AgriPost June 26 2015

June 26, 2015 1The Agri Post

By Les Kletke

Federal Agricultural Minister Gerry Ritz wants the US tostop dragging its feet and repeal the Mandatory Country ofOrigin Labelling (M-COOL) legislation. The US is out of options and retaliation cannot be avoidedby drawing out the WTO process. Canada is disappointedthat the US is attempting to prolong the WTO process byrequesting arbitration,” said Ritz in a statement released Jun17. In early June the Minister of International Trade, Ed Fastannounced that Canada requested authorization from theWorld Trade Organization (WTO) to retaliate after the USwas handed a 4th ruling against the US retaliation. Since itwas implemented in 2008, the estimated to cost Canada’slivestock industry has been $3 billion annually. Last yearagricultural trade between the two countries topped $51 bil-lion. The trade relationship between the two countries haslong been regarded as the largest in the world trading ingoods and services that surpass $870 billion last year. Canada has requested to impose $3.068 billion per year inretaliatory measures against the US. “Despite the WTO’sfinal ruling that the US country of origin labelling measuresis discriminatory, the United States continues to avoid itsinternational trade obligations,” said Fast. “Our governmentwill now move ahead under the WTO process and seek au-thorization for over $3 billion in retaliation. We continue tocall on the United States to repeal COOL.” Ritz has made it clear that he supports the move to seekretaliatory action against the US. No one is sure where atrade dispute could end up and the Americans rely heavilyon the Canadian market. It is the top agricultural export mar-ket for 29 US states and in the top 5 for 48 of the states.Canada did publish a list of the commodities, which could beimpacted in the Canada Gazette in June of 2013. Ritz said that Mexico is getting involved as well. Mexicohas long argued the impact of COOL on its livestock indus-try as well.

Canada Files RetaliationRequest with WTO

“The Canadian and Mexican governments will continue towork closely to resolve this important trade issue with theUnited States in order to defend our farms and ranchers andmaintain jobs and economic prosperity throughout America,”said Ritz. Reaction within America has been mixed with some groupscalling on the government to move quickly to resolve theissue while others like R-CALF say it should stay in place. On June 10, the House of Representatives in a vote 300 to131 voted to repeal the mandatory country of origin labellingrequirements for beef, pork and poultry. The legislation wouldstill leave in place country-of-origin labelling requirementsfor several other commodities, including lamb, venison, sea-food, fruits and vegetables and some nuts. “The only way for the United States to avoid billions inretaliation by late summer is to ensure legislation repealing(country of origin labelling) passes the Senate and is signedby the president,” said Ritz.

Ag Minister Gerry Ritz is calling for fast action by the US torepeal COOL or Canada will retaliate.

Manitoba Pork Hopes forSpeedy US Repeal of COOL

By Harry Siemens

Andrew Dickson General Manager of Manitoba Porkis hoping for change, soon. Dickson, just back from atrip to Washington DC said the Americans took thefirst step when the US House of Representatives votedwith a huge majority to repeal the COOL for pigs andcattle. “For the last three days I was in Washington with asmall group from the Canadian Pork Council and wewent around to 20 different offices of the senators andrepresentatives in the US congress,” said Dickson. “Itis very clear to us that it would pass by a good marginin the House, the repeal of COOL for beef, pork, andchicken.” He hopes strong Congressional support for the re-peal of COOL will prompt similar action in the US Sen-ate.Facing the threat of retaliatory tariffs on a wide rangeof products exported from the United States intoCanada and Mexico, the US Congress voted, by a mar-gin of 300 to 131, to repeal Mandatory US Country ofOrigin Labelling. Unfortunately, with the senate, it is a different sce-nario. Both houses have to propose legislation, andthey are not necessarily in concert when they do this.They come together in what they call a conference andagree to final legislation. Dickson is hopeful the strength of the Congressionalvote, combined with growing pressure from US indus-try, will influence the Senate to pass a similar bill. “Somemajor business coalitions have come together to op-pose COOL, and not just farm organizations like theAmerican Farm Bureau which finally said COOL needsto be fixed,” he said. “But major trade associations ofcompanies on that target list, and they are coming forthand saying to the US government and to the Con-gress, get this matter fixed quickly.” “This is interfering in business, it’s going to affectjobs, it’s going to hurt people’s incomes, livelihoodson both sides of the border, and over a matter that canbe easily resolved by simply repealing the legislation.”Dickson anticipates major pressure on the Senate todeal with the issue before it breaks for its summer re-cess.He noted that if action is delayed, senators could beleft with too little time when they return in Septemberto act before tariffs take effect.

Continued on page 3

June 26, 20152 The Agri Post


By Les Kletke

It is time to move on fromthe protectionism of the USCOOL legislation. That is thefeeling of Carol Keisser whooperates cattle feeding opera-tions in Kansas, Nebraskaand Illinois. She is also aboard member of Truth aboutTrade and Technology a na-tionwide group that sponsorsthe Global FarmersRoundtable in Des Moines inOctober. The group is fo-cused on advancing trade andmaking consumers aware ofsafe food production prac-tices. The US House of Represen-tatives voted 300 to 131 to re-peal COOL legislation. AgCommittee Michael Conway

He said the hope is cooler heads will prevail, and theywill repeal the legislation in both houses then come upwith something else, and before they take their summerbreak in August. Meantime Canada has proceeded with its case to theWTO and should have authority to take retaliatory mea-sures by August to place tariffs on US products exportedto Canada on approximately 130 categories of products,including office furniture, wine, pork, beef and ethanol. “Most people in the US farm industry recognize this isa failed experiment and need to go back to the drawingboard here,” said Dickson. “There is no question there ismore and more need to provide better information to con-sumers about their food.” He explained that Canada hascountry of origin labelling for some products but it isworking, no one is filing a complaint and why not adoptsomething like Canada has. He said the message must go out that COOL has noth-ing to do with food security or safety, but from the Ameri-can standpoint, it has everything to do with keeping Ca-nadian live hogs and cattle out of the US market.

Continued from page 1

Time to Move on from Protectionism to Trade Advancements

Pork COOLcontinued...

said, “It has been a marketingfailure.” North Dakota Stockman’sAssociation Steve Brookshared the same opinion thatit had been a failure in an at-tempt to market all Americanbeef and had in fact cost hisstate’s cattlemen money. Keisser said repealing thelegislation is the only way toavoid a costly trade war withCanada and Mexico. In an edi-torial, she stated that COOLsounded good in theory andit even had a nifty acronym-but in practice, it turned outto be a gigantic mess. Welearned that the vast majorityof consumers do not care ifthe beef, pork or poultry theybuy in the grocery stores ispartly a product of Canada.

When they look at labels atall, it is to judge quality andprice, not to discriminatebased on national origin. A beef producer herself in3 states and the CEO of C-Barr Cattle she added, “Thelabels don’t make our meatsafer. We already have regu-lations for that. All the meatsold in the United States,whether it’s from one of myfeedlots in the US or thecompetitors feedlot inManitoba, must undergomandatory inspections.” She said the legislation notonly failed as a marketingploy but also made thingsmore difficult for producers,as they were required to seg-regate livestock through ev-

ery stage of production. TheUSDA estimates that COOLcost American consumers $2.6billion annually. R-Calf the greatest sup-porter of COOL legislation ap-pears to have realized the prog-nosis an in its latest statement,voiced disappointment in themove from the US Congressto repeal the legislation ratherthan its longstanding positionof fighting to the keep COOLin place. Keiser said the only work-able option is to repeal the leg-islation and replace it with asystem of voluntary labels.Consumers who really want toknow where their chickenshatched will be able to acquirethis information.

By Les Kletke

Scott Hiebert believes thatdrones will have a place inagriculture in westernCanada but he is realisticthat the application is in theearly stages. Hiebert is the Director ofOperations for Green AeroTech a Carman companythat offers a full line ofservice around the un-manned aircraft. “We sellthe UAV (unmanned AerialVehicle) and provide serviceas well,” said Hiebert. “Butat this time I would recom-mend that a producer hire usand see what the unit cando and become familiar withit.” He likens the informationfrom the units to where yieldmonitors and field mappingwere about 8 -10 years ago. “We were at a point wherethe yield maps were prettypictures but they could notbe translated to on fieldpractices, that developedand the information from

Drones Mapping Farm Land and AidingFarmers in their Crop Decisions

Scott Hiebert suggests farmers hiring a drone for their first experience and learning the potential ofthe tool before committing to a purchase.

Photo By Les Kletke

this tool will do the same.” He also acknowledgedthat the industry is develop-ing rapidly and control ofthe units will become easier.“I would guess that in abouttwo years you will have onebutton control,” he said.“At this point operationrequires some training andmuch more effort; that willget easier.” While he does somemapping for individualfarmers, he said the majorityof his work is done forcompanies involved in theseed business. “We canprovide them with maps ofvegetative growth and that

can be translated tospotting disease problemsbut at this time there arenot many individuals thatcan read the maps and gainan advantage so there isnot much point in themgetting a unit and mappingtheir fields.” He said his company isworking with farmers andproviding elevation maps.“That is the greatestpractical application at thistime,” said Hiebert. “Forsomeone who is putting intile drain the maps can givethem an accurate elevationmap of the land they aretilling.”

“...we are recommendinghiring someone for the first yearor two instead of buying a unit

that does not provide theinformation you want and

sitting in the back of the shed.”

Hiebert has obtainedlicences for all uses of theUAV and can fly the dronesin any area. The price of theaircraft varies from $2,000 to$20,000. “You can start outwith a $2,000 entry level UAV

but if you want somethingthat will give you accuratemapping and recordingfeatures the price moves upfairly quickly,” he said.“That is why we arerecommending hiring

someone for the first year ortwo instead of buying a unitthat does not provide theinformation you want andsitting in the back of theshed.”


by RolfPenner

PennersPoints

[email protected]

We are in an increasing global business with an increasingly local slant, and technology is makingthat easier. A trip to Western Canadian Farm Progress show made that painfully obvious. Some might accuseme of living under a rock for not knowing how many companies there are offering drones. If that isthe crime, I plead guilty but as I walked the aisles of displays, I could not believe how many displayswere offering the service. A year or two ago the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle was somewhat of novelty at a farm show, now itappears to be mainstay, there had to be a half dozen. I remember when mobile communications were

in that category, now there is not a single cell phone sellerto be found on the premises. The applications for these aircraft is increasing expo-nentially daily (that means really fast) and by the time Igot home I am sure the information I had gathered wasdated, but that is the way our industry is going and youhave to be running to be keeping up, never mind gettingahead. Remember when yield maps were new and variable rateapplication of fertilizer was becoming a reality, now it is agiven, that is the droning a field is right now. I am not surethat droning is the right verb but there will be one created

to describe the process of flying over a field and gaining a bunch of information. Then someone willfigure a way to use that information and allow you to better manage you farm on an even smaller unitbasis. The other end of the spectrum and not the other end of the show had more international visitorsthan ever before. I chanced upon and Oklahoman as I registered who was there to visit with whomhe called, “The good folks from Westfield, who build a pretty good grain auger. They are the biggestin the world,” he said. I told him I was familiar with the firm. Another turn had me meeting face to face with a couple of visitors from France who were touringCanada to see the potential for their tillage equipment. Currently it was a bit small but they weresure they could make bigger units to fit the market. The old adage about thinking globally and acting locally is no longer prophetic; it is the mainstayof the business of agriculture. Tools and applications are now available at our doorstep to makebetter managers on a very intensive basis, down to managing huge fields like small plots. Thinking globally acting locally is not leading edge, it is the only way to survive and thrive in abusiness that continues to change. The question now is how you get the information about what isnew and how do you decide on what has a practical application on your farm. There were an awful lot of expensive toys at Farm Progress Show; the good managers will buy theones that fit in their sandbox.

The M-COOL sagacontinues to evolve, as thepeople who keep fighting fora North American livestockindustry want to see the USgovernment repeal thelegislation as it pertains tobeef, pork and chicken.

There are those, namelythe R-CALF organization inthe United States that reallywants to keep M-COOL asit is, basically, to shut theborders to Canadian andMexican live cattle and hogs.And M-COOL is doing avery effective job helping R-CALF meet its objective; inthe meantime hindering thecattle processing industry,which is short of live cattle,and to a lesser degree the hogprocessors, too. The US House ofRepresentatives repealed M-

Regulatory creep is an ongoing problem in all industries, agriculture included. Recently, the West-ern Canadian Wheat Growers Association voiced its concern about a good example of such creep. Itconcerns a re-evaluation of the popular herbicide “glyphosate” by the Pest Management ReviewAgency (PMRA). All registered pesticides are reassessed every 15 years concerning potential human health andenvironmental risks. The process is quite lengthy. For glyphosate, it started all the way back in2010. PMRA published its proposed decision and the good news is that glyphosate will still beregistered for all agricultural applications for which it’s now in use. The PMRA invited comment on their plan; a good summary of it can be found on the HealthCanada website under, “Proposed Re-evaluation Decision PRVD 2015-01, Glyphosate”.What’s the problem? It’s nothing really major. But that’show regulatory creep works, by slowly ratcheting upthe restrictions until one day they all add up to a bigproblem. Think of it as the proverbial slippery slope. One of the proposals in this case says that going into afield after it has been sprayed with glyphosate should berestricted for 12 hours. Not a big deal, right? How oftendo you go back and scout a field immediately after you’vesprayed? Generally, the scouting is done beforehand.But that’s not the point. As anyone who has sprayed thestuff can tell you, it dries very quickly. Science shows usthat residue isn’t easily passed onto workers and even ifit did, it doesn’t cause any health problems. The Wheat Growers suggest instead that, “The labelsnot specify a time limit but should instead indicate that field entry is allowed once the herbicideapplication has dried.” Another concern was the proposed tightening of buffer zones around waterways. The WheatGrowers point out that they, “Appear to have been put in place without any evidence that currentpractices are causing problems.” They make a good point. Some may say it’s only common sense toincrease such buffer zones, but if it’s never been shown to be a problem then further restrictionsreally shouldn’t be needed. In general, and to be fair, the PMRA does take a very science-based approach to crop protectionproducts and that’s a good thing. It does acknowledge how important and valuable glyphosate is toCanadian farmers. The Agency correctly notes that glyphosate is good at controlling all sorts ofdifferent weeds and has helped reduce the amount of tillage needed. Unfortunately, more and more we see knee-jerk reactions based on emotion and the appeasementof activists rather than on that of sound science. The pesticide bans in various cities are goodexamples of these, where dandelions and other weeds now flourish on what should be grassy parksand lawns. But even those agencies with the most rational, evidence-based approaches are underconstant lobbying by pressure groups looking to take more tools out of farmers’ hands. Even a simple thing like reminding regulators of the benefits of a particular product can be usefulin counteracting some of the negativity. In this case, the Wheat Growers reminded the PMRA thatglyphosate also, “Allowed farmers to considerably reduce the use of other herbicide products, someof which may pose greater risk to human health or the environment,” and that “By controllingcertain perennial weeds,” control and profitability benefits can be realized over a number of years. It’s important that all farm groups keep a vigilante eye on these government agencies, specificallywatching out for regulatory creep, as well as new restrictions that may one day be on the table. Kudos to the Wheat Growers for catching this one and voicing their concerns.

Doing International BusinessLocally from Your Doorstep

Catching the “Creep”

Another Bumpin the Road for

M-COOL RepealCOOL by a large margin andnow it is up to the US senateto do the same. In themeantime, the Americansthrow in another hitch, and astalling tactic. Ag Minister Gerry Ritzand Ed Fast, International

Trade Minister issuedthe followingstatement in responseto the US decision toseek arbitration at theWorld TradeOrganization (WTO)on the amount ofdamages caused by

COOL. The decision comesafter Canada requested WTOauthority to imposeretaliatory tariffs of morethan $3 billion annually onUS exports due to damagescaused by COOL. “Canada is disappointedthat the US is attempting toprolong the WTO processby requesting arbitration,”said Ritz. “The US is out ofoptions and retaliationcannot be avoided bydrawing out this process.” The joint statement, statesthe Chief Economist for the

United States Department ofAgriculture saying it iscosting the Americanindustry alone some $2.6billion (USD) annually.“Canada is confident in ourassessment that COOL iscausing more than $3 billionin annual damages to theCanadian cattle and hogindustry.” “In all previous rulings, theWTO has found Canada’seconomic analysis regardingCOOL to be robust. Ouranalysis was quantified byDaniel Sumner, a world-renowned specialist inagricultural economics,” saidFast. “Our government’sposition remains unchanged.The only way for the UnitedStates to avoid billions inretaliation by late summer isto ensure legislationrepealing COOL passes theSenate and is signed by thePresident.” Andrew Dickson, GeneralManager for Manitoba Porksays the R-CALF people arenot happy campers….theylost but won’t admit it.Using phrases like sovereignsimply indicates theirprotectionist leanings on thismatter.

“They are blowing smoke.Canada filed its request fortariff authorization severaldays ago and the WTO willnow proceed with formingan ArbitrationPanel……USTR objected tothe amount Canadasubmitted,” said Dickson.“We will get a ruling on theamount within the next twomonths. There are nooptions for USTR to stopthe process other than argueabout the amount.” The House is tired of theissue and started thelegislative process to get theCOOL clauses on beef andpork for retail cuts repealed.There will be much hootingand hollering while theSenate works out itsposition and then the twobodies will come toConference and pass a finalbill. Hopefully this fall, headded. Jim Long a hog commenta-tor said COOL has hurtCanadian swine producersfinancially. Several slaughterplants in the US will nottake Canadian pigs due tothe COOL ramifications andthe others that do takeCanadian hogs, do so at a

discount. “The cost to the Canadianindustry according to theCanadian government is inthe billions,” said Long.“Since COOL implementa-tion, the Canadian hogbreeding herd has declinedby over 20 percent. Not allthe decrease is attributable toCOOL, but it certainly was amajor factor.” He expects that when theAmericans repeal COOL,there will be more of a freeflow of pigs from Canada.“The eastern Corn Belt withthe new swine plant inMichigan being built will beshort hogs,” said Long. “Weexpect this will lead tomarket hogs from Ontario,which is short packercapacity to come to easternstates. Capacity might be adifferent story with mosthogs staying there as long asCanadian Packers stay pricecompetitive.” He said COOL was noteffective as a marketing planfor consumers’ confidence.It was effective in hurtingCanada’s swine industry, andto a lesser extent, the USpackers, too.


On April 30, 2015, the Government of Manitoba releasedtheir last budget before the provincial election scheduled forApril 2016. This budget set out the priorities of the NDP gov-ernment, not only for this year, but also as a large part of theplatform the NDP will stand on going into the next election.There is a concerning lack of attention being paid to the needsof rural Manitobans in this recent provincial budget. Funding to the Agriculture, Food and Rural DevelopmentDepartment has been cut in every area – every budget line.This past December 4 the “Farm and Food Awareness Act”was introduced with the intent to raise awareness of localfood and farming but the NDP have cut the funding to thevery programs that work towards those ends. This placesmore pressure on industries to advocate for themselves. To-

gether with our federal conservative government’s cuts to Agriculture research and theloss of the Canadian Wheat Board to foreign investors, we are seeing a drain on Manitoba’sessential agriculture industry and its ability to grow and stay competitive, both nationallyand on the world stage. I have previously written about the excellent work of the Small Scale Food Manitobaworking group. The group has now been disbanded with no clear plan for the implementa-tion of their valuable recommendations. This move by the NDP government to take noaction on behalf of farmers has been underscored by the cuts in Agriculture, Food andRural Development budget. Our waterways and our land are the essence of a strong agriculture community andindustry in Manitoba. Yet, we are witnessing provincial budgetary cuts across the boardin conservation and water stewardship. Flood protection lines in the infrastructure budgethave flat-lined this year as well. Many of our farms are still experiencing the effects of the2011 flood. Many farmers along the Assiniboine are still waiting for answers and actionfrom this NDP government. The Keystone Agricultural Producers indicate that the 2014 flood lost Manitoba’s farm-ers up to $1 billion and affected 25% of arable acres. It’s increasingly clear and veryconcerning that our NDP government appears to be overlooking the best interests of ruralManitobans and our province’s vital agricultural sector.

G3 has announced it may build a new grain terminal at the WestLynn terminal on the North Shore of Vancouver’s Burrard Inlet. G3 is the joint venture of US-based multi-national grain company,Bunge Ltd., and the Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Co.(SALIC), owned by the Saudi government. It was given the assets ofthe now-privatized CWB in early April in return for a promise toinvest $250 million in the company. While some are cheering thenews of another port facility, others see it is more evidence thatending the farmer-directed single-desk Canadian Wheat Board (CWB)has made our grain system less efficient and has allowed grain com-panies to become more powerful and profitable. The single-desk CWB coordinated transportation from countryelevator to port vessel so that the existing port facilities were wellutilized and grain moved on time, even ahead of schedule. For ex-ample, the CWB co-operated with different terminal owners to achieveefficient loading of 50-60,000-tonne Panamax vessels, since no single elevator company was, or is,big enough to load them in one shot. Single-desk efficiency often resulted in despatch payments, thebonus paid by vessel owners for fast service. Because the single-desk CWB sold grain on behalf offarmers, we also received the dollar benefit thus earned. The 2013-14 bottlenecks were not caused by lack of terminal capacity, but resulted from the lackof co-ordination due to the destruction of the Wheat Board’s single-desk. The grain companiesactually benefited immensely from the logistical problems by using transportation delays to justifydevaluing farmers’ grain with wide basis charges, while pocketing millions in excess profits. More terminal capacity, whether inland or port, worsens farmers’ position when the added storagecapacity is under the control of the grain companies instead of farmers. G3 and the “Big 3” – Cargill,Richardson and Viterra – would all benefit from the proposed West Lynn facility, as it enables themto store larger quantities of grain, which increases the buffer between farmers in the countryside andtheir end-use customers. This “holding tank” creates room and time for grain companies to widentheir margins by buying from farmers as low as possible, then controlling the outward supply tomaximize the selling price to customers. Like captive supply in the beef sector, expanding graincompany storage capacity just helps depress the price paid to farmers. No doubt, G3 can afford to build an expensive new terminal. It was just given the assets of ourCWB, is partly owned by the one of the worlds’ wealthiest governments, and stands to makebillions selling land-locked prairie grain to the former customers of the single-desk CWB. Agriculture Minister Ritz promotes high yields and trade volumes that benefit multinationalcorporations, yet we know from our single-desk CWB experience that prosperity for prairie farmerscomes from efficiently moving and selling “enough” volume for premium prices, while putting themoney into farmers pockets. It is painful to hear our government talk about adding value anddeveloping export markets for grain companies after unilaterally destroying an institution that didexactly that on behalf of farmers especially after handing its remaining assets to a company jointlyowned by the state of Saudi Arabia, a country notorious for human rights abuses. Jan Slomp is the President of the National Farmers Union and farms near Courtenay, B.C and canbe contacted at 250-898-8223 or 403-704-4364.

By Jon Gerrard

Actions Speak Louder thanRhetoric: Money Talks

Desire for Grain Price ControlDrives G3 Port Plans

By Jan Slomp

By Elmer Heinrichs

Canadian canolaacreage is forecast to bedown five per cent toabout three million acresunder pressure fromlower prices, diseaseconcerns, an easing ofpreviously overtight croprotations and lower inputcosts for alternate crops. Seeding of canolabegan earlier than normalbut then delayed by frostand snowy weather.Reseeding of canola washigher than normal,hitting a three-year highin Manitoba, withanecdotal reports of somefields being seeded threetimes. Despite thesesetbacks, canola develop-ment is considered to benear to ahead of normal,with the Canola Councilof Canada encouragingfarmers to actively fieldscout for flea beetles. Production is forecastto fall by 4% to 14.9 Mt,assuming normal yields.Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, in its June2015 outlook, said it

Manitoba Farmers Re-Seed,Smaller Canola Crop Forecasted

expects the supply ofcanola to decrease by 11%as lower carry-in stockscomplement the drop inproduction. Despitetighter supplies, Canadiancanola prices are forecastto fall from 2014-15 onlower world prices foroilseeds, vegetable oilsand protein meals withlosses limited by thedepreciation of theCanadian dollar againstthe US dollar. In addition, acreage inManitoba seeded to wheatand barley is up as someareas not seeded last yeardue to excessive moistureand a reduction in summerfallow acres are seeded.

Average prices for bothcrops are expected to beup slightly this year.


By Les Kletke

Lynn Crawford did notset out to tell the story ofagriculture to foodconsumers; her goal wasto find the freshest foodshe could to make thebest quality meals for herrestaurant. The fact thatshe is a celebrity chefwith extensive exposureon the Food Networkgave her and advantageand has expanded theprofile of farmers alongthe way. Crawford was one of theFarm Forum Expertspresented by Farm CreditCanada (FCC) at the FarmProgress Show. Hercelebrity status added tothe number of peopleattending her presenta-

Telling the Story ofthe Food We Eat

tion and she spoke tothem in the same straightforward way that hasmade her Pitchin In foodshow a hit. She does not knoweverything about theagricultural industry butshe does know that shewants the freshest foodpossible as ingredientsfor her restaurantofferings. Crawford wanderedthrough the audiencebefore her presentationasking them about theirhome farm operations,and while here phraseol-ogy betrayed her lack ofagricultural knowledgeher open, forth rightapproach made up for it. Crawford has been theExecutive Chef at the Four

Seasons hotel in NewYork and Toronto, took tothe stage explaining to theaudience how much shehad learned during theproduction of Pitchin In,her popular television onthe Food Network. Shebrings to the forefront thehard work that goes intogrowing the food we eatwith her visiting farmsand fishing enterprises toget the very freshestingredients. During the productionof the show, she hasvisited dairies taking partin the milking and onchicken farms collectingeggs. “You work hard andmost people have no ideaof what is involved,” shesaid. “It was an opportu-nity for me to get in-

volved and see what isrequired in the businessof producing the productsI use in cooking.” Crawford said it is amessage that needs to betold and it is up to farmersto take the story to thepublic, the story of whatis required in the businessof food production and toget quality food to theconsumer. The consumerhas little interest in howhard the individual works,they want to know thatthere food is safe andfresh. “That is themessage that you have totake to the consumer,about the quality of foodand what is required toget it to them in thatstate,” said Crawford.

World reknown chef Lynn Crawford has become famous forvisiting farms and trying her hand at daily tasks.

Photo by Les Kletke

The Federal Governmentrecently announced a$348,090 funding strategyfor the Canadian SheepFederation (CSF) to com-bine sheep and lamb pro-duction assurance systemsunder the nationally recog-nized Food Safe Farm Prac-tices (FSFP) Program. The financial support willallow the Canadian SheepFederation to integrate theNational Sheep BiosecurityStandard and the Code ofPractice for the Care andHandling of Sheep into theFSFP. This will provide as-surances that sheep andlamb have been raised un-der an integrated farm pro-gram that addresses foodsafety, biosecurity and ani-mal care. For 2014, Canadian farmcash receipts for sheep andlambs totaled nearly $157million. The Food Safe Farm Prac-tices Program is an on-farmfood safety program that ex-amines all areas of produc-tion and outlines good pro-duction practices designedto minimize food safetyrisks and produce a safeand high-quality product.

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IndustryIndustryIndustryIndustryIndustryStreamlinesStreamlinesStreamlinesStreamlinesStreamlinesAssuranceAssuranceAssuranceAssuranceAssurancePPPPProgramsrogramsrogramsrogramsrograms


By Les Kletke

4-H Canada has a new logo,one that incorporates the Ca-nadian Maple Leaf, a suitableaddition to the logo for the or-ganization that began inRoland, Manitoba more than100 years ago and today hasindependent organizationsaround the world. The begin-nings of 4-H are recognized ina museum housed in theformer Royal Bank building inRoland that was opened in2013. The announcement that hasbeen termed the biggest makeover in the history of the or-ganization came at theorganization’s annual meetingin New Brunswick. It is thefirst time the logo has beenchanged in more than 50 years.But this is more than a changeto the logo. “Today we honourour proud past and create abright future together,” saidShannon Brenner, CEO of 4-H Canada. “Agriculture haschanged dramatically since1913, and so has 4-H. Thevery pillars of the 4-H pro-gram, hands on learning, youthleadership development, en-richment of rural communitieswill help youth meet theunique challenge and oppor-tunities they face in our chang-ing rural communities and in

4-H Adds CanadianTwist to Brand

an employment sector focusedon innovation and technology.4-H has answered the call ofour changing world and agri-culture sector.” A recent study by Employ-ment Canada concluded that for2013 to 2022 there will be al-most 74,000 projected jobopenings in Canadian agricul-ture, but only 49,000 pro-jected job seekers. “4-H members continue toimpress me with their dedica-tion to their communities andpassion for creating solutionsfor the world around them,”said Derrick Rozdeba, Man-ager of Integrated Communi-cations for Bayer Crop Sci-ence. Bayer has been a long-time supporter of 4-H Canada. The announcement also madenote of the organization’s com-mitment to develop globallyminded citizens which is par-

ticularly appropriate as theorganization prepares to hostthe Global 4-H Summit in Ot-tawa in 2017. 4-H Canada has 25.000members between the ages of6 and 24 and relies on nearly8,000 volunteers to be thegrassroots of the organization.“Our work was guided by thecornerstones of honouring 4-H’s core values and respect-ing the heritage of the organi-zation, and evolving our logoto reflect 4-H’s proud historyand legacy while also signal-ling our optimism about thefuture,” said Randy MowatChair of the logo task force.


By Les Kletke

Acquiring a Manitobafirm known for granular me-tering systems was a goodfit for an Ontario manufac-turer of tillage, seeding andfertilizer equipment. SalfordManufacturing acquiredValmar Airflow in May ofthis year and staffed a jointbooth at Farm ProgressShow in Regina,Saskatchewan. The Ontario Companyhas a manufacturing facil-ity in Iowa and is lookingto expand into the CornBelt with its equipment.“The company acquiredBBI, which produces granu-lar applicators last Octoberand now with the additionof Valmar we have a strongproduct line that will workwell in the corn growingareas,” said Geof Gray,President of Salford. Valmar equipment hasbeen used on Salford seed-ing and fertilizer equipmentfor a while. “The engineer-ing departments of thecompany will be a good fit,”said Gray. “They have beenworking on similar equip-ment and will be able to helpeach other with the chal-

Photo by Les Kletke

Ontario’s Salford AcquiresManitoba Company Valmar

Raymond Rivard of Valmar and Geof Gray of Salford say thepurchase by Salford is a good fit and will benefit the Manitobacompany.

lenges they face.” Ray Rivard, one of theoriginal partners of the ElieCompany agreed that it wasa good match that will ex-pand the companies reach.“We will have more expo-sure with the increase insales staff and will be ableto reach markets we couldnot have on our own,” saidRivard. Gray does not intend tobuild a full line equipmentmanufacturer. “Companieslike ours have a niche andwe need to work that nicheand be innovative,” hesaid. “Most of the innova-tion in agriculture comesfrom smaller companies thatcan adapt to farmers’ needsand requests then they gomainline.” Salford does nothave its own dealers ratherit has built a strong dealernetwork that carries shortline equipment. “That is where we fit andif we recognize our rolethere is a place for us in thisindustry. We need to be in-novative and develop ourniche,” said Salford. The company manufac-tures a line of vertical till-age equipment that Grayhopes will help grow their

reach into their niche mar-ket. The pair of men waspart of a large contingentof staff on hand at the FarmProgress Show, which theyrated as a two way street.“Yes we would like to sellequipment,” said Gray.“But this is an opportunityto get feedback from ourcustomers and to find outwhat farmers want.” Rivard agreed, “Some-times new machines comeabout through new ideasbut many times it is fromrequests by the farmers ormanufacturers.” He remembered the earlydays of Valmar, “We wereapplying Avadex granularby air and the applicationwas spotty, Monsantoasked us to develop a moni-toring system for the appli-cators and soon we were inthe ground applicationbusiness. “This is our chance to lis-ten to farmers when theysay, this is good but whatabout doing this?” he said.“Many times farmers areasking for new sizes, andwondering if we can makethings bigger,” said Gray.

EVENTS...Manitoba Great WesternHarness Racing – FromSaturday, July 4 – Sunday,July 5 in Morris.

From Thursday, July 16,the annual Manitoba Ag-ricultural Hall of Fame In-duction Ceremony willtake place at 1:30 pm atthe William Glesby Cen-tre, 11 2nd Street NE, Por-tage la Prairie.

Manitoba Stampede -From Thursday, July 16 –Sunday, July 19 at thestampede grounds inMorris. Stampede, rodeochampionships, agricul-tural fair, music, food andmuch more.

Threshermen’s Reunionand Stampede - The 61stannual Threshermen’s Re-union and Stampede fromThursday ,July 23 – Sun-day, July 26, at theManitoba AgriculturalMuseum 3kms south of thejunction of Highways 1and 34, at the Austin Cor-ner. Featuring a working20-building Homestead-ers’ Village, farming dem-onstrations with horse,steam and gas power, vin-tage fashion show, homehandicraft displays, heavyhorse events, antique carshow, live entertainmentand rodeo. Cost Adults$15, Children 6 – 12, $8,Children 5 & under Free.Rodeo cost additional toReunion. Adults $12, Chil-dren 6 – 12, $6, 5 & un-der Free.

The Federal Government has re-established mar-ket access to Chile for live swine; a market that in-dustry estimates was worth approximately $350,000in 2013. Canada had been Chile’s main supplier oflive swine for over 10 years, prior to 2014 when Chilesuspended imports of live swine and porcine bloodproducts from countries with reported outbreaks ofthe Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv). Chile is a priority market with two-way merchan-dise trade reaching $2.86 billion in 2014. Canadianmerchandise exports to Chile in 2014 reached $1.14billion, an increase of 42% over 2013.

Canada Regains Market AccessCanada Regains Market AccessCanada Regains Market AccessCanada Regains Market AccessCanada Regains Market Accessfor Live Swine to Chilefor Live Swine to Chilefor Live Swine to Chilefor Live Swine to Chilefor Live Swine to Chile


By Les Kletke

An initiative sponsoredin part by Ducks Unlimitedwould like to see winterwheat acres increaseacross the prairies. Lyse Boisvert is withDucks Unlimited and is partof the Western WinterWheat Initiative. Shespends her time visitingproducers and helping de-sign agronomic packagesthat make the crop a viableeconomic option. This year winter wheatacres are half of what theywere the previous year inSaskatchewan, the prairieslargest producer. Boisvertwould like to see them comeback to the 500,000 acresof 2014. “The planting con-ditions last fall were far fromideal, and we saw the acre-age drop because of it,”she said. “Long term thegoal is to have a millionacres of the crop across theprairies.” Boisvert said that thecrop has seen the benefitof new breeding programsand offers good yields andstrong disease resistance

Lyse Boisvert’s goal is to have a million acres of winter wheatin western Canada.

Photo by Les Kletke

DucksUnlimitedInitiativeHopes toIncreaseWinterWheat

into CropRotation

packages. “We work withexperienced producers tohelp them develop a solidagronomic package andbelieve that is the way todemonstrate how valuablethe crop can be,” she said.“Farmers are always watch-ing their neighbours and ifwe can get an innovator ineach area to grow a signifi-cant acreage it gets otherpeople watching and tryingthe crop.” She recommends the cropgo into canola stubble totrap snow. “That was aproblem last year with itbeing so wet,” saidBoisvert. Over the longterm, she sees another chal-lenge. “As soybean acresincrease there is lessstubble to plant winterwheat into, so we have towork on other strategies,”she said. “Last year I had someproducer’s plant winterwheat after peas and thatmeans virtually no stubble,

they have a good standthis year but that is be-cause they got snow coverearly, they didn’t have thesame stubble to trap snow.” “I also had some co-op-erators put the crop onchem fallow which is notideal but they were commit-ted to getting some crop inand that is what was avail-able last fall.” She said that producerswho have committed to thecrop and apply good man-agement practices will seeit as a good fit in their rota-tion. It is the same case thathas been made for the cropin recent years; it reducespressure on equipment atseeding time and beginsthe harvest earlier. “Thenew varieties offer in-creased yield and somegood disease resistance, sothe crop has really comealong but we need to keepbuilding the number ofacres.”

National Farmers Union (NFU) Region 5 (Manitoba) will host a discussion withfarmers who direct market and producers involved in Supply Management at their2015 Convention on July 11 in Portage La Prairie at the Legion Hall. The theme of thisyear’s convention is “Connecting our Farms”. “We’re inviting a variety of stakeholders to put their heads together and come upwith solutions to move agriculture forward,” said Ian Robson, Manitoba NFU Coordi-nator. “Supply Management has kept families on the farm for over four decades. At thesame time, there has been growth in the local food movement, which has created moreinterest and opportunities for direct to market farms. Discussing how these farm typesfit together in the bigger picture of the farm movement is vital at this time.” The other half of the convention will focus on Supply Management. “We are invitingsupply management farmers and small scale producers to join a brainstorming sessionto suggest ways direct marketing and supply management can complement each otherinto the future,” said Robson. The National Farmers Union is recognized for its support of cooperative farm market-ing, such as supply management, food sovereignty, as well as its strong policy re-search work. Presentations include “Soil and Culture” to commemorate the UN’s InternationalYear of the Soil by lecturer Gary Martens, a presentation on Trade Agreements, and awide ranging discussion on how public policy connects to our farms. Everyone is welcome, members and non-members alike. The convention starts at 10am and runs until 5 pm. Registration is $15 for members and youth, and $25 for non-members. A soup and sandwich lunch is included. Following the convention there willbe a potluck barbeque and-social time. Attendees are encouraged to RSVP to [email protected] call 204-741-1017.

Manitoba NFU Convention Set for JulyManitoba NFU Convention Set for JulyManitoba NFU Convention Set for JulyManitoba NFU Convention Set for JulyManitoba NFU Convention Set for July


By Les Kletke

Charles Adenot made thetrip from France to Regina,Saskatchewan and did notsell or buy any equipmentbut he was not disap-pointed with the trip. Heand his boss Benoit Carreof Carre Equipment head-quartered in France were atthe June, Canadian FarmProgress Show to see iftheir equipment would suitthe western Canadian mar-ket. The company began over80 years ago manufactur-ing planters for the marketin France and today theyexport to North Africa,Russia, Canada and theEuropean Union. “We specialize in me-chanical weeding equip-ment for row crops,” saidAdenot. “We build equip-ment that can travel athigher speeds and do agood job in a row crop.” Hesaid Carre equipment is in-tended to be used atspeeds of 8-10 miles anhour. The pair had recentlybeen to Russia where theyvisited a farmer who had46,000 ha of sugar beets.“The farms there are verylarge and they have a needto get more and biggerequipment but we find thattheir understanding of ma-chinery and maintenance issomewhat lacking,” saidAdenot with a smile. Thecompany has some prod-uct in Russia along with amanufacturing facility inOmsk, Siberia. During their tour, Adenotand Carre incorporated ev-ery province from Quebecto BC. “We had interestfrom sugar beet growers inQuebec and some smallacreage in British Colum-bia,” said Adenot. The pair had found theleast likely market inSaskatchewan. “We don’thave the size of equipmentthat producers inSaskatchewan want,” saidAdenot. “Most of ourunits’ maximum size is 10metres that is a bit small forthis market, though we dohave a harrow that is 24metres.” Adenot who is the Mar-

Farm Equipment ManufacturerCarre Sizes Up Prairie Market

keting and Export Develop-ment Manager for Carresaid the firm is concentrat-ing on getting some of itsunits into Manitoba andAlberta to evaluate the re-sponse and consider thepossibly of building biggerunits for the Canadian mar-ket. They are taking prelimi-nary steps to establish adealer network in Canada.“We are one of the leadingmanufacturers of verticaltillage equipment in Europeand we think that will seegreater attention in Canadain the next few years. We’llpursue that market,” hesaid. The pair had little inten-tion of selling their equip-ment on the preliminary tripbut was pleased with thereaction they got from west-ern Canadian farmers. “Wesee the work that has beendone with reducing tillageand think that our equip-ment would be a good fithere,” said Adenot. He added that the com-pany is also concentratingon expansion into Africa.“We see that there is realpotential for any equipmentthat helps conserve mois-ture,” he said. “The verti-cal tillage equipment will bea good fit as African agri-culture develops.” The company has severalunits that can be combinedwith seed drills for mini-mum soil disruption duringseed placement. In the late fall of 2015,Carre has plans to start sell-ing an agricultural robotcalled ANATIS which was

developed in partnershipwith NAI?O Technologiesa leader in agriculture ro-botics. The field robot as-sists farmers and vegetablefarmers in their daily workby independently hoeingand helping with decision-making through monitoringcrops with data acquisitionand processing of key in-dicators. It uses GPS tonavigate and can be con-nected to a smartphone ora tablet.

The Manitoba Pulse &Soybean Growers (MPSG)Bean App is now available in

Benoit Carre and Charles Adenot of Carre Equipment say theirpresent equipment is a bit small for the Canadian market butthey will work on models for export to Canada.

Photo by Les Kletke

Bean AppNow

Available

the App Store for freedownload to Apple deviceusers. The Bean App alsofeatures a brand new SeedingRate Calculator to determinethe most economical seedingrate in addition to thepreviously existing SoybeanPlant Stand Assessor andSoybean Yield Estimator

tools. All of the toolsavailable in the MPSG BeanApp are great examples ofhow the results of scientificresearch can be applieddirectly to productionpractices. The Bean App can bedownloaded free from theApp store or iTunes forApple devices or as a web

application for Android,Blackberry, and Windows atmanitobapulse.ca. Seeding Rate Calculatordetermines the optimumseeding rate by firstidentifying the target plantstand. The optimum targetplant stand fluctuatesdepending on soybean priceand seed cost. A suggested

seeding rate is then calcu-lated based on expected seedsurvival, which is farmspecific depending onequipment, field conditions,seed quality. Plant Stand Assessor canbe used to assess live plantpopulations 3-4 weeks afterplanting and providefeedback based on scientific

research conducted inManitoba. The Soybean YieldEstimator can be used in latesummer to estimate soybeanyield. An estimate ofsoybean yield is an aid tohelp with judging storagecapacity and for budgeting.


By Joan Airey

Cattlemen from across Canada attended theManitoba Charolais Association Pen and Picnic 2015held June 12 at HTA Charolais Farms in Rivers. According to organizers, show entries were up fromlast year. Brian Coughlin owner of Cornerview Charolais,from Cobden, Ontario judged the show and to addexcitement got everyone involved in a “You Be theJudge” Jackpot Competition. For $5, attendees couldtry their hand in judging. Winning judges were BertMcDonald and Katie Steppler who tied to win theJackpot. Katie Steppler was a repeat winner as lastyear she placed the animals in the correct order. All class winners received a jacket sponsored byManitoba Charolais Breeders. After the pen show a supper and dancing eventwas enjoyed. On Saturday, members attended theCanadian Charolais Association meetings in Bran-don. Brian Coughlin was elected Canadian CharolaisAssociation President, Andre Steppler, Miami, asfirst Vice-President and Rod McLeod as second Vice-President. Andre Steppler will be in charge of Advertising andPromotion for the association.

Photos by Joan Airey

Annual Charolais Pen and Picnic A Success

Doug Hunter of Hunter Charolais presentsCarman Jackson, High Bluff Stock Farms, Inglis,Manitoba with the award for Get of Sire Pen.

Shawn Airey presents Bert McDonald JMB Charolais of Brookdale withGrand Champion Charolais Pen Over-All Award with Brian Coughlin(judge).

Hans Myhre presents Bryce Olmstead and Bert McDonald of JMBCharolais with the Overall Grand Champion Pen for JMB MS Dateline 403Band her calf JMB MS Tangerine 417B. Bert McDonald and Katie Stepplerboth won the “You Be the Judge” Jackpot Competition. This pair was alsothe crowd pick. Photograph from left to right Hans Myhre, BryceOlmstead, Judge Brian Coughlin, Katie Steppler and Bert McDonald.

Shawn and Tanya Airey, HTA Charolais Farms receive an award fromRob Gilland for Overall Charolais Female with Heifer Calf at the MCAPen Show.

Standard Nutrition Canada Co. a Winnipeg feed mill will re-ceive 50% funding for new technology of $1.1 million to installtwo new infrared grain sorters said Manitoba Agriculture, Foodand Rural Development Minister Ron Kostyshyn and FederalMinister of State (Finance) Kevin Sorenson, on behalf of Agri-culture Minister Gerry Ritz, said in a recent announcement. “This investment will help recapture more value fromManitoba’s grains and create new marketing opportunities,” saidMinister Kostyshyn. “The damage caused by fusarium and er-got can be a significant cost for Manitoba’s farmers and acrossthe entire industry. This new infrared equipment is an innova-tive solution, with significant financial and environmental ben-efits.” With the new technology Standard Nutrition Canada Co. be-comes the only company in Canada country using infrared grain-sorting technology that can identify as well as remove grain in-fected with fusarium head blight or ergot before it is made intoanimal feed. The infrared technology increases the overall grade and qualityof grains, which allows sales into higher-value markets. It isexpected to increase the value of Manitoba grains by $4 millionannually. Standard Nutrition Canada Co. will be investing an additional$1.1 million in the project and expects to hire eight more peopleincreasing their workforce to just under 100. “The sourcing of clean high-quality grain has become a majorissue in our region,” said Jason McNaughton, President and Gen-eral Manager of Standard Nutrition Canada Co. “In many casesthese grains are shipped to markets over long distances, whichalso decreases the margin potential for our growers. This invest-ment by our company and governments is a key step in reclaim-ing the value of local crops while maintaining the integrity of thefood we produce.” In 2014, Manitoba wheat farmers lost an estimated $400 mil-lion in revenue due to fusarium damage, a disease that also affectsbarley and corn. The ergot fungus can become a major problemwith wet growing conditions. The toxins it produces cannot beremoved during processing and are dangerous for animals andhumans if consumed. Currently, grains infected with these diseases sell at a greatlyreduced price or may even end up in landfills. It is estimated thatthe new infrared technology will reduce grain waste by 24,000tonnes every year in Manitoba.

Manitoba Feed Mill First toUse New Infrared Grain-

Sorting Technology


By Les Kletke

It is a long way from theCalvary arriving to save theday, but the Canadian vet-erans ride is on its way toManitoba. The ride is the brainchildof Paul Nichols and beganin Victoria, BC in April mak-ing its way throughSaskatchewan by late June.It has several stopsplanned in Manitoba in-cluding the Big M Stam-pede and an event in Richer. Cathleen McMahon com-

Veteran Riders NearingManitoba Border

mitted to the journey whenshe first heard about it andthought it was worth tak-ing her children out ofschool for to make the jour-ney across the country.“They will learn so muchabout our country and thegeography,” she said.“That is worth much morethan a month in the class-room.” McMahon has found thatmeeting the veterans hastaught her children evenmore. “The interaction withthe veterans at each stop

is more important than Icould have imagined,” shesaid. That is what this cross-Canada journey is about,meeting and recording thethoughts of Canadian vet-erans. Few people can takea summer to ride across thecountry on the slow mov-ing caravan but that is notthe point, it is about a se-ries of stops across thecountry. “We have beenoverwhelmed by the re-sponse and the events,”said McMahon. “So manycommunities have openedtheir doors to us and hadevents centered on ourvisit.” That was what Nichols in-tended but his responsehas been greater than heever dreamed. Communitieshave planned events andparades around the visitfrom the ride, but most im-portant is the recognitionthat veterans get in theircommunity. “We have vet-erans that come back andtheir community doesn’teven know who they are.Some don’t want the rec-ognition and that is fine butthis tour gives them the

opportunity to visit withother veterans and sharetheir story if they wouldlike,” said Nichols. The entourage includes a“recorder” who captures

the stories of Canadianveterans who stop by. “Vet-erans are asked to sharetheir stories,” saidMcMahon. “Some want toremain anonymous and

some tell their stories relat-ing to their communities,that is up to them and wewill be collecting the sto-ries in a book at the end ofthe ride.”

Wheat producers delivering their grain to handling facilities will be required to declare whetherChlormequat Chloride was used in their crop. Chlormequat Chloride is the active ingredient in a new plant growth regulator product mar-keted in Canada as Manipulator, and while approved for use in Canada, the US has not yet givenit the thumbs up. As a result, Canadian Grain buyers, especially those who are accumulating stocks for a USdestined sale, will be requiring farmers to fill out a legal declaration stating whether their cropcontains Chlormequat Chloride. According to the Manitoba Wheat and Barley Growers Association, no mistakes can be madehere in order to preserve the trade relationship Canada has with the US. “We raise these concerns to ensure that individual producers and the reputation of Canadianexport sales are each protected and preserved,” said Freg Greig, Chair of the organization.“Producers and grain exporters must work together to respect and protect our market relation-ship with the United States.” Any intentional or unintentional mistake in declaration traced back through retained sampleswill expose individuals and their farms to significant liability.

The ride will be going across Manitoba in July and stopping at a community near you, take thetime to welcome these veterans in your community. Riding is optional but if you are a vet andwould like to register for the ride, you can visit www.communitiesforveterans.com.

Wheat with Chlormequat Chloride Not Accepted in US MarketWheat with Chlormequat Chloride Not Accepted in US MarketWheat with Chlormequat Chloride Not Accepted in US MarketWheat with Chlormequat Chloride Not Accepted in US MarketWheat with Chlormequat Chloride Not Accepted in US Market


By Les Kletke

Something that multina-tional grain companieshave known for years isthat the price of grain doesnot properly reflect the costof storage. In Canada,these grain companieshave relied on farmers tostore their crop on the farmuntil it is delivered it to theelevator. In comparison, the Ameri-can grain industry devel-oped a different model withlittle on farm storage andlarger facilities at mostlyfarmer owned co-operativeelevators. The US systemalso developed a morerapid movement of grain toexport positions or domes-tic users. Canada has relied heavilyon exports which hascaused supply chain bottlenecks at ports and seasonaldifficulties, as multi nation-als are moving to more andfaster high through-put fa-cilities. Because of this,farmers are taking a seriouslook at the cost of on farmstorage. Jason Bouchard is theManitoba Manager withBrandt Agriculture and hesaid that the grain baggerhis company has devel-oped is proving an attrac-tive option in several situ-ations. “We have fellows

Brandt Manufacturing is changing the way grain is stored on farms and in the field.

Photo by Les Kletke

Lowering On Farm StorageCosts to Increase Profit

who look at it as surge ca-pacity,” said Bouchard. “Ifthey are getting a largerthan normal crop they wantsomething that they canuse for that particular crop.They don’t want to buildpermanent storage for onetime use.” The unit is powered by a50 hp tractor, which placesthe grain into a bag thatcan be as long as 300 feet.“It doesn’t have a highhorsepower requirementand that is a bonus in abusy time when tractors arein use on things like thegrain cart,” he said. The cost of the initial unitis significant but the priceof bags for storage isroughly 6 cents a bushel.The bags are limited to onetime use because they aresplit open when removingthe grain. “We have fellowswho use them on land thatis further away from theirmain yard site,” he said.“They can put the grain insafe storage as they har-vest and move the grainhome later or use that fortheir first delivery.” Bouchard said that someproducers are using thestorage system for theirregular storage rather thaninvest in permanent stor-age. “Storage can cost asmuch as a dollar a busheland for fellows that are rent-

ing the majority of theirland the acreage canchange from year to year.They don’t want to buildstorage based on an acre-age that could change sig-nificantly in a year or two.” The lower cost of the stor-age also helps with thecash flow. “Capital costs aresignificant and grain stor-age may not be the best re-turn on investment, so fel-lows are looking at this asan option that helps thecash flow.”

Funding for the Manure Management Financial Assis-tance Program (MMFAP) has been renewed for anotheryear to help ensure all eligible farmers have an opportunityto make improvements that will benefit their operationsand the environment. Since it was introduced in 2011, the MMFAP has investedmore than $8.4 million in 92 Manitoba hog operations tobuild additional manure storage capacity on pig farms withless than 300 animal units to eliminate the need for winterapplication, repair manure storage structures and reducethe risk of leakage and install manure treatment systems tobetter manage manure phosphorus. “Manitoba Pork is pleased the government has renewedthe MMFAP for another year,” said George Matheson,Chair, Manitoba Pork Council. “This program is helpingManitoba pork producers find solutions to manure man-agement problems.” The government contribution can be used for up to 65%of project costs, to a maximum of $100,000 for manure stor-age repairs, $125,000 for new manure storage systems or$375,000 for manure treatment projects. To be eligible for the program, an applicant must be in-corporated and own, rent, lease, manage or control agricul-tural land used to produce pigs, the minister said, addingthey must also have completed an environmental farm plan. The application deadline is July 10. For more informa-tion, visit gov.mb.ca/agriculture under Environment or visita local GO Office.

Renewed Support forManure ManagementFinancial Assistance

Program


When I was teenager onthe family dairy farm, I usedto love the fresh smell ofalfalfa that I just cut downwith our old InternationalFarmall tractor. Later on, Iwould rake it into swathsin order to let it dry in thesun and bale it the next day.Even today, when I visit adairy farm and somebodyis cutting alfalfa, it alwaysbrings back those greatmemories. Sometimes, I still think ofalfalfa as only high-proteinforage, which when com-pared to other dairy foragessuch as low-protein cornsilage is not bad judgement.On a pure alfalfa strand, itscrude protein normallyranges from 18 – 25% (dm,basis) as well as a solubleprotein fraction (looselydefined as available proteinthat is soluble in rumenfluid) of 20 – 22% of CP indried hay and 40 – 55% ofCP in alfalfa haylage. Every so often as a dairynutritionist, I will increasethe amount of alfalfa foragein a stalled-out diet in or-der to meet various proteinrequirements of lactatingdairy cows. Other times, Iwill use it to extend thesoluble protein content ofthe entire diet, so I can ma-nipulate the rumen mi-crobes and as a result,cows excrete porridge-likemanure, a sign of optimumfeed digestion. Luckily, it doesn’t takemuch to remind me thatgood quality alfalfa forageis more than a good sourceof dietary protein for dairycows because it contains alot of dietary energy. Forexample, the net energy oflactation is estimated foralfalfa hay with a relativefeed value (RFV) at aboutof 150 and has a net energyof lactation value around1.30 Mcal/kg compared to1.45 Mcal/kg estimated en-ergy for typical corn silage. Some of this dietary en-ergy comes from alfalfa’srelatively high non-struc-tural carbohydrate content

High Quality Alfalfa isSolid Green Nutrition for

Lactating Dairy Cows

(NSC), which is between 25– 30% of its dry matterweight; consisting namelyof highly digestible pectin(12 – 13%), starch (2 – 3%)and nominal sugar. The re-mainder is locked away inits structural fibre (35 –40%), which is releasedduring microbial fermenta-tion in the cow’s rumencontributing to alfalfa’s to-tal energy value. Most of this high qualitydairy alfalfa, whether weput it up as hay, wrappedbales or haylage for highmilk producing cows is of-ten harvested just beforethe flowering stage – a tar-get of pre-bud to late-budstage. Such forage quality de-clines rapidly as soon asthe alfalfa buds appear, be-cause lignin (as mentioned,very resistant to rumen fer-mentation), builds up in al-falfa as the plant matures.Cutting at this pre-budstage or early vegetativestages may result in desir-able high protein – lowerfibre alfalfa forages thatwork well in a balanceddairy diet, but tonnes peracre could compromise for-age inventories that areneeded later in upcomingmonths. It’s also no secret thatweather plays a big part inwhether alfalfa can be har-vested at these ideal veg-etative stages in the firstplace. However as long asthe sun shines and rainstays away; making driedalfalfa hay bales is astraightforward process. Itis a matter of drying theplants below 15% (withoutinoculants or preserva-tives), so it can be properlybaled and stacked withoutproblems. Otherwise, tough alfalfahay (greater than 18% mois-ture unless treated with pre-servatives) is an ideal en-vironment for mouldgrowth. Mould reducesdiet palatability, consumesessential nutrients, and canproduce toxins that hurt

animal health and reproduc-tive performance. In light ofthis consequence, manyproducers have forgonemaking hay bales and haveturned to wrapped bale si-lage and haylage as alfalfaforage for their lactatingcows. That’s not to say thatensiling alfalfa is anyeasier. In fact, it is particu-larly challenging to ensilealfalfa due to its naturalbuffering abilities and lessthan ideal quantities of wa-ter-soluble carbohydratesto be fermented into lacticacid that preserves the har-vested alfalfa crop. Further-more, the extent of alfalfafermentation in wrappedbales, agri-bags, or in bun-ker silos is largely deter-mined by the cut and suc-cessful wilt of the alfalfaswaths to an ideal moisturebetween 50 – 60% com-pared to about 65% for cornsilage. In addition, the cropmust be tightly packed tominimize oxygen exposureand thus assists anaerobic(lactic acid) fermentation. Just the other day on adairy farm, I took a goodsample of properly fer-mented alfalfa haylage thathad a slightly acidic smell(something like coldsauerkraut), strands ofwilted alfalfa leaves thatcould be picked out fromstems and had a beautifulgolden-green color. On theother hand, I have comeacross alfalfa haylage thatwas put up too wet; a slimymess that reeked of rottenpeanut butter (undesirablebutyric acid production) ortoo dry, which was caramel-ized, a sickly sweet smelland looked like tobacco. It is this experience of thegood, bad and ugly that Istrongly advocate theproper harvest and storageof alfalfa forage. It is theonly way that I can appre-ciate alfalfa’s solid greennutrition and use it in suc-cessful diets to supporthigh milk production in lac-tating dairy cows.

$1.2 million Federal Government funding will go towards purchasing new equipment for 11research sites across Manitoba. Research equipment purchases will include weigh wagons,trucks, planters, a tractor, a fertilizer applicator, a combine, a row-crop combine header, a grainanalyzer and tillage implements. The Manitoba Corn Growers Association (MCGA), MPSG, Agriculture and Agri-FoodCanada and the University of Manitoba collaborated on the projects that will look at increas-ing production in soybean and corn across western Canada. “These funds will allow researchers in Manitoba to continue supporting our crops andcropping systems by performing advanced research with precision and accuracy using equip-ment that mimics what producers are actually using on their farms,” said Francois Labelle,MPSG Executive Director. According to industry projections, soybean and corn production in western Canada couldexceed 14 million acres over the next 10 years.

Funding to Benefit Soybeanand Corn Production


Along with moldboard plows, the Cockshutt Plow Com-pany Limited also built disc plows. Disc plows were usedfor sticky soils, which pose problems for moldboard plows. Cockshutt built both horse and tractor drawn disc plowsranging with one disc to five discs at 30 inches in diametre.Along with Cockshutt built plows, Cockshutt also soldthe Angell Disc Plow from the Ohio Cultivator Company,

which camein 6 ft, 8 ftand 10 ftsizes with2 0 - i n c hdiscs. Sell-ing theAngell al-l o w e dCockshu t tto offer amore com-plete line oft i l l a g e

equipment with minim investment. However, in 1931 Cockshutt took the Angell conceptand made a huge leap forward. Cockshutt designed theirversion of the Angell making a number of improvementsalong with one important innovation that of mounting aseed box on the machine. This machine they called a tillercombine. The Cockshutt Tiller Combine featured 24-inch discblades mounted 7 1/2 inches apart. All blades were mountedon a rotating shaft that was raised and lowered by a powerlift. The depth of penetration of the soil could also beadjusted. The seed box dropped the seed down tubesrunning close to the back of each blade. The blade fol-lowed behind throwing dirt over the seed. For 1931, the Cockshutt Tiller Combine was a revolu-tionary all in one concept, as the machine was a plow, lightdisc and seeder. Only one field operation was necessaryin the spring, eliminating fall plowing that saved time andmoney.

The Cockshutt Combine Tiller Revolutionized Farming Most importantly, it conserved moisture by reducingsoil erosion as the stubble was left on the field to trapsnow and slow down the wind at the surface. Wind ero-sion was reduced because the combine tiller left a roughfield surface. The tiller combine did not pulverize the soileither which also aided in reducing soil erosion. Given thedrought conditions of the 1930s, the Cockshutt Tiller Com-bine was the right machine, at the right time. In 1931, Cockshutt sold 100units. While this number issmall, 100 units was a sig-nificant achievement sincethe early 1930s was hit witha widespread and seriousdrought, a collapse in farmprices and the beginnings ofsevere economic depres-sion. As further proof thatthe concept was a good, oneother farm equipment manu-facturers quickly copied theCockshutt Tiller Combine inthe following years. The Manitoba AgriculturalMuseum’s collection in-

The Cockshutt tiller combine was a revolutionary all in one concept, as the machine was aplow, light disc and seeder. In this horse, drawn four-foot wide model the operator had a seat

cludes several Cockshutt Tiller Combines including aCockshutt Tiller Combine painted the Canadian Co-opera-tive Implements limited orange. The Expo at the 2015 Threshermen’s Reunion features theCockshutt family of companies. If you have equipment builtby Cockshutt or Frost and Wood, you should consider bring-ing it to the Cockshutt Expo. Contact the Museum office at204-637-2354 to make arrangements.

A new feasibility studyfunded by the Canada andManitoba governments and in-dustry partners found the prov-ince has the right mix of pro-duction and market demand tosupport a soybean crushing fa-cility.

“Right Mix”for Soybean

CrushingPlant

The study determined acrushing facility would beeconomically viable, basedon the growth of theprovince’s soybean acreageand the demand for soybeanmeal in the western Cana-dian livestock industry. A soybean crushing plantwould bring many benefitsfor agriculture, according tothe study, including an ex-panded local market for soy-bean growers, the ability toavoid rail transportation

needed to export commoditieslike soybeans, a new, local pro-tein feed source for livestockfarmers and overall economicbenefits, estimated at $190million per year, based on fa-cility construction and job cre-ation. Manitoba currently pro-duces 18% of all soybeansgrown in the country, morethan 1.25 million acres. Thestudy estimates soybean acre-age could quadruple in west-ern Canada over the next de-

cade, partially in response togrowing global demand for thecrop, as well as processed soy-bean meal and oil. Currently,most soybeans grown inManitoba are either shipped tothe US or China for process-ing. The study did not identify aspecific site in Manitoba forthe crushing facility and didnote the economics of the op-eration could be further im-proved by crushing canola aswell.


By Joan Airey

Being raised on a farmand involved in its opera-tion, Melissa McRaewanted to live near her par-ents farm so she could beinvolved in the operationof Mar Mac Farms and alsohave her own graphic de-sign business. “After graduating fromLethbridge College with adiploma in CommunicationArts, majoring in Advertis-ing and Public Relations, I

Photo by Joan Airey

Modern Technology EnablesBusiness to Thrive

moved to Saskatoon. Iworked for T Bar C CattleCo. Ltd as a graphic andweb designer, building andmaintaining agriculturalbased websites as well asdesigning catalogues andother promotional print ad-vertisements. After gettingtwo years’ experience I de-cided it was time to start myown business,” saidMcRae. McRae started Prairie Pis-tol Designs, which sheruns from her home south

of Brandon. She is also ac-tively involved working onher parents farm. “In thepurebred livestock, goodphotographs are worth athousand words so I spenda lot of time shooting pic-tures and videos of show/sale cattle as well as pas-ture shots for the websitesand catalogues I design,”she said. Online bidding on cattlesales is becoming morepopular every day. Some-times a buyer cannot driveto a sale because he has tobe on the farm to tend tohis cattle. If bad roads ordistance makes it impos-sible to attend a sale, acattleman can watch saleson their computers livewith a company like DVAuction that McRae worksfor at bull sale time. She said that ten yearsago one never dreamedthey would be watching acattle sale live on their com-puter and bidding over theinternet. While others mayphone their bids to some-one, they know attendingthe sale and that person willbid for them. Modern tech-

Melissa McRae owner of Prairie Pistol Designs sets up onlinebidding for a bull sale in Neepawa.

nology makes it possible tohave photographs or vid-eos sent to someone half-way round the world inminutes. Cattlemen are making useof Facebook, Ingram and

other internet social mediato promote their cattle too.The technology is helpingthe Canadian cattle busi-ness be known around theworld for their excellent ge-netics.

Numbers hot off the pressfrom Health Canada’s PestManagement RegulatoryAgency shows that the seedindustry’s unprecedentedaction to protect bee healthis having a very positiveimpact. “We have been workingcollaboratively with our seedindustry partners to reducerisk to bees and to ensure theoverall health of ourenvironment,” said DaveBaute, Canadian Seed TradeAssociation (CSTA)President. CSTA members andfarmers carry a heavyresponsibility to producehigh quality and affordablefood for a growing worldpopulation while minimizingthe impact on nature. Assoon as bee deaths afterseeding became an issue in2012-2013, the industryimmediately took unprec-edented action and joinedtogether to reduce theimpact. PMRA’s reportingof an 80% reduction in beedeath incidents since 2013shows that these efforts aresuccessful.

Efforts toEfforts toEfforts toEfforts toEfforts toPPPPProtect Beerotect Beerotect Beerotect Beerotect BeeHealth areHealth areHealth areHealth areHealth arePPPPPaying Offaying Offaying Offaying Offaying Off


By Les Kletke

Super Centres are not aconcept reserved forAmerican retail giants likeWal-Mart or Target;farmers may soon begetting supply SuperCentres dedicated to theirinput needs if a fundraising program underwayreaches its goal. Allan Beaton is withFarmers of North Americaand he said the group haskicked off an investmentcampaign with the finalgoal of establishing sevenSuper Centres across theprairies that would be ableto supply famers with acompetitively basedproduct while allowinginvestors to get the returnon the product that issold. “It is a separate conceptfrom FNA,” said Beaton.“It is open to investorswho meet three criteria;they must be members ofFNA, Canadian andfarmers.” The definition ofa farmer is a bit morerelaxed than the other twoand can be applied tosomeone who rents hisland to another produceror has been in productionin recent years. The program began inmid-May and in the first

By Les Kletke

Sandra Willer is the Mar-keting Officer for AgriTechnica an agriculturetrade show held in oddnumber years in Frankfurt.The even years are bal-anced off with a show thatconcentrates on the live-stock industry. When asked why a west-ern Canadian farmer wouldgo to a German trade show,Willer is ready with a smileand explained, “It is thebest place to see the latesttechnology and to hear in-formation on the issuesthat are affecting you onyour farm.” “We have 39 ha of dis-play space in 25 pavilions,”said Willer. “The entireshow is inside and bringstogether not only technol-ogy but forums that dis-cuss the leading issues inagriculture.” She emphasised that lan-guage will not be an issue.“There is translation for

Canadian Attendance Increases atInternational Farm Trade Shows

Sawyer Asmundson and Sandra Willer have assembled a package tour for Canadian farmers toattend Agri Technica in Germany in November.

Photo by Les Kletke

any issue that has an inter-national flavour.” While she staffed a boothat the Farm Progress Showin Regina, Willer’s knowl-edge of Canadian geogra-phy was noteworthy. “Wehave had a Manitoba pa-vilion at the show foryears,” she said. “I haveworked with Bill Tierhuis tobring Manitoba firms to theevent and give them expo-sure to the internationalmarket place.” “We would be happy tosecure more exhibitors,”she continued. “We wouldwelcome them but at thispoint most have alreadycommitted to the show sowe don’t expect to getmany more exhibitors at theevent this year. We are hereto talk to farmers and makethem aware of how impor-tant the show is and that itwill show them technologythat works on their farm.” The 7-day show in No-vember features 2,900 ex-hibitors and attracts

450,000 visitors toHanover, Germany. It alsofeatures over 200 forums onvarious aspects of agricul-tural production. Willer saidthat international visitorshave stayed steady thoughtheir home areas havechanged. “A few years agothe South American visi-tors were most common,then there were years ofstrong Eastern Europeanattendance, we have seenan increase from Africa butBrazil and Argentina havestayed strong,” she said. The show has collabo-rated with a Canadian com-pany to provide tour pack-ages for Canadians. Saw-yer Asmundson is withLeader Tours in Calgaryand focuses her effort onthe Hanover show. “Wehave a tour package thatattends the show and alsoincludes some farm visitsand a bit of sightseeing,”said Asmundson. The pair acknowledges aGerman trade show is not

on the calendar for everyCanadian farmer but thenumber of Canadians at-tending the show is on theincrease. “We try to makethat easier,” saidAsmundson. “And wepromise to have the latestin technology,” addedWiller. “There is informationthat will apply to Canadianfarms, I am sure of it.”

Opening Soon a PrairieSuper Centre Near You

Art Klassen, right of FNA, says that spring is not the best timeto have an investment drive for the company’s new SuperCenters but has been overwhelmed by the response to date.

Photo by Les Kletke

month generated $6million in investmentcapital. The goal is $15.3million to begin construc-tion of the first SuperCentre. The plan is tobuild the first centre atBelle Plain to serviceSaskatchewan andManitoba. The facility willbe able to handle up toeight semi-trailers at atime and load out 50tonnes of dry product anhour. The second locationis planned for centralAlberta and the third orfourth within Manitoba. Beaton said the sitelocations are strategic toallow delivery acrossmost of the prairies withminimum transportationcosts. “Right now wehave more members inAlberta andSaskatchewan but it is inproportion to the numberof farmers in Manitoba,”he said. “Over all thepercentage in all threeprovinces is the same.” FNA is concentrating onthe future Super Centresfor the time being puttingon hold ideas for a grainmarketing system. Theorganization had madeserious efforts to pur-chase the CanadianWheat Board facilities butwas rejected in favour of

an international partner-ship. The group has main-tained its focus on cuttingout a retail marketer andallowing investors tohave a return on theirshare in the distributionnetwork. It is not a co-operative and returns willbe allocated from dollarsinvested. “It might not show agood return in the earlyyears as we get estab-lished but we expect thatwithin 4 or 5 years thereshould be a good returnfor investors,” he said.“They also have the

benefit of getting theirinputs at a reasonablecost and more competi-tion is always good forpricing.” Beaton acknowledgedthat May is not the primetime to contact farmers, asthey are busy seedingand cash flow mayalready be tested. “Wehave a sales staff that willbe calling our 5,000members in the nextcouple of weeks with thedetails of the offering,” hesaid. “At this time we arevery encouraged by theresponse we have had.”


By Harry Siemens

Educated younger farmers and agronomists continue to take the agriculturalindustry forward in western Canada as the 30-year-olds take over the farms fromtheir fathers and those who choose agronomy. Jason Voogt, Regional Agronomist for Richardson Pioneer works out of Carmanas a professional with sound unbiased agronomics. The company has three agrono-mists in the province like Voogt working the various regions. “I’m providing agronomic support to the location I’m based out of with 60 per-cent of my time providing agronomic support, training, and expertise to the staffand the growers in the area around the Mollard location between Sperling andBrunkild,” he said. “The other 40 percent would be providing the same type ofagronomic information support and training to other locations in our region includ-ing Letellier, Killarney and Brandon.” When people come from the west, as they enter Manitoba the crops really lookgood compared to the rest of western Canada where moisture is lacking he noted.“In our region especially, considering the challenges we’ve had this spring alreadywith moisture and frost at the end of May,” said Voogt. “A couple of different frostevents within this region and of course and you know how variable frost can beand some areas got hit far worse than others.” He said even when one adds all these things together, growers are cautiouslyoptimistic that they have a very good crop setting up. Even some of the reseededcanola and replanted soybeans came out of the ground very quickly with thepotential of an above average harvest. Voogt said while difficult to get very specific because it varies by area, in hisgeneral trading area, in the Red River Valley soybeans are either flat or down a bit inarea. He sees more cereals, a little extra corn, oats, and a few more acres of sunflow-ers. Canola is also flat to slightly down a little replaced by cereal crops too. When it comes to marketing, Voogt said the majority of growers feel there is moreflexibility in marketing their wheat now even though there is a steep learning curvefor some growers. “You still hear the odd producer say that when we had the wheatboard monopoly, at least they knew what they needed to grow, hard red springwheat, or at least the CWB needed to find a home for it,” said Voogt. “Now thatcompletely falls on the lap and the decision making of the grower.” Making that decision more difficult is that farmers have the opportunity to growmany other wheat varieties, especially the dark northern varieties from North Da-kota that have higher yield potential. “But the challenge for them is do they growmore bushels or better quality with higher protein, and can I achieve both,” he said.“Even though I think overall it is a plus and positive, but the challenge for some isthey don’t always know what they need to produce.”

By Elmer Heinrichs

With a cooler week, andthe odd rain shower, farmersare again looking ahead towarmer temperatures as Juneends and crops advance.After all, harvest time is littlemore than a month away. The province’s weeklycrop report for June 15 saysseeding operations inManitoba are essentiallycomplete for the 2015 sea-son, with the exception ofsome greenfeed crops. While crops benefittedfrom earlier warm June tem-peratures, current coolerweather is slowing cropgrowth. Nevertheless, farm-ers have made goodprogress on weed controloperations. Weed control and fungi-cide applications, where war-ranted, will remain a priorityfor producers as crops de-velop. Fungicide applica-tions in winter wheat for leafdisease control and sup-pression of fusarium headblight continues. Quite a fewcanola fields in westernManitoba sustained frostdamage and have been re-seeded. Anastasia Kubinec, oil-seed crop specialist withManitoba agriculture, foodand rural initiatives, said an-other oilseed crop, flax, wasalso affected by frost andsome fields have been re-seeded. Manitoba growersplanned to seed three millionacres to canola, 145,000acres of flax, and 125,000acres of sunflowers this yearin central regions. The weekbegan with warm, dryweather leading to verygood growing conditions.

By Harry Siemens

Bruce Burnett, a weatherand crop specialist withthe Canadian WheatBoard (CWB) said dryconditions on the westernprairies combined with awidespread frost that hitManitoba andSaskatchewan will resultin dramatically reducedyield potentials. Kevin Surfas atLethbridge, Alberta whofarms 40,000 plus acressaid, “Many of the cropsare past the stage of rainhelping this year. It isvery dry and they havenot received any to speakof this spring. Therewasn’t any snow covereither so things are dry.” Burnett said with theexception of some greenfeed crops still going inthe ground in middle ofJune, in some of thewetter areas, springplanting across theCanadian prairies iscomplete, about two tothree weeks ahead of lastyear. “Unfortunately thereason that we managedto complete the seeding

Planning What to Market asManitoba Crops Ahead of Normal

Seeding Finally Completed with CropsShowing Promise After Recent Rains

There was light to moderateamounts of precipitation re-ported mid-week across theregion, with the Red RiverValley receiving the highestamounts. Some hail was re-ported in the Crystal Cityarea causing limited damage. The Red River Valley re-ceived more rain over theweekend with amounts rang-ing from 20 to 30 mm, whilethe western side of the re-gion received little or no rain-fall. Some hail was also re-ported east of the Red Rivercausing moderate to severedamage in a narrow band ofcropland. In the areas of higher pre-cipitation, water is standingin low areas of fields andsome crop yellowing is evi-dent. Seeding in Central re-gion is reported as 100 percent complete, including re-seeding. Spring cereals aregrowing well, with excellenttillering noted. Early-seededcanola plant stands are lessthan optimal but improving. Canola developmentranges from emerging to 4-6leaf stage. A few fields are inthe rosette stage and shouldreach bolting stage soon.Some canola is also startingto flower in the Portage area.Reseeded canola is emerg-ing well. Field peas are up to the six-node stage, with soybeandevelopment ranging fromfirst to second trifoliatestages. Many early fields arereported as having heavyweed pressure. The warmer temperaturesimproved corn stands, andis developing well. Sun-flower growth ranges fromemerging to two true leavesand reports of cutwormscontinue requiring regularmonitoring.

Winter wheat and fall ryeare reported to be in goodto excellent condition,with only a fraction ofacres rated as fair. Fall ryeis heading out, and winterwheat is in full flag to earlyheading stage. Fieldspraying operations werebeing hampered by inter-mittent rains, wind andwet field conditions in theRed River Valley but inthe western areas produc-ers made good sprayingprogress. Field crop seeding iscomplete in eastern re-gions. Cereal crops rangein development from fourleaves with tillers, to veryearly flag leaf emergence.Winter wheat has headed,canola ranges from seed-ling to rosette and soy-beans, sunflowers andcorn are all growing withvigour. For most of theweek good to excellentgrowing conditions al-lowed crops to developrapidly. Rainfall accumula-tions in the east rangedfrom just two to over 50mm with northern districtsreceiving greater amountsduring isolated thunder-storms over the weekend. Soil moisture in crop,hay and pasture lands arerated as adequate to sur-plus. Some aerial sprayingwas done to avoid trackdamage in wet fields.Overall, field crops arerated in good condition. Some producers are wait-ing for fields to dry up toseed greenfeed. Pasturesare slow growing, and lowspots are still fairly wet.Most livestock is out onpasture, and alfalfa is be-ing put up as silage.

Crop Conditions Vary Across Western Canadaas quickly as we did wasthe fact that we’ve beenrelatively dry across theprairie region,” he said.“In some cases, cropsthat have emerged areonly partially emerged sothere is some difficulty interms of the emergence ofthe crop.” He points to thecombination of dryconditions and anextensive frost severalweeks ago that forcedfarmers to replant aconsiderable amount ofcanola, especially inwestern Manitoba andeastern Saskatchewan.“When you distill all ofthis, although we plantedthe crops two to threeweeks earlier than normal,we really are going to seeanother year where wehave slower than normalearly season growth,”said Burnett. “This willresult in a crop thatfarmers will harvest at anormal time or slightlylater than normal so weare now looking at mostlya September harvest for alot of these crops.” Burnett said there is an

extensive dry area inwestern Saskatchewanand through most ofAlberta that has alreadyinfluenced yield poten-tials so those farmers arelooking at yields that arewell below normal acrossthat entire region.“While on the easternside of the prairies, we’reseeing yield potentialsthat are a little closer toaverage and, in parts ofManitoba, there will besome above averageyields as well,” he said. Burnett said farmersacross western Canadaput in more barley,durum wheat, and pulsecrops this year and lessspring wheat and canola.“Strong pulse priceshave also resulted in asignificant increase inacreage of pulse cropswith prices the mainfactor influencing thedecisions this year,” hesaid. “We’ve seen theprice drop for manycommodities and that’sinfluenced farmers’planting decisions. Ofcourse the pulse cropswere stronger in terms of

prices so that’s resulted inthe increase in area and thedurum prices were strongeras well so that’s whyyou’re seeing the increasein area.” For the most part farmersdon’t shift a whole lotwhen it comes to differentcrops because rotationdecisions play such a vitalpart in what they plantfrom year to year. Also theknow how and cropspecific equipment affectsplanting decisions.However, as Burnett saidwhen certain commodityprices move in eitherdirection, a certain amount

of acres planted movesalong with the prices. He said barley increasedbecause it is a relativelyinexpensive crop to growand the malting bids werereasonably strong at the

beginning of the year.“So we’re seeing thecombination of price andsome of the agronomicfactors influencingfarmers’ decisions,” headded.


By Harry Siemens

This is not the time to re-lax biosecurity in the hog in-dustry despite the greatwork the entire industry isdoing to stop PED virus. Formany months, producerswould walk into their facili-ties hoping against hopethey would not see sickbaby pigs in the morning.To have their piglets get thedisease and go through theprocess of cleaning it up,eradicating the disease isnot easy, and has cost thoseproducers at least one pro-duction cycle, if not more. According to Dr. MeganBergman, Manitoba’s ChiefVeterinary Officer expectsswine barns in the provinceinfected with Porcine Epi-demic Diarrhea to be free ofthe infection within the nextcouple of months. Manitoba identified itsfirst case of PED in Febru-ary 2014, and since then thedeadly disease infected atotal of five farms, includ-ing two sow sites and threefinisher sites. Dr. Bergman said so farstrategies aimed at riddingthe farms of the virus arequite successful. “The strat-egies in use to eliminate PEDfrom a farm are developedthrough consultation withherd veterinarians and infor-mation gathered from PEDinfected regions,” she said.“The affected herds andtheir vets have worked re-ally closely with the CVO toimplement the best strategyfor their circumstances. Fin-isher operations are able toempty their barns, thor-oughly clean and disinfectthem and then test the barnto ensure that they’ve elimi-nated the virus prior torepopulation.” Bergman said next is thatthey implement a testingstrategy when they intro-duce healthy pigs to ensurethat they do not become in-fected with PED and thathelps to determine theyhave actually eliminated thevirus from the barn. “It’s abit more challenging whenwe’re dealing with thingslike sow barns,” saidBergman. “These facilitiesare not as easy to clean anddisinfect and often youdon’t end up in a scenariowhere you actually emptyout the barn and so we haveto find ways to be able towork with the producer tohelp him become diseasefree and also manage thefarm at the same time.” She said one of the strate-gies they use is to ensurethe pigs on site in the farmdevelop immunity asquickly as possible. That

By Peter Vitti

I always feel sorry for beefcattle in an open field thatcannot escape the hotsummer’s sun. The otherday, I was driving along apasture that had about thirtyblack Angus cow-calf pairs.Not a tree or waterer insight. All the animals werecrowded together, cows werenot grazing and their calveswere not nursing. I ampretty sure these cattle weresuffering from summertimeheat stress. As this temperature/humidity chart illustrates(source University ofNebraska), beef cows andcalves like the ones that Isaw, suffer from heat stressat any time when theTemperature-HumidityIndex (THI); a gradienthumidex scale based on 76 F(24.4 C) degrees and 85%humidity is exceeded. A THIof above 75 is considereddangerous to the well-beingof beef cattle because theyare unable to maintain anormal body temperature of101.5 F (38.6 C). Luckily, there are somesummer managementpractices that producers canuse to help cattle cope withheat stress. Such practices atbest will only lessen heatstress in beef cattle ratherthan eliminate it. Instead,such cows and calves (and ifbreeding bulls are still out onpasture) will not return tooptimum stages until theweather cools off. During the “dog days” ofsummer, I would expectheat-stressed cows to slowdown any significant grazingduring the hottest parts ofthe day. If they don’t catch-

Summertime Heat StressHits Beef Cattle Hard

up at night, overall, nutrientintake could be reduced andmilk production could beirreversibly compromised.Furthermore, slightly heat-stressed calves do not oftennurse well and do not go upto the creep feeders. It hasbeen my experience thatsuch cow-calf loss ofnutrition leads to significantlower weaning weights at theend of the pasture season. Consequently, lowerweaning weights mean lowerrevenues, too. Consider a300 cow-calf operation withspring calves that typicallygain 2.0 lbs per day, only tostall out during a 21-day“heat-stress” period at theend of July into August. When these calves are soldin the fall (assumed at thesame time of the year); mycalculation for their failure togain weight and subsequentreduced income is as follows:300 spring calves x 2.0 lb/hd/d x 21 days x $ 2.25(demonstration autumn price– weaned 600 lb steers) = $28,350.00. That’s nearly aloss of $30,000 revenuedirectly due to heat stress. While heat stress in thecowherd may ultimately leadto loss of good weaningweight and income, it alsocan play havoc on the wholecowherd’s future reproduc-tive performance. Research shows that heat-stressed cows are morelikely to remain open,because they are less likelyto ovulate, have irregularestrus cycles, may have poorconception rates, and sufferfrom a high rate of earlyembryonic deaths at twodifferent times of pregnancy.Cows that experience earlyembryonic loss during the

first week of pregnancyappear as repeat breeders(return to cycling), whilecows that experience fetaldeath later-on come back tocycling at the end of thebreeding season. A similar fate awaits lateseason breeding bulls. Theybecome temporarily infertiledue to heat stress due toexcessive heat built up insidetheir testes, which causessterility or damage to theimmature sperm cells.Fortunately, these bulls willrecover, but only about 60days after severe extreme hotweather dissipates, a periodthat coincides with thenatural process of spermproduction and maturation. Regardless of these effectsupon cattle by summer heatstress, there are still manypro-active steps that can beimplemented to help reduceits negative impact upontheir general well-being andperformance:1. Lots of cool clean watermust be provided. Thewater surface area should besufficient for a large numberof cattle to drink at the sametime, and the water flowwithin the waterers andtanks should be replenished,quickly.2. Cows and calves shouldhave access to trees andother forms of shade. Openbuildings and pole-shedswith light colored roofs canbe used to provide shade.Windbreaks will provideshade, but they reduce airmovement and sometimescontribute to heat-stress.3. Adjust pasture manage-ment. Under rotationalgrazing systems, rotate thecattle through pastures morequickly. This change allowscattle to graze moredigestible pasture foragesthat lower their internalgeneration of heat from fibrefermentation.4. Feed a nutritious andpalatable creep feed tonursing calves. It is also agood idea to frequentlycheck the creep feeders, andnot allow them to go empty.5. Provide salt and a goodcommercial mineral at alltimes. Pasture studiessuggest cattle need moresodium, potassium, andmagnesium under heat stress.6. Implement a good flycontrol program. Manyproducers implementinsecticide ear tags and usecattle back-rubbers, dustersand oilers. Eliminate shallowpools, muddy areas andother fly breeding spots. By the middle of July intoAugust, weeks of unbearablehot summer weather seemsendless. We can help grazingcattle and calves hit hard byheat stress by implementingthese coping techniques. Thepayback is better thanexpected calf growth andmature cowherd reproduc-tion performance.

Elimination of PED in ManitobaExpected Within Months

includes strategies such asback feeding and also startto monitor those swine tomake sure they can detectwhen they stop sheddingthat virus and the cycle ofthe virus is completewithin the pigs in thebarn,” she added. “Oncethat happens then we canstart moving forward withthe cleaning and disinfec-tion process room by roomin those facilities so it doestake time and a lot of dedi-cation but our folks areworking very hard to dothat.” Dr. Bergman said thenthey can evaluate pigs andpiglets when they comeinto the barns so that theycontinue to maintain anegative status. According to the provin-cial agricultural departmentin Saskatchewan, whileenvironmental testing hasdetected positive or sus-pect positive samples ofPED and Swine Delta Co-rona virus, the province’sswineherd remains free ofthe infections. Since March 2014 the de-partment has kept monitor-ing high risk or co-min-

gling sites such as slaugh-ter plants and assemblyyards for PED, Swine DeltaCorona virus and TGE, be-cause all three are report-able diseases inSaskatchewan. The depart-ment also receives reportsof suspect or positive re-sults from producer-sub-mitted samples.Saskatchewan Chief Veteri-nary Officer Dr. BettyAlthouse said during thelast reporting period theydetected SDC suspect orpositive samples at threesites including a truckwash, in stored feed, on anon-the-farm loading dockand a truck wash wasfound to be positive forPED. “The biggest thing to takenote of is so far we have noherds or facilities with pigsactually infected in theprovince so any of the de-tections we have found todate have been environ-mental ones,” saidAlthouse. “We’ve had afew suspected positivesfor PED over time and prob-ably a lot more of SDC in-fections picked up.”

The Manitoba government, the Canadian Fertilizer In-stitute (CFI) and Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP)have renewed their shared commitment to sustainableagriculture practices and environmental protection throughappropriate fertilizer use. The three-year agreement reaffirms support for the RightSource @ Right Rate, Right Time, Right Place approach tonutrient management, commonly referred to as 4R Nutri-ent Stewardship. As a result, the CFI will fund and imple-ment extension and data-collection projects across theprovince focused on sustainable fertilizer use in the agri-cultural sector. “Farmers in Manitoba are utilizing 4R Nutrient Steward-ship to improve agricultural productivity and minimizeimpact on the environment,” said Clyde Graham, SeniorVice-President, Canadian Fertilizer Institute. The Province and these two organizations first signed a4R Nutrient Stewardship agreement in January 2013. Sincethat time, partners have reached more than 1,500 peoplewith information about this approach to sustainable agri-culture by developing training resources and making pre-sentations to farmers and agronomists, creating a YouTubevideo featuring a farmer talking about implementing 4RNutrient Stewardship on his farm and creating an interac-tive learning station used to engage and educate peopleabout water movement and management, water qualityprotection and farming practices. 4R Nutrient Stewardship was established in co-opera-tion with government, researchers, farmers and the publicand ensures nutrients are used in a way that protects theenvironment while enabling producers to achieve eco-nomic success. “Application using the 4Rs maximizes fertilizer perfor-mance and minimizes its effect on the environment,” saidDan Mazier, President, Keystone Agricultural Producers. To learn more about 4R Nutrient Stewardship, visitfarming4rfuture.ca.

Three Year Tri-PartnerAgreement on NutrientManagement Renewed


Ed and Kathy Friesen of Kleefeld were namedthe 2015 Farm Family of the Year at a June cer-emony in Winnipeg where they were joined byMLA Kelvin Goertzen and Hanover Reeve StanToews. The Friesen’s own and operate Friecrest Hol-steins, a dairy farm that they began in 1999. Edis active in many dairy industry boards and theytake pride in hosting groups and providing toursof their operations to increase awareness of thefarming industry. The Farm Family of the Year award began in1966 and presented by the Red River ExhibitionAssociation.

Manitoba farmers and other agricultural stakeholdersare invited to provide their input about agricultural riskmanagement programs at a series of upcoming publicconsultations or through an online questionnaire. “The task force appointed earlier this year is makinggood progress and we now want to hear directly fromthose most affected by agricultural risk managementprograms and climate-related challenges,” said Agricul-ture, Food and Rural Development Minister RonKostyshyn. “This is important work that will guide ourgovernment’s direction in the years to come and the taskforce provides the best platform to hold discussions withindustry stakeholders and the public.” The minister noted Manitoba farmers have said existingbusiness risk management programs do not adequatelyaddress the risks that arise from climate-related chal-lenges such as spring flooding and excess rainfall. “We are following through on our commitment toreview existing programs and consider options that willbe more predictable, comprehensive and sustainable forfarmers and governments,” the minister said. “I lookforward to hearing from Manitobans as part of the taskforce’s work.” The Agriculture Risk Management Review Task Forcewill focus its consultations on the ability of currentprograms to protect and provide a foundation forManitoba’s agriculture industry as it deals with achanging climate, Kostyshyn said. Seven publicconsultations have been scheduled:- Melita, Town Hall, on July 9, at 9:30 -11:30 am.- Swan River, Westwood Inn on July 13, at 7:30 - 9:30 pm.- Dauphin, St. Viator’s Roman Catholic Church, on July14, at 1:30 - 3:30 pm.- Arborg, Arborg Bifrost Community Centre, on July 20,at 1:30 - 3:30 pm.- Portage la Prairie, Canad Inns Destination Centre, onJuly 21, at 1:30 - 3:30 pm.- Beausejour, Sandy-Salteaux Spiritual Centre, on July 27,at 1:30 - 3:30 pm.- Morris, Morris United Church, on July 28, at 1:30 - 3:30pm. Written submissions will be accepted until September30 and should focus on gaps or challenges with currentrisk management programs, and any adjustments oralternatives to current programs that could be consid-ered, the minister said. An online questionnaire will alsobe available. The questionnaire and additional informa-tion on how to send written comments will be postedonline shortly in the Quick Links section at gov.mb.ca/agriculture. The task force has been asked to review the ability ofcurrent tools to effectively manage risk and identifygaps. They have also been asked to identify new policyand program opportunities that may advance the abilityof the agriculture sector and government to manage riskissues and the economic effects of a changing climate. The task force’s members are Bill Uruski (Chair), DerekBrewin, Doug Chorney, John DeVos, Frieda Krpan andGoldwyn Jones. A final report with recommendations will be submittedto government by the end of the year, the minister said.

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Agricultural RiskManagement Task

Force ConsultationsScheduled

AgriPost June 26 2015

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Transcript of AgriPost June 26 2015