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SAVE BIG ON AG! ARE FARMERS AN ENDANGED SPECIES? »PAGE 12

PICKSEED’S SUPERIOR FORAGE VARIETIES ON SALE NOW.

CWB FUSARIUM PROGRAMS TO DISAPEAR »PAGE 13

See UFA.com/beef for full details.

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VO L U M E 9, N U M B E R 1

JA N UA RY 2 , 2 0 1 2

Study finds simplified solution for traceability at auction

FESTIVE LIGHTS TO WELCOME A NEW YEAR

COST-BENEFIT  Industry wonders if just collecting bare-bones data is worth the $50,000 cost per site

BY DANIEL WINTERS STAFF

T

As dusk settles, this red hip roof barn near Priddis, Alta., with horses corralled out back, sparkles with a string of festive lights.

PHOTO BY WENDY DUDLEY

he second phase of a trial evaluating the best way to track cattle movements through auction marts and buying stations has wrapped up, with mixed results.

The $2.8-million project, undertaken by the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA), first set out in 2010 to prove (by scanning 535,000 cattle) that RFID tags could be read using existing technology without affecting the speed of commerce.

That research found tag readers worked with an average of 93 per cent accuracy, and that the devices did their best work when placed at the tightest choke point in the auction barn — right before the cattle enter the sales ring, said Donna Henuset, project manager.

SEE AUCTION MARTS  page 6

POST MONOPOLY:

WILL THE CWB BECOME THE eBAY OF GRAIN EXPORTERS? » PAGE 3

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news » inside this week

inside » CWB programs to disappear Will private companies offer special blending programs for infected wheat?

livestock

crops

columNists

Sheep RFID

Alberta Wheat Commission

13

Endangered species?

Industrial farming won’t revive rural communities or provide food security

JANUARY 2, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

12

daniel bezte The old-timers are right — winters used to be worse

24

Carol Shwetz Three meals a day are for people, not horses

Tools capture data more easily and allow for easier analysis

16

Proponents say it could drive more money into cereal research

Brenda Schoepp

11

Reducing stress in calves means better returns for the owner

Virtual farm helps feed hungry Growing project } Farm may be

virtual, but the benefits are real

staff

The Grain Growers of Canada has set up a virtual growing project to provide support to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB).

Farmers who don’t live near an actual growing project, where local farmers, businesses and other volunteers, donate the proceeds from farming a plot of land to the CFGB, can now pledge acres from their own farm to the organization’s work in hunger relief and food security development.

“This is a great opportunity for farmers to come together to support those who have less, by pledging whatever we can, even a couple of acres of production helps,” says Stephen Vandervalk, president of the Grain Growers of Canada.

“All they have to do is sign up, letting us know how many acres they want to pledge,” said John Longhurst, who directs fundraising for the CFGB. “At harvest time, when farmers take their crop to the local elevator, they need to indicate how much they want to donate to the CFGB, dedicated to the ‘Grain Growers’ Growing Project and the elevator staff do the rest.”

Tax receipts are issued by the CFGB for the value of the grain donated on the day of delivery.

To make a pledge visit: www.growingproject.ca or send your contact information and the amount of acres you plan to donate to office@ggc-pgc.ca.

Canadian Foodgrains Bank is a partnership of 15 churches and churchbased agencies working to end global hunger.

Together with support from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), last year the CFGB provided $38 million of assistance to 2.3 million people in 35 countries.

A mobile demonstration trailer equipped with all the latest solar devices. Supplied photo

Pincher Creek company bringing solar power to the people OFF AND ON } People serious about solar power stay connected to the grid,

and run the meter backwards in summer by sheri monk

af staff | pincher creek

W

hen Jeff and Linda Hammond started Top Hand Industrial Services in Pincher Creek in 2007, their business didn’t include renewable energy.

“Controls are how we got into the solar business,” said Jeff. “We realized it’s an interesting market, it’s a growing market, and there was a lack of knowledge on the control side on how to make a system that’s expensive stay running forever.

“Because we’re a controls company, we automate things, we make things run. It really doesn’t matter what we work on, a water well system in a farmer’s yard, or a remote waterpumping station for cattle out in the pasture, windmills, solar systems, they all need elements of control.

For as long as cowboys have worked cattle, access to water has been a pressing need, which is why some producers are investing in solar watering systems.

“We’ve done five watering systems of our own design, all producers that needed remote watering capability,” said Hammond. “Three of them were getting dugout water into drinkable format in the wintertime so that the cattle didn’t go out and drown and the other two were water wells, new installations.”

Water pumps are notoriously unreliable, with breakdowns seeming to occur at the most inconvenient times. Every custom project is different, but a good system circumvents common failure causes, said Hammond.

“One dugout project involved putting a pump in a slotted PVC pipe that we buried along the edge of the dugout so we could get the pump in and out, whether there’s ice there or not,” he said. “It basically has a foot valve in the pump, so when the sun comes out the pump starts pumping into the trough, and the trough has an overflow back to the dugout.”

On the grid

Solar energy is becoming more common, but getting off the

19

grid is not necessarily realistic or wise, he said.

“To be off the grid is very expensive because you need so many batteries and you can’t store power, so being grid connected is definitely the best of both worlds,” said Hammond.

“You can produce power in the summer and run your meter backwards all summer and use it up all winter.”

The upturn in calf prices this year immediately correlated with an increase in demand for Top Hand’s solar installations.

“That’s all to agricultural producers looking to reduce their energy demand, usually at their primary residence, and that’s through a solar hot water system to heat their hot water,” said Hammond.

Using solar power to heat water provides for the quickest return for a modest level of investment, he said.

“That’s when you put a system on the roof of your house or beside your house on a stand and it produces hot water all summer long so you have basically no gas demand all summer.”

In 2009, the federal government announced the ecoENERGY Retrofit Homes program, providing grants up to $5,000 to owners improving the energy efficiency of their homes. The program has been extended to March 31, 2012, and returns $1,250 to those who choose to install solar energy to heat their water. The overall cost of such a system is approximately $5,500 for the materials, and installation ranges between $1,500 and $3,500, depending on the home.

“The customers we’ve talked to, it’s something they’ve been wanting to do for a long time, and the government ecoenergy program has been out for just about three years now and they wanted to take advantage of the incentive, but cash just wasn’t an option then,” said Hammond.

“This year, with the good calf prices, they’re getting caught up and some of them are looking to start spending.”

Many producers elect to install the system themselves, he said. sherimonk@gmail.com

17

3

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 2, 2012

Conference explores fate of the CWB after the monopoly UNCERTAIN FUTURE  With four players controlling 72 per cent of elevator capacity, what’s left for the CWB?

BY ALLAN DAWSON STAFF | SASKATOON

I

n a post-monopoly world, the Canadian Wheat Board will disappear altogether, or it will become the “eBay” for grain exports by bypassing the grain-handling system with container shipments.

Or it will become something in between.

It all depends on who was talking at the recent two-day conference here organized by the universities of Saskatchewan, Regina, Manitoba, Alberta and Lethbridge.

But beyond the fate of the board, conference speakers considered some of the other changes facing farmers as they enter a new era of grain marketing.

And like it or not, there are some big changes in store as the federal government continues with its plan to end the monopoly as of Aug. 1, 2012.

New challenges include the impact on producer car economics and short line railways, the rise of railway market power and pressures to harmonize Canada’s graingrading system with the United States. Then there’s managing basis risk, and of course, the difficulties facing a voluntary wheat board.

One thing is for sure, how things flow won’t necessarily be based on pure economics.

Nor will they be driven by loyalty.

At best unimportant

Murray Fulton, an agricultural economist and professor at the University of Saskatchewan’s JohnsonShoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, said a voluntary board will “at worst disappear and at best be reduced to an unimportant player,” he wrote in a recent paper.

Canada’s top four grain buyers — Viterra, Cargill, James Richardson International and Louis Dreyfus — own 72 per cent of the West’s country elevator capacity.

“Even if the voluntary Canadian Wheat Board was able to get everything else, which I think would be unlikely, you’d be looking at a market share of 25 per cent,” Fulton said. “That would be just on the borderline of being viable.”

Terminal elevator ownership at Vancouver, Canada’s leading wheat export port is even more concentrated. The top three firms own 90 per cent of the capacity, said Bill Drew, with Nearco Transportation Consulting. The same firms own 100 per cent of terminal space at Prince Rupert and 86 per cent of Thunder Bay’s.

Viterra can source all the grain it needs through its country elevators and Richardson needs even more terminal space, Drew said.

Cargill is the only firm that needs to source more grain.

However, instead of striking deals with farmer-owned country elevators or board, Cargill is more likely to buy more elevators, he said.

Mark Hemmes, president of Quorum Corporation, which is the firm hired by the federal government to monitor Canada’s grain-handling and transportation system, is less pessimistic. He said he expects country and port terminal owners will handle grain for others.

“Grain handlers are business people and will look to increase their handle any way they can,” he said in an interview. “It’s about optimal asset utilization and improved bottom line.”

Terminals are also obliged under the Canada Grain Act to receive grain if they have space, he said.

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA

Higher freight rates?

The new wheat board will no longer be allocating rail cars and therefore can’t offset railway market power, said James Nolan, an agricultural economist at the University of Saskatchewan.

American transportation consultant Terry Whiteside warned if the statutory cap on railway earnings for hauling grain is removed, farmers will pay 30 to 40 per cent more to ship grain.

Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz has said if farmers paid more, they’d get better service. However, there

are no such plans to scrap the cap, said Paul Martin, a director general with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

Some fear an open market will undermine the quality of Canadian wheat exports.

“I suspect there will be pressures to have greater harmonization (to reduce costs) amongst these countries,” said North Dakota State University agricultural economist Bill Wilson.

“I’m guessing you’re going to have more pressure in this country to have more access to our varieties.”

In the U.S. the lack of variety registration and specific end-use standards sometimes result in inconsistent results for millers and bakers, Wilson said.

Crop Development Centre barley breeder Brian Rossnagel said western Canadian farmers should continue to focus on producing high-quality grain “(Y)ou need to recognize that you cannot compete with many of your competitors in... yield per acre,” he said. The growing season is too short and usually too dry.

eBay for grain exports

Meanwhile, Barry Prentice, professor of supply chain management at the University of Manitoba’s I.H. Asper School of Business, said the board can be the “eBay” for grain exports using containers to bypass elevators and port terminals.

The end of pooling for eastern shipping costs means more grain will flow west, making Thunder Bay and Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway ports residual outlets, Drew said.

The Port of Prince Rupert is one of North America’s most efficient grain-exporting terminals with many advantages, including more available railway capacity and being closer to many Asian destinations. But Prentice predicted its owners will maximize use of their individually owned terminals in Vancouver.

“I’m guessing you’re going to have more pressure in this country to have more access to our varieties.”

BILL WILSON

Murray Fulton, professor at the University of Saskatchewan’s Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, says a voluntary wheat board, if it survives, will be a bit player in Canada’s grain sector. PHOTO: ALLAN DAWSON

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JANUARY 2, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

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

PRODUCTION director

Traceability needs to be put back on its original track

Shawna Gibson Email: shawna@fbcpublishing.com

AsSistant PRODUCTION manager Farrah Wilson Email: farrah@fbcpublishing.com

Director of Sales & Circulation Lynda Tityk Email: lynda.tityk@fbcpublishing.com

STRAIGHT TALK } An ombudsman is needed to sort out the real story

CIRCULATION manager Heather Anderson Email: heather@fbcpublishing.com

By will verboven

Alberta Farmer | Editor

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I

f comments made by Rob Meijer, president of Canada Beef Inc., and the surprising response by many Alberta Beef Producers delegates at their AGM are any indication, cattle traceability has seriously lost its way in this country. In his presentation, Meijer questioned the value of traceability, who started it and why, and noted none of his beef-marketing clients were asking for it or cared (see full story in AF Dec. 19, 2011 edition). Those upfront statements had a jolting impact on meeting-exhausted ABP delegates, many of whom broke into spontaneous applause. The meeting atmos-phere at that point became somewhat electric with the audience rivetted to every word Meijer spoke. It would seem he was confirming what many in the cattle and beef industry already suspected. If nothing else it was a gutsy declaration by someone just recently appointed president of the most important beef-promotion agency in the country. The agriculture business could use more such folks with intestinal fortitude.

Meijer’s statements were probably on the right track from his perspective as a beef promoter. I expect that may have caused some of us veterans who have endured years of government and industry bafflegab on traceability to revisit what the original intent was and to ponder whether Meijer was right in questioning its value. In consulting with some fellow warhorses from those innocent days before national cattle ID, there did seem to be a notion that traceability could prove valuable for beef-marketing purposes. But that idea seemed to be more wishful thinking at the time, it got mangled the more governments got involved in trying to control and rationalize traceability.

Those with long memories would recall that all of this started with the national cattle ID program that had its beginnings back around 1998. In retrospect the cattle busi-

ness seemed a lot simpler back then, and the original cattle ID program now seems like such an uncomplicated program compared to the dubious intentions of today’s traceability scheme. But there was a somewhat insidious side to the cattle ID program in that it laid the basic groundwork for a future traceability program. Cynics observed that a mind-boggling and outrageously expensive traceability program for livestock was already underway in Europe at the time.

It too began with just a cattle ID program.

One could almost hear the conspiratorial wheels grinding in the depths of government bureaucracies — it was just a matter of time before senior bureaucrats (CFIA?) planted the traceability bug in ministerial ears.

What wasn’t made clear, and still isn’t, is that a robust mandatory traceability program is important to reopening markets that still restrict Canadian cattle and beef imports.

Then in 2008, to no one’s surprise, federal and provincial ag ministers announced mandatory cattle traceability would be in place by the end of 2011. To my recollection it was at that point the notion that it would prove valuable for beef marketing was floated. The more realistic rationale was that it was needed to fine tune the process to trace livestock for disease control purposes.

What wasn’t made clear, and still isn’t, is that a robust mandatory traceability program is important to re opening markets that still restrict Canadian cattle and beef imports.

One could interpret that was what was actually meant — that traceability would improve

beef marketing. But that’s not quite what Meijer had in mind with his comments on the value of traceability. Traceability it would seem, remains a food safety process that helps open meat and livestock export markets. One assumes that’s also the party line from industry groups.

Having said that, it’s the implementation that has caused much of the political grief.

Governments set unattainable deadlines without proper industry consultation, nor did they have a clear understanding of the technology hurdles, which began the frustration process. It was then almost guaranteed to become a bureaucratic fiasco with the involvement of the CFIA, which has become infamous for its high-handed controlling nature with almost everything it becomes involved with.

To be fair, there are a lot of differing stakeholders mixed into the traceability process with their own agendas and mandates.

However, CFIA officials seem to feel the agency owns the process because federal millions have been thrown at getting traceability organized, and it controls the regulatory levers. As one prominent producer organization official stated, “The CFIA is not always helpful in their approach.”

What seems to be needed is an ombudsman-type person (not the CFIA) who can explain what traceability really is, who it benefits, what is its real purpose, what it will cost, who is paying for it, who controls it, and objectively answer myriad other questions. That person should also have some authority to unravel the technology problems. It defies common sense when the CFIA seems to be blocking the leap to ultrahigh frequency that could solve so many of the technology problems in the field.

One presumes such basic traceability program information would have been available, but clearly it is not when a prominent beef industry official questions the value of traceability. Without such clarification many will continue to share those questions.

R-CALF slams plans for livestock traceability Import control } R-CALF blames Mexico and lax standards for disease problems Excerpts from a Dec. 13 release from R-CALF USA, commenting on a proposed U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) rule titled “Traceability for Livestock Moving Interstate.”

R-CALF USA contends that because APHIS is not fulfilling its statutory responsibility to impose stricter import standards to prevent the known and continual introduction of foreign animal diseases, “APHIS is a leading cause, if not the leading cause, of livestock disease problems experienced in the United States.”

R-CALF USA also accuses APHIS of engaging in a deceitful “bait-and-switch” strategy to gain support for its proposed rule.

“APHIS for many years concocted a virtual taxpayer-funded fervor, both publicly and within

the entire U.S. livestock industry, to advance its goal to establish a mandatory animal identification system in the United States — which goal manifested into the proposed rule — principally, if not exclusively, by claiming a mandatory animal identification system is essential to prevent the introduction and/or spread of FMD (foot-and-mouth disease) in the United States. APHIS’s absolute silence regarding any potential for the proposed rule to mitigate the introduction or spread of FMD in the U.S. is inexplicable and provides compelling evidence that APHIS has an ulterior motive for proposing the proposed rule, which… has absolutely nothing to do with prevention or control of animal diseases,” the group wrote.

Costs understated

R-CALF USA also attacked APHIS’

cost estimates for the proposed rule and provided evidence to show that APHIS understated the cost of tagging cattle by using a cost estimate generated from a study that involved a state-of-theart mobile cattle-handling facility, which R-CALF USA stated was not typically available to many, if not most, U.S. cattle producers.

APHIS’s cost estimate for shrink — weight loss caused by handling cattle — was also refuted on the basis that APHIS allocated only one-fourth of the actual cost of shrink to the cow-calf producers who would bear 100 per cent of the cost of shrink.

Using cost data R-CALF USA claims is more accurate than that used by APHIS, the group states the estimated total cost of the proposed rule to U.S. cattle producers ranges from $1.2 billion to $1.9 billion; if only cattle moved to slaughter are considered,

R-CALF USA’s cost estimate for the proposed rule is about $920 million; and, if only the 2010 calf crop is considered, the group’s cost estimate ranges from $554 million to $880 million.

“There is absolutely no need for a federally mandated animal identification rule,” said R-CALF USA Animal Identification committee chair Kenny Fox, adding, “We are extremely disappointed in USDA’s tactic to win support of its ill-conceived proposed rule by using millions of taxpayer dollars to literally wear down industry participants. The industry has told USDA for many years that a government-mandated animal identification system is not appropriate in our United States’ free market system, but the agency apparently believes it knows better than all the hardworking men and women within our industry.

5

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 2, 2012

Conquering that buzzing fear in 2012 IRRATIONAL THOUGHTS } A den of rattlesnakes doesn’t scare me in the least

but a hornet will have me running for the hills by sheri monk

af staff | pincher creek

I

’ve always been highly driven by curiosity. As a child, I drove my parents half mad with constant questions. As an adult, I drive my children crazy with my changing interests and passions.

I can’t help it — it’s how I’m wired. When I develop an interest in something, I feel it intensely and pursue it relentlessly. Sometimes in my enthusiasm, I make reckless decisions and leap before I look. I love learning new things, even though I know my personality ensures I’ll learn it in the hardest possible way.

That’s why it’s so hard to admit that I have an irrational, almost phobic fear of bees and wasps.

My resolution this year is to cure myself by completely integrating the ying and the yang of the fear into my life — I intend to learn the ancient art of beekeeping, and the darker art of wasp extermination.

My fear goes back to when I was

a little girl and was instilled by my father. When he was a young (and clearly reckless) boy, he made what seemed to be a wise decision to insert a firecracker into a hornets’ nest. He was stung dozens and dozens of times. A watchful neighbour saw him running down a back alley, screaming, and pulled him into a garage, perhaps saving his life. After the pain and swelling subsided, a lifelong fear of bees and wasps remained.

One of my earliest memories of my childhood is blowing bubbles outside in the backyard. My father was there, barbecuing I think. A bee or a wasp landed on the bubble wand as I held it to my lips, poised to blow. My father did not deal with this first encounter well.

“Don’t move Sheri! Don’t even breathe,” he hissed in a state of panic. He couldn’t have sounded more deadly serious about a landmine, if I was standing right on top of one.

It’s a tremendously embarrassing affliction. After all, my two favourite hobbies in all the world are tarantula keeping and rattle-

snake photography. When I went to the Peruvian jungle to pursue my love of snakes and spiders, I worried most about Africanized bee colonies. I had no qualms rolling up my pants, removing my boots and deliberately walking in a swamp hoping to feel an anaconda beneath my feet, but a buzzing sound could bring me to my knees.

The final straw came a few years ago. I was at a rattlesnake den at the height of the fall migration.

There were tiny, adorable newborn rattlesnakes scattered generously all over the side of a hill, and a decent smattering of juvenile and full-size adult rattlers basking in the sunshine. It was a beautiful sight to behold, and I revelled in nature’s complex beauty — right up until a black hornet took a shine to my hair. At first, I stood as still as a statue — I didn’t even breathe, but still that hornet persisted. My lungs started to burn as my panic began to build and then, like a rocket, I went off.

I ran. I flung my arms. I hopped over rattlesnakes like they were

mere sticks in my path. I behaved like a complete and utter fool — and I was exceedingly lucky that it was only my pride that was wounded.

Since then, I’ve made a concentrated effort to get over the fear and I have made incredible progress — especially compared to that sorry incident. The first thing I did was read as much as I could about bees, wasps and hornets. I learned about their evolution, natural history and studied their anatomy.

My fear of bees was always less than that of other flying, venomous insects. Bees lose their stinger and thus, sacrifice their life when they sting, which makes them more predictable and certainly, more docile overall. Wasps and hornets can sting just for fun, without consequence or fear.

They retain their stinger, free to attack at will, on a whim. Bees are fuzzier and have an element of cuteness about them. Wasps look like well-oiled, lean, killing machines.

And yet, they all fascinate me. As

My resolution this year is to cure myself by completely integrating the ying and the yang of the fear into my life.

a general rule, I am intellectually intrigued by anything venomous — I just don’t think venomous animals should also be able to fly faster than I can run. Nowadays, I can (usually) calmly ignore a buzzing bee, or exit an area from which there are wasps without panicking too much. But that’s not enough — and this is going to be the year I beat this. I’m looking for patient beekeepers and exterminators willing to tolerate an “assistant.” I’m not likely to be very good help, but I’m willing to bet it’ll be good entertainment. sherimonk@gmail.com

EU debt fight a threat to world crop exports Top importer } The EU is a major buyer of agricultural products from both developing and developed nations

By Gavin Maguire chicago | reuters

T

he spiralling debt worries plaguing European politicians in recent months is starting to have an impact on U.S. agricultural trade and could well restrict U.S. and global crop shipments throughout much of 2012.

Europe is the world’s second-largest importer of soybeans and wheat, and a major importer of corn, beef and many other agricultural products, and so represents a significant trading partner for U.S. crop and food producers.

However, the recent strangling of credit in the region has served to stifle trade finance there to the degree that U.S. agricultural shipments to the EU have already dropped off sharply in recent weeks and pose a notable risk to the outlook for U.S. agricultural trade in 2012.

Key trade partner

As one of the largest trade blocs and population centres in the Developed World, the euro zone is a key destination for most commodities, goods and services.

Indeed, the “EU-27” block of member countries represents one of the top trading partners of nearly every major economy, and so stands to notably impact global trade flows should the recent spell of economic disruption persist or worsen in the months ahead as member states scramble to fend off a potential breakdown of the Union.

With regard to the agricultural arena, the EU is a top importer of agricultural products from both developing and developed nations, and so any notable decline in the region’s import activities

over the coming months stands to impact a swath of producer nations across the world.

importers top 10 countries

Impact already felt

U.S. soybean producers and exporters are already being forced to accommodate Europe’s stunted appetite, with soy prices under pressure lately thanks to anemic overseas interest and prospects of heightened competition from other exporting nations.

A similar theme has unfolded in Japan, which continues its recovery from the major earthquake and tsunami that ravaged part of the country and grounded commodities freight earlier in the year.

But while Japan’s demand for U.S. and global agricultural products can be expected to continue recovering in the months ahead as that nation resumes business as usual following the quake, deep questions continue to cloud the outlook for the euro zone given the precarious level of sovereign debt that continues to threaten the economic viability of many major financial institutions in the region which in turn has sparked a sharp reduction in credit availability.

Credit is a critical component of trade finance across Europe and elsewhere, as traders must be able to finance freight, logistics and inventory challenges as part of agricultural product procurement.

As credit availability depleted in recent months, the cost of borrowing has soared to levels that have made it prohibitively expensive for small and medium-size traders to fund traditional commodity acquisition operations.

Further, given the EU’s status as a major buyer of nearly all commodities from nearly every region, there stands to be a

Thomson/Reuters Source: USDA

glut of exportable crops and raw materials across several regions should EU imports continue to dwindle while ministers and officials there attempt to piece together a recovery plan.

In the event that the EU marketplace continues to shrink over the coming months, commodity exporters in every other region will be forced to seek out alternate markets for their products, and so will likely compete with one another for whatever global trade opportunities remain.

Such actions could well curtail U.S. exports of an array of commodities for

several months, and could well apply price pressure to commodities such as corn that would otherwise be expected to press higher given low levels of inventories and uncertain production outlooks in regions such as Brazil and Argentina.

So while the EU debt situation may appear to be a parochial affair with limited repercussions on U.S. commodities trade, the potential is there for a very real impact to be felt from any protracted reduction in EU trade activity over the coming months given the region’s standing as a top importer of a number of critical crop and meat commodities.

6

Off the front

AUCTION MARTS } from page 1 “We learned in Phase 1 that this works,” said Henuset.

Phase 2, also funded under the Canadian Integrated Food Safety Initiative via Growing Forward, looked at integrating live-recording RFID hardware and software with the existing computer systems at 13 auction markets across Canada.

Serious glitches were discovered, however.

The main problem was that the Oracle-based ViewTrak software used by most auction marts wouldn’t work with the software used by the researchers unless it was custom made for each system.

Expensive process

That’s an expensive process, almost doubling the cost because rewriting the software costs $2,000 to $3,000 for each existing business management system. In addition, many of the computers and servers at the facilities were not capable of networking with the RFID system via cables to allow the information to be included on sales bills. Overcoming that would cost another $16,000 per auction mart.

“It actually became more expensive and more convoluted than we started off believing it would be,” said Henuset. “And we found that there was really not a lot of ben-

The main problem was that the Oracle-based ViewTrak software used by most auction marts wouldn’t work with the software used by the researchers unless it was custom made for each system.

january 2, 2012 • Albertafarmexpress.ca

efit to either the consignor or the buyer.”

That prompted researchers to undertake what Henuset calls Phase 2B, which saw a strippeddown option that would “bypass” the facility’s computers and record only movement information via a “stand-alone” computer system, typically a laptop running the Windows operating system.

That project, which recently wrapped up, ran at six auction marts this fall.

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Simpler to operate

Much simpler to operate than an enterprise-integrated program, the bypass program could be started up in the morning, scan cattle all day, then used to send a report to the Canadian Livestock Tracking System website with minimal human involvement.

“They were getting 98 to 99 per cent accuracy, with zero impact on the speed of commerce,” said Henuset. “It worked fabulous.”

Her 137-page report on Phase 2, which lists a cost analysis of three different approaches to tracking livestock movements at auction marts, found the bypass system that only tracked RFID tag numbers was “cost effective, affordable, easy to use and simple.”

Overall, Henuset’s research found that there is no “cookiecutter” solution to livestock traceability because every market is different. But she added that there might be value in using an integrated system if there’s business value to it, such as automated inventory control.

“We learned a lot, the industry moved forward,” she said.

“It’s technology, and technology advances.”

Level of traceability

However, establishing movement reporting at the auction mart level will depend on government and industry being willing to commit funds, and especially, decide what level of traceability they want.

“The more intricate the data, the higher the cost,” she said.

A CCIA study showed that devices work best when placed right before cattle enter the sales ring.

Rick Wright, who is chair of the CCIA traceability steering committee and representative of the Livestock Marketing Association of Canada was involved in the research, and said that the industry found that the system worked better than they thought it would.

“Phase 2 identified some major challenges,” he said, mainly due to the incompatibility of existing computer systems.

“It’s going to be very costly to put systems in that will work well,” he added. “What’s going to be the benefit? We didn’t get the synergies that we thought would be there.”

That said, Wright said he believes the money spent on the project was a good investment because it identified the problems and set the stage for solutions.

“We are probably not going to see scanning at auction marts in the near future, until we get more up-to-date technology that is more cost effective for the

information that we collect,” said Wright.

He estimated the cost of the simplest option of simply recording tag numbers, date and location would cost anywhere from $40,000 to $80,000 at each of the 250 auction and buying sites in the country.

“Is it worth it to know that?

From the industry side, it’s not,” he said. “But CFIA (the Canadian Food Inspection Agency) may tell you different.”

Who pays?

If traceability serves a public good, then government should pay, he added.

There will also be a labour cost, no matter what system is chosen.

Human beings will still be required to ensure the system is functioning properly. For example, if “read accuracy” suddenly drops, someone will have to investigate and fix the problem, said Henuset.

“Regardless of what system or software you use, every RFID system requires a dedicated person,” said Henuset.

Computer-competent staff at the livestock market, CFIA staff, brand inspectors, or a third-party employee could do that work, she said. Who pays their wages will be another question that needs to be answered before a full livestock traceability system is rolled out, she added.

Agri-News The Alberta Farm Implement Act/Farm Implement Dealerships Act and regulations are administered by the Farm Implement Act administration of the Farmers’ Advocate Office of Alberta.

Under this act, anyone carrying on a business as a farm implement dealer or distributor within Alberta must hold a dealer’s and/or a distributor’s licence.

The licences are issued annually and dealers/distributors must pay a licence fee to the Alberta Finance Minister and an annual levy to the farm implement compensation fund.

Licence fees are set under the Farm Implement Act regulations. The levy is set annually by the Farm Implement Board.

The board determines the amount of the levy based on the number of claims paid out of the compensation fund during the previous year.

This legislation provides protection to farmers when purchasing new equipment. Farmers may verify if a company is licensed to carry on business as a farm implement dealer and/ or distributor by contacting the Farmers’ Advocate Office (310-FARM) or asking to see their current licence.

All dealers and distributors are asked to have their current licence visible in their place of business. January 1, 2012, is the deadline to have a new licence for the 2012 year.

More information can also be found on the Farmers’ Advocate Office website at www.farmersadvocate. gov.ab.ca.

2012 AGM

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Join us on January 25, 2012, from 2:45 to 3:45 p.m. for APG’s Annual General Meeting, held as part of FarmTech 2012.

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7

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 2, 2012

Marketing freedom bill now law STILL FIGHTING  Single-desk supporters are keeping up their fight to have the bill declared illegal

BY ALLAN DAWSON STAFF

D

espite ongoing court skirmishes, Bill C-18 is now law and the Canadian Wheat Board is controlled by government-appointed directors.

The new five-member board announced Dec. 19 it has elected Regina business executive Bruce Johnston as its chair. Johnston, who was first appointed as a director in 2006, currently works in the propane industry, but he has a long history in the Canadian grain business.

Johnston has served as executive vice-president of operations for the former Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, CEO of Winnipeg-based Ag Pro Grain, CEO of FarmGro Organic Foods in Regina, and operations manager of Northern Sales in Winnipeg, all of which have ceased operation.

The bill ending the CWB’s 68-year-old monopoly was given royal assent Dec. 15, a day before a Winnipeg judge heard pleas to strike it down.

Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench Judge Shane Perlmutter rejected the wheat board’s eight former farmer-elected directors’ request to immediately suspend the new law saying it would be a “fairly draconian remedy.”

“I call on all farmers today, regardless of what side they were on, to set aside past differences and work together for the future.”

continue to battle in the courts, arguing farmers should decide whether to end the single desk.

Eight farmer-elected directors planned to continue the legal challenge.

The wheat board itself, which is now run by CEO and president Ian White and four governmentappointed directors, will drop its legal actions against the law, a government official said.

Amid the turmoil White issued a statement saying the board is ready for its new role. “We will work to achieve the best prices for farmers and superior service for customers in Canada and around the world,” he said.

The government will continue to guarantee the board’s initial payments and borrowings for up to four years. During that time the board must be privatized or dissolved.

With files from Reuters

Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz was cheered and applauded Dec. 16 at a farm near Balgonie for ending the Canadian Wheat Board’s sales monopoly over wheat and barley starting Aug. 1, 2012. However, in the meantime farmers can now forward price with any buyer those grains for delivery in the new crop year. SUBMITTED PHOTO

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STEPHEN VANDERVALK

But he will hear arguments Jan. 17 and 18 on whether to suspend the law while deciding whether it should be struck down in the wake of an earlier court ruling that the federal government contravened existing legislation by changing the board’s mandate without consulting farmers.

The controversial law was celebrated by open-market supporters at a farm near Balgonie, Sask. Dec. 16, where Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz declared to cheers and applause: “This feels damn good.

It’s been a long time coming.

“Finally, you have marketing freedom.”

Stephen Vandervalk, president of the Grain Growers of Canada, praised the law.

“I call on all farmers today, regardless of what side they were on, to set aside past differences and work together for the future,” he said Meanwhile, the National Farmers Union called it an outrage.

“This will probably be looked upon as one of the darkest days in Canadian agricultural policy,” National Farmers Union president Terry Boehm said in an interview.

Predictions by some legal experts that C-18 could not become law after Federal Court Judge Douglas Campbell ruled Dec. 7 it was introduced to Parliament illegally, proved wrong.

However, single-desk supporters

“We see FCC as our partners – they support young farmers.”

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8

JANUARY 2, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Viterra offering contracts on wheat, barley

france’s Credit Agricole quits commodities

Viterra said Dec. 16 it is offering forward contracts on wheat and barley after the passage of a government bill to end the Canadian Wheat Board’s 68-year-old marketing monopoly on the grains. “Starting today, Viterra is pleased to offer bids to western Canadian wheat, durum and barley producers,” Mayo Schmidt, chief executive of Viterra, said in a statement. “The company is building on its positive relationships with growers by providing new markets for their wheat and barley, as it currently does for oilseeds, pulses, oats and other grains.”

Credit Agricole will stop trading commodities and slash its financing of the multibillion-dollar commodities trade as the euro-zone crisis forces a reassessment of risk. The French bank, with roots in finance for farming, warned Dec. 14 of losses and writedowns this year as it struggles to cope with the pan-European credit crunch. Trade sources said others could follow it out of commodities. “What is happening with Credit Agricole is certainly a major trend across banking where the entire commodities trading business is shrinking,” said a senior commodities trader.

Crop prices will be subject to global economic tides in 2012 Downtrend } Canola prices have drifted roughly $100 a tonne

from their highs of the year

by phil franz-warkentin

I

CE Futures Canada canola contracts bounced around within a narrow range during the week ended Dec. 16, but managed to post gains by Friday as year-end short-covering and activity in outside markets provided underlying support.

The fact China was in the market buying more Canadian canola added to the firmer tone in the futures. The country continues to show an insatiable appetite for the crop, despite ongoing restrictions into certain regions due to blackleg concerns.

Steady domestic crusher demand and a weaker Canadian dollar were also supportive for canola.

The pace of farmer deliveries is actually ahead of the year-ago level and visible stocks are above 1.3 million tonnes, according to Canadian Grain Commission data. However, traders keep bringing up the reluctance of farmers to make sales at current price levels as a supportive influence in the market.

That means even though producers are taking advantage of the fairly solid basis opportunities out there, the endusers could still use more canola, which can only be taken as a supportive sign.

However, heading into the new year, the big market-moving factor in canola has nothing to do with supply/demand fundamentals. Rather, the shifting sen-

timent in the global economy will continue to dictate the overall direction in canola as well. Economic uncertainty, particularly in Europe, makes investors back away from riskier assets such as grains and oilseeds. That uncertainty also makes end-users a little more cautious about making purchases.

From a technical standpoint, canola remains entrenched in a very solid downtrend which goes back nearly a year on the weekly charts. Prices have drifted roughly $100 a tonne from their highs of the year and, as much as a bounce is always possible, the charts make a much stronger case for declines of another $100.

Western barley futures were untraded and unchanged during the week, but the passage of Bill C-18 will definitely lead to a shakeup in grain marketing going forward. As the bill worked its way through the Senate before finally gaining royal assent late Dec. 15, it was a little hard to keep track of the various legal volleys.

Viterra began offering new-crop wheat, durum, and barley contracts before the ink from the Governor General’s pen was dry, as the major players will now be looking to source grain and prove the great opportunities “marketing freedom” will bring to farmers. The new voluntary Canadian Wheat Board also remains in the mix, as president Ian White announced that the board isn’t going anywhere and will be offering its own new-crop pricing opportunities.

ICE Futures Canada will launch new spring wheat, durum and barley contracts on Jan. 23, 2012. The exchange is confident the contracts will be utilized and provide a good hedging opportunity in the new marketing environment.

While that remains to be seen, the final passage of the bill did lead to movement in the canola futures market already.

The argument made by some traders was that a boost in new-crop canola futures was tied to the need to sway acres away from growing the suddenly more attractive wheat and barley.

In the U.S., soybeans, corn and wheat held relatively range-bound for most of the week, ending with gains in soybeans, but declines in corn and wheat.

Weather, or not

Soybeans saw nearly all of their strength come forward on Friday, Dec. 16, as weather concerns in South America provided the catalyst for a run higher. Dry weather in soybean-growing regions of Brazil and Argentina is leading to concerns over possible damage to the crops

there. While it’s still early in the South American growing season, the possibility that the dryness could persist and eventually create more opportunities for U.S. exports was enough for traders to build on the risk premium in the market.

However, just as in canola, soybeans also remain at the whim of larger macroeconomic forces. As a result, future upside potential may be limited, at least until South American weather worries become a reality.

For corn and wheat, any attempts at correcting higher have been lacklustre at best recently. The issue in the grains is that while U.S. supplies may be on the tight side, there is no shortage on a global basis. As a result, U.S. wheat and corn are facing increased resistance in the export market, with any buying only really coming forward on a scaledown basis.

Phil Franz-Warkentin writes for Commodity News Service Canada, a Winnipeg company specializing in grain and commodity market reporting

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

9

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 2, 2012

Timing is everything in fungicide application TRIGGER TIME  Close monitoring of conditions and being prepared to act is key in preventing disease outbreaks

BY ALEXIS KIENLEN AF STAFF | WESTLOCK

Timing is everything in fungicide application and knowing when to “pull the trigger” requires advance planning.

“When you’re looking at risk management on your farms, all you can really do is focus on the factors that you can control,” Emile de Milliano, manager of agronomic services for Viterra in Fort Saskatchewan, told an Alberta Canola Producers Commission meeting in Westlock.

But to do that, farmers need to keep a close watch on moisture, temperature and environmental conditions that trigger disease outbreaks, said de Milliano.

“You have to make the decision before you see a lot of symptoms, and you’re speculating what the severity will be after that,” he said.

Heavy moisture conditions,

such as those in 2011, increase disease pressure but since it’s the weather during the growing season that really matters, de Milliano admits it’s not easy to know when to apply fungicide. The key is advance planning, he said.

“I encourage growers to think about it earlier, plan for it earlier and be prepared to pull the trigger and do it when it needs to be done,” he said.

Fungicide application usually provides about seven to 14 days of protection. If producers only choose to apply fungicide once, they should apply it during the flag-leaf stage. If fungicide is applied on barley, it should be done to protect the small flag leaf and penultimate leaf, and if it is applied on wheat, it should be targeted to protect the flag leaf.

“If you’re trying to protect it, you need to wait until the flag leaf emerges or is emerged, and be able to cover that,” de Milliano said.

Fungicides work mainly through contact, and do not move through the plant. Therefore, proper coverage of the plant is especially important.

Data produced by Tom Wolf, a research scientist at Agriculture Canada, found that if producers are trying to hit a vertical target, they should orient their nozzles forward. If the goal is to spray quickly without trying to hit a vertical target, nozzles should be oriented backward. Double nozzles may also improve coverage on vertical targets.

Wolf also found droplet size has less impact on fungicide application than water volume. Slower application with increased water volume always improves canopy penetration. De Milliano said both ground and aerial application have their strengths. Ground application requires more water, while aerial works better at driving the fungicide in with less Fungicide application usually provides about seven to 14 days of protection. FILE PHOTO water.

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Send agriculture-related meeting and event announcements to: will. verboven@fbcpublishing.com January 10: Towards a Local Food Economy, Location TBA 9:00 am, Edmonton. Call: Bill 780-427-4424 January 11: Good for Health Good for Business, Enjoy Centre 8:30 am, St. Albert. Call: AGINFO 800-387-6030 January 11: Towards a Local Food Economy, Provincial Bldg.

9:00 am, Grande Prairie. Call: Bill 780-427-4424 January 12: Safe Think Agriculture Course, Location TBA, Airdrie. Call: ASTEC 780753-2905 January 13: 5th Annual Stable Owners Seminar, Capri Centre 1:00 pm, Red Deer. Call: Robyn 403-420-5949 January 13: Safe Think Agriculture Course, Location TBA, Raymond. Call: ASTEC 780-753-2905 January 13/15: 30th Annual Horse Breeders & Owners Conference, Capri Centre, Red Deer. Call: Robyn 403-420-5949 January 17/18: Agronomy Update 2012, Sheraton (Capri Hotel), Red Deer. Call: AGINFO 800-387-6030 January 17/20: 2012 Banff Pork Seminar, Banff Centre, Banff.

Visit: www.banffpork.ca January 18: Cattle Behaviour, Stress, & Handling, Olds College Alumni Centre, Olds.

Call: Laura 403-652-4900 January 19: 2012 Tiffin Conference, Lethbridge College, Lethbridge. Call: Kathy 403-329-7212 January 23: AB Winter Wheat Prod Comm AGM, Westin Hotel 3:00 pm, Edmonton. Call: Elizabeth 403-345-6550 January 25: AWWPC/FarmTech Eggs & Enlightenment, Northlands 7:30 am, Edmonton Call: Elizabeth 403-345-6550 January 28: M.C. Quantock “Canada’s Bulls” Bull Sale, 450 bulls, 12 noon, Llyodminster Exhibition Grounds, Lloydminster, AB. Call Mac or Pat Creech 1-800561-2855.

10

JANUARY 2, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

There can be pain when you drain RUN-OFF REPERCUSSIONS } Advocate says society

less willing to bear the cost of farmers sending their problems downstream by helen mcmenamin

af contributor | lethbridge

Farmers need to reassess their view of wetlands and the consequences of draining them, according to Ducks Unlimited Canada.

It’s not easy for Prairie farmers who grow annual crops to see wetlands as anything other than an obstacle where tractors can get bogged down and weeds sprout up, concedes Paul Thoroughgood, an agrologist with Ducks Unlimited.

But farmers need to recognize their benefits and the repercussions that arise from draining them.

“Wetlands have an amazing ability to sequester nutrients,” says Thoroughgood.

“Nutrients are taken up by cat-

tails and other vegetation and then, after the vegetation dies down the nutrients are held in the sediments on the bottom. And the warm, shallow water of a wetland has high biological activity, so farm chemicals are broken down much more quickly than in cooler, drier field soils. Or in the river, especially if there’s rain right after you spray.”

Road damage

Thoroughgood notes that 70 per cent of wetlands, more often called Prairie potholes, in Western Canada have been drained, with losses approaching 95 per cent in some areas. But this has contributed to flood problems in the last few years, and resulted in more washed-out culverts and road damage across the Prairies.

About 70 per cent of wetlands in Western Canada have already been drained. photo: Ducks Unlimited “Road damage has been so costly in the last few years, quite a few municipalities are sending out notices forbidding landowners from draining fields,” says Thoroughgood.

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He predicts there will be increased scrutiny of what’s in the water draining off farmers’ fields and a rethink of a system in which “there’s no charge for sending farm problems downstream.”

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“It puts agriculture in the public eye,” says Thoroughgood. “If agriculture doesn’t think about (the) unintended consequences of business as usual, we could be looking at more regulations.

“Farmers have had pretty much unfettered access to chemicals and nutrients for crops. If we want freedom to operate, and maintain or gain access to some of the world’s more affluent markets, we may need to show we aren’t contributing to environmental issues downstream.”

Ducks Unlimited is a proponent of paying farmers for ecological goods and services, and argues it would be a good deal for society.

“Several European countries pay farmers for ecological goods and services. We may eventually get there, we are moving towards rewarding people for stewarding and restoring natural areas.”

Paul Thoroughgood agrologist, ducks unlimited

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Studies done in Canada have shown major benefits of wetlands, including higher groundwater recharge, sediment retention and significantly reduced levels of nitrogen and phosphorus.

However Thoroughgood says farmers in most areas of Alberta aren’t likely to see payments for preserving wetlands in the near future.

“Several European countries pay farmers for ecological goods and services,” he says. “We may eventually get there, we are moving towards rewarding people for stewarding and restoring natural areas.”

Ducks Unlimited is working on a protocol that would allow Alberta farmers to sell greenhouse gas credits for the carbon sequestered in wetlands.

But even without direct payments, there is a benefit if farmers adopt a new approach to drainage, Thoroughgood says.

“Retaining and restoring wetlands may be an opportunity for farmers to show urban people that agriculture as a whole is doing its part to preserve and improve the environment,” says Thoroughgood.

11

NEW PROTOCOL FOR GHG CALCULATIONS

MODEL BEHAVIOUR  Proponents say a wheat commission modelled after the Canola Council

of Canada would boost research and make wheat growing more profitable

BY ALEXIS KIENLEN

®

Interest in new wheat producers’ agency growing across province

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A new conservation cropping protocol for calculating greenhouse gas credits came into effect on Jan. 1. It introduces more detailed evidence and verification requirements for obtaining carbon offset credits. Farmers may use the existing tillage protocol to register historical offsets for practice changes between 2002 and 2011, although these must be documented, verified and registered prior to Mar. 31, 2012. More information about agricultural offset opportunities is available online at www.agriculture.alberta. ca/agcarbonoffsets or by contacting the Ag-Info Centre at 310-FARM (3276).

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 2, 2012

“We see this as an opportunity to enhance grower profitability through research and market development.”

Australia, which produces about the same amount of wheat as Canada, is investing four times as much in research. PHOTO: BAYER similar in structure to the Canola Council of Canada, he said.

“I was on the board of directors of the Canola Council of Canada and it worked extremely well,” said Porozni. “We growers worked side by side with all of the industry players and it is an absolute success. We need to get there with cereals and this is how we get there.”

The steering committee includes representatives from the Alberta Winter Wheat Producers Commission, the Alberta Barley Commission, the Alberta Canola Producers Commission, the Alberta Soft Wheat Producers Commission, and the Western Grains Research Foundation.

“The reason we have that kind of a

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group is that we are showing that we want to work together with all sectors of industry to make this work,” said Porozni.

Including all wheats

The move for the all-inclusive wheat commission has been building for about three years. In 2008, the Alberta Winter Wheat Producers Commission proposed an all-inclusive wheat commission be formed in Alberta in order to acquire more funds for wheat research.

“Winter wheat and soft wheat only represent about five per cent of the wheat grown in Alberta,” said Porozni.

Checkoff money from that group was largely spent on administrative

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costs, with very little money left for research and development.

Once an Alberta wheat commission is up and running, it should be able to invest about $3 million into research and market development each year, said Porozni.

It’s expected a provincial wheat commission would also work closely with the Western Canadian Research Foundation and the Canadian International Grains Institute.

Porozni urged the producers present at the three canola growers’ meetings he’s addressed to voice their support for the idea to the minister of agriculture.

The

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A

group of Alberta farmers is pushing for the establishment of a provincial wheat commission, saying it could help unite wheat producers and drive more money into cereal research.

“We see this as an opportunity to enhance grower profitability through research and market development,” said Greg Porozni, a grain producer from Willingdon who is a member of the steering committee composed of representatives from cereal groups.

The committee has been making presentations at Alberta Canola Producers Commission regional meetings to drum up support for the proposed commission.

At present, only a small amount of grower funds is given to the Western Grains Research Foundation for research and market development. Canada is only putting about $20 million into grains research, and that’s not nearly enough, said Porozni. Australia, which produces the same amount of wheat as Canada, is currently putting about $80 million into plant breeding and research, said Porozni, adding his group would like to see an Alberta wheat commission set up Aug. 1, 2012.

“Ultimately we are hoping that Saskatchewan and Manitoba will also come on side,” Porozni said.

One of the long-range goals is to form a Cereal Council of Canada,

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JANUARY 2, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Farmers and ranchers “an endangered species?”

No solution } Roger Epp says industrial farming won’t revive rural communities,

or provide food security to cities by shannon vanraes staff

The rural landscape is changing, and not for the better.

“Farm and ranch people are an endangered species, without the benefit of protective legislation,” Roger Epp told farmers attending a recent grazing conference in Winnipeg.

“Their habitat has also become subject to persistent encroachment over time.”

Agriculture and rural life on the Prairies were once so closely intertwined, they were seen as inseparable — but that view has changed, said Epp, a political scientist and author of We are All Treaty People: Prairie Essays and a co-editor of Writing Off the Rural West.

“Increasingly, experts and policy-makers are tempted to disconnect the future of rural communities from the future of agriculture, because they see these paths diverging,” he said.

Roger Epp speaks to farmers and ranchers about the future of rural communities. photo: Shannon VanRaes That issue shouldn’t be used to justify a push towards even larger farms, lower margins and

further rural depopulation, he said.

“Sometimes this is dressed up

in moral terms,” he said. “There is an obligation on the part of farmers to feed a hungry world — to pick a phrase out of the air — it sounds like a corporate slogan.”

Farmers need to stop thinking of themselves as “producers” and start thinking more about local food production, he said.

The yield difference between industrial farm operations and smaller farms is negligible, and local production is key to creating food security and bringing people back to the rural landscape, he said.

“A shift towards local production, not as a fad, not as a solution (with a) capital S, but as a way of helping to tilt the balance away from this single-minded, longdistance, few-processing-point system,” said the professor.

Local food

In Camrose, Epp spearheaded a program to use locally produced food in the university cafeteria,

which required creating demand, developing value chains and working creatively in a colder environment. It didn’t happen overnight, but two years later the cafeteria is sourcing 80 per cent of its food from local farmers.

“It is possible,” he said.

Farmers should be able to make a decent profit without having to have massive operations, said Epp, noting that while farmers’ share of profits has fallen in recent years, those of agribusiness have increased steadily.

It’s no small task, but farmers and ranchers need to address the future of rural communities and farming now, before another generation slips away, he said.

“Who will own the countryside? Who will produce food?

Who will have access to farm knowledge and on what terms... who will care for the land?” said Epp. “These are the questions of food security, and they are questions we need to ask.”

Profound shift

That is a profound shift, said Epp, a professor at the University of Alberta and founding dean of its Augustana Campus in Camrose.

There was a time when national policy saw Prairie settlement as integral to grain production, he said. To that end, a national railway system was developed, treaties signed, experimental farms set up, and immigrants recruited.

That view changed in the 1960s, specifically in 1969 when a federal report followed the American lead pointing to larger farms and a move away from the “homestead” model, said Epp. Since that time the number of farms and farm families has dwindled across Canada. According to Statistics Canada, the number of farmers dropped by 40 per cent between 1998 and 2001.

“Rural Canada, especially rural Western Canada, is in trouble,” he said. “The most striking disappearance for me, as I look at it, is not the disappearances of the... country grain elevator, which didn’t take very long, it’s the disappearance of the farmers.”

Today, government’s focus is shifting away from producers and towards production, and that’s not a good thing for farmers, said Epp.

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He pointed to the current attention on how global food production needs to be ramped up in order to feed a burgeoning population and rising middle class.

“The most striking disappearance for me, as I look at it, is not the disappearances of the... country grain elevator, which didn’t take very long, it’s the disappearance of the farmers.”

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Albertafarmexpress.ca • january 2, 2012

CWB fusarium programs to disappear Discounts } U.S. experience suggests private grain companies won’t offer special blending programs for infected wheat by allan dawson staff

Farmers plagued with fusarium head blight are likely to see deeper discounts in the wake of the Canadian Wheat Board’s monopoly, the board’s agronomist Mike Grenier says.

“I think you’ll see deep discounts pretty quickly on an individual year,” Grenier said during the recent 7th Canadian Workshop on Fusarium Head Blight.

“I guess you just have to look south of the border with acreage down there and how it has been pushed out of the fusariuminfected area.”

In Minnesota and North Dakota, farmers have switched to more corn and soybean production, partly because fusarium-infected wheat returns less, Grenier said in response to a question from Dale Hicks, an Outlook, Sask. farmer and director with Winter Cereals Canada. Hicks noted the wheat board blends fusarium-infected

wheat with sound wheat to reduce the impact on farmers.

“This (open market) is really going to change things for us,” Hicks said. “I fear the onus is going to fall right back on us (farmers).”

While the wheat board passes the benefits of blending back to farmers, in an open market each farmer will deal with a grain company, Grenier said in an interview.

If the fusarium discounts are severe enough, farmers will be forced to either haul their wheat farther to another elevator offering a blending benefit or find another market such as feed or ethanol, he said.

Switching

Although some farmers, especially in Manitoba’s Red River Valley, have been switching to other crops such as corn and soybeans, planting a cereal crop in the rotation is almost unavoidable, Grenier said.

Tackling head blight with tolerant varieties is key, he said, adding farmers need to be encouraged to grow the most tolerant varieties

to estimate the potential DON level in infected wheat. There used to be a close relationship between damaged kernels and DON, but in the last few years the amount of DON has increased relative to the damage, Grenier said. Researchers aren’t sure why.

Divergence

Individual companies may be less able to blend than the CWB. file photo available. Grenier also questioned the wisdom of registering new vulnerable varieties to be grown outside the head blight area when the disease is spreading farther west.

Canada’s shrunken grain-handling system is already challenged by fusarium head blight, a fungal disease that reduces wheat yields

and quality. It also sometimes produces the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON), which when consumed above certain levels, is harmful to livestock and humans.

Part of the problem is knowing how much DON is in a shipment of wheat. Right now the number of fusarium-damaged kernels is used

As a result the wheat board is gathering more wheat samples directly from farmers in the fall and testing it for DON, he said. When DON levels are high, the CWB segregates the infected wheat and offers farmers special programs blending infected wheat with sound wheat to offset the damage.

Private grain handlers are also testing wheat for DON to meet the wheat board’s sales requirements, said Joe Girdner, James Richardson International’s vice-president of wheat marketing.

Elevator companies have 16 to 24 hours to load a 100-car train, which effectively means there is less than 10 minutes to load each car.

“You don’t really have time to stop and check what you’ve got,” Girdner said. “You’ve got to know what you’ve got before you put it into the car.”

The fact that Canada has one of the smallest commercial handling systems among the world’s wheat exporters adds to the complexity, he said.

In 1980, there were 3,000 elevators across the West, but there are now fewer than 500, and storage capacity has dropped to six million tonnes, compared to nine million previously. Meanwhile, annual crop production now averages around 50 million tonnes (up from 40 million 20 years ago) largely because of higher canola yields and less summerfallow.

Removing damaged kernels

T:10”

Regular grain cleaners are not very good at removing fusariumdamaged kernels, Girdner said.

Richardson sometimes uses gravity tables, which are effective, but slow as they can process only 15 to 20 tonnes of wheat an hour.

“The problem is what do you do with the stuff that you’ve cleaned out? About the only place you can take it is to the dump,” he said.

Fusarium head blight isn’t just an issue with wheat, it’s also a problem in six-row malting barley, said Pat Rowan, a buyer with Busch Agriculture Resources Canada, owned by InBev Inc., the world’s largest brewer.

“It has changed how we do business in the last 10 years,” he said.

The company samples and tests barley for DON and has learned DON levels can be reduced by storing barley, but only when the toxin is on the surface of the kernel, said Rowan. As a result, some barley is stored for up to nine months, he said.

Washing and steeping can reduce DON levels as well. Infected barley also has to be segregated.

All those measures add cost to the process, Rowan said.

Meanwhile, North American farmers are planting less malting barley.

“Malt barley has become a specialty crop and as such, we have to work that much harder to get the farmer to grow it,” he said.

“Right now the U.S. has four million acres — the lowest it has ever been. You have to contract every bushel.

“In Canada we’re contracting more and more. It hasn’t got to the point yet where we’re concerned about the acreage.”

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JANUARY 2, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Alberta Pork embarks on cost-ofproduction study

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BENCHMARK STUDY }

Participants wanted for project that aims to boost profits of pork producers by alexis kienlen af staff | leduc

Knowing your cost of production is key to boosting profits, but many farmers still don’t adequately track their costs That’s why Alberta Pork is undertaking a three-year cost-ofproduction pilot project.

“This should enhance your position domestically and internationally and in those marketplaces,” Darcy Fitzgerald, Alberta Pork’s executive director told attendees at the organization’s annual general meeting.

Participants in the pilot project will submit financial data quarterly 4188-2K and receive back reports showing their individual cost-of-producDECEMBER 8, 2011 tion and aggregate number for the entire group. The aggregate report will contain the average, highest SYNGENTA and lowest costs of production from all of the participants.

CRUISER MAXX CEREALS AD“Everybody’s information is HURDLE confidential as individuals, it’s just rolled into the bigger picture,” said ALBERTA FARMER EXPRESS Fitzgerald.

This project will examine all production systems (farrow to finish, CHRISTINE farrow to wean, multi-site) and • cover all three regions in Alberta (south, central8.125" andXnorth).

It will 10" also determine the cost of production of240% hogs going to different markets and measure the effect of ________________ health status on cost of production and what is the most effective pro______________ __ duction system. ________________ _ So far, 23 producers have signed up, but at least__________________ 32 are needed. _ Alberta Pork is in the process of approaching consultants for the project.

“Really, we’re hoping to get this rolling in early 2012, and have all the producers lined up and start collecting data,” said Fitzgerald.

“If we all work together on this and collect the information, we’re going to see some good cost-ofproduction information and be able to take it forward.”

The project committee includes representatives from Alberta Agriculture, Alberta Pork and SaskPork.

Funding is coming from ALMA and Alberta Pork. Any producer who is interested in participating should contact Murray Roeske, pork industry manager with Alberta Pork, at 780-440-8461 or murray. roeske@albertapork.com.

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Darcy Fitzgerald is looking for more producers to participate in the study. photo: alexis kienlen 4188_2I_CruiserMaxxCereals_W_Hurdles Ad_AlbertaFarmerExpress.indd 1

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15

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 2, 2012

Land smarts drive “Cadillac beef” opportunities FOUNDATION  The Environmental Farm Plan is a key building block for winners of the 2012 stewardship award

BY MERISTEM MEDIA

Up in Alberta’s Peace Country, about an hour north of Grand Prairie where the Peace River meanders close to the Spirit River, Christoph Weder and family view the business of beef from a unique vantage point.

It’s one that blends pristine geography with hard-earned ranching know-how, staunch family values, a “pay it forward” attitude and a focused entrepreneurial drive that would hold up among the best in the high-rises of downtown Edmonton or Calgary.

The Weders are a success story for achieving a lifestyle and business approach that fit well together.

Not only does the family enjoy life on the open range and the freedom to make a livelihood on their own terms, they have forged a unique and expanding business alliance as founders of the Prairie Heritage Beef group, a partnership of western Canadian ranching families who market a premium beef brand across the country and internationally.

Last month, Alberta Beef Producers presented Christoph and his wife Erika with the 2012 Environmental Stewardship Award (ESA).

Christoph says a strong focus on environmental stewardship is the critical ingredient that binds the family’s personal and business values together. This, he says, is the foundation of the success of his operation. It’s also, he believes, an increasingly important role and opportunity for all Canadian beef producers.

“We have a philosophy that we’re basically caretakers of the land,” says Weder. “Everything flows from that. We produce beef and we want to do well at it, but we know that doesn’t happen the way we want it to without taking care of the land first.

“We’ve always felt, like the saying goes, that we’re borrowing the land from our future generations.

We know the most important job we’re really doing is managing resources so our next generations have something decent to work with.”

Template for progress

What separates Weder from the pack and makes his viewpoints more than platitudes is that he has hung his hat firmly on this approach. It’s not just a nice outlook. It’s what he’s living every day and what he and his partners are banking on.

In addition to operating the ranch, which includes 500 breeding cows and an equivalent number of yearlings, Weder travels across the country and internationally as part of his role handling marketing and sales for Prairie Heritage. He is also an active writer, farm consultant and speaker who preaches what he practices. It’s a busy life but one he relishes. “There’s nothing else I’d rather be doing,” he says.

Weder’s operation, Spirit View Ranch, and others across Alberta and B.C. he has partnered with under Prairie Heritage Beef, stand as examples of how environmental stewardship can benefit a beef operation, both from production and marketing perspectives. A key component of his approach, he says, is the Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) process, which his operation has used as a template.

The EFP is a tool available in Alberta and other provinces that farmers and ranchers can use to assess and improve their environ-

mental stewardship, at a direction and pace they choose themselves.

“My wife, Erika, was the one who really saw the potential in EFP,” says Weder. Through her efforts we were the first producer in Peace Country to get an EFP done back in 2004. That was one of the best moves we ever made. It provided the road map for making sure our operation was well run from an environmental perspective, and that has been the core of our business approach.”

Whole farm approach, clear benefits

Many of the specific upgrades and practice improvements the Weders implemented through their involvement with EFP were things they planned to do regardless, but the EFP process provided a “whole farm” thorough, methodical process to direct their planning and help ensure all opportunities were considered. An EFP is also a recog-

nized program that producers can point to with customers and others, as assurance they are operating in an environmentally responsible way.

Prairie Heritage Beef mandates that all producers involved have an EFP, and Weder believes this attribute has rising currency with beef buyers.

“We see ourselves producing ‘Cadillac beef.’ When you’re in the premium market game, the more good standards and attributes you can tie to your product the better you are positioned.

“We’re finding the same customers who want no hormones, no antibiotics also want to know the environment is being taken care of. I expect this is also becoming more important for beef customers in general as there’s more focus on the environment all the time.”

More information on EFPs in Alberta at www.albertaefp.com Meristem Media articles at www.meristem.com

Christoph Weder works with others across Alberta and B.C. to produce and market the Prairie Heritage Beef brand.

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16

news » livestock

JANUARY 2, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

virus hits Dutch, German livestock

Feds back Quebec SRM R+D

A new virus has hit Dutch and German farms, killing lambs and making cows sick, the Dutch Economics and Agriculture Ministry said Dec. 16. The so-called Schmallenberg virus, called after the German town where it was first found last month, was diagnosed at one Dutch sheep farm in the brains of lambs who were born with a deformed neck or head or stiff joints. The Schmallenberg virus has also been diagnosed at several cattle farms in the Netherlands after a test at eight farms where cows had suffered from diarrhea, fever and reduced milk production and recovered, the ministry said.

A southern Quebec manufacturer of slaughter, cutting and deboning equipment has picked up over $400,000 in federal funds to develop new ways of removing specified risk materials (SRMs) from carcasses at abattoirs. Industries Riopel will get over $404,000 from the federal Slaughter Waste Innovation Program (SWIP), the government said Dec. 16. The funding is meant to back two separate research and development projects to maximize the removal of SRMs and high-risk tissues.

“The performance of the flock is really just the sum of the performance of each individual.”

Manage the individuals, not the flock, to boost profits NUMBERS MATTER } RFID tools capture data more

easily and allow for quicker and easier analysis by alexis kienlen af staff | leduc

S

heep producers can improve productivity and reduce costs by using RFID tools to inform their management decisions, a new study has found.

“It’s about measuring and identifying individual animals to raise the performance of the overall flock, selecting the best and getting rid of the worst,” said Tony Stoltz, project coordinator with the Alberta Sheep RFID project.

“Technology involves chang-

“It’s about measuring and identifying individual animals to raise the performance of the overall flock, selecting the best and getting rid of the worst.”

Tony Stoltz

ing how we work and do business,” added Susan Hosford, Alberta Agriculture’s business development specialist for the sheep/lamb industry.

“Electronic technology is the power tool that makes data collection, analysis and managing flock productivity potentially easier than it has been in the past.”

Stoltz and others are collecting and analyzing cost-of-production data from producers participating in an RFID sheep study in Alberta and the Canadian National Sheep identification pilot project.

The data shows three things significantly boost profitability: feeding better, reducing labour costs, and improving productivity of the flock, said Stoltz.

Feed is the biggest cost for Alberta sheep producers and in order to reduce costs, producers should feed the right amounts and the right nutrients to meet the different nutritional needs of individuals in the flock.

“What we’ve seen in the pilot project is there’s a huge variation in food costs from the topperforming managers to the bottom-performing managers,” said Hosford. “What this says is that there’s a huge opportunity for managers to improve profitability if they can improve feed management.”

Programs such as SHEEP

BYTES, a ration-balancing program, can help producers identify feed needs, how much feed is required at each stage of production, and annual feed costs.

“You can then go back to your notes and see how much you spent on your feed, and see if there’s a problem,” said Stoltz.

“The theory should back up cost to reality.”

RFID systems allow a producer to focus on the individual rather than the flock, he said.

“The performance of each individual matters,” said Stoltz.

“The performance of the flock is really just the sum of the performance of each individual.”

Labour is the second-highest cost in sheep production, and producers in the national study found electronic weighing, sorting and handling systems significantly reduce labour requirements. Again there was a wide variation in labour costs between individual farms, with some spending double compared to similar-size operations.

Some operators were unaware their costs were so high, noted Stoltz.

“Labour is one of the highest costs, and accounts for 26.5 per cent of the cost of a sheep operation,” he added.

The third profit booster was breeding the best ewes to good sires to improve overall productivity. Integrating the

Susan Hosford, business development specialist for the sheep/lamb industry with Alberta Agriculture and Tony Stoltz, project co-ordinator with the Alberta Sheep RFID project. photo: Alexis Kienlen sheep data with an enterprisespecific accounting system can also improve productivity, and allow producers to keep track of key factors, such as conception rates, lambing percentages, and survival rates.

“The bottom line is that you figure out how many lambs are available to go to the market,” Stoltz said.

It’s not always easy to spot problems but knowing your

numbers — and how they compare — is key to sound business management, he said.

“When we went around to some of the farms, there were some that knew their labour costs or feed costs, but they didn’t know if these things were issues,” he said.

As well as knowing current costs, Stoltz also recommends setting specific targets for improvement.

photo: lorraine stevenson

17

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 2, 2012

Stress in calves comes from many sources straight from the hip } Research shows that excretory

and tissue shrink happen simultaneously By brenda schoepp

R

esearchers have worked for years to find a way to reduce morbidity and mortality in stressed calves. Stressors such as weaning, standing without feed and water, extensive journeys on trucks, sorting, commingling and lack of planning all contribute to sickness and disease. Dr. Andy Cole from Bushland, Texas, wrote the handbook on handling stressed calves and he reminds us that getting stressed calves to eat after they arrive is of the utmost importance. Interestingly, whether the calves eat or not, largely depends on what happens to them before they arrive.

Simple management practices often determine the future performance of the calf.

For example, if you wean off the cow and leave castration and dehorning until later in the year, it will be costly. Dehorning and castration 30 days prior to sale will result in a three per cent reduction in weaning weight. It may not seem like much but a three per cent reduction in a 600-pound calf is an extra loss to the seller of $28.80. Weaning and castration should occur early in the calf’s life to allow for the calf to regain weight from the stress of the procedure.

In preparing calves for sale, creep feeding does have its advantages. Those calves that had limit creep feeding for 30 to 60 days weaned at two per cent heavier and tended to go on feed quicker after weaning. A little goes a long way in improved health as well.

These same calves on limit creep feed for 30-60 days experienced 20 per cent less sickness, 25 per cent less death loss and a better feed conversion by three per cent after arrival in the feedyard.

The killer in shipping calves a long distance is weight loss, known as shrink. Cattle are sensitive to light, movement and sound. They start to lose weight as soon as their comfort zone is challenged. Dr. Temple Grandin from Colorado State University says that cattle have a 360-degree panoramic vision with the exception of one blind spot directly behind them, and they lack depth perception directly in front of them. All activity around cattle is observed and responded to. Getting livestock to move ahead over a puddle, small ditch or shadow on the ground can be difficult because the cattle find it so traumatic. Facilities that are not solid sided cause calves distress as they are distracted and disorientated by all the action around them.

Shrinkage

When it comes to weight loss or shrink, there are two types — excretory shrink, which is the loss of weight from the gut, and tissue shrinkage, which is from the tissue and organs. Industry has always known that tissue shrinkage is costly to buyer and seller and that calves take longer to recover, but presumed that excretory shrink occurred first. Dr. Cole found that most of the shrinkage in calves occurred within the first four hours of standing, sorting, loading and transporting and that both excretory and tissue shrinkage occurred simultaneously. “Tissue shrinkage begins immediately

and is 50 per cent of shrinkage at any given time,” he says.

Livestock owners can no longer assume that a little stress does not have implications to the longterm health of the animal. If tissue shrinkage is occurring at the same rate and at the same time as excretory shrinkage then all stress is costly to the owner and the calf. Six per cent shrinkage on a 600-pound calf means a loss of $57.60.

Mixing calves has a detrimental effect on both weight loss and health. Calves that are mixed with other calves or cattle that are not of their own, shrink half again as much as those sold and loaded separately. For example, if the total shrinkage on a group of calves is projected to be eight per cent, then the mixed calves will be at 12 per cent loss of body weight.

On today’s market that would be an additional loss of $38.40 per head over the eight per cent.

Canadian research also supports that calves which suffer excessive shrinkage have a high level of morbidity and mortality.

And just as the Cole research indicated, Canadian researchers confirm that mixing calves intensifies stress because of the social adjustment and the spread of disease.

How cattle are handled from the start will have a huge impact on your pay weight and the calf’s health and well-being. Cole suggests that when they arrive, stressed calves be allowed to rest before processing and that they will respond best to mediumquality forage or hay that is supplemented to bring the protein level to 14 per cent and the ration have the maximum allowable levels of

calcium, phosphorus and potassium. Exposing a stressed calf to a highly concentrated diet escalates both morbidity and mortality.

One of the best management practices remains vaccination prior to sale with vaccinated calves suffering 30 per cent less sickness and 40 per cent less death loss than non-vaccinated calves.

Stressed calves on arrival need to rest and adequate nutrition yet these stressors can be largely avoided.

As we go into the new year, consider a plan for both reducing the stress on calves and for handling stressed calves. Mapping out the sort, ensuring facilities are in order, avoiding starvation and dehydration, selling direct to avoid commingling, castrating and dehorning early and a vaccination protocol are some of the best man-

Interestingly, whether the calves eat or not, largely depends on what happens to them before they arrive.

agement practices that contribute to the health of the calf and the economic well-being of the farm.

Brenda Schoepp is a market analyst and the owner and author of Beeflink, a national beef cattle market newsletter. A professional speaker and industry market and research consultant, she ranches near Rimbey, Alberta. beeflink@ cciwireless.ca

18

JANUARY 2, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

©istock

Pork exports promising but domestic market is a worry CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC } Prices are up and herd size has stabilized

but securing vital export markets a cause for concern by alexis kienlen af staff | leduc

Hog prices are up, but pork producers still face many challenges, says the chair of the Canadian Pork Council.

The sector is only beginning to recover the recent industry crisis, Jurgen Preugschas told attendees at the recent Alberta Pork annual general meeting.

“In January of ’09 and ’08, the contraction was absolutely huge — there was more than a 7.5 per cent reduction on a year-to-year basis,” he said, adding there has been very little change in the breeding herd in the past year.

“Hopefully over time, we may see some rejuvenation and increase.”

The number of hogs slaughtered last year in Canada was about 26 million, well below the peak of 32 million, and pork consumption continues to drop in Canada.

That’s also true in the U.S., but the per capita decline is more pronounced here.

“This is one of the reasons that we’re looking at a domestic marketing initiative,” said Preugschas.

“We need to get that share back because we know we have the product. Maybe we haven’t been doing the right thing with our partners in terms of a marketing strategy.”

Domestic strategy

Canada Pork International and the Canadian Meat Council are working together to create a domestic marketing strategy, with the former looking to hire a domestic marketing vice-president in the near future.

“For the first time, we actually have the domestic packers and processors agreeing to fund a domestic marketing initiative,” Preugschas said.

Canada is also importing more pork, mostly from the U.S., due to the high Canadian dollar.

“This year, we’ll bring over 200,000 tons of imported pork into Canada,” Preugschas said.

“The amount coming in from

the U.S. is virtually the same as what we’ve exported. We have increased our exports to the U.S. as well, but the imports are just as high, and much of that is highervalue product.”

Preugschas also warned producers not to expect quick benefits from a recent WTO against Washington’s controversial country-of-origin labelling legislation.

“The U.S. can, and probably will, appeal this decision and this will stretch it out until the presidential election, before any fixes take place,” he said. “There aren’t going to be immediate changes.”

Canadian pork exports to Japan

Farm on.

“For the first time, we actually have the domestic packers and processors agreeing to fund a domestic marketing initiative.”

Jurgen Preugschas

decreased slightly this past year, but exports to Russia, South Korea, and China and Hong Kong grew dramatically, he said, adding South Korea, which imported 73,750 tonnes of Canadian pork this year, has become a crucial market for Canada.

“If we don’t get a free trade deal with South Korea, that particular market could be lost to us entirely and go to the U.S. and that is going to be about $300 million in 2011. It’s 10 per cent of our Canadian exports. It’s an absolutely important market for us.”

Regional trade deals are becoming much more important as WTO trade talks are going nowhere, he said.

“Another really important deal is the EU,” he said. “We have high hopes on that. The federal government has told us that deal should be done in 2012. It could have a pretty significant effect on some of the products that we have difficulty selling in other parts of the world.”

Australia and the EU are putting more stipulations on animal welfare in their trade negotiations, which could become a non-tariff trade barrier, he said.

Other challenges come from countries, such as Russia, which are trying to reduce their dependence on exports.

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Canadian Pork Council chair Jurgen Preugschas warns that COOL resolution may take a while yet. photo: Alexis Kienlen

19

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 2, 2012

Eating three meals a day is for people, not horses horse health } Ideally, horses should eat small amounts throughout the day By carol shwetz, dvm

H

ealthy eating is about more than the feeds that horses consume. The habit of eating and the way the horse eats engages it physically, mentally and emotionally, nourishing the horse beyond the nutrients and calories consumed.

Modern feeding practices often stray significantly from favourable ways to feed horses. These seemingly small infractions over time contribute to various metabolic, gastrointestinal and mental illnesses. Even the simple headdown posture adopted when horses eat naturally has a purpose — it encourages drainage and thus cleansing of respiratory passages.

By nature’s design, the horse is a trickle feeder, engaged in eating many, many hours of the day.

Under ideal circumstances, eating is coupled with movement in horses, rightfully so as their gastrointestinal track depends on this movement for digestion. Beyond satisfying the horse’s nutritional needs, this activity brings emotional and mental balance.

Horses managed as meal feeders, consuming their daily rations in a short period of time, often develop stereotypic behaviours and stable vices such as cribbing, wood chewing, and weaving. Horses managed in such a manner frequently experience digestive distress such as stomach ulcers as well.

You may be surprised at the volume of 20 pounds of grass hay.

Behaviour is also intertwined with feeding style as the behaviours of a hunger-driven horse can quickly escalate into what is perceived as ill manners.

As a result of frequent forage eating, horses have evolved to continually secrete hydrochloric acid into their stomachs. To offset this acid flow, horses rely on the buffering capacity of continual saliva production stimulated by chewing.

When this balance is upset, such as occurs in meal feeding, gastric ulcers are probable. Metabolic balance is also taxed when horses rapidly consume feeds, especially rich feeds. Since the horse’s metabolic machinery is designed to regulate a slow, steady, mild influx of nutrients, especially glucose, ongoing bombardment of blood sugar spikes, as is common in modern management, inflicts considerable metabolic damage over time. This is especially troublesome for the easy-keeping equines.

Many factors influence the way we feed horses, seasonal variation being the largest. In the winter, supervised pawing of wellstocked forage pastures is ideal yet is not always available or possible.

Horses thrive from the movement and simple nutrition inherent in this practice.

more involved whether hay is fed indoors or outdoors. Since the amount of hay that the horse will consume is the first practical piece of information needed, it is advisable to weigh feeds, not every day, but certainly long enough that one becomes familiar with how volume and weight correlate. You may be surprised at the volume of 20 pounds of grass hay, for this is approximately the weight of hay required by a 1,000pound horse. Quality forages are long stemmed and naturally high in fibre content. These quality forage diets, particularly the grasses, are intimately connected with beneficial horse-feeding practices, as the sheer volume of well-chosen forages creates busywork for horses.

FarmTech 2012

Global Perspectives...

Local Knowledge

Join us... Jan. 24-26

Edmonton EXPO CENTRE at Northlands

FarmTech 2012 Speakers General Rick Hillier Former Chief of the Defence Staff Canadian Forces

Glen Hodgson Senior Vice-President and Chief Economist Conference Board of Canada

John Shmorhun President & CEO - Harmelia Holdings 73,000 ha farm in the Ukraine

James Peck Managing Director & Nuffield Scholar P.X. Farms Ltd. Contract farming agri-business in England

Gerry Dee Award Winning Comedian FarmTech 2012 Banquet

Weigh feed

When green grasses are not available, dried forages become the mainstay of the horse’s diet and as a result management becomes

Even the simple head-down posture adopted when horses eat naturally has a purpose. photo: laura rance

FarmTech 2012 is Proudly Hosted By:

FarmTech 2012 promises to be bigger and better than ever.

The Edmonton EXPO Centre is allowing FarmTech to grow to meet the demand: more participants, more educational sessions, bigger meeting rooms, and a bigger tradeshow.

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ACTS II

ALBERTA CONSERVATION TILLAGE SOCIETY II

20 Agriculture Hall of Fame nominations sought

ADVICE

OPPORTUNITIES

ACCESS

AGRI-NEWS The Alberta Agriculture Hall of Fame is accepting nominations to honour individuals who have made significant contributions to Alberta’s agriculture and agri-food industry. Every two years, Alberta’s Agriculture Hall of Fame recognizes up to three Albertans whose outstanding leadership, innovation and business practices have advanced Alberta’s agriculture and food industry at the community, provincial, national or international level.

Since 1951, the Alberta Agriculture Hall of Fame has celebrated the accomplishments of men and women who have dedicated their lives to agriculture and their rural communities. The 123 inductees have been innovators and risk-takers in every area of agriculture from innovative farming techniques to scientific accomplishments, creating value-added products and other outstanding contributions that have had a lasting, positive impact on agriculture. The 2012 inductees will be honoured in Edmonton next October at a celebration ceremony.

More information about the Hall of Fame and nomination forms can be found at www.agriculture.alberta.ca/ halloffame, or by calling 780422-0492. The deadline for nominations is April 30, 2012.

JANUARY 2, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

BREAKFAST BUFFET IS OPEN

A herd of sheep keep their feet out of the freshly fallen snow while eating breakfast south of Carseland.

PHOTO: KEVIN LINK

, means 0 ag retail locations 26 er ov at , ts uc od ce erent pr a high performan us pl , ds More than 200 diff an br t pu sure ading crop in t it takes to make ha access to all the le w ’s at Th . ts uc label prod u need it. line-up of private hen and where yo w , ed ne u yo t ha you get w

viterra.ca

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JANUARY 2, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

SEED/FEED MISCELLANEOUS Grain Wanted BUYING HEATED/DAMAGED PEAS, FLAX & GRAIN “On Farm Pickup” Westcan Feed & Grain 1-877-250-5252 BUYING SPRING THRASHED CANOLA & GRAIN “On Farm Pickup” Westcan Feed & Grain 1-877-250-5252

BOW VALLEY TRADING LTD.

WE BUY DAMAGED GRAIN Wheat, Barley, Oats, Peas, etc.

Green or Heated Canola/Flax

ENTERTAINMENT SPIRITUAL PSYCHIC PREDICTIONS, TAROT cards, palm readings, past life readings, revealing the past, explaining the present, unfolding the future! Spiritual reader will help you in all problems in life! Such as, love, any type of business transactions, private and confidential readings, and also call for one free question. (403)510-2902

FARM MACHINERY Haying & Harvesting – Baling WANTED: Jd 7810 c/w fel & 3pth; sp or pto bale wagon; JD or IHC end wheel drills. Small square baler. (877)330-4477

BALE MASTER

HEATED & GREEN CANOLA • Competitive Prices • Prompt Movement • Spring Thrashed “ON FARM PICK UP”

1-877-250-5252

CALL US 1-866-388-6284 www.milliganbiotech.com

BUILDING & RENOVATIONS BUILDING & RENOVATIONS Building Supplies STEEL 30x36 $21,900 $41,900

BUILDINGS: Reduced Factory Inventory Reg $15,850 Now $12,600; 36x58 - Reg Now $18,800. 48x96 reg. $48,700, now 1-800-964-8335 Source: 1MW

BUSINESS SERVICES

CASE IH 8500 AIR HOE DRILL 36-ft., hyd. drive fan, loading auger, steel packers, 7 inch spacing, $9500. 780-910-6221, Westlock, AB

Built to Last 5 yr. Warranty Mikes Welding

Phone: 403-638-2393 FARM MACHINERY Haying & Harvesting – Various

BUY NEW PU REEL GET $1000 in-store credit. For MF, CCIL, IH 4000/5000 or Hesston swathers starting at $4800. Promo good up to January 15, 2012. 1-800-667-4515 www. combineworld.com

JOHN DEERE 9350 DISC DRILL 40-ft., factory transport, hyd. markers, JD grass attachment, rubber press wheels, shed most of the time, $8000. 780-910-6221, Westlock, AB

FARMING

2 JD 9870 COMBINES, loaded, GS 3 auto track, 26ft auger; 2010 900hrs, 615P header, $255,000; 2011 450hrs, PW7 header, $315,000; (403)818-2816

Advertise in the Alberta Farmer Express Classifieds, it’s a Sure Thing!

Combine ACCessories

1-888-413-3325

FARM MACHINERY Combine – Accessories

TracTors

RECONDITIONED COMBINE HEADERS. RIGID and flex, most makes and sizes; also header transports. Ed Lorenz, (306)344-4811 or Website: www.straightcutheaders.com Paradise Hill, SK.

FARM MACHINERY Parts & Accessories

FARM MACHINERY Tractors – John Deere 1998 7810 FWD, L/H reverser, w/power quad, w/JD 740 loader, always shedded, grapple fork and joy stick, w/8ft silage bucket.

(780)674-5516, 780-350-7152, Financing Available. Barrhead, AB.

FARM MACHINERY Tractors – Kubota USED KUBOTA Utility Tractors (780)967-3800, (780)289-1075 www.goodusedtractors.com

NEW WOBBLE BOXES CIH 4000/5000 $1495 JD 200/900 $995; MD old style $1275; MD new style $1695; NH 71C/ 72C/73C74C $995, CIH 1010/1020 $1550 OEM Quality. Used and rebuilt also available. www.combineworld.com 1-800-667-4515.

FARM MACHINERY Salvage

CONTRACTING CONTRACTING Custom Work SUPER CARBIDE PRODUCTS AT VW Mfg. Many products in stock! VW Mfg, Dunmore, AB, See our website: www.vwmfg.com or call (403)528-3350.

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

John Deere 1830, 60HP Diesel, 3PTH, New Rear Tires (16.9-30), New Clutch, Cab w/Heat, JD #145 Loader, $10,500

1984 International 274 Offset, Diesel Tractor, 3PTH, 540 PTO, $5500

1997 Case-IH 5220, FWA, 80HP Turbo Diesel, 3PTH, Left Hand Reverser, 8800 Hours, $12,500

780-905-8565 NISKU, ALBERTA

Combines FARM MACHINERY Combine – John Deere

1984 International 784, 67 HP Diesel, New Clutch, 3PTH, 540 + 1000 PTOs, IHC 2250 Loader, $11,500

www.doublellindustries.com

FARM CHEMICAL SEED COMPLAINTS

ASSORTED DEUTZ AND OTHER diesel engines.

KMK Sales, (800)565-0500, Humboldt, SK.

JD 4710, 4720, 4730, 4830, 4920, 4930 SP sprayers CIH 9380 Quad, c/w blade, also 440 & 500 quads JD 9770 & 9870 w/CM & duals CIH 3185, 3230, 4260, 3150, 4420 sprayers CIH Skidsteer 440 & 430 9580 Kubota, FWA, FEL, low hours 3545 MF w/FWA FEL Rogator 1064-854-664 Selection of Combine Headers & Haying Equipment

IS ENOUGH OF A GAMBLE...

2009 JD 8130 FWA, 3pth, 60/gal per min. hyds. duals, front fenders, GS2 auto track, 1150/hrs, $135,000. (403)818-2816

ENGINES

JD 9400, 9420, 9520, 8970 JD 7810 & 7210, FWA JD 9860, 9760, 9750, 9650, 9600 JD 9430, 9530, 9630 CIH 8010 w/RWD, lateral tilt, duals 900 hrs.

Case STX 375, 425, 430, 450, 480, 500, 530 CIH 8010-2388, 2188 combine 9880, 9882, 9680, 9682 NH, 4WD 3630 Spray Coupe CIH 435Q, 535Q, 450Q, pto avail.

•Phone: (403)526-9644 •Cell: (403)504-4929

BALE HANDLER 3 POINT HITCH

BUSINESS SERVICES Crop Consulting

We also specialize in: Crop Insurance appeals; Chemical drift; Residual herbicide; Custom operator issues; Equipment malfunction; Yield comparisons, Plus Private Investigations of any nature. With our assistance the majority of our clients have received compensation previously denied. Back-Track Investigations investigates, documents your loss and assists in settling your claim.

Licensed Agrologist on Staff.

For more information Please call 1-866-882-4779

FARM MACHINERY Tractors – Various

FARM MACHINERY Tillage & Seeding – Various

CANOLA WANTED

Heated, Green, Damaged Buying all levels of damaged canola. Best Prices.

Bonded, Insured.

FARM MACHINERY Tractors – Various

FARM MACHINERY Tillage & Seeding – Air Drills

FARM MACHINERY

1-877-641-2798

BUYING:

Tillage & Seeding

FARM MACHINERY Tractors – Massey Ferguson MF 1805 4WD TRACTOR, duals, fair condition, open to offers. (780)919-9985, Vermilion Area.

FARM MACHINERY Tractors – Various JD 2210, LDR, 3PTH, MFD JD 4430 c/w loader JD 4455, FWA c/w loader JD 6410 fwa, c/w loader, 3pth JD 7200, ldr, 3pth FWA, JD 7510, 740 Ldr. 3PTH Steiger ST 270, 4WD Mustang 2044 Skidsteer, 1300hrs.

14’ Schulte rock rake Clamp on duals, 20.8x38-18.4x38 IHC 5600 DT 33’ 158 & 148 JD loaders Willmar 500 Fertilizer spreader FINANCE, TRADES WELCOME 780-696-3527, BRETON, AB

FARM MACHINERY Loaders & Dozers 1995 CATERPILLAR, D5C-lgp, 6-way blade, cab, canopy, winch, 8500 hrs, good condition, $45,000.

(780)963-3850, Stony Plain, Ab. EZEE-ON Heavy loader, 2130 model, 8ft bucket, mounts to fit JD 7000 series, loader like new, Excellent condition (780)674-5516, or (780)350-7152, Barrhead, AB

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Miscellaneous 2002 JD 1820, 45-FT., 10-in. spacing, double shoot, dutch paired row, 3-1/2in steel, $30,500; 1998 Agco Star, 8425, 425-hp, 3,400-hrs, duals, auto steer, $51,500; 2004 Hesston 1365 discbine, 15ft 3in. steel rollers, swivel hitch, 2pth or draw-bar adaptor $12,500; 2004 McHale 991B bale wrapper, $9,500; (403)665-2341, Craigmyle, AB. ACREAGE EQUIPMENT: CULTIVATORS, DISCS, Plows, Blades, Post pounders, Haying Equipment, Etc. (780)892-3092, Wabamun, Ab.

50’ Flexicoil #75 Packer Bar, 1/yr as new .............Call 51’ 2009 Flexicoil 5000HD airdrill, 10” spacing, 5.5” rubber packers, SC, 5” spread openers......................Call 45’ 2002 Flexicoil 5000HD airdrill, 10” space, 4” rubber packers, DC .............................................................Call 2320 Flexicoil TBT airtank c/w seed treater .........................................................$25,000 2320 Flexicoil TBH airtank w/320 third tank .......................................................................$22,500 51 Flexicoil Bodies c/w gen. SC 4” carbide spread tip openers, like new .................................................. $3,500 9352I I Westward Swather, 2005, 800hrs., PU reel, 30’, 972 header, roto shears ..........................................$65,000 4952 I 30’ Prairie Star swather, 2005, 800hrs, 30’, 972 header, roto shears, header mover ...................$65,000 810H 25’ Hesston grain table - PU reel ..................Call 910 - 14’ MacDon hay table & crimper.........$10,000 2-CIH WD1203 swathers 2011, 240hrs, 36’ headers, PU reel, roto shears, header transports, 1yr..........................................................................$105,000/ea.

New Sakundiak 10x1200 (39.97’) 36HP, Kohler eng.

E-K mover, P/S, electric belt tightener, work lights, slim fit Eco Hopper..........................$18,000 New Sakundiak 8x1400 (45.93) auger, 27HP Kohler, E-Kay mover, P/S, electric belt tightener, work lights.....................................CNT$16,600 Used Sakundiak 8x1200 (39.97’) auger, 25HP Kohler Wheatheart mover & clutch ................... $8,750

DEINES FRONT MOUNT, ZERO turn mowers, w/flip up decks, 03-20HP 72in. reconditioned; 1-04 60in., 240hrs; 1-2010 60in., 140hrs; very good condition. See KIJIJI. Call Dean 1-800-886-9429 JD 7721 COMBINE, $3,900; JD 9340 press drills, 30ft, c/w grass attachment, $3,500; Case WDX 1101 SP swather, 25ft header, triple delivery, pu reel, $49,000; Terragator 1803 floater sprayer, 90ft booms, $29,000; (780)621-6704 LELY BROADCAST SPREADER, MODEL L1250, 3pth, 1400/lb capacity, seeds grass cereals and fertilizer, as new, $1,800; 15-1/2ft x 42in. Landroller c/w hyd. drag, holds water, exc. conditon. $3,200; (403)931-3977, 403-888-4270 RETIRED FROM FARMING, MOST machinery shedded, 1998 Peterbuilt, 460 Cummins, 18spd, w/36ft tandem Doepker grain trailer $75,000; Rock picker, $1,500; (403)586-0978, Torrington, Ab. WIRELESS DRIVEWAY ALARMS, calving/foaling barn cameras, video surveillance, rear view cameras for RV’s, trucks, combines, seeders, sprayers and augers. Mounted on magnet. Calgary, Ab. (403)616-6610. www.FAAsecurity.com

Used J208x51’ Wesfield auger, 25HP Kohler Wheatheart mover, like new.............................$7,000 Used 8x33 Buhler Farm King Auger 20HP Kohler, exc. cond......................................................$3,500 New E-Kay 7”,8”,9” Bin Sweeps...........................Call 2002 7000HD Highline bale Processor, c/w twine cutter, always shedded...........................$8,500 2004 2620 Haybuster Bale Processor, 1000 PTO all hyd. drives, like new ...................$8,000 Cattalac #360 Mixer/feed wagon, scales, always shedded, like new................................................$14,000 New demo Outback baseline X ..................$6,500 New Outback JD STS Hyd. Kit ........................$1,000 New Outback S lite guidance .............................$900 New Outback E drive X c/w free E turns .......CALL Used Outback 360 mapping...............................$750 Used Outback S guidance....................................$750 Used S2 Outback guidance.............................$1,000 WANTED: 60’ Vibrashank cultivator 50-70’ Heavy Harrows

Ron Sauer Machinery Ltd. (403) 540-7691 **Flexi-Coil, Westward MacDon Swathers, NuVision augers, Sakundiak, Farm King, Outback GPS Systems, EK Auger Movers, Sweeps, & Crop Dividers, Degelman** Sales Rep for George’s Farm Centre

ronsauer@shaw.ca

23

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 2, 2012

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Wanted WANTED: NH BALE WAGONS & retrievers, any condition. Farm Equipment Finding Service, P.O. Box 1363, Polson, MT 59860. (406)883-2118 WANTED: Small square balers and end Wheel Seed Drills, Rock Pickers, Rock Rakes, Tub grinders, also JD 1610 cultivators (403)308-1238

HEAT & AIR CONDITIONING

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

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24

} rainfall

JANUARY 2, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Aussie harvest dampened

Record India wheat output India is on track to produce a record wheat crop in 2012, Farm Minister Sharad Pawar said Dec. 19. “The wheat crop looks better than last year. As the acreage is higher and the weather conditions have become very favourable it would be a record crop this year,” he said.

In 2011, Indian farmers harvested a record 85.93 million tonnes. Pawar also said lentils output for 2011-12 would be at 18 million tonnes, slightly lower than last year. — Reuters

Australia is expected to see above-average rainfall in the January to March period over most of eastern New South Wales state, southeast Queensland and western parts of Western Australia, the weather bureau said Dec. 20. It said that the chances of receiving above-average rain in these areas was between 60-70 per cent. The forecast will add to concerns about a wet finish to the 2011-12 wheat harvest, cutting the quality of what is expected to be a record harvest of about 28 million tonnes.

The old-timers are right — it’s not as cold as it used to be white christmas } Edmonton’s chance of one has dropped

from 100 per cent to 79 per cent

by daniel bezte

I

know it is a little late for this, but a few weeks before Christmas the weather experts at Environment Canada sat down and recrunched some of the Christmas Day weather statistics and came up with some pretty interesting results. What EC did was look at the amount of snow on the ground on Christmas Day for the 18-year period from 1964 to 1982 and then another 18-year period from 1991 to 2009. The results of this study appear to confirm what most Canadians have been noticing — Christmases are not as snowy or white as they used to be.

When you look at the table that shows the overall chance of a white Christmas at various locations across Canada, the biggest thing that jumped out at me was the fact that during the 1964-82 period, there were 12 locations across Canada that had a 100 per cent chance of having a white Christmas. During the 1991 to 2009 period that fell to only five centres.

Edmonton was one. During the 1964-82 period, Edmonton had a 100 per cent chance of seeing a white Christmas, now that probability has fallen to 79 per cent.

Calgary has always had a lower chance of seeing a white Christmas, with a 75 per cent chance during the 1964-82 period, but they too have seen a dramatic drop. During the 1992-2009 period the probability for Calgary fell to only 49 per cent. In fact, if we look around Canada, nearly every site now reports a lower chance of experiencing a white Christmas. Interestingly, the three sites that show an increase

The results of this study appear to confirm what most Canadians have been noticing — Christmases are not as snowy or white as they used to be.

in the chance of having a white Christmas are all located along the coasts (Victoria, Vancouver, and St. John’s).

If you are looking for a perfect Christmas, which, according to EC, means that there is snow on the ground and Christmas Day has measureable snowfall, then you need to head out east. Goose Bay, Quebec, and Stephenville all have better than a 50 per cent chance of having a perfect Christmas. Here in Alberta the chances are not nearly as good.

Edmonton has only a 20 per cent chance and Calgary is way down at only four per cent.

Seven-year gap?

Now, before we start getting all worked up about this there are a couple of questions that need to be asked and a point or two that needs to be made. First of all, why did EC leave out the years 1983 to 1990? This then leads us to the question of why EC picked these particular 18-year periods, and why 18 years?

It might simply be tied into data availability, but it does seem a little unusual. A couple of points about this study: When you only have 18 years of data, simply having a difference of one year between the two data sets will give you a fairly large change in the final results. The fact that almost every site had a decrease does definitely give you food for thought though.

This leads me to the second weather story that came out just before Christmas. Early research looking at what possible effects the melting Arctic ice might have on mid-latitude weather, indicates that it is having an impact. The research is showing that wind speeds in the upper atmosphere (around the level of the jet stream) have been weakening over the Arctic, especially in the fall and winter when the effects of all the open water are the greatest.

A weaker jet stream is linked with more amplification of troughs and ridges of low and high pressure. Basically, a weaker jet stream is allowing ridges of high pressure to build farther north than usual, which then allows for warmer air to move farther north. Also, when we see more amplification of these

white christmas historical data City Calgary Charlottetown Edmonton Fredericton Goose Bay, N.L. Halifax Hamilton Iqaluit Kelowna Kenora London, Ont. Moncton Montreal Ottawa Penticton Quebec City Regina Saint John, N.B. Sarnia Saskatoon St. John’s, N.L. Stephenville, N.L. Thunder Bay Sudbury Sydney, N.S. Timmins, Ont. Toronto Toronto City Vancouver Victoria Whitehorse Wiarton, Ont. Windsor Winnipeg Yellowknife

Average chance (%)

Chance now (1991-2009)

Chance before (19641982)

Perfect Christmas (%)

Snow depth now (cm, 1991-2009)

Snow depth before (cm, 1964-1982)

56 80 85 78 100 58 62 100 60 100 71 73 76 82 29 98 91

47 63 79 58 100 47 63 100 42 100 63 63 68 79 21 95 89

74 95 100 84 100 63 63 100 74 100 74 84 79 79 37 100 95

4 48 20 30 53 24 26 51 26 43 33 40 25 35 11 60 38

4 8 11 7 35 3 6 18 4 23 8 10 8 17 2 21 12

6 15 17 23 64 8 5 19 9 35 9 22 16 16 5 42 15

60

41

65

36

4

11

62 96 64

32 89 63

79 100 53

19 22 24

4 11 6

7 13 9

84

74

89

64

11

22

96 95 62 98 55 47 11 11 100 84 45 98 100

89 89 47 95 42 37 21 16 100 79 37 95 100

100 100 68 100 63 47 11 11 100 84 42 100 100

38 46 47 46 13 9 4 6 27 54 4 11 27

15 20 3 32 4 4 3 3 16 16 3 14 26

24 21 9 48 6 4 2 0 28 16 3 14 25

Definitions • Average Chance: probability of a white Christmas (snow cover of 2 cm or more on Christmas morning at 7 a.m.) for full period of 55 years • Chance Now: probability for children today based on period (1991-2009) • Chance Before: probability for parents today when they were children (1964-1982)

troughs and ridges weather patterns tend to slow down or get “stuck,” which results in long periods of similar weather.

I found it interesting that at the same time EC is telling us that we are seeing Decembers with less snow, new research is pointing

• Perfect Christmas: probability of a white Christmas morning and snow in the air on Christmas day, i.e., a measurable snowfall on Christmas (1955-2007) • Snow depth Now: average depth of snowcover (cm) on Christmas morning from 1991 to 2009 • Snow depth Before: average depth of snowcover (cm) on Christmas morning from 1964 to 1982

to melting of the Arctic ice as a possible cause — something I have been talking about for a couple of years now. While the researchers do correctly point out that they can’t prove that there is a connection between changes in Arctic ice cover and

mid-latitude weather, they are also correct in saying, “The question is not whether sea ice loss is affecting the large-scale atmospheric circulation... it’s how can it not?”

I think I will explore this topic in greater detail in the future.