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The AgriPost

April 28, 2017

Delay in Pricing Determined This Year’s Crop

Passion for Clydes

Eight-horse hitch of Clydesdale horses in the Keystone Arena at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair.

By Joan Airey Brad Delgaty along with Clarke Wallace drove a magnificent eight-horse hitch of Clydesdale horses in the Keystone Arena at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair. The front four horses of

the hitch belong to Clarke and Sherry Wallace of Dauphin and the back four belong to the Delgaty family of Minnedosa. Their Clydesdale’s take hours of care each day and can eat fifty pounds of hay a

day as well as drink thirty gallons of water plus some grain and vitamins. To put on an excellent performance as this eight-horse hitch did it takes years of training. “We have thirteen Clydesdale horses on our

Photos by Joan Airey

farm at the moment, including a new colt that was born a week ago. We started raising our own replacements three years ago. Every day we spend hours with our horses feeding them, grooming them and training them. It’s a hobby we thoroughly enjoy,” said Sherry Wallace.

By Les Kletke Gilbert Sabourin said 2017 is the first year in memory that his farm has no plans for wheat or barley. Even with 10 years of success in malt barley, this year it took too long for the maltsters to release their prices. “I had acres for barley but the oat price kept moving up and there was no quote on the barley so I made a commitment to oats,” said Sabourin who farms at St. Jean Baptiste. He has contracted some oats with three mainline companies and when he received a better offer from Emerson Milling, he committed more acres to the crop. Then he had an offer of $3.60 a bushel from Anderson Grain through Nu Vision at St. Jean Baptiste and he made an even larger commitment. He has now committed to 540 acres of oats and if all goes well he could end up with a storage problem. “I am hoping that some of the companies will be able to take some right off of the combine,” he said. “That will help. The volume of the crop also makes it attractive to deliver to Nu Vision in St. Jean. Malt has always gone to Winnipeg so that helps a bit with the transportation.”

While he has been successful with malt barley, he said the slow movement of the 2016 crop has become a factor and he is still holding some of last year’s crop as he heads into seeding. “They tell me there is a glut of malt barley and the 2015 crop is being processed so it did not seem too promising,” said Sabourin. “It was a high input crop with 2 or 3 treatments of fungicide and the fertilizer requirement.” He was not able to get as much fertilizer down last fall as he usually does and sees that might be the first order of business this spring. He plans on banding some fertilizer with his air drill where he will plant his corn. The land he had originally allocated to wheat has been switched over to canola. “I will grow some NextEra and some other speciality canola on contract,” he said. “We have not found a yield drag with them but they are Clearfield and we grow Clearfield sunflowers which makes it hard to control the volunteer crop.” He leaves the Roundup Ready weapons for his corn and soybeans. He reported that some neighbours had been out seeding by April 22 but he did not plan to get on his land until the beginning of May if weather cooperated.

April 28, 2017

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April 28, 2017

CN Rail Sets Record for Grain Movements By Harry Siemens Canadian National‫ ‏‬Railway (CN) invested in new highhorsepower locomotives in 2016 that pull heavier and longer trains, which benefit the entire grain and supply chain. On April 11, 2017 in a statement on Twitter, the company said, “It shipped 486,000 tonnes of grain from western Canada the previous week with zero backlogs.” In a follow up interview with David Przednowek, Director of Marketing Grain at CN, he outlined the record grain movement. “You know after a bit of a slower start in the fall time, August into early September when we had a bit of a late harvest to start there,” said Przednowek. “Of course there were a lot of challenges through the fall and there’s still a lot of crop out there unfortunately, especially in the west. But since then, once demand picked up in September, we’ve set record volumes for grain movement on CN ever since and that’s including right through the winter.” He said historically they average 4,000 cars a week, which was a good number. “This year we’ve had weeks in excess of 5,000 cars moving record shipments of grain out of western Canada. Every month from September, right through February and it

looks like we’re going have a record March as well,” said Przednowek. He said CN wants to continue improving by involving everybody in the supply chain whether it’s terminal infrastructure, destination or improving loading assets in the country. “More and more we’re seeing a bigger percentage of shipments in unit train and a heavier emphasis on port, so those shorter cycle trips mean that overall we can get the equipment back to destination or back to origin a lot faster,” said Przednowek. “We’ve seen a change in mix over time. It’s meant less longer hauling and more movement, more emphasis by the grain companies on movement to port, and all those things that meant being able to come up with a bigger spotting program. Our operation’s team has done an excellent job through the winter, even with a couple of bad storms of course.” Przednowek said marketing and selling grain becomes vital when everyone steps up to the plate to improve the entire system and create more grain movement. “Yeah, absolutely. I know there are some challenges this year with quality. Certainly, the poor weather in the fall meant a lower quality grade profile, especially for some commodities like lentils

still out there, a lot of lower grade durum,” he said. “We had some pretty bad quality, particularly out west this year. So that’s meant some challenges. And it’s meant that certainly through the fall time and into the winter, we didn’t see as strong a wheat movement; and we saw other commodities come to the fore.” He said a great example is soybeans with farmers in Manitoba and Saskatchewan looking to plant 2 million acres in western Canada this year. “We’ve seen strong soybean movement right through. Of course, that’s tailing off now with the South American crop coming to the fore and moving the market but where some commodities have been slower, we’ve had stronger movement in others and net overall, we’re moving these strong volumes of grain,” he said. “We got Thunder Bay all cleaned up now as well, so that’s going mean a bumper year at the opening of shipping for grain shipments east and yeah, it’s all positive news.” Crop movements will get even better over the long term. With G3 Grain’s construction of an export grain terminal, G3 Terminal Vancouver at Lynnterm West Gate in the City of North Vancouver, at the Port of Vancouver, underway, this too will speed up the system.

CN Rail sets record moving grain.

“That’s going be a real game changer in this business because today, we have a lot of elevators out in western Canada with loop track infrastructure which means more efficient rolling operations but with the exception of Mobil-Exxon, Thunder Bay, not being a direct hit operation. We don’t have any significant loop track infrastructure at destination,” said Przednowek. “And this facility once it comes on line, in a couple of year’s time is going to have three loops. They’re going be able to accept unit trains and that’s going mean quicker cycling of assets through port.”

David Przednowek, Director of Marketing Grain at CN outlined the record-setting grain movements throughout the winter.

Manitoba Farmers Turn Out for Carbon Tax Meeting in Altona By Harry Siemens The group of 200 farmers voicing their concerns about the Federal government’s provincially mandated carbon tax held its fifth farmer information and awareness meeting in Altona mid April. Event organizer and Somerset-area farmer, Gerry Demare explained what the group is asking for. “We believe that it’s fair and appropriate that we go ahead, pay the tax and then claim it back as a refund like we do with our GST,” said Demare. “Then we’re going to bring about change on our farms that benefits the environment with the help of the public.” Demare and his group believe that a carbon tax refund would be a better solution than an exemption, simply because of the administra-

tion work an exemption would take. Altona area farmer Danny Penner, who helped coordinate the Altona meeting talked about why he became involved. “Early on in fall, we realized that some things were happening with education tax and carbon tax coming on us,” said Penner. “We decided to have a local meeting then, just to inform people what was coming. That meeting had a good turnout. Then Gerry Demare’s group held a meeting in Winkler. He is very interested in making sure that farmers make their voices known to the Manitoba government and their local MLAs involved in agriculture. “That they hear us when we say, be conservative, because that’s the values you were elected on,” Penner said. “We want to make sure that the voice of agriculture is heard

through local communities, and that’s why we organized this meeting in Altona, and that’s why Gerry’s group is going to keep going, to inform people as to what’s coming and that we need to make a stand.” It was apparent at the meeting in Altona, that most of the farmers weren’t aware of what was really happening about the carbon tax and how it could affect them. “It’s just for information and get people out there, get people talking, because a good friend of mine said, ‘if we don’t stand up and fight, then we’re just as guilty as the ones that put it on us,” he said. Demare said farmers don’t want and should not have another agricultural tax but it is very appropriate farmers pay the tax and then claim it back as an input tax credit just like GST. “We want a

A group of 200 Altona area farmers voice their concerns about the Federal government’s carbon tax and how it will be mandated provincially.

team perspective here, we want to work together as Manitobans to actually reduce greenhouse gas emissions and bring forward well thought out climate change initiatives,” said Demare. He said that the aspect of some farmers asking for a position of paying no tax at all is somewhat of a misnomer. “Because if you think about it from an administrative perspective, if the government’s going to roll out a carbon tax across all of Manitoba, how would a retailer necessarily know if he should be taxing a farmer or if he shouldn’t be taxing a farmer?” he questioned. “Purely from an administration perspective, if a farmer comes up to his

local auto equipment supplier and whether he’s there as a farmer to take back the equipment or that part to put into his farm equipment, or whether he was just there to put that part into his own personal car, that retailer would not have any idea where it’s going.” He said the petition being circulated is going well. “We’ve had lots. Each petition is specific to each constituency because we deliver those to the local MLA inevitably,” said Demare. “Right now it’s about getting a group of farmers to understand the levels of conversations that occur at a meeting and then afterwards in the community, that’s what is

most important. Because in as much as these people here may not have earlier understood the implications of carbon taxation from an agricultural perspective. They go home and they actually have more time for sober thought.” He said then they go, “Yeah, this is right, this could be really damaging for me. Not only is it damaging for the farms, but it’s also damaging for those businesses that the farmers support in their local community. This is about protecting the interests both about rural Manitoba and also benefiting the society as a whole in Manitoba by carbon reductions.”

April 28, 2017

Brazil is Challenging on All Fronts

A few years ago, when I visited Brazil I was overwhelmed by the potential of the country. A place that could grow three crops a year with yields approaching those of the US Corn Belt and where land and machinery costs were considerably less than we had seen in decades. At the time I was active on the speaking circuit and put together a presentation, I called Awaken the Green Giant. One of the highlights was a three slide series that pictures combines, a planter and a sprayer. I had taken the pictures from one spot in the field, by merely turning 90 degrees for the next picture. The line I used at the time was that, “The only thing Brazilian farmers don’t have or need is the back of the machine shed because nothing is ever stored for long, they are harvesting and planting at the same time.” I would then say that the only place that Brazilian farmers will not challenge us is in the curling rink, “But they are already a member of the International Curling Federation.” It has happened, they have already challenged the US three times for a position at the World Curling Championship and with next year, being an Olympic year it is going to get more serious. Brazilians competed in the Manitoba Open Bonspiel this past winter, an event I used to call the Biggest Farm Meeting in the province, that one is still up for debate with attendance of Ag Days topping the numbers, but you get the idea. It is late April as I pen this column and our thoughts are focused on seeding and the impending arrival of spring but only a couple of weeks ago we were glued to the TV watching the Brier and World Championships which were generously sponsored by New Holland and Pioneer Seeds. How many times can you watch those ads, and do you ever wonder why that guy took a hog’s hair brush out of the machine shed and made it look like he was going to curl or pick up a curling rock from the pallet of stones in the yard. My only conclusion is New Holland’s ad agency has no idea of the sport they were told to feature. That is not the point, the point is that Brazilians are challenging, they are challenging for positions at the Olympics and more importantly, their crop production is challenging us. I have been corrected on several occasions when I say the lower price of land in Brazil is competition for our farmers. Yes, I understand that land only comes up for sale once in a while and not in every life time but the end result is that our products compete in the same market place and the consumer who is buying those oil products doesn’t know or care that you had to outbid your neighbour for that adjoining piece of land. Ask John Shuster, an American skip competing in his sixth World Curling Championship, he knows the Brazilians are challenging, he should share that message with farmers.

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Coffee and Booze Coffee and booze made humanity what we are today. That’s the conclusion of Chelsea Follet, an editor from the Cato Institute, in a recent column penned for USA Today. Follet may have a point. We see these beverages everywhere, but don’t really think a lot about their history. Without them, a lot fewer of us would be alive right now, and more than likely our standard of living would be lower as well. Most people know nothing of the toxic nature of these two magical elixirs. They are essentially poisons that plants evolved to protect themselves from insects, microbes and other tiny creatures. According to the World Health Organization, alcohol is responsible for 3.3 million deaths worldwide annually and is “A causal factor in more than 200 disease and injury conditions.” Harnessing this toxicity gave our early ancestors a survival edge. Before we figured out how to purify

water, quenching one’s thirst was a risky proposition. Dangerous microbes, bacteria and parasites lurked in the liquid, just waiting to do a number on us. Despite its own risks, the antiseptic qualities of alcohol eliminated most, if not all of these problems, making water a safer drink. A famous quote from Winston Churchill sums it up nicely, “I have taken more from alcohol than it has taken from me.” People once thought that farming grew out of the need for a better and more reliable food supply, but some researchers, such as archaeologist Patrick McGovern, believe otherwise. “The domestication of plants was driven by the desire to have greater quantities of alcoholic beverages”, claims McGovern. It’s certainly possible. There is evidence in Africa and Asia of alcohol consumption as early as 16,000 BC. A drink made from wild potatoes is thought to have existed in Chile around 13,000 BC, and an archaeological site in China revealed traces of rice wine from 7,000 BC.

Penner’s Points

Coffee hasn’t been around quite By Rolf as long, but there Penner are signs that the Chinese drank caffeinated teas around 3,000 BC. Our more modern version traces its roots back to 15th century Yemen. Before the mid-16th century, Europeans drank alcohol throughout the day. But as the Enlightenment took off, so did trade with other countries. Soon coffee was being imported from the Arab world and started to carve a niche out for itself. Europeans at the time would normally have weak beer or wine with breakfast, so they would start their days with a bit of a “buzz” and mildly inebriated. Coffee with its own built-in sterilizer, caffeine – offered a safe alternative, with the bonus of starting one’s day alert and stimulated rather than relaxed and foggy. Needless to say, the quality and quantity of everyone’s work improved as the alcoholic haze lifted from the European continent.

The Boston Tea Party, among other things, got many Americans to switch from tea to coffee. Thomas Jefferson even called it, “The favourite drink of the civilized world.” To this day, the Yanks still drink three times more coffee than tea. As Follet concludes, “Caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive drug worldwide. Alcohol gave civilization its start, and it certainly helped the species drown its sorrows during the grinding poverty of much of human history. But it was caffeine that gave us the Enlightenment and helped us achieve prosperity.” Full disclosure: this article was written while the author consumed multiple cups of steaming hot coffee brewed from freshly ground beans. Some bias may be involved.

Cooperative Steering Committee to Look at Viability of Local Auction Mart discuss the possibility of purchasing the facility from its current owners by a cooperative attracted over 240 individuals. The meeting was intended to provide information on the process, which it did and provided more questions. The Over 240 people turn out to a meeting at the meeting Grunthal Auction Mart to consider converting the concluded facility to a cooperative. Photo by Les Kletke with the appointment By Les Kletke of a steering committee to A group has begun the follow up with a proposal on transition to ownership of what new ownership would the Grunthal Auction Mart look like. To open the meeting curinto a cooperative however if the information provided rent co-owner Robert Krentz at the initial meeting gives provided a brief history of any indication, this journey the facility documenting a number of owners and the will not be a quick one. A meeting on April 6 to financial ups and downs over

the last 35 years. “BSE and the years that followed were tough on cattle producers and tough on this facility,” said Krentz who is the majority shareholder. A professional appraisal completed the previous month pegs the value of the facility at $857,000 and with the inclusion of goodwill from the existing business the valuation jumps to $993,000. Krentz told the assembly he is willing to sell the business for $600,000. Krentz himself is a longtime advocate of turning the facility into a cooperative and said that he had tried to make the move a decade ago but a then partner resisted the suggestion. “I want the facility to exist because I am a cattleman,” he said. “We need a facility in this part of the province to serve the cattle industry. If it is a cooperative and people feel they are owners they are more likely to sell their cattle through this auction mart than going someplace else.” Jamila Bachiri is a Cooperative Development Specialist with the province of

Manitoba and was on hand to outline the various structures that a cooperative could take and how it might work in the facility. Bachiri faced questions about how dividends would be paid to shareholders and if they would be able to market their cattle at a reduced rate. She gently but firmly said that was not the point of this meeting but rather to reach a decision on, if the group wanted to proceed with the process of forming a cooperative. “Then you can decide how dividends will be paid out,” she said. The question of two types of shares quickly surfaced at the meeting as some in attendance came looking for an investment opportunity and felt that profits should be paid out to investors, while some in attendance preferred to see the dividend on the sale of their cattle. The 15-member steering committee is charged with doing the groundwork and will report back at a future meeting where an executive could be elected if the choice is to follow the cooperative road.

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Land Price Increases Slowing In 1967, my father Henry C. Siemens, now deceased, my brother Jack Siemens who farms with his son Jonathan, and myself then a fledgling farmer bought our neighbour’s quarter section for $300 an acre, an exorbitant price gushed our neighbours at the time. It was a high price as we soon learned especially when the then Prime Minister the elder Trudeau told us to sell our own wheat because the Canadian Wheat Board price was a measly $1.35 a bushel or thereabouts and the total quota for a few years about three bushels an acre. Yep, $4 an acre gross receipts and by 1970, the poorest of those poor years we couldn’t pay the interest on that $300 an acre land or $48,000 for the quarter section. That despite good crops. My father offered to give the land back to our neighbour, but “No,” said Mr. Dyck, “Hang in there, things will improve.” And improved they did, in 1972 when the price of grain shot up and if I recollect correctly we paid that land off the following year. Fast forward to 2016 and the price of land has kept climbing, but there seems to be a little stall right now. Farm Credit Canada (FCC) in its latest survey of land prices reports average farmland values in Canada continued to climb in 2016 but lost steam in most provinces. FCC’s latest Farmland Values Report shows farmland values increased by an aver-

age of 7.9 percent in 2016, compared to 10.1 percent in 2015 and 14.3 per cent in 2014. FCC Chief Agricultural Economist J.P. Gervais said what stands out is that, for the third consecutive year, growth has slowed down. Should farmers and landowners be concerned? Over the years when I’ve asked people why they pay these high prices that keep the land rentals up and the ownership tight, often it is because they can. Or land doesn’t come up for sale more than once in a lifetime, so if a piece that you want comes up for sale, people who can, buy it. The other common answer is they don’t make more land - we have what we have and there isn’t any more being produced. I’ve seen farms grow from small family farms to large corporate family farms often to the chagrin of younger farmers who can’t compete with the rental or the cost of ownership. It sometimes means heartbreak or at least a realization that if he wants to farm and he can make it on a smaller land base the he will, or pulling the plug, selling or renting out what he has and getting a day job. Even working for the larger farm that offered to buy him out. Today farmland values are still increasing but at a slower pace. “That’s true at the national level when you average out all the different provinces but also for most provinces,” said J.P. Gervais. “In some cases, if you think of Ontario and Quebec in central Canada, we have four years of consecutive increases slowing down.

In the prairies, if you think of Saskatchewan for example, that’s the third consecutive year where we have the rate of growth in farmland values that’s coming down. So really, I think farmland values are cooling off. I’m calling this a slowdown because we’ve had 10 amazing years of growth when it comes to farm income.” He said in less than 10 years farmers have actually more than doubled crop receipts and that’s especially true in the prairies. In 2016, while the final figures are still not in, Gervais said crop receipts have likely slowed. “In Saskatchewan, for example, you’re likely to get crop receipts down in 2016 relative to 2015. Part of this is because of some of the production challenges we had, quality issues as well and softer pricing,” he said. “We did face lower prices on average in 2016 than in 2015.” “So overall I think we’ve had slower growth when it comes to farm revenues and that slows down farmland value increases that we’ve seen over the last few years and I think that’s the number one driver.” Gervais said other factors, such as interest rates, also play a role but lower income is the main factor. When you hear of land exchanging hands for $6,000 to sometimes $10,000 an acre for a small much-desired farm property, the $300 an acre we paid in 1967 is quite a bargain, but we also farmed with 14-seeder discers and 14-deep-tillage cultivators. The first and only grain bin I bought held only 1,300 bushels. This wouldn’t even hold a truckload today.

April 28, 2017

Canada’s NFU tweets President Trump a solution to US dairy crisis The President of National Farmers Union (NFU) sent US President Donald Trump a letter via Twitter, encouraging him to adopt a solution that would make America’s dairy farmers great again. “We have compassion for American family farmers who are experiencing record low farm-gate milk prices. We understand many are forced to take on terrible debt loads. Those who cannot survive this crisis are seeing their hopes and dreams dashed. This is the very situation our own farmers were in 50 years ago,” said Jan Slomp, NFU President. “In President Trump’s speech on Tuesday, he said he wasn’t just looking for answers, he is looking for a solution,” said Jan Slomp, NFU President. “We decided to share with the President the principles of a system that will work for dairy farmers, rural communities, processors, workers consumers and governments. “American dairy farmers are facing the same problems dairy farmers in the European Union, New Zealand and Australia are struggling with: prices so low they don’t cover the cost of production. When everyone tries to make up for low prices by producing more of a perishable product, it just makes the problem worse,” explained Slomp. “The USA cannot solve its dairy crisis by taking over the Canadian dairy market and putting our farmers out

of business. But if it adopts its own supply management system, it could begin to restore prosperity to rural America.” “This solution, which we call Supply Management,

was created by Canadian farmers and governments in the late 1960s. Instead of exporting milk, we would be pleased to export this unique and successful dairy policy innovation,” added Slomp.

HyLife to Build New Feed Mill in Killarney By Harry Siemens HyLife of La Broquerie recently announced that it plans to build a large feed mill in Killarney. Company President Claude Vielfaure said it will be identical to their new feed mill west of Steinbach and will accommodate their growth plans. Vielfaure said as part of HyLife’s announcement last fall to grow their Neepawa pork processing plant, a $125 million investment, part of that was to add a feed mill in the western Manitoba. They chose Killarney as the area to build a feed mill and plan to start on it this spring. He said the mill would employ about 20 people and

be built in the northeast corner of Killarney. “This feed mill is going to be a 250,000 tonne-a-year feed mill so it’’ going to feed a lot of pigs and we already have a lot of pigs in the area.” Vielfaure said HyLife is continuing to look at sites in western Manitoba where they may be able to build more barns this summer. They want to increase hog production to the point where they can operate double shifts at the Neepawa processing plant. “We continue to work on that side. We’re working with government and municipalities to try to find the right sites that are going to be conducive to building finishing barns,” he said. “We’ve

started our renovations on the processing plant, additions to it already and it’s going take another year, year and a half to complete. It’s in the process ... nothing will change as far as us processing pigs on a weekly basis. But construction will be happening.” While the processing plant continues to expand, and the demand for their product keeps increasing, adding 130,000 square feet to the plant will be needed to keep processing as the construction occurs. “We’ve had tremendous success selling our product around the world. Especially in Japan there’s a huge demand for our product and we want to continue to produce more product for our

customers,” Vielfaure said. “So this is part of the process of doing just that. We also are putting in a lot of new innovation, using technology in our plant that is going to make our product quality even better than it was before.” When the industry talks about building new hog barns in Manitoba, it is no easy

feat he noted. “No it isn’t. We must make sure we do it properly and that we choose the right sites. So we are talking and working with a lot of people to make sure that everything will be done properly,” said Vielfaure. With the proposed Feed Mill slated for Killarney, he also suggested it would be a good

area to build some of the new proposed hog barns. “It certainly would be a good area to do it in the area. There’s other areas also, we can do it. You know, we do haul feed a couple, three hours away, so, it can be anywhere in that general area. But, certainly, close to the feed mill is always the best solution,” he said.

HyLife of La Broquerie announced plans to build a new Feed Mill in Killarney, identical to the one they built east of Steinbach.

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April 28, 2017

Manitoba Pork Helps Siloam Fields Showing Mission ‘Make Room’ Stripe Rust Impact By Les Kletke The province’s winter wheat crop did not survive in great shape. There are already reports of Stripe Rust being found on a field at Austin and the wet conditions of last fall may have affected the crops over wintering. Stripe Rust caused by the fungus Puccinia striiformis results in defoliation and shrivelled kernels was found on a field at Austin last fall and reappeared this spring. The early appearance of the disease indicates it may have overwintered here and has not yet blown in from southern climes. Low temperatures and moisture conditions are needed for spore germination, initial infection and subsequent secondary infections during the growing season. Normally infection occurs in early spring, as mycelium remains viable to –5°C. The disease spreads rapidly between 10 and 15°C if there is intermittent rain. At Altona, Lloyd Wiebe reported that his stand did not come through the winter well enough to justify leaving it.

While he is aware that early indications can be deceiving and the crop has good potential to recover he is not taking a chance. Wiebe has already made plans to tear up the crop and seed the field to something else. “Some fellows with seed it to an early soft wheat,” said Wiebe. “But we don’t like doing that, we prefer to keep true to variety and have one crop in a field.” Wiebe is a pedigree seed grower. Further west in Wawanesa Don Wiebe said that his winter wheat looks tough. “It is not a good stand and there a large patches of the field that are gone,” he said. “If the field was even I could tolerate a thin stand because the crop does stook out, but we have patches that have no stand at all.” He said that while the possibility of an early spring with early seeding is rapidly disappearing he still plans to reseed the field. “If this was June and we had not been able to get on the field, then I might consider it,” he

said. “But at this time we still have the opportunity to plant relatively early, though we do need some warm weather to get things going.” Wiebe would like to get on his winter wheat in April with some fertilizer application and then apply some broad leaf weed control but that is not going to be the case this year. “We will be looking to get on the field and start seeding as soon as things dry up, and then it will be a matter of which field is dry next,” he said. “We won’t have the option of doing all the things we want because of seeding being a bit later this year.” He said that the last couple of years have been good for the crop and he will not give up on it because of one bad year. “We look at it as insurance, we have something seeded in the fall that is ready to get an early start and allows us to start harvest early, and this year that did not work out.”

On April 5, Manitoba pork producers and industry partners gathered for the 2017 Manitoba Pork Annual General Meeting and Banquet. The highlight of the event came when Chair George Matheson presented a cheque for $50,000 to Siloam Mission’s Garth Manness, Capital Campaign Chair, and Judy Richichi, Director of Major Gifts and Corporate Relations, for Siloam’s Make Room campaign. Siloam Mission gives folks the support they need to regain their dignity and become contributing members of society, by alleviating hardships and providing

opportunities for change. In 2010, Manitoba Pork was tremendously proud to be the first top-level sponsor to sign on as a Partner for Change with Siloam Mission’s Sponsor the Meal program, an opportunity for local businesses to provide meals to Winnipeg’s less fortunate. Each year they provide the Mission with a cash donation and approximately one tonne of high quality, nutritious pork products. As the demand for Siloam’s help in the community has grown over the years, the organization has increasingly experienced capacity shortage for all of their muchneeded services. When Si-

loam launched their Make Room campaign in 2016 to raise funds for expansion, Manitoba Pork was quick to sign on for kitchen duties with a new walk-in cooler. “It is with great pleasure that Manitoba Pork takes part in Siloam Mission’s Make Room campaign by sponsoring a new walk-in cooler,” said Chair George Matheson. “It may be our job to provide high-quality, reasonably priced protein to the world, but it is our passion and commitment to help ensure food security here at home. We are proud to partner with this amazing organization and connect with our community by offering a hand up to those in need.” “Siloam Mission is so grateful for Manitoba Pork’s on-going partnership and tremendous gift towards the Make Room capital campaign,” noted Jim Bell, Siloam’s CEO. “Their support of the new walk-in cooler will enable us to provide fresh food to people in our community who need our help.”

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SeCan and FP Genetics Reach Joint Plant Breeders’ Rights Settlement with Grain Broker SeCan and FP Genetics announced today the settlement of a joint Plant Breeders’ Rights (PBR) case between SeCan/FP Genetics and Johnston’s Grain Brokerage of Welwyn, Saskatchewan. The settlement relates to unauthorized advertisements and sales of PBR protected varieties AC® Strongfield and AC® Transcend durum. The parties have agreed to a cash settlement as compensation for royalties, legal, investigative costs, and a declaration there will be no additional unauthorized sales. In addition, Johnston’s have committed to an ongoing awareness program for their employees. “We are pleased that Johnston’s were cooperative in bringing closure to this case and we are particularly happy about their ongoing commitment to educate their staff regarding the rules of Plant Breeders’ Rights,” stated Todd Hyra SeCan Business Manager, Western Canada. “This was a complex case

that involved a broker and multiple sellers. We settled with Johnston’s and hope to have the others settled in the near future,” added Hyra. Johnston’s Grain owner and President Alan Johnston said, “We made a mistake and are ready to move on. We have implemented steps to ensure all staff and customers are aware of the PBR regulations. My advice to others is to familiarize yourself with Plant Breeders’ Rights and be sure that everyone in your organization is on side with the rules.” “Everyone in the value chain needs to be aware of Plant Breeders’ Rights,” said Rod Merryweather, CEO of FP Genetics. Most new seed products carry some form of intellectual property protection, ranging from PBR to patents. Any variety that has received PBR since 2015 is protected by PBR ’91. This means that not only the seller needs to be aware of the rules but the buyer as well. Most grain companies require a

declaration at the elevator that the grain being delivered was grown from seed acquired legally. To be on side with this requirement is as simple as starting with certified seed. “We are often asked, what are the penalties?” said Lorne Hadley with the Canadian Plant Technology Agency. “There is no defined penalty, but most settlements have been in the range of three times the normal royalty rate that would be paid by a legitimate seller, plus compensation for legal fees and investigative costs, it does not take long to add up.” Hadley’s advice is to start with pedigreed seed of a PBR protected variety, and if you choose to save the seed to use on your own farm, that is fine. But do not sell the farm-saved seed to others respect the investment that breeders are willing to make in our industry and pay them fairly for their work.

April 28, 2017

MBP Confidence Grows with the New Direction of a Livestock Growth Strategy Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) is more confident in the provincial government’s direction following the commitment to the Livestock Growth Strategy and to investments in water-related infrastructure in the 2017-18 budget. Although details on the Livestock Growth Strategy are still forthcoming, the announcement follows Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler’s comments in 2016 that the government would like to see the provincial beef herd restored to pre-BSE numbers. “It’s encouraging to see the government is committed to growth in the province’s livestock sector,” said MBP President Ben Fox. “Since Minister Eichler’s comments about growing the provincial beef herd, MBP has been hard at work gathering the thoughts of our members on how best to achieve that

goal. We recently sent a letter to the minister that outlined the steps our members feel are needed to grow the industry. We now look forward to working with the government as part of this new strategy.” Fox noted that among the highlights in the letter to Minister Eichler were the importance of strong business risk management tools coupled with a regulatory environment that encourages growth, a need for sound Crown land policies, opportunities to restore acres to cattle production at economically feasible prices, the need for improved wildlife management and a more robust water management strategy. The renewed commitment to completing the Lake Manitoba and Lake St. Martin outlets project was welcomed and MPB encouraged the province to speak with

producers who could be affected by the route selection to ensure impacts are mitigated. “We fully recognize that growing the herds in Manitoba’s livestock sectors will be challenging,” said Fox. “Having the support of the provincial government will go a long way in helping us achieve long-term sustainability and profitability in the provincial cattle industry.” MBP noted the province did elect to eliminate three tax credits used by the agriculture sector, the Riparian Tax Credit, Nutrient Management Tax Credit and Odour Control Tax Credit. However, the news that there are no new taxes or tax increases in the budget is welcomed by the membership. As well, the borrowing limits for individuals and associations through the Livestock Associations Loan Guarantee program were maintained.

April 28, 2017

Foodgrains Projects Getting Underway By Elmer Heinrichs The Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB) is optimistic about another successful year as they anticipate this summer’s Grow projects across Manitoba and Canada. Harold Penner, Manitoba Regional Coordinator of the church-based relief agency said, “Spring has come, and with it, the joy and anticipation of another crop year starting on farms across Canada. “Growing projects in Manitoba continue to be a huge part of raising money to provide food for people in need,” added Penner. “People get involved,” he said. “Because they know that growing food is one of the important things in the world, without food people cannot live.” He added that the fiscal year closed at the end of March, and showed that our numbers had dropped slightly from the year before, but we still raised almost $3 million here in Manitoba. “I’d like to thank all who participated in providing food for those in need,” said Penner. Penner noted that grow projects at Minnedosa and Boissevain were already planning spring promotions for local projects.

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Global Grain in Plum Coulee Sells to Globeways Canada By Harry Siemens It is combination of handling the beans, unloading the trucks in the fall, making deliveries as promised to the customer, and bringing standards up to meet global needs. That is how Frank Reimer of Global Grain Canada Ltd. of Plum Coulee described the secret to their success back in 1999 after marketing three edible crops since buying the business. Now it is time to move on, sort of. Global Grain specializing in exporting dry edible beans from growers in southern Manitoba to buyers around the world has sold 75 per cent of its shares to Globeways Canada based in Toronto. The sale will see Frank Reimer and his spouse Margaret maintain 25 per cent of the company. Marcos Mosnaim a grain trader and manager with Globeways Canada said the company decided to buy the Plum Coulee company because of opportunities and good potential in the edible bean and pulse crops industry. Globeways Canada is part of the Hakan Group based out of Dubai. According to the company’s website, Globeways Canada Inc. is a global exporter of top quality lentils, pulses, and grains for human consumption and bird feed markets. The change means more business for Global Grain said Reimer. “More business, more resources, more markets, more outlets for the products we were shipping, more resources, more stable financing for long term to do bigger things,” said Reimer. While he does not anticipate any major changes, Re-

imer and his wife Margaret both an integral part of the business management have an agreement to sell out their remaining 25 per cent. In the meantime, they will continue to manage the company locally, but with more involvement from Globeways. When Reimer took over the company in the mid-90s, he provided a place where the fledgling edible bean industry could sell their crop to and Global Grain did the marketing. He believes that local farmers will see no immediate difference because of the change. “I think it depends who you ask. I think the majority will say it’s good, we have another company with deep pockets that we can sell our products to and have more competition. And others may say, a little bit sorry that the local ownership has been diluted,” he said. Reimer said there is a consolidation taking place in the pulse industry when it comes to processing and marketing companies and farmers often do not know whom they will be dealing with next. In looking back on why and how he actually bought the business, he said the buckwheat business he ran at the time and farming in the Interlake had lost some of its challenges. “And I was ready for another challenge. And that was in the fall of ‘96 when we bought our first, edible bean crop,” said Reimer. “And it’s been quite a ride, you know, we tried to accommodate the growth, the production, just increased by leaps and bounds, but we tried to accommodate the farmers. And it had its chal-

lenges.” Farmers in the area said many times that Global Grain and Frank Reimer had played a large part in getting the edible bean business established here in southern Manitoba. “Well we tried. We tried pretty hard and it was met with successes and also we made some mistakes,” said Reimer. “Well some of the highlights are, announcing that we’ll gather in the hall in Plum Coulee and the hall fills up with bean producers and the noise level is very high. And oh, it was a time of enthusiasm and joy.” Things weren’t always that way after a crop failure in the mid-2000 and with no beans to sell; Global Grain almost shut its doors for good. However, with inventory to sell and a timely World Food

Organization contract along with hard, steady work, farmers’ cooperation and by the Grace of God, Frank and Margaret Reimer were able to pay back five million dollars in debt and put the company into the position it is today, selling to Globeways for an undisclosed amount that shows the success of the company. Frank said it was a real privilege to come back from the brink of bankruptcy, pay off all the creditors and now have money in bank. “And you know, making a bunch of money I think with and for this industry and I’m, you know, I feel privileged to have been a part of it. And also you know, traveling around the world, and selling the production out of southern Manitoba,” he said.

Frank Reimer with his 20 million plus pounds of bean stockpiled in the late 90s where Global Grain took in over 30 million pounds off the combine, receiving up to 100-producer truck loads daily over a six-week period. The target was loading a vessel with 20 million pounds (9,000 tonnes) of processed edible beans to Cuba before Christmas 1999. This meant unloading producer trucks, processing beans into 100-pound bags, shipping to Montreal, and loading them onto an ocean vessel, on time.

Frank Reimer telling his Global Grain story in November 2016 at a local Men’s Prayer Breakfast in Winkler.

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April 28, 2017

Manitoba’s Vegetable Growers Crippled by Processing Facility Closure By Harry Siemens Creditors have placed a groundbreaking company, Canadian Prairie Garden Puree Products (CPGPP) based at the Food Development Centre in Portage la Prairie, into receivership. In a recent court document filed at the Court of Queen’s Bench in Winnipeg the details show that secured creditors are owed just over $6.1 million including over $1.5 million to the Federal Agriculture Innovation Program and nearly $150,000 to the Food Development Centre at Portage la Prairie. The Filing also states that unsecured creditors are owed $3.6 million, for a total debt of $9.7 million. In a recent news release, the Vegetable Growers Association of Manitoba (VGAM) informed its farmers and the public that company is closed. The closure of CPGPP’s facility has potentially devastating consequences for many of the province’s vegetable growers and related business. Portage area vegetable grower and VGAM President Roland Jeffries said many businesses in Portage invested by creating farm jobs to support the facility. “Our producers were all ready with their seed and land to begin planting for CPGPP as soon as they could get out there. They are now scrambling, not knowing what to do,” said Jeffries. Many of Manitoba’s vegetable farmers have invested

sizeable dollars in equipment, buildings and other related infrastructure to help CPGPP meet its capacity requirements. In addition to these losses, local farmers are owed a significant amount of money for the vegetables they have delivered to CPGPP in 2016. “Our hope is that whichever company or group of investors deciding to pick up what is left of CPGPP will leave the facility in Manitoba,” said Jeffries. “There is still time to get the plant up and running again for this year’s crop.” Garry Wiebe, VGAM board member and Winkler area vegetable grower said the receivership is not good news for their family farm and many others like it. “Yes of the farmers that grew product for the puree plant in Portage la Prairie some of them have received some money, but a lot of them did not receive the payment for what they delivered in 2016,” said Wiebe. “As a result we’re unsecured debtors, you know, we’re down the line quite a ways so we’ll likely not receive anything from the receivership. I’m thinking we’re out the money that we should have been paid for the product that we delivered in 2016.” On their farm they delivered somewhere around 400,000 pounds of pumpkins. “We grew them, picked them, washed them and delivered them. Then they were de-seeded there and pureed

ready for shipment to customers around the world,” Wiebe said. He said the plant has run for about four years with a little trouble about two years ago when they had to restructure. “I wasn’t involved at that time, but there was some changes made at that point and things have improved,” said Wiebe. “It seemed like the company was marketing more and offering more contracts. We felt like the business was moving forward and it was doing well, but since then in the last while, we noticed they’re a little bit slow on their payment for deliveries. It was causing a little bit of concern. One of the investors I think together with the bank stepped in and called the loan. I guess if you want to call it that.” In Wiebe’s case, losing the income from last year’s production is only part of it. While not sure on the exact dollar value lost, he believes it exceeds one million dollars, and the group is not very big, maybe eight growers. “Then a lot of the farmers have invested money into infrastructure, equipment, and buildings and so on. I know one farmer that built a building just for the greenhouse for his transplants for the puree plant so he spent well over a hundred thousand dollars. I know on our farm we bought some specialized equipment, washing equipment and rebuilt a building

Farmers Now Eyeing a May Start for Seeding By Elmer Heinrichs While farmers in Alberta and in a few pockets in southwestern Saskatchewan were out seeding in early April, most Manitoba farmers will be hoping for a better May to get going on the 2017 crop. Officially spring arrived in March and now with cooler than normal temperatures and some April showers, it appears very little will be done this month. That is bad news for growers in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, where some fields are already saturated after receiving above normal moisture that began

last year. This is adding to concerns that spring planting could be delayed, since soils will have to dry out to support harvest equipment before seeding can happen. That is a “significant” delay to filed work at the start of planting and means farmers will be planning for longer hours putting in this year’s crops. While it may not seem like an ideal outlook for central and eastern Manitoba, a few days of sunshine and warming temperatures as the month ends will clear the way for a busy May. Of course, farmers have

until early June to get their crops in, so a little extra moisture in late April may not have much of an effect. According to a recent Statistics Canada survey, farmers expect to plant their biggest canola area ever, and more soybeans and oats in 2017. Manitoba farmers may seed up to 2.2 million acres of soybeans, a large increase, and nationally soybeans may spread to 7 million acres. Pastureland in Manitoba is slowly coming along, which is normal for this time of year. Plants are emerging are in good shape, noting there is plenty of moisture out there.

Canadian Prairie Garden Puree Products (CPGPP), based at the Food Development Centre in Portage la Prairie, has been placed into receivership by its creditors last month.

a little bit bigger because we could use that size to do the products that they were going to offer us,” he said. Wiebe now asks the question, who would buy his 400,000 pounds of pumpkins if they decide to grow them again in 2017. “I think there’s a possibility that someone might want to pick up the pieces from the receiver. You know, buy the business and continue where it is. I

mean, there’s probably three or four scenarios that could happen. One of those is the equipment is just bought and scrapped and it’s done. Or someone comes along, buys it, and moves it to another place maybe into the United States or Mexico because it’s maybe cheaper to grow things there. Something like that or an organization decides to buy the facility and keep it where it is, keep it

in Manitoba and continue producing because there’s a nice base of growers and there’s markets already established and certain qualities that we can produce in Manitoba. Maybe are unique to this area. Then there’s always that chance that farmers could get together and as a group be involved in something like a purchase, but that’s another huge step to take,” said Wiebe.

April 28, 2017

Keeping it Clean Campaign Gains Support There’s growing interest in local food and farm-to-table living. But it’s important to remember that Canadian growers are putting food on tables around the world. After all, the grain elevator is not the end customer. Growers play a crucial role in making sure both Canadian exports and domestic sales meet the requirements of our customers and their governments around the world. Keep it Clean is a program that shows Canada’s commitment to delivering consistently superior agricultural products to markets around the world. It’s an established program started by the Canola Council of Canada and expanded with Cereals Canada to share best practices required for export-quality cereals and canola. Cereals Canada is coordinating with the Prairie Oat Growers Association and the Barley Council of Canada to extend reach to oat and barley growers. Now Pulse Canada is joining the program and all three organizations will be collaborating to better communicate with growers. We’re working together to do the best job possible of sharing information on export and domestic sales requirements among the value chain, making the best use of the contributions provided by our funders. This collaborative approach will also help reinforce Canada’s reputation among our partners as a reliable supplier of safe, high quality grains and oilseeds. Over 22 million tonnes of cereals and over 90% of pulses and canola produced in Canada are exported every year. With many farmers growing all three commodities, the new partnership will make it easier for growers to find the relevant information for all of the crops they grow. As headlines on pesticide residues, plant diseases and discontinued biotech varieties have shown, best practices have a ripple effect that travels around the world. Canada’s reputation, and the value of our crops, depends on consistently meeting customer requirements. For example, the best practices promoted through Keep it Clean to manage blackleg in canola continue to be very important to address Chinese concerns over blackleg transmission as they were in 2016 when the Canola Council supported discussions on blackleg with Chinese government officials, and exports resumed. Keep It Clean is crucial in helping farmers use best practices to consistently deliver quality exports. Because Canadian growers are following the Keep It Clean steps, we’re keeping the confidence of our export partners, and delivering more value to the farm gate and Canada’s economy overall. Visit keepingitclean.ca for information on producing quality canola, cereals and pulses. Submitted by Brian Innes, Canola Council of Canada, Brenna Mahoney, Cereals Canada, Gord Kurbis, Pulse Canada, Kara Barnes, Barley Council of Canada, and Shawna Mathieson, Prairie Oat Growers Association.

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Lockie Family Enjoys Rodeo Circuit Together By Joan Airey Fourteen-year-old Laramie Lockie and her eleven-yearold sister Melayna compete in The Canadian Cowboy Association (CCA), The Manitoba Rodeo Cowboys Association (MRCA) as juniors and the Manitoba Barrel Racing Association. “Laramie is the Canadian Cowboys Association Finals Jr. Barrel Racing Champion 2016, she is also the year end and finals champion in the MRCA for the junior girls barrels for 2016. She rides the Jr. Barrel horse of the year, her mare Peppy Bell, who had an amazing year. The girls just started in CCA and MRCA rodeos for 2017 where she was fourth in Tisdale, Saskatchewan and won the Pierson Rodeo,” said Rosalyn Lockie their mother. Melayna has an excellent record too as an MRCA finalist in 2015 and 2016. She has two outstanding geldings, Elvis and Brad that is 26 years old and going strong. She just won the Tisdale Rodeo on Elvis and finished competing in the Pierson HS rodeo placing second on Brad in barrel racing. “We competed at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair where I won one jackpot and Melayna was third. Melayna was second in the second jackpot and she ended up being second overall out of two jackpots. We competed against the ladies there, as it was open

Laramie Lockie rounds the barrels.

completion against 40 barrel racers. I ended up fourth,” said Laramie. “The girls have been taking lessons at Thunder Horse Centre near Brandon for five years with Sharra Sage. Sharra is a wonderful teacher and the girls learn something new every lesson. Neil McLeod owner of Thunderbird Horse Centre gives them guidance too. They wouldn’t be the riders they are without all the guidance and coaching from Sharra, she is like part of our family,” said Rosalyn Lockie. “We love competing in the Manitoba High School Rodeo Association, we‘ve made lots of friends and learned so much. At the Royal Winter Fair, there was an interactive area where the High School Rodeo Kids taught children about their sport. We showed them how to rope, run barrels, poles, goat tying and bull riding on little Bucky. Everyone who took part looked to be having fun,” said Laramie. The rodeo season has just started for the Lockie family and they plan to compete all over Manitoba and Saskatchewan, planning to also branch out into Alberta rodeos this summer. Even their younger brother Jett loves rodeo and plans to ride saddle bronco sometime in the future. In addition to keeping busy with the rodeo circuit, the Lockie family have an apiary and are starting to raise Bison in the Goodlands, MB area.

Photo by Sharlene Bennie

Laramie Lockie instructs students how to ride barrels at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair. Photo by Joan Airey

Melayna with her younger brother Jett helping at the interactive demonstrations at the RMWF. Photo by Joan Airey

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April 28, 2017

Soil Aggregates Our Picking Green Grass over Trump Talk Lifeline to the Future By D. W. Lobb, P.Ag. (Hon) Aggregates (or peds) are those crumbly bits of soil that we find in woodlands and native prairies. Well-aggregated soil is highly productive even under adverse weather conditions. It has strength that resists water and wind erosion and compaction. It allows water infiltration and internal drainage. It has high levels of organic matter that contribute to moisture retention. Space between aggregates allows air for healthy root systems that can feed from a large volume of soil. Soil aggregates form when organic matter is bound to soil minerals by glomalin, a sticky exudate primarily from mycorrhizal fungi. These fungi are a type of microbe that thrives in native undisturbed soil. Glomalin accounts for nearly 30 per cent of the carbon found in healthy soil. These fungi form as nearly invisible threads that penetrate plant roots and extend, often several metres out into the soil where they collect nutrients, particularly phosphorus, and also some water, and bring this back to the plant in exchange for sugars and starches taken from the plant. Most of these fungi do not survive soil disturbance. As a result, tillage quickly results in lost soil structure (aggregation) that leads to increased water and wind erosion, slaking, compaction and water loss. The cropland manager can maintain or improve soil aggregation by eliminating full-surface tillage and planting in narrow strips of disturbed soil. When this is done continuously, mycorrhizal fungi and other soil biota can survive between these strips. Soil aggregation is enhanced when we further mimic nature by adding organic matter – by keeping crop residue on the land, by using carefully managed cover crops, and by applying manure and compost. This provides food for biota, including microbes (bacteria and fungi), earthworms and other soil life that in turn break down plant residue and improve aggregation. Soil microbes are most active in the top five centimetres of soil and populations rapidly decrease at greater depths. Even shallow and intermittent full-surface tillage practices are devastating for aggregate contributors. Many bacteria thrive when oxygen is introduced to the soil through tillage. This contributes to nutrient release from organic matter and results in increased crop growth. However, tillage-based crop production use-up organic matter and reduces water holding capacity unless large amounts of organic matter are added to the soil. Because tillage destroys mycorrhizal fungi, soil aggregates and stability are lost, regardless of organic matter levels. Thus, tillage-based crop production is not sustainable. On all landscapes, the development and maintenance of aggregates is critical to minimize soil degradation, particularly by very large storm events. On our flat clay plains, compaction, loss of organic matter and water runoff that carries phosphorus-laden sediment can only be overcome or decreased by using practices that increase and maintain soil aggregation. On complex topography, sheet and rill erosion by water can be controlled by practices that maintain aggregation but must be combined with check dams to manage concentrated water flow. While practices like direct seeding on the Canadian Prairie have maintained crop residue for soil surface protection from wind, if a high percentage of the soil surface under the residue is disturbed, then soil aggregate destruction and tillage erosion are serious issues. Precision crop production that uses full-surface tillage on complex topography causes eroded areas to constantly increase in size. Alternatively, soil care leaders are using precision yield and soil information to support landscape restoration – the movement of excess topsoil from depositional areas back to eroded upper slope positions. The result is less yield variability and higher average yield. The reported payback time is remarkably short – as little as two years in some cases. To keep soil in place and retain yield it is necessary to use management that maintains soil aggregation. We can easily see the benefits of soil aggregation when: - We see clean water flowing off well-aggregated soil into a stream or drainage ditch that carries silt-laden water from tilled cropland. - We crop over what has been undisturbed soil, such as an old fence row. This well aggregated soil produces dramatic crop growth and yield improvement compared to adjacent tilled soil. We do have good farmland managers who are improving and maintaining the aggregation of their soils. They are profiting from their good management and hard work. Aggregates are the ultimate measure of a healthy soil that will produce in a reliable, sustainable and environmentally friendly way. They are our lifeline to the future. Don Lobb is a recipient of the L.B. Thomson Award, a member of the Canadian Conservation Hall of Fame and a life-long soil care advocate.

By Les Kletke At least one dairy producer in southeastern Manitoba is more concerned about his pasture greening up than remarks made by President Trump about possible changes to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Peter Froese said he cannot spend his time worrying about the comments the US President makes while he is in Wisconsin. “He was in a dairy state and American dairymen are having a tough time,” he said. “I don’t think we can be too concerned about all his comments.” He does not dismiss

the matter lightly though. “It would be a concern if he gets serious about renegotiating the trade agreements and taking a different position on the Canadian dairy industry,” he said. Froese agrees with the opinion held by most industry in this country, the problem is the result of overproduction in the US and not Canadian dairy farmers. Froese said that while the battle over policy carries on, his day-to-day concern is that his pastures come to life. “It is still early and I have enough feed but I would like to see the pasture green up and get

the cows out there,” he said. “This has been a long winter, and the cows always do better when they have a chance to be outside.” At the end of April, he has not had an opportunity to get on to his forage or any of his fields. “We would like to be putting on some fertilizer and that has not been the case yet,” he said. “We have not had a chance to get out to the field.” Froese relies on silage stored in a bunker for his main feed supply and has plenty on hand to carry him through. The hay crop last year was also good and he has hay to mix in with

the ration. “We got most of it up. Good quality though some of it had some rain on it and is a little lesser quality but we can still feed it and we can store it as insurance if we don’t get good quality feed this year.” He said the sooner things warm up and the forages begin to grow, the sooner he will be cutting alfalfa. “We are going to be into May before the plants make any move,” he predicted. While he is not overly stressed over either issue he would like to see both resolved, his pasture green up and the trade issue not on the table.

April 28, 2017

The AgriPost

April 28, 2017

Worth the Trip for Tractor Enthusiasts Can’t afford or don’t have space for a tractor? Signs are always popular.

The Minneapolis Moline UDLX was intended to work all day and go to town on Saturday night.

Photos by Les Kletke

By Les Kletke For those looking to complete a collection of antique tractors or buy that one special model that brings back nostalgic memories for those days on the farm and maybe just a piece of memorabilia from a dealership or company that has been swallowed up is what Davenport, Iowa is establishing itself as. This community is making a name for itself as the centre for antique tractor buffs. A few years ago, Mecum Auctions who had established their reputation for selling top of the line restored automobiles decided to get into the tractor action business and began their Gone Farmin Sales in Davenport. Judging by the response to the event there was obviously a need for finely restored tractors. Mecum had it 7th annual Spring Classic in early April and attracted several thousand onlookers and a good mix of bidders for the event held at the Mississippi Valley Fairground in Davenport. Davenport

being one of the quad cities and a sister city to Moline, Illinois home of John Deere Headquarters and the John Deere Museum makes the trip more justifiable for some. The event drew tractor enthusiasts from across the US and a few from Canada including a pair for Manitoba. “We just wanted to see what

the market was like,” said John Thiessen who made the 15-hour trip from eastern Manitoba. “We have a couple of tractors we might want to sell and this is a strong market especially with the exchange rate as it is.” The sale bill featured most models of tractors from Orchard machinery with sleek lines shrouded in sheet metal to ward of offending branches to one completely resorted Minneapolis UDLX, a one of kind, first model to feature a total enclosed cab. John Gratz made the trip from Pennsylvania to show his mom the UDLX. “Mom wanted to see it, so we [Mom and Dad] got in the truck and drove down,” said Gratz who admitted to being a John Deere collector although he came away from the sale empty handed. “It was a 17 hour drive and my brother is looking after the farm.” Tractors varied from fully restored to project condition and bidding was strong on most models. Mecum will host a 150-tractor sale in mid-June for a Colorado collector who will transport the tractors to Iowa for the sale. “This is where the market is,” said Gratz. “There are a lot of people in a day’s drive of here who are looking to keep the history alive. Lots of them want a tractor like they grew up on.”

April 28, 2017

The AgriPost

Spinner Spreaders Find Their Way into Western Canada

AgriSpread spinner spreaders come in all shapes and sizes, but the biggest pull type spreader has more than 17 tonnes of capacity with an extension to 20 tonne and more.

By Harry Siemens The last time anyone looked at fertilizer spinner spreaders it appeared to be outdated. Not so said Kelly Manikel of Portage la Prairie, who is in charge of the dealer and product support and development for AgriSpread. Founded in 2006, AgriSpread is a family owned agricultural machinery manufacturer based in Ballyhaunis, Co. Mayo in the west of Ireland. The company now sells its extensive range of agricultural machinery under the AgriSpread brand that now includes AgriSpread Australia and AgriSpread North America. “We have built spreaders in Ireland for the past 10 years and recently started distributing across North America as the spinner spreader market revives heartedly in western Canada,” Manikel said. Spinner fertilizer spreaders were a common implement back in the 60s, early 70s, and many had thought they had all but disappeared. “Certain areas, there are very few new style spinner spreaders, but we, along with our competitors in the market, have really

brought spinner spreaders to the next level,” said Manikel. “We’re covering a lot more ground, a lot greater capacity for bin space. The biggest thing is the improvement in technology for rate accuracy and spread accuracy. We’re able to communicate with any mainline display and variable rate any fertilizer application. Basically, we’re just a lot more accurate than we used to be.” Manikel said there are a lot of old school ground drive spinner spreaders at different agricultural retailers, but are not comparable to what his company offers. John Warr, who farms in Australia and distributes the AgriSpread spinner spreaders in North America and other areas, sells them because they met his need. “He looked the world over for the best spinner spreader he could find, he does a lot of gypsum and lime application, and his fall fertilizer blend. He found the AgriSpread guys in Ireland and traveled over there, and shipped two home for his own farm and two for his neighbour,” said Manikel. “They offered him the opportunity to distrib-

ute across Australia, and set up dealers, which he’s done now. Over the past five years he’s sold 200 spreaders coast to coast.” Part of that agreement is to distribute to North America. That is where Manikel and his Canadian team come in, successfully setting up numerous dealers across western Canada in just over a year. “A big part of our market is Bio-Sul applicators that spread the Bio-Sul product, which is compost mixed with elemental sulphur,” said Manikel. “It’s a by-product, sulphur, from the oil fields, combined with compost material from grocery store waste. They’re fairly low cost materials, when properly blended and screened, they can provide, in one single pass, five to six years worth of the crop’s sulphur requirements.” Bio-Cycle of Calgary, Alberta, produces the mixture, and Aberhart Ag Solutions of Langenburg, Saskatchewan is setting up dealers, retailers, applicators, across Saskatchewan and Manitoba. When asked how spinner spreaders compare to liquid fertilizer applicators, Man-

ikel said it depends on the farm’s fertilizer practice. “Certainly, the old adage is that broadcasting is less precise, and you open yourselves up to more nutrient losses,” he said. “A lot of studies have shown that broadcasting and shallow incorporation produces fewer nutrient losses than shallow banding. The mindset in so many people on so many farms is that broadcasting will produce more gassing and nitrification, but that’s not necessarily true, and so it can be certainly incorporated into strong agronomic practices.” He pointed out that the spread of fertilizer on to wet fields would be less of an issue with this technology. “Well, I look at this past fall and this upcoming spring as a prime example of why a lot of farms are going to use spinner spreaders. Not a whole lot of fertilizer was placed last fall, compared to normal and if we do have a short weather window this spring, then there’s no better way to essentially increase your seeding capacity than to have a spinner spreader broadcast your entire blend, if possible, in fall, or in spring before the drill,” said Manikel. “It effectively saves you a lot of handling time, and you can focus on the seeding when that weather window allows.” He said capacity is upwards to a 17 tonne box now but will extend it to 19 tonne working with Michel’s Industries out of Saskatchewan, to add capacity to their bins. Kelly’s Twitter handle is @kmanikel and @agrispreadna is the company Twitter feed.

Carberry RCMP Investigate Unusual Theft from Farm On March 19, Carberry RCMP received a report of a silo being broken into on a rural property in the RM of Glenboro-South Cypress, Manitoba on Highway 2, approximately 10 km west of Glenboro. A significant amount of canola seed was stolen from the silo. The suspects brought a grain auger to the farmyard. They proceeded to use the auger to remove the canola seed from the silo. When they were done, they left the auger on the property and drove off with a full grain truck. The stolen seed was worth close to $20,000. Anyone with information is asked to contact Carberry RCMP at 204-834-2905 or call Manitoba Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, submit a secure tip online at manitobacrimestoppers.com or text “TIPMAN” plus your message to CRIMES (274637).

April 28, 2017

The AgriPost

Radishes Spice Up Field Stubble

By Les Kletke Lloyd Wiebe planted 40 acres of radishes last fall with no intention of harvesting them, and he plans to plant more this fall. The radishes are a cover crop for pea stubble or more accurately the lack of stubble. “We planted about 5 lbs with a Valmar and harrowed them in,” said Wiebe who farms with his nephew Dillion at Altona. “We will have 145 acres of peas this year and plan to plant radishes on that ground.” The radishes are a variety intended for tillage and produce tubers about 2 inches in diameter in the fall. They deteriorate throughout the winter. “We will be able to plant into that field this spring,” he said. “The tubers are pretty much gone.” He said the use of radishes as a cover crop is gaining interest among edible bean growers who are looking for something to cover their light soil heading into winter. Last year was the first year that he tried the crop and he plans to try it again on the expanded acreage. The cost of the seed is $3/lb and provides solid coverage for $15 an acre. As April, draws to a close Wiebe said he is working on yet another seeding plan. The plan does not follow a date on the calendar; however, it does have an impact. His plan involves other options that have become available in different crop varieties. Wiebe splits his farm between commercial and seed production and said that some new options have

The tubers are disintegrated by spring time. Photos courtesy of Lloyd Wiebe

become available in seed production and that has him juggling acres. Wiebe also plans to plant more edible beans than they normally plant. “The price is up to 36-38 cents a pound and we will probably contract some at that price, but we’ll keep some for marketing later in the year,” he said. “We find we get a better price when the beans are in our bin, after you have delivered, your options become somewhat limited.” He is bucking a trend in increasing his wheat production but said that is driven by the seed market. “We are growing what we think fellows will need next year, and with wheat acres down this year they might be coming back next year,” said Wiebe. He will also be reseeding his winter wheat acres. “We will till the entire acreage down,” he said. “The crop went into fall with wet conditions and that may have contributed or it might just be the winter conditions but we don’t think the stand was good enough.” While some farmers are planting an early feed wheat into their winter wheat field it is not something he practices. “We like to keep things to one variety,” he said. “It is part of our approach as seed growers.”

Tillage radishes achieve a size of about 2 inch tubers in the fall

Crop Trends Dependent on Weather and Economics

By Les Kletke

Simon Ellis said a quick tour of his farm in late April indicated that the hills are ready but the lows spots will need some time yet. Ellis along with his father operates Ellis Seeds at Wawanesa. He said although early May is still a good time for planting most crops, they usually like to get started in April. The only change they may have to make from the original plan is possibly a field of hemp. Their farm was one of the first in Canada to grow hemp commercially in the 1980s but has not grown the crop in recent years. “The varieties have changed and the crop is no longer as tall as it was at that time,” he said. “But we don’t have a

combine that will work on it so we are considering the alternatives.” He said that a true conventional combine is the best for harvesting hemp and the farm might consider buying an older combine to be used just for hemp. “We are looking at an older Massey or John Deere, for under $40,000 that would work well on the crop,” he said. “The used machine makes more sense for us because we won’t have that big an acreage of the crop.” Commercially farms are seeing a continued increase in soybean acres. “From almost none 10 years ago to a third of the acres for many farms,” he said. “And it continues to grow.” He cites two reasons for the continued increase in acres, survival from seasonal

stresses and lower planting costs. “We saw soybeans come through the wet year, last year with some very good yields,” he said. “That has guys smiling and the budgets are another factor. They can plant soybeans with double inoculants for about $100 an acre, they cannot do that with canola and fertilizer costs where they are today.” Ellis has noticed an increase in saline spots on their farm, perhaps related to the moisture of last year. The soil condition change has them considering some forage crops, and it is something that other farms are looking at as well. “We will have to see how wet it is this year and what impact that has, but we are considering some crops to contain the salinity,” said Ellis.

The AgriPost

April 28, 2017

Reducing Inter-Provincial Trade Barriers Welcome News The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) welcomed the recent announcement that Canada’s Federal, Provincial and Territorial governments have concluded negotiations on a new Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) aimed at supporting Canadian businesses in reaching new customers across the country. While changes under the CFTA may take time to implement, the agreement’s conclusion represents a commitment to reducing barriers to interprovincial trade. CFA has advocated on the need to modernize internal trade systems, and included this point as a key recommendation in last year’s pre-budget consultations. “There’s a clear commitment shown in the CFTA to harmonize regulations and standards wherever possible, and to take a transparent approach in implementing changes,” said Ron Bonnett, CFA President. “CFA is pleased that the agreement is structured to facilitate the flow of goods using an overarching non-discrimination principle. This will ensure that technical aspects don’t create unnecessary barriers to trade within our own borders.” In particular, CFA looks forward to getting more details about the newly announced Regulatory Reconciliation and Cooperation Table, a body that will be established to coordinate processes for resolving trade barriers when they are identified by provinces and territories, with input from stakeholders. In its advocacy work over the last year, CFA noted several areas in which farmers face difficulties in interprovincial trade. Some examples include trucking transportation regulations, differing requirements between federally and provincially regulated meat processing plants.

Fumigation Exemption Extended for Pulses from Canada to India Following representations to the Government of India and visits to Delhi early in March by the Canadian Government, Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food has secured continued access to the Indian market for Canadian pulse exporters. In the past, India has granted Canada a series of exemptions since 2004 to an import regulation regarding mandatory fumigation of imported crops. The exemption was in recognition of Canada’s cold climate. The end of the most recent six-month pest fumigation exemption on March 31, 2017, had threatened to disrupt pulse exports. “As Chair of the Pulse Canada Board, I want to thank the Government of Canada, and in particular Minister MacAulay. I was part of Minister MacAulay’s mission to India in early March and know that the Minister, High Commissioner and high level staff have made the long-term resolution of Canadian pulse access to India a top priority,” said Lee Moats. This temporary exemption means that Canadian pulse exports leaving Canada on or before June 30, 2017, will not require fumigation in Canada. Canada will maintain on-going trade while officials on both sides continue to work towards a long-term, science-based solution. In 2016, pulse exports to India were worth over $1.1 billion and accounted for 27.5 percent of Canada’s global pulse exports.

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April 28, 2017

Remarkable Contributions Recognized at Pork Industry Awards Two awards were presented by Manitoba Pork Chair George Matheson as part of Manitoba Pork’s Annual General Meeting and Pork Industry Awards in Winnipeg on April 5. Professor Laurie Connor, PhD, PAg, received Manitoba Pork’s 2017 Award of Distinction in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the hog industry in teaching and mentoring the next generation of livestock specialists, while advancing swine research provincially and nationally, at all times with passion and integrity. Dr. Megan Bergman, DVM, Chief Veterinary Officer of Manitoba, received a

2017 Pork Industry Award in recognition of her exemplary support of the industry as it met recent swine health challenges, through her strong leadership, knowledge, and genuine empathy in dealing with Manitoba pork producers. “The two recipients of our 2017 awards are linked by their remarkable contributions to our industry. Manitoba Pork congratulates these extraordinary industry partners for their leadership, innovation and steadfast commitment to the betterment of agriculture in Manitoba and beyond,” said Manitoba Pork Chair George Matheson.

Saskatchewan Farmers Try to Harvest Last Year’s Crop By Harry Siemens Heavy snow last fall caught many farmers offguard in parts of Saskatchewan leaving one quarter to a third of the crop in the fields over winter forcing farmers to take action this spring to get the crop off and the fields ready for spring planting. Dale Boyd of B4Seeds, a pedigreed seed grower and processor who grows wheat, barley, peas, oats, flax and canola at Melfort in Saskatchewan was out combining bits and pieces in early April this year. “We didn’t expect to be able to, but we had a little bit of frost over the weekend,” said Boyd recently. “We had put lifters on to deal with a lot of the cereal crops that are flat to the ground and we hadn’t had a chance to test them in the fall. We went out and swathed a little bit of wheat and it actually worked quite well.

The ground was greasy on top but frozen underneath. We did do a small quantity of wheat, probably 45 or 50 acres.” Next, they tried to combine a field of canola that was a little higher up, but it did not go very well, the canola was just too wet. Then just before the end of the day, Boyd tried a field of flax. “We were able to go on it quite nicely, but we got rained out Tuesday night and it appeared the weather of the harvest last fall carried on with its general showery conditions,” said Boyd. “That’s where we’re at, though we did get a chance to do a little sample of the three other crops our wheat, canola and flax.” Together with his father, he farms about 5,000 acres with almost a third of their crop still in the fields. “Guys in our area, depending on who’s being truthful and who’s not, I would say on average guys have between 15 % to 20 % out. There is more, I would say some guys are probably

down playing their numbers, but there’s a pile of crop still unharvested,” he said. “I would say probably the area as a whole has about a quarter of the crop out. Lots of canola, which is the unusual part. We just didn’t get the number of days to do that. I’ve never really worried that you wouldn’t get your canola off.” Boyd doesn’t have an acre number but describes those areas that got super heavy summer rain. “A bit of our frustration is that it was one of our nicer crops we’d lost too. We actually had a decent growing season and hadn’t been too wet, just gradually started getting too wet in August, about the time harvest started,” he said. “It’s a fairly big area, there’s no doubt about that.” Boyd talked about the plan to get the ground ready for spring planting. “Most guys are in the position that harvesting is almost mandatory, I should say. Because harvest had gone reasonably well,

most guys have a portion of each crop, often it was good yield. Say canola, almost everybody took at least half to three quarters of their canola off and it probably puts them where they’re not in a position to ever make a claim, crop share wise,” he said. “If they leave it as 100 % loss and if you try to salvage what’s there, maybe you salvage 60 % of what was there in the fall or 70 % as far as dollar value. I think that’s most guys’ intentions. With some of the cereal crop, I would say some guys are probably hoping because of their low quality and their low value that they’ll just degrade to the point where they’ll be given the thumbs up to write them off.” Boyd said that certainly is not his intention, because of how good the yields were, crop insurance is going to require them to harvest pretty much everything. Unless the quality gets to a certain stage where they say, “Well it’s just not worth it.”

Cash Deferrals of Grain Tickets and Poor Rail Service on KAP Agenda Member representatives at the recent Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) advisory council meeting passed a resolution directing KAP to lobby the Federal government to keep the regulation

that allows for cash deferral of grain tickets (sales). This comes after the government indicated in the recent federal budget that it is considering eliminating grain ticket deferrals, which are

an important option because of the nature of farming. “A farmer could have a good crop and good selling conditions one year, and be wiped out the next,” said KAP President Dan Mazier. “Crops could be hit by drought or disease, prices could fall, rail service could be poor, anything could happen. This option allows a farmer to prepare for a lean year, and file taxes accordingly.” Another resolution called on KAP to urge the Federal government to review CP’s rail performance. Farmers said that grain has not been moving west out of western Manitoba all winter and spring. Some compared it to the 20132014 grain transportation crisis when farmers lost millions because they could not ship their grain due to poor railway performance. Members also voted to push the Federal government on its proposed trust to protect vegetable producers when buyers go out of business, something that would be similar to a trust in the US for perishable commodities. When a Manitoba processing company entered receiv-

ership in March, there was a significant amount of money left owing to Manitoba vegetable producers who had already delivered produce to the company. Also at the meeting, KAP members heard from Manitoba Agriculture’s Director of Policy, Mike Lesiuk, on the extensive preparations the department has undertaken in preparation for the next policy framework on agriculture including producer consultations. It is expected the funding for this new agreement, which covers business risk management, environmental protection, market development and research, in fact almost every aspect of agriculture will be finalized at this summer’s meeting of the Federal, Provincial and Territorial agriculture ministers. In a cross-province update on seeding conditions, members reported that seeding is a week away in the best scenario, but a month away in the worst. Farmers from the southwest said it is the wettest they have seen, with one member reporting that he could travel over fields for miles in a boat. Another said there were 73 roads closed in his RM. West-central farmers also reported very wet conditions, with snow still on the ground in some areas.

The AgriPost

April 28, 2017

The AgriPost

April 28, 2017

Existing Ag Support Largely Maintained in Provincial Budget According to Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP), the recent Provincial budget is good for agriculture although it is disappointed that no move has been made to reform the school tax system. “We are pleased the government has put an additional $5 million into the farmland school tax rebate because that will offset increased land values,” said KAP President Dan Mazier. “However, because of these high land values, more farmers will be reaching the program’s $5,000 cap.” “We continue to call not just for a removal of the cap, but for a complete overhaul of the way education tax is funded in the province, so a disproportionate amount of school taxes does not continue to fall on farmers. In these times of fiscal restraint, government can’t continue to use a band-aid approach on the problem; it must be fixed once and for all.” Mazier was quick to point out, however, that there is good news in the budget. “It does not chip away at the ag-

riculture industry’s foundation,” he said. “And in fact, the new livestock initiative, the additional resources for weather and data forecasting, and the investment in the Manitoba Grain Innovation Hub are all designed to help agriculture grow.” Mazier noted that Finance Minister Friesen recognized the importance of the industry in the budget speech and illustrated this with no cuts or additional taxes. “The tax that comes to mind is the one on purple gas in Saskatchewan, which we know farmers in Manitoba would find completely unacceptable.” Mazier said that the province’s plan for a carbon tax is not included in the budget, so it appears it will be left for next year. “KAP is calling for the necessary measures to keep farmers competitive, and I sincerely hope the province will address this as it works on the plan. As well, I urge the government to do more consulting with Manitobans, and in particular, Manitoba farmers.”

Research Supports On-farm Adoption of Clean Technologies and Practices The Federal Government has announced an investment of $1.9 million for a project with the University of Manitoba to study strategies for reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs) on Canadian cattle farms. The research project is supported by the $27 million, five-year (2016-2021) Agricultural Greenhouse Gases Program (AGGP) intended to help create technologies, practices and processes to help the agricultural sector adjust to climate change and improve soil and water conservation by developing new farming practices and methods.

AAFC Outlook Sees Uncertainty with the 2017 Farm Crop Mix By Elmer Heinrichs Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), in its latest 2017 crop outlook, suggested that there is major uncertainty about the areas that will be seeded, both by province and by crops. In its April crop outlook, AAFC stated that regional moisture conditions would play a significant role in determining the mix of crops while still predicting a marginal increase in total area seeded. Dry conditions are a concern in the eastern-central part of

Alberta and the southwestern corner of Ontario, near Chatham and Windsor. However, the wet soil conditions in southwestern Manitoba and the eastern quarter of Saskatchewan are of greater concern and could delay seeding. In parts of western Canada, unharvested grain from the 2016 crop is also a concern at this time. The Canadian crop outlook reported that the area in wheat is expected to rise by 3 per cent with a 5 per cent in-

crease in spring wheat acreage more than offsetting a 12 per cent decrease in winter wheat area. Seeded area in oats is expected to increase 7 per cent from 2016-17 due to stronger than expected US oat futures level which has contributed to very competitive new crop pricing against other cropping choices. For 2017-18, area seeded to canola in Canada the forecast has risen by 3 per cent to 8.5 million hectares (Mha) on attractive returns and production

risks compared to other field crops. Soybean planted area is forecast to rise by 8 per cent to a record 2.4 Mha, due to better returns compared to alternate crops. Production is forecast at a record 6.8 Mha assuming five-year average yields. The AAFC reported pressure on world grain prices due to abundant supplies globally, but pricing impacts in Canada should partially be mitigated by the low value of the Canadian dollar.

Maintain Effective Forage Fibre in a Typical Lactating Dairy Diet Recently, I was in a dairy barn of a producer with 200 cows. He was having problems maintaining butterfat at 3.9 % in his 35 kg milkproducing herd, so he asked me to walk the lactation barn and see what I could find out. It took about 20 minutes to walk around the feed bunk and cows, and in the end, I suspected that he was feeding a TMR that contained not enough effective forage fibre, too much soluble protein, and silage that was cut too fine. I confirmed my findings with a practical test of the TMR and wrote out a list of corrective actions to maintain/increase milk and milk fat production. Without any analytical forage or TMR results on hand, my barn findings are illustrated in the table below. It remained that the specific lack of effective forage fibre was a common theme throughout this lactating barn. Unlike energy and protein, effective forage fibre is not a true nutrient, but there is a requirement for it in the dairy cow’s diet. Its main job is to maintain a healthy population of rumen microbes, which in turn drives optimum feed fermentation, digestion, essential nutrient absorption and normal gut mobility. As a dairy nutritionist, I advocate that good cud chewing as cited above (first shaded area) is the first vital part of this natural process. It sim-

ply keeps the cow’s digestive system in good working order. Lack of rumination or cud-chewing underlies several associated problems in lactating dairy cows due to consuming low dietary fibre diets such as reduced feed intakes, poor feed digestion, sub-clinical rumen acidosis (SARA), lameness, poor milk production and as this above producer experienced - troubles with maintaining milk fat levels. Literarily at the end of the lactating dairy cows, I looked at their manure (second shaded area). Its consistency tells me a lot of information about the ingredient profile of their lactation diet as well as how it was ultimately digested. Manure that is produced from lactating dairy cows consuming a well-balanced ration with adequate effective forage fibre is very uniform and should have the consistency of porridge. It should normally contain digested feed particles with the majority of processed forage fibre no greater than 0.5”, and low amounts of undigested grain. Because a significant number of these dairy cows were excreting loose manure, it was a warning sign to me that inadequate dietary fibre was being fed or some other feed ingredient was speeding up its rate of gut passage. Such rapid passing feed cannot be adequately digested for es-

sential nutrients to make milk or milk fat. Last, I took a handful of TMR (third shaded area) and linked it together to the signals from what I saw from the cows, a lack of effective forage fibre. It smelt good, had a good moisture-feel to it, was consistent in the bunk, but it also lacked the recommended 15 -20% dietary forage fibre over 1” – 1 ½” long-stem forages. Furthermore, this lactating diet had lots of 2nd cut alfalfa silage that could be a source of high soluble protein levels that often increase unwarranted rates of feed passage. Before I left the barn, I did a “quick” test on the amount of effective forage fibre provided in this diet. I took a representative sample of this dairy diet and put it in a bucket already filled with warm water. The point of this test is to mimic the natural floating mat of dairy diet in the rumen, which dictates that if about 20% of the ration floats on top of the water; there should be enough effective forage fibre in the diet. Unfortunately, most of this dairy diet sunk to the bottom of the bucket. Therefore, I made the following corrective actions for rebalancing effective forage fibre in this diet: 1. 28% NDF is assured in the TMR with 75% of this NDF coming from forage sources.

Note: palm fat remained at 300 grams per head, daily. 2. Replace 25% of 2nd cut alfalfa silage with barley silage and mixed 1st cut alfalfa/grass silage. Increase dried distillers’ grains by 1.5 lbs to increase dietary bypass protein levels. 3. Add 2 pounds of long-stem grass hay replacing equivalent high-protein 2nd cut alfalfa silage. One month after this lactation diet was rebalanced, the increased amount of effective forage fibre in this case seem to build a good “rumen mat” in this dairy cowherd. Milk yield remained and milk fat increased by 0.2%. That happened six months ago. Now, I understand a significant number of fresh cows have been added and changed the dynamics of the herd. Milk fat percentage is slightly down, but this time around effective forage fibre in the diet remains adequate.

The AgriPost

April 28, 2017

Refresh Your Spring Mineral for Beef Cows By Peter Vitti Many beef producers buy mineral for beef cows two times a year. Once at the beginning of winter and again in the spring just before the pasture season. Unfortunately, some people try to save money at just the wrong time. Take a friend of mine that owns a 250 cow-calf operation. He does a good job in feeding loose cattle mineral during the winter to the cowherd. However, come spring, he buys a truckload of cheap trace-mineralized salt blocks and puts them out as he lets his nursing cows and newborn calves out to graze sprouting green pastures. I keep telling him that these inexpensive brown salt blocks often contain low-trace mineral levels, no calcium or phosphorus or vitamins. Besides, cows cannot lick enough of these hard blocks to receive their essential mineral requirements. It seems every spring; I keep telling him that he should be feeding a more fortified cattle mineral after calving and in preparation of the breeding season. These annual recommendations make sense, because

mineral and vitamin requirements of beef cows after calving and until they are bred tend to soar compared to their previous months of overwintered gestation. Much of this heightened nutrition is geared toward milk production, help first-time mothers grow and ultimately prepare the entire cowherd to cycle and get rebred within 80 – 90 days, post-partum. The more notable changes for essential minerals and vitamins as well as a citation of their specific significant function in the cow’s body is illustrated in the accompanied table (top right). Since each one of these minerals and vitamins (plus more that are not listed) is linked to good post-partum reproduction, many ruminant nutritionists like me design springtime minerals for beef cows using these NRC recommendations. Our underlying goal is to maintain or build good mineral status in order to return all fertile beef cows to active estrus cycles, so they may get bred back, once the bulls are released during the breeding season. Some of these nutritionists go one-step further by adding an “insurance factor” in their

mineral formulas to cover a broader number of different feeding situations. Such formula levels of these essential nutrients vary with animal age, health and reproductive status and even soil, water and environmental issues. For example, I remember a situation where a beef producer’s cowherd had low fertility rates grazing high molybdenum pastures, which naturally binds dietary copper. His cows’ conception rates were satisfactorily elevated when I formulated a cattle mineral for him that exceeded the above basic NRC requirement for copper. Consequently, here is trio of springtime beef cow minerals that I have formulated for many beef cow-calf operators that are fed at the rate of 50 – 100 grams per head per day: 1. Standard beef cow mineral – This formula contains calcium and phosphorus in a 1:1 or 2:1 ratio and ranges from 6 – 18% calcium to 6 – 18% phosphorus. These minerals may be up to 10% salt to promote adequate consumption. The guaranteed analysis on the feed label usually shows trace mineral levels from inorganic sources (i.e. cop-

per sulphate) as well as high levels of vitamin A, D, and E levels. This type of cattle mineral is fed to cowherd to compliment macro-minerals found in the pasture grasses and usually meets NRC trace mineral and vitamin requirements. Cost: $25 - $35 per 25 kg bag. 2. Breeder cattle mineral – This formula contains calcium and phosphorus in a 1:1 or 2:1 ration and range from 12 – 18% calcium to 12 to 18% phosphorus. These minerals usually have modest levels of salt (5 – 10%) in order to improve mineral consumption. Essential trace minerals are significantly heightened and a portion is added from chelated sources (i.e. copper or zinc protein-

Canola... the Gran Sport GSX Stage 1 of 2017 If you aren’t a classic car fan, the title above may not mean anything. For those that got the reference, the Gran Sport was an underrated muscle car, aka a sleeper. Analysts in the agriculture world love trying to predict what crop may be a sleeper in each year, and although I could say that about both spring wheat and canola, I think canola may be the 455 Buick of 2017. In the past 10 years, canola acres steadily rose between 2006 – 2012, before dropping in 2013 and staying flat over the last four years. What makes canola more interesting is the steady increase in demand, outstripping production in many years, in spite of increasing acres and yields. The chart below summarizes these annual changes. The 2015-16 demand of 19 mmt was a massive increase over previous years, and yet

projected demand for the 2016-17 crop year is set to beat that record, dropping ending stocks back close to the 1 mmt level, not seen since 2011 and 2012. Statistics Canada released their initial acreage estimates on April 21, with farmers saying they intended to seed 22.387 million acres of canola this year (less in MB, more in SK/AB). The bold columns on the right of the table show some possible scenarios with different yields for 2017. The 10 year average yield is a measly 34.4 bu/ac (hence the second scenario using more recent averages), with the four year average at 38.7 bu/ac (four years to remove the low 2012 yield). Given that acres came out much higher than anticipated, scenario A would mean we have to see a fairly decent cut in demand to maintain a 1 mmt carryout, while scenario

B would allow us to continue with the 19 mmt demand to maintain that carryout. If these acres prove to be correct (extra emphasis on if) it alleviates some of the supply issues for 2017-18, however I have my doubts that these acres will actually be realized. The old crop situation till remains tight, and if demand needs to be rationed in the coming year, it typically happens through higher prices. Keep in mind this could be higher canola prices, or the price of other vegetable oils dropping with canola staying the same; the effect being canola becomes more expensive relatively speaking. In Manitoba specifically, acres of canola will be down from 2016, as more farmers turn to seemingly ever profitable soybean, arguably one of the most consistently profitable crops in recent history. However, with three crushers

in close proximity in southern Manitoba that consume 2 – 2.5 mmt annually, canola is in a perpetually short situation. Statistics Canada’s initial estimates is for ~200k less canola acres in Manitoba (down to 3.1 million), with a 900k increase to soybeans (up to 2.2 million). When the dust settles I think canola will likely be under 3 million, but time will tell. The combination of these factors is why I think canola may be the sleeper crop of 2017 for not only western Canada, but especially southern Manitoba. Brian Voth is the President of IntelliFARM Inc., working with farms to create customized grain marketing plans and carrying them out. For more information visit intellifarm.ca or call 204-3243669.

ates) as well as elevated A, D and E levels. Breeder minerals are often fed to build and retain adequate mineral status for beef cows: before and after calving as well as returning cows to active estrus cycles and promoting successful conception. Cost: $40 - $45 per 25 kg bag. 3. Hi-Magnesium mineral – This is a classic spring cattle mineral which often contains 4 – 12% magnesium to help prevent grass tetany during the high risk period in the first 2 – 3 weeks of the grazing season. Its principle formula is usually based on a standard beef cow mineral, but can also be formulated based upon breeder cattle mineral. Cost: $30 - $35 per 25-kg bag.

Lastly, the cost of each of these refreshed springtime minerals (including my friend) should never deter anybody from using them given one’s own farm situation. That’s because the cost difference between the above cheapest/expensive cattle mineral fed at 85 g (3 oz.) is about 7 cents per cow per day or about $1,400 premium for a 250-cow herd such as my friend operates. Given his unsatisfactory number of open cows each fall, maybe one day he will buy a descent springtime loose mineral.

April 28, 2017

The AgriPost

Entrepreneurs Develop New Swinging Drive-Over for Faster Auger Unloading By Harry Siemens Henry Elias of Morden, a farmer and business partner had an idea a couple of years ago and just needed someone to complete it. Tim Penner raises cattle, farming with his father at Manitou and most recently started a new company, Soaring Eagle Grain Equipment Inc. with partner Henry Elias. Together they build the all-new swinging drive-over that bolts to an auger and helps unload grain faster. Penner, aged 24 manages, sells, researches and develops for the company at the recently opened shop in Winkler. “I worked at Elias Reliabelt in Morden a couple years back, and one of the owners or the person that started that company, Henry Elias saw my work,” said Penner. “He came up to me last fall and said he wanted to start a business, so I went into business with him. Henry owns some of the shares but he has other stuff going on, so he’s letting me run the shop.” Elias and Penner are building a brand new swinging drive-over conveyor that helps to speed up unloading. Already they have two employees helping Penner and Elias with this new project. “We’re definitely trying as hard as we can to make something for the farmers to unload in a hurry during the busy season, in this case most often at harvest time,” said Penner. “So this swinging drive-over is really low. It’s less than three inches high making it much easier to drive over with the front end of your truck. As you pull up

with the truck, you pull up so you’re halfway between your hoppers, and then you just get out and get your auger going. This swinging driveover bolts to your auger and you can swing it from hopper to hopper on a straight trailer or a super-B. I guess you’d have to move once.” He explained that as soon as the operator engages the belt, the sides come up and it’s ready to unload the grain. When one hopper on the trailer is unloaded, it can be moved to the next one. The unit has a safety feature that lets the operator stop it instantly should someone accidentally place a hand or foot on the conveyor. Penner has several short videos on his Twitter account showing exactly how the unit works unloading in a matter of minutes. When asked about the amount of grain it moves and how fast, he said they haven’t done many actual timing, speed and volume measurement tests. “For now, we use it with a 13-inch Brandt auger and we did have to cut a bigger hole at the end of the auger because we were putting up that much grain. We were actually plugging the end of the auger,” Penner said. “The capacity is way more than the auger can handle right now because we’re actually forcing the grain into the flighting with the belt. We did about 10,200 bushels an hour on a ten inch auger right at the beginning of our first finished unit.” When asked at what stage Penner is with his new business, whether still in the Research and development

stage or moving into production, he said he has one unit with a farmer in Saskatchewan and one with a farmer at Letellier. Right now, the selling price is around $15,000 plus a setup fee. “We’re in the shop. We’re definitely working on product that we can sell and get to farmers while continuing to improve upon the initial built units,” he said. “We definitely are looking to make some other stand-alone conveyors, like a 55-footer or something like a truck loader or something like that, definitely. We want to perfect this so that we can get this rolling and then we can definitely do some other equipment for grain handling.” While Penner is working full time plus at this new venture, he also runs a 35-beefcow herd at Manitou, calving 15 of them this spring and intending to sell the calves this coming fall. He also helps on his father’s farm during the busy seasons.

Tim Penner raises cattle, farms with his father at Manitou and most recently partnered with Henry Elias to start a new company, Soaring Eagle Grain Equipment Inc to build an all new swinging drive-over that bolts to an auger for faster grain unloading

The all-new swinging drive-over that bolts to an auger for faster grain unloading on a farm near Letellier. 3. In action the all new swinging drive-over that bolts to an auger for faster grain unloading.

The AgriPost

Questions on Russian Crop Quality Carryover By Harry Siemens When contacted in late March, Mike Lee a crop consultant was back at his home in England after touring Russia and Ukraine assessing winter wheat conditions in the region. “We have just completed the first Black Sea crop tour of the season traveling across Russia and Ukraine covering about 2,000 km, basically straight south from Moscow to a small place called Borisoglebsk, a small town in central Russia. From Borisoglebsk we turned due west and drove a straight line through Voronezh, Kursk, across the border, between Kursk and Sumy, onto Kiev, and then at Kiev we turned south and drove a straight line south to Odessa, to get a good look at the winter wheat crops across Russia and Ukraine,” said Lee. He said while still early in the season, it’s a little bit further advanced than normal. “Leaving aside the cosmetic brownness and sad-looking crops it’s basically all okay, really. There’s been no significant winterkill. There were some question marks about southern Ukraine and southern Russia, because there was a period in January and February where the snow had melted, and there was some very cold weather so there was a concern,” he said. “I had a question mark over the possible winter kill there, but there’s nothing of any significance anywhere. We do have some thoughts on the condition of the crop going forward, but as it’s come out of the winter right now, it looks okay. It could be better. It always could be

better, but there’s no major issues at this stage.” “Last year was a record crop out of the Black Sea, record crop out of Russia, and highyielding crops out of Ukraine, and the crop condition is in a similar situation as it was this time last year,” said Lee. “Going forward I just don’t see the same record crop that we’re going to see in 2017 that we saw in 2016. I think there was a combination of weather events through 2016 that we’re unlikely to repeat in 2017. Also the farmer in me thinks that we’re overdue a difficult season. We’ve had some fairly good years in the Black Sea, and I remember it wasn’t that long ago, four, six, seven years, where we had some fairly hot dry summers and crops getting burned off and fairly severe conditions. We soon forget after a period of several good years on the run. That’s normal.” Lee said soybeans are being pushed in the Black Sea by both Ministries of Agriculture. “They’re very keen to get farmers into growing soybeans. The hectares have increased in recent years, maybe 2.2 million in Ukraine, something like that.

It’s still a relatively small crop compared to wheat, corn, sunflower, but it’s also a more technically demanding crop to grow in the Black Sea.” “I’ve grown it,” said Lee. “For about four or five years, I think, we grew soybeans on several projects, and we just couldn’t get it to yield. It looked great, produced all the leaf, it merged and everything. When we came in to combine it, it was always very disappointing.” He thinks there may be an issue with last year’s Russian crop because everyone seems too quick to comment that there is no quality problem. According to Lee, he thinks there is a problem with quality. He explain that there is a big crop still there and it has not shifted at the pace you would have expected it to have. He noted that there is a lot of carryover stocks sitting in sheds. “The official take on it is that the ruble exchange rate has made it uncompetitive and farmers have been hanging onto it,” he said. “They’re going to need to start shifting it because they’ll need the space. They’ll need the storage space.”

Mike Lee said the crops in Russia and Ukraine are looking good but last year’s crop needs to move to make room.

Verified Beef Production Plus Launches New National Website The Verified Beef Production Plus (VBP+) program officially launched their new website located at verifiedbeefproductionplus.ca. The website houses a wealth of information for consumers and retailers and is a great resource for Canadian beef cattle producers. Information on topics such as VBP+ on-line training, the 5 easy steps for getting on the program, as well as detailed information on VBP+ modules for animal care, biosecurity and environmental

stewardship are all easily accessed through simplified navigation on the website. The ‘Producer Resources’ section houses a gold mine of downloads, articles, links, and videos for those wanting to get onto VBP+ or those beef operations already on the program wanting more information. Enriched features of the website include tools to help VBP+ Registered operations enhance their marketing programs. Under the ‘Registered Producers’ section is

the VBP+ Auction Market Cattle Sales Listing. The auction listing is a service for VBP+ Registered operations to list, 3 months in advance, their cattle auction sale date(s), auction market site of sale, the number of head on offer on sale day and cattle descriptions. The listing enables VBP+ Registered operations to display the VBP+ attributes of their sale animals as well as promote the selected auction market where sales take place.

April 28, 2017

The AgriPost