhorst. “There’s a lot less risk of going with just the single fungicide application.

“It seemed that what was making us the most yield and the best economic return was the late fungicide application in our environments where we had more moist conditions.”

Barley study

The trends were “slightly different” in the barley crops, said Strydhorst.

“We lost money with most advanced agronomic practices,” she said. “Most things actually resulted in a net economic loss.”

Added nitrogen gave a “small boost” to the yield, she said. “It’s not always making us money though.”

With plant growth regulators on barley, Strydhorst saw increased yields — “which was surprising” —

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but no improved standability, the intended benefit of plant growth regulators.

“The plant growth regulators didn’t work any better in terms of standability at all,” she said, adding that barley is “less responsive” to plant growth regulators than wheat.

“We got that small yield boost, but we didn’t get a standability response. At this point, it’s not a good investment on barley.”

Fungicide effectiveness was “a lot smaller” on the barley than on the wheat.

“That can be attributed to the fact that the variety we were using has good genetic resistance,” said Strydhorst.

Based on these results, Strydhorst encourages producers to get back to basics before tackling advanced agronomic practices.

“We want to get the basics right.

If you have, say, a plant population that’s half of what it’s supposed to be, you’re never going to hit those rock-star yields.”

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Now is the time to review operating plans, investment plans and cash requirements for the upcoming year, says an Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development specialist.

“The need to develop a strong business plan has been never greater,” said Rick Dehod. “With grain prices flattening, margins have been squeezed. Being proactive allows your business to strategically plan and manage for the risks and uncertainty that are inherent in the business of farming.”

Step one is gathering new information, and update existing information, he said.

To assist in this annual review and planning process producers will need: • Their completed 2014 income and expense statement. “Preferably this statement is completed on an accrued basis,” says Dehod. “You may want to compare this to previous years to see how the farm has progressed.”

• An up-to-date net worth statement or balance sheet. “All

assets should be at current market value and all liabilities as up to date as possible. The balance sheet is a comprehensive listing of all your inventories and accounts receivable plus a comprehensive listing of all accounts payable, including all trade credit and farm business credit card debt is required.”

• A projected income and expense statement. “What is your projected net margin, and will it provide your business the funds to fulfil its current obligations and debt service? Stress test your projection. What if yields were five per cent less than your farm’s averages or prices less than projected? What if interest rates went up one, two or five per cent? Could you still meet your obligations?”

• A list of possible capital expenditures planned for the year, how much down payment will be required, over what amortization, and how this will affect the farm’s cash flow and repayment obligations.

These statements should be shared with your lender, partners, and advisers, said Dehod.

26

MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Wheat and Barley Growers meeting draws a crowd Association plans to spend at least 70 per cent of its revenue on research

By Allan Dawson staff

S

o many came to the Manitoba Wheat and Barley Growers Association’s first annual meeting that staff at the host hotel in Winnipeg had to open an adjoining room to seat everyone.

An estimated 150 people attended, 121 members registered, and 117 cast ballots in a vote that saw one interim incumbent defeated and three new directors elected to the organization’s six-member board.

An estimated 150 people attended the Manitoba Wheat and Barley Growers The association was formed Association first annual meeting Feb. 18 in Winnipeg. The adjoining meeting to collect a checkoff to fund room was opened to accommodate the large crowd. photo: allan dawson research and development gaps T:8.125”

created by the end of the Canadian Wheat Board’s monopoly in 2012. Just under $1.4 million had flowed in the group’s coffers by the end of 2014.

“I think we definitely need to make sure that funding from farmers comes back to farmers,” said Dean Harder, one of the newly elected directors.

Farmers had requested less than three per cent of the checkoff collected be refunded, said Don Dewar, the group’s interim president.

“I think that’s a substantial show of support from you the membership and it’s a show of faith because we’re just getting going,” Dewar, who did not run in the election, told the meeting.

“I think the goal is to leverage that money as much as possible — at least 1-1/2 times.”

Don Dewar

The association wants to spend at least 70 per cent of its revenue on research, 15 per cent on administration and communications, 10 per cent on market development and five per cent on special projects, he said.

The association has, along with a number of other Manitoba commodity groups, applied for funding through Growing Forward 2 to investigate ways they can work together to reduce costs.

“I think I read somewhere that (Manitoba) farmers are paying a half-million for CEOs (working for commodity groups) collectively,” Dewar said.

The organization has met several times with the commissions in Alberta and Saskatchewan, and the Western Grains Research Foundation, to discuss collaborating on research, Dewar said.

“I think the goal is to leverage that money as much as possible — at least 1-1/2 times,” he said.

The association has also joined Cereals Canada, and will rely on it for market development, Dewar said. allan@fbcpublishing.com

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China will start experimenting with transfers of land use rights, its first tentative step towards allowing farmers to be compensated for their land.

Ensuring that farmers are fairly compensated when they lease their land or sell the rights of usage is regarded as a crucial pillar in China’s land reforms as it would let farmers cash in on one of their most valuable assets.

Under Chinese law, farmland belongs to the state and farmers are allowed to either lease out the land or sell the rights to use it.

Farmers in some rural areas that meet undisclosed criteria would be allowed to lease their land or sell or transfer the usage rights, the State Council said after a recent weekly meeting.

27

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MARCH 2, 2015

Wheat and barley groups explore farmers’ role in variety development Should farmers just provide a little assistance, or form their own breeding company?

W

hat role should farmers play in developing new wheat and barley varieties?

It’s a question western Canadian cereal groups are tackling together, says Brent VanKoughnet, a consultant working with the Manitoba Wheat and Barley Growers Association, one of the groups involved in the project.

Directors and staff from eight organizations, with some funding and support from the Western Grains Research Foundation, have formed a working group to frame a study, which will then be handed off to a consulting firm to flesh out the reasonable options for producer involvement.

“That whole spectrum needs to be explored so we understand the risk and benefits of any of those choices,” said VanKoughnet. “In some cases it might be a little more assistance to a public breeding program, to being much more aggressive and saying, ‘Would we actually take some ownership position in a breeding company?’”

“I want to make sure we don’t just get out of the road of private industry and pay more for seed and not get that much more value.”

David Rourke

The future of western Canadian wheat and barley variety development is uncertain, David Rourke, a Manitoba farmer and director of the growers’ association, told the Manitoba Seed Growers Association’s annual meeting in Brandon in December. “(Agriculture) Minister (Gerry) Ritz has made many changes and we’re not entirely sure what the implications of all those changes are, but we’re trying to figure it out,” Rourke said. “I think eventually we’ll try to come up with a strategy where we are in a position to lead in that area. So we have to look at the evolution of public research: How it will be funded, is it sustainable?”

Reduced role

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has already said it plans to hand off new varieties at an earlier stage rather than taking them to registration.

Meanwhile, federal legislation to adopt UPOV ’91, an international agreement giving plant breeders more protection over their varieties, will soon become law.

The move, applauded by private plant-breeding companies and many farm groups, has given rise to speculation the government will further reduce its wheat variety research anticipating the gap will be filled by private firms that currently dominate in corn, soybeans, and canola.

Prairie wheat and barley associations to play role1in ‘the evolution of public research,’ SEC-HAYM14-T_AFE.qxd 10/31/14want 11:02 AMa key Page says Manitoba farmer David Rourke. photo: allan dawson

Collaboration needed

The new provincial wheat and barley associations have the potential to see farmers more engaged and have more influence than ever, VanKoughnet said.

The new associations were created in part to fill some of the gaps created when the Canadian Wheat Board’s sales monopoly ended and its mandate changed, Rourke said.

“It’s a little bit like Humpty Dumpty,” he said. “Somebody pushed Humpty Dumpty off the wall and it’s up to us to try and find the pieces and put them all back together. That’s what we’re trying to do.”

Prairie wheat and barley growers used to fund research through a voluntary checkoff on final wheat board payments. The money went to the farmer-run Western Grains Research Foundation, which then decided how it was spent. A temporary checkoff continues to fund the foundation and the Canadian International Grains Institute but ends Aug. 1, 2017. The wheat and barley associations are working towards a seamless transition, Rourke said.

“We need to collaborate as much as possible to leverage our dollars the best we can,” he said.

Rourke said 70 to 80 per cent of the Manitoba research budget would be spent on joint projects with other provinces.

About 10 per cent of the total budget will be on market development, mostly through Cereals Canada.

Rourke, who took part in a trade mission to promote Canadian wheat in South America in November, said Canadian grain needs to be promoted.

“If we’re not in front of our customers somebody else will be,” he said. “The U.S. Wheat Associates, which is kind of the marketing arm (for American wheat) has a head office staff of 19 and... 17 permanent offices around the world. And we have a bunch of volunteers who go around once a year. I think we’re pretty effective, but not to be there really is not a good option at all if we want to maintain relationships with those customers.”

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“Wheat is quite different from corn or soybeans or canola in terms of genetic potential and some of the things that might be able to be done,” Rourke said.

“So I want to make sure we don’t just get out of the road of private industry and pay more for seed and not get that much more value.

We need to be really careful there.

We need to devise how producers can fill some of the gaps that may or may not exist.”

Developing improved varieties of wheat and barley is important to keep western Canadian farmers competitive, VanKoughnet said.

“You could starve the beast for a couple of years but you don’t see the negative impact for a decade and then all of a sudden you’ve lost breeders and research capacity,” he said, adding it takes almost a decade to develop new varieties.

“You really have to have a much more forward-looking plan in breeding than in any other part of our industry. You really have to be dedicated to the long game, or you will pay.”

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MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

First Nations farming victim of deliberate government policies First Nations people embraced agriculture, but were stymied by policies established by European settlers

By Shannon VanRaes staff

W

hen James Wilson asks an auditorium of agriculture students how many First Nations farmers they know, only two hands go up.

That doesn’t surprise Manitoba’s treaty commissioner.

“It’s not by accident,” he said, explaining that for decades policies enacted by the federal government made it impossible for Aboriginal people to farm successfully.

But that’s not how things began.

As European settlers moved into what would become Western Canada, a series of numbered treaties were entered that gave both First Nations and newcomers rights.

Agriculture was central to the negotiation of these agreements.

“Farming and agriculture at one time in Canada, and here in Manitoba, was seen as a vehicle and a means to adapt to change, and contribute to the Canadian economy.

That was a significant part of the treaty process,” Wilson told a recent forum at the University of Manitoba.

Cultivation was already important to Aboriginal people, who had been growing crops like corn, lamb’s quarters, amaranth, beans and squash for hundreds and even thousands of years. But as the Prairies changed and new technologies arrived, First

It’s easy for us in 2015 to look back and say, that was so stupid, but the thinking behind these government policies was that Christianity and civilization were one and the same, so the government wanted to civilize First Nations people, Christianize First Nations people through policy.”

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Nations saw agricultural expansion as key to the future.

In the Virden area in eastern Manitoba, which is encompassed by Treaty No. 2, First Nations farming took off with great success.

“But through directed government policy… it hasn’t become what was once envisioned,” Wilson said.

Unilateral act

That directed government policy began with the Indian Act, first passed in 1876.

“The first evidence of bigotry in this country was in that document,” Ovide Mercredi, a former national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, told the students.

While treaties had been negotiated between nations, Mercredi explained the Indian Act was passed unilaterally by a white parliament and allowed any government policy to be imposed upon First Nations.

“The treaty was to guarantee our people a relationship with the Crown, where we would live with peace and harmony with the settlers who were coming into our lands and sharing our territories,” he said. “It’s really a treaty of peace, not a treaty of extinguishment. It’s a treaty relationship where we would grow together, not a treaty where one party would dominate the other and dictate to the other what they can or cannot do.”

But even before the ink was dry, Mercredi said, there was disagreement over what the treaties meant, and rights believed to be enshrined in the multilateral agreements were then usurped by a paternalistic and damaging Indian Act. That contentious legislation paved the way for residential schools, outlawed indigenous religions, restricted the movements of Aboriginal people, disenfranchised them, and prevented them from seeking legal remediation against the Crown. It also stopped First Nations people from establishing themselves as farmers by allowing for a series of massively detrimental government policies to be enacted.

Equipment ban

“It’s easy for us in 2015 to look back and say, ‘That was so stupid,’ but the thinking behind these government policies was that Christianity and civilization were one and the same, so the government wanted to civilize First Nations people, Christianize 8:24 PM First Page 1 Nations people through policy,” Wil-

Ovide Mercredi Photos: Shannon VanRaes

James Wilson

son said. “One of the policies it then implemented was called the Peasant Farmer Policy, and this has a lot to do with the crippling of First Nations farming.”

That policy, introduced in 1889, outlawed labour-saving farm equipment on First Nations farms, preventing any type of mechanization.

“First Nations could only farm with handmade tools,” said the commissioner, explaining that the policy stemmed from archaic ideas about progress and the notion that people could not become civilized without progressing through the same stages as Europeans had.

One of those stages was intensive manual labour.

However, Mercredi pointed to another motivating factor in preventing First Nations from becoming successful agriculturalists.

“The resistance to Indian agriculture came from white farmers and the provinces.

I’m not speculating… I challenge you to do the research,” he said, adding those with competing interests lobbied the federal government to protect their own endeavours.

And if indigenous farmers did manage to produce a surplus in spite of the onerous barriers placed on them, they were prohibited from selling their goods outside of their own reserve following the introduction of a pass and permit system in the late 1880s. Some elements of that system remained in the Indian Act until 1995.

Outside of broad policies, many failures to fulfil obligations and broken promises by various levels of governments have also stymied First Nations farming.

But as First Nations continue to fight for the fulfilment of their treaty rights, including the right to agriculture, these are issues this generation and the next will have to contend with, Mercredi said.

However, the Aboriginal and nonAboriginal farmers do have some common ground from which to find a way forward.

“The farmers and my people have something in common, we appreciate the land and we live off the land, we respect the land,” Mercredi said. “So it’s not as if we’re miles apart.” shannon.vanraes@fbcpublishing.com

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MARCH 2, 2015

AC Andrew receives seed award Award includes a $4,000 scholarship to a student in plant breeding or genetics Staff

A

C Andrew, a soft white spring wheat variety developed by the late Sadash Sadasivaiah at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Lethbridge Research Centre, has been selected as the 2014-15 winner of the Seed of the Year West award.

“AC Andrew was a major breakthrough in terms of grain yield in the soft white spring wheat,” said Harpinder S. Randhawa, current soft white breeder at AAFC Lethbridge and the nominator of AC Andrew.

Randhawa accepted the award last month at the Prairie Grain Development Recognition Luncheon in Banff on behalf of Sadasivaiah, who passed away in 2006.

AC Andrew, registered in 2000, has a reputation for high yield in both high- and low-input cropping systems and became the predominant cultivar for etha-

nol feedstock in 2006. The variety was a key factor in the emerging ethanol industry as it offered as much as 20 per cent higher yield and greater ethanol yield per volume of grain compared to other wheat cultivars.

Seed of the Year is designed to provide recognition to publicly developed varieties that have made a significant contribution to the economy, agriculture, and the Canadian public in general.

Part of the western award is a $4,000 scholarship, awarded to a student enrolled in a western Canadian university and currently completing a master’s degree or PhD in plant breeding or genetics. Kirby Nilsen, a graduate student at the University of Saskatchewan, received this year’s award. His research is focused on breeding for resistance to the wheat stem sawfly, specifically looking at the stemsolidness trait in durum and spring wheat.

Sadash Sadasivaiah developed AC Andrew, which has higher grain and ethanol yield than other varieties. Photo: Supplied

Canadians urged to be farm safety champions Be the Difference theme of Canadian Agricultural Safety Week 2015, which runs from March 15-21

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Canadian Agricultural Safety Association release

Canadians are being encouraged to become farm safety champions as a part of Canadian Agricultural Safety Week 2015, which runs from March 15-21.

This year’s theme is Be the Difference, and organizers want to inspire all Canadians to become farm safety champions through champion testimonials, farmer resources and a social media contest.

“This year, we are focusing on the power of the positive,” said Marcel Hacault, executive director of the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association.

“We know that we need to engage with all Canadians to make farms safer places to work and live. We’re encouraging all Canadians to become farm safety champions. Health-care providers, teachers, agribusiness leaders, community members and farmers all play an important role in promoting farm safety.”

Farms need to become safer places, said Ron Bonnett, president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture.

“Injuries on the farm are no joke, and they happen much more often than they should,” said Bonnett.

For more information, see www.agsafetyweek.ca.

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MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Faba bean acreage is soaring — and so is knowledge about growing them Herbicide sensitivity and heat susceptibility were two issues, and lygus bugs seem to find them tasty Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development release

A

lberta is coming off of a pretty good year for faba beans and that brought with it some valuable lessons learned, says an Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development researcher.

“This year we saw acreage go from 30,000 to close to 80,000,” said Robyne Bowness, pulse research scientist in Lacombe.

“We had more farmers growing faba beans this year, and farmers growing more acres.”

A lot was learned this year about growing this relatively new crop.

“We saw some herbicide residue issues this year we hadn’t seen before,” she said. “We’re finding

that faba beans are very sensitive to herbicides, and that they are actually used as an indicator crop in some areas to test for herbicide residue.

“We’ll have to keep an eye on this to see just how sensitive faba beans are and watch which herbicides we use the year or two before.”

Another area of interest was insects.

“Are bertha army worms going to be a major concern? We don’t know,” said Bowness. “We do know lygus bugs are a big problem.

There’s a lot of canola around and lygus bugs like to fly off the canola into the fabas. We do have entomologists trying to get a handle on this.”

Stresses on faba beans was another area of learning.

“We knew faba beans were susceptible to heat but we were a bit surprised at how sensitive they are.

And there were some areas in the province where we thought there was going to be enough moisture for faba beans, but there wasn’t.

Frost was a problem this year as well because faba bean is a large, high moisture seed and cannot tolerate freezing temperatures. Many faba beans froze and turned black.

This created concern about marketing a lower-quality product.”

Bowness says she expects there will be even more faba bean grown this year.

“I think we will see 100,000 to 120,000 or more acres this year simply because the producers who like them are going to grow more, and new producers are looking to get in on the crop as well.”

File Photo

Farm-directmarketing workshop on boosting profitability Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development release

An upcoming Explore Local workshop looks at marketing and pricing for profit.

“This workshop looks at how you can use low cost, simple pricing, marketing and display tools to maximize sales and ramp up your business potential,” said Eileen Kotowich, farmers’ market specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development.

The workshop will feature Jenny Berkenbosch, from Sundog Organics.

“Jenny Berkenbosch is an experienced farm-direct marketer who creates strong displays to attract and engage customers and maximize her produce sales,” said Kotowich.

“She will demonstrate some of the tools that have brought her most success at farmers’ markets and beyond.”

Workshop topics include: • How to know the amount of money you make on each and every sale; • Explore product costs and the basics of pricing; • Learn what drives customers to buy; • Adapt low-cost strategies to attract new and bring back repeat customers.

The workshop, which runs from 9 to 4, will be held on March 11 at the Agri-Food Business Centre in Leduc (registration deadline: March 4) and April 29 at the Olds Provincial Building (registration deadline: April 22).

There is no charge and snacks and lunch will be provided. For more information, contact Shelley Hall at 780-538-6208 or shelley@gov. ab.ca.

31

} STORMS

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MARCH 2, 2015

California gets some relief

Soybeans don’t like it hot

Wet winter storms that dropped up to a foot of rain on parts of California last month have modestly eased the state’s ongoing drought over the past three months. The portion of California in the most extreme categories of drought has dropped by about 13 per cent since mid-November, said climatologist Mark Svoboda. “We did see a chipping away of the drought,” Svoboda said.

“The concern now is as we get closer to March is that we don’t have a lot of snow.” California’s dry conditions are entering their fourth year, and 98 per cent of the state is considered to be in drought.— Reuters

Researchers have determined that precipitation and temperature variations over the past 20 years have suppressed the U.S. average soybean yield gain — how much it improves every year — by around 30 per cent, contributing to an industry loss of $11 billion nationwide. And for every 1 C rise in temperature during the growing season, soybean yields fell by about 2.4 per cent, the Ohio State University study found. In Ohio, that translates into a yield loss of about a third of a bushel per acre per year. Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa and North Dakota have also been impacted. — Purdue University

The story of this winter’s unusual weather is a tale of troughs and ridges An unusual weather pattern has kept it warm and dry on the West Coast and snowy and freezing on the East Coast

By Daniel Bezte

I

n the last issue I talked about atmospheric rivers and finished off by saying we would take a look at why the West Coast has been so warm and dry, while East Coast residents have been digging themselves out of record-breaking snows and freezing their butts off in the process.

If you’ve been following the weather across North America this winter then you have probably heard about the persistent ridge of high pressure over the West Coast and the trough of low pressure that has stubbornly refused to move from the East Coast.

While troughs and ridges are all a part of what makes up our weather, these two features have been a little unusual for two reasons. First, they have been very persistent, especially the West Coast ridge. Typically, these types of features will only last from two to six weeks before they move on. So far, the West Coast ridge has been in place, for the most part, for well over a year.

The second unusual aspect of these features has been the amplitude that they sometimes develop. What this means is, the ridge and trough have been stretching much farther north and south than what we typically see. There have been more and more weather articles coming out discussing how the wave pattern across the Northern Hemisphere appears to be becoming more amplified. I know I have looked at this in the past and may revisit this topic soon.

To begin to understand what is going on I figured the best place to start would be with an image of just what is happening. I pulled this image from Jeff Masters’ weather blog and it nicely shows the strong ridge of high pressure over the West and a deep trough of low pressure over the East. The colour coding is the wind speed at the 300-mb level, which is roughly where the jet stream is. Areas to the south of the jet are seeing warmer-than-average weather, while those north are colder than average.

This image shows the strong ridge of high pressure over the West and a deep trough of low pressure over the East.

To understand our basic weather so far this winter you just have to picture a see-saw battle between these two features.

The western ridge gains and weakens in strength and drifts back and forth, and the same thing happens with the trough to our east. How each behaves will determine which side of the warm/cold dividing line we’ll be on. So far this winter that dividing line has been cutting across north-central Alberta, bringing mild weather to the south and a mix of mild and cold weather to central and northern regions as the dividing line moves back and forth depending on the strength and positioning of the ridge and trough.

Most of you reading this article are probably already aware that high pressure is associated with sinking air, and that usually results in clear skies with little or no precipitation. Troughs on the

other hand have rising air, which usually gives way to clouds and precipitation. So, it does make sense that it has been warm and dry along the West Coast (California in particular) and wet out to our east.

That said, this only partly explains what is going on. To really understand things we need to look at how the atmosphere, and in particular, the jet stream, behaves as it travels over the ridge and then dives down and around the trough.

Picture a storm system travelling along the jet stream coming in off the Pacific. From the position of the jet, most of the energy is being deflected to the north.

More importantly, the jet is curving up and over the ridge. As it does so the air starts to bunch up — think of a highway filled with cars coming to a fairly sharp bend, the cars will start to slow down and bunch up.

This is what happens to the air in the jet stream. The bunched-up air has to go somewhere and one of the places it goes is downward causing sinking air, which, as we know, doesn’t promote the formation of precipitation. What it does is weaken the storm system.

This weakened storm then zips down towards the trough where once again the air bunches up preventing the storm from intensifying, but once this air rounds the bottom of the trough it can speed up and spread out very rapidly. This helps to pull air upwards allowing the storm system to intensify.

Combine this with the cyclonic spin imparted on the system from the trough, as well as the warm, moist air off the East Coast, and you get the rapid intensification of the storm systems. Add in the cold air flowing southwards in the trough and you get big snowstorms.

Across Alberta, especially the north-central regions, we’ve seen these weakened Pacific systems reintensify a little bit as they round the top of the ridge and move into fasterflowing air. What some parts of Alberta have also seen is a fair amount of freezing rain and drizzle. This is a direct result of the dividing line cutting across the province. Warm air over southern regions is lifted over the relatively shallow layer of cold air to the north, and you get freezing rain.

Hopefully, this helps to shed some light on our weather situation so far this winter.

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.

32

MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MARCH 2, 2015

North Dakota eases restrictions

Big Apple fears UAV chaos

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has expanded the area in North Dakota where research flights of small drones are permitted. Flights under the auspices of the Northern Plains UAS Test Site, a research facility based in Grand Forks, will now be allowed in most of northeastern North Dakota, FAA said in a statement, adding that it soon expects to authorize flights in about twothirds of the state. Flight operations at the Northern Plains site, one of six authorized test sites in the country, began in May and were limited to a small area of several square miles. They are mostly focused on aiding agricultural research. — Reuters

The federal government isn’t the only entity seeking to rein in drones, USA Today reports.

The newspaper said 15 states have enacted laws restricting drones in the past three years, and a New York City council member is seeking to do the same in his city. Dan Garodnick said he believes they have many merits, but is worried police won’t be able to crack down on drone operators responsible for illegal or bad acts in the densely populated city. “Until we have the ability to enforce the rules, we are not at a point to grant permission,” Garodnick told the newspaper. — Staff

U.S. farmers disappointed by HEARTLAND restrictions in proposed drone rules Proposed rules include a height restriction and maintaining visual contact

By Karl Plume and P.J. Huffstutter Reuters

U

.S. farmers hoping to use drones to locate lost livestock or monitor trouble spots in their fields were disappointed by what they say are overly restrictive commercial drone rules proposed Feb. 15 by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Two of the long-awaited draft rules were singled out for particular criticism: A requirement that pilots remain in visual contact with their drones at all times and a height restriction that limits the crafts to flying no more than 500 feet above ground.

These constraints, farmers and drone operators say, would limit a drone’s range — and consequently its usefulness.

Leading drone makers PrecisionHawk and Trimble Navigation Limited, farm data services firms, including ones run by Monsanto and FarmLogs, and even some federal lawmakers are saying the proposed rules could delay the development of drone-assisted agriculture in the United States if they are finalized as currently written.

The FAA said farmers can address the line-of-sight limitation by placing spotters to track a drone’s pilot.

The FAA has opened a 60-day public comment period, after which it may consider changes to the proposed rules. Final regulations might not be in place for two years.

Idaho farmer Robert Blair, who in January received the FAA’s

first exemption for drone use on a commercial farm, said the new rules would require him to fly 10 separate drone missions to cover his 1,300 acres, since he would have to continuously shift locations in order to keep his drone within sight.

Under the proposed rules, “There’s no way we can cover the ground we need to cover” economically, said Blair.

Even so, investors in precision farming say the new rules are friendlier to farmers than they are to Amazon.com Inc. The e-commerce giant, which plans to use drones for package delivery, has indicated it may launch its first drone deliveries in overseas markets rather than wait for broader approvals from the FAA. “People are looking for where the opportunities are... and agriculture is it,” said Rob Leclerc, chief executive of AgFunder, an online platform for investors in agriculture technology.

Delays cause trouble

For some farmers, the new rules will give FAA validation to practices they already have deployed.

Despite a current ban on most commercial drone uses, classes teaching farmers how to use the unmanned aircrafts have flourished at rural colleges, and a bevy of YouTube videos stands as evidence that some farmers already have begun piloting them.

Still, it could take two years before the new FAA rules take full effect. Such delays could strain cash-strapped startups, which could be out of business before the market booms, say industry analysts.

Despite a current ban on most commercial drone uses, a bevy of YouTube videos stands as evidence that some farmers already have begun piloting them. Photo: MAFRD Even now, companies that have invested in drone technology are feeling strains.

“It’s been difficult for us,” said Jim Kirkland, general counsel and vice-president of equipment maker Trimble Navigation Ltd., which received an FAA exemption from the ban on commercial drone use in December and has made a series of acquisitions aimed at beefing up its technology.

“We bought this business several years ago and we fly these elsewhere in the world,” Kirkland said. “And certainly we haven’t gotten the revenue out of it that we could if rules had been in place.”

The delay also is giving opportunities for competing technologies, such as micro-satellites, to take root, said attorney Roger Royse,

“There’s no way we can cover the ground we need to cover.”

Robert Blair Idaho farmer

founder of the industry group Silicon Valley AgTech.

By the time comprehensive rules are in place, larger competitors likely will have absorbed upstarts and be positioned to dominate the market, some industry experts say.

Florida-based Pravia LLC received an FAA exemption this

month to fly drones over 10 crop test sites in seven states operated by seed company Syngenta AG. And Monsanto’s Climate Corp has applied for an FAA exemption to use drones commercially.

“We’re certainly going to be testing different applications of the (unmanned aerial systems) tools,” Climate Corp chief executive David Friedberg told Reuters.

With the regulatory outlook uncertain and no quick payoff in sight, outside investment in drone technology has been modest. Last year, 19 different drone or drone-related firms in the U.S. and abroad received a total of $88.5 million in funding from venture capitalists and other investors, according to AgFunder research.

All identified agriculture as a key market.

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MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Dropping the hoe and doubling the maize yield Adopting an African version of minimum tillage makes for dramatic improvements for this family in Malawi

By Laura Rance Manitoba Co-operator Editor/ Mwamshambo Village, Malawi

I

Thomas Nkhunda, 37, has been using conservation agriculture on his plots for eight years. Photo: Laura Rance

t’s raining, but that doesn’t stop Thomas Nkhunda from leading a group of visitors into his fields where he describes how he manages plots demonstrating the benefits of conservation agriculture.

Rain isn’t unusual at this time of year. After all, it’s the rainy season in Malawi.

What’s unusual is the fact that the rains they call the “planting rains” came later than usual, by almost a full month. And when they arrived in late December, they came in torrents, wreaking havoc on farmers farther south.

Nkhunda’s fields weren’t deluged, although this area has seen heavy rains. But the crops on his farm located near Nkhotakota about 20 kilometres into the hills from Lake Malawi look good; the maize and groundnut fields he

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shows us are neatly tended and standing tall.

Where the rain falls on the roads and on other fields around us, it forms puddles, little rivulets and then runs away, taking the soil with it. Where it falls on his fields, it soaks into the ground where it supports the growing plants.

The 37-year-old father of three is proud of that, and rightly so.

Conserving soil

Conservation agriculture is first and foremost about eliminating tillage. Farmers here typically use hoes for the back-breaking task of pulling the soil in their plots up into ridged rows — sometimes a foot high — into which they plant their seed. It makes for wide row spacing and lots of hoeing in between. When the rain comes, it runs down into the gullies and escapes. In a heavy rain, the ridges collapse leaving the plants to drown. During a dry spell, the plants perched on the top of those ridges are left high and dry.

Under conservation agriculture, the farmers do away with the ridges. They instead make planting basins into which they put a small amount of manure and later poke their seed in with a stick.

Without the ridges, they can plant their rows closer together, which increases the ground cover as well as the yield. They use mulch between the rows to help suppress weeds, hold in moisture and build organic matter.

Better yields, more time

Nkhunda now sows 2.8 hectares of his three-hectare farm using the CA system. He’s seeing multiple benefits to his household, starting with higher yields for less labour.

The maize he grew under conservation agriculture yielded 7.8 tonnes per hectare (124 bushels per acre) last year. The maize he still grows under conventional methods yielded 3.5 tonnes per hectare, even though both systems received equal applications of fertilizer. He used herbicide to control the weeds on his conservation agriculture fields and the hoe to control weeds on the conventional fields.

“This is a window for many farmers to look through. It really shows the potential of the system.”

Christian Thierfelder

Nkhunda and wife Fanesi Chidzura used to work for more than a month every year to prepare the fields for ridge farming, sometimes even keeping their children home from school and bringing in extended family to help. Then they had to hoe again to keep the weeds in check.

Now his kids regularly attend school and he has more time to tend to his other businesses, which include a fruit tree nursery and a small grain-buying business.

In the past, the family routinely ran short of food during the “lean period” between December and

see maize yield } page 35

35

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MARCH 2, 2015

maize yield } from page 34 March. The maize from the previous year’s crop would run out before the new crop came in, requiring him to seek work off the farm to tide them over. His house now has a metal roof — a step up from thatch — and they are working towards putting in a floor.

Nkhunda summed it up in three words he hesitantly spoke in English: “fixed deposit account.”

“He is saving money,” the interpreter says. “Before, they were not saving.”

SUNNY SIDE OF LIFE

Changing face

Nkhunda is a textbook example of the kind of smallholder transformation organizations promoting conservation agriculture in Africa hope will soon become the norm.

Since he began learning about soil-healthy farming eight years ago, he has embraced the concepts, he is reaping the benefits and he’s helping to spread the word.

Researchers with the International Wheat and Maize Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) and various non-governmental organizations believe the farming system has the potential to change the face of smallholder agriculture in Africa from one of chronic food insecurity to stability and growth.

And it could save the soil as well.

Most smallholder farmers in Africa are working with soils that are severely degraded as a result of repetitive tillage and monoculture; they grow maize, which is a staple food crop, every year, often on the same patch of ground.

Nkhunda and his neighbours, some of whom have converted their entire farms to conservation agriculture, are among the early adopters who have been receiving technical support from CIMMYT, which became well known for its “green revolution” varieties developed by Norman Borlaug and Manitobaborn breeder Glenn Anderson. It has been working on adapting the no-till system widely used by commercial farmers around the world to a smallholder scale.

Extension support in this area has been through a local NGO called Total Land Care.

Nkhunda now tends three demonstration plots, one under conventional, one under conservation agriculture and one of conservation agriculture maize undersown to the legume cowpeas. If farmers get the timing right, they will harvest a crop of cowpeas after the maize comes off. But even if they don’t, the cowpeas provide a nitrogen boost to the growing maize.

Nkhunda says that plot appears to be performing the best of the three.

Also visiting fields in the area that day was Christian Thierfelder, the senior agronomist with CIMMYT’s Harare substation. He was notably impressed with what he saw.

“This is a window for many farmers to look through,” he said.

“It really shows the potential of the system.”

Potential, however, is the operative word. As we visited with farmers in different regions of this east African country, it soon became clear that as promising as the system looks, some difficult-to-overcome hurdles are hampering widespread adoption.

Co-operator editor Laura Rance is visiting three African countries in February and March on secondment to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.

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MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Growing less maize allows farm families to produce more food Boosting yield allows seeding less maize as ‘insurance,’ and adding more profitable and nutritious crops to the rotation

By Laura Rance Manitoba Co-operator editor/ Mwamshambo Village, Malawi

C

Christian Thierfelder demonstrates how the soil under conventional tillage is rocky and hard. The soil becomes more mellow under conservation agriculture.

Photo: Laura Rance

hristian Thierfelder strides into a plot of maize, reaches down, and scratches through the mulch with his fingers to grab a clump of soil.

Holding it up, the senior agronomist with CIMMYT’s Harare field station lets it crumble through his fingers — it is moist but not muddy, and the decaying plant material gives it a spongy texture.

Then he walks across to another field being produced under conventional methods, where a hoe has been used to create rows of ridges. The soil from this field is rocky and hard.

It sifts through his fingers like the sandy silt that it is.

“In the conventional system, they leave everything bare, which helps them to control the weeds,” he said. “In the CA (con-

servation agriculture) system, we encourage them to leave the residues from the previous crop on the soil.”

Over time that decaying residue becomes the compost that creates the sponge-like texture.

“When you look, the soil (under CA) is very loose and when you get a heavy rainfall, the water can infiltrate because there is a lot of biological activity — earthworms, beetles and ants and so on that create these biopools, like a sponge,” Thierfelder said.

“The rainfall hits the soil surface and infiltrates, whereas on the conventional system, it just runs off or stands there. It cannot infiltrate because it is mostly compacted between the ridges.”

Climate smart

That’s what makes conservation agriculture “climate smart,” during a dry spell, Thierfelder said.

“The conventional system can only make use of the water that is

in the ridge and not farther down in the soil,” he said. “In the CA system, there is access to deeper layers and there is a lot of water that has infiltrated before.

“The maize can actually access the water much better because of an improved root system. And also, because of the residues on top, there is less evaporation of water — it just has more water available for plant growth.”

The decaying mulch builds the soil’s organic matter and fertility, as well as its water-holding capacity.

But the system also provides distinct advantages to smallholder farmers, which is why the push is on by CIMMYT and other food security, environmental and faith-based organizations to support its widespread adoption.

“What farmers often do in this area because of their fear of not being food secure is they plant a large area to maize,” Thierfelder said.

“And that’s actually counterproductive because maize is a crop that you cannot sell with a lot of profit. It’s just good for food. So the idea of introducing a rotation can only come in when farmers are food secure.”

Conservation agriculture techniques reduce the risk of crop failure, which means they can sow a smaller area to the staple maize.

“Then there is room for new crops, cash crops, rotational crops, nutritional crops that help them a lot to improve their diet to reduce malnutrition to reduce the problem of stunting,” he said. “That’s a very good way to overcome all of these at once.”

Thierfelder said herbicides are used, particularly in the early stages.

“Most of the weeding is done by women, and if you introduce a technology like herbicides you can dramatically reduce the burden on women,” he said.

“What we have seen on these plots is the weeds become less and less every year because you don’t turn the soil anymore and you don’t bring new weed seeds on the surface.

“We have seen in trials and also on farms that in about four or five seasons there are very few weeds coming up and they can pull them up,” he said.

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Governments are joining the campaign. The government of Malawi recently completed a task force report identifying conservation agriculture techniques that are well adapted to Malawi growing conditions, said Gilbert Kapunda, project manager for the Sustainable Land Management Promotion Project, an initiative of the country’s agriculture and food security department.

Kapunda said conservation agriculture is seen as an important component of the country’s climate adaptation plan because of its ability to improve the soil and conserve moisture.

Governments in the neighbouring countries of Zimbabwe and Zambia are also now promoting it.

“In areas where they have used CA, the technology actually conserves moisture in the soil, so when you have a dry spell you still have maize growing,” Kapunda said.

The Malawian government is now mounting an extension effort to drive more conservation agriculture adoption in the rural areas.

But getting farmers to change is hard. After all, it was only a few years ago that the government was promoting the ridgerow system most farmers still use.

“The biggest challenge we are facing is actually the mindset,” he said.

Co-operator editor Laura Rance is visiting three African countries in February and March on secondment to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. laura@fbcpublishing.com

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MARCH 2, 2015

Mulch, mice and ‘the man problem’ holding back CA adoption in Malawi Women are interested in producing food while men are more interested in growing cash crops using conventional methods

By Laura Rance Manitoba Co-operator editor/ Chibojola Village, Mpherembe, Malawi

A

fter three years of producing maize using conservation agriculture, Nkasauka Nthala is a convert.

The yields from her tiny .16-hectare plot of maize grown using direct seeding instead of hoeing were 166 per cent above the yields of maize grown under conventional practices.

Yet only a small portion of the farm she shares with her husband and six children has been converted over to the new farming system.

At first, it’s hard to coax out of her why.

Chris Woodring, a consultant hired by the Canadian Foodgrains Bank with support of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation to interview smallholder farmers in five African countries, is a master by now at drawing out their reasons.

He teases. He cajoles. He tells stories from his own small-scale farm in Kentucky. He gently calls them out on their inconsistencies. When all else fails, he draws diagrams in the sand.

“I have been sent here so the small farmer’s voice can be heard,” Woodring tells them.

As all of this translates through the interpreters, the farmers smile and start to relax.

Sitting beneath the shade of the tobacco-drying shed on their land located on the Malawi-Zambian border three hours west of Mzuzu, Nthala and her neighbour Zione Mbewi start to open up.

seeing instant benefits, so they just give small portions to their wives, because it is mostly the wives who have adopted the technology.”

Mbewi said she had hoped to expand her conservation agriculture plot to include soybeans and groundnuts but her husband wouldn’t give her the land. Now that he has seen how her small plot has performed under conservation agriculture after it has been enriched with mulch and manure, he wants to take it over and plant tobacco, the country’s biggest export crop.

“In Malawi, food production is done by women, and so you find that food becomes a gender issue.

Men would prefer to grow a cash crop where women would like to look after their families. So hunger becomes the main issue for the women,” said Sain Mskambo, a project officer with the NGO Find Your Feet, based in Mzuzu.

ments to tide them over until their crop can be sold. Local extension workers say farmers often don’t get enough from their crop to pay those loans back. But they also say that when prices are good, businesses and the booze halls in the region do a booming business when the tobacco is sold in May. Cellphones, televisions, and new clothes don’t do much for food security, as many of these families still struggle to find enough food to eat during the lean months between Nkasauka Nthala wants to do more when the old maize crop runs out direct seeding, but her husband has and the new one comes in. other ideas. Photo: Laura Rance But they do bring with them a certain status. Hunger is less visible.

The tobacco industry turned to Up until recently, researchers contracting with smallholder farm- and NGOs focused on building ers in the early 2000s after commer- food security have been the ones cial tobacco-producing companies championing conservation agriwent bankrupt. culture. They are less interested in Farmers are provided with seed, providing support for cash crops, fertilizer and advance cash payespecially tobacco.

T:8.125”

“I think that in truth, that if you can improve the income of a household, then you will improve their food security,” Woodring said. “But in many cases the organizations don’t see it that way — they design projects which are maize focused.”

For the sake of the land and the families living off it, Woodring says that may have to change. “Currently here in Malawi, a huge percentage of farmers are working with tobacco so I think we are blind… if we do not work with them,” Woodring said.

“If we say, ‘should we be working with the tobacco industry?’ I think we are asking the wrong question,” he said.

Co-operator editor Laura Rance is visiting three African countries in February and March on secondment to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. laura@fbcpublishing.com

Hurdles

T:10”

They tell us they can see that conservation agriculture is more productive, and they can see how their families can benefit. But converting the entire farm to the system is difficult for a number of reasons.

For starters, many farmers find it difficult to find enough of the mulch they use to cover the ground between the rows of maize, especially in the early years.

Finding it is one challenge. Preserving it is another.

During the dry season, farmers with livestock often allow their cattle to roam freely, looking for forage.

Corn stover that’s been left on the field for ground cover tastes pretty good.

The decaying crop residues are also attractive to mice, which in turn, attract snakes. It also attracts the “mice catchers” — children who set the field on fire so they can catch the rodents as they flee.

Their entrails removed, the critters are considered a delicacy after they are boiled and roasted until they are crispy. They are eaten skin and all.

Farmers here are farming on traditional communal lands so their ability to limit access is limited. So much for the ground cover, and without oxen and a cart, it’s difficult to bring it in from somewhere else, if they can even find it.

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But perhaps what one farmer described as the “man problem” is the most difficult conundrum of all.

“It is customary here that the husbands are in control of the land, so they are the ones who share a portion for them to practise CA (conservation agriculture),” our interpreter explained. “Most of them are not interested, because they are not

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38

MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Double-cropping project aims to cut Indian lentil imports Improved varieties can be grown on land often left fallow for six months lentil production and can substantially save foreign exchange spent on lentil imports,” said esearchers on a project in Purnendu Basu, minister of agriIndia and Bangladesh say culture of West Bengal, the main they hope it will greatly rice-growing state in India. reduce their lentil imports.

Even though India is the Farmers in the project are world’s largest producer of lengrowing lentils in fields left fal- tils, it relies heavily on imports low after rice harvest with the and bought 53 per cent of its help of a research and train- needs in 2013. ing project by the International ICARDA legume breeder Shiv Center for Agricultural Research Kumar Agrawal said the double in Dry Areas (ICARDA). In a cropping is being made possible release following a nine-day with shorter-season and highertour of some of the project sites, yielding varieties resistant to officials said the push for len- common diseases, and extentils could be ushering in the next sive training of rice farmers in “green revolution” in this part of managing lentil crops. the world.

The ICARDA release said the “In West Bengal alone, five to approach has already proven its six districts specially have high potential in Bangladesh. Lentil potentialFBC-JuniorAds.pdf for this approach to cropping has spread to more 1 09/02/2015 12:44:44 PM Staff

R

Double cropping of rice and lentils would increase income for smallholder farmers in India and Bangladesh.

Photo: ICARDA

than 85 per cent of rice fallow land in the country, bringing in an additional annual income of US$26.6 million.

“In South Asia region, there is a substantial area under rice farming but the land is left fallow sometimes even up to

six months every year,” said Ashutosh Sarker, ICARDA’s South Asia regional program co-ordinator.

Ukraine’s bread makers seek flour export ban Plunging currency makes grain prices more competitive

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Ukrainian bread makers said last month they would ask the government to restrict wheat flour exports to protect local bread prices, as food costs escalate sharply as a result of continued currency weakness.

“The state should suspend exports of flour, but not grain,” a spokeswoman for Kiev’s top bread maker Kyyvkhlib quoted the company CEO Volodymyr Chereda as saying.

Kyyvkhlib raised prices for some types of bread by 10-12 per cent on Feb. 18.

Chereda said other bread producers have also ramped up prices due to higher net costs, especially for flour.

Ukraine, one of the world’s top grain sellers, exported 317,000 tonnes of wheat flour last season.

Kiev has been trying to curb soaring food prices, as fighting in east Ukraine accelerates a slide in the national hryvnia currency.

A senior government official said this week some ministries would hold a meeting to discuss the food market situation.

Ukrainian domestic prices for top-quality wheat flour rose to an average of 5,400 hryvnia per tonne as of midFebruary from 4,750 hryvnia in late January. Prices in dollar equivalent, however, dropped sharply to $208 per tonne from $294.

Ukraine’s hryvnia currency had plummeted some 40 per cent this year, having halved in value in 2014.

Analyst UkrAgroConsult said the hryvnia devaluation had increased the competitiveness of Ukrainian grain on the international market — export prices for milling wheat fell by almost $6 the previous week.

39

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MARCH 2, 2015

French wheat sector adopts new grades to boost quality French traders are alarmed by poor falling numbers Paris / Reuters

F

rench wheat producers, traders and processors have adopted a new classification for soft wheat to be used on the cash market in a bid to boost quality in European Union’s top wheat exporter, grain sector group Intercereales said.

Intercereales had already pushed for protein content, which has become a weakness for French wheat on international markets, to be included in commercial contracts.

“To progress on the various quality criteria is a necessity to meet all markets’ requirements, both in France and abroad,” Intercereales chairman Philippe Pinta said in a statement. After a steady decline in protein content over the last decade, French traders were alarmed by poor readings for Hagberg falling numbers, another measure of wheat’s suitability for bread making, in a rain-affected 2014 harvest.

Average protein content in the 2014 French harvest was 11.1 per cent, the lowest since at least 2009 and scarcely meeting the minimum requirement of major export clients.

French wheat may be fine for baguettes, but overseas buyers want a bit12:55 more loaf SEC-RYLEY14-T_AFE.qxd 10/15/14 AM volume.

Page 1 Photo: Thinkstock

Conditions rated good in EU’s top four producing countries

T

he mild winter so far in the European Union’s main wheat-producing countries is raising hopes for a large harvest in summer 2015, say observers.

“So far wheat is looking good with the warm weather meaning frost damage is hardly a problem in many EU regions,” one German analyst said in midFebruary. “Frost damage can still occur for about four to six weeks so the danger is not over yet, but optimism is rising that the crop will be large if we get normal spring weather.”

In the EU’s largest wheat producer, France, farm agency FranceAgriMer said 92 per cent of soft wheat crops were in good or excellent condition as of Feb. 9 against 74 per cent last year.

Crop development continued to run ahead of its usual pace.

After a mild autumn and early winter, French temperatures dropped several degrees Celsius below the seasonal norm earlier this month.

“This fall should largely be beneficial for the crops and (reduce) concern around high parasitic presence in the spring,” analysts Strategie Grains said in a report.

Yet freezing weather had not been severe enough to threaten frost damage in Grain Belts and temperatures have since risen in the past week.

In Germany, the EU’s secondlargest wheat producer, the warm winter also means wheat is developing well.

“Frost damage or winterkill is hardly a theme so far this season,” one German analyst said. “The preconditions have been laid for a large harvest this summer. But frost damage is possible until well into March so the picture could still change suddenly.”

The crop in third-largest producer Britain appears in good condition.

“We’ve had a relatively mild winter, a few frosts which didn’t hurt but no really deep cold and the crops are looking pretty good,” said Guy Gagen, chief arable adviser to the National Farmers’ Union.

He added: “The potential exists and it is all a matter of what happens in the spring and summer that will define what the quality and yield will be.”

In the fourth-largest wheat producer, Poland, the mild winter also means winter wheat is in satisfactory condition, said Wojtek Sabaranski of analysts Sparks Polska.

High temperatures for midFebruary caused protective snow cover in Poland to melt rapidly, he said.

“Due to freezing temperatures at nights, winter crops are to some extent exposed to thermal stress,” Sabaranski said. “However, it seems that the recent night temperatures were not low enough to cause serious winterkill.”

Produced by: SeCan Product/Campaign Name: SeCan AAC Ryley Date Produced: October 2014

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40

MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Canada’s most trusted sources for ag news and information are fully searchable.

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Our respected titles cover all aspects of the industry, with award-winning, in-depth local, national and international coverage.

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AgCanada.com Network Search Search news. Read stories. Find insight.

41

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MARCH 2, 2015

Forget everything you ever heard about eating fat Historic U.S. and U.K. dietary advice on fats ‘should not have been introduced’ Staff

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ational U.S. and British advice for citizens to cut fat consumption to reduce heart disease lacked any solid trial evidence to back it up, and “should not have been introduced,” concludes research in a journal published in conjunction with the British Medical Journal and the U.K. National Cardiovascular Society.

Dietary guidelines issued in 1977 and 1983 recommended reducing overall dietary fat consumption to 30 per cent of total energy intake, and saturated fat to 10 per cent of total energy intake.

Writing in the online journal Open Heart, researchers said they carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis of the randomized control trial data that would have been available to the U.S. and U.K. regulatory committees at the time.

They found six relevant trials, covering seven different dietary interventions, spanning an average of five years, and involving 2,467 men. All the trials had been published before 1983 and had looked at the relationship between dietary fat, serum cholesterol, and the development of coronary heart disease.

A British Medical Journal release said the pooled data revealed a total of 740 deaths from all causes, and 423 from coronary heart disease.

“There was no difference in deaths from all causes between the ‘treatment’ and comparison groups, with 370 deaths in both.

And there was no significant difference in deaths from coronary heart disease, with 207 in the ‘treatment’ groups and 216 in the comparison groups.”

The researchers highlighted several caveats in the evidence available at the time: no women were included, no trial tested the dietary recommendations and no trial concluded that dietary guidelines should be drawn up.

“It seems incomprehensible that dietary advice was introduced for 220 million Americans and 56 million U.K. citizens, given the contrary results from

FARMING IS ENOUGH OF A GAMBLE...

a small number of unhealthy men,” the researchers wrote.

They concluded: “Dietary advice not merely needs review; it should not have been introduced.”

But in a linked editorial, Rahul Bahl of the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, sounded a note of caution and said that while the data was limited, there is some evidence suggesting a link between dietary fat and heart disease.

“There is certainly a strong argument that an overreliance in public health on saturated fat as the main dietary villain for cardiovascular disease has distracted from the risks posed by other nutrients, such as carbohydrates,” Bahl wrote.

It’s not the fat that kills you, it’s just eating too much of everything. Photo: Thinkstock

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42

MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Community news and events from across the province

A tradition of growing — and what’s up giving — in central Alberta

Send agriculture-related meeting and event announcements to: glenn.cheater@fbcpublishing.com

By Jennifer Blair af staff

G

iving up a quarter section of land isn’t a great way to make money farming — but Dirk Drost didn’t hesitate when he heard the Canadian Foodgrains Bank was looking for land for a growing project in his area.

“You hear about people who don’t have anything to eat, and we figured we could help in that way,” said Drost, who farms near Lacombe with his wife and son.

“It’s no skin off our backs.”

The Drosts have been involved with the Central Alberta Growing Project for years, spraying in the spring and combining at harvest.

But last year, when a neighbour offered them a piece of land to rent, the family decided to donate the land to help the Foodgrains Bank.

“That’s probably the toughest part for the Foodgrains Bank — finding land every year,” said Drost. “Because of the other quarter becoming available to us, we could do it.”

And it’s a “great cause,” he said.

“We’ve travelled a bit in the world. About a year ago, I was in Nicaragua, and we saw how people live there,” said Drost. “You see how people live and how happy they are, even if they’re not as well off as we are.”

March 3: Crop Production Workshop, Castor Community Hall, Castor. Contact: Battle River Reseach Group 1-800-828-6774 March 3 & 5: Soil Fertility & Fertilizer Seminar — 2-Day Event; MNP Office, Lethbridge. Contact: Brenda Martin 403-380-1657 March 7: Who Gets the Farm and When?, Fawcett Hall, Fawcett.

Contact: Rhonda 780-954-2244 or Joanne 780-954-3908 March 7: Equine First Aid, Fairview. Contact: Sue Qayutinnuaq 780-835-6618

Last fall’s harvest for the Central Alberta Growing Project featured eight combines, a tractor and grain cart, four grain trucks, and a tractor/baler to bale the straw that was sold. Photos: Courtesy Central Alberta Growing Project Last year’s growing project raised $74,250, with every dollar being matched by the federal government on a four-to-one basis.

“I am a farmer, and you like to see a good crop grown on your land,” said Drost. “The more revenue we can create off that, the more people we can help in the world who are in need of grain to feed their families.”

Drost figures he might have generated $20,000 for his own operation had he not donated the land — but giving to those less fortunate is a duty for people who “have it good,” he said.

“Everybody is talking about their ‘rights’ in the world, but we have duties too. As people, if we can give and help people out, I think that’s our duty.”

Since 2000, the Central Alberta Growing Project has raised more than $842,000 (not counting matching dollars). This growing season will also mark the 20th anniversary of the project and organizers are looking for someone to donate land for this year’s effort.

Drost hopes one of his fellow farmers will decide to “reach out

into the world and be willing to help out” the Foodgrains Bank.

“Hopefully, somebody can get it in their hearts to give up a piece of land,” he said. “You hate to see people starve in the world, and hopefully, we can help out.”

If you’re interested in making land available in 2015 (either by donation or lease) or want to be involved in the Central Alberta Growing Project, call Doug Maas at 403-782-1860. jennifer.blair@fbcpublishing.com

Wildrose Bison Convention March 13th and 14th Presented by:

Limited to 200 Attendees For More Info & Registration Form Go to www.bisoncentre.com

info@bisoncentre.com 780-955-1995

March 12: Alberta Invasive Species 2nd Annual Conference, Lacombe Memorial Centre, Lacombe. Contact: Barry Gibbs 587-999-0954

March 12: Mobile Technology in Farming, The Entrec Center at Evergreen Park, Grande Prairie. Contact: Neil LeClerc 780-831-1676 March 12: Social Licence in Agriculture Conference, Executive Royal Hotel, Leduc.

Contact: Janet 780-427-3629

FRIDAY : 3 PM – 9 PM

BREAKFAST - ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING INFORMATION SEMINARS – LUNCH SPEAKER PRESENTATIONS PRODUCTION SEMINAR

March 11: Marketing and Pricing for Profit workshop, Agri-Food Business Centre, Leduc. Contact: Shelley Hall 780-538-6208

March 12: Honey Food Safety Workshop, Airdrie Agriculture Building, Airdrie (also March 19 in Edmonton). Contact: Ag-Info Centre 1-800-387-6030

** New Schedule **

SATURDAY : 8:30 AM - 3 PM

March 10: Social Media Boot Camp, 97 East Lake Ramp NE, Airdrie. Contact: Dustin Morton 403-742-7571

March 12: Alternative Farm Energy Workshop, Drumheller Ramada, Drumheller. Contact: Dara Calon 403-772-3793

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March 10: Producer Learning Day: Shelterbelts, Growing Forward 2 & Environmental Farm Plans, Eureka River Hall, Eureka River. Contact: Stacy 780-835-6799

About 100 people — including longtime project members Jack Siebenga (left side of trailer), Ken Ditzler (middle in jean jacket), and Vic Bergen (right) — came out on Thanksgiving Saturday last October to help with the Central Alberta Growing Project harvest.

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March 13: Land Acquisition and Planning for the Future, Peace Country Classic, Tec Centre, Grand Prairie. Contact: Stacy 780-835-6799 March 13-14: Beeginners Beekeeping Course, Airdrie Agriculture Building, Airdrie (also March 20-21 in Edmonton).

Contact: Ag-Info Centre 1-800-387-6030 March 17: Dugout Workshop, Valleyview Ag Society Hall, Valleyview. Contact: Stacy 780-835-6799 March 24: Leading Edge Farm Management, Stonebridge Hotel, Grand Prairie. Contact: Rick 780-678-6167

43

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MARCH 2, 2015

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If you would prefer not to receive such offers, please contact us at the address in the preceding paragraph, or call (204)-954-1456.

The editors and journalists who write, contribute and provide opinions to Alberta Farmer Express and Farm Business Communications attempt to provide accurate and useful opinions, information and analysis.

However, the editors, journalists and Alberta Farmer Express and Farm Business Communications, cannot and do not guarantee the accuracy of the information contained in this publication and the editors as well as Alberta Farmer Express 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.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ CLASSIFICATION__________________________ ❏ I would like to take advantage of the Prepayment Bonus of 2 FREE weeks when I prepay for 3 weeks. _

No._of_words_______________________x____$0.60____x_____No._of_weeks___ ______________ __=____ ______________ _ Minimum charge $15.00 per week

❏

VISA

❏

MASTERCARD

Card_No.___/__/__/__/____/__/__/__/____/__/__/__/____/__/__/__/____

Add $2.50 if being billed / Minus 10% if prepaying ________________ Expiry_Date___/__/_____/__/

Add 5% GST ________________

Signature_________________________________________________________________________ _

TOTAL _____________

44

MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

ANTIQUES

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Miscellaneous

BUILDINGS

ANTIQUES Antiques For Sale

STEEL STORAGE CONTAINERS, 20-ft & 40-ft. Wind, water & rodent proof.

1-866-517-8335, (403)540-4164, (403)226-1722 magnate@telus.net

ONE GRAIN TREATER; ONE grain fanning mill; two clothes cupboards; two old trunks; one bee smoker; old wooden egg crates. Phone (780)597-3747

herbicides

FARM CHEMICAL SEED COMPLAINTS We also specialize in: Crop Insurance appeals; Chemical drift; Residual herbicide; Custom operator issues; Equipment malfunction; Yield comparisons, Plus Private Investigations of any nature. With our assistance the majority of our clients have received compensation previously denied. Back-Track Investigations investigates, documents your loss and assists in settling your claim.

Licensed Agrologist on Staff.

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

For custom herbicides as unique as your fields, visit: Richardson Pioneer Oyen - 403-664-2620

CLOTHING Work Wear

precisionpac.ca

Hit our readers where it counts… in the classifieds.

Place your ad in the Alberta Farmer Express classifed section. 1-800-665-1362.

1059 PPAC Classified 2015 AB2.indd 35 15-02-19 5:37 PM

herbicides

For custom herbicides as unique as your fields, visit: Medicine Hat - 403-528-6609

precisionpac.ca As with all DuPont crop protection products, read and follow label instructions carefully.

The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPontTM and PrecisionPac® are registered trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. Member of CropLife Canada. © Copyright 2015 DuPont Canada. All rights reserved.

Neerlandia Co-op Association Ltd.

McEwen’s Fuels and Fertilizers Inc.

1059 PPAC Classified 2015 AB2.indd 33

As with all DuPont crop protection products, read and follow label instructions carefully.

The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPontTM and PrecisionPac® are registered trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. Member of CropLife Canada. © Copyright 2015 DuPont Canada. All rights reserved.

RON SAUER

MACHINERY LTD. herbicides

For custom herbicides as unique as your fields, visit:

(403) 540-7691 ronsauer@shaw.ca

946 Versatile Ford Tractor, 4,994 hrs .....................$55,000 555 JD Crawler Loader, good condition.....................$12,500 8070 AC Tractor, FWA, wheel base extended, duals ....$22,500 275 MF Tractor, diesel, multi power, 3 pth, new 18.4 x 30, front weights, loader available, looks and runs great ...........$12,500 Fort Saskatchewan - 780-998-2058 B275 IHC Tractor & Loader ...................................... $3,500 (2) NH P1060 TBH Air Tanks, as new .............. EA $69,500 40’ Salford RTS 570 Vertical Till, as new ..............$75,000 35’ 4590 EEZE-ON Double Disc, good condition ......$36,500 As with all DuPont crop protection products, read and follow 62’ 820 F.C. Deep Till 4 Bar Har., label instructions carefully. c/w Raven NH3 kit, very little use ...............................$49,500 The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPontTM and PrecisionPac® are registered 62’ F75 Flexicoil Packer BAR P30’s, as new .........$14,500 trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. Member of CropLife Canada.

2003 4300 IHC Service Truck, 466 diesel, © Copyright 2015 DuPont Canada. All rights reserved.

5 speed Allison auto, crane, compressor, welder, nice ......$50,000 47’ 820 F.C., C.P. & 48’ 75 Packer, like new.........$95,000 Drumheller - 403-823-4600 51’ Degelman Landroller, as new.... ........................$40,000 Degelman Dozer Frame MF 4000 Series 4WD ...... $1,000 41’ Flexicoil 300 B Chisel Plow, 3 bar harrows .......$12,500 Flexicoil 6 Run Seed Treater..................................... $1,000 1059 PPAC Classified 2015 AB2.indd 32 15-02-19 5:37 PM As with all DuPont crop protection products, read and follow 134’ Flexicoil S68XL Sprayer, 2007, suspended boom, auto label instructions carefully.

TILLAGE & SEEDING rate, joystick, rinse tank, triple quick jets, auto boom height, electric The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPontTM and PrecisionPac® are registered end nozzle & foam marker .........................................$32,500 trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

Air Drills E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. Member of CropLife Canada.

100’ 65XL Flexicoil Sprayer, complete withwindguards, © Copyright 2015 DuPont Canada. All rights reserved. elec. end nozzles single tips, auto rate, excellent condition ..$12,500 10 Wheel MATR (Italy) Trailer Type V-Hayrake, Air Drill 1995 Flexicoil 5000 33-ft., 7.2 shank spacing, hyd. fold, as new......................................................... $5,000 heavy trips, 1-in. carbide hoe openers, steel press SPRAYING EQUIPMENT 7 x 1200 (39.37’) Sakundiak Auger, 18 HP Koehler wheels, 1720 tow behind tank, good condition, engine, c/w hyd. pump for bin sweep ............................ $2,500 Sprayers $29,000 (204)867-2087 poorboy@goinet.ca 1059 PPAC Classified 2015 AB2.indd 30 15-02-19 5:37 PM 1390 Brandt XL Swing Auger, elec. power swing, spout, adj. axle, as new..............................................$19,500 225 DOW Kello-Bilt Tandem Disc, 28” smooth front & rear blades, 10.5” spacing, oil, bath bearings, as new ..........$62,500 50’ Brandt Heavy Harrow, 27.5 x 5/8 tines, low acres ..................................................................$32,500 47’ 820 Flexicoil Chisel Plow, 4 bar harrows ...........$67,500 2009 GMC Topkick 20 ft. Grain Truck, automatic, silage gauge, air brake suspension,approx. 7,000 kms .....$105,000 JD 9400, 9420, 9520, 8970 4955 JD low hrs, 3 pth, very clean 40’ 5710 Bourgault SS Air Drill, 9.8” spacing, 3” steel packers w/ 3225 TBH tank, c/w 3rd tank, new augers, JD 9860, 9760, 9750, 9650, 9600 S670/680/690 JD Combine low hrs drive sprockets, main clutch, excellent condition .............$25,000 JD 9430, 9530, 9630 4730 JD Sprayer, 100 ft.

New E-Kay 7”, 8”, 9” Bin Sweeps available ..............Call 8” Wheat Heart Transfer Auger, hydraulic drive ........ $1,500 Case STX 375, 425, 430, 450, 480, JD 8770, 4WD, 24 speed with PTO New Outback RTK BASE stn............................................Call 500, 530 Case IH 9170, 4WD New Outback MAX & STX guidance & mapping ......... In Stock CIH 8010-2388, 2188 combine 854 Rogator SP Sprayer, complete with New Outback E-Drive, TC’s....................................... In Stock New Outback E-Drive X, c/w free E turns.................. In Stock CIH 435Q, 535Q, 450Q, 550Q, 600Q JD auto steer, swath pro New Outback S-Lite guidance ...................**In Stock** $900 pto avail.

New Outback VSI Swather Steering Kit................ In Stock New Outback E-Drive Hyd. kit, JD 40 series ............... $1,000 GOOD SELECTION OF JD 4710, 4720, 4730, 4830, 4920, Used Outback E-Drive Hyd. kits ....................................$500 JD & CASE SP SPRAYERS

FARM MACHINERY

Neerlandia - 780-674-2820

1059 PPAC Classified 2015 AB2.indd 34

herbicides

Medicine Hat Co-op

For custom herbicides as unique as your fields, visit:

precisionpac.ca

For custom herbicides as unique as your fields, visit:

precisionpac.ca

Kneehill Soil Services Ltd.

Tillage & Seeding

As with all DuPont crop protection products, read and follow label instructions carefully.

The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPontTM and PrecisionPac® are registered trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. Member of CropLife Canada. © Copyright 2015 DuPont Canada. All rights reserved.

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Miscellaneous

AG DEALS TO GO!

BUSINESS SERVICES BUSINESS SERVICES Crop Consulting

herbicides

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Miscellaneous

15-02-19 5:37 PM

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Miscellaneous

1999 CAT 460 1,400 sep. hrs, rake up, $36,000; 2003 NH TM190 FEL grapple joy stick, 3-pt., 3,810-hrs, $56,000. Call:(403)665-2341, Craigmyle, AB.

4930 SP sprayers JD 9770 & 9870 w/CM & duals CIH 3185, 3230, 3330, 4430, 4420 sprayers

precisionpac.ca

AND 4WD TRACTORS

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

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

ACREAGE EQUIPMENT: 3-PT. CULTIVATORS, Discs, Plows, Blades, Harrows, Etc. (780)892-3092, Wabamun, AB. Go public with an ad in the Alberta Farmer Express classifieds. Phone 1-800-665-1362.

15-02-19 5:37 PM

Looking for some ag inspiration?

Watch the AgCanada TV video series online now.

Gain a new perspective on your farm, your family and your future with this informative video series from Farm Credit Canada.

INFORMATIVE:

INSPIRATIONAL:

Watch reviews of the latest ag products.

From vehicles, equipment and services to emerging ag technologies.

Listen to such noted speakers as Rick Hanson and many others discuss the challenges and rewards of farm living.

Current AGCanadaTV topics include: 

Know Your Options: Take the Risk Out of Grain Marketing Tyler Russell, Cargill National Grain Marketing Solutions Manager shares how farmers can mitigate grain marketing risks and go from price takers to price makers.

 Trade

in the Canadian Agri-food Industry Hear about the resiliency of Canada’s agri-food industry and its importance in the Canadian economy from FCC Chief Agricultural Economist J.P. Gervais.

 Grainews

looks at Ford’s all-new, aluminum-bodied F-150 Grainews field editor Lisa Guenther talks with Trevor Boquist about the features on Ford’s 2015 F Series truck.

When you’re ready to be inspired & informed…

visit www.agcanada.com/video

AGCanadaTV is sponsored by

45

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MARCH 2, 2015

SEED/FEED/GRAIN Feed Grain

BUYING:

FEED OATS

• Mildew • Damaged

• Wild Oats • Offgrade

For custom herbicides as unique as your fields, visit:

• Light • Tough

For custom herbicides as unique as your fields, visit: Andrukow Group Solutions Inc.

LANDSCAPING Lawn & Garden

Paradise Valley - 780-745-2290 As with all DuPont crop protection products, read and follow label instructions carefully.

The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPontTM and PrecisionPac® are registered trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. Member of CropLife Canada. © Copyright 2015 DuPont Canada. All rights reserved.

herbicides

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

Dunvegan Ag Solutions

precisionpac.ca

15-02-19 5:37 PM

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.

For custom herbicides as unique as your fields, visit:

herbicides

REGISTERED RED ANGUS BULLS Quiet, Easy Calving, Low to Moderate Birth Weights, Good Growth, E.P.D’s available Guaranteed Breeders (Vet Checked & Semen Tested). Excellent Bulls for Heifers or Cows.

Cleveley Cattle Company (780)689-2754.

STEIGER TRACTOR SPECIALIST

herbicides

WANTED: NH BALE WAGONS & retrievers, any condition. Farm Equipment Finding Service, P.O. Box 1363, Polson, MT 59860. (406)883-2118 1059 PPAC Classified 2015 AB2.indd 31 15-02-19 5:37 PM

LIVESTOCK Cattle – Red Angus

Big Tractor Parts, Inc.

TRACTORS Various

As with all DuPont crop protection products, read and follow label instructions carefully.

The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPontTM and PrecisionPac® are registered trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. Member of CropLife Canada. © Copyright 2015 DuPont Canada. All rights reserved.

LIVESTOCK

Geared For The Future

TracTors

precisionpac.ca

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

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

As with all DuPont crop protection products, read and follow label instructions carefully.

The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPontTM and PrecisionPac® are registered trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. Member of CropLife Canada. © Copyright 2015 DuPont Canada. All rights reserved.

1059 PPAC Classified 2015 AB2.indd 26 Round up the cash! Advertise your unwanted equipment in the Alberta Farmer Express classifieds.

Linden - 403-546-4050

FOR SALE: ONE 17.5-BU compost tumbler, used very little. It’s like new yet. Phone (780)597-3747

Sexsmith - 780-568-6060

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

Kneehill Soil Services Ltd.

COMBINES Accessories

precisionpac.ca

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Wanted

For custom herbicides as unique as your fields, visit:

LANDSCAPING Lawn & Garden

Crop Production Services Inc.

1-877-250-5252

herbicides

Combines

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

1-800-665-1362.

herbicides

“ON FARM PICK UP” FARM MACHINERY Machinery Wanted

LANDSCAPING

TRACTORS Various

SEED/ FEED/GRAIN Feed Grain

1059 PPAC Classified 2015 AB2.indd 7

Network

Red Deer - 403-346-2931

precisionpac.ca As with all DuPont crop protection products, read and follow label instructions carefully.

The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPontTM and PrecisionPac® are registered trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. Member of CropLife Canada. © Copyright 2015 DuPont Canada. All rights reserved.

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

1-800-665-1362.

15-02-19 5:37 PM

herbicides

As with all DuPont crop protection products, read and follow label instructions carefully.

The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPontTM and PrecisionPac® are registered trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. Member of CropLife Canada. © Copyright 2015 DuPont Canada. All rights reserved.

For custom herbicides as unique as your fields, visit:

Buy and Sell

JD 2130 3 pth with loader JDClassified 4255 FWA, 3 pth hitch, avail. 5:37 PM 1059 PPAC 2015 AB2.indd 28 ldr.

15-02-19 JD 4255 2 WD, ldr. available JD 4440, loader available JD 7410 c/w ldr. 3 pth hitch Andrukow CASE IH 4700 Vibra Shank, 34ft.

DynAgra, a division of Group Solutions Inc. Clamp on Duals, 20.8x38-18.4x38 Beiseker Agri Services Ltd. Sedgewick - 780-384-2265 Beiseker - 403-947-3767 FINANCE, TRADES WELCOME

HAYING & HARVESTING 1059 PPAC Classified 2015 AB2.indd 29

15-02-19 5:37 PM

HAYING & HARVESTING Baling Equipment

WANTED: JD 7810 c/w FEL & 3-PTH; sp or PTO bale wagon; JD or IHC end wheel drills. Small square baler. (403)394-4401

AG EQUIPMENT

DEALS ON THE GO!

herbicides

1-800-665-1362

As with all DuPont crop protection products, read and follow label instructions carefully.

The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPontTM and PrecisionPac® are registered trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. Member of CropLife Canada. © Copyright 2015 DuPont Canada. All rights reserved.

FARMING

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

A GAMBLE...

For custom herbicides as unique as your fields, visit: Crop Production Services Inc.

Medicine Hat - 403-526-9499

precisionpac.ca

As with all DuPont crop protection products, read and follow label instructions carefully.

The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPontTM and PrecisionPac® are registered trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. Member of CropLife Canada. © Copyright 2015 DuPont Canada. All rights reserved.

As with all DuPont crop protection products, read and follow label instructions carefully.

The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPontTM and PrecisionPac® are registered trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. Member of CropLife Canada. © Copyright 2015 DuPont Canada. All rights reserved.

www.penta.ca

15-02-19 5:37 PM

1-800-587-4711

1059 PPAC Classified 2015 AB2.indd 23

15-02-19 5:37 PM

IS ENOUGH OF

herbicides

precisionpac.ca

1059 PPAC Classified 2015 AB2.indd 27

As with all DuPont crop protection products, read and follow label instructions carefully.

The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPontTM and PrecisionPac® are registered trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. Member of CropLife Canada. © Copyright 2015 DuPont Canada. All rights reserved.

1059 PPAC Classified 2015 AB2.indd 3

The Icynene Insulation System®

Crowfoot Ag Solutions Inc.

precisionpac.ca

If you want to sell it fast, call 1-800-665-1362.

HEAT & AIR CONDITIONING

For custom herbicides as unique as your fields, visit:

Agro Plus

Lethbridge - 403-327-7070

Hit our readers where it counts… in the classifieds.

Place your ad in the Alberta Farmer Express classifed section. 1-800-665-1362.

1059 PPAC Classified 2015 AB2.indd 4 15-02-19 5:37 PM

Strathmore - 403-934-2204

SCAN TO DOWNLOAD THE APP »»

anything you need through the

precisionpac.ca

780-696-3527, BRETON, AB

As with all DuPont crop protection products, read and follow label instructions carefully.

The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPontTM and PrecisionPac® are registered trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. Member of CropLife Canada. © Copyright 2015 DuPont Canada. All rights reserved.

For custom herbicides as unique as your fields, visit:

herbicides

For custom herbicides as unique as your fields, visit:

precisionpac.ca

SEARCH

FARM MACHINERY Repairs

precisionpac.ca herbicides

5:37 PM

Search news. Read stories. Find insight.

Crop Production Services Inc.

1059 PPAC Classified 2015 AB2.indd 24

Rycroft - 780-765-2865

15-02-19 Memory assistance.

For custom herbicides as unique as your fields, visit:

Advertise in the Alberta Farmer Express Classifieds, it’s a Sure Thing!

1-800-665-1362

15-02-19 5:37 PM

FOR THE BEST EQUIPMENT SELECTION, VISIT

ROCKYMTN.COM

46

MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

LIVESTOCK Cattle – Hereford

CERTIFIED SEED Cereal Seeds

HEREFORD BULLS, YEARLINGS & two year olds, dehorned, & polled, excellent quality, low birth weights suitable for heifers, catalogue online at couleecrest.ca Coulee Crest Herefords, Bowden, AB. (403)227-2259 or (403)588-6160.

CERTIFIED SEED

SEED/ FEED/GRAIN Grain Wanted

SEED/FEED/GRAIN Grain Wanted

SEED/FEED/GRAIN Feed Grain

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

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

1-800-665-1362.

BUYING SPRING THRASHED CANOLA & GRAIN “On Farm Pickup” Westcan Feed & Grain 1-877-250-5252

SEED/FEED/GRAIN Feed Grain

herbicides CERTIFIED SEED Cereal Seeds

herbicides

BOW VALLEY TRADING LTD.

For custom herbicides as unique as your fields, visit:

herbicides

Fort Macleod - 403-553-3373

For custom herbicides as unique as your fields, visit:

precisionpac.ca As with all DuPont crop protection products, read and follow label instructions carefully.

The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPontTM and PrecisionPac® are registered trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. Member of CropLife Canada. © Copyright 2015 DuPont Canada. All rights reserved.

1059 PPAC Classified 2015 AB2.indd 18

Galahad - 780-583-2476

precisionpac.ca

precisionpac.ca 5:37 PM

herbicides

For custom herbicides as unique as your fields, visit:

Network

herbicides

Search news. Read stories. Find insight.

SEED / FEED / GRAIN

As with all DuPont crop protection products, read and follow label instructions carefully.

The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPontTM and PrecisionPac® are registered trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. Member of CropLife Canada. © Copyright 2015 DuPont Canada. All rights reserved.

1059 PPAC Classified 2015 AB2.indd 10

15-02-19 5:37 PM

SEED/ FEED/GRAIN Feed Grain

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

precisionpac.ca

BUYING ALL TYPES OF feed grain. Also have market for light offgrade or heated, picked up on the farm. Eisses Grain Marketing 1-888-882-7803, Lacombe.

15-02-19 5:37 PM

Network

For custom herbicides as unique as your fields, visit:

SEARCH

Hairy Hill - 780-768-3825

precisionpac.ca

herbicides

For custom herbicides as unique as your fields, visit: Crop Production Services Inc.

Crossfield - 403-946-4588

precisionpac.ca

Crop Production Services Inc.

As with all DuPont crop protection products, read and follow label instructions carefully.

The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPontTM and PrecisionPac® are registered trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. Member of CropLife Canada. © Copyright 2015 DuPont Canada. All rights reserved.

herbicides

For custom herbicides as unique as your fields, visit:

Westlock - 780-349-4525

precisionpac.ca As with all DuPont crop protection products, read and follow label instructions carefully.

The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPontTM and PrecisionPac® are registered trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. Member of CropLife Canada. © Copyright 2015 DuPont Canada. All rights reserved.

1059 PPAC Classified 2015 AB2.indd 15

15-02-19 5:37 PM

Search news. Read stories. Find insight.

We know that farming is enough of a gamble so if you want to sell it fast place your ad in the Alberta Farmer 1059 PPAC Classified 2015It’s AB2.indd 14 Call15-02-19 5:37 PM Express classifieds. a Sure Thing. our toll-free number today. We have friendly staff ready to help.

1-800-665-1362.

herbicides

As with all DuPont crop protection products, read and follow label instructions carefully.

The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPontTM and PrecisionPac® are registered trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. Member of CropLife Canada. © Copyright 2015 DuPont Canada. All rights reserved.

Provost - 780-753-3150

For custom herbicides as unique as your fields, visit:

As with all DuPont crop protection products, read and follow label instructions carefully.

The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPontTM and PrecisionPac® are registered trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. Member of CropLife Canada. © Copyright 2015 DuPont Canada. All rights reserved.

precisionpac.ca

1059 PPAC Classified 2015 AB2.indd 17

1059 PPAC Classified 2015 AB2.indd 11

Crop Production Services Inc.

SEARCH

Brooks - 403-362-2072

Andrukow Group Solutions Inc.

herbicides

As with all DuPont crop protection products, read and follow label instructions carefully.

The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPontTM and PrecisionPac® are registered trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. Member of CropLife Canada. © Copyright 2015 DuPont Canada. All rights reserved.

Crop Production Services Inc.

For custom herbicides as unique as your fields, visit:

As with all DuPont crop protection products, read and follow label instructions carefully.

The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPontTM and PrecisionPac® are registered trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. Member of CropLife Canada. © Copyright 2015 DuPont Canada. All rights reserved.

Remember that story you wanted to 1059 PPAC Classified AB2.indd 6 15-02-19 read again2015 from a few months back?5:37 PM

CERTIFIED CDC PLENTIFUL, new HRS, 96% germ, 0 fusarium graminaerum. AC Enchant, VB, new CPS red, AC Conquer, VB, midge tolerant, 1059 PPAC 2015 2 15-02-19 5:37 PM high Classified germination, 0 AB2.indd fusarium graminaerum.

AC Andrew, soft white wheat, 99% germ, 0 fusarium graminaerum. Phone:(306)843-2934. www.herle.ca

Mundare - 780-764-2511

1-877-641-2798

Wainwright - 780-842-3306

precisionpac.ca As with all DuPont crop protection products, read and follow label instructions carefully.

The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPontTM and PrecisionPac® are registered trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. Member of CropLife Canada. © Copyright 2015 DuPont Canada. All rights reserved.

Andrukow Group Solutions Inc.

Andrukow Group Solutions Inc.

CERTIFIED SEED Forage Seeds 15-02-19

Agro Guys Inc.

Wheat, Barley, Oats, Peas, etc.

Green or Heated Canola/Flax

For custom herbicides as unique as your fields, visit:

Crop Production Services Inc.

herbicides

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MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MARCH 2, 2015

Invasive species conference

tax credits for checkoffs

The Alberta Invasive Species Council conference and AGM takes place March 12 at the Lacombe Memorial Hall. Topics include stopping aquatic invasives in Alberta, herbicide research for invasive weed control, working with industry to stop baby’s breath, and Russian olive invasiveness. The keynote address will look at what makes invasive species initiatives successful. The cost, if registered by March 6, is $73.50 for members and $94.50 for nonmembers, and about $20 more after that date. There are no registrations at the door. For more info, see www.abinvasives.ca. — AARD release

Alberta producers who have paid checkoffs through the provincial wheat, barley, pulse and canola commissions are eligible for a scientific research tax credit. In the case of wheat, nine per cent of checkoffs are eligible for a tax credit, which is based on the amount invested in R&D that meets the criteria laid out by the Canada Revenue Agency.

AWC’s research investments focus on genetic and agronomic improvements aimed at improving the long-term profitability of Alberta’s wheat producers. For more info, contact the Canada Revenue Agency, or visit www.cra-arc.gc.ca. — AARD release

Website offers insights and HEARTLAND tips on pain mitigation Cattle’s experience with pain is not fully understood, but research on minimizing pain is steadily advancing

T

he Beef Cattle Research Council has updated the pain mitigation section of its website. The following is an edited version of that page, which also contains videos and links to further articles. It can be found at www.beefresearch.ca/blog/painmitigation-page-preview/.

Consumer pressure to avoid painful practices on cattle when possible — and to reduce pain when castration, dehorning, or branding are necessary — is building.

The knowledge of pain in livestock has advanced steadily over the past 22 years. Behavioural and physiological indicators of pain have been identified, and researchers’ ability to measure animal responses associated to painful procedures has improved.

Research has developed new pain control drugs that are registered for use in cattle in Canada, and knowledge is building on the appropriate dosage, routes of administration, and synergy between anesthetics and analgesics.

Despite a considerable amount of research, cattle’s experience with pain is not fully understood.

Research that has used electroencephalographs to monitor brainwaves in cattle during painful practices detects clear differences, so it is clear that cattle experience pain.

However, as prey animals, cattle have evolved to not show behavioural signs of pain, which is a sign of weakness to predators.

Most previous research into pain control for castration and dehorning has been done in dairy calves that were weaned at birth, or in feedlot calves. Little or no research has been done in young beef calves in a herd environment. Therefore, it’s unknown whether the relief that beef calves get when they return to their mothers and nurse may also help to eliminate pain-associated behaviours.

Many past studies have used drugs in ways that are difficult to implement in commercial practice.

Some have used elaborate combinations of drugs, some of which are not licensed for use in cattle, or used experimental formulations that are not commercially available (e.g. oral meloxicam).

Other experiments have repeatedly given the pain drugs over several days, requiring additional handling, stress, and risk of injury for the cattle.

Currently pain in animals can only be routinely measured using behavioural and physiological responses. Depending upon the

management procedure being evaluated, researchers have used standing, lying, feeding, ruminating, kicking, tail-flicking, ear-flicking, pacing posture, and weightshifting behaviours to gauge animal responses to painful practices and pain control. Acute, immediate pain is easier to measure than chronic, long-term pain (lasting more than three days).

Researchers have found that dehorned calves do more head rubbing, head shaking and ear flicking than calves that have not been dehorned. Castrated calves stand, move and lie differently than calves that have not been castrated.

Pain drugs alter these behavioural differences; feedlot bulls that are castrated using pain drugs show fewer of these abnormal, painrelated behaviours.

In Canada, the most common routine management procedures that cause pain are castration, dehorning, and branding.

Castration

All methods of castration are painful. Surgical castration causes more intense pain that lasts for a few days, while banding castration causes a less intense but chronic pain that lasts for more than one month.

It is strongly recommended that cow-calf producers castrate calves as young as possible. Castration of bull calves soon after birth results in improved health and gain in the feedlot, and enhanced carcass marbling and tenderness compared to castration at or after weaning. Animal health and welfare risks, and animal performance impacts all increase with age.

The Beef Code of Practice requires castration be performed by competent personnel using proper, clean, and well-maintained tools, and that animals be castrated as young as practically possible, before the age of three months and especially before weaning. As of 2016, pain control will be required when castrating bulls older than nine months. In 2018, that will drop to six months.

Dehorning

Dehorning can be reduced through genetics. Research into the performance of polled versus horned bulls of many different breeds has shown no differences in any production performance measures.

Horns are a shell made of keratin and other proteins over a core of living bone. Dehorning decreases the risk of injury for both handlers and other cattle, and minimizes

the economic loss due to carcass bruising. In addition to training and proper tools, the beef code will require, beginning in 2016, pain control in consultation with your veterinarian when dehorning after the horn bud has attached.

Branding

In Canada, the incidence of branded beef cattle is continually decreasing. The most recent National Beef Quality Audit found that the use of brands dropped from 25 per cent of fed cattle in 1999 to less than 10 per cent in 2011.

Both hot and freeze branding can be used as forms of permanent identification. Although both types of branding are known to cause pain, it has been shown that hot branding causes more acute pain at the time of the procedure. Freeze branding can only be done on dark-coloured cattle and is more difficult to do properly.

Currently there is no practical way to give pain control drugs when branding.

Pain control drugs

Few pain control options are commercially available for cattle, and all require a veterinary prescription. Anesthetic and analgesic drugs can help control pain.

Anesthetic drugs (like freezing at a dentist) eliminate all feeling while anesthetics (e.g. Lidocaine) help to reduce the pain of surgery, but wear off relatively quickly and are challenging to use.

Analgesics (e.g. Metacam, Anafen and Banamine) may be a better option for cattle producers. These don’t eliminate all feeling, but do reduce the pain that occurs after the surgery. They can be injected intramuscularly or through intravenous methods and last longer than anesthetics.

A number of analgesic drugs have been approved for use in beef cattle. None of these products have a specific claim for pain control following castration, and few are approved for pain control during dehorning. But they do control swelling and pain for a variety of different conditions.

Research shows that a combination of anesthesia and analgesia provides the best pain control.

Age of animal

Procedures are much less invasive in young animals. The wound is smaller, there is considerably less blood loss, and young calves recover more quickly with a smaller setback in animal performance.

Hot branding causes more acute pain, but freeze branding can only be done on dark-coloured cattle and is more difficult to do properly. Photo: Thinkstock Although research is still being conducted in this area, it is suggested that to reduce pain, procedures should be conducted when animals are as young as possible, especially when dehorning because the horn bud attaches at two to three months of age.

Painful procedures should not be performed during times when the animal will be experiencing other stressors (e.g. don’t castrate at the same time as weaning). Stress reduces the animal’s immune system and makes them less able to fight off infection.

Euthanasia

Euthanasia is defined as the humane death of an animal without inflicting pain or distress using methods that cause an immediate loss of consciousness followed by cardiac and respiratory arrest and death without a return to consciousness.

Having a euthanasia decisionmaking process in place on your farm, along with proper training in both determining when euthanasia should occur and proper procedure will help to minimize unnecessary pain and distress in animals.

The Beef Code of Practice requires that animals be imme-

diately euthanized (or culled with proper adherence to the requirements for transporting compromised cattle) if they: • Have chronic, severe, or debilitating pain and distress; • Are unlikely to recover; • Have failed to respond to treatment or recovery protocols; • Are unable to get to or consume food and water; • Show continuous weight loss or emaciation.

Further research

Despite some advances in understanding pain in cattle, there is still much we do not understand when it comes to the effect and management of pain-associated procedures like castration and dehorning.

Research under the second Beef Science Cluster is currently evaluating the relative impacts of age, technique, and pain medication when pre-weaning beef calves are castrated at the same time as branding or as a separate procedure. This research will generate science-based recommendations regarding the best age to carry out painful routine management procedures and identify target ages which may require pain mitigation.

50

MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Young beef producer gaining knowledge through mentorship Brandon-area farmer will spend eight months with Alberta grazing manager Steve Kenyon

By Jennifer Paige staff

B

rett McRae is a passionate young producer who shared a glimpse into the mindset of the beef industry’s upcoming generation during the recent Manitoba Beef Producers annual general meeting.

Twenty-seven-year-old McRae is the fifth generation to raise cattle on his family’s 100-year-old farm.

Mar Mac Farms is located outside of Brandon, operating with 210 head of purebred Angus and Simmental cows and 1,000 acres of grains and oilseeds.

While growing up, McRae was heavily involved in the 4-H program, the young Canadian Simmental Association and the Canadian Junior Angus Association (CJAA).

He was a founding member of the Manitoba Junior Angus Association (MJAA), served on the board of the CJAA and earned a diploma in agribusiness.

The Lakeland College agribusiness grad was chosen for the Cattlemen’s Young Leaders (CYL) mentorship program last year and paired with Steve Kenyon, who runs a custom grazing business, Greener Pastures Ranching, with 1,500 head of livestock and 3,500 acres at Busby.

“The CYL program is by far one of the best opportunities that young producers have today. It is a mentorship program that pairs you with an experienced producer that matches your operation goals and interests,” said McRae. “Sometimes the best way to learn is through talking to other producers; seeing what they are doing on their operations and asking for advice.”

Brett McRae is a young producer from Brandon with a passion for advocating and sharing his ideals on the cattle industry’s opportunities for emerging producers. Photos: Jennifer Paige Out with the old

In his presentation, McRae spoke about shifting paradigms and why it is important to examine why and what you do in your operation.

“Young producers today need the guidance of experienced producers without their limiting beliefs. What worked well in 1975 won’t necessarily work today. The industry is changing,” said McRae. “When do you calf? How many cows do you have? Many young farmers would respond with the same answers that their father or grandfather had because that is the way it has always been done.

“But, if you are using a map and paradigm from years past to navigate, you are going to have a lot of trouble in today’s fast-changing industry.”

McRae urged audience members to examine their operations to identify any paradigm that may be affecting their bottom line or production levels.

Brett McRae is a young producer who owns and operates Mar Mac Farms with his family just outside of Brandon, with 210 head of purebred Angus and Simmental cows and 1,000 acres of grains and oilseeds.

“What are you focused on?

Do you focus on the past or the future? As a young beef producer, I urge you to focus on the future. We will always need the past for data and knowledge but the future is what we need to base our decisions on.”

Winning video

McRae also finds value in online and social media.

“One of the best tools producers have today is YouTube. It is a fantastic tool that I use all the time. It is free, full of valuable information and speakers giving advice on a number of different topics,” said McRae. Along with using YouTube for practical on-farm information, McRae has also begun to use social media outlet to advocate

for the industry and help give a voice to today’s young beef producers.

Last year, with the help of his sister Melissa, McRae created a YouTube video (http://youtu. be/BzivakjZHT4) about a day in the life of a beef producer. He entered the video into a contest put on by the Five Nations Beef Alliance and won a trip to Corpus Christi, Texas, in October where he toured ranches, packing plants and feedlots.

“Social media is an amazing tool, a handy resource to get answers to questions and a great way to tell our story to consumers,” he said. “Consumers are really interested in where their food comes from. I think it would help our industry if we can express to the

“What are you focused on? Do you focus on the past or the future?”

Brett McRae

consumer that we have a safe, reliable source of protein that they can enjoy. The more they get to know about our industry, the more they are going to like it and feel good about eating beef.”

Jennifer.paige@fbcpublishing.com

Manitoba slaughter plant close to federal certification Plant has enhanced traceability, allowing carcass data to be captured on individual animals instead of load lots

By Jennifer Paige staff / Brandon

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Manitoba will soon have a modern federally certified livestock slaughter plant, says Calvin Vaags, owner and operator of True North Foods.

“We are currently operating right now as a provincial plant but we are actively working towards our federal certification and it shouldn’t be that far away,” said Vaags, adding he expects that to happen in March or April.

“By the time we are all said and done we should have a facility with the capabilities of shipping beef anywhere in the world.”

Vaags said the facility has been designed to meet all criteria for Canadian, European, Chinese and American markets.

The 35,000-square-foot plant has been designed to accommodate multiple species with the capacity to kill approximately about 1,000 head per week, although it’s currently killing 75 to 125 cattle weekly. The facility currently employs approxi-

mately 25 staff but at full capacity is expected to employ 80.

The facility will manage cattle, bison, elk, sheep and goats, as well as offer heavy carcass capability, accommodating even the largest bulls.

The facility boasts enhanced traceability, said Vaags.

“At our plant we have everything traced to the CCIA tag and it goes right through the entire plant. What that means on an individual basis is you can get yield and carcass data — carcass quality data, not just on load lots but on each individual animal.”

Vaags’ path to opening a federally certified beef facility began in 2004 when he opened the Carver’s Knife, a retail meat store and wholesale beef distribution company in Winnipeg.

The Carver’s Knife quickly became the biggest customer for Plains Processors processing plant near Carman, Man., which led Vaags to purchase the plant in 2008. It now has 13 shareholders, all Manitoba residents, he said.

Jennifer.paige@fbcpublishing.com

51

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MARCH 2, 2015

Don’t be alarmed by hike in Calf Price Insurance premiums While the cost is up, so is risk and coverage levels actually offer better value this year, says risk management specialist Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development release

C

alf Price Insurance is now being offered for 2015 and producers shouldn’t be alarmed by the premium cost.

“Cattle Price Insurance for the 2015 calf crop may initially appear to be more expensive than last year, but it is actually a better value,” said Bruce Viney, risk management specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development.

“Producers who are considering price insurance may be somewhat surprised by what appears to be very high premiums for the top coverage levels. However, these new higher premiums for the top coverage levels are simply a reflection of the increased price risk faced by producers in this new higher-price and uncertain marketplace.”

In this new environment, many longtime producers can feel or sense an increased level of risk, said Viney.

“This risk perception is in fact quite true and can be calculated mathematically from actual price data,” he said. “The resulting risk measurement is referred to as ‘volatility.’ For the mathematically inclined, volatility is calculated as ‘the standard deviation of the per cent change in the price around its mean.’ The key point here is that the volatility is based on sound logic, and is not just a number that someone pulls out of the air.”

The changes in premium levels from last year may initially appear

This year’s higher calf price insurance premiums “are simply a reflection of the increased price risk,” says risk management specialist. to be biased to the high side but they are actually calculated by a proven mathematical formula called the Black-Scholes option pricing model, he said.

“In this calculation, premiums can change very rapidly or exponentially which implies that a doubling of the volatility or risk will result in a greater than doubling of the premiums as a per cent of coverage.”

For example, the top coverage offered on Feb. 3, was $2.50 per cwt, which cost about $48.12 for a 600-pound calf.

SAIT and Olds College upgrade meat program facilities Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency release

In the meat and livestock industry, efficiency leads to increased productivity, which often leads to increased profitability. All three are key factors behind the SAIT meat lab renovations and the Olds College meatprocessing lab equipment upgrade.

SAIT originally offered a 15-week meat-cutting program strictly focused on the retail meat industry.

With the addition of the recently renovated butchery lab and the new charcuterie lab, SAIT extended the program to a year, appealing to both retail and culinary audiences.

The program is dual purpose, according to Tom Bornhorst, dean, school of hospitality and tourism, SAIT. “The extended program is geared towards educating both meat cutters and chefs who will learn how to create value-added protein products. As well, they will learn to recognize food safety issues that arise from this type of meat processing,” said Bornhorst.

Bornhorst expects the program to more than double in capacity, with potentially 35 students enrolling in the September 2015 class.

The new program also has a consumer aspect. The campus sells packaged products, while the newly renovated butchery lab offers specialized cuts for customers preferring Alberta protein products.

Olds College sought to fill various industry knowledge gaps. These include the need for value-added products; improved product, processing and packaging methods; value chain development; and traceability technologies and applications.

With these key points in mind, Olds College developed a program that is geared towards training those in entry-level positions. Not only will this help fill industry’s labour void, but it will also increase knowledge and skills using updated equipment to enhance the value of a carcass.

Proper meat handling is essential to food safety. “Depending on the methods and equipment used for handling cuts of beef, the meat can be compromised or potentially enhanced,” said Brad McLeod, program co-ordinator at Olds College.

Olds College has “added valueadded capacity for charcuterie, industrial canning and to develop new innovative products,” he said.

“This capacity allows us to lead our industry in nose-to-tail butchery. As well, our unique slaughter module provides gate-to-plate products raised on our farm, processed right on campus and sold in our new retail store. This allows our graduates to access jobs in all sectors of the meat industry.”

The Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency has partnered with SAIT and Olds College on their respective projects.

Given that the insured value of the calf is $1,500, the premiums are about 3.2 per cent of the coverage,” said Viney.

A lower coverage level of $2.32 per cwt was also offered on Feb. 3 at a cost of $2.96 per cwt or 1.3 per cent of coverage value. This lower coverage level worked out to $17.76 for a 600-pound calf and gave $1,392 per head in coverage.

“It essentially cost an extra $30 per head to buy an extra $108 per head in coverage when moving up to the top level,” said Viney. “Is this worth it to your operation? For

some it may be worth it and for others it may not.”

He noted that one year earlier, the top coverage offered to producers was $1.88 per cwt and cost $3.04 per cwt or $18.24 per head.

“This provided $1,128 per head in coverage for a 600-pound calf.

This year, that same $18 buys you an extra $264 per head in coverage.

So comparing absolute price levels, a dollar spent on insurance this year gives better protective value than last year.”

Producers are encouraged to evaluate all of the coverage levels

Photo: Thinkstock

being offered and determine the best level for their own risk tolerance.

“Regular monitoring of CPIP coverage is also a good strategy since daily changes in exchange rates, futures markets and feed prices all contribute to calf price risk, volatility, and ultimately to the insurance being offered,” said Viney.

For further information on Calf Price Insurance, Alberta producers can contact their local Agriculture Financial Services Corporation offices or call 1-877-899-AFSC (2372).

ATTENTION: MEN OVER FORTY In Alberta, 1 in 7 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. All men age 40 and over are invited to visit the Man Van during the scheduled clinic times and receive a free baseline PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) blood test.

Upcoming Testing Clinics Saturday March 7, 2015 Ponoka Elks Hall 5901 Hwy 2A, Ponoka 10:00 am - 1:00 pm March 11-15, 2015 Calgary International Auto & Truck Show BMO Centre Saturday March 28, 2015 Fort Macleod Curling Club 235 21 Street, Fort Macleod 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Visit www.getchecked.ca regularly for updates on testing clinics near you.

PROUD SPONSORS

For more information on booking a MAN VAN clinic in your community call 403.943.8952 or kenr@prostatecancercentre.ca.

Media Partner:

52

MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Producers and A&W remain at odds A&W continues to purchase beef from the U.S. and Australia to meet the need for hormone- and steroid-free product

By Jennifer Paige staff / Brandon

T

Photos: Jennifer Paige

ension was palpable in the room full of Manitoba beef producers as the representative from A&W restaurants communicated the reasoning behind the company’s ‘Better Beef’ campaign.

“In recent years the beef industry has been inundated with badnews stories and we find consumers reluctant to choose beef,” said Trish Sahlstorm, vice-president of purchasing and distribution for A&W restaurants. “When asked what was important when choosing beef, the top three consumer responses were no hormones, no steroids and no antibiotics.”

Sahlstorm participated in a panel discussion at this year’s Manitoba Beef Producers annual general meeting and received some tough questions from concerned producers.

“I would hope this is a matter of being misinformed and that you are not knowingly putting the entire industry at risk for financial gain,” said Cliff Graydon, a beef producer and Manitoba MLA. “I feel that as a corporate citizen you should educate consumers that not everything is bad for them.”

Producer backlash was immediate after A&W launched its ‘Better Beef’ campaign in September 2013.

“Within a short time of our launch, we received quite a bit of feedback from the beef industry — ‘don’t call it better beef, don’t put our product down,” said Sahlstorm. “But there was never any intention that this was comparative, we were using consumer language.”

The company has cut back on the use of the ‘Better Beef’ slogan, but tension continues to run high between producers and the fastfood giant.

See the lAteSt in the FielD

Welcome to Ag in Motion – Western Canada’s only outdoor farm expo!

16

LANGHAM

SASKATOON

July 21 – 23, 2015

More estrogen in plants

“Anything without a hormone is not alive and cannot live. Hormone levels in beef and milk are considerably lower than in some plant-based foods,” said Graydon.

He provided an example that four ounces of cabbage have 27,000 nanograms of estrogen, whereas four ounces of raw steak from an animal that has had implants contain 1.6 nanograms and four ounces from a pregnant non-implanted heifer 1.5 nanograms.

“At no time has A&W taken any scientific side about hormones or steroids, we are simply responding to what consumers have told us they want,” said Sahlstorm.

A&W didn’t discuss the change in advance with the country’s producers, who argue that the company could have handled the situation better and given the industry a heads up and allowing producers the option to change their practices.

“One of my concerns is that when you talked to the consumers you may have wanted to talk to some of the producers as well,” said Manitoba Beef Producers president Heinz Reimer. “We understand consumers are changing but you also need to listen to where your product is coming from and understand that we as producers are also changing.”

Jennifer.paige@fbcpublishing.com

15 min. NW of Saskatoon

Join us at Ag In Motion – the unique opportunity to get up close and personal with today’s agricultural technology. Experience live demonstrations of field equipment, crops, livestock and services all together on 320 acres near Saskatoon. Come to the farm show where there’s room to see it all – and how it all fits together.

™

™ Denotes a trade-mark of Canada’s Outdoor Shows Limited Partnership.

See Technology

Trish Sahlstorm, vice-president of purchasing and distribution for A&W restaurants participated in a panel discussion at this year’s Manitoba Beef Producers annual general meeting.

tOUCh Innovation

Be Empowered

www.aginmotion.ca

Cliff Graydon, beef producer and MLA for Emerson, posed some tough questions to an A&W representative at the Manitoba Beef Producers annual general meeting.

53

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MARCH 2, 2015

MARCH 2015

y d d a D r u o Y s ’ o h W MARCH 2015

Richard Moellenbeck 306-287-7904

Saskatoon Livestock Sales, 306-382-8088

Muridale Shorthorn

WE KNOW OUR BULLS HAVE TO BE BETTER JUST TO GET YOUR ATTENTION!

www.muridale.com

12th Annual

Bull Sale

Thursday April 2, 2015 – 1:00 PM

That’s why we cull hard and only sell 50 bulls a year. These are the top cut from over 400 purebred Shorthorn cows. Thick, rugged, BEEF BULLS that are bred to handle the harsh conditions of Western Canada.

Also on offer a select group of plush and embryo lots.

For more information or a catalogue contact:

Saskvalley Stock Farm Carl Lehmann 306-232-3511 www.saskvalleyshorthorns.com

Bell M Farms www.bellmfarms.com

Scot Muri 306-741-6833

Sale is broadcast by Cattle In Motion at

www.cattleinmotion.com Catalogue online at all three websites

Sale bull videos at www.youtube.com/whosyourdaddybull

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

54

MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

MARCH 2015

RANGE READY Bull Sale SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2015 – 1:00 PM HEARTLAND LIVESTOCK SERVICES - YORKTON, SK

Red / Black 2 Yr. Limo Bulls

GUTEK LIMOUSIN AND CHAROLAIS Jeffrey and Bonnie Gutek Hendon,SK (306) 338 2112

Catalog can be viewed on line at

www.buyagro.com

Red Meadowvale “M” Grubsteak 4B

PNTM 551A sired by GEIS Gabriel 40’06

PHANTOM FARMS Jeff Sznerch & Family Canora, SK phantomfarms@hotmail.com 306-563-4155/ 306-562-7993

MEADOWVALE “M” RED ANGUS

Cam and Esther Morgan Box 371, Saltcoats, SK S0A 3R0 Morgan.ai.services@gmail.com 306-744-7411

Yearling/2 Yr. Olds

HWY 5 Kraken 34B

BPU 59A

PK HEREFORDS

Clint & Meridee Kopelchuk Canora, SK (306) 563-6337 home (306) 563-8304 cell

PRAIRIE VIEW CHAROLAIS

Darren Odowichuk Shortdale, MB (204) 546-2995 Home (204) 937-7680 Cell PrairieView@hotmail.com

HIGHWAY 5 SIMMENTALS

Colby Wolkowski cell# 306-563-7567 Trent Wolkowski cell# 306-563-7509 email hwy5simmentals@gmail.com

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

55

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MARCH 2, 2015

MARCH 2015

RLT 15B : Big Deal X On Target

RLT 21B : Mulberry X Full Throttle

RLT 23B : Mulberry X Barney

RLT 9B : Panther X Carlton

RLT 24B : Mulberry X Barney

RLT 16B : Big Deal X New Trend

RLU 7B: Trust X Boomtown

RLU 18B : Fielder X Boomtown

RLU 21B: Trust X Torant

RLU 29B : Trust X Northeastern

RLU 37B Fielder X Eli

RLU 25B: Torant X Fleet

redlineLivestock_BBG_feb0915.indd 1

2015-02-20 3:04 PM

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

56

MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

MARCH 2015

Come early to view the bulls and enjoy the pre-sale lunch.

SELLING 43 PUREBRED LIMOUSIN BULLS

www.facebook.com/ PrimeLimousinClub

Red & Black • Polled • Yearlings & Two Year Olds

XLR 40B EXCEL POLLED BALFOUR WULFS EXTRACTOR X EXCEL POLLED VERY SPECIAL

RGK 409B HILLVIEW THE

BOSS

IVY’S ZODIAC X HILLVIEW POLL PATRICIA

DAK 15B FL PLD 15B BRUTUS

GREENWOOD PLD ZAMBUKA X FL PLD LADY LARIAT

SEH 8A HANSEN’S

AUZZY

RICHMOND XPECTED X SEH POLLED UNDERCOVER

THE SALE WILL BE BROADCAST ONLINE THROUGH DLMS. Visit www.dlms.ca to view the bull videos and register to bid online.

EXCEL RANCHES

Ron & Barb Miller (780)349-2135

Cody & Amy Miller (780)349-0644

HILLVIEW FARMS Raymond & Corine Verbeek (780)939-2173

FOUILLARD LIMOUSIN

Ed & Debbie Fouillard Cell (780)996-0970

Dan & Pam Fouillard Cell (587)987-8734

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

HANSEN’S LIMOUSIN Scott & Lesley Hansen (780)727-4557

57

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MARCH 2, 2015

MARCH 2015

everblack angus common sense bull sale 2 PM - Monday, March 30, 2015 Nilsson Bros. - Vermilion, Alberta

On Offer: • 65 Two-Year-Old bulls • 25 Yearling bulls • 10 Yearling Heifers from the top of Everblack’s replacement pen

Steak Fry

to Follow Sale

Whitney Bosovish 780.991.3025

Rob Holowaychuk 780.916.2628 Optimal Bovines Inc.

View our catalogue online. www.optimalbovines.com or www.dlms.ca

Everblack Angus

Ernest & Judy Gibson & Family Ryan & Amanda Jordan, Kristen & Sullivan

780.853.2422 780.853.7836 780.581.1159

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

58

MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

MARCH 2015

Bulls Raised In The Real World...

Focus on the Future Bull Sale . . . e m o H g n i Com in Sale will be held ll u B l a u n n A 11th y on the farm! it il c fa w e n r u o

Selling

50

Sale Managed by:

Red & Black Simmental Simm/Angus - Purebred Angus Vi e w t h e c a t a l o g u e o n l i n e a t w w w. w h e a t l a n d c a t t l e . c o m

Chris: (306) 220-5006 Shane: (403) 363-9973

Vernon, Denise, Riley & Cody-Ray Lafrentz Bienfait, Saskatchewan Ph: 306.634.7765 Cell: 306.421.2297 Email: wheatlandcattle@sasktel.net

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

59

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MARCH 2, 2015

MARCH 2015

Spady Bull Sale 12 Annual Wednesday, April 15th, 2015 Offering: 120 Progeny sells: th

Black Angus Bulls

Peak Dot eLiminator 780z

2nd High Selling Yearling Bull at Peak Dot 2013 Spring Sale Sire: SAV Eliminator 9105 MGS: SAV 004 Predominant 4438

Lead Off Bull & 2nd High Selling Bull at LLB 2012 Spring Sale

Rivercrest Valleymere 1:30pm at the Ranch

in the heart of the Battle River Valley just south of Alliance, AB

LLB Darkhorse 328y

Sire: Limestone Darkhorse U322 MGS: SAV Net Worth 4200

* Volume Buyer Incentive * Site Unseen Guarantee * $50 credit if you take your bulls home sale day or delivery when you need them

soo Line koDiak 9169 Sire: HF Kodiak 5R MGS: Bon View New Design 878

High Selling Yearling Bull at Bar E-L 2011 Spring Sale

Bar e-L executor 23x

Sire: HF Tiger 5T MGS: Rainbow Hills Prime Cut 114P

High Selling Yearling Bull at Fertile Valley 2012 Spring Sale Sire: Sydgen Mandate 6079

FV manDate man 146y MGS: FV 20K King 308M

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

60

MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

MARCH 2015

SDC 1B Carbon Copy BW: 90 lbs.

CE: 90 BW: -0.6 WW: 52 YW: 98 Milk: 27.7 TM: 54

Polled

SOS 65B Ice Capp BW: 102 lbs.

CE: 58 BW: 2.8 WW: 48 YW: 86 Milk: 18.4 TM: 43

Sight unseen purchase program

Polled

• Vet inspected

View catalogue online at www.sandancharolais.com

SDC 11B Bull Horn BW: 92 lbs.

Polled CE: 61 BW: 1.8 WW: 47 YW: 88 Milk: 16.5 TM: 40

SOS 37B Calculated Risk BW: 94 lbs.

Polled CE 61 BW: 2.3 WW: 44 YW: 84 Milk: 24.7 TM: 46

SDC 157A Ajax BW: 96 lbs.

Scurred CE: 58 BW: 3.6 WW: 44 YW: 88 Milk: 20.8 TM: 43

SDC 45B Barnacle BW: 96 lbs.

Polled CE: 82 BW: 1.9 WW: 44 YW: 86 Milk: 26.9 TM: 49

SOS 96B Fire Cracker BW: 94 lbs.

Polled CE: 45 BW: 3.3 WW: 53 YW: 98 Milk: 13.1 TM: 40

BULL 42nd Annual

selling Blacks + Reds

75 ANGUS YEARLINGS Bulls are semen tested, ultrasounded & guaranteed. Watch for The Catalog to be online February 20th.

The program you can depend on.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015 ~ 1:00 pm ~ Highwood Auction ~ High River, AB Dave, Mary Beth, Dylan & Adam Sibbald 403.932.5585 1 Dave’s cell 403.850.7736 1 redbulls@sssredangus.ca 1 sssredangus.ca

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

61

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MARCH 2, 2015

MARCH 2015

Flying K Ranch

Breeding Quality Red AngusSince 1972

April 8, 2015 80+

Yearling Red Angus Bulls

YOUR ONE STOP HEIFER BULL SHOP! One of Canada’s largest selection of Red Angus heifer bulls on offer...75% of the bulls on test are below breed average for birth weight EPDs.

Red Beckton Nebula W312 - His Sons & Grandsons Sell

B.W. EPD: -6.8 Red Flying K Neptune 28Z

B.W. EPD: -5.2

MarMac Farms bought 28Z as the high seller of our 2013 Sale. He has a great set of sons that sell this year!

G

Practical, ranch raised bulls fed at home 14 miles SW of Swift Current, SK Sight Unseen Purchase Plan Satisfatction Guaranteed!

Bulls all ROP, Semen, & Carcass Tested Free Delivery in Western Canada

T

Brian, Christine, Dylan, & Shane Hanel H: 306-773-6313

C: 306-741-1582

www.flyingkranch.ca

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

62

MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

MARCH 2015

SS

RICHMOND RANCH GRASS COUNTRY BULL & FEMALE SALE

FRIDAY MARCH 13TH 2015 at The Ranch, Rumsey AB

Limousin - Angus - Limflex

Red RMJ Redman 1T - Sons in Sale

Red Northern Ice Man 8U - Sons in Sale

Other Sires: Red Lazy MC Redman 12X Red Geis Knight Hawk 72’09 Red RSL Stockman 587R - Sons in Sale

Consignors:

Selling: 75 Bulls, 25 yearlings & 50 grass born twos. 50 Limousin & Angus Influence Females; Open Heifers & Bred heifers

Call for a Video!

Jim: 403-368-2103 • Cell: 403-323-8433 Tiffany: 403-740-3748

www.richmondranch.com

RSL Red Angus

Robert & Sharon Laycock 306-937-2880 or 306-441-5010 (c)

Spittalburn Farms

Michael & Sandi Gray 306-237-4729 or 306-227-1017 (c) www.spittalburnfarms.com Sale Consultants: Castlerock Marketing Shane Castle 306-741-7485 (c) Dean McAvoy 306-612-3326

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

63

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MARCH 2, 2015

MARCH 2015

LLB Angus

29th AnnuAl

• 150 yearling bulls • 100 two year old bulls • 100 purebred heifers • 250 commercial heifers • 50 commercial bred heifers

Commercial heifers born 2014

LLB

lot 117

Bull & FEMAlE SAlE

at the farm, Erskine AB

Offering over 650 head of Quality Black & Red Angus Cattle Canada’s largest Angus Production Sale

lot 298

born Feb 15 2014

lot 264

born May 3 2013

born Mar 30 2013

Lee, Laura & Jackie Brown Trish & Tim henderson Box 217, erskine, alberta T0c 1G0

Phone: 403-742-4226 Fax: 403-742-2962

llbangus@xplornet.com

KULYK SIMMENTALS RUK 88B

MARCh 14, 2015

catalogue online www.llbangus.com

20 QUALITY BULLS LIKE THE PICTURES TO THE 11 ANNUAL BUTTS GUTTS NUTS SIMMENTAL BULL SALE TH

MARCH 23 2015 – 1PM

HEARTLAND LIVESTOCK LLOYDMINSTER SASK.

RUK 54B RUK 81B

RUK 72B

RUK 24B

RUK 62B

RR#1 NORTH BATTLEFORD SASKATCHEWAN, S9A 2X3 1-306-441-9238 (CELL) 1-306-445-5545 (FARM) Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

64

MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

MARCH 2015

SWEETLAND SUPER SIX SALERS Presents our Leading Canadian Salers Genetics at: Ag Days Bull Congress, Canada’s Red, White & Black Sale, Moose Jaw, SK (March 21), MB Bull Test Station (April 4), Lundar Bull Sale (April 18) and at the farm.

Join us for Open House March 7 Salers offer: • Calving ease & vigorous newborns • Healthy cowherds/healthy calves • Excellent reproductive performance • Longevity/ Disposition/ Heterosis • Pasture Management advantages • Less work, more profit in cow/calf units • Strong feedlot gains/ opt.carcass wts • High yields and optimal marbling • Consistently one of the highest gaining breeds at MB Test Station

March 17, 2015 @ 1:00 pm mst Innisfail Auction Market - (403) 227-3166 On Offer: 30 BULLS & select females

Alberta Plaid Galloway

Tri - r - way Livestock

Chickadee Farm

Steve Schweer Home:(403) 227-3428 Cell: (403) 304-7354 Email: schweer@xplornet.com www.albertaplaidgalloway.ca fb: Alberta Plaid Galloway

Brian A Robertson Cell: (403) 556-0401 Email: trirwaylivestock@gmail.com fb: Tri R Way Livestock

Jim King Home: (403) 227-6081 Cell: (403) 304-8196 Email: king@airenet.com fb: Chickadee Farm

Our Program offers: • Assistance with selections • Performance information, BW WW, YW • EPD’s available on the complete herd • Breeding Soundness evaluations • Betamannosidosis free herd status • Genetics from both AI sires and top “walking” bulls • The top Canadian Salers genetics for growth traits, ie. 6 of the top 10 proven sires, 1/3 of the top performing young sires and 48 of the top 50 cows are SLS seedstock (see www.salerscanada.com)

Our goal is to provide genetics to make your herd more profitable!

Ken & Wendy Sweetland & Family

Box 84, Lundar, MB R0C 1Y0 Phone 204-762-5512 email: sweetlandsalers@xplornet.ca

www.sweetlandsalers.com

live internet bidding/broadcast on: www.dlms.ca

MARCH 28TH, 2015

W

ilkinridge

S F tock

arm

Lunch 12 Noon - 1 PM at the farm, Swan River MB

50 TWO YEAR OLD & YEARLING RED AND BLACK ANGUS BULLS Bulls Sired by: Anderson’s Next Generation 20U Anderson’s Who’s Next 39S Brookmore Upward 116Y Kembar Kodiak 10Y Crescent Creek Pacesetter 128Z Red McRaes Mohican 40X Red D Bar Dynamo 67Y

April 11, 2015 - 1:00 p.m.

Viewing at the Farm , Ridgeville, Man. Video Sale will follow at the Ridgeville Hall HERD SIRES

RIPTIDE

WIZARD

MR. RUSYLVIA 34X

Catalogue & videos at: www.wilkinridge.blogpot.ca

MAINE ANJOU & RED ANGUS Bruce: (204) 734-2073 Shane Castle (306) 741-7485 Ryan Hurlburt (306) 292-9812

www.andersoncattle.ca

SID WILKINSON

(204) 373-2631 ph • 324-4302 cell

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

65

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MARCH 2, 2015

MARCH 2015 Registered (est. 1963) & Commercial (est. 1948) Black Angus Cattle • APHA & AQHA Horses

RED & BLACK

ur hoice o Y C BULL SALE

YEARLING BULL SALE

1:00 pm (CST) • Cowtown Livestock • Maple Creek SK 65 Yearling Black Angus Bulls 6 Yearling Black Angus Open Heifers

ANGUS 90 BULLS SELL APRIL 15, 2015 BLACK ANGUS BULLS

RED ANGUS BULLS

• Selling 15 Sons of Benchmark Midland 753 who carries a top 1% ranking for Residual Feed Intake.

• Selling 10 Sons of Red LSF MEW Game Changer, who is the #1 bull for Marbling and Ribeye for Red Angus Bulls having a better than +90 for WW and +130 for YW. Game Changer brings top 1% ranking for Weaning Weight, Yearling Weight, Marbling, Rlbeye, Carcass Weight, and Total Maternal. These sons of Game Changer are SPECIAL!!

• Selling 15 Sons of GAR Daybreak 6860 who ranks in top 1% of all Angus Sires for Birthweight, Calving Ease, Maternal Calving Ease and Marbling, in the top 2% for Ribeye and Yearling Weight and top 8% for Milk. The 15 bulls selling have an average BW of 79 Ibs and an average 205D weight of 720 Ibs. • Selling 13 Sons of Triara Made to Order 366Y, he by Sitz Upward 307R. 366Y ranks in the top 1% for Milk and Total Maternal, top 2% for Yearling Weight, and top 15% for Ribeye.

• Selling 10 Sons of Benchmark Predestined 8301, who ranks in the top 1% for marbling and maternal calving ease, top 2% for Calving Ease and top 15% for Yearling Weight.

• Selling 10 Sons of Red LSF RAB Commitment who is a Calving Ease delight. He ranks in the top 1% for Birth Weight, Milk, Total Maternal and Marbling, in top 8% for Ribeye and in the top 15% for Weaning and Yearling Weight.

• Selling 7 Sons of Red Basin EXT 45T5. he the sire of Red Benchmark Better Beef, Grand Champion Denver 2013.

45T5 ranks in the top 1% for Weaning and Yearling Weight, Marbling and Ribeye, Carcass Weight, Total Maternal and Maternal Calving Ease, and top 2% for Calving Ease.

• Selling 8 Sons of GAR Ingenuity J2024, he ranks in the top 1% for Marbling and Ribeye, Yearling Weight and Carcass Weight, Milk and Total Maternal and in the top 2% for Weaning Weight.

Mike Munton • 403-394-4903 • Lethbridge, AB

www.benchmarkangus.com Bar

20th AnnuAl

Bull SAlE 3R limousin The Rea Family Marengo, SK

Friday

•

A pril 17 • 2015

We Welcome Your Calls & Requests for further information.

For Your Convenience our ranch web site provides Photos • Videos • EPDs /Data • Sale Catalog

Home Raised Stock By Private Treaty

Commercial Open Replacement Heifers • April 2015 Top-Cut Breds • Nov 2015 APHA/AQHA Horses • Always

Many Thanks to Our 2014 Cattle & Horse Customers C & N Schock * Wilfley Holdings * McKelvey Farms * T Armstrong * M Daines Cavan Ranch * T & C Leismeister * K Anderson Border View Farms S & S Wilson * K & L Perron * Bitterlake Ranching Ltd * S & R Reesor * 7L7 Ranches * B & J Brown S & B Fordice * J Whitney * Baynton Ranch * Sandhills Ent Ltd * JK Ranch Ltd * Bar EJ Ranch Stryker Ranch J & C Ziegler * E & S Horner Rose Creek Ranch H Bock * S Crowe * R Nelson Farms G McConnell T Dierickse R & L Story * E Flueck D Burchnall R Bar E Ranch D Lutz T Bradshaw P & D DeMars * Dahl Farms Ltd L Myer M Lutz Crocus Valley Ranch * * repeat customer Living Spring Ranches Ltd B & J Schneider Ranching

We Welcome Your Calls and Requests for Herd Tours, Information or to be added to our mailing list

March 19, 2015 • 1:00 pm (mST) Crossroads Centre - Oyen, AB

SSA 88A 2014 to Mark Daines, Penhold AB Sale to Bitterlake Ranching, Walsh AB Highlights SSA 56A

UNDER PRESSURE

YOUNG GUN

SelliNG – 40 Red Black Polled yearlings & 2 Year Olds

TITANIUM

Celebrating 20 Years

TOLEDO

We are giving away a One Year Lease on a Featherlite Trailer Supplied by Bert Duncan Trailer Sales

Catalogue on-line in color at www.bohrson.com • FRee DeliveRy! Talk to us about our Sight Unseen Purchase & Boarding Program

Kevin – 306-463-7950 • Ken – 306-463-7454 or 306-968-2923 r3bar@hotmail.com

Visitors & Inquiries Are Always Welcome

DLD 6A to Crocus Valley Ranch, Med Hat AB.

T hank You to all our Previous Customers

Don and Connie Delorme Box 28, Robsart, SK S0N 2G0 dcdelorme@sasktel.net HOME: 306.299.4494 CELL: 306.299.7778

South Shadow, Boundary & Kay Dee Angus Herds

www.D elormeR anch.ca

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

66

MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

MARCH 2015

FIELD TESTED GENE TICS

AFFO RDA BULLS BLE

NOW here!

“Buy the BEEF Bull Sale” The Future is

COME ON DOWN TO THE 11TH ANNUAL

April 7, 2015

1:00 p.m., Neepawa Ag Complex Neepawa, MB

Home Phone (306) 463-3225 Lorna’s Cell (306) 460-8520 Rob’s Cell (306) 460-7620

www.dolittleangus.com Directions from Kindersley, SK 10 miles East on Hwy. #7 and 1.5 miles North

Selling

Registered Black Angus

by Private Treaty off the Farm Offering a Great Selection of Two Year Old (Virgin) & Yearling Bulls

DelivereD Free 1St 150 MileS

• All bulls semen tested and delivered • Bulls are available for viewing anytime

SELLING FORTY FIVE YEARLINGS, TWELVE TWO YEAR OLDS AND SIX OPEN HEIFERS

Red Angus S A J

Doug & Jason McLaren

Ph: (204) 476-6248 or (204) 476-6723 Guest Consignors: Sunset Ridge Red Angus

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

67

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MARCH 2, 2015

MARCH 2015

24th ANNUAL

BULL SALE MARCH 17, 2015

@ 1:00 pm

Balog Auction, Lethbridge, AB

60 Red & Black Bulls LWNBRG Rollin Deep 66B RedCarrier

BW: 79 lbs

Adj. WW: 915 BW -0.7 WW +75 YW +123 Milk +30 TM +67

RED LWNBRG Packer 8B

BW: 90 lbs

Adj. WW: 836 BW -0.2 WW +66 YW +98 Milk +14 TM +47

LWNBRG Catalyst 15B

Red Carrier

RED LWNBRG Flex 79B

BW: 80 lbs

BW: 94 lbs

Adj. WW: 847

Adj. WW: 867

BW -2.6 WW +63 YW +112 Milk +26 TM +57

BW -0.6 WW +58 YW +98 Milk +23 TM +52

RED LWNBRG Rollin Deep 90B

RED LWNBRG Rover 84B

BW: 87 lbs

BW: 85 lbs

Adj. WW: 797 BW -2.3 WW +58 YW +82 Milk +26 TM +54

View our catalogue online

www.leeuwenburghangus.com

Adj. WW: 818 BW -0.6 WW +68 YW +111 Milk +11 TM +45

Contacts: Dennis - 403.308.3003 Johnny - 403.382.1794 Jack - 403.330.6123

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

68

MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

MARCH 2015

 calving ease  grass-based  strong maternal  longevity  moderate frame BULLS LIKE THIS

OPEN HOUSE

SAT MARCH 7, 1-5PM CALL FOR DIRECTIONS

FROM COWS LIKE THIS

Shellmouth, MB 204-564-2540

2 yr old bulls sold private treaty off the ranch!

Our 2014 heifer promotion has been continued into 2015, check website for details!

“R A

E R DA S R E

US NG

RODG

www.nerbasbrosangus.com

NG

ER

AISED

FOR RA

NG

!”

SE U E

42nd Annual Performance Test Bull Sale 50+ Yearling Bulls

April 14th, 2015 | 1pm

Perlich Bros. Auction Market Lethbridge, Alberta

For More Information Contact Shawn: 403.642.2041 (bandkr@live.ca) Mike: 1.877.888.BULL (www.rodgersredangus.com) Perlich Brothers: 403.329.3101 Featuring: Open heifers from Matt Slingerland ENTER OUR DRAW FOR A $250 BULL CREDIT Join us for complimentary lunch prior to the sale

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MARCH 2, 2015

MARCH 2015

Know your options.

Know your options.

Know your options.

Know your options.

Know your options. www.cowsincontrol.com www.cowsincontrol.com www.cowsincontrol.com www.cowsincontrol.com

www.cowsincontrol.com

PRAIRIE GRASS RED ANGUS BULL SALE 25TH ANNUAL

SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 2015 1:00 P.M. The Bull Pen Arena Thorlakson Feedyards Airdrie, Alberta 4.5 Miles East of Airdrie on #567 & 2 Miles North on RR 284

Inte rn Avaet Bid ilab din le g

www .dlm

s.ca

80

SELLING: PERFORMANCE TESTED YEARLING BULLS

Bulls can be viewed at Thorlakson Feedyards

View Color Catalogue & Video Preview Online at www.dlms.ca

B

a

RED ROCK RED ANGUS

BEISEKER RED ANGUS

John, Karen, Jim, Laurie Brigan & Families RR #2, Site 8, Box 8, Airdrie,A B T4B 2A4

Peter & Maxine Schmaltz

R.R. #2 Airdrie,A B T4B 2A4

(403) 912-1025

(403) 948-5215

(403) 948-5412

DON’T MISS OUT ON OUR NEXT ISSUE OF THE

2016 EDITIONS Crystal McPeak

Account Executive crystal@fbcpublishing.com Phone: (403) 646-6211

“Where the serious bull buyers are looking”

Tiffiny Taylor

Sales & Special Projects tiffiny.taylor@fbcpublishing.com Phone: (204) 228-0842

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MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

MARCH 2015

See the lAteSt in the FielD

Welcome to Ag in Motion – Western Canada’s only outdoor farm expo!

LANGHAM

16

July 21 – 23, 2015

15 min. NW of Saskatoon

Join us at Ag in Motion – the unique opportunity to get up close and personal with today’s agricultural technology. Experience live demonstrations of field equipment, crops, livestock and services all together on 320 acres near Saskatoon. Come to the farm show where there’s room to see it all – and how it all fits together.

SASKATOON

™

See Technology

tOUCh Innovation

Be Empowered

www.aginmotion.ca

™ Denotes a trade-mark of Canada’s Outdoor Shows Limited Partnership.

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MARCH 2, 2015

MARCH 2015

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

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MARCH 2, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

MARCH 2015

Peak Dot Ranch Ltd.

A reputation source for Angus seedstock that have been bred for performance, maternal traits and superior phenotype. Featuring large sire groups and affordable genetics for the cowman. Free delivery in a 500 mile radius of the ranch.

Spring Bull Sale

Wednesday, April 1 , 2015

At the Ranch, Wood Mountain, Saskatchewan

236 BULLS

For Sale now at the Ranch ...

Peak Dot Ranch has 48 head of registered Angus heifers for sale by private treaty from our fall program .

This is a seldom offered chance to acquire some of the top females from our program. Many daughters of SAV Eliminator 9105, SAV Bullet 0473, Peak Dot Dominator 42U, Peak Dot Pioneer 9X , Peak Dot Bold 204U and Peak Dot Ranchland 29W from the most popular cow families at Peak Dot.

A Peak Dot Predominant 1052

SAV 004 Predominant 4438 X Peak Dot Hobson 459T BW: +3.9 WW: +61 YW: +102 M: +22 BW: 81 205 WT: 852 Peak Dot Unanimous 743B

Vision Unanimous 1418 X SAV Eliminator 9105 BW: +3.0 WW: +70 YW: +127 M: +22 BW: 78 205 WT: 863

A Peak Dot Predominant 1061

SAV 004 Predominant 4438 X Peak Dot Volt 950U BW: +3.1 WW: +51 YW: +90 M: +21 BW: 78 205 WT: 778 Peak Dot Unanimous 744B

Vision Unanimous 1418 X SAV Eliminator 9105 BW: +3.0 WW: +70 YW: +127 M: +22 BW: 84 205 WT: 840 Peak Dot Unanimous 745B

Peak Dot Unanimous 719B

Vision Unanimous 1418 X SAV Bullet 0473 BW: +2.5 WW: +65 YW: +116 M: +27 BW: 84 205 WT: 835 Peak Dot Unanimous 703B

Vision Unanimous 1418 X SAV Eliminator 9105 BW: +3.0 WW: +70 YW: +122 M: +23 BW: 70 205 WT: 797

Vision Unanimous 1418 X SAV Eliminator 9105 BW: +3.0 WW: +70 YW: +127 M: +22 BW: 82 205 WT: 836 Peak Dot Eliminator 165B

SAV Eliminator 9105 X SAV 004 Predominant 4438 BW: +4.5 WW: +69 YW: +120 M: +26 BW: 89 205 WT: 961

A Peak Dot Predominant 1045

SAV 004 Predominant 4438 X Peak Dot Hobson 459T BW: +4.2 WW: +50 YW: +85 M: +16 BW: 82 205 WT: 725 Peak Dot Unanimous 751B

Vision Unanimous 1418 X SAV Eliminator 9105 BW: +3.0 WW: +70 YW: +127 M: +22 BW: 83 205 WT: 877 Peak Dot Unanimous 733B

Vision Unamimous 1418 X SAV 004 Predominant 4438 BW: +2.0 WW: +66 YW: +117 M: +25 BW: 89 205 WT: 910 Peak Dot Eliminator 66B

SAV Eliminator 9105 X Mohnen Dynamite 1356 BW: +3.3 WW: +66 YW: +115 M: +24 BW: 87 205 WT: 914

View Sale Book and Sale Cattle Photo Gallery at www.peakdotranch.com or phone Carson Moneo 306-266-4414 Clay Moneo 306-266-4411 Email:peakdot@gmail.com

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide