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Wheat midge warning issued after ‘huge’ outbreak hammers the Peace Although they only arrived in the Peace three years ago, the tiny bugs caused more than $1 million in damage and are showing up in fields across the province BY ALEXIS KIENLEN AND GLENN CHEATER AF STAFF

roducers across Alberta are being urged to check their grade samples and be on the lookout for wheat midge. The tiny bugs don’t usually cause huge yield losses, but some producers in the Peace Country and the southwest corner of Alberta were hammered in 2013 both on yield and grade losses. Damage in the Peace alone is estimated to have topped $1 million and in at least one case, cut yields by an estimated 50 per cent. Those two areas are rated as hot spots for 2014, but farmers virtually everywhere need to be on guard, said Scott Meers, insect management specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. “The risk in most of the province is fairly low, but there are individual fields almost throughout the entire province that are at risk,” said Meers. Any area where wheat midge scouting found more than 600 bugs is classed as a moderately high to high-risk area. But being in the ‘green’ zone isn’t a guarantee of safety, he said. “If you’re getting midge grading reports — even if it’s not affecting your grade, but being mentioned

Graders can easily distinguish between a healthy kernel of wheat and one that has been damaged by midge. PHOTO: COURTESY OF CANADIAN GRAIN COMMISSION

ber about wheat midge is that it is an introduced pest, so it is not native to the Canadian Prairies. This is not a cycle — it seems to be a new distribution on the Prairies, which is why it reached such huge densities in some of these fields.”

Worst-hit areas

— you should be looking at management options,” said Meers. “If it’s at the point where it’s affecting your grade, you should be considering midge-tolerant wheat. If it’s there but low, then I would do things like increasing seeding rate, seeding earlier, and putting together a proper scouting plan so you don’t get caught by a high level the next year.” ‘Caught’ is a good word to

describe what happened in the Peace in 2013. “To some degree, it was a bit of a surprise because when we did the fall soil sampling the previous year, we weren’t able to detect very high densities,” said Jennifer Otani, pest management biologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Although common in Saskatchewan, Alberta has largely escaped

the scourge of midge. It lays eggs in the wheat head, which results in the larvae feeding on wheat kernels. Wheat midge — which are bright orange, about half the size of a mosquito, and have three pairs of legs — were only found in the Peace in the fall of 2011, said Otani. “From that point on, we’ve seen the population increase,” she said. “The important thing to remem-

Smoky River and Falher were worst hit. The outbreak prompted the Smoky Applied Research and Demonstration Association to put on three midge information seminars last month. Weather played a major role as heavy rain delayed crop emergence in 2013, said Mike Dolinski, one of the speakers at the seminars. “Because the crop was delayed, it was in synchrony with when the

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news » inside this week

inside » Ambitious target for canola Canola Council shoots for 26 million tonnes in 2025

JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

livestock

crops

columNists

USDA report card on CFIA

Cargill upgrades at Viking

Bernie Peet An optimistic outlook for hog producers in 2014

Carol Shwetz Too much practice doesn’t make perfect

Kinder way of killing chickens Okotoks plant to install Dutch system

Another good reason to be a farmer staff

Daniel Bezte

Doing OK, but could do better with HACCP

Doubles capacity to handle increased production

Some fearless forecasts for the rest of the winter

Prairie shinny like it’s never been seen before Remote-controlled helicopters are coming to the farm, and not just for filming backyard hockey games By Jennifer Blair af staff

t’s the good old hockey game with a bird’s eye view. Standard grain farmer Jay Schultz has carved out his own little slice of hockey history by filming a Boxing Day shinny game in nearby Rosebud with a remote-controlled helicopter. In the video, the small DJI Phantom helicopter equipped with a GoPro — the lightweight camera skiers and other sports enthusiasts strap to their helmets — swoops along ice level, and dips and pivots as it soars skyward as Stompin’ Tom Connors belts out his beloved classic, “The Hockey Song.” “I don’t have a first-person view, so I couldn’t really tell what I was filming. It was all luck,” said Schultz. Schultz, who started using his GoPro earlier this year to make videos, added the user-friendly DJI Phantom to his Christmas wish list after someone from Twitter posted an aerial video

With the Layar smartphone app, you can scan this picture and the video will automatically run on your phone. (NOTE: The video connection will use data unless you’re on Wi-Fi.) 12/28/13

8:01 AM

of a harvest scene using a drone and a video camera. So far, it’s been mostly smooth sailing for Schultz and his $500 ’copter. “I haven’t had any major crashes since the first or second time I flew it.” The Boxing Day hockey game was actually flight No. 3 and the first time he attached his GoPro to it. It worked out great, he said.

INTERACTIVE PRINT

“It’s such a really cool match there, especially with the firstperson view,” he said. He’s already ordered some upgrades, including a camera stabilization system and a firstperson viewer that will allow him to see what he’s filming. Drones have a lot of farmers talking about a new era in agriculture, but it’s not arrived yet. Some are in use in the

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Lethbridge area for crop mapping and scouting, and they’re popular on some big farms in Australia where ranchers use them to monitor their herds. Some producers are also using the technology to scout their fields or check pivots. But the, ahem, buzz around drones centres around how they could be used with emerging precision ag technology, such as using infrared imaging to monitor the health of crops or even spot spraying of weeds in parts of a field. “I think this is the future,” said Schultz. “You’ll probably be seeing this a lot more with how good the technology is. I don’t see why everyone shouldn’t have one. “Wherever your imagination can take you is your limit.” To see Schultz’s video, go to www.youtube.com and enter ‘Holiday Hockey in Rosebud’ or scan the photo accompanying this article with a smartphone equipped with the Layar app (see instructions below). jennifer.blair@fbcpublishing.com

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iving in the country improves your mental health, say researchers writing in the American Chemical Society journal Environmental Science & Technology. Mathew P. White and colleag u e s n o t e t h a t m e n t a l well-being is a major public health issue, with unipolar depressive disorder the leading cause of disability in middle- to high-income countries. Some research suggests that part of the blame for this unhappiness lies in increased urbanization — nearly 80 per cent of the world’s population in more developed regions live in city environments, which tend to have little room for nature. To figure out if nature makes people feel better in the long run, White’s team compared the mental health of hundreds of people in the U.K. who went from a grey urban setting to a greener one with those who moved in the opposite direction. Data showed that the people who moved to greener areas were happier during all three years that their health was tracked after relocating. “Moving to greener urban areas was associated with sustained mental health improvements, suggesting that environmental policies to increase urban green space may have sustainable Salford_SFM14-01_08-10.25x3-AFE.qxd public health benefits,” the researchers said in a release.

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 20, 2014

Beef industry leaders urged to unite for the common good A high-level task force calls on industry leaders to take a broader view and work together to drive improvements in Canadian beef quality and marketing BY JENNIFER BLAIR AND GLENN CHEATER AF STAFF

he leaders of Canada’s fractured beef sector need to work together and the rest of the industry needs to chip in more dollars for marketing and research, says a new report from a highlevel task force. “We need to think as an industry, not just as sector components,” said marketing specialist Kim McConnell, one of a trio of respected industry veterans who have spent the past year consulting players in the sector from across the country. McConnell, along with Alberta cattlemen David Andrews and John Kolk, were asked to undertake the initiative in the wake of a stinging critique by the Canadian AgriFood Policy Institute, which slammed the Canadian beef sector for being complacent and lacking a strategy to succeed. It highlighted a number of troubling issues, including that in 2011, Canada received $3.74 for each kilogram of beef it sold in the U.S., while Americans sold us their beef, often from Canadian-raised cattle, at an average of $6.55 a kilogram. It also found American beef exports, on a value basis, have increased six times faster than Canadian ones since 2005. The report from the Straw Man Beef Industry Initiative, released Dec. 30, calls for the creation of a new beef council and a step-by-step “results-based” strategy to make the industry more profitable, grow the national herd, and make Canadian beef the “preferred” choice at home and abroad. “The straw man process was industry led and built on a foundation of inclusion and engagement,” said Kolk. “Hundreds of people from all sectors of the industry

eagerly participated and provided their thoughts and ideas.”

BIXS 2.0

Among the recommendations are a call for more checkoff dollars for marketing and research, and creating a “BIXS 2.0” that would drive improvements in beef quality and profitability. But the key to the whole effort will be how well industry leaders work together, said McConnell. The report recommends creating a “Council of Beef Leaders,” with its members capable of ensuring their “individual sector and association interests are parked at the door.” The group would meet twice a year and the focus would be on driving change, not creating yet another association, said McConnell. “We do not need another organization in this industry, but (we need an) industry forum where senior representatives from all sectors of this supply chain can meet and share insights and ideas and then work together to solve them,” he said. “This is a case of where the sum is greater than the parts.” But whether the industry sectors will be able to bring down their “many silos” to collaborate remains to be seen, he added. “This is an industry that takes great pride in its independence, and working collectively on those areas that will advance the whole industry is going to be a challenge,” said McConnell. The call to create BIXS 2.0 (short for Beef InfoXchange System) is another key recommendation. It would “collect, input and store all data (from genetics to production to carcass)” with the goal of improving both beef quality and profitability. Although this type of data is routinely shared between packers and feedlots, individual producers often don’t know how well their cattle rate unless

they’re getting that info from a feeder they regularly sell to. The current version of BIXS needs to be revamped by March and has to meet the needs of all users, the report says. “It is imperative that the common repository be operational, efficient and sustainable,” it states. The report calls on government to help fund and promote BIXS 2.0, saying the system needs to cover two million calves annually. It should also include information on production protocols, notably antibiotic use, and cattle genetics.

Increased national levy

To fund promotion of the system and to ramp up beef marketing, the report proposes several possible funding models, including an increase of the national levy from the current $1 per head at time of sale to up to $5. It also says a packer checkoff should be considered, but doesn’t suggest a figure. “We think this is needed to build a strong and viable industry,” said McConnell. “We have to make sure we have the people and the money in place in order to do what needs to be done.” Ultimately, it will be up to industry leaders to determine how they wish to proceed with the recommendations. “We offered some thoughts on what should be in the plan, but the industry’s the one that needs to put that in place,” said McConnell. The report recommends the new leaders’ council be led by an “independent” chair and have two reps each from the Canadian Beef Breeds Council, Canada Beef Inc., the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, and the National Cattle Feeders Association. As well, it recommends there be two youth reps (the president of the Young Cattlemen’s Council and one

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One of the report’s recommendation is for an enhanced version of the BIXS system for relaying carcass quality to the producer. other) and a “senior representative” from the packing industry. Colin Jeffares, who recently retired as Alberta’s assistant deputy minister of agriculture, has been retained to convene the first meeting of the leaders’ council. jennifer.blair@fbcpublishing.com, glenn.cheater@fbcpublishing.com

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JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

EDITOR Will Verboven Phone: 403-697-4703 Email: will.verboven@fbcpublishing.com

Reporters Alexis Kienlen, Edmonton (780) 668-3121 akienlen@fbcpublishing.com

Director of Sales & Circulation

Straw man report challenges the industry to take action

Lynda Tityk Email: lynda.tityk@fbcpublishing.com

Recommendations outline clear steps to keep the process moving

Jennifer Blair, Red Deer (403) 396-2643 jennifer.blair@fbcpublishing.com

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By will verboven

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s promised the straw man process delivered its final recommendations in a report at the end of December entitled, “Building a Stronger Canadian Beef Industry.” Now it’s time for the industry to turn straw into gold. None of the straw man team may look like the gold-spinning Rapunzel, but they certainly have provided the right material to kick-start the process. The underlying thrust to their recommendations (strawmanbeef.ca) is that they are doable, which is critical in keeping any process like this alive and moving forward. One shudders to think of the shelves filled with dusty reports on every aspect of agriculture that went nowhere simply because the goals were too vague and no action process was put into place. This report is clear-cut as to what to do next and who should be doing and when. That cleverly puts the impetus on every sector of the industry to participate, since anyone opposed to the process will be conspicuous by their absence. To lead the process the report recommends the establishment of a “Council of Beef Leaders” and it includes all the players, except in my view, the one that if needed could keep the process moving forward with carrots and sticks. I cite the need for provincial/federal government participation. Understandably there are political optics involved with formal participation, but an unofficial presence is surely feasible. It wouldn’t be the first time government observers were kept in the loop. The need for such participation is because governments hold the powers that can make or break this type of long-term industry-building process.

The report makes recommendations about funding the long-term process of industry development, and that invariably involves checkoff sensitivities. The straw men were wise to tackle this minefield right off the start. But the reality is that governments either plant the mines or are able to sweep the field clear for safe passage — it all depends on which side of the issue one resides. What would give this process a real push is if government formally supported the need for mandatory checkoffs to drive the recommendations and longterm development. If nothing else that would rattle the cynics and those who felt safe behind by the walls of the status quo. Frankly, such a radical move would be enlightened indeed, in pushing a tradtionally minded industry into real action. I expect that with the checkoff sword hanging over their heads, many on the council would find the energy and courage to move the process forward. It should be noted that the cattle and beef industries in competing countries like Australia and New Zealand seemed to have found a way to harness their mandatory checkoffs for the greater good. Surely the Canadian industry can find a way to learn from their experience. Another recommendation was to move forward with BIXS 2.0. This is another doable action that can put a whole new underpinning to information flow. I expect there are few in the industry who do not support a superior flow of information up and down the chain. The amazing part is that virtually everyone can benefit from the flow. Surely the technology exists that can protect privacy, but the reality is that same technology can make the information even more valuable, and isn’t that what everyone wants? This is one recommendation

that the industry and the council can actually carry out and right away. Just do it! Another recommendation from the report points out the need for industry communication. That’s an issue that most organizations have grappled with for the past century and have yet to find the magic wand that can achieve that most elusive goal. The straw man team by accident or design (I suspect the latter) put together industry meetings in Toronto and Calgary that included reps from every sector and ideology. There is nothing like putting a big, diverse, sometimes grumpy family in a room and making them talk to each other over what they have in common. Heaven forbid, harmony and hope might just break out. That meeting process absolutely needs to continue. As to putting together an industry communication plan that works — that’s easy. Many industry organizations and companies employ talented professional communication people. How about locking them all together with some ag ad agencies folks in a room and not letting them out until they come up with a plan? They have the incentive to come up with a scheme. The cattle and beef industry needs to continue the momentum created by the straw man process. Sure other industry summits and roundtables have come and gone, few have much future except as gabfests. But they have served as a learning experience which has helped guide this process. One can’t help but notice that a number of agencies, companies and government sources have come forth to support this project with funding. There is a message in that support. Those folks believe in the future of the cattle and beef industry in this country and want to see it prosper and grow.

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Organic industry gets uncomfortable news I

t was just a matter of time before the Achilles heel of organic food production was going to be exposed, and a recent CBC news report hit the issue right between the eyes. The report stated that 45 per cent of organic produce randomly tested by the CFIA showed traces of pesticides. Organic industry spokespeople were quick to point fingers elsewhere in an effort to deflect the bad news away from themselves. The reality is the industry has always known that residue testing was the weak link in their marketing efforts. That’s why virtually every organic marketing and lobby group in North America fought to not have mandatory residue testing as part of any certification process. It’s worse in Canada where the CFIA does not even have threshold or testing clauses (it seems to be at their theoretical discretion) in its Canada Organic certification standards. At least with USDA organic standards testing and pesticide thresholds are addressed. It makes you wonder why the CFIA carried out the secret tests and then forced the CBC to use the Access to

Information Act to access the information. I would suggest that with no legal requirement requiring testing, the CFIA may well stop further secret testing to avoid attracting this type of media attention. The organic industry doesn’t help its cause by blaming the testing results on everything except possible fraud by some of its own growers and marketers. They would boost their credibility by seriously advocating a testing program that deals with the residue reality and shows a willingness to improve the situation. People can be very understanding if one admits there is a problem and then works on a resolution. For instance, if imported organic products are the culprit in high pesticide residues, then endorse a program that sets pesticide thresholds that cannot be exceeded at the grower/importer level, and not just promises. What about double testing at the grower and retail level to see if contamination occurs along the marketing chain? Being proactive would bring much needed transparency to organic marketing. The organic industry appears to accept

that the residue levels that were found are extremely low and pose no health risk. But that’s also true of almost all non-organic regular food products. It’s rather disingenuous to state that regardless of the testing results, organic food has lower levels of residues than regular food, when the testing is in minuscule parts per million and even billion. In the bigger picture, honest labelling should be the goal of the food industry and that includes the organic sector. For many food products, it’s not possible to make claims that they are pesticide free, GMO free, hormone free. This testing report proves that point. Will the entire marketing chain collapse and consumers revolt if we had mandatory labels that stated that a food product may contain certain chemicals, GMOs, additives, whatever, but are perfectly safe to eat? What a giant step to product awareness that would be for the consumer. However, I fear that in some areas of food marketing, perception is still more important than transparency. will.verboven@fbcpublishing.com

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 20, 2014

Ionophores, not antibiotics, mainly used in beef cattle Danish ban has led to increased use of antibiotics, says BCRC Beef Cattle Research Council

ntimicrobial resistance has become a highly charged issue. Headlines appear in the news on a regular basis suggesting that antibiotics are becoming less effective in humans and farmers are to blame. Some concerns have been raised that antimicrobial use in livestock leads to antimicrobial resistance and that some of the products used in food animals are closely related to antimicrobials that are important in human health. It’s also been questioned whether antimicrobial resistance can be transferred among bacteria, which may reduce effectiveness of drugs used in human medicine. Of course the Canadian beef industry is also concerned about antimicrobial resistance. Cattlemen depend on the effectiveness of animal health products, and on consumers’ confidence in how beef is raised and the safety of the beef they consume. And just like the rest of the society, farmers need human drugs to be effective too. We’re all in agreement on the seriousness of antimicrobial use and resistance.

Several nations around the world have surveillance programs in place to monitor trends in antimicrobial use and resistance. In Canada, this is led by the Canadian Integrated Program for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (CIPARS). In the United States, surveillance is conducted by the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS). These programs test for antimicrobial resistance in healthy animals arriving at slaughter plants as well as retail meat samples. In addition, various groups including the Beef Cattle Research Council and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada collect more detailed antimicrobial use and resistance information in a broader range of microbes and locations (e.g. feedlots, manure, soil, water). To date, scientific surveillance has indicated that resistance to antimicrobials that are most important in human health is extremely uncommon in healthy North American cattle and beef. Multi-drug resistance is similarly low, and is not increasing.

Ionophores not antibiotics

In cattle, the vast majority of antimicrobials used is not used in human health at all.

Let’s look more closely at the last point. The vast majority of antimicrobials used in cattle is ionophores. Ionophores act on rumen microbes; they selectively inhibit methanogenic bacteria and allow beneficial rumen bacteria to make more feed energy available to the animal, thereby improving feed efficiency and weight gain. Ionophores also prevent diseases like coccidiosis. Ionophores have no benefit to, nor are they licensed for use in humans. Even if microbes developed resistance to ionophores, this would not make them resistant to classes of antimicrobials that are used in human medicine. Eliminating antimicrobial growth promotants, including ionophores, in cattle production would substantially reduce the overall use of antimicrobials, but would that reduce concerns about antimicrobial resistance? Denmark phased out the use of those products in livestock production between 1994 and 1999. Since 2001, we can see a clear trend of increased use of prescribed veterinary antimicrobials. The decrease in antimicrobial use has happened in the “medium importance” category, antimicrobials are rarely used in human medicine anymore. Without the use of growth-promoting antimicrobials, the need

for antimicrobials that are important to human health increased. In addition, there has been no clear trend towards decreased antimicrobial resistance in Danish cattle or beef. Canadian research has repeatedly shown that antimicrobials are used responsibly by Canadian beef producers, and resistance to the most important classes of antibiotics in human medicine remains extremely rare in beef cattle. Antimicrobial resistance will continue to be a research priority in Canada’s beef industry to maintain or improve current prudence.

Continued use of antimicrobials of no importance to human health in Canadian beef production will be critical to the future competitiveness of and reduced environmental impacts by Canada’s beef sector due to improved feed efficiency and reduced animal disease. Furthermore, the consequences of a ban on ionophores in Denmark suggest that discontinuing the use of such products would not lead to lower antimicrobial resistance, and may increase the use of antimicrobials that are important in human medicine.

University of Calgary professor advocates user fees on non-human antibiotic Researcher says extensive use of antibiotics in agriculture creating public health crisis University of Calgary release

iting an overabundance in the use of antibiotics by the agriculture and aquaculture industries that poses a threat to public health, economics professor, Aidan Hollis has proposed a solution in the form of user fees on the non-human use of antibiotics. In a newly released paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Hollis and co-author Ziana Ahmed state that in the United States 80 per cent of the antibiotics in the country are consumed in agriculture and aquaculture for the purpose of increasing food production. This flood of antibiotics released into the environment — sprayed on fruit trees and fed to the likes of livestock,

poultry and salmon, among other uses — has led bacteria to evolve, Hollis writes. Mounting evidence cited in the journal shows resistant pathogens are emerging in the wake of this veritable flood of antibiotics — resulting in an increase in bacteria that is immune to available treatments. If the problem is left unchecked, this will create a health crisis on a global scale, Hollis says. Hollis suggest that the predicament could be greatly alleviated by imposing a user fee on the non-human uses of antibiotics, similar to the way in which logging companies pay stumpage fees and oil companies pay royalties. “Modern medicine relies on antibiotics to kill off bacterial infections,” explains Hollis. “This is incredibly important. Without effective antibiotics, any surgery — even minor ones

— will become extremely risky. Cancer therapies, similarly, are dependent on the availability of effective antimicrobials. Ordinary infections will kill otherwise healthy people.” Bacteria that can effectively resist antibiotics will thrive, Hollis adds, reproducing rapidly and spreading in various ways. “It’s not just the food we eat,” he says. “Bacteria is spread in the environment; it might wind up on a doorknob. You walk away with the bacteria on you and you share it with the next person you come into contact with. If you become infected with resistant bacteria, antibiotics won’t provide any relief.” While the vast majority of antibiotic use has gone towards increasing productivity in agriculture, Hollis asserts that most of these applications are of “low value.” “It’s about increasing the

efficiency of food so you can reduce the amount of grain you feed the cattle,” says Hollis. “It’s about giving antibiotics to baby chicks because it reduces the likelihood that they’re going to get sick when you cram them together in unsanitary conditions. “These methods are obviously profitable to the farmers, but that doesn’t mean it’s generating a huge benefit. In fact, the profitability is usually quite marginal. “The real value of antibiotics is saving people from dying. Everything else is trivial.” While banning the use of antibiotics in food production is challenging, establishing a user fee makes good sense, according to Hollis. Such a practice would deter the low-value use of antibiotics, with higher costs encouraging farmers to improve their animal management methods

and to adopt better substitutes for the drugs, such as vaccinations. Hollis also suggests that an international treaty could ideally be imposed. “Resistant bacteria do not respect national borders,” he says. He adds that such a treaty might have a fair chance of attaining international compliance, as governments tend to be motivated by revenue collection. Hollis notes that in the U.S., a move has been made to control the non-human use of antibiotics, with the FDA recently seeking voluntary limits on the use of antibiotics for animal growth promotion on farms. He asks: “Is the Canadian government going to take any action to control the use of antibiotics for food production purposes? Health Canada is trying to monitor the use of antibiotics, but has virtually no control over use.”

Off the front

WHEAT MIDGE } from page 1 midge emerged and were flying and laying eggs,” said Dolinski, a former provincial entomologist with Alberta Agriculture and now a coach with Agri-trend. One producer he knows lost 50 per cent of his wheat in one field, which was seeded May 23. “That just demonstrates how important it is to get the crop in and up early to try to beat the midge emergence,” he said. Midge causes the most severe damage when the bugs emerge at the early stage of wheat’s embryo development. “Typically the recommendation is to spray right at the beginning of anthesis, in other words when the flowers come out or when the anthers are pushed out of the seed,” said Dolinski. “Most farmers don’t know how to tell when that is going to happen.” The head is susceptible from the time the boot cracks until the anthers are ejected. Once the head emerges, producers should go out and open up a few florets on the primary spike, Dolinski said. “Once you see a yellowing in the anther and the stigma spreading, within 24 hours it’s going to eject the pollen. Once the pollen is ejected and lands on the stigma, the next morning, it will eject the anthers and that’s when we see anthesis.” SEC_CAR11_T_MC.qxd 8/26/11 The period between head

january 20, 2014 • Albertafarmexpress.ca

emergence and pollination lasts for about five days, but is shorter when temperatures exceed 20 C. If there are no midge flying, there’s not a problem, said Dolinski. If anthers have already emerged on primary spikes and there are no midge out and about, the wheat is safe. “In other words, seeding early is really, really key,” he said. Although yield losses are not generally severe, it doesn’t take much for a drop in grade. “When the larva feeds on the kernels, they become shrunken and distorted,” said Daryl Beswitherick, program manager for quality assurance with the Canadian Grain Commission. The commission tolerates up to two per cent of midge-damaged kernels in No. 1 CWRS wheat and eight per cent in No. 2. In the Peace Country in 2013, 23 per cent of wheat samples received through the commission’s harvest sample program were downgraded. In the southwest corner, 30 per cent of samples were downgraded. Alberta Agriculture’s 2014 wheat midge forecast indicates an increased risk in the eastern Peace region and a decreased risk in southern Alberta. Producers in high-risk areas should plant midge-resistant wheat varieties or could consider planting a 4:23 PM even Page 1 crop other than wheat, said Otani.

“If you’re getting midge grading reports — even if it’s not affecting your grade but being mentioned in your grade — you should be looking at management options.” Scott Meers insect management specialist

“This is the time that producers are making those decisions and we want to be aware that this is a new pest, the distribution has increased and the numbers in the field have really increased in that particular area,” said Otani. Not planting wheat may not be a realistic option for most farmers, said Meers, but they have to be on guard. “I’d be more inclined to say to be prepared to put management practices in place,” he said. akienlen@fbcpublishing.com glenn.cheater@fbcpublishing.com

Even if you farm in the green area, you need to be on the lookout for midge, says insect management specialist Scott Meers courtesy of Alberta Agriculture

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ash flow or storage concerns causing you to hold off on booking fertilizer? That could be a costly move if you wait too long. “With the way the commodities have tailed off in the last few months, some guys may be looking to push (fertilizer purchases) back a bit due to cash flow concerns,” said Colin Bergstrom, agronomist and president of Point Forward Solutions in St. Albert. “It’s going to put a pretty heavy load on logistics to get all that product in place in time for the planting season.” Even though fertilizer prices were down sharply earlier this winter, it didn’t spark a surge in buying. Bergstrom said he hasn’t seen a “big difference” in yearover-year sales, nor has Adam Newstead, manager of crop production services in Lacombe. “It’s about the same dollar amount (of fertilizer) that we’ve sold in previous years,” said Newstead. Since hitting a low in early December, fertilizer prices are trending upward, he said, in part because of clogging in the rail system. “The grain shipments are slow, which also puts pressure on the retailers,” he said. “I don’t think there will be any availability issues. It will just be how much can come through the system at one time.” He advises producers to keep an eye on the markets and consider buying earlier rather than later. “There may be some cost-sav-

ings as opposed to waiting to buy on demand in the springtime,” said Newstead. Taylor Snyder wishes he could. “This year, there’s such a backlog that we won’t actually be moving any wheat from the 2013 crop until the beginning of 2015,” said Snyder, a young farmer still establishing his operation in the Bonnyville area. “We have to sit on 50,000 bushels of wheat that potentially could be used to prebuy fertilizer.” He said he expects to buy his fertilizer in March once his bills are paid. “I’m not sitting on piles and piles of equity and cash in order to pre-buy whatever I wanted,” he said. Storage is another concern. “We don’t have enough bins,” he said. “When we have prebought fertilizer, we’ve had trouble storing it.” One province over, producer Jim Hale isn’t having the same type of storage issues that Snyder is seeing on his farm. “I moved a lot of product off the combine,” said Hale, who farms near Lancer, Sask. Without as many cash flow and storage concerns, Hale has already purchased most of his nitrogen needs for the year. “I pre-bought this year earlier than I do normally,” he said. Lower fertilizer prices are a bright spot for the grain sector, said Bergstrom. “Commodity prices have definitely softened, but so have fertility prices,” he said. “It is going to cost guys less to fertilize their crop this year.” jennifer.blair@fbcpublishing.com

Albertafarmexpress.ca • january 20, 2014

UN declares 2014 International Year of Family Farming Proclamation aims to put family farming higher on policy agendas By Lorraine Stevenson staff

he Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has declared 2014 as International Year of Family Farming. The declaration aims to “help reposition family farming at the centre of agricultural, environmental and social policies in the national agendas,” an FAO news release said. The declaration aims to broaden discussion and co-operation at all levels to “increase awareness and understanding of the challenges faced by smallholders and help identify efficient ways to support family farmers.” The FAO says family farming is the predominant form of agri-

culture in both developing and developed countries and has key socio-economic, environmental and cultural roles. It preserves traditional food products while contributing to a balanced diet and safeguarding agro-biodiversity and sustainable use of natural resources, while boosting local economies and the well-being of communities. Family farms also help to strengthen food security, and are key players in managing natural resources and protecting the environment, the FAO says. Family farming’s contributions were highlighted during a dialogue in Brussels in mid-December when about 100 participants from 27 countries across Europe and Central Asia discussed the common challenges faced by the world’s farm families.

These include succession planning and enticing young people to farm, lack of market access, land, water and credit, as well as access to research and innovation, and training and education. The need to better integrate family farmers into the food chain also resonated strongly during the debates, the FAO release said. That gathering is the beginning of a series of meetings in the upcoming months. Outcomes will be presented at the IYFF Global Dialogue in Rome later this year. Several countries have formed national committees around the declaration, including a U.S. executive committee made up of organizations including the Alliance to End Hunger, American Farmland Trust, the Consumer

Federation of America, the National Cooperative Business Association and U.S. National Farmers Union.

Family farms also help to strengthen food security, and are key players in managing natural resources and protecting the environment

Other UN proclamations ahead include International Year of Soils in 2015 to raise global awareness about sustainable soil management and its essential ecosystem functions. Pulses will capture global attention in 2016 with the UN General Assembly declaring that year International Year of Pulses. A series of national committees are being established around the world by CICILS/International Pulse Trade and Industries Confederation members to work with their governments, farmers, NGOs, retailers, food manufacturers, health and science organizations and UN bodies to mark 2016. lorraine@fbcpublishing.com

Seed of the Year West announces winner staff

Laird green lentil has been selected as the 2013-14 Seed of the Year West, a program which recognizes publicly developed varieties that have made a significant contribution to the economy, agriculture, and the Canadian public. The Laird green lentil was developed by Alfred E. Slinkard of the Crop Development Centre (CDC) at the University of Saskatchewan. Laird was the first lentil variety to be licensed in Canada. A number of pulse growers are still growing Laird today, 35 years after being released. All subsequent large green lentil varieties developed in Canada have Laird lentil in their ancestry. Part of the western award is a $4,000 scholarship, awarded to a student enrolled in a western Canadian university and currently completing a master’s degree or PhD in plant breeding or genetics. Gurcharn Singh Brar was selected as this year’s winner. Brar is in his second year of graduate studies at University of Saskatchewan. He is researching wheat stripe rust in Western Canada. The Seed of the Year award was presented to Slinkard at the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers annual meeting Jan. 13. Sponsors of the program are Agriculture and AgriFood Canada, Alberta Barley Commission, Canterra Seeds, Cargill, Canadian Seed Growers Association, FP Genetics, Viterra, Richardson International, SeCan, and Western Grains Research Foundation.

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JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

New Canadian canola production target: 26 million tonnes by 2025 The Canola Council of Canada says almost all of the new production will come from increased yields, not more acres By Allan Dawson staff

fter hitting its production target of 15 million tonnes average canola two years early, the Canola Council of Canada has a new one — 26 million tonnes by 2025. It says it will be achieved not by planting more acres, but through higher yields averaging 52 bushels an acre, instead of the current fiveyear average of 34. “That’s a bold target, no doubt about it, but it can be done and it can be done responsibly and sustainably,” council chair and Saskatchewan farmer Terry Youzwa told reporters Jan. 9 in Winnipeg while kicking off the council’s new “Keep it Coming 2025” promotion. “As a canola grower myself I am convinced we can achieve 52 bushels an acre.” Youzwa said the canola industry has set and met its previous production targets — seven million tonnes by 2007 and 15 million by 2015. “Setting targets works,” he said. “Just look at our track record.” In 2013 Canada produced a record 18 million tonnes of canola from about 20 million acres, averaging a record 40 bushels an acre.

Canola production has averaged 15 million tonnes over the past three years, Youzwa said. Last crop year Canada exported eight million tonnes of seed, processed 7.5 million tonnes domestically, and exported a lot of the resulting oil and meal, he said. “The world is demanding more healthy canola oil and we can step up and be part of it or step back,” Youzwa said. “We believe we can rise to the occasion but we’re going to have to up our game. That’s why we are sending a clear signal — a clarion call — on what our intentions are as an industry so all the players understand that we need to meet global demand.” Key to meeting past targets has been market demand and the ability for farmers to make a profit growing canola. Both will be needed to reach the new target. The council estimates with an increasing population, global canola oil demand will reach 250 million tonnes by 2025, up 67 per cent or 100 million tonnes from today. With the world getting richer, more consumers will seek a healthy vegetable oil such as canola.The world will also need more protein to feed livestock, creating more demand for canola meal, Youzwa said.

“The world is telling Canada’s canola industry to keep it coming.”

‘Formidable task’

Boosting Canadian canola production to 26 million tonnes is a “formidable task,” and success is not guaranteed, said council president Patti Miller. Fifty-two bushels an acre is a 53 per cent increase from the current average, and 12 bushels or 30 per cent higher than this year’s record. Getting to 50 bushels an acre by 2015 means Canadian canola yields will have to rise, on average, four per cent (compounded) a year. Average canola yields the last 10 years are only 16 per cent higher than the previous 10-year average. Some of the yield increase will come from improved genetics in new varieties, said Neil Arbuckle, a canola council director and Monsanto’s western marketing lead for seed and traits. “We’re working on hybrids that are more resilient to weather patterns, resilient to diseases and pest and have high-quality characteristics that are highly sought after in world markets,” he said. But most of the increase will come from improved agronomics, Youzwa said. “We believe by applying the newest science around agronomics we

can achieve yield gains by maximizing plant establishment, meeting the full nutritional requirements of the crop, improved integrated pest management and improved harvest management.” The goal will be to maximize the production from every canola seed planted, he added. Youzwa stressed higher canola production will be done sustainably. That’s why the emphasis is on boosting yields, not acres. Some agronomists contend many farmers are growing canola too often in their rotations, increasing the risk from diseases, insects and weeds. Farmers want to leave their land in better shape for future generations, Youzwa said. Part of the council’s strategy is to differentiate and demonstrate canola’s benefits, said council director Neil Sabourin, who also works for Cargill. The council will also push for freer trade and to reduce tariff and non-tariff trade barriers, said Pat Van Osch, a CCC director and vice-president of Richardson International. “We believe fundamentally that our product competes well on a level playing field, so a level playing field is our goal,” he said. allan@fbcpublishing.com

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Albertafarmexpress.ca • january 20, 2014

Women farmers everywhere share similar perspectives straight from the hip } Circumstances may be different,

but production and profit goals are the same worldwide By brenda schoepp

here is no doubt women see life through a different lens. I am often asked by men and women about the balance in their relationships and sometimes men say they just don’t understand women! On the farm where both genders work and play, understanding that point is especially important. So this column is dedicated to men who seek understanding and women who farm. A variation on a famous saying should set the context from a women’s perspective — “I am not here to fill space or to be a background character in your drama — nothing in your life would be the same without me, nothing in my life would be the same without you. In fact, no vibrancy could live if you or if I did not exist. Every place I have ever been, every place you have ever been, everyone I have ever talked to and everyone you have ever met is different because we were created. We are connected — affected by all that exists around us and by every decision ever made.”

The story starts in a small hut where a simple meal is prepared by women farmers who are surrounded by a mob of children. They lay out the best mat on the floor and real plates in my honour. We talk of family and friendships, of wars and wages and of life in a changing world of which we have no fear. The conversation is easy and honest because although we live many miles apart, we understand we share the same planet and the same sky. What is unsaid is these children thrive because their mothers farm to feed them and are passionate about doing so. Women in eight countries contributed to my international survey on mentorship and the overarching desire, regardless of where they lived, was to increase production and profits on the farm. They were firm they needed mentorship for personal and business growth and with a high level of dignity and respect were just as open to male mentors as to female guidance. Canadian women who responded want to be active participants and equal decision makers on the farm and they are whip smart, educated and ready.

Looking at my client base, my Twitter base and my Facebook base, all remind me of just how passionate men and women are about agriculture regardless of where they live. Indian women claim “owning their own farms has made their life easy,” and Canadian women boast of being in the “most exciting business in the world,” while young men proudly post about their families and farms. But the pennies are expected to follow the passion and there can be frustration for rural women who are balancing so many roles and responsibilities. They are often alone as men work off farm, or in the case of 30 per cent of Canadian farms, own and operate them independently. The lack of ownership of land is frustrating for women as it can leave them at a disadvantage when it comes to accessing credit and increasing the potential of the farm. When women have access to credit for land, tools, technology, innovations, information, labour inputs and implements, farm production increases by 20-30 per cent. As one African woman stated, “We need tractors too!” It may not have been the culture of

the past that women and girls are sole landowners and farmers who control their own business, but it most certainly is shaping up to be the culture of the future. Enrolment in agricultural education and business is dominated by women and they are more than capable. Gender-balanced boards are nearly 40 per cent more effective as measured by shareholder profits.

Same challenges in Canada

When it comes to trade and commerce, the farther away from a market, the more important it becomes to have access and a supporting infrastructure. And although you may read this and think a remote village is a prime example of that challenge, we face the same challenges in Canada. Many Alberta women have expressed their desire to be forward contractors and direct marketers in a home where it has never been done before. Women farmers today have a grave concern over grain delivery delays, rail car access, delivery basis on cattle and marketing costs. Men and women care and are working towards agricultural and food policies that ensure market

access through regulation and infrastructure. Women are not special needs persons and on that point they are very clear. They love to be loved and their nature is to nurture. But when it comes to business, women who choose to farm strongly indicated it was equality in the farm and in the business world and at the bank that they sought. As creative thinkers they are aware that their ideas might be different but they are not less. Women and girls should be asked how they wish to invest on the farm and then be supported. A good business plan always allows for farming partners to respectfully regroup on common ground. Vibrant, intelligent, engaging and passionate — it is not hard to understand the reason so many women seek farming and agriculture business as a career of choice. Brenda Schoepp is a Nuffield Scholar who travels extensively exploring agriculture and meeting the people who feed, clothe and educate our world. A motivating speaker and mentor she works with young entrepreneurs across Canada and is the founder of Women in Search of Excellence. www.brendaschoepp.com

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She is the glue and her job description is endless. She does it all: chief cook, bottle washer, nurse, housekeeper, disciplinarian, groundskeeper, grandmother, babysitter and part-time truck driver. But ask her and she’ll say she just makes sure everyone’s been looked after.

NEWS » Markets

JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Ukraine raises grain export forecast Ukraine’s Agriculture Ministry has raised its forecast for 2013-14 grain exports to 33 million tonnes from a previous estimate of 32 million tonnes, Agriculture Minister Mykola Prysyazhnyuk said in a statement. He said Ukraine had already exported around 20 million tonnes of grain, mostly maize (corn). The former Soviet republic exported 10.7 million tonnes of maize, 6.9 million of wheat and 2.1 million of barley so far the 2013-14 season. Ukraine may harvest a record 2014 crop for the second year in a row thanks to warm weather, analyst UkrAgroConsult said. — Reuters

India’s rapeseed may freeze India’s rapeseed production is unlikely to rise in 2014 as cold weather in the topproducing region is seen denting yields. The area planted has risen to 6.97 million hectares this year from 6.5 million hectares a year ago and based on the higher acreage, industry officials had expected as much as a 7.7 per cent rise in production. But a sharp fall in temperatures in early January stunted growth and in a few areas hurt flowering. “In some areas, especially in the northern part of the state, there are reports of crop damage. It is difficult to quantify,” said a senior official at the Agriculture Department of the desert state of Rajasthan. — Reuters

Lower loonie keeps support under canola on downtrend USDA’s ending stocks estimates are bearish for wheat By Terryn Shiells

CE Futures Canada canola futures continued their recent downward trend during the week ended Jan. 10, holding just above record lows in the nearby contracts. The burdensome supply situation continued to overhang the canola market during the week, as did the technical bias that remains pointed lower. Canadian farmers produced a recordlarge 18 million tonnes of canola this year, and the industry only expects supplies to continue growing in the years to come. The Canola Council of Canada (CCC) held a press conference in Winnipeg on Jan. 9 to announce its new target to grow 26 million tonnes of canola in Canada by 2025. This comes after the council’s goal of 15 million tonnes by 2015 was surpassed this year. The council said it hopes to reach that goal by achieving an average yield of 52 bushels per acre by 2025. This year, the Canadian average yield for canola was 40 bushels per acre, Statistics Canada data shows. That raises many questions, such as where are the acres going to come out of to grow that much canola, is there enough global demand for it, and how is Canada’s logistical system going to be able to handle such a large crop? Canada’s grain-handling system is already having trouble moving canola and the other large crops that were grown this year, which is suppressing

prices. What will it be like when 26 million tonnes of canola are grown? I guess we’ll find out in 2025. But it wasn’t all bad for canola futures during the week, as the sharp downswing in the value of the Canadian dollar helped to keep a firm floor under the market. The dollar lost more than 2-1/2 cents during the week, which helped to uncover some buying interest from crushers and exporters. The market also received some spillover support from the gains seen in Chicago soybeans. The long-term trend remains bearish for canola, though, as competing vegetable oil prices, including Chicago soyoil, show signs of weakness. Prices may move down to the C$350to $400-per-tonne range by spring, which wouldn’t be too shocking to the trade, as it wasn’t that long ago that $450 per tonne was the top of the market. Soybean prices were a mixed bag during the week, with nearby contracts

posting gains, and deferred contracts moving lower. Continued strong export demand and worries about tight nearby domestic supplies, as confirmed in the Jan. 10 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, helped to lift the March and May 2014 contracts. USDA reported 2013-14 ending stocks of soybeans in the U.S. are expected to be 150 million bushels — unchanged from the December report, but below average expectations of 151 million bushels. World ending stocks for the year are expected to rise to 72.33 million tonnes, up 1.71 million tonnes from the previous report, due to larger global production. Those expectations, combined with good weather for an expected recordlarge South American soybean crop, put downward pressure on the deferred Chicago soybean contracts.

Wheat estimates bearish

USDA’s report was also bearish for

For three-times-daily market reports from Resource News International, visit “ICE Futures Canada updates” at www.albertafarmexpress.ca.

Chicago, Kansas City and Minneapolis wheat futures, as the government agency pegged U.S. and global ending stocks above expectations. U.S. ending stocks were upped to 608 million bushels by USDA from 575 million bushels in the December report, topping the high end of expectations. The increased ending stocks were due to reduced feed and residual usage. USDA increased global ending stocks of wheat to 185.4 million tonnes, from 182.78 in December. USDA did, however, provide some good news for the corn futures market in Chicago when it unexpectedly lowered its U.S. production estimate for 2013. Prices skyrocketed, gaining 15 to 20 cents per bushel in some contracts after the report, which helped prices end higher on the week. USDA pegged domestic corn production for 2013-14 at 13.925 billion bushels, down from the December estimate of 13.989 billion due to a slightly lower average yield. The trade was expecting the government agency to increase production to more than 14 billion bushels. Lower U.S. and global ending stocks also helped to lift the corn market, with USDA pegging domestic ending stocks for 2013-14 at 1.631 billion bushels, down from 1.792 billion, due to increased feed and ethanol demand. Global ending stocks were down 2.23 million tonnes, to 160.23 million. Terryn Shiells writes for Commodity News Service Canada, a Winnipeg company specializing in grain and commodity market reporting.

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 20, 2014

Optimistic outlook for hog producers in 2014 PEET ON PIGS  Feed prices and exchange rates are more

favourable, but disease is a concern BY BERNIE PEET

s we entered the new year, industry commentators in North America unanimously declared optimism for American and Canadian hog producers in 2014. For once, I agree with them. Regular readers will know that I have been less than enthusiastic about prospects for the Canadian industry in recent years. Last March, I described the outlook as uncertain, noting a number of factors such as feed prices, country-of-origin labelling, EU production levels, U.S. pork exports and North American hog inventories, that could impact industry economics either positively or negatively. However, as it turned out, 2013 was a much better year than many people, including myself, expected. Last spring the hog price strengthened and continued moving up as the summer progressed, reaching $2/kg in some parts of the country by July. As we moved into fall, the price held up remarkably well and is now around $1.50/kg, considerably better than the recent average for this time of year. With most pricing formulae based on U.S. indices, the

exchange rate plays a major role in determining Canadian hog prices. The increase in the value of the Canadian dollar relative to the greenback, especially since the 2008 economic crisis, exerted downward pressure on the hog price, which was very damaging to the industry. In 2013, this started to change. At the beginning of the year, the exchange rate was 100.51 cents, but declined during the year and is now hovering around 94 cents. That difference effectively adds nearly seven per cent to the market price of hogs in Canada. A number of economists in the financial sector expect the Canadian dollar to weaken further during 2014 as the U.S. reduces its economic stimulus. If their predictions are correct, the exchange rate will fall below 90 cents during the year, further strengthening hog prices.

the U.S. and Canada resulted in a sharp drop in feed costs, with U.S. corn dropping from a high of $8 per bushel in 2012, to around $4.50. The beneficial effect of more moderate feed costs will continue at least up to the 2014 harvest. With the futures markets indicating hog prices in the range of $1.60$1.90 for 2014, producers could have a full year of profitability. Over the last 10 years, the U.S. ethanol industry has impacted the price of corn, pushing prices upwards. By 2012, 40 per cent of the U.S. crop was being used for ethanol production. Now this industry is mature and there is much less expansion, this will affect corn prices less. A significant increase in the area planted with corn in the U.S. over recent years will also help to moderate prices, barring a drought.

Feed cost break

I have commented in previous articles about the continuing improvements in productivity in the U.S. breeding herd, noting that the average improvement in the 10 years to 2012 was 0.2 pigs weaned per litter. During 2013, this trend was interrupted by severe losses of piglets as a result of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus

On the other side of the equation, feed costs fell considerably during 2013. During the early part of the year, high feed costs, coupled with mediocre hog prices, resulted in a period of significant losses. These were mediated by much improved prices as the year went on. Then, a bumper harvest in both

Productivity

(PEDv). The first cases were identified in June and July and, by the end of the year, there had been about 1,800 cases involving many hundreds of thousands of pigs. American agricultural economist Steve Meyer suggests that the loss in production during 2014 could be about three per cent, which would have a very positive effect on hog prices. The impact was already evident in the recent USDA Hogs and Pigs Report, which showed that the estimate of number of pigs weaned per litter had fallen from 10.34 in the Sept. 1 report to 10.04 in the Dec. 1 report.

PEDv threat

The biggest threat to the Canadian industry during 2014 will be PEDv, which would have a catastrophic effect if it entered the country. Fortunately, there is considerable awareness of the need for heightened biosecurity, but there is also a risk due to the movement of livestock vehicles. It is ironic that the U.S. COOL legislation dramatically reduced the flow of pigs from Canada to the U.S. and, with it, the risk of transferring disease. Weekly feeder pigs sales have halved from a peak of 160,000 per week in 2007, while the flow of market hogs

has become a trickle at roughly 13,500 per week. It will be critical that producers and industry organizations maintain a state of vigilance and, if the worst happens, respond quickly to any outbreaks to limit the spread of disease. Canadian pig producers are some of the most technically efficient in the world and economic comparisons have shown that cost of production is also among the lowest, second only to Brazil. However, since the start of the “industry crisis” in 2007, producers have been severely hampered by a barrage of negative influences, ranging from the swine flu fiasco to COOL and from exchange rates to high feed prices. While the COOL situation has yet to be concluded, the Canadian industry has, to some extent, learned to live with it. With a slowly weakening dollar and the prospect of more reasonable feed prices, producers could be in for a good run and have the opportunity to recover the equity they have lost over the previous six years. Bernie Peet is president of Pork Chain Consulting of Lacombe, Alberta, and editor of Western Hog Journal

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NEWS » LIVESTOCK

JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

CANADA’S NEW CHIEF VET

BISON RANCHING — IS IT FOR YOU?

Dr. Harpreet S. Kochhar has been appointed Canada’s new chief veterinary officer, replacing Dr. Ian Alexander. Kochhar, a veterinarian by profession, has worked for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency since 2002. He’s since served in CFIA’s science branch and operations branch in posts including executive director of operations strategies and delivery, and executive director of western area operations. Kochhar is also a recognized expert on animal biotechnology for the World Organization for Animal Health, the government said in its announcement.

The Bison Producers of Alberta (BPA) have produced a short video on Alberta’s bison industry. “We have a great story to tell,” says BPA chair, Thomas Ackermann, as he talks about the video. “And there’s no better way than having our young bison producers tell it!” This is just the first in a planned series of short videos that the BPA will be producing in the coming months to promote bison ranching to potential newcomers to the industry. To view this first video in the series, “Bison ranching — is it for you?” visit http://vimeo. com/82227432.

USDA report card on CFIA — OK, but should try harder U.S. wants Canada to do a better job of following HACCP BY ALEX BINKLEY AF CONTRIBUTOR

XL recall

The audit occurred during the aftermath of the inquiry into last year’s recall of beef from XL Foods in Brooks, Alta., which was the largest ever in Canada. That event provided FSIS with examples of where CFIA needed improvement. Meat Council president Jim Laws noted that in addition to the FSIS rating, Canada has been approved for increased beef and pork shipments to Korea along

The audit occurred during the aftermath of the inquiry into last year’s recall of beef from XL Foods in Brooks, Alta. PHOTO: THINKSTOCK with Mexico, Russia, Honduras and Costa Rica, “which all audited and approved the Canadian system in 2013.” CFIA spokesman Guy Gravelle said the FSIS audit “confirms that Canada’s meat inspection

system is effective… all of the issues identified in the audit have been corrected to its satisfaction. Opportunities for improvement that were identified have all been addressed to the satisfaction of U.S. authorities.”

The 2014

review last fall of Canada’s meat production and inspection system by U.S. food safety experts resulted in an adequate rating for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, but lots of suggestions for improvement. The U.S. is the biggest customer for Canadian meat, and the two countries have a reciprocal inspection agreement under which they accept products from each other with little reinspection. They regularly conduct audits of the other’s meat plants and inspection activities. Canada will release its observations on the American system in the coming months. The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the U.S. Agriculture Department concluded that CFIA performance is “adequate” in maintaining equivalence and meeting its required inspection criteria. It said CFIA should do a better job of ensuring the domestic food industry follows HACCP, an internationally accepted food safety protocol. Sanitation and humane handling of livestock in slaughter and processing plants “also need attention.”

USDA was asked to explain the implications of the adequate rating on Canadian exports to the U.S. but hasn’t yet responded. Under the U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act, FSIS has changed the designations it applies to foreign processors. “All of the facilities audited continue to be eligible to export their products to the U.S. and there are no changes to exports and trade,” CFIA said. The Canadian Meat Council, which represents packers and processors, said the report “confirms that the Canadian meat inspection system is effective and equivalent to the U.S. inspection system… 99.95 per cent of meat and poultry products exported to the U.S. met American import requirements.”

Last fall, auditor general Michael Ferguson warned of weaknesses in CFIA’s management of the recall of contaminated food products and in its followup actions with processors to prevent further incidents. There are significant gaps and shortcomings in the food safety system, he added. “The weaknesses we found in decision-making and followup stand in the way of the continuous improvement of a system intended to deal with food safety incidents in Canada.” Laws said Canada’s meat companies are working to achieve the highest levels of food safety. Since the FSIS audit, the companies have stepped up their testing for E. coli. CFIA has established new inspection teams to check on meat plants and labelling of mechanically tenderized beef. CFIA is also working on a system of fines for companies “that fail to respect federal meat safety requirements,” Gravelle said. CFIA is in the midst of consultations with the food industry about the consolidation and streamlining of its food safety inspection arising from legislation passed last year to overhaul the agency.

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 20, 2014

Does Canadian beef demand respond to quality improvement? Research shows satisfaction with end cuts such as rounds and chucks is also important Beef Cattle Research Council

eef demand is an indication of consumers’ willingness to purchase, and refers to how much beef will be consumed at a given price. Higher beef consumption at higher prices indicates stronger demand; smaller consumption at a lower price indicates weaker demand. However, stronger demand can also be the result of lower consumption at higher prices or higher consumption at lower prices if the positive change is larger than the negative change. This is measured by the Canadian Retail Beef Demand Index.

Beef demand is influenced by consumer income, prices of competing proteins (e.g. poultry, pork and lentils) and evolving consumer preferences for convenience, health benefits and taste. All sources of information indicate price is among the most important determinants of consumption, but previous studies have also shown that food safety and product quality are consistently the top two demand shifters for both ground beef and steak. A recent study led by Dr. John Cranfield at the University of Guelph examined how changes in beef quality impact its demand in Canada. Among

the lessons learned were the challenges of measuring and interpreting beef quality, trade-offs between quantity and quality, and relationships between beef and competing meats. The study found that increasing overall beef demand requires increasing the total value of cuts from the entire carcass. Predictable, consistent eating quality in middle meats (loin and rib-eye) are very important, but beef quality research that leads to increased consumer satisfaction with and consumption of end cuts (rounds and chucks) is equally important. Opportunities may exist to develop

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The Beef Cattle Research Council maintains a blog at www.beefresearch.ca, where more information is available on this study.

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thin meats (e.g. cuts from the diaphragm and flank) into new products that are consistent, convenient, enjoyable and appealing to Canadian consumers. Increasing beef quality can have unintended consequences, particularly if it results in consumers focusing on a limited number of cuts from a small portion of the carcass and avoiding the rest. Products that consistently fail to meet consumers’ quality expectations have a significant negative impact on beef demand.

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JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Too much practice doesn’t make perfect horse health } Like humans, horses are prone to repetitive

strain injuries from doing one thing too often

By carol shwetz, dvm

eveloping muscle memory through practice is important to learning a skill, yet overuse of muscles repeatedly in one particular way or pattern leads to musculoskeletal and nervous system debilitation. Too much practice can be as equally detrimental to performance as too little practice. “Specialized” movement patterns can become firmly entrenched in the musculoskeletal system, sacrificing flexibility and eventually hindering the very movement or activity that practice was meant to perfect. Further consequences of excessive training are fatigue and boredom, both undermining to peak performance. When the body is asked to repeat a task over and over, day in and day out, it is susceptible to repetitive strain/stress injuries. Unlike acute injuries, overuse injuries are chronic and insidious. The heavily used tissues, pushed beyond their abilities to rebuild and maintain themselves, undergo degeneration and an “inflammatory-like” process. Carpal tunnel syndrome, runner’s knee, gymnast’s wrists, golfer’s elbow, tennis elbow, baseball shoulder, and texter’s thumb are familiar human counterparts of repetitive stress injury. Human patients complain of pain, yet when examined by a health-care

professional, nothing physical can be found. The pain itself is peculiar, often described as a burning, achy or gnawing tenderness. The sensation can escalate to tingling and/or pins and needles. Eventually a loss of sensation or strength may occur.

Behaviour change

There are no obvious ways to diagnose repetitive strain injuries in humans, as is also the situation with horses. It has been my experience that the most common presentation of these injuries in horses is a subtle yet persistent and consistent change in the horse’s attitude or way of going. Refusal, a “soured” attitude, and/or resistance are behavioural displays that may be indicating something in the body is amiss. The combination of rigorous training regimes and skeletal and mental immaturity makes younger horses especially vulnerable to overuse injuries. Remember, a horse is not physically mature until five to seven years of age. Problems become further compounded when the horse/s in training are stalled instead of turned out where they are able to move freely and use their bodies in other ways. Horses asked to travel in a “frame” for a prolonged period are prone to repetitive stress/ strain injury. The ability to carry its body in a particular “frame” is very demanding

Trail riding offers horses in training a wide variety of physical and mental stimulation. work for a horse. It requires conditioning and development of the muscles and connective tissue that support, balance, and stabilize the neck and back. These tissues are easily

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AGROTAIN® stabilizer can be applied to urea or added to urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) to reduce ammonia volatilization, and improve crop uptake and utilization of the applied nitrogen. Utilizing AGROTAIN® stabilizer gives you the flexibility to manage your time more efficiently. By removing the nitrogen from your air tank, you can seed more acres in a day, and apply urea treated with AGROTAIN® stabilizer when it’s convenient. If seeding efficiency is less of a concern, side-banding nitrogen may be an effective option. However, if the bands at the time of seeding are shallow, new research indicates your nitrogen may be at risk due to volatilization. Urea treated with AGROTAIN® stabilizer can help protect your nitrogen investment.

overwhelmed during the initial stages of training, and so the body becomes more prone to injuries. Horses who gait or repeat the same “stride” for their

sport can strain muscles of the shoulders, hindquarters, and distal limbs and joints. Western pleasure horses asked to travel with short strides and low neck carriage lose their ability to lengthen their stride while endurance horses that travel with long lengthy strides lose lateral flexibility. Horses used for roping purposes are at risk for “frozen” withers and shoulders as well as arthritis in the lower joints. These tend to be a consequence of the ongoing stresses that occur following “dallying up.” This stress becomes magnified further if the horse is not in the correct position to absorb the concussive forces. Training techniques that employ draw reins, side reins, and longeing have the potential to create unfavourable stress and strain in a horse’s poll, neck and back when used improperly for prolonged periods. Engaging the whole body and mind in a variety of ageappropriate activities and training regimes allows the horse to develop in a manner which pays dividends in high performance, soundness and longevity. Scheduling rest is of paramount importance in any sporting program for it allows the body the time needed to recover and develop skills for expertise levels. Carol Shwetz is a veterinarian specializing in equine practice at Westlock, Alberta.

Trait Stewardship Responsibilities Notice to Farmers Monsanto Company is a member of Excellence Through Stewardship® (ETS). Monsanto products are commercialized in accordance with ETS Product Launch Stewardship Guidance, and in compliance with Monsanto’s Policy for Commercialization of Biotechnology-Derived Plant Products in Commodity Crops. This product has been approved for import into key export markets with functioning regulatory systems. 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 individually-registered 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.

Come visit us at the Farm Tech Conference January 28-30 at booth 86. Want help determining if an enhanced-efficiency fertilizer product is right for you? Have questions for the Nitrogen Miser?

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NEWS U.S. drainage tile maker buys into Canadian market agcanada.com A southern Manitoba company making tile pipe for the agricultural market is about to become the Canadian arm of a U.S. competitor. Minnesota-based Prinsco announced in December it has bought AccuPipe of Winkler, Man. for an undisclosed sum — and also plans to set up a second facility at Taber in southern Alberta. The sale of AccuPipe, which makes high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe for drainage, was expected to close in the next 30 days, Prinsco said, after which AccuPipe will officially become Prinsco Canada. Prinsco said it expects to have its plant at Taber, about 50 km east of Lethbridge, up and running in the spring of 2014. Prinsco, which has operated since 1975, is based at Willmar, Minn., about 130 km west of Minneapolis, and operates manufacturing plants in Minnesota and seven other states.

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 20, 2014

Iowa Disinfectant ineffective company against pig virus — U.S. study develops vaccine for PEDv A Stalosan F disinfectant shown effective on PRRSv, but not PEDv REUTERS

Harrisvaccines working with USDA to obtain a conditional licence BY MEREDITH DAVIS REUTERS

n Iowa animal pharmaceutical company has shipped about 770,000 doses of a new vaccine that treats a deadly swine virus first detected in U.S. herds this year and has spread to 20 states, a company official said in an interview. Harrisvaccines, based in Ames, Iowa, developed the vaccine called “iPED” in August to fight porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, or PEDv. It is one of the first U.S. companies to develop a vaccine to fight the disease. “As soon as we heard of the confirmed cases we started developing the vaccine,” said Joel Harris, Harrisvaccines’ head of sales and marketing. “The vaccine has been used in multiple states, including Iowa and North Carolina, but it is too early to know how effective the vaccine is.” Iowa is the top U.S. hog state and North Carolina is second. The virus — first seen in the United States this spring — is not harmful to humans but causes diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration in hogs and can result in death, particularly in piglets whose weak immune system is less likely able to fight off the virus. “The vaccine is predominately being used in herds that are already affected. They have either already been exposed to the virus or it is used when bringing in animals where the virus is already present,” Harris said. The company said it is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to obtain a conditional licence to more widely market and sell the vaccine. The vaccine is currently available through a veterinarian prescription basis only, Harris said. The USDA can grant a company a conditional licence for animal vaccines in special circumstances including, emergency situations or for a limited market distribution, said Lyndsay Cole, spokesperson for the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. “The hope is to have this conditional USDA approval as soon as possible and then it would be able to be more widely distributed. We are looking to get approved by early to mid2014,” Harris said. Vaccines have been used to fight PEDv in Asia and Europe but those vaccines are not approved for use in the United States due to concerns over their effectiveness, animal health officials said.

disinfectant used in the U.S. livestock industry has so far proven ineffective in preventing the spread of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv), a study funded by the pork industry has found. “Our research unfortunately says that Stalosan F, given the conditions in which we tested it, was not effective in killing the PED virus,” Tom Sundberg, vice-president of science and technology at the National Pork Board, said. The hog industry, which is scrambling to find methods to curb the spread of the virus, is continuing to fund research. As of Dec. 15, the number of confirmed PEDv cases totalled 1,764, across 20 states, according to data from the USDA’s National

Animal Health Laboratory Network. Each case could represent hundreds to thousands of hogs. The pork board funded the study at Iowa State University’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory to determine if the Stalosan F disinfectant used alone could kill the PEDv in commercial hog trailers.

The highly transmissible PEDv was seen for the first time in the United States in April this year.

Vitfoss, the Denmark-based agricultural supplement producer which makes Stalosan F, cautioned that disinfectants alone are not enough to kill viruses when fecal matter is present. “It is my understanding that in order for biosecurity to be efficient, transport trailers are (to be) cleaned, washed and disinfected between each destination and that this is done at secure and clean wash bays away from any livestock or slaughter facilities,” Lars O. Madsen, a Stalosan spokesman, told Reuters in an email. The pork board’s Sundberg said the industry needs alternatives. “We are moving thousands of pigs each day in the industry and the time it would take to do that to every trailer makes that an impossible thing to do in order to

stem the risk of PEDv,” Sundberg said. Stalosan F disinfectant was shown in Canadian research to be effective on different surfaces in killing another disease, porcine reproductive and respiratory virus (PRRSv), Sundberg told Reuters. The highly transmissible PEDv was seen for the first time in the United States in April this year. It can be transmitted through contaminated pig feces on pigs, trucks, boots and clothing. PEDv causes diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration in hogs and could result in deaths — particularly in baby pigs whose immune system can be weak. PEDv is not harmful to humans nor is it transmissible through pork. It has occurred in Europe and Asia, but this is the first year that it has been seen in the United States.

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JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

No Active El Niño through summer

More cold headed for U.S. Midwest?

U.S. weather forecaster Climate Prediction Center (CPC) said on Jan. 9 that it maintains its forecast for neutral El Niño and La Niña conditions in the Northern Hemisphere through summer 2014. In its monthly report, the CPC said that while current forecast probabilities are still greatest for neutral El Niño conditions during the summer, there is an increasing chance for the development of El Niño. — Reuters

Temperatures in the U.S. Midwest were forecast to turn colder late last week but a second, more severe cold snap later this month may pose a bigger threat to the region’s winter wheat, Don Keeney, forecaster with MDA Weather Services, said Jan. 14. The second cold spell, expected around Jan. 25-26, could send temperatures below 0 F (-18 C) in central Illinois and Indiana, Keeney said. The southern Plains hard red Winter Wheat Belt should stay dry with moderate temperatures over the next 15 days, raising the need for beneficial moisture once the crop emerges from dormancy this spring, Keeney said. — Reuters

Alberta’s roller-coaster weather in December After a cold and snowy start, what does the rest of the winter hold?

by daniel bezte

ost of you probably know that I don’t live in Alberta, so when I have to talk about Alberta’s weather I depend on the network of weather station data, my knowledge of typical Alberta weather and feedback from you the reader. I have to admit, it can be tough to discuss the weather when you haven’t actually lived it. When I look back at December 2013 across Alberta I come up with just one word… wait, make that three words… cold and snowy! I’ve studied weather and climate since I was in kindergarten — that’s right, kindergarten. I actually have a weather book from then that was given to me by my teacher because I was so interested in it. So, I know all about chinooks and Alberta’s wild temperature swings, especially in winter, but until you look at the data or live it, you just can’t really understand what it’s like. If we look back at the overall numbers for December you can lose a lot of information. Take Calgary as an example for the southern part of the province. The overall mean temperature for December was -9.5 C, which was over 2 C below the long-term average. From a climate point of view that was a cool month. Now, if we look at the daily temperatures during December we would see that the first week or so saw some extremely cold temperatures, with daytime highs on Dec. 6 only making it to about -25 C and overnight lows dropping below -30 C. Then, by the middle of the month, highs were pushing the 10 C mark. A week later, and highs were struggling to make it to -10 C with overnight lows in the low -20 C range. Then Christmas came and temperatures once again soared, with a high on the 27th again pushing 10 C before temperatures cooled down a bit as the year ended. Along with this temperature rollercoaster came lots of snow. Each time the cold air moved in, it came with snow, and by the end of the month snowfall was around 50 cm, or nearly three times the long-term average.

sured in my own backyard being -44 C, I know just how you felt — it’s not much fun! A week later warm air moved in with highs moving above zero by the 15th of the month. The rest of the month saw temperatures swing back and forth between extreme cold and above-zero weather. One day you had lows pushing -40 C and two days later you hit above zero for highs! Just like in the southern regions, December saw a lot of snow. In fact, looking at the data for Edmonton it seemed to have snowed just about every day! There was measurable snow on 22 days with another eight days reporting a trace. That comes out to a remarkable 30 out of 31 days with some snow falling from the sky. It would take me a fair bit of time to check back through the records on this, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this was a record. When all of the snow was added up it came out to about 40 cm, more than twice the average for the month.

Forecasts

Now, it’s a little late to bother looking at the rest of January (it should be warmer than average), so let’s look ahead to see what the rest of winter and early spring might bring us. According to Environment Canada, the January to March forecast shows the rest of winter on the cold side, but we need to look at their other forecasts to be sure. The next forecast that EC makes covers the period of February to April. In this time frame they are showing us moving towards average temperatures. This trend continues for the March to May period and then transitions into a warmer-than-average forecast for April to June. The way I interpret this is that we’ll see a slow warming trend (compared to average) from now until summer — not a bad forecast. The Old Farmer’s Almanac shows slightly below-average temperatures for February and March, with a transition to above-average temperatures

in April and May. They also predict a lot of snow in February, followed by a dry March and then a wet April. Over at the Canadian Farmers’ Almanac they appear to be calling for cold snowy weather in February and March, with a fair bit of talk about very cold weather, snow and storms. The cold wet weather looks to continue into April with the mention of very cold, weather once again, along with several mentions of rain. May also starts off on the cold and wet side, so all in all, not the best longrange forecast. Finally, my forecast is based on my gut instincts. This forecast is telling me that we’ll be seeing a mild second half of winter with near-average precipitation. This will then transition into well-above-average temperatures and below-average precipitation as we move into spring. Now it’s time to sit back, enjoy the weather we do get as best as we can, and see who lucks out with the most accurate forecast!

In the north

Farther north the story was much the same, just a little more extreme. Using Edmonton as our main centre we find that December 2013 was almost 4° colder than average, with a mean monthly temperature of -15 C. The month, just like in Calgary, started off cold, but by the 6th temperatures just got downright ridiculous, as overnight lows fell to -40 C in some areas. With the coldest temperature mea-

This shows the total precipitation across the Prairies so far this winter compared to the long-term average. It’s easy to see just how wet it has been across the northern two-thirds of agricultural Alberta. A large portion of this region has seen extremely high to record-wet conditions so far this winter.

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 20, 2014

WGRF Invests $2.7 million in new projects Through a co-funding partnership with the Agriculture Development Fund (ADF) and other producer commodity groups, Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF) has announced $2.7 million of new funding towards 26 crop-related research projects. Examples include insect disinfection of stored grains using radio frequency, strategies for fusarium in cereals, improving nitrogen fixation of peas and weed control practices. WGRF said it is working to leverage endowment fund investment by co-funding with provincial agriculture funding bodies, producer commodity organizations and within the Growing Forward 2 AgriInnovation Program framework.

Increased grain production in Viking area prompts elevator expansion Decision to expand based on two-year market analysis of crop availability By Alexis Kienlen af staff

“It’s fortuitous that we’re expanding in a year where there was a big crop, but that did not play into our decision.” Ryan Dechief general manager of Cargill’s Viking facility

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argill is undertaking a major expansion of its Viking elevator. Storage will nearly double — from 13,640 tonnes to 23,400 tonnes — and the railspot capacity will be increased to 100 cars from the current 52, said Ryan Dechief, general manager of the facility. “Compared to Pioneer or Viterra, we have one of the smaller railspots in the region,” Dechief said. “This will put us on par with them.” The Viking facility is already a pretty efficient facility for its size, said Dechief, turning 13,640 tonnes 11 or 12 times each year. “We actually had the highest number of turns of any Cargill elevator in Canada last year and we’ve

done that several times in the past few years,” Dechief said. “It’s one of the highest-use facilities that we have. We feel that the area is definitely providing more grain.” Construction will begin early this year and take between 12 to 14 months to complete. The expansion has been under study for two years and isn’t related to the bumper 2013 harvest, he said. “The decision was based on long-term, in-depth analysis of the productivity of the region,”

said Dechief. “It’s fortuitous that we’re expanding in a year where there was a big crop, but that did not play into our decision.” The Viking facility is on the CN rail line, and ships mainly to Vancouver and Prince Rupert. Producers who deliver to the elevator come from a 60-mile radius, an area that takes in Irma, Provost, Two Hills, Wainwright and Ryley. The completed facility will also include a 13,000-tonne fertilizer shed and a crop inputs product

warehouse. In addition to this expansion, Cargill is also building a grain elevator and crop inputs facility in McLennan. Cargill isn’t the only company increasing storage capacity. Viterra recently purchased the Lethbridge Inland Terminal and announced in November that it will be spending $34 million to expand its facility in Grassy Lake and build a highthroughput terminal in Grimshaw. akienlen@fbcpublishing.com

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See Express® in action at expressvideo.dupont.ca Questions? Ask your retailer, call 1-800-667-3925 or visit express.dupont.ca As with all crop protection products, read and follow label instructions carefully. The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPont™, The miracles of science™ and Express® are registered trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. All other products mentioned are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies. Member of CropLife Canada. © Copyright 2014 E. I. du Pont Canada Company. All rights reserved.

JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Prairie winter wheat seen safe under a blanket of snow The crop was generally well established in many areas ahead of winter freeze-up By Terryn Shiells

commodity news service canada

estern Canada may be in the midst of a deep freeze, but winter wheat crops are none the wiser. “The crop sure is protected, there’s lots of snow,” said Jake Davidson, executive director of Winter Cereals Canada. “I would say that snow cover is more than adequate in most places.” The ample amount of snow in many of Western Canada’s winter wheat-growing regions has created good insulation that is helping to protect the crop from the extremely cold temperatures seen this winter.

It is expected to warm up in mid-January in some areas, but the swinging temperatures shouldn’t cause any problems

as long as the snow doesn’t melt, Davidson said. The crop is expected to remain in good condition throughout the

PHOTo: thinkstock

winter, as long as there aren’t any quick thaws before the spring. “It’s the freeze/thaws that could cause problems, because (the ground) can get wet and the top level of the soil freezes and you get the ice in there,” Davidson said. “It’ll do in the crop.” The crop was generally well established in many areas ahead of winter freeze-up, Davidson said, adding, “we’re working on the theory that all is going to be well.” The number of acres that was planted to winter wheat this fall was exactly the same as last year, though area dropped in Manitoba. But, that doesn’t mean production in the province will also be down. If the weather

stays good, production should be around the same as the year prior, because a lot of winter wheat crops in Manitoba were victims of winterkill last year, said Davidson. Farmers in Saskatchewan and Alberta planted more acres to winter wheat this fall than they did last year. Western Canadian farmers planted 1.155 million acres of winter wheat this fall, with 525,000 from Saskatchewan, 435,000 in Manitoba and 195,000 in Alberta, Statistics Canada data shows. Last fall, growers planted the same number of acres, with 390,000 from Saskatchewan, 600,000 from Manitoba and 165,000 from Alberta.

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Four Prairie farmer plaintiffs leading a proposed class-action suit, calling for federal compensation over the deregulation of the Canadian Wheat Board, have launched an appeal of their recent Federal Court loss. Their proposed class action — first filed in February 2012 and spearheaded by Winnipeg lawyer Anders Bruun and Ottawa lawyer Steven Shrybman — saw most JOB ID: down in a of its pillars knocked 6229 -1 A Nov. 29 ruling from Federal Court Justice Daniele Tremblay-Lamer DATE: JAN 20/FEB 17/ in Ottawa. MAR 17/forward APR 14 The appeal “moves the legal action on the seizure of the CLIENT: wheat board’s SYNGENTAassets CANADAand reputation from farmers by the federal PROJECT: government,” Bruun said in a AXIAL BRAND AD 2014 release from Friends of the CanaPUBLICATION: dian Wheat Board (FCWB). ALBERTA FARMER EXPRESS The FCWB was formed in defence of the CWB’s single marketing desk DESIGNER: for Prairie DC wheat and barley before its deregulation in 2012, and now ) MECHANICAL ( ) PDF/X supports( the proposed suit. Filing FINAL to appeal, Bruun said, also SIZE: 8.125” X 10” “shows the resolve of my clients 240% against the exproto keep UCR: fighting priationCLIENT without compensation SERVICE that the government has visited PROOFREADING on farmers.” “If Ottawa did this to a multiART DIRECTION national corporation it would be PRODUCTION forced by (the North American Free Trade Agreement) and our other trade obligations to provide compensation,” plaintiff Nathan Macklin of DeBolt, Alta. said in the FCWB release. FCWB chair Stewart Wells said the group believes TremblayLamer “made errors of fact in her judgment.” The group’s supporters, he said, feel “it is imperative that we continue with our legal efforts to recover the $17 billion of value and assets farmers put into the wheat board.”

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2014-01-08 12:53 PM

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 20, 2014

Bunge sells U.S. ethanol plant The Obama administration is expected to cut the requirement for blending ethanol with gasoline By Michael Hirtzer reuters

unge North America has sold its stake in a Mississippi ethanol plant in what is likely to be the first in a spate of industry deals amid uncertainty over biofuel use in the United States, analysts said Jan. 2. Ethanol makers are turning big profits now, but the future is cloudy with the U.S. Environmental Protection agency expected early this year to reduce the mandate to mix biofuels with gasoline in what would be the first cut in the 2007 Renewable Fuel Standard, or RFS. “In my view, it’s a good time to sell and reinforces Bunge’s focus on value creation,” said Ann Duigan, an analyst at JP Morgan Chase. “More deals (are) likely if RFS declines.”

Privately held Ergon Inc. purchased Bunge’s share of what had been a 2007 joint venture for a 54-million-gallon-per-year ethanol plant in Vicksburg, the only facility that produced cornbased ethanol in Mississippi. The financial terms were not disclosed, and Ergon did not say what percentage of the venture Bunge owned. “This transaction allows us to look at alternative feedstocks, as well as how the plant may be used for products beyond traditional ethanol production,” Don Davis, president of Ergon’s refining and marketing division, said in a statement. The Mississippi facility has been idle since December 2012 after the worst U.S. drought in 50 years decimated corn supplies. Industry experts said it could also produce ethanol with sugar or sorghum. “The ethanol sector is doing

well lately, which is probably helping deals get done; valuations on plants are pretty high right now,” said Darin Friedrichs, an analyst at AgTraderTalk, citing ample U.S. corn stocks after a record-large 2013 harvest and a 30 per cent drop in corn prices in the past six months. Margins for U.S. ethanol makers rose to their highest in at least five years recently as corn prices plunged. But if the Obama administration moves to cut mandated biofuel use in the United States, further expansion is unlikely, even as the industry consolidates, analysts said. The EPA recommended reducing the biofuels mandate in November and the proposal now is under final review. For corn-based ethanol, the agency proposed to cut the mandate to about 13 billion gallons a year from around 14.4 billion.

Margins have improved for ethanol producers, prompting some to think this is a good time to sell. photo: ©thinkstock

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NEWS CP to sell South Dakota track to short line

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staff More than 1,000 km of Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) track, used mainly to haul grain across South Dakota, are set to be sold as the company streamlines its U.S. operations. CP on Jan. 2 announced a deal to sell the western portion of its Dakota, Minnesota + Eastern (DM+E) line to Connecticut-based short line operator Genesee + Wyoming Inc. (G+W) for $210 million (all figures US$). G+W, whose international holdings include eight short lines in Eastern Canada, plans to operate the line as the Rapid City, Pierre + Eastern Railroad, pending approval from the U.S. Surface Transportation Board and other closing conditions being met. Calgary-based CP, which bought the DM+E railroad for $1.48 billion in 2008, will still own and operate just over 3,000 km of DM+E track in the U.S. once the deal closes, now expected by mid-2014. CP said the deal follows a “comprehensive strategic review process” it launched in late 2012, and describes the sale as part of its “ongoing transformation to make its network stronger for its entire customer base.”

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The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPont™, The miracles of science™ and PrecisionPac® are registered trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. All other products are trademarks of their respective companies. Member of CropLife Canada. © Copyright 2014 E. I. du Pont Canada Company. All rights reserved.

JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Dow’s Enlist system closer to approval Critics claim health risks from the 2,4-D component of the herbicide system By Carey Gillam reuters

Dow’s Enlist system is designed to combat the spread of glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth, which has spread to 155 million acres in the U.S. photo: laura rance

he U.S. Department of Agriculture said Jan. 3 it was leaning towards a long-awaited approval of Dow AgroSciences’ genetically altered “Enlist” corn and soybeans that have been heavily criticized by groups that say they will harm the environment. The Enlist seeds are designed to be used in combination with a new herbicide developed by Dow that combines the weed killers 2,4-D, known for its use in the Agent Orange defoliant, and glyphosate. Dow, a unit of Dow Chemical, says the crops and the herbicide combination, the “Enlist Weed Control System,” will help combat an explosion of crop-choking weeds around the United States that have become resistant to glyphosate, the chief ingredient

in the popular Roundup herbicide sold by Dow rival Monsanto Co. Dow officials cheered the USDA announcement, which followed over two years of scrutiny of Enlist by the agency. They said Enlist corn and soybeans should be on the market by 2015, roughly two years after the initial target launch date. Enlist cotton should follow them at some point in the future, they added. “Enlist will be a tool to help address the significant weed control problems that farmers are facing today,” the company said in a statement. Critics reacted with alarm and reiterated warnings that approval of the new biotech crops will only increase the use of pesticides and thus increase weed resistance over the long term. They say there are significant health risks associated with 2,4D. It was one of the ingredients in Agent Orange, the Vietnam War defoliant blamed for numerous health problems suffered by soldiers and Vietnamese civilians during and after the war. Although the main health effects of Agent Orange were blamed on the other component of the mixture (2,4,5-T) and dioxin contamination, critics say 2,4-D has significant health risks of its own.

Onslaught of concerns

The Center for Food Safety, a chief critic of Enlist, said that 2,4-D and other herbicides of its class have been independently associated with deadly immune system cancers, Parkinson’s disease, endocrine disruption, and reproductive problems. “This is among the worst applications of biotechnology,” said Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the Center for Food Safety. “They will increase the use of toxic pesticides in industrial agriculture while providing absolutely no benefit to consumers.” Last May the USDA said it was extending its scrutiny of Enlist after receiving an onslaught of concerns from the public and biotech critics. In its decision announced Friday, the USDA said it had completed a “Draft Environmental Impact Statement” (DEIS) for Enlist corn, and two types of Enlist soybeans and said its “preferred” option was approval of all three. The USDA noted in its statement that its regulatory authority is limited and it primarily evaluates the risks a new biotech crop presents to other crops or plants. The draft EIS will now be available for public review and USDA said it will hold a “virtual public meeting” to receive feedback from the public before it makes a final regulatory decision. USDA’s review comes at the same time that the Environmental Protection Agency is reviewing the safety of Dow’s Enlist 2,4-D herbicide. The EPA is expected to issue its proposed regulatory decision in the next few months. As Dow pushes for approval of its new crop/herbicide combination, Monsanto, in conjunction with BASF, also is seeking regulatory approval for new genetically altered soybeans and cotton that resist a new dicamba-based herbicide.

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 20, 2014

Officials warn of threat of invasive mussels in irrigation reservoirs Last year, seven boats with Zebra or Quagga mussels were discovered in the province, setting off alarm bells about the threat to the irrigation system By Alexis Kienlen af staff

t was a close call and prompted provincial officials to warn boaters to take care and not inadvertently bring invasive mussels into the province. Seven boats with Zebra or Quagga mussels were discovered in the province last year, and officials said they would cause havoc if ever introduced into the province’s irrigation reservoirs. “We have a lot of snowbirds who go down to Arizona, where we know that there are mussels, and then they come back and head out to an irrigation reservoir for an afternoon of boating,” said Nicole Seitz, Lethbridge-based water research specialist with Alberta

Agriculture and Rural Development. “They could potentially be bringing mussels into that water body.” Alberta is still believed to be free of these two types of mussels, which are native to the Caspian Sea and were transported in the ballasts of cargo ships into the Great Lakes in the 1980s. Since then, they’ve spread in a clockwise direction throughout the eastern and southern U.S. In October, they were discovered in Lake Winnipeg. Should they find a home here, it would be a serious blow to the province’s $3.5-billion irrigation industry. The mussels would easily spread from one reservoir to the next due to the conveyance networks. They attach to any hard surface and reproduce rapidly, which means they would quickly

cover irrigation infrastructure and clog water intakes and pipelines. “That’s a major concern for us, because Alberta has about 8,000 kilometres of pipelines,” said Seitz. “If they clogged a pipeline that would reduce water conveyance and we couldn’t get water onto the fields as needed. Also, there would be perpetual maintenance involved in trying to control them.” Alberta has some native mussels, which are easily distinguishable from the invasive species because they don’t attach to anything. A full-grown Zebra or Quagga mussel is about the size of a human thumbnail and has a lifespan of between three to five years. “New generations settle on top of old generations, so they create a buildup,” said Seitz. There is an invasive aquatic species prevention program that includes volun-

Be on the lookout for Zebra and Quagga mussels, which are invasive species in Alberta. The Quagga mussels pictured above are from Lake Mead, Nevada. tary boat inspections, water body monitoring, a reporting hotline and an education and outreach campaign. Seitz will outline the program in a Jan. 29 webinar. To participate

Cargill earnings boosted by big U.S. crop harvest

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.S. agribusiness giant Cargill Inc. on Jan. 9 reported a 36 per cent rise in quarterly profit, supported by a bigger U.S. crop harvest in 2013 that led to lower grain prices and boosted profit margins on meat sales. Minneapolis-based Cargill reported net earnings of US$556 million for the second quarter ended Nov. 30, up from $409 million a year ago. Revenues slid seven per cent from a year ago to $32.9 billion. Cargill, the top exporter of U.S. grain and oilseeds, benefited from replenished grain supplies following a bumper U.S. corn and soybean harvest after the 2012 drought. This boosted export prospects and grain-processing volumes and also improved profits in its meat and ethanol businesses. “The impact on supply and demand caused prices for agricultural commodities to come down from last year’s highs, providing relief to Cargill’s animal nutrition and protein segment,” the company said in a statement. “Larger export volumes and increased operating efficiencies also contributed to stronger results, especially in beef processing.” Cargill, one of the world’s largest privately held corporations, had revenue of $136.7 billion for fiscal 2013, which would have placed it No. 10 on the Fortune 500 list of publicly held companies. Cargill’s size and scope continued to expand in the 67 countries where it operates and employs 142,000 people.

go to ww.agric.gov.ab.ca, type ‘mussels webinar’ in the search box and follow the links. akienlen@fbcpublishing.com

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JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Chair of new cereals group says it should model itself after canola council Willingdon farmer Greg Porozni says Cereals Canada will focus on research, market development and leveraging dollars BY ALEXIS KIENLEN ALBERTA FARMER STAFF

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new organization formed to enhance the domestic and international competitiveness of Canadian cereal grains will focus on collaboration to create value for the entire sector, says the inaugural chair of Cereals Canada. “We as an industry need to have a unified and cohesive voice to represent the entire industry and we haven’t had that in the past,” said Greg Porozni, a Willingdon grain grower who has two decades’ worth of experience with various boards and commissions. “I’m talking from grower right along the entire value chain.” He said his past experience on the Canola Council of Canada showed him how industry-wide co-operation creates a win-win situation for everyone. Currently, the group includes representatives from the Alberta Wheat Commission, the Grain Farmers of Ontario, Cargill, Sygenta Crop Sciences, Weyburn Inland Terminal and Viterra, among others. The group’s creation isn’t connected to the end of the wheat board’s monopoly, but the simple need for industry to work together, said Porozni. The goal is to bring other grain organizations on board. “We’re working on that, but at the same time we need to respect that barley has its own council and we need to collaborate with them wherever possible,” said Porozni, a fourth-generation farmer. “The bottom line is that we’re all growers. We all grow barley, oats, and everything. We have to work together.” Cereals Canada’s newly elected 12-member board includes growers, life sciences representatives, seed companies, end-users, and exporters. The organization is still in the planning stages, but he said it’s hoped to have a president in place by the end of January and to open its Winnipeg headquarters in a few months Strategic planning sessions will be held at the end of March, with the focus on making smart use of limited grower dollars, creating value for all participants in the industry and advancing market development and research, he said “We’ve got to think big picture and we’re going to be investing in specific areas,” said Porozni. “Market development would be one area that we would start on and work our way from there. It’s a competitive world out there and there are countries throughout the world that are doing the same thing we’re doing. We have to be a leader throughout the world to promote wheat throughout the value chain.” Working co-operatively will be key.

Greg Porozni, the new chair of Cereals Canada, says the group was formed to bring industry players together. PHOTO: SUPPLIED “Eventually, I think we will have collaboration in wheat breeding, for example, with producer, private and public,” he said. Porozni said he expects breeding will not focus on one specific variety or class, but will be similar to the Australian model, where the entire industry decides whether it wants to fund the development of a new variety. “You have to remember that it costs about $80 million to $100 million to take a variety from beginning to end,” he said. “We as growers cannot afford to launch just one specific variety. It’s too high risk.” Cereals Canada will be co-operating with the Canadian Grains Commission and the Canadian International Grains Institute. The co-ordinated efforts will help the Canadian wheat market compete globally, he said. “Whenever we do a trade mission, it has to be in conjunction with all the industry players, to make sure we’re all on the same page. If there is an opportunity, we need to be on it, be nimble and get it.” Canada’s wheat industry needs to define itself and meet the customers’ needs, he said. “We cannot be just a bulk exporter, in my opinion.” The president of the Grain Growers of Canada said the new organization won’t duplicate the work done by his group. Gary Stanford said his organization will focus on trade deals and policy issues while Cereals Canada will focus on research, variety development and marketing. “They’ll do a little bit of policy work, but not a lot,” said Stanford. Some individuals and commissions will be members of both groups, and Stanford said both may send members on the same trade missions. Cereals Canada could speak about the attributes of Canadian grain, while his organization would work with agriculture and trade ministers to discuss trade policy. “We’ll work together on certain issues, but we’ll be handling different things,” said Stanford. akienlen@fbcpublishing.com

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 20, 2014

Wheat variety recommending committee adopts streamlined measure Committee chair Brian Beres says the new operating procedures are supposed to be more predictable and transparent

he variety registration process for western Canadian wheat is being streamlined, but scientific merit assessment of disease resistance, agronomy and end-use quality will continue. This and other changes overwhelmingly approved in a vote Dec. 5, 2013 by members of the Prairie Recommending Committee for Wheat, Rye and Triticale (PRCWRT), will make the recommending process more predictable and transparent, PRCWRT chair Brian Beres told the Manitoba Seed Growers Association’s (MSGA) annual meeting in Winnipeg last month. “We are changing the way we vote because there are concerns about... predictability and that there wasn’t enough of it,” said Beres, a research agronomist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at the Lethbridge Research Centre. “Part of it related to too much voting.” The new operating procedures will apply when the PRCWRT, which is made up of wheat experts from public and private institutions, including farmers, meets in Winnipeg Feb. 25 to 27 as part of the Prairie Grain Development Committee’s annual meeting. The PRCWRT has three evaluation teams to assess new wheats for disease resistance, agronomy and end-use quality. Under the

Similar to canola

“So some of these varieties won’t actually ever be voted on,” Beres said. “It will be similar to the canola model where it will be plugged into a merit-assessment tool. If it looks good it is endorsed without voting and if all teams endorse it then it’s recommended for registration without a vote. I think that’s a pretty good way to go because that doesn’t lessen the science and the merit behind that decision.” If the new system had been in place in the past about 85 per cent of new wheats would’ve been recommended without a vote. Under the new system varieties that get a mixed review from one or more of the evaluation teams will go before a voting panel, which will reassess the data and hear arguments by the variety’s

Seed growers support current variety registration system By Allan Dawson staff

Canada has a flexible variety registration system so it doesn’t need changing, Dale Adolphe, executive director of the Canadian Seed Growers Association, told the Manitoba Seed Growers Association’s annual meeting in Winnipeg Dec. 12. But what does need changing, he added, is how quickly the federal government moves a crop kind to a different registration regime after the industry requests it. “We value the flexibility of the current system,” Adolphe said. “What we don’t value is the responsiveness of the government to make the changes through the system.” However, that might change, he said. The Agricultural Growth Act, tabled in Parliament last month contains provisions that should make it easier to make changes faster. The current system for recommending new varieties was implemented in 2009 after extensive industry consultation, Adolphe said.

Three options

Under the current system there are three options for registering new varieties. Part I is what exists now for new wheats in Western Canada. They must go through

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old system each committee met separately to review the data collected from replicated trials and then voted by a show of hands on whether new varieties should be recommended for registration. Then all three teams would meet and vote again through a secret ballot. Now the evaluation teams will continue their assessments, but if all three agree a new wheat meets the standard, it will be recommended to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for registration without the committee as a whole voting.

pre-registration trials with merit assessment overseen by an expert committee. Based on the data the committee decides whether or not to recommend the Canadian Food Inspection Agency register the variety. Under Part II new varieties must go through pre-registration trials, but merit assessment is not required. Crops under Part III only need to meet basic variety registration requirements. Pre-registration trials and merit assessments are not required. Industry players, if there is a consensus, can ask the government to move a crop to a different part. The canola industry did that weeks after the new registration system was implemented, Adolphe said. In contrast, the federal government has failed to put oilseed soybeans under Part III even though the industry requested it four years ago. “The failure is not the (existing registration) system, but the government’s regulatory change process,” he said. Some critics don’t want any new crop kinds placed under the registration system, Adolphe said. “I think the Brassica carinata sector is looking at having carinata... subject to variety registration and that option should be there for the value chain if that’s what you want,” he said.

Produced by: SeCan Product/Campaign Name: SeCan Pasteur Date Produced: December 2013

By Allan Dawson

breeder or representative about membership. Some perceived it why it should be recommended. to be dominated by government The panel will then vote on whether officials, who were viewed as to recommend the variety or not. A “regulators,” Beres said. In fact the similar process is used for canola, government members are experts Beres said. and make up about half of the The 23-member voting panel will committee. be made up of seven representa“If you break things out like that, tives from each team, plus one rep- I think it’s quite balanced actually resentative each from the Canadian the way it is at present,” he said. Seed Growers Association and the Canadian Seed Trade Association. Site-years Critics of the old process argued Under the new system wheats will a system based on voting could be require 24 site-years of data collected over three calendar years, politicized and subjective. “I think it (the old process) was a instead of four years of data. Up to four site-years of foreign pretty democratic system that we had with a secret ballot, but I also data will be acceptable if it’s colunderstand the concerns about lected in American states adjoining predictability so we’ve moved in a Prairie province. New varieties will be assessed that direction as part of the confor five diseases instead of seven. sensus,” he said. One weakness under the old pro- The diseases are: fusarium head cess was crop disease experts were blight, leaf, stem, and stripe rusts underrepresented, he said. The and common bunt. Canada has a unique variety new process fixes that. system Concerns have also been 12/11/13 raised registration SEC_PAST13_T_AFE.qxd 1:19 PM Page 1 for wheat, about the PRCWRT committee’s Beres said.

“What that means is when that variety is released in Canada you already have a performance package that’s ready for the farmer, or the sponsoring agency has a higher rate of confidence to predict performance within a certain agro-eco zone,” Beres said. “At the same time the CGC (Canadian Grain Commission) has also determined what the market class is for that (variety).” Last February Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz wrote all the variety recommending committees asking them to evaluate their procedures and find ways to streamline the process. Ritz doesn’t want the regulatory system discouraging the availability of new superior wheats to Canadian farmers. Wheat industry officials were also invited to submit their recommendations for improving the registration process by Nov. 30, 2013. allan@fbcpublishing.com

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JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Trim: 15.5”

TOUGH WEEDS, MEET EXPRESS . ®

Crank up the rate all you want, glyphosate alone still misses a number of hard-to-kill weeds like narrow-leaved hawk’s-beard, flixweed, stinkweed, dandelion and volunteer canola. With hotter-than-hot systemic activity, DuPont™ Express® herbicides don’t just control weeds, they smoke them from the inside out, getting right to the root of your toughest weed challenges with performance that glyphosate alone can’t match. It’s no wonder Express® goes down with glyphosate more than any other brand in Western Canada! Visit expressvideo.dupont.ca to see Express® in action – torching tough weeds like dandelion and volunteer canola right down to the roots, so they can’t grow back.

Express® brand herbicides. This is going to be hot. Questions? Ask your retailer, call 1-800-667-3925 or visit express.dupont.ca

As with all crop protection products, read and follow label instructions carefully. The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPont™, The miracles of science™ and Express® are registered trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. All other products mentioned are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies. Member of CropLife Canada. ©Copyright 2014 E. I. du Pont Canada Company. All rights reserved.

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Albertafarmexpress.ca • january 20, 2014

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MULTIPLE MODES OF ACTION TAKE GLYPHOSATE TO THE NEXT LEVEL How to manage the threat of weed resistance before it manages you.

rairie farmers depend on glyphosate for agronomic practices such as pre-seed, chemfallow and post-harvest herbicide applications. Recent years, however, have seen an increase in documented cases of weed resistance, with glyphosate a key concern. What can growers do?

EFFECTIVE NON-CROP USE OF GROUP 2 HERBICIDES

UNDERSTAND WHY RESISTANCE OCCURS

For pre-seed weed control, DuPont scientists recommend a pre-seed burn-off treatment of Express® (Group 2) or PrecisionPac® NC-00439 or NC-0050 (Group 2) with glyphosate (Group 9). This is particularly effective if the crop rotation includes a crop such as Roundup Ready® canola and weeds that are not effectively controlled by glyphosate alone.

Weeds become resistant when they’ve had too much of a good thing. Practices that work well one year become less effective over time, if there’s no break in routine. For example, glyphosate alone will not control glyphosate-resistant kochia and may increase the risk of glyphosate resistance occurring in other weed species. Faced with Roundup Ready® volunteers and hard-to-kill weeds not controlled by glyphosate alone, growers have found that adding in DuPont™ Express® brand herbicides helps control these weeds and manage the threat of resistance.

Group 2 herbicides are a highly effective tool to control weeds. Like other herbicide groups, they should be mixed with herbicides from other groups in the same spray to manage resistance.

Because Group 2 and Group 9 herbicides have activity on many of the same weeds, growers get multiple modes of action working for them. In certain situations, adding a third mode of action such as dicamba, 2,4-D or MCPA (Group 4) may be advisable when there are weeds resistant to multiple groups. Express® brand herbicides significantly improve control of tough weeds such as narrow-leaved hawk’s-beard, flixweed, stinkweed, dandelion and volunteer canola, compared to glyphosate alone. This approach also helps proactively manage weed resistance.

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MANAGE RESISTANCE ON YOUR FARM Crop rotation and complementary weed control

A field should have a rotation of at least three crop types. Consider also weed control methods such as higher seeding rates, planting clean seed, mowing out suspected resistant weed patches before they go to seed and using herbicides according to label directions.

Multiple modes of action

Herbicides are categorized into 17 groups, based on how they target a weed. For example, Sulfonylurea (Group 2) herbicides control weeds by inhibiting an enzyme essential to their growth. “If at all possible, producers should use mixtures of herbicides that use multiple modes of action in the seeding year,” says Ken Sapsford, University of Saskatchewan. “It’s one further step to help stop resistance from developing.”

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Glyphosate plus Heat®

Glyphosate plus Express® SG

Source: Controlled growth room environment, 29 days after application, Dr. François Tardif, Peter Smith, University of Guelph, Plant Agriculture Department, January 2013.

To see Express® brand herbicides in action, please visit expressvideo.dupont.ca Questions? Ask your retailer, call 1-800-667-3925 or visit express.dupont.ca The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPont™, The miracles of science™, Express® and PrecisionPac® are registered trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. All other products mentioned are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies. Member of CropLife Canada. ©Copyright 2014 E. I. du Pont Canada Company. All rights reserved.

JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Tyson demands better treatment of hogs by its suppliers Follows release of undercover footage of extreme hog abuse BY P.J. HUFFSTUTTER REUTERS

yson Foods Inc., the nation’s second-largest pork producer, said Jan. 9 it will require more humane animal treatment by farmers who raise its pigs and keep a closer eye on all of its hog suppliers in North America. Tyson said it will be rolling out more third-party inspections this year of sow farms that supply it with animals. And after an undercover video last year caught an Oklahoma farm operation abusing some of Tyson’s own pigs, the company will require all to install video-monitoring systems by year’s end, according to a letter Tyson sent out to farmers Jan. 8.

Tyson also said in the letter it will force its contract farmers to stop euthanizing sick or injured piglets by blunt force, such as slamming a piglet’s head against the ground in order to kill it. Many of these new hog rules for hog producers, according to the letter, are required for only those farmers who raise pigs owned by Tyson: less than five per cent of the company’s annual hog supply in North America comes from these operations, said company spokesman Gary Mickelson. The company is also asking these contract farmers to roll out pens for pregnant sows that have improved “quality and quantity of space,” according to the letter. The letter did not specify what such enclosures should be, but

noted that “we believe future sow housing should allow sows of all sizes to stand, turn around, lie down and stretch their legs.” The majority of Tyson’s hogs are supplied by more than 3,000

“We believe future sow housing should allow sows of all sizes to stand, turn around, lie down and stretch their legs.” TYSON LETTER TO SUPPLIERS

independent operators, the company said. Tyson said it is encouraging these independent farmers, who sell their animals to Tyson’s slaughter plants, to adopt all these new changes, but only the additional third-party audits will be required of such operators this year. The letter was delivered weeks after Tyson Foods terminated its contract with the Oklahoma-based operation after undercover video footage was released showing farm workers hitting pigs with wooden boards, kicking animals and gouging their eyes. The company’s policy changes were not in reaction to any one incident, but part of an ongoing push for “responsible animal

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practices” among all of its suppliers, said Mickelson. “We’re trying to balance the expectations of consumers with the realities of today’s hog-farming business,” Mickelson said.

BRIEF 4-H triples food donation goal 4-H Canada says that its members donated 75,675 pounds of food to local food banks in 2013, which far surpassed the goal of 26,000 pounds, or one pound for each Canadian 4-H member. They nearly tripled their original goal by raising cash, collecting cans and even harvesting nine acres of soybeans. “Our 4-H youths have a strong tradition of giving back to their communities and they understand the need to share food with those who need it most,” said Shannon Benner, CEO of 4-H Canada. “It’s a tremendous accomplishment of 4-H members working together to raise thousands of pounds of essential food for food banks and in turn assisting Canadians in need,” said Katharine Schmidt, executive director of Food Banks Canada. 4-H Canada said it had tremendous support throughout its centennial year with a variety of events, such as the national food drive.

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Texas economist sees two more years of high cattle prices Analysis: Beef production seen down six per cent for 2014 and another four per cent for 2015 TEXAS AGRILIFE RELEASE

or beef cattle prices to continue their record run, the 2014 U.S. corn crop will have to produce record yields, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economist. That aside, the 2014 beef cattle market outlook is poised for another historic run as lack of supply will continue to fetch strong bids on calves. “Look for continued high prices,” said David Anderson at the recent Central Texas Cow-Calf Clinic at the Milano Livestock Exchange. “Tight supplies are underpinning the market. I think we are going to have higher calf prices than we did in 2013 and higher prices in 2015 than we did in 2014.” Fewer cows and calves will lead to less beef production over the next couple of years, Anderson said. Cattle-on-feed numbers as well as slaughter and beef production are down from levels a year ago, signalling less supply. Anderson said the biggest threat to future high calf prices is feed prices. “If the nation’s corn crop comes up short, that could drive up prices putting downward bid prices on the calves,” he said. Fed cattle set new record prices the week of Jan. 1-3.

In 2013, Anderson said there were as many beef cows slaughtered for the year as there were in 2012, as a percentage of the herd. “We kept culling, which is why I think we will continue to have tighter supplies going forward,” Anderson said. He predicts beef production to be down six per cent for 2014 and another four per cent for 2015. “I think we will have higher prices whether it is retail or cattle prices,” he said. “I don’t think we are there yet as far as herd expansion.” The only concern ahead is the 2014 corn crop. Anderson said corn prices today “are darn near half of what they were in 2012. In 2013, the opposite happened. We had a record corn crop and corn prices went down, while calf prices took off. Going forward, to maintain these high calf prices we’ve got to have a record corn crop.” Anderson said there will be fewer acres of corn planted this year as some farmers shift to soybeans to take advantage of potential price runs. Demand remains strong for beef despite record-high beef prices, Anderson said. “The question I get all of the time is when are people going to quit eating beef in reaction to record-high beef prices?” he said. “It hasn’t happened yet. We’ve had record prices for months and months, and I think

they are going to continue to go up. We’ve seen a shift in the kind of beef we eat, but haven’t seen people giving up their hamburgers for pork or chicken. We continue to have slowly growing beef demand with a slowly growing economy. We could see it pick up for beef demand as the economy grows in the latter half of 2014. If you put tighter supplies with growing demand, I think we will be talking about higher prices in the years ahead.” Anderson said there have been reports of declining beef consumption, but said the real result is a reduction in beef production. “I think as we produce more cattle, consumption will go up.” Looking ahead, Anderson said he predicts higher calf prices for 2014 than levels hit in 2013. For 500-pound to 600-pound steers, he sees prices of $178 per hundredweight and $184 per hundredweight for the first quarter of the year. By the first quarter of 2015, those prices could hit the $189-per-hundredweight mark for No. 1 steers. For now, Anderson said there has been a tendency for packers to overpay for cattle, which continues to pressure bids for feeder cattle as there are fewer to be sold. That’s led to imbalances and packers losing money as the competition heats up to purchase a shrinking inventory.

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Dutch farmer finds animal health and welfare go hand in hand Gerbert Oosterlaken wants animal welfare advocates on his side instead of the opposition Some have described the Netherlands as a living laboratory for sustainable intensive livestock production. With 16.7 million people living with 11 million hogs, 80 million chickens and 400,000 cows in an area that is onefifteenth the size of Alberta, it is impossible for the animal industry to operate below the public’s radar. Growing public distaste over environmental and animal welfare issues came to a head a decade ago when a series of disease outbreaks caused catastrophic losses, leaving disturbing headlines and images in their wake. Government and industry was pushed into action. Today, production protocols — both regulatory and selfimposed — in the Netherlands exceed European and global standards on several fronts. The costs have been high. But so are the rewards. Co-operator editor Laura Rance recently participated in a study tour sponsored by the Dutch consulate in Washington, D.C. of how the pork and poultry sectors have adapted. Here is one hog farmer’s story.

By Laura Rance editor, manitoba co-operator Beers, Netherlands

hen Gerbert Oosterlaken began designing a new 600-sow barn on his livestock and crop farm in this densely populated district, he wasn’t interested in state-ofthe-art production systems. He looked 20 years into the future — one he believes will be driven as much by how well he can get along with his nonfarming neighbours as it is by economics. “We thought in advance what can come to us, and where do we have to go?” he told a group of Canadian visitors. So when Oosterlaken’s barn opened for business last year, it also opened to the public. Visitors can drop in any time during daylight hours, serve themselves a hot beverage from a push-button dispenser in the viewing room, and watch what goes on through windows overlooking the farrowing and sow barns. The production facility was built with steeped pitched roofs to match the architecture of the area, and equipped with ammonia scrubbers that work so efficiently that it’s hard to tell from the outside that you’re standing

Gerbert Oosterlaken describes his farrowing-rearing system. photo: laura rance beside a pig barn. Plans are also in place for a biking and hiking trail around the property. While European law now requires Oosterlaken to implement group housing for his sows within 28 days of breeding, Netherlands law moves that up to after four days. T:10.25”

And he didn’t stop there. He has also eliminated farrowing crates, opting instead for a roomy farrowing pen that provides the sow with freedom of movement and her piglets access to a separate warming area through piglet-sized doors. And he no longer castrates the boars produced on his farm, a

decision that puts him years ahead of the 2018 target for phasing out the practice in the Netherlands.

Licence to produce

Oosterlaken, 54, is among a growing number of livestock producers } Continued on next page

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in the Netherlands who recognize that while productivity and profits are key to their business success, it will be public opinion that determines whether they are in business at all. “That’s my licence to produce in the future,” he said. “If they are standing here and blocking my gates because they don’t agree with the way I produce, then we have a problem. “We can tell them that we have the right to do it, but when you’re held back every day, then you can’t produce properly.” He happily reported that animal welfare organizations have visited his property and liked what they saw. That opens the door to the next phase of his business plan. “They are standing at our back and they look the same way we are and I am pleased with that. That’s why I am confident that I can get a new market system that will finally sell my pigs for a better price,” he said. The costs of appeasing animal welfare advocates have been high. He spent about 2,800 euros (C$4,130) per sow to build his barn compared to the industry average of 2,000 to 2,200 euros, mainly because of increased space per hog.

“Part of it I get back from animals that produce better, and part of it I have to get back by getting my meat sold for a better price.” Gerbert Oosterlaken

Sows are grouped by parity, body condition and feeding requirements. Photo: Laura Rance For starters, doing the job was one of the least favourite activities. “Second the pigs are suffering from castration. And third, for me as a farmer, we cut off the best part of the pig because boars are efficient with feed; they

grow better than gilts, so for me as a farmer, producing boars is only better.” His barn is divided into four colour-coded sections; he changes boots when moving from one section to the other. Visitors from the

outside are restricted and must shower in and out. Oosterlaken said by focusing on animal health and reducing herd stress, the combination of management changes has reduced his use of therapeutic antibiotics to 10 per cent of what he used before.

But having happy hogs and improved production efficiency is only part of the payoff from the changes he’s made. “Part of it I get back from animals that produce better and part of it I have to get back by getting my meat sold for a better price,” he said. “That’s my goal in the next two years — all the pigs that are born on my farm have to be in a new marketing system,” he said. That just may happen thanks to an initiative by the country’s major animal welfare organizations, which have worked with grocery retailers to develop a three-star system for meat products produced according to humane and environmental standards. But perhaps the biggest reward is reading the guest book comments left behind by his neighbours, who bring their grandchildren to the viewing room to see how pork is raised. “That gives me a good feeling. I think in Holland some pig farmers don’t want it known in the city that they are pig farming because they’re actually a little ashamed,” he said. “I am happy and I am proud to be a pig farmer.” laura@fbcpublishing.com

Less stress

But there are also rewards. The new farrowing-rearing system creates a healthier and less stressful environment for the piglets, who remain with the sow for 25 days instead of the usual 20. They learn to eat from their mother, who is fed on the floor and shares her food with her offspring from the time they are about five days old. Oosterlaken said when he first implemented the system there were naysayers who said piglets couldn’t eat what sows eat. He said they can, and they do. He said it is also common to see the sows allowing their piglets to eat first before they clean up what’s left of their ration. “It’s beautiful to see,” he said. At weaning, the sow is removed from the pen. The weanlings remain there with their litter mates until they are 25 kg. Because they are already eating, they move directly on to grower rations, eliminating the more expensive starter feeds. That step alone saves about one euro (C$1.36) per weanling in feed costs, he said. Leaving the litter intact in a familiar environment also reduces stress, which means less chance for illness or injury from fighting. The only stress they face is losing their mother. “The only thing they can think about after they are weaned is they cry for the first two days; they want their mother back. That’s all. They know what their pen looks like, they know where to take in feed and they are drinking water,” he said. Oosterlaken credits the system with reducing weanling death losses from four per cent to one per cent in his operation.

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Starving disease

He farrows on four-week cycles, believing that diseases most apt to strike piglets in their first week of life are starved for new vectors for three weeks of every farrowing cycle. His sows are housed according to their first, second and third parities and then divided into smaller groups according to their body condition and feed requirements. He said ending boar castration on his farm was as much about production efficiency as it was to appease animal welfare groups. “For me there was no discussion, whether we would not or would castrate, because I wanted to stop castration,” he said.

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JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

A kinder, gentler way of killing chickens Mountain View Poultry in Okotoks, Alta. will be among the first to install it BY LAURA RANCE EDITOR, MANITOBA CO-OPERATOR LIENDON, NETHERLANDS

t used to be that if the preacher said he was coming for dinner, a chicken met its maker before lunch. Cooking up a fresh bird was the on-farm version of fast food long before Colonel Sanders hit the scene with his Kentucky Fried franchise. A hen could contribute to the family’s breakfast and still be on the table for the main meal. Having its neck wrung or head chopped off is obviously a no-win situation for the bird, but in the care of a deft farmhand, at least its suffering was limited to a matter of seconds from the time it was scooped out of the chicken coop. And it was arguably more humane than modern processing methods that entail catching and loading the birds into cages and transporting them to a slaughterhouse, where they endure a panicked few moments hung in shackles by the feet with their wings flapping frantically, dipped into water and stunned with electrical current before being bled out and eviscerated. “I really don’t like the shackles,” said Wim Van Stuyvenberg, a slaughterhouse systems designer with TopKip B.V. in the Netherlands, noting it is not only painful, but frightening. “I really feel sorry for the birds.” But in the modern world in which most consumers no longer have the interest or the capacity

to produce and process their own food, meat processing is all about volume, speed and efficiency. Measures are taken to keep birds’ suffering to a minimum, but animal welfare groups are constantly pressuring industry and regulators to do more.

Intense pressure

Nowhere has that pressure been more intense than Europe, and in particular, the Netherlands. There standards for treatment of animals in the livestock industry are routinely much more stringent than required by European Union regulations, which are already the toughest in the world. Making those last few moments of an animal’s life as stress free and painless as possible is an increasingly complex task for the meat industry, but in the Netherlands, it has also spawned some welfare-friendly innovations that coincidentally also improve meat quality. As of Jan. 1, 2013 new EU regulations upped the electrical current poultry processors are required to use in the water-bath stunning systems in order to make extra sure all birds are unconscious before entering the processing line. “For a slaughterhouse, it is a complete disaster,” said Van Stuyvenberg, adding that the new regulations have exacerbated two problems with existing poultry slaughter designs. In commonly used water-bath stunning systems, the electrical current travels from head to toe, jolting the entire bird. In an

increased number of instances, the higher current essentially “blows up the bird,” as the electrocuting forces cause blood vessels to burst, causing blood splatter and reducing carcass quality, he said. Van Stuyvenberg said the second problem with existing systems is that it applies the same force to every bird, which in many cases leads to overkill. Regardless of size, all birds differ in the electrical current needed to render them unconscious. To use a human analogy, it is not unlike the need for anesthesia levels to be uniquely tailored to each surgical patient. He has come up with a system that rectifies both issues, and which provides more comfort for the birds as well.

Cradles, not shackles

Rather than restraining the birds with shackles before stunning, the TopKip system cradles the birds in a cone, which is more soothing. A computerized paddle on each side of the bird’s head measures the resistance (measured as ohms) and delivers precisely as much punch as needed to render the bird unconscious for 30 seconds. The electrical current only travels through the head, leaving carcass quality intact. Using the same principle, Van Stuyvenberg is working on portable euthanasia devices for use in poultry and hog barns. In the prototype, the euthanizer is worn on the hips like a gun holster. A small animal can be dropped into the cradle and euthanized

within seconds, replacing the effective but socially unpopular practice of bashing their heads on hard surfaces. “It’s actually very simple. We know the voltage, we know the currency that we give. We don’t know the resistance. As soon as electrodes touch the head, immediately the computer starts to calculate the resistance,” he said. An added bonus is the poultry line system records the electrical dose delivered to each bird, at a line rate of 13,500 birds per hour, data that can be stored and reviewed for quality control. Plus, the system can easily be modified to meet requirements for halal and kosher meats, in which the animals must be conscious at the time of slaughter. Mountain View Poultry in Okotoks, Alta., which raises and processes its own broilers, will be the first in Canada to use the new stunning system when it reopens early this year after a renovation. Owner Jonathan Kielstra said the advantages are worth the $150,000 cost — a fifteenfold increase over a stunning system. “The biggest thing is, I really feel it is more humane,” Kielstra said. The cradle cones are less stressful for the birds than being hung upside down by their legs. “They tend to relax when you cradle them,” he said. “I like the fact that every bird gets stunned individually,” he said. And it is only the head that receives the current, not the full body, which should result in better quality.

TopKip’s Wim Van Stuyvenberg shows his prototype for a portable euthanizer in poultry and hog barns. PHOTO: LAURA RANCE Kielstra is also considering another of TopKip’s innovations — a carcass-chilling process that uses a combination of air and water baths to significantly reduce the time it takes to chill a carcass after slaughter. The family-owned firm which processes 30,000 birds per week for specialty markets in Alberta hopes to make its upgraded processing methods into a marketing advantage. Consumers may be far removed from the production chain, but they still care about process. “I think we’ll be able to advertise it,” he said. Co-operator editor Laura Rance travelled to the Netherlands in December courtesy of the Dutch government to see how the animal industry is adapting to stringent animal welfare, environmental and food safety requirements. laura@fbcpublishing.com

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 20, 2014

Hawaii anti-GMO law contested

Boeing seeks approval for ‘green’ diesel

Three of the world’s largest agrichemical companies have filed a lawsuit in Hawaii to try to block a new law enacted on the island of Kauai that tries to limit the planting of biotech crops and the use of pesticides. DuPont, Syngenta and Agrigenetics Inc., a company affiliated with Dow AgroSciences, filed suit Jan. 10 claiming the action is unconstitutional. The Kauai bill, passed in November, requires large agricultural companies to disclose pesticide use and GMO crop plantings while establishing buffer zones around schools, homes and hospitals. A similar measure has been introduced on the island of Maui. — Reuters

U.S. aircraft maker Boeing Co. aims to seek approval from regulators around the world to use “green diesel” as a jet fuel, which could cut carbon emissions without boosting costs. Green diesel is made from oils and fats such as used cooking oil, plant oils or waste animal fats in a process that uses hydrogen to break big molecules into smaller ones. Green diesel emits at least 50 per cent less carbon dioxide than fossil fuels over its life cycle, according to Boeing. The wholesale cost is around $3 a gallon including government incentives, about the same as for oil-based jet fuel and cheaper than other biofuels, Boeing said. — Reuters

HEARTLAND Gulf states seek food security elsewhere

Past African farmland purchases ran into political controversies By Maha El Dahan abu dhabi / reuters

assets in the developing world, mainly Africa. They hoped these investments would give them direct access to big food production bases, insulating them from global swings in food prices. But the reality has proved difficult. Some of the African projects have drawn accusations that Arab investors are grabbing land that should be used to feed local people. Bad security and weak infrastructure have plagued some ventures. Although Gulf companies announced plans to spend billions of dollars, the problems mean many of the projects have not gone ahead, at least not to the point of large-scale food production, said Eckart Woertz, senior research fellow at the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs. “Rather than greenfield investments in Africa, the focus is more on putting money in already established agro-producers,” said Woertz, author of a book on the subject, Oil for Food.

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he desert states of the Gulf are changing tack in their multibillion-dollar search for food security. With their farming projects in some of the poorest African nations sometimes arousing local hostility, wealthy Arab investors are turning to those developed countries that comfortably produce more food than they consume. United Arab Emirates-based agricultural firm Al Dahra chose this path in March, buying eight agricultural companies for $400 million in Serbia, a major food exporter where public attitudes to foreign-owned farming may be less sensitive. Projects in Europe, North America and Australasia tend to be more expensive and offer less scope to build vast estates like in Africa. But they also present fewer political problems and less risk for the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait which all need Grain prices to feed growing populations. For years the Gulf states, The Gulf states began investing dependent on imports for 80 heavily in farmland overseas to 90 per cent of their food, around 2008, after bad weather poured cash into buying tens of in big food-producing nations, SEC-AUST11-T_AFEx.qxd 10/14/11 12:49 use PM Page 1 growing of biofuels and thousands of hectares of cheap farmland and other agricultural curbs on farm exports by some

governments sent grain futures markets soaring. Wealthy Gulf governments never came close to facing food shortages but they did get a fright — especially because the price of oil, their main source of income, briefly tumbled by three-quarters in 2008. At the same time, expensive programs to increase food production within the Gulf were running up against the region’s brutal climate and lack of water. Saudi Arabia began to scale back a domestic wheat-growing program in 2008, planning to rely completely on imports by 2016. So Gulf states encouraged their companies to buy arable land in the developing world. Al Dahra is typical of that drive; it is a private firm, owned mainly by Abu Dhabi investors, but its mission statement pledges to “partner with the UAE government in realizing the strategic food security program.” The last few years have demonstrated the limits of the Gulf’s strategy of throwing money at the food security problem, however. Many projects abroad have found themselves vulnerable to capricious policy changes and trends in local politics. Abu Dhabi investment firm Jenaan has since 2007 accumulated about 67,200 hectares

of arable land in Egypt, which is a big importer of wheat. The company originally planned to grow fodder to feed the UAE’s livestock. But Jenaan was hit by a 300 Egyptian pound ($43) a tonne export tax, and faced other problems such as labour strikes and shortages of diesel to power machinery. This has forced Jenaan to grow wheat instead of fodder, all for consumption within Egypt, said company chairman Mohammad al Otaiba. “We were incurring loss after loss. So now in Egypt we will only grow grains and we will also work in the dairy business — but all for local consumption,” he said. Saudi Arabia-based billionaire Mohammed al-Amoudi faced problems in Ethiopia after his firm Saudi Star acquired about 10,000 hectares in the Gambella region to grow rice. In April 2012 an armed group ambushed Saudi Star employees, leaving five people dead. Gulf investors say they are sensitive to host nations’ needs and the projects benefit local people by stimulating the economy. But in countries with a history of poverty and famine, it can be hard to escape controversy. “It has proven very difficult to get big projects like that off the ground as apart from the

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problems with the lack of infrastructure, the poor irrigation and low technology, you also need to deal with the local population and its issues,” said Rob Bailey, research head at London thinktank Chatham House.

Stability

Gulf states are therefore looking more closely at projects in Europe and the United States, where political and policy risks — while not negligible — seem smaller. In June this year Saudi Arabian-owned United Farmers Holding Co. acquired Continental Farmers Group, a firm which has farming operations in Poland and Ukraine and produces crops including wheat and maize. Gulf projects in Africa were often mainly land purchases, needing infusions of technology for farming to begin. By contrast, many of the investments in Europe are in agricultural businesses that just need some financial help to grow. “Often you have companies that have reached a certain level and they need investments to move to the next level themselves, so it makes a good partnership for us,” said Brian Barriskill, supply chain director at Al Dahra.

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JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Sask. challenges Que. dairy laws Saskatchewan says dairy-labelling laws contravene interprovincial trade rules agcanada.com

uebec’s laws blocking sales of certain margarines, nondairy coffee creamers and dessert toppings are the target of a new challenge from Canada’s top canola-growing province. A dispute resolution panel formed under Canada’s Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) will hear Saskatchewan’s challenge of Quebec’s Food Products Act on Jan. 8 in Quebec City. “We believe that these illegal restrictions in Quebec contravene rules that prohibit governments from creating barriers to trade in Canada,” Tim McMillan, Saskatchewan’s minister responsible for trade, said in a release Dec. 30. A ruling from the AIT panel is to be issued within 45 days of the hearing. The AIT, whose signatories so far include the federal government and all provinces and ter-

ritories except Nunavut, is meant to lower barriers to the free movement of people, goods, services and investment within Canada. The agreement, which came into force in 1995, calls for parties to first hold consultations to settle disputes, but allows a dispute resolution panel to be requested where the matter can’t be resolved in consultations. According to the Internal Trade Secretariat, Saskatchewan and British Columbia, with support from Manitoba, had sought consultations with Quebec in January last year, alleging Quebec’s Food Products Act puts unwarranted restrictions on the manufacture and sale of “dairy analogues and blends” in Quebec. The act allows Quebec’s provincial government to designate when milk or any derivative of milk “ceases to be a dairy product” and when milk is to be considered the main ingredient in the making of a dairy product. The province can also authorize

Until 2005, Quebec required that margarine could not be sold with the same colour as butter. PHOTo: thinkstock standardizing of the proportion of fat and other solids of any dairy product. Saskatchewan in June this year formally requested an AIT panel on the matter.

A strenuous defender of its dairy sector, Quebec has previously placed substantial limits on the marketing of non-dairy products such as margarine. An AIT panel in 2005 shot down

USDA catches traders off guard

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Quebec’s decades-old ban on the sales of margarine sporting the same “pale-yellow hue” as butter. Until 2008, margarine could only be sold in Quebec with a lard-like whitish appearance.

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Winter wheat plantings reported down three per cent from 2013 By Ros Krasny / Reuters

.S. corn stocks were below expectations in December and 2013-14 carry-out will be smaller than expected, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Jan. 10, causing the day’s corn futures prices to jump as much as five per cent. The USDA forecast 1.631 billion bushels of corn will remain when the new U.S. crop is ready for harvest, roughly double the drought-affected level of a year ago but down from 1.792 billion projected in December. The corn stocks-to-use ratio for 2013-14 tightened to 12.4 per cent from 13.7 per cent forecast a month earlier, suggesting corn was underpriced ahead of the report. That caught many traders leaning the wrong way after the market set contract lows just one day earlier. “The big buffer, the big cushion that we had is not as big as we had previously thought,” said Don Roose, analyst at U.S. Commodities. “No doubt about it, the numbers were a shocker on the corn, they were bearish on the wheat, but I’m not sure they were 20 cents bearish,” said Charlie Sernatinger, analyst at ED&F Man Capital. USDA also showed that recent falling prices caused farmers to turn away from wheat plantings in the U.S. Midwest. Total winter wheat-seeded area for 2014 was down three per cent from a year ago at 41.9 million acres, with seedings of hard red winter wheat up and soft red winter wheat down sharply. USDA’s soybean ending stock estimate was unchanged.

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 20, 2014

General Mills removes GM from those little toasted Os Cereal giant joined others in fight against GM labelling propositions REUTERS

eneral Mills Inc. said it has stopped using genetically modified (GM) ingredients in the popular breakfast cereal Cheerios as the U.S. brandedfoods manufacturer hopes the move will firm up customer loyalty in the face of growing opposition to such additives. Many activists and critics have cited studies suggesting GM crops are not safe for people and animals who consume them. Some activist groups opposing GM food also say the crops create environmental problems by encouraging more use of certain agrochemicals, and consumers should have the right to know what they are buying.

Since there are no GM oats, making Cheerios GM free isn’t that difficult. However, General Mills, which also makes Betty Crocker dessert mixes and Yoplait yogurt, said in a company blog post that its decision on ingredients was not driven by safety concerns and “was never about pressure” from critics.

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

“It’s not about safety. Biotech seeds, also known as genetically modified seeds, have been approved by global food safety agencies and widely used by farmers in global food crops for almost 20 years,” the General Mills blog said.

The Minneapolis-based company said it has begun using non-GM cornstarch and non-GM sugar in Cheerios, adding that oats, the primary ingredient, is a crop that is not grown from genetically modified seeds.

“Why change anything at all? It’s simple. We did it because we think consumers may embrace it,” the company said in its blog post, credited to Tom Forsythe, the company’s vice-president for global communications. “General Mills offers non-GM choices in most of our major categories in the U.S., and now we can say the same about the ingredients in original Cheerios.” In November, a Washington state ballot measure that would have required labelling of foods containing GM crops did not win wide approval. General Mills, Nestle USA, PepsiCo, Monsanto, DuPont and other corporate giants were key contributors in a consortium raising roughly US$22 million to campaign against the bill.

Seed Hawk receives carbon footprint STAFF

eed Hawk says it has become the first agricultural equipment company in the world to receive Carbon Trust carbon footprint certification. Carbon Trust is an international company headquartered in the U.K. that provides independent certification of carbon footprints. The Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) conducted the life cycle carbon footprint of the three products, and submitted the information to Carbon Trust. The certification was awarded for the Seed Hawk 45 and XL Series toolbars, with and without Sectional Control technology, and the 30 Series product line. “As one of our core pillars, Seed Hawk is committed to environmental sustainability. This commitment not only relates to our company’s environmental footprint, but also our commitment to help farmers operate more sustainably,” Seed Hawk president and CEO Peter Clarke said in a release. SRC said it will continue working with Seed Hawk on the project. The next step will be for SRC to further engage with growers in Seed Hawk’s continued certification and environmental improvement efforts by collecting new, customized data over the next few years. This data can then be used to renew Seed Hawk’s carbon footprint certification, as well as provide necessary information for potential improvements to its equipment in the future.

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JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Lost hooves led to Zilmax withdrawal The grisly discovery of hoofless cattle led to the withdrawal of ‘vitamin Z’ and sparked a fierce debate By P.J. Huffstutter and Tom Polansek

walla walla county, washington

he North American beef industry’s dependence on the muscle-building drug Zilmax began unravelling here, on a sweltering August day, in the dusty cattle pens outside a Tyson Foods slaughterhouse at Pasco in southeastern Washington state. As cattle trailers that had travelled up to four hours in 35 C heat began to unload, 15 heifers and steers hobbled down the ramps, barely able to walk. The reason: the animals had lost their hooves, according to USDA documents. All 15 were destroyed. Two more animals with missing hooves arrived the next day and were also destroyed. The animals’ feet were “basically coming apart,” said Keith Belk, a professor of animal science at Colorado State University, who has seen photos of the lame cattle. All 17 animals had a factor

in common — all had been fed Questions arise Scientists say they have yet to deterZilmax. The day after the hoofless ani- mine whether Zilmax causes ailmals were euthanized on Aug. 6, ments so severe that cattle must be Tyson told its feedlot customers it euthanized. One theory is that the would stop accepting Zilmax-fed federally approved feed additive cattle. After a videotape of appar- may compound the effects of comently lame Zilmax-fed animals, mon feedlot nutritional disorders drug maker Merck temporarily such as acidosis, which can affect suspended sales to the U.S. and animals that consume too much Canada. But the company insists starch (primarily grain) or sugar Zilmax is safe, citing 30 research in a short period of time. Heat and studies since it was introduced animal genetics may also be factors. Regardless, the episode at the in 2007. The company also reviewed the Tyson plant is coming to light at a time of growing concern over the situation at Pasco. “Several third-party experts were use of pharmaceuticals in food brought in to evaluate the situa- production — a concern which tion, review the data and identify recently prompted the USDA to potential causes for the hoof issue,” roll out new policies to phase out Merck said in a statement. “The the use of antibiotics in livestock findings from the investigation production. The cases of hoofless cattle showed that the hoof loss was not due to the fact these animals had also raise ethical questions about whether the drive to produce received Zilmax.” Merck declined to identify the greater volumes of food, as cheaply names of the third-party investiga- as possible, is coming at the cost of animal welfare. Zilmax can add up tors or provide more detail on the T:8.125” to 33 pounds of marketable meat research findings.

to a 1,300-pound steer, but as livestock researcher Temple Grandin noted, losing hooves would cause pain similar to having your toenails yanked off. “It would hurt a whole lot,” said Grandin, adding she has not witnessed any of the incidents of Zilmax-fed cattle with lost hooves. However, federal law requires Merck to report all animal deaths, and any other adverse reactions, in connection with use of its products. A review of those reports shows at least 285 U.S. cattle have died unexpectedly or been destroyed since 2007 after being fed Zilmax. And at least 75 animals lost hooves and were euthanized over the past two years after being fed the additive.

Preparing for a return

Some veterinarians and animal experts say there is no proof Zilmax was the chief cause of any cattle deaths. “My assessment is that I do not see data supporting the concerns today, at least the data that I have

reviewed and been aware of,” said University of NebraskaLincoln animal science professor, Galen Erickson. But some previously staunch supporters are beginning to question the product’s safety. “Maybe we found the point where we pushed the cattle just so hard in the sake of making a buck that we exceeded the biological limits of the cattle,” said Abe Turgeon, a prominent livestock nutritionist who had previously recommended Zilmax to some customers. Merck plans to reintroduce Zilmax at some point, but hasn’t said when. However, sources say the company has been approaching cattle nutritionists, livestock academics and other professionals who influence opinion in an effort to gain industry insight and win support for the return of the drug. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it “has not reached any conclusions on the safety of Zilmax but the agency is continuing to receive and evaluate data.”

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Zilmax, one in a class of drugs known as beta-agonists, racked up $160 million in Canadian and U.S. sales in 2012 after becoming a go-to solution for the financially stressed feedlot sector. It was so popular, it was dubbed ‘vitamin Z.’ It’s also helped offset a decline in cattle numbers. Last month, beef cattle walking into a U.S. packing plant averaged a record 1,346 pounds — up more than 20 per cent in the last two decades. Tyson and rival beef processor Cargill say they will not accept Zilmax-fed cattle until Merck can provide a scientific vetting of the drug’s safety to animals. Both companies, too, have cited concerns about China and other nations that have barred meat produced from Zilmax-fed cattle. And lameness is just one issue with the additive. FDA records chronicle incidents of Zilmax-fed cattle experiencing stomach ulcers, brain lesions and blindness while Merck also has reported animals showing signs of lethargy, bloody noses, respiratory problems, and heart failure. A Reuters review of USDA data found euthanizations of cattle have risen nearly 175 per cent since Zilmax came on the market. The government data does not, though, draw a link between Zilmax or any other possible factors and the increase in euthanized cattle at meat-packing plants. The number of euthanized cattle — from 1,600 to 2,300 annually — and the other reports of cattle dying is also quite small relative to the more than 30 million cattle slaughtered each year. Merck is now trying to win the industry back. At a closed-door session of an Academy of Veterinary Consultants conference in Denver on Dec. 5, some 300 cattle veterinarians sparred over Zilmax. During the debate, they broke into informal camps of “believers” who think Zilmax hurts cattle, and “disbelievers” who discount its negative effects, according to Larry Moczygemba, president of the academy. The debate ended without any conclusions being reached. “Few, if any, think this is just a beta-agonist problem all on its own,” Moczygemba said. “But our role as vets puts animal wellbeing first.”

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 20, 2014

Lethbridge Inland Terminal shareholders sell to Viterra LIT has been owned by about 200 farming shareholders across southern Alberta agcanada.com

major farmer-owned highthroughput grain elevator at Lethbridge, Alta. is poised to raise the banner of Canada’s biggest grain handler. Viterra, the Regina-based Canadian grain-handling arm of Swiss commodity firm Glencore Xstrata, announced Dec. 30 it plans to buy the elevator assets of Lethbridge Inland Terminal (LIT) for an undisclosed sum. The sale, which still requires approval from LIT’s farmer shareholders and from government regulators, already has the unanimous support of LIT’s board of directors, Viterra said in a release. An information circular to share-

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holders was mailed last Monday, the company added. “The board of directors and staff of LIT are very proud of what we have been able to accomplish in a relatively short amount of time in a very competitive and mature southern Alberta marketplace,” Darcy Heggie, a Raymond, Alta. producer and LIT’s founding president and chairman, said in Viterra’s release. LIT, which opened in the fall of 2008, operates on Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) track southeast of the city off Highway 845 about a mile south of Highway 4. When built, it was hailed by its backers as “a new choice in a time of rapid consolidation of the grain industry” and a way to help keep agricultural profits in Alberta.

The terminal, built for about $23 million, is supported today by about 200 farming shareholders across southern Alberta, including various sizes of grain operations, Hutterite colonies and First Nations. The facility, listed by the Canadian Grain Commission at 41,190 tonnes of handling capacity, is one of the 10 biggest primary elevators in the province. It would become Viterra’s largest Alberta elevator, ahead of its sites at Smoky River (40,900 tonnes), Trochu and Killam (39,500 tonnes each). Viterra CEO Kyle Jeworski described LIT as “ideally located and an excellent fit in our overall asset network.” Jeworski also noted the company’s recent investments in

Lethbridge Inland Terminal was built in 2008 for about $23 million. Alberta, including planned expansions for its elevator at Grassy Lake, about 80 km east of

Lethbridge, to bring that site’s handling capacity up to about 36,500 tonnes.

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ast December in Russia was the warmest since the record began in 1891, while the average temperature was more than 4 C above the seasonal norms, Russia’s weather forecaster Hydrometcentre said Jan. 3. The warm December could have a positive implications for winter grains, which the forecaster has said were in a better state than ever. A rainy autumn delayed the seeding campaign in Russia and Ukraine, two of the main Black Sea grain exporters, but an abnormally warm October and November extended the planting season, while December weather was also favourable. However, the unusual warm winter raised concerns about success of forthcoming 2014 Winter Olympics in the subtropical Black Sea resort of Sochi. Unusually warm temperatures last winter prompted organizers of Russia’s first postSoviet Olympics and first Winter Games to store some 450,000 cubic metres (16 million cubic feet) of snow in the mountains just in case. Meteorologists were optimistic there will be no shortage of snow for the Games in February. Hydrometcentre said on Friday that 2013 was the sixth-warmest year on record in Russia.

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JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Traders squeezed as Indian farmers turn stockpile gamblers Access to low-interest capital allowing some farmers to wait rather than sell at lower prices immediately after harvest BY RAJENDRA JADHAV PIWDAI, INDIA / REUTERS

F Indian customers purchase onions at a vegetable market last year. In September and October, farmers’ holding back of supplies of onions, a staple of many Indian dishes, forced the government to organize emergency supplies from China and Iran to calm record prices ahead of elections in five states. PHOTO: REUTERS/MUKESH GUPTA

armers such as 68-yearold Ghanshyam Gokale are quietly shaking up agricultural commodity trading in India, forcing the likes of top soybean processor Ruchi Soya to shift its business model away from futures contracts and towards the “spot” market. Gokale, and other prosperous growers like him, has stopped selling his crops immediately after harvesting. Instead, he has converted his old house into two warehouses, where he stores his produce and waits for prices to rise when supplies dwindle.

Rising wealth due to a rally in agricultural crop prices, a jump in farm loan disbursement at more favourable interest rates and larger houses with space for storage are giving millions of farmers the freedom to decide when to sell their harvest. That is disrupting seasonal supply patterns and squeezing processors and exporters, who have been left unsure whether they will get enough supplies on time to fulfil their contracted obligations. “Money gives you the power to hold crops,” said Gokale, who kept back his entire harvest of 350 quintals (1,295 bushels) of soybeans from 30 hectares (75 acres). “Farmers are getting higher prices. They are becoming rich.”

Soybean, rubber, rice and sugar cane prices have more than doubled in five years, while wheat and corn prices have surged more than 60 per cent, boosting earnings of farmers. “Usually small farmers rush to sell their crops in the first three or four months after harvesting and prices fall,” said Gokale, who plans to build a cold storage for potatoes at his farm in Piwdai village, near the central Indian city of Indore, 600 km (370 miles) northeast of Mumbai. “I started selling crops after six months. By that time supplies fall and I garner higher prices.”

Supply cycle disrupted

In September and October, farmers’ holding back of supplies of onions, a staple of many Indian dishes, forced the government to organize emergency supplies from China and Iran to calm record prices ahead of elections in five states. With the exception of highly perishable commodities such as some vegetables, farmers have started holding back almost every crop, from pulses to cotton to rubber, says Nitin Kalantri, a pulses miller based at Latur in the western state of Maharashtra. As a result, he struggles to operate his mills at full capacity.

“Money gives you the power to hold crops.” GHANSHYAM GOKALE

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Jagdish Rawalia, another prosperous farmer from neighbouring Sanawadia village, said there was less risk in delaying sales now that farmers mostly borrow from banks that charge around four per cent interest per year. “Just five years back the interest rate was 16 per cent,” said Rawalia. “Moneylenders were charging much more than that. Then there was more risk and less incentive in holding back supplies.” Farmers usually borrow ahead of sowing to buy seeds and fertilizer. Private moneylenders had been charging interest as high as 30 per cent per year from farmers in the absence of institutional credit. So after harvesting farmers were quickly selling their crops to repay the loans. In 2008 the government waived agriculture debt of millions of farmers who had defaulted, reopening access to bank loans for many such farmers in a populist move that, along with an interest subvention scheme, made new credit cheaper. “More and more farmers will borrow from institutions like banks and co-operative societies in coming years as the banking network is expanding in rural areas,” said a senior official at National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development.

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 20, 2014

2013 was an up-and-down year for Canada’s pork industry Lower feed prices and a weaker Canadian dollar were positive factors for the industry commodity news service canada

t was an up-and-down year for Canada’s pork industry in 2013, as producers were struggling to break even in the first half of the year before posting a strong second half heading into 2014. “I think most producers in December 2012 were looking ahead at 2013 and thinking that it was going to be a fairly profitable year,” said Perry Mohr, general manager for Hams Marketing Services in Headingley, Man. “I think it was February or March that both Russia and China banned U.S. pork that was fed ractopamine and that put a big damper on hog prices from that point until the middle of June, early July. Most

Wetland loss shrinks China water resource Loopholes in protection laws allow farmers to continue draining beijing / reuters

hina’s wetlands have shrunk nearly nine per cent since 2003, officials said on Jan. 12, aggravating water scarcity in a country where food production, energy output and industrial activity are already under pressure from water shortages. China has more than a fifth of the world’s population but only six per cent of its freshwater resources. Since 2003, wetlands sprawling across 340,000 sq. km — an area larger than the Netherlands — have disappeared, officials of China’s State Forestry Administration (SFA) told reporters. “The investigation shows that China is facing various problems with wetlands protections,” Zhang Yongli, vice-director of the forestry body, told a news conference, adding that loopholes in protection laws imperil the shrinking wetlands. The lost wetland areas have been converted to agricultural lands, swallowed by large infrastructure projects or degraded by climate change, the forestry administration said. Wetlands lost to infrastructure projects have increased tenfold since the government’s last survey in 2003, Zhang added. Water scarcity endangers China’s economic growth and social stability, and China has set aside $660 billion for projects to boost supply this decade. Wetlands store a large amount of China’s freshwater resources, and receding wetlands will leave less water available in the long term, Debra Tan, director of Hong Kong-based non-profit China Water Risk, told Reuters.

producers were lucky if they were breaking even.” He added that fundamental factors started turning in the producers’ favour midway through 2013, leading to strong pork prices for the rest of the year. “I think (U.S. exports) started to pick up to China again and Mexico was importing a lot of pork,” Mohr said. “Probably the single biggest factor was that domestic consumption was starting to increase. That was driven largely by record-high beef prices.” Declines seen in grain prices and the value of the Canadian dollar also had big impacts on the strong pork prices through the fourth quarter of the year, which is historically when prices decline. “Feed prices did decrease exponentially, but most of that decrease occurred in the fourth quarter,”

“Feed prices did decrease exponentially, but most of that decrease occurred in the fourth quarter.” Perry Mohr Hams Marketing

Mohr said. “The Canadian dollar really started to help us mostly in the last half of the year, going from par to US93 and 94 cents. That adds $6, $7 or $8 per pig to the equation, so that goes directly to the revenue side.” Despite the strong second half of the year, Mohr said that producers probably didn’t make a lot of money in 2013.

“Overall, if we stand here today, look back and reflect on the last half of the year, we’d say it was a pretty good year,” he said. “Did they make a lot of money? Probably not.” Once the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), a free trade agreement between Canada and the European Union, is finalized, Mohr said

it will have a positive impact on the industry in the long term. “I can argue that it had no impact on hog prices in 2013, and it may not have very much impact on hog prices in 2014, but it is certainly a positive development when a market opens up to you that hasn’t been a very big market traditionally.” Looking at 2014, Mohr noted the outlook is as good as it’s been in a long time for the industry. “It’s probably as positive of an outlook as we’ve had in the last 10 years,” he said. “If we look at it from a cost perspective, bins are bursting and there’s grain laying all over Western Canada on the ground. From a price perspective, if you look at futures today, with the exception of the next month or so, things look profitable.”

Always read and follow label directions. FMC and Authority are trademarks and Investing in farming’s future is a service mark of FMC Corporation. ©2014 FMC Corporation. All rights reserved. F101-032481 1/14 Kochia image by Howard F. Schwartz, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org

By Brandon Logan

www.fmccrop.ca

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12/20/13 8:31 AM

JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

SOME SEED REPS STAND BY THEIR PRODUCTS. WE PREFER TO GET WAIST-DEEP IN THEM.

Pioneer ® brand products are provided subject to the terms and conditions of purchase which are part of the labeling and purchase documents. The DuPont Oval Logo is a registered trademark of DuPont. ® , ™, SM Trademarks and service marks licensed to Pioneer Hi-Bred Limited. © 2014, PHL.

F:10.8”

Trim: 21

m: 21.6”

Albertafarmexpress.ca • january 20, 2014

Trim: 15.5”

That way, we can help our partners get the best yield possible. It’s this kind of passion that’s helped Pioneer Hi-Bred people become leaders in the seed business and in their communities. Talk to your local Pioneer Hi-Bred sales representative or visit pioneer.com for more information.

Our experts are grown locally @PioneerWCanada

F:10.8”

JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

China says over three mln hectares of land too polluted to farm Government trying to reverse damage done by years of urban and industrial encroachment beijing /reuters

bout 3.33 million hectares (eight million acres) of China’s farmland is too polluted to grow crops, a government official said Dec. 30, highlighting the risk facing agriculture after three decades of rapid industrial growth. China has been under pressure to improve its urban environment following a spate of pollution scares. But cleaning up rural regions could be an even bigger challenge as the government tries to reverse damage done by years of urban and industrial encroachment and ensure food supplies for a growing population. Wang Shiyuan, the vice-minister of land and resources, told a news briefing that China was

determined to rectify the problem and had committed “tens of billions of yuan” a year to pilot projects aimed at rehabilitating contaminated land and underground water supplies. The area of China’s contaminated land is about the same size as Belgium. Wang said no more planting would be allowed on it as the government was determined to prevent toxic metals entering the food chain. “In the past there have been news reports about cadmiumcontaminated rice — these kinds of problems have already been strictly prohibited,” he said. This year, inspectors found dangerous levels of cadmium in rice sold in the southern city of Guangzhou. The rice was grown in Henan, a major heavy metalproducing region.

China’s determination to squeeze as much food and resources as possible from its land has put thousands of farms close to chemical plants, mines and other heavy industries, raising the risks of contamination. With food security still the most pressing concern, China is determined to ensure that at least 120 million hectares (295 million acres) of land are reserved for agriculture, a policy known as the “red line.” The rehabilitation of polluted land is part of that policy. A government land survey revealed traces of toxic metals dating back at least a century as well as pesticides banned in the 1980s, and state researchers have said that as much as 70 per cent of China’s soil could have problems.

A Chinese worker collects catfish for disposal in a polluted pond in Haikou, Hainan province, Sept. 10, 2013. Local government acted to kill all catfish at the pond after the water tested below standards, according to local media. PHOTo: REUTERS/Stringer

NEWS TM

Global Perspectives... Local Knowledge

2014

Join us... Jan. 28-30 Edmonton EXPO CENTRE at Northlands FarmTech™ 2014 Speakers Chris Hadfield Astronaut, Former Commander of the International Space Station FarmTech™ 2014 Banquet

Michael Clemons CFL Legend, Toronto Argonauts Vice-Chairman

Dr. Lutz Goedde McKinsey & Company

R.L. (Dick) Wittman Wittman Farms Consulting

Leona Dargis

Canada’s premier crop production and farm management conference. FarmTech™ 2014 features an outstanding line-up of speakers delivering more than 65 concurrent sessions covering the latest in technology, environment, agronomy and farm business management. The Agricultural Showcase is home to the most innovative companies displaying their products and services along with special events and networking opportunities.

Monsanto critics denied court hearing on seed patents Reuters The U.S. Supreme Court on Jan. 13 upheld Monsanto Co.’s biotech seed patents, dealing a blow to a group attempting to ward off lawsuits by the company against farmers. The group, made up of 73 organic and conventional family farmers, seed companies and public advocacy interests, sued Monsanto in March 2011 seeking to prohibit the company from suing them if their fields became inadvertently contaminated with its patented genetic traits for corn, soybeans, cotton, canola and other crops. The group asked Monsanto for a pledge not to sue, but the company refused. Monsanto has sued more than 100 farmers for patent infringement, winning judgments against those found to have made use of its seed without paying required royalties. “Monsanto never has and has committed it never will sue if our patented seed or traits are found in a farmer’s field as a result of inadvertent means,” said Kyle McClain, the company’s chief litigation counsel. “The Supreme Court’s decision not to review the case brings closure on this matter,” McClain said.

Canadian Nuffield Scholar

www.farmtechconference.com For complete details and the latest updates

Toll Free 1-866-FARMTEC REGISTER BEFORE JAN. 10th, 2014 for Early Bird Discounts!

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SEED/FEED/CROP INPUTS Specialty Crops Various

SEED/FEED MISCELLANEOUS Grain Wanted

FARM MACHINERY Sprayers

BUYING HEATED/DAMAGED PEAS, FLAX & GRAIN “On Farm Pickup” Westcan Feed & Grain 1-877-250-5252

Bioriginal Food & Science Corp., based in Saskatoon, are looking to contract Borage acres for the upcoming 2014 growing season.

�

� �

Great proﬁt potential based on yield, prices and low input costs.

BUYING SPRING THRASHED CANOLA & GRAIN “On Farm Pickup” Westcan Feed & Grain 1-877-250-5252

BOW VALLEY TRADING LTD.

WE BUY DAMAGED GRAIN

Attractive oil premiums and free seed delivery and on-farm pick-up. Flexible contracting options available as well. For more information, please contact Carl Lynn P.Ag. of Bioriginal at:

306-229-9976 (cell) 306-975-9295 (ofﬁce) crops@bioriginal.com

MISCELLANEOUS PRODUCTS/SERVICES

Crop Consulting

FARM CHEMICAL SEED COMPLAINTS We also specialize in: Crop Insurance appeals; Chemical drift; Residual herbicide; Custom operator issues; Equipment malfunction; Yield comparisons, Plus Private Investigations of any nature. With our assistance the majority of our clients have received compensation previously denied. Back-Track Investigations investigates, documents your loss and assists in settling your claim. Licensed Agrologist on Staff. For more information Please call 1-866-882-4779 FARM/CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT

Combines Various

Wheat, Barley, Oats, Peas, etc. Green or Heated Canola/Flax

1-877-641-2798

BUYING:

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FARM MACHINERY Parts & Accessories

FARM MACHINERY Tillage & Seeding – Various CARBIDE DRILL POINTS & openers for air drills. VW Manufacturing Ltd Dunmore (Medicine Hat) (403)528-3350 US: Loren Hawks Chester, Montana (406)460-3810 www.vwmfg.com

TracTors

CANOLA WANTED Buying Tough, Heated, Green, Canola, Freight Options, Prompt Payment Bonded and Insured

Combine ACCessories

NEW WOBBLE BOXES for JD, IH, MacDon headers. Made in Europe, factory quality. Get it direct from Western Canada’s sole distributor starting at $1,095. 1-800-667-4515. www.combineworld.com

FARM MACHINERY Tillage & Seeding – Tillage

Winter Discounts On NEW & USED Rollers

RECONDITIONED COMBINE HEADERS. RIGID & flex, most makes & sizes; also header transports. Ed Lorenz, (306)344-4811 or Website: www.straightcutheaders.com Paradise Hill, SK. We know that farming is enough of a gamble so if you want to sell it fast place your ad in the Alberta Farmer Express classifieds. It’s a Sure Thing. Call our toll-free number today. We have friendly staff ready to help. 1-888-413-3325.

CALL DAVE

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D&H EQUIPMENT

Geared For The Future

STEIGER TRACTOR SPECIALIST

RED OR GREEN 1. 10-25% savings on new replacement parts for your Steiger drive train. 2. We rebuild axles, transmissions and dropboxes with ONE YEAR WARRANTY. 3. 50% savings on used parts.

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FARM MACHINERY Machinery Miscellaneous 1999 CAT 460 1,400 sep. hrs, rake up $77,000; 2005 MacDon 922, 16-ft DK, $12,500; Bergen swath mover, $2,600; Road King ground loadstock trailer, 8 x 42.5-ft, will haul 25 cows, $12,000. Call:(403)665-2341, Craigmyle, AB. ACREAGE EQUIPMENT: CULTIVATORS, DISCS, Plows, Blades, Post pounders, Haying Equipment, Etc. (780)892-3092, Wabamun, Ab.

WANTED BULLDOZER TO FIT a 4186 4WD tractor. Phone:(306)824-4744

QUONSET NEW IN CRATE, 35x52x18, $20,000; JD dozer blade w/guard fits 8970 16-ft. 6 way, $15,000; MF 860 & 20-ft. straight cut, $7,000; Ford 5000 w/loader, $6,500; Vac sewer tank & pump, $14,000; Rotex SR7 power parachute 300-hrs, for parts, $3,000; Tree Farmer skidder $4,500; Bison head squeeze, $4,500; 2004 Rumble Bee short box, $11,500; D5H Cat 34 pads; pair of sheep shears. OBO. Downsizing! (306)236-8023.

FARM MACHINERY Tractors – Various Degelman 10 ft. Snow Pusher Blade JD 7400 FWA, 740 Loader with 3 pth hitch JD 2950 Complete with loader JD 7700 FWA loader JD 4230 loader available JD 4020 c/w loader & new motor JD 2550, FWA ST 250 Steiger, tires new 20.8 x 38 2012 CAT 272D Skidsteer, 800 Hrs Clamp on Duals, 20.8x38-18.4x38 158, 148, 265, 725, 740, 280, JD loaders

FARMING

IS ENOUGH OF A GAMBLE...

FINANCE, TRADES WELCOME 780-696-3527, BRETON, AB

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1-888-413-3325

Call (403)545-6340 • Cell (403)580-6889 machinerydave@yahoo.ca BOW ISLAND, ALBERTA

Big Tractor Parts, Inc.

FARM MACHINERY Tractors – 4 Wheel Drive

Tillage & Seeding

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FARM/CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT

WANTED: JD 7810 c/w FEL & 3-PTH; sp or PTO bale wagon; JD or IHC end wheel drills. Small square baler. (403)394-4401

GOOD SELECTION OF JD & CASE SP SPRAYERS AND 4WD TRACTORS

“LIKE MANY BEFORE, WE’LL HAVE YOU SAYING THERE’S NO DEAL LIKE A KEN DEAL” • Phone: (403)526-9644 • Cell: (403)504-4929 • Email: kendeal@shaw.ca

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COMBINE WORLD located 20 min. E of Saskatoon, SK on Hwy. #16. 1 year warranty on all new, used, and rebuilt parts. Canada’s largest inventory of late model combines & swathers. 1-800-667-4515 www.combineworld.com

JD 9400, 9420, 9520, 8970 JD 9860, 9760, 9750, 9650, 9600 JD 9430, 9530, 9630 Case STX 375, 425, 430, 450, 480, 500, 530 CIH 8010-2388, 2188 combine CIH 435Q, 535Q, 450Q, 550Q, 600Q pto avail. JD 4710, 4720, 4730, 4830, 4920, 4930 SP sprayers JD 9770 & 9870 w/CM & duals CIH 3185, 3230, 3330, 4430, 4420 sprayers

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FARM MACHINERY Machinery Miscellaneous

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TIRES

TRAVEL

ORGANIC Organic – Grains

Bioriginal Food & Science Corp., based in Saskatoon, is actively buying Organic Flax from the 2013 crop year.

Barb Wire & Electric High Tensile Wire Spooler Adapter available to unroll new barb wire off of wooden spool

- Hydraulic Drive (roll or unroll wire) - Mounts to tractor draw bar, skidsteer or bobcat, front end loader, post driver, 3pt. hitch or deck truck (with receiver hitch & rear hydraulics) - Spool splits in half to remove full roll - Shut off/ Flow control valve determines speed - Works great for pulling out old wire (approx. 3--5 minutes to roll up 80 rod or 1/4 mile) The Level-Wind Wire Roller rolls wire evenly across the full width of the spool automatically as the wire is pulled in Ken Lendvay (403) 550-3313 Red Deer, AB email: kflendvay@hotmail.com Web: www.levelwind.com

RON SAUER

MACHINERY LTD. (403) 540-7691 ronsauer@shaw.ca

If interested, please send an 8lb sample* to the following address: Attn: Sandy Jolicoeur Bioriginal Food & Science Corp. 102 Melville Street Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7J 0R1

Prairie-Wide Display Classifieds

New 30.5L-32 16 ply, $2,195; 20.8-38 12 ply $795; 18.4-38 12 ply; $789; 24.5-32 14 ply, $1,749; 14.9-24 12 ply, $486; 16.9-28 12 ply $558, 18.4-26 10 ply, $890. Factory direct. More sizes available new and used. 1-800-667-4515. www.combineworld.com

MORE OPTIONS TO SAVE YOU MONEY

Buy one province, buy two provinces or buy all three. Great rates whatever you choose

*Please state the Variety & Quantity for Sale

For more information, please contact Sandy at:

306-975-9251 306-975-1166 purchasing@bioriginal.com

SEED / FEED / GRAIN SEED/FEED MISCELLANEOUS Feed Grain BUYING ALL TYPES OF feed grain. Also have market for light offgrade or heated, picked up on the farm. Eisses Grain Marketing 1-888-882-7803, Lacombe. FEED GRAIN WANTED! ALSO buying; Light, tough, or offgrade grains. “On Farm Pickup” Westcan Feed & Grain 1-877-250-5252

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Miscellaneous

TRAVEL

AGRICULTURAL TOURS

India ~ Feb 2014 Vietnam/Cambodia/Thailand ~ Mar 2014 China ~ March 2014 Ireland & Scotland ~ June 2014 Ukraine ~ June 2014 Australia/New Zealand ~ 2015 *Portion of tours may be Tax Deductible

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Contact Sharon

Email: sharon.komoski@fbcpublishing.com

Farming is enough of a gamble, advertise in the Alberta Farmer Express classified section. It’s a sure thing. 1-888-413-3325.

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Miscellaneous

Why would you buy a used John Deere? For the same reasons you’d buy new.

846 Versatile 4WD Tractor - new 18.4 x 38 dualled tires, gear drive, like new ............................................ $30,000 Degelman Dozer Frame MF 4000 Series FWD .$1,000 B 275 IHC Diesel Tractor, 3 pth, pto, runs good ......$4,250 31’ Flexicoil B Chisel Plow Extensions Included, extends to 41’, 3 bar harrows, excellent condition.............. $12,500 Flexicoil 6 Run Seed Treater .............................. $2,000 134’ Flexicoil S68XL Sprayer, 2007, suspended boom, auto rate, joystick, rinse tank, triple quick jets, auto boom height, electric end nozzle & foam marker............. $39,500 100’ 65XL Flexicoil Sprayer, complete with windguards, elec. end nozzles dual tips, markers ........................ $5,500 30’ 8230 CIH PT Swather, PU reel, nice shape, . $10,000 25’ 8225 CIH PT Swather, PU reel, nice shape .... $9,500 25’ 1200 Hesston PT Swather, bat reel, good .... $5,500 30’ 4600 Prairie Star PT Swather, bat reel, good ....$5,500 30’ 1900 Premier PT Swather, bat reel, good .... $5,500 10 Wheel MATR (Italy) Trailer Type V-Hayrake, hyd. fold, as new.................................................. $5,000 14 Wheel Enorossi V-Hayrake extra contour wheels, as new .............................................................. $11,500 8 x 1200 Sakundiak Auger, 25 HP Koehler, Hawes mover, clutch, nice condition .............................................. $12,500 7 x 1200 Sakundiak Auger, 18 HP Koehler engine, looks and runs good..................................................$3,500 8 x 1400 Sakundiak Auger, 25HP Robin, Hawes mover, clutch, excellent condition ....................................... $12,500 8 x 1400 Sakundiak Auger, 25 HP Koehler, Hawes mover, clutch, reversing gear box, lights, spout, excellent condition ................................................. $13,000 8” Wheatheart Sweep, complete with motor & pump, like new ..................................................................$1,250 New E-Kay 7”, 8”, 9” Bin Sweeps .........................Call Jiffy Feed Wagon, like new, hardly used, shedded .....$9,250 8” Wheat Heart Transfer Auger, as new *Tentatively Sold - New Owner Please Call Ron......... $1,500 New Outback MAX & STX guidance & mapping ...In Stock New Outback E-Drive, TC’s .................................In Stock New Outback E-Drive X, c/w free E turns ............In Stock New Outback S-Lite guidance ................... In Stock $900 New Outback VSI Swather Steering Kit...........In Stock New Outback E-Drive Hyd. kit, JD 40 series ........ $1,000 Used Outback E-Drive Hyd. kits..............................$500

**NuVision, Sakundiak & Farm King Augers, Outback GPS Systems, EK Auger Movers, Belt Tighteners, Bin Sweeps, & Crop Dividers, Kohler & Robin Subaru engines, Degelman, Headsight Harvesting Solutions, Greentronics Sprayer Boom Auto Height, Kello-Bilt Discs**

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Wanted WANTED: NH BALE WAGONS & retrievers, any condition. Farm Equipment Finding Service, P.O. Box 1363, Polson, MT 59860. (406)883-2118

HEAT & AIR CONDITIONING

The Icynene Insulation System® • Sprayed foam insulation • Ideal for shops, barns or homes • Healthier, Quieter, More Energy Efficient®

There are many reasons to buy a pre-owned John Deere tractor or combine, and they all come down to one thing. Value. Technology. Consider–a 3-year old John Deere 8R. When it came off the line it was AutoTrac™ Ready and JDLink™ enabled*. With one phone call to your dealer, you can begin using precision technology to help reduce inputs, improve yields, and get more done in less time. Uptime. You can’t make money standing still. Pre-owned John Deere equipment, like a 9770 Combine, comes fully supported by your John Deere dealer. The pay-off: reliable, consistent performance, backed by an unrivaled dealer network. Resale value. John Deere tractors and combines are among the best in the industry at holding their value. So when the time comes and you’re ready to trade up to another used or new John Deere tractor or combine, your investment delivers yet again.

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57240-3AE_8.125x10.indd 1

10/29/13 7:37 AM

JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Community news and events from across the province

Alberta farmer invents new ‘frozen water’ sport It’s not an official Winter Olympics sport — and never will be

By Glenn Cheater af staff

his wasn’t what Sylvan Lake farmer Allison Ammeter was expecting when she told sons Nick and Andrew “to get rid of” an old sofa. And a test trip around the yard with the couch-mobile hooked up to a 4x4 proved her sons have some work to do to perfect their invention. “It’s got no rudder, no brakes, no nothing,” laughed Ammeter. She posted this picture on Twitter just after Christmas and it quickly went viral after being retweeted and ‘favourited’ by dozens of people.

By Glenn Cheater af staff

hen John Kolk tweeted this picture on New Year’s Day, he captioned it: “Ice kayaking —traditional New Year’s Day activity in remote areas of southern Alberta.” The dryland and irrigation farmer from the Picture Butte area was out for a walk with wife Laura when he was seized by an impulse to invent the most unlikely of winter sports. “It was the start of the new year, so why not have a little fun?” said Kolk, who has logged long hours on the Straw Man Beef Industry Strategy project over the past 14 months. And no, this is not something Kolk does every New Year’s Day. His caption was a dead giveaway, he said. “You know this is a spoof as there are no remote areas in southern Alberta,” he quipped. Both the length and speed of Kolk’s ice kayak run are believed to be world records.

From junk to… different junk

“The beer and tuque are mandatory, the leather gloves are optional,” says ‘ice kayaker’ John Kolk. submitted photo

Protecting drinking water

he Battle River Watershed Alliance is offering free workshops on how citizens can help protect drinking water in the key 30,000-square-kilometre watershed in east-central Alberta. “We want to raise awareness of what has been done elsewhere to protect drinking water sources and also to hear back from people in the local area about how they think we could or should be protecting our drinking water sources,” said Sarah Skinner, the alliance’s watershed planning co-ordinator. “We want to start that conversation and hopefully develop some recom-

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Canada’s self-employed Canada’s self-employed You enjoyallallthe theperks perks and You enjoy andadvantages advantages of being your own boss. of being your own boss. You also assume All of the Risks! You also assume All of the Risks! A severe injury illnesscan canimpair impair your a living. A severe injury oror illness yourability abilitytotoearn earn a living. A loss of income can put everything you’ve A loss of income can put everything you’ve worked so hard for in jeopardy. worked so hard for in jeopardy.

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mendations we can move forward with.” Six of the workshops start at 7 p.m. — Sedgewick (Jan. 21, Flagstaff County office), Wainwright (Jan. 23, Communiplex, Hall 2), Camrose (Feb. 5, Stoney Creek Centre), Wetaskiwin: (Feb. 6, By-the-Lake Park), Hughenden (Feb. 11, Community Hall) and Castor (Feb. 20, County of Paintearth office). There is also a 1 p.m. workshop on Feb. 13 at the Community Hall in New Brigden. To register, call 780-672-0276 or email sarah@battleriverwatershed. ca. For more info, visit www. battleriverwatershed.ca

Agri-News Alberta Century Farm & Ranch Award recipients are now posted in a searchable database on Alberta Agriculture’s website. “The Alberta Century Farm & Ranch Award salutes those families that have continuously owned and actively operated the same land for a minimum of 100 years,” says Barb Shackel-Hardman, branch head, ag-industry extension and training branch, Stony Plain. “Eligible families receive a bronze plaque symbolizing the family’s perseverance and ability to keep farming or ranching in the face of change.”

The new database includes over 1,400 families that have received the award since the program began in 1992. It is searchable by family name, year the award was given and by community/municipality where the farm is located. “Keeping the farm or ranch from generation to generation and actively operating is an impressive achievement for any Alberta family,” says Shackel-Hardman. More information on the award, including eligibility requirements and an application form, is available on Alberta Agriculture’s web page.

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 20, 2014

Record-high snowfalls cause more than a dozen barn collapses in central Alberta Farmers need to check with their insurance brokers to make sure buildings are covered for a collapse caused by too much snow BY JENNIFER BLAIR AF STAFF

he roof on Ken Munro’s machine shed looked fine when he drove past it on his way to work one morning earlier this month. But a text from his son told a different story. “It had collapsed in the middle of the night,” said Munro, an Innisfail-area grain farmer. Since early December, more than a dozen barns have collapsed in central Alberta, including one in Ponoka that killed more than 30 cattle. A mix of record-high snowfalls and structural issues is believed to be the cause of the collapses. Munro was “concerned” about the 33-year-old building, which was similar in design to a neighbour’s dairy barn that had started sagging under the heavy snow load in mid-December. Munro estimates there was around 18 inches of snow on the roof at the time of its collapse. “Snow never stayed up on that roof ever before,” he said. “It was a tin roof with a fair slope to it, and snow always slid off.” But because of its size, “it was almost impossible to get the snow off it. (Central Alberta farmers) are going to have to figure out how to get the snow off our roofs,” said Munro, who has been busy removing snow from his house and other outbuildings since the collapse.

coverage), and each wording deals with collapse differently,” Cowan said. “We urge all insureds to make sure they’re discussing with their broker the specific coverage that they’re buying.” Most of the recent cases involve older buildings that don’t meet current building code requirements, he said. “We’re seeing buildings where the failures are structural in nature,” said Cowan. “Rafters are too far apart, and they’re simply not capable of handling the load.” Even if a building that has collapsed is listed on an insurance policy, a claim may be denied if it isn’t built to current standards. “It’s important, as a farmer or rancher, to make sure we’re doing our due diligence and

making sure our buildings are up to code,” said Cowan. Producers who are worried about the snow load should watch for sagging and other signs of distress in their structures. “Generally speaking, a building will start to show some signs of collapse ahead of time,” said Cowan, who urged producers to call their insurance companies at the first sign of any problems. That advice comes too late to help Munro, who may not be able to afford to rebuild the shed without insurance. “We really don’t know where we’re headed in the grain markets,” he said. “I wouldn’t blame anybody for being a little cautious at this point in time.” jennifer.blair@fbcpublishing.com

Munro had two combines, two tractors, a swather, and a truck in the building, which he says is now “toast.” “It’s about $120,000 to replace the building,” he said. And though the building is on his insurance policy, the collapse isn’t covered. “It caught me by surprise,” he said. “I thought when we were insuring it, we were insuring it for everything.” That’s a common misconception, said Gord Cowan, president of Insurance Brokers Association of Alberta. “Each company has different wording (for their insurance

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Insurance won’t cover the $120,000 price tag to rebuild Ken Munro’s machine shed.

Ag Outlook 2014

“I thought when we were insuring it, we were insuring it for everything.” KEN MUNRO

The front of Ken Munro’s machine shed does not show the full scope of the damage following a collapse. PHOTOS: KEN MUNRO

Presented in partnership with Country Guide.

JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

On the ranch Russell, Manitoba

Thursday, February 13 2014 Two Year Old 50 Bulls Black and Red Simmentals, Angus and Simm-Angus bulls

Miles Glasman Bonnie Glasman Jared Glasman

(204) 773-6275 (204) 773-0094 (204) 796-0999

(204) 773-3279

MMJ 92Z SIMMENTAL

MLG 36Z ANGUS

MMJB 14Z SIMMENTAL

MLG 22Z ANGUS

Box 1179, Russell, Manitoba R0J 1W0, Canada mjfarms@inetlink.ca www.mjsimmentalangus.com

GLASMAN FARMS

Matthew & Leanne Glasman Cell: (204) 773-6055

(204) 773-3209

Box 1467, Russell, Manitoba R0J 1W0, Canada mlg@glasmanfarms.com www.glasmanfarms.com

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The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 20, 2014

9th Annual Family Day Sale February 17, 2014 SELLING: 170 RED AND BLACK ANGUS 2 YEAR OLD BULLS STRONG SET OF 180 COMMERCIAL BLACK ANGUS BRED HEIFERS DUE TO START CALVING MAY 1ST

CANADA’S LARGEST SELECTION OF 2 YEAR OLD ANGUS BULLS

www.olefarms.com

1:00 p.m. at the farm at Athabasca, AB Lunch at 11:30 a.m.

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014 JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 20, 2014

10 th & Final

Bull & Female Sale Monday, 1:00 PM - ON THE FARM

February 17, 2014 161A Prairie Fire X Tracker

110A Booster X Gladiator

30A Crosby X Touchdown

Offering Approx 110+ Bulls & 90+ Heifers

159A Prairie Fire X Tracker

44A Booster X Pobe

113A High Voltage X Crosby

Consistant, affordable, easy fleshing, super thick bulls and heifers for all sectors of the beef industry

Sale Videos Available Now! 182A Crosby X Touchdown

185A Tracker X Kodiak

149A Rival X Big Ben

www.koppfarms.com

Stop in anytime to view the cattle prior to the sale

KOPP FARMS SIMMENTALS Edmund, Pauline and Laura Kopp Steven and Amanda Kopp Box 41 Amaranth, MB R0H 0B0

80%

Home: (204) 843-2769 Edmund’s Cell: (204) 856-3064 Steven’s Cell: (204) 843-0090 steven@koppfarms.com ARE REPEAT CUSTOMERS

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014

JANUARY 20, 2014 â&#x20AC;˘ ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

13th Annual

Yearlings Two Year Olds, Reds and Blacks

March 10, 2014

at the Ranch, Ponoka, AB, 1PM

G REAT CS G EN ETI

Neil & Sherry, Braeden & Annie Christiansen Ph: (403)783-2799 Cell: (403)704-4403

www.diamondcranchlimousin.com

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA â&#x20AC;˘ JANUARY 20, 2014

Symens Land & Cattle 2nd Annual

Featuring 38 Black & Red Angus 12 Limousin Pedigreed

1:00 pm Tuesday

February18 2014 At the Ranch

With Guest Consignment from

Claresholm, AB

Directions from Clraresholm: 3 miles north on Hwy #2 to Twnshp Rd 132, east 1.5 mi. to County Rd., north 1.25ml.

Symens Land & Cattle- Jim & Laura Symens & Family Box 3209, Claresholm, Alberta, T0L 0T0 Cell: 604-880-7515 Phone: 403-524-4729 Email: symens@platinum.ca

Abacus Angus - Megan Bond - Dan Hitchner Box 45011, High River, Alberta, T1V 1P7 Phone: 403-333-2626

Visitors Always Welcom!

Auctioneer: Don Raffan 250-558-6789 Sale Staff: VJV Livestock - Stavely, AB 403-549-2120

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014

JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

th 40

Annual

50 Angus

38 Charolais

March 01, 2014 1:00 pm. Fair Grounds

Pincher Creek, AB.

BLACK & RED Long Yearlings and Two’s A&L Robbins Ranching HD Ranching

Prime Rib Lunch @ 12 noon We will deliver, or bring your trailer and get $75 off per bull 403-627-7398 403-627-7737

WHITE & RED Yearlings and Two’s

Turnbull Charolais Char-Lew Ranch

403-627-6951 403-627-8330

View catalogue online at www.charolaisbanner.com

50 Bulls

SimAngus ▪ Simmental ▪ Angus Yearlings ▪ Fall Born ▪ 2 yr Olds

4 March 21, 201

Reserve Champion Junior Bull

2pm Grande Clairiere Hall

Gerry & Linda Bertholet & Family

Hartney, MB, Canada Gerry & Linda (204) 858-2086 Gerry (204) 741-0340

S: Wheatland Bull 786T DS: LCHMN Bodybuilder

eights Bull weaning w s! averaged 950 lb

glbertholet@hotmail.com

Andrea (204) 483-0319

adbertholet@hotmail.com

the Check osuitte! b we

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The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 20, 2014

Anderson Family Herefords!!

32nd Annual Production Sale - February 18, 2014 At the Balog Cow Palace, Lethbridge, AB 1:00PM (MST)

Selling: 60-65 Two Year Old Bulls

Lot 202Z

Lot 260Z

Lot 10Z

Lot 106Z

Lot 235Z

Lot 7Z

Lot 12Z

Lot 51Z

Hereford Advantage The Anderson Hereford Advantage

Cross Bred Advantage - Heterosis pays, Hereford Heterosis pays extra with feedlot desired steers AND maternally desirable females. Lower Feed Costs - Hereford X cows forage longer, and maintain condition better. Hereford and Hereford X Feeder calves have better feed conversion. Better Temperament - Cattle that bounce off the fences or chase you over them are not needed. Longevity - Nothing outlasts a Hereford Bull or Hereford X Cow.

This will lower your bull replacement cost and the need to keep as many heifers.

Outstanding Cowherd - We demand our cows work have time for us, not us for them. Like you, we for poor udders, poor feet, poor performance or poor dispositions. We cull hard. Value, Quality & Quantity - We only sell 55 to 65 of the top bulls out of the 370+ Registered Females we breed each year, that is only 30 -35% of the bull calves born. Our bulls are only offered in our

Production Sale, so ALL the best are here.

Ranch Raised for Ranch Conditions - We have never chased fads or lost sight of what makes a rancher money. We breed for calving ease, mothering ability, easy fleshing, soundness, fertility, longevity, natural thickness and carcass traits.

We use our eye, common sense, performance records, ultra sound and the best genetics available.

Free delivery within 300 miles OR take your bull sale day for a $100/head credit. Sight Unseen program, visit with us about your needs and we guarantee the best possible bull for the best possible price. If you don’t like him we keep him. For More Information or a Catalog Please Contact Us

ANDERSON FAMILY HEREFORDS Box 89, Aetna, AB Canada T0K 1Y0 DARRYL ANDERSON (403) 653-1385 • CELL (403) 653-7804 TOLL FREE 1-866-818-6020 • FAX (403) 653-3420 FLOYD 403-653-1686 • SALE BARN (403) 320-1980

EMAIL: darryla13@gmail.com

OUR SUCCESS DEPENDS ON YOUR SUCCESS SO WE FOLLOW UP ON EVERY ANIMAL!!

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014

JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA





Champs Simmental

Sunset Simmentals

F5 Simmental

Hairy Hill Cattle Co.

Winston Ford - C: 780-842-9623 champsim@live.ca Laython Ford - C: 780-806-3600 champsim_2@hotmail.com

Greg Arneson - 780-755-2468 wandao2000@yahoo.com

Luke Ford - 587-891-8148 f5simmentals@hotmail.com

Mark Trabysh - 780-208-2375 jtrabysh@mcsnet.ca

View the catalogue online at



The 2014

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National Advertising Sales deb.wilson@fbcpublishing.com Phone: (403) 325-1695

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PUBLICATION SCHEDULE BBG#2 · FEB/MARCH 2014 EDITION February 27 - Manitoba Co-operator

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The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 20, 2014

Bull Buyer Ad_Layout 1 1/5/14 9:28 AM Page 1

Lazy LLaaazzy RC RC Ranch Raaannncch Bull R Buull Sale B Sallee

FFebruary Fe br

sam amp am mple l of o the the th he bulls in the the th he sale l :: le :: a sample

Monday

Lunch: 11:00 a.m.

Sale: 1:00 p.m.

20014 22014

at the Lazy RC Ranch Beechy, SK

RCSB 211Z

RCSB 216Z

Red & Black Long Yearling Bulls (Coming Two's) RCSB 2118Z

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Information & Catalogue available online @:

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Can’t Make it to the Sale?

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– SALE LOCATION – LAZY RC RANCH AT BEECHY, SK. Catalogue (when available), Directions to the Ranch & Updated Info will be available at:

www.lazyrcranch.com

BID ONLINE visit www.dlms.ca or call 780.699.5082 for more info

VISITORS ALWAYS WELCOME!!

Lazy RC Ranch

Russ & Cindy Sibbald Ph: 306.859.2244 • Cell: 306.859.7726 Box 329, Beechy, SK S0L 0C0

Email: lazyrcranch@xplornet.ca Website: www.lazyrcranch.com

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014 JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014 ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 20, 2014

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014

JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

31st Annual

Rawes Ranches Ltd.

PERFORMANCE

TESTED CHAROLAIS

BULL SALE

125 TWO-YEAR-OLDS

When you want more pounds... When you want more uniformity... When you want more selection...

COME VISIT US! Catalog – Pictures - Video online:

The ranch where performance is no accident!

www.rawesranches.com John & Myrna Rawe 780.376.3598 Philip & Marie Harty 780.376.2241

9th Annual Family Day Sale February 17, 2014

1:00 p.m. at the farm at Athabasca, AB – Lunch at 11:30 a.m.

SELLING:

At Ole Farms we have grown to where we will be breeding over 2000 cows next year. With this growth we have learned that in order to be pro�itable a cow must feed herself on forages for as many days as possible with a minimum of mechanical intervention. She must calve by herself because dif�icult calving eats at pro�its and is not tolerated. Cows must be able to hold condition and rebreed without being pampered. Cows must be deep, thick and easy �leshing, with solid feet and udders. We raise our purebred Angus bulls with these qualities in mind. Our sale bulls are 21 months of age. They are moderate, forage developed and ready to make your operation more pro�itable.

170 RED AND BLACK ANGUS 2 YEAR OLD BULLS STRONG SET OF 180 COMMERCIAL BLACK ANGUS BRED HEIFERS DUE TO START CALVING MAY 1ST

CANADA’S LARGEST SELECTION OF 2 YEAR OLD ANGUS BULLS

“Sharing in the Excitement of Agriculture”

Sale Managed by:

Kelly & Anna Olson: 780-675-4664 – Kelly Cell: 780-689-7822 Travis: 780-689-8324 – Graham: 780-675-0112

www.olefarms.com

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA â&#x20AC;˘ JANUARY 20, 2014

50 Yearling Bulls, 10 2Yr Old Bulls, 15 Commercial Heifers Bulls Available for Viewing Any Time!

1 PM MST :: Monday, February 24, 2014 Beechinor Bros Sales Facility :: Bentley, AB

Dan & Stacy Romanyk Stacy: 780-718-0622 Dan: 780-974-7486 E: stacy.romanyk@yahoo.ca

John & Michelle Beechinor Stefon & Becca Beechinor John: 403-748-2406 Stefon: 403-597-4001 E: beechbros@hotmail.com

Rob & Deanne Young P: 780-696-3643 C: 780-514-0758 E: show12win@yahoo.ca W: www.highcountrycattle.com

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014

JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

RICHMOND RANCH GRASS COUNTRY BULL SALE

ogue or l a t a c For a o call Jim! vide 8-2103 6 403/3 23-8433 403/3

Friday,

MARCH 7

at the Ranch

Several Sons of

RICHMOND XCELLAR SRD 137X

Will Sell

www.richmondranch.com

BONCHUK FARMS Bull Sale SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2014 AT HEARTLAND LIVESTOCK, VIRDEN, MB SALE AT 1:00 • JOIN US FOR LUNCH AT 11:00

Dave Bonchuk - 204-773-0467 or 204-842-3706 Wayne Bonchuk - 204-796-0004 Amy Bonchuk - 204-773-6140

70 BULLS REDS, BLACK, FULLBLOOD/FLECK SIMMENTAL BULLS

Check catalogue online at

www.bonchukfarms.com or www.bouchardlivestock.com

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 20, 2014

20th Annual “Back to the Basics” Bull Sale February 8, 2014, 1:30 PM (MST) at the Ranch • 40 Hereford Horned & Polled • 80 Black Angus 2 Year Olds • 4 Black Angus Yearlings Approximately 100 Commercial Females

120 – 2 YEAR OLD BULLS FOR SALE Nothing previously sold from the 2012 calf crop

MJT AJ 409Z

MJT TOUCHDOWN 488Z

MJT MAX 554Z

MJT KODIAK 591Z

MJT MAX 499Z

MJT KODIAK 450Z

MJT NITRO 26Z

MJT AVATAR 15Z

Join us for Lunch

MJT MAGNUM 512

MJT NITRO Heavy Hitter ET 76A

MJT NITRO DUKE ET78A

• Bring your trailer on Sale Day for $150 off each bull you purchase • MJT bulls are semen tested, guaranteed

Mick & Debbie Treﬁak And Family

• MJT does not trim any bulls feet • 80% of MJT customers are repeat customers

Ph (780) 755-2224 Fax (780) 755-2223 Mick’s cell (780) 842-8835 Kurt’s cell (780) 619-2224 Sale Day Phone: (780) 755-2224 or (780) 755-3260

View our Catalogue Online www.buyagro.com Web site: www.mjt.ca Email: mick@mjt.ca or kurt@mjt.ca

R.R. #1, Edgerton, AB T0B 1K0 - 14 miles East of Wainwright and 11 1/2 miles North on Secondary Hwy 894

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014

JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

LEWIS FARMS

H T 9

ANNUAL BULL SALE -

LFE RS LEWIS

SELLING: 140 Simmental Yearlings

EWIS 336

LFE RS L

1:00 PM FEB. 22 , 2014 3030Z

120 Extra Age 40 Angus Yearlings

Yearling Simmental

Extra Age Simmental

ADVANCE X TO

14N

TEEN X 5

SPRINGS

P GUN

LFE BS LEWIS

EWIS 36 LFE BS L

Yearling Simmental GE

TTLE X ED

O FULL THR

WIS 519A

LFE FS LE

Yearling Simmental RAMADA

Extra Age Simmental RANCHER X DR EA

M ON

Bulls Fertility & Semen Tested

Volume Discounts

LFE FS LEWIS

572Z

Extra Age Simmental AVALANCHE X SH

X JUSTIC

ERLOCK

RED LFE LEWIS

EWIS 814

LFE BA L

3118Z

826Z

Many Bulls Homozygous Polled

Angus OVATOR OR X INN HARVEST

Angus

BIG SKY X DSG

N KING

Website: www.lewisfarms.ca Office Email: info@lewisfarms.ca Ken & Corrie Email: corrie@lewisfarms.ca Ken Lewis: 780-818-3829 Kyle Lewis: 780-220-9188 Jordan Buba: 780-818-4047 Fullblood Bull Contact - Leonard Mark: 780-336-5424 Office Ph.: 780-962-5050 Fax: 780-962-2467

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 20, 2014

Black Pearl Bull & Female Sale March 9, 2014 Edwards Livestock Centre Tisdale, SK

Yellowstone 286W

Youngdale Excaliber 32X

Eagle Eye

Rock Star 58X

Selling Yearling Bulls & Heifers

Royal Angus Farm

Glenn and Mel Sisson Box 22 RR 1, Ridgedale, SK S0E 1L0 Ph: 306.873.4882 (Glenn) Ph/Fax: 306.873.4890 (Mel) Located 18 miles North of Tisdale 2 miles West and 2 miles North

T Bar C Cattle Co. Ltd.

4-3342 Millar Ave., Saskatoon, SK S7K 7G9 info@tbarc.com | www.tbarc.com Chris’ Cell: 306.220.5006 Ted’s Cell: 306.221.2711 Shane’s Cell: 403.363.9973

View the offering, watch and bid online. See our website for details: w w w. s i s s o n b r o s . c o m Black Pearl Cattlemen.indd 1

1/6/2014 2:58:27 PM

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014

JANUARY 20, 2014 â&#x20AC;˘ ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Rivercrest - Valleymere 11 th Annual

Spady Bull Sale

Wednesday, April 9th, 2014

at the Ranch

Herd Sires: BW WW YW MILK

Lead Off Bull & 2nd High Selling Bull at LLB 2012 Spring Sale

Sire: Limestone Darkhorse U322 MGS: SAV Net Worth 4200

High Selling Yearling Bull at Bar E-L 2013 Spring Sale

BAR E-L EXECUTOR 23X

BW +3.4 WW +65 YW +106 MILK +30

Sire: HF Tiger 5T MGS: Rainbow Hills Prime Cut 114P

Yearling Bulls

BW +3.3 WW +54 YW +103 MILK +24

+4.2 +46 +92 +23

LLB DARKHORSE 328Y

120 Black Angus

BW +2.3 WW +58 YW +103 MILK +17

PEAK DOT ELIMINATOR 780Z

SOO LINE KODIAK 9169

Sire: SAV Eliminator 9105 MGS: SAV 004 Predominant 4438

Sire: HF Kodiak 5R MGS: Bon View New Design 878

2nd High Selling Yearling Bull at Peak Dot 2013 Spring Sale

BW +1.8 WW +61 YW +114 MILK +27

FV MANDATE MAN 146Y Sire: Sydgen Mandate 6079 MGS: FV 20K King 308M

* Volume Buyer Incentive * Sight Unseen Guarantee * Semen Tested * Free Delivery or $50 Credit if you take your bulls home Sale Day Visit our website for more details www.rivercrestangus.com

Craig Spady 403-740-4978 Travis Spady 780-879-2298 Tom Spady 780-879-2180 Brian Spady 780-879-2110

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 20, 2014

March 6, 2014 1:00 pm Spring Creek Ranch, Moosomin, SK

130 Red & Black Simmentals, Red & Black Angus & Black Bestbeef bulls.

It’s more than just a bull purchase at the "In Pursuit of Perfection" Bull Sale We become a partner in your cattle operation!

Our Innovative “Customer Care Programs” are designed to support all Cattlemen near and far! Never buy insurance again (included in bull purchase price) – IPOP Warranty /Insurance – Get the Use of a Yearling and We winter him to a Two Year Old – IPOP Wintering Program – We value our Partnerships in the Cattle Business – IPOP Repeat Customer Incentives – Your One Stop Shop for Multiple Purchases (2%-12% volume incentives) – IPOP Volume Purchase Incentives –

Customer Satisfaction Guaranteed! To view full program details visit one of our websites www.blacksandcattle.com or www.springcreeksimmentals.com or give us a shout to discuss further!

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014

JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

The March 2014 YEARLING AND TWO YEAR OLD BULLS FOR SALE BY PRIVATE TREATY

• 1 Toast 30T son • 1 Timberline son • 1 Sakic son • 1 Bodacious son • 1 Forester Lakota son • 1 Stalion son • 1 Mr. Beef son

• 1 New Trend son • 1 Chopper K Reistol son • 1 No Equal son • 1 Black Dot Resolute son Grand sons from Towaw Indeed and New Trend

Don & Melanie Morin

UNBEATABLE VALUE – FEATURES AND BENEFITS IN 2014: • In Print: Larger Full Colour Ads in leading Ag Publications to a Mass Audience of 101,000 across the western Canadian marketplace. • Online: All Bull Buyers Guide advertisers will receive an individual profile webpage online. Your ad will appear along with a company logo & short business description, all contact and social media information, & Google Maps listing. > Search widgets online across the www. agcanada.com, www.canadiancattlemen.ca, and www.farmersproductguide.com network drive potential buyers to your product and to your business.

PUBLICATION SCHEDULE

Thank you to last years buyers and bidders. Our bulls are fed a low protein high energy forage based ration, establishing a solid breeding bull to last for many years.

For more info call Don Morin @ (204) 422 5216 or e-mail rsra@mts.net or visit our web site ridgesideredangus.com

BBG#2 · FEB/MARCH 2014 EDITION February 27 - Manitoba Co-operator March 3 - Alberta Farmer Express February 24 - Sask Wheel & Deal Space and material deadline: February 12th

Crystal McPeak

Tiffiny Taylor

Deborah Wilson

Account Executive crystal@fbcpublishing.com Phone: (403) 646-6211

Sales & Special Projects tiffiny.taylor@fbcpublishing.com Phone: (204) 228-0842

National Advertising Sales deb.wilson@fbcpublishing.com Phone: (403) 325-1695

Gary & Donna Beck Wade & Cynthia Beck Mark & Tami Beck Box 5, Lang, SK S0G 2W0 306.436.4564 wcbeck@sasktel.net

The Nicholas Family Box 479, Milestone, SK S0G 3L0 Gary & Florence: 306.436.4301 Chad & Carrie: 306.436.2086 cnicholas@mccoycattle.com www.mccoycattle.com Sale Management T Bar C Cattle Co. Ltd. 306-933-4200 info@tbarc.com

View the catalogue online at www.buyagro.com or www.mccoycattle.com

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014 ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 20, 2014

Canadian Hereford Association • 5160 Skyline Way NE, Calgary, AB T2E 6V1 • 1-888-836-7242 • herefords@hereford.ca

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014

JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

19th AnnuAl

Bar

Bull SAlE

3R Limousin

march 20, 2014 • 1:00 pm (mST) croSSroadS cenTre – oyen, ab

The Rea Family Marengo, SK

SPECIALIZING IN RED GALLOWAY

We are proud to present one of the largest selections of Red Galloways in Canada

SELLING RED bLACK POLLED 20 YEARLINGS & 20 2 YEAR OLDS

Join us for our

ALBERTA PLAID GALLOWAY

UNDER PRESSURE

Bull and Female Sale

Guest consignor : CHICKADEE FARM ( Jim and Laurel King )

KEVIN

306-463-7950

KEN

306-463-7454 306-968-2923

r3bar@hotmail.com

TITANIUM

March 18, 2014 1:00 p.m. at the Innisfail Auction Mart Sale catalogue available by request or on our website

XIbIT

Free Delivery!

Talk to us about our Sight On Seen Purchase & Boarding Program

YOUNG GUN

ELVIS

Steve & Bonnie Schweer RR 1 Red Deer, Alberta, T4N 5E1 Phone: 403-227-3428 * Cell: 403-304-7354 Email: schweer@xplornet.com Website: www.albertaplaidgalloway.ca

TOLEDO

www.bohrson.com

CATALOGUE ON-LINE IN COLOUR AT www.LivestockXchange.ca CATALOGUE ON-LINE IN COLOUR AT:

ULRICH H

AGA 46E BRITISHER ET 2U – C02925141

Delivers calving ease and excellent top & thickness • BW Trait leading BW EPD +1.3 Calving Ease +6.8 Sale includes excellent set of Long Yearlings by ALNK 2U

Specializing in Light Birthweights with Great Performance plus Remarkable Cows!

ALNK 114L

Watch for progeny from these & other fine sires in our

8th Annual Bull & Heifer Sale

Tuesday

Feb 25th , 2014

Balog Auction • Lethbridge, AB • 1:00 PM Lunch 11:30 AM • Sale day phone: (403) 320-1980

AGA 26R WHAM HAMMER 87W – C02933144 Thick, deep & long, with an exciting pedigree, 87W’s sons are easy-fleshing replicas and the daughters are pretty with great udders. No bulls sell in Medicine Hat or Calgary. All our best bulls are in this sale!

ULRICH HEREFORD RANCH INC Box 843, Claresholm, Alberta T0L 0T0 From Claresholm: 8 mi (12.8 km)E, 4 mi (6.4 km) N & 1/4 mile E

Peter Ulrich cell (403) 625-1036 peter@ulrichherefords.com fax: (403) 625-2399 Hans Ulrich (403) 625-2237 www.ulrichherefords.com

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014 ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 20, 2014

Angus, simmentAl And ChArolAis Bulls

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014

JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Bull Sale

4th Annual Ranch Raised

Highway

West

Multi-Breed Bull Sale MARCH 22, 2014 • 1:00 PM MAYERTHORPE AG BARN VIEWING: 10:00 AM • LUNCH: 12:00 PM

BULLS ON OFFER

THESE ARE ALL PAPERED, 100% GUARANTEED BREEDING BULLS.

4 BREEDS CONSIGNED BY: GELBVIEH HMR GELBVIEH

HORNED HEREFORD VERBEEK HEREFORDS

BLACK ANGUS KALA RANCH RONAN R ANGUS TRI A ANGUS

SIMMENTAL HORNBANK SIMMENTALS NOLARA FARMS

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL: Henry Roy (780)723-2361 Auctioneering By

(780)542-7323

VIEW THE CATALOG ONLINE AT WWW.TIMBERLINDAUCTIONS.COM

Conntrast_2014_Prime-BullBuyersGuide-outlines.indd 1

03/01/2014 2:36:42 PM

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 20, 2014

Year Old

Black Angus Bull Sale

FEBRUARY 6, 2014

FORT MACLEOD AUCTION FEATURING:

Rugged Rising Two Year Olds! Summer grazed on grass from April 26 to October 15 for development of their future. Many 1�/2 and 3�/4 brothers. Bred & Owned STACEY & MICHEL STAUFFER & FAMILY Contact Us For A Catalogue

Box 2377, Pincher Creek, AB T0K 1W0

sranches@telus.net Office: 403-627-2190 Stacey’s Cell: 403-627-8229

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014

JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

MURPHY RANCH 2 YEAR OLD RED AND BLACK

POLLED LIMOUSIN BULLS

FOR SALE at our Ranch near Altario, AB

TOP GENETICS AND TOP QUALITY PROUD OWNERS OF 2 OF THE TOP 5 CANADIAN SHOW SIRES OF 2013

CONTACT:

MURPHY RANCH

403-552-2191

FRANK’S CELL

780-753-1959

www.murphyranch.ca

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA â&#x20AC;˘ JANUARY 20, 2014

Blu-Ray

Full Fleckvieh

Sonic

Polled Purebred

Fake ID

Full Fleckvieh

Polled

Tortuga

Full Fleckvieh

Black Beard

Polled Purebred

Rayban

Full Fleckvieh

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014

JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

PRAIRIE GRASS RED ANGUS BULL SALE 24TH ANNUAL

Mon. March 17, 2014

SATURDAY, MARCH 22, 2014 1:00 P.M. The Bull Pen Arena Thorlakson Feedyards Airdrie, Alberta 4.5 Miles East of Airdrie on #567 & 2 Miles North on RR 284

VJV Foothills auction Stavely, aB

Gloria Blades Nanton AB 403-646-2101

Inte rn Avaet Bid ilab din le g

www .dlm

s.ca

SELLING: PERFORMANCE TESTED YEARLING BULLS

Bulls can be viewed at Thorlakson Feedyards

View Color Catalogue & Video Preview Online at www.dlms.ca

RED ROCK RED ANGUS

BEISEKER RED ANGUS

Peter & Maxine Schmaltz

R.R. #2 Airdrie,A B T4B 2A4

(403) 912-1025

Quality affordable ranch raised Bulls For ranchers

John, Karen, Jim, Laurie Brigan & Families RR #2, Site 8, Box 8, Airdrie,A B T4B 2A4

(403) 948-5215

(403) 948-5412

If you are interested in Genomics we genotype tested 84 bull calves for the most important traits in beef production resulting in Leptin - Feed Efficiency 58% homozygous TT 42% CT PMCH Tenderness & Marbling 82% AA 18% AT Catalogue Online After Feb 20th

www.coyotepub.com/blades or at vjvfoothillsauction.com

Go “Direct” To Current Price Information Daily Presort Calf Sales Across Western Canada • DLMS Direct Off-farm Sale • Thursday at 10:00 am

Godfrey Ranch CANADA’S NEWEST BREED IRISh BlACkTM & IRISh RED CATTlETM

FOR SAlE BY pRIvATE TREATY

For Sale Top Quality High Performance Bulls

Home: 403-578-2220 Cell: 403-740-9576 • Castor, AB

www.canadairishblack.com

SPRING BULL SALE Offering Groups of Two Year old and Yearling Red Angus, Black Angus and Polled Hereford Bulls. As well as Open and Bred Customer Raised Commercial Females.

Greg: 780 806 1319

March 19, 2014 Dryland Cattle Trading Corp in Veteran Alberta

www.pughfarms.ca

Farm: 780 755 2207

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 20, 2014

8th Annual

100% “Forage-Developed” BULL SALE

February 13th 2:00 pm Stettler Auction Mart • Stettler, AB

Featuring 35 Sons of SINCLAIR RITO 9R7 {Rito Revolve 0R5 x Sinclair Net Present Value} BW 3.8 WW 76 YW 126 M 17 TM 55 SC 0.72

Canada’s Largest Offering of 100% “Forage-Developed” 2 Yr. Old Bulls Angus & Red Angus 80+ Bulls

Featuring 15 sons of CROWFOOT EQUATION 5793R {OCC Legacy 839L x Shoshone PP 7105} BW 3.8 WW 38 YW 83 M 30 TM 49 SC 1.30

Starhuixin. Robot bull. 2008. Panoramio, Changning, Shanghai. 4 Dec 2012. <www.panoramio.com>

✓ Developed exclusively on grass and hay

✓ Predictable grass-based maternal Angus genetics

✓ Sound athletic bulls that gain weight breeding

✓ 85% to repeat customers annually across Canada

✓ Highly fertile bulls - will settle more cows

✓ 64 years & 3rd generation purebred bull supplier

✓ More years service on your bull investment

Request or view video and catalog at:

✓ Environmentally sorted to be the right kind of bulls for most commercial cattle operations ✓ 550 Forage-Developed bulls sold to 85% repeat buyers across Canada indicate versatility, virility and value!

www.chapmancattle.com

Silas Chapman (403) 741-2099 | Shane Castle, Castlerock Marketing (306) 741-7485 | Auctioneer: Don Raffan (250) 558-6789

LLB

th AnnuAl

Spring Spectacular

Bull & FEMAlE SAlE at the farm, Erskine AB

MARCh 15, 2014

Offering over 700 head of Quality Black & Red Angus Cattle Canada’s largest Angus Production Sale

•

150 yearling heifers • 300 commercial heifers new Sale Feature this year

LLBAngus

•

150 yearling bulls • 100 two year old bulls

100 commercial bred heifers

llbangus@xplornet.com catalogue online www.llbangus.com

Lee, Laura & Jackie Brown Trish & Tim henderson Box 217, erskine, alberta T0c 1G0

Phone: 403-742-4226 Fax: 403-742-2962

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014

JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

S F

ilkinridge tock

CornerstoneBull Sale

arm

“More Bang For Your Buck”

SATURDAY APRIL 19, 2014 – 1:30PM Whitewood Auction Mart – Whitewood Sask.

60 – RED ANGUS and CHAROLAIS Bulls Sell

April 12, 2014 - 1:00 p.m.

Red Angus

“Programs You Can Count On”

Phil Birnie & Lana Kormos 306 577 7440 wraz@sasktel.net Gordon Murray 306 646 7980

GRUNTHAL AUCTION MART

Good haired, Easy Fleshing, Stout, Sound and Semen Tested!

Brimner Cattle Co. Kelly & Tracy Brimner 306 577 7698 ktbrim@sasktel.net

HERD SIRES The 2014

RIPTIDE

WIZARD

MR. RUSYLVIA 34X

MAINE ANJOU & RED ANGUS

PUBLICATION SCHEDULE BBG#2 · FEB/MARCH 2014 EDITION February 27 - Manitoba Co-operator March 3 - Alberta Farmer Express

SID WILKINSON

February 24 - Sask Wheel & Deal Space and material deadline: February 12th

(204) 373-2631 ph • 324-4302 cell www.wilkinridge.blogspot.com

Tiffiny Taylor

Deborah Wilson

Crystal McPeak

tiffiny.taylor@fbcpublishing.com Phone: (204) 228-0842

deb.wilson@fbcpublishing.com Phone: (403) 325-1695

crystal@fbcpublishing.com Phone: (403) 646-6211

New Ideas - From Old Values

Stewart Cattle Co. & Guests

Formerly Herefords 1945 New IdeasTrefiak - From Old Since Values Formerly Trefiak Herefords Since 1945 The Genetics You Need! The Genetics You Need! For The Cattle You Want!

6th Annual Black Angus Bull Sale

For The Cattle You Want!

New Ideas - From Old Values Formerly Trefiak Herefords Since 1945

The Genetics You Need! For The Cattle You Want!

40 Black Angus Bulls & 8 Simmental x Angus Bulls 12 Registered Black Angus Replacement Heifers

International Qualified Semen & Embryos of World Class

FEBRUARY 27 / 2014 1:00pm

International Qualified Semen & Embryos of World Class

SS-TOPLINE POWERHOUSE ET888Z SS-TOPLINE POWERHOUSE ET888Z Tremendously powerful bullawith a 4lb/day Tremendously powerful bull with 4lb/day gain. gain. Admired by cattlemen everywhere we display Admired by cattlemen everywhere we display him. him.

NEEPAWA AG-PLEX

New IdeasAccomplishments: - From Old Values Accomplishments:

Formerly Herefords Since SCC Upgrade 13A Top of the Hereford breed at Stockade Round-up. • • Top ofofthe Hereford breed1945 at Stockade Round-up. International Qualified SemenTrefiak & Embryos World Class • • Farmfair International Class Winner. Farmfair International Class Winner. SS-TOPLINE POWERHOUSE ET888Z • Canadian Bull Congress Hereford Bull CalfBull Rancher’s Choice. Choice. Canadian Bull Congress Hereford Calf Rancher’s Tremendously powerful bull with a 4lb/day gain.• • • Grand Champion All Breeds Bull Vermillion Fair 2013. Grand Champion All Breeds Bull Vermillion Fair 2013. Admired by cattlemen everywhere we display him. • • Grand Champion Horned Hereford Bull Lloyd Round-up. Grand Champion Horned Hereford BullStockade Lloyd Stockade Round-up. Accomplishments: • Reserve Grand Champion National Hereford Bull Show Farm Fair. • Top of the Hereford breed at Stockade Round-up. • Reserve Grand Champion National Hereford Bull Show Farm Fair. Champion Yearling Agribition. Alberta Supreme and Agribition • Farmfair International Class Winner. • • Reserve Champion BeefReserve Supreme Qualifier Yearling Agribition. Alberta Supreme and Agribition • Canadian Bull Congress Hereford Bull Calf Rancher’s Choice. Beef Supreme Qualifier International Qualified Semen & Embryos of World Class • Grand Champion All Breeds Bull Vermillion Fair 2013.

The Genetics You Need! For The Cattle You Want!

See you Seeatyou our atCorrals. our

Corrals.

• • •

Grand Champion Horned Hereford Bull Lloyd Stockade Round-up. Sheldon & Shannon Archibald Reserve Grand Champion National Hereford Bull Show Farm Fair. Reserve Champion Yearling Agribition. Alberta Supreme Agribition bull with a Irma, AB andpowerful Tremendously Beef Supreme Qualifier Visit us 6 miles North of Irma, Alberta on Irma, Admired byAB cattlemen everywhere Secondary 1 mile east (SW26-46-09W4) Visit881, us and 6 miles North of Irma, Alberta on

SS-TOPLINE POWERHOUSE ET888Z Sheldon & Shannon Archibald 4lb/day gain.

Sheldon & Shannon Archibald Irma, AB

Visit us 6 miles North of Irma, Alberta on Secondary 881, and 1 mile east (SW26-46-09W4)

(780) 754-2850

www.sscattle.ca sscattle@telus.net

See you at our Corrals.

we display him.

Accomplishments: (780) 754-2850 Secondary 881, and 1 mile east (SW26-46-09W4)

• Top of the Hereford breed at Stockade Round-up. (780) 754-2850 Champion Bulls at Economy Prices •

Farmfair International Class Winner.

Polled and HornedBulls Bulls www.sscattle.ca Champion atAvailable Economy Prices • Canadian Bull Congress Bull CalfBulls Rancher’s Choice. Visit to Hereford See More Champion in Our Pens sscattle@telus.net Polled Horned • Grand Champion All Breeds Bull and Vermillion Fair Bulls 2013. Available www.sscattle.ca

Visit to See More Champion Bulls in Our Pens Champion Bulls Economy Prices Horned • at Grand Champion Hereford Bull Lloyd Stockade Round-up. sscattle@telus.net SALE CATALOGUE Polled and Horned Bulls Available • Reserve Grand Champion National Hereford Bull Show Farm Fair. Visit to See More Champion Bulls in Our Pens

•

& VIDEO

willand beAgribition available from Reserve Champion Yearling Agribition. Alberta Supreme consignors or online Beef Supreme Qualifier

Sheldon & Shannon Archibald Irma, AB

Visit us 6 miles North of Irma, Alberta on Secondary 881, and 1 mile east (SW26-46-09W4)

(780) 754-2850

www.sscattle.ca sscattle@telus.net

www.stewartcattle.com

Grandsire of SCC Upgrade 13A

FREE BOARD on all bull purchases until April 1, 2014 Stewart Cattle Co.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204.773.6392 DJ Cattle Co.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204.841.3880 Champion Bulls at Economy Prices Legaarden Livestock. Polled and Horned Bulls Available . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204.546.3052 Visit to See More Champion Bulls in Our Pens

ement:

ychuk

aychuk

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA â&#x20AC;˘ JANUARY 20, 2014

MENTALS

R PLUS SIM

R PLUS SIMMENTALS R PLUS S c & Sons Ross LeBlan S4A 2L7

Ross LeBlan Box 1476 Es

Ross LeBlanc & Sons Box 1476 Estevan, SK S4A 2L7

306.421.18 Marlin 306.634.8031 Ross 306.421.9909 Cell 306.421.2470 Jason

Marlin 306 Cell 306

Marlin 306.634.8031 Cell 306.421.2470

Ross

306.421.1824

Ross

306

Jason

306.421.9909

Jason

306

306.421.1824

Jason an306.421.9909 ement: Sales M ag

OBI

Sales Management:

R PLUS SIMMENTALS Rob Holowaychuk Sales Management:

OBI

780.916.2628

OBI

Ross LeBlanc & Sons waychuk Mark Holo RobEstevan, Holowaychuk Box 1476 SK S4A 2L7 403.896.4990Rob Holowaychuk

Rob Holowaychuk 780.916.2628

Marlin 306.634.8031 Holowaychuk Cell Mark 306.421.2470

Mark Holowaychuk 403.896.4990

Jason

780.916.2628

Ross 403.896.4990 306.421.1824 306.421.9909

van, SK

R PLUS SIMMENTALS

Ross

Sales Management:

x 1476 Este

Bo Ross LeBlanc & Sons 634.8031 arlin 306. SK S4A Box 1476MEstevan, 2L7 306.421.2470

780.916.2628

Mark Holowaychuk 403.896.4990

Cell

The Manitoba Co-operator | January 16, 2014

JANUARY 20, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

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