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Another option for food developers

Budding plant breeder?

Winnipeg commercial kitchen available 24/7 » Pg 3

Science fair winner tests wheat germination » Pg 46

April 2, 2015

SERVING MANITOBA FARMERS SINCE 1925 | Vol. 73, No. 14

Ottawa drops minimum rail shipping order Permanent improvements to grain transportation must come from the Canada Transportation Act review By Allan Dawson and Dave Bedard co-operator staff

T

he federal gover nment’s order-in-council requiring the two major railways to ship a minimum amount of grain has expired, but can be reinstated if required, says Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. The first order last March compelled the railways to ship one million tonnes in total per week or face a fine of up to $100,000 a day. The minimum shipping volumes changed several times since and the maximum fine was changed to $100,000 per incident. The Western Grain Elevator A s s o c i a t i o n and Keystone Agricultural Producers said that while grain shipping has improved, problems requiring a permanent fix remain and need to be addressed as part of the review of the Canada Transportation Act. “Our two key recommendations are No. 1 for the act to provide a better definition of the railways’ obligation to provide adequate and suitable accommodation in a way that reflects shipper demand,” WGEA executive director Wade Sobkowich See RAIL SHIPPING on page 6 »

$1.75

manitobacooperator.ca

The statistics prove it — higher yields with Manitoba maple syrup It’s now easier than ever to sell snake oil, says University of Manitoba soil scientist Don Flaten

By Allan Dawson co-operator staff /portage la prairie

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t’s easier than ever to sell snake oil as a fertilizer, supplement or replacement, so for farmers it’s “buyer beware,” warns Don Flaten, a professor of soil science at the University of Manitoba. “It’s what I’d call the Wild West,” Flaten told agronomists attending an Agvise Laboratories meeting here March 18. “With the Wild West it means there’s no more evidence for effectiveness (needed).” The Canadian Food Inspection Agency used to require companies prove a new fertilizer was safe to use, and increased crop yields. Since May

2013 they only have to demonstrate products are safe. The federal government made the change to encourage entrepreneurs, but it also makes it easier for charlatans. “The market is going to decide if products are good or bad and farmers will need to be more careful than ever about their purchase of farm inputs,” Flaten said. “They’ll pay for the failures themselves either through increased input costs or decreased yields or both.” Flaten has wrestled with fly-by-night products for more than 30 years. With his tongue in his cheek, he declared he was going into business with a couple of partners so they could improve “their economy” and “help farmers

reduce their income taxes.” Their company is called BSI — Baloney Science Incorporated. “We will market products without telling any lies whatsoever and in some cases even with statistical analysis,” Flaten said. “We can put together a story that seems to work.”

Statistical ‘truth’

Flaten cited two studies to illustrate how data can be manipulated to distort the truth. The Two Penny study, a replicated trial, showed planting two pennies per plot increased yields by 45 per cent. But it turns out that huge yield increase See SNAKE OIL on page 6 »

For consumers, trust trumps science » PAGE 21


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