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Volume 40, Number 12 | JUNE 10, 2014

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PRACTICAL PRODUCTION TIPS FOR THE PRAIRIE FARMER

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Fertilizer toxicity can kill a seed Too much fertilizer too close to the seed can create a toxic environment. Here’s how to recognize the problem if you have it

BY ANDREA HILDERMAN

T

he last thing any farmer wants to do is create a toxic environment at seeding time by applying too much fertilizer so close to the seed that it prevents normal germination and establishment.

Fertilizer is not the only culprit when it comes to poor emergence.

Seeding too deep, poor seed quality, disease, insects, dry soil or flooding can cause problems for seed emergence. However, with modern seeding equipment and one-pass seeding regimes, it pays to be aware of the havoc toxicity from fertilizer can wreak.

Most nitrogen used in Western Canada is applied in the form of either granular urea, compressed anhydrous ammonia (AA) gas or liquid urea ammonium nitrate (UAN). When anydrous ammonia is injected into the soil, the pressure is lost and the AA reverts to its gaseous form, releasing the ammonia (NH3) into the soil. Ammonia reacts with water in the soil to form ammonium ions (NH4+) that adhere to soil organic matter and soil particles.

Both ammonia and ammonium ions at high concentrations are

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very toxic to seed and seedlings.

And so, AA must be banded into moist soil and the furrow must be closed to prevent ammonia loss. If side-banding, ensure that there is good separation between the AA and the seed row which should prevent ammonia from moving into the seed row and injuring seed or seedlings.

When urea is applied to the soil, it is transformed by enzymatic reactions to form ammonia gas, which reacts with water to form ammonium ions — as in the case of AA. However, urea is also a salt, which poses another danger to seed and seedlings: salt toxicity.

If a high rate of urea is applied in the seed row, seed mortality can be increased due to high salt concentrations. The seed and seedplaced fertilizer are competing for moisture around the seed, with the seed likely to lose the battle and become dehydrated or even killed. Seed-placed urea poses risks of salt, ammonia and ammonium toxicities to seed and seedlings.

Liquid UAN is 50 per cent urea and 50 per cent ammonium nitrate. The urea half behaves as already described with regards to formation of ammonium and the salt toxicity. The ammonium

nitrate portion separates into the ammonium ion (NH4+) and the nitrate ion (NO3-). Studies show that nitrates at the typical concentrations of applied fertilizers are not as toxic to seeds and seedlings.

Consequently, if UAN is placed close to the seed it may also pose salt as well as ammonium toxicity to seeds and seedlings.

Soil moisture needs to be assessed every year SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS Typical signs of fertilizer toxicity are poor germination, large gaps in the rows and poor-looking seedlings. If you dig into the soil, you will find swollen dead seeds or seeds with very short or no radicles at all if these problems are due to fertilizer toxicity. If the seed did imbibe enough moisture to start germination and a radicle and a plumule formed, you will find brownish roots with stubby or blunt tips. In

healthy plants, the roots should be whitish, narrow and long.

Due to poor root formation or lack of root formation, the shoot that forms runs out of nutrients and energy and may fail to push through the soil. The extent of the damage depends on the concentration of the salts in the soil.

The seed may germinate and shoots might be able to emerge but they’ll look as if they were trampled on and there can be gaps in the field or areas with weak, sickly plants.

If it rains enough before the seeds die, the salt concentration is reduced and the damage minimized. If the damage is severe, there are no effective remedies, except possibly reseeding if there is sufficient time left to do so.

There may be a significant volunteer problem. However, there are strategies that can help growers prevent this sort of damage in the first place.

TOXICITY PREVENTION “Farmers should be aware of the guidelines for seed placed f e r t i l i z e r, ” e x p l a i n s P a t r i c k Mooleki, provincial soil and nutrient management special-

In This Issue

ist for Saskatchewan Agriculture.

“We have fact sheets that provide guidelines for safe rates of seed-placed fertilizers, which are dependent on soil moisture and soil texture.”

Farmers are advised to seedplace only safe rate of fertilizer based on the crop, soil texture, soil moisture, width of seed row openers and row spacing as stipulated by the guidelines. The rest of the fertilizer must be applied away from the seed either before or after seeding. During seeding, fertilizer should be applied in the side-band or in the mid row, depending on the equipment at hand. Farmers who want to apply more fertilizer with the seed should consider replacing part of the urea with a polymer-coated fertilizer such as ESN. Consult suppliers for guidelines.

Generally, if the season starts off very dry, it would be beneficial to reduce the amount of seed-applied fertilizer. “What a farmer might have applied in a previous season with the seed is not necessarily going to be the right amount to apply in the next season,” explains Mooleki. “Soil

» CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

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

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

5

Crop Advisor’s Casebook

8

Columns ........................... 14 Machinery & Shop ............ 19 Cattleman’s Corner .......... 44

Lemken showcases new implements

SCOTT GARVEY PAGE 24

Adding minerals to your nutrition plan

DEBBIE CHIKOUSKY PAGE 47

FarmLife ............................ 51

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JUNE 10, 2014

Wheat & Chaff STAMPEDE

BY JERRY PALEN LEEANN MINOGUE

I

“He’s a natural born lawn cutter.”

CONTACT US

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n the May issue of Grainews we ran two pages of stories about controlling grasshoppers. As soon as we sent it out, I got an email about another solution.

My friend Leah Soroka grew up on a farm near Innisfree, Alta. Now Leah is working at a short-term job in Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

According to Leah, they manage grasshoppers a little differently in that part of West Africa.

“Our air conditioner broke in the office. It’s hot!” she said. “All the large grasshoppers are stuck to the window.” When Leah said the grasshoppers are “large,” she meant about two inches long.

“The employees came in and put all the grasshoppers in a bottle to cook up at home. So now the semi-alive grasshoppers are in 10 large bottles in the fridge.”

What’s the next step? “I guess you take off the legs and the piece of skin that covers the back (kind of like a flap) and fry them in oil with salt. Apparently they taste like popcorn.”

If you try this at home, please send pictures and a full taste report. You’ll notice there are no photos of Leah trying this herself.

PHOTO: LEAH SOROKA

These large grasshoppers were stuck to the window in the morning.

BATS ON THE PRAIRIES

By May 9, it was still too cold and wet to seed. We could have taken the tractor into the field, but I’m not sure how we would have gotten it out.

So we used our free Saturday to take our seven-year old to “Science Rendezvous” in Regina, an annual spring science festival that takes place at most Canadian universities. There were professors, researchers and students on hand to demonstrate their research, show off the latest gadgets and run kids’ workshops. We saw a 3D printer in action (amazing), used a glow light to see germs on our son’s hands (disgusting) and made our own ice cream in a coffee can (too salty, but fun).

One of the scientists involved was Dr. Mark Brigham, head of the University of Regina’s biology department. Dr. Brigham is a big fan of bats, and was doing his best to pass on his enthusiasm.

I am anti-bat. I wasn’t wild about bats even before I saw a bat flying around our living room last fall (you probably heard me screaming from your farm).

Dr. Brigham has heard all of the reasons people don’t like bats, and has a rebuttal for each of them.

“First,” he said, “they won’t get stuck in your hair.” He claims this myth only has traction because bats tend to fly around at adulthead height. We lose heat through our heads and attract bugs to the area. The bats eat those bugs.

Although they have a reputation for digging in, Dr. Brigham says that even if you purposely put a bat in your hair, it would fly right out.

Next, he said, bats rarely have rabies. “They don’t carry the virus without exhibiting symptoms,” he said. Bats are usually healthy,

PHOTO: LEEANN MINOGUE

This big brown bat is the biggest bat we’re likely to find on the Prairies. but be suspicious if you see one lying on the ground. Don’t pick it up. “That’s not what bats are supposed to be doing, and there’s a greater chance that it’s sick,” Dr. Brigham said.

And finally, they don’t actually suck blood. The three species of vampire bats only live in South America. And even they don’t suck blood — they just make a small slit in the skin and lick it. And Dr. Brigham says they don’t care for human blood. “It’s too salty.”

Sensing that I was still anti-bat, Dr. Brigham told us that bats aren’t even rodents, they’re mammals like us. “Their closest relative are primates, not mice.” And the ones we have in Canada only eat insects.

Bats aren’t as big as I thought.

The (dead) “big brown bat” in the photo is the biggest bat we’re likely to find on the Prairies. (It would look much bigger with it’s wings spread, swooping over my couch.)

Like them or not, bats may be in danger.

Alyssa Stulberg, one of Dr. Brigham’s students, is studying

white nose syndrome, a fungus that is infecting bats all over eastern North America and as close as Northern Ontario and Minnesota.

The fungus is headed this way, and it could kill 95 per cent of our little brown bats and 50 per cent of our big brown bats. “If it gets here, it could kill the majority of the bat population,” Alyssa said.

Alyssa is going to spend most of her summer outside counting bats in southeastern Saskatchewan.

Knowing the current bat population will help her understand the impact of the fungus if it reaches us. If you know of any good places for counting bats in southeast Saskatchewan, please get in touch with Alyssa at Alyssa.Stulberg@hotmail.com and let her know where she should start.

Personally, if I had a list of places where I’d be sure to find bats, I’d avoid those places at all costs. Dr. Brigham did his best to get me on side, but I still don’t want one of those gigantic bloodsucking flying rabid rodents stuck in my hair.

Leeann

JUNE 10, 2014

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Wheat & Chaff Farm safety

Voluntary guidelines for young farm workers

F

arm kids are a special breed. They are often precocious, dedicated, smart and willing to help out on the farm.

However, even the most advanced young worker doesn’t have the knowledge, experience or judgment of a seasoned farm worker. With so many youth starting summer jobs on the farm, parents and employers of young farm workers need to have a clear understanding of youth development levels, abilities, limitations and know when and how to set clear rules and boundaries for any work assigned to a young person.

Greg Englot is a Grade 12 student and young farm worker from Abernethy, Saskatchewan. “I enjoy (working on the farm), I would do it for no money,” he says.

However, Englot says that young workers can put themselves in harm’s way, “Sometimes you get full of yourself and think you can do something you probably shouldn’t. (Young workers) want to prove themselves, especially if they are really into the job they are doing and can end up putting themselves at risk,” he says.

In March, the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) and the Canadian Federation of Agriculture launched “Let’s Talk About It!” a Canadian Agricultural Safety Week campaign focused on encouraging farmers to talk about farm safety. Talking to young workers is one part of good communication in the farm workplace.

Glen Blahey is a Health and Safety Specialist with CASA. “Many young workers tend to generalize their skills from one task to another, feeling they possess the size and strength to overcome any problem. They feel that they are immortal and can’t be hurt.

This can put them at risk,” he says.

CASA has developed a resource that provides information about the needs and limitations of young workers. The Canadian Model Youth Policy is a voluntary guideline that enables parents and farm owners and operators to plan and talk about keeping young farm workers safe. The policy was adapted from a similar document developed by youth safety advocates and agricultural leaders in the United States.

The model policy advices farm owners and operators to provide a basic orientation program for young workers, which helps introduce guidelines, expectations and policies for farm work.

The policy also reviews the importance of supervision. Young farm workers require the highest level of support during orientation and training. The level of supervision of a young worker depends on the individual as competency and maturity levels vary from person to person. It is important to participate in on-the-job, hands-on training. All work should be directly supervised until the young worker can prove their competency at a task. Young workers should not be placed in a work-alone situation.

When assigning tasks to youth, factor in the hazard level involved. For instance, job assignments for 14 and 15 year olds should occur in non-hazardous work environments only. Options can expand for 16 and 17 year old youth, but only if they have taken vocational or other work-based learning programs and have the written consent of their parents.

Hours of work are another important factor to consider when scheduling young workers. Young workers require shorter work hours and more frequent breaks than adults.

Youth under 18 are in a state of rapid growth and development and need more time for sleep and rest. They also need time to participate in school, family and community recreation activities.

These are just some of the voluntary guidelines covered in the model policy. It is important to acknowledge that nothing magical happens at age 18 in terms of maturity or risk of injury, so always evaluate the competency of a young worker on a task-by-task basis regardless of the number on their driver’s license. It is also important to review provincial legislative requirements for young workers, which govern hours of work and safety and health regulations.

Young workers can be an excellent asset to any farm but it is important to provide them with the special attention, supervision, training and orientation they need to be productive and safe.

For more information visit http://casaacsa.ca//CanadianModelYouthPolicy. † Canadian Agriculture Safety Association — www.casa-acsa.ca

Agronomy tips…

Precision matters with fusarium Wait for

E

ven the best wheat fungicides only offer suppression of fusarium head blight (FHB), so it’s crucial to follow label instructions closely to protect as much of your hard-won yield and quality as possible.

The application window for most FHB fungicides is as short as two to three days, so timing is tight. This coincides with the period when the florets are open. Prepare in advance to make an application between 1) when 75

per cent of the wheat heads on the main stem are fully emerged and 2) when 50 per cent of the heads on the main stem are in flower.

Protecting the entire wheat head is key.

Fusarium has the ability to infect grains that haven’t been sprayed directly, even if neighbouring grains have. Be sure to select the right spray nozzle, adjust it properly, use a generous water volume (I suggest 15 gal./ac.) and drive slowly for thorough coverage.

Weather Lore

Sticky doors E

Should you be spraying for fusarium this year? If your cereal crops have suffered from a FHB outbreak in recent years and the weather is set to be warm, windy and wet or humid at flowering, a fusarium fungicide application is a smart idea. † This agronomy tip is brought to you by Aaron Bouchard, Agronomic Service Representative for Syngenta Canada Inc. Aaron, who farms in Saskatchewan, is a Certified Crop Adviser and a P.Ag.

You might be from the Prairies if...

By Carson Demmans and Jason Sylvestre

ver notice how some windows and doors seem to be a bit harder to open and close just before a rain?

When doors and windows start to stick, Rain will soon our shingles lick.

A wooden door or window frame has tiny veins that once, when the door or the window frame was in the tree stage, carried nutrients up and down its trunk. During periods of high relative humidity, water condenses in these veins, causing the wood to swell. The door or window is now slightly larger and thus a little more difficult to open or close. †

Shirley Byers’ book, “Never Sell Your Hen on a Rainy Day” explores over 100 weather rhymes and sayings. It is available from McNally Robinson at: www.mcnallyrobinson.com.

You consider a half ton truck to be a fuel efficient compact.

Photo contest

GIVE US YOUR BEST SHOT This photo was taken by Dean Smith. Dean and her husband Glen farm near Sanctuary, Sask., with their son Riley, Riley’s wife Amber and their children.

Mealtimes in the field were getting crowded — Dean’s farming family had outgrown the front of the truck. Then they found the trailer in this photo (they call her Josey), and now the Smiths are eating in style. Dean says, “This is the third spring we have used her. She came to the farm as ‘Grossey Josey,’ but with some hot water and TLC she cleaned up pretty good. After being mouse free all this time, I have dropped the ‘Grossey.’ She is just Josey now and I don’t know what we would do without her.”

This trailer is a comfortable place for the family to eat meals in the field during busy times. “It makes things a lot better with two kids,” Dean says. “They get to bug their dad and grandpa for 15 minutes then go up top and play with their toys.”

Dean, we’re sending you a cheque for $25. Thanks for sharing!

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

Leeann

the movie

G

rainews has a new time-lapse camera. My husband helped me set it up in the field just north of our house on May 27.

We’ve seeded this field with 4.5 pounds per acre of LibertyLink canola. When we set up the camera, the plants had just come up.

Ideally, the camera will take a photo of the crop every morning around 10:30 for the next few weeks. Each photo will be taken from the same angle. I’ll have to move the post when it’s time to spray. If the crop is higher then, I might change the angle of the camera.

In mid-June, when I take the chip out of the camera, hopefully I will be able to stitch those photos together into a short video of the growing crop. Then, the plan is to put the video on the Grainews website for everyone to see.

A lot of things could go wrong with this plan. I might not have the camera set right.

A bug might work its way into the (supposedly) water-tight camera case. A gigantic weed might grow right in front of the camera and block our view of the canola plants. The orange flag on the post might attract a moose, who might decide to eat the shiny green camera.

Anything could happen. Stay tuned for the movie. †

Leeann Minogue.

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JUNE 10, 2014

Cover Stories Crop nutrition » CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Fertilizer toxicity can kill a seed moisture needs to be assessed every year.”

Consider rates carefully in soils with low organic matter. Organic matter holds onto moisture and can be helpful in reducing both ammonium and salt toxicity of fertilizers to seeds. Light textured sandy soils don’t hold moisture as well as heavy clay soils, which offer more protection against ammonium toxicity.

“Seed mortality due to fertilizer toxicity is a huge issue,” says Mooleki. “It is something I try to raise awareness of in my work with farmers.” In fact, questions about fertilizer toxicity are some of the most frequently asked at Saskatchewan Agriculture’s Agriculture Knowledge Centre.

Saskatchewan Agriculture demonstrated what happens with high fertilizer rates at its Crop Diagnostic Schools in 2013.

“We had plots in Swift Current and Indian Head to show that this damage can be significant, and how side-banding and the use of ESN can help reduce the damage when high rates are used,” says Mooleki. “In 2014 we are planning to include information on fertilizer rates at our Crop Diagnostic Schools (CDS) to be held at Scott and Melfort, Sask., but we won’t be focusing on fertilizer toxicity. Instead, for the soils segment of the CDS, we will be focusing on nutrient deficiencies and soil factors that limit crop productivity such as salinity and sodicity.”

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

Lynda Tityk Associate Publisher/ Editorial director

John Morriss

Edi tor

Leeann Minogue fiel d Ed ito r

Lisa Guenther Cattleman’s Corner Editor

Lee Hart Farm life Edito r

Sue Armstrong Machinery EDITOR

Scott Garvey photo: patrick mooleki, saskatchewan agriculture

This image shows hot spots (gaps) in the rows and not so hot areas with better-looking plants.

In addition to nitrogen fertilizer toxicity, farmers should also be aware of toxicities that can be caused by phosphorus, potassium and sulphur fertilizers.

Polymer-coated fertilizers “ESN is a polymer-coated urea granule,” says Ray Dowbenko, senior specialist, agronomic services at Agrium. “The coating acts to slow the reaction of the urea granule with moisture in the soil and in doing that, it diminishes the free ammonia and salt problems that can damage seed. Additionally, the slow release of nitrogen coincides better with the growing seedlings’ demand for nitrogen — the seed has on-board stores to power germination. As those stores run out, nitrogen from the ESN granule has, and is slowly becoming available. There is much less risk of damage to the seed or the concern

of nitrogen getting washed away if ESN is used.”

ESN has more than 15 years of peer reviewed, vetted seed safety research behind it. “The first research trials were conducted in 1997, and it was commercialized in Canada in 2005,” says Dowbenko.

“The guidelines that Agrium recommends for ESN applied with the seed are very conservative. Farmers can be assured that at the rates we provide guidance on, while they may seem high if one was thinking of straight urea, are well and truly tested and established in peer reviewed research.”

With uncoated, regular urea, seed safety is further compromised when soil is dry. ESN in dry soil, on the other hand, does not compete with the seed for what little moisture there may be in the same way. “The coating on the granule separates the seed from the fertilizer, and also

reduces urea from reacting with moisture in the soil directly, acting as a barrier,” explains Dowbenko. Only when moisture crosses that barrier will the urea be able to react and release nitrogen.”

According to Dowbenko’s work with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Alberta Agriculture, if growers use 100 per cent ESN fertilizer as their nitrogen source, they are able to exceed their provincial safe rate guidelines up to three times, and up to 1.5 times in a 50:50 ESN:urea blend.

Dowbenko also advises growers to understand limitations in their own operations such as row spacing, row width, soil texture and soil moisture, as well as individual crop sensitivities. † Andrea Hilderman has her master’s degree in weed science and is a member of the Manitoba Institute of Agrologists. She writes from Winnipeg, Man.

Weed management

Find out what you need to know about new reports of glyphosate resistance across the Prairies

K

ochia is not the first glyphosateresistant weed in Canada but it is the first in the West. Giant ragweed was the first weed confirmed with glyphosate resistance in Canada. It was discovered in 2008 near Windsor, Ontario. Giant ragweed is an extremely competitive weed — if herbicide control options for giant ragweed are diminished, it can cause significant yield losses.

The second glyphosate-resistant weed discovered in Canada was also in Ontario — Canada fleabane.

Now the first glyphosate-resistant weed has been discovered in the West. Glyphosateresistant kochia was discovered in 2011 in Alberta, 2013 in Saskatchewan and, to no weed expert’s surprise, in 2014 in Manitoba.

Manitoba resistance “The only odd thing about finding glyphosate-resistant kochia in Manitoba was where we found it,” says Nasir Shaikh, provincial

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Steven Cote MARKETING/CI RCUL ATION Dir ector

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Circul at ion manag er

Heather Anderson president

Glacier farmmedia

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Glyphosate-resistant kochia in Manitoba

By Andrea Hilderman

Pro duction Di recto r

weed specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development. “We expected to find it in the western part of the province where kochia populations are more plentiful, but we found it close to the U.S. border in the Red River Valley where it is not as common.”

In the Alberta and Saskatchewan situations, the glyphosate-resistant kochia was found in chemical fallow fields. In Manitoba it was found in fields under annual crops, one in corn and one in soybeans in 2013.

“In the case of the soybean field, the grower sprayed glyphosate on his Roundup Ready soybeans and shortly afterwards noticed kochia was not controlled,” says Shaikh. “He then contacted his local Manitoba Ag rep and he was advised to remove the remaining weeds by hand, which he did.” Shaikh will be working extensively this season to work with and educate growers about glyphosate resistance, glyphosate-resistant kochia and strategies farmers can use now to reduce the likelihood of the problem spreading. He will also be monitoring for spread of the resistant weed with surveys in 2014.

“Farmers will have to increase their attention to utilizing integrated weed management strategies,” says Shaikh. “This means increased attention to herbicide tank mixing, tillage operations, crop and herbicide rotations and field scouting for escapes or uncontrolled patches after spraying.”

Identifying resistance How will farmers know if glyphosate-resistant kochia is present? “Glyphosate-resistant kochia will present with a range of symptoms,” says Shaikh. “There will be some stunted or roasted plants, some will be curled up, but not dying off and some will just yellow. None will die completely and if seeds are set, they will be glyphosate resistant.” It is therefore very important that farmers scout fields diligently to find patches of kochia that might survive and then get rid of those plants before seed is set.

“Farmers could try another herbicide application with a different herbicide group, but that is dependent on the stage of the crop and the weed,” says Shaikh. “The best and surest bet is to use a tillage operation or hand weed the surviving plants.”

There is a good chance that this is a problem that will spread given the nature of kochia. “I can’t emphasise enough the importance of vigilance,” says Shaikh. “If farmers lose glyphosate as an herbicide option, weed control options are diminished greatly.” † Andrea Hilderman has her master’s degree in weed science and is a member of the Manitoba Institute of Agrologists.

She writes from Winnipeg, Man.

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

JUNE 10, 2014

grainews.ca /

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Features Crop production

Crop trials show profit-raising products Field trials give farmers a chance to see a product’s real in-field results

By Lisa Guenther

F

armers have a plethora of inputs to choose from these days, but one ag retailer hopes to help farmers sort through their options by running field-scale trials in northwestern Saskatchewan.

And those trials focus not only on yield, but how likely that product is to provide a return-oninvestment (ROI) for local farmers.

“Just because a product works well in a certain soil zone doesn’t mean it will work well in a different soil zone. So we really want to know — here at home, do these products work or not,” Greg Frey told farmers gathered at Cavalier Agrow’s agPROVE forum in North Battleford. Frey is the location manager for Agrow’s Meota branch.

Cavalier Agrow’s field trials were distributed around the company’s trading area, which includes Meota, Medstead, Meadow Lake and Spiritwood, Saskatchewan.

Yields from each strip are weighed and compared to a check.

Running several trials in different locations cuts the likelihood of false positives (a trial generates positive results, but it’s not because of the product) and false negatives (the product actually works, but for some reason the single trial didn’t yield a good result).

Fungicide paid in 2013 Cavalier Agrow staff and farmers ran 13 trials at Spiritwood, Meota and Medstead. They also set up a trial in Meadow Lake, but the untreated check was flooded.

The trials looked at how wheat r e s p o n d e d t o Tw i n l i n e a n d Caramba fungicide applications, compared to an untreated check.

Twinline was applied at the standard rate at flag leaf and Caramba at the heading stage, prior to flowering.

Cavalier Agrow applied a single application of Twinline or Caramba to some strips, while others received a single application of both fungicides. Applications were between 12 and 18 days apart.

Wheat treated with both Twinline and Caramba yielded best, on average, across locations, weighing in 16.19 bushels per acre over the untreated check. Caramba alone topped the untreated check by 12.86 bushels per acre, on average, and Twinline nosed ahead of the check by 11.71 bushels, Frey said.

Based on $6 wheat and a $5 sprayer cost, a combination of Twinline and Caramba provided a $61.90 per acre ROI. Caramba alone returned $56 per acre and Twinline $55.63.

But looking at soft wheat prices of $3.50, Twinline alone provided the best ROI ($26), followed

by Caramba alone ($24.40). A joint application still provided a $21.43 ROI. Frey said as long as wheat prices are greater than $2.20 per bushel, all treatments at all locations gave a positive ROI. But treated wheat at Meota showed a much slimmer yield gain than other sites. Frey told farmers Meota’s smaller yields likely came down to variety. Hard Red Spring wheat was grown in Meota and it was also the responsive to fungicides.

Last year’s fungicide trial results gave Frey a new perspective on a trial Agrow ran a couple years ago looking at different wheat varieties.

“When we grew CPS wheat seven, eight years ago against our

Hard Red Spring wheat varieties, we said ‘Why does our CPS not yield more than our hard red spring wheat?’” Frey said. “Depending on the year, I think we were leaving a lot of the extra yield on the table by not applying a fungicide.”

Cavalier Agrow also broke down results into response by individual wheat variety, but Frey cautioned the data sets were small.

But, with that caveat, Canada Prairie Spring Red yielded 42.4 bushels per acre more than the untreated check with applications of both fungicides. Canada Prairie Spring White saw a 20 bushel bump with two doses, and Canada Western Soft Wheat 14.5 bushels. Canada Western Red Spring only increased by 6.4 bushel with both treatments.

Not all products a win Cavalier Agrow and cooperating farmers also took a look at ATP’s ReLeaf on canola last year, running 12 trials at all four locations. ReLeaf is an N-P-K product designed to “provide early season stress relief when ‘seedling stall’ can occur,” according to ATP’s website. It’s applied at the same time as herbicide.

“Overall, the trend in 2013 was ReLeaf canola was not an advantage,” said Frey.

In Spiritwood, ReLeaf averaged a two bushel gain over the untreated check. In Medstead, ReLeaf was up 0.6 bushels. But at Meadow Lake, ReLeaf was down 0.6 bushels and it dropped 2.5 bushels at Meota.

Frey said field variance probably played into the small differences between sites.

Since ReLeaf is designed to counter stress, 2013’s ideal growing conditions may have played into the product’s performance, Frey said.

“Those plants were pretty

Wheat field at Cavalier Agrow’s Meota location (2012).

WHEAT YIELD GAINS FOUND BY CAVALIER AGROW This table shoes the yield gain in bushels per acre at three sites when these three treatments were used, compared to the untreated check.

Treatment

Medstead

Meota

Spiritwood

Twinline

18.1

6.71

8.03

Caramba

19.86

7.99

20.03

Twinline + Caramba

21.99

7.99

25.33

healthy. I don’t think there was a lot of stress to alleviate,” he said.

ReLeaf is part of ATP’s larger agronomic package, known as R3.

The package also includes PreCede, a micronutrient seed primer, and Fortify, which syncs with fungicide application. Cavalier Agrow will test the entire R3 platform this year.

Canola treated with fungicides also bore disappointing results at most of Cavalier’s locations in 2013. At most locations, any yield gained from applying Proline and

Serenade was negligible and provided a negative ROI. “At a lot of the trials, we found no disease incidents in our untreated check,” said Frey.

Since fungicides prevent disease, “if the disease isn’t present, we’re not going to see the benefit.”

Hitting canola with Proline did pay at Meadow Lake, boosting yields by upwards of six bushels per acre over the untreated check. † Lisa Guenther is a field editor with Grainews based at Livelong, Sask. Contact her at Lisa.

Guenther@fbcpublishing.com.

Farm management

Make sure you get paid You’ve grown a great crop and booked a good price. Now make sure you actually get paid

By Lisa Guenther

B

efore you shop a truckload of grain, it’s worth knowing a bit about who you’re selling to and what you’ve got in the bin. Doing your homework could make the difference between getting paid fairly and perhaps not getting paid at all.

Under the Canada Grain Act, grain dealers and elevators, including primary and terminal elevators and processors, need to renew their licences with the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) each year.

Along with applying for licences and providing year-end financial statements, dealers and elevators have to tender security, says Fred Hodgkinson, head of licensing with the CGC. All licensees file a monthly liability report with the commission so they can be sure the companies are in compliance.

If farmers aren’t paid before a licensed company goes bankrupt, they can file a claim to be paid out of that tendered security, Hodgkinson explains.

“If you deal with a company that isn’t (licensed) don’t come a-callin’ if you can’t get paid because we haven’t got security.

But phone in advance, confirm if the company’s licensed,” says Hodgkinson.

Licensed grain dealers and elevators are listed on the commission’s website, at www. grainscanada.gc.ca, under “licensed companies.” Companies also need to post current licences in their office or elevator, Hodgkinson says.

If farmers are unsure about whether a company is, or should be, licensed, they can also phone him, says Hodgkinson.

Farmers should make sure they get a delivery receipt on the day grain is unloaded, which includes specs from the

unload, says Hodgkinson. Cash purchase tickets are also acceptable for filing a claim. Scale tickets are not.

And although farmers may want to amortize income for income tax purposes, “the sooner you get payment the better,” says Hodgkinson. Farmers are only eligible to claim their share of the tendered security for 90 days after delivery, Hodgkinson explains.

Once a settlement is issued, the farmer’s initial receipt is no longer eligible against security, says Hodgkinson. Farmers will only have 30 days to make a claim on the settlement document. Otherwise a company’s liabilities would climb, particularly in the fall, as it carried forward deferred producer payments.

“By cutting that window down to 30 days, then that eliminates that excessive carryover of possible deferred settlements,” says Hodgkinson.

If farmers sit on their initial receipt for 80 days before seeking a cash purchase ticket, that cash purchase ticket is only eligible for 11 days against security, Hodgkinson says, assuming it’s dated that day.

Farmers who accept post-dated cheques from licensed companies will only be covered for 30 days from the date the cheque is issued, no matter what the date is on the cheque, the commission’s website states.

Hodgkinson says he also gets questions about delivery contracts, particularly

when farmers aren’t able to deliver on time because of weather or road bans. “We always stress that until the delivery is made, we have no ability to get involved in the scenario.”

Making the grade Farmers who disagree with the grade a licensed primary elevator assigns can also appeal to the Canadian Grain Commission.

“However the Grain Commission grades that sample, that is binding. So the elevator must pay according to the CGC grade,” says Daryl Beswitherick, manager of quality assurance at the Commission.

The Commission will also rule on dockage, moisture and protein.

Both the farmer and elevator staff must agree the sample is representative of the truck load in question. And farmers wanting to appeal to the commission should act as quickly as possible, he adds.

“We do get calls from producers who’ve waited too long. Then we can’t do anything about it. So it needs to be timely,” says Beswitherick.

More information on the Canadian Grain Commission programs is available at www. grainscanada.gc.ca. † Lisa Guenther is a field editor with Grainews based at Livelong, Sask. Contact her at Lisa.Guenther@ fbcpublishing.com.

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JUNE 10, 2014

Features HARVEST

Straight talk on straight cutting

The best time to swath canola

It’s not for everyone, but some farmers are seeing benefits from straight cutting their canola

The Canola Council’s recommendations on timing have changed. Keep up to date with the latest swathing guidelines

BY ANDREA HILDERMAN

S

teve Larocque of Beyond Agronomy in Three Hills, Alberta, has been straight cutting canola for the last four years. “The main reason we switched to straight cutting was because we couldn’t find a swather with a 30-foot knife that would work in our controlled traffic system,” explains Larocque.

“Using a John Deer 9750 with a 30-foot knife we are able to straight cut the exact width of the tramlines. And in the four years since, we’ve learned a lot about straight cutting canola in our area.”

One thing growers need to know right off the bat is that straight cutting may not be an option on every farm, but it certainly is worth looking into.

STRAIGHT CUT TIMING Larocque uses a pre-harvest glyphosate application in the first two weeks of September to get the crop to finish ripening and dry down slowly. “We’ve found spraying glyphosate at the 30 to 40 per cent seed colour change stage works best for us,” he explains. “There needs to be some green material for the glyphosate to work.” The crop will generally be ready for straight cutting about three weeks after this pre-harvest operation.

“If you swath and then combine, you will have your crop in the bin about a week earlier than pre-harvest

glyphosate and straight cutting,” says Larocque. “That’s been our experience.”

ADVANTAGES There are situations where straight cutting is advantageous. “If your area is prone to high winds in the fall, straight cutting offers advantages,” says Larocque.

How much labour and equipment is available?

“One year, we had 113 kilometer per hour winds when the crop was one to two days away from harvest. Yes, we had shattering losses, but we still harvested 30 bushels per acre. But that was a lot better than trying to harvest swaths that had been blown asunder and into the ditches and fence lines. Average yields in our area were about 15 bushels per acre after that wind tore through.”

Larocque also finds seed size is increased with straight cutting. “We are leaving the crop to ripen longer whereas swathing stops the ripening process,” he says. Cost-wise, if a farmer is using a pre-harvest glyphosate application and then straight cutting, there are probably no savings.

However, if the pre-harvest application is not required, there will be reduced costs and one less field operation. This can also help with overall harvest management and timing.

Additionally, Larocque says he finds seed losses with straight cutting are equal or less than compared to swathing and combining.

“When the crop is swathed, it’s cut lower and there is a lot of volume to combine,” he explains. “When we straight cut, we are leaving taller stubble, taking in less material and find the combine can do a better job of separating the seed from straw and chaff.”

Larocque says many farmers perceive canola to be a riskier crop to straight cut, but so far, his experience has been that there have been no greater seed losses with straight cutting than with swathing.

“The decision to swath or straight cut comes down to each individual grower’s situation,” explains Larocque.

“How much labour and equipment is available?

Can all the canola acres be swathed at the ideal seed colour change? My experience has been very positive on my farm with straight cutting. There are lots of resources out there to help analyze each method and determine what may work better on the farm.” † Andrea Hilderman has her master’s degree in weed science and is a member of the Manitoba Institute of Agrologists.

She writes from Winnipeg, Man.

CROP PRODUCTION

Diagnose your own problem The Canola Council’s online diagnostic tool is there to help farmers identify problems themselves

BY LEEANN MINOGUE

M

aybe it’s after work hours, or the long weekend. Or maybe you need to make a quick decision. It’s probably not going to replace your favourite local agrologist anytime soon, but the Canola Council of Canada’s website can be very useful when you need a little help.

All you need to do is gather as much information as you can about your field, its history, your seeding practices and what you’re seeing in the field that’s causing you concerns.

Then, get to the Internet and go to www.canoladiagnostictool.ca.

This website will walk you through questions about your problem, step by step. There are questions about everything from stage of plant growth, to the part of the plant where you see a problem. Some of the questions are fairly detailed; you’ll need to be observant.

Once it’s taken a stab at identifying your problem, the website gives you advice about what to do, or a list of labs you could use to verify the diagnosis.

The “good old days” must have involved a lot of stumbling around in the dark, waiting for the Internet to be invented. When my great grandfather moved here from Newcastle with no farming experience, he had to rely on neighbours’ advice and wild guesses. I don’t know what he would have paid for access to an online tool line this, but for us, it’s free (thanks to funding from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada). † Leeann Minogue is the editor of Grainews.

BY ANDREA HILDERMAN

T

“

here is a lot of evidence that the best time to swath canola is at the 50 to 60 per cent seed colour change stage, but every year assessing seed colour change and actually swathing at that ideal time can pose quite a challenge,” says Angela Brackenreed, Manitoba agronomy specialist for the Canola Council of Canada.

While most farmers can seed a tremendous number of acres in spring really quickly, getting those same acres harvested takes a lot longer. Not every acre is likely to be swathed at just the right time.

THE BEST TIME TO SWATH “Personally, I prefer swathing as late as possible without risking inducing shattering losses,” says Brackenreed. “In practise, that means starting to swath around the 50 per cent seed colour change (SCC) and targeting being completed at about 75 per cent SCC. There is about a 10 per cent change in seed colour every two to three days, so this gives you about a week to complete swathing.”

But farmers can start planning for swathing canola long ahead at seeding. “Planning for swathing canola should start before ever entering the field to seed,” says Brackenreed. “Choosing varieties with different days to maturity and possibly breaking up canola seeding operations are considerations, however, the latter is not always feasible given a particular farm’s manpower and equipment, and the type of seeding window we have to work with.”

Up until fairly recently it was recommended to swath canola at the 30 to 40 per cent SCC. “Now the recommendation is to swath at 50 to 60 per cent seed colour change ideally,” says Brackenreed. “However, if you have a lot of canola to swath you may have to start a bit earlier.” Every year, there are many farmers that don’t swath at the ideal time usually because of time, equipment or labour constraints. There will also be fields that do not mature evenly and it becomes a necessity to swath at a less than ideal time.

The SCC recommendations are made based on seeds on the main stem. “This has been brought into question lately as a lot of farmers are comfortable with thinner stands where there is much more branching happening,” explains Brackenreed. “Typically most of the yield comes from the main stem, but when there is a lot of branching, that may not hold true. In low plant populations where there is significant branching I recommend consider the SCC on the whole plant, not just the main stem.”

Brackenreed also points out that canola ripens from the bottom up and the inside out, so a plant with a lot of branches will take longer to mature.

Brackenreed is an advocate of straight cutting canola, and advises that a mix of both straight cutting and swathing can alleviate the problem of swathing at improper times. † Andrea Hilderman has her master’s degree in weed science and is a member of the Manitoba Institute of Agrologists. She writes from Winnipeg, Man.

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JUNE 10, 2014

Features Crop production

Crop Advisor’s casebook

By Jeneen Ewen

R

ob, a mixed grain and cattle farmer east of Swift Current, Sask., went on a week-long fishing trip in mid-July. Upon returning to his 3,000-acre farm where he grows canola, lentils, durum and barley, Rob noticed the plants in one of his lentil fields were turning brown and appeared to be dying.

He called me immediately.

“I’m not sure what’s wrong with that lentil field,” Rob said.

“All my other fields of lentils look as healthy as can be. And we sprayed all of our lentils for disease just before I left for my trip.”

When I drove out to visit, Rob took me to look at the affected field, which was relatively flat with a couple of low spots. Right away, I could see bronzing of the leaves and dead-looking plants in some areas of the lentil crop.

Some plants in the low spots were already starting to lose their leaves, even though the stems were still green.

In general, the lentils were very bushy with a lot of plant material

present. A closer look at the most severely affected plants revealed that some of them didn’t have many pods. The leaves of affected plants had small lesions that were light brown in colour, although we couldn’t spot any lesions or wounds on the stems. We pulled up a few plants to examine the roots and they looked healthy, with good nodulation.

The bronzing within the crop wasn’t occurring just in the low areas, but was happening on slopes and in higher areas of the field as well. According to Rob, the affected areas seemed to be spreading, getting larger and larger every day.

My immediate thought was that it could be ascochyta or anthracnose, both common lentil diseases. I knew a few farmers in the area had been spraying for both diseases, but I couldn’t see physical evidence of either ascochyta or anthracnose on these lentil plants and Rob had indicated he’d already sprayed the crop for both diseases.

My second thought was that perhaps the lentils in the low areas

Crop Advisor’s Solution

By Amy Heather

J

im is a grain and cattle producer who rotates cereal, oilseeds and pulse crops on 3,000 acres of farmland near Warner, Alta. He had called me in midAugust to talk about some trouble he was having with his canola crop.

Jim wanted to avoid yield loss due to green seed or shattering at harvest, but he wasn’t sure when to swath his canola due to some very uneven ripening occurring throughout the field. He thought a hailstorm a couple of weeks previously might be to blame, and he asked me to come out to his farm to have a look.

Jim’s canola crop did exhibit obvious signs of hail damage, such as broken branches and plant stems. It was also clear that while some plants appeared fully ripened, others right beside them looked to be far from ready for swathing. Hail damage can cause parts of a plant to ripen early, but the fact that the uneven ripening in Jim’s canola crop was

THE CASE OF THE BRONZING LENTILS

Jeneen Ewen is a sales agronomist with Richardson Pioneer Ltd. at Reed Lake, Sask.

The bronzing within the crop wasn’t occurring just in the low areas, but was happening on slopes and in higher areas of the field as well.

of the field were suffering from the effects of recent heavy rainfalls.

However, the symptoms weren’t just isolated to plants in low spots — they were all over the field.

There had to be an explanation, but what? If you think you know what’s behind Rob’s brown-

ing lentils, send your diagnosis to Grainews, Box 9800, Winnipeg, Man., R3C 3K7; email leeann. minogue@fbcpublishing.com or fax 204-944-95416 c/o Crop Advisor’s Casebook. Best suggestions will be pooled and one winner will be drawn for a chance to

BLACKLEG CULPRIT IN PREMATURE RIPENING

even more apparent in areas of the field less affected by hail led me to suspect a more probable cause.

A close inspection of some individual plants revealed some lesions and cankers on the stems, as well as round, irregular-sized lesions on some plant leaves that were greyish-white in colour. Further examination turned up some black pycnidia fungal structures on the exterior of the affected stems. Cutting into the base of these stems also revealed some interior blackening; this appeared as an obvious black ring in some cases and was less distinct in others, although still having a girdling effect within the plant stem.

All of these findings were symptoms of blackleg, a common fungal disease in canola that can cause premature ripening. While the recent hailstorm might have exacerbated the problem by damaging the canola and making it easier for the pathogens to enter the plants, clearly the disease had been present in the crop for some time.

At this stage, there wasn’t much Jim could do to rectify the effects of blackleg on his crop. Both the hail damage and the disease took a toll on Jim’s canola yield.

There was also some shelling during swathing, but thanks to some careful timing, this did not result in any downgrading in the quality of the canola crop that was being harvested.

I urged Jim to take a proactive approach in the future, since growing conditions had been favourable for the development of blackleg pressure and some careful scouting at earlier growth stages in his field would have revealed the disease sooner. Applying fungicides earlier in the growing season could have helped to reduce the blackleg infection.

Jim could also choose to plant a blacklegresistant canola variety in future years, now that he knows the pathogen is present in his fields. † Amy Heather is an Area Marketing Representative for Richardson Pioneer Ltd. at Stirling, Alta.

win a Grainews cap and a one-year subscription to the magazine. The answer, along with reasoning that solved the mystery, will appear in the next Crop Advisor’s Solution File. † Jeneen Ewen is a sales agronomist with Richardson Pioneer Ltd. in Reed Lake, Sask.

Casebook winner

T

his issue’s winner is Ron Krahn.

Ron Krahn is part of his family farm — Providence Farms near Rivers, Manitoba.

Along with his diagnosis, Ron said he knew the answer because he’d seen the problem in his own field. I’m sorry you had the problem, but I’m glad Casebook was relevant.

Thanks for entering, Ron! We’ll renew your Grainews subscription for a year and send you a Grainews cap.

Leeann Minogue

Fresh cravings at the farmers market

W

ith three young kids, a veterinary-consulting business and a full time gig as “wife” on a busy southeast Saskatchewan grain farm, you might think Leigh Rosengren would have enough to do. Apparently not.

Leigh and Colin Rosengren have built two greenhouses on their family grain and cattle farm and are now producing a full line of cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes and micro-greens. They are happy to have a project they can work on outdoors with their children, and they’re very optimistic about the future of farming.

Leigh, her kids, and some locally hired staff are selling vegetables in farmers markets and mall parking lots from Estevan to Regina. Apparently, her eight-year old son is already becoming a very good salesman.

Learn more on their website: www.freshcravings.ca. †

Leeann Minogue

photos: leeann minogue

The two greenhouse buildings were finished this winter. The first crop was seeded in January.

This summer, Fresh Cravings produce is available at the Estevan farmers market, the Regina Wednesday farmers market and in Weyburn on Wednesday afternoons.

JUNE 10, 2014

grainews.ca /

9

Features Harvest

How to harvest pulse crops If you’re new to pulses or want a refresher, here are four harvest factors

By Melanie Epp

ith pulse crops, a successful harvest starts not long after seed goes into the ground, says Dale Risula, provincial crop specialist with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture. Knowing when to use land rollers, choosing a desiccant and knowing the best ways to harvest and store the crops are all key to succeeding with pulses.

Weather can also damage and downgrade pulse crops, he says.

Peas, in particular, are quite vulnerable to damage, green peas, especially.

“Colour is an important factor in determining the quality of the pea,” says Risula. “If there’s any degree of bleaching, then it’s downgraded. Bleaching occurs when the swathed crop is exposed to combinations of bright sunlight and rain showers. It seems to worsen the affect of bleaching on green peas.”

1. Using land rollers

3. When to combine

Pulses, particularly lentils, are fairly short crops, says Risula, and the machinery that’s used to cut them is often very close to the ground. Rollers are used to flatten out any grooves that the seeder may have caused and also to push stones back into the soil so that they’re no longer an obstruction to the combine operation.

Rollers should be used after seeding, following emergence and between the five- to seven-node stage in lentils and the five-node stage in peas, says Risula. Beyond that, land rolling can damage plants, reduce yields and spread foliar diseases, so it is not recommended.

In chickpeas, land rollers are less beneficial since they don’t usually lodge and they have higher stubble. Post-emergent land rolling is not recommended, especially since it can spread disease, like ascochyta blight, which is always a potentially devastating problem in chickpeas.

When rolling, the best results are obtained when soils are not wet, says Neil Whatley, crop specialist with Alberta Ag-Info Centre. Under wet conditions, the roller could build up mud, damage seedlings and not pack correctly.

Rolling when crops are damp is also not recommended since it can spread disease. Avoid rolling if the seedlings have been under stress — extreme heat, frost or herbicide application. Whatley recommends leaving three days between herbicide application or frost and rolling.

Finally, it’s best not to roll first thing in the morning when plants have more turgor pressure, he says.

Stems are stiffer and more apt to break. For best results, wait until 10 a.m. or noon to begin rolling.

Pulse crops will reach the maturity stage at around 30 per cent moisture content. At that point in time, they’re ready for either swathing or pre-harvest applications of

W

herbicide. They then need to dry so they can be threshed or combined. The best time to combine is at around 18 per cent moisture content. Some growers, says Risula, prefer to wait until the crop is at 15 per cent moisture content.

“I guess it depends on how experienced they are and what kind of machinery they have,” he says. “Pulse crops, if they’re too dry, tend to chip and downgrade in value. If they’re very dry, the seed coat will chip and crack.

That’s why a lot of producers will begin harvesting around 18 per cent moisture content.”

Seed coats are also prone to damage if they’re handled at high speeds, too. “Basically, the machinery that’s being utilized for threshing the pulse crops

need to be operated at slower speeds.” Great care should be taken when transferring grain through augers and into bins so that it is not subjected to high speeds or lengthy falls.

4. Storing pulse crops Often, conditioning is required very soon after freshly harvested pulses are binned, Risula says. If the crop was harvested on a hot day, it will need to be cooled to an acceptable level in an aeration bin. Risula says that 15 C or cooler is ideal because crops will sweat after they’re harvested.

“Some of that moisture is emitted as a gas and accumulates within the bin around the seed,” he says. “Then it’s subject to all

sorts of movement and gathering points within the bin where hot spots and deterioration of the grain could occur.”

Similarly, if the crop is harvested when the moisture content is too high, it needs to be dried as well.

“Generally, somewhere around 14 per cent, or in the case of red lentils, a lot of processors require that it be stored at around 13 per cent.”

It’s not a good idea to store new crop on old crop, says Risula. It tends to reduce the quality of the crop, especially lentils, which can turn brown and lose value quickly.

“New crop should be stored by itself,” he concludes. † Melanie Epp is a freelance writer who specializes in writing web copy for small businesses. She is based in Guelph, Ont., and can be found online at melanierepp.com.

With Fuse fungicide, it doesn’t stand a chance.

2. Using a desiccant As harvest approaches, pulse crops are nearing the end of their maturity. Pulse crops have an indeterminate growing nature, so their time to mature can vary, says Risula. To help break that vegetative growth and initiate the maturity process, some sort of stress is needed.

As that maturity date approaches, it’s really important that the weather cooperates. Until the crop is ripe, frost needs to be avoided.

“Also, just as the time approaches when you want to either desiccate or apply some pre-harvest herbicide to the crop or swath it before harvesting — that the weather be dry and not rainy,” he says. “Warm, dry days are in order when it comes to harvesting pulse crops.”

If the crop is treated with glyphosate, notes Risula, it shouldn’t be used for seed.

And let’s face it, Fusarium head blight (FHB) is nothing to take chances on. If you grow spring, winter or durum wheat you know that protection during head emergence – before the disease takes hold – is crucial. Don’t let FHB affect your yield, grade, quality or rotations. Light the Fuse® before it starts.

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JUNE 10, 2014

Features Grain storage

Storing higher-oil canola It’s worth more, but it’s also more fragile. Know how to keep your specialty canola safe in the bin

By Melanie Epp

S

ince higher oil content canola has less dry matter content in each kernel than lower oil content canola, it is prone to spoiling more quickly.

On top of that, last year’s record harvest, coupled with nationwide transportation issues, means that crops are sitting in storage longer than usual and causing great concern to growers.

Dr. Digvir Jayas, vice-president (research and international) and distinguished professor at the University of Manitoba, has conducted a number of studies whose results should help mitigate loss to spoilage.

“Oil can’t hold water, says Jayas, “which is why, with high oil crops, you have to store them at a much lower moisture content than you would store lower content crops.”

While the recommended safe moisture content level for wheat is somewhere around 13 per cent, it’s much lower in canola, around eight to 8.5 per cent, says Jayas. Storing at these lower moisture levels, he says, “will give you longer storage life.”

of canola at 12 per cent moisture content stored in silo bags.

The first bags were unsealed as early as March, where it was found that canola maintained grade. Bags opened five to six weeks later in mid-April, on average, lost a grade. Bags opened as late as August could only be sold as feed.

Based on the results of his study, Jayas recommends storing canola at moisture content levels no higher than eight per cent, especially if the goal is to store it for more than the usual 10 months. Even at eight per cent moisture, though, canola should

still be monitored, he says, but probably not as often as you would monitor canola stored at a higher moisture content level.

Warm it slowly Joy Agnew, Project Manager at Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute agrees. Last year’s record harvest, combined with nationwide transportation issues, means that grain has been stored far longer than usual in Western Canada. This has caused growers great concern.

Cool grain is likely going to experience spoilage as bins warm

in the sun, says Agnew. “Anytime you have temperature variations, there are going to be moisture variations and moisture migration, which can potentially lead to spoilage,” she says.

As the warm air outside warms the grain closest to the bin wall, convection currents are formed.

When cool grain comes in contact with warn grain, condensation can form, which can result in spoilage.

To avoid this, growers should warm their grain slowly, says Agnew, who recommends gradually running fans when the outside air is less than 10 degrees warmer than the grain itself. The

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

Quality meets quantity.

Canola storage research In recent years, Jayas conducted a study comparing high oil content canola to lower oil content canola. As expected, the study found that the high oil content canola was subject to spoilage slightly faster than the lower oil content canola.

“Statistically, the difference wasn’t that significant, but you can see the trend,” says Jayas. “As the oil content of canola keeps increasing, eventually it would start showing that the higher the oil content, the lower the moisture content required for safe storage.”

In another study, Jayas tested three high canola hybrids — NX4105 (45.4 per cent), InVigor 5540 (47.1 per cent), and 45H29 (45.4 per cent) — at four moisture content levels: eight, 10, 12 and 14 per cent.

The hybrids were stored in smallscale chambers where both temperature and humidity could be controlled. Contents were tested at 10 C, 20 C, 30 C and 40 C. The higher oil content canola showed a decrease in germination.

Similarly, increases in free fatty acid values also started happening sooner in high oil canola than in lower content canola.

“So it’s showing the trend that higher oil content is initiating that spoilage sooner than the lower oil content canola under the same conditions,” says Jayas.

Finally, Jayas also tested storage at different moisture content levels in silo bags. Not surprisingly, canola stored at 14 per cent moisture content was more likely to spoil. At 10 per cent, they were able to store it safely for up to 10 months with some drop in grade. At eight per cent per cent, no grade loss was experienced and the quality of the grain did not change.

Jayas also tested the lifespan

time it will take to equalize temperatures will depend on the size of the bin and the fan size.

“The lower the temperature difference between the air and the grain at the end of the warming process, the better,” says Agnew.

“But you don’t want to increase the grain temperature above 15 C. Maintaining a grain temperature of 15 C throughout the summer should minimize the risk of convection currents and condensation on the bin walls.” †

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Features Grain storage

Three ways to sample If you don’t want any nasty surprises later, make sure your sample is a good representative of the grain you plan to sell

By Andrea Hilderman

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aking representative samples is a critical step to understanding the quality or other characteristics of anything that is tested in some way. Rarely, if ever, is an entire organism, crop or object tested for quality, consistency, disease, protein, etc. A sample is generally taken and the results of the tests on the sample are presumed to represent the whole.

Farmers are used to hearing that the grain sample results they get are only as good as the sample tested. Holly Gelech, busi-

ness development manager at BioVision Seed Labs, echoes the need for representative samples and points to the issues that can come up if the sample is not good.

“There are two main problems that could arise from tests on samples that are not representative of the lot,” Gelech says. “First, a quality issue could be inflated or secondly, a quality issue that exists in the lot could be minimized or not even identified.”

Either scenario is very undesirable to farmers who produce large volumes of grain and need to have quality results that reliably predict the quality of the lot that

is either for sale or will be used as seed in the following year.

“In order to ensure accurate results about a seed or grain lot,” says Gelech, “farmers need to understand how to get a representative sample and be prepared ahead of harvest to gather it. In that way, the sampling process will be seamless and not interfere with or slow down harvesting operations.” It’s one thing to get the grain off the field and into the bin, and another to know exactly what you have in that bin. The quality of grain harvested from a single field can vary quite widely. High spots or drowned out

spots, areas in the lee of a shelter belt, salinity, and other issues will impact grain quality.

Bin sampling “Static sampling from a bin or bag is fairly commonplace today,” says Gelech. “What farmers have to watch here is not taking samples from the bottom of the bin or just from the door.”

In both cases, these two spots will not produce a representative sample for different reasons.

In the case of the floor, smaller grains and weed seeds tend to accumulate there. In the case of

photo: courtesy of dimo labtronics, winnipeg

This 38 inch grain scoop is suitable for stream sampling. the door, there can be moisture infiltration from outside or other environmental changes that are not happening throughout the rest of the bin. Bin probes are an absolute requirement for getting a representative sample from a bin. “The problem with bins and bin probes today is that bins are getting really big,” says Gelech.

“It’s becoming more difficult to get a representative sample out of some of them.”

Stream sampling

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Which could make good stream sampling even more valuable to a farmer. “Harvest is the best time to do this,” explains Gelech.

“When the grain is being transferred from the truck or grain cart to the bin.” For the majority of farmers, this will involve taking manual samples from the flow of grain from the truck to the auger. There are automated stream samplers that are used in more commercial situations, but manual will do the job as well.

Key to stream sampling is to take a high number of samples from all places in the stream at a regular interval you’ve determined in advance. At the end of the process, the sample will be mixed, divided and reduced to a reasonable amount to facilitate grain grading and other testing as well as having sufficient volume to provide samples to buyers if needed. The equipment required to get a representative sample does not have to be sophisticated. Generally a good number of clean 20-litre pails and a scoop or sampling ladle is all that is required.

The Canadian Grain Commission has an excellent guide on its website on how to take a representative sample and later divide and reduce it. At http://www.grainscanada. gc.ca, choose “producers” from the choices on the left side, then choose “sampling grain” from the list of options.

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Composite samples

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If a field or type of grain is binned together and comes from a number of fields or occupies a number of bins, a composite sample can be created to represent that lot or variety or field.

The Canadian Grain Commission defines a composite sample as being composed of a number of distinct portions, each obtained in a prescribed manner from consecutive samples. Those portions are then blended to make the composite. † Andrea Hilderman has her master’s degree in weed science and is a member of the Manitoba Institute of Agrologists. She writes from Winnipeg, Man.

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JUNE 10, 2014

Features Crop disease

Root rot can be diagnosed, but confirmation may come too late Root rot caused by aphanomyces can cause yield problems in peas.

There’s no easy treatment, but farmers can still take preventative steps

By Lisa Guenther

I

t was early in the 2012 growing season when Bernie McClean realized something was wrong with one of his pea fields.

The field had been seeded to peas several times over the years, but in 2012 the crop was “going backwards,” McClean, a Medstead-area farmer, said in an interview. Patches of plants were stunted. As the season

progressed, they would yellow from lack of nitrogen, seemingly caused by root rot.

McClean and his agronomist, Errin Tollefson of Cavalier Agrow, scouted the field and pulled plants to send to a lab in Regina.

The initial diagnosis was aphanomyces, a disease that causes root rot in peas. By fall, DNA analysis would confirm the pathogen.

But that diagnosis wasn’t enough to save McClean’s field.

“Nobody had answers for me,”

said McClean. “Do I go out, do I spray with Headline or some type of fungicide to try to protect what I still have left?”

“But the root was gone. There was no saving it. Nodulation was gone. It was horrible.”

In the end, McClean still pulled an average of 20 bushels per acre from the infected field, partly because one area that hadn’t been seeded in the past yielded very well.

McClean said about “70 per

cent of those acres were just a complete write-off.”

“I was happy to get anything out of that (poor) field. You know, in all honesty that summer I thought, ‘It’s going to be a wreck. I’m not going to get anything.’ But in the end, where it was good, it was very good.”

In comparison, McClean’s other green pea field, which saw peas for the first time in 2012, produced 67 bushels per acre, he said.

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2012: year of the fungus Speaking at a recent farm conference, Peter Walsh, an agricultural instructor at Vermilion’s Lakeland College, pegged 2012 as “the year of the fungus.”

Aphanomyces zoospores have tails, known as flagella, which propel zoospores short distances through soil, allowing them to infect roots. The pathogen thrives when there’s plenty of moisture early in the growing season, and so 2012 was a rough year for farmers with infected fields.

Ed Seidle and his family have been in the pedigreed seed business for 70 years in the Medstead area. He likes to dig into problems not being investigated by other researchers, studying fields where farmers have kept good records and applying information from his research library.

“My laboratory is the whole country,” he said in an interview.

Seidle said the disease spread very rapidly in 2012. He marked diseased patches in each field he visited.

“And every time I went to them, they were bigger in every direction. And considerably bigger,” said Seidle.

The first symptoms of aphanomyces will be patches of stunted plants, with yellowing on the older leaves, said Seidle.

In a patch, “every plant is affected. Every plant. There isn’t anything missed,” he said. As the season wears on, the plants will yellow and die off. Nodulation might not occur at all, or nodules may be destroyed.

“In real severe cases the plants don’t get very big and they’ll be knocked right out before they ever get to the podding stage,” said Seidle. “And if it’s not as severe or comes on… later, there may be some pods formed. Sometimes only one pea in a pod.”

Seidle has found signs of it in most fields he’s surveyed, ranging from trace levels to severe infestations. Yields have plunged as low as one bushel per acre.

“Even some of the fields that were first-time peas, as the season went along, I could find little patches here and there which could very well be the aphanomyces,” said Seidle.

Dr. Sabine Banniza, researcher with the University of Saskatchewan, started getting calls from growers about root rot problems in 2012.

Banniza and her colleagues collected samples and tried to isolate the pathogen.

They were able to detect aphanomyces in samples, including McClean’s, using molecular testing.

But success in isolating aphanomyces depends on how much of it is in the root compared to other stuff, said Banniza in an interview.

“And obviously the longer you wait, the less is there.”

Once aphanomyces infects roots, it opens the door to other diseases, such as fusarium. Wait too long to send samples and secondary infec-

JUNE 10, 2014

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13

Features tions will have over-run the sample, making diagnosis tricky.

In 2013, Banniza and her colleagues collected contaminated soil, planted peas, and then tested for aphanomyces when the pea seedlings were very young.

“And even with our indoor tests we noticed that first you seem to have aphanomyces and then eventually fusarium comes in there as well. But it’s really secondary,” she said.

MANAGING APHANOMYCES There are no seed treatments or other chemical controls available for aphanomyces right now.

But farmers shouldn’t strike peas from their rotations altogether, Seidle said. “Just because they had a bad crop on one field, why discontinue (entirely)? Only because they may think that this root rot, it’s something like a flu... It’s going to hit every field. Well, the pathogen’s got to be there.”

Seidle suggested tracking pea

Testing for aphanomyces

D

iscovery Seed Labs in Saskatoon offers DNA testing for aphanomyces. Farmers should send either soil or plant samples.

“As soon as you start to notice symptoms, you can start pulling plants. And we can have a look at it and see what it is,” said Bruce Carriere, owner of Discovery.

Carriere suggested sampling from areas where water was sitting for seven to 10 days as well as around waterways.

BDS Laboratories in Qu’Appelle, Sask, also tests for aphanomyces. John Blachford, chemistry services manager, said they don’t use DNA testing, but look for the organism itself.

Blachford said farmers can send samples once the crop hits three inches. The lab needs a portion from the top of the plant and roots.

“We discourage people from cleaning the roots off,” said Blachford.

Samples also need to be kept cool, Blachford said.

BDS’s tests will simply tell farmers whether or not aphanomyces is present in the sample, Blachford said. And DNA tests will also provide a yes or no, Carriere said.

“So I can tell you that it’s there, but I can’t tell you how much is there, nor can I tell you what kind of problems you’re going to run into,” Carriere said.

BDS has already tested a half dozen samples for aphanomyces this spring, Blachford said. A farmer scooped soil from a suspect field, put it in tubs, planted peas and lentils, and sent BDS samples.

“As pulse crops become more frequent, we see things like this more often,” Blachford said. †

Lisa Guenther

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yields and avoiding fields that the soil was too wet, likely worsenhave yielded poorly in previous ing compaction.

Seidle suggested trying cultivayears. “If the last crop was a 45 bushel crop and you’ve had at tion before seeding to reduce comleast four years in between, might paction. Banniza said cultivating would help if it improved drainage, as well go ahead with it.”

McClean said he’s very careful in but she advised farmers to talk to how he selects fields now. “I was a specialist, as plowing “may not fortunate to have some land that I’d just bought that never had peas before. So I can keep peas in my rotation at a smaller acreage.”

Because the pathogen thrives in soggy soil, farmers should avoid planting peas in flood-prone fields. Banniza’s research shows peas will do poorly in water-logged soil even if it’s been sterilized. But flooding and pathogens are a double whammy. “Both will contribute to poor establishment of pea alleviate the problem. It has to be plants,” said Banniza. very site-specific, what you can and Aphanomyces also thrives in can’t do.”

Seidle also suggested avoiding compacted soil, and Seidle said it tends to show up in wheel rolling peas when soil is wet, as wet tracks and high-traffic areas such soil is more likely to stick to equipas field entrances. Banniza said ment, spreading the disease.

In general, farmers should also growers with root rot issues have ABIC2014_Grainews-Junior.pdf 1 25/02/2014 4:04:55 PM told her they’d seeded early, when try to minimize plant stress as

There was no saving it.

Nodulation was gone

much as possible. “Cold soils and soil residual herbicides create stresses. And as soon as the plants are stressed, they’re subject to invasion,” said Seidle.

Starting out with “top-notch seed” also helps, said Walsh. He suggested cold vigour and germ tests, along with certified seed. “Start with a healthy, vigorous plant. And don’t put it into zero-degree soil.”

Research out of France and Germany has found aphanomyces spores can survive for up to 10 years in the soil without a host. But researchers don’t know whether, for example, a couple of dry Prairie years drop spore numbers, said Banniza.

Regardless of exactly how long spores last, longer rotations are an important management strategy.

Seidle said anything short of a fouryear rotation is bad, and he knows farmers using six or seven year rotations who have had fewer problems.

And farmers should keep in mind aphanomyces infects other legumes. Chickpeas are relatively

tolerant, Banniza said. Some fababean varieties have resistance, she said, and researchers will be identifying resistant Western Canadian varieties this year.

Dr. Robert Conner of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has been researching aphanomyces tolerance in field peas and is leading a new research project, funded by the Pulse Science Cluster.

Scientists from France and the U.S. have also discovered disease resistance in a garden pea variety, and Banniza said plant breeders are now working to bring that resistance into field pea varieties. “But that’s on the longer horizon,” she said. Seidle said the root rot problem isn’t going away. Whatever bit of management we can use is important, he added.

“This philosophy that, ‘well, I had a problem, I’m going to discontinue growing peas,’ that’s not a scientific approach at all.” † Lisa Guenther is a field editor with Grainews based at Livelong, Sask. Contact her at Lisa.

Guenther@fbcpublishing.com.

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JUNE 10, 2014

Columns SOILS AND CROPS

Nitrate down the water well Nitrate has been a problem for more than 50 years. Low levels are not unsafe LES HENRY

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itrate in groundwater has been a recognized problem since a “bluebaby” was related to a nitrate-contaminated farm well in Iowa in the 1940s. A farmer took a sick baby to hospital. The baby was okay soon, but got sick again as soon as it was returned to the farm. On the third visit, the farmer brought along sample of the water and said, “Test it. Our food is okay, it must be the water.” The water was found to be highly nitrate contaminated and also had microbiology problems.

That resulted in the discovery of the same problem in many parts of the world, including Saskatchewan and Manitoba. (It isn’t found as often in Alberta — they have fewer shallow-dug or bored wells).

A 1948 survey of 2,000 Saskatchewan farm wells found 31 per cent to have nitrates above the accepted limit. That was before any significant nitrogen fertilizer was used and before intensive livestock operations.

SAMPLING FOR NITRATES IN SASKATCHEWAN My first experience with soil nitrate was in 1970. We rigged up a soil coring truck to retrieve cores to a depth of 6.1 metres (20 feet). We sampled ordinary

farmland, grassland and irrigated land that had higher nitrogen rates for only a few years. We also sampled continuous fallow land between the rows of trees at the Forestry Farm then located just east of Saskatoon (it is now the Forestry Farm Park and Zoo).

Grassland had almost no nitrate, farmland a bit more and the irrigated land was too “new” to have accumulated much. But the continuous fallow at the Forestry Farm had considerable nitrate below the root zone of crops.

The nitrate topic seems to come back in the spotlight about every 20 years or so and is now much in the news. “Johnnie come latelies” do a water well survey and find 20 to 30 per cent of wells to have nitrate above 10

ppm nitrate-nitrogen and declare a problem: “All that fertilizer we are pouring on is polluting our groundwater.”

Sorry folks, but 31 per cent of 2,000 wells sampled in Saskatchewan in 1948 were above the limit.

If you enter the words “nitrate groundwater” into Google it takes 0.26 seconds to return 2.8 million hits. Mind boggling to this old fossil.

To be honest, agriculture must admit that a lot of nitrate in the environment is due to farming, including organic farming, especially if the organic farming involves a lot of manure and summerfallow. In native Prairie condition a nitrate molecule was a rare beast. As soon as organic nitrogen was mineralized to nitrate, a plant

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root was sitting in wait to suck it up. Just breaking the prairie sod was enough to change the nitrogen cycle. Before farming, the only nitrate would have been associated with buffalo concentrations or very small areas that had been inhabited by humans for an extended time.

In 1993 hydrogeologist Bill Meneley (1933 to 2000) and I did an extensive literature search on groundwater nitrate and gathered up all available data on the topic in Western Canada — all the way from the Manitoba/Ontario border to the west coast of B.C. It was done for the then Western Canada Fertilizer Association, now the Canadian Fertilizer Institute. The report is long since out of print but a PDF is still available at the Canadian Fertilizer Institute website. Find it at www.cfi.ca (click on “elibrary” then “publications,” then look for “Fertilizer Groundwater Nitrate”).

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Let’s look at seriously nitratecontaminated wells versus slightly contaminated aquifers.

The last baby death from a nitrate contaminated well that I know of was in South Dakota in 1987. The account of that death in the medical literature was as chilling as the 1948 account of an example near Regina, Sask.

But the South Dakota well had 150 ppm nitrate-nitrate and the Saskatchewan example had 275 ppm. Both had bacteria contamination as well.

Most of the highly contaminated farm wells were shallow dug or bored wells — often in the barnyard — and always with a poor or no well seal at the surface. Nitrate was literally pouring down the side of the well casing.

There is a growing body of evidence that shows that slightly elevated nitrate levels in water are not a problem. In the past couple of years I have read two books that suggest that the 10 ppm nitrate-nitrogen limit is not right.

In the meantime, society is spending huge amounts of money to strip out small quantities of nitrate.

Nitrate is a well problem, not an aquifer problem. Individual wells can be contaminated at a level to be lethal but aquifers are contaminated at a very much lower level.

England used 20 ppm nitratenitrogen as the limit for many years with no problems recorded.

They reverted back to the 10 ppm limit presumably based on political pressure from the European Union rather than facts.

It seems to me to be another case of “the emperor has no clothes.” Nobody wants to blow the whistle. † J.L.(Les) Henry is a former professor and extension specialist at the University of Saskatchewan. He farms at Dundurn, Sask. He recently finished a second printing of “Henry’s Handbook of Soil and Water,” a book that mixes the basics and practical aspects of soil, fertilizer and farming. Les will cover the shipping and GST for “Grainews” readers. Simply send a cheque for $50 to Henry Perspectives, 143 Tucker Cres, Saskatoon, Sask., S7H 3H7, and he will dispatch a signed book.

JUNE 10, 2014

grainews.ca /

15

Columns FARM FINANCIAL PLANNER

Young Manitoba farmers plan their lives By planning early and including an off-farm pension, this young couple will have a secure retirement

BY ANDREW ALLENTUCK

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couple we’ll call Roger and Martha, both 29, farm in southern Manitoba. They have combined income of $160,000 a year based on Martha’s town job, which pays $90,000 a year, and Roger’s work on his family farm and his own part-time farm operation for which he draws $70,000 a year. Life is good for the couple, but they are looking ahead to financial independence on their own farm and, eventually, a secure retirement income. For now, they rent an older home in town at a very reasonable rate, but they know it is not a permanent arrangement. They are currently saving for a new home on their farmland.

Farm Financial Planner asked Don Forbes and Erik Forbes of Don Forbes Associates/Armstrong & Quaile in Carberry, Man., to work with Roger and Martha.

Roger and Martha farm 320 acres which they own with a $330,000 mortgage. The mortgage requires payments of $20,360 annually, of which the first $12,360 — interest — is deductible as a cost of their business.

If they expand by buying additional farmland, it would be useful for them to form an operating company to do the actual farming, but they should retain the land outside of the operating company in order to be eligible for the Qualified Farmland Capital Gains Tax Credit, Don Forbes says. That will be $800,000 per person, up from $750,000, beginning in 2014.

Martha’s off-farm job is secure, but lenders often require mortgage life coverage. If they borrow funds to expand their farm, banks may insist on it. However, mortgage life coverage purchased from chartered banks and other lenders tends to be expensive and disadvantageous. The insurance covers the lender’s interest yet allows in most cases no remainder for the insured’s surviving family after the lender’s interest is paid. If the couple decide to build a home of their own and use mortgage financing, it is all the more likely that the lender would insist they have mortgage term life insurance.

Banks have a record of doing their underwriting after a claim

BY DAN PIRARO

Bizarro

— that is, a death — and in some cases denying payment, claiming that the insured misstated a fact about his or her health.

Questions are complex and, say critics, they induce misstatements. Roger and Martha can compare the cost of mortgage life with a policy of similar value purchased from an independent insurer and agent outside of the bank. The cost and coverage differences may be astonishing, Don Forbes says.

With adequate insurance coverage in hand, the lender may also perceive lower risk in the mortgage and adjust the rate accordingly. It’s a bargaining point at the least. Roger should be able to get a one million dollar, nonsmoking 10-year level term policy from an independent agent for $46 a month, Martha for $33 a month for similar coverage.

FUTURE CASH FLOW Investment projections suggest that Roger and Martha will be able to grow their net worth in off-farm investments from $333,900 this year at a rate of 12 to 15 per cent based on three per cent inflation and the remainder from contributions to taxable, RRSP and TFSA accounts and returns.

Assuming that these projections work out, at age 63, when Roger and Martha figure they may retire, they would have their farming business, their house, and financial assets of approximately $6 million in future dollars — that is, present dollars inflated to higher value in 2049.

That capital, generating five per cent per year, including three per cent inflation, would provide a constant income stream of $300,000 a year. They could add Canada Pension Plan benefits, currently a maximum of $12,460 a year at age 65, inflated to levels in 36 years, which would then total $36,110. Old Age Security, currently $6,620 a year — which, inflating at three per cent a year, will be $20,400 when each is 67 — would probably be lost to the clawback, which is now triggered at taxable income of $71,592.

That would produce total annual non-farm income of $336,110 in future dollars at their age 67.

If Roger and Martha maintain

BY DAN PIRARO

Bizarro

their mortgage and its payments, their equity in their present farm would grow to 100 per cent by time the mortgage is paid off at the couple’s age 54. Allowing for three per cent annual increase in price, essentially an inflation adjustment, at the couple’s age 63 at the beginning of retirement the property would have a value of $1.55 million. Were they to sell at that time and obtain a three return after inflation, the farm capital would generate $46,500 a year.

Lenders often require mortgage life coverage If Martha retains her town job and gets two per cent annual pay increases for the next 34 years, she would have final job income of about $130,000. If her defined benefit pension is set at two per cent of her final income, $2,600, times her years of service, which would be about 40, she would have annual pension income of $104,000.

Adding up all income from their farm capital, Martha’s job, off-farm investments, and government pensions, the couple would have a total of $486,600

before tax or $292,000 after income splits and 40 per cent average tax. The couple’s present budget for living and savings, a total of $84,900, consists of $48,000 expenses and $36,900 in their TFSA and RRSP accounts.

At retirement in future dollars and with no further retirement savings, their annual cost of living would decline to $139,100 a year. Farm income could add to this sum, but if generated within a farming corporation, it could be retained by the company or paid out as dividends as required. However, even without that income, their expenses would be covered. Moreover, mortgages with terms as long as 30 years incurred before their mid-30s would probably be paid off. Their disposable income in retirement would be likely to rise, Erik Forbes says.

Projections are just that. There is no guarantee that Martha will keep her job, that the farm will prosper, or even that inflation will remain at or below three per cent for the next three to four decades. However, to create a buffer for the winds of change, the couple should diversify their non-farm assets.

It is a common rule of thumb that people’s portfolios should include a share of bonds equal to their age. Thus at 63, when their retirement will begin, they would have 37 per cent stocks and the

remaining 63 per cent in government and corporate bonds. They should invert the allocations to 63 per cent stocks and 37 per cent bonds. If inflation were to rise appreciably from today’s low single digit levels to a mid-single digit level, many bonds would lose substantial value. Stocks would presumably gain value, for inflation is a driver of the prices businesses charge and ultimately of their earnings.

Mutual funds with fees of no more than 1.5 per cent for their stocks and 0.6 per cent for the bonds they should have as a backstop for their portfolios would be suitable investments. If they elect to learn about capital markets, they could migrate to exchange traded funds which, typically, are replicas of various indices such as the S&P/TSX Composite, the American S&P 500 Composite, and various global indices. That move would cut their fees dramatically, though they might still need professional guidance.

“Roger and Martha can look forward to a prosperous future,” Don Forbes says. “If they pay down their mortgages faithfully, grow their farm and off-farm investments, maintain life insurance for their debts and diversified nonfinancial assets, then our projections should work out.“ † Andrew Allentuck’s latest book, “When Can I Retire? Planning Your Financial Life After Work,” was published in 2011 by Penguin Canada.

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JUNE 10, 2014

Columns UNDERSTANDING MARKET BULLS AND BEARS

An end to the price panic Six months ago, panic made many farmers jump and sell low-priced grain at historically wide basis levels

F

CHANGES IN THE MARKET Tight supplies of old crop U.S. soybeans, aggressive Chinese buying and disruptions in the

logistics are improving and basis levels have narrowed; farm prices are substantially higher than they were five months ago.

But where would prices be if these market-changing events hadn’t happened? We can count ourselves fortunate that we had such a good crop and that the markets have rebounded.

I hope we all take the events of the last year as a sign and realize that we are at the genesis of a new marketing era in Western Canada. Markets will respond swiftly and aggressively to change. When they react they will most often overreact because of the players involved,

the money they have and the technology they use to play in the markets.

As a primary producer you are fully exposed to these market swings and fluctuations. You need to be prepared to react quickly to protect your bottom line. It is critical to have a marketing and pricing plan in place to protect yourself when futures or basis shift dramatically. Know your numbers and when profits are available, secure them. † Brian Wittal has 30 years of grain industry experience, and currently offers market planning and marketing advice to farmers through his company Pro Com Marketing Ltd. (www.procommarketingltd.com).

TO SPRAY EAF TIM I

AD TIMING E H

No visible disease present

No visible disease present

No visible disease present

No visible disease present

Leaf disease on upper leaves and/or flag leaf

–

Leaf disease on upper leaves and/or flag leaf

–

L AG

NG

irst, let’s review what was happening six months ago.

Cold snowy weather backlogged logistics, but problems started months before that, in late summer and early fall.

World buyers were buying little grain from Canada. They saw the big crop coming and waited for prices to fall. We lost two to three months of potential shipping opportunities that would have helped move our bumper crop.

When cold and snow arrived to slow down railway services, things went from bad to worse.

The grain industry’s response was, from a business perspective, the appropriate reaction to stop the flow of grain into a blocked handling system.

Widening basis levels told farmers it was not a good time to try to move grain.

Now let’s look at last fall from the farmers’ perspective. Prices from the previous crop year were very good and the current crop looked as if it would be above average, so farmers were not worried about pricing grain for fall delivery. World buyers were stepping to the sidelines, not buying, as they assumed the big crop would cause prices would fall. This made it difficult for grain companies to make significant sales early in the crop year.

We lost two to three months of opportunities to export grain from Canada. That would have been critical in alleviating logistical problems that arose later in the winter.

To make sales, the prices of our grains had to fall, and so they did so rather quickly. As prices fell many farmers became reluctant to sell, hoping for prices to rebound.

As harvest concluded it was evident that yields were above average. Buyers held off, looking for cheaper prices. Grain companies widened their basis levels as facilities become congested.

Then winter hit with a vengeance and the logistical nightmare began. Our inability to get grain to port impacted our reputation as a reliable grain supplier. Buyers went elsewhere because they could not be sure they could get the grain from Canada.

This caused a back up of vessels at port. Demurrage costs would have to be paid. This forced the grain companies to widen their basis levels even more. Some even stopped buying specific grains for a while.

Now, not only had the futures prices been falling, but basis levels doubled or quadrupled leaving farmers facing the lowest prices they had seen in years.

With buyers backing away, grain companies who were buying weren’t buying for nearby delivery but instead three to five months forward. They didn’t know how long it may take to resolve logistics issues. Farmers selling grain would

South American harvest have pushed beans to new highs.

A hard winter damaging the U.S. winter wheat crop, calls for hot dry weather across the southern U.S this summer and unrest in the Ukraine have helped push wheat to new 12-month highs.

The PED-V virus and low cattle numbers have pushed livestock prices to new highs, pushing corn and feed grains higher.

The federal government has proposed rail legislation with performance targets and penalties to try to alleviate the grain backlog.

These and other factors have pushed futures values higher the past three months. Sales and

FL

BRIAN WITTAL

sell at low prices and wouldn’t move it until spring.

Many farmers started looking to other options. Cash advances were taken out in record numbers. Some farmers reworked their operating lines of credit with their bankers to get them through spring seeding. Others sold cattle. Farmers with no other options sold grain bring in cash to keep operating.

You do what you have to and make the best decisions you can.

When scouting your crop, starting at flag leaf stage, please consider the following steps to determine whether to spray or not.

The only time you shouldn’t spray is when you have a poor looking crop and you are not in an area where fusarium head blight (FHB) is present.

If your crop doesn’t look good, but there is FHB present, a fungicide application can still pay and safeguard the yield and quality of your grain. Do some calculations and if your potential disease risk and expected return exceed the cost of application – you should protect your crop with a fungicide.

S PR AY

S PR AY

If your crop looks good, you will definitely want to protect your investment with a fungicide application. Which product will provide the most bang for your buck?

It depends on crop staging, current disease pressure and potential disease risks. Here is a quick chart to help make your fungicide decision easier.

Leaf disease only (lower to mid leaves)

Leaf disease only

Leaf disease only (lower to mid leaves)

Leaf disease only

S PR AY

S PR AY

To see how It Pays to Spray in your area visit BayerCropScience.ca/ItPaystoSpray BayerCropScience.ca/ItPaystoSpray or 1 888-283-6847 or contact your Bayer CropScience representative.

Always read and follow label directions. Folicur® and Prosaro® are registered trademarks of the Bayer Group.

Bayer CropScience is a member of CropLife Canada.

FS:8.45” F:8.7”

T:17.4”

grainews.ca /

17

Columns MANAGEMENT MINUTE

Minimize ownership issues Farm businesses that transition successfully make sure to take ownership issues into consideration ANDREW DERUYCK

MARK SLOANE

T

his is part five of our series on succession.

After identifying successes and messes we’ve

seen in business transition over the past 10 years, we came up with five key areas that will make a transition successful or cause it to go off the rails. Because none of these five components operate independently, we liken a successful business transition to an operating planetary gear. Our aim is to share the successful traits and habits in each of these components.

The next gear we want to examine closely for any signs of wear is the ownership gear. Changing ownership is often a very hard gear to keep turning. If the rest of the gears in the planetary are turning smoothly, this one will almost

turn effortlessly but this is also an area where transition can stall out or completely break down.

We see this gear grinding in three common situations: 1. Completely inequitable distribution of wealth. Sometimes families get in this situation thinking they will figure out a way to deal with it later.

2. Equal distribution of assets, without concern for what the business can support or what it may need to survive.

3. No distribution of wealth, then death, then war.

Success with the ownership gear can be defined as the fair distribution of asset value such that

Common Shares Land

WHAT SHOULD YOU SPRAY?

the equity doesn’t leave the farm business faster than cash flow will allow. Pay attention to this last sentence — this is a common problem that a lot of families have without realizing they have it. Realizing this

was a common problem was an “oh wow” moment for us. It summarized many half hour conversations we’ve had with clients.

Another instant recipe for an ownerhip mess is marital problems. Consider the following statistics: • The average age at which Canadians are getting married now is 28 to 30.

• 38 per cent of Canadian marriages end in divorce.

• Risk of divorce increases during the first three years of marriage The next generation returning to a farm business is often within this very high risk group.

Don’t dwell on the risk, but be aware of it and mitigate it when possible, sooner rather than later.

Family businesses that develop and maintain a culture that emphasizes the business/equity continuity generally have fewer problems discussing issues around divorce mitigation. Remember, you aren’t just trying to lower the risk of lowing equity, but more importantly mitigating against the breakdown of a relationship.

†

GAIN IN YIELD* SPRING WHEAT

+ 4.7 bu./ac.

NO

Even when you can’t see disease symptoms, there is no such thing as a disease-free crop. A good crop is worth protecting – consider spraying an application of Folicur® EW or Prosaro® applied at head timing to help ensure top grade, quality and yield.

Folicur EW 3/4 rate, flag leaf OR

+ 5.7 bu./ac.

Folicur EW full rate, head OR

+ 8.4 bu./ac.

Prosaro, head

+ 2.4 bu./ac.

There is no such thing as a disease-free crop. Even in the absence of disease symptoms, the mere fact that you are in an FHB area means you need to protect your crop. Apply Prosaro or Folicur EW at head timing.

Folicur EW 3/4 rate, flag leaf OR

+ 3.0 bu./ac.

Folicur EW full rate, head OR

+ 4.2 bu./ac.

Prosaro, head

NO

Leaf disease damage to upper leaves or the flag leaf can cause irreparable injury to your crop and immediate action is required. Spray Folicur EW and reassess at head timing to determine whether a Prosaro application is required.

YES

Spray Folicur EW and re-assess at head timing to determine whether a Prosaro application is required. Consider following up with an application of Prosaro at head timing to help ensure top grade, quality and yield.

NO

When leaf disease is limited to lower/mid leaves at flag leaf timing, Bayer CropScience would suggest re-assessing at head timing and as disease pressure warrants, protect both your flag leaf and your head by spraying either Folicur EW or Prosaro.

+ 9.5 bu./ac.

Folicur EW 3/4 rate, flag leaf

+ 4.5 bu./ac.

Folicur EW 3/4 rate, flag leaf

+ 7.0 bu./ac.

Folicur EW 3/4 rate, flag leaf OR

+ 7.0 bu./ac.

Folicur EW full rate, head OR

+ 10.0 bu./ac.

Prosaro full rate, head

+ 5.2 bu./ac.

YES

Whenever you are in an FHB area, you should spray Prosaro or Folicur EW at head timing. However, if leaf disease is limited to the lower/mid leaves you have the ability to make your Prosaro or Folicur EW application at head timing to protect against both leaf disease and FHB.

Folicur EW 3/4 rate, flag leaf OR

+ 5.5 bu./ac.

Folicur EW full rate, head OR

+ 8.2 bu./ac.

Prosaro, head

C-51-06/14-10191928-W

F:8.7”

ASSET DISTRIBUTION We often use the illustration on this page to show the distribution of assets associated with a typical corporate farm.

Farm businesses that keep the ownership and control of assets integral to farm operations (the left box) with the successive generation that is managing the business are most successful. Nonfarming children should be given life insurance proceeds and investments (the right box).

If life insurance proceeds and investments are not sufficient, the middle circle must be used to create an equitable estate. Assets in the middle box can be owned by non-farming and farming children jointly with the least amount of problems. Unanimous shareholder agreements can be used to clearly spell out how these assets will be used to minimize the impact on the farm operation while still giving nonfarming siblings access to equity or cash.

The impact of ownership issues on farm transition should never be underestimated. Take time to consider these issues now, and you may avoid some problems that will destroy your entire planetary. † T:10”

YES

Life Insurance Investments

Non Farming children

NOT TO SPRAY POTENTIAL FOR FHB?

Preferred Shares Notes Payable Shareholder’s Loans

Farming children

*Gain in yield based on multi-year wheat Demonstration Strip Trial (DST) results in Western Canada, 107 replicated trials, 2008-2013. Results compared to yield of untreated check. †Yes FHB means yield data is derived from DST trials where both %FDK and DON ppm levels were greater than zero, indicating FHB was present within the trial. †No FHB means yield data is derived from DST trials where both %FDK and DON ppm were zero, indicating that no FHB was present within the trial.

T:17.4”

JUNE 10, 2014

Andrew DeRuyck and Mark Sloane manage two farming operations in southern Manitoba and are partners in Right Choice Management Consulting.

With over 25 years of cumulative experience, they offer support in farm management, financial management, strategic planning and mediation services. They can be reached at andrewd@ goinet.ca and sloanefarms@hotmail.com or 204825-7392 and 204-825-8443.

18

/ grainews.ca

JUNE 10, 2014

Columns FARM TALK

Duelling personalities Different approaches to business management lead to wildly different outcomes. Your choices will guide your business

BY KIM ALTHOUSE

J

ohn and Tom were friends through high school and into early adulthood, but they eventually grew apart.

Their two fathers ran businesses about the same size. Both fathers’ businesses had undergone hard times when there was no demand for their production, but also good times when demand was high and prices were excellent. Both fathers had thought about expanding their businesses but were limited by capital requirements.

The fathers were happy their sons had chosen to gain educations that would benefit the family businesses, but initially, their farms didn’t yield enough profits to hire the sons. The boys found work for others.

As their fathers aged, the sons began to help the family businesses, at first part time while they held down other jobs. Soon both businesses generate enough revenue to hire John and Tom full time, until they could take over the businesses and while their fathers retired. The boys, now in their late 30s, became rivals for business resources.

Tom and John had different interests.

John was content to produce enough to maintain the lifestyle his family had become accustomed to, and he managed his business the way it has always

been managed. Tom worked to excel.

He joined businesses peers at seminars and meetings to increase his knowledge and become a better manager. He kept complete records, learned to calculate his production costs and sold his production when he could profit. He matched his sales plans to obligations to creditors.

One day, an opportunity for expansion arose. John was upset when Tom outbid him for production equipment and even bought property adjacent to his own, property John had wanted for years.

When they met again, after the usual pleasantries, John brought up the issue of the property. Tom explained that using calculations to prove the expansion would lower his unit cost of production, he had been able to get credit from a lender to bid the winning price.

John was too embarrassed to tell Tom he hadn’t been able to get credit approval.

But John attempted to keep the conversation going, asking why nearly every time he drove by Tom’s place he saw local suppliers’ vehicles. How did Tom find time to deal with all of them?

Tom explained that the vehicles belonged to his production and marketing partners.

John didn’t understand. He felt anyone attempting to make money from his production was dishonest and possibly evil.

Tom explained that the people he worked with were professionals whose motivation was to make Tom more money. He said working with partners gave him time to manage his business and become more efficient. He had access to people who knew how to maximize production, market profitably and manage records.

John was incredulous. “You let strangers make your business decisions?” he asked.

“Never,” Tom replied. “I’m too close to my business, I have trouble detaching myself. My production and marketing partners are removed from the emotions. Their recommendations are based on logic and backed up by data. But I make the decisions.”

“They’re trained and educated and see many businesses similar to mine.”

Tom explained. “I can draw from their knowledge and experience. The profit I gain is well above the amount I pay to access their expertise.”

SAME START, DIFFERENT ENDING If you replaced the word “farm” with “business” throughout this page, you would have the story of many Johns and Toms. Each started down the same path, but they ended up in different places.

How is it possible?

OFF FARM INVESTMENT

“John,” Tom said, “When we started farming, things were tough. I realized that if I was going to stay in this business I needed help, not more debt. My first decision was to get help to increase my production and lower my per bushels costs.”

“How does spending more money to grow bushels more lower your costs per acre?” asked John.

“That,” said Tom, “is probably the biggest misconception in farming. I look at my costs on a per bushel basis, not a per acre basis. Throwing inputs at a crop will not always make money. Managing the crop to maximize total profit rather than per acre yield is a better option.

I’ve learned that planning starts long before the growing cycle begins. Now when I start seeding I have a higher level of confidence that my crop will turn a profit,” said Tom. John clung to the beliefs of the past.

Tom grew to realize that one person had neither the time nor the competence to manage every aspect of a modern farm.

In accepting help from trained professionals, Tom proved to be the better manager.

This is not a story of right or wrong, just two different approaches. Your decisions will decide your place. † Kim Althouse is a market coach with Agri-Trend at Tisdale, Saskatchewan. He is also the president of www.eGrainCanada.com.

KELLY’S AGEXPERT TIPS AND HINTS

Two groups of stocks Producing Andy Sirski has grouped his stock portfolio into two different types of stocks ANDY SIRSKI

W

hile I might change the allocation from time to time, my overall portfolio has two groups of stocks. One group includes Microsoft, Alcoa, First Majestic and Silver Wheaton and is the hub of my portfolio.

The second group has a lot less money, and holds stocks I often buy and sell according to the seasons or signals. This year, this group holds stocks like Bonavista (BNP), Dryship (DRYS), Western Forest Products (WEF), Delphie (DEE) and others.

I try to own these stocks as they come into season but sell them according to what the price is doing, not the calendar. My main sell signal is when the daily price of a stock drops through its 10-day moving average.

THE PORTFOLIO HUB I own shares of Microsoft, Alcoa, Barrick Gold and Silver Wheaton for two reasons. One

is that I can sell U.S weekly calls on each of these stocks. Each stock also has a spot in our portfolio for its own special reason.

Microsoft (MSFT) broke out of a 13-year base at about $38.

Lately, when shares drop to around $38.50 they go right back up again. I’ve been collecting $200 to $300 a week selling calls on my 1,000 shares. I also collect a small dividend.

Alcoa (AA) has a wonderful looking chart Alcoa (AA) has a wonderful looking chart. This company produces aluminum as its main business but has lately started to make rims for semis and aluminum parts for airplanes. Alcoa recently cut back its production of aluminum in Brazil. Brazil has had a severe drought and water supplies for generating electricity have really shrunk.

Alcoa plans to use less electricity so it can sell the extra power.

This will also reduce the supply of aluminum in the market, which should help raise prices.

Alcoa just signed a five-year labour contract. The risk is that China keeps expanding its aluminum production.

Barrick Gold (ABX) is a huge mining conglomerate.

Recently, its management bought too much gold in the ground and ran into financial grief. The long-time CEO has been removed and now it looks like ABX could be working on a stronger financial plan that should lead to higher profits.

Silver Wheaton (SLW) is one of my very favourite stocks but it needs to be managed. Over the past three years or so the stock has moved up and down so much that if a person bought when the daily price crossed the 10 or 20 dma going up and sold when the daily price crossed the 10 dma going down, the profits would be more than the shares are worth now. However, anyone who paid over $30 per share and did not manage the ups and downs has lost considerable cash. † Andy is mostly retired. He plays with grandchildren, has a tax business, gardens, travels with his wife and manages his family’s investments. Andy also publishes an electronic newsletter called StocksTalk where he tells what he does with his stocks. You can read it free for a month by sending an email to Andy at sirski@mts.net.

invoices, statements and cheques KELLY AIREY

E

very farmer can save time by producing invoices, statements and cheques with Farm Credit Canada’s AgExpert Analyst accounting software.

In one easy entry, you can enter the transaction through the point of sale entry screen, and produce an invoice for the sale of commodities, such as livestock or grain. It can also be done for services, such as grain hauling or custom seeding.

As you enter the transaction, you can select if the customer paid by cash or cheque, and select which bank account the money was deposited to. Or, if the customer still owes you, then you may set it up as a receivable in the system.

Once you record the transaction, the software will print out the corresponding invoice to send to your customer. At the end of every month the software allows

you to generate statements for any outstanding invoices. Once the customer pays you, you simply apply the payment against the outstanding invoice in the system. It’s a great way to keep track of your receivables.

AgExpert can also produce cheques. As you enter your expenses, such as fertilizer or fuel through the transaction entry screen, you can select the option to print a cheque to pay your supplier. This can save you time, allowing you to record and pay your bills all at once. Payroll cheques can also be created with your employee’s pay period information on the paystub.

Contact FCC Management Software for a list of recommended companies that supply cheques and forms that are compatible with the software. Stay tuned — next month I will be giving you some great tips on the AgExpert Mobile App. † Kelly Airey is a farmer and ag consultant in Western Manitoba. If you’re interested in purchasing AgExpert software, she can help you receive $25 off your purchase. Contact Kelly at kelly.agconsulting@gmail.com or (204) 365-2442.

JUNE 10, 2014

grainews.ca /

Machinery & Shop GRAINEWS CONTEST

What the judges thought Finalists have been chosen for the All-Time Favourite Machine competition.

Choose the winners at the Farm Progress Show SCOTT GARVEY

N

ominations have closed on the Farmer’s A l l - Ti m e F a v o u r i t e Machine competition.

Your submissions were handed over to the judges, who were charged with the task of selecting three finalists in each category. Picking those finalists was no easy task.

We said at the start of this competition that the judges would take a few of things into account when making their selections. Namely, how many times each machine was nominated.

Second, what kind of reputation the machine had. And lastly, how each machine advanced ag engineering design.

Some of those things may be a little subjective, but the judges finished their deliberations and their list is out. Here are the choices and an explanation of why each machine was picked.

GENERAL MACHINERY In the general machinery category, a couple of different models of skid-steer loaders were nominated. When the judges looked at all these nominations, they decided to broaden the actual winner description and name the basic skid steer, itself, as a finalist, all brands included.

The Spra-Coupe was one of the most unique machines to hit the market in its day, and it is an early forerunner of the current self-propelled, high-clearance sprayer. It proved to farmers that SP sprayers had a place on prairie farms.

Lastly, the judges felt they had to

include an air seeder. This machine revolutionized dry-land seeding. But which one? Again, the decision was made to simply name the machine type and include all brands.

We wished we could have listed all the nominees and let everyone vote on them, but that just wasn’t feasible. So, we hope you see a favourite or two in the list of finalists.

Be sure to stop by the Grainews booth at Canada’s Farm Progress Show in Regina in June and cast your ballot. Thanks to everyone who shared their favourites with us. † Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews.

Contact him at Scott.Garvey@fbcpublishing.com.

THE TRACTORS In the tractor category, we received more nominations than any other. The three choices were the 9030 New Holland bi-directional, the entire Generation II line (30 Series) John Deeres and the Versatile 835 and 875.

The 9030 has long been a favourite of livestock producers and is still in demand as a used machine.

Its design is unique, making it a capable machine around barnyards and feedlots.

So many John Deere models in the 30, 40, 50 and 55 Series were nominated, we decided to pick the line that formed the basis of all those models, the Generation II 30 Series. These tractors first introduced the Sound Guard cabs, making operator comfort and safety a key component of their design.

The big Versatiles were serious contenders in the marketplace during their time, and there seems little doubt this brand helped shape the face of fourwheel drive tractors in all brands.

The basic driveline components of these models have stood up remarkably well over time and were carried on into the later New Holland models.

THE COMBINES For combines, the MF 410, a radical new design when it was introduced, helped drive Massey’s fortunes forward in the 1960s. The 410 and the later 510 dominated sales in the west and although they debuted in the mid 1960s, there are still a few around.

The N Series Gleaner introduced the unique transverse rotary design that no other brand has yet copied. This type of thresher has gained a good reputation for putting a clean sample in the tank, and current Gleaners are advancements on that original design.

The IHC 1482 brought axial rotary technology to the pull-type segment. By far the most popular pull-type rotary, the 1482 was a common sight across the Prairies.

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That’s powerful value, delivered. * Based on an independent side-by-side comparison

by Meyers Norris Penny LLP.

300

$

Visit thanksabillion.ca for rebate details and other offers. For product details and a dealer near you, call 1-866-4BRANDT or visit www.brandt.ca

Rebate on Swing Away Augers On Models 1060XL, 1070XL, 1080XL, 1370XL, 1380XL, 1390XL, 1370HP, 1380HP, 1390HP, 13110HP. Some restrictions apply.

Offer valid until June 30, 2014

Thanks a Billion!

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JUNE 10, 2014

Machinery & Shop Project CJ3A

How to fix a bullet hole We encounter still more unusual damage as we work on our long-term Jeep restoration project

W

orking through the rebuild phase of Project CJ3A, our on-going Jeep restoration series, we keep finding unexpected problems. After uncovering all kinds of unusual damage, we’ve found ourselves repeatedly asking, “How the heck could that have happened”.

Much of it seemed to be the result of abuse and previous substandard mechanical repairs. This time as we began prepping the windshield frame for new paint, we had to ask that question yet again when we found what looks like an old bullet hole. We didn’t expect to have to fix a battle scar on a civilian-model Jeep.

By the way, the “CJ” in the Jeep’s CJ3A model number stands for “Civilian Jeep,” which makes it slightly different than the military models Willy’s Overland produced during this era.

Fortunately, taking care of this kind of damage is a pretty

straight-forward process. Here’s how we did it.

The first step is to get all the deformed metal around the hole back into position. It looked like the bullet was shot from the front of the Jeep, pushing the metal backward around the edges of the hole. Hopefully, nobody was sitting in the seats when the bullet whizzed through.

Using a body hammer and dolly we lightly tapped the deformed metal edges back into position.

Holding the dolly under the low side of the deformation and tapping with the hammer on the high side, we gradually worked everything flat again. (We used a proper automotive body dolly, but any heavy piece of solid metal with a smooth surface would work almost as well).

The concept here is the dolly supports the surrounding metal on the opposite side of the hammer blows, preventing the force from just pushing the deformity

1

out in the opposite direction. Just use very light hammer taps when doing this, gently working the metal back to where it should be.

After that step, we were still left with a jagged-edged hole in the metal. It was impractical to try and fit a patch into that small, irregular shape. So, using a step bit we drilled out the damaged area to create a smooth, almost round hole surrounded by good, straight metal. In this case the damaged area was very close to another overlapping layer of steel. It wasn’t possible to drill out a perfectly round hole without cutting into that top layer and creating even more work for ourselves. Instead, we elongated the hole to remove all the material we needed to.

Once the damaged metal was drilled out, we placed a piece of thin cardboard underneath the hole and traced the shape onto it.

That gave us a pattern to overlay on some new metal and cut out a

patch. We then put the patch into the hole and held it in place for welding with a piece of masking tape on the underside. You could also use a welding magnet to do the same thing.

Get out the welder Using a MIG welder with .023 gauge welding wire, we butt welded the patch into place. That butt-welding method is key to creating a repair that is undetectable from either side of the windshield frame. Remember, welding thin-gauge sheet metal requires a go-slow approach. Burning a series of tacks with short arc bursts around the entire patch is the easiest way to get the job done. Continue making short tack welds until the edges of the patch are entirely welded to the surrounding metal.

An angle grinder with a 40-grit flap disc was used to grind the weld bead smooth with the sur-

rounding surface, leaving the patched area as one solid piece of steel again. But this process often leaves a few small irregularities on the metal surface that would mar a good paint job, so a skim coat of body filler was applied over the repair to fix that. When applying it, we layered it on slightly thicker than we needed for the finished job, because it will shrink slightly as it cures.

Hitting the cured filler with 120-grit sand paper, we sanded it smooth with the surrounding metal, leaving only a waferthin layer to even out the low spots. A high-build primer was sprayed over the repair, which further improves the surface finish by filling in any pinholes in the filler. The repair is now completely invisible and the windshield frame is ready for full primer and paint.

But, there is still a lot of work left to do on the rest of the body. † Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews.

Contact him at Scott.Garvey@fbcpublishing.com.

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photos: scott garvey

1: The windshield frame on Project CJ3A had a surprise for us we hadn’t noticed, a bullet hole that had to be repaired before the part could be painted. 2: Once all the deformed metal was worked back into place, we were left with a jagged hole, and fitting a patch into this is impractical. 3: Using a step bit, we drilled out the damaged area, being careful not to cut into the overlapping metal layer of the windshield surround. 4: The regular shape left by the drill bit allowed us to make a patch and fit it into the hole for butt welding to the surrounding metal, leaving a repair invisible from both sides. 5: Using body filler to smoothen out the small imperfections left on the surface after the weld bead was ground down will make the repair invisible under a coat of paint. 6: After applying a coat of primer over the repair, it is impossible to see where the damage was. And with a metal patch welded in place, the part is as strong as it was before.

JUNE 10, 2014

grainews.ca /

21

Machinery & Shop Keep it going

How to install an 855 Cummins in a Series II Versatile Herb Hallman of Fosston, Saskatchewan, wrote to tell us how he re-powered his 700 Versatile with an updated 855 Cummins. Here’s what he had to say

By Herb Hallman

T

he writing was on the wall in 2006. We knew we probably wouldn’t be seeding in the spring if we didn’t get a four-wheel drive tractor. At the salvage yard we ran back then we had a nice, clean, low-hour Versatile 700, Series II that needed a new engine. We decided to install a new engine in it and put it to work instead of buying a new tractor.

But the original 555 cubic-inch Cummins V-8 diesel used in these tractors was notorious for having a short life. So, we opted to drop in a six-cylinder, 855 cubicinch Cummins instead. It was the obvious replacement choice.

Versatile used them in their larger tractors and the engine has a stellar reputation.

We discovered we could buy a used highway truck powered by an 855 for about the same price as an engine alone, so we picked up a suitable Ford LT9000 at an auction. Its 855 had a factory setting of 350 horsepower, but this one was uprated to 400. We removed the engine and sold the other truck parts and chasis to help reduce our investment.

Two important features we needed from the 855 were a front-sump oil pan — which is essential for an ag tractor — and a bell housing that would bolt to the Versatile clutch cover. With the LT9000’s engine, we lucked out on both.

Rigging the clutch was probably our biggest challenge. The truck’s clutch was larger than the original in the tractor. Our first choice was to use the truck clutch but the splines on the discs were for

a larger-diameter output shaft. We couldn’t use the original tractor clutch because the bolt pattern on the 555 flywheel it was meant to mate to was different. We found a flywheel from a wrecked Versatile with a six-cylinder engine, but it was a smaller diameter, and the starter wouldn’t engage it. Using it would have required changing the bell housing as well, which wasn’t an option.

I discovered the 4586 IH tractor used the same clutch as a Versatile and it mated to a flat flywheel, which is what the engine was equipped with. We had a machine shop drill new bolt holes in the flywheel and that solved the problem.

At the front of the engine we had to find a used fan hub. We also had to switch the serpentine accessory belt system back to a V-belt arrangement. On the 855 ag engine, the hydraulic pump drives off the front.

The truck engine didn’t have the necessary opening for the pump, nor the internal gears, so we had to change the timing cover.

Changing the front timing cover also forced us to buy a different front motor mount, because the change meant the existing one couldn’t be used.

When we looked at the fuel system, we found we had to install a governor, because the truck engine didn’t have one. We couldn’t re-use the pump from the 555, because it rotated the wrong way. After finding a pump at a wrecker, we had it and the injectors serviced at Cummins and rated them for 280 horsepower.

During the installation, dealing with the longer six-cylinder engine meant we had to reposition the radiator forward to make enough

room for it, but that wasn’t a problem. And there was at least two feet of room behind the old V-8 and the cab, so space wasn’t a problem. No frame modifications were required.

After lowering the new engine in and getting it square and level, we simply welded the new motor mounts to the 700’s frame.

For the finishing touches, we salvaged an exhaust system off an 8870 John Deere and used an air breather system we pulled off a New Holland TR96 combine. Of course, we had to fit new control cables and install a compatible tachometer inside the cab.

To run an airseeder fan, we installed a separate hydraulic system. We used the existing reservoir on the tractor and it has worked well, even without an extra oil cooler.

The downside to replacing the original V-8 engine with a six cylinder is you lose road gear speed.

Six cylinders pull best around 1,800 to 1,900 r.p.m., whereas the V-8s worked best at about 2,800. That means you lose about 30 per cent of your top-end speed.

I don’t think I’d put this much time and money into a project again. However, it’s hard to put a price on the satisfaction of running a machine you built yourself, especially when it works as flawlessly as this one has.

Editor’s note: Do you have a classic farm machine or truck that you’ve modified or just kept running over the years?

If so, tell us about it. Send an email to scott.garvey@fbcpublishing.com, and we’ll try to feature it in a future issue of Grainews. Be sure to include some goodquality photos. † Herb Hallman

photos: herb hallman

The original 555 ci Cummins V-8 engine this Versatile 700, Series II tractor was originally equipped with has been replaced by a bigger, six-cylinder 855ci Cummins.

Fitting the longer 855 engine into the tractor meant repositioning the radiator forward and welding new engine mounts to the tractor frame.

The exhaust and air intake systems were salvaged from an 8870 John Deere tractor and a TR96 New Holland combine.

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JUNE 10, 2014

Machinery & Shop Grain handling

GSI’s TopDry system recycles heat to improve efficiency System blends grain dryer with temporary storage capacity

By Scott Garvey

A

lthough GSI’s TopDry grain drying and storage system has been on the market since 1986, the features it offers have recently been gaining popularity with North American corn and small grains growers, according to Gary Woodruff, GSI’s conditioning products marketing specialist. Adding computerized controls to the system significantly increased its appeal, he says.

“In the past five to seven years it went from just one of the alternatives we offer to the fastest growing product at GSI,” he says. “This is being driven by several factors, number one is economics. It equals the efficiency of our tower dryer. And the quality is good enough that we actually recommend this dryer for use with white food grade (corn).”

“In the past, the demand for dryers primarily centred around capacity,” he continues.

“Efficiency was second. Today, we’re seeing the strongest drive being efficiency.”

“It’s not a new thing in the industry, for sure,” adds Collin Horst of Earl Horst Systems Ltd., a GSI retailer in Elmira, Ontario.

“But probably efficiency is the key thing for our customers.

Reusing the heat from the hot corn is where you gain the efficiency. As you are cooling the corn the heat is reused.”

The TopDry system houses a dryer in the top part of a 24-, 30or 36-foot diameter bin, where grain is held in a layer no more than 32 inches deep while it’s dried. When the drying process is completed, the grain drops

down to the aeration floor in the bin below. As it cools, the hot air it gives off is recycled and blown back up into the dryer.

“It has a limited grain depth of only 32 inches (while drying),” says Woodruff. “What this does is give you a much lower resistance to air flow and we can use a higher-efficiency 1,750 r.p.m. fan and deliver a lot of air with a relatively low amount of horsepower.”

“The more air (flow) you can get, the higher your drying capacity. Normally, in a grain bin you have six to 21 feet of grain depth, so you have very high static pressures with one to two CFM per bushel of air flow. So you have very low capacities. With a TopDry, you can get as much as 20, up to as high as 60 CFM per bushel, so we can dramatically improve that capacity level compared to a standard bin.”

“In addition to that we drop that warm, dry grain onto the bottom, normal aeration floor of the bin. We aerate and cool that grain and reuse that (warm) aeration air in the drying process (for the next batch). We wind up with a very high capacity, a very high efficiency and a very high quality dry.”

Currently GSI offers two TopDry models. One is batch system, where each dryer batch must be manually loaded after the previous one is completed.

The other is the computerized AutoFlow version, which automatically keeps the dryer full, allowing farmers to press on with other harvesting work while the dryer looks after itself.

“With that one (AutoFlow), you are going to run between

eight and 15 times the amount of capacity of a conventional bin dryer,” says Woodruff. “It’s a rather dramatic improvement.”

“In a typical bin dryer, we’re lucky to dry 100 to 200 bushels per hour at 10-point removal,” he continues. “Over 24 hours that turns into 2,400 to 4,800 bushels per day. With a 36-foot TopDry, we can dry six or seven batches, which is 10,000 to 12,000 bushels per day. It’s a factor of at least three times more capacity per day in the same diameter bin.”

“When we go to the AutoFlow, the automated version, we reduce the depth of the grain as it moves to the outside of the floor. We don’t have any loading time. At 10 points, that dryer can easily do 35,000 to 40,000 bushels per day.”

The TopDry system is available in bin sizes of 24-, 30- and 36-foot diameters with 20,000 to 32,000 bushel storage capacity, providing a lot of temporary storage in the drying bin.

“This dryer, cost-wise, is very similar to a column dryer, but you get storage below the drying floor, says Horst. “The other luxury it gives you is we can do this system with one elevator, because you can dry until the bottom (aeration bin) is full.

Then when you stop combining in the evening, you can transfer (dried grain) using the same leg you use to fill it.”

According to Woodruff, the TopDry system retails between 20 and 25 per cent less than a typical stack tower dryer, and that includes the cost of the bottom aeration bin. † Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews.

Contact him at Scott.Garvey@fbcpublising.com.

Left: Warm air is blown through a 32-inch layer of damp grain at the roof of the bin. Right: After a batch is dried, it is dropped to the bottom of the bin. Aeration carries the heat it gives off back up to help dry additional batches of damp grain.

photo: agco

GSI’s TopDry system dries grain in a shallow layer at the top of a 24-, 30or 36-foot diameter aeration bin, and it recycles the heat given off during later aeration to reduce heat requirements for drying subsequent batches.

JUNE 10, 2014

grainews.ca /

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Machinery & Shop READER FEEDBACK

You named your favourite penetrating fluids

BY SCOTT GARVEY

I

n the February 4 issue of Grainews we published our penetrating fluids comparison, then we asked for your feedback, and we got it. Many of you wrote in to let us know which product you preferred. Here’s a look at which brands some of our readers trust in their own workshops.

Tim Clarke let us know he likes a product called Aerokroil.

“It comes in an orange aerosol can and is expensive, over $20 per can,” he wrote. “It is amazing stuff but don’t breathe the vapours.”

Ron Krahn mentioned he has heard of using a 50:50 blend of acetone and automatic transmission fluid. “It apparently works amazing,” he explained. “But is difficult to store for some reason, so it needs to mixed up as needed.”

Pat Barkman told us about his preference. “As an independent repair shop specializing in Ag equipment repair, we have found the Wynn’s X-Tend #5 Foam Spray “The Nut buster” to be the most effective penetrating fluid,” he wrote. “We have used the Loctite Freeze and Release as well as the JD Penetrating fluid and both work reasonably well, but we keep going back to the Wynn’s product. It is generally a little more costly, but the effectiveness is worth the extra coin.”

“It is also very effective as a carburetor cleaner, as it seems to melt the sludge and deposits left behind by ethanolblend gas.”

John Oystryk used good old Canada Post to send in his comments. He remembers having very good luck using a brand called Carbon X, although it’s no longer available under that name. “At present, for the past 12 to 15 years, it is known as AC Delco Penetrating Fluid #992955,” he explained.

And Neil Olstad had this to say: “My favourite is MOOVIT sold by Snap On and also Princess Auto. It is an excellent lubricant, best I’ve tried.”

Finally, Rick Orser, territory sales manager for Milligan Biofuels in Foam Lake, Saskatchewan, noticed our penetrating fluid test and challenged us to put that company’s product to the test.

We accepted his challenge, so we’ll be doing it all over again this summer with a new collection of contenders, including Milligan’s. So watch for the results in a future issue of Grainews sometime in late summer or early fall.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their comments. † Scott Garvey

Deere introduces SeedStar Mobile

BY SCOTT GARVEY

I

n conjunction with the launch of its new planter row units, John Deere also announced the pending release of the SeedStar Mobile app for iPads, which is designed to allow operators to better visualize, document, and access their planting data in real time. The company expects it to be available in time for the 2015 planting season.

According to Mike Brandert, senior product manager at John Deere Intelligent Solutions Group, SeedStar Mobile feeds real-time, row-by-row performance data wirelessly to an iPad that can be located inside the tractor cab, in the farm office, or anywhere else. “With SeedStar Mobile, producers can instantly monitor planter performance,” he says.

Depending on the configuration of the planter, the system collects data and monitors population, singulation, seed

spacing, downforce, variety, and ground speed, on a row-by-row basis. SeedStar Mobile captures this information and stores it on an iPad by working in conjunction with the GreenStar 3 2630 Display and SeedStar XP or SeedStar 3 HP on the planter. This information can be used to help optimize planter settings, diagnose potential problems, scout fields, and provide decision support in other areas of the farming operation. SeedStar Mobile also transfers the planting data to the Operations Center in MyJohnDeere directly from the field while planting or from the producer’s office using WiFi or a cellular connection.

“By utilizing SeedStar Mobile on an iPad, it gives producers easy access to their planting data and provides the mobility they need to view the data at any time or place,” adds Brandert. “Also, by sending the data to MyJohnDeere, it gives producers the ability to synchronize information

PHOTO: JOHN DEERE

SeedStar Mobile will allow farmers to monitor planter performance in real time from any place Internet access is available. between mobile devices and share data with trusted agronomic service providers.

All of this enables the producer to improve planting performance, increase productivity, and maximize the yield potential of their crops.”

Watch for Deere to release more information about SeedStar later this year. † Scott Garvey

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JUNE 10, 2014

Machinery & Shop Tillage equipment

Lemken showcases new implements At an International Press Day in Germany, Lemken introduced its 2014 equipment, including models that will be available here

By Scott Garvey

L

emken may not yet be a household name in Western Canada, but management at the German company’s head office is working hard on changing that.

Since opening its Canadian subsidiary in 2005, Canada has grown to become the company’s fourth largest export market, with sales hitting 15.4 million Euros (more than CDN$22.9 million).

“We started in Canada in 2005,” says Christian Jungmann, Lemken’s export sales manager.

“Canada, from a history point of view (for us), is quite a young market.

The company initially targeted Eastern Canada, where many Quebec farms have a lot in common with farms in Europe. But a little to its own surprise, the brand has found strong demand for its one-pass tillage tools across the Prairies.

“That’s a step we had not planned in the beginning to be honest about that,” explains Jungmann. “We thought ‘we’ll go into the East.’ After two or three years there was an explosion of sales (across the Prairies). And it’s still going on. We now have 17 dealers (with multiple locations) taking care of our products in that part of Canada.”

In early May, Lemken held it’s bi-annual International Press Day in Germany, inviting members of the farm media to gather in a field and see what the new machines it debuted at the Agritechnica machinery show last November can really do.

Although many of its implements are designed with features directly aimed at farming needs in the company’s home market in Germany, the brand’s managers have spent time in Canada evaluating the needs and practices

An 500-year-old farmyard in central Germany was the venue for Lemken’s 2014 International Press Day in May. of farmers all across this country.

That, they say, has allowed them fine tune — or in some cases significantly change — the engineering on implements destined for the Prairie, which allows them to exactly meet the needs of producers here.

“The good thing was before we went to North America, we were successful in Eastern Europe where there are also big farms,” explains Jungmann. “Russian people are very tough (on equipment). They just put it behind the tractor and go. So we had experience with

designing heavy machines for high horsepower tractors. From a quality point of view, we were well prepared for the North American market, and we also have bigger machines available.”

For the Canadian Prairie market, the brand expects three implements will form the core of its sales. The Rubin 12 compact disc, the Karat 9 tine cultivator and the Compact Solitair seed drill.

The two tillage tools are one-pass systems designed to turn standing stubble into a firm, even seedbed with just one pass, which is ideal

photo: lemken

for dealing with fields that have been rutted up during wet harvests or have high residues from crops such as corn. In fact, one-pass systems have become the brand’s hallmark.

And while both tillage implements are designed to work at high speeds, the Rubin 12, with what Lemken claims are the largest diameter discs in the industry, can work as deep as eight inches.

The Karat 9 tine cultivator, which can work as deep as 12 inches, also includes an electronic sensing system that maintains a precise

photo: scott garvey

working depth over uneven terrain and transfers weight to the tractor drawbar to help minimize wheel slip during hard pulling.

The Compact Solitair seed drill, Lemken’s newest machine to be offered in Canada, has yet to prove it has appeal to Prairie farmers. Canadian sales manager, Laurent Letzter, says he intends to introduce it to Prairie growers this season. It may actually find a strong niche in the West with its ability to accurate place smallseeded crops into fields left in poor condition from the previous

photo: scott garvey

Left: The Rubin 12 is available in working widths up to six meters (20 feet) and can work as deep as eight inches. Right: The Rubin 12 uses 736 mm (29 inch) diameter discs, which the company claims are the largest in the industry.

JUNE 10, 2014

grainews.ca /

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Machinery & Shop season. It combines the brand’s one-pass tillage philosophy with one-pass seeding, using a design that is intended specifically for crops like canola that need precise seed placement.

“It’s a unique system that allows you to do tillage with fertilizer placement and it doesn’t create compaction because the weight is distributed across the entire width of the machine,” says Letzter.

“Then we have (soil) re-consolidation and seed placement.”

“With the reconsolidation before seed placement, we create capillary zones, which means we can seed very shallow and get very quick emergence. That emergence will be very even, providing a full stand and even maturity. With seedbed preparation at the time of seeding you get the benefit of all the available moisture.”

All Lemken implements bound for Canada are built at the company’s factory in the village of Alpen, Germany, which allows the brand to point to the same “made in Germany” label that has helped create a reputation for quality in other products like Mercedes and BMW. “We look at our factory as a marketing tool,” says Jungmann. “Once people see how we build machines, people will see the quality.”

The company has recently completed construction of new facilities at the plant to accommodate group visits, and it’s now arranging tours for Canadians every March.

But Jungmann acknowledges that same built-in-Germany label also creates a concern about parts availability in the minds of some prairie farmers.

“That’s one of the major concerns of farmers in Canada when you sell an implement coming from Europe,” he explains.

“What about parts? It was one of the first questions I got from the farmers when I went to the country. We have basically two strategies. On one side we overfill the parts locations as much as possible. In addition to that we always put one or two machines in the corner. They have all the options on them and are not for sale. If a part is not available, we take if off the machine.”

“That’s really helped a lot,” adds Letzter. “Sometimes it’s a tire and you don’t have all the sizes. Sometimes it’s a frame piece because someone hit a hydro pole.

There are so many things that you cannot plan for.”

Lemken now has three Canadian parts distribution facilities. One in B.C. that serves that province and Alberta and another near Winnipeg to handle Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The remaining facility serves the East.

The brand will also have a strong presence at Canadian farms shows going forward, showing equipment at Canada’s Farm Progress Show in Regina this month and at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show in Woodstock, Ontario, in September.

“The personal contact that goes on at a farm show is irreplaceable,” says Letzter. “That’s why we try to go to all of them and do demonstrations at the shows when we can.”

For a video look at the Lemken press day event, check out the new E-Quip TV episode by clicking on the videos link at www. grainews.ca. †

PHOTO: LEMKEN

PHOTO: LEMKEN

PHOTO: SCOTT GARVEY

Top Left: The Karat tine cultivator is available in working widths up to five metres (16 feet) and features an electronic system that maintains even and consistent depth control in uneven terrain. Bottom Right: The Karat 9 tine cultivator uses quick change shovels, and it’s capable of working up to 12 inches deep. Top Right: The Compact Solitair drill incorporates onepass tillage with one-pass seeding. Brand managers claim it can accurately place small-seeded crops into a fully prepared seedbed in a single operation.

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Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews.

Contact him at Scott.Garvey@fbcpublishing.com.

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JUNE 10, 2014

Machinery & Shop Technology

Trimble takes to the air

The technology company introduces a new unmanned aerial drone for ag applications

By Scott Garvey

I

n January, Trimble announced it was adding the UX5 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to its ag products division. This small drone comes equipped with a camera that can capture geo-referenced photographs, near-infrared images for NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) analysis as well as topographical information, making it a handy tool for anything from locating cattle in a pasture to creating prescription field maps.

“In 2011 we acquired a company out of Belgium called gatewing, explains Stephanie Spiller, technical solutions manager at Trimble. “Originally, the

X100 (the company’s first UAV) was introduced to our geospatial division. One of the biggest requests that came in from that industry was can we do this for farming. Hence, our agriculture group has adopted the same technology with the UX5.”

Interest in using UAVs in precision farming has been growing because of the goldmine of data they can capture to enhance farm management.

“You’d be able to measure your crop health as well as the nitrogen content with the NDVI index,” Spiller adds. “You would also be able to monitor crop height or how well a crop is growing in a specific area and from that you’d be able to make a specific prescription (map).”

Overhead mapping “It would also be useful if you have a large area and just want to have a topographic map. You could know where depressions and high points are and eventually use that for land levelling or drainage.”

Importing images captured by the UX5 into Trimble’s Business Centre software, producers can create a variety of different maps.

“Once you’ve stitched all your images together you could export it and overlay it onto Google Earth or something like that,” notes Spiller.

Flying at altitudes between 75 and 750 metres, the UX5 is capable of taking high resolution images with a position accuracy of five centimetres (two inches).

“The accuracy of the plane is dependent on a couple of factors,” says Spiller. “How high you’re flying the plane is one factor, also the overlap of the pictures you’re taking and the area you want to cover. All those things factor into the accuracy of the data you’re collecting.”

“If, let’s take, you have a grain silo in your field and you want to know its precise location. If you have that silo located in four overlapping photos, that’s going to give you four reference points.

However, if you have it in, say, 10 or 15 different images, that’s going to give you even more reference points to lock down its location.”

“We do a minimum of 60 per cent overlap. Overlap can be used

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to have more reference points, or it can also be used if you’re flying in windy conditions in case one or two images are unusable, so you can be sure you have some redundancy in your operation.”

Putting it to work When you open the box of a UX5 kit, you’ll find everything you need to take to the skies.

“You get the actual plane, the vehicle itself,” says Spiller. “With that comes all the electronics.

To control the plane you get a ground control station, which is essentially a Windows 7 ruggedized tablet. You get the launcher that is used to put the UX5 into flight and all the software components. You get spare parts, the radio for communications and the camera as well.”

The camera that comes with the plane is a standard, off-the-shelf 16 megapixel Sony. It’s available with an additional near-infrared lens that captures the NDVI data.

The price tag for all this equipment comes in at US$50,999.

Included with that is five days of training, enough to turn anyone into a competent UX5 pilot.

“It’s actually quite an extensive training,” says Spiller. “You do two days of theoretical knowledge in the classroom, then you do three days out in the field practicing for different scenarios.”

To fly a UX5, operators pre-program a flight plan into the tablet and launch the plane. The UX5 then follows a GPS-guided path, which is fully automated from takeoff to landing.

“When you’re in flight, you do have a real-time display on the tablet, so you’ll be able to see all standardized flight information such as plane speed and GPS location as well as how many photos you’ve taken,” she continues.

“There are safety maneuvers you can do with the plane, but you can’t alter the flight plan at all.

You can move it left or right, you can also put the plane in a holding pattern or you can initiate an emergency landing.”

The UX5 is powered by an electric motor and uses a 14.5 volt onboard lithium battery, giving it a 50 minute flight time. At an airspeed of 80 km/h., the plane can cover about two square kilometres in a single flight.

“In Canada you are required to have authorization to fly the plane,” Spiller explains. “That is the proof of training that you receive from your retailer. You’re also required to submit a flight plan to your local aviation authority. That is the same flight plan you would pre-program on your tablet. They would then give you permission to fly for that day in that time frame.”

Although the UX5 already has a wide range of data collection capabilities, the future uses of aerial drones in agriculture will likely continue to grow.

“We recognize this product has great potential for more applications,” says Spiller. “I’m sure as the industry picks up this new technology there’ll be lots [more] suggestions.” † Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews.

Contact him at Scott.Garvey@fbcpublishing.com.

canada’S farm progreSS Show June 18 - 20, 2014, regina, SK

Special event Section

NSC

Moosomin

RR2Y

NSC

Reston

RR2Y

NSC

Anola

RR2Y

Vito

NSC

RR2Y

At NorthStar Genetics, we have four of the highest performing and earliest maturing soybean varieties for Saskatchewan!

At NorthStar Genetics, we know beans! www.weknowbeans.com

© NorthStar Genetics 2013

© NorthStar Genetics 2013 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. Genuity and Design®, Genuity Icons, Genuity®, Roundup Ready 2 Yield®, Roundup Ready®, Roundup WeatherMAX®, and Roundup® are trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC, Monsanto Canada, Inc. licensee. Respect the Refuge and Design is a registered trademark of the Canadian Seed Trade Association. Used under license. ©2012 Monsanto Canada, Inc.

PRACTICAL PRODUCTION TIPS FOR THE PRAIRIE FARMER

www.grainews.ca

Grainews Editorial Meet & Greet at the Farm Progress Show June 19 to June 21, 2014 The meet and greet will be at the Grainews booth #70610 Credit Union Eventplex

Thursday June 19th - 1:30 – 3pm Stop by and visit with Leeann Minogue – Editor Grainews, Lee Hart – Editor of Cattlemen’s Corner and Field Editor for Grainews Scott Garvey – Machinery Editor Grainews Lisa Guenther – Field Editor, Grainews and Country Guide Leeann

Lee

Scott

Lisa

farm_progress_gn_meet_ad14

28

/ grainews.ca

JUNE 10, 2014

Special event Section

canada’S farm progreSS Show June 18 - 20, 2014, regina, SK

About Canada’s Farm Progress Show

O

rganizations have many more marketing tools to choose from today than they did 10 years ago. The increasing growth of direct mail marketing channeled through the Internet can easily make a salesperson complacent. However, the power of face-to-face communication is still one of the top sales tools, and this is why trade shows, such as Canada’s Farm Progress Show, will always attract exhibitors and buyers.

For three days in June, agricultural buyers and sellers from around the world come together to do business. More than 45,000 people from over 50 countries come to Regina each year to see what’s new in agriculture. Canada’s Farm Progress Show has established itself as the largest dryland farm technology and equipment show in Canada, and one of the most important farm shows in North America.

Canada’s Farm Progress Show is about much more than just standard farm equipment. Tractors, livestock handling equipment and other tools of the trade do make up a large part of the Show, but the Farm Show also provides the opportunity for producers to market their products to an international audience, learn more about the business side of agriculture, and see the latest products and inventions that will make their jobs easier. Of course, Canada’s Farm Progress Show is a place for fun and entertainment too.

Exhibitors will have access to thousands of qualified buyers during the Show, and buyers will have access to hundreds of products that range from the smallest wheel lug to the largest tractors and equipment. Saskatchewan Trade & Export Partnership estimates hundreds of million dollar business deals occur at Canada’s Farm Progress Show each year, while the City of Regina counts on about $30 million in economic spinoffs from the Show.

One of the most important farm shows in North America • 1.9 million square feet of dryland farming technology (largest show of its kind in Canada) • More than 700 exhibitors • 45,000 qualified attendees from 50 different countries • Modern Living — dedicated to country living • International Business Centre • FCC Innovations • New production introduction • Demonstration areas • Livestock handling displays • Education seminars • Antique trucks and tractors • Shuttle services — “Door to Door” service is free and runs daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Exhibitor hospitality — providing the best entertainment for exhibitors and consumers

MERIDIAN 5.1429X10.0000 000049785r1 4CFARM PROGRESS SHOW FEATURE

BUILT TO MOVE. BUILT TO STORE.

BUILT FOR YOUR FARM.

© 2014 Meridian Manufacturing Inc. Registered Trademarks Used Under License.

Need a Quick and Smooth Delivery?

canada’S farm progreSS Show June 18 - 20, 2014, regina, SK

Special event Section

IF YOU GROW CANOLA, YOU NEED SEED SAVER!

Our exclusive patented hinged panel systems are the only units designed to virtually eliminate the seed loss and dust created by the aggressive nature of the table auger fingers. See us at Booth 911 in the Canada Centre at CFPS. Google Houston Seed Saver and watch our You Tube videos. Order now to guarantee availability.

HOUSTON SEED SAVER

...will put money in your pocket rather than leaving it in the field.

• Universal mounting • Aluminum frame • All SAVER stainless steel hardware HOUSTON SEED Easymoney installation Margardrather Panels than • Adjustable ...will•put in your•pocket leavingthroat it in opening the field.

• Universal mounting • Easy installation

• Aluminum frame • Margard Panels

St

Au 2

Sto

Auger 2 to

• All stainless steel hardware • Adjustable throat opening

BILL HOUSTON 306-726-7977 hlcc@sasktel.net

“N

BILL HOUSTON hlcc@sasktel.net less du P.O. Box 32 P.O. Box 32, Southey, Sask S0G 4P0 H Southey, Sask S0G 4P0 306-726-7977 hlcc@sasktel.net “No m “No more losses over the header, less dust, reversing when plugged.”

BILLfaster HOUSTON less dust, P.O. Box 32 Harley Herman - Craven, Sask.

Harle Southey, Sask S0G 4P0 306-726-7977

HOUSTON SEED SAVER HOUSTON SEED SAVER

We’ve Got You Covered.

The Complete Storage Solution Under One Roof. With demand for on–farm grain storage at an all time high, Meridian can help.

To find an authorized Meridian dealer near you, visit www.MeridianMFG.com/locator.

DELTATRACK » MOST ADVANCED TRACK UNDERCARRIAGE IN THE INDUSTRY » INTEGRATED TRACK SOLUTION, INCORPORATED WITH THE TRACTOR FRAME » SOLID CAST DRIVE WHEEL, BIGGER DRIVE LUGS AND MORE LUGS ENGAGED » TWO MIDROLLERS PROVIDE A BETTER RIDE IN FIELD AND ON THE ROAD » POLYEURTHANE-COATED MIDROLLERS DESIGNED FOR LONGER LIFE » DESIGNED FOR LOWER MAINTENANCE

MFWD 260-310 » » » » »

260-310 HP CUMMINS QSL9 ENGINE POWERSHIFT TRASMISSION 540/1000 RPM PTO DOUBLE REDUCTION PLANETARY DRIVE » LARGEST CAB IN THE INDUSTRY » V-PAS

FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE

» » » »

350 TO 550 HP CUMMINS QSX11.9 AND QSX15 ENGINES CAT® POWERSHIFT TRANSMISSIONS 12 X 4 MECHANICAL TRANSMISSIONS (350-450) » LARGEST CAB IN THE INDUSTRY

COME SEE US AT CANADA’S FARM PROGRESS SHOW BOOTH 7013, LOT C

©2014 BUHLER VERSATILE INC. | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. | INFO@VERSATILE-AG.COM | WWW.VERSATILE-AG.COM

RT490 COMBINE » » » » » » » » *$37,000 for a base RT490 with AWD underwritten by Agricredit (DLL), see dealer for details.

CLASS VIII COMBINE 360° ROTATING CONCAVE ROTARY SYSTEM 4-STAGE FEEDER HOUSE THREE-POINT THRESHING SYSTEM CUMMINS QSX11.9 ENGINE 340 BU. GRAIN TANK INTEGRATED STRAW CHOPPER AND SPREADER ALL-WHEEL DRIVE AVAILABLE

LEASE PRICES FROM $37,000 / YEAR*

ML SERIES AIR DRILL » ALIVE TECHNOLOGY ENABLES YOU TO EASILY SET THE FURROW PROFILE » ACCURATE SEED DEPTH AND EVEN CROP EMERGENCE » AIR CARTS AVAILABLE FROM 300 - 600 BU

SELF-PROPELLED SPRAYER » AVAILABLE WITH 240 OR 280 HP » 1000 GALLON POLY TANK OR 1200 GALLON STAINLESS STEEL » AVAILABLE IN FIXED, MANUAL OR HYDRAULIC AXLE TRACK WIDTHS » LARGEST CAB IN THE INDUSTRY PROVIDES EXCELLENT VISIBILITY AND OPERATOR COMFORT » NEW SPRAY CONTROL PANEL IS EASY TO UNDERSTAND AND OPERATE

COME SEE US AT CANADA’S FARM PROGRESS SHOW BOOTH 7013, LOT C

©2014 BUHLER VERSATILE INC. | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. | INFO@VERSATILE-AG.COM | WWW.VERSATILE-AG.COM

AG SHIELD

Quality and Innovation for Over 30 Years!

CROSS AUGERS Increase Productivity 25% - 100%

Ÿ Combine 2 - 18ft Swaths into 1- 36ft Windrow

Ÿ Kits pay for them-selves in 35 hours or 400 acres

Ÿ Move Swaths Onto Dry Ground

all with a Draper Header Ÿ Competitively priced kits for all headers

Ÿ Cut Your Drying Time 30% to 65%

Ÿ Completely Crush/Split Stems

Ÿ Canola, pulse crops, seed clover, or any bushy crop

Road Sprayer

MultiTrailer 3 in 1 5th Wheel BaleTrailer

Ÿ High Speed One Man System

Ÿ Bales, Machinery and All Your Loads! Ÿ Call Factory for New Pricing

Ÿ Save 70% - 90% of Your Current Per Mile Costs Ÿ Control Drift with a Shielded Sprayer

At Farm Progress: South of the Orange Hockey Rink

844-227 1833 or www.agshield.com

MANUFACTURERS OF: PRE-CLEANERS OAT CUTTERS DEBEARDERS ASPIRATORS GRADERS SCALPERS THRESHERS

THE FOUNDERS

Theodore Kipp (1880-1941) Engineer

GRAVITY TABLES

Born at Peoria, Illinois in 1880, he was educated at public school and Bradley Polytechnic. He came to Canada in 1908 and was Chief Engineer successively for the Tillson Company at Tillsonburg, Ontario, Robin Hood Mills Limited, and Ogilvie Flour Mills Company. In 1913 he organized the Kipp-Kelly Company in partnership with G. H. Kelly where he was Vice- President and Managing Director.

LENGTH GRADERS

George H. Kelly (1860-1940) Engineer

DESTONERS

ArrowCorp Inc.

61 Airport Road Winnipeg, Manitoba R3H 0V5 Phone 204.632.1000 Fax 204.632.0643 Toll Free (CDA) 1.800.661.5500

Born at St. Germain, Cornwall, England on 29 August 1860, he immigrated to Canada at the age of 7 and settled at Glencoe, Ontario. He worked in flour mills before coming to Manitoba in 1879, where he operated an elevator at Brandon. He came to Winnipeg in 1881 and operated the Ogilvie Flour Mills. In 1886 he joined the Lake of the Woods Milling Company at Keewatin, Ontario as General Superintendent. He rejoined the Ogilvie Flour Mills in 1912 as General Superintendent. After building a large mill at Medicine Hat, Alberta, he left the company in 1913 to establish the engineering firm of Kipp-Kelly, in partnership with Theodore Kipp.

Kipp-Kelly started building relationships over 100 years ago. We are honored to continue that tradition today.

Premier Grain Cleaner Co. 50 Cleveland Avenue S.W. New Brighton, Minnesota 55112 Phone 651.636.7323 Fax 651.636.8466 Toll Free (US) 1.877.336.7323

See us at the Canadian Farm Progress Show in Regina, June 18-20, 2014, Booth #80203,80205-Banner Hall

Come visit us at: www.arrowcorp-grain-cleaning.com

FERTILIZER Cu sto me r sin Ce 1996

C u sto m er si n C

e 1984

Cu sto m er si n Cee 1997 Cu sto me r sin Ce 2009

Customer sinCe 2009

Cu stom er si nC e 1996

C u sto m er si n C e 2008

“WE’RE CATCHING ON” COME SEE US AT THE FARM PROGRESS SHOW IN REGINA WWW.POWERRICH.COM • 1-800-663-4769

BOOTH # 80207 & 80209 BANNER HALL

CP’s SPRAYER TURBOS Multiple Flow Rates

 Stainless steel tanks  Fast fill time

protecting what matters to you most, you want to compare fire extinguishers and get the best extinguisher available.

 Simple to operate

It is a solution to the farmers’ need for MORE POWER to get the job done while using LESS FUEL. Other performance module brands have come up short or failed completely. Now you have a REAL solution, Agricultural Diesel Solutions.

 Spill proof  Complete rinse  Complete turnkey system  Space saving, allowing you to carry more product  Quickly measure and transfer chemical batches to your sprayer

Droplet Sizes

When it comes to

 Accurate measuring every time

 No monthly or yearly service required  Spray in vicinity of fire & gas expands

Exceptional Drift Control

CP's Sprayer Turbo Nozzles have 18 possible setting combinations. They produce a tight spectrum of large droplets with few driftable fines.

 Lifetime no - hassle durability guarantee  Multi - shot unit  Non corrosive  Compact & lightweight  No mess or clean up

“Come visit our booth (#Outside Booth #8614-8615 – Lot D Inside Booth # 70510, 70512 – Credit Union Event Plex) at the Farm Progress Show & Enter To Win $10,000 towards Our Grain Management Package.”

STORAGE SOLUTIONS WHETHER IT’S STORAGE, HANDLING, OR CONDITIONING, WALL GRAIN IS READY TO HELP YOU BUILD THE GRAIN HANDLING AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM THAT FITS YOUR NEEDS.

SPECIALIZING IN NEW & USED SHORTLINE AGRICULTURAL EQUIPMENT

#5 Great Plains Industrial Drive Emerald Park, SK S4L 1C6

“Take 20 Minutes to sit down, enjoy some refreshments & make Thousands!

Our Grain Management Expert will be hosting a 20 min info session to show you just a few ways that you can save & make more money.”

STORAGE Our HIGH CAPACITY, low labour intensive grain storage systems will save you time and headaches. Move your auger less, unload you bin faster, spend more time doing the things you’d rather be doing!

HANDLING Using the best components on the market, we can help you take your storage and handling system to the next level. Our experienced team of estimators, drafters, and millwrights can take the stress out of system design, giving you a hassle-free expansion experience.

CONDITIONING From GRAIN DRYING to REHYDRATION, Wall Grain has the expertise and experience to help you MAKE MORE MONEY. Whether building a new system or converting an existing one, we can make it happen!

MB & SE SK – 204-269-7616 SK – 306-244-1144 S AB – 403-393-2662 N AB – 780-539-4344 www.wallgrain.com

Advertisement

Apache’s Plus II provides maximum efficiency and power.

Apache’s highest horsepower. At a staggering 275 horsepower, Plus II is for growers who want the highest horsepower available. You don’t need to overcompensate with a clunky, heavy hydrostatic sprayer to get maximum efficiency with maximum power. The Plus II Package from Apache Sprayers provides the perfect combination of power, traction, and efficiency, along with the simplicity of a mechanical drive transmission.

The Plus II features: • Staggering 275 hp • Heavy-duty JCB differential • Increased Power-to-the-Ground™

The Apache difference:

Lighter weight, more power. The Plus II option is available on the Apache AS1020 and AS1220, with a commanding 275hp. The lighter weight of the Apache Sprayer makes it easier to power through extreme conditions. Crops benefit from less compaction.

Power-to-the-Ground.™ With the added power of the Power-to-the-Ground™ technology in the Plus II, steep grades are no match for the Apache selfpropelled sprayer. Most hydrostat machines deliver only about 70% of the engine’s horsepower to the ground.

With Apache, a full 98% of the engine’s horsepower is delivered to the ground.

Engine torque can be multiplied up to 200% through our torque-converted mechanical drive.

Stability. To eliminate the “bounce back effect” in those sharp turns, the Apache is outfitted with nine nitrogen accumulators. These work to keep the booms stable when a diaphragm inside the accumulator absorbs the motion.

Smooth ride. The constant jarring of a rough field vanishes with the Apache’s patented suspension system. The rear suspension system is equipped with automatic leveling adjusts, providing the same excellent ride whether the tank is full of product or completely empty. The Apache’s patented suspension system acts as a giant shock absorber. The Plus II is a winning combination of efficiency and power.

Boom options. The added length of the 120' or 132' Pommier Boom option is popular with our Plus II customers.

• Industry-best fuel economy • Industry-best 5-year warranty: Includes Guardian first year inspection • Lower service costs • Lower replacement parts cost • Ergonomic cab design

BOOTH #8307 Visit us at Canada’s Farm Progress Show!

1.855.371.7479 www.ETsprayers.com/plusII

“Overall I’m very satisfied with the Apache. It’s very economical for fuel. We did a lot of research before buying it. Our son went online and designed it. My brother owns a Versatile and we like our sprayer better. This is the first selfpropelled sprayer we’ve bought. A lot of neighbors in the area have John Deere and RoGaters and they are all fuel burners and always stuck.”

-Gerald Steffen, High Level, Alberta, Canada

CELEBRATING OVER 30 YEARS SINCE 1978

• MORE PURLINS WITH X-BRACING • UP TO 30% MORE STEEL • REPLACEMENT COVERS FOR ALL BRANDS

Northlands Building Systems Curtiss Knight Office : (306) 573-2121 Cell : (306) 858-7635 Email : nbs@sasktel.net • www.winklercanvas.com

There’s more to see with The Farm Progress Show section of Grainews contains Augmented Reality content!

(Pages 27 – 43)

What is Layar?

Layar is an industry-leading company at the forefront of the rapidly emerging medium of augmented reality (AR). AR is a way viewing digital information which has been superimposed – or augmented – onto a live view of the physical, real-world environment around you.

How Can I See Layar Content?

Simply download the free Layar app and scan the Farm Progress Show pages and enjoy the interactive content!

What will I see?

Layar interactive content can consist of any number of rich media experiences including: links to websites, video or audio content, twitter feeds, image carousels, direct email or phone links – plus much more!

Ag Growth International (AGI) is a leading manufacturer of portable and stationary grain handling, storage and conditioning equipment. Batco (specialty crop belt conveyors), Wheatheart (grain handling and fencing equipment), Westfield (portable grain augers), Grain Guard (grain drying and storage equipment), Twister (galvanized grain bins), HSI (material handling and temporary storage equipment), Applegate (livestock equipment) and REM (GrainVacs) are all leading brands, part of the AGI group.

VISIT US AT CAnAdA’S FArm ProgreSS Show JUne 18-20, 2014 For more InFormATIon on oUr neweST InnoVATIonS And hIgh CAPACITY ProdUCTS InCLUdIng: • The New Paddle Belt • The REM GrainVac VRX • The Highest Capacity 16” Auger • AGI Bin Construction • The Lowest 4.5” GULP Drive Over Hopper

aggrowth.com

Download the app for your smartphone and experience Layar.

Pro Visit gre us at ss Eve Show Cana d ntp lex, in the a’s Fa Boo Cre rm th 7 dit U 020 nio n 3

ALPINE foliar fertilizer keeps you on the path to growing great crops ®

Norwich Optimist Corn Maze 2013

Call your local ALPINE representative to get your farm on the right path with an efficient, effective, and economical Phazed Nutrition Program today.

Aaron Fahselt Southern Saskatchewan DSM 306.297.7595

Patrick Schultz Eastern Saskatchewan DSM 306.327.7022

Keith Anderson Southern Alberta DSM 403.589.1770

Blake Weatherald Western Saskatchewan DSM 306.441.5779

Chris Cox Southeastern Saskatchewan & Western Manitoba DSM 204.851.5403

Neil Olsen Central Alberta DSM 780.265.3650

Chad Wonchulanko Central Saskatchewan DSM 306.570.9317

Leo Lutz Northern Alberta DSM 403.393.0312

Shane Falk Eastern Manitoba DSM 204.823.4667

© 2014. NACHURS ALPINE SOLUTIONS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ALPINE is a trademark of Nachurs Alpine Solutions.

|

www.alpinepfl.com

canada’S farm progreSS Show June 18 - 20, 2014, regina, SK

Special event Section

SPECIAL EVENT SECTION

Commercial Grade Steel Trussing Heavy-Duty A-Frame Undercarriage

Precision Engineered Flighting

CANADA’S FARM PROGRESS SHOW June 18 - 20, 2014, Regina, SK

Tapered Boot Extendable Axles

Tapered Swing Hopper

You told us that your grain auger has to be one thing: reliable. We listened – introducing the MKX Series with over 75 proven performance enhancements.

The MKX 130 comes in 64' - 114' lengths.

The MKX 16" auger is available in 85', 105' and 125' lengths, making it the highest capacity auger ever made

by Westfield.

866.467.7207 | grainaugers.com

For Ideal Results On The Surface, You Need Ideal Pipe Underground

REDESIGNED AND IMPROVED FOR 2014!

SEE US AT

CANADA’S FARM PROGRESS SHOW

BOOTH # 209 CANADA CENTRE

Quality Pipe Manufactured in Carman Manitoba Make Every Job An Ideal Installation Start With Ideal Pipe Reliable Delivery

From farm fields to parking lots. From roadways to golf courses and recreational turf, Ideal Pipe is your ideal choice for complete sourcing of pipe and fittings.

With over 25 years as a Canadian leader in plastic pipe, Ideal is the source to depend on.

Fast, Easy Installation

A Flexible Partner

Ideal specializes in flexible, lightweight, easy to handle HDPE pipe.

Talk to us today about the products best suited to your Farm Business needs.

Box 970 • Carman, MB Ph: (204) 745-6151 • Fax: (204) 745-6578 • www.idealpipe.ca • idealgu@mts.net

204-825-2000 www.seeddepot.ca

New “Straight Cut”

CARDALE

“More Wheat...Less Shatter” Less Fusarium

Visit Us at Booth # 90025

PATENT PENDING

Any Job, Any Size

204.825.7655 or 1.888.744.2077 WWW.ROTOMUDSCRAPERS.COM

We would like to provide complimentary cardale seed to CFGB growing projects

JUNE 10, 2014

TAKE THE DEALS WITH YOU...

MOBILE

grainews.ca /

39

(888) (888) 388-7759 388-7759 204-331-6014 Hwy Hwy 3 • Morden, 3 • Morden, MB MB www.friesenrental.com www.friesenrental.com Sales & Rentals Sales & Rentals

® Dealer ® Dealer Western Western Canada’s Canada’s SPEEDTILLER SPEEDTILLER

ab73xi ab73xi

ab73xg ab73xg

2014 K-LINE SPEEDSTILLER DISC

We are the Western Canada Dealer for the K-Line Speedtiller. This is a aggressive high speed disk built with durability.

Call for prices and sizes available.

Call for Demo.

Serving Manitoba, Saskatchewan, NW Ontario & Alberta....Since 1937 • Quality Commercial/Agricultural/Residential Overhead Doors & Operators.

• Aluminum Polycarbonate Doors Available.

• Non-Insulated and Insulated Sectional Doors Available.

• Liftmaster Heavy Duty Operators.

• Mullion Slide Away Centre Posts.

• Commercial/Agricultural Steel Man Doors and Frames.

• Your washbay door specialists. • Quality Installation & Service.

• 24 Hour Service. • Replacement Springs & Cables.

Come see us at CANADA’S FARM PROGRESS SHOW

Booth #90103 – Ag-Ex Pavilion Phone: 204-326-4556 Fax: 204-326-5013 Toll Free: 1-855-326-4556 www.reimeroverheaddoors.com email: kurtis@reimeroverheaddoors.com

646700 646710 2013 HORSCH JOKER RT270, NEW NEW 20142014 K-LINE K-LINE SPEEDTILLERS SPEEDTILLERS2013 HORSCH JOKER RT270, 27’, 27’, Manual Depth, . .$71,500 Call For CallSpecs, For Specs, Sizing Sizing & Pricing & Pricing Manual Depth, 5,0005,000 AcresAcres . .$71,500

ab74nf ab74nf

ab73xl ab73xl

2013 Horsch Anderson Joker RT270 Disc, Excellent cond., 2 Units available both have 5000 acres.

2012 J&M 750-16 Grain Cart, Excellent cond., Like New Used for only 1 Season, Tarp, Small 1000 PTO

$71,500 646740

$27,750 650476

WISHEK WISHEK STEEL STEEL 842NT-30, 842NT-30, 30’, 26 .5” 30’, 26 .5”20092009 VERSATILE VERSATILE 435, 435, 1183 1183 Hrs, 435 Hrs, 435 Front,Front, 27” Rear, 27” Rear, 3 Row 3 Row Har . Har . .$69,900 . . .$69,900 HP, Cat HP,PS, Cat 900 PS, Duals, 900 Duals, GPSGPS $179,500 $179,500 ab85qe ab85qe

ab89hy ab89hy

2006 Reynolds 20E12.5 Scraper, Comes with extra parts,Rim,Cylinders,Blades,direct mount.

$58,000

J&M Speedtender

Call for pricing

J&MJ&M 875-18, 875-18, 875 Bu, 87518” Bu,Unload 18” Unload 20052005 BUHLER BUHLER VERSATILE VERSATILE 2360,2360, 20052005 Auger, Auger, New New Flighting, Flighting, ScaleScale . .$27,800 . .$27,800 40244024 Hrs, 360 Hrs, HP, 360Autosteer .

HP, Autosteer . $85,500 $85,500

COME SEE US AT THE FARM PROGRESS SHOW!

OVER 30,000 FULLY SEARCHABLE AG EQUIPMEnT LISTInGS In THE PALM OF YOUR HAnD!!

Now you can find the ag equipment you’re looking for quickly and immediately on your iPhone or Android Device.

WHY WAIT AnD MISS A DEAL!?

Start your search now!

Scan the code below to download the app Or visit agdealermobile.com for download details.

Booth #900 Canada Centre

Special event section

SEE US IN LOT D, BOOTH 8304

Create and Maintain Ditches in half the time!

The Wolverine Extreme scrapes and spreads the soil in a single operation, creating and maintaining ditches faster and more efficiently than a scraper!

• Eliminates the operation of levelling dirt piles left behind by a scraper.

• Creates smooth ditches that allow field equipment to pass through with ease (no ridges or barrel cuts) • Reduces field compaction compared to using a scraper.

• Works in all soil types including heavy clay soil. (not soils with rocks)

Paddles now sweep right over the cutting blade!

Super HD Reverser

New Slimmer Chain Case

New Auto Clutch, no more shear pins

Canada’s farm progress show June 18 - 20, 2014, Regina, SK

TradiTion • celebraTion

now buying red spring wheat Malt contracts available for 2014/2015 P.O. Box 238, Letellier, MB R0G 1C0 Phone 204-737-2000 Fax 204-737-2102 Email roger@seed-ex.com

The Wolverine Extreme delivers: Outstanding Quality, Durability and Performance!

MOVE UP TO 750 YARDS PER HOUR!

ATTENTION CANADIAN CUSTOMERS Take advantage of the strong dollar and your u.s. buying power • We hold three regularly scheduled equipment & truck auctions in nearby Grand Forks, ND each year, in addition to numerous on-farm single seller events annually • Major auctions offer simulcast online bidding and most units move easily across the border

Precision Earth Moving made easy

• We have qualified experience in handling large Canadian equipment packages • We have enjoyed many strong relationships with Canadian buyers and sellers alike and welcome your future business to buy or sell equipment or to join our direct mail program

find us on the web at www.resourceauction.com

when GPS Grade Control

www.dynamicditchers.com

is used.

or e-mail us at info@resourceauction.com

For more information call Anthony at: 306-540-6968 or visit our web site for a dealer near you.

Weather watchers

wanted!

CoCoRaHS.org/Canada

or call toll free: 1-855-999-8858

Join CoCoRaHS The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network

Call 701-757-4015

525

Precision Double Disc Air Drill CANADA’S FARM PROGRESS

SHOW

SEE SALFORD AT LOT

7005 PRECISION AIR SEEDER

The 525 Precision Double Disc Air Drill uses a planter style row unit to place seed more accurately at faster speeds than a single disc tool. The double disc opener also works in wetter conditions and with better fuel economy than a hoe drill.

Combined with the speed and accuracy of Salford commodity carts, you’ll cover more ground with near planter accuracy.

I-SERIES

Superior Residue & Compaction Management

Wet or Dry, Spring or Fall

EARLY ORDER

PROGRAM

ON NOW

Order in June or July for the best price in 2014

INDEPENDENT SERIES

Six unique models go from minimum surface disturbance and residue management to maximum primary tillage. The independently mounted blades on the patented Coil-Tech Coulter gives Salford’s I-Series industry leading residue flow and obstacle protection. New SWITCHBLADE hydraulic shank attachments fit most I-Series tools and covert true vertical tillage to a 15in NH3 seconds. Working widths from 12 ft. to 60 ft. fit any size farm.

www.salfordmachine.com

applicator in

Ontario, Canada 1-866-442-1293

S e e u s a t C a n a d a’s Fa r m P r o g r e s s S h o w, L o t # 6 1 0 3 , 6 1 0 4 - L o t L

1-800-446-8222 www.HitchDoc.com Travis Seed Cart

Fuel Cart

Blue Means Performance

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JUNE 10, 2014

Cattleman’s Corner OWNERSHIP ISSUE

Where’s the beef and who owns what?

BY ANDREW ALLENTUCK

O

ut on the northwestern Manitoba range there’s a custody battle between a farmer and his former mistress in which ownership of 11 cows and their perhaps 22 calves is at stake. Manitoba Family Court and the Court of Appeal have been trying to determine ownership of the animals and then to divvy up the farmer’s herd so that the lady gets the cows or the value of the cows she says she owns. The problems in the case are complex. Unfortunately, given the numerous delays already in the case, which has been running since 2012, and the probability that there will be more delays, the cows themselves may be rendered long before a court decision is.

The case began with the ending of a relationship between Allan Anderson, in his mid-60s, and his lady, Chrystal Cottyn, in her late 30s.

According to a decision rendered by the Court of Appeal, Anderson lived a double life in two Manitoba towns — part of the year on his farm in The Pas, the rest of the year with Ms. Cottyn in Minitonas. When in Minitonas, the court said, he tended his cattle. Sometimes they grazed on a community pasture, sometimes on a farm owned by Ms. Cottyn. The arrangement lasted a few years during which time she put her brand on the cows. When the relationship ended in discord, Anderson took the entire herd back to his farm but continued to allow it to graze in summer on the community pasture.

Ms. Cottyn sought compensation when the relationship ended.

She saw herself in the position of a common law spouse — a tricky point given that Anderson already had and, as far as can be ascertained, still has another — his wife. Ms. Cottyn asked for an accounting and wanted her cows back. The case deepens here.

Anderson, for his part, says he has no obligations under Manitoba’s Family Property Act to account for the cows. There is a separate action to determine whether a common law relationship did exist under the Act. A motion judge granted an interim order under the Family Property Act on the basis that, even if there was no common law relationship, Ms. Cottyn is entitled to her cows, their calves, and to an accounting for them. An order for the accounting was made against the manager of the community pasture, though no notice of the order was provided to him, the Court of Appeal noted.

Before Ms. Cottyn could fetch her cattle, Anderson moved them off the community pasture.

The Court of Appeal has stayed the order of the motion judge, saying Anderson should not have transferred property (removed cattle from community pasture)

given the dispute over ownership.

However, division of property or the cattle themselves is not the issue. The Court of Appeal prefers that, if it is proven the cows and calves do indeed belonged to Ms. Cottyn, that she be provided with compensation — the cows and calves or money.

“If the (Family Property) Act applies to the parties’ relationship, the issue will become one simply of an equalization payment. Division of the cattle herd is immaterial.” Taking the case

down the path of what amounts to a division of the actual herd thus amounts a bum steer, the court ruled.

The stakes in the case are really not that large. Counsel for Ms. Cottyn suggests the cows may be worth $1,000 each and that their calves may be worth between $700 and $900 each. One suspects that legal fees will far exceed the value of the cattle. A cash cow this case is not. † Andrew Allentuck is a Grainew columnist based in Winnipeg.

ANIMAL HEALTH

Strategies for reducing parasite resistance ROY LEWIS ANIMAL HEALTH

W

e heard years ago about insect resistance developing with with fly tags. I believe the first ones on the market were called Bovaid. With no other competing products, after a few years researchers noticed resistance developing in pests the tags were supposed to repel.

Soon other companies were making tags using different chemical families as active ingredients, so producers could rotate tags and chemicals to reduce the risk of resistance developing.

Horn flies are visible on the backs of animals as they continually feed, so if the tags or other fly-control methods become ineffective flies are immediately noticeable. This is especially true on bulls as they attract more flies and hundreds to thousands will be visibly feeding if control is inadequate.

In the last several years a product called Cylence was developed as a pour-on for flies. Its effectiveness lasts about two-thirds as long as leading fly tags.

The pour-on product is used lots because it was easy to apply — cows didn’t have to caught and held. Timing-wise it could be applied when cattle were turned out to pasture or later in the season if cattle were being processed during the summer.

RESISTANCE DEVELOPING But we are now starting to see some resistance to Cylence. For

producers who have used it several years in a row, flies can now be seen on the backs of cattle way short of the 60-day effectiveness window. We are not getting the bang for the buck so to speak.

If producers do see flies present much sooner than expected it is time to change products. The best remedy is to keep cycling through the different tags and other pour-on products such as Saber or Boss and Cylence.

I am sure there are other products or trade names I am not aware of and new ones are always being worked on. Your veterinarian can advise which product is best depending if lice, flies or even ticks become the significant parasite. Length of efficacy varies so timing is always critical in applying these products.

This rotation prevents resistance from developing and the products are therefore more effective. Cattle weight gains are improved, which is one of the main reasons for using the products. Next time you are out in a pasture, use binoculars and check on fly numbers.

When processing cattle flies are very easy to spot surface feeding over the backs of cattle especially on the herd sires. If you do nothing else in a pest control program, treat breeding bulls on turnout.

INTERNAL PARASITES With internal parasites (worms), resistance to endectocides has been shown in the U.S. in a few instances. Most of that is in areas of the southern states where treatment for internal parasites is administered several times a year. However, we are starting to see these similar results in Canada as researchers

are finding resistance to a fair degree. So what do we do as conscientious producers? There are several things.

First, don’t over-treat. If cattle need treating treat them, but that doesn’t mean everytime they go through the chute a product like Ivermectin is applied. Just because it is cheaper now some producers are treating more often than they used to. At the same time you don’t want to underdose either, as that under dose in fact leads to resistant pests.

This may have been the case in some instances before when the endectocides were very pricey.

Producers apply product according to animal weight — some ranches have scales so accuracy of dosing is very good, while others can estimate weight very well.

If you are not sure if treatment is necessary, consult your herd veterinarian. He or she may perform a few fecal tests to determine the worm load. With fecals, some tests such as the modified Wisconsin are more accurate at detecting a lighter worm load. If just worms are the problem, changing to a different class of dewormer is necessary. All the pour-ons belong to the macrocytic lactones (a family of dewormers). Another family is the benzimidazoles of which fenbendazole (SafeGuard) belongs and a drench that contains albendazole (Valbazen).

SafeGuard comes in numerous formulations so cattle can be drenched or the product added into grain or the minerals by prescription for treatment on pasture in mid-summer. Resistance to SafeGuard does not appear to develop in cattle because of the speed with which the product kills the parasite.

As with most parasitic condi-

FILE PHOTO

A silver lining in the event that a fly-repellent eartag is no longer effective is that flies will quickly return to the back of their hosts. Bulls are prime targets tions, a very low level of infection elicits some natural resistance in the animal. I personally have seen this with tapeworms. Young bison may have a heavy load and yet the adult bison are clean and this was without treatment.

Tapeworms in cattle have not been deemed significant at reducing production so if this species is found in fecal matter it will also be secondarily eliminated by the SafeGuard treatment.

WINTER HELPS THE CAUSE Fortunately in most of Canada, winter puts parasite transmission on hold making controlling them a lot easier than in the more temperate climates.

But producers need to use their diligence and not overuse the good products we have.

It is important to alternate or

use products in combination (a combination of Ivermectin and SafeGuard for example) to get a complete kill and hopefully we an avoid resistance from developing.

Checking fecals occasionally on the group and especially the poorest-doing animals will identify whether internal parasites are a problem and what species or group of worms are present.

Work with your veterinarian to devise a treatment protocol and proper timing to control both internal and external parasites.

Removing these troublesome parasites will lead to much better production and with today’s higher cattle prices these treatments should yield a good economic return. † Roy Lewis is an Alberta-based veterinarian specializing in large-animal practice. He is also a part-time technical services vet for Merck Animal Health.

BUILDING TRUST IN CANADIAN BEEF

Avoid poisoning cattle on pasture Limit risk through simple management steps

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This has never been truer when it comes to poisoning risk for cattle on pasture.

“Poisoning is a perennial problem that is often underestimated,” says Dr. Barry Blakley, a toxicologist at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. “It represents substantial dollars in potential losses for producers. It can also pose a serious food safety issue.”

Awareness and prevention

The good news is, poisoning on pasture is very preventable, says Blakley, who supervises the toxicology lab for Saskatchewan’s Prairie Diagnostic Services. During peak times such as May-June, the lab sees up to 50 cases per day of problems due to poisoning or nutritional deficiency — two issues that he says are often interrelated.

Lead poisoning. Lead from old batteries is the leading culprit, he says. “We see clear spikes in confirmed cases during seeding and harvesting times. Farmers are busy and may forget and leave their used batteries in the field without properly storing them. They may also not check cattle or salt as often as they should.

Cattle are attracted to used batteries because of the salty taste. They’ll lick it, chew it and even eat the whole battery.”

Be mindful of the potential risk and remove old batteries right away before there’s a chance to forget, he says. “A good approach is to put each used battery in your shed. When you’ve got 10, take them all in to a proper recycling or disposal facility.”

Producers should also keep in mind they can inherit the problem, he says. “You may take care of batteries properly today. But depending on the field, there still could be batteries out there from 25 years ago or longer. The cows discover them eventually, so it’s important to watch for these old batteries.”

Lead poisoning in cattle herds is not only a

Keep expired batteries away from livestock or lead poisoning may result. short-term economic loss and food safety concern. It can also be a major blow to a producer’s breeding program. “Treatment is not usually economical or effective, so basically all animals contaminated are a writeoff.”

Nutritional deficiency. Nutritional deficiencies are also a major factor that can leave cattle more prone to poisoning risk, says Blakley. “When cattle are mineral deficient they are more attracted to other sources.

This can be a factor in making cattle that much more prone to try old batteries or to eat noxious weeds they normally wouldn’t be

attracted to, particularly during early spring when pasture is sparse.”

Don’t put animals out until the pasture is ready to be grazed, he says. “Cattle that have high vitamin status in the fall will overwinter OK but if they go into winter with a marginal status by spring they’re deficient. ” Product residues. These are another potential risk to keep in mind, he says. “Make sure to properly dispose of all containers, and keep cattle away from recently treated fields or feed. Strictly observe the rules for pre-harvest intervals.”

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JUNE 10, 2014

Cattleman’s Corner FARM MANAGEMENT

Four tools to create information

BY SEAN MCGRATH

H

ere at our ranch, much like most other farms, we collect a lot of data and are still learning how to make use of it. We collect financial data, pasture data, DNA data, production data, data on our labour, BIXS carcass data and then we sort everything by enterprise.

The question then becomes what to do with all of this data to make it useful. The interrelated tools described below can all be used in the process of transferring data into useful information.

INDICATORS We use a lot of indicators when we look at our data. Think of an indicator as a flag or quick report card. For example, we participate

in the AgriProfit$ program here in Alberta and pay attention to the GOLD indicators for our cow herd. This includes “Growth,” “Open Cows,” “Length of Calving Period” and “Death Loss” of calves.

These are quick ways to assess how good a job we are doing. A simpler example would be a current bank account balance as an indicator of available cash. I think of indicators as quick triggers for identifying possible challenges. EBITDA is an indicator that we use in our operation on the financial side (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) as a good indicator of whether our business is really generating wealth.

RATIOS Ratios are a form of indicator, but they are worth mentioning sepa-

rately as they can be a very strong indicator of business structure and strengths. I love ratios. We may hear the term debt-to-equity ratio, but there are also a valuable set of financial ratios such as return on equity and gross margin ratios. Things like animal unit grazing days per acre, or calves weaned per cow exposed are good ratios to measure production levels. I also like to figure out things such as various costs on a per-cow basis, or production value per machine ratio.

For example, what value of output does a tractor produce relative to its cost? It is very important to me to figure out costs and debt on a per cow basis, since in our operation this is what is generating the dollars to pay for all the “stuff” and I have some personal beliefs about the amount of debt each cow should have to carry.

TRENDS Trends are useful to see where you have been and where you might be headed. They used to be more difficult to figure out, but with modern computer software that can store and retrieve records from an extended period, it becomes much easier to see changes. We use a couple of different tools here. We look at production and accounting trends, but we also use photopoints to rapidly show us biological trends in our pastures. Nothing is quite as direct as seeing the same set of photographs taken over a series of years.

It is also useful to look at trends in your genetics. If you have a record of bulls you have bought over time, reviewing the current EPD on those sires can give you

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a pretty good indication of the direction in which you are purposely or inadvertently driving your cow herd’s genetic makeup.

If you are noticing trends such as changes in conception or production and can map this back to the sires you have used over time, it can be a very powerful indicator of what type or range of genetics you need to make your herd successful.

BENCHMARKING Benchmarking is probably the most powerful tool for making sense of your business. Obviously every ranch or farm is unique in terms of debt structure, location, environment, enterprise mix, and other factors however farms and ranches also have a lot in common and some of the key indicators of success are comparable across operations. The ability to compare real information across operations, combined with a competitive and co-operative spirit provides very valuable insight for business management and identifying areas where we can do better or folks are doing better than us. It sets a very realistic bar.

There are several good benchmarking programs. A few examples are AGriProfit$ in Alberta, the Western Beef Development Centre in Saskatchewan, AgriFood Management Excellence, Holistic Management clubs and the Ranching for Profit Executive Link program. I also know a few producers who meet with trusted friends and neighbours to run their own benchmarking programs.

COMMUNICATION OF INFORMATION All of these tools and approaches help us to get information out of our data.

It is very difficult and usually pointless to communicate data.

Take for example the following series of numbers: 525, 423, 657, 750, 613, 622. This is data and could be an example of weaning weights from your cow herd. It is relatively meaningless data as it has no context. By converting it to information we may be able to cull the dam of the 423-pound calf, talk to our banker about our average herd performance and gross margin, examine profitability indicators and potential production issues and assess how our genetics are working in our cowherd, or even market our cattle.

Obviously ranches are complex organisms that involve nature and people trying to get along to produce a variety of products. The need for information to manage this complex system in a complex marketplace has never been more important. By working on collecting important data (impacts costs or returns) and then turning it into information we can communicate with those involved in our operations to improve our management, our returns and our lifestyles. † Sean McGrath is a rancher and consultant from Vermilion, Alta. He can be reached at sean@ranchingsystems.com or (780)8539673. For additional information visit www. ranchingsystems.com

JUNE 10, 2014

grainews.ca /

47

Cattleman’s Corner ANYONE CAN START FARMING

Minerals help correct many animal health issues DEBBIE CHIKOUSKY

P

asture season is an opportunity to relax a little due to a lessening of feeding chores, but it is not time to relax about our livestock’s nutrition. For most beef cattle this is a time to replenish their vitamin and mineral stores after a long winter on dry feed. It is also a time when the new production cycle is beginning.

It is also the start of a new production cycle for our grasses — all that lush spring growth just waiting for the livestock to eat it. With spring taking so long to come, accompanied by fast growth of grasses, there is reason to be watchful for grass tetany.

Grass tetany symptoms include depressed appetite, reduced weight gain, nervousness, staggering, stiff gait, convulsions and paralysis, usually in mature cattle. Tetany is caused by low blood magnesium (Mg). Symptoms are similar to milk fever, which is caused by a low blood calcium level and both

conditions are often seen in mature cows in late pregnancy (about six weeks before calving) or soon after calving. Either of these conditions can occur anytime during lactation if the circumstances are right.

WATCH FOR SIGNS Often the first sign is a dead animal. It can be difficult to tell whether the cow died from milk fever or tetany. Check around the cow’s body for signs of struggling (marks on the ground) or paddling on the ground around her head and legs. If these signs are present the cow likely died from tetany.

Cows affected by the symptoms of grass tetany are often excitable, or “flighty,” appear unco-ordinated, have a stiff gait, tremble, stagger or may be down. Once an animal is down their death is imminent.

Producers should contact their veterinarian immediately if their cattle show any of these symptoms.

There are several theories about what triggers this condition. It is thought that high levels of potassium in forages can decrease absorption of magnesium and most lush, immature forages are high in potassium. High levels

of nitrogen fertilization have also been shown to increase the incidence of tetany although feeding protein supplements has not.

Other factors such as the presence of certain organic acids in tetanycausing forages have been linked with tetany.

SALT IS IMPORTANT’ Veterinary pathologist Thomas Swerczek found that livestock simply must have access to a goodquality loose salt in order to maintain a proper balance. Without adequate sodium in the blood, the body grabs onto the most available cation, which would be magnesium, followed by calcium. This is characterized by what happens when livestock succumbs to grass tetany after a frost. When the cow consumes frost-damaged forage, particularly alfalfa, and the spike of nitrate occurs, her body accesses magnesium in the blood to eliminate the nitrate. During cool, wet conditions or regrowth after frost or drought, sodium levels in certain forages plummet, while nitrogen and potassium levels spike. It is likely that combinations of factors, all related to characteristics of lush forage are involved. This

PHOTO: DEBBIE CHIKOUSKY

Research shows having plenty of salt available in the mineral mix is important to reducing the risk of cases of grass tetany early in the season. depletes the body and the cow goes down.

There are other problems that can occur due to a lack of nutritional balance. Grass tetany is an example of a dramatic result. A nutrient imbalance can lead to less obvious conditions such as sporadic calving. And a higher than normal occurrence of illness in young stock due to a lowerthan-optimal immune system can

also be linked to a poor nutritional balance during pasture season.

What I hear from many producers though is that livestock should only need to have salt licks on pasture for the summer.

Cost of minerals is prohibitive.

If a beef cow eats four ounces of mineral a day (which ours never do) it would require two

» CONTINUED ON PAGE 48

THE MARKETS

Consumers balk at higher beef prices JERRY KLASSEN MARKET UPDATE

R

U.S. QUARTERLY BEEF PRODUCTION (MILLION POUNDS) Quarter

2011

2012

2013

Est 2014

1

6,411

6,283

6,172

5,868

2

6,559

6,475

6,517

6,315

3

6,737

6,584

6,608

6,310

4

6,492

6,571

6,420

6,070

Total

26,199

25,913

25,717

24,563

Source: USDA U.S. MONTHLY GROUND BEEF RETAIL PRICES $$/lb 4,000

Jan 2011 to April 2014

3,800 3,600 3,400 3,200 3,000 2,800 2,600 2,400 2,200

Mar-14

Jan-14

Nov-13

Sept-13

July-13

May-13

Mar-13

Jan-13

Nov-12

Sept-12

lower supply situation and stable retail price structure should limit the downside.

Alberta break-even prices for pen closeouts during late summer and early fall are forecasted at $144/cwt while current fed cattle prices are near $148/cwt.

During May, barley prices have surged, reaching $225 delivered Lethbridge from under $200/ mt earlier in April. The cost per pound gain will increase for the summer and fall fed cattle.

July-12

May-12

Mar-12

Jan-12

Nov-11

Sept-11

July-11

May-11

March-11

tle futures have levelled off, the deferred futures remain in an upward trend. The U.S. year-todate beef production is actually running 5.6 per cent below yearago levels for the week ending May 16. Second quarter pork production was also fine tuned higher while marginally lowering the third and fourth quarter numbers.

Alberta and Saskatchewan feedlot inventories continue to run eight to 10 per cent above last year. The Canadian year-to-date slaughter for the week ending May 10 was up four per cent while the total beef output was only up one per cent.

While feedlot inventories are higher, feeder cattle exports to the U.S. are running 43 per cent above last year. This is interesting as it appears that there are more feeder cattle coming on the market sooner, which may result in a tighter available feeder cattle supplies later in the year. For the week ending May 3, year-to-date exports of steers and heifers for slaughter (to the U.S.) were up only one per cent over last year.

It appears that fed cattle exports have slowed now that U.S. beef production is increasing relative to the first quarter. However, exports of fresh/chilled cuts continue to come in above last year keeping the Canadian retail supplies at a constant supply.

The fed cattle market is expected to remain relatively stable at the economy continues to expand and consumer spending remains constant into the summer months.

Seasonally, fed cattle prices drift lower in the second quarter but the

Jan-11

etail beef prices have surged higher since January, resulting in softer beef consumption.

Average American at-home and away-from-home food expenditures were running four and three per cent, respectively, above yearago levels earlier in 2014. But since March, at-home food spending is now below year-ago levels by two per cent while away-from-home food spending is down 8.4 per cent.

Beef prices are now at levels where the market is rationing demand as disposable income has not increased at the same pace as the beef market. U.S. beef production and feedlot inventories continue to run below year-ago levels, which has resulted in the sharply higher fed cattle prices.

Feedlots in Alberta and Saskatchewan continue to experience healthy margins resulting in record-high prices for feeder cattle and cow calf pairs. Feedlot operators in Western Canada have been aggressive sellers into the higher price structure while carrying inventories eight to 10 per cent above year-ago levels. The main question moving forward is how long is this upward trend in the cattle and beef complex going to continue and what are the signals to watch moving forward.

The overall economy has experi-

enced slow growth, which is actually a positive signal that beef demand will remain relatively constant. The U.S. unemployment rate stood at 6.3 per cent in April and 25 states reported the rate under six per cent. There are now 145.7 million Americans working compared to 143.5 during April of 2013. This is a huge factor for the beef complex as income levels increase for the 2.2 million Americans. Consumer confidence continues to grow, reaching a rating of 82 for 2014 which compares to an average rating of 72 from 2008 through 2013. Over the next year, consumer confidence is expected to strengthen to a level of 90, which will be a signal the economy is once again firing on all cylinders. Equity markets have been trading near historical highs and with consumer spending slowly increasing, the financial markets are expected to remain in expansion mode.

U.S. wholesale beef prices have softened since spring. U.S. Choice product levels touched $240/cwt earlier in March but are currently trading near $225/cwt. U.S. beef production tends to increase in the summer, resulting in weaker tone for the wholesale market.

U.S cattle on feed for slaughter as of May 1 were down one per cent from year-ago levels while April placements were down five per cent from April of 2013. The USDA marginally increased their beef production estimate for the second quarter while lowering projections for the third and fourth quarter of 2014.

While the nearby live cat-

Western Canadian barley acres are expected to be down 10 per cent from 2013 and the year-overyear increase in domestic feed usage has lowered the ending stocks projection. Feeder cattle prices could run into resistance as the feeding margin structure moves to break even. † Gerald Klassen analyzes cattle and hog markets in Winnipeg and also maintains an interest in the family feedlot in Southern Alberta. For comments or speaking engagements, he can be reached at gklassen7@hotmail.com or call 204 899 8268.

48

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JUNE 10, 2014

Cattleman’s Corner RANCHER’S DIARY

Calving wraps up with auction HEATHER SMITH THOMAS

MAY 10

F

riends from Oregon who run a carriage business (doing weddings and funerals with their horses and carriages/wagons) brought a horse to our Amish neighbours to be trained to drive, and stopped to visit. They’ll pick up the horse this fall.

Granddaughter Heather has been working with our two-yearold filly (Willow), doing more groundwork, and is starting to ride her. She also rode Dottie a few times for me, to get that young mare going again after a winter vacation. Dottie is doing really well, picking up where we left off in December.

Last week we had another calf, leaving only three (one cow and two heifers) to calve. The next day Andrea and I rode Breezy and Ed, and Andrea gently washed the dust and dirt out of Breezy’s eye socket. It has healed very well after the eye removal in late December.

Andrea helped Lynn clean debris out of the ditch above the house, then took Emily to the doctor for a checkup and X-rays to see if her leg has healed enough to start putting weight on it.

Last Friday Andrea and I made a long, fast ride on Ed and Sprout, for Sprout’s first ride this year.

She only tried to buck a couple of times, but not nearly as hard as she did last spring. Andrea rode her several more days in a row, and the mare settled back into work. All the riding and cow-chasing last year paid off — Sprout is more dependable.

With the nasty weather we are still getting up at nights to check the last three pregnant cows. The older cow has had a big udder for more than a month and will hopefully calve soon. The two heifers look like they’ll be a bit later.

MAY 20 Last Sunday our last cow started calving. By midnight there was a wind blowing, and a bit of rain, so we put her in the barn after she calved, pulling the calf to the barn in the calf sled.

We decided we didn’t want to keep getting up at nights to check on the two heifers (one will calve soon but the other one probably won’t calve for several weeks), so we sent them to the sale at Butte, Montana, with a young bull we don’t need this year.

Carolyn and Nick brought their trailer and we loaded the heifers and bull and hauled them to Carmen (the other side of town) to load on the semi. Rusty Hamilton put a load together from ranchers around the valley, to go to the sale. Our bull weighed 1,505 pounds and brought $1 per pound.

The two pregnant heifers brought $1,775 apiece. Now we can sleep again at night and not have to check those heifers!

Tuesday Andrea and I made a

Good spring weather meant it was time to get the horses back into shape. From left, Dani and Heather follow granddaughter Heather who is leading Willow on a ride across the lower range. Daughter Andrea, who made up the foursome, was photographer for the day. fast ride to check range gates and shut some that had been left open all winter. The next day Heather gave Willow her first ponying lesson, leading her in the orchard.

Then Andrea and I rode Dottie and Breezy to check gates again. Our range neighbour turned his cows out but hadn’t fixed the broken gate post on the main gate into the middle range, so we tied it up with baling twines.

Yesterday morning when Andrea and I fed the cows we noticed one calf lying off by herself, with scours. It was Rocket, named by Dani after she and I watched her birth, a month ago (she was born quickly and Dani said she “came out like a rocket”).

Lynn helped us bring the cow and calf in from the field. The calf was so weak and wobbly it took two of us to get it up and standing.

Lynn went to get the calf sled and we pulled her to the sick barn, with mama following.

It’s unusual to have a monthold calf this weak, so suddenly.

She was going into toxic shock.

Her gums were purple instead of healthy pink colour. She needed IV fluids, because metabolic changes were shutting down her organs. We called Michael, who had just gotten home from North Dakota the night before, to come give the calf IV fluids.

While we waited, we gave the calf an injection of Banamine (to help ease the gut pain and reduce inflammation) and tubed her with fluids, electrolytes, and castor oil (to help stimulate the gut if it was shutting down, and to absorb toxins).

Michael, Carolyn and Nick arrived, and Michael was able to hit the jugular vein first try, without having to shave the area. We put three litres of IV fluids into Rocket, and added baking soda (bicarbonate to reverse acidosis) and dexamethasone (to help reverse shock and keep fluid from leaking out through the capillaries, losing blood pressure). After the third liter, the calf finally urinated.

This meant we had restored fluid levels enough to prevent kidney damage, and her kidneys were still working and she could flush some of the toxins from her system that way.

We continued with treatment through the day, giving more fluids/electrolytes, and a kaolinpectin mixture, via stomach tube every three to fie hours. She was still too weak to walk, but by late evening gave more protest when we tubed her. When we went out at 1 a.m. to tube her again, she was stronger. This morning when I checked her at 5:30 a.m., she had nursed her mother (two quarters on one side) so we didn’t give her fluids — just more kaolin-pectin via dose syringe.

She continues to improve.

Andrea and I treated her a few times today with kaolin-pectin via dose syringe — into the corner of her mouth to the back of her throat, a little at a time so she can swallow it. Her bowel movements are firming up, so we may not need to continue treatment much longer. †

» CONTINUED FROM PAGE 47

monia. Our veterinarian assured us our best chance of combatting it was through immune system support (vitamin therapy of dam and baby). We are still fighting with sporadic calving, though our sheep and goats have definitely responded with tighter baby seasons. Mineral mixes high in vitamin A can also improve reproduction and reduce cases of pinkeye and ringworm. These conditions have been almost eliminated on our farm since we got aggressive with minerals.

The biggest saving, which is very hard to put a price on, is human stress. There isn’t a farmer out there that doesn’t find treating sick/dying stock very emotionally/physically hard. Add financial strain to that and it is a recipe for a very depressed place to be.

Thomas Swerczek didn’t guarantee that constant supply of highquality livestock salt would be a magic remedy, but his research does show it is a very good start to maintain good herd health. †

MINERALS HELP CORRECT MANY ANIMAL HEALTH ISSUES

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50-pound bags of mineral a year.

We buy mineral for approximately $35 a bag and mix it 50 per cent with blue iodized cobalt salt, which is about $10 a bag. So, we’d be running about $80 per year per cow for salt and minerals if this high-consumption rate were maintained.

On top of this we administer selenium/vitamin E to our babies at birth, as per veterinarian’s instructions, for pennies an animal. The result of spending this money has been a dramatic reduction in sick young stock. The hidden benefit to supplying salt/mineral to pasture animals is that it provides motivation to visit them more often. Many a health problem has been caught early during these visits.

Before we started doing this almost every calf born got pneumonia or scours. After two years of this protocol we now only treat sporadically. This year’s biggest issue was a viral pneu-

Heather Smith Thomas ranches with her husband Lynn near Salmon, Idaho. Contact her at 208-756-2841.

Debbie Chikousky farms with her family at Narcisse, Manitoba. Visitors are always welcome.

Contact Debbie at debbie@chikouskyfarms.com.

JUNE 10, 2014

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49

The Dairy Corner

Mineral bioavailability is key

BY PETER VITTI

A

lthough trace minerals make up a very small portion of the diets of highproducing dairy cows, they have a tremendous impact upon each animal’s health, reproduction and milk production status.

Minerals play vital roles in the activation of enzyme systems that drive almost every biochemical reaction in the cow’s body. Of particular importance are trace minerals such as copper, zinc, manganese and selenium, which might be contained at high levels in a well-balanced dairy diet, but are of no nutritional use to dairy cows unless they have a high degree of bioavailablity. Reliable sources of these trace minerals with superior bioavailability should be fed in the dairy barn, so their natural benefits are profited.

Bioavailability of trace minerals in dairy cows usually refers to an essential trace mineral source that is consumed, digested and absorbed by dairy cow in a form that can be metabolized and finally utilized in order to meet the dairy cow’s specific trace mineral requirements.

The feed industry has routinely supplemented commercial dairy feeds with different inorganic mineral salts with varying degrees of “bioavailability.” These compounds have different solubility, molecular mass, electrical charge, pH properties and chemical reactive states that affect the way and degree in which they are absorbed and retained in the cow. For instance, dairy research shows the relative bioavailabilities of “rock” sources of dietary copper follows the rank of highest to lowest absorption: copper sulphate (bluestone), copper carbonate and copper oxide (virtually unavailable).

Despite feeding a dairy diet with a good suitable level of essential trace minerals (often based on NRC requirements), there are many dietary factors that will adversely reduce trace mineral bioavailability and thus affect how much essential mineral the dairy animal finally receives or can utilize. Some of these dietary factors bind ingested trace minerals in the gut and make them unavailable for absorption in the small intestine. For example, high levels of molybdenum in the dairy diet combine with copper digested from the feed in the rumen and render it insoluble for absorption.

CHELATED TRACE MINERALS In response to these biochemical obstacles to good trace mineral absorption and metabolism in dairy cattle, the use of “chelated organic” trace minerals in dairy diets has become mainstream nutrition.

Chelated/organic mineral compounds are positively charged trace minerals chemically bound to organic compound. They are produced by a specialized manufacturing process that takes a metal element (i.e. copper) from inorganic rock sources and attaches it to an organic molecule; often derivatives of a protein molecule such as a peptide or amino acid. Examples include: zinc methionine, copper lysine, and manganese methionine as well as non-specific trace mineral

proteinates. It should be noted that selenium cannot be truly chelated.

Rather, organic selenium is produced by feeding inorganic selenium to yeast, which incorporates it into their body proteins.

Similar to these organic metalloproteins, a new category of chelates known as hydroxyl trace minerals have been introduced as a new source of bioavailable copper, zinc and manganese. They are welldefined crystalline structures held together by covalent bonds (similar to those found in proteinated trace minerals), which render them nonhydroscopic (do not absorb water), and non-oxidative (non-reactive with other nutrients such as fats and vitamins). Unlike organic trace minerals, which contain between 10-15 per cent specific trace mineral, hydroxyl trace minerals are

available in higher trace mineral concentrations such as: copper chloride (54 per cent copper), zinc hydrochloride (55 per cent zinc) and manganese hydroxylchloride (44 per cent manganese).

Regardless of chelated source, some scientists think a trace mineral chelate’s superior bioavailablity has more to do with its reduced electrical charge that makes it less reactive with other molecules that might otherwise make it unavailable for absorption. Organic mineral compounds are also believed to be less susceptible to possible changes in pH, which tends to also affect inorganic mineral absorption.

Studies aimed at demonstrating the visible benefits of feeding chelated minerals with higher bio-

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» CONTINUED ON PAGE 50

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Cattle photo courtesy of Canada Beef Inc.

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JUNE 10, 2014

Cattleman’s Corner BETTER BUNKS AND PASTURES

Copper deficiency can hide in your herd PETER VITTI

B

efore the 1980s, copper deficiencies were a real problem for just about anybody raising cattle from Western Canada to Cape Canaveral.

Extensive copper research in beef cattle undertaken by Canadian and a host of international universities and governments, followed up by practical copper supplementation programs used by many producers has made severe copper deficiencies on cow-calf operations, a thing of the past.

Despite some of our best efforts, however, subtle or marginal copper deficiencies in cattle still are still with us. Without adequate testing and investment into a wellbalanced mineral program, they can negatively affect the breeding season, future calf crops and final farm revenue.

DON’T GO BY COLOUR Oddly, we’ve all been taught the classic copper deficiency lesson; “copper deficiencies causes black cattle to turn gray and red cattle to turn yellow.” This tagline might work in the most severe copper deficiency cases, but is misleading when trying to determine whether your herd is suffering from marginal copper status, where deficiency symptoms are

» CONTINUED FROM PAGE 49

GREATER BIOAVAILABILITY KEY IN USING TRACE MINERALS

invisible, yet underlies frustrating poor performance.

In hard-to-pinpoint copper cases, it is important to recognize that micro-amounts of copper are required by all cattle; involved as activators of vital enzyme systems (specialized proteins) that drive cellular reactions in many areas of cattle maintenance and performance.

Here are a few metabolic examples of how copper functions through these enzyme system.

• Vital functions — Copper plays many life-giving roles in the body.

Case-in-point, it plays an irreplaceable role in respiration because it is essential to hemoglobin synthesis (compound that carries oxygen in blood) and red cell maturation.

Copper also affects iron absorption in cattle (active metal in hemoglobin). Anemia is therefore a common condition in marginally copper-deficient animals.

• Immunity — It is theorized that within cattle immune systems, copper along with zinc, manganese and selenium play a pivotal role in antioxidant reactions, which destroy dangerous compounds known as “free radicals” produced during a normal immune response against disease. It has been proven by indirect evidence such as elevated copper levels present in white blood cells responding to infections and inflammation.

• Reproduction — Although well-defined biological pathways are unclear, copper plays a role in hormone production, normal estrus cycles, egg release, fertilization of the egg and early embryonic survival. Marginal copper

availablity than inorganic minerals to dairy cattle have been variable.

In one experiment, researchers at North Carolina State University fed marginal copper-deficient

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deficiencies may lead to delays in cattle puberty, silent heats, failure to conceive, greater incidence of early embryonic deaths or overall lower pregnancy rates.

• Hooves — Copper has an important role in connective tissue synthesis and keratinization (hardening) of hoof horn in cattle. Cattle with a marginal copper deficiency are predisposed to heel cracks, foot rot, sole abscesses and other types of lameness.

This informal checklist might explain an odd year or series of years when a herd should have performed better (re: calving and breeding seasons), despite the cows being in relatively good shape for much of the year. One might ask: Is this just the experience of an “off” season or caused by a copper deficiency that was previously unknown?

It is easy to verify the copper status of most cow herds. It can save a lot of time, effort and money just by analyzing forage and feedstuff (including water samples) to determine their copper and other complete mineral profiles. Similarly with the assistance of a veterinarian, tissue (liver biopsies) and blood samples from cattle might be taken and analyzed for copper and other trace mineral status (zinc, and selenium). The results of these tests might indicate appropriate corrective action is needed to reverse an established copper deficiency.

herds can be a straightforward matter of feeding a well-balanced commercial mineral containing supplemental copper. The NRC copper requirement for young and mature cattle is no more than 15 mg/kg of diet (dm, basis), which takes care of the beef animals’ basic copper requirement and also takes into account the antagonistic effects upon dietary copper by moderate molybdenum or sulphur levels in forages, other feedstuffs or water.

Therefore, a purchased mineral containing 3,000 mg/kg of inorganic copper (added as copper sulphate) and fed at 50-100 grams per head per day should solve most copper deficient problems.

SUGGESTIONS

Correcting a verified marginal copper deficiency in many cow

The following nutritional and management suggestions are also helpful in assuring your beef cows receive enough dietary copper: • Target cow herd mineral consumption — The best well-formulated mineral containing adequate copper levels cannot do its job unless cattle eat it. Target the above mentioned 50-100 grams per head per day.

• Know the dietary copper

heifer replacement calves either organic chelated copper, inorganic copper sulphate, or inorganic copper carbonate. The researchers concluded that organic copper may have the same bioavailability as inorganic copper sulphate under normal dietary conditions.

However in a second NCSU experiment, they fed the same treatments, but in the presence of high dietary molybdenum, known to be antagonistic toward dietary copper. As a result, the organic copper was then shown to have greater intestinal absorption and liver retention in the animals than the inorganic copper sources. Such evidence pointed to the advantage of using chelated

minerals under special conditions in dairy nutrition.

To help iron out these inconsistencies, a new statistical review technique called meta-analysis has been applied to such practical field studies in order to determine common patterns, areas of disagreements among treatment results and any significant experimental interactions. For example, a meta-analysis examined 20 dairy research papers and reports (2010) performed by the Zinpro Corp (re: manufacturer of organic chelated minerals for livestock). The metaresults of this review demonstrated that organic chelated trace mineral supplementation in dairy diets improved health status, milk

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These field trial reviews are useful in demonstrating the source of essential trace minerals for dairy cattle should contain high bioavailablity. It also suggests precious time, effort and money are not wasted by ineffective over-formulation of dairy diets with inorganic minerals, but rather fine-tune the dairy diet with various sources of essential trace minerals. Reliable rock trace mineral sources might work satisfactorily in modest situations, while chelated trace minerals with higher bioavailabilities are effective for more high-performance or challenging environments.

Successful dairy cows should not only consume adequate amounts of an essential trace mineral, but one that can be effectively absorbed, retained and metabolized it in its body that ultimately contribute to high performance and financial rewards. † Peter Vitti is an independent livestock nutritionist and consultant based in Winnipeg. To reach him call 204-254-7497 or by email at vitti@mts.net.

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sources in your mineral — The copper concentration on the mineral’s feed label is useful, but of limited information. Copper comes in many forms such as copper oxide, copper sulphate, and chelated copper forms, which have relative biological availabilities of five per cent, 100 per cent, and 125 to 150 per cent in cattle.

• Consider feeding “Breeder mineral” all year long — some producers feed a more fortified cattle mineral (with more biologically available organic copper) all year long, saying that the costdifference between a basic and such a fortified mineral calculates up to $10 per cow per year, yet it is worth the assurance of good copper and other essential mineral status at all times.

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JUNE 10, 2014

grainews.ca /

51

Home Quarter Farm Life SEEDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT

What good fathers do to embrace sons-in-law farm and a legacy of good communication.

The SIL may not have the emotional support system he needs beyond his spouse. His wife is his lover, friend, and business partner, and sometimes mediator. Smart SILs preserve healthy friendships or mentors outside of the farm business, so they have a circle of support beyond the immediate family.

Sometimes SILs do not have the emotional capacity to deal with the frustrations and stress of fitting into a new family business. It can be difficult for them to find resources or a listening ear. It’s important that they manage their stress well, or the marriage and their mental health — and ultimately the farm — are at risk of failure.

ELAINE FROESE

O

ne of the overlooked team players on the family farm is the sonin-law who is married to the successor, the daughter of the founders. Let’s consider some of the dynamics that you need to be aware of to help understand what is going on for the son-inlaw (SIL).

WHY THE SIL BEHAVES THE WAY HE DOES… SILs are often caught between a rock and a hard place. Many are working hard to stay employed on the farm and stay happily married. They are doing their level best to please everyone around them and may deal with this in unhealthy ways, such as drinking or working too much.

When an SIL is directly involved in the farm, he is naturally computing how much he can move things to his favour without risking the chance to be the long-term business partner. He wants to protect his interests and yet be fair to the older generation. He also knows that if he wants his children to be the future heirs of the business, he has to have a viable

HOW IS THE SIL PERCEIVED? The SIL may be embraced as a great asset to the farm and to the family, or he may be judged as incompetent, compared to the son of the founder, or deemed not worthy of the daughter whom he married. Each family gets to choose whether they will bless or curse the in-laws. Divorces on farms do not have to happen, they are the result of choices. The founders’ perception and treatment, for example, play a huge part in what is experienced by the SIL. Folks who have their minds already made up about other family members, have what I would call “filters of perception”

that cloud what they see or limit what they see in the other person.

If the SIL is perceived as capable and included in the family without judgment, things are more likely to go well. SILs who are harped on by nasty mothers-in-law (MILs) and fathers-in-law (FILs) are at risk of experiencing extreme stress in their marriage.

We all need to be conscious of the biases we are bringing to the table and how we are treating other people. Author Marilee Adams encourages us to have a learner mindset, rather than a judger mindset (Adams, Change Your Questions, Change Your Life: 10 Powerful Tools for Life and Work 2009). She suggests the helpful questions: “What assumptions am I making? What am I responsible for?” (For more information, see her website www.inquiryinstitute. com or download her CHOICE map at http://inquiryinstitute. com/resources/choice-map/).

In the web of family relationships, the SIL may find himself caught up in the triangle of indirect communication between the FIL, the MIL and his wife. He can also find himself compared to the son or in competition with the son. In some instances, it can help to directly address statements or behaviour that indicate comparisons with the son are happening.

For example, an SIL could say to his FIL, “When you compare me to your son, I feel unappreciated (disrespected, frustrated, etc…). If you

have a concern about something I’m doing, I’d gladly discuss it.

However, I need the comparisons to stop now.”

Some SILs choose not to compete with other family members.

In terms of competition, it’s hard to run a race against someone who has defaulted the race. You can choose to stop competing.

You don’t have to keep up with your brother-in-law, other family members, or the Joneses. The SIL can choose to say, “That’s fine if that’s what you’re doing, but I’m going to do my own thing.”

TOOLS FOR SILS • Self care: Making sure that you are taking care of basic physical, emotional, mental health, and social needs. If you are not sleeping well due to stress, have a sleep clinic check you out or seek other treatments.

• Friendship beyond the farm: Be sure to set good boundaries for time away. Go hunting, fishing, skiing, etc. with your buddies from high school or college.

• Honouring the timelines agreed to: Nail down deadlines at your regular business meetings and have a process for accountability. You might want to engage your accountant or farm coach for accountability.

• Courageous conversations: Make sure conflict is being dealt with openly.

Consider an exit strategy if

this doesn’t work. What are your options? Update your resumé and polish up your marketable skills.

QUESTIONS FOR THE FOUNDERS TO ENCOURAGE YOUR SIL: • Are we being clear with our expectations?

• Are we economically fair?

• Are we showing appreciation?

• Are we being respectful?

• Can we ask the SIL how things are going for him?

• Are we giving the SIL power to act on things that are important to him?

Having more harmony on family farms means paying attention to better communication and conflict resolution. This spring has been hard for many folks who have struggled to get a crop in.

Release relationship stress by being proactive about how you respect each other, and listen for what the other person is needing.

Show appreciation to your father and father-in-law this month. Embrace your son and son-in-law with respect. You’ll be amazed what respect and appreciation can do to encourage the heart of your business.

Blessings to all the dads for a wonderful Father’s Day! † Elaine Froese, CAFA, CHICoach is the co-author of Farming’s In-law Factor… how to have more harmony and less conflict on family farms. Visit www.elainefroese.com/store. Call 1-866-8488311 to book Elaine to speak at your fall and winter association events.

EXTENDED OUTLOOK FOR THE PRAIRIES Weather Forecast for the period of June 29 to July 26, 2014

Southern Alberta

Peace River Region

Saskatchewan

June 29 - July 5 Sunny and warm apart from scattered showers or thunderstorms. Expect heavy thunderstorms on hotter days.

June 29 - July 5 Sunny and warm apart from scattered showers or thunderstorms, some heavy on hotter days.

July 6 - 12 Hot on a few days this week under sunshine, but isolated heavy thunderstorms occur on 2 or 3 days.

June 29 - July 5 Sunny with highs in the 20s, and some 30s in the south.

Scattered thunderstorms, some heavy in places.

July 6 - 12 Sunny and warm. Expect a few hotter, humid days to trigger thunderstorm activity.

July 6 - 12 Hot on a few days this week under sunshine, but isolated heavy thunderstorms occur on 2 or 3 days.

July 13 - 19 Sunny and warm, but a couple of hotter, humid days set off thunderstorms, some possibly severe.

July 13 - 19 Heavy thunderstorms move through the area from time to time, otherwise sunny and often hot.

July 13 - 19 Sunny and warm, but some hotter, humid days set off thunderstorms, some possibly severe.

July 20 - 26 Seasonal to hot with sunny skies. Scattered shower or thunderstorm activity on a couple of days.

July 20 - 26 Sunshine dominates with seasonal to warm temperatures. Passing thunderstorms on 2 or 3 occasions.

July 20 - 26 Seasonal to hot with sunny skies. Scattered shower or thunderstorm activity on a few days.

10 / 22 Grande Prairie 67.9 mms

June 29 - July 5 Sunny with highs in the 20s.

One or two hotter, humid days set off showers and heavy thunderstorms.

July 6 - 12 Hot and at times humid.

Sunny aside from passing thunderstorm activity, chance of heavy in places.

July 13 - 19 Seasonal to occasionally hot.

Sunshine dominates aside from scattered thunderstorms.

July 20 - 26 Highs in the 20s, with a few 30s in the south under sunshine. A few heavy thunderstorms here and there.

Precipitation Forecast 9 / 23 Edmonton 94.3 mms

8 / 22 Jasper

56.2 mms

7 / 22

51.2 mms

12 / 24 North Battleford 9 / 23 Red Deer

68.2 mms

87.9 mms

12 / 23 The Pas

11 / 24 Prince Albert

12 / 25 Saskatoon 58.0 mms

72.1 mms

70.2 mms

NEAR NORMAL

12 / 25 Yorkton

12 / 25 Dauphin

13 / 24 12 / 26 64.2 mms 69.3 mms Gimli 12 / 27 Regina 11 / 25 Moose Jaw 58.9 mms 75.0 mms Swift 54.1 mms 14 / 26 69.9 mms 12 / 26 12 / 27 Current Portage 13 / 26 12 / 27 Medicine Hat Brandon 76.9 mm Winnipeg 48.9 mms Weyburn 40.9 mms 72.1 mms 19 cms Lethbridge 72.0 mms 60.0 mms 13 / 27 45.3 mms 26 cms 11 / 26 Estevan Melita 11 / 27 ABOVE

Banff

10 / 23 Calgary

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

Manitoba

NORMAL

61.1 mms

64.8 mms

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

Temperatures are normals for July 15th averaged over 30 years.

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

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Home Quarter Farm Life POSTCARDS FROM THE PRAIRIES

Habitat for Humanity build — El Salvador Helping others is the best way to rediscover yourself…

JANITA VAN DE VELDE

T

his past November, I participated in a Habitat for Humanity build in El Salvador with a group of people from work. When I was first approached to go on this trip, I had multiple reasons why it wasn’t a good time. I was working full time outside the home, a mother of three, and could hardly manage my life as it was. Another time, I said, maybe in a few years when things slow down… thankfully I’m blessed with friends who won’t take no for an answer, particularly when they know it’s something that will be good for me, even more so, something that I need.

The “there will be intense manual labour” part was no joke. We spent the better part of eight hours a day hauling chop-pails full of dirt up and down a steep hill, mixing cement by hand, laying brick and swinging a pickaxe, all in 35°, high-humidity heat. I will tell you this — by 9 a.m. every morning, I had sweat leaking from places that I didn’t even know could produce sweat. And in those moments when I thought, “This is too much for me. I’m not strong enough…,” I would catch a glimpse of the grandpa and the little eight-yearold boy, whose house we were helping build, working beside us side by side all week long. It was then that I knew I had it in me.

I could also hear my dad’s voice in my head saying: “A little hard work never killed anyone.” Amen, Dad. You’ve been right about that one all along.

This experience made me think a lot about how fortunate we are, how much we’ve been given simply by luck of the draw as to which country we’re born in. The author James Branch Cabell once wrote:

“While it is well enough to leave footprints on the sands of time, it is even more important to make sure they point in a commendable direction.” I don’t want my children to feel guilty for what they have; that’s the lottery they’ve won in life. But I do want them to understand that with blessings comes great responsibility to help those who need help, or a hand up.

On this trip, I also had the opportunity to get reacquainted with a good friend of mine from a very long time ago… that friend was me. From what I remember of her, she was this happy person who grabbed life by the tail, and spun it for all it was worth. She soaked up every possible ounce of enjoyment, always found joy in being around others, took great comfort in the simple things and she swore that a sense of humour was the best way to get through just about anything. But like everyone, she took a few hits along the way, and her zest for life was somewhat diminished by the weight of obligations. Well guess what? I found her again. Yeah, baby. She’s still there. I’m still that girl who loves a little too deeply, and fights a little too fiercely for what she believes in. By getting completely lost in helping others, I found myself again.

When it came time to leave, one of the proud new homeowners told us, “I can’t believe you came here from your country to help us. You don’t know us. You don’t speak our language, yet you spend your own money and leave your families at home to build us a house. It is unbelievable.” How is it that in our world of plenty there are still so many with nothing? And how is it that they seem much happier, more grateful and more at peace with themselves than we do? They have nothing and yet possess everything we so desperately want. I think that’s their secret. Their vision isn’t clouded by things that aren’t

PHOTOS: COURTESY

Me and my El Salvador Grandpa. This man? His eyes were absolutely incredible — they held enough warmth and love to light the world on fire. When saying his goodbyes at the end of the week, he could not contain his emotions. He wept with gratitude. My heart grew three sizes that day. important — they know that most of the stuff worth having comes from within. And instead of realizing this, we continue to sell our souls for things we already own.

The image that will forever be seared upon my heart was when the little eight-year-old boy got so upset when we were leaving, he started to cry and ran to hide behind the house. My friend followed him, scooped him up and folded him into a great, big bear hug. Hope. It’s a powerful thing.

And something that no one wants to let go of.

I don’t think I’m blessed. I know I am. I got to go on this incredible journey with these amazing people, and walked away a better person for it. It made my soul sing.

I don’t know much, but I do know enough to know that life doesn’t get much better than that.

You won’t hear from me again until the fall. I’ll close by sharing the inscription from the tomb of a bishop in the Westminster Abbey, which for me, sums up life beautifully. It reads as follows: “When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of changing the world. As I grew older and wiser I discovered the world would not change, so I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change my country, but it too seemed immovable. As I grew into my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt, I settled for changing only my family, those closest to me. But alas, they would have none

> Empty Pesticide Container Recycling Program

There are many reasons to rinse. #1

Only rinsed containers can be recycled

#2

Helps keep collection sites clean

#3

Use all the chemicals you purchase

#4

Keeps collection sites safe for workers

#5

Maintain your farm’s good reputation

No excuse not to!

more information or to find a collection { For site near you visit cleanfarms.ca Now, take your empty fertilizer containers along for the ride!

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How is it that in our world of plenty there are still so many with nothing?

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of it. And now I realize as I lie on my deathbed, if I had only changed myself first, then, by example, I might have changed my family. From their aspirations and encouragement I would have then been able to better my country, and who knows, I might have even changed the world.” † Janita Van de Velde grew up on a farm near Mariapolis, Man. She holds a bachelor of science degree in agricultural economics from the University of Manitoba, and has worked for a financial institution since graduating. She lives in Regina, Sask., with her husband Roddy and their children Jack, Isla and James. Her first novel, Postcards Never Written, was the recipient of the Saskatchewan Reader’s Choice Award and also listed by CBC as one of the top funny books in 2009. She donates a portion of proceeds from the sale of her book to World Vision to help those less fortunate. For more information, or to order her book, visit her website at www.janita.ca.

JUNE 10, 2014

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Home Quarter Farm Life FROM THE FARM

Benefits of versatile rhubarb Not only is it delicious but it is nutritious as well DEBBIE CHIKOUSKY

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hubarb is a cold-season vegetable of the buckwheat family. The earliest records date back to 2700 BC in China where rhubarb was cultivated for medicinal purposes. The earliest records of it in America are of an unnamed Maine gardener planting it after having obtained seed or rootstock from Europe in the period between 1790-1800.

He introduced it to growers in Massachusetts where its popularity spread and by 1822 it was sold in produce markets.

On a mission to start growing edible perennials our family transplanted a new stand of rhubarb to our farm last summer and it appears to be coming back strong this spring. Rhubarb is easy to grow and lives for many years (10 to 15) once established, and is not only delicious but nutritious too.

Rhubarb is low in calories, containing only 21 calories per 100-gram stalk. It contains vital nutrients such as dietary fibre, antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins but no saturated fat or cholesterol.

The stalks are rich in several B-complex vitamins such as folates, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), thiamin, and pantothenic acid. Red-colour stalks contain more vitamin A than the green varieties and the stalks also contain small amounts of compounds like beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, and lutein. These compounds convert to vitamin A in the body. Rhubarb stalks also provide good amounts of vitamin K. One hundred g of fresh stalks provide about 24 per cent of the daily recommended intake of this vitamin which is required for many bodily functions including bone development.

When I was a little girl my grandpa used to insist on his spring tonic foods. As soon as the asparagus was up he had a feed of it and he loved his rhubarb. Over the years our family has grown to enjoy rhubarb in many ways, other than pie. For example, Rhubarb Juice is excellent for a refreshing drink out on the hayfield.

sels and prepared for a water bath canner for five minutes.

The juice is ready to drink as is or can be used as a base to make a springtime punch.

SPRINGTIME RHUBARB PUNCH

Another family favourite is Rhubarb Chutney. This goes well with wild deer roasts.

GREAT-GRANDMA CANSDALE’S RHUBARB CHUTNEY

Before chilling the basic rhubarb juice, wrap in cheesecloth two three-inch cinnamon sticks and 24 cloves, making a spice bag. Tie and place in juice. To the juice add 2 cups orange juice, 1 cup lemon juice and 1 cup lime juice. Chill thoroughly. Before serving remove the spice bag.

Pour juice over crushed ice into a punch bowl. Float thin slices of lemon, orange and lime over the punch.

Combine all the ingredients in

ing. Drain it dry. Freeze raw or blanched individual pieces on a cookie sheet. Once frozen, put individually frozen pieces of rhubarb into a sealable freezer bag.

This method allows you to get just what you need out of the bag at time of use.

Our family also enjoys rhubarb canned with strawberries.

It can be served alone or as a garnish for a plain, undecorated, white cake.

Now that we know that rhubarb not only tastes great but is also nutritious, we will be more willing to add it to our meals.

There are even people who enjoy Rhubarb Soup, but we haven’t gotten that adventurous yet. † Debbie Chikousky farms at Narcisse, Man.

WE’RE IN IT

FOR LIFE. Ag for Life and its founders believe in Alberta agriculture. That’s why we support rural and farm safety, and educational programs that build a genuine understanding and appreciation for this vital industry.

Join us. Share your voice. Make a difference.

RHUBARB JUICE 8 c. sliced rhubarb 16 c. water 1 c. sugar Combine rhubarb and water in a large non-aluminum saucepan.

Bring to a boil and continue boiling for five minutes. Remove from heat. Strain the juice through cheesecloth and discard the pulp (can be used for compost or chickens). Thoroughly rinse the saucepan and pour the juice back in. Add sugar and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and chill thoroughly for drinking now, or if preserving for winter, it can be bottled in sanitized glass ves-

4 c. rhubarb cut into 1/4-inch lengths 2 c. brown sugar 2 c. white sugar 4 c. chopped onions 1 c. vinegar 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. allspice 1 tsp. celery seed 1/2 tsp. ground cloves Dash of Tabasco 1 tsp. salt

a Dutch oven and cook on low partially covered for three hours.

Everything will be mushy. Stir frequently to prevent burning. While still hot, pack in sterilized jars.

Process in a water bath canner for five minutes.

Frozen rhubarb is also a treat for the winter and there are a few different ways to freeze it.

The first step is to wash it well. It can either be frozen chopped or stewed. Stewed should be frozen in a hard freezer-safe container to avoid spillage. Frozen rhubarb keeps for half a year to a full year.

Chopped rhubarb can be frozen raw or blanched. To blanch it, drop chopped rhubarb into boiling water for one to two minutes. Strain and plunge into ice cold water to stop the cook-

Visit agricultureforlife.ca for more details.

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/ grainews.ca

JUNE 10, 2014

Home Home Quarter Quarter Farm Farm Life Life SINGING GARDENER

Who knows the name of this flowering cactus?

TED MESEYTON

H

owdy good people and welcome to all farmers, market gardeners, city dwellers and retired persons. If I’ve missed anyone, it’s not intentional. Boy oh boy, have I got a lot to cover in this June 10, 2014 Grainews issue.

Plumber Ken just left after replacing a couple drains in the kitchen sink and now I’m getting right back to the computer keyboard. We’re all in this together, hoping for the best crops and finest gardens ever. I’m sure glad you folks love to read and take time to join me. Please allow me to again raise a tip of my hat and extend a warm June welcome to the Singing Gardener page. Have you got the kettle on? Let’s have a cup of tea, too.

I’M PROUD TO SING O CANADA Before we know it, summer solstice will arrive on June 21 at 5:51 a.m. CDT. That’s when the sun reaches its farthest point north of the equator and the day with the most hours of sunlight this year.

Not too many days afterward we’ll toot our horns, raise our flags, sing our national anthem, maybe drink a tea toast made from rosehips and hibiscus flowers, watch the fireworks and celebrate another momentous birthday of this great nation that we love, live in and adhere to with powerful pride. Let’s shout it out!

On July 1, it’s Canada Day. Here’s the refrain from a song I wrote:

I’m proud to sing O Canada, For this country stirs my soul, And I’m proud to be Canadian With a chance to reach my goal.

SHARING EXCERPTS FROM FOUR PAGES … of a handprinted letter in blue ink from wild rose province.

Hi Ted, I love your articles: As to where to get Ogallala strawberry plants or seeds, the best place is “Seeds of Diversity.” For anyone who wants unusual plants, this is where to go. They listed 3,751 listings for 2,915 varieties of 197 types by 98 grower members for 2014. I happen to be a grower member. In order to get the listing you need to be a regular member but don’t have to be a grower member. I started out 10 years ago and later began offering some of my seeds. Forty-five pages of listings include: flowers and wildflowers, fruits, herbs, medicinals, grains, trees, shrubs and vegetables. When it comes to tomatoes there are miscellaneous colours from pink to purple — red skin — yellow to orange; all heritage. The address is: Seeds of Diversity Canada, PO Box 36, Station Q, Toronto, Ont. M4T 2L7.

For information phone toll free 1-800-509-7333 (answering machine) or search their website www.seeds.ca. This organization’s mission is to ensure food security and abundant choices by engaging Canadians to live the tradition of using and conserving endangered and heritage plants.

Grower members are from Alta., B.C., N.B., N.S., Nfld., Ont., P.E.I., Sask. and Que. When it comes to liking a variety whether it be beans, peas, tomatoes or whatever, the solution to not losing it is to harvest your own seed. Hybrids won’t reproduce the same, but for heritage; seed saving is the trick.

In reply to the reader who wrote about their aunt taking malaria medicine for RLS — My husband used to get horrible leg cramps.

For that the doctor gave him (prescribed) ‘Quinidine Sulfate’ which is the malaria treatment.

It worked for him like a charm.

He only took it when he had the cramps. He would bite the capsule and drink water. In minutes it worked for him. It was a godsend in our house.

Happy and successful gardening to you. Thanks for your valued pages. I actually cut them out and keep for future references. God bless you with good health and happiness. Keep on singing! Yours truly, Juliana Melenka, PO Box 540, Andrew, Alta. T0B 0C0.

I, Ted, saved the following comment from Juliana for last. “All the years I’ve been reading your articles, I have been surprised you have never mentioned Seeds of Diversity.”

Well the cat’s out of the bag.

Grainews readers are certainly now aware of ‘Seeds of Diversity’ and said organization’s valuable contribution toward “educating people about the importance of saving and growing a rich assortment of plants to maintain genetic and biological diversity essential to food security.” Also, let it be known I, Ted, am never short of subject material for my Singing Gardener page. It’s driven by reader inspiration and plucked from what’s been sitting on my back burner and in my brain not just for months, but some of it for years.

HELLO TO EVERYONE IN AND AROUND LANCER, SASK. A special hello to Esther Wagner from Lancer and thank you to her for a handwritten letter. Esther writes: “I won’t give you a big head by telling you how much I enjoy your column and is the first page I turn to in Grainews. I’m sending a picture of a cactus plant which I’ve had for approximately 12 years. I must admit I purchased it in a four-inch pot and now it has grown considerably. It did, however, take about eight years to bloom, including a couple of transplants and relocations. I was wondering if you or any of your readers might know the name and/or origin. The large blossoms are approximately the size of a Fleischman’s cornstarch container and quite a sight, resembling a hibiscus but larger

SUE ARMSTRONG

LOVE HEARING FROM YOU Do you have a story about a farm or home-based business?

How about some household management tips? Does someone in the family have a special-diet need? Share some of your meal ideas.

Send them to FarmLife, 1666 Dublin Ave., Winnipeg, Man. R3H 0H1. Phone 1-800665-0502 or email susan@ fbcpublishing.com. Please remember we can no longer return photos or material. † Sue Armstrong

PHOTO: TED MESEYTON

If you’re from Nova Scotia you may recall a song titled “When It’s Apple Blossom Time in Annapolis Valley.” There’s no song about the apple maggot that’s become a significant pest for apple growers to deal with.

Larvae inside the fruit are somewhat protected making it easy for them to inflict major damage by leaving unattractive brownish tunnels. Once petals have dropped off and fruits are as large as golf balls, black adult flies with yellow legs and a prominent zigzag band across the wings begin to emerge looking for apples on which to lay their eggs. Ted provides a recipe for apple fly maggot control.

PHOTO: ESTHER WAGNER

Note the superbly attractive three-inch red blooms that cascade from a canopy of flat-leafed stems with sawtooth edges on this flowering cactus.

Question — Do you have one like it, or think you might know its name and origin? Esther Wagner from Lancer, Saskatchewan hopes someone among the Grainews family of readers can help her identify it. Ted provides contact information on his Singing Gardener page. with elongated petals. Here’s hoping someone can help identify the name of my cactus plant. Regards, Esther Wagner, PO Box 125, Lancer, Sask. S0N 1G0.

Note from Ted: See the picture of said cactus on this page. If you think you know the name of this plant send an email to Esther at: eam.wagner@gmail.com or write to her. I later learned the following bit of history about Esther’s cactus during our phone conversation. The first time Esther saw this plant was at a florist shop attached to a Home Hardware in Maple Creek, Sask.

“The cactus was a wee thing in a tiny pot with an asking price of $8.”

She debated with herself whether it was worth that much money.

Today of course she’s overwhelmingly happy she did purchase it as patience paid off. Esther told me “that’s the beauty of small towns. I love going through smaller places.

You never know what you’re going to find in an all-purpose store.”

APPLE FLY MAGGOT TRAP CONTROL So your apple blossom petals are dropping or have already fallen off! Then it’s soon time to place your traps in position on the tree.

Here’s what Marilyn Sharp from Lacombe, Alberta wrote in her email. Subject: Moth Trap. Ted, I had success with the moth trap in a pop bottle that I hung in the apple trees but I can’t find the recipe for the molasses mixture that you had listed in your column. I would appreciate it if you could send it to me. I used a two-litre plastic pop bottle and cut part of the top side out of the bottle then hung it in the tree. I have two large trees and one small tree so used one on the small tree and two on the larger trees. I didn’t change the solution during the year. I think I had good results as very few apples had any type of larvae in the apple and there were many moths in the bottles. Thank you, Marilyn Sharp, Lacombe, Alta.

For the benefit of other apple growers who might be challenged with maggots in their apples, here’s one of my favourite recipes.

Apple Maggot Control Formula No. 1 1 part dark molasses (e.g. 1 cup molasses)

9 parts hot water to easily disperse molasses (e.g. 9 cups hot water) 6 parts vinegar (e.g. 6 cups vinegar) Mix ingredients together well.

Cut a 2-inch square hole near the top on one side of an empty 2-litre vegetable or fruit juice bottle, rinsed clean. Fill with maggot control formula to just below the cut-out opening. Hang 6 or 7 trap baited bottles on each mature tree; especially on the south side. I, Ted, suggest the liquid be strained every couple of weeks to remove dead insects, otherwise it becomes very smelly. Or, you can make fresh batches of lure. In fall be sure to clean up all dropped apples at the base of trees, otherwise maggots soon emerge to enter soil where they spend the winter as pupae.

ROOM FOR ONE SHORT EMAIL Hi Ted. Yes — l am a Grainews subscriber; have been for years.

There are a lot of good suggestions coming from your column, keep up the good work. I am located in Carvel, Alberta near Stony Plain, west of Edmonton.

Can you send me the recipe for the mole cocktail — castor oil?

Thanks, Steve Zelych.

(Note from Ted for benefit of all readers) Mole Control Castor Oil Cannonball recipes appeared in March 18, 2014 Grainews on page 41. †

This is Ted Meseyton the Singing Gardener and Grow-It Poet from Portage la Prairie, Man. June is the month for dabbling at random in fields and gardens. It’s the month for eating homegrown and U-pick Canadian strawberries. The countryside is all hustle and bustle; where good clean fresh air to breathe is available. If you grew up on a farm or run a market garden, then you know what good life and hard work are; what good home-raised food tastes like and where good friends are found. Seems the world’s food situation continues to get worse with each succeeding season and one secure thing is having a place to grow a garden. My email address is singinggardener@mts.net.

June 18 - 20, 2014

Evraz Place, Regina, SK, Canada

farm Progress forum schedule Hear From The Experts Farm Progress Forum puts you in front of Canada’s leading presenters in agriculture and business.

Admission is included with your show ticket.

Presented by 2014

fcc InnovatIons Presented by

Join us each day at FCC Crossing in the Canada Centre Building, Hall #10 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18 10 am - Mike Jubinville President of Pro Farmer Canada Commodity Outlook: Where are prices headed?

Mike Jubinville

10:40 a.m. - Kevin Hursh Journalist and Agrologist Practical Farm Management Choices

A preview of the products that will be introduced in this years Innovations Program Clean Seed Capital Group

Peter Gredig

11:20 a.m. - J.P. Gervais FCC Chief Agricultural Economist Economic Outlook: Market Trends, Farmland Values and Interest Rates

Agrifac Machinery B.V.

1:30 p.m. - Greg Johnson, Tornado Hunter One of North America’s top storm-chasers Kevin Hursh

THURSDAY, JUNE 19 10 a.m. - Lance Stockbrugger Chartered Accountant and Farmer Minimize Taxes, Maximize Purchasing Power

Matt Van Dijk

11:20 a.m. - Matt Van Dijk Management Software Specialist Manage your farm from everywhere

Jim Hopson

Lance Stockbrugger

FRIDAY, JUNE 20 10 a.m. - Tyler Russell Cargill National Grain Marketing Solutions Manager Effective Grain Marketing: Using the Right Tool for the Job 1:30 p.m. - David Chilton The Wealthy Barber David will give you a common sense guide to your financial future, complete with insight, charm and humour.

Agribition Building, Hall #9 - Booth #93031 • Hit N Hitch New on road hitching system for farm trucks moving farm equipment. Power Pin has designed a completely new hitching system for on road with 5 new patents and 5 new products - from a safety chain that will not drag, to in-cab hook ups.

AGI - Ag Growth International

1:30 p.m. - Jim Hopson Saskatchewan Roughriders President and CEO How can you build and sustain a winning culture in your business Greg Johnson

Agribition Building, Hall #9 - Booth #93026 • Agrifac Condor Agrifac Condor crop sprayer equipped with 54 meter long boom plus 8000 litre tank, self propelled crop sprayer. Agrifac Condor can drive on the field up to 40km/h because of its super stabile boom and chassis with a pneumatic automation.

Power Pin Inc.

10:40 a.m. - Peter Gredig Agriculture and Technology Expert Mobile Technology for Agriculture J.P. Gervais

Agribition Building, Hall #9 Booth #93024 • Clean Seed CX-6 SMART Seeder (60ft Drill) The worlds first High Definition Variable Rate SMART Seeder. Our technology combines the latest in modern electronic metering and wireless connectivity solutions to provide the farmer with precision seeding tools.

Tyler Russel

Agribition Building, Hall #9 - Booth #93011, 93022 • The GULP The GULP is an ultra low profile drive over hopper that transports with your 13’ Westfield swing auger.

This drive over hopper is only 4.5” high and features a large catchment area to unload all types of trucks or trailers. The GULP includes a powerful hydraulic motor, revolutionary chevron belt to auger transition and hydraulic powered swing to save time and back-breaking labor.

Elmer’s Mfg. Ltd.

Co-operators Centre, Hall #6 - Booth #60002 • Elmer’s Power Tracks Hydraulically Powered Track System, Available on Elmer’s Grain Carts or Fertilizer Caddy’s.

David Chilton

Canada’s Farm Progress Show In partnership with Chevrolet, the Official Vehicle of Canada’s Farm Progress Show – Stayinregina.com is pleased to offer a first-class complimentary shuttle service to all guests staying at a Regina Hotel Association member hotel.

The service will also make stops at the Regina International Airport, Young’s Equipment, Markusson-New Holland and South Country Equipment. The daily service operates from 7am - 10am and from 4pm - 7pm. Shuttle drivers are familiar with show events and tourist attractions in and around Regina.

Guests are encouraged to ask their drivers for information, maps and directions. To book the STAYINREGINA.COM Shuttle Service, please contact your hotel front desk. To book your hotel please do so at www.stayinregina.com

The Livestock Centre

Located in Winter Fair Building, Hall #13

Livestock Equipment Demonstrations · Industry Trade Show Booths

A Production of

www.myfarmshow.com

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T:15.5”

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