AFE120618 by Farm Business Communications

save on equipment! canada-u.s. study recommends single grading system » PAGE 19

winter wheat — low inputs equal low yields » PAGE 11

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Farm groups say curb Agrium’s clout Big player } Competition Bureau asked to require some farm-supply outlets to be sold By Rod Nickel

winnipeg / reuters

wo influential farm groups will urge the Competition Bureau to scale back Agrium Inc.’s proposed purchase of Viterra Inc. assets, saying Agrium might become too powerful in the sale of fertilizer and other crop supplies. In a $6.1-billion deal, global commodities giant Glencore International PLC will buy Viterra, Canada’s biggest grain handler, this summer, pending regulatory approval. It will then sell off some of Vit-

erra’s parts to farm retailer and fertilizer producer Agrium and to privately owned Canadian grain handler Richardson International Ltd. The takeover itself faces little opposition from farmers, some of whom relish the global marketing muscle Glencore would bring to the Canadian Prairies. Agrium’s role has struck a nerve, however, as it would purchase 232 Viterra farm-supply outlets in a package worth $1.15 billion, becoming the dominant Canadian retail seller of fertilizer, seed and chemicals.

One group, the Western Canadian Wheat Growers, plans to ask the Competition Bureau to force Agrium to divest some outlets in areas where there would be little competition for farmers’ dollars as a result of the deal. “Within a certain radius, there’s got to be good competition,” said Wheat Growers’ executive director Blair Rutter. Some towns have only Agriumand Viterra-owned outlets, and the Competition Bureau should also look at which independent dealers are supplied by Agrium to get a clear picture of how

much competition there is, especially in southern Alberta, Rutter said. Agrium already operates 65 Canadian stores under the Crop Production Services (CPS) banner, and is the top farm retail supplier in the United States. For Wild Rose Agricultural Producers, the largest farmer group in Alberta, Agrium’s potential dual role as Canada’s biggest nitrogen fertilizer producer and its largest farm supplier creates the most concern.

“That’s the real concerning part, having that much ownership of the fertilizer part causing us trouble down the road.” Lynn Jacobson Farmer, Wild rose president

see AGRIUM } page 6

no downpours to cope with this spring

Clay Seamans refills his seeder with barley near Dalemead, Alta. Co-operative weather has assisted many area farmers with timely planting of their crops. photo: kevin link

50 years:

u of a ag faculty celebrates anniversary } PAGE 2

NEWS » INSIDE THIS WEEK

INSIDE » INTEGRATED MEAT GRADING A Canada-U.S. study proposes a single system

JUNE 18, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

LIVESTOCK

CROPS

COLUMNISTS

MORE QUOTA WANTED

LOW INPUT, LOW RETURN

BRENDA SCHOEPP CONNECTING WITH THE SIGHTS, TASTES SMELLS AND PRODUCERS OF FOOD

CAROL SHWETZ

IN BRIEF… Beef producers find their place at the table CCA RELEASE / Canadian beef producers may notice a familiar face or two joining them at the table as they dig into their favourite hamburger at McDonald’s. Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) vice-president Dave Solverson and his daughter, Joanne Solverson, are featured on a new paper tray liner at McDonald’s restaurants across Canada. A fourth-generation farm family, the Solversons produce beef at their ranch near Camrose, Alberta. The father and daughter duo are featured alongside the iconic image of a Big Mac, made from 100 per cent pure Canadian beef. “Canadian producers really appreciate McDonald’s commitment to 100 per cent Canadian product,” said Solverson. Solverson said he is pleased to be a part of the tray liner campaign as it raises awareness among McDonald’s customers about the level of care and attention that Canadian producers put into cattle production every day. The Solversons take great care to ensure the production practices used at their ranch produce healthy and nutritious beef. As well, as the long-standing chairman of the CCA’s animal care committee, Solverson is actively involved in animal welfare issues. Printed on 100 per cent recycled paper, the tray liner will appear at McDonald’s locations across Canada throughout the summer.

THE EQUINE SARCOID — TREATING CANCER IN HORSES

WILDLIFE RETURNS Farmers provide land for DUC wetland restoration

DANIEL BEZTE Alberta broiler producers request larger allocation

Researcher says winter wheat management pays

SUMMER WEATHER — THUNDERSTORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS

University of Alberta ag faculty department celebrates 50 years UNIQUE FOCUS  Department of resource economics and environmental

sociology is the only one of its kind in Canada BY ALEXIS KIENLEN AF STAFF / EDMONTON

lumni, faculty and students recently gathered to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the department of resource economics and environmental sociology in the faculty of agriculture at the University of Alberta. Originally known as agricultural economics and farm management, the department was rechristened as agricultural economics and rural sociology in 1969 and then rural economy in 1975 before being given its present title last year. More than 220 current and former faculty members, support staff, and students attended the threeday event. Attendees, who travelled from across Canada, also included some of the earliest graduates and first professors. Globe and Mail columnist Jeffrey Simpson gave the opening keynote, and the event also featured a panel session, many of whom were former alumni. The department focuses on three areas of research — agricultural economics, environmental sociology, and environmental economics. A keynote speaker spoke on each of these areas, and was then followed by a panel of experts discussing the Canadian and the local contexts, said John Parkins, associate professor with the department.

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SAVINGS

Peter Boxall (r), professor in the faculty of agriculture at the University of Alberta, gives an award to Murray Hawkins, the first student to finish a masters of science in 1964. PHOTO: ALEXIS KIENLEN “I realized quickly that this was a very good idea,” said Brent Swallow, professor and current chair of the department. “We’re very happy with the turnout.” The reunion weekend allowed alumni and support workers to reconnect with each other and to recognize each other’s achievements. “We have quite a renowned group in environmental sociology and resource econom-

ics who are experts all over the world, and who came from our department,” said Swallow. Panellist Tom Beckley, a professor at the University of New Brunswick, said the resource economics and environmental sociology program at the university is unique in Canada because of its focus on both sociology and economics. The reunion will pay future dividends, said Parkins.

“We’re building the network of professionals within the department and to build connections so former students and former faculty members make more significant financial contributions to scholarships and such,” he said. Notable alumni were honoured, including Murray Hawkins, the first student to graduate with a masters from the department in 1964.

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Grain News

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JUNE 18, 2012

Feds clarify barley commission’s role in checkoff collection Concern } Initial document implied that Alberta could control funding for projects in other provinces By Allan Dawson staff

“This money is simply coming into us and we’re administering it and we’re sending it out to the recipients and organizations so they can continue to run those programs that farmers value in Western Canada.”

he federal government plans to sign an agreement with the Alberta Barley Commission to dictate how farmers’ money collected from the proposed new interim wheat and barley checkoff for research and market development is spent. The clarification follows concern in Manitoba that the ABC would have authority to allocate Prairie-wide funds collected under the new checkoff to replace the one administered by the Canadian Wheat Board, which will cease collecting it after the Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers Act kills its single desk. The federal government’s Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement on the regulation to introduce the checkoff says, “The ABC would have the authority to determine which organizations would receive the checkoff funds, and how much they would receive.” Doug Chorney, president of Manitoba’s Keystone Agricultural Producers, told the Manitoba Co-operator that “I’m concerned because of the lack of information we might see a backlash from producers in Manitoba who don’t support the idea of sending their money to the (barley commission) in Alberta and that could hurt Cigi and WGRF funding... and that would be a really unfortunate outcome.” Following publication of the Co-operator article, an Agriculture Canada communications officer said in an email that ABC and AAFC (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada) intend to enter into an agreement that will specify what dollars-pertonne amounts that ABC will

Lisa Skierka

Cigi research programs previously funded by the CWB will now receive checkoff funds administered by the ABC. photo: lorraine stevenson provide to the organizations. That was later confirmed by a letter from Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. “Regarding the question of where the funds will be directed, I would like to clarify that the Alberta Barley Commission will transfer the checkoff dollars, in the customary funding amounts, to the three recipient organizations of record,” Ritz said.

Interim measure

The proposed new, refundable checkoff of 48 cents a tonne for wheat and 56 cents for barley marketed through a licensed grain company, will be in place no more than five years, during which time Ottawa expects farmers to develop their own checkoff and determine how the money is used. The current checkoff administered by the wheat board is 30

and 50 cents a tonne for wheat and barley, but doesn’t include funding for Cigi or CMBTC, which the board paid directly. While the Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers Act states the organization that collects the interim checkoff must use the money for research into new and improved grain varieties, promoting the sale of Canadian grain, technical assistance on using Canadian grain and administration, it doesn’t specify which groups should receive the money. Neither does the proposed regulation to the Canada Grain Act to create the new checkoff. In an interview, barley commission general manager Lisa Skierka stressed the commission won’t use the money for its own programs. “This money is simply coming into us and we’re administering

it and we’re sending it out to the recipients and organizations so they can continue to run those programs that farmers value in Western Canada.”

Collection only

Levy Central, administered by the Agriculture Council of Saskatchewan, will collect the checkoff, as it does now for the barley commission and nine other commodity groups in all three Prairie provinces. However it doesn’t cash the cheques and is not in charge of sending refunds. That’s handled by client organizations such as the ABC. Levy Central executive director Laurie Dmytryshyn says there was some talk about her organization administering the new checkoff. “But I was the first to say it does not make sense,” Dmytryshyn said in an interview June 1. “You need an organization, in

the interim, that represents producers. We represent provincial agriculture and agri-food organizations here in the province of Saskatchewan, so we don’t have that direct relationship with the producers.” The federal government’s analysis statement says the barley commission will be allowed up to five per cent of the checkoff for administration costs. The statement also says the commission is to report annually to the minister of agriculture on how much money is collected and how it’s spent, including administration. “The intent is that AAFC and/or ABC would release information to the public that would show how the checkoff funds are invested and used,” the government’s impact statement says. Citizens have until June 25 to submit comments on the proposed interim checkoff to Tom Askin, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 303 Main Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 3G7; Email: Tom.askin@agr.gc.ca.

Durum prices to fall on CWB deregulation ICE Winnipeg } Futures market seen as too small to offer effective hedging London/Reuters

rices of durum wheat could ease this year as deregulation in top exporter Canada and reasonable harvest prospects offer relief from tight supplies, a buying manager at Italian pasta group Barilla said June 7. Durum prices soared last year due to bad weather during the growing season in North America and forecasts for declining world stocks. But the end of the Canadian Wheat Board’s monopoly on marketing wheat from Western Canada, the source of half of durum exports worldwide, should increase competition, said Emilio Ferrari, durum and semolina purchasing director at Barilla. “This year we were waiting for

higher prices because the stocks in the world were declining and most of the stocks were in the hands of the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB),” he told Reuters on the sidelines of an International Grains Council conference. “But with this change of market, the price went down and there is an opportunity this way of managing the stocks will reduce prices in the next few months,” he said, citing a greater willingness by the CWB to sell stocks as it prepares to surrender its monopoly this summer. Very favourable planting conditions in Canada and the United States, plus satisfactory harvest prospects in Mediterranean producing countries — with the exception of drought-hit Spain — could also curb durum prices, he said. “I don’t see strong volatility; prob-

ably a little bit lower (prices) but not strongly down or strongly up.” In Greece, where Barilla has a durum mill, the quality of the crop may be lower than last year, however, as farmers in the crisis-stricken country had less money to spend on crop inputs like fertilizers, he added. Privately owned Barilla is one of the world’s top durum users, with about 1.4 million tonnes processed annually. Despite the expected easing in prices, durum remains a tight market prone to volatility, with a futures market in Winnipeg, Canada, too small to offer effective hedging, he said. Barilla has developed supply contracts with growers in Italy and other major supply countries, with prices hedged against common wheat futures, he added.

“This year we were waiting for higher prices because the stocks in the world were declining and most of the stocks were in the hands of the Canadian Wheat Board.”

Emilio Ferrari Barilla

JUNE 18, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

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

REPORTERS Alexis Kienlen, Edmonton (780) 668-3121 akienlen@fbcpublishing.com

Alberta an agrarian hinterland? Not quite

Sheri Monk, Pincher Creek (403) 627-9108 sheri.monk@fbcpublishing.com

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Shawna Gibson Email: shawna@fbcpublishing.com

DIRECTOR OF SALES & CIRCULATION

OUTSIDE VIEW  Albertans with a longer sense of history

Lynda Tityk Email: lynda.tityk@fbcpublishing.com

might have another opinion

CIRCULATION MANAGER Heather Anderson Email: heather@fbcpublishing.com

BY WILL VERBOVEN

ALBERTA FARMER | EDITOR

NATIONAL ADVERTISING SALES James Shaw Phone: 416-231-1812 Fax: 416-233-4858 Email: jamesshaw@rogers.com

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Printed by Gazette Press, St. Albert, AB THE ALBERTA FARMER EXPRESS is published 26 times a year by Farm Business Communications. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage for our publishing activities. Publications mail agreement number 40069240 CANADIAN POSTMASTER: Send address changes and undeliverable addresses (covers only) to Circulation Dept., P.O. Box 9800, Winnipeg, MB R3C 3K7

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ecently former Alberta leader Peter Lougheed was proclaimed and lauded as Canada’s best premier. I am not sure whether that proclamation was the result of a careful academic analysis or a glorified popularity contest. The folks who judged this “best premier” exercise were mostly from other parts of Canada. I expect if this was an exclusively Alberta exercise former premier Ralph Klein might well have been voted the best, but then Ralph didn’t have Lougheed’s imperial good looks, pioneer family pedigree or the benefit of rapidly rising oil and gas prices. The reality was that the folksy Klein had to salvage the province from the massive spending excesses of the Lougheed/Getty era when energy prices tanked. Any politician knows that being an evil grinch is a lot harder on their public image than being a sugar daddy. Lougheed also had the good political fortune in those early days to face the former premier, the late Harry Strom. The dull, lacklustre and hapless premier Strom was no match for the young, charismatic and dynamic Lougheed. A similar political parallel was drawn 40 years later between Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith and former premier Ed Stelmach. It would seem that the ruling PC Party learned from its history. What was of note in the Lougheed best-premier proclamation was that the mainstream urban media across Canada all stated that Lougheed was the saviour responsible for bringing Alberta into the modern era. Most stories noted that Alberta was nothing more than an “agrarian hinterland” before Lougheed became premier. I guess the implication was that the province

back then was somehow backward and populated by unsophisticated farm folk who desperately needed to be led out of their rural ignorance. How such a backward agrarian society could have produced the perceived highly sophisticated, urbane and visionary Lougheed is never explained.

The real modernizer

Those of us very long in the tooth might recall that Alberta before Lougheed was not quite the bucolic backwater that younger and history-challenged commentators allege. The real modernizer of Alberta was the late premier Ernest Manning. After the Second World War, he indeed took a largely agricultural province from rags to riches, thanks to the wealth generated from the emerging energy industry of the day. He also didn’t have Lougheed’s perceived sophistication and easy public relations skills. But he did have fiscal skills and a sense of destiny that included extending a progressive education system on an equal basis into the countryside. That action alone produced one of the more progressive and entrepreneurial commercial agriculture industries in North America. What most admirers of the Lougheed era fail to remember or understand was that by the 1960s, prior to his ascension as premier, Alberta was already mainly an urbanbased society. There already was in place a long-established and expanding energy sector which provided much of the province’s economic activity and government tax base. Interestingly although there were more people involved in agriculture back then, actual production was much less than it is now with fewer people involved in primary production. Ironically, the early Lougheed administration took development actions that significantly increased the economic activity of our agrarian hinterland. Policies were

initiated at the time that laid the groundwork for the massive feedlot and meatprocessing industries that exist today. They began the diversification progress that saw the development of more speciality crops and added-value businesses. Some of the last extensive irrigation and water storage projects were hatched back then. The Agriculture Department was developed into a political and strategic powerhouse, and had major influence under legendary ag minister, the late Hugh Horner, who was an equal to Lougheed. No one will dispute Lougheed’s influence on the federal scene in advancing and protecting Alberta’s interests. There probably wasn’t an Albertan who didn’t feel proud watching Lougheed stare down Trudeau during the height of the energy-policy wars. Some of his legacies such as the Heritage Fund and the constitutional notwithstanding clause will benefit generations to come. But modernizing an agrarian hinterland — well not quite. That’s a revisionist version of history by a naive media to accentuate Lougheed’s image as a saviour. Besides one does wonder — is there anything really wrong with being an agrarian hinterland? I suggest that even in the 1960s, the Alberta agricultural economy was something most of the rest of the world would have seen as a people paradise. One can’t help but extrapolate that if commentators considered Alberta, with its energy industry base, an agrarian hinterland back in the 1960s what did that make Saskatchewan and Manitoba back then? With no real industrial base to anchor their economies, then by Alberta standards of the day, those two provinces must have been real rural backwaters populated by rubes and peasants. I think not, but I expect it’s a perception that some in the urban media still harbour about the Prairie west in general.

Gun registry is gone, gun owners registry isn’t A recent letter to the editor of the Manitoba Co-operator from Inky Mark of Dauphin, Manitoba. Mark is a former Conservative member of Parliament for Dauphin-Swan River.

ost gun owners in Canada believe that once the longgun registry is revoked by C-19, everything will return to normal to pre-C-68 days. How wrong it is to think this way. Killing the long-gun registry has really not changed much in terms of controlling the people who own and use firearms in a peaceful manner. There are an estimated 396,000 possession licences which will expire between now and May of 2013. There’s over 300,000 already expired. These 396,000 firearm owners will become criminals in the eyes of the

law as written in C-68. Let’s remember that C-68 has not been repealed in its entirety, a promise that Harper made over and over again before he became the PM. In other words, if you own a long gun (registered or unregistered), you must prove that you also have a valid possession licence (PAL or POL), or you have broken the law and could face a fine or jail time for illegal possession of a weapon. The long gun no longer needs to be registered, but you, the firearm user must be registered. In Canada, firearm owners are seen as potential criminals and therefore all must be registered, so that the police know where all these potential criminals live. The Harper government will not waive the licence fee as it has in the past. Because of budget shortfall, the

Harper government wants to start collecting the $80 fee starting this September estimated to be over $20 million. Some provinces continue to keep backdoor registry information on lawful long-gun owners despite calls from the feds to stop this activity. This mandatory possession licence will impact the purchase of ammunition, firearms, hunting licences, transportation, storage, etc. So what has changed? Lawful firearm owners continue to be treated worse than criminals. In my opinion, all firearms laws should be removed from the criminal code. Please call your MP and let him or her know how you feel about this matter. Inky Mark Dauphin, Man.

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JUNE 18, 2012

Lessons for a novice gardener: Weed it and weep Sharecropping } Not with the landlord, but with other creatures on the landscape By Sheri Monk

AF staff, Pincher Creek

pring is almost over, and summer proper looms on the horizon. I always find the solstice bittersweet because every subsequent day is just a little shorter. As the season progresses, I’ve found that having a first vegetable garden is much like a new mother with her first-born baby. My garden is demanding, all-consuming, fussy and I have no idea what I’m doing. I’m not sure I am feeding it enough, and while I’m not worried I’ll drop it, I am still rather concerned I will kill it. I suppose that by the standards of most farmers, my 19x19-foot garden is quite small. But I assume that most of my dear readers have more than one hoe and one spade at their dexterous disposal. Though the earth was black and healthy, it needed some deep and dedicated tilling. And there was a mound of dirt occupying the centre of the garden like a group of stubborn protesters that had to be dispersed and subdued. Once my beautiful dirt was arranged into soft, inviting rows of fertile earth, I took a deep breath and surveyed the stun-

ning scenery all around me and instead of seeing beauty, I saw danger. Everywhere, I could hear the birds singing of the seeds they would snatch from my newborn soil. Rabbits were no longer a cute mammalian accessory to the prairie, but a threat to be reckoned with. The gophers chirping in the distance made me want to replace my .22 with a garden-friendly but gopher-unfriendly chemical. I retreated to the safety of the house to plan my next move, only to find that a starling spy had invaded our sanctum by cleverly breaching our chimney. That evening, there were four mule deer gazing lustfully through the fence at my unplanted vegetable patch with murder in their eyes. It was clear — we were under attack. Budget gardening is difficult, but defending a garden on a tiny budget is nearly impossible. I investigated small garden fences, edging, plastic owls and noisemakers to keep the critters away, and it was all too costly. But if necessity breeds invention, then desperate paranoia can breed innovation. I bought two dozen bamboo stakes, and two massive rolls of twine and then for nearly six hours, I engineered a fence that would not only stand up to the ridiculously excessive wind, but

would also serve to keep out any deer, raccoons or dogs. I created little gates at the entry to each row, and that was good.

CD repellers

Of course, a fence alone does not a secure garden make. Automatic weapons activated by motion detectors disguised as garden gnomes are apparently illegal in Canada, but creativity is not. My stoic, utilitarian fence became a mecca for what can only be described as garden bling. Old CDs, Styrofoam packaging, and various metal kitchen utensils were tied to twine and then hung from the fence with care. The CDs reflected light, and the utensils and Styrofoam created intimidating noises. Love, they say is war and thus, I named my garden New Eden. The next day I emerged for battle, armed with my blueprints of where I would transplant the plants I had started in the house, and where I would plant my seeds. This is when I realized I had made a terrible, terrible miscalculation. This is also when I measured the garden for the first time. You see, back in March, when I gazed outside at my future vegetable patch, it seemed expansive, endless. It seemed a grand under-

taking, full of risk and romance — an epic matching of man against nature. Fortunately, whatever I lack in sense, I’ve always made up for in ambition and I started nearly 250 plants in the house, 72 of which were tomato plants. I had dozens of cucumber plants, pumpkins and watermelon on the go and they grew like they could not wait for spring to arrive. It was obvious. We were going to need a bigger garden. And if my tomato plants survive the summer, I’m going to need a lot of cans. In retrospect, I realize I was both enthusiastic and naive — I believed that each tomato plant would produce but one tomato. For anyone else out there planning a garden, you need to know this is not true. Tomato plants in fact can produce as many as 20 tomatoes per plant! They are like the plant version of rabbits — they revel in being sinfully prolific. I could not bear the idea of sacrificing these plants I had lovingly nurtured from seeds, and so I began working over a second garden area. But then it began to rain, and it hasn’t stopped for very long since. I’m half convinced there’s a blizzard around the corner. And I may not need that second garden anyway — all of my transplanted

Budget gardening is difficult, but defending a garden on a tiny budget is nearly impossible. pumpkins and melons have left this world and must have been reincarnated into rabbits. And rabbits it seems, have a fondness for corn kernels and potato seedlings. At this rate, I’ll run out of tomato plants long before I run out of garden, and there isn’t enough bling in Los Angeles to save my peas. My New Eden has become more like a labour camp, and I provide the labour. My garden twine and bamboo sticks appear more like barbed wire and watchtowers and my once-vibrant plants seem to wither more each time I look at them. Yes, my only joy in this year’s summer may be in its end, for after the harvest comes the hunt. The mule deer may chuckle now at my green thumb, but come autumn, my trigger finger will have the last laugh. sherimonk@gmail.com

More production is not the only solution to hunger Losses } Developing-country farmers are the only ones losing crops to waste and spoilage By laura rance

editor, manitoba co-operator

very year we hear the stories — the farmer who lost a bin full of canola to spoilage, or the one who lost his sunflowers — and the bin — after the crop overheated and caught fire. Or the farmer who opened his grain bag to find an infested, rotting mess after birds or rodents overwhelmed the seal and allowed moisture to invade. Thankfully, those stories are uncommon enough in these parts that they are news, at least on coffee-pot row. Of course, they can always do better as the ongoing effort to reduce harvest losses in crops like canola would suggest. Researchers estimate some farmers are losing upwards of 10 per cent of their yields due to improper harvest timing and poorly calibrated equipment. But generally, when it comes to keeping their harvested grain in good condition, our farmers are blessed with a conducive climate; those long, cold and dry winters have to be good for something. But they also have the knowledge and access to the technology they need to maintain the harvest quality.

That’s not the case in many parts of the world where heat and humidity combine with a lack of storage infrastructure, transportation and knowhow to cause post-harvest losses that are as high as 50 per cent of what farmers produce. For example, much of India’s grains are exposed to potential decay, as state-run warehouses can store only 63 million tonnes against the total 82.4 million tonnes of current stocks, a Reuters report says. Plus, farmers have just harvested another bumper crop. The situation has the Indian government to re-enter the global export market to move the stocks before they rot, which is expected to put a damper on prices for farmers everywhere. That’s tragic in a country inhabited by 500 million poor and where nearly half of the children under the age of three are either underweight or stunted due to malnutrition. And it adds to the controversy surrounding the Green Revolution, the 1960s initiative under which U.S. and Canadian researchers introduced improved genetics, fertilizers and pesticides to help India produce more of its own food and avert a pending famine. The concept was remarkably successful at increasing production, it

hasn’t meant the end of hunger. Without the necessary infrastructure, market mechanisms and storage to help get the food to the people who need it, India — like many countries in hot, humid climates — has routinely been confronted with surplus production and extensive loss due to waste.

Other resources wasted

It’s not just the economic loss to those farmers at stake. Much of production agriculture is dependent on non-renewable resources. Every bushel of waste is like stoking the boilers on the Titanic while steadying its course. “While public and private resources have been poured into increasing production, very little work and attention has focused on adequately addressing the safe storage of food,” Digvir Jayas, a professor in biosystems engineering and the University of Manitoba’s vicepresident of research and international development says in a recently published article. Adding to the travesty is the fact that so much is known about how to prevent it. In a recent commentary published in the journal of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jayas lays out a comprehensive “to-do” list for taking that knowledge and making it available to areas of the world that need it most, which by the

way, are also regions in which populations are growing the fastest. But key to any strategy will be recognition by governments that food grains are a national asset worth protecting, because of their role in either reducing the need for food imports or, as in the case of Canada, in generating additional export revenues. The issue of post-harvest losses is gaining traction as is the issue of excessive spoilage due to the overstocked larders and fridges in North America. Up until now, we’ve been told the world’s farmers must increase production by 50 to 70 per cent if they are to feed the expected nine billion people sharing this planet by 2050. Even the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization was spouting this line less than two years ago. That places a tremendous burden on producers. However, a newly released FAO report noted the world can feed itself with less food than previously forecast if it turns to sustainable farming, cuts waste and stops excessive consumption. But it said “bold policy decisions” are needed to cut food losses and waste that amount to 1.3 billion tonnes a year, roughly one-third of the world’s food production for human consumption. The focus on food production needs to shift to a focus on food availability.

OFF THE FRONT

JUNE 18, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

AGRIUM  from page 1 Minority stake

By adding Viterra’s minority stake in the Canadian Fertilizers Ltd. plant at Medicine Hat, Alberta, Agrium would own 53 per cent of Canadian ammonia production capacity, and 49 per cent of urea production capacity, according to consultant Informa Economics, which reviewed the takeover for the Saskatchewan government last month. “That’s the real concerning part, having that much ownership of the fertilizer part causing us trouble down the road,” said Lynn Jacobson, a farmer and president of Wild Rose, which plans to ask the bureau to scale back Agrium’s purchase. Kevin Helash, Agrium’s regional manager of retail for Canada and the Pacific Northwest, said there will still be plenty of farm-supply competition since the cost of opening a store is as little as $150,000. Agrium competitors would still make up two-thirds of the market, he said. The Competition Bureau has already said it won’t block Glencore’s takeover of Viterra, but has not yet ruled on the side deals with Agrium and Richardson.

The Canadian government will decide in a separate process whether Glencore’s takeover of Viterra is of net benefit to Canada. The Grain Growers of Canada sees a legitimate competition concern about Agrium, but only in some pockets of the Prairies, said executive director Richard Phillips. “Ninety per cent of what Agrium is doing will be fine with producers,” he said, adding the group will not make a submission to the bureau. GROW, a group of independent farm-supply dealers, sees Agrium’s potential new clout as mostly positive, since its expertise is in crop inputs rather than grain handling, said general manager Greg McDonald.

Suppliers nervous

But McDonald said farm suppliers are nervous about Agrium’s strength in the wholesale production of nitrogen-based fertilizer. Potentially, Agrium could supply its own stores more cheaply than it would sell to competitors, he said.

“We’re a bit concerned when one of your big suppliers also becomes one of your biggest competitors,” McDonald said. Agrium will continue to run its wholesale and retail operations separately, Helash said. “We do have to look every one of our customers in the eye and say, ‘we’re selling to you competitively.’” Agrium is the No. 3 nitrogen producer globally, and faces stiff wholesale competition in Canada from the world’s biggest maker of the crop nutrient, Yara International ASA. “The pond is not Western Canada for nitrogen production and supply,” Helash said. “We believe the pond is global.” The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is scheduled to report on the Glencore takeover of Viterra on Thursday. Under the deal, Glencore would acquire Viterra’s grain-handling and -storage assets in Australia and sell off 17 farm-supply outlets there to Agrium. Glencore’s takeover of Viterra is expected to close by the end of July.

Alberta has one of the highest incidences of hail in the world.

Stakes are high for Alberta farmers as hail season begins TIMING  Crops can rebound from early

damage, but not after they’re podded or headed out AGRI-NEWS

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s crops start to grow and another hail season gets underway, high commodity prices and input costs are raising the stakes for farmers this year, says Chris Dyck, with Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC), Alberta’s provincial crop insurer. “Hail is a threat every growing season in Alberta because we have one of the highest incidences of hail in the world. But when crop prices and inputs like fertilizer and seed climb as high as they are now — at well-aboveaverage levels — hail becomes an even greater concern for farmers because they have so much invested in the ground,” says Dyck, senior manager of business risk management operations for AFSC. The Crown corporation provides the majority of hail insurance to farmers across Alberta on behalf of the provincial government. As soon as crops emerge from the soil, they’re vulnerable, says Dyck. A late-May hailstorm in southern Alberta has already triggered a few small claims under the AFSC Straight Hail program. Last year, the first Straight Hail claim happened on June 4 in the Peace region. “Crops have an amazing ability to rebound from early-season hail damage,” says Dyck. “However, those early storms do often result in reduced plant stands and yields. The later hail strikes in the growing season, the greater the damage,” he adds, “because once plants have podded or headed out — usually by mid-July — it’s too late for recovery.”

Average last year

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AFSC paid out just over $25.5 million on nearly 1,500 Straight Hail claims last year — an average hail season for Alberta, says Dyck. The most severe damage was caused by two major hailstorms — one in early July that tore through crops from Sundre to Red Deer — and a second one on July 18 that cut a wide swath through fields from Millet to Saskatchewan. Several smaller storms also peppered

crops with hail in almost every region of the province. “Last year was a good example of the fact that hail strikes everywhere in Alberta, not just in the highest-risk area known as Hail Alley that stretches from Calgary to Edmonton, along the Highway 2 corridor,” says Dyck. What kind of hail season lies ahead this summer is anybody’s guess. “If it’s wet and warm, we usually get more hail. If it’s dry, there’s generally less hail. But conditions can change so quickly, it’s impossible to predict,” he says, referring to the dry conditions experienced in 2009. “Parts of the province did end up getting moisture that summer, and we had hail losses of more than $30 million. “An increasing number of farmers are taking out Straight Hail coverage in April with their crop insurance — before their fields are even planted,” says Dyck. “It’s an option we started offering two years ago for producers who want protection the instant their seeds are in the ground — rather than waiting for their crops to emerge and risk early hail damage.” Producers who take this “Auto Elect” option receive a two per cent premium discount. AFSC has been providing hail insurance to Alberta farmers on behalf of the provincial government for more than 70 years. It all started when the province passed special legislation in 1938 creating the Alberta Hail Insurance Board. The original hail program offered by the Hail Insurance Board still exists today and is administered by AFSC. “Hail is risky business, and our mandate as a provincial insurer today is the same as it was back then — to provide hail insurance to farmers in every corner of the province, even in the highest-risk townships,” says Dyck. Farmers can access Straight Hail Insurance online, through their AFSC District Office, local hail agent, or by contacting the AFSC Call Centre at 1-877-899AFSC (2372). Farmers receive a two per cent premium discount by purchasing online. Once a policy is purchased, it takes effect at noon the next day.

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JUNE 18, 2012

BEING CAREFUL WITH THE LAWN ORNAMENTS

While burning weeds, retired farmer, Edwin Bronsch is careful to protect an old tractor that sits on display in his yard north of Rolling Hills, Alberta. PHOTO: KEVIN LINK

WHAT’S UP Send agriculture-related meeting and event announcements to: will. verboven@fbcpublishing.com June 18/19: Future Fare 2012, Deerfoot Inn & Casino, Calgary. Call: ALMA 780-638-1699 June 19: Controlled Grazing School, Location TBA, Olds/ Bowden. Call: Amber 403-3353311 June 19: Winter Wheat Tour, McKenzie Ranch 12:30 pm, Lacombe. Call: Janine 780232-1987 June 19/21: 2012 ALUS Workshop & Tour, Lakeland College, Vermilion. Call: County Office 780-846-2244 June 20: Growing with Canola Crop Walk, 6 km west Highway 12, Consort. Call: CARA 403664-3777 June 27: 12 steps for Succession Planning, UofA Calgary Centre 8:30 am, Calgary. Call: Nicole 780-492-9204 July 3: Canola Diagnostic Plot Tour, 4 miles N Hwy 856 1:30 pm, Forestburg. Call: BRRG 780-582-7308 July 4: Controlled Traffic Farming Field Day, RR 20-4 1:00 pm, Morrin. Call: Peter 780720-4346 July 4: Winter Wheat Tour, Ag Society Building 8:30 am, Rycroft. Call: Peter 780-7204346 July 9: Controlled Traffic Farming Field Day, RR#1 1:00 pm, Jarvie/Dapp. Call: Peter 780-720-4346 July 11: Canola Diagnostic Clinic, Research Farm 9:30 am, Fairview. Call: Michelle 780835-9158 July 18: ACPC/CCC Canola Diagnostic Clinic, Research Farm 9:30 am, Fairview. Call: Michelle 780-835-5015 July 25/26: 9th Southern Alberta Grazing School for Women, Starland County, Delia. Call: Kerry 403-642-2255 July 26: 2012 Lacombe Field Day, Crop Development Centre 8:15 am, Lacombe. Call: Lori 403-782-8048

Overcoming challenges from the ground up. Be part of this year’s most dynamic conference on Beef and the Beef cattle industry. The International Livestock Congress Beef 2012 Wednesday august 15, 2012 deerfoot inn & casino, calgary for more information and to register for the ilc visit www.ilccalgary.com for more information on the cca semi annual meeting, august 14-17, 2012 visit www.cattle.ca

NEWS » Markets

JUNE 18, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Big wheat surplus in India

Argentina wheat plantings down

India has a wheat export surplus of five million to six million tonnes and has already exported about one million tonnes this season, an official with India’s Department of Food and Public Distribution said June 7. Nilambuj Sharan also told the International Grains Council’s annual conference that India has exported five million tonnes of rice so far in 201112 and had the potential to export more. — Reuters

Argentina’s new-season wheat plantings are set to fall 17 per cent from last year because of weather problems and farmers’ pessimism over potential profits, Buenos Aires Grains Exchange said June 7. Growers have been planting less of the crop in recent years. They say a government system of export quotas depresses prices in the local market. Some farmers have been shifting to other crops such as barley and oilseed rape because of the wheat export quotas, a leading point of contention between the farm sector and President Cristina Fernandez. — Reuters

Fuzzy ending stocks picture supports canola values firmer footing } USDA’s supply/demand tables may help clarify matters By Dwayne Klassen

anola prices at the ICE Futures Canada trading platform closed the week ended June 8 on a firmer footing. Canola was underpinned by the need of domestic processors to cover nearby commitments and by the general strength displayed by the Chicago soybean complex. Growing concern about the tight global oilseed ending stocks picture, for this year as well as next year, contributed to the upward price momentum seen in canola. Those ideas were facilitated by the everdeclining South American soybean production forecast, problems with Europe’s rapeseed crop and the poor weather for the development of the U.S. soybean crop. Western Canada’s canola crop is also far from a certainty, with some areas too dry while other areas, especially eastern regions of the Prairies now experiencing excessively wet conditions. Much of the action in canola beginning this week will consist of spreading, as both the large corporate and smaller fund accounts begin rolling positions out of the July future and into the November contract ahead of July becoming a cash delivery month. There were some price fluctuations in both the milling wheat and durum contracts on the ICE platform, but next to no volume posted. Chicago soybean and corn futures posted moderate to sharp gains with

weather issues providing most of the upward momentum. Macroeconomic concerns also played a huge role in the price movement seen in Chicago, with values one day finding excellent support from reports the European money problems were easing. However, the next day, the concerns again resurfaced, eliminating some of the price strength. This trend of “good, then bad” European money news is not likely to end any time soon. Most of the weather gains were tied to the dry growing conditions in the U.S. corn- and soybean-growing regions, and ideas that the heat was reducing the yield potential of both crops. Both crops can ill afford to lose production potential given the tight old-crop supply situation. Soybeans were further underpinned by steady demand from the Chinese. Strength in the cash market helped to provide some additional support for corn futures. U.S. wheat futures also managed to climb to higher ground in all three markets. Some of the gains came amid sentiment that values were significantly over-

sold after recent losses and were due for an upward correction. Continued speculation that the Russian and European wheat crops are suffering from the lack of precipitation further bolstered prices. The upside in the Kansas City (KCBT) wheat market, however, was restricted by the advancing U.S. winter wheat harvest and reports that those yields were surpassing early expectations by a significant level.

During trading

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will have released its first supply/demand report during actual trading hours by the time this article is published. A lot of the guesswork that would normally go into the pre-report expectations will definitely be taken out of the market. However, even without the pre-surveybased figures, the numbers do need to be considered carefully. In regards to soybeans, the old-crop ending stocks forecast for soybeans and corn will be significant factors in the price outlook moving forward. World corn and soybean ending stocks will

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

also need to be considered carefully as well as any acreage shifts. The U.S. acreage numbers are unlikely to have changed much in the supply/ demand tables, but will be a prelude to the updated June 29 acreage survey scheduled to be released by the USDA. Statistics Canada will also be releasing an updated seeding intentions report on June 27, with most industry analysts already expecting a jump in the area seeded to canola. The USDA supply/demand tables, in particular, will help set the stage for canola values leading up to the acreage reports. There will need to be confirmation of the tight global oilseed stocks situation in order for canola to make a push back to the highs it experienced earlier this spring. If the numbers are larger than expected, it will support the view that canola prices have passed their highs. There has been a slowdown in the crush pace this week and that will have to be watched to see if it is cutting into everyone’s expectations for a record crush pace in 2011-12. While canola will not be able to stage any rally on its own without help from the major oilseed and vegetable oil markets, it can likely hold a stronger premium. Dwayne Klassen writes for Commodity News Service Canada, a Winnipeg company specializing in grain and commodity market reporting.

Chicago weathers first test of “live” data Volatility } Farmers worried that they could be disadvantaged by traders with faster access to trades By Tom Polansek and P.J. Huffstutter Chicago/Reuter

rain traders in Chicago and beyond breathed a bit easier last Tuesday morning after the world’s premier market for corn, wheat and soybeans futures weathered its first trading session with the “live” release of a major federal crop report. Heading into Tuesday’s trade, major farm groups had feared a surge in volatility that could favour lightning-fast hedge funds over farmers after the CME Group extended its trading cycle to overlap the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s key early-morning reports.

Analysts long accustomed to a two-hour break in trading between overnight trade and the Chicago Board of Trading (CBOT) floor dealing fretted that they couldn’t offer sound advice. Anxiety over changing dynamics around the global grain market’s most important set of official data is fuelled by fears that farmers and traders may be caught in a maelstrom of high-frequency trading in the milliseconds following the reports, as high-tech traders and big hedge funds crunch thousands of data points far faster than any human can. Even technologically sophisticated players had backup plans. Citigroup’s commodities team sent four commercial brokers

down to the floor before the report came out, hours earlier than normal, positioning them to place complicated trades in person. For weeks, grain brokers, traders and marketers have been honing spreadsheets and trying to calm clients about the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s all-important monthly report coming out at 7:30 a.m. Central time — the first release ever during active Chicago futures trading hours. It helped, say brokers, that Tuesday’s report held little news to rile the market. After it was released, corn prices whipped briefly higher, then tumbled, trading in a 25-cent range, about a four per cent swing. Within four minutes

the market had found its footing, with prices marginally lower. Before the world’s premier grains exchange moved to nearly around-the-clock trading last month, farmers, brokers and traders everywhere had a full two hours to parse thousands of data USDA points during which electronic trade was halted. On Tuesday, nerves ran high. If grain markets went “haywire” following the U.S. government’s latest crop report, some agricultural industry heavyweights said they were prepared to call Congress before they called their brokers. The American Farm Bureau Federation said it will consider asking members of Congress to get involved in determining when

If grain markets went “haywire” following the U.S. government’s latest crop report, some agricultural industry heavyweights said they were prepared to call Congress… USDA should issue its reports if volatility surges, said Kelli Ludlum, director of congressional relations for the Farm Bureau.

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JUNE 18, 2012

A classic “head and shoulders top” confirms downturn in oat prices ABOVE ITS WEIGHT  Oats may be a minor crop compared to

corn and wheat, but sometimes lead the way

BY DAVID DROZD

o those less familiar with charting and technical analysis, the recent drop in oat prices may have come as a bit of a surprise. I have found in my 30 years’ experience that even though the oat futures market has a relatively small amount of open interest compared to actively traded commodities such as corn, the oat market consistently provides reversal patterns and chart formations that are second to none. Veteran traders will tell you that, “oats lead the way.” One of the biggest mistakes novice traders make is to buy the weaker grain (in this case oats), believing it to be undervalued and expecting it to gain on the stronger grain (corn), when there is good reason for the weaker commodity to be priced where it is. The benefit of relying on charts is it removes the innate emotion we all have, and cuts through the news. Understanding the psychology of the market allows you to understand the dynamics involved, especially as it pertains to human emotion and the flow of money. To a technical analyst, understanding that long liquidation was responsible for the recent collapse of the oat market is reason enough. As illustrated in the accompanying chart, there were telltale signals (warning signs) prior to each of the oat market’s four downturns. Two-day reversals (Points 1-4) occurred at the top of each successive rally, which provided farmers with timely sell signals. In fact, the most recent sell signal (two-

day reversal; Point 4) occurred just before the completion of a head and shoulders top.

CBOT

OATS JULY 2012

Head and shoulders top

Of all the patterns that form on a chart, the head and shoulders top is considered the most reliable. The main importance is that it indicates a reversal of the trend. The head and shoulders top is composed of three successive price advances, with the second rally reaching a higher level than either of the other two. The left shoulder (Point A), or first rally, normally marks the end of a substantial price rise. A reaction (decline) then occurs. A second rally follows, which will exceed the price level of the first. This forms the head (Point B). The second price reaction should culminate at approximately the same price level as the first decline and always below the top of the left shoulder. The right shoulder (Point C), or third rally, follows. It fails to reach the second rally’s high (the head). The volume on the right shoulder should be less than that of either the left shoulder or head.

Market psychology

On the advance forming the left shoulder, the shorts are on the run buying back their positions, while longs begin selling to take profits. Resultant trading activity is very heavy. As the buying and selling subsides, the market undergoes a normal correction. This downward movement of prices attracts buyers and prices start moving up again. When prices on this upward leg surpass the peak reached by the left shoulder, buyers who not only missed the

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preceding bull move, but also the opportunity to buy during the first decline jump in. This advance forms the head. A surge of buying climaxes at the head and the second decline begins. The second reaction runs its course and prices begin to move up for the third and final time. During the third price advance, it will appear to the longs who are suffering losses that the market is going to bail them out, but right shoulder highs tend to fall far short of expectations. Never seeing their positions move into the plus column on the third and final advance unnerves the longs. As prices complete the right shoulder and begin to decline, these longs become willing sellers in order to limit losses. The head and shoulders top is com-

pleted when the price penetrates the neckline (Point D); a line connecting the bottoms of the two reactions. Sell stops are triggered below the neckline and the ensuing long liquidation causes prices to plummet. Send your questions or comments about this article and chart to info@agchieve.ca. David Drozd is president and senior market analyst for Winnipeg-based Ag-Chieve Corporation. The opinions expressed are those of the writer and are solely intended to assist readers with a better understanding of technical analysis. Visit Ag-Chieve online at www.ag-chieve.ca for information about grain-marketing advisory services, or call us toll free at 1-888-274-3138 for a free consultation.

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JUNE 18, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Good stewardship boosts Alberta potato sales MARKETING ADVANTAGE  Harnessing tools such as EFPs helps drive new North American opportunities BY MERISTEM MEDIA

he Canadian potato industry has been quick out of the gate in championing environmental stewardship programs — an approach that is paying dividends with top customers such as McDonald’s Corporation. “The potato industry has been very progressive in that regard,” says Edzo Kok of the Potato Growers of Alberta (PGA). “I think it’s fair to say we’re among the groups leading the pack when it comes to environmental stewardship and having formal programs in place that provide clear assurances of our approaches.” The industry approach in Canada is based on a thorough approach to documenting benchmark information on current industry practices, while also documenting clear targets for progress, using tools such as grower surveys and Environmental Farm Plans (EFPs). In one high-profile example, the industry across the country rallied together to provide stewardship information to McDonald’s, to help the company respond to shareholder questions. The response not only satisfied the shareholder expectations, but also helped the food giant boost its public image as an environmentally responsible company. In the case of PGA, part of what helped the organization adopt its progressive stance was the fact all PGA producers had developed EFPs for their operations.

Keep Sclerotinia at bay.

The Canadian potato industry has worked together to provide stewardship information to McDonald’s to help the company respond to shareholder questions. PHOTO: LAURA RANCE As a result, they had a head start on documenting environmental stewardship practices and identifying opportunities for improvement.

Top customers buying in

The results are helping the industry build momentum and target growth opportunities, particularly in the North American market, says Kok, the PGA executive director. “The top customers we deal with are very pleased with what we’re doing and are actually pointing to the potato industry as an example for their other suppliers to follow.” Practice improvement is a focus

but by and large the main change has been in documentation, says Kok. “A lot of it is just monitoring or recording what we’ve been doing for a long while, but we hadn’t in the past actually been recording it.” Improvements tend to be incremental and a good exercise to keep up to date with best practices, he says. “The EFP program for example involves self-assessments that help identify opportunities for improvement that can be implemented on the farm. A lot of our growers view an EFP as a living document that they revisit every year as a good check.” With increasing T:10.25”consumer and

market focus on environmental attributes, the value of this type of tool is rising quickly today, he says.

Building a brand for stewardship

In the case of the Alberta EFP program, for example, Kok believes this tool has value to benefit the image of all agriculture in the province. “It certainly is a good marketing tool for us as a province,” he says. “When it comes to talking to the processors and saying this is a good place for you to be because we do practise this good environmental stewardship, that’s a big selling point.”

The potato industry is well positioned as an early adopter, says Kok. “We’ve got the proof here. Every one of our farms has got an environmental farm plan. They can show you their records. They can show you what they’ve identified on their farms as opportunities and what they’ve done to make enhancements to become better. That’s pretty impressive to our customers.” Having the right mindset is key, he says. “Anything worth doing takes a bit of work. We know environment is a major issue and that comes with expectations to meet. Yet for us doing things like the EFP is not something we would second-guess. It’s part of doing business today and the potato industry recognizes that. We’ll continue to do whatever we can to continue to make sure that our customers are satisfied in our supply.” This attitude and approach, Kok believes, resonates strongly not only with companies but with the end customers. “The general public obviously is more conscious of the environment today. So the stewardship approach we have is a selling pitch that we can use not only with food companies but also just in general marketing. We can confidently, publicly go out and say our growers are very environmentally conscious. We’ve got the data to back that up.” More information on EFPs in Alberta at www.albertaefp.com Meristem Media articles at www.meristem.com

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inter wheat is a low-input crop — if you want low returns — says Brian Beres, an Agriculture Canada research scientist leading a Prairie-wide study on winter wheat agronomy. “Winter wheat is like any other crop,” he says. “It needs decent inputs to perform to its potential.” Beres’s team is working to develop an integrated crop-management program for winter wheat, evaluating practices to manage fertility, weeds, diseases and insects. Some management practices are relatively low cost with a big payback. For example, a fall application of 2,4-D will help a well-established crop outcompete weeds in spring, saving the cost of a further herbicide application. “As well as cutting costs, that gives you non-chemical weed control, helping you manage herbicideresistant weeds,” Beres says. Seed treatment pays for itself, according to Beres. The trials included plots with each component used for seed treatment, but Beres advises using a product that includes both a fungicide and an insecticide. He says that any time you have a situation that’s less than ideal for the crop — a less-competitive variety, low-vigour seed or less-thanideal conditions — you have what agronomists call a “weak agronomic system.” In those cases, the benefits of dual-action seed treatment really

Fall fungicide

Beres added a mid-October application of foliar fungicide to the study last year because stripe rust was a problem in several areas. It’s not often considered, but it certainly seems worthwhile if the crop has symptoms of stripe rust infection. “I highly recommend scouting your fields for any signs of stripe rust in fall,” says Beres. “Spray a foliar fungicide in the fall if you find symptoms of the disease. It definitely helps the crop and may eliminate the need for a spring application of fungicide, which is often difficult to do.” Researchers say that at some sites, crops treated with foliar fungicides in fall look more vigorous, even if there were no signs of disease in fall. “The fungicide treatment just seems to give you a more robust and vigorous plant,” says Agriculture Canada disease specialist Kelly Turkington. “I suspect seed treatment and foliar fungicides limit development of leaf disease in fall and early spring.” However, Beres says he doesn’t advise spraying a fungicide in fall if you don’t see symptoms. “At least, not until we have some more data.” Winter wheat is vulnerable to stripe rust because its main vegetative growth phase is in April and May, when spore production is building in the Pacific North-

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Seed treatment, other inputs pay off in winter wheat

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In his Call of the Land radio interview June 8, Alberta crop pest specialist Scott Meers says that there have been several reports of both diamondback moth larvae and pupae on small canola plants. ”This is really early for that,” said Meers. “What it is telling us is we’ll have the population buildup — how bad it will get or if natural enemies will keep in under control we don’t know at this point but this is a very high level of early calls that we are getting.” The Canola Council of Canada also reports early emergence across the Prairies. Tips on identification and control are available on the CCC website www.canolawatch.org.

Brian Beres points out that applying UAN is efficient in terms of N uptake, but can burn the crop. Streamer nozzles may reduce this issue next year. PHOTO: HELEN MCMENAMIN

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TREATMENT  Continued from page 11 west where the pathogen overwinters. Winds from the southwest can then carry the spores. Usually, only southern Alberta has been affected, but in the last couple of years the disease has affected crops farther north and east. The pathogen can also overwinter in southern Alberta, using a “green bridge” to pass from an infected spring cereal to winter wheat. “The impact of stripe rust depends on when it gets here and the stage of the crop at the time of infection,” says Turkington. “The key time is from flag-leaf emergence to anthesis (flowering), so scout diligently ahead of this stage so you can spray promptly.” He says that with cereal leaf diseases you can protect yield by spraying as soon as symptoms develop. That’s too late for some other diseases like sclerotinia in canola, where you need to spray before symptoms develop. Most winter wheat varieties are susceptible to stripe rust. New races of the pathogen have overcome the resistance of AC Radiant, but McClintock, Moats,

“The fungicide treatment just seems to give you a more robust and vigorous plant.” KELLY TURKINGTON

Brian Beres shows the difference seeding rate and a dual-action seed treatment can make to a winter wheat crop. PHOTO: HELEN MCMENAMIN Peregrine and Sunrise varieties are resistant.

Other findings

• Nitrogen-uptake research shows AC Radiant uses fertilizer N applied during the growing season more efficiently, but CDC Ptarmigan is more efficient at scavenging for N in the soil.

Many farmers are looking at applying UAN (28-0-0, liquid N) to winter wheat in spring, possibly using a Greenseeker to place the N where the crop is well established. The agronomy study team is working to develop a computer program to enable a Greenseeker-guided sprayer to apply

the level of N needed in each area of a Prairie winter wheat crop. • Winter wheat does well after canola, peas and other pulses and barley. But, following camelina, which seemed a good option because it’s a short-season oilseed, led to ragged stands as volunteer camelina outcompeted the winter wheat and reduced nutrients and moisture available to the crop. Researchers are now addressing control of weeds that are becoming bigger problems in winter wheat — cleavers, downy brome and Japanese brome. At Lethbridge, treatments include fall- and spring-applied Everest, Simplicity, Payload and the soil-applied herbicide, pyroxasulfone.

“I’m really excited about what the future is in agriculture as a whole. I think more than ever it’s got to be run with a business plan and a sharp pencil.”

All-wheat commission favoured: survey The Alberta All-Wheat Commission Steering Committee says that a survey has found more than 80 per cent support for the proposed Alberta Wheat Commission. The steering committee conducted the survey between November 2011 and April 2012, at a variety of industry events and through its website (alberta wheat.ca). Of the 483 people who responded, 82 per cent expressed support for the proposed commission; 14.5 per cent said they were unsure; and 3.5 per cent said they did not support forming a new commission. Respondents represented six per cent of the estimated 8,000 wheat producers in the province and 9.6 per cent of Alberta’s 6.6 million acres of wheat production. The new commission would represent the producers of all nine classes of wheat now grown in Alberta, including winter wheat and soft white wheat, currently represented by the Alberta Winter Wheat Producers Commission and the Alberta Soft White Wheat Producers Commission, respectively. Members of those two organizations have already voted to fold their operations into the new commission. The new wheat commission would have the power to collect a refundable checkoff on all wheat sales made by Alberta producers. The committee’s next steps will be to present its findings and plans to the Alberta Agricultural Products Marketing Council and the Agriculture Minister Verlyn Olsen. If approval is received the new wheat commission could be in operation before the end of 2012.

International consortium sequences tomato genome

– Doug Seland, Alberta

It’s time to tell the real story Canadian agriculture is a modern, vibrant and diverse industry, filled with forward-thinking people who love what they do. But for our industry to reach its full potential this has to be better understood by the general public and, most importantly, by our industry itself. The story of Canadian agriculture is one of success, promise, challenge and determination. And the greatest storytellers are the 2.2 million Canadians who live it every day. Be proud. Champion our industry.

Share your story, hear others and learn more at AgricultureMoreThanEver.ca 06/12-18723-2E B

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The French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) says that along with partners in the Tomato Genome Consortium (TGC) it has sequenced the genomes of the domesticated tomato and its wild relative, Solanum pimpinellifolium. INRA says this achievement is expected to lower costs and speed efforts to improve the worldwide tomato production, making it better equipped to fight pests, pathogens, droughts and diseases. INRA says the work revealed the order, orientation, types and relative positions of the tomato’s 35,000 genes. It showed that the tomato genome expanded abruptly about 60 million years ago, at a time close to one of the large mass extinctions. The sequences were reported in the May 31 issue of the journal Nature.

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JUNE 18, 2012

New initiative supports school gardens Resources } A new website showcases school garden projects across Canada Nutrients for Life Foundation release

utrients for Life Foundation Canada, a registered Canadian charity, has launched a network to support the growth of school gardens in Canadian middle and high schools. The hub is a new website, www. schoolgardennetwork.ca that provides a showcase for existing gardens, links to new curriculum resources and points to community resources that can help schools interested in joining the trend. Picking up on the flourishing number of community gardens in cities across Canada, schools are increasingly looking to their schoolyards as a valuable teaching resource, giving teachers a powerful experiential learning tool that can support a broad cross-section of subject areas across all grades.

School Gardens Network website “Our own focus is on the science of agriculture, introducing a new generation to Canada’s potential to help feed the world’s growing population. But we’re just as excited to help schools that might have a different focus such

Global youth gathering to be held in Olds A global youth Ag-Summit to be held in Olds in August 2013 will celebrate milestone anniversaries for 4-H Canada, Olds College and Bayer. Both 4-H and Olds celebrate their 100-year anniversaries in 2013, with Bayer marking its 150th year. The announcement of Bayer’s title sponsorship of the week-long event was made June 1 by Sandra Peterson, global CEO of Bayer CropScience. “Feeding a hungry planet is a topic that we seriously think about every day as a science-based agriculture company,” Peterson said. The Youth Ag-Summit will host 120 students from around the world to discuss and learn how their generation will overcome the challenges of feeding a growing world population of currently over seven billion people. Bayer CropScience is engaging over 20 countries around the world (so far including China, Costa Rica, Chile, Spain, Australia, Italy, India, Taiwan, Indonesia and U.S. to date) to sponsor young leaders to attend the event. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Province of Alberta are also participating in this exclusive global summit. To participate, young adults between the ages of 18-25 will be required to submit a paper discussing the topic “Feeding a hungry planet.” The top essays will qualify them to receive an all-expenses paid trip to the Youth Ag-Summit. The essays will contribute to the foundation of the conference content. For more information visit www. facebook.com/youthag summit.

as nutrition, organic or heritage gardening. This network can help existing school gardens develop best practices, identify new community resources and help other schools plan their own first steps to building a school garden,” said

Tim Woods, executive director of Nutrients for Life as the network was announced in conjunction with the International Science Student Fair at the University of Manitoba. “The network’s website already has dozens of stories from school gardens, each one being an inspiration for others to follow. We have also commissioned a curriculum mapping project and garden-based learning resource activity guide tailored for British Columbia that can be adapted for other provinces,” said Woods. Education research on school gardens is also on the rise, as evidence mounts to the role of gardens in promoting healthy diets, building life skills, increasing environmental awareness, improving learning outcomes and meeting the needs of students with disabilities. “We’re confident this initiative is going to attract many new

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community partners willing to volunteer their time and expertise, and donors that would like to see young people have the opportunity to learn more about food security issues, and even careers in the agricultural sector,” said Woods. The School Garden Network hopes to launch additional programs to allow schools to share their garden experience with others inside and outside Canada, to offer free soil-testing services and to build an archive of “howto” and garden-based educational videos by a broad range of experts. Nutrients for Life also develops free educational resources that address aspects of sustainable food security for middle and high school students. Visit www. nutrientsforlife.ca to learn more. The School Garden Network is a new initiative that will be managed by Nutrients for Life.

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JUNE 18, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

saving lives in rural Communities. one man at a time.

Giving the Gift of Grain Combines for Cures seeks to improve prostate HealtH in rural alberta

ALL WET  The Legacy Wetland Restoration Program uses

You would hardly think a grain donation might help save a farmer’s life, but that is exactly the strategy behind the new Combines for Cures™ (C4C) program. The Prostate Cancer Centre and Prostate Cancer Canada created this innovative program to increase the number of men in rural Alberta (aged 40+) to have a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test. This simple blood test can help with early detection and treatment of prostate cancer. Part of the program asks farmers to give the gift of grain. Grain collected as donations from now until the end of the year will help Combines for Cures purchase a mobile testing clinic – a Man Van™ – with money raised in rural Alberta. This vehicle will be dedicated to testing men in rural Alberta. “Making a grain donation is easy”, says Jay Burrows of Western Feedlots Ltd. “Just allocate a portion of your currently contracted deliveries (or pledge a portion of your new crop production) to Western Feedlots Ltd. (barley), or to Richardson Pioneer (oilseeds and wheat). Simply allocate an amount and we will make a split payment, with your grain donation going to “Combines for Cures”. We will do the paperwork, and forward a cheque to the Prostate Cancer Centre (PCC) on your behalf. Burrows says the cash value of a grain donation will be the price of grain on an existing contract, or if not contracted, the day it is delivered. After the donation is made, PCC sends you a tax receipt. Agrium Crop Production Services (CPS) retail outlets in the pilot test area (central Alberta) are also accepting cash donations or grain pledges. “Through CPS and ourselves we’ll organize a central location where we can consolidate the pledged grain,” explains Burrows. The C4C test pilot program officially launched in March, 2012, and from five testing locations the statistics proved the need for a rural Man Van. Over 70 per cent of those tested had never had a PSA test. “We believe universal access in remote areas to prostate cancer awareness and PSA testing is clearly important,” says Pam Heard, executive director of the PCC. “When we involve communities in an important health initiative we stimulate change for a healthier future. It’s a call to action for men to take charge of their health.” Airdrie rancher John Lee encourages his rural colleagues to get that PSA blood test when the Prostate Cancer Centre brings the Man Van to their community. Lee had five years of baseline blood tests that proved critical in his cancer diagnosis in September, 2009. “Early diagnosis is important because it gives you so many options. With today’s medical technology it gives you such a huge opportunity for a complete cure,” says Lee. Burrows agrees with Lee. “We know our farm friends and clients are often too busy to go to the doctor,” says Jay Burrows of Western Feedlots, one of the locations where farmers can make their donations. “With the purchase of the mobile testing unit, we’ll help bring the medical experts to you.” Heard says statistics show that establishing a baseline PSA level at age 40, can help detect the early onset of prostate cancer, which will allow for more rapid access to treatment if necessary. “Ultimately, we will save lives,” she says. For more information about Combines for Cures go to www.prostatecancercentre.ca.

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Participants say wetland restoration project at Daysland a “win win” old aerial photos to identify former wetlands and guide the restoration process BY ALEXIS KIENLEN AF STAFF / DAYSLAND

estoring wetlands benefits the environment, wildlife and society, say participants in the Legacy Wetland Restoration Program. “It’s a win-win situation that is an incredibly positive thing that makes changes in the landscape,” said Robbin Hunka, a conservation program specialist with Ducks Unlimited. The program, which involves projects across the Prairies, was created with a $1-million donation from Agrium in 2009. The area around Daysland, 40 kilometres southwest of Camrose, was identified as a prime area for wetland restoration and Ducks Unlimited struck deals with landowners Peter and Rose Gabruck, Werner and Marianne Strohhaecker, and Bev and Duane Ronsko. Werner Strohhaecker became interested in the idea when Ducks Unlimited surveyed his land two years ago, and ended up selling two of his eight quarters to the organization. He said he wanted to see wildlife such as ducks, geese and coyotes return. “It was not a hard decision,” he said. The Daysland area was chosen after a study of aerial photography conducted in 1949. “We know that the wetland den-

Marianne and Werner Strohhaecker, two landowners who sold land to Ducks Unlimited for restoration. sity here is one of the best places in northeast Alberta,” said Hunka. The photos not only helped identify the area, but guided the restoration work. “In all the restorations we do, we want to take it back to where the historical level was,” said Hunka. The restoration work involves plugging drainage ditches, but it’s not as easy as backfilling some dirt into a ditch. Creating a “ditch plug,” which costs about $15,000,

begins with the removal of soil and then clay is put in and carefully packed to ensure water can’t flow under the plug. Finally, the soil is used to landscape the area in a natural fashion. “We use strict criteria and pay a lot to do the restoration,” said Hunka. “We need willing landowners and use the drained inventory survey to know the acres to restore.” Restoring the Strohhaecker land required about 15 ditch plugs.

Three chances to walk the line in CTF cropwalks BENEFITS  Interesting opportunity for producers AGRI-NEWS

Three cropwalks have been planned by the Controlled Traffic Farming Alberta (CTFA) project team. Each of the cropwalks includes area-specific features and will prove interesting to producers who already practise controlled traffic farming or who are considering this as a beneficial management practice. • June 14 – Rolling Hills. A bonus for this cropwalk is that Robert Ruwoldt, a controlled traffic farmer from Australia will be visiting and has agreed to talk about his years of experience with CTF. Also, there will be some in-field and adapted equipment discussed and demonstrated. • July 4 – Morrin. Steve Larocque will provide an update on year three of his CTF practices. As well as the third-year observations, the cropwalk and soil pit tour will specifically deal with soil compaction, roots and rooting, tires

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In controlled traffic farming, common in Europe, machinery sticks to designated tracks or tramlines. to minimize compaction and an overall project update. • July 9 – Jarvie/Dapp. This cropwalk will provide an opportunity to look at the second year of Jackson Farms’ controlled traffic farming. As well as secondyear observations, there will be discussion on soil compaction,

roots and rooting, tires to minimize compaction and an overall project update. Three Soil & Water Management CEU’s are pending for CCAs. For more information on CTFA, visit canola.ab.ca/ctfalberta. aspx or call project leader, Peter Gamache at 780-720-4346.

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JUNE 18, 2012

Mobile poultry abattoir for sale

A mobile poultry abattoir tested by Alberta Agriculture and Olds College in 2010 and 2011 is now for sale. The abattoir is a 53-foot trailer pulled by a highway tractor. It is self-contained with its own generator, water system, sewer system and other systems that make it totally mobile. Alberta Agriculture says even an inexperienced crew could process over 100 birds an hour. The birds can be cool by the same evening and could be packaged and sold right out of the trailer. For more information contact Bert Dening at 780-674-8247.

Peru reopens to beef Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced June 12 that the Peruvian market has been reopened for Canadian bone-in beef under 30 months of age, boneless beef of all ages, and offal. Peru closed Canadian beef imports due to BSE in 2003. Earlier this year the Peruvian market was reopened to Canadian cattle.

“We need to make sure there’s enough supply in Western Canada to supply all the customers in the fresh market in Western Canada.” — Mike Dungate, CFC

Alberta broiler producers want more quota Two markets } Differences in fresh versus processed distribution

affect how market share is distributed by alexis kienlen af staff / edmonton

lberta’s growing population means a growing demand for chicken, but the province’s producers have been turned down in past attempts the request to supply it here. Alberta Chicken Producers (ACP) is part of the national supply management system administered by Chicken Farmers of Canada (CFC). ACP chair Erna Ference, a producer from Black Diamond, says Alberta producers continue to support the system. “We think supply management works really well for us and we’re proud to be part of that system,” she said. However, since 2008, ACP has been in talks with CFC to increase its allocation. It was adjusted in 2000, but since then some of the other provinces, including B.C., Saskatchewan and Manitoba, have been given

additional allocation. Alberta was denied an increase to its allocation by CFC in 2009. “There was an expression at that time from some of the provinces that they didn’t want to change the agreement to allow for specific changes in terms of population,” said Ference. ACP then spoke to the Alberta government to pursue an “exceptional circumstance” request for additional allocation, but the request was turned down in March 2012 at the CFC annual meeting. CFC executive director Mike Dungate said that population is not the only criterion for determining quota allocation. “Our job is not to produce chicken in Alberta, per se, but to make sure that we’re providing to consumers in Alberta the chicken that they want and demand,” he said. Dungate said the allocation is in part determined by the need to supply two primary markets — fresh and processed. The pro-

cessed market, which includes processors such as Lilydale, is served by regional or national contracts. Many national companies, such as McDonald’s, are supplied by one processor. “Instead of someone selling to Safeway in Alberta or in Saskatchewan, one processor serves Safeway right across Western Canada,” he said. Fresh chicken must be produced closer to consumption, Dungate said. “In order to put fresh chicken on shelves in Western Canada, we can’t really service it out of Atlantic Canada or Central Canada. The transportation distance is too long, and so the shelf life is too short when it gets on the shelf in Western Canada.” Dungate doesn’t see the quota as something that should be allocated by the province, but as something that is required to service appropriate markets. “We need to make sure there’s enough supply in Western Canada to supply all the customers

Alberta Chicken Producers chair Erna Ference says producers support the system, but would like changes to reflect population growth. in the fresh market in Western Canada.” Dungate said the CFC wants to be as efficient as possible about producing chicken, while maintaining production in all 10 provinces. They recently presented a proposal to the board that recommends that future allocations

will be based 75 per cent on current production, and 25 per cent on population. This proposal was discussed at the end of May. Dungate expects a decision about the new system for the entire country should be in place and operational by the end of 2012.

JUNE 18, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Connecting with sights, tastes, smells and producers of food FROM THE HIP  Farmers’ markets have graduated into

the mainstream of food distribution BY BRENDA SCHOEPP

t was a busy day at the Atwater Market. The flowers and bedding plants were hot items for a sunny afternoon in May and the fresh new vegetables had arrived. The colours and smells lifted me — I could not wait to get shopping. I often go to this famous farmers’ market in Montreal, as it is only a 20-minute walk from my son’s home. We begin with a list and end up with bags of local seasonal treats, coffees from around the world, fresh buttery croissants that are lighter than air, fish from every ocean, sausages stuffed with apples and maple syrup, sachets of lavender,

creamy curds, brilliant fresh flowers, dark chocolates and tangy herbs. The grandchildren are thrilled with their trays of fresh berries and the juices stain their once-clean clothing. It is a great adventure. These little ones are not alone in their appreciation of taste, colour and texture. Folks of all ages stand full stop, letting the season’s first berry burst in their mouth and the benches are filled with families just tasting the goodness of nature. It is indeed a celebration of food. Our own local market is certainly tiny compared to this Montreal landmark, but the experience is just as memorable. Although you will not find wild asparagus flown in that week

from France, you will find fresh asparagus grown on a local farm and every type of seasonal vegetable. There are tables of pies and cakes, breads and buns, jam and puddings, quilts and handiwork, herbs, plants, flowers, woodwork and jewelry as well as meats, wines and beautiful things for the body. The sun shines, the band plays, seniors dance and the children run around with balloons on their wrists. It is a party and our date every Saturday morning. The number of farmers’ markets in North America has grown 400 per cent in the past 15 years. This is a result of an expression of several societal needs. It fills the need to know where food comes from and feel a connection to it, the need to touch, feel and smell

food in an environment that is not retail and sterile, the need to contribute to local economies and the need to eat well. For me, it is about feeding the local economy while ensuring that food miles are reduced. The lack or presence of regulation is not a deterrent and like so many others, I will purchase according to my core values and beliefs.

The right to choose

I was in Toronto when retail giant and Loblaw chief Galen Weston said that “Farmers’ markets are great — one day they’re going to kill some people though.” Someone will also die from food from full-scale retail. It is not a question of who is safer or has more control. All food is safe if handled,

What would $10,000 and a Paul Brandt concert mean to your community? Nominate your hero today. UFA has been part of our rural landscape for more than 100 years. In that time we’ve learned that each town has someone special whose efforts make a real difference to their community. The 2012 UFA Small Town Heroes contest is our way of celebrating their achievements. Creativity counts — so tell us a story, make it visual. Grab your camera and introduce us to your small town hero with photos or a video.

Two Grand Prize winners will receive: • $10,000 for their community • A free Paul Brandt concert in their community Eight runner-up prizes of $2500 for their community Like us on Facebook facebook.com/UFAsmalltownheroes Follow us on twitter @UFAcooperative

Submit nominations by Sunday, July 22, 2012. Visit UFA.com today for contest details or to nominate your small town hero.

UFA.com

PUB: Alberta Farmer

PUB dAte: 18-June-12

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In this world of transparency, consumers have an expectation and often a feeling of entitlement to the story behind food.

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stored and prepared appropriately. It is about allowing consumers the right to choose and to ensure that our families and communities will benefit from that choice. Farmers’ markets, like the organic industry, are often targeted as outside of mainstream. If major retailers believed that were true and these were not in the best interest of the consumer, there would not be an organic or a local counter in their stores. But there is, and those spaces are growing. Farmers feed families and both rural and urban consumers like that idea. In this world of transparency, consumers have an expectation and often a feeling of entitlement to the story behind food. They have strong opinion of the value of food in their lives. One day in the park I asked a young man visiting the farmers’ market what he planned to do with his life. His response was that he was going to be an organic gardener “because it is so important.” Again, he was being true to his core principles and beliefs. It is true that farmers’ markets will not feed a city or the world but the local food movement has evolved into providing for day cares, hospitals and food service. Even fast-food chains want to be part of the picture and want farmers and their message to help them connect to the public. The message behind food is so important that McDonald’s tray liners this summer will feature producers of Alberta beef. Dave Solverson and daughter Joanne are so confident in the local goodness of Alberta beef they are willing to put their name on it and McDonald’s knows this is important to the consumer. To make informed choices consumers need to see this kind of information through an intrinsic transfer from the local farmers’ market right through to fast food and retail. The mission statement of the Atwater Market, “to give Montrealers access to local produce in their public markets that relate to their values” beautifully captures the essence of marketing. Where you shop is an individual choice as is what you believe. Whenever you go for product or produce that aligns with your values, take a moment to be thankful for it and then celebrate the beauty and variety in the foods that we eat. 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. brenda.schoepp@cciwireless. ca or www.brendaschoepp.com

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JUNE 18, 2012

The equine sarcoid — treating cancer in horses TREATMENT  Some sarcoids resolve on their own,

but others require careful consideration by a vet

BY CAROL SHWETZ, DVM

he occurrence of cancer is relatively rare in horses. Of those cancers that do occur, the equine sarcoid accounts for a third of all the reported skin tumours. This tumour is unique to the horse and is highly variable in appearance and behaviour. It is a benign type of cancer that does not spread to internal organs, yet can be locally aggressive, compromising sensitive tissues. Although sarcoids are not fatal, their presence can affect a horse’s value and function. The cause of sarcoids is multifaceted with both genetic and viral components having been shown to play a role in their appearance. This tumour “flies under the radar” of the horse’s immune system so all elements which influence the horse’s immunity must be considered when addressing sarcoid development and treatment. These include, but are not limited to, nutrition, environment, stress, and emotional makeup of a horse. Sarcoids typically occur in horses, between the ages of three and six but can occur at any age. Although they can occur anywhere on the horse’s skin, they are more common on the face, especially around the eyes and mouth, the neck, groin, sheath and legs. They present themselves in many different ways. The occult sarcoid is a circular or oval, flat area of hairless, thickened skin. This form commonly occurs on the side of the head or neck. Most often this superficial tumour remains quiescent for many years and is best left untouched. It can be mistaken for ringworm. If aggravated it has the potential to develop into one of the more serious types of sarcoids. The verrucous form has a roughened grey surface, and often resembles a wart. They flake off easily and can transform into more dramatic forms of sarcoid if aggravated. The nodular form of sarcoids are freely movable tumours of variable size under the surface of the skin. These are not troublesome until they begin to ulcerate. Common sites for the nodular or verrucous sarcoids are the head, sheath, or groin. The “fleshy” or fibroblastic sarcoids look like exuberant granulation tissue, or proud flesh, and may grow slowly or rapidly. They are cauliflower-like fleshy masses that bleed easily, smell putrid, and often have ulcerated surfaces. They prefer the leg, eyelids, and sites of previous injury. It is the most aggressive form of tumour. Sarcoids are unpredictable in all aspects of their development and treatment, and so each needs

Sarcoids are unpredictable in all aspects of their development and treatment, and so each needs to be assessed on an individual basis.

to be assessed on an individual basis. Their variable nature makes them a therapeutic challenge for both owners and veterinarians. Time is often an initial approach strategy, particularly when the sarcoid is not bothersome to the horse. If given time some equine sarcoids can spontaneously resolve. Under certain circumstances these tumours can change, becoming unsightly, an annoyance, or interfering with sensitive tissue such as an eyelid or a joint. Whenever a treatment protocol is undertaken, sarcoid type, behaviour, and location are considered. Patient and owner compliance, budget, and clinical experience of the veterinarian and available modalities are all equally important to the treatment method selected.

Success rates are variable with all methods of treatment. Sarcoids may reappear for all treatment options, even after apparently successful treatment. They behave similar to a weed — as long as the roots remain within the skin and the horse’s immune system is compromised, the sarcoid continues to grow. As such surgical removal may only prune the sarcoid, with its rapid and often more aggressive return in 50 per cent of the cases. As a result surgical removal or debulking is generally combined with other therapeutic methods. Cryotherapy, thermotherapy topical and intralesional chemotherapy are considerations, each with their advantages and disadvantages. Carol Shwetz is a veterinarian specializing in equine practice at Westlock, Alberta

Fibroblastic equine sarcoid on the right stifle joint.

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Using highest-index boars in AI program can boost the bottom line PEET ON PIGS } Using top 15 per cent of boars in AI program could add

nearly $550,000 per year in profits in a 10,000-sow production system By bernie peet

hile artificial insemination (AI) in pigs has become almost universal in the worldwide swine industry, it has a number of disadvantages, according to Michael Dyck from the University of Alberta. Changes to the way in which boars are used and AI techniques utilized can capture the increased genetic potential of higher-index boars and add significant dollars to the bottom line, he says. There are three major problems associated with current AI methodology, said Dyck. “First, the effectiveness of standard semen evaluation methods is relatively low compared to other species and poor-quality boars will affect the reproductive outcome of many females,” he said. “Employing the use of subfertile boars and low-quality ejaculates reduces production efficiency.” As well, the use of “pooled” semen — where the semen of several boars is mixed — breaks the link between known genetic value of individual boars and the paternity of the progeny produced. Finally, the high number of sperm used, typically three billion per dose, and consequently the high numbers of boars needed for semen produc-

tion, reduces the genetic impact of the best boars. For the genetic value of the highest-index boars to be more fully utilized, then AI methods involving two billion or even one billion sperm must be used. But research shows that using one billion sperm tends to result in reduced fertility because sperm from the less fertile boars in the dose has a bigger impact than where a dose of three billion sperm is used. The current practice of using three billion sperm in a pooled semen dose provides a large safety margin because it masks the less fertile boars. Identifying the least fertile boars and culling them would allow lower numbers of sperm per dose to be used while still achieving high fertility rates. However, there is a lack of suitable methods to evaluate the fertility of individual boars. “Conventional semen evaluations, such as concentration, morphology and motility, can establish that a boar is either subfertile or infertile, but they cannot identify the relative fertility of boars that meet accepted industry standards for sperm and ejaculate quality,” said Dyck. “There is a long history behind the search to find a single or combination of tests that can accurately predict male fertility from a semen sample.” Unfortunately, there appears to be no simple answer to this very

complex question. As a result, there is no accepted methodology for evaluating the relative fertility of AI boars. Therefore in practice, the least fertile boars have to be identified through the measurement of standard productivity parameters such as conception rate, farrowing rate, and litter size. The solution is to implement new AI technology, said Dyck. “This involves a move to single-sire inseminations with the lowest possible doses of semen and the use of ejaculates from boars with high genetic value and proven fertility in a ‘low semen dose’ environment,” he said. Dyck has developed an economic model based on a 10,000sow production system with an internal 100-boar stud in order to calculate the benefits. Changes to the boar stud procedures and AI techniques are made in three stages. “The first stage in the transition process is to process semen as single-sire doses of two billion sperm,” said Dyck. “A minimum of 50 single-sire matings is then used to identify the top 66 per cent of boars in the stud and then the lowest performing boars are removed, increasing the average index of the remaining boars.” Once this stage has been implemented, it would result in an annual value of benefits and cost savings of more than

$200,000. An indirect result of removing the least fertile boars is that the number of pigs weaned per sow would rise from an assumed starting figure of 24.5 to 26.5. “The second stage involves moving to post-cervical AI, using one or 1.5 billion sperm cells per dose,” he said. “Again, 50 matings are used to identify the top 33 per cent of boars in the stud and the lower-performing boars are removed, increasing the average index. This would result in performance benefits and cost savings of over $400,000 per year.” The third and final stage is to move to a single, fixed-time AI protocol, involving the use of a hormone treatment after weaning to synchronize ovulation. Post-cervical AI, using one to 1.5 billion sperm per dose is then used as in stage two. “Fifty matings per boar are used to identify the top 15 per cent of boars in the stud and the remaining boars removed, leaving just 15 boars in the stud,” said Dyck. “This would increase the economic impact to nearly $550,000 per year in the 10,000sow production system. “The evaluation of relative fertility amongst commercial AI boars, and a move to singlesire AI programs in combination with advanced AI techniques holds significant potential economic benefits to the swine

Dr. Michael Dyck of the University of Alberta says that changes to AI techniques can help to capture more genetic value from boars. photo: supplied

industry. Results to date suggest that the relative value of commercial progeny could be increased by between $0.80 and $1.30 per pig born and would largely reflect the genetic merit of elite boars in terms of growth performance and feed efficiency of their offspring.” Bernie Peet is president of Pork Chain Consulting of Lacombe, Alberta, and editor of Western Hog Journal

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WET, GREEN OR HEATED CANOLA SEED - WE WILL BUY IT.

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01/12-18086-02A

18086_02A MBT GotSeedAd_6x6.625.indd 1

1/18/12 11:51 AM

Livestock Identification Services (LIS) has announced that Jeffery Bilow will be its new chief operating officer, replacing David Moss, who left earlier in the year to a position in private industry. Bilow comes to LIS from UFA where he held the position of manager market strategy — livestock, and has experience working with the livestock industry both in Canada and the United States. He holds a bachelor of arts in ag studies/economics from the University of Lethbridge and is completing his masters of business administration — strategic management from Regis University in Denver, Colo. Bilow will attend the LIS annual meeting on June 22, 2012.

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JUNE 18, 2012

Integrated meat regulation proposed TRADE CONFLICT  Harmonizing regulations would render the WTO challenge moot REUTERS

he United States and Canada should integrate meat regulation and head off a dispute over meat labelling that has landed before the World Trade Organization (WTO), a study by two research organizations said June 6. A U.S. law that took effect in 2009 requires grocers to put labels on cuts of beef, pork, lamb, chicken and ground meat or post signs that list the origin of the meat. The WTO ruled in November that the country-of-origin labelling provision, or COOL, violated WTO rules on technical barriers to trade. The case was brought by Canada and Mexico, which have a sizable cattle and hog trade with the United States. The United States has appealed the WTO’s ruling. The United States should instead move to a label identifying “Product of Canada and

the U.S.A.” on beef and pork, as well as livestock raised, processed and traded between the two countries, said a joint study by Canada’s Fraser Institute and Washington-based Competitive Enterprise Institute. Regulatory differences for red meat are costly and unnecessary because Canada and the United States have nearly identical processing standards, according to the study. To boost trade between the countries, they should create a single regulatory area including a common inspection regime, harmonized meat grade designations and an end to border inspections, the study said. “Regulatory co-operation would create a single red meat regime in which both Canadian and American products can be priced according to their quality and in which the origin of the animals is irrelevant,” said Alexander Moens of the Fraser Institute. “This would benefit consumers through lower

The WTO ruled in November that the country-of-origin labelling provision, or COOL, violated WTO rules on technical barriers to trade. Study recommends labelling meat as Product of Canada and the U.S.A. ©THINKSTOCK prices, help keep beef and pork competitive among increasing food choices, and also make North American meat more competitive.” The United States is Canada’s top export market for beef and pork. U.S. consumer and mainline farm groups have supported the labelling requirement, saying consumers should have information

to distinguish between U.S. and foreign products. Big U.S. meat processors opposed the provision, which they said would unnecessarily boost costs and disrupt trade. In their complaint, Canada and Mexico said cattle and hog shipments to the United States declined sharply after the law took effect. Many U.S. meat-packing plants, especially those near the U.S.-

Canada border, either stopped accepting Canadian livestock or bought less due to the increased costs of segregating animals by domestic and foreign origin. To be listed as U.S. origin, meat must come from animals born, raised and slaughtered in the United States. Meat from livestock raised in Mexico or Canada for slaughter in the United States must be labelled as a product of mixed origin.

Oil World sees firm soy prices BIOFUEL  Sluggish

demand could weaken soyoil prices

HAMBURG/REUTERS Soybean prices are likely to remain firm in the next five to seven months because of high U.S. exports, but could be pressured later by larger South American crops in 2013 and sluggish global biofuel demand, Hamburgbased oilseeds analysts Oil World said June 12. “We are likely to see record U.S. soybean disposals in Sept. 2012/Feb. 2013, putting logistics to the test and keeping prices well supported,” it said. Oil World forecasts U.S. soybean exports will increase by nearly 40 per cent from Sept. 2012 to Feb. 2013 to compensate for the drought-hit South American crop this year. But an expected recovery in South America’s 2013 soybean harvests will start to pressure prices early next year, it said. “The expected firm price trend of soybeans within the next five to seven months and the prospective easing of prices afterwards will mainly affect soymeal as the major product and only to a smaller extent soyoil,” it said. But sluggish global biofuel output could also weaken soyoil prices in coming months, it said. “The forecast slowdown of the growth in global biodiesel production in 2012-13 is expected to pressure prices of oils and fats somewhat,” it said. Brazil’s biodiesel output fell in March and April 2012 despite expectations of an increase, it said. This contributed to largerthan-expected Brazilian soyoil exports so far in 2012, it said.

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JUNE 18, 2012

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

CONTRACTING

650 JD DOZER, READY for bush clearing, oilfield or land clearing, reasonable rates, contact Gordon (780)878-3515, (780)910-2120 HAVE GUNS WILL TRAVEL! Gopher control in north Central Alberta, Call Cameron at 780-349-0343

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Tillage & Seeding

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1-877-250-5252

CANOLA WANTED

Heated, Green, Damaged Buying all levels of damaged canola. Excellent Market Prices. Bonded, Insured.

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

INC. AUTO & TRANSPORT

MENZO

Custom Fabrication 10’ - 30’ Land Rollers • 3pth Units Available

Cell: 403-380-0173 • http://www.menzo.ca

ASSORTED DEUTZ AND OTHER diesel engines. KMK Sales, (800)565-0500, Humboldt, SK.

1999 FLEXICOIL 5000, 57FT airdrill, 12in spacing, 4in rubber capped packers, dual chute, c/w flexicoil 3450 triple comp. tank, $39,000 obo (780)621-6704

FARM MACHINERY

FARM MACHINERY Tillage & Seeding – Tillage

FARM MACHINERY Grain Cleaners

1997 JD 737 DRILL, 36ft, paired row, single chute, 3-1/2in. rubber press, 787 TBH 230/bu cart, primary blockage, shedded, exc. cond. (780)877-2518

GRAIN CLEANING BY COLOUR sorting, mobile unit. improve your profits on cereal grains and pulses! Removing Ergot, off color and dirt, phone for rates. (403)377-2548

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

FARM MACHINERY Haying & Harvesting – Various

2007 Kenworth T300

Combines FARM MACHINERY Combine – Massey Ferguson MF 860 COMBINE, 2900HRS, very good condition, field ready, 6 cly. standard, new PU belts, and new clutch, $6,500 (403)863-4997, Acme, AB.

FARM MACHINERY Combine – Various

BUSINESS SERVICES BUSINESS SERVICES Crop Consulting

FARM CHEMICAL SEED COMPLAINTS 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

AUCTION SALES AUCTION SALES Alberta Auctions – North AGCO FINANCE LLC WILL offer the following equipment for sale to the highest bidder above our reserved price, for cash, plus applicable sales tax. Equipment: AG Chem 1254 Rogator, S/N: 125079103, TD Wilton trailer, NSN. Date of sale: Tuesday, July 10, 2012. Time of Sale: 10:00 AM. Place of Sale: Grande Equipment Ltd, 10116 132 Avenue, Grande Prairie, AB. Equipment can be inspected at place of sale. The equipment will be sold AS IS, without warranty. For further information please contact Kent Torgalson (780)993-1140 Reference Number 937552. We know that farming is enough of a gamble so if you want to sell it fast place your ad in Alberta Farmer Express classifieds. It’s a Sure Thing. Call our toll-free number today. We have friendly staff ready to help. 1-888-413-3325.

FARM MACHINERY Tractors – Various

COMBINE WORLD located 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. 1-800-667-4515 www.combineworld.com

Combine ACCessories FARM MACHINERY Combine – Accessories 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.

NEW JD SINGLE POINT HOOK-UP CHANGE OVER KITS In stock, brand new, $825. Other header conversion kits also available. 1-800-667-4515. www.combineworld.com

John Deere 3140, 6845 Hours, 97 Eng HP, 85 Pto HP, 3PTH, JD260 S/Loader, 540&1000 Pto,s $13,900.

Kubota L2850 FWA, 4 Cyl Diesel, 34 Eng HP, 27 Pto HP, P/S, 3PTH, $11,000.

2005 Toyota 25 Forklift, 5000 lb Lift, $5800.

John Deere 920, 40 HP diesel, REBUILT Motor, NEW Rear Tires, 3PTH, P/S, $11,500.

www.doublellindustries.com 780-905-8565 NISKU, ALBERTA

1998 JD AIR DRILL, 735 tool, 40ft, 787 tank, 230/bu, single chute, excellent conditon, field ready. $30,000 OBO (780)387-1743, Millet, Ab.

FARM MACHINERY Tillage & Seeding – Air Seeders

2005 HESSTON 9260 C/W 15ft 9070 disc header, 25ft 5200 draper, w/fore & aft, triple delivery, pu reels, approx. 2000/hrs, very good condition. (780)963-0641, 780-203-9593

Contact Jared Sherman at Soderglen Ranches near Airdrie, AB. 403-333-0499

FARM MACHINERY Tillage & Seeding – Air Drills

ENGINES

AUTO & TRANSPORT Semi Trucks & Trailers

80,000 miles, 330 HP cummins, duel fuel tanks, 6 speed Allison auto tranny, DVD and headphones, 4 leather bucket seats & bench seat in 3rd row - seats 7 adults, differential locks, air ride & air ride hitch. Asking $85,000 - was $135,000 new.

FARM MACHINERY Tractors – Various

CONTRACTING Custom Work

Wheat, Barley, Oats, Peas, etc. Green or Heated Canola/Flax

HEATED & GREEN CANOLA

FARM MACHINERY Parts & Accessories

TracTors FARM MACHINERY Tractors – John Deere 2007 7730, MFWD, 4600HRS, 746 loader/grapple, rear wt. pkg. 3pth, 3hyd. green star ready, wide metric tires, fenders, mirrors, optional HID lights, $97,500 OBO (403)933-5448, (403)608-1116, Calgary Area JD 7400 TRACTOR, 740 loader w/grapple, 7550 hours, new tires, mfwd, new seat, one owner, (780)367-2483 We know that farming is enough of a gamble so if you want to sell it fast place your ad in Alberta Farmer Express classifieds. It’s a Sure Thing. Call our toll-free number today. We have friendly staff ready to help. 1-888-413-3325.

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

FARM MACHINERY Tractors – Various JD 2210, LDR, 3PTH, MFD JD 4255, FWA, 280 loader • JD 2755 245 loader JD 746 loader, new • JD 4430 c/w loader JD 4440, loader available • JD 4450 c/w loader JD 4450 FWA, 280 loader JD 7200, ldr, 3pth FWA, JD 7710, FWA, ldr. avail. low hours Mustang 2044 Skidsteer, 1300hrs. JD 6410 3pth, loader available Clamp on duals, 20.8x38-18.4x38 158 & 148 JD loaders FINANCE, TRADES WELCOME 780-696-3527, BRETON, AB

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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 CIH 435Q, 535Q, 450Q, pto avail. MF 8160 FWA Low hours NH TJ 450, New Triples, Big Pump STX 375 Case with Big Pump

JD 4710, 4720, 4730, 4830, 4920, 4930 SP sprayers 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 854 c/w tires. Selection of Combine Headers & Haying Equipment

“LIKE MANY BEFORE, WE’LL HAVE YOU SAYING THERE’S NO DEAL LIKE A KEN DEAL” •Phone: (403)526-9644 •Cell: (403)504-4929 •Greg Dorsett (403)952-6622 •Email: kendeal@shaw.ca FARM MACHINERY Loaders & Dozers

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Miscellaneous

2003 CAT 928G WHEEL loader, 13,000hrs, 3rd valve, 2-3/4 yard bucket, tires 60%, very good condition. (780)963-0641, (780)203-9593, Stony Plain, Ab.

FLEXICOIL 1720 AIRTANK, (no monitor) $4,900; 2003 Case WDX 1101 swather, 25ft triple delivery, 2800hrs, header transport, $49,000 obo; 1996 Barrett 53ft tri-axle liner, hog rail, $12,500 obo; JD 7721 combine, $2,900; (780)621-6704

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Miscellaneous 1969 C60 CHEV TRUCK w/box & Hoist, $2,000; front mount post pounder, $750; 1980 Chev 70 Series Hay truck w/self/unloading bale deck & hoist, $2,500; Self-Unloading shop built bale wagon, hauls 17 bales, $1,500; (780)349-2860, Westlock Area 2002 JD 1820, 45-FT., 10-in. spacing, double shoot, dutch paired row, 3-1/2in steel, $27,000; (403)665-2341, Craigmyle, AB. 3 BUNNING MANURE SPREADERS for rent, call Lawrence 403-588-4787 510 INT SEED DRILL, w/grass seeder, mint condition, $2,800; 2 Int. #10 seed drills, fair condition, offers; 21ft IH deep tillage cultivator, $1,000; Fordson Major diesel tractor, w/bucket, not running, offers. 12ft Deep tillage cult. (780)919-9985 5710 BOURGAULT AIR DRILL w/midrow banders 6450 TBH tank; 100-ft. Flexicoil 67XL sprayer w/auto rake. Phone (403)312-4202 ACREAGE EQUIPMENT: CULTIVATORS, DISCS, Plows, Blades, Post pounders, Haying Equipment, Etc. (780)892-3092, Wabamun, Ab. AEROWAY 15FT LOW ACRES, like new, $10,000 (780)524-2987, Valleyview, Ab.

50’ Flexicoil #75 Packer Bar, 1/yr as new ...$25,000 2320 Flexicoil TBH airtank, 1997, clean always shedded, exc. cond ...................................................$20,000 Flexicoil 6 run seed treater ................................. $2,000 2006 51’ Flexicoil 5000 airdrill, 10”,5.5” rubber packers......................................................................................Call 2006, 39’ Flexicoil 5000 airdrill 10”,5.5 rubber packers, double chutes, used 1 year, like new.......Call 33’ CIH 8500 airdrill, 7” steel packers, Eagle Beak openers............................................................................. $8,500 134’ Flexicoil S68XL sprayer, 2006, suspended boom, auto rake, rinse tank, single tips...........$39,500 130’ Flexicoil 67XL PT sparyer, 2006, tail boom, auto rate, rinse tank, hyd. pump, combo jets, nice shape ...........................................$26,500 51 Flexicoil Bodies c/w GEN. SC 4” carbide spread tip openers, like new .................................................. $3,500 70’ Degelman Heavy Harrow, 9/16 tines good condition...........................................................$20,000 9435 MF Swather, 30’, 5200 header, PU reel 200hrs...........................................................$100,000 810H 25’ Hesston grain table - PU reel ........$10,000 9300 Westward MadDon swather, 1883 hrs. 21’, 960 header w/PU reel ................................................Call CIH WD1203 swather 2011, 280hrs, 36’ header, split PU reel, roto shears, header transport, top auger, floating rear axle 1/yr ...........................................$100,000 1372 MF 13’ swing arm discbine 4yrs, like new ....................................................................................Call

FOR SALE: 3PH MESOLPA (Vicon) 8 wheel rake, all new teeth & bearings, $2,500; 1-MF 7ft 3PH Mower, $700. (403)934-4407 or (403)934-6666 JD 1995 790 ELC TRACKHOE, low hrs; Komatsu WA 320-1 3yd loader, JD 3830 16ft hay header; UH 122 trackhoe; Cat 631 scraped 24-yd; Bomag 170 PD packer Cummings motor. (306)236-8023 JD 4995 16-FT DISCBINE 2009; also Honey Bee 25-ft grain header 47-ft flex coil 800 Deep Tillage; 45-ft Willrich Cultivator; Cummings 240bp skid mount clutch&trans; 860 MF PU & 20-ft grain.(306)236-8023. MF 655 SWATHER, $1,000; in good condition; Leon Loader c/w bucket/bale spike, $2,500; Please call 780281-0291 between 7-9pm or email: rtbeddoes@gmail.com RETIRED FROM FARMING, MOST machinery shedded, 1998 Peterbuilt, 460 Cummins, 18spd, w/36ft tandem Doepker grain trailer $75,000; Rock picker, $1,500; PTO wind power plant; 400 barrel fuel tank. $14,000 w/fuel; 3pth, 6ft cultivator $800. (403)586-0978, Torrington, Ab. RETIREMENT SALE: LZB JD 12ft hoe drill, 7in spacing, w/fine seed & fertilizer box, stored inside, exc. cond. $3,200; JD 702 10 wheel rake $5,200; 20ft cultivator w/shovels and spikes w/3 bar harrows, cable lift, $2,200; 12ft double disc w/3 bar harrows, $3,500; Phone (403)932-5522, Cochrane, Ab.

New Sakundiak 10x1200 (39.97’) 36HP, Kohler eng. E-K mover, P/S, electric belt tightener, work lights, slim fit, 12 gal. fuel tank ............ $18,000 New Sakundiak 8x1200 (39.97’) , 25HP Kohler eng., E-Kay mover, battery, fuel tank............$13,000 New Sakundiak 7x1200 (39.97’) , 22HP RobinSubaru eng., battery & fuel tank ...................... $7,500 New E-Kay 7”,8”,9” Bin Sweeps .............................Call 2002 7000HD Highline bale Processor, c/w twine cutter, always shedded ......................................... $7,950 New Outback S3, STS, E drive, TC’s in stock New Outback E drive X c/w free E turns ........ CALL New Outback S-Lite .................................................$850 Used Outback 360 mapping.................................$750 Used Outback S guidance......................................$750 Used Outback S2 guidance .............................. $1,000 Used Outback E drive Case & JD Hyd. Kits......$500 Unused Outback Hyd. Kit Versatile 6 Series ........................................................................................... $1,000

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, Headsight Harvesting Solutions** Sales Rep for George’s Farm Centre

ronsauer@shaw.ca

Watch your profits grow! Advertise with AFe Classifieds Place your ad today by calling Maureen at

1-888-413-3325

JUNE 18, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Miscellaneous

LIVESTOCK

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

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Wanted WANTED: 1939 STEEL WHEELS for JD model D, or complete tractor for parts, (780)349-2860, Westlock Area 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 Hit our readers where it counts… in the classifieds. Place your ad in Alberta Farmer Express classifed section. 1-888-413-3325.

HEAT & AIR CONDITIONING

LIVESTOCK Cattle – Angus PB RED & BLACK Angus yearling bulls for sale. Canadian pedigrees, semen tested. Phone (780)336-4009, Kinsella, AB.

SEED/FEED MISCELLANEOUS Feed Grain

Agriculture Tours

FEED GRAIN WANTED! ALSO buying; Light, tough, or offgrade grains. “On Farm Pickup” Westcan Feed & Grain 1-877-250-5252

SEED/FEED MISCELLANEOUS Hay & Straw

CAREERS

38 REGISTERED RED ANGUS bulls, (from 6 sires) quiet, easy calving, low to moderate birth weight, good growth, EPD’s, guaranteed breeders, exc. for heifers or cows. Cleveley Cattle Company (780)689-2754, Ellscott, AB.

LIVESTOCK Livestock Equipment 5’X10’ PORTABLE CORRAL PANELS, 6 bar. Starting at $55. Storage Containers, 20’ & 40’ 1-866-517-8335, (403)540-4164, (403)226-1722

SMALL SQUARE BALES HORSE hay, Crossfield, Ab. 50/lb bales $3.00/per bale, 403-451-5384, (403)613-4570

CAREERS Farm / Ranch

LIVESTOCK Cattle – Charolais

REAL ESTATE

SEWING MACHINES

REGISTERED RED FACTOR/WHITE BULLS yearling and 2/yr/olds, big butted, big nutted, quiet, semen tested, guaranteed, 50% down 50% upon free delivery. Call (403)933-5448, cell(403)608-1116. www. willowbrookcharolais.webs.com

REAL ESTATE Farms & Ranches – Manitoba

Double F Farms, located in Kirriemuir, AB is seeking Cattle Herdsmen to carry out breeding programs, recognize & treat livestock health problems. Full-time, perm, $16.50/hr. Min 4 yrs experience. Fax resume to 403-552-3751 or email craigference@hotmail.com.

LIVESTOCK Cattle – Red Angus

LIVESTOCK Cattle – Maine-Anjou MAINE ANJOU BULLS FOR sale purebred and half blood, black yearling bulls. Semen tested and guaranteed! Rocky Lane Farms, Rumsey, AB. (403)368-2114, (403)742-9835

www.penta.ca

TRAVEL

Specialty

REGISTERED RED ANGUS YEARLING bulls, quiet, various birthweights 70lb and up, semen tested, $2,250. Bellshill Angus, Lougheed Ab. (780)386-2150, 780-888-1374

BULLS FOR SALE: HEREFORDS, mostly dehorned, great selection including Surefire Heifer Bulls, Dependable maternal genetics selected for 38/yrs. We Deliver. www.bretonwestherefords.com (780)696-3878

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

JUNE 23RD THE ALBERTA Sheep Breeders Association will be holding the 2nd Annual Barn Burn-er Pen Show at the Cow Palace in Olds Alberta. This event will showcase purebred male & female sheep from across the province. For more information and a list of Exhibitors check our website www.albertasheepbreeders.ca or call the ASBA office at 1-866-967-4337

SEED / FEED / GRAIN

Ukraine/Romania ~ June 2012 Scandinavia & Russia ~ Land & Cruise - July 2012 Australia & New Zealand ~ Jan/Feb 2013 Kenya/Tanzania ~ January 2013 South America ~ February 2013 Costa Rica ~ February 2013 Select Holidays 1-800-661-4326

LIVESTOCK Cattle – Hereford

The Icynene Insulation System®

LIVESTOCK Sheep For Sale

BUYING ALL TYPES OF feed grain. Also have market for light offgrade or heated, picked up on the farm. Eisses Grain Marketing 1-888-882-7803, (403)350-8777 Lacombe.

INDUSTRIAL SEWING MACHINE FOR leather and upholstery (403)749-3871, Delburne, Ab.

CAREERS Employment Wanted

TIRES

Interlake Farmland Meleb, MB. 157acres, 60/40 hay & mature trees, alongside water source 3 miles E of Hwy 7. $59,900.(204)477-9140,shelleyhenn@shaw.ca

FEDERATION TIRE: 1100X12, 2000X20, used aircraft. Toll free 1-888-452-3850

RECREATIONAL VEHICLES

Hit our readers where it counts… in the classifieds. Place your ad in Alberta Farmer Express classifed section. 1-888-413-3325.

RECREATIONAL VEHICLES Motor Homes

Stretch your advertising dollars! Place an ad in the classifieds. Our friendly staff is waiting for your call. 1-888-413-3325.

EARN $75,000/yr PART TIME in the livestock or equipment appraisal business. Agricultural background required. Classroom or home study courses available. 1-800-488-7570 LOOKING FOR WORK on dairy or horse farm, experienced. Call Larry (306)276-2110 or (306)769-7405 evenings.

2008 Monaco Camelot Motorhome, Loaded

$214,000

LIVESTOCK Cattle Various

1-800-587-4711

IRON & STEEL

FULL FLECKVIEH BULLS, ONE and two year olds, born March & April, calving ease, and high maternal traits, (780)941-3843, New Sarepta, AB.

PIPE FOR SALE 3-1/2IN., 2-7/8in., 2-3/8in., 1in. Sucker Rods. Henderson Manufacturing Sales. (780)672-8585

Looking for a hand around the farm? Place a help wanted ad in the classifieds. Call 1-888-413-3325.

(403) 347-0723 Torrington, AB RECREATIONAL VEHICLES Motor Homes

Stretch your ADVERTISING DOLLAR!

COMMON SEED COMMON SEED Forage

1-888-413-3325

GRASS SEED, MEADOW BROME, common #1 Alfalfa Seed, Certified Beaver and common, excellent quality, will deliver, (403)793-1705, Brooks, Ab.

Ask About our Prairie Wide Classifieds

We know that farming is enough of a gamble so if you want to sell it fast place your ad in Alberta Farmer Express classifieds. It’s a Sure Thing. Call our toll-free number today. We have friendly staff ready to help. 1-888-413-3325.

New 30.5L-32 16 ply, $2195; 20.8-38 12 ply $866; 18.4-38 12 ply; $783; 24.5-32 14 ply, $1749; 14.9-24 12 ply, $356; 16.9-28 12 ply $498. Factory direct. More sizes available new and used. 1-800-667-4515. www.combineworld.com

TRAILERS Trailers Miscellaneous

2012 29½ ft Chaparrall 5th Wheel Trailer $29,900 •267RLS •Used 2 Weekends •Like New

Call (403) 586-9078

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JUNE 18, 2012

Small changes can make a big difference RAISING THE BAR } Ensuring the bottom wire

is 45 cm off the ground means animals can safely pass under the barbed wire by sheri monk

af staff / pincher creek

A pronghorn climbs between the second and third wire strands. This is often a perilous endeavour resulting in injury or even death for the animal. photo: T.J. Schwanky

Little fence on the prairie is bad for pronghorn PRONGHORN CAN’T JUMP } Unlike mule and white-tailed deer,

pronghorn cannot jump over a barbed wire fence, they must crawl under it by sheri monk

af staff / pincher creek

true relic of an ancient world, the pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana) evolved its astounding speed to escape predators like the sabre-toothed tiger. Capable of running 100 km/h, it remains the fastest land animal in North America, and on the world stage, places second only to the cheetah. However, in an ironic twist of modern fate, the pronghorn’s continued success as a species is now threatened by a predator that can’t even move – the barbed wire fence. Pronghorns are built for speed, compact and heavily muscled, and as a result, they lack the agility to jump over fences the way species like the white-tailed and mule deer can. “There have been some documented instances of pronghorns jumping fences in Wyoming, but it’s pretty safe to say that 99.9 per cent of them won’t jump a fence,” said T.J. Schwanky, the Alberta host of “Outdoor Quest TV,” a hunting and conservation author, and the wildlife projects facilitator for the Alberta Fish and Game Association (AFGA). Instead, pronghorns will usually crawl under the bottom wire of a barbed fence, but even that success comes with a price. “The big issue has been that they need 18 inches of clearance to crawl under a fence. But most have been using barbed wire so even if they do have the clearance, there’s still a lot of hair loss and damage to the skin,” said Schwanky. Hair loss can cause the animal to expend more energy keeping itself warm during the winter. It also causes frostbite, and cuts in the skin can result in bacterial infection. Injuries from barbed wire aren’t the only threat posed by fences — pronghorn have also been killed by them too. In the winter, the snow can accumulate too much to allow the animal to pass under the bottom wire and instead, it tries to climb between the higher wires. Sometimes, an animal becomes hopelessly entangled, and subsequently endures a painfully slow death. Nearly half of Alberta’s pronghorns have been documented

migrating between summer and winter ranges, but fence placement is at times barring them from fulfilling the same journey their ancestors have taken for thousands of years. If unable to cross a fence, a herd will often pace back and forth for days, trying to find passage. In 2010, 600 pronghorns unable to migrate eventually wandered into Medicine Hat, and 200 of them did not survive the winter. As long as people graze cattle, the need for fencing will remain a necessity, but it need not remain a necessary evil. The Pronghorn Antelope Travel Corridor Enhancement Project is all about mending fences, and will be embarking on its fourth season this summer. “What we’ve been doing is replacing that bottom wire with smooth wire, so now they don’t have to look for just one or two crossings in a mile of fence. It allows for a lot easier migration,” said Schwanky. “The Alberta Conservation Association (ACA) has the money, but it doesn’t have the volunteer base that the AFGA does, so it was a good marriage. If they could supply the funding for it, we could supply the volunteers and get a lot done for a relatively inexpensive price.” Every year, there are excursions into the heart of Alberta’s native grasslands and once there, naturalists, hunters, conservationists, producers and even urban artists join forces to forge out a future for the pronghorn. Landowners can contact the AFGA and make a request for a crew to replace their bottom barbed wire with a smooth wire that exceeds the minimum clearance required. “It’s a really good deal for them because basically, they have people coming out to do fencing for free for them,” said Schwanky. “The other spinoff benefit that I don’t think anyone really counted on, but it’s really happened, is landowners erecting new fences in the region are now using smooth wire.” This summer’s projects are already planned, but the AFGA does have extra smooth wire available for landowners who are building or fixing fence. The program also seeks to replace page wire fences that still remain on the landscape.

“What we’ve been doing is replacing that bottom wire with smooth wire, so now they don’t have to look for just one or two crossings in a mile of fence. T.J. Schwanky

“It’s a total barrier to pronghorn movement,” Schwanky said. “Page wire is a real issue and there’s a lot of it still in southern Alberta along the old railway — that’s all they used was page wire along the railway — so there were linear miles of it that posed a total barrier.” Volunteers are still needed. The work will take place July 21 22, August 18 - 19 and Oct. 6 - 7. “We try not to work people too hard — we do realize that these are volunteers. They’re there to have some fun and do some good for wildlife, so we want to allow them that opportunity to enjoy the region and we really make a point of that. We typically have a speaker come out in the morning to talk a little bit about the ecosystem and the area and what they can watch for. It’s a very unique landscape,” Schwanky said. “We’ve seen rattlesnakes, leopard frogs and swift foxes — the kind of things most people wouldn’t get an opportunity to see in their life.” Contact the AFGA at 780-437-2342 or office@ afga.org.

Like raised welts from a brutal whipping, barbed wire fences crisscross Alberta’s native grasslands as far as the eye can see. Many landowners are aware of the injury and mortality the unforgiving fences can cause wildlife, but the prospect of switching all bottom barbed wire for the safer smooth variety is a daunting task. “For ranchers who are putting up new fence or replacing old fence, certainly they can get hold of us or the Alberta Conservation Association (ACA), and we can discuss some more wildlife-friendly options that at the end of the day don’t cost them any more money and don’t compromise the containment of their cattle, but can make a big difference for wildlife,” said T.J. Schwanky, wildlife projects facilitator for the Alberta Fish and Game Association (AFGA). The AFGA has smooth wire available for replacement projects, but time can be a limiting factor for many producers. However, there are other modifications that can be made to help combat the barbed wire fence problem. While pronghorn suffer from the fences, they are not the only species that can benefit from improvements. Birds like the sage grouse and sandhill crane have been found dead, ensnared by barbed wire fence. Grotesque discoveries of deer and even elk twisted almost beyond recognition in fences have startled even the most seasoned outdoorsmen. Some solutions suggested by the AFGA and the ACA are easy to implement with existing fence, and are neither time consuming or costly. One option is an underpass fence with a goat bar. It’s a simple PVC pipe that raises the lowest wire and affixes

it to the next wire above it. This method allows wildlife to scamper safely under the wire, but the modification is easily reversed by removing the PVC piping if the pasture is being used by calves. This modification doesn’t just help pronghorn — other species such as mule deer and whitetailed deer will go under rather than over if it is easier for them. It’s also inexpensive — the modification can be made at known wildlife crossings, or in a few strategically chosen spots along a fenceline. Alternatively, landowners can raise the bottom wire and lower the top wire at certain places such as corners and known crossings. This allows for adjustment as necessary, and better movement under and over the fence. Increasing the visibility of a fence line can reduce the death toll for animals both on the hoof and the wing. Reflectors can be affixed or hung from the top wire, and many materials can be used. Some people hang old CDs which reflect light and are highly noticeable, even to an animal on the run. Care should be taken not to use materials that cattle may find appetizing. Visibility is especially important at known wildlife crossings, near wetlands, streams, dugouts, and near wildlife corridors. When building new fences, a four-wire model should be used, with a double-stranded smooth bottom wire 45 cm above the ground, and a smooth top wire no more than 100 cm in height from the ground. Mortality in winter can be greatly reduced by leaving a gate or two open in pastures not being used by cattle. This is often a workable solution as many producers bring their cows into a more condensed feeding herd closer to home, leaving many quarters unoccupied. For more information on friendly fencing, visit ab-conservation.com.

Volunteers work together to remove page wire fencing, which creates a total barrier to wildlife movement.

Volunteers roll up old page wire, creating a safer prairie environment with each square foot removed.

} patterns

JUNE 18, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

El Niño possible: Japan agency

Frost cuts Ukraine barley

Japan’s weather bureau said June 11 its climate models indicate the possible emergence of the El Niño weather pattern, often linked to heavy rainfall and droughts, in the second half of this year but normal conditions are more likely. The last severe El Niño was in 1998, when it wrought billions of dollars in damage to crops and infrastructure in Australia and other parts of Asia.The U.S. Climate Prediction Center said on June 7 that there is a 50 per cent chance the El Niño weather pattern may strike later this year. Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said last month that models it tracks indicate a possible return of El Niño in the second half of the year. — Reuters

Analyst UkrAgroConsult cut its forecast for Ukraine’s 2012 grain harvest to 45.5 million tonnes from the previous estimate of 46.3 million tonnes due to a smaller output of barley. The consultancy said in a report the former Soviet republic could harvest 7.32 million tonnes of barley this year. In May, the consultancy predicted a barley harvest of 7.95 million tonnes in 2012. Ukraine’s Agriculture Minister Mykola Prysyazhnyuk told Reuters last month farms are likely to harvest up to 50 million tonnes of grain in 2012, the third-largest harvest in the past 20 years, despite a drought during sowing and severe frosts in January-February.

On thunderstorms and straight-line winds

PLUS } Our weather columnist has some suggestions for radio announcers

by daniel bezte

ith the return of summer-like heat earlier this month, we also saw the return of severe summer weather. Plenty of thunderstorms rumbled across the Prairies, bringing examples of all of the different types of severe weather we can expect to see. There was plenty of lightning, hail, some really strong winds, heavy rains and, last but not least, a few possible tornadoes! So far this year we’ve discussed lightning and hail, which means we only have three severe weather phenomena left: heavy rain, strong winds and tornadoes. Probably the most lifethreatening form of severe summer weather is strong winds. Most people associate strong thunderstorm winds with tornadoes. In reality, tornadoes only account for a small percentage of wind damage caused by thunderstorms, but when tornadoes do occur, the damage is usually truly incredible!

Radio weather lacking

Before we start to discuss thunderstorm winds, I have a little bit of an issue I need to get off my back. I decided to take an extra-long weekend and head out camping for a few days. Knowing I would be “off the grid” and not able to check out radar images and other near-real-time weather information, I checked the weather in detail before I left, then relied on good old radiobased weather forecasts. Well, I’m not sure who I should be more upset with: Environ-

ment Canada coming up with radically different forecasts every six hours, the poor weather information given out by radio stations, or myself for not being able to read the weather better. Needless to say, when it was supposed to be sunny or partly cloudy it was raining with thunderstorms, and when it was supposed to be raining with thunderstorms it was sunny to partly cloudy. All in all, it was a tough camping trip weather-wise. After thinking about it over the past couple of days I’ve become more and more upset with the quality of the weather forecasts put out by radio stations. Now I know I should have had a weather radio with me, but I didn’t, and to tell the truth, I’m not sure if I would have been close enough to the nearest station to pick up anything. What has got me upset about the radio weather reports is the fact that most radio personalities have no idea about the weather and if they simply read Environment Canada’s forecast, that would be OK (they’re not the best as it is, but I won’t go there), but instead they tend to “clip” the forecast and make it shorter, leaving out what they don’t think is important information in order to keep it short and concise but often missing key pieces of information. OK, I feel a little better now, back to the topic of thunderstorms and wind.

Push and pull

To start our discussion about wind and thunderstorms we need to realize there are two types of destructive winds: straight-line winds and tornadoes. We will

discuss tornadoes in the next issue. So let’s take a look at what causes straight-line winds and in which part of the thunderstorm we tend to find them. To understand where these straight-line winds come from you first have to remember how a thunderstorm forms. A storm forms when warm air rises, lifting tonnes of moisture into the air; this moisture then condenses and forms raindrops that eventually fall back to the ground. Now, if you have ever been near a hose spraying water, you know the spray of water pushes the air around it along with it, and the same thing happens within the thunderstorm. The falling rain pushes and pulls the air along with it, and when it hits the ground it has to spread out. The spreading out of these downdrafts of air in a storm can create some very strong winds, especially when different downdrafts collide and merge together. Winds from these downdrafts can be as strong as 90 kilometres per hour, but are typically in the 50- to 70-km/h range. We often see this type of straight-line wind out in front of a thunderstorm and it can be been seen by the accompanying cloud wedge or roll cloud produced by these strong winds. These downdrafts can also tap into very strong winds high up in thunderstorms. Large, strong thunderstorms often have jet streaks associated with them. These are similar to jet streams in that they are rivers of fast-moving air and these jet streaks are often helping to fuel the storms. Within the thunderstorm, when a strong downdraft occurs, it

This shows the total precipitation across Alberta so far this growing season compared to the long-term average. Nearly all of agricultural Alberta has seen near- to above-average precipitation so far this growing season. Eastern and more northerly areas have been particularly wet, with some areas seeing high to extremely wet conditions.

can hit this jet streak and basically force it to the ground. This very fast-moving air then fans out along the ground just like a regular downdraft, only in this

case, producing winds in excess of 100 km/h. It’s these straightline winds that tend to produce the most damage. Next issue: Tornadoes!