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Sean McGrath on cattle

How high can we push barley yields with high-end inputs? 7

It’s far cheaper to let those cows feed themselves 39

Volume 43 · number 03 february 7, 2017 · $4.25 Practical production tips for the prairie farmer www.grainews.ca

crop production

Fusarium head blight as bad as it sounds

By Geoff Geddes

A

s demonstrated by terms like rhinorrhea, which is basically a runny nose, some conditions sound worse than they are. In the case of fusarium head blight (FHB), a cereal disease affecting small grains and corn, the nasty name fits like a glove.

In her research work on plant pathology for The Grain Research Centre (CEROM) in Quebec, agronomist Dr. Sylvie Rioux has worked extensively on FHB and seen its effects.

“It’s caused by a range of fusarium species, but easily the most damaging one is Fusarium graminearum (F. graminearum),” said Dr. Rioux.

“Apart from causing yield losses and grade reductions, F. graminearum’s main damage comes from the presence of mycotoxins in the grains.

These toxins — among which the best known is vomitoxin or DON (deoxynivalenol) — are produced by the pathogenic fusarium species which infect cereal ears in the field.”

Mycotoxins are harmful to both animals and humans. Whether producers are focusing on feed or food, the harm to end use marketability can be devastating. And while outbreaks of the disease — which is promoted by wet weather and high temperatures — are more frequent in Eastern Canada than in the Prairies, in 2016 it turned up in many places where it hadn’t been seen before.

An Alberta study says fusarium can easily cost farmers $50/acre. What you can do?

photo: randy kutcher

Hitting them where it hurts

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Fusarium head blight can do severe economic damage. Rioux quoted a paper from 2004 that estimated the annual cost of fusarium head blight losses in Manitoba at $50 million.

See Fusarium on Page 5 

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Les Henry’s annual soil stubble moisture map There’s just one word to describe November freeze-up conditions across the Prairies: WET 26

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wheat & chaff

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

CONTENTS

Bound up by resolutions Non-binding resolution Leeann Minogue

leeann.minougue@fbcpublishing.com

A Alternative Mimimum Tax Andrew Allentuck explains what this is, and why farmers often end up paying it 30

New baler from Krone Scott Garvey shows how this new baler packs more hay into every bale 32

Accident as teaching tool Curtis Weber’s on-farm run-in with a power line left him a double amputee 45

Wheat & Chaff. . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Crop Advisor’s Casebook.10 Columns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Machinery & Shop . . . . . . . 32 Cattleman’s Corner . . . . . 39 FarmLife. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

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few unhappy farmers probably went home from the commodity organizations annual general meetings in Saskatoon this January singing Rolling Stones tunes to themselves.1 During this year’s Saskatchewan commodity group AGMs, the chairs of two levy-funded commodity groups explained to their members why they’d decided not to take action on contentious resolutions passed at last year’s AGMs. Farmers at the last year’s SaskWheat AGM passed a resolution asking that SaskWheat join Cereals Canada (a national organization made up of farmer organizations, exporters, processors, seed companies and crop input companies). At the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers AGM, members passed a resolution asking the board of directors to make the SPG levy refundable, rather than mandatory. There were passionate farmers on both sides of each of these issues.

Farmers fund all of these commodity organizations — from the Manitoba Oat Growers Commission to the Alberta Canola Producers Commission — through direct deductions when we sell grains, oilseeds or pulses. These organizations use our money to fund research, advocate for us, and provide us with agronomy information. Paying levies gives us the right to benefit from the information and the right to vote for board members.

As we saw this year, the resolutions that members discuss and pass at commodity AGMs are non-binding. Is this acceptable?

The process Corey Ruud is the general manager of the Agri-Food Council, the independent board that monitors all of Saskatchewan’s agri-food agencies. He was at both of these AGMs. I asked him if the Agri-Food Council would have concerns about the way these two resolutions were handled.

He told me that these organizations followed the correct procedure. “The process they followed is the process the council has encouraged them to follow.”

Board chairs of both SaskWheat and the SPG came to their AGMs prepared to address last year’s resolutions — they each gave full reports of what they’d done to study the issues and why they’d decided not to take further action. The SPG had taken a member survey about refundable levies. SaskWheat had attended Cereals Canada board meetings.

Terry Youzwa, farmer and outgoing chair of the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission, doesn’t agree with the decision taken by the SaskWheat board of directors with respect to joining Cereals Canada, and doesn’t believe the SaskWheat board has done enough due diligence. “When the membership speaks, that’s an expression of the stakeholders,” he said.

I asked him when he would feel that SaskWheat had done enough due diligence in this case, and he said that, for him, this issue would be over when members stopped bringing it to the floor. “When growers continue to annually ask the same question, there’s definitely a significant level of concern,” he said.

When you consider whether resolutions should be binding at these meetings, there is one key fact that can’t be ignored. Only the farmers who show up at the AGMs can vote on resolutions. So far, at these commodity organizations’ AGMs, there are typically just enough farmers in attendance to make quorum (that’s 25 farmers for the SPG or SaskWheat).

There’s no guarantee that these particular farmers at the meeting have given any thought to the issue behind the resolution. Some may have heard about it for the first time 10 minutes before they put up their hand to vote.

A determined farmer with a strong position on an obscure policy could quite easily “stack” the vote at an AGM by making sure a dozen like-minded members showed up and raised their hands.

How much of this low turnout can be blamed on farmer apathy and how much on the practicalities of getting to Saskatoon in January when it’s -30 C is anyone’s guess, but it seems clear to me that we can’t have a situation where 25 unelected farmers can set the agenda for a provincial organization that we’re all funding.

All levy-paying members can vote for board members. We need to make sure we elect people who will carefully research issues and make good decisions. Of course, voter turnout for these organizations’ board elections isn’t exactly stellar either. But at least you can vote from home when it’s convenient for you — nobody needs to make a 10-hour round-trip drive. Even with my slow Internet connection, I was able to cast my ballot in these online elections in pretty good time.

Changing the system You might be thinking that farmers who care enough about a resolution should make getting to the meeting a priority — icy roads or not. However, there’s no way to know in advance what resolutions might come to the floor at an AGM. Anyone can bring an issue forward. The SPG’s regulations say that two-thirds of the farmers at the meeting must agree before a resolution can be added to an agenda, which isn’t a major hurdle, and SaskWheat’s regulations allow for debate on any resolution related to its mandate.

You might be thinking that this could be changed — members could be required to submit resolutions in advance. The organizations could send out lists of upcoming resolutions, giving everyone time to warm up their trucks and make a hotel reservation. In theory, that’s a great idea. But in practice, that would mean submitting resolutions to the organizations’ offices well in advance of the annual meetings. If a farm family came up with a brilliant policy idea at the Christmas dinner table in 2017, it would be January, 2019 before the idea could be discussed at an AGM. Now that the Internet has made communication easier, even when it’s slow, you might argue that these resolutions could be turned into binding referendums, where all farmers could vote online to resolve a debate.

But remember, we typically have a low turnout with online voting for the leaders of these organizations. Turnout for referendums might be laughably low.

When only a small number of votes are required to make changes, things can get silly in a hurry. Here’s a fun example. In 2000, the Continued on Page 4 

3

wheat & chaff

4

Grainews.ca / february 7, 2017

farm safety

Shopping for on-farm safety

 Continued from Page 3

Take time during the winter to make sure your equipment meets safety standards

T

he weather outside is frightful, and you may feel more like hibernating for the winter than shopping for farm equipment. But consider setting your slippers aside and pulling on your Sorels. Because it could be time to replace some equipment and you need to know what to look for from a safety perspective.

To begin, it might surprise you to know that while machinery standards in North America are developed to help make equipment safer, farm machinery constitutes one of the few products that can be imported into North America without meeting a CSA or equivalent design standard.

That places the onus on the consumer to do the research and ask the right questions.

Don’t be lured by a great price and a long product description that may include some safety features. Make sure the equipment

you are interested in has a CSA or equivalent ROPS in place. ROPS, or a rollover protection system, is a metal, upside-down u-shaped frame that fits over the operating stations of tractors and skid-steer loaders. When operators drive tractors outfitted with a proper ROPS and wear their seatbelt, the system is approximately 99 per cent effective in preventing rollover-related injuries or death.

While Most North American manufacturers voluntarily comply with CSA standards for ROPS, that can’t be said of all manufacturers. So how do you know?

Inspect the device. Does it have a nameplate on the rollover structure? If so, that nameplate should include the make and model of the tractor or skid-steer as well as a reference to the standard to which the structure was built. If it doesn’t, or if you can’t find a nameplate, then in all probability

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Give us your best shot!

the manufacturer did not build that rollover structure to any standard and there is no guarantee that it will protect you in the event of a rollover.

Shields and guards are parts that are often overlooked when it comes to maintenance and replacement. Is your PTO shield missing or seen better days? It might be time to replace it. A visit to your nearest ag retailer can help you source the shield originally designed for your equipment.

Not sure the lighting on your agricultural equipment is up to the task of travelling down a busy highway? Consider purchasing a lighting kit. The introduction of LED and wireless lighting kit options makes installation less invasive and straight forward.

Just make sure the lights you purchase will flash in synchrony with the lights on your tractor or truck. This will help ensure an

approaching motorist understands that both machines should be treated as one moving unit.

And make sure to check with your p rov i n c i a l t ra n s p o r ta t i o n department to see if your province has any particular lighting requirements. Motor vehicle collisions trail just behind entanglements when it comes to major causes of fatal agricultural injuries, so the sooner you can properly outfit your equipment, the better.

If you are responsible for replacing and upgrading farm equipment, make sure to do your research and shop responsibly. It will help protect everyone living or working on the farm. GN Canadian Ag Safety Association For more information about farm safety, visit casa-acsa.ca.

agronomy tips… from the field

New varieties fight fusarium Looking at new wheat varieties for 2017? Yield, standability, as well as protein and maturity will still be top of mind. And for many, fusarium tolerance will also be high on the list.

Fusarium is now established across Western Canada, and in years when environmental conditions favor the disease, it can have devastating impacts on grain yield and quality — as we saw in 2016.

Fortunately, cereal breeders have been working to improve fusarium tolerance. There are several recently released varieties of hard red spring wheat with superior genetics that continue to improve on yield while helping you manage disease, improve grain quality, and reduce grain mycotoxin levels.

Genetic tolerance alone isn’t a silver bullet, but rather an important foundation for your integrated fusarium control strategy that should also include crop rotation and fungicides.

Choosing a new variety also brings all the benefits that come with using certified seed including assurances around purity, germ, and seed-borne fusarium levels.

This picture shows three generations of the Kevin Lawrence family combining south of Elk Point, Alberta on November 9, 2016.

Kevin Lawrence sent it in. He wrote: “The canola looked dry but tested 17. My brother, Hardy is in the 8010 and my son, Tyson is in the 8120.

My grandson, Corbyn, is in the Quadtrac while I took this picture of all the action. We continued to combine on and off between hoar frost and snow, finally throwing in the towel on December 4 when we drove the combines home to park them inside the storage shed, leaving 500 acres in the field.

The harvest sounds horrible, but the photo is nice! Thank you for sharing your story. We’re sending you a cheque for $25. (Although I don’t suppose it will make up for the loss of the 500 acres.)

Send your best shot to leeann@fbcpublishing.com. Please send only one or two photos at a time and include your name and address, the names of anyone in the photo, where the photo was taken and a bit about what was going on that day. A little write-up about your farm is welcome, too.

Please ensure that images are of high resolution (1 MB is preferred).

— Leeann

Certified seed and a quality seed treatment maximize plant stands and early season vigor for a more competitive and even crop. This will result in a more synchronized heading, which is beneficial if a fungicide at heading is required for fusarium. GN Dr. Bryan Ulmer, cereals product evaluation scientist with Syngenta Canada.

short-lived right-wing federal Canadian Alliance party proposed a system that would make sure Canadians got what they want. The Canadian Alliance, led by Stockwell Day, suggested a formula: if three per cent of voters (about 350,000 people) signed a petition, a referendum would be triggered so all Canadians could have a fair vote on the issue at hand.

This sounded reasonable, until comedian Rick Mercer got involved. He used his spot on the TV show “This Hour has 22 Minutes” to promote his own petition. Soon 370,000 Canadians had signed a petition demanding that Stockwell Day change his name to “Doris Day.”2 Giving a small minority of members the ability to pass binding resolutions — whether online in a referendum or in person at an AGM — could soon result in policies many of us wouldn’t want to live with.

To make sure we have far-sighted decisions made by people who’ve taken the time to study the issues in depth, we’re going to have to trust the people we’ve elected to do these jobs. Sure, these elected board members should use resolutions and discussion at the AGM as guidance, but they should also take into account all of the other conversations they’ve had with other farmer members during the year.

They should consider what they’ve learned through studying the issues and through meeting with other stakeholders. Once we’ve elected them, we need to give our board members the freedom to make the best decisions they can.

While this system can’t give everyone what they want all the time, it beats the alternatives. Nobody wants a system where SPG chair Corey Loessin is forced to change his last name to Hart and wear dark glasses to all of the SPG’s evening banquets.3

Leeann Footnotes: 1. Specifically, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” from 1969, which was also played after Donald Trump’s nomination acceptance speech at the Republican Convention in November, 2016.

2. Doris Day is an American singer/actress who was nominated for an Academy Award in 1959 for her work in a movie called “Pillow Talk,” which must have been better than it sounds. She’s either 92 or 94 now; sources disagree.

3. The iconic Canadian singer Corey Hart’s first single “Sunglasses at Night” was released in 1984 and climbed to No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.

cover stories

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

5

crop production

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losses in Manitoba at $50 million.

“In Quebec,” she said, “there was an outbreak in 2003 that cost $11 million to the harvest insurance program of the Quebec government for compensating grain producers.”

More recently, an economic impact study conducted by Alberta Agriculture and Forestry in May 2015 looked at the effect at the farm level when Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat becomes infected with fusarium.

The study, by senior economic analyst Richard Heikkla, found that with just 0.4 per cent fusarium damaged kernels in a sample (0.4 per cent disease prevalence), the total revenue loss from a downgrade from No. 1 to No. 2 is about $52 per acre. When the wheat is downgraded further to No. 3 or feed wheat, the economic impact increases to $62 or $65 per acre, respectively. And these are just the losses with a low-level infection.

Controlling fusarium With the stakes so high, reducing the severity of the disease is critical.

While the best ally to control FHB is dry weather, Mother Nature doesn’t always co-operate.

“Because the inoculum comes from crop residues left on the ground, contaminated crop residues from the previous year are a major source of inoculum,” said Rioux.

“Rotation with a non-host crop (soybean, canola, pea, clover, alfalfa, etc.) the year preceding the cereal is

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important, especially in reduced tillage or no-till systems. When it is impossible to plant cereal on a nonhost previous crop, plowing is recommended to reduce fusarium inoculum.”

The problem arises when the theory of crop rotation meets the reality of the marketplace.

“A few crops are much more profitable than others these days, so we’ve become very specialized,” said Dr. Randy Kutcher, a plant pathologist with the Crop Development Centre at the University of Saskatchewan. “Rotating three to five crops might be optimal for combating FHB; however for durum growers a lentil-durum rotation is common, while in other areas canola and wheat are often rotated, so you can get a huge innoculant build-up.”

Apart from rotation, Rioux recommends using varieties that are more resistant to FHB to reduce disease severity for a minimal cost.

The third line of attack is fungicides. Of course, there’s a reason it’s No. 3.

“You want all of your wheat heads at the same stage when you spray to have the best chance for control, but that’s hard to achieve,” said Kutcher. “If you have seedling emergence issues or hilly land with high and low spots, it’s very hard to accurately time a fungicide application.

Also, if it’s wet and rainy during flowering you can’t spray, even though there’s a higher risk for disease in those conditions.

Although all of these control methods can reduce FHB, none of them alone are effective enough to

reduce it to an acceptable level (<2 ppm DON in grain) in years that are very favorable to the disease.

“Fusarium head blight can’t be eradicated,” said Rioux. “The best we can do is to try and control it by combining different approaches.”

It’s a scary sounding name, and with a prognosis like that for fusarium head blight, the name says it all.

Find the Alberta government’s paper on the impact of fusarium, “Economic Cost of Fusarium: FarmLevel and Regional Economic Impact of Fusarium in Alberta” by searching for “Economic Cost of Fusarium.”). GN Geoff Geddes Geoff Geddes is a freelance agriculture and business writer based in Edmonton. Find him online at www.thewordwarrior.ca or email geoffgeddes@thewordwarrior.ca.

Leaf spotting: what you need to know The fight against tan leaf spot, and what you can do about it in your fields By: Dilia Narduzzi

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This photo comes from the slide collection of the Western Committee on Plant Diseases, a group that meets annually to review western Canadian disease issues. Healthy kernels are on the right, damaged kernels are in the centre, and severely damaged kernels are on the left.

crop disease

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 Fusarium from Page 1 1666 Dublin Avenue, Winnipeg, Man. R3H 0H1 www.grainews.ca

“

W

e’ve been working with leaf spots for the last 26 years,” says Dr. Myriam Fernandez, an Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada research scientist, and lead author of the a recently released 12-year study of the impacts on climate change, region and agronomic practices on leaf spotting in wheat and durum, conducted between 2001 and 2012.

Leaf spotting “is a complex of different diseases,” Fernandez says. While there are several types of leaf spotting (including septoria leaf blotch, stagonospora nodorum blotch and spot bloth), the most common leaf spot disease is tan spot.

Tan spot seems to be the most problematic leaf spot under dry conditions. But changes in weather alter the prevalence of fungi that cause the spots. “Different leaf spot pathogens have different requirements,” Fernandez says. Most of the relevant pathogens require high moisture and high temperatures.

Changes in agronomic practices have helped tan spot. Fernandez says conservation tillage favours tan spot “more than other

fungi.” Shorter rotations resulting in less time between cereal crops can also help the fungi that cause tan spot thrive.

Leaf spots can lower yield by 10 to 15 per cent, and there have been extreme outbreaks where losses of up to 50 per cent have been documented. And, the fungus that causes tan spot can also infect kernels, causing red or pink smudge or blackpoint. This, Fernandez says, “is a downgrading factor, especially for durum wheat. It has the potential of causing economic losses to producers.”

Leaf spot is “prevalent everywhere,” says Fernandez. “If you have a wheat crop, you have leaf spots.” Severity in a particular field depends a lot on moisture levels. In Manitoba, for example, says Fernandez, where there has historically been more moisture than in Saskatchewan, “tan spot wasn’t as prevalent” as other leaf spotting diseases. However, “It is presently the most prevalent leaf spot in Manitoba and Alberta.”

Fighting leaf spot Before the late 1990s there were attempts to introduce sources of resistance to leaf spots through germplasm, but at that point in

time fusarium head blight started to become more prevalent and causing producers a lot of problems. Fighting fusarium took precedence, says Fernandez, and wheat breeding for leaf spot resistance was, for the most part, put on the shelf. Because of this, there isn’t great leaf spot resistance built into wheat germplasm. “In most cases the highest resistance is intermediate,” says Fernandez.

“Under high disease pressure, you could still get quite a bit of disease with a cultivar that is rated as intermediate for leaf spots. There isn’t good resistance in cultivars right now, especially in durum wheat, but also in common wheat.”

Crop rotations that take wheat off the field at least every other year are the best defence against leaf spot, says Fernandez, “to allow for the decomposition of crop residues. The fungi survive in residues after harvest. In order for the pathogen to decrease in levels, the crop residues have to be able to decompose.” Fernandez and others have found lower levels of leaf spot when wheat followed a non-cereal crop such as a pulse or a green manure crop instead of another wheat crop.

Several fungicides are registered

for use on tan spot in wheat. However, Fernandez is not encouraging repeated application. “We are also not recommending the application of fungicide at the seedling stage, which is being pushed,” says Fernandez. She says studies have shown that early fungicide application “doesn’t result in any yield increases, and it also wouldn’t prevent the development of leaf spots later on. We recommend that if people are going to spray with fungicide they wait until the recommended flag leaf emergence stage.”

Varieties with “the best resistance possible,” rotations, fungicide when needed and careful monitoring is the best protection against tan spot. However, Fernandez says, “there’s no silver bullet for any of this. It has been a struggle.”

What’s the future for leaf spot?

“It’s a big question mark, but it will depend on the weather. And these diseases will not disappear.”

Pushing for cultivars with better resistance is the best bet, says Fernandez. We’ll have to wait and see if those better choices end up materializing. GN Dilia Narduzzi is a freelance writer in Dundas, Ont.

FEATURES

6

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

Crop production

Fertilizer expert discourages winter application Well winter application can even out workload, losses are high and pollution is a risk

By Lee Hart

C

onsidering how the 2016 growing/harvest season went, there may be a real crunch this spring to first find and then get fertilizer applied at seeding, but if you’re thinking it might be a good idea to get a jump on workload and apply fertilizer this winter on snow or frozen ground — DON’T. That’s the advice from long-time Western Canada soil researcher Rigas Karamanos.

“With a wet fall in many parts of Western Canada which delayed harvest, many producers may not have got as much fall field work done as they would have liked,” says Karamanos, senior agronomist for Koch Fertilizer Canada. “And if products are available now, some producers might be thinking they’ll catch up on their field work and broadcast apply fertilizer over winter. It’s just not a good idea for a few reasons.”

First of all, nitrogen fertilizer that sits in snow or even on frozen ground for a few months could result in nitrogen losses as high as 40 to 50 per cent, says Karamanos. And depending on the blend and rate applied, come spring, winterapplied fertilizers could simply runoff the field and contribute to high nutrient levels in surface water.

Top dressing option While getting crop nutrition applied before or at seeding may be preferred by many, Karamanos says, top

Application of urea on snow and Frozen soil* (1995 - 96) Application timing

Yield, bu./ac.

Protein, %

Fall applied, incorporated soil frosted, not deeply frozen,

45.5

14.5

November

45.8

13.8

Soil deeply frozen, December 27.6

12.7

Soil deeply frozen, March

33.3

13.0

Applied prior to seeding, April incorporated

49.6

14.6

5

0.5

LSD<0.05

* Endres,Schatz and Franzen, 1996; Franzen, 2003. North Dakota soil and fertilizer handbook.

NDSU Extension Service, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND.

Ammonia Volatilization Loss in Cold Weather Campaign

Fertilization date

Urea

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Average

3 Apr. 8 Oct. 14 Nov. 25 Mar. 26 Mar. 6 Oct. 13 Oct. 19 Oct. 27 Jan. 26 Feb. 29 Mar. 20 Apr.

8.4 3.1 31.3 35.6 39.9 11.6 10.4 15.7 24.3 44.1 6.3 14.7 20.5

Urea+AGRTAIN© % nitrogen lost 4.4 1.4 3.8 18.0 18.1 4.3 4.8 3.4 9.3 11.9 1.7 1.8 6.9

*Source: Engel et al., 2011. Montana State University

While this research work is specific to an Agrotain nitrogen stabilizer, Rigas Karamanos says it shows how newer fertilizer technology may not completely prevent but can reduce nitrogen losses under adverse (winter) field conditions.

This older, but still valid research from North Dakota shows how nitrogen losses increase when fertilizer is applied in winter or even very early spring on frozen ground, affecting yield and crop quality.

dressing in-crop presents a viable option producers should consider, with no yield penalty.

Aside from the timing issue of getting everything applied at seeding, he says there may also be a real challenge this spring of finding sufficient supplies of fertilizer come April.

Karamanos says producers can apply what is needed to get the crop started at time of seeding, and then follow up during a four to six week window after seeding to get the remainder of the nutrients in the ground.

He says both liquid and granular products can be effective, applied in-crop as a top dressing. “You do

uid products, dribble applied, there might be some crop setback, but the crop will over come that,” he says.

He says it also might be a good year for farmers to consider delayedrelease nitrogen fertilizer products, if they haven’t already. There are polymer-coated products as well as urease-inhibitor products that may have a fit as well. While he admits to being a bit partial to a Koch-carried product, Agrotain urease inhibitor, he says delayed or slow release products can be an effective way to manage field workload and reduce nitrogen loss under adverse conditions.

Karamanos says while there are a number of foliar products on the

need moisture, but assuming that’s there or coming, you can use any products quite effectively,” he says.

“There is plenty of research that shows you can apply products incrop and still optimize yields.”

With cereals it is important to apply top dress fertilizers by the first node stage (growth stage 31) and with canola, it should be applied by the sixth-leaf stage.

In applying a liquid fertilizer top dressing, Karamanos says it is important to use proper dribble band equipment (as opposed to a foliar spray system) to get nutrients through the standing crop and onto the soil where it is needed. “With liq-

market, producers shouldn’t rely on them to supply sufficient macrofertilizer ingredients such as nitrogen. At recommended application rates, they simply can’t deliver enough through a foliar treatment to make up for plant growth requirements.

So the take home message: don’t apply fertilizer on the snow, and if it doesn’t line up to get all nutrients applied at seeding, consider in-crop top dressing. GN Lee Hart is a field editor with Grainews based in Calgary. Contact him at 403-592-1964 or by email at lee@fbcpublishing.com.

Crop production

Soil nutrients are in deficit after 2016 Consider the toll 2016’s big crop took on NPKS when planning for 2017 fertility

By Lee Hart

M

ake sure you have a late fall or early spring soil test as a guide to plant your 2017 crop fertility program.

After the 2016 growing season, this si even more important than ususal, says Rigas Karamanos, a long-time soil specialists who is now a senior agronomist for Koch Fertilizer Canada.

Karamanos says his message isn't about selling more fertilizer, it is simply a fact once you look at how much fertilizer was applied in 2016 and how much was removed or was lost.

“While it wasn’t the ideal harvest season in many parts of Western Canada the fact is farmers produced a very large crop and the amount of nutrients removed was at near record levels,” says Karamanos.

Just with nitrogen in particular, Karamanos estimates the crop removed (or other losses) about

54,000 more tonnes in 2016 than was applied. That represents a 31 pound per acre nitrogen deficit across Western Canada.

“The bottom line, based on the numbers, is that farmers have 31 pounds less nitrogen per acre in the soil heading into this spring than they did in 2016,” says Karamanos. “So if you’re not a regular soil tester and tend just to assume there is a certain amount of nitrogen in the soil ahead of seeding, the fact is that this year there is less.”

These figures may not apply to every acre, and there is some mineralization of nitrogen even over winter. “So with that over winter mineralization farmers may be looking at a deficit of 20 pounds of nitrogen rather than 31 pounds, but the point is that overall across Western Canada there is a deficit.”

NUTRIENT BALANCE SHEET For the past number of years, Karamanos has calculated a Nutrient Balance Sheet for

Western Canada. Drawing on a number of sources he looks at how much fertilizer was applied.

Looking at yield data estimates, as well as weather, he can estimate how much fertilizer was removed during the growing season. This allows him to produce a nutrient balance sheet.

His figures show western Canadian farmers applied about 1.940 million tonnes of nitrogen, while crop removal or losses used 1.993 million tonnes, leaving a rounded-off deficit of 54,000 tonnes.

There are also deficits for phosphorus — about 356,000 tonnes; potassium — about 427,000 tonnes; and sulphur — about 15,000 tonnes.

The big crop was the main factor in nitrogen removal, but excessive moisture also takes a toll.

“Particularly in areas of southeast Saskatchewan and southwest Manitoba where some soils were saturated,” says Karamanos. “Each day when the pores of the soil are full of water, we lose anywhere from one to

four pounds of nitrogen per acre, depending on temperature. And most of it is lost in a process called denitrification, as a gas to the atmosphere. So weather and moisture conditions are also a factor.”

don't miss PHOSPHORUS Karamanos refers to phosphorus as the forgotten macronutrient. While there are generally good phosphorus reserves in the soil, the bank account is being drawn down.

“These big crops of canola are a good example,” he says. “A 60 bushel canola crop, for example, removes about 54 pounds of phosphorus (about 0.9 pounds for each bushel). And how many farmers are applying 54 pounds of phosphorus?”

The challenge with phosphorus is appling enough fertilizer without crop injury. A lot depends on fertilizer placement and seed bed utilization, he says. With a one inch spread on fertilizer on 10-inch row spacing that represents 10 per cent seed bed utilization. Under that circum-

stance the farmer can safely apply up to 30 pounds — perhaps even 35 pounds — of phosphorus with the seed. The rest has to go somewhere else.

“Even if you can get phosphorus placed one inch to the side and one inch below the seed, that’s adequate spacing and you can pretty well apply as much phosphorus as the you want,” says Karamanos.

He warns against broadcastapplying phosphorus, as it can easily be carried off fields by runoff and rain. Make sure phosphorus is incorporated. If you are applying more than can be safely applied in the seed row, look at banding, or using more of the space between seed rows.

“Farmers need to be cognisant of the fact there is a nutrient deficiency after the 2016 growing season, and obtaining a soil test ahead of the 2017 seeding season is highly recommended,” he says. GN Lee Hart is a field editor with Grainews based in Calgary.

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FEATURES

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

Crop production

Growing 180 bushels of barley Barley 180 wants to know what it will take to top up Alberta barley yields

NUTRIENT UPTAKE AND REMOVAL Nitrogen (N)

Phosphorus (P2O5)

Potassium (K2O)

Sulphur (S)

Crop

Bu/ac

Uptake

Removal

Uptake

Removal

Uptake

Removal

Uptake

Removal

Barley

180

252

180

99

75.6

243

57.6

28.8

16.2

lb/bu:

1.4

1

0.55

0.42

1.35

0.32

0.16

0.09

Presented by Steve Larocque

By Lisa Guenther

A

trip to New Zealand inspired a quest in Alberta for higher barley yields.

New Zealand farmers can produce barley crops topping 200 bushels per acre. Granted, New Zealand has some climatic advantages over Western Canada. But Steve Larocque, owner of Beyond Agronomy, saw no reason that Alberta barley growers couldn’t aim higher. Together with a team of agronomists and farmers, he decided to see what it would take to hit 180 bushels, and Barley 180 was born.

A literature review revealed that researchers had already grown 190 bushel barley crops in the late ’80s and early ’90s in southern Alberta.

Those crops were grown in small plots, under irrigation. The Barley 180 team lined up funding to figure out which practices would push barley yields and provide the best returns on investment.

Larocque presented research from 2011 to 2013 at Crop Sphere in Saskatoon. Growing conditions were favourable in 2011, he said.

They hit 157 bushels per acre with Xena, and 141 bushels per acre with Champion.

But in 2012, they only saw six inches of rain, most of which came at the tail end of the growing season. Three trials were hailed out.

Larocque said they did learn a few things about pushing yields in dry environments, and got up to 120 bushels per acre (again with Xena).

The next year, 2013, was more mixed. They got too much rain for barley, Larocque said, although the wheat thrived. They pushed Austenson to 135 bushels per acre, Xena to 126 bushels per acre, and AC Metcalfe and CDC Meredith both hit 125 bushels per acre.

The first step when setting lofty yield targets is to figure out plant density, Larocque told delegates at Crop Sphere in Saskatoon.

That also means having an idea of how many heads, and how many kernels per head, are needed to achieve yield. “Because from there you can start measuring inseason and measuring your management changes,” said Larocque.

Larocque said they found the sweet spot to be between 25 and 30 plants per square foot. Any higher and the plants would try to o u t - c o m p e t e e a c h o t h e r, Larocque said, and fall down. On the other hand, lower seeding rates make for an uneven crop, which made fungicide and plant growth regulator applications tricky.

Lessons learned on fertility Farmers trying to hit high yield targets need to figure out what kind of nutrient uptake and removal they’ll see, Larocque said. A typical Barley 180 fertilizer program was 170N-40-40-20, with 100 lbs. of nitrogen banded early.

And although many farmers don’t fertilize barley with sulphur, if they’re pushing nitrogen rates, they need to bring sulphur into balance, he added.

“And you will see decent responses because if you look at those numbers, that’s no different than a 50 bushel canola crop.”

During the Barley 180 trials, Larocque found that adding nitrogen and phosphorus added heads to the barley crop — 92 heads per square foot versus 53 in one case.

“So that little management change allowed us to jump up almost 40 (bushels per acre).”

Larocque noted they did see fewer kernels per head with the

added nitrogen and phosphorus, but the extra heads more than made up for that.

Giving the crop that many groceries does carry risk. In a perfect world, a farmer would split the nitrogen application, Larocque said.

“But tillering begins around three-leaf. And your yield is built right there, between tillering and flag.” Because the crop is building yield so early, it needs the nitrogen early, he added.

Larocque said they did try splitting applications. In fact, they used a split application on the 157 bushel crop in the first year. But he noted it rained shortly after the second application.

About 50 per cent of the time, they saw no response to a split application of nitrogen, he said.

They also tried ESN, as it’s worked well in other crops. But Larocque said the ESN wasn’t breaking down fast enough for the barley crop. He attributed this to cooler temperatures in the no-till soils, which slowed the breakdown of the ESN.

The potential of PGSs Larocque said they trialed plant growth regulators (PGRs), but cautioned they’re not yet registered for barley in Western Canada.

They tried out Cycocel Extra, a BASF product that contains chlormequat chloride, for two years. However, it was expensive at the time, costing $46 per litre to bring it in. Overseas it’s about $1.50 per litre, said Larocque.

“They use it like hot sauce in New Zealand.”

Larocque said they focused on Ethrel, a Bayer CropScience PGR, which contains ethephon. Ethrel is effective, plus it was easier to get, and cheaper than Cycocel at the time.

But barley growers should remember Ethrel isn’t registered for barley in Western Canada either. Both Cycocel Extra and Ethrel are temperature sensitive, Larocque cautioned. If the soil is dry and temperatures are hot when growers apply a PGR, they can see yield loss, he said.

Ethrel is difficult to scale to a commercial grain farm, he added, because it has to be applied at awn emergence. But it still produced good results in high temperatures, as long as there was good subsoil moisture, Larocque said. “You really have to keep an eye on your soil moisture.”

They applied Ethrel at 200 to 300 ml/acre. “Champion barley is a tall variety. And we shortened it one year by 10 inches,” said Larocque. That crop yielded 141 bushels per acre.

Larocque said each barley variety responds differently to PGRs. “Sometimes we were getting better nitrogen use efficiency outside of lodging.”

Larocque figured that shortening the plant forced energy and nutrients into the head. On average, they saw a “pretty decent” return on Ethrel, he added.

New Zealand barley growers also use PGRs to manage neck break. The PGR shortens the length between the head and flag leaf, stabilizing the head.

Larocque said they saw the same effect in Alberta, but it needs more research.

Overall, Larocque was optimistic about the potential of PGRs. “As soon as they come into play, I think they’ll be a game-changer in Western Canada.” GN Lisa Guenther is field editor for Grainews based at Livelong, Sask. Follow her on Twitter @LtoG or email Lisa.Guenther@ fbcpublishing.com.

news bits

Roll the credits Lisa Guenther The Barley 180 project went beyond leaving a check strip or two. Just what does it take to run a project like Barley 180? Several agronomists and farmers, and a lot of financial support.

The Alberta Crop Industry Development Fund and the Alberta Barley Commission covered up to $110 per acre for input cots. Ty Faechner of Agricultural Research and Extension Council of Alberta (ARECA) led the project.

Co-operating agronomists included Steve Larocque of Beyond Agronomy, Craig Shand of Chinook Agronomy, Kelly Boles of Centerfield Solutions, and Darryl Chubb of DeNov Ag. They also had a number of co-operating farmers in communities from Three Hills to Strathmore to Olds. They included Allen Jones, Spencer Hilton, Gordon Ellis, Ed Miller, Peter Stahl, Mike Reynolds, Grant Budgeon, and Kennett Farms.

Readers can view the Barley 180 presentation at www. cropsphere.com.

8

FEATURES

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

Crop protection

Spraying your fungicide in “the zone” With Bayer’s new “Zone Spray,” farmers can skip the fungicide in some parts of the field

By Lisa Guenther

I

f Warren Bills has his way, farmers will have a better way to forecast sclerotinia than the old wet boots and weather test.

“We believe there is a better way to manage the risk of that disease and the returns growers get when they spray,” Bills told agronomists and industry at Bayer’s Ag Summit in November. Bills is the business development manager of digital farming for Bayer Crop Science.

Bayer has dubbed that process Zone Spray. The idea is relatively simple: identify variable canola fields and spray high-producing areas that are more likely to develop disease.

“We also know in those same fields there are areas that have lower potential and if we were to apply in those areas, we may not see a positive return,” says Bills. He adds fungicide rates won’t vary — it’s just an on/off application.

How it’s done Zone Spray is still in the early stages, as Bayer evaluates how the technology works in the field and tests the agronomy behind the idea. It was first tested in 2015 and in 2016 expanded to include over 35 growers.

The first step is to set up a field boundary, Bills says, and only evaluate information within that boundary. Their technology partner, Planet, then snapped satellite photos of the canola fields in mid to late June. The fields were at peak biomass, before flowering.

Biomass is one of the risk factors for sclerotinia, Bills points out. By analyzing the photos, they were able to break the fields into seven management zones, based on biomass.

Farmers will then looked at the photos and decide where they wanted to apply fungicide. Bayer created a widget that showed the fields and the management zones.

Any areas the farmer decides not to spray will disappear from the map.

But there is a “technology gap,”

Bills says. For example, if a farmer gets into the field and decides he’s not comfortable with the spray decision he made in the office, he should be able to change the prescription in the tractor cab. But that wasn’t an option this last year.

Zone Spray also runs with the assumption that weeds are controlled. Weedy areas could show up as crop, Bills says. First-time users often want to groundtruth the field maps first, he adds.

“But did we have growers that didn’t go in the field and run those to g g l e s ? A b s o l u te ly. M a i n ly because we made it instantly visible when they turned it off and on in that map screen. They knew their fields really well.”

Early results Once the spray window passed in late July, fields were scouted and infection was measured in both the untreated checks and the treatments in each zone.

Results are preliminary but the untreated checks in the high bio-

mass zones had higher sclerotinia rates than the lower biomass areas.

Bills says there also seems to be a trend of higher biomass zones showing a greater yield response to fungicide (Proline) than low biomass zones. In some fields, low biomass zones had no response to fungicide applications.

Given the high amount of moisture in 2016, the transition between on/off spray zones was quite definite, Bills says. The threshold for spraying might move in years without those extremes. Bills says they need to test the system in more fields and look for trends across years.

Weather conditions in 2016 favoured sclerotinia. In a dry year, Zone Spray might allow farmers to protect high biomass areas instead of not spraying at all, Bills says. It will “smooth out the decisionmaking for growers,” he says.

“Growers that are fully applying

today, yes they may apply a little bit less,” he says. But Bills hopes to bring in variable fields that aren’t being sprayed at all by improving the economic return for farmers.

“We expect, when we apply at $20 per acre product, that we’re going to get back $40 per acre,” says Bills. If there are areas that provide a negative ROI, “all that does is whittle down ROI.” Bayer doesn’t intend to provide prescriptive, hands-on services with Zone Spray. Instead, the company intends to partner with agronomists, says Bills.

“When you buy product from Bayer that’s been augmented by digital tools, we want it to be researched by Bayer. We want it to perform properly.” GN Lisa Guenther is field editor for Grainews based at Livelong, Sask. Follow her on Twitter @LtoG.

For a video interview of Warren Bills explaining Zone Spray, visit the video section of www.grainews.ca and click on “Grainews Videos.”

HOW CUSTOMERS USE CANADIAN FIELD CROPS

Pasta in Italy is made with durum – or else!

The best pasta is made with durum wheat, just ask Italy.

A decree from the President of Italy in 2001 declared that Italian pasta manufacturers are forbidden by law to use any wheat other than durum in dried pasta for domestic consumption. That’s a good thing for Canada, the world’s leading exporter of high quality durum wheat.

cigi.ca

Canadian International Grains Institute

FEATURES

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

9

Crop protection

Grain in the bin still needs your attention Once the crop is in the bin, it still needs attention and careful management

S

uccess with wheat crops has much in common with being a good parent: You can do everything else to raise them right, but if you spoil them it’s all for naught.

“Wheat needs to be managed in storage or you risk a huge loss of revenue,” said Dr. Joy Agnew, Project Manager — Agricultural Research Services with the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI).

“That’s something farmers often overlook,” said Dr. Agnew. “We need to remember the management that went into growing the wheat and getting it to the bin in the first place, and give it that same attention when we get it there.”

The two main challenges in that regard are spoilage due to improper storage and infestations of insects and molds.

Often a producer will put the wheat in the bin cool and dry and think they can just leave it; but things can change.

The heat is on “Convection currents cause moisture migration and hot spots can form. Even though monitoring technologies have come a long way over the last three decades, there’s still room for improvement.”

At present, that technology is limited to in-grain sensors hung from the bin roof before it’s loaded.

The problem is that even with multiple sensors, you can only monitor a small portion of the bin.

Based on Dr. Agnew’s calculations, using the recommended number of sensors covers a mere one per cent of the contents. If hot spots form or other problems develop more than a foot or two from the sensors, “you won’t know you have a problem until it’s too late”.

So how do you avoid those problems in the first place?

“The difference between drying wheat and just cooling it is air flow rate; you must understand the distinction. Adequate air flow rate is critical to the drying process so you need a large enough fan capacity to achieve that.”

If the fan is selected and sized strictly for aeration, it’s unlikely to offer effective drying as it won’t push enough air through the grain to dry it.

Putting pests to rest Ironically, the smallest enemy can be the biggest threat to proper wheat storage.

“The number one culprit is the rusty grain beetle and for good reason: it’s an extremely cold tolerant pest,” said Brent Elliott, CGC program officer — infestation control and sanitation, industry services.

Whereas temperatures in the 0 to -10 C range will kill most insects, the rusty grain beetle survives quite happily for a week or more at -20 C. This is an instance where aeration can save the day.

“Generally aeration is the first response as excessive cold can kill. In the winter pesticides are fairly ineffective so if you have a bin without aeration, moving the wheat out of the bin in cold weather and letting it cool in the truck for a while is helpful too.”

Though less tolerant of the cold, the red flower beetle and rice weevil both feed on wheat, so regular monitoring is once again your best ally.

“Especially in the summer, farmers can be so busy that they leave

wheat in the bins too long or fail to check it regularly. Unfortunately, grain heats up no matter what you do and most beetles are able fliers; they can hang around all summer and even survive in empty bins if a bit of wheat residue is present.”

To avert disaster, the CGC recommends checking stored grain every two weeks by taking temperatures and looking for insects. As someone formerly active in field agriculture, Elliott knows how busy it can get.

“It may be more realistic to check

bins once a month and even that can be tough, but it’s well worth the time.”

Often it’s a combination of factors that impact grain storage. As with child rearing, if you can catch problems early on, they’re a lot easier to manage. GN Geoff Geddes Geoff Geddes is a freelance agriculture and business writer based in Edmonton. Find him online at www.thewordwarrior.ca or email geoffgeddes@thewordwarrior.ca.

photo: Shaunti Bergen

By Geoff Geddes

In the summer, farmers can be so busy that they leave wheat in the bins too long or fail to check it regularly.

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10

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Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

crop advisor’s casebook

The residual riddle

By Mike Wassill

J

ohn farms 2,500 acres of mixed grains and oilseeds, including wheat, oats, canola, and flax, in addition to the odd season growing clovers and specialty crops, such as borage and hemp.

It was mid-June when John contacted me about one of his canola fields. He was convinced the Group 10 herbicide he’d applied to his herbicide-tolerant canola had damaged his crop.

“The crop looks almost burnt,” he said. “I think it’s surfactant damage with the way the leaves are drying up.”

The plants in some areas of the field were severely wilted, with the headlands and regions nearest the river being the worst hit, he said.

On June 15, I arrived at John’s farm, which is located near Carrot River, Sask., around midday, thus giving the crop a chance to perk up, as we had been experiencing cooler temperatures at night.

Temperatures during the day were in the mid-teens to the low 20s.

There was an observable difference in the plants’ development in some areas of the field, which was set back, especially on the headlands and riverbed regions. In addition, the plants’ leaves were cupping, however no purpling or discolouration was observed, which would have led me to believe we were dealing with either a residual chemical, or possibly a sulphur or other nutrient deficiency.

John thought the Group 10 herbicide he applied had damaged the herbicide-tolerant canola crop somehow. After determining his spray rates and water volumes were correct, and following an explanation of how glufosinate-ammonium (the Group 10 herbicide) works with the herbicide-tolerant canola variety, John and I agreed it was unlikely the herbicide had injured the plants.

We decided to meet up again in two days to give the crop time to pop back, just in case the symptoms were directly related to the -5 C frost the area received May 29. During that time, John could check his spray records to determine if

he’d sprayed any residual herbicides on the field in question.

Two days later, there was a dramatic change to the plants’ appearance and development in the affected areas. Not only did their development continue to be set back, the injured plants had severe cupping and purpling. It was now obvious the crop had been damaged by a residual herbicide.

At this point, we examined John’s spray records. Everything was in order — the correct water volumes and herbicide rates (Group 10 and Group 1) had been used, the field was sprayed under blue skies during the heat of the day at a temperature of 19 C, with relative humidity at 31 per cent.

However, John had sprayed a quarter section of peas the previous day with a herbicide containing Groups 1 and 2 to control broadleaf and grassy weeds in that crop.

Were we dealing with Group 2 residue damage? It now looked like that was a good possibility. This incident may have happened as a result of a tank cleanout issue.

John’s spray unit includes a polyethylene sprayer tank. We reviewed John’s entire rinse procedure, and it was impeccable. His cleanout method included several rinses of the tank, booms and filters using a spray tank detergent/decontaminator, which neutralizes and solubilizes certain herbicides, and ammonia, which helps raise the pH of the cleaning solution, aiding the dissolution of herbicides. It was evident he understood tank residues.

How was it possible we were observing residual herbicide damage with John’s cleanout regime?

If you think you know why John’s canola is cupped and purpling, send your diagnosis to Grainews, Box 9800, Winnipeg, Man., R3C 3K7; email leeann@fbcpublishing.com or fax 204-944-95416 c/o Crop Advisor’s Casebook. The best suggestions will be pooled and one winner will be drawn for a chance to win a Grainews cap and a oneyear subscription to the magazine. The answer, along with reasoning that solved the mystery, will appear in the next Crop Advisor’s Solution File. GN Mike Wassill works for Richardson Pioneer in Crooked River, Sask.

Mike Wassill works for Richardson Pioneer in Crooked River, Sask.

“ The crop looks almost burnt. I think it’s surfactant damage.”

When I first saw the plants, some areas were set back, especially on the headlands and riverbed regions. The leaves were cupping, however, there was no purpling or discolouration.

Casebook winner This issue’s Casebook winner is Karsten Mueller from Woodmore, Man., who sent in a diagnosis of the issue in the last edition of Casebook.

We send Casebook winners a free one-year subscription and a Grainews hat. You could be a winner too. If you know the answer to this issue of Casebook, email me at Leeann@fbcpublishing.com.

Two days after the first photo was taken, in the affected areas, the plants’ development was set back, and the injured plants had severe cupping and purpling.

Crop advisor’s solution

Monitor your cereal fields for barley thrips

By Tess Strand Dan, who farms 5,000 acres south of Canora, Sask., called me last July about his discovery of whitened heads in his hard red spring wheat crop.

The bleached heads appeared in patches, he said, and the symptoms were worse along field edges and in low-lying regions.

When I inspected his wheat fields, I found it was the tips, and not the entire head, that were affected. The topmost spikelets were bleached and shrivelled, and the awns were also whitened and bent.

These bleached-looking plants were found on fields planted on barley stubble, meanwhile, Dan’s

wheat fields seeded after canola did not show any symptoms.

I knew Dan’s crop rotation had something to do with the whitened heads. Because cereals had been planted two years in a row, and considering the area’s high moisture levels that growing season, I examined the plants for signs of disease.

As it turned out, we weren’t dealing with a root disease, since the roots were healthy and only the topmost spikelets were affected. In addition, the typical symptoms for fusarium head blight were absent, such as the presence of orange spore clusters near the base of the florets.

From here, we started to look for signs of pest pressure. For example,

wheat stem maggots can cause whitened heads in wheat, however, usually the whole head is affected.

It was while I was examining the plant stems for wheat stem maggot larvae that I found the true cause of the bleached heads. As I unrolled the upper stem, I found several small, black specks — barley thrips!

It’s rare to find these insects in wheat crops, but there had been unusually high thrip numbers in barley fields in this area.

Adult thrips are slender, darkcoloured, and less than two millimetres long, and so appear as brown or black specks to the naked eye. Immature larvae are white, or pale green to yellow in colour. Larvae feed in the upper stem, puncturing cells and sucking out the

contents, causing distorted flag leaves and shrivelled kernels at the top and/ or bottom of the wheat head. Thus, thrip feeding by both larvae and adults caused the wheat heads to appear bleached and deformed.

Because adult females overwinter in grass hosts, thrip damage can be worse along field edges, as we were observing in Dan’s fields.

It is important to monitor cereal fields at the flag leaf stage for thrip infestation, especially cereal and barley fields seeded into barley stubble. When the flag leaf is visible, sampling should begin, and continue until heading is complete.

After heading, when symptoms are noticeable, the damage has already been done, and it is too late to

warrant control. In Western Canada, it’s not very often these pests reach levels warranting control, however, it is something to watch for in barley after a season with higher numbers.

In barley crops, the economic threshold can be calculated per stem as: (cost of control ÷ expected value per bushel) ÷ 0.4. However, in wheat crops, there is no set economic threshold.

At harvest, Dan’s yield was slightly affected, but because no economic threshold exists for wheat, it is difficult to determine if it would have paid to spray.

Tess Strand is a regional sales agronomist in Canora, Sask.

FEATURES

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

11

Crop protection

Soybean cyst nematodes on the Prairies?

This yield-stealing roundworm moves with soil. And it's probably on its way to your soybean field

By Dilia Narduzzi

T

he soybean cyst nematode is the number one yield robber in soybean crops in Ontario and the U.S. This parasitic roundworm has been in North America since the mid-1950s, with the first detection in North Carolina, says Albert Tenuta, provincial field crop pathologist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Since then it has spread through the southeastern U.S. and through the Mississippi Valley, “to the point now that all soybean producing states have soybean cyst nematode.” It was first detected in Ontario in 1988 and has been found along the Quebec-Ontario border.

“Soybean cyst nematode moves with soil, any method by which you can move soil, you can move it,” says Tenuta. From equipment moving to migratory birds to wind erosion, if the soil moves, the cyst nematode moves.

Soybean cyst nematode, says Tenuta, can be managed, but growers need to be on the lookout for unexplained significant yield losses “that can’t be blamed on any one thing” prior to it being detected in the soil, as the pathogen can be present for many years prior to detection.

If you fear cyst nematode could be an issue, look at your fields: is there waviness, a lack of levelness across the field? This could be caused by a number of other issues, like nutrient deficiency, unbalanced PH levels, and more, so it is important, says Tenuta, to determine the cause. “One of the most important things is to dig up those plants and examine the roots.

Look for the cysts on the roots, they can be seen easily with your eyes.”

Early detection is key because “the lower the population, the easier it is to manage.” Untreated, the cyst nematode will gain traction. Prairie growers are in a good position, says Tenuta, because while it is a “matter of when not if” the disease will spread to soybean producing provinces, it hasn’t yet been found yet in the West.

Coming to your field soon Albert’s brother, Mario Tenuta, is a Professor of Applied Soil Ecology at the University of Manitoba. He says, “soybean cyst nematode is present in several counties across the Manitoba/North Dakota Border. It is very clear that soybean cyst nematode will eventually be found in Manitoba. The pest will be introduced to Manitoba by floodwater, wind, birds and/or soil on machinery and vehicles. With a longer history of soybean cultivation in Manitoba, the pest will then build to levels detectable in surveys and/or causing visible disease symptoms.”

Being proactive is important, says Albert Tenuta. When it is found in the Prairies, growers will have the advantage of cyst nematode resistant varieties of seed, which Ontario growers didn’t have 25 years ago. “The cornerstone of effective cyst nematode management begins with resistant variet-

ies,” says Albert Tenuta. “Those will help limit the amount of reproduction on the roots.”

You can’t overuse a particular variety, though, because no variety is 100 per cent effective against the disease. Rotation is also key. Prairie producers have the advantage here, says Albert Tenuta, because they have many different crops in their rotations than Ontario growers. (Some pulses can be hosts for cyst nematode, so be careful with those.) There are also some new seed treatment

nematicides coming out which will “help suppress the reproduction on the roots on our resistant varieties.”

The first fields to see soybean cyst nematode will likely have lower populations and won’t see a significant yield hit, says Albert Tenuta.

Interestingly, the most common symptom of the disease is no aboveground symptoms at all, says Albert Tenuta, so growers along the North Dakota border and the Red River Valley — places more susceptible due to proximity to the disease — need “to

be digging plants up every year and examining the roots. By the time you start seeing the visual symptoms — stunted plants, yellowing of those plants, a lot of weed escapees — in many cases growers are looking at a 20 to 30 per cent yield reduction.”

Fungicides won’t do anything for cyst nematodes, says Albert Tenuta, but there will likely be more nematicides coming out down the line. One of the most important things to know is that “once cyst nematode is present, you’re not going to eliminate it,

it’s a matter of managing it and managing it well.”

Albert Tenuta says he wishes Ontario had the management tools available today 25 years ago when cyst nematode was making inroads in that province’s soybean crops. If Prairie productions are vigilant, they can avoid the 50 to 70 per cent crop reduction that Ontario crops suffered from in the early days. GN Dilia Narduzzi is a freelance writer in Dundas, Ont.

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Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

Crop production

STUDYING THE WHOLE ECOSYSTEM Matthew Mitchell’s research looks at how soybeans are affected by nearby forests

By Lisa Guenther

H

ow can farmers produce food while also providing more environmental and societal benefits from the land they’re managing? That is a million dollar question that Dr. Matthew Mitchell is trying to answer.

While completing his PhD in natural resource sciences at McGill, Mitchell was part of a larger, two-year study looking at how people affect ecosystem services on farmland in southern Q u e b e c. E cosys te m se rv i ce s include everything from carbon storage to food production to recreation, Mitchell explains.

Mitchell’s part of the project focused on how forest patches affected adjacent soybean fields.

The fields were created under the seigneurial system, and measured about 30 metres wide and 1.5 kilometres long. Forest patches ranged from a few hectares to a couple of thousand hectares in size. Some forest patches were connected to each other. Others were fragments surrounded by farmland. Mitchell studied soybean aphid populations, other insect pests, pest regulation, soybean yield and soil properties.

dor for insect pests. Farmers with fields bordering connected forest patches might want to monitor more for insect damage in southern Quebec, he says.

Aphid numbers varied significantly year to year. But they generally weren’t high enough to affect soybean yield, he says. “You might see different patterns if you were working in years where there was a big outbreak.”

Mitchell cautions that his research results are unlikely to

transfer directly to other regions.

Ecology and farming practices are likely to differ. The history of agriculture is also different, and that history affects things like carbon storage and soil nutrients. How those soils respond to management techniques is likely to vary as well.

But whether a farm is in southern Quebec or Manitoba’s parkland, things like field size and how much forest is left will be important, he says. Figuring out how the landscape affects ecosystem ser-

vices in a given area requires someone to study them, he adds.

Perhaps the biggest take-away from Mitchell’s project is that managing landscapes at a broader level is difficult. One action won’t net a benefit in all areas, he says.

“There’s going to be trade-offs about what you want to maximize or not across the landscape.”

The next steps Mitchell is currently working as a post-doc researcher with the Uni-

versity of British Columbia. He’s applied for a grant, and hopes to work with ag environmental groups such as ALUS Canada and B.C.’s Farmland Advantage.

He plans to review practices, such as fencing riparian areas, tillage techniques, and conventional vs. organic farming practices. The idea is to study how they affect specific ecosystem services, such as carbon stored in soil and pest regulation. Mitchell would then use GIS data to decide

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Researchers did notice differences “We really didn’t even know if those ecosystem services were going to change as you moved away from the forest patches,” he says.

Researchers did notice differences, starting with soybean yields. Soybean yields were low, averaging about 22 bushels per acre, right next to the forest at the field’s edge. Mitchell doesn’t know why, but the reason could be anything from shading to soil compaction. But 50 to 150 metres from the forest, yield averaged almost 52 bu./ac. The rest of the field averaged just below 45 bu./ ac., he says.

“So having a forest patch close to your field actually ended up benefiting crop yields, even though right next to the forest it reduced the yields,” says Mitchell.

Mitchell also saw differences in insect damage. Fields next to isolated forest fragments had less leaf damage than those next to connected forest patches. Mitchell thought the forest might be a corri110202362_Cotegra Ad_GN_v3.indd 1

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Planning large-scale agricultural landscapes requires a lot of organization and co-ordination.

where to implement management practices within the landscape to reap those benefits.

“Are there hot spots? Are there places where if we manage a certain way, we can actually get a bunch of different services? Or are there trade-offs?”

Mitchell plans to work in the Fraser Valley, Kootenays, and southern Quebec, but that project may expand.

He is also hoping to do similar work with the Nature Conservancy and CGIAR, an international ag research group, pending funding. On the urban side, Mitchell is working with researchers at the University of Queensland to study carbon storage, flood regulation, and temperature regulation in Brisbane, Australia.

He’s also co-supervising a PhD student at the University of Queensland.

Researchers face challenges early in their careers Planning agricultural landscapes requires quite a bit of coordination. “You’ve got to get multiple farmers to cooperate. You’ve got multiple governments. You’ve got all sorts of different stakeholders and actors across the landscape.

So it gets a lot more complicated and harder to actually do things.”

Mitchell sees a lot of potential in his field, but he suspects that it’s “not as sexy as doing the genetic work and biotechnology and that sort of stuff.”

One of the big problems many researchers face early in their careers is funding and jobs, says Mitchell.

“Once you finish your PhD, it can be quite difficult to go that next step and get a permanent position.”

Mitchell says it’s also difficult to span the divide between scientific research and on-the-ground application for farmers. He was lucky to be part of a large project that involved farm groups during his PhD, he says.

And one of his goals now is to make his research relevant to farmers, something he says can be difficult.

“At least in Canada, I haven’t seen a lot of good ways to facilitate that yet.” GN

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Lisa Guenther is field editor for Grainews based at Livelong, Sask. Follow her on Twitter @LtoG or email Lisa.Guenther@ fbcpublishing.com.

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AgSolutions is a registered trade-mark of BASF Corporation; COTEGRA is a trade-mark of BASF SE; all used with permission by BASF Canada Inc. COTEGRA fungicide should be used in a preventative disease control program. © 2017 BASF Canada Inc.

For more information on Matthew Mitchell and his work, visit mgemitchell.weebly.com/ 2017-01-20 11:45 AM

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FEATURES

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

Crop protection

By Lisa Guenther

Farmers I frustrated by sclerotinia Sclerotinia was rampant in 2016, sometimes even for farmers who sprayed fungicide

f you had a tough time with sclerotinia in your canola crop this past year, you’re not alone.

“It is still probably one of the most frustrating diseases that producers deal with,” says Barb Ziesman, provincial specialist in plant disease with Saskatchewan Agriculture.

The environment was perfect for disease development across Saskatchewan, says Ziesman.

S a s k a tc h e wa n A g r i c u l t u re ’s annual canola disease survey found sclerotinia stem rot in 92 per cent of the canola crops surveyed, she adds.

Province-wide, disease inci-

dence for sclerotinia averaged 24 per cent in all fields surveyed.

Farmers in west-central Saskatchewan suffered the highest disease incidence, averaging 43 per cent.

East-central farmers saw the lowest, averaging 18 per cent. Disease incidence measures the percentage of plants observed with disease symptoms within a field.

Ziesman says they chose fields at random for the disease survey, so there’s a chance that farmers had applied fungicide.

Asked why a canola grower might have a wreck with sclerotinia even after applying fungicide, Ziesman says there are two issues around fungicide application.

First a grower must decide whether or not to apply fungicide.

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ON SO

Ziesman says that’s often the easier decision. The soil needs to be wet at least in the top couple of centimetres for about 10 days for the sclerotia to germinate, grow into apothecia, and produce spores, says Ziesman.

Canola growers can find a sclerotinia checklist to help them make that decision at www.saskcanola.com/ research/riskcalculator.php.

“The second one is when do I apply that fungicide?” It’s a small window, Ziesman says, and control problems often come down to timing.

Flower petals are the first infection point in canola, which is why fungicide is applied at flowering.

Sclerotinia needs something weak or dying to use as an energy source before it can infect living leaf and stem tissue, Ziesman says.

“If you apply your fungicide at 10 to 20 per cent bloom, those petals are going to fall,” says Ziesman.

But if the ascospores come later, those infected petals won’t have fungicide on them. The trick is to spray when the pathogen is most present and risk is highest, while protecting flowers and lower leaves, she says.

As a rule of thumb, farmers should look at how much moisture they’ve had, when the moisture has come, and the crop canopy. The timing of rain is important, Ziesman says. If farmers don’t get any rain until 10 to 20 per cent bloom, the risk might shift to later in the season, she says.

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Prolonged flowering leaves plants susceptible to sclerotinia for a longer period “Watching the external environment is one thing, but you also need to pay attention to what’s going on in your crop,” says Ziesman. Farmers with dense crop canopies need to be vigilant. If pants are wet after walking through the field in the middle of the day, there’s probably enough moisture for sclerotinia spores to germinate and infect plants.

Prolonged flowering leaves plants susceptible to sclerotinia for a longer period. A farmer might time the application perfectly for the first round of ascospores, Ziesman says. But if more ascospores are released, plants can still be infected.

A longer crop rotation will help by cutting the amount of inoculum in the field, Ziesman says. But it’s not a silver bullet. Unlike most pathogens, sclerotinia infects a broad range of plants. Most broadleaves are susceptible, Ziesman says, and the disease infects over 400 host plants, including some weeds. Spores can also travel from other fields.

Ziesman also suggests picking a variety with a high rating for lodging resistance. A lodged crop holds

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photo: Lisa Guenther

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

A canola field starting to bloom at the end of June near Fairholme, Sask. Barb Ziesman, provincial specialist in plant disease, says the environment was perfect for disease development across Saskatchewan in 2016.

Avoiding resistance “There’s a risk of resistance with any fungus,” says Ziesman. Short rotations and constant use of a fungicide increase risk, she adds.

Ziesman says farmers can try rotating fungicide groups within the field, even with other crops.

For example, if a farmer is always controlling sclerotinia in canola and peas, it’s a good idea to track the modes of action.

“The more you use a single mode of action, the higher the chance that you’re going to put selection pressure on the pathogen,” says Ziesman.

Farmers applying fungicide twice within the same season might want to use a different mode of action that year as well, she adds. “It’s definitely a recommendation in some other crops where fungicide-resistant pathogen populations have been identified.”

Researchers have studied fungicide sensitivity in some pathogens, but there are too many pathogens to create a broad program, such as the herbicide-resistant weed programs, Ziesman says.

Farmers can use test strips to monitor fungicide resistant on their own. Leaving an untreated strip could provide the first clue that a pathogen is no longer sensitive to the fungicide. It will also show whether the fungicide application was effective. Test strips also provide good information to look back at when farmers need to make similar decisions in future years, Ziesman adds. GN

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more moisture, which is conducive to disease growth. “So you’ll often see a higher disease severity when a field is lodged.”

Farmers can also seed sclerotinia-tolerant varieties.

“The important thing to remember is that it is tolerant, and not resistant.

And what that means is that the plant is still going to get infected,” says Ziesman.

Sclerotinia-tolerant plants will suffer less yield loss and infection if disease pressure is low to moderate, she explains. “When disease pressure is high, it can still suffer yield losses and benefit from a fungicide application and other management practices.”

Lisa Guenther is field editor for Grainews based at Livelong, Sask. Follow her on Twitter @LtoG or email Lisa.Guenther@ fbcpublishing.com.

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Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

Farm management

Why should you enroll your farm in WCB? Even when it’s not mandatory, there are good reasons to enroll in Workers Comp

By Dilia Narduzzi

I

n some of the Prairie provinces it is mandatory for farmer employers to sign up for Workers Compensation (WCB) for their workers. In Manitoba, it’s been mandatory since 2009.

Some farmers still haven’t signed up or don’t realize that they need to. “Way back when, before medicare and before WCB, if a worker was injured on the job and couldn’t get medical care — if they didn’t have money to pay for it — they would then turn around and sue employers.

So a catastrophic workplace injury could leave a worker without medical care and, if the lawsuit was successful, the business would go broke,” says Warren Preece, director of communications for the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba.

Now, because of these kinds of provincial systems, “employers have immunity from lawsuits and workers have wage replacement and healthcare looked after.”

These are Workers Compensation’s values as a system and it benefits both employer and

employee for these reasons. The big thing now is getting the word out to farmer employers.

Even though coverage in Manitoba has been mandatory for several years now, many farmers aren’t signed up yet. “We’re still trying to make it known. I don’t think all the farmers in Manitoba understand that they need to register.” Workers in Manitoba are still covered if you haven’t signed up. If a worker is injured in Manitoba and you as a farmer employer aren’t registered, you won’t generally be fined, says Preece, but at that point the WCB will be coming to you and asking for premiums.

“Usually we just go ahead with premiums owed in future,” says Preece, they do not usually ask for back payments. “It’s against the law not to be registered.”

Make the payments If you are paying people to work on your farm, you need to be registered and make premium payments. “Any farmer who employs staff — not their direct family — and pays them a salary becomes an employer under the Manitoba Act. If you are employing staff, if you’re hiring

someone to combine your fields and you’re paying them money, then you are an employer,” says Preece. Even before it was mandatory, says Preece, a lot of the big factory farms were already registered with Workers Compensation in Manitoba.

“Now it’s gone a lever deeper to farmers who aren’t factory farms but who are hiring people.” That’s a big pro for any employer, including a farmer. “Especially in agricultural settings, your worker is often your neighbour or your friend, so in that sense most farmers would like to know there is coverage if someone gets badly hurt.”

There are questions about what constitutes a family member because on a family farm covering family isn’t mandatory (but you can still opt in if you want the coverage). But, sometimes the definition of family can be hazy. “If you have a cousin who lives in the city and comes to the farm in the summer and you’re paying them, that’s staff,” says Preece. But if mom, dad, son, and daughter are living on the farm and working there, they’re family and coverage is voluntary.

Mandatory in Alberta The case in Alberta is similar to Manitoba in that registering and paying your premiums for Workers Compensation is mandatory, though having to register and pay in is a relatively new thing for farming, effective only since January 1, 2016. So part of the reason you need to apply is that “there’s the legislative requirement to do so,” says Ben Dille, corporate communications for the Workers’ Compensation Board of Alberta.

“But it is a good thing for people to do even if they are not necessarily required to do so,” like in the case of covering yourself or your immediate family. Some people will inquire with the Board, says Dille, about coverage, costs, etc., and compare that information with what a private insurer might offer.

“That way they are making an informed decision about the type of coverage that they might want to get” for those types of workers, like family, who are optional to cover.

“The benefit for the employer is that they get full liability protection in the event of a workplace injury.”

Your business will be safe — “the worker can’t turn around and sue your business.” In Alberta, you can

be fined if you don’t “register your account in a timely manner,” says Dille, “though there’s discretion on our part when deciding whether to levy these. We focus more on education with new employers, as quite often they are just unsure of their responsibilities.”

Voluntary in Saskatchewan Things are a bit different in Saskatchewan. It isn’t mandatory for those in the farming sector to obtain workers’ compensation coverage. But you can still enrol in voluntary coverage. It makes good sense to obtain this coverage, because, as in the other provinces, if you have it workers are covered in the event of a workplace injury and you, as the employer, are protected from being sued, says Sharon Acres, director of employer services for the Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board, which can happen in Saskatchewan.

It makes good sense to enrol, even if you don’t have to, for your workers’ sakes and your own piece of mind. GN Dilia Narduzzi is a freelance writer in Dundas, Ont.

How to enroll your farm workers in WCB Now that you want to sign your farm up for Workers Comp, here’s the “how to”

By Dilia Narduzzi

N

ow that you know why you should enrol your farm in Workers’ Comp here’s how to do it.

Applying in Alberta In Alberta, applying is as easy as visiting the Workers’ Compensation Board Alberta website (www.wcb.ab.ca). There’s a search engine on the main page. If you search for “farm,” you’ll get to a page called “Farming Coverage.” Right there, you can click on the link “Register for your account today,” and also find more information about the costs and benefits, and what to do if a worker is injured.

If you’d rather fill out a paper form, you can access that form on this same webpage, print it out, and fax it in (fax number is on the form, 780-498-7999).

If Alberta employers have questions, they call 1-866922-9221.

“Getting enrolled is pretty straightforward,” says Ben Dille, corporate communications for the Workers’ Compensation Board of Alberta.

Premiums really depend on

PROVINCIAL AG WCB RATES Crops

Livestock

Rate

Annual cost to cover employee earning $50,000/year

Rate

Annual cost to cover employee earning $50,000/year

Alberta

$2.97

$1,485

$2.25

$1,125

Saskatchewan

$1.70

$850

$1.70

$850

Manitoba

$1.98

$990

$1.98

$990

the industry, even within the agriculture sector. For example, dairy farms and beef producers are on the higher end of the scale ($2.97 for every $100 of insurable earnings), while greenhouses and mushroom producers are at the low end ($1.70 per every $100). Grain farming is around the middle of the Agriculture sector’s rates in Alberta at $2.25 per hundred dollars of insurable earnings.

Managing in Manitoba In Manitoba, you can visit the Manitoba Workers Compensation Board website to sign up, says Warren Preece, director of communications for the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba.

You’ll go to www.wcb.mb.ca and click on the “Employer” tab

on that main page. Under that tab, you’ll see a whole bunch of options and you’ll want to click on the first one, “Assessments.”

At the top of that page you’ll see “Register Your Business” and you can click on the online form if you’d like to register online.

If you’d rather not do it online, “you phone us up and we ask you questions and we write down the answers and then you’re registered. It is just a matter of contacting us,” says Preece. The toll free number is 1-855-954-4321. If you call that number someone can help get you set up and answer any questions about annual rates, classifications, etc.

“Rates are changed based on what your payroll is. You’ll be assigned an entry rate and you’ll be charged for every $100

of payroll. Whatever you are paying your staff, it’ll be X amount per $100,” says Preece.

According to the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba’s website, rates for 2017 have dropped by 12 per cent, “allowing the WCB to offer Manitoba employers the second lowest rate in the country.”

Your premium will be determined by that sector classification and what you are paying out to employees. 2017 rates for Manitoba are $1.98 per $100 of insurable earnings for crop production, livestock production or custom harvesting.

Signing up in Saskatchewan In Saskatchewan the process to enrol is very much the same as the others discussed above. You can visit the Saskatchewan

Workers’ Compensation Board website at www.wcbsask.com and click on the Employers tab.

Here you’ll find links called “Register Your Business,” where you’ll find a registration form to fill out.

Because registration for the farming sector isn’t mandatory in this province, you also have to fill out a voluntary coverage form. Find is by choosing the “Employer” tab, then the “Employer Forms and Fact Sheets.” The “Voluntary Coverage Application for Farming” is at the bottom of the alphabetical list.

Information about rates is found under the “Classification and Rate Setting,” and, like the other provinces, is based on a calculation of your every $100 of payroll and the sector you belong in (in this case, agriculture). Farming and ranching rates are $1.70 per $100 of insurable earnings in 2017.

If you’d rather apply over the phone and bypass the website, you can call Saskatchewan Workers’ Comp at 1-800-6677590 and someone can help. GN Dilia Narduzzi is a freelance writer in Dundas, Ont.

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Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

17

Crop production

The economic value of growing cover crops Not all of the economic benefits of cover crops can be measured easily, but it’s worth a try

By Kevin Elmy

T

he first question that comes up when cover crops are discussed is “Do they pay?” Net returns from cover crops will be determined by what goals were set, what species were grown and other intrinsic benefits from the cover crop.

In any business, net profit is the difference between costs and revenue.

The two ways to increase profit are to increase revenue or decrease costs. If the two can be done at the same time, more profit is made. Simple, right?

In a livestock situation, revenue can be generated by grazing or haying the cover crop. Haying may seem like a withdrawal from the nutrient cycle, but it may fit the set goals. Days of grazing or tonnes per acre are easy to measure and value, so it’s easy to calculate the revenue generated. Costs are in place. Profit can be determined.

The revenues that are harder to measure are the soil health and the nutrient cycling aspect of cover

crops. That is where producers without livestock have trouble putting an economic value on including cover crops in rotations. What is the value of reducing hard pan soils? How much profit can be generated by reclaiming sour or saline patches? What’s the return on investment from having plants growing in the soil throughout the growing season, feeding the soil biology? It’s difficult to come up with quick answers.

It’s easier to put a value on a legume cover crop with the goal of fixing nitrogen. By using a feed test to estimate the nitrogen contained in the cover crop, it’s possible to estimate nitrogen available for the next crop.

There are some variables like how well was the legume nodulated, how lignified was it, is it being incorporated, soil moisture condition, and how is the soil microbiology working. The amount of nitrogen available for the next crop can be mulitiplied by the value of nitrogen per pound to calculate the value of the legume crop.

But how does one value a cover

crop like diakon radish, used to break up hard soils? Crops grown afterwards may respond to the soil’s improved rooting characteristics.

Radish will scavenge nutrients deeper in the soil profile and redistribute them in the top part of the soil. Radish roots rotting in the spring will help warm the soil, and if minimum-tilled into the residue, radish will result in extended weed-free conditions for the seedling crop.

Another property that’s hard to value is increasing organic matter.

Once a cash crop is harvested, there are usually no living plants on a field in the fall. Adding a post-harvest cover crop means plants are photosynthesizing, pumping sugars into the soil in the fall. The plants continue to sequester carbon, building organic matter.

Higher organic matter will allow quicker absorption of water, allow the soil to retain more water and improve nutrient cycling, root structure and nutrient efficiency. It will also protect the soil from erosion and sustain more soil microbes.

Sharpen those pencils The first cost to consider is the cost of the cover crop seed. Costs can range from $2 to over $80 per acre.

Species used, seeding rate, on-farm seed supply, and seeding methods all contribute to the costs.

When a small-seeded cover crop is mixed in with a cash crop and seeded at the same time, costs are low. Seeding a large-seeded species on its own costs more. On our farm, using a full-season cover crop blend that we green feed, we include millets, Phacelia, tuber plants, and annual legumes, which normally costs around $28 per acre. Seeding bullseye radish at six pounds per acre would cost just under $20 per acre. Adding one pound per acre of Persian clover to a spring-seeded crop costs around $4 per acre. These costs don’t include seeding.

There may be other management costs. For example, if daikon radishes are seeded too early, they will bolt. A bolted radish field will be difficult to deal with the next year unless a disc opener seeder is used.

The field may have to be clipped or mowed. It’s important to know each species’ growth characteristics.

Until a production cycle is completed, the direct economics of cover cropping can be described as fuzzy. Improving soil health, increasing organic matter and improving soil microbe diversity all have long-term implications but no direct revenues. The value of nutrient cycling and breaking up of hard pan can be seen quickly. Nitrogen fixation is the easiest to measure and link to an actual cash value. After the production cycle is completed, and microbes can do what they do, results become more evident.

We’ve noticed our crops are healthier and require fewer inputs.

Cover crops have improved our net income. GN Kevin Elmy operates Friendly Acres Seed Farm, along with his wife, Christina, and parents, Robert and Verene, near Saltcoats, Sask. Contact him at 306-744-2779 or visit www.friendlyacres.sk.ca.

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Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

Ag technology

On-farm 3D printing still a pipedream So far, the plastic parts that can be printed are only short-term farm solutions

By Julienne Isaacs

W

hen a non-standard equipment part breaks during harvest or spring planting, most farmers don’t have time to wait a few weeks for a replacement to arrive.

What if they could print a new part right on the farm?

That’s the dream being peddled to agricultural industries by a burgeoning 3D printing market, and it’s close to reality.

According to Steven Thorstad of Outlook, Sask.-based Thor 3D, a distributor of MakerBot 3D printers and accessories, farmers aren’t yet buying 3D printers individually.

“The bigger market is agricultural equipment manufacturers,” he says.

“Using 3D printers, they’re able to rapidly prototype parts.”

Thor 3D’s printers are called fused deposition modeling (FDM) printers, which means they lay down materials in layers, the most common type of 3D printing. Thorstad

says the company sells to the lower end of the manufacturing price range and the upper end of the consumer price range. In other words, the company doesn’t sell entry-level consumer machines.

The MakerBot printers they do sell range between $2,000 and $3,400 per unit. They print mostly in Acrylonitrile-Butadiene Styrene (ABS) plastic, a thermoplastic that is malleable when heated.

“It’s all plastic in our realm,” says Thorstad. “There are metal 3D

printers but they cost $100,000 and up.”

Limited materials in the lower price range 3D printer models means not all parts can be replaced with MakerBot printers.

“Because it’s 3D printed it has really good strength in two planes, but between the layers is the weakest direction,” explains Thorstad.

“It’s probably 90 per cent the strength of injection molding, and around 70 per cent in the layers.”

This means many farm equip-

ment parts can’t be replaced with MakerBot printed parts for more than a very short time.

A second drawback is that anyone wanting to replace a part on-farm needs 3D modeling experience or training with the drafting tool AutoCAD. “There are scanners but the deal is if it’s a mechanical part, scanning isn’t as good as 3D printing. It’s not a usable scan for producing the part,” says Thorstad.

“What we see slowly happening is that more and more manufacturers are releasing 3D models of their weird parts. Eventually you should be able to call John Deere, they can send you the model and you can print it yourself.”

When parts can be printed, it’s a lifesaver. “One good example is that I had a farmer with a broken heater part from a 1990 Ford, but Ford wouldn’t sell the part because they don’t make it anymore,” says Thorstad.

“3D printing is useful for unique parts that aren’t standard, things that are limited production.”

Significant investment Allan Cronen, chief executive officer at Litchfield, Minn.-based GVL Polymers, a rotational molding company, says the return on investment of having a 3D printer on the farm is probably still 10 years away.

“It’s a significant investment but it’s a theory that will some day become a reality,” he says.

The alternative is farmers cooperating to share small 3D printers.

Regional service bureaus with 3D printing capabilities are popping up across Canada and the U.S. GVL Polymers offers 3D scanning or reverse engineering; they can make modifications to parts or start from scratch design-wise. Their customers are mainly manufacturers — including five “major” ag manufacturers who hire GVL to print test pieces or low production pieces.

“Our founder is a farmer and he does a lot of field testing,” says Cronen. “And most of the manufacturers will do the same thing.”

GVL’s services are in high demand, but not because 3D printers work any faster than other machines, says Cronen. The benefits come in reduced design time and machine setup, and minimal waste.

“We’ve printed some test pieces for a large equipment manufacturer last fall,” he says. “It took two weeks to produce all the parts, where it would have taken a traditional manufacturer three to four months.”

3D printing technology is constantly improving, so farmers may not have to wait long until on-farm use becomes economically viable.

And there’s some specific hopes on the horizon, Cronen says. Work is being done on planting mechanisms, seed wheels and a variety of sprayer nozzles. “We’ll probably see faster application there than on the harvesting side,” he says. GN

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Julienne Isaacs is a Winnipeg-based freelance writer and editor. Contact her at julienne.isaacs@gmail.com.

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Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

19

Crop research

Faster breeding with the Scanalyzer Is field-scale robotic phenotyping: the next generation of precision ag?

By Julienne Isaacs

I

t’s the world’s largest ag robot, and it could be called Precision Agriculture: Next Gen. Technically, it’s called the LemnaTec Field Scanalyzer. It’s a fieldscale machine that looks at individual plants and quickly assesses many agronomic traits including leaf area, plant height, biomass, tip burn and drought tolerance, entirely on its own.

LemnaTec, a German company, is an industry leader in digital plant assessment, or phenotyping. The Field Scanalyzer is one of a suite of plant phenotyping products the company offers. So far only two of these field-scale systems are operational — one is based at the U.K.’s Department of Plant Biology and Crop Science at Rothamsted Research, and one is installed at the United States Advanced Research Project Agency’s TERRA-REF project at the United States Department of Agriculture Arid Land Research Station in Maricopa, Arizona.

“The ability to rapidly and reliably characterize, or phenotype, plants for improved agronomic traits that increase yield has become a bottleneck in the agriculture industry,” says Todd DeZwaan, LemnaTec’s vice president of business development for North America.

“This is where the Scanalyzer suite of products comes in. These products provide researchers and breeders with a variety of high-resolution imaging sensors that enable them to reliably phenotype plants and discover the next generation of agriculture products.”

Can you get one for your farm?

Eventually, perhaps, but DeZwaan believes the Field Scanalyzer is currently geared more to the research community.

“We recognize that our technology has direct relevance to applications that farmers care about such as infield diagnostics, scouting, and precision agriculture,” says DeZwaan.

“Many researchers that are using our products are exploring ways that our high-resolution imaging systems could be used to help farmers better manage their fields throughout the growing season.”

The Field Scanalyzer is a “testbed” in this area, DeZwaan says, allowing researchers to assess how their germplasm or other products interact with variables in the field environment and identify the most relevant sensor technologies for farmers to use in real world applications.

DeZwaan says the Field Scanalyzer could be deployed on a commercial operation, but isn’t suitable for high acreage applications like grain and canola production.

“Bringing LemnaTec’s technology to those commercial applications will require coupling it to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs). This is an area of active exploration and technology development for us in the years ahead,” he says.

How phenotyping works The Field Scanalyzer has a robotic sensor arm equipped with overhead and side view cameras, as well as a range of optional sensors that monitor environmental conditions (such as temperature, humidity, light, wind and carbon dioxide).

The machine collects this data day and night — and also analyzes the data.

Kasra Sabermanesh, a research fellow in Crop Phenotyping at Rothamsted, is part of the team working with

the Field Scanalyzer in the U.K. His team works is running field experiments involving more than 400 different wheat lines with subtle differences. Sabermanesh says it would be very difficult to monitor that many wheat lines without the robot.

“We need to look at them quite closely to identify and monitor these differences. Obtaining the same level of information at the same frequency would not only require a lot more manpower, it would also be error-prone,” he says.

Sabermanesh says the Scanalyzer system is adaptable to different crops and cropping systems. In total his team uses the Scanalyzer to work with three crops — wheat, oilseed rape and oats — in a three-year rotation.

LemnaTec’s smaller Scanalyzers have already seen interest across the global agricultural community.

DeZwaan says the HTS Scanalyzer (a plant analysis screening and phenotyping cabinet) and 3D HT Scanalyzer (an imaging platform for high-

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Products are ordered directly from LemnaTec’s facility in Germany and installed on-site. The company is opening a location in North Carolina in December that will serve as a North American distribution centre. GN Julienne Isaacs is a Winnipeg-based freelance writer and editor. Contact her at julienne.isaacs@gmail.com.

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Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

Farm management

Equipment sharing is on the rise

From community spirit to a corporate platform: farmers have many ways to share

S

everal years ago, Bernie McClean started out farming with next to nothing. The Glaslyn, Sask.-based producer, who serves on the SaskCanola board, says it took “a lot of creative paths” to get where he is now.

One of those paths was the decision to share a major piece of farm equipment — a John Deere 4720 high clearance sprayer — with a neighbour.

“It’s been five springs now, and it’s been very successful for us,” says McClean.

At the time, McClean’s neighbour was unsure about the advanced technology, and McClean didn’t think he could manage the cost on his own.

The arrangement meant both producers got what they wanted.

They split the initial cost and cost of repairs 50/50. In the spring McClean’s neighbour keeps the sprayer in his shop; in the winter it goes into cold storage on McClean’s farm. Each producer farms roughly 1,500 acres.

“Our acres are very close, but any other type of arrangement — 60/40, 70/30 —could work the same for anybody,” he says.

“The sprayer we have is more sprayer than what we really need.

Between the two of us, he knows what I’m planting and vice versa, so we plan our spraying around that.

Because it’s a high capacity machine neither of us is ever really looking for it — we’re a day or two from having it at any time.”

A growing trend?

McClean isn’t the only Canadian producer embracing equipment sharing. But according to Sylvain Charlebois, dean of management and professor in food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University, it’s found more frequently in Europe, where density is much higher and farmer co-operatives are common.

“In order for smaller farms to survive, this is necessary. If you’re over-capitalized you need to build economy of scale and some farmers just can’t,” says Charlebois. “Scaling up is always a challenge, and equipment sharing represents an opportunity for some farmers to stick around much longer.”

In rural Canada, distances aren’t the only obstacle to equipment sharing; a collaborative mindset is also often missing, according to Charlebois. Land and expertise can also be shared, but some farmers prefer to operate in isolation.

“Generally speaking the shared economy is something that needs to be more embraced in rural Canada,” he says.

In the U.S., a combine-renting company called MachineryLink branched out in 2015 to become an agricultural equipment sharing platform. The company already boasts over 1,600 farmer members across the U.S. and tens of millions of dollars in farm equipment.

“Farm incomes this year could potentially be the lowest since 2002, according to the United States Department of Agriculture,” said MachineryLink spokesperson Jennifer Goldston in an email. “Giving farmers another way to manage their balance sheet is particularly critical now as on-farm cash income continues to decline.”

MachineryLink’s members can list equipment that isn’t being used 100 per cent of the time and select dates when they won’t need it. Borrowers request a booking, which the owner approves. The company handles all logistics.

“For young, next-generation farmers, this online sharing marketplace reduces a significant barrier to entry. For example, it’s become increasingly difficult to purchase combines, which can cost US$500,000 or more. MachineryLink Sharing provides access to combines and other ag equipment for a fraction of that cost,” said Goldston.

According to Kevin Hursh, a farmer and agricultural commentator, larger equipment — like combines and seeders — can be tough for producers to part with, so many producers feel reluctant to co-own essential machines.

“I think it gets difficult with harvesting equipment because people are likely to need it at the same time,” he says. “I think it could be done on a case-by-case basis. But I’m not sure too many people would be comfortable handing over the keys to the combine.”

Hursh says many equipmentsharing opportunities are missed because producers tend to be “too independent.”

Hursh, who farms a moderatesized grain operation with a fair amount of pulse crops, rents a land roller from a neighbour and does custom seeding or combining for other neighbours when they fall behind or lack operators.

“I think there are instances where more sharing could be done but people don’t like the inconvenience, or worry about working with a neighbour, and would prefer to have their own equipment and not worry about someone else mistreating it, but it leads to more investment in equipment than is necessary,” he says.

Community spirit Brock Minogue has been farming near Lacadena, Sask. since 2003.

His father had a combine-sharing arrangement with a neighbour. “It was tough to watch the combine leave knowing your crop was sitting out there,” he says.

These days Minogue shares lessessential equipment with neighbours, including a land roller and a grader blade.

He says communication is key to these arrangements, especially when it comes to timing. A willingness to pay for repairs is also important. But Minogue says what really makes equipment sharing possible is a spirit of collaboration in his community

that contrasts with the highly competitive, secretive atmosphere that can follow large-scale farming.

“I used to think that if someone could get an edge up or grow more and not tell anyone about it, that’s a successful business. But along with that comes secrecy and there’s not that collaborative feeling where people sit around and talk about how things are going,” says Minogue.

“This is a special community, that’s part of the reason why I farm where I do — I love that community spirit. If we lose the social part of farming it’s just a job.” GN Julienne Isaacs is a Winnipeg-based freelance writer and editor. Contact her at julienne.isaacs@gmail.com.

NEW

photo: thinkstock

By Julienne Isaacs

It's becoming increasingly difficult to purchase expensive equipment.

columns

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

21

Hart Attacks

In praise of old tractors and horses It’s been a long journey from horses to tractors to aerial drone technology

By Lee Hart

I

I remember the Gillette Lye tin with the lion on the label being in the barn.

was just catching up on my reading, going through the January 1938 issue of Country Guide magazine and I’m sorry I missed out on a contest to win a brand new Massey Harris tractor in a contest sponsored

by Gillett’s Lye. All you had to do is to get every family member, friend, neighbour or cohort you knew to save their Gillett’s Lye tin labels. The person who mailed in the most labels won the tractor.

And it was a beaut too. It was a Twin Power Massey Harris Pacemaker tractor complete with lights and oversized tires with a staggering retail value of $1,500. And if you really

didn’t need the tractor you could take a $1,250 cash prize.

Even the second prize was pretty good — a “superb” pair of Clydesdale horses. I saw an opportunity there — if the grand prize winner’s tractor didn’t start one day, I could always rent him my horses.

It would be good to know who won that contest and how many labels it took to win a tractor. I know Gillett-brand shaving products are still around, although I’m not sure if you can still buy a tin of lye. My grandmother use to make lye soap and I remember there being a tin of Gillett’s lye in the dairy barn when I was a kid.

It says in the Gillett ad it was an excellent product to keep milking

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equipment sanitary; helped protect valuable livestock when used to wash barn floors and stanchions; helped keep outhouses clean and sanitary; and also saved “hours of household drudgery.” Who wouldn’t want to use Gillett’s Lye? I remember the tin with the lion on the label being in the barn, but when I became a valuable dairy barn worker lye had been replaced by another powerful, multi-purpose cleaner — Javex. A diluted solution of water and Javex was used for just about everything from washing milking equipment to even cleaning cow’s udders and teats before Chore Boy milking equipment was slipped on.

And as a bonus when the white gallon plastic Javex jugs were empty they could be rinsed and cut down to make dishes for feeding milk to barn cats, fashioned into scoops for feeding dairy ration, or just opened up to be a perfect holder for still prettystraight nails.

No wonder Gillett’s Lye disappeared from the shelves... it was all about the container. It couldn’t compete.

I know I am getting old, but it’s interesting to look back at this stuff.

This contest ran about 80 years ago when labels off a can of a household sanitation product could win you a new tractor. I’m sure in January 1938, $1,500 for a tractor was still a pretty staggering amount.

But I can’t guess how many labels you would need off of any product today to win a new $250,000 to $350,000 tractor.

CASE IS GOOD TOO In that same issue of Country Guide, Case advertised it’s latest powerhouse Model L tractor with a photo of the machine pulling a three-bottom mouldboard plow. There was no mention of the horsepower capacity of the tractor in the full-page ad, but it did emphasize how economical it was to run.

J.T. Simonson who farmed in Manitoba reported he had put 2,160 hours on the tractor with a total upkeep cost of $6 for the year — yes, $6.

Over in Saskatchewan, Roy F. Cole had put about 1,000 hours per year on his Model L for seven years. His annual repair costs averaged $5.36.

And in Alberta, F.W. Fuller was paying 5.5 cents for fuel. After 4,000 hours of work “equal to 160,000 miles on a motor car” his mainte-

nance costs were about 1/2 cent per hour. “Counting fuel, oil and grease, depreciation and upkeep his total power cost figures out at 25.4 cents an hour... big tractor capacity for the hourly cost of a two-horse team,” the ad reported. The days of the horse were numbered.

My dad still had a team of horses, Babe and Queenie, I recall him still using for some farming operations when I was about six or seven. But it was about that time that a hot orange Allis Chalmers 45 tractor appeared on the farm. Dad opened the front of an old log building that once was a buggy shed, which became “the tractor shed” and that Allis Chalmers tractor had a home in that shed for the next 55 years. The horses disappeared shortly after the tractor arrived, but the tractor endured.

It performed most of the field operations while my dad was farming. And after he retired and most other equipment was sold, the old Allis remained in the shed. And even into his early 80s, my dad would fire up the tractor every two or three months and drive it around the yard a couple times just to keep it loosened up.

Also in that 1938 issue of Guide there were smaller advertisements for McCormick-Deering, International Harvester diesel track tractors. And Caterpillar was promoting its farm workhorse — a diesel D4 tractor. H.B. Grant of Deer Lodge Farms at Standard, Alberta reported it only cost him $179.60 worth of fuel for the year to seed about 950 acres, harvest 1,500 acres and haul 11,000 bushels of wheat eight miles in four tanks. Now that is good economy.

But tractors didn’t hog all the economy news. G.S. Webb of Elfros, Sask. gave a testimonial to the Winnipegbased Horse Shoe Brand Harness he’d bought in 1904 for his horses. He used the harness on a team in the city for a while, and 34 years later he was still using it on horses as he farmed 960 acres “and I’m not afraid to put it to the hardest jobs yet.”

Like many things in life, I’m guessing they don’t make horse harness like that today. I’ll have to see if Horse Shoe Brand Harness has a website, maybe I can buy on-line and they can send a drone to deliver my order. GN Lee Hart is a field editor with Grainews based in Calgary. Contact him at 403-592-1964 or by email at lee@fbcpublishing.com.

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22

columns

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

Understanding market bulls and bears

Staying competitive in a new world Production is up in the Former Soviet Union and South America. Are you ready?

Brian Wittal

bfwittal@procommarketingltd.com

U

p until about the last decade the advantage North American farmers had over those in Russia, Ukraine and South America was the use of machinery, technology, genetics and agronomics to produce higher yields. This kept per acre costs low enough to generate profits.

Over the last 10 years farming in

these other regions has caught up.

They are surpassing yield expectations, giving them the pricing advantage when it comes to selling into the world market.

Through the Cold War years and the breakup of the Former Soviet Union most farmers in the area had little or no access to cash or credit to purchase machinery, seed, fertilizer or chemicals to help improve their yields. They existed as subsistence farmers or abandoned the land to find work elsewhere.

Things were very similar throughout South America. With a devalued currency, farmers faced huge inflation costs for inputs. Tariffs on grain exports meant they were squeezed on both ends. It was enough to send many small farmers to the big cities to find work.

It was over the past 10 to 20 years that a number of things started to happen that would move agriculture production forward by leaps and bounds in these areas.

Times change Abandoned acres were brought back into production in the FSU as the region’s governments looked for ways to generate revenues from their lands.

They encouraged international investors to buy or lease farmland and get it back into production.

In South America, millions of acres were deforested, adding new land to the picture. Here as well, governments allowed foreign investment in agriculture as a way to get foreign currency into the econo-

WE’RE AS COMMITTED TO THE FUTURE OF GROWING PULSES AS YOU ARE.

my in the wake of severe inflation and currency devaluation.

This brought about a major change in grain production capabilities. Investors came with money, machinery and technology, allowing them to maximize production capabilities and generate profitable earnings.

Meanwhile, major ag industry players were investing heavily in these regions. They saw the potential and wanted a piece of the profits that would come from growing, buying, processing, selling and moving grain to market. Governments, industry and private investors have invested billions of dollars to build infrastructure to move grain to market quickly and cheaply.

Add to that the amalgamations of fertilizer, seed and chemical companies around the world as they ramp up for massive new demand for their products and services in these regions, and all of a sudden countries that we thought were 25 years behind us in production technology and access to genetics and inputs are now, in some aspects, ahead of North American farmers and continuing to push for greater improvements.

Canadian farmers once had the advantage of government involvement in the development of new seed varieties for Canadian use. This has disappeared. World multinational companies now dominate the seed genetics business, which means anyone willing to pay can have access to the latest in genetics. This is arguably the biggest change that has helped push the progression of grain production in these regions.

How do we compete?

We can assume the genetics, fertilizers and chemicals that we’re using will be available to everyone, so we won’t have any real advantage there.

Machinery and technology will also be pretty much the same everywhere, so no real advantage there either.

It will come down to the basics of land and weather as the primary determining factors as to who will produce the largest volume and/or the best quality grains at a lower cost.

A number of other things can influence North American competitiveness. These include currencies, foreign trade policies, tariffs, world oil prices and world ocean freight rates to name a few.

Getting bigger is not always the answer. Getting better at what you do is the first step, then maybe getting bigger makes sense.

I believe remaining competitive will come down to farmers’ expertise and management experience, along with the continued adaptation of technology and genetics.

Growing more bushels of higher quality grain per acre and keeping costs under control by running lean and mean operationally is what will help give farmers here the edge. GN

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2017-01-04 2:04 PM

columns

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

23

Reporter’s notebook

A rough ride ahead for Canadian farmers Politics and trade may well be changing, and they certainly won’t be boring

By Lisa Guenther

A

s you may have heard, this year marks the 150th anniversary of Confederation. It’s worth taking stock of where we’ve been and where we are now, and so I’m going to use this space to do just that, on issues important to agriculture and rural communities.

I’m tapping out this column a few days before PresidentElect Donald Trump’s inauguration. To be honest, it’s hard not to tail spin into hyperbolic anxiety when I think of Trump.

But it’s worth stepping back and trying to see the bigger picture instead of focusing on Trump’s personality and the latest allegations (troubling as they are).

It’s worth noting that although Canada’s relationship with the U.S. hasn’t always been smooth sailing, we haven’t had a major military conflict since before Confederation. That is something most of us take for granted, but it is a remarkable feat.

The reality is that we are quite interdependent, especially when you consider our trade. David Frum, a senior editor of The Atlantic and former speech writer for George W. Bush, delivered a keynote at CropSphere in January. In a media scrum afterwards, he pointed out the U.S.-

Canada relationship doesn’t run entirely through the national capitals. Provincial delegations have told Frum that they’re on the phone to their U.S. counterparts in state capitals all the time.

“These are integrated relationships that look a lot like the domestic economy, frankly,” said Frum. That means if Ottawa tries to slap the U.S., western Canadians are likely to howl that it hurts them more than the Americans (or vice versa).

Despite protectionist rumblings, producers groups aren’t lighting their hair on fire yet, as Ryder Lee, CEO of the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association, said back in November. I caught up with Lee during Canadian Western Agribition, and he was quite reassuring, even though there was talk of breathing life back into mandatory countryof-origin labeling (COOL).

Lee expected to hear plenty of proposals from the new administration right up to Trump’s inauguration and beyond. He compared those proposals to spit balls. “They’re waiting to see what sticks and what doesn’t.”

That doesn’t mean the beef industry is ignoring them, Lee added. The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association has staff on the ground, talking to elected officials and staff, and reminding them of the trade history between the two countries, Lee

said. Canada is well-equipped for another trade disruption, he said, with people who learned a lot going through BSE. Lee said COOL is recent enough that everyone should know about the WTO rulings and what’s on Canada’s retaliation list. But those kinds of trade actions are always a risk, he added. “It’s a garden that needs tending all the time.”

You may be wondering (as I was) whether Trump really understood the complexities of trade between our two nations.

I asked Frum about that, and he reminded me that the U.S. president isn’t the whole of the government. There’s Congress, and there are people working for government agencies who are “very sophisticated” about trade and economic issues, he said. In the U.S., there’s “a constant flow” of people going back and forth between the private and government sectors, he told us during the media scrum.

Frum also pointed out that although Trump has a lot of energy, it is finite. If his negative energy is redirected from issues that hurt Canada, he’ll run out of steam before he gets to us.

Of course, we also trade with other countries, so if Trump does in fact “blow up world trading systems,” as Frum put it, it will affect us too. Frum compared it

to slicing one or two of your arteries and thinking the rest of your arteries will be fine.

And then there’s Russia…

It was just over three years ago that then federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz told Country Guide reporter Maggie Van Camp about his relationship with Russia’s ag minister. Ritz said he gave his counterpart a pair of cowboy boots made from the ostriches he once raised, “forging a friendship,” Van Camp wrote (see “Blood, sweat and deals,” published February 2014, at www. country-guide.ca).

That’s not a criticism of Ritz.

He gifted those cowboy boots before Russia moved into the Crimea. It is a sign of how much things have changed between Canada and Russia in the last few years.

Chrystia Freeland, who recently took the helm of Foreign Affairs, has some impressive qualifications. She speaks Russian and Ukrainian (among other languages), she’s written books on the global business elite and Russia’s transition to capitalism, she’s lived in Russia, and she’s a Rhodes Scholar. Not bad for a farm girl from Peace River, Alberta.

She’s also been banned from Russia by Putin for criticizing his annexation of Crimea. It remains

to be seen how Freeland’s past criticisms of Russia play out in D.C. Personally, I don’t want to see any of Canada’s cabinet ministers cozying up to Putin these days, although Trump would disagree.

“Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing. Only ‘stupid’ people, or fools, would think that is bad!”

That is a tweet from the President-elect himself, back on January 7th.

But on the other hand, by January 11th, Trump was tweeting: “Russia has never tried to use leverage over me. I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH RUSSIA — NO DEALS, NO LOANS, NO NOTHING!” I guess the one certainty in all this is that it won’t be boring. As Frum said, we are about to see a test of the whole American system. Our federal government will be tested as well.

And we’re going to see a test of ag groups as they try to maintain relationships with the U.S., China, and many other trading partners.

Luckily, it’s not their first rodeo. But I’m betting they haven’t seen a rodeo quite like this. So hold on to your hats. It’s going to be a heck of a ride. GN Lisa Guenther is field editor for Grainews based at Livelong, Sask.

Follow her on Twitter @LtoG.

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columns

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

Can’t take the farm from the boy

The other side of the trade show booth Toban Dyck

tobandyck@gmail.com

I

’ve been to Ag Days in Brandon, Man., many times, but never have I attended the show from start to finish, and never have I done so as an exhibitor.

I will arrive in Brandon the day before the event begins to setup the Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers (MPSG) booth.

When I tell seasoned Ag Days exhibitors I’m planning to attend the whole event, from January 17-19, they laugh. They know it’s my first time on the other side of the desk. And they know that I probably won’t consent to such a feat again.

Perhaps. But prepping for it has been a lot of work already, and I still easily have four more days in me.

You’ll remember — or you’ll guess — that I help MPSG with communications. I like talking to farmers, and it’s important to my job that I do.

Preparing for AgDays, 101 I unearthed last year’s packing list.

It’s long, but not long enough.

MPSG has grown. The organization has more production resources than it did last year at this time. This is a good thing, but it means changes need to be made to the exhibit.

I would imagine every AgDays exhibitor goes through a period pondering how to best utilize the space they’ve been allotted. The hope is to emerge from such brainstorming sessions with a clear sense of what will be the most effective for the people managing the booth and the attendees it’s meant to engage.

An MPSG agronomist and I arrived January 16. I was nervous.

He had never setup an Ag Days booth. Neither had I. And we couldn’t use pictures from last year for reference. We had a larger space this year.

At this stage, it wouldn’t have surprised me to discover that I had forgotten something vital to the event back at the office in Carman, a two-hour drive from Brandon.

“I think the table needs to move a little to the right,” I said. He agreed.

“I don’t like where the TV is,” he said.

We moved it.

This went on until both of us were satisfied enough to walk away from it.

The booth transformed from an empty space delineated by grey curtains into a place where farmers could comfortably peruse literature stands containing our diverse selection of laminated production guides for soybeans and pulses; comfortably sit at one of the two bistro tables for a chat with an agronomist or myself; or grab a recipe book or two on their way down the aisle of MNP Hall in Brandon’s Keystone Centre.

Experiencing Ag Days There’s nothing romantic about Ag Days. It’s one ag event. There are many others, in Canada, North

America, the world. But, put a bunch of farm-related stuff in a room, invite a bunch of farmers, and what you get is greater than the sum of its parts.

When my dad and I attended shortly after my wife and I moved back to the farm in 2012, I was smitten by the machines. It had been a while since I’d seen so many. They were so big. So new.

So interesting. I had to write about them. And I did.

The next time brought a different focus. The machines, while still big, new and interesting, took a back seat to the sole proprietorships selling homemade inventions, implements, or add-ons.

This time has been all of these things: the machines, the inventions — amazing and cutting-edge and always worth checking out. But this year’s highlight was people.

I spent Day 1 in and out of the MPSG booth. As a farmer, I wanted to walk the exhibits to get a sense of what is out there. I barely got that sense. Each corner, each aisle, yielded another familiar face.

These conversations are valuable.

You know this. I knew this. But this event, so far, has been a stark reminder of their worth.

I told my coworkers I’d be right back to the booth. I wasn’t.

When enough time had passed, and enough conversations had taken place, I decided to head back. I got lost a few times, but en route I couldn’t help but notice the kinds of chats that were happening at the various exhibits.

The event is casual, relaxed even, but the farmers attending are not making flippant decisions. They are not making impulse purchases. It’s real farmers asking real questions, making real decisions.

photo: Toban Dyck

Bradon’s Ag Days looks a little different when you wear two hats to the show

MSPG has grown, and now has more publications and information available to showgoers.

Day 2 This day was all MPSG from 9 to 5.

And it was fantastic.

There were many first-time soybean growers coming to our table for production resources, or to chat about varieties, markets, and anything else under the sun.

Some wanted to know what we do at MPSG. This is a fair question, and a fun one to answer. It’s not a chore to talk about our independent, unbiased research, the great work our agronomists do in developing resources for Manitoba farmers, and the events we put on throughout the year.

In the course of a day, I met a lot of people. The breadth of questions we received from farmers was astounding, and the various kinds of operations people have across western Canada are about as diverse as it gets.

Day 3 is tomorrow. It’s the homestretch of a great event. I’m still alive. I still have a few ounces of energy. And I’d agree to such a feat again. GN Toban Dyck is a freelance writer and a new farmer on an old farm. Follow him on Twitter @tobandyck or email tobandyck@gmail.com.

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columns

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

Off-farm income

25

A few of my favourite stocks

In Part 2 of a two-part series, Andy Sirski discusses some stocks he likes for 2017 Andy Sirski sirski@mts.net

photo: thinkstock

I The election of U.S. President Trump could certainly change investing strategies.

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The odds are the U.S. will reduce or eliminate barriers to U.S. profits for sectors such as banks and other businesses. This could drive shares in these sectors to new highs, raising the U.S. dollar, which could lower the price of gold. There is a chance that gold will become independent of the U.S. dollar, but it’s too soon to tell.

Another factor influencing the price of gold is the threat that deflation may end and inflation will come back. This should drive up the price of gold even with a rising dollar. Plus the trend of governments around the world spending big bucks could drive up the cost of labour, material and equipment and related stock prices.

The end results could be opportunites for anyone ready to take advantage of opportunities, rotation and volatility.

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I have mentioned Precision Drilling (PD) in this column before. As I hear it, the company has pricing power and will be drilling in North America and Kuait next year. I don’t own PD shares at this time but I could.

The big question is whether oil producers will cut production and respect lower production targets.

During the middle of December 2016, OPEC and non-OPEC countries agreed to cut oil production by nearly a million barrels a day — a significant cut if it holds. Some production cuts have kicked in, but time will tell if the cuts hold.

However, rising demand combined with production cuts could move oil prices up enough to encourage low-cost U.S. shale producers to turn on the taps. A lot of wells have been drilled and put on hold. Prices above $50 a barrel and heading for $60 would encourage opening some of those wells.

There is talk that the oil industry has been so badly underinvested and so many qualified oil workers have found new careers that it will be almost impossible for oil producers to ramp up production anytime soon. Therefore, normal declining rates in production could cause a shortage of oil and rising prices.

There are many moving parts in the oil business. One of the easiest ways to protect ourselves against volatility is to let the price of good shares run up while we raise the stop loss numbers. This means we

likely cannot sell covered calls on those shares.

As we search for stocks that are likely to rise let’s remember that this could be a rising tide, and rising tides lift all boats. Some boats (stocks) have already gone up while some have not.

At the very least we should have some of both categories but we might want to lean towards the late starters.

I still like Precision Drilling (PD) but I think Transocean Ltd. (RIG), an offshore drilling contractor, would work too. Vermillion (VET) is one of the few companies that did not cut its dividend. Half of the company’s business is in Europe and it sells that oil for much more than VET sells oil here in North America.

Natural gas Birchcliff Resources (BIR.TO) is mostly natural gas. The company recently bought a bunch of land that will reduce its decline rate and give it more drillable land. This company brings natural gas to the surface at a very low cost.

U.S. Banks The U.S. central bank raised interest rates late in 2016. That should help push up bank stocks. Bank shares have been held down by various laws and restrictions, but under Trump those restrictions could be relaxed.

Add in the odds that U.S. businesses might become more optimistic, and we likely have banks in a rare sweet spot. This could be another rising tide. I bought January 2019 calls on Bank of America (BAC), which would go up if and when BAC shares go up. I will buy more calls if the trend looks good. So far the price of BAC shares has gone up five per cent. Buying calls on rising stocks is a very popular strategy for American investors/speculators. I bought these calls at the price of the day so the call should go up pretty much dollar for dollar as the shares go up.

You have to be careful buying calls. Their value can go to zero if you don’t get the direction right. I don’t usually buy calls, since I would rather sell them to collect cash. However, this seemed like an ideal opportunity to speculate.

other stocks I also like the stock Texas Instruments (TXN), which has a gross margin of 60 per cent. I’m keeping an eye on Bombardier and Athabasca Oil sands (ATH.TO). Both are cheap and have formed a base so the risk might be low. As always, be careful. GN Andy Sirki is mostly retired. He plays with his granddaughters and runs a small income tax business. Read StockTalks, the electronic newsletter where he explains how he invests his family’s portfolio, free for a month by emailing Andy.

26

columns

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

Soils and crops

Prairie stubble soil moisture In the map of November 2016 soil moisture , there are no “very dry” areas Les Henry

A

s usual, this map gives only a very general indication of the soil moisture situation on the Canadian Prairies as we went into freeze up November 2016. It can be summed up in a word WET. To make a soil moisture map it is essential that a good database of rain records from many stations is available. The more stations, the better the map. Rain cannot be modelled. Rain is not a prediction — it is a measurement. Pretty coloured, computer generated rainfall maps from too few stations are of little value.

This map is made using the following information and data: 1. The Alberta Ag website has excellent rain and other weather records based on a very large

network of provincial weather stations. And, the data is very easily accessible even by this digitally challenged old fossil.

Many thanks to the kids that are keepers of the keys for that Alberta website.

They also produce a soil moisture map based on modelling of water use and rain.

The legend from that map is converted to the legend you see on this map.

2. The federal government’s drought watch site (www.agr. gc.ca/drought) produces rainfall maps for the three Prairie provinces on a weekly basis and cumulative maps are available for the growing season. For both Alberta and Manitoba there is a large provincial weather station base that is fed into the federal system. No such data exists for Saskatchewan so the rain maps there are based on too few stations.

3. For Saskatchewan, rain data is extracted from the weekly crop reports produced

by Saskatchewan Ag. Each weekly report has a rainfall map for that week and a cumulative rain record. The rain records are from about 200 RM reporters that provide the data.

4. For Manitoba I use the federal site. In past years I have accessed the daily rain records from the Manitoba Ag website, but that data seems to have disappeared. I hope that is only temporary.

The past few years have seen few changes in most of west central and northwest Saskatchewan and eastern and southern Alberta. Those areas have been on the dry side and squeaking through with just enough rain to give a decent crop. That all changed this year with ample rains in most areas.

No very dry areas This is the first year that I remember not getting the red pencil out of the case. No “Very Dry” areas were mapped this year.

A few years ago I added the “Very Wet” category to show those areas that had excess rain and potential water table rise.

This year I have mapped three small areas in Saskatchewan and an area in southeast Manitoba in the “Very Wet” category based on seasonal rainfall greater than two feet (600 mm).

If the natural water table is 10+ metres below ground excess rain may not result in high water table. A good test of water table depth is the presence of shallow bored wells. If an area has (or had in past) shallow bored wells then excess rain will raise the water table.

On my Dundurn farm I have installed shallow wells to monitor the water table and now

have a couple of years’ data I will show in a future column.

Most farms will start 2017 with a good reserve of deep soil moisture. Make sure the seed is in to the moisture and the crop will be just fine without much rain in May or June — if it does not get too hot.

I still look forward to the year when fancy technology comes along and lets me retire my five coloured pencils . But, so far no takers. GN J.L.(Les) Henry is a former professor and extension specialist at the University of Saskatchewan. He farms at Dundurn, Sask. His book, “Henry’s Handbook of Soil and Water,” mixes the basics and practical aspects of soil, fertilizer and farming. To order a signed copy, send a cheque for $50 (includes shipping and GST) to Henry Perspectives, 143 Tucker Cres, Saskatoon, Sask., S7H 3H7.

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columns

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

STUBBLE SOIL MOISTURE: NOVEMBER 1, 2016 (General guide only — check your own fields in spring)

GrandePrairie Prairie Grande

(About 1 to 2 inches of available water)

(About 2 to 4 inches of available water) Will include local areas with no dry layer Lloydminster Lloydminster

WET

PrinceAlbert Albert Prince

NorthBattleford Battleford North

RedDeer Deer Red

Melfort Melfort

No dry layer in sandy, medium or heavy soils (Sandy = 4, Medium = 6, Heavy = 8 inches of available water) Will include local areas of Super Wet

Saskatoon Saskatoon Drumheller Drumheller Calgary Calgary

Yorkton Yorkton

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SUPER WET

Regina MooseJaw JawRegina SwiftCurrent CurrentMoose Swift Weyburn Weyburn Estevan Estevan

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DRY Sandy Soils Wet to 12-24" Medium Soils Wet to 6-18" Heavy Soils Wet to 6-12"

Sandy Soils Wet to 24-48" Medium Soils Wet to 18-30" Heavy SoilsWet to 12-24"

Edmonton Edmonton

Lethbridge Lethbridge

Stubble has essentially no moisture storage below 6 inches — not mapped this year

MOIST

Prepared by Les Henry, January 5, 2017

Base map courtesy of Andrew Nadler PEAK HydroMet Solutions www.peakhydromet.ca

VERY DRY

Brandon Brandon

Portage Winnipeg Portage Winnipeg

Excess rain — water table rise might occur

27

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columns

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

Agronomy management

Rutted fields and soil compaction What are best ways to alleviate damaged fields in the spring Ross McKenzie

P

ersistent rains with cold, damp conditions in September and October made harvest last fall even more stressful that usual for many farmers. Trucks, grain carts and combines in wet fields have left moderate to severe ruts in fields across the Prairie. Ruts must be fixed before spring planting.

Many farmers are also worried about soil compaction below the ruts.

Avoid spring deep ripping Think twice if you are tempted to deep rip rutted areas this spring.

Fields with ruts will likely still have relatively high soil moist levels. This means the rutted areas should not be deep ripped this spring.

Ripping can be beneficial to fracture compacted soils and reduce the soil compaction. But, ripping is only beneficial and effective when soils are relatively dry. A soil moisture content

less then 40 per cent of field capacity is best. Then, ripping can fracture the soil and reduce the compaction.

When ripping is used on very moist or wet soils, fracturing does not occur.

When soils are wet and are higher in silt or clay, ripping will cause the soil to smear resulting in more problems and no fracturing will occur.

Effects of Rutting When soils are rutted, the weight of field equipment causes soil particles at the base and sides of the rut to be smeared and compressed together.

This reduces soil pore space and increases the bulk density of the soil at the base and sides of the ruts.

Often, the winter freeze-thaw and wetting-drying processes help alleviate some soil compaction.

Light tillage is needed to fill in the ruts. You will need to do some field assessment to determine if significant soil compaction may have occurred below the ruts.

To better understand rutting and soil compaction, we need to understand differences in soil moisture.

Pat Pfiffner, a farmer and senior technologist with Alberta Agriculture is holing a soil penetrometer. Soil penetrometers can probe rutted and unaffected areas in the field to determine if and where the compaction layer is located within the soil profile.

LEAVE NOTHING BEHIND.

columns

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

Rut management this spring This spring, some form of tillage is needed to eliminate the ruts and to prepare a good, uniform seedbed.

For ruts of up to five inches: • Use light tillage that will shift soil sideways to fill in the ruts.

• Till just below the depth of the ruts to lift and fracture the soil below.

• Use caution if soils are fairly wet below the ruts; tillage could induce more compaction. Just focus on filling in the ruts in the spring.

• When tilling in the ruts, make sure to track your travel pattern in the field with GPS. If future deeper tilling for soil compaction problems is needed, you will have the exact location pattern of the ruts.

Ruts deeper than five inches may penetrate below the top soil layer (the A soil horizon) and extend down into the B soil horizon. If this is the case, still use lighter tillage passes to fill in the ruts but do not till into the B horizon as this may cause mixing of the A and B horizons, which will reduce soil quality. A deeper tillage, using vertical tillage may be necessary at a later time, when soils are drier.

Summer observation After ruts are filled, soils are leveled out and fields are seeded, carefully watch in spring and summer to see if the residual effects of the ruts

may be affecting crop emergence and growth. Hopefully, no significant differences are observed in crop growth between rutted areas and unaffected areas.

But, if crop differences are observed, dig some soil pits to 24 inches to physically check the soil profiles for compaction and root penetration. Consider contacting an experienced agronomist with a soil penetrometer to probe the rutted and unaffected areas in the field to determine if and where the compaction layer is located within the soil profile. This information is needed to determine how much compaction has occurred, if ripping might be necessary and to determine the correct depth for effective ripping. If compacted soils are present and depressed crop growth is observed, then after harvest next fall, ripping could be considered, but only if soils are relatively dry.

When ripping, follow the same travel path used when tilling in the ruts. Ideally, ripping is only needed in the areas that were rutted. Avoid unnecessary deep tillage of unaffected areas in the field. GN Ross H. McKenzie, PhD, P. Ag., is a former agronomy research scientist and an adjunct professor at the University of Lethbridge. He conducted research with Alberta Agriculture for 38 years.

photos: Ross McKenzie

Soil saturation occurs when all soil pores are filled with water. Soils are at field capacity, after gravity has pulled away free or excess water from the larger soil pores within the rooting zone. Soil macro-pores will be mostly filled with air and some water, and smaller soil pores are mostly filled with water.

Soils are most susceptible to compaction when soil moisture is near field capacity. The proportion of soil pores filled with both air and water is ideal for compaction to occur. The weight of field equipment displaces the air and causes pore spaces to collapse. Depending on equipment weight and soil conditions, soil compaction may penetrate downward 12 to 24 inches below the ruts.

When soils are near saturation and pores are mostly filled with water, soils are much less susceptible to subsoil compaction. This is hard to believe, but remember that water is not compressible. When soil pores are mostly filled with water, there is very little air to be displaced and water cannot be compressed, so very little compact will occur. But, soils that are at or near saturation still very prone to rutting.

So, if your fields were rutted during harvest last fall, tillage is necessary to fill in ruts. But, don’t automatically assume there is significant subsoil compaction below the ruts.

During last year’s wet fall, trucks, grain carts and combines in wet fields left moderate to severe ruts in fields across the Prairie. These ruts must be fixed before spring planting, and there may be soil compaction below the ruts.

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Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

Crop protection

Fighting those hidden pests

By Leeann Minogue Last October Syngenta’s Seedcare technology manager, Bruce Battles, spoke to Canadian and U.S. ag media about Syngenta’s seed treatment research.

Battles discussed the soybean cyst nematode

as an example. As noted in the article on Page 11 Most of the soybean seed currently planted is of this issue of Grainews, SCN has not yet made SCN-resistant. However, SCNs are overcoming an appearance on the Canadian Prairies, but it is the genetics. a huge problem in the U.S. and Ontario.

And, these resistant varieties were not meant In some climates, SCN can reproduce much to completely eradicate SCN, but, Battles said, faster than weed seeds. In southern Illinois, “meant to minimize reproduction down to less than Battles said, SCNs can go through four life cycles 10 per cent of what they normally reproduce.” in one growing season. “On average, with 200 As resistance erodes, U.S. mid-west soil eggs per generation, you can quickly do the math samples show that sometimes these nematodes on that and you’re talking about the possibility of are reproducing at 50 per cent of the natural rates 1.6 billion of them.”

— which means a lot of nematodes over time.

T:9.875”

“There is a huge need to continue focusing on this,” Battles says. Crop rotation, resistant varieties, and multiple sources of resistance are ways to fight SCNs. To keep resistant varieties working, Battles said, “we have to look at other tools.” The tool that most interests Battles is seed treatment.

Syngenta is working with researchers to focus on SCN by looking at past action, new chemistry to combat the pest and finding ways to make sure farmers remain vigilant.

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31 PRE -EMERGENT

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The AMT in action The goal of the AMT is to calculate what your tax would have been, had there been no preferential rates for

JOIN THE

photo: thinkstock

he Alternative Minimum Tax is yet another wrinkle in preparing and paying income taxes. It’s particularly relevant to farmers going through succession planning where capital gains of six figures or more may be realized.

The Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) may apply to you even if you have not reached the limit of your Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption.

The Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) originated from the optics or perception that some people don’t pay enough tax. There are breaks in the Canadian income tax system that offer lower rates for preferential income like dividends and capital gains, and statutory deductions such as those for lifetime capital gains. The AMT seldom arises for most taxpayers. However, when land owners’ lifetime capital gains are sheltered from income tax via the Qualified Farm Property Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption (CGE), landowners receive a tax break that often triggers the AMT. For farmers doing a deemed disposition (passing land on to the next generation), the GGE can turn the theoretical AMT into something practical and pressing.

Perception is everything. The AMT, which is calculated alongside the regular personal income tax, is just a kind of threshold. If your regular tax owing is more than the AMT, you pay taxes at the regular rate. If the calculated AMT is more than your regular income tax, you pay the AMT instead. The AMT would seem to ensure that nobody gets away with paying too little tax, but, in fact, there is relief from the AMT. If you have to pay it, then you can recover the federal portion in the next seven years by using your AMT payment as a credit against future federal taxes payable.

(The provincial portion of the AMT is not recoverable.)

It is, of course, possible, that your AMT may not be recovered. That can happen if your income in the next seven years is so low that no regular income tax is payable. If you see this coming, you can limit your RRSP contributions and defer your taxes for future years.

The CGE is currently $1 million dollars. The CGE does not apply to equipment, but the shares of a family farm corporation, including equipment, can be structured to avoid a taxable capital gain if the shares are transferred to a blood relative within the first or second generation (son or granddaughter, for example, but no third cousins twice removed) or spouse at book value with no gain.

Other tactics to avoid the AMT bite can be switching to taxable investments that generate a lot of dividends that are sheltered by the dividend tax credit to plain interest investments.

certain types of income. Here’s is how it’s done: 1. Start with taxable income after all deductions allowed for regular tax.

2. Add back deductions not allowed for the AMT. These are: resourcerelated deductions; losses from any investments which require a tax shelter ID number; interest charges for investments; employee home relocation deductions; and 60 per cent of amounts claimable for employee stock option deductions.

3. Add 60 per cent of the untaxed half of capital gains.

4. Deduct the dividend gross up.

5. Deduct $40,000 as the basic minimum tax exemption 6. Calculate federal tax at 15 per cent of taxable income.

7. Deduct personal credits such as the basic credits, credits for dependents, old age, disability, EI premiums, tuition, medical and charitable expenses.

8. Do not deduct transfers of unused tax credits from a spouse, education and tuition credits transferred from a child or labour-sponsored venture capital credits, pension tax credits and political contribution credits.

Let’s say that a farmer, call him Fred, sells his farmland for a $500,000 capital gain. The gain is exempt under the CGE. We assume that Fred has no other income in the year the gain is realized.

Going through the steps, Fred’s taxable income in Step 1 is $0. He has nothing to add back in Step 2. In Step 3, Fred will need to add 60 per cent of half of his capital gains, or 0.5 x $500,000 x 60 per cent, which is $150,000. Fred had no dividend income, so Step 4 won’t apply. In Step 5 he can subtract the $40,000 basic exemption, leaving $110,000.

Calculating federal tax at 15 per cent (Step 6), gives Fred $16,500. This is Fred’s AMT. He must pay this amount, but he can carry the federal portion forward for up to seven years, as a deduction against taxes payable.

If he can’t use the deduction in the next seven years, Fred will have lost his AMT payment.

“The need for tax planning to avoid that loss is clear,” says James Doer, managing partner at accounting firm BDO in Winnipeg.

interest paid on loans not used for tax shelters and business losses and loss carryforwards. If it makes sense from a business point of view to take these losses, the loss deductions will not trigger the AMT. Farmers doing a generational shift of farm ownership can avoid the AMT entirely by avoiding the disposition of land. Leasing land to a child or children gives them the operational control of a farm and first crack at income, but it does not avoid the transfer of title at some later time. Transferring land to a family trust at book value could avoid realization of profit. That provides the added advantage that, while the tax liability moves to the trust, eventually, if there is, say, $4 million of value and four beneficiaries of the trust, the CGE would rise to $4 million, notes Don Forbes, a farm financial planner who heads Forbes Wealth Management Ltd. in Carberry, Manitoba.

Whether or not the AMT applies will ultimately depend on the disposition of the farm property. The AMT will be triggered during farm succession if, in the 24-month period immediately preceding disposition of the property, it was owned by one or more of the following: • an individual, spouse or common law partner of the individual; or, • a family farm partnership.

In the two years while the property was owned by one of the above persons, that person or farm partnership must have earned most of their revenue from farming, and the property must have been used mainly for farming. The concept is to show that the owner(s) are really farmers. There is no gross revenue test for accessing the CGE. Rules for using the CGE and applying the AMT are complex. Take advice from a farm tax specialist ensure that money taken for the farm won’t be squandered on avoidable taxes. “If a farmer gets the numbers wrong, not only could the AMT and its related CGE be impaired or even lost, but the farm’s own management could wind up doing less than the best for the farm,” Don Forbes warns. “This is not ‘do it yourself’ accounting.” GN

Tax planning

Andrew Allentuck is author of “When Can I Retire? Planning Your Financial Future After Work” (Penguin, 2011).

A couple of deductions are not affected by the AMT: deductible

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32

machinery & shop

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

photo: Scott Garvey

Forage equipment

During a field day for international journalists, Krone showed off its newest line of balers at a farm in Hungary last summer.

Krone packs more hay

into a bale photo: Yvon Therien

The BiG Pack HDP II large square baler boosts throughput and bale density

By Scott Garvey

A

s Thomas Gress and a group of other baler product specialists at Krone stood in the shadow of an old Hungarian village church this past summer, they were surrounded by a group of journalists from several countries. Krone invited members of the media to a large farm on the outskirts of that village to see its new haying equipment in operation.

One of the machines the product specialists wanted to show was the BiG Pack 1290 HDP II large square baler, which offers the highest capacity and densest bales of any of the brand's machines. According to Gress, the HDP II is the result of engineers designing a machine that pushes the limits of the previous line of High Densisty balers. It offers up to 70 per cent more throughput capacity than the 1290 HDP model. At the same time, it packs up to 10 per cent more material into a bale.

To get that capacity and density, Krone had to beef up the design of the HDP II version of the 1290.

“To get a higher throughput, we increased every component,” said Gress. “Starting with the pickup, a bigger cutting rotor and a bigger packer system, so we can put more material through the baler.”

With so much density in the bales, the 1290 HDP II needs eight knotters to put two additional twines around the bales to keep them intact.

Stephan Niehof, a product specialist at Krone, describes the features of the BiG Pack balers during a field day in Hungary.

The 1290 HDP II baler offers the highest throughput and bale density of any machine in the Krone large square baler line.

photo: Yvon Therien

The HDP line of large square balers can provide a bale with densities up to 219 kg per cubic meter.

“When you have more material in the bale it wants to expand,” adds Gress. “That’s why we have eight Knotters on that baler instead of the six on the smaller HDP.” The 1290 HDP II also has a massive twine storage capacity, capable of holding 27 bales of it. And the twine storage area lowers hydraulically to make reloading much easier.

To make things easier on the tractor’s driveline, the HDP II uses a hydraulic motor system to start the flywheel, gearbox and plunger mechanism turning so there is less stress on the tractor PTO clutch when engaging it. Power flows through the baler in a newly designed, more direct, low maintenance driveline arrangement to reduce power loss. It also uses slip clutches rather than shear pins to protect system components.

“When you start, you activate the hydraulic motor from the tractor, which accelerates the baler up to 150 or 200 r.p.m., depending on the oil flow in the tractor,” he continues.

“Then you activate the PTO shaft.

So it’s not such a big challenge for the tractor to start the system up from zero. Then when you’re in motion, you can activate the pickup and cutter with a button.”

That also allows the pickup to be stopped independently of the rest of the baler functions in the event of a blockage.

The HDP II gets a heavier flywheel, that weighs 600 kilograms.

The larger mass provides more inertia and offers shock protection for the tractor. The number of plunger strokes per minute has been boosted to 45, and the faster-moving plunger forces material into a larger pickup pre-chamber.

The BiG Pack HDP balers can be outfitted with options that include an integrated moisture sensor in the bale chamber, an integrated weigh scale on the bale chute and a rear camera to help when backing up.

To help boost its competitiveness in the North American market, Krone has decided to relocate its head office and distribution centre from the Southeastern U.S. to Shelbyville, Indiana. The company is building an entirely new US$15 million facility that should be operational later in 2017.

“Krone wants to be the leader in balers,” added one of Gress’ team.

Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at Scott.Garvey@ fbcpublishing.com.

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photo: Scott Garvey

machinery & shop

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

Twine storage compartments are lowered hydraulically.

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machinery & shop

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Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

Grainews in the field

Only four prototypes of the Premos 5000 currently exist, and the company is still using them in field trials.

Krone demonstrates the Premos 5000

We check out the performance of Krone's in-field pellet harvester

By Scott Garvey

L

The in-field demonstration in Hungary was the first public showing of the Premos 5000 at work. Under peak load, it can demand up to 400 horsepower.

After passing through the forming rollers, pellets move through this slotted drum. Incomplete pellets fall back into the material flow to be reformed, while finished pellets are dropped onto the conveyor for movement to the storage hopper.

The hopper is unloaded in a way similar to a combine.

This tank stores vegetable oil, which is used to lubricate the forming rollers. That makes initial start up easier and reduces power demands on the tractor.

photos: Scott Garvey

ast June the Grainews e-QuipTV video team travelled to Hungary to get a look at some of German-based manufacturer Krone’s equipment at work in the field. That included the company’s new-concept Premos 5000 in-field pellet harvester.

First unveiled to the public at the 2015 Agritechnica machinery show in Germany, the Premos 5000 is the first machine of its kind. It’s able to turn windrows of straw or hay into pellets right in the field. That provides several new options for producers when it comes to transporting, storing, feeding, bedding and even selling straw or hay. Because the pellets are so dense, they allow for much more efficient storage and cheaper transportation. That also creates the potential for entirely new markets for them, according to the company.

Although Krone’s marketing team say the design of the components within the Premos 5000 allow for a much lower power demand than most current, stationary pelleting systems, the machine can still demand up to 400 horsepower from a tractor under maximum load conditions.

The two newest Premos prototypes to hit the field incorporate some design changes from the original pair. And there may be more refinements ahead for the machine as field trials continue ahead of a market launch. A date for its official release to dealers hasn’t yet been announced and is likely at least a year or more away. GN

Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at Scott.Garvey@fbcpublishing.com.

For a video look at the Premos 5000 at work, go online to grainews.ca and watch the e-quipTV video.

machinery & shop

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

35

Utility vehicles

Can-Am expands its lineup photo: brp

New offerings include another side-by-side and 6x6 models

By Scott Garvey

B

RP announced it has expanded its Can-Am line of D e fe n d e r s i d e - by- s i d e UTVs, adding another model, the new HD5, with what the brand calls a “mid-sized” engine.

“The 2017 Can-Am Defender HD5 side-by-side vehicle provides fullsize functionality and unmatched versatility at an attractive price point,” explained Marc-André Dubois, the brand’s global Marketing director, in a press release. “This addition of the handy Defender HD5 packages helps us expand the Defender family lineup to meet market demand and also grow the Can-Am footprint in the highly popular utility-recreation segment of the industry.”

While it may not be as big and powerful as other models in the Defender line, the HD5 still gets a 1,500 pound (680 kg) tow rating and a payload capacity of 1,200 pounds (544 kg). Half of that, 600 pounds (272 kg), can be carried in the tilting cargo box. And the bench seat should accommodate three adults.

The HD5 comes in a choice of two options packages, the base and the DPS, along with a choice of three body colours.

A new Defender joints the Can-Am lineup.

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And it delivers that power through a CVT transmission that includes an extra-low gear ratio for slow driving or heavy pulling. To make them easier to control, the Outlander comes with Tri-Mode Dynamic power steering, which allows the operator to select the amount of steering assist.

The Outlander 6x6 offers both 4x6 and 6x6 drive with its Visco-Lok QE. In 4x6 mode, all four rear wheels provide traction. Once 6x6 is selected, the system intelligently transfers power from the slipping front wheel to the opposing wheel with traction. The system progressively and automatically locks and requires no additional buttons to push or levers to hold.

The Outlander has a big 1,650 pound (750 kg) tow rating, and the tilt-assist dump box can handle 700 pounds (318 kg).

The Outlander 6X6 is also available with a smaller 65 horsepower engine but it still has similar tow ratings. GN Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at Scott.Garvey@fbcpublishing.com.

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machinery & shop

36

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

Trucks

Ford puts a diesel in its 2018 F-150

By Scott Garvey

T

“

photo: credit name

Canada's most popular pickup gets new styling cues and engine options

The 2018 F-150, which debuted at the North American International Auto Show in January, will be the first model year to include a 3.0 L diesel engine option.

he 2018 F-150 lineup is new with even tougher looks,” proudly proclaimed Ford’s press release from the North American International Auto Show in January. “From XL to top-of-the-line Limited, all Ford F-150 models receive new grilles, headlamps and bumpers that create a visually wider and more planted stance and maximum differentiation between the series.”

There’s also a new “sculpted” tailgate design and new colour choices for the interior along with six different wheel designs providing diameter options ranging from 17 to 22 inches.

To show off all those new attributes to auto enthusiasts, industry insiders and the media, the new F-150 made its official debut at that show in Michigan. But styling tweaks aside, what was really new and interesting was the fact that buyers will soon be able to order their pickups with a turbocharged 3.0 litre Power Stroke, V-6 diesel under the hood. Mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission, this will be the first time the popular F-150 has ever been offered with a diesel engine.

When it comes to other F-150

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machinery & shop

photos : ford

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

New interior choices for 2018 include two new colours for higher-end models, new seats for the King Ranch, and carbon fibre appearance for the XLT Sport and Lariat models.

engine options, the trend from Ford for 2018 will be smaller displacement versions that squeeze more horsepower out of every cubic inch of displacement. The F-150’s standard engine package will be an all-new 3.3 litre V-6 gas burner that will be capable of putting out the same 282 horsepower and 253 pound-feet of torque the 3.5 litre engine that it replaces did.

The original 2.7 litre EcoBoost gets replaced by an all-new “second generation” version with the same displacement. Ford claims it has redesigned that power plant to reduce internal friction and create more output, adding that the new 2.7 is now also a more durable design. The biggest power plant on the options list, the nat-

urally aspirated 5.0 litre V-8, was given a redesign too and, yes, puts out more horsepower just like the others. Both it and the new 2.7 also bolt up to the 10 speed automatic transmission.

To stretch fuel mileage numbers, the 2018 F-150 will be the first full size pickup to incorporate startstop technology across all trim levels and engine options. That feature automatically shuts off the engine during stops in traffic, such as when waiting at a red light. Step on the accelerator and the engine immediately fires back to life and the truck can drive off.

Ford claims the new F-150 will also be “smarter,” with a host of technology features crammed into it. They include adaptive cruise control, and a new radar and camera feature to

37

maintain following distance behind a vehicle ahead in traffic and maintain that distance right down to a full stop if necessary. There’s pre-collision assist, pedestrian detection, blind spot information, lane keeping system, 360° camera views. And the list goes on.

The 2018 models go on sale later this year. GN Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at Scott.Garvey@fbcpublishing.com.

For a look at a practical test of the Ford F-150’s new Trailer Back-up Assist feature, go online to www.grainews.ca and check out e-QuipTV under the “videos” link.

news bits

Return of the Ranger and Bronco

42

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The Ford Ranger will once again be available from dealers for the 2019 model year.

Scott Garvey

The Most Productive Operators Have One Thing in Common

During its new product introductions at the 2017 North American International Auto Show, Ford revealed it intends to re-introduce the mid-sized Ranger pickup to the Canadian and U.S. marketplace in 2019. A year after that, in 2020, buyers will also be able to drive home a new Bronco once again.

“We’ve heard our customers loud and clear,” said Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s president of The Americas, in a press announcement. “They want a new generation of vehicles that are incredibly capable yet fun to drive. Ranger is for truck buyers who want an affordable, functional, rugged and manoeuvrable pickup that’s built Ford tough. Bronco will be a no-compromise midsize 4x4 utility for thrill seekers who want to venture way beyond the city.”

That description suggests the Bronco will have more in common with the early ’60s first generation version and the later, compact Bronco II than with the full size model that saw production from the ’70s through to the ’90s. But at this point, we can't be sure.

There was no productionready example of either the Bronco or Ranger on display at the show. In fact, the company is keeping the look of the new Bronco close to its vest. It hasn’t revealed any hint of what it will look like.

They Count on Landoll Innovation We’re all aware there are only so many hours of daylight, and only a limited number of days with ideal working conditions. Operators throughout North America rely on Landoll innovation to efficiently cover more ground, knockout more resistant weeds, manage more residue and precisely seed more acres every pass through the field. That’s Landoll innovation, and it delivers every trip to the field, season-after-season.

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machinery & shop

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

Tractors

Kioti grows up, and into utilities The South Korean brand adds three new and more powerful models to its tractor line Three new models in Kioti's PX Series push the brand's tractor offerings above 100 horsepower.

ADVERTORIAL

Huge Variation Found in Air Bulk Metering Systems The Secret is Out—Average Variation of 20% in Product Distribution

“When we started running high-yield wheat trials with seeding rates up to 160 pounds per acre, we really started to see variations between openers. It was all over the map,” says agronomist and farmer Steve Larocque at Three Hills, Alberta.

A few years ago, Larocque ran a basic tubesock test on five different air distribution systems, using some of his customers’ existing air drills. He zip-tied socks on one long and one short hose coming off the same manifold on the left wing, right wing and centre section (six socks in total). While not conducted with scientific rigour, the demonstration showed that the variance between hoses ranged from a low 29% on one drill to a high of 98% on the worst drill.

Larocque says the worst drill was probably an outlier, and the high variation could have been reduced with some adjustments.

The other three drills had variances of 33%, 41%, and 45%.

“Visually, that variance isn’t easy to see in the field unless you are measuring plant stand densities across each row. I think that’s why product variance hasn’t been on people’s radar,” says Larocque. “I think it’s high time for the industry to play catch-up and start matching the accuracy of distribution to the accuracy of their metering.

“If we truly want to elevate yields, increase standability and reduce maturity, I believe that air drills should be delivering that same amount of seed and fertilizer into each and every furrow.”

At SeedMaster, Research Farm Manager Owen Kinch looked at different manifolds to see what kind of variation exists. He tested six different models of manifold towers from different manufacturers to see how product distribution varied from hose

to hose after it left the manifold. Overall, the average variation of all towers was 20%.

“Industry has known about this problem, but most haven’t wanted to do much about it,” says Kinch.

At PAMI, in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Program Manager Nathan Gregg says the variance is caused by a multitude of factors, including manifold type, number of manifolds, hose length, hose curvature, and even the metering system. He isn’t aware of any recent research that has measured variation over an entire metering and distribution system. However with the development of more accurate seed row blockage monitors, farmers are now seeing variation between sections and even down to individual seed rows.

“In the past it was hard to diagnose and so it was easy to ignore. I think farmers are now becoming more aware of the limitations of the systems,” says Gregg.

Trent Meyer, Executive Vice President at SeedMaster, says SeedMaster has historically worked hard to reduce the variation on their bulk distribution system with the Nova™ air cart. As much as possible, distribution hoses are kept the same length, hose curvature is designed to allow product to flow smoothly around corners, metal pipe is used to reduce friction, and manifold design is aimed to provide the most uniform product splitting.

“We’ve worked to reduce the issue as much as possible, but we have seen very little from other manufacturers in this regard. They aren’t doing their customers or the industry any favours,” says Meyer.

For 2017, Meyer says SeedMaster is going one step further with their new Tunable Tower™ manifold system to further reduce variance. The tower features a centre-cone adjustment that allows product and airflow to be balanced for each run, reducing the deviation between lines. The Tunable Towers are integrated with the XeedSystem monitor to continuously display product flow for each run in real time to guide adjustment to balance product distribution.

“In limited testing we’ve found that industry manifolds have a variance of 20–23%. With the addition of Tunable Towers, we’ve been able to balance product distribution across the toolbar and get absolute variance down to as low as 10%. That’s 5% below or 5% above the target rate,” says Meyer.

For farmers who prefer to use an air cart for both seed and fertilizers, Meyer says the Nova air cart with Tunable Towers will set the new industry standard for bulk product metering accuracy. That will pay off in better agronomics: more uniform emergence, better access to crop nutrients, uniform maturity, less wasted seed and fertilizer, and improved yield. Research at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) found that uniform plant stands increased canola yields by up to 32% at low-yielding sites and by up to 20% at high-yielding sites compared to non-uniform plant stands.

For the ultimate in seed and fertilizer distribution and placement, the new UltraPro™ II on-frame tank and distribution system from SeedMaster provides even more accurate seed row distribution of product with near seed singulation.

SeedMaster research has shown the UltraPro metering system can reduce absolute variation to about 3% (1.5% about or below target rate). This metering variation can be accounted for by seed-size variation.

K

ioti wants to be a bigger player in the mainstream ag tractor market. As part of that effort, it recently added three more models to the top end of its relatively new PX Series. Prior to the introduction of these new machines, the brand was really only a player in the compact and sub-compact tractor segments. Now, the PX Series pushes the available horsepower offerings up into the utility tractor class.

The new models deliver 93, 103 and 110 engine horsepower, making them the most powerful the brand has released so far.

“Kioti first introduced the PX Series in 2014 with the PX9020,” said Peter Dong-Kyun Kim, president and CEO of the Kioti Tractor Division of Daedong-USA in a press release. “Now, with the addition of three new models to the series, we are further expanding into the agriculture market.”

The diesel engines under PX hoods deliver power through a synchronized power shuttle transmission, which allows the operator to perform loader work without pressing the clutch pedal. When fitted with the brand’s KL1153 front-end loaders, the new models offer a lift capacity of just over 8,000 pounds (3,636 kilograms).

The new PX Series machines also get a larger fuel tank with 34.3 gallon (130 litres) capacity to stretch working times between re-fuelling.

The enhanced PX Series models come standard with dual rear remote hydraulic valves. GN

Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at Scott.Garvey@fbcpublishing.com.

“The UltraPro has allowed farmers to cut canola seeding rates with confidence, and that saves them a lot on input costs.

Cutting back just one pound per acre of canola seed can easily save them $10 to $13 per acre, while still achieving good stand establishment and maximum yield,” says Meyer. “That’s the value of reducing variance in seed and fertilizer distribution systems.”

photos: kioto

Seed and fertilizer metered into high velocity air streams and sent down distribution tubes to manifolds that split into separate, smaller tubes of varying length to deliver the product to ground openers on toolbars up to 90 feet wide. What could go wrong with that? Plenty, as farmers, agronomists and some air cart manufacturers are finding out.

By Scott Garvey

seedmaster.ca

We’re farmers, too.

Nova, SeedMaster, Tunable Tower, and UltraPro are trademarks of SeedMaster. SeedMaster incorporates patented technology into many of its unique designs. There are also ongoing patent applications for newer technologies that are in the patent-pending stage. 2630-1 12/16

™

The Kioti PX Series cab interior is meant to provide a higher level of operator comfort than the brand previously offered.

cattleman's corner

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

39

photo: Sean McGrath

FEED MANAGEMENT

Winter feeding yardage costs can add up to $400 per head or more. It is cheaper to let cows feed themselves.

Several options for winter grazing Better to spend money on topping up nutrition than hauling feed

BY SEAN MCGRATH

W

inter grazing can work because it addresses one of the largest costs in maintaining a cow herd — yardage. For a simple definition, yardage is everything that is not feed. It includes tractors, fuel, depreciation on equipment, yard lights, fences, corrals and labour among other things.

Some recent work in both Alberta and Saskatchewan has shown that the average wintering cost for a cow is over $2 per day and some operations are over $3. For a 200-day winter, that is $400 and $600 respectively, just to feed one cow.

Put another way, yardage is the investment in fine china, silverware and waiter service when paper plates will do. I am of the firm opinion that yardage kills cow-calf outfits and most of us are better off to invest limited funds in nutrition rather than delivery strategies.

In the first article (Grainews, Jan. 24) we talked a bit about some of the technical aspects of winter grazing.

There are a lot of ways to winter graze so I thought it might be worthwhile touching on some of the options along with some of the pros and cons of each. We have tried a lot of things at home and although we continue to experiment, we have evolved a suite of techniques that we use in combination most winters.

Stockpiled forages Stockpiling means allowing grass to grow and then grazing it through the snow.

• Pros — very low cost, limited labour (may not require cross fencing).

• Cons — have to be very cautious about monitoring cows (not a high-energy diet), access can be difficult with deep or packed snow conditions, requires grazing management.

Swath grazing This is one of the most common ways to start into winter grazing, and it is a great tool. Swath grazing basically means growing an annual grain crop, swathing it in roughly the mid-dough stage and then grazing the cows on the swaths.

There have been some tremendous breakthroughs in swath grazing including recent work on triticale.

We use a multi-species swath grazing mix that includes a very heavy seeding rate and usually consists of barley, oats, a legume (alfalfa/hairy vetch) and a winter cereal of either rye or triticale.

• Pros — relatively low cost for seed and field operations; seeding period can be relatively late.

• Cons — may be difficult to access swaths with deep, windswept packed snow. Wet falls can result in losses due to mould. May miss some spring moisture with late seeding. Need to limit access to ensure cattle don't eat all the heads and run into an energy deficit. May be low in protein. May be some risk of nitrates with early fall frosts.

Rake bunching Rake bunching is sort of one step past stockpiled forage or swath grazing. In our situation, we use an old dump rake to pull swaths into piles to improve access through deep snow. This has been one of the lowest-cost ways we have found to winter cattle.

• Pros — improves access to feed; feed quality is high.

• Cons — one additional field operation; may need to cross fence to control access.

Corn grazing

Grazing standing corn has become very common in my neighbourhood and is one of the tools we use in winter grazing.

• Pros — High-yield, high-energy crop. No field operations after spraying. Easily accessed through snow. Can provide wind shelter. Can provide a disease break in rotation.

• Cons — Expensive to grow, somewhat risky (long growing season). Requires attention to detail and agronomics. Must be cross fenced

Bale grazing Bale grazing has become a staple of our winter feeding program.

In fact we even use bale grazing on our backgrounders and weaned calves. Basically with bale grazing, the bales are set out in the field ahead of time and are rationed out with electric fencing. In fact on land that we own or rent, we very seldom haul bales, and prefer to fence around them during the winter.

Some producers I have met even bale graze with net wrap and leave the wrap on, picking it up in the spring.

• Pros — Import and distribution of nutrients and organic matter on balegrazing site. Easy access in deep snow. Control over ration quality. Reduced spoilage vs. swath grazing • Cons — Twine removal. More expensive than swath grazing.

Chaff/straw bunches Chaff bunching can be done a variety of different ways, however two pretty common ones are to use a buncher at the back of the combine to create straw/ chaff piles in the field or to use a chaff wagon to collect and dump chaff in the field after the combine. These can be a good source of feed. We do not have a lot of personal experience with this, since we are strictly cattle and have not found a grain farmer to participate in a proj-

ect yet, but learned in visiting with several producers who use this as a feed source there is a lot to be gained.

• Pros — Utilizes a byproduct of grain farming. Low cost.

Relatively easy access through snow (pile-size dependent). Clean up weed seeds and cycle nutrients in a cropping system.

• Con — May not be a complete ration, particularly for protein.

Silage pile grazing We have not engaged in silaging on our operation as I could never figure out an economical way to feed it back out (that yardage problem again), however it is a high-quality feed that stores well. This summer I met a couple of producers that are silaging and creating piles in the field and then are using electric fence to control access to the pile and grazing it on the spot. I have added these on my "to be toured" list.

• Pros — High-quality feed that stores well, saves trucking to pit and feeding from pit to field • Cons — Cost of silage operation. Needs to be supplemented. There might be freezing or pit-face issues (under carving).

CONS CAN BE OVERCOME These are just a few of the winter grazing options that are being used out there and just a sampling of some of the pros and cons of each. Again, like most things, cons can be managed into pros or at least minimized into smaller issues.

A good example, that many of the systems have in common is the creation of relatively high soil phosphate levels. This is

largely because phosphate is a relatively immobile nutrient and is somewhat concentrated in cattle manure. This can be managed around through crop cycles to plants that require a lot of phosphate (corn is a good example) and by doing something as simple as feeding a high-calcium mineral (we have fed as high as 7:1 on perennial swath grazing ground) to balance out the calcium/phosphorus ratio in the diet.

The biggest pro that all of these grazing options have in common is that they reduce yardage costs. Every system does not work equally well for every producer. Some producers in deeper snow country may be more risk averse regarding some of the less costly systems that provide more limited access, and others may be more averse to systems that provide less spring grazing potential.

Others will develop a variety of strategies that work together to get through winter as inexpensively as possible. As always, winter is a tougher season than summer, so a backup plan, supplemental feeds or other risk management strategies are a good idea.

I would be lying if I said everything had always worked perfectly at our place. We have had to deploy backup plans more than once, but we are in a lot better position using winter grazing strategies than without. GN Sean McGrath is a rancher and consultant from Vermilion, Alta.

He can be reached at sean@ ranchingsystems.com or (780)8539673. For additional information visit www.ranchingsystems.com.

This is Part 2 or a two-part article on winter grazing options.

40

cattleman's corner

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

Rancher’s Diary

Winter comes with a vengeance Heather Smith Thomas

L

DECEMBER 27

ast week was cold and we broke ice daily on the creek for the cattle to drink. Monday the tractor wouldn’t start, even though the engine heater had been plugged in all night. We put the battery charger on it and Robbie cleaned off the battery terminals.

An hour later we got it started and took big bales around to the feeders and load the feed truck again. We took a big straw bale for the cows in the field (along the brush they use for a windbreak) for bedding, and straw for the heifers. The next day it was a little warmer but we had another snowstorm. The snow is up past my knees!

A couple of days before Christmas I made personalized T-shirts for everyone in the family and a few friends — drawing horses and cartoons. This is the standard Christmas

present from Grandma in our family. I started doing these years ago. When Lynn and I were first married we often grabbed the wrong T-shirts out of the clean clothes. So I drew horses on mine and tractors on his — and eventually drew pictures on our kids’ T-shirts. It became a family tradition for Christmas and birthdays.

JANUARY 4 The heifers ran out of hay in their feeder and we fed them small square bales until we could start the tractor again, and put more loose salt and mineral in their salt feeder.

The forage in this area is short of copper, so cattle need extra copper in their trace minerals.

New Year’s Day was very cold, but the kids went sledding. Then Monday felt like a heat wave, up to -10 C. Michael brought his tractor (it started easier that morning than ours would have) and moved bales around for us. He used a big bale of straw to push deep snow out of the windbreak corner in the bullpen, so Andrea could put bedding for the

bulls, keep them out of the wind and prevent frozen testicles.

Today Michael brought his tractor again, to load our hay and carry big bales around to various feeders. He took a big straw bale home to spread for his cows down along the creek where he’d pushed away the deep snow with the backhoe. They need a place to get out of the wind. The only place they’d been able to bed was in the feed trails; everywhere else has two-plus feet of snow. Tonight it’s snowing and windy, so we are glad the cattle have extra feed and bedding.

JANUARY 12 It was so cold Thursday that school was cancelled. Andrea and Robbie went to town to thaw out Emily’s frozen pipes and put heat tape on them, and insulation around them. Her little rental house has no foundation and gets very cold underneath.

Saturday it took Robbie more than an hour to chop ice and open drinking holes in the creek again for the cows, and in the back pen for the bulls. We put plastic netting around

the haystack below the lane where the white-tail deer are eating and tearing apart the alfalfa hay and the oat hay and wasting a lot. A brokenlegged fawn (probably hit by a car) lives at that stack, but he can still get to the hay by crawling under the old flatbed truck parked at this end of it.

The white-tail deer wander through here all day (and night) eating off the feed truck and any spilled hay.

Sunday night I cooked dinner for when the kids got home from Mark’s, and Dani made our calving calendar for this coming calving season, writing each cow’s name on the date she is due to calve.

Another herd of elk moved into our place from the other side; there were 25 head camped on the hill above our back field all day yesterday. By evening they drifted into the field by Andrea’s, heading down toward the young cows to eat at their feeders. Andrea’s dogs deterred them; Curly sat in the gateway barking at them. Another herd of about 80 are staying in a field along the highway below us.

photo: Heather Smith Thomas

Challenge to keep cattle fed and equipment running

Andrea fills a mineral feeder as part of the program to keep nutrition up, particularly during a cold snap.

JANUARY 18 Monday it was -34 C and school was cancelled. Charlie came with Robbie and Andrea that morning and filled our woodbox while we fed cows, and also helped Andrea load little bales from the stackyard to bring to the bulls and to stockpile for the heifers. Today it’s warming up a bit; it only got down to -18 C last night, but more snow is predicted. GN Heather Smith Thomas is a longtime Grainews columnist who ranches with her husband Lynn near Salmon, Idaho.

Contact her at 208-756-2841.

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cattleman's corner

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

U.S. QUARTERLY BEEF PRODUCTION (MILLION POUNDS)

The Markets

Short-term gains, long-term pains

The market still needs to discourage beef production — and that hurts MARKET WILL CALL THE SHOTS MARKET UPDATE Jerry Klassen

F

ed and feeder cattle prices have been percolating higher recently as the markets adjust to lower-than-expected first-quarter beef production. Alberta fed cattle prices have been hovering in the range of $162 to $165, which is approximately $25 above break-even pen closeout values.

Healthy feedlot margins allowed feedlots to bid up feeder cattle prices.

Larger-frame steers with medium flesh levels averaging 750 pounds traded from $177 to $180 in central Alberta in late January while similar quality 725-pound heifers were quoted from $160 to $163.

Packing margins have come under pressure recently, which has tempered the upside for fed cattle. Packers on both sides of the border were rather short-bought with this recent rally, catching many off guard. After stronger-than-expected beef demand in December, wholesale beef values started to trend lower in January and remain rather soft. Seasonally, retail and restaurant demand tends to weaken in January and February. Most consumers want to shed a few holiday pounds and pay off credit cards. This year, restaurant traffic has been further tempered by adverse weather which plagued much of North America during January. However, most importantly, retail beef prices continue to trend lower, enhancing demand. Margins from the retailer through to the cattle producer are now at more traditional levels.

41

In Canada, beef production for 2017 will be very similar to year-ago levels because the calf crop hasn’t increased at the same pace as the U.S. Nearby basis levels have been rather strong given the lower first-quarter production in the U.S. I’m expecting a yearover-year increase in fed cattle exports to the U.S during the first quarter along with minor gains for exports of fresh and chilled cuts.

However, U.S. demand will slow in the second and subsequent quarters.

In previous issues, I advised cowcalf producers to sell their 2016 calves as yearlings in the late winter or spring of 2017. This remains good advice given the recent rally in feeder market.

Backgrounding operators are also in a favourable position after buying calves last October. However, looking forward, the feeder market will likely hold value into April/May. However, during the summer and fall of 2017, the feeder market has extreme downside potential. Cow-calf producers should place hedges or buy price

Quarter

2013

2014

2015

Est. 2016

1

6,172

5,868

5,664

5,935

Est. 2017

6,070

2

6,517

6,183

5,857

6,187

6,405 6,745

3

6,608

6,179

6,068

6,468

4

6,420

6,021

6,109

6,635

6,735

Total

25,717

24,251

23,698

25,225

25,955

insurance in March or April on their 2017 fall marketings. The lowest price for calves will be in late October and November, similar to 2016.

Feedlot margins during the fourth quarter of 2017 will be quite devastating. We have to go back to 2010 to find U.S. fourth-quarter production near 6.7 billion pounds to put the fundamentals and price structure in perspective. The market needs to discourage beef production and I’m looking for a sharper increase in the cow slaughter this fall. Without

going into detail, feed grain prices are expected to be $25/mt to $30/mt higher during the 2017-18 crop year which will also weigh on feeder cattle prices. GN Jerry Klassen is manager of the Canadian office for Swiss-based grain trader GAP SA Grains and Products Ltd. He has a strong farming background, an is also president and founder of Resilient Capital, a specialist in commodity futures trading and commodity market analysis.

He can be reached at 204 504 8339.

Join us on March 7, 2017 for our fifth annual

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Offering 70 Yearling Angus Bulls

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FEEDLOT PLACEMENTS Lower U.S. feedlot placements during the fall caused downward revisions in beef production estimates. From the fourth quarter of 2016 to the first quarter of 2017, beef production will drop by an estimated 565 million pounds, which is quite a sharp change in the fundamental structure.

December placements were a bit larger than anticipated so the USDA made an upward revision in secondquarter beef production from last month. The trade is anticipating a 200-million-pound year-over-year increase in second-quarter beef production followed by a 300-million yearly jump in the third quarter. Fed cattle prices are expected to make a yearly high in late March and then trend lower into the summer as beef production increases.

I’m expecting a similar price pattern as in 2015 although the potential is for prices to be about $10 to $15 lower given the increases in beef production.

For information purposes, the U.S. 2016 cattle slaughter was nearly two million head above 2015. The 2017 cattle slaughter has potential to be one million head above 2016. Also, looking at the pork complex, it will experience a year-over-year production increase of nearly 1.3 billion pounds. In the latter half of the year, the function of the meat complex is to encourage demand through lower prices.

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42

cattleman's corner

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

Better bunks and Pastures

Trace minerals directly affect unborn calves If the cow isn’t getting sufficient minerals calf development and strength suffers

W

ithin the next few months, there will be a lot of newborn calves on the ground.

Fair- to good-quality forage is quite plentiful this year and grain is a reasonable price, so most of the cow herds I have seen across Western Canada this winter are in good body condition for calving. But one area I always feel that we should focus more on is to maintain or elevate their plane of trace-mineral status.

The developing calf fetus is totally reliant upon the supply of maternal trace minerals like copper, zinc, manganese and selenium, which are drawn through the placenta from the dam’s blood. Second, their own undeveloped trace mineral status takes precedent over their mum’s during the waning months of pregnancy. By providing a well-balanced mineral feeding program to beef cows during the last trimester of gestation, we can successfully get their newborn calves off to a healthy start.

Unfortunately, each winter I come across one or two cow herds that are within weeks of calving and I suspect are so trace-mineral depleted that

COLOSTRUM IS COMPROMISED TOO Such poor “doers” are also likely to be fed poor-quality colostrum within hours after birth. It’s a similar case that it originates from fresh cows with poor trace mineral status and have poor pre-partum transfer of essential trace minerals as well as poor enrichment of immunoglobulins. Although it has been shown that feeding organic seleno-yeasts to post-partum cows increases colostrum selenium concentrations to healthy levels, dietary post-partum supplementation of copper, zinc, and manganese fail to work in the same way.

As a case in point, I have witnessed first-hand that when beef cows are in poor copper status, they

photo: file

Peter Vitti

A GOOD PROGRAM

they are too-far gone as good mothers. As a result, their newborn calves are often severely trace-mineral deficient at birth. Such poor trace mineral carryover from the mothers makes these baby calves highly susceptible to a long list of immediateand long-term problems. These health and growing disabilities include immune dysfunction, abnormalities in bone and muscle development and digestive disorders, all of which are enveloped by general poor growth and high mortality.

Not all minerals are created equal.

Buy a proper blend for the third trimester period.

calve out copper-deficient nursing calves. These newborn calves seem to have inadequate immune protection, because they tend to scour within days of birth to about three weeks of age. Many of these sick calves suffer from severe dehydration and perish. I find many of their owners tend to spend lots of money on sulfa pills and other scour treatments.

Fortunately, I find that more beef producers recognize the importance of a well-balanced good mineral and vitamin feeding program for lategestating beef cows.

One of the best illustrations of good pre-calving trace mineral status and its value in beef cows was executed in a recent field study at Oregon State University (2016). These researchers sorted out 84 pre-calving beef cows with adequate trace mineral status into three treatment groups; no trace mineral supplementation, an inorganic supplement group and a group fed more bioavailable “chelated/organic” copper manganese, zinc and cobalt.

These three experimental diets were fed through the third trimester until calving.

The best points of this trial demonstrated that the latter two tracemineral supplemental groups improved the respective status of the late-trimester cows, while placental samples of the organic treatment had elevated levels of all fourtested trace-minerals. Saleable weaning weights averaged 519 pounds for calves from cows receiving the organic minerals versus 491 pounds for those from the group receiving the inorganic minerals.

I advise that beef producers feed a more fortified commercial mineral with more biologically available organic copper, zinc, manganese and seleno-yeast to gestating beef cows

during the last trimester, during calving and even beyond to the breeding season. I would also target a daily consumption of 50-100 grams. If the cow herd is not eating enough or too much, add a onethird portion salt to the mineral mixture. Occasionally calculate the average mineral intake of the herd, and make the necessary adjustment for adequate and consistent mineral consumption.

By switching to such a commonly referred “beef breeder” mineral, some people are shocked at the $45 per 25-kg bag price tag compared to a “regular” cattle mineral that was costing them all winter, about $30 per 25-kg bag. I assure them that this premium is a nominal $3-$4 per head fed 90 days prior to calving.

Rather than consider it as an expense, always think of feeding the best mineral as a good investment.

Its purpose is to build and assure good trace-mineral status in last trimester cows until calving, so it helps them calve out without many problems as well as produce calves with great newborn vitality. GN Peter Vitti is an independent livestock nutritionist and consultant based in Winnipeg. To reach him call 204-254-7497 or by email at vitti@mts.net.

Animal health

Gruesome, but sometimes necessary When there’s no other options, a dead calf needs to dismembered for removal ANIMAL HEALTH Roy Lewis

F

etotomy is a veterinarian’s fancy word for cutting up a dead calf within the cow during the birthing. While it sounds gruesome the process still has a valuable place in a competent veterinarian’s bag of tricks.

The object is to reduce trauma or minimize damage to the cow. The calf at this point is a lost cause because it has already died. Veterinarians will never do a fetotomy on a live calf, with a couple of exceptions — schistosomas reflexus (inside-out calf) or any other fetal monsters such as a two-headed calf or a hydrocephalus calf (water on the brain).

These are non-viable calves and had they been born alive by C-section would have died shortly thereafter or been put to sleep humanely.

TOOLS FOR THE PROCESS Fetotomys involve a simple principle. With a specialized instrument (a fetotome) and obstetrical wire, the calf is systematically cut into smaller pieces to facilitate delivery out the vagina. The fetotome is generally a two-tubed instrument

which protects the wire from damaging the cow. It can be anchored to the calf, so to speak, using an obstetrical chain. This allows an assistant to perform the cut while the veterinarian makes sure of positioning. Our goal as veterinarians is to minimize the number of cuts but to do the right ones to expedite delivery. If the health of the cow is maintained she can often be bred back and go on to further productive years.

The most common usage is for the traditional “hiplocked” calf. As long as the producer has not pulled too hard and the veterinarian can get there fast enough, the calf can be split right down the middle of the pelvis. The two halves can then be pulled out by hand and if the veterinarian is worried about a downer will probably administer antiinflammatories.

Another common usage is for a full-breech calf with both legs very rigid and any manipulation would only lacerate the uterus. Here one must be very confident the calf truly is dead, and that can be difficult.

The finger in the rectum for sphincter tone is one way but if a cow has been straining, one can be fooled.

The only other way is to reach down and feel the umbilical vessels

for signs of a pulse. If there isn’t one the procedure is the veterinarian will cut off both hind legs and then pull on the stump with a krey hook (we must make absolutely sure there is no pulse). The krey hook is another specialized instrument which looks like an ice pick.

As you pull on the chain attached to it, it tightens down into the bone. It generally is best to have it bite into bony tissue like the spine.

A dead, head-first presentation where the head is along ways outside the vulval lips is another classic case where a fetotomy is required. Veterinarians or farmers alike must work extremely hard to force the swollen head back inside the now-swollen vagina. Even if you do by the time both front legs are brought up there may not be enough room. By doing one cut and removing the head and as much of the neck as possible, you gain valuable room and most times get the rest of the calf out. A perfect cut here almost dishes out the area between the shoulders making that area smaller as well. So a light pull generally extricates the calf.

EXPERIENCE COUNTS I have many times told equine veterinarians it is better to let a bovine

veterinarian handle foalings — they have the experience with difficult birth situations. Mares seldom have problems foaling but if they do it generally is a wreck and if not found and attended to quickly a dead foal is often the result.

I have heard of mares having to be totally anaesthetized in order to stop straining and provide an opportunity for a head-first presentation to be pushed back. What better opportunity than to do a fetotomy to minimize damage to the mare? Foals’ extremely long legs make head-first presentation much more difficult in this species.

This is where expertise from one specialty (bovine obstetrics) in veterinary medicine can definitely help another (equine).

With emphysematous (dead and inflated with air because they are decomposing) fetuses, if you get the fetus out the back end even with multiple cuts you most often will save the life of the cow or heifer.

Doing a C-section is not only very costly and difficult, but extremely risky. Any contamination from the uterus of infected contents into the cow’s abdomen will spell almost certain death to the cow.

This is where the skill and experience of the veterinarian really are

put to work. With a combination of lots of lubricant to facilitate movement and manipulation combined with the right cuts the calf can often be delivered. If the cuts can expose either the abdomen or thorax, this will allow a lot of the internal gas to escape making delivery easier. When a calf dies it swells up and dries out the uterus so we are also dealing with an extreme amount of friction when delivering these calves.

Even though it is something a farmer rarely sees, the performance of a fetotomy can be a valuable tool to return the cow to working form. Care must be taken to not damage the cow so her future reproductive function can hopefully be maintained. Generally with emphysematous fetuses rebreeding rarely occurs.

We rarely perform fetotomys because of today’s easy-calving breeds but malpresentations, hiplocks and fetal monsters still happen and we as veterinarians must be able to properly rectify the situation for our clients. GN Roy Lewis is an Alberta-based veterinarian specializing in large-animal practice. He is also a part-time technical services vet for Merck Animal Health.

home quarter farm life

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

43

SEEDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT

The power of a letter to get unstuck Get out of neutral and move towards a more certain future

www.elainefroese.com

S

ometimes we have to go back to basics in order to keep healthy change happening on our farms. Lately in my transition seminars I have been encouraging frustrated young farmers to write a letter of intent to their founding parents. People who are stuck with a large degree of anxiety and overwhelm from not knowing the certainty of the future are caught in what author William Bridges has termed “the neutral zone.” You want to get out of neutral and moving towards a more certain future.

Let’s look at five types of letters that might be helpful to your situation: 1. Exploration 2. Collaboration 3. Explanation 4. Confrontation 5. Affirmation You might want to take parts of each of these types of letters to accomplish your specific goals.

Here’s how I have seen them used in my coaching work.

1. Exploration: This is the discovery process of seeking out the possibilities of how you might like to address an issue with another party. You are exploring the various options ahead of you. For a young farmer it might be exploring a new business plan with the founders or folks who hold most of the equity in the operation. In our case, our son used a marketing contract with a hemp-processing company to explore the possibility of growing hemp on our certified seed farm. His father agreed to the plan and we now have three years of hempgrowing experience. What opportunities are you wanting to explore on your farm? What letters of reference or testimonials do you have in your research to prove that it is a workable choice to engage? Writing the letter will help crystallize your commitment to the project and help think things through for your business plan.

2. Collaboration: The purpose of this letter is to agree on a working contract. I use this letter in my speaker agreements to be clear about timelines, dates, venues, supplies, and fees and expenses. When you are wanting to collaborate on a project with a family member you usually talk about it lots, but how many documents are in place to be clear about roles and responsibilities?

Many farm folks I know wish that they would have taken a few more steps to get things in writing so that they could refer back to the original goals and expectations. A shareholder’s agreement is really a document letter of collaboration. Do you understand what your shareholder’s agreement says? Do you need to update it?

3. Explanation: This is a powerful script to follow when you want to convey your

thoughts and intent at a meeting, but are not sure that you will be able to say everything quite the right way that you want it to go. I have seen this type of letter used as a powerful tool by a farm widow who was distressed that her adult children were fighting over how the father’s estate had been carried out. She used the letter to read her thoughts at the opening of the family meeting. The children listened intently while their mother conveyed her angst at their bickering. When the tone of reconciliation had been set by the mother’s expectations conveyed in her letter, the children discussed their next steps towards a better family relationship with understanding of why the estate was executed in a certain manner. People cannot read minds, so letters are a vehicle for building up understanding and starting robust courageous conversations.

tor in estate plans is a place to start.

You can be clear about your intent not to cause harm, stating your hope to gain clarity of expectations for the future. You can think about the words you carefully choose.

Please consider what type of letter you need to be crafting today.

Also go to www.elainefroese.com/ unstuck to sign up for a six-module course online that we have created to help you break through the barriers keeping your farm transition stuck.

Write me a letter. GN Elaine Froese, CSP, CAFA, CHICoach empowers families to communicate better and resolve conflict. Visit www. elainefroese.com/store to find more resources. Like her on Facebook at “farm family coach” or follow @ elainefroese. Send mail to Box 957, Boissevain, Man. R0K 0E0.

photo: thinkstock

Elaine Froese

People cannot read minds, so letters are a vehicle for building up understanding and starting robust courageous conversations

4. Confrontation: Stop texting when you are angry. Put that energy towards collecting your thoughts on paper in a word document that you can craft until it sounds right. I have used this approach when adults want to deliver a strong message of concern to another adult. In one case it was crafted by a husband and wife, and then hand delivered to the party that needed to receive the message of concern. This took time, and deliberation over carefully chosen words. The power of hand delivery emphasized the openness for ongoing conversation, and the seriousness of the need for the conflict to be dealt with. You can make this even more impactful if the letter is handwritten, as long as your writing is easy to read. Sometimes these confrontation letters are hard to receive, particularly if you are like me and would rather just have a face-to-face conversation. Use the letter as a starting point, and as an invitation to have a face-to-face conversation.

5. Affirmation: One of my love languages is verbal affirmation. As a writer I also love the power of the written word through cards and notes of affirmation. They are nice to see on social media, but those are fleeting comments. You can hold a card or letter of affirmation in your hand, and pull it out again on hard days when you need a word of encouragement. I have seen this powerful letter used by a father in-law who sought to empower his talented daughter-inlaw. He wrote her a letter stating the many reasons why he thought that they should work together on the farm.

That letter started a great relationship, and affirmed open, loving, respectful communication between them as a team.

Some younger people have not learned cursive writing, and therefore only print or keyboard their messages. Our local agent who sells driver licences has taken to teaching young teens how to craft a great signature! I find this hard to believe, but a reflection of how the written word is changing in our culture. Writing a letter to break down the barrier of anxiety about your future on the farm, or the plans for the fairness fac-

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44

home quarter farm life

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017 Venison Stew

PRAIRIE PALATE

Juniper berries — tasty addition to venison stew Amy Jo Ehman

O

ne crisp winter day I set out to pick juniper berries at a local park. I planned to make bigos, an old Polish stew, for a dinner party that week, for which juniper berries are a traditional ingredient. Being both frugal and old-fashioned, I decided to forage the junipers in the wild, or at least the wilds of Kinsmen Park, Saskatoon. After all, why pay for something that Mother Nature (via the Parks Department) provides for free?

Isn’t foraging a form of outdoor recreation? If I didn’t pick them, would they not fall prey to a party of jays or a murder of crows?

On a previous reconnaissance through the park, I had noted a sprawling juniper bush in one little-used corner above a busy road. It was summertime and the berries were soft and green and overbearingly resinous. By mid-winter, they resembled peppercorns, hard and blue and piney. Used with a heavy hand, they could quickly

overpower more gentle flavours, but applied sparingly, they add a mysterious hint of the woods to dark oldworld stews. So, with bigos on my mind, and a tuque on my head, I made my way to the sprawling juniper at the edge of the park.

I made a quick reconnaissance. The berries were plentiful, but seemed plumper and possibly cleaner away from the traffic and closer to the pine trees. On the back side of the juniper bush, I squatted into the foliage and began to pick.

Suddenly I was startled by a voice close behind me. “Did you lose something?”

I stood quickly and turned around to see a man, also dressed for winter, with a tripod in one hand and a fancy camera around his neck.

“Oh,” I said, “I’m picking juniper berries.”

I showed him the contents in the palm of my hand.

He looked amused. “Are you having friends for dinner?”

“Well, yes,” I said.

“And will you eat crow?”

He smiled. Quite possibly he was

unsavoury. Perhaps I should walk away.

“Hannibal Lecter,” he said.

Of course, I knew the name of the maniacal cannibal in the movie “Silence of the Lambs.”

“Did you read ‘Hannibal?’ He liked to throw in a few juniper berries.

Improved the taste.”

“And the crow?” I asked.

“Stew. Flavoured with a crow fattened on juniper berries.”

We walked together out of the park, discussing a novel I had previously not considered in the “food” genre. I had a new book on my reading list and a story to tell my friends, whom I was not having for dinner.

I add juniper berries to any stew made with wild ingredients, such as venison, but it’s also good with beef.

If you’d like to make bigos, the recipe was featured in this column in November 2015. You’ll also find it on my food blog homefordinner.blogspot.com. GN Amy Jo Ehman is the author of Prairie Feast: A Writer’s Journey Home for Dinner, and, Out of Old Saskatchewan Kitchens. She hails from Craik, Saskatchewan.

photo: amy jo ehman

These are perfect added to any stew made with wild ingredients but also go well with beef

2 lbs. venison or beef 1 tbsp. butter 1 tbsp. vegetable oil 8 potatoes, peeled 2 carrots, peeled 1 big onion 2 garlic cloves Handful of mushrooms, fresh or rehydrated in water

2-3 crushed juniper berries 1 tsp. crushed dried thyme 2 bay leaves 2 tsp. salt and some freshly ground pepper 2 c. water or beef stock 1/2 c. frozen peas, optional

Cut the meat into one-inch cubes. In a large pot or Dutch oven, brown the meat in hot butter and vegetable oil.

Remove the meat from the pot. Meanwhile, chop the potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic and mushrooms. Place these vegetables in the pot and cook until the onion is soft.

Return the meat to the pot. Add the juniper berries, thyme, whole bay leaves, salt and pepper. Pour in the water or beef stock. Cover. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the meat is melt-in-your-mouth tender, two or three hours. Add the peas (if using) about halfway through.

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home quarter farm life

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

45

SAFETY FIRST

Incident becomes teaching tool for farm/workplace safety After more than 42 surgeries Curtis Weber now lives life as a double amputee

BY SHIRLEY BYERS

PHOTOS: COURTESY CURTIS WEBER

O

n July 29, 1999, Curtis Weber had the world by the tail. At 17 years old, just out of high school, he’d signed to play junior hockey with the Drayton Valley Thunder. It was a sunny Friday, the August long weekend and a northern lake fishing trip was coming up.

But before the sun would go down, this young man’s life would take a horrific twist. His hockey career would be over before it began and his parents would be told he probably wouldn’t survive the night. He had sustained a massive electrical shock; 14,400 volts of electricity had coursed through his body in three separate surges.

Weber was working with a grain bin company on a farm in central Saskatchewan. The crew of a boss/ owner and six workers was about to move a hopper bin under a power line with a picker truck.

They talked about the risk involved. Somebody could get killed, they acknowledged.

As they approached the line, Weber steadied the bin from the high winds. When the crane operator backed directly into the power line Weber became the ground point for the live line.

“I was surrounded by steel and as each cycle of 14,400 volts passed through my body, the electricity tried to eject me from the ‘live’ zone, instead throwing me violently from one end of the steel structure to another as the second and third cycles of 14,400 volts of electricity passed through me,” he writes on his website at: curtisweber.ca.

Miraculously, he survived the incident which entailed thirdand fourth-degree burns to over 60 per cent of his body. Over an initial six-month hospital stay he would have over 30 surgeries.

This was followed by 12 more

Curtis Weber became a double amputee as a result of the incident.

Curtis Weber shares his story across Canada and the U.S. — why his incident happened and how similar ones could be prevented.

reconstructive/plastic surgeries in Toronto in the next five years for a total of more than 42 surgeries. Recovery time between the plastic surgeries could be months followed by more months of physiotherapy to strengthen his body for the next procedure. From the time of the incident to full recovery was just under six years.

The new normal would be living life as a double amputee, with his right arm amputated just below the elbow and his left leg just below the knee.

Seventeen years later in early December, Curtis Weber stands before an audience of about 70 in Kelvington, Saskatchewan. At an event sponsored by the Kelvington Health Action team and East Central Co-op, local agriculture businesses plus the Town of Kelvington and Kelsey Trail Health Region, he brings the message he has shared in workplaces, schools and businesses across Canada and the U.S. — why his incident happened and how similar incidents can be prevented.

What happened and why it happened On that day 17 years ago, the risk was recognized and discussed, he says. “Seven of us stood under the overhead line. The company owner identified the risk. He said, ‘This is going to be an issue. We need to get this hopper over here and if we’re not careful somebody could be injured or killed.’ Fifteen minutes later we made contact with that overhead line.”

What happened was a process, Weber says. It began in the morning when the crew learned that rather than having a short Friday, and an early start on the long weekend, due to unforeseen circumstances they would be putting in a long day, causing frustration among the workers.

Then there was the talk: Just identifying somebody could be killed from a certain hazard isn’t going to stop that from happening, he says.

“Nobody said this person will do this and that person will be the

spotter and he’ll be communicating with the operator and so on… nobody said anything like that and I walked away from that conversation probably thinking wow that’s a big deal, somebody could be killed or seriously injured. I’m sure my new boss, my manager and foreman won’t let that happen to me.

“Talking about it, just identifying what could happen in a situation isn’t going to stop it from happening. We need to talk about what we are going to do about it.”

Communication is speaking up He admits his own culpability. He knows he must have felt that this could go wrong, but he was only 17, the new kid on the job. He didn’t want to speak up. Besides, weren’t the other workers and his boss OK with the situation? Why should he say anything?

“That’s a deadly attitude to approach a task like that,” he says.

Similar situations can happen in any workplace including the

Everyone needs to feel safe speaking up Weber says his dad was always a good dad but he could be brusque and expected his children to know what to do because he had taught them, so growing up, he was reluctant to ask questions on the job site.

In the agricultural industry, the statistics regarding the number of fatalities and serious accidents are pretty staggering, he says. “And don’t get me wrong… I know it’s hard work, dangerous work but we need to do better in terms of how we approach these hazards and risks on our farms.” GN Shirley Byers writes from the Kelvington, Sask. area.

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home quarter farm life

Grainews.ca / February 7, 2017

SINGING GARDENER

Natural doesn’t always mean harmless Plus, Ted highlights rhubarb, castor beans and echinacea and his knockout remedy for colds

singinggardener@mts.net

I

t’s wintertime. Colds and flu-like symptoms abound. Such words prompted me to write the “Flu Bug Song” years ago.

Echinacea! What do you know about this plant? There’s a good chance many of us grow some form of it in the perennial garden. It’s often associated as a remedy for treating head, nasal, chest conditions and colds.

Perhaps our eyes light up when we see “pure and natural” or words such as “derived from nature” on a product we anticipate purchasing.

However, the word “natural” is sometimes flown about like a kite to the four winds and doesn’t always mean: will not hurt or do no harm.

My verbal spotlight touches lightly on rhubarb, shines a bit on castor beans and a lot on echinacea.

Am in need of a haircut as I write this but have been putting it off.

Don’t like a cold head in winter and find that hair on my scalp and a hat are great insulators. Hairdresser Tammy always gave me a great flat top, but she moved to Saskatchewan. Now Victoria gives me a great brush cut while trimming my notso Goldie-locks but I won’t be sitting in her barber’s chair until the cold snap breaks. It’s warm green

tea and hat-tipping time. Welcome and thanks for finding me on the inside back page of Grainews. How do you like its new format?

UNDERSTANDING THE WORD NATURAL The important point to keep in mind is with a simple explanation. Natural means it pertains to nature, exists in nature, is derived from nature but it doesn’t mean that everything natural is harmless. There are many plants, berries, seeds and mushrooms that grow wild in nature but can cause harm, illness, strike fear and even death.

Here’s one simple example. Apple seeds are natural but contain small quantities of a toxic substance. When consumed in quantity, apple seeds can be harmful. All the seeds from one apple might not provide enough toxicity to create serious consequences, but regularly eating an excessive amount of apple seeds over time could render a severe or fatal outcome.

RHUBARB STALKS AND LEAVES We all know that rhubarb stalks are edible but their leaves are not. Most

gardeners have tasted/made and/or eaten rhubarb pie, rhubarb relish, stewed some rhubarb and so on.

Canadian summer days can be sunny, hot and sweaty. It’s an ideal time to convert rhubarb stalks into a superb low-sugar freezer slush beverage. When chilled in an icecream pail, it gets top marks as a refreshing cooler. Remind me to give the recipe in Grainews when rhubarb season gets closer. So much for the edible part.

Rhubarb leaves on the other hand contain toxic oxalic acid.

Wear some form of hand protection or rubber gloves. Boil a potful of rhubarb leaves in water for 15 minutes. Cool and strain off the liquid concentrate then dilute down with five parts of water. For example: mix one litre of rhubarb brew concentrate with five litres of plain water. It becomes an effective insect pest repellent when sprayed on plants and is particularly effective at preventing black spot on roses. Such diluted rhubarb brew can also be watered into seed planting rows to reduce incidence of cutworms and various types of maggots and wireworms that can injure carrots, onions, potatoes, radishes and other seedlings. Also, pour some into prepared holes before setting out transplants. Doing so is useful for preventing clubroot on cole crops such as cabbage and broccoli.

ing and setting out castor bean plants. A single castor bean specimen or a hedge of them is spectacular. An effective way to force gophers and moles to move along elsewhere is by dropping one or two castor bean seeds down into their holes and runways. Then there’s the castor oil cannon recipe I’ve given out in a past issue that drives out moles. Teach youngsters to never put anything into their mouth, such as a piece of plant, seeds, berry or mushroom that is unfamiliar or questionable as to its safety. photo: TED MESEYTON

Ted Meseyton

Castor bean plants make a unique and colourful hedge or an outstanding single specimen.

These Ricinus Gibsonii Red castor bean plants are fast growing and easily attain 150 cm (five ft.) Give them a sunny sheltered spot and plenty of water.

MY KNOCKOUT I, Ted am not a doctor but I do some prescribing for myself. For a cold or sore throat I mix one teaspoonful of ground horseradish with some honey and a touch of apple cider vinegar into a mugful of warm water and gradually swoosh it down. GN

SPECTACULAR CASTOR BEAN PLANTS As gorgeous as castor bean plants are, keep in mind their seeds are poisonous. Even touching the foliage and stems can cause itching, burning or other allergic reaction among highly sensitive people. Wearing a good pair of gardening gloves is essential when seeding, transplant-

This is Ted Meseyton the Singing Gardener and Grow-It Poet from Portage la Prairie, Man.

ECHINACEA: A FAVOURITE FLORAL PERENNIAL It endures for many years and withstands our Canadian Prairie winters well. Flowers of the earliest echinacea versions are commonly called purple coneflower or narrow-leaved purple coneflower and hedgehog. The latter name is due in part to the raised spiky seed head centre atop each flower.

Today with new introductions many more names have surfaced. Take for example Pow Wow Wild Berry echinacea. It is one of the first compact echinacea generated from seed that produces plenty of grandiose rose-coloured flowers the same year as seeded on tidy plants that are 40 cm (16 in.) high. Seeds are available from Early’s Garden Centre in Saskatoon, phone 1-800-667-1159.

One called Double Decker is really quite unique. Single purple-rose flowers appear the first time followed the second season and thereafter by twins and fully double flowers. It is compared to a good wine improving from year to year. Double Decker echinacea coneflower seeds are available via W.H. Perron in Laval, Quebec, phone 1-800-723-9071.

Gardeners will be really impressed by Cheyenne Spirit. It’s a mixture of purple, pink, red and orange colours plus lighter tones of yellows, creams and white. This blend of echinacea seeds will flower the first year and makes a tremendous impression both in the garden and as cut flowers. Seed packets may be purchased from West Coast Seeds at Delta, B.C., phone 1-888-804-8820.

Aforesaid are just three of many new and fancy cultivars with multicoloured flowers. However, stick with the old standards mentioned further along if you want to grow echinacea for medicine as well as for beauty.

Drought-resistant echinacea grows best in full sun, but will tolerate some shade. Their coneflowers are loved by hummingbirds, dragonflies, butterflies, pollinating insects and as perches and a rest stop for seed-eating birds.

ECHINACEA AS MEDICINE Is it a costly expense or a potent remedy? Botanically, there are at least nine species of echinacea. Those most commonly used medicinally and studied are E. purpurea, E. pallida, and E. angustifolia. They are hard to tell apart and each has attractive purple flowers. Roots are most often used. Stems and flowers are used as well but are less potent.

There is limited evidence that echinacea is effective in shortening the duration of symptoms pertaining to upper respiratory tract infections, or its use in prevention. Some interest has been shown for its potential use in cancer therapy, but consistent clinical trials and variations in commercial products make specific recommendations somewhat of a challenge and difficult. Little is known about the toxicity, if any, of echinacea. Animal studies generally indicate low to no toxicity.

Echinacea was commonly used by native North American Aboriginals for hundreds of years. Thereafter it became

a popular herbal remedy of simplicity and wellness among Europeans who also appreciated this easily grown garden flower. Later, its popularity rose following extended research carried out in Germany during the 1920s.

Today, echinacea is available as an over-the-counter supplement at health food stores and plain food and nature shops that sell non-refined and less processed products. Long-held beliefs that echinacea boosts the immune system and reduces many cold and flu-like symptoms, other illnesses and health conditions are strong as ever among present-day users and herbalists.

Various studies tell us there are dozens of biochemical compounds that act in therapeutic capacity in this complex plant. However, taking echinacea when a cold or infection has already taken hold may be fighting a losing battle. Echinacea is most effective when taken at the first onset of a cold, sinus congestion, gum inflammation or other symptoms. Echinacea has a numbing sensation that relieves the pain of cold sores, and also offers some protection as a mild antiseptic on its own.

A few drops of echinacea tincture or a skin wash made from fresh flowers is a quick and effective way to reduce itching and take the sting out of insect bites and hives.

Seems dosage is key. Enough echinacea is required and taken frequently appears to be the protocol to do any good. Capsules are convenient, but not as efficient, and quite often not

photo: TED MESEYTON

ECHINACEA

Echinacea purpurea perennial coneflowers are a delight to grow and attract many of nature’s creatures. Plants are drought tolerant, Prairie hardy and an accepted source of herbal medicine especially for preventing, reducing and treating cold symptoms.

as potent as tinctures. The long and short of research during the 1990s concluded that echinacea when taken early reduces the chances of catching a cold by about two-thirds of the time and can reduce length of time a cold lasts by a day and a half.

Be aware of side-effects and use with caution or not at all if allergic to ragweed, have rheumatoid arthritis,

lupus or a chronic infection. In spite of everything the question remains: Does echinacea have any effect on catching colds or reducing symptoms of a cold? Opinions vary. What did some Canadian doctors say back in 2005? A medical journal reported that ginseng reduces frequency of common colds but echinacea does not. That was 11 years ago.

In the garden echinacea grows beautifully. As Canadians, we are encouraged and invited to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary totally. Share your home garden, yard and landscape ideas, suggestions and know-how with your fellow gardeners.

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