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Features

Clubroot is coming

Know your cash flow

Get ready to manage this disease... 9

The case for making projections... 16

Volume 44 · number 04 fEBRUARY 13, 2018 · $4.25 Practical production tips for the prair ie farmer www.grainews.ca

By Scott Garvey

New technology

Pursuing alternative fuels

N

ew Holland has been pursuing alternate fuel possibilities for more than a decade. In 2006 it became the first ag equipment brand to announce its engines were fully compatible with 100 per cent biodiesel.

In 2009 it first showed the world its hydrogen powered NH2 concept tractor at the SIMA machinery show in Paris, France.

By 2013 it had another alternative fuel concept tractor to show the world: this time using methane for power. This past November the latest version of that concept machine was on display at Agritechnica 2017, after also making an earlier appearance in August at the U.S. Farm Progress Show. And this latest version has some very obvious changes from its ancestor.

“The main difference you see is the design,” said New Holland’s Thomas Bart. “It’s a little futuristic now.”

It’s hard to argue that point. The 180-horsepower tractor has a streamlined design, which makes one wonder if that look will eventually become the brand’s “family” design for tractors. There was no word of that happening, but the interest from show goers in getting a close look at this machine was definitely high. It attracted sizeable crowds.

But there is more to this updated version than its sleek good looks.

New Holland continues development work for a world without diesel

photo: New Holland

Storage locations

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“The second difference is the concept of the tank construction,” Bart added.

“In the first generation we had cylinders that were mainly fitted at the back of the cab. On this version we changed See New Holland on page 5 

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wheat & chaff

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CONTENTS

What’s the value of our time?

Leeann Minogue

leeann.minougue@fbcpublishing.com

T Meet your farming neighbours Get to know Mandy and Jason Manz 14

What will markets do this year?

Brian Wittal answers “the question” 25

New Loader from JCB An articulated, telescopic loader at Agritechnica 32

hese are action-packed days in the world of ag commodity groups. Funding cuts at the Canola Council, office doors closing at the Flax Council and a collection of Manitoba commodity groups discussing merging into one mega-organization.

There are a lot of things happening.

Yet when I attended a few of the Saskatchewan commodity group AGMs in Saskatoon during Crop Week, there was barely a mention of these developments and almost no open discussion or debate.

Sure, there is a lot of business on each group’s AGM agenda that legally must be done. Even the Saskatchewan Pulse Grower’s executive director Carl Potts can only do so much to spice up the resolution to reappoint the auditor.

But with the exception of two brief moments — a SaskWheat resolution about whether the organization should join Cereals Canada, and a question from the floor about research funding at the SPG meeting — almost nothing happened at any of these AGMs that wasn’t printed in the annual report. Anyone who read the report beforehand and wasn’t running for office would have gotten very little value from turning up in person.

Surely there must be some information or potential discussion topic that wasn’t included in the report? Something of value we could take away in exchange for our time?

When information is presented as if there is no need for any debate, non-board member farmers sitting passively in the audience are left wondering if there was any need to attend.

Attracting an audience

Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Crop Advisor’s Casebook. . 8 Columns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Machinery & Shop . . . . . . 30 Cattleman’s Corner . . . . . 34 FarmLife. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

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I am the author of a couple of plays. As a semiamateur in the world of theatre, I don’t pretend to know all the rules, but the one unbreakable rule I do know is, “you can’t bore the audience.”

Writers, directors and actors always keep in mind that people have lots of other ways to spend their time — they just won’t stay in their seats for a dull play.

Obviously, this rule does not apply to the playwright’s mom, but I can’t be sure the mothers of any of the staff of the Saskatchewan commodity associations would turn up voluntarily at these AGMs. I’m not saying I’d like to see SaskWheat’s new president Laura Reiter singing karaoke to close debate on resolutions (though for all I know, she might be quite good). But if I’m going to take time to drive to Saskatoon and sit through the meeting, it would be great if organizers could bring something to the meeting that isn’t on the internet.

Maybe a researcher could bring interesting news about agronomy recommendations?

A director might share a personal story about what being part of the organization means to him or her? What about an open and honest discussion of the most difficult challenges the organization is facing?

When farmer members are engaged enough to come and sit in the room for the AGM, it’s a shame not to take advantage of that opportunity to either give them some

inside information or learn something from their experience and knowledge.

During the long, cold season of winter farm meetings, we all know that not all presentations are equally interesting. Some speakers’ time slots pass quickly — they hold our attention with their speaking style and teach us something useful. During Tom Wolf’s sprayer presentations at CropSphere, it was great fun to watch a young farmer’s eyes light up when he realized there was a simple, do-it-yourself solution to his sprayer problem. But that kind of thing doesn’t happen at every meeting session.

I’m not suggesting presenters tap dance while they discuss data. Substance doesn’t always come in a glitzy package. But meeting planners, especially AGM organizers, need to remember they’re competing with all the information we can get at home through our internet connections.

The details Here’s some brief background on the items previously mentioned: Canola Council of Canada: This is the organization funded by farmers, canola handlers, input companies and processors.

Some of the levy dollars you pay to your provincial canola organization are sent to the CCC. Late last fall there were reports that some industry members wanted to cut funding, and the CCC board was looking to lower costs for 2018 by up to 30 per cent.

On January 16 The Western Producer reported that Richardson International was pulling all of its funding from the CCC, the Flax Council of Canada and Soy Canada — total funding of over $1M annually.

Most farmers respect the agronomic information the CCC provides through its unbiased agronomists, its helpful website and its well-organized events.

The Flax Council of Canada: It is the same story at the Flax Council, where the board has gone so far as to close its office, though they will maintain the website and continue to answer phone calls.

Manitoba: At CropConnect, Manitoba growers will discuss merging several commodity organizations into one. Eric Fridfinnson, chair of the Manitoba Flax Growers Association spoke about this briefly at the SaskFlax AGM. He said that with the current structure, there was a “danger of too large a percentage of our budget being taken up by overhead.” And that, he said was the weakest argument for a merger.

Others included the ability to have a larger, more professionally managed office, a mandate to deal with non-commodityspecific issues like herbicide-resistant weeds and the fact that a multi-commodity structure would better represent the structure of most Manitoba farms.

SaskWheat: After a few years of discussion and a previous failed resolution, members of the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission voted to join Cereal Canada, a national industry organization.

SPG: At the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers AGM, a former SPG chair asked about the organization’s research funding agreement with the Crop Development Centre.

Leeann

3

4

wheat & chaff

GRAINEWS.CA / FEBRUARY 13, 2018

Ag safety

Keeping your grandchildren safe on the farm

I

f you talk to any grandparent, they say that having children was wonderful, but having grandchildren is pure joy. There’s nothing better than having a grandchild throw their arms around your neck and whisper “I love you.” These young people are a farm’s future and a grandparent’s legacy.

The farm is an incredible place for kids to grow up or visit. Nothing is better than being the one to introduce your grandchild to a baby chick, or show them how to successfully pull a carrot on the first try. The farm is a great place to learn about the value of hard work and nothing is more wonderful than experiencing the joys of farming life alongside a grandchild.

Talking about children and farming can be an emotional experience. There is one thing that we can all agree on: the death of even just one child is a horrible tragedy.

Grandparents are vital to the success and safety of their grandchildren. Of course it’s hard to say no when grandchildren jump up and down and plead “Oh please Grandpa! Just one ride in the tractor!” However, your legacy depends on keeping these young people safe from harm. So what can

you do as a grandparent to keep your grandchildren safe?

First of all, children aren’t miniature adults. Even the most advanced eight-year-old is still a child. Children don’t have the experience, physical strength or understanding to always make the right choice, handle large equipment or be entrusted with farming jobs. If you’d like to introduce your grandchildren to farming, there are tasks that can teach the fundamentals without endangering their lives. The North American Guidelines for Children’s Agricultural Tasks (NAGCAT) is a great tool to determine such tasks.

Establishing boundaries is essential in making sure that children understand that farming is an occupation and can be hazardous.

It’s not “mean” to tell children that certain areas of the farm are offlimits. Talk to your grandchildren about hazards around the farm, it’s a great learning opportunity for the children and a good reminder for you.

Supervision is key in preventing injuries. Even if you have an established play area for your grandchildren, it is no substitute for supervision. A watchful eye can prevent a tragedy.

Children model the behaviour that they see around them. Often grandchildren want to do things just like Grandma or Grandpa. It’s important that they see you perform tasks safely. If you model safe behaviour, your grandchildren are more likely to behave in safe ways too.

Rethink your traditions. If they’re risky, build new traditions. Talk about farm equipment, show them safety gear and explore the farm together in a safe and controlled way. You don’t have to put a child in a potentially hazardous situation in order to establish traditions with your grandchildren.

Grandchildren are one of life’s greatest joys. Being able to see your grandchildren grow and thrive and enjoy the farm is incredibly satisfying. Take the time to teach age-appropriate tasks, establish boundaries, provide supervision, model safe behaviour and build safe traditions. These steps will not only help keep your grandchildren safe, but will help safeguard your legacy. GN Canadian Agricultural Safety Association, visit www.casa-acsa.ca

Photo Contest

Give us your best shot

Karlee Ruf sent us this picture of her son Sawyer getting caught up on the news. Sawyer’s great grandfather, Franklin Anderson loaned him a copy of Grainews.

Karlee’s husband and father-inlaw, Craig and Steve Ruf, farm together by Waldeck, Sask. She says, “Sawyer loves looking at all the different farm papers and catalogues. He is a little farm boy through and through!”

Send your best shot by email to leeann@fbcpublishing.com or through Twitter at @GrainMuse.

Please send only one or two photos at a time, and also send along some information about where and when you took the photo, or even something about your farm. Photos with larger file sizes look better in the paper.

Q&A with CPS

Growing degree days versus corn heat units Q: What are growing degree days (GDD) and how do they differ from Corn Heat Units (CHU)?

A: Temperature plays a significant role in the development and maturity rate of crops. A good indicator of potential maturity is growing degree days (GDD). Corn heat units (CHU) is a measurement of cumulative heat over the growing season.

In Western Canada, GDD and CHU are daily calculations that start in mid-April to early May and are cumulative as the season goes on.

GDD can estimate insect emergence in crops, extreme heat impact on crops, harvest timing, flowering of a crop, weed emergence and frost free days, and compare variety/crop suitability for the local area. For example, agronomists estimate that 10 per cent of female wheat midge emerge at 660 GDD and 90 per cent emerge by 880 GDD. This helps growers determine when to scout for midge and potential insecticide application timing.

The below maps show how GDD and CHU vary on the Canadian Prairies.

Formulas for calculating GDD and CHU appear complex but the concepts are relatively simple.

GDD: [(max daily temp + min daily temp)/2] – base temp = GDD CHU: [1.8(daily min temp - 4.4) + 3.3(daily max temp - 10) - 0.084(daily max temp) -10)2]/2 = CHU

GDD always uses a base temperature of 5 C while CHU uses a base temperature of 10 C. Most crops will have little to no growth development with a base temperature of five degrees, while corn needs a minimum of 10 degrees. The reason the calculation for CHU is slightly different than GDD is because with corn crops, there is no plant growth if day temperatures are below 10 degrees and night temperatures fall below 4.4 degrees. It is also assumed in the heat unit models that crop development halts at temperatures above 30 degrees.

The GDD and CHU models consider temperature the greatest variable for crop production; however, soil moisture, soil type, precipitation, topography, evapotranspiration and local vegetation all impact crop growth and also need to be a considered within the specific micro climate. GN Jade Delaurier is a manager of agronomic services with Crop Production Services in eastern Saskatchewan.

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Grainews.ca / FEBRUARY 13, 2018

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New Holland showed the latest version of its prototype methane-powered tractor at Agritechnica in November.  New Holland from page 1

from cylinders to tubes and pipes. So that gives us very much more flexibility to install the gas storage. We can install that everywhere we have some space. And that gives us much more capacity.”

One of those storage locations is the streamlined tank hanging off the front of the tractor where front suitcase weights are hung on standard models if needed. That change allows for a much higher fuel-carrying capacity allowing the tractor to stay in the field at least as long as a comparable diesel.

“That was the intention,” he added.

“It was a must, we might say. It’s a 180-horsepower tractor so it should be the same as a 180-horsepower diesel tractor with the same running time.”

Under the hood The tractor is built on a standard T6 Series chassis. Under the hood is one of FPT’s (Fiat Powertrain’s) turbocharged 6.7 litre engines. It’s one of the company’s diesels, with a modified cylinder head to allow it to run on gas.

The tractor is designed to be equipped with one of the brand’s 40 or 50 km/h-capable ECO transmissions. Hydraulic flow maxes out at 113 l/min.

To keep the operator comfortable it’s equipped with a “Horizon” suspended cab. But its really like no other cab in the brand’s line, making the tractor as futuristic looking inside as it is outside. There’s a unique leafshaped seat and redesigned integrated armrest with joystick control and monitor screen. Other controls are on an interactive headliner display. NH refers to the cab interior as a “clutterfree design.” The “wraparound” bodywork on the cab allows for almost 360-degree visibility, which is a significant improvement over the initial prototype, and includes up to 20 per cent more glass area than NH’s standard models.

Continued on Page 6 

The “Horizon” cab gets a futuristic interior to match the overall body style, and visibility is much improved now that the fuel tanks are no longer built into the B pillars.

LED tail lights are built into the top of the cab.

Although Agritechnica visitors weren’t allowed into the cab, entry would be easy with the wide steps under the door.

6

cover stories

GRAINEWS.CA / FEBRUARY 13, 2018

Bulky fuel tanks built into the rear cab pillar on the original prototype limited rear visibility from the operator’s seat.

An FPT 6.7-litre diesel engine with a redesigned head powers the methane concept tractors

 Continued from Page 5

Energy independence This tractor is a big part of the Energy Independent Farm System NH established in northern Italy at the same time the tractor was introduced. The idea was to create an energy-independent operation, where tractor fuel and electricity are produced on site. Special crops grown for the purpose along with manure and organic waste are put into an on-farm biodigester to produce methane. The methane is then refined onsite and used to power the tractor and an electrical generator for electricity and heat in the farm buildings. Biodigester waste is spread on fields as fertilizer.

Aside from energy independence, the tractor delivers engine performance comparable to a similar sized diesel while virtually eliminating CO2 emissions. And, according to the company, should also result in a 30 per cent savings in running costs.

Bart said the methane tractor is still about three years out from seeing commercial production, and the brand hopes to offer a range of models.

“Now we have just one, but the intention is to have a range from about 100 to 200 horsepower.”

And will the production models keep that same futuristic look?

“I hope so,” said Bart. “Because it looks beautiful.” GN Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at Scott.Garvey@fbcpublishing.com.

NH debuted the methane-fuelled concept tractor at Agritechnica in Germany in 2013.

The hydrogen-powered NH2 New Holland first introduced its prototype NH2 hydrogen-powered tractor at the SIMA farm equipment show in Paris, France, in 2009, making it the first tractor ever publicly shown by a major brand that used hydrogen fuel-cell technology. It made another appearance at Germany’s Agritechnica in 2011.

By 2011 engineers had made a lot of driveline changes based on their experience with the original model. “This one has a more definitive component arrangement,” said Ulrich Weller, a product rep for New Holland, at that 2011 exhibition.

The cab interior was still a work in progress, so the company opted to black out the glass while it was on display. The cab's exterior styling along with the overall bod-

ylines had changed significantly, giving this prototype a completely different appearance from the original version.

Hydrogen storage technology had been steadily improving since the original prototype was built and this tractor took advantage of that with three new fuel cells that offered 340 litres of combined capacity.

The previous design only included two.

Unfortunately, the effective working range was still limited to about two to three hours.

That problem makes the methane concept tractor much more practical for the immediate future, and may explain why the NH2 has been omitted from the brand’s major public displays in recent years.

Scott Garvey

The concept hydrogen powered NH2 tractor debuted in 2009

FEATURES

GRAINEWS.CA / FEBRUARY 13, 2018

7

Disease management

Managing aphanomyces and root rot 2017 survey results showed a high prevalence of root rot in Prairie pulse crops

By Melanie Epp

R

oot rot is a soil-borne disease that affects the roots of developing peas and lentils.

Root rot can infect crops at any stage, and once it sets in there is no way of stopping the infection. Saskatchewan Pulse crop advisor Sherrilyn Phelps advises growers on best prevention practices.

Disease prevention Proper rotation is important. Peas and lentils, Phelps said, should be rotated every three to four years.

Once the pathogen is present, though, producers need to move to longer rotations of six to eight years between pea and lentil crops.

Even rotation can’t stop disease from occurring, which means regular scouting is important. “Being able to detect patches or areas of a field that are showing symptoms is important for early detection,” said Phelps.

Yellowing and stunting are pretty common early symptoms, typically in June or July. However, later season infections can also occur and often go unnoticed. In later infections, said Phelps, plants tend to lodge and flatten.

“Areas of a field that are lodged more or fields showing bad lodging where other fields are okay could be cause for concern,” she said.

2017 survey results Researchers in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba have been conducting annual surveys to assess the presence of root rot and levels of severity. (2017 will be the final year of this federally sponsored survey, now that researchers have a better understanding of the problem.) While this year’s results show that prevalence is high (presence in fields), for the most part incidence (percentage of plants infected within fields) remained fairly average.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada researcher Syama Chatterton analyzed this year’s results.

In peas, she says she found root rot in every field, making prevalence an alarming 100 per cent.

“As for the percentage of roots that have disease within a field, we’re looking at about 70 per cent,” she said.

In terms of severity, roots are rated on a scale of 1 to 7 with 1 being healthy and 7 being the

most diseased. Peas, said Chatterton, were at about 3 to 3.3 average severity across all roots in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba with little variations in some regions.

Lentils provided a much different story. Chatterton saw a lot less root rot. She saw about 20 to 30 per cent incidence, even though prevalence was at 100 per cent.

Severity came in at 2 on average.

“That’s a lot lower than what we had seen in previous years,” said

Melanie Epp is a freelance farm writer.

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Get confirmation No matter when the symptoms first arise, the next step is to confirm the pathogen or pathogens involved.

Producers can do so by sending soil samples and plant roots to labs for diagnostics. If the samples are positive for aphanomyces, producers should move to six-year rotation at minimum.

Phelps notes that healthy, vigorous seedlings and plants are better equipped to fight disease. “This starts with good seed, seeding into warm soils, ensuring good nutrition, and using seed treatments to provide some level of protection against root rots,” she said.

Research shows that a combination of root rot pathogens with aphanomyces is more problematic than aphanomyces alone. “Seed treatments can provide early protection against other root rot pathogens, which may help alleviate some stress early in the season,” said Phelps.

“Seeding into warm soils also speeds up germination and can reduce stress.”

Phelps warns growers not to seed too deep as deep seeding can cause plants to struggle to emerge, adding unnecessary stress. She also warns growers to watch their timing for rolling. “Avoid rolling when the soil is wet as it can be compacted more easily and lead to increased stress on the plant,” she said. “Peas and lentils can be rolled after they emerge, so the window for rolling is quite wide and should be done when the soil conditions are favorable to avoid addition stress to the seedlings.”

Chatterton. “I think that was due to some of those drier conditions that we saw in the lentil growing areas in 2017.”

Chatterton also calculated the number of fields that were positive for aphanomyces. Very few, she said, were actually positive. In lentils, roughly 10 per cent. In peas, roughly 40 per cent were positive for aphanomyces. GN

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Topic Crop production heading

Crop advisor casebook Can you diagnose the predicament of the malformed pods in Chad’s canola crop?

By Shantelle May

R

yan owns a mixed dairy and grain farm north of Saskatoon, Sask. At the beginning of June, we were scouting Ryan’s soybean field when we discovered brown mottling on the plants’ leaves.

These dark brown spots were present largely on the unifoliate leaves as well as on some of the cotyledons.

The soybean plants’ trifoliate leaves were just unfolding. The speckling effect didn’t look random as the spots occurred uniformly on the leaves’ margins. Most plants in the field had some speckling on their leaves, however, some plants had more spots than others.

“Could this be disease in our soybeans?” Ryan asked. “Something like bacterial blight or septoria brown spot?”

Although the brown spots looked similar to those found on bacterial blight- or septoria brown spotinfected leaves, there were several key differences, ruling these diseases out.

For example, bacterial blight infection produces small, water-soaked spots on leaves, which turn from yellow to brown in colour. These dark spots are surrounded by a yellowishgreen halo. When this tissue dies, the leaves take on a ragged appearance.

The leaf spots on these plants didn’t exhibit any of these characteristics.

Leaves infected with septoria brown spot also develop small, brown spots. However, these spots often grow together to form irregular brown lesions with tiny, black, sporeproducing pycnidia in them. Septoria brown spot was not injuring these plants, either.

When I examined the other parts of the affected plants, they were free of necrotic tissue and their growing points were healthy. The plants’ stems were also healthy, with no tissue damage or brown discolouration. In addition, the plants’ roots looked normal.

Brown spots on leaves can also be caused by surfactant burn following glyphosate application. However, Ryan hadn’t applied the in-crop herbicide to this field yet. When plants experience surfactant burn, the spots appear in a droplet pattern where the herbicide has landed on the leaves. Furthermore, the leaves’ centres would also contain spots when burned by surfactant.

That season, only a soil-applied Group 14 residual herbicide had been sprayed with the glyphosate burndown.

So how did Ryan’s soybean plants end up with what looked like a chemical injury?

If you think you know how the soybean leaves in Ryan’s field were damaged, send your diagnosis to Grainews, Box 9800, Winnipeg, Man., R3C 3K7; email leeann@fbcpublishing.com or fax 204-94495416 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 one-year subscription to the magazine. The answer, along with reasoning that solved the mystery, will appear in the next Crop Advisor’s Solution File. GN Shantelle May, CCA, AAg, works for Richardson Pioneer Ltd. at Carlton Crossing, Saskatoon, Sask.

Shantelle May works for Richardson Pioneer Ltd. at Carlton Crossing, Saskatoon, Sask.

Casebook winner This issue’s winner is Alberta farmer Darren Feitsma. Thanks for entering, Darren! We’re sending you a Grainews cap and renewing your subscription for one year.

You could be a winner too.

If you know the answer to this issue of Casebook, email me at Leeann@fbcpublishing.com.

Leeann Minogue

Chad contacted me about malformed pods on the upper portion of his glyphosate-tolerant canola plants.

Crop advisor’s solution

These malformed canola seed pods were a result of chemical drift

By Rose Boughton

F

rom my first glance at Chad’s glyphosate-tolerant canola crop in early August of 2016, I knew his plants had suffered some sort of chemical injury. Currently at the early podding stage, the seed pods were malformed, stunted, twisted or curled on the upper third of the damaged plants. The pods also had a reddish tinge to them and were scabbed. In addition, almost all had poor, if any, seed set.

No disease I know of does that kind of damage to plants; furthermore, weather conditions in Togo, Sask., where Chad owns a mixed grain and cattle farm, weren’t conducive to the type and severity of plant damage in this field.

However, after reviewing Chad’s tank clean-out procedures, I didn’t believe we were dealing with chemical residue hung up in the sprayer tank.

The real clue to the cause of the malformed, discoloured pods was the damage pattern. The finger-like area of damaged plants, which worsened closer to the road and improved toward the back of the quarter, is characteristic of chemical drift.

The twisted stems and malformed/ aborted pods indicated the plants’ natural growth processes had been interrupted, which is what chemical injury does to plants.

When I revealed my suspicions to Chad, he told me earlier that summer, when his crop was at the three- to four-leaf stage, a neighbouring herbicide-tolerant canola crop was sprayed with a Group 10 herbicide on a windy day. Now, there was no doubt in my mind about the cause of plant injury.

We examined the location of the neighbour’s field in relation to Chad’s, to determine if it was possible for the Group 10 herbicide to drift onto Chad’s glyphosate-tolerant canola crop. Given the right wind direction and speed, I thought it was not only possible, but likely.

Chad keeps excellent records. He could tell me the exact day the suspected drifting event occurred. Knowing the event’s date, we checked the wind speed and direction. The conditions were conducive to chemical drift.

Furthermore, Chad had records indicating he had contacted the individual who sprayed the Group 10 herbicide that day. The evidence was convincing — the damage to Chad’s canola crop was caused by chemical drift.

I sent samples of the damaged plants to a laboratory to be tested for traces of glufosinate ammonium, the Group 10 herbicide’s active ingredient.

The test results were inconclusive because so much time had passed between the incident and the analysis — the plants had long since metabolized the chemical.

At harvest, the areas of the field hardest hit by the chemical drift yielded about 25 bushels per acre compared with a field average of 50 bushels per acre.

It was odd the plants didn’t exhibit symptoms until the early podding stage, since glu-

fosinate is a contact herbicide and kills what it touches. Plant damage symptoms should have occurred soon after the plants were exposed to the herbicide.

It is possible for glyphosate-tolerant plants to metabolize small amounts of glufosinate. However, the natural growth pattern can be altered in those plants most affected by the chemical, causing failure to set seed properly, which ultimately results in yield loss.

It’s necessary that all producers stop spraying herbicide when it’s windy. It’s also important to pay close attention to the damage pattern to determine if it’s consistent with chemical drift.

Furthermore, if a producer suspects a crop has been drifted, samples of the affected plants should be taken and sent for analysis as soon as possible, to document proof of exposure to the chemical. GN Rose Boughton, CCA, works for Richardson Pioneer Ltd. in Kamsack, Sask.

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9

Disease control

Clubroot is coming to a field near you The stakes are high, as clubroot has defeated resistant canola varieties and continues to spread

By Lisa Guenther

D

an Orchard has a blunt message for Saskatchewan canola producers.

“I’m quite convinced that clubroot will come to your farm. It’s just too hard to keep it away,” said Orchard, agronomy specialist for central Alberta for the Canola Council of Canada. Orchard was speaking at the Saskatchewan Oilseed Producers meeting, organized

by SaskCanola, SaskFlax, and the Sask. government, at North Battleford on November 17.

The stakes are high for many farmers. The worst-case clubroot scenario is that a farmer won’t be able to grow canola economically in a heavily infested field. Orchard has visited five such fields in Alberta.

“Clubroot has defeated the resistance of the resistant varieties,” said Orchard.

Kent Lamoureux, senior agronomist for Sturgeon Valley Fertilizers, said their local term for fields with very high spore loads is a Ground Zero field. Lamoureux relayed his experience with clubroot at an agronomy day organized by Cavalier Agrow in northwest Saskatchewan.

Lamoureux credited Orchard for first finding the disease in Alberta in 2003. It was discovered in a vegetable production area in Sturgeon County, just north of Edmonton, he said. Orchard was an agronomist with Sturgeon Valley Fertilizers at the time.

Since then, agronomists’ and farmers’ experience with the disease “has been nothing short of an odyssey,” said Lamoureux.

And just as Odysseus endured terrible losses on his long journey home after the Trojan war, Sturgeon County farmers have also seen some bad times. Even Lamoureux’s family farm has been affected by clubroot, he said.

Still, farmers needn’t throw up their hands in despair. The key is to keep spore loads low and find infestations early, Orchard said.

A gram of soil can hold up to a billion clubroot spores. Lamoureux said Ground Zero fields, which can’t even grow resistant varieties, have about ten million spores or more per gram. He said it would take about 100,000 spores per gram to cause an infection in the crop.

But infested fields in Manitoba and Saskatchewan are more likely to have around 50,000 spores per gram, said Orchard. “And we would call that really, really low in Alberta,” said Orchard.

That lower spore load gives Saskatchewan and Manitoba farmers more options for managing the disease. Manitoba and Saskatchewan farmers also have more technology and knowledge to draw on than their Alberta counterparts did when the disease first emerged.

Start looking If Lamoureux could go back in time, he would set up an intelligent clubroot scouting program, he said.

A clubroot-infected crop patch might display relatively subtle symptoms, such as ripening a bit early, having a thinner plant stand, or having plants that are an off-green/yellow colour. Lamoureux said the disease can look a little like sclerotinia, but clubroot creates a creamier colour.

By that point, the clubroot may have been present for several canola crops, said Orchard. The lack of above-ground symptoms in the early years of the disease can deter farmers from scouting.

“But I’m here to tell you that you need to start pulling plants at the entrance,” said Orchard.

Crops generally look poor at the field entrance, so farmers tend to ignore early signs of the disease. But

Orchard said clubroot infestations usually start at the field entrance, and to the right of the field entrance.

Over the years, Orchard has found clubroot in other places, too. Old garden sites from homesteads can be an infestation source, as some vegetables host the disease. Other areas include alternate field entrances, farmyards, downwind of grain bins, highway exits, near beehives, near power lines, and low areas or areas with water.

Lamoureux also suggested farmers check persistently weedy patches and lease roads. He’s also seen a clubroot patch form where the combine broke down and was partly disassembled. The combine dust spawned the infestation.

It’s possible to test soil for clubroot. Orchard cautioned that a negContinued on Page 10 

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 Continued from Page 9

ative result doesn’t guarantee the field is clubroot-free. It might mean that producers sampled the wrong spot in the field. But farmers who do want to test soil for clubroot should sample from the area just to the right of the field entrance, he said.

Lamoureux suggested starting scouting four weeks before swathing, as visual symptoms will be the most obvious. Farmers who notice canola plants flipping up and landing on the canvas while swathing should be wary. Those plants might have been infected by clubroot, Lamoureux said, as the disease destroys the roots.

GRAINEWS.CA / FEBRUARY 13, 2018

ease as well. Once the seed is commercially cleaned and treated, it won’t carry clubroot, Orchard said.

He advised against getting common, untreated seed from known clubroot areas.

The disease can also survive a cow’s digestive system, Orchard said. Farmers shouldn’t spread manure over crop fields from cattle that have eaten a clubroot-ravaged crop.

Control weeds Canola isn’t the only potential clubroot host in farmers’ fields. Weed hosts include stinkweed, shepherd’s purse, wild mustard, and volunteer canola.

“Control volunteer canola religiously,” said Lamoureux.

Both Orchard and Lamoureux advised farmers to control those weeds, whether or not canola is being grown in that field that year.

Weeds will produce viable clubroot spores within weeks of germinating, so farmers should spray at the two or three-leaf stage, Orchard added.

Use resistant varieties Clubroot-resistant varieties are like relief pitchers in baseball, said Orchard.

“You have to put your relief pitcher in one pitch before the grand slam, not one pitch after.”

Some farmers, thinking the infestation isn’t that bad, have stuck with susceptible canola varieties. There’s a perception that clubroot-resistant varieties don’t yield as well as their susceptible kin.

But both Lamoureux and Orchard said there was no yield penalty with the resistant varieties. “And it will prolong your canola-growing situation,” said Lamoureux.

Sticking to a susceptible variety has led to some disastrously low yields in clubroot-infested fields.

Orchard advised farmers to start using clubroot-resistant varieties as soon as clubroot is detected in a field, no matter how mild the symp-

toms initially seem. And the Canola Council advises farmers in clubrootinfested areas to stick to resistant varieties as a precaution.

But farmers shouldn’t rely on resistant varieties alone. Short rotations increase the spore load in a field, giving the local clubroot population a better shot at evolving to overcome those resistant varieties.

So far, 17 clubroot strains have been identified in Alberta. And 11 can’t be controlled by clubrootresistant canola varieties, said Orchard.

Ultimately, clubroot is a self-limiting disease, said Lamoureux.

“Ground Zero fields should not grow canola again.”

Minimize the spread Farmers who have fields with infestations in one part of the field have more options than those with fenceline-to-fenceline infestations. One option is to create a separate field exit, far from the entrance, Orchard said. Farmers should not use the new exit as an entrance/exit. By having a dedicated exit, a farmer can reduce the chances carrying clubroot from that field.

Farmers can also seed the area around the entrance to a non-host crop, such as perennial ryegrass.

“I think there are so many benefits to putting a small grassed area at the entrance,” said Orchard. A grassy entrance cuts the chances of spores spreading through the field.

It also gives operators an area to park, unfold, and clean equipment, he added.

Sanitizing equipment between fields has not been a popular suggestion in Alberta. Orchard acknowledged it’s not practical to do at seeding time. And given the heavy spore loads in central Alberta fields, operators would have to be very thorough to prevent disease spread.

But farmers facing lower spore loads don’t have to be nearly as thorough to make a difference.

Orchard said knocking off basketball-sized lumps of dirt would go a long way in Saskatchewan.

Farm machinery isn’t the only equipment that can spread clubroot.

Equipment from road crews can spread spores, so farmers may want to think twice before letting others park equipment in fields. And while machinery is the main culprit in spreading clubroot, it’s not the only one. Muddy boots can carry up to 600,000 spores per gram, according to research Orchard has read.

Lamoureux said they’ve stopped mud-slinging in his area. They don’t float fertilizer or sample soil if it’s muddy, and they clean dirt off equipment. Farmers also seed Ground Zero fields last, giving the field a chance to dry out and minimizing the spread to other fields.

Dust is dangerous too, Lamoureux added. Research has found dust from Ground Zero fields was “loaded with clubroot,” he says. “Think about your harvest.”

Lamoureux advised farmers to treat seed to ensure that it’s not carrying clubroot. Random sampling at a seed cleaning plant in a heavily infested clubroot area found that soil on seeds can bear the dis-

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When scouting for clubroot, one area to check is downwind of grain bins, Dan Orchard says.

Photos: Courtesy of Canola Council of Canada

Stretch the rotation

Stinkweed is one weed that hosts clubroot. Farmers should control the weed early, as it will produce viable spores within weeks of germinating.

Recent research has shown that with a two-year break, 95 to 99 per cent of the clubroot spores aren’t viable, says Orchard.

Unfortunately, for many Alberta farmers spore loads are so high that even a two-year break leaves enough spores to cause a wreck. But Saskatchewan and Manitoba farmers still have a chance to manage the disease through rotation, Orchard said.

Rotation is key, Lamoureux said.

Sturgeon Valley Fertilizers has been holding alternative crop workshops to encourage more diverse rotations.

Faba beans are now well established in the area, Lamoureux said.

11

So how long should a farmer’s rotation be? The easy answer is four years, Orchard says.

But defaulting to four years is a little like telling someone you don’t know how fast they should be driving, over the phone, without asking questions, Orchard says. How long a rotation should be depends on everything from a farmer’s experience to disease levels in the area.

The two-year canola rotation has been working for years on the Prairies, Orchard acknowledged.

“But not when it comes to clubroot. It needs that extra break.”

Life after clubroot Losing the ability to grow the most profitable crop is very emotional for farmers. Lamoureux said it causes a lot of turmoil, anger and blaming. He noticed a pattern in his area after clubroot was detected, and every area that followed.

Lamoureux suggested having a bit of psychology in one’s back pocket to deal with clubroot in a mature, intelligent way. He compared discovering clubroot on one’s farm to the seven steps in the grieving process: 1. Shock and denial — for example, doubting the accuracy of tested samples.

2. Pain and guilt, perhaps over tight rotations.

3. Anger, blame and bargaining.

Blaming custom applicators, oil crews, or others for bringing it into the field.

4. Depression, reflection, loneliness. Perhaps not wanting to go for to the coffee shop because of shame, or not wanting to talk about it.

5. The upward turn. Looking at resistant varieties, looking at other crops.

6. Reconstruction and working through it. Getting a plan together, adapting cultural practices.

7. Acceptance and hope.

Clubroot is not the first challenge farmers have faced. Lamoureux relayed the story of the boll weevil in Alabama. In the early 20th Century, it destroyed cotton crops. The pest forced farmers to change by adding peanuts to their crop rotations. That led to prosperity, and the people of Enterprise, Alabama, installed a boll weevil statue commemorating the insect and the change it wrought.

Is clubroot Alberta’s boll weevil?

It doesn’t feel that way right now, Lamoureux said. “But with every crisis there can be an opportunity.

So try to embrace this for what it is.”

And ultimately, farming continues in Sturgeon County. Lamoureux said he had some “fantastic” canola yields this year, and he also had some great faba bean yields.

“Think rotation. Think scouting.” And push agronomists to be aware of clubroot, Lamoureux told farmers.

“Don’t panic. Plan.” GN

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

12

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GRAINEWS.CA / FEBRUARY 13, 2018

Farm business

Seed growers keep their eyes on the future For the Herle family near Wilkie, Sask., choosing which seed to grow is the key to success

By Lisa Guenther

The challenges of seed production

he Herle family has farmed for five generations and produced over 110 crops. Since their ancestors first tilled the Prairie soil, they’ve had a front-row seat to agriculture’s evolution.

“Change is constant it seems in this industry,” said Greg Herle, commercial farmer and seed grower, speaking to ag reporters and communications people last spring at the Herle farm south of Wilkie, Sask.

Greg and his wife Cheryl live on the same farm that Greg’s grandparents moved to in January 1942. Their son Andrew and his wife Ashton live in Wilkie, while Greg and Cheryl’s daughter, Justine, is studying at the University of Saskatchewan.

Since Greg began farming with his father, Ray, in 1980, farms have grown bigger, and so have the seed orders. Farmers are growing different crops these days, too. The Herles

One of the big challenges the Herles face is trying to predict where the markets are going and what farmers will want to grow two or three years down the road. “We’ve got to multiply it up to have enough to even offer for sale,” said Greg.

Over the last few years, they’ve been growing faba beans. In 2017, they had two new wheat varieties, two new yellow pea varieties and edible canaryseed. Greg said they’ve grown 20 different crop types over the years, and probably over 100 varieties.

The Herles are members of SeCan, Canterra Seeds and FP Genetics.

Greg said they attend quite a few meetings over the winter, but he also listens to his gut.

“Sometimes you’ve just got to go with it because the sure thing on paper might not be the sure thing in three years,” said Greg. He added that things change so much that they

Photos: Lisa Guenther

T

Greg, Cheryl, and Andrew Herle show reporters some vintage farm equipment, which still comes in handy for seeding small plots.

have worked hard to stay ahead of that change and make sure they’re taking the farm in the right direction.

And each generation has brought something new to the farm.

For example, after taking a class on seed production at the University of

Saskatchewan, Greg was inspired to do the same on the family farm.

The Herles grew certified seed and started into plot production. They initially focused on canola and cereals, and later added pulses to the mix.

In 1992, they built a seed plant.

Cheryl, Greg, and Andrew show the Saskatchewan Farm Writers some of the varieties grown by Herle Seed Farm over the years.

“Since then, we’ve been focused on registered seed production and seed cleaning,” said Greg.

The cropping options have changed since the Herles got into seed production. They still grow canola commercially, but not for seed production. Malt barley used to be big, but that market has died down.

“Hard red spring wheat and soft white wheat are our big crops. Pulse crops — peas and lentils — as well,” said Greg.

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always have to a have a Plan B, and perhaps have it in force as they’re doing Plan A. Trying to predict the future isn’t the only challenge the Herles face. As Select Seed Growers, they manage plots as small as a half-acre when they’re multiplying seed for a new variety. In subsequent years, that seed is planted in 20 to 40 acre fields.

After playing hockey in the Western Hockey League for a few years and studying agronomy and agribusiness at the University of Saskatchewan, Andrew Herle started farming with his family. He is currently working through the probation period to become a Select Grower.

The Canadian Seed Growers’ Association requires seed growers to have three successful years of seed production out of five before applying for Select Status. They then must grow probation plots for three years.

At the end of each year, the probation plot seed is sent away and analyzed, to ensure it’s pure. Once a grower successfully completes the probation period, he can apply for small plot production of cereals and pulses.

It’s important not to contaminate those early plots with other crops, said Andrew, or they’ll spend more time roguing the bigger fields in subsequent years. Roguing is manually removing off-types, a task that Andrew and his brother-in-law take on each summer. Roguing requires the right eye, and an attention to detail that Greg compares to the focus required in seed analysis. It also means a lot of walking.

Despite their size, managing the small plots is time-consuming and requires planning at seeding and harvest. For example, they try to harvest the same crops at the same time so they don’t have to vacuum out the combines any more than necessary, said Andrew.

Managing that inventory is no easy task, either. The Herles have grown up to 18 different varieties in the same year. Since that peak, they’ve streamlined things, and these days they typically grow 10 or 11 varieties.

Every four years, the Canadian Seed Institute audits the farm, including record keeping. Cheryl has developed a system to track inventory and manage the required paperwork. Drawing on her work experience in the school division office, she’s created forms to track total orders for each variety. The system also includes purchase orders, inventory sheets that record sales for each variety, and seed tag inventories.

They also have commercial sales, which are tracked separately from the pedigreed sales. And so far, Cheryl hasn’t heard of a software program that will handle their complex inventory.

“It’s a big job,” she said.

Innovation and tradition Now that Andrew is part of the operation, he plans to apply his education and take the farm forward with modern technology, such as drones and variable rate technology.

“I’m excited by all that kind of stuff,” said Andrew. On the marketing end, Andrew has updated the farm’s website and uses Twitter (@ herleseedfarm).

But the Herle family has also carried on certain traditions. For example, a large garden has always been an important part of the farm. It’s partly about health, and partly about harvest, said Greg.

“We have a big crew at harvest and everyone enjoys that meal in the field,” Greg said. Both Cheryl and Ashton have carried on the gardening tradition. And, perhaps inspired by that focus on healthy eating, Greg and Cheryl’s daughter Justine is studying nutrition at the University of Saskatchewan.

“So we have to eat healthy, at least when she’s around,” Greg said, chuckling.

The relationship between the old and new is tangible even in the Herles’ yard. Reporters gathered with the Herle family inside a new shop, which Andrew wanted so they could work on machinery during the long, cold winters.

Also in the yard is a barn built by the family that first homesteaded in the 1920s. It’s constructed from petrified California Redwood, and has been converted to a shop.

“That barn is probably close to 100 years old,” said Greg. GN Lisa Guenther is field editor for Grainews based at Livelong, Sask. Follow her on Twitter @LtoG.

13

A life well lived Ray Herle started farming south of Wilkie in 1952. Last year marked his 65th year of farming, and he was onsite to meet the Saskatchewan Farm Writers when they visited the Herle farm last June.

Growing up, Andrew spent a lot of time with his dad and grandpa, Ray, in the fields. Ray’s years of experience provided perspective when the farm faced challenges. For example, in all his years of farming, Ray said he’d never experienced anything like the harvest in 2016. Andrew said it was a

bit of a relief to know that harvest was as tough as it seemed.

It was clear during that visit that Ray was a valued member of the family and the farm.

“Grandpa’s taught me a lot over the years, so it’s good to have him around. A little bit of advice once in a while doesn’t hurt,” Andrew said at the time.

Ray Herle passed away late in the summer of 2017.

Lisa Guenther

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Meet the Neighbours

Mandy and Jason Manz live on a fifth-generation homestead north of Regina, Sask.

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Daxton Manz with a prize-winning goat.

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The Manz family of Earl Grey, Sask. (left to right) Jason, Daxton, Hayz, Jayger and Mandy.

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Photos: Courtesy of Manz family

Meet your farming neighbours

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very farm has its own story. No two farms (or farmers) are exactly alike. Everyone got started in a different way, and every farm has a different combination of family and hired staff who make the decisions and keep things running.

But, in general, even after you consider all of the details, Prairie farmers are more alike than different.

This is the story of Mandy and Jason Manz and their three boys.

They farm southeast of Earl Grey, which is 70 km north of Regina, Sask.

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HEDGING

Please introduce your farm family.

I’m Mandy Manz and I farm with my husband Jason and our three boys: Daxton, age six; Jayger, age three; and our baby Hayz who is five months old.

Where do you farm?

Our farm, Manz Creek, is located on a fifth-generation homestead southeast of Earl Grey.

What do you grow?

We are raising registered purebred Nubian dairy goats. We have about 20 and I will be milking 11 of them this spring. I use the milk for making homemade goat’s milk products like soaps and lotions, which I sell at farmer’s markets and by word of mouth. Our Manz Creek products are great for pain and inflammation and people also use them when they are suffering from skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.

How long have you been farming?

Both Jason and I grew up on farms, but we started the goat business in 2015. Jason is a full-time journeyman electrician so he helps me out when he can but I’m basically the one who runs the dairy.

Who do you farm with?

My husband grew up on this farm and we live in the original house, but his dad sold most of the land and my husband works in the Earl Grey area.

So it’s basically up to me and the two older boys to get the farm work done.

The older boys help with just about everything on the farm from feeding to milking and kidding.

Why did you choose farming?

Who wouldn’t? Raising kids on the farm is so good for them to learn what hard work really is and it shows

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GRAINEWS.CA / FEBRUARY 13, 2018

them discipline. When I started out, I thought of going into the goat meat business, but making the milk products was intriguing to me. There is so much you can do with goat’s milk from skin products to cheeses and more. I also wanted something kidfriendly and something that was safe for my boys to be a part of.

The nice part about working with goats is that you don’t have to worry about the kids going into the pens and getting hurt.

What farming season do you enjoy most?

I love kidding time, which is at end of March and into April. I just love all the little babies running around and I love that my boys can help. Their faces just light up when they see those babies being born and they love them to death.

What’s the farm implement you can’t live without?

My side-by-side because I was tired of carrying pails of water and grain and square bales. We just got it after our third baby and I use it all of the time.

What good decision have you made that turned out well?

Right from the start, I purchased foundation does and bucks from reputable breeders in Ontario and B.C. They came from clean and disease-free farms so I was ensured that my herd was free of the two most common goat diseases: CAE (Caprine Arthritic Encephalitis) and CL (Caseous Lymphadenitis). When I sell breeding stock, some people think my goats are expensive, but I take pride in the fact that they are disease free.

Have you made a decision on the farm that you regret?

I regret not getting into the dairy goat industry earlier because it takes a lot of time to build up your herd. I started with young stock, which means I’m looking at five to seven years before I have a well-established herd. We also regret not purchasing land when it was cheaper which would have allowed us to consider going into the grain farming side.

What do you see as the biggest challenge over the next five to 10 years?

What I’m just worried about is getting my boys rolling in the farming industry because they live and breath farming. I would like to buy some land for them so they have something from us to start out with.

You’ve got to start somewhere and if you don’t have any help, it’s tough. If my husband could, he would quit electrical and go farming full time but the challenge is always buying land and equipment.

Visit grainews.ca to sign up for free enews.

What do you see as the biggest opportunity over the next five to 10 years?

I’m excited about building up my herd, developing more goat-milk products and also getting into the meat side of things.

What do you like to do for fun or to relax?

Relax, what’s that? Having three boys is not relaxing but the two older boys are playing hockey in Southey and the oldest is in 4-H. We take the boys to the lake in the summer and we go fishing and hunting.

Having a dairy is tough because you can’t really go anywhere without leaving someone behind to milk.

15

I’m excited about building up my herd I was a competitive barrel racer but once I had kids, that kind of came to an end. But the boys are now showing interest in riding my horses and I think I’ll get back to barrel racing to get some “me time.” GN Christalee Froese writes from Montemarte, Sask.

Here’s to the

FARMER “My family started working this land in 1891. Today, I’m proud to continue our farming tradition with my dad, brother and sister. Our farm is part of a great industry, and I want the world to know it. My name is Katelyn Duncan and I grow lentils, canola and durum.”

From all of us at FCC, thanks for making Canadian agriculture so amazing.

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fcc.ca

FEBRUARY 13

Daxton and Jayger Manz get ready to go into the show ring.

Jayger Manz, age three, hugging one of the goats at Manz Creek farm.

16

FEATURES

GRAINEWS.CA / FEBRUARY 13, 2018

Financial planning

The case for making cash flow projections A cash flow projection is a versatile financial risk management tool

By Craig Macfie

P

reparing a cash flow projection as part of your annual farm budget process could provide a signal that changes are needed for the upcoming year. While it’s true farmers have no control over the weather or commodity markets, we do have control over most costs.

With the exception of unpredictable pesticide decisions, annual expenses

may be accurately estimated prior to seeding.

A cash flow projection is essentially your farm financial forecast expressed as cash receipts net of cash payments over a defined period of time — usually monthly or annually.

The cash flow projection should be developed as part of an annual farm budget. Your local crop input supplier likely prepares an annual budget yet faces similar uncertainty related to the weather, commodity prices, and

ultimately sales. A budget is used to predict and manage cash flow and costs such as inputs and labour.

Actual results can be compared to the budget and used in decision making.

Capital Budgeting A cash flow projection can aid in a land or equipment purchasing decisions. The effect of adding additional land through rent, crop-share or purchasing can be effectively estimated using average, worst-case or best-

case crop scenarios. For longer-term planning, a capital budget can be developed as part of your cash flow projection to guide decisions about how much cash should be set aside annually for reinvestment in land or equipment.

If you have recently applied for a land or equipment loan, your bank may have prepared a cash flow projection to support your loan application.

You should ensure this projection is not missing information as this could

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be detrimental to your credit rating.

Consider whether you leased additional land, reduced your equipment costs, or recently paid off high interest loans. Preparing your own cash flow projection could provide you with additional leverage when negotiating your next bank loan.

Grain Marketing Preparing a monthly cash flow projection can help you identify the months of anticipated cash shortfall.

Grain sales can then be targeted in these months to avoid high bank interest overdraft or line of credit charges. Forecasting shortfalls ahead of time will give you time to formulate a grain marketing strategy and avoid forced grain sales due to an unforeseen cash shortfall.

A cash flow projection will not improve grain transportation issues or make it rain, however, having financing in place when grain is not moving, or when it does not rain, will be necessary to protect your business.

An updated or rolling cash flow projection is a valuable decision making tool when unexpected events happen such as crop failure or buyers not taking grain when contracted.

Transition Projecting cash flows can provide benefits for both parties during farm succession and transition. The acquiring party may be in an expansion phase and need to incur significant debt. The cash flow projection can predict whether enough cash is available to operate the farm and fund the cost of living. On the other hand, the exiting party may require forecasting to predict retirement income needs. For example, some farmland may need to be sold to meet retirement cash flow goals. The cash flow requirements of both parties would typically be a significant consideration in any farm succession and transition plan.

If you’re considering a crop share arrangement as part of your farm transition plan, a cash flow projection would be an effective tool to compare this option against a cash rental arrangement.

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Your cash flow projection should be updated annually. Considerations such as crop mix, commodity prices, and machinery costs change periodically and as a consequence so too will your cash flow projection. A rolling twelve-month projection is ideal but may not be feasible for most farm operations.

If cash flow is not a primary concern, a projection can still be useful to determine how best to put your money to work. If cash is not required to fund the next operating cycle, other investing options should be considered. GN Craig Macfie, CPA, CA, PAg, is a chartered professional accountant at Stark & Marsh CPA LLP in Swift Current, Sask. He can be reached at 306-773-7285 or cmacfie@ starkmarsh.com.

17FMC046_Authority West_Print The Western Producer Crop Production, Grainnews Crop Production 7.875”W x 10”H

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17

Farm management

Life insurance as the key to farm succession A solidly developed life insurance policy could be the key to hassle-free planning By: Dilia Narduzzi

armers often have something not all non-farmers have: the desire to see their lifelong work continued. Ideally, the next generation will take over, though maybe only one of your kids will stay on the farm. Land values have skyrocketed in the last 30 years and many farmers’ net worths are caught up in land values rather than cash liquidity. Do you want to leave something to your non-farming children without causing complication once you’re gone? Life insurance is one way farm families are dealing with succession.

You could just leave the farm to all of your children in your will, but dividing that asset among farming and non-farming children can be sticky. Remember when having conversations about what will happen to the farm, says Ken Rousselle, director, financial and estate planning services at FBC, Canada’s Farm and Small Business Tax Specialist, that “insurance can be part of the solution.”

Maybe Bill has been working the farm since he was old enough to do so, while Tom and Jane decided to pursue non-farming work. Is it fair to leave the whole thing to Bill, who has put in the sweat equity? On the other side of the coin, is it fair to have the children divide it up equally, even though two of them don’t live or work on the farm?

Let’s say the farm is worth one million dollars. Will Bill be able to access two-thirds of that in cash to pay off his siblings if it is left to all three equally? Probably not without going into a lot of debt.

“The reason people use insurance in this scenario is because it provides the money to pay for the market value of the farm without selling the farm,” says Lori Claxton, a Sun Life Financial advisor based in Edmonton, “so it truly works as a succession plan.”

F

A solution If you have a permanent insurance policy for a certain amount of money — let’s say you take out insurance at $1,000,000, the value of the farm — and Dad passes away unexpectedly from a heart attack, with Mom as the beneficiary, Mom gets to decide what to do what that money, says Claxton.

“Remember we can create whatever we want with insurance,” says Claxton. It all depends on the plan your purchase. In this scenario, non-farming children don’t feel completely left out of inheriting something. If you consider buying insurance for this reason it “becomes a very private conversation with a farmer about what he believes is fair to the other children — ‘how can I make sure this is fair and equitable for everybody, so the business can continue and the others get some money?’”

To be clear, says Claxton, “all insurance does is provide the funds, it doesn’t provide the family intervention.” As you purchase your plan, you’ll need to clearly note who your beneficiaries are and what they’ll get.

The farm, and who owns it after you pass, needs to go through the will. But the insurance plan will have named beneficiaries so if you go the insurance route, non-farming siblings can still get a piece of an inheritance.

Creating liquidity Farm families are using insurance for succession planning for estate equalization because it’s really the only way of creating liquidity in the farm without selling, says Rousselle. “The farm doesn’t actually have the money to pay the children who don’t want to farm,” but having an insurance policy can help ease a tough situation.

Remember, if your farm is worth

$3,000,000 and you have three children, one farming and two nonfarming, that doesn’t mean you have to take out a policy for $2,000,000 to split between your two non-farming children. Treating children equitably doesn’t necessarily mean everyone gets the exact same amount. Maybe Bill inherits the $3,000,000 farm because he’s “worked the farm and added value,” says Rousselle, and

the other two get $500,000 each through a $1,000,000 insurance policy payout. Having a plan in place is really important, says Claxton, because “when a farmer dies without a plan do you understand what it does to the family? Not just the business, but the family? And all you need is a conversation.” GN Dilia Narduzzi is a freelance writer in Dundas, Ont.

18

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Financial planning

How to prepare for the worst After the death of a loved on, farm life will go on whether you want it to or not

By Angela Lovell

N

o one is ever truly prepared for the unexpected, but until it happens we often don’t realise how unprepared we really are. That was certainly true for Angela Fox and her four children, who tragically lost their husband, father and farming partner, Jay in a farm accident on December 23, 2011.

Speaking at the 2017 Manitoba Farm Women’s Conference in Brandon in November, Fox shared her experiences and the things she believes every farm woman should be aware of in the event of a sudden death or disability on the farm.

At 33 years old, Fox’s life changed forever that December day, but she has worked hard to carry on farming and raise her family. “An important thing we realized is that when someone we love dies we’ll get lots of advice, but there’s a huge difference between being the executor of the estate and trying to define your life after you have lost someone you love and that is a key part of your family and your farming operation,” said Fox. “It doesn’t matter if it’s your family or workers, if that instrumental person has suddenly been taken away from the farm operation, it changes everything.”

After Jay’s death, Fox had enough on her plate with four young children, aged two, four, five and 14 at home but the farm — which at the time was a 400 head cow-calf operation near Eddystone, Manitoba — had to continue to function the next day.

Life goes on “The next morning, if time just would have stood still and we could just be in that sorrow it would have been OK but it doesn’t. The cows needed feeding and the chores needed to be done,” said Fox. “When it first happens there are lots of people around you, and then as time goes on you have to cope on your own. My dad was with me for a month but I can’t imagine if he had gone a week into it, because as time went on there were things I didn’t know I would need extra help with.”

Fox says although there were some things that she and Jay had prepared well, there were many other things they just hadn’t thought of. Ironically, they’d had a conversation about Jay’s funeral wishes, so Fox knew exactly what he wanted and was able to fulfill them. It’s unusual for a couple so young to have had that conversation, but Fox says it’s an important one to have with both your partner and family. “We had moved out from Saskatchewan and not all of Jay’s family wanted him to be buried in Manitoba, but because we had that conversation and he had mentioned his wishes to his mom and dad it ended up making it easier because otherwise that might have been something that we disagreed on,” she said. “Having that conversation is so important for the people left behind because it gives them a great deal of healing.”

Proper Documents Stop Family Fights Basically, Fox advises to organize things into paper and people. On the paper side, a will is vitally important. A stumbling block for Jay and Angela was who to appoint as guardian over their four children if something happened to both of them. They eventually resolved the issue, but she advises not to allow tough decisions to be a roadblock to making your wishes clear through a will.

It also prevents family disputes or bad feelings at a time when everyone is feeling emotional and more irrational than usual. “Everybody’s hope is we don’t want to leave our families so that they are broken at the end,” said Fox. “I think that is clearly eliminated by properly taking care of your paperwork and properly sharing what your wishes are.”

When the family is also involved in a farm business together, the estate can be much more complex, especially if there are farming and nonfarming children. It takes careful planning to make sure everyone is treated fairly, and that can’t start early enough. “You have to think about how you are going to make it fair,” said Fox. Even then there are traps and loopholes it’s easy to fall into if you aren’t getting good advice from a financial planner or accountant. As an example, if the estate is set up so that when the parents die the boys get the farm assets and the girls get the cash, potentially all the bills (such as lawyer fees, funeral expenses etc) are paid out of the estate, which could reduce the girls’ cash amount but doesn’t affect the boys’ fixed assets.

If it goes into the bank account it is frozen until the problem is resolved.”

Value yourself Life insurance policies are a whole other mountain to tackle, but some planning can make it easier to deal with insurance companies when it comes time to getting payments.

Because Jay died in a farm accident and was transferred to several medical facilities before he died, there was a huge amount of paperwork required from each facility. Fox was thankful that she had a good relationship with the family’s doctor, who helped streamline that whole process. “Make sure you have a family doctor and have a good relationship with him or

her, or it can take you months and months just to deal with this kind of documentation,” she said.

Also, when it comes to life insurance, don’t undervalue yourself, said Fox. “Women are of equal value on our operations, yet many times when we go to do our insurance policies we put a little extra on the man and a little less on the woman. But don’t undervalue yourself,” she said.

“I am almost 100 per cent certain that farm women do this all the time.”

It will take all kinds of money for a male partner to be able to function in the event that he loses his female partner.

“If something had happened to

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Have your own account Jay and Angela had a bank account that required both to sign cheques.

The day that Jay passed the farm changed from a partnership to a sole proprietorship and that froze the bank accounts. Fortunately, the couple had recently sold their calves so the bills were mostly paid, but the cash the family needed to live on was suddenly tied up. “My bank was good, they let me take a withdrawal to get me though but there’s no guarantee a bank will always do that,” said Fox. Dying takes a lot of money. You may have insurance, but it takes a lot of time to get all the paperwork done before money can start flowing back into your operation.”

Fox can’t emphasize enough how important it is for farm women to have their own bank accounts and credit cards. “If you run off of a business account you have to be able to operate that next day and the next month and when those bank accounts are frozen you don’t have anywhere to operate out of,” she said.

“And if that happens do not deposit money into that bank account, instead give it to your lawyer because they can take your money in trust and then you can get the money back out.

57770_1_DAS_Paradigm_2018_Time_EB_G4A_13-16x9_a2.indd 1

me, Jay would have needed some form of childcare and that was not in the budget,” said Fox. “He would have needed a housekeeper and someone to do the books. All the stuff you are doing on your operation, value that because that it would be a huge gap in your family business that would need to be covered.”

Fox also learned the importance for all key members of the operation to have relationships with all the professionals like lawyers, bankers and accountants.

New relationships Fox and her family had a lot of hard decisions to make after Jay passed

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19

Farm management

away and that began with whether they would were staying on the farm. “I had family in Saskatchewan but only Jay’s mom and dad close by,” she said. “Even though the kids were little, I remember sitting around the table and saying, ‘so are we all in or all out?’ and at that point we were all in. So far it’s worked good for us. This is the life I know and love and I wouldn’t have wanted to walk away from that.”

When someone passes away relationships take a new direction, and that can have an effect on decisions or perhaps even the ability of the farm (and family) to function.

“I knew in my heart that Jay’s mom and dad would be there for me and would stand with me and the kids but there was a transition period where nobody knew what we were supposed to do,” said Fox. “There were times when they didn’t know how involved they

needed to be or I felt like, where are they, why aren’t they here? I have the best mother and father-in-law ever, but I can’t imagine, if that was a troubled relationship, what that would have been like.”

Ask for help One of the hardest things, admits Fox, was asking for help. She thought she was doing a good job of getting her life back in order quickly, when all of a sudden, the grief she had been trying to push aside crashed in on her. “Either you grieve now or you grieve later,” she said. “I don’t readily take help, and I know if I had done a better job of taking help right from the beginning I would have healed faster, but I just got busy with my life and eventually it caught up with me and I had to ask for help. It was hard for me but I also realized that people needed to help me as much as I needed the help.”

It’s been hard and has taken Fox a long time to get to the point where she is happy and grateful for each day and can be proud of her many accomplishments. “Gradually, your life changes a bit and you are able to see the joy in what you have been able to accomplish instead of dwelling on all the things you are not going to get done, or the time that you won’t be with the person you have lost,” said Fox, who concluded her presentation with a November 17, 2013 entry from her journal: “I continue to accomplish my goals and carry on because I know that Jay believes in me. I will not let death steal my joy and I will not give up on my passion for agriculture. I love this life.” GN Angela Lovell is a freelance writer, editor and communications specialist living and working in Manitoba. Find her online at www.angelalovell.ca.

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It’s 2° outside.

Dance recital at 3:00 p.m.

Be prepared: consider the future now Are you prepared to carry on with the farm in the event of a spouse’s death or disability?

By Angela Lovell

A

n unexpected death, divorce, separation or long-term disability can cause huge issues for the farm business when that person is a key member of the operational or management team.

Panel members at the Manitoba Fa r m Wo m e n ’s C o n fe re n c e (MFWC) in Brandon in November gave advice for farm women who could find themselves in this position.

First things first Probably the first question a surviving spouse or partner needs to ask is in what capacity, if any, do you intend to manage the farm, said Jacqueline Gerrard of Backswath Management Inc., who provides consulting expertise to farmers and agribusiness.

“Sometimes you are not going to have a choice — the cattle are still going to have to be fed the next day — but you need to prethink in what capacity you would approach this situation,” she said.

“Perhaps you are going to continue with the management of the farm because you are already doing it, it would just look different.”

In some cases, the farm might be kept going for a future sale, or as a future opportunity for children. But, Gerrard said, “Are your kids going to want to farm if you don’t continue to give them that experience of farming?”

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If the decision is to take over management of the farm, what would you need to know, asked Gerrard.

You need to understand who does what, and what everyone could be relied on to do should something happen. It’s a good idea to talk with all of the farm team while things are running smoothly. It’s also important, said Gerrard, to know your own capabilities, and identify areas where you would need to bring someone else in to manage all aspects of the farm.

Even if you have the skills to run the farm, consider if you have the time. “If you have kids, your time may already be taken up,” said Gerrard.

Make a plan to find the skills you would need. Is there a mentor that you know and trust that you could turn to for advice?

Financial management Know the net worth and who owns which farm assets, advised Gerrard. “It may not be possible to know every tractor and combine that’s out there, but to know yard sites, and who is the owner is important because where there are multiple farming partners, you might be farming all this land but if something were to happen, you would not necessarily have control over those assets,” she said. “Know who owns them and what you would have under your specific control if something happened.”

Is the farm in the financial position that it can take a few years of losses? If this is a new career, you may not be terribly good at it at first.

Make sure you know the content of shareholder or partnership agreements, and what will happen in the event of a death or disability. Know what assets will transfer to you, as well as any tax implications.

Know who is the beneficiary of any insurance policy. If the policy is through your farm business, it may pay the bank instead of you.

Know the magnitude of your debt, where it’s held and the obligations.

Business relationships Know all the different people involved with the farm. Go to meetings with the banker, accountant or lawyer, talk to the seed dealer or input supplier, so everyone you need to deal with knows your face.

“Even if you are a farm woman that has limited involvement in the farm, I would suggest at a minimum you go to your annual accountant meeting where you are going to be presented your financial statements, and even if you have no idea what they are talking about, that’s OK — take it home and get someone who does understand it to explain it to you,” said Gerrard. “I would also suggest gong to the annual meeting with your banker because they have more of a net worth spin on things, so it’s important to see how they view the farm.” GN Angela Lovell is a freelance writer, editor and communications specialist living and working in Manitoba. Find her online at www.angelalovell.ca.

20

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GRAINEWS.CA / FEBRUARY 13, 2018

Financial planning

Life insurance: defining our terms Term life, whole life. Define your problem to choose the best plan for your farm

By Dilia Narduzzi

L

ife insurance often gets a bad rap. You know the stereotype: pushy salesperson trying to get you to buy something you think you don’t want or need. But for farmers and farm families, life insurance can be important for short-term needs and long-terms goals.

Let’s start with laying out the

definitions: term life insurance versus whole life or permanent life insurance, what they are, and how they can be most useful to farmers.

The first thing you may need to do is get over that salesperson stereotype. “I think myths are created in farmers’ own minds based on how life insurance was sold in the past. It is still something that is sold, but I think it’s being sold now by more professional people, people who do care about farmers and their needs,”

says Ken Rousselle, director, financial & estate planning services at FBC, Canada’s Farm and Small Business Tax Specialist.

What’s the purpose?

Life insurance can play a variety of different roles in your life and your business so the first thing to consider with life insurance is its purpose: Why do you want life insurance and what outcome can it help you realize?

“I want to encourage your readers to think about purpose first,” says Jesse MacDonald, a life insurance agent with Desjardins Financial who works with farmers. “It’s all about purpose and if we can identify the purpose clearly in our own minds then it’s easier to get to what kind of insurance we want down the road.”

Some questions to ask yourself regarding purpose might be: Do I need to cover a short-term equipment loan? A mortgage? Do I want to

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create wealth? Do I want life insurance to be a part of my long-term succession plan so my beneficiaries can keep the farm after I pass? Do I want coverage for my final expenses?

Term life policies There are a variety of different kinds of life insurance policies. The biggest distinction out there is term life insurance versus whole life insurance.

Term life insurance offers a temporary form of protection. For example, you might purchase term life insurance to cover debt, like a mortgage. Having term insurance means that if one or the other of a marriage or common-law partnership passes, you can use the insurance payout to pay off the mortgage or use it for another reason.

Or perhaps you have a large loan for farm equipment. You might decide to use term insurance as a way of protecting that investment.

“If I was sitting with a farmer and was asked about term versus whole life insurance, my answer would be if we have a short-term problem then term is the way to go,” says Lori Claxton, a Sun Life Financial advisor based in Edmonton. It covers “a problem that is going to solve itself over time.” For example, your loan might be paid up in five years, your mortgage in 15. A term insurance plan is not something you need your whole life long.

Kris Hird, manager of life and living benefits at Alberta Motor Association (affiliated with the CAA) puts it another way. Term life insurance covers a certain set of years, however many are outlined within the policy. “Term plans are usually in sets of years and different insurance companies have different lengths of terms. The two most common term policies are 10- and 20-year policies,” he says. Term plans are usually renewable, says Hird, but the price of the policy will increase at the end of the term because the person is now 10 or 20 years older. You can, of course, choose not to renew a term policy at the end of the term, which can happen if you don’t need the insurance anymore (if, for example, the loan you were insuring is paid up). A term policy will also have an expiry age depending on the plan.

Another reason someone would get term insurance, says Hird, “is for income or financial loss to the household,” which is useful if you are the primary breadwinner and your passing would cause financial hardship to your family beyond not being able to pay the mortgage. For example, your mortgage payment might be $2,000 per month but your monthly income is $5,000. The right kind of term insurance can buffer that income loss, says Hird. Term insurance can also protect the “key person” in a farming operation. A term plan is useful in these kinds of cases because once you get to retirement age, hopefully you’ll not need income loss or key person coverage anymore; you’ll have saved for

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retirement and your children are not dependents anymore.

Whole life policies When we think about whole life insurance, we are thinking about “a problem that's going to have to be solved no matter what,” says Claxton. You have a whole life insurance

for your whole life, with benefits as outlined in the particular plan you purchase.

Hird echoes this: “Whole life insurance policies, for the most part, will not expire. Whenever the insured person dies — age 60, 70, 80, 90 — the whole life insurance policy will pay out to the beneficiaries.”

They also don’t have a price change. Whole life insurance plans can be for simple things, like final burial costs, says Hird, but it can also be leaving something to beneficiaries, as an inheritance.

You can leave it your kids, grandkids or to a charity or organizaT:9.875” tion.

Rousselle says that whole life insurance is “the instant liquidity you’ll never get with another investment” and therefore farmers can view it “more as an investment than an expense.”

Whole life plans usually also grow in value over time, so if you buy a $50,000 whole life plan

when you’re 30, it will have increased in value over time so that when it is paid out it is worth more, says Hird. “Whole life insurance can also be useful for tax and estate planning,” says Hird. GN Dilia Narduzzi is a freelance writer in Dundas, Ont.

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Hart Attack

Get your meat hoodie, go to Woolworths A new Stanford study shows “going green” impacts farming practices Lee Hart

I

f you are looking for a conversation starter next time you’re at a vegan dinner party, a friend sent me a link to these attractively designed sweatshirts from the U.S. The Gamiss company makes a wide range of hoodie styles and patterns, but this particular one looks like real meat — unlike some art and fashion statements over the years that featured clothing made from real steaks, this jacket is just a fabric pattern.

The day I looked it was on sale half price at US$17.50. Can you imagine how horrified people would be in many circles, but especially in non-meat circles if a person walked in wearing this meat hoodie? The size chart says they go up to 2XL,

but in my experience even that can be a crap shoot. XL seems to be a subjective term, depending on the benchmark size of the “average” size person. I won’t buy one because people would probably say, “here comes an over-stuffed pork tenderloin,” but the devil in me thinks even the $35 full price would be well worth the shock value.

If you want to see more styles, or details on the meat hoodies visit the Gamiss website at: www.gamiss. com.

Probably, in more important news, it was interesting to read a report from the California-based Stanford University on a study they did looking at whether the push from grocery retailers for more sustainably-produced food products is having an impact on farming practices. I learned several things, but short answer — in this study they found it did.

The researchers wanted to look at how a grocery retailer’s advertised commitment and programs to work with farmers with sound and sustainable farming practices — good environmental stewardship — impacted general farming practices.

No North American retailer was willing to give Stanford researchers access to talk to their suppliers and fully understand their sustainability program. Interesting.

You can still find a Woolworths

A couple things stood out in this article. The researchers couldn’t find a North American grocery retailer willing to participate in the study. So much for open, honest, and transparent, connecting-withconsumer and industry business practices.

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So the researchers worked with a large South African grocery/food retailer Woolworths Holding Ltd. (Woolworths). That was another interesting thing — who knew there was still a Woolworths company in the world? In South Africa, Woolworths is a large, high end, clothing and grocery retailer. It was never affiliated with Woolworths in North America or Europe.

Woolworths gave researchers full access, giving them total academic freedom to evaluate their sustainability program and publish results.

The researchers found that Woolworths’ large-scale fruit, vegetable and flower growers follow more environmental management practices when compared both over time and with a random sample of farms certified by the food industry’s global environmental standard for farm management, known as GLOBALG.A.P. The world’s most widely implemented farm certification program, GLOBALG.A.P., enforces environmental rules for farmers and performs annual thirdparty audits of production.

Woolworths has a Farming for the Future program. It combines annual auditor feedback with the individual needs of farmers, rather than imposing definitive rules. Farms are evaluated on sustainability criteria each year, including soil management, water use, biodiversity, waste disposal, pest management, carbon footprint and environmental laws.

The company also employs auditors trained as agronomists, soil scientists or environmental scientists.

“According to one farmer, other auditors will drive into the farm and say, ‘Nice trees you’ve got there,’” says Tannis Thorlakson, lead researcher on the project (Thorlakson is California-based, but her family has roots in Manitoba). “But when the Farming for the Future auditor comes in, they drive up and they say, ‘Tell me about those trees.

Those are an invasive species and they’re probably affecting your water table. Why aren’t we working on a management plan to deal with those?’”

MAKING A DIFFERENCE “The auditors are building relationships and helping farmers improve their practices,” Thorlakson said.

And she found that while producers supplying products to Woolworths were adopting more sustainable pro-

duction practices, she also found it was rubbing off on others. “Conventional farmers are now using cover crops, which is a really hard practice to get farmers to take up but which creates long-term environmental benefits,” she says. “We’re seeing big shifts in farming practices, which is really exciting.”

“If indeed these company-led policies are effective and able to transform their entire supply chains, then they can potentially transform land-use practices worldwide and have a very positive impact on the environment.”

So this study found if Farmer Jones is adopting sustainable farming practices to supply products to a specific market, there is good chance that Farmer Smith across the road, seeing that those practices work, might adopt similar production practices on their farm.

One other perhaps perplexing element as I did some light online research for this column — no wonder it is hard for consumers to get a handle on the facts about the issue. Is modern agriculture destroying the environment?

Even the Stanford University report opened with a huge statement I had to question: “Agriculture is one of the largest global environmental polluters, driving deforestation and contributing an estimated 30 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions.”

And then you look at a few other websites and you come across a statement from the World Wildlife Fund: “Unsustainable agricultural and aquaculture practices present the greatest immediate threat to species and ecosystems around the world.” What are the details and facts behind that statement?

If you want a visual of the impact of agriculture on the environment and contributions to greenhouse gas emissions there are roughly two million brightly coloured pie charts on the internet that to me carried a wide range of conflicting messages. Some showed agriculture contributing to 75 and 80 per cent of greenhouse gasses, another for the U.S. showed livestock contributing 4.2 per cent and overall agriculture nine per cent.

David Layzell, an energy researcher at the University of Calgary, says overall agriculture represents about 12 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions.

Perhaps all these statements and figures and pie charts have to be qualified in terms of what region and what type of agricultural activity. I just know it is confusing. And if I find it confusing, and I am seriously looking for the definitive answer, imagine how confusing it is for a consumer casually wondering if wheat and meat are destroying the planet. 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.

columns

GRAINEWS.CA / FEBRUARY 13, 2018

25

Understanding market bulls and bears

My answer to “the question” What Brian Wittal has been telling farmers the markets will do this year Brian Wittal

T

his time of year the question I get asked the most from producers is “what are the markets going to do this coming year?”

I suspect I might have a better chance of trying to explain the meaning of life than trying to accurately answer this loaded question, but I am not one to shy away from a challenge.

This winter I gave them an answer that at first seemed to shock them, likely because they weren’t expecting an actual real answer from me.

Why the change? Why would I dare try to answer the unanswerable question?

I wanted to give producers a useful answer. I wanted it to be believable and challengeable, and I wanted it to prompt them to think about what it means for their farm.

Are there some obvious or easy changes that would have an immediate positive impact? Are there some longer-term strategies that might reduce costs or increase revenues?

What are your production risks?

What can you do to further reduce those risks and what would that cost? (For example, consider crop insurance, hail insurance, the spring price endorsement, revenue insurance).

Before you can decide what kinds of coverage will work best on your farm you need to know all your numbers: GPR, GM, fixed and variable costs.

Then, you can determine what level of coverage you need or want on your farm. Do you want to insure up to your GPR value, or do you want to insure only to a level where all of your costs will be covered? Or, you could choose somewhere in between those two levels.

There may not be just one single insurance product that can offer you the coverage you want. You may have to use a blend of different products to get the best and most cost effective coverage possible.

Knowing your numbers and what kind of insurance coverage you are going to use will enable you to build a far more effective, aggressive and profitable marketing plan for your farm.

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Now that you have answered these questions with your own numbers, you can start to build your marketing plan. Now you know your break even numbers, and you use them to set your pricing targets. GN Brian Wittal has 30 years of grain industry experience, and currently offers market planning and marketing advice to farmers through his company Pro Com Marketing Ltd. (www.procommarketingltd.com).

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Before you can decide what kinds of coverage will work best on your farm you need to know all your numbers: GPR, GM, fixed and variable costs What was my answer? “I believe grain markets are going to head in a sideways pattern for the next nine to 12 months, trading in a range that is $0.30 per bushel up or down from today’s new crop price quotes.”

In that moment of shocked silence I took the opportunity to ask some questions back, with the hope of turning the conversation into a learning event. Then I was so bold as to suggest that when they got home they should to sit down, crunch some numbers and answer these questions: What will your Gross Projected Revenue (GPR) be for next year based on current new crop price values? What will your input costs (seed, fertilizer, chemical) be? What will your fixed and variable costs be?

What will your farm’s projected Gross Margin be (Gross Projected Revenue less input costs)? Will your GM cover your fixed and variable costs?

This is the process that I would use when working with a client to do a risk management assessment and build a marketing plan.

The hard part of this exercise begins where you try to determine what kinds of changes you can, or are willing to, make to these numbers to improve your farm’s bottom line profitability.

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columns

GRAINEWS.CA / FEBRUARY 13, 2018

Reporter’s notebook

Health is your most valuable asset Sickness and injuries, especially concussions, can bring a quick end to your career Lisa Guenther

I

am having one of those winters where I seem to catch every germ that is circulating.

Being sick brings out my inner whinger. I hate curtailing my physical activities. Missing work days stresses me out, especially during the busy winter season. I also feel a latent guilt over taking sick days or even getting someone else to feed horses for me. I think this is a common thing for those of us who grew up in a rural culture that endorses being tough.

But then I think of Bev McPhee’s sage advice. McPhee was one of my grad school instructors, and also a corporate consultant. A consultant’s most valuable asset is her health, she told us. I think that advice applies to everyone, no matter how a person earns a living.

There is no cure for CTE. Right now, the only way to prevent it is to avoid incurring multiple concussions.

Football, hockey, and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) have been getting most of the media attention over CTE. But bull riding ranks right up there.

Last November, the Globe and Mail published an in-depth piece looking at head trauma in bull riding (you can find it online by searching “bull rid-

ing globe and mail”). The article examines the life and death of Ty Pozzobon, a talented Canadian bull rider who killed himself in January 2017 at the age of 25. He became bull riding’s first confirmed case of CTE. Pozzobon left behind heart-broken parents, friends, and a young wife.

The time Pozzobon died, he’d been knocked unconscious while riding bulls at least 13 times. He’d suffered concussions as far back as age 17.

He’d had 20 brain bleeds.

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Resolution to avoid career-ending injuries By far, the closest call I’ve had was my concussion a few years ago (although on the plus side, I did get a decent column out of it). It was actually my second one. I’d incurred a less serious injury years earlier while horsing around with friends in Edmonton and smacking my head on the sidewalk.

That first concussion didn’t really affect me, and I forgot about it for years.

My second concussion was the result of Bear, one of my horses, tossing me. I still have Bear. For a while, we were very nervous with each other, so I eventually sent him to a horse trainer, Cliff Elliott. Between Cliff’s work with Bear, and my work on my own tension, Bear and I now get along pretty good. Non-horse people are often amazed that I’d keep a horse that injured me, but horse people get it.

Any horse can be dangerous, and accidents are usually the rider’s fault.

I haven’t had any real long-term problems from the concussion. The only potential effect that lingers has to do with my writing. I sometimes substitute the word I meant to write for a different word. Usually it’s a word with somewhat similar spelling. This happens a few times a week. I usually catch the mistakes while editing, if not right after typing out the errant word.

But it’s possible that I did this before I smacked my head, and didn’t notice.

It’s also possible that something else is to blame, such as social media.

I’ve been lucky. But I now know better than to take that luck for granted.

Head injuries aren’t just for football players There’s been a lot of focus in the last few years on head injuries in athletes.

Repeated knocks to the head have been linked chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative neurological disease that can only be diagnosed after death, by examining the brain.

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There’s a terrible irony in that, considering all the focus on the welfare of rodeo stock these days. It’s hard to imagine rodeo organizers putting in a bull with the types of injuries that the cowboys ride with.

Of course, the other part of the equation is the culture of toughness and stubbornness in bull riding. It’s like the ranching and farming culture on steroids. Many bull riders compete with broken bones, and they often hide or downplay their concussions.

There are people working within the sport to bring in much-needed changes. A big part of that is changing bull riders’ aversion to acknowledging their own vulnerability. As bull rider Tanner Girletz put it, you don’t feel too tough when you’re carrying your friend in a casket. GN Lisa Guenther is field editor for Grainews based at Livelong, Sask. Follow her on Twitter @LtoG.

columns

GRAINEWS.CA / FEBRUARY 13, 2018

27

Guarding wealth

Highlights from the Crop Production Show Annual farm shows are a chance to catch up — with friends and technology Les Henry

E

arly January is a special time for me. In Saskatoon we are favoured with the Crop Production Show and Crop Week. The Show has exhibitors showing the latest in big and fancy equipment and all manner of crop inputs and advisers.

Crop Week is the annual meetings of farm groups and commissions with speakers on current topics.

The real highlight of the week for me is when readers come along and let me know that they enjoy and learn from my scribblings. My reply is always a sincere thank you and “when I quit hearing that I will quit writing.”

It really means a lot to this old fossil.

Crop week The week kicks off with the Sas-

katchewan Agricultural Graduates Association reunion on the weekend before Crop Show. The five- and 10-year anniversary classes each do their own thing and then get together for one large banquet. The clear highlight this year was the 75-year grad who stole the show. Harold Chapman graduated with an ag degree in 1943 and is now 100 years old. He came to the mic and spoke with the enthusiasm of a new grad. Great inspiration for kids like me who are starting to

plan our 55-year grad for January 2019.

The Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association held its 30th annual meeting and education program during Crop Week. SSCA is a farmerdriven group that came together in the dry 1980s to further the adoption of zero till and continuous cropping.

SSCA programs were so successful that within a generation, zero till was widely adopted.

Rather than fade into the sunset,

SSCA has repurposed under the banner of soil health. Once again, farmers are leading and research is running to catch up.

The highlight of the day for me is always the excellent farmer panels.

Intercropping, cover crops and diverse pasture mixes are a big part of the new way to farm. Cattle are often part of the mix and I was happy to see folks experimenting, with stubble jumpers and cowboys working together to their mutual advantage.

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The SSCA farmer panel included Adam Gurr a Brandon, Man., area farmer who has developed a system of on-farm research that works. Garden patch agriculture is OK but no matter how sophisticated the experiment and statistics it still applies only to that garden patch (small plot).

What greatly impressed me was that the Gurr farm has embraced Controlled Traffic Farming (CTF) for the past several years. That is much more than just a compaction issue.

With coordinated widths it is easy to harvest what has been seeded and sprayed and keep treatments separate.

The experiments include replication of field strips. Several locations and years of data are obtained before a firm conclusion is drawn. It is then possible to do statistical analysis to determine if differences are real or do to chance. If, and only if, the differences are real, then economics is applied.

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I have always argued against the use of “significant” to describe research results. Canola is the best example. At $12/bu. a five-bu./ac. difference is enough to pay for the seed. That is “significant” in my books. So let us now replace “significant” with real (versus due to chance).

Agritruth — the agronomic research company that Gurr has set up along with his father and brotherin-law — does research right. I intend to register as a member with Agritruth and spend more time looking at their results. I have no financial interest in Agritruth and had never met Adam Gurr before the SSCA meetings. Read about Agritruth online at www.agritruth.ca. GN

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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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GRAINEWS.CA / FEBRUARY 13, 2018

Soils and Crops

Finding value in the stock market With soaring pot and crytocurrency stocks, it can be hard to find value in the market

By Andrew Allentuck

I

t has seldom been tougher to make off-farm investments. Markets for stocks have been combed for good values and apparent bargains snapped up. The best index of just how picked over is the S&P 500 CAPE ratio, short for the Cyclically Adjusted Price Earnings ratio. It is at 32 as I write this column, up from about 12 at the bottom of the 2008-09 market meltdown The CAPE index smooths out the wobbles in average price of the biggest 500 companies in the U.S. Getting rid of some short-term noise adds clarity, but the underlying issue is that stocks are very expensive and getting more so.

Today, the S&P 500 index is 47 per cent over its February 2016 low. It has risen dramatically even though the great leveler of the stock market,

interest paid on government bonds, has risen dramatically. As of early January, the 10-year Government of Canada bond yielded 2.20 per cent per year, more than double the prevailing rate just six months ago. U.S. Treasury 10-year bonds yield 2.54 per cent, also double rates earlier in 2017.

Bond interest is hugely influential for share prices because it sets the cost of borrowing money to buy stocks. So far, government bond interest rates, though rising, are low on an historical scale.

Why are stocks rising?

Why are stocks are thriving in spite of warnings signs from the bond market?

Top candidate: there is so much money sloshing around as a result of the massive bond purchases by central banks used to reflate banks’ after 2009 and, of late, extensive stock buyback moves by big issuers like Apple Inc., that old-

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fashioned measures like price/earnings ratios are being disregarded in favour of momentum investing. That means people are not buying companies so much as they are betting on the trend. It’s very dangerous kind of speculation.

So if you like pot stocks at 1,500 times estimated 2020 earnings, goes the logic, you should like them even more at 3,000 times estimated earnings. This is flawed logic, for it should be the other way round. But this is a market for the very nimble and the gullible.

If this concept, that suckers rule, needs validation, consider the fortunes of such pot stocks as Canopy Growth Corp, symbol WEED on the TSX. It was selling for $8.40 per share on July 24 and, as I write this, it is trading at $41.17, which is about a 500 per cent lift in five months. WEED has no earnings, no dividends, its legal

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status is not quite settled, there are many competitors and devotees can grow their own. Recreational marijuana may replace tobacco and even booze, for all I know, but the word is “may” and I would not throw good money into this abyss.

The cryptocurrency craze Even more outrageous are Bitcoin prices, which have been going for something like $17,000 dollars each, up from about zero a few years ago.

Bitcoin is a synthetic commodity enthusiasts generate via a qualification process on their own high-powered computers. The quantity of Bitcoin in circulation is limited, but there are numerous competitors in the digital currency biz.

Bitcoin is scarce and transactions are untraceable. But if you want to convert Bitcoin to real currency, there are paperwork costs and exchange fees of several percent. Competing with scarce Bitcoin are 800 — that’s eight hundred — other digital currencies such as Ethereum, Ripple and Litecoin. Kodak recently announced it would go into the digital currency business too. As of early January, the value of Bitcoin outstanding was reportedly US$284 billion with another US$122 billion in competing cryptocurrencies.

Friends, in spite of the cryptocurrency frenzy, it will not last. Four hundred years ago in the Netherlands, tulip mania convinced sober people to sell their houses and borrow against all their worldly assets to buy tulip bulbs. In 1637 one speculator offered five acres of land for a Semper Augustus bulb. The market crashed shortly thereafter when folks realized that tulips make more of themselves and that they would not long be scarce.

Ditto Bitcoin, except that digital money is not as pretty as a flower.

Moreover, with values of coins zooming and plunging by 20 per cent on some days, your odds of winning or even your ability to stick out the volatility are probably not as good as in

Russian roulette where, with a six gun and one bullet in the chamber, you have a five-out-of-six chance of walking away unharmed.

A look at the basics Let’s assume digital currencies crash in flames due to oversupply and the fundamental fact that they are synthetic money backed by nothing more than electricity. Let’s therefore look at basics: 1. Government bond prices will soften as long as interest rates rise. Rise they will, due to central bank moves and because the Trump budget creates huge deficits that have to be financed by Treasury bond sales. To get more money, the Treasury cuts prices and yields (interest rates dividend by prices) inevitably rise.

2. Corporate bond yield will rise even more. Top quality corporate bond prices will fall even more. Junk bond prices will fall from their recent highs. Bonds are a pit for now.

3. Stocks with solid dividends that tend to rise over time can do very well in this rising interest rates environment, even banks with a lot of debt that has to be financed with more bond borrowing. Banks make more money when interest rates rise, as the spread between what they pay on savings and lending rates widens.

4. Real estate prices will be under pressure, for almost everybody borrows to buy property.

There are few enduring truths in stocks and bonds beyond the guarantee that prices bob up and down.

However, if you buy solid value — strong companies with growing income and rising dividends, valuable products and well-defined markets — things should work out in the long run. Invest, diversify and let the bandwagon of foolishness rumble on with you not aboard. GN Andrew Allentuck’s book, “Cherished Fortune: Build Your Portfolio Like Your Own Business,” (with co-author Benoit Poliquin), will be published in November 2018.

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GRAINEWS.CA / FEBRUARY 13, 2018

29

Can’t take the farm from the boy

A visit to Manitoba’s KAP AGM With some time on the farm under his belt, Toban Dyck feels at home at ag events

Toban Dyck

L

ast year’s event was eye opening. I witnessed real, everyday farmers affecting change. And I wrote about it here in Grainews. I wrote about the importance of getting involved because over the course of the two-day Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) AGM I saw grown men and women nervously walk up to one of two mics, present resolutions that mean something to them, defend those resolutions and then hope against hope that the voters in the room see the same need for change.

Some of them get shot down. Some got to committee. Some get nibbled on until what’s left is merely a shred not worth pursuing or not strong enough to support itself. Others pass.

This is democracy. It’s fantastic.

But it’s also voyeurism. It’s more than just a little interesting to know what gets some people’s blood boiling. And it’s important to hear the passion with which they present their cases. I get into it.

This year’s AGM was different.

Rather, I took in this year’s AGM differently.

If there’s been a theme to my writing as of late, it’s relationships. If that bothers you, I apologize. But, it’s a subject that I often think about.

I sat in a different spot, this year.

The event takes place at the Delta Hotel in Winnipeg. Seating is broken up by district or commodity group. If I were a traditional KAP delegate, I would snuggle up to my fellow District 3ers. But, I’m not so I found a seat by the Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers sign. I was the second of my clan to arrive, behind my boss.

I took my seat, and panned the crowd (we were sitting near the back of the room). I knew lots of the people there. And I knew them by name.

Stranger yet, lots of them knew me by name. A year ago, this was not the case.

This flatters me. It makes me smile and it fills me with fear — the kind of fear people experience when they have something valuable to lose.

During coffee breaks, the next discussion was never more than a few feet away. And intermittently during the sessions, I found myself texting with other farmers, some of whom were in the room.

Days upon days spent ensuring conversations take place in an effortless and meaningful manner is rewarding to me now, because I couldn’t always do it. When I first started working in the ag sector, conversations with people who’d been in the biz for a while were difficult. I didn’t know enough to know what things were worth anchoring a conversation on.

My alarm woke me up at 5:45 a.m. on Day 2 of the AGM. My parking permit was going to expire at 6 a.m., and the machine where I purchased the

ticket said it would give me the option of buying additional time through my phone. Wrong. The automated text I received said that this particular lot was not setup to accept mobile payments.

I had to get out of bed and walk a few blocks to buy more time. My truck is too large for the hotel’s parkade.

I went back to bed and slept until a few minutes prior to when sessions where scheduled to begin. I felt rushed

and a touch groggy. I would just need a cup of coffee.

In the elevator, I met KAP President Dan Mazier. He’s a great guy, and a guy with whom I enjoy chatting. We chatted all the way down to breakfast where I sat with a table full of University of Manitoba agriculture students, who were there to observe Day 2 of the AGM and present a resolution of their own. My day began and continued with good conversations.

Acceptance That’s what this year’s KAP AGM was for me. Yes, I saw democracy at work and some fantastic resolutions got passed, but this year I felt I crossed a threshold and was accepted into the ag world.

These are the kinds of grand assumptions I make when you remember my name, a good thing to keep in mind when you’re dealing with people. A firm handshake

and acknowledgment that you’ve been remembered goes a long way.

One of these days I will have to start thinking about spring and machinery and the books, but that will have to wait until meeting season subsides. I don’t mind. GN Toban Dyck is a freelance writer and a new farmer on an old farm. Follow him on Twitter @tobandyck.

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GRAINEWS.CA / FEBRUARY 13, 2018

Digital technology

Photos: John Deere

New AutoTrac options from John Deere John Deere releases more advanced guidance and options for data sharing AutoTrac Turn Automation is one of four new applications John Deere will offer for 2018.

By Scott Garvey

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n early December John Deere released three new advanced or expanded guidance features along with a new machine datasharing application for its Generation 4 displays. AutoTrac Turn Automation, AutoTrac Implement Guidance, AutoTrac Vision for Tractors and the In-Field Data Sharing applications are now being sold as bundled activations for the John Deere 4600 CommandCenter and as bundled subscriptions for 4640 displays.

They’ll be sold based on one- or five-year terms.

The Implement Guidance feature deals with the problem of trailed implements veering off line from the tractor due to hillsides, when following curved field paths or for other reasons. To work, both the implement and tractor will need receivers that can share differential correction signals and compensate to keep the implement on course.

AutoTrac Vision was released a while ago for Deere’s 30 Series sprayers, but now its use gets expanded, so it can be installed on large-frame 7030 Series tractors, as well as the 8030/8030T Series and the current 7R, 8R and 8RT models. This feature uses optical sensors to keep the tractor wheels within rows to minimize crop damage, and it can be used in corn or soybean fields with plants up to six inches tall and 90 per cent canopy cover. It’s compatible with row spacing between 20 and 40 inches.

The Turn Automation application does exactly what its name implies. It automates all the usual control inputs required by the operator when turning at the end of an A-B line. Operators can set up all the necessary control inputs, such as raising and lowering and implement and changing ground speed, from a single display page and arrange them to automatically occur in the proper sequence.

Sharing data

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For those with large enough operations to have multiple machines working in the same field at the same time, the data-sharing application allows each one to share field data. That includes real-time coverage and applica-

machinery & shop

GRAINEWS.CA / FEBRUARY 13, 2018

tion information as well as yield and moisture data. Information collected by one machine can be immediately shared with up to six others.

“It’s easy to share and check maps with In-Field Data Sharing,” said John Misher, precision agriculture product marketing manager with John Deere, in a press release. “Operators can monitor machines’ as-applied maps to see if they’re properly calibrated and performing in a similar manner, thus maximizing machine performance. In-Field Data Sharing also lets users transfer guidance lines between

31

AutoTrac In-Field Data Sharing allows up to seven machines to work in the same field and share machine information in real time.

machines without manually moving a USB stick from one machine to another.”

All four products will available starting February 2018. Owners will need to have machines equipped with Deere’s 4640 Uni-

versal Display or Gen 4 4600 CommandCenter displays to run these new applications. GN Scott Garvery is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at Scott.Garvey@ fbcpublishing.com.

Deere’s new application package is compatible with the 4640 Universal display and Gen 4 4600 CommandCenter displays.

Farm safety

On-farm fire protection

42

420

8500 Finisholl Acres Per Hour

9600 Field Cultivator Acres Per Day

Small system can be placed inside a workshop or on a truck

By Scott Garvey

T

he workshop has become the heart of many prairie farmyards, and loosing one to fire would be a major disruption. Considering the risk of fires starting in mechanical workspaces is very high, everyone should give some thought to preparing to deal with one.

With the amount of flammable liquids and other substances inside modern farm shops, a regular five- or 10-pound fire extinguisher may not be adequate. Anderson Pump House Ltd. of Saskatchewan had a firefighting system on display at the Ag in Motion farm show in July that could handle a pretty significant blaze, and it’s suitable for all Class A and B fires. It’s also still small enough to be portable.

The Fire Caddy DC1205 runs off of a 12-volt battery, which comes with a plug-in wall charger, so it could be kept fully charged and ready if placed inside a building. But with 12-volt power it could also be mounted on a machine or service truck, making it capable of dealing with equipment fires in the field as well. It delivers six gallons per minute at 110 p.s.i., but that can be boosted to 8.2 at 175 p.s.i.

It has its own water reservoir as well as a five-gallon foam retardant tank.

For more information visit www. andersonpumphouse.com. GN

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7400 VTplus Acres Per Hour

Photo: Scott Garvey

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The Anderson Pump House fire-fighting system on display at the Ag in Motion farm show in July could handle a pretty significant blaze.

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32

machinery & shop

GRAINEWS.CA / FEBRUARY 13, 2018

Agritechnica

New loader from JCB Designed for farmers, new articulated loader gets more lift capacity

By Scott Garvey

J

See New loader on Page 33 

The TM420 will get heavier axles than the smaller 320 version the brand already offers.

Photos: Scott Garvey

CB has always had a prominent display at Germany’s Agritechnica machinery show. Last November it used that event to debut a new machine it thinks will be of interest to farmers on both sides of the Atlantic: the TM420 articulated, telescopic loader.

“Currently we sell a smaller machine in North America, the TM320,” said Joe Eddleston, JCB product manager, while standing beside the new loader at Agritechnica in November. “This is like the next step up for those that want increased capacity. The TM320 today is a very popular machine with beef and dairy farmers.”

But marketing staff at JCB apparently heard feedback from

JCB is launching the TM420 in 2018, which will be a bigger brother to the TM320 that has been popular with farmers.

It offers centre articulation and a telescopic loader.

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machinery & shop

GRAINEWS.CA / FEBRUARY 13, 2018

33

Industry quote

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Robert Ratliff, founder of AGCO, kept a sign on his office desk that read: “ The business has changed. Have you?”

Ratliff passed away in April, 2017, at the age of 85.

A centre pivot point allows all four wheels to follow the terrain on uneven ground.  New loader from Page 32

farmers who liked the articulated design of the TM320, with it’s centre-mounted cab and telescopic boom but needed more lift capacity. “(The TM420) is designed for those who want to load large-scale diet mixes on large dairy or beef farms,” Eddleston added.

So the new machine builds on all the features of the TM320 but provides more lift and reach and puts it on a stronger chassis. The TM420 can lift 4.1 tonnes and has a maximum lift height of 5.4 metres.

“You get the benefit of a wheel loader with a telescopic arm to get that reach capability and lift height,” he added.

Underneath the rear hood is a 145 horsepower JCB Ecomax diesel that routes power to the wheels through a 45 km/h six-speed powershift transmission.

“It has larger axles, obviously it’s carrying more load than the TM320, so a lot of the machine has been beefed up or scaled up in size,” Eddleston continued. “We’ve gone to a 26-inch wheel, where the smaller (TM320) machine is on a 24 inch.”

The new loader also gets larger pins and bushings throughout to handle the extra strain. And hydraulic performance gets an upgrade as well.

“We have a 160 l/m load-sensing piston pump to deliver fast cycle times to the loader end,” he added. “We have a regenerative hydraulic system, where the boom cycles a lot faster.”

All the maintenance points have easy access. For example, the engine and hydraulic oils can be checked from ground level. But for those who frequently forget to do a daily walk around, the machine will take care of that itself.

“When the machine is started in the morning, it will effectively do its own daily checks,” Eddleston explained. “So you don’t even need to open the hood. It’s a way to get the machine up and running faster.

And various people tend not to check them these days.”

The TM420 will be available through Canadian dealers later this year. GN Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at Scott.Garvey@ fbcpublishing.com.

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34

cattleman's corner

GRAINEWS.CA / FEBRUARY 13, 2018

GRAZING MANAGEMENT

A two-step (plus) grazing plan Use the grass, but don’t abuse it — allow for recovery time

By Sean McGrath

GRAZING We will tackle the second most important aspect of a grazing plan first; when to graze. If we start with a calendar year, it seems fairly obvious we need to wait until something is growing in order to graze it.

Forage needs to be accessible to the grazing animal. If we are thinking about grazing preserved forages such as standing corn or swath grazing, it means we needed to start planning last year. In terms of the current year it means we need to plan to graze grass that has at least some growth. It is also important if we think about perennial grasses to ensure we have enough leaf area that grazing doesn’t kill the plant outright.

For much of the Prairies, a midMay target to start grazing new growth is somewhere in the grazing zone (give or take a month). This may vary with snow cover, age of the stand, carryover grass, moisture levels and spring temperatures.

Ideally we will graze green, growing plants at around the fourleaf stage for most of the growing season. This differs from crop production where we are trying to get plants all the way to senescence (seed set) to capture energy in the grain — that’s not the optimal growth point for ruminant nutrition.

The first most important step of a grazing plan is managing to leave some forages not grazed.

NOT GRAZING Based on conversations and the power of observation, I strongly believe not grazing is by far much harder than grazing. It is relatively easy to find pastures where the plants are in survival mode, rather than thriving mode. Turning cows into a pasture with no cross fencing and no paddocks in May and then picking them up in September leads to plants being overgrazed. Plants

photo: Sean McGrath

O

ften I see people’s eyes glaze over and a sense of disconnect when talking about grazing plans — surely after caring for cattle all winter, we can just turn them out in the spring and go round them up in the fall.

Like most of agriculture now, the pressure for returns on a land base that is ever more costly, combined with a rising cost of living, means we have to do more grazing with less land. The obvious reasons for this are: to lower our cost per acre or per cow by grazing longer; or to increase our grazing units on the same land base to generate more income. To make a long story short, improving our grazing can improve our margin (profit or less loss). This may seem somewhat complicated but in reality, it can be summed up as a pretty simple two-step process.

Pasture management should include two steps (plus one) — growing it, grazing it and at certain times of the year, not grazing it.

that are starting to recover from grazing are green and juicy and get snapped up quickly. Plants that get missed on the first trip around the pasture get stemmy and dry, and drop down on the list of “good eats” for a grazing animal. Removing grazing (not grazing) in order to let those little succulent plants to recover and become big succulent plants is key to increasing productivity and performance of a pasture.

We can actually graze any plant as long and as hard as we want with two provisos. One, that we don’t outright kill the plant and two, that we leave enough time for the plant to replenish itself. Growth conditions affect how quickly plants recover.

In our northern climate we generally experience the most rapid growth in June when we have both moisture and peak daylight hours.

This means we can return to a grazed area more quickly than later in the grazing season. This will vary somewhat by forage species, but it is a pretty good rule of thumb. As an extreme example, some producers graze a lot of pastures in December/ January and plant recovery doesn't start until April/May. Let’s think through a couple of examples of why this could be.

Plants convert sunlight to sugar and protein by absorbing sunlight through their leaves and photosynthesizing. Each leaf provides area for the sun to hit and drive this process. Fewer leaves means less sunlight captured and leads to lower production.

If we have legumes in our pastures, fewer leaves means less nitrogen fixation as well. Further we can add some other factors such as leaves and litter covering the soil surface and preserving moisture, preventing erosion and driving productivity. From an animal perspective we could also consider that most economically important parasites live their life cycle in the

bottom four inches of the plant canopy. Grazing to the ground equates to higher parasite loads in our livestock and continual grazing ensures that the parasite can complete its life cycle and remain or expand its tenure in the pasture.

Based on the price of land and returns in the cattle industry, pastures should not just be a fivemonth daycare centre for our cows.

If we think about pasture as a real, economically important solar-capturing crop the way we do with wheat, corn or canola, it becomes apparent that a grazing plan and increased productivity can be pathways to profit. The concept of when to graze and more importantly when not to graze can drive production and reduce costs by allowing plants to do what they do best and that is grow.

STEP 3 OF A 2-STEP PLAN! Step 3 of the two-step grazing plan could be titled, “How To Not Graze,” as this by far seems to be the biggest challenge facing pastures in Western Canada and perhaps globally. In order for grazing to be successful, we first have to grow forage, and in order to do this to the maximum possible level, we need to provide some growing room for those forages.

Unlike many other parts of agriculture the technology to accomplish this goal is not necessarily costly or extremely technical.

If a farm had only one pasture and grazed it from May to October, every plant could be grazed likely every day of the growing season. If we split the pasture in half and put all of the cows on one side from May to July, and the other side from August to October, we have still put the same cows on the same pasture for the same length of time. The difference is that each half of the pasture received three months of free growing time without being grazed. If we are worried about all

cows only having access to half the pasture, remember it is only for half as long as well. We haven’t taken any more days than before from that pasture, but we have increased its free growth period.

If we were to split the pasture once more into four parts, we could accomplish the same thing, however now each part of the pasture can have 3.4 of the grazing season under “free growth” and so on.

I am sure some readers are thinking, “This is where he says we need to electric-fence everything and move cows every day,” but that may not be the solution for a lot of land bases. The key is to think in terms of plant growth and how we can allow plants in a grazed area to recover before they are grazed again.

In some cases, this may involve electric fencing (I confess we use a lot of this technology), but in other operations it can look like moving cows up the mountain in the spring and then bringing them downhill in the fall, or combining all of the small summer groups into one large herd that is rotated through the property. Other tools can include moving mineral or water sources around, employing herders or even using tactical fencing. We use all of these tools at home depending upon season and terrain.

TACTICAL FENCING Tactical fencing is the process of establishing short fences or gates (sometimes as little as eight to 10 feet) across easy travel paths to control livestock flow. This can allow concentration of livestock into a grazing area and prevent them from returning once they are moved off. Tactical fencing can be particularly valuable in areas of challenging terrain with difficult access. Cows are generally lazy and like to hang around water and green grass, without climbing hills. Simply pushing cows into an area and blocking off easy return routes can greatly enhance grazing patterns.

An example of this could be pushing cattle across a bridge and then blocking access so they can’t cross back over that same bridge.

When we consider plant recovery, season of grazing can be another tool. For example, a piece of ground may be grazed in the spring when plants are growing rapidly at which point animals may have to be removed fairly quickly in order to allow for plant recovery. In early spring plants will tend to recover rapidly. It is possible the same area can be grazed again later in the year.

It is also possible, if allowed to create a stockpiled forage source, that same piece of ground can be grazed over a much longer period in the late fall or winter when the plants are not growing, without damaging the plants.

Remember the definition of overgrazing is grazing a plant

before it has recovered from the previous grazing event. When plants are growing slowly they start recovery more slowly so we can lengthen the grazing period.

This is particularly useful in times of drought, when we can slow our pasture rotations (assuming enough forage is available for the livestock base). By slowing down on the pieces we are grazing, we give the pieces we are not grazing a longer recovery time, which they require when growth is limited (in the case of drought limited by moisture).

SNOW AS INFRASTRUCTURE One particularly useful piece of infrastructure (although it can be unreliable) to ensure even grazing in bigger pastures is the use of snow. An even snowcover will cause animals to cover the entire landscape and will prevent them from returning to previously grazed areas or concentrating their grazing around a water source.

When cattle obtain some water with each mouthful of forage, they do not often seek additional water sources. Additionally, if there is no new succulent green growth (for example in January) and the forage is shortened by grazing, the cows do not have an incentive to come back and take another bite of an already-grazed plant and they will graze much more evenly over the landscape. The challenge with these approaches can be forage quality and ensuring that the cattle can eat enough of a potentially poor-quality forage to meet their nutritional needs.

Finally, the most important tip I can offer on pasture recovery and not grazing is to shut gates. Many farms and ranches have enough paddocks to, if not eliminate, greatly reduce overgrazing of plants. Leaving gates open once livestock are moved to the next pasture is an open invitation to encourages them to leave the new pasture and return to the recovering pasture with its small succulent nutrient-dense plants. If the goal is to improve pasture productivity, then once grazing animals are removed, they need to be kept off until recovery has happened. This can readily be accomplished by closing gates.

Over the years I have worked with a lot of producers and stolen a lot of ideas for our own place and I have learned that there is no one-sizefits-all solution, but in trying to gain a better return on investment forage management is a key profitability driver for most cattle operations. Hopefully you have some time to do some pasture planning before the grass starts to grow. GN Sean McGrath is a rancher and consultant from Vermilion, Alta. He can be reached at sean@ranchingsystems. com or (780) 853-9673. For additional information visit www.ranchingsystems. com.

cattleman's corner

GRAINEWS.CA / FEBRUARY 13, 2018

35

RISK MANAGEMENT

More on feeder cattle risk management Looking a little deeper into messages from the market Average Standard Basis (C$) deviation

MARKET UPDATE Jerry Klassen

Ad Number: SEC-MAV18-T-GR Publication: Grainews Cattleman’s Corner Trim: 5 x 70 (9.875” x 5”) Produced by: SeCan Product/Campaign Name: CDC Maverick Date Produced: January 2018

file Photo

I

n the winter of 2017 I wrote a series of articles about price risk management for feeder cattle. I discussed hedging feeder cattle on the CME feeder cattle futures and also conducted a risk analysis on the basis for feeder cattle prices in Manitoba.

Producers used this information to calculate an expected forward price and implement an optimal risk-management program involving the Livestock Price Insurance program or using futures and options themselves. Given the favourable response, I will get into The difference between the cash market and the futures market is called the “basis,” and it can send an important more details, but first a quick review. message about when to sell or not sell.

The feeder cattle futures market (which trades on the CME Globex seen significant speculative fund EXAMPLE FROM 2017 was no change to the standard deviaelectronic platform) is the price activity in the futures, which can For this project, I analyzed monthly tion for the 850-lb. steers and I discovery mechanism for North often sway the market away from data from January 2010 to December believe the average is more represenAmerican feeder cattle. The con- the cash direction; however, at set- 2017. I calculated the average basis tative of the current market environtract is 50,000 pounds and is based tlement, the cash settlement price and the standard deviation for the ment. on the CME feeder cattle index.

Before we move on into deeper and the futures market usually data. I believe everyone understands Without going into detail, this converge as the funds limit their what the average represents. The analysis, I want to point out how profeeder cattle price index is based activity in advance of the deliver- standard deviation is the quantity ducers can use this information. calculated to indicate the extent of During September 2017, the basis for upon a sample of transactions in able month. the 12 major feeder cattle-producThe local price at the auction deviation for the group as a whole. 550-lb. steers in Manitoba was negaing states for 700- to 899-pound market is called the “cash market.” One standard deviation is approxi- tive $20, which is very close to the medium- and larger-frame feeder The difference between the cash mately 68.2 per cent of the data. average. The cash price was $20 In this example, for 550-pound above the futures price in Canadian steers. The CME publishes a com- market and the futures market is posite price, which is the official called the “basis.” I always advise steers the basis is negative 18 so the dollars. For backgrounding operators, cash settlement price for the CME producers to convert the futures cash price was above the futures this would be an optimal time to purfeeder cattle futures at contract into Canadian dollars using the price in Canadian dollars. Last year, I chase 550-lb. steers. For cow-calf final settlement. Figures have been spot exchange rate. The basis is used data from 2007 to 2016 and the operators, one could easily make the calculated by the CME Group from calculated by subtracting the cash average on the 550-lb. steers was argument that they should wait until prices reported by the USDA. price from the futures price. Very negative 10 but the standard devia- the basis is stronger. Very simply, the It’s always important that pro- simply, the basis equals the futures tion was the same. To make the anal- cash market is functioning to attract ducers are aware of the cash settle- price in Canadian dollars minus ysis more applicable, I excluded buyers when the basis is average or ment price because it can vary 2018-01-22 the local11:26 price the1auction mar- feeder cattle during the 2009 reces- below average.

SEC-MAV18-T-GR_SEC-MAV18-T-GR.qxd AMatPage sion because of extreme data. There from the futures market. We’ve ket.

By November the basis for 550-lb.

550-lb. steers

-18.00

19.00

850-lb. steers

+18.00

12.00

feeder cattle was negative $31. The cash price was $31 above the futures market in Canadian dollars. The standard deviation is 19, which means that the basis can fluctuate from plus one to negative 37. (The average negative 18 plus-or-minus the standard deviation of 19). A basis of negative 31 is in the upper end of the range of one standard deviation.

The market is telling cow-calf producers this is the optimal time to sell their feeder cattle. For backgrounding operators, the market is telling them to wait until the basis is more favourable. Demand is very strong; the cash market is functioning to attract sellers when the basis is above average.

The average Manitoba cash price for 550-lb. feeders in September was $210 and in November, the average cash price was $230. By paying attention to the basis, producers have a better idea of when to sell their feeder cattle. Producers can immediately understand what the cash market is trying to accomplish. GN Jerry Klassen is manager of the Canadian office for Swiss-based grain trader GAP SA Grains and Products Ltd. With a strong farming background, he 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

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36

cattleman's corner

GRAINEWS.CA / FEBRUARY 13, 2018

MANURE MANAGEMENT

Composting is a manure-handling option Reduces volume, conserves nitrogen and increases soil organic matter STEPS TO COMPOSTING

By David Woodruff

Photo courtesy Brown Bear Manufacturing

A

few years ago I was introduced to composting, the process of using the billions of bacteria around us to convert raw organic mixtures to soil.

Advice I have received says the organic matter needs a 20:1 (optimum) carbon-to-nitrogen ratio.

Compost can be made with as low as 17:1 and as high as 27:1, but experts say higher or lower will slow the process. Most farm animal manure falls nicely into the proper ratio.

These bacteria are ‘aerobes’ — they need oxygen to perform, so if the material is too wet it can slow the process. Not much composting happens in a sloppy corral, or conversely in a dry manure pile, but if you aerate a pile thoroughly, it will soon start to heat. If you’ve seen manure piles steaming in the rain or snow, you’ve seen the process in action.

About 21 C is an ideal ambient temperature. Frozen material will not support bacterial growth, however, the sugar beet processing plant in Taber, Alberta was able to stimulate composting activity under cold conditions.

A compost aerator and tractor

One of the Brown Bear Manufacturing front-mounted compost turner/aerators.

was delivered in March and set to work on wet beet pulp and tailings, consisting of weeds and beet top scraps. These materials had been dumped in long piles or windrows about eight feet wide and three feet high. These windrows had not completely frozen, so it worked well.

Once they started turning the piles, they began to heat and by the end of April had turned to compost, which the plant sold — and pretty fast.

Other companies and many municipalities now operate successful year-round composting operations with household waste, lawn clippings and other organic materials.

With larger volumes of material, many work with six-to 10-foot high windrows, which are turned by larger aerators which straddle the rows. I’ve heard that year-round composting is common in Nebraska feedlots and dairies too.

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• Make windrows and aerate them.

Manure can be windrowed with a tractor and front-end loader, but the objective is to break up clumps to achieve a fairly fine-textured particle size. Commercially available rotary aerators or turners are designed to break down material and introduce oxygen as paddles or spikes work through the pile. There are four or five manufacturers of compost aerating/turning equipment with paddles on a turning drum. They turn just fast enough (about 200 r.p.m.) to lift the material and set it over to the side.

• Sprinkle with water if too dry.

You want it moist, but not sloppy.

Wet manure, once it is turned, will dry out on its own in a few hours.

• Use a thermometer to check the temperature inside the pile daily.

Check the windrow in several locations and record temperatures to determine an average.

• As material heats up to 60 to 65 C (140-150 F) aerate the windrow again. Don’t let temperatures rise to 72 C (163 F) or higher for that will kill the “worker bacteria.”

You don’t want that! I have been told that three days of compost temperatures of 55 C (130 F) will kill E.coli bacteria.

• Composting material may need to be aerated four to six times in total. The offset machines will roll the windrow over, blending in the cold, dried outside particles of manure to the outside, so they get a chance to be ‘cooked.’ (“Equal Opportunity,” like Corb Lund says in his song “The Truck Got Stuck”) With non-offset machines it may take a bit more work to move or blend materials on the outside edge of the windrow into the middle.

When the material in the windrow smells like soil, you’re done!

Once the four- to six-week “cooking” process is done, the material no longer has a bad smell even if it gets wet. The nitrogen is held in place. When the compost is applied on the land the nitrogen will be released into the ground at a rate of approximately eight to 10 per cent per year. Research has shown that up to 70 per cent of nitrogen can be lost from surface-applied raw material that is not incorporated into the soil. The compost itself will lose some nitrogen with different research showing a range of 20 to 40 per cent. Even an average loss of 30 per cent it is still a considerable improvement over the risk of losing 70 per cent with raw manure.

With properly composted material flies and fly larvae shouldn’t be an issue. Flies can develop resistance to sprays, but not to heat.

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Efforts to compost have to provide a payback in some respect, or as the common catchphrase today says “it won’t be sustainable.”

One of the larger compost equipment manufactures, Brown Bear Manufacturing of Iowa, estimates US$7 to $10 per ton of compost — perhaps C$8 to $12 here on the Prairies or B.C. Our cost to spread raw manure in southern Alberta’s feedlot alley is somewhere around $8.50 to $15.50 per ton. Diesel costs are around $1.15 per litre while tandem trucks haul about 10 tons per load. If fields are close to the compost source you can get more loads per hour.

I found corral cleaners will charge between $85 to $155 per hour depending on how much equipment they put on a job. Tandem manure spreader trucks can haul about 10 tons of manure per load. It’s reasonable to assume that you can cover from 1/4 to two acres per load, which depending on your needs would apply 20 to five tons of compost per acre respectively.

There is a risk of nitrogen losses with both surface-applied raw manure and compost, however losses appear to be considerably less with compost.

With raw manure applied at a rate of 10 tons per acre, with a potential loss of 60 per cent nitrogen, that works out to about 161 lbs. of N per acre or 25,728 lbs. N loss per quarter section. With nitrogen price estimates in early 2018 of $440 to $490 per tonne the loss has a potential value of about $11,165 per quarter section.

It you estimate nitrogen losses with compost at about 30 per cent (or about half of raw manure) that represents as savings of about $5,500 per quarter section. Over a whole section (640 acres) that represents a total value of about $22,000 — roughly half the cost of a compost windrow turner/aerator.

So while figures will vary depending on each farm operation, it appears it would be fairly easy to recover compost equipment costs over one to two seasons.

OTHER BENEFITS • Compost shrinks to about half the weight and half the volume of manure, cutting the spreading time and costs roughly in half.

• Since the nitrogen held in compost is released slowly (eight to 10 per cent per year) it provides a “longterm investment” toward crop nutrients.

• Compost also adds organic matter to the soil, improving tilth and moisture-holding capacity.

• High composting temperatures kill weed seeds, helping to reduce herbicide costs.

• The composting process greatly reduces the environment for flies, helping to reduce the number of those pests around the yard and household.

Compost aerating can also be done with a regular front-end loader, Continued on Page 37 

cattleman's corner

GRAINEWS.CA / FEBRUARY 13, 2018

37

ANYONE CAN START FARMING

Composting is a simple natural process Experts provide advice on proper procedures and precautions KEY COMPOST GUIDELINES

A

s the new year starts to unfold we usually take a few minutes to look over our successes and failures of the previous year. Our family attempts to learn from mistakes in order to move forward productively. Our attempts at composting had their challenges but with the help of professionals, the problems are resolving. There is always room for improvement.

In the spring of 2017 we had the opportunity to have some training on composting mortalities and manure following the Manitoba guidelines. It is truly amazing how fast dirt can be produced out of a solid with a little encouragement.

Composting large livestock has always been a bit of a daunting task but the Conservation and Water Stewardship department was extremely knowledgeable and helpful for us to get our system working successfully.

Since rendering facilities do not accept ruminants anymore and burying and burning isn’t always permitted, learning to compost is practical. This also allows landowners to rebuild their soil. One caution of where to spread compost made from dead ruminants is that since composting has not proven to destroy the presence of prion in Specific Risk Materials (SRM), composted SRM is still considered SRM. If carcasses or SRM are composted, the compost should not be spread on land grazed by ruminant livestock for the following five years.

The department representative recommended spreading it on hay land to circumvent any issues.

 Continued from Page 36

but the grinding/fluffing (oxygenating) part isn’t very well done and there is also wear and tear on the loader. Ideally, each piece of manure needs to have contact with oxygen so the bacteria are fed properly. A loader just can’t do it quite right. I like the idea of a machine that moves along, using rotary action, chewing the manure into uniform 1/2- to one-inch pieces, hour after hour.

With larger volumes of manure you need an outside yard, but manure can also be composted inside a barn. Brown Bear does make smaller compost turners that can be mounted on a skid steer or compact tractor with three-point hitch.

Those machines cost US$23,000 and do an eight-foot wide swath.

They weigh 2,000 lbs. and need a 35to 45-gpm Hyflo hydraulic system.

There is an available PTO-operated pump, for compact tractors that

don’t have the Hyflo hydraulic capacity built in.

For composting in outside yards or in corrals, Brown Bear makes a threepoint hitch mounted unit (PTA35) costing US$45,000. It takes a 10-foot swath and leaves a three- to fourfoot high windrow. These turners require a three-point hitch, IVT or creeper gear, and 120 to 160 hp. There are lots of these machines powered by the Ford New Holland TV140.

Brown Bear also has larger units.

If you are interested in more information on the Brown Bear equipment line contact the Canadian distributor, K Pederson Equipment in Rockyford, Alberta, at (403) 6552494 or visit the Brown Bear website at: www.brownbearcorp.com. GN David Woodruff is a retired southern Alberta farmer, former Grainews contributor and representative for K Pederson Equipment. He is based in Grassy Lake, Alta.

100 m

Source: Manitoba Government

Debbie Chikousky

One of my questions was how do you get the pile to work? Do we need to add a starter? They said no.

Everything that is needed is in the gut of the dead livestock. Our job was to provide the microbes the best environment in which to work.

These are the guidelines we were provided: • Adequate moisture: Micro-organisms need water to move around and transport nutrients. A moisture content of 40 to 70 per cent is reasonable; the preferred range is 50 to 60 per cent.

• Good aeration: Composting is an aerobic process, which means the micro-organisms need air to compost properly. Oxygen levels should be maintained above five per cent.

• Controlled temperatures: The warmer the pile, the faster the micro-organisms work. Temperatures between 43-65 C (110-150 F) are acceptable, but anything above 70 C (158 F) is too hot for the micro-organisms to survive. The preferred range is 54-60 C (130140 F). For effective pathogen and weed seed kill, all material must be exposed to temperatures greater or equal to 55 C. For in-vessel systems, the pile must reach at least 55 C for three consecutive days; whereas, windrow systems must reach at least 55 C for 15 days and turned a minimum of five times.

• pH levels: Composting is effective at pH levels between 5.5 and nine.

The target pH is seven.

Having a teacher was very helpful because they could look at how we had been attempting to compost and tell us why it wasn’t working and how to change our methodology. Our biggest issue was incomplete composting, which is usually either the pile is too large or b it isn’t aerated enough. To aerate the pile a

100 m

The two middle red triangles in the above diagram are acceptable for livestock/ manure compost sites. The top triangle is outside the property line (not acceptable), while the lower triangle is a site that is too close to the farm homestead.

producer is supposed to stir it with their bale forks/grapple bucket.

With a grapple bucket it is much easier to just take bites and move them around allowing the air to get in without uncovering things.

The regulations suggest that mortality compost sites should not be within 100 metres of property lines, water run off paths, etc. and have a gentle slope. The representative helped us pick the best location for our personal needs. The base of the

pile is to be made approximately one foot thick and the mortalities should be spaced about four feet apart. They are not to touch. The producer then covers this with as much vegetable matter/manure as we could pile over top and add moisture.

On most farms the pile is not right next to the hose so a question arises on how to tell if it is moist enough. The rule of thumb is to use what is called the ‘hand squeeze test.’ This is to pick up a handful of

the vegetable matter in your hand and give it a squeeze following these guidelines: • Pick up a handful of the compost material and squeeze for 10 seconds.

• Too wet — liquid can be squeezed out of material.

• Too dry — material expands (does not hold shape) and no wetness on palm.

• Just right – material leaves wetness on palm and retains shape.

Our pile receives moisture from rain, melting snow and from the mortality itself. It should not smell if all is working properly but we used a portable electric fence to discourage scavengers. The pile is supposed to be finished in a year and at that time the compost can be used only on the farm of origin.

The hope for our farm is to be able to keep learning, keep rebuilding soil and always add fertility and thereby productivity to our land.

Working to improve what we already own will greatly help the next generation succeed. GN Debbie Chikousky farms with her family at Narcisse, Manitoba. Visitors are always welcome. Contact Debbie at debbie@chikouskyfarms.com or call 204-202-3781.

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cattleman's corner

GRAINEWS.CA / FEBRUARY 13, 2018

FEED MANAGEMENT

Modify bale feeders for yearlings Simple, relatively low-cost solutions to keep young stock out of the feeders

By Michael Thomas

photo: Michael Thomas

W

e have used large rectangular and round hay bale feeders for several years to feed replacement heifers and bull calves We prefer the flex feeders because they will accommodate a large rectangular bale or round bale, and, if not allowed to freeze to the ground, permit the calves to push and collapse the feeders to the centre of the bale. This reduces waste and labour as no one has to climb into the feeder and fork the hay from the centre out to where the calves can reach it.

The calves fed free-choice hay have outperformed calves we have fed through the winter with other methods of feeding. Previous methods did not allow some of the less-aggressive calves to meet their needs, and therefore they did not grow to their potential.

The downside to these feeders is that they are designed for larger cattle and the stanchion slots are about eight to 10 inches too tall for these calves, until they grow big enough to prevent them from climbing into the feeders. When the calves get into the feeders very few get out on their own, and often they get stuck part way in or out. There is risk of injury to the calf and the people attempting to free it from the feeder.

My parents have the best facility for wintering our replacements, easy access to fresh water and good shelter, so we have consolidated our replacements on their place for several years.

It took about an hour to weld two strips of rebar around the top of a bale feeder to keep young stock from climbing inside

CALF GAVE US A REMINDER Recently a heifer got stuck part way into a feeder. Freeing the heifer was more than my parents could do by themselves so they called for help.

Fortunately my wife and sister were near their phones and came to assist.

This was a wake-up call for all of us.

We realized that it was time to find a remedy. Sooner or later this would

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happen and no one would be close enough to help the folks get the heifer out of the feeder. By the time I got home from the project I was working on that day my wife and sister had removed the feeders from the replacement lot. We hand-fed the heifers for several days to eliminate the chance of a heifer getting stuck in a feeder.

It did not take long to remember why we had gone to free-choice feeding. After looking through past year’s performance records, discovering how much better the calves grew through the winter and bred up in the spring when allowed freechoice access to good feed, we were unwilling to give up on the flex bale feeders and were determined to find a solution to the problem.

After a bit of trial and error we discovered a simple and inexpensive way to modify these feeders to prevent the heifers from climbing in.

Our initial efforts were ineffective in attaching something to temporarily reduce the size of the stanchion that could be removed later for use with larger cattle. One afternoon we arrived at the decision to forget about whether or not the feeders could be used for larger cattle and simply designate these feeder to the replacement heifers and bull calves.

A few telephone calls later — to price potential materials to weld in place to reduce the height of the feeder stanchions — we located 3/8" x 20' sticks of construction rebar.

We decided to weld two bars horizontally at 4" and 8" from the top rail of the feeder on the outside of the vertical bars of the feeder stanchions. We wanted to make certain a

calf would never get its head between the rebar and the top rail of the feeder to prevent them from hanging themselves.

It took about $15 and an hour of welding with a wire-feed welder to successfully modify the first feeder for the replacement heifers. We returned the modified feeders to the replacement lot and placed bales in them. To everyone’s relief the heifers went back to work on the hay.

The reduced height of the stanchion had no negative impact on their access to the hay. GN Michael Thomas operates Thomas Ranch along with family near Salmon, Idaho. Contact him at: Thomasranch@ centurytel.net.

After a bit of trial and error we discovered a simple and inexpensive way to modify these feeders to prevent the heifers from climbing in

home quarter farm life

GRAINEWS.CA / FEBRUARY 13, 2018

39

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

SEEDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT

Make face-to-face communication a priority in your relationship.

Ways to encourage the cherish factor with the one you love Talk to each other and find out what you both want and need to feel loved Elaine Froese

M

y husband of 36 years just dropped me off at the Minot airport in his pickup. We enjoyed the two-hour ride together listening to inspirational tunes, and laughing when we had to stop to help herd stray Angus back to their farm. As farm kids we both chased lots of cows, and it reminded us that some skills never die.

At the November 2017 Connect Ag conference some farm women shared with me their fears that their farm marriages were dying.

During “heart” month I cannot stop wanting everyone’s love relationships to be stronger and healthier in 2018, including mine.

What would it look like to be intentional about increasing the way you cherish your mate?

• Agree to doing the caring list.

Take a blank page and write numbers 1 to 12 down the left side. Brainstorm your 12 most favourite ways of being cared for by your lover. WHOA… strong language there, hope you are still at least getting kisses! My hubby’s first point was “hot meals.”

He misses me when I travel and we negotiate what is in the meal lineup when I am gone. You might be surprised that your wife says, “kisses on the back of the neck when I am doing dishes,” or, “taking out the com-

post without nagging,” “treating me as an equal partner,” etc.

• Protect each other from verbal harm. Words matter. There is great power in the tongue to cause harm, so think before you speak, engage the brain before talking. Words of affirmation is one of my love languages, so when my hubby says,“You have an amazing brain,” I feel deeply affirmed and validated. When slip-ups happen, be quick to make repair and get the good vibes back on track.

• Provide certainty for your future together. The “almost-married” couples usually move to marriage when the kids are heading to school or sooner. No judgment here. Just an observation that the wedding ring is a symbol of commitment to being there for each other in good times and in bad.

Yes 50 per cent of marriages go to rack and ruin, but that doesn’t mean you don’t start out with a firm plan to achieve goals together, and pull each other up.

Two cords bound together are not easily broken. What are you doing in your communication and agreements to build up certainty and trust with each other?

• Be present with your time — face-to-face conversations or shoulder to shoulder in the pickup truck. An hour of honest conversation per week is called “marriage time,” to address the current state of your union. The Alpha Marriage Course prescribes this as non-negotiable. If you are running kids to hockey,

feeding cows, planning crops, and hauling grain… when are you scheduling to unplug your smartphone and be a smart confidant to your spouse?

• Shared household management.

The book Drop the Ball, addresses the stress women feel when they don’t feel supported on the home front. This is 2018.

Many farm women are farm operators, managers, and administrators of the farm business. They practise addition of more roles, but would really like to subtract some as well. My husband’s answer to this dilemma was to buy me a robotic vacuum which we have fondly named “Woodman,” after the guy who pretends to be our butler at parties. The robot helps save time, but the consideration behind the gift was appreciated most. Now I would like to find one for the seed warehouse!

• Find romance bonds. Coach Dietrich Demarais, a John Maxwell coach (Emotional Wealth Mgt.) talks about finding joy bonds in your day, things that you observe that make you feel good or joyful. Spectacular sunrises, birds in flight, and phone calls from friends would be joy bonds for me. What joy bonds or romantic things that you used to do as a young couple would rekindle the marriage spark now? Watching a great movie, snuggling together? Hot tub?

Walking down the lane in the dark with a flashlight? Candlelight supper? This is where the

caring list could give you some ideas.

• Listen more with your eyes locked on each other. Communication or the lack thereof is likely the biggest complaint I hear from farm families. Give your partner the huge gift of listening to them tell their story, without interruption. Paraphrase what you hear. Use word pictures (see the work of Smalley and Trent) to describe what you are feeling.

My hubby is clear that he doesn’t want the “restaurant’s brown paper bag of leftovers” when I get home from a road trip. He wants me to be more excited about seeing him and not totally depleted when I get home.

“What is it you really need right now?” is a helpful question.

Sometimes introverts want quiet, and don’t want to listen or talk. This is when extroverts need to adapt and wait for a better time for conversation.

• Dream together. I renovated a bedroom and found a hidden vision board of clipped magazine images which was a cool surprise. The photos showed a boat dock with the words “a boat of my own,” and a woman in a hammock. This board was created in 2006, and the dreams came true in 2017 with our lake house.

Vision boards for your family give your subconscious a strong message of what you really want in your life. Gather up the glossy magazines, find some scissors and glue and have some fun creating a dream board for your

marriage. This is especially helpful to aging farmers who don’t relish the thought of leaving the farm roles behind. You may not have to move off the farm, but what would fun look like to you when you are no longer the main manager?

• Physical play… love in action, not only sex. Intimate relationships are important and have different seasons. What sports do you enjoy together? Hunting?

Flying? Fishing? Golf? Curling?

Dancing? Board games? I feel cherished when my hubby plays Scrabble, and I usually lose, but it is the fun of being together that counts.

• Cook together. Chef Michael Smith reminded us about the joy of sharing the preparation of a meal together. For us this means grilling, inviting guests, and helping children enjoy S’mores around a campfire.

Share your stories with me, as to what you do to cherish your spouse at elaine@elainefroese. com.

Happy Valentine’s Day! Build a strong marriage. GN Elaine Froese CSP, CAFA, is a certified farm family coach who helps families communicate better and resolve conflict. Visit www.elainefroese.com/ store to source her books. Download the free Farm Family tool kit on her home page. Explore the emotional factors affecting your farm transition with her Get Farm Transition Unstuck Course. Feed her mailbox at Box 957, Boissevain, Man. R0K 0E0.

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home quarter farm life

GRAINEWS.CA / FEBRUARY 13, 2018

BIT-BY-BIT GOODBYE

The reality of Alzheimer’s disease

Reducing the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia

When a loved one is diagnosed it’s devasting but there may be some ways to help reduce the risk of developing it

BY MARIANNE STAMM

W

alter* has Alzheimer’s disease — but only his family and close friends know how deeply it affects his life.

Walter meets us at the door, greeting us by name. “Good to see you!” He takes our coats and leads us into the living room; we make small talk about the weather; a perfectly normal conversation. Yet this man is no longer capable of even making his own coffee.

“I can’t tell you how often Walter asked this morning who was coming and why,” his wife Sharon* says.

How then, did he know our names?

Sharon repeated them to him just before opening the door. It’s one of many tricks they use to cover up his declining brain function. Just as he’s always done, Walter often drops one of his funny anecdotes during the visit. It doesn’t hit us until later that he didn’t really take part in the discussion as he used to.

That’s what Sharon really misses — a real dialogue with him. Walter has difficulty following complex thought. Now, when Sharon wants to watch an interesting TV show with him he’ll soon say, “They’re just talking nonsense,” and disengage. He still answers the phone at times. Then he’ll tell Sharon, “It was someone, a man — oh, maybe a woman. It wasn’t anything important.” Later someone will turn up at the door. Eight years ago Walter

spent three days painting the outside of the house. A few days later he said to Sharon, “I should paint the house.” That’s when she realized something was wrong. Walter’s late parents both had dementia as did his late sister and a brother.

“We had the advantage of an early diagnosis,” says Sharon. Alzheimer medication works the best during the early stages of the disease. The diagnosis was a relief to the couple.

To Sharon — because she could now attribute Walter’s strange behaviour to his disease. To Walter — because he now had a legitimate excuse for his forgetfulness. Walter and Sharon live on a mixed farm, sharing the yard with their son Peter* and his family who are now the main operators. Ten years ago Peter noticed that his father no longer reported a sick calf. In time, the young couple was afraid to go away on holidays. “We realized we couldn’t count on Dad to take care of things anymore,” Peter says. It was only when Walter admitted this too, that a neighbour could be hired for holiday duty.

Walter can still be counted on to clean out the calf barn in the morning, something he’s always done.

Peter sometimes has other jobs for him too. “I’m always glad if I don’t have more work afterwards than before,” Peter says. He admits to being impatient sometimes after explaining something to his father for the third time and he still doesn’t get it. “Dad will remember for three

Our

#CYiFarm

days that I was upset with him but he won’t know why anymore.”

For now the farmyard is still a safe place for Walter where he can keep himself busy with a broom or hayfork. Sharon is thankful for every hour she doesn’t have to look out for him. “It’s the little things,” she says, “like having to remind him about everything, saying the same thing over and over, and helping him with the smallest things.”

Every second week Peter takes his father along on his tour to purchase calves. Twice a month Walter spends a day at an adult daycare facility. “It’s important to me to know that Walter could go to a place he’s comfortable with if something would happen to me,” Sharon said. It’s clear to all that Walter can only stay home as long as Sharon can care for him. It’s not easy for her but, “We once promised to be there for each other, in good days and in bad.”

Walter still sings in the men’s choir and attends the weekly senior’s gym club. The men know him and make sure he is safe.

“I feel like an old tree with a healthy root system but the branches are starting to die one by one,” Walter once said about his illness. “Bit by bit I’m dying.”

“Yes, it’s a bit-by-bit goodbye,” Sharon says. “I don’t have the partner anymore whom I once married and that’s what I find the hardest.”

• Challenge your brain. a ) Try something new or change the way you do a task; even if it’s just brushing your hair with your less dominant hand. b) Play games that challenge your mind — chess, card games, crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles. c) Learn something new like a language or a musical instrument. Take a course, pursue a new or old hobby, visit galleries and museums.

• Be active socially. Staying socially active seems to have a protective effect on dementia. a) Stay connected to family and friends. b) Remain in the workforce or find volunteer work. c) Join an exercise group or a book club.

• Make healthy lifestyle choices. Maintaining good health is as important to your brain as to the rest of your body and reduces the risk of dementia. a) Eat healthy. Choose dark-coloured foods such as blueberries and spinach.

Eat foods high in omega-3 such as nuts and fish.

February 23 – 25, 2018 sheraton cavalier hotel Saskatoon, SK

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Stop Leaving Money in the Field

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Practical Strategies to Enhance Farmers’ Health

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Pull up a chair.

Building a Winning Team

Opening Keynote Speaker “We take pride in knowing we would feel safe consuming any of the crops we sell. If we would not use it ourselves it does not go to market.”

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David Posen Let’s Talk Stress – Katelyn Duncan, Saskatchewan

Conference Kick-Off & Social with Special Guests, Sask’s very own…

“The natural environment is critical to farmers – we depend on soil and water for the production of food. But we also live on our farms, so it’s essential that we act as responsible stewards.”

The Hunter Brothers

– Doug Chorney, Manitoba

SA

Young farmers: the

Nos jeunes agriculteurs :

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Les Producteur d'œufs du Canada sont fiers partenaires de la Table pancanadienne de la relève agricole.

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box 24, Middle lake, saskatchewan s0k 2x0

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b) S tay active. Moderate regular physical exercise reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and stroke. c) Reduce stress. Practise relaxation techniques such as meditation or yoga. d) Keep track of your numbers. Keep your cholesterol, blood sugar and weight within recommended ranges.

Manage diabetes well. e) Quit smoking and avoid excessive alcohol consumption. f) Visit your doctor. Regular checkups and prompt medical attention to problems help to maintain good health.

• Protect your head. Brain injuries, especially repeated concussions put you at a higher risk for dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease. a) Wear protective headgear.

Use an approved helmet for your type of work or sports such as skiing, skating, rollerblading and cycling. b) Avoid concussions by reducing risk of falling.

Install handrails, clear snow, and throw away scatter rugs. c) Drive safely and wear a seatbelt.

*All names changed. GN

reGister online:

Story

Although age is the greatest risk for developing Alzheimer ’s disease, it is believed that a healthy lifestyle can significantly reduce the risk of dementia. A healthy brain is better equipped to fight degeneration.

Visit the cyff website

“The welfare of my animals is one of my highest priorities. If I don’t give my cows a high quality of life they won’t grow up to be great cows.”

www.cyff.ca

– Andrew Campbell, Ontario

Safe food; animal welfare; sustainability; people care deeply about these things when they make food choices. And all of us in the agriculture industry care deeply about them too. But sometimes the general public doesn’t see it that way. Why? Because, for the most part, we’re not telling them our story and, too often, someone outside the industry is.

The journey from farm to table is a conversation we need to make sure we’re a part of. So let’s talk about it, together.

Visit AgMoreThanEver.ca to discover how you can help improve and create realistic perceptions of Canadian ag.

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home quarter farm life

GRAINEWS.CA / FEBRUARY 13, 2018

FIRST WE EAT

KOREAN-STYLE FLANK STEAK

PHOTO: dee Hobsbawn-Smith

Making room in the freezer The offer of some grass-fed beef was incentive to finally dig through all that frozen food — some really old frozen food dee HobsbawnSmith

I

was sitting at my neighbour Sharon’s kitchen counter on a Sunday morning, enjoying our weekly coffee. My puppy, Jake, fussed at my feet, so I didn’t hear what Sharon had said, just held out my empty mug for a refill and shrugged. Sharon, who has known me for nearly 30 years, poured more coffee and repeated her words.

“We’ve booked in a steer for next month,” she said over Jakie’s whining, and tossed him a cookie. Sharon and her husband Ken raise Angus cattle.

One of their steers had a date with destiny; Dave and I would be the grateful recipients of grass-fed beef that had spent the past summer grazing on the field south of our yard.

“Eeek,” I said.

Sharon grinned. She knew what the shorthand meant, that my freezer exists in a permanent state of “full.”

“You could buy a second freezer,” she said.

“And put it where?”

Sharon’s been in our house, a 100-year-old crazy quilt of rooms. It began as two grain bins bolted together back in the day, with a kitchen and wood stove strung alongside, an arrangement which suited my grandparents just fine for decades. My dad had since added more rooms but the house still has only one closet and absolutely no room for a second freezer.

When I got home, hopped up on caffeine, I put on my winter gloves and schussed through the steep slopes of my freezer. Everything came out in layers. First, the wire baskets, where I store what I think I’ll need “soon”: chicken stock, tomato sauce, soups, bacon. Then a big bag filled with pork parts; another, containing homemade breads, buns, a box of filo, Dave’s stash of store-bought sweets, corn tortillas, and wedges of chocolate birthday cake and lemon semifreddo. Another bag revealed duck legs and tubs of duck fat destined for confit; chickens’ feet for the stockpot, where they’d make the stock rich and gelatinous; chard and kale from the garden; a paper-wrapped beef heart; a stash of berries and whole grain flours; a wild turkey, moose ribs and a venison roast, gifts from a hunter friend; an ice-bound slab of steelhead; tubs of pesto and cooked beans; and at the bottom, two casseroles of cabbage rolls I’d made with Sharon. I hauled out one of the casseroles and set it on the counter to thaw.

By the time I could see the freezer floor, I was surrounded by containers.

Everything was labelled, but the dates on the labels caught me by surprise. Oops. How had I missed these homemade and homegrown treasures, some of them, for several years?

I made syrup and infused vinegars with the old berries, simmered the beef heart and diced it for Jake, made

41

croutons from the corn tortillas and bread crumbs from the buns, soup with the chard and kale, stock with the chickens’ feet, and promised the moose and venison early dates with the braising pot. The old fish went to the barn cats. The stale desserts hit the trash, and we ate the cabbage rolls for supper that night.

When Ken showed up a week later with two boxes of beef, my freezer had space to spare. I’d like to say I’ve

learned the fine art of organization, but you should see my office. I do have the urge to eat more beans to counteract the beef, but that’s another story for next time. So first, let’s eat some grass-fed beef. GN dee Hobsbawn-Smith is a writer, poet and chef living west of Saskatoon. Visit www.deehobsbawnsmith.com and www. curiouscook.net for books, doings and sightings of things literary and edible.

1/2 c. soy sauce 2 tbsp. sesame oil 4 tbsp. minced green onion 6-8 cloves garlic, minced 1 tbsp. minced ginger root 2 tbsp. melted honey 1 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds 1 orange, zest and juice 1/2 tsp. hot chili flakes 1 flank steak

Flank is almost entirely lean, with a very pronounced grain; if mishandled, it falls into the “tough old boots” category of a ruined piece of meat. Avoid that by long marination, then quickly cook only to medium rare; after the cooked meat rests, slice against the grain. Makes enough marinade for one or two flank steaks.

Mix well, then cover beef with the mixture, store in a sealable bag or glass container and cover. Refrigerate overnight, or for up to 3 or 4 days. Remove meat from fridge 20 minutes before grilling or roasting to take the chill off the meat. Drain off and discard the marinade. Grill over high heat or roast at 400 F until medium rare; the exact time will vary with the size of the flank steak. Let rest a few minutes after cooking, then slice thinly. Serve on greens with Asian vinaigrette, or on crusty baguette with herb aioli.

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42

home quarter farm life

GRAINEWS.CA / FEBRUARY 13, 2018

SINGING GARDENER

Readers just can’t get enough potato info Plus, some good varieties to try and where to get them mentioned boiling rhubarb leaves and then spraying that concoction onto the infected plants. Apparently the bugs don’t like it. Manually removing and killing the bugs before they lay their eggs is probably the best method of control if it’s not too big of a potato plot. For me I will try to plant them early this year and be more vigilant and manually remove them before they lay their eggs. — Thank you, from Braden Schmidt, farmer at Earl Grey, Sask.

Ted Meseyton

singinggardener@mts.net

P

otato bugs and scabby potatoes can be formidable challenges faced by many potato growers during their gardening careers. As one backyard potato grower expressed it to me: “We love our homegrown potatoes and aren’t giving up without a fight.” There’s so much to say about potatoes.

Emails are often at the steering wheel, so am sharing from a couple received out of Saskatchewan.

Matter of fact, taters inspired me to write “The Potato Song.” Alas, 99-1/2 per cent of my Grainews readers will never get to hear the song, but everyone tuned in to this page gets to see the welcome wave of my Tilley hat and read through to the end of my closing tag. By the way — I do have my Singing Gardener cap too.

PHOTO: COURTESY EARTHAPPLES

More potatoes with scab resistance

Originating from the Netherlands, the name “Little Giant” says it all. It produces high numbers of attractive slightly elongated red-skinned baby potatoes with yellow flesh in the outdoor garden and larger raised beds. The plants hold up well against scab and appreciate the bonus of some extra nutrients via fertilizer.

I, Ted, referred Naden to Phil Bakker at EarthApples and Phil sent along these tips.

There are a few things you can do to reduce the effect of scab.

1) Avoid rich organic matter in the soil. Excess leaves, grass clippings, or fresh manure that hasn’t fully decomposed will greatly increase the chance of scab. Only use moderate amounts of well-decomposed compost or manure.

2) Do not let the plants dry out in the first phase of growth. When the potatoes start to emerge from the ground keep the plants well watered for the first few weeks.

Do not saturate the ground but keep the soil moist. Dry soil at the first stage of growth significantly increases scab.

PHOTO: COURTESY EAGLE CREEK SEED POTATOES

From Macklin, Sask.

Subject: question on potatoes: I enjoy your page in Grainews. You have lots of good gardening advice.

Do you know of a variety of potatoes that is scab resistant and where can I purchase them?? I had terrible scab last year. The potato inside was good but it sure looked awful. I just have a wee garden in town so hard to plant them in a different spot. When I lived on the farm and had a huge garden, I could rotate in different patches so never had potato scab. About five years ago I had some well-rotted manure mixed into the garden. By now I cannot even tell that it was put in. I am able to water when it does not rain but I guess the virus is in the soil. Thank you very much. — Naden Hewko

3) Use varieties that have a bit more resistance to scab. There is no scabproof variety but some are more resistant than others. A variety I can recommend is Labella which is not affected as much as others. Another good choice is the Little Giant which has a good resistance too. — Kind regards, Phil

Potato descriptions Labella produces red-skinned, yellow-fleshed potatoes and is a great staple for any serious gardener looking for an early crop of large fresh table potatoes. Plant whole (or cut) in midMay spaced 30 cm (12 inches) apart.

This variety is better suited for open gardens where the tubers can grow larger. It will still grow in containers, but overall tuber size stays smaller.

Labella has some scab resistance, heat and drought tolerance and is a good option for drier soil types. Versatility makes it ideal either boiled and baked and wonderful yellow-fleshed mashed potatoes. Leave the beautiful red skin intact to add a splash of colour and extra nutrients. Labella is also an excellent storage variety.

Little Giant (see picture) produces high numbers of yellowfleshed, red-skinned baby potatoes.

This is the perfect variety for flavourful oven-roasted potato dishes and no peeling required. Little Giant has good resistance to scab but can be sometimes slightly sensitive to early blight.

Ensure plants get some extra nutrients via fertilizer about five to six weeks after planting.

See EarthApples contact information below to place an order for aforesaid and for other seed potato varieties including Jazzy that I recently wrote about.

Shown is Dakota Pearl described as a floury cooking-type potato with high dry matter content which makes it great for mashing, boiling and making chips. Medium-size round tubers are smooth with shallow eyes, yellow skin and a white flesh. This is a good choice for fresh potato market sales and stores quite well.

Phil Bakker, director of sales and marketing Ph. 780-996-0707 Stony Plain, Alta. T7Z 0B1 Email: phil@earthapples.com or go online to www.earthapples.com.

From Earl Grey, Sask. — Subject potato bugs Hello Ted Meseyton, I have a garden that’s had potatoes continuously cropped for the past 20 years. In recent years there has been a plethora of potato bugs that attack the potato plants and it has got out of control. I am afraid to plant potatoes again for fear that the bugs will obliterate the potato plants again. I am writing to ask for any measures I can

take to destroy or prevent the potato bugs. I am not strictly organic but I do make an effort to not use any chemicals. I only grow for my own use and the family. I called Phil and he said if bugs have become so bad, a few years may be needed where potatoes are not grown on that particular piece of land. He mentioned that growing potatoes in pots can help reduce access that bugs have to the leaves, since they live in the soil. He also mentioned chitting the potatoes so they have a head start once they are planted and can maybe mature before the bugs become a problem. He said chitting is exposing the seed potatoes to sunlight at room temperature prior to seeding so that they develop green buds, or something like that. He also

Eagle Creek Seed Potatoes at Bowden, Alberta has several scabresistant seed potato varieties available this year for planting. Chieftain has bright-red skin, shallow eyes, white flesh and is moderately resistant to scab. It’s ideal either boiled or for making home fries. Gold Rush resists common scab and has russet skin with an extremely white flesh and one of the best for baking and fries. Dakota Pearl with pale-yellow skin and white flesh (see picture) also has good resistance to scab and makes excellent chips. It is a good keeper potato. If you’re looking for a novelty scab-resistant potato, consider growing eye-attractive Candy Cane with a slight sweet flavour.

This potato has a mottled ring of red under the skin and amounts of colour can vary one season to the next. Pink Fir Apple not only has scab resistance but has been grown historically for over 100 years. It’s quite an unusual fingerling potato, producing shapes of long knobby pink-skinned tubers useful in making fancy potato salads or boiled and baked. Let’s not forget that wellknown Norland is scab resistant and noted for smooth, red-skin potatoes with shallow eyes and white flesh.

For a printed catalogue that includes scab-resistant varieties mentioned and a listing of additional seed potatoes — see contact information below: John Mills Eagle Creek Seed Potatoes Box 70, Bowden, Alta. T0M 0K0 Phone toll free 1-877-224-3939 Email info@seedpotatoes.ca or online www.seedpotatoes.ca. GN

This is Ted Meseyton the Singing Gardener and Grow-It Poet from Portage la Prairie, Man. Which is better — Counting the years or making the years count?

The clock of life is wound but once, and no one has the power, to tell just when the hands will stop, at late or early hour. singinggardener@mts.net

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