The Agri Post
October 30, 2015
Hog Industry Says Canada Better Off in the TPP By Harry Siemens
Putting the Country ’s Growth Before Partisanship By Les Kletke When both sides are insisting on the extreme, the truth is somewhere in the middle and so it is with the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) Trade Agreement. A classic example of three sides to every story, yours, mine and what really happened. According to The Truth about Trade and Technology group a US based advocate for increased trade the agreement is a step forward on the international stage and commends Canada for its position. Bill Horan farms in Central Iowa and is Charmin of the group. He said, “The big winner in Canada’s national elections this week wasn’t the Liberal Party or the Conservative Party. Instead, it was the Trans Pacific Partnership, a 12-nation freetrade agreement concluded earlier this month.” In a recent CBC poll, only 40% of respondents said that TPP would benefit Canadians. In the election, however, parties that backed TPP won more than 70% of the vote. “Both Justin Trudeau of the victorious Liberals and incumbent Prime Minister Stephen Harper of the defeated Conservatives embraced a trade deal that promises to link countries around the Pacific Rim. Others in Canada have opposed it fiercely, including the New Democratic Party, which at one point even led the polls but wound up with fewer than 20 percent of the votes,” said Horan. “By rejecting protectionism so close to elections, Trudeau and Harper took risks to put the interests of Canada in front of potential partisan advantage,” he said. International trade is an important contributor to Canada’s economic growth, business vitality, employment creation and the standard of living of its citizens according to Constantine Passaris. “Canada’s domestic population is far too small to alone sustain the standard of living that we have become accustomed to. International trade is the trump card that helps us create a larger market, through our exports and outreach,” said Passaris a Professor of Economics at the Uni-
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal is at the top of the agenda for many producers and agricultural exporters. Claude Vielfaure, the Vice-President of Hylife said Canada’s participation in the TPP would help maintain his company’s competitiveness in Japan, while creating new export opportunities in other nations. Twelve nations reached an agreement earlier this month during the TPP negotiations and must now pass the scrutiny of the Federal Government before ratification and implementation. All 12 participating countries will undergo national scrutiny. Vielfaure said Canada exports over 80% of its pork and because this trade agreement is the biggest in the world, accounting for 40% of the global economy, he sees it as vitally important that Canada becomes a signatory.
Continued on page 3 Bill Horan of Truth about Trade and Technology, an Iowa based group.
versity of New Brunswick, Chair of the New Brunswick Advisory Board on Population and a Member of the Academic Scientific Board for the International Institute of Advanced Economic and Social Studies. He acknowledged it is not going to be a sliver bullet to boost the Canadian economy but rather an opportunity. “As with all the free trade deals that Canada has signed, there are domestic winners and losers. There is no denying that Canada is vulnerable through its dairy industry and is exposed to more intense competition from abroad in its auto parts industry,” he said. “It is worth emphasizing that the TPP is simply an economic opportunity. It is not a guarantee of economic success. It opens the door for enhanced trade with one of the world’s most coveted export regions. What will transform this opportunity into a success will be the vision and smarts of our entrepreneurs, plus the competitiveness of our products and services in terms of price and quality,” said Passaris. Canadian agriculture is adopting a wait and see attitude as well, waiting for a new minister and they approach he/she will take to the agreement but at the same time preparing to move ahead.
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October 30, 2015
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TPP Hog Industry continued...
October 30, 2015
Continued from page 1 Hylife already exports much of its pork to Japan. “That is one of our biggest markets on fresh chilled pork so it is a very, very important market that needs to stay open for us,” he said. “Because of the TPP, it is important to be part of the deal but also to
have a level playing field.” “We don’t have all the details of the deal but I think that has been accomplished and so, for us, that is exciting and hopefully be able to continue to sell to Japan and that opens other markets like Vietnam and Malaysia,” Vielfaure said. “Vietnam has high tariffs and that will go away over time so it opens up some different countries for us to be able to sell more pork. For us, it was extremely important to be able to get trade deals done with different countries.” He said once, the parties sign the TPP agreement then other countries will see the partnership as an opportunity to be part of as well. “There will probably be other countries that will want to be part of it in the future and it opens up a base agreement that you can use for other negotiations with different countries so I think that’s all very positive,” said Vielfaure. Florian Possberg, the Chair of Sask Pork said Canada’s participation as a founding member of the Trans-Pacific Partnership puts Canada in a strong position to benefit future members, such as China, come on board. Possberg said members of this partnership represent 40% of the world’s trade making the trade agreement for Canada and particularly for Canada’s pork industry since it is a significant exporter. “We’ve shown that Canada can be a leading negotiator of free trade agreements worldwide including this one, the one with Europe, and the North American Free Trade Agreement are all positive for our industry,” he said. “It shows that we are serious about being a global player in terms of trade.” Making matters even more favourable right now is the high demand for pork fuelled by high prices on competing meats, which is helping to keep the price of live hogs strong.
Canola and Grain Sectors Love TPP By Harry Siemens In October, in Atlanta, Georgia, trade ministers from 12 pacific countries announced the conclusion of a landmark Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement that will allow farm exports to grow substantially. By eliminating tariffs and bringing new disciplines to non-tariff barriers like those related to biotechnology, the agreement will improve the competitiveness of the Canadian farm industry. The new trade deal is getting great responses from the agricultural sectors, which depend heavily on exports. “Gaining improved market access is crucially important for Canada’s export-oriented agriculture industry,” said Levi Wood, President of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers. “Allowing competitors to gain preferential access to key export markets would have been devastating for the grain, cattle and hog sectors.” The TPP deal will ensure market access for Canadian wheat, canola, barley and other crops is equal to access for Canada’s main competitors in the United States and Australia. The whole food supply chain benefits from increased exports. A thriving livestock industry, dairy cattle, beef, hogs, and poultry also benefits those who grow the feed for those commodities, not just in direct feed exports. The Wheat Growers say substantial gains are also expected for export shipments of Canadian beef and pork. The agreement should also lead to significant improvements in market access for Canadian canola oil, malt and other processed grain products. Expansion of the livestock sector and grain processing in western Canada is seen as vitally important in broadening market options for prairie grain farmers and reducing our dependence on shipping raw grain by rail. “This deal will significantly strengthen the agricultural economy in western Canada,” said Wood. “We congratulate negotiators on reaching an agreement that will allow agriculture to make an even greater contribution to Canada’s prosperity.” Patti Miller, President Canola Council of Canada said eliminating tariffs on canola oil in Japan is a huge benefit to the canola industry. “Once the agreement is fully implemented, the TPP will put us on a level playing field in one of our most valuable export markets,” said Miller. Japan is a long-standing and consistent market for canola seed, but tariffs of approximately 15% have prevented oil exports. Through the TPP, the canola industry estimates that when tariffs are fully eliminated in Japan and Vietnam over five years, exports of canola oil and meal could increase by up to $780 million per year. In 2014, more than $1.2 billion in canola seed was exported to Japan. As governments eliminate tariffs, the canola industry estimates that exports will shift increasingly to value added oil and meal, while maintaining the overall volume of canola exported. “Canada has a globally competitive canola processing sector,” said Miller. “By eliminating tariffs on value added products, the TPP will increase the value of our exports and bring benefits to the whole canola value chain. This increased value will flow through communities across the country.” The inclusion of commitments to prevent biotechnology related measures from being trade barriers in the TPP could also be beneficial to the canola industry. Commitments around approval processes of new biotech products and measures to minimize the impact of low-level presence incidences could benefit the industry. “Leadership shown by the government of Canada to make sure that Canada benefits from this landmark agreement will help the canola industry to continue growing and supporting communities,” said Miller. Implementing the agreement quickly is important for the canola sector as Australia currently has preferential access to ship canola oil to Japan through their bilateral free trade agreement implemented earlier this year. Once the TPP is fully implemented, Canadian canola will be on a level playing field with other oils destined to markets in Japan and elsewhere.
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A $1,500 Sandwich Imagine what life would be like if we had to do everything ourselves. We often take for granted, and sometimes demonize, things like the division of labour, or specialization, trade, and profit. But each of these is important to our overall standard of living, and really to civilization itself. A fellow named Andy George has a YouTube show called “How to Make Everything,” where he tries to do everything from scratch. In one series of shows, he made a chicken sandwich; it took him 6 months and $1,500 to accomplish the task. In twelve short videos, running about 20 minutes in total, Andy takes us through the steps he had to go through to make his sandwich. First, crops are planted in a community garden: wheat, tomatoes, peppers, onions, lettuce, dill, garlic,
cucumbers, sugar beets and sunflowers. The sugar beets didn’t grow, so he switched to honey for a sugar substitute. With the help of local beekeepers, he was able to collect honey from beehives and extract it into a usable form. Weeding and watering the garden was more timeconsuming than Andy had estimated. The wheat was troublesome because he couldn’t tell the difference between a weed and what was planted grain. The next challenge was salt. This meant a plane ride to the ocean. Two gallons of sea water, boiled for six hours, produced two cups of salt. Probably the funni-
Penners Points by Rolf Penner rolfpenner@agripost.ca
est part of the series showed Andy trying to get his baggie of “white powder” through airport security. Rennet was necessary for making cheese. This was procured by making a tea from itch weed. Then off he went to a farm to milk a cow and collect eggs in exchange for doing some chores. Afterwards, Andy tries to ride a cow; like everything else, it winds up being harder than it looks at first. Probably the most impressive part was watching the host actually kill a chicken, pluck the feathers and gut it. The vast majority of farmers don’t even do
that themselves anymore, let alone the public. When he’d finished, though, Andy was a bit surprised at how unshocking the act really was, compared with what he thought it might be. Then it was time for pickles. Andy put some dill, garlic, jalapenos and sliced cucumbers into a jar filled with boiling hot saltwater brine. Mayonnaise was also on Andy’s ingredient list. He needed oil for this so he grew some sunflowers, let them dry and then collected the seeds. But he also needed a press to get the oil out of the seeds, so he built one out of a car jack, some pieces of steel plating, some bolts, a piece of pipe that had a lot of holes drilled into it and a plunger inside to squeeze the oil out of the seeds. Once he had the oil, Andy carefully added it to some scrambled egg yolk with a bit of water and he had his mayonnaise.
Butter was made by adding milk to a mason jar and then shaking it. After a couple of hours of this there was enough buttermilk separated that, the solids could then be strained into a separate container. The rennet collected earlier was then added to some warm milk, which began the curding process to make cheese. The mixture was put through a strainer to collect the mushy curds from the whey. Repeating the process to expel more and more of the whey eventually led to a type of cheese. Bread started with separating wheat seeds from the heads by hand. The seeds were ground up in a blender to make flour, which was then mixed with water, honey, butter and salt. This was kneaded and then baked. Finally, it was time to make the sandwich. Andy explains that, because he
Safety and Consideration Go Hand in Hand Today’s column deals with a touchy, painful issue and a cautionary note. Touchy because the political correctness crowd is already exploiting a horrific tragedy, painful because many of you reading this column have experienced similar tragedies and this could bring back painful memories. Cautionary note because as I was preparing for this column I get an email from my good friend Les Routledge from Killarney about an incident he experienced Sunday on the road with people operating farm machinery rather carelessly. We can’t be safe enough, but we also must be careful not to point the fingers when tragedies strike, especially as it did last week in northern Alberta. Late last week, a third girl died after a tragic accident that saw three children smothered in a truck filled with canola seed on a farm near Withrow, AB. One so-called safety expert calls for laws against having kids on the farm. Alberta’s Farm Workers Union is stepping up its efforts to protect children in the wake of last week’s tragedy. Alberta is the only province with no safety standards for farm workers — and no child labour standards. Farmworkers Union of Alberta President Eric Musekamp says Alberta is still very much the Wild West. He was to have a meeting with Alberta’s provincial agriculture and labour officials to pressure Alberta to regulate the safety of children. It is easy to point fingers at the parents as to how could this happen, but deep down it is an awful tragedy. We have to be so, so careful that when tragedy strikes like this we have to be there for those people and help them where we can. But we don’t immediately turn around and say we’re going to ban this, create this regulation before the dead bodies are even cold. It’s like calling for more gun control and trying to get the parents/relatives of those just killed to get in the media and support whatever side gets there first. These people need to grieve, they need to look at what the situation is – I’m sure they are more sorry and distraught than anyone around them. I can’t imagine losing one child, let alone three. They are blaming themselves beyond my imagination and we don’t need political expe-
dient people or the political correctness crowd if you will, to come down on them during the time of this indescribable tragedy. Farming continues and we continue to feed the world, and our children are part of that and as those parents say in a statement that they are not sorry that their children were able to grow up on a farm. As one observer told me, this is about the family and being there for them in such a difficult time. Farming is a family business, a lifestyle, and even driving to work accidents happen with parents rushing children off to a daycare centre or such. Did you think football is the most dangerous sport? Think again. One report showed that fishing is the most dangerous sport, swimming pools and trampolines are dangerous when neglected and not used properly. I’m all for safety, and more safety, but let’s look at it properly, keep it in perspective and when the time is right, review what could have prevented that tragedy. Let’s stop the next one from happening by using common sense, and not through exploiting this one. Then on the other hand, being busy, getting there before dark, or simply not using caution when moving farm equipment from point A to point B has its downsides too. “Today travelling down Hwy 23, I passed a custom combining operation transporting their units to a new job,” says Les Routledge of Killarney. “They were travelling in a platoon formation that was so close it was not possible to pass only one unit.” Routledge says perhaps even worse, one of the truck drivers must have had a learner’s permit. During the 10 minutes Les was behind the group, he forced five oncoming vehicles to go into the ditch to avoid a collision with his wide load. The name of the operation is Gagnon. “I hope that one of you may have a chat with the operator and suggest a bit of highway transport training is in order for his crew,” he says. “I am generally a very tolerant person, but in this case, I had to share a bit of my mind with the leader of the convoy and tell his people to spread out. They were presenting a huge danger to highway drivers and giving farmers a bad name. A less tolerant person would have taken a tire iron to a couple of the drivers.”
didn’t use any preservatives, it was a real challenge to get all of the ingredients together at the right time before anything started to spoil. The wheat took longer to mature than he thought which pushed everything off schedule. Frost was an issue with some of the vegetables, while others that had been picked earlier were on the verge of going bad. We get to see a breakdown of what everything actually cost and how much time went into the whole project versus what it would have cost just by going to the store. How did it taste? When all was said and done the verdict according to Andy George was a resounding, “It’s not bad.” Thanks to people who specialize in making all the ingredients separately and selling them for a profit, a delicious chicken sandwich is quick, easy and cheap to make. We would do well to remember this.
Sign Up for W orld World Record to Help the Hungry On Sunday July 31, 2016, the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and the Manitoba Agricultural Museum will host Harvesting Hope: a World Record to Help the Hungry. To help end global hunger, over 500 volunteers from 100 communities across Canada will operate 125 early 20th century threshing machines to harvest a 100-acre crop of wheat. When in operation, the equipment will require over four football fields of space. For more information on attending or how to participate please visit harvestinghope.ca or follow us on twitter @harvesthope2016.
The Agri Post
October 30, 2015
Dairy Farmers Can Compete... Just Need to Embrace Opportunity Canadian dairy industry can compete globally, but it certainly won’t be easy, especially in light of the recent megatranspacific partnership trade deal that has left many wondering whether our dairies can actually pull it off over the long term. More market access for foreign-based milk products means Canadian consumers will increasingly have choices. But most importantly, the dairy industry will need to acquire an acute knack for recognizing opportunities abroad to capitalize on them, something it has never done before. Milk, of all commodities, is a tricky one. The average cow produces up to 30 litres per day; as a result, the logistics, branding and distribution efforts need to be seamlessly synchronized. There are very few cases in Canada where industries have clearly embraced the global marketing challenge over the years. The wine industry in Canada, however, has done quite well despite our domestic differences and strict regulatory framework, and even though competition in wines globally is unmerciful. Despite the fact that American wines have not been subject to import tariffs for several years as a result of the implementation of the Canada-US free trade agreement, our wine industry is still thriving. Amongst major
Soybeans Are Scavengers for Background Phosphate Dear Editor: Re: “Replenishing the Bank Account” September 25, Edition. I appreciate the AgriPost reporting on the topics presented at Marc Hutlet Seeds’ field day on September 10, 2015. I felt the need to write to the editor because some of the information in the article, “Replenishing the Bank Account,” has been reported incorrectly and does not entirely follow what was all discussed during this portion of the tour that day. I felt the need to correct some of the information reported so the readers of this article have the right information when making decisions on their operations. The bank account analogy is to exemplify the importance of soil testing and understanding where the nutrient levels are in the soil. Like a bank account, it is good practice to know what is in your account before blindly withdrawing funds. If more funds are being withdrawn than funds being deposited, the overall account funds will be on the decline. It is the same idea with soils. If more nutrients are being removed from the soil than what is being replaced, background nutrient levels will begin to decline over time. The best way to monitor the nutrient levels in the soil is through a soil test. It was reported in the article that, “Corn is a big phosphate user and does better at scavenging the phosphate in the soil than using applied product.” In this portion of the presentation, I was referring to soybean fertility. It is correct that phosphate is a critical macronutrient in corn production, but it is soybeans that are scavengers for background phosphate in the soil. Soybeans use around 0.8lbs of phosphorous per bushel produced. Since soybeans are good scavengers for background phosphorous, they are a good crop to have in a rotation that has high background P levels from previous manure applications. Soybeans also require around 1.5 lbs of potassium per bushel produced. I did stress the importance of doing a soybean plant stand count in both spring and fall. Spring counts to determine early season losses, and counts after harvest to determine losses during the growing season. These counts will give a grower a better idea of how to adjust their seeding rates to accomplish a plant stand between 150,000 - 160,000 plants/ acre. We also spoke on the importance on doing corn plant stand counts in spring and fall. Determining the number of harvestable ears/acre in the fall gives a grower an idea of what populations they are getting with their planter setup and the seeding rate being used. It also gives a grower an idea of losses throughout the growing season. If a grower wants to push for a higher yield potential, they can do so by increasing number of harvestable ears per acre, and at the same time making sure they are adjusting their fertility program as well to meet the demands of the yield potential. Again, I appreciate the AgriPost reporting on the topics presented at the tour. Michael Weir Area Agronomist DuPont Pioneer Miami, MB
players in wine like the United States, France, Italy, Chile and Australia, the Canadian wine industry has become an internationally recognized producer in wines, fostering excellence while garnering an impressive list of major awards on all continents. With rising systemic threats, the wine industry sought out better technologies while maintaining good practices and centering on quality. The industry committed to what it does best, low-to-medium-priced table wines, mid-topremium-priced branded wines and, of course, ice wines. Vertical and horizontal integration and higher production capacity now play a significant role in the industry’s persistence, doing it all almost without any subsidies. Even though it is always risky to make commodity-based comparisons, some valuable lessons in wine can be conceptually juxtaposed to what our dairy sector is about to face over the next few decades with more market access. In dairy, not-so-great case studies are easy to find when making a paradigmatic shift from supply-focused to outward-looking management. Parts of Europe, such as France and the UK, are reeling right now with the reality of ending its dairy quota system after a 13-year transition period. Opportunities to reconfigure dairy were clearly missed. When looking at competitiveness, difficult decisions are warranted. Some farmers just cannot and will not compete, full stop. With the diverse nature of our domestic market, hobby farms with fewer cows will always have a place in our economy, but a broader, more aggressive model cannot afford to financially support many of them, especially in Canada. Provisions ought to be made to encourage some to exit. In processing, farmer-owned cooperatives Agropur and dairy giant Saputo, two companies that appeared to have hedged against the future supply management of late by investing internationally, now are poised to better support farmers in an open market. More innovation like the one we have seen with the Dairy Farmers of America, which have just released a milk-based energy drink, with no caffeine, is likely to be leveraged by lower input costs. Dairy processing will likely gain from more market access, which will eventually help Canadian farmers. Since consumers are increasingly concerned about where their food is coming from and that Canadian milk has currency in our country, processors will think twice before switching suppliers.
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But, to compete, dairies will need to think globally as well. New Zealand has an interesting model with its private marketing board, a dairy co-operative called Fonterra. Such an approach has made the country the largest dairy trading nation in the world, and has become the envy of many. With abrupt milk price fluctuations, of course Fonterra has had its highs and lows, but mostly highs. But New Zealand is not Canada by any stretch. Our climate and geographical disposition against the US puts our dairy sector in a much weaker position. Additionally, unlike New Zealand, Canada is not even close to emerging markets like China, Indonesia and By Sylvain Charlebois Malaysia. The fact that New Zealand now has its first trade deal with Canada under TPP is certainly not a problem for Canadian dairies. Many possibilities are now logistically within our grasp for butterfat, milk powder and specialized products. Partnerships are desirable for the future, including international alliances. World-class processors in dairy and other sectors would be attracted to Canada for its ability to make unique, world-class milk. A solid campaign abroad is needed though. Since its inception more than 40 years ago, supply management has offered an interesting legacy. On the one hand, we have a crop of professional and resourceful producers who run efficient operations throughout the country. However, Canadian dairy farms are not as productive as their counterparts are abroad, far from it. In fact, according to a recent German-based study, after Switzerland Canada’s average cost for milk production is the highest in the industrialized world. Costs in Canada to make 100kg of milk are $72 USD versus $35 USD in the United States. This is likely Canadian dairy’s biggest challenge. The gap needs to be narrowed and the only way to achieve higher levels of productivity is through economies of scale. Since we are just north of a Farm Bill-happy dairy sector, building competitiveness will be key to moving forward. Like the wine industry decades ago, Canada’s dairy industry has its share of cynical parties. Dairy farmers can compete; they just need to embrace the opportunity. Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Professor at the Food Institute at the University of Guelph. He is currently on leave at the University of Innsbruck in Austria.
The Sky is Falling Again Another end to the agricultural world as we know it! Ho hum, what else is new? A new government that will surely be the end of the world, as we know it? Oh, done that before, what else have you got? Price of commodities falling. Seems that I have lived through that before and they have always come back up. Does it sound like I am becoming somewhat cynical? I must admit I don’t have as much patience as I used for all the stories about what is going to bring irreplaceable damage to the world of agriculture, as we know it. Yes, I used to get excited about being a part of change and covering stories about things we all called World Changing but now I am much more able to take them in stride and still sleep at night and to be honest am more concerned about the quality of my pillow. Some would say I have been in this business too long, others would say that experience teaches us that the world keeps on turning. This past month has had at least two or three of those events and looking at it realistically none are going to spell the end of the world, as we know it. Just as those events of the past didn’t keep us from eating every day and carrying on with life. Remember when both sides campaigning for the end of the CWB said if the other side won the world would end? Well, the CWB changed somehow to find a middle ground and farmers continue to farm and sell their crops. Go back even further to the Crow Rate Debate, that was going to bring an end to grain production in western Canada yet my drives this summer showed me that was not the case. I have been hearing about the demise of the Supply Management System since I started in this business in 1985, still there, still functioning. I even remember my uncles dairy farming at the time the system was introduced in the early 1970s saying it would be the end of the industry when it was put in place. Conservatives told us that any government lead by a guy named Trudeau would be the demise of agriculture in western Canada. “Look what his Dad did,” they scream. I hope my son is not judged by my actions or choices and I bet those same Conservatives would agree with that statement. Let’s look at Trade Agreements. Remember when The Free Trade Agreement was an election issue, of course, you do, but can you tell me who won? Probably not, and the world did not end. I could go on and on with issues that have been billed as Earth Shattering but my editor only allows me that much space and most times, he wants me to get to some kind of a conclusion. Here it is; the world is not ending. We have a Liberal government and in our country, we will have a smooth transition of power (that is crucial) since our country is involved with negotiations in a trade agreement and a conclusion will be reached. Agriculture in western Canada will continue because the people involved want to be involved, they will adjust to the new rules and continue on. I am willing to bet that there will be wheat grown in western Canada in 2016 and even in 2026. There will be milk produced in 2016 and 2026. Count on it. The sky is indeed not falling.
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TPP is Game-Changer for Canadian Agriculture By Harry Siemens The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) strongly supports the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement. The CCA sees the TPP agreement for Canadian beef producers as the way to improve access to Japan and other growing markets in Asia. Under the deal, Canada could double or triple its annual beef exports to Japan to nearly $300 million. CCA President Dave Solverson called the agreement a game-changer for Canada’s beef industry and Canadian agriculture as a whole. “This is really fantastic news for Canada’s beef producers,” he said. “Canada’s beef producers have long needed to have equal access to these important markets to compete with Australian and US beef. Now, through this agreement, Canada will receive the same preferential access to these markets as its competitors, leveling the playing field for Canadian beef producers once and for all.”
Dan Darling Vice President of CCA said it was a major priority for Canadian beef producers to ensure that the TPP would result in a level playing field for all beef competitors in the TPP region. “I am pleased to say we have achieved that. The TPP agreement ensures Canadian beef producers will enjoy significantly improved access to Japan and other growing markets in Asia,” he said. Canada already has duty free access for beef with many of the countries participating in the TPP, including the US and Mexico. Darling said the TPP will gradually reduce a 38.5% tariff on Canadian beef in Japan down to 9% cent in 15 years, including an immediate cut to 27.5% on day one of the agreement coming into force which will help to restore Canada’s competitive position with Australian beef. Other wins for Canadian beef producers in the TPP include achieving elimination of beef tariffs in Vietnam and Malaysia, two countries that have not traditionally been significant beef consumers, but have been identified as potentially important markets in the future as their level of
economic development increases. The TPP also addresses the exclusion of some beef access from previous agreements with Peru and Chile. Ray Price, the President of Sunterra Farms said participation offers a tremendous opportunity to expand Canadas agri-food exports. Price said if Canada had ended up outside the agreement, the pork industry would lose market share and it would devastate the markets his company has developed over the past 23 years. Japan has a very complicated import structure. “They do import billions of dollars worth of pork every year but it’s under a regime that is difficult to navigate and also is expensive to navigate,” he explained. “Some of the other countries, I think Australia and New Zealand in particular, have been importing Canadian pork but there are some challenges there that we’d like to see improved market access to.” He thinks the experience as an industry in Korea is one that, when Canada pork fell behind other trading partners like the US and Chile, certainly Canadas market share dropped dramatically. “So this TPP is an outstanding opportunity for us to increase our production and market share into a very important market like Japan,” saìd Price. “And continue to have good access into the United States and Mexican markets and we want to be in an agreement for those reasons as well.”
Hog barns like this would stay full should the new Liberal government pass the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement said livestock industry representatives.
He hates to think what it would have been like to be on the outside looking in, instead of being on the inside with the largest trading block in the world. “Certainly within the pig side of it or the pork side, it could take a billion dollars off the sales that we would have or conversely add a billion, so its a huge factor in terms of viability of Canadian operations,” saìd Price. The TPP offers a tremendous opportunity and he is confident Canadian agriculture can out compete the other countries.
Foodgrains Bank WWraps raps Up Harvest By Elmer Heinrichs While some fields were only cleared off in the last few days, the harvest of Manitoba Foodgrains crops is basically wrapped up. Regional Coordinator Harold Penner said crops for the most part were quite good. Some were poor, more were average, and some were really good. “On our 5,800 acre fields spread all over Manitoba we can assume we’ll be close to the provincial average.” This non-profit farming operation consists of more than a dozen projects involving local communities and a Hutterite colony working up to 40 fields varying in size from a few acres and up to 300 or more. This year in Manitoba, they grew hard wheat, barley, sunflowers, canola, oats, soybeans, pinto beans, corn and alfalfa hay, which was sold, and the proceeds were donated for world food aid in many countries. With Foodgrains Bank harvest celebrations spread out across the province, Penner said the most exciting part of harvest is getting to see all the volunteers who come out. “I think that’s the key, that so many people remember that there’s hunger in the world and realize that we can all participate in easing global hunger,” said Penner. Penner added that the largest group of combines turned up for a harvest event at Killarney with 18 combines on a 140-acre field.
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October 30, 2015
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Dairy Farmers Analyze TPP Details By Les Kletke
Test Corn Silage Moisture for Better Milk Production I’ve noticed that there are three stages to the corn harvest in Manitoba. The first part starts in September when the corn crop matures and whole plant moisture dries down to about 35% dry matter; it’s one of the best times to take off corn silage. The second stage occurs weeks later when the grain corn dries down to about 75% dry matter; time to harvest hi-moisture corn. Finally, when the same corn kernels drop below 15% moisture it should be combined. As a dairy nutritionist, it has been my experience that even modest changes to the moisture content of corn silage compared to hi-moisture or dry corn has a significant impact upon the amount of nutritious TMR eaten by lactating dairy cows and turned into milk. Therefore, I strongly recommend that dairy producers test the moisture content of their corn silage after a new bag, bunk or silo is opened. Such importance of knowing the new corn silage’s moisture is illustrated as such: an early lactating dairy herd eats 90 lbs of a dairy diet with a total moisture content of 50%. This translates into a base consumption of 45 lbs of dry matter intake (DMI). Now, let’s assume that the moisture content of new bunk of corn silage making up 40% of this lactation diet is really 67% moisture rather than an untested estimated of 60% moisture. Then, the actual diet is wetter than estimated by about 3% (52.8 % moisture). The real DMI of the herd could drop by 2.5 lbs and a potential loss of about 5 lbs of milk per cow. The result is 1 lb DMI = 2.0 – 2.5 lb milk produced. [Source University of Illinois] Whether dealing with ideal, wet or dry corn silage, the dairy producer should choose the best method that works in determining the moisture content of post-ensiled corn silage samples. While there are many ways to test moisture content in feeds, I like the two easy-to-do approaches; namely, using a Koster tester or by Microwave oven (MV). The moisture-content procedures for both methods are virtually identical: (1) Weigh out 100 – 500 gram corn silage samples that are representative of harvested fields on a gram-weighing scale. (2) Corn silage samples can be dried down by either the Koster tester or Microwave oven. (3) Re-weigh dried out corn silage samples and (4) Calculate moisture results as % moisture content = ((Initial sample wt. - Dried sample wt.)/Initial sample wt.) x 100. Therefore, if a 500-gram corn silage is dried down to 184 grams, its % moisture content would be 36.8%. Interestingly, the Koster tester is an electrical dryer that is specifically designed for drying forages and wet feeds, and determining their moisture content. This apparatus has a heating element and fan built in its base that blows in hot air through the feed sample placed on a built-in screen for moisture determination. Its drying procedure takes about 20 – 25 minutes. Sample loss tends to be a small problem in using the Koster tester. Likewise, the common microwave oven provides a quick means of also drying samples. Its greatest challenge is to avoid burning samples, when they get crispy (re: recommended to place a small amount of water in oven). Microwave drying time is about 5 – 10 minutes for most wet feeds. Regardless of which method is preferred in determining the moisture content of one’s corn silage and other feeds, it sometimes takes a bit of practice to refine their similar procedures in order to achieve the most accurate moisture results. On occasion, some dairy producers might find that the tested moisture of their current corn silage is higher than expected. That’s because most whole corn plants despite looking brown and wilted at the time of chopping often contain considerable moisture, because their numerous ears contain more water than most of us expect. Some dairy producers are proactive and take pre-harvest corn silage samples. They did this by a sweep of a harvester or yardcutter, which allowed them to possibly delay harvest and allowed standing corn plants to wilt down further. Such a corrective opportunity tends to avoid corn silage that is put into the bunk in an excessively wet manner (re: greater than 75 – 80% moisture); which contributes to a greater loss of nutrients during the ensiling, storage and feed-out processes. Regardless, we should always take more samples of corn silage when the bunk or bags are finally opened up and test for moisture content. This is the corn silage that will be fed to the lactating dairy cows and most dairy diets with a substantial corn silage content will be impacted by its moisture content (as demonstrated above). For that reason, we know the actual moisture content of incorporated corn silage in order to formulate a well-balanced dairy diet. Periodically, we should test the moisture content of the final TMR diet, so we can make further adjustments, so milk production by lactating cows is optimized.
Dave Wiens said that it is too soon to judge if the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) will have a detrimental effect on Canadian dairy farmers especially considering that we have a new political regime in place. “We are a domestic industry and by opening up trade we know we will lose some of our market, we expect that to be 3.25% of the current market, but there was talk by the Conservative government of a compensation package. We have to wait and see,” said Wiens, Chairman of the Dairy Farmers of Manitoba. The first outcome will be determined by the Liberal administration and if they will honour the agreement, they have said they will study it and provide more information. “We will see if they will honour the compensation package offered by the previous government,” said Wiens. “Those things are all in a wait and see situation.” Meanwhile the Dairy Farmers of Canada cannot sit back and wait for the final evaluation. They are studying the agreement to see what impact it will have on their industry and if indeed, the compensation package will make up for the hardship of losing market share.
Wiens said it is not a matter of one party supportive of supply management while another is not. “We have to work with any administration and had a good working relationship with Gerry Ritz,” said Wiens who noted he was one of the longest serving members in the position of Federal Agriculture Minister. “He came to understand the supply management systems and we had a good relationship with him,” said Wiens. “We will need to do that with the new minister and look forward to working with whoever it is.” Wiens acknowledges that the Canadian team was under a great deal of pressure in the international bargaining arena. “There was pressure for them to give up much more and we as dairy farmers have to realize that there is some give and take in bargaining and be satisfied that the bargaining team did a good job for us considering the pressure they were under to open Canadian borders.” Wiens expects that as the details of the agreement are studied it will become clearer if the agreement will have a significant impact on the Canadian dairy industry and how producers should best react. “We need more analysis of the agreement and to be aware of what the new administration will do with it,” he said.
NFU Says It Is Not About Trade By Les Kletke The President of the National Farmers Union said that Canada would not be a winner in the TPP. Jan Slomp said the main reason is that agreements like this are not about trade and instead are only used to mask the real intent. “The greatest purpose is to allow the economic transactions between multinational corporations to take place in other countries. It is about these corporations gaining control, not a benefit to the grass roots of the country.” Slomp is not opposed to trade he said the word has positive connotations and is often used to mask the underlying intent. “We think of trade as one fellow having a gravel pit and the other a wood lot, they agree to trade gravel for fence posts, and that is good and we are in favour of trade, but our organization is not in favour of losing control of an industry in our country.” He uses the example of increased access to the Canadian dairy market, and said that while the 3.25 % of the Canadian market given up does not seem like much, it is only the tip of the iceberg and that the agreement quickly escalates the amount of dairy components that will be allowed into this country. The Dairy Farmers of Canada report that while it is true that TPP countries get access to 3.25% of the dairy market for the first five years, the total amount to be opened is in fact 18.25%. Slomp said that while the deal will not be good over all for Canada it is not a matter of Canada being a loser at the negotiating table while other countries win. “There are sectors in each country that will benefit; there are sectors in Australia and New Zealand that will benefit.” He added. “The United States seldom enters an agreement if it is not a beneficiary.” He also questions the secrecy of the negotiations. “We are hearing less and less about the negotiations of these kinds of deals, and we are allowed less input from the sectors involved.” He questions why the Diary Farmers of Canada has come out relatively positive to the agreement. “Our organization has worked with the Dairy Farmers of Canada and it is a good organization, but in an agreement like this the devil is in the details and they don’t know all the details yet. They might find it much worse than they expect,” said Slomp. “We are already seeing push back from the UAP in Quebec which is a strong voice for farmers and when they start to exert their political pressure we will hear much more about this,” he said.
NFU Welcomes the Democratic Change By Les Kletke Jan Slomp welcomes a return to what he calls a more democratic process with the Liberal government led by Justin Trudeau. Slomp, a dairy farmer and President of the NFU, said that under the tenure of Gerry Ritz the organization was seldom, if ever, called on to represent the views of farmers. “His view was if you’re not with us, you’re not there at all,” he recounted. “What can be less democratic than that?” Slomp acknowledges that it will still be an uphill battle to get the voice of the new agriculture Minister despite having a former NFU President in Wayne Easter in the
caucus. “There are a lot more seats than Wayne Easter,” he said. “There is also Ralph Goodale from Saskatchewan who understands the transportation issue and that should bode well for famers but there is lots of work to do.” He said his group has had the ear of Goodale in Saskatchewan even if not in public. “A politician’s first job is to get reelected and the image is important they do not want to be seen as paying too much attention to any one group, especially one the media brands as on the edge,” said Slomp. Slomp said the talks on the transportation issue are going to be critical for western Canadian farmers and that raising freight
rates is not the only answer. “The statutory regulations signed when the CPR was given large tracts of land are still on the books. Why does the government not use them?” he questions. “In the time of the Wheat Board when the railways were not moving grain the CWB would make enough noise to get things moving and the government would threaten to legislate movement based on those regulations, they are still there but the previous administration chose not to use them.” He is hopeful the Liberal administration will call on more voices for input to solutions that involved their industry. “We have lost a lot in terms of the CWB and seed saving but I am optimistic that we can move ahead from this point and put things in place that will keep our rural communities,” he
Jan Slomp, President of the National Farmers Union is hoping for improved communications with the Liberal Federal Ag Minister and department.
said. Slomp terms himself an optimist in the human situation but fears that tough times may be coming. “We have seen a lot of change in our industry but the fluctuation in oil prices is an indication of the type of manipulation that is involved in our economy and that could lead to some drastic times.”
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The Agri Post
October 30, 2015
Winkler’s Breakfast Program Offers a Side of Ag Learning By Les Kletke Stefanie Richards acknowledges that not many schools have the capability to make breakfast sandwiches for all their students especially when that number is over 700 but that is exactly what she was able to do at Winkler’s Northland Parkway Collegiate. “When I first spoke to Chef Joe Lindhorst he agreed that they did have a culinary program and it would be good to do something special for the breakfast. So we came up with the idea of breakfast sandwiches and he was quiet willing to put in the extra time and have his students prepare some of the food the day before.” Typically, the Breakfast program delivers a pancake breakfast made with Manitoba products and prepared by volunteers for the students who then get a short presentation on the industry in our province. “We prepared some of the ingredients the day before,” said Richards. “We had over 900 biscuits with cheese and egg on them and it went incredibly smoothly. The culinary students were great and the group of volunteers we had was exceptional.” The meal was followed by a presentation on the challenges that agriculture faces. “Then we look at some solutions to those problems and it is in those solutions that we have careers in agriculture which students are really interested in because they are making the choices about what they will be doing in the work force or if they are going to postsecondary education.” Richards said she does not field very many questions from the large groups. “I don’t get a lot of questions from an assembly but I do get students coming over to talk to me individually or if we meet in small groups,” she said. “Usually they want to know about jobs or where they can get more information.” Richards takes the program to rural and urban schools and said the response from students varies little. “We cannot assume that rural students know about agriculture. There are fewer farms so not all rural
Chef Joe and a culinary student.
Stephanie Richards with volunteers and Chef Joe.
students are from a farm and if they are they might be familiar with their farm but not another type of agriculture.”
She said working with Ag in the Classroom has been a learning experience for her, “I came from a beef and grain farm but
did not know much about other operations like dairy or beekeeping. This has been a learning experience for me and I enjoy it.” Stephanie Richards presenting to the school.
The Agri Post
October 30, 2015
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Wild Oats Grainworld to Shut Down By Harry Siemens
Research and Innovation – Key to the Future One of the oldest clichés in agriculture might be that “research and innovation are the keys to our future”. But just because it is a cliché does not mean it is not true. The federal election is over and Canada has a new government. Three hundred thirty eight Members of Parliament will soon be headed to Ottawa to represent their constituents. Agriculture lobby groups from every region will be asking them to support research. But what kind of research should we be asking them to support? Should it be all public? How do producers’ check-off investments build upon renewed private interest in variety development? How we answer these questions will determine if Canada is going to be a leader in innovation or if we are going to be left behind. Let’s deal with the first question. Canada has a strong history of public investment in research and development. Marquis wheat and the first canola are just two examples of revolutionary innovations that came from public research. The economic returns to the public and the country have been enormous. But so have the returns to farmers, grain handlers, processors and everyone else involved in the value chain and we cannot expect the Canadian taxpayer to foot the whole bill for the next round of agriculture-specific innovation. Furthermore, trying to go down this path would mean that private investment goes to our competitors, putting Canadian agriculture at a disadvantage. We need a combination of private, public and producer investment in order to remain competitive. Continued public research is important, but this cannot be carried out in isolation. We need to do a better job of coordinating this work with private and producer investments to ensue funding from each source is complimentary. We will be worse off if tax dollars invested in research drives out private interest and investments are made in the US or Australia instead of Canada. Funding sources should not be competing with each other. There are some recent good examples of public – private – producer partnerships. The agreement between CANTERRA SEEDS, the Alberta Wheat Commission and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is an example of how funders can work together to bring new innovation to farmers. How can the country maximize the impact of public research dollars while encouraging private companies to invest in Canada? A key step on the path to success must be clear strategic objectives for cereals research. What is Canada’s competitive advantage in the increasingly global cereals market? We need researchers and funders – both public and private – to come together to answer this question. The strategic vision for cereals research must consider the fact that there are two customers for innovation. Farmers must benefit from new varieties developed for Canadian growing conditions. If farmers don’t benefit, innovation will never make it to the field and investment will be lost. But farmers are not the only customer for innovation. Research and variety development must also take into account the needs of end use customers. What do customers want to buy from Canada? What are those unique quality characteristics from Canada that gain a premium from international millers? These are critical questions that need to be answered by all parts of the value chain. If public research is isolated from private and producer investment, Canada will not become the world’s centre for cereals research. Neither public nor private research will successfully increase the value of Canadian cereals production if the needs of both farmers and end use customers are not considered. Success will come when the public and private research fits seamlessly with Canada’s market development efforts. So what does this all mean for our newly elected federal politicians and agriculture’s requests for research funding? It is not good enough to just tell elected officials, “You need to fund research.” Instead, we need to present a clear strategic research plan that demonstrates public investment complimenting private and producer dollars and how this will drive Canada to the forefront of innovation and development. Instead of just saying, “We need more money,” we need to say, “We have a plan, this is where governments fit and we need you to do your part.” Cam Dahl is President of Cereals Canada.
John Duvenaud, the publisher of Wild Oats and organizer of Grainworld said things and conferences come and go. For many years the former Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) ran the Grainworld Outlook conference until the Conservative government did away with the CWB. Duvenaud stepped in and ran it admirably for four years but has decided to shut it down permanently since there were no offers from other companies to take it over. “I bought a seat on the Winnipeg Commodity Exchange shortly after I opened an office in the Grain Exchange Building and launched Wild Oats,” said Duvenaud. “The WCE trading floor was a fiveminute walk, indoors and I could spend as much, or as little, time as suited my fancy. Once on the floor I was a player in a commercial exchange. That can be interesting.” It initially horrified him when the WCE closed the trading floor to go electronic but now it is apparent that it was old technology. “I took over Grainworld thinking that I could, at least, keep the Canadian Ag Outlook alive, and I did,” he said. “Ag Outlooks too, have had their time. People started them as a way to signal to farmers what crops to plant 150 years ago when news took weeks to travel across the country.” Duvenaud said today farmers have access to all the outlook material they can read, for free and can use any number of commercial information services. “I’m not going to run Grainworld any more. They all worked; they all made money; they’re lots of fun to plan and run but they’re old technology. Thanks for having participated,” he added. Duvenaud said the concept reverts back to the US Agricultural Department 150 years ago. Then as now, farmers could know or at least have some idea about what to expect for their crops in the year ahead. Jack Dawes a Grainworld participant as a farm broadcaster said for many years the Canadian Wheat Board event was heavy in wheat board politics, but when Wild Oats ran it, it was more free market oriented. Other observers view this as a sad day reflecting on how good people reviewed
John Duvenaud the organizer and host of Wild Oats Grainworld said he is pulling the plug on the annual Outlook conference because of technology changes.
the overall world crop supply and demand, outlooks for the crops Canadian farmers grow on the prairies, plus much more. “Each year traders in the various crops that we grow in western Canada provide an outlook for the crop they trade,” said Duvenaud.
“The purpose was to provide farmers with an informed idea of the profitability of the cropping alternatives and the grain trade with an outlook of where markets are headed. Every player in the chain benefits when farmers plant the right mix of crops.”
When asked if someone else would pick it up in due course, the Wild Oats publisher said not for this year, but others may put together something similar in the future that reflects today’s market access, flexibility and market transparency.
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October 30, 2015
The Agri Post
The Benefits and Value of Preconditioning Weaned Calves By Peter Vitti A pre-conditioned feeder is a general term for feedlot-destined calves that have been vaccinated, castrated, dehorned, weaned, has some feed-bunk/waterer experience while eating a nutritious post-weaning diet for at least 30-45 days prior to being sold to a feedlot. Recently, I’ve talked to several cow-calf operators and many of them, who sell weaned spring calves to feedlots in the fall, see no problem in “truck weaning”; where calves are abruptly removed from their mothers, loaded onto a cattle trailer and transported to another yard. Many of them have been selling their spring calves this way for years despite much North American field trials that dictate truck-weaned calves suffer from a higher rate of shrink during trucking and by the time they get to a feedlot and afterwards; suffer from a high inci-
dence of respiratory and other chronic health problems, lower feedlot gains, higher feed efficiencies and higher rates of death. These people express that the economic benefit in order to put calves through a preconditioning program is inadequate. Their opinion is in contrast to an Alberta study (2012) that showed that pre-conditioned calf sales garnish an $8/cwt premium per spring calf. Truck-wean supporters retort that this study has merit, but this extra $50 per 600 lb calves ($8 x 600 lb/ 100) doesn’t often cover the extra costs of pre-conditioning and more so during wide price variations due to heavier weight discounts and market seasonality. One person that might pay more for preconditioned calves is a person that I met at a stockman’s meeting, who purchases short-kept calves. She said that one year she bought 800 unconditioned heifer calves, trucked them 1,000 miles and regretted the sale. Her experience was that she and her workers wasted time getting these calves up to the feed bunk and spent at least $25 per treated sick calf, mainly needled for respiratory problems. In the following year, she purchased a similar allotment of certified pre-conditioned 600 lb calves, which were transported to her yard. Although, she did not disclose the premium that she paid for these pre-conditioned calves, she did say that the premium was worth it, because few animals were needled and most calves quickly got onto her feedlot starter diet. Regardless of experience or opinion of preconditioning calves, I believe if one chooses to precondition calves for sale, they should roughly follow a similar program broken down into three major phases: (1) pre-weaned preparation phase, (2) viable weaning period and (3) 45-day post weaning phase. The primary goal of each phase is to reduce the amount of weaning stress in saleable calves, as well as dovetail into future feedlot feeding programs. Starting with the pre-weaned phase, I recommend cow-calf operators talk to their veterinarian about a well-planned vaccination program implemented before about three weeks before calves are weaned. Calves should also be dewormed, dehorned and the male calves castrated. In addition, I like to feed pre-weaned calves a nutritious 14 – 16% medium-energy creep feed that helps them develop their rumens, while it encourages them to eat out of a bunk or self-feeder. Next comes the actual weaning from the cowherd and luckily there are many practical methods that reduces weaning stress, when calves are removed from their mothers. One good weaning recommendation cited from the University of Saskatchewan suggests that rather than separate the calves right off the cows, and move them alone into strange pens; move the cow-calf pairs together into a new feeding area that will be used only for the calves after weaning. Once
the calves get used to the feed-bunks and waterers, move the cows out. The idea being that the calves are no longer in a strange place and even without their mothers, will quickly get accustomed to where their new dinner will be. In the next few days, such settled weaned calves should be moved onto a 45-day post-weaning/preconditioning feeding program. This tends to be a high forage diet that puts on modest gains to draw premium value when marketed or to dovetail onto advanced back grounding rations when ownership is retained. As a ruminant nutritionist, I often recommend these parameters of a 45-day preconditioning feed and management program. - A weaned calf gains 2 lb per day or about 90 lbs more of marketable weight. - Spring calves (500 – 700 lbs) require about 65 – 68% TDN, 13 – 14% protein, high mineral and vitamins. - 14% Post-weaning ration consists of corn, oats, corn distillers, soybean meal, mineral-vitamin premix and medicated with monensin sodium @ 22mg/kg. - Forage: Mixed adequate mixed hay (Substitute with fall pastures, green chop, or stubble grazing). Given the relative simplicity of the above three-phase preconditioning program, even people that have truck-weaned calves for years might consider this different option. They might still only see the visible bottom-line value that preconditioning calves “doesn’t pay”, but they may not realize the invisible economic benefits, which adds value to most marketable calves. This is particularly true when repeat buyers will not buy calves unless they are legally certified as preconditioned. In this respect, all cow-calf producers benefit.
The Agri Post
G3 Focuses on East-West Terminal Network By Harry Siemens G3 Canada Limited (G3), a newly formed Canadian agribusiness based in Winnipeg will build a new lake terminal at the Port of Hamilton for southern Ontario grains and oilseeds destined as exports to global markets. The company is serious about being a major player in the grain business in Canada and according to other industry observers, as timely as can be. The former CWB has evolved into G3 Canada Grain Ltd. operating coast to coast. “G3 is excited to announce this major investment in the Port of Hamilton as part of our vision to create a coast-to-coast Canadian grain enterprise,” said Karl Gerrand, CEO. “Grain exports from southern Ontario have been increasing for some time now.” The 50,000 metric tonne facility will go up at Pier 26 in the Port of Hamilton, just off Queen Elizabeth Way. The company will load grains and oilseeds onto vessels for transport to G3’s facilities on the St. Lawrence River. From there, loads will head to export markets around the world. “We recognize time is valuable for our farmer partners, which is why this fa-
cility has been designed to get trucks in and out as fast as any competing terminal in Ontario,” said Gerrand. “Combined with G3’s existing facilities in TroisRivières and Quebec City, and our strong marketing connections, we believe G3 will present a very competitive new option for Ontario farmers.” Construction on the facility is already underway and is slated for completion prior to the 2017 harvest. “We peg Ontario’s exports around 14 percent annually with a primary focus on wheat, soybeans and corn. This terminal is a really good opportunity for us to finish up our eastern origination strategy and link in via our own laker vessels that we have, link in our Quebec Trois-Rivières terminals and build, what we think a very competitive grain pipeline off the east coast of Canada.” He made a point of saying this announcement does not in any way diminish their presence on the west coast. “G3 is a coast to coast grain enterprise and we’re basing our model on highly efficient infrastructure to allow not only the quick unload of grain to recognize the valuable time farmers spend waiting in line to dump their
grain,” said Gerrand. “We’re trying to add as much technology as we can to allow farmers to unload as quickly as they possibly can.” G3’s CEO said they want to complete as quickly as possible the entire enterprise across Canada to give options off the east and west coast. The Hamilton facility addresses their east coast movement, but they have a lot of work to do yet on the west coast movement.
“We continue to work very hard on the feasibility work for our Vancouver terminal and that is progressing very well moving into the public consultation stage of the permit application process with the Port of Vancouver,” he said. “I would say the reception we’ve had from the local community groups and citizens has been overwhelmingly positive.” Gerrand said the result will mean building additional inland terminals across
October 30, 2015
western Canada to feed the Vancouver Terminal with at least another eight to 10 terminals in Saskatchewan and Alberta over the course of the next three or four years. This announcement closely follows the construction of the Glenlea high throughput elevator a state-of-the-art grain elevator located a half mile south of Glenlea that will feature an elevator with 34,000 metric tonnes scheduled to open in early 2016 and Pasqua high throughput elevator located near Pasqua, Saskatchewan approxi-
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mately 10 km east of Moose Jaw featuring a 42,000 metric tonnes of storage. It is scheduled to open in January 2016. Under G3 Global Grain Group, a joint venture based in Winnipeg between Bunge Canada and SALIC a Saudi Arabia principal agricultural investment enterprise the merger has been completed combining not only the CWB, but also Bunge Canada Grain, which is the Quebec City Terminal and other terminals in Quebec. The combined businesses will operate under the name G3 Canada Limited.
Cutting the ribbon at G3’s new grain elevator at Colonsay, Saskatchewan that features a car-loading rate of up to 1,600 metric tonnes per hour with a 134-car loop track. The facility will also include a 17,300 metric tonne workhouse with cleaning facilities and 24,700 metric tonnes of steel storage capacity.
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The Agri Post
October 30, 2015
Cautiously Optimistic as Silos Get Topped Up
Potato Info When and Where You Want It
By Les Kletke It is October 23 and Dave Wiens expects to get one more cut of alfalfa. At first, one would think the southeast dairy farmer is in need of feed to be planning the fourth cut of the crop. “We have silos and we want to top them up just to make sure that we have enough feed to last well into the summer,” said Wiens. “We could have taken it at the end of September for the amount of growth there is but we did not want to risk warm weather and the plant starting to grow and using up its winter reserves.” Instead, he has been waiting for the plants to shut down before taking the last cut, he does not expect it to be a large volume but it will top of his silos. Wiens said he has a good supply of dry hay that would carry him through. Wiens who is the Chairman of the Dairy Farmers of Manitoba said that is the case for most producers. “I have not heard of anyone who is in drastic need of feed,” he said. “There are pockets where making hay was a challenge but that is always the case. Over all it seems like an above average year.”
David Wiens is President of the Dairy Farmers of Manitoba.
Wiens said that alfalfa is usually ready a bit earlier in the southeastern part of the province and later as you go northwest. “This year if you got your first cut down in the first half of June you were alright and that was the case in the southeast. In other areas where the crop was not ready until later June we had more of a challenge.” He said that corn silage came off in good quantity and better than average quality. “The crop was mature and that makes for better quality,” said Wiens. “It was not the corner to corner crop that you need for really good yields.”
Most areas of the province had some challenges in the spring with the corn crop and in most cases, it was moisture he explained. “It seems most fields have a few spots that were hurt by the moisture in spring and while the crop was good it was not a great crop, a bit above average.” Most dairy producers have more hay than they will need for the next year but are cautious about selling any because of the uncertainty of next spring. As Wiens said, “We want to make sure feed lasts well into summer.”
By Les Kletke Potato growers will soon have a new tool for getting information in the way and time they want it. Jill Hollosi is the Director of Digital Strategies with Issues Inc. and has been involved with the development of several new systems for potato growers. The first is a website ‘Spud Smart’ that features a one-stop shop for all information regarding their crop. “We go through the production information right through to the storage issues,” said Hollosi. “It is categorized so they can
find the information that is pertinent to them at the time without going through a lot of other information.” Hollosi said it is a mixture of technology and information when putting together a website like Spud Smart. “Of prime importance today is that the system adapts to whatever kind of tool the producer is using whether it be desk top, lap top or iphone. The information has to scale down so that it functions for the producer on the type of computer he is using.” The site is financed through advertising and industry partners. It grew from an industry magazine that delivered much of the same information but electronic delivery makes it less costly and immediate. In the next month, her company will be unveiling webinars and pod casts. “We see that as the next generation in this evolution,” she said. “The farmer will be able to view
the webinar from his home but if the time is not convenient it will be recorded and available 48 hours later for him to watch at his own convenience.” The podcast will provide shorter bits of information in a less formal setting with the idea of delivering the latest in information to producers at the time that they need it. The concept is not intended to do away with personal contact that happens at trade shows rather it supplements the industry with timely information. While the number of producers in the province has been shrinking, the crop remains one of the highest value crops in Manitoba and delivery of information in a cost effective way is extremely important. Hollosi expects the webinars to be ready by the end of the month but did not release a schedule of the topics.
The Agri Post
October 30, 2015
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October 30, 2015
The Agri Post
Manitoba Farm Women’s Conference Around the Corner By Joan Airey For the past year Manitoba Farm Women’s Conference (MFWC) Co-Chairs Cindy Klassen and Angela Lovell and their committee of volunteers have spent hours planning the conference that be held from November 15-17. Part of the planning incorporated a new destination for attendees into the heart of one of Manitoba’s agricultural communities, Winkler. After much brain storming by the committee a group of top-notch speakers were acquired to make the conference a fun learning experience for everyone involved in the agricultural industry. This year’s conference theme is From the Ground-Up, as 2015 is the International Year of soils it seemed an appropriate theme for organizers. “The conference is a place where farm and rural woman from across Manitoba meet annually to learn, laugh and make new friends. This year we are really encouraging attendees to bring along someone who has never been to a MFWC before, friend, colleague, or family member. Any first time attendees name will be entered in a draw to win a special prize,” said Cindy Klassen, Conference Co-Chair. Well-known Canadian Olympic curler Jill Officer will be guest speaker at Monday’s luncheon. Officer was a member of the Jennifer Jones team who won the 2014 Olympics. Laura Rance well known agricultural journalist will speak at the Conference on Monday morning November 16. Keynote Speaker is Carola Ann Fried who is passionate and committed to bringing playfulness and laughter into the workplace. She plans to deliver some Friedom Training and Coaching, on how to balance work and life, and will wrap up the conference by helping everyone discover their Joy Spot for a happier work environment. You will hear a wide range of speakers including Bailey Gizel a grade twelve student from Carman who has a passion for agriculture and plans to pursue this in her future. Bailey started a farm based business selling eggs, honey and baking at the early age of fifteen. The conference has been approved for seven credits for Management Training through the Bridging Generations Initiative. Further information on the conference can be found at manitobafarmwomensconference.ca or phone 204829-7706.
Favourable W eather Ups Weather Western Canadian Crop By Elmer Heinrichs New data and information from Statistics Canada, based on a September farm survey, has raised yield and production estimates for crops in western Canada. The estimates came in higher because of favourable weather conditions in August, especially in the Prairie Provinces. Timely rains in Alberta and Saskatchewan partly offset earlier extremely dry conditions, which had prevailed. Consequently, average yields were higher than had been anticipated. Overall production of wheat, canola and soybeans is lower in 2015 compared with 2014. On the other hand, the production of corn, barley and oats is expected to be higher than in 2014 and soybean production is expected to decline for the first time since 2007. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, in its October 2015 Outlook, reports that Manitoba experienced good growing conditions this year and as a result barley production rose to 485,500 tonne from 354,900 in 2014. To south of the border, North Dakota nearly doubled its production as the US crop expanded. Canadian farmers are harvesting a good corn crop, and so are Manitoba farmers with yields in the 100-140 bushels an acre range and an occasional field going as high as 175 bushels. Production of canola decreased by 13% cent from last year, to 14.3 metric tonnes (MT) on lower yields and lower harvested area. While overall production was down slightly, production of soybeans in western Canada reached a record 1.47 Mt. In general, grain prices in Canada are expected to be pressured by abundant world supplies.
New Destination for 2015... Winkler, Manitoba
The Agri Post
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A Snapshot of the Cooperativa Chortitzer... a Menno Colony By Harry Siemens I recently spent three weeks in the Chaco, Paraguay as a guest and a presenter to farmers of the Menno Colony on Canadian agriculture, farm and government policy. Gustav Sawatzky is the current President of the Cooperativa Chortitzer (CC) of the Menno Colony in the Chaco Paraguay with over 6,000 members doing $750 million in business in 2014. The colony serves over ten thousand people in the Chaco, with over 50 percent made up of Canadian citizens. Most of the members have relatives in Manitoba, in and around Steinbach, Niverville, Winkler and Winnipeg. “The Menno Colony is a group of people that stood together, right from the beginning when things were very difficult,” said Sawatzky. “Our forefathers, who left everything in 1926 and ‘27 in Manitoba to come to a new land, to seek freedom of religion and education.” In 1928, the people formed the first cooperative, where the initial storeowner Bill Krahn served the people. In 1932 a soldier with the Paraguayan military that came through from time to time, stole some goods from the store and he reported this theft to the military the next time they came through. Reporting that theft was no small thing. He had to go with the military and witness the execution of that same soldier that had stolen from him. To Mr. Krahn it was such a serious matter that he sold the store to the cooperative. While a sorrowful and sad story, it was the toehold that the cooperative used as a beginning to grow. Conditions were tough in the beginning; they had to import all of their flour, sugar, fabric to sew their clothes and many other basic necessities. They would then distribute enough staples to each person including sugar for three weeks and flour for a month. Eventually, the CC decided to process the flour for its members. The Menno Colony rose from those small beginnings dealing with the basic essentials of life growing into a very successful entity today. With no natural resources or other industries to develop, the CC is responsible for taking what the land could produce to sustain the members and their growing families. The CC is also responsible for buying the land while retaining the title even when the land is exchanged, resold in a way, amongst the membership. The most important crops the CC processes locally with their own meat processing facility, milk, cotton, sesame, and feed plants. Then the CC markets and sells their finished products. Much of it is sold domestically within Paraguay, but the colony also ships to approxi-
Gustav Sawatzky is the current President of the Cooperativa Chortitzer of the Menno Colony in the Chaco, Paraguay with over 6,000 members doing $750 million in business in 2014 and serving over ten thousand people in the Chaco (over 50 percent of those Canadian citizens).
The Menno Colony milk plant that processes over 450,000 litres of milk a day in Loma Plata, Paraguay.
“...the secret is to keep enough money to run and further invest in the Cooperativa Chortitzer, the rest goes back as dividends.” mately 25 countries. The Cooperativa Chortitzer is not there to make money, because the real owners are the 6,000 plus members. Rather the coop exists to help members thrive.
However, Sawatzky said the key is to make enough money to cover all the costs and, invest in the processing plants and essential businesses, to buy the land and to run the civil services, and then what remains, goes to those members as dividends. “That is how it functions, the secret is to keep enough money to run and further invest in the CC, the rest goes back as dividends,” he explained, “The CC deals with those things the members produce where today annually it does $750 million of business and that is a huge undertaking.”
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The Agri Post
October 30, 2015
Sheaf Loader Lessened Harvest Time’s Intense Labour In the fall of 2014, Bruce Black let the Museum copy negatives of photographs taken around 1920 on the farms operated by the Black Family in the Brandon area. The Museum was able to digitize the images taken from the negatives. Photos in this period are not common as cameras and film was expensive. They were saved for special occasions that
resulted in the photos from this time period being largely of people and family events. Photos of day-to-day agricultural activities are somewhat rare. One of these images shows the ladies visiting a Steward Sheaf Loader working on one of the farms sometime around WWI. The handling of sheaves was a sufficiently large enough problem that a number of pieces of
equipment were developed to ease the workload. The Steward Sheaf Loader was one such machine and offered the ability to load sheaves on a wagon faster and with less physical labour. It was a simple machine, ground driven and operated with a fourhorse team. The machine had a slatted chain pickup that gathered the sheaves off the ground and carried them up to a cross elevator that was also fitted with a slatted chain. This cross elevator carried the sheaf higher
and dropped them into a sheaf wagon. The frame of Steward Sheaf Loaders was sturdy made of square steel tubing and flat iron. Galvanized steel sheet formed the floors of the elevators with wooden boards forming the sides. The Steward Sheaf Loader Company Ltd. owned an office and plant at 470 Martin Avenue in Winnipeg and appears to have operated between 1910 and sometime in the mid-1920s. Most of the company’s output was sold in western Canada as
Sheaf loaders were not used largely in the US. There is some indication that the Steward machines sold for $500 a piece in 1913. More than likely most farmers using a sheaf loader used a sheaf wagon design that featured a wooden basket type body. The right side of the basket was higher than the left side in an effort to maximize capacity and reduce the chances of sheaves being thrown over the wagon. The wagon was parked so the low side was beside the
threshing machine. It has been suggested to the Museum staff that many veteran sheaf pitchers who loaded sheaf wagons by hand did so in a pattern so that the pitcher knew where to stand when pitching sheaves into the thresher and not be attempting to pitch a sheaf that he was standing on. Obviously, with a wagon loaded by a Steward, the sheaves were loaded helter skelter onto the wagon so the pitcher could have more work unloading the wagon. The Museum has three Steward Sheaf Loaders in its collection including one early machine, which features a wooden deck on the pickup elevator. Since it was built with a frame of square steel tubing and flat iron, it came in handy as a source of useful steel for repairs when the machine was no longer needed. So for three machines to have survived intact and donated to the Museum indicates Steward Sheaf Loaders were sold in respectable numbers. The Manitoba Agricultural Museum is open year round and operates a website at agmuseum.mb.ca, which can provide visitors with information and hours of operation.
you will be able to discuss community priorities with your municipal leaders and know they will have a funding stream to address them. Right now all they can say is “if the province kicks in we can consider it,” and that’s not how it should work. We are also pledging to make sporting activities more affordable for your children by removing the PST from sporting goods similar to how children’s clothing is exempt from the provincial sales tax. As budgets continue to be stretched we will work to find meaningful ways to help families afford the things that are important to them. As someone who grew up in rural Manitoba I also realized how road safety has been abandoned on country
highways and gravel roads. From reduced snow clearing to poor signage, things have only gotten worse. We are committed to working to improve safety conditions because your children and loved ones are just as important as those who live in cities and larger towns. We are also committed to ensure STARS air ambulance continues to fly. We will not turn it into a political football to be kicked around for convenience to score political points. Don’t let parties who have no plan or selfserving plans be given the honour of governing. Remember you ultimately reap what you sow and inputs matter. Rana Bokhari is the Manitoba Liberal Leader.
The Black Family in the field with their Steward Sheaf Loader surrounded by a number of ladies looking over the machine in action.
Time to Sow Something New Agriculture producers know more than most the value of planting something that has a chance to not only grow, but also provide value at the end of the day. All that work for a field with no yield, is not a good investment. The question now, as harvest wraps up, is what kind of government will rural Manitobans sow to reap the best results? The NDP has been a letdown, and that is putting it mildly. The Conservatives have promised much, but have been unable to deliver anything meaningful. They have worked hard to discredit the NDP government, but have not been keen to share their
vision of what Manitoba would look like if they were handed the reins of power. That lack of vision has ensured they will continue to hold the post of opposition. Growing up on a farm has made it abundantly clear to me the challenges of living in rural Manitoba. I know services continue to dwindle and government has been slow to allow municipalities to chart their own path. A lack of flexibility regarding services has meant more driving and less downtime for rural families. Manitobans need a government that will work with communities and be
By Rana Bokhari flexible to their needs. This one-size fits all approach has created a Winnipeg versus everyone else approach and it’s not productive. The Manitoba Liberal Party has been clear on our position regarding the one percent PST increase. We would ensure each municipality receives its share of that revenue to use on priorities important to those individual communities. Right now,
the additional PST is used by government for whatever will buy the most votes and the NDP doesn’t depend on rural constituencies to win government. Conversely the Conservatives won’t be focused on you either, because they believe they have your vote and they need new voters in Winnipeg. Brian Pallister intends to use your share of the PST increase for at least four years if elected to shore up support and seats in Winnipeg. If you feel taken for granted for everything except your donation dollar these are the reasons why. The Manitoba Liberal Party is the only party promising to return your share of the PST to you for infrastructure projects important to your community. This will mean
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Improve Your Insurance Program When you review your insurance program with your broker, you are essentially looking for value. We all measure that differently. With this in mind some ideas that may interest you are: - You may consider increasing your deductible to the next highest option or even higher. The higher the deductible is, the lower the annual premium. - Keep your property in good condition, from grass to roof. Insurance companies inspect your buildings considering maintenance and housekeeping for rates and qualification to preferred programs. - Do not put in the small claims that can be paid by you, your insurance company will keep you in a preferred no-loss status. This helps you qualify for better rates and keeps your file clean for more flexibility and options. - Think long term and try to stay with the same insurance company. Sometimes they will provide better terms or coverage when asked if your file is clean. While you are trying to stay with the same insurance company ask your broker to go to market for you. Have the broker show you the quotes from the competing insurance companies. This process can determine if your current insurance company needs to sharpen their pencil or maybe there is a coverage difference and you do need to change to the different company. Your broker needs to know and understand the differences in the different company programs and he should be able to explain these to you. Check over the property and equipment limits on your policy. Some go up, while others go down. There is no benefit to insuring too high. The savings may be considerable if you pay your premium in full instead of on the monthly payment plan. By buying a low-cost low-coverage policy, you run the risk of really losing money by experiencing a loss that is underinsured or not covered at all. However, self-insuring some things is a good idea as long as you understand the risk and can afford to absorb the financial loss. Take your time with your broker. Help them understand that while you want to save money you also need solid coverage with a solid insurance company. Be sure to seek advice and purchase insurance from those who understand your business! Andy Anderson is an Associate Insurance Broker specializing in General, Life and Group Benefits for Farm and Business, P 204-746-5589, F 866 765 3351 andya@rempelinsurance.com / rempelinsurance.com / valleyfinancial.ca.
Fall Auction Run Turns into a Trot By Les Kletke The fall run is underway at the Winnipeg Livestock Sales and it might be more accurately described as a trot than a run. Scott Anderson is one of the principles of the Auction Market and does duty as an order buyer and ring man. He said things have changed from the days that a fall run would start in late August and go through to November with huge numbers of cattle at the sales. “We had 1,500 cattle go through the sale [October 23] that is probably 1,000 less than 6 or 7 years ago, but that is a change in the industry,” he said. “We have guys calving over a much longer window and they are marketing their calves at different times.” He does see increased numbers because of stronger demand in the industry. “With the competition for calves, guys are coming back to the auction mart seeing that the commissions are easy to recover if they get an extra bid or two.” Anderson said the sale in late October had good demand from Canadian buyers despite the strong US dollar. “The US market took a tumble a while ago and guys lost money on cattle they were feeding,” he said. “Loosing $300 a head will keep them out of the market for a while.” He noted that the drop in the dollar kept Canadians from the same fate. “They sell into US markets so they get paid in US dollars that meant a big gain when our dollar dropped.” He said the number of cattle going through the market was similar to a year ago and prices are strong. “We don’t have anyone complaining when 500 lb steers are brining $3 to $3.10 a pound,” he said. The only ones complaining might be the buyers who want to make money feeding those cattle. “Feed prices might be a little lower in Canada and feeders are thinking they can make money and some fellows are buying the lighter cattle to put on grass next spring so they are optimistic,” said Anderson. He acknowledged the market dipped a month ago but buyers have returned and while the markets are not red hot, prices are reasonably strong. “We saw a lot of cows go through the markets over the past couple of years as guys got out of the business, but that is not the case right now and there are more young guys interested in feeding cows,” he explained. Anderson said Canadian buyers are in the market as strong as ever and thinks the idea of a feed shortage in Alberta may have been overplayed. “They got some rains later and there is more feed than originally expected,” he said. “They are in the market and will be feeding cattle.”
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Manitoba Beef Producers’ District Meetings Under Way Manitoba Beef Producers’ (MBP) annual tour of the province is underway with meetings already hosted in Eriksdale, Stonewall, Elm Creek and Grunthal. These district meetings sets in motion a busy, but important, four weeks for MBP as directors and staff will meet with members and discuss the organization’s activities on their behalf. “We strongly encourage all of our members to attend their district meetings,” said MBP President Heinz Reimer. “This is a member-driven association and their input will help shape our focus and direction over the next year. It is important for members to attend their district meeting and have a say in the future of their industry.”
Along with an update on activities and a review of MBP’s financial report, a handful of important topics, including a discussion on the National Beef Strategy and proposed National Check Off increase, will also be on the agenda. Members in districts 7, 12 and 13 will receive an update on MBP’s work on bovine TB. “The presentation on the National Beef Strategy and potential National Check Off increase will be of particular interest to members,” Reimer said. “Representatives from national industry groups will be in attendance at some of the meetings to discuss this further.” Elections for directors will be held in evennumbered districts this year. A new director will
KAP Sees Benefits in Changing Canada’s International Stance
Dan Mazier, President of KAP looks forward to discussions with the Manitoba Liberal MPs elected.
By Les Kletke Dan Mazier acknowledges that the interaction between a Federal Agricultural Minister and a provincial organization is limited but confided the mechanism is in place to bring about the interaction. “In KAP we see the CFA handling most of the issues of a national scope,” said Mazier in his first year as President and a long time executive member. “We have organization in place to bring the issues to the Federal government and they will have more interaction with the new Minister.” Prime Minister Elect Justin Trudeau is to name his cabinet November 4.
Mazier said that KAP would make some effort to bring the agricultural issue to the attention of the new Liberal MPs all of who are elected in Winnipeg. “We will have some educating to do, to bring our issues to those members, but we also have Ralph Goodale in Saskatchewan who is a senior member of the party and has a good understanding of agriculture.” Goodale served as Minister of the CWB in previous Liberal administrations. Mazier said that he is hopeful that the new Liberal government will ratify the TPP agreement. “As an exporter I see it as a good thing for our farmers,” he said. “I have to commend the previous administration for getting us into the agreement.” He acknowledged that not everyone was happy with the way the process was completed and sees the results as worth the effort. Mazier said they would need to wait and see if the Liberal government will be able to act on all of its promises. He said a CFA website provides the information about the political parties and their positions on agricultural
issues. “The Liberal party has much more to say about the environment and now it will be a matter of Canada following through and being involved in some of those talks like in Paris and working with
be selected for District 10 where current director Theresa Zuk has reached her term limit and will be retiring. There is no cost for members to attend the meetings. Each meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 pm and will include a free beef on a bun supper.
other countries.” He is not concerned that environmental issues will mean stricter regulations on Canadian farms but sees that Canada should be a part of the talks and meeting future targets could avoid potential trade issues rather than the country being eliminated from markets because of a failure to meet international standards for the environment.
While he offers no opinion, on whom the next Federal Agricultural Minister might be he said that he did host Mark Eyking, the Liberal Agriculture Critic when they were in opposition. “A few days later I heard him say in the House that he had been to Manitoba and was impressed by the size of the equipment he saw,” said Mazier.
New PProgram rogram Ensures Farmers Get PPaid aid The Farmers of North America Strategic Agriculture Institute (FNA-STAG) recently announced the completion of it’s testing of the MarketPower Assurance (MPA) program that is available to the entire marketplace. Key features include protection against slow pay or no pay, insuring accounts payable on a buyer and its invoice specific basis, providing flexible payment terms, up to 90 days, freedom to look for higher risk premium markets and insurance only until confidence is built in the buyer. “MPA is available for any products farmers sell and for processed food products as well,” said FNA-STAG CEO Bob Friesen. “This insurance product will give farmers and food processors the confidence that they will get paid regardless of who they sell to.” Every farmer has a story to tell about the one time they did not get paid. When farmers sell, without cash on delivery, they are typically unsecured creditors, and whether the buyer simply refuses to pay, is slow to pay or goes into receivership, the sellers are “out of luck”. FNA reports that with MPA this no longer has to happen. Whether you are a farmer or a food processor, you can now sell with confidence, secure in the fact that if there is a default of payment, at least 90% of the value of the invoice can be recovered through insurance coverage. “Keeping farmers in mind, this program was tailored with a lot of flexibility,” said Vern Randall, Account Executive at Cherry AgSecure, a division of Cherry Insurance in Saskatoon who are participating brokers of this program. “You can pick and choose for which buyers you want coverage, as well, you can insure each delivery specifically and as you build confidence in the buyer, stop buying the insurance anytime,” and Randall adds, “It is very affordable.” An additional bonus is using accounts receivables as collateral. Banks typically will not lend money against receivables. However, MPA allows sellers to leverage their accounts receivables for operating credit with their insurance certificate because they are assured of receiving at least 90% of the value of their invoice.
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Central, Eastern Harvest Just Above Average By Elmer Heinrichs In its final 2015 crop report, October 13, Manitoba Agriculture says that provincially the fall harvest is over 95% complete. Edible beans and field pea harvests are done, spring cereals 99% canola 98%, flax and soybeans 85%, sunflowers and corn, both over 50% harvested. Crop yields in Manitoba are generally at or slightly above 10-year average yields. However, lower than average yields for some crop types were reported in some areas, largely due to extreme weather events including May and June frosts, wind and lodging, plus hail and extremes in moisture. The quality for a majority of crop types is about average. Cereal crops harvested later in the season showed a decrease in quality due to poor weather conditions at harvest. The number of winter wheat acres seeded in fall 2015 is flat to lower, but germination and stand establishment of winter cereal crops this fall is rated as good to excellent. Fall fieldwork, including tillage, soil testing, post-harvest weed control and fertilizer applications of anhydrous ammonia, is on going. Unusually warm weather in early October allowed for excellent harvest, fieldwork and fertilization progress. Fall frosts had minimal impact on quality as crops had matured prior to the frost. The majority of spring cereals were seeded by the first week of May, and all areas reported early dry conditions. Spring growth was generally slow due to cool weather conditions through much of May. The majority of the winter wheat, spring wheat, oat and barley crops were generally good quality. Later rains caused some downgrading, but to only to a fraction of the crop compared to 2014.
Central’s winter wheat yields ranged from 55 to 90 bushels an acre, averaging 60-70 bu/acre. Hybrids and fall rye had some excellent yields, ranging from 60 to 100 bu/acre, averaging 60-70 bu/acre. Spring wheat yields ranged from 45 to 90 bu/acre, with most reporting an average of 55 to 70. CPSR and generalpurpose wheats ranged from 50 to 100 bu/acre, averaging 60 to 70 bu/acre. Lodging was a significant issuer in many fields, but yields were remarkable considering the extent of the lodging. Barley yields ranged from 70 to 90 bu/acre, oats from 90 to 140, averaging 110 to 125 bu/acre. Canola yields were good to excellent, although the average yield was down from last year. Yields were quite variable ranging from 15 to 60 bu/acre, averaging 40-45 bu/acre. Quality was quite good. The edible bean harvest is done; yields are lower, averaging 1,500 pounds, with good quality. Soybeans averaged 35 to 40 bu/acre, and sunflower harvesting continues. Yield average 1,800-2,200 lbs. In Eastern regions, harvest operations are still ongoing, winter wheat averaged 63 bu/acre, spring wheat, averaged 52, a majority of the crop graded No. 2 CW and oats averaged 100 bu/acre. Canola had an average yield of 42 bu/acre with 100 per cent of crop grading No. 1 CAN. Soybean harvesting is all but done, averaged 39 bu/acre and the corn harvest is about 40 per cent complete with an average yield of 145 bu/ acre. Sunflowers, 60 per cent done, are averaging 1,750 pounds to date. Overall, winter feed supplies in most areas are good with producers having a surplus of hay. Most cattle are still out on pasture, while some producers have moved calves home or to market.
Province Passes Management of Community Pastures to Non-Profit More than half of the province’s community pastures are now managed by a non-profit organization responsible for their future use and stewardship. The Association of Manitoba Community Pastures (AMCP) was formed in 2014 after the Federal Government began transitioning community pasture management to the province. The AMCP is made up of patrons who pay fees to use these pastures. The pastures provide grazing and breeding space for livestock but also protect natural prairie ecosystems and protect the land from impacts due to drought, development or intensive cropping. The AMCP is operating 14 pastures to date and will manage nine more over the next year. “Community pastures are an important resource for new and established farmers to have a place for livestock to graze and breed,” said Barry Lowes, Chair, Association of Manitoba Community Pastures. “The community pasture program has been an important part of many farm operations for years and we are pleased we will be able to manage and protect this land for the province and for the agricultural producers who continue to rely on it.” This project was made possible through $1.05 million in funding from the Manitoba government over three years. Community pastures were established in the 1930s throughout the three Prairie Provinces to help reclaim badly eroded soils. There are 23 community pastures in Manitoba covering 400,000 acres and 80 per cent are on provincial Crown land.
Provincial Ag Minister Ron Kostyshyn noted the AMCP would ensure community pastures are financially and environmentally sustainable, providing an agriculture resource while protecting prairie ecology. Grazing fees at these pastures are consistent with market rates, he noted, adding the pastures will continue to be available for First Nations, Métis, Indigenous communities and other local users to carry out traditional pursuits.
Forage and Grassland Association Conference The Canadian Forage and Grasslands Association (CFGA) will host its sixth annual conference in Saskatoon, November 17-19. The theme of the event capitalizes on the United Nations Food and Agricultural Association’s appointment of 2015 as the International Year of Soils – Canadian Forage in the International Year of Soils: Capture the Intensity! The event will highlight the contributions of the Canadian forage sector to agricultural ecosystem health, and celebrate innovations in the sector that drive its significant contribution to Canada’s economy. Attendees include farmers, agri-business representatives, volunteers, board members and many other supporters of the Canadian forage industry. Information on the schedule of events and how to register can be found at www.canadianfga.ca.
Events... Manitoba Farm Women’s Conference – On Sunday, November 15 from 7 – 9:30 pm, Monday, November 16 at 7:30 am – 8 pm and Tuesday, November 17 at 7:30 am – 3:30 pm at the Days Inn in Winkler. On Sunday, check out the free BACKSWATH Women in Ag Peer Group workshop at 5:30 pm prior to the evening activities. Celebrating International Year of Soils topics include Growers Can Strike an AgronomicEnvironmental Balance in Water Quality Protection, 7 Seconds and 140 Characters to Make an Impression, Work Safe - What You and Your Farm Business Needs to Know About Safety and Health, Healthy Crops Begin With Healthy Soils and Holistic Nutrition. Early bird registration is October 15 $150, after $160 and registration for Monday $100 or Tuesday $70 sessions. Deadline, November 5. Contact mbfarmwomensconf@gmail.com or call Cindy Klassen, conference Chair 204-829-7706. Getting Your Food Product into a Grocery Store Workshop – On Tuesday, November 10 at the Grandview Agricultural Community Centre or Tuesday, November 17 at the FDC, Portage la Prairie. Event from 4:30 – 9 pm Contact: Kathy Sawchuk, MAFRD @204-871-5015 or e-mail Kathy,Sawchuk@gov.mb.ca. Forage and Beef Blitz Update 2015 – On Tuesday, November 10, 7 – 10 pm at the Parkland Crossing Multi-Purpose Room, 220 Whitmore Ave. W., Dauphin. Contact MAFRD GO Office 204-622-2006 to pre-register by Friday, November 6. Topics: Cost of Extreme Temperatures for Your Breeding Herd, Nutrient Management of Winter Grazing Sites, Results of the Western Canadian Cow/Calf Survey, MB Beef and Forage Initiative Update. Agri Innovation Forum 2015 – From Tuesday, November 17 – Wednesday, November 18 at the Fort Garry Hotel 222 Broadway, Winnipeg. Annual Partnering Conference for the Agri-Bioeconomy. Opportunity and Innovation at the Intersection of the Global Food, Energy & Water Challenges. Topics include Agricultural Waste Management, Aeroponics & Aquaculture, Bio Industrial Products, Biofuels & Renewable Feedstock, Crop Science & Precision Farming, Forestry Products & Management, Livestock & Animal Health and Nutraceuticals & Functional Foods. Cost: General Registration $1,295. Contact Trish Redekop, Project Coordinator Agri Innovation Forum 2015, trish@criticalpathgroup.com, 587-350-0078. Harvesting Value: Business Opportunities in Value-Added Agriculture – On Thursday November 19 from 9 am – 5 pm at the MNP Convention Hall, Keystone Centre, Brandon. Contact: Laurie Crowe, MAFRD @ 204-761-0551 or e-mail Laurie,Crowe@gov.mb.ca. Farm Tax Update for Professionals– On Thursday, November 19 in Niverville sponsored by Canadian Association of Farm Advisors (CAFA). Annual Compliance & Farm Tax Filing, Tax Issues for the Divorcing Farmer, Business Structures & Family Farms, Corporation or Partnership from an Accounting Perspective, Inter-Vivos Trusts for Farmers, The Mechanics of Gifting, Splitting up the Family Farm Corporation - Section 55 Update, Farm Transfers – Sale and Wills and Estates. Cost: Members $200 plus GST, Non-Members $275 plus GST. Contact 1-877-474-2871, info@cafanet.com. Hog Days – On Wednesday, December 2 from 10 am – 4:30 pm at the Keystone Centre, Brandon. Contact Everlito Mendoza 204-346-6080 or e-mail Everlito.Mendozo@gov.mb.ca. Over 150 exhibits, Pork Quality Competition, Bake off Competition. Luncheon $12/person 12 -1 pm.
The Agri Post
CRSB Drafts Sustainable Beef Indicators
In a sold-out AGM on September 30 in Saskatoon over 55 organizations were represented at the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB), further solidifying the Canadian beef industry’s commitment to sustainability. Part of CRSB’s work focuses on developing the framework to produce and source verified sustainable beef within the value chain. “The CRSB is developing the framework for actors in the beef value chain to produce or source verified sustainable beef. This framework consists of two key components indicators and verification. The Indicators will determine how sustainability will be measured; and the verification protocols will outline the necessary components for verifying the indicators,” stated Fawn Jackson, Executive Director. The multi-stakeholder committee reached consensus on the first set of indicators for primary producers. These indicators were presented at the meeting, and the breakout discussion session yielded extremely valuable feedback and revealed general agreement on the future direction of the indicators. The draft indicators currently focus on primary production and the committee will expand this set of indicators to include processors and retailers as part of the overall systems approach to sustainability. “It is amazing to see how quickly we reached consensus on the indicators, both within the committee and at the AGM. We are often saying similar things just in a different way. The main thing is that we are all in this together and want to move forward and achieve positive and realistic outcomes,” stated Tim Hardman from the World Wildlife Fund, who co-chairs the committee tasked with drafting and refining the indicators. The committee will continue working on indicators for other players in the value chain. The verification work is coming up next. Release of draft 2 is set to happen in February 2016 for CRSB Council and Membership Review followed by a 30-day public consultation. Then the standing committee will provide formal responses to feedback. April 2016 is scheduled for final draft submission to the CRSB for approval and includes the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB) official endorsement. The CRSB is currently establishing its Verification Committee. The Verification Committee, building upon the work of the Indicator Committee, will identify and recommend sustainable beef verification protocols for audit process and chain of custody. The committee is expected to begin its work in November 2015. To learn more about the CRSB and its work visit on line at crsb.ca.
Canada’s Largest Indoor Farm Show Gives Back Manitoba Ag Days is a three day agricultural show bringing together all levels of the industry and highlighting the newest products and innovations. Over 500 exhibitors and more than 50,000 patrons gather in Brandon every January to take in Canada’s Largest Indoor Farm Show. Branded as 100% Pure Farm, the organization has taken it one-step further by launching the Manitoba Ag Days Community giving program. “As a not for profit organization we want to continue to positively impact the lives of our exhibitors and patrons,” stated Dave Laudin, Board Chair. In the past, Manitoba Ag Days has supported the educational component with a number of scholarships available through the University of Manitoba, Assiniboine Community College and the Manitoba chapter for Agriculture in the Classroom. “The educational component is still very important to our organization and we will continue to support our youth in the industry. We are now taking our commitment to agriculture one step further and have added a Community Improvement category. We want to share some of the show’s success with the individuals that make it successful by allowing communities and organizations the opportunity to apply for funds to help support valuable projects and initiatives in the heart of our agriculture industry.” In 2013, the show started the 50/50 raffle, which has raised over $34,000 in the last two years. Proceeds from the raffle have directly gone to organizations such as STARS Air Ambulance, 4-H Manitoba, Manitoba Youth Beef Roundup and to the Manitoba Rural and Support Services. The community improvement category is made up of Capital and Upgrade Projects, Agriculture and Heritage and Safety and Emergency Services. “As a board, we felt these were three areas that are necessary for rural communities to continue to grow and thrive,” identified Laudin. If your community has projects such as playgrounds, renovations to recreation facility, emergency services needing new equipment or an annual fair or event that need supports please apply. Over the next few weeks, organizations throughout the prairies will have an opportunity to apply for the proceeds raised from the 50/50 funds. Interested candidates for both categories, Education and Community Improvement can visit agdays.com for further information on the application process. “Over the last 10 years approximately $200,000 has been given to a number of different organizations and individuals and we look forward to further growing that value! We will continue to Pay It Forward in Agriculture,” stated Laudin.
October 30, 2015
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October 30, 2015
The Agri Post