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APPEARANCE and REALITY Are U.S. varieties higher yielding?

REGISTRATION  Loosening standards may mean less consistency and unhappy customers BY ALLAN DAWSON STAFF

ow that they’ve achieved their goal of ending the Canadian Wheat Board monopoly, the Western Canadian Wheat Growers are training their sights on their next target — the Canadian wheat registration system. In a recent advertisement the WCWGA says farmers should have access to higher-yielding varieties to meet the demand for mid-quality or feed/ethanol markets, and calls for more “flexibility” in the system. That will appeal to the farmers hoping to add some of those famously higher-yielding U.S. wheats to their shopping basket on their next trip to North Dakota. But are they, as one

CWB:

farmer at a KAP meeting said a few years ago, famous like a Sasquatch? Everyone has heard of them, but no one has ever seen one. A Canadian Grain Commission scientist says if there’s data showing U.S. varieties outyield Canadian, he hasn’t seen it. Moreover, David Hatcher warns that tinkering with the system could cost farmers. “We need to make informed choices and decisions,” Hatcher told a June 14 webinar organized by the Farm Leadership Council. “The key operative word there is informed.” Hatcher said the current system ensures customers get what they want, giving Canadian farmers an edge in competitive world markets. “We find ourselves in many cases at a freight disadvantage. Our key attribute we bring to the marketplace

is our quality, so we do not want to change that.” American wheats can be grown in Western Canada, but if unregistered receive the lowest grade in the class. However, they can be registered if they successfully go through the three-year testing process, Hatcher noted. Glenn, a milling wheat from North Dakota, is one example eligible for Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) class.

Yield versus protein

Manitoba crop insurance data shows CWRS yields at 44.8 bushels for the past five years, six bushels or 15 per cent higher than hard red spring yields reported by the North Dakota Wheat Commission.

SEE VARIETIES  page 6

Publications Mail Agreement # 40069240

“We need to make informed choices and decisions. The key operative word there is informed.” — David Hatcher CGC Grain Research Laboratory

GRAIN CAN NOW BE DELIVERED TO 120 ELEVATORS  PAGE 13

NEWS » INSIDE THIS WEEK

INSIDE » GOOD LOCAL PRODUCT Claresholm garlic beats the mild stuff from China

JULY 2, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

LIVESTOCK

CROPS

COLUMNISTS

PLACID PASTURES

CWB SIGNS MORE AGREEMENTS

BRENDA SCHOEPP

BERNIE PEET DANISH PORK PRODUCERS LOSING HOPE

BAD LOCAL PRODUCT Stripe rust didn’t blow in, but stayed the winter

IN BRIEF Prevents colds — and cuts your seed costs STAFF / It may or may not cure the common cold, but biochemists at the University of California, Riverside say vitamin C might reduce the cost of your seed by making it produce twins or triplets. Daniel R. Gallie and Zhong Chen found that increasing the level of dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), a naturally occurring enzyme that recycles vitamin C in plants and animals, increases the level of the vitamin and results in the production of twin and triplet seedlings in a single seed. In the lab, the researchers went on to show that injecting plant ovaries with vitamin C was sufficient to produce twins or triplets and that the vitamin causes the zygote, the fertilized egg, to divide into two or even three fertilized egg cells before these cells proceed through subsequent stages of development to produce twins or triplets. Although they used tobacco in their research, Gallie predicts vitamin C could generate twins and triplets in other plants as well. “Because the early stages of embryo development are so conserved among plant species, we expect that vitamin C will have a similar effect in almost any plant,” he said in a U of C release. “The value of the discovery lies in the potential to produce genetically identical seedlings and increase production of high-value crops,” the release said. However, it did not provide instructions in how to inject vitamin C into the ovaries of high-priced canola seed.

Alberta grazing reserves unaffected by cuts to national program

BEEF MARKETING NEEDS TO MODERNIZE

ROY LEWIS

Producers can now deliver to 120 elevators

A PRODUCT FOR SAFE ALFALFA GRAZING RETURNS

Iconic ranch donated to Calgary Stampede Foundation BIG GIFT  The $11-million donation from rancher and businessman Bill Siebens

includes 8,000 acres of rangeland, a historic brand, and an 1885 ranch house STAFF

lberta rancher and businessman Bill Siebens has donated the 8,000-acre southern portion of the historic OH Ranch to the Calgary Stampede Foundation. The $11-million gift also includes the OH brand and the 130-year-old ranch’s historic buildings — an 1885 ranch house, the old cookhouse and replica North West Mounted Police cabin. “Alberta has been my home for 54 years,” said Siebens, who also owns the neighbouring Tongue Creek Ranch. “I made my career in the oil business, raised my family here, and have a deep attachment and love for the foothills country west of Calgary.” The OH Ranch is Alberta’s second “heritage rangeland” protected area, and operates under a conservation easement. The Calgary Stampede also owns and operates the Stampede Ranch near Hanna, where it breeds bucking horses for its annual rodeo. At this point it is not known whether that operation will be moved to the OH Ranch location. The OH was established in 1881 by Orville Hawkins Smith and Lafayette French. The OH brand, one of the oldest that has been continuously registered and used in Western

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The $11-million gift also includes the OH brand and the 130-year-old ranch’s historic buildings. SUPPLIED PHOTO Canada, is from Orville’s first initials. Two years later, Frederick Ings bought all 300 head of OH cattle and established his own ranch on the Smith and French land. Fred’s brother Walter joined him in 1883, and

they named the ranch “Rio Alto” (High River) — a tribute to the time the brothers had spent in Spain. The Ings built the 1885 log ranch house and in 1890, the Northwest Mounted Police established a detachment on

the ranch that operated until 1900 from a log cabin just west of the Ings’ ranch home. The cabin burnt down in 1961, but was later recreated. In 1918 Walter Ings bought out Fred’s interest and sold the ranch, the cattle and the OH brand to Pat Burns — one of the Calgary Stampede’s “Big Four” sponsors. In 1950, C.W. (Kink) Roenish and Bill Ardern purchased the property and the name was legally changed to OH Ranch Ltd. Bert Sheppard, a legendary figure in southern Alberta and one of the country’s top Hereford breeders, was hired to manage the OH Ranch in 1950. Offered for sale again in 1986, the OH was nearly acquired by the Department of National Defence, for use as an artillery range and training ground. However, Calgary oilman Daryl “Doc” Seaman purchased the operation and after his death in 2009, the expanded OH Ranch was acquired by Siebens, one of the Canadian petroleum industry’s first entrepreneurs to build an international exploration and production company. His company, Siebens Oil and Gas Ltd., explored for oil in the British North Sea, Vietnam, and Yemen. In 1979, Siebens sold his company to Dome Petroleum, but remained active in the industry. He is a member of the Canadian Petroleum Hall of Fame.

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JULY 2, 2012

Alberta Beef Producers opposes any move towards directional checkoff CHECKOFF CHARGE } No one is publicly championing the idea of a directional checkoff

but ABP says it wants to be “proactive” and warn producers it’s a bad idea by sheri monk af staff / calgary

lberta Beef Producers will vigorously oppose any attempt to impose a directional checkoff, says chair Doug Sawyer. A directional (or directed) checkoff would mean producers would no longer have the option of requesting a refund but could direct their money to any livestock organization of their choice. Although no one is publicly championing the idea, his board wants to “be proactive” on this issue, said Sawyer. “We’re certainly talking publicly and making sure that producers know that by moving to a directional checkoff, that it would water their dollars down,” he said. “You hear the number of 106 beefrelated organizations in this province, and I think if there was money on the table there could be 206 tomorrow. That doesn’t do the industry any good by spreading what little bit of money we have over several organizations. We need it clearly in one spot, and focused.”

Any producer who wants to support a specific organization can request a refund and then write a cheque for the same amount to that group, said Sawyer. He charged that both the Alberta Cattle Feeders’ Association and Western Stock Growers’ Association want a directional checkoff. “The difference is that when the Cattle Feeders’ and the Western Stock Growers’ put a push on to get a refundable checkoff, they were hoping for

directional and they didn’t get it, and those producers who are in their membership, I assume, are not writing them a cheque,” he said. But the leaders of both organizations said they are not pushing for a directional checkoff. “It’s news to me,” said Bryan Walton, CEO of the Alberta Cattle Feeders’ Association. “We have ongoing and direct communication with the government, and everything we’re doing right now

“Our message to government is that a directional checkoff would be the worst of both worlds for everybody. It would really weaken our industry voice badly.” Doug Sawyer ABP chair

related to checkoff centres around the memorandum of agreement we have with the Alberta Beef Producers.” Phil Rowland, president of the Western Stock Growers’ Association, was singing a similar tune. “Nope, that’s just a rumour,” said Rowland. “I just heard it yesterday from Bryan Walton because somebody like you called him and suggested that there was talk of it. So no, I haven’t heard any talk of it.” Sawyer said his board understands that raising the issue publicly would generate controversy and he emphasized every group has a purpose and a place in the industry. “I think that we should all be willing to pay a little bit to promote the industry and do the work that all the organizations do, like the Cattle Feeders’ and Stock Growers’ — everybody does good work and it’s important for all of us,” said Sawyer. “Our message to government is that a directional checkoff would be the worst of both worlds for everybody. It would really weaken our industry voice badly. Any further change to checkoff needs to come from the producers. We don’t want government telling us what we’re going to do with our money.”

Grains institute appoints more farmers to its board Governance } With farmers paying part of the funding,

the institute says it’s important to get them more involved By Allan Dawson

“Farmers will be funding us directly now, so we felt it was necessary to get more direct farmer involvement in what we do.”

staff

hree Prairie farmers have been appointed to the Canadian International Grains Institute’s six-member board, just one of many changes to the institute in the wake of the Canadian Wheat Board end of its sales monopoly Aug. 1. Cigi, which teaches customers how to use Canadian crops, was founded in 1972 by the wheat board and federal government. Until April, Cigi relied on the wheat board for much of its funding. That money will now come through a refundable farmer checkoff on the sale of wheat (15 cents a tonne) and barley (three cents a tonne). The federal government will also continue to fund Cigi. Under the old structure Cigi had six directors — two from the wheat board, one from the Canadian Grain Commission, one from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and two from at large. As a single-desk seller and major Cigi funder, it made sense for the wheat board to be represented on Cigi’s board, but now it will be neither. That’s why Cigi sought farmers to sit on its board, Cigi executive director Earl Geddes said in an interview June 20. “Farmers will be funding us

Earl Geddes

Many farmers have taken courses at Cigi, especially through the CWB-sponsored “Combine to Customer” program. file photo directly now, so we felt it was necessary to get more direct farmer involvement in what we do,” he said. Farm groups, the wheat board and current board of directors came up with a list of names to be considered, Geddes said. “We had three meetings to dis-

cuss the candidates,” he said. “It was a lot of work.” The new directors are LeRon Torrie of Grassy Lake, Alta., Randy Johner of Midale, Sask. and Jim Wilson of Darlingford, Man. Torrie grows wheat, durum, peas and hybrid canola seed on his 3,000-acre farm. His three

sons are currently taking over the operation. Johner farms almost 25,000 acres and grows peas, lentils, chickpeas, flax, canola, canary seed, wheat and durum. Wilson and his wife Norleen operate a grain farm and a pedigreed seed plant where they pro-

duce, process and market cereals, oilseeds and pulse crops. Cigi’s governance, which is set out in an agreement between the wheat board and federal government, remains in place. Geddes said he expects eventually farmerrun wheat or cereal councils will be set up in each Prairie province, with funding and overseeing Cigi as part of their mandates. At the recent Farm Progress Show in Regina, Cigi officials, including Geddes, met with Cigifarmer alumni to get feedback on what Cigi’s priorities should be. Cigi has also surveyed farmers for their ideas, Geddes said. The poll revealed many farmers don’t know much about Cigi, he said.

JULY 2, 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

The goal should be more of consumption of beef, period

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

PRODUCTION director Shawna Gibson Email: shawna@fbcpublishing.com

Competition } It’s from pork, poultry, lamb and fish,

Director of Sales & Circulation

not from other Canadian beef producers

Lynda Tityk Email: lynda.tityk@fbcpublishing.com

CIRCULATION manager Heather Anderson Email: heather@fbcpublishing.com

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

classified ADVERTISING SALES Maureen Heon Phone: 1-888-413-3325 Fax: 403-341-0615 Email: maureen@fbcpublishing.com

ADVERTISING Co-ordinator Arlene Bomback Phone: 204-944-5765 Fax: 204-944-5562 Email: ads@fbcpublishing.com

PUBLISHER Bob Willcox Email: bob.willcox@fbcpublishing.com

Associate PUBLISHER/editorial director John Morriss Email: john.morriss@fbcpublishing.com

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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www.albertafarmexpress.ca or email: subscription@fbcpublishing.com At Farm Business Communications we have a firm commitment to protecting your privacy and security as our customer. Farm Business Communications will only collect personal information if it is required for the proper functioning of our business. As part of our commitment to enhance customer service, we may share this personal information with other strategic business partners. For more information regarding our Customer Information Privacy Policy, write to: Information Protection Officer, Farm Business Communications, 1666 Dublin Ave., Wpg., MB R3H 0H1 Occasionally we make our list of subscribers available to other reputable firms whose products and services might be of interest to you. If you would prefer not to receive such offers, please contact us at the address in the preceding paragraph, or call 1-800-665-0502. The editors and journalists who write, contribute and provide opinions to Alberta Farmer Express and Farm Business Communications attempt to provide accurate and useful opinions, information and analysis. However, the editors, journalists and Alberta Farmer Express and Farm Business Communications, cannot and do not guarantee the accuracy of the information contained in this publication and the editors as well as Alberta Farmer Express and Farm Business Communications assume no responsibility for any actions or decisions taken by any reader for this publication based on any and all information provided.

By will verboven

t its recent semi-annual meeting in Edmonton, Alberta Beef Producers unveiled its latest promotion slogan: “Alberta Beef — Famous Taste.” It’s another version of a long-running beef consumption campaign that started some 40 years ago. Some of those campaigns, which are revamped every few years, are more successful than others. Perhaps the most successful in the past were the Ranchers/ RancHers campaigns which started with the Calgary Olympics and ran more or less for another 10 years. Those campaigns, which played on a male/female version on the same theme, garnered numerous advertising awards and international recognition. But therein lies the rub, as the old saying goes. The unfortunate reality is that the beef industry is unwillingly confining an iconic national/international beef brand to essentially one province. It’s a promotion situation that drives most industry marketers and ad agency people to shake their heads in both dismay and amazement at watching a golden advertising opportunity being wasted. The irony is that this lost opportunity is mostly self-inflicted by the cattle industry — a classic shoot yourself in the foot to save political face. That may seem to be good politics and soothing to some egos in other provinces, but it doesn’t sell any more beef. The political assumption is that promoting “Alberta Beef” on a national basis would offend the sensibilities of beef producers in other provinces who would see it as an indirect aspersion against the quality of beef produced in other parts of the country. To any marketer that assumption misses the point — cattle producers don’t buy beef, consumers do, and if they believe Alberta branded beef is better, than it behooves the beef industry to sell them as much Alberta beef as they want no matter where they live. Two matters come to mind when contemplating a national Alberta beef promotion. The first, not unexpectantly, is that not all beef is produced in Alberta. Well, yes and no. Actually under present origin labelling definitions, 70 per cent of

the beef produced in Canada is produced in Alberta, since that most cattle in much of the country at one point in their lives are fed or processed in this province. The other matter is that we have a national beef promotion agency, Canada Beef Inc., that is in the business of promoting either generic beef or Canadian beef on a national basis. It has no mandate to promote any other branded beef and would surely avoid any thoughts of promoting the Alberta Beef brand. As beef marketers they might secretly see the logic in this opportunity, but they would want to have complete political support from the industry, and that would mean all provincial cattle groups and the CCA — not much chance of that. A well-known rule in the advertising business is “perception is reality,” and that is something the beef industry needs to embrace in this case. Ad agency research has shown that Canadian consumers recognize Alberta beef as a superior-quality brand, including Canadian Beef. In the advertising business that means “top of mind” and sellers of any product are willing to spend millions to get the consumer to that state of mind about their product. Well hello, the beef industry is already there with the Alberta Beef brand. One only has to look at how successful the Angus brand has become with such targeted “top

of mind” perception branding. Could that be further stretched to an “Alberta Angus Beef” brand? But again I digress to wishful thinking. On a side note, the iconic value of the Alberta Beef brand is well known in the advertising braintrust. In the new Alberta Beef campaign those clever masterminds at AdFarm, the agency that created the campaign, shrewdly inserted two images in the program graphics that resonated with many at the ABP delegate meeting. Those images showed a graphic photo of a pickup truck with an Alberta Beef bumper sticker driving down the Avenue des Champs-Elysées in Paris, and a similar sticker on an image of a gondola on the Grand Canal in Venice. Now that’s looking at Alberta Beef in the big picture and the big potential, and that’s what is needed to positively affect consumer perceptions about our beef. In the end, the cattle and beef industry needs to look reality in the face — the competition is from the other meats, poultry, fish and pork, and not from each other. They should completely set provincial chauvinism aside and cut their marketers loose to use every promotion angle possible, including Alberta beef nationally, to increase beef consumption. One presumes that more consumption is the goal, or is that just more wishful thinking?

International images (above and below) of Alberta Beef reputation resonated with ABP delegates at a recent meeting. supplied images

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JULY 2, 2012

Why what we do is important at retail | Part one straight from the hip } Food needs to follow trends in other product sale sectors By brenda schoepp

t is often hard to relate our work on the farm to the retail sector, but it is important to do so. As every bovine ends up as beef or a beef product at some point in their life, it serves us well to look at all that we do and how that may impact retail sales. To get comfortable with retail, we need to know a little about it. What does the retailer want? What does the retailer need? In the North American retail scene, success is measured in terms of sales per square foot and includes food, technology and clothing. Of the top 10 North American retailers, Apple is the largest in terms of sales per square foot. The stores are basically playrooms where you can try its products. This is called an “experience economy,” and Apple has tapped deep into it. Folks want to see, hear, touch, smell and taste and by just simply allowing consumers to play on computers in an uninterrupted fashion, Apple sells more product than anyone else on the continent. What is interesting here is that

there is very little product in sight. Unlike Wal-Mart, which overwhelms the senses with floor-toceiling merchandise, Apple just puts a toy on a table. Coach is the second-largest retailer in terms of dollars per square foot in North America. When you enter a Coach retail outlet, you will see just one or two handbags on display. The idea in this kind of exclusive marketing is to elicit a desire to belong. Whether you can (or cannot) afford a $2,000 handbag is irrelevant. What is relevant is the fact that you have one and therefore are a member of the “club.” High-end marketing like this is very successful in the food industry as well. We see it especially in wine and spirits but also in specialty fruits.

Whole Foods and Costco

In the top 10 there are two beef retailers. One is Whole Foods, which has been able to charge a premium by marketing its products as important to the health and wellness of the consumer. Whole Foods goes beyond regular label claims and also includes labels that assure the consumer of animal welfare protocols. As

consumers move away from caring about the farmer and into caring about the animal, these labels are important drivers at the retail shelf. In researching consumer trends, consumers have repeatedly said that they will pay up to 20 per cent more for food animal products that have not been penned, caged or crated. Costco also made the top 10 and has a different appeal to the consumer and that is one of value. By shopping the world over and bringing the best products in at wholesale prices, Costco has been successful in capturing all the cultural and economic demographic in a community. It is sensitive to what sells regionally and has stringent quality control. It also employs some of the most robust foodsafety measures at the meat case in the industry. You don’t really get the club or experience culture at Costco, nor will you see targeted health and wellness claims, but you will get guaranteed good value for your money and that has a universal appeal.

Ethnic demand growing

Culture in North America is changing and we now need an

abundance of diverse products to meet the needs of the consumer. Now one-third of all retail in Canada is ethnic. Economics, especially regional economics, makes retailing a nightmare. For the beef industry to say that a striploin is a great steak and expect someone to buy it in an economically stressed community is sheer folly. Attending the Canadian Food Summit was an eye-opener as 594 “foodies” and six farmers entered into discussion on the future of Canadian food policy. Most attendees felt that a city could be fed with a farmers’ market. Most speakers put the issue of retail success, food safety and food security squarely on the farmer’s shoulders. In the absence of double-digit growth in retail food sales, Michael McCain grasped at straws and claimed that farmers would simply have to get bigger. Galen Weston preached that farmers would have to be more innovative. What they perhaps did not realize was that the technology of the day had passed them by and they were still struggling with outdated retail philosophy. You can’t even

get into the Loblaw site to shop online. Today, one-third of the Canadian population is single and shops online one-third of the time. In European consumer studies, a full 74 per cent say they will buy all grocery items online. This has a huge impact on the retail industry, which has not tuned into this rapidly spreading trend and to the beef industry which has no idea how to process and present product for a single consumer who buys using a mobile device. That mobile device also may reveal all we do as an industry that appeals or repels the consumer. It is not fair to say that the beef industry is part of the problem at retail, but we are part of the solution. By understanding a little on how successful retail thinks, we can combine these targeted marketing programs with technology for success. 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

Bill C-45 and its impact on agriculture in Alberta Duty of care } Employers are still required to ensure it, even if they are exempt from OHS regulations

president, farmworkers union of alberta, bow island

ay 9 was the 20th anniversary of the Westray mine disaster that took the lives of 26 Nova Scotia coal miners. From that awful event Bill C-45, commonly known as the Westray Bill, was enshrined in the Criminal Code of Canada. Since the “Criminal Liability of Organizations Act” became the law, its influence has been slowly but inexorably expanding as awareness of this new law increases. Minister of Defence Peter MacKay has joined with the United Steelwork-

Exempted employers have been lulled into believing that being exempt from the provincial regulations means they can pick and choose which, if any, safety measures they must employ.

ers to raise awareness among the nation’s law-enforcement community. Minister MacKay has taken the matter up with Canada’s attorney general and the Steelworkers national director Ken Neumann will be delivering information packages and meeting with attorney generals in each province and territory. It has now arrived in Alberta. The Alberta Federation of Labour has written an open letter to Alberta Justice Minister Jonathan Denis advising of the existence of this law. I had an opportunity to discuss C-45 and its impact on the Alberta agriculture industry with Minister Denis. The minister was asked in the legislature about C-45 and the Alberta agriculture industry and he stated, “Let me assure this House that my ministry doesn’t hesitate to pursue criminal charges where the investigation indicates that it is warranted.” (Hansard May 31, 2012 pg 127). This should be of interest to employers in Alberta who operate under the farm and ranch exemption of the Occupation Health & Safety Act (OHS), because the exemption denies these employers any protection from the act and leaves them completely exposed to the Criminal Code of Canada! Exempted employers have been lulled into believing that being exempt from

the provincial regulations means they can pick and choose which, if any, safety measures they must employ. The Criminal Code contains no exemption for Alberta’s agriculture industry and codifies a “duty of care” for all employers. Those who operate within the provincial OHS standards enjoy the protection of a legislated partnership between the provincial government, the worker and the employer. This legal covenant when exercised in good faith, has long been held by the courts to meet the test of due diligence imposed by Canadian jurisprudence and is the effective standard. Without it exempted employers must determine what the standard is and adhere to it on their own. Add to that this same cohort of employers is actively discouraged from purchasing WCB protection (most don’t have it), you get a risk profile that is truly breathtaking!

Fortunately former premier Stelmach, is back down on the farm. We now have a new worldly premier who understands the law and due process. She knows the current policy is outdated and in need of reform. Alberta’s exempted employers would do well to work with our new premier rather than ignoring our modern reality and just hoping for the best.

©thinkstock

By Eric Musekamp

OFF THE FRONT

JULY 2, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

VARIETIES  from page 1 In a 2005 paper, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada determined American wheats, on average, yielded 1.83 bushels an acre or 3.7 per cent more than Canadian wheats based on yields from 1995 to 2004. However, Canadian hard red spring wheats averaged 0.417 per cent higher in protein. “Given the well-known inverse relationship between protein content and yield, the results suggest that the U.S. yield advantage is offset by the Canadian protein advantage,” the paper said. Canada has tested many American hard red spring milling wheats but often found they had higher gluten strength than Canadian varieties, Hatcher said. “If we start bringing in lines VARIETIES

that have such great strength this is going to cause great problems for our customers,” he said. Hatcher said a Malaysian baking company that buys Canadian wheat produces 87,000 loaves of bread an hour. “In that type of operation consistency is key,” he added. “Without quality and consistency you’re limited to only one sale. For us in Canada it is important to have a thriving and growing industry that meets the needs of our producers and our grain industry as a whole.” Hatcher also questioned the need to register more varieties annually, noting in the last three years 12 new cultivars were registered for the CWRS class, as well as four in the Canada Prairie

HOW THEY ARE REGISTERED

• New wheats require 24 stationyears of data, which takes at least two and usually three years of testing in co-op trials before being put forward for registration. • The Prairie Grain Development Committee’s wheat, rye and triticale committee oversees the process. • Three expert committees of 25 members each assess whether a new variety meets

“Without quality and consistency you’re limited to only one sale.

OPTIONS  Other varieties slow to catch on

DAVID HATCHER

BY ALLAN DAWSON STAFF

Spring (CPS) class and five each in the Canada Western Red Winter and Canada Western Amber durum classes. The CPS class offers farmers a 25 per cent yield advantage over CWRS, but the milling and baking quality is lower. (see sidebar)

Cost versus value

the agronomic, disease and enduse standards of its class. Each committee, made up of experts in their area of assessment, meets separately and votes on whether a new wheat meets the standards. • The three committees then meet, review all the data, and vote by secret ballot on whether a variety should be recommended for registration. No committee has a veto.

Other classes have yet to live up to yield promise

Normally a new wheat is field tested for three years before being submitted for registration. Shortening it to two years could result in failing to see a potential weakness in a variety due to certain weather conditions, Hatcher said. The American wheat registration is faster and cheaper because there’s less testing. However, it ends up costing more than Canada’s system because U.S. exporters and end-users must do more testing to ensure quality control, he said. The current system has challenges, Hatcher said. They include running out of testing capacity, which could be solved with additional funding. There’s some confusion about wheat quality control after the wheat board’s mandate changes Aug. 1, Hatcher said. “It is very important that you realize that there’s not going to be any change to who ensures quality,” he said. “The Canadian Grain Commission has always been and will continue to be responsible for grain quality.”

Don’t miss the boat

It’s not as if farmers looking for higher wheat yield don’t have options other than CWRS. In fact, Western Canada has nine classes of wheat, including the new General Purpose class for wheats to be fed to livestock or processed to make ethanol. General purpose wheats aren’t assessed for milling quality. However, while winter wheat has been a clear win-

ner in Manitoba, other classes and varieties designed for higher yield have been slow to catch on. Manitoba Canada Prairie Spring (CPS) yields over the past five years have averaged 4.2 bushels an acre or nine per cent better than CWRS, and only one bushel better last year, not enough to offset the price discount. Last year there were just 2,500 acres of CPS harvested here, versus 1.7 million acres of CWRS. CPS wheats grown in Manitoba are more susceptible to disease.

Western Canadian wheat classes Canada Prairie Spring Red (CPSR) Canada Prairie Spring White (CPSW) Canada Western Amber durum (CWAD) Canada Western Extra Strong (CWES) Canada Western Hard White Spring (CWHWS) Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) Canada Western Red Winter (CWRW) Canada Western Soft White Spring (CWSWS)

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Quebec’s grain growers’ organization has officially halted any plans for wheat pooling in 2012-13, as per the results of a wheat growers’ referendum this spring. The Federation des producteurs de cultures commerciales du Quebec (FPCCQ) said in a newsletter that its board of directors voted June 12 to call off plans for a 2012-13 pool. However, the FPCCQ noted, any grower obligations to the pool for the 2011-12 marketing year still must be met as planned, up until growers receive their final payments for the year. Most of the 2011 crop has already been sold, with “limited tonnages” still to be marketed, and final payments for the year are expected to be available early this fall, the FPCCQ said. The FPCCQ board’s vote to shut down pooling beyond 2011-12 directly follows the June 6 release of results from a mail-in grower referendum held from May 14 to

June 4, supervised by the provincial farm marketing board. That vote, conducted from a list of 2,021 eligible voters who had delivered wheat at least once between March 30, 2005 and March 7, 2012, saw 953 votes cast against maintaining wheat pools, 191 in favour of the pools, 22 ballots rejected as improperly filled and 46 rejected for arriving too late. The referendum stemmed from a resolution at the FPCCQ’s annual meeting in March last year. The resolution sought a new vote on the sales agency program for foodgrade wheat — a program run by the federation since 2005. That resolution cited the high cost of operating the sales pool, relative to the small volumes it handles. It also cited “dissatisfaction” of a significant number of producers with the program and its wheat quality requirements. The resolution also alleged a large number of Quebec grain growers have been bailing out of wheat production, adding that the pooling program had been intended to revive wheat production in Quebec in the first place.

Albertafarmexpress.ca • July 2, 2012

If you see signs of stripe rust — orange pustules on the flag leaf — in a susceptible wheat variety, spray it with a full rate of fungicide as soon as you can, say plant pathologists.

Stripe rust found, start monitoring Homegrown } Stripe rust spores normally blow in from the U.S., but this infestation may have overwintered

The unusually early infestation of stripe rust found in southern Alberta this year probably overwintered from last year, says Agriculture Canada plant pathology research scientist Denis Gaudet. by helen mcmenamin

af contributor / lethbridge

“

t’s very early to find such a severe infection,” he says. “And, from the strength of the pathogen so early in the season, we think it overwintered here. “We had heavy infestations last fall because of the stripe rust epidemic last year. This year, we’ve had cool, wet weather that’s favoured the pathogen, along with winds from the southwest that could have carried the stripe rust spores from the Pacific Northwest — that’s the usual source of rust in southern Alberta and the western Prairies,” said Gaudet. Last year, the Pacific Northwest had epidemic levels of stripe rust. According to some of Gaudet’s Lethbridge colleagues who recently visited Pullman, Washington, the area has high levels of stripe rust again this year, so southwest winds may carry disease spores. There are also heavy infestations in Oklahoma and the Midwest — the usual source of stripe rust for the eastern Prairies. Traditionally, stripe rust blew into the Prairies too late to affect wheat yields. Last year was different. The fungus seems to have overwintered in winter wheat in southern Alberta, so spores were produced early in the year and spread on wind currents causing

potentially damaging disease as far away as Melfort, Saskatchewan and in pockets across the Prairies. It seems this pattern may be repeated in the future. Gaudet does not think that’s a big risk this year. He and other specialists have been scouting for the disease in southern Alberta. They’ve found only trace levels of the disease in a few other fields. He advises winter wheat growers to check their crops carefully for any sign of stripe rust, especially in late-seeded, or late-germinating crops. He also recommends keeping an eye on susceptible varieties of spring wheat.

the evolution of the rust pathogen. “If you see signs of stripe rust in spring wheat early in the season, check first to find if it’s a resistant variety,” says Gaudet. “The resistance in spring wheat is still effective against the disease.” If you see signs of stripe rust — orange pustules on the flag leaf — in a susceptible wheat variety, spray it with a full rate of fungicide as soon as you can, say plant pathologists. The new races of stripe rust are more aggressive than older forms of the fungus, growing more rapidly and causing more damage to plants. Also, in the U.S. last year, these strains

remained active and virulent even when nighttime temperatures are high, when rust infection usually drops. Spraying to protect the flag leaf can boost yields of infected grain considerably. Some farmers have seen yield benefits of 40 per cent or more. If you use a fungicide to control stripe rust, it’s important to check the chemical’s pre-harvest interval before you apply it. That’s the time it takes for the fungicide to be dissipated out of the grain so it can be safely harvested. Seed treatment can give crops some protection against stripe rust early in the season. Stripe rust spores

can move from spring wheat that’s infected late in the year to newly emerged winter wheat and from maturing winter wheat to spring wheat especially when the crops are in neighbouring fields. Agriculture Canada plant pathologist Kelly Turkington, advises avoiding situations where winter and spring wheat are growing in adjacent fields. He also recommends removing volunteer cereals and grasses, especially foxtail barley and rotating out of cereals to limit the “green bridge” that allows stripe rust spores to infect susceptible grains, especially winter wheat.

Live daily grain market analysis on your home, cell, smart phone or computer!

Resistance varies

Winter wheat is particularly susceptible to attack by stripe rust. The fungus has evolved to overcome the resistance in AC Radiant, which was one of only a few resistant winter wheat varieties. McClintock, Moats, Peregrine and Sunrise winter wheats are still considered resistant to stripe rust. Several varieties of spring wheat have genetic resistance to stripe rust, but it’s often “adult plant resistance.” The resistance is only expressed after the crop tillers, when the crop grows out of the disease. In seedlings, the rust may form blotches on the leaves, rather than the distinct stripes it forms in susceptible varieties. This type of resistance is not race specific, so it is not so easily overcome by

“If you see signs of stripe rust in spring wheat early in the season, check first to find if it’s a resistant variety.” Denis Gaudet

David’s the best I have seen at nailing the tops. I would give him 85% accuracy. – Doug, Saskatchewan

David Drozd Senior Analyst Ag-Chieve Corporation

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JULY 2, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Local economic initiative becomes successful business HAPPY ENDING  Canning and cooking

courses were a limited success, but organizers found a new market for their products A dead steer decomposes under the Saharan sun outside the town of Ayoun el Atrous in Mauritania, May 20, 2012. Millions of people in west Africa’s turbulent Sahel region, including Mauritania, are facing food insecurity due to drought and conflict. REUTERS/JOE PENNEY

Sahel food emergency growing DROUGHT  Rainy season failure has thrown 18 million into hunger BY STEPHANIE EBBS REUTERS

s many as 18 million people are being hit by a growing food emergency in the Sahel region of Africa, international donors and campaigners said June 18, calling for urgent action to prevent mass hunger in the vast area south of the Sahara desert. Leaders from Sahel countries and donors such as the European Union and the United States Agency for International Development met in anticipation of the region’s “hunger season,” worsened by the failure of last year’s rains across the Sahel belt. They pledged 940 million euros ($1.2 billion) to resolve the immediate emergency, and said they plan to increase resilience to future crises. EU Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva said the meeting created the momentum to double aid commitments to deal with the current crisis. In addition to food shortages, the Sahel faces increased security risks after a rebel takeover in northern Mali emboldened regional militants.

The European Commission pledged 40 million euros ($50.5 million) of additional humanitarian aid to the region, bringing the total from the 27-member bloc to 337 million euros, some of which would help provide food and shelter to 400,000 people displaced by the Mali conflict. Regional forces have caused problems in transporting aid, as well as the strain refugees place on surrounding communities. “That link between instability caused by Mother Nature and instability caused by man, this link makes our job as humanitarians bigger and more difficult,” said Georgieva. She said aid organizations still work in the midst of the conflict, but the plan to increase the region’s resilience relies on local support. “Famine is almost always man made,” said Nancy Lindborg of USAID, comparing the situation to the 2011 famine in Somalia. Georgieva said the plan created by the group, AGIR Sahel (Alliance Globale pour l’Initiative Resilience) would continue to develop programming over the next seven years after aid is dispersed to deal with the current crisis. “It is now or we miss the boat,” she said.

BY ALEXIS KIENLEN

AF STAFF / DRAYTON VALLEY

hat started as an initiative to increase economic development here has now become a successful and thriving preserving business. The 100 km Kitchen Party, now known as the 100 km Kitchen Company, was conceived in 2009 by Kelly Starling, the director of economic development in Brazeau County. She started the project as a way to diversify in an area heavily dominated by oil and gas employment. The project was designed to connect canners with area growers to create food that could be sold locally. The group created an Eat Local Goodness directory, listing growers within a 100-km circle around Drayton Valley. By the end of three years, the directory included 50 listings and had been distributed at numerous farmers’ markets. “It was a fantastic way to reach people,” said Margarita Pischke, a learning resources coordinator for the project. The directory was unable to continue due to lack of funding, and canning and cooking courses for the area were a limited success. However, the processing end of the business took off. During the second year, the 100 km Kitchen Party sold 1,800 jars of preserves and the third year they sold 2,800. The women involved decided it was time to go into the preserving business. “We found people understand the value of supporting local growers and what’s in the jar, but they don’t have the time to do it themselves,” Pischke said. “Drayton Valley treats us very well and there’s a good source

of money and people are willing to spend their money on a wellmade, good, local product.” About 95 per cent of the ingredients in the preserves are grown and sourced locally. “If we don’t have the suppliers, we just don’t make it,” she said. The three women produce their jams and jellies in local community halls during the peak season of September. “We can do about 300 to 400 jars a day,” said Pischke.

“People are willing to spend their money on a well-made, good, local product.” MARGARITA PISCHKE

One of the biggest sellers is a horseradish jelly, which goes well as a meat glaze, on grilled cheese, bologna sandwiches or with fried onions. Products include jams and jellies including sugar-free jams, relishes, pickles and gourmet jellies. After a few setbacks, the three women incorporated as a company in September 2011, with the intention to run themselves using a co-op framework. The three women in the co-op are Margarita, her sister-in-law Patricia Pischke and Kathryn Pratt. The women now sell in a variety of farmers’ markets and have created their own nutritional label which allows them to sell in stores.

Margarita Pischke of 100 km Kitchen with some of their products. SUPPLIED PHOTO

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JULY 2, 2012

U.S. corn shrivels under worst drought since 1988 Unexpected } Last

week’s downgrade in crop condition ratings was higher than traders expected By Michael Hirtzer/ Reuters

U.S. corn futures headed for their biggest two-day rally in two years last Tuesday as unrelenting heat and dryness in the U.S. Midwest threatened daily damage to what was initially expected to be a record harvest. Wheat and soybean prices stabilized following last Monday’s explosive session, when weekend weather forecasts eradicated any hope of desperately needed rain for spring crops and the Russian Agriculture Ministry slashed its wheat crop estimate, propelling wheat to its highest price since last August. The U.S. Agriculture Department’s weekly report last Monday showed conditions of the corn and soybean crops were the worst for this time of year since 1988, when one of the most damaging droughts in U.S. history hit. The declines in the condition ratings were steeper than traders had expected. Continued hot and dry weather forecast for at least two more weeks will further stress the crops and reduce yields, said meteorologist Don Keeney of MDA EarthSat Weather. “With this heat and dryness there certainly will be more damage done,” he said. “We should, at the moment, understand that the corn market is in far greater danger than is the soybean crop, for corn is tasselling or soon shall be, and that is the most vulnerable period of the year,” investor Dennis Gartman stated in a note to clients. “If tasselling does not occur properly, it shall matter not what happens to the corn crop thereafter; the crop will be lost,” Gartman wrote. USDA’s weekly crop ratings issued last Monday rated U.S. corn 56 per cent good to excellent as of Sunday, down seven percentage points from a week earlier and well below a 61 per cent average estimate in a Reuters poll. Soybeans were 53 per cent good to excellent, down from 56 per cent a week earlier and in line with the Reuters poll. Corn ratings had fallen for three straight weeks, cutting expectations for a bumper crop this autumn, which the market was relying on to replenish tight U.S. stocks. In addition to spillover support from corn, wheat has been buoyed by similar worries over crops in the Black Sea region after a likewise hot and dry spring.

EU relaxes residue tolerance for lentils Substantial increase } Limit moves from 0.1 ppm to 10 ppm staff

anadian lentil growers wanting to use glyphosate this year as a pre-harvest treatment are expected to benefit as a particularly tough customer raises its maximum residue limits. The European Union (EU), effective June 14, has revised its limit on glyphosate residue in lentil imports to 10 parts per million (ppm), up from its much tighter previous residue limit of 0.1 ppm. “Primarily this is great news for lentil growers in Canada, as it will greatly reduce market access risk for their crops and will also provide them with more options for crop protection products this year,” Morgan Nunweiler, a Kindersley, Sask. farmer and chairman of Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, said in a release. “On a broader level, this is a positive example of the power of

working together with national and international partners to overcome market access problems,” SPG executive director Carl Potts said in the same release. “However, we continue to encourage growers to consult with pulse buyers to ensure the use of glyphosate or other preharvest crop protection products will not impede marketability of pulse crops and to always carefully follow label directions.” The EU’s new maximum residue limit (MRL) comes over a year after the issue was first raised, when a shipment of organic lentils from Turkey was tested and found to exceed the EU’s 0.1-ppm tolerance for glyphosate. Canadian exporters had shipped 118,000 tonnes of lentils, worth $111 million, to the EU in 2010, making the European bloc Canada’s second-largest total lentil export market after Turkey. Pulse Canada, the national pulse industry body, said it has

Local cattlemen

since worked with international pulse players — including the U.S.A. Dry Pea and Lentil Council, the International Pulse Trade and Industry Confederation (CICILSIPTIC), the London-based Grain and Feed Trade Association (GAFTA) and European industry group COCERAL — along with glyphosate maker Monsanto to help bring an application for a revised MRL through the EU’s regulatory process. Pulse Canada said it’s also working to establish an MRL for glyphosate in lentils at Codex Alimentarius, which is expected to have an MRL for lentils established next month. Many pulse-importing countries refer to Codex for import requirements when they don’t have their own standards, SPG said. Canada’s own MRL for lentils in the domestic market is four ppm; in the U.S., the MRL for glyphosate in lentils is eight ppm.

Despite increases, the message remains for growers — follow label directions. ©istock Lentil growers should always follow label directions regarding rates and timing and take care to ensure they comply with Canadian laws for selling lentils, the SPG said.

Relationship wrangler

You don’t have to tell Greg about the economics of farming. He raises cattle for himself and, through ATB, helps farmers raise the capital they need to keep going—and growing. He “talks the talk” with farmers because he “walks the walk” himself—and he’s got the “fertilizer” on his boots to prove it. For farmers, Greg’s wealth of hands-on agricultural knowledge yields better financial decisionmaking, resulting in the most valuable thing we can ever grow: trust. atb.com/greg

Greg Malyk, Agri-Business Manager SAVING І BORROWING І INVESTING І KNOW-HOW ™ Trademarks of Alberta Treasury Branches.

NEWS » Markets

} doldrums

JULY 2, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Floor traders sue CME

Russian export forecast cut

The Chicago Board of Trade, facing a lawsuit from angry traders, said June 25 it will plow ahead with a controversial overhaul of procedures used to settle end-of-day prices for grain futures. CME plans to ditch its current system of settling prices based on activity in open-outcry trading in favour of a model that incorporates floor trading and electronic activity. A group of floor traders and brokers, worried that the change will put them out of business, sued CME June 22 to block any new rules that would diminish or eliminate the role of pit traders in determining settlement prices.

Russia’s Agriculture Ministry and a leading analyst cut their 2012-13 grain crop and export forecasts last week after winterkill and spring drought caused yields to fall. For the new season the ministry cut its 2012-13 wheat crop forecast to 46 million to 49 million tonnes from 57 million tonnes expected earlier, a government source said. The wheat export estimate was cut to 16 million to 18 million tonnes from 20 million tonnes, the source added. However Agriculture Minister Nikolai Fyodorov was quoted as saying that there is no consideration of an export ban this year.

Rained-out Saskatchewan canola fields support futures U.S. concerns } Continued dryness in the U.S. props

up soybean and corn values

By Dwayne Klassen

anola futures on the ICE Futures Canada trading platform strengthened during the week ended June 22, with gains spurred on by the weather issues in the U.S. Soybean Belt. Fresh Canadian canola export sales to China helped to influence the price advances, as did steady demand from the domestic processing sector. Concern over flooded-out canola acreage in Saskatchewan provided some support, but the upside was later muted by the arrival of warmer and drier conditions on the Prairies. The improved weather was seen as beneficial to the development of the crop. Although there were acres lost to canola because of the excess moisture and flooding, it was indicated that the amount of canola acres seeded will easily make up any area lost to the overly wet conditions. The upside in canola was also slowed by the taking of profits by a variety of market participants. Elevator company hedge selling, tied to producers making room for new-crop supplies, also restricted the price strength in canola. There continued to be little action in the barley and durum contracts on the ICE Futures Canada platform; however we did finally see some milling wheat contracts trade at higher price levels. Very little was known about what actually transpired, but it appears that most of the action was commercial related. Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) soybean futures posted some significant advances. Most of that buying was related to the absence of precipitation in the main growing regions of the U.S. Soybean Belt. Longer-range weather outlooks, calling for an extended period of hot and dry conditions, also influenced some major upward price action. The dryness issue is occurring during a critical stage of development for U.S. soybeans. Chart-related buying helped amplify the price gains in soybeans, as did continued export demand from China. Chicago corn values also experienced advances with the dry growing conditions sparking the price gains. The tight supplies of old-crop corn added to the strength, but the potential for a smaller new-crop supply base really sparked the upward price move. The upside in corn was capped by the absence of fresh export demand and ideas that the commodity has priced itself out of the feed market, with wheat being the main beneficiary. Wheat futures at the three U.S. exchanges posted some decent to sharp

advances during the latest week. A lot of the price strength reflected the upward price push seen in corn. However, the commodity did manage to find some individual support from the tightening world wheat supply situation. The tight global supply of wheat is being spurred on by continued dry growing conditions in some of the major wheatproducing countries, such as Australia, China and the former Soviet Union. Those concerns, in fact, managed to trigger some fresh export demand for U.S. wheat. Some concerns about the exces-

sive moisture in the northern-tier U.S. spring wheat-growing areas also offered support. The upside in wheat, however, was tempered by the advancing U.S. winter wheat harvest and continued indications of better-than-anticipated yields.

Sea of yellow

While weather will continue to be the dominant force in the North American grain and oilseed sectors in the near term, acreage estimates in Canada and the U.S. will provide some distraction.

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

Statistics Canada is up first, providing an updated planting intentions report on June 27. The report will certainly contain estimates for all the crops, but the amount of canola seeded this spring will likely garner the most attention. The general consensus among industry participants is that canola acreage in Canada will be higher than the government survey showed back in April. In April, StatsCan pegged canola plantings in 2012 at 20.372 million acres, which was significantly above the year-ago level of 18.862 million. Estimates for the June 27 report put Canada’s canola-seeded area in the 21million- to 22-million-acre range. That kind of acreage will produce an extremely large crop of canola for the industry to work with. In talking to producers, we hear some indicating they haven’t seen such lush and thick fields of canola in quite some time. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, meanwhile, will release its acreage outlook for U.S. crops on June 29. A lot of participants expect the area seeded to soybeans to be well up from earlier ideas. The thinking is that with the U.S. winter wheat harvest already well underway, producers will be able to easily double crop soybeans. However, the problem with that thinking may be the dry conditions that also exist in the areas where producers who harvest their winter wheat early would plant soybeans. Sentiment among some participants is that unless some significant moisture is received in those areas, and soon, the likelihood of farmers taking a chance with double cropping soybeans will be reduced dramatically. This then creates the problem of the USDA report, not taking this development into consideration, which then leaves the soybean-planting estimate too high. Finally, some quick thoughts on durum: global prices for durum have taken a bit of a nose-dive as of late, which does not look as promising for Canadian durum values. Much of the weakness to date has been tied to the ongoing durum harvest in Spain, Italy and France. Spain was believed to be the only region in which dryness has reduced the yield potential. Demand for durum from Algeria and Tunisia was seen declining but Morocco was expected to remain a large importer. Dwayne Klassen writes for Commodity News Service Canada, a Winnipeg company specializing in grain and commodity market reporting.

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JULY 2, 2012

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Alberta Beef’s New

“Famous Taste” Campaign

See it on 10 major TV stations, 75 billboards and bus shelters in Calgary and Edmonton, a Round Up Event at the Calgary Stampede, at BBQ on the Bow, at Save-On Foods and Freson Bros. IGA grocery stores everywhere, at Tasting Truck events and on the internet June to August, 2012.

JULY 2, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

blades headed north

Nearly 60 rail cars carrying Vestas wind turbine parts headed to Capital Power’s Quality Wind project in Tumbler Ridge, B.C. recently. The blades were made in Colorado and shipped by rail to Rycroft, north of Grande Prairie, which is the storage and marshalling site for the project. After that, the turbine parts will be shipped on specialized truck trailers the final 200 kilometres to the construction site. The project will produce up to 49.6 megawatts of wind energy, enough to provide energy for up to 18,000 homes. Photo: Rebecca Dika

Agricultural marketer joins hall of fame

THIS IS NOT A HAMMER NEW HOLLAND DEALERSHIP.

INDUCTED } Awards banquet to be held in Toronto in November staff

im McConnell of Calgary will be one of three inductees to the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame at an awards banquet held in conjunction with the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto Nov. 4. McConnell is the founder and former chief executive officer of AdFarm, one of the largest and most respected agricultural marketing firms in North America. McConnell was one of the first to recognize that agricultural marketing and communications is a specialized business that must evolve to meet industry and consumer challenges. He is recognized for his passion to be a catalyst for agriculture; to enhance the perception of agriculture with stakeholders, media and the general public, in particular, urban consumers. McConnell will be joined by Barry Wilson, who operates the Ottawa bureau for the Western Producer. Wilson has reported agricultural news for the benefit of Canadian farmers and ranchers for more than 30 years. He is now the only full-time agriculture reporter employed by any media outlet on Parliament Hill. He is also the author of four books, two of which are related to agriculture. The third inductee is Bertrand Boisclair, a purebred Holstein breeder from Saint-Samuel-deHorton, Quebec who is being recognized for his commitment to improving the Holstein breed.

No it isn’t, but it is an ad for everything Hammer New Holland stands for. Things like honesty, integrity and helping you get the job done. It’s also an ad for service and going the extra mile when you need us. And above all, it’s an ad to let you know that none of those things are going away because we’ve got a new name and logo. That’s because, even though the name on the sign is going to change, the values that made us who we are won’t.

Introducing the new Rocky Mountain Equipment.

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through 120 elevators across the West

hings are starting to look up for the Canadian Wheat Board. At the Farm Progress Show June 21 it announced six more grain companies will handle its grain making it practical for farmers across the West to patronize the board, and it announced a big wheat sale to Japan. Until the new handling agreements were announced, some wondered if the “new” post-monopoly board would be dead on arrival Aug. 1. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, who had been trumpeting a “strong and viable wheat board” in an open market, conceded in a radio interview that the first year will be tough for the board. Grain companies want to secure as much grain as they can directly from farmers, but he said that was normal in business. When asked to comment further Ritz said in an email the government is committed to ensuring the board has the tools to compete in an open market and is sure the CWB will be “a strong and active player in an open grains market...” The new agreements, which include Viterra, Canada’s biggest grain company, along with former deals with Cargill and South West Terminal, bring the number of elevators handling board grain to 120. Those facilities represent almost half of the West’s grain-handling capacity, but cover the entire region geo-

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To take advantage of sales to Japan and other markets, the board is urging farmers to contract with its pools right away. Traditionally farmers don’t sign up until after harvest, but now the board must compete with other buyers. Before it can do much forward selling it needs to know how much grain it’s getting, Flaten said. “There’s also no risk for a farmer to sign up early to these pools,” Flaten told reporters. “We have an Act of God clause that removes any of the risk for farmers... if they have a production problem like hail damage. They can also change their grades and switch to cash contracts.” Farmers who delay might not get into the pools, especially the early pool that ends Jan. 31, White said. Some companies will handle the board’s cash contracts and others won’t. Farmers who sell on a cash basis to the board can negotiate with different companies to handle the grain, Flaten said. The same applies to pooled grain. “That gives (farmers) some market power to negotiate the best deal they can on handling and freight charges,” he said. White said the handling agreements took longer than predicted because they are new and complex, he said. He declined to say how much market share the board expects to earn. The board will soon announce its initial payments, White said. In the past they’ve been about 65 per cent of the expected final return. But the new CWB hopes to offer a higher ini-

CWB CEO Ian White says farmers should now be able to move ahead and sign CWB contracts with confidence.

“It’s a good deal for the Japanese because they want to make the transition very carefully.” GORD FLATEN CWB

tial payment. The government will guarantee the traditional initial and the board will look at ways to cover the rest. Producer cars will be a big part of the board’s new business, Flaten said. “We have a special contract for them and we expect to be able to handle a large number of tonnes through producer cars.”

The

STAFF

graphically, said Gord Flaten, the board’s vice-president for grain procurement. Agreements were also struck with Mission Terminal, West Central Road and Rail, Delmar Commodities, Linear Grain and Agro Source. It’s expected the agreement with Viterra will continue if Glencore International buys Viterra, board CEO and president Ian White said. The board also expects to get handling agreements with all the other grain companies, including Richardson, Parrish & Heimbecker and Paterson, by month’s end, he added. “CWB is ready to do business with partners who are committed to helping us serve Prairie farmers and their global grain customers,” White said. “Farmers should now be able to move ahead and sign CWB contracts with confidence.” Flaten also said the wheat board has struck a deal with Japan to supply it with 50 per cent of the Canada Western Red Spring wheat it will buy during the first half of the new crop year. Typically Japan buys a total of 800,000 to one million tonnes of wheat from Canada annually, he said. “That’s definitely good for CWB and the farmers who participate in our pools,” he said. “That’s a good market. “It’s a good deal for the Japanese because they want to make the transition very carefully as well to make sure they’re going to be well supplied.”

BY ALLAN DAWSON

proving ground.

INCLUDES VITERRA  Farmers can now deliver to the wheat board

CWB announces six more handling agreements

Roundup Ready is a registered trademark used under license from Monsanto Company. All purchases are subject to the terms of labelling and purchase documents. ®, TM, SM Trademarks and service marks licensed to Pioneer Hi-Bred Limited. © 2011 PHL.

Following changes to the Canadian Wheat Board’s mandate, permit books are no longer required after 2012. Also, effective August 1, the CWB will no longer issue export licences for shipments of wheat, durum and barley. For any new contracts with the CWB, landlords and interested parties who share in a producer’s returns can no longer be included in the same contract that is signed by the actual producer. Separate contracts must now be signed for each landlord and interested party sharing in the actual producer’s returns.

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 CHANGES

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JULY 2, 2012

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JULY 2, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Weed scientists sound caution on energy crops Invasive species } Today’s new energy crop could become tomorrow’s new invasive species staff

he Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) is warning the biofuel industry to be careful not to introduce new energy crops that turn into invasive weeds. “We don’t yet have sufficient research and risk models to predict the environmental impact of these new crops in the field,” Jacob Barney, PhD, assistant professor of Invasive Plant Ecology at Virginia Tech says in a WSSA release. “In many ways it’s a large-scale experiment, with few regulations or policy guidelines. Voluntary precautions taken by stakeholders are virtually our only line of defence.” The WSSA says a recent report from the U.S. National Wildlife Federation cites several examples of species cultivated for biofuels that have the potential to become harmful invaders. Among them are: • G iant reed (Arundo donax) an invasive weed known for

See you in court } Is

Reed canarygrass, widespread in Western Canada, is considered one of North America’s most invasive wetland species. Photo: Indiana Cooperative

Kudzu, originally imported to the southern U.S. to control soil erosion, has become a difficult-to-control weed that smothers trees and wildlife habitats. Photo: Courtesy of James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org crowding out native plants in fragile riparian areas. • R eed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea), a great threat to America’s wetlands, rivers and lakes. • Cylindro (Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii), an algae associated with toxic blooms in the Great Lakes region.

By Carey Gillam

• N apier grass (Pennisetum purpureum), an invasive plant known as one of the most problematic weeds in the world. One of the most popular biofuels crops is giant miscanthus. It is a fast-growing hybrid that is unable to produce seed, making it less likely to spread unintentionally than other miscanthus

species. However the WSSA says it too can represent a threat if planted in the wrong location and that weed scientists are concerned about a now-abandoned miscanthus farm located in Kentucky, on the flood plain of the Ohio River. Any plant fragments washed into the river could travel hundreds of miles, spreading miscanthus well beyond the planted fields, the WSSA said.

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*US offer valid on purchases made from 01 June 2012 through 31 July 2012. Canada offer valid on purchases made from 01 June 2012 through 31 August 2012. Discounts may vary and are off of the purchase price of select, new Model Year 2013 John Deere Air Seeding equipment from an authorized John Deere dealer. Taxes, set-up, delivery, freight and preparation charges not included. Valid at participating dealers only. Offer subject to availability and may be discontinued or modiﬁed at any time. See dealer for full details.

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Monsanto sues rival DuPont for copycat seed technology

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onsanto, the world’s largest seed company, is suing chief rival DuPont, accusing DuPont and its agricultural crop subsidiary of treading on Monsanto’s technological turf by copying key new plant-breeding innovations. Monsanto’s suit claims that a “seed chipping” invention, which it unveiled in 2007 as a way to speed plant breeding, has been duplicated by DuPont in a “laser-assisted seed selection” tool introduced in 2008. Monsanto claims its business is suffering “irreparable harm” as a result. DuPont spokesman Dan Turner said the lawsuit was “without merit.” “Monsanto continues to use litigation in an attempt to limit Pioneer from being an effective competitor,” he said. “This tactic has not worked in previous cases, and it will not work in this matter.” Monsanto spokesman Tom Helscher said the company would not comment on its lawsuit, which was filed Monday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis. Monsanto is seeking a permanent injunction and treble damages for what it calls “will ful infringement.” Monsanto’s robotic seed chipper allows it to individually test every seed in its plant-breeding programs for selection of desired characteristics and to develop stacks of traits in its seed products. The company said it has used this technology in the development of its Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans, and has more than a dozen patents in place dating back to 2004. It calls a patent application by DuPont subsidiary Pioneer HiBred International a “copycat” application. Both companies say their technology allows for precise sampling of individual seeds for genetic analysis while leaving enough seed intact for planting. Monsanto claims the copied technology was used by DuPont in the development of its Optimum AQUAmax corn, which DuPont launched last year. DuPont markets the corn as helping deliver a yield advantage in water-limited environments. Monsanto claims DuPont is also planning to use the technology in China for seed production there. The lawsuit by Monsanto is but the latest in a series of court battles between the corporate giants as they battle over the lucrative global market for agricultural seed, particularly corn. DuPont’s Pioneer seed unit last year sued Monsanto claiming it infringed on patents that help genetically modified corn seeds germinate.

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JULY 2, 2012

No shipper-railway consensus on service agreements PROGRESS  Jim Dinning says railways and shippers

should give his “three-tier” service proposal a chance BY ALEX BINKLEY

AF CONTRIBUTOR / OTTAWA

hippers and the railways remain divided on what should be included in federal legislation to improve freight service, says a report presented to Transport Minister Denis Lebel. Jim Dinning, a former Alberta cabinet minister appointed last fall to facilitate discussions between the carriers and their customers on freight service agreements, said some progress was made in six months of talks. He urged both sides to give a proposed three-tier service proposal a fair chance. Basically it would set different levels of service for small, medium and large shippers, based on annual carloads. This would represent “a workable solution and an improvement over the status quo,” he added. Dinning’s report came as the opposition parties pressed Lebel to move on legislation promised last year granting shippers a right to a service agreement and a process to impose one if negotiations with the railways fail. Lebel said in a statement June 22 that he hopes the two sides can build upon the progress achieved during the facilitation process. He urged both sides to employ five Dinning recommendations in any future commercial negotiations. Meanwhile the government will proceed legislation this fall. The minister said he would discuss the proposed bill with shippers during July.

improvements in service reliability in recent years and warned legislation won’t improve the situation. Chow told the Commons that her Rail Customer Protection Act “would give every rail customer the right to have service agreements with rail companies, including performance standards, consequence for non-performance including penalties, proper notification for service changes and a requirement to use the dispute resolution process in the event of a disagreement.” “Rail customers in Canada have suffered losses for years

due to unreliable freight services — which also cost the economy hundreds of millions of dollars every year,” she said. Her bill would “spell out the core components of an agreement aimed to protect rail customers.” Dinning urged the railways and shippers to use a proposed service agreement template and a commercial dispute resolution outlined in his report. The approach could be updated from experience. He called on Transport Canada “to monitor the use of the service agreement template and commercial dispute resolution process.”

Critics say the railways can charge penalties when the load is delayed, but shippers can’t charge if the cars are delayed. PHOTO: ALLAN DAWSON

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NDP Transport Critic Olivia Chow has presented Parliament with a bill to create a more balanced relationship between the carriers and shippers. She said her bill was needed to end government stalling since the release in December, 2010, of the final report of the Rail Freight Service Review. Meanwhile, Liberal MP Ralph Goodale has called repeatedly for the government to move on implementing the service review. Chow said the railways have mounted a vigorous campaign against the service proposals “that has reached right into the Prime Minister’s Office. “The railways are making their best profits ever, but not sharing any gains with their customers,” she said. Spokesmen for CN and CP said the railways have made huge

“The railways are making their best profits ever, but not sharing any gains with their customers.”

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JULY 2, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Alberta rancher raising epicurean garlic OUTSMARTING THE MULIES } In Claresholm country, mule deer and wind are more certain

than death and taxes, and that’s why Chalmers chose garlic by sheri monk

af staff / claresholm

arlic is ascribed many traits, a surprising number of which are supernatural. Even in today’s pop culture, garlic is still tasked with warding off vampires — and a goodnight kiss at the end of a date, if you believe the spearmint gum commercials. It is said to increase vitality and even libido, and many religiously include raw garlic as part of a daily vitamin regiment. Considering its superfood reputation, some might assume that’s why Jackie Chalmers decided to start growing it commercially at her Claresholm-area ranch — but those people would be wrong. “I had to be compatible with the mule deer. Even the first summer I was here, I opened the kitchen door to go outside and there was a deer standing there eating my flowers,” Chalmers laughed. Chalmers and family moved to the New Oxley ranch in 2006 after leaving the Millarville area, where the family had ranched for nearly a century. Once settled, Chalmers felt the urge to start growing a product she could sell locally, so she discussed the mule deer situation with her Aunt Ruth, a longtime gardener. “She told me that when she grew her garden west of High River, she’d put a row of lettuce, a row of garlic, a row of radish, then a row of garlic. She’d alternate garlic in her garden, and the deer

Jackie Chalmers carefully hangs her garlic for curing. photo: courtesy of new oxley garlic didn’t bother it,” she said. “So I planted a test plot and by golly, the deer didn’t bother it.” Chalmers was sold and New Oxley garlic was born. This year, she estimates she has 25,000 garlic plants. Her first commercial crop was harvested in 2010. “Each year I have just successively increased the amount of garlic that I’ve planted,” she said. For the less-epicurean shopper, garlic

is seen as a generic and predictable purchase. Those shoppers are in for a treat when they discover New Oxley garlic, and word is spreading fast. “Our garlic really just speaks for itself. It’s just so superior to the Chinese garlic and once people taste it, they know they want Canadian-grown garlic. It’s a very full-flavoured garlic and it grows well here,” said Chalmers. Most of the garlic found at grocery

stores has been brought in from China. Chalmers’ garlic is bigger, juicier and has more colour than its paler, Chinese cousin. “Ours is more full flavoured. The Chinese garlic, which is generally what is sold in the stores, it takes quite a few bulbs to get any kind of garlic flavour, and they’re very small and they’re very hard to peel. “If you held your hand out, one of my bulbs would fit into the palm of your hand, and in that bulb would be five to eight cloves. You take one clove, it’s very easy to peel and it gives you a beautiful, well-rounded flavour of garlic with just that one clove,” she said. The garlic is grown naturally, both planted and harvested by hand. “It’s definitely a labour of love. All of the weeding is, as my uncle would say, on your prayer bones. It’s on your hands and knees because there’s really no way to mechanize that,” said Chalmers. New Oxley garlic is available at all Calgary Co-op stores, Creative Cleaver in Lethbridge, and Save-on Foods in Lethbridge. Some stores display placards advertising the garlic, but most often it is presented in the produce section in a bushel basket. “Just ask for the Canadian garlic,” said Chalmers, who says sales are going very well. “The orders keep increasing with most of the stores — they just keep ordering more and more.” Many restaurants also loyally use her garlic, and she will sell it right from the ranch. Visit www.newoxley.com.

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JULY 2, 2012

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JULY 2, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

GET ALONG LITTLE DONKEY

Working donkeys is not like working sheep, cattle or horses. But Jessie keeps this little donkey in line as she moves the herd into the next pasture on Burro Alley Ranch, southwest of Calgary. PHOTO: WENDY DUDLEY

NEWS Smith leaving Alberta Turkey Producers After 24 years with the Alberta Turkey Producers (ATP), Greg Smith has retired from his role of executive director. Former assistant executive director Cara Dary has accepted his position as of June 1, 2012. “I am proud to have served the board for the last 24 years. I have had the opportunity to watch and participate as the Alberta turkey industry has evolved. We as a board continually worked at and improved marketing and allocation systems to better serve the producers and processors,” said Smith in a media release. Smith was the third general manager of the Alberta Turkey Producers. He was the longest-serving manager under the Marketing of Agricultural Products Act and at the Turkey Farmers of Canada. New executive director Cara Dary brings six years’ experience working for both the private and public sector implementing and managing HACCP-based on-farm food safety and animal health programming. She has worked for ATP as the assistant executive director for the last year.

Pfizer separates animal health unit

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Pfizer Inc. plans to separate its animal health unit into a stand-alone company, a move Wall Street expected as the largest U.S. drug maker focuses more intently on its core pharmaceuticals business. Pfizer said on Thursday that preparations were under way for a public offering of a minority stake in the new animal health company, which would be called Zoetis. The business, which generated revenue of about $4.2 billion last year, sells medicines, vaccines and other products for livestock and pets. It has more than 9,000 employees and markets products in more than 120 countries. Pfizer said it would provide details of the proposed IPO (new stock offering) in the coming months, when it reports second-quarter earnings. New York-based Pfizer, which agreed in April to sell its baby formula business to Nestlé SA for $11.85 billion, had also been shopping its animal health unit since last year. But chief executive officer Ian Read has said in recent months that any separation of the animal health business would probably be in the form of an IPO, to avoid hefty taxes.

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JULY 2, 2012

Global dairy companies offer China “safe” alternatives ALTERNATIVE  Firms will seek to uphold quality by controlling dairy supply chain BY LUCY HORNBY AND JANE LANHEE LEE

BEIJING/SHANGHAI / REUTERS

lobal food and dairy companies are making another round of big bets on China’s fast-growing dairy sector, hoping to position themselves as safe alternatives even after a lethal baby formula scandal burned many of them the first time around. They are lured by a projected 10 per cent annual growth and by Chinese consumers’ willingness to pay a nice premium for foreign brands as they remain wary of local brands’ safety records. Just last week, China’s top-selling dairy firm Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Co. recalled six months’ worth of one brand of infant formula after government tests found it was tainted with mercury, a heavy metal that can cause neural damage if ingested. As if on cue, Danish-Swedish dairy group Arla announced June 15 it would pay 1.7 billion Danish crowns ($289 million) for what amounts to a six per cent stake in Yili’s main competitor, China Mengniu Dairy Co., a deal that will also enable it to expand the Arla brand in China. “If you have an international brand, then there’s a premium in the market, because food safety is a concern,” said Kevin Bellamy, dairy analyst at Rabobank in the Netherlands. For some global milk producers, finding new markets is also crucial as they consolidate and expand production faster than their traditional, and mature, milk markets can grow. Milk and formula safety became a

deep concern for Chinese parents after the 2008 scandal. At least six babies died and 300,000 became ill from drinking milk formula contaminated with melamine, a chemical used in fertilizer and plastic. Mengniu last year destroyed milk tainted with aflatoxin, a carcinogenic mould found in corn grown in humid climates.

Overtaking U.S.

China is the world’s largest formula market and is expected to overtake the United States as the largest dairy market by 2020. Leading global food companies are jockeying to make sure they benefit from the rise in demand. Nestlé’s sales in China are about to expand significantly, pending approval by the Commerce Ministry to incorporate the China operations of Pfizer Inc., which would boost its market share in infant formula to 12 per cent. To keep up with that growth, it and other firms are looking to expand their production in China, but are taking pains to guard against quality problems. Foremost in those efforts is the need to control the supply chain for raw milk. Nestlé has already cut its small suppliers from nearly 30,000 to under 12,000, and plans to rehouse the rest in big dairy bases. This month it broke ground on a 2.4-billion-yuan ($377-million) project invested with U.S. dairy and feed co-operative Land O’Lakes and other partners. It will house a training centre and two huge modern dairy farms, one with 2,400 cows, the other with 8,000. “A model where you have small farmers having a few cows is not really sus-

A cow sticks its head out of a pen as it waits for feed on a 40-hectare farm managed by New Zealand dairy export giant Fonterra Co-operative Group in Yutian County, Hebei Province around 150 km (93 miles) southeast of Beijing. Global dairy companies are making a play as a safe alternative in the growing market for dairy products in China by building large-scale operations and controlling the supply chain. REUTERS/DAVID GRAY tainable any longer,” Nestlé’s China chief executive Roland Decorvet told Reuters at the groundbreaking in Shuangcheng, near the northeastern city of Harbin. “The farmers are moving into the cities, the system is getting consolidated, so we are moving towards more middle to large-size farms.” New Zealand dairy co-operative Fonterra, which sells $2 billion a year of imported milk products in China, is also building large dairy bases near Beijing,

the milk from which it sells at a premium to other dairies. Another driving force for foreign firms to ramp up their presence in China is a coming surplus of milk in Europe. The expiration in 2015 of national production caps in the European Union is expected to lead to a six per cent jump in European milk production, bringing an additional nine billion litres a year on to the market, said Bellamy of Rabobank.

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Participation in the national Verified Beef Production (VBP) program grew by 10 per cent last year, with 38 per cent of cow-calf producers and 82 per cent of feedlots now participating. VBP is Canada’s on-farm food safety program for beef. “Both the participation levels and the trends they represent are important,” Terry Grajczyk, national manager of the VBP program for the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association said in a release. He said 16,597 beef operations are now trained in VBP, and two-thirds of Canada’s beef production now comes from VBP-trained operations. Grajczyk noted an increase in participation in online training geared for dial-up Internet users. Producers have the option of completing the initial training at their own pace online which makes it widely available.

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This past year, 1,135 producers completed online training, more than 50 per cent over the previous year. The number of registered operations, those which have their operations audited by a qualified third-party validation auditor, also increased markedly, with a 35 per cent increase over the previous year. Alberta and Manitoba producers led in that growth. “We’re approaching the 1,000 mark for producers nationally who have taken the steps to be registered,” Grajczyk said.

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Published by Farm Business Communications, 1666 Dublin Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3H 0H1 WINNIPEG OFFICE Alberta Farmer Express 1666 Dublin Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3H 0H1 Toll-Free in Canada 1-888-413-3325 Phone 403-341-0442 in Winnipeg FAX 403-341-0615 Mailing Address: Box 9800, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 3K7 • •

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REAl ESTATE Vacation Property Commercial Buildings Condos Cottages & Lots Houses & Lots Mobile Homes Motels & Hotels Resorts Farms & Ranches British Columbia Alberta Saskatchewan Manitoba Pastures Farms Wanted Acreages/Hobby Farms Land For Sale Land For Rent RECREATIONAl VEhIClES All Terrain Vehicles Boats & Water Campers & Trailers Golf Carts Motor Homes Motorcycles Snowmobiles Recycling Refrigeration Restaurant Supplies Sausage Equipment Sawmills Scales SEED/FEED/GRAIN Pedigreed Cereal Seeds Barley Durum Oats Rye Triticale Wheat Cereals Various Pedigreed Forage Seeds Alfalfa Annual Forage Clover Forages Various Grass Seeds Pedigreed Oilseeds Canola Flax Oilseeds Various Pedigreed Pulse Crops Beans Chickpeas

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JULY 2, 2012

SEED/FEED MISCELLANEOUS Grain Wanted

FARM MACHINERY Combine – Various

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

WE BUY DAMAGED GRAIN

1-877-641-2798

BUYING:

HEATED & GREEN CANOLA • Competitive Prices • Prompt Movement • Spring Thrashed

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.

FARM MACHINERY Combine – Accessories

1-877-250-5252

CANOLA WANTED

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

INC. AUCTION SALES

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

CONTRACTING CONTRACTING Custom Work

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

FARM MACHINERY Parts & Accessories 8FT TRUCK CANOPY, 102IN long x 66in. wide, off a 2006/07 GMC, never been used. $1,200. OBO (780)635-2401, trades considered. St. Lina, AB

NEW WOBBLE BOXES for JD, NH, IH, MacDon headers. Made in Europe, factory quality. Get it direct from Western Canada’s sole distributor starting at $995. 1-800-6674515. www.combineworld.com

Tillage & Seeding FARM MACHINERY Tillage & Seeding – Air Drills 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 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

TracTors FARM MACHINERY Tractors – John Deere

JD 7400 TRACTOR, 740 loader w/grapple, 7550 hours, new tires, mfwd, new seat, one owner, (780)367-2483

ENGINES

FARM MACHINERY Tractors – Kubota

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

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

FARM MACHINERY

FARM MACHINERY Tractors – Various

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 RETIRED: CASE 8330 9ft haybind low acres, shedded ($6,900), Tram 10 ton farm wagon with 10 X 20 deck ($3,500 ) Older reel rake ($500), 92 GMC 2500 150K km 2wdr Rcab safety inspection ($3000), JD Saber 2354 lawn tractor ($3,000), Two Horse bumper pull trailer ($3,000) . 780-963-1155. Spruce Grove AB

Combines FARM MACHINERY Combine – John Deere 2006 JD 9760 BULLET rotor, 950sep. hrs. loaded, exc. condition, JD 615 PU platform, done approx. 1000/ac, $185,000; JD 936D draper header, pu reel, w/upper cross auger. (403)344-2160, Aden Ab.

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.

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

FARM MACHINERY Tractors – Various

STEIGER TRACTOR SPECIALIST

RED OR GREEN 1. 10-25% savings on new replacement parts for your Steiger drive train. 2. We rebuild axles, transmissions and dropboxes with ONE YEAR WARRANTY. 3. 50% savings on used parts.

1-800-982-1769 www.bigtractorparts.com

ACREAGE EQUIPMENT: CULTIVATORS, DISCS, Plows, Blades, Post pounders, Haying Equipment, Etc. (780)892-3092, Wabamun, 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 triaxle liner, hog rail, $12,500 obo; JD 7721 combine, $2,900; (780)621-6704 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 3 BUNNING MANURE SPREADERS for rent, call Lawrence 403-588-4787

AEROWAY 15FT LOW ACRES, like new, $10,000 (780)524-2987, Valleyview, Ab.

HAVE GUNS WILL TRAVEL! Gopher control in north Central Alberta, Call Cameron at 780-349-0343

FARM MACHINERY Haying & Harvesting – Various

Round up the cash! Advertise your unwanted equipment in the Alberta Farmer Express classifieds.

HURRICANE DITCHER’S 3PTH, OR pull type, simple and efficient design, Taylor Farm Supply, 701-642-8827, please leave message.

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

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

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

5710 BOURGAULT AIR DRILL w/midrow banders 6450 TBH tank; 100-ft. Flexicoil 67XL sprayer w/auto rake. Phone (403)312-4202

650 JD DOZER, READY for bush clearing, oilfield or land clearing, reasonable rates, contact Gordon (780)878-3515, (780)910-2120

FARM MACHINERY Haying & Harvesting – Baling

Big Tractor Parts, Inc.

JD 4995 16-FT DISCBINE 2009; also Honey Bee 25-ft grain header 47-ft flex coil 800 Deep Tillage; 45ft Willrich Cultivator; Cummings 240bp skid mount clutch&trans; 860 MF PU & 20-ft grain. (306)236-8023.

2002 JD 1820, 45-FT., 10-in. spacing, double shoot, dutch paired row, 3-1/2in steel, $26,500; (403)665-2341, Craigmyle, AB.

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.

FARM MACHINERY Tractors – Various

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

“ON FARM PICK UP”

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

FARM MACHINERY Tractors – Various

Geared For The Future

BOW VALLEY TRADING LTD.

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

FARM MACHINERY Tractors – Various

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.

FARM MACHINERY Tractors – Various JD 2210, LDR, 3PTH, MFD • JD 2130, 3pth, loader JD 2755 245 loader • JD 4030 c/w loader JD 4050 fwa, 3pth loader JD 4255, FWA, 280 loader • JD 4430 c/w loader JD 4440, loader available • JD 4450 c/w loader JD 4450 FWA, 280 loader JD 6410 3pth, loader available JD 7710 fwa, 840 loader JD 7710, FWA, ldr. avail. low hours JD 7200, ldr, 3pth FWA • JD 746 loader, new Mustang 2044 Skidsteer, 1300hrs. Clamp on duals, 20.8x38-18.4x38 158 & 148 JD loaders FINANCE, TRADES WELCOME 780-696-3527, BRETON, AB

Stretch your ADVERTISING DOLLAR!

1-888-413-3325

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 2 sets 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

2003 Massey Ferguson 1428, 28 HP Diesel, 3PTH, $14,500.

Massey Ferguson 255, 55 Hp Diesel, 3PTH, 236 Quick att Loader $9500.

1993 Ford 1720, MFD, 28 HP Diesel, 3PTH, P/S, NEW Clutch, $11,500.

John Deere 2950, FWA, 85 pto HP, 6 Cyl Diesel, 540 + 1000 Pto,s 3PTH, $22,500.

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

JULY 2, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Miscellaneous

Barb Wire & Electric High Tensile Wire Spooler Adapter available to unroll new barb wire off of wooden spool

- Hydraulic Drive (roll or unroll wire) - Mounts to tractor draw bar, skidsteer or bobcat, front end loader, post driver, 3pt. hitch or deck truck (with receiver hitch & rear hydraulics) - Spool splits in half to remove full roll - Shut off/ Flow control valve determines speed - Works great for pulling out old wire (approx. 3--5 minutes to roll up 80 rod or 1/4 mile) The Level-Wind Wire Roller rolls wire evenly across the full width of the spool automatically as the wire is pulled in Ken Lendvay (403) 550-3313 Red Deer, AB email: kflendvay@hotmail.com Web: www.levelwind.com Round up the cash! Advertise your unwanted equipment in the Alberta Farmer Express classifieds.

Used Flexicoil Aircarts, 4350, 3850 & 3450......Call 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, trail 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, single chute., 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 9352 I Westward MacDon swather, 800/hrs, 25ft 972 header w/PU reel, CNT...................................$85,000 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 ..........................................................................$20,000

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Miscellaneous

HEAT & AIR CONDITIONING

MF 655 SWATHER, $1,000; in good condition; Leon Loader c/w bucket/bale spike, $2,500; Please call 780-281-0291 between 7-9pm or email: rtbeddoes@gmail.com

The Icynene Insulation System®

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.

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

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

ADVERTISING DOLLAR!

1-888-413-3325

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Miscellaneous 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

TIRES

PETS & SUPPLIES

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

SAINT BERNARD PUPPIES FOR SALE GENTLE GIANTS GREAT FAMILY PET, PLEASE CALL (306)222-0845; ST.BERNARDS@SHAW.CA

RECREATIONAL VEHICLES RECREATIONAL VEHICLES Motor Homes

www.penta.ca

1-800-587-4711

IRON & STEEL

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

LIVESTOCK Cattle – Red Angus 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 Cattle – Charolais 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

LIVESTOCK Cattle – Hereford 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

•Used 2 Weekends •Like New

Call (403) 586-0978 TRAVEL

Agriculture Tours (403) 347-0723 Torrington, AB

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

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JULY 2, 2012

Ritual slaughter ban rejected

New info on Foragebeef.ca

The Dutch Senate has rejected a bill that would have banned the ritual slaughter of animals and had been criticized by both Muslim and Jewish groups. The bill, proposed by the small Party for the Animals, stipulates that livestock must be stunned before being slaughtered, contrary to Muslim halal and Jewish kosher laws, which require animals to be conscious. The lower house of parliament passed the bill a year ago, leaving a loophole saying religious groups could continue ritual slaughter if they proved it was no more painful than other methods of slaughter.

These new information sources have been added to the Foragebeef.ca website: • Complexity and composition of pasture swards affect plant productivity and soil organisms. • Species dynamic, forage yield, and nutritive value of seeded native plant mixtures following grazing. • Rotational grazing in extensive pastures. • Ruminal degradability and whole-tract digestibility of protein and fibre fractions in fenugreek haylage.

“We endeavour to handle our stock quietly and without stress…”

Grazing reserve serves patrons from wide area placid pastures } All reserves are now independently run by associations by alexis kienlen

“Our main goals are maintaining the health of the cattle and treating the grass as a sustainable, renewable resource.”

af staff / Drayton Valley

alcolm Miller, pasture manager at the Pembina Provincial Grazing Reserve (PPGR) and his team prefer to manage their pasture the cowboy way, using stockmanship and horses instead of quads. “We endeavour to handle our stock quietly and without stress,” said Miller. “By using horses, we can do that, two people can do all the riding and move the cattle quite easily. We work our cattle and get them trained.” The reserve has two full-time staff and three who work on call. The PPGR is a community pasture where about 19,000 acres are being actively grazed. Community pastures are a practical and attractive option for people who don’t have enough pasture available for their own grazing needs. While Saskatchewan and Manitoba former PFRA community pastures were scheduled for closure in the recent federal budget, Alberta’s pastures have always been under provincial control. Prior to 1996, the provincial grazing program was managed by government, but by 1999, operations of all 32 grazing reserves had been turned over to grazing associations across the province. There are about 1,400 cowcalf pairs and about 260 yearling heifers on the reserve, grazing from late May to late October. The PPGR is located in the heart of oil and gas country and co-operation between the energy companies and the reserve is one of the challenges the Pembina Grazing Association (PGA) faces. “When you put in a road or wellsite, it results in a loss of grass if it’s on pasture,” said Stewart McKay, assistant rangeland manager and supervisor for the southwest area of grazing reserves with Alberta Environment. “You lose that area, or a part of it.” Oil and gas activity increases

Malcolm Miller pasture manager

A cow drinking from one of the watering tanks at the Pembina Grazing Reserve. Photos: Alexis Kienlen traffic in the pastures, and problems can be encountered if oil workers forget to close gates. “It’s a busy area and there’s a lot of activity out there,” said McKay. Any rancher who wants to use the grazing reserve must become a member of the PGA. Patrons have to apply annually to graze their cattle. The reserve charges its patrons $16.50 per animal unit (cow-calf pair) per month. Miller said this is low compared to the cost of grazing private land, which costs around $18 to $20 per animal unit per month. A board of directors is appointed to run pasture business. All of the grazing

Malcolm Miller, pasture manager with the Pembina Grazing Reserve.

reserves work independently and set up their own fee structures and guidelines. Most of the grazing reserves in the province, including the PPGR, are self-sufficient, though they often make use of government programs for activities such as spraying and fencing. Cattle in the PPGR are divided into five different herds and rotationally graze through five or six pastures. “Our main goals are maintaining the health of the cattle and treating the grass as a sustainable, renewable resource,” said Miller. “We try to manage for the long term.” There are cattle from all over the province in the PPGR. Ranchers from Vulcan, Blackie and Delburne transport their cattle to the area, while other cattle hail from Big Valley, Innisfail, Drayton Valley and Tomahawk. Cattle in the grazing reserve have to be branded, dehorned and have national ID tags. Cows from multiple patrons are mixed together and cleanup bulls occupy some of the pastures. The PPGR has fenced dugouts with water pumped by solar units to 50 steel tanks around the reserve. The pumps can be moved, but tank locations are permanent. Using the tanks keeps the cattle out of the dugouts and ensures clean water. Miller said the clean, fresh water use may be one of the reasons why the cattle in the grazing reserve remain so healthy.

JULY 2, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

A safe product for grazing alfalfa Alfasure } Returns to the market after

licensing issues are resolved

By roy lewis, dvm

n effective prevention for frothy bloat is back on the market. Alfasure was pulled over a licensing issue (whether to be classed as a feed additive or a drug), but requirements were met and it has been relicensed as of June 2012. In the past producers have understandably been reluctant to plant and graze alfalfa because of the losses encountered with frothy bloat. Mortality on grazing alfalfa can get as high as 10 per cent and this can be reduced to almost zero with this product. Trials done in Alberta have confirmed this where controls had an almost 40 per cent incidence of bloat and medicated cattle with this product were at zero. This product is administered through the drinking water so we can be confident all classes of cattle will consume it, including young calves on a daily basis. Producers must ensure no other water source is available, including streams or sloughs or dugouts. This may require some fencing to eliminate these water sources, but this adds the environmental bonus of preserving the riparian areas. Alfasure acts as an anti-foaming agent and when administered at a dosage of six to 20 ml (depending on weight and the risk of bloat) again is almost 100

per cent effective. Alfasure can even be used as a bloat treatment by giving 30 ml in 200 ml water so it can be used as a substitute to any bloat medications currently on the market. To be cautious it is best to start the cattle on it for 48 hours before introducing to a risky situation. Continue medicating as long as the risk of bloat is present. The medication has a dye in it so producers can tell if adequate mixing has occurred in the tank or watering bowl. Once mixed in water it always stays in suspension.

ent locations. The whole tank can be mixed and then gravity fed into the watering tanks or bowls. Many producers use solar-powered pumps, wind pumps or nose pumps to water cattle from dugouts and other water bodies. Several models are available which accurately

For example, after a good rain on lush alfalfa, bloat risk is highest and yet water consumption may be low since lots of moisture is being derived from the feed source so dosage will need to be increased slightly. Over the years several ave-

By using high-yielding varieties of alfalfa and rotational grazing we can substantially increase stocking densities of our pastures plus realizing tremendous weight gains.

Mixing techniques

Several methods of mixing have been tried. Large watering tanks can be mixed as they are filled. There are good charts out there to predict water consumption so amounts can be easily calculated. One can use a good rule of thumb of water consumption being roughly 10 per cent of body weight daily. Therefore a 1,000-lb. animal will consume about 100 lbs. or 10 gallons (water weighs close to 10 lbs. a gallon). Keep in mind summer will see consumption slightly higher and conversely winter slightly lower than this but in our country Alfasure will primarily be used on grazing animals. Other watering systems, which are easiest to adapt, are large tanker trucks producers fill and move to differ-

dispense the Alfasure directly into the waterline. Most of these are based on a venturi effect whereby for every gallon or litre that flows, so much product is dispensed. If an economical simple system could be developed this would marry up well with the current pumps now on the market.

Calculating the dose

Based on reliability and the extra gains realized with grazing alfalfa, Alfasure should gain wide acceptance. Veterinarians will have to fine tune water consumption based on ambient temperature, taking into account the feed source.

nues have focused on reducing bloat. Some have concentrated on varieties with a lower bloat incidence, but with that came lower production. Other species of legumes such as sanfoin are very low risk for bloat but again production or hardiness is limited. Ionophores such as rumensin will help to reduce bloat, which is why a bolus containing rumensin was developed. It dispenses a set amount of rumensin daily over a 90-day feeding period. It has been found to be about 80 per cent effective in preventing bloat.

The advantage is that if other sources of water are available to cattle it may have been the right choice to use. The disadvantage is the labour necessary to give them plus you’re committed to the whole treatment period. Effectiveness is 80 per cent so some deaths still occur. With Alfasure essentially eliminating bloat it’s like an almost for-sure insurance policy. I’m convinced it may revolutionize the way cattle are pastured in Western Canada. By using high-yielding varieties of alfalfa and rotational grazing we can substantially increase stocking densities of our pastures plus realizing tremendous weight gains. We will better be able to graze second or third cuts of alfalfa, which are not worthy of harvesting. If you want to pasture alfalfa this summer (summer of 2012) definitely give this product a look. Try some for the treatment of bloat before deciding for yourself. As I said, it was on the market four to five years ago and has been caught in licensing issues since. Sadly, animals have probably needlessly died of bloat because it was not available or cattle were held off grazing lush pastures where gains could be phenomenal. Roy Lewis is a large-animal veterinarian practising at the Westlock Veterinary Centre. His main interests are bovine reproduction and herd health.

TW 4 inch - 6 x 6.625 -_AGI 12-05-04 1:34 PM Page 1

Albertans asked to put beef on the BBQ this summer Mass media } Campaign to include TV, mobile

tasting events and store visits by beef producers staff

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lberta Beef Producers (ABP) has partnered with the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency (ALMA) on a $1.3-million mass-media campaign to promote Alberta beef, the single-largest promotion for nearly a decade. During the 2012 BBQ season Albertans will see a variety of television ads, mobile tasting events, grocery store visits by real beef producers, billboards, radio promotions, neighbourhood mailouts, in-store signage and social media. To begin the Alberta Beef brand revitalization process, ABP plans to return to the grocery store, and get face to face with its target audience. Having both a physical and collateral presence at point of sale is something Alberta Beef hasn’t had in a long time. ABP is convinced that with competition for

the protein shopping dollar so fierce, it has to get back on the ground floor to fight for their traditional market share. ABP plans to work with Canada Beef Inc., the national promotion agency, to review the practical aspects of Alberta Beef’s reentry into the retail world. Those discussions will include: identify challenges, assess communal resources and articulate not only blue-sky strategy, but also how to position Alberta Beef under the Canada Beef umbrella. CBI has also indicated there may be some complementary opportunities to work with national outlets. One of the ways to interest national players in the program is to have real Alberta beef producers back in the stores talking directly to consumers. In the meantime, the ABP/ ALMA partnership has independently begun to lay the foundations for the campaign by approaching retailers and meat packers to participate.

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JULY 2, 2012

BRIEFS China asks farmers to cut pork supply BEIJING / REUTERS China’s pig farmers should cut supply to stabilize pork prices, the country’s top economic planning body said June 25. The price of pork, a staple in the Chinese diet and a key factor in inflation trends snapped a four-month decline recently after tumbling more than a third from a last year as Beijing stockpiled frozen meat to stem losses among farmers. Consumer prices have moderated in China this year, but Beijing remains wary of any flare up in prices pressures. “We suggest pig producers adjust their feeding habits and modestly reduce the number of productive sows to change the situation of pork supply exceeding demand as soon as possible,” the National Development and Reform Commission said in a statement on its website, www.ndrc.gov. cn. The commission said the government would keep a close eye on pork prices to stem losses incurred by pig farmers. But some analysts warned that China’s pork prices may jump in the coming months when a disease outbreak among piglets earlier this year works its way through the supply chain.

Conventional hen cages to be phased out CODE REVIEW  Alternative systems may be required after a code review in 2013

AGRI-NEWS

gg Farmers of Alberta currently recommends that no new conventional cages be placed on Alberta egg farms, and reiterates that Alberta egg farmers have always had the ability to choose from conventional cages, enriched cages, free run and aviary hen housing systems. In fact, the first enriched cage housing system in Canada was placed on an egg farm in Alberta in 2010. Alberta farmers care deeply about animal welfare and food safety, as egg farming truly is their life and livelihood. Egg Farmers of Canada formally requested a code review in 2011, which is a two-year process that is now underway, as announced in a National Farm Animal Care Council (NFAAC) media release from January, 2012. The egg industry is actively involved with such organiza-

Hens in a conventional cage.

PHOTO: LAURA RANCE

tions as the Alberta Farm Animal Care Association (AFAC) and the Alberta SPCA to ensure sound animal-husbandry practices are used. While Alberta has not exported egg products since 2008, global market events do affect the industry here. Some of the most notable changes include a 1999 EU directive on animal welfare which banned the sale of eggs from hens kept in battery cages.

At the time that the ban was ratified, 93 per cent of EU eggs came from hens in battery cages. While floor area of a typical cage is 450 square centimetres, egg producers must now supply hens with at least 800 square centimetres. The EU allowed producers a 12-year phase-out period, bringing the ban into effect on January 1, 2012. There are a number of alternative systems now in place in the EU, including avi-

ary system, free-run housing, free range and what are known as “enriched” or “furnished” cages. However, this change has resulted in supply shortages, increasing the price of eggs by an average of 75 per cent across the European Union in the last six months. In the United States, the United Egg Producers (UEP) announced, in July 2011, that it joined with the Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) to petition Congress to adopt a national standard for egg production that will phase out the conventional cage housing in favour of enriched colony cage housing. The bill would require the nation’s egg producers to switch to larger, enriched-colony cages for egg-laying hens over the next 15 to 18 years at a cost UEP has estimated at $4 billion. UEP represents 200 commercial egg farms and about 85 per cent of the national production.

U.S. May cattle placements the largest in five years REUTERS The placement of young cattle in U.S. feedlots last month grew by a largerthan-expected 15 per cent for the biggest May placement total in five years, as a lack of rain and dry pastures forced cattle off pastures and into feedyards, USDA and analysts said June 22. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s cattle-on-feed report showed May placements at 2.087 million head — the largest placement total for the month since 2007’s 2.159 million. Analysts polled by Reuters expected a 13-per cent rise in May placements because of the dry weather and poor pastures. Placements are normally large in May as ranchers move young cattle to feedlots from summer grazing programs. This year’s total was increased by more Mexican cattle coming to south western U.S. feedlots as a persistent drought also hurt pastures there. Jim Robb, director of the Livestock Marketing Information Center, viewed the overall report as “slightly bearish.” Placements were above average forecasts but within the range of expectations. “There were quite a few cattle that were scheduled to go to summer grazing, but clearly went to feedlots based on the light-weight placement category being fully 100,000 head above a year ago,” said Robb.

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

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JULY 2, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

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

Giving the Gift of Grain

Is there any hope for Danish producers? PEET ON PIGS  The top 25 per cent of

Combines for Cures seeks to improve prostate HealtH in rural alberta

producers in Denmark already produce around 30 pigs weaned per sow but the goal is now 35

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.

he recently published 2011 Annual Report of the Danish Pig Research Centre starts with a cry of woe on behalf of the country’s producers, who have suffered five straight years of losses. In the preface — entitled “Is there any hope?” — Lindhardt Nielsen, chairman of the Danish Agriculture and Food Council’s Pig Production Board, and Nicolaj Nørgaard, the research centre’s director, express their wish that European production will fall and push up prices. They point out the traditional pig cycle has been replaced by more stable production, but note Danish banks have largely chosen to support unprofitable production for long periods in the hope of better days ahead. “All in all, it is a war of attrition in which pig producers as well as lenders participate, even though quick winding up may sometimes be a better solution for all parties,” say Neilsen and Nørgaard. High feed prices have been the main reason for the pain felt by Danish producers. However, the banks get a second hefty dose of blame in the report, which says “Credit facilities and the willingness to invest have been extremely limited since the financial crisis in 2008. Investments are estimated to be onethird of the normal level, which is obviously not a sustainable situation in the long run.” Despite these challenges, it is noted that Denmark had among the highest pig prices in Europe which, combined with very high productivity, helped producers to do better than those in many other countries. Against this background, what is the future for the Danish industry? First, Neilsen and Nørgaard could well get their wish of reduced production in the EU, although probably not until at least 2013, when a proportion of EU producers is expected to quit rather than convert their sow stalls to group housing. But

the size and speed of the exodus will depend on how strictly the legislation on group housing — which comes into effect on January 1, 2013 — is enforced. It is not in the Danish psyche to sit and wait for someone else to solve their problems, so, as ever, producers are doing whatever it takes to improve their situation and remain world leaders in pig production. Perhaps not surprisingly, the theme of the Pig Research Centre’s 2011 annual meeting, attended by more than 1,000 producers, was “Stay in the Lead.”

Research priority

A key part of the Danes’ strategy is investment in research, with the Pig Research Centre employing 155 people and having a budget of $43 million. The annual report shows that by applying the results of that research, including the organization’s swine-breeding program, producers have scored annual improvements in productivity. And unlike the production data from many other countries, which is limited or unrepresentative, the Danish figures are from 749 sow farms with a total of 460,000 sows, 637 weaner farms with a total of 9.4 million weaners and 815 finisher farms with a total of 4.8 million pigs. “Sow farms weaned an average of 28.1 pigs per sow/year, which is an increase of 0.6 pigs a year compared with last year,” notes the report. The average sow farm in Denmark now has 615 sows, indicating the rapid consolidation that has gone on in the industry. Since the genetic improvement program changed its focus away from pigs born alive per litter to the number of piglets surviving to five days of age (called the LP5), the annual improvement has averaged 0.4 pigs per year. This change is helping producers to reduce stillbirth and mortality levels. “In 2001, when LP5 was introduced in the breeding objective, piglet mortality averaged 21 per cent and 23 per cent of all piglets born in the first par-

Danish producers say they need even more productivity to be profitable.

04/2012-18522

18552_02 PCC_C4C_JohnLee_AEF.indd 1

BY BERNIE PEET

4/19/12 9:07 AM

ity of Landrace and Large White sows, respectively,” states the report. “By 2011, these figures had decreased to an average of 15.1 per cent and 16.9 per cent for newborn piglets of the two breeds. Mortalities are based on the overall number of piglets born, which also includes stillborn piglets.” With the top 25 per cent of producers in Denmark producing around 30 pigs weaned per sow, one of the major research projects is called “35 Weaned Piglets per Sow/Year.” It is looking at every aspect of management and the pigs’ environment to develop recommendations for producers and includes work on farrowing crate design, sow nutrition and management. Four demonstration farms are being used to measure the impact of applying changes in management on piglet mortality and overall productivity. The regular advisers who visit the farms are supported by an expert group of 14 advisers specialized in farrowing management. This group has produced a manual called Guidelines for Farrowing Facilities, which includes 29 fact sheets that describe best practice management. These are updated regularly in response to the research findings and available online for all producers. The Danes view their research program as an essential investment in the future. Not only does it help them to improve productivity, it also allows them to continually improve the quality of the pork they produce and meet the strict animal welfare, food safety and environmental regulations they have to contend with. And because the research program is determined by a board of producers, it is focused on their practical objectives, which means the resulting information is applied rapidly on the farm. The annual report is available in English at www.pigresearchcentre.dk Bernie Peet is president of Pork Chain Consulting of Lacombe, Alberta, and editor of Western Hog Journal

} dry spell

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JULY 2, 2012

Siberian drought concerns Russian forecasters last Tuesday predicted Wednesday and Thursday rains would break a persistent dry spell in some regions of Siberia. Logistical constraints mean little of Siberia’s wheat is exported, so a drought there is unlikely to have a major effect on export volumes, unlike the spring drought in the southern breadbasket, where the winter wheat harvest is underway and rain is expected to help spring crops. Due to persistently high temperatures, the forecaster saw the possibility of wildfires remaining very high. — Reuters

Spain Drought continues Persistent drought conditions in Spain led the European Commission’s crop-monitoring unit last week to cut its forecast for the average yield of this year’s EU soft wheat and barley crops. The overall yield for the EU’s main soft wheat crop was put at 5.60 tonnes per hectare for 2012, down slightly from 5.62 tonnes in the previous May forecast and 0.2 per cent higher than in 2011. “Despite the increase of soft wheat yield for France and Germany, a small decrease compared to the last (estimate) is forecast at EU 27 level because forecasts have been considerably lowered for Spain by more than 10 per cent,” the research unit said. — Reuters

An impossible job — measuring wind speed of a tornado Size doesn’t matter } A small tornado can be very strong,

while a large tornado can be weak by daniel bezte

hen most people hear the word tornado it usually brings about a feeling of fear and maybe even a little awe. I think the fear of tornadoes comes from the fact that they are kind of mysterious. We know they occur during thunderstorms — but which thunderstorms will produce tornadoes, where will they occur in a thunderstorm, and will you see it coming? All these unknowns, combined with the power behind even a weak tornado, make them something to be rightfully feared. Worldwide, Canada is second only to the United States in the number of tornadoes occurring each year, with an average of about 70 reported. Southern Ontario experiences the highest number of tornadoes, followed by southern Manitoba, Saskatchewan and central Alberta.

While these areas report most of Canada’s tornadoes, tornadoes have occurred in nearly all regions of Canada. Tornadoes can strike at any time of the year, but in Canada, tornado season runs from April to October, with the peak months being June, July and August. This differs from the U.S., where tornadoes peak in April and May. This is due to the amount of cold air that is available for severe storm development. In the spring, the southern and central U.S. have become quite hot, but cold air is still closely available to help develop thunderstorms. By midsummer, most of the cold air has retreated well into Canada, putting our region into warm conditions; however, we still have cold air fairly close by to our north.

Hard to measure

Before I try to attempt an explanation of just what tornadoes

are and how they form, I figured I would discuss how strong tornadoes can be. Direct measurements of wind speed inside a tornado do not really exist. So how can we know how strong these winds are? The basic answer is by indirect methods. Observations can be made of a tornado, and by watching the movement and kind of debris that occur around the tornado you can get a fairly good idea of just how strong the tornado is. For most tornadoes this is usually impractical, since if you are close enough to be observing the debris field surrounding the tornado, then you should be taking cover! So wind speed for most tornadoes is determined by the evidence left after the tornado has moved through. The scale developed by American meteorologist Tetsuya (Ted) Fujita, known as the F scale (the Americans are now using a new enhanced F scale

This map shows an interesting pattern in the total amount of precipitation that has fallen across the agricultural Prairies during the 60-day period ending June 18. There are three precipitation bull’s-eyes: one in western Alberta, one in western and central Saskatchewan, and one in northwestern Manitoba and extreme eastern Saskatchewan.

Canada’s only recorded F5 tornado was at Elie, Manitoba in June 2007. The F5 rating came from part of a video showing a tanker truck being thrown through the air. or EF scale, but it is still basically the same), breaks down tornado wind speed or tornado strength into five categories as follows, according to Environment Canada: • F0 light (winds of 64-116 km/h; some damage to chimneys, TV antennas, roof shingles, trees, signs, and windows), accounts for about 28 per cent of all tornadoes in Canada; • F1 moderate (winds of 117180 km/h; automobiles overturned, carports destroyed, trees uprooted), accounts for about 39 per cent of all tornadoes in Canada; • F 2 considerable (winds of 181-252 km/h; roofs blown off homes, sheds and outbuildings demolished, mobile homes overturned), accounts for about 24 per cent of all tornadoes in Canada; • F3 severe (winds of 253-330 km/h; exterior walls and roofs blown off homes, metal buildings collapsed or severely damaged, forests and farmland flattened), accounts for about six per cent of all tornadoes in Canada; • F4 devastating (winds of 331417 km/h; few walls, if any, left standing in well-built

homes; large steel and concrete objects thrown great distances), accounts for about two per cent of all tornadoes in Canada; and • F5 incredible (winds of 418509 km/h; strong frame houses lifted off foundations and carried considerable distances; automobile-sized objects fly through the air in excess of 100 metres; trees debarked; steelreinforced concrete structures badly damaged), accounts for about 0.1 per cent of all tornadoes in Canada. Until a June 2007 tornado at Elie, Manitoba, just west of Winnipeg, there had been no F5 tornadoes officially recorded in Canada. From talking with a few people involved with some of the video of the Elie tornado, the F5 rating came from part of a video showing a tanker truck being thrown through the air. One important point to note is that the size of a tornado does not necessarily relate to its strength. A small tornado can be very strong, while a large tornado can be weak. Next issue we’ll continue our look at tornadoes by trying to understand just how they form.

Trim:10.25"

JULY 2, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Trim:15.5"

The 2012 Ram Heavy Duty makes light work of any job. It offers 22,750 lb of towing,1 unsurpassed torque and the most legendary engine of them all: the 6.7L Cummins Turbo Diesel. It’s part of what makes Ram “Canada’s longest-lasting pick-up.”2 And another reason why Ram Heavy Duty is the number one selling diesel pick-up in Canada.3

¹On select Ram models when properly equipped. Optional Max. Tow package required. See your dealer for full details. ²Based on longevity of entire Ram pickup lineup compared to competitive pickups. Based on R. L. Polk Canada, Inc. Canadian Vehicles In Operation data as of July 1, 2010, for model years 1987–2011. ³Based on 2011 calendar year-to-date registrations. CCR_N_121048_Torque.indd 1

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