Manitoba co operator

Eye in the sky

It’s a Nellie!

Tracking crops by satellite » PG 15

For MWI » PG 3

SERVING MANITOBA FARMERS SINCE 1925 | Vol. 74, No. 7 | $1.75

February 18, 2016

Grain shippers want emergency rules extended Key clauses expire Aug. 1

BY ALLAN DAWSON Co-operator staff

G

rain companies and farm groups want the federal government to extend regulations brought to deal with the grain transportation crisis of 2013-14 before they expire Aug. 1.

The legislation formally known as Bill C-30 made several changes to the Canada Transportation Act, including expanding interswitching within 160 km of an interchange, instead of 30.

It’s a valuable competitive tool grain shippers are using and want to keep, Wade Sobkowich, executive director of the Western Grain Elevators Association (WGEA), which represents Western Canada’s main grainhandling companies, said in an interview Feb. 10.

There’s more interswitching occurring than many people expected, said Canada’s grain transportation monitor, Mark Hemmes, president of Quorum Corporation.

The C-30 provisions came with a “sunset” clause because they were passed under emergency legislation. The former Conservative government was responding to a huge backlog in grain shipments by rail in 2013-14, a backlog that cost grain farmers at least $5 billion, according to University of Saskatchewan agricultural economist Richard Gray.

The other provisions set to expire in less than six months include allowing the federal cabinet to order the railways to transport a minimum volume of grain and the Canadian Transportation Agency to compensate any person for expenses caused by a railway’s failure to fulfil its service obligations.

A new definition of “operational terms” in service-level agreements will also end. It helped clarify cases eligible for the Canadian Transportation Agency arbitration.

“They were positive provisions and we are of the view that… they (government) should make those provisions in Bill C-30 permanent,” Sobkowich said.

Many farm organizations agree, including the Manitoba See GRAIN on page 6 »

manitobacooperator.ca

‘Collaboration’ the new buzzword for commodity groups Fear of checkoff fatigue is driving the discussion about working together

BY ALLAN DAWSON Co-operator staff

M

anitoba’s major checkofffunded farm commodity groups are working with a consultant to explore increased collaboration aimed at giving farmers more bang for their levy bucks.

“We are excited to see what this may evolve into and we are just at the initial stage,” Reston farmer and Manitoba Wheat and Barley Growers Association (MWBGA) chair Fred Greig told the association’s annual meeting Feb. 11 during Crop Connect in Winnipeg.

The other groups involved are the Manitoba Corn Growers Association, Manitoba Canola Growers Association, the Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Association and National Sunflower Growers Association. “(H)ow long can we sustain the current model of multiple associations providing overlapping representation to the same membership?” Kyle Friesen, Altona farmer and outgoing chair of the Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers Association (MPSGA) wrote in the association’s annual report.

“I see a great opportunity to improve efficiency of grower levy funds through collaboration, communication and possibly consolidation.”

In a later interview, Greig didn’t rule out the possibility of following Ontario’s lead. Its barley, corn, oat, soybean, and wheat associations came together to form one organization called the Grain Farmers of Ontario.

“I don’t think producers require another level of bureaucracy, so if we can streamline more of the dollars to go to research and market development that would be good,” he said.

Merging could create economies by sharing an office and staff, Greig said.

In addition to being more efficient, a

Brent Kosie of Canterra Seeds (r) speaks to Anand Aneja while looking at seed samples at Crop Connect 2016 in Winnipeg. More than 600 farmers attended the annual two-day conference and trade show. Photo: Shannon VanRaes

bigger organization could attract more experienced staff, he added.

It’s not a new concept. In early 2013, Halbstadt-area farmer Danny Penner called on Canadian crop growers to form a national association so checkoff dollars for research, policy development and lobbying are used more efficiently and effectively.

“It may not happen from this initiative, but it will happen,” Penner predicted during an interview March 7, 2013. “It has to happen and if it doesn’t

happen we’re going to be in trouble because we’re going to lose control of our own industry.”

Checkoff fatigue Farmers were already complaining about checkoff fatigue, and that was before the MWBGA was created.

While Penner was proposing a single national organization, current talks involve only Manitoba commodSee COLLABORATION on page 6 »

TPP: Poultry farmers seek answers » PAGE 11

2

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

INSIDE

Did you know?

LIVESTOCK

A little Italian seasoning cuts greenhouse gases

Moving cattle humanely Out of sight, out of mind is the wrong attitude: CFIA

10

Oregano is believed to reduce methane levels in cow burps Staff

S

CROPS Crop watch Satellites can provide farmers with useful data

15

FEATURE Weather whiplash Prairie farmers could come out ahead with climate change

32

CROSSROADS Year-round market St. Norbert Farmers’ Market is extending its season

cientists with Aarhus University in Denmark have launched a four-year study studying the effects of adding oregano to dairy rations as a means of reducing the amount of methane they burp.

If their theory that methane emissions from dairy cows can be reduced by up to 25 per cent is confirmed, the tactic would become a natural alternative to existing strategies, which include adding fat or nitrate or increasing starch content in the feed.

Methane emissions from cows are a large problem for the climate, a university release says. When ruminants digest their feed, methane is formed as a natural byproduct of the microbial process in the rumen, and since methane is a 25 times more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, there is a need to devise methods to reduce such emissions from cattle.

In the project, researchers from Aarhus University in co-operation with Organic Denmark and a number of commercial partners will be examining whether the addition of organic oregano to cattle feed can reduce the production of methane in the

PHOTO: laura rance

rumen and thus emissions of methane gas.

O re g a n o — e s p e c i a l l y the species Greek oregano (Origanum vulgare ssp hirtum) — is known for its high content of essential oils and its antimicrobial effect, and the plant is a natural tool for reducing methane production in the rumen, said project manager and senior researcher at the Department of Food Science, Kai Grevsen in the release.

High yield “To succeed with the oregano project in practice, it is essential that we develop a product that has both a high yield and a high concentration of essential oils,” he said.

Although the climate is going to be the main beneficiary of the project, the hope is that the project will also benefit arable

and dairy farmers. Previous studies indicate that oregano can improve the milk’s fatty acid composition, and the project participants will therefore be researching this aspect as well as the milk’s flavour.

“We know that the market for dairy products is characterized by an increasing willingness to pay more for milk with special qualities or values, especially organic, and we hope that in the project we will have a good and balanced dialogue with consumers about the climate and cattle production,” says Grevsen.

“It’s also important to remember that the project is relevant not only for organic milk producers. Should the results be positive, they can be implemented on all cattle farms, conventional and organic, so there is a really large potential.”

42 READER’S PHOTO

4 5 7 8

Editorials Comments What’s Up Livestock Markets

Grain Markets Weather Vane Classifieds Sudoku

9 14 24 28?

ONLINE & MOBILE Visit www.manitobacooperator.ca for daily news and features and our digital edition. (Click on “Digital Edition” in the top right corner.) At our sister site, AGCanada.com, you can use the “Search the AGCanada.com Network” function at top right to find recent Co-operator articles.

Select “Manitoba Co-operator” in the pull-down menu when running your search. Scan the code to download the Manitoba Co-operator mobile app.

PHOTO: luc gamache

www.manitobacooperator.ca

For Manitoba Farmers Since 1927 1666 Dublin Avenue

Winnipeg, MB R3H 0H1 Tel: 204-944-5767 Fax: 204-954-1422

www.manitobacooperator.ca Published by Farm Business Communications A division of Glacier FarmMedia

Member, Canadian Circulation Audit Board, Member, Canadian Farm Press Association, Member, Canadian Agri-Marketing Association TM

Editor / FBC Editorial Director Laura Rance laura@fbcpublishing.com 204-792-4382 Managing Editor Dave Bedard daveb@fbcpublishing.com 204-944-5762

NEWS STAFF / Reporters Allan Dawson allan@fbcpublishing.com 204-435-2392 Shannon VanRaes shannon.vanraes@fbcpublishing.com 204-954-1413 Lorraine Stevenson lorraine@fbcpublishing.com 204-750-0119 Jennifer Paige jennifer.paige@fbcpublishing.com 204-291-4348

ADVERTISING SERVICES Classified Advertising: Monday to Friday: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Phone: (204) 954-1415 Toll-free: 1-800-782-0794 Director of Sales Cory Bourdeaud’hui cory@fbcpublishing.com 204-954-1414 NATIONAL ADVERTISING Jack Meli jack.meli@fbcpublishing.com 647-823-2300

CIRCULATION MANAGER Heather Anderson heather@fbcpublishing.com 204-954-1456 Production Director Shawna Gibson shawna@fbcpublishing.com 204-944-5763 Publisher Lynda Tityk lynda.tityk@fbcpublishing.com 204-944-5755

RETAIL ADVERTISING Terry McGarry trmcgarr@mts.net 204-981-3730

Associate Publisher John Morriss john.morriss@fbcpublishing.com 204-944-5754

ADVERTISING CO-ORDINATOR Arlene Bomback ads@fbcpublishing.com 204-944-5765

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

SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES Toll-Free: 1-800-782-0794 U.S. Subscribers call: 1-204-944-5568 E-mail: subscription@fbcpublishing.com Subscription rates (GST Registration #85161 6185 RT0001) Canada 12 months $64.00 (incl. GST) 24 months $107.00 (incl. GST) 36 months $134.00 (incl. GST) USA 12 months

$150.00 (US funds)

Publications Mail Agreement #40069240 ISSN 0025-2239 We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

Canadian Postmaster: Return undeliverable Canadian addresses (covers only) to: Circulation Dept., 1666 Dublin Ave., Winnipeg, MB. R3H 0H1

3

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

Cities have nutrient recycling role too, soil scientist says Winnipeg continues to be the province’s largest generator of nutrients such as phosphorus

BY SHANNON VANRAES Co-operator staff

I

t’s time to begin recycling nutrients from the province’s largest confined feeding operation — Winnipeg, a University of Manitoba soil scientist says.

“If you look at Manitoba’s l a rg e s t c o n f i n e d f e e d i n g operation, it is Winnipeg,” said Don Flaten, speaking at Crop Connect in Winnipeg last week. “And to just be putting the waste water nutrients into Brady Landfill and the Red River is insanity in the long term.”

While some in the public only take note of phosphorus when it’s deemed to be in excess, the soil scientist said phosphate is in fact a finite resource.

That doesn’t mean producers should buy into the hype around so-called “peak phosphorus,” but it does mean that public policy and the sciences should be looking at longterm solutions for managing and recapturing nutrients like phosphorus, he said.

“Based on our rate of consumption in 2015, we have 309 years of phosphate rock left in reserves… so you can sleep easy tonight, it won’t run out in our lifetimes,” Flaten told producers. But, he added, accessing those reserves isn’t always a guaranteed.

“Most of the world’s reserves are in North Africa,” he said.

“So the problem isn’t with the reserves, it’s geopolitical.”

Currently, Canada doesn’t produce any phosphorite, but a mine is planned for Lac à Paul, Quebec. Significant phosphite reserves were discovered there in the 1990s,

Skaters make their way to river trails near the historic site of The Forks, the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers in Winnipeg. PHot0: REUTERS/Lyle Stafford

and following the increased demand and higher prices in 2008, a development plan was put forward to have a $1.2-billion operation up and running by 2019.

But that doesn’t let cities like Winnipeg off the hook when it comes to nutrient recycling.

“In the long term, it is absolutely essential,” said Flaten.

“Whether it’s 100, 200, 300 or 500 years before we run out of phosphate rock for fertilizer and feed supplementation, this is completely lunacy not to recycle this relatively scarce and absolute essential nutrient after our agricultural products are transported to cities.”

“The question becomes, how do we convey the importance of long-term nutrient management in an integrated food system?” don flaten

The problem lies with convincing urbanites and policymakers that it’s a worthwhile cause, even if it adds to the tax

bill. The City of Winnipeg is actively looking at a plan to compost food and pet waste that would divert nutrients

from the landfill. But many homeowners have balked at the idea of another municipal fee.

“Whether it’s waste water treatment and recovery of nutrients or whether it’s composting of pet waste, there is a lot of push-back from city residents that don’t want to pay more taxes,” Flaten said.

“And future generations can’t bid in today’s marketplace to say, you know what? It’s worth that $100 a year, but that future generation can’t put that money on the table in this market economy.

“The question becomes, how do we convey the importance of long-term nutrient management in an integrated food system?”

Flaten said it takes longterm vision to prepare for future challenges before they actually arise, pointing to the 25-year-long Tobacco Creek Model Watershed project as an example of foresight and planning that has provided much insight into run-off-based water systems.

But long-term research projects don’t always fit well with four-year electoral cycles or one-year academic plans, he said.

“There are a number of these long-term challenges that we need to continue w o rk i n g o n , c o n t i n u e t o address,” said Flaten. “One of our most impotent jobs at the University of Manitoba is to anticipate some of these long-term future challenges, and even if they are not economically viable in the short term, be working on solutions that will help us in the long term.” shannon.vanraes@fbcpublishing.com

Women’s Institute earns a ‘Nellie’ award The rural women’s group is one of 10 recipients of the award presented in honour of the influential Manitoba feminist

BY LORRAINE STEVENSON

“Our women work constantly in their communities.”

Co-operator staff

T

he Manitoba Women’s Institute is one of 10 recipients of the first-ever Nellie Awards presented by the Nellie McClung Foundation at its Centennial Gala late last month.

The awards made in honour of one of this province’s most influential feminists were given out January 28, the centennial of women in Manitoba earning the right to vote.

Call for nominations went out last fall for names of deserving women who have been leaders in contemporary society making contributions to social justice, promoting democracy and contributing to the arts.

A panel of judges selected from 66 nominees 10 deserving recipients.

Donna Young, MWI president said their organization is honoured to receive the award. It’s an important validation for their organization’s contributions to society over the years, she said.

“It’s so nice that someone has finally recognized that we’ve done so much in the rural communities for over 105 years,” she said.

The MWI marked its own centennial in 2010 in the town of the organization’s birthplace, Morris, Manitoba.

Donna Young MWI president

Manitoba Women’s Institute president-elect Ann Mandziuk (l) and president Donna Young celebrate being presented a first-ever Nellie McClung award presented to their organization during the Centennial Gala marking 100 years since women in Manitoba were given the right to vote. PHOTO: SUPPLIED

The MWI supported the suffragist movement through many types of grassroots advocacy and has long worked to improve the lives of women and families through its community-based advocacy. In 1916, it lobbied to bring about the passage of the 1916 Manitoba Dower Law to protect the property rights of a wife and it has a long track record of work to make health care and public health programs accessible for rural people. The organization has also helped establish libraries and safe houses for abused women and children, and lobbied for other improved

health and safety measures such as visible coloured lines on provincial highways and side reflectors on freight trains.

It continues to put forward resolutions related to broad-based societal and agricultural issues at its annual conventions, and runs ongoing planned programs for the education of its members.

“Our women work constantly in their communities,” said Young, adding the MWI continues to work in the spirit of Nellie McClung who once stated, ‘women set the standards for the world, and it is for us, women in Canada, to set the standards high.’

The MWI’s provincial headquarters is located in Brandon while its 28 branches are spread out throughout rural Manitoba. lorraine@fbcpublishing.com

4

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

OPINION/EDITORIAL

Hope is not a strategy

P

urdue University’s Michael D. Boehlje offered Manitoba farmers a stern reality check last week about the tightening financial situation in farming. You might even say he was a bit grumpy about it.

After all, he’s seen it all before. The 73-year-old Boehlje would have been in his 40s during the 1980s farm crisis, when prices fell and cash-strapped Laura Rance banks drove overextended farmers into Editor bankruptcy, dumping the land they seized back on to the market, which pushed more farmers over the edge.

The good news this time round is that land prices are expected to soften 15 to 20 per cent, not fall nearly 50 per cent like they in the 1980s. Interest rates are much lower today too.

There aren’t as many farmers who are highly leveraged, but servicing debt will be an issue, he predicted. Farm programs in the 21st century are less generous than they were in the 1980s — a lot less generous. That’s something Canadian farmers are perhaps more attuned to than their U.S. counterparts.

While there’s lots of things about farming that have changed since then, two things haven’t: commodity markets and farmers’ attitudes towards them.

The farm economist stressed current scenario is normal for commodity markets — a few good years followed by a period of low prices that lasts about twice as long. Even with the rising global population and a growing middle class in developing economies, clearing $200-per-acre profit is the exception in commodity grains, not the rule.

In his view, those good times are unlikely to return any time soon. Yet many farmers are managing as though they might.

That was the point in his presentation when Boehlje started to pace, his face got a little red and his voice rose a few decibels.

“Get a piece of paper and write across the top of it — ‘actions!’” he thundered as though the 400 or so farmers in the room were a group of sleepy first-year university students.

Point No. 1: “If there IS some recovery in the market, what should you do? SELL!” he said.

“What do most farmers do? SIT! Cuz it’s going to go higher.”

Nervous laugher rippled through the crowd.

Boehlje stressed farmers must be nimble if they are to capture any upticks in the market. It’s fine to hope that bad weather hits, and it hits someplace other than your farm.

But hope is not a strategy.

“Cost reductions are going to be pivotal. We should not expect to see us get back to profitability primarily through price increases,” he said.

Canadian farmers are being cushioned from the drop in global grain and oilseed prices because of the strong U.S. dollar relative to the Canadian loonie. To add insult to injury, U.S. farmers have not only seen market prices drop, they are having to sit on their low-priced commodities while their export competitors with weaker currencies snap up their markets.

However, the Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development crop production budgets released last month show that while margins aren’t in the negative zone here, they are marginal or break-even.

That means if farmers aren’t careful, a business-as-usual scenario could wind up eroding their working capital.

Boehlje identifies the farm’s working capital as its key financial vulnerability. Working capital is the farm’s current assets less current liabilities. The ratio is current assets divided by current liabilities.

He wants farmers to set their sights on maintaining a 30 per cent ratio to their gross revenue. “That is your first line of defence against financial stress,” he said.

U.S. farmers entered 2016 with working capital of about 57 per cent. By 2018, it is projected to be 25 per cent. “Is a lender going to loan them money to offset these losses? That’s not what lenders do,” he noted.

Farmland rental rates are way out of line with current profitability projections in farming, Boehlje said. He cited recent examples in the U.S. in which farmland was rented for two years for $500 per acre paid up front. Based on current margins, the farmer who now has that land — prepaid and locked in for two years — has spent $3 per bushel of corn just for the land. Corn is currently selling for $3.28.

In these times, farmers who own their land are in better shape than farmers who don’t, as long as they haven’t gone in too deep acquiring it.

As well, farmers still practising cash accounting instead of accrual could face hefty tax bills in a year when they are least able to pay them.

There could be some good deals on used farm machinery, but he cautioned against farmers destroying their financial resiliency chasing a good deal on shiny paint.

It’s sound advice. From the looks on their faces, he got his farm audience’s attention last week. Here’s hoping they heed it. laura@fbcpublishing.com

What ‘feed the world’ looks like today

By Alan Guebert

A

s American agriculture grinds through February’s dull weather and even duller commodity markets, two Chinese firms have used the month to make inroads into the American farm and food colossus.

On Feb. 3, China National Chemical Corp., known as ChemChina, announced its purchase of Syngenta for the equivalent of $43 billion. While that’s a 22 per cent premium to Syngenta’s total share price, it’s 10 per cent less than Monsanto Co. offered to pay for the firm just last summer.

Two days later, on Feb. 5, Nebraska’s unicameral legislature voted 34-14 to end the state’s 18-year ban on meat packers owning livestock for more than five days prior to slaughter. The move allows meat processors such as Chineseowned Smithfield to contract directly with farmers to raise pigs.

Smithfield Foods, owned by China-based WH Foods since 2013, raises and slaughters millions of hogs throughout the U.S. Its record $15 billion in sales last year easily makes it the world’s largest pork producer.

WH Foods and ChemChina are not independent, shareholder-owned firms like the companies they bought. Both are state owned, both are almost entirely state financed, and both are driven by national interests as much as by economics.

As such, these companies and their acquisitions are less about geopolitics and international finance and more about owning — or at least controlling — the means to supply China’s 1.4 billion eaters with safe, abundant, and cheap food.

In fact, noted a Feb. 3 New York Times story dissecting the Syngenta deal, China is “very sensitive” to its reliance on foreign food. Three years ago, “30 million Chinese were eating western-

OUR HISTORY:

T

style foods,” and now, according to market estimates, “… by 2018, 300 million Chinese (will) be consuming western-style foods…”

That “western-style” food, however, doesn’t mean western companies or western farmers will be in charge. They may grow the food, but they won’t own it.

Indeed, China’s recent moves to lock up key elements of the West’s food chain is what “feeding the world” will look like in rural America tomorrow: China either owning or controlling the technology used to grow food with American soil, water, and labour.

You thought you’d be the one feeding China.

While that remains partly true, it’s now quite clear that China is buying technology to boost domestic production. Equally clear is that it hopes to make a profit selling you the technology you need to grow the food it will import.

Those clever Reds; the Long March never ended.

China’s growing investment in offshore food production is not, however, manifest destiny.

It’s just the latest example of how globalization, the freer, legal movement of money and ideas around the world, will shape our collective and individual futures.

It also is a clear signal that American agriculture’s ironclad belief in a “feed the world” future is no longer the future. Oh, we may still feed part of the world, but it’s more likely we’ll do it to honour a contract, not our conscience.

This should not be news to anyone who has been paying attention. American farmers and ranchers played an outsized role in creating this future.

The world changed. Not long ago China bought our production; now it’s buying our means of production.

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

February 1947

he lasting effects of the Second World War were evident in our Feb. 15, 1947 issue, which carried this ad for chicks to supply more eggs for Britain.

A brief story also said that Britain was prepared to take all five million tonnes of lamb and mutton that were expected to be available for export that year.

We reported that the provincial Department of Agriculture had published a new book on chemical weed control. “In recent years, chemicals have come to occupy a place of increasing importance in weed control. Their use, however, should not be considered as replacing sound cultural practices, and other established methods of controlling the weed menace.”

The winter of 1947 is said to be one of the worst on record for the Prairies, and there were two hints of the severity in the Feb. 15 issue. One was a reminder from the Department of Highways not to lock the doors when abandoning cars on the highway, as this created problems for snow clearing. “If the car doors are unlocked, one of our crew can get in to steer. If we can’t get in, towing becomes slower and more risky.”

Also, the Manitoba Federation of Game and Fish Association had asked farmers to put out feed for upland game birds. This was endorsed by that week’s editorial, which said, “Upland game birds are of vital importance in the control of insect pests and their benefit to farmers in this direction far exceeds any loss to cereal crops caused by their foraging for food.”

5

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

COMMENT/FEEDBACK

The nature of agricultural supply Farmers don’t respond to supply-and-demand signals in the same way as other business operators

By Harwood D. Schaffer and Daryll E. Ray

A

Letters

s we lay out the social and economic model that provides the foundation for our analysis of agricultural policy in its myriad forms, we begin by looking at the economic characteristics of agriculture, particularly the areas where agriculture does not operate in the same ways as other businesses and industries with which most people are familiar. If agriculture makes the quick adjustments to changes in price that we see in other parts of the economy the need for policy is quite different than if it doesn’t.

The market responsiveness of the supply of agricultural commodities — here we are talking primarily about the total production of grains, oilseeds and fibres — depends upon how quickly planting decisions by farmers respond to price signals calling for more or less production of major crops.

High prices should result in additional planted acres, while low prices should result in fewer planted acres.

On the top side, we have seen that agriculture can respond fairly quickly to higher prices by bringing in additional planted acres. As China’s demand for soybean imports has increased, we have seen farmers in the U.S., Brazil, and Argentina increase their production of soybeans. Some of that increase has come about through higher yields, but the bulk of it has come about through the planting of additional acres.

Likewise, when the corn for ethanol industry’s demand for corn grew from one billion bushels to five billion bushels, we saw an increase in planted acres by U.S. farmers as well as increases by our export competitors who wanted to capture some of the export market that could not be filled by U.S. production.

On the low price side we see a different story. When prices fall, farmers may make adjustments to their cropping pattern, but the overall acreage dedicated to crop production tends to remain the same from year to year.

If the price of one crop is relatively more profitable than another, farmers will switch some acreage to that crop.

As a result, if the price of a major crop such as corn or soybeans declines, the prices of other crops tend to fall as well as they can only utilize a limited number of additional acres before they, too, are in oversupply.

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

We suggest a maximum of about 300 words.

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

Dead sunflowers stand in a field in Dickinson, North Dakota January 21, 2016. The collapse of U.S. oil and gas investment could have further to fall and Americans are showing signs they spend less of their windfall from lower gasoline prices than in the past, darkening the outlook for the U.S. economy. PHOTO: REUTERS/Andrew Cullen

Farmers know that crop production is not as predictable as the factory production of cars, computers, and most other consumer goods and all it takes is a significant drought in some other part of the country, or even the world, and the price can increase very quickly. No farmer wants to have made the decision to reduce planted acreage and miss out on selling their crop at a higher price, the operating assumption being that the drought will happen to farmers somewhere else.

In addition, low prices provide a perverse incentive for farmers to maximize their production. The fixed costs for farmers are a relatively high portion of the total cost of production. If farmers were to reduce their planted acreage, then the fixed costs would have to be spread among fewer acres, resulting in higher production costs for the remaining acres.

For farmers, as long as the price is above the variable cost of production, every bushel produced contributes to covering the fixed costs and reducing total economic losses.

A significant portion of agricultural land is rented. It makes little economic sense for farmers to pay

Hen housing transition too slow The good news for laying hens is the recent commitment by Egg Farmers of Canada (EFC) to end battery cages for laying hens. The bad news is it will take up to 20 years, even though the public is calling for change now.

The Feb. 5 announcement from egg farmers is focused on enriched cages for hens, not cage-free systems, as consumers are requesting. Eggs produced in enriched cages won’t satisfy

When prices fall, farmers may make adjustments to their cropping pattern, but the overall acreage dedicated to crop production tends to remain the same from year to year.

the rent on that ground and not produce a crop or deliberately produce a smaller crop. And even if they did that, the landlord might begin asking questions about why they left some of the land idle. With farmers scrambling to farm as many acres as possible, they are not likely to tell the landlord to rent it out to someone else this year because if they did they would never get to farm that ground again.

Farmers who own a significant portion of their land outright can ignore the land costs and thus retain a positive cash flow at lower prices than

retailer requirements for cage-free eggs.

Tim Hortons, Burger King, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Taco Bell, General Mills, Nestlé and others have responded to public pressure and are calling for cage-free eggs. It is regrettable egg farmers still promote cages for laying hens. Whatever the alternative caging is called — ‘furnished,’ ‘enriched’ or ‘colony’— it remains an unacceptable confinement system.

About 95 per cent of laying hens in Canada are now confined to battery cages with each hen having less

those who are purchasing or renting the ground they farm. As a result they will continue to plant all of their land when prices are low No one farmer has the ability to affect a crop’s price by reducing her planted acreage. Each farmer makes his decision based not on the macroeconomics of aggregate crop production but on the microeconomics of his or her own farm. That means if they can sell the crop for more than the variable cost of production, their intent is to plant all of their acres.

In a future column we will look at additional reasons why farmers do not quickly reduce their planted acres in response to low prices. To the extent that farmers do not reduce their production in the short to medium run, they face long periods of low prices punctuated by short periods of higher prices.

Harwood D. Schaffer is a research assistant professor in the Agricultural Policy Analysis Center, Institute of Agriculture, University of Tennessee. Daryll E. Ray is emeritus professor, Institute of Agriculture, University of Tennessee, and is the former director of the Agricultural Policy Analysis Center (APAC) http://www. agpolicy.org.

space than a standard sheet of paper.

Even with growing public pressure against battery cages, the EFC wants until 2036 to change from small battery cages to larger confinement operations.

Twenty years is too long for the Canadian egg industry to move hens out of battery cages. The European Union made its change in 12 years.

Stephanie Brown, director, Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals Liz White, director, Animal Alliance of Canada

6

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

FROM PAGE ONE COLLABORATION Continued from page 1

ity groups. However, Greig stressed the MWBGA is working hard to co-operate with its counterparts in Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Each commodity group promotes its crop to build revenue, but all the money comes from the same farmers who grow many crops. By coming together, one organization can take a more holistic approach.

“There’s a fear initially that smaller crops like barley are going to lose control, but I think if the organization is structured correctly, and if our checkoff on barley raises $700,000 then for the most part we try to spend $700,000 on barley,” Greig said.

The MWBGA is keen to work with other Manitoba commodity groups because, as a fledgling association, it has contracted its administration out. As well, the corn growers could soon lose their longtime senior executive, as Theresa Bergsma prepares to retire in a year.

“So it gets people thinking. I think all the groups are supportive and I think maybe pulse growers are the next closest to hoping this will evolve into something.”

Friesen told the MPSGA annual meeting Feb. 10, commodity groups need to cooperate to “reduce overlap” and get the most out of farmers’ money.

In a later interview, Friesen said he has no preconceived model.

“If there are groups with the same purpose, why not have one group instead of two? It reduces overhead and makes things more efficient,” he said.

“I’m not going to be the guy saying this is how it has to get done.”

Worth it Forming the Grain Growers of Ontario (GGO) in 2010 wasn’t easy. But it was worth it, its chief executive officer Barry Senft said in an interview in 2013.

“It wasn’t without some hiccups, to describe it kindly,” he said.

“I think the bottom line is the producers got to take hold of the process — the grassroots producers.”

While some initially feared their commodity wouldn’t be properly represented, he doesn’t think most would go back to the old system now. “ We went on the basis whatever a commodity needed, whether it was research or market development, that’s where the funds were going to be directed,” Senft said. “It has worked well.”

A merger of Manitoba’s g ra i n c o m m o d it y g ro u p s raises questions, including where it would be headquartered. The Manitoba Corn Growers Association owns an office in Carman and is home for the MPSGA and MWBGA. The Manitoba Canola Growers Association is based in Winnipeg.

How would the Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP), Manitoba’s voluntary general farm organization be affected?

“We don’t see the merging of commodity groups as a threat,” said KAP president Dan Mazier.

“We have a role to play (in developing farm policy) and we all have interest in making the industry better.”

Under Manitoba legislation, farm commodity groups a re o b l i g e d t o f o c u s o n research and market development, not farm policy, which is KAP’s forte.

C re a t i o n o f t h e G r a i n Growers of Ontario doesn’t appear to have hur t the On t a r i o Fe d e ra t i o n o f Agr iculture (OFA), which is equivalent to KAP. With 37,000 individual and 28 commodity group members, including the Grain Farmers of Ontario, the OFA describes itself as Canada’s largest voluntary general farm organization. allan@fbcpublishing.com

GRAIN Continued from page 1

Pulse and Soybean Growers Association, the Canadian Canola Growers Association and the Keystone Agricultural Producers.

Pulse Canada, which represents farmers, processors and pulse traders, also wants the provisions to continue, said Greg Northey, Pulse Canada’s director of industry relations.

“C-30 raised the bar in terms of more power to grain shippers,” he said.

It was thought the provisions, if warranted, could be included with other amendments to the Canada Transportation Act expected to come from last year’s review of the act. However, the review presented to Transportation Minister Marc Garneau in December, hasn’t been made public. It’s unlikely amendments would be law before Aug. 1.

Sobkowich said he hopes renewing the provisions is “automatic.”

It won’t be, a Transport Canada official said in an email Feb. 12.

“A decision has not been taken on provisions of C-30,” he wrote. “As per the act, the sunsetting of these provisions on August 1, 2016 may be postponed via a resolution passed by both Houses of Parliament.”

Passing a motion is less onerous than passing a bill. Unlike a bill, a motion doesn’t go through three readings or be studied by committees.

“It’s a lot easier to manage,” Northey said. “I assume the government will want to help on this and don’t expect a lot of opposition to it.”

Francois Labelle, executive director, of the Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers Association, raised the alarm during the association’s annual meeting, Feb. 10 in Winnipeg.

“We need to work to get this (interswitching) extended,” he said.

“We don’t want those shipper protections to end,” Canola Growers of Canada CEO Rick White said following the Manitoba Canola Growers Association’s annual meeting Feb. 11.

During the the Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers Association’s annual meeting in Winnipeg Feb. 10, association executive director Francois Labelle raised the alarm about expanded interswitching regulations expiring Aug. 1, along with other important shipper protections, if the federal government doesn’t renew them. PHOTO: ALLAN DAWSON

“Interswitching gets you closer to running right and adds competition.”

Canadian National and Canadian Pacific railways opposed C-30 and still do.

“Issues relating to the transportation of grain will not be solved in Ottawa but by the joint collaboration of all partners in the supply chain,” CP Rail chief executive officer E. Hunter Harrison said in 2014.

In its submission to the CTA review CP recommends the government not renew C-30.

It also notes that interswitching gives American railways an unfair advantage because they can get access to grain in Canada, but Canadian railways don’t have reciprocal access in the United States.

“CN believes the legislation’s extended interswitching provisions are not warranted and will undermine railway investment in branch line networks if the provisions do not sunset in August 2016,” Mark Hallman, CN’s director of communications and public affairs said in an email.

Bill C-30 was unnecessary, he said. Grain shipping lagged because of an extremely harsh winter and rebounded once the weather improved, Hallman said.

In Canada, an elevator company could get access to a competing railway if it was within

30 km of an interchange point.

C-30 expanded to 160 km, giving companies more access to a competing railway.

The way it works is an elevator within 160 km of an interchange with a competing railway can strike a deal with that firm. If it does, the elevator’s local railway is obliged to pick up empty cars from the competing company and spot them. After they’re filled the local railway must return them to the competing railway, which takes them to their destination.

The change wasn’t expected to have much impact since CP and Canadian National would have little incentive to step on each other’s toes. But U.S.based Burlington Northern Santa Fe has nothing to lose.

“At least three WGEA members use interswitching on a regular or semi-regular basis,” Sobkowich said. “Some of it is to get access to Burlington Northern Santa Fe. “Expanded interswitching is an important thing.

“Companies are using it from certain locations and it also begins a dialogue in some cases where in the end of discussion they end up staying with the primary carrier. But they are getting better service or better rates out of that location. It would be a step backwards to lose it.” allan@fbcpublishing.com

Deadlines loom for grain-monitoring programs Associations say tracking railway performance must continue

BY ALLAN DAWSON Co-operator staff

G

rain farmers and shippers have their eye on a couple of other deadlines.

The federal government’s grain monitor’s contract ends in July 2017, while federal funding that helps the Ag Transport Coalition track railway performance ends in March 2017.

“We need the data and so does the government so we can say, ‘Here’s what we need done,’” Keystone Agricultural Producers president Dan Mazier said. “Without information we can’t have a good discussion.

“We don’t want to lose that tool.”

Edmonton-based Quorum Corporation has been the grain transportation monitor since 2001.

Its monitoring, which tracks grain from elevator to ship, goes back to 1999. The company has had its contract renewed every three or four years.

The Western Grain Elevator Association expects Quorum’s contract will be renewed, said association executive director Wade Sobkowich.

“We hold Quorum’s services that it provides for the government and for the industry in very high regard,” he said. “It is a very useful source of data… to look at and see how things are moving. It is an impartial third-party monitor of the system. It would be a major loss if something were to change in that regard.”

The coalition, made up of several commodity groups and grain companies, started monitoring rail performance in connection to car order fulfilment in January 2015 with funding from Growing Forward 2, a federal-provincial program, and coalition members.

The coalition’s members are: The Canadian Canola Growers Association, the Alberta Wheat Commission, Pulse Canada, the Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers Association, the Western Grain Elevator Association, the Canadian Oilseed Processors Association, the Inland Terminal Association of Canada and the Canadian Special Crops Association. allan@fbcpublishing.com

7

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

Farm safety consultant keeps busy Farmers have made the most of an opportunity to consult their farm safety expert, says KAP staff

BY LORRAINE STEVENSON Co-operator staff

A

provincial consultant with expertise in workplace legislation has helped more farmers understand their responsibilities and obligations, say Keystone Agricultural Producer staff.

“They’ve really filled her calendar,” said James Battershill, KAP executive director. “I believe that we’ve had 20 to 25 producers on the wait list for her to go out to.”

Morag Marjerison was seconded from Workplace Safety and Health’s SAFE Work Manitoba program last winter to spend the year advising farmers who voluntarily contacted her on workplace law.

She has spent the past year visiting farms and doing indi-

“They’ve really filled her calendar.”

James battershill KAP executive director

vidual, free-of-charge confidential consultations to help farmers know what they have to do to be prepared for a farm safety inspection and understand their responsibilities as employers under the Workplace Safety and Health Act. Marjerison has also been helping farms implementing and evaluate their own safety programs.

KAP struck the agreement with Workplace Safety and Health last year due to growing concern about the awareness in agriculture that persists on

how provincial workplace law applies to the farm workplace.

Any farm with hired non-family employees is subject to an inspection by a safety officer.

But confusion persists in the farm community, said Battershill, adding it’s primarily due to no two farm workplaces being alike. Communicating the complexities of workplace legislation to this diverse audience isn’t easy, he said.

“It’s principally a question of disseminating that information,” he said. “It’s not one simple set of rules to be communicated.”

However, farmers seem to be making the most of the opportunity to consult with Marjerison, and believe the farm visits and workshops she’s conducted have given more of its members clarity about their responsibilities

and obligations. Her work has also shown KAP where some of the most significant gaps in knowledge remain which will help it with where its own work in farm safety will need to focus, Battershill said.

Marjerison’s secondment with KAP will now continue until the end of June 2016.

“There’s such a need for her to be out there,” Battershill said.

“We just want to make sure she’s as busy as possible for as long as we can.”

Fa r m e r s c a n b o o k a n appointment with Marjerison by logging on to the KAP website and clicking on its farm safety link to fill in a consultation request form, or by calling the KAP office at (204) 697-1140. lorraine@fbcpublishing.com

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

Feb. 18-19: Prairie Organics: Think Whole Farm, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Agriculture Building, 66 Dafoe Rd., University of Manitoba, Winnipeg.

Visit www.prairieorganics.ca for details.

March 1: Manitoba Turkey Producers annual meeting, Victoria Inn, 1808 Wellington Ave., Winnipeg.

For more info call 204-489-4635.

March 1-3: Canola Council of Canada annual convention, Loews Coronado Bay Hotel, 4000 Coronado Bay Rd., San Diego. For more info or to register visit conven tion.canolacouncil.org.

March 8: Farm Credit Canada (FCC) Forum, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Victoria Inn, 1808 Wellington Ave., Winnipeg. For more info or to register visit www. fcc-fac.ca/en/events/fcc-forums. html.

March 11-12: Direct Farm Marketing Conference, Canad Inns, 2401 Saskatchewan Ave., Portage la Prairie. For more info visit www. directfarmmarketing.com.

Fossay new president of MCGA The 2016 executive was decided Feb. 11 Staff

S

tarbuck farmer Chuck Fossay is the new president of the Manitoba Canola Growers Association (MCGA) He replaces Ed Rempel, also of Starbuck, who remains on the MCGA’s board but declined to seek re-election as president.

The MCGA held its reorganizational meeting to elect a new executive Feb. 11 following its annual meeting in Winnipeg.

Clayton Harder of Narol was elected vice-president, Brian Chorney of East Selkirk was elected secretary and Jack Froese of Winkler was elected treasurer.

“I am looking forward to being the president of the MCGA this year,” Fossay said in a news release. “I will do my best to serve the needs of our members.”

Chorney was re-elected for a two-year term to the Canola Council of Canada board of directors. Clayton Harder and Jack Froese were re-elected for a two-year term to the Canadian Canola Growers Association board of directors.

Fossay was re-elected for a one-year term to serve on the Keystone Agricultural Producers’ general council.

NEW!

A powerful combination.

Save $0.75 per acre when you buy matching acres of Roundup Transorb® HC and Heat® LQ herbicides.*

Hit weeds where it hurts! Tank-mix these powerful products from Monsanto and BASF to control tough weeds and manage herbicide resistance.

For complete offer details, see your retailer or visit powerfulcombination.ca

Starbuck farmer Chuck Fossay is the new president of the Manitoba Canola Growers Association.

PHOTO: ALLAN DAWSON

*The Roundup Transorb® HC and HEAT offer off-invoice discount acres will be calculated using the following label rates: One case of Heat® LQ = 80 acres (jug of Heat® LQ = 80 acres), Roundup Transorb® HC 0.67L = 1 acre (10L = 15 acres, 115L = 172 acres, 450L = 675 acres, 800L = 1,200 acres). ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Tank mixtures: The applicable labelling for each product must be in the possession of the user at the time of application. Follow applicable use instructions, including application rates, precautions and restrictions of each product used in the tank mixture. Monsanto has not tested all tank mix product formulations for compatibility or performance other than specifically listed by brand name. Always predetermine the compatibility of tank mixtures by mixing small proportional quantities in advance. Roundup Transorb® is a registered trade-mark of Monsanto Technology LLC, Monsanto Canada, Inc. licensee. AgSolutions® and are registered trade-marks of BASF Corporation; and HEAT and KIXOR® are registered trade-marks of BASF SE; all used with permission by BASF Canada Inc. © 2015 Monsanto Canada, Inc. and BASF Canada Inc.

8

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

LIVESTOCK MARKETS (Friday to Thursday) Winnipeg Slaughter Cattle Steers — Heifers — D1, 2 Cows 84.00 - 94.00 D3 Cows 75.00 - 88.00 Bulls 130.00 - 135.00 Feeder Cattle (Price ranges for feeders refer to top-quality animals only) Steers (901+ lbs.)

185.00 - 201.00 (801-900 lbs.)

195.00 - 213.00 (701-800 lbs.)

200.00 - 232.00 (601-700 lbs.)

225.00 - 260.00 (501-600 lbs.)

240.00 - 297.00 (401-500 lbs.)

270.00 - 307.00 Heifers (901+ lbs.)

150.00 - 187.00 (801-900 lbs.)

180.00 - 201.00 (701-800 lbs.)

190.00 - 208.00 (601-700 lbs.)

204.00 - 234.00 (501-600 lbs.)

240.00 - 255.00 (401-500 lbs.)

260.00 - 275.00

Heifers

Alberta South — — 100.00 -113.00 85.00 - 102.00 — $ 194.00 - 203.00 200.00 - 212.00 210.00 - 227.00 236.00 - 260.00 262.00 - 288.00 285.00 - 311.00 $ 176.00 - 192.00 189.00 - 200.00 19500 - 212.00 212.00 -224.00 225.00 -250.00 250.00 270.00

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

(850+ lbs.)

(901+ lbs.)

(801-900 lbs.)

(701-800 lbs.)

(601-700 lbs.)

(501-600 lbs.)

(401-500 lbs.)

(901+ lbs.)

(801-900 lbs.)

(701-800 lbs.)

(601-700 lbs.)

(501-600 lbs.)

(401-500 lbs.)

Feeder Cattle January 2016 March 2016 April 2016 May 2016 August 2016 September 2016

Cattle Slaughter

February 12, 2016

Bearishness weighs heaviest on heavier-weight cattle Volatile U.S. futures still drag on Canadian animals

CNSC $

Close 150.25 149.85 149.38 150.03 147.95 145.38

Change -6.28 -6.18 -6.03 -6.30 -6.63 -7.35

Cattle Grades (Canada)

Week Ending February 6, 2016 47,764 11,774 35,990 N/A 534,000

Previous Year­ 49.031 11,859 37,172 N/A 546,000

Week Ending February 6, 2016 1,181 24,565 10,995 550 421 9,120 215

Prime AAA AA A B D E

Previous Year 989 24,101 12,829 318 685 9,418 136

Hog Prices (Friday to Thursday) ($/100 kg)

Source: Manitoba Agriculture

E - Estimation MB. ($/hog) MB (All wts.) (Fri-Thurs.)

MB (Index 100) (Fri-Thurs.)

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

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

Current Week 184 E 173 E 164.00 165.5

Futures (February 12, 2016) in U.S. Hogs February 2016 April 2016 May 2016 June 2016 July 2016

Last Week 177.44 166.47 159.33 160.74

Close 65.53 69.45 75.65 79.58 79.54

Last Year (Index 100) 163.92 151.69 146.51 152.83

Change 0.40 -0.80 -1.18 -1.20 -0.85

Other Market Prices Sheep and Lambs Wooled Fats

Choice (110+ lb.)

(95 - 109 lb.)

(80 - 94 lb.)

(Under 80 lb.)

(New crop)

D

eclining U.S. futures and general uncertainty over which way the market is headed are weighing down the prices Manitoba ranchers are receiving for their animals.

Last week 8,432 animals made their way through the rings at the province’s eight main auction marts. That compares to roughly 10,000 head the previous two weeks.

Despite the downward pressure, one auction mart manager said he doesn’t think it dissuaded producers from taking their animals to market.

“I don’t know that it’s really causing low volumes,” said Keith Cleaver of Heartland Livestock in Brandon. “A lot of guys have got to move them; they’re going to be starting to calve pretty soon and they’ve got to make room.”

Some ranchers’ herds have already started to calve, he said, while most of the province should be underway in a few weeks. “By the first of March there’ll be lots.”

Heavier-weight animals are feeling the impact of the bearish prices the most, he said.

Good 700-lb. steers were generally lower, with most trading from $220 to $225 per hundredweight, according to one auction mart. That sentiment was echoed at yet another outlet, which said heavy cattle over 750 lbs. were under pressure all week, with prices down five to seven cents. Steers (900 lbs.) were also a touch softer at $193-$194.

On the positive side, Ontario-style calves traded strong while bulls remained firm, garnering bids that were roughly $2-$5 higher.

— — Next Sale February 17th — —

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

Turkeys Minimum prices as of February 21, 2016 Broiler Turkeys (6.2 kg or under, live weight truck load average) Grade A ................................................$1.925 Undergrade ........................................$1.835 Hen Turkeys (between 6.2 and 8.5 kg liveweight truck load average) Grade A ............................................... $1.920 Undergrade ....................................... $1.820 Light Tom/Heavy Hen Turkeys (between 8.5 and 10.8 kg liveweight truck load average) Grade A ............................................... $1.920 Undergrade ....................................... $1.820 Tom Turkeys (10.8 and 13.3 kg, live weight truck load average) Grade A..................................................$1.880 Undergrade.......................................... $1.795 Prices are quoted f.o.b. producers premise.

Toronto 131.87 - 169.65 141.03 - 156.54 162.23 - 183.60 176.09 - 221.58 219.74 - 318.99 —

SunGold Specialty Meats —

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

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

Goats Kids Billys Mature

Winnipeg (Hd Fats) — — —

<1,000 lbs.

1,000 lbs.+

Heartland Livestock, Brandon

There was also good support paid to heifers as farmers looked around for replacements.

“The light cattle and ones that are suitable for grass are staying relatively steady,” Cleaver added.

However, the downward pull of U.S. futures continues to heavily influence the direction of the Canadian cattle market. Volatility has ruled the day recently, with global economic uncertainty weighing on U.S. futures.

“Markets are not good. The futures are dropping pretty much daily,” Cleaver said.

Live cattle on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) posted losses last week, with a bearish gap developing on the weekly chart, according to one analyst. Technical support is lacking right now, while the near-term trend bias is weak, according to another report.

One analyst also said cattle prices are relatively expensive compared to other commodities in general — and that could work against them as the year rolls on.

Fortunately, Cleaver said, winter weather has been easy on most animals, with feed supplies generally easy to come by.

“It’s been a great winter for feeding; (mild weather) saved a lot of feed,” he said.

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

CME to trim livestock futures, options trading hours Chicago/Reuters

CME Group, the world’s largest futures market operator, plans to shorten trading hours for its livestock futures and options contracts effective Feb. 29, the exchange said in a statement Feb. 10.

The exchange said the proposed changes, pending CFTC approval, for live cattle, feeder cattle and lean hog futures and options are designed to “further enhance its livestock markets” based on customer requests.

Trading hours will be reduced to align with the period of greatest liquidity in

the livestock markets, according to the exchange. It said that during 2015, roughly 87 per cent of daily livestock futures and options trades occurred during the proposed hours.

CME Globex futures and options hours will be revised to 8:30 a.m. to 1:05 p.m. CT Monday to Friday. Their current trading hours are on Monday at 9:05 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. to 1:55 p.m.

Open outcry options hours will be adjusted to 8:30 a.m. to 1:02 p.m. CT Monday to Friday. Currently, they are traded on Monday from 9:05 a.m. to 1:02 p.m. and Tuesday through Friday at 8 a.m. to 1:02 p.m.

The daily settlement period and procedures for CME livestock contracts will remain unchanged.

CME will also conduct a public review with cattle customers to study whether a discount is warranted at its Worthing, South Dakota delivery point for live cattle futures.

Worthing is about 20 km south of Sioux Falls.

And the exchange plans to form a cattle market working group with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA). The two will discuss other possible enhancements to CME’s cattle markets, including, but not limited to, circuit breakers and other measures to further heighten market quality.

The proposed changes come after CME’s executive chairman Terry Duffy late last month addressed attendees at NCBA’s national convention in California regarding concerns about live cattle market volatility.

Toronto ($/cwt) 121.94 - 432.00 — 91.49 - 260.40

Horses Winnipeg ($/cwt) — —

keith cleaver

briefs

BY THEOPOLIS WATERS Winnipeg

$/cwt Ewes Lambs

“The light cattle and ones that are suitable for grass are staying relatively steady.”

DAVE SIMS Ontario 161.42 - 177.26 163.70 - 175.05 76.68 - 104.33 76.68 - 104.33 115.79 - 141.83 $ 193.33 0 216.90 192.72 - 215.74 196.96 - 243.07 205.69 - 259.47 217.42 - 278.09 247.06 - 307.42 $ 168.61 - 196.30 178.80 -199.62 177.23 - 218.51 193.88 - 223.56 198.53 - 243.87 212.82 - 244.85

$

Futures (February 12, 2016) in U.S. Fed Cattle Close Change February 2016 130.13 -6.95 April 2016 129.53 -6.13 June 2016 119.98 -4.83 August 2016 116.83 -4.10 October 2016 117.45 -4.00 December 2016 117.58 -4.05

Canada East West Manitoba U.S.

$1 Cdn: $0.7228 U.S. $1 U.S: $1.3835 Cdn.

column

Cattle Prices

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

EXCHANGES: February 12, 2016

Toronto ($/cwt) 44.66 - 58.00 56.00 - 75.00

Looking for results? Check out the market reports from livestock auctions around the province. » PaGe 13

9

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

GRAIN MARKETS column

Manitoba Elevator Prices

More downside possible for cash canola, futures alike

Average quotes as of February 12, 2016 ($/tonne)

USDA’s outlook for world wheat stocks drags on futures Phil-Franz Warkentin CNSC

I

CE Futures Canada canola broke below some major chart support during the week ended Feb. 12 to hit their weakest levels in months. However, end-user bargain hunting and speculative short-covering came forward at the lows to help values settle back within their longtime range by Friday’s close.

Pakistan was reportedly in the market, making fresh purchases, while other routine exporters and the domestic crushing sector also continued to show solid demand at the lows.

The March contract fell below $460 per tonne on Feb. 10, but was back above $467 on Friday. The damage is now done from a chart standpoint. While the modest correction could build on itself there is also still more room to the downside, with the $445$450 area seen as a possible target.

On the other side, the March contract has run into nearby resistance at $470 per tonne, but the longer-term upside target remains around the $490 mark.

The price action suggests cash prices in the countryside will also trend lower, which means prices will eventually get to a point that will cause farmers to stop selling.

Better pricing opportunities will arise in the last quarter of the marketing year, when North American weather uncertainty comes to play.

R i s i n g w o r l d v e g e t a b l e o i l m a r k e t s,

Basis

Cash

E. Manitoba wheat

178,21

52.37

230.57

W. Manitoba wheat

178.21

41.51

219.72

E. Manitoba canola

467.40

-13.05

454.35

W. Manitoba canola

467.40

-18.99

448.41 Source: pdqinfo.ca

together with a relatively sideways trend in Chicago soybeans, despite burdensome supply data, should also provide underlying support for canola.

T h e U . S . De p a r t m e n t o f A g r i c u l t u re released a slew of reports on Feb. 9, including updated world ending stocks projections.

The biggest surprise out of the data came in wheat, as USDA forecast record-large world ending stocks.

Those big wheat supplies kept U.S. futures trending lower, as U.S. wheat remains overpriced for global buyers. However, Canadian wheat is more competitive, due to the weak loonie, and continues to move offshore and into the U.S. at a brisk pace.

CBOT corn futures were also down during the week, although soybeans were higher. Attention in those two markets is also focused on weather news out of South Amer ica. Conditions remain relatively favourable for both crops, with very large production expected overall despite any short-term concerns over harvest delays.

USDA is also forecasting large soybean and corn ending stocks, for both the U.S. and internationally, which added to the softer tone. However, just as in canola, the declining prices brought in some more end-user demand, which saw soybeans move higher.

Soyoil was showing the most strength of the soy complex, with continued strength in Malaysian palm oil pulling most other vegetable oil markets up as well.

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 and more from Commodity News Service Canada, visit the Markets section at www.manitobacooperator.ca.

Future

Port Prices As of Friday, February 12, 2016 ($/tonne) Last Week

Weekly Change

U.S. hard red winter 12% Houston

184.36

3.58

U.S. spring wheat 14% Portland

223.21

0.0098

Canola Thunder Bay

474.80

0.50

Canola Vancouver

493.80

0.50

Closing Futures Prices

As of Monday, February 16, 2016 ($/tonne) Last Week

Weekly Change

ICE canola

468.00

0.50

ICE milling wheat

226.00

0.00

ICE barley

188.00

-2.00

Mpls. HRS wheat

178.67

-3.03

Chicago SRW wheat

168.38

-5.33

Kansas City HRW wheat

163.14

-5.79

Corn

141.82

-3.25

Oats

124.17

-3.08

Soybeans

320.96

-0.37

Soymeal

290.60

-4.30

Soyoil

696.56

7.72

Cash Prices Winnipeg As of Monday, February 16, 2016 ($/tonne) Last Week

Weekly Change

Feed wheat

n/a

n/a

Feed barley

180.50

0.92

Rye Flaxseed Feed peas

n/a

n/a

463.36

-1.97

n/a

n/a

Oats

178,32

0.65

Soybeans

379.93

0.37

Sunflower (NuSun) Fargo, ND ($U.S./CWT)

16.70

unch

Sunflower (Confection) Fargo, ND ($U.S./CWT)

Ask

Ask

Prairie wheat bids drift down with U.S. futures The lower loonie is keeping export demand stable for Canadian wheat

BY PHIL FRANZ-WARKENTIN CNS Canada

C

ash spring wheat bids across Western Canada edged lower in most locations during the week ended Feb. 12, as losses in the U.S. futures weighed on values.

However, basis levels saw some slight improvement in many locations, as Canadian wheat has continued to see more stable export demand compared to U.S.-origin supplies.

Average Canada Wester n Red Spring (CWRS) wheat prices were down by about $2 per tonne at most locations over the course of the week, with only eastern Manitoba seeing a modest 50-cent-per-tonne weekly increase, according to price quotes

from a cross-section of delivery points across the Prairie provinces compiled by PDQ (Price and Data Quotes).

Average prices ranged from about $217 per tonne in southeastern Saskatchewan to as high as $232 in southern Alberta.

Quoted basis levels varied from location to location, but improved by about $1 per tonne on average to sit at roughly $39-$54 per tonne above the futures when using the grain company methodology of quoting the basis as the difference between U.S. dollar-denominated futures and Canadian dollar cash bids.

When accounting for currency exchange rates by adjusting Canadian prices to U.S. dollars, CWRS bids ranged from US$156 to $167 per tonne. That would put cur-

rency-adjusted basis levels at about US$11-$22 below the futures.

Looking at it the other way around, if the Minneapolis futures are converted to Canadian dollars, CWRS basis levels across Western Canada range from $15 to $30 below the futures.

Average Canada Prairie Spring Red (CPSR) bids were narrowly mixed, with local bids up or down $1-$2 compared to the previous week. Average CPSR prices came in at about $171-$175 per tonne in Saskatchewan, and $184-$190 per tonne in Alberta.

Average durum prices held relatively steady during the week. Bids in southern Saskatchewan, where the bulk of the crop is grown, were up by $1, to sit at roughly $307 per tonne.

The March spring wheat contract in Minneapolis, off of which most CWRS contracts in Canada are based, was quoted at US$4.85 per bushel on Feb. 12, down 6.25 U.S. cents from the previous week.

Kansas City hard red winter wheat futures, traded in Chicago, are more closely linked to CPSR in Canada.

The March K.C. wheat contract was quoted Feb. 12 at US$4.4425 per bushel, down 9.25 U.S. cents compared to the previous week.

The March Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) soft wheat contract settled at US$4.575 on Feb. 12, 9.25 U.S. cents lower compared to one week earlier.

The Canadian dollar closed Feb. 12 at 72.14 U.S. cents, up by about a quarter-cent relative to its U.S. counterpart compared to the previous week.

10

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

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

Cattle producers warned to avoid transport violations ‘Out of sight and out of mind’ is the wrong attitude when shipping animals

BY JENNIFER PAIGE Co-operator staff / Brandon

C

attle producers should keep an extra-close eye on their animals’ condition before loading for transport, says a Canadian Fo o d In s p e c t i o n A g e n c y veterinarian.

“Cattle hide their pain so that they don’t look vulnerable to predators. Keep that in mind when monitoring your herd,” said Max Popp, CFIA animal health district veterinarian, western area operations. “The primary focus of our work is import, export, disease control, disease reporting and one thing that is really critically important is transportation.”

Popp spoke to the Manitoba Beef Producers annual general meeting on Feb. 4 in Brandon.

“When these animals leave you they are not out of sight, out of mind. You have to think about where this animal is going, who is going to see this and you never know who will. The public image of our industry is a key thing, as you all know,” Popp said.

He stressed the importance of monitoring the herd and knowing the status of your animals in order to detect any possible issues that may cause them to struggle in the transport trailer.

“Cattle use their head for balance and will bob their heads to gain momentum to make a better step. If you see funny head movements, it is a sign of lameness,” Popp said.

“If a cow is lame or doesn’t want to move, she’s got pain and is unfit for transport. Do not move them anywhere other than the vet.”

Slight lameness can be difficult to detect, especially in a crowd. Popp recommends separating the animal in question and observing it, as you may be better able to see signs of lameness once its stress levels are reduced.

Special provisions Popp, who is also the humane transportation co-lead for Manitoba and a member of the Manitoba Veterinary Medical Association’s animal welfare committee, says compromised animals are categorized into two categories: unfit for transport, and animals that can be shipped with special provisions.

“A n y t h i n g t h a t h a s a reduced capacity to withstand transport because of injury, fatigue, poor health, distress,

“If a cow is lame or doesn’t want to move, she’s got pain and is unfit for transport. Do not move them anywhere other than the vet.”

Max Popp CFIA

very young or old age, or any other cause,” said Popp. “Any animal that is non-ambulatory or downer is unfit for transport and shouldn’t be going anywhere.”

He warns producers should never attempt to transport animals with fractures, dehydration, shock, suspected nervous system disorders or fever.

“Anything that you suspect may calve should not go in the truck. One month before calving is a no-shipping time,” Popp said.

The only exception in transporting an unfit animal would be to acquire veterinary treatment in hopes of a successful outcome.

In these cases, Popp recommends making special provisions to ensure not only animal safety but producer safety as well, as animals in pain can be difficult and even dangerous.

“In this process, to provide the best possible environment for transport you need to make a segregation so that they are separate from all other animals. Load it in the back compartment, only travel locally and as little distance as possible.”

Producers should also be on the lookout for emaciated body condition, as animals with less body and muscle mass have a hard time standing in the trailer.

“These animals have less muscle mass, less stability. If you do load an animal that is on the skinny side, give it extra room or bed it down more and ensure that they have a better level of comfort than an animal that is more sturdy.”

Cattle showing signs of emaciated body condition or slight lameness should also be checked throughout transport as they can deteriorate very quickly.

Avoiding violations Shipping unfit cattle can be subject to costly penalties.

CFIA veterinarian Max Popp speaking at the Manitoba Beef Producers annual general meeting in Brandon on Feb. 4.

Photo: Jennifer Paige

In most cases, these are applied when an unfit animal is delivered to an auction mart, problems are visible to others or CFIA performs a routine inspection. Any animal that is transported by any device at any time is subject to inspection.

“We have a spectrum on how we deal with violations.

We will issue a warning letter, which describes the injunction or administrative monetary penalty or prosecution,” said Popp. “Monetary penalties are gauged. There are minor, serious or very serious infractions. For example, an animal that wasn’t standing in its natural position would be

a minor violation. A very serious violation would be beating an animal, which is also subject to prosecution under the criminal code and a fine of up to $10,000.”

According to Popp, penalties for anything related to livestock transportation start at $3,000 and fines are applied per animal, which he warns can become very costly if someone were to try and transport several unfit animals.

Bedding is key When shipping an animal that you suspect is compromised, Popp strongly recommends ensuring it has proper

bedding on the trailer so it can maintain proper footing.

“Absorption of urine is an issue. Improper bedding can cause the back of a trailer to turn into a skating rink. Cattle need to have good footing when they are on the road and so bedding is a key item,” said Popp.

When transporting animals that are in a weaker state, producers should try to arrange the shortest travel time possible and load the animals of concern last and unload them first and avoid trailer standing time as much as possible. jennifer.paige@fbcpublishing.com

11

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

Poultry farmers still need answers on TPP impact

Year-overyear sales climb for A&W The burger chain’s overall sales for the year passed $1 billion

Producers are hopeful Canadian consumers will continue to buy their products

By Alex Binkley Co-operator contributor

STAFF

A

C

lthough they’ll have to cope with significantly increased impor ts if Canada ratifies the TransPacific Partnership trade deal, Canadian egg, chicken and turkey farmers aren’t calling foul over the extra fowl.

Instead they plan to encourage consumers to shop Canadian because the domestic products don’t cost much more, they come from smaller farms and they are raised under better health conditions than the imports, farm group spokesmen have told the Senate agriculture committee.

It’s not well known “that in order for the U.S. to produce the way it does, it’s done through massive economies of scale,” says Tim Lambert, CEO of Egg Farmers of Canada. “I don’t think Canadians want to buy their food from that kind of massive‑scale production that’s concentrated in a few areas.”

Scale The average egg farm in Canada has about 22,000 birds compared to 1.5 million birds in the average American flock, he noted. “Just think of the environmental challenges and disease management challenges.

“We have production right across the country in smaller units,” he added. “We have the contribution of rural stability and that local economy of supported feed mills, vet practices and machinery dealerships.

“The impact of having supply management and stable domestic production goes far beyond and far deeper than just the per-unit cost of the product,” he said.

Critics contend that eggs and poultry are more expensive in Canada because of supply. The evidence shows that isn’t always true. “In many cases product in the U.S. is somewhat cheaper; it’s true of most things. We have a different tax structure. We have a health-care system. We have all the things that you know of that benefit us as Canadians.”

PHOTO: thinkstock

Phil Boyd, executive direct o r o f Tu rk e y Fa r m e r s o f Canada, said an analysis of Canadian and American pricing found over the 14‑year time, “Canadian and U.S. prices were in a relevant range of each other, plus or minus a little bit — certainly nothing that would suggest Canadian turkeys were overpriced relative to the United States. In fact, over the 14 years we looked at, Canadians paid five per cent to eight per cent less; so it’s fairly tight. The idea that consumer prices are automatically higher here doesn’t always hold.”

Nobody pays As for the massive Pacific free trade deal signed in the midst of last year’s election, Dave Janzen, chairman of Chicken Farmers of Canada, told the committee that supply management is always attacked for hiding behind “but nobody pays them.” Canada imported 214 million kilograms of chicken in 2015 and the biggest duty that would have been applied is 5.4 per cent.

The United States and Brazil dominate the international chicken trade. It’s unrealis-

tic to expect Canada to play a significant role in the international chicken trade market.

Our climate, with cold winters and warm summers, results in significantly higher production costs that are not incurred in the U.S. and Brazil.

The Canadian chicken industry is working on steady domestic market growth, he said.

There are more chicken farms and production has grown steadily, more than 20 per cent in the past 15 years. We have led the agriculture sector on implementing on‑farm food safety, animal care and antibiotic-use reduction programs.

In addition to promises of compensation for lost income caused by the TPP, poultry farmers need the federal government to become serious about “the elimination of the import control circumvention.

Three specific measures were announced by the government on Oct. 5 at the conclusion of the TPP negotiations, and it is critical that the government implement them as soon as possible.”

Mark Davies, chairman of Turkey Farmers of Canada, said the TPP offers an impor-

tant economic opportunity for Canada. “On the positive side for our industry, the final TPP agreement maintains the overquota tariffs currently in place, which provide a fairly high level of assurance that imports of turkey meat in excess of Canada’s minimum access commitments will not occur under normal domestic international conditions.”

However, after 18 years, the access would amount to a 70 per cent increase and amount to about five per cent of current domestic production especially if it’s all breast meat.

“There could be approximately $26,000 in lost farm cash receipts per farm per year if the impact is distributed across the country. It is not a small impact.

It should also be noted that our industry does not see any major export opportunities emerging under the TPP despite what some rumours have stipulated over the last few months.”

anadian burger and root beer chain A&W’s recent moves to boost the profile of its ingredients in a crowded quick-serve playing field has pushed its sales past the billion-dollar mark in 2015.

The A&W Revenue Royalties Income Fund on Feb. 5 reported net income of $21.32 million on $1.061 billion in reported sales from the 814 restaurants in its royalty pool for fiscal 2015, up from $16.99 million on $957.19 million from 790 stores in 2014.

Cracking the $1-billion mark in sales in 2015 was an “important milestone” for the business, the company said in a release.

“Our strategic initiatives aimed at growing market share in the quick-service restaurant burger market continue to be extremely successful,” Paul Hollands, CEO for A&W Food Services, said. “Our relentless focus on bringing better ingredients to our guests is having a powerful impact.”

The chain since 2013 has shifted its supply lines to beef “raised without the use of hormones or steroids,” eggs from hens “fed only a vegetarian diet without animal byproducts,” chicken “raised without the use of antibiotics” and organic and Fair Trade coffee.

The company’s growth strategy has also involved accelerating new restaurant openings, with 32 during 2015, down from 37 in 2014.

The chain’s same-store sales growth — considered a better bellwether of progress for multistore restaurant chains, compared to overall sales — came in at 7.6 per cent for the year, up from 6.3 per cent in 2014, and at 5.3 per cent for the last 16 weeks of 2015, down from 7.9 per cent in the year-earlier period.

100 RED & BLACK SIMMENTAL BULLS R PLUS SIMMENTALS

R PLUS SIMMENTALS

Ross LeBlanc & Sons Box 1476 Estevan, SK S4A 2L7

Ross LeBlanc & Sons Box 1476 Estevan, SK S4A 2L7

Marlin 306.634.8031 Cell 306.421.2470

Marlin 306.634.8031 SALES MANAgEMENT: Cell 306.421.2470

Ross

306.421.1824

oBI Ross

Jason

306.421.9909

RoB HoLowAyCHUK Jason 306.421.9909

306.421.1824

780.916.2628

MARK HoLowAyCHUK 403.896.4990

Sales Management:

Sales Management:

OBI

OBI

R PLUS SIMMENTALS

Rob Holowaychuk 780.916.2628

Rob Holowaychuk 780.916.2628

Box 1476 ESTEVAN, SK S4A 2L7

Mark Holowaychuk 403.896.4990

Mark Holowaychuk 403.896.4990

MARLIN LEBLANC (CELL) 306.421.2470 (CELL) 306.421.9637 (HoME) 306.634.8031

12

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

LIVESTOCK AUCTION RESULTS Weight Category

Feeder Steers No. on offer Over 1,000 lbs.

Ashern

Gladstone

Grunthal

Heartland

Heartland

Brandon

Virden

Killarney

Ste. Rose

Winnipeg

Feb-10

Feb-09

Feb-09

Feb-11

Feb-10

Feb-08

Feb-11

Feb-12

412

872*

473

1,258

2,178*

763*

1,505*

605

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

900-1,000

170.00-190.00

165.00-192.75

175.00-187.00

185.00-195.00

187.00-199.00

190.00-201.00

180.00-189.00

180.00-193.00

800-900

180.00-215.00

170.00-205.25

180.00-210.00

185.00-203.00

192.00-206.50

200.00-212.50

185.00-203.00

185.00-196.00

700-800

195.00-234.00

200.00-217.00

200.00-224.00

195.00-218.00

203.00-219.00

210.00-225.00 (227.50)

195.00-224.00

190.00-221.00

600-700

206.00-248.00

210.00-244.50

215.00-245.00

225.00-248.00

225.00-250.00 (255.00)

220.00-250.00

210.00-265.00

218.00-247.00

500-600

240.00-271.00

260.00-289.00

235.00-275.00

250.00-280.00

247.00-285.00

250.00-280.00

250.00-282.00

230.00-280.00

400-500

n/a

275.00-309.00

260.00-305.00

275.00-295.00

277.00-316.00

270.00-305.00 (317.00)

250.00-295.00

270.00-315.00

300-400

n/a

280.00-308.50

285.00-325.00

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

160.00-179.50

n/a

168.00-185.00

177.00-187.00

n/a

180.00-194.00 (195.00)

160.00-175.00

Feeder heifers 900-1,000 lbs.

800-900

n/a

175.00-181.00

160.00-180.00

175.00-193.00

180.00-190.00

180.00-188.00

185.00-194.00 (195.00)

165.00-188.00

700-800

170.00-209.00

175.00-201.00

180.00-197.00

185.00-200.00

183.00-200.00

185.00-200.00

190.00-200.00 (206.00)

170.00-197.00

600-700

190.00-224.00

200.00-224.00

190.00-223.00

200.00-220.00

203.00-223.00

195.00-219.00

205.00-221.00 (223.00)

190.00-227.00

500-600

210.00-236.00

210.00-246.00

220.00-250.00

225.00-248.00

217.00-241.00

225.00-253.50

220.00-245.00 (248.00)

210.00-250.00

400-500

n/a

220.00-255.00

235.00-255.00

230.00-260.00

235.00-259.00

240.00-268.00

225.00-255.00 (258.00)

230.00-276.00

300-400

n/a

240.00-250.00

240.00-270.00

n/a

n/a

n/a

205.00-272.00 (275.00)

n/a

No. on offer

100

n/a

47

99

n/a

n/a

n/a

120

D1-D2 Cows

90.00-100.00

n/a

n/a

94.00-103.00

94.00-103.00

92.00-101.00 (105.00)

92.00-102.00 (108.00)

97.00-105.00

D3-D5 Cows

83.00-89.00

n/a

n/a

83.00-93.00

83.00-93.00

n/a

82.00-93.00

86.00-95.00

Age Verified

101.00-109.00

80.00-104.00

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Good Bulls

111.00-147.00

130.00-140.00

120.00-130.00

125.00-138.00

128.00-145.00

130.00-149.00

125.00-142.00

126.00-135.00

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Slaughter Market

Butcher Steers Butcher Heifers

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Feeder Cows

n/a

n/a

105.00-115.00

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

100.00-125.00

Fleshy Export Cows

n/a

n/a

94.00-98.25

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Lean Export Cows

n/a

n/a

80.00-89.00

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

130.00-175.00

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

125.00-182.00

n/a

Heiferettes * includes slaughter market

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

get the manitoba co-operator mobile app today!

Keep up to date on all the latest regional ag news that matters to you with the new Co-operator mobile app!

INSTANT ACCESS TO: • Daily regional ag news • Crops news • Livestock news • Daily market news • Commodity futures • WeatherFarm data • Machinery tips & reviews • Plus much more!

IT’S FREE! Scan the code to get the app – or visit agreader.ca Available for Android devices, iPhones and iPad. Part of the

More great agricultural apps available!

Sponsored by

network

13

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

Advance payment program widened, streamlined

A new year begins

Some breeding livestock are allowed; more options are available to post security STAFF

M

ore types of livestock will be eligible and more types of security will be allowed for Canadian farmers to get federally backed advance payments starting this year.

Amendments to the Agricultural Marketing Programs Act (AMPA), made last February as part of the former Conser vative government’s omnibus Agricultural Growth Act, have made regulatory changes possible for the 2016 Advance Payments Program (APP) year, the government said Feb. 5.

The regulatory changes allow new commodities, including “specific classes” of breeding livestock — including cattle, hogs, sheep and goats — to qualify for advances this year if the animals are intended for sale during the production period, the government said.

Except where regulations are made to allow specific types or classes, the AMPA rules out current and former breeding animals as “agricultural products.”

The changes made via the Agricultural Growth Act also allowed for “limited expansion” of the APP into other eligible commodities and products via regulation in the future.

T h e re g u l a t o r y c h a n g e s announced Feb. 5 also allow producers seeking advances under the APP to now use more types of security, such as private insurance or other risk management products, to get the maximum available to them.

Previously, APP loans have been limited to the dollar value of a farmer’s coverage under business risk management (BRM) programs such as AgriStability and AgriInsurance.

The change is meant to help farmers who under that rule couldn’t get their full eligible

advance, due to “shortfalls in their pledged security,” but are able to buy other insurance against risks similar to what’s covered by BRM programs.

The maximum advance available through the APP remains 50 per cent of the average market price for a given product in a farmer’s area, up to $400,000. The federal government pays the interest on the first $100,000.

The government on Feb. 3 also pledged “simplified access” to APPs for companies with multiple shareholders.

Third-party guarantors, such as individuals or banks, are to be allowed to post guarantees for larger corporations, co-operatives or subsidiary companies, instead of each individual in the organization having to provide a personal guarantee.

The APP program year begins in April.

Calving season is underway on this Glenora farm. photo: Gracie crayston

COOL demise not affecting livestock trade Industry officials say they are glad it’s gone but the effects aren’t noticeable yet

BY ALEX BINKLEY Co-operator contributor

T

he end of the U.S. country-of-origin labelling program hasn’t translated into an export boon for Canadian cattle and pig producers, but they’re still glad that border impediment is gone.

Brian Perillat, manager and senior analyst at Canfax, the market analysis division of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA), said in an interview that it’s hard to pinpoint the impact of COOL because “markets move so fast.”

While there’s no doubt that COOL impacted livestock prices in Canada for

the last eight years, “it’s hard to decipher” the relationship between all the factors.

In its complaint to the World Trade Organization, Canada claimed that COOL was inflicting about $3 billion annually in lower prices and lost marketing opportunities on its farmers.

Perillat said a big herd expansion in the United States has also dampened the market for finished cattle from Canada.

Production of feeder cattle in Canada has been soft in recent years and farmers “need a clear signal that it’s time to expand. They’re still being cautious.” That will delay an increase in the number of cattle on feed in Canada.

“It may be a bit too soon to predict

market access resulting from the end of COOL,” said Garry Stordy, spokesman for the Canadian Pork Council. “In the short term, the demand for Canadian feeder pigs by American farms may be greater than for finished pigs.”

Ron Davidson, director of international trade with the Canadian Meat Council, which represents the processors, said COOL primarily affected the export of live animals to the United States. His group supported the farm groups in seeking an end to COOL to make American programs “conform to international trade rules. Any meat products packaged in Canada for sale at retail in the U.S. are identified as product of Canada.”

“The chief benefit of the end of COOL is that it removes a major impediment to the full operation of the North American beef market. We’re getting open arbitrage in the marketplace,” Perillat said.

The lower value of the loonie will also help the Canadian livestock industry gain sales in the United States and overseas, he added.

Research by the CCA shows that for every one per cent drop in the loonie, beef and cattle prices rise by one per cent.

The CCA also says a lower dollar also increases packer competitiveness through lower labour costs compared to American companies. That means they will pay better prices in Canada.

Wider vaccine use urged to help limit superbugs Limiting the need for antibiotics could help cut down on drug-resistant infections

BY KATE KELLAND London/Reuters

M

ore use of vaccines would reduce the need to use antibiotics and help fight the rise of drugresistant superbug infections, according to a British government-commissioned review of the threat.

In the latest report on socalled antimicrobial resistance, published on Feb. 11, the head of the review, British Treasury Minister Jim O’Neill, said more focus should be put on using existing vaccines and developing new ones.

Vaccines can combat drug resistance because they reduce cases of infection and lessen the

“There are vaccines available now that could have a massive impact on antibiotic use and resistance, as well as saving many lives if used more widely.”

Jim O’Neill Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, U.K.

need for antibiotics. Any use of antibiotics promotes the development and spread of multidrug-resistant infections, or superbugs, he said.

“There are vaccines available now that could have a massive impact on antibiotic use and resistance, as well as saving many lives if used more widely,” O’Neill’s report said.

As an example, he said shots that protect against a bug that causes pneumonia, streptococcus pneumonia — which kills more than 800,000 children a year — should be given worldwide.

“Universal coverage with a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, something that is already used in many parts of the

world, could largely prevent the 800,000 yearly deaths of children under five caused by streptococcus pneumonia,” O’Neill said.

“It could also prevent over 11 million days of antibiotic use in these children, reducing the chance of resistance developing.”

Drug makers Pfizer and GSK both make vaccines designed to protect babies, children and adults against streptococcus pneumonia.

In O’Neill’s first report, he estimated antibiotic and microbial resistance could kill an extra 10 million people a year and cost up to $100 trillion by 2050 if it is not brought under control.

O’Neill, asked in 2014 by

British Prime Minister David Cameron to review the problem and suggest ways to combat it, will make final recommendations in May, setting out action plans to tackle drug-resistant infections globally.

In this latest report, O’Neill, a former Goldman Sachs chief economist, noted that vaccines are also a vital way of protecting livestock and fish from infections, and reducing the need for antibiotics in farming — a major part of the problem.

The European Commission said on Feb. 11 its policymakers are reviewing strategy to fight superbugs after EU research found growing levels of drug resistance in bacteria that cause food poisoning, such as salmonella and campylobacter.

14

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

WEATHER VANE “Everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it.” Mark Twain, 1897

Overall pattern remains the same Issued: Monday, February 15, 2016 · Covering: February 17 – February 24, 2016 Daniel Bezte Weather Vane

I

t d o e s n’t l o o k l i k e t h e weather pattern we’ve been in for the last month or so is going to change any time soon.

Here is the big picture of what is going on. To our west, there has been a fairly persistent area of low pressure off the coast that has been drifting north and south as smaller lows get pulled into it. Over western regions there is a fairly persistent ridge of high pressure that has been bringing mild temperatures up and down the West Coast and inland into Alberta. To our east we have another area of low pressure that has been quite dominant over northeastern regions of Canada.

Now picture the general airflow going under the western low, then rising up over the western ridge, and then diving back down under the eastern low. This puts us under a predominantly northwestern flow.

Areas of energy, or smaller lows, break off the big Pacific low, then either kick off to our south or get caught up in the northwesterly

flow. Mild air works in ahead of these lows, then colder air pours in behind the lows.

This forecast period will begin with a cool area of high pressure that will quickly be replaced by an area of low pressure sliding in from the west. We’ll start seeing southerly winds pick up ahead of the low on Wednesday, and clouds along with flurries or even a few showers moving in by Friday. Temperatures look to warm up into the low single digits by Friday with clouds, flurries and mild temperatures looking like they will stick around for at least the first half of the weekend.

Once this low pulls off to the east, another arctic high will slide southward. This should bring a return to sunshine along with cooler temperatures for most of next week, with highs expected to be in the -10 to -14 C range and overnight lows around -22 C. Usual temperature range for this period: Highs, -18 to -4 C; lows, -30 to -11 C. Daniel Bezte is a teacher by profession with a BA (Hon.) in geography, specializing in climatology, from the U of W. He operates a computerized weather station near Birds Hill Park.

Contact him with your questions and comments at daniel@bezte.ca.

WEATHER MAP - WESTERN CANADA

Highest Temperature in the past 7 Days (Prairie Region) February 5, 2016 to February 11, 2016

-21 to -17 °C -17 to -13 °C -13 to -9 °C -9 to -4 °C -4 to +0 °C +0 to +4 °C +4 to +8 °C +8 to +12 °C +12 to +16 °C +16 to +20 °C Extent of Agricultural Land Lakes and Rivers

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

Copyright © 2016 Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada Prepared by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s National Agroclimate Information Service (NAIS). Data provided through partnership with Environment Canada, Natural Resources Canada, and many Provincial agencies.

Created: 02/12/16 www.agr.gc.ca/drought

With not much going on precipitation-wise across the Prairies, here’s a look at the maximum high temperatures across the Prairies during the seven days ending Feb. 11. This map clearly shows the temperature gradient between the mild air that is sitting to our west and southwest and the cold air to our northeast. The mild air combined with no snow cover resulted in temperatures approaching +20 C across parts of southern Alberta.

Are we looking at a warm, dry spring?

The snow cover so far across Western Canada won’t take as much sunlight to melt

BY DANIEL BEZTE Co-operator contributor

T

he biggest weather news of the week, at least according to my local news sources, w a s Ac c u We a t h e r’s s p r i n g weather prediction. So I figured maybe I should join in and take a look at what the d i f f e re n t f o re c a s t e r s h a ve called for this spring. After all, meteorological spring is only a couple of weeks away (March-April-May).

In what I think is a pretty bold move, AccuWeather predicted not just a warmer-thanaverage spring across Canada, but that we could see a spring in the top 10 or even top five warmest springs on record.

Now, if you want to make a name for yourself in longrange weather forecasting, you need to go out on a limb now and then, because if and when you get those forecasts correct, everybody is impressed, at least for a little while.

Looking at its overall spring f o re c a s t , i t i s c a l l i n g f o r above-average temperatures for nearly all of Canada (1 to 2 C above average) with only the far northeastern regions seeing below-average temperatures. Western regions

The weather pattern we’ve been stuck in for a while now doesn’t lend itself to big storms.

have the best chance of seeing well-above-average temperatures (over 2 C above average). Over our region we are solidly in the above-average area, with near-average temperatures expected over extreme northeastern parts of Manitoba. This prediction pretty much mirrors what we are currently seeing across Canada.

As far as precipitation goes, AccuWeather calls for belowaverage amounts to our west and east with near-average amounts across Manitoba.

The only wet areas forecast are in the Atlantic provinces, much of northeastern Canada and in the southwestern Yukon.

W h y a re t h e y c o n f i d e n t enough to call for it to possibly be one of the warmest springs on record? I think it’s for the same reason I am leaning toward a warmer-thanaverage spring forecast. The first point is that El Niño, while weakening, will still be

influencing our weather this spring, leading to a greaterthan-average chance of m i l d e r we a t h e r. Se c o n d l y, so far this winter snow cover across Western Canada has been fairly light, which means it won’t take much to melt off the existing snowpack. Once the snow is gone, solar energy normally used to melt snow can go into heating the air, resulting in war mer-thanaverage temperatures. This is the wild card point, as it only takes one big storm to change this. Currently, the weather pattern we’ve been stuck in for a while now doesn’t lend itself to big storms.

Running low on ice Kind of going along with the low snow cover is recordlow sea ice coverage in the Arctic and low levels of ice cover across the Great Lakes.

Januar y’s Arctic ice coverage was just over one million square kilometres below the long-term average and was

90,000 square km lower than the previous record low. So far in February this trend is continuing, with ice coverage running over two standard deviations below the norm.

What does this mean for our spring temperatures? Well, just like with snow, ice coverage cools the air by reflecting sunlight and by acting as a natural air conditioner. Low ice levels usually lead to earlier and quicker melts, resulting in a weaker and smaller pool of cold air sitting to our north. As for the Great Lakes, w h i l e t h e y d o n’t d i r e c t l y influence our weather, less ice usually results in milder weather for that region, which can influence our weather.

Now that we have an understanding of what is going on with our weather leading into spring, here are what some of the other long-range forecasters are calling for. First, our two almanacs. The Old Farmer’s Almanac calls for a cool, wet March followed by near- to slightly above-average temperatures in April and May. Precipitation will be near average in April and below average in May. The Canadian Farmers’ Almanac, which is always tough to figure out, looks to be calling for near-average conditions in March, as it calls for

fair conditions several times.

April also looks to be “fair,” with possibly a warm end, as it calls for severe thunderstorms over eastern Manitoba from the 20th to 23rd. May looks to be a little more unsettled, with hot weather moving in during the last week of the month.

Over at Environment Canada it is calling for above-average temperatures all spring long, with nearaverage amounts of precipitation for most regions.

Extreme western and northwestern parts of agricultural Manitoba could see aboveaverage amounts. Looking a t E n v i r o n m e n t C a n a d a’s U.S. counterparts, the NOAA calls for above-average temperatures and below-average amounts of precipitation for all three spring months.

Last, but not least, my spring forecast: as I already stated above, I am leaning toward AccuWeather’s forecast, but I’m not as positive about the chance of seeing re a l l y w a r m t e m p e ra t u re s as it is. All the pieces are in place so far for a really warm spring, but the big question is whether the mild air will win out over the colder air that is forecast to be in place to our northeast. As usual, only time will tell.

15

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

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

Crop data assists in tracking crops and disease

BY SHANNON VANRAES Co-operator staff

As with all crop protection products, read and follow label instructions carefully.

Member of CropLife Canada.

A

griculture and Agri-Food Canada is aiming to bring satellite technology down to earth for Prairie producers.

“Typically in agriculture you’re thinking biology, maybe chemistry, well this is physics in agriculture,” said Leander Campbell, speaking at Crop Connect in Winnipeg last week.

Campbell, a remote sensing specialist with the earth observation team at Agriculture Canada, said that a wide array of maps and data products are available free of charge to anyone who is interested, via the department’s website.

“We use satellite imagery to look at agriculture across Canada,” he said. “We do a national crop inventory map, we look at soil moisture, weekly crop maps… really all types of data.”

The team also generates integrated crop maps that incorporate data from sources like ground surveys and crop insurance providers. In the future, Campbell said he would like to see crowdsourcing used to fill in some of the information holes around smaller, less common, specialty crops such as quinoa or millet.

“We’re thinking that might be the ideal way to fill in those gaps.

We try to target crops that we’re not getting information on, then try to access that kind of information through the general public,” said Campbell. “The bigger crops, the more common crops are much easier for us to find.”

Turning to the public can also help answer questions about exactly what researchers are looking at, he said, pointing to a tricky field the team encountered while doing a ground survey last summer.

“At first we thought it was canola,” said Campbell. “There was just so much yellow.”

But as it tuned out, that yellow

Unless indicated, trademarks with ®, TM or SM are trademarks of DuPont or affiliates. © 2016 DuPont.

It’s not a bird and it’s not a plane, those are satellites up there and farmers can access the data they produce for free

Leander Campbell, speaking at Crop Connect in Winnipeg. Photo: Shannon VanRaes

field was actually organic corn that had been infiltrated by wild mustard.

In Alberta, at least one organization is using the crop maps to help predict where clubroot might emerge. Areas that see year after year of canola production can be monitored more closely after being identified through aerial images, he said.

A similar use has been found for the maps in Ontario, where crop spacing is being monitored in some regions to help predict pest movement. In Manitoba, soil moisture and crop maps can be used to assist in predicting run-off and flooding.

“It’s crazy the amount of stuff people are using this for, stuff I would have never even have dreamed up,” said the remote sensing specialist.

“I’m not targeting anyone specifically for anything, we are looking at all of Canada.”

Leander Campbell

So far, few privacy concerns have been raised about the earth observation team’s work, but maps have been used by some to identify people growing specific crops that they are interested in pursuing. The images currently have a resolution of 30 metres and an accuracy rate of close to 90 per cent.

“I ’m n o t t a rg e t i n g a n yo n e specifically for anything, we are looking at all of Canada,” Campbell said. “We’re trying to get a better feel of what is actually happening out there so you can make better policies to try to understand that.”

He added that as people become m o r e a c c u s t o m e d t o ov e r head imagery with the popularity of unpiloted aerial vehicles or drones, satellite imagery has become less of a concern.

As more satellites are launched in the coming years, Campbell predicts that Agriculture Canada’s maps will become more accurate, more frequent and have a higher resolution.

“There is just so much potential here,” he said. shannon.vanraes@fbcpublishing.com

COMPETITION + GLYPHOSATE DAY 21: re-growth occurs

EXPRESS + GLYPHOSATE DAY 21: complete burn ®

SEE THE PROOF FOR YOURSELF Express burns to the roots with no re-growth. Add DuPont Express to your pre-seed glyphosate burn-off tank mix this spring and you’ll eliminate your toughest weeds from the shoots to roots with its complete systemic activity. For cleaner fields and higher yields, get a head start this spring with Express brand herbicides. See the video of our side-by-side performance trials at express.dupont.ca right now. ®

TM

®

®

DuPont Express

TM

®

herbicide

Ask your retailer how you can save up to 10% and enjoy a bonus rebate of up to $2.50 per acre with the FarmCare® Connect Grower Program.

Actual test results. University of Guelph, 2014.

1508 Express Sponsorship Ad_MBCoop.indd 1

2/4/16 1:45 PM

16

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

Baker Colony wins 2015 corn yield competition with 241 bushels an acre The annual contest is organized by the Manitoba Corn Growers Association

BY ALLAN DAWSON

“Soil fertility, good placement of seed, weed control, a good fertilizer plan and you try and work from there and see what your soil responds to.”

Co-operator staff

B

aker Colony near Ma c G re g o r w o n t h e 2015 Manitoba Corn Growers Association’s corn competition with a yield of 241.05 bushels per acre.

That beat the late Lorne Loeppky’s winning yield of 226.16 in 2014, but it’s still u n d e r t h e re c o rd 2 7 1 . 6 9 bushels an acre set by Baker Colony in 2013.

Coincidently average Manitoba corn yields set a record in 2013 of 133 bushels an acre. But a new provincial record — 136 — was set in 2015.

“A number of things work t o g e t h e r,” B a k e r C o l o n y farm manager Mack Waldner said in an interview after the competition results we re re l e a s e d Fe b. 1 0 a t the CropConnect banquet in Winnipeg. “Soil fertility, g o o d p l a c ement of seed, weed control, a good fertilizer plan and you try and work from there and see what your soil responds to.

We were fortunate to have enough rain. Having good seed is key.”

So is plant population.

The colony, which has been growing grain corn for about 30 years, has upped its plant population to between 32,000 and 34,000 per acre from 26,000, Waldner said.

“That was the biggest change to yield,” he added.

“That made the biggest diff e re n c e i n the years I’ve been working with it.”

The winning variety was 2250 corn heat unit Pioneer P7958AM. The variety accounted for about half the corn acres on the colony in 2015.

“It was the best yield we’ve ever had, averaging about

briefs

Mack Waldner

Top 10 winners of Manitoba Corn Growers Association’s 2015 corngrowing competition

Baker Colony of MacGregor won the Manitoba Corn Growers Association’s (MCGA) 2015 corn competition with a yield of 241.05 bushels per acre. MCGA vice-president Leonard Wiebe (l) along with Scott McIntosh, Carman-based account manager for DuPont Pioneer, presented the award to Baker Colony farm manager Mack Waldner (centre) at the CropConnect banquet in Winnipeg Feb. 10. PHOTO: ALLAN DAWSON

150 bushels an acre across the farm, Waldner said.

Contestants are allowed to select corn from two 50-foot r ow s. T h e c o r n i s h a n d picked. And while the result is a higher yield than would occur if the corn was combined and collected from a larger area, it shows corn’s yield potential.

Thanks to better genetics and improving agronomics Manitoba corn yields, on average, are increasing. The 2015 provincial average yield of 136 bushels an acre was up 21 per cent from 2014’s 113.

“We’re at 240 (bushels an acre in the corn competition) now, we’ve had 270 in

past, I’m looking for 300,” Waldner said.

Manitoba corn yields are catching up to those in the United States, he said. Last year U.S. corn yields averaged 169 bushels an acre versus 136 in Manitoba, he noted.

“We’re getting close and we’re getting better genetics,” Waldner said.

(The average Corn Belt yield was about 10 bushels an acre higher than the U.S. average.)

Manitoba corn acreage was down 15 per cent to 205,071 acres last year, but still well above the 10-year average of 192,000.

And the crop is spreading to less traditional areas in the east and west of the province.

R & S Fa r m s o f A rd e n placed second in the competition with a yield of 219.28 bushels an acre.

Dur mads Far ms of Boissevain and Bangert Farms of Beausejour placed ninth and 12th, respectively, with yields of 193.74 and 191.29 bushels an acre.

B a k e r C o l o n y re c e i v e d $1,000 from DuPont Pioneer, a wall plaque and name on the competition trophy.

Second-place winner R & S Farms received $500 and a wall plaque and third-place winner Thiessen Acres of Morden received $250 and a wall plaque.

1) Baker Colony, MacGregor, Pioneer P7958AM, 241.05 bushels an acre 2) R & S Farms Ltd., Arden, Legend LR9474VT2PRIB, 219.28 3) Thiessen Acres Ltd., Morden, Pioneer 39V07, 211.68 4) 4A Farms, Rosenfeld, Pioneer P7632AM, 210.6 5) Blumengart Colony, Pioneer, P7958AM, 205.02 6) Wynd River Farm Ltd., Cypress River, Pioneer P7632AM, 201.36 7) Krahn Agri Farms Ltd., Carman, Thunder TH7677, 200.06 8) Wesmar Farms Ltd., Altona, Thunder TH7578, 194.31 9) Durmads Farms Ltd., Boissevain, DeKalb DKC2628,193.74 10) Veldman Farms, Carman, Thunder TH7677, 193.57

allan@fbcpublishing.com

Fertilizer expected to be pricier by spring

France to cut farmers’ payroll taxes

Today’s supply-driven prices may shift as supplies begin tightening

Paris / Reuters /French President Francois Hollande said Feb. 11 that the government would reduce payroll taxes to help struggling farmers.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls “will announce before Feb. 17 a new decline in payroll taxes, straight away, for all farmers,” Hollande said in a televised interview after a cabinet reshuffle.

Valls said on Feb. 8 that France wants new market regulation measures to help farmers hurt by low milk and pork prices and has submitted proposals ahead of a meeting of European Union agriculture ministers later this month.

The government has offered hundreds of millions of euros in aid to livestock farmers since last summer. But with no sign of an upturn in market conditions, farmers have staged renewed street protests this year.

BY DAVE SIMS CNS Canada

R

elatively cheap natural gas has helped push down fertilizer prices for Canadian farmers over the past winter, but that should change by springtime.

One Manitoba farm leader noted urea fertilizer that went for $545 per tonne last August could now be acquired for $445 per tonne.

“Phosphate fertilizer was going for $721 per tonne in August, now it’s $692,” said Dan Mazier, president of Keystone Agricultural Producers.

At the same time, he said, fertilizer hasn’t copied the price movement seen in grains and oilseeds.

“Prices haven’t softened anywhere near to what the crops have softened,” he said.

Still, he said he expects usage to remain relatively unchanged for this crop year.

Fertilizer, he said, is one of those things you “don’t cut back on too much,” unless you’re growing a crop of lesser value.

A fertilizer market expert south of the border agrees natural gas is behind much of the downward price pressure on fertilizer.

“Most of the world’s fertilizer, particularly nitrogen, is based on natural gas,” said David Asbridge, president and senior economist of NPK Fertilizer Advisory Service in Missouri.

The market is supply driven right now, and will take two to three years to stabilize, he said.

While Chinese fertilizer producers on the coast are able to compete right now, companies farther inland are having trouble and have scaled back their activity.

“So the supply is beginning to get a little more limited and we think that again, over the next two to three years it will pull prices back up into a new cycle,” he said.

In the shor t ter m, he said, he believes nitrogen prices have “just a b o u t b o t t o m e d o u t ” i n No r t h America.

Some products such as urea are also at price levels not seen since 2007, he said.

However, as spring approaches, farmers in the southern U.S. will begin to eat into supplies, followed by producers in the U.S. Midwest and eventually in Canada.

“We’re expecting to see prices (in the U.S. market) across the board get stronger between now and the end of March to mid-April. That typically will be the peak for fertilizer prices.

The western Canadian market should reflect that,” Asbridge said.

The value of the Canadian dollar will also have an impact on prices, he added.

“But that’s really more for phosphate, because they make a lot of nitrogen in Canada and produce a lot of potash in Canada,” he said.

17

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

Bunge sues to deliver rejected wheat to Egypt Traders see a power struggle between Egyptian ministries over their rules on ergot

BY TOM POLANSEK Chicago/Reuters

B

unge Ltd. is seeking to complete the delivery of a rejected cargo of French wheat to Egypt through legal action against the country’s state grain buyer, the global trader’s chief executive said Feb. 11.

Bunge started legal proc e e d i n g s a g a i n s t E g y p t ’s grain-impor ting body, the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC), after the cargo was turned away at delivery in December for containing too much of a fungus called ergot.

The company said on Feb. 9 that the wheat met Egypt’s specifications for ergot and that inspectors appointed by the government had cleared the cargo when it was loaded on a boat for shipment.

“Their rejection of the cargo does not make any contractual sense,” Bunge CEO Soren Schroder told Reuters.

“We just want to execute the contract.”

The company filed the legal challenge in an administrative court in Egypt for the purpose of “protecting our legal rights under a contract which we have executed on according to the conditions,” he said after Bunge reported lower-than-expected quarterly earnings.

Bunge’s cargo is still waiting to get into Egypt, Schroder said. He added that he did not know why ergot had become a trade issue.

Traders have said a power struggle between government bodies in Egypt has fuelled confusion in global grain markets about the fungus.

Egypt’s Ministry of Supplies and GASC had assured traders their wheat could contain up to 0.05 per cent ergot, even as the Agriculture Ministry said it would categorically reject all such shipments.

On Feb. 7, Egypt’s ministries of Supply and Agriculture held a joint press conference to affirm that they would accept all shipments with less than 0.05 per cent ergot.

Bunge is “working with the Egyptian authorities and GASC to find a solution to this as quickly as possible,” Schroder said of the legal challenge.

Such disputes are “very rare in global trade and they typically always get sorted out in an amicable way,” he said.

Dan Sumner, a distinguished professor of agricultural and resource economics at the University of California, Davis, said it appeared Bunge was trying to take a stand by going to court.

“You can imagine Bunge wanting to send a signal: ‘We’re not going to put up with this,’” Sumner said.

Mix it up for phosphorus’s sake Some producers have found innovative ways to balance phosphorus levels, including land swapping

BY SHANNON VANRAES Co-operator staff

I

t’s time for producers to mix things up.

Speaking at the annual Crop Connect conference in Winnipeg last week, Don Flaten said that mixed farming can help balance phosphorus levels in the province.

“But I’m not saying everyone should have some cows, some pigs, a few chickens, forage and crops,” he said.

“What I mean is that we have complementary systems in our communities… there is no reason we can’t have a healthy balance.”

He p o i n t e d t o i n i t i a tives in the community of Rosser, where livestock and crop producers actually swap some fields every

“Ideally we’d like to see a balance, where farmers are balancing out the phosphorus they lose through harvest.”

Don Flaten

few years to build up phosphorus in deficient soil and deplete it where there is an overabundance.

“We’ve got this interesting dilemma — throughout the whole world actually — where there is excess phosphorus accumulating in soil, leading to losses with surface water,” said the soil scientist.

“But then you’ve got these other areas, where phosphorus is declining. And ideally we’d like to see a balance,

where farmers are balancing out the phosphorus they lose through harvest.”

Livestock operations that import feed can contribute to an imbalance in phosphorus levels, if proper consideration isn’t given to where those nutrients ultimately end up. Flaten said that at one time excess nitrogen was the biggest concer n with livestock operations, but today’s understanding of nutrient management is

more complex and nuanced, taking many factors into account.

“What we’d like to see in terms of livestock and crop operations in the future is trying to encourage, sort of community-based complementary operations where livestock operators work with crop producers to avoid overapplication of manure phosphorus onto a small land base,” Flaten said. “Sort of land sharing, or manure sharing, whatever works, to take advantage of those manure nutrients and make them a positive thing.”

The direct marketing of manure to crop producers is another way to balance out phosphorus levels in Manitoba, he said. shannon.vanraes@fbcpublishing.com

We See the Potential

We’re proud to officially launch G3 Canada Limited.

Our vision is to build a smarter path from farmers’ fields to global markets.

We see the potential for better ways of doing things. That means an integrated, efficient supply chain all the way to port.

It all fits together to help us provide you with competitive pricing and better delivery opportunities.

Rail is a key link, connecting our western Canadian elevators to our eastern Canadian port terminals.

Best of all, we’re starting to look west.

G3 has year-round rail access to its eastern port facilities - part of a network of assets along the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway that includes the construction of a new lake terminal in Hamilton, Ontario.

Be part of the future of the Canadian agriculture industry. Together, we have a bright future ahead.

Forward, we grow.

Visit www.g3.ca to connect with a person at one of our facilities today.

18

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

Agropur plans three years of deeper cost cuts

Service recognized

‘Further synergies’ will be found to cut up to $100 million in expenses STAFF

H Outgoing Manitoba Canola Growers Association (MCGA) directors Hugh Drake (l) of Elkhorn, Dale Gryba of Gilbert Plains and Wilfred (Butch) Harder were thanked for their contributions to the MCGA’s board at the association’s annual meeting in Winnipeg Feb. 11 during the third annual Crop Connect conference. In last fall’s MCGA election incumbents Clayton Harder of Narol and Jack Froese of Winkler were re-elected along with two newcomers, Bill Nicholson of Shoal Lake and Ron Krahn of Rivers. PHOTO ALLAN DAWSON

®

get hard-to-kill weeds like dandelion, hawk’s beard, foxtail barley and Roundup Ready® canola, while giving you INFERNO DUO. It takes burndown to the next level.

®

®

Always read and follow label directions. INFERNO is a registered trademark and the INFERNO DUO logo is a trademark of Arysta LifeScience North America, LLC. Arysta LifeScience and the Arysta LifeScience logo are registered trademarks of Arysta LifeScience Corporation. ©2016 Arysta LifeScience North America, LLC. INF-035

aving beat a three-year, $75-million goal for cost cuts, Canadian dairy cooperative Agropur has set the bar at nine figures for the next three-year period.

The Quebec-based co-op on Feb. 10 booked net earnings of $47.5 million on sales of $5.875 billion in its fiscal year ending Oct. 31, 2015, up from $38.31 million on $4.662 billion in fiscal 2014.

The company also declared a deep cut in its patronage dividends, at $40.6 million for 2015, down from $92.3 million the previous year and $110.5 million in 2013.

The company, as part of the “Agropur 2015” strategic review it launched in 2012, set a goal that year of “generating $75 million in increased earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation, amortization and joint ventures” (EBITDA) over 2013 to 2015.

In its 2015 annual report, however, the company instead described its 2012 goal as being “to reduce our costs by $75 million by 2015,” and added it has “exceeded that objective, with savings on an annualized basis of $84 million.”

In its year-end release Feb. 10, the company said that for 2016, it has launched a new “threeyear, $100-million cost-reduction program.”

Agropur, whose brands include Natrel, Quebon and Island Farms, didn’t specify what it plans to do to meet the deeper cost-cutting target.

CEO Robert Coallier said in the 2015 annual report, however, that the company “will seek further synergies.”

Agropur in 2015 closed the deals it announced the previous year, buying the assets of New Brunswick’s Northumberland dairy co-operative, and Sobeys’ former Canada Safeway milkprocessing plants.

“The addition of the five acquired plants gives (Agropur) a national footprint,” the company said.

Dur ing 2015, the co-op announced plans to shut an aging Montreal-area fluid milkprocessing plant at Saint-Brunode-Montarville by late May this year.

Agropur also said in November it will close the former Grace-Mar Dairy plant at Chilliwack, B.C. by late October this year, upgrade the former Safeway plant at Burnaby and shift its B.C. fluid milk processing there.

The company’s B.C.-based Island Farms arm also announced in October it would discontinue its yogurt line due to “declining” sales in recent years.

On the investment side in 2015, Coallier noted the company also improved its Oka cheese production capacity and completed major upgrades on plants at Lethbridge, Alta. and St-Hyacinthe, Que., plus an aseptic product line at Bedford, N.S.

19

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

The outlook for 2016: not good, but not a disaster: FCC FCC’s chief economist says to aim for many small improvements in your operation

BY JENNIFER PAIGE Co-operator staff / Brandon

S

harpen your pencils for the coming year, says the chief economist for Farm Credit Canada.

“We all know that we are in a sluggish economic environment. It is not going to be a good year but it won’t be a disastrous year,” J.P. Gervais told FCC’s Ag Outlook 2016 event in Brandon on Feb. 9. “In a world of tight profit margins, farm management skills are going to become even more important.”

A continued oil slump, the low Canadian dollar and consumer debt levels will all affect producers’ bottom line in the coming year.

“We are starting to see the l ow Ca n a d i a n d o l l a r h a ving an effect,” Gervais said. “I don’t think that the sky is falling for us but overall I think it is important to know that the economy is not doing that well. We have seen downward pressure on the Canadian dollar. I do believe that we will see the dollar above 70 cents by the end of the year, but not above 75 cents.”

Gervais said that while Canadian far mers may be struggling with debt, Canadian households are even worse off.

“Consumers are carrying a lot of debt. On average if you look at debt, it is growing at a faster pace than disposable income,” said Gervais.

However, the coming year could still hold a profit for some as the Canadian agriculture industry is well positioned globally and foreign demand is healthy.

“Foreign demand is absolutely important and the landscape of the global market is actually very good for us,” said Gervais.

Sector specifics Gervais said the commodity sector should see consistent revenues but he warned producers to keep a close eye on the cost of inputs purchased in the U.S. “If I look at crop receipts in Manitoba, assuming average yields and barring any weather disruptions, we are projecting that revenues will be constant,” Gervais said.

In the hog industry, Gervais expects a positive outlook for 2016, saying this year may even be the year for expansion in Manitoba.

“I think that the outlook is much better in 2016 than it was in 2015 for hog producers. Because of China exports and the U.S. is slowing its expansion, if you look at margins, you are looking at some good profitability,” he said.

Cow-calf producers won’t see a year as good as the past few, but Gervais expects revenues will remain at or above the break-even mark.

“But the cost of labour for the operator is included in those margins so breaking even is not necessarily a bad thing.”

Feedlots will have the tightest margins but Gervais notes feedlot operators should see some improvement near the end of the year.

“There is a tough start to the year for the feedlot but the outlook turns more positive as we move into 2017,” he said. “ We are not looking at significant losses but it will certainly be a difficult time at the beginning of the year.”

Management skill essential In order to maintain revenue, Gervais advises producers to focus on tight management practices and aim for small improvements.

“If you are able to make small improvements in different areas throughout your f a r m y o u c a n m a k e g re a t impacts on your bottom line,” said Gervais.

He said that rather than shooting for large improvements in specific areas, farmers should aim to implement the five per cent rule, which involves making consistent incremental improvements in different areas.

“For example, say canola is at $10, you yield 40 bushels an acre and have $350 input costs. You will be profiting

“If I look at crop receipts in Manitoba, assuming average yields and barring any weather disruptions, we are projecting that revenues will be constant.”

J.P. Gervais

$50,” said Gervais. “If you are able to improve your marketing by five per cent, increase yields by five per cent and cut costs by just five per cent, you would be looking at $10.50 for

For higher yield potential and better returns, order your soybean seed pre-treated with Optimize® inoculant today.

The LCO technology in Optimize helps your soybean crop by enhancing nutritional availability. Benefit from improved nodule formation, increased nitrogen fixation and enhanced root and shoot growth for better plant performance.

For dual inoculation, apply Optimize inoculant with either Cell-Tech™, JumpStart® or TagTeam® inoculant. Consult your local Monsanto BioAg representative for a customized approach or visit www.useOptimize.ca.

Nature. It’s powerful technology.

A GAMBLE...

1-800-782-0794

jennifer.paige@fbcpublishing.com

Forward THINKING

FARMING IS ENOUGH OF

Advertise in the Manitoba Co-operator Classifieds, it’s a Sure Thing!

canola, yielding 42 bushels an acre and have lowered your costs to $333, giving you a profit of $108 per acre.”

ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW LABEL DIRECTIONS. Cell-Tech™, JumpStart ®, Monsanto BioAg and Design™, Optimize ® and TagTeam ® are trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC, Monsanto Canada Inc, licensee. © 2015 Monsanto Canada Inc. 1404-1 10.15

20

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

Re-evaluation leads to retirement for Amitrol Nufarm will stop marketing the pre-seeding burn-down herbicide later this summer STAFF

H

ealth concerns raised in the federal re-evalu a t i o n o f Nu f a r m’s pre-seeding burn-down herbicide Amitrol 240 have led the company to stop selling the product for nearly all uses in Canada, starting later this summer.

The company said Feb. 10 it will retire Amitrol — a nons e l e c t i ve Gro u p 1 1 l i q u i d whose active ingredient, amitrole, has been on the market for over half a century — and replace it with newer chemicals for pre-seeding burn-down.

In a release, the company’s commercial managers said Nufarm has made “an independent decision” to stop making Amitrol and have it off the market by the end of the year.

An expiry date for Amitrol’s registration “has not been established,” the company said. Nufarm plans to dis-

tribute Amitrol until July 29, after which it will be available through Canadian retailers only until all current stock is sold.

Nufarm’s decision follows a re - e v a l u a t i o n p r o p o s e d in 2012 and released in mid2014 by Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulator y Agency (PMRA).

PMRA said it will only continue Amitrol’s registration for use on spruce bareroot seedbeds — a use approved via the User-Requested Minor Use Label Expansion program.

Out of all the product’s registered uses, the PMRA said, Amitrol’s use on spruce bareroot nursery stock was found to have value and “does not present an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment when used according to the revised label statements.”

‘Risks of concern’ For its other uses, however, the agency said “human

health risks of concern have b e e n i d e n t i f i e d ,” i n c l u d ing occupational non-cancer risks to handlers and postapplication workers, as well as dietary cancer risks from residues in treated crops and drinking water.

The product had been a p p r ov e d f o r p re - s e e d i n g use on wheat, barley, canola, pea, corn, soybean and white bean fields and short-rotation intensive-culture poplar — and also for post-planting uses in apple orchards, pastures and shelterbelts and on non-cropland such as ditches and roadsides.

In its re-evaluation, the PMRA cited cancer concern b a s e d o n i n c re a s e d i n c i dences of liver tumours in mice, and thyroid and pituitary tumours in rats, and an increase in the incidence of “cranial malformations” when the chemical was administered to pregnant rabbits.

P M R A p re v i o u s l y n o t e d

during its re-evaluation process that Amitrol had already been banned from p e s t i c i d e u s e i n No r w a y and Sweden since 1972 and in Finland since 1980, citing risks to human health, including cancer risks.

Amitrol 240, Nufarm said Feb. 10, has been billed as a “go-to” product against weeds such as glyphosate-resist a n t f l e a b a n e, g l y p h o s a t e resistant volunteer canola, giant ragweed, cleavers and dandelions.

The chemical, on the market in Canada since 1959, was also used to burn off horsetail, clover and alfalfa in pasture renovations.

The company said it will replace the product in the pre-seed weed control market with “newer chemistry,” such as its BlackHawk, Conquer, GoldWing and Valtera brands, f o r u s e o n Pra i r i e c e re a l , canola, pulse and soybean fields.

FEED YOUR MIND Then go feed the world

JOIN US for free workshops and seminars

77

46

15

on business and finance

on markets and sectors

on technology

9

6

100+

10,000+

ag industry outlook presentations

motivational speaker events

cities and towns

attendees

FCC is again presenting inspiring, informative speakers, hands-on workshops and engaging seminars across the country. For anyone with an interest in Canadian agriculture – for free.

Find the events that benefit your operation, and register today.

fcc.ca/Events

briefs

Crude’s slide hampers demand for Canadian biofuel

BY JADE MARKUS CNS Canada

The trickle-down effect of slumping crude oil prices is being felt in the Canadian biofuel market and softening demand for corn and soybeans.

Traditionally, ethanol is cheaper than gasoline, which encouraged processors to blend more than the mandated amount, according to Andrea Kent, president of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association (CRFA).

“When you look at low gasoline prices now, that price advantage for ethanol really, really shrinks,” she said.

That means blenders will meet the mandated five per cent ethanol requirement, but have less incentive to blend at seven or 7.5 per cent, which they normally do when it’s financially advantageous, Kent said.

Biofuel production is a demand driver in the agricultural market, as corn is an ingredient in ethanol production, while soybeans are used in biodiesel, so reduced demand for biofuel trickles down to the agricultural sector.

“Biofuel production is obviously a big driver for corn, soybean and other grain markets,” Kent said.

“Amid lower oil prices you see that kind of low biofuel use can kind of trickle down and have an impact on the farm level as well.”

The impact of reduced opportunistic blending has been mitigated somewhat by policies that mandate a certain amount of biofuel use in Canadian fuels — five per cent for ethanol, and two per cent for biodiesel.

The CRFA is trying to get the mandated amount of biodiesel in diesel fuel up to five per cent by 2020.

Russia considering export duties on fertilizers Stavropol/Reuters/ Russia’s government is looking into introducing duties on exports of mineral fertilizers to make them more affordable for the country’s farmers, President Vladimir Putin said Jan. 25.

Meeting his loyalists from the pro-Kremlin public movement, the All-Russia People’s Front, Putin heard complaints from a farmer saying that massive exports of mineral fertilizers meant Russia’s agricultural producers were forced to buy pricey fertilizers for hard currency.

“As for such a measure as raising export customs duties, yes, it is one of the solutions, and it is also being studied now,” Putin said during a visit to the region of Stavropol in southern Russia.

21

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

Cash advance programs highly competitive, CCGA executive says Rick White says managing the advance payment program to farmers’ best advantage is a sensitive business “We have significant commercial and competitive business sensitivities.”

BY ALLAN DAWSON Co-operator staff

A

dministering cash advances is a competitive business, which is why farmers can’t take a look at the Canadian Canola Growers Association’s (CCGA) books, the organization’s CEO says.

Rick White told the Manitoba Canola Growers Association annual meeting at Crop Connect Feb. 11, the CCGA handles more than a billion dollars a year, but unlike other producer groups, only farmer-elected board members can review its financial statements.

“We have significant commercial and competitive business sensitivities,” White said, noting he had heard “through the grapevine,” farmers were asking questions about the lack of transparency. “When you’re talking that big of a (cash advance) program there are tremendous business sensitivities. And that is why we don’t disclose our full financial statements to the public.”

Farmers from the Ontario, M a n i t o b a , Sa s k a t c h e w a n , Alberta and British Columbia canola associations, make up its 10-member board.

“There is full disclosure and

Rick White

full discussion,” White said, “so there is a lot of internal transparency.”

The CCGA was formed in 1984 by the western Canadian canola grower associations to give canola farmers access to cash advances under the Advanced Payment Program operated by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC).

Today the CCGA is one of 50 organizations in the cash advance business for canola as well as a long list of other crops and livestock. The CCGA issues around 11,000 advances of up to $400,000, totalling as much as $1.6 billion annually. Farmers pay back the advances when they sell their produce. The first $100,000 is interest free and the rest at a low interest rate.

Long history The first cash advance program was introduced for Canadian Wheat Board crops in 1957 by

John Diefenbaker’s Conservative government.

A separate, but similar program, was introduced in 1977 for non-board crops.

The program loans farmers money so they aren’t forced to sell when prices are depressed.

While the federal government guarantees the advances, it doesn’t provide the money; the CCGA borrows it from commercial lenders. White said because CCGA is lending more than a billion dollars a year it borrows from three banks — CIBC, Rabobank and BMO. Neither the lenders nor the CCGA want the terms of the loans, including interest rates, disclosed for competitive reasons.

“We do compete with other administrators of the program, but probably more importantly we compete with the banks, credit unions, FCC (Farm Credit Canada) and input supply dealers,” White said. “Those

are competitive aspects where we want to position this program for the benefit of farmers given they have other financing options out there…

“So me and the board will not, cannot, disclose sensitive financial information that could undermine your organization’s ability to do business and generate value for you. It would be irresponsible for us to do that.”

Some data However, White did share some financial information about the CCGA, which also develops policy on behalf of canola growers and lobbies for them nationally and internationally.

The CCGA, which represents 43,000 canola growers has 60 employees, many of whom work on cash advances. The CCGA’s annual payroll is $3 million, with an operating budget of $15 million and a net worth as of $20.3 million March 31, 2015.

“When you look at $20.3 million, it’s a very modest number considering the size of the business we do,” White said. “It’s a little more than a year of operations.”

The CCGA charges farmers $150 per cash advance application, which “is below the cost,” White said.

“We extract earnings from discounts on borrowing rates we

negotiate with the banks and these earnings are created by the value of CCGA operations and it is this newly created value that is captured by CCGA on behalf of you the farmers we represent,” he added.

In an interview a year ago White said the CCGA isn’t trying to make a big profit from cash advances, but doesn’t want to lose money either.

While the government guarantees advances, should a farmer default and if the CCGA failed to do its due diligence the CCGA could be on the hook for the money, White said.

“Never happened, but theoretically it could, so we’re managing risk,” he said.

“All the money we make is plowed back into the operations, providing better service to farmers,” White said. “So the bottom line is — and I’ve given you some pretty decent numbers… the CCGA board, your colleagues, make strategic decisions for CCGA’s financial resources, balancing the operational needs of the business associated with managing a large treasury operation… to ensure the viability and stability of your organization and investing in projects and initiatives that return benefits to you.” allan@fbcpublishing.com

NOTHING HITS HARDER.

OR LASTS LONGER.

PrePass XC delivers SoilActive control for 21 days, guaranteed.

TM

TM

• Superior pre-seed control and resistance management • High-performance control of winter annual and broadleaf weeds • Serious time savings – get it done earlier in spring or fall • Better than glyphosate alone Go to the new dowagro.ca or call 1.800.667.3852 today.

Early book by March 15, 2016 and SAVE $0.50 per acre with Diamond Rewards .

TM

Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow. 0216-46885-01 MC ® TM

46885-01 DAS_MB Cooperator Early Bird 10_25X7_75_MB.indd 1

2/11/16 11:32 AM

22

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

Iran hopes for agricultural boom Extra production and easier trade could open the door to exports

BY BOZORGMEHR SHARAFEDIN Dubai/Reuters

I

ran plans to turn itself into a major food exporter, hoping the lifting of sanctions will boost international trade and allow investment in the agricultural sector, an official in Iran’s state grain-buying agency said.

“We are ready for a big leap in the post-sanctions era. We hope by removing the shackles of sanctions from our farmers’ hands, we can see an increase in production and even exports,” Amir Hossein Shahmir, head of international trade at the Government Trading Corporation (GTC), told Reuters.

Foreign business delegations have flocked to Tehran since the U.S., European Union and United Nations lifted international sanctions last month after reaching a deal to curb

and monitor Iran’s disputed nuclear program.

“Among the foreign trade delegations there are always businessmen keen to invest in Iran’s agriculture, including wheat, sugar cane and fruits. French delegations specifically were interested in investing in Iran’s agribusiness,” Shahmir said.

The government is pushing to cut Iran’s dependency on foreign imports paid for with oil revenues, and increase its exports of manufactured goods and agricultural products, President Hassan Rouhani said the previous week.

Abdolreza Abbassian, senior economist with the United Nations Food and Agriculture O r g a n i z a t i o n , s a i d t h e re was more potential in the processed food sector.

“They had done quite a lot in the sanctions period to boost self-reliance on domestic produce, from jams to dairy products to tomato paste and even spaghetti and macaroni,” he said.

GTC’s Shahmir said a project in the southwestern province of Khuzestan to develop 500,000 hectares of irrigated agricultural land was 80 per cent complete, and would boost production of wheat and other strategic products.

The government estimated the cost of the project at US$600 million.

Water shortage Iran has 6.1 million hectares of land used for farming wheat, the staple grain. Two-thirds of that is unirrigated, making it susceptible to drought. Iran is one of the world’s driest countries, with an average 250 mm of rain a year.

“The country suffers from a huge water shortage. This is a challenge,” FAO’s Abbassian said, adding he did not think the country had a comparative advantage to be an exporter of wheat.

The GTC recently banned state imports of wheat for the

Iranian year starting on March 20, on the back of 2015’s strong harvest and the expected production boost. Agriculture Minister Mahmoud Hojjati has said Iran will continue to rely on imports of maize and barley.

Iran had started the year with five million tonnes of wheat carried over from 2015, when the El Niño weather system brought heavy rains and a good harvest, Shamir said.

Shahmir said sugar production would also increase, but Iran would still need imports to meet an expected increase in demand. Iran currently produces 1.5 million tonnes of sugar each year, and imports one million tonnes.

“Iran’s sugar is used in pastry, ice cream, beverages and chocolate whose consumption is highly dependent on people’s purchasing power. These are products that people would buy more when they have more money,” he said.

REACHING NEW HEIGHTS with AKRAS R2

Designing the ultimate soybean AKRAS R2 was bred by Elite® and selected from their Western Canadian breeding program because of its excellent yield and industry standardsetting pod height. Higher pods mean easier harvest, fewer pods on the ground and more beans in your bin.

Higher pods

AKRAS R2 also has excellent disease resistance and has an early-to midmaturity, making it well adapted to all soybean growing areas.

for easier harvestability

More yield for improved return on investment

TELL US ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH ELITE® SOYBEANS FROM BrettYoung:

@BY_Seeds | #BYSoybean15

Visit brettyoung.ca 1-800-665-5015 BrettYoungTM is a trademark of Brett-Young Seeds Limited. Genuity® and Roundup Ready 2 Yield® are registered trademarks and used under license from Monsanto Company. Always follow grain marketing and all other stewardship practices and pesticide label directions. Details of these requirements can be found in the Trait Stewardship Responsibilities Notice to Farmers printed in this publication. 5032 10/15

Client: BrettYoung Project: Soybean Ad (Short) Date: Oct 2015

Publication: Manitoba Cooperator Size: 8.125” x 10” (Junior Page) Bleed: N/A

Agency: ON Communication Inc Agency Contact: Jen Grozelle Telephone: 519-434-1365 xt 220

Timing of La Niña arrival to weigh on Prairie moisture The timing of El Niño’s departure may also play a role in spring conditions

BY DAVE SIMS CNS Canada

A

s the El Niño weather phenomena slowly loosens its grip across Western Canada, many weather watchers say its impact has been somewhat underwhelming.

However, one meteorologist said its lingering presence, coupled with the pending arrival of the La Niña weather event, may still play a large role in determining how much moisture the Prairie provinces receive this spring.

“Many weather experts believe El Niño has peaked and may already be starting to weaken,” said Drew Lerner of World Weather Inc. in Kansas City.

But while that may be true, he said the timing of its departure will still have a big impact on Western Canada.

“The longer El Niño takes in dissipating, the higher the potential is that we will see a dry spring in these western areas” of western Saskatchewan, and the northern and southernmost parts of Alberta, he said. “Belowaverage amounts of rain and snow will prevail.”

However, at the same time, Lerner stressed that the arrival of La Niña — cool water in the Pacific Ocean — will also have a big say, but its effects will be tied to when that system starts to take hold.

“If we get a transition into a La Niña by June it will have huge implications,” he said.

However, he cautioned, there is a chance it won’t arrive until late 2016 or 2017.

“The jury is still out on when we will see that evolution; I think most of us think it will be fairly late in the year,” he said.

His official stance is that farmers will struggle with moisture in the northern and southernmost parts of Alberta and western Saskatchewan through April and into a big part of May. “I don’t expect the pattern to improve until we get into late May or June and at that time we’ll see better rainfall,” said Lerner.

That is unfortunate, he said, as much of that area still carries a moisture deficiency from last growing season, running “anywhere from 50 to 120 millimetres.”

As for the eastern Prairies, Lerner said the soil moisture content is “quite a bit better.”

He predicted temperatures heading into the spring will be a little cooler than those in Alberta.

“The farther east you are on the Prairies and the higher the potential is that we’ll see some chilly days off and on going into the heart of spring.”

If La Niña does arrive in the summer, it will still help much of Western Canada with increased rainfall.

“If we don’t get it, we will still get rainfall, but it won’t be as impressive.”

23

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

*For commercial use only. Offer subject to credit qualification and approval by CNH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd. See your New Holland dealer for details and eligibility requirements. CNH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd. standard terms and conditions will apply. Depending on model, a down payment may be required. Offer good through March 31, 2016, at participating New Holland dealers in Canada. Offer subject to change. Taxes, freight, set-up, delivery, additional options or attachments not included in price. © 2016 CNH Industrial Capital America LLC. All rights reserved. New Holland Agriculture is a trademark registered in the United States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or affiliates.

CNH Industrial Capital is a trademark in the United States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or affiliates.

USED EQUIPMENT www.agdealer.com/raymorenh

‘13 John Deere 9510R

Tractor, 4WD, 390hrs, 561HP, Excellent cond., 710/70R42 DUALS, POWER SHIFT 18F/6R, 5 REMOTES, HID LIGHTS, REAR WEIGHTS

733839

‘13 New Holland CX8090

‘15 New Holland 840CD

737580

‘89 New Holland 946

Tractor, 4WD, 7780hrs, 325HP, Good cond., 24.5R32 DUALS, 4 REMOTES, 12X4 TRANS

‘95 New Holland 9680

‘15 Rem VRX

SWATHERS

1989 JD 590 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3,500 1999 MB 9200. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $46,900 2013 NH H8060-36FT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$118,000 2013 NH H8060-36FT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$118,000 2012 NH H8060-36FT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $105,000 2008 NH H8040-36FT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $79,000

‘08 New Holland H8040-

HAYING

Baler/Round 2009 NH BR7090 . . . . . . . $27,000 Baler/Round 2008 NH BR7090 . . . . . . . .$14,900 Mower Conditioner 2013 NH H7460-16FT Rubber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $29,000 Mower Conditioner 2013 NH H7460 $38,500 Mower Conditioner 2008 NH 1475 . . . . . $28,571

MISC.

ATV 2009 CK 3100S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $9,250 Deep Tillage 1984 FC 800 . . . . . . . . . . . .$10,000 Deep Tillage 1984 MR CP750. . . . . . . . . .$16,000 Truck 2003 IHC 9900I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $38,000 Track Loader 2012 NH C238 . . . . . . . . . $49,900 Tires 2012 GDYR 380/90R46 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $Mower/Batwing 2014 SU XH1500 S3 SERIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $26,900 Mower/Zero Turn 2012 CK RZT 54 KW $3,650 Mower/Zero Turn 2010 CK TANK 60 $4,000 Skid Steer Loader 2008 BCAT S205 $21,900 Lawn Tractor 2012 CK LTX1050KW. . . . . . $1,500 Fertilizer Cart Liquid PATTI 2150 . . . . . .$19,000 Harrow Heavy 2007 MR FIELD PRO-70 $21,900 677744

‘13 New Holland H8060

36FT Windrower, 298hrs, 190HP, Excellent cond., 36FT, DELUXE CAB, CAB SUSPENSION, DELUXE LED LIGHTS, 600/65R 747714

‘13 New Holland T8.330

Tractor, 635hrs, 330HP, Excellent cond., 18F/4R POWER SHIFT, 710/70R72 REARS, 600/70R30 FRONTS, HD SU

$160,000 Disc Mower Conditioner, Excellent cond., CHEVRON RUBBER ROLLS, MOMAX MODULAR DUTTER BAR, HYD TONGUE

677742

36FT Windrower, 635hrs, Excellent cond., 36FT, SCHUMACHER, UII, DELUXE CAB, CAB SUSPENSION

$33,000 ‘13 New Holland H7460-16FT

Grain Vac, VRX

2015 NH 840CD-35 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $83,000 2015 NH 840CD-35 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $83,000 2015 MB D65-35FT CNH . . . . . . . . . . . . . $85,000 2015 MB D65-35FT CNH . . . . . . . . . . . . . $85,000 2010 MB D60-35FT CR/CX . . . . . . . . . . . $54,000 2010 NH 94C-42FT CR/CX . . . . . . . . . . . $65,000 2010 NH 94C-36FT CR/CX . . . . . . . . . . . $43,000 2009 NH 94C-40FT CR/CX . . . . . . . . . . . $50,000 2009 NH 94C-36FT CR/CX . . . . . . . . . . . $43,000 2009 NH 94C-30FT CR/CX . . . . . . . . . . . $35,900 2008 NH 94C-36FT CR/CX . . . . . . . . . . . $36,500 2008 NH 94C-36FT CR/CX . . . . . . . . . . . $37,000 2008 NH 94C-36FT CR/CX . . . . . . . . . . . $42,000 2005 NH 94C-30 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $23,900 1993 MB 960 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $8,500

747394

Tractor, 4WD, 6808hrs, Excellent cond., 20.8R42 DUALS, STANDARD, 4 REMOTES

$24,900

$54,000 ‘10 MacDon D60-35FT

CNH Header, Good cond., 35FT, CROSS AUGER, TRANSPORT, CNH ADAPTER

736163

35FT Header, 35FT, TRANSPORT, GUAGE WHEELS, AHHC, X-AUGER

$38,000

746037

736273

677851

$269,000

2015 NH 840CD-35 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $83,000

$115,000

$79,000 $110,000

COMBINE HEADS

Combine, 682hrs, 449HP, Excellent cond., 520 DUALS, CAST, Y&M, SPREADERS, HIDS, 790CP-15FT

$339,000

748476

2015 NH CX8090 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $459,000 2013 NH CX8090 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $344,000 2011 NH CR9080. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $269,000 2011 NH CX8080. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$175,000 2011 NH CR9080. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $239,900 2010 NH CX8080 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $209,900 2010 NH CX8070 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $190,000 2008 NH CX8080 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$175,000 2003 NH CR970 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $125,000 2003 NH CX840 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $76,900 2000 CIH 2388 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $62,000 1998 NH TR98 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $28,900

700503

‘13 New Holland SP.240F

XP High Clearance Sprayer, 4WD, 865hrs, 275HP, Good cond., 100FT, 1200GAL SS, 2 SETS TIRES, FM1000, AUTO PILOT 690840

$270,000

‘11 New Holland CR9080

COMBINES

‘09 SeedMaster TXB6612

C/W P1060TBH Air Drill, Fair cond., 66FT, 12IN, ANHYDROUS KIT, 8RUN DOUBLE SHOOT FLEXI-COIL AIR PACK

$119,000

$239,900

2001 FC 67 XL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $17,000 2000 SPAIR 3200 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$10,900 2013 NH SP.240F XP 1200GAL 100FT $245,000

1995 CIH 9280 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $72,000 2013 NH T8.330 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$175,000 2003 NH TM140 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $59,900 1995 NH 9680 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $76,000 1989 NH 946 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $38,000

‘14 New Holland P1070

Air Cart, Excellent cond., 580BU 3 TANK VR, DELUXE AUGER 900/60R32 FRONTS, REAR DUALS

$73,000

SPRAYERS

‘15 Elmers 1150

TRACTORS

$344,000

2014 SHAWK 8412 c/w P1060 & P1070 $355,000 2014 SHAWK 8412 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $205,000 2014 NH P1070 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $115,000 2012 SEMST 8012 CT TXB w/300 Onboard tank and JD1910 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $295,000 2010 SEMST TXB44FT-14IN C/W SC230 TBH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $79,000 2010 JD 1910 TBH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $55,000 2009 NH P2070 70FT X 12IN. . . . . . . . . . $65,000 2009 SEMST TXB66FT-12IN c/w P1060 TBH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $160,000 2008 BO 3310 65FT-10IN c/w 6550 TBH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $215,000 2004 NH SD440 51FT-12IN . . . . . . . . . . . $35,000 2000 FC 5000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$19,000 1998 JD 1900 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$13,900 1994 MR MAXIM 1 50FT-10IN . . . . . . . . . .$12,900

Combine, 1135hrs, Good cond., 620 DUALS, S3, SID’S, DSP, DELUX CHOPPER, 790CP-15

744124

Haul Master Grain Cart, Excellent cond., 1200BU, TRANSFER TRACKS, SCALES, AGRIMATICS, TARP, PIVOTING AUGER

745457

$79,000

Harrow, Good cond., 70FT, STANDARD TINE ADJUST

SEEDING

737584

716097

‘07 Morris FIELD PRO-70

Air Drill, Good cond., 8RUN DOUBLE SHOOT FLEXI COIL AIR PACK, SETUP TOW BEHIND, LARGE REAR AXLE

C/W SC230 TBH Air Drill, Good cond., 6 RUN c/w 6550 TBH Air Drill, Good cond., DOUBLE DOUBLE SHOOT, REAR CASTER WHEEL,TIRE SHOOT DRY, NH3 TO MID ROW BANDERS, N TIRE,SC230 TBH PRIMARY BLOCKAGE, BT 3/4” OPENERS

$89,000

‘14 Seed Hawk 8412

737591

‘10 SeedMaster TXB44FT-14IN ‘08 Bourgault 331065FT-10IN

$21,900

$205,000

741787

Air Drill, Excellent cond., 60FT 12IN, TIRE N TIRE, HD FRONT CASTERS, DUAL FRONT WING CA

746043

$183,000

‘14 SeedMaster CT6012

Air Drill, NH Opener, Double Shoot, Floatation Tires

$76,000

‘09 New Holland P2070 - 70’

746610

$215,000

746042

$159,000

693358

$65,000

618931

‘95 Case IH 9280

‘15 Versatile 450

Tractor, 4WD, 7725hrs, 375HP, Good cond., Tractor, 4WD, 500HP, Excellent cond., STD, 20.8R42 FIRESTONE TRIPLES, SYNCROSHIFT 800’s, 98GPM, 6 REMOTES, E-PRO STEERING 12F/3R, 4 REMOTES, FULL WEIGHTS

Highway #2 South

Highway #6 North

Highway #10 East

Fax: 306-946-2613

Fax: 306-746-2919

Fax: 306-782-5595

Ph: 306-946-3301

Ph: 306-746-2911

Ph: 306-783-8511

24

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

Take the weather with you.

Download Weatherfarm Mobile Weather from hundreds of stations available on your smartphone!

Available FREE for iPhone & Android devices

The new Weatherfarm Mobile app gives you instant access to an extensive, live-updating network with current and forecasted weather data for your farm or surrounding area.

App features include: Current conditions Hourly, 6 hour and 10 day forecast data  Radar & satellite data  Weather news & facts  Weather alerts  Market and ag news  Intuitive interface with large, easy-to-read text  More to Come  

The Weatherfarm Mobile app gives farmers clear and comprehensive weather information that is essential to their operation.

Scan the code below to download the app available for iPhone and Android devices.

For more information please contact us at: support@weatherfarm.com Get weather on your desktop at weatherfarm.com

Sponsored by

25

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

FARMER'S

MARKETPLACE selling?

Call to place your classified ad in the next issue: 1-800-782-0794 FAX your classified ads to: 204-954-1422 · Or eMAiL your classified ads to: mbclassifieds@fbcpublishing.com

Classification

Index Tributes/Memoriams Announcements Airplanes Alarms & Security Systems AntiqUes – Antiques For Sale – Antique Equipment – Antique Vehicles – Antiques Wanted

Your guide to the Classification Categories and sub-listings within this section.

BUiLding & renovAtions – Building Supplies – Concrete Repair – Doors & Windows – Electrical & Plumbing – Insulation – Lumber – Roofing Buildings Business Machines Business Opportunities

Arenas AUCtion sALes – MB Auction Parkland – MB Auction Westman – MB Auction Interlake – MB Auction Red River – SK Auction – AB Auction Peace – AB Auction North – AB Auction Central – AB Auction South – BC Auction – Auction Various – U.S. Auctions

BUsiness serviCes – Crop Consulting – Financial & Legal – Insurance/Investments Butchers Supply Chemicals Clothing/Work wear Clothing/Western /Specialty wear Collectibles Compressors Computers

Auction Schools AUto & trAnsport – Auto Service & Repairs – Auto & Truck Parts – Autos – Trucks – Semi Trucks & Trailers – Sport Utilities – Vans – Vehicles Various – Vehicles Wanted BeeKeeping – Honey Bees – Cutter Bees – Bee Equipment

ContrACting – Custom Baling – Custom Feeding – Custom Harvesting – Custom Seeding – Custom Silage – Custom Spraying – Custom Trucking – Custom Tub Grinding – Custom Work Construction Equipment Crop Inputs Dairy Equipment Electrical Engines Entertainment FArM MAChinerY – Aeration – Conveyors – Equipment Monitors

Belting Biodiesel Equipment Books & Magazines

tiLLAge & seeding – Air Drills – Air Seeders – Harrows & Packers – Seeding Various – Tillage Equipment – Tillage Various trACtors – Agco – Allis/Deutz – Belarus – Case/IH – Caterpillar – Ford – John Deere – Kubota – Massey Ferguson – New Holland – Steiger – Universal – Versatile – White – Zetor – 2-Wheel Drive – 4-Wheel Drive – Various

– Fertilizer Equipment – Grain Augers – Grain Bins – Grain Carts – Grain Cleaners – Grain Dryers – Grain Elevators – Grain Handling – Grain Testers – Grain Vacuums – Hydraulics – Irrigation Equipment – Loaders & Dozers – Parts & Accessories – Potato & Row Crop Equipment – Repairs – Rockpickers – Salvage – Silage Equipment – Snowblowers/Plows – Specialty Equipment – Machinery Miscellaneous – Machinery Wanted

Fencing Firewood Fish Farm Forestry/Logging Fork Lifts/Pallet Trucks Fur Farming Generators GPS Health Care Heat & Air Conditioning Hides/Furs/Leathers Hobby & Handicrafts Household Items Iron & Steel

hAYing & hArvesting – Baling Equipment – Mower Conditioners – Swathers – Swather Accessories – Various CoMBines – Belarus – Case/IH – Cl – Caterpillar Lexion – Deutz – Ford/NH – Gleaner – John Deere – Massey Ferguson – Versatile – White – Combines - Various – Accessories

LAndsCAping – Greenhouses – Lawn & Garden LivestoCK Cattle – Cattle Auctions – Angus – Black Angus – Red Angus – Aryshire – Belgian Blue – Blonde d’Aquitaine – Brahman

sprAYing eqUipMent – Sprayers – Various

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

– Ponies – Quarter Horse – Shetland – Sport Horses – Standardbred – Tennessee Walker – Thoroughbred – Warmblood – Welsh – Horses For Sale – Horses Wanted poultry – Poultry For Sale – Poultry Wanted Sheep – Sheep Auction – Arcott – Columbia – Dorper – Dorset – Katahdin – Lincoln – Suffolk – Texel Sheep – Sheep For Sale – Sheep Wanted Swine – Swine Auction – Swine For Sale – Swine Wanted Speciality – Alpacas – Bison (Buffalo) – Deer – Elk – Goats – Llama – Rabbits – Emu/Ostrich/Rhea – Yaks – Various Livestock Equipment Livestock Services & Vet Supplies Misc. Articles For Sale Misc. Articles Wanted Musical Notices On-Line Services orgAniC – Organic Certified – Organic Food – Organic Grains

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

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

✁

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

FAX to:

204-954-1422

Name: __________________________________________________________

phone in: TOLL FREE IN CANADA:

1-800-782-0794

Phone #: ______________________________

Postal Code: _________________________

pLeAse print YoUr Ad BeLoW:

Classification: ___________________________ ❏ I would like to take advantage of the Prepayment Bonus of 2 FREE weeks when I prepay for 3 weeks.

❏ VISA

❏ MASTERCARD

No. of weeks _______________________ = ____________________ Minimum charge $11.25 per week Minus 10% if prepaying: ______________________

Card No. Expiry Date:

Add 5% GST: ______________________

Signature: _______________________________________________

TOTAL: ______________________

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

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

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

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

(unless otherwise stated)

Advertising rAtes & inForMAtion REgulAR ClASSIfIED

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

No. of words _________________ x $0.45 x

NOON on THURSDAYS

Or (204) 954-1415 in Winnipeg

Address: ___________________________________________ Town: _____________________________________________ Province: ____________________________

ADVERTiSiNG DEADLiNE:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Prepayment Bonus: Prepay for 3 weeks & get a bonus of 2 weeks; bonus weeks run consecutively & cannot be used separately from original ad; additions & changes accepted only during first 3 weeks.

• Ask about our Priority Placement.

• If you wish to have replies sent to a confidential box number, please add $5.00 per week to your total. Count eight words for your address. Example: Ad XXXX, Manitoba Co-operator, Box 9800, Winnipeg, R3C 3K7.

• Your complete name and address must be submitted to our office before publication. (This information will be kept confidential and will not appear in the ad unless requested.)

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

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

• Illustrations and logos are allowed with full border.

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

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

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

26

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

AUCTION DISTRICTS The Pas

AUTO & TRANSPORT Semi Trucks & Trailers

BUSINESS SERVICES Crop Consulting

TANDEM PUP TRAILER W/16X8-FT grain box & hoist w/10.00x20 tires & air brakes. Asking $7,500.

Phone (204)736-2609.

FARM CHEMICAL / SEED COMPLAINTS

AUCTION SALES Saskatchewan Auctions

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

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

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

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

BUILDING & RENOVATIONS BUILDING & RENOVATIONS Roofing

Birch River

Swan River Minitonas Durban

Winnipegosis

Roblin

PRICE TO CLEAR!!

Dauphin

Grandview

Ashern

Gilbert Plains

Parkland

Birtle

Riverton Eriksdale

McCreary

Langruth

Neepawa

Gladstone

Rapid City Virden

1

Carberry

Brandon

Waskada

Killarney

Pilot Mound Crystal City

Beausejour

Elm Creek

Sanford

Ste. Anne

Carman

Mariapolis

Lac du Bonnet

Winnipeg

Austin Treherne

Westman Boissevain

Stonewall Selkirk

Portage

Souris

Melita

Interlake

Erickson Minnedosa

Reston

Arborg

Lundar Gimli

Shoal Lake

Hamiota

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

Fisher Branch

Ste. Rose du Lac Russell

St. Pierre

242

Morris Winkler Morden

Altona

Steinbach

1

Red River

MACK AUCTION CO presents a land auction for the Estate of Ron Carriere Thurs., Mar 31st, 2016 7:00pm at the Days Inn Estevan, SK. Up for unreserved auction are 8 quarters sections of farmland in the RM of Benson #35. Some of the will sell w/surface lease oil revenue. Visit www.mackauctioncompany.com for sale bill & photos. (306)421-2928 or (306)487-7815 Mack Auction Co. PL 311962.

McSherry Auction Service Ltd

Sat., Feb. 20th @ 10:00 am

AUTO & TRANSPORT Semi Trucks & Trailers

Yard * Tools * Antiques * Collectibles & Household! Always Lots of Exciting Items!

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

FOUILLARD STEEL SUPPLIES LTD.

95 F SERIES SINGLE axles 24-ft. deck, 5.9 Cummins, A/C, hyd brakes, 169,000-mi, good condition, asking $5,900. (204)871-2708 or (204)685-2124 REEFER UNIT, COMPLETE W/DSL Isuzu motor, 4-cyl, everything works. Phone (204)868-5040.

Stonewall, MB - #12 Patterson Drive

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

AUTO & TRANSPORT Trucks

AUCTION SALE Moving & Estate

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

AUTO & TRANSPORT

AUCTION SALES AUCTION SALES Manitoba Auctions – Interlake

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

1975 INTERNATIONAL CAB OVER truck, 13-spd, tandem, 350 Cummins motor; Hay trailer for sale, 10.5x50-ft, farm use. Phone (204)868-5040.

BUILDINGS

Stuart McSherry

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

www.mcsherryauction.com

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

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

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

Book NOW for spring building!!

McSherry Auction Service Ltd

ANNUAL SPRING GUN AUCTION

(Ask your sales rep about discounts on spring built buildings!)

Sat., April 2nd @ 9:30 am Stonewall, MB - #12 Patterson Drive

Consign Your Guns Now For Advertising Advantage!

Back-Track InvesTIgaTIons

1-866-882-4779. www.backtrackcanada.com

CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT 2007 D-6-N LGP CRAWLER w/6-way dozer, A/C, cab, canopy, diff-steering, ripper, extra clean, $96,000; 2004 D-6-N LGP crawler, 6-way dozer, A/C, cab, diff-steering, Allied W6D winch, $86,000; 2003 D-7-R, cab, a/c plus bush canopy, 4-barrel multi-ripper w/a dozer & hyd tilt, new engine plus repairs, total work order $137,000 3,000-hrs ago, $105,000 USD; 2008 Hitachi ZX-270-C-3 hyd excavator w/hyd thumb, w/quick attach bucket, 7,190-hrs, $70,000 USD; 2006 Hitachi ZX 270-LC Hyd excavator w/quick attach bucket, 11-ft stick, axillary hyd, 6,382-hrs, $65,000 USD. (2) 2005 Komatsu 320 payloaders w/quick attach buckets, $50,000/each; 2010 CAT 324 excavator w/electronic thumb. Phone:(204)871-0925.

6 QUICK ATTACH EXCAVATOR buckets, some trenching & clean-up buckets, plus 6 excavator rippers, some Cat’s & WBM’s. (204)871-0925, MacGregor MB.

FARM MACHINERY FARM MACHINERY Fertilizer Equipment LIQUID FERT. CADDY W/LARGE floatation Trelleborg tires, 1200 imp-gal. 55 tank & JB double piston pump. Asking $13,500. Phone (204)736-2609.

USED DRY FERTILIZER SPREADERS, 4-8 tons, large selection, 18-ft Drillfill, has extra brush auger, $2,900. www.zettlerfarmeuipment.com Phone: (204)857-8403.

FARM MACHINERY Grain Dryers WESTERN GRAIN DRYER, manufacturers of grain dryers w/fully automatic moisture & control systems. Updates for all screenless dryers include, roof, tiers & burner etc. Used dryers are available.

Toll-free 1-888-288-6857, westerngraindryer.com

FARM MACHINERY Grain Vacuums

Stuart McSherry

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

www.mcsherryauction.com AUCTION SALES U.S. Auctions

We also specialize in: agricultural complaints of any nature; Crop ins. appeals; Spray drift; Chemical failure; Residual herbicide; Custom operator issues; Equip. malfunctions.

Licensed Agrologist on Staff.

For assistance and compensation call

AUCTION SALES U.S. Auctions

AUCTION SALES U.S. Auctions

LOCATION: 60 5th Ave NW, Mercer, ND

Farm Inventory Reduction

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

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

PARTING OUT AC 7060; White 2-155; Cockshutt 1250, 550, 560, 40; Case 800, 830, 900, 930, 1270; Kubota 120, 135; JD 7700 combine; Soft core balers; NH 116 & 495 haybines; various older Implement tires & rims, hyd components. (204)871-2708 or (204)685-2124

OPENS: Friday, Feb. 19 / CLOSES: Monday, Feb. 29 @ 12PM PREVIEW & LOADOUT: By appointment

TRACK TRACTOR

2012 Caterpillar MT875C, deluxe cab, buddy seat, powershift, 6 hyd., return flow, integrated auto steer, Trimble FMX1000 w/Omnistar unlock, HID stadium lights, electric mirrors, hyd. wide swing drawbar, tow cable, (32) front weights, (8) idler weights, (32) side weights, 36” tracks at 75%, 1,123 hrs., single owner, Butler inspection done spring 2015, S/NAGCC0875CCNLG1043

DISC DRILL

2013 Bourgault 3710 Paralink disc drill, 60’, 10” spacing, 4.5” V-shape semi-pneumatic rubber packers, mid-row banders, Raven NH3 system, Intelligent wireless full run blockage monitor, 2011 Bourgault 6550 ST 4-compartment tow-behind cart, variable rate, 550 bu., bag lift system, X-20 Top Con monitor, updated high cap. dual fan, double shoot air system, hyd. fill auger, aux. work lights, rear hitch w/hyd. winch for NH3 tanks, 540/65R24 front tires on cart, 650/75R34 duals, single owner, cart S/N40637AS-03, drill S/N41338AC-01

HARVEST EQUIPMENT

2010 NH CR9070, Tier 3, deluxe cab, cloth interior, twin rotor w/trailing bars, Terrain Tracer, Intelliview III monitor, 252 receiver, integrated auto steer, automatic stone protection system, high cap. extended unloading auger, hopper ext., deluxe chopper, deluxe lighting pkg., heavy duty planetaries, small wire and round bar concaves, Goodyear 520/85R42 straddle duals,

540/65R30 rear tires, 1,218 sep. hrs., 1,669 engine hrs., single owner, S/NYAG113399 2013 MacDon FD75-S flex draper head, 40’, upper cross auger, fore/aft, single sickle drive, poly, finger reel, slow speed transport, adapter for Case-IH or NH, single owner, S/N234730 2011 NH 98D non-chopping corn head, 8x30”, AHH, knife rolls, hyd. deck plates, single point hookups, poly snouts, single owner, S/NYBS022283 1995 Case-IH 1010 rigid head, 30’, 9” Lucke sunflower pans, no reel, high sides and backrest, mounts for NH CR or Case-IH 10,20,30 Series, S/NJJC022440 Vulcan single axle header trailer, 30’, single pole

NH3 TANKS

2011 B&B GN2000TWG double 1,465 gal.

NH3 tanks on tandem axle trailer w/brakes, lights, & ext. hitch, 16.5L-16.1 flotation tires, both tanks mfg. in 2011, single owner, S/N4L5WT203XBF021925

AUGERS

2008 Brandt 13-70 auger, 70’x13”, mechanical drive, low pro swing hopper, 540 PTO, hyd. hopper mover, hyd. hopper winch, bucket spout, S/N90392 2013 Brandt 1035 loadout auger, 35’x10”, 30 hp. Kohler electric start gas motor, Brandt EZ Move hyd. mover w/joystick control, S/N103747 2011 Westfield TFX100-36 loadout auger, 36’x10”, 18 hp. Kohler electric start gas motor, S/N224797

ROD SCHILLING | 701.400.3948

or Brad Olstad & Tadd Skaurud of Steffes Group, 701.237.9173 Steffes Group, Inc., 2000 Main Ave E, West Fargo, ND 58078 Brad Olstad ND319, Scott Steffes ND81 | 701.237.9173

Complete terms, lot listings & photos at SteffesGroup.com

FYFE PARTS

1-800-667-9871 •• Regina 1-800-667-9871 Regina 1-800-667-3095 •• Saskatoon 1-800-667-3095 Saskatoon 1-800-387-2768 • Winnipeg 1-800-667-3095 Manitoba 1-800-222-6594 •• Edmonton

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Miscellaneous GRAVITY WAGONS- NEW 400-BU., $7,400; 600bu., $12,500. Large selection of used gravity wagons 200-750 bu, $2,000 up. Large selection of used grain carts 495-1050 bu. Brent 610, $10,000; UFT 750 hyd dr, $17,500; MW 620-bu. $13,500; Used dry fertilize spreaders 4-8 Ton; Gehl 500-bu. 4 auger feed cart, $10,000; Roorda feeder cart, $2,000; JD 780 spreader hydra push, $10,000; Gehl 1315 slinger, $5,000. (204)857-8403.

MCKEE 7-FT SNOW BLOWER, $1,250; Leon 12-ft blade, $3,500, 10-ft blade, $2,000; Box scraper new 10-ft, $2,450; New Holland LX865 skidsteer, $13,900; Melroe Bobcat 943 skidsteer, $14,900; Grapple bucket for skidsteer new, $1,750; Grain screeners dual screen Hutchinson, $1,500; Up DMC 44, $2,500; Kwik Kleen 5 tube, $5,000, 7 tube, $6,500; Kelly Ryan Feedcart, $2,000; Snowco feeder cart, $1,000. www.zettlerfarmequipment.com Phone:(204)857-8403.

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Wanted FLEX HEADER TO FIT Massey 750 combine.

Phone Bill (204)770-4706.

WANTED: SIDE-MOUNT NH3 POINTS. Also wanted: 14-ft & 18-ft bin hoppers. Phone (204)655-3458

HAYING & HARVESTING HAYING & HARVESTING Various FOR SALE: 1986 CIH 5000 swather 24.5-ft U2 PU reel, poly skids, hole auger for canola, Dsl motor, 2-spd trans, cab & AC; 1994 CIH 8820 swather 25ft U2 PU reel, double swath, poly skid plates.

(204)724-4974.

Rebuilt Concaves

Rebuild combine table augers Rebuild hydraulic cylinders Roller mills regrooved MFWD housings rebuilt Steel and aluminum welding Machine Shop Service Line boreing and welding

Penno’s Machining & Mfg. Ltd. Eden, MB 204-966-3221 Fax: 204-966-3248

Check out A & I online parts store www.pennosmachining.com

Combines COMBINES Accessories AGCO MF CAT flex platforms: In stock Models 500 Gleaner 25-ft. & 30-ft.; Model 8000 30-ft. & 8200 35-ft. MF; Cat FD30 flex; FD40 flex. Reconditioned, ready to go. Delivery in SK, MB, AB. Gary: (204)326-7000, Reimer Farm Equip, Hwy #12 N, Steinbach, MB. www.reimerfarmequipment.com CASE/IH FLEX PLATFORMS: MODELS 1020 25ft. & 30-ft. w/wo sir reel; 2020 30-ft. & 35-ft., 2020 30-ft. w/air reel; 2011 3020 35-ft. Can install new AWS air bar for additional $11,500. Deliver in SK, MB, AB. Gary (204)326-7000, Reimer Farm Equip, Hwy #12 N, www.reimerfarmequipment.com Steinbach, MB. JD FLEX PLATFORMS: 922, 925, 930, sever- al newer ones w/full finger augers & air reels; 630-635 w/wo air bars. Deliver in SK, MB, AB. Gary (204)326-7000, Reimer Farm Equipment, Hwy #12 N, Steinbach, MB. www.reimerfarmequipment.com NH FLEX PLATFORMS: In stock Models 973 both 25-30’; 74C 30-ft. w/air reel; 88C 36-ft. flex draper; 94C 25-ft. rigid draper w/trailer. Deliver in SK, MB, AB. Gary (204)326-7000, Reimer Farm Equip, Hwy #12 N, www.reimerfarmequipment.com Steinbach, MB.

“For All Your Farm Parts”

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

WATROUS SALVAGE WaTRoUs, sK. Fax: 306-946-2444

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Miscellaneous 1999 Agri Fab Great used mixer! This is one of the heaviest mixers we’ve ever seen. Four augers offering a great mix front to back top to bottom. 3/4-in flighting & heavy side walls. New 48-in conveyor. All parts are common & available at any bearing store. $12,999.99 (306)971-9006 8820 JD COMBINE; 4555 JD tractor, FWA w/front end & grapple; 1086 Int tractor w/front end & grapple; 32-ft Ezee-on air seeder w/1400-gal fertilizer caddy; 40-ft harrow packer; Melroe 5 bottom plow; 4490 Case tractor; 54-ft Friggstad deep tiller; 20-ft Case Int 50000 sp swather w/cab, heat & AE w/U2 PU reel; 140-bu grain dryer; Rock-matic stone picker & 12-ft stone rake; 62-ft spray air 12-in swing out auger; 10,000-gal., 2)5000-gal, 2)3000-gal & 1)1700-gal liquid fertilizer tanks; various size grain bins; 120-ft Flexi-coil sprayer; 2-ton Ford grain truck w/roll tarp; 4-wheel 2 axle swather carrier; 20-ft deep tiller; 20-ft cultivator. Call (204)744-2491 or (204)825-8616.

ARTSWAY MIXMILL, $1,500; HENKE 30-in. PTO rollermill, $3,500; Peerless 20 rollermill, $2,000; Bearcat grinder, $800; NH LX865 skidsteer, $13,900; New skidsteer 48-in. forks walk through $950; Valmar 1620, $2,500; 3255, $3,500; 2420 trailer type, $5,000; JD 7000 8RN planter, $7,000; REM 2500 HD grain vac, $9,500; Brandt 4000, $8,000; Brandt 4500, $8,500; REM 1026, $4,500; New 10-ft. box scraper, $2,450. (204)857-8403 FOR SALE: 37-FT LAURIER land packer; 36-ft IHC #45 cultivator w/harrows; Case 414 plow. All machinery in good shape. Phone:(204)745-2784.

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

Tillage & Seeding TILLAGE & SEEDING Seeding Various CERTIFIED CONVENTIONAL CM440 GRAZING CORN. Early maturing, leafier for increased grazing yield. No planter required. Swath or stand graze cattle, sheep, bison & for wildlife food plots. CanaMaize Seed Inc., 1-877-262-4046, www.canamaize.com GLY 1 SOYBEAN SEED. Early, mid, long season available. Top yields. Bulk or bagged. Keep your own seed, with the convenience of glyphosate! No contracts or TUAs. Dealers wanted. Call or text Matt: (204)280-0568 or Nate: (204)280-1202 KINZE 2300, 12/23 ROW, good 15-in bean planter. $17,000CAD. Phone:(204)437-4641.

Get today’s top ag news delivered to your inbox.

Sign up for daily enews at manitobacooperator.ca

27

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

TILLAGE & SEEDING Tillage Equipment

GAUGE WHEEL & GAUGE WHEEL KIT 3” & 4” OPTIONS

TRACTORS Various

Big Tractor Parts, Inc. Geared For The Future

STEIGER TRACTOR SPECIALIST

www.ridgelandmanufacturing.ca

204-866-3558 ridgemetal@hotmail.com

TILLAGE & SEEDING Tillage Various FOR SALE: 1985 IHC 7200 hoe press drill ,always shedded, very clean. For more info phone evenings (204)859-2724

NEED TO SELL? Get great exposure at a great price! Call today to place your ads by phone.

CLASSIFIEDS WORK

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

www.penta.ca

1-800-587-4711

TracTors

1988 CASE IH 7130 MFD 7,058-hrs, rebuilt engine no hrs, 20.8x38 tires 50%, 3 hyd, 1,000 PTO, $33,500. Phone (306)542-3037.

TRACTORS John Deere FOR SALE: JD 8440 4WD tractor. In mint shape, always shedded. Phone evenings:(204)745-3009.

TRACTORS Massey Ferguson

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

LIVESTOCK LIVESTOCK Cattle Auctions

MF 1085 CAB HEATER 3-PTH, good tires, new hyd pump, FEL avail, $10,850. Consider offers or trades. (204)871-2708 or (204)685-2124

TRACTORS Versatile 875 VERS. W/ATOM JET & good tires. Nice shape.

Ph:(204)325-2416.

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

TRACTORS 4-Wheel Drive FOR SALE: JD 8970 Cummins 400-HP, 24-spd, 5 remote, 710-38 tires, 7100-hrs, clean, shedded. $68,000. Phone: (204)324-9300

TRACTORS Various MASSEY HARRIS 44 TRACTOR w/loader, very good motor, no problem to start at 25 below. Phone Evenings (204)655-3308.

Hwy #205, Grunthal • (204) 434-6519

GRUNTHAL, MB.

AGENT FOR T.E.A.M. MARKETING

REGULAR CATTLE SALES

every TUESDAY at 9 am February 23rd

Saturday, February 20th at 10 am Bred Cow Sale

Monday, February 29th at 12 pm

Sheep and Goat with Small Animals & Holstein Calves

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

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

WWW.GRUNTHALLIVESTOCK.COM

BLACK ANGUS BULLS YEARLINGS & Long Yearlings, some Heifer Bulls, semen tested & performance records avail. Call Don Guilford, Hereford Ranch (204)873-2430, Clearwater.

BULL SALE WED., MAR-23RD at the Ranch, 40 select bulls & 30 replacement females Black Angus 2-yr olds & select yearlings. Bar H Land & Cattle Co. Langenburg SK. Robin (306)743-2840, cell (306)743-7490.

Sales Manager Chris (306)220-5006.

SPECIAL HOLSTEIN STEER SALE Fri., Feb. 19, 2016 @ 9:00 a.m.

BRED COW SALE

1-800-782-0794 TRACTORS Case/ IH

LIVESTOCK Cattle Auctions

RAVEN CRUIZER 2 W/HELIX antenna, w/warranty until June 9th 2016. Phone (204)585-2106.

The Icynene Insulation System®

PIZZEY SIMMENTALS IS SELLING on the farm yearling Simmental Bulls Red & Black & Traditional, moderate birth weights. Call Calvin (204)847-2055.

21ST ANNUAL CATTLEMANS’ CONNECTION Bull Sale, March 4th, 2016, 1:00pm. Heartland Livestock Brandon. Selling 100 Yearling Black Angus Bulls. For Catalogue or more information call Jack Hart, Brookmore Angus (204)476-2607 or email brookmoreangus@gmail.com Barb Airey manager HBH Farms (204)566-2134 email rbairey@hotmail.com Sale management Doug Henderson (403)782-3888 or (403)350-8541.

www.bigtractorparts.com

HEAT & AIR CONDITIONING

F BAR & ASSOCIATES Angus bulls for sale.

Choose from 20 two-yr-old and yearling Red and Black Angus bulls. Great genetics, easy-handling, semen-tested, delivery available. Call for sales list.

Inquiries and visitors are welcome. We are located in Eddystone, about 20-mi E of Ste. Rose, or 25-mi W of Lake MB Narrows, just off Hwy 68. Call Allen & Merilyn Staheli. Tel: (204)448-2124 Email: amstaheli@inethome.ca

LIVESTOCK Cattle – Black Angus

1-800-982-1769 GPS

LIVESTOCK Cattle – Simmental

HORNER CATTLE COMPANY HAS for sale approx 50 top quality home-raised angus cross cimmental bred heifers. Exposed to easy calving, red and black angus bulls, from June 15-Sept 15. Heifers are from established herd with proven performance in the progeny and long-standing comprehensive health program. Call Alan (204)867-7117 or (204)867-2087 or horner.ranch@gmail.com.

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.

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

LIVESTOCK Cattle – Angus

FOR SALE: 4-YR OLD purebred Black Angus bull, quiet, assured breeder & easy calver; Also 6 used tractor tires, 20.8x42. Phone (204)776-2063

Mon., Feb. 22, 2016 @ 10:30 a.m.

• 25 Char Cows Bred Charolais, 3rd, 4th And 5th Calvers • 12 Black Cows Red/Black • 15 X Bred Cows Bred Charolais (Butcher And Feeder Sale @ 9:00 a.m.)

OSSAWA ANGUS AT MARQUETTE, MB has for sale: Yearling & 2-yr old bulls. For more info call (204)375-6658, cell (204)383-0703.

SPECIAL REPLACEMENT HEIFER SALE

STEWART CATTLE CO. & GUESTS BULL SALE Feb 25, 2016 at 1:30PM Neepawa Ag-plex, Neepawa, MB. 50 Black Angus bulls & Simm/Angus bulls. Contact Brent Stewart (204)773-2356 home, (204)773-6392 cell. View catalogue at www.stewartcattle.com. Email: stewartcows@wificountry.ca

Friday, February 26, 2016 - Sell In Groups Of 5 to 10 • 25 BWF Brackle Heifers • 50 Black And Black X Heifers • 50 Red And Red X Heifers (Phone To Consign)

SHEEP LAMB AND GOAT SALE

Wed., Mar. 2, 2016 @ 1:00 p.m.

REGULAR BUTCHER AND FEEDER SALE EVERY FRIDAY We Have 5 to 7 Cow Buyers 6 to 7 Feeder Buyers 3 to 5 Local Buyers “Where Buyers & Sellers Meet” To Consign or for more information call:

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

www.winnipeglivestocksales.com Licence #1122

IN PURSUIT OF PERFECTION BULL SALE, March 10th, 1:00PM, at Spring Creek Ranch, Moosomin, SK. Offering 100 Red & Black Simmental, Red & Black Angus, & Black Best of Beef bulls. Volume & loyalty customer discounts. For more info or a catalogue contact Brian McCarthy at (306)435-3590 or T Bar C Cattle Co. (306)220-5006. Watch & bid online at www.liveauctions.tv View catalogue online at www.buyagro.com (PL #116061) Round up the cash! Advertise your unwanted equipment in the Manitoba Co-operator classifieds.

REGISTERED BLACK ANGUS BULLS for sale.

Low birth weights & quiet. Buy now & save, no disappointments! EPD’s & delivery available. Phone evenings:(204)843-2287. Amaranth, MB.

LIVESTOCK Cattle – Charolais CHAROLAIS BULLS 1& 2 yr olds. Vaccinated and tested. Steppler and HTA genetics. Call or text (204)381-1240.

FOR SALE: COMING 2 yr old Charolais bulls, grandsons of Bluegrass. Will be easy calving, good dispositions & guaranteed. K.E.H Charolais phone Keith Hagan (204)748-1024, Virden.

PUREBRED CHAROLAIS BULLS, 1 1/2-yr olds & yearlings, White & Red factor, some good for heifers, semen tested in spring, guaranteed & delivered. R&G McDonald Livestock. (204)466-2883, (204)724-2811.

PUREBRED REGISTERED YEARLING SIMMENTAL bulls, Red & Blacks, Polled, will semen test & deliver, keep until needed. Phone (204)868-5040.

WE HAVE AN EXCELLENT group of polled yearling Simmental bulls. Your bull comes with a full guarantee, is semen tested, fed, insured until delivered (No later than June 1st), and delivered (Within MB.) when you need him, all at our cost. Call Ray Cormier at (204)736-2608 and you can also visit our website at www.riverbankfarms. com All bulls are sold out of the yard by private treaty.

LIVESTOCK Cattle Various 500 BRED HEIFERS. Reds, Blacks, Silvers & Tans. Start calving March 25th, 2016. Had all shots, preg checked, Ivomec, pelvic measured, weigh approx 1250-lbs. Phone:(204)325-2416.

FOR SALE: 40 GOOD Charolais cross cows, bred Charolais, due to start calving March 1st. Phone (204)447-0184 or (204)447-2756.

HORNER CATTLE COMPANY HAS for sale group of 25 angus cross cimmental bred cows. Age 3-8yrs. Preg checked to angus and cimmental bulls.

Calving in May/June. Call (204)867-2087 or (204)867-7117. horner.ranch@gmail.com.

LIVESTOCK Cattle Wanted

TIRED OF THE HIGH COST OF MARKETING YOUR CALVES??

300-700 LBS. Steers & Heifers Rob: 528-3254, 724-3400 Ben: 721-3400 800-1000 LBS. Steers & Heifers Don: 528-3477, 729-7240

Contact: D.J. (Don) MacDonald Livestock Ltd. License #1110 LIVESTOCK Horses For Sale BLACK QUARTER HORSE STALLION, bred mares& open mares, several saddle horses. 1 1/2 Perchon mares& matched Buckskin team of registered quarter horse mares. Phone:(306)435-3634.

LIVESTOCK Swine Wanted

PUREBRED CHAROLAIS YEARLINGS & three 2-yr old bulls for sale by private treaty, White & Red factor. Phone Brad (204)523-0062 www.clinecattlecompany.ca

WANTED: BUTCHER HOGS SOWS AND BOARS FOR EXPORT

WE HAVE AN EXCELLENT selection of PB Charolais bulls, both Red & white yearling & 2-yr olds.

Pictures & info on the net www.defoortstockfarm.com. Call Gord or Sue:(204)743-2109.

LIVESTOCK Cattle – Hereford

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

FOR SALE: POLLED HEREFORD Bulls Yearlings & Long Yearlings, semen tested & performance records avail. Call Don Guilford, Hereford Ranch (204)873-2430, Clearwater.

LIVESTOCK Cattle – Angus

LIVESTOCK Cattle – Limousin

55 RED AND BLACK Angus Two-Year Old Bulls Suitable for Heifers and Cows. Private Treaty @ the Ranch Info sheets available. Triple V Ranch Dan (204)665-2448 or (204)522-0092, Matthew (204)264-0706 Website vvvranch.com

POLLED RED & BLACK BULLS: Guaranteed, semen tested, quiet, delivery available. Performance & pedigree info: www.cherwaylimousin.ca Yearling & 2-yr olds. Ph: (204)736-2878 info@cherwaylimousin.ca

EDIE CREEK ANGUS HAS 35 Rugged 2-Yr Old Angus Bulls at our 9th Annual Sale, March 12 at Ashern Auction Mart. Meaty, Moderate, Maternal, Easy Calving, Easy Fleshing BREEDING BULLS for Grass Farmers. Developed Entirely for Sale as 2-Year Olds to breed more cows for MORE YEARS! Great Temperaments, many suitable for heifers.

WWW.EDIECREEKANGUS.COM or call Jonathan Bouw @ (204)471-4696.

PROUDLY WESTERN BULL SALE, Sat., Mar. 19th, 1:00p.m. at the Whitewood Auction Barn, Whitewood, SK. Selling 70 yearling & 2-year old Red, Black & Fullblood Simmental bulls. Wintering & delivery available. For a catalogue or more info, Contact T Bar C Cattle Co.:(306)220-5006. View the catalogue online at www.buyagro.com

LIVESTOCK Cattle – Shorthorn PUREBRED YEARLING BULLS FOR sale, all are polled, thick & easy fleshing w/moderate to low birthweights. We also have 3 bulls at the Douglas Bull Development Centre selling on April 2nd 2016.

Call Uphill Shorthorns (204)764-2663, cell (204)365-7155 rgray4@mymts.net

LIVESTOCK EQUIPMENT ALTERNATIVE POWER BY SUNDOG SOLAR, portable/remote solar water pumping for winter/summer. Call for pricing on solar systems, wind generators, aeration. Service & repair on all makes/models. Carl Driedger, (204)556-2346 or (204)851-0145, Virden.

AN ASSORTMENT OF CREEP feeders & self feeders on wheels & skids. All Cypress Industries.

Phone:(204)325-2416.

KELLN SOLAR SUMMER/WINTER WATERING System, provides water in remote areas, improves water quality, increases pasture productivity, extends dugout life. St. Claude/Portage, 204-379-2763.

Watch your profits grow!

Prepayment Bonus Prepay your regular word classified ad for 3 weeks and your ad will run an additional 2 consecutive weeks for free!

Call Our Customer Service Representatives To Place Your Ad Today!

Outside Winnipeg: 1-800-782-0794 Winnipeg: 954-1415

28

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

Crosswor ossword Cr osswor d

"Errr "Errr,, What's Up Doc?"

by Adrian Powell

4

5

6

7

8

9

15

14

35

27 32 36

41

42 46

37

39

43

44

47

48 50

58

59

62

63

64

65

66

67

57 58 59 60 61

60

61

Far more than dampish Pinball palace Confusing CDs successor Word on a sample cheque Kudus' big cousins How old Bart Simpson is Missing from K.P., maybe Very short office note Paradise A bit on the risque side How fried eggs are sometimes cooked Reddish brown brew, often Tribesman's home Cybill's second TV husband Janitorial equipment Supergirl's emblem

SOLUTION TO PUZZLE

E T A

E M B O D Y

V I E A N T I

S N H A R I Z Y E I E L S D A S L A S K A

Y O T U K R O E I K O N

P A N G

DOWN 1 When the plane's due in, briefly 2 Carl Reiner's son 3 In the past 4 Enjoy immensely 5 Definitely against 6 Bangkok bank note units 7 Huge name in bandages 8 "Hush your mouth!"

9 Hip-hop fan's top 10 Riot squad defences 11 Colonel Klink, e.g.

12 Sacred Byzantine image 13 Hunger pain 18 Personify 19 Scotch alternatives 22 Sentence fragment 23 Quelled the hunger pains 24 Steal livestock 25 More level headed 26 Compete 27 Store some fodder 28 Where Nome is home 29 "___ a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" 30 Traffic tie-up 33 Letters that will stop a fight

37 38 41 43 46 47 48 51 52 53 54 55

I M E R O S A P S

62 63 64 65 66 67

project, perhaps (but they did manage to get the doc included) Soothsayer's clue A trey will top it Trafalgar Square statue Very time-consuming Lecherous deity Drops off on the couch

A G E T E N

57

55

J A M

54

A R C A D E

53

B A S H A C H O H E H O T D A R I E T U E N E S S T W I D L E L V E T E D R O T H A V E U C E A T Y R

*Taxes included

38

E L A N D S

52

33

V O I D

ATTACH YOUR MAILING LABEL HERE

❑ 1 Year: $150.00 (US Funds)

34

ACROSS 1 Years that are worthy of note 5 Embarrass 10 Something you hear at the barbers 14 Attire at an "Animal House" party 15 Tex-Mex chip 16 Maori war dance 17 Visible in the sky (although the doc's hiding) 20 Pass over 21 Hair salon process 22 "Rover's Return" e.g.

23 "The Little Mermaid" star 25 Ash Wednesday's forerunner (and the doc's there somewhere) 30 More than jiggle 31 Eats in style 32 Place to drop a coin 34 Receive ___ for effort 35 "Absolutely!"

36 Pan Am's flying rival of the 50s 39 Northern penguin-like bird 40 Background scenery in a "Road Runner" cartoon 42 Lazy good-for-nothing 44 Letters that indicate a Broadway sellout 45 Groom's cake dessert used in "Steel Magnolias" (and the doc was in the background, too) 49 Portioned (out) 50 Philanthropist ___ Khan IV 51 Earhart who disappeared in 1937 54 Drove a Harley 56 Excuse for not finishing the

Your expiry date is located on your publication's mailing label.

❑ 1 Year: $64.00* ❑ 2 Year: $107.00* ❑ 3 Years $134.00*

31

56

Email: subscription@fbcpublishing.com

U.S. Subscribers

30

51

1·800·782·0794

Canadian Subscribers

26

24

49

Call, email or mail us today!

M S E R : 12345 2015/ 12 P UB John Smith Company Name 123 E x a m p l e S t .

Town, Province, POSTAL CODE

23

25

Renew your subscription to the Manitoba Co-operator for 2 years BEFORE we mail your renewal notice, and we'll extend your subscription by 2 additional months.

That's 26 months for the price of 24. OR - Renew for one year and receive 13 months for the price of 12!

29

21

22

45

28

13

19

20

save!

12

16

18

40

11

R A S O G A B O V O P U S H R A R N A E S A R E D D L I N G

17

Renew early and

10

E D E N

3

M E M O

2

A W O L

1

Payment Enclosed ❑ Cheque

❑ Money Order

❑ Visa

❑ Mastercard

Visa/MC #: Expiry:

TAKE FIVE

Phone:_____________________________

Email:____________________________________________________ BONUS: Sign me up for daily breaking news bulletins and special offers FREE!  I agree to receive emails from FBC Communications Limited Partnership containing news, updates and promotions, as well as product and/or service information that may be of interest to me. You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting Heather Anderson, Circulation Manager, Box 9800, Winnipeg, MB R3C 3K7, email: esubscriptions@fbcpublishing.com

Make cheque or money order payable to Manitoba Co-operator and mail to: Box 9800, Stn. Main, Winnipeg, MB R3C 3K7 Help us make the Manitoba Co-operator an even better read!

Please fill in the spaces below that apply to you. Thank you!

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

My Main crops are: No. of acres 10. Lentils ___________ 11. Dry Beans ___________ 12. Hay ___________ 13. Pasture ___________ 14. Summerfallow ___________ 15. Alfalfa ___________ 16. Forage Seed ___________ 17. Mustard ___________ 18. Other (specify) ___________ Livestock Enterpise No. of head 5. Hog farrow-to-finish (# sows) ______ 6. Finished Pigs (sold yearly) _________ 7. Dairy Cows ___________ 8. Other Livestock (specify) __________

Occasionally Farm Business Communications makes its list of subscribers available to other reputable firms whose products and services may be of interest to you. If you PReFeR NOt tO ReCeIve such farm-related offers please check the box below. q I PReFeR MY NAM AND ADDReSS NOt Be MADe AvAILABLe tO OtHeRS

9 3 5 6 4 3 4 7 8 2 2 6 9 5 8 3 4 7 8 2 9

Last week's answer

7 7 1

1 5 3 8 6 9 2 7 4

2 8 4 5 1 7 3 9 6

9 7 6 4 2 3 5 1 8

3 4 1 7 9 6 8 2 5

7 6 8 2 3 5 1 4 9

5 9 2 1 8 4 6 3 7

8 1 5 9 4 2 7 6 3

6 2 9 3 7 8 4 5 1

4 3 7 6 5 1 9 8 2

Puzzle by websudoku.com

5 6 4 3 1

Puzzle by websudoku.com

Here’s How It Works:

✁

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

Sudoku

Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes.

The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

29

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

MISCELLANEOUS FOR SALE 650 WATT PENCIL BLOCK heaters, also D02 various, new Armatures (older tractors.) Sheep equip, 200 gal. troughs, Ritchie cattle fountain, & rolls A-W Lumex for flock “Night Radios”, one lamb scale & few floating trough heaters. Will build floating trough heaters. Will build lamb creep, special design gate, $100. For Info Ph: (204)822-3649, Morden MB.

ORGANIC ORGANIC Organic – Grains GROW ORGANIC QUINOA! Total production contracts available.

Visit: www.quinoa.com or Phone:(306)933-9525.

PERSONAL

DAMElooking USED GAYNOTRE MAN, 49, FARMER, for a OIL man for companionship & friendship/relationship etc. Reply & FILTER DEPOT to Ad# 1030, c/o Manitoba Co-operator, Box 9800, Station MB R3CBatteries 3K7 • BuyMain, Used Winnipeg, Oil • Buy • Collect Used • Collect MANITOBA MANFilters LOOKING FOR Oil ladyContainers 60-71 years for friendship & companionship, go for dances & Southern and Westernto Manitoba coffee, Photo Please. Reply to Ad# 1027, c/o ManiTel:Box 204-248-2110 toba Co-operator, 9800, Station Main, Winnipeg, MB R3C 3K7

TIME TO APPRECIATE RELATIONSHIPS... Life is Meant to be Shared. We are Here to Help You. CANDLELIGHT MATCHMAKERS. Confidential, Rural, Photos and Profiles to selected matches, Affordable, Local. Serving MB, SK, NW-Ontario.

Call/Write for info: Box 212, Roland, MB, R0G 1T0, www.candlelightmatchmakers.ca (204)343-2475.

PETS & SUPPLIES

CourtSeeds Presents:

Faller CWIW Dark northern red spring wheat Excellent yields and short straw Bred specifically for Manitoba

SELLING YOUR FARM. Some agents sell houses, some sell cottages, some sell stores, some sell condominiums, some sell everything, some nothing.

Some sell at half price. We @ www.manitobafarms Sell Farms, Land & Rural Property. Call Harold (204)253-7373 Delta Real Estate (204)223-8101.

REAL ESTATE Farms & Ranches – Wanted FARMS WANTED. If you are considering selling your farm, contact me. I have eight years experience selling farms and farmed all my life. All discussions are confidential. Rick Taylor, Homelife Home Professional Realty. (204)867-7551, rtaylor@homelife.com www.homelifepro.com

Plumas, MB courtseeds@gmail.com 204 386-2354 courtseeds.ca CERTIFIED SEED Specialty Crops OAT OR SOYBEAN LAND wanted! Grow quinoa in 2016! Total production contracts available. Competitive returns and guaranteed delivery. Ph: 306-933-9525 or www.quinoa.com

COMMON SEED

BuyUsed Used Oil Oil ••Buy NOTRE •• Buy Buy Batteries Batteries DAME ••Collect CollectUsed Used Filters Filters • Collect Oil Containers • Collect Oil Containers USED • Antifreeze OIL & Southern,Southern Eastern, and Manitoba Western Western FILTER Manitoba DEPOT Tel: 204-248-2110 Advertise your unwanted equipment in the Classifieds.

Call our toll-free number and place your ad with our friendly staff, and don’t forget to ask about our prepayment bonus. Prepay for 3 weeks and get 2 weeks free!

1-800-782-0794.

JOHN DIDYCHUK OF TOUTES Aides & the estate of Laurence Didychuk of Rorketon, MB intend to sell private lands: NE7-29-14W, W1/2 7-29-14W, E1/2 32-28-15W, NE31-28-15W, NW9-29-14W, SW17-29-14W, SE9-29-14W to Clayton Breault, Jesse Breault & Dwain Breault who will be considered by Manitoba Agriculture, Food & Rural Development for possible transfer of the Crown land forage lease associated with this ranch unit. This forage lease currently consists of the following: NW27-28-14W, S1/2 27-28-14W, E1/2 28-28-14W, NW06-29-14W, SE07-29-14W, W1/2 28-28-14W, E1/2 32-28-14W, W1/2 33-28-14W, W1/2 04-29-14W, NE09-29-14W, SW09-29-14, W1/2 18-29-14W, SE18-29-14W, SE34-28-15W, SW35-28-15W, NE27-28-14W, SE33-28-14W, SW34-28-14W, NE04-29-14W, E1/2 05-29-14W, SE 08-29-14W, E1/2 19-29-14W, W1/2 20-29-14W, W1/2 29-29-14W by unit transfer. If you wish to comment on or object to the potential transfer of this forage lease to this purchaser, please write to: Director, MAFRD, Agricultural Crown Lands, PO Box 1286, Minnedosa MB, R0J 1E0; or Fax:(204)867-6578.

REAL ESTATE Farms & Ranches – Acreages/Hobby FARM SALES: GRANT TWEED specializing in farm property. If you plan to sell, buy or rent, I can help.

Tel. (204)761-6884 grant.tweed@century21.ca

REAL ESTATE Farms & Ranches – Manitoba FOR SALE: 200-AC OF land, all fenced. Seed to alfalfa & brome grass. House & building included.

For more information, call Charles:(204)659-5829.

Fairford, MB.

FIRST CUT ALFALFA, ALFALFA grass hay for sale, medium squares, can deliver. Phone (204)642-3259 or (204)642-3043.

FOR SALE: LARGE ROUND brome & alfalfa mix hay bales, can deliver. Phone (204)324-9300.

LARGE ROUND BALES, Feed tested, netwrapped, no rain. Phone (204)723-0658, email colletfarm@gmail.com Notre Dame, MB. LARGE ROUND BALES OF wheat & oat straw; Large round bales of hay. Phone:(204)325-2416.

ROUND HAY BALES FOR sale: cicer milk vetch/ brome, $70 per bale, leave msg (306)742-5900.

FOR SALE: ALFALFA, TIMOTHY, Brome, Clover, hay & pasture blends, millet seed, Crown, Red Prozo. Leonard Friesen (204)685-2376, Austin, MB. SAINFOIN SEED FOR SALE. Nutritious, bloat-free, perennial forage loved by all animals and honeybees. Research from Utah University indicates better meat flavor and nutrition from sainfoin supplemented forage. Prime Sainfoin is certified organic. www.primegrains.com Ph:(306)739-2900 jhusband@primegrains.com.

COMMON SEED Various PASTURE BLEND FALL RYE. (204)526-2527, (204)526-7374, Holland MB.

Phone

SEED / FEED / GRAIN SEED/ FEED/GRAIN Feed Grain

We BUY used oil & filters Collection of plastic oil jugs Glycol recovery services Specialized waste removal Winter & Summer windshield washer fluid Peak Performance anti-freeze ( available in bulk or drums )

WE BUY OATS Call us today for pricing Box 424, Emerson, MB R0A 0L0 204-373-2328

WINKLER, MANITOBA

Licensed and Bonded Grain Brokers

37 4th Ave. NE Carman, MB R0G 0J0 Ph. (204) 745-6444 Email: vscltd@mts.net

Rye, Flax, Barley, Peas, Oats, Corn, Wheat, Soybeans, Canola, Soy Oil, Soymeal

BUYING:

Farm Pick-Up Pricing Across Western Canada

• Competitive Prices • Prompt Movement • Spring Thrashed

*6-Row* 1-877-250-5252 MALT BARLEY

Contact Us Toll Free: 888-974-7246 www.delmarcommodities.com SEED/ FEED/GRAIN Hay & Straw 1ST & 2ND CUT Alfalfa, Timothy, 5x6 round bales, have some w/70% alfalfa & some w/30% alfalfa. No rain, 1,400-lbs.

Phone: (204)661-1091 or (204)427-2601.

5X6-FT HARDCORE ALFALFA BROME grass round bales for sale, 1500-lbs. Good quality & large quantity. First & second-cut. Feed test available.

Price negotiable. Loading available. Phone (204)967-2247 Kelwood, MB or Cell (204)212-0751.

Prairie-Wide Display Classifieds

MORE OPTIONS TO SAVE YOU MONEY

HEATED CANOLA & FLAX MALT BARLEY “ON FARM PICK UP”

CERTIFIED SEED Cereal Seeds

JAMES FARMS LTD Brandon, Cardale & Faller wheat, Summit, Souris & Haymaker forage oats, Mcleod RR2 soybeans, Tradition barley, forage seeds, various canola & sunflower seed varieties.

Custom processing, seed treating, inoculating, as well as delivery are available. Early payment discount. For info call (204)222-8785, or toll-free 1-866-283-8785, Winnipeg. djames@jamesfarms.com

Buy one province, buy two provinces or buy all three.

Great rates whatever you choose

1-204-867-8163

AG EQUIPMENT

SCAN TO DOWNLOAD THE APP »»

For Pricing ~ 204-325-9555

NOW BUYING Confection and Oil Sunflowers, Brown & Yellow Flax and Red & White Millet Edible Beans Licensed & Bonded Winkler, MB.

SEARCH

Search news. Read stories. Find insight.

CERTIFIED SEED

DE DELL SEEDS INC. Non GMO hybrid corn. High yield at a lower cost. Free Delivery. Manitoba Dealer, Gerald (204)268-5224.

Network

SPECIALIZING IN:

- Licensed & Bonded -

LESS FUSARIUM MORE BOTTOM LINE. GP Wheat WFT603 seed available. Suitable for ethanol production, livestock feed. Western Feed Grain Development Co-op Ltd. 1-877-250-1552 www.wfgd.ca

SASKATOON, LLOYDMINSTER, LETHBRIDGE, VANCOUVER, MINNEDOSA

Vanderveen Commodity Services Ltd.

Where the stories go.

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

888-368-9378 ~ www.envirowestinc.com

Heated/Spring Threshed Lightweight/Green/Tough, Mixed Grain - Barley, Oats, Rye, Flax, Wheat, Durum, Lentils, Peas, Canola, Chickpeas, Triticale, Sunflowers, Screenings, Organics and By-Products √ ON-FARM PICKUP √ PROMPT PAYMENT √ LICENSED AND BONDED

DEALS ON THE GO!

A Season to Grow… Only Days to Pay!

Proud Supporter of Manitoba Businesses & Municipalities

REAL ESTATE Land For Sale

ALFALFA 3X3 SQUARE BALES. Dairy quality 1st, 2nd & 3rd cut available. Have feed tests; Also have beef quality mixed alfalfa/grass hay. Also Have horse hay quality timothy/orchard grass in big & small squares. Wheat straw in bigs as well. Delivery available. Phone Daryl:(204)856-3561 for pricing.

Andy Vanderveen · Brett Vanderveen Jesse Vanderveen

REAL ESTATE

LOOKING TO RENT IN Stonewall, Teulon, Warren & Rosser area. Phone (204)513-0332.

FARMERS, RANCHERS, SEED PROCESSORS BUYING ALL FEED GRAINS

SEED/FEED/GRAIN Grain Wanted

Guard Dogs: Great Pyreness Puppies Born Nov 28th. 3 females & 1 male (204)250-4796

REAL ESTATE Land For Rent

Alfalfa Hay 1st, 2nd & 3rd cut alfalfa in 3x3 square bales. Hay tests available. Priced from 4-10 cents lb.

(204)825-7180

TAME HAY, EARLY CUT, no rain, 5x6 soft core.

Phone (204)886-2960, Teulon MB.

COMMON SEED Forage Seeds

RECYCLING

SEED/FEED/GRAIN Grain Wanted

Celebration & Tradition *2-Row* ACbuy Metcalfe, CDC Copeland & AAC Synergy We feed barley, feed wheat, MALT BARLEY BARLEY MALT oats, soybeans, corn & canola We buy feed*2-Row* barley, feed wheat, *6-Row* & AAC Synergy ACoats, Metcalfe, CDC Copeland soybeans, corn & canola & Tradition COMECelebration SEE US AT AG DAYS IN We buy feed barley, feed wheat, THE CONVENTION HALL SEE barley, US AT AG DAYS IN WeCOME buy feed feed wheat, oats, soybeans, corn & canola CONVENTION HALL BOOTH 1309& oats,THE soybeans, corn canola BOOTH 1309 COME SEE US AT AG DAYS IN COME SEE US AT AG HALL DAYS IN THE CONVENTION THE CONVENTION BOOTH 1309 HALL

BOOTH 1309

2013 Malt Contracts Available 2016 AOG Malt Contracts Available Box 238 Letellier, MB. R0G 1C0 BoxPhone 238 Letellier, MB. R0G 1C0 204-737-2000 Phone 204-737-2000 2014Toll-Free AOG Malt Contracts Available 1-800-258-7434 Toll-Free 1-800-258-7434 BoxMalt 238 MB. R0G 1C0 Agent: M &Letellier, J Weber-Arcola, SK. 2013 Contracts Available Agent: M & J Weber-Arcola, SK. Phone 204-737-2000 Phone 306-455-2509 Box 238 Letellier, MB. R0G 1C0 Phone 306-455-2509 Toll-Free 1-800-258-7434 Phone 204-737-2000 Agent: M & 1-800-258-7434 J Weber-Arcola, SK. Toll-Free Agent: Phone M & J 306-455-2509 Weber-Arcola, SK. Phone 306-455-2509

MALT BARLEY

www.ezefeeder.ca

EXCELLENT LIVESTOCK FARMS: 1) 1000 head feedlot, Hartney. 2) 1732 deeded acs w/4,425-acs of Crown land, fenced, small bungalow, very good buildings & metal corral system, can carry 450 cow/calf pairs. 3) 1,270 deeded ac cattle farm by Lac du Bonnet, 640-acs Crown land, turnkey operation. 4) Cattle ranch, Pine River, 3,300 deeded & 1,200-acs Crown land. 5) Excellent horse ranch in Erickson MB, Riding Arena & Bldgs in Fantastic condition. Jim McLachlan (204)724-7753, HomeLife Home Professional Realty Inc, Brandon, MB, www.homelifepro.com

SEED/FEED/GRAIN Hay & Straw

*6-Row* Celebration & Tradition We buy feed barley, feed wheat, oats, soybeans, corn & canola

1 877 695 2532

CERTIFIED SEED Cereal Seeds

COME SEE US AT AG DAYS IN THE CONVENTION HALL BOOTH 1309

12V. or Hydraulic Electronic Scale Opt.

REAL ESTATE Farms & Ranches – Manitoba

2013 Malt Contracts Available Box 238 Letellier, MB. R0G 1C0 Phone 204-737-2000 Toll-Free 1-800-258-7434 Agent: M & J Weber-Arcola, SK. Phone 306-455-2509

LIVESTOCK EQUIPMENT

TRAILERS TRAILERS Trailers Miscellaneous HAY WAGONS 9X40-FT BUILT from new metal, 1122.5 tires, $6,500. Phone KCL Repairs, Ashern (204)739-3096.

TRAVEL

RURAL & CULTURAL TOURS Ireland & Scotland ~ June 2016 Newfoundland/Maritimes ~ Multiple Dates Yukon/NWT & Alaska ~ July 2016 Switzerland & River Cruise Italy Villa Experience ~ Oct 2016 Egypt Land/Nile Cruise ~ Nov 2016 Australia /New Zealand ~ Jan 2017 Kenya/Tanzania ~ Jan 2017 South America ~ Feb 2017 Costa Rica ~ Feb 2017 Vietnam/Cambodia/Thailand ~ Mar 2017 *Portion of tours may be Tax Deductible

Select Holidays 1-800-661-4326

www.selectholidays.com

Contact Sharon

Email: sharon.komoski @fbcpublishing.com

30

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

If farm debt is keeping you awake at night, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s OK to ask for help.

Financial counselling or mediation may be the solution.

The Farm Debt Mediation Service helps farmers overcome financial difficulties by offering financial counselling and mediation services.

This free and confidential service helps Canadian farmers get their debt repayment back on track. Financial advisors and qualified mediators help find a mutually acceptable repayment arrangement between farmers and their creditors.

For more information on how the Farm Debt Mediation Service can help you: Call: 1-866-452-5556 Visit: www.agr.gc.ca/fdms

31

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

MORE NEWS

Search Canada’s top agriculture publications… with just a click. Network SEARCH

LOCAL , NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Mobile cranes prepare to stack containers at Thar Dry Port in Sanand in India’s western state of Gujarat on Feb. 10. India, while seen as wary of opening its market to imports, is eager to ramp up its exports.

Photo: Reuters/Amit Dave

India turns to China as alternative to Trans-Pacific pact Members of a proposed regional partnership meet Feb. 15 to 19 in Brunei

BY MANOJ KUMAR New Delhi/Reuters

I

ndia, concerned at being sidelined from the U.S.-led TransPacific Partnership (TPP), is stepping up efforts to reach agreement with an alternative trade bloc centred around China, and hopes to reach a deal this year.

New Delhi has long been seen by many countries as an intransigent player at the World Trade Organization ( WTO), a multilateral forum that has struggled to find the consensus it needs to move forward.

Now, after 12 advanced economies accounting for 40 per cent of the global economy signed a TPP deal this month, India’s trade negotiators feel they need to get a move on.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has backed an export-focused ‘Make in India’ drive as the path to prosperity for Asia’s third-largest economy, where per capita output is US$1,688 a year, one-fifth that in China.

With TPP out of reach — India was not invited to join — India’s negotiators are focusing instead on a Chinese-led grouping called the Regional Comprehensive Economic Pa r t n e r s h i p ( RC E P ) t h a t w o u l d improve its access to Asian markets.

Trade representatives meet in Brunei from Feb. 15-19 to iron out differences on tariffs.

A senior New Delhi official, who

“The TPP will certainly have an impact on India’s exports.

It is most likely to affect sectors like leather goods, plastics, chemicals, textiles and clothing.”

Nirmala Sitharaman commerce minister

asked not to be named, told Reuters that India was hopeful of striking a tariff-cutting deal this year, in the clearest indication yet that India wants to accelerate progress on a bloc first launched in 2012.

Ganeshan Wignaraja of the Asian Development Bank said a breakthrough on RCEP would help mitigate the competitive disadvantage of India being absent from the TPP. “Concluding an RCEP agreement would mark a key milestone for the Modi government,” he said.

Experts caution that India has shown little appetite to open its market to imports, even as it seeks to ramp up exports, not least because of a gaping trade deficit with China.

“India is worried about opening up to China,” said Professor Bernard Hoekman, a trade expert at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies in Italy, adding he very much doubted an RCEP deal would happen this year.

With the TPP lacking votes in Congress and likely to be put on hold

if a Republican is elected U.S. president, any sign China is seizing the initiative in the trade arena could raise concerns over Washington’s declining clout in Asia.

Beijing has already redrawn the financial map by launching the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, with backing from close U.S. allies like Britain.

Losing business New Delhi fears the TPP, although years away from reality, could mean losing some textile and drugs exports to countries like Vietnam, which has embraced both the TPP and the RCEP. It could also raise barriers to entry on labour, environment and intellectual property when it comes to seeking access to other markets, officials said.

“The TPP will certainly have an impact on India’s exports,” Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said.

“It is most likely to affect sectors like leather goods, plastics, chemicals, textiles and clothing.”

Talks on creating the 16-member RCEP could be the last hope for some Indian companies to break into the global supply chain.

The group comprises the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.

If signed, the regional free trade agreement would create an economic bloc with a population of 3.4 billion and trade volume of over US$17 trillion. “ We c a n’t w a s t e t i m e ,” s a i d Chandrajit Banerjee, director general of the Confederation of Indian Industry, which represents manufacturers. “TPP will basically change the landscape of global trade.”

Su c c e s s f u l e x p o r t i n d u s t r i e s , particularly garment and drug makers, are urging Modi to speed up RCEP talks and wrap up trade deals with the European Union and Australia.

But steel, tire and chemical firms want him to go slow, saying they have been undercut by free trade pacts already done with ASEAN, South Korea, Thailand and Japan.

Indian merchandise exports have fallen for 13 months in a row, d e p re s s e d by w e a k e n i n g g l o b a l demand and slumping commodity prices. To boost its stagnant 1.7 per cent share of global exports, India needs to raise productivity and move up the value chain, economists say.

32

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

Get ready for more ‘weather whiplash’ Unlike other regions, Manitoba may be able to benefit from climate change

BY JENNIFER PAIGE

“We can debate for days about what is causing these changes, but who cares what is causing it.

The reality is that it is occurring.”

Co-operator staff / Brandon

A

s climate change warms t h e g l o be, Manitoba may be well poised to become an agriculture superpower because of its proven ability to adapt, says the senior climatologist with Environment Canada.

“I am optimistic about the future of agriculture in the Prairies because I have always been fascinated and intrigued with the ingenuity, resourcefulness and survivability of Prairie farmers,” Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips said at a presentation to Ag Days in Brandon last month.

“You are always willing to do something different, take risks, believe in science and take advantage of the situation.”

Phillips said the presence of climate change can be seen through the increasing number o f e r ra t i c we a t h e r e ve n t s Manitoba farmers are all too familiar with.

“Between the droughts and floods, the Prairies had the only EF-5 tornado in Canadian history. Winds of 420 km per hour that sandblasted the bark off of trees and took transport trucks and twisted them into pretzel shapes. It was in fact the most powerful tornado we have seen in Manitoba,” Phillips said.

Escalating extremes Severe weather has been more frequent and intense across the globe. Phillips said those who depend on the land or the environment for a living have been experiencing what he calls “weather whiplash.” “ We a re s e e i n g w e a t h e r whiplash, from one extreme

David Phillips

to another. It is almost a Dr. Jekyll and Hyde situation,” said Phillips. “One farmer said to me, ‘I could have had flood insurance and drought insurance on the same field in one year. I had military helping to sandbag in June and we were praying for rain in July.’

Those are the kinds of things that are really difficult to deal with.”

Phillips says that a saving grace for Manitoba is that Alberta has had it worse.

“The West has had summer snows, multibillion-dollar floods, wildfires, tornadoes, multiple-million-dollar hailstorms and that’s just the forecast for Calgary,” said Phillips.

“We have made the statement that, ‘this is the costliest disaster in Alberta history,’ and have amended that five times in 10 years. So, there is no question we are seeing more and stronger events.”

In recent years, Environment Canada has reported many broken records.

“Stick a thermometer in the planet and what do we see?

Since the year 2000 we have broken 37 monthly temperature records globally. The last time we broke the record for cold temperatures was in 1916.

Clearly, as a planet we are warming,” said Phillips.

Phillips says there is no point in arguing about the presence

or cause of climate change, but to rather focus on how the industry can not only survive but also become stronger in order to feed the ever-growing population on less land with less water.

“We can debate for days about what is causing these changes but who cares what is causing it.” The reality is that it is occurring. It is not something that we have to wait for,” Phillips said. “We can’t think that this is fluctuation, bad luck or just a little rough road. This is change and it needs to be taken seriously.”

Long-term outlook At the rate the global temperature is rising, Phillips says that by the end of the century southern Manitoba will have a similar climate to that of Nebraska or Iowa.

He warned that with w a r m e r t e m p e ra t u re s w i l l come challenges for the water supply and from different insects and weeds, but it certainly won’t mean a complete departure from the land of snow and ice.

“It doesn’t mean a frostfree period. It means the season may be 24 days longer, so there is the potential for growing things that you couldn’t grow now. And, it’s not all bad news. We know that in a warmer world with higher CO2 levels,

WHAT YOU

SHARE

Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips says weather has become increasingly erratic across the globe. Photo: Jennifer Paige

crops will flourish, as long as the temperatures are not too excessively warm.”

Phillips believes Manitoba to be well poised for temperature and moisture conditions to adapt to the warming globe and could come out as an agriculture superpower, even compared to our Canadian Prairie partners.

“We have a lot of cold to give up and so that positions us well,” said Phillips. “And, in southern Manitoba, you get on average 25 per cent more precipitation than Alber ta but you also get maybe 10 per cent more heat units, so there are crops that you can grow here that you couldn’t grow there.”

In order to capitalize on their geographical good fortune in the coming years of climate change, Phillips encourages Manitoba producers to continue to do what they have always done — seek out better ways of producing food in an evolving environment.

“Be open minded. Be willing to take a few risks. Invest in technology and in science,” Phillips said. “And, we will need to do something that we are good at as Canadians, we have to learn to adapt to our weather. To change our ways to take advantage, mitigate the effects and capitalize on the advantages.” jennifer.paige@fbcpublishing.com

WILL ALWAYS BE

WORTH MORE THAN WHAT YOU KEEP. Peak of the Market has received an offer from a registered table potato grower pursuant to the “Retirement and Annual Table Potato Quota Reallocation Program”. Eligible persons who meet Peak of the Market’s eligibility requirements pursuant to the “Potato Quota Order” are eligible to submit bids for the following types of potato quota.

Russet table potato quota in 75 pound units has been offerred for retirement at the Effective Retirement Payment per quota unit of $20.00 Offer # Feb0116 for 12,416 units

Retire without leaving your values behind.

It’s RRSP Season. We’d love to share our thoughts on your retirement plans.

Bids must be for the total number of quota units offered.

No bid for quota units of less than 6,000 units can be processed unless the bidder already has annual quota of that type.

Deadline for submiting bids is March 31, 2016 by 4:00 pm.

1 800 728.6440 | scu.mb.ca

2100 McGillivray and 1575 Lagimodiere, Winnipeg, 333 Main Street, Steinbach

For further information regarding Bid submissions and/or eligibility requirement details, please contact: Ron Hemmersbach, Vice President Finance Phone 1.204.633.5636 email RonH@PeakMarket.com

33

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

CN challenges revenue entitlement rules The railway says some west-bound grain doesn’t go to port and shouldn’t be included

By Alex Binkley Co-operator contributor

T

he Canadian Transportation Agency has asked the grain industry for reaction to a proposal by Canadian National to exempt various Vancouver destinations from federal limits on freight rates.

The issue flows from a CTA ruling in December that both CN and CP exceeded the maximum revenue they’re entitled to earn annually hauling grain to terminals in Port Metro Vancouver from across the Prairies.

“We have no comment at this time,” said Wade Sobkowich, executivedirector of the Western Grain Elevators Association. Farm groups didn’t offer any comment on the issue. They have until Feb. 29 to comment on it to the CTA. CN’s contention is that some of the grain it transports goes to facilities in the Vancouver area that reload the grain into export containers or is handed off to the

Swan River meeting calls for return of CWB About 50 farmers supported the resolution

Southern Railway of British Columbia for delivery to terminals. In a highly technical presentation to the agency, CN said none of these sites should qualify “as a port in British Columbia” where grain is delivered by rail under the federal revenue rules for shipment by a vessel to overseas destination.

There was no determination of how much of CN’s annual west-bound grain traffic could be affected by the case.

CN said in an email that the existing arrangement “unintentionally discriminates against container-based supply chains that inherently offer greater flexibility yet are higher cost than bulk shipping. This stifles development and growth of innovative, value-added supply chain alternatives that essentially did not exist when the revenue limit started, such as containers with lentils and other special crops source loaded in Saskatchewan.”

As well, the railway added that it “is a structural impediment precluding railways and the western grain industry from responding more effectively to

market and competitive forces. It discourages railways from increasing resources and assets to meet seasonal demand peaking and investing in surge capacity for unexpected peaks.”

CN urged the review of the revenue limits “to remove constraints to appropriate pricing so as to encourage growth and innovation for western grain.”

CN lists sites in Surrey including Thornton Yard, the Vancouver Intermodal Terminal, Global Agriculture Transloading and the Parrish and Heimbecker Cloverdale Inland Terminal as among the delivery points that shouldn’t be covered by the revenue rules.

That’s because grain can’t be loaded directly from them onto a ship. “These facilities store, transfer or transload grain arriving by rail for subsequent carriage by truck over a road.” CN contends the Southern Railway shouldn’t be included in the federal program just as the movement of grain to the Port of Churchill by a provincially regulated railway is excluded from the federal limits.

I M P O R T A N T

CTA said other traffic than that identified by CN could be affected if the railway’s contention was upheld.

The revenue entitlement program has been in existence for 14 years without being challenged on these grounds by CN or CP. The agency said it had always considered grain moving to Vancouver as being classified under the revenue entitlement program unless it was intended for domestic consumption or shipment to the United States.

When the revenue program began, some in the grain industry questioned the agency on whether a claim like CN has made would be possible. At the time, it said it “would deal with any future situations that arose if necessary.” The Southern Railway was not considered an issue.

Transloading facilities tend to be located away from the congested areas along the waterfront and the containers moved by road to a terminal that handles container ships.

N O T I C E

Grain producers: Important changes to wheat classes and variety designations

Staff

A

group of Manitoba and Saskatchewan farmers wants the Canadian W h e a t Bo a rd a n d i t s s i n gle-desk marketing system reinstated.

Organizers of a meeting Feb. 10 in Swan River say 50 farmers attended and unanimously passed a resolution calling for a return to orderly marketing and co-ordinated grain transportation logistics.

The resolution says loss of the board has resulted in an increasingly dysfunctional rail system with no grain logistics oversight, lost transportation efficiency, reduced grain quality guarantees to customers and an overall loss of $6.5 billion to farmers’ income over two years. It also cites a loss of jobs across Canada due to the demise of the board.

“The fact a farm meeting of this size could unanim o u s l y p a s s t h i s re s o l u tion is a strong indication to Ottawa that farmers are now feeling the loss of the CWB in their pocketbooks,” Kyle Korneychuk, spokesperson for the Canadian Wheat Board Alliance said in a release.

Manitoba Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development Ron Kostyshyn spoke at the meeting, along with Swan River grain farmer Ken Sigurdson, and Korneychuk, who was formerly a farmer-elected director of the CWB. The CWB lost its monopoly Aug. 1, 2012. Its remaining assets were transferred to G3, a consortium of Bunge and an investment company owned by the Saudi government in 2014.

AS OF AUGUST 1, 2016 • Two new wheat classes will come into effect: Canada Northern Hard Red and Canada Western Special Purpose.

• Three wheat classes will be eliminated: Canada Western Interim Wheat, Canada Western General Purpose, and Canada Western Feed.

AS OF AUGUST 1, 2016 Canada Western Interim Wheat varieties move to Canada Northern Hard Red class Faller Prosper Elgin ND Canada Western General Purpose varieties move to Canada Western Special Purpose class AAC Proclaim CDC Falcon CDC Raptor SY087 AAC Innova CDC Harrier Minnedosa Sunrise AAC NRG097 CDC Kestrel NRG010 Swainson Accipiter CDC NRG003 Pasteur WFT 603 Broadview CDC Primepurple Peregrine CDC Clair CDC Ptarmigan Pintail AS OF AUGUST 1, 2018 Canada Western Red Spring varieties move to Canada Northern Hard Red class AC Abbey Alikat Katepwa Pembina AC Cora CDC Makwa Leader Thatcher AC Eatonia CDC Osler Lillian Unity AC Majestic Columbus McKenzie 5603HR AC Michael Conway Neepawa AC Minto Harvest Park Alvena Kane Pasqua Canada Prairie Spring Red varieties move to Canada Northern Hard Red class AC Foremost AC Taber Conquer Oslo

1-800-853-6705 or 204-984-0506 TTY: 1-866-317-4289 www.grainscanada.gc.ca

34

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

Greek farmers clash with police in pension protest

prime real estate

Farmers from all over Greece arrive in Athens to protest unpopular pension reforms

BY LEFTERIS PAPADIMAS AND ALKIS KONSTANTINIDIS Athens/Reuters

A

ngry Greek farmers protesting against pension reform plans clashed with riot police in Athens on Feb. 12, in their first big demonstration in the capital after weeks of road blockades around the country.

Under the pension reform plan demanded by Greece’s foreign lenders, farmers face a tripling of their social security contributions and higher income tax.

After blockading motorways and border crossings for over three weeks, thousands of farmers from all over the country arrived in Athens in buses and tractors for an evening rally outside parliament, testing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’s resolve to push through the unpopular measures.

“We live on loans, this reform will destroy us,” said olive oil producer Manolis Niolakis, a 50-year-old father of four. “We won’t back down, there is no way. If we do, we’ll starve.”

Some farmers started setting up tents on Syntagma Square, the scene of violent clashes during anti-austerity protests in recent years. Hundreds of Greeks camped out in the square for weeks in 2011, the year after Athens signed up to its first bailout.

Earlier, about 800 protesting farmers from the island of Crete rallied outside the Agriculture Ministry waving Greek flags and chanting: “They won’t make us bend!”

Police in riot gear guarded the entrance to the ministry and fired tear gas to disperse the protesters who hurled tomatoes, eggplants and stones at the building, smashing windows and using shepherds’ crooks to repel police during the scuffles.

Hundreds of farmers chased police through the streets.

Elsewhere, protesters smashed the windows of a police car and damaged road barriers.

Citizen Protection Minister Nikos Toskas expressed his dissatisfaction at the violence.

“This is not how social battles should be fought. This is not the right way of expression,” he told state TV when asked to comment on the clashes.

Deadlock The pension reform has triggered anger among professional groups including lawyers and doctors.

The government says the reform is necessary to ensure future pensions for the farmers, whose benefits have so far been almost completely subsidized by the debt-ridden state.

Tsipras, who was elected last year promising to end austerity but was then forced to accept

a third bailout in July, is struggling to conclude a bailout review with lenders and convince angry Greeks that after six years of belt tightening their sacrifices will pay off.

His task is not made any easier by the fact that his government has only a tiny majority in Parliament.

Earlier in the week, Tsipras said he was willing to hold talks with the farmers on possibly amending the pension reform bill to lessen the pain, but they rebuffed his overtures.

The EU and the International Monetar y Fund are not expected to back down on their demands that Athens cut pension spending by one per cent of gross domestic product this year. The IMF said Greece will need to take extra measures worth about nine billion euros (C$14.2 billion) to meet its fiscal targets by 2018.

“We cannot see how Greece can do so without major savings on pensions,” said IMF’s director for Europe, Poul Thomsen.

After a meeting of euro zone finance ministers in Brussels, G e r m a n Fi n a n c e Mi n i s t e r Wolfgang Schaeuble said that pension reforms remained a major sticking point in talks with Athens.

The Greek economy contracted in the last three months of 2015 as fiscal austerity and capital controls continued to weigh on investment and consumer spending.

This sign is on the BlueMoon ski trail near Roseisle.

news

Australia to allow cultivation of medical cannabis

BY COLIN PACKHAM Sydney/Reuters

Wielding shepherds’ crooks, farmers from Crete clash with police during a protest against planned pension reforms outside the Agriculture Ministry in Athens, Greece on Feb. 12. Photo: Reuters/Alkis Konstantinidis

Photo: laura rance

Australia is expected to legalize the cultivation of cannabis for medical or scientific purposes with a bill introduced to parliament on Feb. 10 — the first step toward doctors eventually prescribing it to patients with chronic pain.

The bill will see Australia create a national licensing and permit scheme to supply medical cannabis to patients with painful and chronic conditions on clinical trials.

Several Australian states have committed to starting trials for the cultivation of cannabis for medical and research purposes but current laws forbid the growing of the plant.

As a result Australian manufacturers, researchers

! ay d. tod ite ter lim gis is Re ting a Se

Great conference! Very inspiring and all that I learnt can be used in my profession and in my personal life. – Diane M., Selkirk, Manitoba, AWC Delegate

and patients on clinical trials have been forced to access international supplies of legal medicinal marijuana.

“Allowing controlled cultivation locally will provide the critical missing piece for a sustainable legal supply of safe medicinal cannabis products for Australian patients in the future,” said Australia’s Health Minister Sussan Ley. Although the legislation would aid supply to researchers and patients on clinical trials, access to cannabis will not be allowed for other patients and the general public.

Australia is set to decide by the end of March as to whether to lower the criteria on how it allows the use of cannabis for medical purposes.

Should the government decide to treat cannabis similar to opium, patients dealing with chronic pain could be prescribed the drug.

LISTEN, LEARN, NETWORK & GROW ~ HYATT REGENCY CALGARY, MARCH 28 & 29, 2016 Open your mind to the endless possibilities. Prepare to be inspired. Acquire the life skills you need to reach your goals.

This conference could be life-changing. Register today! Visit advancingwomenconference.ca or phone 403-686-8407.

Advancing Women Conference WEST 2016 / Manitoba Cooperator / 10.25” x 3”

35

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

Bunge shares sink as CEO predicts difficult year The agri-food giant plans to bank on profits from its South American operations

BY TOM POLANSEK Chicago/Reuters

B

unge Ltd. expects a challenging year in 2016 due to slumping U.S. farm exports and p ro c e s s i n g m a rg i n s, C E O So re n Schroder said on Feb. 11, as the global grain trader reported a lowerthan-expected quarterly profit.

Bunge came under pressure after the company joined Archer Daniels Midland and Cargill in detailing the pain from sluggish U.S. exports.

Both rivals recently reported weak results.

Demand for U.S. grain has declined as strength in the U.S. dollar and massive global supplies have increased competition for business from South America and other parts of the world. U.S. farmers have put crops into storage, rather than selling them to trading houses, as they wait for prices to recover from low levels.

“… oilseed-processing margins and grain exports will be pressured until markets adjust to the increased level of global supplies.”

Soren Schroder CEO, Bunge

The United States “is a big challenge for the next couple of quarters,” Schroder told analysts on a conference call.

Instead, Bunge will be banking on profits from exports and processing operations in South America to benefit the company.

Bunge is a major player in Brazil and Argentina, which increased grain shipments after new President Mauricio Macri eliminated taxes on corn, wheat and soy exports.

“Northern Hemisphere oilseedprocessing margins and grain exports will be pressured until mar-

kets adjust to the increased level of global supplies,” Schroder said.

Hi s t o r i c a l l y, l a rg e c ro p s h a ve benefited agricultural traders and processors by providing more grain for them to transport, store and sell.

However, Bunge said slow selling by farmers and the weak export demand hurt its U.S. operations.

Agribusiness, the company’s largest unit, will probably “start the year slow,” with results weighted toward the second half of the year, said Drew Burke, chief financial officer.

The company’s Canadian operations include several oilseed-crush-

ing and -refining plants and its 50 per cent stake in Prairie grain handler G3 Canada.

Fourth-quarter net income available to shareholders was $188 million, or $1.30 per share, compared with a year-earlier loss of $62 million, or 43 cents per share.

Excluding discontinued operations and other charges, earnings rose to $1.49 per share from $1.12. Analysts on average expected $1.56, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Revenue dropped to $11.13 billion from $13.23 billion.

The previous week, ADM reported a lower quarterly profit and cautioned that tough market conditions could persist in the year ahead.

Cargill last month said earnings and revenue were down for the quarter ended Nov. 30.

Bunge’s stock price was down 36 per cent from a year ago prior to Thursday’s slide. ADM shares had lost 30 per cent over that same period.

Canada to sign Pacific trade pact Whether the 12 Trans-Pacific partners ratify the deal is still up in the air

BY DAVID LJUNGGREN Ottawa/Reuters

C

anada’s new Liberal government will take the “technical step” of signing a 12-nation trade deal next week but has not yet decided whether to formally ratify the agreement, Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland said Jan. 25.

Canada is one of 12 nations that initialled the Trans-Pacific Partnership ( TPP) in early October after years of talks, agreeing in principle to create a trade zone covering 40 per cent of the world’s economy.

The TPP was negotiated by the former Conservative government and the Liberals, under pressure from labour unions fretting about possible job losses, have launched wide-ranging public consultations.

Freeland said in an open letter that for the consultations to continue, Canada needed to stay at the table.

“That means when the 11 other countries convene to sign the agreement next week, Canada will attend as well,” she said.

“Signing does not equal ratifying… (it) is simply a technical step,” she added.

Once all 12 nations have signed, each will then have two years to ratify the deal.

Reuters revealed last month that Canada was most likely to sign the deal but would hold off on ratification until it could judge whether resistance in the U.S. Congress was likely to kill the agreement.

Freeland indicated the process of consultations, including a debate in Parliament and examination by a formal committee, would continue for months.

“Just as it is too soon to endorse TPP, it is also too soon to close the door,” she said in the letter.

There’s no need to look further than DuPont Pioneer for corn hybrids with more corn maturity options – like NEW early day corn with Optimum® AcreMax® technology for above ground insect protection that’ll help you get the most from your corn crop. Talk to your local Pioneer Hi-Bred sales representative today or find us at www.pioneer.com and on Twitter @PioneerWCanada.

P7632AM™

2225 heat units

P7958AM™

2275 heat units

Pioneer® brand products are provided subject to the terms and conditions of purchase which are part of the labeling and purchase documents.

Roundup Ready®, YieldGuard and the YieldGuard Corn Borer design are registered trademarks used under license from Monsanto Company. Liberty Link® and the Water Droplet Design are trademarks of Bayer. Herculex® I insect protection technology by Dow AgroSciences and Pioneer Hi-Bred. Herculex® and the HX logo are trademarks of Dow AgroSciences LLC. ®, SM, TM Trademarks and service marks of DuPont, Pioneer or their respective owners. © 2016, PHII.

1044 Pioneer CORN ad_BELIEVE_ManCoop.indd 1

2/9/16 3:40 PM

36

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

Chipotle shuts for staff food safety meeting The chain’s sales have dropped about 30 per cent since November

BY SIDDHARTH CAVALE AND SUBRAT PATNAIK Reuters

U

.S. burrito chain Chipotle Mexican Grill shut its stores for four hours on Feb. 8 to hold a nationwide staff meeting, where CEO Steve Ells apologized for E. coli a n d n o rov i r u s o u t b re a k s and laid out the company’s re c e n t l y d e v e l o p e d f o o d safety program.

Chipotle also said it would spend about US$10 million to help local suppliers adhere to the company’s new safety measures.

The popular burrito chain had already told investors in December about its plans to increase testing of ingredients and centralize some processing of food.

The meeting, excerpts of

which were broadcast over Twitter’s live-streaming app Periscope and in tweets, was hosted by Ells and co-CEO Montgomery Moran.

The company said more than 50,000 employees tuned in via satellite in more than 400 viewing locations, including theatres.

Ells said he was deeply sorry that some people became ill after eating at Chipotle. “Committed to make sure it won’t happen again,” Ells said at the meeti n g , a c c o rd i n g t o t we e t s from the company’s official Twitter handle.

Chipotle’s shares have lost nearly a third of their value and sales have plunged about 30 per cent since November, when the first reports of E. coli sickness linked to the chain emerged.

The E. coli outbreak, which the U.S. Centers

Chipotle also said it would spend about US$10 million to help local suppliers adhere to the company’s new safety measures.

f o r D i s e a s e Co n t r o l a n d Prevention said on Feb. 1 appeared to be over, started in October last year and sickened more than 50 people in 14 states.

The company announced a slew of new food safety m e a s u r e s i n D e c e m b e r, which involved preparing bell peppers, tomatoes and lettuce in a central kitchen instead of its individual restaurant kitchens.

The company also said it would blanch avocados, onions and jalapenos, before they were used.

Company executives on Feb. 8 outlined the same food safety measures.

Ells said the food safety changes would not compromise taste or its commitment to “food with integrity,” a policy that focuses on using organic produce and antibiotic-free meats when those ingredients are available.

The previous week, the chain reported its first decline in quarterly samestore sales as a public company, hurt by a sharp drop in customer visits due to the outbreaks.

The company also said earlier this month it was the subject of a national criminal investigation, related to an outbreak.

We all share the same table.

Pull up a chair.

THE REAL STORY OF AG

“We take pride in knowing we would feel safe consuming any of the crops we sell.

If we would not use it ourselves, it does not go to market.”

– Katelyn Duncan, Saskatchewan

“The natural environment is critical to farmers – we depend on soil and water for the production of food. But we also live on our farms, so it’s essential that we act as responsible stewards.”

– Doug Chorney, Manitoba

“The welfare of my animals is one of my highest priorities. If I don’t give my cows a high quality of life, they won’t grow up to be great cows.”

– Andrew Campbell, Ontario

Safe food; animal welfare; sustainability; people care deeply about these things when they make food choices. And all of us in the agriculture industry care deeply about them too. But sometimes the general public doesn’t see it that way. Why? Because, for the most part, we’re not telling them our story and, too often, someone outside the industry is.

The journey from farm to table is a conversation we need to make sure we’re a part of. So let’s talk about it, together.

Visit AgMoreThanEver.ca to discover how you can help improve and create realistic perceptions of Canadian ag.

Agrium’s forecast disappoints Shares hit a one-year low, even as fourthquarter profit rises Reuters

C

anadian fertilizer and ag retailer Agrium has joined rival PotashCorp in forecasting a weaker-than-expected 2016 profit, as prices for crop nutrients remain weak.

Agrium’s Toronto-listed shares fell as much as 5.2 per cent on Feb. 9 to $110.89, its lowest in a year, as investors ignored a betterthan-expected quarterly profit.

The company, which sells seed, fertilizers and chemicals directly to farmers in North America, said it expects to earn $5.50-$7 per share in 2016, slightly below analysts’ average estimate of $7.01, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Potash prices have fallen sharply over the past year, under pressure from bloated capacity, soft grain prices and weak currencies in major consumers such as India and Brazil.

U.S. farmers are likely to increase total crop plantings in 2016, including one million to three million more acres of corn, a crop that is fertilizer intensive, Agrium said Feb. 9. However, challenging macroeconomic conditions and weak crop prices pose risks for the year ahead, the company added.

Rival PotashCorp last month forecast lower-than-expected profit for the year and slashed its dividend, due to tanking fertilizer prices.

Calgary-based Agrium could be the only major fertilizer company to beat expectations for the fourth quarter, and the outlook shouldn’t be surprising given recent commodity prices and PotashCorp’s forecast, BMO analyst Joel Jackson wrote in a note.

Agrium’s fourth-quarter profit from continuing operations nearly tripled to $200 million, or $1.45 per share, helped by a multiyear cost-cutting program and rising production at its expanded potash mine at Vanscoy, Sask., southwest of Saskatoon.

The producer of nitrogen, potash and phosphate fertilizers said its sales volumes rose in the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, but weaker prices dragged down total sales.

Sales fell 11 per cent to $2.41 billion, missing analysts’ estimate of $2.85 billion.

Excluding items, profit was $1.52 per share, above analysts’ average estimate of $1.38.

FARMING IS ENOUGH OF A GAMBLE...

Advertise in the Manitoba Co-operator Classifieds, it’s a Sure Thing!

1-800-782-0794

37

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

Mosaic looks for bargain buys in fertilizer slump Low grain prices and weakened currencies have weighed on fertilizer prices

BY KANIKA SIKKA AND ROD NICKEL Reuters

U

.S. fertilizer company Mosaic Co., grappling with falling prices and profits, is looking for acquisitions that could be bargain priced in a weak commodity sector.

The world’s largest producer of finished phosphate products on Feb. 11 forecast lower selling prices for potash and phosphate in the current quarter. The Plymouth, Minn.-based company also reported fourth-quarter profit that fell less than expected, and announced a $75-million share repurchase program (all figures US$).

CEO Joc O’Rourke said the company is interested in acquisitions related to either potash or phosphate, but would weigh any opportunities against the benefits of further repurchases of its stock, which has fallen about 50 per cent over the past year.

“The down parts of the (commodity) cycle do present

While it expects potash prices to continue tumbling, Mosaic Co. is continuing its mine expansion work at Esterhazy in southeastern Saskatchewan, to help cut production costs and cut out risk from brine inflow. photo: Greg Berg

opportunities,” chief financial officer Rich Mack said on a call with analysts. “If there is something that is extraordinarily compelling, it’s something that we could act on.”

Fertilizer producers’ profits have been hit by falling prices, largely due to weak

currencies in countries such as Brazil and low grain prices.

Falling currency values against the U.S. dollar have lowered production costs 17 per cent in Canada, where Mo s a i c ’s l a r g e s t p o t a s h mines are located, but the savings amount to 41 per

cent in Belarus, where potash rival Belaruskali operates, Mosaic said.

It expects phosphate prices to fall as much as 14.6 per cent to $350 per tonne in the current quarter and potash prices to fall as much as 21 per cent.

Mo s a i c f o re c a s t g l o b a l phosphate shipments in 2016 of 65 million to 67 million tonnes, up from 64.4 million last year, according to BMO Nesbitt Burns. Potash shipments look slightly lower this year at 58 million to 60 million tonnes, down from 60.7 million in 2015.

The company said the previous week it would cut output of phosphates by up to 400,000 tonnes in the first quarter, due to weak demand.

Mosaic also noted Feb. 11 its potash mine expansion work near Esterhazy, Sask., about 90 km southeast of Yorkton, is still on time and on budget for commissioning next year.

The expansion, at the company’s K3 site, is expected to “further reduce the comp a n y ’s o n g o i n g c o s t s o f production.”

Fourth-quarter net earnings fell to $155 million, or 44 cents per share, in the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, from $360.7 million, or 97 cents per share, a year earlier.

Net sales fell nine per cent to $2.16 billion.

savings that stack up

CASH IN WITH TRELLEBORG - February 1 - May 31, 2016 Eligible Products: *Select Trelleborg radial tires in following range TM1000HP, TM3000, TM900HP, TM800, TM800HS, TM700, TM700HS, TM600, TM150, TM2000, TWIN RADIAL & selected TM100 sizes

Rebate Amount: $125.00 per tire above 30" $50.00 per tire of 30" and smaller (max 8 tires in total).

Rebate Details: Applicable to end user Farmers only. Rebate will be redeemed by Trelleborg Wheel Systems in the form of a cheque after the necessary information is provided. Rebate vouchers will be supplied.

Great deals also available on:

Ask us about Firestone Agriculture Application Tracks! * Contact or visit your local OK Tire for more details. Valid for Canada Only.

38

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

ARBORG

CRYSTAL CITY

KILLARNEY

NEEPAWA

BRANDON

HARTNEY

MOOSOMIN

PORTAGE

(204) 376-5600 (204) 728-2244 ‘14 NEW HOLLAND T9.435

268,000

$

H1394B

HARTNEY

‘13 CASE IH STX450

R1145B

282,900

$

STE. ROSE

877 hrs, 800/38 Goodyear, 4 Elect Remotes, High CapBar Diff Lock Front/Back, Lights 3 HID

800hrs, 450HP, PTO 1000, Lights 4 HID, AutoGuidance, 650/85R38 Duals

‘11 NEW HOLLAND C238

‘06 AGCHM 1074

(204) 873-2480 (204) 858-2000

49,950

$

WINNIPEG

3568 hrs, 90HP, EH Controls, 2 Speed, Cab with Heat, 17.7” tracks

‘09 APACHE AS1010

(306) 435-3610

(204) 476-236

(204) 857-871

‘14 NEW HOLLAND T8.330

B3095B

197,900

$

KILLARNEY

1588E, 284HP, 600/70R30 Front @45%, 710/70R30 @70% Rear, PTO 540/1000, Deluxe Cab

*For commercial use only. Offer subject to credit qualification and approval by CNH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd. See your New Holland dealer for be required. Offer good through March 31, 2016, at participating New Holland dealers in Canada. Offer subject to change. Taxes, freight, set-up, d trademark registered in the United States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or affiliates. CNH

ASK US ABOUT OUR MASSIVE HAYTOOLS BLOW TRACTORS 100-139HP ‘01 AG 8785, 8693 Eng hrs, Tires Rear 18.4-38 Duals, Front 380/85R28, Cab Air/Heat, 3PTH, 540/1000 PTO . . . . . . . $43,800 N

W3575B

(204) 523-4414

‘09 NH T8010, 5532 hrs, Tires W/ALO 870TL, 4th Hyd ‘11 NH T Outlet, PTO 540/1000, 175HO PTO, 3 PT Hitch . . . . . . . . . . . $125,700 ST 7 HID, Se ‘89 NH 9

TRACTORS 4WD

SELF

‘97 CIH MX110, 13745 hrs, 110HP, Powershift Trans, ‘05 CHLGR MT765, 3 Point Hitch, 4 Remotes, 18” Tracks, Loader, MFWD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $36,900 P 1000 PTO, 16 Speed Full Powershift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CALL SB ‘08 APAC $ K0714D 128,900 ‘98 CIH MX135, 11200 hrs, 2 Rear Remotes, 3 Point Hitch, Steer, Ti ‘04 CIH STX375HD, 5400 Eng hrs, 375HP, Tires ROBLIN L300 Non Self Levelling Loader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $32,900 ST 710/70R38, 4 Remotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CALL SB ‘10 APAC 2260 hrs, 100’ Boom, ‘11 JD 6430, 4993 Eng hrs, Tires 420/85R24, 460/85R38, 1100 Gal SS Tank ‘08 CIH 535, 2458 hrs, 535HP, 529/85R46 Triples . . . . . . . . $229,900 SW Boom, A 3 Remotes, HID Lights, PTO 540/1000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $98,890 SB ‘10 CIH 4 ‘09 CIH 535, 3438 Eng hrs, 535HP, PTO 1000, Tires Gal Stain ‘14 NH T7.170, 2090 Eng hrs, Full Powershift Transmis800/70R38 Duals, 4 HID Lights, Hyd Outlet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $235,900 R sion, Front 16.9R28 R1W-F1, Rear 20.8R38 R1W MI-TR . . . . $134,900 SL ‘11 CIH 4 ‘05 JOHN DEERE ‘09 CIH 435, 2914 Eng hrs, 435HP, 1000 PTO, 3 HID Lights . . $208,900 R 650/65R ‘13 NH T6.165, 1638 Eng hrs, Tires 16.9R28 Front Tires 4920 20.8R38 with Cast Wheels, 3 Mech Hyd Outlets . . . . . . . . . . $105,900 ST ‘13 CIH 550Q ,1755 hrs, 550HP, 10 HID Lights, 1000 PTO, ‘10 JD 48 6 Hyd Outlets, AutoGuidance Nav Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . $384,000 H Cab, Sec ‘10 NH T6050, 6381 hrs, 105HP, Front 11x16, Rear 18.4R38, Trans 16/16 AutoShift, 3rd Hyd Outlet . . . . . . . . . . . $68,200 B ‘13 CIH 550Q, 1985 hrs, 550HP, 10 HID Lights 1000 PTO, 6 ‘12 NH S Hyd Outlets, AutoGuidance Nav Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $380,000 H Auxillary ‘92 CIH 9270, 8852 Eng hrs, Tires 650/75R32 Duals, 4 ‘12 JD 49 Remotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $51,700 N ‘87 ME 2 ‘06 NH TG210, 4049 Eng hrs, Rear 320/70R42, 4th Hyd $ K0711C 122,900 Outlet, 4 Remotes, W/Q85 Loader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $106,700 B ‘14 NH T9.435, 793 Eng hrs, 710/70R42 168B R-1W FI Boom, C KILLARNEY ‘11 CIH PUMA 155, 2986 hrs, 135HP, 3 Electro Hyd OutFirestone Radial, 4 Electric Remotes, Deluxe Cab . . . . . . . . . $268,800 B ‘11 MILL 4939 hrs, 120’, GreenStar Auto lets, 98” Bar Axle, Cab Suspended High Visibility . . . . . . . . . $120,900 B ‘14 NH T9.450, 2164 Eng hrs, 710/70R42 168B R-1W FI Spacing Trac, Flotation Tires, 1200 Gal ‘95 CIH 7240, 7344 hrs, 195HP, 18 Front Weights w/ Firestone Radial, 4 Electric Remotes, Deluxe Cab . . . . . . . . . $256,900 B ‘12 NH S Stainless Steel Tank Bracket, 4 Hyd Remotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $61,900 SB ‘15 NH T9.435, 500 Eng hrs, 370HP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CALL B Section ‘11 NH T8.275, 2777 hrs, Deluxe Seat, Front weights and SCOU ‘10 NEW HOLLAND bracket, Lights HID, 420/90R30 Front, 480/80R46 Rear . . . $146,900 SB ‘15 NH T9.435, 720 hrs, 370HP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CALL B ‘96 Nozzle B ‘15 NH T9.435, 535 Eng hrs, 370HP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CALL B P2070 ‘14 NH T8.330, 518 Eng hrs, 284HP, 480/70R34 Front, ‘94 TYLE ‘02 NH TJ450, 5587 Eng hrs, Good Year 710/70R42 Duals, 480/80R50 Rear, PTO 540/1000, 6th Hyd Outlet, Cab 12.4x38 Suspension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $193,900 H 55 GPM, Hyd Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $149,500 SW ‘14 NH T9.480, 1490 Eng hrs, 20.8-42 Triples, 18 Front ‘14 NH T8.330, 1711 hrs, 284HP, 600/70R30 Front @45%, 710/70R30 @70% Rear, PTO 540/1000, Deluxe Cab . . . . . . $197,900 CC Wts w/Brkt, Lights 3 HID, Hyd Flow 55 GPM, Cab Deluxe . . . . . . . CALL B ‘07 CIH D Hitch, H ‘14 NH T9.480, 1640 Eng hrs, 20.8-42 Triples, 18 Front ‘15 NH T8.380, 500 Eng hrs, 205HP, Rear 710/70R42, $ O0497B 163,900 Front 600/70R30, Trans 19/4 Powershift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $290,600 B Wts w/Brkt, Lights 3 HID, Hyd Flow 55 GPM, Cab Deluxe . . . . . . . CALL B ‘09 CIH D HARTNEY ‘15 NH T8.380, 1472 Eng hrs, 205HP, Rear 710/70R42, ‘10 CIH D ‘08 NH T9050, 2185 Eng hrs, 485HP, Tires 800/70R38 Du60’, 12” Spacing, Precision Knife Front 600/70R30, Trans 19/4 Powershift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $285,500 B als, 3 HID lights, Hyd Flow, 55 GPM, IntelliSteer . . . . . . . . $210,000 SW ‘11 MF 1 Package, Electronic Hydraulic ‘09 NH T9050, 2168 Eng hrs, Tires 710/70R42 Duals, 3 ‘13 NH H ‘15 NH T8.380, 1314 Eng hrs, Rear 710/70R42, Front Controls, High Flotation Tires 600/70R30 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $292,000 B HID Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $220,500 SB Drawbar

TRACTORS 140+ HP

S0321B

138,900

$

SWAN RIVER

1550E, Raven Auto Boom Trimble, 250 Auto Boom, 1000 Gallon Tank

‘10 CASE IH 4420

DISC

R1199B

229,900

$

ROBLIN

2700 hrs, 120’ Boom, 650/65R38, Nav II controller, Active Hyd Suspension

‘01 MILLER 200HT

M0375B

76,900

$

MOOSOMIN

2633E, 90’ Boom

‘09 FLEXICOIL 5000HD

O1267B

108,900

$

STEINBACH

w/2004 NH Air Cart, Rubber Packers, Dual Front Casters

‘08 AGCHM 1286C

M0398B

173,000

$

MOOSOMIN

120’x20’ Boom, Autoboom Wheels, Dual Tires 380/90R46, Raven Smartrax

‘11 NEW HOLLAND SP.240F

00617B

232,900

$

HARTNEY

1186, 100/60’, 1000 Gal Stainless Steel, Auxiliary Lighting

‘13 NEW HOLLAND TV6070

01210B

119,900

$

STEINBACH

1983E, 105HP, Diff Lock Cab & Engine End, 84 LB Loader, Bucket with Custom Grapple

‘13 CASE IH STX450

R1144B

‘12 NEW HOLLA SP.365F

292,900

$

ROBLIN

862hrs, 450HP, PTO 1000, Lights 4 HID, AutoGuidance, 650/85R38 Duals

S0423B

351

$

SWA

530E, 320/90R50 161 A8 1600 Gal Stainless Steel

39

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

WA

ROBLIN

STE. ROSE

SWAN RIVER

GE

SHOAL LAKE

STEINBACH

WINNIPEG

476-2364

857-8711

(204) 937-2134 (204) 759-2126

(204) 447-2739 (204) 326-9834

like us on

(204) 734-9361 (204) 253-2900

SEE FULL LISTING ON OUR WEBSITE

mazergroup.ca

‘02 NEW HOLLAND TJ450

S0488D

ew Holland dealer for details and eligibility requirements. CNH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd. standard terms and conditions will apply. Depending on model, a down payment may axes, freight, set-up, delivery, additional options or attachments not included in price. © 2016 CNH Industrial Capital America LLC. All rights reserved. New Holland Agriculture is a ries or affiliates. CNH Industrial Capital is a trademark in the United States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or affiliates.

149,500

$

SWAN RIVER

5587E, Good Year 710/70R42 Duals, 55 GPM, Hyd Flow

BLOWOUT! SPECIAL CASH PRICING AVAILABLE!

‘09 NH H7560 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $25,700 SB ‘11 NH T9060HD, 2409 hrs, 429HP, 5 Hyd Outlets, Lights 0 ST 7 HID, Seat Auto Comfort Suspension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $315,000 B ‘13 NH 1431 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $14,500 SB ‘89 NH 976, 7500 hrs, Trans 12 Speed Powershift . . . . . . . . . . $64,900 B

DRILLS

SELF-PROPELLED SPRAYERS

L SB ‘08 APACHE AS1010, 1267 hrs, Outback Guidance and Steer, Tires 20.8R42 380 80R38, 2 sets of rear tires . . . . . . . $159,100 SL L SB ‘10 APACHE AS1010, 1281 Eng hrs, 100’ Booms, Auto 0 SW Boom, Auto Height, Auto Steer, Tires 390/80R46 . . . . . . . . $155,875 SL ‘10 CIH 4420, 1204 Eng hrs, 120’, Tires 650/65R38, 1200 Gal Stainless Steel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $246,700 B 00 R ‘11 CIH 4420, 1480 Eng hrs, 120’ Boom 20-30’, Tires 00 R 650/65R38 Extra Wheels, AccuGuide Nav 11 Controller . . . . $261,450 M ‘10 JD 4830, 2795 hrs, 320/90R50 Tires, Hyd Kit, Deluxe 00 H Cab, Section Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $187,900 ST ‘12 NH SP.275F, 2425 Eng hrs, 120’ Boom, 1400 Gal Tank, 00 H Auxillary Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $225,750 M ‘12 JD 4940, 1168 hrs, AutoTrac Activation SF1 Boom Trac . $308,900 H 00 N ‘87 ME 220, Three Wheel Coupe, 200 Gallon Tank, 60’ Boom, Cab, Foam Marker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $11,812 M 00 B ‘11 MILLR 4275, 1758 Eng hrs, 120’ Boom, 15” Nozzle Spacing w/3 Way Bodies, 1600 Gal Stainless Steel Tank . $228,900 SW 00 B ‘12 NH SP.365F, 997 hrs, 120’ Boom, 380/90R50 Tires, 10 LL B Section Control Kit, 1600 Gal Stailness Steel Tank . . . . . . . $293,000 CC LL B ‘96 SCOUP 3630, 90’ Booms, Raven Rate Control, Triple Nozzle Bodies, 400 Gal Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $33,600 M LL B ‘94 TYLER PATRIOTXL, 4553 hrs, 75’ Boom, 750 Gal Tank, 12.4x38 Tires, Triple Nozzle Bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$38,900 SW 0 SW

DISC MOWER CONDITIONER

LL B ‘07 CIH DCX131, 2500 hrs, Tires 31x13.5, 2 PT Swivel Hitch, High Stubble Kit, Rubber Rolls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $23,000 N LL B ‘09 CIH DC162 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $27,900 SB ‘10 CIH DC162, 15’7” Disc Mower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $28,900 SB 0 SW ‘11 MF 1375 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $30,900 P ‘13 NH H7560, High Stubble Kit, Flail Rotor Conditioner, 0 SB Drawbar Swivel Hitch, 1000 PTO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $30,900 H

EW HOLLAND SP.365F

‘11 NEW HOLLAND L220

01226B

104,900

$

STEINBACH

‘04 NEW HOLLAND SD440 Dual Front Casters, TBH Tank w/Double Shoot

‘08 BO 3310-65, 65’, 10” Spacing, 4.8” Semi-Pneumatic Packers, Triple Shoot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $180,900 R ‘11 BO 3310 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $138,600 M ‘04 CC ATX 6012, 3 Bar Harrows and Packers, 12” Spacing, Double Shoot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $49,500 SL ‘10 CIH 800, 50’ Precision Drill, 10” Spacing, Includes Side Band Spread Boots plus 3/4” Single Shoot Boots . . . . $130,900 K ‘02 BO 5710, 54’, 10” Spacing, 330 Trip, 3” Rubber Packers, Single Shoot, Air Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$74,900 SW ‘07 FC SD550, 60’ w/10’ Spacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$75,900 SW ‘09 CIH ATX700, 60’, 10” Spacing, Single Shoot w/Liquid Kit $138,900 R ‘95 FC 5000, 33’, 9” Spacing, Steel Packers, Morris 6180 Cart $23,800 P ‘05 JD 1820, 60’, 10” Spacing, 250 Bushel Cart, Double Shoot w/4’ Paired Row Dutch, 4” Rubber Press . . . . . . . . . . . $82,500 B ‘9 NH P2050, 57’, 9” Spacing, 55lb Trips, Dual Front Casters, Single Shoot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $148,500 P ‘98 JD 1820, 61’, 7.5” Spacing, Rubber Packers, 31x13.5 Flotation Tires, 2 Bar Harrows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $72,900 P ‘00 MR MAXIM 39’, 10” Spacing, Steel Packers, Liquid Kit, Single Shoot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $39,900 H ‘07 NH SD550, 70’, 550lb Trips, 6.5” Concord Packer System, Single Shoot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $156,900 K

P0792B

213,900

$

PORTAGE

‘14 NEW HOLLAND P2050

57’, 10” Spacing, 4.5” Steel Press Wheels, Dual Wing Castors, HD Tires

‘10 SEMST SXG604, 60’ 12” 600BU on board, Cameras, Single Casters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $199,300 M ‘93 FC 5000HD, 45’, 7.2” Spacing, 3” Rubber Press Wheels, 3/4” Atom Jet Openers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $27,900 P ‘10 NH P2070, High Flotation Tires, NH Knife Openers, Light Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $116,900 SW ‘05 NH SD440, 39’, Single Shoot, 550lbs trips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $62,700 N ‘07 SEMST 50-10 4” Tires, 2000 gal SS Liquid Fert Tank on Frame, Smart Hitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $116,900 H

‘11 JOHN DEERE 4730

‘08 BOURGAULT 3310

‘14 NEW HOLLAND T9.600 H1141B

330,900

$

HARTNEY

351,900

$

SWAN RIVER

0/90R50 161 A8 Tires, Stainless Steel Tank

W3576B

34,545

$

WINNIPEG

927 hrs, Enclosed cab w/ heater, mechanical controls, 12x16.5 tires

R1240B

225,700

$

BRANDON

1172E, 100’, Tires 320R46 20.8 38, 800 Gal Poly Tank

S0553B

138,900

$

SWAN RIVER

55’, Precision Drill, 10” spacing, Double Shoot

H1407B

534,900

$

BRANDON

525E, 535HP, 36” Tracks, 10 HID Lights, 6 Hyd Outlets

‘11 NEW HOLLAND SP.365F 480 hrs, 1600 Gal Tank, Fence Line Spray Kit, Intellisteer Ready, Sharp Shooter

40

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

First La Niña since 2012 expected in coming months The phenomenon is often linked to a colder-than-usual winter on the Prairies

BY CHRIS PRENTICE New York/Reuters

E

ven as the El Niño weather phenomenon continues to impact global temperatures and crops, its counterpart La Niña is increasingly expected to emerge in the coming months for the first time in four years.

The return of La Niña, Spanish for “the girl” and characterized by unusually cold ocean temperatures, is possible later this year, the U.S. government forecaster said Feb. 11. It joined other forecasters in projecting La Niña could follow on the heels of one of the strongest El Niños on record.

We a t h e r m o d e l s i n d i c a t e L a Ni ñ a c o n d i tions, which tend to occur unpredictably every two to seven years, may emerge in the Northern Hemisphere fall, while El Niño — which means “the little boy” in Spanish — is expected to dissipate during the late spring or early summer, the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC) said in its monthly forecast.

The phenomenon can be less damaging than El Niño, but severe La Niñas are linked to floods, droughts and hurricanes.

Even though CPC is not on official watch for La Niña, the probability is trending toward one, said Michelle L’Heureux, a CPC climate scientist and El Niño/La Niña expert.

When La Niña last appeared from August 2011 to March 2012, it hurt corn and soybean crops in Argentina and Brazil, brought the worst drought in a century to Texas and increased the number of storms that threatened U.S. coastal regions, like Hurricane Irene.

According to Environment Canada, a La Niña winter is often linked to above-average precipitation in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec and colderthan-normal temperatures on the Prairies.

City officials in Pacifica, south of San Francisco, marked three apartment complexes as uninhabitable due to El Niño-related storm erosion, shown here on Jan. 26, eating away at the coastal bluff beneath them. Photo: Reuters/Noah Berger

Energy and agricultural commodities have been roiled by the current and much-watched El Niño, which involves a pattern of warmer ocean surface temperatures in the eastern and central Pacific every few years.

Over the last year, El Niño has parched fields in the Philippines and Indonesia, brought unseasonable rains to areas of South America, driven up global

food prices, and caused flash floods in Somalia that destroyed thousands of homes.

El Niño is likely to keep affecting temperature and precipitation patterns across the U.S. in the upcoming months, CPC said in its forecast.

“As we get into the spring, we’d still expect to see some influence. Folks need to keep their eyes on El Niño,” CPC’s L’Heureux said.

HOW CUSTOMERS USE CANADIAN FIELD CROPS

More peas please China is becoming a major importer of Canadian peas, thanks in large part to vermicelli noodles. Starch from mung beans was originally used to make these noodles but as that supply decreased, the search was on for a replacement. Starch from Canadian yellow peas is now commonly used as an ingredient in these noodles which are very popular in the Asian market.

cigi.ca

Canadian International Grains Institute

41

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

Agropur eyes further U.S. acquisitions Recent trade deals compel Canadian dairies to look for growth outside Canada

BY ROD NICKEL Reuters

C

anada’s second-biggest dair y, Agropur Co-operative, said it is looking to grow in the U.S., possibly through acquisitions, in the face of an expected erosion of its market share at home due to recent international trade deals.

Agropur, whose brands include Iogo yogurt and Oka cheese, and larger rival Saputo have already built U.S. businesses through acquisitions,

looking for profits outside Canada’s managed-supply system.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, signed this month, and Canada-European Union trade agreement provided extra incentive for dairies to seek growth outside Canada, which controls supplies and prices while slapping tariffs on most imports.

Dairies from Europe, New Zealand, the U.S. and other countries will gain access to 5.5 per cent more of the Canadian market once the deals are ratified and fully take effect.

For Quebec-based Agropur, which earned 44 per cent of its $5.9 billion in revenue last year from the U.S., the fragmented U.S. dairy industry looks inviting, CEO Robert Coallier said in an interview.

“Our focus should be to participate in the American consolidation of the dairy industry,” Coallier said, adding that buying opportunities are “substantial.”

Family-owned U.S. dairies are of particular interest because they may mesh well with Agropur’s culture, he said.

The U.S. is the second-largest consumer of cheese after

the European Union, and third-biggest fluid milk consumer, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Coallier would not say how much Agropur could pay for an acquisition, but said it has the means to ink a deal similar to its 2014 purchase of Davisco, a private U.S. dairy that had annual revenue of more than $1 billion.

That deal’s purchase price was never disclosed.

Agropur, which is owned by some 3,400 dairy farmers, raised $300 million in December from its institutional investors by issuing preferred shares.

Its eyeing of the U.S. market comes against the backdrop of slumping global dairy prices, which hit record highs in 2013 but recently plummeted due to slowing economic growth in China and an oversupply of milk products.

Agropur, however, is not likely to be alone in shopping the U.S. milk aisle.

Saputo’s 2013 acquisition of Morningstar, a division of Dean Foods, gave it a significant U.S. presence. The company, also based in Quebec, owns additional operations in Australia and Argentina.

T:10.25”

Quality meets quantity.

With two powerful actives, Prosaro provides long-lasting preventative and curative activity, resulting in superior protection against fusarium head blight, effective DON reduction and unmatched leaf disease control.

With Prosaro you’ll never have to settle for second best again.

cropscience.bayer.ca/Prosaro

1 888-283-6847

@Bayer4CropsCA

Always read and follow label directions. Prosaro® is a registered trademark of Bayer Global.

Bayer CropScience Inc. is a member of CropLife Canada.

BCS10499611_Prosaro_103.indd

C-50-01/16-10499611-E

T:11.4286”

In addition to providing an exceptional yield increase, Prosaro® fungicide protects the high quality of your cereals and helps ensure a better grade.

42

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

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

St. Norbert’s Farmers’ Market grows — in winter Customer demand is the main driver behind plans to expand to year-round operations

St. Norbert’s indoor winter farmers’ markets are test runs in preparation for expansion year round, say executive director Marilyn Firth and FMAM president Phil Veldhuis.

h e t e m p e ra t u re i s h ov e r i n g around -25 C outside, but shoppers at St. Norbert’s Farmers’ Market mill among its stalls like it’s a balmy Saturday in July.

They’re indoors, of course, visiting Manitoba’s largest farmers’ market’s winter market.

T h i s i s t h e s e c o n d w i n t e r St .

Norbert’s stayed open for biweekly Saturday markets after October, with about 30 vendors here to keep right on selling until April when the outdoors warms up again.

Most weeks they’re inside the Eagles Club, a community centre near the grounds of the summer market. It’s a tiny market compared to the summer, but with about 500 visitors through the doors most weeks, St. Norbert’s executive director Marilyn Firth says the crowd is growing as more learn St. Norbert’s is operating year round.

“We’re really happy with how things are going,” she said. “It’s really been a big increase in the number of people coming out.”

go by the time the snow flies in 2017, says Firth. With that in place, they’ll be ready to expand, with plenty of room for more vendors, she said.

“I c a n s e e u s h a v i n g a 6 0 - t o 70-member market on the new site,” she said.

St. Norbert’s plans to bring Winnipeg on par with other Prairie cities such as Calgary, Saskatoon and Edmonton where year-round permanent farmers’ markets have operated for years.

“Why we didn’t do it years ago... I guess we’re kicking ourselves about that now,” says Phil Veldhuis, chair of the Farmers Market Association of Manitoba and longtime executive member of the St. Norbert Market.

“It’s just taken time to figure out how to do it.”

Backers of St. Norbert’s have reason to be optimistic a winter market will grow from this small start. In recent years, the summer market season has as many as 120 vendors and upwards of 10,000 visitors on a single Saturday during peak season.

No one could have envisioned such a thing when St. Norbert’s Farmers’ Market got its start in 1988 with eight stalls.

Test runs

Strong potential

These past two winter markets have been test runs in preparation for the future as St. Norbert fundraises to erect a permanent year-round market housed under a canopied structure on its grounds. It should be ready to

The potential for a winter market is very strong, say Firth and Veldhuis.

Their vendors’ capacity for servicing a year-round market has improved year over year, with fresh produce growers gradually altering their cropping sys-

BY LORRAINE STEVENSON Co-operator staff

T

“I can see us having a 60- to 70-member market on the new site.”

Marilyn Firth

tems to include more root crops and adding on-farm storage to have product to sell year round. More growers have also begun to erect greenhouses to extend their fall and spring seasons.

This move to being open year round is purely customer driven, adds Firth.

“We’ve just found that the market season is too short,” she said, noting that many of their vendors were asked to keep up their customer deliveries after they closed in the fall.

The Farmers Market Association of Manitoba first looked into the prospect of a year-round market in Winnipeg a few years ago. The idea didn’t gain traction at the time, said Veldhuis, adding FMAM was busy trying to grow the existing markets around the province and didn’t have the capacity to take the idea further.

One of the biggest hurdles to operating a year-round market is having a site, and there’s never been one available in Winnipeg, Veldhuis said.

Other cities in Western Canada, B.C. and Eastern Canada have permanent year-round structures because build-

PHOTO: LORRAINE STEVENSON

ings were made available to them, due to outside investment from various levels of government. The Saskatoon Farmers’ Market, for example, rents its space inside a permanent home that is part of the city’s River Landing development in the downtown, a project developed with support by all three levels of government. Edmonton’s year-round City Market Downtown is housed in an atrium adjacent to Edmonton’s City Hall and has several corporate partnerships including Edmonton’s Downtown Business Association.

St. Norbert operates as a non-profit co-operative, and with no site available for year-round operations, has never had the working capital to erect a permanent structure on its own.

“The economics aren’t there to build a huge building. You either have to co-operate or find a building you can share with someone else. In Winnipeg, that opportunity just hasn’t come around in the right way.”

They’re confident this foray into year-round operations will be successful “in gradual steps,” he continued.

“We now have growers who are able to produce for it, either in greenhouse conditions, or with good storage to have the produce people are looking for. And the other thing that’s changing is food prices. It probably is now cheaper to produce it in a greenhouse here than it is to fly it from California.” lorraine@fbcpublishing.com

43

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

COUNTRY CROSSROADS

Prairie fare Have you ever eaten edamame?

By Julie Garden-Robinson Food and Nutrition Specialist NDSU Extension Service

“

W

hat is that?” my husband asked. I think I detected a note of disdain in his voice. I could almost see a thought bubble above his head with, “What is she trying now?”

I was putting the contents of a bag of steamed edamame in a bowl. Yes, they looked a little like fuzzy green pods with stems.

“These are immature soybeans, which I steamed in the microwave. You don’t eat the pods. You pop them out of the pods,” I said as I opened a pod to show three green soybeans.

He tried a soybean and gave a nod of approval. Edamame is high in fibre and protein. Edamame is available in various forms in some grocery stores, including shelled or unshelled, and frozen or fresh. Edamame may be boiled or steamed in less than 10 minutes.

When they gathered at the dinner table, my three children had similar initial “what is this?” reactions. However, they enjoyed the hands-on dinner project, especially because all the other foods were familiar. Whenever you introduce something new, pair it with favourite foods.

My older daughter was so impressed that she took a bowl of edamame to have as a snack while studying.

I had just returned from a conference.

During the conference, we were asked to experience something new with our teams, whether that was trying a new restaurant or going to a local attraction. Most of the groups chose to try some type of unusual food.

One group tried eating roasted beef bone marrow scooped out of the bones. They also feasted on octopus. In my less adventuresome group, people were eating raw fish. I ate a bit of sushi with raw salmon.

Being a food safety specialist, eating raw fish was a bit out of my comfort zone (way out of it, in fact). I figured the restaurant was still open, so their customers must be surviving.

We also had steamed edamame and tempura vegetables. I had tried edamame before, but after having some at the conference, I decided my family needed to try it, too, when I arrived home.

Soy foods have been used for more than 5,000 years, especially in Asia. Soy is used in a variety of food products, as well as nonfood products including shampoo, fuel and cosmetics.

Some food products containing soy protein may carry a health claim approved by the Food and Drug Administration: “25 grams of soy protein per day, as a part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease.”

On the other hand, some people are allergic to soy. Any product containing a soy ingredient must carry an allergen statement (“Contains Soy”) to let people with allergies know it is present.

How many soy foods can you name? Did you think of soy sauce and soybean oil? Soy sauce is widely used to flavour Asian foods.

Soybean oil can be used in cooking or baking. Soy milk may be used by those with intolerance or allergies to dairy.

Isolated soy protein is a common additive, and flavoured roasted soy nuts are sold as snack foods.

Tempeh and miso are other soy foods.

Tempeh is an Indonesian-derived food

that combines and ferments soybeans with grains such as rice. Tempeh adds a smoky, nutty flavour and may be used in soups and casseroles. Miso is a fermented soy product usually mixed with rice to create a thick paste used in sauces, spreads and soups.

Most people are familiar with tofu. This is a soft, creamy product made from curdling soy milk to form curds. It has a neutral flavour, so it takes on the flavour of the foods with which it is cooked.

You can find tofu in soft, firm and silken forms. You would use soft tofu in smoothies or other blended recipes. Firm tofu can be grilled or stir-fried, while silken tofu is used in dips. It is rich in protein, B vitamins and calcium, and low in sodium.

People following a vegetarian diet often use soy products as a protein source.

Here’s an opportunity to try tofu. This was a big hit when we tested the recipe.

Soy And Spinach Artichoke Dip 1 lb. silken tofu, crumbled 1 lb. low-fat cream cheese, cubed 1 c. low-fat mayonnaise 1/2 tsp. ground pepper 1 lb. frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained 1 (15-oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained, coarsely chopped 1/2 c. green onions, chopped Parmesan cheese, grated, for garnish (optional)

Using a mixer, beat tofu until smooth. Mix in cream cheese, mayonnaise and pepper in mixer bowl.

Fold in spinach, artichokes and green onions.

Spread mixture evenly in a 9x13-inch pan. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top, if desired. Bake at 350 F for 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbly and browned on top.

Makes 12 servings. Each serving has 220 calories, 16 grams (g) fat, 11 g protein, 11 g carbohydrate, 2 g fibre and 440 milligrams sodium.

PHOTOs: Thinkstock

44

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

COUNTRY CROSSROADS

A

untie Jenn!”

Four-year-old Allison Jackson dashed down the hallway of the Jackson home and into the family room where Jennifer sat reading, her legs curled up underneath her on the old sectional couch and a cup of tea half finished on the end table beside her. Jennifer barely had time to move her book out of the way before Allison launched herself from the middle of the room onto her auntie’s lap.

“I didn’t even know you were still here!” Allison threw her arms around Jennifer and gave her a long hug. “Did you sleep over?” she wanted to know.

“I did sweetie,” said Jennifer. “I slept in my old bed upstairs.”

Allison thought for a second. “Why?” she asked.

“So I could see you in the morning!” said Jennifer returning the little girl’s hug. “And so I could go out and look after the cattle with your daddy later.”

“Oh, OK,” said Allison, satisfied. “But first we have to play,” she added.

“Of course,” said Jennifer. “First we play and then we work, because that’s how it is when you’re four.”

“Yup,” said Allison. “First I play and then everybody else works. I don’t work. I’m too little to have a job.”

“But don’t you do chores sometimes?” asked Jennifer. “Like putting away toys and helping Mommy set the table for dinner and stuff?”

Allison shook her head. “Nope,” she said.

“Mommy tells me to but I never do.” She giggled.

“Oh you’re just being silly,” said Jennifer. “Your mommy would never let you get away with that.

I know your mommy.”

“I was kidding,” said Allison, still giggling.

“I knew that,” said Jennifer. “Because of course you do your chores when Mommy asks you to because you’re that kind of little girl.”

“Yeah, I do” said Allison. “But sometimes I make a huge fuss.”

“How does that work out?” asked Jennifer. “I bet you get in trouble for that and then you have to still do the chores anyway.”

Allison nodded. “Yeah,” she said. “But I can’t help it, because sometimes doing chores makes me really upset.”

“Me too,” said Jennifer.

“Once I made a fuss when Mommy made me toast,” said Allison. “When I was little.” “

The

Jacksons

By Rollin Penner

“Really?” said Jennifer. “Why?” “Because I was starving,” said Allison. “And Mommy asked me if I wanted some toast and I said yeah and then when she put it in the toaster I cried really hard and said ‘NO Mommy! Don’t put it in the toaster! It takes too long!’”

“You remember doing that?” said Jennifer.

Allison nodded. “I was only three,” she said.

“I didn’t know you had to put toast in the toaster. I never noticed before.”

“I guess you had never been quite so starving before,” said Jennifer. “Aren’t you hungry now?” she added. “You haven’t had breakfast.”

“I want pancakes!” Allison dove off of her auntie’s lap and dashed headlong back down the hallway. “With maple syrup! And chocolate milk!”

Jennifer followed more slowly, and by the time she got to the kitchen the little girl had a skillet out of the drawer and was looking for a mixing bowl.

“Slow down sweetheart,” said Jennifer.

“Pancakes don’t take long.”

“I can make pancakes in 50 kilometres an hour,” said Allison. “Or faster.”

“Tell you what,” said Jennifer. “How about I make pancakes at a normal speed while you have a glass of chocolate milk at about two kilometres an hour. That way the pancakes will be ready when you finish your chocolate milk.”

“OK,” said Allison agreeably, climbing onto a chair at the table. “I love chocolate milk soooo much!”

“It’s good stuff,” said Jennifer. “My mom never let us have chocolate milk for breakfast.”

“I guess my mom is better than your mom,” said Allison.

“My mom is your grandma,” said Jennifer.

“She’s pretty good.”

“Oh yeah,” said Allison. “I forgot.” She picked up the glass Jennifer had just set down in front of her. “Where is my mommy?” she asked, as an afterthought.

“She’s at work,” said Jennifer. “That’s the other reason I’m here. To babysit you and Andy.”

“Andy sleeps till forever,” said Allison. “Unless he wakes up.”

“Should I make him some pancakes?” asked Jennifer. “In case he wakes up?”

“I wouldn’t,” said Allison.

“Well, I will,” said Jennifer, “because I’m the babysitter.”

“You’re the best babysitter I’ve had today,” said Allison. “I love you.”

“I love you too, kiddo,” said Jennifer.

“I know,” said Allison. “Everybody loves me.”

Jennifer reached out and tousled the little girl’s hair. “Indeed,” she said. “How could we not?”

Fiddle-leaf fig makes a great foliage plant Aptly named for its violin-shaped leaves this one is worth the effort to care for Brown spots on leaves

By Albert Parsons Freelance contributor

D

uring the winter we depend a lot on foliage plants to keep our interior landscapes interesting. One such plant is the fiddle-leaf fig — appropriately named because the large leaves are violin shaped. These darkgreen leaves have some veining to give them texture and they are gigantic. Because of this, the plant can get top heavy as it grows taller since the leaves are heavy and the trunk tends to be a bit spindly, so staking is a good idea.

This native of the tropical rainforests of West Africa is officially named Ficus Lyrata and is a member of the same family as the common fig trees used in many homes and commercial spaces. Although not the easiest plant to grow, with proper care, it will flourish. Here are some dos and don’ts:

Purchasing a plant

This can be caused by too much water, not enough water, insect problems or fungus diseases.

Best practices include careful inspection of the plant on a regular basis and taking corrective action when the cause is determined. Removing brown leaves and cutting off brown sections of green leaves will restore the appearance of the plant.

Although not the easiest plant to grow, with proper care, it will flourish.

Cleaning

Light Fiddle-leaf figs are tropical plants that like strong indirect light and will enjoy filtered light or morning or late-afternoon sunlight through a window. Too little light will result in a spindly plant and discoloured foliage.

Water and feeding The plant should be watered when the top three cm of the planting medium — which should be a peat-based mix — become dry. Although you don’t want the plant’s root ball to dry out, neither do you want to

Choose a healthy plant with darkgreen unmarked, healthy foliage.

Check for pests. Opt for a smaller specimen as the plant can grow almost a metre in one year. If you are short of space, look for newer varieties that have been developed which are shorter and bushier. Two of these new varieties are F. “Compacta” and F. “Suncoast.”

Repotting and propagation

The fiddle-leaf fig is a good foliage plant with its large dark-green leaves. PHOTO: ALBERT PARSONS

keep it constantly sodden. Feed the plant with a balanced soluble fertilizer every two weeks during the growing season but do not fertilize it in the winter.

It is best to leave the propagation of fiddle-leaf figs to the professionals. Although it can be grown from terminal stem cuttings, taking these cuttings will ruin the shape of the parent plant. Also, they are difficult to root. A plant should be repotted when roots begin to emerge from the drainage holes. Either use the next-size pot or use the same-size pot and reduce the root ball by trimming away about three cm from the bottom and sides.

Use a soft cloth to wipe the leaves and give it a shower of tepid water periodically. Proper cleaning increases absorption of light and reduces the risk of insect and disease problems.

Uses Use as a specimen floor plant.

It won’t object to being moved around as other figs tend to do.

Placed in an attractive pot, it will be a focal point in the interior landscape.

Albert Parsons writes from Minnedosa, Manitoba

45

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

COUNTRY CROSSROADS

Reena answers more questions Plus, reader feedback and tips of the week rena nerbas Household Solutions

Hi Reena, My garburator has a nasty odour coming up from the drain. I have tried baking soda on its own, baking soda and vinegar and also scrubbed the rubber gasket. I have tossed down lemons and run the garburator, and no difference.

I have even poured a small amount of household ammonia down the drain and the sour smell lingers.

We w i l l b e a w a y f o r a month this winter and I wonder if this will just get worse.

Thanks for taking the time to respond — any suggestions are appreciated.

We live in the country and use a water softener — if that makes any difference. — Thanks again, Deborah Hi Deborah, Food that is chopped up in the disposal is not always properly washed down the garburator and accumulates on the side walls of the disposal. If food gets old, it will decay and smell.

One of the causes for this is that not enough water is run into the disposal after food has been ground up.

To fix this you will need to call in a plumber or clean the unit yourself by disconnecting the pipe that leaves the disposal from the drain system under your sink. Purchase a rubber test cap and attach it to the tube end of the pipe and tighten the clamp. Put an empty bucket under the end of the pipe. Fill

the disposal with water; the water will back up into the sink. Turn the water off when it is level with the top of the strainer basket in the sink bottom. Pour 1/2 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup vinegar (or household ammonia) into the drain.

Leave for one hour to give the solution a chance to loosen up the food particles. Loosen the clamp and let the water pour into the bucket.

Reconnect the disposer to the plumbing drain system. Put the plug into the sink and fill the sink with hot soapy water, baking soda and vinegar. Leave for one hour and drain. Regularly drop ice cubes, and as you said, lemon and orange peels through the garbage disposal to freshen it up. If smell remains call in a licensed plumber to check out the system.

Dear Reena, I had a new high-efficiency furnace installed last year. This winter I have had problems with my front and side doors freezing up. Sometimes I cannot get the handles to move or the key in the lock when leaving or entering the house.

Sometimes the ice buildup around the door makes it almost impossible to open.

My storm doors have a thick white frost on them. I run a dehumidifier in the basement constantly.

The guy who installed the furnace came in three weeks ago and disconnected the cold air return but it has made no difference. Since I still have heat I am last on the list for return calls.

I called Hydro and the per-

tion is key. I am hoping that the furnace installer makes another appearance before the weather warms up since this was not an issue prior to the installation of the new furnace.

Reader feedback

See what readers have to say about removing wallpaper. PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

son there suggested running the furnace fan but that just gives cool air, plus, I don’t think it makes the furnace very high efficiency to run while the dehumidifier is running as well.

Do you have any suggestions?

I have been in this house for 16 years and never had a problem with the doors before. — Yours sincerely, Y

Dear Y, Normally frost buildup is a result of vents, heating ducts or cold air returns being blocked or drafts around doorframes and windows. These drafts are not obvious until the really cold days hit. It may be worth your while to reinsulate doorframes and add new weather stripping wherever ice buildups are a challenge. It is also wise to have the humidity level tested because the dehumidifier may not be taking out enough moisture. Hydro’s suggestion to run the fan constantly is quite common because proper air circula-

Dear Reena, In regards to wallpaper removal, here is a simple solution. I have done this many times; fill a spray bottle about 3/4 full of liquid fabric softener for your washing machine. Fill remainder with hot water and just spray on the walls. Leave for about five to seven minutes, pull at edge and voila, off it comes! The glue can then just be washed away with very mild solution of dish detergent. Hope this helps. — Mary

Hi Reena, I noticed your suggestions for wallpaper glue removal and wish to share our experience with removing 65-year-old glue from our walls. We removed the paper but the glue was like a rough concrete surface.

I used unscented fabric softener sheets soaked in a litre or so of hot water and scrunched them up until the water was milky. Use a rag to apply to the wall, wait a few minutes for it to soak in and then use either a four-inch or six-inch blade to scrape it or the Scotch-Brite type of pads to scrub down the wall. The wall didn’t care if the solution put on it was icky looking — it worked. I peeled about three feet square at a time and rinsed well with clean water. Some areas were really

tough and took two or three applications. TSP did not work for us at all on the glue and when I inquired at the various paint companies regarding TSP, I was told it is an unnecessary step and wasn’t needed if the wall was clean. We have had no issues with paint peeling or blistering but we had primed with a good primer as the original primer under the wallpaper and glue was oil based. Perhaps this will help out a few others. — Nan

Tips of the week • For a super-smooth cupcake appearance, use rolled fondant instead of regular icing.

Roll fondant as usual. Lightly ice cupcake with buttercream icing to prevent fondant from sliding. Cover the entire cupcake with fondant or cut out circles and place fondant circles on top of each cupcake.

Add iced decorations to finish off the masterpiece.

• F or a fondant look without using fondant, purchase or make your own buttercream icing. Thin the icing with water so that it becomes easy to pour but not runny.

Pour over top and sides and smooth with a metal spatula. Let dry 30 minutes. By now the thinned icing will have thickened slightly. Pour another layer onto cupcakes and smooth. Decorate top and sides with sprinkles.

I enjoy your questions and tips, keep them coming. Missed a column?

Can’t remember a solution? Need a motivational speaker for an upcoming event? Check out my website Reena.ca.

This Old Elevator

I

n the 1950s, there were over 700 grain elevators in Manitoba.

Today, there are fewer than 200. You can help to preserve the legacy of these disappearing “Prairie sentinels.”

The Manitoba Historical Society (MHS) is gathering information about all elevators that ever stood in Manitoba, regardless of their present status. Collaborating with the Manitoba Co-operator it is supplying these images of a grain elevator each week in hopes readers will be able to tell the society more about it, or any other elevator they know of.

MHS Gordon Goldsborough webmaster and Journal editor has developed a website to post your replies to a series of questions about elevators. The MHS is interested in all grain elevators that have served the farm community.

Your contributions will help gather historical information such as present status of elevators, names of companies, owners and agents, rail lines, year elevators were built — and dates when they were torn down (if applicable).

There is room on the website to post personal recollections and stories related to grain elevators. The MHS presently also has only a partial list of all elevators that have been demolished. You can help by updating that list if you know of one not included on that list.

Your contributions are greatly appreciated and will help the MHS develop a comprehensive, searchable database to preserve the farm community’s collective knowledge of what was once a vast network of grain elevators across Manitoba.

Please contribute to This Old Grain Elevator website at: http://www.mhs.mb.ca/elevators. You will receive a response, by email or phone call, confirming that your submission was received.

Searle (Elmhurst Road in Winnipeg). This 285,000-bushel elevator, with its two annexes, was constructed by the Searle Grain Company. Merged with Federal Grain in 1966, the elevator was sold to Manitoba Pool in 1972, which used it for seeds and special crops. It was demolished around 1978. Photo: Glen Schattner

46

B:10.25”

The Manitoba Co-operator | February 18, 2016

T:10.25” S:10.25”

With three different modes of action in a single solution, Velocity m3 herbicide provides you with exceptional activity on over 29 different tough-to-control grassy and broadleaf weeds.

cropscience.bayer.ca/Velocitym3

1 888-283-6847

@Bayer4CropsCA

Always read and follow label directions. Bayer CropScience Inc. is a member of CropLife Canada.

BCS10493551_Velocity ad_103.indd

C-60-01/16-10493551-E

None

B:15.5”

Wind speed, pressure gauge, optimal nozzle settings, check. All systems are go and it’s time to take down the toughest weeds in your wheat field, whether they’re resistant or not.

T:15.5”

S:15.5”

More power to you.