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OYF opportunity makers

p. 5 Informed decisions make successful management

FarmFORUM www.farmforum.cA

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11/11-BCS11108

FarmFORUM volume 26 | issue 1 | winter 2012

contents >> PRINT TECHNOLOGY

BUSINESS

PRODUCTION

FARM LIFE

FarmFORUM www.farmforum.ca Publisher Bayer CropScience Editor Sherry Butt Associate Editor Dave Wreford

COVER STORY

10

6

18

InVigor seed team breeds hybrid winners

Canada’s pulse industry adapts to meet demand

Sprayer options enhance productivity

A look inside Bayer’s Lethbridge seed processing facility

Exports to India and China are growing

Make the choice that fits your needs

8

A successful century under its belt, 4-H looks to the future

Meet Rivers, MB, 4-H family

4 Editor’s note: highlights of Winter 2012 issue 5 Informed decisions make successful management: especially when it comes to seeding 16 Diagnose small-engine problems with the FAST approach: fuel, air, spark and timing 22 When opportunity knocked, they grabbed it: OYF Saskatchewan region winners

look for crop talk starting on page 24

contents >> WEB

CropTalk

FarmFORUM.ca

Contributors Clare Stanfield, Jennifer Barber, Joy Gregory, Jeff Melchior, Gerald Pilger, Philip Shaw and Genesis Studio.

Graphic Design Aaron Mumby Design 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@bayercropscience.com www.bayercropscience.ca Contents of this publication are copyrighted and may be reproduced only with written permission of the publisher, Bayer CropScience.

The views expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher.

Publications Mail Agreement Number 40743517 Registered in Canada Copyright 2012 Website www.farmforum.ca Return undeliverable copies to: Bayer CropScience Suite 200 160 Quarry Park Blvd SE Calgary, AB, T2C 3G3

Choose your canola hybrids for 2012 One agronomist’s top five picks

www.farmforum.ca/canolapicksfor2012

Check removal rates to figure future nitrogen needs

Get your business info on the go

Use “wheat formula” to help

AgReader app puts news, weather and marketing info at fingertips

www.farmforum.ca/nitrogenneeds

www.farmforum.ca/agreaderapp

On the cover Rob Southwell, manager/seed processing for Bayer CropScience in Lethbridge, AB, is just one member of the InVigor seed team dedicated to improving opportunities for canola.

Farm Forum.ca | 3

s h o r t ta k e s

More at farmforum.ca Each month we send you an email from Farm Forum that contains three short articles you may find interesting, a couple of blog headlines and a link to our Twitter page.

Our goal is to provide you with information that is quick and easy to read. You can sort through the headlines quickly, read what interests you and move on. We put a lot of different items on the page so you can see what else might interest you after reading an article or blog.

There’s also depth if you want it. If technology is of interest just click on the “Technology” tab and you’ll find a wide variety of articles to choose from, all on one page.

To stay connected please follow us on twitter: @farmforum. FF

4 | Farm Forum | Winter 2012

Editor’s note As the old saying goes, “many hands make light work.” At Bayer CropScience, the many hands that make up the InVigor seed team at the Lethbridge, AB, facility, make light work of improving opportunities for canola with respect to quality, yield and return on investment for producers. Our cover story outlines the talent and hard work that go into every bag of InVigor canola seed.

Agrologist, Steve Larocque, in our regular Consultant’s Corner column, talks about the importance of making informed decisions in every aspect of your farming operation, especially when it comes to seeding.

Twenty years ago, western Canada’s pulse industry was almost nonexistent. Today it is growing quickly as producers are warming up to the benefits of including pulses in their crop rotation. Find out, in our story on page 6, if adding pulses to your cropping system is right for you.

As the 100th anniversary of 4-H nears, Farm Forum celebrates the success of one of Canada’s longest-running youth organizations through the eyes of the Robins family, whose involvement in 4-H spans four generations.

In our ongoing series on essential skills for farmers, we talk about diagnosing small engine problems.

Through the FAST approach — looking at the four main causes of smallengine problems: fuel, air, spark and timing — learn how to spot what’s wrong and get it fixed.

When it comes to sprayers, there are plenty of manufacturers to choose from, all touting their particular models’ features and benefits.

In our story, Sprayer options enhance productivity, we take a look at some pros and cons of pull-type and, especially, self-propelled.

And finally, our regular Outstanding Young Farmer feature profiles Franck and Kari Groeneweg, Saskatchewan region winners for 2011.

By capitalizing on new opportunities, the Groenewegs have learned to “make their own luck.” FF

business

Informed decisions make successful management

Co n s u l t a n t ’ s Co r n e r With steve Larocque

PHOTO ©istockphoto.COM/kryczka

By Clare Stanfield

Farmers make countless decisions throughout a cropping season — some big, some little, some of major consequence and some so habitual they hardly seem like decisions at all.

Critically, more often than not, the decisions you make build on one another, and nowhere is this more evident than with seeding.

“If you’re going to get anything right, get your seeding right,” says consulting agrologist Steve Larocque, of Beyond Agronomy. “You can recover from some poor moves during the year. If you find you need to boost fertility, for example, you can always top-dress. Or if disease is worse than you thought, you can spray again. You can recover from a lot of mistakes, but seeding isn’t one of them.”

Seeding decisions for 2012 start now, in the winter, with variety selection, rotation planning, seed treatment and so on.

Those go under the heading of “best laid plans,” says Larocque.

Then, when spring comes, he adds, it’s time to tighten the plan and tweak decisions so that you achieve the best possible stand establishment to meet your maturity, yield and quality targets.

For instance, Larocque says he’ll change his seeding density depending on actual seeding date. “I normally work backwards from the seeding date,” he says. “If it’s May 30 and I know we usu-

ally get a frost around September 10, I know I have 95 days or so to get that wheat crop to maturity.”

If it looks as though he’ll be able to seed early, Larocque might bump seeding density to accommodate the greater seed mortality that comes with cooler soils. If seeding later, he might drop that rate because the soil will be warmer. But before making that decision, Larocque takes soil type into consideration because clay soil takes longer to warm up than sandy soil. If it’s getting to late May/early June before he can seed, he’ll abandon plans for a late maturing variety and switch to an earlier one.

“At the beginning of the season, I ask myself what factors will speed maturity, what will get the crop there,” says Larocque. “I’m trying to gain maturity, so I’m trying to focus on seeding depth plant density, and phosphorus placement to get as many main stems as possible and reduce tillers. Every tiller costs me maturity.”

The point is that every decision you make at seeding time, no matter how small, can have an impact on decisions you’ll need to make later in-season and at harvest. If you do seed too deep, or too early, or with too low a density, chances are you’ll spend the rest of the season trying to make up for it because the crop is struggling. It could mean higher fertilizer or pesticide bills, and, in the end, a poorer crop to show for it.

Once the crop is off to a good start, it’s all about fine-tuning: when do micronutrients help and when not? Should a fungicide be sprayed and, if so, when?

Harvest is a key time for information gathering, he says, but too often, that information is lost because it isn’t properly recorded. “Everyone should have a notebook or an iPad in the field. It’s at harvest that you notice a weed patch or thin areas, and if you could quickly record that while combining, you can go back and find out what was going on there.”

After harvest, crunch the numbers if you can, to find out what’s driving yield.

Then put that information into your decision-making process next year.

For example, Larocque spent some time after the 2011 harvest doing statistical correlations on customers’ fields to find out what was driving yield. “In a 700-acre field I might have 133 copper levels,” he says. Comparing those Cu levels to yield monitor data, he could try to identify which areas were responding to a higher Cu levels. “Maybe manganese, potassium and zinc are really driving yield on this field, but they may have no effect whatsoever on the next field over.”

As with most things in farming, there is no silver bullet. The secret to success is in getting all the little things right, or as right a possible. “Successful managers do a million things well that add up to a large sum total,” says Larocque.

“The most successful producers I know are constantly gathering information when it comes to grain production,” he adds. This information can come from many sources such as consultants, dealers, chemical company reps or other producers. The key is finding sources you trust then drawing on those sources when making decisions.

Not all sources will have the same answer or opinion, and that’s fine, says Larocque. “The answer is usually somewhere in the middle.” FF Farm Forum.ca | 5

business

Canada’s pulse industry adapts to meet demand

By Jennifer Barber

“If you compare pulse production now to the 1970s, it’s clear that what is being grown has evolved to meet market demand,” says Gordon Bacon, CEO of Pulse Canada. “Demand for some pulse crops, like chickpeas, is down some years and up in others. And Canadian production patterns vary from year to year, such as for beans this year; down in part because of high returns from some other crops.”

Saskatchewan is by far the largest pulse producer in Canada. Manitoba also has a diverse pulse growing area, while Alberta has irrigated bean production in the south while peas are grown across the province.

Today, most of Canada’s pulse products are exported to traditional consumption markets, such as India and China.

And those markets are growing. Yellow peas, for example, are replacing a portion of Chinese-grown mung beans to produce high quality starch used in the production of clear vermicelli noodles.

The pulse industry is also working to strengthen the reputation of crops grown in rotation with pulses as one part of an

Hectares (thousands)

Canadian Pulses - Seeded Area

Seeded Area 6 | Farm Forum | Winter 2012

environmentally sustainable cropping system. “Pulses fix nitrogen so there is a greatly reduced need to add synthetic nitrogen fertilizer to a pulse crop, and farmers can often reduce nitrogen applications in the subsequent year’s crop,” says Bacon. “With a reduction in nitrogen fertilizer applications, inclusion of pulses effectively reduces a farm’s carbon footprint.”

Agri-business investing in growth Alliance Grain Traders (AGT) entered the pulse business 10 years ago just as valueadded processing was starting to take off. Through steady expansion, it is now the world’s largest value-added supplier of pulse products in the world.

“When we start- Gordon Bacon ed out we found CEO Pulse Canada that the one thing we had not captured in Canada had been the processing end of the business,” says Murad Al-Katib, president and CEO of AGT. “The world wanted our products, and wanted much of them in processed form. We have filled that gap. Valueadded production has grown to a billion dollar industry.”

AGT works with farmers to make sure that what they are growing is what the world wants. Demand has changed over the years. At first, Canada was producing a lot of green lentils, but AGT’s customers wanted red lentils, so it set up a

PHOTOs (top) couresty Alliance Grain Traders; (right) couresty pulse canada

Jack Froese has been growing pulses (edible legume seeds) since they were only niche products in western Canada.

The third-generation farmer started producing these crops in the early 1970s on his farm east of Winkler, MB. Today he includes pulses in rotation throughout his 5,500 acres.

“We started out with 80 acres of pinto beans and from the beginning we had good results,” says Froese. “From there the number of acres we planted to pulse crops grew significantly and rapidly. We developed connections through the industry, tailored our equipment to pulses, and now they’re very profitable for our farm.”

Western Canada’s pulse industry was just a blip on the cropping radar as little as 20 years ago. Now pulse production is flourishing across the country, with farmers growing all types of pulse crops, processors cleaning and packaging, elevators shipping peas and lentils in bulk, and value-added agri-business promoting pulses as a food ingredient. The industry has embraced growth.

red lentil splitting facility in Regina. That products, and making sure those prodgave farmers a home-grown buyer for ucts pay enough to make pulses worththeir crop. Ten years ago, few Canadi- while for farmers to grow. an-processed peas were going to China.

Today a half-million tonnes of peas are Emerging markets for pulses As with any crop, says Froese, pulses shipped there annually.

Viterra also has pulse processing facili- have had their good and bad years. Marties across western Canada, and has seen kets have shifted, prices have fluctuated, its greatest business growth in bulk ship- disease has caused problems and sometimes the weather ments. “We move just wasn’t right to a lot of red lentils grow top quality and yellow peas It’s hard to change what beans. But through through our elevait all, the extra mantor network,” says people eat so we want to agement always Blair Roth, director, focus on changing what is paid off in the end. special crops with “You have to be Viterra. “But we in the food that people are careful with pulses are also seeing inalready eating so you get a good creased demand in quality product,” he traditional markets says. “These crops for green lentils and dry beans, which we clean and package have to be baby-sat. You can’t seed it too early, as it’s sensitive to frost in spring. for sale overseas.”

Roth says a key goal for Canadian Pulses can’t handle too much water durthey can’t be too dry agri-business is sourcing a stable supply ing the spring, and B:8.375” seed coat can crack. But of product for customers. He says there’s at harvest or theT:8.125” a balance to be maintained between cre- for a long time now, markets have reS:7.625” ating international markets for Canadian warded the extra effort.”

Within Canada, the pulse market is growing but it is still considered small on a worldwide scale. Bacon says the industry is working with food companies to see pulses as a non-traditional ingredient in food eaten every day. “We want to work with manufacturers to look at reformulating a range of cereal-based foods so pulses are an ingredient that, one day, may have the added benefit of offering additional health claims on the package,” he says. “It’s hard to change what people eat so we want to focus on changing what is in the food that people are already eating.”

Al-Katib agrees. “We predict in the next 10 years that pulses will be an ingredient in a lot of everyday foods,” he says. “They are environmentally smart to grow, and they give a protein and fibre boost. There is no doubt that there is a long-term reason for growers to keep producing pulse crops.” FF www.farmforum.ca/pulseinfo

Producer and consumer information about pulses

GROWERS, START YOUR PULSES. Trilex® AL seed treatment takes the checkered flag for seed and seedling disease protection in pulses and soybeans. In addition, it clears the track to allow your pulse inoculant to supercharge nodulation.

Led by trifloxystrobin and metalaxyl, the finest pit crew on tour, Trilex AL has been engineered for high performance disease protection. This high level of disease protection and synergistic benefits with inoculants provides growers with their best return on investment. Now that’s a winning formula.

PHOTOs genesis Studio; (sidebar) couresty bayer cropscience

For more information visit BayerCropScience.ca/Trilex.

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

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

Farm Forum.ca | 7

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fa r m l i f e

Clayton, Quinn and Brian Robins from Rivers, MB, represent three generations of 4-H participation. Brian’s late father Doug, was also involved in 4-H.

A successful century under its belt, 4-H looks to the future

By Joy Gregory

Most of what Quinn Robins will be carrying into the 4-H beef club show ring this spring will be visible to the judges.

They’ll see the 15-year-old’s Rivers 4-H Beef Club shirt, his jeans and boots, and they’ll see his hands holding tightly to his calf’s halter. What they won’t see is what he carries on his shoulders and in his heart — the pride of four generations of Robins who’ve served this club, community and country with over 50 years of active 4-H participation.

Established in Roland, MB, in 1913, 4-H is one of Canada’s longest-running youth organizations. Open to youth between the ages of eight and 21, it asks its members to pledge their heads, hearts, hands and health to their clubs, communities and countries. For Robins, who hopes to study agriculture in the future, 4-H is loaded with educational and leadership opportunities. “I’d like to stay involved and maybe someday I can be a leader, too.”

8 | Farm Forum | Winter 2012

His aspirations are in step with 4-H tradition. “The stats show that 90 per cent of our alumni are involved in more than one community organization, and 75 per cent hold executive positions,” says Mike Nowosad, CEO, Canadian 4-H Council. “The number of 4-H alumni with post-secondary education also exceeds the national average, and those who stay involved in agriculture post higher farm incomes.”

100 years and growing While the complete details of next year’s 100th anniversary celebration aren’t available yet, Nowosad says all Canadians will hear a lot about 4-H over the course of 2012 and 2013. “We’re proud of our past and we’re not going to forget our rural roots,” he says. “But the skills young people learn in 4-H are valued far beyond the farm gate and we’re looking forward to getting more urban youth in-

volved in 4-H projects.”

Quinn’s dad, Clayton Robins, couldn’t agree more. “Everybody across Canada sees real opportunities in trying to get 4-H into some of the urban centres we haven’t been in before,” he says. Clayton is the executive director of the Manitoba 4-H Council, a beef producer and former 4-H member and leader. “This is an exciting time for 4-H,” he says, adding that 2,500 youth belong to 4-H in Manitoba, and the goal is to build on alternative club opportunities in rural areas and expand into urban centres.

That extension makes sense to Alberta 4-H leader Sheralyn Dobos. A former beef club member in rural Alberta, she raised her children in the city of Camrose, yet, for nine years, she’s been driving her daughters to monthly 4-H drama club meetings in the rural community of Kelsey. A leader for seven years, she credits 4-H for teaching her “city girls”

The Robins hold a few of the 4-H trophies won over the years. A photo of Brian’s late father Doug is seen in the background.

Quinn Robins with his 4-H calf.

PHOTOs SANDY BLACK

With its 100th anniversary set for 2013, 4-H is drawing more Canadians than ever into youth programs that strengthen community and country.

about everything from leadership to public speaking. “The little club they belonged to in Kelsey draws members from a 100-kilometre radius,” she says. “My girls got to meet people they wouldn’t have met otherwise.”

Dobos, who oversees a domestic violence prevention and treatment program, credits her own 4-H experience for some of the management and record keeping skills required in her position.

4-H clubs located in rural centres have been doing non-agricultural projects for many years, says Janet Kerr, a former 4-Her and a current 4-H specialist in Alberta, where more than 6,400 young folk are members.

Saskatchewan 4-H Council member, Valerie Pearson, says 4-H membership is on the rise in her province, with close to 4,000 young people belonging to 4-H clubs, some of which have been active in smaller urban centres for many years.

Also a former member and leader, Pear- World.” These include youth from the son says beef projects dominate (as they U.S., Taiwan, Tanzania, Costa Rica, Findo across western Canada), but non-tra- land and the UK. ditional clubs are on the rise. “Our goal Back in Rivers, MB, Brian Robby 2017, which is the 100th anniversary ins, Clayton’s dad, says that watchfor 4-H in Saskatching his grandson ewan and Alberta, Quinn participate is to have 10,000 in 4-H brings back The stats show that 90 participants in our fond memories of per cent of our alumni are program.” his own years in the same club. His That’s music to involved in more than one dad, Doug (Quinn’s Nowosad’s ears. community organization, great-grandfather), He says one of the signed Brian up in biggest anniversary and 75 per cent hold 1953 and became a events for the naexecutive positions club leader not long tional council is “the after. In turn, Brian creation of our first international 4-H conference that will was an active leader in the same club be held in conjunction with Olds College when his three kids were young. “4-H (Alberta) in November, 2013.” Repre- is excellent training for everyone,” sentatives from 20 of the 80 nations that says Brian. “We were always a farm have 4-H clubs will be invited to the con- family and 4-H was one more thing we ference, “Feeding Canada, Feeding the did together.” FF Farm Forum.cA | 9

cover story

>

Jeff Melchior | photography

>

genesis studio

invigor seed team breeds hybrid winners 10 | Farm Forum | Winter 2012

Many people have a hand in the process of producing InVigor canola seed. From Bayer’s Lethbridge facility L to R: Brady Glimsdale, Dustin Bosch, Judy Lamond, George Lammertsen, Clare Lefebvre, Dorothy Monaghan, Giselle Ulrich, Alfonso Parra, Kevin McKnight, Landon Dalshaug, Clayton Martineau and Ryan Mackenzie.

Farm Forum.cA | 11

What’s behind a bag of InVigor canola seed?

When a farmer buys that bag, he sees just a bag of seed — but it’s one he counts on to perform under any conditions.

W

hen George Lammertsen and Kevin McKnight see the same bag of seed, they see the product of an ongoing effort to improve opportunities for canola — how much canola can be grown and how much money the crop can put in producers’ pockets.

So far, that effort has paid off. “Hybrids such as InVigor have really moved the yardstick in terms of canola’s performance,” says McKnight, manager of seed processing and logistics at the Bayer CropScience facility in Lethbridge, AB. “The traditional average for canola production 15 years ago was about 22 to 23 bushels per acre. Today, a yield 40-plus bushels per acre is easily achievable,” he says. “Canola is now the number one cash generating crop for western Canadian farmers and we believe InVigor has played a significant role in that.”

A strong focus on quality control has helped Bayer CropScience achieve this status, says Lammertsen, manager of canola seed production. “Good crop performance doesn’t come about by accident. It comes because a number of steps have occurred prior to the delivery of the product to our customers. It comes be-

Warehouse supervisor, George Brown, gets InVigor seed ready for shrinkwrapping before it’s shipped out.

12 | Farm Forum | Winter 2012

cause everyone along the value chain is focused on the same goal.”

Seed production brings people together from all over the world, each with his own area of expertise. The process involves farmers, agronomists, lab technicians, seed cleaners and treaters, and a number of other specialists dedicated to getting the finished seed to market. “We have a unique, very specialized group of people,” says McKnight. “Some have farm backgrounds and some don’t, but all play a vital role.”

Three-year process The development process that goes into every bag of InVigor seed typically requires three growing seasons. The first step is pre-basic seed production, where seed is produced on very small plots in isolated areas to prevent contamination from other canola.

That material is then harvested and taken to the next step called basic seed production. This stage takes place in isolated fields in various locations including Australia and British Columbia. “During this step you’re basically taking a small quantity and producing more of it,” says Lammertsen. “Eventually, we’re left with

Bayer CropScience’s InVigor seed processing facility in Lethbridge, AB.

InVigor’s newest hybrids: L130 and L150.

Farm Forum.cA | 13

enough seed of parent lines to produce the hybrid.”

The hybrid is then produced by farmers contracted based on the suitability of their land. Alternating rows of male and female seed are planted, with pollen from the male line used to fertilize the male-sterile female plants (which produce no pollen). “This step takes place throughout the prairies, mostly in southern Alberta due to the longer growing season and the availability of irrigation,” says Lammertsen.

Once the plants emerge, two applications of Liberty herbicide are used to keep fields weed-free and prevent females from producing off-types. Pollinators such as bees and leaf cutters are introduced into the fields and efforts are made to ensure that the male and female plants flower at the same time. Bayer CropScience agronomists work with the beekeepers to promote effective pollination.

Harvest time is a critical stage in the development process. “It’s at that point we start to really focus on some important criteria when it comes to germination and the bigger aspects of the seed,” says Lammertsen. Timing and seed purity remain paramount, as agronomists work with the contracted farmers to ensure both.

After combining, seed is put into storage. The production and processing teams hold meetings to analyze the harvest and

ited by the federal government,” he says.

The seed is then put on pallets and stored temporarily in warehouses. At this point the company’s distribution department coordinates allocation of the product to retail warehouses throughout Canada and the U.S., where it is sold to producers.

Performance the best payoff For McKnight, one of the best payoffs of his job is seeing InVigor seed make a tangible improvement to farmers’ bottom lines. “It’s very exciting to see the appreciation farmers have for our brand,” he says. “When we hear reports of InVigor’s excellent yields in very adverse conditions, and how it performs against competitor products, it’s gratifying to know that we played a role in that success.” FF

InVigor seed is treated with Prosper.

Good crop performance doesn’t come about by accident. It comes because a number of steps have occurred prior to the delivery of the product to our customers decide which seed lots best meet the quality standards. That seed is then moved to Bayer CropScience’s cleaning facility in Lethbridge. “We have a lady at the Lethbridge plant, Dorothy Monaghan, whose sole job is to coordinate that movement from the farms to our seed cleaning plant,” says McKnight.

The cleaned seed is then sent to laboratories certified by the federal government. “Any seed certified number one standard is then approved for treating,” he says. The approved seed is sent back to the Lethbridge plant where it is treated with Prosper FX seed treatment. Despite the considerable size of the facility, McKnight says Bayer CropScience usually has to contract external tollers to clean and treat seed that the plant cannot accommodate. “Because this is a licensed activity, each of the external tollers is accred14 | Farm Forum | Winter 2012

The wind and screen machine is used to clean InVigor seed, just one step in the cleaning process.

No contest.

Western Canada is our home turf and we’re taking it one field at a time. Next time you’re driving down the highway consider this: nearly one of every two canola fields is an InVigor®. And there’s a good reason for it.

InVigor hybrid canola was founded on the endless pursuit of excellence, creating superior genetics that consistently deliver exceptional early season vigor, high stress tolerance and most importantly, number one in yield for 15 years.* Watch for five new “L Series” hybrids for 2012. The perfect season begins.

BayerCropScience.ca/InVigor or 1 888-283-6847 or contact your Bayer CropScience representative. *Source 1996-2010 WCC/RRC Trials.

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

Farm Forum.ca | 15

11/11 - BCS11108

Technology

Diagnose small-engine problems with the ‘FAST’ approach

Jeff Bakke of Battle River Implements

Small engines are essential in farm operations. They power augers, pumps and generators; they run most lawn and garden equipment from lawnmowers to chainsaws; and they drive the quads and snowmobiles that farmers use for both work and play. Small engines are so common, in fact, that they are often completely overlooked until they won’t start or run properly, which can result in hours of frustration as you try to figure out what’s wrong and get it fixed.

However, if you think “FAST”, most problems can be diagnosed relatively quickly and easily. FAST is an acronym for the causes of most small engine problems: fuel, air, spark and timing. Chances are, one of these four factors is the reason for your balky engine.

Fuel

Most small engine problems are fuel related, so that’s the first thing to check. Is there fuel in the tank and is the tank shutoff valve open? While this may seem obvious it is likely every owner of a small engine has, at one time or another, tried to start it with an empty tank.

A quick way to determine if fuel is the problem is (after repeated attempts to start the engine) to remove the spark plug and check to see if the spark plug contacts are dry. If so, pour a small amount of fuel into the spark plug hole, replace it and try again to start the engine. If it starts and runs for a short time your problem is likely fuel related. Follow the fuel from the tank 16 | Farm Forum | Winter 2012

to the carburetor and look for plugged fil- Spark ters, lines, or leaks.

If the engine is getting the proper fuel-toJeff Bakke, a small-engine mechanic at air ratio, go to the third step in FAST and Battle River Implements in Camrose, AB, check the spark. Remove the spark plug says old fuel is a very common cause of wire from the spark plug, and attach the engines failing to start. Over time, the wire to the blade end of an insulated (plasvolatile components of gasoline vaporize, tic or rubber handled) screwdriver. Hold leaving a thicker, less combustible residue. the handle of the screwdriver so that the As well, old fuel gums up the carburetor, exposed metal blade is about 1/8 of an plugs ports and dries out diaphragms. inch from the block or frame of the engine.

“A gas stabilizer should be added to the Make sure there is no spilled gas and the fuel tank if an engine isn’t going to be run screwdriver is away from the fuel tank. for a while,” says Bakke. “Make sure the Now try and start the engine. You engine has been run and is warm prior to should see a fat, blue-white spark jump adding the stabilizer, and then run it again from the screwdriver to the frame and hear for a short time after adding the stabilizer a snap. If there is a good spark, chances are to distribute stabilized fuel all through the you simply need to replace the spark plug, fuel system.” and make sure you get the correct one for Too much fuel creates as many problems your engine. “Replacing spark plugs anas fuel starvation. In fact, Bakke says, the nually is a good maintenance practice that most common reason engines are brought not only reduces downtime and frustrainto the dealership tion but extends enis flooding, which gine life,” says Bakke. makes an engine hard If you don’t see a FAST is an acronym for to start and/or results spark, this indicates in loss of power and an ignition problem. the causes of most small a tendency to smoke It could be as simple engine problems: fuel, when running. as a switch off, a If after repeated blown fuse, wire off, air, spark and timing attempts to start an or maybe a faulty engine you smell gassafety switch or coil oline, chances are the engine is flooded. problem. If you are getting no spark you While this may be caused by improper need to trace back the electrical system. choke settings or carburetor problems, in many cases, the cause is much simpler: a Timing The final step in the FAST diagnosis is a dirty air cleaner. timing check. In all engines, the spark must occur just before the piston reaches the top Air The second step in the FAST test is run- of the cylinder. Adjustment of the timing ning the small engine without the air filter. is much more complicated in small enUnless you have the proper air/fuel ratio, a gines and should be left to those with good small engine will not start or run properly. knowledge of small-engine repair.

Bakke says knocking and running Removing an air filter is usually relatively easy on a small engine, and if the engine rough are typical signs of serious internal starts and runs with the air filter removed, engine problems. Immediately stop the enthe repair may be as easy as simply replac- gine and check oil levels. If the oil level is in the operating range, but the engine is ing the air filter.

Be warned though! Running a small still not running well, it should be checked engine without an air filter should be by a small engine mechanic. “Regularly done for diagnostic purposes only; ex- checking oil levels, regular oil and filter tended running without a filter will lead changes, and using the proper oil is very important,” says Bakke. FF to engine damage.

PHOTO couresty Battle River Implements

By Gerald Pilger

Slams WireWorms.

You know Raxil® seed treatment as the most effective opponent of smut in wheat, barley and oats. You trust it to have your back against seed and soil-borne fusarium. And there is no doubt that it is the undisputed champion when it comes to return on investment.

So what’s this about Raxil WW? It’s all the above and more. It’s the sworn enemy of the dreaded wireworm. It takes it down and teaches it a lesson it will never get a chance to remember. Ring the bell for Raxil WW. For more information 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® is a registered trademark of Bayer. Bayer CropScience is a member of CropLife Canada.

Farm Forum.cA | 17 11/11-BSC11108

production

PHOTOs genesis studio

The rule of thumb is that 3,000 acres is the minimum to justify buying a self-propelled sprayer

18 | Farm Forum | Winter 2012

Sprayer options enhance productivity

By Philip Shaw

Whether it’s a large pull-type or one of any number of self-propelled (SP) sprayers on the market, farmers are increasingly challenged to make the right choice among myriad makes and models available, with their almost countless options.

But at the end of the day those weeds have to be killed, crops desiccated and pests eliminated. So the vast fields of western Canada are a laboratory for the different sprayer options farmers are currently using to get those jobs done.

Cost versus benefit The big difference between a pull-type and an SP unit is cost. The latter are more expensive, with many priced over $300,000. “The rule of thumb is that 3,000 acres is the minimum to justify buying an SP sprayer,” says Kevin Lowery of Martin Equipment Ltd., a John Deere dealer near Edmonton.

Another difference between pull-type and SP sprayers is the need to dedicate a tractor to a pull-type, while an SP unit frees up the same tractor for different farm tasks.

SP sprayers come in many shapes and sizes. John Deere, Apache, AGCO RoGator, Case International Patriot and Hagie are just some of the available brands, each offering models with a variety of features and benefits and, of course, all sorts of bells and whistles.

For instance, John Deere’s largest SP sprayer, the 4930, can be fitted with a dry box for fertilizer application, extending its performance.

Apache sprayers are mechanically driven, unlike the hydrostatic drives on many of the other models. Hagie sprayers require a complete “reorientation” because the spray boom is front-mounted, not rear-mounted as is traditional, so there’s no need to crank your neck from side to side — the boom tips can be seen with a less than 90 degree turn of Continued on next page

pr bo u ds u i ncetsi os n

the head. Also, all manufacturers offer many options with regard to GPS and rate controllers.

In fact, his self-propelled sprayer has changed the way he farms. For instance, his efficiency has been boosted so much that he can typically spray two quarters Options after 7:00 in the evening. “This sprayer Martin Cyr farms 4,000 acres near Legal, has given me a lifestyle with my famAB. He runs a John Deere 4830 self-pro- ily that I never had before I bought it,” pelled sprayer with 100-foot boom. Cyr says Cyr. points to two options which he really enThe only downside, he says, is that joys and could not the sprayer is too live without. noisy for his liking.

The first is the As well, he would For instance, his efficiency Swath Control Pro not include a mixand guidance sysing inductor in his has been boosted so much tem, which shuts next purchase since that he can typically spray off sections of his a chemical handler boom, for instance on his truck does two quarters of land after near sloughs or on that job for him.

7:00 in the evening pie shaped fields.

John Guelly The second option agrees on the need is the auto boom for speed. He uses a height sensing control, which keeps his pull-type sprayer with a 110-foot wheeled boom level across the crop canopy or boom on his 1000-acre farm near Westground as he whisks overfields at up to lock, AB. That’s not a lot of acres but 18 mph. he points out that in western Canada, Cyr’s sprayer has a 1,000-gallon tank, land may now have to be crossed up to which is 200 gallons more than his previ- five times per season, and that makes the ous sprayer. Along with its extra fuel ca- speed of an SP sprayer very important. pacity, the machine adds tremendously to “In my area, some growers are banding his field efficiency — he says he’d never together and buying an SP sprayer to take advantage of scale,” says Guelly. go back.

20 | Farm Forum | Winter 2012

He also stresses the value of options, citing such examples as the different tire choices: singles doubles, and triples. For instance, narrower tires can be used for in-crop applications and wider tires for spring applications. Shrouds, he points out, can be run on either type of sprayer, and sectional controls linked to GPS are also important options for both types.

Guelly adds that, in his opinion, about one-third of the decision to purchase a sprayer should be based on the supplier’s reputation for after-sales service and support: “Simply put, good training on how to run a sprayer when you buy it, and reliable service afterward, are very important.”

The challenge for farmers is to make the choice that fits their needs. In 2012, Guelly and Cyr agree, time on the sprayer will certainly be time well spent. FF www.farmforum.ca/canadasprayerguide

Canada Sprayer Guide: your guide to crop protection technology and innovation.

Serious growers take weed control personally.

With three modes of action in a single solution, Velocity m3 herbicide provides enough raw power to take down your toughest broadleaf and grassy weeds, including Group 1-resistant wild oats and Group 2-resistant broadleafs.

For more information visit BayerCropScience.ca/Velocitym3 Let’s DO this!

BayerCropScience.ca/Velocitym3 or 1 888-283-6847 or contact your Bayer CropScience representative.

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

11/11-BCS11108

fa r m l i f e

Franck and Kari Groeneweg, Saskatchewan region winners of the Outstanding Young Farmers’ program award.

When opportunity knocked, they grabbed it There’s an old expression about making your own luck. Spend half an hour with Franck and Kari Groeneweg and that expression comes vividly to life.

Saskatchewan’s Outstanding Young Farmers for 2011, the Groenewegs embody the work ethic, innovative thinking and, optimism that are the hallmarks of any successful business. Theirs is a story of what can be accomplished when you set your sights firmly on a well-defined goal, but retain the flexibility to roll with the ups and downs of agriculture, understanding that the path to your dreams isn’t always a straight one.

“We wanted to farm in northwest 22 | Farm Forum | Winter 2012

Iowa, but that was in the late 1990s, and it was very competitive and expensive,” says Franck, who had moved to Iowa from France and ran a successful import/ export equipment parts business there.

Realizing they couldn’t pursue their dream in the U.S., Franck sold the business and looked for land in Canada. “We wanted to farm large-scale and Saskatchewan had the opportunity,” he recalls. At the time, land sales were slow and deals were easier to make — the Edgeley-area farm they bought in 2003 had been on the market for two years.

“It was 1,920 acres, and we started from scratch. It’s been a bit of a roller

coaster since then,” he laughs. “By 2004 we had doubled the farm and then an early frost took us for a loop.” Left with thousands of acres worth of poor quality grain, they didn’t wonder long about what to do with it.

“It’s a great success story, actually,” says Franck. “Hurricane Katrina had bumped gas prices so high in 2005, and we had all this poor quality grain with no value.” They put two and two together and decided to transform grain into energy with a grain-burning stove.

“At first, it was for our own use. Then people saw the need and we started selling the stoves.”

PHOTOs courtesy the sawyer family

By clare Stanfield

The Groenewegs custom farm a third of their 9,000 acres near Edgeley, SK.

third of that is custom farmed (they own a third and rent another third). “What’s been nice for us is that custom farming has given us a secure return,” says Franck. “Not as much as owning or renting, but secure. And there have been some years, like 2005-06, when that’s been the best income we’ve had.”

Finding the opportunities that hide within challenges is a constant theme at Green Atlantic Farms. For example, a lack of on-farm storage led to grain bagging. “It has allowed us to harvest with fewer people, trucks, and fuel while answering our storage needs,” says Franck, adding that placing grain bags on knolls and by roadsides helps keep wild life away and the grain in good condition.

“It’s not that we welcome challenges,” he says. “But we kind of exploit chaos and it gets us to another level. I’m confident that these set-backs we’ve gone through brought us to meet new people and try new things.”

And they are eager to help others achieve that success. “We want to attract young farmers and we’re at a size

I’m confident that these set-backs we’ve gone through brought us to meet new people and try new things The Groeneweg family L to R: Luke, baby Solange, Franck, Julia, Kari and Emma.

It was a very successful enterprise, but the Groenewegs didn’t lose sight of their main goal. “We went around to all the farm shows in 2005 and 2006, and people would ask, ‘what if grain goes up to $10 a bushel and you lose the business?’ And I said, ‘I don’t care because if that happens, the price I sell the grain for makes it up.’”

Which is exactly what happened.

“Grain prices went up, the business went away and I’m fine with that,” says Franck. “It was an excellent business, it gave us new skills in communications and marketing, it brought us to things we’d never have done otherwise and to meet

new people with different ideas.”

That wreck in 2004 got the Groenewegs thinking in another business direction: custom farming. In a way, it’s modern day sharecropping where they make a flat fee per acre to farm someone else’s land. “They contract us to do the work and the farm management,” says Franck, explaining that he and Kari make all the decisions in terms of crops, inputs, equipment and so on, then present the plan and budget to the owners. “We treat it as if it’s our own land, but according to their risk comfort level and budget.”

Today, the Groenewegs have grown their farm to 9,000 acres and about a

now where we can do that,” says Franck.

They’re starting with their full-time employee who has taken on a financial stake in a quarter-section and will fully participate in the risks and rewards as he decides whether farm ownership is something he wants.

The Groenewegs have four children under 10, so it’s a bit too early to tell if any of them will want to take over one day. Meantime, Franck and Kari are content to set an example of what hard work and lateral thinking can achieve. “Even if none of them wants to farm, they’ll see that we’ve done all we can to be successful,” says Franck.

For now, they keep their eyes firmly on their goal. “We want to expand our farm,” he says. “It’s hard to say what that (acre) number will be. We just look for the opportunities.” FF Farm Forum.cA | 23

CropTalk

Volume 21 | Issue 1

What’s new with Bayer CropScience products

They’re back…

Over the past half dozen years, wireworm populations appear to be growing – and causing problems – for Western Canadian growers

D

eep in the soil, wireworms are poised to wreak havoc in your cereal crop. Wireworms are the larvae of adult click beetles and since 2004 their numbers have been increasing, as has the yield damage they cause as they’ve been spreading across Western Canadian cereal crops.

Each spring, female click beetles emerge from the soil, laying anywhere from 200-400 eggs. Three weeks later the eggs hatch into hungry wireworm larvae, that survive underground by feeding on the plant roots and germinating seeds of cereals and grasses.

Newly hatched wireworms have to feed – or they die.

Once the larvae is established – it can withstand long periods without food. Over-wintering wireworms are responsible for feeding as well – not just newly hatched larvae.

So how do they cause so much crop injury?

Wireworms hollow out seeds before germination and feed at the base of seedlings. The damaged seed results in patchy crop establishment, poor germination and ultimately, a substantially decreased yield. Often, plants wilt and die creating thin plant stands.

Wireworms have a long and complex lifecycle. Even if there are no seeds present when they hatch, the wireworms will burrow up to a metre into the soil where they can feed off the soil for three-five years. With very little food, they are able to lay dormant in the soil, sleeping through hot, dry summers and cold winters until the soil temperature is more to their liking – between 10-22C. The best way for growers to fight wireworm damage is with an effective cereal seed treatment. Raxil® WW combines the insecticide Stress ShieldTM with Raxil MD to protect seed from wireworm damage and seedling diseases. Known for its ease of application and its long-lasting coverage, Raxil WW can be used with conventional seed-treating equipment.

When wireworms feed on plants treated with Raxil WW, they stop eating and enter a coma-like state, allowing the crop to continue growing unhampered by these pests.

24 | Farm Forum | Winter 2012

Recipe for a Bait Ball Bait balls are used to check for wireworms in the soil, by drawing the wireworms to a carbon dioxide source. Bait balls are made by mixing a cup of wheat flour or oatmeal with a half-cup of water until the mixture can be formed into a ball.

The ball can be buried directly in the ground, or tied in a nylon stocking, cheesecloth or another porous material.

Bait balls should then be buried in 4-6 inch deep holes in fields where wireworm presence is suspected. Twenty bait balls in a one-acre area will indicate the presence of wireworms, however it will not tell population levels. Bait balls should be checked at seven to 10 days.

Bait ball surveys conducted by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in 2010 showed that of the 30 species of wireworm that inhabit Western Canada, a small species of wireworm made up 70% of the population, while a large wireworm species accounted for 13% of the wireworms caught. While the large species eat more, the small ones generally have much higher populations and cause more damage.

The best way for growers to fight wireworm damage is with an effective cereal seed treatment. Raxil WW combines the insecticide Stress Shield with Raxil MD to protect seed from wireworm damage and seedling diseases.

Wireworms are difficult to deal with because of their long life span, and because they spend so much of their time deep underground. Right now researchers have yet to find a way to permanently eliminate them from the soil.

But products such as Raxil WW will protect your crop at the critical emergence point in time, minimizing damage to cereal crops. CT

A Newsletter from Bayer cropscience

Raxil MD gets cereal crops off to a healthy start T

Raxil MD is a valuable tool to limit the spread of fusarium into new areas and to protect the emerging crop from infection by existing soil inoculum. Fusarium continues to be a problem for Prairie farmers and by 2011 has spread to most of Saskatchewan and south central Alberta.

Research conducted by Bayer CropScience and independent research trials have both shown that cereals treated with Raxil MD had an 8% yield increase over untreated seed. Raxil MD controls all major cereal diseases in wheat, barley and oats.

A video on the Bayer CropScience website demonstrates the difference in emergence between seed treated with Raxil MD and an untreated check.

The seed treated with Raxil MD had a five-day head start on the untreated seed.

BayerCropScience.ca/Raxil A second video shows how diseased seeds germinate much faster when treated with Raxil MD compared to those left untreated. Raxil MD is systemic so it helps maintain seed health, even if was infected before treatment. The Raxil MD treated diseased seed in the video not only sprouted three days earlier, it also showed healthy early growth as compared to clearly diseased sprouting on the untreated seed.

Raxil MD provides a cost-effective way to eliminate seed-borne and early seedling disease for better root health and vigor and the best possible crop emergence. Its micro-dispersion technology makes it simple to apply, with uniform coverage for superior plant protection.

Because a strong crop needs a healthy start. CT

PHOTOs (left) coutesty genesis studio & bayer cropscience; (right) bayer cropscience

he earliest indicator of a cereal crop’s success is how well it comes out of the soil. Strong, even, healthy emergence is the first step in successful stand establishment. Seed treated with Raxil MD has been proven to emerge quicker and healthier than untreated seed, even if the treated seed has already been infected with disease.

The wet conditions across much of the Prairies in 2010 set the stage for increased disease pressure and poor seed quality in 2011. Seed samples show a higher than normal incidence of infected seed. Early in the season, fusarium and smut disease complex were two of the biggest challengers to your cereal’s emergence. Cereals treated with Raxil outperformed the untreated check by 29%, even surpassing its next closest competitor by 4%.

Raxil MD treated seed help the crop before emergence. Seedborne infections of fusarium can lead to poor emergence, seedling blight, a pathogen buildup in the soil and the potential for future head blight infections. Ultimately fusarium can lead to significant crop downgrading due to fusarium damaged kernels, and also impact your yield.

Farm Forum.cA | 25

CropTalk Three great ways to save B

ayer CropScience is pleased to offer Western Canadian growers exceptional opportunities to save on the family of Bayer CropScience crop protection products. Even better, the savings programs operate in conjunction with one another, meaning you can combine the offers to maximize your potential savings.

Combine your savings – for maximum benefit!

Product

1. BayerValue: Purchase $10,000 or more of qualifying products for incredible savings on our lineup of participating products.

2. Early Book InVigor®: Book a minimum of 300 acres of InVigor hybrid canola by January 31, 2012 to qualify for exceptional savings on unlimited acres of participating products.

Maximum Savings

Proline Fungicide

25%

Infinity Herbicide

20%

Velocity m3 and Varro Herbicides

18%

Prosaro and Folicur EW Fungicides

15%

Tundra Herbicide

13%

Buctril M, Thumper, Puma Advance Herbicides

3. Cereal Winter Sale: Receive an additional 5% off your purchases of Velocity m3, Tundra , NEW Varro, Buctril M, Thumper and Puma Advance by booking your herbicides by March 9, 2012.

TM

5%

Some restrictions apply. For complete terms and conditions of the BayerValue program, visit BayerCropScience.ca/BayerValue.

CEREAL WINTER SALE

Maximum Savings

3%

6%

3%

$40,000 ≥ purchase of Bayer CropScience products

8%

$75,000 ≥ purchase of Bayer CropScience products

10%

15%

R VA

18%

5%

5%

5%4

5%5

5%6

5%

5%

3%

12%

6%

6%

6%

4%

16%

8%

8%

8%

5%

20%

10%

10%

10%

Cereals Raxil MD Seed Treatment Raxil WW Seed Treatment (Wireworm) Prosaro Fungicide (Head timing) Folicur EW Fungicide (Flag leaf timing) Stratego® Fungicide (Early timing)

U C TH TR U IL M M P O ER R PU M A AD VA N C

O R

C FO

LI

O PR

15%

B

EW

®

U

R SA

IT FI IN

20%

R

O

®

5%3

N

D N TU

13%

5%3 3%

InVigor Hybrid Canola Seed Liberty® Herbicide Centurion® Herbicide Proline Fungicide

Y

A R

IT C LO VE

18%

$10,000 ≥ purchase of Bayer CropScience products

Canola

25%

®

m

3

25%

Cereal Winter Sale1 Early Book InVigor2

Y

®

E N LI O PR

The 2012 Cereal Winter Sale, BayerValue and Early Book InVigor® programs are combined to maximize your savings (See chart below).

E

In addition to BayerValue savings, you can also receive an additional 5% off your purchase of Velocity m3, Tundra™, Varro™, Buctril® M, Thumper® and Puma® Advance by booking your herbicides by March 9, 2012.

Pulses

Tundra Herbicide (Broad Spectrum) Velocity m3 Herbicide (Broad Spectrum) Varro Herbicide (Grass)

Trilex AL Seed Treatment Centurion Herbicide Sencor® Herbicide (Broadleaf)

Puma Advance Herbicide (Grass) Infinity Herbicide (Broadleaf) Buctril M Herbicide (Broadleaf) Thumper Herbicide (Broadleaf)

Proline Fungicide

To qualify for your Cereal Winter Sale Savings you must book by March 9, 2012.

To qualify for your Early Book InVigor Savings, InVigor hybrid canola must be booked by January 31, 2012 and a minimum purchase of 300 acres of InVigor is required.

Minimum of 160 acres 4 To qualify for savings, a minimum of 160 acres of Varro must be purchased. Savings apply to matching acres of Varro with Buctril M or Thumper.

5 To qualify for savings, a minimum matching acres of 160 acres with Varro or 480 acres with Puma Advance must be purchased. Savings apply to matching acres only.

6 Minimum of 480 acres 1 2 3

For complete terms and conditions of the BayerValue program, please visit BayerCropScience.ca/BayerValue.

26 | Farm Forum | Winter 2012

R A X IL ® T R IL EX ® A L D EC IS ® S EVIN ® X L R

Save $1.00/ac with a minimum of 300 acres of InVigor purchased 2 OR $10,000 in qualifying purchases of Bayer CropScience products

Insecticides Decis Insecticide Sevin XLR Insecticide

A Newsletter from Bayer cropscience

Get your pulses racing Seed- and soil-borne diseases continue to increase in pulse and soybean crops due to variable weather events. The critical earlyseason protection of Trilex® AL, protects your pulse and soybean seeds when they’re most vulnerable. Trilex AL provides superior seedling protection from rhizoctonia and fusarium, leading to excellent stand establishment and yield.

To see how we stand up to the competition visit BayerCropScience.ca/TrilexAL

Wheat smarts You asked for it and now you’ve got it.

The feedback from growers, retailers and agronomists has been overwhelming. Canadian wheat growers want a superior performing, grassy herbicide solution with powerful wild oat control options.

With these grower demands in mind, the cereal innovation leaders at Bayer CropScience are proud to announce NEW Varro herbicide.

Bulk up on convenience with BigBoys BigBoys totes are for growers who demand convenience.

Save time and money with our complete lineup of BigBoys products. Ensure you secure supply of your required product early by talking to your local retail.

With Varro, wheat growers get: • Varro provides strong performance on grassy and select broadleaf weeds • It’s a Group 2 that allows crops rotation flexibility • Varro is flexible as it can be tank mixed with many broadleaf herbicides to target the specific weeds on your farm

Look for Varro at a retailer near you for the 2012 season.

Why treat your seed?

PHOTO (right) coutesty bayer cropscience

D

isease can start long before your crop is exposed to the elements. One of the earliest indicators of a crop’s ultimate success is how well it comes out of the ground. And one of the ways to ensure you get the best stand establishment is to ensure your seed is protected with an effective seed treatment.

Seed treatments are an insurance policy that can protect against issues within the seed itself or the surrounding soil.

Without a seed treatment, ideal conditions are needed for that initial strong establishment, and more often than not, Canada doesn’t serve up ideal conditions.

For example, typical early-season, cold and damp soil aid development of fungal spores that can easily damage the seed.

Soil temperatures also stay colder in reduced tillage systems which have become the norm on the Prairies. Cold soil means a later establishment, which in turn can give seed and soil-borne diseases all the time and environment they need to cause major problems. At the same time, warm soils do not guarantee safety as warm soils favour the establishment of different diseases.

Seed treatments can be used for different purposes. They prevent the spread of the disease, they can protect the seed from seed rot and seedling blight, they keep insects in the soil

out of the plant and they can also improve germination.

Seed treatments can act as a disinfectant and destroy some fungal spores. Most now are systemic and actually enter the plant and prevent infection of the growing tissue. It does not matter if the infection is seed or soil-borne organisms that could otherwise harm the seed before it germinates, as the seed treatment will protect the seed.

If a grower has had insect pressure in the past or has insect pressure in the current year, these pests can also delay and reduce stand establishment. Seed treatments containing insecticides will provide an extra layer of protection for the crop.

Seed treatments today often contain multiple modes of action with different active ingredients that cover a wide range of issues in the seed. Products are easier to use than ever before, and they’re also safer for the user and the environment.

Bayer CropScience has a suite of seed treatment products that effectively protect the seed and ultimately the crop – whether that crop is wheat, barley or oats. CT

Always read and follow label directions. Buctril®, Decis®, Folicur®, Infinity®, InVigor®, Liberty®, Proline®, Prosaro®, Puma®, Raxil®, Sevin®, Sencor®, Stratego®, Stress ShieldTM, Thumper®, Trilex®, TundraTM and VarroTM are trademarks of Bayer. Centurion® is a registered trademark of Arysta LifeScience. All other products are trademarks of their respective companies. Bayer CropScience is a member of CropLife Canada.

Farm Forum.cA | 27

Through relentless innovation, we help Canadian farmers feed a growing world.

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

09/11 - BCS11035

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Cyan,

Magenta,

Yellow,

Bayer Crop Science 100%

8.125” x 8.625”

Farm Forum Insertion Date: January 2012

Black

Marsha Walters 100%

SBC11067.Forks

SPEC ORIGINALLY GENERATED: DLO

BCS11108

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SAFETY: 7.625” x 8.125” TRIM: 8.125” x 8.625” Bleed: 8.375” x 8.875” Helvetica Neue (Regular; True Type), Helvetica Neue LT Std (55 Roman; OpenType)

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