The Battlefords, Thursday, July 23, 2015 - Page 2
armer ancher Serving the producers of Northwest Saskatchewan Thursday, July 23, 2015, North Battleford, Saskatchewan
90,000 acres available to livestock producers Staff
the province. Those producers awarded access to these Cattle ranchers who’ve lands will be responsible for struggled with dry condi- those costs. tions this season are getting They will be available some relief from the provin- on a first-come, first-served cial government. basis and the same grazLast week, provincial ing lease fees apply to these Environment Minister and lands as they do to agriculBattlefords MLA Herb tural Crown lands. Cox, along with Agriculture A list of what’s availMinister Lyle Stewart, an- able will be on the Ministry North Battleford, Saskatchewan nounced they would be mak- of Environment’s website ing available 90,000 acres of and available at local officFish and Wildlife Develop- es. Producers should contact ment Fund land to cattle pro- their local Ministry of Enviducers facing dry conditions ronment office for informaacross the province. tion. This land is located This is not the first time across the province and is these have been made availtypically used for conserva- able to cattle producers, as tion purposes. Some of the they were also opened up land being made available is during the dry conditions of fenced and has water sources 2009. available, but much of it will In a statement, Cox acneed temporary fencing and knowledged the tough conwater sources, according to ditions for cattle producers
armer
ancher
Serving the producers of Northwest Saskatchewan
Thursday, July 23, 2015,
this year. “We recognize the challenges that dry conditions have created for some cattle producers and are pleased to make this land available for grazing,” Cox said. “It will offer significant acres for cattle producers, and revenue generated as a result of this initiative will help fund future conservation initiatives.” Stewart welcomed the announcement. “We appreciate the Ministry of Environment making these lands available,” he said in a release. “The extremely dry conditions of this spring and summer have left many cattle producers searching for additional pasture. This grassland will help producers who are facing a shortage of feed for their cattle.”
SECOND SECTION
NWT cancels plans for share buyback Staff
—Photo by Louise Lundberg
The board of directors of North West Terminal Ltd. has announced it will not proceed with an issuer bid for its shares at this time. The company previously announced Feb. 20, 2015 its plan to buy back approximately $800,000 worth of Class A and Class B shares from shareholders. “The board of directors is very concerned about dryness in the region, as this has the potential to greatly reduce grain handling volumes,” says NWT’s president Brad Sperle, who farms near Unity. “This combined with lower oil prices, and reduced margins on the bio-products side of the business, will
likely mean lower revenues for both of our companies, NWT and NWB, meaning, as always, we will have to be very cautious about new spending. An issuer bid may be reconsidered by the board of directors in the future if circumstances change.” Because its press release contains forward-looking statements, NST states the following: “While these statements reflect our current expectations, they are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to changes in the market and general economic conditions. Additional risks and uncertainties are described in NWT’s annual MD&A dated Feb. 11, 2015 and most recent interim MD&A dated June 23, 2015, both of which are filed on www.sedar.com.”
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The Battlefords, Thursday, July 23, 2015 - Page 2
A little rain can sure turn things around Today is the third day of showers. What happened? The weather was so hot a person hated to be outside and now we are getting showers. I am not complaining as this is just what I asked the Big Guy for, but usually he ignores me. The canola crops have gone from two feet tall with their tongues hanging out for rain to suddenly four feet high and full flower. Wow! Can Mother Nature ever turn things around when she wants. On the home front, this week has been about painting the house. The truck clutch has been set aside. We can’t do the shop door until that truck gets done and out of the way. Since our crew dwindled down to just Ty, we decided he would start painting the house. I had bought an airless sprayer from a place in Lloydminster that shall remain nameless. We also bought a five-gallon pail of paint on the recommendation of a guy that was working there. When I think of him that old country tune comes in my head. You remember how it goes “May the bird of paradise fly up your nose: May an elephant caress you with its toes.” I don’t remember how the rest of the tune goes, but I remember how it started. Anyway we started trying to paint. First the brand new paint sprayer would not work. It would just put out a big blast and then just a dribble. Something was drastically wrong. I took it back and told them make it work or give me my money back. Finally after a day or so they phoned and said it was fixed. My wife brought it home. It was exactly the same. I give up, its brand new, how much can be wrong with it? Someone somewhere knows what is wrong with it. Life is too short to deal with those idiots. While we were waiting for the airless sprayer, we had this pail of paint. Ty got a roller out and he started painting. It was just like he was doing nothing. I accused him of not having any paint on the roller. It was hard to see where he had painted. I made him repaint what he had done. Not much better. Upon investigation we found we had waterbased paint. That did not work on X-90 siding. Where is that bird of paradise, anyways? I went to Home Hardware and with the help of Ken found a woman who worked there that had been painting for a living. She provided me with the right undercoat and two pails of right paint for the job. My back kills me if I am shopping so I sat on Art’s chair while the paint got shook up and Ken loaded the paint in my truck and I took it home. What a pleasure in places to deal with. Ty repainted over the water based stuff and what a difference. The
color on the house is like it was when it was new, bright white. I am happy. The house is just about done. Of all the people who looked at it, I had only one critic. She wrinkled up her nose and said, “It should have been sanded first.” Lord love a billy goat, after all that work, how do you sand X-90 siding, anyways? Some people will always find fault no matter what you do. I don’t care, I like it as it is. Terry Crush has phoned me. He is concerned that the deadline is fast approaching for putting in submissions to the Review of the Foreign Ownership of Saskatchewan Farmlands Act. You can submit online before Aug. 10. I personally like what Saskatchewan Minister of Agriculture Lyle Stewart said. He has no problem with people from foreign countries buying Saskatchewan farmland but after they buy it, get their butts on the ground, get their kids on the school buses and support local businesses. I see no good coming from
ic’s
View By Victor Hult
Regular contributor to newsoptimist.ca having pension funds and other money funds holding large blocks of Saskatch-
ewan farmland. If that isn’t a community killer, I don’t know what is.
—Photo by Roger Giesbrecht
Other people having birthdays are Wally Polinsky celebrating 91 July 17, Marion Mcdougall July 21 will celebrate another 29th birthday, Bob Polinski will celebrate his 93rd birthday July 24. My old friend Dorothy has asked me to tell everyone the old cowboy Scotty Wiltermuth will celebrate 91 years young July 27. Scotty lives in his own house. He does his own cooking and cleaning and is as spry as a barnyard rooster on a sunny morning. Many more happy birthdays to everybody. July 25, I am putting on my own birthday party in the Waseca Hall at 7 p.m. for happy hour and dancing starts at 8 p.m. I would ask everyone to consider coming and have a good time visiting neighbours and friends. This all started back in January when my wife and I were going to funerals every second or third day. Our friends were dying like flies and the only time we get to see each other is at funerals. I thought there could be a better system.
So since I am going to be the big 70 this year, why not have a get together with everyone invited. Bring your wife or husband or significant other. Bring your kids or grandkids, everyone welcome. I have booked the Waseca Hall, I have the Yellowhead Ramblers playing music. Curtis Sutherland has agreed to look after the bar. There will be coffee and tea available for the teetotallers. There will be juice jugs for the kids and some door prizes. Let’s have some good visiting. We’re all going to have a good time. Joke of the week: A couple was married for 50 years when the husband suddenly died. The daughter was trying to console her mother and asked what happened. The mother said Sunday morning when the bell of St Joseph’s Cathedral are tolling, they found the bells were the perfect rhythm for sex. The woman wailing away said he would have lived if it wasn’t for that damn ice cream truck going by.
Page 3 - The Battlefords, Thursday, July 23, 2015
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The Battlefords, Thursday, July 23, 2015 - Page 4
Planning ahead: exit strategies By Karen Smith, BSA
Ministry of Agriculture
—Photo by Louise Lundberg
Get your bales out of the ditch by Aug. 8 Staff The Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure says all bales in provincial highway ditches must be removed from the highway right-of-way by Aug. 8. A release issued last week states, “To minimize hazards to the traveling
public, bales that are not removed by Aug. 8 or are too close to the shoulder may be removed by the Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure.” The ministry also says regular ditch mowing will be carried out by ministry contractors along all fourlane highways between
July 15 and the fall. A fourmetre-wide strip will be mowed adjacent to the other highways with additional mowing as required to ensure visibility and weed control. The progress of the contracted mowing will be dependont on the weather and ditch conditions.
An exit strategy can be easily defined as a way to transfer the ownership of a company, whether this is through succession from one generation to the next, or the outright sale of the entire farm. It can often be overwhelming and stressful, and many choose to simply ignore the situation until it is placed in front of them. But proper planning well in advance can help ensure farmers are prepared and that the transition is smooth. There are several things that need to be considered when looking at an exit strategy. Farmers need to consider who they want to be included in the plan and how they will be included. A time line should be created to implement the plan and list the steps that need to be carried out in order for the end goal to be reached. Often it is easier to think of an exit or transition strategy as a process over time and not as one single event. Farmers need to know their operation, which is why building an exit strategy into the overall business plan is a good idea. Know-
ing the strengths and weakness of the overall business and how an exit or transition will affect things is important to the future success of the farm. Talking to advisors and consultants can help ensure the business structure currently utilized is the best option, and knowing the financial situation can help properly prepare and set future goals. Having a plan or idea of what will happen after the exit from the farm is also important. If the plan is to launch a new business or retire to the sunny south, planning accordingly can help make these dreams a reality. Farmers need to be flexible and realize that as time goes on situations change which may create a need to revise the exit plan. Reviewing and adjusting the plan on a regular basis can help en-
sure the plan stays up to date and accurate. The Ministry of Agriculture will be hosting an exit strategies workshop for producers in Tisdale on March 24, 2015. This evening workshop will cover topics such as why you need a strategy in the first place, business structure and taxation considerations as well as financial management for retirement and beyond. For more information on the upcoming workshop, or other farm business management related topics, please contact Karen Smith, at 306-873-8841, call the Agriculture Knowledge Centre at 1-866-457-2377, or visit www.agriculture.gov. sk.ca. — Smith is regional farm business management specialist, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture at Tisdale Regional Services Branch.
The obsolete pesticide and livestock disposal program is free. Farmers are encouraged to bring agricultural pesticide or livestock/ equine medications into a designated ag-retail collection locations during the October 2015 collection period.
A licensed hazardous waste hauler will safely manage the products and send them for environmentally responsible disposal via high temperature incineration. visit http://www.cleanfarms.ca/ programs_obsolete_pesticide_collection).
Obsolete collection program
Page 5 - The Battlefords, Thursday, July 23, 2015
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Drought-proofing your garden By Erl Svendsen
While it’s too early to say we’re facing a drought in parts of the prairies, droughts are a regular occurrence in this region and sooner rather than later, we’ll be facing long stretches of low precipitation. So consider drought-proofing your garden by adopting some of the following suggestions. Amend the soil with organic matter (e.g. compost or manure), especially if it’s sandy, to help retain water as well as to enrich the soil with essential nutrients. Make sure the organic matter has been composted sufficiently to kill weed seeds and diseases. Cover bare soil with 10 to 15 centimetres organic mulch. Mulch not only reduces surface evaporation, it keeps the soil cool (reduces plant stress) and smoothers weed seedlings. Organic mulch breaks down and you will need to top dress your beds every two or three years. For transplants in the vegetable garden, consider using black (or red for tomatoes) plastic mulch to really reduce water loss and control weeds. Use drip irrigation (e.g. weeping hoses) to irrigate your flower, shrub and vegetable beds (place under mulch layer). Water is applied right where it’s needed with little evaporation. Water early in the day so when it’s hot and dry, plants can draw up the water they need to stay hydrated and to cool themselves through evapotranspiration. Infrequent deep irrigation (e.g. apply three centimetres water once per week) encourages deep root formation allowing plants to reach water at depth; conversely shallow-rooted plants rely on surface moisture and are more likely to become stressed as soon as the soil starts to dry and soil temperature rises. Keep your weeds under control. Weeds not only detract from the beauty of your garden, they also suck up water, steal nutrients and crowd out your ornamental plants. Also control pests and diseases as these put additional stress on your plants making them less able to respond to drought. Finally, choose naturally drought-tolerant plants. Many of our native prairie
arden Chat plants are drought tolerant and make excellent ornamentals. Look for plants with deep roots, succulent leaves or hairy, silvery leaves. One strategy some plants use to survive drought is avoidance – they grow only in early spring or late fall and are dormant during the hottest and driest part of the year. For non-native plants, look for ones from other dry regions like the Mediterranean or northern interior Asia. The following is a partial list of native (N) and introduced (I) drought tolerant plants. Trees: Amur maple (I), bur oak (N), chokecherry (N), green ash (N), Manitoba maple (N), Russian olive (I), Scots pine (I), lodgepole pine (N), Colorado spruce (I), subalpine fir (I) and Siberian larch (I). Shrubs and vines: caragana (I), dogwood (N), hawthorn (N), honeysuckle (I), juniper (N), lilac (I), mugo pine (I), prairie rose (N), potentilla (I), saskatoon berry (N), sea-buckthorn (I), silver and Canada buffaloberries (N), Virginia creeper (I) and wolf willow (N). Perennials: artemesia (N), beebalm (aka monarda, N), black-eyed-Susan (aka rudbeckia, N), delphinium (I), dianthus (I), echinacea (I, N), gaillardia (N), iris (I, N), lamb’s ears (I), liatris (aka purple gayfeather, N), lily (I), sedum (I), statice (I), yarrow (N) and thrift (I). Grasses: little bluestem (N), big bluestem (N), blue oatgrass (I), blue and sheep’s fescues (N) and Karl Foerster feather reed grass (I) Annuals: cosmos (I), marigold (I), rose campion (I), zinnia (I) and annual statice (I) Herbs: thyme (I), rosemary (I), oregano (I) and sage (I). Announcements In celebration of National Gardening Day, there will be a guided walking tour of Patterson Garden Arboretum (Saskatoon) Friday, June 19 beginning at 1 p.m. See Patterson Arboretum website for details: http:// patterson-arboretum.usask. ca/events/tours.php
GardenLine is open for the season to solve your garden problems: 306-9665865; gardenline@usask.ca — This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (www.saskperennial. ca; hortscene@yahoo.com). Check out our Bulletin Board or Calendar for upcoming garden information sessions. Gaillardia (aka blanket flower) is a colourful drought-proof perennial. Photo by Maja Dumat
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The Battlefords, Thursday, July 23, 2015 - Page 6
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Canola processing facility officially open PRNewswire
—Photo by Louise Lundberg
WINNIPEG, Man. — Cargill has celebrated the opening of its newest investment in Alberta – a state-ofthe-art canola processing facility in Camrose, alongside Alberta farmers, industry stakeholders and dignitaries. “We are very excited to mark the official opening of our newest state-of-theart canola crush facility in Canada. This plant has the capacity to process over one million metric tonnes of canola per year and will provide Alberta canola growers with a competitive point of delivery in this region,” said Ken Stone, assistant vice-president for Cargill’s Canadian canola processing business. The new Cargill canola processing facility is the first major investment in Alberta’s grains and oilseed sector in 30 years and further diversifies Alberta’s agriculture sector and competitiveness in the global marketplace, according to a press release.
Agribition and Semex Partner for a new purebred beef jackpot Staff Canadian Western Agribition will host a new bull calf jackpot event at Agribition in 2015. President’s Classic presented by Semex, will take place in the Chevrolet GMC Stadium Tuesday, Nov. 24. A panel of three experts will judge bull calves within their breed, culminating in a grand finale featuring the champion of each breed vy-
ing for the President’s Classic title. The total payout for the event will exceed $7,500. “Semex is proud to be a part of this inaugural and exciting event. Bulls are our business and we are happy to support Agribition’s platform to identify the next great group of future herd sires developed by purebred beef breeders,” says Myles Immerkar, manager of Global Beef Programs with
Semex Alliance. “Agribition is the country’s largest purebred beef show,” says CWA Beef Committee chair Chris Lees. “Integrating First Lady Classic and President’s Classic is an ideal way to kick off the week.” Agribition drew in over 800 visitors from over 70 countries last year. “These types of competitions are a catalyst in secur-
“The global demand for canola is on the rise, and we’re targeting an increase to 26 million metric tonnes by the year 2025,” says Patti Miller, president of the Canola Council of Canada. “More than half of this will be processed in Canada for markets around the world. Cargill’s new plant takes us a step closer to achieving this goal.” Cargill operates eight businesses in Alberta across
22 locations with over 3,000 employees.. Throughout construction, approximately one million hours of employment were created in addition to 60 new permanent positions in Camrose. This crush facility will also place Alberta’s canola sector at a competitive advantage in the global marketplace as markets become available through the proposed Trans Pacific Partnership, according to Cargill.
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ing exports to new markets; they are widely regarded as an integral part of marketing beef cattle genetics for our producers,” says Lees. First Lady Classic, presented by Merck, is also a jackpot event that sees judges select the top yearling heifer at Agribition. Last year the total amount paid out in First Lady Classic was $7,600. Entries for President’s Classic and First Lady Classic close Oct. 1.
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September 12Th
Estate of Andrew Crossland Chitek Lake
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Page 7 - The Battlefords, Thursday, July 23, 2015
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Higher beef prices, high expectations
Canadian producers must double high-quality beef production to meet demand
CUT KNIFE - TURTLEFORD
grade of AAA or higher. A little more than $8 per head was earned for qualifying for branded beef programs like CAB, but about $4 per head was lost on yield grade discounts, he said. Comparatively, the 2,075 head of calves that were lighter-hided – grey or tan and likely of continental influence – earned an average of $17 per head over base. They earned an average of $8 per head on quality grade premiums, $2.50 on other branded programs, and $7 on yield grade premiums. Brothers David and Dyce Bolduc, Stavely, said that with today’s genetic selection tools, cattlemen who understand those values can have the best of both worlds. “This is the biggest challenge in the industry for Angus producers,” David Bolduc said. “We’re still trying to determine exactly where we need to be there to put those pounds on while we keep the quality grade up and make them leaner.” He shared carcass data from a set of virgin bulls that didn’t make the breeding program but certainly made the grade. The entire harvest set graded either AAA or prime, with the exception of one that
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had sustained a leg injury before harvest and graded AA. In those high-marbling animals, only two were YG 3, the rest yielded in categories 1 or 2. Corah outlined the impact focused genetic management can have on improving quality grade while reining in yield problems. In a 2013 study in the southern U.S., BrahmanContinental crossbred cows were bred to local hybrid bulls while a similar test group was bred to Gardiner Angus bulls with proven marbling ability. The offspring show a huge gap: calves sired by the typical southern bulls graded a minute 25 per cent choice. Their contemporaries, sired by the Angus bulls, graded an average of 76 per cent choice. “This is where Canada has the potential to make the most progress,” he said. “You’re going to see amazing changes in the industry with this kind of knowledge.” As those genetic changes take place, more markets will keep opening to beef despite high prices and tight supplies. Between 2009 and 2014, red meat production and consumption decreased worldwide, while pork and poultry keep trending higher. “Pork’s cheap, chicken’s
cheap, but hey… that’s pork and chicken. We’re selling beef. Traditionally, we’ve been concerned with that price spread, but I’m not,” Perillat said. Beef that differentiates itself carves out its own market among global beef eaters. “People expect quality with today’s prices. When we compete with pork or poultry, that’s a lower choice/select market competition. But when you get into choice-plus and prime, that’s a market in itself,” Corah said. For every opportunity, however, there is more for producers in every segment of the cattle business to juggle. “The cattle industry must produce big, high-value cattle to maximize revenue per unit,” Paterson said. Signals are still mixed on herd expansion. Perillat noted more than two-thirds of last year’s exported calves were heifers. “So we’ll see less heifers fed and slaughtered. But are we keeping back replacements or exporting them?” For now, the focus must remain on maximizing every pound on every plate to continue to add value to the beef production chain, the men agreed.
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but feedlot buyers must be able to afford feeding the calves. Otherwise, Canada may continue exporting more than a million calves per year. Better marbling potential could help. “Cattle prices have changed how we manage cattle,” Corah said, noting that in the past four years, feeder calves have seen a 129 per cent price increase and fed cattle marked a 71 per cent price increase. The feedlots’ response has been to feed cattle longer and maximize pounds, which in turns add marbling. There’s a significant increase in grading ability when an animal moves from 0.4 to 0.6 inches of back fat. Not surprisingly, the percentage of carcasses that are discounted for yield grade follows. Leighton Kolk, Iron Springs, Alta., is one of five cattlemen in the Allied Marketing Group, which collectively manages 11 feedlots in the Lethbridge area with a one-time combined capacity of 110,000 head. Kolk Farms Ltd. accounts for 12,000 of that capacity. Breaking down where the dollars come from helps paint a better picture of “value” for AMG, he said. Last year, the 26,564 Angus-type cattle marketed in the group earned an average of $20/head over base price. Of that, $16 was earned based on quality
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CONDO LIFE CAN BE FOR YOU
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. — Canadian cattlemen are producing the highest quality beef ever, and opportunities continue to grow. In the past three years alone, Canadians have increased the percentage of beef grading AAA by eight per cent, and prime-grading beef increased, too. Larry Corah, who oversees producer outreach north of the 49th Parallel for the Certified Angus Beef brand, said by this spring, 2015 was already shaping up as a phenomenal year for quality grade in Canada. In fact, for the first nine weeks, 2.4 per cent of the beef mix graded prime — still small, but 140 per cent higher than the minuscule one per cent that graded prime in 2012. “Prime is a product that is heavily demanded. It has immense value in the global marketplace,” Corah said. “Prime is what differentiates Canadian and U.S. beef from the rest of the world.” Beef that graded AAA moved from 54.7 percent of the grading mix in 2012 to 62 percent in 2015. That mirrors trends in the U.S., where Choice-grading beef jumped from 62.7 percent Choice to 69.2 percent Choice between 2009 and 2014. In 2014, CAB licensed partners sold 40.5 million pounds of the branded beef to Canadian consumers, but less than two-thirds of that was produced in Canada. To qualify for CAB, beef must grade in the upper two-thrids of AAA and meet nine additional carcass quality specifications. “Easily, this could be a 50-million-pound market, and it could all be produced in Canada,” Corah said. “Canadian consumers want Canadian beef. That’s why we want
to increase production here.” Beef industry leaders point to drought, market dynamics and genetic tools to explain the climbing quality grade trends in North America. They presented updates and insights this spring in Lethbridge, at the Feeding for Profit seminar. “Because of the drought, we got rid of a lot of the poor quality cows,” John Paterson said. “So the quality of the cowherd is probably better than it’s ever been in the history of our industry.” The director of producer education for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (and former Montana Extension beef specialist) pointed to the southern United States. Texas alone has liquidated 25 per cent of its cowherd – 1.472 million head – in the past decade, primarily due to drought, but also feed prices, operating costs and competition for cropland. In Canada, the post “mad cow” market crash had similar impacts. “In Canada, those guys who stuck it out are finally getting rewarded,” Brian Perillat of Can-Fax said. “Anecdotally, we’re finally seeing the value of breeding stock come up here and starting to stabilize. In 2014, we had both cow-calf guys and feeders making money.” Looking ahead, he said cow-calf producers may see three to five profitable years,
Debby Dolney
By Laura Nelson
Nutritional Advisor
Regional Optimist
The Battlefords, Thursday, July 23, 2015 - Page 8
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