SOGGY MESS
Heavy rains on the heels of frost » PG 3
IN THIS ISSUE:
KAP'S MANITOBA FARMERS' VOICE MAGAZINE
SUMMER 2015 EDITION The Official Publication of Keystone Agricultural Producers
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SERVING MANITOBA FARMERS SINCE 1925 | Vol. 73, No. 24 | $1.75
JUNE 11, 2015
More clubroot confirmed in Manitoba, but mostly low levels
of all Manitoba farmers
manitobacooperator.ca
Hands-on agriculture
The good news — farmers can still prevent this potentially destructive canola disease from getting out of control BY ALLAN DAWSON Co-operator staff
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orty-eight Manitoba fields are confirmed to have clubroot spores, a soilborne, potentially destructive canola disease, up from 13, according to the latest clubroot survey update from Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (MAFRD). The results were expected and officials predict they’ll find even more with additional sampling. The good news is the number of clubroot spores in most infected fields is low — under 80,000 per gram of soil — meaning longer canola rotations, sanitation and resistant varieties can keep the disease in check, MAFRD plant pathologist Holly Derksen said in an interview June 5. “We don’t want people to think it’s spreading based on this map compared to our previous map,” she said. “It’s just now we’ve really upped our sampling load. We’re figuring out where it’s now present. It’s not necessarily spreading, we’re just try-
Grade 4 and 5 classes from schools across Westman took part in Agriculture in the Classroom’s Amazing Ag Adventure held in Brandon on June 2 and 3. See story page 6. Photo: Jennifer Paige
Seeding 2015: The never-ending story Close to a million Manitoba acres could get reseeded and 90 per cent of them were canola
See CLUBROOT on page 7 »
BY ALLAN DAWSON Co-operator staff
Publication Mail Agreement 40069240
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hat started as an early spring has turned into a reseeding frenzy as farmers race against crop insurance deadlines to reseed nearly a million acres damaged by a blizzard, frost, heavy rains and voracious flea beetles. “The May 30 frost was bad for two reasons. One, it was widespread. Two, it was later in the year. If you get a frost May 15 it doesn’t hurt a whole bunch because most of the crops aren’t out of the ground yet,” said David Van Deynze, manager of the Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation’s (MASC) claim services in an interview June 5.
“It’s as bad a year (for reseeding claims) that we’ve had on record or at least since the ’90s.” As of June 5, MASC had 2,745 reseeding claims for the whole season — 1,875 since the May 30 frost. That translates into around 950,000 acres — 90 per cent of them canola, Van Deynze said. Blaine Woycheshin, Bayer CropScience’s manager of oilseed crops, estimates more than one million acres of canola will be reseeded across the West — mostly in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. It’s the biggest reseeding hit western Canadian farmers have taken in a while, he said. “We always get a bit of reseeding due to frost but nothing of this magnitude,” he said June 4. T h e l a s t ye a r re s e e d i n g
claims in Manitoba exceeded 2,000 was 1998. That’s before Van Deynze began working for MASC, but the Manitoba Co-operator reported in late May 1998 that crop insurance was expecting more than 1,000 reseeding claims following heavy rains in the Red River Valley and the eastern region. That was followed by a frost in parts of the province May 29, 1998. The final tally on reseeding claims won’t be known for a while because sometimes farmers change their minds, Van Deynze said. Canola seed companies, agri-retailers and farmers were scrambling last week to get seed into position. Rain early and late in the week delayed some reseeding operations.
Most farmers are expected to get seed to reseed, although it might not be their first choice of variety, said Manitoba Canola Growers Association president Ed Rempel. “We’re still treating (seed) at full tilt,” Woycheshin said. “We’ve got as many trucks as we can find. We’re doing our best to supply the growers. We’ve been working on cleaning up inventory and drive stuff around. There has been a lot of co-operation from the retail chain. We think the end is near. We do appreciate the growers’ patience. This is not a win for anybody.” Keystone Agricultural P r o d u c e r s p re s i d e n t D a n Mazier, who farms near Justice, See SEEDING 2015 on page 6 »
G3 Global: Eyeing a West Coast terminal » PAGE 9