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AUTOMATIC ENTRY WITH EVERY 2000 L PURCHASE OF MARKED-AG FUEL BETWEEN AUGUST 1-31, 2012. UFA.com

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SEA OF YELLOW IN THE PEACE

AgriStability margin trigger raised? REPORT  Margin trigger may

rise from 15 to 30 per cent, disaster program under review STAFF

The Peace River region is awash in a sea of yellow this year. For more on conditions this year, see page 8. PHOTO: REBECCA DIKA

roposed changes to the federal/provincial farm income stabilization program beyond this year are expected to lead to tighter eligibility for a program payout, according to a producer group observing the planning process. In its Grass Routes newsletter, Alberta Beef Producers reported some suggestion among federal and provincial agriculture ministers that governments should “rebalance their books to increase producer responsibility for ‘normal risk.’” As commodity prices increase across many agriculture sectors the cost of business risk management (BRM) programming in Growing Forward, the federal/provincial farm policy funding framework that expires this year, is also increasing, ABP said. Increases in eligible net sales allow more producers to contribute more into the program and AgriStability reference margins tend to grow, allowing farm incomes to be supported at higher levels. “Apparently two AgriStability options have been left on the table,” ABP said. “Producer support groups are going to have to keep their eyes on this. Anything that reduces farm support is going to push this cost right over to producers.” One AgriStability option for “Growing Forward 2” is to have a 30 per cent margin trigger instead of the present 15 per cent, ABP said. There could also be a reduced compensation rate at Tier 3, the “disaster” layer, from 80 to 60 per cent for positive margins, the organization added.

SEE AGRISTABILITY  page 6

HAY:

HEAVY YIELDS MAY NOT MEAN HEAVY NUTRITION  PAGE 17

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Prices in effect from August 1 to August 31, 2012.

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news » inside this week

inside » LATEST FOOD CRAZE Bacon lollipops and roses anyone?

JULY 30, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

livestock

crops

columNists

Black future looks bright

Fall fungicides for winter wheat

news Olds to be honoured with commemorative envelope Canada Post has announced an official Olds College 100th anniversary celebration commemorative envelope will be produced in 2013. The Canada Post stamp program provides a glimpse into Canadian history, culture and inspirations. Two years after the initial submission, Olds College was chosen by the stamp advisory committee to be one of six new commemorative envelopes. Over 500 submissions were brought before a panel comprised of Canadians from across the country chosen for their knowledge of history, design, philately or other areas of expertise. In a release, Olds said this collector’s item will be a signature piece for the 2013 year as a special gifting opportunity for alumni, current and new students, staff and faculty, and for those who take pride in rural postsecondary education; its vision, goals and as an incubator for success for our future leaders. Olds College will work with the official Canada Post envelope designer to design the envelope. Canada Post will print a minimum of 10,000 envelopes which will be made available at Canada Post retail outlets across the country and sold at approximately $3. The official date and launch for the Olds College envelope will be made on a date to be determined in 2013.

Correction Due to a printing error, a Monsanto advertisement on page 11 of the July 16 issue was scrambled and illegible. We apologize for the confusion. A corrected version is on page 3 of this week’s issue.

One video can wreck a market for cattle

DWAYNE KLASSEN

Canola producers deliver to open up bin space

U.S. ranchers cull cattle Drought again takes a toll on southern pastures

brenda schoepp

Daniel Bezte

Producers attend Angus Rancher Endorsed Day

Combo seed and foliar treatment shows promise

Measuring tornadoes presents a challenge

Family farm caters to growing interest in gardening and small-scale farming Heritage Farm } Specializes in heirloom tomatoes, herbs, transplants and

seeds that have been proven hardy for Zone 2 climate and growing conditions by rebecca dika

af contributor | grande prairie

rom its heirloom vegetables to the 85-year-old home that Wendy and Garth Walter moved to their acreage overlooking the Beaverlodge Valley west of Grande Prairie, Heritage Farm lives up to its name. The couple, who have three children — sons Colton and Johnathan and daughter Katelyn, grow vegetables and flowers and raise livestock. At the heart of the operation is the educational nursery specializing in heirloom tomatoes, herbs, transplants and seeds that have been proven hardy for Zone 2 climate and growing conditions. Grains and landscape roses, perennials and annual flowers are also an important part of the preservation projects with trial plots on the farm and throughout the Peace region. Wendy Walter, who grew up on a farm in Harmon Valley, has become a go-to resource for gardeners and novice small farmers in Grande Prairie area. “We seem to have become small-farm information aggregators,” says Walter. “Whether it’s sending clients to a beekeeping course, business coaching or nursery trials, we’re being tapped on a regular basis. We don’t pretend to know everything, but we do know how to help people find it.” Walter can draw on a wealth of experience starting with what she learned on her parents’ farm, which today grows up to 500 acres of alfalfa seed and has a leafcutter bee operation. She obtained a horticulture diploma at Olds College and worked for several years as a soil science and apiculture lab assistant on the Beaverlodge Research Farm. Walter has also worked in newspapers, graphic design and operated her own sign company. For the

Wendy Walter helps teach rural families and mixed farm owners how to build and market their own selfsustaining farm gate ventures. photo: Rebecca Dika past 20 years, the couple has been involved in a number of restoration projects — houses, museums, farm equipment, reviving heritage and heirloom varieties of vegetables, flowers and even chickens. Heritage Farm helps teach rural families and mixed farm owners how to build and market their own self-sustaining farm gate ventures in an environmentally friendly way or simply build skills to help them explore a rural lifestyle, says Walter. “Through on-farm workshops and extension material, rural producers are brought together to share ideas and experiences about horticulture and agricultural history,” she says.

Walter also produces a quarterly magazine called Rural Roots that focuses on local food and small farms, rural history, conservation projects as well as Zone 2 horticulture tips. She also puts on “Down to Earth”workshops. “We help our students learn how to work with Mother Nature when facing the growing challenges of the North,” she says. Heritage Farm offers classes and workshops on northern horticulture practices and urban agriculture while bringing farm and city students together to learn about holistic management practices and permaculture. Hands-on programs promote growing your own food, supporting other

local food producers while also teaching about the history of agriculture in the Peace country.

“We help our students learn how to work with Mother Nature when facing the growing challenges of the North.” Wendy Walter

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JULY 30, 2012

So simple... It’s in the bag. The Technology Fee is now included in the price of a bag of Genuity® Roundup Ready® canola seed. You said make it simple. Western Canadian farmers were asked their opinion about different purchasing processes and the seamless “in-the-bag” model was the clear preference.

Purchasing Genuity Roundup Ready canola is now simplified for everyone. Growers typically make input decisions by the acre cost and value. This change in purchase process means growers can more easily assess the per acre value of the Genuity Roundup Ready canola system and compare it to other options. In addition, growers and retailers will no longer need to pay GST on the seamless model because seed is GST zero rated.

For more information go to genuitycanola.ca or see your retailer for details.

Monsanto Company is a member of Excellence Through Stewardship® (ETS). Monsanto products are commercialized in accordance with ETS Product Launch Stewardship Guidance, and in compliance with Monsanto’s Policy for Commercialization of Biotechnology-Derived Plant Products in Commodity Crops. This product has been approved for import into key export markets with functioning regulatory systems. Any crop or material produced from this product can only be exported to, or used, processed or sold in countries where all necessary regulatory approvals have been granted. It is a violation of national and international law to move material containing biotech traits across boundaries into nations where import is not permitted. Growers should talk to their grain handler or product purchaser to confirm their buying position for this product. Excellence Through Stewardship® is a registered trademark of Excellence Through Stewardship. ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Roundup Ready® crops contain genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup® brand agricultural herbicides. Roundup® brand agricultural herbicides will kill crops that are not tolerant to glyphosate. Genuity and Design®, Genuity Icons, Genuity®, Roundup Ready®, and Roundup® are trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC, Monsanto Canada, Inc. licensee. ©2012 Monsanto Canada, Inc.

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JULY 30, 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

A Plan B for the end of supply management?

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

PRODUCTION director Shawna Gibson Email: shawna@fbcpublishing.com

Imports } Quotas would end, but that doesn’t mean

Director of Sales & Circulation

there would be a surge of U.S. imports

Lynda Tityk Email: lynda.tityk@fbcpublishing.com

CIRCULATION manager Heather Anderson Email: heather@fbcpublishing.com

By will verboven

Alberta Farmer | Editor

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

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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1-800-665-0502 or U.S. subscribers call 1-204-944-5568 For more information on The Alberta Farmer Express and subscriptions to other Farm Business Communications products, or visit our web site at:

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.

t’s acknowledged that in agricultural politics the most powerful lobbies are the provincial and national supply management (SM) boards and their producer organizations. They have locked up support from every party in Parliament and every legislature. But what if the feds decide to arbitrarily throw SM on to the free trade altar and see its termination? In the Machiavellian world of trade politics that’s a real possibility, despite the power of the SM lobby. In that case there would have to be a Plan B to end supply management and return dairy, egg and poultry production to the risks and rewards of the free market. Governments and SM organizations’ economists and analysts have in all likelihood already been studying ways and means to end the system for many years. Such research would be safely locked away for fear of what it might reveal or imply, but would be no surprise, since other government-backed agriculture programs have been eliminated in the past. The CWB, the sow cull, the Crow Rate, NISA and tripartite are just a few that come to mind. Most had a compensation factor of some sort involved in their termination, and therein lies the elephant in the room when the termination of supply management is contemplated. I expect most SM producers would be open to a compensated end. All it takes is enough money. That’s where the government’s determination will be tested because SM termination will cost many billions in compensation. They will have to decide whether the benefits from an increase in exports will exceed the cost. Taxpayers would also need to believe that the price of dairy and poultry products will drop significantly with a free market. There is little indication that will happen, except for imported cheese. Canada is already a significant importer of chicken so there are no guarantees of lower prices there either. What will be the cost of a buyout? In the dairy industry, depending on how quota and assets are valued, a typical Alberta dairy operation of 100 cows could see compensation of between $1 million and $4 million. That’s not an unrealistic, given the average annual cash flow of an Alberta dairy farm is around $700,000. There are 600 producers in the province, which would mean a potential compensation cost of $600 million to $2.4 billion for the taxpayer. For Alberta that’s

financially feasible under a provincial/ federal buyout program. But that’s just the dairy sector, poultry and eggs would cost hundreds of millions more. That would suggest some sort of phased-in buyout program.

Buying back quota

That would involve the ending of the private sale of quota and the government offering to buy a certain amount every year. How much to buy and where would be a negotiated process. A hybrid market would exist for a number of years, with both quota prices and free-market prices, until all the quota is bought out and off the market. Eventually, the newly returned free market would decide milk prices, and from who and where supply would come from. Processors and production would probably become concentrated in particular areas. For instance mega-dairy farms and very large processing facilities might be established in southern Alberta to serve a wide geographic area. Small operations in far-flung areas without the protection of quotas and pooling would no longer be economic and would disappear after their quota was sold. New mega-poultry and egg operations might all be in southern Manitoba.

Half a dozen 5,000- or even 10,000-head dairies are quite feasible in an area that is home to 50,000-head and more feedlots. But much of that presumes that other provincial governments will stand idly by as their local dairy, poultry and egg industries close down or relocate elsewhere. I expect some will stand by unless they plan to allow the establishment of massive dairy and poultry operations. The three most affected provinces, Quebec, Ontario and B.C., have restrictive environmental and land-development regulations that would make it difficult and costly to create such mega operations anywhere near populated areas. If their SM industries accept a lucrative buyout, those provinces might just let the market decide the future of any more dairy and poultry production in their areas. After all, it would affect few voters. That would in turn present opportunities

for those provinces that are favourable to more agricultural production.

Alberta milk to B.C.?

If supply management were eliminated, the dairy industry in Alberta could well expand significantly because of what won’t happen in B.C. Firstly, the milk industry in Canada will survive in a new free market because the U.S. will want to continue to protect its own subsidized dairy industry from imports. It did exactly that in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trading bloc which Canada seeks to join. It would be ludicrous for Canada to allow in American milk imports when the U.S. would not allow Canadian milk exports. Unfettered U.S. milk imports could easily flood into the Vancouver market, because of large-scale milk production just across the border in Washington state. That U.S. import restriction would present an opportunity for any future free-market Alberta milk production. Large-scale 5,000-head-plus dairy operations could be built in the Lethbridge area and the production trucked into Vancouver. Such operations are unlikely to be built in the B.C. Fraser Valley. Local governments will block such development because of major manure disposal and odour problems. Both are already big public issues with much smaller dairy operations. That’s why there are no big feedlots in the valley. Add to that a B.C. government that is unfriendly towards large-scale commercial agriculture and it presents an opportunity for Alberta. Economies of scale by giant Alberta dairy farms would also put tremendous price pressure even on existing B.C. dairy operations. Southern Alberta has long experience with large commercial scale-intensive farming and irrigation. Half a dozen 5,000or even 10,000-head dairies are quite feasible in an area that is home to 50,000-head and more feedlots. Super-dairy farms have successfully existed for many years in Europe and the U.S; the technology, the expertise, the existing entrepreneurship and financing could easily be brought together to make Alberta a powerhouse in free-market dairy production. In the end the future of supply management will be decided by a protracted political war that could go either way. That expected war might make the idea of a phased-in buyout compensation program look a lot more attractive. I expect a lot of industry and government stakeholders are thinking exactly those thoughts.

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JULY 30, 2012

Heat waves emphasize need for retooled climate research Changed focus } Emphasis needs to move from debating the cause to dealing with the effects By Gerard Wynn/Reuters

major heat wave and drought has sent world grain prices skyrocketing for a second of three summers suggesting it is time to address supply through repurposed climate research. Tackling high food prices among the leading G20 nations has so far bent on fixing demand issues, including grain trading, export bans and the role of biofuels in consuming corn. Strangely absent is a concerted focus on the role of more frequent severe droughts in constricting supply. That new focus could include a shift from a tiresome debate about human attribution in global warming, all but proven, to pinpointing local and regional impacts, plus turbocharged plant breeding to shorten a decadeslong path to market. Two heat waves illustrate the threat. The Russian drought and wildfires in 2010 saw temperatures more than three standard deviations beyond historical data, in general exceeding 99.9 per cent of observations, according to a vivid paper by NASA scientist James Hansen last year. A price spike followed when the country banned wheat exports.

The present U.S. Midwest event has been equally intense and sent corn prices soaring. A Texan heat wave in 2011 was also beyond third standard deviations, but more local. Clearly, it is impossible to predict an extreme event at any given location in any year. But NASA’s Hansen showed how average summer temperatures were one standard deviation higher globally in the last decade compared with 1951-61, in a consistent trend towards higher summer mean temperatures and more frequent extremes.

Events

The Russian summer in 2010 was the hottest in 130 years of records, and July rainfall in western Russia as little as four per cent of the monthly norm, according to the U.S-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). More than 20 per cent of the country’s harvest was destroyed, and economic losses from lost crops and wildfires amounted to $15 billion, it said in its 2010 “State of the Climate” report. The cause was the same stable, highpressure blocking system which had caused previous heat waves, bringing hot air from central Asia.

It was the severity of the heat wave, not the weather pattern, that was exceptional. Texas last year endured its driestever summer, with just 62 millimetres precipitation compared with the previous driest summer in 1956 of 88.4 mm. This year, U.S. crops have withered in the worst drought since 1956. The January-June period was the warmest on record across the United States, where scorching temperatures have broken scores of individual station records. The U.S. Department of Agriculture earlier this month cut expected corn yields by 12 per cent, and FAO revised its expected global cereals harvest.

Entrenched minority

Part of the problem is climate research which still dwells on attribution in a largely settled debate which long ago ran into the sand with an entrenched minority refusing to believe. Farmers need specific regional and local information about possible projected temperature ranges, in the day and night, given the specific survival thresholds for individual crops. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) earlier this year

Strangely absent is a concerted focus on the role of more frequent severe droughts in constricting supply.

seemed to take a step in the right direction, in its report “Managing the risks of extreme events,” which largely sidestepped attribution, focusing on the problem. But it wrote in sweeping terms and strangely missed impacts on food production, spending just two out of 594 pages dealing with food security, with no link to agronomic research. The IPCC’s main mandate is to publish a blockbuster report once every six years, split three ways between documenting the physical understanding of climate change, including cause, and a third each spent considering impacts and a human response. Such an encyclopedia is worthwhile but a luxury when so little is understood about systemic food risks.

Another futures broker goes bankrupt Confessed } Flamboyant broker admits to 20 years of fraud in note before attempting suicide with car exhaust

By P.J. Huffstutter and Tom Polansek reuters

ussell Wasendorf Sr., arrested July 13, confessed to a 20-year fraud at Peregrine Financial Group (PFG), his now-bankrupt Iowa brokerage, saying business troubles and his “big” ego left him no choice: “So I cheated.” In the dramatic conclusion to a week-long saga that has shaken trader confidence in the trillion-dollar U.S. futures markets, authorities released parts of a detailed statement in which one of the industry’s best-known veterans explained how he used little more than a rented P.O. Box, Photoshop and inkjet printers to dupe regulators in a more than $100 million scheme. FBI agents arrested Wasendorf, 64, at the Iowa City hospital where he had been since trying to commit suicide on Monday, July 9. He was charged with making false statements to regulators, but prosecutors said they would seek more charges. He faces “decades in prison,” assistant U.S. attorney Peter Deegan said. In the signed statement, left along with a suicide note and

released as part of the criminal complaint, Wasendorf said he began forging bank documents after the business he built from his basement risked failing without additional capital. The timeline suggests his deceit lasted almost the entire life of his brokerage. “I was forced into a difficult decision: Should I go out of business or cheat?” he wrote. “I guess my ego was too big to admit failure. So I cheated,” the note said. It was discovered on Monday in his car outside the company’s new Iowa headquarters, where Wasendorf had tried to kill himself by funnelling in tailpipe exhaust. The arrest ends much of the mystery that has enveloped the futures industry this week. But it will not ease the pain of betrayal in the small Iowa town that Wasendorf made his corporate home in 2009, nor the anger of a financial industry still smarting from the failure of rival brokerage MF Global. “I have committed fraud,” Wasendorf wrote in the note, the contents of which he later told authorities were true. “I feel constant and intense guilt.” Yet he also wrote in almost boastful detail about the “blunt authority” that allowed him to control the flow of documents

“I was forced into a difficult decision: Should I go out of business or cheat?” Russell Wasendorf Sr

into the company; how he used a simple post office box to trick “unquestioning” regulators; and his skill in turning out forged bank statements within hours that “no one suspected.”

Regulatory shock

Wasendorf’s downfall has shocked his family and colleagues and has shattered his image in his adopted hometown of Cedar Falls, Iowa, where he moved PFGBest’s headquarters in 2009 after building an $18-million complex that included day care, a four-star cafeteria and state-of-the-art geothermal climate control. With an unusual empire including a Romanian property company and a glossy magazine, Wasendorf’s ego stood out even in the rough-and-

tumble world of the Chicago futures industry. He proudly underwrote big-name guest speakers at industry events and held private VIP receptions for them, and flashed a jewelled pinky ring. His favourite quote, according to his Facebook page, was, “If I wanted patience, I would buy it.” More widely, his fall also rattles investors’ confidence in the pillars of the futures markets: brokers’ safeguarding of client money, and, equally important, regulators’ ability to police the industry. The prolonged nature of the fraud is sharpening criticism of regulators like the National Futures Association, the industry group that had first-line responsibility for overseeing non-exchange brokers like PFG. MF Global, by contrast, is believed to have tapped into client funds in a desperate bid to keep itself afloat during its final days. “It’s stomach churning,” said Lauren Nelson, director of communications for Attain Capital, an introducing broker specializing in managed futures in Chicago that had accounts at PFGBest. “It’s unbelievable that this was able to be going on for so long without the regulators noticing.”

“Without question”

The federal complaint alleges that, from 2010 through July of 2012, Wasendorf made false statements to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission regarding the value of customer segregated funds held by Wasendorf’s Iowa-based company. But Wasendorf in the statement said the forgeries started “nearly 20 years ago,” suggesting he was fooling regulators from the very beginning. Peregrine was first registered as a futures brokerage in 1992, according to its website. The deceit evolved with the world, and Wasendorf “established rules and procedures as each new situation arose.” When auditors began contacting banks directly to verify brokers’ balances, he opened a post office box in the name of Firstar Bank — later U.S. Bank — and intercepted the confidential forms, he said. He returned doctored statements that had been inflated by more than $200 million, more than half of PFGBest’s total customer funds. As he quickly learned how to falsify online bank statements amid the rise of Internet-based banking, Wasendorf wrote that “regulators accepted them without question.”

OFF THE FRONT

JULY 30, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

AGRISTABILITY  from page 1 Under that option, a margin decline of $100,000 with a reference margin of $200,000 (down 50 per cent) would translate to a future change in payout, down from $53,000 to $27,000 — about 50 per cent. In the second option, ABP said, AgriStability payouts would be based on a 50 per cent margin decline, compared with the present 15 per cent to trigger any support, keeping the compensation rate at the present 80 per cent for Tier 3 in the positive range. For a reference margin of $200,000 with a margin decline to $100,000, ABP said, the second option would see coverage going from $53,000 to no benefit at all. “Any payout comes after the margin decline of 50 per cent.”

Disaster support

ABP also noted a general direction among policy-makers to “get rid of AgriRecovery support.”

“As the federalprovincial agriculture policy development moves forward there is indication that some fallout in the support sector is inevitable.”

AgriRecovery is the disasterspecific arm of Growing Forward, providing funding on a case-bycase basis in disaster situations where AgriRecovery and AgriInsurance are judged to be insufficient. The level of support from AgriRecovery is always an unknown

for governments where coverage is usually 40:60 provincial: federal based, ABP said. “As the federal-provincial agriculture policy development moves forward there is indication that some fallout in the support sector is inevitable.” Other groups have urged governments not to look at the sequel to Growing Forward as a place to make sweeping changes or deep budget cuts. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture, for one, and its member groups “recognize the need for fiscal austerity in these difficult financial times.” However, CFA president Ron Bonnett said recently, “cuts to BRM programming could result in an agriculture industry that is dangerously exposed to risks outside the control of on-farm management practices, and thereby compromise its competitiveness moving forward.”

Growing continuous canola is a bad idea RISK  Oilseed specialist says producers ignoring calls to practise proper rotation

Rapid spread of clubroot may be due to canola-on-canola “rotation.”

BY ALEXIS KIENLEN AF STAFF / LACOMBE

I Variety reclassification – [6”]

A combination of good crops and high prices could increase margins and make for high payouts for governments in2012 future. Alberta Farmer Express

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Attention: Grain producers

Reminder of upcoming variety reclassification Effective August 1, 2013, the following wheat varieties will move from the Canada Western Red Winter class to the Canada Western General Purpose class: CDC Kestrel  CDC Clair CDC Harrier  CDC Raptor CDC Falcon, currently a CWRW variety, will move to the CWGP class on August 1, 2014. Working together, we all play a part in maintaining Canada’s grain quality.

For more information, contact the Canadian Grain Commission: 1-800-853-6705 or 204-983-2770 TTY : 1-866-317-4289 www.grainscanada.gc.ca Stay informed. Check the variety designation lists on the Canadian Grain Commission’s web site.

t’s been said numerous times, but calls to practise proper rotation seem to be falling on deaf ears. Producers, especially in the Peace River region, continue to grow canola continuously — a practice that leads to higher weed, pest and disease levels. Canola on canola is the dominant rotation in the Peace region, said Murray Hartman, oilseed specialist with Alberta Agriculture who has looked at crop insurance data to determine rotation practices. Elsewhere in the province, canola

“One of my speculations about why it spread so fast is because the prominent rotation in the area is canola every second year.” MURRAY HARTMAN

on wheat is the norm. However, the Canola Council of Canada and plant researchers recommended a one-in-fouryear rotation. “We’re just setting ourselves up for possible problems,” Hartman said. While there hasn’t been a major disaster so far, Hartman and others say problems are building. Hartman pointed to the increase in striped flea beetle infestations in the Peace region and said it appears to be the result of tolerance to insecticides and seed treatment. “Pushing the higher rotation just selected for that population shift and really accelerated it,” he said. Hartman said he believes tight rotations, fuelled by high canola prices, are to blame for the rapid spread of clubroot around Edmonton. “One of my speculations about why it spread so fast is because the prominent rotation in the area is canola every second year,” he said. In addition to the costly impact of diseases, pests and weeds, growing canola on canola cuts yields by about 15 per cent while a canola-cereal rotation can result in a five per cent yield penalty.

WHAT’S UP Send agriculture-related meeting and event announcements to: will.verboven@fbcpublishing.com July 31: Alberta Pulse Growers Crop Walk, Zone 5 trial site 9:00 am, Rivercourse. Call: Duane 403-2630413 August 1: Farming Smart Crop Tour, FS plots 9:00 am, Medicine Hat. Call: Rick 780-678-6167 August 1: Alberta Pulse Growers Crop Walk, Zone 1 trial site 9:00 am, Medicine Hat. Call: Duane 403263-0413 August 1: GRO annual Crop Tour, Westlock Community Hall 7:30 am, Westlock. Call: Catie 780-349-4546 August 1/2: Native and Tame Grasslands Criteria, Ramada Inn, Brooks. Call: Cassis 780-435-0606 August 7: August Field Days, GPRC Fairview Farm 10:30 am, Fairview. Call: Karlah 780-523-4033

August 8: August Field Days, PCBFA forage plots 10:30 am, Spirit River. Call: Karlah 780-523-4033 August 8: Summer Plot Tour, Hwy 856-4 mi North 7:00 am, Forestburg. Call: Alvin 780-5827308 August 9: August Field Days, PCBFA forage plots 10:30 am, Valleyview. Call: Karlah 780-523-4033 August 14/17: CCA Semi Annual Meeting, Deerfoot Inn, Calgary. Call: ILC 403-686-8407 August 15: International Livestock Congress, Deerfoot Inn 8:00 am, Calgary. Call: ILC 403-275-8407 August 15: Summer Protein/ Livestock Tours, Hardisty/Killam area 11:00 am. Call: Krista 800-6612642

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JULY 30, 2012

Retirement looms for many rural self-employed AGING DEMOGRAPHIC  Many rural lawyers, accountants and other

key service providers will be at retirement age in next decade BY LORRAINE STEVENSON FBC STAFF

he wave of retirements expected to roll across rural Canada in the next decade won’t just affect the farmers in your community. Rural and small-town Canada could have fewer lawyers, accountants, doctors and funeral directors too, according to a recent analysis of the ages of those self-employed outside bigger centres. About one in every four (24 per cent) of self-employed persons working and living in rural and small-town Canada in 2010 was somewhere between ages 55 and 64. These include farmers — who make up the biggest category of impending retirees — but they’re also the kinds of key service providers in rural areas. “These are some of the businesses you see on Main Street,” said Ray Bollman, a research affiliate with the Rural Development Institute at Brandon University who helped compile the data. Bollman and his colleagues gathered data from the census and the Canadian Labour Force Survey to get a glimpse of where self-employed rural Canadians are likely to be at 10 years from now in their work lives. The numbers are gleaned from the most recent census and the Canadian Labour Force Survey and analyzed by Statistics Canada. Farmers lead the charge, with agriculture being the industry with the largest percentage of impending retirees, with about 33,300 farmers or 23 per cent expected to put their feet up at some point in the next decade. But on the horizon is a host of other retirements in other sectors and services that farmers and their communities depend on. “The downturn (in selfemployment) is being led by farming and fewer self-employed people in farming,” said Bollman. But we’re already seeing fewer self-employed people in wholesale and retail trade, a trend expected to continue. “Those are the Mom and Pop stores, whether it’s groceries, or furniture and clothing shops,” said Bollman. Among other types of businesses expecting a rash of retirements are local hotels and bars. Of 5,900 hotel owners identified by the data across rural Canada 1,875 or 32 per cent are somewhere between ages 55 and 64. Next on the list are lawyers and staff working in law offices. Of the 3,400 self-employed lawyers, 1,000 or 29 per cent will be within retirement age in the next decade as are similar numbers of

“These are some of the businesses you see on Main Street.”

Retirements of professionals could mean empty businesses on Main Street in rural Canada. accountants and self-employed doctors. More retirements also loom in fields such as construction and landscaping, among garage

and service station owners, and owner-operator truck drivers. And if younger replacements aren’t found for the job, it may be harder to find a local funeral

©THINKSTOCK

director too. The study said nearly half (43 per cent) of operators of funeral homes are now between 55 and 64. Another large category of

small business owners are large numbers of self-employed consultants in rural areas. That’s a category that’s growing due to more boomers leaving paid jobs, moving outside larger centres and hanging out a shingle in one of their fields of expertise. This group may expand in future as more boomers reach retirement age, noted Bollman. In 2010, there were just over 500,000 self-employed people in rural and small-town Canada, representing 21 per cent of total employment. Farmers are a significant component of the self-employed but among non-farm jobs selfemployment counts as 17 per cent of total employment in rural and small-town areas which is higher than cities. The median retirement age for the self-employed in Canada is 65 for men and marginally lower for women.

A Message to Western Grain Farmers As of August 1, 2012, you can now choose how to market your crops. Whether through the CWB or on the open market, you can decide what is best for your farming operations. Marketing freedom is helping build a stronger economy for Canadians.

Your Crop, Your Choice For further information, please visit www.agr.gc.ca/freedom or call 1 800 O-Canada (1-800-622-6232) TTY: 1-800-926-9105

RAY BOLLMAN

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12-07-09 2:20 PM

JULY 30, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

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

Peace farmers finally see a relatively normal year VARIABLE  Overall conditions have been good, but with excess

Giving the Gift of Grain

rain in the central area and dryness in the North Peace

Combines for Cures seeks to improve prostate HealtH in rural alberta

BY REBECCA DIKA

AF CONTRIBUTOR / GRANDE PRAIRIE

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.

he Peace region is awash in fields of yellow this year with crops looking extremely healthy. There were 1.4 million acres of canola seeded in the area which saw 100,000-200,000 acres fewer in wheat. “We just need rain,” Alberta Agriculture market specialist David Wong said July 20. Scattered hailstorms were reported across the Peace region during the third week of July and Wong said he’d heard reports of up to six inches of hail accumulation east of Grande Prairie. Still, it’s too early to tell how significant hail damage might be to some crops, said Tom Penner, AFSC North’s adjusting manager. Penner said his office has had reports of hail from across the County of Grande Prairie.“ It generally takes about 10 days to accurately tell the extent of damage in crops.” Penner added farmers are reporting damage from marble-sized hail in some areas. Despite that, Wong said the Peace crops were all looking very good in the third week of July. The poorest area is the central Peace. More than two inches of rain fell there in early June, drowning out a few low spots, Wong said, though yields on higher ground might compensate. Conversely, the La Crete and Fort Vermilion areas have been very dry for the whole season. “They had really good moisture for germination but very little rain since,” Wong said. Seeding went very well after heavy, late-winter snowfalls followed by perfectly timed spring

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.”

PHOTO: REBECCA DIKA

rains replenished soils. “If we can get some good growing conditions here on in we will be looking at above-average yields,” said Wong. Wheat and canola in particular look very good, but he cautioned that crops are starting to get dry. “We had about threeeighths inch of rain in the Grande Prairie area in third week of July and that really helped. “It was a good news/bad news type of thing because we had lots of hay already knocked down awaiting baling.”

Fescue acres decline

Peace crops reflect the rest of the province. Alberta Agriculture reported advanced crop development with conditions rated as good to excellent in mid-July. Overall, soil-moisture reserves in the province were rated fair to excellent, with the Peace region reporting above 90 per cent of good to excellent subsurface moisture as of mid-July.

Wong said that with the exceptional canola and wheat prices, specialty forage crop acreage continues a downward trend. The Peace is traditionally a grass seed-growing area but those acreage numbers have been coming down steadily since 2008. Wong said pests haven’t proved problematic as of yet. Though large populations of tent caterpillars have chewed through a few stands of poplar dotted across the Peace, the other kind haven’t been an issue yet. Despite the long, hot dry days that have been a matter of course all summer up here, Wong said no one was spraying as of July 20. “The cool spring might have saved us there,” he said. “If they hatch in moist conditions, bacteria might eat the eggs.” Diamondback moths have shown up in canola fields, but not in high enough levels to warrant spraying either, he added.

KITTY CARTWHEELS

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.

Kaila, an orange tabby, perches between the spokes of an old wagon wheel on a ranch near Priddis, Alberta. PHOTO: WENDY DUDLEY 04/2012-18522

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4/19/12 9:07 AM

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JULY 30, 2012

MANITOBA HARD HIT BY HAIL

FILE PHOTO

Fall foliar application trial results surprise scientists STRIPE RUST  Fall application may have inhibited

overwintering of the pathogen

fall foliar fungicide treatment of Proline applied on plants at the two- to four-leaf stage to determine what impact the fall foliar application would have on crop health and overwintering survival. The research was designed to see if seedling disease issues were more of a concern than insect issues in the growing season, said Kelly Turkington, a plant pathologist with Agriculture Canada. Researchers looked at fall and spring stand establishment, collected samples in the fall for disease ratings, and examined digital pictures of spring canopy to monitor the level of vigour, Turkington said during a recent winter wheat field day at the Lacombe centre. The wheat with the combi-

BY ALEXIS KIENLEN AF STAFF / LACOMBE

fall foliar fungicide application might be just the ticket for your winter wheat. Trials conducted by the Lacombe Research Centre at several sites looked at several types of fungicide treatments on CDC Buteo. One trial saw one batch of winter wheat seed treated with Raxil (which combats fusarium and rhizoctonia), another treated a fungicide similar to Allegiance (which targets pythium) while a third was given an insecticide-only seed treatment and a fourth given all three. Included in the trial were a check treatment, and a

Pioneer brand CORn hybrids for Manitoba

nation treatment had less disease, a bigger canopy, and the highest yield. “The combination of fall foliar fungicide and a seed treatment that included Raxil at the time of the seeding gave the best results,” said Turkington. Plants without the fall foliar application were more likely to develop powdery mildew. The fall foliar application may also have limited overwintering of the stripe rust pathogen, said Turkington. “We didn’t see the same impact where we didn’t have that application,” he said. “We were quite surprised that the foliar application in the fall has such an effect and it’s something we’ll be looking at in subsequent trials.”

proving ground.

Kelly Turkington says results will be reviewed in subsequent trials.

If you want to boost the survival of winter wheat, your best bet is to treat your seed, use a higher seeding rate and choose heavy seed. That’s the upshot so far from a trial being conducted at six sites across Western Canada. One study compared seeding rates of 200 or 400 seeds per square metre. CDC Bueto seeds were sorted by size and characterized as light, moderate and heavy seed. “The idea was that the heavy seed would have more vigour and would get out of the ground faster and we would potentially see better winter survival,” said Kelly Turkington, a plant pathologist at Agriculture Canada. Plant growth was initially quite poor due to dryness, he said. “We had good stand establishment, but small seedlings and very limited plant growth last fall,” he said. They were also given combination seed treatment of Raxial WW, which includes insecticides and fungicides. There was a small bit of powdery mildew, which is generally not a concern in winter wheat, developing in some of the check plots. It became less of an issue as the growing season progressed. “Typically it tends to be more of a curiosity and it may be the cool conditions we have this spring that are tending to promote it,” he said. The combination of seed treatment, higher seeding rate, and heavier seed created the best results in terms of stand establishment, hardiness and yield — but the impact wasn’t huge. “We did see a consistent benefit in seed treatment in terms of crop growth and yield,” said Turkington. The trial is now in its second year.

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.

AF STAFF / LACOMBE

BY ALEXIS KIENLEN

The

STUDY  Examines seed size and treatments as well as sowing rates

Researchers test best practices for more hardy winter wheat

www.pioneer.com/yield

As of last week Saskatchewan led the Prairies with almost 5,000 hail claims for 2012, according to the Canadian Crop Hail Association. However Manitoba led in percentage severity, with nearly 1,800 claims, more than Alberta which has a much larger acreage. Just over 1,500 claims had been filed in Alberta, more than double the number from two weeks earlier. This number represents straight hail claims only and does not include claims filed under crop insurance endorsements.

For all of your corn growing needs, call your local Pioneer Hi-Bred sales representative. They are ready to help you select the best seed products for each of your acres.

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03/11/11 3:43 PM

JULY 30, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Monsanto raises the bar for canola seed processing state-of-the-art investment } Plant designed to supply North America

by helen mcmenamin

af contributor / lethbridge

outhern Alberta’s role as a hybrid canola seed-production area was reinforced by the recent official opening of Monsanto’s DEKALB processing plant here. The $14.7-million expansion, which began in September 2010, will process all of Monsanto’s spring hybrid canola supply of seed for canola growers across North America. More than 150 people attended the event, including seed growers, industry representatives and Monsanto staff. The facility is a state-of-the-art investment in bricks and mortar to match Monsanto’s investment in plant breeding and technology, said Mike McGuire, president and general manager for Monsanto Canada. The plant can process seed production from about 1.8 million acres. It’s also the location for Monsanto breeding and production research as well as field staff. “From seed to clean hybrid seed in the bin, somebody here is fretting over that seed,” said McGuire. The facility is taller than most canola facilities because canola is elevated just twice, via bucket elevators in two legs, first to the primary cleaners on the third floor and then to the blending system, to minimize damage to the seed. The entire plant is completely automated, starting at the driveway where canola seed in the dedicated trucks is automatically sampled then, if approved, unloaded into the basement “dirt-in” bins. Large dust collectors control dust as loads are dumped. Loads are further sampled from those bins, and if any issues are found, the load can be returned to the driveway. Once a load of seed is accepted, it must go through the entire cleaning process. Every part of the plant is controlled by two operators working at a bank of computers on the ground floor. The computers keep track of the status of every bin, whether each conveyor is

Above: Dmytro Guzhva, canola production research lead, at one of the area plots which produce Monsanto’s North American hybrid seed supply. Right: Plant manager Dion Nagy demonstrates computer programs which can send 167 different commands to 580 devices. Photos: Helen McMenamin loaded or empty, their speeds as well as what equipment is running and whether everything is running correctly. The computer programs can send 167 different commands to 580 devices. Despite all the automation, handson experience is essential and supported by computers, not the other way around. The control room staff have moisture-testing information and a microscope behind them to verify the information on the computers as well as to monitors of trucks in the driveway. Seed samples are tested for germination and vigour by a third-party testing lab. Cull seeds fall down into basement bins. Cleaned seed is elevated back up and blended so that all seed is the same blend from many growers. Cleaned seed ready for shipping for seed treatment is automati-

cally sampled every three seconds and monitored from the control room. The plant runs with no augers, with the same goal of zero seed damage. “We want to put the highest possible quality in every bag of our seed,” said McGuire. Seed is moved to storage bins by compressed air to the 32 adjacent 120-tonne storage bins. The same “dense-phase technology” system is used to protect fragile foodstuffs like breakfast cereals. As Canola Council of Canada president Patti Miller said the plant was another example of how canola benefits the Canadian economy. “Canola is already generating more than 228,000 jobs and $15 billion in economic activity throughout all the links in the value chain, on the farm and beyond,” Miller said.

“We invest in the industry, even when, like dense-phase technology, it’s costly, because it’s the right thing to do for our customer.” mike mcguire president, gm monsanto canada

CWB wheat/barley-marketing programs ready, canola in works Initial payments } Top-up expected for the beginning of the new crop year By Dwayne Klassen

Commodity News Service Canada

The Canadian Wheat Board’s marketing programs for wheat, durum and barley are ready to be launched with the start of the 201213 (Aug./Jul.) crop year, according to an official with the CWB. Pool programs for canola were also in the works. “There is no question that the CWB is ready to take on its new role in the Canadian grain industry, and has been actively promoting programs,” said Dave Przednowek, CWB pool manager. He said as part of its new role, the CWB has been actively promoting its new subscription-based CWB Market Outlook Weekly publication that is designed to give farmers in Western Canada a better view on what new-crop values

will look like, as well as providing some commentary on the various markets. Commentary on the pool situation for the crops, as well as an update on crop conditions, will also be included. “I think the pool programs of the CWB are in a good position to take advantage of what is a very different set of fundamentals that

this market is trading these days,” Przednowek said. As for whether farmers should be pricing their crops with the CWB at this time, Przednowek said, “It’s a decision that a farmer has to make, but at this time, and given the extreme volatility of the markets, I think the two CWB pool programs are a pretty good way to manage price risk.”

“I think the pool programs of the CWB are in a good position to take advantage of what is a very different set of fundamentals that this market is trading these days.” Dave Przednowek CWB

He added that farmers who consider using the pool programs (harvest pool or early delivery pool), “should take a good hard look at considering putting a portion of their crop into the pools.” He said the CWB’s two pool programs are only a few examples of the way the farmer can manage price risk. The CWB will also be offering a cash-out program for farmers, so that they will have an opportunity to price after delivery, Przednowek said. He indicated this program is similar to the fixed-price contract that worked well in the past. “It’s a reflection of what the current market is doing, so the farmer will have an option to stay in the pool, or after delivery they will have the option to take cash out of the pool that is reflective of the market at that point in time,” Przednowek said. The CWB is also looking to boost initial payments for the new-crop

marketing year, which begins August 1. “First of all we are looking at topping those initial payments up so the farmers get a larger percentage of projected returns for the pools up front,” he said. As for the marketing of Canadian wheat, durum and barley to overseas destination, Przednowek said the CWB sales team was already hard at work. Meanwhile, the CWB also continues to work on its canola pool program and should have something ready to announce for the start of the new marketing year on August 1, Maureen Fitzhenry, a CWB media spokeswoman said. Przednowek acknowledged that while details of the canola program were still not ready to publicize, the sales team in place will have no difficulty in marketing canola or any other crops.

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JULY 30, 2012

Supercomputers to replace frogs in forecasting monsoon? CRITICAL  Indian crops depend on time and amount of annual rainy season BY ROSS COLVIN AND JATINDRA DASH NEW DELHI/REUTERS

cientists aided by supercomputers are trying to unravel one of Mother Nature’s biggest mysteries — the vagaries of the summer monsoon rains that bring life, and sometimes death, to India every year. In a first-of-its-kind project, Indian scientists aim to build computer models that would allow them to make a quantum leap in predicting the erratic movements of the monsoon. If successful, the impact would be life changing in a country where 600 million people depend on farming for their livelihoods and where agriculture contributes 15 per cent to the economy. The monsoon has been dubbed by some as India’s “real finance minister.” “Ultimately it’s all about water. Everybody needs water and whatever amount of water you get here is mainly through rainfall,” said Shailesh Nayak, secretary of the Earth Sciences Ministry. India typically receives 75 per cent of its annual rain from the June-September monsoon as moisture-laden winds sweep in from the southwest of the peninsula.

The importance of the recently launched five-year “monsoon mission” has been underscored by this summer’s patchy and below-average rains, which have provoked much anxious skywatching and fears of drought in India’s northwest, even as floods in the northeast displaced two million people and killed more than 100. Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar cautioned last week that there was no need for alarm just yet, although he fretted that the monsoon was “playing hide-andseek.” Working with counterparts in the United States and Britain, Indian scientists are trying to crack the monsoon’s “source code” using super-fast computers to build the world’s first short-range and longrange computer models that can give much more granular information about the monsoon’s movements. This would help India conserve depleting water resources and agricultural output would get a boost as farmers would be able to plan their crops better.

Extending short-term forecasts

More than half of the arable land in India, one of the world’s biggest producers of cotton, rice, sugar and wheat, is rain fed. A success-

“We were able to guess from the nature of the croaking of frogs if there would be any rain in the near future.” TRILOCHA PRADHAN FARMER

India typically receives 75 per cent of its annual rain from the JuneSeptember monsoon. ©THINKSTOCK ful monsoon means rural residents have more money to spend on everything from motorcycles to refrigerators. “We do feel under a lot of pressure,” said S.C. Bhan, senior scientist at the India Meteorological Office (IMD), when asked about the challenges the IMD faces in trying to correctly predict the monsoon’s movements. The weather office publishes a forecast in April predicting how much rain will fall over the four months and whether the monsoon will be “normal.” It does this

by comparing sea temperatures, wind speeds and air pressure with data from the past 50 years. Despite advances in computer weather models, the statistical model remains the most accurate long-range forecaster of monsoon rains, Bhan said. But only up to a point. Many of the weather office’s long-range summer monsoon predictions last year were inaccurate. It also struggled to predict extreme weather events such as the drought in 2009 — a year when it had forecast normal monsoon rains.

Several farmers in Maharashtra state, already at the end of their tether and deeply in debt after buying fertilizer and seeds, reportedly killed themselves in June after rains abruptly stopped, farmers’ rights activist Kishor Tiwari said. Many farmers ignore the weather forecasts and rely instead on Hindu astronomical almanacs and signs in nature. “We were able to guess from the nature of the croaking of frogs if there would be any rain in the near future,” said Trilocha Pradhan, 63, who farms about seven acres of rice paddy in the mostly agricultural state of Odisha. “Such croaking is rare today,” he added, blaming the effects of climate change.

TIMING IS EVERYTHING. ROUNDUP TRANSORB® HC HERBICIDE. Preharvest is the best time to control perennial weeds such as Canada thistle, quackgrass, and sowthistle. But, it’s important to get the timing of your application just right to be effective. For tips on how to better assess weed and crop staging, and how to effectively apply Roundup Transorb® HC herbicide, go to www.roundup.ca.

JULY 30, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

U.S. ranchers cull cattle as drought shrivels crops, pasture Liquidation } U.S. ranchers downsize as feed prices rise and pastures shrink

Cattle graze in a field near Paris, Missouri. U.S. ranchers are rushing to sell off some of their cattle as the worst drought in 56 years dries up pastures, thins hay supplies and sends feed costs skyrocketing. The drought in the Midwest follows another one last year in the southern Plains. REUTERS/Adrees Latif

Ranchers are rushing to sell off some of their cattle as the worst drought in nearly 56 years dries up pastures, thins hay supplies and sends feed costs skyrocketing. By Carey Gillam

centerville, iowa / reuters

he more desperate in the Midwest are hauling water into areas where creeks have run dry and are scrambling to secure scarce and high-priced hay to keep their cattle fed and watered. But some are giving up, or are about to. The drought in the Midwest follows another one last year in the southern Plains. The 2011 drought was centred in the heart of cattle country in Texas and helped to shrink the U.S. herd to about 91 million head, the smallest in about 60 years, while sending beef prices to record highs. A rush by ranchers to sell cattle, and in some cases hogs, could force consumers to dig deeper into their wallets next year as smaller herds can lead to higher beef and pork prices. “The blasted heat... and no rain. The drought is really drying the pastures and stuff up,” said Larry McCarty, who sold off more than a quarter of his 900-head cattle herd July 12. He got $100 per head less than he did a month ago as the high cost of

feed has spooked away potential buyers. McCarty’s cattle were part of an auction that sold more than 500 head in Centerville, Iowa, at the Appanoose County Livestock sale barn, said owner Clarence Ballanger. Ballanger says a lot of his customers are really getting hurt by the drought. “That is a lot of people’s livelihoods... livestock.” He says there was no sign of any large-scale liquidation of cattle yet as ranchers were trying to hold on to their animals, but that could change if rain does not arrive in time to save the corn crop in the United States, the world’s largest.

Big sell-off looms

“What will happen here… if it does not rain… we’ll probably have some big runs,” said Ballanger, wearing a hat to shade him from the sun as pens of year-old black cattle breathed heavily behind him in the heat. There has been a big jump in the number of cows slaughtered in the United States. Cows are critical to growing the beef herd, fewer cows means fewer beef cattle later. In the

week ending June 30, 52,700 cows were slaughtered, three per cent more than a year ago during the peak of the Plains drought, USDA data showed. “We’re just going to get down to tiny, tiny amounts of beef available per person in the country,” said Chris Hurt, agriculture economist at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Hay shortage

A key and growing concern for livestock producers is the supply of hay necessary to feed the millions of cattle that are produced across the U.S. Midwest. Though hay is fed primarily through the winter months when pastures are covered in snow or are insufficient for grazing, this year, some cattlemen started feeding hay in June as their grass pastures burned up in 100 F heat. Rainfall tallies through the Midwest are well below normal for this time of year, and grassland where hay is harvested is producing roughly half of what is typical. The combination of a short hay

“The markets are in complete turmoil. We need rain. We just need a soaker to really help things out.” Larry McCarty rancher

crop to begin with and the early feeding have many in the industry fearing serious shortages of hay for feeding cattle this winter. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said farmers were struggling already to locate hay, and producers who did have hay were holding tight to limited supplies. The drought has prompted USDA to declare disaster areas in 1,297 counties across 29 states, many of which are in the Midwest. Missouri and many other states in the drought area have asked for federal approval to open up thousands of acres held for conservation in a Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to allow for haying and grazing. The aim is to help ease the shortage and prevent widespread sell-offs of herds. Seventy-five counties in Missouri will be released on an emergency basis Monday, and all Missouri counties will be opened for potential levels of haying and grazing depending on individual producer’s circumstances, according to the Missouri Farm Service Agency. “There is no way we would have enough hay to feed cattle without the CRP land,” said Eddie Hamill, state executive director, Missouri Farm Service Agency. It may not be enough, said some agricultural experts. As cattle prices keep dropping and corn prices keep climbing, the only real solution, many say, will come from the skies. “The markets are in complete turmoil,” said McCarty. “We need rain. We just need a soaker to really help things out.”

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JULY 30, 2012

BACON:

Pigging-out and cashing in on the latest food craze

MAKE IT BACON  In a world afraid of fat, bacon is a hedonistic island of indulgence BY SHERI MONK

AF STAFF / EDMONTON

nce merely a blue-collar staple, bacon has gone viral and the public is eating it up by the gourmet mouthful. Bacon has broken the breakfast barrier, transcended health fears and has achieved a cult-like status in pop culture. Jerry Aulenbach, a real estate agent from Edmonton, is so enthusiastic about smoked pork belly that he now spends his spare time dressed as a bacon strip. “I had the bacon suit made for Halloween, but I never really wore it out. I got the idea to wear it to fundraisers and other events, and it has been very well received in several cities and provinces,” said Aulenbach. Friends on social media began sending him anything they found online relating to bacon. “As it continued to grow over time, I began accepting and embracing my lot as the Bacon Man. I ditched my traditional real estate business card and had one designed in the shape of a piece of bacon,” Aulenbach said. As his persona became more “baconated,” he began receiving requests to appear across the country at fundraisers, conferences, elementary schools and restaurants. In an era of calorie counting and trendy veganism, bacon’s rise to fame is really a rags-to-riches story — especially with those who had the vision to see it coming, such as California’s Rocco Loosbrock, owner of baconfreak.com and bacontoday.com. Loosbrock owns Coastal Vineyards, a California company specializing in wine tastings and online wine clubs. Part of his business was helping wine aficionados discover the world of wine flavours through innovative food pairings. He’d was experimenting with peppery bruschettas to draw out the pepper when he had an epiphany that would change his life. “I was at a store, looking at some peppered bacon, and thought that if I put that on top of some bruschetta, people would be really able to taste that, and so ‘Swine and Wine’ was born,” said Loosbrock. He now offers nearly 1,000 bacon-themed products, including lollipops, earrings and much more.

with different seasonings and different types of rubs.” The phenomenon has resulted in Facebook and Twitter baconfocused memes such as the Valentine’s Day one that reads: “Bacon roses. She wants romance, you want a snack. Problem solved.” “Do you know how many people wanted us to make bacon roses? And we tried, but it’s so hard. We probably got this year alone 100 requests for bacon roses,” said Loosbrock. The bacon craze hasn’t gone unnoticed by Alberta Pork, the provincial producers’ organization. “It’s unfortunate the whole animal hasn’t taken on the same popularity,” said Darcy Fitzgerald, Alberta Pork’s CEO. There’s only so much bacon in each pig, and while some bacon is produced in Alberta by Irvings Farm Fresh, Spragg’s Meat Shop and Capital

Packers, most bacon is produced in the East. “Our plants do process pigs and they do cut pigs up into meat and then the larger parts like the belly cuts where the bacon comes from, that’s sent to be processed in Eastern Canada and then it comes back as bacon,” said Fitzgerald. Even locally, savvy businesses are cashing in on the craze. “A couple of weeks ago I was at a restaurant — Murrieta’s in Edmonton — and they had baconinfused marshmallow wrapped

with chocolate and bacon bits on a stick,” said Fitzgerald, who was given bacon band-aids and bacon-flavoured candies for his birthday this year. Even bacon isn’t immune to the laws of gravity and what goes up, must come down. It’s anyone’s guess how long it will remain in vogue. “I often wonder how long I will remain Bacon Man. I’m a little surprised that it’s lasted this long, but it’s still extremely popular online, and I enjoy it so much I’m not giving it up any time soon,” said Aulenbach.

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How did bacon transcend the breakfast barrier to become hedonistic pleasure on par with the world’s best wines? “Just as much bacon is being made as before, but here’s the difference — bacon has earned its way to the dinner plate. People have learned that they can use bacon as a powerful ingredient in things that they cook,” said Loosbrock. “Instead of buying that cheap stuff you can find on any grocery store shelf in America, they’re buying artisan bacon, thick-cut bacon CLIENT CREATED

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Real estate agent by day, bacon strip by choice. Jerry Aulenbach’s claim to fame roots in his love for bacon. SUPPLIED PHOTO

news » livestock

JULY 30, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Cargill recalls U.S. ground beef

Ontario vet to head CVMA

Nearly 15 tons of ground beef have been recalled by a unit of agriculture conglomerate Cargill Inc. in connection with a seven-state outbreak of salmonella across the northeast and Virginia, the United States Department of Agriculture said July 23. Cargill voluntarily recalled 29,339 pounds of fresh ground beef products produced at its Wyalusing, Pa., plant that may be contaminated with salmonella, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced late Sunday. The products were produced on May 25, 2012, and shipped to distribution centres in Connecticut, Maine and New York.

Dr. Jim Fairles of Mount Forest, Ont. has been named president of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, replacing Dr. Lloyd Keddie, of Fairview, Alta. For 25 years Fairles managed a mixed practice at Mount Forest, about 60 km northwest of Guelph, and has since retired from active service. He has worked with CIDA on an animal health initiative in China and since October 2004, has been the client services veterinarian for the Animal Health Laboratory in the laboratory services division at the U of Guelph.

“Think about the power of a brand — it means nothing without loyalty…”

Future looks bright, Angus producers told PREMIUM PRICE } Canada Beef head says it’s critical to know your customers and put the right products in the right markets to capture the highest value

Angus producers enjoy a barbecue after a busy day of speakers and tours. photo: courtesy Canadian Angus Association by sheri monk

af staff / lethbridge

ore than 200 Angus producers descended on Lethbridge for the first Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed Day. “When times are challenging, you get together to prop one another up,” said Rob Smith, CEO of the Canadian Angus Association. “When times are strong, like they are right now, as incredibly buoyant as perhaps the cattle industry has ever been, we get together to celebrate and to share ideas

of management practices and production practices and ways to add value to the CAA member experience. That’s really what these days are about.” The Canadian Angus Association manages the Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed marketing program, which is centred around a guarantee that at least half the beef in a product has Canadian Angus genetics. The special day was held in conjunction with the association’s AGM. Building a brand takes effort, keynote speaker Rob Meijer, president of Canada Beef Inc., told attendees. “Think about the power of a brand – it means nothing without loyalty,” said Meijer.

“As far as I am concerned, not everyone is going to eat Canadian beef, but there’s a lot of people who are going to pay for it.” rob meijer president – canada beef inc.

“Every person in this room is a Canadian beef ambassador. You either buy in or you don’t. But this brand that we have called Canada Beef and that we market at home and around the world, it really does stand for something and it’s called the Canadian Beef Advantage.” After years of pushing beef into the market, tight supplies have created a big demand and created a significant opportunity for Canadian beef, he said. “As far as I am concerned, not everyone is going to eat Canadian beef, but there’s a lot of people who are going to pay for it,” said Meijer. “They’re going to pay a premium for it. Otherwise, you can go buy the lesser quality beef from wherever you want — but if you want Canadian beef, you’re going to pay for it.” Part of Canada Beef’s three-year strategic plan is prioritizing potential customers and offering the right products in the right markets for the highest value, he said. “You can’t be everything to everyone,” said Meijer. Producers also toured the Lethbridge Research Centre and cattle operations on feedlot alley, which was followed by a barbecue at the Lethbridge College Barn.

July 1 feedlot supply at five-year high by theopolis waters / reuters / Fewer young cattle moved into U.S. feedlots for fattening in June as high feed grain prices likely discouraged producers from wanting to feed them, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and analysts said July 20. That left many young steers and heifers on pastures that had not yet been damaged by drought, analysts said. USDA’s cattle-on-feed report showed June placements at 1.664 million head, down nearly two per cent from a year earlier. Analysts polled by Reuters, on average, expected a 1.4 per cent drop in last month’s placements. Analysts viewed the USDA cattle report as neutral because the placements, the July 1 feedlot supply and the marketing data were close to the averages of trade estimates. The July 1 feedlot cattle supply was 103 per cent of last year at 10.71 million head. USDA rounds to the nearest per cent, and the actual supply was 102.66 per cent, which was very close to analysts’ average of 102.7 per cent. The 10.71 million was largest July 1 on-feed supply since 2007’s 10.737 million. The inventory report showed the U.S. cattle herd continued to decline in the first half of 2012, which analysts said was due to last year’s devastating drought in the southwest U.S. and to costly feed. The inventory report put the total U.S. cattle herd as of July 1 at 98 per cent of a year ago, or 97.8 million head. “The (inventory) report may be regarded as relatively supportive and implies that the U.S. cattle population is continuing to trend downward fairly rapidly,” said Dan Vaught, president of Vaught Futures Insights. Don Roose, analyst at Iowa-based U.S. Commodities, said the calf crop at 98 per cent year over year implies the cattle business has yet to move into a rebuilding phase.

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JULY 30, 2012

Coyotes in wolves’ clothing pose threat SURVEY SHOWS  Though comparing wolf compensation models was the initial intent

of an ABP project, the coyote problem became its focus BY SHERI MONK

AF STAFF / PINCHER CREEK

There isn’t data currently to determine the damage caused each year by coyotes in Alberta. by relocation or culling. However, when the government introduced the program, they included coyotes as one of the eligible predators. Hays says Alberta has looked at coyote compensation a number of times, and most recently about six years ago. “It was determined at that time there would not be any compensation for coyotes, that producers had other tools in their tool box they could use to deal with that situation,” he said,

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government people charged with examining wildlife issues and creating policy suggestions. “We made a presentation that we wanted to have compensation for coyotes looked at,” said Hays, adding that any eventual changes must ultimately go through the legislature. “We’ve made that recommendation and they are presently looking at carrying that forward. That’s been a positive thing that has come forward from our report,” he said.

Canada Beef Inc.

Annual Forum 2012

adding producers affected by problem coyote populations have always disagreed with the policy. Hays says there isn’t data currently to determine the damage caused each year by coyotes because it hasn’t been tracked, but coyote predation is well documented in other provinces. ABP is a member of the Alberta Sustainable Resource Development Game Management Advisory Group, which is comprised of various organizations and

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lberta Beef Producers (ABP) says a research project comparing restitution programs for wolf predation yielded a startling fact; Alberta is the only province not compensating producers when coyotes kill livestock. “They were concerned mostly at the time about wolf predation and any compensation that was being paid, and they wanted to have a look at some of the Canadian programs and then programs in the U.S. as well,” said Fred Hays, policy analyst for ABP. “We found that Alberta is the only jurisdiction that doesn’t have a program for coyotes, so that got our interest.” The request for the review came from a wildlife subcommittee formed from the ABP cow-calf council. Because of all the issues surrounding wildlife issues in the province, that subcommittee has since been made a permanent working group. Hays says his research revealed that all jurisdictions in Canada with notable wolf predation on livestock have similar compensation programs in place, and the budget often comes out of the Growing Forward fund. In Alberta, monies for livestock compensation come from the sale of hunting licences. Saskatchewan introduced a compensation program for livestock depredation in 2010. Before that, producers could only report losses and request that specific problem predators be controlled

September 20 - 21, 2012 Thursday, September 20, 2012 Experts from all sectors of the beef production cycle will provide insight into the business of Canadian beef during a full day of presentations and information sessions including plenty of time that evening to socialize over dinner in the hospitality suite. Friday, September 21, 2012 Friday morning is the business portion of the Forum, including a review of the company’s performance and the election of the new Board of Directors.

JULY 30, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Nurturing in the nursery — getting weanlings off to a good start Critical } The first week after weaning can have a large

impact on performance and profitability by Bernie Peet

hen we think of nurturing young pigs, it’s always the piglets in the farrowing rooms that take centre stage. Yet, in just the time it takes to move piglets into the nursery, those same piglets find themselves in a strange environment, without their mother and her generous milk bar. Not only is this stressful and disorientating, but the change in environment and food source can lead to health problems that can impact performance through the rest of a pig’s life. Time invested in care during the first week after weaning can have a large impact on performance and profitability. Thorough preparation of the nursery room for a new batch of pigs is the first important step to success. After cleaning and disinfection, all equipment should be checked over and necessary repairs made. Young pigs are very susceptible to damage from sharp edges on feeders, flooring or steelwork in the pen, which can cause infections and abscesses. Feeders should be completely dry before putting feed in them because the slightest dampness will hasten deterioration of the feed. Also, drinkers should be at the correct height for the size of pig — about shoulder height depending on the type of drinker — and drinker operation should be checked. Finally, the ventilation controller must be set up for the correct starting temperature and heaters turned on to check they are fully operational. It is normal to pen weaned pigs according to weight, because that allows the feed budget to be applied based on size, not time. It is important to separate the smallest pigs and those that are compromised in any way — lame, thin, or injured, for example — so that they can be given special care in a less-competitive environment. In addition, a small pen should be available to use as a treatment pen later on.

Temperature

The thermal environment is one of the largest influences on successful establishment of the

nursery pigs. The correct starting temperature will depend on weaning weight. For example 29 C is appropriate for a fivekg pig, while a later-weaned 7.5-kg pig requires about 27 C, both assuming that there are no drafts. Variations in temperature can have a detrimental effect on performance and maximum/minimum temperatures should be recorded every day on a temperature chart and action taken if there is more than a 2 C variation. Some modern ventilation controllers have a monitoring function, which make this job easy, however, the key point is that action must be taken if variation occurs. Nursery temperature is often kept high for too long after pigs are weaned, which will reduce feed intake. Temperature can be reduced from as little as two days after weaning, provided pigs are eating well. The specialcare pen should have an infrared lamp or heat pad to provide a warmer local environment for the smallest pigs. Assuming a starting temperature of 29 C, a reduction of 1 C can be made about every three days, reaching 27 C by day seven and 25 C by day 14. After four weeks, when pigs are consuming large amounts of feed, a temperature as low as 21 C may be adequate. Observation of pig behaviour is a key part of monitoring the environment and ensuring pig comfort. Groups of nursery pigs that are comfortable will lie mainly on their side, together as a group, but not in a heap. If they are too cold they will huddle to reduce their heat loss.

Feed and water

Time spent on encouraging newly weaned piglets to eat and drink will be well rewarded. Pigs are usually dehydrated and tired after weaning and benefit from being offered water from shallow feed trays once sorting is completed. Many will then tend to rest or sleep for several hours before becoming active again. Where possible, weaning should be carried out early in the morning so that nursery staff have time to work with the pigs. If this is practised, newly

Feeding newly weaned pigs very few hours using a shallow tray can dramatically improve early feed intake.

Early recognition of fallback pigs is critical and if not treated by day four they are unlikely to survive.

Setting up the controller correctly for the newly weaned pigs will ensure the correct thermal environment. weaned pigs tend to become active again in the afternoon and staff may use this opportunity to teach pigs to find feed and water. Ideally pigs should have several small meals on the day of weaning before they settle down again in the evening. Pigs can be taught to recognize feed by using the same feed tray(s) that water was given in. Calling the pigs to feed will help to persuade them to come and eat solid feed. A small quantity of pre-starter feed (10 g/pig) should be placed into the feed

tray and pre-starter feed should also be placed into the normal feeder. Because early feed intake has such a large impact on overall nursery growth rate, it is worth spending the time to stimulate higher intake. It is possible to increase day one intakes dramatically by repeating the first stimulation feeding routine every two hours for as long as possible. Assuming that pigs are weaned in the morning, feeds at 1 p.m, 3 p.m., 5 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9 p.m are recommended. Where weaning is

carried out later in the day, this same routine can be performed on day two. Even in situations with good management and environment, about one per cent of pigs will fail to adapt to solid feel and will “fall back.” It’s essential to differentiate these pigs from those that are small or disadvantaged physically because they need different treatment. Early recognition of fallback pigs is critical and if not treated by day four they are unlikely to survive. Removal to a separate pen and providing regular feeds of warm gruel will get these pigs eating before they can be transitioned back to dry feed. In my next article, I’ll look at nursery feeding in more detail and describe how to implement a feed budget successfully.

Newly discovered tick on dogs carries disease Testing } Sixteen of 22 ticks found were from dogs that had not travelled outside the province U of A release

A University of Alberta study is providing an updated snapshot of ticks in Alberta for the first time in 40 years, and it’s showing the presence of a harmful species not previously thought to be living here. Daniel Fitzgerald, a student in the faculty of agricultural, life & environmental sciences, surveyed a sampling of ticks that were picked off of pet dogs and sent in by veterinarians. The results showed 16 species of ticks; five species were most frequently recorded, and of

those, two were not thought to have been living in Alberta. One of them — Ixodes scapulari, commonly known as the deer tick or blacklegged tick, is known to spread Lyme disease, a bacterial infection harmful to humans. His research involved data gathered between 2007 and 2010, from nearly 1,200 ticks removed from more than 800 hosts. A total of 108 ticks sent in by vets were tested during that time; of those, 22 tested positive for presence of the Lyme disease pathogen. Sixteen of those 22 ticks were from dogs that had not travelled outside the province.

Ixodes scapularis is known to live in the United States on the Atlantic Coast and in Michigan, as well as in Canada in southeastern Manitoba, Quebec, Ontario and the Maritimes. Although Alberta is home to ticks, “We’ve never before found so many of the species that can transmit Lyme disease pathogen here in Alberta,” Fitzgerald said. Fitzgerald noted that if Ixodes scapularis is found to be established here, “Lyme disease could be seen more often in Alberta.” He also noted that if the tick is confirmed to be in the province,

a person’s travel history could no longer exclude a medical diagnosis of the disease. “Perhaps doctors will no longer consider a lack of travel outside Alberta as part of making a diagnosis of Lyme disease.” Fitzgerald’s study also revealed that more than half of the dogs carrying ticks had travelled outside the province, and that most of the ticks came from dogs living in either Edmonton or Calgary. Nearly one out of three ticks on a dog was discovered by a vet; the owner didn’t know there were ticks on the pet.

Ixodes scapulari, commonly known as the deer tick or blacklegged tick, is known to spread Lyme disease.

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JULY 30, 2012

Dairy farm keeps drywall out of the landfill BEDDING  When

mixed with manure and shavings, mixture is good fertilizer ALBERTA MILK PRODUCERS

An Alberta dairy farm is doing its part to help improve its environmental footprint and getting national recognition while it’s at it. Lakeside Dairy, a 170-cow farm near Legal, is taking clean drywall that would normally go to landfills and using it for bedding and composting. According to Alberta Environment, about one pound of drywall waste is produced for every square foot of a new house built in Alberta. From a 2,000-sq.-ft. house, that means that about a ton of drywall waste will fill our landfills. The 30,000 houses forecasted to be built in Alberta in 2012 alone translates to the weight of a cruise ship filling landfill space every year. There are other adverse effects, including the production of hydrogen sulphide gas. Lakeside Dairy has been able to demonstrate the benefits of mixing clean, ground drywall with wood shavings for cow bedding. The bedding is composted with manure and chicken litter from a neighbouring farm, additional drywall, and then used as a fertilizer for the fields. All the drywall is brought in from local construction sites. The sulphate in the drywall decreases the pH of the manure, reducing ammonia and GHG by up to 90 per cent or as much as 3,000 tons of CO2-equivalent annually. When this mixture is spread on the land, it adds sulphate and calcium and retains nitrogen, while diverting 1,200 tons of clean drywall scrap from the landfill annually. Lakeside is a finalist for the national Dairy Farm Sustainability Award for this initiative.

Looks good, smells good, isn’t good NO FREE LUNCH  Hay yields may be good, but nutritional content can suffer STAFF

n Alberta Agriculture beef specialist says that ideal growing conditions in many areas should mean aboveaverage first-cut hay yields, but nutrient content is another matter. “With higher yields, the nutrients available from the soil are distributed in the plant material, and nutrients are diluted down and are not as concentrated as in other years,” Barry Yaremcio says in an Agri-News release. “For example, protein content in the hay can be at eight to 10 per cent rather than an average of 12 to 14 per cent. Macro- and micronutrients can be one-third to one-half lower than average.” Yaremcio says a fortified trace mineral salt with selenium is strongly recommended, as blue salt will not meet the animals’ trace mineral requirements in most situations. “This year’s hay that has a nice smell and good colour may not have the kick it needs to keep the cows in good condition and calves growing” Yaremcio says.

You can’t judge a swath by its colour, says and Alberta beef specialist. “Just because the hay is green does not mean that it has adequate amounts of protein, and energy — the two most important nutrients. Hay that is overmature, or if there were cool, cloudy conditions for most of the growing season, can result in low-protein and high-fibre (low energy) hay.” Yaremcio says that as hay matures, protein, energy, calcium and phosphorus levels decline. The reduction in quality becomes more pronounced after grasses have headed

FILE PHOTO

out and legumes have set seed. Cut the hay according to maturity and weather conditions not the date on the calendar. “The only way to know what your animals are receiving in their ration is to send samples away for analysis,” adds Yaremcio. “Spending $50 to $60 per sample of hay or silage is the only way to know the quality. Balance the ration and prevent feed-related problems before growth rates, reproduction, or herd health are reduced.”

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JULY 30, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Beef markets are fragile and fickle in YouTube world FROM THE HIP  Short video has crippling impact on cattle industry Down Under BY BRENDA SCHOEPP

ustralia has been the world leader in beef exports, but that is about to change. With one more stride, India will comfortably be in first place. What happened in Australia to take if from the leader of the pack to practically being held down under by this emerging market player? In 2012 Australia managed to hold on to its developed markets in Japan and was able to increase beef exports to the U.S. by 46 per cent, though that figure is a little misleading as exports to the U.S. had been on hold the previous year. Japan did not increase its orders while Korea took an additional 13 per cent of Aussie beef. The main emerging markets for Australia are Indonesia, Taiwan, the Middle East and Russia. Similarly to Canada, Australia has a market for live cattle. A full 55 per cent of live cattle exports go to Indonesia and that has been critical to the health of the Australian export market. It would seem that with a cow herd in expansion, growing markets for beef and good retail prices that Australia would give

up little ground when it comes to exports. One incident interrupted the live cattle trade and like all bad apples, it spoiled the whole barrel. Footage of the slaughter of Australian cattle in 12 of 100 Indonesian abattoirs went viral on YouTube in 2011. The graphic scenes of cruelty spurred the Australian government to ban all live cattle exports to Indonesia. At the cost of tens of millions, the Australians in some areas were faced with depopulating. At the eleventh hour in early July of 2012, the ban was lifted but the concerns are still alive within Parliament. Two bills calling for the indefinite ban of live cattle exports to Indonesia are still pending and the export trade, including shippers and other support industry, is struggling to regroup.

for public exposure and that exposure can be crippling to an entire industry. Certainly there are other factors at play in Australia’s slow descent to second place. The high value of currency, cost of production, and interruptions from severe weather, lower slaughter rates and many others provide the platform for economic struggle. The move by the U.S. to previously limit imports from Australia to prop up their ailing live cattle market also wounded export activity and competition from Brazil is always a game changer. With 28.8 million head of cattle, the Australian industry mirrors the U.S., but the Aussies have been more creative and diligent in meeting the needs of their consumers.

Transparent

In the “He said — she said” debate, it is argued that the Australian industry knew of the slaughter conditions but that is not really the point. The point is that the world is now fully transparent and that every company that abuses animals at any stage of the game is up

Everyone is vulnerable. It could happen to us as easily as to our Australian friends.

Grass-fed shift

One of the big shifts happening now, according to Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), is that traditional buyers of fed beef are now looking at more grass-fed beef as imported product. Japan, which was a driver behind the development of the grain-fed beef industry in Australia, is now the driver behind the procurement of grass-fed beef. This is an easy shift in Australia, but has an economic impact on feedlots within the country. The Australian beef cattle herd continues to grow and export markets remain important to the economic base of the country. This is especially relevant now as Australia, like many other developed countries, faces failing domestic consumer demand. The Australian industry is responsive and creative. As an example it easily transferred away from using growth promotants when it became clear that is where the retailer was going. This opened up markets in the EU that had previously been limited. There is no doubt that the Australian beef market will keep itself afloat with creativ-

ity and by responding to consumer needs — wherever that consumer is. The deep internal story here is one of greater concern. It is how one little clip a few minutes long, taken in another country, can cost you tens of millions of dollars in a heartbeat. It is about how everyone who is in our production, processing and delivery chain must be squeaky clean and follow all animal health, animal welfare and human health regulations. Everyone is vulnerable. It could happen to us as easily as to our Australian friends. Going “Down Under” this year will bring me one step closer to the people and the policy of the Australian beef cattle industry and to the men and women who make it what it is today — a highly respected exporter of quality beef — even if it is from second place. 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

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JULY 30, 2012

Brazil soy crop seen surging

Drought slashes Kazakhstan crop

Brazil’s 2012-13 soybean crop that will begin planting in September is expected to surge 24 per cent to a record 82.3 million tonnes, stealing planted area from corn and cotton local analyst firm Safras e Mercado said July 20. Safras said planted area for soy should grow by 8.4 per cent to 27.22 million hectares next season. Such an increase has not been seen on Brazil’s Soy Belt for almost a decade after tougher environmental oversight and rising land prices slowed expansion in frontier areas.

Kazakhstan cut its 2012 grain crop forecast to 12.8 million tonnes on July 23, approaching a post-Soviet record low, as drought persists across parts of the Central Asian country. The forecast is less than half of the record 27 million tonnes harvested last year and well under the nine-year average of 17 million. Domestic supplies are not endangered by the drought, although the country will have to dig into its reserves to maintain its role as a top 10 world wheat exporter. Persistently hot and dry weather in southern Europe has also hit grain yields in countries such as Ukraine, Spain, Italy, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. — Reuters

Hot U.S. temperatures make for hot markets Opening bin space } Recent strong deliveries have

limited some of the upward trend in canola prices By Dwayne Klassen

Commodity News Services Canada

anola futures on the ICE Canada platform continued their upward trek during the week ended July 20 with the weather concerns in the U.S. Soybean Belt providing much of the price strength. The gains in canola ranged from $20 to $24 per tonne. The new long-range weather outlooks (as of July 20) for the main soybean-growing regions in the U.S. called for very little precipitation and continued hot temperatures through to September. Soybeans have entered into the crucial pod-filling development stage and need adequate moisture during this growth period. The absence of rain, as a result, provided strong support. The rally in CBOT soybean futures pulled canola upwards with fresh commodity fund and speculative demand helping to generate some support for canola. While U.S. soybean yields continue to be threatened by the weather, conditions for the development of the canola crop in Western Canada were said to be better than average, especially with the recent arrival of timely precipitation. The humidity that has accompanied the weather patterns on the Canadian Prairies have accelerated the maturity of the crop with a number of regions looking at an early harvest. This in turn restricted the upside price potential in canola during the week. Steady farmer deliveries of canola into the cash pipeline, as producers empty out bin space and try to take advantage of recent strength in the cash market, also limited the price gains. Commercials continue to be the only participants willing to engage in activity in the new barley contracts on the ICE Canada platform. There was some volume seen at mostly firmer price levels. The gains in CBOT corn and the tight feed barley supply situation in Western Canada remains supportive.

No ICE wheat trades

Arbitrage pricing accounted for the price jump in ICE Canada milling wheat and durum futures. No actual trade was seen during the reporting period. Soybeans were the dominant force on the CBOT futures market during the week, with a number of contracts establishing new alltime-record highs. The rally was linked mainly to the weather and in part to demand, which does not seem to be easing at these high prices. Old-crop soybean stocks are already on the tight side, and with the weather threatening to reduce new-crop production, the need to ration demand has never been greater. There are already ideas that soybean values could move significantly higher

Corn plants struggle to survive in a drought-stricken farm field near Evansville, Indiana July 18, 2012. Oppressive heat and a worsening drought in the U.S. Midwest have pushed grain prices near or past records. photo: REUTERS/John Sommers II yet if the yields are indeed reduced and demand fails to decline. There were ideas making the rounds that Brazil’s soybean crop was so small that they have had to begin importing the crop from Argentina. The thinking is that it’s only a matter of time before Brazilian end-users start looking at U.S. soybean stocks to cover immediate needs. This would only put further upward pressure on prices. Corn futures also benefited in terms of price from the weather situation, but the gains in soybeans really helped to propel those values to higher ground. Tight old-crop corn stocks in the U.S. contributed to the upward price action. The advances in corn were capped by the sharp drop in demand from the ethanol and livestock sectors, especially as futures continued to climb. Sentiment that the damage to the U.S. corn crop has now been factored into the market, also restricted the gains in those values. Export interest in U.S. corn has also seen some significant declines. Wheat futures on the CBOT, MGEX and KCBT posted signifi-

cant gains during the week with a lot of the upward price momentum associated with the strength displayed by Chicago corn.

Uncertainty

The advances in wheat also continued to be linked to the uncertainty facing wheat output in some of the other major global wheat producers. Flooding in the Black Sea region and drought in Australia have all contributed to this uncertainty. The upward action in spring wheat futures in Minneapolis were tempered by the fact that the crop in the northern-tier U.S. states was developing quite nicely. Demand from the U.S. livestock sector has also picked up, which helped to provide wheat values with some underlying support. Weather issues continue to be the main influence on the grain and oilseed markets in Chicago and Winnipeg. There will be little in the way of other fundamentals that will get in the way, unless there is a major change in the U.S. weather pattern. The rally in soybeans will last only so long, and has already sparked ideas that

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

South American farmers will seed record acreage to the crop this fall in hopes of capturing some of these strong prices. This could result in a bumper soybean harvest from this region in January or February. From a logistical viewpoint, this will be more than enough to temper any U.S. soybean shortage. However, on the other hand, problems in South America would then send soybean values to new heights. Meanwhile, an advantage for canola is that values have definitely lagged behind that of soybeans and have become a much cheaper alternative for end-users, which in turn could promote some fresh export demand from non-traditional importers. But even with all the supportive fundamentals in the market, the macroeconomic picture continues to hang over the upside potential. The financial situation in Spain continues to be unsettled at best and has the potential to throw a lot of bearish sentiment into the commodity markets at a drop of a hat. On a different note, the Canadian Wheat Board while touting its wheat, barley and durum programs that will begin on August 1, continues to hold back details on its canola program. The organization continues to say it will indeed provide a program for canola, but details remain scarce. Officials with the CWB have indicated that its sales people who handle wheat, durum and barley, will have no problems covering canola sales abroad. Dwayne Klassen writes for Commodity News Service Canada, which specializes in coverage of Canadian grain and oilseed markets.

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FARM MACHINERY Tractors – Various

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“LIKE MANY BEFORE, WE’LL HAVE YOU SAYING THERE’S NO DEAL LIKE A KEN DEAL” •Phone: (403)526-9644 •Cell: (403)504-4929 •Greg Dorsett (403)952-6622 •Email: kendeal@shaw.ca FARM MACHINERY Loaders & Dozers 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 Machinery Miscellaneous 1969 C60 CHEV TRUCK w/box & Hoist, $2,000; front mount post pounder, $750; Farm Hand 7 wheel side delivery rake, $750; 1966 Deutz D8005 tractor, $4,000; (780)349-2860, Westlock Area 2000 PREMIER/MACDON 2950 SWATHER, 972-25ft. triple delivery grain table, 922-16ft MacDon mower conditioner header w/5ft steel crimper, 2073/machine hours, excellent condition. (780)636-2463, 780-645-0492

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JD 9400, 9420, 9520, 8970 JD 7810 & 7210, FWA JD 9860, 9760, 9750, 9650, 9600 JD 9430, 9530, 9630 CIH 8010 w/RWD, lateral tilt, duals 900 hrs. Case STX 375, 425, 430, 450, 480, 500, 530 CIH 8010-2388, 2188 combine CIH 435Q, 535Q, 450Q, 550Q, 600Q pto avail. NH TJ 450, New Triples, Big Pump 8100 Wilmar Sprayer

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Miscellaneous

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

2002 JD 1820, 45-FT., 10-in. spacing, double shoot, dutch paired row, 3-1/2in steel, $26,000; 1996 Rogator 854, 800/gal, 80ft. 4x4, 2 sets tires, 3790/hrs, GFS boom, Raven auto-rake, Raven cruiser, GPS, spd. hydro. 195hp Cummins, $64,000; Case Dot 28ft Tandem disc. $4,500 (403)665-2341, Craigmyle, AB.

FARMING IS ENOUGH OF A GAMBLE...

5710 BOURGAULT AIR DRILL w/midrow banders 6450 TBH tank; 100-ft. Flexicoil 67XL sprayer w/auto rake. Phone (403)312-4202 ACREAGE EQUIPMENT: CULTIVATORS, DISCS, Plows, Blades, Post pounders, Haying Equipment, Etc. (780)892-3092, Wabamun, Ab.

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

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

RECUMBENT FITNESS EXERCISE BIKE (Model: Horizon Series RC 40). Hardly used. $625.00. 780-985-3546

HURRICANE DITCHER’S 3PTH, OR pull type, simple and efficient design, Taylor Farm Supply, 701-642-8827, please leave message. Stretch your advertising dollars! Place an ad in the classifieds. Our friendly staff is waiting for your call. 1-888-413-3325

FOR SALE: MAGIC CHEF 30-in gas stove in nice condition, $150; Compost tumbler, approximately 18 bushels. Very low hours, $450. Phone:(780)597-3747, evening.

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

FARM MACHINERY Irrigation Equipment 50HP 3 PHASE ELECTRIC motor and Berkley pump, for irrigation system, good condition, (403)527-8720, Medicine Hat, AB.

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 ......................................... $7,000 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

1-888-413-3325

LANDSCAPING LANDSCAPING Greenhouses GREEN HOUSE COVERING. SUPER strong woven poly, never used. 12ft. wide X 20ft. long X 8ft. high. 100% light diffusion. $425.00. (780) 985-3546.

LIVESTOCK

WANTED: Small square balers and end Wheel Seed Drills, Rock Pickers, Rock Rakes, Tub grinders, also JD 1610 cultivators (403)308-1238

HEALTH CARE

Farming is enough of a gamble, advertise in the Alberta Farmer Express classified section. It’s a sure thing. 1-888-413-3325.

1-800-587-4711

HOUSEHOLD ITEMS

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Wanted

47-FT FLEXICOIL 800 Deep Tillage; 45-ft Willrich Cultivator; Cummings 240bp skid mount clutch&trans; 860 MF PU & 20-ft grain. (306)236-8023. 5100 IH SEED DRILL, hardly used, $3,500; 14ft deep tillage cultivator $800; 12ft deep tillage cultivator $500; MF #9 square baler $700; MF disc 12ft hyd. $800; #10 Seed drill with grass attachment, older, $500; Seed Drill mover, $700. (780)919-9985

www.penta.ca

Adapter available to unroll new barb wire off of wooden spool

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 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,.............................................$95,000 New Sakundiak 7x1200 (39.97’) , 22HP RobinSubaru eng., battery & fuel tank .......................... $7,500 Flexicoil 10”x50’ Grain auger....................................Call CIH WD1203 swather 2011, 280hrs, 36’ header, split PU reel, roto shears, header transport, top auger, floating rear axle 1/yr ...........................................$100,000 1372 MF 13’ swing arm discbine 4yrs, like new...........................................................................$20,000

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

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

Barb Wire & Electric High Tensile Wire Spooler - 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

LIVESTOCK Cattle – Hereford

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. Alberta Farmer Express classifieds, 1-888-413-3325. Go public with an ad in the Alberta Farmer Express classifieds. Phone 1-888-413-3325.

Watch your profits grow!

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

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

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

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

New 30.5L-32 16 ply, $2195; 20.8-38 12 ply $866; 18.4-38 12 ply; $783; 24.5-32 14 ply, $1749; 14.9-24 12 ply, $356; 16.9-28 12 ply $558. Factory direct. More sizes available new and used. 1-800-667-4515. www.combineworld.com

TRAILERS Trailers Miscellaneous 2001 TRAVELAIRE TT250, FULLY loaded, original owners, non-smokers, adults, equalizing hitch, w/sway bar, electric jack, new tires, propane tanks, and battery, $10,000 Firm, Bruce @780-405-6688

TRAVEL

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

CAREERS CAREERS Employment Wanted EARN $75,000/yr PART TIME in the livestock or equipment appraisal business. Agricultural background required. Classroom or home study courses available. 1-800-488-7570

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JULY 30, 2012

Indian monsoon stalls

Dry weather hits EU grain yield

India’s crucial monsoon rains are now expected to be below average, the government said last Monday, turning to contingency plans as rainfall has been about a fifth under par so far and recent rains have not been enough to ease concerns. The monsoon lost momentum in the third week of June, falling 22 per cent short of averages. The poor rains have slowed the speed of planting crops such as rice, cereals, pulses and oilseeds including soybean, but areas under cane, mainly grown in irrigated regions, have been higher than the previous year. — Reuters

Persistently dry and hot weather in southern and southeast Europe has hit grain yields in Europe and adverse crop weather is expected there until the end of July, the European Commission’s crop-monitoring unit said last Monday. “Europe will remain divided between the north, characterized by low temperatures and relatively wet conditions, and the south, where scalding temperatures will strike the Iberian Peninsula and the Black Sea area,” the unit, called MARS, said in its monthly yields update. — Reuters

Finishing our look at severe thunderstorms tricky } Since they can’t actually get inside to measure it,

scientists aren’t completely sure what causes a tornado

by daniel bezte

The atmosphere is three dimensional, so when we talk about wind we are not just talking about wind at the surface, but also at different heights.

t’s been a fairly active summer for thunderstorms across much of Alberta this year and that reminded me that we need to finish our look at severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. The biggest question about thunderstorms and tornadoes is probably why do some thunderstorms produce tornadoes and others don’t? The answer, and likely why I am always hesitant to write about how tornadoes form, is that we just don’t really know. We have a pretty good idea of the conditions necessary for the formation of tornadoes, and from this we can make some good educated guesses, but until we can get detailed measurements of the atmosphere before and during a tornado-producing thunderstorm, the best we can offer is just that — an educated guess. We know that for tornadoes to form you need severe thunderstorms, and not the garden-variety afternoon thundershower. Earlier in this series of articles we discussed why some storms become severe while others don’t. It comes down to a couple of factors. The first is just how much energy is available for the development of the storm. For thunderstorms, energy comes in the form of heat, and heat can be found in warm air temperatures or it can be liberated when water condenses. For most thunderstorms it is a combination of the two, but heat being released during condensation is the biggest source of energy — that’s why most storms occur on warm, muggy days. The next factor that helps to determine whether a storm will become severe or not is wind. Remember, the atmosphere is three dimensional, so when we talk about wind we are not just talking about wind at the surface, but also at different heights. In a garden-variety thunderstorm the wind doesn’t change much as you go up in height. This means that over time, the storm’s downdrafts wipe out or kill off the updrafts. When this happens the storm no longer has an energy source and it begins to weaken and die. When wind speed or

Compared to other weather events, tornadoes affect a small area, but their destruction within that area is complete. ©thinkstock direction change with height, the updrafts and downdrafts can become separated, and in some cases the downdraft will actually help the updrafts and strengthen them. When this happens there is a continuous supply of energy

for the storm and the storm can remain strong and last for several hours.

Wind shear

Weather experts believe that it is this change in wind speed or

direction with height, which is also known as wind shear, that is responsible for the development of tornadoes. Now here is where it starts to get a little fuzzy, but this is how experts believe tornadoes form.

This map shows the precipitation across the Prairies so far this growing season compared to historical amounts. Much of eastern Alberta, most of Saskatchewan, and western Manitoba have seen very high to even record-high amounts of rain. The only really dry areas are the extreme northern parts of Alberta and southeastern Manitoba.

If the change in wind speed and direction is just right within the storm, large parcels of air will begin to rotate. This is the same idea as when you take a pencil and spin it between your hands. If one of these rotating parcels of air gets caught up in the storm’s updraft, and the winds remain “just right,” it will begin to spin faster and faster, much like a spinning top. If the winds are not just right, then the air will not spin fast enough, and just like a spinning top, it will fall over and break apart. Now, picture the spinning air becoming vertical within the updraft. The rapidly rising air within the updraft now begins to stretch out the spinning air and this will enhance the rotation, much like a figure skater pulling their arms in during a spin. As the spin rate increases it continues to stretch out, eventually breaking through the bottom of the storm. At this point we would see a funnel cloud. If it continues to stretch and increases its spin rate, the funnel cloud will reach the ground and become a tornado. How big the tornado will get then depends on either how big the area of rotation that started the tornado was, or how long the “just right” set of wind speed and direction remain within the storm. While tornadoes can produce the most powerful winds on earth and they can be truly awe inspiring to see, I really hope that no one has to feel the effects of one first hand. Let’s hope the rest of the summer brings up a good combination of sunshine, heat, rainfall, and yes, a few thunderstorms to add a bit of excitement.

JULY 30, 2012 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

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