THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2016
VOL. 94 | NO. 42 | $4.25
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SERVING WESTERN CANADIAN FARM FAMILIES SINCE 1923
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Prairie farmers assessing their losses
BY ROBERT ARNASON BRANDON BUREAU
Related stories:
Sask. ag minister rules out ad hoc assistance BY BRIAN CROSS
Saskatchewan grain producer Jeff Simpson has one word to describe the 2016 growing season and the harvest situation that many of the province’s farmers are now facing. “It’s devastating,” said Simpson, a board member with the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan. “There are individual farmers out there with thousands of acres still out, I mean, mind-boggling amounts. “Barring something that I’m unaware of from years and years and years ago, this is probably the biggest disaster (to hit the province’s farmers) at this time of year.” Harvest progress across most if not all of Western Canada has ground to a halt during the past two weeks.
Recurring rain, snow, overcast skies and cool daytime temperatures have forced farmers to park their machines and given them plenty of time to assess their situations and tally potential losses. For many, the synopsis isn’t pretty. Simpson, who farms near Ruthilda, Sask., about 180 kilometres southeast of Saskatoon, said many growers in his area still have twothirds of their crop still in the field. He said the harvest of 2016 could be the last straw for some growers, the factor that ultimately decides whether it’s time to throw in the towel and begin looking for another career. “I think this could be a decisionmaker for a lot of farmers,” said Simpson, who is considering his own options outside of farming. “It’s extremely hard to protect yourself against situations like this.
P. 4 Feed grain is expected to be in abundance this year
The safety nets, as far as I’m concerned, weren’t designed for situations like this. These are one in 50 or one in 75 year events. You just can’t cover yourself.” Some growers are in better shape than others, but almost all farmers across the West will feel the impact of this year’s damp and messy harvest. Saskatchewan producers had five to six million acres left to harvest as of late last week, including 2.5 million acres of canola, 1.5 million acres of wheat and 1.25 million acres of durum. Last week, ag markets analyst Larry Weber from Weber Commodities Ltd. pegged the value of unharvested grain and oilseeds at approximately $2 billion in Saskatchewan and $1.6 billion in Alberta. SEE FARMERS ASSESS LOSSES, PAGE 4
ENVIRONMENT
Can farmers do more to cut emissions?
‘DEVASTATING’ HARVEST
SASKATOON NEWSROOM
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P. 16 Harvest woes slowing grain movement to export P. 60 Farmers have grain drying options: what’s best? P. 62 Farmers share their tips for winter combining P. 63 Making the case against running grain aeration fans continuously
The average canola yield on the Prairies increased to 34.1 bushels per acre in 2010-13 from less than 25 bu. per acre in 2000-03. Meanwhile, greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural soil from applying nitrogen in Canada increased to 32 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents in 2012 from 29 megatonnes in 2000. This means canola yields increased 40 percent while nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural soil increased only 10 percent. That may be a great success story, but a University of Manitoba soil scientist says Canada’s agricultural industry can do more. Growers can increase crop yields while lowering emissions. “ I’ m c o nv i n c e d w e n e e d t o reduce total greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture,” said Mario Tenuta, Canada research chair in applied soil ecology, who has been studying greenhouse gases from soil for years. SEE GAS EMISSIONS, PAGE 5
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Farmers are doing what they can to salvage this year’s harvest. Nick Scharf of Perdue, Sask., throws his shovel after pulling back freshly dried canola from the edge of the grain cart, which was then loaded in grain bags Oct. 12. | WILLIAM DEKAY PHOTO
The Western Producer is published in Saskatoon by Western Producer Publications, which is owned by GVIC Communications Corp. Publisher: Shaun Jessome Publications Mail Agreement No. 40069240
OCTOBER 20, 2016 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Box 2500, Stn. Main, Saskatoon, SK. S7K 2C4