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Volume 40, Number 1 | JANUARY 7, 2014

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PRACTICAL PRODUCTION TIPS FOR THE PRAIRIE FARMER

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Moving the grain Prairie farmers are dealing with a bin-busting bumper crop this year. But moving that grain is easier said than done

BY LISA GUENTHER

W

hen it comes to moving grain through a cramped system, farmers and grain elevators have more control than they might realize, says a transportation manager. And a lot of it comes down to reliability.

“I want to be that preferred shipper. I want to be that farmer that when they say they need stuff moving, they know I’m reliable,” Chad Jarvis told delegates at Canadian Western Agribition’s Grain Expo. Jarvis is Cargill’s transportation manager.

Statistics Canada’s crop production numbers, released December 4, show Canadian farmers breached many previous production records. Canada’s canola yielded 18 million tonnes, up nearly 30 per cent from 2012.

Wheat hit 37.5 million tonnes and oats 3.9 million tonnes. Barley yields topped 71 bushels per acre, adding up to 10.2 million tonnes.

Corn and soybeans reached 14.2 million tonnes and 5.2 million tonnes respectively.

With no new mills or crushing facilities, the domestic market will only take about 20 to 25 million tonnes, Jarvis said. “So now

we have, for the export orders, a 45 million tonne crop trying to squeeze through the same lines the 30 million-tonne crop would have the previous year.”

“But I think at the end of the day, it’s a good challenge to have.”

COMMERCIAL STORAGE LIMITED Asked why Canadian elevators don’t pile or bunk grain in the open like Australia, Jarvis pointed out Australia has lower moisture and fewer environmental risks than Canada.

Paterson Grain has piled and tarped 40,000 tonnes of winter wheat outside its Winnipeg terminal. Jarvis said other companies are watching how Paterson’s experiment turns out.

Under the Canadian Wheat Board system, grain had to be covered, Jarvis said. The Prairie grain handling system is, in some ways, a single-desk legacy.

“The Canadian Wheat Board had a quota, they had a 25 per cent push that you go through, so it really metered out how much grain would go through the system at a time.” Jarvis said this required farmers to build on-farm storage to main-

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tain grain quality until it could be moved.

Only about 10 per cent of Saskatchewan’s grain can be stored in the commercial system, Jarvis said. In comparison, North Dakota socks away between 40 and 45 per cent of its grain in commercial facilities, while Kansas’ commercial storage holds over 80 per cent of its grain, Jarvis said.

Though Canadian grain handling companies are building more storage, it won’t reflect the U.S. system, said Jarvis.

Grain elevators don’t fill their space right up, either. “The grain elevators start to feel full when they’re at 60 per cent full capacity,” Jarvis said.

Usually much of Saskatchewan’s wheat crop is harvested after the first killing frost, and grain elevators need to separate different products, he explained.

Shipping grain that doesn’t meet the buyers’ requirements clogs up the system.

“If you’re pouring water through a funnel, if you start to get some junk or sediment sticking to the sides of that funnel, it starts to really slow the flow. If you have sediment stick-

» CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

PHOTO: LISA GUENTHER

Farmers need to think about what actions are within their control to help move this year’s record crop, says Cargill’s Chad Jarvis.

In This Issue

Wheat & Chaff ..................

2

Features ............................

5

Crop Advisor’s Casebook

8

Columns ........................... 17 Machinery & Shop ............ 26 FarmLife ............................ 31

Nitrogen stabilizers

LEEANN MINOGUE PAGE 6

Agritechnica

Cattleman’s Corner .......... 35

SCOTT GARVEY PAGE 26

New “Straight Cut” 204-825-2000 www.seeddepot.ca

CARDALE

“More Wheat...Less Shatter”

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JANUARY 7, 2014

Wheat & Chaff STAMPEDE

BY JERRY PALEN LEEANN MINOGUE

F

“Mad? Now why would I be mad about your forgetting our anniversary?”

CONTACT US

Write, Email or Fax SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (CST) 1-800-665-0502

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Phone Leeann Minogue at 306-861-2678 Fax to 204-944-5416 Email leeann.minogue@fbcpublishing.com Write to Grainews, 1666 Dublin Ave., Winnipeg, Man. R3H 0H1

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or my husband, Christmas came early this year — twice.

First, in early December our seven-year old son brought home his school portfolio. (In case you’re out of the loop, a first-grader’s “portfolio” is a really thick binder full of all kinds of photos, pictures and worksheets that kids bring home instead of a simple report card.)

For the most part, our son’s portfolio was filled with the standard Grade 1 reading and printing.

But mid-way through the binder, we found the hand-drawn picture you see here. We think the picture is a combine, and we’re translating the text as, “When I grow up I want to be a farmer.”

Brad was pleased, to say the least.

Our son is an only child. Having just one kid really simplifies farm succession planning. There’s no debate over how to treat children equally, or fairly compensate nonfarming children. (Of course, it also increases our risk. If you have three children and one starts robbing banks, you still have two to include in your annual Christmas newsletter. We’ve got all our of our eggs in one basket.)

But in some ways, having only one child also makes our farm succession planning situation more difficult.

Brad’s grandfather started this farm. Brad and his parents would be very pleased to see the business continue for a fourth generation.

In spite of this, we really try to make an effort to make sure that our son doesn’t feel obligated to stay on the farm.

There’s a whole world out there.

If he decides to be a welder in Northern Alberta or a whalewatching tour guide in Hawaii, we just hope he’s healthy and happy. As he gets older, we’ll work hard to make sure he has every opportunity. If it turns out he doesn’t want to farm, we don’t want him to feel that this business is something chained to his leg, holding him back.

For now, though, he’s giving it some thought.

He might change his mind. Or maybe he just picked “farmer” because he thought it would be easier to draw a combine than a fire truck. Maybe he was copying from the kid in the next desk when he drew this picture.

At any rate, for now, we’re calling it a win, and assuming he’s proud of his dad and at least considering the family business as one of his options.

Find us on Twitter:

FUTURESIM 3

Leeann Minogue is @grainmuse Lisa Guenther is @LtoG Lee Hart is @hartattacks Scott Garvey is @machineryeditor

Brad’s second pleasant surprise in early December was a great experience at a three-day grain marketing workshop in Weyburn.

The course, taught by occa-

sional Grainews contributor Neil Blue, focused on using futures and options to limit income risk on the farm. But the best part was the FutureSim 3 Commodity Trading program that the class used during the three days.

FutureSim 3 is a simulated market experience. At the start of the course, participants were given 10 envelopes, a (pretend) brokerage account loaded with $50,000 cash, and a list of inventory they were holding on their farm.

Each envelope included two months of “pretend” market information. After they opened it and had a chance to read through the market information and charts inside, everyone had an opportunity to buy or sell futures or options for several different agriculture commodities or the Canadian dollar. They could also fix basis prices for future delivery, or sell their grain for cash.

After they made their choices, they submitted their orders to the broker — this part was played by Ken Evans, regional farm business management specialist at Saskatchewan Agriculture’s Weyburn office.

The FutureSim 3 software calculated commission prices and margin calls, then tallied participants’ profits and losses as markets changed. When they opened the next of the 10 envelopes, participants could see how the markets moved over time, and consider whether they’d made the right choices.

It’s one thing to learn definitions for market terms like “put,” “call” and “in the money.” But it’s a lot more helpful to actually have a chance to try out these strategies as you go — especially without having your own $50,000 on the line while you learn.

The FutureSim 3 software is published by Alberta Agriculture. It was written

by Neil Blue, Lee Melvill and Doug Walkey. If you ever have a chance to take a course that uses this software, take advantage of the opportunity.

THE COLUMNS SECTION You’ll see a couple of changes in the Columns section of this issue.

Don’t be alarmed! Les Henry isn’t going anywhere.

Instead, you’ll see Bobbie Bratrud’s first column in this issue, on page 22. Bobbie and her husband farm in southeast Saskatchewan. She’s written occasional article for Grainews.

Now she’s moving to the columns section so she can tell us more about what’s happening on her own farm. In this issue, she’s writing about new opportunities with soybeans and corn. For the next issue, she’s planning a column about how she and her husband are deciding what crops to seed this spring.

You’ll also find Jay Peterson’s “AppQuest” in the columns section. Jay farms near Frontier, Sask. He occasionally writes other articles for Grainews, in addition to AppQuest, and I hope he’ll continue to do that too.

As you may have noticed, not all of our columnists appear in each issue. In this issue, Toban Dyck is taking a break as he recovers from midwinter flu. As we move to a mostlyweekly production schedule in February, many of our columnists will occasionally take breaks while they do their regular day jobs or get to work on their farms.

GRAIN TRANSPORTATION AND COMMENTS You’ve already seen one article about grain transportation on Page 1. Grain transportation is becoming a real bottleneck in the system with this year’s record crop. Market analyst Brian Wittal’s column (page 21) follows up on this theme with some ideas about the future of grain transportation.

If you have comments about grain transportation (or anything else) I hope you’ll send them in (by email or mail, or just pick up the phone.)

Happy new year, and best wishes for 2014.

Leeann

JANUARY 7, 2014

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Wheat & Chaff Farm safety

Skating on thin ice

R

ecently an Alberta cattle producer had a run in with ice that she’ll likely never forget. It was late November and a balmy 3 C. She was moving bales with a tractor when about 15 of her cattle spied an open gate, raced through it towards a dugout on the farm, and proceeded to fall through the ice. The woman and her family spent the next four hours fishing cattle out of the dugout with a lariat. One calf died and her husband broke his hand in a hitching mishap with a rope and backhoe. Amazingly, the remaining cattle survived, a few treading water for about an hour and a half before they were rescued.

Besides wanting to “kick her own butt” for leaving the gate open, she admits that they’d been talking about fencing off the dugout on the farm for years, but never got around to it. Her story, now immortalized in an ag publication, ends with a quote: “If someone else can learn from my

stupid mistakes, I’d be happy.”

The family spent the next day setting up temporary barriers to the dugout.

Her cautionary tale is very poignant this time of year. Winter temperatures can fluctuate wildly, and with children looking for some entertainment during winter break, now is a good time to review the ice safety situation on your farm.

Begin by assessing the water bodies on your farm. Do you have a dugout, manure lagoon, natural pond or creek on or nearby your property? What precautions have you taken to limit access to these features? It’s advised to fence off and properly mark water bodies to prevent kids, animals, wandering neighbours, or snowmobilers from accessing these surfaces when they shouldn’t be.

Each water body is different.

If you have an aerated pond, it probably won’t be safe to use for recreational purposes as the ice will become increasingly thin

Crop varieties

Soybean variety news

and dangerous the closer you get to the aeration system. When dealing with natural ponds, springs, creeks or marshes, deep water freezes much more slowly than shallow water. Strong currents and organic debris can create thin spots. At the water’s edge, cattails and tree roots can slow and weaken ice formation while rocks, logs and docks can absorb heat from the sun. If your water body is near a roadway, or is crossed frequently by off-road or other vehicles, vibrations might weaken the ice. If your water body is subject to salt or other chemicals, this can also reduce ice strength. Monitor water quality in the summer so you have a good idea of the composition of your pond when it freezes over.

Once you determine that your water body is suitable for recreation, it’s time to measure the ice thickness. Start by assessing the ice colour. Clear blue ice is the strongest. White or opaque ice, which is formed by wet snow freezing on the ice, is half as strong as blue ice.

Grey ice is unsafe as it indicates the presence of water. Try chip-

You might be from the Prairies if...

ping at the ice. If it comes off in chunks, it’s strong. If it comes off in thin, crispy pieces, the ice density is low and probably not safe. Use an ice auger or drill to measure the ice at various spots on the pond. Fifteen centimeters is safe for skating, walking, or ice fishing alone; 20 cm is safe for hockey games or skating parties; 25 cm is safe for snowmobiles and ATVs; and 40 cm is safe for mid-sized pickup trucks.

Once you are ready to clear the ice, make sure it is strong enough to support the weight and reverberations of your vehicle or machinery. Crosscheck its tonnage against an ice thickness chart, or consult with your machinery dealer. If you’re not confident the ice will be strong enough to withstand your equipment, don’t do it, or find lighter equipment that you know is safe.

Once you are out on the ice, bring a buddy to keep an eye on things from the shore. If this isn’t possible, tell someone what you are doing and how long you will be gone. If you are clearing the ice with a trac-

tor or front end loader, keep the door open. If the ice cracks, this might allow you to escape the vehicle in time before it submerges. Steering and breaking on ice is difficult as most twowheel-drive tractors only have brakes on their rear wheels. This problem may be exacerbated when carrying heavy loads of snow. So go slowly.

Once the ice is cleared and you’ve warmed yourself up with some hot chocolate, make sure to talk to your kids about ice safety.

Children should not venture out onto the ice without adult supervision and pre-testing of the ice by an adult first.

Develop an emergency plan in case the ice breaks. Do you have rescue equipment near the site such as a ladder or weighted rope?

Do you have a system in place to call for help? Does everyone know what to do if someone falls through the ice?

Skating is a fun, active way to spend time with your family during the holidays. By taking a few extra steps, you can ensure it stays that way. † Canadian Agriculture Safety Association — www.casa-acsa.ca.

Agronomy tips… from the field

Enjoy the show

S

ometime this winter, almost every grower will reflect on the past cropping season. “What should I have done differently? How can I build on recent successes?” are common questions this time of year. For my money, there’s no venue like a trade show to get answers. Where else is there so much expertise in one place? So while you’re enjoying the show, let me suggest you seize the learning opportunity.

Before you go, think about a few things you’d like to improve upon next year and make a list of them. Then, determine who will be at the show to provide answers.

Attend the relevant seminars. Ask the different vendors what’s new and review any trial results to see how new products and uses can help overcome your challenges.

And be sure to ask the provincial agriculture representatives or members of grower organizations in attendance for a well-rounded solution to your problem.

And don’t forget a notepad and pen. They’re the best way to retain all the good information you’ve heard.

Trade shows are a wonderful celebration of everything agriculture and a chance to connect with the community. They’re also a place where a few minutes of asking questions can save hours of independent research at home. †

I

n Grainews’ annual fall round-up of new soybean varieties, we missed these two offerings from Syngenta which will be hitting the market for the first time in 2014.

S00-N6*: This is a high-yielding, Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield variety targeted to the earliest soybean growing areas of the Red River Valley of Manitoba, rated at 2400 heat units. This strong-standing variety responds well to narrow rows and offers very good emergence to enable quick stand establishment and easy harvesting. *Registration pending.

S007-Y4: A Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield variety with high yield performance that is broadly adapted across Manitoba growing zones. This early-maturing soybean offers growers dependable emergence, Phytophthora root rot field tolerance, includes the Rps1c gene for resistance to races 1-3 and 6-11 and boasts superb standability for easy harvesting. Rated at 2425 heat units. †

You get nosebleeds in higher altitudes.

This agronomy tip is brought to you by Rob Klewchuk, Technical Lead, Western Canada for Syngenta Canada Inc.

Leeann Minogue

photo contest

GIVE US YOUR BEST SHOT Grace Deunk took this picture of her granddaughter, AllyGrace. She says, “Ally’s aunties raise chickens on our dairy farm to help pay for their university education. This was Ally’s first exposure to the chicks when she came to visit us near Leduc, Alta. Her mom, Natasha is showing her the baby chicks.”

Ally is one excited little girl! We have a check for $25 on its way to Grace. Send your best shot to leeann.minogue@ fbcpublishing.com. Please send only one or two photos at a time and include your name and address, the names of anyone in the photo, where the photo was taken and a bit about what was going on that day. A little write-up about your farm is welcome, too. Please ensure that images are of high resolution (1 MB is preferred), and if the image includes a person, we need to be able to see their face clearly.

Leeann

Weather Lore

Sunshine in January

S

t. Vincent’s feast day is on January 22 and according to this weather adage from France: If the sun shine brightly on Vincent’s Day we shall have more wine than water.

Sunshine on St. Vincent’s Day seems to have been seen as a good thing. This verse links St. Vincent’s day with that of St. Paul’s Conversion Day on January 25: If St. Vincent’s has sunshine, One hopes much rye and wine; If St. Paul’s is bright and clear, One does hope a good year.

St. Paul fair with sunshine Brings fertility to rye and wine.

Shirley Byers’ book “Never Sell Your Hen on a Rainy Day” explores over 100 weather rhymes and sayings.

It is available from McNally Robinson at: www. mcnallyrobinson.com.

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JANUARY 7, 2014

Cover Stories Soil nutrition

Planning ahead for fertility

1 6 6 6 D u b l i n Av e n u e , W i n n i p e g , MB R 3 H 0 H 1 w w w. g r a i n e w s . c a

With consistently higher yields, many farmers across North America are neglecting the basics: nutrient replacement

By Melanie Epp

W

hen agrologist Matt Gosling visited Chris Dennison in New Zealand he wanted to know how Dennison had become the world record holder for wheat production.

Dennison answered the question in a simple word: replacement.

When it comes to soil nutrition, Gosling has a similar philosophy: farmers should be monitoring soil status and replacing the nutrients they use — simple as that. It is a practice that has fallen to the wayside, says Gosling, but one that should be revisited.

Soil nutrition is something that’s often put on the backburner, says Gosling. Since yields across the Prairies have been exceptional this year regardless of nutrient management strategy, he’s particularly concerned that a lot of growers aren’t taking soil nutrition seriously.

“If we’ve been fertilizing for a certain yield and we’ve out-shot that yield for years, we’re really in a soil depletion trend,” says

Gosling. “Farmers who don’t treat their soil like a piggy bank or a savings account are really going to put their farm in a tough position here in another five to 10 years of higher crop removal.”

But farmers haven’t had to take soil nutrition seriously. Better genetics and better agronomic practices — fungicides, growth regulators and variant-rate technology — mean that yields are high regardless of nutrient management strategies.

“In some instances, our concept or practice of fertility has been left 20 years behind where producers are still fertilizing for genetics, for yield expectations and for practices where their fertility hasn’t matched the advancement of all of those other things,” says Gosling.

“If we’ve removed a big crop,” he continues, “we have to replace that big crop with what we’re going to put in the soil this fall or next spring.”

Phosphorus depletion is a big problem all across North America, says Gosling. Nitrogen, on the other hand, is pretty much a

renewable resource, so there’s less concern about nitrogen depletion.

“The potassium situation across the prairies in the soil is fairly strong,” says Gosling. “There are some instances where it is definitely worthwhile putting it down, especially in different management practices where they’re taking off straw or hay as part of their production and we’re removing very high amounts of potassium.”

Sulphur is a very inconsistent nutrient in the soil, but Gosling says that it should be kept at a consistent rate, if possible.

When we look at the big picture, though, phosphorus is the one nutrient that has the most yield-limiting power over the long term. One bushel of canola, for example, removes about one pound of phosphorus.

“If we’re fertilizing with 30 pounds of phosphorus and removing 50 pounds of canola, we’re depleting our soil of 20 pounds of phosphorus,” says Gosling, who thinks phosphorus should be looked at a lot more intensely by growers across the Prairies. “We’re only going to be able to keep that

PUBLI SHER

Lynda Tityk Associate Publisher/ Editorial director

John Morriss

Edito r

Leeann Minogue field Ed itor

Lisa Guenther Cattleman’s Corner Editor

Lee Hart Farmlife Ed it or

Sue Armstrong Machinery EDITOR

Scott Garvey

This photo was taken on Chris Dennison’s New Zealand farm.

Production Di rec tor

up for so many years before our soil gets really, really tired.”

Gosling suggests regular soil testing and a simple Excel spreadsheet to track what has been put in and taken out. He recommends that producers review their soil tests and come up with a nutrient management plan tailored specifically to their farm’s needs.

Now is a good time to begin planning for next year. †

Steven Cote

Melanie Epp is a freelance writer who specializes in writing web copy for small businesses. She is based in Guelph, Ont., and can be found online at melanierepp.com.

Farm management » CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

moving the grain

ing at a deeper point or further down that funnel, it has a greater impact on the flow of water faster,” said Jarvis.

Railway capabilities Between CPR and CNR, there are about 25,000 grain cars.

The railroads tend to allocate no more than 10,000 to 11,000 cars per week to grain transport, Jarvis said. Around Christmas, grain car allocation starts dropping, and could dip to 5,000 cars per week, depending on winter weather.

It would take grain companies 14 weeks to ship out the 2013 crop if grain companies had 10,000 rail cars each week, Jarvis said. He expects to see 10,000 car programs next summer as grain companies move the remaining crop.

Railways are focused internally, trying to improve their own efficiency. For example, CNR and CPR are moving to 100 and 112 car loaders. Grain companies are responding by upgrading their facilities, Jarvis said. CNR also upgraded the track between Saskatoon and Edmonton to improve winter service.

Railways have brought in more cars this year, Jarvis said. And one railway is rewarding companies that can load cars within 16 to 24 hours by keeping a locomotive close by.

“As soon as you release your cars to the railway to pick up, they come in there, hook up, and start pulling it off to Vancouver or Thunder Bay or wherever that’s destined.”

Shawna Gibson Designe r MARKETING / CIR CULATION D irec tor

Lynda Tityk

Ci rcul ation manage r

Heather Anderson president

Glacier farmmedia

Bob Willcox H e ad O f f i c e 1666 Dublin Avenue, Winnipeg, Man. R3H 0H1 Phone: (204) 944-5568 Fax: (204) 944-5562 Adve rti sin g Sa les

Cory Bourdeaud’hui Phone: (204) 954-1414 Fax: (204) 944-5562 Email: cory@fbcpublishing.com Adve rti sin g Servi ces Co- ordinato r

Weather Farmers are all too familiar with weather’s trickster nature. But rail service is vulnerable to wonky weather, too.

“We found out in Moose Jaw that rail cars make an incredible snow fence,” Jarvis said of last winter.

Steel becomes brittle in cold weather, slowing trains. And train brakes rely on air pressure. When the mercury drops, they can’t get enough air pressure to service all the brakes on the train. The railways then have to shorten trains by about 25 per cent or add a locomotive to increase air pressure, Jarvis said.

Grain-laden cars take one main rail line, owned by CNR, to Vancouver. Once emptied, they loop back on CPR’s south track. This avoids logistical problems such as passing time. But each time an avalanche hammers the tracks, trains stop until the line is cleared.

Even after rail cars have snaked through the mountains and arrived in Vancouver, weather can still wreak havoc. Cargill’s terminal sits on Vancouver’s north shore; Jarvis said they lost the equivalent of five full days to rain hours last year.

Grain companies face stiff demurrage penalties for loading delays. If a company is given a week to load a ship, and it rains for two days, they’re given nine days total to load, Jarvis explained.

“But once those nine days have come up, and you’re not finished loading that boat, it doesn’t matter how much rain you get. If it’s four days in a row of rain, you still pay that demurrage bill for those days.

So it can add up pretty quickly.”

Companies such as Cargill are

looking at ways to deal with rainy days, including rain shields, tarps and speeding up loading times.

Loading through feeder holes, which funnel grain into ships, is also an option.

But ship captains unwilling to risk spoilage can force companies to wait for a break in the weather.

What can farmers do?

“This crop is going to impact how you move next year’s crop.”

Jarvis said, adding farmers might want to consider this when contracting forward.

Much of what happens in the grain transportation system is outside farmers’ control. But farmers need to think about what is within their control to help move the crop, Jarvis said.

“Know what you have on farm.

And when you’re selling and you tell us you’re going to ship something, ship what you say you’re going to ship,” Jarvis said.

By thinking of themselves as suppliers, farmers can find ways to market their grain and get it to the elevator.

For example, farmers in southern Manitoba saw rain while wheat was still in the field, leading to moisture levels of 14 to 14.5 per cent. Cargill was shipping that wheat through Thunder Bay with no issues.

Once Thunder Bay freezes, the biggest market for that grain historically has been U.S. mills, Jarvis said.

“Well, the States’ mills don’t take 14, 14.5 per cent moisture. They take 13.5 per cent moisture.”

“So that might be a conversation you might have with your grain buyer or your grain company, saying ‘If I dry down my grain, is there something I can do that’s within

my control that makes my grain more marketable?’” Farmers need to figure out whether the benefits outweigh the costs, Jarvis added. “That grain is going to move at some point. It’s just you’re just going to lose that opportunity through those winter months of that typical U.S. mill traffic.”

Farmers can also look at contracts that separate price and delivery. “If I get a chance to do a contract, but I don’t like the price, what options do I have to do that?”

Contracts might use price floors or averaging tools to do this. Such programs can help farmers manage the risk around getting a crop out the bin and in the grain elevator, Jarvis said.

Since the single desk’s end, grain companies have been learning as they go.

And each year is different. Last year’s crop was consistent. Protein discounts and premiums were minimal, Jarvis said. This year grain companies are dealing with lower protein levels and more volatility in discounts and premiums. Farmers should work with a company with a plan, Jarvis said.

Jarvis also suggested, in a somewhat tongue-in-cheek manner, that farmers work with neighbours to keep grain flowing.

“If you get a call one time saying we need to move grain, but maybe you’re on holidays or you have some reason not to be there, go to your neighbour’s with a cup of coffee and convince him it’s time for him to move his grain. Because the reality is you both can’t move your grain at the same time and get everything through the pipe.” † Lisa Guenther is a field editor with Grainews.

Contact her at Lisa.Guenther@fbcpublishing. com.

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You can expect your next issue in your mailbox about January 21, 2014

The editors and journalists who write, contribute and provide opinions to Grainews and Farm Business Communications attempt to provide accurate and useful opinions, information and analysis. However, the editors, journalists and Grainews and Farm Business Communications, cannot and do not guarantee the accuracy of the information contained in this publication and the editors as well as Grainews and Farm Business Communications assume no responsibility for any actions or decisions taken by any reader for this publication based on any and all information provided.

JANUARY 7, 2014

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Features CROP PRODUCTION

Bleached kernals and HVK Fall rain can mean bring lower quality wheat and fewer hard vitreous kernels

BY ANGELA LOVELL

A

n untimely rain just before harvest can cause wheat kernels to “bleach” or whiten and can lead to some loss in quality that can cause downgrading at the elevator.

Bleaching of grain kernels is caused by wet conditions at or near maturity when alternate wetting and drying causes tiny fissures because the grain expands when wet then doesn’t dry back to the same size.

HARD VITREOUS KERNELS (HVK) The Canadian Grain Commission makes the important distinction that “bleaching” is not a grading factor in wheat; rather it is the percentage of hard vitreous kernels (HVK) in the sample that determines some wheat grades.

Vitreousness is the natural translucence of a kernel that is a visible sign of kernel hardness.

HVK are a grade determinant for the amber durum wheat class in Canada and the red spring wheat classes in Western Canada. Both wheat classes have different tolerances for the allowable percentage of HVK. Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat must have a minimum of 65 per cent HVK to be graded as No. 1 and anything lower than that will be graded as No. 2. The tolerance levels are much lower in durum wheat, which must have a minimum of 80 per cent HVK to make No. 1, 60 per cent minimum for No. 2 and 40 per cent minimum to be rated as No. 3.

HVK content is related to protein content and milling quality, which is particularly important in durum wheat. Non-vitreous kernels are produced under cool, wet conditions at or just before the grain matures and can also be caused by insufficient nitrogen fertilization.

Flours milled from non-vitrous wheat will have reduced protein content and will not produce good bread. Non-vitreous kernels are not a grading factor in soft wheats because they have no impact on end use for most products, like cookie, pastries and oriental noodles that are made from soft wheat flour.

“The reason for the impact on amber durum is that when you get a non-vitreous kernel it starts to get starchy white inside instead of the usual amber colour,” says Daryl Beswitherick, program manager of quality assurance at the Canadian Grain Commission.

“What happens then is that in the processing of that durum, the aim is to produce semolina and if you have the starch in there, the particle sizes will be smaller and it will turn out more like flour than semolina.”

Beswitherick emphasizes that HVK is not a major down grading factor for CWRS and not all bleaching indicates non-vitreous kernels. “It’s possible to get some samples that have a very whitish look to them but once you look more carefully at the kernels they are still hard and it’s just whitish

on the bran and they are still hard vitreous,” he says. “When they become very starchy they become more orange and are in sharp contrast to the natural sample colour and are obvious non-vitreous kernels.”

Determining the percentage of HVK is still a manual, visual test.

It’s done by separating a 25-gram sample from a sieved 250 gram sample. It is then inspected for the number of kernels that have natural translucence. There has been research in Canada and Australia into development of machine vision systems to classify individual wheat kernels as either HVK or non-vitreous but to date no system has been commercially employed.

HVK was originally implemented as an indicator of protein content for wheat, but once elevators were equipped to do their own protein testing it was no longer needed and was eliminated as a grading factor in other classes of spring and winter wheat because it doesn’t generally affect the end use quality for these classes.

LATE RAINFALL The larger concern with late rainfall on wheat is related to other problems that can result such as preharvest sprouting, which can cause lower test weights, lower 1,000 kernel weights and other quality issues. “When there is an indica-

tion that sprouting has occurred in the kernel, even if there is no actual sprout visible, there will be enzyme changes that negatively affect seed quality and viability,” says Mitchell Japp, provincial cereal crop specialist with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture.

Japp says that there were sporadic reports this season of problems with some bleached grain in the main durum growing areas of south central and east central Saskatchewan due to fall rains, but doesn’t think it’s likely to be a widespread problemBle. There really isn’t much that can be done once the rain stops except trying to get the grain harvested and dried down as soon as possible to prevent further bleaching

or other problems such as mold or sprouting, says Japp. He does suggest that farmers, especially those growing durum wheat in regions prone to late summer or early fall rains, should consider a variety that offers some resistance to preharvest sprouting.

Whether it’s referred to as bleaching or not, the fact remains that HVK is still a grading factor for certain classes of wheat.

“They still have to meet end use specifications so there are grading specifications that they have to meet and this is one of them,” says Beswitherick. † Angela Lovell is a freelance writer, editor and communications specialist living and working in Manitoba. Find her online at www. angelalovell.ca.

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Publication: Grain News

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JANUARY 7, 2014

Features Soil management

Nitrogen efficiency enhancers With local production of SuperU about to come on line, Prairie farmers have a longer list of nitrogen enhancing products to evaluate

By Leeann Minogue

S

uperU, a nitrogen efficiency enhancer, will soon be more readily available in Western Canada.

In September, Koch Industries announced that it will begin producing its SuperU at its nitrogen plant in Brandon, Man. Make that one more nitrogen efficiency enhancing product to add to the already confusing list.

Nitrogen efficiency enhancers are used to minimize nitrogen losses. The makers of these products don’t claim that they will increase yields or make up for under-applied nitrogen, but there is science behind nitrogen efficiency enhancers, and they can help lower nitrogen loss.

Nitrogen efficiency enhancers can be divided into three categories, based on how they work.

1. Urease inhibitors This category includes Koch Industries’ Agrotain, SuperU and Agrotain Plus. Agrotain, says John Kruse, research agronomist with Koch Agronomic Service, is “a liquid product that has a unique solvent that you can actually pour on to urea.” Typically, this is done at the retail site. “You would order your urea and you request that it be protected with Agrotain. It comes in a nice green colour.”

Suface-applied urea or UAN can easily be lost to the atmosphere.

The key ingredient used to battle this is NBPT (N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoic triamide).

As the category name suggests, NBPT “inhibits” the urease enzyme that causes the urea to break down into ammonium.

When this conversion is slowed, there is less volatilization. It’s not a long-term solution — the products will degrade after a few days — but it does give rain or irrigation time to move the urea or UAN into the soil before the reaction takes place.

NBPT-placed products are most effective in soils that are have a high potential for volatilization — coarse soils, or soils with a high pH. Kruse says using these NBPT products “drastically reduces the amount of nitrogen that converts into ammonia gas,” and can

reduce overall nitrogen losses from 40 per cent to as little as five to eight per cent.

2. Nitrification inhibitors This category of nitrogen efficiency enhancers includes Koch’s SuperU and Agrotain Plus, and Dow AgroChemical’s N-Serve and Instinct.

In addition to NBPT, SuperU and Agrotain Plus also use the active ingredient DCD — dicyandiamide. Like NBPT, DCD inhibits the enzyme in the soil that converts ammonium to nitrate.

Agrotain Plus is designed to be added to a liquid nitrogen fertilizer such as UAN. Kruse says, “If a farmer uses a liquid fertilizer, then he can protect that UAN from both volatilization and rapid nitrification by adding the Agrotain Plus to his UAN. It’s a light blue powder and it goes into suspension in the UAN.” SuperU uses both NBPT and DCD to protect urea from volatilization and nitrification. When farmers choose SuperU, Kruse says, urea comes with “both inhibitors already infused into the granule.”

Dow AgroChemical’s nitrogen efficiency enhancers Instinct and N-serve use a different active ingredient — nitrapyrin. Nitrapyrin deactivates the nitrosomonas bacteria that help to convert nitrogen, slowing down the conversion process. Nitrapyrin was discovered

by Dow Chemical scientists in the late 1950s; N-serve was registered in the U.S. in 1976.

Instinct and N-serve are not available in Canada now, but Dow AgroSciences is looking at market opportunities. N-serve is designed for use with anhydrous ammonia; Instinct is for use with other types of nitrogen.

3. Controlled release products The most common product in this category is ESN. ESN is a polymer coating applied to urea. The coating breaks down slowly, and allows the urea to diffuse out over time.

Ideally, the nitrogen release can be matched to growing plants’ needs. Controlled nitrogen release is also helpful where there is high

koch fertilizer canada

SuperU fertilizer will be more widely available in Canada through production at the Koch Fertilizer Canada, ULC facility at Brandon, Man. Canadian distribution will be handled by Koch Fertilizer Canada. nitrogen loss from leaching or volatilization.

At a demonstration day in July, Saskatchewan Agriculture’s soil and nutrient management specialist Patrick Moolecki told farmers that ESN can also be helpful when it comes to avoiding ammonia toxicity.

“If you are using ESN, you can actually increase your rates because of that extra protection,” he said. “When you are sidebanding you can actually put on all your fertilizer, as long as you have enough moisture at seeding.”

Agrium advertises that farmers using 100 per cent ESN fertilizer can apply up to three times the normal safe rate of nitrogen in the seed row.

Because ESN can be beneficial to the environment, the U.S. government provides some financial incentive programming to encourage farmers to use them.

Roy Munton, Agrium Advanced Technologies’ Saskatchewan sales rep, says, “Another benefit of ESN that a lot of people don’t talk about is that with its coating, it doesn’t take on moisture

ENHANCED NITROGEN EFFICIENCY PRODUCTS PRODUCT CATEGORY Product

Active Ingredient

N Product

1. Urease inhibitor

Agrotain

NBPT

Urea 46-0-0, UAN 28-0-0

X

SuperU

NBPT and DCD

Urea 46-0-0

X

X

Agrotain Plus

NBPT and DCD

UAN 28-0-0

X

X

N-Serve*

nitrapyrin

Anhydrous ammonia 82-0-0

X

Instinct*

nitrapyrin

UAN 28-0-0

X

Polymer coating

Urea 44-0-0

ESN

* not currently registered for use in Canada Source: This table is based on a table developed by MAFRI

2. Nitrification inhibitor

3. Controlled release

so it runs freely and doesn’t cake or lump up in storage. It is really nice to handle compared to other granular fertilizers.”

Nitrogen replacement economics It might seem that farmers planning to use nitrogen efficiency enhancers could cut back on nitrogen purchases, spending about the same amount of money in total.

John Kruse says using these products is not a direct route to using less fertilizer. “That’s the challenge. Every farmer’s field is different. Every year is different… We don’t necessarily go out and tout that you can cut back on your nitrogen. What we tend to feature is the opportunity for increased yields at level nitrogen rates.”

Another apparent option might be to skip the nitrogen stabilizers and spend the money on extra nitrogen. But a question and answer presentation

by Dow AgroSciences makes this point: “If you are adding more nitrogen than you need to produce a crop, then you know you are losing nitrogen. Nitrogen loss cannot be fixed by adding more nitrogen.”

Dow makes a colourful comparison: “Adding more water to a bucket with a hole will result in additional water loss.”

Product effectiveness

X

John Heard is a soil fertility specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives. Heard has studied these products and says there is a scientific basis to most of the nitrogen enhancers on the market. Sales reps should be able to explain their products’ processes as part of the nitrogen cycle, he says. “The onus of proof is on the marketer of the product. They better have a good scientific expla-

nation of how it works.” If you don’t fully understand the science behind the product claims, Heard recommends that you ask a certified crop adviser to help you make the decision.

While the products discussed here and others on the market do have a basis in solid science, Heard says, “none of them are any improvement over right rate, right time and right place.”

Heard is referring to the four Rs of fertilizer use endorsed by the International Plant Nutrition Institute (right fertilizer source, right rate, right time and right place).

Nitrogen efficiency enhancers aren’t better than best management practices, but if something should go wrong, such as excess water, these products can help to minimize loss. “If you can put it into high risk situations,” Heard says, “that’s where you expect the payback.

“They do work,” he says, “but they aren’t needed every year.

Unless you’re suffering a lot of rain or wet conditions you should end up with about the same yield.”

Heard suggests that farmers think of these products the same way they think of insurance contracts: if you applied them and they weren’t necessary, that’s probably a good thing.

And, keep in mind that while these products aren’t an improvement over best practices, Heard says, “but they all cost more money.”

As for the expansion of the Koch Industries operation, Heard says that, in the past, Prairie farmers had limited access to SuperU. “Now we’ll have a local source.”

With farmers using more of these products and losing less nitrogen, Heard says, “the environment could benefit.”

Find John Heard’s information bulletin online at www.gov.mb.ca.

Search the site for “nitrogen efficiency additives.”

Leeann Minogue is the editor of Grainews.

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JANUARY 7, 2014

Features Crop production

BLACK HEADS IN BARLEY

Crop Advisor’s casebook

By Naomi Darragh

Casebook winner

I

t was early July when I got a call from Buddy, who grows 700 acres of canola, wheat and barley at his farm near Provost, Alta. A problem had cropped up in one of his fields and he asked me to come out to his operation to have a look at his barley crop that had just headed out.

“I’m seeing black heads in my barley,” Buddy said. “I think it might be a dusty form of ergot.”

When I arrived at the field, I could the see the problem was fairly extensive, with each square metre containing about eight to 10 barley plants with affected heads. These heads seemed to have formed normally — but in place of kernels was what looked like black dust.

Buddy said he had checked his field a couple of weeks after spraying the crop, and that’s when he noticed the black heads in his barley. He had assumed it was caused by ergot because he’d had difficulty with the fungal disease in the past. It had also been a wet spring, which had contributed to ergot problems in the Provost area in previous years.

Because the black heads appeared shortly after spraying, I asked Buddy about his fertility and crop protection programs.

He said he was very selective about the chemicals he uses, and it was evident the products he’d chosen would not cause this kind of injury. However, Buddy did say that he had not

T

he winner for this edition of Casebook is Wade Poffenroth. Wade farms just south of Calgary. Wade, we’ll be renewing your Grainews subscription for a year and sending you a Grainews cap. Thanks for sending in your solution! † Naomi Darragh

Each square metre of the barley field contained about eight to 10 barley plants with affected heads.

These heads seemed to have formed normally, but in place of kernels was what looked like black dust.

treated his barley seed prior to planting.

I had seen this kind of problem in barley fields before, so I had a pretty good idea what was causing the black heads in Buddy’s crop. A closer look at the

Winnipeg, Man., R3C 3K7; email leeann.minogue@fbcpublishing. com or fax 204-944-95416 c/o Crop Advisor’s Casebook. Best suggestions will be pooled and one winner will be drawn for a chance to win a Grainews cap and a one-

Crop Advisor’s Solution

By Heather Krahn

J

im, a grain farmer growing canola, durum and lentils near Regina, Sask., called me in mid-August with a perplexing prob-

lem. Jim was seeing stunted growth in his stands of durum wheat, and it was getting progressively worse.

“I’m seeing patches of stunted plants on headlands and field edges, as well as on two ridge lines

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black dust in the infected plants — which actually appeared to be fungal spores — helped confirm my suspicions.

What is causing the black heads in Buddy’s barley crop? Send your diagnosis to Grainews, Box 9800,

year subscription to the magazine.

The answer, along with reasoning that solved the mystery, will appear in the next Crop Advisor’s Solution File. † Naomi Darragh is a sales agronomist for Richardson Pioneer Ltd., in Provost, Alta.

STUNTED GROWTH CAUSED BY SOIL COMPACTION within the field,” he said. “And it’s spreading every day.”

A look at Jim’s wheat field indicated there was no link to previous fertilizer or herbicide applications, and that damage couldn’t be explained by either drought or excessive flooding, since both high and low sections of the field were affected. Other possibilities, like differing soil types or hail damage, were also ruled out.

However, further inspection of the damaged areas along the ridge lines and field edges — and a discussion with Jim about the weather during seeding and traffic patterns on his field — revealed some telling clues.

Weather at the time of seeding had been quite wet, resulting in satBy Dan Piraro

Bizarro

urated soils. Vegetative growth in the field as a whole had ceased and the plants had reached the reproductive, grain-filling phase, but in the affected areas the crop appeared to be maturing faster. These plants had poorly developed root systems, which would obviously hamper growth during the drier weather that occurred later in the growing season. As a result, they just wouldn’t achieve the same growth potential as the rest of the crop.

Jim informed me that one of ridges running underneath a power line was used to turn seeding implements around with their drills still in the ground. I also learned a second ridge had once been a road but had now been farmed over, and that the field edges were where seed and fertilizer trucks would park. All this pointed to soil compaction being an important factor, and explained why plant symptoms were showing up in both high and low areas.

Sending tissue samples in for lab testing confirmed my suspicions.

There was low potassium in the poor crop sample, likely caused by soil compaction in the early spring.

Potassium is fairly immobile in soil and moves by diffusion in soil pore spaces. Plants with smaller root systems as a result of compacted soils are more likely to suffer from potassium deficiency, since they are restricted in their ability to access immobile nutrients like potassium.

In areas with heavy clay soils like Jim’s farm, compaction can devel-

op when conditions are fairly wet during seeding, and it would be particularly evident in areas of high traffic where compaction had been established in the past — such as along the field edges in Jim’s field.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much that could be done to correct Jim’s durum wheat troubles this year, and it was only after harvest that he’d be able to assess the final toll exacted by soil compaction on his crop.

I advised Jim to consider early in-season soil or tissue testing next year to see if there’s a need to incorporate more potassium in his fertility plan going forward.

This would allow him to catch a nutrient- related problem sooner — since a well-timed foliar nutrient application can help compensate for less nutrient uptake by poor root systems in areas of the field where compaction is an issue. In addition, supplemental potassium fertilization could be beneficial in those parts known to be hightraffic areas.

Most importantly, managing that traffic — especially if it turns out to be another wet seeding season — is something else that Jim should definitely keep in mind for next year. As farm equipment gets larger and heavier, minimizing field traffic and having proper tires or tracks on implements becomes even more essential to avoid yield loss from soil compaction. † Heather Krahn is a regional sales agronomist for Richardson Pioneer Ltd. in Corinne, Sask.

JANUARY 7, 2014

grainews.ca /

9

Features CROP PROTECTION

New fungicides for 2014 Six new fungicides came to market in 2013; Acapela for 2014

BY LISA GUENTHER

pulses, and cereals. A 9.6 litre jug will cover 50 acres of cereals and 40 acres of corn. Rates for pulses and soybeans swing from 27 acres to 40 acres per jug, depending on the disease.

Vertisan is a Group 7 meant to protect canola from sclerotinia.

It’s also registered for application on sunflowers, chickpeas, lentils, field peas, and potatoes. A 10 litre jug doses 20 acres of canola, 14 acres of sunflowers, 15 acres of potatoes, and between 17 and 25 acres of pulses.

“Further on through the year, if you get a rainfall event, it’ll redistribute product throughout the plant,” said Friday. He said the fungicide is more active at the infection point as well.

Syngenta has a new tonic for

NEW FOR 2014 The Pest Management Regulatory Agency approved DuPont’s Acapela as a treatment for sclerotinia in canola in December 2013. Acapela has been registered for use in oilseeds in several European countries since 2010.

With the new label addition, farmers will be able to dose a wide range of crops with Acapela. “The grower will have the flexibility to go from one field to the next using Acapela and still get his disease control,” said Friday.

Acapela has good coverage and redistribution properties for canola, and “probably a longer window of control for sclerotinia than some of the other commercially available products right now,” Friday said. † Lisa Guenther is a field editor for Grainews.

Contact Lisa at Lisa.Guenther@fbcpublishing.com.

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ompanies released several new fungicides in 2013, and have been seeking new uses for existing products.

Bayer CropScience launched two new products in 2013. One fungicide, Serenade CPB, leans on microbes to control disease.

Lipopeptides, which are molecules produced by bacteria, punch thousands of holes in the fungal cell membranes.

This destroys the fungus.

The fungicide also contains compounds that suppress specific bacteria, Courtney Stephenson, Bayer marketing communications specialist, explained via email.

Serenade will control scle-

rotinia stem rot in canola, and white mold and botrytis blight in dry beans, navy beans and pulses. One thousand litres of Serenade covers 625 acres.

Bayer also released Propulse in 2013, which controls white mold, ascochyta blight, and mycosphaerella blight in dry and edible beans. Active ingredients come from Group 7 and Group 3. To spray 40 acres, farmers will need one jug, which holds 5.1 litres.

DuPont released two fungicides, Acapela and Vertisan, on a wide scale in 2013. Todd Friday, market segment manager, said both fungicides have good coverage and redistribution properties.

Acapela is a Group 11 that suppresses disease in soybeans, corn,

soybeans. Allegro, a Group 29, was approved to control white mold in soybeans in July 2013.

Farmers had previously used the product for late blight in potatoes and it’s registered for several horticultural crops as well.

Allegro works by shutting down energy production in the fungus mitochondria. It works against late blight, including spores.

Farmers spraying soybeans should apply between 0.35 and 0.47 litres per acre.

AgCelence, launched by BASF in 2013, controls or suppresses several diseases in peas, lentils and chickpeas. It’s comprised of active ingredients from Group 11 and 7, giving it multiple modes of action.

With the same active ingredient found in Headline, it confers benefits such as green leaves, strong stems, and higher yield potential, states BASF’s website.

Application rates range from 0.3 to 0.4 litres per hectare, depending on the crop and disease.

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JANUARY 7, 2014

Features CROP PROTECTION

Benefits of fungicides on soybeans When white mould became an issue for Manitoba soybean growers in 2013, there were many debates about the benefits of fungicde

BY ANDREA HILDERMAN

T

his past season was the first time in a number of years, probably since 2010, that white mould in soybeans has been an issue for growers in Manitoba. It raised all sorts of questions about the disease itself, management practises to mitigate infection and what fungicides are available to suppress or control the disease.

Dennis Lange is the crops farm production advisor with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development. “I’ve been working with soybeans since 2011 for the department,” he says. “The 2011 and 2012

seasons both experienced hot and dry conditions in July and August and white mould was not evident. This past season saw cooler weather at the end of July with heavy dews and, as a result, conditions were ideal for white mould to flourish in both soybeans and edible beans.”

Alex Wahl is the owner/manager of GJ Chemical in Altona, Manitoba, in the heart of soybean country. “We heard from a lot of growers this year who were seeing white mould infections, as well as seeing it ourselves during our scouting activities,” says Wahl. “It was the weather that promoted the growth and development of the disease but it’s definitely a

TOPLINE PERFORMANCE

concern for a lot of guys going forward, mainly to get more information and understand its impact on the crop.”

BENEFITS FROM FUNGICIDES Kristen Podolsky of the Manitoba Pulse Growers Association agrees with Lange that white mould has not yet been a noticeable issue for soybean growers. “Generally, our growers have seen more leaf diseases in soybeans,” she says.

“However, fungicides are not widely recommended or used in these cases because they don’t seem to be of economic benefit.”

That didn’t fully answer the question: Does using a fungicide provide an added benefit or response?

“In all the research I’ve reviewed from Ontario and out of the U.S., there is an economic advantage about one-third of the time,” explains Podolsky. “This tells us that growers certainly do not want to spray in the absence of disease pressure, and if they do, the economic response is variable.” That’s for foliar diseases.

The decision to spray for white mould is even more complicated, and more risky. “We should recognize that despite white mould pressure in soybeans this year, we still saw phenomenal yields, without spraying.”

The soybean plant itself is not as susceptible to damage from white mould as other broadleaved crops grown in the region.

“Yield losses are not what you would think from looking at an infected field, which can look pretty ugly,” says Podolsky. “It

seems the soybean plant is more tolerant of the infection than, say, edible beans or canola.”

MANAGEMENT PRACTICES There are some management practices for soybean growers to consider if they are concerned about white mould or other fungal infections.

“The industry is still in the learning process.”

— Kristen Podolsky

• Wide rows allow for more air circulation in the canopy versus solid seeding.

• Paying attention to the architecture of the plant — choosing an upright versus a bushy plant can be helpful as well.

• Managing fertility to prevent lodging can help with harvesting as well as reducing the potential for the development of disease.

• Paying attention to crop rotations and not putting soybeans after soybeans or close to edible beans or canola will help break the disease cycle.

• There is anecdotal evidence that there could be differences in susceptibility among varieties.

However, varieties are not rated in registration or other trials for resistance to white mould so there is no scientific basis for these judgements.

Eric Phillips, product lead for

fungicides and insecticides with Syngenta Canada, estimates that about 30 to 40 per cent of the U.S. soybean crop is getting some sort of fungicide application in season, primarily for leaf diseases.

“White mould is not a disease of major concern in the U.S.,” explains Phillips. “This is due to their growing environment not being conducive to its development.” The fungal disease of most concern in the U.S. is frogeye rust or Cercospora leaf spot. Globally, the most devastating disease in soybeans is Asian soybean rust.

In 2013, there was one product, Acapela, registered for suppression of white mould in soybeans in Western Canada. During 2013, but too late for growers to be able to use it, Allegro received registration for control of white mould in soybeans.

Two biological fungicides, Serenade MAX from Bayer CropScience and Contans from SipcamAdvan are also registered for the suppression of white mould in soybeans.

“The industry is still in the learning process when it comes to application of fungicides for control of white mould in soybeans,” says Phillips. “We recommend applying Allegro at the R1 or early bloom stage to R2 or full bloom stage, and if necessary to follow up 10 to 14 days later at R3 or early pod formation stage.” It is also important to use sufficient spray volumes to penetrate the canopy and get good coverage on the plant. † Andrea Hilderman has her master’s degree in weed science and is a member of the Manitoba Institute of Agrologists. She writes from Winnipeg, Man.

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Top: White mould infection at the base of a soybean stem in 2013. Bottom Left: These two photos show the extent of a white mould infection in a commercial soybean crop in Manitoba during 2013. Bottom Right: Petal infection on leaf.

JANUARY 7, 2014

grainews.ca /

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Features CROP PRODUCTION

Sclerotinia in Manitoba Sclerotinia doesn’t just hit canola. Find out how to avoid this problem on your farm

BY ANDREA HILDERMAN

S

clerotinia is a fungal stem rot disease caused

by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum.

It occurs throughout the Prairies, but its severity from year to year is variable as its development depends on the right environmental conditions occurring at its germination and infection phases.

NOT JUST CANOLA Sclerotinia gets most of its attention as a disease in canola, but it is also a problem disease in a number of other crops, including vegetable crops in Manitoba.

Soybeans, sunflowers, edible beans and canola are some of the more common crops grown in Manitoba that are susceptible to Sclerotinia, but the disease is known to infect over 400 plant species including many broadleaf weeds.

Last season, soybean growers in Manitoba experienced conditions conducive to the development of white mould, caused by the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum.

“At harvest time, an infected crop will have sclerotia in the stems, or heads in the case of something like sunflowers,” explains Dr. Vikram Bisht, plant pathologist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural

Development. “Cultivation soon after harvest to bury sclerotia to at least a three inch depth may prevent the overwintering sclerotia bodies from producing spores in the following year and reduce inoculum in the field.

However, that may not prevent disease altogether, since spores can blow in from nearby fields.”

Though most sclerotia do not survive beyond one or two years, a very small percentage of sclerotia can remain viable in the soil for up to five years or more.

In the spring, the sclerotia will produce mushroom-like structures called apothecia if soil moisture is adequate for a long enough period of time. Generally in Western Canada the apothecia are produced in June — when the crop canopy, including nearby cereal crops, is starting to develop and close over. The apothecia then produce ascospores, which can be carried away on winds to infect surrounding crops. The ascopores can be carried long distances and will infect petals in flowering crops, which provide a food source the spores need to germinate and develop hyphae. When the petals drop down into the canopy the fungus can then enter the plant through any kind of wound or weakness in the stem. The ideal conditions to stimulate the sclerotia to grow and the ascospores to

infect are high humidity levels in the canopy of the crop. Anything that encourages a dense crop canopy to develop, such as planting in narrow row widths or solid seeding, high seeding densities, early planting, high soil fertility or lodging can also provide a suitable environment for sclerotinia disease to develop.

The final phase of development of the disease is the production of sclerotia. These are hard overwintering bodies that are formed in the stems or heads of the infected crop. They can remain in the stubble or fall to the ground and can remain dormant and viable for five or more years, waiting for the right conditions to kick-start development.

“Crop rotation is important when trying to manage sclerotinia disease,” says Bisht. “Short crop rotations or crop rotations that include several susceptible crops will lead to a build-up of sclerotia in the field. However, reducing the load of sclerotia in the field will not guarantee that Sclerotina will not occur.” Yield losses can be very significant in some crops, however, soybeans can sustain quite high levels of the disease without an appreciable loss in yield. †

Sclerotia, the overwintering bodies of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum germinate and produce mushroom-like structures called apothecia.

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JANUARY 7, 2014

Features CROP MANAGEMENT

Risk of poisoning in silage corn High levels of nitrates in corn silage can be toxic to animals and humans

BY REBECA KUROPATWA

C

orn silage with high levels of nitrates can be toxic to animals and humans. Nitrates oxidize iron atoms in hemoglobin (in red blood cells), making it unable to carry oxygen.

Along with the potential for increased nitrates comes an increased risk of silo gas, which can be fatal. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a dangerous chemical asphyxiant produced almost immediately after plant material is put into a silo. “Even short-term human exposure can result in severely injured lung tissue and sudden death,” said Joel Bagg, forage specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food.

NITRATES: GOOD AND BAD Nitrates are a part of most farmers’ fertilizer plans, being an essential nutrient especially important to getting high yields.

An extended period of dry weather during tasselling and pollination will hinder corn cob formation and grain yield by reducing the plant’s ability to metabolize nitrates and use them for growth.

“If the situation worsens, leaves

may turn brown and plants can appear to be dying,” said Bagg. “As this happens, some farmers attempt to salvage this corn by using it as forage for livestock, as corn silage, green chop, or pasture.”

It is critical to be aware that, under certain conditions, this corn can be high in nitrates (NO3), which can lead to death in the livestock consuming it.

“The five to seven days following a rainfall after a severe dry period would have the highest risk of excess nitrates, so avoid harvesting or grazing during this period,” heeded Bagg. “This period following the rain is much higher risk than the dry period itself.”

Although corn is the most likely forage crop to cause nitrate poisoning, high nitrates can also crop up in cereals.

Nitrate poisoning symptoms include rapid or laboured breathing, fast and weak heartbeat, muscle tremors, staggering, and death. Less severe symptoms may include listlessness and other, more subtle symptoms. Chronic cases can produce symptoms, such as poor appetite, reproductive problems (including abortion) and poor performance.

There are ways to reduce nitrates in corn, so that it can be used and

not wasted. For one, fermentation reduces nitrates by 25 to 65 per cent during proper silage fermentation. Bagg recommended allowing at least three to five weeks of fermentation before feeding. Corn silage harvested either too wet or too dry will not ferment as well, which can result in nitrates levels remaining higher than normal.

“It’s difficult to predict nitrate levels.”

— Joel Bagg

Secondly, the bottom third of the corn stalk has a much higher level of nitrates. “If high nitrates are a concern, the cutter bar could be raised to leave more of the stalk in the field,” suggested Bagg.

“To maximize yield and manage nitrate risks, a good strategy is to harvest at normal cutting heights, store as silage, analyze fermented silage samples for nitrates, and then manage dietary levels through feeding management.”

Bagg recommended caution when it comes to grazing or green

chopping. “These can be stressed by dry weather, which may be an option for some producers facing feed shortages.”

Bagg said, “It’s difficult to predict nitrate levels. The risk of nitrate poisoning while green chopping or grazing this corn is significantly higher during that five to seven day period after a rainfall than it is during the actual period of dry weather.”

Bagg recommended avoiding grazing or green chopping during this period, as nitrate levels can fluctuate daily within the plant, making it hard to assess risk.

“Green chopped corn that is not fed immediately undergoes respiration that converts nitrate to nitrite, so the risk is increased,” said Bagg.

Field sampling and lab analysis for nitrates can be helpful, but it is hard to get a representative sample as nitrate levels fluctuate.

“In a pasture situation, this high nitrate risk corn is likely their only source of feed,” said Bagg. “Turning hungry cattle to a field of stunted, cobless corn following a rain that ends a dry period is very high risk.”

The best time to test for nitrate concentration is after the fermentation is complete.

As a general rule, NO3-N levels should be less than 1,000 parms

per million (NO3 levels less than 0.44 per cent) to be without risk.

Levels greater than 4,000 ppm NO3-N (more than 1.76 per cent NO3) are potentially toxic and should not be fed.

Grains and concentrates are typically low in nitrates. Adequate non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) in rumen assist the conversion of nitrate to ammonia, reducing poisoning potential.

According to Morgan Cott, agronomist with the Manitoba Corn Growers, silage acres have remained fairly steady in the province and do not fluctuate a great deal. “They reflect our beef and dairy herds, which don’t tend to fluctuate,” said Cott.

“Nitrate toxicity has been wellknown for a long time and since most producers use silage piles, the risk of toxicity is low. The biggest risk would probably be for new producers, less educated in silaging and/with beef/dairy production.”

In 2012, Manitoba had 273,000 acres of grain corn and 75,000 acres of silage corn. In 2013, the acreage increased to about 342,000 acres of grain corn and 86,000 acres of silage corn. † Rebeca Kuropatwa is a professional writer in Winnipeg, Man.

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Features Grain markets

Understanding biofuels In the first of a two-part series, Angela Lovell cuts through the biofuel business confusion

By Angela Lovell

E

thanol, biodiesel, cellulosic, second generation, next generation — even the terms associated with biofuels are confusing, so it’s hardly surprising that a lot of people aren’t too clear about what biofuels are, what they can be made from, how they are made and how likely it is that biofuels are going to end up in their car’s fuel tank.

Biofuels are fuels derived from living plant material. Petroleumbased gasoline and diesel are fossil fuels derived from decomposed plants, marine algae and animals that died 300 million years ago and were gradually compressed underground into oil. Biofuels are produced from plants growing today.

There are two general classifications of biofuels: biodiesel and bioethanol. These are also referred to as first generation biofuels.

Biodiesel

T:22”

Biodiesel is generally made from oilseed crops like canola, rapeseed, soybeans and corn, but it can also be made from animal fats and used cooking oil from restaurants.

Biodiesel is a great alternative

to petroleum fuels because it has lower greenhouse gas emissions, has lower particulate emissions, which improves air quality, and produces less sulphur oxide and nitrogen oxide emissions.

The problem with using biodiesel as a fuel in Canadian vehicles is that, just as vegetable oils become cloudy if you put them in the fridge, biodiesel begins to form crystals and solidify when the temperature drops below zero. Because of this, biodiesel in Canada is blended with petroleum at rates of only five or 10 per cent.

Bioethanol Ethanol is made from alcohol produced through fermentation of starches and sugars in cereal crops such as corn and wheat. In the U.S. ethanol is generally made from corn, while in Canada and Europe it is made mostly from wheat or a wheat/corn blend.

One hundred per cent ethanol can be used as a direct substitute for gasoline in automobile engines. Brazil is the only country that offers both petroleum gasoline and ethanol at its pumps.

Brazil switched to ethanol 40 years ago and is a world leader

in re-designing existing vehicle combustion engines so that that they can use either 100 per cent ethanol or 100 per cent petroleum derived gasoline at any time.

Standard Canadian cars can’t operate on anywhere near 100 per cent ethanol, and car manufacturers are reluctant to make the investment in infrastructure that would be required for their cars to do so.

Ethanol is limited to a five or 10 per cent mix in petroleum gasoline in North America, a level that will not cause damage to typical engines.

Second generation The term “second generation biofuels” generally refers to cellulosic ethanol — ethanol made from fibrous plant biomass such as wheat or flax straw, corn stover or even cattails. Cellulose is one of the main constituents of woody material like stalks or after-harvest crop residue.

It’s fairly easy to extract the sugars from grains such as corn or wheat to convert them to alcohol and make traditional ethanol.

Cellulosic ethanol is more difficult to make, because the plant biomass is much more difficult to break down.

Imagine cellulosic material as the cables in a suspension bridge.

It’s made up of long fibres that are twisted around each other and bundled together to give incredible strength. Those fibres are held together with lignin, a natural polymer that forms a glue to bond them together. Cellulosic fibres are often used in construction because of this strength. Hemp fibre, for example has been used to reinforce concrete.

To break cellulosic material down to get the sugars out is complicated, energy intensive and costly. At least half of the cost of making ethanol from cellulose is the pre-treatment that is required to break up the lignin-cellulose material to release the sugars to produce alcohol.

Around the world many people are trying to figure out how to break down cellulosic material more efficiently and at a competitive cost.

Currently there is only one commercial-sized cellulosic ethanol production plant, which was built in Crescentino, Italy in 2012. Another plant planned for Brazil could be operational this year.

Biofuel economics Most biofuel production around the world relies heavily on government subsidies. The Canadian government has announced that its biofuels subsidy program will end in 2017. Although there is concern that investment in the Canadian biofuel industry may be hampered without subsidies, construction of some new facili-

ties seems to be going forward.

U.S. agri-food company Archer Daniels Midland, for example, is planning to build a 265-millionlitre-per-year biodiesel plant in Lloydminster, Alberta, next to its existing canola crushing plant.

“The bioethanol companies that make ethanol in the U.S. and Canada based their business models on $3 per bushel corn or wheat.

Once a bushel of corn is $6 to $10, the cost of buying that material is almost prohibitive for them to make money,” says Dr. David Levin, associate professor at the Department of Biosystems Engineering, University of Manitoba.

“Fuel is a commodity where you have to make a lot of it and it has to be low cost. If it costs more than petroleum, nobody will buy it because there is no incentive.

That’s why there have been subsidies so companies can make it at a cost and be competitive with petroleum fuels.”

At the end of the day, the economic viability of any alternative fuel is a function of the cost of a barrel of oil. “When oil to make petroleum based fuels and other chemicals is $60 to $90 a barrel, the cellulosic biofuels are marginal, they can’t compete,” says Levin. “If a barrel of oil goes up to $120 or $150 a barrel as it did in 2008, then all bets are off and all of those alternative fuels become more attractive.” † Angela Lovell is a freelance writer, editor and communications specialist living and working in Manitoba. Find her online at www.angelalovell.ca.

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JANUARY 7, 2014

Features INSECT CONTROL

Identify pests with a new web tool The Canadian Grain Commission is offering a new online tool to help farmers identify pests in stored grain

BY REBECA KUROPATWA

A

new web tool has recently been developed to help identify pests.

Brent Elliot, program/ infestation control and sanitation officer, industry services, Canadian Grain Commission, helped develop this new web tool for identifying insects in stored grain.

“There are actually two tools — two identification keys,” said Elliot.

One identification key is for stored product beetles found in Canada and is a comprehensive list of beetles one may encounter in stored products (predomi-

next one — like, am I having broccoli or carrots? You continue in this process until you have a full plate. With us, that means you end up with a complete identification of an insect.”

A farmer who finds a pest or beetle, can go to the web tool and compare photos with what he’s found. The first step would be to check if the pest or bettle is larger than one millimeter. The questions continue on from there.

A hand lens (at least a 10x power lens) is needed to identify the insects, with most being quite small (most are two to five mm long). A photo can also be taken using a smart phone and the photo can be scaled up on

nantly grain, but also flour and other substances).

The other identification key is for stored grain pests. “It’s a very subtle difference in the title,” admitted Elliot. “Pests are much more commonly found either in a prairie elevator or on farm situations. And it’s not just beetles. It’s a little easier to use for the more general public (than is the other one).”

Elliot and team refer to the tool as a “dichotomous key.”

He explained, “The simplest way to think of it is you’re looking at it and going, okay, what am I having for dinner tonight — steak or chicken? You make your choice and then go onto the

the phone (instead of just on the insect itself) to get a better view.

“The best thing about this tool is that, we hope, it will get people checking their grain more often,” said Elliot. “From our perspective, the best thing anyone can do is check their grain regularly – not only for insects, but also for heat buildup and mould.”

Elliot and team are working on developing a glossary of terms, where users unfamiliar with a particular item can just click on it to open up another information window.

“Beetles are most common pest, predominantly in grain, we see in Canada, but other pests include insects like silver

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fish (sometimes found in elevator grain), moths, mites, and book lice (very small pests),” said Elliot.

Once users get an identification, there is a link to information on that specific insect pest as well as photos to help verify the identification. This information includes pest descriptions, lists of similar species, affected commodities, infestation signs, damage caused and control information.

“The type of damage depends on the pest species and whether they feed on the seeds internally or externally,” said Elliot. “The rusty grain beetle is Canada’s most common pest. A couple others you’ll find in stored grain are the red flour beetle and the sawed tooth grain beetle.”

The Canadian Grain Commission uses the terms “primary” and “secondary” pest.

Producers must control a primary pest immediately. These pests are beetles (like the rusty grain beetle, red flour beetle, and granary weevil) that can feed on whole grains, attacking grain that is otherwise healthy.

Secondary pests are typically associated with grain going out of condition. They may be feeding on the grain or just on storage moulds associated with grain gone bad. These do not need to be immediately controlled.

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“Thresholds in stored grain in Canada are very difficult systems to sample,” said Elliot. “You’re looking at a very large, bulk of grain — thousands of tones of grain in the system that’s very difficult to sample.

“So, as far as we’re concerned, if you find an insect pest, you have an infestation. The tolerance is one or — in other words — zero. So, there aren’t different thresholds for different pests.

You have an infestation or you don’t.”

Rusty grain beetles are fairly susceptible to various treatment methods, which, in Canada, includes insecticide, fumigation, or removing the grain (as their larvae feed external to the grain). “Sometimes, it’s just a matter of auguring the grain out of the bin (or wherever it is)

BY DAN PIRARO

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Features onto a vehicle and then putting it back to control the population,” said Elliot.

“You can also control it by cooling it down, which can take a considerable period of time. If it’s around 0 C outside, it will take a number of weeks to control the population. But, with our cold Canada temperatures, we can get the grain bin temperature down within a week, controlling the insect population.

“If the temperature is warm, you’re best bet is probably fumigation — unlike in winter, when cooling the grain will work better (as fumigating will not work below 5 Ca).”

Typically, fumigation in Canada is done with an insecticide that has various trade names. It is a pellet you put into the grain that reacts to the air’s oxygen, liberating the gas (an insecticide), which kills the pests. It is recommended to hire a licensed applicator to do this or to get training yourself.

With a secondary pest, control is desired, but less extreme measures are needed as these pests are more an indication that (a) your grain is going out of condition and (b) you have other, more serious problems (such as mould).

“The best thing anyone can do is check their grain regularly.”

— Brent Elliot

The long-range goal, according to Elliot, is to go beyond dealing with adult-only beetles (which are what the tool currently handles). “We’re now looking at the immature stages of the beetles too, as well as moths and caterpillars associated with stored grain,” he said.

“Pretty much all these beetles can fly. The key with pests, as there’s such a huge offspring population, is to bring the bin temperatures down as fast as you can (so they can’t reproduce).

“Most producers check their grain before shipping it. Truckers and elevator operators do too.

If an elevator operator finds a pest, the grain is returned to the producer who has to clean it up, control the insect pest. The further it goes into the system, the larger the problem, the more expensive it is to control.” †

PHOTOS: CANADIAN GRAIN COMMISSION

Left: Dorsal view, red flour beetle. Right: Dorsal view, rusty grain beetle.

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JANUARY 7, 2014

Features FARM MANAGEMENT

Agronomists versus agrologists All kinds of consultants are vying for the chance to sell advice to farmers. Know what you’re paying for

BY JULIENNE ISAACS

T

he terms “agronomist” and “agrologist” are often confused in today’s ag industry. From chat forums to conferences, farmers are presented with a multiplicity of options for crop consulting, but even if they’re used every day, it’s not always clear which options will best suit an individual farmer’s needs.

Mark Bratrud, a farmer with consulting experience based near Weyburn, Sask., believes that it’s crucial for farmers to know the differences between the professions, so they can get the right advice and the best value for their money.

“Farmers really need to under-

stand who they’re hiring,” says Bratrud. “Specialists can have any kind of title — agronomist, agrologist, certified crop adviser — but you have to understand where that person is coming from, and discuss with them what you want to see from them.”

THE DEFINITIONS The terms “agronomist” and “agrologist” are not, in fact, interchangeable. By definition, “agrology” refers to the application of science to agriculture. The category of agrology includes a large number of job descriptions, from agricultural land management to the protection of ecosystems. In Canada,

agrology is a regulated profession, and over 10,000 agrologists are registered across the country.

“Agronomists,” by contrast, apply scientific knowledge specically to crop production.

“Agronomy is a particular type of work that an agrologist would do,” explains Jim Weir, executive director and registrar for the Manitoba Institute of Agrologists, the provincial regulating body for agrologists. “Agronomists are involved in all the arrangements that go along with field crop production, so farmers can get the most value out of his/her productive land.

“Agronomists have strong backgrounds and are highly educated in the management of field crops

and everything that goes along with that,” says Weir. “They can be relied on by farmers.”

Weir explains that agrology can be viewed as a blanket category akin to engineering or law, under which many other professions can be grouped. As with law, individual practitioners must be regulated with a provincial body.

In Canada, all 10 provinces have provincial bodies that regulate the practice of agrology, and these follow the standards outlined in each provincial act designed to protect the interests of the public within its jurisdiction. In Manitoba, the MIA’s authority comes from the Agrologists’ Act of Manitoba. Its mandate is to protect the public

YOUR CROPS. YOUR CHOICE.

interest through professional regulation, by “overseeing the admission and registration of agrologists and taking action regarding unauthorized practice.”

A newer national body is Agrologists Canada, which according to Weir is a kind of “servant” to the provincial regulatory bodies. “It’s a national body comprised of the 10 provincial regulating institutes, and its purpose basically is to manage compliance by the institutions with the agreements on internal trade,” he says.

Most of the provincial legislation with regard to the practice of agrology was enacted several decades ago, but Weir says that most of the provincial Acts have been updated and modernized as necessary. “We’re always looking at the rules we have to operate by to make sure that they’re current,” he says.

As for the regulation of individual practitioners, Weir explains that the registration process is relatively simple. Agrologists must meet a national educational standard and then complete several non-academic requirements to achieve full status. Registration grants everyone security in the knowledge that the professional is fully qualified.

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Bratrud believes not all professions are created equal, and it’s in the farmer’s interests to know exactly who they are hiring and how the working relationship will function.

“Know who you’re hiring, and make sure you understand where they’re coming from,” he says.

“Are they coming to it from a sales point of view or are they just passionate about agriculture and want to know everything there is to know about agronomy?”

According to Bratrud, farmers have ever increasing options for advice on crop production, including line companies which offer crop consulting, independent agronomists and crop consultants like AgriTrend which work with large networks of people, to name just a few.

He says his own experience as a private consultant taught him there is a grey area in almost every case where a specialist is hired, and it pays to spell out the details of the contract right from the beginning. “One of the biggest things we struggled with, with other producers, was knowing where the boundaries were — what we’d do and what services we’d provide,” he says.

Good communication is vital in ensuring everyone gets what they need from the relationship. The farmer should find out whether and how often the consultant plans to visit his or her operation, and what kinds of services they provide. But even this should be balanced with a good dose of perspective on the farmer’s part.

“When we do something on our farm we’re always looking for information. I want the complete, unbiased truth, and then I’ll make the decisions,” Bratrud says. † Julienne Isaacs is a Winnipeg-based freelance writer and editor. Contact her at julienne. isaacs@gmail.com.

JANUARY 7, 2014

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Columns Hart Attacks

A new era ahead for Captain Avadex Cory Bourdeaud’hui moves on to greener pastures

I

t feels so good to be rid of Cory Bourdeaud’hui. Not only did he have a last name that was difficult to say and even harder to spell, but no-one here really knew what the former Grainews editor did for the past few years. (Bourdeaud’hui, pronounced Bor-do-he, is a Belgian name that, roughly translated, means “man with a crazy laugh.”)

Cory left Grainews in December to seek fame and fortune with Gowan Canada — one of those well-established international suppliers of crop protection products that no-one (me anyway) has ever heard of.

Gowan — distributor of well respected cereal herbicides such as Avadex and Fortress — is planning to raise its profile in Canada and hired Bordello to be its sales representative in Manitoba. Truth is I told the Gowan boss, “I’ll mention your company name and products in my column if you hire this guy.”

I’ve known Borederee for 13 years. He grew up on the family farm at Bruxelles, Manitoba.

It was a dairy operation for many years but since his Dad couldn’t get the kid to help with chores, they switched over to beef.

Burdaray was a fresh-faced grad with an ag diploma from the University of Manitoba — he did some summer research work at the Richardson’s farm — when the then Grainews editor Andy Sirski hired him as a writer. Standards were low at the time.

A couple years later he was also editing some of our seasonal publications and in 2005 he took over as managing editor of Grainews.

He floundered at that job for about a year a half until they promoted him to editor in 2006. It was about that time I really connected with him.

I had worked for Country Guide for a number of years, then took a break to work for the ag information agency Meristem Information Resources, when Bardoruu called one day — it was more like begging — to see if I would come back and work on Grainews. He promised half the money and probably twice the work and I said yes just so he could regain composure.

We worked together for a couple years — I tried to teach him stuff, but he just kept arguing “this has to be a publication with useful information for farmers”… he wouldn’t listen. In 2007 he did the unthinkable — he left editorial to join the ad sales team. This isn’t like casually crossing the floor in the House of Commons, this is like Luke Skywalker teaming up with Darth Vader. In the news business it is making a deal with the devil.

That’s where I sort of lost track of him. He’d surface once a year or so at a company fishing trip, but otherwise who knew what he was doing. His business card said he was the national sales consultant for Grainews, Country Guide West and Crops Guide, but how hard could that be? These publications sell themselves.

I never trusted Broccolidee 100

per cent, ever since he heartily laughed as he told of a great practical joke one day in his younger years when a friend was helping move a silage pile and the tractor disturbed some rats. Cory caught some and hid them in the tractor tool box, later giving the operator a scare. Oh, yeah that must have been REALLY, REALLY funny, Cory… ha, ha, ha. I always kept my briefcase closed and locked when he was around.

He was known to be clumsy too, sometimes falling into the water on company fishing trips and then having to find creative ways to dry his pants. How professional is that?

He never really had a fit here. He’s personable, bright, energetic, committed to his job, a plain talker with common sense and has a strong connection to the agriculture industry. Oh, yeah and a great family man too. As a lazy, old cynic I have to ask, is that really the type of person you want in your organization?

But back to my earlier commitment… Gowan, a company founded in the U.K. 44 years ago, with offices around the world.

Distributing a range of great crop protection products, in Canada exclusively through the UAP (United AgriProducts) network.

For grain and oilseed producers

A fresh-faced Cory Bourdeaud’hui early on the job as a Grainews reporter. in particular Avadex MicroActiv granular and Avadex Xtra Strength BW liquid formulation, and Fortress are all Group 8 products that not only control weeds such as wild oats, but can be an important tool in dealing with Group 1 and 2 herbicide resistance.

Gowan, he’s your problem now.

All that is left to be said to the new company and the old editor, Cory Bourdeaud’hui: “thanks and all the best.” † Lee Hart is a field editor for Grainews in Calgary, Contact him at 403-592-1964 or by email at lee@fbcpublishing.com.

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Columns OFF-FARM INCOME

Weekly covered calls create cash flow Andy Sirski talk had an interesting year and learned some new tricks to grow his portfolio in 2013 ANDY SIRSKI

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his past year was very interesting. Selling weekly calls has been an easy transition from selling monthly calls and, judging from the returns I’ve made with weeklies on blue chip stocks, should really improve my cash flow.

I’ve also learned how to do spreads on stocks I don’t own. This strategy takes more thinking and is not for everyone. But between using spreads and selling weekly

covered calls, it looks like I can make well over $1,000 a week on a fairly small part of my portfolio.

The overall stock market has been interesting lately. Average earnings were up about three per cent while stocks went up well over 20 per cent as more and more investors moved money from fixed income investments to stocks. The price earnings ratio was pushed up from 10 to 12 to well over 15.

That’s a 25 per cent rise. You can see why many buy and hold investors had a very good year.

Investors who followed stocks recommended by newsletters such as The Investment Reporter did well.

Investors who had only a small part of their portfolio in gold and

or silver saw that sector drop, but other sectors overcame the drop and helped portfolios do well.

The buy and hold gold bulls got their egos and portfolios trashed as the price of gold dropped from $1,790 an ounce in the fall of 2012 to $1,180 in May/June 2013 with little recovery. I had considerable money in gold and silver stocks so I gave money back to the market.

MOVING AVERAGES I try to use moving averages as a guide for selling stocks, especially when stock prices are falling. I’ve learned that it matters little what people, presidents, fellow investors and so on are say-

ing — all that matters is what my stocks are doing. Over and over I find that I do my portfolio a favor by selling a stock when the daily price drops through its 10-day moving average. Yes, sometimes I get whipsawed but mostly I sell out near the top. Then I need to find another stock — sometimes the same one, sometimes not.

Sometimes it pays just to stay in cash for a while.

On stocks that I sell calls on, I try to sell calls above the moving averages when a stock is going up or I don’t sell a call at all. On a falling stock I often sell calls below the moving averages. That brings in cash that offsets the price drop. That strategy kept my

Farm living inspiration, ag business insight.

portfolio flat during the bear market of 2008 while others lost 30 per cent or more.

In late 2012, about the time the gold bulls were predicting that the price of gold was going to the moon, the daily price of gold and gold stocks was dropping through their 10-day moving average.

Some stocks dropped a third, some by a half and some a lot more.

Here are a few examples: • Barrick Gold (ABX): I sold out at $43 per share before the price dropped to around $18.

• Detour Gold (DGX): Its share price went from a few bucks to $28 then down to under $5.

• First Majestic (FR), Silver Wheaton (SLW), Franco Nevada (FNV) and similar stocks lost an easy third. They might be a good price now but they sure lost a lot of value. Likely the best of that lot is FNV which dropped from around $62 to $32 and recovered to around $42. It’s a gold streamer with solid finances and good thinkers. It lends money to gold and some silver companies and takes the commodity back as payment.

• Input Capital (INP) is a new kid on the farm. It’s a streamer that lends money to farmers and takes canola back in payment. It’s an interesting concept that has made money for me.

Selling gold stocks when the daily price dropped through the 10-day moving average was a great strategy. About the only precious metal stock I now own is FR and I have sold enough calls on those shares to drop my share cost to less than what I paid.

SELLING WEEKLY COVERED CALLS

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While some criticize my strategy of selling weekly calls, it brings in cash week after week. It limits my gains, but it brings in cash in up, down and flat markets.

I started my selling covered calls career in 2003 by selling monthly covered calls (that’s what the industry offered at the time). In 2010 the industry tested weekly calls but I was mostly in Canadian stocks so I didn’t do weeklies.

Since I decided to sell weekly calls on some stocks, I’ve moved my stock portfolio mostly to blue chip stocks that offer weekly call and put options. Often a weekly call might pay me $0.75 cents for

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JANUARY 7, 2014

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Columns

SPREADS In late 2012 I started to study how to do spreads on stocks I do not own. There are about half a dozen combinations of spreads and most are way too complicated for me. But in March 2013 I was finally brave enough to try doing what are called bull put (bullish) and bear call (bearish) spreads. One or two worked well; then Potash Corp (POT) smacked me and took Agrium (AGU) with it. I had one or two other smackers as I was learning how to deal with a stock that went up or down more than I expected.

I am criticized now and then for writing about spreads. It is a complicated strategy that certainly takes more mind work than selling weekly calls. I can only do these in approved trading accounts and the brokerage industry will not approve anyone until the broker is sure the investor knows the risks and can handle potential losses.

Spreads are a very small part of my overall portfolio, but the few thousand dollars I’ve allocated to spreads has made me well over a $1,000 week and I don’t own the related shares.

I know lots of farmer do spreads and calls and puts on commodities, crops, currencies and so on.

In a sense I’m just trying to catch up to them and apply the same strategies to my stocks.

Spreads might be too much for busy people, but weekly covered calls should be doable. A busy person can sell calls two weeks out and likely make a lot more money than with monthly calls. I have turned about 50 per cent of my investing

BY DAN PIRARO

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portfolio over to weekly covered calls, maybe five per cent to spreads, hold some in interest earning deposits and of course there’s always some cash that earns nothing.

I have to allocate enough money to buy them if necessary. If I have to buy them my cost will drop to around $2.70 per share and I could sell calls on them. Trading

OTHER INVESTMENTS I have found four Canadian companies that pay a nice dividend and let me reinvest dividends into more shares. Some even cut the price by five per cent on new shares. I have 1,500 shares of Bonavista (BNP) and asked the broker to reinvest all the dividends into more shares. BNP should pay about $105 a month (six per cent a year) which can buy about eight shares with no fees. I also sold calls on the original stocks well above the price of the day so I expect some capital gain.

I have been selling what is called a naked put on Dry Ships (DRYS) with a $3 strike price a month out.

As I write in early December, that strategy has pulled in about $250 a month. I don’t own the shares, but

Managing a portfolio isn’t for everyone at $3.45 per share and with a decent outlook for the economy, even dogs like DRYS might work out. But shipping companies are risky and are not for everyone, so I only allocated a small amount of money to DRYS. I don’t usually buy options.

I prefer to sell them, which is like renting out my shares.

Richard Croft mentioned Bank of America Corp. (BAC) on BNN. He bought an option for January 2015 with a strike price of $15.

The book value of BAC is around $20 so he figures this would be a low risk move. I bought those call options. If BAC gets back to its book value my option will make me good money.

At any one time I might have a smattering of other stocks. They include Thompson Creek Mining (TCM), Bombardier (BBD.B), AutoCanada (ACQ) and DEE. I sold a lot of them when I was converting to weekly calls but now I buy some of them as I get free cash.

I also like stock symbol WEF, a timber company with trees on the West Coast and no pine trees.

Pine trees are being destroyed by the pine beetle and have ruined the lumber industry in parts of Western Canada.

This past year I have attended several half day seminars on options and watched several webinars. I see more and more that we are doing what sophisticated professional investors do. When I think of that I think: the farmers who use

various options are sophisticated too. I love that.

Managing a portfolio isn’t for everyone. I don’t have a financial adviser but if my family needed one I would encourage them to contact a fellow classmate from university. His name is Stan Clark. He likes clients who have half a million bucks to invest. His phone number is 1800-661-9442. I don’t make any money on this but do tell him I sent you so he keeps sending me a Christmas card.

I worry less about capital gain because I know how to create cash flow in a rising, falling and flat market and I’m looking forward to whatever 2014 brings. Happy New Year to you and yours. Let’s make 2014 a success. † Andy Sirski is mostly retired. He plays with his granddaughters, gardens, travels a bit with his wife, and manages his portfolio.

Andy also publishes an electronic newsletter called StocksTalk where he tells all win or lose. If you want to read it free for a month send an email to sirski@mts.net and Andy will set it up for you.

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the week while a call 10 weeks out might pay $1.70 or so. My stocks — mostly U.S. stocks like Bristol Myers Squibb, Disney, Mosaic and Ford — are all held in sheltered accounts so there are no tax implications at this time.

I choose a strike price when I sell covered calls. Once in a while stock prices will go up beyond my covered call prices. When that happens I usually just buy the calls back at a loss, sell the shares for a profit and move on.

Ford (F) has been interesting.

My cost started at around $17.10 per share, but I’ve been selling weekly calls for weeks to get an average of $0.12 a week. I need a critical mass of shares and it does take work, but that’s still a return of $5 to $6 per share per year — a good return on a $17 stock. Plus, I get a small dividend and over time should capture some capital gain.

Other, more expensive stocks usually pay $0.30 to $0.50 cents per week. It’s been easy on my mind and good for my accounts.

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Columns FORAGE PRODUCTION

Grainews from the beginning LES HENRY

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he original Grainews was a publication of the United Grain Growers, a farmer-owned grain company that had roots back to 1906 as the Grain Growers Grain Company. Issue No. 1 was in October 1975 and was introduced on page one by Mac Runciman, who was UGG president from 1961-81. Mac Runciman was a story all by himself. He was a popular speaker at the University of Saskatchewan Farm and Home Week program. I never missed a chance to hear his words of wisdom. Mac’s life was chronicled in the book Mac Runciman: A Life in the Grain Trade by Paul Earl, still available if you search on Amazon.

Mac explained that Grainews was to communicate with the members and bring information about the then-turbulent grain markets, and the products UGG offered customers. Originally, Grainews carried no advertising.

The bills were paid by the subscribers and UGG. Lindsay Boyes was the first managing editor. Lin had been ag rep at Wynyard, where I did my first regional short course as a very green soils/extension prof.

I remember his kind words of advice to this day. If all ag reps had been like Lin we would still have an ag rep service.

In 1976 editor John Clark approached Don Rennie, head of soil science at the University of Saskatchewan, to pen a column on soils. Don asked if I would like to take it on, and I jumped at the chance. My first column in Nov. 1976 was “The 3 R’s — Nitrogen; What Source, What rate and What time.” The 4th R, placement, did not come along until John Harapiak of Westco did the work to show that deep banding of urea made it equal to anhydrous ammonia as an N source.

PHOTO: IGNA ARIOU

A 1995 photo shows a youthful Les Henry with the pile of Grainews from 1976-94. Grainews first appeared in Oct. 1975, and originally accepted no advertising. it was the actual stubblejumpers that carried the day.

Boyd Anderson, rancher from Fir Mountain Saskatchewan is the columnist with the longest record. He went on to write books that are treasured entries on my bookshelf.

Boyd’s book Grassroots should be required reading and part of the curriculum for all Grade 8 students in Saskatchewan. I say Grade 8 because they would be 14 years of age. At age 14 Boyd left school in November to live by himself in a drafty two-room house to herd the sheep. His only companion was the sheep dog and an earphone radio he could use occasionally. In 3-1/2 months he was home only for Christmas and Valentine’s Day. He grew up fast. City slickers that see wellheeled older farmers and ranchers should realize how they got there — hard work, ingenuity, perseverance, stubborn independence and a love of the land! At age 93 Boyd still pens the occasional column.

FOR FARMERS, BY FARMERS

CONTROVERSIAL COLUMNISTS

Grainews was popular and grew like a weed.

John Clark was aggressive in recruiting farmers to write about how they farmed. It soon became known as a paper written for farmers and by farmers. The idea was hugely popular. Hangers-on like me could talk about soils, weeds, varieties and the like but

Lyle Walker of Milk River, Alta. told it as it was and ruffled a few feathers from time to time. I still remember a specific column of his. It was about farming and the hour-by-hour decisions that keep the place going. It was set at harvest time and might well have been called “The Beauty of Harvest.” In eloquent prose

Tundra

he described the fine points of combine operation, of taking the dumps on the fly and of the decisions also made on the fly.

Harvey Gjesdahl of Birch Hills, Sask. is a farmer and inventor. His column was full of original ideas from his shop as well as fields.

With natural talent for design and manufacture he made the first rotary snowplow and selfpropelled swather. In the 1970s it was my pleasure to visit Harvey’s farm with a delegation from China. We were all impressed.

Alf Bryan farmed at Central Butte, Sask, and his columns were a treat to read. His column carried the title “I may be wrong — but…” He followed no beaten paths or opinions. Alf described farming as it was with terms he invented. He described land near Moose Jaw as “Soft, sweet clay that the discers cut like butter.”

His imagination was vivid and he penned some futuristic articles that only our great great grandchildren will be able to judge. His “Saskatoon and the Prairies in 2098” was a fun read.

It was my pleasure to visit Alf’s farm in the 1990s and I enjoyed tours of the area crops and soils.

Farming was tough then and Alf was a fighter who did not give up.

Alf was very well-read. His family brought a library from the U.K. and he read it all. He could quote Chaucer, Shakespeare and made me feel like a dumb prof at times. He got a kick out of banter-

ing with me through his column and it was great fun. There was mutual respect. Alf also went on the write and publish three books of his columns and a novel. He went to his eternal harvest about a year ago.

That is only a few of the dozens that have spilled words to paper over the years. All have been unique as only farmers are. As Alf would say “Farmers are as variable as the land they farm and the weather and markets they endure.”

OWNERSHIP CHANGES A few years after its inception Grainews began to accept advertising, which became a big part of what paid the bills.

United Grain Growers merged with Agricore to become Agricore United in 2001 and shortly afterward its Farm Business Communications division was sold to Glacier Media.

Any changes in ownership have been quite seamless from the perspective of the columnists

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— at least I have never felt any pressure to push any particular product, policy, politics or point of view. Freedom is imperative.

In my 37 years of scribbling on these pages there has been a long line of editors. John Clark, Roger Olson, Peter Perkins, Andy Sirski, Dave Bedard, Cory Bourdeaud’hui, Jay Whetter, Lyndsey Smith and now Leeann Minogue. I can honestly say that I have never had a serious disagreement with any of the editors and have always had complete freedom. Thanks to all who have fixed up my blunders and made it easier to read.

Who knows what the future may hold, but so far it has been a fun ride. † J.L.(Les) Henry is a former professor and extension specialist at the University of Saskatchewan. He farms at Dundurn, Sask.

He recently finished a second printing of “Henry’s Handbook of Soil and Water,” a book that mixes the basics and practical aspects of soil, fertilizer and farming. Les will cover the shipping and GST for “Grainews” readers.

Simply send a cheque for $50 to Henry Perspectives, 143 Tucker Cres, Saskatoon, SK, S7H 3H7, and he will dispatch a signed book.

JANUARY 7, 2014

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Columns Understanding market bulls and bears

Rail transportation adds to market woes As grain markets slide downwards, grain transportation is causing a bottleneck

By Brian Wittal

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The future What will come from this? My opinion is that you will see the railroads and grain companies lobby the federal government to adjust, but more likely outright eliminate the revenue cap and let the marketplace set the freight costs for grains, by letting grains compete with all other products for track space.

Grain companies want additional cars to move more grain, which

means more profits for them. The step up and invest in infrastruconly way they will get more cars is ture to make sure we can meet if the railroads can make as much the ever-increasing world market or more from freighting grain as demand and not be left behind they do all other commodities that because of our system capacity they move. For this to happen the restrictions.

The bad thing about readjusting revenue cap needs to be readjusted or eliminating the revenue cap is or eliminated.

This becomes a very strategic that any increase in freight costs and profitable business oppor- will flow back to grain producers tunity for grain companies and and be deducted directly off of railroads, as they would both your grain cheques. Call it the cost have the ability to generate more of doing business to get your prodrevenues by moving more vol- ucts to market! You don’t mind ume. This would be good for the paying for something if you can see future of the grain industry and a net benefit to your business, such farmers in general because we as increased market opportunity or are so reliant on export markets better value for the products sold. to buy the majority of the grains In our situation — a bumper crop we produce. We need to get our without the capacity to move it in a timely manner — we’ll be forced product to market in a timely B:8.125” to hold grain over into next year. If manner or lose buyers. We need T:8.125” railways and grain companies to there should be another good crop S:8.125”

world wide next year it is most likely that prices will continue to slide as supply continues to build.

If you’re forced to hold grain over, you’re in danger of having to take an even lower price next year.

How do we fix this so it is not farmers who take the brunt of this risk and loss? That is a question for someone well above my pay grade, but a first step would be to talk to your MLA and MP, to try to get the provincial and federal governments to start looking into what needs to be done to improve our transportation network across Canada, as it impacts many sectors of our national economy. † Brian Wittal has 30 years of grain industry experience, and currently offers market planning and marketing advice to farmers through his company Pro Com Marketing Ltd. (www.procommarketingltd.com).

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ince harvest has wrapped up, grain markets have been acting out an epic interpretation of a three act Shakespearean tragedy. There has been mystery, intrigue, feelings of horror, hurt and betrayal, and rumours of foul play. That sums up how many of you may be feeling as the grain markets continue on this downward death spiral about which we are all too afraid to ask, “how low can it go?”

Prices have been historically high the past two years and we want to hold on to them as long as possible, even if it’s through tactics like avoidance or denial of the facts. The world grain supply has dramatically improved over the past 12 months. Avoiding this reality will not make it go away!

Supply and demand are balanced out by price! Too much of one or the other can impact price dramatically and we have just had too much supply. World demand is still there and growing, but there is no longer the same concern about there not being enough grain to meet the world’s demand as there was during the past two years, when world production was down dramatically due to weather events aroung the globe.

Now, add to this the unfortunate Canadian reality: a bottleneck in our railroad transportation system that will not allow us to move a record crop to market over a 12-month period. As a landlocked nation we are very reliant on railroads to move most of our import and export products.

This has the system running at maximum capacity most of the time. To increase volumes beyond today’s levels, a lot of money needs to be spent laying down new track through the mountains.

That is not a cheap or easy job that can be done quickly.

If grain volumes for export are going to continue to increase they are going to have to compete with all other products for track space, and right now grains are at a real disadvantage when it comes to rail car allocation because of the revenue cap that is in place. This cap helps keep grain producers’ freight costs down, but it also restricts the total revenues that the railroads can make hauling grain as compared to other products where there are no revenue caps in place — pretty much every other bulk commodity that they transport. As publically traded, for-profit corporations, why would the railroads allocate extra resources to a commodity that will generate them less revenue than all the other commodities they handle?

For grains to get enough cars to get to export position, the revenue cap is going to have to either be adjusted or eliminated to allow for a level playing field from a freight cost perspective.

Before railroads can build new tracks through the mountains they will have to convince their shareholders that they can make a profitable return on such an expensive venture. They must show projected increases in volumes that will lead to increases in total revenues and bottom line profits as part of their strategy. As an investor, if I saw a projection for an increased

demand for grain movement but with a revenue cap in place, I would not be quite so eager to spend major dollars building new track unless I knew I could get the same return per unit from grain as I do from all the other products the railroad hauls.

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Columns FIELD NOTES

Soybeans in Saskatchewan At a summer plot tour, Southeast Saskatchewan farmer Bobbie Bratrud took a look at some new varieties and crops that could give her farm a competitive edge

BY BOBBIE BRATRUD

I

f you would have told me 10 years ago that I would not only be attending a local plot tour focused on soybeans, but that they would make up 20 per cent of my farm’s acres, I would have never believed you.

The changes and advancements in the varieties of crops we can grow here are amazing.

Last August I attended Eggum Seed Sales’ annual soybean plot tour. I expected to see the usual: replicated variety and agronomic trials showcasing soybeans.

What I didn’t expect to see

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Bobbie Bratrud

was the wide diversity of local farmer interest and experience in growing soybeans.

One of the major benefits to farming in southeast Saskatchewan is the large crop basket we can grow here. Being able to alter crop rotations among up to 15 different crops, based on market outlooks, farmer expertise or rotational requirements is a huge advantage that many other areas don’t have. I see it as a great benefit that can make our farm more sustainable.

Beans and corn are crops that are quickly becoming a viable option for many farms, help-

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ing to provide another profitable crop option.

The plots showcased eight different soybean varieties with maturity ratings suitable to southeast Saskatchewan. Replicated trials were developed, managed, and brought to yield by Southeast Research Farm (SERF) out of Redvers, Sask. There was friendly competition among farmers as we estimated each variety’s yield potential. There was a lot of discussion of how each farmer picked the winning variety: do you judge it on overall plant appearance, plant height, number of pods and flowers, or seeds per pod?

Learning how new crops set yield is a challenge for everyone.

There is still a lot to learn before we can do the quick 50 mile per hour drive by that we do with crops we are very familiar with.

I’m still not sure how accurate my guesses were as the yield results have not been finalized.

The importance of having proper inoculant coverage and rates for the beans is well known and researched. Beans are such a new crop to our area and there are virtually no native rhizobium in our soils, making the inoculation even more critical. Eggum Seed Sales had inoculants trials comparing liquid, granular, a combination of both, as well as one to triple the recommended rate.

The visual differences between the trials were obvious, with the beans looking healthier and a more lush green colour with the combination of both liquid and granular inoculants at increased rates. With an average bean plant requiring over four actual pounds of nitrogen per bushel, it is obvious how critical proper inoculation is.

SEEDING RATE As with all crops it is critical to find a seeding rate that balances crop maturity and yield potential.

This is even more of a consideration in beans, where the seeding rate determines virtually all of the variable cost that the farmers are investing in that crop. I consider southeast Saskatchewan at times on the fringe for bean and corn production, although this is changing as higher yielding short season varieties are becoming available each year.

Seeding rate is a definite management balance between managing seed costs and obtaining proper maturity to be able to finish off the crop. As beans and corn become a bigger and more substantial portion of our crop basket there is a definite need to evaluate and compare a planter vs. solid seeding with a drill. Eggum Seed Sales is planning to look at different seeding systems in their fieldwork in the future.

The main benefit to using a planter is to be able to decrease the seeding rate substantially (and seed cost) without sacrificing plant maturity. The number of acres a farmer is planning to seed to beans or corn will determine if the seed savings justify the cost of an addi-

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Columns tional piece of equipment. So far it is believed that farmers have seen very little yield difference from fields seeded with a planter or solid seeded with a drill. I think a local trial looking at planters versus a drill would be interesting and helpful.

More years than not, mid-season moisture conservation is key to allowing crops to fill and reach the highest yield potential possible. This may be even more pronounced in beans, which are indeterminate, as the ability of the plant to continue to flower and set seed is directly related to the plant not shutting down from moisture stress. There could definitely be a case to be made for optimizing ground cover and minimizing moisture losses with solid seeding versus a planter with wide row spacing, leaving exposed soil risking additional moisture losses. This is something we always have to consider in our area as moisture isn’t as readily available as it is in some more traditional bean growing climates.

PHOTOS: BOBBIE BRATRUD

Top: The soybeans we grew on our farm in southeast Saskatchewan last year had excellent nodulation. Right: There was a lot of interest in the short season corn variety TH4574RR at a summer plot tour.

FUNGICIDE These trials did not look at any comparisons of treating soybeans with fungicide. There is very little data showing results or returns of fungicide application. I look forward to local growers completing on-farm field-size trials as well as replicated trial comparisons. Proper fungicide timing may be harder to determine due to the indeterminate and lengthy flowering stage of beans. This is an example of where local data and results will be important as more experience in bean production and pushing yield curves occur.

On our farm, we noticed some brown spots on our beans last summer. We decided to do some trials and spray the beans at midflower with Headline. Marcel Van Staveren, who farms near Creelman, Sask., also sprayed some of his beans with a fungicide. Our farm saw some favourable results from the application, however Van Staverens didn’t see any yield difference between the treated and untreated. While the results were not scientific, they definitely piqued our interest enough to try some trials again next year and see what the results are.

WE’RE GIVING

FWAHROMLE ENERW’ SMETANAINN

A

CORN Corn production for seed has been increasing locally over the last couple of years. Eggums’ plot tour featured some samples of a short season variety TH4574RR. There was quite a bit of interest in this variety because of its ability to mature and set seed with heat units of 2075 and maturity of 74 days, which should easily fit our environment.

Soybeans and corn, once thought to be crops grown in Manitoba or south of us in the U.S., have definitely made their way into our cropping options in southeast Saskatchewan. As we gain more experience and comfort with these crops I’m sure they will continue to be a larger portion of our farm.

Additional cropping options make our farm stronger and more tolerant to weather and market risk, improving our competitive edge. † Bobbie Bratrud Bobbie Bratrud farms with her husband Mark near Weyburn, Sask. They also run Bratrud Ag Advisory Services (www. bratrudag.ca).

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JANUARY 7, 2014

Columns FARM FINANCIAL PLANNER

Keeping the farm going For a multi-generational family farm, it’s continuity rather than profit that’s the guiding principle for succession

BY ANDREW ALLENTUCK

J

ack and Martha, as we’ll call them, farm 1,760 acres in central Manitoba. At the ages of 67 and 62, they are thinking of handing over the reins of their operation to their son, Bob, who is 30 and already active in running the farm.

Bob will be the fourth generation of his family to farm. The farm started at 160 acres in 1911, the next generation added 320 acres, then Jack added another 320 acres and Bob bought another 320 acres of his own. An uncle died leaving Bob a further 640 acres.

Bob effectively runs the total of 1,760 acres.

The family has a tradition of setting up each younger generation to farm the legacy. The effect is to allow the older generation to watch the younger, to pass on skills and wisdom, and to avoid many of the problems of succession. The plan is as simple as the tradition.

Farm Financial Planner asked Don Forbes and Erik Forbes, farm financial planners with Don Forbes & Associates/Armstrong & Quaile Associates Inc. in Carberry, Manitoba, to work with Jack and Martha

THE SITUATION The entire holding, which is a mix of pasture, hay and feed corn, has a total value of about

$500,000, assuming that it could be sold for about $285 per acre. As well, the couple receives a portion of beef cattle sales from their herd of 80 beef cows which give them $1,000 per month as farm income.

When they leave farming to Bob, their income will be based on cattle sales, as indicated, plus two Old Age Security benefits of $6,612 per year each, total, $13,224, plus annual Canada Pension Plan benefits of $12,144 combined. The total, including $12,000 year cattle income, $37,368 before tax will leave them with $2,800 per month after 10 per cent average income tax. If they continue to spend just $2,000 per month, their budget will be in the black and amply covered, Erik Forbes estimates.

Jack and Martha can supplement their farm and government benefits by drawing on their financial assets which include non-registered accounts worth $20,110, RRSPs worth $4,240 and miscellaneous assets worth $7,236. Jack, turning 65 this year, can begin withdrawing $2,000 per year from his Registered Retirement Income Fund and will receive offsetting tax credits. That will make the year withdrawal tax-free. Any capital gains or interest income on nonregistered accounts will be realized, leaving a small amount of tax to be paid.

If the total, $31,635, grows at three per cent per year after inflation to $36,616 in five years, then when Jack is 72, he must

take income from his Registered Retirement Income Fund at about eight per cent per year. He and Martha will be able to add RRIF income of $2,929 for total pre-tax income of about $40,300. Their disposable income after 10 per cent average tax would be $3,022 per month. Their surplus based on current spending of $2,000 per month will leave them with monthly savings of about $1,000 per month, Don Forbes says.

The couple plans to continue their modest way of life The couple plans to continue their modest way of life without costly travel. Much of their food comes from the farm. Jack bags a few deer each year and the farm business picks up a few of their other expenses. Their home does not need costly repairs.

Even on their modest income of $2,000 per month, they expect to put away $500 per month for the next 10 years for Registered Educational Savings Plans for their five grandchildren. Over 10 years, by which time their eldest grandchild will be ready for university, with the addition of the

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lesser of 20 per cent of contributions or $500 per child from the Canada Education Savings Grant, that will add up to $85,000, assuming they obtain a three per cent return after inflation.

The money, which can continue to grow with contributions and gains, can pay for a year or two of post-secondary education for each grandchild provided that the child lives at home or obtains very economical room and board near the institution of his or her choice, Erik Forbes estimates.

OTHER OPTIONS There is a good deal more that the couple can do to increase their income and financial security in retirement. First move would be to crystallize the value of their farming business and arrange a sale to Bob. The farm must eventually be disposed of through deemed disposition no later than the death of the last parent. If Bob were to pay Jack and Martha at, say, $25,000 per year or, though borrowing is not the family tradition, the entire $500,000, which they could offset with the $800,000 lifetime capital gains exemption, then the income would raise the parents’ income by $22,500 per year after 10 per cent average income tax, Don Forbes says.

Gifting the farm to Bob for a dollar, which is the plan, will require Bob to provide for his parents’ future well being. He will have to cover much the parents’ living costs, but on the other hand, if the farm were sold for fair market value, Bob’s standard of living would fall.

The farm is 30 miles from the nearest town and 60 from a hospital. Clearly, the cost of access will be high and will be Bob’s to pay. The bill for going to

Trait Stewardship Responsibilities Notice to Farmers

town, to doctors or hospitals, could be $1,000 per month or $12,000 per year, Forbes suggests. Over the lifetime of the parents, who have longevity in their own family histories, the bill could be quite substantial, Don Forbes notes.

Getting more money for the farm would, of course, aid the parents. They could buy long term care insurance, for example. Moreover, the farm is a single asset and much of their retirement income will dependent on its health. If they could obtain $500,000, they might invest in a range of stocks, particularly those that have paid dividends consistently and raised them each year for the last five years. Several dividend income exchange traded funds are available with modest annual management fees well below one per cent of net asset value.

Diversification is a form of insurance, Erik Forbes observes.

Yet all that won’t happen, for the plan is for them to live simply in town supported by Bob who will have the farm for a dollar.

For his part, Bob, who will run the farm, should examine ways to generate additional income.

The land, presently used mostly for pasture for relatively few animals, could support limited grain production on perhaps a third of the acreage. More hay could be produced as well. Bob, like each generation before him, has spent a good deal of time as a tradesman. Today, he is a skilled machinist. That work subsidizes the farm. It is the way the family has run the business for three generations. Tradition, not maximizing returns, is the family’s guiding principle. † Andrew Allentuck’s latest book, When Can I Retire? Planning Your Financial Life After Work, was published by Penguin Canada in 2011.

BY DAN PIRARO

Bizarro

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Any crop or material produced from this product can only be exported to, or used, processed or sold in countries where all necessary regulatory approvals have been granted. It is a violation of national and international law to move material containing biotech traits across boundaries into nations where import is not permitted. Growers should talk to their grain handler or product purchaser to confirm their buying position for this product. Excellence Through Stewardship® is a registered trademark of Excellence Through Stewardship.

ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Roundup Ready® crops contain genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup® brand agricultural herbicides. Roundup® brand agricultural herbicides will kill crops that are not tolerant to glyphosate. Acceleron® seed treatment technology for corn is a combination of four separate individuallyregistered products, which together contain the active ingredients metalaxyl, trifloxystrobin, ipconazole, and clothianidin. Acceleron® seed treatment technology for canola is a combination of two separate individually-registered products, which together contain the active ingredients difenoconazole, metalaxyl (M and S isomers), fludioxonil, thiamethoxam, and bacillus subtilis. Acceleron and Design®, Acceleron®, DEKALB and Design®, DEKALB®, Genuity and Design®, Genuity Icons, Genuity®, RIB Complete and Design®, RIB Complete®, Roundup Ready 2 Technology and Design®, Roundup Ready 2 Yield®, Roundup Ready®, Roundup Transorb®, Roundup WeatherMAX®, Roundup®, SmartStax and Design®, SmartStax®, Transorb®, VT Double PRO®, YieldGard VT Rootworm/RR2®, YieldGard Corn Borer and Design and YieldGard VT Triple® are trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. Used under license. LibertyLink® and the Water Droplet Design are trademarks of Bayer. Used under license. Herculex® is a registered trademark of Dow AgroSciences LLC. Used under license. Respect the Refuge and Design is a registered trademark of the Canadian Seed Trade Association. Used under license. ©2013 Monsanto Canada Inc.

10801A-Gen Legal Trait Stewardship-Grainews.indd 7/29/13 1 3:56 PM

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Columns APP QUEST

Field Tracker Pro app This field tracking app from Farmer-Apps Inc. is easy to use and allows you to track field operations from the tractor cab JAY PETERSON

W

e all know field tracking over multiple years is becoming the norm in agriculture due to rental agreement requirements or just for troubleshooting when things go wrong. I know it gives me piece of mind during the year to know I can look back into my records and be able to access information about the field activities I did during the cropping year. Smartphones have allowed us to not only start tracking all of our operations with ease, but also have this information at our fingertips all the time. However there has been a vacuum in this area — only a handful of farmfriendly applications have been developed.

One of the latest field tracking apps on the market is Field Tracker Pro by Farmer-Apps.

Field Tracker Pro is based through the browser either on your desktop or smartphone. It can work with a PC, Mac or any major smartphone operating system. Field Tracker uses cloud technology to allow you to access your information from any device once you sign into your account or one of your managed user accounts.

under the soil sampling option in the field details, there is no main nutrient option for nitrogen. The top three options are for PH, phosphorous and potassium.

It would be nice to see an addition for nitrogen as I think it is a major part of Western soil tests.

The rest of the activity selections include all the most common operations such as spraying and seeding but also some that are more area specific such as irrigation and straw harvest.

Each one of the activity options allows you to select information specific to that operation. An example is that in the spraying activity you can enter the chemi-

cal you are using, the rate, speed and pressure. Field Tracker also makes use of planned usages as well — you can compare what you planned to use versus what you actually used. All of these activities are then recorded with the selected date and added into the activity report for that field.

You can look at this activity report at any time. This is a fairly simple point and click in and out system for entering information.

REVIEW There are lots of things to like about this program but there are some things that could be

added or changed. Two features I know they’re adding are automatic weather recording for spray records as well as the ability to change your records into a printable PDF format.

I think the activity reports get a bit lengthy when you’re adding in multiple activities. The information could be condensed down into a more efficient format. I could easily see print outs for my entire year getting over 100 pages.

I would also like to see the ability to track commodity contracts and deliveries added to the app.

There are many nice things about this program. It is simple to use, with easy navigation.

You could be using this program and entering information within five minutes. The menus navigate easily forward and backwards so you can find what you are looking for or update different parts of your field tracking operation.

Also I like how fast the scroll buttons work in the activity addition fields. Speed of entry is very high on my priority list.

There are two pricing options once you use up your 30 day trial. The first is $249/year, which allows five users and 40 fields.

The premium option is $479/ year and includes the ability to manage 20 users and add up to 200 fields.

Like all apps and software there are still improvements to be made with Field Tracker but it is a very nice smooth program that would be perfect for people who are just getting into electronic field tracking and do not want an overly complicated program. † Jay Peterson farms near Frontier, Sask.

Visit us Ja n 13-16 at the uary Production Crop S booth C10 how, A January 21 ND -2 Manitoba A 3 at g in the Ag C Days entre Excellence of

It is a very nice, smooth program USING FIELD TRACKER The Field Tracker app is what I would consider a layered application. The details are layered on top of each other and there is really only one way in and one way out to access the information.

Field Tracker is layered into three main sections. The first is the opening screen where you can select which year to work in or access settings where you can change information and manage users.

Once you select the year you can access your field menu. With the base subscription you can add up to 40 fields; with the premium subscription you can add up to 200 fields. You’ll noticed that once you select a field, it shows the current crop on that field in that crop year.

After you select a field you will also notice that the field header at the top shows the current crop and also the acreage (in acres and hectares, which is becoming a more commonly used unit for field areas.)

In the field section there are 11 activity options to choose from and one main option to input the field details. I noticed that,

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JANUARY 7, 2014

Machinery & Shop Agritechnica coverage

Glimpses of Agritechnica 2013 Grainews was at Germany’s massive, bi-annual farm machinery show.

Here’s what caught our eye

By Scott Garvey

E

v e r y s e c o n d N o v e m b e r, Agritechnica, the world’s largest farm machinery exhibition, opens its doors in Hanover, Germany. Held on the largest fairground anywhere, a site that was built, in part, to house a World Expo, the show has roughly 100 acres under roof.

Crammed into the 27 massive exhibit halls this year were 2,898 exhibits, ranging from large displays of major brand equipment to small booths housing cutting-edge prototypes.

It might be fair to say Agritechnica is the farm equipment world’s equivalent of the Detroit Auto Show. Not only do you see what is on dealers’ lots now, but you get a glimpse of what they’ll be selling five or 10 years down the road. And because the show 2

1

has a global perspective, you get to see what farmers all over the world are interested in.

In all, approximately 450,000 visits to the site were recorded during the weeklong event, and Grainews was there for the show’s full duration to take in as much as possible. In the pages of this issue, you’ll see some of what we saw.

We’ll have more to show you in future issues as well, so keep your eye open for more articles in the weeks ahead.

To help give you a feel for what it was like to be there, here are some images that caught our eye during the trek through the 26-plus kilometres of carpeted aisles in the exhibit halls.

For a video look at Agritechnica 2013, watch the e-Quip TV episodes online at grainews.ca/videos. † Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at Scott.Garvey@fbcpublishing.com.

3

4

5

6

photos: scott garvey

1: Turkish tractor manufacturer Hattat currently builds a couple of models based on older Massey Fergusons, like this 240S based on the old MF 235. The company is looking for a North American distributor. 2: Grainews took in Agritechnica 2013, along with about 450,000 people from across the globe. 3: It wouldn’t be Germany if you didn’t have many close encounters with beer, bratwurst and Oom-pah-pah bands right on the show grounds. 4: It isn’t unusual for manufacturers to display equipment in a pretty surprising way, like this pull-type sprayer standing on its hitch. 5: Europeans are no stranger to sprayers, with a much wider variety of makes and models available than North American farmers are used to. 6: This Tecnoma Laser self-propelled sprayer uses an unique cab design, which lowers to the ground to allow the operator to get in and out without climbing stairs, then it lifts up into operating position.

JANUARY 7, 2014

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Machinery & Shop AGRITECHNICA COVERAGE

“Fruit robot” is completely autonomous Cäser, the new field robot, is designed to work in orchards and vineyards without the need for an operator

BY SCOTT GARVEY

T

he number of orchard and vineyard workers in Europe may be set to drastically decline in the near future if the Cäser “fruit robot” becomes popular. Cäser is a small, totally autonomous robot designed specifically to perfrom typical orchard and vineyard chores.

And the significance of this machine hitting the market stretches well beyond just interesting orchard operators.

All farmers may want to take notice, because Cäser’s market introduction is an important milestone. It pushes the idea of employing self-contained field robots in all agriculture sectors another step forward.

Developed by a consortium of private firms and the Technical University of Dresden, Germany, along with funding from the European Union and Germany’s Free State of Saxony, Cäser is being introduced to the marketplace by Raussendorf Machine and Equipment Manufacturing.

But it comes with a hefty 85,000 Euro price tag (about $122,400).

“It’s completely autonomous said Dr. Klaus Weidig, business manager for Raussendorf, speaking in German. “It’s now available for sale. But it’s only available in Europe.” Although he acknowledged the company might consider shipping to an overseas buyer if asked.

Guided by GPS with an RTK correction signal, Cäser can make its way along a predermined path through an orchard or vineyard performing a variety of tasks, such as fertilizing, tillage or grounds care and transporting. The little robot has four-wheel steering and is equipped with a PTO drive and hitch likage, which enables it to use some standard implements.

Under the hood, Cäser has a 65 horsepower Kubota engine.

If Cäser encounters an unexpected obstruction, it has an emergency stop feature built in.

For safety reasons, after encountering an obstacle it must be manually restarted. The company recommends any staff working in the area should receive special training to ensure Cäser isn’t a hazard to them, and they don’t interfere with its operation.

It also has an impressive load capacity, capable of hauling up to 2,500 kilograms. The robot’s flat top is designed to carry standard-sized orchard crates of fruit or grapes, moving up to four loaded ones at a time. “It loads itself, then unloads the crates onto a special receiving platform,” said Weidig. It can carry up to 15 empty crates and position them at predetermined spots.

The onboard computer also maintains a continuous radio link between Cäser and a base station or other mobile communication device, reporting its location and operating status so a manager can constantly monitor it. †

Scott Garvey is machinery editor at Grainews.

Contact him at Scott.Garey@fbcpublishing.com.

PHOTOS: SCOTT GARVEY

Cäser the “fruit robot” is a completely autonomous machine designed to travel predetermined routes through a field and perform a variety of tasks.

The robot is equipped with PTO drive and a hitch, which makes it possible to attach some standard field implements.

The Leader in Overlap Control SeedMaster now offers Auto Zone Command™ & FLIP™ (Full Last Implement Pass) as standard features on its on-board and tow-behind tanks.

Auto Zone Command prevents costly input overlap by instantly stopping product flow in up to 10 metering zones.

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FLIP received the coveted 2013 Gold Innovation Award at Canada’s Farm Progress Show

FLIP is SeedMaster’s patented mapping software that activates Auto Zone Command and halts product flow the first time openers pass through an overlap area. Product is then applied on the last pass, preventing double seed and fertilizer from being applied, and avoiding any seedbed disturbance.

The Big Payback – Savings using a 10 zone, 80 ft. drill Year

Acres

Overlap%No Zone Command

Overlap%Auto Zone Command

Savings per Acre

Cost Savings/ Total Acres

1

5,000

7.30%

1.20%

$6.38

$31,903

FIRST SEEDED PASS FLIP VIRTUAL PASS - LAST SEEDED PASS NO OVERLAP CONTROL

10 ZONES OF OVERLAP CONTROL

3200 sq. ft.

320 sq. ft.

$6.38 Cost Savings/Acre/Year x 5000 Acres Based on $104.60 /Acre Average Input Cost = $31,903 Input Savings/Year 4

5,000

7.30%

1.20%

$6.38

$31,903

5

5,000

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1.20%

$6.38

$31,903

TOTAL 5 YEAR SAVINGS = $159,515

For more information on SeedMaster’s Auto Zone Command or FLIP contact your local SeedMaster dealer or call 1.888.721.3001.

The diagram illustrates how SeedMaster’s Auto Zone Command turns off seed and fertilizer to each zone during headland passes. Without Auto Zone Command, the large area in red would receive double inputs, wasting considerable dollars.

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JANUARY 7, 2014

Machinery & Shop Agritechnica coverage

Electric implement drives still appearing at Agritechnica Manufacturers have been showing concept machines equipped with electric implement control at the show since 2009. This year was no exception

By Scott Garvey

A

side from displaying new, market-ready machines, some manufacturers again used Germany’s Agritechnica machinery show to provide a glimpse into the engineering future.

Tractors and equipment designed to use high-voltage electricity to power implement drives instead of traditional PTO or hydraulic systems have been appearing at the event since 2009. There were more concept machines advanc-

ing that technology on display again this year.

But because this is an emerging technology in agricultural equipment, electric drive standards for implements have still not been firmly established. When John Deere introduced its two marketready 6RE tractor models at the 2011 show, they were designed to supply 480 volt power.

The Agricultural Industry Electronics Foundation (AEF), which is made up of engineering representatives from most manufacturers with a stake in electri-

cal technology development, has been working to develop standards so the industry can really begin to move forward on the high-voltage drive front. “The idea behind this is that the electric motors on all standard attached machines should be compatible with every model of tractor, and the only limitation should be the output data of the tractor engine,” reads the AEF’s official explanation of the project.

Once standards have been set, we’re likely to see more manufacturers release market-

ready, electric-drive equipment — or at least introduce concept machines. So far, however, AEF has not officially announced it has established a standard agreed to by all the major manufacturers.

Despite that, AGCO’s Fendt brand jumped into the electric drive arena this year, debuting its “X Concept” tractor at Agritechnica. Still only a concept machine, the Fendt comes equipped with a 700 volt DC implement drive outlet on the rear.

It is now widely expected that

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700 volt DC power is likely to become the standard.

Powered by a 200 horsepower diesel engine, the X Concept tractor is capable of supplying 130 kilowatts of power to an implement.

“This is a research study,” said Benno Pichlmaier, a Fendt engineer, about the X Concept. “It’s only for advanced engineering.

It will not go into production in the next years. We are looking at what are the concepts of the future. We’re looking to have a discussion with the implement manufacturers, because the tractor alone will not improve with the electrical system.”

Engineers at Fendt have been working to develop durable electrical systems that could be used in future tractors if high-voltage implement drive becomes mainstream.

“The generator itself, has been totally newly developed for agriculture,” Pichlmaier continued.

“In 2001 we started a research project called MELA. In German it stands for mobile electric power drives. So we tried to bring that technology to mobile machinery.

If you buy a standard electric motor it will not survive in our (agricultural) environment. The result is now the shape and the technical functionality of that (tractor’s) generator.”

With the tractor engine revving at 1,600 r.p.m., the newlydesigned generator reaches peak output capacity to power systems on an implement.

So far, Fendt is focusing on providing only high-voltage current through a standard rear outlet.

However, it is possible that the tractor, if it ever sees production, could have additional lower voltage outlets capable of running typical electrical equipment like power tools, which is a feature John Deere initially included on the first electric drive-capable tractors it introduced at the 2009 Agritechnica show.

“Our strategy is to have one output, which is DC,” said Pichlmaier.

“Currently we are focusing on the tractor-implement electrification, not so much to allow welding or drilling or something. It’s in discussion what (other) possibilities there are, because some contractors would be interested in connecting power tools in the field, and so on. But it’s also a legal issue, because, for example, in Germany it’s required to ground the system, which makes it a little more complicated to provide that.”

A little way down the aisle at another exhibit, Rauch, a German company, displayed its high-voltage concept machine: a three-point hitch mounted fertilizer spreader.

“There are a lot of tractor manufacturers out there workBy Dan Piraro

Bizarro

JANUARY 7, 2014

grainews.ca /

29

Machinery & Shop

PHOTOS: SCOTT GARVEY

Left: Fendt’s 200 horsepower “X Concept” tractor is designed to provide high-voltage electricity to implements instead of hydraulic fluid flow. Top Right: The plug-in connection at the rear of the X Concept tractor provides 700 volts of DC power to electric motors on implements. Bottom Right: Heavy-gauge cables transfer high voltage from a tractor’s onboard generator to the electric drive motors on Rauch’s prototype electric fertilizer spreader. ing on electric drive systems,” said Michael Linz, from Rauch’s electronic development division.

“Currently, we are 100 per cent compatible to the John Deere tractors, the 6RE. Our systems (on the spreader) consist of two direct drive electric motors. We expect the tractor system (to provide the) generator and inverter.”

The spreader is capable of taking power from an outlet that delivers 130 kilowatts of current, but it only requires 20 to power it. “In the industry there will be implements that need more (than 20 kilowatts),” Linz said. “We have decided, as an industry, to have a common connector.”

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High-voltage drives offer benefits other systems can’t match The current cost of motors and components for high-voltage drives in agricultural applications is quite high, due to the unique requirements and low volume demand. “Here we have a functional concept,” explained Linz.

“However, right now we have quite an issue with the cost of components.”

In time, however, that cost premium compared to standard PTO or hydraulic drive systems will likely disappear when production numbers increase. And high-voltage drives offer benefits other systems can’t match, particularly lower power demands that reduce operating costs.

“If you compare the electric fertilizer spreader to the hydraulic one, we have about a 10 per cent increase in efficiency, which leads to reduced fuel consumption in the tractor,” he continued. “We see, also, improvements in the distribution of the fertilizer. We need quite exact disc speed. We can get that with electric drive.”

Linz believes electric drive for implements will become the dominant system in the future.

“The only question is, how long will it take,” he said. † Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews.

Contact him at Scott.Garvey@fbcpublishing.com.

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JANUARY 7, 2014

Machinery & Shop Agritechnica coverage

Merlo introduces a hybrid telehandler The Italian manufacturer takes home a gold Innovations Award for its industry-first, diesel-electric hybrid

By Scott Garvey

B

eating out a field of 393 entrants vying for an Innovation Award at Germany’s Agritechnica in November, Merlo’s Turbofarmer 40.7 Hybrid telehandler was one of only four products deemed worthy of a gold medal, the show’s highest engineering accolade.

The company’s president, Amilcare Merlo, made an emotional acceptance speech during the medal presentations at

a special evening event during Agritechnica week. “It’s very special for us (as an Italian company) to win an award like this in Germany,” he said through an interpreter. “That makes it worth double.”

Merlo is no stranger to coming up with engineering firsts. In 1987 it patented the low-slung, centremounted cab, which increased overall telehandler stability and has since become the industry standard.

With the introduction of the

40.7, Merlo becomes the first company to produce a dieselelectric telehandler, making it one of a very few hybrid farm machines of any kind to hit the market so far. According to Amilcare, it’s a direct result of the family-owned company’s ongoing R&D program that has an annual budget equal to eight per cent of the firm’s turnover.

“The Hybrid 40.7 is one of the successful results of the Merlo strategy that aims at producing innovative products for a future

photo: scott garvey

The Merlo Turbofarmer 40.7 Hybrid is the first telehandler to use dieselelectric hybrid technology. that will go beyond fossil fuels,” reads a corporate publication outlining the features of the new machine.

In a press release, the company acknowledged that the 40.7 was developed by Merlo engineers in collaboration with the Department of Aerospace and

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Mechanical Engineering at the Turin Engineering Institute in Italy. “This success is the result of many years of collaboration between the Merlo SPA and the research group coordinated by Prof. Aurelio Soma,” it reads.

Back at the exhibit hall following Amilcare’s passionate speech the night before, product reps were still a bit protective of any engineering secrets incorporated into the 40.7, preferring not to open any panels and let a nosy Canadian editor snap pictures of the “modular” components. (The company claims their modular approach will allow the hybrid system to be quickly incorporated into other models.) But they were willing to talk about some of the 40.7’s specifications.

Using a pack of lithium batteries rated at 30 kilowatt hours, the 40.7 can operate for a maximum of two hours on only electric power. That allows it to operate inside closed buildings without added ventilation or where quiet operation is important. It can also go for four hours in “Eco” mode, relying on some diesel engine use.

Powering the 40.7 is a 75 horsepower, four cylinder diesel engine, which is much smaller than the engines typically found in standard telehandlers of the same capacity. But the company claims it can still deliver performance equal to those machines using larger engines.

The small diesel runs a generator that provides current to the electric traction motor, which delivers torque to the axles through a twospeed mechanical transmission capable of a 40 km/h. road speed.

In hybrid mode the engine can be set to run at a fixed 1,200 or 1,800 r.p.m. to power the generator for machine use and recharge the battery pack at the same time. When working with the engine running, the company claims the hybrid operation allows for a 30 per cent savings in fuel consumption.

The battery pack can also be recharged from an outlet by plugging in the machine when not in use.

The 40.7 has a maximum load rating of 4,000 kilograms with a lift height of 7.1 metres, and it can extend that load forward 3.7 metres.

There is also a more comfortable, redesigned cab that has an interior width of 1.01 metres. And the door is 87 centimetres wide for easy access. An operator can control the shuttle function using the right-side joystick or through duplicate controls at the steering wheel. A new dual-zone HVAC system keeps the cab temperature even and comfortable. † Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews.

Contact him at Scott.Garvey@fbcpublishing.com.

JANUARY 7, 2014

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Home Quarter Farm Life SEEDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT

Making sense of 2013 to plan for 2014 How are you planning to stand out in 2014 and make a difference in the world? back) that tends to limit either my accomplishments or my being who I most genuinely am.

This resistance looks and feels like…

ELAINE FROESE

T

5. The seven to eight most deeply held beliefs or core values that I want to live by in the next year are…

You might like to choose a theme word for 2014. My word for 2013 was “beloved.” In the past I have chosen courage, hope, joy, pacing and generosity. Find a smooth stone and write your theme word on the rock with a Sharpie marker. You’ll be amazed how many times in the upcoming year you can affirm that you have chosen the right theme for 2014.

Words are powerful. Pay attention to the one that grabs your heart and soul for 2014.

he calendar may say that it’s a new year, but my new year was a few months ago in September.

I always feel that “going back to school time” is really the start of my new learning season. But alas, you have bright, shiny new calendars on your office, shop and kitchen walls, so as you are taking down last year’s calendars, and reviewing your 2013 diary or journal, take some time for reflection.

1. What do I remember and value from my past year? I need to list the accomplishments that I deem most noteworthy: My disappointments from that same time frame are…

6. What are at least two goals for each of the roles I live in for 2014?

• My personal physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being and growth… self-care.

• My family… marriage/ partners and children.

• My friends…

• My work…

• My neighbourhood or closest community…

• My world.

2. I learned from what I did accomplish that: I also learned from what I did not accomplish that…

3. If I reframe my learnings into counsel for the coming year, I hear myself advising…

4. Boulders: I notice that I experience a definite resistance (push-

7. What are my top seven to eight goals for next year out of all of the goals listed in No. 6?

Who am I willing to share this with in order to be accountable and responsible in achieving them? How will I keep track of my progress? Can I write them on a colourful paper for the office wall?

We all lead very “busy” full lives, but we all make choices to commit to what is really important Congratulate yourself for your thoughtful work There is power in your pencil and pen. I know that many of the “next gen” use thumbs instead of pencils, but whatever works, use it. Studies have shown that folks who write their thoughts out in journals live longer. There is also research that shows the success rate of those who commit goals to paper or computer are more

likely to hit the marks and targets they set.

Many farm families tell me that they just want “a happy family,” they want harmony and time to hang out together as family. OK, what does that look like in practice? Set some weekends aside now for fun at the lake, either in the snow, or in the summer with the boat, canoe, kayak, or wiener sticks!

Decide who is hosting the next gathering and block out the dates early. We all lead very “busy” full lives, but we all make choices to commit to what is really important.

I am writing this in a hotel overlooking the seawall near Stanley Park in Vancouver in early December where the sun is creating an orange glow on the water as the float planes take off from the harbour. The joggers and dog walkers are out and about getting their morning exercise. Two houseboats, one bright red, one bright yellow stand out amidst the 100 white sailboats in the marina.

How are you planning to “stand out” in 2014 and make a difference in your world? The glassladen skyscrapers are not unlike tall Prairie elevators, except they are jammed together on expensive waterfront real estate. I am thankful for the quiet solitude

here, but more grateful for the privacy and space of a thriving Prairie farm. A blanket keeps the winter chill off as I craft encouragement to you. My goal for 2014 is to continue to cherish family and relationships, since intimacy and friendship are two of my top six values. I know this to be true as I have a Value Styles Indicator assessment that I use with myself and my farm family clients. If you would like more clarity about the different beliefs or common values that are driving your farm team, contact me, and I’ll set up the assessment for your farm team, online. Conflict is fuelled when the values you embrace are not honoured in your farm workplace. Perhaps the tension triggers you are experiencing are a result of messed-up or incongruent value expectations.

Make sure that your goals align with what you truly value and cherish, then your chances of success in hitting your targets and achieving your goals will be greatly enhanced. † Elaine Froese, CAFA, CHICoach is a catalyst for courageous conversations in coaching farm families and from the podium. Watch for her next book “Farming’s In-Law Factor” due out this year. Visit www.elainefroese. com for more common-sense practical tools for your farm family’s success. Share your stories at elaine@elainefroese.com, or call 1-866-848-8311.

EXTENDED OUTLOOK FOR THE PRAIRIES Weather Forecast for the period of January 5 to February 1, 2014

Southern Alberta

Peace River Region

Saskatchewan

Manitoba

Jan 5 - 11 Cold and clear on many days with flurries, but slight warming in the southwest brings snow and drifting.

Jan 5 - 11 Cold and clear on many days with flurries, but slight warming in the southwest brings snow and drifting.

Jan 5 - 11 Often settled and cold apart from scattered light snow on 1 to 2 days this week. Some drifting or blowing in the south.

Jan 5 - 11 Fair and cold on most days in the south this week, apart from light snow and drifting on 1 to 2 days.

Clear and very cold in the north.

Jan. 12 - 18 Fair and cold weather dominates, except for a few days of milder temperatures and some snow in the south.

Jan. 12 - 18 Fair and cold weather dominates, except for a few days of milder temperatures and some snow in the south.

Jan. 12 - 18 Cold, clear conditions dominate, but minor warming in the south brings light snow and blowing snow at times.

Jan. 12 - 18 Cold, fair with high windchills, but slight warming in the south results in scattered snow and drifting on a couple of days.

Jan. 19 - 25 Mainly fair but cold with higher windchills. Blustery at times. Light snow and blowing on a couple of days in the south. Clear and very cold.

Jan. 19 - 25 Mainly fair but cold with higher windchills. Blustery at times. Light snow and blowing on a couple of days in the south.

Jan. 26 - Feb. 1 Fair and cold overall but expect scattered snow and some blowing in the south on 1 or 2 days this week.

Jan. 26 - Feb. 1 Fair and cold overall but expect scattered snow and some blowing in the south on 1 or 2 days this week. Mostly settled and very cold.

-19 / -8 Grande Prairie 32.7 mms

Jan. 26 - Feb. 1 Temperatures remain on the cold side with higher windchills. Fair apart from snow and drifting from time to time in southern areas.

Blustery.

Jan. 19 - 25 Temperatures on the cold side with a few higher windchills. Blustery at times with some drifting. Light snow occurs on a couple of occasions.

Jan. 26 - Feb. 1 Fair skies on several days this week apart from some light snow and drifting on 1 or 2 days. Cold temperatures with a few high windchills.

Precipitation Forecast -18 / -7 Edmonton 23.3 mms

-14 / -3 Jasper

31.1 mms

ABOVE NORMAL

-13 / -2

31.0 mms

Banff

-21 / -10 North Battleford -18 / -6 Red Deer 20.7 mms

-14 / -2 Calgary

Forecasts should be 80% accurate, but expect variations by a day or two because of changeable speed of weather systems.

Jan. 19 - 25 Fair and cold in the south but with light snow and blowing on a couple of days. High windchills at times. Bitterly cold and mainly clear in the north.

12.2 mms

-15 / -3 Medicine Hat 19mms cms Lethbridge 17.3 20.3 mms 26 cms -13 / -2

-25 / -12 Prince Albert

18.4 mms

-21 / -11 Saskatoon 15.9 mms

15.4 mms

-25 / -14 The Pas 18.0 mms

NEAR NORMAL

-22 / -11 Yorkton

-22 / -11 Dauphin

-24 / -13 -21 / -10 21.2 mms 19.3 mms Gimli -19 / -8 Regina -18 / -8 Moose Jaw 14.7 mms 25.1 mms Swift 17.7 mms -21 / -11 -23 / -12 Portage -23 / -12 Current -20 / -9 Brandon 23.8 mms Winnipeg 20.0 mms Weyburn 18.4 mms 19.3 mms 17.2 mms -19 / -9 Estevan Melita -23 / -10 18.8 mms

19.2 mms

Precipitation Outlook For January Much Above Normal Below Much above normal normal below normal normal

Temperatures are normals for February 1st averaged over 30 years.

Precipitation (water equivalent) normals for Jan. in mms. ©2014 WeatherTec Services www.weathertec.mb.ca

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Home Quarter Farm Life POSTCARDS FROM THE PRAIRIES

Life’s secrets, according to you…

People of the world, tell me this — what’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done? Part One JANITA VAN DE VELDE

I

share this story for one (or both) of the following reasons: It makes me out to be classy and sophisticated. Obviously.

In case you happen to be having a crappy day my hopes are that this will make you laugh.

Now where were we? Oh, right.

The chairlift incident… it still gives me the shivers when I think about it. I don’t even feel safe writing this, however, in the spirit of full disclosure when it comes to one of my several thousand most embarrassing stories, here goes. It happened during my third year at university, when about 10 of us decided to head down to Whitefish, Montana for spring break. I don’t ski all that often (or well) but the thought of a vacation at a mountain resort sounded appealing.

Once there, we promptly agreed that it was far too cold to actually ski, not to mention the effort required, so we buckled down in our rental chalet and started to play a drinking game. The game

itself was easy. Or so I thought.

There was a deck of cards and you had to guess whether the card being flipped would be a black suit or a red suit. Not exactly a mind bender. (Hey, we were aggies!) If you guessed wrong, you had to take a sip from your beverage. Active listening not being one of my core strengths, I was downing my entire drink each time, rather than taking just one sip. For the record, I don’t recall anyone mentioning the “one-sip” point during the initial reading of the rules. Regardless, in a disastrously short period of time, I ingested copious amounts of alcohol and retired from the game rather early, finding comfort and solace face down in an empty pizza box.

The next day, disastrously weary but determined, we got up and hit the slopes, ready to exercise and sweat out the alcohol. Truthfully, I felt like death warmed up, however I put on a brave face for the crew. I even attempted to hit a few jumps on the way down to see if I looked anywhere near as cool as the Olympians on television. (Reports gathered much later indicated that a three-legged mule strapped to plywood would have appeared more graceful. See photo.

Does it bear mentioning that this landing didn’t go well? ) Here forthwith, are the most embarrassing things you’ve ever done. Part One Grade 7 social studies class. I asked my teacher during class how dinosaurs had sex. He was literally speechless. I wanted to die.

Tough one. Getting into the wrong vehicle at the end of the day to go home. My husband was picking me up, I saw a blue van just like ours and walked right from the office building into that van and sat down, only to realize it wasn’t my van! The guy driving was pretty shocked too. I just got out and ran in the other direction.

Not recognizing someone I really should have known! Yikes, that was bad, especially when she looked the same!

Hmm… puking in a restaurant in front of my new boss, and him trying to catch it all in a wineglass.

That, or falling down a flight of stairs in my gown at the reception for my university graduation.

Good times, proud moments.

I had a girlfriend from out of town once when I was 20, and

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In high school I had an enormous crush on a boy in a grade above me and (for whatever reason) he put my winter coat on and then proceeded to put his hands in the pocket, only to pull out a maxi pad! He screamed like a girl and threw it halfway across the school.

Maybe I shouldn’t have been the one who was embarrassed, but I was. Something about boys, high school and having your period was pretty damn embarrassing.

I try not to remember the embarrassing stuff. Kind of like it didn’t happen then, right?

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brought her home on a weekend my parents were away. She was there when they got home on Sunday and I thought it would be a good time for them to meet one another. Big mistake. To them, I was sneaking around behind their back. It was a very humiliating and stupid judgment on my part.

It coloured their relationship with her from that point onward.

Standing on stage at high school assembly in Grade 12 leading a “sing-along.” I can’t sing!

Doing something too inappropriate when I was drunk. I could probably make that plural.

Where would I even begin?!

When backpacking around Europe, my friend and I had

BY DAN PIRARO

Bizarro

our belongings stolen while we were suntanning on the beach in Barcelona (ahem, topless). Luckily, I was using my (very) mini daypack as a pillow at the time, which at least helped with a tiny little bit of coverage as I walked all the way up La Rambla wearing nothing but my bikini bottoms, and doing my best to cover my critical parts with my hands!

Ha, I never get embarrassed.

There are a lot, but one that stands out is when I was at a 4-H speech contest. My topic was suicide (quite a heavy topic for a kid in Grade 8) but it was a good speech. I was so nervous when I got up to the podium to speak, the first thing that came out of my mouth was, “I am going to laugh,” then proceeded with my not-toosunny speech. Needless to say, I did not get first.

This is one of those things I can’t bring myself to talk about.

Got really intoxicated at a concert we drove seven hours to get to.

Climbing up the tree faster than everyone, being suddenly overcome with the urge to urinate from above, then being caught doing so by my father.

When my kid wanted to leave church and I kept whispering to him, “Not yet, honey. Father isn’t finished.” He kept asking if it was time to go, and I kept repeating the same thing to him over and over, until finally he turned to the front of the church and shouted out, “Just shut up, Father!” In his defence, it was a rather long sermon. † Janita Van de Velde grew up on a farm near Mariapolis, Man. She holds a bachelor of science degree in agricultural economics from the University of Manitoba, and has worked for a financial institution since graduating. She lives in Regina, Sask., with her husband Roddy and their children Jack, Isla and James. Her first novel, Postcards Never Written, was the recipient of the Saskatchewan Reader’s Choice Award and also listed by CBC as one of the top funny books in 2009. She donates a portion of proceeds from the sale of her book to World Vision to help those less fortunate. For more information, or to order her book, visit her website at www.janita.ca.

JANUARY 7, 2014

grainews.ca /

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Home Quarter Farm Life

Playing with clay Retired farm woman creates lifelike clay figures

BY EDNA MANNING

S

andy Christensen’s handbuilt clay figures speak of the diversity of personalities and stories in the characters she portrays. “Clay and clay people have been a lifetime passion. I try to honour their strength and quiet humour,” she says.

Growing up on a farm near Young, Saskatchewan, Christensen spent many enjoyable hours drawing, or building projects with the clay dug out of the ditch banks near the family home.

After high school she obtained her education degree from the University of Saskatchewan and taught for five years in her local school unit towns before settling down to full-time farming with her husband Ray. The couple raised cattle for a few years before shifting to grain only, which included canola, peas and flax.

“Ray was a good farmer — he could produce the basics really well. We had a very good farm life,” she said.

During those years on the farm raising their three children — Dan, David and Colleen, driving the grain truck and managing the home, Christensen also found time to play with clay.

She connected with another farm woman, Linda Teneycke, a ceramic artist, and joined others to get the local arts community up and running.

“If it hadn’t been for her leadership — someone with so many fresh ideas, we might not have gotten going nor sustained things because people often try out a craft and move on to the next one. We started with small sales that brought the whole community out and managed to raise enough money to purchase two wheels and a kiln,” Christensen says.

Although primarily selftaught, in 1995 she took a class in Watrous from a lady who also made clay figures. “She gave me some good ideas including how to prop up a figure when you put it in the kiln so it won’t tip, warp or slump,” said Christensen.

Over the years she developed her own style which includes leaving the clay figures unpainted. After the first firing she simply rubs in a glaze and gives the figure another firing to produce the antique look, reminiscent of farm life. “Farming to me is brown, and earth tones,” she says.

About this time the newly opened gift shop at Manitou Beach Mineral Spa was promoting Saskatchewan arts and crafts and the owner loved her hand-built clay figures. Christensen also shipped items to the Crafty Bears Gift Shop in Moose Jaw, and in 2012 her work was accredited by the Saskatchewan Craft Council.

Sales and marketing, Christensen says, are the most difficult for her.

“Obviously the thought is that we should value our work, but I’d rather sell something for less if the client comes to my door, and I don’t have to box and mail it.

“In the past, people wanted to buy a farmer or a fisherman or a nurse because they had someone

in mind. Today they’re attracted to something that has an expression or an interaction that appeals to them. So I’m spending more time on the faces — I decide what I’m trying to portray and get the faces ready. Then I do the bodies and get them interacting together. For commissioned pieces I like to work from photographs, but I also like to hear stories so I have an idea of the individual’s personality.”

The couple retired from farming in 2007 and moved to Watrous. When her husband Ray passed away in 2010, Sandy was grateful for her artwork. “It was really helpful to have something that just made the time pass. Clay was a big comfort along with the community and

family support — it all eased the grieving process.”

What is it about clay that appeals to her? “Clay is so malleable — it can be squeezed into endless shapes. I love the tactile feel of it in my hands. I also enjoy the three-dimensional aspect of working with clay.”

In using the human form, Christensen wants her figures to be more than just realisticlooking farmers. “I want them to convey feeling and interest; to tell a story; to be happy. That makes me happy,” she says.

Sandy Christensen can be contacted at 306-946-3399 or email rschristensen@sasktel.net. †

photos: edna manning

Top: Sandy Christensen with some of her clay figures. Left: The figures are meant to be not only lifelike but to also convey feeling and interest.

Edna Manning writes from Saskatoon, Sask.

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JANUARY 7, 2014

Home Quarter Farm Life SINGING GARDENER

Travel down Tomato Trail with Ted Plus, how do you handle your tomato issues?

TED MESEYTON

Well howdy gardeners howdy come listen to this tale, Let’s take a saunter down along Tomato Trail, The greenhouse and the garden are places set apart, To learn from one another and share tomato talk.

D

oes that sound a bit like a spoken jingle when you read it out loud?

Use your imagination for a moment. Let’s pretend we’ve gathered together in the greenhouse where it’s nice and warm and are enjoying a cup of energy tea.

You’ve caught me sippin’ on a cup of energizing organic Cardamom Chai loose-leaf tea that I bought at Scoop and Save. It’s good stuff in my opinion. Ingredients such as green yerba maté, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, clove, chicory and black pepper are blended by Common Sense Natural Products in Winnipeg — phone (204) 237-7909.

ON NEW YEAR’S EVE … I sang “Happy New Year All” to a neighbour down the street who made wine with grapes I grew. We toasted one another, had a slice of Christmas cake and then I sang my tomato song — “O It Must Be the Tomatoes.” It’s my musical approach to promoting prostate awareness, health and wellness among menfolk and a clue to the direction I’m headed with this first Singing Gardener page for 2014.

A REMINDER TO ALL MEN Please be certain to get your prostate checked once you’ve hit the age of 45 or 50. Most men don’t think about their prostate until they begin to experience symptoms such as an urgent need to pee and frequent urinary visits to the bathroom. These can be telltale signs of an enlarged prostate (BPH benign prostatic hyperplasia) or prostatitis (an

inflamed prostate). Both are common conditions affecting many older fellas. Prostate health may also be connected to other issues too such as fertility and erectile dysfunction. Approximately one in three guys over age 45 has or will have prostate problems to some degree in their lifetime. Let your doctor guide you if you’re in the age bracket indicated, or show symptoms.

A WELL-BALANCED DIET … goes a long way to maintaining a healthy prostate and should include four to five servings of home-canned and stewed tomatoes weekly. Cooked tomatoes release a lot more antioxidants including lycopene from under the skin, than do raw tomatoes. As a bonus just before serving stir in a few drops of canola, flax, almond, walnut or hemp seed oil.

EXCERPTS FROM AN EMAIL Tom Stewart and his wife Esther live near Mervin, Sask. Tom writes: What causes tomatoes with white streaks and tomatoes that don’t ripen properly? They have a hard white core through the middle.

The flavour is diminished, somewhat like store-bought unripe tomatoes. They were grown in the greenhouse and most have turned out this way. Tomatoes grown in the garden were OK. Wondered if it was a disease or a nutrient deficiency? I would like to hear your thoughts on it. Please see the pictures attached. I noticed the leaves had a lot of spots on them. Also it seemed to take a long time for the fruit to set. The plants were Early Girl. A cherrytype tomato (Super Sweet 100s) was not affected with the problem. Of curiosity we have had at times seeds that sprouted inside the tomato and wondered why?

We live on a farm near Mervin, Saskatchewan, about an hour NW of North Battleford.

Ted’s response: As much as Canadians love tomatoes, these bold fruits of the vine are not native to Canada and have been described as the “Shivering Immigrant.” Tomato plants love heat and trace their family tree to hot weather and long grow-

ing seasons of Central and South America. Our goal is to try and provide similar conditions as best we can with growing sites that are sheltered, consistently hot and sunny during the day and warm at night. A constant airflow circulating among tomato plants allows foliage to dry off quickly after rainfall and is critical in preventing diseases.

In addition, a couple inches of wood chips mulch spread over the entire area and around each tomato plant retains moisture and cuts down on need for watering.

Wood chips are a good investment and can be raked off into a pile at season’s end for future use.

Less expensive mulching can also be achieved by spreading several thicknesses of newspaper over soil and placing dry grass clippings or oat straw on top.

PHOTOS: TOM STEWART

DO YOU EVER FEEL STRESSED? Well so do tomatoes. Avoid planting them out too soon. They dislike extreme variables between daytime and night temperatures.

Fluctuations in temps. and weather extremes disturb a tomato’s ripening process leaving fruits susceptible to uneven ripening and developing hard central cores.

For example, it may hit 21 C or higher during daytime in May. When the overnight temperature drops below 15 C tomato problems are almost a guarantee. Wait until early to mid-June. Inside a greenhouse it can be 10 C hotter than outside leading to stickiness, stagnant air and poor ventilation.

A greenhouse without roof vents can be shaded with heavy dark material. Prop doors and windows open and keep one or more fans going inside to allow constant airflow. Stressful weather and variable temps. contribute to fibrous tissue and not much tomato flavour. Interior seeds can sprout as a result of cool or hot soil and moisture stress. When growing conditions are challenged, Mother Nature prompts a tomato into survival mode causing seeds to germinate.

Tomato transplants need a week or 10 days to settle into their outdoor garden home. Side dressings of high-quality compost and organic matter are essential to

A reader asks — What causes these tomatoes to not ripen properly? They have a hard white core and white streaks through the middle and flavour is diminished. Read what The Singing Gardener has to say. maintain a fortress of healthy soil microbes. Feed plants once with all-purpose organic tomato plant food, fish emulsion or seaweed during the first month and in moderation thereafter.

If you have sufficient space, focus on growing early-, mid-season and late-ripening tomatoes and varieties well adapted to your region.

Keep a record and discontinue those that don’t meet expectations.

Among tomatoes shown to resist white cores are: Better Boy, Big Beef, Carnival, Celebrity, Champion, Daybreak, Mountain Fresh, Mountain Princess, Mountain Spring, Northern Exposure, Primo Red and Tasti-Lee. Slicers and juicy varieties include: Break O’ Day, Charlie’s Red Staker, Earliana, Heartland, Matchless, Pritchard’s Scarlet Topper, Sasha’s Altai, Sioux, Stone, Stupice and Valiant.

I, TED, ASKED GARDENER AL ... how his greenhouse tomatoes did this past summer and he responded: “Not worth a darn. It got too hot inside and there was no aeration. Good air movement is something they don’t get in the greenhouse where high humidity and dampness on foliage can

lead to problems and blights.

Tomatoes grow faster and better outside when roots can spread out and temperatures suit them better. I wasn’t happy at all with Celebrity and Manitoba growing in the greenhouse but they sure did well out in the garden along with Big Boy, Bush Beefsteak and Star Fire.”

To Grainews readers… How do you handle tomato issues? You’re welcome to pitch in and let us know. †

This is Ted Meseyton the Singing Gardener and Grow-It Poet from Portage la Prairie, Man. There is so much more to tell about tomatoes.

The subject simply can’t be adequately covered here today, so I’ll continue on the Tomato Trail next time. Also remember, I garden for food, fun and recreation. Come and join me all you men ’cross the nation, Cause we guys sure don’t need aggravation, Give the prostate a little help and appreciation. My email address is singinggardener@mts.net.

SUE ARMSTRONG

LOVE HEARING FROM YOU Do you have a story about a farm or home-based business?

How about some household management tips? Does someone in the family have a special-diet need? Share some of your meal ideas.

Send them to FarmLife, 1666 Dublin Ave., Winnipeg, Man. R3H 0H1. Phone 1-800665-0502 or email susan@ fbcpublishing.com. Please remember we can no longer return photos or material. † Sue Armstrong

These leaves on a greenhouse-grown tomato plant are letting the gardener know that something isn’t just right. The problem appears to be septoria leaf spot, a fungus that begins as yellow dots that quickly turns into brown zones surrounded by yellow halos. Infected leaves turn completely brown, collapse, dry up and should be removed at once to prevent spread of the disease. Such plants must never be taken to the outdoor tomato garden. Some best choices for greenhouse growing are Buffalo, Caruso and Cobra.

Shown are tomatoes with greenish-yellow shoulders instead of a solid red.

It’s called ‘tomato yellow shoulder disorder’ and is associated with adverse weather and cultural practices. It’s natural for some varieties including hybrids, old-timer, heirloom and heritage tomatoes to have ridges, stripes, green cheeks and other unusual markings. What they lack in appearance is often compensated for by true tomato taste. Note the recessed brown bacterial spots on the tomato at forefront (right side) that become scablike. Severity increases when fruits and foliage are exposed to wetness.

JANUARY 7, 2014

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Cattleman’s Corner RISK MANAGEMENT

Is price insurance coming to Manitoba?

Early January producer meetings are planned to discuss beef and hog insurance options

BY ANGELA LOVELL

P

rice insurance for livestock will be one of the items of discussion at a series of meetings across Manitoba as part of the 2014 Manitoba Beef and Forage Days program.

Alberta has had livestock price insurance programs for a number of years and discussions have been underway for some time about expanding these programs to the rest of Western Canada. In the throne speech in November the Manitoba provincial government repeated a commitment to introduce livestock price insurance.

At the meetings in January, Murray Flaten, policy economist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, will discuss how the Alberta livestock insurance programs work, the risks they cover and how livestock producers can use them as part of a risk management strategy, and how this type of insurance might apply if it were extended to Manitoba.

Alberta offers two options for

livestock price insurance; a cattle price insurance program (CPIP) and a hog price insurance program (HPIP), both administered through the Alberta Financial Services Corporation (AFSC).

The first program of its kind in Canada, CPIP offers producers a range of coverage and policy options that help to manage price risk by providing a floor price on cattle, says the AFSC website.

Each of the CPIP products is designed to be market driven, offering coverage based on current market conditions designed to reflect the risk of a stage in the beef production cycle.

Under the CPIP program producers can opt for any or all of three types of insurance. CPIPFed is designed for cattle being finished in Alberta and is often purchased by feedlot operations.

Settlements are based on the average Alberta slaughter price. CPIPFeeder is tailored to insure cattle weighing 750 to 950 pounds at time of sale and settlement is based on the average price of an 850-pound steer in Alberta. CPIPCalf is a fairly recent introduction into the insurance line up which

covers the price risk a cow-calf producer faces selling 550- to 650calves in the fall.

HPIP offers hog producers protection against a decline in Alberta hog prices over a defined period of time and is based on the Alberta market. Producers can choose from a range of policy lengths and prices that correspond to a premium cost.

Choosing an insured price provides a floor price that acts as protection against the market being lower than the insured price for the month insurance is purchased for. If the market goes above the insured price, producers can still take advantage of the upside and sell hogs for that higher price.

The program is designed to be market driven, offering coverage based on current market conditions. Settlement is based on the monthly average price of hogs sold in Alberta.

CPIP and HPIP programs are designed to offer protection against three separate risk areas; the futures price, currency exchange risk and basis risk, which is the difference between U.S. and Canadian cattle prices. The programs are flexible

Early January meetings for Manitoba producers will review how Alberta handles livestock insurance. allowing producers to insure against down side risk if any of these above factors cause a drop in the price they receive for their cattle at time of sale. But, the coverage also allows producers to capture any upside potential if prices are strong.

The Beef and Forage Day meetings will be held January 6th in Vita, January 7 in Arborg, January 8 in Ste. Rose, January 9 in Pipestone and January 10 in Holland from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. They will also feature an update from the Manitoba Beef Producer’s Association, an “Ask the Vet’” question and answer session with Wayne Tomlinson,

MAFRD’s extension veterinarian, details of the new MASC Forage Insurance program, a session on Beef body Condition Scoring, a beef market update and forecast from Canfax and a Growing Forward 2 update. Local topics will include Forage Restoration at Arborg, conservation districts at Vita, genomics at Pipestone and Ste Rose will offer a session on marketing branding or the impact of shrink.

For more information visit the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association website at: http:// mfga.net. † Angela Lovell is a freelance writer based in Manitou, Manitoba.

THE MARKETS

Cattle market remains sensitive to demand JERRY KLASSEN MARKET UPDATE

T

he cattle complex ended the 2013 calendar year relatively strong. Alberta packers were buying fed cattle at the yearly highs of $127/ cwt to $128/cwt as seasonal strong demand caused AAA wholesale beef prices to reach $208/cwt, up over $30/cwt from year-ago levels. The weaker Canadian dollar along with lower beef production resulted in the elevated price structure.

Feedlot margins have been solidly in black ink over the past month but break even prices remain relatively high for the first half of 2014. Therefore, the price of feeder cattle will be heavily influenced by swings in the fed cattle market. Late in the year, 760-pound Charolaiscross steers were trading for $160 in southern Saskatchewan, up nearly $20/cwt from December of 2012.

Weaker feed grain prices and the higher fed cattle values were the main reason for the sharp yearover-year rise in the replacement cattle prices.

CONSUMER SPENDING Looking ahead, the cattle market will be sensitive to the beef demand equation as the market trades at historically high levels.

Consumers in Canada are con-

tending with record household debt and inflationary factors are bound to influence food prices through 2014. U.S. economy continues to improve with lower unemployment levels but consumer spending has been constrained due to limited disposable income. Record U.S. poultry production will also temper the upside in retail beef prices as the average price-conscious consumer looks to reduce household food expenditures. Given the current environment, producers can be cautiously optimistic for 2014.

Alberta and Saskatchewan feedlot inventories have been up approximately eight per cent this fall. A slowdown in feeder cattle exports in the first quarter of 2014 will likely keep cattleon-feed numbers slightly above 2013 in the first half of the year.

Year-to-date Canadian beef production for the week ending Dec. 7 was 918,214 mt, down two per cent from Dec. 7, 2013. Canadian beef production is expected to be 540,000 mt during the first half of 2014, up about 10 per cent from 2013.

U.S. cattle-on-feed inventories have been running six per cent below year-ago levels throughout the fall and this trend is expected to continue into spring. However, U.S. carcass weights are 10 pounds heavier than last year due to softer corn values. Overall beef production in the fourth quarter of 2013 will come in larger than earlier anticipated and we could see further increases for firstquarter 2014 projections. At this

time, first- and second-quarter beef production for 2014 is expected to be down from 2013 by 300 and 400 million pounds respectively.

Larger Canadian beef production will result in a year-over-year increase in beef product exports.

Therefore, fed cattle and wholesale beef markets will be sensitive to the volatility in the Canadian dollar. It appears the Bank of Canada will not increase interest rates in line with the U.S. Quantitative easing, a measure used to stimulate spending by the U.S. Federal Reserve, will cause the Canadian dollar to weaken compared to the U.S. greenback. This is one positive factor for the Canadian beef industry.

Consumer spending is the largest factor influencing beef consumption. U.S. GDP is expected to increase by 2.6 per cent during the first and second quarters which will likely result in a two per cent year-over-year increase in at-home and away-from-home food spending. However, the accompanying chart shows restaurant spending is quite seasonal. Consumers tend to stay at home and generally eat less during the first two months of year after excessive eating in December. By March, spring break and warmer temperatures usually cause people to eat out more often. At-home and away-fromhome spending usually trends lower into the summer periods while overall beef production is actually increasing. This results in softer prices for the summer.

Fed cattle prices are expected to follow a similar pattern to

U.S. FULL SERVICE RESTAURANT SPENDING 22,000 21,000 20,000 19,000 18,000 17,000 16,000 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec (millions of dollars)

2013

2012

U.S. QUARTERLY BEEF PRODUCTION (MILLION POUNDS) Quarter

2010

2011

2012

Est 2013

Est 2014

1

6,251

6,411

6,283

6,172

5,875

2

6,547

6,559

6,475

6,517

6,135

3

6,768

6,737

6,584

6,608

6,185

4

6,741

6,492

6,571

6,380

6,010

Total

26,307

26,199

25,913

25,677

24,205

that of U.S. consumer food spending. I’m expecting softer values in January and February and then higher prices in March and April. The June live cattle futures are reflecting $5 discount to the April contract so look for lower fed cattle prices in the second quarter.

Feeder cattle prices are expected to hold value through March and then start to weaken in line with the fed cattle market into the summer. Break even on most pen

closeouts hovers at $123/cwt over the next four months and if the fed market starts to fade below this level, feeder cattle prices will come under pressure. Barley prices are expected to weaken through the winter as burdensome barley and U.S. corn supplies weigh on the feed grain complex. † Gerald Klassen analyses cattle and hog markets in Winnipeg and also maintains an interest in the family feedlot in southern Alberta. For comments or speaking engagements, he can be reached at gklassen7@hotmail.com or call 204 899 8268.

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JANUARY 7, 2014

Keepers & Culls Good food compliments great art LEE HART

I

have learned over the years if you want a successful field day, community meeting or book launch, serve good food.

Even if the particular message you went to hear bombs, at least people aren’t hungry.

So when my wife and I were greeted at the door of the Home Quarter Mercantile in Cochrane, Alta. for a recent book launch with tasty beef sliders, meat balls and refreshments — before we could even take our coats off — I knew this was going to be a good event.

And then they brought out the pastry trays and it didn’t matter to me if we had come to see a crayon drawing on a napkin I would have liked the new publication. As a

bonus the new coffee-table book didn’t disappoint either.

We were attending the launch of the The Life is Art — A Photographic Journey of Ranching in Western Alberta. It is a beautiful coffee table book by photographer JoAnne Meeker, capturing the every day art of life on a working cattle ranch, the Diamond 7 Ranch, west of Calgary. You can read more about it on my blog at www.grainews.ca .

Meeker, who has displayed photographs at the Calgary Stampede for many years, spent a good part of a year at the ranch capturing some great photos of the people, the animals, the equipment, and the scenery that are all part of life on a commercial cattle ranch. Not every ranch in Western Canada has the beautiful backdrop of the Rocky Mountains or grizzly bears roaming the pastures, but aside from those specific images, the book is all about horses, and cowboys and girls, red and black

PHOTO: CANADIAN ANGUS ASSOCIATION

Angus Association board of directors join for the ribbon cutting of the new Angus Central office. From left, Kirk Wildman, Dawn Wilson, Cecilie Fleming, Dave Sibbald, Gary Latimer, Corinne Gibson, Kevin Blair, Lorraine Sanford, Tammi Ribey, Jon Fox, Lois McRae, Jim Colodey, David Bolduc and Rob Smith.

CONTACT US

NEW ANGUS OFFICE

Write, E-mail or Fax

After three years of planning and preparation, the Canadian Angus Association (CAA) in December officially opened their first member-owned national headquarters, Angus Central.

More than 200 Angus members, vendors to the association and industry partners attended the official ribbon-cutting by the CAA board of directors.

“One of the policies that the boards before us established was a fund for rainy days or a building,” said David Bolduc, past president of the CAA. “I think those people deserve most of the credit for this building we now have today. My board purchased the land for Angus Central, but without that initial governance policy to set that money aside, we wouldn’t be opening this today. It’s easy to have a vision of the future when you are standing on the shoulders’ of titans.”

Junior members along with families representing more than 100

Contact Cattleman’s Corner with comments, ideas or suggestions for and on stories by mail, e-mail, phone or fax.

Phone Lee Hart at 403-592-1964 Fax to 403-288-3162 Email lee@fbcpublishing.com Write to CATTLEMAN’S CORNER, PO Box 71141 Silver Springs RPO, Calgary, Alta. T3B 5K2

More on the web

those s” “famou

plainjans.com

Roper

620-872-5777

gloves m: p l a i nj a n s f ro

The ranch team at Diamond 7 ranch are featured in the Life is Art Book. From left, Ryan Cartwright, Kayla Cartwright, Ken Boechler, Laura Laing, Connor Cartwright, Anne Peck, Wayne Loree, and Bob McAndrews. cattle, good cow dogs, barns and saddles all involved in everyday ranch work.

Meeker has done a nice job of the photos and then it is all put together in a beautiful 100page, glossy, hardbound 11 x 14 book. As a special feature it was designed with 10 specially finished photos on perforated pages that can be removed and framed.

If you like western art for your home, need some corporate gifts, or a door prize for an upcoming community event, The Life is Art would be a great choice.

The book can be ordered online at the Diamond-7 Ranch website at www.diamond7.com. And if you want to learn more about the

photographer visit her website at www.jmeeker.com Now back to the food… the Diamond 7 has done a good job of marketing, all natural, grassraised, grain-finished beef. They supply meat to some of the finer restaurants in Calgary, which I haven’t been too, but if the sliders (mini-hamburgers) are any indication I wouldn’t hesitate to order their steak anytime. The sliders were moist, tender and flavourful.

Along with the ranch producing nice beef, credit also has to go Joan Longeway and her crew at the Home Quarter Mercantile.

They put all the food together for the event, and produced a great

years of raising Angus cattle were present representing provinces coast to coast. The new showcase of Angus history featured years of artifacts which make up the breed’s past, including letters from the Queen Mother, certificate seals, decades-old herd books from more than 100 years ago, and much more.

Current CAA President Kevin Blair said the future of the Angus breed is all about young members of the association. “Who is going to bac fill behind the older generation as they retire in the next five to 10 years?” he said. “I want us to embrace and encourage our youth by supporting them financially and mentally.”

The Canadian Angus Foundation (CAF) was established in 1992 under the presidency of Bill Jackson.

Through his leadership, Doug Fee, past CAA CEO and current CAF chairman, credits the board for creating the charitable arm of the Association.

The Canadian Angus Association is Canada’s largest purebred beef breed organization. The Association represents 3,000 members across Canada for the purposes of registering and recording the pedigrees of purebred Angus cattle in the closed Herd Book and promoting the breed across Canada.

The member-approved mandate is to maintain breed registry, breed purity and provide services that enhance the growth and position of the Angus breed.

short reminder on the value of testing forages: Still need convincing that forage analysis can be a good investment?

Here are three good reasons: 1) Test results provide quick feedback as to how successful you were in making quality hay. Even with the Manitoba Green Gold Program providing information on when to cut your alfalfa, many times the weather and other uncontrollable factors (equipment breakdowns, etc.) spoil the best intentions.

Forage testing indicates how far from the goal the hay quality is and provides some perspective on how much rain or maturity impacted forage quality. Many times the results exceed expectations.

2) Identifying high-quality hay early can help you make storage decisions. If limited shelter is available, the best hay needs to be in the driest spot.

3) Correctly matching hay and cow needs is the most efficient and least costly method of feeding cows through the winter. Without forage analysis, additional feed can be provided needlessly.

For more information and a link to the whole newsletter and other related information visit the MFGA website at: http://mfga.net

THREE REASONS TO FORAGE TEST In the December issue of the Manitoba Forage and Grassland e-newsletter, John McGregor, extension specialist with the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association (MFGA) has this

ANGER MANAGEMENT Ralph had noticed for sometime that his wife Mary never seemed to get angry when they had an argument.

“Whenever I get mad at you, you never seem to get upset,” he said. “How do you manage to control your temper.”

“I just go and clean the toilet,” replied Mary “How does that help,” asked Ralph.

“I use your toothbrush,” Mary replied. †

selection of pastries to cap off the main course.

The Home Quarter Mercantile, right on Cochrane main street has been around for years. The Longeways owned it for many years, then it was under different management for a while, and now the Longeways are back running the business. About two-thirds of the store is a western clothing and art gift shop and one-third is pie shop that serves breakfasts, lunches and of course, pies.

A great book and great food — this was definitely a win/win event.

Coming Events UFA CATTLE COLLEGE UFA, the farm and ranch supply and services company has launched its Cattle College series for 2013-14.

UFA Cattle College, which got underway in December and continues in various locations in January, brings together a selection of speakers, including leaders and experts to discuss topics of interest in the cattle industry. Each event will feature guest speakers, presentations and discussion periods. Local beef producers are invited to take part in an event in their area and to RSVP to their local UFA Farm & Ranch Supply store prior to the event so adequate seating and food can be provided.

Although the schedule may change depending on location, topics for discussion may include: • Live Cattle Handling Demonstration with Curt Pate — known for his work in the Robert Redford film The Horse Whisperer.

• Cattle market outlook.

• Local veterinarian presentation featuring the popular cow-calf simulator, Lucy & Lou. • Cattle nutrition Financing options for your farm and ranch The Cattle Colleges will be held in Spruce Grove, Jan. 14; Aridrie, Jan. 15; Hanna, Jan. 16; Lethbridge, Jan. 21; Medicine Hat, Jan. 23; Grande Prairie Jan. 28 and LeCrete, Jan. 30. For more information visit the UFA website at: UFA. com/CattleColleges. †

JANUARY 7, 2014

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Cattleman’s Corner ANYONE CAN START FARMING

Prevention is best tool against foot rot DEBBIE CHIKOUSKY

F

oot rot in sheep and goats is caused by a synergistic infection of two bacteria; Fusobacterium necrophorum and Dichelobacter nodosus. It causes much economic hardship, and is one of the reasons many people caution against buying animals from unknown sources, such as through an auction house. Once established on the farm, the disease is it difficult to eradicate.

To minimize the risk of introducing it to your farm, any animal purchased should be quarantined for several weeks to prevent the spread of foot rot and other chronic diseases.

During the quarantine, the animal’s feet should be trimmed and examined closely for pockets and other malformations that suggest a previous D. nodosus infection. Vehicles such as trucks and trailers or facilities in which unknown or infected animals have been held should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before placing uninfected animals in them. If it is not possible to thoroughly disinfect transport vehicles, zinc sulphate can be liberally scattered over the floor to reduce viable bacteria.

BACTERIA NO. 2 The bacteria Fusobacterium necrophorum is a natural inhabitant of the large intestine of small ruminants and is found normally in the soil and manure of pastures or feedlots. Infection is exacerbated by cold, wet conditions where mud and manure have been allowed to accumulate. The mud and manure causes irritation between the toes of the animals, and F. necrophorum readily infects the soft, irritated area.

Alone this bacterium is not capable of causing foot rot. It causes a condition called foot scald. When Dichelobacter nodosus joins the party is when foot rot occurs. This bacterium is only capable of living in the soil for 10 to 14 days, yet can survive in the hoof for extended time periods given the right anaerobic environment. The ideal temperature for growth is between 10 and 20 C making this an greater issue in early summer under moist conditions.

The incubation period of foot rot is about 14 days. European countries still regularly use the foot bath at 10-day intervals to control spread of the organism in affected flocks in wet conditions.

Foot rot has been controlled by placing foot baths with a zinc (0.10 per cent w/v) sulfate solution around water troughs, forcing sheep to walk through and stand in the baths in order to drink.

Most Canadian producers depend on antibiotics and nutritional controls for their animals.

VACCINE AVAILABLE Research has shown that D. nodosus vaccines accelerate healing in affected sheep and aid in protecting unaffected sheep. They are recommended as an additional tool to be used when trying to control or eradicate the disease. However, their effectiveness depends on the bacteria strain(s) causing the infection and those present in the vaccine. No vaccine contains all the various strains of D. nodosus.

Alum-precipitated vaccines require two doses four to six weeks apart to establish effective immunity, which persists for two to three months. Lesions heal within four to six weeks if immunity is established.

Oil emulsion vaccines induce immunity within three weeks of the initial dose and may persist for three to four months. In endemic areas, revaccination is recommended at three and six

1.

2.

Dig dirt out from toes

3.

Trim, parallel to hoof hairline, all loose excess nail

4.

5.

Snip away the little flap that grows between the toes

Pare heels to same level as toes 6.

Pare the soft heel tissue till hoof surface is smooth and flat

months. Adverse reaction to the vaccine is common, resulting in large granulomas and occasional abscesses, therefore most producers do not use them. Most sources have reported a 60 to 80 per cent success when using the D. nodosus vaccine along with regular foot trimming and attention to housing sanitation. Vaccines for F. necrophorum have not generally shown much benefit in either treatment or prevention.

ZINC MINERAL CAN HELP Attention to the animals’ mineral supply will also help minimize foot rot outbreaks. It is important to read the labels and verify that zinc is present. Mineral supplements have been reported effective in reducing hoof rot in cattle, but has not been shown to be particularly helpful for sheep foot rot. However, zinc is important for immunity and skin/hoof health.

Providing zinc in a well-balanced

trace mineral mix may be helpful in locations deficient in zinc.

Baby season is a good time to assess each individual animal. This is when we worm the dam, give vitamins required and check their overall soundness.

Four weeks prior to having their young the goats/sheep are vaccinated and given vitamin A and D, but depending on weather we don’t like to stress them any more than necessary by also checking feet. If we find one of the small ruminants in need of foot attention it is dealt with then. Winter is a recommended time of year since the ground if frozen. There is little chance of the offending bacterium that may be present in the soil colonizing in a freshly trimmed hoof.

For more information visit the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations website along with a sheep health online manual http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/ ah651e/ah651e09.htm.

Hooves finished

When trimming the hooves, if a problem is found it is best to trim off all the offending tissue and paint the area with Kopertox.

In fact, we have had success with goats just trimming up the hoof and applying Kopertox without the need for antibiotics.

Over the years we’ve never had many animals with foot rot but know plenty of people who have. Prevention seems to start with not buying strange animals without quarantine. The rest of the prevention relies on keeping up the overall immune system of the livestock, a bit of work trimming hooves and cleaning pens, and supplying a proper mineral mix for the stock. These measures will go a long way to ensure this problem doesn’t occur on your farm. It will also help to limit the problems if they do arise. † Debbie Chikousky farms with her family at Narcisse, Manitoba. Visitors are always welcome.

Contact Debbie at debbie@chikouskyfarms.com.

M.C. Quantock Bull Sale “Canada’s Bulls”

375

BULLS

Saturday, Jan 25, 2014 12 noon MST Exhibition Grounds, Lloydminster, AB/SK All cattle in heated facility! Free Beef Lunch 11 a.m.

Complete tal Ca ogue, photos and video on our Website:

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JANUARY 7, 2014

Cattleman’s Corner ANIMAL HEALTH

Proper management can prevent scours ROY LEWIS ANIMAL HEALTH

M

ost calf scour documents focus on treatment of calf scours and methods involved to eliminate an outbreak.

But with the proper management, preventative measures have proven to substantially reduce all scours. Nothing is foolproof, but if certain measures are followed incidence of the disease can be dramatically reduced.

Certain management procedures should be avoided as they markedly increase the risk of a scour outbreak. Fostering of calves is a common procedure with twins, but purchasing calves for this purpose can be a recipe for disaster. If you absolutely must purchase a calf, do so from a beef herd which has a good management system, and is vaccinated against scours. Keep the pair isolated in a separate area for two weeks. The best strategy is not to purchase calves for fostering — the risk isn’t worth it.

The same applies to purchasing cow-calf pairs or heavily pregnant cows just prior to the calving season. Two scenarios can result. The calves from these new cows may start scouring as they are exposed to organisms on your farm. Or, the opposite can happen — your own calves scour from not being previously exposed to the organisms introduced by the new cows.

This is where maintaining a closed herd at least close to calving is a very good idea. The key is preventing the first case. Once it

happens the organism is quickly seeded in the environment and if crowding occurs all in-contact calves become at risk.

MANAGING HEIFERS Herds with a high percentage of first-calf heifers (more than 20 per cent) run a greater risk of scours for several reasons. Compared to mature cow colostrum, heifer colostrum is never charged with as many immunoglobulins against the scours organisms, mothering with heifers is more difficult and with more difficult births heifer calves are generally more stressed.

Select good heifer bulls to minimize calving problems and always have several litres of good frozen colostrum on hand.

Some producers will drench most first-calf heifer calves with colostrum to supplement the heifer’s own colostrum. At least give colostrum to any stressed, slowto-rise calves. Drenching with colostrum may take time but it could have huge benefits later in the calf’s life. Try if possible to calve heifers separate from cows. It makes them easier to watch and if any scours does start it can hopefully be controlled. Heifers mother up with calves a lot better when in a smaller group.

ALWAYS VACCINATE Scour vaccination should be mandatory in most circumstances, especially among first-calf heifers when there is past history of scours or in herds where crowding is an issue. We find any herd reaching 100 head or more can greatly reduce scours problem by vaccinating. This however, is not a panacea for sloppy

Make sure cow-calf pairs have plenty of room and keep the calving area clean and dry. management. Any calf no matter how well protected can succumb to scours if exposure is too great.

The calving area needs to be cleaned of manure from the previous year and preferably not have cows in it for more than 30 days prior to calving.

The manure allows a buildup of the undesirable organisms and this is exacerbated in the spring thaw when melting snow washes through the manure packs. Organisms are thus concentrated in the water pools. Keep the calving area as well drained as possible.

An isolation area must be planned for so any sick calves and their mothers can be immediately removed from the group and kept separate until no more diarrhea is evident. Always treat the sick calves last after the calving herd has been checked.

It is imperative to change your coveralls and dip your boots

before going back to the main herd. A product called Virkon is an excellent disinfectant against bacteria and viruses and can be mixed in a boot dip. Farmers need to be aware they themselves can be the biggest cause of spreading scours around the farm.

Esophageal feeders have also been incriminated for spreading the disease. I have most large producers use separate feeders for giving colostrum and treating scouring calves with electrolytes. Also disinfect tubes and hoses between usages with the Virkon disinfectant.

KEEP COWS IN CONDITION On the nutrition side, keep cows within a condition score range of 2.5 to 3.5 at calving. This insures good colostrum and strong cows for quick deliveries. With exercise in the winter cows will be in better shape to calve quickly.

FILE PHOTO

One study compared calf shelters and windbreaks, to barns, to nothing at all. Not surprisingly, the calf shelters and windbreaks caused the greatest reduction in neonatal disease. Even though barns may seem the best, the higher ambient temperature allows proliferation of the organisms. The calves are usually quite confined as well. There is no doubt a barn for obstetrical procedures and other treatment has its purpose, but calf shelters provide a stress-free environment, especially during a snowstorm.

Most scours outbreaks occur from management breakdown and then allowing the first case to spread. By following good management practices, calf scours can be kept to a minimum. † Roy Lewis is a Westlock, Alberta-based veterinarian specializing in large-animal practice. He is also a part-time technical services vet for Merck Animal Health.

BETTER BUNKS AND PASTURES

Trace minerals key to healthy calf-cow rebreeding PETER VITTI

T

he last trimester is a very critical time for the average beef cow and her unborn calf. Her unborn calf gains about three-quarters of its birth weight during this period, dramatically increasing all her primary nutrient requirements. While feeding better-quality forages together with a few more pounds of grain and protein supplement tend to cover off extra energy and protein needs, the smallest trace mineral demand contained in the cow’s diet often gets overlooked, yet it is just as important.

Assurance of good trace mineral status in pre-calving cows benefits the upcoming calving season — getting newborn calves off to a good start and allowing these mothers to be successfully rebred and settled back in the herd with next year’s calf crop.

While both the cow and fetus need a good pre-calving trace mineral-feeding program, science seems to dictate the fetus takes a slight priority over the dam’s trace min-

eral needs. Research shows trace mineral-deficient beef cows have been actually deplete their own limited trace mineral reserves, before their calves become mineral deficient and thus adversely affected.

It is estimated the late-gestation fetus (and placental tissues) utilize up to 30 per cent of the pre-calving cow’s daily requirements for essential trace minerals.

UNHEALTHY CALVES Unfortunately, fetal calves from mineral-deficient cows will eventually become marginal/severely trace mineral-deficient themselves and will be affected. For example, a classic case of a selenium deficiency in a brood cow herd illustrates this point: selenium is one of the essential trace minerals that easily cross the placenta. Therefore good dietary selenium supplementation to the pre-calving cow diet increases the selenium body reserves in cows and transfers it to their fetal calves. In contrast, failure to maintain adequate selenium status in pregnant beef cows leads to a greater incidence of typical white muscle disease, greater susceptibility to infectious disease and poor growth, once these calves are born.

Even before new calves hit the

ground, poor trace mineral status can haves a significant negative impact upon the brood cows themselves; namely their ability to get rebred.

Although, it is not fully understood, the essential trace mineral status of late-gestation cows, impacts their normal reproductive hormone production as well as follicular development on the cow’s ovaries. It is estimated that eggs begin maturing about 100 days before they are produced and released. Some beef reproductive specialists speculate good cow fertility is impacted by the amount and different types of nutrients/ trace minerals needed during the pre-calving period.

PROPER MANAGEMENT It’s good evidence that trace minerals are needed just before calving.

Assuring all essential trace mineral requirements for late-gestation cows are met really becomes a simple matter of feeding a well-balanced commercial mineral containing supplemental copper, manganese, zinc, iodine, cobalt, and selenium.

The following nutrition and management suggestions also help in making sure late gestation beef cows receive enough trace minerals:

• Target cow herd mineral consumption. Target a daily consumption of 50-100 grams. If the cow herd is not eating enough or too much, add one-third portion salt to the mineral mixture. On occasion, calculate the average mineral intake of the herd, and make the necessary adjustment for adequate and consistent mineral consumption.

• Know the dietary sources in your mineral. This is particularly important when purchasing cattle mineral. Knowing the copper final concentration of your cows’ diet without knowing the source of supplemental copper is of little value.

For example, copper comes in many forms such as copper oxide, copper sulphate, and chelated (organic) copper forms, which have relative biological availabilities of five per cent, 100 per cent , and 125-150 per cent.

• Feed a “beef breeder mineral” all winter long. Some producers feed a more fortified commercial mineral (with more biologically available organic copper, zinc, manganese and selenium) all winter. They say the cost difference between a basic gestation and a pre-calving “beef breeder mineral” calculates to a $3 to $4 per head premium over the first half of the winter, yet it is worth the assurance of good trace mineral status for the entire lategestating herd until the calving.

• Fill your mineral feeders on a regular basis. Mineral feeders should be filled every two to three days and hardened old mineral should be removed. It’s also important to

remove snow and debris that prevents good mineral consumption.

• Know how to calculate your daily mineral and seasonal costs.

This point should not be confused with whether one spends too little or too much money on their mineral feeding program! A beef cow breeder mineral worth $40 per 25-kg feed at 75 grams per day costs approximately 12 cents per head per day. Fed for a 90 day pre-calving period costs about $11 per beef cow.

• Avoid feeding too much trace minerals. The old adage of “one spoonful of medicine is good, two spoonfuls of medicine is better” simply does not work when building or maintaining adequate mineral status in beef cows.

For example: With a suspected copper deficiency in a cow herd, note the symptoms of marginal copper deficiency is very similar to those of a marginal copper toxicity.

Consult with your beef specialist or veterinarian for trace mineral nutrition advice.

Setting up a good pre-calving trace mineral-feeding program is often a matter of fine-tuning the current mineral program that was started a few months ago. It can be as simple as switching from a standard to more fortified beef breeder mineral in order to meet the higher trace mineral (and vitamin) requirements of the late-gestation beef cow. † Peter Vitti is an independent livestock nutritionist and consultant based in Winnipeg.

To reach him call 204-254-7497 or by email at vitti@mts.net.

JANUARY 7, 2014

grainews.ca /

39

Cattleman’s Corner RANCHER’S DIARY

Hungry elk cause havoc with horses HEATHER SMITH THOMAS

NOVEMBER 22 Saturday Lynn took Charlie and Dani up to ride Carolyn’s horses.

Andrea, Sam and I rode up the creek to meet them. Carolyn, and Heather went for a ride over the low range. It got windy, so our party cut it short and made it home to our place, but the others had to ride three miles back up the creek to put their horses away. A blizzard hit just before they got there. We were glad they had heavy coats and warm hats!

Carolyn and Heather sorted their cows, sending some to a bred cow sale at Butte, Montana to pay off the loan on their cows. Bred cows have been worth a lot so they hoped the cows would bring a good price, but that day there weren’t many buyers.

Most of their cows sold at cull cow prices, which left them short for paying the loan. We helped them make up the difference and they can pay us back later.

Tuesday afternoon I had a vet come check Breezy’s left eye. The back corner (white part) has been red and irritated for quite a while but now there’s a growth on that edge of the eyeball. We’re afraid it’s cancerous. The vet took a scraping to check under a microscope, and found mostly epithelial cells (normal tissue), a lot of bacterial cells and only a couple of cancer cells. She prescribed an antibacterial ointment, to put into the eye twice daily for two weeks, and will check it again. We’re hoping it’s not a malignant growth because then the eye would have to be removed.

DECEMBER 1 Last Saturday it was still cold, but Heather and I rode our two trainees for a short loop over the low range.

Dotty was grumpy and frisky in the cold weather but I was able to keep her from bucking. That evening Alfonzo brought his cows down to the lower fields, weaning his calves in the corral at the Gooch place, so the cows tried to come through the fence between us.

The next morning, some of them crashed over his fence along the road and trooped back up to the Gooch place. Later that morning Alfonzo and his son brought those cows down again, and his son put steel posts in the brokendown fence.

Andrea, Carolyn, Heather and I rode that afternoon, making a longer loop over the low range.

As we came over the ridge toward home we saw three cows trying to get out again, crashing the newly fixed fence. One got stuck in the fence, struggling and bellowing, and then flipped backward. She tried again, and made it over the fence. About nine cows made it back out, and this time Alfonzo gave up and left them up on the Gooch place.

We had Thanksgiving dinner here with Andrea and Emily (the other kids were at their Dad’s) and Carolyn and Heather. Michael wasn’t able to come home, nor

Nick (too far, from college in Iowa) but they will both be home for Christmas.

DECEMBER 10 Our weather became very cold (below 0 F) and we haven’t ridden now for more than a week. Heather has been doing chores for Suzanne Nebeker, who lives across the valley from us. She raises and shows Tennessee Walkers. This past week she went to Salt Lake City, Utah for surgery and will be gone a while, so Heather has been taking care of her horses. Thursday afternoon when she went to feed she discovered that a herd of elk had gone through the pens and pastures and scared the horses. The elk were

still there — about 30 of them in a frightened group, huddled in a corner of a neighbour’s field.

One of Suzanne’s mares had gone over a fence and couldn’t get up. She was very cold. Heather put a wool horse blanket over the mare and called her mom and the vet. Carolyn, the vet and two neighbours worked with the mare into the night, building a shelter of panels and straw around her and covering her with blankets. The vet gave her medication to ease the pain and inflammation. After the mare warmed up she tried to stand, but her hind legs wouldn’t work.

She made it through the night and was perky the next morning, eating and drinking, but shortly after noon she suddenly died. The

PHOTO BY HEATHER SMITH THOMAS

Grandaughter Heather working with the yearling filly Willow, teaching her to drive in long lines, and getting her used to various distractions. vet thought she probably split her pelvis, and in one of her attempts to get up the bones shifted, severed an artery and she quickly bled to death.

The elk spent three days in a tight group, in a plowed field with nothing to eat. We assume wolves

drove them down from the high country; a pack of six wolves left tracks across the road a few miles above the neighbourhood where Suzanne’s horses are. † Heather Smith Thomas ranches with her husband Lynn near Salmon, Idaho. Contact her at 208-756-2841.

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