The Business Agronomist Magazine Issue 6

Fall 2014 Issue 6

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息Copyright of Grow Community of Independents 2014.

Roundup Transorb速 and design are registered trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. Monsanto Canada Inc. license.

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A growing weed resistance threat.

Weeds resistant to glyphosate are becoming more common and tank-mixing an add-in product with Roundup速 Transorb can help.

Having a weed resistance management plan for your farm is essential.

Talk to your local GROW Dealer about the right crop plan for your farm.

grow.ca

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GROW CRUNCHES SOME NUMBERS

Publisher

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Grow Community of Independents

A LOOK AHEAD AT CONSUMER MARKETS

Editor in Chief

Greg McDonald greg.mcdonald@grow.ca

Editor

Kate Klassen kate@impactgr.com

Contributors John Dietz Ron Friesen Cam Kosior Andrea Hilderman Gina Borhot

For more information or extra copies of the magazine, contact Grow Community of Independents at 1-888-975-4769 or view it online at grow.ca Your feedback is important to us, let us know at info@grow.ca

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SULPHUR: A CRITICAL NUTRIENT

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WHAT’S IN THE WORKS FOR WHEAT BREEDING THE BERGEN FAMILY FARM

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A NOTE FROM GROW

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23

BAM PHOTO CONTEST

GROW CROSSWORD PUZZLE

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COMMUNICATION AND AG

Printed by

CIP Document Solutions print@gocip.com

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THE FUTURE OF ANALYTICS, DNA SEQUENCING, AND TISSUE TESTING

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Jenny Flaman jenny@impactgr.com

Art Director

IT ALL STARTS WITH THE SEED

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GROW ACADEMY SPONSORS

AGRICULTURE & GROW CANADA EXPORTED 14,475,500 METRIC TONNES OF WHEAT IN THE 2012-2013 CROP YEAR.

COUNTRIES IMPORTING CANADIAN WHEAT: EXPORTERS UNDER 600,000 METRIC TONNES MAKE UP 50% OF CANADA’S WHEAT EXPORTS.

VENEZUALA JAPAN

CHINA BANGLADESH

BY THE YEAR

2 0 5 0

WORLD F O O D

DE M A ND WILL INCREASE BY

70

WHEAT YIELDS HAVE

U.S.

MEXICO INDONESIA

PRODUCED IN WESTERN CANADA IN 2013: 1.3 BILLION

784 MILLION

443 MILLION

229 MILLION 44 MILLION

WHEAT

CANOLA

BARLEY

OATS

SOYBEANS

INCREASED FROM AN AVERAGE OF

TO

46.7%

OF ALL CANAD FARMS A IAN RE IN THESE 3 PROVINC ES

IN W E S T E R N C A N A D A GRO W IN DEPEN DENT D EALER LOCATIONS

sources: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/131126/dq131126b-eng.htm, http://www.grainscanada.gc.ca/statistics-statistiques/cge-ecg/cgem-mecg-eng.htm, http://www5.statcan.gc.ca/cansim/a26, croplife.ca/justthefacts

®

GROW TOTAL ACRE™ BECAUSE WE’VE DONE OVER

GROW IS MADE UP OF 17 INDEPENDENT DEALERS WITH OVER 70 LOCATIONS WITH DEEP ROOTS IN WESTERN CANADA

500

Dunvegan

Rycroft

20

00

19

99

19

87

GROW TOTAL ACRE CROPS

14%

19

76

CANOLA

19

72

CEREALS

19

PEAS

9% 4%

11

02

I N T H E L AS T 3 Y EA R S. BU S I N E S S AGR ON OMISTS CAN MAK E BETTER PRODU CT RE CO MMEN DATION S BASED O N R E S E A R CH U N DER LOCAL CO N DITION S.

25%

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T R I A L S

48%

ESTABLISHED

69

OTHER

19

(CANARY SEED, CORN, FABA, FLAX)

68

SOYBEANS

&

30% OF ALL GROW TOTAL ACRE TRIALS FOCUS ON FUNGICIDE PRODUCTS AND THE EFFECT THEY HAVE ON PLANT HEALTH

19

64

19

58

Quality Ser v ice Since 195 5

19

55

19

48

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It All Starts With the Seed

By Greg McDonald

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farmer’s whole crop starts with the genetic potential of the seed. Certified seed, the “blue tag” guarantee, is a clean, uncontaminated seed that has an 85 percent minimum germination in Canada. Along with the benefits of traceability, which is becoming more and more important to the public and consumers, certified seed will eventually lead to greater marketing opportunities for the producer.

Is there risk in certified seed? No, the only risk is not knowing what you are planting–with certified, you always know. Before certified seed is registered in Canada to the farmer to purchase, it goes through a timely and costly process to ensure each variety is equal or superior to “check” varieties based on three merits: agronomy, disease, and quality.

However, the most important reason to buy certified seed, is the investment back into the breeding program.

With the Canadian model, the only way money goes back into research and demand for the breeders is from royalties on certified seed, which is probably why we haven’t seen genetic yield increases and other disease

resistance in traits. Surprisingly, a number of farmers don’t test their bin run and have no idea what they are planting, which can be success or failure. It is also important that a grower considers all of the additional costs of bin run such as cleaning, storage, and freight.

So what’s next? There are many new exciting opportunities coming into Canada to help improve seed quality and performance. UPOV 91 will be introduced to strengthen plant breeding and investment into Canadian R&D, giving Canadian farmers more access to new and innovative seed varieties, which could enhance crop yield, and improve disease resistance. All the talk about hybrid wheat by 2020 could really change the certified seed market. At GROW, we are committed to our customer’s success and recommending certified seed is an important part of that. We look forward to all the possibilities and success that certified seed can bring to Western Canadian agriculture in the near future.

What should we expect in consumer markets in the next five years in Canada and globally? How will these trends impact agriculture in Western Canada?

By John Dietz ivestock, especially cattle, may be a good place to invest soon if you want to catch an upswing in market demand, according to James Bryan, Farm Credit Corporation Senior Agricultural Economist, based in Regina.

The FCC economist was looking down the highway, at the big picture for consumer markets in the next five years.

Most of that highway appears to be flat, with things staying mostly the same in terms of products that Prairie farmers can sell to the world’s major markets.

Like the Regina skyline, the options for livestock attract some attention for the economist.

“What consumers are demanding does evolve, though not rapidly,” he says.

The big exception to that picture for Canadian producers is the beef outlook.

“Beef seems to be the exception,” Bryan says. “Beef consumption around the world is expected to increase about 12 percent. That’s a lot of potential globally, and much of that growth is coming from Asia.”

As a result, FCC expects a slow expansion of the cattle herd in Canada over the next five years in response to strong prices.

“Our cattle capacity is significantly higher than we are at now,” Bryan says. “Over the past five years, our cattle herd shrank significantly in North America, and a lot of land switched from pastures and hay to the crops sector. We may see some of that [land] converting back to hay or pasture in two or three years. The cow herd is expected to have a slow steady expansion.”

OILSEED IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE 19 PERCENT. BEEF CONSUMPTION AROUND THE WORLD IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE ABOUT 12 PERCENT.

beef

“In the last 10 years, the oilseed consumption went up 35 percent, for a pretty remarkable increase. Over the next 10 years, it’s expected to increase another 19 percent.

That’s still a large increase but a slowdown from the past decade,” he says.

oilseed

Recently, two international organizations, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, issued an outlook for long-term demand for agricultural commodities. It foresees continuing growth, but at a slower rate.

19%

12%

NEXT

10 YEARS

FOR A DOLLAR OF INCOME, THE TYPICAL NORTH AMERICAN FAMILY SPENDS ROUGHLY 10 CENTS ON FOOD. IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES IT IS AS HIGH AS 40 CENTS.

10% OF THE INCOME OF NORTH AMERICAN’S IS SPENT ON FOOD

eveloping Markets

Bryan describes two consumer markets for ag products.

Most of the world’s population is located in the developing nations of Asia and Africa. Most of the family budget goes to subsistence foods. They have very little to spend, individually. Collectively, they make a huge market.

Compared to five or ten years ago, Bryan says, lower income countries are still demanding the same types of product but more of them. “Increasing their calorie intake is their first priority.”

“As incomes increase, their demand for the meat products, particularly poultry and pork, increases. As incomes increase more, they go toward more beef and more processed foods.”

As sellers to this consumer market, Canadian farmers should be aware that things are changing slowly.

Population rate of growth is expected to flatten by 2050, for instance. Urbanization is continuing as rural people move into cities.

In developing countries, increasing urbanization is still going to be driving the increase in demand for feed grains and meats. But, we should see the rate of increase starting to decrease, Bryan says.

For a dollar of income, the typical North American family spends roughly 10 cents on food. In developing countries, that could be 40 cents.

“If we’d like to get the most impact from giving a dollar of aid to somebody, we’d get the most impact by giving it to someone in a developing country. They spend a lot more on food products,” he says.

ature Markets

North American and European consumers make up a different market. Here, increases in income do not lead to a demand for more food.

“Instead, we’re demanding a more diverse product supply with value-added or health attributes,” Bryan says. “That presents challenges for Canadians exporting to those markets. Europeans are asking for the same types of things that we are–something that has high value.”

The response in domestic markets has been underway as growers supply increased specialization and division of product lines.

“If we look at gluten-free, GMO-free, ancient grains, other health attributes, we’re seeing food processors segmenting the market to figure out what people want in their food. I think that division is going to continue as food companies try to capture a little more value,” he says.

roducer Options

Producers who plan to continue serving these markets have a basic set of options.

Sell more of what they have been producing or change the nature of what they produce.

“One option is to produce a specialized product, like a value-added crop or hormone-free livestock.

There are opportunities. You just have to be sure your premium is high enough to offset the extra costs, and you have to play by the rules to produce the beef, or other products, the way they like it,” he says.

The other option, opportunity to sell more of what we already grow, is developing through trade agreements.

“Canada is gaining access to more consumer markets through participation in free trade agreements,” Bryan says. “Tariffs really do protect local farmers. In some markets, our producers were facing a 30 percent tariff that made it hard to sell into that market.”

“Participating in some of these free trade agreements really does help us gain access to these markets.”

THE FUTURE OF ANALYTICS, DNA SEQUENCING, AND TISSUE TESTING Are we advancing in these areas? Will these advances affect Western Canadian agriculture?

By John Dietz

TISSUE TESTING For at least a generation, high-value crops like corn and soybean have been subjected to tissue testing analysis at A&L Biological’s Agroecology Research Services in London, Ontario.

Tissue testing is about to be replaced, or supplemented, with the aid of drones and cameras doing spectral analysis from the air over the crop, says Dr. George Lazarovits, Research Director.

“This company, and others, are starting to develop drone aircraft and small spectral analytical cameras.

They’ll scan the spectrum from 400 to 900 nm in real time as a plane flies over the crop, and be able to calculate the nutrient status of those plants without sampling them,” he says.

“These spectra reflect chlorophyll content as well as the nutrient components that may be present in the leaf, like calcium and potassium and nitrogen. They can collect data on soil surfaces and will even be able to scan for specific fungi. We may be able to scan a field for fusarium infection and potentially fusarium toxins.”

This isn’t science fiction. A&L Biologicals is testing the technology now and expects to have products available to aid farming within one or two years.

NEW DIRECTIONS “We are one of the first labs commercially established to investigate soil health using molecular diagnostics for plant disease as well as for beneficial agents associated with crop health and productivity. That’s only the start,” Lazarovits said in a telephone interview.

“Once you understand what a healthy soil is, then you know how to keep that soil healthy. Once we know what microorganisms suppress disease and keep plants healthy, then we know what to track, and that changes everything.”

These days, Lazarovits says, the DNA analysis of soils is enabling science to identify the true nature of biological “health” for humans, and it is starting to unravel the true nature of healthy soils.

“We grossly underestimate the role microbes play in the health of both people and of soils. As our understanding evolves, we are amazed. More amazing yet will be the cost savings we come to realize in treating humans and soils.

“For every human cell in your body, you have nine bacterial cells. By DNA, you’re 10 percent human and 90 percent microbial. In the corn plant and likely for all plants, we know there are about 500,000 microbes per gram of tissue. We know they have functional roles,” he says.

DNA SEQUENCING

Instead of waiting 12 to 15 years for labs to develop, test, and multiply a seed trait, DNA sequencing is cutting years off the development time. Now it may take only six years to develop the trait, he says.

ANALYTICS IMPACT A key question for A&L and for the next generation of agriculture is to identify and then use the microorganisms that are in all plants to maintain yields and reduce input costs.

It needs highly advanced analytics to tease out the answers. Now, the analytics are in place.

“The cost of sequencing bacteria for these enormous communities (studying 1,014 bacteria) has become dirt cheap. It’s dropped from about $10,000 to sequence a thousand base-pairs to about 7 cents in the last 10 years,” he says. “It’s fast, accurate, and you don’t need a lot of expertise. Routine DNA analysis is cheap, rapid, easy, and accurate.”

Some major changes are coming quickly for farming, using molecular technologies.

And that is what “analytics” is about today: Taking DNA and identifying specific segments that represent a unique tag for identification, equivalent to a bar code saying this is tomato soup, not mushroom soup.

For instance, the DNA for most important crops and organisms has been sequenced in the last 10 to 15 years. Soon the results will be starting to flow out of labs and into fields.

A&L Biologicals routinely does analytics to identify seed health and plant disease. In the very near future, the lab will understand RNA regulated functions and will be able to say what the functions are doing.

“DNA sequencing allows you to create a blueprint. Once you know what a DNA sequence codes, breeders can look for that sequence to ensure that it is passed on as a particular trait. If you have 10,000 progeny and find that only 200 inherit the trait, you can throw away the other 9,800 that don’t have the DNA sequence, and keep going. It’s faster and reduces your cost for testing,” he says.

A&L has done extensive work on potato and tomato rhizospheres. It currently is doing the microbiome of corn. Discussions are ongoing with NRC in Saskatoon to have the A&L Biologicals lab routinely do analytics for seed health and plant disease. And, it is starting a wheat “health” initiative.

THE WORLD HAS YET TO SEE WHAT A TRULY HEALTHY SOIL CAN PRODUCE WITH EXISTING CROP VARIETIES, BUT THERE ARE CLUES THAT IT COULD BE SIMILAR IN SCOPE TO THE GREEN REVOLUTION.

“We’re starting to define this health by the microbes that are in part of the soil and plants’ system,” he says.

“Soil health is much more complicated [than deciphering diseases]. We want to understand what separates one farm that grows 300-bushel corn from another that looks similar but only grows half of that, with the same seed and fertility package.”

A&L Biologicals has evidence that the difference is associated with microbes living in corn and soil. Given a chance, microbes organize into communities that nourish and protect the crops above. The more bacteria in the soil, the more nutrients that are stored for the crop.

Now, research is underway to understand how the microbial community is regulating the plant functions and productivity. A&L has teamed up with Dr. Gregory Gloor, Western University, to unravel some key microbial activities and the impact of farming activities.

Consumers take probiotics, containing selected bacteria, to address health issues. It may be time for something similar in seed and fields.

“Instead of knocking out everything with antibiotics (or pesticides or soil disturbance), we find a way to introduce the ‘good guys’ to improve health. This is much more environmentally friendly. If we reduce the fertility input by 25 percent, think of the benefits to the environment in the form of chemical runoff into lakes and rivers,” he says.

Continuous wheat producers in the Pacific Northwest, for instance, have stopped tearing up their populations of soil microbes. In no-till, beneficial bacteria flourish.

“If you destroy them, you have to start all over.

If you keep them at high levels–which we can diagnose by molecular technologies–you prevent the pathogens from acting and a disease such as take-all does not come back. The disease vectors

are still there, but they’re suppressed,” he says.

ONTARIO GROWER Soils that are cropped for the first time provide very high yields, but yields decline over time. Dean Glenney in Dunnville, Ontario, has managed to bring this fertility back.

About 20 years ago, Glenney started building up his ecosystem to support corn and soybeans. He flips the rotation by alternating strips of corn and soybeans. He seeds with zero soil disturbance, has zero compaction, and has thousands of earthworms while still using glyphosate and fertilizers. For six years his corn production stayed close to 150 bushels per acre, then yields started increasing. Now he has plateaued at close to 300 bushels per acre.

A&L has been working with Glenney recently.

“We figure that if you don’t destroy the soil regime, the microorganisms evolve into an ecosystem that is adapted to the rotation. They are present in high populations, at a critical mass, to rapidly colonize the plants and make an impact. That’s a hypothesis we’re studying now,” Lazarovits says.

“Yield capacities of current cultivars can range hugely depending on growers’ practices and soil type. We have not considered what traits microorganisms require to successfully colonize plants or how to change our ecosystem to help them reach their optimal populations,” he says.

The world has yet to see what a truly healthy soil can produce with existing crop varieties, Lazarovits says, but there are clues that it could be similar in scope to the green revolution.

Sulphur: A Critical Nutrient

By Ron Friesen

Today, that view has changed. Producers now recognize the importance of sulphur as a plant nutrient, especially with the expansion of canola, a heavy sulphur user.

Along with other important functions, sulphur is required for the formation of long chain fatty acids in canola and other oilseed crops.

“It’s pretty much commonly known now,” says Beaton, a former director of agricultural research at the Sulphur Institute in Washington, D.C. “Producers today have so much at stake with large investments, they’re pretty alert to the need for nutrient inputs, particularly sulphur when it comes to canola.”

Canola tops other oilseeds as a high user of sulphur.

According to Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, canola removes 0.34 pounds of soil sulphur for every bushel of seed produced. Soybeans take up 0.21 pounds per bushel. Flax removes 0.19 pounds.

Jim Beaton likes to tell the story about Marvin Nyborg, a fellow soil scientist who conducted groundbreaking experiments at Beaver Lodge, Alberta back in the mid1960s to demonstrate the importance of sulphur in crop production.

Nyborg planted canola as a test crop in replicated plots on a very sulphur-deficient soil. He applied adequate amounts of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus fertilizer but no sulphur to one set of plots. The resulting yields in those plots were very low. But in the plots which received adequate amounts of sulphur along with the same treatment of the three other nutrients—yields increased by 1,000 percent.

Beaton, a consultant in Red Deer, Alberta, used Nyborg’s example in presentations many times over the years to show farmers their crop investments were in jeopardy if they didn’t use adequate sulphur in their soil fertility programs.

Nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus (N, P, and K) are always cited as the three main (or macro) nutrients in a soil fertility program. In the past, sulphur has been viewed as something of an afterthought compared to the other three. Traditionally, soil science textbooks treated sulphur as a secondary nutrient—important, but required at lower rates, like calcium and magnesium.

High yielding legume forages such as alfalfa are also big sulphur users. That’s important to remember when planting canola after breaking up an alfalfa stand.

Beaton says growers need to apply adequate sulphur to compensate for the drawdown in the soil by the previous crop.

Sulphur is also important for cereals, even though wheat requires less sulphur than canola and alfalfa do.

Beaton says a lack of soil sulphur affects the amount of chlorophyll in growing plants. Insufficient green matter in the leaves produces a pale plant that’s less productive than a bright green one.

Sulphur is also a component of protein in wheat. Beaton says studies show 90 percent of the sulphur in some plants occurs in methionine and cysteine—two amino acids which are key members of the 20 amino acids that make up a complete protein.

Even though wheat may not be a heavy sulphur user, an interaction exists between sulphur and nitrogen, a nutrient essential in producing wheat protein. For that reason, it’s important to apply adequate sulphur to ensure the nitrogen is properly used by the plant, says Beaton.

“If sulphur is lacking, the plant is unable to fully utilize the nitrogen it takes up. It takes up nitrogen but is unable to convert it into the end products, which are the proteins.”

Sulphur may not affect the actual amount of protein in wheat but it can affect quality. John Heard, a soil fertility specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, says a lack of sulphur in certain amino acids can affect the baking quality of bread.

“If we produce wheat on sulfur deficient soils, we get less bread rising and less loaf volume,” Heard says.

Unfortunately, grain elevators measure wheat protein according to nitrogen content but not sulphur. Heard suggests growers might pay more attention to sulphur fertility of cereals if it were a factor in grading.

Although producers are well aware of the importance of adequate sulphur for growing canola, Heard says dropping canola from crop rotations in favour of corn and soybeans can lead to sulphur deficiencies in the soil.

canola and include soybeans in their rotations, then all of a sudden rotations aren’t getting crops that are fed heavily with sulphur. Then we start to see visual sulphur deficiencies, generally in corn or cereals first.”

There are several forms of sulphur fertilizer. An old standard is ammonium sulphate, a granular with a long history going back to the early 1930s when commercial fertilizers first began to appear in Western Canada.

Granular/dispersible elemental sulphur is another standard form. A more recent dry product consists of ammonium phosphate coated with 15 percent sulphur in two different forms—elemental S and ammonium sulphate. Ammonium thiosulphate comes in a liquid form that can be blended in a tank mix.

“As long as producers include sulphur-fertilized canola in their rotations, we tend not to see deficiencies in other crops like corn and cereals. But if they move away from

.34 LB/AC

.21 LB/AC .19 LB/AC

FOR EVERY BUSHEL OF SEED PRODUCED, CANOLA REMOVES 0.34 POUNDS OF SOIL SULPHUR, SOYBEANS TAKE UP 0.21 POUNDS PER BUSHEL, FLAX REMOVES 0.19 POUNDS

WHAT’S IN THE WORKS FOR WHEAT BREEDING

By Cam Kosior

A “

fter

investing $15 million to expand our Canola Research and Breeding Centre in Saskatoon in 2009, we are now embarking on another exciting journey with our Wheat Breeding Centre,” says Tammy Melesko, Business Communications Partner for Bayer CropScience.

“Our latest investment in Saskatchewan will bring new outstanding wheat varieties and traits to the Canadian farmers, ensuring they remain on the leading edge of wheat production globally.”

The focus of the facility will be working towards breeding more disease-resistant wheat varieties as well as improving yield and other characteristics that will provide agronomic benefits that could be used by the Canadian grower.

The first building to be built will include lab and office space, and an equipment and seed storage space with a workshop. The total area of the buildings will be approximately 22,000 square feet. Future plans include adding a greenhouse, as well.

Ground was broken for the initial building in August 2014 with a slated completion date of July 2015.

“Saskatoon was chosen as the site because of its proximity to many of the different growing regions in Western Canada and its proximity to industry partners,” says Melesko. “Saskatoon is the heartland of the wheat growing region in Canada and a hub of agriculture businesses and research in Western Canada.”

With worldwide work being done to decode the wheat genome, new research into improving wheat varieties has developed increased importance. Bayer is breeding wheat in Europe, Australia, and the United States as well as in Canada. If a disease resistant variety is developed at one of these sites this new facility will be able to use it to develop a variety that will grow well in Canada.

Bayer CropScience Wheat Breeding Centre groundbreaking on September 8, 2014 Kamel Beliazi, Hon. Gerry Ritz, Hon. Lyle Stewart, Rick Turner, Sally Clayshulte, Marcus Weidler and Tom Zatorski

“Bayer CropScience is committed to innovating Canadian agriculture, and our confidence in Canada’s science-based policy and regulatory climate is a key driver for our investment,” adds Melesko.

“The Wheat Breeding Centre is a significant step in our investment in agriculture for Canadian farmers, a key link in the global development of our wheat program to bring the best germplasm from all over the world to our customers with the ability to breed and test varieties in our local conditions.”

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C-55-09/14-10250625-E

THE BERGEN FAMILY FARM

By Andrea Hilderman

Kyle and Tom Bergen and their wives farm with their parents, Bob and Joanne Bergen, at Drake, Saskatchewan.

The family has farmed for as long as their history is known, with Kyle and Tom being the fourth generation to farm in Canada.

The three families farm 5,000 acres of primarily wheat, canola, and oats.

While they farm together, Kyle also works off-farm as an AgIntelligence Specialist for Blair’s Family of Companies at Lanigan, Saskatchewan.

“After completing my education at the University of Saskatchewan in agriculture, I had a great opportunity at Blair’s,” says Kyle. “It’s a great place to continue to hone my agronomy skills, learn from other Business Agronomists and broaden my knowledge. It’s made me a better agronomist and a better farmer. ” Kyle takes his work home, or maybe the other way around, but looking at it either way, the professional skills he has acquired through his education

“KYLE AND I EACH HAVE DIFFERENT AREAS OF EXPERTISE, WHICH ARE A GREAT ASSET TO THE FARM BUSINESS.”

and work experience translate directly to the management of the farm.

“Knowing when to scout and what to look out for and then what products to use is a key component of the active management of the crop,” says Kyle. “On top of that, when I am ‘at work’ for Blair’s I am always exposed to new ideas, new techniques and practices, new varieties and active ingredients. I trial those on my own farm as well as keep very close tabs on how it’s working with my customers.”

One of the latest techniques Kyle has started to adopt on his own farm is variable rate technology and precision management. “I’ve been around people working with this technology for a few years now and I thought the time was right to get our own farm on board,” explains Kyle. “Seeing others have success with it and learning with them about how to implement it on the farm, I have seen how beneficial it can be. 2014 is our first season,

and we plan to continue.”

Kyle brings this same enthusiasm and approach to his clients when he is at work.

As a farmer, he understands the pressures and challenges of farming, but he also has a solid grasp of the solutions and opportunities. Working off-farm as an agronomist is not just a job for Kyle. He’s invested in the outcomes of all of his recommendations, so much so that he often will test or trial new technologies or varieties on his own farm. It gives him greater confidence when he’s working with clients or planning out new management strategies for his own operation. Farming today is more complex and carries greater risk potentially for losses given the cost to produce a crop.

“Not getting the timing right with a fungicide or missing a disease or insect infestation can be a huge setback,” says Kyle. “I use my skills to mitigate the risks and capture every opportunity I can.”

“THE KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE THE BOYS HAVE IS A GREAT COMBINATION OF SKILLS FOR THEIR PARTNERSHIP.”

Tom chose a different route and apprenticed at a John Deere dealership through SIAST to get his agricultural machinery journeyman ticket.

He worked another four years at the dealership but then came back to the farm.

“Kyle and I each have different areas of expertise, which are a great asset to the farm business,” says Tom. Bob Bergen is in a good position, an enviable one even, having his two sons find their own careers and still come back to the farm and be fully employed, engaged, and excited for a future in farming.

“It couldn’t be a better situation,” he says. “The knowledge and experience the boys have brought home is a great combination of skills for their partnership to mature over the years.” Bob also sees the benefits of having two highly trained and skilled professionals moving the farm forward on a solid footing for yet another generation to come.

COMMUNICATION AND AG

By Gina Borhot Communication today is often referred to as instantaneous. By the touch of a button or the click of a mouse there is endless information at our fingertips.

This new age communication revolving around the constant use of websites, social media and text messaging has transformed our world into a digital sphere of quick knowledge that gives anyone a voice– but is the information always true?

make it true,” she says.

But once information is posted on the web it’s likely not going away, so it can be challenging when placed in the point of opposition.

“It’s important to be proactive”, Burtnack explains.

Delaney Ross Burtnack, President and CEO of the Canadian Institution of Agri-Retailers (CAAR) says that one of the biggest challenges in relation to effective communication is the challenge of misperceptions and myths in agriculture, and how quickly and broadly they can be spread online under the guise of truth.

“Once those negative messages are put out online it is difficult to have an impact when you are on the defensive,” she says. “That has been a strong message and there are a number of initiatives in the industry that recognize that proactive, positive, truthful, communication is critical for the success of agriculture and to overcome whatever opinions are being generated by negative communications.”

“The fact that it’s on the Internet doesn’t necessarily

Among the common misconceptions seen in online

communication Burtnack describes is the myth that farmers are irresponsible in managing their land or that they contribute to pollution by overusing product.

“That is a challenge, to change the perception of the public to realize that farmers are the original stewards of the land. They are the most invested in ensuring their land is productive for years to come and that’s an important factor in how carefully they manage it.”

Although the pressures of online communication can be hard to keep up with, there are many positive aspects that the web has brought to the agricultural industry.

“For instance, the ability to have the opportunity to comment on articles is definitely advantageous,” says Burtnack.

“The ability to simultaneously offer varying viewpoints on an article and link to information that is factual and truthful is an immediate opportunity for anyone in agriculture to begin to try and dispel those myths and get the truth out there.”

Connecting via social media and text has also been a

positive form of communication now used by retailers and farmers.

“Twitter is something that is really exciting to see our industry doing a better job at being proactive in using.

Linking to real stories and videos about farmers or retailers puts a real face and real person to the term farmer or retailer that may not be accessible to someone who is not connected to the farm,” she says.

“If a person is from the city, for example, and doesn’t have any farm connections, to actually see a video of a regular person producing crops and livestock, and trying to raise a family and be a good citizen–that changes peoples’ perception. It’s not just a word, now, it’s a person who has thoughts and feelings, and cares about things—among those things is their family and their land,” Burtnack says.

Texting is another trend that has become a popular form of communication.

“We are finding farmers are communicating by text to retailers and agronomists, and that is really an unprecedented level of real-time communication that may be faster than a phone call, especially if a person is out of the office,” Burtnack says.

Using various forms of new communication technologies available today will ensure that retailers and farmers can communicate the importance of what they are doing.

“It has been critical and only is going to become more critical in terms of making sure we are clear and proactive in our communication,” says Burtnack.

“Especially as we conduct new research and learn new methods of production that are more sustainable, more efficient, and better for all aspects of future production.”

Making sure communication is constant as the industry evolves and grows is crucial.

“As we change and improve we need to make sure we communicate the value and importance of that change because change can be scary without understanding,” she says.

“Communicating a proactive understanding of what we do, why we are doing it, and why it’s better, so we can meet the goal of feeding 9 billion people in 2050 –if we don’t do that, we are not going to succeed.”

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