GNN121203 by Farm Business Communications

Volume 38, Number 18 | DECEMBER 2012

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PRACTICAL PRODUCTION TIPS FOR THE PRAIRIE FARMER

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22 new corn varieties for 2013 The 22 new corn varieties on the market for 2013 offer improved vigor, higher yield, more insect control options, and more BY LEE HART

anadian seed companies are packing many more good features inside bags of seed corn these days. That includes varieties that do well under lower heat unit growing conditions, have improved vigour and higher yield. But there is more. Growers are also starting to see more varieties with dual herbicide resistance — for example varieties that can be used with both Roundup Ready or Liberty Link herbicide products. But, again there is more. For insect control you can also find varieties with VT Double Pro or VT Triple Pro technology. The Double Pro has a doublestacked trait with dual modes of action against corn earworm and above-ground protection against fall armyworm and European and southwestern corn borer. The VT Triple Pro offers dualmode-of-action insect protection above ground, as well as belowground insect protection and Roundup Ready Technology. But there is more. More companies now are also offering leading varieties with what’s generally referred to as “Refuge in a Bag” (RIB). This concept for reducing the risk of devel-

PHOTOS: LEE HART

This corn crop grew near Strathmore last summer. oping insecticide resistance in pests has been used in the grain industry for several years. In today’s world of hybrid, genetically modified corn varieties, corn borers are controlled by Bt technology. Bt, which stands for Bacillus thuringiensis is a gene introduced into corn varieties that produces a protein that kills

lepidoptera larvae, in particular, the European corn borer. While Bt technology is effective, plant breeders are concerned if it is used exclusively, the corn borer will develop resistance. To combat this in both the U.S. and in Canada, producers have been required to also plant what is

known as a refuge corn variety along with the Bt variety. While 95 per cent of the crop can be a variety with the Bt trait, five per cent has to be a non-Bt variety. This practice insures at least a portion of the insect populations feeds on a non-Bt variety, maintaining its Bt susceptibility. Those insects can

breed with any borers that might be developing resistance and help maintain the Bt susceptibility. While farmers have had to sow the refuge crop separate from the Bt variety, the RIB concept now puts the two types of corn in the

» CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

In This Issue

Publications Mail Agreement Number 40069240

Wheat & Chaff ..................

Features ............................

Crop Advisor’s Casebook

Columns ........................... 20 Machinery & Shop ............ 27 Cattleman’s Corner .......... 34

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/ g r a i n e w s . c a DECEMBER 2012

Wheat & Chaff LEEANN MINOGUE

hings are sort of slow on our farm this time of year. We’ve all settled into the fall kindergarten routine. My husband has started up his seed cleaning plant for another winter of business. I’m catching up on some bookkeeping. There’s some farm shows and meetings to get to, but not this week. And it’s much too early to start Christmas shopping. Now that we have a little bit of free time, we’re finally going to have to deal with the dog.

FARM DOGS

“And a ‘Mooie’ Christmas to all!”

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We have two dogs. They’re both rough collies — the kind that look like Lassie. The “old dog” has never given us a second of trouble. Somehow Angus was born knowing not to go on the road. When you start a tractor, his instinct is to get the heck out of the way. But Angus has arthritis. He’s having a harder and harder time getting around. Last year he fell down on the frozen dugout. His paws slipped when he tried to get up, and soon his warm body had melted enough ice that his fur was stuck hard. By the time he found him, he had to call the neighbour to get help pulling Angus off the dugout. When Angus first started showing signs of arthritis, I wondered if maybe we should put him down. My husband was horrified. I remembered that some days my husband also has a bit of arthritis. He was worried that if I started with the dog, I might get carried away, and put down everything on the farm with a few joint problems. Now we give Angus special medication. Mac, the “young dog” is nothing like Angus. I’m sure most Grainews readers have had one of those farm dogs that just wouldn’t stop licking visitors. The kind that steals the six-year-old’s toque every chance he gets. The sort of dog that gets so excited to see a deer in the field across the road, he just can’t stop himself from racing over to sniff it up close. Our little boy has had to stop wearing toques with tassels when he goes outside, so Mac won’t run off with them (especially when we’re crosscountry skiing.) This game of toque-keep-away is actually kind of cute (and I’m sure the boy will figure out how to cope sooner or later), but keeping our dog off the road is a real problem. Our dog Mac just came to us in the spring. He’s still just a puppy, really. We had hoped that his instincts would help to keep him off the road, but

it didn’t take us long to figure out that he didn’t really have any instincts. We live on a busy grid road. We’re in the middle of the Bakken oilfield, so we don’t just have everyday farm traffic, we’re dealing with semis hauling oil and drilling equipment. Keeping Mac off the road is a life or death issue. I know we’re not the only farm family with this problem. Some farm dogs are so determined to get a good smell of every car that drives by the yard, it’s amazing they’re still alive. Many city dogs spend a lot of time inside. But farm dogs are outside on the front lines, dealing with coyotes, skunks, stray cats and occasional raccoons. These guard dogs are just too busy to take time to worry about artificial borders. And it’s not like they have municipal maps hanging up in their doghouses. As soon as we saw how much of a problem it was going to be to keep Mac off the road, my husband ordered an electric fence over the Internet. The product wasn’t really designed for farmers — it was made to fence in a small square in a city-sized back yard. But we figured, instead of making a square, we could lay the fence out straight, and cover a long line between our house and the road. You wouldn’t expect a dog to be creative enough to think of going 20 yards further south to get across. But this didn’t turn out to be our solution. In the first place, something went wrong with the supplier. Every couple of weeks they would email us and tell us fences were in short supply, we’d have to wait a couple more weeks. While we were waiting, one of my husband’s ex-RCMP relatives came to visit. He said he’d heard about these fences from a police dog trainer. He claimed that some dogs will run through the electric fence, get a shock, and then find themselves standing right on the road, afraid to come home because they know they’ll get shocked again. This sounded like a worse alternative than having no fence at all, so we cancelled the fence order. We took the dog to obedience training. The instructor was pretty convincing about the power of making eye contact, although I couldn’t help but wonder if she’d ever actually made eye contact with a puppy that was trying to chase something as big and exciting as a live moose. Obedience training helped, but it wasn’t enough. One day I came home to find my husband on our side of the road with the dog. The dog was on a leash, with a choker chain around his neck, My mother-in-law and son were standing on the other side, waving at the dog to see if he’d be tempted to try to make the illegal crossing. When Mac tried to cross, he’d get jerked

back, until he came to see that crossing the road wasn’t a very fun idea at all. This sounds cruel, but I think anyone would agree that it’s not nearly as evil as letting our dog be hit by a speeding semi. And it seemed to work, for a while anyway. But there are a lot of deer moving through the field across the road these days, and puppies have short memories. A couple of times, we’ve looked out the window just in time to catch Mac on his way across the road. So far, we’ve kept him safe. But over the next few days, anyone driving by is going to see a repeat episode of the choker-chain luring trick, this time with me standing across the road. Waving.

IN THIS ISSUE We’ve kicked this issue off with Lee Hart’s list of new corn varieties that you’ll see on the market in 2013. It’s a long list, so if you live in corn-growing country, you’ll have decisions to make. On pages 8 and 9, you’ll find Lindsay Griffith’s piece about carinata. You’ve probably heard about this — it’s sort of thrilling to imagine your oilseeds being used as jet fuel. This piece goes beyond the excitement of airplanes and takes you right into the agronomics. If you’ve been looking out at the cattails in your slough, thinking, “Boy, I wish there was something I could do with those,” then turn to page 18, where you’ll find a story by Angela Lovell about a Manitoba research project that’s hoping to turn that unused biomass into something economically and environmentally beneficial. Sharon Elliott’s story on hiring Australians on Canadian grain farms is on page 19. It could be very helpful for farmers who, like us, live in an area where spare hands are few and far between. On page 25, new columnist Brian Wittal continues his quest to share his knowledge of the futures and options markets with Grainews readers. We’re going to need this information now more than ever. Please read the column and send us any comments or questions you have. Also in the column section, Les Henry is on page 20. Les has written about farmland prices this issue, but don’t worry, he’s still collecting reader surveys about earthworms, and will be putting together a column on that topic in the next little while. Scott Garvey has a threepage focus on tractor-testing labs in the machinery section. These labs are very interesting. Having neutral third parties running independent labs tests on machinery makes it much more likely that the tractor you buy will do what the manufacturers say it will do. I hope you enjoy this issue. Leeann

December 2012 g r a i n e w s . c a /

Wheat & Chaff PULSE DAYS 2013 PULSE DAYS 2013 staying ahead Make farm safety your New Year’s resolutionstaying ahead

Farm safety

January 7-8/Saskatoon, SK

s one year draws to a close and another begins, it’s important to reflect on the production year that was. Did the growing season produce a bumper crop or did you struggle with the impact of drought? Did you expand your operation or downsize the farm? Did you put in place new measures to protect your family and workers from injury or did you have a close call that you’d soon as rather forget? Don’t forget — reflect. Near misses are alarms and their message should be loud and clear: there are hazards on your farm and if you aren’t vigilant, someone could get very, very hurt. Nothing brings this message close to home more than incidents with children. Consider the following harrowing stories from this past year. On one February afternoon, a group of young boys in Saskatchewan climbed onto a wire fence to explore a dugout with a break in the ice. While throwing sticks into the water hole two five-year-olds slipped and fell into the freezing water. While the remaining boys

— all four-year-olds — were able to send for help and rescue their playmates from all but minor hyperthermia, things could have gone a lot worse. In another incident in January, a 10-year old boy in Ontario was playing on hay bales on his family’s farm when he fell and hit his head. A family member, who had been working nearby, lost sight of him when the incident occurred. The boy was airlifted to hospital with serious head injuries. Doctors removed a third of his skull to reduce swelling on his brain. He spent nine days in a coma. The boy began easing back into school in April. More recently in October, a threeyear old boy from Ontario was playing in his family’s barn when he crawled into a hay chute. His father, unaware that his son was in danger, tossed six bales down the chute, only finding the boy when he went to unload it. The boy was rushed to hospital with serious head injuries. He remains in critical, but stable condition. Children are naturally inquisitive. They have a poor perception of consequences and a significant dose of “invincibility.” That’s why

it’s imperative to assess the risks in your workplace, set up physical barriers that keep children out of certain dangerous areas, and designate a safe play area that is set apart from the farm yard, machinery shed, barn and fields. If you take your children onto the worksite, make sure to explain and reinforce the risks in that environment. And most importantly, it is imperative that you supervise your children. Even if a child steps out of site for only a moment, or you think that you know where your child is, double check, and always survey your worksite to make sure it is clear before operating any equipment or undertaking any potentially dangerous task. This year, make safety your New Year’s resolution. Assess the hazards on your farm, put precautions in place to protect your family, and always, always, supervise your children, especially when they are in or near the workplace. It’s the best present you will ever give them. With files from Eastern Ontario Farmers Forum, CTV Kitchener, “The Record” and the “Western Producer”. † From the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association — www.planfarmsafety.ca.

Learn more about remaining competitive on your farm through best agronomic practices, human resource management, new technologies, market outlooks, and more.

*Discount available to SK residents only. Rates: $25 for SK residents, $50 for non-SK residents

To register: Visit: www.saskpulse.com Call: 306-651-2013 Email: pulsedays@saskpulse.com

Weed control

Restore II herbicide

ow AgroSciences has registered Restore II herbicide, a next generation, broad-spectrum herbicide that provides effective, sustainable control of invasive plants and broadleaf weeds to help increase production on rangeland and permanent pasture. Restore II is designed from Dow AgroSciences reduced risk Aminopyralid chemistry, which has a favourable environmental and toxicological profile. It comes in a coformulated solution that does not require mixing. An application of Restore II will increase grass production through controlling invasive and broadleaf weeds which can rob the productivity of pastures. Restore II is an alternative to quick-fixes such as mowing or breaking land. Restore II is safe on grass and livestock when used according to the label. Mammals do not metabolize it, and there are no grazing restrictions for livestock in fields where it has been applied. †

Dow AgroSciences Canada

Seed varieties

Crop production

ups its CDC Meredith barley BASF production of

fter four years of market development, SeCan and Richardson International are pleased to announce CDC Meredith is now broadly available within the SeCan network of seed growers and seed retailers. For the 2013 growing season, all grain handling companies can promote and handle CDC Meredith. This new two-row malting barley variety has now achieved significant commercial demand. When a malting barley variety is supported for registration in Canada, it doesn’t mean it will automatically be accepted by the malting and brewing industry. “We take care to ensure we build supply

in co-ordination with end-use demand,” says Jim Downey, research & development manager for SeCan. “For every successful variety there are several that do not make it.” Bruce French, director of malting and technical services for Canada Malting Limited says, “CDC Meredith is gaining market acceptance and interest both domestically and internationally. This variety has good agronomics and is attractive to barley producers. It malts well with good extract and enzyme levels with balanced modification. Commercial brewing trials have shown CDC Meredith to have acceptable brewing characteristics.” † www.secan.com

Twinline

ASF has increased production of its Twinline cereal fungicide for 2013 in response to high market demand. “Growers responded very well to the benefits that new Twinline fungicide offered last year which resulted in a sold-out position across Canada,” says Jason Leitch, brand manager, fungicides, at BASF Canada. “This was one of the largest cereal fungicide launches in Canada. Growers have shown their desire for new innovations in the cereal market, and it’s clear that Twinline delivers.” †

www.AgSolutions/twinline

photo contest

GIVE US YOUR BEST SHOT Look out your window at the snow, then remember summer with this photo of Jacy Shaw. Last summer, when Jacy was visiting her grandparents Harvey and Jan Shaw at their grain farm near Cardale, Manitoba, they put her to work — she helped her grandpa inspect this flowering field. Jacy enjoys walking through flax and canola fields with her grandparents and looking for “cool” insects. As her family says, “Jacy loves her time on the farm!” The Shaws operate a 2,000-acre grain farm near Cardale, Manitoba. Jeff Shaw sent us this photo by email. Thank you Jeff! When you get your cheque for $25, maybe you can send it to Jacy’s grandparents — if Jacy found a lot of those “cool” bugs, they can put the money toward their pesticide bill. If you’d like to see your photo on this page and receive $25, send your best shot to leeann.minogue@fbcpublishing.com. Please send only one or two photos at a time and include your name and address, the names of anyone in the photo, where the photo was taken and a bit about what was going on that day. A little write-up about your farm is welcome, too. Please ensure that images are of high resolution (1 MB is preferred), and if the image includes a person, we need to be able to see their face clearly. — Leeann

farm insurance

Hail payouts above 2011

ased on preliminary estimates, payouts to Prairie farmers for 2012 crop hail claims total roughly $280 million on 21,600 losses. A total of nearly $341 million was collected from producer premiums for an industry-wide loss ratio of just over 82 per cent Disease and wind damage made it challenging for adjusters to determine the hail damage on many canola fields this year. Losses are considerably higher than 2011 when approximately $164 million was paid on 15,000 losses. The 2011 loss ratio was just over 61 per cent.

Payouts per loss have been rising over the years as farms grow larger. As well, there are now higher per-acre limits for insurance coverage. Loss per claim is also affected by the severity and timing of storms. The average loss per claim in 2012 is $12,963, about $2,000 more than last year. The lowest losses in recent memory were in 2009 at only $76 million. The loss ratio that year was roughly 29 per cent. aPayouts for 2008 totaled a record high $341 million and the loss ratio was 118 per cent. Loss statistics do not include the cost of adjusting claims. † The Canadian Crop Hail Association

January 7

/ g r a i n e w s . c a December 2012

Cover Stories Seed varieties » CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

22 new corn varieties for 2013 same seed bag. While companies may have their own brand name for the technology such as Refuge in a Bag, SmartStax RIB complete, or Integrated Corn Borer Refuge Option, they all provide the same blend — 95 per cent of a variety with the Bt trait and five per cent that is non-Bt. And improved varieties also increase the production and marketing options for producers, says Tom Van Moorsel, corn specialist with Pioneer Hi-Bred in Red Deer, Alta. While a few years ago, corn varieties in many parts of Western Canada were best suited for silage or grazing corn, Van Moorsel says more varieties are now well suited for grain production. “There are some very good varieties out there right now,” says Van Moorsel. “We have some varieties in the 2100-heat unit range in southern Alberta this year that produced 150 to 170 bushels per acre and that is very good. A bit further north we had some 2000-heat unit varieties producing up to 115 bushels per acre and that is quite respectable too. So these new varieties are giving farmers more options.” Another newer practice he has seen with dual purpose varieties is the production of high moisture ear corn as a high-quality dairy feed. Van Moorsel says some producers are planting a grain corn, but harvesting just the ears with a stripper header attachment on the combine. The high moisture ears are chopped and bagged, producing a very high quality feed for dairy cattle. There are 22 new varieties being introduced to the western Canadian market for 2013. Of those varieties, eight are listed as grain corn varieties, seven are listed as silage corn varieties and five are listed as dual or multiple purpose varieties.

Pride Seeds A4023BTRR Crop Kind: BTRR2 End Use: Grain Maturity: 2125 CHU Variety Highlights: Very early flowering and finish, superior harvest intactness, excellent disease tolerance, and full dent grain with very good grain quality. Very suitable for early planting, cold soils and late harvest timing. A4176BTRR Crop Kind: BTRR2 End Use: Grain/Silage/Grazing Maturity: 2150 CHU Variety Highlights: Very high yield performance in very early zones. Very early flowering and physiological maturity, flintdent grain on a stout girthy ear with white cob. Outstanding spring emergence and spring vigour. Excellent choice for silage and grazing. A4240RR Crop Kind: RR2 End Use: Grain/Silage/Grazing Maturity: 2200 CHU Variety Highlights: Excellent choice for grain, silage and grazing. Very good early silage for yield and

quality. Tall hybrid that will work very well in all soil types. Very suitable for early planting and cold soils with fast emergence and vigor. A4914G2 RIB Crop Kind: Genuity VT Double PRO RIB Complete End Use: Silage Maturity: 2200 to 2375 CHU Va r i e t y H i g h l i g h t s : N e w Genuity VT Double PRO RIB Complete — five per cent refuge in the bag. Excellent choice for latermaturing silage. High yielding with excellent test weight. Attractive fall appearance, intactness and health. Solid agronomic package and excellent drought tolerance. A4705HMRR Crop Kind: RR2 End Use: Silage/Grazing Maturity: 2175 to 2350 CHU Variety Highlights: Unique stable genetics for the silage and high moisture corn grower with a wide harvest window. Excellent choice for grazing. Unbeatable output year after year. Outstanding emergence and spring vigour. Stout girthy flint grain ear size and white cob. Very good starch levels providing excellent quality silage. AS1046 EDF Crop Kind: Conventional End Use: Silage Maturity: 2200 to 2375 CHU Variety Highlights: Big, very tall plant with a stout ear size, flint grain on a white cob. Huge potential in good growing conditions for the silage and high moisture grower. Effective digestible fibre hybrid with excellent silage characteristics and yield per acre. Slow drydown from 30 per cent, preserving feed quality if harvest is delayed. Outstanding emergence and visually attractive. Dark green, very upright leaf stature.

BrettYoung Seeds Venza R Crop Kind: RR Corn 2 End use: Feed Maturity: 2500 CHU Variety Highlights: A new high-yielding silage hybrid for the higher-heat unit product areas. Venza R has excellent early season development and produces a tall crop with excellent silage quality. Sorento R Crop Kind: Agrisure GT/CB/LL End use: Feed Maturity: 2300 CHU Variety Highlights: Sorento R delivers superior yields in a package that includes corn borer protection and resistance to glyphosate and Liberty for many silage and grazing areas of Western Canada. E44A02 R Crop Kind: VT Double Pro Corn RIB Complete End use: Grain Maturity: 2150 CHU Variety Highlights: E44A02 provides fast emergence and early maturity paired with drydown and bushel weight. It provides the best corn borer protection without the need for planting a separate refuge. E50G29 R Crop Kind: VT Triple Pro Corn End use: Grain Maturity: 2400 CHU

Variety Highlights: E50G29R combines fast emergence, early drydown and yield for the major grain production areas with a complete pest resistant package. E50G29R requires 20 per cent refuge.

DuPont Pioneer P8193AM Trait Segment: YGCB, HX1/ LL, RR2 End Use: Dual Maturity: 2400 CHU Variety Highlights: Double stack hybrid with good root and stalk strength. It has a solid agronomic package with an integrated corn borer refuge option. P8210HR Trait Segment: HX1/LL, RR2 End Use: Dual Maturity: 2500 CHU Variety Highlights: New double stack hybrid with above-average root and stalk strength. It predicts above-average tolerance for Goss’s wilt. P8651HR Trait Segment: HX1/LL, RR2 End Use: Dual Maturity: 2550 CHU Variety Highlights: This hybrid is a taller plant with above-average stalk strength. It predicts aboveaverage tolerance for Goss’s wilt.

PICKSEED 2262RR Crop Kind: RR2 End Use: Feed Maturity: 2075 CHU Va r i e t y H i g h l i g h t s : Early maturity; very good emergence and seedling vigour; very good stalk and root strength; mediumtall plant height. ExLeafy RR Crop Kind: RR2 End Use: Feed Maturity: 2525 to 2675CHU Variety Highlights: Leafy trait hybrid, very good stalk and root strength, high dry matter yield, very tall plant height.

DEKALB DKC26 – 28RIB Crop Kind: RIB (Refuge in the bag) TRAITS: Genuity VT Double PRO, RIB Complete End Use: Grain Maturity: 2150 CHU Variety Highlights: Excellent top-end yield potential. Excellent stay-green and plant health.

drydown and intactness. Dual purpose grain and silage product. DKC30 – 07RIB Crop Kind: RIB TRAITS: Genuity VT Double PRO, RIB Complete End Use: Grain Maturity: 2325 CHU Variety Highlights: Medium tall hybrid with excellent harvest appearance. Excellent yield potential. DKC31-07 Crop Kind: Refuge option TRAITS: Roundup Ready Corn 2 End Use: Grain Maturity: 2375CHU Va r i e t y H i g h l i g h t s : T h i s hybrid travels soil types well with excellent seedling vigour and late season intactness. Very good stalk and root strength, with exceptional yield. Well suited to early planting at medium high to high populations. DKC31 – 10RIB Crop Kind: RIB TRAITS: Genuity VT Double PRO, RIB Complete End Use: Grain Maturity: 2400 CHU Variety Highlights: This hybrid travels soil types well with excellent seedling vigour and late season intactness. Very good stalk and root strength, with exceptional yield. Well suited to early planting at medium high to high populations.

MAIZEX SEEDS MZ1244R Traits : Roundup Ready 2 End Use: Dual purpose — grain and silage Maturity: 2250 CHU Variety highlights: Well suited to corn for Western Canada. Very good yield. Has exceptional spring vigor and early flowering. † Lee Hart is a field editor for Grainews in Calgary, Contact him at 403-592-1964 or by email at lee@fbcpublishing.com.

New seed contacts: For more information on new seed varieties and availability, contact the following companies: Pioneer Hi-Bred 1-800-265-9435 www.pioneer.com

DKC27– 55RIB Crop Kind: RIB TRAITS: Genuity VT Double PRO, RIB Complete End Use: Grain Maturity: 2200 CHU Variety Highlights: Excellent test weight with very good drydown. Excellent yield potential. Very good plant health and harvest appearance.

BrettYoung Seeds 1-800-665-5015 www.brettyoung.ca

DKC28– 79RIB Crop Kind: RIB TRAITS: Genuity VT Double PRO, RIB Complete End Use: Grain Maturity: 2225 CHU Variety Highlights: Very good top-end yield potential. Excellent

Pride Seeds 1-800-265-5280 www.prideseed.com

Dekalb 1-800-667-4944 www.dekalb.ca Pickseed 1-800-263-7425 www.pickseed.com

MAIZEX Seeds Inc. 1-877-682-1720 www.maizex.com

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

December 2012 g r a i n e w s . c a /

Features Grain storage

Keep bugs out of bins

that the grain goes through sort into a gas, there is a little of a of like pellets. It just pounds pressure build-up.â&#x20AC;? everything in there and tends to Carbon dioxide fumigation isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t kill the insects.â&#x20AC;? a fast process. Some farmers bend the suction â&#x20AC;&#x153;At about 25 degrees in a big hoses, and White says that would bin, we killed all of the insects in probably help as well. about 15 days.â&#x20AC;? Farmers can also add diatomaAluminum phosphide kills insects ceous earth while filling the bin as faster, but only licensed pesticide summer to 15 or 20 C. Major An Alberta Agriculture and long as the grain is dry. applicators can buy or apply it. temperature differences will cause Rural Development factsheet recâ&#x20AC;&#x153;It works pretty good for rusty White and his colleagues are condensation. ommends moving grain during grain beetle. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not terribly effective studying storing canola in silo Sieving grain samples gives a the winter. Moving grain when for red flour beetle,â&#x20AC;? says White. bags right now. If the canola is good indication of insect popula- itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s -20 C or colder will cool and Fumigation is another option. dry, the bags work for temporary tions, White says. Plastic traps are dry the grain and shrink insect Farmers using carbon dioxide storage. But White doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know a more sensitive way of detecting populations. need to start with an air-tight bin. if insect populations build up in GRACOL insects. The traps are affordable, Grain vacs can also remove White says farmers can modify a the bags. and White says usually only one is insects if theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re used correctly. hopper bin by adding gaskets and â&#x20AC;&#x153;You canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really monitor anyClient: Co.move sliding plates at the top and bot- thing going on inside because needed per bin. But though Broadhead high flow rates â&#x20AC;&#x153;Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d put it right in the top grain more quickly, they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tom to hold in the gas. theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re sealed up. Some people 69925 centre of the bin for a week or soâ&#x20AC;Ś kill insects. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We put a box outside the gra- have used them with considerđ°&#x201A;Śđ°&#x20AC;Ąđ°&#x20AC;˛đ°&#x20AC;˛đ°&#x20AC;łđ°&#x20AC;˛đ°&#x20AC;Ąđ° &#x2039;đ° ˘đ° ¤đ° Źđ° ´đ° °đ° Żđ°&#x20AC;Ąđ° &#x201D;đ° ľđ°&#x20AC;Ąđ° ?đ° &#x2020;đ°&#x20AC;đ°&#x20AC;Ąđ° &#x201D;đ° ľđ° Śđ°&#x20AC;Ąđ°&#x20AC;˛đ°&#x20AC;˛đ°&#x20AC;´đ°&#x20AC;Ąđ°&#x201A;Śđ°&#x20AC;Ąđ° &#x17D;đ° Şđ° Żđ° Żđ° Śđ° ˘đ° ąđ° °đ° đ° Şđ° ´đ°&#x20AC;đ°&#x20AC;Ąđ° &#x17D;đ° ?đ°&#x20AC;Ąđ°&#x20AC;śđ°&#x20AC;śđ°&#x20AC;ľđ°&#x20AC;˛đ°&#x20AC;´đ°&#x20AC;Ąđ°&#x201A;Śđ°&#x20AC;Ąđ°&#x20AC;ˇđ°&#x20AC;˛đ°&#x20AC;łđ°&#x20AC;Żđ°&#x20AC;¸đ°&#x20AC;ˇđ°&#x20AC;¸đ°&#x20AC;Żđ°&#x20AC;´đ°&#x20AC;ľđ°&#x20AC;śđ°&#x20AC;ś If there are any insects in there, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The ones you see commercially, nary which we filled with dry ice. able success. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t recommend Color Gracol Swop Newsthey Supplied have a rate of Epson itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll give you an idea.â&#x20AC;? Lpi: they tremendous And weProfile: put a recirculating system be used for more than four that sort of packs â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a little and PVC piping or five months. If you go into the Approval Stock: flow. FortuneAnd McCoy Producto Pub the News on Supplied Epsonfan Stock: Comm/Gracol Pub/Swop3 News grain in tight. The insects are so you can get the CO2 circulating next summer, you often get a lot Dealing with bugs pretty well safe,â&#x20AC;? says White. into the grain. And we also put of spoilage.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC; in the bin â&#x20AC;&#x153;The ones we tested were on a little relief valve just in case Lisa Guenther is a field editor with Grainews Farmers with bugs in the bin fairly low flow â&#x20AC;&#x201D; about five there is some pressure build-up based at Livelong, Sask. Contact her at Lisa. have several control options. tons an hour â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and because of because as the dry ice sublimates Guenther@fbcpublishing.com.

Insect problems can be devastating. There are several ways to keep bugs out of your grain bins By Lisa Guenther

ithâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; harvest wrapped up and grain in the bin, managingâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; insect problems is crucial to keeping the grain in good condition. Using aeration to cool the grain is the key to preventing insect problems, says a researcher. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you can get it below 20 degrees, you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have any problem with insects,â&#x20AC;? says Dr. Noel White, research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. White says farmers need to remember to use aeration to warm the grain back up the following

Former Grainews columnist honored

Harvey Gjesdal receives Diamond Jubilee Medal By Lorna Gjesdal

ongratulationsâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; to former Grainews columnist Harvey Gjesdal who recently received the Diamond Jubilee Medal. The medal was created to mark Queen Elizabeth IIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 60th anniversary as Queen of Canada. It is awarded to exceptional Canadians in recognition of their service to this country and their significant achievements and contributions. Harvey Gjesdal was born in 1922. He and his wife, Jennie, have three children (Roger, Nancy and Lorna), and three grandchildren. He has been farming near Birch Hills, Saskatchewan, for well over 70 years, and was a pedigreed seed grower for more than half of his farming career. Over the years, Harvey served on many local, agricultural and political committees. In 1986, Gjesdal he was inducted into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame and later inducted into the Saskatchewan Hall of Fame. In 1992, he was made a member of the Order of Canada in recognition of his contributions to agriculture. Gjesdal has an interest in improving farm machinery, and has designed more than 20 implements. His Gjesdal Five-In-One Rotary seed cleaner is in use across North America, and he also holds patents on a rotary mower and a snow blower. Harvey Gjesdalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s column â&#x20AC;&#x153;Grain Farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Diaryâ&#x20AC;? ran in Grainews from 1976 to 2004. â&#x20AC;

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/ g r a i n e w s . c a DECEMBER 2012

Features PULSE CROPS

Using rhizobium inoculants High yields for pulse crops depend on using the right type of inoculant at just the right time, to get as much bacteria into the soil as possible BY LISA GUENTHER

hizobium inoculants help peas and lentils fix nitrogen, reducing or eliminating the need for applied nitrogen. Success hinges on getting as many live rhizobium bacteria into the soil as possible. “You want to be able to maintain them as viable bacterial cells,” says Dr. Fran Walley. Walley is a soil science professor at the University of Saskatchewan. Proper storage and handling keep rhizobia alive and thriving. Rhizobia are vulnerable to ultra violet rays, so inoculant should be stored away from sunlight. Heat and wind will also dry out and kill rhizobia. Soil tests can indicate potential problems. “Inorganic nitrogen — nitrate, for instance — can inhibit the nodulation, nitrogen fixation process. So you want to have a pretty good notion of what your soil test nitrogen levels are,” says Walley. If the roots don’t develop any nodules, there may be too much nitrate in the soil.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT PRODUCT Farmers should consider convenience, manpower, formulation compatibility and soil conditions when choosing a formulation. All three formulations can work fine for peas and lentils, says Danielle Fletcher, field agronomist with Becker Underwood. “They’re all medalists at the Olympics, but basically your granular is gold medalist because he’s altitude trained and can withstand a bunch of different conditions,” says Fletcher. Fletcher says peat or granular inoculants are better for moderately acidic soils, hot and dry conditions, loosely rotated ground, and other adverse conditions because they’re more stable than liquid formulas. Liquid inoculants aren’t recommended for soils with low indigenous rhizobium populations, either — for example, previously flooded land or land that has never been inoculated. Granular inoculants can be particularly effective in soils with low rhizobium numbers, Walley says. “The advantage of the granular product is that it tends to result in nodules forming on more of the lateral roots. Whereas a peat-based powder — a seedapplied inoculant — generally forms nodules right around seed placement. And it seems that if the levels of rhizobium in the soil are low… there is a real advantage to getting some nodules on those lateral roots. And that’s where the (granular) products look really, really good,” says Walley. Walley says farmers who have used inoculants for several years have resident rhizobia that will form nodules on lateral roots. In these soils, farmers may see the same benefits from using less expensive seed-placed peat or

liquid inoculants, which form nodules around the root crown. Fletcher says application convenience is driving the shift to granular inoculants. Farmers simply load the granular into the air seeder rather than applying it to seed. Fletcher says the inoculant does need its own tank, as mixing it with fertilizer harms the bacteria. Farmers using a peat inoculant can cut the dust by dampening the peat with water while applying it to the seed. Fletcher says some peat inoculants have a built-in adhesive that is enhanced by water.

Application convenience is driving the shift to granular inoculants Farmers using a granular inoculant don’t need to check whether seed treatments are compatible with the inoculants. “But when you’re dealing with seed applied (inoculants) — so either the peat or the liquid — you have to watch because there are getting to be more things put on seed. And you need to understand the implications of those interactions and how they’re going to affect the bacteria,” says Fletcher. Fletcher says Becker Underwood staff test for compatibility with many registered seed treatments, including some registered fertility seed treatments. But the company doesn’t test every combination of products that can be put on the seed as there are too many possible combinations.

PHOTOS: BECKER UNDERWOOD

Granular inoculants are better for moderately acidic soils, hot and dry conditions, loosely rotated ground, and other adverse conditions because they’re more stable than liquid formulas.

APPLICATION TIMING Farmers using pea and lentil liquid inoculants only have two or three hours to get the seed into the ground. If farmers leave liquid-treated seed sitting too long, they’ll need to re-inoculate it. Fletcher says planting inoculated seed that has sat too long can hurt crop performance. “I’ve seen that with liquid in some situations, where you start out in the beginning of the field, and it’s fine, and you can literally see almost where they’re filling up with seed and doing the new inoculation again.” Once farmers have inoculated seed, the best thing they can do is get the seed into the ground as soon as possible, says Fletcher. Pea and lentil liquid inoculants have the shortest safe planting interval, and peats are also time sensitive. Granular inoculants are not time-sensitive as the physical separation of the inoculant and the seed provides an adequate buffer. Soybean inoculants generally have a longer safe planting interval as the rhizobium species that inoculates soybeans is hardier.

Granular inoculants are better for moderately acidic soils, hot and dry conditions, loosely rotated ground, and other adverse conditions because they’re more stable than liquid formulas. Farmers may try to manage risks by, for example, using two different peat inoculants, applied to the seed at a 60 per cent rate. Fletcher says that idea has merit, but a better method would be to combine a granular inoculant with a seed-applied inoculant.

INOCULATE WHEN RESIDENT RHIZOBIUM PLENTIFUL Farmers who have been inoculating the soil for years may be tempted to skip the inoculant with their next pulse crop. But

native rhizobia can be inefficient nitrogen fixers, so farmers need to saturate the soil with fresh bacteria with each pulse crop, says Fletcher. Research shows resident rhizobia’s abilities to survive and fix nitrogen vary tremendously. “The genetic material that’s coding for nitrogen fixation can actually be lost from rhizobium. And so you want to continue to use a fresh, good inoculant every time you’re growing a pulse crop or a legume,” says Walley. Companies are always hunting

for better rhizobium strains with desirable characteristics, such as performance in cool soils or acidic soils, Walley says. Fletcher compares inoculants to insurance. “If you don’t have good nodulation, then you’re looking at applying a bunch of nitrogen fertilizer, which is a whole lot more costly than your cheap insurance for inoculants that are in the single digit dollars per acre.” † Lisa Guenther is a field editor with Grainews based at Livelong, Sask. Contact her at Lisa. Guenther@fbcpublishing.com.

December 2012 g r a i n e w s . c a /

Features Weed control

Yellowdevil Hawkweed found in Alberta Yellowdevil hawkweed has been found in the Crowsnest Pass area of Alberta. Learn how to control it before it spreads further By Melanie Epp

ellowdevil hawkweed (Hieracium glomeratum) was recently found in southern Alberta, in the Crowsnest Pass area. In the Pacific Northwest, hawkweeds are some of the most troublesome weeds found. A perennial, yellowdevil hawkweed reproduces by seed, and vegetatively by rhizomes and root buds. It is thought that the weed most likely came into the province via B.C. or Montana. “Most likely B.C. is the culprit,” says Nicole Kimmel, weed specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. “It’s in a logging area, so most likely equipment is what it came in on.”

Identifying yellowdevil hawkweed Yellowdevil hawkweeds have small dandelion-like heads, with hairy stems and leaves. All but one invasive species have yellow flowers, making it difficult to distinguish between other hawkweed varieties. “It’s one of the very many invasive hawkweeds known to be in North America and this is the first documented report of this yellowdevil hawkweed down in the Crowsnest Pass in southern Alberta,” says Kimmel. “Hawkweed can also reproduce by root fragments, so if any of those roots were broken off it has the ability to regenerate if they’re buried,” she says. “And it can send off a little stem underground and then it pops up a new plant so many inches away from the mother plant. That’s why they’re so invasive.” Another problem is that they’re very versatile. They’ve been found in lawns, in pastures, on logging roads and alongside ditches. “There doesn’t seem to be any limiting factor to where you’ll find them,” says Kimmel. “They accommodate any soil type and any disturbance.” The Crowsnest Pass discovery wasn’t small-scale, either. In fact, the size of the area the weed has covered is fairly substantial.

Eradicating Yellowdevil Hawkweed Since it’s a newly discovered plant, there are no registered herbicides for yellowdevil hawkweed. There are, however, herbicides that work on other hawkweeds. It all depends on how you read the label. “Some have just listed hawkweed,” says Kimmel. “And some have listed orange hawkweed. To adhere to legal requirements of herbicide labels, one could use herbicides registered for ‘hawkweeds.’” “Other than that,” she continues, “cultivation doesn’t work and mowing doesn’t work. Fertilizer has been known to work in combination with herbicide, but it needs

that herbicide to knock down the weed. Then the fertilizer will help the other plants to compete if there’s enough grasses and forage around it to give them a boost.” If you find yellowdevil hawkweed on your property, Kimmel advises you to consult your ag field representative. “Well, hopefully they can consult with their ag field man because there are so many invasive hawkweeds — and hybrids are possible. I’d like them to consult with a professional before they get too excited.” † Melanie Epp is a freelance writer who specializes in writing web copy for small businesses. She is based in Guelph, Ont., and can be found online at melanierepp.com.

photo: alberta agriculture and rural development

Yellowdevil hawkweeds have small dandelion-like heads.

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Legislation Alberta’s Weed Control Act includes two classes of weeds: noxious weeds and prohibited noxious weeds. Hawkweeds are prohibited noxious weeds, which need to be eradicated as soon as they’re found. Municipality or county weed inspectors have the authority to ask landowners to control weeds, or take action to control them (and send the bill to the landowner.) Yellowdevil hawkweed is currently being treated as a prohibited noxious weed, but Kimmel says, technically, there is no legal authority for its control. Only orange, meadow, and mouse-ear hawkweeds are included in current regualtions. It will probably be 2014 before changes can be made to include yellowdevil hawkweed on this list.

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/ g r a i n e w s . c a December 2012

Features Special crops

Agronomics of carinata Farmers considering putting a new oilseed crop into their rotations may want to look into growing carinata By Lindsay Griffith

anola is a big cash crop on the Prairies, but there is hope that a similar crop, Brassica carinata, will take root. Carinata, commonly known as Ethiopian mustard, thrives in areas where a lack of moisture means canola either cannot be grown or is too risky to grow. Though still a relatively new specialty crop, carinata can provide another option for an oilseed crop in the brown soil zones of the Prairies, thereby extending the rotation of farmers in these areas and making marginal land more productive.

Growing carinata Carinata is a mid to long season crop, comparable to durum, and takes about 105 to 110 days to mature. It thrives in hot, dry weather; nine to 12 inches of rain are all that is required to grow a full crop. It has excellent drought and heat tolerance and slightly better frost tolerance than canola. Given its lineage, carinata is more resistant to heat blasting and shattering than canola. For seed grower Joe Rennick of Milestone, Sask., carinata yields this year ranged from 34 to 47 bushels per acre, with the lowest yields seen in areas that were patchy due to spring flooding.

Carinata has a high nutrient demand and a response to fertility similar to canola. It has a small seed. The recommended seeding rate is five to seven pounds per acre; the recommended seeding depth is one half to one inch. The crop should be seeded when the soil temperature is 5 C or higher. Carinata is considered dry at 9.5 per cent moisture, using the Oriental mustard tables as a reference, but can be prone to heating in the bin and should be treated accordingly, using aeration as necessary.

nata is not as simple as canola. There are only a limited number of chemicals registered for carinata, though there are a number of minor use submissions put forward for the 2013 season. Glyphosate is the only chemical currently approved for a pre-seed burnoff. Certain chemicals used for conventional canola can be used as herbicides. Rennick had no trouble sourcing chemical through his local dealer, but he did observe that without a better chemical system,Nov. the 19, second flush of 912152A01_FCB 2012 weeds, particularly late season Weeds and disease Esso_26535_2012 Hockey Goals & Assists wild mustard, could not be conGiven itsM0219_Mag_D_ST relatively new status trolled in thinner spots in his as a crop, weed control for cari- crop. However, in areas that had

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not been affected by early season flooding, the canopy closed in and carinata proved to be a good competitor with weeds. Research is being conducted with the goal of introducing tank mixes but nothing is yet registered. Carinata seed comes pretreated with an insecticide/fungicide seed treatment for flea beetles and seed-borne diseases, though the fields still need to be monitored during the growing season. Carinata is resistant to blackleg but is otherwise affected by the common canola pests, including bertha armyworm, diamondback moths, and sclerotinia. According to Patrick Crampton, Agrisoma’s vice president of business and product development, initial data suggests that carinata is not favoured by bertha armyworm as much as canola, and fungal diseases tend to be less of an issue in the drier climates to which carinata is adapted. Rennick had no trouble with either insects or disease this year. Even aster yellows, which was found more frequently in canola this year than in previous years, was at extremely low levels in Rennick’s carinata crop.

Harvesting Carinata plants have a tougher structure than canola, meaning

Carinata markets

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s an industrial oilseed crop, carinata is high in erucic acid, unlike food oils. It is primarily used for jetfuel because it makes a good biodiesel. The meal by-product is rich in protein and low in fibre but awaits approval as a feed source by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Because it is a new crop, Agrisoma’s vice president of business and product development, Patrick Crampton says the marketing for carinata is being kept simple and straightforward. The seed is available under a Paterson Grain contract and is closed loop identity preserved, meaning all the seed grown is sold back to the company. Last year, 6,000 acres of carinata was grown under contract by 40 Saskatchewan and Alberta farmers. At present, a straight fixed price contract is offered. The number of contracted acres and the types of contracts available for 2013 have not yet been released, but it is expected that pricing opportunities will expand as marketing evolves and more acres are grown. Anyone interested in growing carinata should contact their local Paterson Grain representative. For some, the decision to try growing a new crop is influenced not by company advertising but by local experiences and word of mouth. When asked if he would recommend growing carinata to other farmers in his area, Rennick answered simply: “Yes.” †

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DECEMBER 2012 g r a i n e w s . c a /

Features they are resistant to shattering and lodging and not prone to pod drop. Carinata branches lower than canola and can reach heights over six feet when flowering — this is not a harvest issue because the plants dry down and shrink as the pods fill and mature, being approximately four feet tall at harvest. If swathed, the windrows are tight and compact and, thanks to the branching stubble, move little, if at all, in high winds when a roller is used. Given its good standability and shatter resistance, carinata can be straight cut, which means one less pass over the field at harvest time. However, the bushy plant structure means that lower plant material can plug the concaves on a combine, leading to delayed harvest and increased risks of undesirable weather while waiting for the crop to dry down. Even when swathing, there is danger that the bushy plants will bloat the swather table, so slower speeds are essential. No

Carinata is resistant to blackleg but is otherwise affected by the common canola pests.

Carinata branches lower than canola and can reach heights over six feet when flowering.

special equipment is necessary when growing carinata, though a retractable finger drum could be used when swathing. Rennick believes that swathing carinata is the best way to go. With little shattering losses, carinata can be left standing in the field longer than canola, allowing the crop to compensate for uneven maturity caused by

combine it is to go slow and increase the cylinder speed. He found that setting his combine as he would for canola in terms of sieves and wind speed but increasing his cylinder speed to 700 rpm, as he would for durum or spring wheat, and combining at three miles per hour worked best. With a lower cylinder speed, whole pods were ending up in

spring flooding, and fewer seeds are lost in the swathing process. The swaths, once cut, can be left in the field without fear of been blown by high winds. In most cases, the crop is dry enough to harvest within two weeks. Rennick also notes that the tough plant structure of carinata makes it difficult to thrash, and he found that the best way to

The

the combine tank, and opening the concave clearance resulted in a loss of pressure. The slower harvesting speed can be frustrating, particularly when farmers are used to higher speeds with canola, but it is necessary. † Lindsay Griffith is a U of S M.Sc. crop science student, freelance writer, and farmer at Bangor, Sask. She can be reached at miss. lindsay.griffith@gmail.com.

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Carinata can be straight cut, which means one less pass over the field at harvest time.

Carinata costs and profits

n 2012, seed grower Joe Rennick grew 234 acres of carinata for seed. Rennick calculated his production costs at roughly $125 per acre. Carinata prices are currently based on canola prices, so it’s providing a good return despite higher input costs than other crops such as spring wheat. This higher return makes it a good crop for marginal land. As a seed grower, Rennick has been involved in the seed multiplication process for carinata and says that the new lines are promising, each an improvement on the variety already on the market, Resonance. Carinata was developed by Agrisoma in a partnership with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Mustard 21 (a non-profit corporation formed by the Saskatchewan Mustard Development Commission and the Canadian Mustard Association). †

Better seed in so many weighs. Farming is large-scale, and at DuPont Pioneer, we think seed trials should reflect real farming. That’s why each year we test our seed products in over 1000 large-scale Proving Ground™ trials of canola, corn and soybeans across Western Canada. And why you’ve probably seen a Pioneer Hi-Bred sales rep with a weigh wagon checking yield results on a farm near you. Ask your Pioneer Hi-Bred sales rep about Proving Ground trial results in your area.

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14/11/12 2:49 PM

/ g r a i n e w s . c a DECEMBER 2012

Features WEED CONTROL

Flowering rush is pretty, but problematic While flowering rush may be a lovely pond decoration, it is also a formidable invasive plant that’s restricting water flow BY LISA GUENTHER

lowering rush seems to be an ideal ornamental pond plant. Plants grow on the water’s edge or fully submerged. They are striking, with stalks up to a metre tall, topped by nickel-sized pink flowers. But flowering rush also spreads easily and is hard to kill, making it a formidable invasive species. Flowering rush can restrict water flow in irrigation canals and through culverts. It makes poor duck habitat and crowds out native species. Invasive species such as flowering rush can also drop land values. “The people that really stand the biggest threat from flowering rush are lake users and the irrigation infrastructure guys,” says Nicole Kimmel, weed specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development.

WEED CONTROL Saskatchewan and Alberta’s revised weed legislation both place flowering rush in the most severe weed class, meaning complete eradication is the goal. But when it comes to reproduction, the perennial is a triple threat. Roots spawn clones. Removing the plant shakes

loose bulblets, or miniature bulbs, that float away and generate more plants. New plants also germinate from seeds. Kimmel knows of five Alberta locations with flowering rush infestations. The Sturgeon River has sporadic infestations spread over six kilometres. Flowering rush also grows near Innisfail, along Isle Lake, in Lake Chestermere and in the irrigation canal that runs from Lake Chestermere. Kimmel says people have dredged the Lake Chestermere canal with heavy equipment, but it’s too early to know if the dredging has been successful. Officials haven’t tackled river infestations yet because they’re concerned about inadvertently spreading plants downstream. “So before we get tromping through and pulling plants like crazy, we’re trying to come up with a solution to address that problem, and try and tackle it the best we can without causing more damage than good,” says Kimmel. Because flowering rush is an aquatic plant, Kimmel says Alberta government officials will be responsible for dealing with infestations in most cases. But farmers with wetlands, creeks or rivers on their land may want to keep an eye out for it.

Flowering rush is easy to identify while flowering. The plants usually flower continuously between early August and the end of September. But if it isn’t flowering, it blends with cattails and sedges. Though Alberta nurseries shouldn’t be selling flowering rush anymore, the plant is still in landscaped ponds. “That’s the biggest threat of this spread, that it still probably exists in some pond locations,” says Kimmel. “It’s in small enough numbers that we definitely stand a chance to eradicate it. But we need to really bump up the awareness (with) the pond people that they are sourcing these outbreaks in the province. So they need to be more diligent in how they handle that material.” If people are removing flowering rush from ponds, Kimmel says they should keep the plants dry and away from low-lying areas, as they could resprout. Officials don’t know if flowering rush can survive composting, so leaving plants out for compost isn’t recommended.

FLOWERING RUSH IN INTERLAKE AND WINNIPEG AREAS Cheryl Heming, executive director of the Invasive Species Council of Manitoba, says Manitoba’s

PHOTOS: NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY OF SASKATCHEWAN

A flowering rush leaf. The leaves are triangular, with a pithy centre. flowering rush infestation isn’t yet widespread. The Council has found plants around Winnipeg and in the Interlake region. Heming says her understanding is the infestation originated in the late 1940s. Flowering rush was brought into the province as a potential garden cultivar. Since then plants have spread through the watershed. “We actually hope to be working with the Department of Conservation in terms of check-

ing out a couple marshes that (are) attached (to) the Red River because we’re concerned,” says Heming. City of Winnipeg staffers are experimenting with cutting flowering rush stems to control the plants in a landscaped pond. Manitoba legislators are currently reviewing the province’s weed legislation. Heming says the Council has recommended flowering rush be listed under proposed noxious weed legislation.

MURRAY FREY, DEKALB GROWER SINCE 2002 WATROUS, SK

DECEMBER 2012 g r a i n e w s . c a /

Features SASKATCHEWAN NON-PROFIT DEVELOPS REMOVAL METHOD There one known flowering rush infestation in Saskatchewan and it’s on the edge of eradication. Botanists visited the wetland, which is south of Young, in 2004. They confirmed the infestation and clipped seed heads to slow the spread. Nothing more was done until Chet Neufeld took over as the executive director of the Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan. Neufeld was going through archived files when he found a footnote about the flowering rush infestation. “And so I thought, ‘Well, if this is the only known location in the province and nobody’s taking care of it, we should do something about it,’” says Neufeld. At first, Neufeld only had time to clip the seed heads. But in 2010, federal and provincial funding, along with several volunteers, allowed the Native Plant Society to map and remove plants and collect data. No herbicides are registered for flowering rush, so Neufeld devised a manual removal method that doesn’t spread plants and minimizes reemergence. “There is only one way at the moment to deal with this, and it’s the hard way. But we’re making a difference,” says Neufeld. Shovels cut roots, leaving root pieces behind, so volunteers use pitchforks to lever plants from the mud. Entire plants, including soil stuck to the roots, are doublebagged. Volunteers then search

This is a flowering rush plant from the Young, Sask site. The flowering stalks can be up to one metre tall.

A bulblet. When roots are disturbed, bulblets will float away, spreading the infestation.

the hole the plant was pulled from with their bare hands, feeling for bulblets and root pieces. Finally, they stir the water in the hole and grab any floating bulblets. Vo l u n t e e r s m a r k r e m o v e d plants’ locations with pin flags so they can check them the next year. Neufeld says about 30 per cent of the removed plants reemerge the next year. Reemerging plants are much weaker and don’t come back after the second removal. This year about 40 volunteers, including local high school students, pulled out all the flowering rush over several weeks. They removed about two tons of material, including plants and soil. “It was kind of a vicious cycle with just me because all I ever had

safety concerns. It would also need to be adapted for flowing water, as the current would carry bulblets downstream. Neufeld says a fine net would need to be set around the work area to catch escaping bulblets. However, it has worked very well at the Young site. “When we started this project, we were looking at maybe eradicating it within 10 years. I think we’ll be able to do it probably in just over five,” says Neufeld.

the time for was just clipping seed heads. I’d get done that, and it would basically start freezing up on me. So I never would have (broken) out of the cycle if it wasn’t for volunteers and for additional funding from the province and from the federal government.” For the last three years, volunteers have also surveyed 50 nearby wetlands to make sure the flowering rush hasn’t spread (it hasn’t). The Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan will eradicate reemerging plants next year, and then monitor the wetland for several years to make sure the infestation doesn’t reemerge. The Saskatchewan method likely won’t work for fully submerged plants because of logistics and

RESOURCES TO IDENTIFY INVASIVE SPECIES Neufeld is a biologist and agrologist, and is happy to help farmers identify weeds or forward them resources. Farmers or ranchers can

call Neufeld at (306) 668-3940 or email info@npss.sk.ca. Each province has an invasive species council that has factsheets, reporting information, contact information and other resources. Their websites include invasivespeciesmanitoba.com, saskinvasives. ca, and invasiveplants.ab.ca. Manitoba’s Invasive Species Council also uploads information to prips.usask.ca. Alberta and Manitoba residents can see which areas have invasive species at eddmaps.org/ alberta. Saskatchewan plans to map invasives through imapinvasives.org. † Lisa Guenther is a field editor with Grainews based at Livelong, Sask. Contact her at Lisa. Guenther@fbcpublishing.com.

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Always follow grain marketing and all other stewardship practices and pesticide label directions. Details of these requirements can be found in the Trait Stewardship Responsibilities Notice to Farmers printed in this publication. DEKALB and Design®, DEKALB®, Genuity®, Roundup Ready®, and Roundup® are registered trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC, Monsanto Canada, Inc. licensee. ©2012 Monsanto Canada, Inc.

/ g r a i n e w s . c a DECEMBER 2012

Features FARM MANAGEMENT

Deciding not to buy insurance Not buying insurance can free up cash for other uses on your farm. But before you make any rash decisions, consider these four factors BY RON SETTLER

man walks into a coffee shop to buy a coffee to go and the clerk says “Would you like insurance for that? For only 15 cents we’ll replace it if you spill it.” Another man has a farm with thousands of acres of crop. The insurance agent says “Would you like hail insurance this year? For only $20,000 we’ll cover your farm.” Who should buy the insurance? Perhaps it’s the man with the coffee. He only has 25 cents left, he’s dying of thirst, and he has such a nervous tremor that he has trouble holding on to anything.

The second man however has lots of assets and cash, is in a very good financial position and has only had three small hail damage claims in 35 years of farming. One of your first comments might be: “Go without insurance? But if I had a major crop loss I’d have to re-mortgage the farm to pay my bills.” This could be true. However, if by not having hail or crop insurance you’ve paid off your mortgage, you might be further ahead. And perhaps you won’t have a catastrophic crop loss. The trick is to look at the risk factors for you, your farm and your area. Whether or not you buy insur-

ance comes down to your risk of loss, your financial position and your comfort level.

GOOD INVESTMENT? Have you ever wondered if the money you’re spending on hail or crop insurance is a good investment? I’m sure most farmers have questioned this expense at one time or another. I’ve had my share of crop losses and large insurance claims. On our little farm hail is not a big risk. We’ve only collected hail insurance two or three times over the last 35 years, and then it was not over 50 per cent. However, crop

insurance has helped feed us for many winters. Remember that hail and crop insurance are very different. I encourage you consider each type of insurance separately, as they each have different risk factors and costs. Bear in mind that if you have crop insurance it also covers you for hail losses with different variables and costs depending on the province where you reside. Let’s consider at a typical farmer, “Tip,” over a 10-year period. If Tip bought hail insurance to cover his whole farm for $150 an acre for 10 years, with an average rate of six per cent for all

crops including cereals, pulses and oilseeds, it would cost $27,000 per year to cover his 3,000 acre farm (3,000 acres x $150 per acre X six per cent = $27,000 per year). Over 10 years, this would cost $270,000. Say that during that 10-year period he suffered two hail storms, where he lost 500 acres of crop at 100 per cent loss. He would collect $75,000 per loss ($150 per acre x 500 acres), for a total benefit of only $150,000. Over the ten-year period, this is a total cost of $120,000. If Tip had known that this was how things would turn out, he would have been better off not purchasing hail insurance — he could have invested the $27,000 per year or used it to pay off existing loans. Of course, this could have turned out much differently, if there had been more hail over the 10-year period. Or, he could have had a year with a devastating hail loss.

FOUR FACTORS TO CONSIDER

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If you’re considering not purchasing insurance on your farm, take a careful look at the numbers first, and keep these factors in mind. 1. When you’re calculating your cost of insurance, the premiums will depend on the crop you’re insuring, the insurance rate, local risk factors and coverage per acre. Remember that with hail insurance we pay the full cost. Crop insurance premiums are subsidized by our governments so the premiums we pay are much less than the actual cost. 2. The amount of interest you could earn of save by not buying insurance will depend on what you do with the money you don’t use to pay premiums. If you use it to pay off high interest loans or payables it could be as much as 10 or 18 per cent. If you just stick it in a savings account it could be as little as 0.05 per cent. Remember, not buying insurance won’t work as a savings technique if you spend the money you saved on expensive toys and holidays. Any money saved should be put back into the farm to produce the best return possible. 3. You tell me what to predict when you’re estimating losses. You can use historical figures to help come up with your best guess. Also, be sure to figure in the losses that wouldn’t be covered even if you did have insurance. 4. Before you cancel your insurance contract, check with your banker to make sure that this won’t affect your financial dealings with them. Bankers can be a nervous lot. Whatever you decide, make sure you’re comfortable with your decision, and that everyone on the farm agrees. Saving a few dollars is not worth sleepless nights. However, if you’re always buying insurance and rarely making a claim, I’m sure you could find a better use for those premiums. † Ron Settler farms with his wife Sheila and their sons Ben and Dan. They also operate a repair and salvage business at Lucky Lake, Sask. Contact Ron at 306-858-2681 or r.settler@hotmail.com.

DECEMBER 2012 g r a i n e w s . c a /

Features CROP PRODUCTION

2012 in review

With his crop in the bin, Kevin Elmy takes time to update Grainews readers on this 2012 experience BY KEVIN ELMY

ne could almost call the 2012 production year a swing of extremes. From excess rainfall early in the season to nothing in the second half, each provided its own challenges. As the saying goes, we are only six weeks away from a drought.

SPRING SEEDING We did get seeding a bit earlier than last year. The first field we seeded was a soybean field of TH 33003R2Y on May 18. TH 33003R2Y is a new variety from Thunder Seeds that has early maturity and good daylight sensitivity. Top that off with some excellent yield potential, it looked like it had some promise. We seeded the next field to TH 32004R2Y. It is a bit later with better lodging resistance. Both tied in the MCVET trials last year for the highest yields. Then rains delayed seeding for a couple days, before we started seeding TH 29002, our work horse around the farm. Between rains, we seeded soybeans between May 22 and June 2, on both cereal and soybean stubble. Field selection kept changing with the downpours. Fields that were scheduled to canola got changed to soybeans or cover crop. Canola was seeded May 25 and 26, the last couple of days we would want to seed canola. Most of the acres went into L120, an early InVigor canola. Our strip trial included L150, L130 and L120 seeded on cover crop ground that we seeded late in 2011 due to flooding. Before we got the corn planters out in our customer fields, we seeded a small field of Azuki beans and MZ 1272R grain corn on May 18 and 19 respectively. Azuki beans are widely used in the Far East, and I was asked if I would be interested in trialing them for local adaptation. The grain corn is seed that I’ve wanted to plant for the last three years. Finally, we were able to seed it on time. We got our silage corn trial seeded June 2 but instead of seeding 40 acres, I only seeded six, due to too much rain.

Our plan was to seed our unseeded acres down to a cover crop using crown millet and tillage radish. It would be cut for green feed, with two of the fields to be seeded down to fridge forage winter triticale this fall, another to soybeans in 2013, and the field where the corn trial was, to a grazing cocktail trial. We covered most of the acres between July 8 and 14. Harvesting started the third week of August when we dove into the fridge. This year’s harvest was a big improvement over 2011. We only got stuck twice! Yields were below average but moisture content was good. Ergot levels were relatively low, as was

the clean out. Once the canola was harvested we get seeding fridge winter triticale into the canola and green feed stubble. The seed germinated more quickly in the millet stubble than the canola. Canola was uneventful. Our yields were below our long term average, and far below the last two years. Our InVigor trial results showed L130 at the top at 33.7 bushels per acre, L120 second at 31.1 (108 per cent of L120), and L150 third with 28.3 (91 per cent of L120). The L150 was a bigger plant and most likely ran out of water. It lodged worse than the others. In years with less spring moisture it should be all right. We like the

maturity of the L120 and will continue on with it. The best canola field was where we used a cover crop last year of oat, sunflowers, tillage radish and natto soybeans on a field we could not get on until mid-July due to flooding. The cover crop was seeded the end of July. Our greenfeed cover crop of crown millet and tillage radish was cut the end of August. From our feed samples, the tillage radish, even at one pound per acre, added a full per cent more protein in the bales. The leaves dried well in the swath. We did not receive rain on the swaths — I’m not sure how they would cure under more adverse conditions. It was amazing how much regrowth we saw in the radishes after haying. Soybeans averaged 28 bushels per acre. Podding height was good, except in the spots with excess spring moisture after seeding. Our trial plots showed TH 29002 was still the top yielder at 32.5 bushels per acre. TH 33003R2Y

was second at 31.5 and Pekko was third at 30.5. The TH 29002 was about seven days earlier than TH 33003R2Y, and 14 days ahead of Pekko. The sample of Pekko was fairly high green, where the other two were less than five per cent green. Overall, we had about 150 per cent of normal rainfall through the year. Most of it fell through May, June and early July, then we got very little. Next year, we’ll continue with fridge forage winter triticale, soybeans, grazing corn, reduce our canola acres again, replacing them with more cover crops. The plan is to do some work with MykePro, a mychorizial product, continue our trials with Azuki beans, and continue trialing soybean and corn varieties for the area. Here’s to the start of 2013. † Kevin Elmy operates Friendly Acres Seed Farm, along with his wife, Christina, and parents, Robert and Verene, near Saltcoats, Sask. Contact him at 306-744-2779 or visit www.friendlyacres.sk.ca.

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CANOLA PERFORMANCE TRIALS 2011 MEDIUM & LONG SEASON ZONES 104%

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Yield 1

2011 CPT trial average yield medium and long season zones. Yield responses on 6060 RR and 1012 RR only from sites where both varieties were present.

NUTRIENTS AND HERBICIDES By this time our fridge forage winter triticale was too high to get 28-0-0 dribbled on. I grabbed some tissue samples to check nutrient concentrations. Nitrogen levels in the plants were okay but the calcium, magnesium and boron levels were slightly low. Once again, by this time the plants were almost ready to flower, and fields were saturated, so adding nutrients were not advisable. We did get herbicide and an application of copper on the triticale in between rains. Tissue tests from the canola and soybeans showed adequate levels of all nutrients. Soybeans and canola got the first herbicide application on in time. Haying went arelatively smoothly, once we replaced the guards on our hay head. Then the last significant rain fell on July 18.

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BrettYoung is a trademark of BrettYoung Seeds Limited. Genuity® and Roundup Ready® are registered trademarks and used under license from Monsanto Company. Always follow grain marketing and all other stewardship practices and pesticide label directions. Details of these requirements can be found in the Trait Stewardship Responsibilities Notice to Farmers printed in this publication. 12025 10.12

120

/ g r a i n e w s . c a DECEMBER 2012

Features GRAIN MARKETING

Cigi: Learning to Live in the Spotlight Your wheat and barley dollars are now directly funding the Canadian International Grains Institute. Find out what Cigi is doing for you BY ANGELA LOVELL

fter surveying farmers this past May the Canadian International Grains Institute (Cigi) discovered that many weren’t all that familiar with the Winnipeg based organisation and knew very little about what it does. That’s hardly surprising because for the past forty years Cigi has primarily played a support role in providing technical marketing services to the Canadian Wheat Board. “Cigi never had a need to promote itself because the Canadian Wheat Board was 70 per cent of its business,” says Cigi’s executive director, Earl Geddes. “Now farmers are funding us directly and they not only need to know, but have a right to know, what we are doing. So one of the messages that came out of the survey is that we need to get Cigi a little bit better known in the farm community and develop some performance metrics that can show farmers the value of the dollars that they are leaving with Cigi to fund its activities.”

CHECK-OFF FUNDS CIGI As of April 1, 2012 the Canadian Wheat Board ceased to fund the activities of Cigi. For the next five years, Cigi will be funded via a voluntary check-off on Western Canadian wheat and barley administered by the Alberta Barley Commission. Cigi receives 15 cents of the 48 cents a tonne check-off from wheat. Cigi’s survey showed that, for this financial contribution, farmers expect Cigi to focus on three key areas: expand market opportunities for wheat, foster customer relationships and ensure that the brand value of Canadian wheat is maintained internationally. In essence, this means business as usual for Cigi, which has always

done these things, as well as providing educational and technical programming to assist the grain industry. In a free marketing environment Cigi has become an independent institute, but its purpose remains largely unchanged. “Our mission remains the same and that is to create profitable opportunities for Canadian field crops,” says Geddes. “Although we still have a heavy emphasis on wheat, we are working increasingly with other crops. Every program we run is designed to create profitability in the system, where Canadian field crops are involved, for farmers, marketers and buyers.”

The activities are many and varied. They include hosting existing and potential customers from around the globe; answering their questions about the Canadian grain industry and helping them find new applications for Canadian grains.

CIGI PROGRAMS

Cigi has a number of facilities and technical programs — many of them unparalleled worldwide — which help find specific uses for Canadian crops. They include milling, baking, pasta processing and extrusion facilities, analytical and sensory evaluation laboratories, which provide technical expertise, support and customized training to the domestic industry and customers around the world. For example, Cigi is currently hosting 12 Saudi Arabian millers, who are spending six months being trained at its milling facility. Cigi also performs all technical crop evaluations for the English baker Warburtons, one of its longstanding, commercial customers. Cigi’s world-class noodle program has attracted companies from all over the world to learn how to use Canadian wheat in noodle making. Its pulse initiatives are looking at ways to find more uses for pulses.

Cigi’s programs are designed to help position Canadian field crops so the industry can take advantage of quality premiums and increase market access. In the past those programs were largely driven by the needs of the Canadian Wheat Board, whereas now they are directed with input from two advisory committees, one made up of Western Canadian farmers and the other of industry representatives from bodies such as the Western Grain Elevator Association and the Canadian Grains and Oilseeds Exporters Association. “We sit down with these committees and say, based on our customer contacts and the enquiries we are getting, where is there the greatest need to do promotion, technical training or technical programming to support Canadian field crops?” says Geddes. “We design a list of programs that are four months out and we go to the advisory committees and say: ‘Is this the kind of activity that you think is a good use of your checkoff dollars and supports your efforts in the marketplace?’ If they like the projects we do them and if they don’t like them we won’t.”

Are you looking for…

“Now farmers are funding us directly.” — Earl Geddes

NEW MARKETING ENVIRONMENT With all of its facilities and programs Cigi continues to concentrate on its three main roles: providing customer care and

contact, technical programming and maintaining and promoting the quality brand image that Western Canadian wheat enjoys on the world scene. It has been playing a big role, during the transition to an open marketing system, in reassuring customers worldwide that it’s business as usual when it comes to the quality of Western Canadian grain. The concerns vary from country to country and company to company. Recent delegations from Japan and Mexico were concerned that Canada’s quality assurance and variety registration systems would remain strong and continue to provide high quality products and also sought a better understanding of how the new marketing structure for Canadian grain will work. “We have been heavily involved on the customer care side and telling people that we know they are concerned and that the quality assurance side is still intact,” says Geddes. Cigi is about to embark on its annual new crop missions to Southeast Asia, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa to meet with companies and explain the functional properties of this year’s crops. As part of the mission Cigi has invited the Canadian Grain Commission to deliver keynote presentations about the strength and continuity of Canada’s quality assurance system to allay fears that it may go the way of the Australian system, which largely fell apart once the Australian Wheat Board was dismantled four years ago. If anything, says Geddes, customers need to appreciate that they have a stronger role to play in directing Canada’s quality assurance programs. “The Canadian Wheat Board used to represent customers

Support the Wheat & Barley Check-Off. The check-off enables Western Canada’s farmers to continue funding variety research and market development in the open market. This voluntary check-off of $0.48/tonne of wheat and $0.56/tonne of barley will be shown as a Deduction of Levy on your Cash Purchase Ticket upon grain delivery at a Canadian Grain Commission licensed company.

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at a number of the meetings and on committees involved in the quality assurance process, whereas now customers themselves have a direct opening to make their comments heard in the Canadian grain industry,” he says. “This is a new responsibility that they have never had before, but it’s also a new opportunity.” Cigi is involved in co-ordinating efforts to develop a long-term international strategy with the Canadian wheat industry. In the past it was the Canadian Wheat Board that took care of issues like market access, trade challenges or quality concerns and negotiated at the political level to shape government policies. Now it’s up to the industry itself to create a body that will be responsible for these things. As the cereal industry organizes, itself Cigi is filling the gaps to maintain the functionality of the system until it can be directed by a formal entity. “There is a move right now to pull all of the players together to form a wheat industry or a cereal industry council,” says Geddes. “In the midst of all of that there is a whole new marketing challenge for our exporters and some new decisions for growers. What Cigi has attempted to do is make sure there are as few gaps as possible during this transition period. Cigi is an independent institute and we don’t have a particular view about how the industry should organize or what they should do, but we are trying to make sure those things that the industry needs to continue to do and is going to want to have positioned when they are organised, are done. And at that point we can have input coming into our institute on a regular basis to make sure we are engaged in the kind of activities that the industry feels is necessary to take it forward in its long term strategy.” There is lots of evolution to come, says Geddes. “But Cigi is still here to provide the same technical education, training and support that it did in the past and it’s still here to provide all of the trouble shooting and the customer care that it has in the past,” he says. And there are more commercial customers walking through Cigi’s doors all the time. “They can’t go anywhere else in the world and get the combination of services that we provide,” says Geddes. “We are very well positioned to provide an excellent service to our grain industry for farmers and exporters and people involved in the system, but also very well positioned to increase our activity on the commercial side. It makes us more sustainable as an independent institute going forward.” For more information about Cigi visit http://cigi.ca/ or follow them on Twitter @CigiWinnipeg. † Angela Lovell is a freelance writer, editor and communications specialist living and working in Manitoba. Find her online at www.angelalovell.ca.

DECEMBER 2012 g r a i n e w s . c a /

Features GRAIN MARKETING

Touring Cigi’s facilities Angela Lovell takes you on a virtual tour of Cigi’s Winnipeg facilities BY ANGELA LOVELL

he Canadian International Grain Institute (Cigi) occupies several floors of 303 Main Street in Winnipeg. Here’s a quick virtual tour.

THE PILOT FLOUR MILL On the 11th floor is a Buhler commercial flour mill, scaled down and outfitted with the latest technology that allows it to provide a full commercial evaluation of the milling characteristics of any wheat variety using just one tonne of flour. Other evaluation mills, like the one at Kansas State University, require at least nine tonnes of flour to operate. The mill is used to train millers from around the world.

EXTRUSION PLANT The extrusion plant houses a research grade, twin screw cooking extruder that is used to produce and evaluate a variety of extruded products, such as healthy snack foods, breakfast cereals and fish food made from cereal grains, pulses and special crops. The machine can manipulate a number of processing conditions, such as product temperatures, feed rates and moistures.

PILOT PASTA PLANT Cigi’s unique and technologically advanced pasta facility contains a commercial Polymatik press and

a batch pasta dryer, which have the capacity to produce pasta to commercial standards and the versatility to accommodate small semolina sample sizes, making it a valuable resource for pasta processors and researchers. The equipment can simulate formulations, drying conditions and products from pasta plants around the world.

ANALYTICAL SERVICES LABORATORY In the lab, Cigi can duplicate the technical processes in flour mills, bakeries and noodle plants in over sixty different countries. It also has a team of

ELLEN GOODMAN, CIGI

Cigi milling technologist Frank Bergen (left) explains the milling process to three representatives from Bunge in Brazil. people trained in sensory evaluation. “We can do sensory evaluation on the differences between say a Japanese, Malaysian or Thai noodle,” says Geddes. “It’s a unique service which is very appealing to many of our international customers.”

Cigi’s unique and versatile facilities also offer training programs to millers, bakers and processors worldwide. † Angela Lovell is a freelance writer, editor and communications specialist living and working in Manitoba. aFind her online at www.angelalovell.ca.

NOODLE AND ASIAN PRODUCTS FACILITY Also occupying the 11th floor is a pilot-sized Ohtake Noodle machine built in Japan. This commercial noodle manufacturing equipment can produce noodles under a variety of different production conditions. “We can recreate noodle production anywhere in the world,” says Earl Geddes, executive director of Cigi. “We can heat and cool the rolls in the noodle line to the exact temperature or circumstances of a production facility in a specific country. This allows us to demonstrate to processors from different countries how to use Canadian wheat and maximise the value of the flour when they are making noodles.” In addition to Asian noodles, the facility also evaluates Canadian wheat in dumplings and steamed end products as well as the use of other field crops in Asian food products such as barley and pulses.

Across the prairies, DEKALB® brand 74-44 BL wins 71% of trials* versus InVigor® L Series.

74-44 BL CONSISTENTLY OUT PERFORMS

7 1%

PILOT AND TEST BAKERY A full commercial bakery next to the flour mill can reproduce the baking techniques used in any country around the world, which allows Cigi to simulate baking practices and processes adopted in various markets, showcasing the baking performance of Canadian wheat classes or specialty crops in various baking applications. The test bakery benchmarks flour quality on a smaller scale, performing tests on internationally recognized methods and procedures producing uniform, small scale production bakes useful for wheat breeders and life science companies that want to compare new varieties and their baking characteristics.

PULSE PROCESSING FACILITY The 12th floor houses pulse processing equipment including de-hulling and splitting equipment and four different types of milling machines: a stone mill, hammer mill, pin mill and roller mill. Its aim is to find different uses for pulse flours.

2012 TRIAL WIN RATE

2012 YIELD COMPARISONS (BU/A)* L Series 74-44 BL

40.6 43.2

N = 55

2 YEAR YIELD COMPARISONS (BU/A)** L Series 74-44 BL

Even under the severe weather conditions of 2012, 74-44 BL consistently out yielded competitors. While no one wins them all, in FACT™ trials conducted by farmer co-operators, DEKALB won its fair share. Consistent yield performance under adverse conditions, that’s the complete package.

42.8 44.9

N = 67

www.DEKALB.ca

*Source: 2012 Monsanto Field Scale Trials as of October 3, 2012. **2011-2012 Monsanto Field Scale Trials. DEKALB represented by 74-44 BL; InVigor by L150, L130 and L120. Individual results may vary, and performance may vary from location to location and from year to year. This result may not be an indicator of results you may obtain as local growing, soil and weather conditions may vary. Growers should evaluate data from multiple locations and years whenever possible. Always follow grain marketing and all other stewardship practices and pesticide label directions. Details of these requirements can be found in the Trait Stewardship Responsibilities Notice to Farmers printed in this publication. DEKALB® and Design and DEKALB® are registered trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. Monsanto Canada Inc. licensee. InVigor® is a registered trademark of Bayer. ©2012 Monsanto Company.

/ g r a i n e w s . c a DECEMBER 2012

Features CROP PRODUCTION

CROP ADVISOR’S CASEBOOK

DURUM DRY UP

CROP ADVISOR’S SOLUTION

SUCCESS MAY DEPEND ON KNOWING FIELD HISTORY

BY BLAINE FORNWALD

t was in early July that I got a call from Bob, who farms 7,000 acres of canola, durum wheat and peas near Lampman, Sask. “My durum wheat heads are drying up and not filling properly,” Bob said, sounding concerned. “Honestly, I have no idea what could be causing these symptoms.” He explained that the worrying trend was occurring randomly across his fields. Also, the tillers were not fully emerging from the shoots. When I arrived at Bob’s operation, I discovered that what he’d described over the phone was true — the symptoms were spread sporadically throughout the fields — in low-lying areas as well as at higher elevations. I weighed all possible contributing factors in my mind one by one. It had been dry and hot for weeks, with sporadic rain, and some fields had received more moisture than others. However, I immediately ruled out lack of moisture as the direct cause of Bob’s problem, as the plants in the fields that had received adequate moisture still showed the symptoms. I asked Bob if the seed was certified and whether it had been treated or not. I also asked for details on Bob’s fertility regime. But his answers didn’t add up to the issues we were observing in the fields — different varieties of seed, certified or not, exhibited the same symptoms. We ruled out untreated seed as a contributing factor, as there was little to no visual difference between the treated and untreated crops. With respect to fertility, Bob had supplied above-adequate nutri-

BY FRED REDHEAD

Bob’s durum wheat heads were drying up and not filling properly. ents to the crop, and as the previous year had been wet, the fields had lain fallow in 2011. Next, we considered whether compaction along the headlands had contributed to the problem as the spring had been so wet. But we ruled out this possibility as the symptoms were spread throughout the field. Could it be root rot that was causing these conditions in Bob’s crop? Then something occurred to me, triggered by the sporadic nature of the deaths in the durum wheat heads. But I needed to be absolutely sure. “I’ll need to collect some samples and send them for analysis,” I told Bob. “I think I know what might be causing the problem with your wheat—but it’s not what you’d expect.” What do you think is the problem with Bob’s wheat? Send your diagnosis to Grainews, Box 9800, Winnipeg, MB, R3C 3K7; email leeann.minogue@ fbcpublishing.com or fax 204-

Trait Stewardship Responsibilities

Notice to Farmers

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

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Go online for digital editions and more

www.grainews.ca

Blaine Fornwald 944-5416 c/o Crop Advisor’s Casebook. Best suggestions will be pooled and one winner will be drawn for a chance to win a Grainews cap and a one-year subscription to the magazine. The best answer, along with the reasoning which solved the mystery, will appear in the next Crop Advisor’s Solution File. † Blaine Fornwald is a sales agronomist with Richardson Pioneer Ltd. in Lampman, Sask.

oe owns a 2,000-acre farm near Morinville, Alta., where he grows canola and wheat. In May 2012, Joe called me with concerns about the level of scentless chamomile growing in his canola field. I suggested he spray an herbicide containing clopyralid and glyphosate; however, 12 days later when we scouted for chemical efficacy we found the herbicide had done little to control the outbreak. A week later, Joe called me again. He thought the chamomile was choking out his canola crop. At the field, the patterns of poor emergence did not correlate with the areas being choked out by the chamomile. In the areas where there were higher incidences of weeds, there did not appear to be fewer cotyledons. We thought nutrients had leached in the soil profile in the damaged areas, or excessive amounts of water had drowned the cotyledons in low-lying regions; however, we realized that the germination pattern did not correlate to areas where nutrients had been abundant, or where soil moisture had been excessive. There were many seeds that had germinated but died off before emergence. There had

to be something wrong with the soil, I thought. I asked Joe what he had planted the previous year, but Joe didn’t know — this was his first year with this field and he did not know what the previous tenant had planted. In cases like these, the history of the field is all-important. Joe contacted the previous tenant to find that he had planted aherbicide-tolerant canola, and a Group 2 herbicide had been the chemical of choice. Joe’s canola was suffering from herbicide injury from residue in the soil! Now Joe had a tough decision to make; reseeding the field to a cereal was the only option left — that residue wasn’t going anywhere. However, Joe decided against this option because he felt the field was not ideal to begin with. This time, the casebook does not have a happy ending. Very few canola plants grew in the field, resulting in drastically reduced yield results. Understanding the field’s history when taking on new acres is critical to success. Questions need to be asked and answered in order for a new tenant to determine an appropriate crop rotation schedule for a field. † Fred Redhead is the director of operations at Westmor Terminals for Richardson Pioneer Ltd. in Morinville, Alta.

FARM INPUTS

Farm inputs come with perks ’Tis the season. Farm input companies offer farmers a chance to win scholarships, community prizes and more time with Aunt Ella

arm input companies are offering prizes to communities and families to win customer loyalty over the winter months. This fall, the town nearest to our farm (Griffin, Saskatchewan) won $5,000 from Monsanto’s Curling Club Improvement Program. To win the “Build a Better House” program, local volunteers created a scrapbook filled with photos of community members using the two-sheet, natural ice, allvolunteer curling rink over the years. (Griffin took one of three of the second place prizes; the winner was the community of High Prairie, Alberta, which received $10,000 to upgrade its four-sheet curling facility. Thirteen other curling clubs won $2,000 each for their improvement projects.) Monsanto says, “This started out as a way to give back to local curling clubs and help them with financing improve-

ments to their clubs. What we got in return were some amazing stories about how critical the local curling rink is to many of these small towns and how passionate rural residents are about curling.”

To support its launch of Cruiser Maxx Vibrance seed treatment, Syngenta is offering five Canadian farmers a chance to win $5,000 to put toward the costs of holding a family reunion. (Because, as the press release

Keeping an eye out for these contests and taking the time to enter can be a great way to win some rewards for your family or your community Monsanto has also awarded $2,500 grants to 58 farmers through its “Canada’s Farmers Grow Communities” program. The winners were drawn from 160 applicants, and had a chance to direct the grant toward their favourite community charity or not-for-profit organization.

says, “Starting with and maintaining strong, healthy roots are key to growing crops that thrive. Similarly, strong, healthy family roots are what help families thrive.”) To enter Syngenta’s “Show Us Your Roots” contest, farmers have until February 1, 2013 to

submit a family photo, along with a brief explanation of how the relatives in the picture have supported the farm operation. One winner in each of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and the Maritimes will receive $5,000 toward the cost of holding a family reunion. Bayer CropScience is offering five $5,000 awards to students who have shown leadership and made a contribution toward agriculture. These cash prizes, “Scholarships for Future Leaders” will recognize students who “have led the way through leadership and engagements, and made a difference to agriculture in Canada via academic, community/volunteering involvement and extracurricular activities.” Keeping an eye out for these contests and taking the time to enter can be a great way to win some rewards for your family or your community. † Leeann Minogue

December 2012 g r a i n e w s . c a /

Features Weed control

How to resist resistance When Canada’s top weed scientists gathered in Winnipeg for their annual meeting, glyphosate resistance was on their minds

ublic and private sector weed scientists agree integrated weed management, rather than any magicbullet chemistry, will be the way forward to maintain viable fields against herbicide-resistant weeds. Scientists from across Canada gathered in Winnipeg in November to discuss new research at the Canadian Weed Science Society’s 66th annual conference. Much of the research on the agenda this year focused on the evolution of herbicide resistance.

Herbicide resistance Over the past 70 years of weed control, as new herbicides were introduced and farmers took advantage of new chemical technology, “whether we realized it or not, we were rotating our modes of action,” Dow AgroSciences researcher Len Juras said during the conference plenary session. But the introduction of herbicide-resistant crops in the mid1990s changed this behaviour. “It changed the mentality of the farmer,” said Juras, who works for Dow at Saskatoon. Weed control became simpler. Affordable glyphosate helped enable the adoption of conservation tillage. And adding new farm equipment technology, he said, “made all these things into a perfect storm... For the first time, glyphosate use became continuous.” With glyphosate often used as a single mode of action and weeds evolving glyphosate resistance, what we should be doing, said Juras, is diversifying our weed management practices. However, what we are actually doing is “waiting for new technology.” Citing a survey of farmers’ concerns, Juras told researchers farmers are more likely to worry about marketing, profitability and farm succession than herbicide resistance. Farmers must be convinced that proper weed control management “is a risk to their profitability.”

Beginning of the end Carol Mallory-Smith, a weed science professor with Oregon State University at Corvallis, Ore., echoed Juras’s comments, saying on-farm adoption of Roundup Ready crops “was the beginning of the end of built-in resistance management.” Once farmers learned about this new technology, she said, “it was the fastest acceptance of any new technology we’ve seen in agriculture.” While weeds were developing resistance to glyphosate, MallorySmith said, researchers “were ignoring 30 years of herbicide-resistant research. We really weren’t paying attention to what was going on in the field.” What was going on in the field was inevitable. Weeds were developing resistance to the herbicides. In fact, in the case of Palmer amaranth, what the plants were developing was a type of resistance known as “gene amplification” — where a specific gene, resistant to

herbicide, is copied in the plant. Mallory-Smith says, “This is a very different kind of resistance that what we’ve seen before.”

Future of resistance Researchers agree that integrated weed control — including management practices, rotating chemical modes of action and rotating crops and even crop varieties —is necessary to maintain profitable agricultural production without losing more chemicals to herbicide-resistant weeds. However, “it’s really difficult to change behaviour. Every grower we talk to is waiting for a new herbicide to come along.”

In the future, when new products are developed, Mallory-Smith says, they “may require mandated deployment to prevent a repeat of the experiment with Roundup Ready crops.” That, she granted, “is a very unpopular comment... Nobody wants more regulations.” Neil Harker, a researcher with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at Lacombe, Alta., also promoted integrated weed management. While more complex systems tend to be more stable over time, he says, with monoculture, he said, “We’re set up in the opposite direction of a complex, stable environment.” In a typical field, “a lot of canola communities are probably 99 per

cent canola” and this lack of variety leaves a lot of opportunities for weeds to take advantage of available niches. “Allowing more diverse plant populations in our fields isn’t something we can really do,” he said, “unless we’re willing to intercrop, or go to a much lower level of weed management.” Harker wondered how many herbicides can become ineffective due to evolved weed resistance before our agriculture sector becomes less profitable. “I’ve been to a lot of meetings where they’ve said, ‘Well, we’ve lost another herbicide to this weed.’” † Leeann Minogue is editor of Grainews.

photos: brent wright

Len Juras, Dow AgroSciences, speaks to weed scientists in Winnipeg.

Carol Mallory-aSmith, researcher at Oregon State University, speaking at the plenary session of the Winnipeg conference.

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/ g r a i n e w s . c a DECEMBER 2012

Features SPECIAL CROPS

Potential for benefits from cattails Fast-growing cattails sequester phosphorus. Harvesting them might be good for the environment, and better yet — it might be good for your bottom line BY ANGELA LOVELL

arvesting cattails from the ditches, low spots and sloughs on your farm, could one day lower your fertilizer and energy costs. At least that’s the aim of a research study in Manitoba that’s focused on reducing the nutrient loading to Lake Winnipeg. The major study is being conducted at Netley-Libau Marsh by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), the University of Manitoba and Ducks Unlimited Canada. The study includes a project to evaluate cost effective ways to harvest cattails at the marsh and develop feasible end uses for the biomass and its by-products.

CATTAILS AND PHOSPHORUS Cattails produce a lot of plant material (biomass) throughout the growing season and as they do so, they absorb huge amounts of phosphorus. That phosphorus is released as the plants die or decompose, and eventually ends up in waterways — spring snow melt or rainfall carries the phosphorus along with it. Harvesting cattails prevents that phosphorus from being released, helping to reduce nutrient loading into lakes and rivers. Timing of the cattail harvest is important. Harvesting in late summer or early fall ensures that maximum amounts of biomass — and nutrient — are

PHOTOS: ELLEN GOODMAN

This photo of a cattail harvesting demo was taken at the Netley-Libau Marsh in Manitoba in September, 2012. removed, while maintaining habitat for nesting wildfowl and other wildlife during the spring season. Cattails are extremely resilient and because harvesting opens the residue left behind to sunlight, vigorous plant regrowth will begin very early in the spring. Once the cattails have been harvested there are opportunities to use the biomass to produce bioenergy and recover phosphorus to be re-used as fertilizer. Harvested cattails can be compressed into pellets and cubes for use in bioenergy heating systems that could potentially reduce on-farm heating costs. The Rock Lake Hutterite Colony near Grosse Isle, Manitoba

is evaluating the use of unprocessed cattail biomass in its carbonizer burner system, in association with Manitoba Hydro. The ash, called biochar, that remains after cattail biomass has been burned for energy is high in phosphorus and could be recycled as a slow-release fertilizer. The research being done by IISD and the U of M has shown that harvesting cattail biomass can remove 20 to 60 kilograms of phosphorus per hectare per year. “You can get 15 to 20 pounds per acre of phosphorus intercepted by harvesting cattails,” says Richard Grosshans of IISD. “Cattails are a very efficient phosphorus recycler.”

Cattails produce a lot of biomass during the growing season.

CATTAILS BENEFITS Harvesting cattails may bring some on-farm savings. As an example, if a farmer were able to replace just 15 pounds of synthetic phosphorus fertilizer with biochar on an average wheat crop requiring 35 pounds per acre of phosphorus at a price of $0.49/lb., the savings would be $7.35 an acre. There are also ecological benefits. Decreasing phosphorus loading into water bodies such as Lake Winnipeg decreases the potential for algae growth that negatively affects water quality. The vegetation also helps to slow down water flows and prevent erosion, as well as providing wildlife habitat. Studies have shown that if just five per cent of the agricultural land base of Manitoba were used to grow and harvest cattails it would intercept all of the phosphorus which now ends up in Lake Winnipeg. Research into cattails’ ability to sequester carbon has demonstrated that they can sequester significant metric tonnes of carbon per hectare annually. This raises the possibility,

as carbon markets develop globally, for farmers to benefit from carbon credits, not only by sequestration but also through the burning of cattail biomass for on-farm energy use, which could be sold as offsets for greenhouse gas emissions.

“Cattails are a very efficient phosphorus recycler.”

— Richard Grosshans The potential exists, once the technology fully advances, to use cattail and other biomass for advanced bio-fuels like ethanol and for bio-fibres and bio-plastics, giving new opportunities for farmers to add value to their marginal and conservation land areas. † Angela Lovell is a freelance writer, editor and communications specialist living and working in Manitoba. Find her online at www.angelalovell.ca.

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*Monsanto Field Scale trials as of November, 2011. Always follow grain marketing and all other stewardship practices and pesticide label directions. Details of these requirements can be found in the Trait Stewardship Responsibilities Notice to Farmers printed in this publication. LibertyLink® is a registered trademark of Bayer. © 2012 Monsanto Canada, Inc.

Harvesting cattails helps to reduce nutrient load into lakes and rivers.

DECEMBER 2012 g r a i n e w s . c a /

Features FARM MANAGEMENT

A new crop of workers on Canadian farms Finding help on the farm can be challenging. Australian recruits are filling this niche BY SHARON ELLIOTT

hen Mike Deobald’s father passed away seven years ago, he moved home to take over the family farm. A neighbour helped with seeding and harvest but otherwise Mike, age 29 at the time, was on his own to manage Stone Barn Farm: a 250 cow-calf, 7,000 acres of grain, and custom spraying operation in southern Saskatchewan. Mike noticed an ad in a newspaper about bringing Australians over as seasonal employees. He spoke with Craig Ference, managing director of Cascade Recruitment, and within a few months, he had the help he needed. “There were no problems getting them over here. About a six week turn-around with the paperwork,” Mike notes. The first year, he had Alex (23), and the second year he had Cameron (27). Both came from Australia.

RECRUITMENT Cascade Recruitment brings approximately 50 workers a year

to meet a growing demand for seasonal help. All come as experienced farm workers. “Experience is the keyword, especially when they are being asked to work large farms with expensive equipment,” notes Craig. Most employers requesting help have large grain farms though some are cattle farms, and some are mixed. “It was a good experience,” Mike

states. “There are no language barriers and their work ethics are awesome. They are eager to learn how we farm and how our technology and equipment compares to what they have in Australia.” Craig himself turned to hiring seasonal help from Australia for his family business starting in 2005. He lived and worked in Australia in 1999 (between high

school and university) and this experience gave shape to his current position of helping other farmers find workers from abroad. Cascade Recruitment has a good reputation for matching Aussie workers with Canadian farm families. When the Lee and Laura Brown of LLB Angus near Erskine, Alberta indicated to Craig they needed someone to help them with their 800 purebred cattle operation, Craig provided them with several applications from young farm workers in Australia looking to work in Canada. One applicant stood out in particular. On a frigid day in January of 2011, 29-year-old Katherine arrived with her two-year work permit. She came from a large cattle operation in Australia and had “tons of experience.” Despite the challenges of winter, including learning how to drive on icy roads, Katherine adapted quickly. “It took her just two weeks to get into the job and by two months she was at full stride,” Laura states. Katherine initially lived with the Browns but now has her own place on the farm. “There are some cultural differences between us and Australians but we are also very similar making it easy to adapt to our working situation,” Laura says. “What we needed is exactly what we got. It’s been such a positive experience for us.”

LOGISTICS Since 2008, Cascade Recruitment has been working with a company in Australia called

Positive-Perfection and together they ensure that the logistics and paperwork are completed and that expectations on both sides have been established. For example, they recognize that some young people want to come to Canada to party and travel and are careful to select those wanting to come here to work and learn. Once the worker(s) has arrived, the employer is responsible for providing accommodation, whether onsite, nearby, or in town. The recruitment program is so successful that it is now reaching out to bring workers from Eastern Europe, Sweden, Ireland, England, and Scotland to help on Canadian farms — also with good success. This year, Mike has a young man from Scotland working for him. Alistair, age 23, applied for a work permit in January but did not arrive at Mike’s farm until the end of April. It was hoped he could be here in March but government changes meant it took longer to get a work visa. (Cascade Recruitment works to keep on top of changes in government programs and related paperwork.) Alistair comes from what would be a large working farm in Scotland — 400 acres. “Coming here and seeing the size of our farms and equipment blew him away,” laughs Mike. “He loves it here and hopes to come back next year.” For more information, visit http:// positive-perfection.com. † Sharon Elliott is a member of the Professional Writers’ Association of Canada. She is a freelance writer living in Weyburn, Sask.

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/ g r a i n e w s . c a DECEMBER 2012

Columns SOILS AND CROPS

Saskatchewan farmland prices Prairie farmland prices are rising, but the other side of average will come LES HENRY

Soil Zones of the Canadian Prairies

Saskatchewan land prices, in 2006 dollars per acre

ost farm press is all abuzz about the huge gains in farmland prices — especially in Saskatchewan. Now, everyone seems to know that Saskatchewan land prices are much below most provinces, so outside money is scrambling to get in on the ground floor and make a killing. I was raised in a rural municipality where much of the land is level, stone free Regina heavy clay soil — some of the best land there is. I have not searched actual titles but some folks tell me that some sales of flat heavy clay land are at $2,000 per acre. I see no way that our agriculture system can make that a paying proposition in the future. There is a fundamental fact that folks are missing. Take a look at the soil zone map of the Canadian Prairies. A big chunk of Saskatchewan’s arable land is in the brown and dark brown soil zones, also known as the Palliser Triangle — the arid

Source: “Henry’s Handbook of Soil and Water,” by Les Henry

The brown and dark brown soils in this photo are the areas known as Palliser’s Triangle.

Farmland prices are rising. Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture annual report.

zone described by Captain John Palliser around 1860. Regina heavy clay is very good land. It holds a lot of water to keep a crop growing a few weeks without rain. But, when it has little moisture from past rain and a drought comes along, it is no better than a pile of sand. And, some years it rains and some years it does not. We have had a very good string of high rainfall years. But, the other side of the average will come. The land bought at $2,000 per acre will be back on the block for very much less.

much of Alberta, where the glaciers did a “once over lightly,” has a much better drainage system than our pothole country. In years when there is a lot of snowmelt and/or rain there are dozens of potholes to dodge on some Saskatchewan quarters. Many quarter sections deliver little or no water beyond their boundaries. The bright spot is a once in lifetime financial opportunity for older farmers with no young generation ready to take over. Many have been hanging on

“Henry is crazy,” you say. But, just take a peak at the chart showing land prices. This chart is a few years old — when the final stats are in for 2011 and 2012 I will update the graph The message is clear. We are in a huge bubble similar to the 1980s and it will pop like a birthday balloon. The other fact outsiders do not realize is that our youthful glacial landscape is fundamentally different from geologically older land that has a developed natural drainage system. Even

waiting for this. They are selling out and laughing all the way to the bank. Have a happy retirement — well deserved. For those buying side: “caveat emptor” — buyer beware. † J.L.(Les) Henry is a former professor and extension specialist at the University of Saskatchewan. He farms at Dundurn, Sask. He recently finished a second printing of “Henry’s Handbook of Soil and Water”, a book that mixes the basics and practical aspects of soil, fertilizer and farming. Les will cover the shipping and GST for Grainews readers. Simply send a cheque for $50 to Henry Perspectives, 143 Tucker Cres, Saskatoon, SK, S7H 3H7, and he will dispatch a signed book.

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DECEMBER 2012 g r a i n e w s . c a /

Columns CAN’T TAKE THE FARM FROM THE BOY

A little knowledge goes a long way Now that he’s moved from Toronto to his family farm in Manitoba, Toban Dyck is ready to check out his first major farm show

armers say winter is the time to reflect on the season past, plan for the season ahead and, for some, relax (though “relax” is not a word I hear too often in the farming community). The snow has now arrived and with it the desire to be cozy and hibernate. My wife, who loves winter, is thrilled to finally see the white stuff, as we didn’t see much of it in Toronto. My winter as a rookie farmer, may not be too research and development heavy, but my father and I did recently attend the Agri-Trade Expo in Red Deer, Alberta, which was an interesting experience for someone new to farming. And, presumably, judging by attendance, an interesting event for the seasoned farmer, as well. My wife has always known more about sports than me. In fact, for most of my life, I made fun of sports enthusiasts, calling them simple, and other things. But, really, I turned my nose up because I knew nothing about how hockey, football or any other sport was played. Now, I know enough about sports to willingly sacrifice my Sunday afternoons to NFL, and to be irked by the NHL lockout (although my wife still knows more than me). The more detailed my knowledge becomes, the more I appreciate whatever it is I’m learning about. This is not profound, nor is it meant to be, but it does illustrate why farmers wanting to remain interested in their vocation, should continue to learn about ag-related innovations.

tillage areas, where many farmers use grain bags to store their crops on-field. We passed many farms that have to work around oil, gas, or wind-power infrastructure. I knew this specific diversity existed before the drive, but seeing again what other farmers are up to is inspiring. Cross-country drives, getting together with other farmers, learning about what’s new in the industry, and paying attention to the details is the best cure I can think of to stagnation. Whatever the case, I’m just happy to finally know how a combine works. † Toban Dyck is a freelance writer and a new farmer on an old farm. Follow him on Twitter @tobandyck or email tobandyck@gmail.com.

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TRADE SHOW At the trade show, I learned a thing or two about farming and machinery, and now, I appreciate my new life on the farm even more. Case International had on display at the event a combine stripped down to its vital guts, giving me a clear view of how the rotor, concave, fan, sieves and augers work (they had it plugged into a power source and turned on). I believe in a previous column I wrote about my experience driving my dad’s combine for the first time this fall, but what I may have neglected to say is I didn’t understand any of the information displayed on the machine’s monitor: seed-loss stats, fan speed and about 3,000 other things I shouldn’t waste the space to list. After observing the functioning combine guts and understating what each moving part does, I could now suggest a solution to at least a few possible problems. August 2013 is a few months away, but I will try to remember. Innovation is surprisingly practical. The new products showcased in Red Deer were not jawdropping, for the most part. Many

PHOTO: TOBAN DYCK

The opportunity to see a combine stripped down to its virtual guts helped Toban Dyck understand the inner workings of his own machine.

CANOLA PERFORMANCE TRIALS 2 2011 75

Average Yield

TOBAN DYCK

of the more innovative items were merely common implements reimagined — like, say, a harrow with tine wheels instead of a sleeve of tines fastened to a bar. Doing things one way because that’s the way it’s always been done may be a great source of stability in a vocation that can be quite unstable, but being stagnant is never a good thing. We drove to the show from near Winkler, Manitoba, about a 15-hour drive. We had many hours of farm gazing and I had all the time in the world to ask any question that came to mind. Farming changes a lot between southern Manitoba and southern Alberta. We passed large zero-

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BrettYoung is a trademark of BrettYoung seeds Limited. Ares is a trademark and Clearfield and the unique Clearfield symbol are registered trademarks of BAsF Agrochemical Products B.V. All used with permission by BAsF Canada Inc. All others are trademarks of their respective companies. 12026 10.12 1 Based on 2012 Nexera oil premiums and 2012 sr Ps on the seed. For complete details on the trials visit www.canolaperformancetrials.ca

/ g r a i n e w s . c a DECEMBER 2012

Columns OFF FARM

Cash flow versus capital gain While dividend paying stocks are still popular, Andy Sirski still likes stocks that have a little volatility ANDY SIRSKI

ack in the good old days of a 17-year bull market, most investors held stocks for capital gain and some dividends. Since March 2000 and for the next 10 years, a lot of stocks have gone nowhere while some have gone up a lot and down a lot. Dividends have grown from many stocks, so yields are four per cent or more. But with most stocks, rotation is the operative word. Stocks go up, big money starts selling and shorting those stocks and down they go. Plus, some investors have tracked seasonal price patterns enough so they can judge how a stock could perform during the various seasons of the year. There are perfectly good reasons why some industrial stocks slide into summer, and why gold and silver goes up in price going into the fall and winter and down again going into summer. Between rotation and seasonality, many stocks have come up a lot from their 2009 lows but have not actually made a lot of capital gain compared to when the bear market started in October, 2007. Plus, resource stocks in the oil, natural gas, silver and gold sectors have moved up and down

several times a year. Volatility has spooked many investors right out of the market. Many long-term buy and hold investors have not made much money for years. Many new investors who have been spooked by volatility choose to stay away from stocks. Many investors have bought high and watched their shares drop to a terrible low. Now, they see their shares get to a break even price and they sell out. The idea of capturing some capital gain like stocks did in the good old days has become hard to do.

VOLATILITY: FEAR OR FARM? Dividend paying stocks have become popular almost to the point that they are too expensive to buy. Many investors prefer to collect a sure two per cent a year from bonds or CDs (certificates of deposit). Years ago I learned a rare skill, how to bring in cash from stocks on top of dividends. It’s called selling covered calls, and it’s like milking a cow. I collect the dividends, I can manage the selling to capture some capital gain, and I can expand the skill to other types of options. The strategy can be quite simple, or quite complicated. Normally I make more money with the complicated strategy but I use the simple one as the backbone of my investment strategy. First, I try to buy low. That’s not always easy, but since I work with only about 20 stocks, I can

manage. For example, Arch Coal, Inc. (ACI) was one of my losers some time ago as the price of coal and coal stocks dropped. I waited patiently until the shares were under $6 and looked like they had bottomed. Then I bought 1,000 shares at $6.60 and sold some calls for a net of 75 cents so my cost dropped to $5.85 per share. Then I sold another call on ACI with a strick price of $7 and picked up another 75 cents per share. The shares jumped to over $8 on some good news on coal. Just before the U.S. election I bought those calls back for $1.73 and sold the shares for $8.62 — making 25 per cent in a couple months. The shares dropped after election day, but ACI reported good earnings so I might buy that stock again.

COPPER MOUNTAIN (CUM) CUM has had a painful start up. I paid up to $7.23 for shares. They dropped to about $2.80. I sold some, them bought them back at lower prices and sold calls for about $1.50 per share. My sloppy records can’t tell me how much I’m down on that stock. I also sold puts on 1,000 shares when prices were near the bottom. I collected $2,750 one day and $1,650 another day. That’s cash in my account. Earnings are forecast to be almost $1 a share in 2013 so with a price/earnings (P/E) ratio of 10 on the stock, the price could head for $10. At a P/E of eight the

price could be heading to $8. Either one will make us good money. Some would tell you that selling puts is risky, and it is. We have to know our stocks and be patient. I’ve screwed up some sales of puts but I learned. Now I try to sell puts on a bad day on a good stock that had been beaten up. That gives me the maximum probability that the shares could go up and the value of the put will go down. Since August, 2012 I’ve been selling puts on Teck Resources Ltd. (TCK.B), Thompson Creek Metals Company (TCM) and CUM and have brought in about $1,000 a month. Cash. Not everyone can sell puts — it’s a good idea to start small.

FRANCO NEVADA Franco Nevada (FNV) is likely a core holding for me. This is a streamer — it lends money to up and coming mining companies. Some say that FNV and other streamers do not actually “lend money” to miners since they do not take any collateral. Instead, they have a promise from the mining company to deliver a set amount of silver or gold or something else at a low price for a definite amount of time. FNV has tripled in value the past few years. Meanwhile, my other streamer, Silver Wheaton, has gone up and down a bunch of times the past three years. Buying low and selling high has made some people a lot of money. Overall, that stock has been range bound for years. FNV “lent” a billion dollars to Inmet Mining Corporation (IMN). I figured FNV must have done its due diligence, so I bought 1,000 shares at an average cost of about $51. It has done well for me.

SPREADS When I sell covered calls (where I own the stock) or naked puts (where I don’t own the related stock), I’m betting I can guess the direction that the stock is going to move. This is called directional. It works well if I guess right, but if the shares move up or down more than I expected, I can lose money or limit my gains. Sme professional option traders use a strategy called selling spreads. An example of this is to sell one put that brings in a large premium, and buy a put for the same month for a smaller premium. Most of the time you can keep the difference. These are reversible decisions, so we can change them. Using spreads can do two things. One is to reduce risk. If the shares go down, the put we bought goes up in price so it acts as insurance. And secondly, this strategy reduces the amount of put space needed in a trading account, so smaller investors can use this strategy to bring in cash and investors with larger accounts can work with more stocks. This takes knowledge and thinking. I have not used spreads yet, partly because I try to sell puts on stocks I would like to own and partly because I think I can guess the directionality correctly. Of course I have been wrong from time to time. Still, when I was wrong I lost hundreds and lately as I’ve been right I’ve made thousands.

TAX LOSS SELLING As we move along the calendar towards the end of the year some investors sell their losers to trigger capital losses that they can use to offset capital gains and reduce taxes. Often this aggravates losers and stock prices can drop a little or a lot extra. This seems to be especially true for small cap stocks. This year there is a threat of higher taxes on capital gains in the U.S. starting in 2013. After the U.S. election on November 6 many stocks were sold off. It looked like investors were selling profitable stocks to trigger capital gains in 2012, which might be the lower tax year. To offset capital gains they seemed to be selling losers too. Apple stock (AAPL) dropped about $140. At something around $550 I might buy a few shares or I might buy LEAPS — long-term call options, say for one year out. (LEAPS stands for Long-term Equity AnticiPation Securities.) These cost a lot less than the buying stock, and if you buy the right one, LEAPS can go up along with any rise in the price of the shares. AAPL shares peaked at $700 in September and have used the 20-day moving average as a ceiling ever since. The price may have bottomed at around $145 as I write on November 10, so this might be a good price buy a few shares or LEAPS. As I’m getting ready to send this, a couple of things are happening in the market. First, U.S. President Obama is determined to tax folks who earn more than $250,000 a year. Most would not feel sorry for them. Many high income earners earn capital gains and dividends, and both could be taxed at a higher rate starting in 2013. The combination has prompted some investors to sell shares that have significant capital gains and earn dividends. I suppose it’s hard to have pity on those high income earners. But taxing dividends more will hurt many seniors because many rely on dividends for cash flow.

HANDS-ON MEETINGS The folks in the extension department in Eastern Manitoba have asked me to speak at three hands on meetings in the coming months. These will be held in a room full of computers so there will be space for 20 to 30 people. Each person or perhaps each couple will have their own computer so we can talk charts, selling calls, where to find information and so on. The workshops run on Friday, November 30 from 1:00 to 4:00 in Beausejour; Thursday February 7 from 6:00 to 9:00 in Beausejour; and, Wednesday March 6 from 6:00 to 9:00 in Steinbach. Pre-registration is required. Please call the Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives Office in Beausejour, Manitoba at 204-2686094 or e-mail tracey.drabyk-zirk@ gov.mb.ca † Andy is mostly retired. He spends time with his granddaughters, travels, gardens and manages his own investments. Andy started his own newsletter in 2007 called StocksTalk where he explains in detail what he does with his investments and why. To read StocksTalk free for a month send an email to sirski@mts.net.

DECEMBER 2012 g r a i n e w s . c a /

Columns MANAGEMENT MINUTE

Succession — just do it Sometimes the hardest part of passing the farm on to the next generation is starting the discussion ANDREW DERUYCK

MARK SLOANE

cession planning process is getting started. Many people believe they can make a perfect and simple plan — this believe can serve as a roadblock to even starting the planning process. The farmers that are most successful at succession planning are those that accept the fact that this process will not be completed overnight, and realize that although the plan may have gaps or inadequacies, it will be far superior to operating with no plan at all.

COMMUNICATIONS Communication is the pillar for successful business and strategic planning. The planning can begin with either the older generation or

municate these options back to Will and Hope. Not every option was explored, just the options that resulted in a reasonable level of risk for the farm business going forward. Although Faith and Juan give consideration to the impact on Will and Hope’s retirement they don’t feel it is their place to determine what Faith’s parents’ retirement will look like. After reviewing the initial options, the onus lies on Will and Hope to express their own retirement plans. These plans may or may not fit with the business. Stay tuned as we work through the considerations and analysis fora both generations and ultimately the agreements and options they elect to use to structure their succession plan. † Andrew DeRuyck and Mark Sloane manage two farming operations in southern Manitoba and are partners in Right Choice Management Consulting. With over 25 years of cumulative experience, they offer support in farm management, financial management, strategic planning and mediation services. They can be reached at andrewd@ goinet.ca and sloanefarms@hotmail.com or 204825-7392 and 204-825-8443.

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his is the first article of a four part series on succession. In this series, we’ll experience the process of succession planning through Farms Forever Inc. and its shareholders.

Will and Hope Etworx started Farms Forever Inc. in 2001 and are still the primary shareholders of the company, however they are looking forward to their retirement at some point. Their daughter Faith and son in law Juan Tafarm returned to the farm in 2008 to build a future. Hopefully insight into their situation will shed light and add value to your own planning process. Succession planning is an extremely complicated process that can be filled with emotion, financial challenges and stress. The reality is that there no one right answer. Your own plan will be unique and different from every other plan in the industry. Often the hardest part in the suc-

the younger generation. Somebody has to come up with a starting plan. Then the other generation has to tweak it. The important part is agreeing who will come up with the initial plan. This is when we came on the scene with Farms Forever Inc. Faith and Juan Tafarm called us looking for help. They were frustrated with the lack of progress in any succession planning. Their perception was that Faith’s parents, Will and Hope, needed to develop the succession plan. We suggested they meet as a group and discuss the possibility of Faith and Juan developing a preliminary succession plan based on what the farm business could support. Then, they would present this plan to Faith’s parents for discussion. All four of them agreed that it was not important where they started but rather where they ended up. Now, Faith and Juan have requested our help in developing options that are viable for the business and then helping them com-

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2012 CL

/ g r a i n e w s . c a DECEMBER 2012

Columns GUARDING WEALTH

Check out bond risk ratings Bonds have a reputation for safety, but these days they come with risk. Andrew Allentuck explains the risk behind the ratings BY ANDREW ALLENTUCK

t’s tough to get off-farm investing right. Capital markets are perilous places. It’s as vital to control risks as it is to make a profit. After all, you don’t want to put all your money in one stock or even one sector or type of asset. But some assets, especially bonds, have an awful lot of risk these days. Buy government bonds before interest rates rise, as they eventually will, and you will wind up with a guaranteed loss if you sell before the bonds mature at face value. If you hold long-term government bonds that, these days, have pitiful interest rates of as little as 1.8 per cent for 10 years or 2.4 per cent for 30 years, you will have to carry losses until you get your inflation-eroded money back or take the capital loss if you sell earlier.

CORPORATE BONDS The solution is to skip the government bonds and buy high grade corporate bonds that have far higher interest rates to compensate you for taking on the risk of rising interest rates. For example, you can buy a Fairfax Financial 6.4 per cent issue due May, 2021 that has recently been priced to yield 5.4 per cent per year to maturity or a longer dated Brookfield Management 5.95 per cent issue due June, 2035 recently priced to yield 5.70 per cent to maturity. Long government bonds, in spite of paying returns that barely equal to the forecast rate of inflation in Canada, 2.3 per cent for as far as anyone can see, will make their interest payments on time and return their principal at maturity. The printing press guarantees that — government can make as much money as it needs to satisfy its obligations. With corporate bonds, the outlook for timely interest payments and principal is not so clear. Some investment grade credits can suddenly default. Case in

Rating agencies

ach bond rating service has a website with free access after you go through a little bother to register: DBRS: www.dbrs.com, Canadian, free, and abundantly informative. Standard and Poors: www. standardandpoors.com, all that and a vast global database. Moody’s Investor Service: www.moodys.com, data superb, slight tilt to the U.S. Fitch Ratings: www.fitchratings.com, French base, European and global focus. †

Andrew Allentuck

point: MF Global Holdings Ltd., a New York-based commodities and derivatives trader and a very important dealer in U.S. government securities. On Oct. 31, 2011, it filed for bankruptcy after it made a wrong bet on European government bonds. Headed by Jon Corzine, a former chairman and CEO of Wall Street investment bank Goldman Sachs and a former U.S. Senator and New Jersey Governor to boot, the company put billions on a bet that bonds from Spain, Italy, Portugal and other European debt-burdened European countries would rise in price when they worked out their budget problems. The countries did not solve their problems, as we know, and MF Global suffered huge losses. Making matters worse, MF Global, which previously had investment grade ratings on its bonds, used a reported US$891 million in customer funds to make up for its own lack of cash to cover the losses which it incurred on its own account. MF Global’s fall from grace was swift, for within days of the news that it had misused customer funds — some estimates ran as high a US$1.6 billion — it was insolvent. It was the biggest default since Lehman Brothers in 2008. Cases like MF Global are rare, for most companies slowly ascend to investment grade or slowly descend to junk. To sleep well at night, investors who want bonds to stabilize their portfolios should stick to investment grade debt.

Judge risk by what it offers in return

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BOND RATINGS Moody’s Investors Service, one of the world’s largest bond rating agencies, compiles default data on all the world’s bonds. The data show the wisdom of sticking to investment grade debt which, though grading systems vary slightly from Moody’s to Standard & Poors to Fitch Ratings and Canada’s own DBRS (formerly the Dominion Bond Rating Service), consistently demonstrate the wisdom of avoiding junk. Using global data, investment grade bonds have a one year default rate of just 0.02 per cent compared to a one year default rate of bottom of the barrel junk with C ratings, 9.4 per cent. Within five years of issue, 1.40 per cent of investment grade debt flops. For bottom of the barrel junk, the failure rate within five years of issue is an astonishing 43.65 per cent. Rates of failure rise with time, for it takes a while for companies to get into trouble. If you are thinking of long term investments in high yield junk, the odds are seriously against you. The way out of the forest of risks is to check bond ratings before you spend any money.

RISK AND RETURN You can skip the research by leaving bond picking to mutual

BayerCropScience.ca/InVigor or 1 888-283-6847 or contact your Bayer CropScience representative. Always read and follow label directions. InVigor® is a registered trademark of the Bayer Group. Bayer CropScience is a member of CropLife Canada.

fund managers or you can buy an exchange traded fund (ETF) that is invested in bonds. The mutual fund path involves fees usually that average 1.5 per cent, which eats up most of the interest on government bonds and much of the interest on corporate bonds. The ETF path tends to select bonds by category such as five-year corporates. The research you need to do on ETFs and mutual funds can be as demanding as what you have to do to pick good bonds. But pick you must, for in the tough economic times that have gripped the world, the number of global corporate defaults for this year up to August 23, 2012 matched the number for all

of 2011, Standard and Poors for liquidity, will do. There is reports. By region, 29 of 53 no risk of default. For AAA defaulters were based in the corporate bonds, hard to find U.S., 14 were in emerging mar- these days, two or three bonds kets, seven were in Europe, three will do. For an AA level, three SBC12176.InVigorM 10-3-2012 10:31or AM four bonds. When you get were in Australasia (excluding Japan) and one, technically CALMCL-DMX8127 not down to single B, which junk, Yellow, Cyan, is Magenta, a default but a suspension Sandra of Menge you need perhaps 20 bonds to ORIGINALLY None outSPEC 100% interest payments looming as average the risk.GENERATED: And Marianne at C 12.9167”level, x 8” SAFETY: None TRIM: 12.9167 company finances were reorwhich is how the agenHelveticayou Neue LT Std (55 Rom ganized, was in Canada. cies rate speculative debt, You have to judge risk by what are betting in a game of Russian it offers in return. The shrewd way roulette with three bullets in to have your cake in the form of your six shooter. Even if you enhanced corporate bond yield have 50 bonds, the odds are not and to balance risk is to spread good that you will walk away default risk as bonds’ credit rat- uninjured. Leave this game to ings fall. junk bond fund managers. † For a Government of Canada Andrew Allentuck’s latest book, “When Can I or a provincial bond issue, one Retire? Planning Your Financial Life After Work,” bond, perhaps a short bond was published in 2011 by Penguin Canada.

12.9167”

DECEMBER 2012 g r a i n e w s . c a /

Columns UNDERSTANDING MARKET BULLS AND BEARS

Time to make pricing strategy decisions You’re still selling your 2012 crop, but it’s already time to start making decisions about your pricing strategies for 2013 BRIAN WITTAL

inter is a good time to make marketing decisions. Not just for the crop you already have in the bin, but for

up short production at harvest to cover your commitment, the Act of God clause will kick in. Once your loss situation is verified, you won’t be obligated to deliver the tonnes you don’t have. Other than these contracts, your options are limited. To avoid production risk, you could wait until you have the grain in the bin at harvest before you sell any. This leaves you with the risk of miss-

grow the tonnes before pricing any more.

FUTURE GRAINS Depending on your crop mix, you can spread out your overall pricing risk by minimizing your prepricing of cash grains and focusing more on price protecting and preselling your “futures grains” (grains like wheat, canola, corn and soy-

Using futures contracts in a hedging strategy requires a full understanding of how a hedge works. You will also have to make a financial commitment to ensure your hedge remains active until you’re ready to physically sell your grain and unwind the hedge. Because of these complexities I would strongly suggest you consider using options contracts instead of futures contracts to protect a price for your grain early in the crop year cycle. Buying a put option allows you to lock in a floor futures price. You pay a flat premium up front for the option contract — there is no fluctuation risk as there is with a hedge strategy using futures contracts. However, options premiums move with the markets. Depending on the time of year and the amount of volatility in the market, you could be laying out a lot of cash to put an options strategy in place. Current put option premiums

can buy a call option for the same tonnage at the same futures value, with a strike price equal to your selling price. Currently, November 2013 call option premiums range from $20 to $35 per tonne. Call options provide value to you in a rising market. In the unfortunate event that you’re not able to brow the tonnes you need to meet your delivery contract, you’ll need to buy out your contract. If, at the time of the buyout, the futures prices are lower than the prices you’ve contracts, you may be able to find a neighbour who would take over the contract and deliver against it. Or, the company will probably be willing to cancel the contract with no charges as they can buy tonnes to replace yours in the current market at a cheaper value. However, if futures values are higher than your contracted futures at delivery time, you’ll have to pay the difference to the company so they can buy replacement tonnes in the market to meet your contract obligations. This is

B:8”

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Bushels of smiles.

OPTIONS CONTRACTS

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the crops you’re planning to seed ing higher markets earlier on and in the coming spring. This is the having to settle for lower prices at time to consider your alternatives harvest time. and decide how much risk you Another option is to take on less SBC12176.InVigor.Murray2 want to take. pricing risk so that if and when igorMurray2.indd Grainews the markets are high enough that Insertion Date: October 22, 2012 you can sign a deferred delivery low, Black CASH GRAINS Bayercontract Crop Science and lock in a profit per PAGE: 1“cash grains” that do not BCS12258 on your production For acre (based 12.9167” x 8” Bleed: haveNone actively traded futures con- costs) for a percentage of your (55 Roman, 75 Bold; OpenType) tracts (commodities like peas, estimated production. By locking durum, barley, flax and lentils), in only a small portion of your your price risk alternatives are planned production (perhaps five Production Contact Numbers: very limited. to 15403per cent), you can lock 403 261 7161 261 7152 The best risk protection option in a profit on some production I’ve seen is a production contract without taking on a big delivery that includes an Act of God clause. risk early in the year. As the growFor example, some of these con- ing year progresses you can price tracts will allow you to price up further increments of your proto 20 bushels per acre. If you sign duction as you’re comfortable, or one of these contracts and end wait until harvest to ensure you

Now is the time to make grain marketing decisions. Not just for the crop in your bins, but for the crop you’ll be growing next year.

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beans, for which there are actively traded futures contracts). These futures contracts allow you to use hedging strategies by either selling futures or buying put options contracts to protect a price for your grain on paper without having to commit to having to deliver any grain to any particular company. Prior to being able to use futures and or options contracts you will have to set up a commodity trading account through a brokerage firm or an online e-trading account that will give you access to commodities trading. This will take some time and involves a fair bit of paper work especially if you are doing it under a corporate name, so plan ahead.

for November 2013 canola are in the range of $40 to $60 per ton, depending on the strike price you choose. It is not cheap to purchase options this far in advance of harvest. It is best to use a blend of pre-selling along with options contracts to balance out your pricing risk and without breaking the bank. You could be using options strategies a year in advance of harvest if the markets so dictate, which means you will need to have cash available to do that when the time is right. This means setting some funds aside for trading or creating a line of credit at your bank that you can tap into at a moment’s notice, as markets change fast.

CALL OPTIONS As you will need to pre-price grain at some time so you can deliver it and get cash to pay bills, here’s a strategy to help reduce your delivery risk — the risk of not growing enough tones to fulfill your contract, and having to buy out your obligation. When you’re pre-pricing futures grains with a grain company, you can use call options to protect yourself against this risk by. When you lock in tonnes for fall delivery to a grain company, you

where a call option becomes valuable. The futures have risen — the increase in the value of your call option will offset the cost of your buyout with the grain company. (Although, you may still have to pay a basis adjustment and or a contract administration fee.) There are grain companies that are combining options with pricing contracts in an effort to provide farmers more flexibility. If you don’t have a trading account this will be the only way you can use an options contract as part of your pricing risk strategy. Options attached to contracts don’t come free so make sure you are aware of the cost of the options portion of your contract — compare this to the cost of buying an option on your own. If the costs seem competitive, this may be a good choice for you to consider. Until next time, turn on your computers and calculate your costs of production so you can start setting pricing goals and strategies for next year! † Brian Wittal is a Saskatchewan-raised farm boy who has spent the past 32 years in the Alberta Grain Industry. He started Pro Com Marketing Ltd. in 2006 with a focus on helping grain producers better understand the markets and advise them on how to market their grains more profitably. Contact Brian at bfwittal@procommarketingltd.com.

SEE THE BIG PICTURE. Gain a new perspective on your farm, family and future with this informative video series from Agvision, available at grainews.ca Video topics include:  “Please fix our daughter-in-law!” According to Dr. John Fast this is a very common complaint in farm businesses and a most convenient person to blame when things are not going well.  Farmers Without Wills An untimely death without a will jeopardizes the financial viability of your farm and could leave your family in an absolute mess.

Dr. John Fast is a leading expert on farm family business in Canada. As the founder and director of the Centre For Family Business and with his background as a family counselor, educator, and entrepreneur, John is sought after for his ability to motivate and inspire audiences to make a difference.

 Who is the Boss? Family businesses face enormous complexity and this can result in role confusion and internal conflict. Who is the boss? Dad? The farm manager?  Changing the Farming Business Model The number one reason Dad has trouble making the changes to the business model desired by the next generation is because of Dad’s fear the new generation will run the farm better than he did.

Don’t miss any of these informative videos – visit www.grainews.ca AGCanadaTV is sponsored by

DECEMBER 2012 g r a i n e w s . c a /

Machinery & Shop TRACTOR TESTING SPECIAL

Setting standards DLG’s tractor and equipment test facility in Germany has been evaluating tractors since 1962. It’s Europe’s equivalent of the Nebraska Tractor Test Lab SCOTT GARVEY

he sign at the main entrance to the DLG (German Agricultural Society) tractor and equipment test centre in Gross-Umstadt Germany includes the organization’s slogan. “We establish standards” is its English translation. And that’s not an exaggeration. DLG is a non-profit, independent organization that was founded in 1885 by Max Eyth, a farmer and engineer, to facilitate information exchange among farmers, allowing them to keep up with the newest innovations in agriculture. Since Max got the ball rolling, DLG has evolved significantly. The organization now runs testing centres that evaluate a variety of agricultural machines and even food products. European farmers and consumers alike look for a DLG evaluation as an honest measure of quality across that entire range of products.

TESTING TRACTORS Testing tractors has been part of DLG’s mandate since 1962. Since then, its been providing the same kind of horsepower information North American farmers look for from the Nebraska Tractor Test Lab. Today, that work is done at the Gross-Umstadt location. But the list of machines tested there has grown over the years to include nearly every type of ag machine on the market along with a variety of other products you’d expect to find on farm, such as things like chain saws and solar panels. There are other similar test centres in Europe, but DLG’s is by far the largest on the continent. “We do testing here for tractors and for forestry machines,” says Harald Krämer, a manager at the Gross-Umstadt facility. “We have test rigs for electrical (components)

PHOTO: DLG

Tractors tested at the DLG test centre in Germany undergo drawbar testing by pulling a customized load car around an oval, concrete track. The load car is built on an MAN road truck chassis. and for cows’ housing materials and so on, all (the products) a farmer uses on a daily basis.” The exact list of products evaluated is a long one. And the customers who bring products in for testing range from manufacturers to individual farmers looking to certify their livestock facilities or feed quality. So there is no shortage of work for the 45 staff members. “We do 1,200 engineering tests a year and 350 Quality Mark tests a year,” Krämer explains. That makes for a pretty hectic pace of operations. More than a few manufacturers are eager to get those Quality Mark test approval seals on their products to prove they meet an acceptable standard, many of those standards were set by DLG, itself — hence that slogan at its front door. Because of an agreement through the OECD (The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), standard tractor horsepower tests done at GrossUmstadt can now be substituted for the equivalent evaluation at the Nebraska Tractor Test Lab. Which means manufacturers who build tractors in Europe can take their machines to the DLG centre for testing and not have to repeat the process all over again in North America. And just like at the Nebraska Lab, manufacturers can also con-

tract with the centre to do specific, confidential testing of some aspects of machine performance. DLG refers to this as its Focus Test program. In fact, prototypes across the full range of agricultural products are often evaluated at the centre before they are released to the marketplace. “The companies want to take a look at their machines compared to others, to take a look at whether they are good or not so good,” says Krämer. “Here we do a lot of (comparison) tests.” One of the most common is for fuel consumption.

THE FACILITY The centre’s load car, which is based on an MAN truck chassis, is capable of putting “power mix” demands on a tractor that combine a drawbar load with simultaneous PTO and hydraulic demands. At the same time, engineers can measure fuel consumption along with other performance data. The German facility has been doing power mix testing on tractors for over 10 years. “All the power mix tests we put on the Internet, so the farmer can see the results,” says Krämer. “So they can see is the red tractor better than the green one, and so on.” Other comparison tests frequently done by DLG engineers

PHOTOS: SCOTT GARVEY

Stationary PTO tests are done inside the one of test centre’s buildings. This new Valtra tractor is undergoing a PTO horsepower and sound level evaluation.

for different manufacturers are in combine performance. By putting combines directly into standing crop, engineers can measure losses and evaluate fuel consumption along with other performance data. These tests, however, usually remain confidential and results are only given to the manufacturer that commissioned the analysis. To get baseline measurements, engineers at the test centre built their own one-off harvester capable of providing accurate crop yield data without losses. One of the unique services offered by the DLG test centre is evaluation of round or large square bales. The centre’s x-ray system can create a density map of how tightly a bale is packed, providing companies with information on how well different baler designs cope with varying crop conditions. “We test them with

an x-ray so we can see the density inside the bale,” explains Krämer. At its sister location near the city of Potsdam, DLG staff also test tillage equipment, evaluating how the equipment performs and what kind of finishes different implements leave on the field. To help get the latest information out to farmers, DLG publishes a quarterly magazine. Anyone, anywhere in the world can become a DLG member and receive a copy (in English). It looks not only at developments in farm machinery but all aspects of agricultural production. For more information on that, check out their website at www.DLG.org. To take a video tour of the GrossUmstadt test centre, go to the Grainews website, www.grainews.ca, and click on the videos link. † Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at scott.garvey@fbcpublishing.com.

The centre also tests the rollover protection and crush resistance offered by different cabs. Various weights can be attached to the overhead arm, which drops onto the cab. The amount of crush is then measured to see if the cab conforms to legal standards.

/ g r a i n e w s . c a DECEMBER 2012

Machinery & Shop TRACTOR TESTING SPECIAL

Taking a full measure of tractor performance “Power mix” tests are latest in new evaluations conducted by the Nebraska Tractor Test Lab to keep pace with new technologies and evolving farmer demands BY SCOTT GARVEY

PHOTO: NTTL

The load car used to measure drawbar horsepower at the Nebraska Tractor Test Lab is built on a modified Caterpillar mine truck. It’s capable of handling up to 100,000 pounds of pull. So far, no tractor tested has been able to exert more than about 60,000 pounds.

n 1920, staff at the thennewly-formed Nebraska Tractor Test Lab (NTTL) c o n d u c t e d t h e f a c i l i t y ’s first official tractor test. The Lab was established along with a new state law in Nebraska, which subjected all tractors sold there to independent testing. At the time, too many tractor manufacturers made claims about horsepower and performance that were simply unrealistic. By providing farmers with reliable, unbiased information about each model, the NTTL helped keep manufacturers honest with their advertising. That benefit extended well beyond the state

border to farmers all across the U.S. and Canada. But the capability of tractors and their integrated systems 92 years ago bear little resemblance to what’s on the market today. So with more than 2,000 tractor tests under its belt so far, the Nebraska facility has had to evolve along with changes in technology to stay relevant and keep pace with farmer expectations. As part of that evolution, it’s now adding a new procedure, “power mix” tests, which simulate realistic field conditions.

POWER MIX TESTS “Up to this point in Nebraska, we’ve typically tested just one power outlet at a time,” says Roger

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Hoy, director of the NTTL. “But a lot of implements today are using multiple power outlets at the same time. An air seeder is a good example. It might be using a couple of hydraulic ports and pulling a drawbar load. So we’re in the process of modifying our load car. We’re putting a device out front that will draw PTO power while we’re out on the track. We’re also putting on a load absorbing device to draw hydraulic power.” Those new features will allow the NTTL to place power demands on a tractor using all three systems simultaneously, simulating real field conditions. “The idea is we’ll be able to simulate tractors pulling actual implements,” he adds. “We might have a load case for an air seeder, another for anhydrous ammonia spreaders and another for cultivators.” That would significantly change the look of test reports created by the NTTL. Today, tractor evaluations include performance data based on stationary PTO tests and drawbar load-only tests at various RPM settings and load ratings. Power mix tests would add another element, providing even more information for farmers to consider. “Maybe in the future our test report has a lot more sections to it,” Hoy goes on. “It could have six, eight or 10 load cases added to it to represent the most common applications (implement use) based on the particular tractor.”

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This is far from the first time the NTTL has had to consider new test procedures and facility upgrades. “Of course, in the early days tractors didn’t even have PTOs,” Hoy notes. “We used to measure belt horsepower with the flat drive belts.”

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OCTOBER 11, 2012

Triathlete creates home-grown energy bar » PAGE 44

SERVING MANITOBA FARMERS SINCE 1925 | VOL. 70, NO. 41

Communications breakdown added to emergency Firefighting made more dangerous without communications By Lorraine Stevenson CO-OPERATOR STAFF

olunteer firefighters racing to reach fire-threatened Vita last week passed hundreds of vehicles headed the other direction and wondered what they were headed into, said veteran firefighter Alain Nadeau. “I’ve been doing this for 33 years and this was the scariest I’ve seen,” said the weary La Broquerie fire chief on Friday after an exhausting week. The air was so smoke filled around the southeastern village “we could barely breathe,” he said.

GOT SEED? By Daniel Winters CO-OPERATOR STAFF / MELITA

ising corn acres and severe drought in the Midwestern United States may crimp supplies of popular corn seed varieties for the com-

ing year. “It’s really short,” said Ron Rabe, a Dekalb agronomist, who gave a brief talk on corn production in Manitoba at a recent WADO field tour. Derek Erb, who farms near Oak Bluff and sells Pioneer Hi-Bred corn

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Corn seed might be tight next spring Rising demand and dismal growing conditions in the drought-stricken United States may limit supplies seed, said farmers looking to secure seed for next spring should act quickly to secure their supplies, even if it means placing orders earlier than usual. Pioneer Hi-Bred’s top varieties, which include D95 and D97, account for roughly half the acres seeded in the province. Erb said that with the harvest and quality testing still underway in some areas, it’s difficult to estimate how much corn seed will be available for next year. One thing’s for sure, waiting until Ag Days in January to secure supplies will

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The pros and cons of applying in dry soil » PAGE 17

Some corn seed companies were predicting a shortage of seed for next year, even before the season’s first

be too late. “I would pretty much bank on that,” said Erb. Dry conditions throughout the province have seen the corn harvest arriving about a month earlier than usual, and seed orders have started coming in sooner than usual too. Even with the possibility of a shortage of corn seed, Erb doesn’t expect the price of Pioneer’s supplies to rise much more than it has in recent years. Rob Park, of RJP Seeds in Carman, who deals in Hyland seed varieties, See CORN SEED on page 6 »

The Nebraska facility has had to evolve along with changes in technology Early drawbar tests were conducted on a track with a dirt surface. But to eliminate slippage from the equation, the centre upgraded to a concrete track in the middle of the last century. That original concrete surface, which was adequate for tractors of that time, eventually became too narrow for today’s high-horsepower giants. The current 22-feet-wide track, installed in 2007, uses high-density concrete and includes banked corners a little like a NASCAR track, which will allow for higher-speed tests of up to about 15 miles per hour in the future. Over its life, the NTTL has added a variety of other tests in addition to its focus on measuring horsepower. “We added threepoint hitch testing,” Hoy says. “We found out manufacturers weren’t being totally honest about what their hitches could pick up.” Tests like that have managed

DECEMBER 2012 g r a i n e w s . c a /

Machinery & Shop to keep all the industry players honest when printing their brochures. But Hoy is particularly proud of the role the NTTL has played in spurring engineering improvements designed to protect operators. “Something we’re really proud of is, about 1970, we told manufacturers we were going to start measuring how loud tractors were,” he explains. “Manufacturers were not at all enthusiastic about that. We did this in response to farmers that had helped advise us on what’s important.” The first tractor tested for noise at the NTTL proved there was good reason for farmers to be concerned. That tractor roared at a very high 94 decibels when measurements were taken at the operator’s ear. “That’s going to cause hearing loss,” continues Hoy. “And kind of a funny thing happened, as soon as we started publishing sound numbers, manufacturers started competing on it. Today, a tractor can be as low as 68 decibels at full throttle. We sure don’t want to claim all the credit for this, but we think we may have caused this to happen a little earlier than it otherwise would have.”

PHOTOS: SCOTT GARVEY

Roger Hoy, director of the NTTL, stands beside the new test track that was installed in 2007. It required a denser concrete mix than an airport runway in order to withstand the strain from constant heavy pulls.

This Ford tractor (not related to Henry Ford’s company) is housed in the NTTL museum. When new, this model performed so poorly that it led — in large part — to a state law in Nebraska requiring all manufacturers to deliver their tractors to the NTTL for independent testing. The horsepower ratings of every model had to be proven before they could be sold in that state.

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NTTL’S FUTURE Looking forward, Hoy thinks the NTTL’s future is pretty bright. There is interest from a variety of agencies hoping to make use of the expertise the Lab has to offer. For example, the U.S. Department of Energy has had discussions with him about partnering on research into fuel consumption rates in various types of off-road vehicles, and testing how emerging technologies will affect them. With its core mandate to test ag tractor performance, there has been no shortage of work as new tractor models have been hitting the North American market fast and furiously in the last few years. “We’ve been a little busier than we’d like, but it’s better than not having enough to do,” Hoy says with a smile. Those tests have to be crammed into only a few months out of each year. The NTTL can only evaluate tractors when the air temperature is moderate in order to get consistent engine performance. That means outside drawbar tests can only be done during the spring and fall. “When we do drawbar testing outdoors, the air temperature has to be between 40 and 80 degrees (Fahrenheit),” says Hoy. “That rules out Nebraska summers (and winters).” There are many new technologies on the horizon today that could eventually make their way into the mainstream ag tractor market, and that could mean expanding the range of testing done at the NTTL yet again. “When I took over as director you’d have thought all the issues would have been taken care of in the 80-odd years the Lab had been in existence,” says Hoy. “But there are always new things popping up.” NTTL now puts its tractor test reports online. To see them, go to http://tractortestlab.unl.edu/ testreports.htm. For a video tour of the Nebraska Tractor Test Lab, watch the e-Quip TV video online at www.grainews.ca/videos. † Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at scott.garvey@fbcpublishing.com.

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/ g r a i n e w s . c a December 2012

Machinery & Shop Keep it going

Re-powering a Massey Harris 55 This old tractor was given a new lease on life with a Chrysler V-8 engine, and all the mechanical work was done outside By Scott Garvey

arvin Torwalt of Love, Saskatchewan, needed a tractor and front-end loader to do some work around his rural property, which includes cropland, cabin rentals and a woodlot. He had experience modifying an old Massey Harris 44 tractor, so when he discovered a friend had a 1951, MH 55 sitting unused, he decided to do the same again with the larger model. “I dragged it home and used it for a while with the original engine,” he says. “But it was too hard on gas and oil so I went to work on it. Having a spare Chrysler 360 CID V-8 sitting in a shed, I thought I’d use it to repower the old 55.”

Getting to work Here’s how Marvin describes that process: “Swapping engines involved building front and rear engine mounts, an output shaft for the clutch and, since the rear of the engine was one and a half inches off center to accommodate the Chrysler direct-drive starter, a short drive shaft using the sliding yoke and U-joints from an old Chevy motor home. The clutch output shaft was made from a shaft that came from my old 44 Massey Harris tractor. “The starter drive had to be modified to fit the 360 engine and the oil filter had to be relocated so the rear of the engine

The modified 55 does a variety of jobs, including working in Marvin’s woodlot. would sit low enough to let the drive-shaft run fairly straight. The factory steering was removed and replaced with a hydrostatic unit from a 1660 Case combine. The Case combine steering cylinder was too light and soon broke, so I used one from a 760 Massey Ferguson combine. The Case combine hydraulic pump was mounted on a Chrysler airconditioning bracket on top of the engine and hydraulic controls were salvaged from a 95 Massey Ferguson tractor. “I bought a loader that fit a 9N Ford tractor from an antique

tractor dealer nearby and, after some modifications, it fit my 55 perfectly.” But when he used the tractor, the replacement engine would always overheat. After making numerous modifications, the problem persisted. So Marvin replaced the 360 with an industrial Chrysler 318. That didn’t correct the problem either. Eventually, he moved the radiator forward and that did the trick. “I moved the radiator ahead three inches and lengthened the hood accordingly,” he says. “The V-8 engine had been too close to

the radiator, and the width of the engine plus the hydraulic pump sitting on top meant that there was no room for the hot air from the rad to escape.” That 318 has since been replaced with another one salvaged from a White-Cockshutt combine and the tractor is still at work. “The original four-cylinder engine burned between four and five imperial gallons of gas per hour,” he adds. “Neither the 360 engine nor the current 318 has ever used more than two and a half gallons per hour. And as an added bonus,

photos: marvin torwalt

if I need a tractor somewhere in a hurry, it will travel over 30 miles per hour. It pulls a 14-foot, deep-tillage cultivator quite well, and I have pulled a vintage five bottom Massey Harris plough with it.” Well done, Marvin. If you have an old machine or vehicle you’ve kept in service, modified or rebuilt to keep it going, send me an email and good-quality digital image. We may feature it in a future issue of Grainews. † Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at scott.garvey@fbcpublishing.com.

Marvin Torwalt replaced the original four-cylinder engine in this MasseyHarris 55 with a Chrysler 318 V-8. He now has a more powerful, fuelefficient chore tractor.

DECEMBER 2012 g r a i n e w s . c a /

Machinery & Shop SHOP CLASS

TRACTOR TESTING SPECIAL

Exploring alternative fuels How to diagnose a With its unique expertise, the Nebraska charging system problem Tractor Test Lab become involved in alternative fuel systems research BY SCOTT GARVEY

hen the Nebraska Tractor Test Lab (NTTL) was originally created, its mandate was pretty specific. Measuring farm tractor horsepower and publishing proven numbers for each model before it could be sold in Nebraska was the facility’s sole purpose. But now, with almost a century of experience under its belt, the Lab has developed a skill set that makes it the ideal place for other avenues of mechanical research. As a self-funding organization, the NTTL has been able to generate additional revenue by working on a contract basis for manufacturers and other governmental agencies on specific projects outside of, or similar to, its original mandate. One of the areas where other organizations have turned to the Lab for research assistance is in evaluating alternative fuel systems.

ALTERNATIVE FUEL TESTING “We’ve played with some things on some research propos-

als,” says Roger Hoy, director of the NTTL. “Like the Nebraska Corn Board financed some projects on what did ethanol do to spark ignition engines. We had an engine optimized to ethanol. We did some testing on that and gained some numbers.” One of the most interesting projects NTTL staff have worked on so far involved a modification to a standard diesel engine, mixing diesel with ethanol as a combined fuel source. “On diesel engines we’ve done some interesting stuff,” Hoy continues. “You can’t mix ethanol with diesel in the fuel tank; they don’t mix. So what we did instead was induct some ethanol into the air intake. That was kind of interesting because what we found was we could replace diesel energy with ethanol energy and the thermal efficiency of the engine was essentially unchanged. What worked best was 60 per cent ethanol and 40 per cent water. That had some beneficial affects on emissions as well. It brought nitrous oxide emissions way down.” Only the initial research has

been done so far. “(The project) was more of a what is the potential, what are the possibilities,” he adds. If mixing water and alternative fuels together inside an internal combustion engine sounds vaguely familiar, it should. A few aftermarket manufacturers currently offer methanol-water or water-only injection kits for some diesel and even some gasoline engines. The general concept has been around for a while. Methanol and water injection was originally used to generate additional power in the engines of some fighter aircraft built during the Second World War. “It’s interesting because the graduate student that did the work, one of his references was a (World War II) publication from Messerschmitt,” Hoy explains. “One of the dive bombers they built, they were injecting methanol into the engine. It goes to show there are likely some other possibilities out there that haven’t been explored that are worth looking at.” † Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at scott.garvey@fbcpublishing.com.

“harvesT is jUsT

f you have a tractor, truck or other farm machine that constantly needs a boost to start, you need to determine whether it’s just time to replace the battery or if the alternator is not doing its job. There is a fast and easy way to determine which problem you have. All you need is a multimeter. Here’s how to do it. With the engine off, set your multimeter to read voltage, then attach its positive and negative leads to the battery. The meter should read about

Attach your multimeter’s positive and negative leads to the battery, and take a reading.

dowN-righT

12.65 volts. That number will be slightly higher or lower depending on the age and condition of the battery. Next, start the engine and take another reading in the same way. If the charging system is in good condition, the meter should read about 14 volts, indicating current is being fed back into the battery. If the reading is low, there is a charging system fault. † Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at scott.garvey@ fbcpublishing.com.

Start the engine and take another reading.

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/ g r a i n e w s . c a DECEMBER 2012

Machinery & Shop AROUND THE WORLD

Quadtrac owners in the U.K. set a Guiness record 50 belted tractors working in one English field raise money for charity during a unique event BY RORY DAY

hey came, they saw and they conquered. Case IH Quadtrac owners from across Britain converged on Hemswell in Lincolnshire on July 28 to help set a new Guinness World Record for the most machines of this type working in one field.

THE EVENT They hoped for 40 entries, needed a minimum of 30, but ended up with an awe-inspiring 50. Helen Rainthorpe and the

PHOTO: RORY DAY

Job done! The dust settles as the 50 Case IH Quadtracs that participated in the highly successful Quadtrac World Record attempt reach the end of the field.

team behind the Quadtrac World Record attempt in Lincolnshire couldn’t have wished for better support in their quest to set a new Guinness World Record. The event was being held as a tribute to Helen’s later father John, who passed away in April 2010. The field, which had previously been cropped with vining peas, proved ideal. A tractor with a single-leg subsoiler and GPS system was used to mark out dead straight parallel lines across the field, ensuring that each Quadtrac had sufficient space to work the ground-engaging implement that was required

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as part of the rules laid down by the Guinness organisation. With good weather, a perfect site, ample hard-standing on an adjacent former World War II concrete runway, and a large crowd gathering, it was all down to the U.K.’s Quadtrac owners to turn out in sufficient numbers to set a new world record. And turn out they did — not just local machines, but Quadtracs from all over the country.

THE WINNERS To say that 535 Quadtrac owner Stuart Davidson of Knockothie Farms went the extra mile to attend the record attempt would be an understatement. He had his machine hauled all the way from Ellon in Aberdeenshire, a distance of 433 miles, so that it could play a part in the event. Not surprisingly, it won the Case IH award for the furthest travelled machine. There wasn’t a prize for the business that entered the most machines, but if there had been, it would have been won by largescale farming enterprise H.R. Bourn, of Wragby near Lincoln. H.R. Bourn’s farm manager, John Shepherd, allowed all six of the company’s Case IH Quadtracs — a 450, two 530s and three 535s — to attend the record attempt. The record attempt was also well supported by the area’s local Case IH dealerships. The machines themselves were required to work for a minimum of five minutes, but just to be on the safe side they throttled down and spent seven minutes and 47 seconds trundling across the field and writing their way into the 2013 edition of the Guinness World Records.

They came, they saw and they conquered Case IH’s marketing manager for the U.K. and Ireland, Charles Blessley, was delighted with the outcome of the record attempt. “The sight of 50 Quadtracs with headlights blazing and the sounds of the powerful engines and horns blaring was breathtaking, and the Guinness World Record was a fine tribute to Helen Rainthorpe’s father John,” he said. “I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all those who took part,” added Charles. “...and lastly, to all those who have generously donated (at the time of writing) over £27,000 ($42,900) to Cancer Research U.K.” It was very much a case of mission accomplished for Helen Rainthorpe and her team of helpers. “It has been a wonderful tribute to my father and it’s nice to think we shall be in the next Guinness World Records book,” she said. † Rory Day is editor of Classic Tractor Magazine (www.classictractormagazine.co.uk)

DECEMBER 2012 g r a i n e w s . c a /

Machinery & Shop SETTING RECORDS

Going out for the Guinness A variety of organizations have made massive efforts to grab ownership of world records involving farm machinery BY SCOTT GARVEY

ately, several special interest groups have been gathering tractors and combines together at massive events in order to get into the Guinness Book of World Records. In fact, the rush to claim the title of “The most...” when it comes to farm equipment records seems to be this decade’s equivalent of scarfing down record numbers of goldfish or getting the most college students into a VW Beetle, something that was all the rage in the ’60s (for those of you that can’t remember them). A few of the agricultural “The most...” titles some groups have targeted seem just as unusual as swallowing goldfish. For example, on August 5th, the Dunsmore and District Vintage Club in Ireland broke its own Guinness world record for the largest number of tractors and single-chop forage harvesters working in one field. The previous record was 26.

PHOTO: HARVEST FOR KIDS

Capturing the record for the most 30-plus year old tractors involved in a single parade. Organizers at the Nebraska State Fair captured the Guinness world record in that category when 964 tractors drove two miles around the race track on the fair grounds.

grabbing the record for cramming the most college kids into a tractor cab, but here’s a look at a few of the more notable record-setting attempts from this past year.

unwilling to give up either. On October 6, Harvest For Kids, the same non-profit organization that organized the 2010 record-setting event, took another run a regaining the title for Canada and put 249 combines in one field near Saskatoon. “We were able to fill all 249 swaths with combines,” said Derek Unrau, director of Harvest for Kids, immediately following the event. “But a few did not finish so we do not yet have a final number. We will need to review footage in order to see exactly, but we were right around 245

THE BIGGEST PARADE

There ought to be a Guinness World Record category for the highest number of breakdowns 105 units showed up for that challenge, but two were doublechop machines and were disqualified. 17 became stuck in the soft field conditions or had breakdowns and couldn’t finish the prescribed course. But the remaining group was sufficient to garner a new record for the club. Last year, the Harvest For Hunger group set a record by letting 115 combines loose in a 160 acre, Ontario soybean crop and polishing it off in less than 12 minutes. Like that one, most attempts at setting records are a way to raise funds for charity. So far, no one I know of has tried

PHOTO: RFD-TV

On October 6, 2012, 249 combines started down swaths in a single field near Saskatoon. Of those, 245 made it to the finish line, setting a new Guinness world record for the number of combines working in the same field.

On September 17, a group of enthusiasts used the Nebraska State Fair, held in Grand Island, as a venue to organize the largest parade of tractors that are more than 30 years old. They made their way into the Guinness book in that category by marshalling 964 tractors into one very long parade, which made its way around the Fonner Park race track on the fair grounds. The event was a part of the fair’s opening ceremony. In order to qualify, each tractor’s VIN number had to be checked to certify it was built more than 30 years ago. Of the more than 1,000 tractors and drivers who participated, 964 met the requirements. Each tractor had to join in the parade for enough laps around the track to log two miles.

CANADA VS. IRELAND No. This wasn’t a weird hockey game involving tractors. But it seems we have developed a rivalry with the Irish on the combine-

record front. This summer, on a 130 acre field in County Meath Ireland, 208 new and old combines gathered together in one field and harvested a barley crop. On the day, 211 machines showed up, but three broke down and couldn’t participate. That beat the record of 200 combines set in Manitoba in 2010. Before that, the Irish had held the previous record with a tally of 175 machines. But just as the Irish were unwilling to admit defeat and surrender the crown without a rematch, we Canadians were apparently

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This summer 208 combines gathered together to harvest a single wheat field in Ireland, temporarily getting into the Guinness World Records book for their efforts.

But don’t take it from us, ask one of your neighbours.

combines harvesting simultaneously on a single field. A new Guinness world record.” The Saskatoon event will also be part of a documentary entitled The Great American Wheat Harvest. That film is expected to be released in the spring of 2014. After this growing season, I think there ought to be a Guinness World Record category for the highest number of breakdowns by one machine in a single seeding season. I’d be a contender in that one for sure. † Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at Scott.Garvey@fbcpublishing.com.

/ g r a i n e w s . c a DECEMBER 2012

Keepers & Culls WSGA calling for XL inquiry LEE HART

I believe all is getting better in the beef world, but may not be perfect yet. I understand the XL Beef plant at Brooks, Alta is nearly firing on all cylinders, although Jerry Klassen in his marketing column on page 40 says as of late November, the slaughter pace was still a bit behind the pre meat-recall days of September. I had a couple more comments from blog readers, see below, and as you read on, the Western Stock Growers Association, backed by the Fort Macleod-area zone of the Alberta Beef Producers is calling for a federal investigation. This meat recall was such a major screw-up, with all kinds of finger pointing, I believe an investigation would be a good thing. Here are some comments from two of my blog readers: G. Johnston of Saskatchewan writes: “Just a reminder that there is a processing plant in Moose Jaw. Nilsson Brothers bought it and promptly closed it causing all beef to slaughter to have to be shipped to Alberta. It is my understanding that this plant has been put back into production for a few days every year so that it doesn’t lose its licence to operate. If that is actually the case, it could be fired up fairly quickly, one would expect. If XL is going to change hands as has been suggested perhaps selling the Moose Jaw plant should be one of the stipulations of the deal so that it

could be reopened and used in this province.” Pat Gauthier writes: “Forgive my ignorance. Maybe I should Google information on E. coli before I make any comments, but I don’t have time. I’m busy with discing and plowing and feeding and getting ready to buy calves and so and so on. I was told by a vet that E. coli is everywhere in the barnyard and when we are processing cattle and get a little fresh manure in the mouth because we are yelling above the bawling to communicate that we are definitely exposed to it. We are producers and country people so we have a built-in immunity to it. Have you ever heard of the 4H kid that gets sick? Well! My husband eats welldone steak and I eat med-rare. I say to people if you are worried that you will get E. coli from your med-rare steak then cook it better. I won’t, but you who are never exposed to countryside bacteria should cook it better. I say as people get further and further anyway from germs and bacteria, they get sick easier. Maybe the general public shouldn’t wash so much and don’t be afraid to get back to the land. My opinion of the CFIA, is that they have way too much power and it’s going to their heads. If you read between the lines there is politics with this whole fiasco.” If you are ever looking for this mysterious blog, go online to www. grainews.ca and you’ll find it there.

IT PAYS TO ASK DIRECTIONS Did you hear about the bagpiper from Brandon, Manitoba who was asked to play at the graveside funeral service for this old bachelor farmer being buried in rural community cemetery? The piper was running late, and being like most men he didn’t want to stop and ask for help with directions. Although an hour late, he finally found a group of workers out in the country around a grave. The piper figured the undertaker, hearse, and any friends had already come and gone. Feeling badly, and still wanting this old farmer to have a fitting send off, he apologized to the men around the hole for being late, he went to the graveside and looked down and the vault lid was already in place. Not knowing what else to do, he began to play. The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. The piper played out his heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. As he played “Amazing Grace,” the workers began to weep. They wept, the piper wept, everyone wept together. When finished the piper quietly packed his gear in his car, about to leave with pride that he had done his best. But, that warm feeling soon vanished. Just as he opened the car door he heard one of the somber workers say, “I never seen nothin’ like that before and I’ve been putting in septic tanks for 20 years.”

WSGA CALLS FOR INQUIRY The Western Stock Growers Association, also supported by a zone resolution from the Alberta

“Be sure and keep track of your bale twine... I hate having that stuff layin around everywhere.”

Write, E-mail or Fax Contact Cattleman’s Corner with comments, ideas or suggestions for and on stories by mail, e-mail, phone or fax. Phone Lee Hart at 403-592-1964 Fax to 403-288-3162 E-mail lee@fbcpublishing.com Write to CATTLEMAN’S CORNER, PO Box 71141 Silver Springs RPO, Calgary, Alta. T3B 5K2

Beef Producers, is calling on the federal government to conduct an independent investigation into what happened in that whole recall mess at the XL Beef plant at Brooks. The WSGA has submitted a brief to Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz calling for the inquiry, says Phil Rowland, WSGA president. Rowland and the WSGA makes the point that it is pretty hard to make a reasonable plan for the future,

Pickseed and Wolf Trax partner on improved forage seed BY LEE HART

PHOTO: LEE HART

Terry Scott, of Pickseed, left and Brenda Dubeck of Wolf Trax hold bags of a turfgrass seed mix treated with micronutrients. All of Pickseed’s forage legumes, grass seeds and turf grass mixes will be treated with the Wolf Trax-developed Protinus in 2013.

f you are planning to seed forages this spring, the longestablished Canadian company Pickseed has teamed up with a Manitoba-based seed nutrition company to supply producers with legume and grass seed genetics that emerge faster with improved vigour. All seeds marketed by Pickseed in 2013 will be treated with a micronutrient product known as Protinus, which was developed by Wolf Trax of Winnipeg (www.wolftrax.com ). Protinus is a clean, safe, dustfree, dry-to-the-touch treatment that attaches micronutrients, including zinc and manganese, directly to the seed. “We’ve been testing different products for a couple of years, and have been most impressed with Protinus,” says Terry Scott, western sales director for Pickseed. “Wolf Trax research and our own field trials show the treatment makes a significant difference in faster germination and improved root development of seedling. It

doesn’t matter what the crop, it is important to get it off to a fast, strong start.” While Protinus is designed as a micronutrient seed treatment for all field crops, Brenda Dubeck, manager of seed products at Wolf Trax, says it has a particularly good fit with forage seeds. As Scott points out, “forage seeds don’t always get the attention they deserve when it comes to seeding,” Often they are broadcast applied, often under cold, even frozen conditions in the fall, or applied to cool, wet soils in the spring. “They are ususally broadcast applied, or shallow seeded under adverse conditions, so those little seeds need all the help they can get,” says Scott. And they are small seeds. There are about one million seeds in a pound of timothy grass seed, and 80,000 to 85,000 seeds in pound of meadow brome. Protinus is usually a customapplied product. In this case Pickseed will be treating all grass, legume and turfgrass seeds with the product for its customers.

unless you properly understand what happened in the past. “The roles of all involved including the operator, the CFIA, the USDA and governments must be explored. Everyone from the cattle producer to the consumer holds a measure of responsibility to keep the food on our families’ plates safe,” says Rowland. “We applaud

» CONTINUED ON PAGE 42 “It is a patented technology, that provides a nice, clean, and even treatment to every seed,” says Dubeck. “There is no dust and nothing comes off on your hands, so when you buy seed treated with Protinus it is nice to work with.” Wolf Trax research shows the benefits of having key micronutrients attached to the seed include earlier, more even emergence, larger seedlings, longer, more developed root systems, and better ability of seedlings to withstand earlyseason stress, says Dubeck. Wolf Trax, which also makes DDP Micronutrients, which can be applied as either a dry coating, foliar, or liquid fertilizer product to a wide range of field crops — also was named a recipient of the Manning Innovations Award in 2012. Named in honor of former Alberta premier Ernest Manning, the award recognizes Canadians who have demonstrated innovative talent in developing and successfully marketing a new concept, process or procedure. “Along with supplying good products and technology that benefit producers, the other nice feature is that both Wolf Trax and Pickseed are Canadian companies,” says Dubeck. † Lee Hart is a field editor for Grainews in Calgary, Contact him at 403-592-1964 or by email at lee@fbcpublishing.com.

December 2012 g r a i n e w s . c a /

Cattleman’s Corner Dairy Corner

Dairy calves need more energy in winter By Peter Vitti

ost baby dairy calves are extremely vulnerable to the threat of disease in the late fall or in early winter, as any arctic chill magnifies the shortcomings of a feeding program and living conditions. To avoid a disaster, these milk-fed calves need to be placed on a higher plane of energy nutrition and assured a comfortable housing. Nobody is advocating an entire revamp of their diets or building a new calf barn. In most cases, it simply means having a look at the calves outside and making some improvements that go a long way in reducing calf cold stress. Initially, it comes down to meeting a dramatic increase in dietary energy requirements of calves from newborn to weaning, which is mainly temperature dependent during the winter. Once the temperature of an outside hutch or a protected calf barn falls below 60 F (15 C), calves may start to burn extra dietary energy just to maintain their core body temperature, which is key to survival. Research on dairy calves housed in laboratory thermal units has demonstrated for every drop of the thermometer by 1 F below 50 F (10 C), a calf requires one per cent more energy (excluding other environmental factors such as wind chill and wet weather). At home, it means dairy calves overwintered in an outside hutches on a brisk winter day of 0 F (-18 C) require at least 50 per cent more dietary energy compared to their counterparts raised in an insulated heated calf barn. When dietary energy is inadequate, it’s quite predictable that cold-stressed, outside dairy calves struggle. Poorly fed calves not only divert available feed energy meant for growth and health to keep warm, but they will almost immediately break down limited fat reserves. In extreme cases as body fats are exhausted, calves will start to irreversibly break down muscle and tissue proteins, and thus starve to death.

from 10 C to 0 C (re: five litres x two per cent x 10 degrees drop = +1.0 litre), then a total of six litres of milk or milk replacer should be put in front of each calf. • Increase the concentration of milk replacer fed to outside calves. Increase the amount of milk powder mixed with warm water; from a regular 13 per cent solution (130 g per litre) to 15-16 per cent solution (150-160 g per litre). Feed 2.5-3.0 litres of reconstituted milk replacer to each calf (depending on age), twice daily. • Implement a third feed daily. To avoid the possibly of osmotic scours due to increased milk replacer concentrations, feed an extra 2.0 litres of regularly mixed up milk replacer (12-13 per cent solution). An extra feeding of whole milk can be fed in the same manner.

Calf starter should also be introduced to outside dairy calves just as those calves fed at any other time of the year. Two-week old calves won’t eat a significant amount of calf starter to receive much dietary energy, but they will nibble on it. In contrast, when they become five to six weeks old, one calf should consume to a kilo of calf starter per day and then can be weaned. • Another helpful hint for feeding dairy calves during the winter is to provide at least two to three litres of extra fresh water per animal fed separately from the water that they already receive by whole milk or milk replacer feedings. This free water is necessary, particularly for older calves, to help meet their natural requirement for water and to encourage more

dry calf starter feed intake. It is important that this free water be clean, fresh and if fed outside, not frozen in the pails.

Be warm and dry These suggestions put winter dairy calves on a good plane of nutrition, but it should also be complimented with equally good winter-housing conditions. It’s a matter of making sure that calves are kept clean, dry and warm. All calves should be housed with a thick pad of bedding such as clean straw (dirty wet bedding removed), which insulates them from the cold ground or concrete floor. Furthermore, dairy producers should keep all dairy calves out of drafts in the calf barn or direct winds blowing upon their outdoor housing. Any factor that causes a

major loss of heat in dairy calves only adds to their need for more dietary energy in their feeding program. A dairy calf should never struggle to keep warm during a cold winter, because they simply will not grow and will become more susceptible to disease. As soon as the first northern breezes blows across the farmyard, it’s a good time to review pre-weaned calf feeding programs and insure extra dietary energy is being fed. An energy boost to the diet or attention to good housing goes a long way in helping pre-weaned calves achieve all their energy requirements that not only helps them survive a cold winter, but optimizes good performance. † Peter Vitti is an independent livestock nutritionist and consultant based in Winnipeg. To reach him call 204-254-7497 or by email at vitti@mts.net.

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Feeding Tips Most winter nutrition situations are not that extreme. There are many simple things that dairy producers can implement to improve the winter nutritional status of their pre-weaned calves: • Feed whole milk or high-fat (20-25 per cent) all-milk calf milk replacer. The University of Illinois (1989) increased the fat content of whole milk and milk replacer diets fed to outside pre-weaned dairy calves. As a result, fat-supplemented calves gained more than 50 per cent compared to energy controlfed calves. A common milk-feeding rule of thumb for overwintered dairy calves is to increase the amount of milk or milk replacer fed by two per cent for every 1 C degree, the temperature drops below 10 C (re: one per cent for every 1 F degree below 50 F). This advice means if five litres of whole milk or milk replacer are routinely fed to each calf and the temperature drops

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/ g r a i n e w s . c a December 2012

Cattleman’s Corner Wildlife Management

More carnivores on the prowl in ranching country BY MIKE LAMB

ometimes it takes a snagged tuft of hair; other times an eerie howl from a distant hillside or, in some cases, a simple ping on a hand-held receiver. All provide clues into what’s happening between livestock and increasing numbers of carnivores in the dark timber and rolling foothills just outside Waterton National Park in southwest Alberta. A genetics study on grizzlies that roam private ranchlands on Waterton’s east and north flanks moves indoors this winter. But hibernation for researchers isn’t in the offing. A wolf study to determine how many packs reside in and around the park, meanwhile, will enter its second year. And a recent cougar study shows the region’s big cats are plentiful and expanding eastward.

photo: sw alberta grizzly dna project

Recreation and industrial activities in the foothills are pushing carnivores such as bears and cougars out into ranching country on the prairies.

Carnivore corridor Lions, grizzlies and wolves, which all appear to be growing in number and range, are increasing international awareness and a surge in university and government studies along this part of the Rocky Mountain Front. It is one of the world’s most heavily traveled “carnivore corridors.” But in light of recent livestock kills, about 20 local ranchers are “tuning-in” to radio signals to keep tabs on their cattle herds, a stone’s throw from Waterton’s sanctuary. A trial run on the radio-network, using five towers and 650 radio-tagged cattle, was started last summer across the 16-square mile Polehaven Grazing District. The rolling, provincially owned, grazing lease spreads towards the prairie from Waterton’s border. In fact it was part of the park during Waterton’s early years and still provides refuge for many meat-eaters. Last summer and fall, ranchers there were monitoring “pings” from ear-tagged cows spread across Polehaven’s vast, uninhabited foothills. It was thought tracing livestock movements with radio waves in real time would, on occasion, show the exact location of stampeding, bunching or other unusual cattle movements that would suggest carnivore stalking. A cluster of pings over a long period might also indicate a dead or down cow. That, in turn, would lead to a quick death certificate and government compensation for predation — funds that come from the sale of Alberta hunting licenses. Last year’s monitoring greatly improved round-up efficiencies by pinpointing errant or hidden cattle, but otherwise it accomplished little. Dead zones, short-lived batteries and weak power sources hampered the year’s work, but those problems will be solved, says Brad Smith, project co-ordinator and an Alberta Agriculture livestock technology specialist.

More missing Smith says the number of missing Polehaven cattle jumped from eight two years ago to 20 last year and a yet-undetermined number this

photos: cowboys

carnivores website at www.rockies.ca/drywood

More grizzly bears are moving east on the prairies feeding on livestock, grains bins, chicken coops and beehives, as a plentiful food supply. year. Although depredation mainly by wolves and bears is suspected, radio tracing could help determine if rustlers also are involved. The number of grizzlies using the Rockies’ eastern slope, including its numerous wheat fields, has increased steadily, according to both ranchers and biologists. Grizzlies love all sorts of proteinrich grains, and observers say far more bears today rely on foothills’ ranches where the living is easy. Grain bins, chicken coops and beehives provide great fodder, as does the occasional plodding cow. Its generally agreed that what has changed the past decade has much to do with human noise and commotion. Unrestricted all-terrain vehicles, random campers and logging has combine to drive many carnivores from public forests back to the flatlands and eastern river valleys. Many third- and fourthgeneration ranchers are for the first time seeing grizzlies and wolves hanging around their dwellings A new survey of ranchers and seasonal homeowners residing within 20 km of the park shows most believe these pioneering predators are threatening human safety as well as cattle herds. While 90 per cent of the 115 residents surveyed by the University of Calgary Miistakis Institute say large carnivores are desirable in the region, only 37 per cent said they want them “on or near” their own property. Numerous respondents referred to a sudden increase in big carnivores, adding they were nervous for their own safety that of their families. Dozens of encounters of the startling kind were reported. Fully 66 per cent of the group

feels livestock depredation levels are unacceptable, and many suggest provincial government compensation should include not only money for livestock killed by predators, but also payments for ‘carnivore-cattle harassment,’ which can affect beef production rates. Fifty-nine per cent of those surveyed said dealing with troublesome carnivores should be handled by local landowners, not government.

“Big Three” studied Grizzlies, wolves and cougars, or the “Big Three” as they’re often referred to, have never been studied to the degree they are now. For the past six years, biologists and wildlife graduate students from Canada and the U.S. have been searching secretive predator haunts often using electronics for tracking. The livestock tracing project is just one of several active research programs in a study area that stretches from the Montana border north to near Banff. They include an independent project to determine the number of wolf packs that roam the corridor, and another to decipher how many of the big bears also call the region home. Last year, Andrea Morehouse, a University of Alberta ecology student, working on her doctorate degree, collected nearly a thousand bear hair samples that resulted in DNA identification of 51 different grizzlies or about 10 fewer than found in Banff. But that survey only included samples from the Provincial Bow-Crow Forest, north of Waterton. This year’s study targets bears who frequent adjoining private land.

Many of the 312 new rubs monitored this year include not only trees but fences, barns and other stable objects. Hairs snagged on barbed wire that’s nailed to bear rubs are collected for genetic identification of individual grizzlies. So far this year Morehouse and her technicians have collected more than 3,000 hair samples, and will continue field work until late November and then prepare specimens for a genetics lab. Results, showing how many different grizzlies scratched their backs in the study area, should be known next spring, about the same time Morehouse will start her third year of DNA fieldwork.

Wolf bounty While many in the ranching community take a cautious but inquisitive view of grizzlies, the same can’t be said of wolves, according to the recent Miistakis’ survey. That’s one reason the County of Cardston, which also abuts the park, has placed a $500 bounty on dead wolves, and registration for wolf-trapping courses sell out almost immediately. Another recent study, also by Morehouse, found wolves in this area heavily rely on cattle for their summer diets. During the grazing months, fully 75 per cent of their intake is beef. Wolves don’t seem to depend on wild game until the winter when the hills are devoid of livestock. This year the Montana Co-operative Research Unit from the University of Montana set up shop and literally started howling in the star-light for wolves. Project

co-ordinator David Ausband says researchers imitate howling wolves by voice or with electronics at 420 potential “rendezvous sites” where wolves congregate. In addition Ausband’s team collected 439 wolf scat samples for DNA analysis to determine individuals and groups. Its believed seven to 11 packs reside in the study area with a pack described as two or more mating animals. Beyond that, and their amazing preference for beef, little is known about the region’s ever-changing wolf population. Since trapping and hunting are allowed, virtually year-round, pack dynamics can change within hours biologists agree. Cougars seem to be the one large predator that is making an attempt to shy away from farmyards. Researchers tranquilized and radio collared a dozen local cats and learned 81 per cent of their year round diet was deer and moose with elk and small game making up the remainder. Only one livestock kill was reported and that was for an alpaca. Project co-ordinator Jeremy Banfield said cougars target hobbyfarm animals because they are small and often confined. They are called “cougar candy” by some biologists. Like grizzlies, cougars are expanding their range eastward. River valleys provide a trail network onto the prairies and their towns. All recent studies, surveys and consultations are aimed not only at establishing historic baseline-data but also at maintaining smooth relations between ranching and environmental groups. † Mike Lamb is a long-time freelance writer based at Burmis, Alberta.

BUILDING TRUST IN CANADIAN BEEF

Cattleman’s Corner

Using animal health products wisely

sing animal health products properly can reduce cost on a cattle operation, says producer Betty Green. “When we reconciled our health and financial records the savings just jumped out at us.” Green is part of a family cow-calf and feedlot operation at Fisher Branch in Manitoba’s Interlake. She says by being conscientious about using the correct product at the proper time, one can significantly cut animal health costs. “Many producers carry on their business assuming they are doing things properly,” she says. “Most are, but even the best producers find that the record-keeping within the Verified Beef Production program helps them become better.” The fundamentals of proper animal health product use are straightforward, she says. The right dose. Getting the right dose increases the chances of addressing the issue that’s being targeted, says Green. “You want the right amount of product but not more than you need. That’s costly and won’t do any good at all.” It’s important to have an accurate estimate of animal weight, then use the product according to label directions. “If the product calls for two doses 48 hours apart and the animal is looking a little better, you still have to give it the second dose,” she says. “We want these products to continue to work for us and for that to happen producers need to use them properly.” The right product. As producers get busy they will sometimes use what’s in the medi-

cine cupboard. Check with a veterinarian to determine what’s best for the particular job. Proper application. Producers need to administer products correctly according to label directions. A product given intramuscularly (in the muscle), or subcutaneously (under the skin) will be absorbed at different rates into the animal’s system. And a difference in withdrawal times needs attention or there could be a potential residue. It’s important to restrain animals appropriately to avoid excessive movement when injecting, and choose a neck injection whenever possible. Consider a neck extender on your chute.

Does the syringe deliver properly?

“Here’s a simple way to test calibration,” says Green. “Fill the syringe with water. If it’s a 10-cc syringe, set the dose at two cc and squirt five times. The syringe should be empty. Then refill the syringe with water and set the dose at five cc. Squirt twice and the syringe should be empty. Proper storage. Always store the product according to label direction. Too much heat, sunlight or cold could make a product less effective or useless. Why write things down?

It takes work to keep good records and it’s fair to ask if it’s worth it. “Ultimately, we’re working with food so it’s important to know exactly what happens,” says Green. “We want to accurately predict when the chemicals were used by the animal and that the product has been absorbed properly. “Writing it down indicates when the product was administered and when the withdrawal period is over. Medications delivered in feed or water can easily be overlooked when rushing to ship cattle. So remember to check the right record.” It’s all about improvement

Records show herd history to help you or your vet decide what is working, or when to rotate products to avoid resistance.

Beef producers are proud people and they want to do the right thing for their animals and their industry, says Green. Administering drugs properly shows they are producing a safe food product. “That’s the same whether you have 10 animals or several thousand,” she says.

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/ g r a i n e w s . c a DECEMBER 2012

Cattleman’s Corner ANIMAL HEALTH

Entire industry can work to control E. coli ROY LEWIS ANIMAL HEALTH

ith food safety always a top media issue, there is increased awareness among consumers of foodborne zoonotic diseases such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria and most recently E. coli. Every time there is a meat recall or an increase in disease incidence from other sources such as water or contaminated vegetables, it becomes a big media event. With this exposure, consumer confidence in the safety of our food supply decreases and the overall costs to our medical system increases substantially. The recent XL Foods plant closure at Brooks, Alta. is testament to how the whole cattle industry can be held hostage by foodborne pathogens. They are hard to detect and almost impossible to totally eliminate. Even if everyone appears to be doing things right along the food chain, disease can still raise their ugly heads from time to time. The psychological, emotional

and mental strain on affected families also cannot be overstated. There must be a collective effort to prevent disease contamination down the entire food production and preparation chain. We need to address the problem where it originates and not always make the packing plant the scapegoat. With the release of an E. coli 0157H7 vaccine in Canada several years ago and other preventative measures this disease can be greatly controlled in the future.

human cases of E. coli infection come from food sources other than meat. If we further check the original source of contamination, cattle are singled out as the primary reservoir. Whether it is E. coli getting into the water sources from manure runoff, vegetables being contaminated through irrigation water or people exposed to cattle at fairs, shows or other events, minimizing the level at the source (cattle) will minimize these other routes of human infection as well.

CANADIAN SOLUTION

FEEDLOT LEVEL

With the made-in-Canada vaccine “Econiche,” Canada became the first country in the world to have preventative treatment available. Statistics tell us there are upwards of 100,000 human cases of E. coli poisoning in North America yearly. Of these an average of five per cent get the hemolytic urologic syndrome, which can cause kidney failure or death. This primarily affects children. The vaccine would be the most effective way to reduce the number of organisms present in cattle, the primary shedder of the bacteria. Use of the vaccine would greatly reduce the unrecognizable bacterial burden being presented to our packing plants. We know almost half of the

Prevalence of E. coli 0157:H7 at the feedlot varies greatly, with a definite increased risk in summer and fall. The disease rates also corresponds to the greatest usage of ground beef and the North American barbecue season. Vaccination would greatly complement other procedures down the food chain. The reduction of shedding by 60 per cent has a dramatic effect on disease control. High-level shedders in the feedlot are only three per cent of the population, yet how do we identify them? They are as healthy as the rest of the cattle. Super shedders, which have a million times the shedding magnitude and reprresent the greatest risk of contamination and preva-

lence of E. coli in the cattle population, have been identified. The use of chlorinated water, bacteriophages or probiotics also complement control at the feedlot, but vaccination provides the greatest reduction in fecal shedding. With the vaccine, you are hitting the problem at its source before the bacteria numbers get too high.

innovative and simple test for the presence of E. coli 0157:H7 in pens of cattle. It involves short sections of rope hung on the feed bunk. Curious cattle lick the ropes which are then collected for culture. If E. coli 0157:H7 is in the pen, it will show up on the ropes. Further downstream through the packing plants towards final retail and consumer levels several other preventative p ro ce du re s w or k sy n er gi st ically with vaccination. Packing plants already spend more than $5 per animal on procedures like steam-treating carcasses and cleaning based on a strict HACCP plan. These measures help prevent contamination with E. coli as well as other food-source zoonotic diseases. The meat industry is also looking at use of irradiation for disease control. It is an expensive treatment and really only doable at very large plants. But, it may make sense in helping to further insure all meat is safe when leaving the plant.

OTHER MANAGEMENT OPTIONS If we examine other potential management changes at the feedlot, several points come to mind. A lot of potential bacterial contamination at the feedlot comes in the form of tag attached to the hide, so any measure to minimize tag is a benefit. Woodchips, sawdust and straw are all used as bedding material, mainly because of availability. In our area woodchips seem to result in the lowest amount of tag, but the benefits of different bedding materials is an area that must be studied further. Larger feedlots have a greater concentration of cattle and often more limited manpower resources for bedding on a perhead basis. Climatic conditions vary greatly year-to-year making disease control difficult. One research group developed an

CONSUMER LEVEL The final responsibility for safe food lies absolutely directly with the consumer. It is the responsibility of consumers to

» CONTINUED ON PAGE 42

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END OF THE LINE? } XL Foods

processing now consolidated at Brooks, after Moose Jaw and Calgary plants shut down By madeleine Baerg af CONtRIButOR | cAlgAry

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he recently announced shutdown of XL foods’ beef kill plant and fabrication facility in Calgary is no surprise to those in the know. “No, it’s not a shock,” said Herb Lock, owner of farm$ense Marketing in Edmonton. “the packing industry in North america is rightsizing itself. as soon as you have excess capacity, everybody is losing money. It’s not just a Calgary thing, it’s not just an alberta thing, it’s not just a Canadian thing. this is happening on both sides of the border.” that view was echoed by Charlie Gracey, a cattle industry consultant and current board member with the alberta Livestock and Meat agency. “We’ve known for quite a long time that the herd was being sold down,” said Gracey. “It’s always regrettable to see a decline in what might be seen as competition. But there isn’t enough cattle herd to service the plant.” Lock estimates the packing industry is currently about 25 to 30 per cent overbuilt across the Pacific Northwest. Most of the processing facilities were built several decades ago, in a time when herd numbers were significantly higher, he said. Given that processing is a margin business, the only way for processors to make money is to operate at near full capacity. With today’s herd numbers at a 50-year low and the three- to fiveyear outlook not indicating much improvement, Lock sees the XL closure as a “nimble” preemptive move. Competition for live cattle sales shouldn’t diminished, said Bryan Walton, CEO of the alberta Cattle feeders association. “I don’t think the closures are going to have a material effect,” said Walton, noting XL foods still operates the Lakeside plant in Brooks. Essentially, the Calgary and Brooks plants were competing for the same animals. selling the Calgary facilities, which are fairly old and sit on valuable real estate, makes good business sense, he said.

BSE boost

While BsE has been devastating to all parts of the beef industry, Lock believes it may have had a positive — albeit short-term — influence on XL’s Calgary facilities. “the plants’ lives may have been extended by a

shutdown } page 6

AFAC ConFerenCe

JBs

oPerations, gloBal aQuisitions

at strangmuir farms south of strathmore, Kerri ross (left) and Becky tees spend their days riding through pens checking on the health of the cattle. Kevin LinK

Testing for bSe worthwhile FaIrLy LOw } Cost would be about $40 per head, but actual

financial benefits are uncertain By ron friesen staff

new industry study concludes a voluntary BsE testing program for cattle could help boost Canada’s beef exports to asia. But it cautions that BsE-tested beef would only be a niche market and the demand for it might be limited. testing alone may not fully restore Canada’s beef markets lost to BsE in Japan and other asian countries, says the study by the George Morris Centre in Guelph, Ontario. But it’s still worth considering, said al Mussell, the study’s lead author. “We think this has got potential. I think it needs to be explored further,” Mussell said following the study’s release March 31.

“I think it does give the impetus for people to take a serious look at it and say, ‘hey, this is something we could take advantage of.’” the study funded by PrioNet Canada, the alberta Prion Research Institute and the alberta Livestock and Meat agency weighed the costs and benefits of voluntarily testing cattle for BsE. It found the cost fairly low — just over $40 a head, or about five cents a pound carcass weight. that wouldn’t burden processors with huge added expenses and “drag down the operation of a beef plant,” Mussell said. He said Japanese importers have periodically asked for BsE-tested beef over the past five years, so the demand for it should be there. But whether the economic benefits

“We think this has got potential.” aL MussELL GeorGe Morris Centre

of testing outweigh the cost is hard to say. a 2005 analysis by Rancher’s Beef, an

alberta processor no longer in business, concluded BsE testing would increase the value of beef sold to Japan by $75.71 per head.

see Bse testing } page 26

Consumers must lead Changes in animal welfare } Page 33

DECEMBER 2012 g r a i n e w s . c a /

Cattleman’s Corner BETTER BUNKS AND PASTURES

Minerals are essential for cow and unborn calf

IMPORTANT FOR THE CALF It is also no secret that good mineral intake by the cow herd not only affects the mineral status of each cow, but that of each unborn calf as well. The developing calf fetus is depends on the availability of essential minerals travelling through the placenta from its mother’s blood. Subsequently, the fetus has a natural ability to concentrate certain trace minerals such as iron, copper, zinc, manganese, and selenium. It’s an instinctive means of post-calving survival, since colostrum and milk can be low in these microminerals. For example, selenium status in the fetal and newborn calf is only a reflection of the selenium status of its mother during gestation — white muscle disease in newborn calves is cited as a direct result of selenium deficiency in freshened cows. The general daily recommendation to meet these nutrient requirements is to feed commercial cattle mineral so each cow consumes between 56 and 112 grams (two to four ounces) of salt-free mineral per day. If salt makes up at least 25 per cent of this mineral, one should adjust suggested mineral intakes accordingly. Since most producers feed loose granular cattle mineral and fill a mineral feeder, bunk or tub by the 25-kg bag: a 200-cow herd targeted for 85 g (3.0 oz.) mineral intake per head should eat about 17 kg of mineral per day, which means the cow herd would consume about two bags (50 kg) every three days (17 x 3 = 51 kg). Without using a calculator, another good mineral consumption rule of thumb is that each beef cow should consume one-half

VARIABLE INTAKE One should realize that mineral consumption among beef cows is likely not an exact science and therefore producers may encounter little, some or significant variation. Here is an illustration of some the leading causes of mineral intake variation: • Natural variability. It is generally accepted that given a group of cattle, mineral intake plotted on a graph forms the shape of a bell curve. This means that about

water with high total dissolved solids (TDS) tend to consume less mineral than water of lower TDS. Also, cattle tend to reject commercial mineral if they drinking highsaline water.

OPTIONS Regardless of intake variability, beef producers should still be able to target their beef herd toward the standard recommendations for good mineral intake. Fortunately, there are options to correct a possible mineral consumption shortfall. One common practice is to mix 1/3 salt with 2/3 commercial cattle minerals to either increase or decrease the amount of mineral cattle are consuming. Adding distillers’ dried grains or dried molasses at four to five per cent of the mineral has also become routine to stimulate min-

eral intake. In many cases, when mineral intake is low or high, it is a good idea to review the rest of the cattle diet and insure a wellbalanced ration for beef cows is fed. Some mineral consumption troubles are not product-, diet- or cattle-related, but due to the way mineral feeding is managed. The condition, stocking rate, and location of mineral feeders have been implicated in many troublesome herds. Experience dictates a mineral feeding station be provided for every 25 to 30 cows and mineral feeders located near (but not too close to) a water source. Cattle mineral should also be checked every couple of days, never allowed to harden like concrete and be kept out of any bad weather. † Peter Vitti is an independent livestock nutritionist and consultant based in Winnipeg. To reach him call 204-254-7497 or by email at vitti@mts.net.

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ince essential mineral and vitamin status of many brood cows were run down by the the summer drought in parts of Western Canada, it is important producers do not overlook the value of good mineral intake particularly at a time of year when good mineral consumption is very important — just before calving. Good mineral intake by gestating beef cows helps supplement the essential minerals and vitamins often deficient or biologically unavailable in many forage-based diets, and helps cows maintain or build good mineral status in many areas of metabolism. Three main areas in the beef cow’s body that require good mineral intake in order of their respective demands are: (1) the immune system; (2) good reproductive performance; and (3) vital body tissues. When insufficient mineral intake lowers mineral status in cows to a marginal state, immune response to disease tends to be compromised first, well before reproduction performance suffers (poor heat cycles, and low conception rates) and any disruption to general body functions. It is believed the overall mineral requirements for immunity are much greater, respectively.

half or more of the cows should consume about the target mineral intake amount, while a small fraction eat less than desired, while the remainder eat more than their fair share. The only concern is that some cows may not be meeting their entire total mineral and vitamin requirements. • Individual cow variation. While it assumed mature cows should eat more than replacement heifers, practical experience says there is no rhyme or reason to how much mineral some individuals consume. • Day-to-day variation. Individual cattle and the whole cow herd will likely not consume the same amount of mineral every day. Target mineral intakes (56 to 112 g) should be based on averaging targeted intakes over a weekly or biweekly. • Water quality. Cattle drinking

PETER VITTI

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/ g r a i n e w s . c a DECEMBER 2012

Cattleman’s Corner RANCHER’S DIARY

Michael takes an off-farm job for the winter

ing with the young fillies nearly every day, leading them up and down the road, and over the low range pasture, getting them used to many things. We sent the open four-year-old cow to the sale at Idaho Falls a couple days ago. The prices are down a bit, however. The recent government dairy buy-out flooded the market with cull dairy cows, and this had an adverse affect on our beef market.

to brush Spotty Dottie, and lead her around in the barnyard. The yearling heifer that was living with Michael’s cows and calves on our lower field disappeared. Lynn has been checking on them periodically and last Wednesday he didn’t see her. She wasn’t with the other cattle. He looked in the brush but couldn’t find her. He looked again the next day, but found nothing. We thought she might have gotten sick during the wet weather and had gone off in the bushes, but there’s no sign of her. She’s still missing so we don’t know if she went through the fence into the neighbour’s place or died. We haven’t seen any magpies or smelled anything dead. We are thinking she either left our field or died or got killed and was totally eaten. We worry about wolves, since there have been several seen in our area periodically. We’ve talked to Michael a few times on the phone. He doesn’t have much chance to rest. They’ve been keeping him really busy hauling water, and a few loads of pipe, with only a few hours’ sleep most nights.

NOVEMBER 7

NOVEMBER 16

Sammy and Dani hiked along with us on Friday when Andrea and I led the fillies up the road. They enjoy helping with the fillies when they aren’t in school. They skip along and sing and chatter, and this helps get the young horses accustomed to more things. Sammy likes

Last week we celebrated Dani’s 8th birthday with a party for her at one of the pizza places in town. She invited a few of her friends for pizza, cake and ice cream. It was snowing hard that evening when we drove to town (making it hard to see the road) and still snowing

HEATHER SMITH THOMAS

NOVEMBER 1

ast week Lynn and Michael finished setting the posts to rebuild the side of our big corral. Rick and Andrea helped nail up the poles. Michael used the backhoe to alter the main gatepost so the gate would swing completely around in both directions, to make it easier to sort cattle. They also used some of the old pole panels (salvaged last year when we rebuilt the second-day pens by the calving barn) to create a better fence along the lane to the lower pasture. Thick brush, fallen-down trees and wildlife traffic had obliterated most of the old fence. Now we will be able to let Michael’s small herd of cattle use that part of our lower pasture without risk of them getting out. Andrea went to town on Thursday and bought a lot of instant dinners (the kind that keep at room temperature, to be warmed up in a microwave). These are for Michael to take with him to North Dakota. Friday Michael helped me take the shoes of Ed and Breezy and trimmed their feet, and spent the rest of that day getting ready for his trip. Saturday he left early in the

PHOTO: HEATHER SMITH THOMAS

From left, Lynn, Rick, Michael and writer Heather, all are impressed with improvements after a day of replacing corral panels. morning and drove all day, and made it to Crosby, North Dakota in the middle of the night. After an orientation/training session, he started driving a water truck in the oil fields. He is working for Chris Bird, our local tire shop owner who has several trucks on that job and needed another driver. Michael has been living in his truck, and sleeping at odd hours when he gets a chance. These trucks are kept running as much as possible. He hopes to work there all winter, to earn enough money to make some payments to the bank. We’ll help Carolyn take care of their cattle while he is gone. He gets to come home occasionally, and plans to get their calves trucked to market and some hay hauled when he has time off in December. Andrea and I have been work-

the next day. Rick and Andrea went up on the mountain to get a load of firewood for one of Rick’s wood customers, and took Sammy and Dani with them to go sledding. There’s two feet of snow up there, and they had to chain up the truck. The girls had fun sledding and made snowmen. Rick and Andrea built a big fire so they could warm themselves and dry out their gloves. There was a big snowstorm in North Dakota also. We talked to Michael on the phone for a while, when he was snowed in and waiting for the parking area to be plowed. The next day the roads were plowed, but he got stuck in a snowdrift and had to shovel for several hours, moving his truck a few feet at a time. A farmer in the adjacent field, feeding cattle, saw his predicament and brought a tractor and loader to help. The farmer was unable to pull the truck with the tractor, so he used the loader to plow through the rest of the snowdrift so Michael could get unstuck,and probably saved him three more hours of shovelling. We had cold weather for a few days and now it has warmed up a little and most of our snow is settling. Andrea and I are leading the fillies again, most days, but we’ve been staying on the main road because the trails over the hill are pretty slippery. † Heather Smith Thomas ranches with her husband Lynn near Salmon, Idaho. Contact her at 208-756-2841.

THE MARKETS

Consumers still slow to buy beef

US Monthly Ground Beef Retail Prices $$/lb July 2008 to Oct 2012

U.S. Quarterly Beef Production (million pounds)

JERRY KLASSEN

Quarter

2009

2010

2011

Est. 2012

Est. 2013

6,248

6,251

6,411

6,283

6,075

MARKET UPDATE

6,602

6,547

6,559

6,475

6,255

6,690

6,768

6,737

6,584

6,220

6,426

6,741

6,492

6,245

5,970

Total

25,966

26,307

26,199

25,587

24,520

lberta packers were buying fed cattle in the range of $113/cwt to $115/cwt in midNovember, which is up from the lows of $106/cwt in October. Fed cattle prices have been slowly percolating higher but stagnant beef demand has limited the upside. Packing margins continue to hover in red ink as wholesale prices fail to move higher in line with the cattle market. Retail beef values have also consolidated given the marginal increase in disposable consumer income. U.S. cold storage beef stocks were marginally higher than last year at the end of October despite the year-over-year decline in beef production. Feedlots are backed up with market-ready supplies because feeding margins are also under water by nearly $60 per head. There has been equity erosion over the past five months and feedlot operators are cautious moving forward. Barley prices are hovering near a historical high, which has also tempered the buying interest for feeder cattle. Calf prices in Western Canada are similar to year-ago levels but the overall optimism is not as strong compared fall of 2011. Cow-calf operators held back on marketings earlier in fall and the market is now contending with a surge in feeder supplies for this

Annual 2008

2009

Year-to-date cumulative

2012 2010

Aug

Sep

Oct

Aug

Sep

Oct

PER CENT CHANGE FROM YEAR EARLIER Sale At home

4.8

-1.4

3.5

3.3

4.3

2.5

3.5

3.6

3.5

Away from home

2.6

-1.7

3.3

11.1

9.2

6.3

11.2

10.9

10.5

Notes: Food sales exclude alcoholic beverages as well as home production, donations, and supplied and donated foods. Source: USDA

time of year. Adverse weather has also hindered price advances for feeder cattle.

CATTLE NUMBERS U.S. cattle on feed as of November 1 totalled 11.254 million head, down five per cent from Nov. 1, 2011. October feedlot placements were reported at 2.180 million head, down 13 per cent from year-ago levels while feedlot marketings came in at 1.837 million head, up three per cent in comparison to October of 2011. The overall report was considered market neutral because the numbers were within pre-report estimates. U.S. October weekly carcass weights were record high, which resulted in larger than expected

beef production. In mid-November, carcass weights were still 20 pounds above November 2011. The U.S. year-to-date cattle slaughter is down 3.9 per cent from last year for the week ending Nov. 16, however, overall beef production is only down 1.7 per cent. In Canada, we have not seen the weekly slaughter pace recover to pre-XL Foods closure. However, carcass weights are very similar to year-ago levels. The year-to-date slaughter is down eight per cent compared to last year while beef output is down only five per cent. Canadian fed cattle exports to the U.S. increased in October. Yearto-date slaughter steer and heifer exports to the U.S. were 355,000 head, down a meagre one per cent over 2011 for the same period.

Source: USDA

Beef demand has been struggling due to the limitation on consumer spending. U.S. Gross Domestic Product reached up to two per cent in the third quarter of 2012, up from 1.3 per cent in the second quarter but food spending was only marginally higher compared to last year. October at home food spending was up 2.5 per cent while away from home food spending was up 6.3 per cent. Notice the decline compared to September on the chart below. Food spending tends to increase in December but then drops off sharply in January and February.

U.S. MONTHLY FOOD RETAIL SALES SPENDING The upward trend in ground beef prices has been curtailed. After peaking in July, it appears the consumers started to back away at the higher prices.

PRICES STAGNANT Fed cattle prices will likely stay rather stagnant into the spring period. Higher beef stocks along

with a weak economy will continue to temper the upside. There is a very strong seasonal tendency for retail and restaurant spending to increase in March, which could cause a brief rally in the fed market. Consumer confidence has improved to highest level in five years but this has done little to entice additional spending on beef products. Feeder cattle prices have little reason to rally from now until the end of January. The feeder market is starting to feel the effects of poor feeding margins and with barley prices staying strong, the market doesn’t pencil a margin looking forward. Cash barley prices in southern Alberta are currently near $280/mt but feedlot operators are factoring in prices near $300/ mt given the tighter fundamentals. Cow-calf producers are encouraged to spread out their marketings over a longer timeframe if possible to average their sale prices. † Gerald Klassen analyzes cattle and hog markets in Winnipeg and also maintains an interest in the family feedlot in Southern Alberta. For comments or speaking engagements, he can be reached at gklassen7@hotmail.com or call 204 899 8268.

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/ g r a i n e w s . c a December 2012

Cattleman’s Corner » CONTINUED FROM PAGE 34

Keepers and culls

the ABP for joining our efforts in requesting a full investigation into the recall.” The WSGA has some pretty specific unanswered questions it would like addressed in the investigation: 1. When an outside audit conducted in May by Silliker Inc. found that sampling of trim product was “inconsistent” with the standard, why was not a Corrective Action Request (CAR) issued? 2. When a 2010 survey by FSIS indicated that the majority of the largest meat packers diverted or destroyed all trim in a batch or on a day if five per cent of its tests were positive for E. coli 0157:H7 and the HACCP plan for XL only diverted product if more than 10 per cent of a batch tested positive or more than 20

per cent of the days production was tainted, why did the CFIA approve this process? 3. Between Sept. 17 and Oct. 12, CFIA issued 17 Health Hazard Alert updates, each of which has expanded the list of recalled products in excess of 1800 products and an estimated recall of 45 million pounds. What parameters did CFIA use in making these decisions? 4. As 17 Health Hazard Alerts is very high considering it was for the same event, did the CFIA give any thought or regard for the damage to the reputation of the beef industry? 5. Of the recalled shipments of beef, how many tests were positive for E. coli 0157:H7? 6. Is it unusual to recall whole muscle cuts and why was it deemed necessary in this situation? 7. Why did the CFIA not think it would be useful to require companies to analyze test results for the potentially fatal E. coli 0157:H7?

9. The Canadian Traceability System is comprised of two components that being on the live side with the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA) and on the processed side with Canadian Food Product Traceability (CFPT). Why is the CCIA mandatory and punishable by fines whereas the CFPT is voluntary and participation is much lower with no consequences of non-compliance? “It would be a shame to throw lives and businesses in jeopardy without learning the exact cause of the crisis,” says Rowland. “And we won’t know the answer to this unless there is an independent investigation.” You can learn more about the request for an investigation on the WSGA website at: www.wsga.ca

Beef school online Through a partnership with RealAgriculture.com, the Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC)

has launched a new online learning resource called Beef Research School for the benefit of Canadian beef cattle producers. The school, a series of approximately 30 videos, will encourage producers to utilize research-supported knowledge and technologies, which can positively impact their herds, land and bottom lines, and support the competitiveness and sustainability of the industry. Videos will feature interviews with researchers, veterinarians and other industry experts from across Canada on the latest research knowledge and technology, as well as progressive producers and feedlots that put it into practical use on their operations. Each segment will run approximately six to 10 minutes. “Producers have demonstrated that they are keen to learn and will quickly adopt new research-supported ideas when it makes sense for their operation,” says Matt Bowman, chair

TIPS & TALES

CALVING We need your...

Friends and neighbours, we are once again looking for your best calving tips and tales for CATTLEMEN’S expanded January 2013 Calving Special. We’re looking for good ideas, practical advice, or humorous tales and calving photos to share with fellow readers. A reward will be sent for Tips & Tales printed in this special.

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Enter before November 30, 2012

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CANADIAN CATTLEMEN

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of the BCRC and a producer from Thornloe, Ontario. “Given the range of research topics of interest to producers, it can be difficult for them to stay caught up on publications or attend numerous seminars and field days, so the videos will be an engaging, convenient way to learn about the latest innovations.” Topics presented by the videos will include research knowledge related to animal health and welfare, feeds, food safety, beef quality, genetics and environmental stewardship. The series will also discuss the importance and value of research in the Canadian beef cattle industry, showcase a research centre and highlight extension resources available across the country. Videos in the School will continue to be filmed and distributed through to Summer 2013. T h e B e e f R e s e a rc h S c h o o l can be found online at www. BeefResearch.ca. †

» CONTINUED FROM PAGE 38

entire industry can work to control E. coli properly and fully cook meat regardless of type or source. Also washing the vegetables thoroughly and keeping food preparation area clean are all part of good kitchen practice. Proper food handling should be the last thing you do before putting food in your mouth. What the future holds for E. coli vaccination is an evolving process. Will cattle and other animal exhibits or shows insist on vaccination? Will monitoring identify-specific feedlots with higher levels that will be forced to implement vaccination? In the barbecue season when the incidence of bacteria infection rises, will a premium be paid for cattle identified through our national identification program as “Econiche” vaccinated? Will cattle with lots of tag need to be vaccinated? Will the government help cover the cost of the vaccination out of the human health care budget as a way to greatly reduce overall health care costs? It is hard to put a value on human life or estimate the potential impact of class action lawsuits, but legal proceedings and judgments have potential to be very costly and can paralyze our industry. Vaccination together with the other preventative steps mentioned will hopefully keep this dreaded disease to a minimum and keep consumer confidence in our food source as high as possible. Perhaps the Canadian Food Inspection Agency should take the lead in helping the whole beef supply chain sort out the solutions to keeping beef safe and consumer confidence high. All the potential “helps” represent a great deal of effort, time, and money to control a diseases, which really have no ill effects on the cattle themselves. And that creates a dilemma. For further information check out two very good websites: www.fightecoli.com and www. econichevaccine.com † Roy Lewis is a practising large animal veterinarian at the Westlock Veterinary Centre, north of Edmonton. His main interests are bovine reproduction and herd health.

DECEMBER 2012 g r a i n e w s . c a /

Home Quarter Farm Life SEEDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT

Happy Christmas in the country Most families want to maintain harmony and have the legacy of happy farm memories continue ELAINE FROESE

eaps of snow in the Peace region of Alberta make it easy to visualize a “white Christmas” as I write this. If I were to ask you about the top 10 things that make a great Christmas celebration for you, what would you answer? Most families that I work with want to maintain family harmony, or get back on track again as “a happy family.” Dr. Nikki Gerrard’s research of farm families found that one of the ways that families keep resilient or strong is through celebration. Recently I met a family who decided it was high time to reinstitute monthly Sunday dinners at the home farm. This was a chance for the farmers and nonfarmers to keep connected as a family and have a real thread of conversation to keep “in the loop” about farm activities. Everyone is proud of their multigeneration farm, and they want the legacy of happy farm memories to continue. Christmas for you, may be about making memories. Sometimes our expectations are not met, and yet we can still be content and grateful for the celebration that actually transpired. Last Christmas in New

Zealand, we were embraced by a farm family who gave us stockings filled with New Zealand specialties, a church service, and a delicious meal. The delightful part for the kids was seeing Gramps shoot a rabbit and skin it. This event was not on my list of “this has to happen to be a great Christmas memory.” Sometimes we just have to let go, and live in the present moment. If you don’t have huge expectations of perfection, you might be surprised at the simple pleasures of celebrating together that bring you joy. Richness in relationship is very important to me. That’s why I just took down last year’s Christmas photos that were encroaching on the wall space of a favourite oil painting. Folks come into my home and review the faces on the wall to identify themselves, or a connection to a familiar visage. We are all longing for connection. Gerrard’s research also showed that the more resilient farm folks stayed connected to their community and each other. Sadly, there are fewer “friendly” farmers, according to some interviews I have done recently with farm managers challenged to expand their land base. The older, rural etiquette of treating neighbours with kindness and respect is being eroded. Folks who rent land for two decades are not necessarily the ones given first right of refusal to purchase the soil that they have

Fun and economical gift ideas Here’s a few ways to ease the strain of holiday gift giving BY JULIE GARDEN-ROBINSON NDSU EXTENSION SERVICE

any family budgets become strained during the holidays. With a long list of family and friends, finding enough money to go around may be challenging. To help reduce the stress of the holiday season, consider these fun and economical homemade gift ideas: • Create gift baskets. For the family member who loves movies, make a “night-in” basket. Get a large plastic bowl for popcorn to use as the container. Add packaged popcorn and a coupon for a free movie rental. Gardening, sports or any other themed baskets also work. • For parents with young children, provide a homemade coupon good for free babysitting. Other ideas include coupons for helping walk the dog, painting or cleaning. • Create a recipe booklet with favourite holiday recipes. Copy the recipes onto festive recipe cards, punch a hole in the corner of the cards and tie them together with a red ribbon. Holiday

photo albums also can be used to hold recipes. • Fill a holiday mug with packets of flavoured tea, hot cocoa or coffee for those who enjoy warm beverages. • Tie a packet of soup mix to a large wooden spoon. Include a bowl and package of biscuit mix for a complete gift. • If you are computer savvy, create homemade calendars for family members. These could include highlighted birthday and anniversary dates. Try adding family photos for a personal touch. • Repurpose old tins, filling them with cookies, muffins or other holiday goodies. A gift like this will be a delight to anybody who has little time for baking. • Make homemade mixes in a jar. Mixes for soup, bread or cookies are popular gift items that are fairly inexpensive to make. The gift recipient will appreciate the attractive and thoughtful gift and also will value the convenience. † Julie Garden-Robinson, PhD, R.D., L.R.D., is a North Dakota State University Extension Service food and nutrition specialist and associate professor in the department of health, nutrition and exercise sciences.

nurtured for many harvests. Some neighbours don’t have time to chat anymore. What kinds of connections are you longing for this month?

single person from your community to share a meal, coffee or Christmas at your home. 2. Ask your local Christmas Cheer Board what day it needs

Cut the talk about business, and move the heavy decisions or family business meeting to the 28th of December I smile inwardly when folks ask, “Are you ready for Christmas?” as if it is a badge of some weird martyrdom-type honour to say, “I will never get it all done!” Happy people really don’t care what the house looks like, and whether the cookies are off Martha Stewart’s recipe collection. Families are longing to linger at the table of hospitality and friendship. Christmas will come “ready or not!” Sadly in our neighbourhood, lifelong friends have moved west, north to the city, and some have stopped calling for a visit. Maybe it is time to be intentional about reconnecting to family and friends. A phone call or text is so easy, yet so many people don’t decide to reach out and communicate the invitation to share life and make new memories. Tips to celebrate connection this Christmas: 1. Invite a foreign student or

you to help wrap gifts, and donate practical gifts, especially for men. Help out at the food bank. We hope to help serve at the Christmas Day community dinner that serves folks who normally would be celebrating solo. 3. Bake cookies with your grandchildren and box them in the freezer for the parents as a surprise. 4. Go through the winter hat and mitts collection and see what you can recycle to the local thrift store. 5. Call a young mother (daughter-in-law) with your offer to spend three hours watching her children while she attends to some needed self-care. Blow out someone’s lane secretly! 6. Ask a widow/er if their family is coming home for Christmas. If she or he is slow to answer make sure you pick them up to spend time at your home. 7 . Vi s i t w w w. b u y n o t h i n g christmas.org and be thankful for

all the material gifts you enjoy as a very rich Canadian. Write a note of appreciation to each of your children for the delight they bring to your life, and why they are special to you. If the kids are causing you grief, write that child a letter of encouragement with your vision for their future. 8. Take out lots of great homedecorating magazines from your library like Real Simple and repurpose your pine cones, candles, and rosehips growing in the ditch. Have some fun playing with natural objects and finding treasures buried in your home. The mall parking lot is way too crowded at this time of year. Avoid the hassle of crowds, and enjoy “putzing” with what you already have. 9. Call your best friend who lives too far away and have tea with her while you both enjoy a chat on the phone or the delight of www.skype.com. 10. Celebrate fun things with your farm family. Cut the talk about business, and move the heavy decisions or family business meeting to the 28th of December. Decide to just be a family and let go of the business conversations for the moment. You are creating a legacy of good memories. The snow forts, pond skating, the sleigh rides, the winter marshmallow roasts, the log stacking… whatever your family decides to do just for fun’s sake. Do it! † Elaine Froese, CAFA, CHICoach facilitates courageous conversations with farm families who care about legacy. Visit www.elainefroese. com/contact. Buy her book, (if you must buy something for Christmas) with practical tips called Do the Tough Things Right. Sign up for her 2013 teleconference course, or join her “in-laws” focus group. Book her to activate your ag producer group to action for stronger farm families. Call 1-866-848-8311. Like her on Facebook at “farm family coach.” Merry Christmas, and God’s peace to all.

www.cyff.ca Ph: 888-416-2965

INNOVATION · INSPIRATION

MOTIVATION EDUCATION

ThE CYFF BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES PROGRAM

The CYFF BMP Program will be delivered in Alberta, Manitoba and the Maritimes. REGISTER NOW by calling the CYFF office at 888-416-2965 or by email: bmpsessions@cyff.ca The BMP program is designed to motivate young farmers to improve and identify their operations needs with confidence. Contact the CYFF office today for further details. Ph: 888-416-2965 or email: bmpsessions@cyff.ca

BMP topics include: • • • • • •

Vision for their Farm Leadership Roles Relationships, Alliances & Value Chains Risk Management Human Resources Management Production, Innovation & Environmental Management • Financial & Asset Management • Marketing Management • Succession Planning

YOUNG FARMERS: AGRICULTURE’S FUTURE.

/ g r a i n e w s . c a DECEMBER 2012

Home Quarter Farm Life POSTCARDS FROM THE PRAIRIES

I got skills… JANITA VAN DE VELDE

y skills used to include drinking vodka and chainsmoking. I suspect if we go far enough back, I’m of Russian descent. As a parent, I’ve had to hang up my shoes in these arenas and have attempted to better myself in the areas of baking, cooking, knitting, crafts... you know, all that crap that involves heavy levels of patience, mental strength and talent. These descriptions don’t bode well when stacked up against my God-given natural abilities. To give you an example of my complete and utter lack of talent in certain areas, let me tell you the tale of my trip to a kindergarten classroom last year. Along with all the other parents, I was there with my son Jack to make Christmas tree ornaments with the kids. It was all going moderately well, however, having James slung across my chest was not entirely conducive to seeing what my hands were doing, as I attempted to sprinkle glitter and apply glue. Wrong order. Apply glue, then sprinkle the glitter. See, I have the capacity to learn. At one point, I mercifully engaged my brain-to-mouth filter just in time, and avoided barking something to the effect of,

“This *#$! kid-friendly glue is *#/&. That’s not appropriate chat when teachers are lurking about. But seriously, back in the day I recall being handed a vat of contact cement, along with the requisite pat on the head for good luck, and we were sent on our way. And what was so wrong with that? At least you had something to show for your efforts once the glue dried, which was like, immediately. The fact that you likely had some skin nicely layered in there along with a piece of your shirt was beside the point. Needless to say, we made it home with a crafty ornament that looked similar to the Abominable Snowman. Jack was terribly pleased and went to hang it on the tree. This dreamy, holiday-fuelled moment lasted for about a minute, until my two-year-old daughter Isla (also known as Peanut) made a run for it and had that thing beheaded and delimbed inside of four seconds. Jack lost his marbles. Completely. “Bad, Peanut. BAD!!! MOMMY! You have to fix BOMBNIBLE!” To which I assured him I would do. I went hunting for the real thing this time, and found it in the form of some heavy-duty crazy glue. As I was preparing Bombnible’s parts, I was having some fun reading the instructions on the glue. It went something like this: Do not let glue come into contact with eyelids. If eyelids are glued shut, call doctor immediately. Well, I guess you wouldn’t be

able to do that, would you? Not being able to see may put a damper on finding the phone. I hate stating the obvious but it should likely read: If eyelids are glued shut, immediately run into the streets screaming for help. That, or kindly ask your husband, who’s likely sitting in the adjoining room watching sports, to drive you to the hospital. The label went on to say: Do not under any circumstance touch glue to skin. If this happens, contact your local Poison Control Centre immediately. That my friends, was the final clue that this was exactly the kind of glue that I was looking for — no two-year-old is peeling parts off anything once this gets laid down. Midway through reconstruction of Bombnible, I started giggling away, thinking: How big of a loser do you actually have to be to get this glue all over your ski… Roddy!! Come here quick! This fur ball is stuck to my finger! Aaaaaah… hurry! Rip it off! See Exhibit A photo of what remained of Bombnible once I was done. Yes, I’m rather embarrassed to admit that in my ensuing rage, I chucked out the ball that was meant to be the left leg, carelessly tossing it into the trash along with a chunk of my skin. Which is likely a good thing. That would have been throwing down some serious smell in a day or two. I really have no idea what happened to the right leg and the nose. I suspect Peanut ate them. My ill-fated attempt to repair Jack’s ornament got me thinking about a recent episode in church. My sister was holding Peanut, and

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

they were drawing something in Peanut’s book. She brings this little sketch pad with her everywhere, and at some point, she’ll usually ask someone to draw her a bunny or a kitty. Which incidentally, is exactly what she asked my sister to do in church. So my sister drew a kitty, or some mutant version of such. Moments later, all souls in church heard the following declaration from the clear-as-a-bell ringing voice of a two-year-old: Kitty’s boobies, Auntie. Biiiiig ones. See Exhibit B. I looked down at the drawing, then up at my sister and mouthed, “What the #@&* are you doing drawing boobs on a kitty? What’s the matter with you?” She was laughing so hard, she could hardly sit up anymore. I ask you this — why do the laughs that require this level of intense suppression always seem to happen in church? All she could manage to whisper back was, “They’re paws. Those are paws.” Yes people, apparently those pendulous abominations are paws; not

an enormous set of nursing breasts. All told, suddenly my artistic ability wasn’t looking so bad. I guess it’s all relative to who you’re comparing yourself to. So this Christmas season, please remember that it’s not about being perfect — in the end, your family won’t mind if your cake is lopsided, or the ornaments on the tree don’t look quite right. In fact, I’m willing to bet they won’t even notice. They just want to create memories with you. You are their gift. Merry Christmas, friends. Be the gift. † Janita Van de Velde grew up on a farm near Mariapolis, Man. She holds a bachelor of science degree in agricultural economics from the University of Manitoba, and has worked for a financial institution since graduating. She lives in Regina, Sask., with her husband Roddy and their children Jack, Isla and James. Her first novel, Postcards Never Written, was the recipient of the Saskatchewan Reader’s Choice Award and also listed by CBC as one of the top funny books in 2009. She donates a portion of proceeds from the sale of her book to World Vision to help those less fortunate. For more information, or to order her book, visit her website at www.janita.ca.

EXTENDED OUTLOOK FOR THE PRAIRIES Weather Forecast for the period of December 30, 2012 to January 26, 2013

Southern Alberta

Peace River Region December 30 - January 5 Clear and very cold in the north. Changeable in the south with a few higher windchills and scattered snow.

December 30 - January 5 Clear and very cold in the north. Changeable in the south with a few higher windchills and scattered snow.

January 6 - 12 Cold and clear most days except for minor warming in the south with some snow and drifting.

January 13 - 19 Higher windchills and often fair, aside from scattered light snow on a couple of days. January 20 - 26 Cold temperatures, fair skies and high windchills prevail, but minor warming in the south brings some light snow and drifting on a couple of days.

-21 / -10 Grande Prairie 32.7 mms

Manitoba

December 30 - January 5 Colder with higher windchills at times. Fair skies alternate with spotty snow and drifting.

December 30 - January 5 Colder with a few high windchill days. Fair, but some light snow and drifting on a couple of days.

January 6 - 12 Cold air dominates, but slight warming brings occasional snow and blowing on a couple of days.

January 6 - 12 Cold, but minor warming brings scattered snow and blowing on 2 or 3 days. Clear and cold in the north.

January 13 - 19 Higher windchills and often fair, aside from scattered light snow on a couple of occasions.

January 13 - 19 Mostly settled aside from light snow and drifting on 2 or 3 days. Temperatures vary from cold to mild.

January 13 - 19 Temperatures fluctuate, but average near or a bit above normal. Scattered snow and drifting.

January 20 - 26 Cold temperatures, fair skies and high windchills prevail, but minor warming in the south brings some light snow and drifting on a couple of days.

January 20 - 26 High pressure brings clear and very cold conditions on most days. Expect some light snowfall and drifting in the south on 2 or 3 occasions.

January 20 - 26 Clear skies, cold temperatures and a few high windchills dominate in spite of spotty light snow and drifting on a couple of days.

Precipitation Forecast -20 / -9 Edmonton 23.3 mms

ABOVE NORMAL

-16 / -6 Jasper

31.1 mms

-15 / -5

31.0 mms

-19 / -8 Red Deer 20.7 mms

-23 / -12 North Battleford

-27 / -16 The Pas

-26 / -14 Prince Albert

18.4 mms

-23 / -12 Saskatoon 15.9 mms

15.4 mms

18.0 mms

NEAR NORMAL

-24 / -13 Yorkton

-24 / -13 Dauphin

-26 / -15 -23 / -13 21.2 mms 19.3 mms -21 / -10 Gimli Regina -16 / -4 25.1 mms -20 / -10 Moose Jaw 14.7 mms Calgary Swift 17.7 mms -22 / -12 12.2 mms -16 / -5 -25 / -14 Portage -24 / -13 Current -21 / -12 Medicine Hat Brandon 23.8 mms Winnipeg 20.0 mms Weyburn cms 18.4 mms Lethbridge 17.319mms 19.3 mms 17.2 mms -21 / -11 20.3 mms 26 cms -14 / -3 Estevan Melita -25 / -12

Banff

Forecasts should be 80% accurate, but expect variations by a day or two because of changeable speed of weather systems.

Saskatchewan

18.8 mms

19.2 mms

Precipitation Outlook For January Much Above Normal Below Much above normal normal below normal normal

DECEMBER 2012 g r a i n e w s . c a /

Home Quarter Farm Life FROM THE FARM

Give a Love Box this year

As we prepare for Christmas, who do you know who really needs a box of love?

his night table. When he passed away it was buried with him. This gift meant more to him than you could imagine and it is a beautiful way to lighten up a person’s life that really needs to feel they are loved.

DEBBIE CHIKOUSKY

ife is about change, but it is the continuity of the moments of life that stay the same from year to year that afford us mere humans a sense of security. Christmas is one of those moments in most people’s years that are steeped in tradition and pull us all back to the most highly emotional times of our lives, both good and bad, and is tightly wound in family. Our Christmas this year will be far from normal, but for me that is all right, because I am just not ready to have a regular Christmas that will cause me to face the fact that there are some very special people in our family who left us this year. The first Christmas without loved ones is hard enough, but as many readers know our first son is getting married in January. Unfortunately, both him and his fiancée have lost their grandfathers this year. So, as we are planning our Christmas all of us are trying to keep things simple. We are not putting up a tree this year. In all my 47 years I have never not had a tree. It is usually my birthday present. Our reason for this decision isn’t missing family members it is because of the impending wedding on January 5. The children who are still at home asked if we could skip it this year and after a family vote we decided it was best. What we are going to do instead is set up my very large Nativity scene as our focal point for this year’s celebration. We are hoping this will keep us focused on the reason we celebrate Christmas and help us not miss our grandpas near as much. There are the parts of celebrating that were very special to my father-in-law, which we will make a point of doing in his memory. They are really quite easy. He absolutely lived for watching his grandchildren be happy and eat a huge Christmas dinner with all the Ukrainian trimmings. A fond memory of mine is one from many years ago when our children were babies and we were still living in the city. My father-in-law went out to buy the Christmas turkey and it was the biggest one I have ever seen. It almost didn’t fit in the oven. It was so big, my mother-in-law had to have it in the oven by 1 a.m. so we could eat it the next day. I will never forget the looks on the faces of all the grandkids when that monster bird hit the table. He didn’t like all the commercialism that has taken over Christmas either which is another reason that our decorating will centre around the Nativity this year. With the wedding so close to Christmas we have also decided to limit gift giving. As long as

all our family is together we will be happy. I came across a very special gift idea today that I would like to share. It is perfect for loved ones who might be in a life situation that they need to be reminded they are loved.

A Gift of Love This is a very special gift That you can never see. The reason it’s so special is It’s just for you from me. Whenever you are lonely Or even feeling blue. You only have to hold this gift And know I think of you. You never can unwrap it Please leave the ribbon tied. Just hold the box close to your heart It’s filled with love inside.

A LOVE BOX Bell Small box (can be recycled) Wrapping paper Recipe card Pen The idea of this gift box is to place the bell inside, then wrap the box as pretty as desired topping it with the following poem:

the start of a new one. As much as our lives are changing there will be the continuity of family as our children move forward into their new lives and we attempt to accept the losses we have been dealt. From our fam-

The first one of these boxes came to me from a friend at a time of my life that I sorely needed to read this poem daily

My son gave a Love Box to his great-grandpa for Christmas many years ago and it became his favourite present. He kept it on his headboard. When he went to the hospital it sat on

The first one of these boxes came to me from a friend at a time of my life that I sorely needed to read this poem daily. Unfortunately, she lost her husband this year so there will be another family that needs a Love Box. For our family the end of one generation is being met with

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ily to yours, we wish that all of you who are also experiencing life’s losses this Christmas be surrounded in the love of your family and remember that “blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted” Matt. 5:4. † Debbie Chikousky farms at Narcisse, Manitoba. Email her at debbie@chikouskyfarms.com.

On your gifts of…

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/ g r a i n e w s . c a DECEMBER 2012

Home Quarter Farm Life SINGING GARDENER

Last column of 2012

Never too late in the year to talk garden produce TED MESEYTON

ondering what to get a good friend or special relative for Christmas? A subscription to Grainews comes to mind immediately. It’s an excellent way to say hello and remember someone with a thoughtful gift during the holiday season. He or she will truly appreciate your kindness and who knows? I, Ted, might also gain a new reader to my Singing Gardener page. For subscription inquiries call Grainews at 1-800-665-0502.

LAST COLUMN FOR 2012 Maybe you’ve an amaryllis on the go. Christmas cactus, poinsettia and other colourful seasonal plants are always welcome. But what do you really want for Christmas and what does your heart most desire? Perhaps for many the answer might be getting together with loved ones and renewing acquaintances. Family and true friends are wealth untold and the real blessings of Christmas.

WANT TO BE HEALTHY AND STAY THAT WAY? Then look to the plant world. This December, I sense a compulsion to focus on nutritional kale and cucumber salad with honeydew for dessert. Both are wonderful additions to traditional family meals of turkey, goose and/or ham with cranberries and all the trimmings. Leafy kale is one of the most nourishing among the top 10 super foods and is actually termed “the beef alternative” from among plants. Kale tolerates cool weather better than a gaggle of geese swimming in a circle of water to keep it open as long as possible before finally freezing over.

KALE SALAD Have you ever heard of kale leaves needing a massage? Well you have now and no training as

a masseur or masseuse is required. Start with the following: One big bunch of large-size kale leaves. Cut off the bottom stems if desired. The ribs on the outer side are similar to ribs on cabbage leaves. These can be trimmed down or pared off a bit to suit yourself or left intact. With clean scissors cut kale leaves lengthwise into one-inch-wide ribbons. 1/4 teaspoon sea salt Juice of one lemon 1/4 cup almond, canola, sunflower, walnut OR hemp seed oil One apple cored and cut into bit-size chunks 1/2 cup raisins, dried apricots, blueberries OR cranberries 1/4 cup toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds Place prepared kale ribbons into a large bowl, sprinkle with sea salt and lemon juice. Using clean hands, massage kale strips with thumb and index finger for three or four minutes. Next, drizzle your choice of oil over kale and massage for another minute or two. The salt and lemon juice eventually wilt the kale greens. Toss in apple chunks, raisins or other dried fruit and sunflower or pumpkin seeds. Generously garnish with fresh cucumber slices on top. This kale salad keeps well in the fridge for a day or two. Think of it as your beef replacement. How about initiating meatless Mondays with a large kale salad as key ingredient? You’ll do your heart a favour and reduce chances of getting diabetes, colon cancer and other health concerns. Anyone who smokes will also benefit from regular consumption of kale several times a week. It’s really the very best vegetable for pulmonary wellness.

SOME KALE VARIETIES Red Russian is a Siberian kale brought to Canada in the mid1800s and is very disease resistant. It’s sometimes referred to as Canadian broccoli. Winterbor is a Scottish kale producing very tall plants with thick, ruffled bluegreen leaves. Winterbor handles winter well at maturity and is so tough that leaves can be harvested even when covered with snow. Improved Siberian also resists lateautumn and early-winter chills. This is a shorter kale (30 cm/12 in.) whose succulent stalks are

stout and heavy set on dwarf plants. Another cold-resistant kale is Redbor. Tightly curled dark-red kale leaves lend a striking addition to salads and are sometimes found in the fresh salad fixings section of food stores. Many kales are sweeter once touched by a light frost. Seeds of these and other named kales including a winter kale blend are listed in seed catalogues. Kale belongs to the cabbage family and that includes broccoli, cauliflower, collards, Brussels sprouts and even rutabaga, turnip and mustard greens. The main antagonists of kale varieties are flea beetles and cabbage moth butterflies. Left unchecked they quickly eat holes in leaves. Young plants in particular succumb quickly. These pests can be controlled by Reemay floating row cover draped over the plants. The lightweight material keeps bugs out while daylight and rain are able to penetrate. As plants grow, they lift the covering. Reemay is reusable and can be stored for the following season.

AH! TIME FOR DESSERT I never pass up this part of a meal when it’s garden-fresh, homegrown, juicy honeydew melon. Flavour is exceptional without the strong taste often found in some cantaloupes and muskmelons. Let me briefly review a couple favourites. Passport honeydew produces those big five- and six-pounders with green flesh and great taste in about 75 days or less. Seeds are available from Early’s in Saskatoon. Gardeners in shorter-season areas or cooler-spring conditions should start melon plants inside about four weeks prior to transplanting them out into the garden, usually in June. Diplomat hybrid honeydew matures a wee bit sooner than Passport with similar-size round fruits on vigorous vines that are powdery mildew resistant and tolerant of other fungal and bacterial diseases such as anthracnose. You can’t go wrong with either and I, Ted, like them both for their exceptional eating quality. Most melon plants benefit from extra nitrogen while growing. Also, a solution of one tablespoonful of fish emulsion in four litres of water is beneficial while

SUE ARMSTRONG

LOVE HEARING FROM YOU Do you have a story about a farm or home-based business? How about some household management tips? Does someone in the family have a special-diet need? Share some of your meal ideas. Send them to FarmLife, 1666 Dublin Ave., Winnipeg, Man. R3H 0H1. Phone 1-800665-0502 or email susan@ fbcpublishing.com. Please remember we can no longer return photos or material. — Sue

It may be mid-October but Blue Ridge kale pays no mind to the calendar. These lush, fully curled leaves were container grown inside a cool greenhouse. Ted sports his sunny-day shades and decides it’s time to make a kale salad. He provides the recipe in his Singing Gardener column. Blue Ridge kale seeds are available from Early’s in Saskatoon. In the garden, kale can be seeded outdoors about mid-July or later for an autumn harvest in two months or less.

Thick, aromatic, delectable green flesh of Passport honeydew has exceptional eating quality and gardeners will appreciate the small seed cavity. Note this half honeydew weighs a delightful 1.201 kilos or well over two pounds. Juicy sweetness oozes with every mouthful. plants are young. Later a kelpbased plant food from sea plants can be applied as a foliar spray when plants are in full bloom. Outer skin is smooth and turns light yellow to golden brown when ripe. The rule of thumb for ripeness is when a melon easily slips from the vine when you gently nudge it. Surprise, surprise! You can make a delicious cantaloupe pie similar to an apple pie recipe baked between two pieces of pastry. Use a little less sugar and thicken with some instant tapioca, cornstarch or flour.

SHARING AN EMAIL It’s courtesy of Trudy Clavelle from near Plunkett in central Saskatchewan. She writes: Dear Singing Gardener, I just wanted you to know I have been gardening for many years and have always used the same varieties that have been tried and true. This year I decided to be adventurous and try the Cool Breeze cucumbers you had raved about. I was amazed at how good these are and I told everyone that went by my garden that they are just the best cucumber. Never got bitter and maintained their exceptional taste right until the end of the season. It does not matter how long you have planted a garden or how old you are, Mother Nature and fellow gardeners can always pleasantly surprise you. You just have to be willing to go out of the box (no pun intended). Thanks for the tip! I purchased the seeds at Early’s in Saskatoon. I seeded them directly into the garden the same time as I planted the rest of my vegetables. Mother Nature provided the only water. I did not use many in pickles or relish as they were just so good fresh eating. Compared to my other varieties (straight eight and national pickling) they had a much different skin texture (some-

what smoother), smaller seeds, never went bitter, and maintained a crisp, sweet flavour. Ranked 10 out of 10 on my scale. We will see how they perform next year. Happy Gardening. I am Trudy and I am near Plunkett, which is central Saskatchewan. Isn’t it wonderful to hear such a success story? I, Ted, agree with Trudy’s assessment that “Mother Nature and fellow gardeners can always pleasantly surprise you.” No need to try the following with Cool Breeze. Who would have thought I’d end up writing about cucumbers in December? Here’s what my mother taught me long before I discovered some varieties had a bitter taste. She’d cut off a 1-1/2-inch piece from the stem end where the cucumber joined the vine. Then she rubbed the cutoff tip vigorously back and forth for a few seconds over the remainder of the cuke. The friction drew out a white foaming substance (said to be the bitterness) that was then washed off the main section of the cucumber. The cut end was discarded to the compost heap. Cucumber sandwiches are among “the best.” †

This is Ted Meseyton the Singing Gardener and Grow-It Poet from Portage la Prairie, Man. May you, my Grainews readers wherever you are know joy and peace this holiday season. May you gather together in a bright bouquet of harmony and love, charity and tranquil spirit with family and friends during this festive time leading into Christmas, the new year and throughout 2013! Let’s get together again with the January 7 Grainews issue. My email address is singinggardener@mts.net.

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