Grainews

feature

Your field pea potential Can inputs and agronomics get your pea yield to 94 bu./ac.? 12

machinery

Manitoba Ag Days Scott Garvey brings home the highlights from the Brandon show 31

Volume 43 · number 04 february 14, 2017 · $4.25 Practical production tips for the prairie farmer www.grainews.ca

crop production

Sclerotinia a triple threat for Manitoba sunflowers Minimize chances of sclerotinia infection in your sunflower field next season See Sclerotinia on Page 5 

photo: thinkstock

Publications Mail Agreement #40069240

PLU S

The Prairie version of the classic French nicoise Baked northern pike leftovers can be made into a very nice salad 40

CONTENTS 3 | COLUMNS 22 | CATTLEMAN’S CORNER 35

Take the weather with you.

Download Weatherfarm Mobile Weather from hundreds of stations available on your smartphone!

The new Weatherfarm Mobile app gives you instant access to an extensive, live-updating network with current and forecasted weather data for your farm or surrounding area.

App features include: Current conditions  Hourly, 6 hour and 10 day forecast data  Radar & satellite data  Weather news & facts  Weather alerts  Market and ag news  Intuitive interface with large, easy-to-read text  More to Come 

The Weatherfarm Mobile app gives farmers clear and comprehensive weather information that is essential to their operation.

Scan the code below to download the app available for iPhone and Android devices.

For more information please contact us at: support@weatherfarm.com Get weather on your desktop at weatherfarm.com

Sponsored by

wheat & chaff

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

CONTENTS

Making plans for the long term Leeann Minogue

leeann.minougue@fbcpublishing.com

I Low P on the Prairie?

Stu Brandt says Saskatchewan farmers have been mining phosphorus out of the soil 7

Know who to trust Columnist Ross McKenzie warns against believing the claims of snake oil salespeople 26

Good things, small packages Edna Manning gets an update on Dexters, an old beef breed 28

n every issue of Grainews you’ll see at least two or three articles about the benefits of long-term crop rotations. Or, if there aren’t whole articles, there are always a few comments from experts about using four- or even eight-year rotations instead of something like canola, snow, canola, snow.

We’ve all heard about the benefits: slowing the spread of disease, lowering levels of disease in the soil and so on.

You’ll also find an article or two about rotating herbicides. There was a day when smokers didn’t know cigarettes caused lung cancer. There was a day when farmers didn’t know that using the same herbicide year after year would lead to the rise (and potential future world domination) of herbicide-tolerant kochia. Now we know, and we’re doing our best to keep careful records so we can change up the herbicides we use on each patch of land from year to year.

We’ve even run one or two pieces in Grainews about changing up varieties of canola seed to help stave off blackleg (different canola varieties are resistant to different blackleg strains).

Tracking all this information is a bit of a chore, and working out a crop and chemical plan that takes historical data, soil tests, input prices, weather forecasts and price projections into account is like putting together a huge jigsaw puzzle. In 3D. Agronomically, the only way to make the pieces fit into this 3D puzzle is to have a long-term plan and stick pretty closely to it.

So what do you do if a piece falls out? It’s hard to find another piece exactly the right shape to fill that gap. But that’s what can happen when a farmer needs to replace one piece of rental land with another.

Short-term rentals

Wheat & Chaff. . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Crop Advisor’s Casebook. . 8 Columns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Machinery & Shop . . . . . . . 31 Cattleman’s Corner . . . . . 35 FarmLife. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

GET IN TOUCH SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (CST) call 1-800-665-0502 U.S. subscribers call 1-204-944-5568 or email: subscription@fbcpublishing.com

STORY IDEAS & SUBMISSIONS If you have story ideas, call us. You can write the article and we’ll pay you – or we can write it.

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

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK Grainews has a Facebook page. Find, read and comment on posts easily and with a thumbs up!

FIND US ON TWITTER Leeann Minogue is @grainmuse Lisa Guenther is @LtoG Lee Hart is @hartattacks Scott Garvey is @machineryeditor

FCC has estimated that 40 per cent of Canadian farmland is rented. Most ag landlords have the same long-term goals as farmers: a long-term profit, healthy soil and an asset that appreciates over time.

Most landowners understand that farmers can’t just maximize profit on every field every year. For examples, some years we have to plant lower-profit wheat on some fields, instead of throwing the dice and planting lentils, to keep disease under control.

Many landowners are still close to the community, and the land. Maybe they live just down the road, or maybe they’ve moved to town but still spend mornings in the coffee shop, listening to farmers talk about the economic costs of clubroot.

But not all landowners fall into this category. Some owners inherited land, but maybe their grandmother moved to the city, and they’re two generations away from the combine cab now. Do these landowners understand why their renters can’t always make the highest profit on their particular quarter section of land? Far-flung landowners have a very small personal stake in stewardship projects like curbing herbicidetolerant weeds — are they willing to forego a short-term profit so renters can spend a little more on a multi-action tank mix?

The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board owns 113,000 acres of Saskatchewan

farmland. When your aunt in Calgary picks up her CPP cheque, do you think she takes time to wonder how many years in a row CPP’s renters are spraying glyphosate on her share of that investment?

AgCapita owns over 90,000 acres of Saskatchewan farmland, scattered around the province. I’m sure their land managers care about long-term soil health, but when investors put their money into AgCapita’s fund, do you think most of them ask to see records proving that all AgCapita’s renters are maintaining a four-year crop rotation?

Think of your investment portfolio. We have a handful of shares in Apple. But I’ve never checked the fine print on the Annual Report to make sure Apple is spending a fair amount of its profits to combat Internet viruses. That sort of expenditure is good for everyone the industry in the long term, like slowing herbicide resistance, but actions like that don’t do a lot for annual share prices.

The problem isn’t that landowners and farmers have different long-term needs — everybody wants an asset that can pay out a profit for decades to come, if not longer. The problem is that it’s easier for farmers to see how short-term sacrifices help build long-term value. We know we have to plant some wheat, even though it’s not penciling in that well. We can explain that to Uncle Henry over pie when he owns the land we’re renting. It takes more time to explain agronomy to an investor in downtown Montreal, and it’s a lot harder to meet up with her to discuss root rot.

Long-term agreements, with data The only way farmers are going to make rented land fit into the 3D puzzle of good agronomic rotations is to be absolutely sure about how long we’ll have each puzzle piece, and the precise shape of that puzzle piece.

If we’re going to make sure our goals are aligned and the soil is healthy, we need long-term rental agreements, and, perhaps more important, crop and chemical records when we’re renting land that’s “new” to us.

Long-term agreements are the key to good agronomy. Without a long-term agreement, when profit margins are low, farmers can’t take on the financial costs of maintaining healthy soil that they don’t own.

Who can afford to spend the extra money to build up a supply of phosphorus if they’re not absolutely sure they’ll be renting that same land for the next two years? If you’re pretty convinced you won’t have a chance to rent that quarter section in 2018, will you be tempted to sneak in a second-in-a-row canola crop instead of planting oats?

We also need good information. Without data that outlines what’s happened for the past few years, farmers can’t organize agronomically-sound rotations and chemical plans on rented land. Without good data, how can you be sure how often glyphosate’s been sprayed on that land? How can you be sure you’re not helping to create herbicidetolerant weeds to share with the whole community?

Ideally, one day all renters and landowners will all insist on long-term agreements and shared historical data. But both sides are going to have to start demanding it to make that happen.

Leeann

3

4

wheat & chaff

Grainews.ca / february 14, 2017

farm safety

AgSafe ribbon campaign goes national for Canadian Ag Safety Week A farm safety awareness campaign with Albertan roots goes national this year in the hopes that a unique ribbon will help remind adults working in agriculture to adopt the safest possible working habits.

Building on last year’s “Be an AgSafe Family” Ag Safety Week campaign, which aimed to keep kids safe on farms, the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) is turning its eye on the safety of primary producers themselves this March. A symbol of the 2017 “Appealing to Adults” Ag Safety Week campaign will start popping up on lapels across the country. If they look familiar, it might be because you may have seen a campaign quite like this already — in Alberta.

What have been affectionately called “twibbons” in the past, at least by Kenda Lubeck who is a farm safety co-ordinator for Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, were a cre-

ation Kendra and her co-workers came up with back in 2012 to raise awareness about farm safety. “We wanted a visual that would encourage discussions for everybody who has a stake in farm safety, whether it was somebody consuming food or the farmer putting it in the ground, you could identify yourself with the role that you could play in farm safety,” she said, adding, “and we had a pretty good run with it!”

At first, the ribbons were made of actual twine, since it is such a representative emblem for farming, but twine was difficult to work with.

Although the response to the campaign was favourable, Lubeck says that ultimately, the team decided it could only be pushed for so long until interest in them naturally waned. It was a coincidence that they had just started to talk about potentially reviving the initiative in 2016 when CASA called proposing a national AgSafe Ribbon campaign in

celebration of Canadian Agricultural Safety Week (CASW).

“Ag Safety Week is about awareness and education,” says Robin Anderson, CASA’s communication coordinator.

“The AgSafe Ribbon is another tool we can use to raise awareness about farm safety across Canada.”

CASA will distribute the AgSafe ribbons through supporters of Ag Safety Week. “Sponsors, friends, CASA members are all encouraged to request ribbons to distribute,” says Anderson. “The success of Ag Safety Week depends on these organizations getting the word out about farm safety.”

Individuals are also encouraged to request bundles of ribbons through CASA’s website for farm safety associations, agricultural groups, producer organizations, and agribusiness employees. Anderson says the ribbons are for anyone that is involved in the agriculture community and wants to show their support for farm safety.

photo contest

Give us your best shot!

“Farm safety is important to everyone that wants to see a healthy and thriving agricultural industry,” she says. “The ribbon is a declaration that you support Canadian agriculture and want to see all farmers succeed and thrive on the farm, and that includes being safe.”

Lubeck says the ribbon was always about helping the industry help itself where safety is concerned. Often they hear great concern from farm owners and operators about the health and safety of their workers or their children, with less concern for their own wellbeing. “But it’s not just about the workers being safe,” she says, “owners need to lead by example; don’t just talk the talk, walk it.”

Wearing the AgSafe ribbon, like the proverbial string tied on your finger, serves as a reminder that everyone plays a role in ensuring safety is practiced on a farm. “And, sometimes, we just have to cele-

brate the things that we do right,” Lubeck adds.

Anderson agrees, clarifying that even though these ribbons serve as a reminder and conversation starter, this is not a remembrance campaign.

“It’s a hopeful message, to work towards that ideal where no one is hurt farming,” she says.

As the ribbons are released in February and people start to wear them through March, Anderson believes much will be learned from the resulting discussions. “Anybody from your ag equipment rep, to grandmothers, to farmers from British Columbia to Newfoundland, to government representatives, anybody can show their support for farm safety.”

To find out more about the AgSafe Ribbon campaign or to order ribbons, visit agsafetyweek.ca. GN Amy Petherick, for the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association.

agronomy tips… from the field

How do you set a good seeding rate?

Have a targeted plant population in mind for this season?

Remember that several post-seeding stresses, including cool temperatures (frost), weeds, moisture and insects, might keep your plant stand from fully establishing.

And while some of these issues, like weather, may be beyond your control, insect and disease pressure can be managed with the right seed treatment and crop protection combo.

Truth is, targeted plant populations are just one factor in determining your final plant stand and, ultimately , yield potential. You may also need to adjust your seeding rate to give yourself some buffer room against the stresses impacting your crop.

The Canola Council of Canada says you should aim to have seven to 10 plants per square foot. They even set out a couple of ways you can count your surviving plants to confirm that you’re getting desired population numbers.

The first method involves using a 50 cm by 50 cm square or a hoop with an inside diameter of 56 cm. Count the number of plants and then multiply by four to get the number of plants per square metre.

The second method is to count plants in one meter of seed row. Take the number of plants in the row, multiply by 100 and then divide by the seed row spacing in centimeters. GN Rob Klewchuk, technical services lead with Syngenta Canada.

Gerrid Gust sent this photo over Twitter. He wrote, “When I win, please donate $$ to @aitcsk.” I appreciate his confidence! It’s a great photo, and it looks like the kids are having a great time.

Instead of sending Gerrid a cheque for $25, we’re mailing the cheque to Agriculture in the Classroom Saskatchewan.

Ag in the Classroom is a registered charity. They work with the agriculture and education communities to connect kids and agriculture.

Send your best shot to leeann@fbcpublishing.com. Or, as Gerrid has done, through Twitter to @GrainMuse. Please send a little information about the photo, and maybe your farm. High-resolution photos look better in the paper.

— Leeann

cover stories

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

5

crop production 1666 Dublin Avenue, Winnipeg, Man. R3H 0H1 www.grainews.ca Publisher Lynda Tityk Editorial director Laura Rance Editor Leeann Minogue Field Editor Lisa Guenther Cattleman’s Corner Editor Lee Hart Farmlife Editor Sue Armstrong Machinery Editor Scott Garvey Production Director Shawna Gibson Designers Steven Cote, Ron White Marketing/Circulation Director Lynda Tityk Circulation Manager Heather Anderson President Glacier Farmmedia LP Bob Willcox Head Office 1666 Dublin Avenue, Winnipeg, Man. R3H 0H1 Phone: (204) 944-5568 Fax: (204) 944-5562 Sales Director Cory Bourdeaud’hui Phone: (204) 954-1414 Fax: (204) 944-5562 Email: cory@fbcpublishing.com National Advertising Sales Kevin Yaworsky Phone: 250-869-5326 Email: kyaworsky@farmmedia.com Advertising Services Co-ordinator Arlene Bomback Phone: (204) 944-5765 Fax: (204) 944-5562 Email: ads@fbcpublishing.com Printed in Canada by TC Printing, Winnipeg, Man. Grainews is published by Glacier FarmMedia LP, 1666 Dublin Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3H 0H1.

Publications Mail Agreement No. 40069240.

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

Subscription Prices: For Canadian farmers, $63 per year or $95 for 2 years (includes GST) or $119 for 3 years (includes GST). Man. residents add 8% PST to above prices.

U.S: $43 per year (U.S. Funds).

Outside Canada & U.S.: $79 per year.

ISSN 0229-8090.

Call 1-800-665-0502 for subscriptions.

Fax (204) 954-1422

Sclerotinia a triple threat for Manitoba sunflowers Minimize chances of sclerotinia infection in your sunflower field next season  Sclerotinia from Page 1

By Lisa McLean

S

clerotinia affects a variety of crops, from canola to pulses to soybean. For Manitoba sunflower growers, the disease is a triple threat, with the potential to strike plants at the base, mid-stem or head. In 2016, it was present in 94 per cent of Manitoba sunflower fields.

Dr. Khalid Rashid, research scientist at Agriculture and AgriFood Canada’s Morden Research and Development Centre, surveyed 40 sunflower fields in Manitoba in 2016 to collect data about the prevalence of key diseases infecting the crop. He says knowing what to watch for — and how to manage it — can save yield loss and quality issues that come with infection.

“With sclerotinia, the inoculant is all over — it’s a matter of a combination of environment and susceptible hosts,” says Rashid. “No crop has resistance, so we must rely on management, with crop rotation or fungicide application.”

So why is sclerotinia so prevalent? It’s because the fungus overwinters in soil by forming a

thick mass of mycelia called sclerotia that can handle cold temperatures. Sclerotia can survive in the soil or crop stubble for upwards of five years. It also has a host range of more than 300 plant species.

“If a field is under normal soil moisture conditions and sclerotia is in the soil during spring planting, the sclerotia germinate producing white mycelia,” says Rashid. “The mycelia infect the roots, causing root rot or basal stem infection in sunflower.” The root infections take place as early as the seedling stage but when the plant’s demand for nutrients is highest before flowering, growers will notice wilting of the whole plant and sometimes a group of adjacent plants due to root to root infections in densely seeded crops. Infected plants die quickly.

Because sclerotia in soil can infect the roots or base stem, waiting a few years before planting another susceptible crop in an infected field may give the sclerotia time to die off. The National Sunflower Association of Canada recommends rotation to cereals and corn. For basal stem rot fungicide control is not an option because sclerotia are scattered throughout the soil,

and any seed treatment may protect the seed and seedlings for a short period of time during the seedling stage.

When fungus takes flight Sunflower crops are also susceptible to sclerotinia head rot and mid-stem rot, due to infections by the airborne ascospores of this fungus. If soil moisture is high, the sclerotia in the wet soil germinate by producing mushroomlike bodies called apothecia, and these produce large number of ascospores that can originate in the sunflower field or be blown in from nearby fields.

“If you plant sunflower in a field that had cereals last year and corn the year before, but the adjacent field had sclerotinia from last year, those mushroom bodies (apothecia) are going to be formed if weather conditions are right, and they’ll produce the airborne ascospores,” Rashid says. “That’s when crop rotation becomes less effective, and the sunflower crop is susceptible to head rot or mid-stalk rot.”

To infect a crop or a plant, ascospores need mild weather and a source of nutrients. Rashid says the sugary glands on sunflower stems, and sunflower

heads that are loaded with pollen provide ideal nutrient sources for the ascospores for infection.

“Infection from spores can happen anytime from early-season to maturity, depending on environmental conditions and the availability of ascospores,” says Rashid. “It causes quite a bit of damage some years.”

Plants infected at the stalk will drop and break, resulting in a full loss on the plant. Plants infected at the head will cause yield and quality loss, and the produce is often unusable for the sunflower seed or confection market.

Resources from The National Sunflower Association of Canada suggest head-rot is the most important disease affecting sunflower production.

Growers should pay careful attention to application windows recommended for sclerotinia fungicide control. Growers should also look for sunflower hybrids that have some resistance to the disease.

For information about fungicides that are approved for use on sclerotinia head rot, Rashid says growers should consult the Manitoba Guide to Field Crop Protection https://www. gov.mb.ca/agriculture/crops/. GN Lisa McLean is a communications freelancer specializing in agriculture.

Follow her on Twitter at @lisamclean.

Canadian Postmaster: Send address changes and undeliverable copies (covers only) to PO Box 9800, Winnipeg, Man. R3C 3K7 U.S. Postmaster: Send address changes and undeliverable copies (covers only) to 1666 Dublin Avenue, Winnipeg, Man. R3H 0H1 Grainews is printed on recyclable paper with linseed oil-based inks.

Published 18 times a year.

Subscription inquiries: Call toll free 1-800-665-0502 U.S. subscribers call 1-204-944-5568 or email: subscription@glacierfarmmedia.com Your next issue!

You can expect your next issue in your mailbox about February 21, 2017

For Manitoba sunflower growers, the disease is a triple threat, with the potential to strike plants at the base (first photo), mid-stem (middle photo) or head (third photo).

At Glacier FarmMedia LP we are committed to protecting your privacy. Glacier FarmMedia LP will only collect personal information if it is required for reasonable purposes related to our business operations. As part of our commitment to enhance customer service, we may also share personal information with our affiliates or strategic business partners. For more information regarding how we collect, use and disclose personal information, please refer to our Privacy Policy at http:// farmmedia.com/privacy-policy, or write to: Privacy Officer, Glacier FarmMedia, P.O. Box 9800, Station Main, Winnipeg, MB R3C 3K7.

Occasionally we make our list of subscribers available to other reputable firms whose products and services might be of interest to you. If you would prefer not to receive such offers, please contact us at the address in the preceding paragraph, or call 1-800-665-0502.

When the sunflower’s demand for nutrients is highest before flowering, growers will notice wilting of the whole plant and sometimes a group of adjacent plants due to root to root infections in densely seeded crops.

photos: Khalid Rashid, AAFC

The editors and journalists who write, contribute and provide opinions to Grainews and Glacier FarmMedia LP attempt to provide accurate and useful opinions, information and analysis. However, the editors, journalists, Grainews and Glacier FarmMedia LP cannot and do not guarantee the accuracy of the information contained in this publication. Use or non-use of any information is at the reader’s sole risk, and we assume no responsibility for any actions or decisions taken by any reader of this publication based on any and all information provided.

When plants are infected at the head there will be yield and quality loss, and the crop is often unusable for the sunflower seed or confection market.

6

FEATURES

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

Crop production

The rise of the 777 sunflower rust race The virulent 777 race is only one rust species. Three things sunflower growers can do to protect their crops

I

f it seems like rust is becoming a bigger problem for Manitoba sunflower crops, that’s because it is. Researchers have identified a new virulent race of sunflower rust that made up nearly two-thirds of the rust cases in Manitoba during the 2016 growing season. Left unchecked, the disease deprives the plant of nutrients, and can reduce seed size and oil quality, resulting in yield losses of up to 30 per cent.

Dr. Khalid Rashid, research scientist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Morden Research and Development Centre, says “rust” is a common name for a disease that attacks all crops, but the species that impacts sunflowers is sunflowerspecific. Other species of rust affecting cereal crops such as wheat and barley require alternate hosts to complete their life cycle. Sunflower rust does not require an alternate host to complete its sexual life cycle and produce new races.

“The smaller the micro-organism, the shorter the life cycle and the better the adaptability,” says Rashid. “Because sunflower rust does not require a host plant, it mutates quickly and has a short life cycle. This is what happened with the sunflower over the years — new races are always developing.”

There’s an international threedigit coding system that scientists use for classifying races of sunflower rust. Rashid says it’s a common classification used for testing a race on all nine sunflower genotypes, three groups at a time. Rashid’s team brings rust isolates into the lab from

sunflower fields across Manitoba, and they have identified the rise of a particularly virulent strain of sunflower rust in recent years: 777.

First appearing in 2009, and comprising 23 per cent of the isolates collected at the time, “777” has seen some highs and lows. But in 2016, the race was back in abundance, comprising 64 per cent of the sunflower rust in Manitoba.

“It’s a very virulent race, and seed companies do not offer hybrids with genetic resistance to that race yet,” Rashid says.

Four things farmers can do 1. Select resistant seed: Rashid says growers should pay particular attention to rust resistance when selecting hybrids for the 2017 growing season.

“Growers should look for hybrids that offer the most available resistance to sunflower rust,” Rashid says.

2. Choose the right field: Rotation, he says, also plays an important role. Rashid advises growers to avoid planting sunflowers close to last year’s sunflower fields. That’s because rust overwinters on sunflower stubble, and in spring it produces the first spores that infect seedlings. In the spore stage, rust appears as orange-coloured lesions on the plant’s cotyledons.

“Scouting is key here,” says Rashid.

“If growers start seeing lesions in early spring, rust is forming. By staying away from last year’s field they’ll avoid overwintering inoculum.”

It’s important to note that even planting sunflowers a distance from last year’s crop won’t keep sun-

flower rust entirely at bay. Chances are good that airborne rust inoculum will still find its way to the crop, traveling by wind from the south.

But that inoculum will take two to three weeks to find sunflower crops.

Those extra weeks will allow the crop to have a better start than it would if it were prone to local inoculum from nearby stubble at the seedling stage.

3. Scout and (sometimes) spray: Rashid says growers should scout fields every few days. Rust spores infect the plants and produce lesions with fresh inoculum within 10 days, and the new spores produce a new flux of infection every 10 days.

Growers should assess the situation and plan to apply fungicides.

However, he notes economics always factor in to any decision to spray. If the expected yield is high, and the price is high, fungicide application may save economic loss. But if rust arrives later in the season, and if the crop is otherwise healthy, fungicide may not be the best solution.

“Sunflowers have a lot of foliage — a lot of leaf area,” Rashid says. “It can have one to two per cent rust infection and still produce reasonable yield. Sclerotinia and other diseases will complicate that story, and can make the crop less likely the thrive.”

For information about fungicides that are approved for use on sunflower rust, Rashid says growers should consult the Manitoba Guide to Field Crop Protection https://www.gov.mb.ca/ agriculture/crops/. GN Lisa McLean is a communications freelancer specializing in agriculture.

Follow her on Twitter at @lisamclean.

Rust spores infect the plant and produce lesions with inoculum within 10 days.

photos: Khalid Rashid, AAFC

By Lisa McLean

The 777 race is very virulent, and there are no hybrids with genetic resistance yet.

FEATURES

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

7

Crop nutrition

Expert concerned about low phos levels Stu Brandt is concerned about low phosphorus levels in Saskatchewan soils

By Lisa Guenther

S

tu Brandt is concerned about Saskatchewan phosphorus levels. Growers have been mining phosphorus since breaking the land, and it’s still happening today, he says.

“That’s no longer the most appropriate strategy to be using,” Brandt told delegates at CropSphere in Saskatoon. Brandt is research manager at Northeast Agriculture Research Foundation.

Although there’s typically plenty of phosphorus in the soil, very little is available to plants, Brandt says. “And right now over 80 per cent of the soils in Saskatchewan are testing deficient.”

In 2015, soil tests revealed a median of 14 parts per million (ppm) of phosphorus in Saskatchewan soils. Alberta came in at 21 ppm, and Manitoba at 19, says Brandt. Anything lower than 15 ppm is considered critical for most crops, meaning phosphorus needs to be replenished. Brandt notes that 20 ppm is the critical level for crops such as corn and soybeans. (To figure out what that works out to in lb./acre, Brandt says to double it).

Unavailable phosphorus in the soil converts to available forms each year. But Brandt says it’s typically only enough to support three bushels per acre of wheat. Yield and phosphorus in the soil will come into balance, he says.

“So if we continue to mine this nutrient out of our soils, we can look forward to declining crop yields,” he says.

Brandt says it’s tough to find good data on phosphorus-use efficiency for crops. But the long-term rotations in Swift Current do provide some information.

In 1967 to 1979, those soils had 28 pounds per acre of phosphorus, Brandt says, and phosphorus-use efficiency was 54 per cent. Over the years researchers built up soil phosphorus.

Between 1994 and 2005, phosphorus was at 53 lbs./ac., and phosphorus-use efficiency had grown to 88 per cent.

“So what it tells us is that as we deplete this nutrient from our soils, the response that we can expect from fertilizer phosphate is going to go down,” says Brandt. “And the reason is that our crops aren’t the only things in the soil that want phosphate. And as you deplete it, you increase that competition.”

Banking phosphorus Seed-placed fertilizer is the most efficient way to meet the current crop’s requirements. But there’s a limit to how much phosphate can be seed-placed without injuring the crop.

Building phosphorus in the soil requires different thinking than meeting crop requirements, Brandt says. It’s more of a long-term investment. Les Henry, who was in Brandt’s session, commented that work in Swift Current shows that phosphorus fertilizer is 98 per cent efficient in the long-run.

Previous research shows that a

one-time application corrects phosphorus deficiencies more economically than incremental applications.

Farmers can band high rates of phosphate for a one-time correction.

When it comes to “building soil phosphate levels, I suspect that broadcasting may be every bit as efficient as banding,” says Brandt.

However, incorporating phosphate in a no-till system is a problem. Leaving it on the soil surface risks leaching and environmental issues, Brandt adds.

Other options include: • Side-band rates in excess of removal; • Seed place a low rate of starter, and side-band the rest; • Mid-row band; or, • Apply manure.

Brandt also sees variable-rate technology as a potential tool to correct phosphorus-deficient zones.

The Northeast Agriculture Research Foundation has been measuring the return on applying a high rate of phosphorus once in deficient soils.

When compared to check strips, the high-phosphorus areas did see a yield boost. After two years, the yield bumps in two fields hadn’t yet made up for the extra costs, but they’d more than recovered their costs in a third field.

Asked whether foliar fertilizers are a more efficient way to feed phosphorus to the plant, Brandt was skeptical. The amount of phosphate that can be safely applied wouldn’t offset what the crop removes, Brandt says. It might be a way to correct a phosphorus deficiency in that crop, but he hasn’t seen the data.

“That really becomes a strategy to mine more of the phosphate out of our soils,” says Brandt. “If you’re removing a pound of phosphate, the only way you balance that equation is by applying a pound.”

Something like foliar copper is a different story. “I have no qualms about recommending that on copper-deficient soils,” he says. GN Lisa Guenther is field editor for Grainews based at Livelong, Sask. Follow her on Twitter @LtoG.

WHY DO SOME

CALL IT THE BEST

PERFORMING GROUP 2 HERBICIDE?

THREE WORDS: FLUSH AFTER FLUSH™ No other Group 2 herbicide offers the kind of relentless, Flush after flush ™ control

you’ll get with EVEREST® 2.0. It doesn’t just get the hard-to-kill weeds you see — like wild oats, green foxtail and other resistant biotypes — it gets the weeds you know are coming. Young wheat gets an important head start. And you get higher yields. Ask your retailer about EVEREST 2.0. A herbicide you can count on.

Always read and follow label directions. EVEREST and the EVEREST 2.0 logo are registered trademarks of Arysta LifeScience North America, LLC. The “Flush after flush” slogan is a trademark of Arysta LifeScience North America, LLC. Arysta LifeScience and the Arysta LifeScience logo are registered trademarks of Arysta LifeScience Corporation. ©2017 Arysta LifeScience North America, LLC. ESTC-365

ESTC-365 Everest 2.0 Print Ad_7.875x10_Grainnews_Print.indd 1

everest2-0.ca

2017-01-12 4:17 PM

FEATURES

8

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

crop advisor’s casebook

CANOLA CONUNDRUM:

what caused this 80 per cent loss?

By Jason Sauchuk

K

en, a central Alberta producer who farms 2,000 acres of cereals and oilseeds, in addition to 150 head of cattle, called me after he discovered 80 per cent of the canola plants he’d seeded in one field were dead in the seed row. He thought the problem might be a sprayer issue, since a prominent line marked out areas of injured and uninjured plants in this field. It was also the last field to be sprayed, he told me.

Now, seven days after spraying his herbicide-tolerant canola crop, most of the plants in one field were dead or dying, the symptoms appearing five days after he’d initially sprayed, Ken said.

As I checked the plants, I found other symptoms, such as mottling of the leaves, possibly caused by marginal chlorosis and necrosis where the leaf surface had been in contact with the herbicide. The plants were also starting to turn white and crispy.

There was, indeed, a clear line in the field marking areas of healthy and unhealthy plants, where a new tank of herbicide could have been started. Beyond the line, to the north, the canola plants were developing normally, as were the rest of the plants in Ken’s canola fields.

To untangle this puzzle, we began by reviewing records, such as soil test results gathered the previous fall, which indicated adequate levels of nutrients were present in the soil.

We then reviewed environmental and soil conditions that growing season. Generally, all fields had been treated in the same manner, Ken said. He’d applied a herbicide as a pre-seed burndown on all fields before planting the canola.

From there, seedling emergence and growth appeared normal. Two days after Ken sprayed his fields, the area received about one centimetre of rain. Up to that point, it had been a drier spring, with little precipitation.

Because all fields were treated in a similar manner, we could eliminate many factors as the cause of injury. For example, all fields had received the same amount of moisture before seeding, during the first weeks of development, and after spraying the crop. Thus, since all other fields were healthy, soil moisture was not the cause of injury.

Likewise, before seeding, all fields had adequate levels of nutrients for plant growth, and fertilizer tubes on the drill were unplugged and in good working order. All other fields, except this one, were thriving; thus, fertility was not the problem.

All fields were seeded to wheat the previous year, and no residual herbicides had been used, so herbicide carryover from the previous crop could also be ruled out. Herbicide carryover from the pre-seed burndown was also unlikely because no other fields had suffered injury, yet all fields had received the same herbicide application.

I didn’t think this was a sprayer issue, either, because the sprayer did not appear to have any mechanical issues. In addition, this was not the first field to be sprayed, and only a portion of this one field was damaged, whereas all other fields were just fine. Also, I reviewed Ken’s tank cleanout procedures, and I thought the risk of herbicide injury due to chemical residue in the tank was low.

Yet, all clues in this field — the injured leaves and prominent line separating damaged and undamaged plants — pointed to herbicide injury.

One other factor I thought we’d best eliminate was an issue with the seed. I suggested we track down and review seed lot numbers and seed tags. We could also check with the supplier if any other producers were reporting issues with this seed lot.

It was while we were looking over the seed lot numbers and seed tags that we spotted the problem.

It took a while to get there, but it was these records that shed light on Ken’s canola conundrum.

If you think you know why Ken’s canola is dying in the seed row, send your diagnosis to Grainews, Box 9800, Winnipeg, Man., R3C 3K7; email leeann@fbcpublishing.com or fax 204-944-95416 c/o Crop Advisor’s Casebook. The best suggestions will be pooled and one winner will be drawn for a chance to win a Grainews cap and a one-year subscription to the magazine. The answer, along with reasoning that solved the mystery, will appear in the next Crop Advisor’s Solution File. GN Jason Sauchuk works for Richardson Pioneer win Sprucefield, Alta.

Jason Sauchuk works for Richardson Pioneer in Sprucefield, Alta.

Seven days after Ken sprayed his herbicide-tolerant canola crop, most of the plants in one field were dead or dying.

Casebook winner This issue’s Casebook winner is Clair Langlois. Clair is a cereal extension specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, based in Lacombe, Alta. Clair, we’re sending you a one-year subscription to Grainews and a Grainews hat.

You could be a winner too. If you know the answer to this issue of Casebook, email me at Leeann@ fbcpublishing.com.

Leeann Minogue

Leaves were mottled, possibly due to marginal chlorosis and necrosis where the leaf surface had been in contact with the herbicide. The plants were also starting to turn white and crispy.

Crop advisor’s solution

Rigorous tank cleanout can reduce risk of residue injury

By Mike Wassill I admit, the circumstances surrounding the incident of canola injury by residual herbicide in a producer’s field, near Carrot River, Sask., puzzled me at first glance. I thought perhaps John, who farms 2,500 acres in the area, hadn’t cleaned out his tank properly, but I found out he had his tank cleanout procedures down pat.

John had rinsed the polyethylene tank, booms and filters several times using a spray tank detergent/decontami-

nator and ammonia before spraying the field in question. However, it was evident from the symptoms presented in certain areas of this canola field that we were dealing with a residual herbicide issue.

In mid-June, the canola plants in this field, especially those on the headlands and near a river, were set back in development and wilted; in addition, the plants’ leaves were cupped and purpling.

John’s spray records indicated he’d sprayed the herbicide-tolerant canola with a Group 10 herbicide at the correct rates. However, when examining all spray records, we noticed John had

sprayed a quarter section of peas with a herbicide containing Groups 1 and 2 the day before spraying this canola field.

Despite John’s correct tank cleanout procedures, the symptoms of the injured canola pointed to residual herbicide damage. I’ve come across numerous Group 2 residual damage incidents in the past, which were easily diagnosed as improper cleanout methods due to hasty rinse procedures, or lack of knowledge of the proper steps.

Yet, in some cases, like John’s, the producer understood and implemented correct cleanout methods. These cases

were less straightforward; however, after consulting sprayer manufacturers, chemical reps and other producers, I realized it wasn’t the growers’ cleanout procedures at fault, but simply how well the cleaners were working in removing any residual herbicide etched into the polyethylene tank walls.

Many growers have shared with me the different ways they have tackled this issue. The only clear fact is there is no single solution, but using strong detergents with adequate concentrations of ammonia, in addition to more rigorous tank and boom cleanout is key

when dealing with Group 2 or 4 residual damage issues. Your crop advisor or agronomic consultant will also have some good suggestions to eliminate the risk of residual herbicides damaging your crops.

As bad as the injured areas of the canola crop looked throughout all growing stages that summer, John was pleased to inform me that his yield loss was minimal — only six to eight bushels per acre — at harvest.

Mike Wassill works for Richardson Pioneer in Crooked River, Sask.

FEATURES

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

9

Crop protection

Wireworm: hard to control and on the rise Without Lindane, there’s very little that cereal growers can do to control this pest

By Dilia Narduzzi

W

Also worrisome is the fact that help reduce some wireworm popuweather doesn’t seem to matter lations, but farmers would have to when it comes to wireworms. sacrifice a crop that year to see if it There are no insecticides regis- makes any difference. tered, says Vernon, “that will comIf you’re concerned about a parpletely solve the problem.” Vernon ticular field, says Vernon, “you can and others at AAFC have been test- go out and dig around a bit to see if ing various seed treatments and you can find any wireworms — insecticides to see what’ll help, but especially if the soil is about 10 that process is ongoing. degrees” (when wireworms are In terms of non-insecticide prac- active on the Prairies). If you think tice, it really depends on your farm- wireworms are present, “you ing constraints. Planting brown shouldn’t try to plant that field T:7.875” mustard in a field has been found to early. Hold off planting those fields

where you suspect wireworm problems to be and plant those fields last.” This is because insecticide seed treatment will degrade if there is a post-planting bout of bad weather.

“New products are tested every year,” Vernon says, but right now it is “status quo in terms of products available.” And you’ll see the problem increasing. GN Dilia Narduzzi is a freelance writer in Dundas, Ont.

TAKE CONTROL. You’ve identified volunteer canola as a weed.

Now it’s time to deal with it.

For control of all volunteer canola, tank mix Pardner® herbicide with your pre-season application of glyphosate.

Make Pardner your first choice.

Controlling wireworms In the past, Lindane would clean up the fields every time it was used (usually every three years or so).

Since, there have been “no insecticides registered that would actually kill wireworms.” Populations continue to increase.

Neonicotinoids do not kill wireworms, says Vernon, but seeds treated with it would “intoxicate the wireworms for one to two months,” at which time the crop can establish. But after that intoxication period, the wireworms will just continue to live out their lives.

“And in some cases, we’ve found populations increasing with the use of neonicotinoids,” says Vernon.

With really huge populations of wireworms (in some fields in the

cropscience.bayer.ca

1 888-283-6847

@Bayer4CropsCA

Always read and follow label directions. Pardner® is registered trademark of the Bayer Group.

Bayer CropScience Inc. is a member of CropLife Canada.

R-66-01/17-10707501-E

T:10”

ireworms ruin many cereal crops, and they’ve been on the rise since the federal government banned lindane for use as a pesticide in 2004.

Lindane killed the bugs outright says Dr. Bob Vernon, a research scientist with Agriculture and AgriFood Canada (AAFC), and since its banning “there is really nothing that will kill them.”

“Wireworms are the larval stage of click beetles,” says Vernon. And because they have such a long lifespan, “they’re different than a lot of other pests out there.” Depending on the species, some wireworms can be in the soil nine or 10 years, says Vernon, before “they complete their life cycle.”

While there are over 20 wireworm species across Canada, says Vernon, three are really prevalent on the Prairies: Selatosomus destructor (a large species, at “an inch and a quarter long in its final stage, and they can live for several years in the soil”), Hypnoidus bicolor (“less than a half inch long in its final stage, and their life cycle is between two and three years”), and Limonius californicus (a species “which seems to be increasing in scope and numbers in the Prairies, especially southern Alberta” and is generally associated with irrigated land”).

All three types of wireworm are a concern, but with californicus, says Vernon, “fields have been completely wiped out, fields like spring wheat or barley.” This means populations are extremely high. This is also usually happening in minimum till fields, where there is typically a higher moisture content, maybe allowing californicus to build up in those fields, says Vernon.

Wireworms get a foothold in your fields through the grassy areas surrounding crops, says Vernon.

“Wireworms are always in grass.”

Click beetles — the bugs that wireworms eventually grow into — move into fields to lay eggs. Once eggs are laid, “you have them there for four years,” says Vernon, the lifecycle length of a californicus wireworm.

Prairies) these treatments don’t always help, says Vernon.

“My biggest worry is, because we’re not killing them in the field, eventually they are going to produce adults in that field, and not just in the grassy area next to the field. Those adults will lay eggs in that field of wheat, for example, which we haven’t had for decades and decades, due to Lindane.” This is how habitat increases, and we’re starting to see this destruction in some fields already.

10

FEATURES

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

Crop protection

Herbicide drift not always wind-based Spray drift can also happen when it’s calm, and the consequences can be dire

By Geoff Geddes

A

s many farmers have found out the hard way, herbicide doesn’t always go where you direct it.

“Any time an application of spray is made, there are always small droplets that can move away from the intended target,” said Dr. Tom Wolf, applications specialist with Agrimetrix Research & Training.

Generally speaking, herbicide drift is linked to wind, yet that only tells part of the story.

“When we apply spray, droplets emerge from the nozzle that range in size from two mm down to five microns, which is basically invisible to the human eye. Because the particles are so tiny, they aren’t really affected by gravity and tend to float like a mist or smoke or fume, moving with the air currents.”

Since drift is linked to wind, the solution is simply to spray when it’s not windy, right? You knew it couldn’t be that easy.

“It’s tempting to spray when it’s calm, but if there’s no wind the droplets will often stay suspended for a while behind the sprayer.”

When the first breeze occurs the next morning, those droplets will move with it, often to somewhere they shouldn’t be.

One person who has seen the consequences of herbicide drift is Jason Deveau, application technology specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

Known in the industry as the “spray

“It’s tempting to spray while it’s calm, but if there’s no wind the droplets will often stay suspended for a while behind the sprayer,” says Dr. Tom Wolf.

guy,” Deveau — along with Wolf — has written extensively on the topic for sprayers101.com and on Twitter (@nozzle_guy for Wolf and @spray_ guy for Deveau).

“If a herbicide goes astray it can damage someone else’s crop and have a huge financial impact,” said Deveau. “It can also stir up a lot of hard feelings as people get emotional when their livelihood is affected.”

So emotional, in fact, that a northeast Arkansas cotton, soybean

and corn farmer was shot to death earlier this year, allegedly in an argument over dicamba herbicide drift. For that reason, Deveau said communication is critical in combating the problem.

He also advises following herbicide label instructions closely, especially in regard to buffer zones.

“Under Health Canada regulations you may not release one of these products within a certain distance downwind of sensitive areas like bodies of water or population centers.”

Crop protection

Dicamba drift gets real

Lowering the boom Other tactics for lowering drift risk include limiting the height of the boom so wind is less apt to pull the spray away from the target, and limiting driving speed as higher speeds tend to increase drift.

And while just avoiding wind isn’t the answer in itself, Deveau said you can safely assume that “if you’re chasing your hat around the field, it’s probably not the best time to spray.”

For Wolf, the lack of a clear-cut solution to herbicide drift is a real source of frustration.

“I have been working in this area of research my whole career and I never expected herbicide drift to stay at the forefront of our concerns for as long as it has.

The problem remains largely unsolved and causes great difficulty for our industry, so it’s something we really have to get a handle on.”

Two things offering him some hope are the move to low drift nozzles and the use of automatic boom height holders. Still, he’s concerned that with the push to improve productivity, farmers are driving their sprayers faster and raising boom heights, thereby exacerbating the problem.

And his concern doesn’t end there.

“We are about to embark on a new generation of genetically modified crops and will be spraying dicamba on them. It has the potential to do a lot of harm to other crops if it drifts so we have to be extremely cautious.”

The issue of herbicide drift is here to stay. GN Geoff Geddes is a freelance agriculture and business writer based in Edmonton.

Find him online at www.thewordwarrior. ca or email geoffgeddes@ thewordwarrior.ca.

For great information about spray and sprayers visit Tom Wolf’s website at www.sprayers101.com.

Max your sprayer productivity

By Leeann Minogue

I

n 2016, so many U.S. farmers spaying dicamba had spray drift problems that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a compliance advisory in August citing “an unusually high number of reports of crop damage that appears related to misuse of herbicides containing the active ingredient dicamba.”

The EPA advisory said: “Extension experts across the country believe that illegal use of dicamba products on adjacent or nearby dicamba-resistant cotton and soybean crops caused the observed crop damage.”

Dicamba became a problem because dicamba-resistant Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans were on the market in 2015 and 2016. These soybeans are resistant to both dicamba and glyphosate.

In November, Dr. Tom Wolf, applications specialist with AgriMetrix Research & Training,

spoke in Weyburn at one of four Saskatchewan oilseed producer meetings. Wolf talked about the dicamba issue and told participants, “Dicamba kills soybeans. If they’re not tolerant, soybeans are the most sensitive crop to dicamba there is.”

The New Product On November 9, 2016, the U.S. EPA approved a new dicamba product for use with Monsanto’s dicambaand glyphosate-tolerant Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans. It’s called XtendiMax with VaporGrip technology. It’s a Group 4 herbicide.

Wolf described this product as “Banvil II with something to reduce volatility.”

Monsanto’s press releases say: “VaporGrip Technology effectively reduces dicamba acid from forming in solution. If acid can’t form, it can’t volatilize.”

Farmers tank mixing this new product with glyphosate will need to use an ultra-course spray.

“That’s the coursest spray we know

how to make,” Wolf said. “There’s only very few nozzles that can actually make it.”

In fact, the XtendiMax with VaporGrip label specifies that, in order to reduce spray drift, growers may only use Tee Jet TTI11004 nozzles, with a maximum operating pressure of 63 p.s.i., or other specifically listed nozzles at specific pressures.

When these soybeans eventually become available to farmers on the Canadian prairies, soybean growers are “absolutely going to be switching nozzles for specific tank mixes,” Wolf told Weyburn farmers.

“It’s just going to get more complicated, and you might as well get familiar with this kind of thinking.”

Monsanto estimates that 18 million U.S. acres of Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans and Bollgard II XtendFlex cotton will be sprayed with XtendiMax. BASF’s new Engenia dicamba herbicide is also on the market. GN Leeann Minogue is the editor of Grainews.

photos: thnkstock

Will new spray chemistry lower the risk of dicamba drift in 2017?

How efficient are you when you’re using your sprayer?

Tom Wolf, applications specialist with AgriMetrix Research & Training, told farmers at the November Saskatchewan oilseed grower meetings about a new sprayer productivity calculator his group has developed to help farmers answer this question.

In developing this app, Wolf worked with South Country, a John Deere dealership. He collected sprayer information from eight anonymous John Deere customers using the biggest 4045 sprayers John Deere sells. These eight customers put an average of 450 engine hours on their sprayers every year. But, they were only actually spraying less than half of that time. About 22 per

cent of the time the sprayers were in transport, and another 30 per cent of the time the machines were idling.

With the high cost of new sprayers and the hourly depreciation costs of running these machines, this is some very expensive idling. (Wolf compared this to having your Ferrari stopped in city traffic.)

The key to high productivity isn’t always driving faster. If a “sprayer nurse truck” can reduce your load time, it may be well worth the cost.

You can find this sprayer productivity calculator on Tom Wolf’s website: www.sprayers101.com.

It will ask for your tank size, travel speed, headlands and how long you’re spending to load and clean.

Leeann Minogue

FEATURES

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

11

Crop protection

Are there resistant weeds in your fields?

The answer to this question is probably yes. Testing can give you a definite answer

E

very season more farmers face the challenge of herbicide-resistant weeds.

“Herbicide resistance is the genetic capacity of a weed population to survive a herbicide treatment that, under normal use conditions, would effectively control that weed population,” said Dr. Jeanette Gaultier, weed specialist with Manitoba Agriculture.

It’s sometimes described as evolution happening at an accelerated pace and an illustration of the “survival of the fittest” principle.

While resistance and tolerance are often lumped together, that genetic element is a key difference.

“Resistance involves a genetic change that can be passed down or that uniquely occurs in a population, whereas tolerance is usually inherent to a particular weed species,” said Gaultier.

Resistance is largely a numbers game. “It’s based on chance in that a mutation occurs in a certain plant that allows it to survive the herbicide application. By applying that herbicide you are in fact selecting for resistance.”

People often think herbicides cause resistance. In reality, Gaultier said these mutations occur “sporadically and naturally.”

“The problem then multiplies as all susceptible plants die and stop setting seed, while the tolerant plant continues to do so; if you keep using that herbicide you will continue selecting for that resistance.”

Annual species — such as wild oat, green foxtail, cleavers, kochia, hemp-nettle, smartweeds, ragweeds and wild mustard — are at higher risk than perennials of developing resistance as they have greater genetic diversity. As well, it is more common in certain species like kochia that tend to have a lot of mutations.

“Two of the biggest offenders out west are wild oat and green foxtail.

Over the years, their populations have been increasing to the point where resistance to wild oats in Manitoba is now the norm rather than the exception.”

Currently producers run a 60 per cent chance of having resistant wild oat species and they’re seeing a lot more weed species showing resistance to Group 2 herbicides.

“Ninety-nine per cent of kochia is resistant to Group 2. On the Prairies, we’re seeing a sharp increase in glyphosate resistant kochia as well, and with widespread glyphosate use we could see more weeds gaining resistance to it.”

“You’re most likely to notice it two to three weeks into your herbicide application once the problem is large enough to give you a patch of weeds that hasn’t been controlled. Producers should look for patches that don’t have a pattern or geometric shape.”

Once you suspect resistance, testing can confirm or allay your fears. If it’s the former, at least you know what you’re dealing with.

“Usually you can expect to get results over the winter so you can

put a plan in place for the next growing season.”

Testing costs depend vary by species and the number of herbicides tested. Gaultier believes the information is worth the price.

As for the cost of herbicide resistance to the industry as a whole, that’s hard to pinpoint.

“One study from the U.S. put the cost in the billions of dollars.

For farmers though, it’s more about the inconvenience of having to change their management

practices; that can be as big a deal to them as the money.”

Depending on the herbicide involved, a producer may need to rely more on tillage or change up their crops more frequently.

Perhaps the only certainty for farmers is that the issue of herbicide resistance won’t be weeded out anytime soon. GN Geoff Geddes is a freelance agriculture and business writer based in Edmonton.

Find him at www.thewordwarrior.ca.

Photo: Manitoba Agriculture, ADA

By Geoff Geddes

Once you suspect resistance, sending the seed for testing can confirm or allay your fears.

The built-for-Canada-all-in-oneso-your-cereals-can-thrive treatment.

We know you love to see your cereal crops grow to their fullest potential. And in true Canadian fashion, we’d like to give you a hand with that.

Meet our Cruiser ® Vibrance® Quattro seed treatment. With four fungicides, an insecticide and the added benefits of Vigor Trigger ® and Rooting Power™, this all-in-one liquid formulation offers superior protection plus enhanced crop establishment for early-season growth.

Just the helping hand you can use, eh?

TRUE GROWTH, STRONG AND FREE. FOR

Getting testy While practices such as rotating herbicides between groups and using them only when necessary can reduce the chance of resistance, the unpredictable nature of genetics means your best chance is spotting resistance early and testing for it.

For more information, visit Syngenta.ca, contact our Customer Interaction Centre at 1-87-SYNGENTA (1-877-964-3682) or follow @SyngentaCanada on Twitter.

Always read and follow label directions. Cruiser ®, Rooting Power™, Vibrance®, Vigor Trigger ®, the Alliance Frame, the Purpose Icon and the Syngenta logo are trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company. © 2017 Syngenta.

10106-1C-FT_Print_Ad_CruiserVibranceQuattro_Grainews.indd 1

1/10/17 4:28 PM

12

FEATURES

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

Crop production

94 is out there — don’t settle for average Agronomics, fertility and overall nutrition can raise field pea yields as high as 94 bushels per acre

By Lee Hart

I

t was only a plot, and it wasn't necessarily a realistic crop nutrient program most producers would consider following, but an ATP Nutrition demonstration at a Saskatchewan farm show last summer, showed Prairie farmers it is possible to produce an 94 bushel field pea crop.

That 94 bushel yield, on plots at the Ag In Motion (AIM) farm show near Langham, Sask., more than doubled the Canadian average for field pea yields (44 bu.) and even eclipsed the world record yield for peas which is 77.4 bushels per acre on a farm in Ireland.

But the objective of the AIM demonstration was just that — to demonstrate the potential of field peas in Western Canada, says Dan Owen, product innovation manager with ATP Nutrition.

“In a good quality seed batch, the yield potential is already there,” says Owen. “We just wanted to show if you apply proper and timely

fertility and crop nutrition, use good agronomic practices — and yes, the weather needs to co-operate — you can tap into that yield potential. We often talk about increasing yield, but we can’t really increase yields, however we can tap into more of the yield potential.”

ATP Nutrition is described as a “plant nutrient company.” It produces and markets a range of seed treatment and in-crop foliar products supplying micro as well as some macro nutrients, and plant stimulators for most crops ranging from cereals to corn to pulse crops to soybeans.

Yes, Owen admits the company would like to sell farmers’ their products, but the main point of his recent presentation is to point out that a crop — in this case field peas— will go through several mostly natural stress points during a growing season. Providing a complete nutrient program throughout the season will help the crop roll through those stresses with little or no setbacks and optimize its yield potential.

Plants Face Stress The natural or expected stresses on a plant occur at germination, followed by rapid vegetative growth, then at flowering and then at maturation.

Add into that growing condition stresses such as cold, heat, drought, excessive moisture and then herbicide application and the crop has potential to face multiple stress points during the growing season.

His main message is to produce a healthy, vigorous, actively growing plant by providing it with proper nutrition to meet its growth and development needs and also help it handle the various stresses it will encounter.

“There are plenty of products on the market, and some are even viewed as snake oil,” says Owen. “It is hard to know who to trust. But if any company won’t tell you what their products are — won’t tell you their active ingredients — I suggest it is best to steer clear of those.”

ATP has an open book on its products. The company recommends starting with a soil test to establish the base line requirements particu-

larly for macronutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. ATP’s in-crop treatments — depending on the crop and depending on growth stage during the season — provide top up nutrients including intermediate nutrients such as calcium, magnesium and sulphur and micronutrients such as zinc, manganese, copper, boron, iron and molybdenum. It’s all on the label.

“All crops have certain nutrient requirements for both macro and micro nutrients during the growing season,” says Owen. “And if any one of those is limiting that’s going to affect the yield potential of the crop — can affect how well it is able to cope with some stress.”

He points to high yielding crop records around the world — 245 bushel wheat yields in the U.K.; 120 bushel canola yields in the U.K.; 503 bushel corn yields in the U.S.; 171 bushel soybean yields in the U.S.; 77.4 bushel field pea yields in Ireland and 40 bushel lentil yields in New Zealand.

Weather, climate and soil conditions aside “these kind of numbers

just show us the potential yield in each of these crops,” says Owen. “The potential is in the seed, we just have to provide the proper agronomics under our growing conditions to optimize the yield potential here.”

The Aim Demonstration So what did ATP do at Ag In Motion? They actually compared four different field pea production programs ranging from what might be described as Chev to the Cadillac levels.

Level 1: Referred to as the enhanced grower standard practice (or the check plot) involved seeding peas along with 20 pounds of phosphate fertilizer, and providing a recommended in-crop herbicide application.

The enhanced part (used in all plots) involved double inoculation with a seed applied peat-based inoculant as well as an in-row granular inoculant. The plot also received two fungicide treatments at 10 and 50 per cent bloom stage. Owen says not all growers would apply two inoculants

Watch AgCanada TV and be inspired AgCanada TV web series informs and motivates farmers Gain a new perspective on your farm, your family and your future with this informative video series from Farm Credit Canada.



INFORMATIVE:

INSPIRATIONAL:

FCC Chief Agricultural Economist, J.P. Gervais, explains the predicted ups and downs of the 2016 Canadian economy and their effect on the agriculture industry.

Sylvain Guimond, best-selling author and sports psychologist, shares 6 strategies for leading a successful life.

Current AGCanadaTV topics include: 

Exchange Rates and Their Effect on Canadian Exports

J.P. Gervais, explains the relationship between exchange rates and Canadian exports and why Canada remains competitive despite the declining dollar. 

Ag Industry Scores Viral Victory Greg Peterson, from Peterson Farm Brothers, discusses his success using various forms of social media to promote agriculture.



5 Keys to a Successful Agribusiness Kevin Stewart helps you focus on your farm’s future with these five tips for successful agribusiness.

Start watching: www.agcanada.com/video

Watch all the episodes Now!

AGCanadaTV is sponsored by

FEATURES

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

and two fungicide treatments as a normal practice.

Level 2: For this level they did everything in Level 1 but also added ATP Nutrient products that included a seed treatment with PreCede (calcium, sulphur and a plant stimulant) to help kick start germination and enhance root development, and that was followed by five in-crop chemtrition foliar treatments with ATP products.

Level 3: Described as the high yield fertility level. The peas were seeded with two inoculants and later the crop received the two fungicide applications. As well, at time of seeding they banded a fertilizer blend that included 50 lbs. of phosphate, 30 lbs. of potassium, 25 lbs. of sulphur, two pounds of zinc, one pound of manganese, and a half pound each of copper and boron.

There were no other in-crop top ups with foliar products.

Level 4: The Cadillac level included everything they did in Level 3, but also included six in-crop chemtrition treatments with ATP foliar applied products.

“The (Level 4) high fertility program with six in-crop treatments isn’t a realistic program for most growers,” says Owen. “So I am not suggesting everyone should run out and do this.

But we wanted to make the point that the yield potential is there if the crop has the adequate fertility, nutrition, along with other proper agronomic practices during the growing season.”

The Level 4 program added about $75 per acre in ATP products to over all input costs — and that cost may add more risk than most growers want to assume.

Owen also describes a solid threetreatment ATP program more realistic for most commercial growers.

Used in conjunction with proper agronomics it can help producers access more of the crop’s yield potential. The three-treatment program would cost considerably less and easily be by a two-bushel yield increase. But more on that later.

The goal with the ATP demonstration was to achieve at least an 80 bushel field pea yield. An 80 bushel pea crop will require about 240 lbs. of nitrogen, 66 lbs. of phosphate, 220 lbs. of potassium and 20 lbs. of sulphur as well as varying amounts of several micronutrients all to achieve that yield.

The AIM program included a soil test to establish baseline fertility in the soil on a wheat stubble plot.

Working with Agassiz yellow peas, they calculated a 1,000 kernel weight and seeded at a rate to produce a crop stand of eight to nine plants per square foot.

Plots were seeded May 21, a bit later than they wanted. Owen says if seeding earlier it may be necessary to blacken the soil a bit to warm the seed bed so peas can be seeded into no less than 5 C seed bed temp.

To achieve the 240 pounds of nitrogen required by this big crop they double inoculated the legume seed with a seed-applied peat based inoculant and also put a granular inoculant in the seed row.

The level four AIM plot, along with the PreCede treatment, received six in-crop foliar sprays of

ATP products — at the appropriate timing tank-mixed with herbicide and two fungicide applications.

The chemtrition treatments were applied at the one- to two-node stage, the five- to six-node stage and the nine-node stage. Fungicide was included at 10 per cent bloom and 50 per cent bloom. ATP products includes ReLeaf, Pulse P and 42Phi all with different combinations of micronutrients to match stages of crop development.

To monitor crop nutrient needs, plant tissue samples were analyzed multiple times during the growing season.

Stay Green And Growing “The objective is to keep the whole plant green and growing,” says Owen. “There is a balancing act

since you don’t want it green until December, but at the same time you don’t want to see brown and dying leaves in the lower part of the plant midway through the growing season.” A field pea crop that is properly fixing nitrogen, along with top up in-crop chemtrition will stay green.

A robust pea plant isn’t of much value unless it is producing seed, says Owen. Later in the growing season they did a comparison pod and pea count. Plants in the check standard producer Level 1 plot had 8.8 pods per plant with 5.9 peas in each pod. While the Level 4 treatment plot had 19.8 pods per plant and 7.5 peas in each pod.

So what were the yields? The Level 1 standard producer plot came in at a very respectable 67.9 bushels per acre. Level 2 (just with added foliar

sprays) jumped up to 79 bushels per acre. Level 3, (the high fertility plot) shot up to 84 bushels per acre. Level 4 (the full meal deal — high fertility, plus weekly foliar sprays) came in at 94 bushels per acre.

“We don’t expect commercial farmers to apply high fertility and these six in-crop treatments,” says Owen. “But I believe it shows with high fertility as well as the in-crop chemtrition, we have the opportunity to really tap into the yield potential of this crop.”

While obviously the sky is the limit, Owen says a realistic ATP Nutrition program designed to increase yield, while keeping costs in line could include applying the PreCede seed treatment to get the germinating seed and root development off to a good start. That could be fol-

What we do is in our name.

Trust Pioneer® brand canola hybrids with Pioneer Protector® traits to give you the peace of mind you need when growing canola.

To find out more, talk to your local Pioneer Hi-Bred sales representative or visit ca.pioneer.com/west/en/ Add Lumiderm® for early-season cutworm control and enhanced protection against striped and crucifer flea beetles.

13

lowed by an in-crop treatment with a ReLeaf product (calcium, magnesium and a plant stimulator) applied at the five to six node stage — time of herbicide application. And followed by their 42Phi product (phosphorus, zinc, manganese and boron) applied at 10 per cent bloom — at fungicide application time.

“These three treatments combined will cost about an extra $23 to $25 per acre,” says Owen. “But depending on the pea prices that can easily be recovered by two and a half bushels out of the overall yield increase, so it still provides a very good return on investment.” GN Lee Hart is a field editor with Grainews based in Calgary.

Contact him at 403-592-1964 or by email at lee@fbcpublishing.com.

45CS40

45M3

82.0

Bushels per acre !

St. Walburg, SK *

Follow us on: Twitter @PioneerWCanada *Canola yield from a large-scale, grower managed trial in Saskatchewan as of November 30, 2016. Product responses are variable and subject to any number of environmental, disease and pest pressures. Individual results may vary. Multi-year and multi-location data is a better predictor of future performance. Refer to www.pioneer.com/yield or contact a Pioneer Hi-Bred sales representative for the latest and complete listing of traits and scores for each Pioneer® brand product.

As with all crop protection products, read and follow label instructions carefully.

Member of CropLife Canada.

Genuity® and Roundup Ready® are registered trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. Pioneer® brand products are provided subject to the terms and conditions of purchase which are part of the labeling and purchase documents.

Unless indicated, trademarks with ®, ™or sm are trademarks of DuPont, Pioneer or affiliates. © 2017 DuPont and PHII.

1785 Protector_Full Page_Yield_Walburg_82_GrainNews.indd 1

1/24/17 4:11 PM

14

FEATURES

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

Crop production

By Jason Heit

Higher premiums from yellow mustard ©2017 The Mosaic Company. All rights reserved. MicroEssentials is a registered trademark of The Mosaic Company. 005660

photo: Robert MacGregor

There can be higher prices for yellow mustard, if growers can find the seed

I

“

Farmers selling golden flax, organic or conventional, are seeing a premium of $3 to $5 per bushel over brown flax.

t’s like being a Klondike gold miner looking back in the hopper and seeing all that gold,” says Robert MacGregor, organic farmer and pedigreed seed grower.

MacGregor is talking about harvesting golden flax. But just like gold prospecting getting your hand on some “colour” is not for the faint of heart. Something MacGregor knows well.

Golden or yellow flax has experienced a surge of interest over the past several years as health-conscious consumers have begun to add more flax to their diets. In 2014, Health Canada approved a health claim that eating ground whole flaxseed lowered blood cholesterol

levels which is a major risk factor for heart disease.

The claim applies to both brown and golden flax, but it’s that Klondike gold colour that consumers are looking for in their grocery aisle.

This consumer preference has helped farmers selling (organic or conventional) golden flax realize a premium of $3 to $5 per bushel over brown flax.

Flax marketers are also seeing a shift toward golden flax in overseas markets. Richard Zacharias, general manager of Prairie Flax Products in Portage La Prairie, Man., has watched his exports of golden flax grow. “Until about 2014, golden flax only made up around to five to six per cent of our business, but interest from Asian markets (especially Korea) has increased our sales of golden flax.”

Zacharias, who also markets flax to the US, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, estimates that the crop now represents about 25 to 30 per cent of his company’s sales.

The big challenge for marketers like Zacharias is sourcing enough golden flax to meet consumer demand. “We found there was a shortage of product earlier in the year,” says Zacharias.

“Until about mid-summer, when we were able to find some old crop before this year’s harvest.”

Getting the seed

IT’S NOT DIRT. IT’S PAY DIRT.

GET YOUR HEAD IN THE DIRT AT MICROESSENTIALS.COM

Producers have also had trouble sourcing golden flax seed. “I had producers calling me up even before I had any golden flax seed for sale,” says MacGregor, who farms by Garrick, Sask., near Choiceland. He adds it was especially difficult for organic producers because other seed suppliers were not interested in supplying the organic market. It was this need that compelled MacGregor to look into the matter.

But as MacGregor found there are fewer varieties of golden flax available to producers. This is because for years the yellow seed coat trait was used as a phenotypic (grade) marker for Solin varieties of flax. Solin or Linola flax varieties were developed with low alpha-linolenic fatty acid (ALA) levels (roughly three per cent), which gave the oil higher solidification temperatures which was suitable for the margarine industry. However, the market for Solin didn’t materialize and in 2013 all Solin varieties were deregistered. This decoupled the yellow seed trait from Solin.

Today, there are only a few registered varieties of golden flax. MacGregor was able to get his hands on some AC Nugget in 2015. In 2016, he acquired the license for a new variety of golden flax, CDC Melyn, which was developed by University of Saskatchewan flax breeder Helen Booker and her team of researchers.

Yet another wrinkle hit this fall when MacGregor’s two acres of CDC Melyn were buried in an early October snow storm. MacGregor spent the rest of October and November waiting for conditions to improve. He was finally able to harvest the crop in December, once temperatures plunged and freeze dried the seed. 2016 will be a lost year for MacGregor, but he says he’ll be back at it next year trying to multiply his seed. And, with some luck, he’ll be able to offer producers registered CDC Melyn in the 2019 crop year. GN Jason Heit is a Saskatchewan-based freelance writer.

FEATURES

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

15

Crop research

The benefits of sex-free agriculture With crop breeding by apomixes, seed-saving could change up the seed industry

By Julienne Isaacs

A

“

pomixis is a disruptive technology.”

These was the oft-repeated phrase of Tim Sharbel, Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) research chair in Seed Biology, at the recent Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation annual conference in Saskatoon.

Sharbel was speaking on the topic “Eliminating sex from agriculture to feed the world,” an overview of his research at GIFS, which focuses on apomixis, or asexual seed formation in plants.

Citing familiar statistics on the world’s growing population and the need to “feed the world” via increased productivity in agricultural systems, Sharbel presented an overview of his work on apomixis, arguing that asexual seed formation could offer a way around the expensive, inefficient annual development of hybrids via inbred lines and artificial pollination.

Apomixis could fix hybrid genotypes in crop plants, said Sharbel, leading to so-called “virgin births” in farmers’ fields. Apomictic hybrids would not require fertilization, and farmers could save apomictic seed for replanting year to year.

In a word, apomixis is truly disruptive, and would change the entire structure of the seed trade in Canada.

But Sharbel believaes apomixis would benefit agribusiness as well as farmers and consumers by radically reducing the time and resources it takes to develop new inbred lines, thereby opening the door to localized niche breeding and the use of natural biodiversity in field crop breeding programs.

“One potential application of this is that if you can turn sex off in that first generation hybrid, the plant will produce genetically identical offspring from then on,” said Sharbel in a telephone interview. “That sounds bad for the company —

farmers never buying seed again — but it would enable companies to generate much more variability in the crops they’re producing using that extra time and money.”

Most of Sharbel’s work these days focuses on plants in the genus Boechera (rock cress), a wild relative of canola that reproduce apomictically. Sharbel’s lab has identified two candidate genes that are potentially responsible for apomixis, and is attempting to use them to “turn off” sexual reproduction in Arabidopsis, maize and canola.

Sharbel doesn’t have results yet, but they’re in the works, he says. “We could have proof of concept in three months, which would mean immediately trying to get partners to put this in canola or maize. It could take five or 10 years (before successful application in field crops),” he says.

“But it’s such a potentially important technology, kind of like finding a cure for cancer because it has so many positive implications.”

Sharbel has been awarded $7 million dollars in funding from GIFS, $369,000 in funding from the Agricultural Development Fund, as well as an additional $47,150 from Sask Canola.

Breeding “hurdles” According to Habibur Rahman, a canola breeder at the University of Alberta, apomixis is mostly found in polyploid species (plants that receive more than one set of chromosomes from parent plants) but not diploid species (plants that receive only one set of chromosomes from parent plants), like canola.

“This is a long way from plant breeding,” says Rahman. “Apomixis has been found in other species, but the gene has to be brought into canola to see if it works. I don’t anticipate that we’ll see this in breeding programs for a long time.

“It’s a long-term project but it has major benefits if the work pays off, if we can bring it into canola.”

THIS IS

THE ONE

Rob Duncan, a canola breeder at the University of Manitoba, says plant breeders have been working on apomixis for more than 100 years. “There are major hurdles to overcome,” he says. “But it would be an amazing development to be able to utilize apomixis. If you could produce seed asexually costs would go down, and the whole hybrid production scheme would change.”

Like Rahman, Duncan foresees difficulties in application. “The reason we haven’t made great progress on it over the past century is that (apomixis) can be difficult to work with. They’ve worked with it for decades in corn,” he says.

One challenge for hybrid seed production, Duncan says, is that breeders would also need a mechanism to turn apomixis on and off in a plant.

“You’d want to take traits from one parent and combine them with another parent, but then once you’ve made that cross and brought in the variation, you’d want to turn back on the apomixis so that the new genotype could produce asexually,” he explains.

Breeders would also have to maintain agronomic traits in new genotypes, while removing negative “linkage drag” that might come along with apomictic traits.

Sharbel’s lab has a patent on one of its candidate genes and is working on a patent for the second. He says patenting allows GIFS to protect the technology so that his team can move forward with their ideas and ensure the technology isn’t “wasted.” His goal is to avoid exclusively licensing the technology to just one company.

“This has to come out for the benefit of humanity,” he says. “Single generation hybrids are a dream but you have to aim for a dream.” GN Julienne Isaacs is a Winnipeg-based freelance writer and editor. Contact her at julienne.isaacs@gmail.com.

news bits

Apomixis 101 Julienne Isaacs Apomixis could be called the Holy Grail of plant breeding. According to Rob Duncan, a canola breeder at the University of Manitoba, scientists have been working on it since the 1840s. Even Gregor Mendel, the father of modern genetics, caught the apomixis bug, analyzing the apomictic properties of hawkweed species in the 1860s.

What is apomixis, exactly?

According to Ross Bicknell and Anna Koltunow, authors of a review of apomixis in The Plant Cell, “Apomixis in flowering plants is defined as the asexual formation of a seed from the maternal tissues of the ovule, avoiding the processes of meiosis and fertilization, leading to embryo development.”

Apomixis was discovered in 1841, write Bicknell and Koltunow, when it was observed that a lone plant from Australia continued to form seeds when planted in Northern England’s Kew Gardens.

It isn’t a “freak of nature,” however — apomixis has been observed in at least 40 flowering plant families, though few crop plants are apomictic (exceptions include some fruit trees).

What’s the appeal of apomixis to plant breeders? There’s a grab-bag of responses to this question — individual plants with desirable characteristics could be propagated as exact clones through their seed; wild genetics could be more easily integrated

into breeding programs; and the development of new cultivars could speed up dramatically.

Tim Sharbel, Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) research chair in seed biology, says apomixis would allow companies to quickly introduce new varieties of field crops.

“It would rapidly speed up the breeding process. If you can do single generation hybrids you can bring breeding programs from five to 10 years to two to three years. It’s not at all stopping the evolutionary potential, it’s enabling us to harness much more evolutionary potential,” says Sharbel.

Apomictic plants, he says, could be developed using biotechnological or gene editing tools; they’d still have to go through regulatory process, but the development process would be more efficient, and the end result would satisfy everyone.

“What the farmers want is quality, and quality is defined by the purity of your seed. What apomixis would do is produce genotypes with high purity,” he says.

How long it will take for breeders to successfully apply apomixis in field crops, nobody knows. But the dream is as alive now as it was in the 1800s, and better funded. If the GIFS’ massive investment in apomixis pays off, it remains to be seen who will benefit most from this “disruptive” technology. Like most questions about apomixis, the answer to this last question is not straightforward.

YIELD, EXCELLENCE, ANYWHERE. LEADING MIDGE TOLERANT CWRS WITH LODGING RESISTANCE. provenseed.ca

Proven® Seed is a registered trademark of Crop Production Services (Canada) Inc. CPS CROP PRODUCTION SERVICES and Design is a registered trademark of Crop Production Services, Inc.

12/16-52758-1E

52758_1E CPS_Proven_Wheat_Titanium_9-875x4.indd 1

2017-01-10 6:48 AM

16

FEATURES

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

Ask the expert

Would your N farm pass the stress test?

By Angela Lovell

When you pencil out your farm budgets, calculate some “what if” scenarios as well

ew provincial guidelines for estimating 2017 crop production costs are being released across the Prairies.

These guidelines can help producers predict their operating costs, breakeven yields and profitability.

Producers should also be doing a “stress test” to see how much deviation from those predictions the farm can actually bear without losing money, is the advice of Roy Arnott, farm business specialist with Manitoba Agriculture.

In a recent presentation to producers in the Cartwright, Pilot Mound, and Crystal City area of

Manitoba, Arnott presented this new concept.

“What I am trying to help producers figure out is how close to the wall are they when they look at their break-even yields as a percentage of their average or target yields to see how much breathing space they have,” said Arnott.

Arnott gave an example based on average yield figures for Manitoba’s Risk Area 5 where he was making the presentation. An average canola yield of 42 bu./ac. is 113 per cent of a breakeven yield of 34.4 bu./ac. with operating and fixed costs factored in. An average yield will give a farmer some profit above that breakeven level.

However, “any decline of more

GRAINEWS & CAA ARE OFFERING

2 UNFORGETTABLE VACATION EXPERIENCES TAKE YOUR PICK!

July 5 – July 15, 2017 Shades of Ireland – 10 days (Small group tour)

Highlights include Dublin (city tour), Kilkenny (its medieval atmosphere) Waterford (Waterford Crystal), Killarney (National Park, Ross Castle, Ring of Kerry coastal road and lake sailing!), Limerick (visit dairy farm, 700’ Cliffs of Moher, Kilbeggan (visit Whiskey distillery territory), Kingscourt (Cabra Castle)

$2909 per person land tour only*

Air discounts apply for reservations made by December 15, 2016

GRAINEWS SUBSCRIBERS SAVE AN EXTRA $100 PER COUPLE Visit: https://gateway.memberchoice vacations.com/link/755292

February 12 – March 3, 2018 Three Kingdoms of Indonesia – 19 days Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos – Includes 36 meals

Highlights includes Ho Chi Minn/ Saigon (Reunification Palace, Mekong River cruise), Hoi An (China Beach), Hue/Hanoi (Forbidden Purple City, Hanoi Hilton POW), Halong Bay cruise, Luang Prabang (Baci ceremony, Wat Xieng), Siem Reap (Angkok Wat)

$5949 per person land tour and Indochina airfare only*

Extension options to Hong Kong, Bangkok, Phu Quoc (Call for details)

GRAINEWS SUBSCRIBERS SAVE AN EXTRA $100 PER COUPLE

Visit: https://gateway.memberchoicevacations.com/link/764865

than 13 per cent of yield or revenue is going to put you into a negative situation in this scenario,” said Arnott.

For wheat in Risk Area 5, breakeven yield is 50 bu./ac.; the average yield is 58 bu./ac. Producers are already looking at the wall.

Soybeans, with a breakeven yield of 27 bu./ac. and an average yield of 38 bu./ac. is at 121.6 per cent — there is a lot more room for yields or prices to move downwards before there is a negative impact.

(Keep in mind these numbers only apply that that specific area of Manitoba.)

What If? Taking the stress test one stage further, producers can also run some “what if?” scenarios to see what effect changes in yields or prices can have on their own farm. “The whole point is to figure out your level of risk. What if prices are down 10 per cent and yields are down five per cent, what does that mean to my farm?” said Arnott.

As Arnott demonstrated, using the same figures in a scenario where prices were down by 10 per cent and yields down by five bu./ ac., margins would remain positive over operating costs. Canola returns would be around $115 per acre, wheat around $101 and soybeans $161 per acre.

The picture is scarier when you include operating and fixed costs.

Under the same scenario of a 10 per cent price drop and five per cent less yield, on canola the return per acre is negative $4, and wheat is negative $20. Only soybeans maintain a positive margin of $42 per acre under this scenario.

“There are many things that go into this kind of projection but cheaper crops to grow like oats are going to suffer less when things go badly,” says Arnott. “Canola is a more expensive crop but the average yield is over 40 bu./ac. so dropping it back 10 per cent is only a four bu./ac. yield hit. If you make your projections too rosy, you can make it look really good but if you look at it realistically and apply a bit of a stress test, it can be quite different.”

The stress test or sensitivity analysis is built into the 2017 Manitoba COP and is also a part of the MYFARM CROPPLAN Management calculator, which are available on Manitoba Agriculture’s website as a downloadable Excel spreadsheet, and which producers can customize with their own figures and production and marketing scenarios. GN Angela Lovell is a freelance writer, editor and communications specialist living and working in Manitoba. Find her online at www.angelalovell.ca.

*based on double occupancy and includes accommodations, ground transportation, and meals as per the tour description as well as a 24/7 tour guide

SPACE IS LIMITED! FOR FULL DETAILS, OTHER OCCUPANCY RATES AND AN INFORMATION PACKAGE CONTACT:

Pam Dixon

1-855-262-6001

Travel Consultant – CAA

pamd@caamanitoba.com

Operated by CAA Member Choice Vacations®

Visit grainews.ca to sign up for free enews

FEATURES

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

you might be from the prairies if ...

Crop protection

Canola left out in your field? Make it count

By Leeann Minogue You probably don’t even want to think about that canola that’s still out in the field this winter. But someone else is thinking about it.

17

The Canadian Grain Commission is studying the impact of snow on canola quality. They’re looking for samples of canola from the 2016 growing year that has overwintered.

CGC researchers are looking at how canola’s end-use qualities are

impacted by a winter out in the snow. Knowing all the technical details will be helpful for our buyers, and useful for everyone in future years.

At least something good can come from your unlucky situation.

T:9.875 in

To do your part, email Dr. Veronique Barthet (Veronique. barthet@grainscanada.gc.ca) or Twylla McKendry : (twylla. mcKendry@grainscanada.gc.ca).

They’ll mail you an envelope and a consent card.

NO REALLY I PAID FOR THESE SEATS!

WHAT? REALLY I THOUGHT YOU WERE JUST KIDDING!

You have had to explain to visitors from out of province that you have paid to watch curlers, not the other way around.

T:11.4286 in

It’s hard to imagine that one small seed could hold so much promise, but it does.

And when you consider the importance of having a successful season, a cereal seed treatment you can depend on makes a huge difference to the success of your family business.

With the full support of Raxil® seed treatments you’ll receive first-class disease control and a faster, stronger emergence that helps your field realize its full potential. Raxil lays the groundwork for a field that your neighbours will envy and that will ultimately help you achieve a superior performance.

Because from seeding to harvest, every seed counts.

cropscience.bayer.ca/Raxil

1 888-283-6847

@Bayer4CropsCA

Always read and follow label directions. Raxil® is a registered trademark of the Bayer Group.

Bayer CropScience Inc. is a member of CropLife Canada.

C-OT-01/17-10685981-E

18

FEATURES

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

Farm finance

Five uses for provincial machinery rate guides The three Prairie provinces’ rate guides can help you make machinery decisions

By Dilia Narduzzi

T

he new provincial Machinery Guides for 2016-17 have been published on each Prairie province’s website. These guides show rental or custom rates for commonly used machinery.

Dan Schmeiser, manager of the farm business management services section in the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, says “the purpose of the Guide is to provide approximate costs for renting equipment or obtaining custom farming operations from another farmer.”

In dealing with neighbours or friends, this guide will help you to exchange costs and services equitably. Schmeiser remembers to caution, though, that “every situation is unique and this Guide can’t address every situation,” so make adjustments based on your individual circumstances.

“Formalizing the specifics of your agreement with someone in a contract” is always a good idea just in case you and a neighbour are “interpreting the guide differently.”

You may be wondering how the Guides’ numbers are calculated.

There are some formulas at work — these include taking into account of the value of the equipment in question, depreciation, repair and maintenance, fuel costs, insurance and average financing costs. The rate also distinguishes between a rental cost and a custom cost, where a custom cost includes “the labour component,” says Schmeiser and a “margin” cost, to account for any unpredictability. “We try to take the long-term lifespan of the equipment, as well as the residual value when the machine is at the end of its life,” into account when coming up with the numbers in the guide, says Schmeiser.

With no further ado, here are five uses for these Guides: 1. Find a rental price According to Saskatchewan’s guide, one of its main uses is “to suggest an equitable price for both parties when one farmer either rents equipment from another farmer or hires the other to do a farming operation.”

This Guide isn’t for those who are renting equipment as a business proposition, its use is exactly for these kinds of neighbour to neighbour situations, those “short-term arrangements,” says Schmeiser.

“Most farmers, in dealing with their friends and neighbours are looking to recover their costs, maybe something above and beyond that, and that’s fair.” They’re not making an income out of renting out their equipment, says Schmeiser.

2. Work together fairly The other main use for this type of guide, says Schmeiser, is in the situation where people are in “joint

operating arrangements.” This is when a “specific investment” in a piece of equipment has been made by, for example, two farm entities.

For example, Schmeiser says, there are two brothers, “one buys the seeding equipment, and the other buys the harvesting equipment.” Are they making equal contributions here?

“This Guide will enable them to cost out what each of them are contributing to the joint operation.”

3. Make good business decisions “Equipment is expensive,” says Schmeiser. “The cost of equipment is a major part of the total cost of production.” Therefore, the Guide can help you make business decisions about how you want to spend your equipment budget.

For example, if the piece of equipment you are considering is going to be sitting for most of the year, does it make sense, to rent that item for a short period instead of buying?

Looking at the rental costs listed in the Guide can help you make that decision.

If you’re the owner of the piece of equipment in question, on the other hand, likely you’ve spent quite a bit of money to buy that item. Therefore, the Guide’s remuneration suggestions will help you to recoup some of that cost. Remember, though, that “the Guide can be helpful in this regard, but it’s not its primary purpose.”

“I’m all about sizing your equipment to your operation,” says Ted Nibourg, business management specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “Some people get overmechanized.” So you can look to the Guides, he says, to see if you should buy a new piece of equipment or hire someone instead to do some custom work for you.

4. Get a custom rate “The majority of calls we get aren’t about rentals but rather about custom rates. What’s it going to cost me to have my neighbour come in and combine a quarter for me (with his equipment)?” says Nibourg. He adds that only about one in 10 calls he gets are about renting; rather, they are often about the cost of hiring someone for a complete custom job. So if you are looking to hire someone to do custom work for you, looking to the Guide can help you get a sense of how much it’ll cost.

5. Doing non-typical work Another use for these kinds of guides, says Nibourg, is reclamation. “People want to know how much it’ll cost, for example, to re-seed” an abandoned work site. For example, if a pipeline was going to go through your land but isn’t or drilling for a well happened, the land needs to be reclaimed and brought back to “its original state as close as possible” (as required by the Energy Resources Conservation Board in Alberta).

The Guide can be used here because “oil companies don’t have the proper equipment. So they’ll say to the farmer, if you re-seed, we’ll pay you at the custom rates.”

Farmers can point to the rates in the Guide as fair compensation for work done.

Whether you’re sharing equipment, considering hiring a custom worker, or spraying weeds on an oil lease, the provincial Machinery Guides can help you put the right numbers to your budget. GN

news bits

Finding the guides Dilia Narduzzi While many of the numbers are similar, each of the three Prairie provinces has published its own machinery rate guide.

Saskatchewan To find Saskatchewan’s 2016-17 guide, go to the government of Saskatchewan’s website at saskatchewan.ca and enter “farm machinery custom and rental rate guide” into the search bar.

Manitoba To find Manitoba’s guide, go to the government of Manitoba’s website at gov.mb.ca and enter

“farm machinery rental” into the Search bar. The search results will yield the 2016-17 guide in PDF format.

Alberta To find Alberta’s guide, go to Alberta Agriculture and Forestry’s website at agriculture.alberta.ca and type “custom rates survey 2016” into the search bar. There you’ll find a link to click for Alberta’s information, which isn’t in PDF format. Instead, Alberta has a machinery cost calculator where you can input your machinery’s information and see how much custom work might cost.

Alberta also has separate documents for seeding and land leasing rates, for example.

Dilia Narduzzi is a freelance writer in Dundas, Ont.

Let nothing slow you down.

FEATURES

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

19

Farm finances

Avoid the seven deadly sins of marketing Not everyone enjoys marketing, but using these tips may make it more tolerable

By Angela Lovell

B

rian Voth has been telling producers about the “seven deadly sins of grain marketing” for several years, and although the catchy title gets them through the door to listen to him, the advice they go away with is invaluable.

“What I talk about is, essentially, how to make marketing plans by doing it in reverse, by looking at the mistakes that farmers make consistently when it comes to their marketing plan,” says Voth, president of Prairie Farm Consulting, who has given this presentation across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta

as part of Farm Credit Canada’s Knowledge Events series. “It really revolves around keeping the emotion out of grain marketing decisions and making them based on profitability. Sometimes that’s a tough thing to do.”

Producers can easily be sucked into thinking about last year’s high yields or high prices and lose sight of the fact that every year the growing season and global markets are different.

“Producers need to approach every year independently of what happened the previous year,” says Voth. “2016 is going to be a good example because here in the Red River Valley of Manitoba it was wet and there’s going to be a lot of lingering thoughts about that

going forward to 2017. On the flip side, in 2014 it wasn’t wise to plan based on the record high yields everyone got in 2013.

When we’re looking at planning or forward pricing we need to look at long-term averages.”

Long-term averages — at least 10 years — remove the high and low numbers to find the middle ground, and those are the numbers it’s safest to base a marketing plan upon.

The fact remains that producers often focus more on production and don’t enjoy, or have time for, the confusing world of marketing.

“There are so many intricacies of the grain industry between different elevators, different grading systems, different basis levels,

and premiums or discounts on grades and grain markets fluctuate so much more today than they did 15 years ago,” says Voth.

“There is a lot of stuff to know and be aware of with marketing and that’s time consuming. That’s why marketing so often ends up on the back burner for many producers.”

At the same time, producers are not getting a lot of training in how to market the crops they are so good at growing. “In the four years I spent at university taking my agriculture diploma and degree, there were two marketing courses,” says Voth. “There’s very little focus put on teaching marketing and that’s a problem because there’s more money made or left on the table through good or poor marketing decisions than any other aspects of the farm. Where high to low 20 years ago might have been 50 cents a bushel, now high to low is $3 a bushel. So marketing has become a lot more crucial, yet it’s an area that receives the least amount of attention.”

Following are Voth’s tips for how to avoid the “seven deadly sins of grain marketing.”

Approach every year independently No. 1: Lust Lust in terms of grain marketing means wanting to sell your grain for the high of the market. “The problem is, the high of the market is something that you never know until after the fact,” says Voth. “So producers can leave more money on the table than gaining by waiting for that. It’s a bit like chasing the blue moon.”

No. 2: Gluttony Gluttony is wanting more than you need rather than knowing your cost of production to grow grain and settling on a return on investment (ROI) that you can live with, and being ready to sell at that point. “A lot of times opportunities get missed because the market may get to a high point, and then very quickly turn around again and all of sudden you’re not even at your target ROI anymore,” says Voth.

HOT, COLD, BIG, SMALL, EARLY, LATE? Just GO with Pixxaro™, the total annual broadleaf weed control that won’t slow you down. Only Pixxaro includes maximum crop, weed and weather flexibility, PLUS the proven power of Group-4 resistance management.

IT’S ABOUT TIME. Go to dowagro.ca ® TM

Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow. | 01/17-52701 GN

SAVE UP TO

$5.15

PER ACRE

when you book by March 15, 2017 with Diamond Rewards™.

No. 3: Greed Voth argues that greed may well be the biggest enemy of any marketing plan. “Greed as it relates to marketing is focusing on the yield or the price but not the profitability,” says Voth.

As an example, growers in 2012 had below average yields but above average prices, and the reverse was true in 2013 when they had above average yields and lower prices. “In 2013, even

though prices were lower, the profitability was so much higher than it was in 2012, so it comes down to looking at it from a profitability aspect and not always getting hung up on what was your yield or what was your price last year,” says Voth. “In my example, I had $15 canola in 2012 and $11 canola in 2013 and yet the profitability was $100 per acre higher in 2013 than in 2012. So I’d argue that $11 canola is better than $15 canola.”

No 4: Sloth Not having a disciplined plan and being reactive to markets is the height of laziness when it comes to marketing. “Marketing is one of the farm jobs that is often put off,” says Voth. “Eventually it gets done because it has to but it’s not always done by people who enjoy doing it, and a lot of opportunities gets missed because producers are flying by the seat of their pants instead of being proactive, having a plan and knowing what they’re going to do regardless of which way the market goes.”

No. 5: Wrath There is no point being angry about decisions you made or things you decided not to do.

“When we make a decision to do something, if the price goes up, which is generally why a producer gets mad, it’s not always a bad thing because they often have more grain to sell,” says Voth. “Once the decision is made there’s no use beating yourself up about it.”

No. 6: Envy Envy is going to the coffee shop, listening to a group of guys boasting about their yield or prices, then basing your marketing decisions on it. “No one knows the exact ins and outs of anyone else’s operation, so it really comes back to knowing what your profitability is,” says Voth.

No. 7: Pride Pride isn’t necessarily a bad thing. “Farmers should be proud of where they’ve built their farms to, decisions that they’ve made, and things that they’ve done,” says Voth. “The negative part of pride to me is if you’re too proud to say I need help, whether it’s with marketing, agronomy, or mechanics.”

More often than not marketing is an area where farmers may need some outside help. “If you’re leaving money on the table because you’re too proud to ask for help or to pay someone for help, that’s where it becomes one of the sins of marketing,” says Voth. GN Angela Lovell is a freelance writer, editor and communications specialist living and working in Manitoba. Find her online at www.angelalovell.ca.

20

FEATURES

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

Farm finances

Replace that pencil with an online calculator Take your homework from page to screen. Online calculators can help you add up production costs and estimate profits has developed its own unique online calculator.

By Angela Lovell

I

f you need help planning for the upcoming crop year, there are plenty of online tools on provincial government websites to help.

Some of them are in downloadable, customizable Excel spreadsheet format; and others are downloadable software that can producers can save to their computer and customize.

With different soil and climate conditions, each Prairie province

Alberta Alberta Agriculture and Forestry offers a number of free, online cost of production (COP) tools designed to help Alberta producers make better production, management and marketing decisions.

CropChoice$: CropChoice$ is a downloadable software program that was upgraded

in 2016 with up-to-date cost profiles and crop insurance information. It contains regional benchmark costs of production, but allows producers to enter their own production costs to make it relevant to their own farm. The new version allows producers to enter up to 32 fields and compare eight cropping scenarios.

CropChoice$ will calculate expected total margins and probabilities based on a producer’s knowledge of soil and moisture conditions, along with long-term yield and price

expectations. Users can create a “base” cropping plan, then compare it to other different scenarios, and choose a plan that works for their operation by looking at forecasted margins and probability of success.

Features include “worst-bestmost likely” values for prices and yields, and contribution margin and gross margin information presented in easy to understand statements, tables and graphs. The software allows producers to evaluate the effects of different risk management strategies, such

First in the

SOUND AGRONOMY TO BE

Field

A SUCCESSFUL GROWING SEASON starts with selecting the best seeds. With ever changing pests, weeds and climate conditions, make a sound decision and partner with a company that invests in agronomic research and technology.

As farmers, we understand the soil and conditions you face for corn, silage corn and soybean seed. That's why we develop traits to deliver high yields and exceptional profit potential.

1-888-6THUNDER

w w w. t hun d e r s e e d . c a

as adjusting their crop mix, purchasing crop insurance, or renegotiating land rental agreements.

Crop Returns: Crop Returns is a crop enterprise analysis tool that is available as a downloadable Excel spreadsheet template. The template helps grain producers evaluate crop enterprise profitability by calculating production costs, breakeven selling prices, gross margins and returns to equity.

Producers incorporate their own production systems, fertilizer prices, fuel prices, expected yields and selling prices to build a base scenario from which they can then analyze different scenarios based on changes to commodity prices, production costs or expected yields. In this way, producers can estimate realistic profitability and risk using their own production systems.

Crop Returns includes a unique fertilizer cost calculator that uses a producer’s specific fertilizer requirements to calculate the leastcost blend and individual ingredient costs. For dry blend formulations it will show individual ingredients and total applied pounds per acre.

Crop Returns can also help producers compare the risks and returns from various cash rental and crop share lease arrangements, and allow for ‘what if’ analyses, for example if input prices rise or yield fall. The program allows producers to do comparative or multi-year analyses by copying older worksheets into a new worksheet tab.

Money Map: Money Map is an economic tool for site-specific farming which takes a producer’s yield mapping data, and creates a map of areas of profit and loss within a field. Producers can use this downloadable, standalone software, in conjunction with their yield mapping software, to convert yield maps into map of profit.

According to the Alberta Agriculture and Forestry website, these yield maps will then show the economic zones where a producer covers his or her direct cash costs and the total cash plus fixed costs. These economic zones will contribute to improved decision making, by giving knowledge about where management is working and where it needs improvement.

Money Map allows producers to run “what if” scenarios with different input and crop prices, and can calculate total field revenues.

The free software includes instructions on how to use it with most equipment manufacturers’ yield mapping software. Farmers who don’t have a yield monitor or mapping software can manually enter information based on their own field experiences in a spreadsheet version to estimate economic thresholds and build comparison tables to help consider different management options.

FEATURES

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

Saskatchewan The Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture has two related online cost of production tools for producers: the Crop Planning Guide and Crop Planner.

Crop Planning Guide: The 2017 Crop Planning Guide is downloadable in pdf format and contains updated information that can help estimate the income and cost of production for different crops in the various soil zones in the province. It includes blank planning budget sheets for producers to use to calculate their cost of production based on their own farm’s production and marketing figures.

According to the Ministry’s website, this year’s Guide differs

from previous years’ because it targets the possible above-average yields, using a higher input system linked to recommended agronomic practices including the use of certified seed, soil nutrient testing and pesticide selection.

The latter targets minimizing yield losses, while reducing the risk of the development of pest (insect, plant disease and weed) resistance. The Guide does not represent actual provincial average cost of production figures.

Crop Planner: Crop Planner is a downloadable Excel spreadsheet for use with the Crop Planning Guide Users can customize the spreadsheet with their own data for yields, prices, input and other production costs.

Manitoba Manitoba Agriculture has two offerings available.

2017 Guidelines for Estimating Crop Production Costs: Manitoba just released its 2017 Guidelines for Estimating Crop production Costs in Manitoba. Available in pdf or customizable, Excel format it provides budgets for estimating COP for canola, wheat, winter wheat, soybeans, barley, oats, corn, navy beans, flax, sunflowers, peas, fall rye, canary seed, lentils, buckwheat and hempseed. Chemical and fertilizer inputs follow general, Manitoba Agriculture recommendations.

The Guidelines provide an economic evaluation of the crops and estimated yields required to cover all costs. Costs include labour, invest-

ment and depreciation, but do not include management costs. Producers can enter their own costs and yield data to make the guide more relevant to their own farm operations.

New for 2017 is an AgriInsurance analysis that helps producers determine what level of crop insurance is appropriate for their farm. It includes a sensitivity analysis that allows producers to play with different scenarios — for example, if prices drop 10 per cent and yields are down by five per cent, what the impact would be upon their farm operation.

MYFARM CROPPLAN: Also on Manitoba Agriculture’s website is MYFARM CROPPLAN, a production cost, marketing and management calculator. This simple to use, customizable Excel spread-

sheet allows producers to estimate their gross revenue, and annual cash production costs per bushel, per acre and for the total farm. The spreadsheet is pre-loaded with figures from the latest provincial guidelines for estimating crop production costs.

CROPLAN calculates marginal returns, break even yields and break even crop prices on both total production, and remaining, unsold inventory, as well as land and machinery costs analyses and cash based financial ratios. It also offers several business management calculations. GN Angela Lovell is a freelance writer, editor and communications specialist living and working in Manitoba. Find her online at www.angelalovell.ca.

Where to find online resources: Each of the Prairie provinces makes this information available on their websites.

Manitoba • Guidelines for Estimating Crop Production Costs 2017 in Manitoba, pdf and Excel: www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/ business-and-economics/ financial-management/cost-ofproduction.html#crops • MYFARM CROPPLAN, production, marketing and management calculator, Excel: www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/ business-and-economics/ financial-management/farmsoftware-and-worksheets.html Saskatchewan • Crop Planning Guide, pdf, and Crop Planner, Excel: www. saskatchewan.ca/business/ agriculture-natural-resourcesand-industry/agribusinessfarmers-and-ranchers/ farm-business-management/ production-economics-forfarm-businesses/crop-planningguide-and-crop-planner • Saskatchewan Organic Crop Planning Guide 2014, Excel, www.saskatchewan.ca/ business/agriculture-naturalresources-and-industry/ agribusiness-farmers-andranchers/crops-and-irrigation/ organic-crops/organic-cropplanning-guides Alberta • CropChoice$ computer software: www1.agric.gov. ab.ca/$department/softdown. nsf/main?openform&type=Cro pChoice$&page=information • Crop Returns Spreadsheet: www1.agric.gov. ab.ca/$Department/softdown. nsf/main?openform&type=Cr opReturns&page=informatio n#what • Money Map software: www1. agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/ softdown.nsf/main?openform &type=MoneyMap&page=info rmation Angela Lovell

RANCONA PINNACLE TAKES SEED TREATMENT TECHNOLOGY TO NEW LEVELS. ®

RANCONA® PINNACLE combines two powerful fungicides that provide both contact and systemic activity, with RANCONA micro-dispersion technology for superior adhesion and coverage. And when more active ingredient ends up on your seed and not your equipment, you’ll see improved seed emergence, healthier seedlings, and higher yields. To learn more, talk to your Arysta LifeScience representative or visit rancona.com.

Always read and follow label directions. Rancona is a registered trademark of MacDermid Agricultural Solutions, Inc. Arysta LifeScience and the Arysta LifeScience logo are registered trademarks of the Arysta LifeScience Corporation.

RANC-021

21

seed treatment

22

columns

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

Can’t take the farm from the boy

Find your voice in Prairie farm politics Just a take few steps up toward the microphone, and you can have a say in farm policy Toban Dyck

tobandyck@gmail.com

I

n politics, we as farmers hope for a voice. We want our agricultural leaders to know what it’s like to run a farm; to get their hands dirty.

We want our lawmakers to know that good policy comes from having one ear to the field and the other to the barn. And we want all of these people to listen to us.

I spent a day and a half at the Keystone Agricultural Producers AGM where I observed the power and and importance of grassroots political engagement.

Your fragile idea; your late-night eureka moment; that conviction you haven’t been able to shake; these are the beginnings of real politics. And making sure your voice is heard is how real change occurs.

The moving parts clinking and clanging behind how policy gets developed, and now, specifically, ag policy, have always intrigued me.

And I’d be willing to bet they would intrigue you, as well.

The mechanics of politics, and behind the apparatus that churns out the rules and regulations that affect our lives and business isn’t as formidable and inaccessible as you may think.

Rules can change. Laws can adapt.

Focus can shift. Systems can topple.

As you may know, when I learn something new in this industry, I’m quick to impart those nuggets to you, the reader, trying my best to express it in such a way as to reenergize you on a topic that has long gone stale or to introduce you to something new, hoping some of my excitement passes on to you. I would like to think it has been working.

This column is more similar to a class on small engine repair than anything else. You start by taking the five-horse Briggs & Stratton apart, noting where each piece goes and what function it serves relative to the larger cause of converting the potential power stored inside fuel into actual, usable horsepower.

Then you rebuild it. You now know that motor. When it runs poorly, you can visualize the parts and which ones may be failing.

This particular farm organization has the ear of lawmakers. Many members of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly were present and available.

The meeting was what you’d expect from an AGM. There was housekeeping to get through. There were presentations on various farm related issues, from accounting to a study on the need for government support in agriculture.

But then there were resolutions.

Setting the policies The conference room was on the second floor of the Delta and it was full. Delegates from KAP’s 12 districts across Manitoba were there.

Industry delegates, such as myself, were also present. Others, too, including media and special guests.

I was given a package containing the agenda as well as all the resolutions that had been submitted in time prior to the meeting. The resolutions themselves came from the various districts and/or commodity groups, and addressed a wide swath of issues from carbon tax to hunting to rural internet service quality to you name it.

The resolution is read out loud, motioned and seconded. Then a member representing the resolutions speaks to it, fleshing out the details in order to bring all of us up to speed.

There were two mics setup, one on each side of the room. People could engage with each resolution, expressing concern, anger, support, or confusion. Many did, lining up behind each mic waiting for their turn to speak. The engagement was very real. For the most part, the things people had to say on these resolutions were interesting, and surprisingly accessible, as if you or I could have gone up and said the same thing.

It comes to a vote, and if the vote is in favour, KAP will add that resolu-

tion to its mandate. And once this happens — once that idea of yours finds itself approved at the KAP AGM — it has grown into something that will effect change.

All of this is meant to lift the veil on a mechanism many find intimidating. Politics is made up of those thoughts and ideas for change you feel are too simple or obvious to utter.

If you have something to say, and be confident that you do, become involved in the local groups that have an ear to government. Board members have become scarce in

agriculture. The industry is scrambling to fill seats, and is worried about what their boards will look like five, seven, 10 years from now.

I left the Delta having learned something about what makes the ag world tick. But I also left the hotel inspired that there are systems in place giving each and every farmer a voice. The mic is on. All you have to do is walk up to it and start talking. GN Toban Dyck is a freelance writer and a new farmer on an old farm. Follow him on Twitter @tobandyck.

Superior Investment Meridian SmoothWall Bins

columns

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

23

Farm Financial Planner

Planning a less taxing retirement Herb and Martha are working on a plan to retire while their son takes over the farm

By Andrew Allentuck

I

n central Manitoba, a couple we’ll call Herb, 54, and Martha, 52, have farmed for 25 years. The farm is in a partnership with Herb’s brother, who we’ll call Larry. Each brother has an interest in the partnership through his own holding company.

The main operating entity is the partnership that does the actual farming of grains and oilseeds. It owns the farm machin-

ery, a herd of 200 cattle and 1,440 acres of farm land. The herd uses marginal land for pasture and hay. The brothers personally own another 480 acres each in their personal names. The partnership also rents another 1,600 acres.

The farm partnership has been profitable. It produces net partnership income of $150,000 to $250,000 per year. There are other investments and a revenue property which generates $8,000 a year net for the brothers. Mar-

tha has a full time off farm job which pays her $54,000 per year.

Erik Forbes and Don Forbes of Forbes Wealth Management Ltd. in Carberry, Manitoba, worked with the couple to plan the generational transition.

The next generation wants to be involved. Herb and Martha have a son, age 27, who works on the farm and would like to have an equity interest in the entire operation. The have two daughters, ages 25 and 21, who have careers of their own and who are not interested in farming.

Herb and Martha want to retire in perhaps 11 years. They would like Larry to inherit the farm and, as well, they want to be fair to their daughters. But securing the interests of the son and the daughters will be complex.

Making the plan The gain in the value of personally owned farm land will be offset by the $1 million Personally Owned Farm Land Capital Gains exemption for which Herb and Martha are each eligible. They can also

Hear what our customers say.

Meridian SmoothWall Bins—First in Innovation and First in the Industry.

Meridian’s SmoothWall and Hopper design revolutionized on farm storage of feed, grain, seed and fertilizer. Engineered design provides safe and efficient storage, versatility of use and durability. Strong resale value with great return on investment. Largest size selection of SmoothWall Hopper Bins on the market with up to 10,700 bushel capacity.

“We have been selling Meridian SmoothWall Bins at our auctions for more than 20 years.

These bins always sell well and hold their value better than other bins on the market because they are well-built and quite easy to move.”

25" 1'-7 5/16"

5'-11 3/16" 35°

- Doug Johnson Doug Johnson Auction Service Ltd.

1

20"

Premium Powder Coating with salt-spray rating 3-4x more than wet paint used by some competitors.

Backed by Meridian’s

5 year warranty

Superior Resale Value 25'-0"

2 All Welded SmoothWall Construction

40'-10 13/16"

No bolts, stiffeners or holes that contribute to product hang-ups and contamination.

3 Support Ring and Horizontal Band

40°

“Meridian SmoothWall Bins are my new RRSPs… At least I know what I have. You write them off and if you can get your money back out of it in the end, it’s as good as an RRSP.”

Complete support ring and horizontal band for superior structural strength and support.

18"

9'-6 1/2"

24 3/8"

- Jim Leslie, Farmer Portage la Prairie, Manitoba

5 1/16"

4

Hopper Design provides smooth clean-out and safe handling.

Find your nearest dealer at

meridianmfg.com/locator/ Contact: smoothwall@meridianmfg.com World Class Quality. Locally Made Relationships.

“Meridian SmoothWall Bins have the best quality in the market.”

- Colin Huseby, Farmer Camrose, AB

exclude the capital gain on their primary residence with one acre.

That’s another $200,000. So the first $2.2 million of capital gains on personally owned and farmed land will be tax-free, Don Forbes explains.

However, any gain in the value of the farm partnership will be taxable. Land owned by the farm partnership would also be eligible for the Qualified Farmland Capital Gain Tax Credit as personally owned land.

Farming parents can transfer land any price between book value and today’s market value.

This includes any land, equipment, and inventory. The concept is to use up all tax credits and tax exemptions while not also claiming the entire value of the farm and having to pay tax on it on the date of transfer.

There are strategic choices to be made. A major consideration is which assets Larry should have.

The package of assets would have a transfer price of the current book value plus the $2.2 million capital gain exemption. Any remaining taxable gain balance would be deferred to Larry through a lower conceptual “purchase price” which would be, in effect, a taxfree transfer of farming assets.

meridianmfg.com © 2017 Meridian Manufacturing Inc. Registered Trademarks used under License. (02/2017)

Herb and Martha want to retire Herb and Martha can take back a zero interest promissory note on the land so that if Larry had marital difficulties or went bankrupt, the land would remain in the family. Credits or an estranged spouse could pursue Larry for the value of the assets, but he would have to pay the parents before their claims would be considered, Don Forbes suggests.

The corporation The farming corporation is more complicated. If it is a family farming corporation, so favourable farming transfer rules can be used. The alternative is to have it considered as an investment holding company. Normal business estate rules would apply to an investment holding company so that on the death of the owner, all assets are valued at current market value and appropriate taxes paid.

It would be possible to create a separate holding company to own all non-farming assets while the fa m i l y fa r m i n g c o r p o ra t i o n would continue to own only the farm partnership interest. Larry would be the ultimate owner of the farm partnership. For an intermediate way to provide for the daughters’ interests, Herb and Martha could buy a life insurance policy. A policy on Continued on Page 24 

columns

24

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

Soils and crops

Make sure you mind your fertilizer Ps and Ks

The fertilizer story — why a pound of phosphorus may not really be a pound of phosphorus Les Henry

The kicker When farmers talk about how much fertilizer they’re applying, they usually talk about the amounts they’re actually applying — the amounts in P2O5 and K2O. This is OK, as long as fertilizer recommendations are in P2O5 and K2O. The problem comes when people switch terminology.

The kicker for me is when I fill out my Crop Insurance Yield Report and it asks for inputs. Fertilizer is listed as N, P and K — actual.

I report on paper and correct the P and K on the form to P2O5 and K2O and make a note that the form should be corrected, as I am sure most are doing it that way, rather

 Continued from Page 23

Herb’s life for a 10-year term for $2 million death benefit would be $5,300 per year. A similar policy for Martha’s life would be $2,800 per year.

Term insurance is a good solution if it is couple with an investment plan for $40,000 to $50,000 a year. By the tenth year, the accumulated value of the investment portfolio would be sufficient to allow the term coverage to be discontinued, Erik Forbes says. There are two ways to produce retirement income from assets Herb and Martha have built.

First, use the present farming corporation as a profitable business and pay a management fee to

photo: credit name

I

n a recent article I mentioned a classic old Alberta document that talks about managing Gray Wooded soils — low in fertility and organic matter. I pointed out that when the old boys had data about rates of application of phosphorus and potassium, they meant just that, P and K, not P2O5 and K2O — which is the way fertilizers are labeled and sold. I then lamented that there were too many cases in modern farm literature where the terminology used is just plain WRONG. It bothers me greatly to see that we have fallen back to where we have to go right back to the basics that we taught at farm short courses in the 60s and 70s when fertilizer use first took off for real.

That stirred up our fearless editor who hit the nail on the head with her comments. She said if everyone is doing it wrong maybe it is OK, but when we do not know who’s doing it wrong and who’s doing it right, then we are setting ourselves up for a fall down the road.

When it comes to phosphorus and potassium, farmers and reserachers speak two different languages.

than doing the math to convert their applied P2O5 to actual P. But the form has not been changed.

How useful is the data down the road when we do not know how folks are reporting?

Please, do not get me wrong .

This is not a criticism of our Crop Insurance program. I am a huge fan of Crop Insurance and think it is a very well run program. For years I have thought some other farm programs should be scrapped and the resources put to Crop Insurance.

What are the facts Henry’s Handbook of Soil and Water devotes an entire page (32 for those that have the book) to explaining the concept.

The facts are this: The fertilizer industry expresses the nutrient content of fertilizers as follows:

the existing personal company.

This works, but it is not the easiest path to generational transfer.

Second, have Herb take a salary of $100,000 a year and $8,000 rental income. Put $24,000 into RRSPs to reduce taxable income from the 43 per cent range to the 33 per cent range. This plan, when accumulated money is paid out on the basis of expending all capital and income would generate $4,000 per month for 25 years to Herb’s age 90, Don Forbes estimates.

Martha can use the same mechanism to generate retirement income. By adding a $44,000 bonus from the farming corporation to her $54,000 salary with $8,000 contributed to RRSPs and reduction of taxable

• N is reported as per cent N. • P is reported as per cent P2O5, referred to as phosphate to differentiate from phosphorus (P).

• K is reported as per cent K2O, referred to as potash to differentiate from potassium (P).

The conversions are quite simple: • To convert P2O5 to P divide by 2.29. To convert P to P2O5 multiply by 2.29.

• To convert K2O to K divide by 1.21. To convert K to K2O. multiply by 1.21.

For K, the difference is not huge but for P it is out by more than 100 per cent. That’s a big error.

Page 32 of Henry’s Handbook explains the chemistry of it all but the factors are what is important.

income to the 33 per cent range, she would put $4,000 into her RRSP for 11 years and wind up with $900 per month beginning in 11 years to her age 100.

There are other ways for Herb and Martha to reduce taxes. TaxFree Savings Accounts eliminate the problem of recurrent taxation, first on earnings and then on proceeds of savings in the form of taxable dividends, interest or profits. The maximum is now $52,000.

Eleven years from now, Herb and Martha can look forward to a six-figure retirement income and solid arrangements for transfer of their wealth to their children.

Herb’s present income, which consists of $100,000 from the farming business and $8,000 in

Why are N and P done that way?

The plain and simple answer is that there is no good reason and it makes absolutely no sense. It is a throwback to the days when lab folks analyzed soils and rocks and expressed the results as the oxide form so it all added up neatly to 100 per cent. It was a check on the lab.

In the early days of superphosphate fertilizer manufacture in the U.K. the oxide form of reporting P and K snuck in to the fertilizer business and that method was transported to North America.

And, it has stuck.

There is no P2O5 in P fertilizer.

Our most common P fertilizer is monoammonium phosphate (chemical formula NH4H2PO4).

The P form is PO4.

There is no K2O in K fertilizer.

Almost all of our potash fertilizer

rental income, and Martha’s present income of $54,000 salary income plus $13,000 in dividends from the farming business, total $67,000, will become $87,000 salary from the farm corporation, $19,000 in dividends, $8,000 in rental income and $24,000 to RRSPs as a deduction. Herb’s final income would then be $90,000. Martha’s restructured income would be $$54,000 in off-farm job income, $40,000 in farm income and bonuses less $4,000 RRSP contributions for final income of $90,000. Total family income would be $180,000 a year after tax-advantaged contributions to RRSPs. In retirement, each can expect the addition of Old Age Security beginning at age 65 of $6,942,

is potassium chloride (chemical formula KCl).

With the new ways of looking at P fertility of crops with a longer time window there is renewed interest in the 1970-80s experiments which porked on gobs of P and followed the results (for the keeners, sources are listed below).

In those experiments the reported rate of P fertilizer was 400 kg P/hectare. To convert that to the actual amount of product used, some math is necessary: • 400 kg P/ha x 0.0892 = 357 lbs. P/acre; • then multiply by the factor of 2.29 = 818 lb P2O5/acre.

Using 11-52-0 fertilizer, this is 1,573 lbs./acre of product.

In the 1970s, when our Government of Canada was stuffing metric down our throats whether we liked it or not, we tried mightily to get P and K changed to the elemental form of reporting — get it all over once and for all. But, the North American fertilizer market is very closely intertwined so it was impossible for Canada to go it alone.

So, there you have it. It makes no sense but we are stuck with it. And we must make sure that each generation that comes along is schooled in what it is and how to use it so there is no ambiguity. GN J.L.(Les) Henry is a former professor and extension specialist at the University of Saskatchewan. He farms at Dundurn, Sask. His book, “Henry’s Handbook of Soil and Water,” mixes the basics and practical aspects of soil, fertilizer and farming. To order a signed copy, send a cheque for $50 (includes shipping and GST) to Henry Perspectives, 143 Tucker Cres, Saskatoon, SK, S7H 3H7.

Keeners: see the “Canadian Journal of Soil Science,” 1986, Volume 66, Pages 237-248, or “Canadian Journal of Soil Science,” 1973, Volume 53, Pages 389-398

earned CPP benefits of $10,560 a year for Herb and $7,800 for Mart h a , R e g i s te re d R e t i re m e n t Income Fund proceeds of $48,000 a year for Herb and $6,000 a year for Martha, and a work pension for Martha of $13,560 a year.

Total retirement income from all sources would be $279,804 for the couple. The farm interest would be transferred, Larry would have a farm business to manage, the daughters’ interests would be secured, and Herb and Martha would have a substantial income for investment, travel, or donation to good causes, Don Forbes concludes. GN Andrew Allentuck is author of “When Can I Retire? Planning Your Financial Future After Work” (Penguin, 2011).

columns

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

25

Understanding market bulls and bears

Make sure your farm is competitive Prairie farmers are going to have to stay on the ball to remain profitable in today’s markets Brian Wittal

bfwittal@procommarketingltd.com

A

Kristjan Hebert talk about his Five The expansion of Canadian grain Per Cent Rule by finding the com- processing facilities is positive, and mercial banking section of the Royal should bring better returns. We Bank’s website at www.rbcroyal- have seen a large growth in Prairie bank.com, and then searching for canola crushing capacity and “Kristjan Hebert.”) recently there have been announceAnother way to improve profit- ments of new pea crushing and ability is to fine specialty markets extraction facilities in all three Praithat will pay a better return. That rie provinces. With processors addcould be a market next door, in ing value on the Prairies rather than another province or ub another shipping commodities to the coast country. The crops you grow and the for export, prices back to producers markets you sell to are only restricted at the processor should be better T:7.875” by your ability to adapt. than prices at the elevator. These

facilities add competitive options, helps to improve market prices.

It’s all about how to get a better net dollar back to your farm’s bottom line.

In my next article I will talk about marketing strategies that could help you beat the Five Per Cent Rule. GN Brian Wittal has 30 years of grain industry experience, and currently offers market planning and marketing advice to farmers through his company Pro Com Marketing Ltd.

I will be a trailblazer by recognizing opportunity and embracing the future. I will meet challenges head-on, adapt and overcome. I will continually challenge the status quo and place my trust where it is deserved.

T:10”

fter some of my recent articles talking about what is happening around the world in primary agricultural production — which countries are leading the way and who we in Western Canada are going to have to compete against in the world markets — I have had comments from some of you saying that I’ve left you with feelings of despair and hopelessness.

Before you all decide to sell your farms, as some of you have said you might, let’s look at what you might do to become more profitable.

In Canada we grow more grains that we can consume so we are destined to have to sell the excess into world markets, with the hope that those markets will pay enough to make our farms profitable year after year. We are not the only country in this situation; we have many competitors. Some of these competitors are expanding their production capabilities rapidly as they bring dormant lands back into production. This is making it very difficult to remain profitable.

The world price of grains is determined by supply and demand. You can’t control that. So let’s look at what you can control that could help your farm become more competitive in world markets and more profitable at home.

Farming is big business. You’re competing against major world competitors in a market beset by political interference, trade deals, tariffs and duties and multinational companies. Are any of the other players concerned about whether or not you are profitable? Probably not.

over the past 10 years to offset these increases, so the only way to increase profitability is to increase production, increase selling prices and reduce costs.

The Five Per Cent Rule can have a major impact on profitability.

Improving your yield by five per cent, increasing your selling price by five per cent and reducing your fixed costs by five per cent can increase your net profit from 30 to over 100 per cent, depending on your financial situation. (You can listen to

Where to start I would start with attention to detail. The first thing I would suggest is getting a better understanding of your farm’s financial details.

I’ve sat in on numerous seminars about farm financials and the one key thing I’ve heard is that using accrual financial statements is the only way to get a true look at your financial picture. Year-over-year comparisons can show you how your operation has changed financially over time. This will help you see your true costs and cash flow, which will help you make better decisions.

If you’re not using accrual financial statements you may want to consider talking to your accountant about converting your farm to accrual. If you are already using accrual financial statements, sit down and do some year-over-year comparisons to see how your farm is doing. At these seminars, experts suggested doing financial reviews quarterly or at least twice-annually.

Studies and articles show that the cost of inputs on a grain farm have doubled over the last 10 years as have the fixed costs such as machinery, land, labour and buildings. We know grain prices haven’t doubled

cropscience.bayer.ca

1 888-283-6847

@Bayer4CropsCA

Always read and follow label directions. InVigor® is a registered trademark of the Bayer Group.

Bayer CropScience Inc. is a member of CropLife Canada.

0-66-01/17-10707503-E

26

columns

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

Agronomy management

Yield boosting production information Just because someone tells you something doesn’t mean it’s true. Base your choices on good sources Ross McKenzie

A

1. Science-Based Agronomy In my opinion, all products promoted to famers should be scientifically proven.

Unfortunately, this often is not

the case. And it seems to be getting worse each year. Genuine science-based agronomic information must come from rigorous, sound scientific research.

Experimental testing with careful measurements and observations must be conducted to show when, where, why and how a new product will improve crop yield.

Testing must be conducted in uniquely different regions to represent the various soil and climatic areas of the prairies.

This is important to understand when the product will or will not work in the agro-ecological region that you farm.

Ideally, the products or practices used on your farm should be based on genuine scientific research for the region you farm.

When this information is not available, you don’t know if or when if a product might improve crop yield.

2. Conjecture-Based Agronomy Conjecture-based recommendations are made based on what is thought or believed to be correct by the promoter. But the product or practice has not been scientifically tested or proved to be correct in Western Canada! Promoters tend to use farmer testimonials and convincing literature to support claims.

A good example is the many speciality micronutrient products that are available and promoted to farmers across Western Canada.

We know a micronutrient fertilizer may be beneficial to increase yield, when that micronutrient is deficient in a soil. Most of these speciality micronutrient products

have convincing claims. But, most have not been tested scientifically in Western Canada to actually show if or when they might work to increase crop yield.

To complicate things, changes are constantly being made to product names, product forms and recommendations on methods of application of the products.

3. Pseudo-Based Agronomy Pseudo-based agronomic recommendations are usually based on a wee bit of scientific logic, but products have not been scientifically proven and likely won’t be.

Slick promotional materials are often used. Products or technologies ride on the coat tails of good science and often attempt to link up with good agronomic science.

The claims made are often just too good to be true.

An example from a few years ago was injecting tractor exhaust into soil to eliminate the need for fertilizers. Using basic scientific knowledge and common sense it would be nearly impossible to have any soil or crop benefit. But, people bought into it at considerable expense and tried it for a two or three of years. Most gave up, after watching their crop yields decline.

There are many yield boosting products that fall into the pseudo category. Some might call them snake oil products. Sadly, there are far too much pseudo agronomy products promoted to prairie farmers.

Use Critical Thinking My advice is to use common sense and critical thinking.

When considering use of a new product, ask questions about the Information or advice you receive. Has reputable research be conducted on soil types, crops and environmental conditions that are representative of your region?

If NO, either don’t use it or try in it in small replicated field strips with adjacent control strips!

If YES, ask for research reports, not just promotional information. Do a literature review on the Internet to see what information you can find. Get the names of the researchers that led the studies.

Call them to get first hand comments to find out if and when the technology will work. Most agronomy researchers I know are more than happy to explain their results to farmers.

I usually advise not to use a product unless the company can provide unbiased research, from a reputable western Canadian scientist to show when the product will work.

In summary, take news articles, promotional material and testimonials with caution.

Find out as much about the testing of the product or practice as you can — does it measure up to the claims? Call your provincial soil or crop specialist for their unbiased comments and advice.

Always use common sense and critical thinking before using a new product! GN Ross H. McKenzie, PhD, P. Ag., is a former agronomy research scientist and adjunct professor at the University of Lethbridge. He conducted soil, crop and irrigation research with Alberta Agriculture for 38 years.

photos: Ross McKenzie

t this time of year, the popular press is loaded with promotional information in the form of advertising and news articles, touting the benefits of all kinds of crop yield boosting products. These may include: soil conditioners; nonconventional or speciality fertilizers; wetting agents and surfactants; biological inoculants and activators; and plant stimulants and growth regulators. Some are excellent new products worth trying. But, the promotion and claims of some of these products I find horrifying. A good example was an article in the Dec 6, 2016 issue of Grainews! I will let you figure out which article it was.

Some agronomic products are excellent with well-documented research to support their recommendations. But, some products or practices are little more than scams. Well-spoken sales people, with very rehearsed pitches, can be very convincing. I’m sure you have heard the old phase “there is a sucker born every minute!” incorrectly attributed to P.T. Barnum. The challenge for farmers is not to be scammed by slick sales people.

In the past few years, we’ve heard about “Canola 100,” “Wheat 150” and “Barley 180.” I have no problem with farmers doing their very best to achieve optimum crop yields. But, some of the products and practices that are being promoted or used to chase these top yields are just

silly. I encourage farmers to strive for optimal economic yield.

Striving for maximum yield is not always economical.

When a number of products are used on the same field area and a slight yield increase is observed, you really don’t know which product or treatment might have been beneficial. I call this “by guess and by golly” research. By golly, you got a yield increase but you can only guess which treatment was beneficial.

For some farmers, trying multiple treatments to chase maximum yield goals with unproven products can be very costly, with no financial benefit. If you are going to try new, unproven products, please leave controls strips and replicate the treatments in the same field, so you can hopefully determine if there was a real benefit or not.

Many farmers strive to be innovative and want to be leading edge. I greatly admire early adopters of new, proven technology. But, you don’t want to be a guinea pig, trying unproven technology on your farm. That can be very costly, when it does not work.

I put agronomic products and their claims into three different agronomic categories: 1. Science-based agronomy; 2. Conjecture-based agronomy; and, 3. Pseudo-based agronomy.

Rigorous research should be conducted in Western Canada to test products or practices before promotion to Prairie farmers.

columns

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

27

Off-farm income

Buying puts to protect your portfolio Learn to use puts to insure your portfolio, it’s just like buying crop insurance Andy Sirski sirski@mts.net

I

’d like to write a few words of respect for two former Grainews contributors.

Boyd Anderson passed away in December of last year at the nice old age of 96. Boyd wrote for Grainews for years. He left his mark on the Canadian beef industry as a member of the various beef organizations he worked for.

Boyd also helped family members start ranching and he was well loved by his many grandchildren. I used to call Boyd often after I retired from Grainews, 10 years ago, and we always had great chats. Sadly, the last time we tried to talk Boyd was very hard of hearing so we talked only for a short time.

Thanks Boyd for all you did.

I’d also like to thank Dr. Jim Hunter, a former contributing editor to Grainews.

Dr. Hunter started his career as assistant ag rep in Altona, Man., in 1964, and went on to be a recognized authority on weeds common to the Prairies, although he was seconded to Eastern Canada several times to move along weed knowledge.

Dr. Hunter was integral in getting many herbicides registered in Canada. He is busy enjoying his retirement and his many grandchildren.

Thanks for your 52 years of work for farmers in Western Canada and the Midwestern United States.

Over the years I have found ways to buy more active stocks and sell calls on them to collect 0.3, 0.5, 0.8 or even one per cent per week. That’s a lot of money.

The trouble is, this takes work and some learning, and I end up working with volatile stocks.

Managing puts is different from managing stocks The best time to buy a put on a stock is when the price of the shares is high and ready to roll over and drop. That way as the price of shares drops, the value of the put goes up.

As the price of the stock stops falling and starts to go up, it’s time to sell the put near its high price.

The downside As you might expect there are downside points to dealing with puts. The big thing is that, as with all insurance, buying puts costs money. How much? Well I can’t speak for all puts but I can say that the puts I bought in November for March cost me 12 to 13 cents per share per week.

That was OK because I was selling weekly calls for 30 to 40 cents per week. Many stocks don’t pay such a high premium so we can either buy puts for a shorter time, as in two months instead of four months. Or we can insure 70 or 80 per cent of the value so we ease the potential blow so to speak. Or we can just ignore the ups and downs.

That’s OK if the shares rebound as many do, but some take years to rebound and some never do, like Nortel.

I don’t buy puts on all my shares. Maybe I should but it doesn’t always make financial sense. The calls don’t always pay enough to cover the cost of the puts, in which case I might be better off to sell the shares when a selling rule kicks in. GN Andy Sirski is mostly retired. He plays with his grandchildren, has a small tax business and manages his family’s portfolio. Read his electronic newsletter, StocksTalk, free for a month by emailing Andy.

Manage the puts A few months ago I wrote about how we can buy puts to protect the value of our stock portfolios. A put is an option to sell a stock at a particular price. If the market value of the stock goes down, your put becomes more valuable. Buying puts on a stock is like a farmer buying crop insurance, or insuring a car, truck or house. We convert an unknown potential loss into a predictable fixed cost.

As you know I sell covered calls and naked puts to bring in cash.

When I sell calls the buyer of the calls has the right, but not the obligation, to buy my shares at the strike price on or before the end of the contract. The buyer pays me cash up front for the right to buy my shares.

This works very well for me because 90 per cent of the time the option expires, worthless, and I keep the money and my shares.

Over the last 13 years I have collected thousands of dollars worth of those premiums. Sometimes the shares go up more than the premium pays so I cap the gains on our stocks.

More often than not I keep the premium and the share. I also collect the dividend.

Many believe they can consistently choose stocks that go up and up so they don’t sell covered calls.

In bull markets they can be correct.

In bear or flat markets they claim to be happy with collecting the two, three or four per cent dividend.

That’s fine, for them.

Effective nitrogen? That’s a given.

Responsive nitrogen? That’s amazing.

Crops really go for ESN® SMART NITROGEN®, and so does your bottom line. That’s because its unique technology responds to the same factors that spur plant growth. How does it do it? ESN is a urea granule encapsulated in a polymer coating that protects the nitrogen from loss through leaching, volatilization and denitrification. ESN technology controls its release to match plant demand based on soil temperature. Your crops get the nitrogen they need, when they need it. That’s what we mean by responsive.

Minimize N loss. Maximize Yield.

Optimize your nitrogen investment with ESN. Find out more at SmartNitrogen.com. ©2017 Agrium Inc. ESN; ESN SMART NITROGEN logos and designs are all trademarks owned by Agrium Inc. 01/17-47229

47229-04 ESN Roots_2017_7-875x10.indd 1

2017-01-16 7:15 AM

28

columns

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

Hart Attacks

Human-pig chimeras! Who knew?

E There’s never a dull moment around the old biotech R & D table

investing any money in human/pig chimera research and development.

Dealing with the public or society on these biotech issues can be pretty complicated. In an everchanging social environment technology can be a tough sell.

The horror of the GMO?

photo: salk

ver since I met my first computer in about 1980, I’ve had this sinking feeling that science and technology is slipping away from me.

There I was as a new kid in the Lethbridge Herald newsroom. I had used a typewriter all during my early career, and here I was sitting in front of a large beige box with a green screen, with no idea how to even turn it on. My hopes? Maybe it was just a flash in the pan and one day soon I could get back to my reliable Underwood. Although it was a struggle and I did figure it out, I have long suspected technology and biotechnology would always be outpacing my thinking. There is always something new.

Fortunately my 1975 edition of the Merriam-Webster dictionary still works.

Chimera? Have you ever run into that? It was new to me.

On the biotechnology front, the headline I came across in a recent Post Media article: “Human-pig chimera embyros created.” What the heck are researchers doing now?

The first chimera definition provided by Merriam-Webster: “a firebreathing she-monster in mythology” — that doesn’t sound good. A second definition M-W offers: “an individual, organ or part consisting of tissues of diverse genetic constitution...” — now that’s perhaps a little easier to take than the initial “monster” image.

But it got me thinking about all the baggage that goes with technology and biotechnology — even with good intentions it can be a tough sell.

The chimera story — so these California researchers injected different forms of human stem cells into pig

This is an image of a four-week old chimera — a pig embryo that has been implanted with human stem cells. The objective of this biotechnology is to determine if scientists might one day be able to use pigs as hosts to produce human organs that eventually will be harvested and used in human organ transplant programs.

embryos and everything survived and grew creating these human-pig chimeras (see definition No. 2 above) all with the some-day objective of growing human organs inside a pig host that might be harvested and used to save or enhance lives in human organ transplant programs.

At this stage, researchers just wanted to see if they could successfully transfer human stem cells and have them grow, which they did. They terminated the life of these chimeras embyros at about four weeks, so there won’t be any part human/part porcine creatures running around anywhere — not yet anyway.

So where is this going? According to this news report researchers say it may one day be possible to block or delete genes critical for the development of a given organ (a pancreas,

for example) in a fertilized pig egg, and then inject human stem cells in the embyro, to fill the gap and grow a human pancreas in the pig.

Once this human/pig fetus has been born and grows to a certain size, the pancreas could be harvested from the chimeric animal and used in a human transplant program. One researcher envisions “clinical grade” pig farms to incubate the human organs. They even see this type of a biotechnology as a means to extend human life — let’s live forever.

It is a very noble project in theory. It could make a great contribution to human health. But if this ever goes forward, we won’t have to wait long for the silver screen hypothetical adaptation of “how something went horribly wrong in the chimera lab” (see definition No. 1)

depicts how the world is being overtaken by crazed half-human pigs. I can just see the drama and criticism around this project.

It could begin long before the feet of any chimera even hits the ground.

I was watching a science special on the thinking brains of animals and of course pigs were among those featured. Pigs are smart. And further to that, the feature showed two young men in the U.S. who had adopted a Yorkshire piglet a few years ago, and now it was a 650 pound sow living quite comfortably in their home.

They had taught it all sorts of living skills. The sow had its own bed and these guys would cuddle up with it in on the living room floor to watch TV. They lived on an acreage and now had established a pig sanctuary.

I don’t imagine these guys will be

I may be just too trusting, but I’m still mystified why genetically modified crops have caught so much flack, and why Monsanto became the poster child for corporate evil.

Many science-based regulators around the world deemed it is safe for human health — Health Canada certainly did. I have yet to hear any science-based research that confirms it has caused human health problems and yet Roundup Ready and the whole concept of GMO crops continue to be the target of much criticism.

If you look on-line there are sweeping criticisms of the health and environmental impacts associated with GMOs. “Numerous health problems increased after GMOs were introduced in 1996,” claims the Institute for Responsible Technology (IRT) which describes itself as the leading authority on GMO information.

“The percentage of Americans with three or more chronic illnesses jumped from seven to 13 per cent; food allergies skyrocketed, and disorders such as autism, reproductive disorders, digestive problems, and others are on the rise. Although there is not sufficient research to confirm that GMOs are a contributing factor, doctors groups… tell us not to wait before we start protecting ourselves, and especially our children who are most at risk.”

The Institute goes on to claim

MNP LLP 5.0000X5.0000 000074410r1 4C

More and more firms just calculate numbers.

We help calculate your next move.

MNP Understands Agriculture.

In fact, it is both a specialty and a passion. Our business consultants, financial advisors and professional agrologists are intimately familiar with all aspects of the agriculture industry.

Which means not only can we help you make sense of the now, but we can also help show you what’s next.

Contact Stuart Person, CPA,CA Director, Primary Producers at 1.855.667.3310 or stuart.person@mnp.ca We specialize, you capitalize. Visit MNP.ca to learn more.

columns

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

since the introduction of GMOs worldwide herbicide use has increased, and “genetic engineering creates dangerous side effects. By mixing genes from totally unrelated species, genetic engineering unleashes a host of unpredictable side effects. Moreover, irrespective of the type of genes that are inserted, the very process of creating a GM plant can result in massive collateral damage that produces new toxins,

allergens, carcinogens, and nutritional deficiencies.”

I read stuff like that and wonder: has no one in the regulatory world been made aware of this? Is everyone on the Monsanto payroll? Just about every day there is public safety product recall because a knob come off some small appliance and it poses a potential health risk. Is no one noticing the world is going to hell in a hand basket due to GMOs? I just find it

odd. Being a trusting soul of regulators, I am suspicious of the criticism, but some of the general public may be apt to see an IRT report as confirmation of a government cover up.

And on the other hand, I can read an article that says researchers hope to use genetic engineering to increase Vitamin A levels in rice, which could help prevent blindness in millions of people in third world countries as well T:9.875” as save the lives of about three million

kids, annually. I think that would be a pretty good thing too. If biotechnology can accomplish that, does that make GMO a good or bad thing?

Mixing science and biotechnology, with a lot of misinformation and changing societal attitudes is very complicated business. Too much for me to figure out.

I think it is a bit ironic that Bayer Crop Science recently bought the Monsanto ag business.

29

As it tackles business development and ongoing GMO issues, they do have the option to record a standard message on their consumer hotline voicemail “take two aspirin and call us in the morning.” GN Lee Hart is a field editor with Grainews based in Calgary. Contact him at 403-592-1964 or by email at lee@fbcpublishing.com.

Quality meets quantity.

In addition to providing an exceptional yield increase, Prosaro® fungicide protects the high quality of your cereals and helps ensure a better grade.

With Prosaro you’ll never have to settle for second best again.

cropscience.bayer.ca/Prosaro

1 888-283-6847

@Bayer4CropsCA

Always read and follow label directions. Prosaro® is a registered trademark of the Bayer Group.

Bayer CropScience Inc. is a member of CropLife Canada.

C-50-01/17-10698174-E

T:11.4286”

With two powerful actives, Prosaro provides long-lasting preventative and curative activity, resulting in superior protection against fusarium head blight, effective DON reduction and unmatched leaf disease control.

30

columns

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

Reporter’s notebook

THE CO-OP HAS EVERY THING YOU NEED

You can get everything at a co-op, from stories to spinach to investment opportunities

By Lisa Guenther

L

ast fall my husband Corey started working at the lumber desk of the Turtleford Co-op.

Besides the benefits, I think the best part of that job is the stories he brings home. There’s the customer who brought in banjos for Corey to fix (Corey is a musician). There’s the banter with one of the local vets, who’s not afraid to tell you what he thinks of your border collie’s haircut.

The next Corner Gas-like hit will be set in a co-op.

Of course, co-ops give us more than material for potential TV scripts. The Turtleford Co-op employs over 40 people. Between the agro and grocery stores, it sells

ANNUAL GROWERS MEETING Farming Smarter has a homestead!

March 1, 2017 Time: 4 – 8 pm

Come see how we’ve grown up and moved out!

4 - 5 pm

Tour our new offices at our field site

5 – 6 pm

AGM, elections, reports

6 – 7 pm

Dinner

7 – 8 pm

Visit, get to know Farming Smarter staff & board, one-on-one with experts

Visit www.farmingsmarter.com| Farming Smarter 403-317-0022

everything from fuel to fertilizer to lumber to spinach.

Co-ops are “a big part of rural Saskatchewan, rural Canada,” says Jay Millard, a mixed farmer and board member of the Turtleford and District Co-op. If you took the co-operatives out of every small community in Saskatchewan, you’d have no communities left, he added.

The co-operative movement predates confederation. In the 1840s, British workers tried to establish co-op stores similar to those in Britain, the Canadian Encyclopaedia states. But it was Canadian farmers who really got rolling with the co-operatives. Think of the wheat pools, UFA, dairy co-ops, and the co-op stores.

Today there are over 9,000 cooperatives and credit unions in Canada, according to a research project on Canadian co-operatives (see www.cooperativedifference.coop).

Canadian co-ops employ over 150,000 people and claim over 18 million members.

But communities shouldn’t take their co-ops and credit unions for granted. Jay points out that the business is always changing, and co-ops have to change with the times, too.

“There’s more competition now than there’s ever been,” he says.

Training employees is a big part of staying competitive, Jay says. Board members have access to training too, on everything from reading financial statements to working with people of different ages and ethnicities (diversity is a good thing on a board, Jay notes, because it means you’ll get different perspectives).

Understanding the business, and what customers want, is also important.

“That’s the key, to provide service people need,” says Jay. He adds: “A bad word travels a lot faster than a good one. It takes a long time to get people to say, ‘Hey, you’re doing a good job.’”

The reality is that most people are only loyal to a point. While the Turtleford Co-op sells farm supplies and has an agronomist, there are also independent ag retailers in our area with good reputations. There are other hardware and lumber supply stores in the area, too. And no one’s afraid to drive to North Battleford or Lloydminster for a grocery run and a trip to Peavey Mart.

Complacency is not an option for co-ops.

Jay says the board has been getting positive feedback from the community (and I can verify that from the kitchen table talk over the last few years).

That positive feedback is good for the board, he says. “It makes you want to help grow it. It’s good for the community and the surrounding community.”

Jay says everybody should take a turn as a co-op director. He’s into his second term, has served as vice president, and is currently the secretary for the board.

I ask him how he ended up on the co-op board.

“I kind of got cornered one day out in the field with nomination papers,” he says laughing.

But it’s been good, he says. He has no complaints. GN Lisa Guenther is a field editor with Grainews based at Livelong, Sask. Follow her on Twitter @LtoG.

machinery & shop

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

31

Manitoba Ag Days

New skid-steer tire option Winnipeg manufacturer introduces its new non-pneumatic tire design

A

t last year’s Manitoba Ag Days show in Brandon, Evolution Wheel of Winnipeg debuted its all-steel wheel replacement for skidsteer loaders. The idea was to offer a wheel that provided improved traction and removed the risk of tire damage from hazards. This year, the company introduced another wheel option for producers who want those benefits but aren’t willing to go with an all-steel alternative to standard pneumatic tires.

Evolution Wheel’s new EWRS Series non-pneumatic tires provide some important features the all steel versions don’t, most notably a smoother ride.

According to company owner Derek Hird, the EWRS wheels offer tread flex similar to that of a standard tire. And they maintain the other advantages of rubber tires as well.

The rubber tread area around the tire circumference is made up of individual rubber

segments that bolt to a steel wheel. Any segment can be replaced with just a ¾-inch wrench if it gets damaged, without removing the wheel from the machine. The rubber tread offers a deep and wide tread lug pattern to provide for good traction in wet conditions. The voids under the tread surface permit flexing that allows the tire to react similarly to a standard pneumatic tire, giving the operator that smooth ride.

Hird says the rubber compound used in the EWRS Series tread segments is a new, proprietary compound that permits flexing but resists cracking and wear while still having enough strength to carry relatively heavy loads.

The EWRS Series tires are available in sizes that can replace 10 and 12x16.5 and 14x17.5 standard skid-steer tires. GN

photo: Scott Garvey

By Scott Garvey

Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grianews.

Contact him at Scott.Garvey@fbcpublishing.com.

For more information visit www.evolutionwheel.com.

The EWRS Series skid-steer wheels from Evolution Wheel use non-pneumatic rubber tread segments that are resistant to damage but still offer a smooth ride.

Want to know what’s next in agriculture?

Watch This Country Called Agriculture and be informed.

This Country Called Agriculture is a new on-demand

Start watching now at AGCanada.com/TCCA TCCA CURRENT EPISODES Sept 15 – 30 Ag for Life and ATCO Electric speaking about awareness and working safely around power lines

video series that delivers relevant news & information on the agriculture industry. Host Rob Eirich interviews ag pioneers, professionals and academics that offer insight into today’s trends and what the future holds for agriculture – on and off the farm. Video topics include:  Sustainability  Starting a new farm

 Production and marketing

 New technology

 Exporting

 Food production  Ag innovations

 Alternative energy & fuel sources

 Renewable energy

 AND MORE

Brought to you by

machinery & shop

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

Manitoba Ag Days

Specialty gauge for aeration bins Special gauge face allows for easy airflow readings at a glance

By Scott Garvey

A

few people using aeration bins may be content just to confirm some airflow is coming out the top, but getting an adequate volume of air moving through the grain is critical to ensure efficient drying. Determining how many cubic feet of air per minute (CFM) is actually moving through any bin, though, depends on a variety of factors, including how much grain is in it. Getting an accurate picture of what that flow is can sometimes be a little complicated.

That’s what motivated Glen and Michael Wilde of Cudworth, Saskatchewan, to create their own pressure gauges with faces that give plain, easy-to-understand information, allowing a grain hauler to monitor real CFM data at a glance while filling aeration bins. With that information, anyone hauling grain knows when to stop filling a bin, because minimum acceptable airflow has been reached.

Rather than have a gauge that provides just a technical reading in inches of water, the Wilde Brothers’ gauges have scales on their face that provide CFM data calibrated for specific fan sizes.

“You know by that if you have enough airflow to actually dry the grain,” said Michael, who was showing the new gauge idea at a booth at Manitoba Ag Days in January, along with his brother Glenn.

Industry Quote

WHAT'S AHEAD FOR VERSATILE? Director of marketing sees a bright future for the brand “Going forward, there is going to be more great things coming. We’re working on new application and seeding and tillage products, and the evolution of the tractor product to incorporate new emissions standards as well. We have a lot more research and development than we had before.

So the future looks very bright, and a lot of that is attributed to the past.” ­— Adam Reid, director of marketing at Versatile, during a recent conversation with Grainews

“We’re grain farmers and we just came up with an idea,” explained Glenn. “It was something that made sense. While you’re filling the bin, you can see exactly what it (airflow) is.”

Glenn and Michael are now selling their gauges to other producers under the name Wilde Ag Ventures.

“We feel it’s a really good idea that should be on every fan, because it’s simple, not technical, just a nononsense solution,” he added.

“You put it in the transition going into the bin, then you know what your static pressure is,” Glenn added. “By that you know what your airflow rate is.”

They’re selling the gauges for $35 each. So far, the gauges they’ve made only have scales on their faces that are calibrated for three and five horsepower fans, but they are able to build others to match any fan size if a producer asks for it.

“If you’ve got a 10 horsepower fan, you can give him the make and model number of your fan. He can get them made up,” added Michael, referring to his brother Glenn, who is the engineer.

Says Glenn, “We wanted to get it out into the industry, see if there’s interest, see if the fan companies are interested.”

For more information or to order gauges, contact them by email at wav@shaw.ca or call (403) 8036092. GN Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at Scott.Garvey@ fbcpublishing.com.

Wilde Ag Ventures has introduced a pressure gauge with a special face calibrated to easily provide air flow readings for aeration bins.

photo: scott garvey

32

machinery & shop

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017 7

33

Manitoba Ag Days

The Dimos Labtronics bin probe transmits Wi-Fi signal

photo: scott garvey

BIN PROBE PROVIDES INSTANT READING

Demonstrating the instant sensor readout, Jason Diehl of Dimos Labtronics placed his hand over the probe sensor and the readout on the cell phone in his other hand changed almost instantly.

By Scott Garvey

K

eeping tabs on the temperature of stored grain is critical to ensuring producers don’t lose money from spoilage. Increasing internal bin temperature readings are an indication stored grain is at risk.

Jason Diehl of Dimos Labtronics was showing his company’s Wi-Fi grain probe at Manitoba Ag Days in Brandon. It’s designed to provide an easy and quick way to determine what temperatures are hitting inside a bin. The probe tip provides an instant readout on the surrounding temperature and transmits that data in real time via its own Wi-Fi signal.

Producers can read that signal with their smartphone or any other Wi-Fi-capable device after they insert the probe into a bin.

“You simply turn the probe on and on your smartphone you go into the Wi-Fi settings and you’ll detect and connect to the Wi-Fi probe,” he explained. “You enter your browser to get onto the Internet and enter your IP address, it’s just a series of numbers, and that will connect you to the Wi-Fi probe. You’ll see a temperature being displayed in degrees Celsius as well as the battery life remaining. It’s an instant reading that will show up on their smartphone or other Wi-Fi-capable device, such as an iPad or iPod.” The sensor is mounted on a nine-foot probe handle.

“It can be used to probe a bin after it’s been filled up,” he continued. “This would be for bins that don’t have cables installed in them or for farmers that are renting bin space and don’t want to install cables. This is a way they can probe the bin and get a temperature reading in real time.”

To demonstrate the speed of the reading, Diehl turned on the display probe at his show display and put his hand over the sensor.

The temperature reading on his cell phone changed almost instantly. GN Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at Scott.

Garvey@fbcpublishing.com.

Dimos Labtronics is based in Winnipeg.

For more information visit www.labtronics.ca.

www.versatile-ag.ca

RED YELLOW BLACK

IT’S MORE THAN PAINT. IT’S A LEGACY. Versatile has been manufacturing simple, reliable and powerful tractors for more than 50 years. The legacy that you know is now available in a full line of machinery including row crop, four-wheel drive and DeltaTrack tractors, self-propelled sprayers, combines and precision seeding & tillage equipment. Now available in the colours that made Versatile famous. See more at www.versatile-ag.ca.

34

machinery & shop

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

photos: Marianne Stamm

Letter from Europe

AGRMA is Switzerland’s ag machinery show. It takes place every two years. In 2016 it ran from November 22 to 28 in Bern, Switzerland.

New machinery in the mountains Marianne Stamm visits Switzerland’s bi-annual ag machinery show, AGRAMA

By Marianne Stamm

T

he Swiss Farm machinery and technology show, AGRAMA, is over. My farming neighbours are back home dreaming about that shiny green 200 horsepower Fendt or John Deere tractor with all the newest gadgets. Some will turn the dream into reality.

Although I’ve enjoyed operating farm machinery since I was a kid, I’ve never been one to care too much about the details of it. So I talked to a farm neighbour, Markus Stamm and a machinery dealer, Daniel Müller, to try to get a feel for you of what interests the Swiss farmer.

Environmental issues are the driver for two technological developments. All the tractors at AGRMA were outfitted with improved emissions technology to comply with tougher European engine emission standards that come into effect January 1, 2017. (Some machinery dealers are urging farmers to purchase a current tractor before the end of the year to avoid the new rules.) Markus was checking out the sprayers at AGRAMA. By 2020 all sprayers must be equipped not just with a rinse tank (that’s already requirement) but with a separate tank with separate pump that effectively cleans the main tank without a trace of chemical residue.

Daniel told me that GPS tracking systems are becoming more popular as systems are more accurate and licenses more affordable.

One reason GPS systems have taken longer to take hold over here is that farmers often switch equipment on the tractor several times a day — harvest and planting sometimes take place almost simultaneously. Fields are small and seeding takes hours, not days. Whether it is worth it to program a tracking system for a couple hours in the field is the question.

Seeding takes hours, not days The most interesting thing Daniel saw was at a trade fair in Hannover, Germany: a Dutch company is advertising a dual wheel system, where the duals can be folded in hydraulically. As roads are narrow, the duals often have to be added in the field. This can be a big time and energy saver.

Tractor size increases Considering that the average farm size in Switzerland is about half a quarter section (it’s actually smaller when you include the alpine farms), it always surprises me to see the machinery farmers here operate. Daniel says that farms have increased somewhat in size as young farmers pick up land from retiring farmers, but that doesn’t explain the gain in size of tractors.

Twenty years ago, a 100 horsepower tractor was considered big on an average farm in our area of Switzerland. Today the average tractor is 120 to 140 hp, Daniel says. It’s not unusual for him to sell a tractor in the 200 hp league.

Besides the prestige factor (where don’t we find that?) it’s a time factor, he says. The Dads are getting older and can’t help as much anymore. It’s cheaper to purchase machinery that does the job faster and more efficiently than it is to replace Dad with hired help.

It still takes a smaller tractor on the farm though, Markus says.

Every farm is required to maintain a certain percentage of acreage in natural habitat, usually narrow strips along the creeks and field edges. He’s also concerned about soil compaction with the bigger tractors in Schleitheim’s heavy clay soil. The new Kubota tractors are lighter, he says. Daniel is selling some of those now too although green is still the dominant colour as in Fendt and John Deere.

What Markus also noticed is the increase in machinery geared to the organic farmer. Row weeders are rigged with an automatic row finder besides the tracking system.

Organic farming is becoming more attractive to young farmers as conventional farming makes less economic sense. GN Marianne Stamm is a freelance farm writer. Email her at marerobster@ gmail.com.

Today the average tractor in Switzerland is 120 to 140 horsepower.

In Switzerland, harvest and planting sometimes take place almost simultaneously.

cattleman's corner

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

35

BEEF BREEDS

Dexter cattle are easy keepers Small stature breed has excellent fit for hobbyists and acreage owners

BY EDNA MANNING

A

pril and May is calving season at Nick and Janice Woodhouse’s acreage near Dalmeny, Sak., but the couple isn’t concerned about getting up in the middle of the night to monitor their herd of Dexter cows.

“I’ve never experienced any calving problems or had to assist with any births,” says Nick, who has been raising purebred and grass-finished Dexter cattle for more than 10 years.

The animals’ ease of calving was one feature that attracted Nick and Janice to this small heritage breed.

It is, in fact, the smallest true breed of cattle in the world. The cows weigh an average of 750 pounds and stand about 38-42 inches at the shoulder. Bulls weigh about 1,000 pounds. Dexters can be horned or polled, and are generally black, dun or red in colour.

ORIGINATE FROM IRELAND Dexter cattle originated in Ireland where they were sometimes referred to as “poor man’s cows” because they require less pasture and are ideal for small landowners. The breed is common in the U.K. and gaining in popularity in North America, partly because they are so well suited to small farms and acreages. “They don’t require a lot of space and are therefore economical to keep,” says Nick. “We figure about three acres per cow, depending on the area, rainfall and soil conditions.

“Dexters aren’t suited to feedlot operations,” he says “They’re not designed to eat grain and they don’t need rich feed. They do well on, and actually prefer, rougher grasses.”

DUAL-PURPOSE BREED Dexters are hardy, healthy, longlived animals. They are a dual-purpose breed; are docile and easy to handle. Dexters are good milk producers for anyone wanting a milk cow. “They won’t produce as much

milk as a Jersey, but the butterfat content is very close to that of a Jersey. The fat globules are very small, making it easy to digest,” says Nick.

Nick and Janice grew up in northern England. Janice has a farm background and Nick has worked in agriculture since he was a teenager.

“We were the suburban couple who wanted to farm,” he says. But the dream of owning land in England was beyond their reach.

In 1993 while working as an agricultural ventilation specialist, Nick had the opportunity to visit and travel across Canada. In Saskatoon he met up with a fellow Englishman, who he says was a good ambassador November 2016 | www.beefnews.com for the province.

“Six months later, we were here (in Saskatchewan) with our suitcases and our two small children,” Nick says.

“In the end, I think we made the move for our children, James and Jennifer,” says Janice. “They’ve had so many opportunities here.”

The couple initially purchased land near Lacombe, Alta., but Nick’s work meant frequent trips to Manitoba. They began looking for an acreage in Saskatchewan and settled on 40 acres near Dalmeny, northwest of Saskatoon. The property needed some TLC and Nick set about demolishing old buildings and refencing, initially about 15 acres with page wire. Janice’s parents suggested buying a few sheep for the grandchildren.

They started with a purebred Dorset ram and Suffolk/Rambouillet crosses for ewes. Everything was going well until 2002 when the drought came and they had to buy all our hay for a couple of years.

“Small squares were costing us over $8 a bale,” says Nick. “Then, in 2003 BSE hit in Alberta which restricted livestock movements, and after that we couldn’t give the sheep away.”

INTRODUCED TO DEXTERS The Woodhouses purchased their first four bred Dexter heifers at a

dispersal sale in 2006. After much anticipation awaiting the arrivals of the calves the following spring, it turned out only one heifer was bred.

“That was when we bought our first bull — Black Gold Halcyon Fritz — a registered purebred,” says Nick.

The couple’s Dexter herd has grown to 18 head over the years.

Except for the original cows, all their animals are registered, or are in the process of being registered. They butcher beef for their own use as well as a few farmgate sales. sales.

“We like to wait until the steers are at least 24 months before we butcher,” says Janice. “The meat is lean and flavourful. It has a fine grain17 and is quite distinctive with its darker red colour. Grass-fed animals also have a creamy-yellow fat. There is very little shrinkage in the steaks.”

She says more education on how to properly cook grass-fed beef would be helpful in order for consumers to appreciate the taste and quality of the slow grown natural product.

The smaller cuts from Dexter animals are perfect for health-conscious consumers who enjoy the naturally raised, grass and hay-fed beef, but prefer smaller quantities.

“Our animals are all raised without hormones or antibiotics’ seems to be what everybody is claiming these days. In fact, we never have or needed to administer any drugs to our animals anyways,” says Nick.

The Woodhouses sell some of their stock to hobbyists like themselves who want a few animals for pets and to keep the grass down on their acreages. “Make sure you don’t give them names, or you’ll have a difficult time when you have to butcher them,” Nick says.

Are there any disadvantages with Dexters? Nick says the heifers are fertile at a very early age. “If people aren’t familiar with the breed and have the young heifers exposed to a bull when they’re six to eight months old, that can create prob-

lems. We generally don’t breed our heifers until they’re around 15 months.”

Nick and Janice agree their Dexters aren’t a moneymaking venture, and they won’t be giving up their day jobs anytime soon.

“But we break even, and we enjoy having the animals around,” says Nick. “Coming home after a long day and going out to pasture with the dogs is a way of letting go of stress.”

Nick is currently a Director of the Canadian Dexter Cattle Association (CDCA). The organization provides valuable information and support for Dexter enthusiasts. The CDCA is

encouraging young people to choose Dexter for their 4-H calf project. By doing so they may qualify for money from the CDCA. Rescuing and restoring old English Davy Brown tractors is what Nick calls “another crazy hobby.” It took about three years to find his first Davy Brown, but the abandoned tractor was resurrected and is now a useful addition to their farm. “I now have five in various states of restoration. It’s another reason he won’t be giving up his day job,” he says. GN Edna Manning is a Saskatchewan-based freelance writer.

BEEF

For more information about Dexter cattle, visit www.dextercattle.ca or email Nick Woodhouse at nwoodhouse@sasktel.net.

Canada’s Forage Innovators Come see us at the “Saskatchewan Beef Industry Conference” in Regina and the “Alberta Beef Industry Conference” in Red Deer

Book Early for Discounts

Annual, Perennial & Cover Crop Forage Seed Blends Year Round Forage & Grazing Solutions Ben Stuart | 780-888-7303

Graeme Finn | 403-312-2240

Roger Meyers | 306-221-1558

Ben Stuart | 780-888-7303 Partnering with World Leaders in Forage Breeding

Graeme Finn | 403-312-2240 @unionforage

Roger Meyers | 306-221-1558 @unionforage.com www.unionforage.com

Partnering with World Leaders in Forage Breeding

photo: Kim Nielsen

@unionforage

Janice and Nick Woodhouse with some of their Dexter cattle.

@unionforage.com

www.unionforage.com

36

cattleman's corner

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

PASTURE MANAGEMENT

Keeping soil biology ticking Grazing setbacks happen, but find opportunities to get back on track

BY KIM NIELSEN

N

ormal weather” at 4 Clover Ranch near Rocky Mountain House, Alta. has been illusive for a couple of years at least and it has created some grazing challenges at the expense of pasture performance.

Our planned grazing system, where we look at the health of the grass on an ongoing basis, has responded well over the 25-year journey. I have written other articles about our grazing data collection and observations of pasture health in relationship to the way we graze our paddocks. It has been a rewarding experience.

It was an extraordinary observation a couple of years ago to have the “ah ha moment” of discovering improving mineral cycling in the soil and the effects of mycorrhizal fungi assisting with the creation of a strong environment for soil microorganisms. It frees up soil nutrients that wouldn’t be plant available otherwise. It is especially relevant since we don’t use any form of commercial fertilizer. It is good to see plant species composition across all

photo: Kim Nielsen

Moisture and a reduced stocking rate helped pastures to get back into a productive state above and below ground.

paddocks have steadily increased as a result of our grazing system.

However, the last two years of bizarre weather patterns, extremely low winter precipitation, belowaverage snow cover, early-season droughts and slow pasture growth in spring really challenged the soil biology processes that had kicked into gear so nicely.

In addition to the poorer pasture performance, accepting more cattle for our grazing operation compounded the issue as we couldn’t leave

sufficient litter in the paddocks to feed the soil fungi. We paid for those decisions but things are looking up.

PASTURES RECOVERING In west-central Alberta last season we received an abundance of rain from early July, totalling over 22 inches by October. Although the pastures were extremely slow to get started there was soon some recovery and the second pass in our planned grazing system saw great stands of high-quality feed.

ter, leaving a great scenario of plenty of carry-over that will sustain a healthy soil biology and allow for recovery from the two years of grazing above a level we felt was sustainable.

We keep close tabs on grazing data on an annual basis and with these adjustments we are aiming at a stocking rate of roughly 10,800 Animal Unit Days (grazing days) for the season on the home quarter and 6,100 AUD on the east quarter. This should prevent the setbacks we saw in pasture health the last couple of years. Leaving litter is crucially important to maintain heathy soils and an active soil biology so fundamental to pasture productivity. It takes years to build a healthy soil function and we sadly discovered how quickly it can deteriorate. GN Kim Juul Nielsen provides a grazier’s perspective from two hemispheres from time to time. Kim and Helen grow grass during the Australian summer at Alcheringa Pastoral in the southwest of the state of Victoria, Australia and during the Canadian summer on 4-Clover Ranch, Rocky Mountain House, Alberta.

Kim can be reached at kim.juul56@ yahoo.com.

HERD HEALTH

Don’t overuse antibiotics Cattle sometimes heal themselves, but get veterinary advice Heather Smith Thomas

R

anchers often wonder which antibiotics they should have on hand for calving. They like to be prepared, in case a calf becomes ill, a cow needs treatment after a difficult birth, or develops mastitis or some other infection.

Dr. David Smith of Mississippi State University says cattlemen probably need to use fewer antibiotics than they have traditionally. Knowledge about antibiotic use has improved, and perspectives have changed.

“For instance, 20 years ago we might have heavily relied upon antibiotics to treat uterine infections,” says Smith. “But today we would not give a cow antibiotics unless she is clinically ill — with a fever and enough clinical signs that suggest there is a need.”

Just as in human medicine, veterinary practitioners recognize some infections don’t need treatment. The body’s immune system can usually take care of these infections, sometimes better than we can with medical intervention.

“Children with ear infections often don’t need treatment, nor do cats with urinary tract infections,” says Smith. “In most cows

a uterine discharge is normal, and most uterine infections will clear up on their own, without antibiotics — most of the time. Putting antibiotics into the uterus usually does more harm than good.

“If a producer is having problems with a uterus infections (more than just a sporadic case over the years) it’s wise to have a veterinarian help figure out why this is happening. It shouldn’t be happening, so if you need to use antibiotics for uterus infections because you have a seriously sick cow, we need to find the reason and solve that problem. That would be more important than the choice of drugs.”

Smith notes there is a difference between over-the-counter medications and prescription medications. In treating a serious uterine infection, producers might have better success with a prescription medication — which means a veterinarian should be involved anyway.

Similarly, producers need to evaluate antibiotic use in calves.

“Many pathogens that cause diarrhea in young calves are viruses or protozoa and don’t respond to antibiotics,” says Smith. They’d be commonly used when calves become septic or develop a secondary bacterial infection, and your veterinarian could advise you on that.

MAKES SCOURS WORSE “Often what happens when we use antibiotics on scouring calves is that we make it worse,” says Smith. “The normal flora in the gut is already disrupted by whatever is causing the diarrhea, and then we disrupt it more by wiping out more of the good bacteria with the antibiotics.”

It may result in taking longer to fully recover, or the calf ending up with a fungal infection, which is worse than the original infection.

“When we do necropsies on calves that have died from scours, what we often find are fungal infections that we probably made worse, or we set up the conditions for those fungal infections because we used antibiotics,” says Smith. “Adequate fluid therapy is more important, for most cases of scours, than antibiotics.”

There are exceptions, such as a septic condition, an intestinal e-coli infection or toxic clostridial infection that all may require antibiotics. “These cases are not as common, however,” says Smith.

“If you are having a lot of calves with septicemia you need to figure out what is causing it. This is another reason to have a veterinarian involved,” says Smith.

When choosing antibiotics, don’t guess. Consult a veterinarian to prescribe the most effective drug for each case. “With

photo: Heather Thomas

“

Early in the spring we noticed that the urine and manure spots were showing across the paddocks, where they weren’t seen before, a sign of poor nutrient cycling. In September, to our delight, as the cattle were well into the second rotation, these spots were gone suggesting with the additional soil cover from the forage stand there was renewed activity in the soil — fungal activity was kicking in again. Soil micro-organisms such as bacteria, nematodes, protozoa and amoeba were all busy exchanging favors with the fungal mycelium and plants responding with healthy growth.

With the relatively poor outlook in the spring we had backed off the 2016 stocking rate slightly, with 62 cow-calf pairs and three bulls for the home quarter and 42 cows and calves and two bulls on the east quarter. We had announced a couple of options for the clients we custom graze for — early exit or destocking by late summer.

As a result, the home quarter herd left early and by fall we were down to 32 pairs and one bull on the east quar-

Consult with your herd veterinarian to determine which antibiotics are most effective, or whether they are needed at all.

septic calves that really do need the antibiotic, there should be careful selection, and the choice is likely to be prescription medications,” says Smith.

In dealing with infections that might occur during calving season, the rancher should be prepared to handle the cattle in ways that prevent problems. The calving environment is very important.

“Most problems at calving are due to a difficult delivery, injury to the cow or calf from an unsafe environment, or infectious diseases,” says Smith. Delivery problems are usually related to genetics or poor nutrition. Environmental injuries may be due to weather, predators, overcrowding, or the geography.

“To prevent infections, ranchers

should provide a clean, dry, comfortable place for calving,” says Smith. “If you have to assist with a birth, take the time to be clean, wash your arms with soap and water. Also wash the cow with soap and water and use lots of lubricant.

We can do a lot to prevent infections just by sanitation.”

In the event of a scours outbreaks, steps should be taken to improve environmental conditions, and perhaps use pre-calving vaccines. Prevention is the key. And your veterinarian can give good advice on protocols and treatment if needed. GN Heather Smith Thomas is a longtime Grainews columnist who ranches with her husband Lynn near Salmon, Idaho.

Contact her at 208-756-2841.

cattleman's corner

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

CANADIAN DOLLARS FROM JAN. 1, 2007 TO DEC. 31, 2016

The Markets

Understanding feeder cattle risk

Average Basis (Cdn$)

I

n the January 24 Grainews issue, I explained the feeder cattle futures market and the simple mechanics of hedging feeder cattle.

In this column, I want to take one step further and discuss the financial risk associated with backgrounding or selling feeder cattle.

First it is important to know risk is something that can be measured by analyzing historical data. For example, we can analyze previous financial returns over a set time. A factor that is unknown is simply an unknown factor. For example, I’ve had many questions from producers regarding the new U.S. president’s policies on the cattle trade. This is an unknown factor because we do not know the future.

I mentioned in the previous article cow-calf producers can use the futures market to forecast an expected price when selling their feeder cattle, however, there is also a variation around this expected price. Basis levels can change depending on the market dynamics of the changing supply and demand both at a macro level and also local region. The feeder cattle market has experienced unprecedented volatility over the past couple of years so producers need to know what type of financial risk they’re facing.

I’ve studied cattle markets for more than 20 years and conducted countless studies while I was in university. Recently, I once again poured over various sets of data and particularly analyzed the financial risk and rewards of a backgrounding operation in Manitoba. While the data may not be exact for Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Colombia producers, the risk reward is similar in each province given the nature of trade flows and pure competitive markets as in the case of feeder cattle.

I believe that everyone understands what the average represents. The standard deviation is the quantity calculated to indicate the extent of deviation for the group as a whole. One standard deviation is approximately 68.2 per cent of the data. To reiterate from my previous column, basis is the futures minus the cash price and converted (as necessary) to Canadian dollars. From Jan. 1, 2007 to Dec. 31, 2016 the basis was as follows using monthly data for Manitoba.

HOW THE NUMBERS WORK Using the Manitoba example for 850 lb. steers, at the time of writing this article, the August feeder cattle futures were at US$128 and exchange was US$0.75/Cdn. A producer can expect a price of US$128 divide by US$0.75/Cdn. equals $170.

Using an average basis, the producer can expect a price of $150.

Using a standard deviation of 10, the variation around this average could be $140 to $160 approximately 68.2 per cent of the time. On the flip side, 31.8 per cent of the time the varia-

tion will be larger. From a financial perspective, a producer can say $140 will be the worst case scenario 68.2 per cent of the time.

Looking at monthly cash prices from 2007 through the end of 2016, I made the following analysis. If a backgrounding operation in Manitoba bought 550 pound steers and sold them at 850 pounds every month, what is the risk reward over the past 10 years? For simplicity, I used an average of $0.80 cost per pound gain. The average monthly

return was approximately $24 per head with a standard deviation of $158. This standard deviation is quite large. Using this standard deviation, a producer can expect the financial returns per head to be negative $134/head or positive $182/head — the average plus or minus the standard deviation.

Given this information, the producer knows the risk parameters without any hedging strategy.

Producers need to consider a few points. The standard deviation wid-

Standard Deviation

550 lb. steers

-10

19.00

750 lb. steers

10.50

10.50

850 lb. steers

20.00

10.00

(For 550-pound steers, the basis is -10 so the cash price was above the futures price in Canadian dollars)

A hedging program can remove some of the uncertainty MARKET UPDATE Jerry Klassen

37

ened considerably in 2015 and 2016 because of the price volatility. More importantly, using various futures and options strategies will lower the average return but can considerably lower the standard deviation.

Lowering the standard deviation is the main objective of a hedging program. For example, buying put options on the feeder cattle futures at the lower end of the expected price range would limit the downside, but leave the upside open.

However, I’ll pick this up in the

next issue. In my experience, combining the hedging strategy with market analysis can usually enhance the financial return while lowering the risk. GN Jerry Klassen is manager of the Canadian office for Swiss based grain trader GAP SA Grains and Products Ltd. With a strong farming background, he is also president and founder of Resilient Capital —a specialist in commodity futures trading and commodity market analysis. He can be reached at 204 504 8339.

Progressive Agriculture Safety Days®

Grade 5 Student Group

For more than 20 years, dedicated volunteers and generous sponsor organizations have been getting together to support the Progressive Agriculture Safety Day® program. Since 2002, the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) has helped the Progressive Agriculture Foundation reach more than 100,000 children and participants through Safety Day events across Canada. They’re doing their part to realize our common mission: providing education and training to make farm, ranch and rural life safer and healthier for children and their communities. It’s easy to get involved. Contact us to find out how you, your organization or your community can join the effort to make that vision a reality at 1-888-257-3529 or www.progressiveag.org.

THANKS TO THESE GENEROUS 2016 CORPORATE SPONSORS

Five Star Sponsors:

Three, Two & One Star Sponsors

Media Sponsors

DTN/The Progressive Bunge Farmer Toyota Agrium & Crop Penton Agriculture Bayer CropScience Production Services Outdoor Hub and Ag DTN/The Progressive Hub TransCanada Farmer The Western Producer Kubota CHS and CHS Hoard’s Dairyman GROWMARK Foundation Meister Media Worldwide Westfield Industries/ Enbridge Ag Growth Country Folks/Lee Publications BASF Canada Four Star Sponsors: Vance Publishing Betaseed John Deere Nationwide Insurance Progressive Dairyman Brandt Foundation ADM Farm Business Communications Flint Hills Resources, LP Monsanto FMC Ontario Farmer Iowa Farm Bureau LaTerre De Chez Nous Federation Rain and Hail Insurance

Contributing Sponsors

Alabama Power Foundation MacDon Industries Ltd. Bridgeston America’s Trust Fund National Shooting Sports Foundation CSX Corporation Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Company U.S. Custom Harvesters, Inc. The Andersons Deloitte & Touche, LLP Farmers National Company Krone North America

Servis First Bank Penton Agriculture Wilbur-Ellis AKE Safety Equipment

In-Kind Sponsors Asmark Institute Colle+McVoy Workplace Safety and Prevention Services SK Association of Agricultural Societies & Exhibitions (SAASE) CASA Prairie Mountain Health, MB Oxford Frozen Foods Browning

©2017 Progressive Agriculture Foundation

38

cattleman's corner

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

Anyone can start farming

Challenges of cold weather

Along with looking after the livestock, treat hydraulic systems with respect and caution Debbie Chikousky

W

ow was it a cold Manitoba morning today. For the first time in a long time we were entertained last night by the sounds of the walls and roof beams cracking with the cold. Needless to say this kind of weather is hard on livestock as well as machinery.

Because our tractor is still under a tarp in the middle of our front yard we have spent a lot of time learning how to drive strange tractors. We had to learn to be very observant at how long it takes our stock to eat their hay. It has been interesting so see that the colder it is the more inclined they have been to eat the rougher feeds. Oat straw, which was intended for bedding, appears to be particularly delicious when it is -40 C with a wind chill.

Our cattle, sheep and goats are all on free-choice hay so they have the ability to change their intake quite rapidly. As a rule, additional feed required for a cow under cold stress (temperature below -23 C) with a dry winter coat and accessible dry bedding, will require approximately 40 per cent more feed than when the temperature is closer to 0 C. Lucky for ruminants their rumen acts as an

in body heater as it digests the forage.

Feeding in a manner that helps feed the microbes in the rumen greatly assists the animal to utilize its feed.

The rumen is the largest compartment, of which there are four, in a ruminant’s stomach. A cow’s stomach can hold 50 gallons of digested feed.

Bacteria, protozoa, and fungi exist together in the cow’s rumen. Bacteria make up about half of the living organisms but do more than half of the rumen’s digestive work. Rumen bacteria are classified into fiber digesters, starch and sugar digesters, lactate using bacteria, and hydrogenusing bacteria. They cooperate together. It is truly amazing that, according to the University of Wisconsin, one millilitre of rumen fluid contains 10-50 billion microbes and over one million protozoa. These bacteria attach to the feed particles to digest the feed.

PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTS This is an area that using protein lick tubs or molasses supplements can assist the herd in the winter. Lick tubs are efficient — not necessarily the least cost per gram for protein — but low cost of labour input. Our choice has been to use a pour-on supplement on lower-quality hay. This not only increases the feed value it increases the digestibility of the poorer-quality hay by feeding all the rumen “bugs.”

We found that feeding the liquid product on the hay bales was much less costly than supplying the cows with self-feed lick tub products. The sheep on the other hand, as long as the tubs are frozen, utilized the tubs very well. They used about $2 worth of supplement per day, during the very cold winter and were able to keep body condition.

A caution when using these molasses based products — they seemed to increase the water needs of the herd. This is also interesting because an increase in dry feed and hay will also increase the animals’ water consumption. For the cattle with access to an automatic water trough this didn’t matter but for our smaller ruminants where we haul water, it is necessary to make sure water is checked more often to help digestion.

EQUIPMENT HAZARDS Another caution, on the human side, strongly brought to our attention, is the danger of hydraulic leaks on machinery particularly during this cold weather. Running hydraulic machinery to feed livestock in frigid weather is a reality of living in Canada.

Bale shredders work very well to produce smaller feed particles that can be better utilized by the rumen microbes, and front-end loaders are moving snow and feed, but

they all of need hydraulics. Every once in a while a hydraulic line springs a leak. The most dangerous thing a person can do is to use their hands to trace a high pressure pinhole leak.

A couple of summers ago a man we knew, working around a hydraulic leak had hydraulic fluid injected under his skin. Up until then none of us knew that hydraulic oils were highly toxic or that there was specific protocols to follow if such an accident occurs. It’s a good lesson if you can handle graphic pictures to have a look at a website: http://homepage.usask.ca/~ala585/ Oil%20Injection%20injuries.htm.

The fluid injects under the skin and can travel many inches away from the initial injury.

If you or anyone on your farm is injured in this manner, medical attention must be sought immediately. Thankfully our friend knew about the very real possibility of amputation or death and immediately left the field and went to the nearest emergency room. As was our friend learned form his experience, not all medical professionals are familiar with urgency and treatment protocol needed in dealing with high pressure fluid injection injuries. They may underestimate the urgency and/ or severity of the situation. Unfortunately, rural hospitals aren’t as well equipped as they used to be. Our

friend had to be transferred by ambulance to a larger hospital where they were able to perform the needed surgery. That was a few years ago and after much treatment, repeated surgeries and healing he is able to use that hand but it never regained its original use.

Here are some safety steps to apply on your farm: • Always use a piece of cardboard or wood to run up and down a hydraulic hose to look for a pinhole leak.

• Always keep current copies of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) easily accessible and the label from the hydraulic fluid used so the medical team knows immediately what is needed.

• If an injection does occur note the time and stress the importance of immediate treatment to all health care professionals involved.

The best plan is prevention. Set up a maintenance schedule and stick to it. Feeding our livestock in frigid weather is definitely a time to be careful. The livestock needs to be fed for the optimum production at the least cost while the humans stay safe! GN Debbie Chikousky farms with her family at Narcisse, Manitoba. Visitors are always welcome. Contact Debbie at debbie@chikouskyfarms.com.

dairy Corner

How to optimize dry matter intake Assess what’s happening at the feed bunk, supply proper ration

BY PETER VITTI

T

here is only one way I know to supply the essential nutrients to high-producing cows to yield large volumes of milk, milk-fat, milk-protein and solids — assure dairy cows optimize dry matter intake of good feed is at its best.

As a dairy nutritionist, I am so convinced each bite of lactation diet counts that each time I walk into a dairy barn, I conduct a fiveminute routine. First, I walk along the bunk and look at the cows, which are eating as well as look over to the cows lying in their stalls. I also pick up a handful of lactation diet and pick through it.

Here is a “short” checklist of the many things that I look for as signals for optimum or problematic dry matter intake: • Number of cows up to the feed bunk.

• Deposition of cowherd.

• Number of mature and first-calf heifers.

• Number of cows sorting the diet.

• Body condition of the herd.

• Manure consistency of the cows.

• Number of lame cows.

• Percentage of resting cows chewing their cud.

• Handful of diet: Moisture, mixture consistency, smell, amount of long stem-fibre and any visible mould.

In these short five minutes, these observations give me a ballpark idea as to how much lactating diet is being eaten on “as fed” and “dry matter intake” basis. When the dairy producer walks with me, I often fine-tune these observations by asking specific questions about the cows or their diet. By getting a handle on the dry matter intake of the lactation barn, I am really getting an idea of the amount of dietary energy intake, which is almost a perfect correlation.

Dietary enrgy when compared to other essential nutrients such as protein, minerals and vitamins is the single largest nutrient required by lactating dairy cows and drives good milk yield and its c o m p o n e n ts. A m o n g d a i r y nutritionists like myself, the general rule of dairy energy dynamics states: for every extra kilo of DMI or containing about 1.6 Mcal/kg NEL (re: net energy of lactation) that a cow con-

sumes at peak DMI in its lactation cycle, yields 2.0–2.5 kilos more milk for each day afterward until the end of lactation.

WATCH FOR LIMITING FACTORS There are many factors in a dairy barn that limits DMI/energy intake and milk performance. That’s because the actual amount of “as fed” diet a cow can eat is first dictated by its own rumen capacity, as well as fermentation by the rumen bugs and rate of feed passage through the entire digestive system.

A good illustration demonstrates: a high fiber diet with low digestibility restricts DMI intake, two-fold.

First, the fiber fills up the rumen, quickly. Second, low quality feed stays in the rumen longer to be digested, which become a physical barrier upon more incoming feed.

On the other hand, a lactating diet containing high-quality forages promotes high dry matter intake by dairy cows, simply because; it takes more of this diet to fill the rumen, its fiber is likely more digestible by the rumen microbes, which speeds up its rate of passage. In this case, DMI becomes more regulated by hormone signals to the cow’s brain,

which literarily shuts off consumption. Furthermore, there are many chemical restraints in the rumen such as its buffering capacity against buildup of acids in order to maintain a healthy pH of 5.5–6.0, which helps facilitates good rumen function.

Here are a few suggestions that can help achieve optimum and consistent feed intake: 1. A separate nutrition program three weeks before calving. Closeup dry cows that consume about 12 kg of dry feed, daily have been shown to have greater DMI as earlylactating cows and less post-partum metabolic problems. These diets don’t have to be complex.

2. Promote good rumen fermentation - Typical rations for lactating dairy cows should be formulated to contain 19 to 21 per cent ADF, 28 to 32 per cent NDF (with 75 per cent coming from effective forage fibre) and limitations placed of 35 to 42 per cent placed on non-structural carbohydrates.

3. Know DMI and ‘As Fed’ Intake — Keep a record of weekly DMI and ‘As fed’ intake of the lactation herd as well as the moisture content of the diet.

4. Formulate a “friendly diet”

– Feed a portion of the grain that has slower rates of starch digestion such as grain corn to prevent acidosis. Avoid feeding too much unsaturated fats and/or bypass fats. Make sure to limit feed unpalatable feed ingredients.

Last, check your forages and grains for visible mould and other contaminants.

5. Use a Direct Fed Microbial (DFM) — I often formulate a DFM in rations that contains bacteria, grain and forage enzymes and yeasts, shown to improve feed digestibility and prevent sub-acidosis rumen acidosis. Fed at 10 g per head per day it costs about 25 cents per head per day.

Along with these suggestions, it also takes common sense to help promote dry matter intake in lactating dairy cows. The other day while I was conducting a barnwalk and pulled out several pieces of orange baler twine from the freshly laid TMR ration. Balling up in a cow’s gut would probably be not a good thing. GN Peter Vitti is an independent livestock nutritionist and consultant based in Winnipeg. To reach him call 204-2547497 or by email at vitti@mts.net.

home quarter farm life

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

39

SEEDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT

Are you really there for me?

NOW CONSIDER WHAT STAGE OF LOSS YOU ARE IN AND WHAT COULD HELP YOU.

Loss has many stages:

This helps:

• Denial, isolation shock;

• Physical presence helps;

• Anger, confusion, strong emotion;

• Help with decision-making;

• Bargaining, beg for more time;

• Express emotions, feelings;

• Depression, guilt;

• Listen, get help if suicidal;

• Acceptance of reality, experience pain;

• Be patient with your friendship;

• Hope and recovery;

• Encourage dreaming and planning.

If your spouse or partner were to ask that what would your answer be?

Elaine Froese

www.elainefroese.com

A

young professor, Marsha Harris from Brandon University speaks softly to a group of mostly over-60 women explaining the keys to a truly lasting relationship.

She tells us that most people just want their lovers to answer one question: Are you really there for me?

Recently I presented a new seminar called “Planting Hope Amidst Grief and Loss on the Farm.” A young dairy farmer daughter-in-law who was grieving the loss of her father-inlaw’s death wrote me a very long email describing her journey of thankfulness and tears. She was definitely thankful that the succession plan was well in place before cancer consumed the founder of the farm. Her fatherin-law was truly there for his spouse and family as he collaborated with his daughter-in-law and his children to have his affairs in order before he knew he had health issues.

Maggie Van Camp, associate editor of Country Guide, lost her husband Brian at age 47 three years ago. The experience prompted her to create the “Because I love u list” and you can request it by going to www.elainefro-

ese.com/contact. Maggie lists the computer passwords, key locations, suppliers, trades people, mentors, advisers, standard operating procedures, and a whole host of other things to help us be ready to transition with tears when our beloved spouses are not there for us.

I also found a treasure in my files from 1998, which proves that hanging on to paper can be delightful when you need more tools for life. What follows are questions that I answered in January 1998 at a grief seminar when I was exploring working with palliative care as a volunteer. What I did not know was that in eight short months that year, my mom would leave this world to meet her Maker, just six weeks after our family meeting for succession. I still miss her.

Reflect on how you would answer these grief questions: 1. Consider a loss experienced by you or your family. How did you react?

What did you hate to lose the most?

2. Grief and mourning involve a “permanent absence.”

How do we grieve?

Is the ability to grieve a gift of God’s mercy?

3. Are there positive avenues of venting sorrow which are helpful? (e.g. going to a movie,

having coffee with a friend, or going out for supper?)

4. Has life taken on new meaning as a result of your loss?

5. Do families go through the same grieving process when a member is killed or dies unexpectedly?

What emotional support can we give to the families of someone who has died suddenly?

6. Tell about your experience of coping with sudden death: numbness, shock, denial.

What kind of approaches for dealing with your grief are most helpful?

7. Have you suffered from guilt feelings re: “unfinished business” in your loss?

8. How has the grieving process affected your self-worth?

9. What factors or relationships help to give you a sense of dignity?

10. How long a period of time is needed to grieve?

We sometimes hear comments like, “it’s time they snap out of it and go on with life.”

11. What methods of consolation did you find most helpful?

12. Do the tears of others increase your sense of grief, or do they assure you of genuine concern?

13. How does judgment differ from understanding?

How can we avoid judging a reaction to grief and/or loss?

14. What is the meaning of compassion to you?

15. What has been your greatest source of strength and comfort?

16. Can separation and/or loss ever bring triumph?

Consider the types of losses you are facing on your farm.

Many types of losses: • Business loss and change creates trauma (e.g. selling dairy cows); • Death, loss of intimacy and stability; • Divorce, loss of family and status; • Disability, loss of independence; • Mental illness, loss of dreams for a better future; • Failure, guilt, psychological losses; • Identity crisis, loss of purpose and direction with retiring farmers.

Ask for help. It is not a sign of weakness to ask for help and receive it.

Financial transparency with family and creditors is important to deal with money losses.

Let go of pride and stubbornness.

Share your feelings and ask for help.

Educate others (e.g. suicide prevention awareness). I know a farm woman whose son committed suicide and she transfers her pain of loss to educational efforts for suicide prevention with emergency response teams.

Have a learner mindset not judger attitude. Use positive attitude to listen patiently to those who are grieving. Learn from their situations and experiences.

When your spouse asks, “Are you really there for me?” What will your answer be? GN Elaine Froese invites you to explore more about emotional factors affecting farm families at www.elainefroese.com/ unstuck. Her online course Get Farm Transition Unstuck starts soon. Show your family today how you love them. @elainefroese, FB “Farm Family Coach.”

the grainews app is ready to load!

Keep up to date on all the latest agriculture news that matters to you with the new Grainews mobile app!

INSTANT ACCESS TO: • • • • • • • •

Daily regional news Daily market news Commodity futures Crops news WeatherFarm data Livestock news Machinery tips & reviews Plus much more!

IT’S FREE! Scan the code to get the app – or visit agreader.ca Available for Android devices, iPhones and iPad.

Part of the

More great agricultural apps available!

Sponsored by

network

40

home quarter farm life

Grainews.ca / febuary 14, 2017 NICE SALAD

PRAIRIE PALATE

Prairie version of the French salade nicoise Amy Jo Ehman

O

ne day, my husband came home with a leg of deer under his arm, cleaned, wrapped and frozen. I made venison stew flavoured with juniper berries and thyme (featured in last issue’s column).

Another day, I answered a knock at the door to find a friend, box in hand, offering me a moose roast and two breasts of grouse. The moose became a pot of Portuguese sopas, a tomatoey soup seasoned with allspice and cloves. It was delicious. As for the grouse, I found a recipe for Cuban pheasant and beans. It worked perfectly.

Perhaps the most unusual gift from the wild came one spring as I was contemplating the life of the early pioneers when many resorted to eating muskrat and gopher just to stay alive. I asked my hunting friend Vance to bag me some gophers.

“You don’t want gophers,” he

said. “This time of year they’re lean and stringy. But I can give you some beaver.”

How to cook a haunch of beaver?

I began by trimming all the fat and boiling it in water for 20 minutes, then sliced it across the grain and made a good old-fashioned stroganoff.

At that same time, we met a couple from Italy who were on vacation and looking for authentic Canadian experiences. I invited them for dinner. What’s more Canadian than beaver?

They accepted. In Italy, there is a genre of restaurant, usually in the mountains, featuring wild game and other “fruits of the forest.”

They were fans of these restaurants, so the idea of eating beaver was an adventure they could not pass up. I was nervous, I’ll admit, but when they asked for seconds, I knew it was a hit. I would make it again, should another beaver land in my pot.

One fall, in a moment of misguided enthusiasm, I decided to learn to hunt. My goal was to bag

and cook a Christmas goose myself. I went duck hunting with my friend Sue (the wife of Vance) to get the feel for it, then enrolled in a hunter safety course. But as fall turned to winter, I ran out of time without completing the required credentials. Sue came to my rescue, providing two goose breasts for my Christmas dinner. I pounded the breasts and rolled them around a filling of apple, potato and caraway seed. It was delicious and I learned a valuable lesson. In the ancient ancestry of my DNA, I lean more to the gatherer than the hunter. Is that a knock at the door?

Another day, a friend stopped by with some frozen fillets of northern pike. I baked the fish with onions and lemons, then used the leftovers in this Prairie version of the French salade nicoise. It was very nice. GN Amy Jo Ehman is the author of Prairie Feast: A Writer’s Journey Home for Dinner, and, Out of Old Saskatchewan Kitchens. She hails from Craik, Saskatchewan.

photo: amy jo ehman

Using leftovers of baked northern pike made a very ‘nice salad’

3 hard-boiled eggs 2 ripe tomatoes Handful of green beans, cooked and cooled 16 baby potatoes, cooked and cooled 1 c. cooked fish 1 c. crunchy salad greens

Dressing: 1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley 1 tbsp. chopped fresh basil 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard 1/2 c. vegetable oil 1/4 c. wine vinegar Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the hard-boiled eggs and the tomatoes into wedges, and the beans into bite-sized pieces. Place the salad greens in the centre of a serving plate and top with flaked fish. Arrange the vegetables around it. Mix the dressing ingredients in a jar or blender and pour over top.

Grow informed.

With the new web series: AGGronomyTV

AgCanada.com is proud to present this new informative web video series.

AGGronomyTV is a series of videos that covers today’s top issues related to soil management and crop production. Video topics include: New Seeding Technology  Tire Performance  4R Stewardship  Growing Soybeans 

Crop Suitability for NW Saskatchewan  Plus more… 

Scan the code or visit the website for more information

www.agcanada.com/aggronomytv

Sponsored by

home quarter farm life

Grainews.ca / febuary 14, 2017

41

FROM THE FARM

Pumpkin seeds with no shells Pepitas are loaded with nutrition and have no hulls Debbie Chikousky

G

rowing up, pumpkin seeds were a once-a-year treat. As a child there was the confusion of whether they were to be shelled like a sunflower seed or just chewed. Personally, the hulls were a bit too fibrous, but once you got inside, those seeds were very yummy.

As an adult I noticed that there were all these green-coloured seeds without those hard-to-remove shells in trail mix and in the bulk food sections. These little green beauties are from a totally different species of pumpkin.

Pepitas, or hulless pumpkin seeds, come from the Cucurbita pepo. They are known as oilseed pumpkins and the common name for the more popular variety is Styrian pumpkin. They are a 90-day variety, which in Narcisse would mean starting them in the house and then planting them outside. This has been our experience with all pumpkins though, and we have found the performance of this species to be very much worth the effort.

Styrian pumpkins are also raised for the oil extracted from their seeds which has medicinal as well as culinary uses. The oilseed pumpkins grow their seeds without fibrous hulls, and their very delicate skin comes off easily.

Unlike other pumpkins, at maturity they will be orange with some green striping.

Pepitas are loaded with nutrition.

Just one-quarter cup (32.25 grams) provides significant amounts of manganese, tryptophan, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, protein, zinc and iron. The seeds are also an excellent source of vitamins A and E, and omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids. The World’s Healthiest Foods website cites studies that suggest pumpkin seeds may promote prostate health, protect your bones, act as an anti-inflammatory and lower cholesterol. Imagine! All this, and the hulls won’t get stuck in your teeth!

As the pumpkins we were gifted with have been ripening over the winter, we have been processing the seeds a few at a time for snacks.

To increase digestibility it is recommended to soak the pepitas.

PEPITAS 4 c. raw hulless pumpkin seeds (from about two pumpkins) 2 tbsp. sea salt 1 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional) Filtered water Dissolve salt in water, pour over seeds, using enough water to cover. Leave in a warm place for seven hours. Drain in a colander and pat dry.

At this point you may either roast at low heat (under 150 F to preserve maximum nutrient value, no warmer than 250 F) or dehydrate.

To oven roast, drizzle lightly with olive oil or sesame oil and toss with seasonings or additional salt, if desired. Toast until crispy, mixing every 15 minutes to half-hour. At 250 F it will take around 45 minutes to an hour to get them crispy, at 150 F it will take 8 to 12 hours. These should keep for a week or two in a tightly sealed container.

To dehydrate pepitas: To dehydrate, toss seeds with a bit more salt or seasoning if desired, and

dry at less than 150 F until crispy, eight to 12 hours. Don’t add extra oil. Mix every hour or so. Once dry and crispy, store in a tightly sealed glass container.

When we were gifted these pumpkins we were told the flesh was not edible, just the seeds. This is not entirely a fact. The only downside with the oilseed pumpkins is that the flesh isn’t particularly tasty. It tends to be stringy and bland. For most pumpkin recipes, other winter squash would be a better substitute, as the flesh is denser, smoother and sweeter.

If you want to use the flesh, using it similarly to large zucchini, as filler rather than a primary flavour would be a better idea. It also works well to put the cooked flesh through the food processor to chop up the stringy bits.

On our farm it isn’t considered wasteful to share with the chickens, goats, sheep, and cows and they have adored a few of the underripe ones we’ve opened for a special winter treat! GN Debbie Chikousky farms at Narcisse, Manitoba.

photo: DEBBIE CHIKOUSKY

To roast pepitas:

Pepitas are the seeds from an oilseed pumpkin variety.

Here’s to the farmer who’s willing and able, Who’s at every meal, but not at the table.

Here’s to the farmer who cares for the earth, Who loves every creature and knows their true worth.

Who wears many hats with honour and pride, With love for their business that shines from inside.

Who respects what they do and how to get through it, Constantly learning the best ways to do it.

Who’s open and honest and willing to share, With nothing to hide, anytime, anywhere.

Here’s to the farmer, who’s in every bite, Feeding the world and doing it right.

Canada’s Agriculture Day is February 16th and FCC is proud to celebrate our wonderful industry.

Here’s to the farmer. Here’s to Canadian ag. Here’s to you.

42

home quarter farm life

Grainews.ca / February 14, 2017

SINGING GARDENER

Meet Adora potato — read the info and see the photos Plus, try Ted’s mashed potato pie crust pastry recipe

singinggardener@mts.net

A

nyone who has diabetes will be familiar with two words that follow. A home medical dictionary describes “hyperglycemia” as excess blood sugar and “hypoglycemia” as a condition in which the level of blood sugar is abnormally low or reduced.

A doctor’s book of home remedies calls diabetes “the disease of civilization,” and explains how diabetes is closely related to dietary habits. Our ancient ancestors may have dined on fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds and an occasional kill of wild game and fish. Today, a lot of folks are inclined to eat fast foods such as cheeseburgers with fries, and wash it all down with a sugary beverage. “You have the recipe for diabetes.” There’s a song that says: A you’re Adorable. There’s a low-carb potato named Adora.

Welcome all with a tip of my hat.

EATING SMART It’s one of the best ways to help prevent diabetes or getting it under control. The right foods can be an ally in the fight to keep blood sugar levels in check. Talk to your doctor, a registered dietitian, or a diabetes educator about keeping track of how many carbs can be eaten and those that affect blood sugar.

I’m highlighting a specialty potato called Adora with fewer carbohydrates that’s becoming a favourite variety for folks with diabetes. Potatoes are a fat-free healthy choice, a good source of fibre; much of which is contained in the skin. A single potato contains vitamin C, high concentrations of antioxidants and nearly twice the potassium found in a banana. It’s also important to eat plenty of fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, nuts, and lean protein, including a regular exercise regimen. In combination they’re all part of maintaining control over diabetes or any weight-loss program.

WHAT’S TO KNOW ABOUT ADORA Meet Adora — a fantastic-tasting lower-carb potato grown at Kroeker Farms. This light-golden variety is smooth and thin skinned with shallow eyes giving Adora an eye-catching bright appearance that’s easy to peel.

But why peel away the skin? Keep in mind many nutrients essential to good health are located close to the underside of the outer skin.

Adora resists grey colouring when cooked, resulting in delicious bright and buttery mashed potatoes.

Adora is ecologically grown by Kroeker Farms on fields where ecological practices are applied, assuring the consumer of finest quality and outstanding taste.

Adora provides an alternative for potato lovers on a diet or diabetic, containing up to 30 per cent fewer carbohydrates than a standard Russet baking potato. It’s a prizewinner too, having been selected first among panels of international taste testers.

Gardeners wishing to place an order for Adora seed potato for planting purposes this year can contact The Potato Store in Winkler (a division of Kroeker Farms) at phone number 1-204-331-3150.

Of course you can drive to Winkler too, if desired. Adora potatoes for eating purposes are sold at The Potato Store aforesaid and Sobeys in Manitoba and their stores throughout the rest of Western Canada. A recipe for making potato pie crust pastry follows next. You may want to try it. GN

PHOTOS: COURTESY KROEKER FARMS LTD.

Ted Meseyton

This family-owned farm stretches south of Winkler to west of Carman, Man. The farm grows potatoes such as Adora, Dark Red Norland, Colomba, Mozart, and other varieties, plus onions and cereals, among other things, on approximately 5,000 acres of which 50 per cent are irrigated. The number of people employed at Kroeker Farms varies from 60 to 160, depending on the time of year. In 2005 Kroeker Farms Ltd. celebrated 50 years of quality products and service.

Adora is an attractive buttery all-purpose, low-carb potato with smooth, thin skin.

recipe

FAIL-PROOF POTATO PIE CRUST PASTRY If you make it, you be the judge. This makes enough dough for a double-crusted nine-inch pie such as an apple, blueberry or cherry pie; or a single-crusted 12-inch shell for a pumpkin pie. If making a lemon pie or banana cream pie the shell is pre-baked first before the filling is added. Most pie makers already know this.

Ingredients: 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 cup butter or vegetable shortening (or half and half) 2/3 cup mashed potatoes Seed potatoes! Note the sign saying: “Buy 4 50 lb. bags & get the 5th FREE!”

A BIT OF HISTORY Right off the bat let me first say thanks to Liana Fehr with Marketing at Kroeker Farms Ltd., 777 Circle K Drive, Winkler, Man., R6W 0K7, phone 204-325-4333.

You’ll find Kroeker Farms located deep in the heart of sunny southcentral Manitoba; about an hour’s drive straight south of where I am.

This is Ted Meseyton the Singing Gardener and Grow-It Poet from Portage la Prairie, Man. G.K. Chesterton said: If I can put one touch of rosy sunset into the life of any man or woman, I shall feel I have worked with God. singinggardener@mts.net.

Tote bags filled with washed potatoes weigh about 2,200 lbs. each; ready to be shipped all over Canada.

Prep method: Mix flour, salt and baking powder together. Cut in butter or shortening with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly, then mix in potatoes until homogeneous and all parts come together. You’ll notice it doesn’t call for any water. Wrap in foil or cover with a tea towel and place in refrigerator for an hour before rolling out the dough on a floured pastry board. Fit a pastry shell into a pie plate, prick with a fork and bake for 10 minutes in preheated oven at 200 to 215 C (400 to 425 F) for 10 minutes. Do not burn the crust. Remove from oven, cool and then add desired filling.

AS FEATURED ON MASSEY FERGUSON 8650

2012 FLEXI-COIL 5000HD 713791

131,000

$

1758 hrs, 4WD, 240 HP, CVT, 380/54 Dual, 380/38 TABER, AB

403-223-8928

2017 SUPREME SEQUE SEG4S

168,250

$

57’ Working Width on 10” Sp, Dbl Shoot Dutch Low Draft Paired Row Openers. 5.5” Semi Pneumatic Packers, c/w ‘12 JD 1910 TBT Cart, 430 Bu CALGARY, AB

403-280-2200

2013 SEEDMASTER DRILL 74-12TXB W/JD 1910 817934

28,500

$

Vertical Mixer, 36” conveyor, 10” rubber extension, scales, 540 PTO, CV, Call Today!

RIMBEY, AB

403-843-3700

2015 MCCORMICK X6.430

112,000

$

Brand New w/Self Leveling Loader, Grapple, 121 PTO, 3 Hyd, Loaded! Original MSRP $139,000 FREE 5 Yr 3000 Hr Powertrain Warranty GLENDON, AB

780-635-3936

704910

Units Starting From

38,000

$

THESE TANDEM GRAIN TRAILERS ARE STARTING TO BE COMPLETED AT FACTORY NOW! EDMONTON, AB

780-732-4461

2015 ROGATOR RG1300B

803967

Sale $232,100

818139

$429,000 REDUCED

390,000

$

Jd Towers With Jd Blockage, All Run Seed Fert Blockage, 550bu Tbh 3 Tank, 1018 8 Run Stat Double Shoot System, Jd 1800 Display Touch Screen Display Reg: $269,500 RAYMORE, SK

799 hrs, 120’ Booms, Viper/Pro/ Sharpshooter/Norac Autoboom, Smartrax, 2 sets of Tires, 3 Yr Comprehensive Warranty!

2015 CHALLENGER MT875E

2013 MASSEY FERGUSON 8660

306-746-2110

781389

REDUCED

2017 EMERALD MANUFACTURING 36 FT. 780363

SASKATOON, SK

306-934-1546

771547

740222

529,000

$

TIER 4F, 252 Hrs, PTO, 30” Tracks, Autoguide 3000, HYD Drawbar LOUGHEED, AB

780-386-3755

200,000

$

200 PTO hp, MFD, Duals, Low Hours PRICE REDUCED FROM $225,000!

ST. PAUL, AB

780-645-4422

call your local agdealer representative today!

G

IN M CO SO !

ON

Members get more!

Glacier FarmMedia is Canada’s largest agricultural publisher, producing more than 20 print and electronic titles that include many of the most trusted names in Canadian agriculture.

When you sign up for a Glacier FarmMedia member account — you can access free news, markets, weather, equipment alerts, special deals on ag products & services — on your mobile, tablet or desktop!

Go to membersgetmore.ca to sign-up today - It’s free!

membersgetmore.ca