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APRIL 15, 2013

‘Call of the Land’ turns 60 A radio show that is the only one of its kind in Canada, seeks to inform farmers

BY ALEXIS KIENLEN AF STAFF /EDMONTON

W

hen Alberta Agriculture’s ‘Call of the Land’ radio show first aired on April 1, 1953, space travel, cellphones and the Internet were still science fiction. No one could have known the show would survive six decades, or eventually be a podcast available on the Internet.

‘Call of the Land,’ Canada’s only publicly funded rural radio show, celebrated its 60th anniversary, April 1, 2013. Airing five times a week and reaching more than 110,000 listeners, it keeps the rural community updated on technologies, trends, issues and government programs.

When it first began in 1953, the 10-minute-long program was carried on six radio stations.

In the early 1990s, it was shortened to nine minutes and is currently carried by 27 radio stations in Alberta, and two in British Columbia.

Jack Howell began hosting the show in 1970 and stayed for 36 years before retiring in 2006 and passing the reins to Caitlynn Reesor, the show’s current host. The first two people who worked on the show were Everett McCrimmon and Stuart Wilton.

Wilton, who still resides in Olds, was the program’s first roving reporter.

Howell, a farm kid from Saskatchewan, had obtained his degree in agriculture from the

Caitlynn Reesor, present host of Alberta Agriculture’s ‘Call of the Land’ radio show, and Jack Howell, host of the program from 1970 to 2006.

PHOTO: ALEXIS KIENLEN

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INSIDE » OUTSTANDING YOUNG FARMERS Michael Kalisvaart and Karen Jansen of Gibbons named regional winners

APRIL 15, 2013 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

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ritish scientists say that caffeine improves a honeybee’s memory and could help the plant recruit more bees to spread its pollen.

In an article in the journal Science, the researchers show that in tests honeybees feeding on a sugar solution containing caffeine, which occurs naturally in the nectar of coffee and citrus flowers, were three times more likely to remember a flower’s scent than those feeding on just sugar.

Study leader Dr. Geraldine Wright of Newcastle University said in a release that the effect of caffeine benefits both the honeybee and the plant: “Remembering floral traits is difficult for bees to perform at a fast pace as they fly from flower to flower and we have found that caffeine helps the bee remember where the flowers are.

“In turn, bees that have fed on caffeine-laced nectar are laden with coffee pollen and these bees search for other coffee plants to find more nectar, leading to better pollination.

The effect of caffeine on the bees’ long-term memory was profound with three times as many bees remembering the floral scent 24 hours later and twice as many bees remembering the scent after three days.

Dr. Wright added: “This work helps us understand the basic mechanisms of how caffeine affects our brains. What we see in bees could explain why people prefer to drink coffee when studying.”

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BRENDA SCHOEPP GOOD POLICY IS NEEDED TO PRESERVE RURAL CANADIAN FARMS

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Adopt-a-hen scheme helps fund university’s heritage chicken flocks Professor says heritage breeds may not match commercial lines when it comes to efficiency and productivity but may have valuable traits, such as more robust immune systems

White leghorn chickens are one of the heritage breeds preserved at the University of Alberta’s Poultry Research Centre. PHOTOS: PROVIDED

BY VICTORIA PATERSON AF STAFF / EDMONTON

T

he University of Alberta has gotten into the egg business in a bid to maintain its flocks of heritage chickens.

“We’ll raise the chicken for you and you get eggs every two weeks,” said Agnes Kulinski, business director of the university’s Poultry Research Centre.

The centre, which has about 1,500 heritage-breed chickens, has an “adopt a heritage hen” program in which people who contributed $75 receive the eggs of their hen. The current program, which runs until November, is sold out, but

3/22/13

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Kulinski said a bigger one may be launched in November.

Among the centre’s breeds are light Sussex, white leghorn, dark-brown leghorn, barred Plymouth Rock, and New Hampshire. Kulinski said the chickens cost about $75,000 a year and as the centre faces cuts, the future of the flocks is being considered.

“We haven’t seen any return on them. That’s why the committee is questioning the value of keeping them,” she said.

But genetic conservation is important because the breeds have important traits that may have been lost in commercial chicken breeds, where the focus is on efficiency and productivity, said Martin Zuidhof, an

Light Sussex hens are part of the “adopt a heritage hen” program providing eggs to donors to help raise funds for the flock. associate professor of poultry systems at the university.

“Preserving their genetics is an important part of preserving the heritage of chicken lines,” Zuidhof said.

For example, researchers at the university are comparing the immunity systems of the heritage breeds to commercial lines, he said.

“So the significance of our lines is we have not selected against immune response in these lines, so if an emerging disease occurs and commercial birds become susceptible… the birds we’re preserving may have a better immune response and may be a resource that is required to regenerate commercial stocks,” he said.

The birds in the university’s flocks come from a variety of sources. The egg layers for the program were acquired from the University of Saskatchewan about 20 years ago, and represent breeds that would have been common on farms 50 to 100 years ago, Zuidhof said. Two lines of chickens come from Don Shaver, of Shaver Poultry Breeding Farms. There’s also three lines from Agriculture Canada that were received in about 1989.

“Those are really interesting lines,” Zuidhof said, noting there’s a 1957 breed and two broiler lines from 1977. victoria.paterson@fbcpublishing.com

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • APRIL 15, 2013

Canadian meat exports assess impact of Russian ractopamine ban The country will no longer accept meat from plants that process animals fed ractopamine

BY ALEX BINKLEY ALBERTA FARMER CONTRIBUTOR / WITH FILES FROM REUTERS

R

ussia plans to ban meat imports from most Canadian and Mexican suppliers from April 8 over concerns about the use of the feed additive ractopamine, Russia’s veterinary and phytosanitary service (VPSS) said.

But it is not yet clear what the overall impact on the Canadian meat sector will be.

“We continue to work aggressively with Canadian industry to restore their access into the important Russian market.”

VPSS, Russia’s veterinary and phytosanitary service, estimates about half of the Canadian companies that export meat to Russia, will be blocked from sending product. But it has yet to release a list of the plants from which product will be accepted.

However, John Masswohl, vice-president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, has said every exporter could be affected. At the same time, Canadian Pork International thinks 12 member plants will be able to keep shipping. The Canadian Meat Council, which represents packers and processors, had no comment.

Meanwhile Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said the Russian decision was disappointing because Canada had been try-

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

ing to assuage Russian concerns about the safety of ractopamine.

Health Canada approved its use after doing a health impact study.

“Despite our collaborative efforts, the Russian government is moving forward with this measure not rooted in science,” Ritz said. “We continue to work aggressively with Canadian industry to restore their access into the important Russian market.”

Canada has been the largest pork supplier to Russia and accounted for 25 per cent of its imports in 2012. The pork sales were worth $500 million last year

while the sale of Canadian beef products in 2011 amounted to about $15 million.

Canada’s two biggest pork processors, Olymel and Maple Leaf Foods, have some facilities that should be eligible.

“We’re working very hard to meet Russia’s expectations,” said Olymel spokesman Richard Vigneault. “It’s a very important market for us.”

The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association says the levels of ractopamine being fed to Canadian cattle are well below the internationally set limit. The additive enables the animals to digest more of their feed and this

helps farmers be more efficient and reduce production costs.

In addition to Russia, South Korea and Taiwan have banned it over concerns that residues could remain in the meat and cause health problems even though scientific evidence indicates it is safe.

In December, Russia required all imported meat to have never been treated with ractopamine, which severely reduced beef shipments. Now it will only take product from plants that don’t handle animals fed the stimulant.

Russia had banned U.S. beef, pork and turkey because of rac-

topamine even though the additive isn’t used in turkey production. The U.S. has said it suspects the ban had more to do with American criticism of Moscow’s human rights’ record.

Russia imported 1.32 million tonnes of red meat, excluding offal, worth $5.12 billion from countries outside the Commonwealth of Independent States in 2012.

One option for Canada is to challenge the Russian action at the World Trade Organization, which Moscow recently joined.

However, trade complaints take a long time to resolve at the international trade body.

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APRIL 15, 2013 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

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

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

Media fascinated with horsemeat

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

PRODUCTION director Shawna Gibson Email: shawna@fbcpublishing.com

Director of Sales & Circulation

New-found attention should be good for marketing

Lynda Tityk Email: lynda.tityk@fbcpublishing.com

CIRCULATION manager Heather Anderson Email: heather@fbcpublishing.com

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

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

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

PUBLISHER Lynda Tityk Email: lynda.tityk@fbcpublishing.com

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

president Bob Willcox Glacier Media Agricultural Information Group bwillcox@glaciermedia.ca 204-944-5751

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.

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www.albertafarmexpress.ca or email: subscription@fbcpublishing.com At Farm Business Communications we have a firm commitment to protecting your privacy and security as our customer. Farm Business Communications will only collect personal information if it is required for the proper functioning of our business. As part of our commitment to enhance customer service, we may share this personal information with other strategic business partners. For more information regarding our Customer Information Privacy Policy, write to: Information Protection Officer, Farm Business Communications, 1666 Dublin Ave., Wpg., MB R3H 0H1 Occasionally we make our list of subscribers available to other reputable firms whose products and services might be of interest to you. If you would prefer not to receive such offers, please contact us at the address in the preceding paragraph, or call 1-800-665-0502.

The editors and journalists who write, contribute and provide opinions to Alberta Farmer Express and Farm Business Communications attempt to provide accurate and useful opinions, information and analysis. However, the editors, journalists and Alberta Farmer Express and Farm Business Communications, cannot and do not guarantee the accuracy of the information contained in this publication and the editors as well as Alberta Farmer Express and Farm Business Communications assume no responsibility for any actions or decisions taken by any reader for this publication based on any and all information provided.

By will verboven

Alberta Farmer | Editor

O

ne can’t help but notice the recent fascination the urban media has had with horsemeat. It’s particularly curious for the North American media to be so obsessed, being the consumption of horsemeat is virtually non-existent on this continent.

Yet we saw a constant stream of news reports that the so-called horsemeat scandal had spread to another part of Europe. It almost seemed the mainstream media had a wish that it spread to North America. The media implication seems to be that horsemeat is somehow bad, although the product is not a health hazard. What is clear is that if the meat of concern was pork or poultry it would not be newsworthy.

The issue started when horsemeat DNA was found mixed in with beef in products like hamburger and sausage. It’s never stated how much horsemeat was in the suspect meat product — it could be a millionth of a part. But whatever the quantity, most consumers naively expect hamburger to be made from only beef. That’s not quite always the case, as the word “hamburger” only assumes it is beef contrary to its porklike name. For it to be beef only, it should be labelled “beefburger.” Even that can be misleading as many pre-packaged burgers contain flavouring additives, even cheese and fillers like bread crumbs.

It would seem that reading the label is rather important when buying hamburger — it could contain some surprises. Perhaps having horsemeat mixed in with beef may be the least of a consumer’s concern — at least it’s a natural meat and not a cereal filler product. Old rumours still circulate that some store-bought hamburger patties actually contain sawdust as a filler — but that may just relate to how they taste.

Finding horsemeat DNA mixed in with other meats is no surprise to anyone who

has toured European slaughter plants. I have witnessed sheep and cattle being slaughtered and processed at the same time and on the same floor in fairly large facilities in Ireland and Switzerland. Such a practice does not occur in this country in medium to large plants.

Multi-species slaughtering in Canada tends to be restricted to smaller speciality plants and local abattoirs. There is certainly crossover potential in further-processing meat facilities, where companies will use and mix pork, poultry and beef to make a variety of manufactured meat products.

Be that as it may, it is certainly not dangerous, and neither is the inclusion of horsemeat. I note news reports don’t mention that the DNA of any other meat was also found in the samples, which is curious, but then again that would not be newsworthy. So what’s the big deal with this case ?

Well it’s just because it involves horsemeat.

Most North Americans and many Europeans tend to have a romantic notion of the horse as a noble and majestic creature. Besides being handsome animals, they have been stalwart companions to humans in work, war, and recreation.

That puts them in the emotional category for most people, which does not include eating them for food.

I suspect horses are less emotional, and don’t worry much about whether they are eaten, burned or rot in the ground after they expire. However, humans somewhere in the past discovered that eating their noble friend is really no different from eating less noble species like hogs, cattle and sheep.

I can personally attest to that, having happily consumed quantities of a Dutch delicacy called “rookvlees.” In its correct form, that delicacy is made from thinly sliced, smoked horsemeat. I have yet to find this delicious product in Calgary and have to import it from Vancouver.

Another curious aspect to the discovery of horsemeat in some European food

products is how this is possible, considering that horsemeat is an expensive, exotic meat. One could understand the use of cereals, pork, mutton and heck even sawdust in hamburger as cheaper fillers to extend the use of more expensive beef.

But horsemeat is not deemed to be a lowcost filler choice, unless some processor has found a cheap source. Since some dubious eastern European suppliers have been implicated, perhaps this involves roadkill, rustling or worse — just a guess, of course.

But then has anyone considered that this may all be just incidental and the inclusion of horsemeat is minuscule at best?

It reminds one of the outlandish allegations where overzealous green and consumer groups state our food is contaminated and saturated with pesticides. That sounds alarming, until one discovers they are referring to microscopic parts per million or even per billion.

Interestingly, all of this horsemeat publicity has seen a new tasting interest develop in some European consumers.

Speciality meat market outlets in France report an increase in horsemeat sales since all the media fuss began.

That’s good news for a particular processor here in Alberta. North America’s largest processors and marketers of horsemeat, Bouvry Exports Ltd., operate a horse feedlot and slaughter plant in Fort MacLeod with additional facilities in Quebec and Shelby, Montana.

Most of their meat production is exported to Japan and Europe. Although it takes awhile to work its way down the line, one expects that more publicity and interest in the product should mean more demand for horsemeat and that should see higher prices for cull horses at sales across Western Canada. It would seem that the mainstream media’s fascination with the so-called horsemeat scandal may have a positive, long-term marketing outcome — but that’s probably not what they had intended.

An Alberta giant passes on

By Will Verboven

I

t was a sad day for Albertans when former premier Ralph Klein passed away recently. He was a larger-than-life leader who reached a status that few politicians reach — he was a legend and an icon.

He led the province from a fiscal basket case to fiscal surpluses and he did it his way — through common sense and political astuteness.

He also had that quality that no other politician seems to possess — he had the ability to admit he made mistakes.

When it came to the agriculture industry, Ralph never pretended that he understood how it worked. He was a city boy and the closest connection he had to agriculture was getting dressed up for the Calgary Stampede. His way of dealing with the industry was to let the minister of agriculture handle its trials and tribulations. But he did understand the critical role of agriculture in the economy by making sure ag ministers sat on senior cabinet committees

that decided government priorities and plans.

But more than that, he knew the core of PC Party support was rural and smalltown Alberta. The epitome of that political shrewdness was when he appointed Shirley McClellan, the agriculture minister, as deputy premier. Perhaps Ralph had an intuition with that appointment; a powerful and decisive minister was going to be needed to deal with a huge calamity that was soon to befell the industry — the BSE crisis.

Ralph let Minister McClellan handle the crisis and provided her with all the support she could possibly need — including hundreds of millions in financial support.

His common sense did get the better of him when he stated that BSE could have been avoided if ranchers had used the ‘shoot, shovel and shut-up’ principle. The media had fun with that insightful slip.

Ralph was at his best whilst at a media conference during the height of the crisis, when after enduring a barrage of truly inane questions on BSE by dumb city

reporters he threw his notes into the air, declared it all crazy and stormed out of the room.

It was one of those times when one wanted to cheer him on for doing what many of us wanted to do in such an exasperating situation. I expect most farmers and ranchers knew instinctively he was one of them.

Ralph’s political and oratorical skills were astounding. Many years ago at a livestock industry lobbying event in Edmonton, Premier Klein unexpectantly dropped in and sat at my table. He was asked by the event host to say a few words to those in attendance.

Ralph, who didn’t know a Hereford from a harrow, asked us a few questions about the livestock industry and made a few notes on the back of a napkin. He then stood up and ad libbed a spellbinding speech with anecdotes and jokes for over half an hour with no more than a few notes as a reference.

The likes of Ralph Klein will never be seen again. He and his common sense will be truly missed.

5

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • APRIL 15, 2013

Fighting desertification is part of Western Canada’s heritage The lessons of the ‘Dirty ’30s’ are still valuable ones to pass on to farmers in other countries

By John Morriss editorial director

W

hen I went to the barber in Swift Current in the summer of 1937 to get a haircut and shave, he said the haircut was OK but he had quit shaving people. I asked “how come” and he said he couldn’t keep an edge on the razor anymore. With the terrible dust and the shortage of water, he said sharp particles of sand got imbedded in the skin, or stuck to the surface somehow. Despite the extra honing he gave his razors, a couple of strokes down the side of a customer’s face took off the edge…

The statistics tell the story of the “Dirty ’30s” in Western Canada — miserable yields, negative net farm income and thousands of families forced to pack up and leave their farms. But somehow that quote from Olaf Field in James Gray’s 1964 book Men Against the Desert is even more effective in illustrating just how serious the drought had become.

The book’s title is no exaggera-

tion. In the 1930s, much of Western Canada almost turned into a desert.

It would not have been the first time that a long drought combined with poor farming practices had turned productive agricultural land into a permanent desert. That’s been the fate of large areas of the Middle East and North Africa.

It wasn’t the fate of Western Canada. Gray’s 1964 book is essentially a history of the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration. The acronym PFRA became so commonly used that many may have forgotten what the third letter stood for — rehabilitation. That’s what Western Canada needed, and it was achieved through hard work, ingenuity, dedication and good science on behalf of both of what we’d today call the public and private sectors. Government scientists and extension workers found and developed plants that could stabilize the drifting soil, and convinced farmers that leaving “trash” on the surface was better than having a perfect black summerfallow. In Prairie barns and machine shops, inventive farmers and blacksmiths

perfected the rod weeder and the Noble blade and other tools that allowed better soil management along with weed control.

That heritage continues today through the modern western Canadian equipment manufacturers who continue to perfect the minimum- and zero-tillage equipment that have done so much to conserve Prairie soil. That equipment and the knowledge behind it is now being exported to other areas such as the Former Soviet Union, and it may help them spare the fate that almost befell Western Canada in the 1930s.

Beating back the desert is one of the greatest achievements in the history of Western Canada. It is therefore baffling that Canada would pull its support from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, as it did last week, which ironically was Canada Water Week. It also comes just before National Soil Conservation Week from April 21-27.

The decision was not even communicated by press release and was only discovered on an

obscure website. It has now gone well beyond that and has received international coverage, which is giving Canada — and Canadians — a black eye. Already the only country to have pulled out of the Kyoto accord, we have now broken ranks with 193 others on the issue of combating drought in areas such as sub-Saharan Africa. The reason can hardly be the money — a paltry $315,000 per year. All we seem to know is that Foreign Minister John Baird thinks the convention is just a “talkfest.” Well, so is the House of Commons, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worthwhile.

Exactly what the desertification convention was accomplishing is hard to know, and we don’t have any inside knowledge. What we do know is that combating desertification is one of the world’s most pressing issues, and it doesn’t make Canada — or Canadian farmers — look good if we’re not part of the battle.

It’s a good bet that neither Minister Baird nor Prime Minister Harper know about the victory in

beating back the Prairie desert, but they should. It’s part of what defines rural Western Canada, to which the Conservative Party and this government owe much of its success, if not its very existence.

There is no place in the world that has more knowledge and technology to offer in the battle against desertification. The decision to withdraw from the convention may even go beyond purely humanitarian goals. Canada also has commercial interests in selling conservation tillage equipment and expertise overseas.

Given that it comes on the heels of the announcement to disband CIDA and link overseas development to Canadian commercial goals, the withdrawal from the desertification convention is even more baffling.

Those in the farm lobby who have the ear of the government need to make a few phone calls to explain this, and suggest that a face-saving way must be found to reverse this decision. john.morriss@fbcpublishing.com

Country-of-origin labelling: The fight goes on It’s the kind of non-tariff trade barrier Canadian exporters can expect to see more of in the future

By Cam Dahl general manager, manitoba beef producers

N

ot long ago, tariffs were the key barriers to Canadian beef exports.

Tariff barriers are still significant problems (Korea for example), but as tariff barriers fall, countries are getting more creative in building border barriers.

In some ways, it makes me nostalgic for the good old days when our market access efforts primarily consisted of the cry: “Tear down that tariff wall.” It is not that simple anymore.

Mandatory country-of-origin labelling (COOL) is one example of a non-tariff barrier that is costing Manitoba’s beef industry hundreds of millions of dollars. COOL became law in the U.S. in 2002.

W h a t i s COOL ? S i m p l y speaking, COOL requires all meat sold in the U.S. to carry a label indicating the country from which the product originated.

American politicians argue that the law is necessary to help inform U.S. consumers about where their meat comes from. But market research indicates that those consum-

ers place very little value on the information provided by the new labels. Basically, consumers care about the information only if it does not cost them anything to get it.

But while the price at U.S. meat counters may not be any different, the cost to the Canadian beef industry has been huge. It is estimated that COOL costs the Canadian beef industry about $625 million each and every year. COOL hits Canada’s pork producers equally hard.

Canada and Mexico have always objected to COOL because it unfairly discriminates against beef exported into the U.S. The law requires segregation of animals that have been imported from another country. This has significantly increased the cost of processing Canadian livestock and many U.S. plants have cut back on Canadian purchases, or cut them out altogether.

Canada and Mexico have taken the U.S. to the World Trade Organization (WTO), and convincingly won both the initial case and the appeal launched by the Americans.

The WTO ordered the U.S. to end its unfair discrimination

by May 23, 2013. That is not going to happen. Earlier this

month, the U.S. agriculture secretary proposed regulatory changes that he claims will address the WTO’s concerns.

In fact, the proposed changes will make things worse.

Additional labelling requirements will increase discrimination against Canada and Mexico. Instead of decreasing the regulatory burden, the proposals will increase the costs of compliance. In fact, it is my view that not only do these proposals fail to comply with the existing WTO ruling, but they also violate additional trade provisions.

You might think that U.S. beef and pork producers are 110 per cent behind their government on COOL, but they are not. You see, free trade is good for both sides of the border. The vast majority of U.S. producers and processors support removing COOL provisions because the regulations are hurting the U.S. industry. It is estimated that the new rules proposed in the U.S. will cost 9,000 American jobs. This is a case of a lose-lose situation.

This fight is not over. If the U.S. proceeds down the current path, Canada will return to the WTO. Ultimately, the WTO may grant Canada and Mexico the right to impose tar-

iffs on U.S. goods to compensate us for the cost of COOL. I hope it does not come to this but given the losses to our livestock sectors, this is not something our governments will back away from.

Unfortunately, in the short term the legal process will continue. It is likely that there will be six to eight months of additional legal review at the WTO (making some trade lawyers a lot more money) before a conclusion is reached.

What lesson can livestock producers take from the COOL battle? The simple answer is that trade is more complicated than it used to be. COOL is just one example of non-tariff barriers to export access.

Some countries do not like the supplements that are commonly used in North American meat production. Some c o u n tries do not like the extra food safety precautions in place in Canadian plants.

Our approaches are science based and an improvement of food safety. But because they have not been approved by the EU’s own internal bureaucracy, they do not accept them. I am certain that there are bureaucrats around the world who are currently trying to invent barriers based on

environmental factors or their perception of animal welfare.

Manitoba’s beef producers, and our province as a whole, benefit significantly from beef trade. Over half of what we produce leaves the country. We must continue to aggressively pursue new opportunities on the international market. But we need to keep in mind that trade will be complicated.

New barriers will appear, often when least expected. We need to be ready to deal with these issues as they come up.

But we also need to be proactively addressing the problem. Governments can do their part by building better dispute resolution processes, which is anticipated in the Canada-EU trade deal.

Producers are also going to be asked to take steps if they want to continue to access international markets. Today some producers will say that they find these measures, like traceability, costly and of little benefit.

But more and more of our customers are telling us that they will only purchase our products if we can prove how our animals were raised. This is increasingly becoming the price of doing business.

6

OFF THE FRONT

APRIL 15, 2013 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

CALL  from page 1 University of Alberta and was an assistant district agriculturalist in Ponoka when he took the job as host.

“I had the most experience of anybody who had ever been hired up to that time and that was very little. I did student radio in university,” said Howell.

Howell’s job as host allowed him to travel all over the world.

He even went to Australia and

“The idea was to try and reach farmers in every corner of the province, north to south. We had contracts with stations that could cover that.”

JACK HOWELL

New Zealand on an “educational leave tour,” accompanying the deputy minister. In 1972, he toured Scandinavia and the Soviet Union.

“The idea was to try and reach farmers in every corner of the province, north to south. We had contracts with stations that could cover that,” he said.

Just like the industry it covers, the technology behind ‘Call of the Land’ has changed dramatically over the years.

“When the program started, it was done with large reel to reels,” said Howell, who was always able to edit electronically, but used a heavy portable recorder for taping. The technology eventually changed to cassettes, and then to mini-disc players.

Reesor now tapes the show using a digital recorder. All of the editing is done digitally and the program is now sent to the stations digitally, rather than through the mail, two episodes in advance. The show is now available online, and people can listen to podcasts, listen to the show in I-tunes and read transcripts of the show.

Reesor had big shoes to fill when she took over the position as host, but she spent a month training with Howell before she had to run the show on her own.

“Jack and I did what he called the hello-goodbye tour,” said Reesor.

“I took her around the province and introduced her to the people she needed to know in the central and south,”said Howell. At Howell’s retirement party, former agriculture minister Shirley McClellan told Reesor she was taking the position over from “an icon of trust.”

Reesor grew up in Camrose, and had been working in radio since 1990. Prior to becoming the host of ‘Call of the Land,’ she was involved with the agriculture show at CFCW for 10 years.

“For the first year, when I would introduce myself to people, they would say, ‘Oh, you’re the new Jack.’”

She enjoys the variety and the constantly changing nature of the program and agriculture. Unlike in Howell’s time, when the program was mailed out to stations, and two programs needed to be planned ahead of time, Reesor can adjust the program to breaking news.

She said people in agriculture have always been generous to her, even though she doesn’t have an agricultural background herself.

“People in the industry are so helpful and so willing to explain things. You never feel that you’re asking a silly question because they just want to get the story out,” she said.

First aired in 1953, this year ‘Call of the Land’ celebrates 60 years on the air

From left to right: Ms. M. Sears, Everett McCrimmon and Stu Wilton (the first co-hosts of the program).

Highlights 1953 Hosts: Everett McCrimmon and Stu Wilton 1955 Hosts: Ed Hamula and Scott Flewitt 1962 Hosts: Warren Wismer and John Andrew 1967 Host: Don Potter 1969 Hosts: Douglas Pettit and Phil Thomas 1970 Host: Jack Howell 1980 Hosts: Jack Howell and Gerald Vaillancourt 2006 Host: Caitlynn Reesor Compiled by Alberta Agriculture

akienlen@fbcpublishing.com

Growing Forward 2 launched and underway New federal/provincial funding to focus on innovation and market development

BY ALEXIS KIENLEN AF STAFF/LEDUC

A

Alberta Agriculture Minister Verlyn Olson (l) and Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz shake hands on the adoption of the new Growing Forward 2 agreement. PHOTO: ALEXIS KIENLEN

griculture ministers’ Gerry Ritz and Verlyn Olson announced the official launch of the Growing Forward 2 policy framework for Canada’s agricultural and agri-food sector March 25.

Alberta’s official announcement was held at the Agrivalue Processing Business Incubator in Leduc. “One size does not fit all in agriculture,” said Minister Gerry Ritz to the large crowd at the event.

“It’s a hungry market out there… The great thing, is we’re not just hewers of wood and drawers of water, we’re not just shipping out bulk commodities anymore, we’re shipping out value-added product,” he said.

“This is not a cookie-cutter program where everybody gets the same thing; it is very much tailored to Alberta’s needs,” said Alberta Agriculture Minister Verlyn Olson.

“It is certainly going to help our agri-food industry, so that’s our front-line producers.

We’re working on finding them new markets. It is also going to help entrepreneurs who are going to want to add value… That’s very important for us in terms of diversifying our industry here in Alberta.”

Olson said producers and stakeholders were part of this agreement to make sure it was the best fit for Alberta’s agriculture industry. “I think people often forget about the fact that food production is essential to the health of any society, so this is important for all Albertans, not just the people who are directly involved,” he said.

Alberta’s producers and agri-food sector stand to gain from $406 million spread over more than 30 new or enhanced programs. The programs cover areas such as international market development, food safety, agribusiness innovation, research and environmental management.

Growing Forward 2 contains programs focusing on research and innovation, confined feeding operation stewardship, agricultural water enhancement, regional water supply, plant health and biosecurity, livestock welfare and pest surveillance. Funds have been used to develop an iPhone app that helps farmers locate lost cows, and has also funded an essential oils plant that supplies all the catnip and spearmint in North America.

Producers interested in Growing Forward programs can visit www.growingforward. alberta.ca. akienlen@fbcpublishing.com

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • APRIL 15, 2013

China readies to fight new bird flu Neighbouring countries are stepping up vigilance at airports in a bid to keep a deadly bird flu strain from spreading

BY BEN BLANCHARD BEIJING / REUTERS

T

A market vendor places poultry into a plastic bag at a poultry market in Hefei, Anhui province. Chinese authorities reported a strain of bird flu previously unknown in humans that has already killed five. PHOTO: REUTERS

he death toll from a new strain of bird flu rose to five in China April 4 as Beijing said it was mobilizing resources nationwide to combat the virus, Japan and Hong Kong stepped up vigilance and Vietnam banned imports of Chinese poultry.

The H7N9 bird flu strain does not appear to be transmitted from human to human but authorities in Hong Kong raised a preliminary alert and said they were taking precautions at the airport.

In Japan, airports have put up posters at entry points warning all passengers from China to seek medical attention if they suspect they have bird flu.

A total of 14 people in China have been confirmed to have contracted H7N9, all in the east of the country. One of the cases

was a four-year-old child, who was recovering, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Two people died April 4, both in Shanghai, bringing the number of deaths to five, state media said. Four of the five have died in Shanghai, China’s booming financial hub.

Authorities in Shanghai also discovered the H7N9 virus in a pigeon sample taken from a traditional wholesale market, Xinhua added, believed to be the first time the virus has been discovered in an animal in China since the outbreak began. “(China) will strengthen its leadership in combating the virus... and co-ordinate and deploy the entire nation’s health system to combat the virus,” the Health Ministry said in a statement late on Wednesday on its website (www.moh.gov.cn).

In Hong Kong, authorities activated the preliminary “Alert Response Level” under a pre-

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paredness plan for an influenza pandemic, which calls for close monitoring of chicken farms, vaccination, culling drills, and a suspension of imports of live birds from the mainland.

All passengers on flights in and out of Hong Kong were being asked to notify flight attendants or airport staff if they were feeling unwell.

Vietnam said it had banned poultry imports from China, citing the risk from H7N9.

In Beijing, the Health Ministry said the government would swiftly communicate details of the new strain to the outside world and its own people, following complaints it had been too slow to report on the outbreak and suspicion of a coverup.

Chinese Internet users and some newspapers have questioned why it took so long for the government to announce the new cases, especially as two of the victims fell ill in February. The government has said it needed time to correctly identify the virus.

In 2003, authorities initially tried to cover up an epidemic of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which emerged in China and killed about 10 per cent of the 8,000 people it infected worldwide.

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China “will continue to openly and transparently maintain communication and information channels with the World Health Organization and relevant countries and regions, and strengthen monitoring and preventive measures,” the ministry said in a statement.

Flu experts across the world are studying samples isolated from the patients to assess the human pandemic potential of the strain.

Other strains of bird flu, such as H5N1, have been circulating for many years and can be transmitted from bird to bird, and bird to human, but not generally from human to human.

So far, this lack of humanto-human transmission also appears to be a feature of the H7N9 strain.

“The gene sequences confirm that this is an avian virus, and that it is a low-pathogenic form (meaning it is likely to cause mild disease in birds),” said Wendy Barclay, a flu virologist at Britain’s Imperial College London.

“But what the sequences also reveal is that there are some mammalian adapting mutations in some of the genes.”

This, she said, meant the H7N9 virus had already acquired some of the genetic changes it would need to mutate into a form that could be transmitted from person to person.

While Xinhua said it was unfair to compare SARS with H7N9, as the new bird flu virus had yet to show signs of humanto-human transmission, it did warn that the government’s credibility was on the line.

“If there is anything that SARS has taught China and its government, it’s that one cannot be too careful or too honest when it comes to deadly pandemics.

The last 10 years have taught the government a lot, but it is far from enough,” it said in a commentary.

8

APRIL 15, 2013 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Manitoba farmer continues push for merger of commodity groups Suggests there be three commodity groups and one “New Farm Organization” at the top

BY ALLAN DAWSON STAFF

A

Manitoba farmer says his call to create three big Prairie-wide commodity groups is getting positive reviews — but no organizations have officially embraced the idea so far.

Last month, Danny Penner issued a discussion document calling for the merger of existing commodity groups to make them more efficient and effective.

“In person, I have not yet had one board member... that has said, ‘This is crazy and we can’t get it done,’” said Penner. “They’ve all said it makes sense.”

However, no group is officially endorsing his plan, and that’s not surprising, he said.

“I understand there is turf protection and things like that,” said Penner, a former president of the

Manitoba Pulse Growers. “It’s very comfortable to do what you’ve always been doing.”

In his discussion paper, Penner proposes checkoff-funded commodity groups also funnel money into what he’s calling the “New Farm Organization,” which would focus on issues common to all the groups.

“The core concept of One New Farm Organization has proven success in the case of Grain Farmers of Ontario,” the paper states. “It’s our hope to build on what they’ve created and eventually end up with just one, fully national farm organization.”

Improving efficiency

The current system is neither efficient nor as effective as a single group would be, the paper argues.

“You can’t count how many different organizations speak on behalf of farmers these days, let alone get

a quick, clear answer,” he wrote. “(T)here’s unnecessary overlap in administration... Just think what one organization could accomplish by taking the best of what every individual group is doing today and combining resources.”

The paper proposes rolling all commodity groups in Western Canada into three entities representing cereals, oilseeds, and pulse/special crops.

Each group would collect and administer the checkoff from their own crops, spending some of the money on their specific interests and giving a portion to fund the New Farm Organization.

“One hundred per cent producer governance is core to this idea, but the process of identifying specific farmers to sit on each board will be a matter for discussion,” he wrote.

Penner proposes each of the three commodity groups and the New Farm Organization have their

own boards of directors, and that Western Canada be divided into six districts — northern and southern Alberta; north, central and southern Saskatchewan; and Manitoba.

(Two additional districts could be included later from Eastern Canada.)

The number of votes for each farmer would be tied to the amount of checkoff contributed.

Election process

Six farmers would be elected to each of the boards, which would also have its own chief executive officer.

In addition to six elected farmers, the New Farm Organization’s board would include the presidents of the cereals, oilseeds and pulse/special crops commodity groups.

Each region would have four farmer representatives in total — one on each of the commodity groups and one on the New Farm Organization.

“The work of the commissions (commodity groups) and the New Farm Organization would fall under directorates such as research, policy, markets, education, environment and logistics, with a focus on branding and advocacy of Canadian crop farming systems, guiding investment in agriculture to its best possible use, and communicating key messages from other stakeholders back to primary producers,” Penner wrote.

Farm organizations funded directly by members, such as the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association, or the Keystone Agricultural Producers, which has a checkoff, would continue to operate independently, Penner said in an interview. But they could also contribute to policy development within the New Farm Organization, he added. allan@fbcpublishing.com

WHAT’S UP Send agriculture-related meeting and event announcements to: will. verboven@fbcpublishing.com April 16/17: Water, Agriculture, Environment Conference, Lethbridge Lodge, Lethbridge.

Call: Shelley 403-381-5839 April 23: Horses 101, Airdrie Agriculture Building 6:00 pm, Airdrie. Call: Robyn 403-420-5949 April 25: Cows, Creeks & Communities, Kurt Browning Arena, Caroline. Call: Gary 403-845-4444 April 27: Freehold Owners Association AGM, Crossroad Church 9:00 am, Red Deer.

Call: Else 403-783-3433 April 30: Young Farm Worker Safety Training Course, Olds College 8:30 am, Olds.

Call: Henry 403-507-7912 May 2: Agriculture Employment Fair, 6325 Gateway Blvd 1:00 pm, Edmonton. Call: Jodi 780-644-5379 May 3/4: Bee-ginners Beekeeping Short Course, Agriculture Building, Airdrie.

Call: AGINFO 800-387-6030 May 28/29: Alberta Milk Next Generation Forum, Sheraton Capri, Red Deer. Call: Karlee 780-577-3305

Caring for the earth doesn’t take It takes a lifetime.

July 10: 2013 International Livestock Congress, Deerfoot Inn, Calgary. Call: Chantelle 403-686-8407 July 19/20: 2013 World Plowing Championship, Olds College, Olds. Call: Kerry 403-556-4762

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Albertafarmexpress.ca • April 15, 2013

Government assistance available to boost efficiency of irrigation systems Producers can obtain one grant of up to $5,000 for low-pressure pivots, improving pump efficiency, upgrading of pivot control panels, and other efficiency measures

By Helen McMenamin

af contributor / lethbridge

F

armers can now get government funding to upgrade to more efficient irrigation equipment.

Under the new five-year, federal-provincial Growing Forward agreement, farmers can apply for up to 40 per cent of the cost of upgrading from flood, wheelmove, or high-pressure centre pivots to new low-pressure pivots. Pump modifications and high efficiency (greater than 85 per cent) nozzles that are part of a low-pressure system are also eligible for the funding.

For producers who already have low-pressure pivot systems, variable-rate control systems, both controllers and software and upgrades of pivot control

panels, including remote control systems, are also covered.

Variable-frequency drive pump motors, which change the volume of water pumped to match variable-rate irrigation system demand, are eligible for grants under the On-farm energy management program. Delivery and GST costs aren’t eligible, but design and installation fees can be covered by the grant.

Producers can obtain one grant of up to $5,000 during the course of the five-year program. Also, funds are limited for each year of the program, so it’s best to apply as soon as possible.

“Time is of the essence in applying for these funds,” says Rod Bennett, head of the province’s Irrigation Management Branch.

The program’s intent is to improve the efficiency of both water and energy use, and make

“Time is of the essence in applying for these funds.”

Rod Bennett

use of water resources more sustainable. It is also intended to improve productivity and allow producers to be better able to take advantage of market opportunities. More efficient use of water and energy resources is considered good environmental stewardship, so this sort of change should improve consumers’ image of Alberta farmers.

This program addresses envi-

ronmental stewardship and competitiveness of Alberta’s agriculture but also aims to improve energy management by having farmers install sub-meters so they become more aware of energy use by different equipment.

At present, water savings from greater efficiency in irrigation systems help reduce the risk of irrigation districts running short of water for all users, said Bennett. The program will help ensure more water will remain in the river, improving the health of the aquatic environment, but it may be used for expansion of irrigation districts in the future.

The Alberta Irrigation Technology Centre, formerly the Irrigation Demo Farm, has purchased a variable-rate irrigation pivot along with wireless soil moisture sensors so Bennett’s staff can evaluate the effectiveness of different systems.

“We want to develop precision irrigation programs to minimize run-off and loss of water below the root zone,” said Bennett.

“We’ll need new technology to use the new equipment to do a better job of management for high-value crops and protect the environment. We’ll be working on precision-irrigation programs to use variable-rate capabilities.”

Growing Forward programs for the next five years will focus on business development and markets. The On-farm stewardship program continues, supporting projects with direct positive impacts on water quality. Besides the energy management and irrigation efficiency programs, funding will be directed to water management to increase farm capacity. Business skill and opportunity, as well as agri-processing programs, will also be funded.

Livestock origin a sticking point in Canada-EU trade talks Country-of-origin matters to EU as well

By Rod Nickel

winnipeg / reuters

R Meet the ultimate Earth Warriors.

They’re called Alberta Farmers.

e an hour.

This special land in this special place is ours to nurture and care for – every single day. Because only when we do can it nurture us. Responsible stewardship of our soil, our air and our water isn’t something we can turn on and off. It comes with the job. And in many ways – is the job. Because every decision we make, as Alberta growers, ranchers or producers has a direct impact on what this land will give us back. And in the end it’s about sustaining the land – in order to sustain ourselves. For generations to come. atb.com So Long Love This Land.

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ules on recognizing the origin of cattle and pigs slaughtered in Canada are one of the sticking points in free trade talks with the European Union, Canada’s chief agriculture negotiator said April 3.

Canada hopes to win greater access for its beef and pork in Europe, while the EU wants a foothold in Canada’s protected agriculture sectors, especially dairy.

Talks on a comprehensive deal are expected to finish this year, but one outstanding issue is on rules of origin, said Frederic Seppey, chief negotiator for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

The issue is whether the EU will give preferential access to all meat processed in Canada, given the strong integration of the North American livestock market. Canadian and U.S. farmers freely move livestock across the border to take advantage of the lowest feeding costs and highest slaughter prices.

The EU has not agreed that all meat slaughtered and processed in Canada is considered of Canadian origin. It takes into consideration where the livestock was born and raised.

“We don’t want beef that has been processed in Canada and perhaps is from cattle that were born in Canada but fed in the U.S. to be prevented from getting the potential preferential treatment,” Seppey told reporters on the sidelines of the Canada Grains Council meeting in Winnipeg. “In our trade agreements we are always advocating that slaughter is enough of a transformation to confer origin.”

NEWS » Markets

}Delayed

10

APRIL 15, 2013 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Late spring hits Black Sea grain yield

wheat could rebound

A late spring has cut the grain yield in Black Sea countries such as Russia and Ukraine, prompting analysts to slash their crop forecasts and delays in spring sowing, analysts said April 9. Snowfall across Ukraine has already delayed 2013 field work by two or three weeks and analysts say the late spring could reduce the yield of winter wheat and cut the sowing area under barley and other early grains. In Russia, a warm and dry April has not been able to fix damage from heavy snowfall seen in many parts of the country in March. — Moscow / Kiev / Reuters

A transportation nightmare that has slowed exports of Brazil’s record soybean crop this season could inflict further damage in the 2013-14 crop year by slowing sales and lowering local prices, industry representatives warned April 8. Brazilian producers planted more soybeans than ever before this season in hopes of making up for a weak U.S. crop, but shipping delays have caused buyers to cancel orders. Top purchaser China has threatened to cancel up to two million tonnes, though most analysts think the actual amount will be less. — Sao Paulo / Reuters

Canola sentiments bearish in face of large South American soybean crop But oilseed processors might be crushing nothing but vapour at the current usage

By Phil Franz-Warkentin

C

NS Canola values on the ICE Canada trading platform moved lower during the week ended April 5 with declines a function of chart-related speculative liquidation orders as well as the downward price action experienced in the CBOT soybean complex.

The continued declines seen in Malaysian palm oil and European rapeseed futures during the reporting period also added to the bearish sentiment in canola. The advancing harvest of a record-size soybean crop in South America also didn’t do canola any favours. Added pressure came from news that the port congestion that had been preventing soybeans from leaving Brazil has started to clear. Underlying support in canola came from a major drop-off in farmer selling to the commercial pipeline on the Canadian Prairies. The turning off the taps, so to speak, by farmers, came in view of the uncertainty facing the planting and development of new-crop canola.

Weather has helped to keep a bit of a floor under values, as there are already concerns that excess moisture and cold temperatures could delay seeding operations this spring across Western Canada. The seasonal spring seeding concerns should help to keep that firm price flood under canola with steady demand from the commercial sector also likely to generate some strength.

There were suggestions circulating in the oilseed sector that canola processors will be crushing nothing but vapour based on the rate of usage. Normally that would be considered supportive for values, but some participants feel that a lesson can be learned from the recent USDA stocks report.

U.S. analysts had predicted that oldcrop stocks of soybeans in the U.S. would be extremely tight and that the March 28 USDA report would even show tighterthan-anticipated supplies. Instead the report showed much-higher-thanexpected stockpiles of U.S. soybeans.

Some participants as a result feel Statistics Canada may also come up with extra supplies of old-crop canola in its May 3 grain stocks in all-positions report. The reasoning for the jump in old-crop canola comes amid the fact that Canada’s canola export and domestic crush pace doesn’t seem to be slowing much. If stocks were believed to be as tight as the industry expects, exports would be the first to see a decline.

Canada’s canola crush pace continues to be running at a strong, if not record pace with exports also not that far behind. Adding to the bearish price scenario in canola were ideas that with speculators holding a large long position

photo: thinkstock

in the May canola future, a flush of those contracts has begun.

With open interest in the May canola future sitting around 80,000 contracts, the speculative sector was believed to be holding roughly 35,000 of those.

Non-existent activity was once again the feature in the milling wheat, durum and barley market on the ICE Canada platform. No open interest exists in any of those contracts.

Soybean futures at the Chicago Board of Trade experienced declines during the week with old-crop months leading the downward price slide. Much of the selling in old crop was attributed to the USDA’s larger-than-anticipated stockpile of soybeans.

The downward price push in CBOT soybeans also came on news of a bird flu problem in China’s poultry sector.

The concern was that as China takes measures to control the situation, demand for animal feed, particularly U.S. soymeal, will drop significantly and help add to the domestic supply base.

The increased availability of cheap

soybeans from Brazil and Argentina on the global market only contributed to the depressed oilseed price situation.

The uncertainty heading into spring seeding in the U.S. was also expected to help slow any further downward movement in values, but that didn’t stop some participants from speculating that should weather and yields for soybeans remain favourable, that values for the crop could easily drop into the US$9- to US$10-per-bushel area at harvest time.

That is certainly not what any farmer in the U.S., or Canada, wants to hear, but the fact the industry is already having those thoughts, should be taken as a cautionary note.

Corn futures on the CBOT also continued their downward price trek, with the nearby months again suffering most of the downward price push. The largerthan-anticipated supply of old-crop corn in U.S. stockpiles, as reported by the USDA on March 28, maintained its bearish impact on values.

The absence of export and domestic demand for U.S. corn added to the

price weakness. Firmness in the U.S. dollar further undermined values.

Some support, however, was derived from the fact that values had reached oversold levels and were in need of a correction to the upside.

Wheat futures on the CBOT, MGEX and KCBT managed to post small to modest advances during the week with concerns about the drought-plagued U.S. Winter Wheat Belt behind some of the price strength.

Sentiment that values were oversold and in need of an upward correction also influenced some of the gain.

Positioning ahead of some new USDA supply-demand tables on April 10 was also evident. The lack of precipitation in the U.S. Winter Wheat Belt and its potential impact on production will likely continue to be a feature in the wheat market at least in the near term.

Phil Franz-Warkentin writes for Resource News International (RNI), a Winnipeg company specializing in grain and commodity market reporting

11

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • APRIL 15, 2013

U.S. corn quality concerns linger despite better test results Domestic users have run into problems with toxins because the best-quality corn is going for export

By Tom Polansek and Julie Ingwersen chicago / reuters

T

PHOTo: thinkstock

T:8.125”

T:10”

he quality of last year’s drought-hit U.S. corn harvest remains under scrutiny because of worries about toxins that flourish in dry weather, despite improved test results for export shipments.

The U.S. Grains Council, which works to promote exports, said in a report on Wednesday that 77.8 per cent of corn samples tested at export markets from October 2012 to February 2013 had no detectable levels of aflatoxin, a byproduct of a mould that can sicken humans and animals if ingested.

A year earlier, 75.2 per cent of samples at export markets had no detectable levels of aflatoxin, according to the council.

The report was based on 397 corn samples collected from export shipments as they underwent a federal inspection process performed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Corn must be tested for aflatoxin before being shipped overseas.

“The 2012 crop was superior in quality across a number of key variables to the U.S. 2011 harvest, which was itself a high-quality crop,” the council said.

Still, concerns persist about the quality of corn from the autumn harvest, which is still being used domestically and abroad.

Last year’s historic drought in the U.S. Midwest put everyone from farmers to grain handlers and food industry officials on high alert for aflatoxin because it is usually more prevalent in dry conditions.

Grain dealers typically send the best corn to export markets because importers have strict standards for grain quality. Corn also typically deteriorates during the shipping process.

Exporters have “a great deal of incentive not to offer” corn that tests high for aflatoxin because it cannot be shipped, said Charles Hurburgh, an agricultural engineering professor at Iowa State University.

Of the corn tested for the report, 22.2 per cent contained aflatoxin in levels greater than or equal to five parts per billion but less than the 20-parts-per-billion level at which corn can usually not be exported.

A year earlier, 24.8 per cent of the samples were above five ppb and below 20 ppb, according to the report.

Domestic users of corn have already experienced problems due to elevated levels of aflatoxin.

The Hy-Vee Inc. grocery chain in February recalled five different product lines of its privately branded dog food across eight Midwestern states due to elevated levels of aflatoxin in corn used to make the pet food.

Aflatoxin contamination also prompted a series of pet food and livestock food recalls in 2011.

According to crop insurance data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, payouts for mycotoxins, of which aflatoxin is the most common, totalled nearly $75 million as of February, triple the level of a year ago.

“There are places where buyers need to test every load” of corn for aflatoxin, Hurburgh said. “There is aflatoxin out there.”

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APRIL 15, 2013 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Half-moon holes produce crops in sub-Saharan desert On-farm water storage has many applications in global agriculture

BY RON FRIESEN AF CONTRIBUTOR

A

n innovative water-trapping technique is making the desert bloom in one of the most inhospitable regions of sub-Saharan Africa.

Demi-lunes — holes in the shape of a semi-circle — are used to capture and store run-off rainwater.

It’s a simple, low-tech water-harvesting method which enables crops to grow in a hostile climate.

The water conservation technique is one of several used in West Africa to support local agriculture and encourage self-sufficiency.

A Canadian Food Grains Bank accounting team from Winnipeg learned about demi-lunes during a recent trip to Niger to financially review CFGB-supported projects in the area.

Niger, a former French colony, is located in the Sahel, a transitional zone between the Sahara desert in the north and the savanna region to the south. It has a hot, dry climate with average daytime temperatures ranging from 30 C in January to 40 C in May. But it does rain, with annual average precipitation between 200 mm in the northern part of the country and 500 mm in the south.

The challenge is to capture that water and hold it where plants can use it directly.

That’s where demi-lunes come in.

Demi-lunes (French for “halfmoons”) are small earth embankments built by hand. Contours are marked out on the bare ground and an A-frame is swung around to trace a semi-circle.

The crust of the earth is broken with pickaxes and the soil dug out by spade.

Small earthen bunds (dikes) are built up along the curve of the semi-circle. The demi-lunes are lined with manure and compost, and seeds are placed in and around them.

Slopes

Demi-lunes are best built on slopes with a gradient of less than two per cent to distribute water evenly.

When it rains, the bunds help retain run-off water in the demi-lunes. The stored water also percolates over the area, acting as subsurface irrigation.

Photographs show crops and green grass growing in and between rows of demi-lunes previously dug into degraded, crusted soil.

“They’re good agronomic practices,”

Before-and-after images of the demilune project in Niger, West Africa.

PHOTOS: COURTESY THIOMBIANO BLAISE

said Alden Braul, a CFGB agriculture and livelihood program adviser. “Anything you can do to concentrate water and nutrients in an area to increase water-use efficiency, you are going to get better crops. And that’s what’s needed in those areas.”

Demi-lunes are used to grow subsistence crops, such as sorghum and millet, as well as forage for livestock.

They can also help to establish local tree species.

Introduced in West Africa in the 1980s, demi-lunes are a simple, affordable way to rehabilitate land and help local farmers grow crops and raise livestock in areas previously plagued by droughts and erratic rainfall.

They are also readily built and easily maintained because all they require are hand tools. Some NGOs in Niger conduct demi-lune construction projects in which workers are paid for their labour in food.

Demi-lunes are similar to zai planting pits, another water-harvesting technique used in West Africa and other regions of the continent. Although smaller in size than demi-lunes, zai pits employ the same method to grow subsistence crops and establish trees and shrubs.

It’s a long way from the semi-arid regions of the Sahel to the Canadian Prairies. But the lessons learned from demi-lunes and zai holes have practical applications here, too, said Braul.

“The lesson is simply using locally appropriate tools and being as innovative as possible to conserve soil mois-

ture and make the best possible use of nutrients.”

On-farm storage

Gary Martens, a University of Manitoba agriculture instructor, called demi-lunes and zai holes examples of on-farm water storage, which farmers around the world practise, sometimes following the simplest methods.

Martens recently spoke to a University of Manitoba agriculture diploma student whose family hopes to use Manitoba-style demi-lunes on their farm west of Portage la Prairie. The plan is to construct on-farm water storage ponds — not by digging holes, but by using earth scrapers to put up small berms in low spots on fields to trap run-off for irrigation later on.

Martens said some dryland potato farmers in the Winkler area are reportedly doing something similar by con-

structing small water storages on their fields to collect run-off.

Now that recent research shows decades of draining wetlands has increased perennial flood risks in Manitoba, producers are being urged to retain water on their land to control downstream flooding and reserve water supplies for on-farm use.

Martens said he is encouraged that landowners are starting to talk more about holding water back and less about draining it away as fast as possible.

“It’s taken a long time for people to start talking about keeping water on the land,” he said. “It’s about time.”

Low-tech approaches to water management can pay farmers dividends, whether in Manitoba or Niger, said Martens.

“It’s just that your eyes have to be open to the possibilities.”

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • APRIL 15, 2013

April live cattle futures post new contract low in first quarter of 2013 A look at recent psychology in the live cattle market

BY DAVID DROZD

L

ive cattle prices have been under pressure since peaking in December amid bullish headlines and news that took prices to historic highs.

Cattle and calves in the United States, according to USDA estimates as of January 1, 2013, totall e d 8 9 . 3 m i l l i o n h e a d , which is two per cent below the 90.8-million figure recorded a year earlier. That makes this Jan. 1 inventory of all cattle and calves the lowest since 1952 when 88.1 million were on hand.

All cows and heifers that have calved are also estimated to be down two per cent at 38.5 million head. This is the lowest Jan. 1 inventory of all cows and heifers that have calved since 1941 when there were 36.8 million head.

The 2012 calf crop is estimated to be down three per cent from 2011 at 34.3 million head. This is the smallest calf crop since 1949, when there were 33.7 million born.

These staggering statistics along with the seasonal tendency for cattle prices to strengthen into March gave many in the cattle trade the expectation of even higher prices in 2013. However, that was not to be, as prices dropped $13 per hundredweight in the first 90 days of 2013.

This is a classic example of a market topping out when the news is the most bullish. All the while, the charts were depicting a different tale.

It started with a reversal pattern called a tweezer top. As

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illustrated in the accompanying chart, this sell signal develops when a market posts the same high two days in a row. In fact, $138 turned out to be the exact high on the April contract.

Shortly thereafter, prices made one last attempt to go higher, only to fail and develop a twoday reversal. This is also a reversal pattern seen at market tops and bodes well to alert savvy traders and livestock producers of an impending downturn.

Prices quickly slipped below the lower boundary (A) of the uptrending channel and ran sell stops, which in turn drove prices down another $5 per hundredweight to $129.

The damage was done. Other than the occasional bounce, prices continued to drift lower within the parameters of the downtrending channel.

CME LIVE CATTLE APRIL 2013 (chart as of March 25, 2013)

Market psychology

The tweezer top and two-day reversal depict a complete change in attitude. On the first day the longs are comfortable and confident. The market’s performance provides encouragement and reinforces the expectation of greater profits. The second day’s activity is psychologically damaging. It is a complete turnaround from the preceding day and serves to destroy or at least shake the confidence of many who are still long the market. The immediate outlook for prices is abruptly put in question. Longs respond to weakening prices by exiting the market.

In an uptrending channel, the market rallies and then reacts

to uncover underlying sup- trendlines will be quickly broken Send your questions or comport. This process, once set in because the demand has either ments about this article and motion, develops a momentum been totally satisfied or the vol- chart to info@ag-chieve.ca. which strengthens the trend and ume of selling simply overpowmakes it persist. After a period ers what little buying remains. of upward movement, one must As I’ve illustrated here, tech- David Drozd is president and senior market analyst for be on the alert for any subtle nical analysis indicates a change Winnipeg-based Ag-Chieve changes in this repetitive pro- in trend long before the funda- Corporation. The opinions cess as they will show up clearly mental information substanti- expressed are those of the on the charts. When rallies begin ates it. Three months later and writer and are solely intended to fall short of the upper chan- $13 lower, the news reflects the to assist readers with a better nel boundary, it is clue that the fact cattle prices are falling due understanding of technical existing trend may be waning. to the unavailability of feed and analysis. Visit Ag-Chieve online at www.ag-chieve.ca At this juncture, the demand subsequent herd liquidation. for information about grainwhich had trailed the market is There will be better days ahead, marketing advisory services, or being absorbed. When the price but not until the liquidation is call us toll free at 1-888-274-3138 finally turn down for real, over and the2013-02-12 trend turns4:52 back MKX - does 6x6.625 *Farm Bus Com* MB Cooperator_AGI PMup. Page for 1 a free consultation.

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news » livestock

APRIL 15, 2013 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Tim’s goes crate free

Improved Enviropig

Having reviewed its pork suppliers’ plans to phase out the use of gestation stalls for breeding sows, Canada’s iconic Tim Hortons chain expects to source stall-free pork by 2022. The chain has also pledged to work with the pork industry and governments to standardize approaches to more humane housing, as well as to improve traceability and verification systems. Tim Hortons is also aiming to purchase at least 10 per cent of its eggs from producers who use “enriched housing systems” for layer hens by the end of 2013, a goal that represents 10 million eggs.

A research team at the University of Guelph has developed a new line of transgenic “Enviropigs,” to improve its genetic stability and commercial applicability. Enviropigs have genetically modified salivary glands, which help them digest phosphorus in feedstuffs and reduce phosphorus pollution in the environment. Research on the project stopped in June 2012, but researchers collected semen from the pigs, and they have the option to breed the new inproved Enviropigs, once transgenic foods animals gain higher consumer acceptance.

CLA — it may be good for you, but you won’t get it from steak Research has ended into boosting a beneficial fatty acid with grass- or sunflower-fed beef

PHOTo: thinkstock

By Victoria Paterson af staff / calgary

T

he health benefits of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and other beneficial natural fats still look promising, but grass-fed beef may not be the way to get an extra dose.

The Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) has stopped funding studies into whether diet can increase CLA content in beef, said science director Reynold Bergen.

“We are content with our knowledge of CLA,” Bergen said.

He said grass-finished cattle do end up with more CLA in marbling fat than grain-finished beef. However, he said since there’s less marbling in grassfinished beef, the effect is a wash.

“On a per-steak basis you get just as much CLA in grain fed as grass fed,” Bergen said.

The BCRC supported a number of CLA projects for about five

years, but hasn’t initiated any since about 2008. While trans fat from hydrogenated vegetable oil is a serious health threat, natural trans fats such as CLA have been claimed as reducing cardiovascular disease risks. However, there’s some doubt humans could consume enough CLA in beef to make a difference.

“The doses of CLA that they fed those lab animals are way higher than you’d ever get in any kind of realistic diet,” Bergen said.

Bergen said while feeding cattle things like sunflower seeds can increase CLA levels, it’s still miles away from the level where it’s a benefit. And he noted that many people trim the non-marbling fat from steaks anyway.

“There’s never been a verified human health benefit and there’s certainly no Health Canada label claim for CLA,” Bergen said.

Another challenge would be for a big packer to keep the CLAenhanced carcasses separate,

but there might be an opportunity for a niche market producer.

However, the Beef Cattle Research Council continues funding research into fatty acids in general, in part because Health Canada had wanted to impose trans fat labelling on products, though items like beef and pork were excluded because the fats were naturally occurring.

“We are still funding research into beef fatty acid composition, but it’s more just so we can understand what’s there rather than so we can find a marketing angle,” Bergen said.

Research continues

At the University of Alberta, research into CLA and other natural trans fats continues at the Metabolic and Cardiovascular Disease Laboratory.

Flora Wang, a post-doctoral fellow who studies natural trans fats, said her group is looking at more than just CLA.

“People found it might reduce risk for cancer or certain cardiovascular disease and that’s why our group is interested,” she said.

She said studies looking at CLA have been going on worldwide for about 10 years.

Wang said their research has found CLA and another trans fat called vaccenic acid are two of the most abundant natural fats in dairy fat. In her group’s work, like the research funded by the BCRC, they’ve been looking for ways to increase CLA in dairy fats by feeding the cattle a diet high in products like sunflower seeds or flaxseed.

“All dairy products that contain fats would contain a higher proportion of natural trans fats if we modulate the diet of the cows,” she said. Concern over what increasing CLA means for other trans fats led to her examining vaccenic acid.

She has a rat-based model that shows the rodents that were treated with the natural

trans fats in the early stages of obesity and pre-diabetes had their major cardiovascular risk factors reduced, which she said was “quite surprising and exciting.” Animal trials with trans fats continue, and they have received Canadian Institute of Health Research funding to go ahead with human trials testing vaccenic acid, Wang said.

If clinical studies show natural trans fat is actually beneficial, it could be a driving force to get the industry to produce products high in natural trans fats, she said.

One of the group’s side projects is communicating with Health Canada to try and change the way trans fatty acids are labelled on food, separating out the natural trans fats.

“Most of them are natural trans fats and may not be bad for you,” Wang said. victoria.paterson@fbcpublishing.com

15

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • APRIL 15, 2013

There are many ways to improve farrowing rates with little or no cost Make sure breeding gilts aren’t too light, the barn isn’t too dim, and your management practices haven’t slipped

BY BERNIE PEET

T

here’s a large variation in farrowing rate between farms, ranging from as low as 75 per cent to around 92 per cent. Many producers still view 85 per cent as being an acceptable target and figure it can’t be improved much further. But close attention to a range of management factors can often result in a five per cent improvement, usually at no cost.

Because the farrowing rate is influenced by many factors, it’s often difficult to know where to start. Reviewing management policy and implementation in key areas is the best approach.

First, look at the management of gilts and young females, which are most likely to exhibit poor farrowing rate if any aspect of their management is compromised. Start by checking on the weight of gilts at first breeding, which should be a minimum of 135 kilograms.

Breeding gilts too light may lead to poor feed intake in first lactation, loss of body weight, and an extended wean-to-service interval, with a reduction in both farrowing rate and litter size.

I like to look at data for weanto-service interval by parity, because this indicates if there is a problem with younger females.

The best herds average under six days and perhaps one day more for first-litter weaned gilts. If the numbers are higher than these, that could indicate a problem with inadequate lactation feed intake.

Management between weaning and breeding can have a big influence on farrowing rate. Judging from some of the barns I visit, lighting is often an overlooked factor. Current recommendations regarding lighting intensity vary from 150 to 500 lux, and I would suggest 150 lux as a minimum.

This can easily be measured with a cheap light meter.

Dirty fixtures, which reduce their output drastically, is a frequent problem, as is failure to replace broken bulbs or fluorescent strips. Generally, a 14- to 16-hour lighting period is recommended as extended day length is associated with a quicker return to estrus.

The second key area from weaning to breeding is feed and water.

Feed intake should be as high as possible, bearing in mind that the sows’ appetite is reduced as she approaches estrus. Ideally, the lactation diet should continue to be fed as it is higher in energy and protein than a gestation diet.

For younger females, especially in high-performing herds, consideration should be given to using a high nutrient density top dressing from five days before weaning until they have been bred. This can be made up from high-protein sources such as fish meal or fullfat soybean meal combined with an energy source such as dextrose, with added vitamin E and monosodium phosphate.

Finally, correct boar exposure is a crucial factor in initiating a quick expression of estrus. Sows should be allowed to rest quietly for two days after weaning, with minimal disturbance by the stockperson

and no boar presence. From the third day after weaning, boar exposure needs to be intense. That means using an active, smelly boar and allowing nose-to-nose contact with each sow twice per day.

This is a job that should never be rushed as it is so critical.

Clearly, the process of breeding the sow is one of the most important in determining farrowing rate.

But before reviewing management procedures, it’s worthwhile looking at where the drop-outs occur after breeding.

If the majority of them are regular returns, then improvements to breeding technique can boost farrowing rate. Sometimes I see herds with a low level of regular returns but a high level of dropouts after 25 days, which may be due to some stress factor causing late, irregular returns or enforced culling due to foot and leg problems. If this is the case, those factors need to be investigated and corrected.

Assuming the majority of returns are regular, the next stage is to review the breeding process, starting with semen storage.

Semen quality cannot be underestimated as an influence on conception rate. The key aspects of storage are temperature monitoring, resuspending sperm by rocking, rotating or inverting semen storage containers, good inventory control to ensure the oldest semen is used first, and checking the motility of each batch of semen prior to use.

It is well known that not only does the success of AI in terms of farrowing rate vary between operators, but that, over time, procedures tend to deteriorate.

This means that a routine AI audit carried out by an AI specialist will almost always result in an improvement in farrowing rate.

My experience of carrying out this process suggests that there are three main areas where the procedure tends to slip. The first is the intensity of boar exposure because this directly influences the speed of uptake of semen by the sow and the degree of leakage. Boar contact, ideally with a different boar, should be maintained for about 10 minutes post-service, with the catheter remaining locked into the cervix, as this aids sperm transport up into the uterus.

The degree of stimulation of the sow by the stockperson also tends to slip over time. This should involve back pressure, gently rubbing the rear part of the udder and pulling on the flanks just in front of the hind leg.

Finally, hygiene procedures should be reviewed. The vulva should be cleaned thoroughly with a dry paper towel and care should be taken when inserting the tip of the catheter to avoid contamination.

Although many factors influence farrowing rate, identification of the most rewarding avenues for improvement through data analysis will identify the areas to review and improve. In today’s tough environment for producers, 90 per cent should be the target.

Bernie Peet is president of Pork Chain Consulting of Lacombe, Alberta, and editor of Western Hog Journal

Feed intake in lactation is a major influence on subsequent farrowing rate.

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16

APRIL 15, 2013 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Research project pinpoints cause of bison deaths A specific type of pneumonia has been identified as the cause of high losses in some herds By roy lewis, dvm

T

he preliminary results are in from a bison research project examining the post-mortem findings and pathogenic agents causing bison deaths in Alberta herds.

Four veterinarians have examined the causes of 100 bison deaths in herds across the province. The research group is composed of four veterinarians — Drs. Burrage, Clark, Lewis, and Tremblay. Although only the preliminary results are in, the results have a considerable impact on the bison industry.

As far as we know this is the first time many bison deaths have been followed up with lab diagnosis to determine the exact cause of death. By knowing the cause it can help us determine preventive measures.

What shocked the researchers was the main cause of death in this study. In the past, respiratory agents, parasitism and injuries were the main causes.

Although the study is not fully complete and the population in the study is not huge, last year at least the cause of death in most cases was respiratory, and a specific type of pneumonia at that.

The researchers found increasing causes of death, within some instances high mortality upwards of 20-30 per cent from pneumonia — more

specifically Mycoplasma Bovis pneumonia. This organism is not a virus and not really a bacteria — it fits between the two groups. It is not overly responsive to antibiotics. Over time it causes pyogranulomas — a sort of drier pus pocket throughout the lungs, which over time destroys them. In bison, especially mature ones, we primarily have seen weight loss, some respiratory embarrassment and coughing, eventually leading to death. The organism’s actions and the lesions it causes can resemble tuberculosis. It can also get into the joints, causing lameness because of the arthritis as well as causing abortions in pregnant cows or occasionally mastitis.

If we look in the literature, we find this organism is not new to the bison industry.

Several outbreaks have been documented in large herds in the U.S. as well as in Saskatchewan, dating back to the mid- to late 1990s. The disease seemed to cause high death losses in all ages of bison and then disappear. Feeder bison, cows, bulls and in a few cases young calves still nursing are also susceptible.

Whether your bison are in a feedlot or on the open range, once introduced it runs its course and in most cases the next year pretty much disappears.

Treatments were tried by most producers and this involved separation from the herd where

organism has a predilection for the tonsillar area.

Introduced carriers?

In most of the herds infected with mycoplasma last year, the common denominator was introduction of new bison into the herd, or two herds purchased and mixed together or individual animals bought and introduced to a breeding herd. PHOTo: thinkstock possible and treatment, in most cases with Draxxin under the supervision of the veterinarian.

There are almost no products approved for bison so the use of Draxxin has to be under the direction and with a prescription from your veterinarian.

Currently a study is in the planning stages for developing a known withdrawal for Draxxin in bison. Some herds in the study were also vaccinated for the common respiratory organisms in cattle but in most cases it only marginally improved the situation. There is no current vaccination for mycoplasma in bison, or cattle for that matter, as according to the vaccine manufactur-

ers it is a very hard organism to produce a vaccine from.

In the study on the under-30month bison, half the deaths were from mycoplasma and in the over-30-month bison most died or were put down because of chronic mycoplasma. It causes a severe pneumonia where almost all of the lungs is destroyed. When we see them at necropsy, it is no wonder antibiotics or any form of treatment is ineffective.

Whenever your veterinarian autopsies any dead bison, make sure he or she checks the tonsillar area and larynx as this can be the starting place for the mycoplasma infection. The

In most of the herds infected with mycoplasma last year, the common denominator was introduction of new bison into the herd, or two herds purchased and mixed together or individual animals bought and introduced to a breeding herd. All these scenarios are making researchers ponder several questions about how and why the mycoplasma organism is spread and if there are carrier animals. The length of the incubation period, whether there is any predisposing stressor and what makes a population so susceptible are questions the researchers are trying to find answers to.

Because mycoplasma is both north and south of the border, an international team of investigators from the two veterinary schools in Canada as well as several veterinarians in the U.S. have teamed together with the original four veterinarians to try and decipher the answers to these and other questions about mycoplasma, which to my mind is the single most significant disease affecting the North American bison industry today.

Roy Lewis is a large-animal veterinarian practising at the Westlock, Alta. Veterinary Centre.

His main interests are bovine reproduction and herd health.

A sausage a day is too many It’s not the meat; it’s the other stuff that they put in

A

study by the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Zurich says that more than 40 grams (1.4 ounces) of processed meat is hazardous to your health.

“We estimate that three per cent of all premature deaths can be attributed to the high consumption of processed meat,” says Sabine Rohrmann in a release.

Teaming up with research colleagues from 10 countries, she has been studying the link between the consumption of processed meat and the risk of mortality as part of a Europe-wide study with around 450,000 participants.

The release says people who eat a lot of processed meat such as sausage products, salami or ham run a higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease or cancer.

The problem is that carcinogenic substances such as nitrosamines form through salting, pickling or smoking, and these might be the cause of the increase in cancer mortality.

However, processed meats are also rich in cholesterol and saturated fats, which are linked to an

increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Other lifestyle and dietary factors influence the link between the consumption of processed meat and the risk of illness or mortality: for instance, vegetarians often live more healthily than non-vegetarians, do more sports and are less likely to smoke.

Also, the study participants who eat the most processed meat also eat fewer fruit and vegetables, consume more alcohol and smoke more. But even taking these factors into account in the evaluation of the data, the core result of the study still proves to be true: People who eat over 40 grams of processed meat per day have an increased risk of mortality compared to those who eat fewer than 20 grams a day, the release says.

However, meat also is a key source of important vitamins, especially B vitamins, and minerals such as iron.

“Therefore, the moderate consumption of up to 40 grams a day doesn’t increase the mortality risk,” says Rohrmann in the release.

17

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • APRIL 15, 2013

Good policy is needed to preserve rural Canada and our country’s farms Food production is the foundation of all societies and we need policies that support entrepreneurs and sustainability By brenda schoepp

E

nabling policy is the backbone of any successful economy because it allows for creative, innovative ideas to grow and thrive.

Enabling policy includes domestic and foreign policy that supports entrepreneurs and sustainability in established business. In my view, it is measured in terms of a healthy and educated middle class, lively rural communities, and an increase in international trade.

We are blessed in Canada with vast resources and op p o r t u n i t i e s , a s u p p o r t ive federal minister of agriculture who is knocking on doors globally, and a resurgence of interest in farming and ranching. Although it appears that young folks are leaving the farm for work, it is also true that some are leaving short term for agricultural education. As well, more early retirees are trying their hand at food production.

This changing demographic is rather unconventional, but farming today isn’t restrained by borders, class, age, gender, location, income, culture or politics.

At the same time, urbanization is a very real, and global, phenomenon. The majority of the world’s population is

soon to live within 60 kilometres of a shore, and the migration of people from the country continues. This is contributing to the reduction of the labour force for agriculture and the erosion of rural economic health in small towns.

Often these small towns were dependent on low attrition and the continuation of family farms and ranches. It is because of this concern that I am often asked in my rural travels how we could save the family farm.

Some start the debate by asking, “Does the family farm need saving?” My response is that the majority of farms and ranches in Canada are family owned and operated. In that context then, the definition of family farm includes corporate holdings, feed yards and agribusinesses. I do however, question the validity of the question in terms of potential solutions. A more appropriate discussion may be where agriculture fits within the framework of a larger societal policy.

Throughout time, every civilization has evolved around food. Water and fertile land have been the backbone of survival and trade routes then expanded the farmed and ranched goods and services. It was for food that wars were fought and princesses were stolen, and it was for food that fortresses and aquifers were built and armies

“We are blessed in Canada with vast resources and opportunities, a supportive federal minister of agriculture who is knocking on doors globally, and a resurgence of interest in farming and ranching.”

employed. And it is for food that we must readdress the policy of rural Canada. Doing so is a tough sell in a country that has the highest level of food wastage worldwide at nearly 40 per cent. As a population we are often overpaid, overweight, overleveraged and underappreciative.

There is a very real disconnect between the farmer and the consumer because there is little need of it. Domestic and imported food in this country is readily available as we maintain our status as one of the top 10 importers of food and top 10 exporters

of commodities and products worldwide. At the same time, other countries view our nation as an opportunity and invest in production land and facilities. Despite the strong feeling I encounter both for and against outside investment, there is a reason for it.

Someone, somewhere, understands the value of food. Food security is about assets and trade arteries, both of which Canada can supply and that makes our land and our farms attractive to outside investment and further pressures family farms.

To counter the cry to save the family farm, it may be necessary to take a very bold step and walk beyond the farm gate to the urban kitchen for the purpose of identifying food as a societal need protected under social rather than agricultural policy.

The relationship of food and agriculture is clearly evident to us because we are in the game. But consumers often see us as just farmers and do not understand our role in the continuation of a civilization or a healthy economy. If we educated the consumer and asked them to realize that farmers are the sole source of food, I would expect their view of agri culture may change. It may indeed spur the discussion of where agriculture belongs in terms of policy, as well as

a new passion for all farms may spread from the city to the country.

Today, farming is cool. Canadians pay little for food as a percentage of income and we have the distinction of being on the land. We do not however, enjoy the respect or reputation we need to survive the backlash of severe food inflation or shortages. On the other side of the fence, farmers face rising production costs and are generally removed from the processing profit centres. Either way, when the going gets tough, agriculture will be forced into creative solutions and will need enabling policy to support it. If the business of food fell under social policy, then both farmers and consumers would be protective of each other. The question is: At what cost? The answers are certainly not clear but until we look collectively at the continuation of agriculture beyond just the sustainable model in a win-win way, we will not move closer to long-term solutions as a nation, regardless of where agriculture resides.

Brenda Schoepp is a Nuffield Scholar who travels extensively exploring agriculture and meeting the people who feed, clothe and educate our world.

A motivating speaker and mentor she works with young entrepreneurs across Canada and is the founder of Women in Search of Excellence. www. brendaschoepp.com.

TW 4 inch - 6 x 6.625 -_AGI 2013-03-04 8:31 AM Page 1

AL OEMING’S TH

25 ANNUAL SPRING SALE ANOTHER SPECTACULAR EVENT AWAITS YOU WITH AN INCREDIBLE VARIETY & QUALITY OF VIRTUALLY EVERY VEHICLE & ARTIFACT RELATED TO THE HORSE ERA. LEARN & MARVEL HOW OUR PIONEER ANCESTORS TRAVELLED & WHAT THEIR SKILLS COULD PRODUCE. ENJOY THE DAY, BREATHE THE HISTORY AND REJOICE TO SEE SOME OF THE WONDERS OF OUR GREAT HERITAGE SALE CONDUCTED BY

BODNARUS AUCTIONEERING P.L. 324317. CALL ANYTIME 306-975-9054 OR CELL: 306-227-9505

For more info call Al Oeming 780-922-3013 Email: questions@aloemingauctions.com

SUNDAY MAY 5 TH 12:00 NOON

AT AL OEMING’S POLAR PARK 25 KMS EAST OF EDMONTON ON HIGHWAY #14 & RANGE ROAD 223 PREVIEWING SATURDAY MAY 4 TH 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM

Full details & pictures visit website

www.aloemingauctions.com

HORSE ERA ANTIQUES AND OTHER ITEMS: Our auction fans always enjoy this part of the auction.

Those that don’t have horses will enjoy getting a small memento to those early horse days. One is always amazed and impressed by what those early pioneers could build without any of the modern conveniences we take for granted today. It’s nice to be able to invest in even a small piece of our western heritage. There is something here for everyone and we with you all a successful acquisition.

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APRIL 15, 2013 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

JBS boosting animal welfare practices at former XL Foods plant in Brooks In addition to in-person ‘audits’ in the plant, JBS also uses video cameras to monitor workers and watch for signs of animals in distress

BY VICTORIA PATERSON AF STAFF / CALGARY

F

ood safety put the former XL Foods beef plant in the news, but new owners JBS USA will also be bolstering animal welfare oversight at the Brooks facility.

“Animal welfare is a school zone — you don’t speed through school zones,” Lily Edwards-Callaway, who oversees the company’s animal welfare systems for pork and beef, told attendees at the recent Livestock Care Conference in Calgary.

“It’s a top priority for JBS.” In addition to having staff on the plant floor monitoring workers and watching for signs of animals in distress — something

the company calls biased audits, video cameras are used for two other types of audits. Unbiased audits are conducted by staff observing through the cameras while remote video audits are conducted by a third-party company, Arrowsight. The audits are key to ensure company standards are being met when it comes to things such as unloading cattle or using prods, said Edwards-Callaway. Those doing the audits also watch for slips and falls, and other signs of problems in animals.

Audits are conducted daily and Edwards-Callaway checks on the numbers, figuring out differences between the three different kinds of audits and checking in with the plants on a weekly basis. She showed examples of plants’ audit-

Lily Edwards-Callaway speaks about animal welfare processes at JBS USA’s beef and pork plants PHOTO: VICTORIA PATERSON

ing numbers and how they shifted over time, thanks to influences such as new staff members, training or other factors. The numbers do show people forget occasionally that the cameras are there, she said, but putting focus on the audits helps to address any issues.

The effort is not only a way to combat criticism of slaughter plants, but makes workers feel good about their jobs, said Edwards-Callaway, adding JBS’s

“Animal welfare is a school zone. You don’t speed through school zones.”

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animal-handling standards are set above those of the American Meat Institute.

Pork plants typically have about 27 cameras and there are about a dozen in beef plants. EdwardsCallaway can get live camera access via the Internet, and a viewing screen in the corporate office shows scenes from cameras in the various plants.

The monitoring is also key to improving standards because employees, and sometimes individuals, are given feedback on things flagged by the daily audits.

It’s become part of their everyday operation, Edwards-Callaway said.

“If something’s not working, stop and tell someone,” is the message given to employees, she said.

In a followup interview, Edwards-Callaway said cameras will be installed in the Brooks plants.

“We don’t have a timeline for it yet, but we’re working with the vendors to figure out next steps,” she said.

“We’re on the same program in terms of what we’re auditing, how many head we’re auditing. They just don’t have the cameras yet.”

She said she expects the move will be well received by the Brooks employees.

“It’s a real pleasure working with them. They’re willing to change, adapt,” she said. victoria.paterson@fbcpublishing.com

19

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • APRIL 15, 2013

Survival comes before expansion in the beef cattle business Why use land for cattle when you can grow grain and have a bit more time off?

By Kris Ringwall, Beef Specialist NDSU Extension Service

W

hat would you say if someone told you that 40 per cent of the cowcalf producers are struggling to justify being in the beef business? After all, the cattle business is a great business and currently humming along through great times.

If that is true, why is the industry not expanding? Good question and certainly a relevant one.

We can speculate on the many reasons why the cattle numbers are what they are. In anticipation of this spring’s summaries of agricultural enterprises provided by the North Dakota Farm Management Program (NDFM) at www.ndfarmmanagement.com, I have been reviewing previous numbers. Data also are available on the FINBIN website at www. finbin.umn.edu and come from the Center for Farm Financial Management at the University of Minnesota.

With the increasing competition for land and competing crops, the big question is: Why run cattle? Returns from crop enterprises are good, and many will say they enjoy the more structured time crop operations offer, especially the time off that is not always available for those who engage in livestock operations.

If one reviews net returns per cow, and without going too far back in time, cattle producers certainly have had positive net returns. From 2006 through 2011, cattle producers who were enrolled in the NDFM program generally have had positive net returns over direct and overhead expenses.

The long and short of it is that this group of cattle producers has had to find some other enterprise to pay for an average of $21 per year, per cow.

Kris Ringwall Beef Specialist NDSU Extension Service

The actual net return values were (all figures U.S.) $182 in 2011, $111 in 2010, minus $13 in 2009, $12 in 2008, $98 in 2007 and $105 in 2006.

It will be interesting to see where these numbers are for 2012, but one would speculate that the industry had positive net returns over direct and overhead expenses.

Not everyone in the black

Are these numbers high enough to keep producers in business?

Goats’ milk speeds recovery from diarrhea Beneficial protein from human breast milk is enhanced in experimental goats’ milk UC Davis release

M

ilk from goats that were genetically modified to produce higher levels of a human antimicrobial protein has proved effective in treating diarrhea in young pigs, demonstrating the potential for food products from transgenic animals to one day also benefit human health, report researchers at the University of California, Davis.

The study is the first on record to show that goats’ milk carrying elevated levels of the antimicrobial lysozyme, a protein found in human breast milk, can successfully treat diarrhea caused by bacterial infection in the gastrointestinal tract.

The findings, reported in the online scientific journal PLOS ONE, offer hope that such milk may eventually help prevent human diarrheal diseases that each year claim the lives of 1.8 million children around the world and impair the physical and mental development of millions more.

“Many developing parts of the world rely on livestock as a main source of food,” said James Murray, a UC Davis animal science professor and lead researcher on the study. “These results provide

just one example that, through genetic engineering, we can provide agriculturally relevant animals with novel traits targeted at solving some of the health-related problems facing these developing communities.”

In this study, Murray and colleagues fed young pigs milk from goats that were genetically modified to produce in their milk higher levels of lysozyme, a protein that naturally occurs in the tears, saliva and milk of all mammals.

Although lysozyme is produced at very high levels in human breast milk, the milk of goats and cows contains very little lysozyme, prompting the effort to boost lysozyme levels in the milk of those animals using genetic modification.

Because lysozyme limits the growth of some bacteria that cause intestinal infections and diarrhea and also encourages the growth of other beneficial intestinal bacteria, it is considered to be one of the main components of human milk that contribute to the health and well-being of breast-fed infants.

Pigs were chosen for this study as a research model because their gastrointestinal physiology is quite similar to humans, and because pigs already produce a moderate amount of lysozyme in their milk.

Yes, but let’s look at those producers who were at the lower end of net returns, which are those producers who were in the lower 40 per cent bracket.

This group was in the black in 2011 and 2006, but lost money in 2010, 2009, 2008 and 2007. The actual net returns over direct and overhead expenses were a positive $76 per cow in 2011, minus $3 in 2010, minus $120 in 2009, minus $91 in 2008, minus $6 in 2007 and a positive $18 in 2006.

The long and short of it is that this group of cattle producers has had to find some other enterprise to pay for an average of $21 per year, per cow for direct and overhead expenses because the cow could not pay her costs. That may not seem like much, but also what was lost was the opportunity to do something that may have made more money on the same land.

Why do producers who have negative returns through six years remain in the cow business? Speculation is just speculation. The bottom line for the bottom 40 per cent of this sample of producers is that the cows are not paying their way.

Why expand or even stay in the cow business? For the cattle operations that are in the lower 40 per cent for net returns per cow, the average gross margin from 2011 back to 2006 was $500. Total direct and overhead expenses averaged $521 for the same period for an average loss of $21 per cow.

The lower 40 per cent net return per cow

Gross Margin

Direct and Overhead Expenses

Net Return

2011

$666

$590

$76

2010

$525

$528

($3)

2009

$445

$565

($120)

2008

$412

$503

($91)

2007

$471

$476

($6)

2006

$484

$466

$18

FINBIN (www.finbin.umn.edu) from the Center for Farm Financial Management, University of Minnesota

Flags are waving

As noted earlier, times are good in the cattle business. However, some serious flags are waving.

High income and low expenses are good partners, but high expenses do not partner well with anything. Any lowering of revenue for high-cost operations will take out the option of staying in the cattle business.

Cattle expansion is not a given.

Unfortunately, there is a very serious play for land that can be used for more profitable agricultural enterprises. There is very little incentive for those operators who are struggling to stay afloat to keep the cow operation.

Let me repeat myself. In the current world, the competition from the energy- and food-producing sectors of agriculture is real. This

competition will drive costs up and, given Mother Nature’s hesitation to provide moisture, the competition gets tougher. Cost control is the driver for sustaining beef operations and is achieved by the continual evaluation of the planning process.

For now, the point remains: What would you say if someone told you 40 per cent of the cowcalf producers are struggling to justify being in the beef business?

The cost of production is a simple fact, so learn well as the 2013 year engages.

Survival comes before expansion.

North Dakota State University Extension Service beef specialist Kris Ringwall writes a weekly column archived at www.BeefTalk.com.

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20

APRIL 15, 2013 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

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

GOOD SELECTION OF CASE QUAD TRACKS 500-550 & 600’’S

“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

Combine ACCessories

AUTO & TRANSPORT Auto & Truck Parts

BUSINESS SERVICES Crop Consulting

JD 9430, 9530, 9630.

JD 9410R, 9460R, 9560R 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.

535 Quad track w/PTO 920 Fendt 3500Hrs, Excellent Condition

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

1-800-667-4515 www.combineworld.com

AUTO & TRANSPORT

BUSINESS SERVICES

RON SAUER

8100 Wilmar Sprayer JD 4710, 4720, 4730, 4830, 4920, 4930 SP sprayers JD 9770 & 9870 w/CM & duals CIH 3185, 3230, 3330, 4430, 4420 sprayers

for troublesome gauge wheels

BUYING:

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Miscellaneous

JD 3140, 3pth loader JD 4020, loader available JD 4440, 158 loader JD 4560, FWA, 280 loader JD 7410, FWA, C/W Loader JD 7610, FWA, C/W loader JD 746 loader, new Cat Skidsteer, 256C, 1000 Hrs. Mustang 2044 Skidsteer, 1300 Hrs. Kello 10ft. Model 210 disc.

Clamp on Duals, 20.8x38-18.4x38 158 & 148, 265, 740.280, JD loaders FINANCE, TRADES WELCOME 780-696-3527, BRETON, AB

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Miscellaneous 1999 CAT 460 1300 sep. hrs, rake up $90,000; 2006 JD 567 mega-wide, mesh wrap, 5453/bales, $20,500; 1998 AGCO 9755, 530/int electronic, 18spd p/s, 3096/hrs, 4 remotes, 540 front weights, duals, $50,500 (403)665-2341, Craigmyle, AB.

RED OR GREEN 1. 10-25% savings on new replacement parts for your Steiger drive train.

2. We rebuild axles, transmissions and dropboxes with ONE YEAR WARRANTY. 3. 50% savings on used parts.

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

41-35FT FLEXICOIL 700 CHISEL plow, W/harrows, 43ft-47ft. Leon chisel plow w/harrows; 40ft crowfoot packer bar; IHC 12 bottom plow; JD336 Square baler; Case IH 8380 Haybine.

(780)623-1008.

RETIRED FROM FARMING: 1994 Case 9280 tractor, 12/spd. 20.8x42 duals, 4/hyd plus 1 aux. for air seeder, Outback w/E drive for auto steer, Approx.

3500/hrs; 1996 5000 Flexicoil air drill, 45ft. double chute, 9in. spacing, 4in. rubber packers; 2003 2340 air tank variable rate, AGSCO air seed treater attached; 2003 9650STS JD combine, 914 P header, 1448 engine hours, 1132 sep. hrs. will have green light done; 2003 2940 Premier (MacDon) swather w/2004 972 header, 25ft, 941 eng.hrs. 786 cutting hours; 2009 Flexicoil 100ft suspended boom sprayer, 68XL, 1600/Gal. fence line nozzle, raven power glide plus boom control, 4 boom shut offs, rinse tank, chemical rinse; 2007 Bourgault 6000 mid duty harrows, 70ft. 1998 MX 200 Case tractor MFD, duals 20.8Rx42, 3800/hrs. Outback auto steer; 47ft.

3 bar harrow, 2in. spikes; (403)556-2497, Wimborne, AB.

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Wanted WANTED: NH 8500 ROUND bale wagon. Phone (406)883-2118

2005 STX CIH 450 Tractor, P/S, deluxe cab, triples, 520x85-46 good, Serviced and ready to go ........$185,000 Flexicoil 6 run seed treater ................................ $2,000 60’ Flexicoil S95 harrow packer draw bar, tandem wheels, P30 packers, fair shape ......................................... $6,500 134’ Flexicoil S68XL sprayer, 2007, suspended boom, auto rate, joystick, rinse tank, triple quick jets, auto boom height, electric end nozzle & foam marker............. $39,500 130’ Flexicoil 67XL PT sprayer, 2006,trail boom, auto rate, rinse tank, hyd. pump, combo jets, nice shape.... $26,500 30’ 8230 CIH PT swather, PU reel, nice shape,.. $10,000 25ft Hesston 1200 PT swather, Bat reel, nice shape .......................................................... $7,500 21’ 4600 Prairie Star PT swather, UII pu reel, nice shape .............................................................$5000 16’ NH 2300 hay header & conditioner from NH 2450 swather, nice cond. ......................... $5,000 1372 MF 13’ swing arm discbine 4yrs, like new$20,000 MATR 10 wheel V-Hayrake, hyd. fold, as new .... $5,250 New Sakundiak 10x1200 (39.97’) 36HP Kohler eng., E-Kay mover, Power steering, electric belt tightener, work lights, slimfit, 12 gal. fuel tank..................... $18,000 New Sakundiak 7x1200 (39.97’) , 22HP Robin-Subaru eng.,w/Winter Kit, battery & fuel tank .......................$7,500 New E-Kay 7”, 8”, 9” Bin Sweeps .........................Call Flexicoil 10”x 50’ Grain auger ......................... $2,500 7721 JD PT combine, decent cond. ....................... $5,000 7701 JD PT combine, new concaves & rub bars ..... $4,000 Jiffy feed wagon, like new, hardly used....................$9,250 18.4”x30” tractor grip tires on rims .......................... Call New Outback Max GPS Guidance Monitor Available................................................... Call New Outback MAX, STX, STS, E-Drive TC’s ................... Call New Outback STS, E drive TC’s ...............................In Stock New Outback E drive X c/w free E turns ..................... Call New Outback S-Lite................................................$900 Used Outback 360 mapping...................................$750 Used Outback S guidance .......................................$750 Used Outback S2 guidance ................................. $1,000 Used Outback E drive Hyd. Kits. (JD,Case, Cat & NH)$500

WANTED: 8820 JD Combine, nice condition

** Hesston & MF, NuVision, Sakundiak & Farm King Augers, Outback GPS Systems, EK Auger, Movers, Sweeps, & Crop Dividers, Kohler engines, Degelman, Headsight Harvesting Solutions**

HEAT & AIR CONDITIONING

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

www.penta.ca

1-800-587-4711

LIVESTOCK LIVESTOCK Cattle – Angus PB RED & BLACK Angus yearling bulls for sale.

Canadian pedigrees, semen tested. Phone (780)336-4009, Kinsella, AB.

LIVESTOCK Cattle – Red Angus 40 REGISTERED RED ANGUS bulls, (from 7 sires) quiet, easy calving, low to moderate birth weight, good growth, EPD’s, guaranteed breeders, exc. for heifers or cows. Cleveley Cattle Company (780)689-2754, Ellscott, AB.

LIVESTOCK Cattle – Charolais

WANTED: POLE/HAY SHED, TO be moved, Stony Plain area; also wanted suitcase weights to fit MF 6170, (780)968-7750, Stony Plain, AB

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

WANTED: POST POUNDER, PREFER trailer type.

(403)886-4285 WANTED: Small square balers and end Wheel Seed Drills, Rock Pickers, Rock Rakes, Tub grinders, also JD 1610 cultivators (403)308-1238

FARMING IS ENOUGH OF A GAMBLE...

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

FARM MACHINERY Tractors – Various

FARM MACHINERY Tractors – Various

Double LL Industries 780.905.8565 Nisku, Alberta

1998 New Holland 3010

LIVESTOCK Cattle – Hereford HEREFORD BULLS, YEARLINGS AND two year olds, dehorned, and polled, excellent quality, check out our catalogue of bulls for sale by private treaty at Coulee Crest Herefords, couleecrest.ca (403)227-2259 or (403)588-6160, Bowden, Ab.

LIVESTOCK Cattle – Simmental

1-888-413-3325

1983 Kubota L245 Offset

(403) 540-7691 ronsauer@shaw.ca

WANTED: NH BALE WAGONS & retrievers, any condition. Farm Equipment Finding Service, P.O. Box 1363, Polson, MT 59860. (406)883-2118

ACREAGE EQUIPMENT: CULTIVATORS, DISCS, Plows, Blades, Post pounders, Haying Equipment, Etc. (780)892-3092, Wabamun, Ab.

2009 John Deere 5083E

MACHINERY LTD.

1998 Massey Ferguson 4270

5 Corner Cattle has Purebred Simmental yearling bulls for sale. Multi-polled. Fully gauranteed and delivered. Contact Wes Hill at (204)435-2585.

Miami. MB. 5cornercattle@gmail.com SIMMENTAL BULLS FOR SALE, yearlings, full bloods and purebreds, horned & polled, strong Fleckvieh influence, Chalk Hill Simmentals, phone 403-638-4269

LIVESTOCK Sheep For Sale PLAN TO ATTEND THE 7th Annual Pound Maker Ram Sale, 110 yearling rams sell by auction, Thursday May 23, 2013 at Ford Macleod Alberta. Suffolk, Dorset, Hampshire, Rambouillet, North Country Cheviot, Charolais and Coloured. For more information call Warren 403-625-6519

Specialty LIVESTOCK Livestock Equipment

FARM, RANCH, REAL ESTATE & COMMERCIAL

5’X10’ PORTABLE CORRAL PANELS, 6 bar. New improved design. Storage Containers, 20’ & 40’ 1-866-517-8335, (403)540-4164, (403)226-1722 FWA Tractor, 83 HP Diesel, 763 Hours

39,500

$

Email: john@shieldsauctionservices.com • Phone: 403-464-0202

3 Point Hitch

8,800

$

55 Hp Diesel, 2048 Hours, 3 Point Hitch

13,500

$

www.doublellindustries.com

100 HP Diesel, 3 Point Hitch

22,500

$

HAYBUSTER 1000 TUB GRINDER; Sundance tub grinder; 150/bu creep feeder w/wheels; Morand Calving chute; Morand maternity pen; Steel frame calf shelters; 3/bale feeder. (780)623-1008 ROUND & SQUARE BALE feeders, heavy duty, built of drill stem pipe, 2 bale or 3 bale from $1000-$1500 each (403)635-2747, (403)223-0412

22

APRIL 15, 2013 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

LIVESTOCK Livestock Equipment

REAL ESTATE Land For Sale

SEED/FEED MISCELLANEOUS Hay & Straw

TIRES

TRAVEL

TRUCK MOUNTED AND PT manure spreaders, forage boxes, feeder boxes, farm trailers. 65/yrs manufacturing experience, call 403-580-6889, Bow Island, AB. Machinerydave@yahoo.ca Visit www.meyermfg.com Dealers Wanted.

320 ACRES BORDERING THE town of Crossfield, huge development potential, half mile to golf course, 15 minutes to Balzac Racetrack and Ironcross mall, 20 minutes to Calgary airport. Would make great equestial centre with miles of dirt trails connected to property. $4,200,000. (403)224-2265

150 LARGE ROUND TIMOTHY/GRASS mix, $50/Bale, 75 no rain, 75 little rain. (403)888-9714

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

Rural & Cultural Tours

5000 SQUARE HAY bales, Horse quality, shedded, $4/per bale (780)967-2593, Calahoo, Ab.

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

1-888-413-3325.

ORGANIC ORGANIC Organic – Grains

SEED / FEED / GRAIN SEED/FEED MISCELLANEOUS Feed Grain

SEED/FEED MISCELLANEOUS Hay & Straw HAY FOR SALE: large round first cut Alfalfa/Timothy, orchard/grass mix, $.04/per/pound, second cut (both types) at $.05/per/pound, cut early, little or no rain, (780)696-2491, Breton, Ab.

Bioriginal Food & Science Corp., based in Saskatoon, is actively buying Organic Flax from the 2012 crop year.

If interested, please send a 5lbs sample* to the following address: Attn: Sandy Jolicoeur Bioriginal Food & Science Corp.

102 Melville Street Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7J 0R1

Stretch your ADVERTISING DOLLAR!

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.

1-888-413-3325

*Portion of tours may be tax Deductible

Select Holidays 1-800-661-4326 www.selectholidays.com

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

NOW BUYING OATS!

ALL GRADES Competitive Rates Prompt Payment

CAREERS

Buy and Sell

CAREERS Employment Wanted

anything you need through the

Agricultural Collateral Inspection and Appraisals Ag background required. Training course available. visit www.amagappraisers.com or Call 800-488-7570

*Please state the Variety & Quantity for Sale

For more information, please contact Sandy at:

306-975-9251 306-975-1166 sjolicoeur@bioriginal.com

PAUL MOWER 403-304-1496

DAVE KOEHN

Ireland ~ June 2013 International Plowing Match/ Canadian Rockies ~ July 2013 Alaska Land/Cruise ~ August 2013 Italy/Greek Isle Cruise ~ Oct 2013 Mississippi Cruise ~ Oct 2013 Smoky Mountains/ Nashville Tour ~ Oct 2013 Branson/Tennessee Tour ~ Oct 2013 Australia/New Zealand Grand Tour ~ Jan 2014

1-888-413-3325

403-546-0060

LINDEN, ALBERTA CANADA

New 30.5L-32 16 ply, $2,195; 20.8-38 12 ply $866; 18.4-38 12 ply; $783; 24.5-32 14 ply, $1,749; 14.9-24 12 ply, $486; 16.9-28 12 ply $558, 18.4-26 10 ply, $890.

Factory direct. More sizes available new and used.

1-800-667-4515. www.combineworld.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.

If you want to sell it fast, call 1-888-413-3325.

How to find the ag equipment you need... OVER Start here.

Find it fast at

43,000 PIECES OF A EQUIPMENT G !

23

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • APRIL 15, 2013

Alberta Hatching Egg Producers nearly ready to rejoin national group After withdrawing in 2004, AHEP is about to get back on board with the Canadian Hatching Egg Producers

By Victoria Paterson af staff / calgary

A

fter nearly a decade on its own, Alberta Hatching Egg Producers is close to rejoining the Canadian Hatching Egg Producers national board.

“We’re just waiting for the national end to go through all the protocol,” said Kevin Tiemstra, Alberta representative to the national board.

Alberta withdrew from the national quota agreement in 2004, p a r t l y o v e r t h e i s s u e of production penalties and because its import share was lower than other provinces, he said.

But the penalties have been eliminated and an agreement reached on Alberta’s import

Argentine cattle sector bounces back from 2009 drought

share, and Tiemstra said it seemed everyone was happy to be getting more provinces on board and working together.

“We felt there was benefit to being part of the national agency,” he said.

“We felt there was benefit to being part of the national agency.”

Kevin Tiemstra

Alberta has been a contractual member of the national agency since 2009 as part of the prepa-

ration for readmittance. There are a number of regulatory steps that must be gone through, but it’s expected Alberta and Saskatchewan, which is also going through the readmittance process, will be full voting members

by July, said Giuseppe Caminiti, general manager of the national board.

Being part of the national setup allows Alberta to fully participate in the development of food safety and animal care programs, Caminiti said.

It also offers the province a chance to collaborate on research projects, Tiemstra added.

Atlantic Canada isn’t part of the national organization but is considering rejoining, Caminiti said. victoria.paterson@fbcpublishing.com

Alberta’s hatching egg producers are putting their eggs back in the national basket. PHOTo: thinkstock

Always read and follow label directions. INFERNO and the INFERNO DUO logo are trademarks of Arysta LifeScience North America, LLC. Arysta LifeScience and the Arysta LifeScience logo are registered trademarks of Arysta LifeScience Corporation. All other products mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective companies. ©2013 Arysta LifeScience North America, LLC. INF-002

The national herd is on track to reach 54 million by 2016

By Maximilian Heath buenos aires / reuters

A

rgentina’s cattle herd has grown to 51 million head and should keep recovering from a devastating 2009 drought that, along with price controls, forced ranchers to slaughter millions of animals before their time.

Between 2007 and 2010, 17 per cent of the herd was slaughtered or died of thirst and hunger. That three-year period was marked by government price controls that discouraged beef production, and hot weather that peaked in 2009, turning prime grazing land into dust.

By the end of that three-year period only 48 million head of cattle were left and soy farming was fast encroaching on grazing lands made famous by Argentina’s iconic gauchos, or cowboys.

The government lifted beef price controls in 2010 as many ranchers took to feeding their cattle meal on feedlots, turning grazing pastures into more profitable soy farms.

“Starting in 2010, thanks to higher prices, ranchers started conserving more of their cows to be used for reproduction. The inertia of the three preceding years means that stocks should keep growing,” said ranching consultant Victor Tonelli.

Between 2010 and 2013 the Argentine herd gained from three million to 3.3 million head, and it could gain another 2.7 million to reach a total of 54 million by 2016, Tonelli said.

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24

} SHRINKING

APRIL 15, 2013 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

U.S. drought retreat

U.S. corn planters idled by rains

Drought conditions are retreating slowly in the U.S. Plains, according to a report issued April 4 by a consortium of state and federal climatologists. The “Drought Monitor” report, which tracks the U.S. land area stricken by drought on a weekly basis, said the Plains, which has been the hardest hit by the ongoing drought, was seeing improvement thanks to recent rains and snow. But while conditions improved in Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma, drought grew worse in Texas, the report said. — Reuters

Widespread rainfall in the U.S. Midwest and Plains this week will add valuable soil moisture but also stall spring field work and prevent early corn seedings, an agricultural meteorologist said April 8. “It’s an active storm system leaving 0.2 to 0.6 inch of rain Monday and 1.0 to 2.0 inches or more Tuesday through Thursday in most of the Midwest,” said John Dee, meteorologist for Global Weather Monitoring. This week marks the first official days farmers can begin planting corn in many spots across the upper Midwest, according to crop insurance policies. — Chicago / Reuters

Understanding a baroclinic atmosphere

Weather patterns are complicated, but every once in a while you get a textbook case

by daniel bezte

E

very once in a while the atmosphere behaves in what I call a textbook example. The atmosphere is a fairly chaotic system, that’s why it is so difficult to forecast the weather. If you take the time to read and try to understand how the experts think it all works, you end up learning the ideal setup for any given topic. That is, the atmosphere behaves in so many different ways that in order to write about it we need to come up with a simplified standard, but even then it can be difficult to understand.

So, when the atmosphere behaves like the examples you’d read about in a textbook I tend to get a little excited. This is exactly what happened during the middle of March across much of Alberta and Saskatchewan and has shown up a couple of times since then. I usually try to avoid writing about this particular topic because it is a tough one to describe and understand.

But I figured that since there was a good textbook example of it I would give it a shot. What I am talking about is something called a baroclinic atmosphere.

In the middle to upper levels of the atmosphere the air tends to flow (winds blow) parallel to the lines of pressure. These lines of pressure are known as isobars. When we are looking at this higher up in the atmosphere these lines are shown as height contours. I don’t have the room to go into a discussion of why this happens, but if you are interested you can do a search on geostrophic winds.

If you were to draw lines on the same map that showed temperature (isotherms) and these isotherms parallel the isobars, or are in alignment with them, then the atmosphere is said to be barotropic. This means that as the air flows from one region to the next the temperature of the air is not changing, i.e., temperatures are fairly uniform and there are no fronts. This type of setup is often found in the tropics.

When the lines of equal height and the isotherms do not run parallel to each other the atmos-

phere is said to be baroclinic.

Air flowing along the lines of equal height is either flowing from warm to cold or from an area of cold to warm. If the air is flowing from a region that is colder towards a warmer area, we say that cold advection is taking place. If warm air is flowing into a region of cold air then warm advection is occurring.

When cold advection takes place the colder air moving in is denser than the air around it, so it starts to sink downward bringing the cold air to the surface. This downward motion also inhibits the development of clouds and the formation of precipitation.

When warm advection takes place the air moving into a region is less dense than the air around it and will rise. This causes vertical motion in the air. As we know, rising air cools, moisture condenses, clouds form, and if there is enough moisture, precipitation will occur. This is known as baroclinic instability.

This is what developed during the middle of March. A region of high pressure was in place over the northeastern Prairies, while a trough of low pressure developed over the West Coast.

This placed much of Alberta and southern Saskatchewan in a baroclinic atmosphere where warm advection was taking place. There was a good amount of baroclinic instability combined with a good feed of moisture resulting in fairly widespread and significant snowfalls. What made this event so textbook was not only the setup, but also that the conditions remained the same over several days, allowing you to really see and understand what was going on. Very often weather conditions change so fast that it makes it hard to understand what is happening.

Hopefully, you now have a little bit better understanding of what a baroclinic atmosphere is and what forecasters and meteorologists mean when they say warm or cold advection is taking place. I’m not sure what I’ll be discussing in the next issue, but I sure hope it ends up being about warm weather moving in to stay!

This issue’s map shows the spring wheat soil moisture that is available to a depth of 120 cm across agricultural Alberta as of March 31. The amounts shown on this map are derived from model data and they show that soil moisture levels are quite low over the east-central region along with parts of the northern and Peace regions.

25

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • APRIL 15, 2013

U.S. WINTER WHEAT CROP HIT BY FREEZE

Farmers to see varietal improvements in several wheat classes Farmers are getting into the breeding game through the Western Feed Grain Development Co-op

BY ALLAN DAWSON STAFF

T

he recent Prairie Recommending Committee for Wheat, Rye and Triticale (PRCWRT) meeting marked the first time a feed wheat developed by the Western Feed Grain Development Co-op was recommended for registration.

The variety, WFT603, is a Canada Western General Purpose wheat.

“The unique thing about this is any farmer in Western Canada can be a member of the co-op and have equal ownership of the variety,” said co-op chair David Rourke. “I think that could be fairly important as we get into contractual laws that prevent seed from being grown again. We’d like to keep the option available for farmers to own some of their own seed.”

The 100-member co-op, formed in 2005, was established to develop cereal varieties specifically grown as feed wheats, rather than counting on inclement weather or disease to determine the supply of feed grains for Prairie livestock producers.

“By developing feed wheat cultivars, livestock producers will have a continuous, predictable supply of grain without compromising high-value grain for feed,” the coop’s website says.

WFT603, which is higher yielding than the checks, is aimed at the livestock feed and ethanol market.

It’s well suited to the eastern Prairies with a good disease package, Rourke said.

Seed should be available to co-op members in two years.

Canada Western Hard White Spring

Two other CPS (red) wheats were recommended for registration. HY1319 was developed at AAFC’s Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre at Swift Current. Adapted to the Prairie wheat-growing areas, the variety yielded seven per cent higher than 5700PR across Western Canada during three years of co-op trials.

HY995 is a CPS (red) developed

by Francis Kirigwi of Syngenta Canada. It yielded four to 11 per cent higher than 5700PR, he said.

HY995 is moderately susceptible to fusarium. That doesn’t meet the PRCWRT’s disease evaluation team’s guidelines, but the committee as a whole voted to recommend it.

Twenty-two new varieties — 20 wheats and two spring triticales — came before the PRCWRT. Two wheats were withdrawn and two were rejected by the committee through a secret ballot.

Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS)

BW947, a CWRS variety developed by Dean Spaner of the University of Alberta, was recommended for registration.

BW947 is early maturing, high yielding and has good stripe rust resistance.

“It had good lodging resistance and it had good leaf rust resistance,” in the co-op tests,” Spaner said.

BW947 matures four days earlier than Carberry, with improved yield.

PT765 was also developed by Spaner. It’s adapted to the Parkland and other wheat-growing regions of Western Canada.

HW027, developed by Gavin Humphries at AAFC’s Winnipeg Cereal Research Centre, is higher yielding. While tall, it’s strong strawed, he said.

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Pioneer ® brand products are provided subject to the terms and conditions of purchase which are part of the labeling and purchase documents.

The DuPont Oval Logo is a registered trademark of DuPont. ®, TM, SM Trademarks and service marks licensed to Pioneer Hi-Bred Limited. © 2013, PHL.

 FROZEN

U.S. wheat farmers are expected to write off portions of their winter wheat acreage after a recent freeze in key growing areas struck fields already suffering from drought, wheat experts said April 5. “We’ve got a significant amount of damage out there,” Travis Miller, agronomist with Texas A&M University, said in an interview. A plunge in temperatures in late March in parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas damaged an as-yetunknown portion of the new hard red winter wheat crop, delivering another blow to farmers whose fields were already suffering from an extended drought. — Reuters

General Purpose

Sajjad Rao, a plant breeder with the Western Feed Grain Development Co-op, presented data on WFT603 to the Prairie Recommending Committee for Wheat, Rye and Triticale Feb. 28 in Saskatoon. The committee recommended WFT603, eligible for the Canada Western Red Spring class, be registered. That’s the first recommended variety for the co-op. PHOTO: ALLAN DAWSON PT765 is a high-yielding line and matures earlier than CDC Teal. It’s resistant to leaf rust and ranged from resistant to intermediate for stem rust and stripe rust.

PT584 is midge tolerant and is the first CWRS wheat to be moderately resistant to fusarium. It’s well adapted for the Parkland region and shorter growing season areas.

“This line has three things from pest resistance going for it and it also has nice yield levels,” said Pierre Hucl, who developed the variety at the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre.

Six general-purpose varieties went before the committee — four wheats and two spring triticales.

Both triticales were recommended for registration, as were three of the four wheats.

GP087 is adapted to most wheatgrowing areas of the Prairies, particularly the eastern Prairies, where there’s high disease pressure.

It yielded similar to Pasteur in the eastern Prairies with straw strength similar to 5702PR. GP087 is three days earlier maturing than Pasteur.

GP087 has high resistance to leaf and stripe rust and low levels of moderate resistance to stem rust. GP087 carries Sumai genes for resistance to fusarium and is rated as moderately resistant.

GP097 was developed at AAFC’s Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre at Swift Current.

While adapted for Western Canada it performs very well in dryland areas.

“One of the big improvements is the earliness of GP097 compared with the yield,” said AAFC Hexaploid Spring wheat breeder Richard Cuthbert.

GP097 has improved resistance to fusarium, leaf rust and stem rust and common bunt. allan@fbcpublishing.com

Corn hybrids built for Alberta

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APRIL 15, 2013 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Pulse crops eyed for fast-tracked registration The CFIA is seeking farmer, industry feedback on proposal to loosen the registration process

by Dave Bedard staff

L

The currently registered pulse crop varieties in Canada include 158 field bean varieties, 113 field peas, 52 lentils and 12 small-seeded faba beans. Photo: istock

entil, field pea, field bean and faba bean growers are being asked to consider a proposal under which new varieties submitted for federal registration could skip one or two levels of assessment they now receive.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency last month released a draft discussion document as part of an overall review of the variety-registration process asking growers and other industry players to consider the “positive and/or negative impacts” of moving those pulse crops from Part I in Schedule III of the federal Seeds Regulations, into either Part II or III. Interested parties have been asked to review the document and submit responses to its consultation questions by June 30.

Right now, applications for registration of new varieties of those

species must include at least two years of pre-registration testing and merit assessment by a recommending committee.

There has been “some indication from industry, that it may be more appropriate for these species to be under Part II, which does not require merit assessment, or Part III, which does not require either merit assessment or pre-registration testing.”

“It is expected that the removal of merit assessment would encourage investment in the development of niche or specialty varieties which may not meet standard merit criteria.”

Movement of such pulse crops to Part II is expected to have “minimal impact” on the time to market for new varieties, CFIA said, noting re-registration field testing would still be required for variety registration. Registration of pulses would continue to rest with CFIA, as would the right to cancel variety registration.

Today, varieties that have gone through the two years of pre-registration testing are then assessed by a recommending committee to see whether the varieties perform as well as or better than reference varieties. If a recommending committee finds that a new variety has merit, it will recommend the variety to CFIA for registration.

“In general, this regulatory change will allow farmers to access more quickly a wider selection of new varieties of seed produced by both large and small breeding programs.”

CFIA

Benefits public varieties?

The currently registered pulse crop varieties in Canada include 158 field bean varieties, 113 field peas, 52 lentils and 12 smallseeded faba beans. Of those 335, 80 were registered in the past five years.

Of the 80 pulses registered, 63 were developed in public breeding programs and 17 in private breeding programs.

Given that most pulse variety developers are in the public sector, “this change would benefit them most,” CFIA said in its discussion document.

The proposed amendment to the Seeds Regulations, CFIA said, “would benefit both large multinational and small local breeding companies (but) the smaller companies would see a greater benefit as the reduced costs for variety registration would represent greater relative savings.”

“In general, this regulatory change will allow farmers to access more quickly a wider selection of new varieties of seed produced by both large and small breeding programs,” the agency said.

But it’s possible that pulling the merit assessment requirement, CFIA said, “may result in registration, and subsequent cultivation, of varieties that are less agronomically adapted to their area.”

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27

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • APRIL 15, 2013

Innovative grain producers chosen as Alberta’s Outstanding Young Farmers Finding efficiencies and strategizing helps make Kalco Farms a success

By Victoria Paterson af staff / calgary

F

amily is a competitive advantage in the business of farming, says Alberta’s newest Outstanding Young Farmer. “(Family’s) been at the centre of our farm life for my entire life.

It’s important for us to make this a family venture, something that everyone can derive some benefit from,” said Michael Kalisvaart, who along with wife Karen Jansen, was named the 2013 OYF winner for Alberta and the Northwest Territories.

The 38-year-old operates Kalco

“It’s important for us to make this a family venture.”

Michael Kalisvaart

Farms, an 8,000-acre grain, oilseed and pulse crop operation near Gibbons that his parents started in 1979. His brother and brother-in-law both work in the operation, and his parents help

out during the growing season.

Jansen, who is a graphic designer, also works part time in the operation and designed the farm’s website (kalcofarms.com) and promotional materials. The couple has two daughters and a son.

Farming is increasingly focused on business, but that makes the dedication and sense of pride that family members bring even more important, said Kalisvaart.

Their farm has not only grown in size, but also moved out of hogs in the past decade.

Expanding can be challenging as their farm, about 25 kilometres north of Edmonton, is on the edge of a new energy industry heartland. So instead of renting land from neighbours, they rent from companies that are waiting to develop. This means occasionally they lose land, though Kalisvaart noted there’s an advantage in having landlords who just want someone to take care of the land.

“We’ve had to look at growing our operation in the next county over,” he said.

But it’s a great area for grain farming, he added.

“We have excellent soil here, excellent fertility, and actually some of the best weather around as well,” he said.

Providence Grain, an 11-yearold largely farmer-owned agriservices company, markets the

Michael Kalisvaart receives Alberta Outstanding Young Farmer trophy from chief judge Karen Hunter of ATB. Photos: Lee Hart majority of grain produced at Kalco Farms. Kalisvaart is a shareholder and chair of its board.

Environmental stewardship is “one of the big things we try to do here,” Kalisvaart said.

An environmental farm plan was completed in 2006 and investments have to be made to eliminate chemical spills, have energy-efficient buildings, and reduce inputs through GPS and precision equipment. A pilot project will be undertaken this year to better target fertilizer, which will further reduce emissions, he said.

Kalisvaart is a committed lifelong learner and has taken the Canadian Total Excellence in T:10.25”

Members of the Kalisvaart family winners of the Alberta OYF trophy.

Above from left, Tim, 11 and Marijke, 13, stand next to their father Michael Kalisvaart. At right is chief OYF judge Karen Hunter of ATB. Michael’s wife Karen Jansen and oldest daughter Anna, 16, were unable to attend the event due to a long-planned international school trip that took them out of the country.

Agricultural Management program and the Canadian International Grain Institute’s farm leadership course. He’s taken courses on human resources, crisis management and business planning.

“I always enjoy education,” he said.

Efficiency is a key goal and the farm employs “lean management techniques” to identify and reduce waste in materials, time and labour. That also

means leasing the majority of his equipment because it is all under warranty.

“For us, the service we get makes it the best strategy,” Kalisvaart said.

The national 2013 Outstanding Young Farmers’ event will be held in Regina in November, with two of the provincial finalists being named co-winners. victoria.paterson@fbcpublishing.com

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APRIL 15, 2013 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Spruce Grove’s iconic water tower finally comes home Abandoned and adorned with only graffiti and rust, the 157,456-litre barrel now stands tall in the Alberta community and commemorates the era when it was built

BY JOHNNIE BACHUSKY

AF CONTRIBUTOR / SPRUCE GROVE

A

bout five years ago, as a Spruce Grove boy was being driven home from an Edmonton hospital, he noticed an overturned six-metre-wide barrel lying in the field off Highway 16A. The boy turned to his mother, smiled and said, “Mom, I am home now.”

A few years later, the 157,456litre barrel, abandoned for more than 30 years, also came home.

Former Parkland County councillor George Sewell was inspired by the story of the young boy and was part of the effort to restore the iconic tower, that was dismantled in 1978 and stored on Bill Daly’s farm near the eastern boundary of the community.

“The water tower was a vital part of the community, just like the grain elevator was,” said Sewell, a retired farmer. “I kept telling people they were mainstays for building communities all across Alberta.”

The rusting relic was a sad sight.

“There was some graffiti on it.

Kids actually drew a marijuana leaf on the outside of it,” said Sewell, past volunteer chair and president of the Spruce Grove & District Agricultural Society, and now chair of its building committee.

He spearheaded the effort to preserve the town’s last country grain elevator, an Alberta Wheat Pool structure built in 1958, closed in 1995, and now a museum on Railway Avenue. For many years the society wanted to rescue the barrel but no private or public funding was available to make it happen. But in 2008 a Spruce Grove couple donated $20,000 to the museum with the notion the grain elevator might need some project money. However, there was no elevator improvement plan at the time and the society’s members decided to use the donation to rescue the water tower. A budget of $70,000 was drafted, with the additional $50,000 raised in the business community. The quest to bring the water tower home was in motion.

Spruce Grove’s preservation project is one example of the growing momentum in Alberta communities to preserve their past.

In 2012, Red Deer repainted

Didsbury’s water tower originally received its golfer mural in 1998 to celebrate the 1999 Alberta 55-Plus Summer Games.

“Water towers occupy a special place on the Alberta landscape.

Often situated on the highest ground in the vicinity, they are homing beacons on the prairie, a situation that intensifies as grain elevators disappear.”

Spruce Grove’s forgotten and abandoned water tower was rescued in 2010. PHOTOS: JOHNNIE BACHUSKY

Red Deer’s iconic ‘green onion’ water tower was built in 1958 and holds 500,000 gallons of water.

its iconic 40-metre-tall “green onion” water tower at a cost of $750,000. That same year in Didsbury, town council agreed to spend nearly $20,000 for a facelift of its water tower. Artist Ruth Jepson repainted the 15-metre-high structure’s mural of a golfer overlooking the town’s golf course.

“Water towers occupy a special place on the Alberta landscape,” said Dorothy Field, heritage survey co-ordinator for Alberta Culture.

“Often situated on the highest ground in the vicinity, they are homing beacons on the prairie, a situation that intensifies as grain

In 2010, Spruce Grove volunteers went to work to restore their battered and weathered relic to its full glory. Howard’s Transport, hauled the 20,000-pound barrel three kilometres on a flatbed truck to the site of the preserved grain elevator, a kilometre south of the tower’s original location. It was placed on timbers and rolled into position by a tractor for sandblasting and painting by Jay-Vee Industries. Volunteers secured steel from an Edmonton scrap dealer to create new, 18-metrehigh legs, and operators from Myshak Crane & Rigging hoisted the barrel into place. Stony Plain-

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elevators disappear. Many water towers were built by municipal governments, so pride of ownership adds to their sentimental and symbolic value.”

The province has never conducted a targeted survey of water towers, although there are almost 40 in its heritage survey database and more than 60, including cylinder-shaped standpipes, known to still exist in Alberta, said Field.

Only three — the municipal structure in Gleichen, the CNR water tower in Heinsburg, and Calgary’s wooden Lacombe Home structure — have received provincial historic designation status, she said.

DOROTHY FIELD

area artist James MacKay then painted a 360-degree mural on the tank depicting Spruce Grove’s landscape from 1958. The mural features three grain elevators, the community’s former train station, a church, and the old Spruce Grove Hotel.

Its official unveiling on June 8, 2012 was a great day, said Sewell.

“It was amazing. I was blown away, in fact,” he said. “The big thing is the history. We have a number of families — and people from all over Europe and all over the States and Canada — that come by here. They are just thrilled.”

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • APRIL 15, 2013

Farmers’ Advocate takes on lobbying role Peter Dobbie outlines efforts on right-of-entry fees and clarifying regulations at Alberta Surface Rights Federation meeting

BY VICTORIA PATERSON AF STAFF / CAMROSE

F

armers’ Advocate Office is taking a more proactive role and is lobbying the Alberta government to change some of its policies, says the head of the provincial agency.

“We’re trying to influence government policy to take your interests and concerns into account,” Peter Dobbie told attendees at the recent Alberta Surface Rights Federation annual general meeting in Camrose.

“With some luck, we’ll be good listeners and decision-influencers.”

In the past, the office has focused on providing information, but is now taking a more active role in trying to help people advance their cause, said Dobbie, who was appointed a year ago.

This includes trying to get the

Surface Rights Act amended so the right-of-entry fee — which hasn’t changed since 1981 — is increased from the current $500 per acre per month and to have it reviewed every five years.

His office is also pushing for the province’s new energy regulator to change regulations so that landowners have to be consulted on any proposed activity on their property that could directly or adversely affect them, he said.

There also needs to be more clarity in regulations, he said.

“One of the things that seems clear to me is that there should be, at the very minimum, some definitions that farmers and ranchers can understand so they’ll know when they’re entitled to get notice,” Dobbie said.

His office is also pushing for clarification to amendments to the Mines and Minerals Act, he said in a later interview. In cases where there is seismic activity

proposed on property, landowners have the right to say no and the company shouldn’t be able to get a right-of-entry order, he said.

But when it’s for carbon capture and storage, the option of going to the Surface Rights Board and getting such an order is allowed, Dobbie said.

To ensure that option is used as little as possible, Dobbie said his office has recommended to Alberta Energy that such access only be allowed when there’s something on the minerals title saying pore space has been granted — not just that it might be.

“It basically is making sure that clause isn’t used to allow seismic activity anywhere in the province,” Dobbie said.

His office wants pore space defined as being quite deep and below surface water, he added. victoria.paterson@fbcpublishing.com

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Australia, the world’s No. 3 largest beef exporter, said it has confirmed that approximately 40 head of cattle have been killed by anthrax, but it expects the impact of the disease has been curtailed.

The outbreak was found at two properties in Moree, northwest New South Wales, the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (DPI) said.

The government department said all remaining cattle have now been vaccinated, and there have been no further deaths on either property since March 9.

“Extensive tracing has confirmed that animals have not left the property and that the disease has not spread to other properties,” Steve Green, a spokesperson for the DPI, said in an emailed statement to Reuters.

Scientists said the outbreak is rare but not unusual.

The disease is contracted through contact with spores, which are mostly released by dead animals but can remain in the ground for years, experts said.

30

APRIL 15, 2013 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Time to consider solar energy for your farm?

Costs are down, equipment is dependable and long-term payback looks good, says ag engineer Kelly Lund MERISTEM INFORMATION RESOURCES

A

group of about 60 Alberta producers has installed solar-electric generating units over the past year and so far the decision is looking like a good one.

The installations were completed with support from the federal-provincial Growing Forward program. Quarterly performance feedback will provide the industry with important knowledge about how well these systems perform.

So far it looks good, says Kelly Lund, agricultural engineer with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, one of the people involved with the program and reviewing the data.

She says costs have dropped, the technology is reliable and long-term payback looks positive.

Based on the Growing Forward farmer experience, here’s what she thinks they need to know.

Know the technology

Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology turns sun’s rays into electricity. That’s different than the technology used to generate heat.

• Modules. The smallest functional solar PV unit that you can buy is called a solar ‘module’ (some refer to a single module as a ‘panel,’ but ‘module’ is more accurate). Modules are usually made up of from 36 to 80 solar cells, typically have rated power from 135 watts to 300+ watts, and may range in size from 26x60 inches to 53x66 inches, or other unique sizes. A number of modules wired in series and/or parallel makes up a solar array.

• Inverters. Any grid-connected system will require inverters which take the direct current (DC) produced by the modules and convert it to alternating current (AC) and match it to the grid current.

• Installation. Modules can be ground or roof mounted.

Ground-mounted technology should use an adequate foundation such as concrete or driven-steel piles. Roofmounted installations should be able to support the weight of the system. Engineered racking should be used to mount the modules as self-built racking will void the manufacturer’s warranty.

Where possible, modules should be mounted at a tilt angle that maximizes energy production based on the time of year. For optimum summer production, the tilt angle should be equal to the latitude of the location minus 20 degrees. For optimum winter production, the tilt angle should be equal to latitude plus 20. While ground-mounted systems can usually be adjusted, roof-mounted units on top of buildings are usually fixed. Lund says many producers opt for the lower cost of roof installations and accept the minor production loss that comes with lack of adjustment.

The size of installation is determined by legislation (Micro Generation Regulation) for those intending to be non-commercial producers. Producers are allowed to install units sized to cover the amount of electricity typically used on the operation on a yearly basis. If they do that, they are allowed to export excess electricity back to the grid for credit.

Producers should investigate

the requirements for permits.

In all cases, an electrical permit and electrical inspection will be required.

Reliable, low maintenance

Lund says solar PV technology has been around for a long time, is well tested, reliable, and requires little maintenance. Most carry some sort of electrical certification like Canadian Standards Association (CSA), Underwriters’ Laboratory (UL), or equivalent approval, and typically have 20to 25-year pro-rated warranties. It is illegal in Canada to install any electrical equipment that does not have electrical certification.

Technology has not changed much, Lund says. One new style has reflectors on the opposite side to the solar panel, which is designed to improve efficiency.

A number of installations in this program used this reflector technology, and results are pending as to whether the actual annual production will match the manufacturer’s claims. There are some differences in manufacturer claims in terms of efficiency, whether a module is 14 per cent efficient or 17 per cent, for example, but there is not a wide spread between manufacturers, she says.

The most critical issue is likely how solvent the manufacturer is, and whether it will stay in business long enough to support a warranty.

Ground-mounted technology should use an adequate foundation such as concrete or driven-steel piles.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

Installed costs have dropped

The biggest news is likely the dramatic drop in cost of installations, due to equipment prices coming down. “The first handful of Growing Forward projects came in at $5.50 to $6/watt installed. By the end of the program that had dropped to $4.15 to $3.60,” says Lund. “Now we’re even hearing quotes of under $3.60.”

That means for a 10-kW system, what was a $55,000 system is now under $40,000, she says.

Some people are doing their own installations which lower costs even more.

“So if people follow basic good business protocol and get competitive quotes they should be able to get installations done for under $4 a watt by an experienced third-party installer,” Lund says.

On the cost recovery side, the news is good. Local wire service providers are getting more familiar with applications from individuals who want to become micro-generators and that application process is getting faster.

And new retailers that have moved into Alberta are offering micro-generators a price premium of $0.15 /kWh, although this price premium should be considered temporary, subject to the government review of the Micro Generation Regulation occurring at the end of 2013.

Long-term payback looks positive

With today’s cost, Lund says that depending on the owner’s financing or borrowing costs, many installations today show solar-generated electricity to be at grid parity, where the price per kWh of solar electricity is equal to or less than the cost of electricity from the grid, on a long-term (i.e.

25-year) basis.

“You can see producers asking themselves if they are going to be able to buy power from the grid for that price 10 or 20 years down the road and coming to the conclusion they likely won’t,” says Lund.

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31

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • APRIL 15, 2013

BARLEY TO BEER EVENT

Above: Richard Joy (second from left), vice-president of operations and technical director of the Rahr Malting facility in Alix, gives out barley samples during a tour of the facility that was part of the Barley to Beer event held March 14.

Left: Richard Joy, vice-president of operations and technical director at the Rahr Malting facility in Alix, talks about their malting process during a tour that was part of the Barley to Beer event hosted in Lacombe March 14. PHOTOS: VICTORIA PATERSON

Commission touts benefits of Alberta barley in South Korea and Japan Trade mission helps barley industry make contacts and obtain market insights in Asian nations

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t’s not an easy sell, but the chair of the Alberta Barley Commission’s market development group says a recent trade mission to Japan and South Korea was a solid step forward.

Glenn Logan was part of a delegation of Canadians on the twoweek-long trade mission, and said the Asian nations are important target markets for Alberta barley.

Currently, South Korea and Japan have fairly low quotas for imports of grain and impose high tariffs when the quota is exceeded, but it’s hoped the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade talks will change that situation, said Logan.

“There’s a real opportunity for barley in feed and food, that’s where growth will come from in this present market,” Logan said.

One outcome of the trip is an agreement to set up feed trials in Hokkaido, Alberta’s sister province in Japan. Cattle feeders in both Japan and South Korea aren’t familiar with barley and have some misconceptions about the feed grain.

“They’ve been told corn makes the best beef but we’ve done lots of studies here, and others have done studies as well, that show there’s really no difference in taste between barley and corn,” said Tim McAllister, a researcher from the Lethbridge Research Centre who was on the trade mission.

He said their hosts had many

questions and he had a chance to point out the advantages of barley, including its higher protein count and that it’s cheaper to process barley compared to corn.

Both Logan and McAllister thanked the province for its help in arranging meetings with officials from large companies in the two nations.

“I think there’s a real opportunity for barley in feed and food, that’s where growth will come from in this present market.”

GLENN LOGAN

“I think we had some very good people from the Alberta government there opening doors for us and arranging our tours,” Logan said.

The Ministry of International and Intergovernmental Relations has 10 international offices, and six of them are in Asia, noted Minister Cal Dallas.

“They’re critical for expanding our opportunities in that market,” he said. victoria.paterson@fbcpublishing.com

32

APRIL 15, 2013 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Industry representatives give go-ahead to keep developing a strategy for Canadian beef Trio of leaders in beef sector gives first look at skeletal framework, gets input from summit attendees

By Victoria Paterson af staff / calgary

T

he broad outlines of a plan to revitalize the Canadian beef industry received a welcome reception at a recent industry summit in Calgary.

After stinging critique of their sector by the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute last fall, Kim McConnell, Dave Andrews and John Kolk were asked in November to consult with industry players and create a framework for a comprehensive strategy.

“One of the big things we have learned is that increasingly, the world of beef is changing, it’s changing fast and it’s changing big time,” McConnell said at the meeting, which drew representatives appearing from producers, processors, retailers and other industry players.

That was also the conclusion of the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute, which accused the Canadian beef sector of being complacent and lacking a strategy to succeed. In its report last September, the institute highlighted a number of troubling issues, including that in 2001, Canada received $3.74 for each kilogram of beef it sold in the U.S., while Americans sold us their beef, often from Canadian-raised cattle, at an average of $6.55 a kilogram. Even then, American beef was displacing Canadian beef in this country. It also noted American global beef exports had, on a value basis, increased 280 per cent since 2005, while Canada’s only grew by 45 per cent during that time.

“One of the big things we have learned is that increasingly, the world of beef is changing, it’s changing fast and it’s changing big time.”

Kim McConnell

in our beef is the “Canadian beef advantage,” namely high-quality, safe, grain-finished beef raised in the Canadian environment by committed producers and processors as part of an agile system that provides transparency, traceability and respects the desires of customers and consumers.

To capitalize on that, the trio said five things are needed: • An information-sharing system, accessible to all and with the full backing of major industry players; • A clear set of goals, with a simple way to measure progress in achieving them;

• Twice-yearly meetings to bring the entire industry together; • Industry-wide financial support of the promotional efforts of Canada Beef Inc., which currently relies on producer checkoffs and government funding; • And a commitment to have the industry speak with a single voice.

The trio said a task force needs to be struck to flesh out the framework, but emphasized the entire sector needs to get involved and move the effort forward.

“Now it’s about process and deadlines,” Kolk said.

McConnell was hopeful that would happen.

“There was a lot of harmony here today and this is an industry that is not used to a lot of harmony,” he said.

The trio will continue their work, which includes further development on the strategy, forming various teams, and arranging the first meeting to bring the industry together.

They said many people volunteered to work on the various task force teams which will be set up. victoria.paterson@fbcpublishing.com

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Dave Andrews (l), Kim McConnell (centre) and John Kolk (r) presented their straw-man framework for a cohesive beef industry strategy.

PHOto: Victoria Paterson

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“Canada’s beef industry is falling behind and opportunities are being eroded by a failure to work together,” said David McInnes, the institute’s president and CEO, following the report’s release.

But the Calgary summit suggested that’s changing, with attendees giving a strong endorsement to a five-point plan put forward by McConnell, Andrews and Kolk.

“I’m stunned at the consensus,” said Andrews in a post-summit interview.

Kolk added the goodwill was surprising, but it suggests there has been an attitude shift and the realization that industry has to win together.

Throughout the day-long meeting, McConnell outlined the framework the trio put together, with industry stakeholders offering input via table discussions and electronic voting. He said the perceived value

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Albertafarmexpress.ca • April 15, 2013

Cattlemen’s Young Leaders program helping to develop future beef industry leaders Mentorship, skill development and networking all key parts of CYL experience

By Victoria Paterson af staff / calgary

M

indful of its aging demographics, the beef sector is using an innovative mentorship program to foster the development of its next generation of leaders.

“The program was designed to develop youths into the leaders we need them to be in the future,” said Jolene Noble, co-ordinator of the Cattlemen’s Young Leaders program.

The program matches youth between the ages of 18 and 35 with a mentor for an eight-month period, and provides funding for travel so the young person can meet with his or her mentor and attend industry events.

“We’re looking for people with passion in the beef industry, and

Recent Cattlemen’s Young Leaders graduates PHOTos: provided

Cattlemen’s Young Leaders program participant Debra Murphy and MP Kevin Sorenson.

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about the future of the business,” she said.

Dunford said mentors have helped her in her career, and it was a “no-brainer” to volunteer when she was asked to participate if there was a young person keen to learn about the marketing side of industry.

“It just made good sense to have more youth involved in our businesses as we get older,” Dunford said.

While she enjoyed the phone calls and emails, Dunford said face-toface meetings and taking Hyatt to events were very important.

“It was really nice to be able to take Kerry along on some of my meetings or at conventions so I could open doors for her,” Dunford said.

Since the program launched in 2010, there’s been 36 graduates (in addition to the 16 current participants) and 39 people have served as mentors, Noble said. The number of applications has increased over the years.

Program organizers are looking at ways to extend the learning experience by giving graduates access to governance training, business-skill development, and other areas of learning. They want to send participants and grads out on speaking engagements and to booths at trade shows, and also give them a chance to participate in projects with retailers and Canada Beef.

That’s just the sort of thing Debra Murphy is looking for. Murphy, who farms on a mixed operation near Consort, is one of the 16 people selected for this year’s program in Ottawa.

“A lot of the knowledge I have for our operation is on the crop side, so I wanted to learn a little bit more about the cattle industry,” said the 24-year-old.

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Dunford, a market analyst with Gateway Livestock.

She said the pair “hit it off right away,” and are still in touch, even though Hyatt has completed the program. Hyatt, who has an agribusiness diploma and is working on getting a degree, attended several industry events, including travelling to Florida for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association convention.

“This has been a life-changing opportunity because I never ever realized how much opportunity is in the beef industry for young people — not just producers, but people looking for (other) careers in it as well,” she said.

The program is also rewarding for mentors, said Dunford, adding it’s great to interact with the “young, exciting, vibrant” program participants.

“It kind of gives you a good feeling

S:8.84”

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the leadership skills and drive to succeed,” Noble said.

The process starts with an application, and potential participants are brought to the Cattlemen’s Young Leaders’s spring forum, which was held in conjunction with this year’s Canadian Cattlemen’s Association meeting in Ottawa. Finalists are selected after participating in roundtable discussions where they are scored by facilitators and judges.

This year, 22 people from across the country attended the forum and 16 were chosen for the program.

One was Kerry Hyatt, who grew up on a cow-calf operation in Ontario and now works for a county in southern Alberta, but wants to one day work in the cattle sector.

“I knew that I loved the industry and I knew that I was passionate about it, but I didn’t know where it fit in my career,” said the 26-yearold, who was paired with Anne

victoria.paterson@fbcpublishing.com

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APRIL 15, 2013 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

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35

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • APRIL 15, 2013

Fruit wineries taking off but getting airborne isn’t easy Owner of Barr Estate Winery had years of wine-making experience before launching his Sherwood Park operation

BY ALEXIS KIENLEN AF STAFF / EDMONTON

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lmost anyone can make booze, but making a good fruit wine is a science.

“If you go into this business and you’ve never made wine before, you’re in for a world of hurt,” said Rick Barr, who owns Barr Estate Winery in Sherwood Park with his wife Amy and her parents.

“Making alcohol is easy. But to convert a nice fruit into a nice wine takes time.”

Alberta’s cottage wine industry, established in 2005, requires at least five acres of fruit production and the winery must be located on the same land as the orchard.

Mead makers require at least 50 bee colonies to be licensed.

Fruit wines can only be made by adding sugar to fruit.

If you go into this business and you’ve never made wine before, you’re in for a world of hurt. “Making alcohol is easy. But to convert a nice fruit into a nice wine takes time.”

RICK BARR CO-OWNER OF BARR ESTATE WINERY

“If you fermented raspberries or rhubarb with only their natural sugars, you’d only get about four per cent alcohol,” Barr said in a presentation at the recent Alberta Farm Fresh Producers Association conference.

“You need to add sugar to get the alcohol content up to a normal acceptable level for wines.

We do 12 per cent.”

Barr Estate Winery produces two wines: The Other Red (raspberry) and The Barb (rhubarb).

The couple freezes their fruit, presses it and then ferments the pressed juice, which gives them a more consistent product. They use a cool fermentation technique, which improves the bouquet and fruit characteristics.

“Apples make a good wine, but only half of their weight comes back in juice. So you have to pick a lot of apples,” he said. “One of our best yields for juice is rhubarb. You get 85 per cent juice per pound.”

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The couple, who has been making wine for 20 years, took a fermentation course at the university, as well as a sommelier course to learn more about wine. Starting a winery is expensive and not having to buy a farm is a big advantage, said Barr who took over a former dairy operation in 2002. The couple grows raspberries, sour cherries and rhubarb for their wine and began sales in 2010.

A new cottage fruit winery is required to produce 1,500 litres in the first year of operation, and be up to 4,500 litres by year five — although that’s tiny compared to commercial

operations, which must produce at least 250,000 litres of wine a year. Regulations covering cottage wineries require 75 per cent of the fruit to be grown on the vintner’s property, while the other 25 per cent must be grown in Alberta.

“You have to vinify 100 per cent of the wine on your own property,” said Barr. “Vinify just means converting the sugar to alcohol.”

A Class E cottage winery licence is required to make wine, while a Class D licence is needed if vintners want to sell wine off their premises. Barr Estate also has a liquor agent

licence, which allows them to sell their wine to restaurants.

Barr recommended allotting at least six months for the paperwork. Business plans are necessary for anyone wanting to become a cottage winery and incorporation is mandatory.

“AGLC (Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission) will not even talk to you unless you are incorporated,” said Barr.

But the key is marketing. The Barrs sell their wine at farmers’ markets and at their farm gate and use social media to generate sales. akienlen@fbcpublishing.com

Rick Barr, co-owner of Barr Estate Winery PHOTO: ALEXIS KIENLEN

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36

APRIL 15, 2013 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

EU studies whether to lift animal byproduct ban for pig, poultry feed in 2014 But safety measures may make its use in animal feed too expensive and retailers fear a consumer backlash

BY IVANA SEKULARAC AMSTERDAM / REUTERS

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he European Union hopes to ease the cost of protein used to make pig and poultry feed by lifting a ban on byproducts imposed during the mad cow disease outbreak over a decade ago.

The change would come at a time of heightened consumer concern about food safety in Europe after it was discovered that horsemeat had been sold as beef in some products.

Stricter safety rules on processed animal proteins (PAPs), that include intestine, bones, blood and feathers, would be imposed when the ban was lifted to prevent, for example, the “cannibalism” of pig feed being given to pigs.

But the cost to industry of implementing the new rules as well as consumer wariness of the risk of another mad cow-type outbreak means it is not clear how much the protein would be used.

“We are currently discussing with member states the potential reauthorization of processed animal proteins in feed for poultry and pigs from 2014,” said Tonio Borg, spokesman for the EU’s Health and Consumer Commissioner.

The use of PAPs, particularly when cows were fed with feed containing cow protein,

was blamed for the outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease in Europe.

A human version called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is believed to be caused by eating beef products contaminated with central nervous system tissue, such as brain and spinal cord, from cattle infected with BSE. In the U.K., the worst-affected country, a total of 175 cases of vCJD were registered from 19962011.

The byproducts from pig and poultry slaughter were banned in 2000 as a precaution after the BSE outbreak and the number of cases in the EU fell from 2,167 cases in 2001 to 45 cases in 2009 according to the World Health Organization.

In Europe, PAPs can currently be used in pet food. As of June this year they will also be allowed in EU fish feed.

The next planned step would be to allow them in poultry and pig feed. This would bring Europe back in line with many other countries, including the United States, China, Thailand, Australia where there were no major reported outbreaks of BSE. PAPs would stay banned in the EU’s ruminant sector, which includes cattle and sheep and was most closely linked to BSE. The EU hopes lifting the ban would ease a shortage of cheaper, domestically produced protein.

In 2011, the EU used around 49.9

Storm clouds loom above cattle grazing at a farm near Prague where a cow was found infected with mad cow disease (BSE) on June 8, 2001. While limits on feeding animal protein back to cattle will remain in place, the EU is considering loosening the rules for pig and poultry feed. PHOTO: REUTERS million tonnes of protein source in feed but only half of it came from Europe.

The rest was imported, with soymeal accounting for 80 per cent of those imports, and soymeal prices doubled over a few months last year due to a drought in the United States.

Animal byproducts are a good alternative and would reduce reliance on expensive imports, producers say.

Healthy animals only

The reauthorization would forbid cannibalism and will also ensure the byproducts allowed in feed would be from healthy animals slaughtered for human consumption.

Animals who die on farms would be used for energy, for example in cement plants, or fertilizers, but not in feed.

Scientists say the new controls would also include DNA

testing to make sure that raw material i.e. protein from chicken and protein for pork do not mix.

This might require separate production lines, that could force industry change and push up the cost, said Alexander Doering, secretary general of the federation of the European Union’s animal feed producers.

“The cost in that case will be prohibitive,” he said.

Alberta Beef Producers issues mea culpa, pledges to fund forage research Federal and provincial research dollars for forage have plummeted since about 1985

BY ALEXIS KIENLEN AF STAFF / PONOKA

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lberta Beef Producers has realized its mistake in overlooking forages and now wants to be more involved in the forage industry, said Karin Schmid, the organization’s beef production specialist.

Forages were overlooked for several reasons, she said.

“Let’s face it, forage research isn’t that sexy,” Schmid said at the recent AGM of the Alberta Forage Industry Network.

“It’s not flashy, it’s long term and it takes a long time to get results. That’s not where the funding dollars went, unfortunately.”

Many beef producers believed forage producers should fund their own research, but it’s now recognized that was impractical, she said.

“How are you supposed to do that without a checkoff system or a way of collecting industry funds?” Schmid said. “That was

a very big misfortune from the industry side and kind of an overlook on our part.”

Federal and provincial research dollars for forage have plummeted since about 1985 and fiveyear funding cycles have hit the forage industry harder than any other industry, she said.

Forage research needs to be long term and a five-year cycle simply doesn’t give researchers enough time, Schmid said. As well, the lack of a secure source of funding makes it more difficult for scientists to plan research programs, she said.

“Forage just got taken for granted,” she said. “Guys would plant their stands and leave them there for 20 years and expect their yields, gains and cattle and everything to be the same without any changes in management.

“We’ve realized that we need to pull up our socks or we’re going to be in some serious trouble.”

Fortunately, there are now forage-related initiatives in the works in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, she added.

37

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • APRIL 15, 2013

Keep your family from dying in a fire Rural residents need to make exit plans and be specific in giving directions to fire and rescue services

By Alexis Kienlen af staff / smoky lake

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anada leads the world in fire deaths and it isn’t related to building codes, fire departments or long response times, says TimVandenbrink, deputy fire chief of the City of Spruce Grove.

“This may surprise you, because it’s (Canada) one of the worst — more people die in fires in Canada than any other country in the industrialized world today,” he said at the Smoky Lake Agricultural Conference.

The reason for Canada’s sad fire record? The lack of interest in preparing for a fire plan, Vandenbrink said. Eighty-five per cent of fire fatalities are in the home, and a quarter of those are children.

Ironically, the children are doing a better job of planning than their parents, Vandenbrink said. He praised elementary school students for their awareness and ability to respond efficiently and effectively during fire drills.

“I can walk into any school in our city, and I did in Edmonton for years, and I can pull the fire bell and I will personally guarantee that buildings with upwards of 700 and 800 people will be evacuated in under two minutes,” Vandenbrink said. “In less than three minutes, those children will be evacuated and accounted for.

“I don’t show them fancy films on fire safety, and I don’t give them talks on fire safety, he said. “I make them do fire safety.

As a result, kids do it better than anyone else.”

As people get older, they start to disregard safety and fire drills, Vandenbrink said. Adults are the worst, as they don’t take fire drills seriously. Vandenbrink said adults don’t practise fire drills. They just hold meetings and then write fire-safety plans and put them in books on the shelf. Many are extremely reluctant to pull fire alarms in public buildings and the average person also doesn’t pay attention to the location of fire alarms, Vandenbrink said.

“More people die in fires in Canada than any other country in the industrialized world today.”

Tim VandenbrinK

Escape plan vital

But while children do fire safety well in schools, they aren’t taught how to escape from their homes in the case of fire. Vandenbrink

recommends that every home have an escape plan. In case of an emergency, all family members should leave together, so that no one has to go back into the house to look for anyone.

Vandenbrink said parents need to be examples to their children, and should make the effort to hold regular fire drills.

“If you’ve planned for it and talked about it, it’s not that hard to do,” he said.

People living on farms need to prepare differently, since they are far away from their neighbours, Vandenbrink said. He recommends keeping a phone outside the house, as well as a set of keys outside so vehicles can be accessed. Families should also think about keeping emergency blankets outside the house.

Knowing how to give a precise location to fire and rescue services is extremely important in rural areas, Vandenbrink said.

“You know, the idea of ‘The old Johnson place,’ or ‘Blueberry Hill’ means nothing to the dispatcher. You’ve got to know where you are.”

Children should be taught how to call, what to say and how to give their precise address so emergency personnel can locate them. Some rural communities may have assigned emergency plots to parcels of land, and all family members should know these co-ordinates. akienlen@fbcpublishing.com T:10.25”

Tim Vandenbrink, deputy fire chief of the City of Spruce Grove, says adults are too complacent about fire risk. PHOTo: Alexis Kienlen

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APRIL 15, 2013 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

New donors help drive Combines for Cures PCC RELEASE

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he Prostate Cancer Centre (PCC) has introduced the newest sponsors for “Combines for Cures” — an initiative to bring prostate cancer awareness and screening to men in rural southern Alberta.

Monsanto Canada Inc., Bayer CropScience Inc., Penn West Exploration and W. Brett Wilson and his 50th Birthday Colleagues (the “Birthday Boys”) joined founding sponsor, Agrium Inc., each committing $300,000 over the next three years, bringing total donations to $1.5 million. A portion of those funds will go immediately to purchase a rural “Man Van,” a mobile testing unit dedicated to southern Alberta.

Calgary has the only mobile PSA testing unit in Canada and to date has tested 9,000 men.

In Alberta, prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men and an estimated eight men will die of prostate cancer each week.

The announcement was made at the unveiling of the new Combines for Cures Donor Wall at the PCC to recognize donors and friends of agriculture who have donated money and grain during the 2012 pilot project.

Combines for Cures was established to get men to take a simple blood test for the early detection of prostate cancer at mobile PSA blood testing clinics. It is an initiative of the PCC, a one-of-a kind success story with a mandate to provide excellence in prostate cancer education, diagnosis, treatment, awareness and research.

Concept only

New sponsors for “Combines for Cures” gathered at a new donor wall at the Prostate Cancer Centre in Calgary. (l-r) Dave Rodney, associate minister of wellness; Keith Luft, Penn West Petroleum; Paul Thiel, Bayer CropScience; Tony Overwater, Crop Production Services; Mike Wilson, Agrium and chair of the Prostate Cancer Foundation; Cornie Thiessen, Monsanto and Dr. Eric Hyndman — Calgary Prostate Centre.

Bird flu found on South Africa ostrich farm, no Chinese link seen Officials say the H7N1 strain poses no threat to humans CAPE TOWN / REUTERS

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n outbreak of bird flu has hit an ostrich farm in South Africa, but authorities said it was unlikely to pose a threat to humans, though additional tests were being carried out after another strain killed eight people in China.

The outbreak has prompted restrictions on the movement of the big birds and their products in the Western Cape province, the Western Cape Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement April 9.

Tests samples from an ostrich farm near Oudtshoorn, the centre of South Africa’s ostrich export industry, found the presence of the H7N1 virus, the ministry said.

Another strain, H7N9, has killed eight people in eastern China since it was confirmed in humans for the first time last month.

Marna Sinclair, a state vet in the Oudtshoorn area, said there had been previous incidents of H7N1 viruses in the region, but that none were found to be related to the current Chinese strain and no people have fallen ill.

“There is no real concern. We doubt it is a related virus but are conducting tests to make sure,” she said.

Two years ago, South Africa culled 10,000 ostriches after an outbreak of another, less virulent form of bird flu halted ostrichmeat exports to the European Union.

39

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • APRIL 15, 2013

U.S. courts helpless to stop biotech crops while being reviewed Some U.S. farm groups vow to protect pro-Monsanto ‘Rider’ while biotech opponents say the backroom deal protects seed companies washington / reuters

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number of U.S. farm groups want to extend a law that allows farmers to grow a genetically modified crop while regulatory approval of the variety is still being challenged in court.

No one in Congress claims ownership of Section 735 of a recent spending bill, but the 22-line provision has blown up a storm of opposition to what is being dubbed by critics as the “Monsanto Protection Act.” The legislation is lauded by some farm groups, who have vowed to try to extend the life of the statute beyond its Sept. 30 expiration at the end of the fiscal year.

Food safety advocacy groups frequently ask for a temporary injunction against sale of seeds

when they challenge U.S. approval of genetically modified crops. So Section 735 would benefit biotech seed companies such as Monsanto Co. and Dow Chemical Co. “We’ll certainly try to get that language put into the Farm Bill,” Mississippi farmer Danny Murphy, president of the American Soybean Association, told Reuters.

He said lawsuits have delayed farmer access to profitable biotech varieties for years at a time.

“We think it’s important farmers have the certainty once they plant a crop they would be able to harvest it.”

Lawmakers aim to pass a new farm policy law by this fall.

Only one variety, a genetically modified alfalfa developed by Monsanto, is under court review at present.

Biotech foe Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the Center for Food Safety, called Section 735 a backroom deal that muzzles the power of federal judges to prevent the cultivation of inadequately reviewed biotech crops.

Opponents range from organic food advocates and small-farm activists to environmentalists, consumer groups and the American Civil Liberties Union.

The language was tucked into the 240-page government funding bill in the Senate with no indication of its author. Even the groups who support the provision say they do not know who got it into the sure-to-pass bill.

No one claimed credit during debate.

The bill was passed on March 22 and signed by President Barack Obama on March 28

— even after thousands signed petitions opposing the so-called biotech rider.

Monsanto, the world’s largest seed company, is often a focal point for opposition by those who oppose genetically engineered crops or want more labelling of genetically modified foods. The company on April 3 announced a 22 per cent rise in quarterly earnings.

A pro-labelling/anti-Monsanto demonstration is planned for Monday at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration offices in College Park, Maryland.

Senior members of the Appropriations Committees in the House and Senate pointed at each other when asked who was behind Section 735. Two senators said the House panel was responsible because it backed the idea

last year, albeit in a bill that failed to advance.

A spokesman for Representative Jack Kingston of Georgia, tabbed as the 2012 sponsor, said Kingston had no role this year.

Speculation has since centred on Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri, Monsanto’s home state. His aides did not respond to queries.

Senate Appropriations chairwoman Barbara Mikulski “didn’t put the language in the bill and doesn’t support it either,” said spokeswoman Rachel MacKnight. She said Section 735 was an unavoidable carry-over from House-Senate negotiations last fall.

Mikulski has supported labelling of genetically modified foods and will fight for “valuable priorities, including food safety,” said MacKnight.

John Deere sponsors 4-H scholarships Applications accepted until May 31 John Deere Canada is sponsoring a scholarship program for the 2013-14 school year to mark its longstanding support of 4-H Canada and to celebrate its 100th anniversary.

John Deere is matching funds with 11 dealers in seven provinces to award up to 12, $2,000 scholarships. Applicants must be entering their first year of post-secondary education or currently be enrolled in an undergraduate program in the 2013-14 school year, and must be a current member in good standing of 4-H Canada. Preference will be given to students majoring in agriculture, engineering, business or an agriculture technician program.

Participating Manitoba dealers are Enns Brothers, Greenland Equipment and Greenvalley Equipment.

The John Deere Canada 4-H Scholarship Program is administered by the Canadian 4-H Council, which also will select the scholarship recipients. Applications will be accepted from March 1 to May 31. Additional information can be found on the 4-H website at www.4-h-canada.ca.

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