TheWheatField THE NEWSLETTER OF THE SASKATCHEWAN WHEAT DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MARCH 2015 EDITION
CHAIR’s Message:
Growing the Future of Research What we are doing to ensure agronomic research continues The return on investment for producer-funded research has historically been very positive, with $20.40 for every $1 invested in varietal research returned to producers (according to a recent WGRF report). But while we already know that varietal/genetic research is highly valuable, it’s important to note that agronomic research is equally important – this is what maximizes the potential of these new varieties. Did you know that an estimated 50% of yield gains are the result of advances in agronomic practices? Right now the future of this type of research is uncertain, due to a number of factors and challenges. As we develop our research program through Sask Wheat, this has been identified as a major priority for us. We want to make sure that we are building a long-term, sustainable future for this type of research. How are we doing this? First, by gaining a better understanding of what the state of agronomy research currently looks like in Western Canada. We have been working with one of our major partners, the Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF), who recently completed an inventory of agronomic research capacity in Western
in this issue
Sask Wheat news . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . We need improved market access and market information . . . . . . . . . . An update on fusarium head blight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Researcher profile: Ron DePauw . . . . . Research partner profile: Agri-ARM . . Market development partner profile: Cigi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Canada, looking at factors such as capital, human resources, collaboration, and capacity needs for producer-funded research. The findings indicated that while the universities, provincial governments, and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) currently have staff, resources and capacity in place for agronomic research, there are several projected shortfalls in these areas in coming years. These include projected gaps in human resources, project and core operating funds, equipment and technology, physical space (land and buildings), networks, priority development, communications, and leadership. WGRF’s ability to quantify these projected gaps in capacity for organizations interested in cereals research should held prevent these potential shortfalls from becoming prohibitive to research. This means that we have some work to do. But the good news is we all share the same goal of delivering the highest value back to producers in return for their check-off investments. We know what some of the key challenges are and can therefore work together to best address them. For a complete version of WGRF’s report on this study, visit http://westerngrains.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/ Executive-Summary-Western-Canadian-Agronomic-ResearchCapacity.pdf. Bill Gehl, Chair
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Did you know?
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Wheat is food for 2.5 billion people in 89 countries.
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INTERNATIONAL MAIZE AND WHEAT IMPROVEMENT CENTER
Save the Date for Sask Wheat’s Semi-Annual Meeting! Wednesday, June 17 (during Farm Progress Show) 8 am at Salon 2 & 3, Evraz Place, Regina Breakfast included • Speaker TBA All registered wheat producers are encouraged to attend the Sask Wheat SemiAnnual Meeting. This meeting is a chance for wheat producers to meet with Sask Wheat staff and Board members, to share their input on the industry and their check-off investments, and to learn more about the work we’re doing. Please consider dropping by our meeting. Visit www.saskwheatcommission.com in coming months for more details.
Sask Wheat News Check Out Our New website! In January, Sask Wheat launched a brand new website, designed to be a hub for growers to come to for information on wheat production and marketing and the latest industry news and events. The new website features up-to-date information about grain prices, weather, wheat research, news, industry events, and more. Check it out at www.saskwheatcommission.com.
Send Us Your Email Address! We want to keep you informed about important news and information in our industry, as it happens. Please send your name and email address to info@saskwheatcommission. com so that we can add you to our list. We will not send you spam emails and you can opt out at any time.
New Office Location Sask Wheat has moved! Our new address is 310-111 Research Drive, at Innovation Place in Saskatoon. Please ensure any forms you have downloaded from our website have our new mailing address on them. If they don’t, please download a new form from our website. All our updated information is available at www.saskwheatcommission.com.
New Staff Sask Wheat welcomes Delaney Seiferling to our team! Delaney joined us in November of last year, in the position of Communications/ Marketing Manager. Delaney has nearly ten years’ experience in media, communications and marketing. Most recently she served as Communications Manager at Saskatchewan Pulse Growers. She has a degree in English literature from the University of Saskatchewan, a degree in Journalism from Mount Royal University and just successfully defended her Master’s thesis in Communications Management and Public Relations last month. Her thesis project focused on Saskatchewan’s agriculture industry.
Upcoming Market Prospects Market Prospects is a television series, sponsored in part by Sask Wheat and developed by the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Agriculture and Bioresources, which aims to provide producers with timely, expert information on commodity markets, production conditions, and other related agricultural issues. Episodes appear on the CTV network’s Farmgate, and run each year prior to spring planting season. You can view the schedule for 2015 at http://marketprospects.usask.ca/index.html
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Board Members: Bill Gehl, Chair Regina Dan Danielson, Vice-Chair Saskatoon Rod Flaman Edenwold Laura Reiter Radisson Ken Rosaasen Preeceville Bill Rosher Kindersley Glenn Tait Meota
Staff: Harvey Brooks General Manager Pat Tremaine Office Administrator Blair Goldade Research Program Manager Delaney Seiferling Communications/Marketing Manager The Wheat Field is a publication of the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission (Sask Wheat). Articles are not to be reproduced without written permission from Sask Wheat. Articles represent the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Sask Wheat. CONTACT US: Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission 310 - 111 Research Drive Saskatoon SK S7N 3R2 Phone: 306-653-7932 Fax: 306-653-7935 saskwheatcommission.com info@saskwheatcommission.com
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THE WHEAT FIELD
GENERAL MANAGER’S REPORT:
We Need Improved Market Access and Market Information Current transportation conditions drive home need for change The 2014 harvest, combined with the carryover from 2013/14, resulted in the second largest exportable surplus for Western Canada in recent history, and Saskatchewan wheat producers once again faced the challenge of insufficient handling and transportation capacity to meet their needs. The result? There has been an excessively wide gap between the price producers receive at the primary elevator and what the grain is sold for at export position. When the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission (Sask Wheat) made its submission to the Canada Transportation Act (CTA) review panel in December, it calculated that the export basis between FOB Vancouver and the Saskatchewan primary elevator position was $113/mt – more than $40/mt over the actual posted costs. Well, in the last few months a few things have changed. Interestingly, while the Pacific Northwest (PNW) FOB price in American dollars has dropped considerably since last October, the FOB Vancouver price for 1CWRS 13.5% in Canadian dollars has held strong and was actually up $1-2/mt between October and February, mainly due to the reduction in the Canadian dollar exchange rate. This does not mean, however, that producers are seeing the same primary elevator price as they did last October, as the basis between the export FOB prices and the primary elevator prices has widened a further $21/mt to over $134/mt. So even though the export price at Vancouver has held steady to slightly higher, the primary elevator price that producers receive for wheat had declined a further $21/mt between October and February. Rail transportation and handling capacity has not improved and this is being reflected in even lower returns for producers, relative to the export market as the year
Did you know? Choosing 100% whole grain breads and pasta in addition to brown rice, nuts, seeds and legumes, helps lower the risk of heart disease. FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
progresses. Producers will be forced to carry excess inventories over into the next crop year and are losing money on every tonne they marketed in 2014/15, relative to the export market returns. The loss of export revenue to a producer who markets 2,000 tonnes of grain per year is therefore between $40-$60/mt, depending on when they priced their grain. That translates into a loss of $80-$120,000 in 2014/15 for that producer. You can do your own math for your own situation. What can be done? Well, I would go back to two key recommendations from the report that Sask Wheat, as part of a coalition of producer groups including APAS, Sask Pulse, and SaskBarley, submitted to the CTA review panel last December. First, Sask Wheat recommended that the CTA and/or other legislation be amended to provide mandatory information reporting for the grain handling and transportation system to function effectively. This recommendation is especially timely right now, as price transparency for producers within the current market environment is incredibly poor. The type of information that needs to be made available is primary elevator cash prices and export price quotes, with detail by grade, protein level, and location. Grade and protein spreads are essential for producers who are making marketing decisions. The identification of information needs, collection, and dissemination will be critical to future system performance. Secondly, Sask Wheat recommended that the CTA create a rail oversight/planning group that includes agricultural producer representation, in order to establish performance targets and assess ongoing operations of the railways. Currently, the railways establish their annual capacity in a non-transparent process according to their own business objectives and make their own ongoing, operational decisions throughout the year. That can have profound effects on producers. Through the coalition submission to the CTA review panel, producers are asking for a voice in how the annual capacity is set, and how it is managed throughout of the year. Clearly all producers will need to work hard to get these recommendations discussed and implemented. The importance of these recommendations is especially apparent in a year like 2014/15, where basis levels widen throughout the year and producers have no insight or oversight on rail operations, even though they are so directly and uniquely impacted by the results. Sask Wheat will continue working on behalf of wheat producers in Saskatchewan to ensure that appropriate changes are made and sustained. Harvey Brooks, General Manager
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agronomy:
An Update on FHB A look at agronomic best practices related to this disease Dr. Anita Brûlé-Babel, from the University of Manitoba’s Department of Plant Science, led a session in January at CropSphere 2015 regarding fusarium head blight (FHB), focusing on research advances and Dr. Brûlé-Babel, from the University of Manitoba’s Department of Plant Science, led a agronomic best practices session on FHB updates at CropSphere 2015. related to this disease. In case you’ve missed it, here are some highlights from the session that are applicable to wheat producers as we head into another growing season.
Background Prior to the 1980s, fusarium head blight (FHB) outbreaks were sporadic, but since then severe outbreaks have occurred more frequently, primarily in Ontario and Manitoba, and more recently in Saskatchewan and Alberta. These outbreaks are having huge impacts on wheat crops, causing losses in yield and end-use quality, threats to food and feed safety, and grain marketability. The overall financial losses associated with FHB between 1980 and 2009 were in excess of $1 billion. In order to help minimize the damage and risks associated with FHB, researchers are working hard to develop resistant varieties. However, although there have been significant improvements made to variety resistance in the past five years, challenges still remain and variety resistance is not complete.
Management strategies As we head into another growing season, what do wheat producers need to know about FHB management? There are several management strategies, which producers are advised to employ as a multi-pronged approach. They include: • Choosing varieties with the highest levels of resistance rating • Using fungicides on your crops during flowering when the risk of infection is moderate to high • Using high-quality seed • Optimizing your crop rotation • Managing residue • Employing best practices for harvest and storage management
Tips for fungicide use If you’re planning to use fungicides this season, these are important factors to consider: • The risk of FHB is highest when the crop is at the flowering stage and environmental conditions are favourable for the pathogen. These conditions include precipitation up to seven days prior to flowering, warm daytime temperatures, high humidity, and nighttime temperatures higher than 10°C • Fungicides are suppressive only – they don’t provide complete control • The timing of the application is critical (check with your product supplier for information on proper use) • Be certain you’re using the proper application technology to ensure proper application, ie. properly configured sprayer nozzles • You will get your best results when you combine fungicides with the most resistant varieties
Did you know? The Roman goddess, Ceres, who was deemed protector of the grain, gave grains their common name today—”cereal.” NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WHEAT GROWERS COURTESY: Gloria Gingera, University of Saskatchewan
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RESEARCHER PROFILE:
Saskatchewan Wheat Breeder Did What Couldn’t be Done! A look back at Ron DePauw’s remarkable career – by Brian Cross Over his 45-year career as a professional plant breeder, it’s been estimated that Ron DePauw has added billions of dollars to the pocketbooks and bank accounts of Western Canada’s producers. DePauw, a prominent member of the research community in Saskatchewan, has been working as a professional wheat breeder with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) since the early 1970s. During that time, he has spearheaded the development of some of the country’s most valuable and productive wheat varieties — varieties that offer improved yield potential, better end-use quality, higher protein content, enhanced nutrient uptake, better disease resistance, better insect resistance and ultimately, bigger farm gate profits. “We did what people said couldn’t be done,” said DePauw, who is quick to share credit with his colleagues at AAFC’s Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre (SPARC) in Swift Current, Saskatchewan (SK). “There has always been this negative association between grain yield and protein. But we shifted that relationship. We didn’t break it, but we shifted it so that we were able to increase grain yield significantly in wheat without losing any protein content.” The list of Canadian wheat varieties developed by DePauw is long but AC Barrie was one of the most popular. AC Barrie alone was estimated to have boosted prairie farm incomes by more than $800 million. That’s more than three quarters of a billion dollars over and above what producers would have earned growing any other commercially available variety. AC Barrie was the most widely grown spring wheat variety in Canada for eight consecutive years between 1998 and 2005. All told, the variety has been planted on more than 40 million acres of Canadian farmland since its commercial release. DePauw’s lifelong involvement in agriculture took root early on. He was raised on a family farm in the Veregin area — not
Did you know? Wheat continues to be the most important food grain source for humans. FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
Ron DePauw has spearheaded the development of some of the country’s most valuable and productive wheat varieties.
far from Kamsack, SK — and later moved with his parents to Treherne, Manitoba. After completing high school in Treherne, he began his post-secondary education, which took him to universities in Winnipeg, Guelph and St Louis, Missouri. He eventually returned to Winnipeg to complete a Master’s degree and PhD at the University of Manitoba. The day after he defended his PhD thesis in 1973, DePauw hopped in his VW Beetle and drove to Beaverlodge, Alberta, to begin his career as an AAFC plant breeder. He moved to Swift Current a few years later and has worked there ever since. DePauw’s accomplishments and contributions to the Western Canadian farm economy are difficult to overstate. Over the past four decades, he has helped to develop more than 50 different wheat varieties, many of which were planted on millions of acres by commercial grain producers. After AC Barrie, Lillian also became the most widely grown CWRS wheat variety grown in Western Canada — a remarkable accomplishment considering it was a solid stemmed cultivar. In addition to offering producers good yields and high protein content, Lillian also conferred resistance to the wheat stem sawfly, a tiny insect that was costing the industry millions of dollars in lost production every year. “When I joined AAFC, they said that solid stemmed wheat varieties are lower yielding than hollow stemmed because of the allocation of carbohydrates into the stem pith,” DePauw said. “But Lillian was the first solid stemmed wheat ever to become the most widely grown CWRS wheat in Canada and that’s because it had a good yield-to-protein relationship.” (continued on last page)
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RESEARCH PARTNER PROFILE:
Expanding the Reach of Saskatchewan Research A look at the unique benefits of the Agri-ARM research model – by Danny Petty There is a whole lot of research activity going on in our province that you may not even be aware of. One example of this is Agriculture Applied Research Management (Agri-ARM). Agri-ARM spans eight regional non-profit organizations to create a Saskatchewan wide network that provides producers with local results of field trials that are relevant to their farms.
How Agri-ARM works Led by volunteer boards of directors comprised primarily of producers, these sites serve as centres for applied research and demonstration, focused on enhancing crop production, efficiency, and environmental stewardship. Each Agri-ARM site receives funding from the provincial government to help with infrastructure and operational costs required to complete field activities, with the remaining funds being secured through project-based funding. This project-based funding comprises the majority of support received by each organization, and comes from a variety of sources including all levels of government, commodity groups from across Western Canada, and private industry from around the world.
COURTESY: IHARF
Agri-ARM field days take place each summer, giving producers the opportunity to learn about research outcomes specific to their area of the province.
Research One past research project included examining spring wheat fungicide application timing, with results showing that a single fungicide application at early flowering with a product registered for both leaf disease and fusarium head blight suppression provided the most consistent yield and quality benefits. Another project looked at the effect of plant growth regulators (PGR) on spring wheat, with results
What makes Agri-ARM uniquely effective, however, is its capacity to coordinate projects across many locations, allowing for the same trial to take place across the province in any given year, broadening the relevance to producers in various regions and soil climatic zones.
The eight Agri-ARM sites operating in Saskatchewan include: Conservation Learning Centre (CLC), Prince Albert www.conservationlearningcentre.com East Central Research Foundation (ECRF), Canora/Yorkton – www.ecrf.ca Indian Head Agricultural Research Foundation (IHARF), Indian Head www.iharf.ca Irrigation Crop Diversification Corporation (ICDC), Outlook www.irrigationsaskatchewan.com Northeast Agriculture Research Foundation (NARF), Melfort – www.neag.ca South East Research Farm (SERF), Redvers www.facebook.com/southeastresearchfarm Western Applied Research Corporation (WARC), Scott www.westernappliedresearch.com Wheatland Conservation Area (WCA), Swift Current www.wheatlandconservation.ca
COURTESY: IHARF
Sask Wheat is a proud sponsor of Agri-ARM Field Days.
indicating the potential for significant reductions in lodging, improvements in yield, but a decrease in protein content. Some studies currently in development include: examining the effects of genotype, weather, fungicide and glyphosate on the gluten strength of wheat; assessing the efficacy of various specialty fertilizer products; and investigating the use of PGRs in combination with various seeding rates and fertility levels in wheat. (continued on last page)
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market development partner PROFILE:
Your Check-Off Dollars at Work A look at the work the Canadian International Grains Institute is doing to further producer investment – by Heather Johnson
COURTESY: Cigi
Participants at the February Combine to Customer program get hands on in Cigi’s pilot bakery where they learned about the wheat and flour quality attributes customers require for bread-making.
COURTESY: Cigi
In Cigi’s pilot flour mill during the January Combine to Customer Program, participants learn about the intricacies of wheat milling.
As a grains producer in Western Canada, a portion of your Western Canadian check-off deduction goes towards supporting the Canadian International Grains Institute (Cigi), based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Here’s some information about the organization and the important work it is doing on behalf of Western Canadian producers. Cigi has been providing market development and technical support to the domestic and international grain industry since 1972. Funded by producers through the Western Wheat and Barley Check-off (at a rate of 15¢/tonne for wheat), the Government of Canada (AAFC), and industry partners, Cigi’s mission is to create a global advantage for Canadian field crops. Cigi is governed by a Board of Directors comprising seven members from a cross section of the industry including producers, marketers, and exporters. Randy Johner, a producer from Estevan, Saskatchewan, sits on the board. Last September, Cigi welcomed JoAnne Buth as its CEO. JoAnne is well known domestically and internationally, having spent most of her professional life in agriculture. With its extensive knowledge of field crops and the processing and end-product requirements of customers in global markets, Cigi’s technical expertise, applied research activities, and facilities are unique in both scale and scope. During the past 43 years Cigi has delivered over 1,500 educational programs to international customers, Canadian producers, and other domestic industry members. Many Western Canadian producers have attended Cigi’s Combine to Customer course, and some of Sask Wheat’s Board members have attended these sessions in recent months.
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COURTESY: Cigi
During a session in Cigi’s pilot noodle lab, Combine to Customer participants learn how different types of Asian noodles are made with Canadian wheat.
The Combine to Customer programs are typically held each year in January, February, and March. In addition to wheat, Cigi works extensively with a variety of other Canadian field crops including pulses, barley, oilseeds, and special crops. Cigi’s technical facilities include a pilot flour mill, pilot and test bakeries, pilot noodle plant, pilot pasta and extrusion plant, pulse processing and specialty milling facility, and analytical and food testing laboratories. Throughout 2015/16, Cigi will be working with the provincial wheat commissions, commodity associations, and other industry members to identify priority issues and opportunities ensuring Cigi’s market development and technical support efforts are providing the greatest return to producers and the entire value chain. Learn more about Cigi at www.cigi.ca or on Twitter @CigiWinnipeg. Heather Johnson is the Director, Communications and Branding, at Cigi. She can be reached at hjohnson@cigi.ca.
Did you know? Wheat originated in the “cradle of civilization” in the Tigris and Euphrates river valley, near what is now Iraq. CALIFORNIA WHEAT COMMISSION
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Researcher Profile: Ron DePauw from page five DePauw also played a leading role in the development and maintenance of new wheat varieties that offer genetic resistance to the orange blossom wheat midge, an insect responsible for causing tens of millions of dollars worth of damage each year on Western Canadian farms. One of the latest cultivars available to commercial producers is Carberry, which was the most widely grown CWRS cultivar in Canada in 2014. “It’s got an incredible suite of resistance to all of the diseases, so not only to fusarium headblight but also to leaf rust, stem rust, common bunt, yellow rust and loose smut,” he said. DePauw sees wheat breeding as a continuous challenge. Addressing production and end-use problems through genetic selection and modern plant breeding techniques requires plant breeders to constantly be seeking solutions and thinking outside the box. “If someone tells you that something can’t be done, treat that as wisdom and advice but don’t automatically accept that that’s how it really is,” DePauw said. “Figure out how to get around the challenge so that in the end, you’ve created something new and different that wasn’t available before.”
310 - 111 Research Drive, Saskatoon SK S7N 3R2 Phone: (306) 653-7932 | Web: saskwheatcommission.com
Research Partner Profile: Agri-ARM from page six The results of these studies will be accessible at extension events and online as they become available.
Research results The results of our research projects are shared with the public in a range of formats. Field days and winter meetings organized by each Agri-ARM site attract guests from all across the prairies, providing producers and agronomists with the opportunity to interact directly with researchers and to consult with specialists from a wide variety of disciplines. Sask Wheat is one of the sponsors of these events. Visit www.iharf.ca for information on upcoming events this summer. The results of Agri-ARM projects can also be found online at each organization’s website. There are currently plans in the works to create one central access point for all this information, and to create a method for submitting trial ideas for future studies. Watch for more information on this in coming months. Danny Petty is the Executive Manager of the Indian Head Agricultural Research Foundation. He can be reached at dpetty@iharf.ca.
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