Fs141110 by Farm Business Communications

FALL 2014 EDITION

GROWING NEW IDEAS

Winter wheat has a new friend »22 GROWING KNOWLEDGE

Soil salinity back on radar »28 GROWING STEWARDSHIP

Farming Smarter adds new direction »32

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CONTENTS Fall 2014 Edition

Growing New Ideas

Growing Knowledge

Growing stewardship

Calibration is just the beginning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

The connection between France and Lethbridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Moving from reactive to proactive pest control measures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

On-farm trials answer question, “Is it worth it”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Canadian study serves canola growers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Farming Smarter adds new research direction . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Alberta takes lead in hemp production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Get what you want through the civic process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Double whammy crop production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Keep on-farm trials simple and focused. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Study aims to revisit the salinity issue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Neonicotinoid seed treatments and bee deaths . . . . . . . . 34

Yield map potential in precision farming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 When Lygus becomes a pest. . . . . . . 19 More weed control options for winter wheat on the horizon . . . . . . 22

New strain of clubroot beats resistant genes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

features Coles Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Chairman’s Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

MD Taber presents regional drainage plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Partner Profle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 A call to agriculture ambassadors

Opinion by Les Brost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

News Briefs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8, 37 Wherefore art thou knowledge and experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Visit us online for innovative agronomic and technical research information:

www.farmingsmarter.com

Farming Smarter is published bi-annually by Farm Business Communications for Farming Smarter, #100, 5401 – 1st Ave. S., Lethbridge, AB T1J 4P4 with the support from the Agriculture Opportunities Fund Editorial Board: Ken Coles, Jamie Puchinger Editor: C. Lacombe

Cover Photo:

Farming Smarter began hemp production and agronomy trials this year to inform farmers how this crop will fit with current rotations. photo: jamie puchinger

Farming Smarter / FALL 2014

Coles Notes

2014: Winter, rain and frost // By Ken Coles

he lake water is too cold for swimming and nothing much is left growing in the fields again. I have to admit fall bums me out a bit. Ok, I’m over it. Here’s a quick review of the blur that was the 2014 growing season. Winter, winter, more winter and spring finally came the second week in May. The trees were slow to bud and we were pulling out not so tasty soil popsicles from probes down to four feet deep. We had to go north to the mighty Peace for warmer and dryer conditions to keep our soil mapping project rolling. There’s something very wrong with that! Luckily the rain stayed away long enough to get most everything planted. It really is quite amazing how famers can seed 10’s of millions of acres in a matter of two weeks. Hat’s off to all the uber-efficient farmers out there! Then came the rain. And more rain. And a little more. Up to 200 mm (eight inches) or an entire growing season worth of rain fell in just a few days in early June. Not really an ideal situation for young crops and it seemed that only more advanced crops like winter wheat were able to take advantage of the moisture. We saw very little yield increase from irrigation in our winter wheat plots compared to dryland. As usual, the taps turned off and we saw little precipitation from mid-June until the end of August. Despite the feeling that we were having a cold year, temperatures and accumulated heat units were very close to long term averages. A slightly early killing frost September 10 marked the end of the season and a blanket of snow shocked many only days after 30 degree temperatures. Got to love southern Alberta! Unfortunately, frequent rains during harvest also led to bleaching and sprouting issues to compound the lower commodity prices. On the Farming Smarter front, the staff planted 73 research trials including 959 different treatments and 3,250 individual agronomy plots. In addition to this, we planted over 300 demonstration plots for extension purposes and for private industry. Our precision ag crew worked on 16 different

Farming Smarter / FALL 2014

producer fields for two precision ag projects. We mapped over 3,000 acres with our new Veris and EM38 and tested approximately 5,500 soil samples for moisture, texture and nutrient analysis. Our extension season was very full and we felt honoured to host (or co-host) close to 1,400 people at our site through 32 field tours. Our Farming Smarter field school was a big success with sell-out crowds on two of three days. Other highlights included a massive hemp tour with 118 attendees and over 180 hutterites at a co-hosted event with Dow Agrosciences. Our luck also brought us visits from three Nuffield Scholars (two Australian, one Albertan), a researcher from South Africa and three agronomists from Australia. They all showed great interest in what we do and we were equally intrigued to hear their ideas. I hope that one day soon we can organize a trip to Australia to visit our new friends and see firsthand the challenges and opportunities they face. Other newsworthy happenings for us in 2014 include the hiring of a new Precision Ag Specialist, Lewis Baarda. Lewis brings experience in GIS and a tremendous passion

for science, agriculture and hard work. We’re very pleased to have Lewis as part of the team and look forward to tackling new opportunities and research questions. A new partnership with the Lethbridge College is another welcome addition. The college has a strong desire to increase capacity and involvement in applied research and we are excited about mutually beneficial opportunities that will ultimately result in improved opportunities for producers and agri-businesses. We are very proud and excited to announce credit based work experiences within their agriculture program. Finally, the newly created Alberta Government’s Agriculture Endowment fund awarded Farming Smarter a significant increase in funding. In 2014, Farming Smarter should receive close to $340,000 for capital purchases and expansions in applied research and extension activities. Stay warm and thanks to all our staff, directors, members and partners for a very successful year! Ken Coles General Manager Farming Smarter

GROWING NEW IDEAS / GROWING KNOWLEDGE / GROWING STEWARDSHIP

Messages

Chairman’s Report

he 2014 growing season and harvest wrapped up for most of Southern Alberta. It was again a year like no other with challenges from Mother Nature in many respects. We had events in areas such as the usual drought, to the flooding of some fields and, of course, some areas hit with devastating hail. The season had its ups and downs as we are used to in the farming world. What looked like a tough long harvest for most at the beginning of September turned out to be only a short week delay in harvest. Mother Nature did its best to make harvest a bit more challenging this fall by sending a lot a people the white stuff along with an abundance of moisture. Snow at harvest flattened a lot of standing crops and the combination with rain will no doubt result in more downgraded grains. As a result grain prices fell and we saw a larger spread between grades. Hunting down the best prices will be a challenge for all.

We at Farming Smarter are just one piece of the pie trying to help out in some of that decision-making for your farming operation. This fall was a great example of how having all of your eggs in one basket may leave you at greater risk for crop failure in yield and/or price. Trying new crops and diversifying can minimize the risk that of a single commodity farm. Some crops stood up and could withstand the weather this fall while others took the brunt of the weather and left many to deal with feed values. Our field school and conference are just a couple of ways one can learn about new crops and/or cropping methods. Our three pillars of Growing Knowledge, Growing New Ideas, and Growing Stewardship are the foundation of our organization. You can read more about all three and a whole lot more if you check out our website at www.farmingsmarter.com. Whether you new to farming or a wellseasoned veteran, we can add value to your farming operation in many ways. We welcome

anyone and everyone to attend any of the crop walks, field schools, conferences, etc. and hope you walk away Farming Smarter. Our organization has grown over the last few years. Thanks to our success we increased our research land base and attract many organization sponsors. We have upgraded some equipment including a new plot combine. I have to give our manager Ken Coles and staff a standing ovation on a job well done. They are the reason our organization grew to the size we are today. They are the boots on the ground doing the research and getting that information back out to the people who need it. They make my job as Chairman and all of the other board members jobs easy because they do such great work. So if you want to join our organization, come to the annual meeting Feb. 26 at Ag Expo. Thanks, Kent Sande Chairman, Farming Smarter

Partner Profile Lethbridge College

// By Kristi Cox

outhern Alberta could produce some of the best educated agriculturallyoriented students ever if Stuart Cullum and Ken Coles get their way. Cullum is Vice President, Academic, Lethbridge College and Coles manages Farming Smarter. They have a plot to realize mutually beneficial collaborative research and education opportunities. The connection between these two organizations began when Farming Smarter became a tenant of Lethbridge College by leasing land and office space. “The relationship expanded a bit when some instructors from Lethbridge College wanted to bring classes for field experiences,” said Ken Coles, General Manager of Farming Smarter. “They asked us if we could teach students about what we do. Things like research, soil sampling, drill calibration and whatever topics we could offer. It was an opportunity to connect with the students and teachers and we really enjoyed it.” Lethbridge College offers a two-year agricultural sciences diploma program with the option to major in either animal or plant and

Ken Coles and Stuart Cullum

soil science. The college has a strong focus on practical experience for students using labs, practicum and field experience. This leads to strong partnership opportunities between Lethbridge College and Farming Smarter. Stuart Cullum joined Lethbridge College in the fall of 2013. He began to expand industry connections to collaborate on applied research projects. When he met with Ken Coles, they discovered they share many similar big picture ideas and both were motivated to find ways to progress a partnership.

GROWING NEW IDEAS / GROWING KNOWLEDGE / GROWING STEWARDSHIP

“I think it’s a natural relationship that we’re building together,” Cullum explained. “We recognize, as the administration of the college, that we can be more deliberate and create a relationship that is more robust and significant through proper planning.” The partnership wants to explore enhancing and growing applied research opportunities, co-delivery of courses and extension activities and potentially the co-appointment of scientists into the work of both organizations. Also under discussion is providing credit to agricultural science program summer students who work for Farming Smarter and possibly media program students as well. “Lethbridge College recognizes the value of experiential learning and the importance of getting students engaged with industry, either by bringing the students to industry or by bringing industry to the students,” Cullum said. In this case, Farming Smarter is already at Lethbridge College and excited to share in a mutual exchange of knowledge, skills and resources. h

Farming Smarter / fall 2014

Opinion

A call to agriculture ambassadors // By Les Brost

anada’s agriculture industry travelled a challenging road during our nation’s history. Farmers, ranchers, suppliers, processors — all saw sweeping change, good times and hard times in that journey. Today, agriculture is a key player in Canada’s economic, social and environmental spheres. The homesteaders who settled Western Canada’s virgin land would not comprehend the scale, scope, and sophistication of today’s industry. The industry changed profoundly in the way it looks, feels and smells. A simple agrarian way of life evolved into a pressure-filled business dramatically impacted by distant events. Concurrently, the percentage of the Canadian population directly involved in primary agriculture dropped precipitously. Canada’s pioneer farmers and ranchers held a strong set of fundamental beliefs and values. They believed that they were the keepers of the Canadian food supply and they valued their role as stewards of their animals and their land. How did Canada’s early farmers and ranchers apply those values? During that era, social pressure played a huge role in ensuring the humane care of livestock and responsible land stewardship. Rural western Canadians considered the best operators as those who most responsibly looked after their animals and their land. Neighbours harshly judged those failing to treat livestock humanely and applied that judgment by subtle and not-so-subtle social pressure. Stockmen that maintained at least one year of reserve of grass and hay ranked above the ‘poor buggers’ who couldn’t or wouldn’t carefully manage their forage. Radical change often triggers shifts in the core beliefs and values of those undergoing the transformation. Do today’s Canadian farmers and ranchers still hold the pioneers’ fundamental beliefs and values? What signals are Canadians currently seeing? Are Canadians receiving mixed messages about the agriculture industry’s beliefs and values? There is little doubt that today’s farmers and ranchers still see themselves as important players in Canadian society. The relentless pressure of American trade protectionism reminds all Canadians of the strategic importance of national food security. A powerful global locavore food movement has reinforced the perceived importance and stature of Canadian food producers in the eyes of all Canadians. There is a lack of clarity on the animal welfare front. Animal welfare groups and national media exposed instances of animal abuse that outraged those of us who believe in the duty of stewardship. Canadians expressed shock when told of hogs that spent their entire lives in crates with little or no exercise. Animal rights groups, using powerful social media tools to organize consumer boycotts, drove customers away from fast food outlets buying from producers refusing to follow humane management practices. Then the Chilliwack dairy farm videos came to light. Yes, that dairy farm — one of the largest on B.C.’s lower mainland — where the world saw animal abuse in all its disgusting reality. That video,

Farming Smarter / fall 2014

Lacombe stock photo (no pun intended)

shot by an undercover animal rights operative, showed just how far some have strayed from our traditional animal welfare values. Anyone who cares for farm animals cannot and should not forget or forgive those directly and indirectly responsible for such cruel and inhumane actions. That video profoundly shook the confidence of urban Canadians with limited direct knowledge of the management practices currently utilized by the majority of farmers and ranchers. The shock was especially intense because this was not a pokey, brokendown little operation. When this kind of behaviour happens on a large, ultra-modern farm, we cannot blame outside observers for wondering if that disgusting video evidence represents only the tip of the iceberg. The good news is that it is not the case. Most of today’s Canadian farmers and ranchers strongly believe that they have a duty of care for the animals under their stewardship. They continue to provide livestock with the food, exercise, and humane handling practices that

GROWING NEW IDEAS / GROWING KNOWLEDGE / GROWING STEWARDSHIP

animals under their care deserve. They do so in ‘blessed obscurity,’ sometimes risking their own lives to save their animals. The bad news comes from a couple of directions. That ‘blessed obscurity’ does little to restore the confidence of urban Canadians who saw the Chilliwack dairy video. All those thousands of daily acts of animal stewardship and kindness are as the sound of one hand clapping when no one sees what they do. In today’s world of instant opinion, it is not enough to do good — one must be seen doing good. Secondly, that lack of public awareness speaks to a deeper communication problem. Some of primary agriculture’s current leadership seems reluctant to clearly address the issues inherent in animal welfare. There seems to be a hesitancy to speak out against inhumane or environmentally risky management practices clearly opposed by a large majority of Canadians, including those in the agriculture industry. Industry leaders should remember three fundamental leadership principles. First, business organizations take on the values and standards of the leaders or owners. Since leadership sets the culture for the organization, the actions of employees or agents will reflect the industry’s values. The failure to set clear written and enforced standards on matters of utmost importance such as animal abuse gives carte blanche to abusers. Secondly, silence implies consent. When industry leaders fail

How are you

to clearly and unequivocally denounce inhumane practices related to housing and handling of livestock and to advocate for practice change, they implicitly consent to the practice. Third, industry leaders have a role as ambassadors to the public. When events occur that negatively influence the public image and perception of any public organization, members of that group should expect their leadership to meet the problem clearly and directly. Do Canadian agriculture leaders always meet that expectation? On livestock welfare issues, they seem to fall prey to a powerful temptation to not rock the boat or point fingers and instead blame the danged animal welfare groups and undercover agents who cause trouble. Others seem tempted to refrain from making trouble for a colleague. I hope Canada’s industry leaders choose the ambassador role. This issue will not go away. The Chilliwack dairy video clip is out there in cyber-space as a constant stain on the livestock industry. It stains the honour of thousands of men and women out on the land who I know do care, deeply and passionately, about the well-being of their livestock. I hope that they and their leadership will stand and publicly speak out against livestock abuse. When they do, they will re-affirm and honour the core beliefs and values of the men and women of our agriculture industry.

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www.AFSC.ca FARMING SMARTER / FALL 2014

News

News Briefs Canada-Korea Sign Free Trade Agreement

Our Government launched the most ambitious trade expansion plan in Canadian history. In less than seven years, Canada concluded 38 free trade agreements. September 22, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Park Geun-hye, President of the Republic of Korea, witnessed the signature of the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement, (CKFTA).

Today, Korea is Canada’s seventh-largest merchandise trading partner and its thirdlargest in Asia, after China and Japan. Projections claim CKFTA will boost Canada’s annual GDP by $1.7 billion and increase Canada’s annual exports to Korea by over 30 per cent. A wide range of sectors will benefit from this agreement, including agricultural and agri-food products. When CKFTA is fully implemented, Korea will remove duties covering 97 per cent of current agricultural exports and 100 per cent of non-agricultural exports while Canada will eliminate duties on approximately 99.9 per cent of Korea’s exports to Canada.

and entrepreneurial background will enhance GIFS’ ability to deliver on its mission to bring Saskatchewan-led research and innovation to the pressing issue of global food security. Dr. Moloney’s career in plant research resulted in innovations that spanned across industry, academia and the public sector. He joins GIFS from Australia’s Commonwealth scientific and industrial research organization (CSIRO) where he led a team working on science-based solutions to address major global challenges such as the need to increase sustainable agricultural productivity. Prior to CSIRO, Dr. Moloney was the Director and Chief Executive Officer of one of the oldest and largest agricultural research centres in Europe — Rothamsted Research. He also held positions with the University of Calgary where he was the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) industrial research chair in plant biotechnology. www.globalinstituteforfoodsecurity.org

New Leader for Saskatchewan’s Global Institute for Food Security Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Park Geun-hye, President of the Republic of Korea, during her state visit to Canada.

The Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS), appointed Dr. Maurice Moloney executive director and CEO. Dr. Moloney’s research

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Growing New Ideas

Calibration is just the beginning // By Lee Hart

etting up equipment for on-farm trials isn’t an exact science, says Blaine Metzger, a crop production technologist with Alberta’s Ag Tech Centre in Lethbridge, Alta. Farmers need to do their best to calibrate equipment, monitor seed distribution and seeding depth, but the fact is once you hit the field not every seed is going to be exactly where you want it, he says. “There are just so many variables that can affect seeding rates and seed distribution,” says Metzger. “It is important farmers are aware of the variables, do their best to set their equipment as accurately as possible and make a point to replicate on-farm trials in the field in order to collect the best information possible.” Metzger, speaking at the Farming Smarter field school this past summer, says it is enough of a challenge to properly calibrate and set research scale equipment that is seeding and harvesting plots that are eight feet wide and 40 or 50 feet long. Once you step that up to an 60 or 80 foot wide drill travelling down a field that may be a half mile or a mile long the variables really come into play. For the benefit of the crop and then the benefit of collecting information from onfarm trials, he says it is important to calibrate the seeding equipment for each crop. Often people will calibrate equipment while the drill is stationary, mostly because it is easier. The producer will get a more accurate calibration if they collect seed delivery from several openers while the equipment is moving. “Calibrating while equipment is operating in a field is a more accurate method,” says Metzger. “That’s because machine vibration, air flow/velocity, number of distribution lines and restrictions, metering speed — usually related to ground speed — product type and density, air humidity and other minor variables can all attribute to a variable product metering rate.” He says many newer seeding systems have on-the-go calibration technology, which is an improvement, but even that can’t account for all the variable factors.

Farming Smarter / FALL 2014

Blaine Metzger (r), and technician Joel Hubert, use this portable fan to demonstrate the variability of product distribution through an air-seeding manifold. PHOTO: Lee Hart

“People need to be aware if they see a five to 10 per cent difference in data collected from different plots of on-farm trials, it might come down to metering rate issues,” he says. OTHER VARIABLES

Aside from calibration, Metzger says he’s found there can be as much as a 30 per cent variation in seed distribution from one side of a seed drill to the other. Producers need to carefully monitor seed distribution. If farmers can get the variability down to 15 per cent that is marginally acceptable and it is best to aim for 10 or less variability in distribution. In setting up seeding equipment for optimum performance he says to first make sure that machinery is level from side to side and from front to back. Then set the opener shank penetration pressures, packer wheel or gauge wheel settings, product depth setting and last, product

separation amount for double shoot and double shank openers. “Even after all that there can still be as much as two-inch seed depth variability across a large drill,” says Metzger. “Along with the equipment, there are other factors that can affect seeding rates and seed placement” Air flow and product density, opener design, the undulating terrain of fields, soil type and moisture and stubble density all can affect how equipment seeds crops. “All these variables doesn’t mean it is impossible,” says Metzger. “On-farm trials can still produce a lot of very useful information, if they are properly set up. The important thing is to be aware of the variables, do your best to set equipment as accurately as possible and the make sure to replicate trials at least three or four times. By replicating the plots you are able to eliminate the affect of these variables as much as possible.” h

GROWING NEW IDEAS / GROWING KNOWLEDGE / GROWING STEWARDSHIP

Opinion

Wherefore art thou knowledge and experience // By Madeleine Baerg

f you know who’s who in Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) cropping research group, you will know this country’s scientific capacity looks poised on the cusp of a significant nose dive. Across all agricultural research departments, but particularly in agronomy, many top AAFC scientists are a handful of years away from retirement. The concern, according to industry insiders, is that few replacements are ready to step into the very big shoes of departing scientists’. As key knowledge walks out of AAFC, many question whether the agriculture industry is doing too little too late to bolster Canada’s weakening public scientific capacity. “The all-stars of Ag Canada, they’re almost all retiring. We’ve known this was coming for a long time but now all of a sudden it’s a panic,” says Ken Coles, general manager with Farming Smarter. Coles is not alone in this concern. Farmer associations agree. Earlier this year, the Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF), a membership-based organization representing 18 western Canadian farm commodity groups, convened a study to look at the issue of attrition in agronomy. Though study results will not be available until later this winter, the impetus for convening the study speaks of widespread disquiet. “Yes, we did it because we are concerned,” says Garth Patterson, executive director of WGRF. “Our members made us aware of concerns about declining public research capacity, particularly in agronomy. That’s why we commissioned a study to look at capacity and to assist us in identifying current gaps and gaps coming in near future. Hopefully it will provide us with information on how to bridge those gaps.” WGRF is not the first organization to look toward capacity options. That said, Coles suspects what looks good on paper may be less effective in real life. “You can implement any strategy you want but if you’ve already missed the huge opportunity to develop skills in the next generation of

Dr. Ron Howard - Sometimes recently retired scientists continue to help agriculture through consulting.

scientists while the older generation was still there, quite frankly, the strategy is too late.” Though declines in research funding have been the subject of hot debate, the critical issue may prove much less about funding and much more about personnel availability. Decreased dollars, combined with a public system that no longer provides mentoring to develop new scientists, means fewer and fewer newly awarded doctorates are opting to go into public sector research. “You can say you’re going to hire other people, but there are no other people. There’s no one out there who has the connections in agriculture, no one mentored; no one even willing to put up with the politics of working for government now. It’s not even a question of research dollars: it doesn’t matter how many dollars are available if there’s no one to do the research,” says Coles. In the short term, Farming Smarter hopes to minimize the gap in Southern Alberta by

GROWING NEW IDEAS / GROWING KNOWLEDGE / GROWING STEWARDSHIP

stepping in to more and more of the research previously handled by AAFC. “We’re doing our best to pull some of the retiring AAFC scientists back into agronomy study within our organization,” says Coles. “Yes, they are retiring but maybe they don’t have to be gone forever from research. Even if some can work half-time it will make a big difference.” While the future of public agricultural research may be shaky, farmers should not sit back and point fingers. Each farmer has a role and a responsibility to choose between accepting the status quo and pushing for change. “I’ll call a spade a spade because I’m working on behalf of farmers. It’s time farmers start realizing what’s happening, realizing the implications,” says Coles. “They have to build a stronger, collaborative voice that ensures Canada reinvests in agriculture. Otherwise, the power house that was Ag Canada is going to be gone.” 

Farming Smarter / FALL 2014

Growing New Ideas

On-farm trials answer question, “Is it worth it?” // By Lee Hart

urt Walker often wears two hats when out in the field establishing on-farm research plots. With one hat, he is a grain and oilseed producer near Rumsey, Alberta interested in testing a new product or treatment to see if it will make a difference in his own wheat, barley and canola crops. His other hat is owner of Agviser Crop Management consulting service. His interest is collecting valid research information from his own farm about what does or doesn’t work to pass along to customers. “I like to use my own land as my own little research farm,” says Walker. “There are lots of new products out there that promise to do a lot of things, but as producers we have to be paying attention. We don’t have the government extension services to provide that independent, third-party evaluation of these products. So as farmers, how do we know if it works? That’s why I feel it is important to do our own on-farm trials. “We’re look at input costs for some crops at about $200 per acre, so if some of these treatments are costing an extra $10 to $20 per acre, we need some idea of whether it is worth it.” Walker, one farmer who in recent years adopted a Controlled Traffic Farming (CTF) system, says it is much easier to plan, establish, harvest, and measure yields from on-farm trials using precision farming technology. Under the CTF system, Walker restricts all wheel traffic on his cropland to established wheel tracks, or tramlines, set on 30 foot spacing across the field. By limiting all field traffic to these tramlines, the goal is to eliminate the risk of soil compaction caused by random wheel traffic on the soil and ultimately to reduce input costs and hopefully increase crop yield. With rolling topography and fields broken with sloughs and trees on his farm, Walker says he doesn’t have uniform 160-acre corner-tocorner fields. “Some of my smallest fields might be 80 acres and the larger ones are 140 acres,” he says. “One product I looked at a couple years ago was a foliar applied product for wheat and I tried it on an 80 acre field.

Farming Smarter / FALL 2014

A field map showing Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) trials.

“I selected some areas that were perhaps 20 to 40 acres in size where I could get 1,000 to 1,500 foot long strips. I looked for areas that were the most alike in soil quality and topography.” With his 60-foot Spray Coupe sprayer, he alternates two passes with treatment and two passes without treatment and so on depending on how much product he has to apply and how much room is available. “I try to alternate these passes over this area of like-field conditions. And then, when we come along in the fall with the combine, we can harvest these respective strips and collect the data for analysis.” Walker wants to replicate the treatments and keep it random. Again, depending on how much area of similar field conditions he might make one pass with the treatment, then skip two or three passes with no treatment, then make one or two treated passes again. He mixes it up. “I tried this treatment on crop in areas of better soils,” he says. “Then a part of the field had sandier soils, so I tried a test there to make sure I got in one treated and untreated pass on that sandy soil as well.” Walker says farmers know their land pretty

well and know where the location of different production zones. He also used the Veris soil sensor over his land that gives him another layer of information in identifying soils with different quality and varying organic matter levels. When it comes to measuring the results of treatments, he has a newer Massey combine with a yield monitor, as well as a grain cart equipped with a weigh scale. He makes a point of calibrating the yield monitor. “We actually have two combines, but I only use the Massey to harvest any areas with the onfarm trials to keep it consistent,” says Walker. “And in using the equipment, I found the yield monitor on the combine to be very accurate in measuring wheat and barley yields, but when it comes to canola I find the weigh wagon is more accurate.” Walker also urges clients to conduct their own on-farm trials as well. “They need to do some preplanning, but the idea is to keep it simple,” he says. “Identify areas of the field where there are like conditions for soil type and topography and then just alternate treated and untreated strips over this area. Often when it comes time to either make the treatment or at harvest you’re facing a time crunch, so it is important to keep it simple.” h

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Growing New Ideas

Farming Smarter initiates hemp trials // By Madeleine Baerg

fter 60 years of banishment, hemp — one of mankind’s earliest and arguably best crops — finally makes a comeback in Canadian crop fields. Due to strong pricing and growing demand, acreage increased across Canada by 25 to 30 per cent annually for the last three years. In Alberta, experts say ideal market fundamentals may balloon acreage over the near future. To help Alberta producers achieve success with this new-again crop, Farming Smarter teamed up with Alberta Innovates Technology Futures (AITF) and the Smoky Applied Research and Demonstration Association (SARDA) to conduct hemp variety testing trials this year and, starting next year, agronomic testing. “There is massive interest from producers because hemp offers the opportunity to make good money. I’m getting the feeling it could definitely be the next big thing. Our field tour had a huge turn-out because people want crop diversity and better returns,” says Ken Coles, General Manager of Farming Smarter. Hemp offers multiple marketing opportunities to Alberta producers. Currently, all contracted acres in Alberta are for grain production. Food processors use the grain to produce an array of healthy and increasingly popular foods such as hemp hearts and hemp oil. However, hemp’s fibre has as much or more potential for processing into textiles, rope or ‘hemp-crete,’ a concrete like industrial product. With two new bio-fibre processing plants slated to open in southern Alberta in the next two years, demand will increase for fibre producing hemp varieties in Alberta. In order for the burgeoning grain and fibre industries to be successful, however, farmers need to have current research at their fingertips. To this end, the variety trials intend to evaluate the various available cultivar options under multiple growing conditions. “When the ban on growing hemp lifted in Canada in 1998, the Canadian industry was far behind because research took place since the 1938 ban. People brought in cultivars from Europe, but guess what? They don’t perform as expected because climates in Europe are not the same; Europe has different soil, different moisture and different frost-free days. Meanwhile, people in Canada developed new cultivars suited to the Canadian Prairie climate. We felt there is a need to evaluate all of these newly introduced cultivars in order to help farmers make good variety decisions,” says Dr. Jan Slaski, crop scientist and leading hemp expert with AITF. Though the 2014 variety trial harvest is incomplete, early anecdotal findings show significant differences between the nine varieties in three geographic locations and under dryland and irrigated agronomic systems. The collaborative team hopes to secure funding next year to increase the variety testing to include agronomic study of the various varieties. “Once we know what the different cultivars are capable of delivering, then we need to provide producers with a best practices

Farming Smarter / FALL 2014

Jeremy Hummel (l) and Chase Uffelman (r) take biomass samples of a hemp test plot.

manual,” says Slaski. “You cannot apply the same approaches to hemp that you’d apply to another crop; it’s different, more complicated. We want to set up farmers for success.” Because the United States still has a ban on growing hemp firmly in place, Canadian producers benefit from strong U.S. demand (hemp food product exports to the U.S. should reach $50M in 2014) and an ideal competitive advantage over American counterparts. By investing in variety trials and agronomic research now, the Canadian hemp industry will pull ahead of an American industry should the U.S. Government choos to repeal its anti-hemp law. “We are at the very beginning of this. About 90,000 acres across Canada is nothing; which is where we are right now. Stars are lining up for hemp in Canada and for Alberta in particular,” says Slaski. h

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Growing New Ideas

Keep on-farm trials simple and focused Random and replicated is the key

// By Lee Hart

Ken Coles leads a sandbox discussion at the Farming Smarter Field School. PHOTO: C. Lacombe

he belief that a test strip, is a test strip, is a test strip isn’t necessarily the proper way to approach doing your own on-farm trials to determine if a new product or a new treatment is making a difference according to Ken Coles, general manager with Farming Smarter. Yes, admittedly even a basic test plot or check strip is of more value than doing nothing, says Coles, but at the same time, with just a bit more planning, farmers can develop onfarm trials that produce meaningful results. Farmers, interested in using new products or applying new treatment rates have long heard the advice from extension specialists “leave a test strip.” “And the general advice is still valid,” says Coles, “But leaving a single drill or sprayer width strip down the field, for example, may not provide that much useful information. The same goes with dividing a field in half and

Farming Smarter / FALL 2014

providing the treatment on one-half and not the other. It might give you some indication of whether a treatment was effective, but it also leaves room for error.” Farming Smarter made a point of discussing the pros and cons of on-farm trials during its annual Field School in June. The applied research organization created three different sandbox scenarios that showed varying soil types and topographical conditions commonly found in cropland. Coles, Lewis Baarda, Farming Smarter precision ag specialist and Dr. Adil Akbar, Farming Smarter research director worked with small groups of producers at each station and explored scenarios with producers. “If you had a field with these varying conditions, how would you plan your on-farm trials?” HOMOGENOUS AREAS

“And it is going to be different for every field,”

says Coles. “One of the important things you do as your planning is to select a homogenous area of the field to conduct the on-farm trial.” For example, a field with a large low lying, saline area here, an area of sandy soil there and an area of windblown hill top there, plan the trial so plots or test strips are within one of those zones — a relatively homogeneous area. KEEP IT SIMPLE

All three Farming Smarter extensions specialists emphasized three key elements when planning on-farm trials — keep it relatively simple and layout plots so they are random and replicated. “Whether it is an on-farm trial or formal research, often the challenge is to keep it simple,” says Coles. “Take a step back. Be focused and clear on the question you want to answer with this on-farm trial and don’t complicate it

GROWING NEW IDEAS / GROWING KNOWLEDGE / GROWING STEWARDSHIP

by trying to do too many things — answer too many questions — from your test strips.” He also urges producers to use appreciable increments when measuring different treatments. If, for example, a producer conducts a trial to determine an optimum fertilizer rate, Coles doesn’t recommend having a test plot that is only 10 pounds heavier than the farmer’s conventional rate. He considers it too small an increase to produce statistically relevant results. “Again if you’re looking at fertilizer rates, have one plot that is the conventional 100 per cent rate, but then put in a plot that is a 50 per cent lower rate and another that is 50 per cent higher rate in the test strip” says Coles. “It is going to give you a much better indication of which treatment is the optimum rate.” Random and replicated are concepts farmers haven’t commonly used for on-farm trials, says Baarda. “They think about making a machine width strip treatment down the field or splitting a field in half, but both of those approaches leaves too much room for error,” he says. “In both cases you’d have to ask if any difference you saw in yield, for example, is due

“Whether it’s an on-farm trial or formal research, often the challenge is to keep it simple.”

— Ken Coles

to treatment applied or is it due to variations in the field.’ It takes some planning, but using the fertilizer rate example, select an area of the field that is relatively consistent — homogenous — and make at least three replicated strips at least a drill width wide and within each strip have a one plot at the standard 100 per cent rate, another at the 50 per cent less rate, and another at the 50 per cent higher. To create the randomness, in the next strip alter the order of the treatment so perhaps the first plot is 50 per cent less, the next is 50 per cent higher and the third is the 100 per cent

standard. And in the third strip, alter the order of the various treatments again. “So you are laying out your plots in an area of the field that has relatively similar conditions,” says Coles. “But with three test strips, you replicate those treatments and then by staggering the treatments within the test strips you create the randomness. With today’s precision farm technology, it is relatively easy to layout the treatments and to measure the results at harvest.” Whether evaluating a new variety, a new herbicide product or a different fertilizer rate, any yield difference that stands out through those replicated treatments should be a solid figure. “It takes some planning and preparation ahead of time,” says Baarda. “You have to select the area, plan the layout and plan how you will collect the data. You have to expect a certain amount of sacrifice in the process — it is going to take time and, depending on treatments, it might affect yield, but producers can have confidence in the results from a properly planned and measured trial.” h

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Growing New Ideas

Yield map potential in precision farming // by Helen McMenamin

any farmers likely have hidden treasure buried, possibly on a harddrive, that could unlock crop production savings. A prairie-wide research project aims to find whether yield maps from several years can identify areas where higher or lower N fertilizer can pay off. “I think yield maps can help you take full advantage of soil quality,” says Lewis Baarda, precision farming specialist with Farming Smarter. “We need to figure out a formula that will help farmers optimize nitrogen applications — put scarce input where they’ll give the best returns.” Farming Smarter, working with Agriculture Canada’s Alan Moulin, plans to compare four rates of fertilizer N on high, low and medium yield areas of a field. Two farmers contributed five years of yield maps for three fields where they grew canola this year and worked with Baarda to put research plots across different productivity zones. Many consultants help clients apply different N levels to areas of a field shown in yield maps to have different productivity potential, but this research includes 0, 50, 100 and 150 per cent of recommended fertilizer levels for each productivity zone. The usual theory is that high yield areas are the most productive and extra fertilizer in these zones will boost production most. By using a wide range of N levels, yield maps from several years along with topographic maps from fields in all three prairie provinces, the researchers hope to find where you can really get the best returns from your inputs. In theory, you can layer yield maps from several years to identify stable yield trends. It practice, things aren’t so simple and even though Baarda studied geography in farming during his bachelors and master degree work, he found it challenging. “There are always glitches that hold you up,” he says. “Sometimes a yield monitor quit, but farmers had to go anyway. Other times there were two combines in a field but only one monitor worked. It takes patience and determination to put the maps together and build reliable maps that incorporate informa-

Farming Smarter / FALL 2014

Lewis Baarda leads the Farming Smarter precision agriculture projects.

tion from wet and dry years to make the base of management zones. It helps to have people you can call to get beyond some of the challenges.” In the field, his plots consisted of a single seeder pass at each fertilizer level, crossing high-, medium- and low-productivity zones. At harvest, the farmers made a single swather pass through the centre of each 40-foot wide plot that Baarda can use to assess plot yields from combine yield maps. Farmers also had an issue with the very high fertilizer rates called for in some areas of their fields. They saw fertilizer blowing up out of the furrow when the rate controller was running wide open at seeding speed. That urea probably lost its N to the air, but it’s hard to know if it was a significant proportion of the N applied. Also, it takes some time for rate controllers to ramp fertilizer delivery up or down, so there’s a considerable transition zone between different fertilizer rate zones.

“We have to recognize the limitations of equipment before we can make any real recommendations,” says Baarda. He doesn’t have a picture of yields from the plots yet, but Baarda has found one issue with his 40-foot plots. He placed them so that the farmers’ 40-foot seeders and 30-foot swathers would follow the same tracks at the plots, but that only works when swathing starts from the point he chose. When the practicalities of harvest came round, the farmers sometimes start cutting at a different place. Next year he’ll use two seeder-passes as the plot width so farmers aren’t left with a narrow stretch of standing crop. “We’re still barely scratching the surface of what this technology can do for us,” says Baarda. “But, there are lots of challenges to confront.” No doubt, he’ll share some answers or at least more of his experience when he presents at the Farming Smarter conference December 2-3 at Medicine Hat Lodge. 

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Growing New Ideas

More weed control options for winter wheat on the horizon ‘Focus’ a formidable foe for Japanese and downy brome

new pre-seed treatment may help winter wheat producers control winter annual weeds that commonly compete with winter wheat. Currently, the standard method for dealing with winter annuals, such as Japanese and downy brome, is an in-crop application of Group 2 herbicides such as Simplicity. The challenge is proper staging for both the crop and weeds occurs sometime in May when farmers are seeding. However, results from a three-year research project show that Focus (pyroxasulfone plus carfentrazone) combined with glyphosate in a pre-seed application, is a consistent champion for weed control in winter wheat, with more than 90 per cent control. The trails wrapped up this year. Eric Johnson, weed biologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) at Scott, Sask., lead the herbicide component of the project. He says including Focus in the treatment trials provided the most effective control of Japanese and downy brome. The trials took place over three years at three locations (Scott, Sask., Coalhurst and

// By Sarah Sutton

Lethbridge). The trials seeded CDC Falcon winter wheat at 300 seeds per square metre. AAFC’s Growing Forward program, Ducks Unlimited Canada, FMC and Bayer CropSciences Canada funded the project. The trials tested a variety of herbicides at pre-emergent and post-emergent stages. The two registered post-emergent herbicides were Simplicity (pyroxsulam) and Varro (thiencarbazone). The unregistered post-emergent product used in the trial was flucarbazone sodium DC and SC (Everest, two different formulations) applied in the spring or fall. As for pre-emergent treatments, the trial used flumioxazin (registered as Valtera in soybeans), pyroxasulfone at two rates (an active ingredient in Focus registered on corn and soybean) and a pyroxasulfone plus flumioxazin tank-mix. In the end, the most effective control for weeds in winter wheat and the one that resulted in the least amount of crop injury was Focus as a pre-seed application in the fall. According to Johnson, the post-emergent treatments generally resulted in higher levels of crop injury than the pre-seed treatments, with

fall applications typically resulting in higher injury than spring applications. Originally, some studies in the United States suggested that Focus might work for weed control in winter wheat. “That’s why I looked at it in the first place,” says Johnson. “I honestly didn’t expect it to be as consistent as it is.” Farming Smarter ran one of the sites in Johnson’s trials and manager Ken Coles believes that Focus could be a silver bullet for producers. “It’s a big winner as far as I’m concerned,” says Coles. “for both japanese and downy brome; which can be tough to control in winter wheat. At this time of year, I would do pre-seed burn down with roundup. Add in Focus and you can control the weeds before they even emerge.” The trials showed that Focus, when applied as a pre-seed treatment in the fall, would control not only Japanese and downy brome at highly effective rates but also broadleaf weeds like shepherd’s purse and cleavers. While Focus is not a new herbicide (currently registered on corn and soybean in Eastern Canada), it has yet to make an appearance

Registered herbicides in winter wheat for control of Japanese and downy brome Trade Name

Active Ingredients

Herbicide Group

PRE-EMERGENT

Japanese Brome Control

Downy Brome Control

Roundup (et al.)

Glyphosate

Group 9

Not on label

Control prior to seeding

Rustler

Glyphosate + dicamba

Group 9 + 4

Not on label

Control when applied in a chem fallow application

POST-EMERGENT Simplicity

Pyroxsulam

Group 2

Controlled

Control in fall suppression with spring application

Varro

Thiencarbazone

Group 2

Suppression prior to tiller

Not controlled

Velocity m3

Thiencarbazone + bromoxynil + pyrasulfotole

Groups 2 + 6 + 27

Suppression

Not controlled

Source: 2014 Guide to Crop Protection. Government of Saskatchewan, Ministry of Agriculture.

Fig. 1. Downy Brome Control CHART: Eric Johnson, AAFC, Scott, Sask. PSF = Pyroxasulfone

Farming Smarter / FALL 2014

GROWING NEW IDEAS / GROWING KNOWLEDGE / GROWING STEWARDSHIP

Downy Brome. photo: Farming Smarter

on the market in Western Canada. That’s where FMC comes in. The major agriculture chemical company has applied to Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) to have Focus (pyroxasulfone plus carfentrazone) registered on wheat in Western Canada. At this point, FMC has larger trials on 10-acre blocks to further demonstrate the effectiveness of the herbicide on winter wheat. Farming Smarter manages one of these blocks. Nolan Kowalchuk, FMC Canada’s Alberta account manager, says that there’s application for Focus on spring wheat as well. It can be a treatment to reduce wild oat growth while getting activity on other grassy weeds too. “Focus is a great fit for southern Alberta for Japanese and downy

brome control,” says Kowalchuk. “We see 93 to 96 per cent control with no other products needed. Simplicity is around 75 per cent control. Focus, coupled with the Group 15 mode of action, shows very strong control of some the winter wheat weeds that choke out the crop.” Kowalchuk says Focus has strong residuals, meaning that after it is applied and a rain event pushes the product into the soil, the herbicide triggers in the soil as the weed seeds germinate. “The nice thing is that the control happens two to three weeks after application when the weeds start to germinate,” says Kowalchuk. It’s anticipated that Focus will be registered by early 2016, possibly late 2015, giving wheat growers another option for weed control. h

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Farming Smarter / FALL 2014

Growing Knowledge

The connection between France and Lethbridge

// by Alexis Kienlen

f you’d like to experience a little of France, drop by the Farming Smarter office. The research organization hosts French university students studying agriculture and enjoys a positive experience with international interns. Ken Coles, Farming Smarter manager, stole the idea from the Lethbridge branch of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada who also host exchange students. Throughout the years, a number of the French students helped out on Coles’ farm, so he decided to initiate an intern program at Farming Smarter. One component of a French university degree in agriculture, students must work on farms in other countries. Last year, intern Sophie Bue, was the first French student to work at Farming Smarter. This year, intern Martin Gosse De Gorre, hails from Ostreville, a town in northern France. He grew up farming potatoes, sugar beets, wheat and flax. He studies agricultural engineering at L’institut Polytechnique Lasalle Beauvais. The first three years of his program focus on general sciences, followed by two years of study in a more specific agricultural field. His focus is now on agricultural innovation and management. During his internship at Farming Smarter, he worked from June to September assisting Lethbridge College and University of Lethbridge summer students with projects. As part of his school requirements, Gosse De Gorre worked on a hemp research pilot project that will help Farming Smarter determine the best methods to grow hemp in southern Alberta. “I was pretty lucky to work a lot on this project,” said Gosse De Gorre. The project involved growing different varieties of hemp in irrigated and dry land situations. “It’s only the beginning. I think next year they want to change a lot and do a lot of research with hemp, so it could be very interesting,” he said. “Martin is a fabulous addition to our crew,” said Coles. “He is a really hard worker

Farming Smarter / FALL 2014

(L-R) Lethbridge College student Matthew Graham and University of Lethbridge students Randi Ashbacher and Grayson Rathwell. PhOTOs: Farming Smarter

and has a lot of experience with equipment, so I’ve been able to let him run it.” In addition to his work at Farming Smarter, Gosse De Gorre also explored Alberta. He rented a small apartment in Lethbridge and visited potato farms in the Lethbridge area. He experienced various tourist attractions in Alberta and travelled to see other trials and landscapes. “The crops in northern France and southern Alberta are pretty similar, but the farms in Alberta are much bigger,” said Gosse De Gorre. “We have a lot of little villages and big cities everywhere, but here you have one big city and after the big one, it’s a two hour drive,” he said. “Canada is a very cool country. I will come back, I think.” He found his Canadian coworkers and Canadians in general to be friendly and accommodating. It’s not only the French students who benefit from the exchange. Coles said he enjoyed learning all about agriculture in France. He had an opportunity to practice his French, while the students spoke to him in English. “We’re learning what they’re doing in France and we’re forming some pretty good friendships and bonds,” said Coles. “I’d love to go to France now and visit them all.” h

Martin Gosse De Gorre taking samples in a Farming Smarter field.

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Farming Smarter / FALL 2014

Growing Knowledge

Canadian study serves canola growers Science Article Review // by C. Lacombe

three-year study in Alberta offers canola growers some sound, evidence-based information regarding seeding rates and row spacing for commonly used cultivars. Response of Herbicide-Tolerant Canola (Brassica Napus L.) Cultivars to Four Row Spacings and Three Seeding Rates in a NoTill Production System by H. R. Kutcher, T. K. Turkington, G. W. Clayton and K. N. Harker published in the Canadian Journal of Plant Science dives into the topic. The article explains that researchers conducted this study because studies out of Europe, Middle East, Asia, North America and Australia did not include herbicidetolerant hybrids in no-till operations. This study grew hybrid Advanta 505RR and open-pollinated Pioneer 45A55 and SP Banner in no-till fields of black chernozem soils in Melfort, Sask. and Lacombe, Alta. These cultivars are glyphosate-tolerant and black-leg resistant. This study concluded that optimum row spacing is 23 to 31 cm for plant density and yields. This conclusion accords with the findings of studies elsewhere in the world. Beyond 31 cm row spacing, plant density begins to drop; which affects yield. However, yield did not drop as much as plant density because the plants produced more pods per plant. “Plant density decreased by 26 per cent as row spacing increased from 23 to 61 cm. However, yield only decreased by 11 per cent over this same increase in row spacing,” according to the results section of the article. The study also showed that seeding rates in the range of 3.2 to 9.6 kg/ha had no effect on yields. Nor did it affect days to start flowering, days to end flowering, days to maturity, thousand seed weight or green seed proportion. The one caution included regarding seeding rates is that, because of seed size variability, kilograms per hectare may not be an ideal way to express seeding rates. The article mentions, “the results of this study suggest that plant density may not be a reliable predictor of canola yield, but that row

Farming Smarter / FALL 2014

PHOTO: C. LACOMBE

spacing is an important consideration. Additionally, moderate to wide row spacing and lower seeding rates produce acceptable yields when extrapolated to a per-hectare basis.” The article also cautions that this study took place under weed free conditions and that lower seeding rates can lower crop competitiveness with weeds. When it comes to what variety to grow,

hybrid or open pollinated, this study supports the common conclusion that it depends. “In general, however, Thomas (2003) indicated that there are considerable differences in agronomic characteristics and yields among cultivars, regardless of whether OP or HYB. The results of the current study, in light of other published results, support this.” 

GROWING NEW IDEAS / GROWING KNOWLEDGE / GROWING STEWARDSHIP

Get what you want through the civic process // by Darcy Kirtzinger

nyone can engage in our provincial decision-making process and here are some tips to get you started. Our provincial government serves a four year term (approx. 48 months). During that term, the government enacts and revises laws, spends tax money on programs and infrastructure and promotes Albertans’ interests in Canada and abroad. All the while remaining accountable to the public and playing the subtle game of politics. There are generally four stages of an electoral cycle. The first few months of a government’s term are familiarization with the wants and needs of the electorate. The second, and by far the longest phase of the term, is activism — meeting policy objectives and budgeting to achieve specific goals (approximately months four to 38). During the next phase (patching and filling, months 38 to 42), government prepares for an upcoming election by reviewing its political promises and evaluating the success of its programs. Finally, with an election looming, governments’ attention shifts to campaigns and re-election in the last few months of its term. More important than just knowing the phases of the election cycle, people who understand which phase the government is in at any given point in time can strategize accordingly. Advancing policy aims may fit better into one phase or another or even during a subsequent mandate. Have you noticed a number of funding announcements and policy changes in the news lately? It reflects a political reality and a strategy a civics instructor understands well. As a member of Farming Smarter, you can actively participate in shaping public policy. Research and extension are critical to ensure that Alberta agriculture remains on the forefront of innovation and that commodities grown here meet exacting market demands. By advocating effectively on behalf of Farming Smarter, you can help ensure that the organization meets its goals and continues to provide value to its members. Darcy Kirtzinger is a project manager with the Agriculture and Food Council (AFC). He leads AFC’s agriculture leadership academy and customizable leadership training modules. To learn more, visit: http://www.agfoodcouncil.com/leadership-training. 

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Growing Knowledge

Study aims to revisit the salinity issue // by Lee Hart

ow big an issue is soil salinity for southern Alberta farmers today and how can they manage it? That’s the question Farming Smarter hopes to answer with a proposed study in four southern Alberta counties over the next few years. The project, aimed at monitoring the level of salinity on farms in Cypress, Warner and 40 Mile Counties and the Municipal District of Taber, revisits a topic that salinity specialists say has been dormant for nearly 20 years. “When you look back at the 1970s and 80s everyone was almost in a panic mode when it came to dealing with soil salinity,” says Don Wentz, of Coaldale, Alta., now retired, who served as Alberta’s regional salinity specialist in the day. “It was a common issue in parts of the irrigation districts. Then we had some wet years in the late 1970s and the ground water recharged. Then in the early 80s, we had drought. As that water evaporated, it brought the salts to the soil surface and saline areas just grew and appeared in areas where it hadn’t been before.” Along with management measures introduced then as well as a change in moisture conditions over several years, salinity really slid to the back burner, says Ken Coles, Farming Smarter general manager. “Salinity hasn’t received much attention since the mid 1990s,” says Coles. “But in recent years soil salinity appears to be more of an issue for more farmers again. So we felt it was a question that needed an answer — first of all, we wanted to get an update on salinity conditions today.” If funding is available, Farming Smarter hopes to launch a four-year

study in 2015, says Dr. Adil Akbar, research director. The project will have four key objectives: • Evaluate the impact of current cropping conditions and weather extremes on root zone salinity in southern Alberta; • Characterize field salinity using soil conductivity sensors, yield maps, topography and soil sampling; • Develop solutions for managing varying levels of salinity using site specific management tools such as variable rate seeding and nutrient management; and, • Explore alternate uses of saline soils including wetland enhancement. “The idea is to get a better handle on the severity of soil salinity today,” says Akbar. “We picked four rural municipalities that over the years show prone to soil salinity issues. “And then, depending on what we learn, the next step will be to come up with management strategies to help producers to reduce, eliminate and better manage dryland salinity.” Researchers will monitor field scale plots on soils with varying levels of salinity. Levels will include soils with no salinity, slight salinity, moderate and severe saline (severe is where white salt conditions are visible on the soil surface). Researchers will identify various plots and mark them out. Then the farmer will seed the same crop over these plots as he does on the rest of the field. The follow up is to compare the production of the grain, oilseed or pulse crop on the unaffected area to that grown on saline soils. Soil salinity patterns have changed in recent years, says Ken Wall, a long time salinity technician with the SPARC Agriculture

This is a severe example of the salts brought to the soil surface as ground water evaporates. photos: Lee Hart

Excess moisture in recent years has helped to “recharge” ground water in areas prone to soil salinity issues.

Farming Smarter / FALL 2014

GROWING NEW IDEAS / GROWING KNOWLEDGE / GROWING STEWARDSHIP

AC Saltlander is a forage variety developed that grows well in all types of soil including saline soil, and makes excellent pasture for cattle. photo: Ken Wall, Agriculture Canada

Canada research station in Swift Current, Sask. Wall worked with now retired hydrologist and soil salinity researcher Dr. Harold Steppuhn, at SPARC for many years. Wall takes over as manager of the salinity lab at the research station. “I believe we see more concern about soil salinity as moisture patterns and ground water levels change,” says Wall. “As we see more rainfall in recent years ground water levels recharge and, as that moisture evaporates, we see the salts pulled up to the soil surface.” Describing much of the southern prairies as a moisture deficient area,

Wall says the move toward continuous cropping over the past 25 years or more has provided one of the biggest benefits to help control soil salinity. Keeping the ground covered and crops growing to use up excess moisture helped reduce the amount of salt carried to the soil surface. He says also, plant breeders have introduced varieties of canola, barley, to some extent wheat and alfalfa that are more salt tolerant than earlier varieties. Land managers can also seed other new forages such as AC Saltlander, a salt tolerant wheat grass, on saline affected areas and help use up moisture. Wentz says for many farmers in southern Alberta back in the 1980s, it was planting alfalfa in the recharge area that had the greatest impact on controlling salinity on many farms. “The actual saline seep, or the white area of the field, might have been 10 acres. But 50 or 80 acres surrounding that seep fed water into that low lying area and also needed treatment,” says Wentz. “And that’s what we had to demonstrate to farmers. If they started growing alfalfa in the recharge area then that would control the water in the lower areas and keep the salts down in the soil profile.” Wentz says in any given year or period of years, the amount of salinity will expand and contract depending on moisture conditions. While there haven’t been any very recent studies, some of the last work from Agriculture Canada estimated about 3.5 million acres of the prairies showed moderate-to-severe salinity — enough to reduce crop productivity by 50 per cent — and an additional 25 million acres described as slightly salinized. Researchers then estimated there were about 1.6 million acres of saline cropland in Alberta expanding by about six per cent per year. 

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Growing Stewardship

Moving from reactive to proactive pest control measures National Voluntary Farm-level Biosecurity Standard for the Grains and Oilseeds Industry // By Kristi Cox

ith the scope of pest threats these days, it is crucial to move toward preventative biosecurity. Throughout agricultural history, people battled pests, disease and weeds. In many cases, that battle is reactionary, though some people take steps along the way to protect their lands from these invasions. “Biosecurity is a new term used to describe securing your farm or business from biological threats,” explains Dr. Ron Howard, Plant Pathologist with RJH Ag Research Solutions Ltd. “The crop side of production follows on the heels of the initiative on the livestock side, where animal biosecurity is now very well organized.” Catastrophic threats such as mad cow disease, Asian bird flu and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus made livestock producers realize how important it is to control traffic on and off their land if they want to maintain a healthy population. “Fortunately, we haven’t yet seen that level of destruction with crops, but I think we’ve come to the realization that crop pests could be equally destructive if exotic ones are introduced,” Dr. Howard said. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) developed a series of documents that outline on-farm biosecurity plans for crops. The first document addressed potatoes. There are a number of highly infectious diseases in potatoes. If these are in seed potatoes, they can spread through the sale of that seed and adversely affect the commercial potato industry. “The potato sector of the crop industry has for many years recognized the importance of isolating seed operations and making sure that any equipment that comes in from off-farm is clean and sterilized,” said Dr. Howard. Grain and oilseed producers faced threats of this calibre recently. In 2003, clubroot emerged in the Edmonton area. Experts quickly identified clubroot as an enormous threat to canola production. On the cereal production side, fusarium head blight spread across Canada.

Farming Smarter / FALL 2014

A demonstration of equipment cleaning at the August Farming Smarter crop disease field day. photo: C. Lacombe

Crop producers can prevent the spread of both by implementing strong biosecurity plans, and this brings us to the CFIA’s National Voluntary Farm-Level Biosecurity Standard for the Grains and Oilseeds Industry. Jim Broatch, pest management specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development was one of 30 professional representatives from across Canada involved in developing the biosecurity standard. These people represented a cross section of geographical areas within Canada and came from many different industries. Each brought forward concerns in their areas and consultants took notes and compiled the results. “It was interesting to hear from people with issues we haven’t thought of here. It was both a learning and contributing process,” said Broatch. While designing the Biosecurity Standard, participants focused on three broad areas:

• Pests you don’t have and how to avoid bringing them in. • Pests you might have, but in a limited area on your farm. • Pests you have and how to avoid spreading them to your neighbours. A Producer Guide allows farmers to examine risks and use the guide along with the National Voluntary Farm-Level Biosecurity Standard for the Grains and Oilseeds Industry. “In the self-assessment tool, yes or no answer checklists for your farm helps you identify quickly where you might have biosecurity risks,” Broatch said. “Once identified, they can look at how to address that risk depending on what they identified.” The Producer Guide to the National Voluntary Farm-Level Biosecurity Standard for the Grains and Oilseeds Industry — A Guide for Implementing Proactive Biosecurity into Farm Management is online and in print form.

GROWING NEW IDEAS / GROWING KNOWLEDGE / GROWING STEWARDSHIP

“It was interesting to hear from people with issues we haven’t thought of here. It was both a learning and contributing process.”

— Jim Broatch

Broatch explained that the online version has web links within the document, making it easy for producers to access further information on the risks and prevention measures discussed. Find the document online http://www. inspection.gc.ca/plants/plant-protection/biosecurity/grains-and-oilseeds-sector/producerguide/eng/1364086061680/136408662534 9?chap=0 or order a paper copy through the Ag-Info Centre by calling 310-FARM.

Dr. Ron Howard brought this DIY boot cleaner he made to show participants in a Farming Smarter crop disease ﬁeld day. PHOTO: C. LACOMBE

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Growing Stewardship

Farming Smarter adds new research direction // By Madeleine Baerg

ith nearly 40 per cent of the total cultivated land in Canada used to grow forage crops, they are a huge and important part of this country’s agriculture industry. Recognizing the need to keep forages viable, Farming Smarter proudly announces the addition of a forage and livestock research program to its project and priority list. Forage crops are biologically complex and mostly perennial. “Traditionally, forages struggled to capture research funding. There’s no check off, no reinvesting in the product. We’re trying to combat that,” says Jamie Puchinger, Farming Smarter assistant manager. “We established a lot of capacity on our crop side. We built up enough staff and knowledge base that we felt we could now grow some forage and livestock capacity as well. Most of the farmers involved with Farming Smarter grow annual crops, but they also have forages and livestock, so we see this move as diversifying what we offer them.” Driven by passion for innovation, agricultural profitability and stewardship, Farming Smarter constantly strives to grow agriculture through research, collaboration, leadership and extension. Last year, Farming Smarter conducted 68 different research trials on a total of more than 3,000 plots, all focused on annual crops. Comparatively, the jump into forages and livestock will be small: in 2014, Farming Smarter starts two separate but related forage and livestock trials “We want to build up capacity on the forage side, so initially we will start in a limited manner and not get too carried away,” says Puchinger. In fact, these earliest projects combine annual crop varieties with forage crop management practices. “Since a lot of Alberta’s producers grow both forages and annual crops, it makes sense for us to do these projects that are dual purpose: multiple benefits on a single piece of land,” says Puchinger. “And, since winter wheat growers have some money, we hope they’ll be open to investing in a new, innovative practice.” One of Farming Smarter’s biggest assets is

Farming Smarter / FALL 2014

PHOTOs: Farming Smarter

a solid and effective network for information distribution. Farming Smarter’s extension program offers multiple communication channels — a conference, crop walks, e-newsletter, magazine, website and social media — to suit farmers’ differing preferences for accessing information. Now, Farming Smarter will leverage those communication channels to start sharing information about its forage and livestock program and projects as well.

“There’s no point in doing research if the farmer doesn’t ever hear about it or if it’s not communicated in a way that is accessible,” says Puchinger. “A lot of the time, there’s a gap between knowledge or research and the person who needs that information. Our priority is to get usable information into the hands of producers as soon as possible so they can become as successful as possible.” h

GROWING NEW IDEAS / GROWING KNOWLEDGE / GROWING STEWARDSHIP

Growing Stewardship

Double whammy crop production

// By Madeleine Baerg

nnovative Medicine Hat area farmer, Scott amazing,” says Coles. The cows remain healthy and For this reason, Farming Smarter’s small plot Lehr, is successfully doing what may at first well fed and require little to no supplemental feed trials will test which varieties perform best in fall seem impossible: harvesting twice from a single all winter. In the spring, Lehr removes the cows in biomass production, winter survivability and the planting of cereals. Given that many farmers might April, knifes in fertilizer and the fall seeded cereal subsequent year’s crop yield. The trials will also benefit from that kind of two-for-one deal, Farmregrows from its crown into a harvestable silage or test if a seed treatment makes a quantifiable differing Smarter just began a multi-plot trial comparing cereal crop. ence to growth, survivability and yield. Farming various agronomics to best test — and hopefully “The system maximizes returns from the land Smarter planted nine different varieties and variety 311-23rd Stre perfect — the two harvest theory. while minimizing costs associated with stored blends this fall, each with and without Cruiser “If we can prove it’s a system that works and feed,” says Coles. “There’s a lot of flexibility in a Maxx seed treatment. They will test each underFort Macle makes guys more money, you’ll see more producsystem like this: he has the option to graze cattle grazed and ungrazed (control) conditions. In a sepers trying it out for sure,” says Ken Coles, Farming in the spring, to harvest a silage crop or to harvest arate but related study Farming Smarter’s team will Phone Smarter General Manager. a cereal crop.” try to capture even more data by planting winter The theory is marvelously logical. After harIn fact, Lehr thinks the system is beneficial cereals on three different seeding dates from mid Fa vesting in mid- to late-August, Lehr immediately as winter feed even if the crop dies over the cold August through October to determine how this www seeds a winter wheat or blend of winter wheat months and needs to be replanted in the spring. variable impacts grazability and ultimate success. and fall triticale. While most winter cereal experts “His attitude is that if it survives in the spring, The winter grazing concept is already gathering info advise growers to plant just early enough to get it’s a major bonus,” says Coles. “Even if the crop some momentum in Alberta. The West Central 311-23rd 311-23rd Street Street PO PO Box 1086 1086 the new crop to the rosette stage before freeze-up, only survives the winter eightBox years out of 10, he’s Forage Association, following Farming Smarter’s Lair instead seeds very early striving for as much Fort way ahead. ” request, this year started a three-year small plot Fort Macleod, Macleod, AB AB T0L T0L 0Z0 0Z0 fall growth as possible. Because a fall seeded cereal While the two-harvest system is used in Texas and field scale winter grazing trial near Evansburg. puts all of its energy into foliar growth rather than and elsewhere, Alberta’s cold climate challenges “The partnerships we are building to benefit 311-23rd Street PO Box 1086311-23rd Street PO Box 1086 Phone: Phone: (403) (403) 553-0000 553-0000 a push to flower, Lehr’s irrigated crop comes up as any winter seeded crop, let alone one compacted both the crop and forage industries is really, really Fort Macleod, AB553-4600 T0LBut, 0Z0 Macleod, AB T0L thick, lush grass before winter. and chewed upon throughout winter. today’s Fort good,” says Coles. “For a long time, 0Z0 forage and Fax: Fax: (403) (403) 553-4600 After the first hard, green-sapping frost of fall, better genetics, improved winter survivability crops were totally separate. But, it’s a very positive www.gmsequip.com www.gmsequip.com Lehr then sets his cows out on the fall seeded cereal and strong seed treatments make this system thingPhone: to work together to come up with integrated Phone: (403)may553-0000 (403) 553-0000 to graze through the winter. The feed value is “quite increasingly usable in this province as well. systems that work for forage and crop guys.” h info@gmsequip.com info@gmsequip.com

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Farming Smarter / FALL 2014

Growing Stewardship

Neonicotinoid seed treatments and bee deaths // by Helen McMenamin

ee deaths are still in the news and it seems everybody blames neonics. This summer Ontario honey producers launched a class action lawsuit against Syngenta and Bayer. The premier of Ontario wants to limit neonicotinoid use as seed treatment for corn, soybeans and cereals. Bee experts aren’t against neonics. The Alberta Beekeepers Commission, whose members make up 45 per cent of Canada’s honeybee industry, won’t join the lawsuit. They say neonic seed treatments cut pollinators’ exposure to chemicals. Shelley Hoover, Alberta Agriculture bee specialist, agrees. “Nobody believes insecticides are good for bees, but agriculture needs pesticides. And, we all have to eat. “All bees in southern Alberta forage on neonic-treated canola and mortality among those bees is lower than in most areas of North America. Losses among bees in Canada are mainly overwintering losses, with harsh winters leading to high losses. Colony collapse disorder has never been officially identified in Canada.” Corn planting in Ontario releases neonicotinoid dust, but not apparently on the Prairies. It’s extremely toxic to bees that fly into the dust or drink from puddles where it settles. A new sticky formulation eliminated the dust problem. Neonics are a particular concern because they bind irreversibly to an insect’s central nervous system. At non-lethal levels they can damage bees’ learning ability and memory. Also, analysis found traces of the systemic insecticides in pollen from corn, sunflower and canola. But, compared to older insecticides, these chemicals are less toxic to humans, other mammals, birds, fish and amphibians, especially when absorbed through skin. Farmers can help bees by minimizing risks and warning beekeepers of potentially harmful activities. “Bees can be killed or harmed by a lot of farm pesticides, not just insecticides,” says Hoover. “Fungicides aren’t acutely toxic, but they may have long term consequences. We don’t have enough information yet. They seem

Farming Smarter / FALL 2014

A bee approaches a hemp flowers in Farming Smarter’s plot. Photo: Jamie Puchinger

to make bees more vulnerable to nosema — a bee disease like dysentery and lessen bees’ ability to detoxify harmful materials they encounter — including insecticides and mite control products.” Some herbicides and adjuvants in pesticides affect bees. Some show up in honey, pollen and bee brood, the food for bee larvae, but Hoover doubts this causes the losses some beekeepers experience. The power of modern chemistry to detect miniscule levels, she says, can lead people to jump to conclusions. Bees can encounter farm chemicals directly by spray or drift or through sprayed pollen or nectar. They sometimes collect insecticide

dust along with pollen and mix it with their food stores or drink contaminated water. “Always put lids back on chemical containers,” says Hoover. “Bees need to drink, and a tiny amount of chemical in a puddle, or a little dew in the lid of a chemical container can kill them. “If possible, don’t spray crops in bloom or ditches. Spray in the late evening when bees are out of the fields and tell aerial applicators beehive locations — they’re not easy to see from the air. Make sure planes aren’t turning over the hives. Beekeepers can keep bees in the hives if they know what and when you plan to spray.”

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Evening spraying and using EC (emulsifiable concentrate) products allows toxic fumes to fade before the bees return to the field. Search “reduce bee poisoning” for more tips. A beekeepers challenge is to help bees face an accumulation of stresses, as farming and development intensify. Bees die or suffer chronic effects such as impaired immune function, new diseases, parasites, poor reproduction or queen loss, diminished foraging ability or impaired navigation. Bigger fields, fewer weeds, fewer pollen and nectar sources, mean bees must fly further to gather food for themselves and their young. Early spring flowers such as dandelions can help bees recover from winter stress. The concentration of almond growing affects bees hugely, says Hoover. About 80 per cent of U.S. bees are used to pollinate almond blossoms. Disease spreads quickly among the whole population as males (drones) spend their days looking for young queens to inseminate. They often spend their nights in hives other than their own, so they are efficient vectors for disease and parasites. “Buckwheat, mustards, clover, alfalfa and sainfoin all provide forage for bees. In the garden fruit trees, berries, squash, pumpkins and flowers, especially blue and yellow flowers provide a series of food sources from spring to fall. Honeybees aren’t the only pollinators. Many other insects have adapted to feeding and nesting in urban gardens including bumblebees and other natives. h

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Farming Smarter / FALL 2014

Growing Stewardship

New strain of clubroot beats resistance genes

// by Helen McMenamin

lant pathologists found a new pathotype of clubroot thriving even in resistant varieties of canola. So far, they have only found the new pathotype in the Edmonton area, where clubroot first appeared in canola some years ago, but scientists rush to find out more about this new strain of the disease and help develop management strategies for it. “We don’t know yet whether this pathogen has always been present or if there’s been a genetic change,” says Alberta Agriculture plant pathologist, Mike Harding. “Maybe, it was present at low levels before and it’s increasing because we’re selecting for it by growing resistant varieties or there may be a recent genetic change in the disease organism.” The biology of the disease is important to develop a strategy against it. If resistant varieties have selected for the new pathotype, researchers need to find different resistance genes than the ones currently in commercial canola varieties to effectively control the disease. However, this is a less useful strategy if the clubroot organism is genetically unstable and mutates frequently. Harding and other plant pathologists are building a research program to better understand this new clubroot pathotype and find the best ways to manage it. Clubroot is already a challenging disease for scientists because it’s an obligate biotrophe — it only grows in a living host. Harding works in a biosecure disease nursery within the research greenhouse facility at Brooks. So far, the new pathotype only shows up in small patches of fields already diagnosed with clubroot. Even though the growers used clubroot-resistant varieties, some plants were infected and showed typical symptoms. Although the new pathotype is only in the Edmonton area, so far, pathologists diagnose new fields every year. The drier, higher pH soils of southern Alberta are less favourable to the pathogen. The pest surveillance branch of Alberta Agriculture runs an ongoing survey for clubroot that samples about 15 fields in each county every year.

Farming Smarter / Spring 2014

PHOTO: Farming Smarter

PHOTO: Ken Coles

“Infections aren’t leveling off,” he says. “We’re still finding new infections and the south is not immune, the cool, wet springs we’ve had these last three years were ideal for the swimming spores that move in soil moisture to host plants.” Harding advises scouting for clubroot no matter where you farm. “To me, scouting is the first, best practice you can use to protect your canola,” he says. “You don’t know whether you have clubroot unless you look for it. Sometimes you see wilting, stunted plants and yellowing, but not always. Mild or late infections may not cause any visible symptoms above ground.” The most likely spot for clubroot is around the field entrance — the bottleneck for soil entering fields on vehicles or machinery and it’s where scouting finds 90 per cent of infections. But, it can also arrive in wind- or water-eroded soil. Harding advises producers to pull 30 to 50 plants near the field entrance, ideally at or before swathing, and look at the roots. Include brassica weeds in your sample because clubroot can infect them too. Look for clubbing, galls or tumors on the roots. The disease causes unregulated growth of

root tissue. Not all growths on roots are due to clubroot, the Canola Council website has some excellent pictures, but even pathologists have trouble identifying clubroot symptoms in the field. “Sometimes it’s easy to confuse clubroot galls with herbicide damage or hybridization nodules,” says Harding. He advises sending roots with suspicious nodules to a lab for molecular testing. Clubroot is long-lived, but spores have a half-life of about four years, so a four-year rotation cuts down the amount of inoculum and the severity of crop damage. During non-canola phases of the rotation, controlling brassica weeds — volunteer canola, mustards, shepherds purse, flixweed and stinkweed — is important to reduce inoculum levels in fields. Harding’s other advice is to keep soil in its own field. “Minimize tillage operations,” he says. “That limits the spread of disease organism. Whether or not you sanitize equipment between fields or farms is an individual call when you’re busy, but even knocking soil off helps. I definitely recommend sanitizing before moving in equipment or vehicles from an area where clubroot exists.” h

GROWING NEW IDEAS / GROWING KNOWLEDGE / GROWING STEWARDSHIP

News

News Briefs Premier Prentice announces revitalization of Southern Alberta Office

Premier Jim Prentice announced that high-profile community advocate Emma May is the new executive director of the Premier’s Southern Alberta office at McDougall Centre. Emma is the co-founder of a successful real estate brokerage, a former corporate lawyer, active community advocate and volunteer. She grew up in Calgary’s inner city, is an active volunteer in her community and, as a realtor, adhered to the highest standards of client representation and service. In addition to her law degree, Emma holds a degree in english literature and communications studies. She is a member of the Law Society of Alberta. Emma has practiced law in both British Columbia and Alberta, where she focused on corporate commercial and entertainment law. Her role as executive director of the Southern Alberta office begins immediately.

Dow AgroSciences offers canola growers options

Dow AgroSciences introduced an option to grow Nexera™ canola with or without a production contract in 2015. The new 2015 Flexibility Agreement™ allows growers to grow Nexera to market as a commodity canola with the added potential of obtaining a delivery contract for the omega-9 oil premium in response to end-use demand. “For several years, growers have asked us for the opportunity to grow Nexera canola without the commitments associated with a production contract, allowing increased marketing flexibility,” says Mark Woloshyn, Nexera canola leader. “With the introduction of the 2015 Nexera Flexibility Agreement, growers get that opportunity along with marketing flexibility,” says Woloshyn. With five high-performing canola hybrids, including new 2020 CL with Nexera’s strongest disease package yet, growers can choose

the variety that best suits their geography and operation. Adding to the benefit of flexibility, Dow AgroSciences also offers a rebate for growers who take advantage of the new option for flexible marketing. Growers who sign a Flexibility Agreement will automatically qualify for a $50 per bag offer, making the pricing of Nexera canola competitive with leading commodity seed offers. Visit healthierprofits.ca for more information about the Flexibility Agreement and Nexera canola hybrids. h

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GROWING NEW IDEAS / GROWING KNOWLEDGE / GROWING STEWARDSHIP

Farming Smarter / FALL 2014

Growing Stewardship

MD Taber proffers regional drainage plan // Donna Trottier, P. Ag

esidents within the Municipal District (MD) of Taber can watch for two planning documents coming this winter that address drainage issues during times of high risk. Back to back flooding in Southern Alberta in 2010 and 2011 caused significant infrastructure damage with obvious public health and safety concerns throughout Southern Alberta. The flooding caused municipal ditches and irrigation structures to overflow resulting in the closure of close to 150 roads in the MD of Taber. Along with infrastructure damage, the flooding triggered conflicts between municipalities and irrigation districts concerning stormwater management. “Flooding events seem to be occurring more frequently,” comments Brian Brewin, Reeve from the MD of Taber. Runoff rates and volumes have been increasing due to re-contouring of land for both agricultural and community purposes, more intensive cropping in rural areas, and more roofs and pavement in urban areas. With increased runoff rates and volumes, irrigation systems frequently operate at full capacity and cannot adequately handle the volume of runoff. “When lakes are full and dams are as high as we can have them, we start asking how we can store that extra water for reuse or divert the runoff back to the river to prevent flooding,” states Brewin. The flooding events, infrastructure damage and lack of options for stormwater management prompted the MD of Taber to initiate conversations about improving stormwater management planning. Brewin explains how the stormwater management planning proceeded, “We (officials from the MD of Taber) and representatives from the Drainage Districts in the area, met with Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (AESRD). The Province has really stepped up and recognized that the flooding, and conflicts caused by water are important issues. They are working with us to find a solution.” The initial meeting sparked the Regional Drainage Committee with members from the MD of Taber, St. Mary River Irrigation District, Taber Irrigation District, AESRD, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, and Alberta Municipal Affairs. Two plans came together in conjunction with one another; The Southern Regional Stormwater Management Plan, referred to as the Regional Plan, and the South Municipal Stormwater Management Plan, referred to as the Municipal Plan. “The Regional Plan is a high level plan, looking at the drainage issues from 1,000 feet while the Municipal Plan looks at how we can solve local, individual hotspots such as managing rainfall and snowmelt so that specific roads do not flood,” states Brewin. The Regional Drainage Plan focuses on approximately two million acres including the south drainage basin into the Oldman River and the South Saskatchewan River from St. Mary Reservoir east to Medicine Hat, plus the catchment into the St. Mary River Irrigation District Main Canal. The Regional Plan intends to document the issues and generate potential solutions for managing stormwater, irrespective of jurisdictional boundaries. Part of the planning included identifying storm water capacities in irrigation and drainage infrastructures to

Farming Smarter / FALL 2014

Southern Regional Stormwater Plan area map. Photo: Southern Regional Stormwater Management Plan Terms of Reference

determine the existing allowable flows. The plan also considers existing reservoirs that influence stormwater retention capacity. Brewin indicated that the plan had to list potential flood risk reduction solutions and recommend structural and non-structural improvements to avoid infrastructure damage during future flood events. The Regional Plan will answer the question, “What could we have done differently during the 2010-11 floods to better manage the water flow and to reduce damage to infrastructure?” “We are looking for options,” explains Brewin. Examples of structural improvements include emergency spillways, diversions from the canal back to the river, road-crossing culverts, building or expanding reservoirs, rehabilitation of existing drainage channels, and retention ponds. Non-structural improvements could include development of operational plans and flood response guides, emergency response procedures, measures to respond to wastewater discharges, policies on land contouring to retain local natural storage and education on drainage practices. The MD of Taber developed its own Municipal Stormwater Plan for the area south of the Oldman River to the southern municipal boundary. It built the Municipal Plan on the Regional Plan, but with more detail. The Municipal Plan focuses on flood reduction and water quantity issues and recommends solutions to improve management of natural drainage and stormwater within the plan area. The Municipal Plan determined the existing drainage capacities and bottlenecks to help identify structural and non-structural drainage improvements to accommodate short-term and long-term scenarios. The plan includes detailed capital plans and costs for local problem areas. Brewin suggests that MD of Taber’s Municipal Plan can be a template for other municipalities in the region with similar issues. The two Stormwater Management Plans have been in the works for the past couple of years and are now near completion. The report comes out in November/December 2014 in conjunction with open houses to share the results with the public. h

GROWING NEW IDEAS / GROWING KNOWLEDGE / GROWING STEWARDSHIP

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