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The past comes alive in Coyote Flats during Harvest Days It began with a small group restoring old farm equipment, but today the pioneer village is much, much more

BY HELEN MCMENAMIN

AF CONTRIBUTOR | PICTURE BUTTE

A

lthough best known as the heart of Feedlot Alley, Picture Butte is also home to the Prairie Tractor and Engine Museum.

The collection of tractors and farm equipment in the pioneer village of Coyote Flats is quite spectacular. And during the annual Harvest Days event, some get to strut their stuff again as volunteers drive the old tractors and threshing equipment around the village in what’s dubbed the Parade of Power.

Some of the equipment is nearly a century old but is put to use in threshing or tractor pulls.

The tractor pull is one of the most popular events and the focus is on operator skills as the tractor weight and horsepower are combined with the weight pulled to choose the winner. For those who prefer quieter horsepower and a different skill, there are horse-pulling events.

Some of the equipment arrived at the museum in running condition — such as the 1918 Case 2040 that the donors drove off a trailer last month.

Driving into Coyote Flats you pass the new visitor centre with a half-track Farmall 127 tractor and turn onto the main street.

WORLD WEATHER

PHOTO: HELEN MCMENAMIN

COYOTE } page 6

COOL HERE, BUT SWELTERING ELSEWHERE } PAGE 16

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8/6/13 6:52 AM

news » inside this week

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inside » Feedlot sector rocked Tyson drops Zilmax growth promoter

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AUGUST 19, 2013 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

livestock

crops

New varieties for swath grazing

Putting the hype to the test

columNists Daniel Bezte Cool Prairies are the exception

brenda schoepp British farmers battle TB-infected badgers

Harvest your woodlot Funds available to develop a wood business

France’s food prestige fails flailing exports The crown of world’s best cheese maker has been won by a Japanese woman

Carol Shwetz

7

F

Seeking later-seeded barley that still yields

11

Ultimate Canola Challenge evaluates new products

Treating laminitis and founder

17

Grizzly weighs five tons, but isn’t too dangerous Sculpture joins array of distinctive, rural Alberta icons

paris / reuters

rance can no longer rely on the famed cachet of its gastronomy to reverse a fall to the fifth rank of world food exporters, its food minister said on June 12.

“We must not rest on our laurels in terms of exports of French products,” Guillaume Garot told food and wine producers at an exporters’ meeting. “We have a lot on our plates if we want to meet the export challenge.”

Food, wine and spirits have been major drivers of France’s trade balance and, including hefty grain exports, showed an 11.9-billion euros (US$15.70-billion) surplus in 2011, making it the second-largest sector surplus after aeronautics.

The crown of world’s best cheese maker has been won by a Japanese woman and France no longer has the lead in the best wine sommeliers — both signs of the times, said Cecile Bassot head of export marketing group Sopexa.

In 2011 France fell to fifth among the world’s largest agri-food exporters after the United States, the Netherlands, Germany and Brazil, with “China on its heels,” she said.

“If we continue like this we risk not being a food power anymore,” Bassot said.

French products still benefit from a good quality image abroad, but food makers warned that it was losing momentum with heavy competition from other European countries like Italy.

For wine, France’s luxury image has even been a drawback.

“A French study suggested about 15 years ago that drinking a little wine was good for health but it benefited mostly our competitors, which started producing affordable wines,” said Franck Crouzet, head of communication at wine group Castel.

16

By Johnnie Bachusky af contributor | innisfail

T

he once-extinct plains grizzly bear in central Alberta has made a big splash in the region. And while the legendary bruin now thrilling guests at Innisfail’s Discovery Wildlife Park may not be the typical menacing-looking beast locked up in a zoo enclosure, the giant creature is still destined like no other bear to become a must-see attraction for tourists. The new pride of Innisfail is a mechanical creation 14 years in the making by park owner Doug Bos, who established the local 90-acre zoo in 2002 after a 12-year stint in Clive.

Bos originally came up with the idea of having a huge, animated creature — one in constant motion to catch the eyes of tourists, but not necessarily a grizzly.

“The original design was going to be a giraffe, and then it became a bear,” Bos said.

“We are going to dub Innisfail as the bear capital of the world.

Nobody else is claiming that title so we may as well.”

Doug Bos

His brother Bert was the driving force in designing the animated, steel grizzly, which stands 23 feet when fully erect and 12 feet at the shoulder when lowered. “So Bert designed a bear to work on this oilfield pumpjack and made a scale model of it. It turned out incredible,” said Bos. Bos had Gerald Graham from Lacombe construct the bear before it was moved to Innisfail. Hauling the 10,500-lb. grizzly, which cost an estimated $50,000 to build, from Lacombe to Innisfail was an obvious problem, but Andy’s Oilfield Hauling immediately seized the opportunity.

“I think it was unique for me to do this.

It is something I have never done before, lifting a mechanical bear in place,” said Don Stubbe, a senior crane operator with the company. “It is part of the oilpatch too because it is a pumpjack and we do a lot of pumpjacks, and this was a unique one.

“It is a big bear and I think it is going to be an icon,” he said. “It’s going to be some-

Doug Bos with his 23-foot grizzly bear sculpture at Innisfail park. photo: Johnnie Bachusky thing people can see from the highway, and very attractive for this wildlife park.”

That is exactly what Bos has in mind for the grizzly; a lot of social media promotion, giving the Guinness World Records a call for having the planet’s biggest, animated bear, and having it listed as the province’s 35th icon with the Alberta Community Icon program. If successful, Bos’s big, animated grizzly will join such notable icons as Barrhead’s Great Blue Heron, Edson’s Eddie the Squirrel, Beaverlodge’s Giant Beaver sculpture,

Glendon’s Giant Pyrogy, the World’s Largest Bee in Falher and the Giant Sausage replica in Mundare.

Bos’s museum already has three “live” grizzlies that have been featured in a score of movies and commercials. He sincerely believes his bear will quickly put Innisfail on the map as a priority must-see place for tourists to visit in the summer. “We are going to dub Innisfail as the bear capital of the world. Nobody else is claiming that title so we may as well,” he said.

13 15

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • AUGUST 19, 2013

Watching the skies and the thermometer in the Peace Growers dreaming of the B word for crops but the F word is looming

UFA is awarding $250,000

What would your community do with $50,000?

It’s the ultimate rural act of kindness.

Visit UFA.com/GetnGive to learn how you can enter your community for a chance to win and pay it forward. ©2013 UFA Co-operative Ltd. All rights reserved.

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Peace hay crops look good but rain is making operations difficult.

BY REBECCA DIKA

AF CONTRIBUTOR | BEAVERLODGE

T

he crop report for the Peace region is generally favourable, but weather conditions now and later are giving growers plenty of anxiety.

Alberta Agriculture market specialist David Wong said frequent rains and showers are slowing up haying operations and the fescue harvest in northwestern Alberta.

“We’ve been on a hail watch as well as watching out for the five-letter F word: Frost,” Wong said in early August. “Right now, we are hoping for hot weather

Canola yields are promising but crops need time to set seed.

PHOTOS: REBECCA DIKA

to help maturity.” He said producers certainly don’t need any more moisture. “Rain continues to be hit or miss, with heavy local showers throughout the Peace,” he said.

Producers are looking for bumper crops, if everything goes well. “Crops are looking terrific,” Wong said. The July 30 provincial crop report showed crop conditions at 89 per cent and “good to excellent” compared to the five-year average of 66 per cent for this time period.

Wong said soil moisture conditions (81.5 per cent) are excellent, with just under two per cent reported as excessive.

“Haying operations are all

FCC annual report reflects positive agricultural outlook

over the map,” he said. “Some guys are finished while others

“We just need the heat to ripen the crop, let the later tillers catch up, avoid frost, and hopefully get a good grade.”

DAVID WONG

waited and have just cut their hay. “Many fields have been rained on and swaths turned.”

Still, Wong said yields are very good at well over two tons per acre. The average here is about 1.6. “Many pastures are being hayed as pasture yields are very good to sustain the animals on the other pastures,” he said.

Canola was finishing flowering and needed three weeks for seeds to set. “There’s lots of pods there and the crops look very good,” said Wong. Peace region wheat was in the latemilk stage and looked promising, he said. “We just need the heat to ripen the crop, let the later tillers catch up, avoid

frost, and hopefully get a good grade.”

Wong said many producers utilized fungicides this year in canola due to the moisture causing disease buildup in some areas; dry conditions inviting bugs. “Our winter wheat is late but with the good moisture it has continued to grow,” he said, adding some fields could be ready within the week.

Peace region fescue harvest had commenced in early August and Wong said initial reports indicated an average crop. “Secondyear fields do not look good for yield,” he added. Overall, Wong said, “we’re not looking at harvest starting in general until early September.”

Working together es around power lin

Clients are showing an improved debt-to-equity ratio and the loan portfolio continues to grow STAFF

F

arm Credit Canada’s loan portfolio grew by almost $2 billion to $25.1 billion, the Crown corporation says in its newly released annual report for 2012.

FCC disbursed $7.7 billion to farmers, processors and suppliers in the agriculture value chain through 47,000 loans during 2012, the report says.

“The bottom line is that agriculture has never mattered more to Canada and the world,” said Greg Stewart, FCC president and CEO, in releasing the report for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2013.

“At FCC, we see and live this every day. We believe in the strength of agriculture and the Canadians whose livelihood is food production.”

Other financial highlights in the report include: • The corporation saw a net income of $513.4 million, which provides for a dividend payment to the Government of Canada as well as significant reinvestment in agriculture through increased lending to

customers and the development of agriculture knowledge, products and services; • There was an improvement in the allowance for credit losses at 2.5 per cent of loans receivable reflecting reduced risk in the loan portfolio and a strong agriculture economy; • FCC saw an improved debt-toequity ratio of 6.7:1 indicating continued financial strength and an ongoing ability to serve the agriculture industry; • Continued support of the industry for customers needing alternative financing with $73.4 million in venture capital investments.

“FCC’s ability to serve Canadian farmers and agribusiness operators depends on our knowledge of the industry and continuing to operate as a responsible financial partner to our customers.”

Over the past 10 years, FCC customers have grown their asset values and net income, while maintaining healthy farm debt-to-equity ratios. Strong business opportunities in agriculture, agribusiness and agrifood have also maintained the steady growth of FCC’s portfolio, the corporation says.

8/8/13 2:18 PM

Today’s farm equipment is bigger than ever. That can mean big problems when working around power lines.

Plan ahead. Call us at 1-800-668-2248, and we’ll work together to move your equipment safely.

4

AUGUST 19, 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

Director of Sales & Circulation

An enjoyable glimpse at a dying art — in North America

Lynda Tityk Email: lynda.tityk@fbcpublishing.com

Olds College did another fine job hosting the World Ploughing Match

Victoria Paterson, Calgary (403) 806-0522 victoria.paterson@fbcpublishing.com

PRODUCTION director Shawna Gibson Email: shawna@fbcpublishing.com

CIRCULATION manager Heather Anderson Email: heather@fbcpublishing.com

By will verboven

national ADVERTISING SALES

Alberta Farmer | Editor

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

T

he recently held World Ploughing Match in Olds perhaps highlighted the growing gap in world agricultural production. That gap is starkly evident in western North America where kingsize, commercial agriculture continues to expand.

At the Olds College event, competitors from over 50 countries were using modest, mid-size tractors pulling two- or threebottom plows. That size may well have been within the technical requirements of the competition, but they looked rather quaint compared to the giant equipment on display at the event trade show.

Also, this observer could not find a single plow of any size on display at the machinery show. That may have been an oversight, but I expect there is a message there. Plowing has become something of a lost art on the large, commercial crop operations that now dominate midwestern North America. But that’s not the case in many other parts of the world.

Although it’s changing in some parts, much of European agriculture is still quite modest in scope and size with a sizable workforce compared to North America. This has much to do with geography, culture and of course politics. The infamous EU Common Agriculture Policy was designed more to maintain the status quo in agriculture and food production and to keep people on the land, and quiet. Hence, there is little incentive for farmers to expand in order to survive by means of economies of scale.

This means that in most EU countries that compete in the plowing matches they have plenty of competitors, since their farmer populations are much larger. Such farm economics also see many small farms which use much smaller equipment like three-bottom mouldboard plows. The size of North American farm machinery must astound these folks.

However, it’s not all small-time over there.

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

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Entrepreneurial Danish and Dutch operators have carved out mega-size grain farms from former communist collective farms in eastern Germany and Ukraine. That sees the use of North American-scale production equipment on those massive operations. It vastly increased efficiencies and yields, but it displaced thousands of collective farm residents and workers when the state sold the properties to those well-financed operators. But that’s another story.

From comments by foreign visitors, it

Contestants lay down sharp, concise furrows in arrowstraight rows without the use of computerized depth sensors or GPS-guided tractors.

would seem that in some countries these plowing competitions attract many thousands of spectators and include substantial ag industry participation. Some of the Olds competition foreign participants were sponsored by their governments and resident ag industries. That saw their specialized competition equipment sent over earlier in containers. Other less-financed participants had to scrounge around locally for their competition equipment.

Watching the event would also seem to be an acquired interest, as there is not a lot of excitement in watching a furrow turn over.

It’s not exactly a race either, as the event unfolds at a leisurely pace. The participants are already national champions so not a lot of mistakes were made to add colour and emotion to the event.

Surprisingly some competitors used

plastic mouldboards in their plows, and somewhat baffling was the presence of placard-waving fans of some competitors.

The presence of female plowpersons as competitors is a welcome change from past events. Watching the event progress one can’t help but ponder the ancient historic connection that plowing has to human development. The concept of plowing land in an organized manner was the basis to the beginnings of human civilization and agricultural progress about 10,000 years ago.

But I digress.

The event this year was masterfully managed by Olds College, for them it was the second time around, having hosted a previous world plowing competition 27 years ago. This year’s event cost around $1 million to organize. College sources indicated that all expenses were covered by sponsors.

It’s hard to determine from the crowd size in attendance whether this event was a success or not. Plowing competitions are not that well known as a spectator sport in this area. I should mention that there is an Alberta provincial plowing competition held every year at Wanham in the Peace River district. It’s been located there since 1971 and is a well-rounded family event with many related activities.

One can’t help but be impressed with the highly precise nature of championship plowing as contestants lay down sharp-concise furrows in arrow-straight rows without the use of computerized depth sensors or GPS-guided tractors. Good plowing is a combination of skill and art, which is perhaps even more displayed at the old-time horse-plowing demonstrations that were held nearby. Horse plowing also involves a certain physical challenge along with keen horse sense, all of which I expect made the arrival of tractor plowing most welcome to farmers of an earlier age. In a curious evolution one could see that even tractor plowing may become a quaint demonstration event to large-scale commercial farmers in this part of the world. Agriculture has indeed come a very, very long way.

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Flood mitigation should be simple — except for procrastination

J

ust as the floods receded in southern Alberta, and right on schedule, various politicians earnestly declared that steps will be taken to avoid this problem in the future. To show their determination to take action — myriad committees, task forces, expert panels, senior officials and other suspects have been ordered into motion to come up with a plan to avert a major flood disaster in the future.

If this all sounds familiar, welcome to the cynics club. Past flooding calamities going back to the 1890s have at one time or another seen mitigation studies and reports made to deal with the problem once and for all.

To be fair, some flood mitigation efforts have taken place over that time and were no doubt instrumental in avoiding

many potential disasters. Most of those efforts involved building up berms. But like generals who are always planning to fight the last war again, those mitigation efforts tended to deal with the most recent flood, not the next big one. Human nature tends to govern that approach, as planners figure that there won’t be a bigger flood the next time. When the inevitable happens the excuse is that they can’t plan for that one-in-1,000 flood scenario.

Well actually you can, but you have to have the courage to not just take the action, but commit the financial resources to carry it out. There are plenty of reports gathering dust about what should have been done, but the political will and vision was always lacking.

In southern Alberta we have a 100-year experience in diverting rivers, building canals and reservoirs for the irrigation industry. That expertise already sees major diversions on the Bow and Oldman rivers into large canals. Is it really such a big leap to use that experience to create emergency diversion structures to avert future major floods? For instance much of the present irrigation infrastructure renovation is now using large pipelines to replace canals. So why couldn’t a couple of major pipelines not be built to divert overflow from the Bow River around Calgary or any other at-risk river in the province?

Alberta manages to transport millions of barrels of oil out of the province every day, surely we have the engineering exper-

tise to build a relatively short pipeline to divert a major overflow of water or is this too much common sense.

It’s not like it’s a new concept — the City of Winnipeg in the 1960s built a major floodway around their city and they haven’t seen a flood since.

Surely pipeline technology has advanced enough that Calgary could achieve the same end. But there is that perennial problem — short memories. As the floodfree years come to pass, spending, say $500 million on a short pipeline, will surely become entangled in the usual procrastination. Unfortunately when it comes to flooding and mitigation planning — history seems to repeat itself in both cases. will.verboven@fbcpublishing.com

5

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • AUGUST 19, 2013

Putting some meat on the bones of the beef industry ‘straw man’ A beef producer says ‘industry solutions’ don’t help if producers aren’t part of the industry

By David Andrews, John Kolk and Kim McConnell

Last year, a report analyzing the Canadian beef industry stimulated a discussion involving all sectors of the Canadian beef value chain at a summit last November.

The outcome was that three of us with a solid knowledge of, but not a vested position in, the beef industry agreed to develop a draft industry strategy and bring our thoughts back for review and discussion.

We called our draft strategy a “straw man” — a term meaning a collection of thoughts and ideas, aimed at overcoming an issue/ challenge opportunity.

In Calgary and again later in Toronto, we presented our thoughts to about 150 industry leaders from the entire spectrum of the Canadian beef supply chain.

The recommendations met with solid approval and at the end of these sessions the straw men were instructed by participants to flesh out the recommendations in greater detail.

Below are excerpts from a letter that we forwarded to summit participants as a means of keeping

industry informed of their most recent progress. The complete letter can be found on industry websites including alma.alberta.ca.

D

ear beef industry champion, This letter is to inform you of the progress of the “straw man” efforts to create and support a Canadian beef industry strategy that will assist all sectors of the beef value chain and capitalize on the emerging opportunity that lays before us.

To guide the expansion of this industry strategy a steering committee has been established representing key components of the beef value chain. This steering committee includes: Willie van Solkema, president of JBS Canada; Dennis Laycraft, executive VP of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association; Bryan Walton, general manager of the National Cattle Feeders’ Association; Rob Meijer, president of Canada Beef Inc. and Ken Clark, general manager of food retailer Overwaitea Food Group.

In addition to the steering committee, four task teams composed of 25 industry leaders from across the beef supply chain

and throughout Eastern and Western Canada have stepped forward and agreed to provide their experience and put flesh on the bones of the key areas of the industry strategy. In addition to these 25 leaders, many others from all sectors of the industry have volunteered to “vet” the thoughts and new ideas coming forward in the task teams’ recommendations. The task teams and their areas of focus include: • Information Flow Task Team — recommendations related to an information system(s) that will provide all members/components of the value chain with access to relevant information that will enhance profitability and competitiveness.

• Performance Measurements Task Team — this team is identifying industry targets, goals and measurement yardsticks that can be regularly reported to industry players.

• Canada Beef “Funding” Task Team — Canada Beef Inc. is the industry’s marketing and promotional arm. Presently it is funded by producer checkoff dollars matched with government funds. This task team is responsible for

identifying potential means of attracting funding support from all components of the value chain and hopefully identifying recommendations that will increase the dollars (real and payment in kind) available.

• ‘ O n e - T o n g u e ’ T a s k T e a m — the beef industry is composed of many components each with its own thoughts and opinions. At times this causes both confusion and concern for stakeholders and governments. This task team will look at the major issues facing the industry and processes that will further enhance policy development and implementation effectiveness.

This fall, the recommendations of the task teams will be shared for all to hear. You and everyone within the entire Canadian beef industry are invited to attend sessions or participate online and share your opinions and help direct the course of action.

Not another organization

The Straw Man Canadian Beef Industry Strategy is NOT about

creating another beef organization. It is all about working together to seize an emerging opportunity and deliver sustained profitability across the value chain. It is not about who should be selling or promoting our beef, or limiting what individual companies or producers may wish to achieve. This strategy is about working together to create the kind of operating climate we need as an industry to advance our individual business interests.

The BSE crisis is over, and the ability of governments to continue to provide the level of financial support of past years may be diminishing. While we have recovered remarkably, we continue to face other challenges such as mCOOL, a widening basis, and changing consumer values and expectations. Despite this there is also a great and increasing opportunity that can be realized with a uniquely Canadian, industry strategy.

Stay tuned for additional updates as the task teams complete their recommendations and as the details for the fall beef summits are determined.

My beef with fabricated beef Technology won’t save the planet. Changing human behaviour will

By Laura Rance

editor, Manitoba Co-operator

I

’m a bit confused by all the saving-the-planet hullabaloo over that $330,000 hamburger manufactured in the laboratory.

It was animal protein all right, fried in butter no less, not one of those concoctions of soy, brown rice, black beans or quinoa the vegetarians turn to for their burger fix.

My daughter and I quite innocently stumbled into a Winnipeg restaurant specializing in those creations lately. Vegetarians we are not, but the meal we had was really quite tasty.

As a matter of fact, I felt pretty good afterwards, instead of walking out feeling like I’d swallowed a bowling ball. I enjoy a good beef burger as much as the next carnivore, and we could have had one of those “value meals” for half the price of what we ate.

But portion sizes in the fast-food business are way out of whack with my aging constitution. Go figure.

Aside from the people opposed to using animals for food, the pundits have gone gaga over the potential for this technological breakthrough to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and feed a world hungry for more meat. And

they cite some impressive numbers to make their case.

Even Gwynne Dyer, a wellrespected scribe covering global issues, seems enamoured. He points to a 2011 University of Oxford study that cultured meat could potentially be produced with up to 96 per cent lower greenhouse gas emissions, 45 per cent less energy, 99 per cent lower land use, and 96 per cent lower water use than conventional meat.

Plus, he said with as much as 70 per cent of current agricultural capacity going into producing meat through livestock, that land could be converted back to forest and prairie or switched over to grain production for human consumption.

Now hold on a minute. I’m all for more forest and wide-open prairie, but find me one example where land that is currently in agricultural production, which is largely a function of private enterprise, was voluntarily turned back to the coyotes when there was still a buck to be made by farming it.

That’s not human nature. It’s more likely to mean more grain for ethanol to feed gas-guzzling SUVs. There are vast swathes of land across the Canadian Prairies, and I suspect the same applies elsewhere, where forage production is the only sustainable agricultural activity. We’ve tried before

to turn land meant for grazing into annual crop production. It didn’t go well.

And even if it did go back to wild lands, if it wasn’t cattle consuming those forages, it would be some other greenhouse-gassy ruminant. That’s just the way nature works.

Those grasses are a pretty efficient mechanism for transforming the sun’s energy into protein. It seems to me we run into problems with energy efficiency, greenhouse gas, animal welfare, and food safety fronts when we put four-legged energy converters into feedlots and start feeding them grain that’s been grown somewhere else and hauled in — not to mention having to haul the manure out.

I think we’re cosying up to the wrong premise when it comes to saving the planet with fabricated lab burgers. This approach only perpetuates the notion that everyone in the world should be eating Big Macs all the time, which they shouldn’t.

The sustainable path forward is for meat to become an occasional luxury, instead of a mainstay.

Producers might not produce as much, but they’d be better paid.

Technology won’t save the planet.

Changing human behaviour will. laura@fbcpublishing.com

Protect JBS Feedlot workers T

he recent JBS plant tour in Brooks made for high hopes when opposition Liberal MLA Dr. Swann and I took the tour.

JBS stated they are better because they do better, they strive and intend to exceed the standards that apply in all aspects of their operations at all times. On that note I asked them to apply that standard to their feedlot operation with 70 employees. When they declined to do so it prompted Swann to send out a press release calling on the Alberta government to “stand up for paid farm workers employed at the JBS feedlot in Brooks.”

“This government is making it possible for a multibillion-dollar corporation

to charge Alberta taxpayers for injured workers by not making changes to our labour laws,” says Swann.

“The Redford Conservatives need to start here and start now with immediate changes to labour legislation surrounding paid farm workers in Alberta.”

The Farmworkers Union of Alberta is also calling for legislation, as the JBS case clearly illustrates how badly misused the so-called farm and ranch exemption is. This is the obvious place for the Alberta government to begin the process.

Eric Musekamp

President, Farmworkers Union of Alberta, Bow Island, Alta.

6

Off the front

August 19, 2013 • Albertafarmexpress.ca

coyote } from page 1 “It was like living a dream from childhood,” said one volunteer.

“It started up like a dream,” added another.

The donation included the matching threshing machine from the original purchase. Other machines have been completely rebuilt by museum volunteers.

Some seems odd to modern eyes — a Farmall 127 sports steel front wheels, but a half-track. Some enjoyed great success in their heyday, such as the Waterloo Boy. It was so popular that John Deere, not a tractor maker at the time, bought the company.

“We try to give them some understanding of what school life was like 50 years ago.”

Vern King

The museum’s origins date back to 1982 when five men began restoring antique machinery. Over the years, volunteers have rebuilt hundreds of tractors and other equipment, mostly from the first half of the last century. However, that wasn’t enough for the founding group. They dreamed of creating an agriculture museum, and in 1987, acquired the land where the museum now sits. It has grown to include household items and a whole town of buildings. A horse barn now houses a milk delivery wagon and other carts and carriages just waiting for a visiting horseman to hitch up a team.

Farm homes range from a homesteader’s shack to a two-storey Eaton house that was completely restored — albeit at a cost of more than 100 times its original price.

There’s also a blacksmith shop,

a butcher, the first Christian Reformed Church in Alberta (still used for weddings), a garage, the railway station, a community hall (used for parties and family reunions), a post office, and a jail.

There’s even a firehall under construction to house Picture Butte’s first fire engine.

And, of course, there’s a school.

Bowville School was originally located 18 miles north and two miles west of the village.

“I began my teaching career in a school exactly like this one,” says museum treasurer Vern King. “Sullivan Lake, 12 students, Grades 1 to 8. I did caretaker duties at the school and got $10 a month and lived rent free. It was a good time, though. Hardly a day went by that I wasn’t out for supper with one of the students’ families. They were good people.”

Almost 700 students from Grades 1 to 3, as well as parents, guides and teachers visit the museum each year.

“It’s a tremendous program,” King says. “We try to give them some understanding of what school life was like 50 years ago.

We warm the school with the coal stove — it has a cast iron burning chamber and a tin shield to keep the kids from burning themselves. Just about every school in the province had one of those old Waterbury heaters. A retired teacher does a presentation in the school and the kids write with a straight pen and ink and sit in a 1930s school van that served as students’ transportation.”

The program, tailored to the primary school curriculum, is a “win win” for both schools and the museum, he said.

“We get very positive responses but for us, the real benefit is that for some of the parents, it’s the first time they’ve heard of us.

They’ll come back,” he said.

This year’s edition of Harvest Days, which ran from Aug. 16-18, celebrated the sugar beet industry, including a book launch of Belinda Crowson’s history of the industry.

Horse-drawn equipment sits at the base of the windmills. The machine at the left is a Fresno scraper, designated an international historic engineering landmark as it was a big advance on earlier scrapers used in earth moving.

They were widely used to build irrigation canals. Photos: Helen McMenamin

Prairie Tractor and Engine Museum president John Rudelich and treasurer Vern King chat in front of Ward Rogers’ 1925 garage, originally in Iron Springs.

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Bucking mare Coconut Roll passes at Stampede Ranch

C

oconut Roll, a famous Calgary Stampede mare that bucked her way to the Canadian Finals Rodeo on 11 occasions and to National Finals Rodeo a total of 10 times, has died after chronic illness at the age of 20 years old.

The genesis of her “Roll” name was her mother Rolly Polly, and her father was famous bucking horse Wild Strawberry — themselves both selected many times for the U.S. and Canadian Finals.

Coconut Roll was retired after the 2010 Canadian Finals Rodeo, and returned to the 22,000-acre Stampede Ranch, where she has been buried with her own tombstone near the entrance gates.

A stampede release said that a couple of years ago, she developed Cushing’s disease — an overactive adrenal gland — and was being treated by stampede veterinarians. Her health and quality of life declined recently, and she was humanely euthanized on July 10 at the age of 20.

7

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • AUGUST 19, 2013

Funding available for woodlot owners to develop forest-product business There’s a wide variety of niche markets for products such as Christmas trees, logs for home construction, furniture components, flooring, siding, fencing, and birch syrup

BY TONY KRYZANOWSKI AF CONTRIBUTOR

T

here’s money to be made in woodlots, and thanks to Growing Forward 2, there’s also government funding to help producers develop a new income stream, says Toso Bozic, an agroforester with Alberta Agriculture.

At present, there are few Alberta suppliers to meet the demand for logs for home construction and Christmas trees, but that’s only the start, said Bozic. Furniture components, flooring, siding, fencing, and birch syrup are other possibilities, he added.

“The key is that you have to be very specialized,” he said.

“Which means that there are very few people involved in the business, you have a good understanding of how to oper-

“The key is that you have to be very specialized.”

TOSO BOZIC

Log home buildings with logs harvested from a private woodlot could provide farmers with a supplemental income. PHOTOS: TONY KRYZANOWSKI ate the business, as well as how to meet the needs of your various clients, which can be quite different.”

Marketing is one area where Growing Forward 2 can help many budding entrepreneurs, he said. Funding is available under the Business Opportunity and Business Management Skills Development programs and can be used for things such as pre-feasibility studies, business

The demand for log homes in Alberta is largely being filled from out of province. Local woodlot owners could have the resources to take a bite out of that demand.

plans, testing of food products, and for financing the purchase of specialized machinery.

Successful applicants are eligible for reimbursement of between 50 per cent and 75 per cent of certain non-capital costs related to researching and planning a new business venture. For instance, established producers and processors will be reimbursed for 50 per cent of eligible consulting fees to certain maxi-

mums. Producer groups and agri-industry associations will also be reimbursed to a certain maximum.

Those eligible for funding are: producers in Alberta who have an established, primary business in the production of crops or livestock; agri-food processors with an established business in Alberta; new entrants into Alberta’s agriculture and agrifood industry who will have a

primary business in production of crops, livestock, or a processing business; senior managers, executive directors or directors on a board that represents an industry organization, producer group or processor; and groups of producers or agri-food industry associations seeking training for their organization or board members. More information is available at www.growingfor ward.alberta.ca.

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8

AUGUST 19, 2013 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

BRIEF Hog prices better recently, but fall uncertain

BY BRANDON LOGAN

COMMODITY NEWS SERVICE CANADA

C

anada’s hog producers posted profits during the summer, but the outlook heading into the fall is uncertainty, according to the general manager for h@ms Marketing Services, which represents producers in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

“From mid-May to present, I would suggest that most producers have made money,” Perry Mohr said.

“However, I think people are kind of getting disillusioned about the price being as high as it is and the talk about feed prices going down. It’s true when you talk about the new-crop prices, but right now corn and soybean prices are still relatively high if you’re buying stuff in someone’s bin today.

Mohr said hog prices have dropped $10 per 100 kg (ckg) the last few weeks.

“Ironically, part of the decline in prices is due to the Canadian dollar moving from roughly US94 cents a few weeks ago to around 96 cents,” Mohr said.

“The second component is that cut-out in the U.S., which hit record levels a few weeks ago, has come off considerably. Packers went from making US$20 per hog to losing US$10 per hog in a short time. They’ve adjusted cash bids to account for that.

“Hog supplies will also increase gradually into September and October, which corresponds with a decrease in demand for pork,” Mohr added. However, the biggest factor for the downward trend seen in hog prices is coming from the potential record U.S. corn crop.

“We know there is a record amount of corn acres planted and we fully expect corn prices to be US$5 per bushel or less for a good part of next year,” Mohr said. “Based on the fundamentals we have a handle on now, it will decrease hog prices.”

WHAT’S UP Send agriculture-related meeting and event announcements to: will. verboven@fbcpublishing.com August 19 - Fruit Field Day, Pearson’s Berry Farm, Bowden.

Call: AFFPA 800-661-2642.

August 24/25 - Alberta Open Farm Days, Alberta-wide. Call: AOFD 780-638-4342.

August 26 - Small Scale Livestock & Meat Day, White Creek Meats 11:30 a.m., Bowden.

Call: Bert 780-674-8247.

August 28 - Greenhouse Business Planning, Research Complex 8 a.m., Brooks. Call: John 403-362-1310.

September 15/18 - Ag Biotechnology International Conf., Telus Centre, Calgary.

Call: Chantelle 403-686-8407.

Planting seeds of knowledge about agriculture in the classroom Alberta Women’s Institutes deliver information about farming to students throughout the province

BY VICTORIA PATERSON AF STAFF | CALGARY

E

xpect to see a whole lot more pumpkins this fall — and a lot more kids with a better understanding of where food comes from.

Members of the Alberta Women’s Institutes will be going to schools across the province to talk about farming and the food on the dinner table. The goal of the project, called “Food and Farmers — What’s the Connection?” is to go to at least 45 communities and reach as many as 10,000 students in Grades 1 to 3. The children will be given a folder of information, which includes pumpkin seeds.

“Alberta Women’s Institutes recognizes the role agriculture plays in all our lives,” said Faye Mayberry, the co-ordinator of the project and organization’s incoming president.

“We take a special interest in promoting the importance of the industry to children in our province.”

School officials are eager to have their members come in and talk to their students, many of whom don’t realize food comes from farms, said current president Brenda Willsie.

“Any of the schools that I have spoken with, or spoken with members who have talked to schools, we are very welcome,” said Willsie.

The project is due to start later this month and continue until mid-June.

“Unfortunately a lot of children are disconnected from the farm.”

DAVID SPRAGUE

“Unfortunately a lot of children are disconnected from the farm,” said David Sprague, CEO of Ag for Life, one of the program’s sponsors.

The program is complemen-

tary to an Ag for Life initiative, the Classroom Agriculture Program, which is aimed at students in Grade 4, he said.

The hands-on, pumpkin seedgrowing approach will be a hit, he predicted.

“At this point of their lives they’re inquisitive… they get totally amazed by things that grow,” Sprague said.

It’s hoped the students will take the information and seeds home and talk to their parents about it as well, he added.

Ag for Life put $5,000 towards the project, which was matched by the provincial government, Sprague said. Hannas Seeds and Deermart are also sponsors. victoria.paterson@fbcpublishing.com

9

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • AUGUST 19, 2013

DuPont seeks exit from paints business to focus on farms

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Stock market cheers shift to concentrating on agriculture

BY SWETHA GOPINATH AND ERNEST SCHEYDER, REUTERS

A gathering of crows, known as a murder, meets on an old cattle chute left in a field in pastures southwest of Calgary.

PHOTO: WENDY DUDLEY

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uPont plans to exit its once-lucrative paint pigments business to focus on its thriving DuPont Pioneer agricultural unit, better equipped to shield the biggest U.S. chemicals maker from market volatility.

DuPont’s shares rose as much as six per cent on Tuesday to their highest in more than 13 years after the company said it would consider selling or spinning off its performance chemicals unit, which contributed a fifth of its sales last year.

DuPont is joining an industry-wide shift among chemical makers, including rival Dow Chemical, into production of seeds and pesticides, which have proven to be less exposed to market ebbs and flows than the popular pigment titanium dioxide.

Agricultural demand is driven by North American farmers in the first half of the year and South American farmers in the second. The expanding global population, particularly in Asia, is also driving demand for fertilizers, seeds and pesticides.

Chief executive Ellen Kullman said DuPont’s earnings would be “significantly better” in the second half of 2013 than in the same period last year due to agricultural growth in the Americas — reinforcing the planned exit from performance chemicals.

Demand for titanium dioxide, a white pigment that gives shine to car paints, sunscreen and toothpaste, has long been susceptible to swings in the global economy.

Global titanium dioxide prices went into a tailspin last year after the world’s biggest producers, including DuPont, Saudi Arabia’s Cristal Global, Tronox Ltd. and Huntsman Corp., restarted plants idled during the recession.

DuPont is finished with refinishing, and will concentrate on agricultural seeds and chemicals.

NEWS » Markets

10

AUGUST 19, 2013 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Record Brazil corn and soy crops

Kazakh grain crop looks good Rains have slowed the ripening of grain in Kazakhstan’s main Grain Belt in the north, but the rest of August and September is likely to be drier, promising a good crop, the Agriculture Ministry said Aug. 9. The harvesting campaign was in full swing in the south, west and east of Kazakhstan, Central Asia’s largest grain producer. The Agriculture Ministry has forecast the 2013 grain harvest at 16.3 million tonnes by clean weight this year. Last year a drought slashed the crop by more than half to 12.9 million tonnes from a post-Soviet record of 27.0 million in 2011. — Reuters

Brazil’s government crop supply agency Conab has raised its forecast for the country’s 2012-13 corn crop further into record territory in a report on Thursday and held its forecast for the now-harvested soy crop at 81.5 million tonnes. The agency estimated the corn crop at 80.3 million tonnes, up from its 79.1-million-tonne forecast in July. Conab also forecast a 201314 wheat crop of 5.6 million tonnes, unchanged from July.

U.S. corn production outlook pressures wheat futures Extended flowering creates a catch-22 for canola

By Phil Franz-Warkentin

I

CE Futures Canada canola contracts moved lower during the week ended Aug. 9, setting fresh lows in the process as the path of least resistance remains down despite any modest short-covering bounces in the interim.

November canola dropped as low as $472.40 during the week, which was a nearly three-year low for a front-month contract. Oversold price sentiment did help values settle off that low by Friday, but the chart damage has been done and there is little reason from a technical standpoint to correct much higher without any outside influence.

In the U.S., CBOT soybeans actually managed to post small gains on the week, although soyoil saw some large declines. Tight nearby supplies, increasing demand from China, and uncertainty over new-crop production all served to underpin soybeans.

Corn and wheat were both lower, with improving U.S. corn production prospects behind some of the weakness in the grains. The cool temperatures seen across the Midwest in July limited the stress on the corn crop during pollination, and now a little heat and moisture will go a long way to producing a large crop.

The release of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest production estimates on Aug. 12 has the potential to sway the markets one way or the other, if there are any surprises in the data.

Pre-report guesses were calling for upward revisions to the U.S. corn crop and a downgrade in soybean production. However, with some time to go before the harvest the numbers will be taken with a grain of salt.

Weather remains the key market driver on a day-to-day basis in the North

Photo: thinkstock American futures, and will remain that way until the crops are in the bin.

Flirting with frost

There’s a bit of a catch-22 brewing in the Prairies this year, with farmers caught in the middle. The risk of frost damage is a big variable in the market these days, but the end result may be the same from a monetary standpoint whether there is a frost or not. If there is no frost, production will be large and prices will decline, leading to a lower return for producers. If there is a frost, prices may jump, but those hit by the frost won’t have anything to sell and if they do it will be at a discount due to quality issues.

Some parts of the Prairies flirted with frost already during the week.

Official readings all stayed above the 0 C mark, but it felt like fall in many regions and overnight lows in the single digits in the middle of summer raised a few flags. The latest forecasts ahead of the weekend have turned warmer, but it will take an extended frost-free period to get a good-quality crop off this year.

Many canola fields are still in full flower mode. The extended flowering period bodes well for yields, but is also pushing back harvest dates and increasing the risk of frost. Early canola harvest operations were already underway at this time a year ago, but

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that’s not the case this year and many winter wheat fields are still standing in the second week of August.

U.S. soybeans and corn will also be flirting with the possibility of frost damage this year. While both crops continue to show improvement in the weekly ratings, they are behind normal in their development. If there is a bounce in the U.S., soybeans would likely take the charge as the overall supply situation is tighter for beans compared to corn.

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

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11

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • AUGUST 19, 2013

NEW ALMA BOARD MEMBERS John F.T. Scott and Robert Francis have been appointed to vacant positions on the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency (ALMA) board of directors. Scott is former president and CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, a non-profit trade association representing over 4,000 grocery retailers across Canada. Francis is founder and president of Agriteam Canada Consulting Ltd. and brings 26 years of experience managing and directing international projects and consulting assignments for leading financial institutions, funding agencies and governments.

U.S. HORSE SLAUGHTER BACK ON HOLD A federal judge on Aug. 2 issued a restraining order that temporarily stopped companies in New Mexico and Iowa from slaughtering horses, following a lawsuit by The Humane Society of the United States and other animal rights groups. The USDA had issued permits to two plants and received application from a third. Efforts to block horse slaughter in the United States have been ongoing since Congress lifted a ban on funding horsemeat inspections.

“We reduced costs by not harvesting, not hauling feed, not processing feed and not removing manure.” – Vern Baron

Researchers eye new varieties to boost the savings from swath grazing Late-planted barley can lower feed costs, but researchers are looking for varieties that can be seeded late but still produce high yields

BY ALEXIS KIENLEN AF STAFF | LACOMBE

F

eed, particularly winter feeding, has a big impact on the bottom line, and that’s why cattle producers should consider swath grazing, says Vern Baron.

The research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at Lacombe has been studying swath grazing since the 1990s and says the economic benefits are obvious.

“We reduced costs by not harvesting, not hauling feed, not processing feed, and not removing manure,” he said.

In one of his studies, Baron found swath grazing cows on barley could reduce feed costs by 40 per cent. The process involved planting a barley variety late, harvesting it in mid-September and laying it out on a swath so it couldn’t spoil until it was grazed in November. Barley was chosen because it will mature early if planted late.

“The later you plant barley, the faster it will mature,” Baron said.

“The consequence is that grain yields go down and in general, forage yields go down. Yet we were still able to make that difference in 40 per cent daily feeding costs with barley.”

Eighty per cent of savings in swath grazing is attributed to reduced equipment costs, fuel costs and labour. The cost of feed production is about the same whether planting late with a low yield or planting early with high yield even though planting barley late results in a 40 per cent reduction in yield. To make improvements, researchers are trying to reduce the cost of feed production.

“That has to come about by improving yield in the system we work with,” said Baron. “If we have to plant late, we have to use varieties and species that can be planted late and yield more, or we just find new species that are better at doing that.”

Researchers looked at corn and

Vern Baron, research scientist with Agriculture Canada, speaking at Lacombe Field Day. PHOTO: ALEXIS KIENLEN triticale, which both use a whole season and can be planted earlier. Using barley resulted in savings of 37 to 40 per cent, while using corn resulted in savings of

about 50 per cent. However, corn yields fluctuate from year to year and corn costs twice as much to grow. Researchers found advantages when using a triticale vari-

ety such as Bunker, which can be planted in May and outyield barley by about 30 per cent. Using triticale in swath grazing can result in savings of up to 60 per cent, said Baron.

“We’re not saying that all barley is bad,” he said. “We’re just saying the barleys we tested so far, both in agronomic trials and in swath grazing studies, had about a 40 per cent reduction in yield compared to what they could be.”One of the promising new varieties is Gadsby, a high producer with high forage yields.

Researchers are also testing new varieties of triticale. Both barley and triticale have low cell wall digestibility compared to forages such as meadow brome grass.

“We have to try to offset that by getting as much grain or starch into the whole plant as we possibly can,” Baron said.

Researchers will also test new varieties of barley that aren’t on the market yet. akienlen@fbcpublishing.com

The Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency (ALMA) welcomes John Scott and Robert (Bob) Francis to the ALMA Board of Directors.

John Scott, an economist by profession, offers considerable retail and grocery industry expertise as former President and CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers and President for Scott & Fenrich Consultants Incorporated. Bob Francis, founder and President of Agriteam Canada Consulting Ltd., brings tremendous strength in new business development and technical leadership building of large international projects.

The expertise and leadership of ALMA’s Board of Directors continues to further efforts towards a more profitable, sustainable and competitive meat and livestock industry.

John Scott

Bob Francis

IDEAS | INFORMATION | INVESTMENT

www.alma.alberta.ca

12

AUGUST 19, 2013 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Tyson takes lead with Zilmax ban Some analysts suspect the move is motivated more by exports than animal welfare news broke Aug. 7, and held those gains Aug. 8 to hit their highest in three months.

Without the added growth benefits of Zilmax, feedlot owners will need to buy even more feed to create the same amount of beef. Retail beef prices are flirting with all-time highs.

“If you take Zilmax out of the equation coupled with the cattle herd at its lowest in 61 years due to last year’s drought, it would mean less beef at higher prices to consumers,” said Chicago-based Oak Investment Group president Joe Ocrant who also trades cattle futures at the exchange there.

While Zilmax is considered one of the best weight-gain additives, there are alternatives like Optaflexx, which Tyson has not banned, analysts noted.

“While the carcass gains are not as significant as with Zilmax, it is fair to say that cattle weights may not decline as much as some expect today,” Steve Meyer, president of Paragon Economics in Des Moines, told clients in a daily newsletter.

By Theopolis Waters reuters | chicago

W

hen top U.S. meat packer Tyson Foods Inc. abruptly announced it would stop buying cattle fed with a widely used drug that can add more than 30 pounds to the average steer, the implications for markets were clear: less meat, higher prices.

Tyson, which buys about one in four of all U.S. cattle for slaughter, says it will stop purchasing livestock with the growth additive Zilmax in order to protect the animal’s welfare, a sign of the growing sway of animal rights activists. Some cattle appear to have had trouble walking with the added weight.

While the move could put a dent in Tyson’s margins by limiting its choice to higher-cost cattle, some analysts also saw a potential commercial benefit — exports. Big meat importers including Russia and China moved recently to ban

Cattle fed Zilmax gain an extra 30 pounds or so but the extra weight can cause difficulty walking. Tyson Foods has announced it will no longer buy cattle treated with it. Photo: REUTERS/Rick Wilking a similar growth-enhancing drug, ractopamine, used in pigs.

But either way, the question now is whether others will follow. So far Tyson, which on average processes 132,000 head of cattle per week, stands alone in boycotting a drug used in half or more of the U.S. herd, according to industry sources.

Cargill Inc., the nation’s third-

biggest meat producer, said it does not plan to change the way it currently buys cattle. A spokesman for National Beef, the No. 4 U.S. beef processor, had no comment regarding its intentions. JBS USA did not return emails or phone calls seeking comment.

Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures surged as the

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“If other packers continue to accept Zilmax-fed cattle, the overall impact... will be more limited,” he wrote.

Beta agony

Zilmax, manufactured by Merck & Co. Inc., is the latest in a line of popular “beta agonist” used in the cattle industry to help promote weight gain and leanness in meat.

The additive, which is FDA approved and does not pose a food safety threat, is blended with feed rations and given to cattle in the last few weeks they are in feedlots. While on Zilmax they can gain weight four per cent more efficiently, adding 20 pounds or more to the average steer before it is shipped to packers for processing, analysts say.

“It increases the overall meat supply, which is critical with the cow herd being so small,” said Arlan Suderman, analyst with Water Street Solutions, an agricultural advisory firm in Peoria, Illinois.

Its popularity has surged in the past few years as it allowed more lean meat to be produced with less feed, and therefore lower cost, industry sources said. Recordhigh grain prices in recent years has also put pressure on feedlot margins, driving adoption of new ways to enhance growth.

Without using Zilmax or an alternative, achieving an extra 30 pounds of carcass weight would require 240 pounds of feed.

While there is no hard data on how much of the U.S. cattle herd is fed Zilmax, industry experts said it was likely between 20 and 50 per cent, and possibly higher.

The impact has been apparent: The average weight of slaughterready cattle on a live basis was 1,273 pounds in 2007; by 2012 it had risen nearly 30 pounds or two per cent to 1,302 lbs., according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.

“A lot of the growth in carcass weight last year reflects the adoption curve of that product,” said David Anderson, an agricultural economist at the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service.

But the economic benefits of using Zilmax and some other beta agonist drugs is being diminished by mounting criticism.

Animal welfare advocates have raised the alarm about cattle that may have been unable to handle the stress of the additional weight.

Many food companies are increasingly sensitive to public perception of their treatment of animals. Others have complained that Zilmaxfed cattle produces steaks that are less juicy than those raised on grain- or forage-based systems.

The issue burst to the fore as Tyson Foods sent a letter to all feedlot operators saying it would suspend purchases of Zilmax-fed cattle beginning Sept. 6 after some of the animals arrived at its plant lame and had problems moving.

Tyson said it was unsure what caused the problems, but added that some animal health experts suggested a possible link to Zilmax, also called zilpaterol.

“Our evaluation of these problems is ongoing,” it said.

Welfare or exports?

Dennis Smith, a broker with Chicago-based Archer Financial Services said plans by Tyson may be motivated more by the lucrative export market. Just over a tenth of all U.S. beef is earmarked for export.

“There is no coincidence that this came out just after their earnings report with statements about opening up more trade with China. This is all about the export market.”

13

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • AUGUST 19, 2013

Some people just don’t understand that Mother Nature calls the shots Britain’s bizarre efforts to eradicate TB while protecting the badgers that spread it shows the folly of trying to upend the natural order

BY BRENDA SCHOEPP

I

am looking at my oat storage bin and counting the square bales under cover. The inventory in the barn for the rescue horses is low. Out in the hay yard, the inventory is sparse and we will quickly face another winter of feeding cows.

It would be an ordinary day, and not normally one of worry, but it is the day after the neighbors who supply this feed were completely hailed out.

Nature never acts without a consequence. In Alberta, the other side of nature’s beauty has caused some deep confusion, hurt and financial ruin. Families continue to live away from their homes while communities and businesses struggle to restart. The recent open letter to the government of Alberta from the doctors and surgeons at the High River Hospital are a testament to the depth of hardship encountered by provincial floods. The community needs their hospital and the doctors need a reason to stay!

We cannot doubt or control our natural world as she acts in a holistic way even when the reasons are not clear.

It has been a challenging summer for many and we have gained a sense of unity and obtained strength by working through it together. We cannot doubt or control our natural world as she acts in a holistic way even when the reasons are not clear. What is clear is that our natural world trumps our man-driven world at all times. She is greater, stronger and more volatile than we could ever hope to understand. Preparing for her is wise. Manipulating her is folly.

I say this after visiting with a guest from the U.K. who is clearly discouraged by government policy to interfere in nature’s cycle of life and death. Just like a fire or flood the result of fooling with the nature of things always reverses upon mankind.

The incidence of bovine tuberculosis (TB) in the U.K. is endemic in the southwest, West Midlands and East Sussex. In some areas, such as Cornwall, Devon and Gloucestershire, Farmers Weekly reports that less than five per cent of dairy cows (in herds of 50 or more) have remained TB free since 1990. The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) wants to change that and work toward TB-free status. And although that sounds like a commendable goal, the reality is that this would take at least 25 years.

In the interim, the demand for beef and dairy products from the U.K. continues to rise. With the elimination of quota in 2015,

the industry is poised for growth.

Europe wants and needs beef, prompting a massive price hike for beef, especially in TB-free areas.

Beef has now become a luxury meat and weekend specialty in many parts of the U.K. From the outside, it looks like a vaccination program for bovines and some strict biosecurity might eliminate TB and boost production and sales. It would appear the policies to liberate producers from the quota system and to continue to work on beef exports will position the U.K. as a real contender and that farmers will profit.

The problem is that the reservoir for TB has been protected by the very department that wishes to eliminate it. In the U.K., badgers are shielded by the Protection of Badgers Act 1992. It is not only ille-

gal to injure or kill a badger, but to interfere with a badger sett (den) or tunnels and structures. Badgers are protected by satellite and any farmer who goes near the sett will be charged. Just like single-trait selection that ultimately imbalances the heritable traits of an animal, single animal protection ultimately puts several species out of balance. Badgers are absolutely the known carrier of the TB that is widely spread and prevalent in the bovine population. Under the new initiatives in the U.K., badgers will not be destroyed but will be vaccinated — if and when the vaccine is developed.

As unlikely as a whole country vaccination scheme for a pest seems, it is nonetheless the route DEFRA has chosen. And farmers have the privilege of footing the bill.

It is an endless and terminal cycle to restrict one industry by not letting the natural rules of order play out. Certainly, if there is a demand for pelts then a licence could be established — but to protect a pest and jeopardize the food supply is rather curious.

Where does the infected beef from nearly half a country, a full 38,000 head last year, go? DEFRA says no problem and claims any discussion on the crisis is “irresponsible scaremongering.” DEFRA takes the infected meat and sells it, unlabelled, to caterers and food processors. No doubt this product is also fed to the elderly, schoolchildren and the infirm. The cycle of death continues at the cost of protecting one pest.

We have seen the same tragedies in oceans, in forests, in fields and mountains. Other than some sort of orderly hunting, total protection of a nonthreatened species creates a natural world out of balance.

Just as a huge snowpack brings flooded valleys, and golf ball hail creates a shortage, so an activist’s restrictions bring disease to another species and health risks to society as a whole.

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.

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14

AUGUST 19, 2013 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Study finds lameness widespread in sow herds peet on pigs } Almost 60 per cent of sows studied by Prairie Swine Centre researchers showed signs of lameness, and early intervention may be the answer By bernie peet

L

ameness in sows is one of the most frequent reasons for culling and a major cause of lost performance, which has both economic and welfare consequences.

Prairie Swine Centre researchers Yolande Seddon and Jennifer Brown have been looking at whether early detection and prevention of lameness can improve overall herd health and productivity. The duo set out to record the prevalence of lameness and evaluate hoof condition in a large, commercial sow herd and to assess the effectiveness of preventive hoof trimming on reducing the occurrence and severity of lameness.

They also looked at the effectiveness of an early intervention treat-

ment, including analgesics, provision of rubber stall matting to aid recovery, and a corrective hoof trim.

“Results to date show that from a survey of 3,286 sows, or 55 per cent of a 6,000-sow commercial herd, almost 60 per cent of sows showed signs of lameness in at least one leg, and a large percentage of sows had multiple hoof lesions,” said Seddon.

“Although this work is ongoing, preliminary data suggest that preventive hoof trimming reduces the occurrence and severity of lameness in gestation.”

The results so far indicate the true prevalence of lameness on farms is likely underestimated, she added.

Currently, there is a lack of knowledge of techniques to prevent or treat lameness, according to Seddon.

THE STRAIGHT STORY ON CATTLE SINCE wAY bACk.

“While trimming is commonly used to maintain hoof condition in many hoofed species, including dairy cattle, sheep and horses, it is not commonly performed in pigs,” she said.

“This study examined the role that corrective hoof trimming has on foot health and lameness using the Feet First® chute. The chute was recently developed by (Minnesota-based) Zinpro Corporation and is designed to safely restrain and lift a sow, allowing examination of the sow’s hooves and completion of a corrective hoof trim.”

The first part of the study was to survey the prevalence, type and severity of lameness in the commercial herd. Four weeks into gestation, sows were removed from their stalls and lameness was assessed as sows walked along a solid concrete hallway. A trained technician observed the sows as they walked a distance of 20 feet, and sows were given a locomotion score in accordance with a scoring system developed by Zinpro.

Following the locomotion observation, each sow received a hoof assessment on all four feet. Hooves were scored for each lesion on a scale of 0 to 3 in accordance with Zinpro’s hoof lesion scoring guide (Table 1). A healthy hoof with no sign of lesions was given a score of 0.

Of the 3,286 sows surveyed, 40.9 per cent were not lame, 53.2 per cent were mildly lame (a score of 1), 5.7 per cent moderately lame (a

score of 2), and 0.2 per cent severely lame (a score of 3).

“Together these results indicate that almost 60 per cent of the herd showed signs of lameness in at least one leg, which is considerably higher than has been reported in the literature,” said Seddon.

“Although this study found an elevated incidence of lameness, there were very few severely lame animals, with only seven sows (0.2 per cent) having a locomotion score of 3.”

With the high number of sows showing mild lameness, the majority of cases may go largely unnoticed by stockpersons, being slight and difficult to pinpoint, she said. The mild nature of early lameness thus contributes to the general underreporting of the problem.

“Examining parity differences, between 42 and 59 per cent of sows in parities 0 to 3 were found to be lame,” Seddon said.

“This illustrates a significant problem, and risk, if young parity sows are showing lameness and therefore could be prematurely lost from the herd. Thus identifying effective treatments that can be implemented at this early stage may have a significant impact.”

In the second part of the trial, 200 non-lame sows were allocated to a control group which received no intervention, or a treatment group which received a corrective hoof trim. The goal of the hoof trimming

was to restore good conformation to the hoof and to correct the sow’s weight distribution and balance.

“Preliminary results show that a greater number of the hooftrimmed sows had remained sound, when examined at 13 weeks of gestation, five weeks after the trimming,” said Seddon. “This suggests that trimming may be beneficial for preventing the further development of lameness and for reducing the severity of lameness that does develop.”

Using a group of lame sows, the final part of the study investigated the effect of early intervention and treatment involving hoof trimming, housing on rubber flooring and giving two injections of an anti-inflammatory drug. Data collection and analysis has not been completed to date.

“This study indicates that the prevalence of lameness on the study farm is high,” said Seddon.

“Observations of hoof condition indicate that hoof lesions, long dew claws and heel erosion are the most common problems.”

As producers move towards group-housing systems, she suggests that sow mobility will become more important and having options for prevention and treatment of lameness will be of increased benefit to producers.

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

Table 1 Zinpro hoof lesion scoring guide LESION DESCRIPTION

Heel overgrowth and erosion (HOE)

Cracked Wall (CW)

Shallow and/or short separation along white line

Slight overgrowth and/or erosion in soft heel tissue

Hemorrhage evident, short/ shallow crack in wall

Claws extend to floor surface when the pig is standing

Long separation along white line

Numerous cracks with obvious overgrowth and erosion

Long but shallow crack in wall

Claw is torn and/or partially or completely missing

Long and deep separation along white line

Large amount of erosion and overgrowth with cracks throughout

Multiple or deep cracks in the wall

Toes (T)

Dew Claws (DC)

White Line (WL)

1

One or more toes slightly longer than normal

Slightly longer than normal

2

One or more toes significantly longer than normal

3

Long toes that affect gait when walking

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15

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • AUGUST 19, 2013

Know the signs of laminitis and founder — and seek help right away The mechanism of laminitis remains unclear and is currently the subject of much debate and research

BY CAROL SHWETZ, DVM

L

aminitis and founder aren’t easy concepts to understand and comprehend, but every horse owner will benefit from having a basic understanding of these conditions, and knowing how to recognize them.

Though used interchangeably among horsemen, there is a difference between laminitis and founder. Laminitis describes inflammation of the supportive tissues that join the inner foot bone — also known as the coffin bone or third pastern bone (P3) — to the hoof wall. This inner bone is suspended within the hoof capsule by tiny, highly innervated and vascular connective tissue fingers called laminae. These sensitive laminae interdigitate with corresponding insensitive laminar fingers from the hoof wall to form a strong, durable bond between the hoof wall and coffin bone, suspending the horse’s axial skeleton.

Normally, the front of the third phalanx is parallel to the hoof wall and its lower surface is roughly parallel to the ground surface.

When structural integrity of the laminar connection is disrupted, separation results and movement of the coffin bone within the hoof capsule can occur. Radiographic imaging is used to identify the position of the coffin bone within the hoof capsule following laminitis. Rotation, sinking, or a combination of both rotation and sinking can occur to varying degrees.

Laminitis refers specifically to inflammation of the laminae — a very painful and debilitating condition. Any shift, sinking or displacement of the coffin bone from its normal, well-anchored position within the hoof capsule influences the horse’s way of going leading to lameness and unsoundness. This displacement or sinking of the coffin bone within the hoof capsule is known as founder.

The mechanism of laminitis remains unclear and is currently the subject of much debate and research. Its underlying cause is usually a disturbance elsewhere in the horse’s body. There are multiple triggers and can be either mechanical or systemic. Overindulgence on grains/grasses, frosted grasses, concussion, metabolic derangements, neglected hoof care, inappropriate shoeing, systemic infections, colic, supporting limb lameness, ingestion of toxins or medication intolerances are all potential inciting causes of laminitis.

The progression and consequences of laminitis is influenced by many factors, of which early recognition is key. Initially the horse will appear uneasy, shifting its weight backward in an attempt to ease its sore feet, especially in the toe region. The horse will be reluctant to move forward, gingerly shuffling its forelimbs.

As inflammation and discomfort escalate, the horse may shift its weight entirely onto its hindquarters, camping out and even choosing to lay down. Other clinical signs include increased temperature of the hoof, a bounding pulse in the digital artery, and increased vital signs. Many laminitic horses develop a characteristic sole pack as a natural aid

to support the ailing hoof. The horse’s front feet are affected more commonly than the hind feet, although any hoof may be afflicted.

Early intervention is of utmost importance to minimize inflammation, separation and tearing of laminar structures. Immediate veterinary involvement is advisable to address the inciting cause(s) and relieve the driving trigger(s) for inflammation.

Cold therapy/icing is tremendously beneficial to interrupt the destructive cycle of inflammation.

Mechanical support is necessary as well to aid stabilization of the internal structures of the hoof.

Soft, cool ground is forgiving and supportive to the internal structures of the hoof and sole. Judicious use of analgesics is indicated. Pain relief without a means to limit the horse’s movement

is controversial as unmitigated movement can cause further damage to internal structures.

The laminar structures need to heal and it is of great advantage for the horse to periodically lay down, which allows healing to restore the disrupted laminae.

Over the next six to 12 months, the foot will be in the process of rebuilding its internal structures.

Co-operative efforts between owner, veterinarian and farrier offer the best possible outcome.

Addressing the primary problem and secondary problems such as hoof abscess, supportive footing, purposeful hoof care, and nutritional coaching are necessary to direct the horse along the path of healing.

Carol Shwetz is a veterinarian specializing in equine practice at Westlock, Alberta.

Normally the front of the coffin bone is parallel to the hoof wall and its lower surface is roughly parallel to the ground surface.

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16

AUGUST 19, 2013 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

India receives favourable monsoon

Rains boost Argentine wheat

Indian corn futures were expected to trade lower last week as plentiful monsoon rains have encouraged farmers to plant a greater area with the crop. The monsoon, crucial for 55 per cent of Indian farmland that does not have irrigation, was the heaviest in nearly two decades during the first half of the season, with the fastest ever coverage of the country almost a month ahead of schedule. — Reuters

Argentina’s nearly planted 2013-14 wheat crop benefited over recent months from wet weather in the country’s Farm Belt that aided sowing, the Buenos Aires Grains Exchange said in its weekly report Aug. 8. Argentina is a major global wheat exporter and 3.9 million hectares are expected by the exchange to be planted with the grain this season, up from 3.6 million in the previous crop year. In all parts of the South American country’s Wheat Belt, except for some areas of southeastern Buenos Aires province, the exchange said the crop “is evolving in top conditions,” the report said. — Reuters

Intense heat affecting parts of the world The Northwest Territories and Alaska have booked some record-breaking heat this summer Japan and South Korea have also seen the heat, with temperatures in South Korea coming within a whisper of the national record of 40 C. In Japan, at least seven locations have broken all-time record highs, with highs reported in the mid- to upper 30s.

by daniel bezte

O

ver the past few weeks it seemed as though summer had abandoned the Prairies and fall had moved in early. Like pretty much every other time we get a couple of weeks of below-average temperatures, the general weather talk eventually moves to the topic of global warming — or in this case, the lack of it. So, for this issue I thought we could take a look at what has been happening weather-wise so far this summer across the Northern Hemisphere.

Over much of North America this has been an average summer. There have been a few minor heat waves and some colder-than-average overnight lows. This is the main picture across most of the U.S. and southern Canada. Go farther north and the story is a little different. While we were feeling the cool taste of fall over the last few weeks, parts of the Northwest Territories were sweltering under recordbreaking heat. About the same time we saw our temperatures cool off, places such as Inuvik saw the heat move in, with highs routinely making it into the mid- to upper 20s, with even a few 30 C days thrown in. These values are a good 10 C above average and several records were broken throughout the western part of this region.

The heat in North America was not only confined to this region. Farther west in Alaska the heat has really been on this summer. After a very cold winter and spring, residents of Alaska are seeing one of the warmest summers on record. Anchorage has broken its record for the number of consecutive days with a high temperature greater than 21 C (70 F) and is also closing in on the record for total number of 21 C or warmer days. Fairbanks has broken its record for days with highs at or above 27 C (80 F) with 31 days recorded so far; it typically only sees 11 days. The heat wave that began in this region back in June and lasted right through to the end of July has

Winter heat alerts

PHOTo: thinkstock warmed a number of rivers and streams to the point that several fish die-offs are being blamed on water temperatures in the low to mid-20s.

Over in Europe the heat has also been on. According to Jeff Masters of the Weather Underground, a historic heat wave in central Europe has set some all-time national record highs. On Aug. 8, three different locations in Austria surpassed the 40 C mark, beating the former national record of 39.9 C which was set only a week ago. In Slovenia, during the first week of August, the capital city of Ljubljana broke its all-time record high five times in six days, with the hottest reading coming in at 40.2 C on Aug. 8. Slovenia also broke its all-time record high when Cerklje ob Krki reported a high of 40.8 C on the same day. Croatia saw the highest readings, with unconfirmed reports of high temperatures around 45 C (113 F).

Continuing eastward we find China is also experiencing a record-setting heat wave. Again, according to Masters and Christopher C. Burt, along with weather record researcher Maximiliano Herrera of the Weather Underground, Shanghai broke its all-time record twice so far this summer, the latest being a 40.8 C reading recorded on Aug. 7.

The previous record for this location was 40.2 C set back

in 1934. Hangzhou, China’s 13th-largest city, also broke its all-time record high when the temperature peaked at 41.6 C on Aug. 9. This is the 11th day this year with highs greater than 40 C for this

city. What makes this heat wave truly unique is that up to this point, Hangzhou has only recorded two previous days with highs greater than 40 C, with records going back to 1956.

Finally, on a bit of an unusual note, in South America, where it’s the middle of winter, places in Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina are seeing record winter heat.

Now remember, while it’s winter, these places are pretty much tropical in nature, but nonetheless, high temperatures of 38 C have been reported, with heat alerts being issued in some locations.

After reading about all this intense heat, having a couple of weeks of cool weather maybe wasn’t so bad after all!

This shows the total precipitation across the Prairies so far this growing season (since April 1) compared to what we’ve seen historically. You can see that a large portion of the agricultural Prairies are either dark green or blue, which means that rainfall has been high to extremely high compared to what we have seen in the past. One area that really stands out is the western part of Alberta, which has received record amounts of rain.

17

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • AUGUST 19, 2013

AGRISTABILITY WORKSHOPS

Researchers put the hype for canola products to the test in field trials

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

The deadline for submitting 2012 AgriStability supplementary forms is Sept. 30.

To help producers understand and complete their forms, Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) is offering AgriStability workshops in August and September. The two-hour workshops will be held at 42 locations around the province. A full list of the 42 workshop locations, dates and times, and registrations contact names and numbers are available on the AFSC website www.afsc.ca.

There’s not much data on how many canola products perform in western Canadian conditions, but the Ultimate Canola Challenge is addressing that

BY ALEXIS KIENLEN AF STAFF | LACOMBE

H

ow can you tell a good crop production product from snake oil?

That’s going to be an even more important question now that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency no longer evaluates the efficacy of supplements and fertilizers, said Murray Hartman, an oilseed specialist at Alberta Agriculture’s Lacombe Crop Development Centre.

“This sort of opens the door for all these wonder products to come in without any good data backing them up,” said Hartman. “That’s why we decided to set out these plots and assess some of the more actively promoted products.”

The trials, dubbed Ultimate Canola Challenge, are in their first year and are being conducted at nine Alberta sites, as well as locations in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Some sites are doing six treatments, while others are running 13 treatments.

“We’re going to get a few site years of data,” said Hartman. “And it’s important. As a producer, you really want to be seeing as much data as you can, not just the glossy pictures of what a plant looks like in the rows versus not. You want to see the response of all the sites.

I personally like to see 15 to 20 site years of data on a product before I make a decision.”

Any product that consistently boosts yield more than 50 per cent of the time will go into Hartman’s “probable” category — which means he will recommend it or spend money on it. A product that boosts yield 25 per cent of the time earns a “maybe,” but Hartman said he wouldn’t bother with products that only boost yield less than 20 per cent of the time.

Test plots at the Lacombe site received about 130 pounds of nitrogen, side banded at the time of seeding. Other plots received 100 pounds of nitrogen for a yield comparison. Another plot received 125 per cent of recommended nitrogen to see if that made more sense.

“If you want to spend extra money, maybe the extra nitrogen is worth it,” Hartman said.

In another treatment, an extra 25 per cent of nitrogen was applied as a foliar application.

“We do know that if you can predict your conditions properly and you know the right nitrogen rate, it’s still the best management practice to put the nitrogen down at the time of seeding as a band, away from the seed,” he said.

Boron is another input being studied. Data on boron trials suggest it rarely boosts yields,

but Hartman is running a trial in which a boron product was applied at early flowering and, in another trial, at the four- to sixleaf stage.

“The theory is that if we start to become boron deficient at the rosette to bud stage, this could affect the fertility of the first part of the flowering racine. It’s a theory and it’s possible,” he said.

Researchers are also testing seed primers, such as seed-applied micronutrients that are claimed to produce more robust seedlings.

“This is another one where there’s feasibility, but we need independent data and that’s what we’re hoping to generate,” said Hartman.

Researchers are testing C3, a product that helps canola become more tolerant to herbicide, as well as a bio-stimulant that stimulates different processes in the canola plant.

“Whether they are nutrient or plant responses, it’s not really clear,” said Hartman. “But in some parts of the world, they do get responses from bio-stimulants. Again, we lack data in Western Canada.”

Hartman plans to publish the data this winter and is hoping to continue the trials in the coming years. akienlen@fbcpublishing.com

Murray Hartman, oilseed specialist with Alberta Agriculture, says he likes to see 15 to 20 site years of data on a product. PHOTO: ALEXIS KIENLEN

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18

AUGUST 19, 2013 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

You can help in the battle against wireworm Entomologist Bob Vernon requests that producers send samples for identification AGRI-NEWS

W

ireworm populations and their damage to crops are increasing and you can help to find a solution for your distinct farming area. Wireworms are the larval stage of click beetles. Lindane (e.g., Vitavax Dual, etc), an organochlorine insecticide, kept wireworm levels low for several decades but this insecticide has been banned since 2004. As wireworm damage in field crops rebounds, entomologist Bob Vernon, is heading a research team investigating new approaches to keep wireworm problems in check.

“A silver bullet approach has disappeared. Wireworm is not like other insect pests where dealing with only one species makes control measures relatively easy,” says Neil Whatley, crop specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. “There are some 30 different wireworm species that exhibit variable life cycles and behaviours.”

Wireworm species vary from region to region and a single field may contain more than one species and, therefore, more than one type of wireworm behaviour.

Instead of persisting for only one season like some insect pests, a single larva can feed on plant roots and germinating seeds in the soil for three to five years, depending on the species, before developing into the adult click beetle stage. While some seed

treatments (e.g., Cruiser Maxx and Raxil WW) can repel wireworms, these products do not cause them to die and their populations can continue to increase.

The effectiveness of these seed treatments also varies with different species.

“Wireworm damage shows up early as crop thinning during stand establishment and most loss occurs during the earlier part of the growing season before larvae burrow deeper in the soil to escape warm summer temperatures,” says Whatley. “Wireworms feed on the seeds, roots and stems of developing seedlings, often burrowing into the stem of larger plants at ground level. Unlike cutworms, wireworm larvae appear to shred or produce holes in seedling stems, at or below the soil surface, rather than cutting them off. While central leaves die, outer leaves often remain green for some time before eventually wilting and dying, resulting in thin or patchy crop stands.”

Crops grown in recently broken sod are especially vulnerable for one or two years, then damage decreases rapidly only to gradually increase in succeeding years if no wireworm control measures are applied and cereal crops are in the rotation. Wireworms prefer eating annual and perennial grasses, so due to extensive egglaying in these habitats, populations can build up in fields that have extended periods of pasture or cereal crops. This means

There are some 30 different wireworm species that exhibit variable life cycles and behaviours. that wireworm risk remains high when canola, potato, sugar beet, etc. are subsequently incorporated into the field rotation after cereals and pasture.

“When wireworms complete their life cycles and adult click beetles are formed in a year when a cereal crop is planted, the conditions are optimal for a huge, single-year increase in wireworm populations in that field,” says Whatley. “This increased threat will persist for the next three to five years until the adult

Trait Stewardship Responsibilities Notice to Farmers Monsanto Company is a member of Excellence Through Stewardship® (ETS). Monsanto products are commercialized in accordance with ETS Product Launch Stewardship Guidance, and in compliance with Monsanto’s Policy for Commercialization of Biotechnology-Derived Plant Products in Commodity Crops. This product has been approved for import into key export markets with functioning regulatory systems. Any crop or material produced from this product can only be exported to, or used, processed or sold in countries where all necessary regulatory approvals have been granted. It is a violation of national and international law to move material containing biotech traits across boundaries into nations where import is not permitted. Growers should talk to their grain handler or product purchaser to confirm their buying position for this product. Excellence Through Stewardship® is a registered trademark of Excellence Through Stewardship.

ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Roundup Ready® crops contain genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup® brand agricultural herbicides. Roundup® brand agricultural herbicides will kill crops that are not tolerant to glyphosate. Acceleron® seed treatment technology for corn is a combination of four separate individually-registered products, which together contain the active ingredients metalaxyl, trifloxystrobin, ipconazole, and clothianidin. Acceleron® seed treatment technology for canola is a combination of two separate individually-registered products, which together contain the active ingredients difenoconazole, metalaxyl (M and S isomers), fludioxonil, thiamethoxam, and bacillus subtilis. Acceleron and Design®, Acceleron®, DEKALB and Design®, DEKALB®, Genuity and Design®, Genuity Icons, Genuity®, RIB Complete and Design®, RIB Complete®, Roundup Ready 2 Technology and Design®, Roundup Ready 2 Yield®, Roundup Ready®, Roundup Transorb®, Roundup WeatherMAX®, Roundup®, SmartStax and Design®, SmartStax®, Transorb®, VT Double PRO®, YieldGard VT Rootworm/RR2®, YieldGard Corn Borer and Design and YieldGard VT Triple® are trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. Used under license. LibertyLink® and the Water Droplet Design are trademarks of Bayer. Used under license. Herculex® is a registered trademark of Dow AgroSciences LLC. Used under license. Respect the Refuge and Design is a registered trademark of the Canadian Seed Trade Association. Used under license. ©2013 Monsanto Canada Inc.

click beetle generation is eventually formed again. This scenario may account for situations where wireworm populations are reaching epidemic proportions in some areas and in some fields.”

Send samples

By sending wireworm samples to Vernon and his technician Wim van Herk, you contribute to finding a solution for your region.

The research team needs to know which specific wireworm species dominate in your area so the correct control option(s) are selected.

To obtain live wireworms, you may need to bait them by burying whole potatoes or bait balls (gauze packets containing about one cup of wheat seeds, bran, or other cereal-based product) about four to six inches deep at marked locations randomly across a field (or, if the crop is up, in thin, patchy areas) in either early spring or early to mid-August when the worms are nearer to the soil surface.

Dig these baits up 10 to 14 days later (no longer or the baits become repulsive), searching for wireworms and their tunnels.

Collect wireworms, along with some of the field soil that is not too wet, and put them in a hard plastic container for shipping.

There may be more than one species present, so collect as many as possible. Mail these wireworm samples to: Bob Vernon Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 6947 #7 Hwy P.O. Box 1000 Agassiz, B.C. V0M 1AO Please include a brief description of where the sample was collected (nearest town or address), what crop the wireworms were found in, any information about previous rotations in that field over the past four years, your name and phone number. Once identified, you will be contacted with the results.

10801A-Gen Legal Trait Stewardship-AF.indd 1 7/26/13 2:33 PM

19

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • AUGUST 19, 2013

Not delaying bee action, Health Canada says

BY ALEX BINKLEY

Prospect of bumper crop pushing down corn and soybean prices The days of ‘beans in the teens’ may be ending, while corn might slide all the way to $4 a bushel

BY BRANDON LOGAN

AF CONTRIBUTOR | OTTAWA

COMMODITY NEWS SERVICE CANADA

ealth Canada is denying a claim by Sierra Club Canada that it won’t take any action on controversial neonicotinoid insecticides until 2018.

“Health Canada is working closely with provincial authorities, beekeepers and the pesticide industry to implement exposure reduction measures in time for the 2014 planting season, and to find additional ways to further reduce pollinator exposure to neonicotinoid insecticides,” an official stated in an email.

But Sierra Club executive director John Bennett said there are plenty of studies linking neonicotinoid pesticides with the declining bee populations.

“We found 20 studies in a few hours on the Internet,” said Bennett. “There is plenty of evidence linking neonicotinoid with killing bees in Canada and in Europe. The time to take precautionary action is before the disaster.”

ith last year’s drought largely behind them, American soybean and corn producers are eyeing bumper crops — and a sharp drop in price.

Prices have already dropped significantly and the market will likely deliver more bad news in the coming weeks, said Sterling Smith, a futures analyst with Citigroup in Chicago.

“We can attribute that mostly to very good growing conditions throughout the vast part of the U.S.,” said Smith. “We actually saw crop conditions improve one per cent in the good-to-excellent category. The crop is setting itself up to be potentially a very large harvest.”

It would take bad news to reverse the current market trend, he said.

H

W

“The only thing I can see that would firm the market right now would be some sort of premature frost in growing areas, but that’s not happening realistically any time soon,” he said.

“Right now, the best thing we could hope for is some shortcovering rallies to come in and maybe stabilize prices a little bit.”

Assuming the soybean crop gets to harvest without any significant issues, Smith said prices could drop into the US$9.50-per-bushel range.

Weather has been the hot topic in the corn market now that crops are entering the pollination phase of development. Unlike last season, where extremely hot weather put major stress on the crop, corn is receiving cool, wet weather that is benefiting growth, Smith said.

“Weather for corn has been very good and we’ve had good

Health Canada is working closely with provincial authorities, beekeepers and the pesticide industry to implement exposure reduction measures in time for the 2014 planting season...

There have been reports of high death rates this year in parts of Central Canada, but not as many as in 2012. Most relate to the release of dust containing neonicotinoid insecticides, which are used to treat corn seed.

Western farm groups have told the government that it should examine the seeders used to plant corn. They allow the seed to drop into a furrow in the ground, which enables some of the talc lubricant on the corn seed to escape into the atmosphere. Soybeans and canola are also coated with neonicotinoid insecticides but the air seeders inject the seed directly into the soil and don’t leave traces of the insecticide in the air. As a result, bee populations in Western Canada aren’t suffering as badly as elsewhere.

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growing conditions in a lot of places,” he said. “The two areas that we were concerned about for corn production were Nebraska and Iowa, but they did pick up some timely rain.”

With the USDA forecasting record corn production just below the 14-billion-bushel mark, Smith said he doesn’t see the market strengthening any time soon.

“We are going to be harvesting a bumper crop,” he said. “I think we’re going to be closer to 14 billion bushels than going over the mark. However, if we do see good rains in areas that have been stressed and there are no issues at harvest, there is the potential that we get over that.”

Prices could drop significantly lower than what we are already seeing, he said.

“I think we could see some sort of spike low between US$4 and US$4.25 (per bushel) range,” he said. “I think that when we get down to that point, the market is going to probably be as short as it can get, and with the ethanol demand, there should be people willing to scoop things up.”

20

AUGUST 19, 2013 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

N I I N O J

perfect perch for a predator

on real

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

This red-tailed hawk found the perfect perch on top of a hay bale, in a field near Millarville, Alta., for scanning the pasture for gophers and other small rodents. Photo: Wendy Dudley T:8.125”

A T B LE E H T

IS SET INNOVATION 4-H Canada and Bayer CropScience believe the agricultural leaders of tomorrow can help find sustainable solutions for the world’s growing need for safe, nutritious food.

That’s why we’re gathering 120 bright minds, ages 18-25, from around the world to share their perspectives at the 4-H Youth Ag-Summit in Calgary. From August 19th-25th, 2013, these delegates will be tasked with identifying actionable agriculturally sustainable solutions to feed a growing world.

Let’s talk change. To find out what topics are on the table and join the growing conversation, please visit facebook.com/youthagsummit.

Researchers search for best treatment options

By Alexis Kienlen af staff | lacombe

K

nowing a bit about barley anatomy will help you get the best results from your fungicide applications and seed treatments.

Although the flag leaf is a big contributor to wheat yields, it’s quite small in many barley varieties. The biggest yield contributors for barley are the penultimate leaf, the leaf before it, the head and the flag-leaf sheath, Kelly Turkington, a plant pathologist with Agriculture Agri-Food Canada, told attendees at the recent Lacombe Field Day. He’s looked at what happens when herbicide was applied at the flag-leaf stage, and found it didn’t result in any advantages in disease management, crop productivity or yield increases. Dual and split applications didn’t give any benefits either. The only benefits occur from a single application of fungicide at the flag-leaf emergence stage.

“Why that difference?” asked Turkington. “If you look at the physiology of the barley plant, it’s the top leaves in that canopy that are key for grain filling and yield. The lower leaves contribute relatively minor amounts to the yield. By this time, a lot of the lower leaves present in the two- to three-leaf stage would actually be senesced (fully mature) and would be lower down in the canopy and quite heavily shaded.”

Fungicides have limited ability to eliminate pathogens from wellestablished lesions, he said.

“If you have a lot of net blotch or scald lesions or septoria on those lower canopy leaves at that seedling stage, spraying a fungicide does not eradicate the pathogen from those leaves,” Turkington said. “At best, you might see some suppression.”

To get the best results, producers need to target upper canopy leaves. To attack disease at the bottom of the plant, you need a good seed treatment to manage seedborne diseases such as smuts and fusarium head blight. However, seed treatments for root rots have a minimal impact because fungicides move with the water transpiration stream and don’t penetrate the root tissue. Seed treatments can help early-leaf disease suppression development, because they could move into the first, second and third true leaves, providing protection as soon as the leaves develop and start photosynthesis To test this hypothesis, researchers are investigating the interactions between seed treatments to control early-leaf disease, fungicide application at flag leaf, and plant growth regulators. Turkington said he observed better canopy lower-leaf health in plots and better senescence in crops given two doses of Ensure, a BASF seed treatment, compared to those that received no seed treatment at trial plots in Indian Head, Sask.

“There was something there.

There appeared to be less net blotch,” said Turkington.

Trials are in their first year and are running at research stations across Canada.

T:10”

for

Fungicide timing is everything

akienlen@fbcpublishing.com

Y

to

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21

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • AUGUST 19, 2013

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AUGUST 19, 2013 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

FARM MACHINERY Grain Handling

FARM MACHINERY Haying & Harvesting – Swathers 30-FT. CIH 1010 HEADER, batt reel, VGC, $8,000; 30-ft. Header trailer, $2,000; 25-ft. IH Cultivator #55 w/Prasco Bandit big tank, $3,500; Case IH 21-ft. PT swather model 75 w/UII PU reel & bat reel, $2,000.

Phone (403)823-9974 or (403)823-1928.

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

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Phone:(780)623-1008.

BLANCHARD (HARMON) 83-FT SPRAYER, $1800; Morris B3-48 rod weeder, $650; Morris CP519 cultivator, $950; CCIL 3-ring walking har-rows, $375; 2 disc markers, $75 ea. Ph (403)782-2545.

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FARM MACHINERY Machinery Miscellaneous 1976 CCIL 960 PTO combine, c/w new belts on the PU, shedded, $1000; IHC #10 rubber end wheel seed drill, $500; 50-ft in-land crop sprayer, $500.

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1999 CAT 460 1300 sep. hrs, rake up $87,000; 2006 JD 567 mega-wide, mesh wrap, 5453/bales, $17,500; 1998 AGCO 9755, 530/int electronic, 18spd p/s, 3096/ hrs, 4 remotes, 540 front weights, duals, $47,500; 2005 MacDon 922, 16-ft DK, $16,500; 2000 MacDon 972, 25-ft DK, DS, pick-up reel, $19,500. (403)665-2341, Craigmyle, AB. FOR SALE: JD 750, no-till drill, 15-ft wide, field ready. Phone:(780)858-2482 or (780)522-9029.

ESTATE SALE

2003 9650 JD Combine 2,171 Sep Hrs Redekop Chaff Blower & Wagon, $88,000 1993 9600 JD Combine 2,680 Sep Hrs, $40,000 2004 MacDon 974 36-ft. Flex Header, Cross Auger, PU Reel, Fore & Aft, Single Pt, $33,000 1998 MacDon 960 36-ft. PU Reel, Fore & Aft, $15,000 1997 Macdon 960 36-ft. Header, Bat Reel, $10,000 930 Rigid 30-ft. JD Header, $5,000 930 Flex JD Header 30-ft. PU Reel & Transport, $15,000 Case PT Swather 30-ft. Bat Reel, $5,000 Farm King 1370 Swing auger Mechanical, $4,000 Bourgault 3195 Triple Air Tank, $8,000 1986 3394 Case MFD 8,700 hours, $20,000 Phone (403)601-1360

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Miscellaneous JD DSL 2420 SWATHER, grain header 25-ft U2 PU reel; MF 860 w/pick-up & MF 20-ft grain header; MF 410 combine, PU header; Honeybee 36-ft drap-er header, pick-up reel, fits Case 2388 & 2588 com-bine; D7G, PS, ripper; CAT 235 track hoe; D760 Champion Grater; Tree farmer skidder, mechanical special, new 18.4x34 tires; Calhoun fertilizer spreader, PTO; Grousen dozer, fits a JD 8970 16-ft; 2004 Dodge RumbleBee short box. Phone: (306)236-8023.

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

RON SAUER

MACHINERY LTD. (403) 540-7691 ronsauer@shaw.ca

1977 850 Versatile Series II, Atom jet hyd., 20.8 x 32d tires, nice shape ................................ $17,500 31’ Flexicoil B Chisel Plow Extensions, Extends to 41’, 3 bar harrow, Excellent Condition.......................... $12,500 Flexicoil 6 run seed treater ................................ $2,000 Wanted Flexicoil S95 harrow packer draw bar, 5 bar harrows, good condition ............................................................ Call 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.... $26,500 100’ 65XL Flexicoil Sprayer, complete with windguards, elec. end nozzles dual tips, markers ........................ $3,500 30’ 8230 CIH PT swather, PU reel, nice shape,.. $10,000 25ft Hesston 1200 PT swather, Bat reel, nice shape .......................................................... $5,500 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 MATR (Italy) 10 wheel V-Hayrake, hyd. fold, as new.................................................................... $5,250 New Sakundiak Augers Complete with E-Kay Attachments ............................................... Call 2 Used 8” Self Propelled Sakundiak Augers .Coming In New E-Kay 7”, 8”, 9” Bin Sweeps .........................Call 2 Used E-Kay 9” Bins 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, shedded .....$9,250 415 New Holland Discbine, like new ................. $12,500 166 New Holland Hay Turner, like new .............. $5,500 40’ Morris Harrow Packer Bar, P30 packers, 4 bar harrows, Hyd. fold up, good condition ..................... $5,500 1990 GMC 9000 Single Axle Grain Truck, 16’ x 18’ steel box, propane only, runs good.......................... $6,500 8” Wheat Heart Transfer Auger, as new............ $1,500 Jiffy Grain Feeder, 3 pt hitch, hydraulic auger, as new .$500 New Outback MAX & STX Guidance & Mapping ....In Stock 1 New Outback S3 Complete with 3 year EFP ........ $3,500 New Outback E-Drive, TC’s .................................In Stock New Outback E-Drive X, c/w free E turns ............In Stock New Outback S-Lite................................................$900 New Outback VSI’s Swather Steering Wheel Kits .......................................................In Stock Used Outback RTK Guidance System ....................... Call Used Outback E-Drive Hyd. Kits.(JD,Case, Cat & NH) $500

**NuVision, Sakundiak & Farm King Augers, Outback GPS Systems, EK Auger Movers, Belt Tighteners, Bin Sweeps, & Crop Dividers, Kohler & Robin Subaru engines, Degelman, Headsight Harvesting Solutions**

FARM MACHINERY Sprayers

FARM MACHINERY Sprayers

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

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

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

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

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

REAL ESTATE Mobile Homes SEED/FEED MISCELLANEOUS Feed Grain CANADA SINGLE FAMILY HOME NEW 16 wide & 20 wide MODULAR HOMES at GREAT prices.

(218)751-7720 frontierhomesonline.com

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

Case STX 375, 425, 430, 450, 480, 500, 530 CIH 8010-2388, 2188 combine CIH 435Q, 535Q, 450Q, 550Q, 600Q pto avail.

NH TJ 450, New Triples, Big Pump 8100 Wilmar Sprayer

JD 4710, 4720, 4730, 4830, 4920, 4930 SP sprayers JD 9770 & 9870 w/CM & duals CIH 3185, 3230, 3330, 4430, 4420 sprayers 9580 Kubota, FWA, FEL, low hours 3545 MF w/FWA FEL GOOD SELECTION OF JD & CASE HEADERS: 635F, 636D AND MANY MORE CASE & JD

NOW BUYING OATS!

Competitive Rates

PAUL MOWER

DAVE KOEHN

403-304-1496

“LIKE MANY BEFORE, WE’LL HAVE YOU SAYING THERE’S NO DEAL LIKE A KEN DEAL” • Phone: (403)526-9644 • Cell: (403)504-4929 • Email: kendeal@shaw.ca FARM MACHINERY Tractors – Various

FARM MACHINERY Tractors – Various

Double LL Industries 40’ X 60’ X 16’ RIGID FRAME STEEL BUILDING

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Miscellaneous

780.905.8565 Nisku, Alberta

1987 Case IH 385

NEW John Deere 542

1983 Kubota L245 Offset Tractor

John Deere 520

FWA, 45 HP Diesel, 3 Point Hitch

Loader

High Clearance, 1368 Hrs, w/ 3 Point Hitch, And Mid Mount Cultivators

Loader

ALL GRADES Prompt Payment

403-546-0060

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

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

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

$28,418 When you go with steel you get the right deals!

Pioneer One Steel Buildings

Call toll free 1 (877) 525-2004 or see us online at www.pioneeronesteel.com

12,500

$

4,800

$

8,800

$

www.doublellindustries.com

3,800

$

New 30.5L-32 16 ply, $2,195; 20.8-38 12 ply $795; 18.4-38 12 ply; $789; 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

23

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MONTH XX, XXXX

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24

AUGUST 19, 2013 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

TOUGH WEEDS, MEET EXPRESS . ®

Crank up the rate all you want, glyphosate alone still misses a number of hard-to-kill weeds like narrow-leaved hawk’s-beard, flixweed, stinkweed, dandelion and volunteer canola. With hotter-than-hot systemic activity, DuPont™ Express® herbicides don’t just control weeds, they smoke them from the inside out, getting right to the root of your toughest weed challenges with performance that glyphosate alone can’t match. It’s no wonder Express® goes down with glyphosate more than any other brand in Western Canada!

Visit fallburndown.dupont.ca to see Express® in action – torching tough weeds like dandelion and volunteer canola right down to the roots, so they can’t grow back.

Express® brand herbicides. This is going to be hot.

Questions? Ask your retailer, call 1-800-667-3925 or visit express.dupont.ca

As with all crop protection products, read and follow label instructions carefully.

The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPont™, The miracles of science™ and Express® are registered trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. E. I. du Pont Canada Company is a licensee. All other products mentioned are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies. Member of CropLife Canada. ©Copyright 2013 E. I. du Pont Canada Company. All rights reserved.