Farm forum spring 2014

STAY COOL IN FACE OF RAILWAY LOG-JAM

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BAYER CROPSCIENCE Supporting Canadian Farm Families Spring 2014 路 $5

your machinery is ready for spring:

HOW ABOUT YOUR BODY? TECHNOLOGY

Seed treatment brings bonus bushels

BUSINESS

GMO food labelling could mislead, not inform, consumers

PRODUCTION Don't fertilize on the fly: soil test first

FARM LIFE

They started from scratch, now they're up to scratch

Freedom from wild oats.

Varro™ herbicide for wheat.

Freedom from Group 1 herbicide resistance.

Freedom to select your preferred broadleaf partner.

Freedom to re-crop back to sensitive crops like lentils.

BayerCropScience.ca/Varro or 1 888-283-6847 or contact your Bayer CropScience representative.

Always read and follow label directions. Varro™ is a trademark of the Bayer Group. Bayer CropScience is a member of CropLife Canada.

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Publisher Bayer CropScience Editor Sherry Warner Associate Editor Dave Wreford

Volume 28 / Issue 1 / SPRING 2014

C OV E R S T O RY

Contributors Jennifer Barber, Lindsye Dunbar, Phil Franz-Warkentin, Joy Gregory, Gerald Pilger, Clare Stanfield and Genesis Studio Design/Production Farm Business Communications Farm Forum is published seasonally

by Bayer CropScience.

Contact Farm Forum at: Bayer CropScience Suite 200 160 Quarry Park Blvd SE Calgary, AB, T2C 3G3 T. 1 888-283-6847 F. 1 888-570-9378 E. farmforum@bayer.com www.bayercropscience.ca

The views expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher.

Publications Mail Agreement Number 40743517 Registered in Canada Copyright 2014 Website www.farmforum.ca Return undeliverable copies to: Bayer CropScience Suite 200 160 Quarry Park Blvd SE Calgary, AB, T2C 3G3

Photo: GENESIS STUDIO

Contents of this publication are copyrighted and may be reproduced only with written permission of the publisher, Bayer CropScience.

Your machinery is ready for spring: how about your body?

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T E C H N O L O GY

See treatment brings bonus bushels

On the cover J. P. Parsonage, a Calgary personal fitness trainer, offers up some tips for farmers on getting in shape for the cropping season.

BUSINESS

6

GMO food labelling could mislead, not inform

PRODUCTION

12

Don’t fertilize on the fly: soil test first

28

Editor′s Note: focus your eye on the prize — a profitable growing season

4

Stay cool in the face of railway log-jam: solutions require hard-headed decision making

8

Canola outlook bright, but delivery woes linger: producers have to grow what works in rotations

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They started from scratch, now they’re up to scratch: meet Saskatchewan region's OYF winners

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Herbicide resistance in Canada, plus – Know your groups

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FARMFORUM.CA / SPRING 2014

3

S H O R T TA K E S

Fluency Agent for corn and soybeans now available

B

ayer CropScience’s Fluency Agent, a next generation seed application technology, is now available in Canada through seed companies. Fluency Agent is designed to replace talc, graphite and talc/graphite blended seed lubricants to help reduce dust released and the potential risk of exposure to pollinators from treated seeds during the planting process.

The use of this farmer-applied product is required by Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency during the 2014 planting season with neonicotinoid-treated corn and soybean seeds.

“The introduction of Fluency Agent is our latest contribution to improve honey bee health in Canada,” says Paul Thiel, VP innovation and public affairs with Bayer CropScience.

“As a steward of Canadian agriculture, we have collaborated with growers, planter manufacturers, beekeepers and the government to introduce this product to help address the possible honey bee risk of exposure that can sometimes occur during the planting season.”

In the spring of 2013, Bayer CropScience conducted large-scale field studies with growers and major planter manufacturers, covering more than 40,000 acres of corn and soybeans in North America, including 13,000 acres in Ontario and Quebec. In separate trials, Fluency Agent was shown to significantly decrease dust and the amount of insecticide active ingredient released in treated seed dust during planting. This spring, Bayer plans on conducting demonstration plots with growers on 250,000 corn acres to confirm performance and raise awareness of the product.

"Bee health is a complex issue and most scientists agree that declining bee health is a result of multiple factors, including pesticides, parasites, diseases, viruses, nutrition, weather and hive management practices," said Rod Scarlett, executive director of the Canadian Honey Council. "Scientists, researchers, growers, beekeepers and industry partners are continually working together to identify the issues and solutions to improve the climate for a healthy and sustainable bee environment."

Pollinator protection/best management practices (Health Canada):

www.farmforum.ca/pollinatorprotection

Fluency Agent information (Bayer CropScience): www.farmforum.ca/fluencyagent

Editor’s note For most, spring signifies a new beginning, a fresh start, a time to put all your strategizing to good use and focus your eye on the prize — a profitable growing season.

But getting ready for spring takes more than tuning up your machinery and dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s on your cropping plan. It takes a strong, healthy body to make it through a long, physically demanding growing season — something many farmers forget.

In our cover story, J. P. Parsonage, a personal trainer in Calgary, offers up some helpful tips on getting in shape and staying pain- and injury-free during the busy months ahead.

Don’t panic; you don’t have to join a gym.

Parsonage shows you some simple exercises to do at home and explains how to incorporate them into your daily routine. We also introduce you to your new best friend — the physiotherapist — in case you get injured on the job or have some lingering pain issues.

If you’ve thought about planting treated seed but don’t because of the cost, you might want to reconsider. In our story, Seed treatment brings bonus bushels, we look at the encouraging research data on treating winter wheat seed — improved germination, seedling establishment and yield.

Another strategy to get the most from your seed is to give crops a good start with a sound fertility program based on tracked nutrient replacement and removal rates. And experts say the best way to do that is to soil test annually, at the same time of year and in the same field locations.

The subject of GMO food has been constantly in the news over the past several years. Recently, some consumer groups have been pushing for manufacturers to label all processed foods that contain GMOs. In our story on page 12, we delve into the implications of this.

Finally, we meet the OYF winners for the Saskatchewan region, Darlene and Chad Krikau, who achieved something many say is almost impossible today. They built their farm from scratch. Their key tools: determination and a strong network of relationships.

— Sherry Warner

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FARM FORUM / SPRING 2014

Bon voyage, sclerotinia.

For countless ages, sclerotinia—“The Pirate of the Prairies”—has ravaged the countryside, butchering canola yields and plundering grower profits. But now, thanks to Proline® fungicide, the hunter has now become the prey. Help decide how sclerotinia will meet its final end.

For more information, please visit BayerCropScience.ca/EndOfPirates Contest* opens May 16, 2014.

BayerCropScience.ca/Proline or 1 888-283-6847 or contact your Bayer CropScience representative.

Always read and follow label directions. Proline® is a registered trademark of the Bayer Group. Bayer CropScience is a member of CropLife Canada. *Contest will be subject to eligibility requirements. Contest rules will be announced prior to the start date.

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T E C H N O L O GY

BY GERALD PILGER WHEN GRAIN PRICES ARE LOW, as they are this year, some farmers forgo seed treatment in an attempt to cut input costs. Wrong move! The evidence leaves little room for doubt: untreated seed risks real economic losses from poor germination, weakened seedlings and thin plant stands.

Tim Gardner, senior market development specialist with Bayer CropScience, spoke on the value of treating winter wheat seed at the Bayer CropScience Agronomy Summit, held last fall in Banff, AB. He pointed out that many growers do not treat winter wheat seed, believing it’s unnecessary because they are usually seeding into warm, dry soils that are less hospitable to disease organisms.

But Gardner presented research data from trials at Indian Head, SK and North Dakota State University that showed seed treatment is beneficial — even when seeding winter wheat in the fall.

According to Gardner, treating winter

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FARM FORUM / SPRING 2014

wheat increased yields at Indian Head by an average of 15.4 per cent and significantly increased test weight of the harvested crop.

The North Dakota trials compared survival rate and crop yield of five Bayer CropScience seed treatment products with untreated winter wheat checks in multiple locations. The final results of this three-year study showed increased seedling survival rates and increased yields with every seed treatment product at every location.

One of the most interesting trial sets in these two studies looked at the impact of seeding rate on emergence and yield, and how high seeding rates compared to using treated seed as a means to boost yields — after all, producers often seed winter wheat at higher rates to compensate for expected early plant mortality.

When the untreated seeding rate was doubled from 200 seeds/m2 to 400 seeds/m2, researchers at Indian Head found yields increased by about the

“Untreated seed risks real economic losses from poor germination, weakened seedlings and thin plant stands”

PHOTOS: BAYER CROPSCIENCE, MATTHIAS SANDMANN

Seed treatment brings bonus bushels

Stress Shield’s effect on spring wheat plant density same amount as was achieved by using a seed treatment product.

But when they also applied a seed treatment product at the high seeding rate, they found yields increased by 37 per cent, more than double the yield response from using treated seed alone, or by doubling the seeding rate alone.

PLANT HEALTH BENEFITS OF SEED TREATMENTS There is no question that seed treatments offer protection from soil- and seedborne disease. It has been proven that treatment improves germination, seedling establishment, and yield — especially if seed quality is low or when seeding into cold, wet soils.

But even with excellent seed quality and ideal seeding conditions, many new seed treatment products result in higher yields and higher test weights, as the winter wheat studies show. This is due, in part, to the plant health benefits that new seed treatments offer.

Traditionally, seed treatments targeted only biotic (living) stressors, like diseases, pests, bacteria and viruses, in a crop’s growing environment. However, abiotic (non-living) factors can be just as stressful on germinating seeds and seedlings.

Low temperatures and frost, drought and waterlogging, wind, poor soils and even pre-applied ag chemicals are just some of the abiotic stressors that can impact germination and early plant development. The planted seed diverts energy needed for early growth into protecting itself and repairing damage from stressful environmental conditions.

New-generation seed treatments work within the cells of a seedling to change its response to stress. Instead of these stressors inhibiting growth, the plant continues to grow normally. The result is a healthier, more robust, greener plant stand than is observed in untreated checks. As a result, plant density and yield are both noticeably higher, even in disease- and insect-free soils.

At the Agronomy Summit, Kelly Patzer, cereals development manager with Bayer CropScience, provided charts showing a more than 5.0 per cent increase in spring wheat plant density when Stress Shield chemistry (sidebar) was added to Raxil MD, even in the absence of insect pressure. This plant health benefit resulted in a 4.4 per cent yield increase at harvest.

Stress Shield spring wheat yield improvement

While the science behind the plant health benefit is complex, its results can be easily seen. As noted on Bayer CropScience’s website, Stress Shield provides an additional energy source for plants to draw on during times of increased stress. Normal development can then continue, resulting in: · crop growth · improved root establishment · increased vigour · heightened capacity to withstand seasonal stressors · wireworm protection

Healthy innovation: the seed treatment edge www.farmforum.ca/ seedtreatmentedge Information on Raxil PRO and Raxil PRO Shield www.farmforum.ca/raxilinfo

Introducing Raxil PRO Shield Early in 2014, Bayer CropScience introduced Raxil PRO Shield cereal seed treatment, engineered to improve plant health. This is a new formulation of three active ingredients that provides systemic and contact disease protection (Raxil Pro), combined with chemistry that offers wireworm protection and plant health benefits (Stress Shield).

This new product is registered for use on wheat, barley and oats. It is a single-rate product, regardless of disease or insect pressure and is labelled for both commercial and onfarm use. It is available this spring at retailers across Canada.

FARMFORUM.CA / SPRING 2014

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BUSINESS

Stay cool in face of railway log-jam

By Clare Stanfield An interesting thing happened in early 2014. The mainstream media began covering congestion in the grain transportation system. Agricultural issues, particularly such technical ones, seldom get this kind of exposure.

Unfortunately, when ag news makes headlines, it’s serious.

Not that farmers, particularly in the west, need any reminding. With bins overflowing, commodity prices falling, basis rising and loans coming due, producers are facing a very difficult, very stressful situation as they start thinking about how to pay for the crop they’re about to put in the ground.

Brian Wittal, owner of PRO COM Marketing, in Didsbury, AB, says there are solutions, but they require cleareyed, hard-headed decision making by producers. “Right now, I’m telling farmers to look at their personal situation very, very critically,” he says.

“The question is how much cash do

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FARM FORUM / SPRING 2014

you need to put your crop in come spring, and what can you do to get it?”

You won’t get any argument on that from Charlie Pearson, provincial crops market analyst for Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. “In the short term, there’s no magic wand,” says Pearson. “You have to know your situation — what’s in your bins, what’s in bags in the field, what your cash requirements are. From there, it’s a matter of really hustling to find those little gems — markets that are untapped; buyers who can take what and when.”

Both Wittal and Pearson understand that farmers are balancing the need to unload their old crop and, at the same time, forward sell their new crop.

While that’s not an unusual situation for this time of year, the sheer amount of old crop still sitting around in bins, and the inability to move it, can seem overwhelming. Both offer suggestions about what to do, and not do, as spring approaches.

Change your strategy To get some delivery into the system now, says Wittal, you’re going to have to accept that you’ll have to take a lower price and you likely won’t get paid in time to fund this year’s crop. “Delivery is at least four months out, if not longer, so this year, you cannot solve a cash flow issue with immediate delivery contracts.”

Pearson agrees and thinks most farmers will be selling old crop well into September and October. This isn’t to say there are no markets for old crop, but finding them will take longer and you’ll likely have to accept a lower price, longer delivery dates and higher transportation costs.

It means you can’t approach marketing old crop like you have in the past. You need to up your game and look for markets where you haven’t before, and you need to think about spending days, not hours, on the phone and computer trying to find any gaps that need filling — the “little gems” as Pearson calls them.

Don’t go wild with forward selling Futures and options are definitely a good way to manage price risk, but Pearson calls for some restraint. “Do what you would normally do,” he says. “Have a price target in mind for how much new crop you want sold, look at your normal process and stick to that.

“If you normally like to have about 25 per cent of your crop priced into the fall, then do that,” he says. “Marketing will not be easy in the coming year, so be alert and be ready to be a decision maker when the opportunities occur.”

“The glut in the grain transportation system backs everything up, resulting in added costs that are mostly borne by farmers” — Brian Wittal

Be realistic about contract options “This could be the year for using minimum price contracts,” says Pearson. “They guarantee you a minimum price, so you’ll get that base level and if the markets go haywire and prices go up, you can play into that, but if they go down, you’re protected.

“There are a few other tools farmers can use, including spring price endorsements and options strategies,” he says. “But they all involve an expense to the farmer.”

PhotoS: ©thinkstock

Be realistic about pricing Back in November, domestic crushers in Alberta were paying an average of about $10.50/bu. for No. 1 canola.

By the new year, that dropped to about $8.50/bu. and hovered there through to mid-February. Excess supply has put similar downward pressure on all commodity prices, so if you’re holding out for the heady days of $12 canola, you will be disappointed. “Ignoring the markets just because they aren’t good is a poor strategy,” says Wittal.

Abundant supply isn’t the only factor, either. The glut in the grain transportation system backs everything up, resulting in added costs that are mostly borne by farmers.

Wittal points to the higher cost of grain cars, demurrage fees at ports, storage fees at elevators and the like. All these costs come off the farm bottom line in one way or another.

It might not be fair, but it’s fact, and must be considered when you’re assessing pricing options.

At worst, you need to break even, so look at your cost of production and lock in prices on part of your crop to protect that, and then try to make some profit on the rest.

Tailor grain contracts Pearson points out that grains, wheat in particular, offer more pricing variability through various grades and protein requirements. “Talk to grain companies about the grade you think you can grow comfortably,” he says, urging growers to think beyond the coveted No. 1 CWRS at 13.5 per cent protein.

Pro Com Marketing

It’s about not over-committing what you know you can deliver. “If you have a history of consistently getting CWRS No. 2 at 12 per cent, and you can contract for that — knowing you can deliver — it’s a good alternative,” he says.

Cash advances The Canadian Canola Growers Association administers the Cash Advance program. It’s too late to get in on the 2013-14 post-harvest advance, but the 2014-15 program begins on April 1 and could be a last ditch option to cash flow seeding.

Economize where you can It’s tried and true advice, but it works. Wittal is asking his customers to take a hard look at their numbers and reduce where possible. “If you don’t need new (machinery) or new bins, then don’t buy them,” he says.

Both Pearson and Wittal advise farmers to prepare themselves for a long, hard marketing slog in the months to come. Even domestic markets are suffering from the transportation backlog. As Wittal points out, domestic canola crushers still depend on rail to move their oil and meal, and it’s hard to take in more raw material when tanks are full of oil with nowhere to go.

“If we have anything like a normal crop this year, we’re still going to have this issue 12 months from now,” says Wittal. “This is an 18- to 24-month situation. I think it’s going to take that long to clear out our system. Even if there’s a disaster elsewhere in the world, we can put only so much grain through our system.”

“This is a very difficult issue to talk about,” says Pearson. “Every farmer’s situation is different. Some have moved some crop and are feeling fairly relaxed; others are down and discouraged. I think if there’s a watch word here, it’s fear. People need to try to manage that.

Markets tend to straighten themselves out eventually. I look at world crop carryovers, and they’re still not all that big,” he adds. “And when I look at demand for grains and oilseeds, it is going up.” FF

FARMFORUM.CA / SPRING 2014

9

Start fresh.

BayerCropScience.ca/Pardner or 1 888-283-6847 or contact your Bayer CropScience representative.

Always read and follow label directions. Pardner速 is a registered trademark of the Bayer Group. All other products mentioned are trademarks of their respective companies.

Bayer CropScience is a member of CropLife Canada

Annoying volunteer canola has been popping up everywhere, but moving forward, it doesn’t need to be a problem.

Pardner® herbicide is now registered as a pre-season, tank-mix partner with Roundup WeatherMAX® herbicide and other glyphosate technologies for control of all volunteer canola, even if they’re resistant to other herbicide groups.

For more information, please visit BayerCropScience.ca/Pardner

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BUSINESS

GMO food labelling could mislead, not inform, consumers Being aware of what you eat is a good thing — a wholesome and balanced diet is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. But labelling a bottle of canola oil or a bag of crackers for the presence of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) essentially pits activists against the food industry, since current safety concerns fail to align with scientific evidence.

Indeed, some say labelling for ingredients that all available evidence suggests are safe could create unnecessary fear over the food we eat.

“We do not support mandatory labelling of GMOs in foods,” says Stephen Yarrow, vice-president of plant technology with CropLife Canada, a trade association representing the plant science industry. “To do so would legitimize the spread of misinformation. There is no material evidence that there has ever been a safety concern with GM food, so it’s hard to understand where this push has come from.”

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Photo: ©SHUTTERSTOCK

By Jennifer Barber

Much of the rhetoric advocating labelling for GMOs revolves around the public’s right to know their food is safe, but Yarrow says the current regulatory framework already addresses those concerns. Still, the call for more transparency sounds with an ongoing push for labelling.

Yarrow questions if the “right to know” should mean the micro-management of food components in an already highlyregulated industry. While publishing a label sounds simple enough, it is, in fact, fraught with stumbling blocks and likely wouldn’t offer consumers what they say they are looking for.

“A label with a simple ‘contains GMO’ would encompass the vast majority of items on the middle shelves of the grocery store,” says Yarrow. “It wouldn’t provide any new information. Even chemists can’t tell the difference between foods with GMO ingredients as opposed to those without — so what message would a label send to consumers? It would imply a potential for harm when none exists.”

Ron Doering, an Ottawa-based lawyer and former president of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, says that the call for food labelling stems from ideological issues, rather than actual scientific reasoning. “It’s easy to oppose big companies, and it sounds good to say you want a ‘natural,’ life,” he says.

“But while I understand and respect the desire for different lifestyles, ideology should not be used to make food policy.”

Currently, the vast majority of processed food in Canada contains at least some GM ingredients. That’s because most processed foods contain canola, corn or soy components. In Canada, more than 97 per cent of all canola grown is seeded to GM varieties, and the numbers are comparable for corn and soy.

Canada has had a voluntary labelling

standard for GM foods in place for over 10 years. However, few products currently have a GM food label. Despite a vocal minority, there has also never been a consolidated consumer push for labelling. The BC Fruit Growers’ Association together with the Quebec Apple Producer’s Association conducted a survey of 1,500 Canadians in 2012 to try and gauge the the level of public uncertainty over GMO food. More than three-quarters of respondents said they felt they had not been provided with enough information about GMO food.

In Ca n a d a , b o t h n u t r i t i o n a l information and a list of ingredients must be put on a food label. Food ingredients appear in order of proportion and, under Health Canada guidelines, must include priority food allergens or ingredients that can have side-effects in some consumers.

“GMO labelling is an irrational response to what should be a rational issue,” says Doering. “It would mean labelling for a process instead of for the content of the foods. Of the trillions of GM meals eaten since 1996 there is not a single documented case of a food issue, so I’m not sure what people would expect to gain from labelling things that have never caused any harm.”

Doering says the labelling issue also has political implications. “About 6,000 truckloads of food are imported into Canada from the U.S. every day,” he says.

“If we say that all imported packaged food has to have a GM label, the U.S. and others could very well take us to court as it could be a violation of trade rules.”

So why label?

With no evidence to the contrary, where did the perception come from that current food technology is not safe?

Some consumers seem to have lost trust in the safety of the food supply, and this mistrust has been building over the past half-century. »

“… while I understand and respect the desire for different lifestyles, ideology should not be used to make food policy” — Ron Doering Ottawa-based lawyer and former president of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency

FARMFORUM.CA / SPRING 2014

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“The industry has responded to consumer concerns about GM food by talking about the science, which may have been the wrong approach to take” — Charlie Arnot CEO, Center for Food Integrity

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“There is a lot of history to the distrust of ‘big food’ but we can really drill back to the late 1960s when people started to raise questions as to whether institutions in general were trustworthy,” says Charlie Arnot, CEO of the U.S.-based Center for Food Integrity. “It wasn’t a single event, but in the end society became convinced that because the food system was part of big business, it would put profit ahead of public interests.”

GMOs in food did not become an issue right away, however. Starting in 1994, when GMO crops were initially seeded on a commercial basis, they were so successful and so widely adopted that the food industry assumed this acceptance would continue. Instead, GMOs became a focus for consumer concern over the industrialized food system.

Arnot questions if the quest to educate people on the science of GMO food has, in fact, been successful.

Consumers consistently say they want to educate themselves and resent being talked down to by corporations. He says that while there is a lot of science behind the products, consumers are still more concerned that “big food” will put profit ahead of public interest.

“The industry has responded to consumer concerns about GM food by talking about the science, which may have been the wrong approach to take,” he says. “Those in the industry have been trying to drive home the message that science says we can grow and use these products safely. But what consumers are actually asking is not if we can, but if we should.”

Transparency is a key concern for consumers who question why the food industry is “against open reporting” in arguing against mandatory labelling.

Arnot contends the food industry can protect its social license to operate by

providing transparency in ways that don’t involve labelling.

“For the food industry, there is a real concern that labelling could make products more difficult to market with energized advocates focused on creating labels that demonize specific ingredients when there is no reason for that differentiation,” he says. “But to gain public confidence they need to operate within the value system of the consumer. That doesn’t mean we need to label stating that a product ‘contains GMO,’ but perhaps instead offer people transparency in a way that better addresses their concerns about a range of food production issues.”

He suggests one possibility could be the adoption of a quick response code (QR code) label for all packaged goods.

This code would link to production information such as environmental practices, labour issues and other valuebased consumer concerns about the food they eat. However, Arnot cautions, right now there is no system of tracking or verifying these processes. That would be necessary to gain consumer trust in these areas.

In search of a middle ground The GMO issue is very contentious, with a vocal activist segment. So is it possible to demystify GMOs for those who are adamantly opposed to them on an ideological basis? If people refuse, against all evidence, to see that GMOs are safe, how can the ag industry continue to progress if misinformation is allowed to guide policy-making?

“One of the biggest stumbling blocks right now is that it is almost impossible to have an informed conversation on this topic because it has become so polarized,” says Arnot. “There is the concern that GMO advocates will always have a vested interest, and there

is also a very vocal activist minority with whom you will likely never gain credibility.”

Ron Doering adds that Canada already has an option for those opposed to GMO foods based on their ideological beliefs, and that is the organic food industry. “If it makes you feel better, go ahead and eat organic,” he says. “I am sympathetic to the people who don’t get the science behind food technology — there is a lot of conflicting information out there. But at some point we have to put trust in the institutions we’ve created to keep our food supply safe.”

Stephen Yarrow says that part of his issue with the GM labelling movement is that consumers have a hard time defining what GM food really is.

This isn’t an insult to consumers, he stresses; it’s more a reflection that the concerns about GMOs have never been well defined. Crops used for food production have been subject to human manipulation through simple selection since the beginning of agriculture, and what was once simply known as plant breeding has modified plant DNA for much of the past century.

“What we eat today bears little resemblance to what we ate 100 years ago,” he says, in terms of the food

crop varieties currently available. “And what we now know as GM is so precise that the genetic manipulation is very small even compared to what we were doing 50 years ago. Through radiation, chemical mutagenesis and breeding mutagenesis, we’ve altered the DNA of plants dramatically since the 1960s.

Should all changes to plant DNA then be labelled?”

Yarrow says anti-GMO activists are in effect asking farmers not to progress just in case there may be an issue somewhere down the road. That doesn’t make sense. “If we stop this current technology despite scientific evidence to its safety, what happens in five to 10 years when the next food technology becomes available? We have only scratched the surface of what biotechnology is capable of. Do we label for every new technology that becomes available?

“I think we just need to do a better job of engaging consumers,” he says.

“I don’t know if it’s possible to change anyone’s mind in this highly polarized environment, but if we provide enough information, hopefully we can swing the pendulum back toward a reasoned discussion, without the need for ineffective, costly product labels.” FF

The Center for Food Integrity (USA): www.foodintegrity.org CropLife Canada info on GM labelling: www.farmforum.ca/GMlabelling A lonely quest for facts on genetically modified crops (New York Times): www.farmforum.ca/lonelyquestforGMfacts Mark Lynas, former anti-GMO crusader revises position: www.farmforum.ca/revisedopinionofGMOs

“… what we now know as GM is so precise that the genetic manipulation is very small even compared to what we were doing 50 years ago” — Stephen Yarrow VP of plant technology, CropLife Canada

FARMFORUM.CA / SPRING 2014

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C O N S U LTA N T ’ S C O R N E R

Canola outlook bright, but delivery woes linger

By Phil Franz-Warkentin Despite a winter-long downtrend in canola futures, early indications still point to increased acres for the oilseed crop this spring.

“Speculators are massively short in canola,” says Ken Ball of PI Financial, a Winnipeg investment dealer. Fund traders, he explains, were putting on long positions in CBOT soybeans while selling canola and “pushing both ends of the spread.” The spread between canola and the soy complex, however you want to measure it, is at its widest in history and is continuing to widen, says Ball.

In mid-February, a bushel of canola in western Canada was worth about half what a bushel of soybeans in Iowa was worth, but Ball says the weakness will continue as long as canola futures are not meeting resistance to the downside.

“Commercial buyers all around the world are looking at canola and are just drooling at the value,” says Ball. But can they get it in a reasonable time?

“Maybe not,” he concludes, adding that the logistics issues of moving all commodities out of the prairies are limiting actual buying interest.

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FARM FORUM / SPRING 2014

The speculators will eventually decide to cash out and cover their shorts, but for now they are not letting go, adds Ball.

While canola prices are trending lower, new-crop prices have not dropped to the same extent and early forecasts are pointing to a slight increase in canola area this spring.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is forecasting 21.62 million acres of canola in 2014, up from 19.94 million the previous year. Wheat, meanwhile, is forecast to decline to 24.93 million acres, from 26.26 million in 2013.

A return to average yields could push total production down in 2014 despite increased acres. With a large carry-over from the current marketing year, however, the country could have a smaller crop and still have burdensome supplies to deal with in 2014-15.

“Growers will have to grow what works in their rotations and hope they get an opportunity to price at better levels than we’re seeing now,” says Ball.

“It will be a challenge.” FF — Phil Franz-Warkentin writes for Commodity News Service Canada.

The complete solution. Grassy and broadleaf weed control for wheat and barley, no tank mixing.

For more information, please visit BayerCropScience.ca/Tundra

BayerCropScience.ca/Tundra or 1 888-283-6847 or contact your Bayer CropScience representative.

Always read and follow label directions. Tundra速 is a registered trademark of the Bayer Group. Bayer CropScience is a member of CropLife Canada.

C-59-02/14-10192018-E

C OV E R S T O RY

Your machinery is ready for spring:

How about your body?

To ensure a pain- and injury-free cropping season, take time to exercise daily. And tackle lingering muscle and joint problems sooner rather than later

By Joy Gregory photos by genisis studio

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FARM FORUM / SPRING 2014

If thinking about field work is all it takes to make your shoulders ache and your back seize, it’s time to revamp your definition of “getting ready for the growing season,” says J. P. Parsonage, a Calgary personal fitness trainer.

It takes power to lift seed bags and bales, step up and down from field equipment, reach deep inside giant machines and hold your spine up through long hours of mostly stationary field and office work. The muscles that supply this power are not pressed into serious action as often as they were in the past, says Parsonage, who spent the summers of his youth on his dad’s farm in southern Alberta.

Even though mechanization has relieved farmers of many lifting duties, physical activity that’s easier isn’t necessarily safer. Indeed, because today’s farmers use certain muscle groups less often, it’s even more important to keep those muscles tuned up and ready to go.

Here’s where exercise enters the picture. The squat, dead lift and chest press are three of the most basic and useful exercises Parsonage would put in any fitness program for farmers. “All three engage multiple muscles groups, can be done with or without machines or weights, and can always be made more difficult simply by carrying things,” he says.

The best time to start is now Since few farmers have easy access to a gym, Parsonage recommends designating a particular space for exercise equipment. It could be in your house, office or equipment shed. He also suggests dedicating one tenth of a working day to fitness. If 50 minutes in an eight-hour day seems daunting, break the routine into blocks — but track the segments so the routine is consistent. »

J. P. Parsonage, a Calgary personal fitness trainer, says ensuring a pain and injury-free cropping season means taking the time to exercise daily. Three of the most basic and useful exercises in any personal fitness regime are the squat, dead lift and chest press.

FARMFORUM.CA / SPRING 2014

19

You could, for example, do a set number of squats each time you get out of the tractor, do chest presses against the truck door at the start and end your day, and lift a feed bag (or flip a tire) several times before heading to the house for lunch and supper.

With practice, the difficult gets easier.

That also applies to aerobic exercise, which is important to your overall cardiovascular health. Parsonage recommends 20 to 30 minutes of aerobic (heart pumping) exercise several times a week — and increasing that over time.

“Slow is the best way to start,” he says, “but a gradual increase in effort is what has to happen.”

When it already hurts Physiotherapist Angela Leer of Rivercourse, AB, sees farmers when they’re already hurting. Given the physical nature of the job and the fact that farmers tend to work for more years than others in physically demanding occupations, it’s no wonder backs and shoulders (followed by hips and knees) are most prone to injury.

Unfortunately, many farmers dismiss pain as an inevitable part of the job. By the time they see Leer, some have suffered for years. A physiotherapist’s job is to assess the impairment, including how it limits function, and come up with appropriate treatment options such as joint and/ or muscle mobilization and stretches, protective taping and bracing, use of

PUSH-UPS Bad posture

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FARM FORUM / SPRING 2014

PUSH-UPS Good posture

Correct arm position

“Slow is the best way to start … but a gradual increase in effort is what has to happen” — J. P. Parsonage

ultrasound or interferential current, and home exercises that target the problem.

Many clients are surprised at how much physiotherapy helps. “Imagine what it’s like (after several years of pain) to gain 40 degrees of motion in a shoulder and be able to pull yourself up into a tractor without it hurting,” says Leer, herself a grain farmer.

Since most injuries can be resolved with treatment, Leer wants farmers to see a physiotherapist sooner rather than later. Once an injury is treated, she encourages clients to improve their overall fitness.

A former infantryman turned prowrestler, Parsonage (a.k.a. Johnny Devine) has seen a physiotherapist many times over the years. Having struggled with herniated disks and abdominal injuries, he knows what it’s like to lose core muscle strength and how good it feels to get it back.

While travelling to a state-of-theart fitness facility isn’t realistic for many Canadian farmers, most of this demographic can access virtual fitness trainers through their computers, tablets and smart phones. FitnessCoach, Workout Trainer and My Fitness Pal are three of Parsonage’s favourite smart phone fitness apps.

Still, he recommends everyone begin a fitness routine with a trip to a personal trainer. (It’s also a good idea to consult your doctor before starting any kind of fitness program.) Even exercises as basic as the squat, dead lift and chest press can cause injury when not done properly.

Besides that, proper form optimizes a movement’s capacity to build muscle strength: “do it right” and you’ll reap more benefits.

Parsonage challenges those who say they don’t have time for fitness. While you don’t pay for your body the same way you pay for your farm machinery, those who don’t treat their bodies like an important investment will pay a price. As he says, “You get only one body and it has finite limits to what it can do.” FF

WEIGHTS Good posture

WEIGHTS Bad posture

Ways to build fitness into your farm routine from Australia's National Centre for Farmer Health www.farmforum.ca/buildfitness

FARMFORUM.CA / SPRING 2014

21

BayerCropScience.ca/Velocity or 1 888-283-6847or contact your Bayer CropScience representative.

Always read and follow label directions. Bayer CropScience is a member of CropLife Canada.

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C-60-02/14-10192018-E

FA R M L I F E

They started from scratch, now they’re up to scratch

By Lindsye Dunbar Most farms are still acquired the oldfashioned way — through succession — with each generation taking advantage of new technologies and personal passions to make its mark.

Not so for Chad and Darlene Krikau, 2013 Outstanding Young Farmers’ Program winners for the Saskatchewan region. They built their operation, Stream Stick Farms Ltd., right from scratch. “We really only started with our degrees and a Honda Civic,” laughs Darlene.

The two met at the University of Saskatchewan

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FARM FORUM / SPRING 2014

— Chad in the agriculture program and Darlene earning agriculture and education degrees. After graduating, they lived in Alberta for a couple of years before moving back to Waldheim, SK, where Chad grew up.

For the past 10 years, Chad worked for Wendland Ag Services, a full-service ag retailer with eight locations in central Saskatchewan. He started out full-time at the Rosthern, SK, location, about 25 minutes east of Waldheim, and farmed after work on 110 acres rented jointly with his parents. “I grew up farming and knew I wanted to get back to farming,” says Chad.

Chad and Darlene Krikau, winners of the Outstanding Young Farmers' Program award for the Saskatchewan region, with their son Liam (6) and daughter Kalyna (3).

The Krikaus grew Stream Stick Farms — a name born of their son's love of racing sticks in the stream behind the yard — by a couple of quarter-sections each year. As the acreage went up, Chad’s hours at Wendland decreased. Today, he works part-time, focusing on agronomy support. That lets him spend most of his time on the farm, which today is just under 3,000 acres.

A strong network of relationships with landlords, investors and friends has been key to building their operation. Several years ago, the couple teamed up with one of Chad’s customers at Wendland, Elmer Enns, also of Rosthern. “That relationship has been critical to our growth,” says Chad. “And it’s mutually beneficial.

We still help on each other’s farming operations when we can.”

A friend looking for an investment bought land Chad and Darlene owned

then rented it back to them, freeing up equity to buy other parcels of land.

“Up until two years ago, we lived in town,” says Darlene. “Buying our yard site and house was a joint effort with investors and neighbours.” The Krikaus, along with Enns and other investors, jointly purchased the farm land, equipment and home yard from a retiring farmer.

The purchase was made possible through Enns but the vendor wanted someone who farmed to raise their family on the yard, something the Krikaus were very willing to do.

Chad and Darlene split the work equally on their farm. “We do a tight rotation of canola and cereals, using soil tests to match fertilizer to crop needs,” says Chad. After a test plot last year, they are considering adding soybean to the mix this year.

Using environmentally sound practices

“We do a tight rotation of canola and cereals, using soil tests to match fertilizer to crop needs” — Chad Krikau

Darlene and Chad split the work equally on their farm, Stream Stick Farms.

FARMFORUM.CA / SPRING 2014

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"What we put into the nomination (process), we got back a hundred-fold" — Darlene Krikau

has been a priority on Stream Stick Farms. To access one of their fields, for example, the Krikaus have to cross a small creek. “The creek is growing and equipment is getting heavier so we installed a culvert and built a road to protect the riparian area there,” says Chad. With excess water being an issue, they have experimented with a subsoiler plough to break up.

T h e c o u p l e’s c o m m u n i t y involvement centres on the activities of their children, Liam (6) and Kalyna (3). They have been involved in local hockey and soccer associations, as well as the preschool board. Darlene also volunteers with “Ag in the Classroom”, where she speaks to kids in the city about grain production and the connection between that and the food they eat.

The Krikaus questioned accepting the OYF nomination. “It was during seeding time when we were really busy, and there was a fair amount of work involved in the detailed farm analysis required for the nomination,” says Chad. “We weren’t sure we could do it.”

But after a friend told them it was worth the time and effort, they went ahead. “It’s one of those experiences that is hard to understand the value of until you do it,” says Darlene.

“What we put into the nomination (process), we got back a hundredfold.”

The Canadian Outstanding Young Farmers event to name the national winners was held in Regina last November. While Chad and Darlene didn’t win a national award, they found the gathering truly valuable. “I think that event has been the single most excellent farm related experience we have ever had,” says Darlene. “Everybody is forward-thinking and progressive — networking with these people was amazing.”

Chad agrees wholeheartedly.

“Usually when we go somewhere, we are around other grain farmers,” he says. “But there, we were surrounded by innovators from so many sectors of agriculture. It was great.” FF

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FARM FORUM / SPRING 2014

The weed in this ad could be the last weed you see.

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Converge® XT features strong residual activity that controls more weeds than the competition. It’s the most consistent solution for crop-safe grassy and broadleaf weed control.* Make your first thought of the season the last time you think about weeds.

Add Converge XT to your spray program today.

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MIX IT UP

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Converge XT uses multiple modes of action to reduce the risk of herbicide resistance.

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BayerCropScience.ca or 1 888-283-6847 or contact your Bayer CropScience representative.

Always read and follow label directions. Converge® is a registered trademark of the Bayer Group. Bayer CropScience is a member of CropLife Canada. *Based on five trials at three different Ontario locations in 2011. Trials were conducted comparing weed control with pre-emerge herbicides in corn. Trials were funded in part by the Grain Farmers of Ontario. The assistance of OMAFRA through the OMAFRA/University of Guelph Partnership is also acknowledged.

PRODUCTION

Don’t fertilize on the fly:

soil test first

If you think about soil as a nutrient bank account, last year’s bumper crop owes its success, in part, to what was withdrawn from that account during the growing season.

But if you’re worried about what that means for this year’s fertilizer bill, you can breathe a sigh of relief — provided you’ve balanced the books.

Dale Fedoruk, an agronomist and grain farmer from Red Deer, AB, says while last year’s above-average yields across most of western Canada drew down soil nutrient levels, farmers who have diligently tracked nutrient replacement and removal rates using soil test data and predicted crop removal rates, aren’t likely to need dramatic changes to this year’s fertility program. Unfortunately, those who haven’t been using real-world data to track and maintain soil fertility may well be in trouble.

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FARM FORUM / SPRING 2014

The ugly truth about fertility Agronomists say most of Canada’s agricultural soil is rich in the plant growth-boosting macronutrients nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and sulfur (S), that exist naturally in the earth. But not all of these nutrients are available for plant production in any given season. Indeed, even the plant accessibility of supplemental nutrients — that is, the fertilizer you bought and paid for — is highly dependent on everything from temperature to rain and soil tilth.

Fertilizer timing is a science unto itself, says Greg Stewart, a corn specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF). Research shows this is a particular issue with N, which responds differently in different growing conditions.

Stewart says we’re moving towards a time when farmers are going to have to split their N application, putting the bulk down at seeding, then topping up based on growing conditions.

Photo: ©thinkstock

By Joy Gregory

Micronutrients shine in great growing conditions Experts advise conducting annual soil tests at the same time of year and in the same field locations.

Fertilizer placement is similarly complicated and has a direct impact on whether plants can access soil nutrients, says OMAF cereal specialist Peter Johnson.

Photos: top: bayer cropscience, bottom, ©thinkstock

Nutrients in, nutrients out What isn’t new are the basic facts about why it’s important to maintain soil test nutrient levels. “Most regions in western Canada grew an above-average crop last year,” says agronomist and farmer Jesse Bruce of Moose Jaw, SK. At least part of that production bump can be chalked up to excellent growing conditions. That means producers lose out if they base their fertilizer rates on general recommendations instead of calculations based on soil tests and nutrient removal rates for specific fields.

Bruce has customers who believe their cautious 2013 nutrient program compromised their yields. “They fertilized for an averageto-good crop, but the weather was there to have an above-average crop, had they used more appropriate nutrient levels.”

Like Fedoruk, Bruce says it makes more sense to test your fields, preferably in the fall on a minimum three-year rotation, and apply macronutrients in amounts that will build soil nutrient levels to optimum rates. “At some point you do have to replenish what you’ve removed and if you let that compound for years, you’ll just continue to deplete those accounts,” says Fedoruk.

He suggests paying more attention to regionally specific information and factor that into your own fertility programs. In Alberta, for example, fields west of the QE II Highway tend to be deficient in K, while many fields in central Alberta are low in P. And while 15 lb./ac. of phosphate may be a commonly accepted minimum application rate in some parts of the province, certain fields might need 40 lb., explains Fedoruk.

“A crop’s ability to produce is limited by the most limiting input,” says Bruce. “Often that’s moisture, but nutrients are probably number two on the list.”

Farmers who make micronutrients part of their fertility equation can capture yield potential that’s measured in additional bushels per acre. “If you get your fertility right to start with, you can pick the yield you’re shooting for,” says Dan Owen, agronomy manager with Hudye Soil Services in Norquay, SK. Owen is a proponent of annual soil tests — conducted at the same time of the year and in the same field locations. Of course, not all fields need supplementary micronutrients. But wheat producers who don’t test for micronutrients, for example, are apt to miss the connection between low copper levels and missing kernels at the base of wheat heads, says Owen.

Optimum copper levels help fill out wheat heads.

In 2013, Hudye Soil Services worked with canola growers to test a foliar-applied micronutrient product.

Results showed clear per-bushel increases over untreated crops. The extra shot of micronutrients and plant stimulators boosted root growth and plant establishment.

Other Hudye-run field-scale trials conducted last year on hard red spring wheat and canola showed similar benefits from making micros part of the supplemental nutrient mix. On these sites, where under average frowing conditions soils weren’t nutrient-deficient to start with, a significant yield difference demonstrated what plants can do when given a supplemental fertilizer program designed to optimize their potential in ideal growing conditions, says Owen.

Get the facts Soil testing may not be an exact science, but the data definitely helps growers optimize their fertilizer budgets, says Johnson. Because the data becomes part of what a farmer “knows” about his own soil bank account, it gives him a chance to maintain soil test nutrient levels at something that’s reasonable. “Not excessive, not deficient — reasonable,” says Johnson.

That’s great news for those tracking their fertilizer dollars because, as he says, “When you maintain your soil test levels at a reasonable place, you don’t need to build forever.” »

FARMFORUM.CA / SPRING 2014

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Nutrient uptake and removal by field crops: www.farmforum.ca/nutrientuptake

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FARM FORUM / SPRING 2014

Attention corn and soybean growers: mind your Ps and Ks When you talk fertilizer management, nitrogen is usually top of mind. But as many Ontario growers posted some of their best yields for corn and soybean in 2013, crop specialists in the province say it’s time for these growers to pay more attention to their Ps and Ks: phosphorus and potassium.

“Soybeans are big removers of phosphorus and potassium. So the higher the yield, the more that’s been removed,” says Horst Bohner, soybean specialist with OMAF. And that’s a problem in a province where growers have let K levels decline, says Peter Johnson, OMAF cereals specialist.

According to Grain Farmers of Ontario, 20 per cent of Ontario fields are below ideal levels for K. Current deficiencies have accumulated over the past decade, says Johnson. Key factors in this situation are big yields, a period of high prices for potash, and an

increase in the number of farmers cropping rented land where landowners and previous renters haven’t maintained fertility.

OMAF corn specialist Greg Stewart says yields are compromised where soil tests show less than 90 ppm of K. Even growers who do a good job with other macronutrients lose out if K is low. For corn, Stewart recommends minimums of 100 ppm for K and 10 ppm for P. Those minimums hold for soybeans, too, says Bohner. Ideally, he’d rather see soil tests maintained at 120 to 130 for K and 12 to 15 for P. “Anything lower than 100 ppm for K and you likely give up four to five bushels an acre,” he says.

All three specialists say they’d like to see more farmers soil test, at least once per rotation. The data is clear, says Bohner.

“If your soil tests are low you should put fertilizer on.” As he sees it, this is an area where not knowing means you’re guessing — and that’s likely to cost you money.

Photos: Bottom, ©thinkstock, top: stan wiebe

Industry insiders agree soil tests should be conducted in the same locations and at the same time of year, with testing conducted at least once per rotation (typically once every three years). They also agree the tests can be done in the spring, especially if you haven’t yet launched a testing program or don’t have sound numbers going into 2014.

If you haven’t yet collected baseline information, it’s time to start.

Dan Owen, agronomy manager with Hudye Soil Services in Norquay, SK, takes those recommendations a step further.

Because more data is simply better than less, Owen advises his clients to test every year. “Annual tests let growers track nutrient removals and make sure they’re actually giving the crop what it needs.”

His clients found that having this information was critical going into 2013.

While 2012 yields were disappointing for some, it was still a full crop, he says.

Had growers used only bushels per acre figures to calculate nutrient removal, their numbers would have undervalued actual removal rates — a calculation that could have set them up for smaller yields in last year’s ideal growing season.

“I always talk about yield preservation,” says Owen. “We have a genetic yield that is set in the seed. Guys need to be proactively managing their nutrition so the crop never gets hungry.” FF

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WHAT’S NEW WITH BAYER CROPSCIENCE PRODUCTS

Herbicide Resistance in Canada A good bad example

H

erbicide resistance refers to a weed’s ability to successfully survive and reproduce after exposure to a lethal dose of herbicide. Although the situation at home is more optimistic than other areas of the world, Canadian farmers only have to look south of the border to see what the future will look like if we don’t start managing the problem properly.

According to a survey of American growers conducted in 2012, almost half (49%) confirmed they had glyphosate resistant weeds in 2012* and the numbers continue to grow. Conversely, Canadian growers are just starting to notice the development of glyphosate resistance, a reassuring sign that it’s not too late, but a definite wake up call to change our ways.

In addition to glyphosate resistance, Canada currently has over 50 other weed biotypes with resistance to one or more herbicide groups: Why should we care?

Not only do resistant weeds take more money and time to manage, the loss of your old herbicide’s effectiveness leaves you with fewer tools to work with. However, the real concern is to protect the economic viability of your operation for the future.

Following your herbicide application, resistant biotypes remain in crop and freely compete for available resources that would otherwise be dedicated to your desired crop.

In all cases, this results in decreased yield potential.

The problem is then compounded once these resistant weeds propagate (go to seed), leading to an even worse situation the following year. Unmanaged, herbicide resistance can very quickly result in total crop loss and the inability to successfully sustain a farming operation.

On the move Herbicide resistance usually spreads from one field to the next through three major routes: pollen, seeds and vegetative structures.

However, we often forget that the genetic potential for resistance is always present in every weed population and only requires the repeated use of a single mode of action to manifest itself in our fields. Thus, we need to employ management strategies that will protect our farms from both foreign field invaders and internal uprisings.

Integrated Management Systems Developing a concrete resistance management strategy is paramount to combatting resistance. Despite the various factors that create and further contribute to the development of herbicide resistance, employing a simple integrated weed management system can effectively delay the onset of resistance and preserve your most valuable weed management tools and the sustainability of your operation.

Source: 2012 Agri-Marketing, Glyphosate Resistant Weeds in US Crops

*

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FARM FORUM / SPRING 2014

Resistant weed management strategies 1. P ERIMETER WEED MANAGEMENT Leave a 1m wide weed-free zone around your cropping fields (so new weeds can’t propagate and expand throughout your fields).

2. SCOUT OFTEN Scout often and take note of individual weed response to all applications (pre-emergent, post-emergent and pre-harvest).

3. CROP ROTATION Rotate crops as often as possible to utilize the unique modes of action available within the crop.

4. TIME FERTILIZATION Time and place fertilizer to benefit your crop, not weeds.

5. REMOVE ALL WEEDS Make sure you remove all weeds before they set seed – even if you have to pull by hand. Remember the old English proverb: One year seeding, seven years weeding.

6. TARGET PROBLEM WEEDS Systematically target problem weeds and respond quickly to changing weed populations.

7. OUTCOMPETE WEEDS Decrease your row spacing and increase seeding rates to maximize crop competitiveness and minimize time to crop canopy closure.

8. HERBICIDE EFFECTIVENESS Maximize your herbicide’s effectiveness: • Match selection of herbicide(s) with your most difficult weeds • Use full-labelled rates • Include the best tank mixes and adjuvant(s) • Use correct spray volume (follow label directions) • Use correct nozzle spacing and droplet size • Don’t spray at excess travel speeds, follow label directions • Apply during the best weather conditions (warm, humid, and sunny conditions with minimal wind) • Maximize rain-fastness intervals • Time of day (herbicides are most effective when sprayed between 8:00am and 9:00pm) For more information about herbicide resistance and effective management strategies visit MixItUp.ca

A NEWSLETTER FROM BAYER CROPSCIENCE

know your groups What you don't know can hurt you

R

otating to herbicides with different and new modes of action is a well-known strategy for managing herbicide resistance. But does your new herbicide really have a new mode of action? Is it even a different mode of action from your previous one?

Although there are well over 150 different products registered for use in the global herbicide market, there is also a profound lack of diversity. In fact, only six different modes of action make up 77% of the products in market*. Generic herbicides, re-formulations of existing actives, combination products and the clutter and complexity of the market make it very difficult to know if you’ve actually switched to a different mode of action.

Knowledge is power “Many growers believe they are rotating to new or different modes of action, when in fact they have been using the same mode year after year. This obviously has serious implications on the development of herbicide resistant weeds,” says Ian Scholer, manager broadleaf herbicides, Bayer CropScience. “You have to read the label and know your herbicide groups to be certain you are rotating properly. If your new product is from the same group as your old one, you’re only exasperating the situation.”

What’s new?

It’s a commonly held misperception that a new product will have a new mode of action, but in reality, almost every cereal herbicide brought to market in the last 30 years was made from an existing herbicide group and/or technology. The only exception was the introduction of pyrasulfotole (Group 27) in 2008.

“Infinity® herbicide was the first product we (Bayer CropScience)

Global Herbicide Market

by Mode of Action Class  EPSP’s (Round-Up)  ALS (Group 2’s)  ACCase (Group 1’s)  PSII (Group 5/6)  VLCFAS (Group 8)  Auxins (Group 4’s)

Other MOA Six MOA classes represent 77% of the total global market Lack of herbicide diversity = strong resistance selection pressure Source: Bayer CropScience Agrowin 2010 based on market value

launched using this new Group 27 technology. The response from growers has been incredible, especially those with resistance concerns,” says Scholer. “This was something farmers had definitely been waiting a long time for.”

Planning for the future Since 2008 Bayer has launched two other herbicide innovations utilizing pyrasulfotole including, Velocity m3 herbicide (2010) and Tundra® herbicide(2011). These products offer an all-in-one, pre-mixed grassy and broadleaf weed solution for cereal growers and the additional convenience of not having to tank mix.

With no other new modes of action for the foreseeable future, all three technologies will play an instrumental role in the fight against resistant weeds.

Scholer adds, “By adding any of these

Group 27 technologies to their regular rotation, growers will have the ability to effectively delay the onset of resistance and help protect the viability of their farms for future generations.”

Everything you want to know about maximizing your cereal crop’s health and yield potential is just a click away. Visit BayerCropscience.ca/ GrowYourKnowledge for videos featuring agronomic experts and the latest industry news and trends. After each video, you have the option to complete a quiz and earn CCA/ CCS credits. We’ll be updating the page with new information and videos. Be sure to check back often.

*Source: 2010 Bayer CropScience AgroWin, Global Herbicide Market by MOA

FARMFORUM.CA / SPRING 2014

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WHAT’S NEW WITH BAYER CROPSCIENCE PRODUCTS

Pardner: Volunteer Canola Management A growing concern

A fresh start Bayer CropScience is pleased to announce that Pardner® herbicide is now registered as a pre-season, tank-mix partner with Roundup WeatherMAX® herbicide and other similar glyphosate technologies for control of all volunteer canola, even if they're resistant to other herbicide groups.

Pardner shows an increase in control of volunteer canola over the current industry leader CleanStart®* herbicide.

Maximize Your Savings

100

Pardner Label*

80

70

60

16 Acres Per Jug

90

20 Acres Per Jug

The problem with volunteer canola Volunteer canola is no ordinary weed.

Unchecked it has the potential to contaminate your new canola crop, spread disease and alter the desired oil content and profile of your harvested crop. But what really makes volunteer canola so hazardous is the high probability that it carries a genetic tolerance to one or more herbicide technologies (LibertyLink®, Genuity®, Roundup Ready® and/or Clearfield® canola) making it very difficult to control.

This can leave you with a poorperforming, lower quality crop which can compromise your return on investment.

2013 Performance % Control of RR Volunteers

T

ighter canola rotations and increasingly common prairie wind events have lead to massive volunteer canola seed deposits across the Canadian prairies.

Pardner (400 ml/ac)+ Glyphosate

Pardner (500 ml/ac)+ Glyphosate

50 CleanStart® Low Rate Source: 2013 D&L - HD13CANBGA (n=6)

CleanStart® High Rate *Pending registration

Best practices In addition to using Pardner with glyphosate for a pre-seed application, an integrated volunteer management approach is recommended, which includes: • Keeping accurate records of the type of canola planted each year • Anticipating volunteer canola in every field • Expecting volunteer canola to

be resistant to specific herbicide technologies • Rotating to non-susceptible crops between canola rotations • Reducing deep tillage following harvest to facilitate frost-kill of volunteer seedlings To learn more about volunteer canola management and Pardner herbicide, please visit BayerCropScience.ca/ Pardner

The 2014 BayerValue program allows you to combine your Cereal Winter Sale, Early Book InVigor and Cereal Savings purchases to maximize your rewards.

Now when you purchase almost any Bayer CropScience product you increase your opportunity to save.

For full offer details, and to learn more visit - BayerCropScience.ca/BayerValue

BayerCropScience.ca or 1 888-283-6847 or contact your Bayer CropScience representative. Always read and follow label directions. Infinity®, LibertyLink®, Pardner® and Tundra® are trademarks of the Bayer Group.

All other products are trademarks of their respective companies. Bayer CropScience is a member of CropLife Canada. *

Source: 2013 Bayer CropScience D&L Trials, n=6

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FARM FORUM / SPRING 2014

One of a kind broadleaf weed control.

As the only Group 27 and the first new mode of action in cereals for over 25 years, powerful, one of a kind Infinity® herbicide controls the toughest broadleaf weeds from across the Canadian prairies, even if they are resistant to other herbicide classes.

Infinity – truly in a class of its own.

For more information, please visit BayerCropScience.ca/Infinity

BayerCropScience.ca/Infinity or 1 888-283-6847 or contact your Bayer CropScience representative.

Always read and follow label directions. Infinity® is a registered trademark of the Bayer Group. Bayer CropScience is a member of CropLife Canada.

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Breakthrough in plant health.

The Stress Shield® component of Raxil® PRO Shield provides superior emergence, increased vigour and a healthier plant that’s better able to withstand unforeseen seasonal stresses. This includes things like drought, disease, nutrient loss, frost as well as wireworms.

This NEW formulation combines the power of three different fungicide actives, including NEW prothioconazole, for complete systemic and contact protection from the most serious seed- and soil-borne diseases like fusarium graminearum, true loose smut and pythium.

Don’t limit the potential of your crop – use the toughest thing in pink.

To learn more about Raxil PRO Shield, visit BayerCropScience.ca/Raxil

BayerCropScience.ca/Raxil or 1 888-283-6847 or contact your Bayer CropScience representative.

Always read and follow label directions. Raxil® and Stress Shield® are registered trademarks of the Bayer Group.

Bayer CropScience is a member of CropLife Canada.

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Farm Forum Bayer Crop Science

None 8.125” x 8.625”

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Marsha Walters 100%

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