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Volume 43 · number 15 SEPTEMBER 26, 2017 · $4.25 Practical production tips for the prairie farmer www.grainews.ca

By Lee Hart

W

Crop management

Count your canola stubble density

Photo: Lee Hart

Want to optimize next year’s yield? Count your stubble density before snow flies

PLU S

The headaches of cooking for the harvest crew Sarah Schulz has been asking: How many do I need to cook for? What field are they in? 39 CONTENTS 3 | COLUMNS 18 | CATTLEMEN’S CORNER 32

Publications Mail Agreement #40069240

hile the 2017 crop is going or has gone in the bin, there is one more field operation for canola growers to consider this fall: count your stubble density.

Since seeding rate and plant stand are critical components of optimizing canola yield, says Rob McDonald, a senior agronomist with Bayer Crop Science, actually knowing how many plants were in the field and reached maturity is important information.

“And there is no better time to do it than after harvest,” says McDonald, manager of product excellence for Bayer. The number of plants that emerge after seeding is one indicator of crop density he says, but it’s the number that make it through to maturity that really tell the story. You can wade through standing canola crop in July and August to make a count. But after harvest is so much simpler.

“The plant count for a successful crop is critical,” says McDonald. “If there are too many plants the crop might look good, but the yield isn’t there. And if there are 10- to 12-inch gaps or more between plants in seed rows then you are also losing productivity. There will probably never be perfect spacing over a field, but hopefully you can fine tune it.”

McDonald believes in using a 1,000 kernel weight (TKW) formula with each seed batch to determine the actual seeding rate. Following the old or standard five or six pounds per acre seeding rate for canola results in too many variSee CANOLA density on Page 5 

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wheat & chaff

GRAINEWS.CA / SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

CONTENTS

Another harvest in the bin

Dicamba disaster

Leeann Minogue

leeann@fbcpublishing.com

The state of transportation Lisa Guenther looks at changes since the end of the CWB 22

Machinery & Shop . . . . . . 26 Cattleman’s Corner . . . . . . 32 FarmLife. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

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

A

s I’m writing this, my husband is outside picking up the last of the red lentils, wrapping up harvest 2017. He’s been running full throttle for the last few days, trying to keep ahead of a rainy spell in the forecast. I know this won’t be the case for every Grainews reader, but it’s been a long time since we’ve finished harvest anywhere near this early.

It’s great to skip that part of the season that involves short days with chilly late-morning starts and forced early evening shut downs.

We’ve had a fairly simple season, with good weather and few breakdowns (unless you count me, having a minor breakdown and shouting, “Can’t anyone remember to bring in their lunch cooler?”). We kept the machinery rolling through a solar eclipse, a moose invasion (see photo), and a very unlucky horseshoe. Near the end, I completely ran out of groceries — I’d been putting off making a trip to town, figuring I’d just wait until I had to run in for some combine parts. Luckily (luckily?) something finally gave out and I had to make a fast trip to Regina. The dealership is just a couple of blocks from Superstore, but as far as my husband knows, I didn’t stop anywhere. It was straight there and back.

Now it’s back to regular programming: machinery clean up, school and indoor meals for everyone.

I hope your harvest has gone as well.

Photos: Brad Barlow

Tom Wolfe explains what went wrong in the U.S. 9

Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Crop Advisor’s Casebook. . . 8 Columns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

3

My father-in-law noticed this before things went too far. We were surprized to find a horseshoe in this field at all, let alone one lucky enough to be standing up at the right angle to get picked up.

My husband’s grandfather didn’t break this field until the 1970s, long after, there would have been horses working the field.

The local moose have a choreographed show that keeps truckers entertained while they’re waiting out in the field to take the next load.

We’ve got them on the payroll.

Leeann

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

I’m pretty sure there’s a regulation requiring every Prairie grain farmer to take and file at least four photos like this every season.

We’re in compliance.

FIND US ON TWITTER Leeann Minogue is @grainmuse Lisa Guenther is @LtoG Lee Hart is @hartattacks Scott Garvey is @machineryeditor T:9.875”

I will approach harvest with flexibility and confidence, knowing that my yield potential is protected.

Take advantage of InVigor® patented Pod Shatter Reduction hybrids. InVigor L140P, early maturing InVigor L233P and NEW InVigor L255PC with the added benefit of clubroot resistance.* cropscience.bayer.ca

@Bayer4CropsCA

1 888-283-6847

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#SellTheSwather

Always read and follow label directions. InVigor is a registered trademark of the Bayer Group. Bayer CropScience Inc. is a member of CropLife Canada. *To predominant clubroot pathotypes identified in Canada at the time of registration. ®

T:4”

STRAIGHT CUT MY WORKLOAD

4

wheat & chaff

GRAINEWS.CA / SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

Ag safety

Farm safety conference to focus on new and emerging agricultural trends The conference opens on Tuesday afternoon with a panel of farmers and safety experts discussing why producers don’t always practise what they preach. Also featured on Tuesday is a welcome reception highlighting Alberta safety initiatives.

On Wednesday, the conference will shift its focus to the health and safety implications of legalized recreational marijuana, and of emerging technologies and trends like robotics, drones, autonomous machinery, open animal housing and high-speed tractors.

On Thursday, attendees will choose between two concurrent sessions. One session is a professional safety workshop on Emergency Preparedness that will give participants practical knowledge in preparing emergency plans for farms with an emphasis on grain. The other session, “Beyond the AgSafe Family” invites participants to become an important part of the planning process for Canadian Agricultural Safety Week 2019 to 2021. Lastly, all attend-

ees will get close up with CASA’s brand new BeGrainSafe Mobile Demonstration Unit.

To register for the conference or for more information, visit http:// conference.casa-acsa.ca.

CASA has been organizing agricultural safety conferences for over 20 years to bring stakeholders together to work toward improving safety and encouraging safe behaviour on Canadian farms. Thank you to 2017 conference supporters: Imperial Oil, Monsanto, Syngenta, G3, John Deere and MacDon. The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health and safety of farmers, their families and agricultural workers.

CASA is funded in part by Growing Forward 2, a federal, provincial and territorial initiative and receives additional support from the agricultural and corporate sectors. GN Canadian Agricultural Safety Association, visit www.casa-acsa.ca

Photo Contest

Give us your best shot!

Photo: THINKSTOCK

T

he Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) will hold its 23rd annual conference “Agsafety — Make it a Record Year!” and annual general meeting in Edmonton, Alta., from October 3 to 5, 2017.

“Farming is dynamic,” says Marcel Hacault, CASA’s Executive Director.

“Trends, technology and legislation affect how we deal with farm health and safety. CASA is being proactive in highlighting emerging farm safety and health concerns in this year’s conference.”

Attendees will learn about safety concerns around evolving and emerging agriculture technologies, trends and legislation. Drones, autonomous equipment, working with marijuana and safety regulations for migrant workers are all topics up for discussion.

“If you work with farmers, are employed in safety services or just want the inside track on farm health and safety trends, this conference is for you,” says Hacault. “This is an excellent opportunity to hear about cutting-edge technology and interact with experts on emerging issues.”

The CASA conference will include a session on drone safety.

agronomy tips… from the field

Get set for soybean harvest Now’s the time to make sure you’re completely set for a successful soybean harvest. Generally speaking, this year’s crop will be at about the same stage in maturity as last year. The main difference is going to come from the overall plant structure.

Last year’s moist, warmer conditions gave us more growth and pod height, whereas this year, you’re going to see a shorter crop with pods that are lower to the ground. This can create a few challenges — as well as the potential for lost yield if you’re not careful with your combining.

Missing even four seeds per square foot can add up to a one bushel per acre yield loss.

Since you’re going to be shaving pretty close to the ground to get at those lower pods, make sure your header is set up and calibrated properly and that the knives are sharp. That way, you’re cleanly cutting and not tearing the beans.

Another important factor to keep in mind is your combine travel speed. Because we’ll be challenged with a shorter crop in many areas, slow things down to ensure you’re picking up as much as you can.

Fall (after harvest) is also a great time to set up your soil fertility program for the next season. Getting your potash and phosphate down now can make it more efficient for you to apply your nitrogen and inoculant come the spring.

Doug Fotheringham, agronomic service representative, Syngenta Canada.

Amy Strate sent in this photo. She wrote: “This was taken this fall on our farm near Shell Lake, Sask. Our farm is called Strate Lake Side Farm. It consists of Ron and Donna Strate and their son Scott (my husband), me, and our kids Sierra and Benson.

Sierra and Benson are the “future owner/operators of Strate Lake Side Farm,” as you can see written on their shirts.

Thank you for sharing this Amy! We’re mailing you a cheque for $25.

Send your best shot by email to leeann@fbcpublishing.com or through Twitter at @GrainMuse. Please send only one or two photos at a time, and also send along some information about where and when you took the photo, or even something about your farm. Photos with larger file sizes look better in the paper.

cover stories

Grainews.ca / AUGUST 29, 2017

5

Crop management

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 Mackenzie Burling, 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.

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 CANOLA Density from Page 1

ables, he says. In the Polish canola days the recommendation was often in the seven to nine pounds per acre range.

With the cost of some hybrid canola seed in the $50 to $70 per acre range, nobody wants to waste it by seeding too heavy, and yet there is no point in potentially sacrificing yield by cutting way back on seeding rate, just to save on seed costs. Seed at the optimum rate.

DO I HEAR THE NUMBER five?

And what is the magic number for canola plant spacing? This Bayer field research and demonstration work of course is focusing on InVigor hybrid canola varieties. In this third year of the product excellence research, McDonald is saying the number is about five. Five to seven plants per square foot appears to be the ideal density to optimize yields with InVigor canola. That means a seeding rate putting about 10 seeds per square foot in the ground. Anticipating a 50 to 60 per cent seed mortality rate, that seeding rate should deliver a stand that has five to seven plants per square foot.

Whether that figure would apply to all brands of canola, McDonald doesn’t know. But from hundreds of Bayer field scale research plots across Western Canada over the past three years, the five plants per square foot density, so far, consistently has delivered the top yield, regardless of InVigor variety or seed size. The 2017 yield results will be coming in later this fall.

Numbers tell the story And it’s hard to argue numbers with a man who often spends a good part of his day walking canola plots with callipers measuring the diameter of canola plant stems. Plant density obviously will impact stem diameter and ultimately stem strength.

Plant density also impacts plant growth, pod and seed development, plant maturity and ultimately yield.

This Product Excellence research program is a huge investment for Bayer in agronomic research. The program has been running for three years. There are more than 30 research sites across Western Canada. Each site is about 60 acres.

Each research site is divided into dozens of large scale research plots, each plot being about 20 feet x 180 feet.

Those plots are farmed with conventional seeding, spraying and harvesting equipment. The John Deere 1810 Conserapak drill has been cut down to 10 feet wide for the narrower plots, but otherwise it is the same air drill many producers use. They use a conventional field sprayer and plots are harvested with a John Deere combine. Everything is done field scale so it is as relevant to what commercial producers do as possible.

McDonald and six agronomists, along with local teams of student (seasonal) employees, manage the 30 research sites stretching across the prairies from the Alberta Peace River region, through Saskatchewan and Manitoba to North Dakota.

“Our objective with this research

Photos: Lee Hart

1666 Dublin Avenue, Winnipeg, Man. R3H 0H1 www.grainews.ca

This plot of canola stubble represents almost an ideal canola plant stand with about five to six plants per square foot, seeded with a John Deere 1810 drill.

But although it is almost ideal, there are still a few places where the drill missed or plants died leaving eight- to 10-inch gaps in the seed row — nutrients unused, productivity lost.

program is to determine the best or optimum production practices for growing InVigor canola,” says McDonald. “We know the potential of our variety genetics, but what are the best production practices to really optimize that potential? Do all industry production guidelines apply to growing InVigor canola?

That’s what we want to find out.”

After harvest is so much simpler This is the third full season for the Bayer Excellence Research program and in some respects it has been a well-kept secret. The first couple of years were mostly about getting sites and plots designed and deciding what type of agronomic research should be done. But as the program gains experience and research data, McDonald says each site is now ready to be launched as an information hub. In 2017 for example each of the Product Excellence sites hosted tours of Bayer product representatives and agronomists. Next year, McDonald says the sites will be open to hosting producer tours. “We are doing lots of interesting research work with

InVigor canola and starting next year we are ready to show producers what we are learning,” he says.

NO SUCH THING AS A DUMB QUESTION The agronomic research at all sites will be asking just about every conceivable question about how to grow canola: seeding rates, seeding dates, seeding depth, time of seeding, fertility rates, crop protection options, harvest methods, you name it. If a producer can think of the question, Bayer is probably already looking at it.

“There’s a lot we need to look at, but we are starting out by keeping it simple,” says McDonald. “What is the optimal seeding rate? What is the optimal plant stand to optimize yield? Let’s start with that.”

McDonald and the Product Excellence team believe they have the answer — target the seeding rate to produce a healthy and viable five to seven canola plants per square foot. They’ve tried every combination of seeding rates form one pound of seed to 10 pounds of seed. With those callipers in hand, McDonald can measure large wolfy plants with ¾ inch diameter stalks (at the low seeding rate), to really dense stands of about pencil size stalks at the higher seeding rates.

More will be revealed this winter, but above is Rob McDonald, Bayer Crop Science senior agronomist with two bags/two varieties of high quality InVigor canola seed. While both bags weigh 50 pounds, one variety has double (about three million) or more seeds than the other. Bayer is using its agronomic research to show growers the optimum seeding rate.

“In some respects with a quick drive by all seeding rates can look pretty good,” he says. “But when you actually get in there and look at what each plant is producing, look at comparative height differences, look at maturity differences, and then look at yield figures, you learn what difference seeding rate can make.” (There will be a follow up Grainews article this winter on seeding rate information from Bayer Product Excellence plots).

In the meantime McDonald encourages producers to have a look this fall at the true plant count in canola stubble after harvest. How many stems per square foot were harvested? What was the size or diameter range of the various stalks.

And look at the spacing of plants within the rows — where there stretches of dense plant stands or conversely other stretches with eight to 10 inch gaps between plants.

Numbers, measurements and photos collected on-farm this fall, will provide useful reference for growers in the next article on Bayer seeding recommendations coming this winter. 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.

Contest

Win your own Christmas present

I

t’s early for Christmas shopping, but if you win this contest, this lovely coffee table book could arrive just in time for the season.

The same people that brought you Red Combines 1915-2015 are back at it, this time with Red 4WD Tractors 1957-2017. Writer Lee Klancher has written the story of how early models of today’s tractors were designed and built, the complete story of Steiger tractors and the backroom drama behind these machines.

You can buy a copy at www.octanepress.com, or you can win a copy. To enter, just send me an email and tell me who you think deserves a book like this as a Christmas gift. I’ll draw a name on November 1, so we can get it shipped to you in time. GN

Leeann Minogue, leeann@fbcpublishing.com.

6

FEATURES

GRAINEWS.CA / SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

Weed management

Which weeds will develop resistance?

Stay ahead: know which weeds are most likely to develop resistance to which chemistry

By Lisa Guenther

Photo: Lisa Guenther

F

armers who want to slow herbicide resistance need to understand weed biology, says Graham Collier.

Collier is technical services manager at Nufarm. During a plot tour at Ag-Quest west of Saskatoon, he outlined some of the factors that contribute to herbicide resistance.

One factor is the average risk of the herbicide group. Weeds are more likely to develop resistant to a Group 2 than a Group 9 or 4, for example.

The number of times herbicide has been applied to a field also comes into play. But not all weeds are created equal when it comes to adapting to herbicides.

Seedbank longevity is one of the biological factors that seem counter-intuitive. The longer the seed remains viable in the soil, the less likely resistance is to spread, Collier said.

“And that’s because you’re always going to have weeds in the soil that are not resistant,” he explained. For example, if a resistant weed emerges in year 10, there will be a decade’s worth of banked seed that’s not resistant.

“And all those individuals are going to grow.”

Kochia is a weed primed to

Graham Collier, technical services manager at Nufarm, talks herbicide resistance during a plot tour west of Saskatoon.

develop resistance in Western Canada. When it emerges, small hairs protect it from herbicide contact, Collier said. It produces an average of 25,000 seeds per plant.

“It’s mobile. It can spread its seed around very quickly. And it turns over its seed bank every year,” Collier said. The speed that a plant such as kochia can develop and spread

herbicide resistance “is really quite stunning.”

All kochia is Group 2 resistant, said Hugh Beckie, researcher with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

There are also glyphosate-resistant kochia populations. Group 4 resistance has been confirmed in Saskatchewan, and is being investigated in Alberta. “And so far,

unfortunately, these populations seem to be resistant to all of the Group 4s.”

Beckie and his colleagues will be surveying at least 300 sites in southern and central Alberta this fall for Group 4 and glyphosateresistant kochia. Researchers are also investigating Group 14-resistant kochia.

“We need to really get a handle on the incidence of resistance. And then that awareness will spur action by growers,” Beckie said.

Although cleavers don’t produce as many seeds as kochia, modeling indicates cleavers are at risk to develop glyphosate resistance. And Group 2-resistant cleavers in the black soil zone “is going to become a huge issue for us moving forward — perhaps the next one,” said Collier.

“And it’s going to follow a very similar pattern to what we see with kochia, as opposed to wild oats.”

Models indicate that wild oats and green foxtail are also shortlisted for glyphosate resistance.

Beckie is also concerned that narrow-leaved hawks beard could develop glyphosate resistance.

While Beckie hopes more glyphosate-resistant weeds are a long ways into the future, farmers and industry have to be prepared for it, he said.

Collier agrees.

“The only way to stop (herbicide resistance) is to not use herbicide,” said Collier. But, he said, practices such as using multiple modes of action lower risk and push herbicide resistance down the road. GN Lisa Guenther is field editor for Grainews based at Livelong, Sask. Follow her on Twitter @LtoG.

Getting samples tested Take control of your marketing The Wild Oats Grain Market Advisory provides: • news and statistics that affect prairie markets • analysis making sense of the market action • specific strategies for marketing wheat, durum, oats, malt and feed barley, canola, flax, lentils, peas, mustard and canary • detailed farmgate prices for each of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba • futures and options quotes

Wild Oats, every Tuesday, keeps you on top of the markets without drowning you in market noise. It’s one page of news, one page of analysis and marketing strategies and two pages of numbers.

The cost is $295 a year. Delivery is by internet, fax or mail. Subscribers can call for personal marketing advice at any time.

Subscribe even if you have another marketing service, and it’s good. You can’t have too many opinions on the market.

Farmers unsure whether weed problems are due to escapes or herbicide resistance can send samples to labs for screening.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada partners with Saskatchewan Ag’s Crop Protection Lab to test for herbicide resistance. Hugh Beckie, Ag Canada researcher, said they can test for resistance to a specific herbicide or an herbicide group.

Beckie said when the herbicide resistance testing service started in 1996, the lab received about 50 samples. The sample volume has increased, and the lab now typically receives 250 to 275 samples from across Western Canada each year. In 2013, farmers sent in a record 298 samples, Beckie said.

Once herbicide resistance is well known in an area, farmers will stop sending samples because they assume they have it. “But when it’s something new, like Group 4 kochia, that’s where we get the surge in samples,” as farmers are unsure whether it’s a resistance problem, Beckie said.

Information on Saskatchewan Agriculture’s Crop Protection Lab is available online at www.saskatchewan.ca. Navigate to Business and Industry > Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Industry > Agribusiness, Farmers, and Ranchers > Agricultural Programs and Services > Crops Programs > Diagnose the Pest, Weed or Disease Affecting Your Crop.

Readers can also phone the lab at (306) 787-8130.

Producers and agronomists can also send samples to Ag-Quest (see agquest.com) or, for glyphosate-resistant kochia testing, the Pest Surveillance Institute Lab (mbpestlab.ca/field-testing/).

Both Ag-Quest and the Crop Protection Lab require seed samples.

The Pest Surveillance Institute requires photos of the suspect patch, along with kochia plant samples. More details on sampling requirements, along with pricing, available on each lab’s website. GN Lisa Guenther

Terry Young, who farms at Lacombe, Alberta: “Wild Oats works for me.”

To subscribe call 1-800-567-5671 or on-line at Canadagrain.com

Visit grainews.ca to sign up for free enews.

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8

FEATURES

GRAINEWS.CA / SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

Topic production Crop heading

Crop advisor casebook What’s causing white heads in this durum crop?

By: Dallas Funke

F Dallas Funke works for Richardson Pioneer Ltd. in Corinne, Sask.

Casebook winner The winner for this issue is Peter L. Gross from Twin Peak Colony at Standard, Alberta.

Thanks for entering Peter!

We’re mailing you a Grainews cap and sending you a one-year subscription.

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

We’ll pool the answers and draw a winner for the June issue.

Leeann Minogue

rank, who grows durum wheat, lentils, canola and soybeans south of Regina, Sask., called me mid-August in 2016 to discuss an issue with his wheat crop. He noticed white wheat heads popping up randomly throughout the field.

“Could this be from heat blast, like in canola flowers?” he asked. “There are more of these heads showing up every day.”

I made my way out to Frank’s farm that day. From a distance, I thought the crop looked perfectly healthy, and had developed a good plant stand. When I examined the plants with the white heads, I found they were completely sterile and felt crispy, yet they were attached to a healthy, green plant.

Several possibilities came to mind when I considered factors that could cause whitened heads. For instance, had hail caused the injury to the wheat heads? Or had the plants contracted aster yellows, a disease caused by a bacteria-like pathogen called a phytoplasma? I also had to consider the diseases fusarium head blight and take-all root rot as white heads are a symptom of both diseases.

Recently, a few storms had travelled through the area. Hail could have hit the plants and damaged the stems, thus impeding the supply of water and nutrients to the wheat head. This lack of resources could then cause the heads to turn white.

However, eliminating hail damage was easy. After talking with Frank and other growers in the area about recent weather events, I determined the storms did not produce significant hail damage. In addition, the crop didn’t show any signs of physical damage from hailstones on the outside of the stems.

In Saskatchewan, aster yellows disease is most commonly transferred to plants by the aster leafhopper. This insect vector lands on the plant head and transfers the aster yellows pathogen to the plant head, turning it white.

To eliminate this disease as the source of plant injury, I pulled upwards on a plant’s head, which detached easily from the stem. Had the plant been infected with aster yellows disease, the stem wouldn’t have detached easily from the plant.

To eliminate this disease as the source of plant injury, I pulled upwards on a plant’s head While FHB, a fungal disease, can cause wheat heads to appear whiter than their healthy neighbours, the affected heads are often not as vivid in wheat in the early stages as were presented here. Also, there were no signs of orange fungal growth on affected heads and kernels, normally associated with FHB. Furthermore, if this field had been infected with FHB, I’d expect to see more damage. In the past, this region had experienced harvested samples with more than 20 per cent fusarium damaged kernels. In this field, the affected plants occurred randomly and the damage was insignificant — it looked worse than it was.

Plants infected with take-all root rot, another fungal disease, come

White heads had popped up randomly throughout the durum field. The plants with the white heads were completely sterile and felt crispy, yet they were attached to a healthy, green plant.

away easily when pulled out of the ground. Infected plants’ roots and crowns can also turn black in colour.

These symptoms were absent in plants from this field and the root systems looked healthy. Also, like the head and stem “pull test” for aster yellows disease, when I pulled on a wheat head, it detached easily from the stem, indicating take-all root rot was not responsible for the plant damage.

This simple pull test, while eliminating aster yellows disease and take-all root rot, was my first big clue to the real reason why the wheat heads in Frank’s crop were turning white.

What is causing the white wheat heads in Frank’s crop? If you think you know, send your diagnosis to Grainews, Box 9800, Winnipeg, Man., R3C 3K7; email leeann@fbc publishing.com or fax 204-94495416 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 Dallas Funke works for Richardson Pioneer Ltd. in Corinne, Sask.

Crop advisor’s solution

Successful seeding requires straw management

By Nathan Zilinski At the beginning of last May, John, a mixed cattle and grain farmer from Pincher Creek, Alta., asked me to look at one of his canola fields with patchy germination and emergence.

An initial scout revealed some areas of the field were coming up well and others had no canola at all. Furthermore, there was a large amount of straw, which was unevenly distributed, on the field.

Closer examination revealed some canola plants looked unhealthy. The leaves of these

plants, especially the younger ones, were chlorotic. These injured plants were distributed throughout the field. Specifically, plants located in lower spots and areas of the field with heavy plant residue were chlorotic. Meanwhile, plants located at higher elevations and areas with less plant residue were doing well. John’s other canola fields did not appear to be affected.

In addition, the areas of the field that had no canola plants at all also coincided with those containing the heaviest residue. From this evidence, I concluded the straw had hindered seedling emergence.

To make matters worse, the straw contributed to moderate frost damage. For two weeks after the crop was seeded, the weather conditions were cool and dry, with temperatures dropping to a low of -2 C, briefly, one night at the end of April. Although most of John’s crops handled that dip below zero, the straw on this field was particularly thick, and provided a microclimate at soil level cold enough to damage many of the canola cotyledons.

John and I monitored the crop closely for the following week to see if the damaged canola plants would recover, or if we had to

consider reseeding. Fortunately, the crop survived the cold stress and produced a decent crop.

However, there were some thin patches where yield was lost and the uneven plant population resulted in varied maturities, which provided a challenge when timing the swathing operation.

Residue management is often overlooked, and if not managed properly can lead to many problems the following season. Heavy residue can cause emerging crops to be stunted and, in severe cases, can stop plants from coming up altogether. Also, heavy residue levels on the field’s surface can

prevent the soil from warming up in spring, and may increase frost damage risk.

In the fall, it is important to set the combine up properly, so that it chops the straw adequately and distributes it evenly across the field.

In cases like this, where the straw is particularly heavy and is not evenly distributed, a grower may consider going over the field with a tillage implement to bury and/or spread some of the residue. For example, harrows will spread the straw. GN Nathan Zilinski, CCA, AIT, works for Richardson Pioneer Ltd. in Magrath, Alta.

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9

Crop protection

Dicamba drift debacle decoded Tom Wolfe blames inversions for much of the 2017 U.S. soybean damage

By Leeann Minogue

S

askatchewan Agriculture’s annual Crop Diagnostic School was held near Indian Head, Sask., this July. Tom Wolfe, owner of Agrimetrix Research & Training and sprayer specialist, was on hand to talk about sprayer technology and the dicamba problems that took place in the U.S. this summer.

“This year was a defining year for spray technology,” Wolfe told Crop Diagnostic School participants. “I’ve been in the business for nearly 30 years and this year something happened that has never happened before and hopefully will never happen again on a wide scale.”

The problem began when dicambaresistant soybeans were brought to the market. These beans can survive being sprayed with dicamba, but non-resistant soybeans are very sensitive to the Group 4 herbicide that farmers may remember as Banvel.

Soybean growers in many parts of the U.S. have severe problems with glyphosate-resistant weeds like palmer amaranth and waterhemp.

These two problematic weeds are also known to be resistant to Group 14 herbicides. So farmers were eager to plant Monsanto-DeKalb’s dicamba-tolerant soybeans, Xtend.

Along with the new beans, three new, low-volatility formulations of dicamba were released: XtendiMax (Monsanto), FeXapan (DuPont) and Engenia (BASF).

“All of those are three times less volatile than the previous Banvil II known as ‘Clarity’ in the U.S.,” Wolfe said.

U.S. farmers took to the new technology enthusiastically. About 25 million acres were seeded to Xtend soybeans and cotton.

“Most of those acres will have seen dicamba,” Wolfe said. “And we have a record number of dicamba drift complaints, more than we’ve ever seen or thought we would see.”

The state of Arkansas has been hit the hardest. Wolfe said that of the 3.3 million acres of soybeans seeded in Arkansas in 2017, 1.5 million were seeded with Xtend beans. Of the rest, there are “over one million acres documented with leaf cupping, which are classic dicamba symptoms.”

“What’s actually a disaster is the response of the industry to this,” Wolfe said. No company has taken ownership of the problem or offered to help affected growers. Instead, many parties are taking legal action.

On July 11, the state of Arkansas banned dicamba for agricultural use for 120 days and increased the penalty for misuse of up to $25,000, starting August 1.

The Arkansas Agriculture Department appointed a task force to look into dicamba use. On August 28, that task force recommended a ban on the use of dicamba after April 15, 2018.

Temperature inversions Wolfe believes most of the dicamba damage was caused by growers spraying during temperature inversions.

“The air near the ground on a sunny day will be warmer than the air

above it. There’s a gradient,” Wolfe said. When air moves up, it cools as it rises, but it will still be warmer than the air above it. In a normal temperature gradient, lower air is warmer.

But then the sun sets. “The soil now actually becomes a refrigerator for the air. So the air near the soil also cools, and it cools to a greater degree than the air above it.” This changes the temperature gradient. “Now you have air temperature rising with elevation. It’s the opposite. So the temperature profile is ‘inverted’ from a daytime condition.”

“Usually, air gets cooler with height, under an inversion, air gets warmer with height. And that is it.

That defines an inversion. There’s nothing else to it.”

On a calm sunny day, you won’t likely see an inversion. For an inversion to form, Wolfe said, 90 per cent of the time the sun has to be absent.

But on most summer nights, inversions will occur.

When there’s a clear sky and winds diminish in the afternoon, about three hours after the sun sets an inversion will begin. “It will

begin from the ground up, and will form a stable layer of air. In this layer, air particles do not mix.”

Because the air’s not mixing, chemical lingering in the air doesn’t have a chance to dilute.

“Drift that moves off target will move in a concentrated manner in the direction that, maybe, the land is sloped, or maybe the slightest of breezes will carry it. And when it gets there, it will be potent enough to kill things. It’s not diluted at all.

That’s what we think happened in Arkansas,” Wolfe said.

“In Arkansas they’re seeing square miles of soybeans with identical symptoms over the whole field that can only be caused by an inversion. A regular drift event will have diminishing symptoms with distance, because of the dilution.”

Inversions are usually associated with calm conditions, Wolfe says. “If it’s windy, the inversion will be suppressed because of mechanical turbulence mixing that air back up.” GN Leeann Minogue is the editor of Grainews

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Grain storage

Putting “smart” beans to work in the bin

By Angela Lovell

A

new technology coming out of Cambridge, England could provide an easy, flexible and cost-effective way for farmers to monitor stored grain, livestock barns, greenhouses or chemical storage sheds.

The BeanIoT system deploys thumb-sized “smart” sensors to monitor whatever the user requires. In a grain storage shed or bin that might

be temperature, humidity, or insect movements. The sensors provide detailed, layered data that give a complete picture of what’s going on at multiple locations and at any point in time.

“These units, which could be either thrust or deposited into the grain, are at a level that you can have a high density of information,” says Andrew Holland, founder and CEO of RF Module and Optical Design Limited (RFMOD), developer of the BeanIoT

Trait Stewardship Responsibilities Notice to Farmers Monsanto Company is a member of Excellence Through Stewardship® (ETS). Monsanto products are commercialized in accordance with ETS Product Launch Stewardship Guidance, and in compliance with Monsanto’s Policy for Commercialization of Biotechnology-Derived Plant Products in Commodity Crops. These products have been approved for import into key export markets with functioning regulatory systems. Any crop or material produced from these products can only be exported to, or used, processed or sold in countries where all necessary regulatory approvals have been granted. It is a violation of national and international law to move material containing biotech traits across boundaries into nations where import is not permitted. Growers should talk to their grain handler or product purchaser to confirm their buying position for these products. Excellence Through Stewardship® is a registered trademark of Excellence Through Stewardship.

ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® soybeans contain genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate and dicamba. Agricultural herbicides containing glyphosate will kill crops that are not tolerant to glyphosate, and those containing dicamba will kill crops that are not tolerant to dicamba. Contact your Monsanto dealer or call the Monsanto technical support line at 1-800-667-4944 for recommended Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System weed control programs. Roundup Ready® technology contains genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate, an active ingredient in Roundup® brand agricultural herbicides. Agricultural herbicides containing glyphosate will kill crops that are not tolerant to glyphosate.

Acceleron® seed applied solutions for corn (fungicides only) is a combination of three separate individually-registered products, which together contain the active ingredients metalaxyl, prothioconazole and fluoxystrobin. Acceleron® seed applied solutions for corn (fungicides and insecticide) is a combination of four separate individually-registered products, which together contain the active ingredients metalaxyl, prothioconazole, fluoxystrobin, and clothianidin. Acceleron® seed applied solutions for corn plus Poncho®/VOTiVO™ (fungicides, insecticide and nematicide) is a combination of five separate individually-registered products, which together contain the active ingredients metalaxyl, prothioconazole, fluoxystrobin, clothianidin and Bacillus firmus strain I-1582. Acceleron® Seed Applied Solutions for corn plus DuPont™ Lumivia® Seed Treatment (fungicides plus an insecticide) is a combination of four separate individually-registered products, which together contain the active ingredients metalaxyl, prothioconazole, fluoxastrobin and chlorantraniliprole. Acceleron® seed applied solutions for soybeans (fungicides and insecticide) is a combination of four separate individually registered products, which together contain the active ingredients fluxapyroxad, pyraclostrobin, metalaxyl and imidacloprid. Acceleron® seed applied solutions for soybeans (fungicides only) is a combination of three separate individually registered products, which together contain the active ingredients fluxapyroxad, pyraclostrobin and metalaxyl. Visivio™ contains the active ingredients difenoconazole, metalaxyl (M and S isomers), fludioxonil, thiamethoxam, sedaxane and sulfoxaflor. Acceleron®, Cell-Tech®, DEKALB and Design®, DEKALB®, Genuity®, JumpStart®, Monsanto BioAg and Design®, Optimize®, QuickRoots®, Real Farm Rewards™, RIB Complete®, Roundup Ready 2 Xtend®, Roundup Ready 2 Yield®, Roundup Ready®, Roundup Transorb®, Roundup WeatherMAX®, Roundup Xtend®, Roundup®, SmartStax®, TagTeam®, Transorb®, VaporGrip®, VT Double PRO®, VT Triple PRO® and XtendiMax® are trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. Used under license. BlackHawk®, Conquer® and GoldWing® are registered trademarks of Nufarm Agriculture Inc. Valtera™ is a trademark of Valent U.S.A. Corporation. Fortenza® and Visivio™ are trademarks of a Syngenta group company. DuPont™ and Lumivia® are trademarks of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. Used under license. LibertyLink® and the Water Droplet Design are trademarks of Bayer. Used under license. Herculex® is a registered trademark of Dow AgroSciences LLC. Used under license. Poncho® and VOTiVO™ are trademarks of Bayer. Used under license.

technology. “It’s often reported that two probe points in a grain stack say there’s no problem but there is actually a problem in between those probe points that wasn’t picked up. Density of deployment is key. Our system provides lots of physical positions across the grain stack, so the farmer is not going to miss any untoward activity like hot spots, mould growth, insect infestation, and so forth.”

The system comes with “beans” that are deployed into the product or system the user wants to monitor, as well as an integrated “Internet of things” platform, app and data visualisation service.

BeanIoT is an out-of-the-box system that the user can begin to use immediately with minimal set up and without a significant up-front investment. RFMOD is currently testing BeanIoT on U.K. farms using flat grain storage facilities, although it is also suitable for use in grain bins.

“There is genuine interest from small to mid-size farmers to have a working system,” says Holland. “They still need to periodically walk the grain stack, but our system means that they don’t need to laboriously insert probes and manually record the data. It is easy to set up, and once they turn the system on the beans being to pump data to the BeanIoT hub and then across the ether to any laptop, computer or smartphone. That data set is giving data points to a known time base, which is also flexible. As grain goes into the bin or flat store, they are able to increase the number of samples of temperature or humidity because the farmer wants to see that temperature come down to a good level. Once it’s at a certain level, they can reduce the sample frequency from multiple times an hour, or once an hour, to once or twice a day.”

Photo: RF Module and Optical Design Limited

New technology has game-changing potential for grain storage monitoring

The BeanIoT thumb-sized “smart” sensors could be deployed in grain bins to measure temperature, humidity or insect movements.

The rechargeable beans have a battery life of around 14 months and can be re-used over and over again.

The tiny beans produce “big data” which the user owns and controls.

Users can decide where to measure data, what data to record, and how to use and share the data. The idea is to help users make better-informed management decisions. “We’re putting all the information anybody would ever need to know up in front of them,” says Holland. “It’s those high level decisions that we’re trying to assist with.”

Instead of displaying endless graphs and spreadsheets full of numbers, the interface shows basic data as a thermal heat map, and additional data, such as humidity, can be overlaid. “It provides a compound image of what’s going on and the farmer can tell which sensor is pinpointing the actual point where there is an issue in the grain,” says Holland.

Try this at home Many western Canadian farmers have issues with rural cellular or internet coverage, but BeanIoT system uses a local hub to receive data. “As long as the data gets back to a local hub, the

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hub itself can make the decision about what key data to send to the farmer, even if it’s just the decision-worthy data, so for example if just an alarm gets sent,” says Holland.

“The flexibility in the system is such that you can start by reporting all the data all the time to see all your graphs and everything else, but there may be a limited use to that over a period of time. What the farm or the store manager really needs to know is, “Is everything OK today?’ so the operator just needs to receive a tweet, alert or email with a name and position of the problem area and an actionable role inside.”

The system can also spot trends and is fully customizable to any user’s changing needs. “Over time, we know our customers will want new to add features but the system is so flexible that it can be easily updated over the air,” says Holland. “It’s two-way communication, so the farmer can tell the system to increase the time base or decrease it, ask for trend data, or only come on if it sees a step-change between certain parameters.”

In theory, the system could eventually hook into the drying or aeration system itself to automatically turn fans and vents on and off as needed.

That stage of automation is still ahead.

BeanIoT is a generic system that has many potential applications for multiple industries where tracking or monitoring is required. It also has the potential to provide full traceability for agricultural and other products through the value chain.

The system is about a year away from commercialization, and although the company is focused on the U.K. agricultural market right now, it’s open to discussions with other countries and industries about the potential of BeanIoT for other applications. GN Angela Lovell is a freelance writer, editor and communications specialist living and working in Manitoba. Find her online at www.angelalovell.ca.

The Internet of things The ‘Internet-of-Things’ is an interconnected, global network of physical and virtual devices. It can include all kind of electronics such as sensors, smartphones and computers, as well as software, buildings, satellite or cellular systems or even refrigerators. GN Angela Lovell

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11

Farm management

Formalizing your farming joint venture Many farmers use joint ventures informally. Getting it in writing can make things simpler

By Craig Macfie

M

any family farms have participated in variations of revenue and/or cost sharing arrangements. A typical scenario involves family or neighbours sharing equipment and labour to minimize costs, reduce the cost of production and improve the bottom line. However, inefficiencies and disputes over the value of contributions can result from these informal arrangements.

Formalizing and documenting a joint venture agreement may solve current or potential disputes, and promote efficiency and profitability.

joint venture arrangement can be an effective method of transitioning key operating, financial and management responsibilities.

If the next generation is not taking over the farm, the parents could consider a joint venture arrangement with an arm’s length party whereby the parents retain management responsibilities and share in the risk of profit or loss. This would typically preserve the tax-free rollover of farmland or shares of the corporation to the next generation.

Other considerations Unlike a partnership, a joint venture is not a separate legal identity and would not own assets. A joint venture arrangement should be supported by a legal agreement to document the terms and conditions including the decision making processes, the split of revenue and expense, the land, machinery, buildings, labour and other resources contributed and the length or term of the arrangement.

The joint venture will be obligated to account for the GST associated

with its business activities. One participant is designated to file all GST returns associated with the joint venture activities. Consider consulting your accountant about the election to be filed for GST purposes.

The joint venture will need to select a year end and maintain a separate set of accounting records. If the joint venture participants have different year-end dates, multiple cutoff periods will be needed for tax and accounting purposes. Risk management programs such as AgriStability

and Crop Insurance, however, should be simplified using the “one farm” approach.

A joint venture may be the most appropriate business structure to meet your needs. Consult with your professional advisor to learn more. GN Craig Macfie, CPA, CA, PAg, is a Chartered Professional Accountant at Stark & Marsh CPA LLP in Swift Current, SK. He can be reached at 306-778-1356 or cmacfie@starkmarsh.com.

Farm management Sharing equipment or labour may create the problem of whose land gets seeded or harvested first. Seeding and harvest windows can be narrow in Western Canada, which can lead to significant variation in yield and quality. A more equitable result can be achieved through the use of a land pooling arrangement, particularly if crop is forced to overwinter.

Another potential issue may be grain ownership. Delays and inefficiencies at harvest could result if the participants are interested in storing grain separately. Often grain storage costs will be higher and there is the potential for underutilized bin storage. Pooling grain sales will typically simplify grain marketing and may result in volume premiums. Also, pooling arrangements typically improve purchasing power for inputs and provide the participants with an opportunity to enter into land rental arrangements that would be mutually beneficial.

Whenever two or more participants agree to pool resources and undertake to farm together, serious consideration should be given to formalizing and documenting the joint venture arrangement.

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tax and succession A formal joint venture arrangement should use a separate bank account to track the shared receipts and expenditures. The joint venture participants then claim the agreed upon percentage share of the resulting net income on their income tax returns. Traditional tax planning tools are still available with a formalized joint venture arrangement including deferring grain sales and acquiring inputs.

The small business tax deduction limit should also be available for incorporated joint venture participants. For large joint venture operations, with more than one corporate participant, the full small business limit may still be available to each corporation.

Partnerships and associated farm corporations would typically be required to share the $500,000 annual small business limit.

A formalized joint venture arrangement can act as a bridge to farm succession. Typically, parents do not hand over the shop keys and move to Arizona. Documenting a

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Grain marketing

High tech feed research on the Prairies The Canadian Feed Research Centre puts tech to work to increase the value of feed grain

By Lisa Guenther

F

rom the outside, the Canadian Feed Research Centre doesn’t look much different from a regular feed mill. But the Centre, tucked into an industrial area of North Battleford, is a national institution, says Rex Newkirk.

“It’s the only one in Canada of this nature. It’s one of the very few in the world where we have integrated production, where we

can look at all stages of production with full spectrum.”

Newkirk is the research chair of feed processing technology at the University of Saskatchewan, which owns the Canadian Feed Research Centre.

Although farmers aren’t exactly thrilled when their crops are down-graded to feed, the livestock feed market is an important one for crop producers.

“The feed industry’s really designed to use ingredients that we don’t use elsewhere,” says

Newkirk. “And that’s why I think the feed industry is so important to the whole agriculture industry.”

The feed industry generally isn’t fussy about damage such as sprouting or insect feeding. But when it comes to toxins such as DON, “that changes everything,” says Newkirk. The question becomes how to use those ingredients without putting livestock, or people, at risk, he adds.

The Canadian Feed Research Centre’s objective is to try to get as much value out of feed grain as

possible. Commercial feed mills need to pump out a lot of product because they’re in a very lowmargin industry, Newkirk says.

That limits how much research they can do into new products or processes.

But the Canadian Feed Research Centre can look at things in more detail, he explains during a tour of the facility, because they’re not holding up commercial production. They also have three different milling lines — lab, pilot, and industrial-scale.

Dropping DON in barley The Sask Barley Development Commission has provided seed money to research ways to drop DON levels in barley. Newkirk says Taryn Garew, a grad student from North Carolina, will be working on the project.

One possibility is to mimic the scouring process used in flour mills.

Typically the system includes plastic fingers that knock the seeds against each other and aspiration.

“It knocks some of that fusarium loose. When they pneumatically move it, that fusarium’s reduced by about 70 per cent,” says Newkirk.

Whether that will work in barley remains to be seen, but Newkirk hopes to cut DON levels with a similar system.

They’ll also be using that seed money to see whether oxidizing barley has potential. In a jar, under high moisture and temperature, ozone will break down the DON. In fact, some people are already hooking up ozone generators to the air intakes on their bins.

But that’s “a totally different scenario than in the lab,” Newkirk says. Bins are drier and colder than the jars in the lab, he explains.

However, Newkirk hasn’t ruled out using ozone in bins. The Cana-

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The Canadian Feed Research Centre has equipment at scales ranging from lab, to pilot, to industrial, giving it a lot of flexibility to experiment with different diets.

For example, one of Newkirk’s colleagues is studying the effect of different barley types on obesity in mice. But where would a researcher source five different customized barley diets in mouse-sized batches? Why, at the Canadian Feed Research Centre, of course.

On the livestock side, the Canadian Feed Research Centre is working on medicated feed for range cows. Feeding medicated pellets on pasture presents a couple of practical issues For one, the small pellets are likely to get lost in the grass. The second big problem is that cows have a social hierarchy. The older “boss” cows tend to eat more than their share of pellets.

Staff and researchers at the Canadian Feed Research Centre are experimenting with a briquette-maker to try to get around these problems. The briquettes are large enough that they shouldn’t get lost in the grass.

Plus they take more time to chew than pellets. That should give the younger cows a chance to get their share. GN Lisa Guenther

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dian Feed Research Centre will look at whether it’s possible, and if so, under what conditions it might work best.

high-tech grain Sorting One ways to add value to a load of fusarium-damaged wheat or barley is to sort the good from the bad.

The BoMill is one tool that can do just that. The Canadian Feed Research Centre has one of the first BoMill TriQs, thanks to a Canadian International Grains Institute (Cigi) investment a few years ago.

Cigi took an investment investing in that new technology, Newkirk says. “But so far it seems to be working out fairly well.”

The Swedish-designed BoMill TriQ rotates the grain in a large drum. Slots in the drum catch the seeds, and a near-infrared transmittance light shines through the seeds.

Equipment in the machine measures the light on the back-side.

An algorithm converts that measurement into a value. Then an air nozzle above the slot blows the seed into one of three compartments– good quality, bad quality, or odd balls. A typical odd ball would be wild oat. Newkirk says the BoMill can sort 30,000 seeds per second, or three tonnes an hour.

BoMill doesn’t measure fusarium itself, as the disease is found in such small quantities, Newkirk says.

“What it’s doing is measuring the chemical changes in the seed because of the infection.”

Newkirk says they ran samples from the 2014 wheat harvest through the BoMill. Samples ranged up to 35 per cent fuzz. The BoMill dropped the fusarium significantly in wheat with three to 10 per cent fuzz. The BoMill could also tidy up the 35 per cent fuzz samples, but they had to run the samples twice, Newkirk says, and only 35 per cent of those seeds made the cut.

Sask Barley has also invested seed money to look at sorting fusarium-damaged barley. The priority is to get as much value as possible from a batch of barley. Eventually for farmers that might mean sending some very high-DON seed to feed insects, which in turn become chicken feed.

“Or if it means you can get into pig feed — or if it means you can get into malt beer, you can get a malt grade out of it — fantastic.”

BoMill is also lending the Canadian Feed Research Centre an IQ sorter for several months. The BoMill IQ is a newer, smaller model that can sort grain into six streams.

Researchers will be able to work with smaller batches. Plus, the IQ uses discs instead of drums to catch the seeds, which are handier, Newkirk says.

When they first calibrated the BoMill IQ, they used the visual grading system. But since the industry uses DON counts now, the Canadian Feed Research Centre will do the same.

So how might the BoMill fit into the grain industry?

Flaman is selling the BoMill in Canada. Newkirk says some are going into commercial production, in durum mills, for example. “But durum’s a pretty consistent product.”

“As much as it pains me to say, I think a lot of it’s going to end up being done at a seed cleaning plant or on-farm. Because I think once we start getting into blended mixes, it’s harder to clean it out, using technology like this or any other technology,” says Newkirk.

That’s because of the way the BoMill sorts seed. For one thing, the slots are sized to catch seeds.

The Canadian Feed Research Centre has four drums for its original machine–one for barley, one for durum, and two for wheat.

A load of hard wheat, soft wheat, and durum mixed together would just confuse the calibration, he says. “The closer we are to production, I think the better off we are.”

The scale also means it’s better suited for seed cleaning plants or farms. Newkirk says it’s basically something a farmer would set up and monitor on an iPhone.

The initial investment is fairly high — about half the price of a combine, Newkirk says. Operation costs are more reasonable — about $10 per tonne, including depreciation over three years.

Newkirk says it’s a good idea to go slow. a“If we go in with our eyes open, we have a much better chance of succeeding.” GN Lisa Guenther is field editor for Grainews based at Livelong, Sask.

Follow her on Twitter @LtoG.

13

DON tolerances in livestock Feed mills everywhere are testing for DON right now, Rex Newkirk says. And different livestock species have different DON tolerances.

Pigs are by far the most sensitive to DON — the limit is one ppm when formulating. Diets are about 50 per cent wheat, so often they can use wheat with up to two ppm, Newkirk says.

Other livestock are less sensitive to DON. Mills that primarily feed poultry, which can tolerate up to five ppm, will buy the higher-DON grain at a discount.

“But a lot of our feed mills in Western Canada are multi-species.

So if you’re feeding pigs, chickens, and beef and dairy, you’re probably not going to take any grain that’s more than one, maybe one-and-ahalf ppm, DON,” Newkirk says.

Very few feed mills have extra bins — typically just a receiving mill for wheat. Some mills might have a high-fusarium bin, “but that would be extremely rare,” says Newkirk. GN Lisa Guenther

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FEATURES

GRAINEWS.CA / SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

Harvest management

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The Canola Council of Canada notes that farmers can lose up to five bushels per acre during harvest. And BCS10796463_Liberty_Brand_102 given the small size of canola seeds, farmers are unlikely to aeysha.aizaz notice those losses unless --they measure them.

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ust how much grain are you leaving in the field?

It’s a question Trevor Scherman and his father, Pat, pondered many times on their farm near Battleford, Sask. Trevor says they discussed “where that fine line was (between) how fast can we go and how much crop can we afford to leave in the field.”

One year after harvest, the Schermans sat down to figure out how best to measure their harvest losses. They came up with a product that they dubbed the ScherGain Solution System. It includes a magnetic, rectangular drop pan. A remote control switches the magnets on and off. Trevor says the drop pan easily attaches to the back of most combines in four seconds.

Once the combine is running and the choppers are off, a farmer switches off the magnets. The pan will drop, catching the lost grain.

Farmers can then clean the grain with screens and blow out the extra chaff.

ScherGain also comes with a grain gauge and a chart. The chart factors in crop type and header width. Farmers pour the grain into the gauge, and consult the chart to figure out their losses. The system also comes with a battery and two remotes.

Trevor says ScherGain was seven years in the making.

The Schermans waited until they’d filed the patent before they started marketing the product. In June 2017, they launched the ScherGain during canolaPALOOZA in Saskatoon.

“It pretty much went viral on Twitter,” says Trevor.

“And what we thought we’d sell for the whole season, we sold that day. We had people asking from Australia, Brazil, France, Paraguay. So it’s been pretty amazing.”

--

they were losing on their own farm. And he says they’ve found other farmers are losing a lot of crop as well.

Often the problem is that farmers are running combines at a higher horse power.

While machinery manufacturers talk about horse power, he points out that for crops such as canola, a farmer doesn’t need all that horsepower. Instead, they need to thresh properly, he says.

While finding out how much crop a person is leaving in the field can leave them feeling “shocked and sickened” at first, Trevor says it’s “better to know and correct the problem than to continue to turn a blind eye.”

The Canola Council of Canada notes that farmers can lose up to five bushels per acre during harvest After all, those losses can be costly. If canola is at $10 a bushel, and a farmer leaves four bushels in the field, that’s $40 per acre, he points out.

“If you can get down to under a bushel, that’s a comfortable loss, for your efficiency and your cost of operation,” says Trevor.

ScherGains sell for $1,800, and the Schermans will ship them internationally. Trevor says they build the product themselves and test every unit before it leaves the shop.

“We like to have control of everything.”

As the summer drew to a close, the Schermans had sold all the ScherGains that they could get supplies for, Trevor says. Farmers can preorder for next year by visiting ScherGain.ca.

“We’re definitely gearing up for next year because demand has been incredible.” GN Lisa Guenther is field editor for Grainews based at Livelong, Sask.

Follow her on Twitter @LtoG.

FEATURES

GRAINEWS.CA / SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

15

Farm management

Five farm bookkeeping systems

From simple spreadsheets to full-service packages, there’s software for everyone

By Leeann Minogue

U

nless you hire it out or do it the old-fashioned way with a pencil and a ledger, every farm business needs a software solution for bookkeeping. In honour of the “back to the books” feeling that comes with autumn, this is a survey of farm bookkeeping software on the market today.

It’s not absolutely necessary to buy ag-specific software. Lots of farmers use generic business software like Quickbooks say it works just fine for everything from GST reports to inventory tracking. But if you’re in the market for some new bookkeeping software with an ag focus, or you’re just wondering if there’s anything new that might be a better fit for your farm than what you’re using right now, read on.

1. BASF Compass Grower Advanced Why is BASF offering farm management software? “It’s about looking at customers’ needs,” says Jeff Denys, commercialization manager at BASF. “Growers have been asking for insights that go beyond just crop protection.”

BASF’s new Compass Grower Advanced software is a full-service software package that can organize farm information from your field to your filing cabinet.

sessions. Support staff are also available to meet with farmers at major trade shows.

Pricing: You’ll pay $600/month for the full package, including the field management component, Compass Grower.

This $7,200 annual price is discounted on a sliding scale for farmers who also purchase BASF products, to a minimum of $220/month for farmers who spend at least $200,000

annually on BASF products. This price includes ongoing upgrades, training and support.

Using the payroll feature will cost an additional $14/month plus $0.50 per payroll transaction.

Field component: Compass Grower is the in-field portion of the new BASF software. This component, Denys says, “is really about farm planning or crop management.” Compass Grower is in-

office and mobile software that covers crop applications, yield data, scouting records, soil sampling, and grain bin contracts. Basically, it will help you track “everything that happens in the field,” Denys says.

This program stores all farm data in one place, including information straight from the cab. “We actually integrate with John Deere and Case equipment,” Denys says. They’re working to see how they can integrate with other brands.

Farmers, staff and agronomists scouting fields can download offlineapps for Android or Apple phones or tablets. In the field, you can make notes, take photos and tag areas of the field. This information will be uploaded to the office program when you’re back in range of WiFi. The in-field software is not integrated with the bookkeeping compoContinued on Page 16 

We can’t even out your farmer tan.

Features: This bookkeeping package offers all of the features a farm is likely to need, including GST reports, detailed inventory tracking and, for an extra cost, payroll transactions.

Learning Curve: Compass Grower Advanced is Microsoft-based. If you’re comfortable using Microsoft Word and Excel, you should find the transition reasonably easy.

Your Data: Your data will be stored in the cloud, backed by three different servers. Not being able to store your data on your own hard drive might be problematic for farmers who have unreliable WiFi. Denys says BASF staff will not have access to your farm accounting financials. “Any access that we have is basically laid out in our privacy policy.”

Compatibility: You can export data from Compass Grower Advanced data into Excel formats for yourself or your accountant.

Reports can also be viewed in PDF format. You can also give your accountant permission to access your data remotely. Because Microsoft is such a common platform, Denys is confident that farm accountants will be able to work with the data.

If you choose to stop using the program, you can export your data from the cloud and save it in Excel format.

Help: BASF’s support team offers phone and one-on-one virtual on-line training

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 Continued from Page 15

nent of the software. “This allows for separation of potentially sensitive information,” Denys says.

Website: https://agro.basf.ca/compassgroweradvanced/ 2. Farm Ease The product offered by Farm Ease Accounting is quite a bit different than the other accounting software on this list. Farm Ease is an Excel-based program developed

by Bev McLachlan of Outlook, Sask. McLachlan created the program after working in an accounting firm for 40 years. “Our clients were always looking for something easier to use than what they could find out in the market.”

Farm Ease is made for farmers who aren’t comfortable working with typical accounting software, but are ready to transition their

GRAINEWS.CA / SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

books from a paper ledger to a computer. Basically, it’s an Excel workbook version of that paper ledger. “This looks familiar to them,” McLachlan says.

Features: Farm Ease will create GST reports so you can fill out the Canada Revenue Agency’s forms. It will also provide income and expense statements and trial balances. It does not do payroll calculations or create charts or graphs of historic data.

Learning Curve: “It’s just an easy-to-use program,” McLachlan says. Users will be using Excel to run the program and enter their transactions.

Your Data: Your data stays on your hard drive, as with any spreadsheet. You can email it to your accountant, or take it to town on a thumb drive.

Compatability: You can share Farm Ease data with accountants in Excel form.

Help: McLachlan provides technical support to users, but, because it’s so simple, she says, “I don’t get asked a whole lot of questions.”

Pricing: The cost of Farm Ease is a onetime fee of $250. McLachlan doesn’t create updates often.

When she does, clients can opt to buy them for a $60 fee.

To use Farm Ease, you will need a working version of Microsoft Excel software. If you don’t already have Excel on your computer, you can buy a version of Windows Microsoft Office software, which includes Excel, for $149.

Farm Ease sells a separate program for inventory tracking for Agri-Stability for $125.

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Website: www.farmease.ca 3. Farm Credit Canada’s AgExpert Analyst AgExpert Analyst is the most widely used farm-specific bookkeeping software. “Our only goal is to make the Canadian producers be the best financial and farm managers they can be,” says Dawn Kobayashi, marketing and sales manager for FCC management software.

“We are super happy that there are alternatives for producers in the marketplace.”

Features: AgExpert has all of the bookkeeping features farmers look for, including GST reports, payroll, inventory management. It works for small unincorporated farms, but you can also use more advanced features for corporate farms and farms that include more than one operation.

Learning Curve: There are two factors that can make it difficult to learn to use bookkeeping software. The first is the actual software, and the second is your starting knowledge of accounting. If you want to do the bookkeeping for a large operation with multiple income streams, you’re going to need to know more about basic accounting than someone doing the books for a small, unincorporated grain farm.

Users that are new to bookkeeping will be able to post most transactions directly into AgExpert without any prior knowledge of accounting terms like debits and credits.

Your Data: Your AgExpert data is stored on your computer. (Though a cloud-based version of AgExpert may be coming in the future.)

Compatibility: AgExpert data can be easily exported to Excel. It is also simple to create an “accountant’s version” of your transactions which can be shared with your accountant by email or on a thumb drive.

Help: FCC offers free online webinars, and customer support by phone. For an extra fee, AgExpert courses and oneon-one training are available from a network of certified advisors. Generally, this training is eligible for federal Growing Forward 2 funding, which offers eligible farmers a 75 per cent reimbursement (this funding varies by province, so check with your provincial specialists before you sign up.)

Help is also available through the AgExpert on-line community, where users (and accountants) help each other solve problems.

Pricing: New users pay $499 for AgExpert or $499 for FCC’s field records software, Field Manager PRO. Customers can save by paying $729 for both. (That’s $230 for the second program, even if you buy it years after you purchased the first one). The Customer Care fee is waived for the first year. This fee includes AgExpert’s payroll function.

After the first year, that Customer Care fee, which covers updates and technical support, is $239/year.

There are discounts for farmers with FCC Young Farmer or transition loans.

Field Component: Field Manager PRO is FCC’s full-service field management program. It is available as a desktop and mobile version. For now, Field Manager PRO is not integrated with AgExpert.

Website: At https://www.fcc-fac.ca/en.html, choose “Tools and Resources,” then “AgExpert Analyst.”

4. SigaFinance SIGA is a Quebec-based company that has been offering ag software since 1981. SigaFinance is the bookkeeping component; there is also field record software. Hilda Markis, sales and technical support and head translator at SIGA says, “It’s been under the same management all these years.”

Features: SigaFinance offers inventory management and GST reports. For those who need them, payroll, multi-enterprise and invoicing “modules” can be purchased for an extra cost. “They’re sold in modules,” Markis says, “because not everybody uses everything.”

Learning Curve: This program is fully Windowsbased. Most of the data entry is done in a single screen. Potential users can download the trial version and test it at home for free.

When you first install the product, you’ll see a start-up wizard, where Markis says, “you can quickly enter the information that’s on your balance sheet. You can get started in half an hour.”

One aspect of learning to run bookkeeping software is learning the accounting terms and principles.

Markis started working for SIGA after using it to keep the books for her own dairy operation. “The people who gave me tech support when I was a client basically taught me the terms,” Markis says.

Your Data: Your data is stored on your computer.

Compatibility: Your data can be exported to other accounting software, but you can’t import historical data, if, for example, you’re hoping to compare current expense data with prior years.

Every financial report generated in SigaFinance can be exported in Excel format.

Help: Annual fees include unlimited phone-in technical support during business hours. Everyone working for SIGA is involved in agriculture in some way. “When someone calls, they’re talking to a farmer, or someone with a farm degree,” Markis says.

“We know what your day can be like.”

Pricing: The price for the basic program is $795. This includes unlimited updates (including one major update each year) and tech support for the first six months. After that, you’ll pay $275/year. The payroll module costs $495 for the first six months, $95/year thereafter. The

invoicing module is $495, then $60/year. There are discounts for users of multiple modules — heavy users will pay a maximum of $430/ year for updates and unlimited tech support.

Field Component: SIGA offers SigaField for field and crop records. It is not attached to the bookkeeping software.

Website: www.siga.ca 5. Trimble Ag Software “We were one of the first ones in this market,” says Brian Stark, Trimble’s marketing communications manager.

In 2009, Trimble bought Farm Works software, a company that had been offering farm bookkeeping software since 1992. Today, Trimble has combined that technology with Connected Farms and AgriTrend’s AgriData, meaning that Trimble’s software can take you from the combine to a crop plan, all the way through to your chequebook.

Features: The bookkeeping component of Trimble’s software is not fully equipped for Canadian users.

However, “We do have some farmers using it outside the U.S.,” Stark says.

While most bookkeeping transactions are the same in the U.S. or Canada, for example, a fertilizer purchase is still an expense, you can’t use this software for Canadian payroll calculations. Trimble Ag Software will let you calculate GST collected and owing, but it won’t print out a nice, fully-formatted GST return like some Canadian software.

Learning curve: This software is relatively easy for new users to get used to.

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GRAINEWS.CA / SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

your monitors to the program. This makes it simple to allocate costs by field and by crop, calculate your per unit costs and keep track of inventories.

Farmers who want to use Trimble’s solutions for field mapping and data but not for bookkeeping can export their accounting data straight to QuickBooks. “The cool thing about our software is that you can turn off the accounting module if you’re only interested in mapping and field records,” Stark says.

Website: https://agriculture.trimble.com/software/farmers/ GN

DuPont’s Granular In early August, DuPont purchased Granular Inc., a company that provides ag software. At the end of August, DuPont merged with Dow Chemical to form DowDuPont.

Granular is not bookkeeping software. “Many of our customers are typically leaning on three primary softwares,” says Landon Frye, Granular account executive. These are agronomic software, management software and bookkeeping software.

Granular combines the first two of

these systems, providing “cloud software to help run and analyze and report on the business of farming.”

Frye says most of Granular’s clients run a dual-entry system, using Granular for field information and Quickbooks for accounting transactions.

Granular hopes to replace budgeting spreadsheets, field-level financial analysis, and “often the three-ring binder or the legal pad of notes.” You can move your data straight from your

cab to your computer. “We can import every colour of machine data,” Frye says. “We have the highest level of integration with the MyJohnDeere system.”

Price: The price ranges from $1.50 to $3/ acre, depending on your situation, averaging $2/acre. “That can vary by crop type and farm,” Frye says. This price includes having Granular staff help you set up your software specifically for your farm.

Website: www.granular.ag

GN

Leeann Minogue is the editor of Grainews

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Your Data: You can use this software on your computer desktop, with an option to sync to the cloud.

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Compatibility: It would be difficult for new users to import past bookkeeping data (you would have to input the data manually). However, historic field and map data is easily imported from precision farming in-cab displays. “You could do a massive import of all those files,” Stark says.

H S TA R G E N E

TI

Help: Pricing includes technical support.

Pricing: Farm Basic costs US$995 plus an optional US$495 annually for updates and technical support. These prices include full-service field record-keeping and GIA/mapping software. Or, you can purchase the Farmer Pro option for US$1,788 per year. This includes the desktop software, the online platform and the mobile app as well as fleet management capability.

Field component: Trimble’s software can work with a mixed fleet of machinery, and it’s easy to import data straight from

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18

columns

GRAINEWS.CA / SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

Hart Attacks

Would it really be so bad to have a cool day?

In the era of climate change, I should be careful about the kind of weather I wish for Lee Hart

I

am really sick of weather forecasters here in Calgary this summer.

Finally, this morning one started to make sense — cool, wet days ahead.

It doesn’t seem to matter that half of Western Canada is on fire, crops are parched, and ponds and creeks are dry, these forecasters keep telling me here in Calgary (and Alberta) “another

beautiful day or another beautiful week ahead — temperatures around 30 C, no rain, in sight.”

Where in the weather forecaster manual does it define a beautiful day as only being “30 C-plus and no rain?”

If anyone had asked, I am sick of sunny 30 C plus days. The novelty of that ran out sometime in June. Give me mixed sun and cloud and 22 C (maybe spiking to 25 C) and I’m happy.

Throw in one or two days of rain or showers every week to 10 days, and life is getting just about perfect. Eight

weeks of sunny 30 C weather isn’t doing it for me. At this stage of life I’m not worried about my tan lines.

The odd person has said, “I love the heat, the hotter the better.” They’ve already been out in the sun too long.

The North American summer weather was a mixed bag. B.C. was burning up, most of the Prairies had no significant rainfall (at least according to my rain gauge). But friends in Eastern Ontario could count on one hand the number of dry days they had. Their ditches were

running full of water in early September. Feast or famine.

And then the southern United States dealt with some of the most powerful hurricanes on record. It is difficult to image regions getting three, four and even five feet (yes feet) of rain in just two or three days. By comparison, the 2013 flood that brought parts of Calgary to a standstill was caused by about 13 inches of rain over a couple days. Hard to imagine adding another four feet of rain to that. There is low-lying flood plane in

Calgary, but most of the city has hills or at least rolling topography. Some of those coastal U.S. regions appear to be pool-table flat for hundreds of miles.

Maybe it’s because Western Canada got a pretty good soaking last year, but I consistently heard late summer reports from farmers and ranchers about how good the crops/pastures are this year, considering the dry conditions. Perhaps there are some disaster areas, but for the most part crops held up pretty good despite the lack of moisture. Likely no bumper crops, and most may be below average, but still, yields are better than expected.

But all say some fall or winter moisture will be needed in coming months to build up soil moisture reserves. Am I foreshadowing a severe winter?

Something’s coming

Farming For Our Future: Canada’s 150TH November 21 - 23 2017 — Ottawa, ON Agenda Highlights THE GREAT DEBATE:

BENCHMARKING MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE: HOW DO YOU MEASURE UP?

SUPPLY MANAGEMENT — WIN, LOSE OR DRAW?

Sylvain Charlebois,

PANEL DISCUSSION:

THE GREATEST RISK FACING THE FAMILY FARM

Brenda Metcalfe David Beking

Heather Watson,

Dalhousie University

Farm Management Canada

Len Davies

Bruce Muirhead,

Terry Betker,

University of Waterloo

RESILIENCE & AGILITY:

CULTURE BEATS STRATEGY:

HOW TO CREATE A BEST IN CLASS FARM BUSINESS!

FINDING THE BEST ROLES FOR YOUR FARM TEAM

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Is this all about the effect of climate change? I suspect it is. As Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips has cautioned us for some time climate change will come with volatile weather events — major extremes. One of the wettest summers in Calgary last year, followed by one of the hottest and driest on record this year.

Watching analysis of the U.S. hurricane events on TV, experts say there aren’t more storms stacking up in the Atlantic, but climate change will make hurricanes more intense. And that seems to be happening.

Never mind corn and soybeans, if these hot summers keep up Alberta Agriculture’s crop diversification centre at Brooks will be testing pineapple and banana crops. And, preferring cooler summer temps, I may open the first Grainews office in Yellowknife.

I’m sure I will be able to find something there to complain about.

Of course, if you’re not convinced of climate change there is another theory being advanced about all this extreme weather and natural disasters such as the recent earthquake in Mexico: the end of world.

Author David Meade, a research scientist by training is saying the end of the world is nigh. He believes the book of Revelations in the Bible along with the Great Pyramid of Giza have both predicted the apocalypse will be upon us before the end of September.

He’s predicting an unseen planet beyond Neptune called Nibiru is on a collision course with Earth, with estimated impact about the third week of September. Don’t get too cocky if you are reading this column in the fourth week of September. It doesn’t necessarily mean he’s wrong, only that his calculations were perhaps off by a day or two.

In any event, if you’re smart like me get out and check those lottery tickets.

I personally don’t want to go out in a blaze of glory, if there is the slightest chance I could have had the thrill (even for fleeting moments) of holding one of those oversized jackpot cheques. That would be cool. 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

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GRAINEWS.CA / SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

19

Can’t take the farm from the boy

The way they farm on a different continent Toban Dyck takes an opportunity to travel south to an ag conference in Brazil Toban Dyck

O

n May 30 of this year, Carlos Vieira contacted me. I didn’t know him then and I almost turned him away. But I didn’t. Call it serendipity. Call it providence. I don’t really care what you call it. The result was an amazing experience my wife and I won’t soon forget.

I don’t know why I approved Carlos’ Facebook request, but I did. He wanted my email address in order to send me an invite. I gave him my Gmail address.

Within minutes, I had an email.

The Brazilian Animal Protein Association was inviting me to take part in the International Pork and Poultry conference in Sao Paulo. They would pay my way.

Brazil has recently come under fire for what is known as the “weak meat” scandal, which temporarily and effectively decimated the country’s meat export market.

Inviting foreign journalists and writers to cover the event was part of the industry’s campaign to boost its image.

After a ton of sleuthing and verification-related investigations, I said yes, on one condition: my wife could join me. Carlos said that wouldn’t be a problem.

Brazil is the second largest soybean producer in the world and that interests me. So, we added a few days to our return flights and booked a tour guide to take us through a few farms in the state of Mato Grosso.

I was nervous about the trip. I didn’t know if Carlos was real. I didn’t know if my plane tickets were real. I didn’t know if the conference was real.

I’ll get to the details. But, here’s a spoiler: this was one of the most fascinating trips I have ever been on.

meat, I would need access to all the facts. I would need experience working and reporting on the industry. I would need a lot more.

All I can say in good conscience and with certainty is that Carlos and the rest of the team that hosted us were great hosts. I can also say that every instance of Brazilian meat I consumed on this trip was tasty.

We said goodbye to Carlos, goodbye to the association and goodbye to a steep learning curve of an international trade dispute.

Our next leg was rural. And we were excited about it. Our agritour guide spelled my name correctly, as well.

This segment of Brazil will, I’m guessing, spill into more than just this column. To properly describe the farms we saw, the people we talked to and the ag organizations we shared information with.

But I will say this: there is real value in seeing how other people farm. Carolina Farms in Mato Grosso has more than 360,000

metric tonnes of on-farm storage.

They plant hundreds of thousands of acres of soybeans. They run more than 90 combines and have a paved airstrip for spray planes and visitors.

Their input costs are high. Their fuel costs are high. Their transportation costs are high. But they got us on scale. And many of them, it seems, look for value-add opportunities on their farms, whether that’s in storage or in processing.

Their environmental protection laws are much more strict than I was

South America Wellington greeted us at the airport and took us to the Holiday Inn where we would be staying and where the conference would be held. He was friendly and spelled my name correctly on the piece of paper he was holding up. Two points for Wellington.

I met about 50 other journalists from about 40 countries. The conference itself was fascinating and the organizers were friendly. The association and various officials in the country’s meat industry passionately denounced that the situation was as bad as the news stories lead the world to believe. They pleaded that the problem that lead to the release of expired meat had been fixed and that protocols were now in place to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

I had little context for this, but was struck by the fact that in global trade disputes, most people have very little access to all the facts.

If I was to bring back to Canada the good news story of Brazilian

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lead to believe, their agronomics are mind-bending, but I’m going to save those details and much more for another issue.

If you’re a farmer and you’ve ever had the itch to experience Brazil, don’t hesitate. It will be a valuable experience, one from which your farm will benefit.

Thanks, Carlos! GN Toban Dyck is a freelance writer and a new farmer on an old farm. Follow him on Twitter @tobandyck.

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columns

GRAINEWS.CA / SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

Soils and crops

Combines I have known, Part 2 Photos: Les Henry

In the 60s, Les Henry spent most of his combining hours in Massey combine cabs Keith Ayres picking up a nice wheat crop with his MF 750 in the 1970s.

Les Henry

H

arvest seems to be moving along better this year so now may be the time to talk about combines. This is No. 2 in an irregular series about combines I have operated. The first piece went back to the old Oliver 30 pull type that was the first combine I ran and to Cockshutt 132 and Case K12. Future entries in the series will deal with more of the many combines I have had the pleasure to run in the past 60+ years.

In the 1960s I spent a lot of time on Massey 90 combines.

They had a 36-inch cylinder that was easy to plug in heavy going.

The body on top of the cylinder lifted off easily to give good access to manually dig the cylinder out. In tough straw such remedial action could be required many times a day. A young man’s game for sure.

Massey Harris then became Massey Ferguson (MF). The MF Super 92 was a dressed up 90 — with a rad screen that lay down beside the combine and a belt that slapped back and forth to help the screen to clean. But, the screens still got plugged in very dusty conditions.

My brother-in-law Roy Gates at Milden, Sask., had two Super 92s plus a 90 for a few crops.

Three combines in a field was rare back then and we especially enjoyed roaring down Railway Avenue in Milden on a field move.

In one late fall Roy had his three Masseys, another 90 and a Cockshutt 428 on a large field of the farm I was raised on. What took days with my first old pull type took less than a day with that lineup.

The next advance in MF combines was the 410/510. That was the first MF sold complete with cab. It had more capacity but still had a gas engine — 327 or 350. The engine was up right beside the cab, noisy and hot. With no air conditioning the “phone booth” cab was like a sauna on a hot day.

My nephew Terry Gates and I had a 510 each on a hot August day on the home quarter where I was raised. We were down to our shorts© 2017 Meridian Manufacturing Inc. Registered Trademarks used under License. (09/2017) and when the wind was right we

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GRAINEWS.CA / SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

An MF 510 straight combining flax on the Roy Gates farm, Milden, Sask., in the 1960s.

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Two old Massey 90s picking up a thin barley swath on the Ayres farm near Saskatoon circa late 1960s. On the back combine: my good friend Keith Ayres (1946-1988).

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opened the doors and steered for a while from the platforms.

MF’s next advance: the 750/760. They had an air-conditioned cab, diesel engine and 50or 60-inch cylinder. My good friend Keith Ayres had two 750s and I spent many comfortable hours on a 750. It was when combining became fun and much of the drudgery of dust, heat and cold was gone. They were quite reliable and we could often run for hours on end with no trouble or stops. In the 1970s-80s the MF 750/760 and 850/860 were a common site in harvest fields in many parts of Western Canada.

On one memorable evening we pulled into a 60 acre field of swathed wheat with the two 750s at 9 p.m. We went one behind the other with a comfortable dust distance. Dumps were picked up on the fly with a Ford F 600 and a 10-inch auger at field edge was used to put wheat in a pile — no waiting for the trucker.

On one memorable evening we pulled into a 60 acre field of swathed wheat with the two 750s at 9 p.m.

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At midnight we pulled out of the field with 2,400 bushels of wheat on the ground. It was a 40-bushel crop — a decent crop in the 1970s.

The thrill of that late evening run has stuck with me for all these years.

I wish you all a good harvest for 2017. So far it looks like the exact opposite of the harvest from hell of 2016. If the weather holds, many of you could be all wrapped up by the time this hits your mailbox. 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, Sask., S7H 3H7.

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GRAINEWS.CA / SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

Reporters notebook

A new era brings change and challenge Transportation players are working togther after the end of the CWB's single desk Lisa Guenther

G

reg Northey, industry relations director for Pulse Canada, says grain companies have had to handle more logistical challenges since the end of the Canadian Wheat Board’s single desk’s, which he said was “probably an interesting learning curve.”

Northey is unsure how that learning curve affected grain movement in years with big issues. But he thinks the industry is becoming more logistically sophisticated, particularly in how it measures logistical and railway performance.

Investment in country and port infrastructure (particularly the West Coast), could perhaps be attributed to the single desk’s elimination, said David Przednowek, Canadian National (CN) Railway’s grain marketing director.

Przednowek said corridor movement has changed, and he thinks that might be related to the single desk’s departure. Grain companies are moving more through ports at St. Lawrence, Thunder Bay, or the West Coast, he said, rather than the longer hauls into the U.S. or Mexico.

Another big change is how much grain moves on unit trains — Przednowek said the proportion “has increased dramatically.”

“I’d say over 80 per cent of our shipment volume in the 2016-17 crop

year moved in unit train,” he said. That makes for a more efficient grain supply chain, Przednowek added.

There’s also a feeling that communication has improved within the system. Manitoba Co-operator reporter Allan Dawson noted that communication seems better within the railways’ different departments on a recent episode of Between the Rows (Glacier FarmMedia’s podcast). And in an interview with the Western Producer’s Brian Cross, Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway executive John Brooks

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said collaboration between CP and shippers “is at an all-time high.”

Pulse Canada is one of several producers groups that comprise the Ag Transport Coalition, a group that has tried to “bring more visibility to the supply chain” for the last five years, Northey said. The coalition provides weekly reports on grain shipping and railway performance.

CN has moved towards the same type of visibility and transparency, Northey said. For example, CN’s weekly reports use the same measurements as the Ag Transport Coalition’s reports. “It’s definitely moving in the right direction,” said Northey.

My hunch is that pressure from the farm lobby and the possibility of more regulation is partly responsible for this improved communication. However, I also think it’s likely that a postCWB world requires better communication among everyone in the system.

Quorum’s Grain Monitoring Program has some interesting stats that support the assertion that the system is becoming more efficient. The time grain spends in the system (from producer delivery to loading at port) has been steadily decreasing since 1999.

In 2015-16, it averaged 41.8 days. The average time it takes railway cars to travel from loading point to terminal to the next loading point has also been generally declining (although there are bumps up at certain ports in certain years).

While the average railway loaded transit time has steadily improved, Quorum notes there is a lot of variability. This is a problem for shippers, Quorum notes, as it’s hard to plan when the actual time to move cars from country to port varies greatly from the average.

CN has offered shippers allocation contracts in the last couple of years.

Przednowek said about 70 per cent of the grain CN moved last year was on contract. Northey said that from what he’s heard, those allocation contracts have been welcomed by shippers. The contracts include reciprocal penalties, payable to shippers, if CN doesn’t deliver cars on time.

But Northey would also like to see contracts include timeframes for moving cars to port and spotting cars at port terminals, something that’s not currently included in the contracts he’s seen.

Railways and grain companies have been investing in infrastructure in the last few years, but Przednowek said the Port of Vancouver is still a choke point. CN needs to undertake some big capital projects to loosen that choke point — for example, investing in tunnels and bridges within the Port of Vancouver.

However, Przednowek said the company won’t see an adequate return on capital for those investments in the current regulatory environment. Przednowek is hopeful that some money from the National Trade Corridor Fund could be used for capital projects on the West Coast. GN Lisa Guenther is field editor for Grainews based at Livelong, Sask.

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GRAINEWS.CA / SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

23

Understanding market bulls and bears

Post-harvest marketing plan time With your crop in the bin, it’s time to get to the work of grain marketing Brian Wittal

Y

our location will have made a big to your harvest outcome this year. Weather issues stressed crops across the Prairies.

Whether you had a bumper crop or a poor crop, you need to review your marketing plan. This is the critical time when prices and trends can be set for the better part of the next year. You need to know how the markets are trending so you can make informed decisions about how and when to market your grains.

The first thing to review is your actual production costs and yields.

This will help you determine your break even numbers so you know what price you need to cover your costs and, hopefully, turn a profit.

Then, you need to get a good idea of the quality of crops that have been grown in your marketing area, so you can determine if you’ll be able to sell your grains for a quality premium. If your quality is the same as the majority of the grains in your area, you’ll be competing against everyone else. Talk to neighbors and buyers to get this local information.

You will also need an understanding of the overall harvest across the Prairies and the U.S. What is the production and quality potential?

This will set the tone for prices for the next six to 12 months, because prices for Prairie grains are influenced by U.S. grains futures markets. North American crops can have significant impact on world markets because together U.S. and Canadian grain exports are a large part of total world trade. Look for Statistics Canada and United States Department of Agriculture reports and other market information updates and newsletters for this information.

Next, a good understanding of world markets is critical in helping you decide when you should sell your grains.

How are the crops in other parts of the world? What about major importing regions like China, India, Malaysia, Japan and the Middle East? If their crops are good they won’t buy as aggressively as they may have otherwise.

How are crops in major exporting regions like the U.S., Australia, the Baltic Region, the EU and South America? Big crops in these regions mean more competition and likely lower prices. Poor crops or quality may provide us with additional sales opportunities and possibly higher prices. Look for the USDA and World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) and other independent reports.

U.S. wheat crop is the lowest acreage in over 30 years, but the Russian and Australian crops are reported to be above average for production and with decent quality overall. If you add that to the large carryover from last year, the world continues to have excess stocks that are going to keep world prices under pressure for at least the next year or maybe longer, depending on future wheat crops elsewhere in the world.

Canola yields are above average and the U.S. bean crop is estimated to

should help keep prices steady if the Canadian dollar remains in the $0.75 to $0.80 range for the next year.

Other things to consider are your storage capabilities, your farm cash flow needs and local market demand. If you decide to hold your grain and sell it later, can you maintain quality in the bin for several months? Do you need cash flow to pay bills and or pre-buy supplies? Are local buyers offering short-term premiums

for specific grains? Should you sell to them or not?

Review your numbers, gather market information, make your marketing decisions and act on them. Then be ready to do it all over again because market conditions are always changing. 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. (www.procommar ketingltd.com).

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Early results are in Early harvest yields for peas and malt barley are above average, as is the quality. This will make buyers very comfortable, which will likely start to push local prices lower.

Wheat harvest volumes across the Prairies are very inconsistent. The

be above average. North American oilseed markets are well supplied.

South American bean crops are also reported to be above average which means world buyers will have more than adequate inventories and suppliers to choose from.

Previous-year ending canola inventories were tight. If crush demand remains similar to last year, supplies will be adequate to meet demand but it is likely that ending inventories will remain tight at the end of next year. This

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GRAINEWS.CA / SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

Guarding wealth

Global junk Scorned in the past, it’s become glamourous in a market driven by index funds

photo: Thinkstock

By Andrew Allentuck

T

he investment market at times resembles a circus in which the strangest acts sell the most tickets. In the latest bit of acrobatics, sovereign junk bonds issued by national governments are turning in their best perfor-

mance in years. For example, European sovereign junk returned 100 per cent in the nine years since the mid-2008 beginning of the global financial crisis. Why has junk gotten so much respect? The answer has two distinct parts, each very sensible and each a lesson in the new world of what it takes to make money off the farm.

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by Hugh Hugh J. J. Beckie, Beckie, Scott Scott W. W. Shirriff Shirriff and and Julia Julia Y. Y. Leeson Leeson conducted a herbicide resistance survey of 400 fields across the province of Saskatchewan.

This was the third herbicide resistance conducted a herbicide resistance survey of 400 fields across the province of Saskatchewan. This was the third herbicide resistance survey survey conducted conducted since since 2000 2000 (2003, (2003, 2009, 2009, and and 2014/2015).

2014/2015).

Seeds were collected from weeds in each field Seeds were collected from weeds in each field just just prior prior to to harvest harvest for for the the purpose purpose of of testing testing for for herbicide herbicide resistance. resistance. Wild Wild oat oat (the (the most prevalent grass weed across most of Western Canada and of major concern regarding herbicide resistance) was collected most prevalent grass weed across most of Western Canada and of major concern regarding herbicide resistance) was collected from from 301 fields.

301 fields.

Results Results show show aa dramatic dramatic increase increase in in the the number number of of fields fields with with wild wild oat oat herbicide herbicide resistance resistance to to Group Group 11 and and Group Group 2: 2:

Weed Survey Series Reports published by Beckie et al., Saskatoon Research & Development Centre, AAFC

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First, there are superior returns. In order to rescue the world financial system from towering debt, much of it derivatives (financial instruments that take their price from other financial instruments) in such things as U.S. mortgages that turned out to be valueless, the world’s biggest central banks bought bonds. That made bond prices rise and the yield on bonds, which is the coupon interest rate divided by the bond’s price, tumble. Bonds issued by the European Central Bank and the Bank of Japan actually turned in negative yields. So did German bonds. U.S. Treasury bonds due in 90 days or less produced negative yields for a couple of long weekends in 2008 and at Easter, 2009 when the fear of global collapse was so great that large banks and investment funds paid more than the redemption price to buy the bonds. Buyers paid to store money for fear that the banks they might put it in would not be around at opening time Tuesday morning. Bargain basement interest rates allowed banks to borrow through term deposits at some of the lowest rates in history.

Money may start leaving global junk The world’s biggest central banks rescued fallen commercial banks such as New York’s giant Citigroup by allowing them to borrow money at rates as low as a fraction of one per cent. Investors, turned off by ridiculously low interest rates, bought junk bonds that had payouts in the customary mid-single digit range or even more. That is still going on, for the vast majority of the world’s 200 or so nations cannot issue investment grade debt.

In August this year, Greece, which had a good deal of its public debt written off in 2012, was able to sell US$3.5 billion of fresh bonds. Argentina recently sold a U.S.dollar-denominated bond due in 100 years. Argentina defaulted six times in the 20 th century. It has just settled its latest defaults going back to the 1980s after decades in U.S. courts. Presumably, investors think, the country has turned the page and is now trustworthy.

The idea that old defaulters won’t do it again has gained traction. Ivory Coast, for example, issued a bond in 2010 to pay for older bonds the interest on which it could not pay (a “refinancing”

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GRAINEWS.CA / SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

in polite language) and then defaulted on the 2010 issue in 2011. More recently, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has a lot of minerals as well as one of the world’s last officially communist regimes, sold bonds. The prospects for payment of interest and principal vary from questionable to dim, but these bonds are a hit. Why? There are two explanations.

This is reason two. Bond index funds have to buy the stuff. As recently as two decades ago, bond investors would burrow into voluminous research reports on the credit worthiness of any new bond to hit the market. Foreign bonds had to be AAA at the top or maybe no worse than a middling B to get sold. Bonds rated C, which is the letter grade of junk, did not get sold.

The world’s biggest central banks rescued fallen commercial banks such as New York’s giant Citigroup by allowing them to borrow money at rates as low as a fraction of one per cent wearing credit analysts who used to be kept out of sight in backrooms. Today, emerging market nations can be sure of a sale.

Their offering rates of seven per cent or even more in what is now

called the “frontier market” compensate for some risk.

What will happen if markets turn and investors want out? If investors in these global junk bond funds want to sell their ETF

units, the funds will have no choice but to sell their bonds holdings. In a global selloff there will be no one to buy those dicey bonds. Their prices will plummet. There will be no one to mop up the blood on the floor, for actually getting paid by the underlying bonds is going to be a dim prospect — as it always was.

It has not happened yet. As long as U.S. Treasury 10-year bonds pay around 2.2 per cent, about half the historic five per cent rate, global sovereign junk paying seven per cent or more is going to have a solid market. If interest rates in the U.S., Canada and Europe, Japan and the U.K. start to rise smartly, money may

25

start leaving global junk. That could be the trigger.

Bonds are supposed to be life preservers when stocks fail. In my view, junk bonds issued by governments on shaky foundations and held not by choice, but just by mandate requiring funds to hold them, are a financial juggling act that is doomed to fail.

These bonds are the dot coms of the bond market. Those who feast on this banquet of bad bonds will eventually lament that they bet that the improbable would succeed. GN Andrew Allentuck is author of When Can I Retire? Planning Your Financial Life After Work (Penguin, 2011).

Global bond funds Today, global bond funds structured to replicate their markets follow every twist and turn of their underlying assets such as global emerging market debt, long or short U.S. domestic junk, or Asian speculative grade industrial bonds. Congo government junk has ready buyers and default no longer matters. All that counts is the global bond exchange traded fund’s mandate and the fact that the fund has gushers of cash coming in. The money has to be invested, for ETFs almost never hold cash.

Oddly enough, the odds favour the global junk bond ETFs. Research shows that bottom-ofthe-barrel stock and bond markets go through a renaissance and that those at the bottom fix themselves and then return to respectability. Buying the worst performing national markets one year and then waiting a year, then selling, turns out to be much more profitable than buying winners.

The turnarounds work when the laggard, even bankrupt governments, loaded up with unpayable debt, drained by paying huge subsidies to allow their citizens to buy food or gasoline, then devastated by high inflation, go cap in hand to the International Monetary Fund. It’s a bank of last resort for failing nations. The IMF loans them money, imposes strict conditions, forces cuts in subsidies, knocks down inflation, and the formerly bankrupt countries return to respectability.

Lately Argentina, which created a tax amnesty to allow its wealthy citizens to bring back U.S. dollars without penalty, and Egypt, which is trying to bring down food price inflation running at 40 per cent per year, have seen their sovereign bonds rise in price, yields come down, and fresh bonds they have issued eagerly bought by investors. Note that in the bond market communist governments, dictators and even national despair as in Greece where people h have lost government pensions are just details.

Bondholders usually rule.

Bond exchange traded funds have replaced the eyeshade-

With great protection comes great yield.

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2091 Canola Creative_Final_GrainNews.indd 1

9/5/17 4:39 PM

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GRAINEWS.CA / SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

New equipment

Now a CVT option on Steigers

Photo Case IH

Case IH introduced the new “CVXDrive” transmission in August

Beginning in 2018, 370 to 540 models of Case IH Steigers can be ordered with the brand’s new CVXDrive continuously variable transmission option.

By Scott Garvey

It’s the first tractor to offer a continuously variable transmission in an articulated chassis

Photo: Scott Garvey

I

n August Case IH hosted a special field day for members of the farm media to reveal — among other things — that the 370 to 540 models in the four-wheel drive Steiger line have now become the first to offer a CVT transmission in an articulated tractor.

“It’s the first tractor to offer a continuously variable transmission in an articulated chassis,” said Mitch Kaiser, marketing manager for the Steiger line. “We offer 17 different variations of the Steiger CVX tractor.”

The decision to introduce a CVT was the result of customer demand, he added. “When you look at what customers want, they want to control their application more. So we’re offering the new Steiger CVXDrive. It’s strong. It’s smart, and it’s simple.”

And that simplicity is a big part of why Kaiser thinks farmers will appreciate this transmission.

“There’s just two settings the operator has to remember to make it smart,” he explained. “We have a dual throttle design. The inside one controls more the torque the tractor is running at, and the outside one controls your throttle setting. The CVXDrive is going to think for itself and give you the amount of horse-

Mitch Kaiser, Steiger marketing manager, points out the systems accessible under the right side tractor panel, which include cut-off switches for security.

power needed at the lowest r.p.m. required to pull the load.”

While the brand acknowledges the power-shift version may be adequate for a number of producers who are only looking to pull something like a seed drill, the features offered by the CVXDrive, on the

other hand, could be pretty useful for jobs like pulling a grain cart or packing silage pits.

“It covers more applications the customer needs and supports more non-typical applications so they can expand the utilization of their Steiger tractor,” said Kaiser.

Just as you’d expect to find on any CVT tractor, a propulsion lever on the right armrest gets the machine moving. But a foot pedal will also make that happen, freeing up a driver’s right hand to control other functions like hydraulics. Shifting back and forth between forward and

reverse can be done in a couple of ways as well, with a pair of buttons on the propulsion lever or via a shuttle lever on the left side of the steering wheel.

The transmission has three “cruise control” settings that will maintain tractor field speeds, controlling engine r.p.m. as required. It also has three sensitivity settings that set less responsive reactions for delicate jobs like backing up to an implement to hitch it up.

“This transmission also offers three pre-set speeds,” he explained.

“Think of the cruise control in your car or truck. It maintains that speed going up and down the field.”

Inside, the transmission uses four ranges to help the engine deliver the most torque, and the transmission automatically makes those shifts

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27

Manufacturing milestone

A pair of dual throttle levers set the range of engine speeds — and therefore, the amount of torque the tractor will operate at. Control sensitivity can also be adjusted to allow for easier implement hook-ups.

“It covers more applications the customer needs and supports more non-typical applications so they can expand the utilization of their Steiger tractor.”

Case IH is celebrating a significant brand anniversary this year: 175 years in business. The Case side of the company (which merged with International Harvester in 1985, creating today’s Case IH) was founded by Jerome Increase Case on the shore of the Root River in Racine Wisconsin. It was originally founded as the Racine Threshing Machine Works to produce, yes, a threshing machine.

During a media event in Iowa in August, company vice-president Jim

REBATES!

Walker said that J.I. Case’s original desk and office remains untouched in the heritage building that was the company’s first corporate office. The building is still used by Case IH today, and company staff are willing to let any interested visitor who drops into their headquarters see the founder’s office, looking just as it did back in the day. GN Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at Scott.

Garvey@fbcpublishing.com

Photo: Case IH

Photo: Case IH

Celebrating 175 years of Case

A look at the Case IH steam traction engine assembly line in Wisconsin near the turn of the last century.

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Designed for maximum capacity and speed, the Brandt 1300HP GrainVac helps you operate at peak effciency. With input from producers like you, we’ve refined our GrainVacs to include many innovative features only available from Brandt. With fewer moving parts, and premium build quality this GrainVac delivers unrivaled reliability and durability. That’s Powerful Value. Delivered.

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Mitch Kaiser marketing manager for the Steiger line 04 03

internally, without any input from the operator. It isn’t even possible to notice them when they happen.

“We designed it to fit into the Steiger chassis,” said Kaiser.” We don’t have to have a special frame or different setup. With the CVX option you can still get a PTO in all models from 370 to 540. You can get eight remote valves and a three-point hitch that lifts 20,000 pounds. It’s a veritable Swiss Army knife.

“We also had to develop helicalcut gears. They handle the torque and the power this tractor delivers.

And we had to change the forward and reverse clutches to make sure it worked in this tractor to fit into a package to keep the tractor narrow, keep the tractor useable, and keep the tractor friendly to the operator.”

Steigers equipped with the CVX can inch along as slowly as three feet per minute or hit the road at up to 25 m.p.h.

During its four years in development, the CVXDrive underwent field trials with about 100 Case IH customers using one on their own farming operations.

2018 models can now be ordered with CVXDrive. Tractors equipped with them begin production later this fall. But expect to pay a premium over power-shift models.

“The price point for the CVX is going to be about $42,000 in the suggested retail price,” said Kaiser. GN Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at Scott.Garvey@ fbcpublishing.com.

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machinery & shop

GRAINEWS.CA / SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

New equipment

Case IH updates the Maxxum line These Case IH tractors get new transmission options and body styling

By Scott Garvey

W

e are launching the most innovative features for Maxxum tractors since the transition to the patented SCR-only emissions solution in 2012,” reads Case IH’s official press announcement. The 2018 line of Maxxums made their debut in front of ag media editors at Boone, Iowa, in August, with Case IH marketing staff members on hand to point out all the new features.

But, arguably, the most interesting of those were the transmission options Maxxum buyers can now pick from, which include the previous ActiveDrive 4 semi-powershift, the CVXDrive CVT and the all-new ActiveDrive 8 dual-clutch powershift.

The ActiveDrive 8 24-speed (forward and reverse) transmission is brand new for 2018, and it offers eight powershift speeds in each of three electronically shifted ranges.

Shifting through the middle range allows an operator to choose working speeds between 2.4 and 10.7 m.p.h. without torque interruptions or requiring range changes.

And it offers some nifty features that bring the Maxxums into line with some of the other sophisticated powershift models in this horsepower class offered by competitors.

For example, the ActiveDrive’s “smart range shifting” feature can even do the gear selecting all on its own. The operator can select a faster or slower ground speed and the transmission will change to the most efficient gear to achieve that under the existing load.

Although buyers will find a clutch pedal in the usual place in Maxxum tractors equipped with the Active-

Photos: Case IH

“

Case IH’s Maxxum line of tractors gets a variety of updates for 2018, including a new, sophisticated, 24 x 24 powershift transmission.

Drive 8 transmission, they won’t need to use it much. The “brake-toclutch” feature allows an operator to just step on the brake pedals to stop the tractor. Release the brake and it starts off again.

Shuttle shifting doesn’t require clutching either — flip the lever and the tractor stops and changes direction. The memory shuttle feature means the tractor automatically shuttles into the last reverse gear

used, which seamlessly provides the right forward and reverse speeds for repetitive operations, like loading round bales onto a truck, without constantly shifting.

The adaptive (variable ratio) steering allows for different steering input sensitivities depending on the speed of the tractor, requiring less steering wheel input when performing slow-speed operations.

Front-end hood styling looks a little different for 2018, and marketing staff members say the more efficient airflow through it has helped improve engine cooling.

That, along with some engineering redesigns and automatic functions, has reduced total fluid consumption (fuel and DEF) by five per cent over the previous models.

To better stand up to the stress from front-end loader use,

MFWD Maxxums come with a Class 4 heavy-duty front axle.

However, the recently released two-wheel drive Maxxums don’t get the same heavy-duty front end rating, and they aren’t loader ready from the factory. But they do provide producers with a lower-spec, lower-cost alternative for jobs that can easily be handled by a two-wheel drive tractor. (Remember the days when

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GRAINEWS.CA / SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

29

The Right Choice for Every Job.

The Maxxum line now also includes a lower spec’d line of two-wheel drive models.

two-wheel drive tractors in this horsepower range were all we had?)

In all, there are five Maxxum models spanning the 116 to 145 engine (95 to 125 PTO) horsepower range. Factory installed AFS AccuGuide auto steering is also now available in the MFWD tractors.

The two-wheel drive tractors don’t get that option, but they can be fitted with Case IH’s transferable AFS ElectiSteer guidance package that bolts to the steering wheel shaft. GN Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at Scott.Garvey@ fbcpublishing.com

2018 Maxxums get a restyled hood that helps improve airflow and engine cooling.

New equipment

Limited edition skid steer from Case IH

Skid power HD

175 special models celebrate 175th anniversary

Celebrating 175 years since Jerome Increase Case started his threshing machine company that would eventually morph into today’s Case IH and CASE Construction brands, the company is offering U.S. and Canadian customers a chance to own a special limited edition skid steer. Decked out in a special red paint scheme and available through the regular dealer network, the skid steers are being sold on a firstcome first-served basis.

Earthmax SR 41

W 207

“The red skid steer and compact track loaders are an excellent way of connecting our construction and agricultural heritage in two core product lines that work heavily in both markets,” said John Dotto, CASE Construction Equipment brand marketing manager, in a press release. “It celebrates the milestone and gives our customers an opportunity to own a little bit of equipment history.” GN

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Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at Scott.

Garvey@fbcpublishing.com

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photo: case IH

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30

machinery & shop

GRAINEWS.CA / SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

Grainews practical test

Road testing the new Silverado HD A new, safer generation of pickups offers drivers both brawn and brains

By Howard J. Elmer

Photos: Howard J, Elmer

C

hevy recently partnered with John Deere at its world headquarters in Iowa to show off the newest versions of the Chevy HD Silverado pickup. The reason? A work-related backdrop is vital to understanding the needs of the HD truck owner, and frankly what looks better than some spanking new construction equipment towed by shiny 2018 Chevys.

So while this setup created the right visual, towing loads of up to 20,000 pounds (with the 3500 HD) highlighted not just available power but a new trend in safety that has the OEMs tying existing on-board technologies together electronically.

These are known as Driver Assist Features, which is a new phrase that is fast becoming common when describing the innovative electronic features found in today’s pickups.

The traditional towing concerns, payload and power, are fast becoming secondary to the new technology.

With the exception of a new hood scoop design, the tin on the 2018 has not changed.

But beneath it the truck has changed so much

GM partnered with John Deere to hold a demonstration event in Iowa to prove the load and towing capabilities of the new Silverado HD pickups.

for the better. Today’s HD pickups have so much capacity and power that drivers need help in managing the loads. GM recognized that first in 2015 when they incorporated a cruise control system that stopped overspeeding on long downhill grades For 2018, the trend toward more electronic helpers continues, as does the quest for HD

weight supremacy. This year the maximum numbers get hiked once again. Now the 3500’s payload rating is 8,070 pounds (3,661 kilograms) while conventional towing has risen to 20,000 pounds (9,072 kilograms) and up to 23,300 pounds (10,569 kilograms) on the fifth wheel.

That’s up significantly from 2011 when the

Trailer towing ratings on the new Silverado HDs is now 20,000 pounds (9,072kilograms) for rear hitches and up to 23,300pounds (10,569 kilograms) for fifth wheel connections.

3500 HD maximum payload numbers were 6,335 pounds (3,009 kilograms).

The new 6.6L V8 turbo diesel has been redesigned with a new cylinder block and heads. Oil and coolant flow capacity has been increased and the turbocharging system is now electronically controlled. Horsepower has increased to 445 and torque now reaches 910 pound-feet.

Ninety percent of both numbers are achieved at just 1,550 r.p.m. A new redesigned air intake

#FARMHARD

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Buy two or more Firestone Ag tires between July 1, 2017, and October 31, 2017, for an instant discount.

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CAD 25 off Destination Farm™ radial tires* CAD 100 off eligible radial and bias tires* CAD 200 off eligible harvest AD2™ radial and flotation tires* To participate in Go Harvest Rewards, visit your Certified Firestone Ag Tire Dealer and provide the coupon code HARVEST23. See program terms, including a full list of eligible tires, at FirestoneAg.com. *Coupon code may be redeemed for C$25 off the purchase of any Destination Farm Radial Tires; OR C$100 off eligible Radial and Bias Tires; OR C$200 off eligible Harvest AD2 Radial and Flotation Tires (excluding DF). Qualifying purchase must be made between July 1, 2017, and October 31, 2017, from any Certified Firestone Ag Tire Dealer. To locate the nearest Certified Firestone Ag Tire Dealer, go to FirestoneAg.com and click on “Find A Dealer.” For a complete list of eligible tires, visit FirestoneAg.com or see your Certified Firestone Ag Tire Dealer. Valid in Canada only. Retail customers only (excluding implement dealers; commercial fleet, fleet and group purchases; and adjustment and warranty claims). Must be 18 or older at time of purchase. Not to be combined with any other Bridgestone, Firestone or Certified Dealer offer, and not to be used to reduce outstanding debt. Coupon code has no cash value. The discount is on pre-tax price qualifying sales. Customer pays any sales (or other) tax. Discount given at the time of purchase. Minimum purchase of two (2) eligible Firestone Ag tires required; maximum purchase of 16 eligible Firestone Ag tires. Maximum savings of C$3,200 per coupon code.

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machinery & shop

GRAINEWS.CA / SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

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To get loads hauled safely, GM’s HD trucks get a number of system upgrades; building on that trend it started in 2015 system uses an integrated hood scoop (on 2018 HD Silverado and Sierra).

This setup has a trap for snow, sleet and rain, allowing cool dry air to get to the engine without clogging up the intake.

A two-piece oil pan makes the Duramax quieter and also houses an integrated oil cooler with 50 per cent greater capacity than found on the current engine. Of particular interest to Canadians will be the new Duramax cold-weather performance.

With microprocessor-controlled glow plugs the engine requires less than three seconds to preheat in temps as low as -29 C. These new ceramic glow plugs adjust current to each plug based on outside temperature. This new engine continues to be coupled to the Alison 1000 six-speed automatic transmission, which has a stellar reputation.

To get loads hauled safely, GM’s HD trucks get a number of system upgrades; building on that trend it started in 2015. A new Digital Steering Assist improves road handling. A full Driver Alert Package includes Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Alert, Safety Alert Seat and Front and Rear Park Assist. GM’s longtime StabiliTrak stability control system has been updated to include rollover mitigation technology, a tiein to the trailer sway control and hill start assist.

Chevrolet MyLink uses an eightinch centre-mounted diagonal touchscreen. A camera system feeds into it (now standard on all models with cargo box). It shows reversing images that make trailer hook up easy for both bumper and in-bed fifth wheel hitches. An around-the-truck view assists in parking. While driving, cameras in the mirrors show images down the side of the truck, highlighting blind spots.

These are the types of Driver Assist Features that will help prevent collisions and make the driver’s job easier.

That’s the future. The OEM’s have built a generation of highly capable HD trucks. Now they have to help make them easier and safer to drive.

From what I saw in Iowa, GM is well on its way to that goal. GN

Trailer towing ratings on the new Silverado HDs is now 20,000 pounds (9,072kilograms) for rear hitches and up to 23,300pounds (10,569 kilograms) for fifth wheel connections.

THE EFFICIENCY OF BLUE HIGH ACREAGE PERFORMANCE AT LOW COSTS WITH THE HELIODOR 9

The Heliodor 9 is your perfect choice for efficient stubble cultivation and residue management. The unique disc attachment provides a dual cutting angle that allows you to work shallow but also across the entire soil profile. The combination of mixing and leveling creates a seed-ready field after one pass.

Howard J Elmer is a freelance automotive journalist based in Brampton, Ontario

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cattleman's corner

GRAINEWS.CA / SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

FENCING TIPS

Tips for notching rail fences Create a few simple tools from materials you have on hand

BY MICHAEL THOMAS

photo: Michael Thomas

W

e have built a lot of fence on the ranch over the years for cattle, horses, and yes, even a few to keep the deer out of the yard or garden. Lodgepole rails are readily available in this part of the country, and at most fence supply outlets, and many of us utilize them alone or in combination with different types of wire to build fence when confining horses, cattle, or to dress up a yard or garden and keep the wildlife and farm animals out.

I learned from my father, and he from his, that when working with round rails it helps to hue a flat spot at one or more points of contact between the rail and the post. For many years we chopped out these hues with an axe.

In recent years I have noticed the number of fences built with these same materials and marvelled over the clean-flat hues people were making to build not only a better fence, but a much more attractive one. These clean hues could only be made with a chainsaw or other mechanical tool. We began experimenting with this a few years back and discovered how difficult it is to make these cuts with the same angle at each point — parallel in a plane — and keep the saw out of the dirt and rock on the ground. I began talking to professional fence contractors and discovered that they used an assortment of tools to do this — none of which I could justify buying

Scrap pieces of 4"x4" can be used to make a brace to hold a round rail. Use three braces to support and hold up to a 21-foot long rail. Make wedges to hold the rail tight against the brace. And a tri-square helps to measure and mark the depth of cuts. With these simple tools use a smaller, sharpened chain saw to create notches in the rail.

Properly notched rails make a solid and attractive fence.

for the limited amount of this type of work that we do.

Initially I tried cutting out these notches or hues by placing the rail on a rail trim or 4"x4" block. This prevented me from dipping the tip of the saw into the dirt, but I could not keep my notches uniform and cut in the same plane each time. I resorted to having a helper hold the rail while I cut the notches. This helped but required another set of hands and wasn’t necessarily safe for the helper.

SIMPLE TOOLS THAT WORK After a bit of trial and error I created a very inexpensive solution.

With bits of scrap 4"x4" post I created three simple braces to hold the rail off of the ground and stationary. This allowed me to cut the hues or notches uniform and protected my saw.

To create these braces I used a piece of 4"x4" 18 to 24 inches long as a base and attached two eightinch pieces about six inches apart to the base 4"x4". This created a stable brace that would accept up to a six-inch diameter rail. Most of the rails I use vary between three to five inches therefore the notches are larger than necessary. To overcome this variation I cut wedge-shaped pieces of various thicknesses ranging from 3/8" to 2" out of the end of a rail when I start. Once I have placed the rail in the braces I insert a wedge of the necessary size between the rail and the side of the brace and tap it in tight with a hammer. I recommend three braces for a rail between 16' and 21' long. Offset the centre brace in order to cut the centre notch without interference from the brace.

I discovered that a narrow kerf

saw chain (narrow chain thickness) is much more effective and safer than a larger kerf. Also, a smaller saw is much easier to handle in this application. Several of the cuts you will need to make are plunge cuts where you are inserting the saw tipfirst into the rail. These cuts are very prone to kick back with a more aggressive larger saw. It is also very important to keep the chain sharp.

A dull chain is more prone to kick back and will heat the bar when performing plunge cuts.

The final item required to create a uniform notch or hue is a simple adjustable try square. To give the top rail a smooth uniform line it is important to determine the minimum thickness that you want remaining in the rail after the notch is cut out. To determine this, measure the small end of the rails you are using — if they are tapered. Next

set the tri-square to a distance slightly less than the minimum distance of the small end of the rail.

Measure the distance across the tops of the posts you intend to span and transfer these distances to the rail you have placed in the braces.

Using the try square — placing it across the rail level with the ground — mark the depth of the cut for all of the notches to be cut. The only trick remaining to create uniform notches is to make sure you hold the saw perpendicular to the ground as you make the cuts.

You now have the simple and inexpensive tools to create a very f u n c t i o n a l a n d cos m e t i ca l ly appealing rail fence. GN Michael Thomas operates Thomas Ranch along with family near Salmon, Idaho.

Contact him at: Thomasranch@ centurytel.net

Animal health

‘Decision tree’ helps guide drug use It’s all about using the proper product to benefit animals and humans ANIMAL HEALTH Roy Lewis

T

hree years ago the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association along with several industry partners came up with a Therapeutic Decision Cascade for Animal and Public Safety (a decision tree).

This is a great tool for reminding all veterinarians and producers how to properly select drugs for any species we are treating.

This guide is an valuable reminder of which medications are approved for each species.

How and what we do to treat our farm animals and pets ultimately could affect us humans down the road.

We are fortunate in the cattle industry to have many products approved for use. To be approved means a product has a known withdrawal time for meat and milk (if used in dairy cattle). They also come with a DIN or drug identification number. It would be very rare indeed for a large-animal veterinarian to use products not approved for use on bovines, and if they did it would be done under a written prescription.

We need to use antibiotic products prudently. That means we only use Category 1 drugs such as Baytril, Excede or Excenel for treatment, and for specific conditions at that.

As veterinarians we also need to do more cultures and sensitivity tests on behalf of our clients to determine which antimicrobial is in fact the best for a particular condition such as respiratory disease. This means we may initiate treatment first and then change antibiotics if cultures show a better choice.

Many more prescriptions are written for minor species such as sheep and goats as these products have not been fully researched in these species. Primarily this is necessary because the amount of sales of products with these species would not justify the regulatory or research cost to put them on the label.

Your veterinarian must use their past experience and shared knowledge to determine which product is safe and effective. We call this extra-label usage. It covers approved products for other species and/or products given in a different route or with a higher dosage than indicated. Your veterinarian will use the best resources at hand such as CgFARAD, which is a national food safety database, that can give recommendations on extra-label usage for withdrawals and safety.

SAFETY FIRST Technical services veterinarians are also approached by the various pharma companies for their expertise on the products they handle. We need to consider safety because as veterinarians we first “do no harm”a and secondly do not create residues in meat and milk.

The third category in this cascade involves using an approved human drug in veterinary medicine. Although this is very rare in cattle practice, it is more common in equine or small animal practice. Again this is done by prescription and only after veterinary-approved drugs are first considered. This usually occurs when a culture test shows certain infections have proven resistant to veterinary drugs.

The last three categories are what we call compounded drugs. One group is made from other veterinary-approved drugs for, say a different method of administration. The others are drugs compounded from human drugs.

The most critical, and probably overused and over-abused medicines, are drugs made from the raw products. These are called active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and are imported as raw product from other countries. There is not near the control on their manufacture, so CgFARAD cannot comment on their safety. These products should be used only as a last resort.

THERAPEUTIC DECISION CASCADE FOR ANIMAL AND PUBLIC SAFETY To support responsible use of medications1, giving due consideration to both animal and public health, veterinarians should follow the Decision Cascade when prescribing medications for their patients.

Choose the first available level on the cascade below:

Approved Veterinary Drug - DIN (Label Instructions)

Approved Veterinary Drug - DIN (Extra Label Drug Use - ELDU)

Approved Human Drug - DIN (ELDU)

Compounded Product*: from Approved Veterinary Drug - DIN (ELDU)

Compounded Product*: from Approved Human Drug - DIN (ELDU)

Compounded Product*: from Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient - API (ELDU 2)

* Foreign approved veterinary drugs obtained through Health Canada’s special authorization scheme may be an alternative option available to veterinarians when considering the use of a compounded drug.

1 ELDU does not apply to pesticides and biologicals (vaccines).

2 ELDU is not permissible in livestock feeds without a veterinary prescription. ELDU is not recommended by Health Canada with drugs/classes of Very High Importance in human medicine which are listed as Category I Antimicrobials.

NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR COLLEGE OF VETERINARIANS

In production animal beef practice we have the ability most times to stick with an approved product. Most new products are approved for cattle when licensed. Producers Continued on Page 34 

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33

anyone can start farming

With hay in the yard, be grateful for today Disasters do help people focus on what is important Debbie Chikousky

O

ur haying season was quite successful this year. For the first time in longer than anyone recalls we made sufficient hay for our livestock. This was a huge accomplishment for our family because it will greatly ease the financial burden of winter and we managed to do it together this summer.

While we were feeling accomplished, it was never very far from our minds that many others were not having an easy time.

All of these stories coming across my desk made me revisit how important it is to not take our own good fortune for granted. For many farmers in British Columbia all it took was a cigarette butt being thrown out a car window for their lives to be changed severely.

The British Columbia forestry just remapped the fire perimeter and as of mid-August the fire perimeter covered 438,772.60 hectares or 1,084,230 acres.

In the midst of all that fire there was a lady whose story our family followed. For many reasons she didn’t evacuate. One was because of location, none of the people in that area could get fire or livestock insurance.

Everything they had was tied up in their farms. So, they fought, and they won.

It was truly surreal to watch her pictures daily of the fires so close and then see her end her day with “gotta go milk my goat” like nothing out of the ordinary was even happening.

Like many of us that remember how we all felt during BSE, she says she wasn’t brave — she just did what she had to do.

Grazers in the remote areas reported that as the fire passed, the soot has made for quick and nutritious grass regrowth. The ash from a burned tree holds all the minerals that were once in the tree, so the soil has been greatly replenished. In fact some burned areas were in full hay production Aug. 30. People had to watch for hot spots where sparks were trying to set bales on fire but they just rejoiced they would have winter feed. Nature is truly amazing.

The concept that intensive rotational grazing could be credited with controlling fires fascinated us. Everywhere they practised this method of grazing the forest fires stopped (less old litter on the ground to fuel the fire, more green growth). In their opinion the grazed areas acted like a natural firebreak, giving fighters a chance to hose down structures.

While trying to learn from all of these B.C, disasters, we discovered people who grew up in our area recalled many large fires like this happening in the 1980s. They remember people having their families packed and ready to leave or sleeping close to sloughs. They also kept building roofs wetted down just in case sparks flew in much like the

haymakers are doing now in British Columbia.

It made us appreciate that the weather here is co-operative this year and many normally dry areas have been hayed thus greatly reducing the risks of prairie fires. The feed value might not be spectacular but cows do have to sleep on something when it is 40 below so we are hoping to reduce out straw consumption while cleaning up fire hazards.

Although not a natural disaster,

there was a disturbingly high increase the summer of 2017 of livestock rustling in Manitoba. There were many reports of all classes of livestock stolen off pastures, usually in broad daylight. Although the financial impact is very real and not to be understated, the emotional impact suffered by these producers should also not be ignored. One of the rustled herd’s owners also suggests marking our livestock in a way that is identifiable, such as branding.

For the area with the greatest cattle rustling activity it has meant a return to neighbours taking care of neighbours. When rustling started they formed a group that did two-man driving patrols. It quickly put an end to the problems in their area. For our area of the Interlake, there was a problem with a goat thief. A Facebook group was started and area residents started keeping track of license plates and vehicle activity. Once this was done, the thieving activity moved on.

The theme is to stay positive.

Always be grateful for a tomorrow and support each other. These times of adversity peel away all that is unimportant and make us remember what is. Hopefully we all learn that it could be us next time and be kind. GN Debbie Chikousky farms with her family at Narcisse, Manitoba. Visitors are always welcome. Contact Debbie at debbie@chikouskyfarms.com or call: 204 202 3781

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34

cattleman's corner

GRAINEWS.CA / SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

Rancher’s Diary

Heat and smoke hard on calf health Heather Smith Thomas

AUGUST 14 Last Wednesday Michael and Nick set all the posts for the new barbedwire fence between our lower field and the ranch below us. The rest of the fence will be jack fence. I reset Ed’s shoes. Her feet were long; I don’t want her tripping and stumbling with Dani riding her. Andrea and I rode Willow again over the low range and climbed hills. We’ll be making lots of short daily rides to start getting her in shape. Each time we ride, we handle her feet. Andrea places an old shoe over the foot and taps on it with a hammer, to get Willow used to the sound and feel so she’ll be at ease when I shoe her.

On Friday we made a longer ride (Willow’s fifth ride this year). Saturday Emily and Robert drove to Fox Island (in Puget Sound, near Seattle, Washington) for a belated honeymoon. Em has wanted to go back there, ever since our trip with Andrea and the kids in 2007 for the 100th anniversary celebration of the Fox Island property; my grandparents Noah and Lila Moser bought it in 1907 and built a cabin.

AUGUST 21 Last Tuesday Andrea and I rode — Willow’s longest ride so far this year — up into the middle range, climbing more hills. She was a little tired afterward, and it was a good time to put her first shoes on. Andrea bribed her while I nailed the shoes on, feeding her handfuls of green grass. That young mare is such a greedy glutton that she focused on the lush grass and stood still for the shoeing. We

moved our cows from the field above the house to the lower field where the new fence is finished. The cows are always happy for new green grass. Andrea has done a good job of irrigating in spite of water shortage the past several weeks, and there’s regrowth on that field after haying it in early July.

After we moved the cows Andrea and I made a short ride on Willow and Dottie to try out Willow’s new shoes. We were able to trot up the road and over the low range without her being “gimpy” in the rocks. Jim (Emily’s dad) has been working in the shop he created in our old “cow camp” trailer house, making lamps, tables, etc. and just finished a fancy bluebird house. He also cleared the big rocks out of our horse trail below the county road (pushed down the bank by the road-grader) and sawed out big sagebrush that were overgrowing the trail. Now it will be easier to travel with our horses or a herd of cattle.

Andrea and the kids went on a short camp trip before the kids started school — fishing, exploring Indian caves, and watched the total eclipse of the sun this morning.

Here at home, Lynn used his welding helmet so he, Michael and Nick (here building fence) could safely watch the eclipse. It didn’t get completely dark, but grew dim and the temperature dropped about 15 degrees. When Andrea and kids were coming home, traffic on the highway was bumper to bumper; thousands of people came to our remote area to watch the eclipse.

AUGUST 26 The next day Andrea, Dani and I rode to the 320 and high range, for Willow’s 11th ride. Phil Moulton

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brought the first loads of hay we bought from him.

For Willow’s 12th ride we trotted across the low range over Coyote Flat, up into the middle range. As we climbed up the second gully we saw that a bear had been eating chokecherries in the grove of trees halfway up that draw. Trees were broken down, and piles of fresh bear poop were evidence of the recent feast.

The evidence was so fresh (leaves still drifting down off the broken trees) we decided not to go on up the draw in case the bear was still there.

We took a shortcut on the open hillside and back to the low range. That evening we had an early birthday party/dinner for Charlie at Andrea’s house.

Yesterday Nick and Robbie rebuilt the broken jack fence in the bullpen.

Today Andrea and I took Willow and Dottie for a short loop around to the salt ground across Baker Creek (for Willow’s 13th ride), then hurried home so Andrea could drive to Rexburg to watch Dani’s cross-country meet.

AUGUST 31 On Willow’s 14th ride we went past the Baker grove and spooked a cow elk out of the brush — the first one Willow has seen up close.

Sunday afternoon Andrea and I rode up Baker Creek on the high range. This was Willow’s 15th ride and longest so far (4 1/2 hours). On our way through the 320 we found a stray calf inside our pasture, and a bull at the gate. We got the calf out and took it and the bull farther up the creek to join up with other range cattle.

We discovered a dead calf (belonging to John Miller) that looked like it had been run headfirst into a big tree. The hindquarters were eaten. We don’t know if it was killed by wolves or a cougar, or if it died from respiratory disease. Many calves out there are coughing from all the dust and smoke, and the stress of hot days and cold nights.

 Continued from Page 32

and veterinarians should only use the API category as a last resort. A prescription is always needed.

Having access to API products is actually a loophole in our import regulations the government should try and close. These products have no DIN in this country and the potential for abuse and exceeding drug withdrawals is massive.

The provincial veterinary associations could start possibly creating a document for best-use practices for extra-label usage on these minor species that can serve as a very good guide to your herd's veterinary practitioner.

The approved veterinary drugs fall into four categories themselves ranging from Category 1 being those of high importance in human medicine to Category 4 such as the

Photo: Heather Smith Thomas

Apple core helps to outsmart pesky pack rats

The new jackfence hopefully will stand up to bulls in the corral.

We rode farther up the creek, and found another dead calf. This one was freshly dead, and we couldn’t see any signs of trauma. It belonged to John Miller, too.

Andrea and I rode four hours the next afternoon, Willow’s 16th ride, and killed a huge rattlesnake in the 320 and a smaller one on the high range.

The dead calves were nearly all eaten and the range cows a little spookier (maybe wary of the cougar or wolves that were eating the dead calves).

We rode into Basco basin and discovered the trough wasn’t working.

The plastic pipe was broken off. I held Willow while Andrea fixed it and got it running into the trough again. Then she piled rocks, logs and branches over the pipe so the cattle can’t break it again. Even though we don’t have cattle out there anymore, we try to help those poor range cattle whenever we can, since their owners don’t ride very often. We found another dead calf on the hill above our 160-acre pasture. This one may have died of pneumonia.

Early this morning my brother Rocky called to report a dead calf just above the cattleguard by his house. Michael and Carolyn drove up there to check on it and saw it probably died of pneumonia. This has been a bad summer for those cattle, especially this fall with hot days, cold nights, lots of smoke, and dust that irritate the respiratory passages; the stress from temperature extremes hinders the immune system and makes those calves more vulnerable to respiratory infections.

We had a similar situation on a dry year during the 1980’s with daytime temps up to 90 F, dropping into the low 40s or high 30s at night.

Three of our biggest steer calves got pneumonia on the range, but Andrea and I were riding every day and discovered them when they first got sick. We were able to gently bring them down off the mountain to our upper corrals and treat them, and we saved them all. The guys running cattle out there now don’t ride often enough to find their sick animals in time.

ionophores, which have low importance in human medicine. Most of the antimicrobials used in production animal medicine are Categories 4, 3 and 2.

Remember, when considering a product follow the decision tree it's veterinary first, then human and finally API products, in that order.

We in the cattle industry are in a position to be leaders for the other species because we have so many products approved for use. Stay away from the Category 1 products as much as possible.

Talk to your vet about for the best advice. Lets all think and use all the knowledge we know to select the best antimicrobial for the job bearing in mind this decision tree. This Health Canada website detailing the drugs in each category can be found at http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ dhp-mps/vet/antimicrob/amr_ ram_hum-med-rev-eng.php. GN

EXCELLENT REFERENCE MATERIAL Alberta Beef Producers (www. albertabeef.org) has produced an excellent brochure that beautifully illustrates the various categories with several examples. It also discusses other things the cattle industry is doing to tackle this antimicrobial resistance issue.

One pharmaceutical company has a chart listing the common antibiotics in each category, which is great to hang on your wall. Watch for it. This printed material will be useful if you want to ever explain antibiotic resistance as it relates to animals to your urban family, friends or neighbours.

SEPTEMBER 6 Friday Michael, Nick and Robbie tore out the falling-down fence between heifer hill and the field below it. It was built in 1967 and had been patched in many places, but some of the posts were broken off.

Cows rub on it, and we’ve had herds of elk crash over it and knock posts over.

Jim caught the pack rat that was creating havoc and bad smell in the old trailer house he uses for a shop.

He first tried poison and several kinds of traps, with no luck, so he bought a small cage trap and put an apple core inside it and caught the rat. The next day he set the trap in Lynn’s old shop and caught the rat that’s been doing damage in there, too.

Yesterday Andrea and I made another ride to the 320 and high range. The grass is so dry that we'll have to use a protein supplement this fall when we put the cows on the 320 later this month after we sell their calves. We haven’t had any rain for more than 40 days and the hot weather has taken a toll. GN Heather Smith Thomas is a longtime Grainews columnist who ranches with her husband Lynn near Salmon, Idaho.

Contact her at 208-756-2841

Roy Lewis is an Alberta-based veterinarian specializing in large-animal practice.

He is also a part-time technical services vet for Merck Animal Health

cattleman's corner

GRAINEWS.CA / SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

VITTI DAIRY COLUMN CHART

Dairy Corner

Maintain forage fibre in a dairy diet Peter Vitti

I

recently visited a dairy producer running 200 cows having problems maintaining butterfat at 3.9 per cent in his 35-kg milk producing herd.

He asked me to walk the lactation barn and see what I could find out.

It took about 20 minutes to walk the feed bunk and cows, and in the end, I suspected that he was feeding a TMR that contained not enough effective forage fibre, too much soluble protein, and silage that was cut too fine. I confirmed my findings with a practical test of the TMR and wrote out a list of corrective actions to maintain/ increase milk and milkfat production.

The specific lack of effective forage fibre was a common theme throughout this lactation barn. Unlike energy and protein, effective forage fibre is not a true nutrient, but there is a requirement for it in the dairy cow’s diet. Its main job is to maintain a healthy population of rumen microbes, which in turn drives optimum feed fermentation, digestion, essential nutrient absorption and normal gut mobility.

35

As a dairy nutritionist, I advocate good cud-chewing (first shaded area) is the first vital part of this natural process. It simply keeps the cow’s digestive system in good working order.

Literarily at the end of lactating dairy cows, I looked at their manure (second shaded area). Its consistency tells me a lot of information about the ingredient profile of their lactation diet as well as how it was ultimately digested. Manure that is produced by cows consuming a well-balanced ration with adequate effective forage fibre is very uniform and should have the consistency of porridge.

Because a significant number of these dairy cows had loose manure, it was a warning sign to me that inadequate dietary fibre was being fed or some other feed ingredient was speeding up its rate of gut passage.

Such rapid passing feed cannot be adequately digested for essential nutrients to make milk or milk fat.

Last, I took a handful of TMR (third shaded area) and linked it together to the signals from what I saw from the cows: a lack of effective forage fibre. It smelled good, had a good moisturefeel to it, was consistent in the bunk, but it also lacked; the recommended

15 to 20 per cent dietary forage fibre over one- to 1-1/2-inch long-stem forages. Furthermore, this lactating diet had lots of second-cut alfalfa silage that could be a source of high soluble protein levels that often increase unwarranted rates of feed passage.

Before I left the barn, I did a “quick” test on the amount of effective forage fibre provided in this diet. I put a sample of the diet in a bucket filled with warm water. The point of this test is to mimic the natural floating mat of dairy diet in the rumen. If only about 20 per cent of the ration floats onto of the water; there should be enough effective forage fibre in the diet.

Unfortunately, most of this dairy diet sunk to the bottom of the bucket.

Therefore, I made the following corrective actions for rebalancing effective forage fibre in this diet: 1. 28 per cent NDF is assured in the TMR with 75 per cent of this NDF coming from forage sources. Note: palm fat remained at 300 grams per head, daily.

2. Replace 25 per cent of second-cut alfalfa silage with barley silage and mixed first cut alfalfa/grass silage.

Increase dried distillers’ grains by

PARAMETER

OBSERVATION

SUSPICION

CORRECTIVE ACTION

# of cows at feed bunk

1/3 of the herd

No problem

No corrective action

# of resting cud-chewers

A few cows. Most lying cows were not chewing cud

Lack of forage fiber issue

Increase dietary forage fiber

# sorting cows at bunk

Few cows were sorting ration

Not a significant problem

No correction action

# loose manure cows

Enough to notice

High rate of feed passage

Reformulate lactation diet

Pushed feed up to bunk

Not enough, but not a significant problem

Acceptable

Room for improvement; not a significant problem.

TMR consistency

Good mix, moisture, acceptable grain content and particle size

No problem

No corrective action

TMR content

Not enough long-stem fibre and barley chop was too fine

Not enough effective forage fibre

Add more long-stem fibre

# cows at the water trough

One or two were drinking water

Acceptable

No corrective action except algae in trough

1.5 lbs. to increase dietary bypass protein levels.

3. Add two pounds of long-stem grass hay replacing equivalent high-protein second-cut alfalfa silage.

One month after this lactation diet was rebalanced, the increased amount of effective forage fibre in this case seem to build a good “rumen mat” in this herd. Milk yield remained and milkfat increased by 0.2 per cent. That happened six

months ago. Now, I understand a significant number of fresh cows have been added and changed the dynamics of the herd. Milkfat percentage is slightly down, but this time around, effective forage fibre in the diet remains adequate. 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

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36

cattleman's corner

GRAINEWS.CA / SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

Better Bunks and Pastures

Consider weaning calves early this fall Creep feeding gives calves a chance to grow, takes pressure off cows Peter Vitti

R

ecently, I was at drought ground zero in southern Saskatchewan and passed a group of about 50 blonde and whiteface cows and calves grazing driedout pasture. The thin condition of the cows caught my attention and their calves looked gaunt and on the small side. My immediate reaction was this cow-calf herd was a good candidate for early weaning.

Separating spring calves from cows by the end of September, rather than typically at the end of October and into the first weeks of November, is considered as early weaning for us. I believe people whom consider this approach should take advantage of two major opportunities: (1) build up the body condition of thin pregnant replacement heifers and mature cows before winter, and (2) achieve the best saleable weight on calves by creep feeding.

Both points are achievable, because mature, dry, pregnant beef cows (early- to mid-gestation) with their spring calves removed only require about 52 to 55 per cent TDN and about eight to nine per cent protein to meet body maintenance requirements and body condition of 3.5 (1-emaciated and 5-fat) as well as support an early-term fetus.

That’s a 20 per cent reduction in dietary energy and protein requirements of a beef cow nursing fourto five-month old calf at summerend. Likewise, young first-calf mothers have an extra natural requirement for further body growth. Without a nursing calf they are able to put on more desirable frame and body size ever becoming more productive cows in the herd.

Feeding these early-gestating cows without their calves is relatively easy. Despite a shortage of good pasture, there is a fair supply of straw and crop residue available following this year’s early grain harvest. Either straw and grain chaff can be collected together or

the chaff can be collected separately. These straw/chaff or chaffonly residues might be blown or stacked into piles for cattle grazing throughout the field.

The nutrient value of straw and crop residue ranges from 40 to 45 per cent TDN, four to six per cent protein and has a poor mineral/ vitamin profile. This quality will not support the nutrient requirements of the early-gestating beef cow. Therefore, extra energy, protein and a good mineral program must be provided. The magnitude of this supplementation depends on the current cow herd feeding program, cow health and current body condition.

RATION OPTIONS Consider three well-balanced rations based on straw as the sole forage and supplementing with either barley, screening pellets or corn distillers grains for a typical early- to mid-gestation cows and compare their feed costs: (1) 20 lbs. barley straw @ $50/mt,

eight lbs. barley @ $3/bu., 1.5 lbs. 32 per cent beef supplement @ $490/ mt and 3 oz. of commercial 2:1 mineral with salt @ 11c/head/d. = $1.38/head/day.

(2) 20 lbs. barley straw @ $50/mt, 10 lbs. 14 per cent cow screening pellets @ $175/mt and 3 oz. of commercial 2:1 mineral with salt @ 11c/ head/d. = $ 1.36/head/day.

(3) 20 lbs. barley straw @ $50/mt, eight lbs. corn distillers’ grains @ $200/mt and 3 oz. of commercial mineral with salt @ 11c head/d. = $1.29/head/day.

The cost of these feeding options is nominal when substituting dried-out pasture grazed by early- to mid-gestating beef cows. Yet, when we turn our attention to their separated calves, the exercise becomes a little more difficult. That’s because calves have comparably higher nutrient requirements, lower dry matter intakes and their digestive systems cannot digest large quantities of low-quality forage such as straw.

Instead we must choose from a number of limited options for weaned

calves such as putting them on dry but acceptable quality pasture or move them into dry lot and feed them hay. In both cases, a creep feeder should be moved in to provide supplemental nutrition.

Creep feeders should be filled with a well-balanced creep feed: 14 per cent protein, medium level energy (65-70 per cent TDN), balanced with calcium, phosphorus, salt, fortified trace mineral pack (especially copper, zinc and selenium). A growth promotant and coccidiostat such as monensin sodium should also be added to the final creep formula. Given the quality of forage provided, newly weaned calves should consume about eight to 10 lbs. of creep feed into autumn months and much higher after the date of traditional weaning. Afterwards, these calves can go onto more typical backgrounder and grower feedlot programs. 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

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home quarter farm life

GRAINEWS.CA / SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

37

SEEDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT

Kohl’s top producer tips in times of economic resets Elaine Froese

M

innesota farmer Paul Zimmerman extended a firm handshake and greeting on behalf of his daughter to Dr. David Kohl, professor emeritus from Virginia Tech. Zimmerman’s daughter is a likely successor to their farm. She started her mentorship with Dr. Kohl’s insights in Mankato, Minn. years ago when she wrote notes as a high schooler in the audience. Kohl noticed her with fanfare then. Her dad reports that she now works for Cargill and will soon be getting her ag MBA at Cornell where Kohl did his master’s degree and PhD. Dr. Kohl was clearly delighted to hear this news saying, “This just made my day!”

I share this story because Dr. Kohl has been a great encouragement to me over the years when we shared the ag event stage. As a professional speaker it is very rewarding to hear how your message has impacted farm lives for the better. We all need encouragement; those on stage, those in the audience and in the field.

Here’s Dr. Kohl’s notes on positioning for success in the economic reset. Even though he was addressing a U.S. audience, we can all learn to be better farmers.

• Focus on what you can control and manage. This is critical in business. Dr. Kohl’s Homestead Creamery made $68K this year because people kept their glass milk bottles. His milk business has a plan for folks who cherish the glass bottles, when the naysayers said this habit would ruin the business.

• Really good managers are making a cost readjustment wherever they can. Kohl told the story of a young farmer who relinquished marginal land, cut family living costs, and added thousands to his bottom line. What lines on the balance sheet do you need to reset?

• Work on making your soil healthier.

Healthy soil supports better plants and livestock growth which is healthy food for healthier people. I overheard one young farmer singing the praises of minimum tillage and the big difference it was making on his farm.

• Honour the ag entrepreneurs who are returning. Called boomerangers, they have skill sets from their engineering jobs to create systems and standard operating procedures on their farms and related side businesses. This is why farm coaches recommend that your college grad successors work for another business and manager to get new insights and system ideas for your farm. Kohl sees lots of opportunities for diversification within agriculture and outside agriculture. One farm woman at the session had a very successful haircutting franchise that was surpassing the farm’s income!

• The tweeners (those too big to be small and too small to be big farmers) are exiting farming. This becomes an opportunity for growth. Kohl says 10 to 15 per cent of tweeners exit with equity, 10 to 15 per cent do a partial or total liquidation, and 10 to 15 per cent have negative cash flow and negative net worth.

•S even-dollar corn is not coming back.

Warren Buffet said, “When the tide goes out, you find out who was naked.” Farmers made money in the higher commodity price years, but now they are not making a profit, and guys are having a hard time convincing landlords to lower the land rent. Kohl depends on the FINBIN database to see where the net farm income trends are moving. Make five per cent changes to increase income and decrease expenses across many lines.

This is Danny Klinefelter’s five per cent rule that top farmers use to generate a better net income.

• Modest living expenses. This one warms my home economist heart. Often in transition planning there are shock waves

PHOTO: COURTESY

Here’s some ideas to help become an even better farmer

Elaine Froese with Dr. David Kohl.

when the founders want $120K annual draw from the farm, and the next generation can only afford $39K as a draw to the founders. I see this many times where folks are clueless as to what their true family living costs are. Email me at elaine@elainefroese.com for compensation worksheets developed by Dick Wittman to determine farm perks. If your family living is in the US$40K to US$70K range (C$50K to C$87K) you are modest.

If you are over $90K to $140K/year, you are enjoying the KT (killer toys) and not using that extra $60K to $80K for cash flow on the farm. We use Quickbooks to track our family living costs. You can change what you measure. Do you follow the habit of “the more you make the more you spend?” Kohl likes to see monthly family living budgets with an allowance for adding 25 per cent.

• Paying attention to your financials regularly is critical. Hopefully you use the accrual accounting method, know your cost of production for each enterprise, have year-to-year comparisons, benchmark with your peers, and keep important data safe (e.g. a fireproof safe). Kohl relayed the story of a farmer whose records burned in the house. Today we

have the cloud to store data and backups. What are you doing to keep your financial information safe?

Our accounting firm, MNP, gives us a benchmark chart annually to show us our financial report card.

• How much is enough? The bottom 30 per cent of producers have an undisciplined pursuit of more. I’ve seen young farmers do this when they buy campers, fancy trucks, and other items that they truly cannot afford. High-maintenance living is causing financial stress. One hog farmer told me he could live on $50K annually in the good times, and pull back to $18,000. He did not tell me if he was living in his parents’ basement!

• Follow the HUT principle. Hear what the issues are that need to be addressed.

Understand the context of those issues and seek creative solutions. Take action.

Many folks have financial plans on the shelf right next to their estate plans, unsigned wills and forgotten transition plans. FOCUS and execute. You can only eat a great steak one bite at a time, so take baby steps, but get moving! Sign up for our online course Get Farm Transition Unstuck at www.elainefroese.com/ getunstuck.

• Change your attitudes about paying tax.

Go from focusing on minimizing tax to the dance of managing your income tax.

Kohl says you likely will never go broke with managing taxes.

• Where is your legacy? Kohl says “21 per cent of the farms and ranches in the U.S. do not have a next generation… i.e. a successor.” Farming is not fun for folks who have lost their legacy. What steps can you take today to create certainty for your farm’s future? GN Elaine Froese is grateful for the four decades of Dr. David Kohl’s energy and insight that helps farmers in many practical ways. Her new book is out at www.elainefroese.com/store. Get to work on your financials!

How teamwork fuels winning farm successions

ROYAL BANK OF CANADA 4.6429X5.0000 000077928r1 4C These days, succession is on the minds of more and more Canadian producers. In many families, the older generation is thinking about life after farming. The younger generation is excited for the future and poised to take the reins.

Farm succession can seem overwhelming. It involves family dynamics, legal issues and a range of financial and tax considerations. But taking control is achievable with a little prioritization and organization.

So what’s your next move if you’re considering succession planning? Here’s a few things to consider: 1. Discuss succession plans and ideas with your family. Starting these sometimes difficult conversations early is important to enable a smooth transition.

An open dialogue is the best path forward to success.

2. Ensure critical papers are in order and easily accessible. Being armed with good – and accurate – information can make decision making much easier.

This includes papers such as wills and directives, mortage documents, lease agreements, employment contracts and insurance policies.

3. Assemble a team of advisors to guide you through the process. That includes your lawyer, your accountant and, of course, your financial planner.

By working together as a team, they can help you create a succession that works for everyone.

“As you begin your farm succession journey, getting the first steps right are critical to a successful transition,” says Gwen Paddock, National Manager of Agriculture and Agribusiness for RBC®. “If you’re uncertain about the path forward, start by talking to a trusted advisor or even a neighbour who has been through it. It’s just too important to leave to chance.”

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2017-09-13 11:46 AM

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home quarter farm life

GRAINEWS.CA / SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

PRAIRIE PALATE

Running out of zucchini recipe ideas?

French Zucchini Loaf

Amy Jo Ehman

A

s luck would have it, I am penning these words in France. I arrived in Paris this morning full of bad airplane coffee and a fat slice of spice cake, which passed for breakfast aboard my flight.

So, first things first. Settle into the hotel room then venture out in search of lunch: a good baguette, a round of brie and a bottle of nice (and nicely priced) red wine.

I am reminded of another vacation in France more than 20 years ago. Newly married, my husband John and I spent a month in a tiny village in the south, not too far from Toulouse.

John’s sister had attended an art retreat in this village, where she befriended a family of chair makers by the name of Prom. As a carpenter, John also made chairs. It seemed as good a reason as any for a destination off the beaten track.

We arrived with an introduction to the Proms, who in turn introduced us to a friend who had a furnished flat for rent. It was on the second floor overlooking a cobbled street so old and so narrow that only small cars could pass through — in single file. We threw open the shutters and settled in.

That evening, we were drawn to the window by the sound of conversation and laughter rising from below. We looked down, all said “bonsoir,” and they beckoned us to join them. A group of friends had gathered for a post-dinner drink, sitting on the wide stone windowsills and our front steps. It was a daily ritual.

Among them was Thierry, who owned the cave across the street.

Pronounced cav (like rav), it was a tiny wine store at which one could buy a nice bottle of wine for a few francs or, if money was tight, bring your own bottle and fill it from the spigot for the price of a chocolate bar. Since there was no seating in the cave, Thierry and his friends took their socializing into the

My contribution to the dinner was this zucchini loaf, from a recipe I found in a tourist brochure street. What in Canada would warrant a sanction by police was considered no more than a traffic hazard in rural France — and there was no traffic.

This is because the bakery was closed. Earlier in the day, a line of cars inched down the narrow street, stopping (since there was no parking) just long enough for their drivers to run inside and quickly buy their daily bread. The baker, whose name was Bart, was a young graduate of baking school who had no hope of owning his own bakery except to buy one that

had been closed and shuttered in a tiny village off the beaten path. He restored the wood-fired brick oven, made his dough the traditional way from scratch, (many bakeries no longer do that) and churned out the most amazing French breads such as baguettes, boules, croissants and chocolatins.

After a month in the village, our new friends threw a potluck supper to send us on our way, opening up a derelict house and filling it with makeshift tables and borrowed chairs, lights hanging from the rafters thanks to an extension cord running down the street.

My contribution to the dinner was this zucchini loaf, from a recipe I found in a tourist brochure.

I’ve been making it every summer since, and always remember that month off the beaten track in southern France. 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

Try this French Zucchini Loaf for lunch or dinner

1 big zucchini 3 eggs lightly beaten 1 clove garlic chopped 1/2 c. chopped parsley

2 tbsp. chopped basil 1/4 c. flour 1/2 tsp. salt Pinch of nutmeg 150 g grated Gruyere cheese

Peel the zucchini, scoop out the seeds and cut into 1/2-inch-ish chunks. Steam the zucchini until soft to a fork. In a big bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Stir in the remaining ingredients, then gently stir in the cooked zucchini. Spoon the mixture into a buttered loaf pan. Bake at 375 F for 30-40 minutes, until the egg is cooked in the centre of the loaf. Turn on the broiler and lightly brown the top into a cheesy crust. Remove from the oven and let the loaf set for a few minutes. Cut into thick slices and serve warm.

(Note: The original French recipe did not include basil but I like it. It called for a “handful” of parsley which I measured out to about 1/2 cup, so don’t worry about being too precise on that.)

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home quarter farm life

GRAINEWS.CA / SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

39

NURSE LOVES FARMER

Tribulations of cooking for the harvest crew

BY SARAH SCHULTZ

I

came across an article on my Facebook feed during harvest titled “10 Reasons Cooking for a Family Sucks.” It was humorous, as the articles from the popular parenting website Scary Mommy often are, but I noted how similar I feel at this time, cooking for our harvest crew. We have a really amazing system, because we farm with my inlaws, so I take turns with my mother-in-law and my sister-inlaw and cook supper in a rotation every three days. I truly and sincerely find it so meaningful to serve my family by cooking and baking for them. I really do put my love and caring into the meals that I prepare, and it gives me pleasure to nourish my family, but when harvest is approaching the two-months-in mark due to so many delays... my love for preparing food is wearing thin.

Some of the points in the article were: not only do you have to cook,

but you have to shop, plan, prepare and clean up. One of the big things this harvest that is wearing me down is point No. 7 in the article, which is playing The Guessing Game. For our family alone at harvest dinners, we always have six adults and five children to feed. Since we added a third combine to the lineup this year, sometimes we will have two hired men and a sister with her three kids who also join the supper crew. This year we’ve also had random farm visitors show up at suppertime, and even Case mechanics who have joined the supper table.

Needless to say, it can make harvest suppers tricky by playing The Guessing Game with questions such as: How many people will I be feeding today? Is the hired man who eats enough for three adults coming?

Will my eight-year-old nephew eat like a bird, or enough for three adults as well? Does this have gluten in it for my other nephew who has celiac disease? Darn... what can I quickly make without gluten in it? Do we even need to eat as a harvest crew

PHOTO: SARAH SCHULTZ

How many to cook for? Where are we eating? Did they move fields? Are there enough utensils packed?…

Meals in the field can be a challenge to plan for.

tonight? Will they be rained out? Is the grain dry enough to combine?

Where will we be eating? Did they move fields? Did I pack enough utensils, plates and cups for everyone? Do I have to do dishes and clean my house in a panic to host everyone here last minute? I hope the kids like this meal. Will the kids even eat anyway, or do I have to fight with them and coax them to eat? Will we

get rained out as I pull into the field for supper? Will random guests show up and I won’t have enough food? What do they mean they decided to combine and it’s 4 p.m. and I have to cook for 15 people!?

What should I cook? I’m really running out of big meal ideas. Do I even care anymore?

I am trying really, really hard to adapt the flying-by-the-seat-of-

my-pants attitude when it comes to these harvest meals, but I have a very Type A personality and like to be as organized as possible. Last-minute changes really throw me for a loop and I get very anxious and feel the physical effects on my body if a wrench gets thrown into my plans.

(In my defence, having a young baby during harvest is also a whole other complicated story!) I need to take lessons from my saint on earth (no sarcasm intended), amazing motherin-law who displays grace and goes with the flow like no other. However, when I hear her say, “you had better be done this field before supper tomorrow or you won’t be eating,” when it’s her turn to cook, I know that even she has her limits! GN Sarah Schultz is a nurse who fell in love with and married a farmer. She’s embracing her role as farmwife and mom raising three boys on the family grain farm in Wheatland County, Alberta.

She’s often seen with her camera in her hands and blogs about their life on her blog Nurse Loves Farmer

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8/24/17 10:18 AM

40

home quarter farm life

GRAINEWS.CA / SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

SINGING GARDENER

Foot-care info and the benefits of sprouts and honey Plus, a reader tells of her potato-growing experiences Ted Meseyton

singinggardener@mts.net

FROM ST. PAUL, ALBERTA August 17, 2017: Here I am again singing the praises of the Annabelle potatoes. I have talked to you in the past about the unavailability of this potato seed. I first purchased them from Early’s Seeds about five years ago but have not been able to locate any replacement seed since, so I keep reseeding my production. Every time I inquire to seed houses they refer me to Bintjes or Marilyn’s, so this year I have seeded all three to compare. I am sending you a photo: left is nine or so Annabelle and right is four Bintjes.

The Marilyn’s are growing but did not seem to have the vitality to start, so most of the plants are late blooming. You be the judge! The Annabelle is the perfect potato. — Louise Plante, St. Paul, Alberta Ted’s reply: I’ve not yet found a source for Annabelle seed potato but am working on it and shall let readers know if I’m successful.

REFLEXOLOGY “I have only to use my imagination and pinch my nose to recall the last time I got a whiff of smelly feet. It’s hard to miss and leads me to ask: Do you know of anyone who has smelly feet?

Years and years ago I used to work as a part-time reflexologist on a lot of feet. Rarely did I ever see a pair of

PHOTOS: COURTESY LOUISE PLANTE

A

s the curtain rises on another verbal stage, I’m sharing an email from an Alberta reader who writes: “You be the judge! The Annabelle is the perfect potato.”

The human sniffer (our nose) is a great tool when it comes to detecting unpleasant and ornery odours.

I’ll tell of a blend of ingredients in water for smelly feet plus a few thoughts on reflexology.

From time to time I buy alfalfa, broccoli, clover and radish sprouts.

It’s so easy to germinate sunflower seeds so I sprout my own. Frequent rinsing of seeds in cold water during the sprouting process is essential to avoid bacteria growth.

Is there any chance that eating some broccoli daily may help control asthma? More on that subject further along and reasons to love honey, plus a doctor’s detox tea recipe.

Aforesaid subjects fill this page quite nicely, but it would be incomplete without a tip o’ my hat and a “high as the sky” welcome to all. Thank you for allowing me, the Singing Gardener, to be part of your Grainews reading time.

Annabelle potatoes appear on the left and to the far lower right side are four Bintje potatoes. Bintje is a Dutch variety dating back to the early 1900s.

perfect-shaped feet. Back in those days reflexology was not well known nor recognized the way it is today. A lot of good can be done to help the body of a fellow human being to heal itself by relaxing and reducing stress and tension, improving circulation and normalizing glands and organs when treatments are applied by a properly trained practitioner. One of the most common things I heard from people was, “there’s nothing wrong with my feet.”

Recipe for Smelly Feet  One appropriate-size foot basin with water  1 chamomile tea bag  1/2 cup apple cider vinegar  1 tablespoon sea salt  1 thumb-sized chunk of peeled and sliced fresh ginger  2 drops eucalyptus oil  2 drops peppermint oil  A handful of garden rose petals, fresh or dried  A natural sponge  A bar of natural peppermint or glycerin soap  Witch hazel  Foot cream Add chamomile tea bag, apple cider vinegar, salt, ginger, oils and rose petals to a basin of comfortably warm water. Sponge feet with bar soap then soak them for 20 minutes.

Dry feet with towel and mist them with witch hazel. Wait a few minutes and finish with application of a soothing foot cream.

WILL BROCCOLI SPROUTS HELP CONTROL ASTHMA? — PERHAPS If you’re not into sprouting seeds and grains, they’re often available packaged at some stores among the fresh salad greens section. A study, published in Clinical Immunology,

found that broccoli sprouts may help control the symptoms of asthma. It turns out the compound sulforaphane found in broccoli sprouts may boost antioxidant enzymes that fight inflammation in your nostrils.

Researchers warn that these results are preliminary and more study is needed to see if the sulforaphane really can help, and if it does, how much you might need to enjoy its benefits.

Eating a daily serving of raw or steamed broccoli without sprouts may even give asthmatics some relief. In the meantime, stay focused on finding out what’s triggering your asthma — often it’s a simple allergy you might not be aware of.

When it comes to raw sprouts, ensure they are kept chilled and/or properly refrigerated at all time to reduce risk of illness. Make dietary adjustments in consultation with your health-care provider and/or dietitian.

HONEY CAN HELP AN ITCHING SCALP Honey in tea or with apple cider vinegar and water as a health-promoting beverage are but two of its many uses when consumed internally.

Let’s turn to the outside. Does your scalp feel uncomfortably dry, or do you scratch it a lot because it feels itchy? Here’s relief for such a common problem. Mix together equal parts of honey and warm water, then apply it to the hair and scalp as though shampooing. Leave it on the scalp for three hours before rinsing off. Repeat such applications every other day for a week. A 2001 study conducted by the European Journal of Medical Research, reported that dandruff sufferers had a pronounced reduction in itching and scaling.

(skinned Annabelle in hand and lemon in bowl for size comparison): Left hand, about four fingers high holds a skinned Annabelle potato while a whole lemon appears with a plateful of Annabelle to show size comparison.

When continued for a few weeks longer, skin lesions had completely healed over, redness and other symptoms vanished and hair loss was significantly reduced. These are but a few of many reasons why we really appreciate pollinating bees and our honey producers.

Dr. Axe’s Detox Drink Recipe  (Ingredients per individual serving)  1 500-625-ml (12-16-oz.) glass or mug of warm or hot water  2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar  2 tablespoons lemon juice  1/2-1 teaspoon ground ginger  1/4 teaspoon cinnamon  1 dash liquid cayenne pepper  1 teaspoon unpasteurized local honey Mix all ingredients together. This beverage is best when sipped warm, or drink it at preferred temperature.

Stir frequently, as solids will settle to the bottom. GN

This is Ted Meseyton the Singing Gardener and Grow-It Poet from Portage la Prairie, Man. There’s a time to let things happen and a time to make things happen. When windows won’t open and salt clogs the shaker, the weather will favour the umbrella maker.

Freshen smelly sneakers, running shoes, canvas or rubber-type shoes by sprinkling their insides with table or sea salt. Wait 24 hours for the salt to absorb odours and then shake it all out. singinggardener@mts.net

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