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Fusarium on the march and wreaking havoc Once limited to wheat fields in southern Alberta, fusarium head blight is spreading quickly into central Alberta and beyond

Beef leaders aim high with new national strategy Goals include boosting production efficiency by 15 per cent and increasing carcass cut-out value by 15 per cent in just five years

By Jennifer Blair af staff

devastating wheat disease is on the rise in Alberta — and spreading quickly. “Over the past few years, (fusarium) has increased considerably, and it’s fairly prominent now,” said Trevor Blois, disease diagnostician with 20/20 Seed Labs. “This year, around 16 per cent of samples that are submitted for a fusarium test in Alberta are testing positive. That’s the highest we’ve ever seen.”

see FUSARIUM } page 7

photo: laura rance By Alexis Kienlen af staff

usiness gurus call them Big Hairy Audacious Goals — and now Canadian beef leaders have to figure out how to achieve the ones they’ve set for their industry. “You have to pick a place to get to,” said Trevor Atchison, co-chair of the National Beef Strategic Planning Group. “You

can’t make every goal in life, but if you don’t set something that’s higher than what you have today, you can’t strive to get there.” The group, comprised of the country’s main beef industry players, released a document entitled Canada’s National Beef Strategy earlier this month. It sets the bar high with three specific goals to be achieved by 2020: Boost production efficiency by 15 per cent, increase

carcass cut-out value by 15 per cent, and reduce cost disadvantage relative to global competitors by seven per cent. “Maybe the goals are more ambitious than what we can complete, I don’t know,” said Atchison, a cow-calf producer and backgrounder from Pipestone, Man., who is also vicechair of Canada Beef. “But it’s in every producer’s best interest to try and get there to keep the industry healthy and

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grow it, with increased numbers that we’re going to need to maintain the market share for the global beef business we have today.” The 30-page document (available at www.beefstrategy.com) contains many items that are long-term propositions, including improving genetics, forage productivity, and feed efficiency along with boosting technology

see BEEF STRATEGY } page 6

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news » inside this week

inside » FINES NOT ENOUGH Rules on grain transportation need overhaul, say farm groups

JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

livestock

crops

EXTREME ERGOT

TIGHT ISN’T RIGHT

columNists LAURA RANCE

Beef strategy badly needed

brenda schoepp

Ensuring the grass is greener

TAXING TIMES Tax deferral helps but Peace producers need rain

The fungus is widespread so feed needs testing

Even when yields hold up soil health suffers

carol shwetz

Tips on trailering

Western Canada’s first annual outdoor farm show coming in July Ag in Motion is being created on 320 acres near Saskatoon and will include field demonstrations for crop inputs and equipment

“I think we’ll see as shows on this property mature it will become a significant place for agricultural business and research to be unveiled.” Rob O’Connor

By Allan Dawson staff

lacier FarmMedia, Canada’s largest agricultural news and information publisher, is expanding the farm show part of its business with the creation of a new demonstration-focused, outdoor farm show called Ag in Motion on 320 acres of farmland just outside of Saskatoon. “What’s really unique about this show is it brings agriculture equipment and inputs to an agricultural setting,” said show director Rob O’Connor. “The property was actually farmed last year so you can get a really good sense of what that equipment or what that variety of crop can do because it’s there in the setting you’re most familiar with, versus being inside a building or on a concrete pad. It won’t be hard to understand how that product will look in your field or on your farm.” Ag in Motion, Western Canada’s first outdoor farm show, will be held July 21 to 23. O’Connor managed Regina’s Farm Progress Show for 10 years and had just started managing Brandon’s Provincial Exhibition when he was approached by Glacier FarmMedia to help establish and run Ag in Motion. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he said. “The last time a new agricultural trade show started up was… (Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show) in Woodstock (Ontario)... 20 years ago.” Staff with Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, which is also

Correction

Ag in Motion will have the assistance of the operators of Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, held annually near Woodstock, Ont. Last year’s show attracted more than 750 exhibitors and 42,000 attendees. Photo: Supplied owned by Glacier FarmMedia, will help organize Ag in Motion, O’Connor said. Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show attracts 45,000 people a year and Ag in Motion has the potential to do the same, he added. The goal is to attract farmers from across the West and northern U.S. Saskatoon is central and people are willing to travel farther during summer when the days are long and snowstorms or extremely cold weather aren’t a threat, O’Connor said. “I think we’ll see, as shows on this property mature, it will become a significant place for agricultural business

1+1=3

and research to be unveiled,” O’Connor said. “We’ll see this whole space will change and modify to what the industry demands of it. So right now it will be a three-day farm show. Five years from now it could be something more significant — a trade show and seminars or crop tours. The great thing about this opportunity is it’s a blank slate. We can create whatever the industry needs.” With up to 140 acres of farmland set aside by Ag in Motion, input suppliers and equipment companies will be able to demonstrate their products to thousands of farmers who will see

side-by-side product comparisons under field conditions. “I think this is a big step for Glacier FarmMedia and I think it’s the right move,” O’Connor said. “And that’s partly why I joined the company. I think this is a fantastic opportunity.” It’s also another way Glacier FarmMedia can serve its farm readers and advertisers better, he said. Glacier FarmMedia owns Alberta Farmer, Manitoba Cooperator, Western Producer, Grainews, Country Guide, Le Bulletin des agriculteurs and AgCanada.com.

A story in the Jan. 5 edition (Expert says plan your pastures and save yourself some headaches) incorrectly stated sainfoin and vetch can cause eye problems in cattle. In fact, eye problems can occur later in the season when brome and orchard grasses mature and go to seed. Brome and orchard grasses have large, hairy seeds that can get stuck in the eyes of cattle.

Clarification A story in the Jan. 5 edition (Farmers wanted to test sustainability platforms) stated the Alberta Crops Sustainability Initiative was developed by Alberta Pulse Growers and the provincial wheat, barley, and canola commissions. In fact, Alberta Wheat and Alberta Barley developed the initiative and invited Alberta Canola Producers and Alberta Pulse Growers to participate.

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It looks like the end of the line for two aging Prairie icons With the imminent demolition of Menaik’s classic country grain elevator the end of an era edges closer in central Alberta By Johnnie Bachusky

ernard Lentz felt profound sadness when he heard last month the focus of one of his biggest dreams as a farmer was about to be lost forever. Now retired, the 79-year-old fondly recalled the memorable days in the winter of 1978 when he saved a doomed Alberta Pacific Grain Company grain elevator at the whistle stop of Menaik, located nine kilometres north of Ponoka. “I am a dreamer — I enjoy a good challenge,” Lentz said of his efforts to preserve the 30,000-bushel elevator built in 1922. “I had a 20-ton jack under there and thought if I kept working for two months I might get it up, but then I realized I could never do it.” Lentz purchased the elevator for $400, and spent almost another $10,000 to have a Red Deer contractor move the 66-foot-high, 108-ton elevator five kilometres southwest to his farm. But Albert Meyer, who purchased Lentz’s farm in 1997, is advertising for a demolition company to knock down the elevator, noting it has rapidly deteriorated. “I am really disappointed because I’m quite sure it was the only official grain elevator on a farm left in the county of Ponoka,” said Lentz, now living in the town of Ponoka with his wife Irma. “A lot of people build elevators, but they were just small things.” And so too was the Searle Grain Co. elevator at Mintlaw, another pioneer whistle stop seven kilometres south of Red Deer. Built in 1923, the tiny 15,000-bushel structure, moved to a farm seven kilometres northeast of Blackfalds almost 60 years ago, is also targeted for demolition. “The roof is starting to sag. It is no good for us. I am hoping to get someone to dismantle it and recycle the wood,” said Kim Bloomfield, the farm’s co-owner. “We would really appreciate it being gone because we can use the space for something else.”

After Bernard Lentz sold his farm in 1997 the Menaik elevator was used for only two years and has steadily deteriorated since. Photo: Johnnie Bachusky

The pioneer Mintlaw grain elevator now sits on a farm northeast of Blackfalds, but hasn’t been used in years. Photo: Johnnie Bachusky The pending demolition of the two elevators will mark the end of the pioneer grain elevator era along the Highway 2 corridor. While half a dozen modern-day wooden country grain elevators built in the 1970s still stand along the highway between Calgary and Edmonton, the loss of the Menaik and Mintlaw structures is a devastating setback for heritage preservationists. “These buildings, some of which were moved to new locations after they were closed, may sometimes be the last standing remnant of a vanished community,” said Jim Pearson, a researcher and author on pioneer grain elevators. But preserving these Prairie sentinels is expensive — restoration costs can run into tens of thousands of dollars. An even bigger problem is that both the Menaik and Mintlaw structures were both moved, making them ineligible for provincial heritage funding. While Meyer said he could find no interest within Ponoka County

to save the Menaik elevator, the Mintlaw structure has generated some interest in Lacombe. But there are challenges. “It is an intriguing idea but we don’t have space to place it, which is a big issue,” said Jennifer Kirchner, president of the Lacombe and District Historical Society, adding the combined size of her group’s two properties is only about one acre.

“I would imagine other historical societies in the area would probably be in a similar situation.” Faced with that reality, Lentz is left to mourn the end of an era. “It’s the death of an era because all of the elevators are gone,” he said. “It’s change, change in the way we farm and elevators are not used anymore. They’ve gone to grain terminals.”

Moving day for the Menaik elevator in March 1978. It took movers three hours to transport the structure five kilometres. Photo: Bernard Lentz

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Bernard Lentz and wife Irma look over old newspaper articles from 1978 when they moved the pioneer Menaik grain elevator to their former farm. Photo: Johnnie Bachusky

JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

EDITOR Glenn Cheater Phone: 780-919-2320 Email: glenn.cheater@fbcpublishing.com twitter: @glenncheater

Reporters Alexis Kienlen, Edmonton 780-668-3121 Email: akienlen@fbcpublishing.com

New national beef strategy is on the right track

Jennifer Blair, Red Deer 403-613-7573 Email: jennifer.blair@fbcpublishing.com

PRODUCTION director Shawna Gibson Email: shawna@fbcpublishing.com

The goals are ambitious, but what’s key is that the cattle sector is coalescing around a common vision

Director of Sales & Circulation Lynda Tityk Email: lynda.tityk@fbcpublishing.com

CIRCULATION manager Heather Anderson Email: heather@fbcpublishing.com

By Laura Rance

Manitoba Co-operator editor

national ADVERTISING SALES

James Shaw Phone: 416-231-1812 Fax: 416-233-4858 Email: jamesshaw@rogers.com

eef industry leaders have outlined some gutsy goals for their sector to meet with their recently released National Beef Strategy. Boosting production efficiency by 15 per cent, increasing carcass cut-out value by 15 per cent and reducing cost disadvantage relative to global competitors by seven per cent by 2020 won’t be easy. But much of the heavy lifting towards these targets has already been accomplished during the exhaustive process that went into developing this strategic plan. Whether the sector hits these targets on the bull’s eye, falls a little short or overshoots, is less important than the fact that it has coalesced around a common vision. Everyone can agree on the need for a dynamic profitable industry and most can appreciate the value in being a trusted and competitive producer that is recognized globally for producing superior quality, safety, value, innovation using sustainable production methods. These goals may seem like stating the obvious, but they provide a starting point for the much more complex job of determining the ‘how’ of achieving them. That challenge of that feat cannot be underestimated. We are after all, dealing with the cattle crowd, a group that has historically been about as easy to guide as a herd of cats. While other livestock sectors have zeroed

ADVERTISING sales Crystal McPeak Phone: 403-646-6211 or 403-360-3210 Email: crystal@fbcpublishing.com

classified ADVERTISING SALES Sharon Komoski Phone: 1-888-413-3325 Fax: 204-944-5562 Email: sharon.komoski@fbcpublishing.com

ADVERTISING Co-ordinator Arlene Bomback Phone: 204-944-5765 Fax: 204-944-5562 Email: ads@fbcpublishing.com

PUBLISHER Lynda Tityk Email: lynda.tityk@fbcpublishing.com

Associate PUBLISHER/ editorial director John Morriss Email: john.morriss@fbcpublishing.com

president Bob Willcox Glacier FarmMedia bwillcox@farmmedia.com 204-944-5751

The Alberta Farmer Express is published 26 times a year by Farm Business Communications. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

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some to meet those demands, such as the European preference for hormone-free beef, or similar preferences by the A&W fast-food chain to differentiate itself in the marketplace. Wanting to do things differently is seen by some in the cattle business as trying to make everyone else look bad. Despite the recent improvement in prices, the beef sector’s base for future growth is far from certain. Inventories in this country by a quarter since 2003; new global competitors, such as India, have emerged; and many producers nearing retirement may be more focused on building back equity rather than investing in building their herd. The National Beef Strategy acknowledges that while demand for beef globally continues to grow, it will be local concerns over environmental sustainability and animal welfare that dictate the producers’ operating environment. That could work in the beef sector’s favour when it comes to reclaiming grazing lands lost to annual cropping. Marginal lands belong under cover. It also reinforces the reality that the shrinking cattle herd has resulted in lower checkoffs and fewer funds. Although producers are enjoying record profits, cattle cycle checkoff revenues are currently their lowest in two decades. Bringing the sector together under a common plan is not only the wisest use of scarce resources, it is the strategy with the best chance of success. Job well done. laura@fbcpublishing.com

The grass is greener

ISSN 1481-3157 Call

in on generic genetics and homogenized the primary production around specific management approaches, cattle producers remain fiercely divided by their loyalty to specific breeds — and a long list of them at that. It makes for variety in carcass traits, management requirements and production practices. And because cattle are raised outside, instead of in climate-controlled facilities used for other livestock, producers are subject to unpredictable effects of the weather on their production efficiency. While that genetic and management diversity makes it more challenging to standardize the end-use quality characteristics, it also creates opportunity for value-added marketing in an increasingly diverse marketplace. Now that processes such as BIXS (Beef Infoxchange System) are in place to improve individual carcass feedback and communication through the value chain, work must continue toward converting that data into something that’s bankable. It has long been recognized that the industry has been a little too focused on meeting the needs of certain commodity beef markets — namely the U.S. — at the expense of other opportunities. Not only has this approach left it vulnerable to market disruptions, such as when the border slammed shut in the BSE crisis of 2003 and when the U.S. pushed forward with mandatory country-of-origin labelling rules in 2009, it has hampered branding efforts. Ironically, beef producers, as diverse as they are, have been among the least tolerant of alternative markets and the efforts by

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People have long used technology to change the world to suit their purposes, but healthy soil is the foundation of it all

or U.S. subscribers call 1-204-944-5568 For more information on The Alberta Farmer Express and subscriptions to other Farm Business Communications products, or visit our web site at:

www.albertafarmexpress.ca or email: subscription@fbcpublishing.com At Farm Business Communications we have a firm commitment to protecting your privacy and security as our customer. Farm Business Communications will only collect personal information if it is required for the proper functioning of our business. As part of our commitment to enhance customer service, we may share this personal information with other strategic business partners. For more information regarding our Customer Information Privacy Policy, write to: Information Protection Officer, Farm Business Communications, 1666 Dublin Ave., Wpg., MB R3H 0H1 Occasionally we make our list of subscribers available to other reputable firms whose products and services might be of interest to you. If you would prefer not to receive such offers, please contact us at the address in the preceding paragraph, or call 1-800-665-0502. The editors and journalists who write, contribute and provide opinions to Alberta Farmer Express and Farm Business Communications attempt to provide accurate and useful opinions, information and analysis. However, the editors, journalists and Alberta Farmer Express and Farm Business Communications, cannot and do not guarantee the accuracy of the information contained in this publication and the editors as well as Alberta Farmer Express and Farm Business Communications assume no responsibility for any actions or decisions taken by any reader for this publication based on any and all information provided.

By Brenda Schoepp af columnist

n Bruce Feiler’s book entitled Walking the Bible, he has a discussion with his travel partner Avner as they were tightly squeezed into a nawamis, or tiny tomb, that pastoralists used 6,000 years ago as they made their way around the desert. Avner said, “Those in agricultural areas used technology to change the world around them. They changed it by plowing, seeding, planting, domesticating animals. The strategy of the pastoralists was to adapt themselves to the environment. That is why all their tombs face east, for example, to get warm as early as possible in the morning.” The discussion based on the split of communities based on core beliefs are not too far off what we encounter today when we try to talk about soil and forage health versus conventional grain farming. During my entire career, there has been a philosophical divide between farmers and pastoralists (ranchers). Take, for example, the continuing debate on grass- versus grainfed beef. Those in the grass camp understand that grass is a carbon sink, which has recently been

proven to be of more might than trees. The value of that sink (a carbon sink is when more carbon is captured or sequestered compared to what is released) on Canadian Prairies has a value of $231.18 per acre. Using what is already there to produce food seems simply natural. There is a codependency on rain and heat and at the core is maintaining the original soil health, or improving it. Manure, nature’s fertilizer, adds $127.40 per acre on the average ranch, not only fertilizing soil, but also attracting the right bugs and birds needed for the biodiversity on the land. Using technology to change the world around him has long been man’s mission. The desire to produce greater volumes and variety of food has been served well by the use of science and technology. Our ability to feed the world is because of constant invention. The result is also a landscape changed and a soil profile that is challenged. No doubt, as we continue to stress the soil, man will also find ways to fix the problem. To the pastoralist this is a terminal exercise. For beef, massive production of feed grains because of innovation and technology means that animals are the way to “sell” the product. It will be hard to get a large-scale grain

farmer to think in terms of grass-fed beef when he “needs” a livestock industry to value add to his grain. In North America, grain production and livestock feeding are intertwined. In addition, the land required to meet the current needs of the market today would be somewhat staggering if grazing was the only option. It may seem then there is a lean in this story toward the grazier but as in all things, the responsibility lies throughout the production chain. Beef farmers, too, forgot the importance of soil and of its needs when we went to Cadillac cows. Man has become the foragers for the cows and in doing so has taken the cow, a self-driven low-input converter of marginal land and trash and turned her into a high-input resident of expensive space. The practice of housing and feeding in one spot has negative effects on soil and can be dangerous to plant and human health. Although weather conditions dictate some density in terms of housing and feeding, it hardly justifies the communal pen that so many farms now sport. And what of the rest of society? How have their expectations evolved when it comes to food animals? It is pretty clear there is an expec-

tation of sameness with every bite and that plays a stressful role in soil health. Increased urbanization also gobbles up good soil, and pollution keeps the lungs of soil working overtime. From compaction in the field to the overfertilization of a balcony planter, each member of all of society has a strong role in soil health. Sitting on a hill in the Holy Land debating the history of pastoralists and farmers will not create solutions but 6,000 years later we are finally talking about soil from an international perspective. This year is the UN’s International Year of Soils and our chance to participate in bringing awareness about the importance of healthy soil and its relationship to plant, animal and human health. Perhaps one day we may get to the point made by author Dan Barber when he said that we don’t need to support the nation’s farmers, we need to support the soil that supports the farmers and ranchers. In doing so, we create an equitable and everlasting solution. Brenda Schoepp is a farmer from Alberta who works as an international mentor and motivational speaker. She can be contacted through her website www.brendaschoepp.com. All rights reserved. Brenda Schoepp 2014

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 19, 2015

Why we don’t need better forecasts It is far better to build systems that can manage uncertainty than to try to forecast the future By John Kemp london / reuters

ne of my first assignments as a newly minted graduate in the late 1990s was to produce a 30-year forecast for the Bangladesh taka against the U.S. dollar on behalf of a client contemplating a multibillion-dollar investment. Even then, I realized this was not a sensible question. I wasn’t even sure how much of Bangladesh would still be above sea level in 30 years, let alone the exchange rate. If the economics of the project depended on an exchange rate forecast in three decades’ time, it was not a very good project. But the client is always right, so we produced a forecast, and everyone was happy. The client got an independent third-party forecast to use in their financial calculations and we got paid. If the forecast turned out wrong, the clients could blame their independent forecaster, and we could blame an unforeseen change in circumstances. Like many other analysts, I have spent most of my working life producing forecasts of one sort or another — ranging from interest rates and exchange rates to metal prices, oil prices and politics. For an analyst, the solution to any problem is always more information, more data and more sophisticated models, so decisions can be based on more accurate predictions about the future. But the truth is that we are not very good at it.

In some areas, our forecasting has become amazingly accurate. Employing enormous super-computers, we can make short-term weather forecasts that are far more accurate than 30 years ago. Britain’s four-day weather forecast is now as accurate as the one-day forecast was in 1980, according to the Meteorological Office. But once we move beyond physical systems to systems involving human agents who adapt and learn from their surroundings, or push the forecasting horizon further into the future, forecasting accuracy breaks down quickly. With hundreds of PhDs and lots of fancy dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) models about how the economy works, the world’s top central banks cannot reliably predict unemployment, inflation and growth even six months ahead let alone spot looming recessions and financial crises. Large-scale weather and climate models quickly break down once the forecasting horizon is pushed further into the future. For much of the first part of this year, the major models have been predicting an El Niño in the Pacific — which has still not occurred. No one successfully predicted the sudden collapse of the Soviet Union, the fall of the Berlin Wall, or the Arab Spring. And no one has consistently and successfully predicted bond yields, stock market valuations or oil prices with a track record that cannot be explained simply by random chance. These are all examples of complex adaptive systems in which all the components are

tightly linked to one another, can adapt to past outcomes, and are sometimes very sensitive to even a small change in conditions deep within the system, which occasionally produces an enormous change in outcomes through cascading effects and reinforcing feedback.

Cope with uncertainty

The common response is to redouble our efforts, collect more information and build more sophisticated models. But perhaps it makes more sense to focus on managing uncertainty about the future rather than trying to predict it out of existence. In a recent and powerful paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, an international group of researchers argue the best way to deal with low-probability/high-consequence risks which occur in complex adaptive systems is to create “new ways of coping with uncertainties that do not depend on precise forecasts of the probability and consequences of future events.” Specifically, they suggest employing an approach borrowed from biology. In evolutionary biology, the most robust and resilient systems are those which exhibit diversity, flexibility, redundancy and adaptability to cope with “unknowable challenges,” they said. “This approach shifts... policy options away from optimal, often brittle solutions that require accurate predictions in favour of resilient solutions that can be adapted in

Study predicts no young farmers and ranchers by 2033 Wyoming has long been cattle country, but a new study predicts there will be no ranchers or farmers within two decades Society for Range Management release

hen did you last hear a high school senior say, “I’m taking over the ranch,” or even a seven-year-old announce, “I want to be a farmer”? As longtime farmers and ranchers grow older, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to pass on the family farm or find young employees to pick up the reins at large corporate ranches. The current issue of the journal Rangelands reports on the demographic trends in the industry in Wyoming. Using statistics, maps, and graphs, the authors consider nearly 90 years of census and other data related to these trends. They examine how the agricultural community is aging and consider ways to inspire interest in farming and ranching. The U.S. has a rich agricultural history. Family farms once employed nearly half of the country’s workforce. But that culture has changed — today most farms are corporate, mechanized, larger in size, and fewer in number. Only two per cent of today’s workers are employed on American farms or ranches. The authors of the Rangelands article focused on the High Plains, specifically Wyoming, which still holds large tracts of working land. They reviewed decades of census data, sorting it into classes based on worker age. They then mapped the results to pinpoint both state- and county-level trends.

response to new information and experiences.” Maximizing flexibility and adaptability isn’t a new concept — it was key to John Maynard Keynes’ work in the 1930s, has long been employed by the designers of nuclear power plants, and taught for decades in business schools as real options theory. Successful traders know that no investor should ever put on a large position without knowing how they would get out of it and preferably having several options for doing so. Flexibility, adaptability and options are central to success. Systems, organizations and individuals that adapt and evolve survive. Those which cannot or do not die. Forecasts can tell us a lot about simple systems in the short term. Even for longer time horizons and complex systems, building forecasts can enforce intellectual discipline and consistency, sharpen our thinking about causal relationships, and help us focus on risks and opportunities. But it is a powerful reason to be humble about our predictive abilities and realize the best way to face an uncertain future is to focus on creating flexible, adaptive and innovative systems. I can’t remember what 30-year currency forecast we provided back in the late 1990s. At the time, the taka was trading around 42 to the U.S. dollar. Almost 20 years later it is trading at nearly 80. I still have no idea where it will be in 10 years’ time. And I’ve learned not to worry about it. John Kemp is a Reuters market analyst.

LETTERS

Who benefits from — and who pays for — beef database?

R A detailed study found that even in sparsely populated Wyoming, “fewer and fewer young farmers (are) interested in, or financially capable of, taking over their family farms.” PHOTO: Thinkstock They found that more than half of today’s farm operators are older than 55. In all but two counties in Wyoming, farming has attracted ever fewer people 34 years and younger. Most counties have also seen drops in the 35 to 54 age bracket. As a result, the average age of farmers and ranchers has increased in every county in Wyoming since 1920. Based on their results, the authors forecast a bleak farming future: No operators younger than 35 by 2033 and an average age of 60 by 2050. Even if their children and grandchildren show interest in agriculture, farmers often cannot afford to keep their land and equipment. They “retire” and sell — often to residential or commercial developers. The authors state that the trends in Wyoming are occurring throughout the United States. The authors conclude that the loss of farm-

ers, ranchers, and their land is compounded by the loss of local wisdom. They argue for a new approach that turns young heads away from the lucrative oil and coal industries. Teaching and internship programs, government incentives, and conservation easements that preserve farming and ranch estates are among the tools already in use. They suggest that if young state residents learn more about their local environment and agricultural heritage, these programs could be even more successful in attracting the next generation of farmers and ranchers. The full text of the article “Wyoming’s aging agricultural landscape: Demographic trends among farm and ranch operators, 1920–2007” is available in the December edition of Rangelands at www.srmjournals.org.

egarding the article on the revamp of Beef InfoXchange System (Is this the one? Latest BIXS revamp aims to boost bottom line, Dec. 22 edition). The headline states the aim is to boost the bottom line, yet further into the story it reads “producers expecting a premium will be disappointed.” Whose bottom line is going to get a boost and who is going to pay for this wonderful idea? The beginning of the article mentions “if we can’t bring everyone in then it’s really hard to make it succeed,” and the story also states “the producer will be able to learn about his production” if he is willing to “change.” Is there a choice? At what cost? Who benefits? Near the end of the article the word “mandate” appears. Do we all understand the definition of mandate and how will it fit into this equation? I’ve spent my entire life “learning” about production and premiums. Here are my thoughts… We’re gonna revamp our system to be more profitable by keeping people’s fingers with great ideas on how to make me more money outta my pockets. Garry Hrycun Cow-calf producer Newbrook

Off the front

January 19, 2015 • Albertafarmexpress.ca

BEEF STRATEGY } from page 1

The challenge for the next five years:

transfer from researchers and utilizing better information flow in the value chain via BIXS 2.0.

The time is ripe

Dave Solverson

Trevor Atchison

Dave Andrews

Martin Unrau

But a five-year time frame was chosen because by 2020, producers will be right in the middle of the average 10-year cattle cycle when prices will start to dip, said Atchison and his co-chair Martin Unrau. “One of the highlights is that we’re all working together, looking at what we can do to remove some of the instability that we find in our industry at times when prices are low and people are trying to hold on,” said Unrau, also a Manitoba rancher and past president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. The CCA, Canada Beef, National Cattle Feeders’ Association, Canadian Beef Breeds Council, and Beef Cattle Research Council all support the strategy as well as Alberta Beef Producers and its sister organizations in the West, Ontario and the Maritimes. Members of the working group will meet at the end of this month to begin hammering out specifics on how to achieve the targets. T:8.125” The joint effort is being hailed

Boost production efficiency by 15 per cent, increase carcass cut-out value by 15 per cent, and reduce cost disadvantage by seven per cent. The report can be found at www.beefstrategy.com.

as an unprecedented show of cooperation in an industry often criticized for being fractured and inward looking. “One of the highlights for me is that the strategy is so inclusive and all involved had significant input,” said Dave Solverson, current CCA president and Camrosearea rancher. “I think this is historic for Alberta. In Alberta, politics have kept us from working together at times. So for me, this is a real positive.”

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That view is echoed by Dave Andrews, one of three members of the Straw Man Beef Initiative, which produced a landmark report a year ago calling for a sweeping overhaul of how the industry operates. “This report has been something that has been needed,” said Andrews, who ranches near Brooks. “It’s impressive that these groups have come together and agreed on a strategy. Whether it is the right one or not remains to be seen, but it is well thought out and there is agreement — and that’s a big deal in this industry.” The strategy addressed many recommendations of the straw man report, including a recommendation for a council of beef leaders. “I’m encouraged and there’s some optimism with producers,” said Andrews. “I hope they’re successful in getting producers involved with their industry organizations and successful in moving forward to take the industry to the next level.” He added he hopes producers will see the need to support the strategy with their checkoff dollars. That will be critical, said Solverson. “To remain competitive, we’re going to have to put more money into it,” he said.

Growth needed

Although the sharp rise in cattle prices has buoyed the industry over the past year, the legacy of a shrunken herd needs to be addressed, said Unrau, who ranches near MacGregor, Man. “In all reality, the strategic plan is about economics and making sure our industry grows,” he said. “Right now our industry is a little too small to maintain some of the infrastructure we have.” The time is ripe for bold thinking and taking action, said Atchison “We’re at a point of change in the cattle industry,” he said. “People are looking to the future, and are anxious to take on something new and learn something new. “We’re hoping that this will work with the strategy to get new ideas flowing quicker because people will be looking and hungry for it.” And even though the targets are ambitious, they are achievable, said Solverson. “There’s all kinds of room in innovation and production practices that can improve our overall profitability and sustainability,” he said. “The industry leadership has come into the room together and come up with solutions,” added Andrews. “That’s what they seem to be trying to achieve with this report and I support them 100 per cent with that.” T:10”

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‘Impressive’ co-operation

akienlen@fbcpublishing.com

Albertafarmexpress.ca • January 19, 2015

2014 FUSARIUM infection

FUSARIUM } from page 1 But the trend is clear: In 2007, only one per cent of samples sent to his lab tested positive for fusarium, he said. That figure jumped to nine per cent in 2012 and hit 13 per cent for the last crop year. “It’s been going up considerably,” said Blois, who will be giving a presentation on fusarium’s spread at Agronomy Update 2015 in Lethbridge on Jan. 20. “With the exception of 2011, when the conditions weren’t conducive to fusarium head blight infections, we’ve seen a really steady increase.” But the news gets worse — the disease has spread to areas of the province where it’s never been seen before. “Back in 2007 when we started testing a lot more fusarium samples, it was pretty much restricted to five counties in southern Alberta,” said Blois, adding it’s now becoming common in central and northern Alberta. “Right now, 57 per cent of counties that we test seed in are testing positive. It’s quite widespread.” Fusarium head blight can cause “severe economic impacts” in wheat crops, said Blois. Losses in Canada from fusarium head blight have ranged between $50 million and $300 million annually since the early 1990s, when fusarium outbreaks began in Eastern Canada. “Not only does it impact your yield, it also causes a decrease in the quality of your seed,” said Blois. “You’ve got a lot of shrivelled seeds, and they contain mycotoxins.” That reduces the value of the crop, and at high levels, the mycotoxins make the grain unfit for both human and animal consumption.

Sixteen per cent of samples submitted to 20/20 Seed Labs this crop year are testing positive for fusarium. File photo “Corn is an important part of the life cycle of Fusarium graminearum,” he said. “It will probably survive for a couple of years in the corn stubble, and it can spread to nearby fields that way.” But the biggest issue is infected seed. “One of the most important

things is testing your seed and ensuring that you’re using clean seed,” said Blois. “There’s a lot of field-tofield spread and the planting of infected seed. If you plant infected seed, you’re more likely to see an infection occurring.” jennifer.blair@fbcpublishing.com

“This year, around 16 per cent of samples that are submitted for a fusarium test in Alberta are testing positive. That’s the highest we’ve ever seen.” Trevor Blois

And while Fusarium graminearum is “the big concern” in Alberta, other fusarium species are also on the rise. “Generally speaking, Fusarium graminearum causes the most severe losses, but we are seeing the highest levels of other fusarium species as well,” said Blois, adding those species can cause seedling blight, root rot, and crown rot in other crops as well. “Those ones can also produce harmful mycotoxins, and the average sample that comes in has a 6.44 per cent infection of fusarium species, which is quite high.” This sudden rise in fusarium in Alberta has been caused, in part, by tighter rotations, a shift toward zero-tillage farming, and “a general increase in the inoculum.” Environmental conditions also need to be right for fusarium to spread, and over the past three growing seasons, they have been. “High levels of rainfall and high temperatures during the flowering period are important for that infection,” said Blois. “That’s really when the infection takes hold, and unfortunately, we usually do get quite a bit of rainfall during that period.” An uptick in corn acres has also played a role in spreading the disease.

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JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Sorting can save fusarium-damaged crop New equipment shows promise for sorting fusarium wheat and durum kernels By Shannon VanRaes staff

wo technologies are showing promise for upgrading fusarium-damaged grain. Researchers from the Canadian International Grains Institute (Cigi) and the University of Saskatchewan have spent three years investigating the possibilities of near-infrared spectroscopy using a Swedishdesigned BoMill. The institute has also been looking at the use of optical sorters, and presented both technologies at a series of recent workshops where producers brought fusariumaffected samples to see whether wheat and durum infected with the disease could be salvaged. “We looked at some pretty extreme stuff… in the case of durum, anywhere from 6.6 per cent to 18 per cent fusarium, and in the case of winter wheat, we did try one at 0.8 per cent up to as much as 26 per cent,” said Rex Newkirk, Cigi’s vice-president research and innovation. “In some of these cases we could upgrade them to a one (Grade 1), in other cases you could only take them so far… because of issues like mildew or sprouting.” Grading tolerances relegate levels above four per cent fusariumdamaged kernels in both crops to feed status, although even that is too high to be safely fed to some species of livestock. That’s meant a big financial hit for producers, especially after last year’s high levels of fusarium. “We’ve had a major downgrading of winter wheat because of fusarium, the majority of the winter wheat crop was affected,” said Newkirk. “There are some pockets where they didn’t get it, but for the most part the vast majority of the winter wheat has been decimated by fusarium, and when I say decimated, I mean really large concentrations.” Spring wheat was also affected, although not as significantly, and durum took a big hit as well. “Only about 12 per cent of the durum crop is going to make it into the Grades 1 and 2, so from a buyer’s perspective, there’s just not much available,” he said. Newkirk said as it appears the disease is here to stay, the two technologies showcased at the recent workshops merit consideration. “One we did some research on and the other one we relied on the experience of others who have been using it.” It was with optical sorting, which has been in use for seveal years, that Cigi relied on the experience of others. “They used to call them colour sorters because they sorted out grain based on colour, but now they’ve gotten more sophisticated where it’s a high-speed camera. The grain is falling sort of like a waterfall… and it’s got cameras pointing at it in different directions… and then if it sees something that you’ve trained it to say you don’t want, it will, you can set it to say after 2.2 milliseconds blow a puff of air throughout that waterfall and kick out the kernel that is defective,” he said. Optical sorters are less expensive than infrared technologies and have higher throughput, but have limitations. While visual identification of problem kernels can clean wheat and even upgrade it, it can’t sort based on problems that can’t be seen with the eye. That is where something like the BoMill comes in, Newkirk said. Using near-infrared analysis,

Sorting out fusarium-damaged kernels can significantly boost overall quality. Photo: Courtesy Cigi

“We looked at some pretty extreme stuff, we were looking at, in the case of durum, anywhere from 6.6 per cent to 18 per cent fusarium.” Rex Newkirk

chemical compositions have been detected, and sorting can look at disease without visual manifestation or even sort grain kernels based on protein content. “The way the machine works, imagine a large drum on its side, and that drum had little holes drilled into it on the inside that fit the wheat kernel,” he said. “So the drum is turning and the wheat is being spun to the middle of it and when it falls out of the drum it spreads out through the whole drum and the grain kernels get trapped individually.” Each of those kernel-trapping pockets also has an exit hole, and using near-infrared transmittance to determine which seeds go where, kernels are sorted into as many as three categories. But the technology, especially infrared sorting, does not come cheap — a BoMill costs about $350,000. Still, it can be worthwhile, said Newkirk. “It fits well into a seed-cleaning plant, the idea being that in the seed-cleaning plant, if you can’t upgrade it with just a gravity table and things like that, then you would take that material you’ve cleaned and put it through something like a BoMill,” he said. “I think fusarium is here to stay with us. This year was especially bad, and hopefully we never see a repeat of this, but that’s not exactly how it works, these things come and go, and this year it’s coming.” shannon.vanraes@fbcpublishing.com

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Albertafarmexpress.ca • January 19, 2015

Latest rail bill highlights the need for change, says farm leader The $1.3-billion tab for moving last year’s crop shows ‘there will never be an open market,’ says Alberta Wheat chair By Alexis Kienlen and Allan Dawson staff

he final tally is in and Prairie farmers spent more than $1.3 billion on rail transportation in the last crop year. The average bill was $33.69 a tonne for the 2013-14 crop year (a drop of 30 cents per tonne from the previous year) and the total cost was almost exactly what’s allowed under federal regulation. CP Rail was within $2 million of its $647-million entitlement while CN Rail exceeded its $667-million entitlement by $4.98 million. (The excess will go to the Western Grains Research Foundation, plus a five per cent penalty of $249,096.) The numbers are further evidence the railways are not competing to drive grain freight rates down, farmers and grain companies said. “The transportation industry

on rail will never be an open market,” said Irma producer and Alberta Wheat Commission chair Kent Erickson. “When you have a monopoly, or a closed system, there have to be measures in place. There has to be some legislation, which is a means of keeping those costs in check.” Part of that should be reciprocal penalties, so the railways, just like farmers and grain handlers, would be penalized when they don’t fulfil obligations, said Erickson, adding the current system (which is based on servicelevel agreements) isn’t adequate. Erickson is one of many farm leaders calling for change. “When you see the way this plays out, it says to me there isn’t much competition and there is no incentive for the railways to undercut anybody else because they have no real natural competitors,” said Doug Chorney, president of Keystone Agricultural Producers, Manitoba’s main farm group.

Table 1

Railway Maximum Revenue Entitlement (MRE) compared to railway revenues earned from shipping grain during the 2013-14 crop year

Railway

Average miles hauled

MRE

Revenue Earned

(Under)/Over

CN CP Total average

1,017

$667,128,937

$672,110,852

873

$625,273,950

$623,620,236

($1,653,714)

945

$646,201,443.50

$647,865,544

$1,664,100.50

$34.73

$34.99

$0.26

$32.48

$32.39

($0.09)

$33.60

$33.69

$0.09

$4,981,915

Per tonne CN CP Weighted Average Source: Canadian Transportation Agency

Review underway

The federal transport minister has set up a blue-ribbon panel (headed by former cabinet minister David Emerson) to review the Canada Transportation Act (CTA) and farm groups have put reciprocal penalties at the top of their wish list. “This puts the onus on CP or CN when they’re promising 500 cars a week to a company, that there are

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real-time penalties or discounts if they don’t fulfil those obligations,” said Erickson. “The second component of the whole review is transparency, so farmers can see where grain is moving and where grain is coming from.” American producers can go to a government-mandated website detailing grain movement, and Canadian farmers should be able to access that sort of information so they can see how well the system is, or isn’t, working, said Erickson. Many observers expect the railways will use the CTA review to argue for an end to the revenue cap and a more free-market approach. But that would send freight costs for farmers even higher, said Wade Sobkowich, executive director of the Western Grain Elevator Association. “We know the railways try to meet the cap, and that means they are trying to earn as much revenue as they can,” said Sobkowich. “If it was gone you can be sure that they would well exceed the ceiling that the cap would otherwise have in place.”

Problems remain

The grain transportation system has been working much better in Alberta this winter, thanks to a series of federal orders-in-council which set minimum grain movement levels, said Erickson. But some problems remain, particularly for elevators on branch lines, in remote areas, and those unable to handle unit trains, he said. “Smaller shipment sizes like five cars or 10 cars are getting delayed while they are fulfilling the 100car low-hanging fruit, as some people in the industry would call it,” he said. “They still weren’t able to manage the whole logistics or the whole system very well. That’s what we have to address in the next year through the transportation

Kent Erickson review and some of the measures that we’ll be putting in place.” Still, CN and CP moved the most grain in a single crop year since regulations establishing the revenue entitlement (which is based on a volume- and distance-related formula) were implemented in 2000-01 — 38.76 million tonnes were moved to export ports in the 2013-14 crop year. The Canadian Transportation Agency adjusts the maximum revenue entitlement for inflation, but the formula is based on railway costs from 20 years ago and doesn’t account for efficiency gains. A 2010 study estimated the railways received an extra $4.61 and $8.81 a tonne in the crop years 2007-08 and 2008-09 because the formula was based on old railway costs. Nevertheless, one or both railways have exceeded their revenue entitlement 10 out of the last 14 crop years, resulting in railway payments to the Western Grains Research Foundation totalling more than $82 million. Most years the overage and penalties are small. The biggest transfer — $66.6 million — occurred in 200708, when both railways exceeded their entitlements. akienlen@fbcpublishing.com allan@fbcpublishing.com

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NEWS » Markets

}LOCAL FOOD

JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Food hubs a hot new trend

Hedging Prairie crops

Food hubs are growing in popularity as an alternative marketing option for Alberta’s smaller producers and processors, says new-venture specialist Christine Anderson. Most food hubs serve as a drop-off point for several farms in a region and a pickup point for customers. Along with marketing, they may “also offer a number of additional services including logistical co-ordination such as packaging and repackaging, brokering, storage and distribution,” said Anderson. For more info on food hubs, call the Ag-Info Centre at 310-FARM (3276) and ask to speak to a new-venture specialist. — AARD release

Alberta Canola Producers and Alberta Wheat commissions are co-hosting a two-day course on hedging Prairie crops. Attendees will learn from experts how futures and options relate to local cash prices for western Canadian crops, and how to manage price risks for their farms. The course, created in co-operation with FarmLink Marketing Solutions, will be held in Nisku (Feb. 10 and March 10) and Lethbridge (Feb. 11 and March 10.) For more info, go to www,albertacanola.com and click on the Marketing tab. — ACPC release

A sinking loonie keeps lifting Canadian canola WILD CARD } Meanwhile, a stronger U.S. dollar drags on U.S. wheat By Phil Franz-Warkentin

CE Futures Canada canola futures moved higher during the week ended Jan. 9, with the March contract finally breaking above the key resistance level of $450 per tonne. The market attempted to break resistance every day during the week, but only managed to settle above $450 per tonne on Thursday. On Friday, the market managed to hold above that level as well, after trading mixed throughout the day. Speculative-based buying by the funds, ongoing weakness in the Canadian dollar and strength in outside oilseeds were all lifting the canola market. The Canadian currency continued its tumble during the week, finishing at US84.27 cents on Jan. 9. On Jan. 2, the loonie had ended at US85.02 cents. Chicago soybean futures were up sharply during the week, but canola was lagging those gains, as traders are betting the rally in beans is temporary. At times, some light farmer selling was also limiting the upside in canola, as farmers took advantage of strong futures prices — but there hasn’t been a large amount of farmer selling as many grain companies have widened basis levels in response to the strengthening futures market. Canola cash prices ranged from $9.15 to $10.20 per bushel on Jan. 9, up about 10 cents from the week prior, Prairie Ag Hotwire Data shows. Because canola has lagged the gains in the Chicago Board of Trade soybean market recently, it’s unlikely it’ll fall as far and fast as beans would if they start to tumble. Steady demand, strength in Malaysian palm oil and soyoil futures and the weak Canadian dollar will help to underpin the canola market going forward. Worries also continue about unfavourable weather, including monsoons, reducing production prospects for Malaysia’s palm oil crop. This helped to underpin the Chicago soyoil market during the week, which finished with gains of more than 150 points in most contracts. Chicago soybeans ended more than US40 cents per bushel higher compared to the week prior, with

Photo: Thinkstock continued good demand for the U.S. commodity behind the gains. The strength in soyoil was also bullish for soybeans, though good weather for most of South America’s soybean crop was undermining the market. Corn futures were slightly higher, finding some spillover support from the gains in soybeans. Signs of improving export demand for U.S. corn were supportive overall, though supplies of the commodity remain large.

Weather concerns

Chicago, Kansas City and Minneapolis wheat futures were all weaker during the week. The main driving force was the strong

U.S. dollar index, slowing export demand for U.S. wheat supplies. Easing worries about cold weather causing damage to U.S. winter wheat crops were also behind the declines, though

there are some renewed concerns about freezing conditions hurting European winter wheat crops. All three commodities will likely take some direction from the

For three-times-daily market reports from Resource News International, visit “ICE Futures Canada updates” at www.albertafarmexpress.ca.

U.S. Department of Agriculture’s monthly crop report, which was due to be released Jan. 12. Though the reports are being hyped up for soybeans, it’s not likely there will be any huge surprises given the large U.S. supply situation. Any small change to production or stocks won’t be as big of a deal as it would in a year in which supplies are tight. A similar situation is expected for both corn and wheat, with U.S. and global supplies at comfortable levels. Terryn Shiells writes for Commodity News Service Canada, a Winnipeg company specializing in grain and commodity market reporting.

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 19, 2015

Should farmers pay for protection against grain company defaults? The Canadian Grain Commission has proposed setting up a security fund paid for by grain companies, but Ontario has gone with a farmer-funded model

“My preference has been to set up something like Ontario has,” said Brunel. Ontario grain farmers pay 10 cents or less a tonne, depending on the crop, to self-insure. The money goes into crop-specific funds, which as of March 31 totalled $13.87 million. When an Ontario farmer isn’t paid by a licensed buyer, 95

Farmer protection

The Grain Growers of Canada will be meeting during FarmTech to discuss Bill C-48, said president Gary Stanford. The bill has a lot of good points, including the proposed company-funded grain security plan, he said. “If a feed mill — whether it’s in Alberta, or Manitoba or Saskatchewan — doesn’t pay the

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farmer, the grain commission will be able to go after the mill or the grain buyer on behalf of the producer,” said the Magratharea farmer. “This isn’t all in place yet, but from the Grain Growers’ perspective, we’re looking at this more as a national issue rather than a provincial issue.” The bill will also allow the grain commission to arbitrate if a farmer has a grading dispute with the grain company or the feed mill, he said. “For the grain companies and feed mills to be bonded or licensed, a lot of it will be licensed from now on, and the grain commission will be able to make sure these companies are licensed and that the farmers are paid,” said Stanford. Keystone Agricultural Producers is still considering the pros and cons of farmer-funded insurance, but wants any new program to be more transparent and less expensive than the grain commission’s current one.

Farmers should insure themselves against grain company payment defaults because they’ll ultimately be footing the bill, says Manitoba farmer Rob Brunel. photo: allan dawson

Current system

Wade Sobkowich

Currently, when Ontario farmers sell soybeans or canola, 10 cents a tonne is deducted and added to the respective funds. The wheat deduction is five cents a tonne, while the checkoff for corn (which has high volumes of sales and few defaults) is just one-tenth of a cent, said Anna Siderius, corporate secretary to the Grain Farmer Protection Board. Although Western Canada produces more grain, the Ontario program is a working model that can be scaled up, Brunel said. The Western Grain Elevator Association, which represents the West’s major grain companies, also supports a farmerpaid security plan, said executive director Wade Sobkowich. “Remove the middleman — that being the grain companies — and have farmers pay into it directly is something to be explored,” he said. Ontario farmers support the security program in that province, said Grain Farmers of Ontario CEO Barry Senft, a transplanted Saskatchewan farmer and former commissioner of the Canadian Grain Commission. “The protection program is well liked here,” he said. The biggest challenge is coverage until the fund is large enough, he added.

farmers to get paid in cash when delivering grain and putting a time limit on its protection. If a licensed company refuses or fails to pay, producers must notify the commission in writing within 30 days or their claims are invalid. In the case of a cheque or cash purchase ticket that is not honoured by the bank, the deadline is 30 days after the cheque or cash purchase ticket is given to the producer. The same rule applies to postdated cheques. Farmers who deliver grain to a licensed company and aren’t paid must make a compensation claim within 90 days from the date of the delivery to qualify for protection.

Currently, licensed grain companies must post security in the form of a bond or letter of credit to cover farmer liabilities. A 2009 study estimated the program cost $9 million a year or about 23 cents a tonne based on covering 40 million tonnes of grain. Almost $8 million of it is a cost to grain companies, but it’s assumed most of that sum is passed back to farmers. Admin-

“Remove the middleman — that being the grain companies — and have farmers pay into it directly is something to be explored.”

Ontario model

istration costs were estimated at $1.4 million a year. The issue of how to protect farmers from grain buyers who can’t pay their bills has been kicking around for more than 30 years. In the early ’80s, Memco Limited of Red Deer and Manitobabased Econ Consulting Ltd. went bankrupt, owing farmers millions. In both cases, the companies had posted insufficient security with the commission, which was then sued by affected farmers and ordered by the courts to pay compensation out of general revenue. Following those court cases, the grain commission started tightening the rules to put more onus on farmers to protect themselves — encouraging

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Peas back at historical spreads in Western Canada By Phil Franz-Warkentin Commodity News Service Canada

After two years of an abnormally large price spread between green and yellow peas in Western Canada, the relationship between the two crops is back at more normal levels. The yellow pea market has moved up a little in recent weeks, but the green market “is not that interesting,” said David Newman, of Commodius Trading in Vancouver. For green peas, he described the general theme as one of ‘delay,’ with many overseas buyers who have already

bought, not that interested in taking delivery currently. For yellows, there has been “a little splash of demand,” from people needing to fill vessels. “Yellow peas have been so boring for so long, that a 50-cent move is news,” said Newman. He said the ‘news’ wasn’t really that surprising as yellow pea supplies are not that large and every once in a while prices will need to go up to fill vessels and encourage farmer sales. With yellow peas facing steady demand and green peas finally at a place after two years where supplies are outpacing demand, Newman said prices

were converging back to more historically normal spreads. “In eight out of 10 years, green peas will be $1.50 to $2 above yellows, because it’s harder to get the quality and the yields are a bit less,” said Newman. He said the spread has been as wide as $6 over the past two years, but has now narrowed back in to more normal levels. Green pea bids are currently topping out at about $9.25 per bushel, which is well off the highs of the past year of $13, according to Prairie Ag Hotwire data. Top-end yellow pea bids, meanwhile, are at their yearly highs of $8 per bushel.

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anitoba’s main farm group is eyeing a plan that would see farmers directly fund insurance to cover losses when grain buyers can’t pay their bills. That’s a different route than envisioned by Ottawa under sweeping changes to the Canada Grains Act introduced to Parliament last month. The plan is to replace the Canadian Grain Commission’s current security program with one funded by companies. The fund would contain $5 million to $10 million, with contributions based on how much grain companies buy and their risk of failing to pay. Since farmers will ultimately pay for the program, it makes sense for them to pay directly because they’d know its full cost, be able to gauge its value, and have more influence over it, said Manitoba farmer Rob Brunel, chair of Keystone Agricultural Producers’ grains and oilseeds committee.

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news » livestock

JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Intensive beef production

Pain mitigation conference

Foothills Forage and Grazing Association is hosting an afternoon seminar on intensive beef production on pasture systems. Flavio Santos, a professor of ruminant nutrition at the University of Sao Paulo, is an expert in areas such as starch utilization by ruminants, integrating pasture management, and grain supplementation. He is also the author of 72 scientific papers. The event runs from 12 noon to 4 p.m. at the Days Inns & Suites in Strathmore. For more info, contact Cassie at 403-652-4900 or cassie@foothillsforage.com — FFGA release

The Antimicrobial Stewardship & Pain Mitigation in Livestock: Current Developments Conference will take place Jan. 27, 2015 in Olds at the Pomeroy Inn & Suites. The conference, which is free, will feature presentations on pain mitigation from a welfare standpoint, the management perspective, respiratory pathogens, pain mitigation for livestock, swine, and horses, antimicrobial resistance and poultry, and other topics. To register, call the Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development registration desk at 1-800-387-6030. — AARD release

Test that feed — expert says ergot contamination on the rise Last year’s wet spring has left a potential deadly legacy and ‘it doesn’t take much’ ergot to cause serious problems By Alexis Kienlen af staff

rgot-contaminated feed is on the rise and producers need to be testing to avoid poisoning their livestock. “Last year at this time, we were running 20 to 40 samples a month for ergot — we’ve had days this year where we run 40 samples, and lots of them are high concentration,” said Barry Blakley, a professor at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon and a supervisor in the college’s Prairie Diagnostic Services laboratory. “The number of samples have skyrocketed since last year. What we used to do in a month, we do in a week easily. It’s anywhere between a five- and tenfold increase.” Ergot is more prevalent this year because of last year’s wet spring, with Alberta the most affected province, followed by Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The ergot fungus requires moisture to grow and invades grasses during the flowering stage, destroying the flower and replacing it with an ergot particle known as a sclerota. Part of the rise in testing is because people are aware that ergot is a problem, and Blakley said that’s a good practice for all livestock producers to follow. “If there are black particles in the feed, producers should get the feed tested, because it doesn’t take much to affect production,” he said. Ergot appears as a black kernel, the same size as a wheat seed. Horses are the most sensitive to ergot as it affects their milk production, and can cause them to go lame. Sheep, pigs and cattle are also susceptible to ergot poisoning. Their milk production can be reduced or stop altogether, and they can go off feed, and lose weight. Ergot establishes itself in ditches filled with brome, quack grass, and other grasses, and then spreads into field crops. “A lot of farmers are complaining that they see the ergot around the outside of the field, and then it slowly invades the field,” said Blakley. No-till or low-till systems may enhance the spread of ergot. Summerfallowing or tilling grind the ergot fungus into the dirt, where bacteria and bugs break it down. With no till, the fungus stays on top of the ground where it continues to grow. Ergot in pasture is not as much of a problem, because animals tend to graze it down before the heads come out. Screenings are a cheap source of feed, and it’s hard to tell wheat seeds in screenings from ergot. “Pellets that incorporated screenings last year had a high percentage and concentration of ergot in them,” said Blakley. Ergot filled crop can be sorted and

Ergot looks like blackened wheat seeds, and can easily contaminate feeds, causing lactation issues, lameness, and weight loss. Photo: supplied

cleaned, but dust on the grain can actually contain a bit of the fungus, which can contaminate feed. “If there are more than five kernels in a litre of grain, that’s too many,” said Blakley. One of the challenges is that ergot doesn’t grow uniformly, and there can be a lot of variation from bin to bin. Drier conditions in 2015 could reduce the amount of ergot on the Prairies. Municipalities can also prevent ergot from invading ditches and fields by mowing. Once a field is invaded, a producer will normally have to apply fungicides. Another option is to rotate away from grasses and start growing other crops like canola or corn. akienlen@fbcpublishing.com

“Last year at this time, we were running 20 to 40 samples a month for ergot. We’ve had days this year where we run 40 samples, and lots of them are high concentration.”

Barry Blakley

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 19, 2015

Drought-stricken Peace Country producers get tax break but need rain It’s been dry, dry, dry in the Peace Country and if the rains don’t come this year, they’ll ‘be hurting big time’ By Alexis Kienlen af staff

attle producers in northern Alberta can make use of an income tax deferral to help them weather the 2014 drought in the Peace Country. But what they really need is a break from Mother Nature. “In 2013, the Peace Country got average rainfall,” said Valleyview producer Roland Cailliau, a Zone 9 delegate with Alberta Beef Producers. “The problem was that we didn’t get anything in the fall, so we went into 2014 with dry conditions.” Only a few areas of the Peace Country received decent amounts of rain over the summer, with some seeing just half an inch. “Where we’re at in Valleyview, a lot of those were small showers,” said Cailliau, who operates a cowcalf operation. “So even though it rained quite often, it didn’t amount to anything, and a lot of it just evaporated. The whole Peace Country was in a severe drought situation this year.” Northeast of Grande Prairie, Norman Hennigar, zone director with Alberta Beef Producers, is also feeling the pinch of the drought. “I guess the thing that we noticed was the short supply of feed for our cattle — our hay yield is down to about 60 to 70 per cent of what it normally is,” said Hennigar. “We’ve been fortunate, but we’ve been feeding for an extra month and a half as well, which hurts us a little bit when you’re short on feed.” It hasn’t been hard for Hennigar to find feed in the area, but transportation costs make it an expensive proposition. It can also take longer to get hay up to the Peace. Cailliau said the hay situation wasn’t too bad in his area, since there was enough residual and spring moisture for most people to take off an average crop. “Droughts for cattle are really severe when they hit two or three years in a row,” he said. “If we can go into next year with rain in 2015, we’ll be fine. If we don’t get rain in 2015, we’ll be hurting big time,” he said.

“Livestock tax deferral is not a real solution. It helps in the right circumstance, but it doesn’t help to buy feed or anything. It’s not a big fix, that’s for sure.” Norman Hennigar

The livestock tax deferral may offer a bit of relief for affected producers. Peace-area ranchers who live in the counties of Birch Hills, Clear Hills, Grande Prairie, Saddles Hills County and the municipal districts of Fairview, Greenview, Peace, Smoky River and Spirit River are eligible to

defer income tax on sales of their breeding livestock for one year. Eligible producers can request a tax deferral when filing taxes for the 2014 tax year. In order to qualify, a producer’s breeding herd must have been reduced by at least 15 per cent, from which 30 per cent of income from net sales can then be deferred. When a herd has been reduced by more than 30 per cent, 90 per cent of the eligible net sales can be deferred. But Hennigar doesn’t see it as a major benefit. “Livestock tax deferral is not a real solution,” he said. “It helps in the right circumstance, but it doesn’t help to buy feed or anything. It’s not a big fix, that’s for sure.” Cailliau is a little more optimis-

tic, and said the program might help a few individuals. “It depends on where people are at in terms of how much feed they have, and whether or not they want to sell cows out at that time,” he said. “I know some guys who are going to be very thankful for it. But I don’t know if I can say that all producers, or even a large percentage of producers will take advantage of it. “I mean, that really depends on their individual situation. Any time you have a program like this, it is appreciated.” While the current snowfall is about average, a good rain in the spring will make all the difference for 2015, said Cailliau. akienlen@fbcpublishing.com

Roland Cailliau

Norman Hennigar

2015 Conference Sessions Feed – Improving the Quality and Efficiency of Production Pre-Confernce Workshop | Full Day | Various Presenters 20/20 Foresight: Next Decade & Beyond for the Global Meat Industry Bob Treadway Wednesday, February 18th 8:00 am Registration 9:30 am Pre-Conference Workshop 6:00 pm Tradeshow Dinner & Welcome Reception | Sponsored by Alltech & John Deere Thursday, February 19th 8:15 am Keynote Address 8:30 am 20/20 Foresight: Next Decade & Beyond for the Global Meat Industry 9:30 am Canadian Beef Advisors 10:30 am Coffee 11:00 am Make it Canadian 12:00 pm Lunch 1:00 pm Innovation at its Best: Using Genomic Testing in Commercial Ranch Selection 2:00 pm Coffee 2:30 pm Lessons Learned & Opportunities for Growth 3:30 pm If I Can 6:30 pm Taste of Alberta Banquet Friday, February 20th 9:00 am Through the Eyes of Our Consumers 10:00 am Coffee 10:30 am McDonald’s & Sustainable Beef: Perspectives and Approaches 11:30 am Cattle Markets and Steaks Need Context

Canadian Beef Advisors - Looking Ahead Panel Discussion David Bolduc, President, Canadian Beef Breeds Council Jack Hextall, Chair, Canada Beef Inc Tim Oleksyn, Chair, Canadian Beef Research Council Dave Solverson, Chair, Canadian Cattlemen’s Association Jeff Warrack, Chair, National Cattle Feeders’ Association Moderator – Bryan Walton, General Manager, NCFA Make it Canadian Rob Meijer, President Canada Beef Inc Daisuke Shimojima (Shimo), Director - Business Development, Asia Jorge Mendez-Manzanilla, Director, Business Development, Latin America Innovation at its Best - Using Genomic Tests in Commercial Ranch Selection John Genho, Eldon Farms/Livestock Genetic Services Lessons Learned & Opportunities for Growth – Alberta Pork Ben Woolley, Sunterra Ltd If I Can... Chris Koch Through The Eyes Of Our Consumers Ira Blumenthal McDonald’s and Sustainable Beef: Perspectives and Approaches Jeffrey Fitzpatrick-Stilwell, Senior Manager, Sustainability Michele Banik-Rake, Director of Sustainability - Worldwide Supply Chain Cattle Markets and Steaks Need Context Bruce Cobb, Consolidated Beef Producers

For a complete listing of session descriptions, please visit us online at:

www.abiconference.ca

JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Reducing risk of injury or sickness when trailering horses horse health } You can minimize the level of stress by practising

horse-trailering skills well ahead of when it’s necessary By carol shwetz, dvm

trailer ride is a formidable undertaking for a horse, as it is in strong contradiction to their inherent nature. Acceptance of loading into the trailer, travelling calmly and unloading quietly from the trailer requires mental preparation and conditioning of the horse. Horses that are properly prepared mentally for trailering arrive at their destination with the least amount of stress. It is important to acknowledge the mental intelligence and trust that is required of a horse to load into a trailer. Since trailering is a necessary part of horse ownership, it is advisable to “practise” the horse’s trailering skills prior to an emergency or heightened moment. If possible, keep the initial trailer rides a horse experiences to shorter intervals, as this assures the horse that the trailer ride does indeed have an end point. There are many different styles of trailers such as stock

trailers, straight load, and slant load. Although horses tend to preferentially load into an open stock trailer and travel diagonal to the direction of travel, they can become accustomed and adapt to other means of travel. Their physical comfort while travelling is strongly dependent upon their freedom to maintain a state of balance. To do so, the horse relies on head, neck and limb movement. They continually shift their weight in an attempt to maintain balance. Muscle exertion during travel is significant and can be a very fatiguing process for the horse. Ample room is necessary to allow the horse opportunity to move from side to side or from front to back as it balances itself while the trailer is moving. If a horse’s ears touch the roof of the trailer when he raises his head he does not have enough room and a different trailer shall be required. Tying of horses during travel tends to be an individual preference, taking into account both the nature of the horse and the owner. Ideally when

a horse is tied it needs ample freedom to move its head and neck without entangling itself. The horse also needs to maintain a posture whereby it can comfortably lower its head. Lowering of the horse’s head is necessary to clear/drain fluids that accumulate in the airways. Inadequate clearance of the airways coupled with a stressed immune system, which often accompanies transport, substantially increases the risk of life-threatening pneumonia. As duration of travel increases, so does the risk. It is also necessary to ensure the air and ventilation within the trailer environment is of highest quality. Heavy rubber stall matting provides horses with sound footing and minimizes muscle and ligament fatigue. As horses are continually repositioning their limbs during travel it can be helpful to provide leg protection. Keep in mind leg wraps left on for long periods of time can interfere with blood circulation, retain heat in the limbs, and cause sores. Bell boot or leg wrappings which cover

the coronary bands protect this sensitive area from harm should the horse accidentally take a misstep during loading or scramble while travelling. Injuries to the coronary band can effect hoof growth, resulting in a cosmetic defect as well as weakening the integrity of the hoof. Introduce or familiarize your horse to these protective items prior to actual shipping. The digestive system of a horse is taxed considerably during the trailering event. Interrupted feeding programs and disrupted water intake contribute to the higher incidence of colics which surround transport. Providing horses with a hay bag placed below the height of their withers can be helpful to maintain gut function, minimizing digestive disturbances. Misting hay with water will reduce its dust load. Grain meals are best eliminated while trailering as they can increase the possibility of colic. Owners may find it necessary to bring their own supply of water or place a flavouring into the new unfamil-

iar water source, a flavouring to which the horse is accustomed. Travel plans need to consider the duration a horse may be in a trailer. A 20-minute rest for every four hours of travel is advisable. If possible, horses may be off-loaded in a safe area, walked and offered water. Durations of travel that extend beyond eight hours are wrought with health risks for the horse. After eight hours of travel, it is ideal to take a long period of rest and allow the horse to recover. The incidence of dehydration, colic, pneumonia, and muscle fatigue increase as length of travel increases. Therefore those aspects that contribute to timely smooth travel are essential. These include a mindful driver and a well-maintained truck and trailer. Be aware when you arrive at your destination as your horse may require a period of adjustment following travel. Carol Shwetz is a veterinarian specializing in equine practice at Westlock, Alta.

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 19, 2015

Beef Cattle Research Council looking to stretch research dollars Council chair says move to a ‘science cluster’ approach provides more bang for the research buck By Alexis Kienlen af staff

unding cuts and restructuring mean organizations such as the Beef Cattle Research Council need to change their research approach and be proactive, says the organization’s chair. Change and downsizing is affecting both government and university research, partly because of funding woes but also because research priorities are changing, said Tim Oleksyn, a mixed cattle and grain farmer from Prince Albert, Sask. “A lot of times we are reactionary on trying to develop the capacity of our research, now we have the insight to focus longer term,” he said. That’s prompted the Beef Cattle Research Council to move to a cluster focus, because it fosters collaboration among researchers and produces a body of work that can have a bigger impact, he said. “There’s less of a researcher kingdom and they’re more in tune to bring their lab and thought processes together,” he said. “It’s the whole impact of where they fit.” The council partnered with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to develop its first “science cluster” in 2009 (under the first Growing Forward program). It provided $10.5 million for 32 research projects in a four-year period and that generated “meaningful, applicable results,” Oleksyn wrote in the council’s recent annual report. The second round, which runs to March 2018, will see more than $20 million go to 26 research projects.

industry issues; and give them opportunities to share their research findings more widely. “They already have the passion and the skill set,” said Oleksyn. “We open the highway for them and they drive the bus.”

Verified beef

In his chairman’s report, Oleksyn noted just five per cent of participants in the Verified Beef Production program have been audited and he said he hopes to see that number increase. “We’re trying to build that better and get that program sorted out,” he said, adding many producers have moved from an older-quality program and that process takes time. But care needs to be taken to ensure producers aren’t overloaded when it comes to showing

that they are living up to animal care, environmental stewardship, and other standards, he said. “There is always the question of what the producer will be asked to do next that add additional costs to the production model and start to be a hindrance,” he said. “This is an ongoing process.” The council provides research and technology development for VBP, and while the program will continue to add modules, streamlining is also a priority, said Oleksyn. “It’s the ability of being able to measure who has programs that are very similar and overlap them that will occur in one program itself,” he said. “That’s the challenge, because there are so many individual operations out there.” akienlen@fbcpublishing.com

Tim Oleksyn, chair of the Beef Cattle Research Council, acknowledges that organizations and research have to change to adapt to funding cuts.

Multiply your operation.

“A lot of times we are reactionary on trying to develop the capacity of our research, now we have the insight to focus longer term.” Tim Oleksyn

Other priorities

The beef research council is focused on identifying research areas that are “getting left behind,” Oleksyn said in an interview. One of the key areas getting left behind right now is forage research, he said, adding it needs to focus on more than just breeding, and include topics such as forage utilization, ecological goods and services, and the value of forage and grasslands to the beef sector and society as a whole. “It’s tough to identify value and the return investment,” he said. The council is also seeking to partner more with universities and colleges, and its researcher mentorship program is part of that effort. The program matches scientists who are new to the Canadian cattle scene with industry vets, with the goal of encouraging young researchers to stay in the industry; help them make contacts and better understand

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JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Myth busted: Properly processed feed wheat won’t cause digestive upset Researchers in Lethbridge swapped wheat for barley in a cattle ration without any negative effects — but the wheat must be properly processed By Jennifer Blair af staff

hrinking barley acres have cattle producers on the hunt for a low-cost feed option. And feed wheat could be the answer — as long as the wheat is processed properly. “There was a feeling out there that you probably couldn’t feed more than 50 per cent wheat in the diet because wheat is quite rapidly digested in the rumen of cattle,” said Tim McAllister, principal research scientist in ruminant nutrition with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Lethbridge. “We were able to, both in a backgrounding and a finishing phase, replace all the barley with wheat without any negative consequences.” The use of feed wheat in cattle rations has been growing in Western Canada as a result of its increasing availability, demand has been restricted because of the belief that diets high in wheat cause rumen acidosis and bloat, said McAllister.

That’s a myth, he said. The “No. 1 factor” that contributes to wheat-related digestive upsets is the degree of processing. “If the wheat was properly processed — whether it be temper rolled or dry rolled to the point that the kernels were just cracked in two — we found that the wheat was efficiently utilized without any problems with digestive upset,” said McAllister. “If it was overprocessed, that could start to increase the likelihood of acidosis or bloat occurring.” Usually, less than two per cent of cattle are susceptible to developing clinical acidosis, he said. “You’d still have to have the proper protocols in place in terms of pen checking and monitoring,” said McAllister. “If you were to have problems, the most likely factor responsible for that would be the processing of the wheat to too fine a particle size.”

‘Viable alternative’

As barley acreages start to shift to canola, identifying wheat as another potential feed source is

“quite valuable for the feedlot industry,” said McAllister. “There is the question out there in Western Canada that if we’re not feeding barley to our cattle, which is still the foundation of the industry today, then what are we feeding to them?” he said. “And wheat is a viable alternative.” Aside from the digestibility of properly processed wheat, feed wheat generally has higher energy and protein content than barley, he said. “When it was properly processed, we could potentially replace all the barley in the diet with feed wheat and not have any negative consequences on animal growth,” said McAllister. And with environmental conditions downgrading large volumes of wheat, the availability of feed wheat has gone up, while prices have gone down. “(Cost savings) are a big component when you’re talking about feed wheat,” said McAllister. Even so, cattle feeders choosing wheat over barley going forward will likely be the exception, not the rule, he said.

“There is the question out there in Western Canada that if we’re not feeding barley to our cattle, which is still the foundation of the industry today, then what are we feeding to them? And wheat is a viable alternative.”

Tim McAllister

“If barley is cheaper and available, I think it would still be the preferred grain source to keep them on throughout the entire feeding period. It’s just less likely to cause complications.” But if the price of wheat is

sufficiently low, “that risk is worth taking,” said McAllister. “The cost of diet and the cost of gain is going to be that much lower, and the production that much more profitable.” jennifer.blair@fbcpublishing.com

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Pulse boom forecast Canadian pulse and lentil exports will climb to near-record levels this year, as dry conditions in India limit output in that country, says the CEO of Reginabased AGT Food and Ingredients. In India, weak monsoon rains will limit output of pulse crops this year to around 18 million tonnes — four million tonnes short of India’s consumption, said Murad Al-Katib. He predicts strong prices will entice Canadian farmers to plant about 10 per cent more lentils and dry peas this year, sowing the country’s largest area in about five years. — Reuters

Tight rotations may not harm canola yields — but soil health suffers A long-term study on diversity in rotations produced some surprises, but the benefits were also clear By Jennifer Blair af staff

“You begin to understand why these guys are getting away with these really tight rotations of canola.” Brian Beres

tions with peas in them saw longterm benefits, possibly as a result of nitrogen fixation in the soil. “It seems like it’s taking a long time, but the importance of those peas over time for both grain yield and some of the variables below ground are starting to have an impact later on.” Overall, his team found that soil is “definitely not as healthy as it could be” in tight rotations. “The message that’s missing for canola producers is that diversity equals soil health, even though

you’re not seeing reductions in grain yield with tight rotations,” he said. “I don’t know if you could say there’s a degradation of soil health with tight canola rotations, but certainly, you’re not deriving the kinds of benefits we observe with a highdiversity rotation.” Besides improving soil health, diversity is important for “optimum production” in other ways, he said. “You can get away with a tight canola rotation, but eventually that might catch up to you with respect to blackleg and clubroot,” he said. “Diversity should offer less incidence of disease and higher attainable yields, and there should be reduced incidences of other pests, like insects and weeds.” And with clean durum outpricing canola this past growing season, rotation diversity is “sort of a no-brainer” at this point, said Beres. “With the new marketing era, I don’t see how there could be a really poor business case with having more diversity in some of these rotations,” he said. “Today, there’s good markets for canola, but for cereals as well and even peas, so I think there’s a business case to be made.” Beres will also be giving a presentation on fusarium head blight management at Agronomy Update 2015 on Jan. 21. jennifer.blair@fbcpublishing.com

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rian Beres wasn’t surprised to find more diverse rotations increase cereal grain yields, improve soil health, and increase microbial biomass. What surprised him was how canola fared under tight rotations. Quite well, as a matter of fact. “It was surprising to see that canola didn’t respond to diversity if you looked at crop response variables like protein and yield — there was no difference between two-year rotations and three-year rotations with canola,” said the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada biologist. “You begin to understand why these guys are getting away with these really tight rotations of canola. It really isn’t impacting their bottom line of grain yield at all.” Beres’ research began in Lethbridge in 2008 as a way to study how cereal crops might respond to continuous cropping in the event of an issue that requires field isolation. Using triticale “as a proxy” for other cereals, Beres studied rotations that had low diversity (triticale and soft white spring wheat), medium diversity (triticale with peas or canola), and high diversity (canola, triticale, and peas). The first thing he looked at was yield. “The highest-diversity rotation of

canola, triticale, and peas produced the highest yield, followed closely by just triticale and canola, then by triticale and peas, and finally just the cereal-based system,” he said, adding that growing cereals back to back, year after year, could cut yields by up to 17 per cent. “Cereals are definitely responding to diversity.” But while canola yields may not suffer from lack of diversity in tight rotations, soil health does. “If you start to look below ground, things look a lot different,” said Beres, who will be giving a detailed presentation on his study at Agronomy Update 2015 in Lethbridge on Jan. 20. “The highest-diversity rotation was creating the most microbial biomass.” The rotations including peas produced the most microbial biomass, followed — “interestingly” — by a rotation of strictly cereals. Microbial biomass suffered the most in the triticale-canola rotation. “Even though there’s no difference between grain yield, what’s going on below ground is quite different, where one that has more diversity is ranked first and the other is ranked fifth,” he said, adding that it took more than five years to see these effects on soil health. “A farmer’s not going to see that with what he’s doing.” And while peas didn’t yield as well in the early years of the project, rota-

JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Railways fined for failing to move enough grain But farmers and grain companies say the fines are too small relative to the cost of delivery delays By Allan Dawson staff

anada’s two national railways have been fined for not meeting federal targets for grain shipments, but not as much as farmers and grain companies say is warranted. CN Rail said in a statement it will pay its $100,000 for two violations “and move forward,” while CP Rail will contest a $50,000 fine for a single violation, claiming it fell short due to circumstances beyond its control. While the fines are important symbolically, they aren’t high enough, said Doug Chorney, president of Keystone Agricultural Producers, Manitoba’s main farm group.

“I think until we have meaningful consequences and some way to see the fines go back to the shippers or farmers who are the offended parties, they are not going to have the desired outcome,” said Chorney. The fines are small, agreed Western Grain Elevator Association executive director Wade Sobkowich. “Unfortunately the fines being paid by the railways pale in comparison to the costs that the industry has incurred due to the poor service in those time periods,” he said. “But we understand there are some limitations in the legislation and that the government is at least holding them accountable to some extent.” Fines are the ultimate “public punishment” for the railways failing to move as much grain as

they said they would, said Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. “At the end of the day fines don’t move grain, it’s the incentive to do it... and I think we’ve got a good balanced approach moving forward with the continuation of the order-in-council with some real big numbers, as well as the plans we’ve asked for from the railways to be provided to Transport Canada on contingencies on how they are adjusting to the corridor-bycorridor data demands that we’re asking for.” The potential fine was originally set at up to $100,000 a day, then changed to up to $100,000 per violation, which officials interpret as per week since the grain movement target is weekly. In these instances, the fines are $50,000 per violation — half the maximum.

CN failed to meet the minimum volume requirement for the period from July 28 to Aug. 3, and both CN and CP failed to meet the requirements for the period from Sept. 7 to 13. “CP is disputing the fine on the basis that the missed targets of Sept. 7 to 13, 2014 were the result of broader supply chain issues, specifically the Labour Day holiday shutdown at the Port of Vancouver the week before,” CP spokesman Jeremy Berry wrote in an email. “These events outside of CP’s control in the supply chain contributed to delays in the movement, loading and shipping of rail cars on CP.” That reasoning doesn’t hold water, Sobkowich said. “The volume was there and the demand for the rail cars was there as long as they were placed at the right locations — the right

country elevators — and with the right destinations,” he said. CP continues to stress Canada’s grain supply chain must operate around the clock, seven days a week to be efficient. “In 2014 we moved record amounts of grain — 21 per cent over the three-year average and up 16 per cent over the previous record crop year of 2008-09,” Berry wrote. “More than anything, it is market forces that have driven the record volumes of grain that CP has delivered this year and last.” So far this crop year CN has exceeded its government-mandated minimum grain volumes by more than 1.5 million tonnes, CN spokesman Mark Hallman wrote in an email. “By the end of December 2014, CN had just 1,500 grain orders on its wait-list to fulfil — the equivalent of only about three days of grain movements,” he wrote. Grain movement from Aug. 1, 2014 until Christmas was up 37 per cent compared to the same period last year, Sobkowich said. The railways have been moving more grain, but some of the increase is because more grain moved earlier this crop year, he said.

“At the end of the day fines don’t move grain, it’s the incentive to do it... and I think we’ve got a good balanced approach moving forward with the continuation of the order-in-council...”

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Last crop year, following record grain production in Western Canada, a huge backlog in grain shipping occurred causing elevator prices to fall well below world prices. The railways blamed the big crop and the coldest winter in 100 years. Farmers and grain companies accused the railways of failing to invest in surge capacity because grain shipments can’t go elsewhere. Farmers and grain companies hope the Canada Transportation Act review currently underway will result in regulations that force the railways to act how they would in a competitive market.

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What goes up is now coming down in Iowa farm country Farmland values have soared but are now falling back down By Christine Stebbins chicago / reuters

he average price of Iowa farmland slumped 8.9 per cent in 2014, the largest annual decline since 1986 as crop prices fell, according to the latest Iowa Land Value Survey. It is only the second year since 1999 that the benchmark survey, conducted in November by Iowa State University researchers, has shown a decline in farmland values. The findings are similar to those of the Realtors Land Institute and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. The value of farmland in Iowa, typically the top U.S. corn- and soybean-growing state, is closely tracked by farm economists, bankers, the Federal Reserve, farmers and investors as a gauge for the health of the farm and rural economy. The average price of Iowa farmland fell to $7,943 an acre in 2014, after hitting a record peak at $8,716 in 2013, the survey said. Values have more than doubled in 10 years and were up 18 per cent just since 2011 given the historic boom in land and grain prices driven by demand for biofuels and food exports. “We had a reality check that $6 corn wasn’t what we were going to settle in at and the decrease in land values is just a reflection of that,” said Michael Duffy, a retired Iowa State University farm economist who conducted the survey. Corn prices fell to $3 a bushel during fall harvest, down sharply from the summer of 2013 when corn was $6 to $7. Farmland remains the basic collateral for farmer loans. Economists have worried that a farmland “bubble” may pop as it did in the 1980s, hurting a rural economy which has been one of the healthiest sectors of the U.S. economy. “A lot of people are concerned that we’re heading into big troubles. I don’t share that pessimism,” Duffy told Reuters. “The lower grain prices are going to cause pain and everyone is going to have to adjust. But because we have so much equity left I think most people will be able to refinance or readjust,” Duffy added. Northwest Iowa reported the highest average values at $9,615; the lowest average was in south-central Iowa at $4,475.

South sees overwintering stripe rust Early-seeded winter wheat appears to be more susceptible even when resistant varieties are used Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development release

esearchers are continuing to monitor plots and a few fields for stripe rust survival throughout the winter and early spring. Evidence of overwintering stripe rust was found last year in central Alberta, and Agriculture Canada researcher Denis Gaudet has extended his stripe rust survey this winter to include some evaluations in southern Alberta. Eight winter wheat fields in the southwest (Lethbridge, Cardston, Raymond and Coaldale areas) were surveyed in mid-December. “Stripe rust levels of five per cent were observed in two fields and trace levels in a third field, said Michael Harding, research scientist-plant pathology with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development in Brooks.

“Stripe rust was widespread in volunteer winter and spring wheat throughout the region. It was apparent that stripe rust had infected winter wheat that was seeded from early to late September (i.e. Zadoks Stage 21) but later-seeded winter wheat (Zadoks Stage 1) remains clean. Stripe rust was also widespread in winter wheat research plots.” Last year’s survey also found seeding date appears to be a factor, and that stripe rust severity or prevalence appeared to be more associated with seeding time than cultivar resistance ratings — that is an early-seeded field (i.e before early September) tended to have more stripe rust than late seeding (i.e. after early September) regardless of genetic resistance ratings of each cultivar. The early-seeding effect is likely due to the fact that stripe rust spores were in the air in early September, but not later in the month. Therefore leaves of the later-seeded plants escaped

File Photo disease because they had not yet emerged and could not be infected. The difference in severity between resistant and susceptible cultivars becomes apparent later, in early spring. Gaudet’s group will be monitoring plots and a few fields for stripe rust survival throughout the winter and early spring. But

Gaudet noted the presence of stripe rust in the three winter wheat fields in southern Alberta does not necessarily mean that the stripe rust pathogen will be able to overwinter in those fields. If any overwintering survival of the stripe rust pathogen occurs, it cannot be detected until spring 2015.

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JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

An eye in space — with big implications for the farm A new satellite that measures soil moisture will allow for better flood forecasting and perhaps predict disease and pest outbreaks By Meghan Mast staff

f you Google ‘SMAP’ two things will come up — a Japanese boy band from the ’90s and a NASA satellite designed to measure soil moisture on a global scale. The latter, set to launch later this month, could contribute to a greater understanding of how moisture affects agricultural lands. “Most people don’t care much about soil moisture,” said Paul Bullock, head of the soil science department at the University of Manitoba. “But soil moisture affects a lot of things people do care about, like flood risks. It will impact your crops. It will impact whether you have some insects and other types of pathogens develop in your crop.” The hope is that the satellite, which uses active and passive

microwave sensors, will not only produce a rich stream of data more economically and accurately, but do it on a continuous basis — which is something that’s never been possible before, said Bullock. SMAP will be able to capture an image of the Earth every two to three days. So any person or group who wants this information can receive an updated status of soil moisture from their area of interest every few days. To ensure its measurements are accurate, researchers have inserted soil moisture sensors in various locations to double-check its readings. Once the scientists are sure the satellite is delivering good data, they plan to use it in a variety of ways. One will be to get a better handle on what’s happening to farmland across the Prairies. Areas such as the infamously dry Palliser’s Triangle have been changed by wetter-than-usual conditions and

extreme weather events, which have become more common in recent years. Improving flood forecasts will be another priority as higher soil moisture levels greatly increase the risk of floods. That’s generating a lot of interest in Manitoba, which has suffered a series of floods in recent years and made the issue of drainage — which has expanded greatly in Saskatchewan — a top political issue. “At the time that the 2012 SMAP validation experiment in Manitoba was being planned, we did not anticipate the extent to which flooding would affect the province of Manitoba, but the project seems to have become more relevant ever since,” said Bullock. “There’s a bit of serendipity to have this research happening at the same time that the province is dealing with such an extreme bout of flooding.” meghan.mast@fbcpublishing.com

The SMAP satellite will use active and passive radioactive waves to measure soil moisture. photo: NASA illustration

Payoff from variable-rate technology is variable Study of variable-rate fertilizer application finds it’s not a ‘slam dunk’ — sometimes it pays and sometimes it doesn’t By Jennifer Blair af staff

Does variable-rate fertilizer application pay off? Sure it does — if you can find the areas of the field that need it, suggests a recent financial analysis of variable-rate technology (VRT) conducted in Lethbridge. “The more fertilizer you put on, the better results you get,” said Mark Wobick, a farm management consultant with MNP. “But is there a financial benefit to finding areas of the field that would benefit from more fertilizer or less? Yes, but the trick is finding those areas of the field.” MNP conducted a margin analysis study based on data from an Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development research project on variable-rate fertilizer. The analysis looked at whether there was a financial benefit to applying more fertilizer, as well as varying the rate of fertilizer. The results were “variable.” “When we looked at the results here, they were very inconsistent,” said Wobick, who will be giving a presentation on the study at Agronomy Update 2015 in Lethbridge on Jan. 20. “There’s no real clear pattern in the data.” If producers can find areas in their fields that “deserve a different treatment,” there is a benefit, said Wobick — but the benefit may not outweigh the costs of variable-rate technology. “Once you find those areas of the field, is the benefit worth the specialized equipment or

the consulting fee? In some cases, yes, and in some cases, no, but there was no real clear pattern,” he said. “In some cases, there was a benefit, and in others, the costs were higher. It’s not a slam dunk one way or the other.” Some results from the study do “jump out” though, said Wobick. The analysis showed that, more than variable-rate technology, “the basics” had a greater impact on the bottom line. “You really need to get the basics right first,” he said. “That’s making sure you’re growing the right crop, making sure you have the agronomy right, and making sure you manage the risk of the commodity price and the fertilizer price. “Both those things can fluctuate and have a far greater impact on your business than putting a whole lot of effort into finding places in the field that may or may not benefit from some variable rate.” Wobick cautions that the analysis is based on only one set of data and may not speak to wider industry results. Even so, each producer needs to consider whether variable-rate technology is a good fit for their individual farm based on their management and finances, he said. “I think they need to think critically before they jump in with two feet into VRT,” said Wobick. “It’s important to walk before you run.” jennifer.blair@fbcpublishing.com

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Albertafarmexpress.ca • January 19, 2015

Asian markets interested in Canada Prairie Spring wheats Some Canada Prairie Spring wheats have very good milling quality — and Asian buyers have taken note By Allan Dawson staff

C Asian markets are increasingly interested in the Canada Prairie Spring wheat class and that could lead to some new marketing opportunities, David Hatcher, of the Canadian Grain Commission’s Grain Research Laboratory, told the Manitoba Seed Growers’ Association’s recent annual meeting. photo: allan dawson

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anada Western Red Spring wheat is accustomed to having the spotlight all to itself. But lately two of its siblings — Canada Prairie Spring (CPS) and Canada Western Red Winter — have been earning quite a name for themselves with some buyers. Interest is growing because CPS red “makes an excellent loaf of bread... particularly the new varieties,” according to David Hatcher of the Canadian Grain Commission. Hatcher is a program manager in the commission’s research lab, specifically a branch known as the Asian Products and Wheat Enzymes Crops Section. That role took him to a number of Asian cities in the fall so he could brief customers on the quality of the 2014 crop. “After every seminar customers were asking me about where can I get some CPS wheat (and) what varieties do you suggest? There was a lot of interest there,” Hatcher told a seed growers’ meeting in Manitoba last month. The CPS class was established in 1985 for wheats with medium protein, medium kernel hardness, and medium dough strength relative to CWRS wheat. In the early years, CPS wheats were generally higher yielding too, which offset the lower return relative to Red Spring. Now there are some very good-quality milling wheats in the CPS class, Hatcher said. Not only does the wheat make good loaves of bread, it is well suited for noodles and steam breads, which are popular in Asia, he added.

The same holds for wheats in the Canada Western Red Winter class. The milling quality in that class has improved too, thanks in part to moving CDC Falcon to the Canada Western General Purpose class. Red Spring, along with Canada Western Amber durum, were the focus when the Canadian Wheat Board had a sales monopoly and they accounted for the vast majority of wheat exports. But that’s changing, said Elwin Hermanson, chief commissioner of the grain commission. In recent years, the sale of some minor wheat classes has doubled, Hermanson said. “From a layman’s point of view that tells me there’s potential,” he said. “They may start out as niche markets. I think there is opportunity and growing interest.” In the short term there won’t be large sales of CPS or CWRW wheat, but small or new grain companies might be able to earn premiums shipping those wheats in containers, Hermanson said. “If we can give them what they want year after year — and we’re known for that — there is opportunity,” he said. Still, growers are uneasy about producing seed for a market when they don’t know how much demand there will be, said Eric McLean, president of the Manitoba Seed Growers’ Association. Hatcher acknowledged there’s a catch-22 — farmers can’t sell a product they don’t have, but farmers are reluctant to grow something until they know there’s a market. “All I can tell you is the market is calling for it,” Hatcher said. allan@fbcpublishing.com

Agrocorp buys Falher plant Singapore grain and pulse crop trader Agrocorp has bought the Falher Co-operative Seed Cleaning Plant for an undisclosed sum. The plant, built in 1962, handles cereals, pulses and other specialty crops and has three full-time employees. The Falher plant “provides traction in a great growing area for grain, pulses and oilseeds (and) further build(s) upon long-standing partnerships in the Peace area,” Agrocorp said in a release announcing the purchase last month.

It also recently bought a grain-handling facility at Innisfail, which services feedlots in the region and the nearby Permolex ethanol plant. The company, which operates a Vancouver sales office, opened a new high-throughput pulse and specialty cropprocessing facility at Moose Jaw last year. Agrocorp, which also has offices in Australia, India, Indonesia and Myanmar, deals in cereals, pulses, oilseeds, and animal feed, plus other commodities in the food, fertilizer, metals and energy sectors. — AGCanada.com

JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

China expected to boost imports of protein-rich wheat But over all, 2014-15 wheat imports seen down 60 per cent due to ample supply By Niu Shuping and Naveen Thukral

beijing/singapore / reuters

hinese wheat buyers are likely to step up imports of higher-quality grains to meet a domestic shortfall even though total overseas purchases are forecast to tumble this year due to bumper production at home, analysts and traders said. China, the world’s biggest wheat producer and consumer, has seen output climb to record levels in recent years, but it faces a shortage of the high-protein wheat it needs to meet growing appetite for noodles, bread and other baked products as incomes rise. “Hard red spring wheat is in

extremely short supply here in the domestic market because China’s own production of high-quality wheat was not satisfactory despite higher output,” said an analyst with an official think-tank who declined to be identified. More demand for high-protein wheat could bolster prices for spring wheat traded on the Minneapolis Grains Exchange. China bought about 120,000 tonnes of hard wheat in early January, but its origin was unclear but may have included some Australian and U.S. wheat. “We are seeing more business being done to China in containers and bulk than we have seen in a long time,” said one grains trader in Sydney. “The Australian dollar has

weakened and it is attracting business,” he added. “There is plenty of feed wheat or average quality around, but if you are looking for high-protein wheat you will have to pay a premium,” said a Singapore-based trader.

Keeping control

China exerts control over import volumes by issuing quotas that limit how much wheat buyers can take from overseas. In the coming weeks, it is expected to issue a 2015 quota level unchanged from last year’s 9.6 million tonnes. Private mills are likely to bid keenly for the 10 per cent they are expected to be allocated. China’s overall wheat imports are forecast to fall by around

60 per cent to about three million tonnes in 2014-15 from a year ago, China National Grain and Oils Information Centre has estimated, thanks to all-time high production. In addition to higher output, China’s overall appetite for wheat is likely to take a hit as authorities suspend buying for state reserves after a bumper harvest refilled stocks. China’s wheat imports more than doubled to 6.77 million tonnes in 2013-14 from a year after adverse weather damaged crops in key producing regions. But the country is expected to churn out a record 126 million tonnes in 2014-15, up from 122 million tonnes a year ago, the National Bureau of Statistics has said.

Photo: Thinkstock

Eastern Peace expected to get a break from wheat midge

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he wheat midge population has boomed in the eastern Peace — and now it’s time for a bust, according to the Alberta Insect Pest Monitoring Network. However, there’s still a risk of higher populations in the region due to very large amounts of the insect seen during the 2013 crop year, said a report by the network, adding that wheat midge has not followed previous forecasts very well in the Peace region. The report forecasts an increase in numbers for central Alberta, but very low numbers for the south in 2015. Producers are advised to note how much wheat midge-related damage was done to this year’s wheat crop, and use that to indicate the risk of damage to the 2015-16 wheat crop. The past several years have seen wide variations of damage related to the insect, especially in areas with higher counts. The report stressed that it isn’t intended to take the place of individual field monitoring, and farmers may still have economic levels of midge this year in areas where smaller populations are expected. Temperature and moisture will ultimately determine the extent and timing of midge emergence during the growing season.

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 19, 2015

Verticillium wilt found in Manitoba canola The fungus can cut canola yields in half and, like clubroot, can remain in the soil for years By Shannon VanRaes staff

fungus that can cut canola yields in half has arrived in Manitoba. Verticillium longisporum was discovered in a field late last fall and provincial officials are working with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to determine if the disease is widespread, or if the site in question is an isolated case. Provincial officials say they will not release the location, although a Reuters news report said the pathogen was found on a research farm. “We’re not even releasing the region because we don’t know yet if it’s a specific isolated event that we’ll be able to control on the farm and be done with, or if it’s more widespread,” said provincial field crop pathologist Holly Derksen. “At this point we’ll treat it much like we did with clubroot in the beginning, where we don’t release information until we figure out how widespread it is.” She noted that the site in question was not experiencing yield loss, but was tested after a producer noticed signs of disease while scouting. The Canola Council of Canada is now urging all farmers to scout for the fungus, but acknowledged that few facts are currently available on the disease. “We will focus on collaborating with regulators, researchers and grower groups to determine its prevalence and bring best management practices to growers,” said canola council president Patti Miller.

“They’ve had it for 30-plus years, so there are things we can learn from them, although their production practices are quite different than our own,” said Derksen. “There are still a lot of things we don’t know.” Symptoms of verticillium wilt include chlorosis of lateral branches or leaves, often on only one side of the plant and early death stunting. At later stages, the outer stem may peel back to reveal black microsclerotia. “It’s a black peppering of spots you’ll see right below the surface,” Derksen said. The best time to scout for verticillium wilt in canola is at swathing, but it can also be identified after harvest as microsclerotia continue to develop.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has implemented risk mitigation measures at the infected site in a bid to prevent its spread. “Although it’s disappointing that a new disease has been identified, it shows that the system is working and the industry is responding in a proactive and collaborative manner,” said Miller. “The canola industry has a long history and significant experience in working together to control diseases and pest issues as they arise and this collaborative approach will continue.” More information on the fungus will be posted to the canola council website (www.canolacouncil.org) as it becomes available. shannon.vanraes@fbcpublishing.com

Holly Derksen speaks about verticillium longisporum at St. Jean Farm Days in Manitoba. Photo: Shannon VanRaes

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“At this point we’ll treat it much like we did with clubroot in the beginning, where we don’t release information until we figure out how widespread it is.”

Holly Derksen

It has not spread to Canada’s commercial crop-handling system, Miller said. Like clubroot, another disease that affects canola, verticillium spreads mainly from field to field through soil on machinery, boots or other carriers. It can survive in the soil for 15 to 20 years. Crop rotation can help to manage the disease and keep fungi at low levels, but Derksen noted there are no fungicide treatments for it or verticillium-resistant canola varieties on the market. “It’s a difficult one to nail down the resistance for,” she said. Biosecurity practices similar to those used for clubroot are advised. The disease is found throughout Northern Europe, but Sweden has seen the biggest impact with yield losses up to 50 per cent.

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JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Argentine farmers vow to step up protests Banks try to pressure farmers to sell more of their stocks of soybeans By Maximiliano Rizzi Buenos Aires / Reuters

rgentine farmers will increase protests ahead of presidential elections in October 2015 to push candidates toward reforming policies that growers say are killing their profits, said Omar Principe, the new head of one of the country’s main farm groups. Demonstrations in the past have stopped Argentine farm exports for months, straining government revenue and putting upward pressure on world food prices. Two of the three presumed main candidates have promised to lower the 35 per cent export tax that the government slaps on soybeans and loosen the strict corn and wheat export quota system that growers say complicate crop planning. Principe, named head of the Argentina Agrarian Federation earlier this month, said growers will increase the pressure on candidates as October nears. “The candidates are going to present their platforms and we are going to have to have an impact if we want to change the policy model,” he said. “Next year will be one of massive mobilization. We are going to put the issues that are facing small and medium-size farmers in front of the candidates.”

Farmers and other demonstrators block a bridge during a one-day nationwide strike in Buenos Aires in November 2012. Over the past few years, Argentine farmers have protested several times against a growing tax burden, including a 35 per cent export tax on soybeans. Photo: REUTERS/Enrique Marcarian

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“Next year will be one of massive mobilization. We are going to put the issues that are facing small and medium-size farmers in front of the candidates.”

Understand the trends, see the opportunities

Omar Principe farm leader

The government of President Cristina Fernandez was shaken by massive farm protests six years ago over her tax policies. The 2008 farm rebellion reduced exports for months and cut into government revenue. Relations between the two-term leader and the key grains sector have been severely strained ever since. Banned from running for a third consecutive term and with a year left in office, Fernandez has shown no sign of loosening the policies that farmers say weigh on production and investment. Buenos Aires Governor and presidential hopeful Daniel Scioli, from Fernandez’s branch of the Peronist party, has not yet staked out a position on farm policy. But leading opposition figures Mauricio Macri, mayor of Buenos Aires, and Congressman Sergio Massa say it is time to start cutting export taxes and loosening export quotas. Meanwhile, tensions between the government and the farm sector are increasing. Argentina’s state bank has moved to bolster the country’s foreign exchange reserves by cutting credit to soy farmers who are holding on to an estimated eight million tonnes of last year’s beans as a hedge against one of the world’s highest inflation rates. The bank hopes to force farmers to sell soybeans in order to finance their operations, thereby boosting the supply of beans available for export and enabling the government to collect more export tax revenue.

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Albertafarmexpress.ca • january 19, 2015

Forget the hype and focus on margins, says expert Chuck Penner says grain market cycles will be with us forever, and farmers forget that at their peril By Shannon VanRaes staff

T Photo: Thinkstock

hey’re phrases that have gotten a lot of use in recent years. Analysts and experts are increasingly describing changes in commodity prices for wheat and corn as a “paradigm shift” or the arrival of a “new price paradigm.” But Chuck Penner, founder of LeftField Commodity Research said producers should be cognizant that high prices don’t necessarily mean higher profits in the long run.

“High prices often come with higher costs,” said Penner, speaking at the annual Western Wheat Growers convention in Winnipeg. Producers and others may see a lag time where they can cash in on high prices before costs increase, but eventually margins return where they were before the shift in commodity prices. “And I think that’s very clearly what’s been the experience for many people in this high-price environment. So it gives you a bit of a lag… but overall it’s not great,” he said. And while prices are now return-

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Mark Robinson Meteorologist, The Weather Network

Mark has been storm chasing since 2000, sending on-the-ground reports to The Weather Network. He has intercepted 15 hurricanes and over 30 tornadoes across North America, including the most destructive hurricane in U.S. history, Katrina. He will discuss the weather trends we could expect to see in 2015.

ing to a sort of equilibrium, Penner pointed out the biggest market changes are still caused by the one factor that is hardest to predict — the weather. “We had this period of extended highs and they started with the 2010 Russian drought, if you remember, markets were coming downing ’09 and ’10, then we had this big drought in Russia and it kept them from falling further,” he said. “Frankly the fundamentals said we should have fallen further. Finally we started to adjust from that… and then we had the 2012 drought in the U.S. and that extended those highs.” This fairly long stretch of sustained high prices may have distorted both investors’ and producers’ sense of how the market behaves, he said. “I’m a firm, firm believer in the fact that there are market cycles, and markets go up and markets go down, we’ve kind of been lulled into a false sense of security that may not necessarily be the case,” said Penner. “We had this kind of high-level plateau, and I think people get carried away by the hype — people in funds, farmers, cab drivers, dentists, people investing in commodities got carried away by this hype that it just could keep going higher forever.”

“I kinda think we’re close to the bottom on corn, so we’ll start to see some relief in sight.” Chuck Penner

Appearing at: Lloydminster

Mike Jubinville President, Pro Farmer Canada

Mike is lead analyst and president of Pro Farmer Canada, an independent market analysis and advisory service he started in 1997. Benefit from his experience as he explains current and future trends in agriculture, the current state of commodity markets and what we can expect next. Appearing at: Medicine Hat, Lloydminster

Lyndon Carlson FCC Senior Vice-President, Marketing

Lyndon has 30 years of experience in several areas of agribusiness and marketing. He’s been named the Canadian Agri-Marketing Association’s Agri-Marketer of the Year and presented with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his contributions to 4-H Canada. He’ll help you see where Canadian agriculture is headed and provide insights to improve your farm management skills. Appearing at: Medicine Hat, Lloydminster

Those investments themselves then altered the market, although Penner doesn’t believe the impact was as significant as other factors. Production has tried to respond to increases in price, Penner noted, adding that ending stocks of both corn and wheat have increased of the last two years. “And frankly the market isn’t so concerned about where ending stocks are at, but whether they are going up or are they going down,” he said. He expects ending stocks for corn will begin to decrease again next year. “So I’m calling for some gradual gains… not a huge rally,” he said. “I kind of think we’re close to the bottom on corn, so we’ll start to see some relief in sight.” Whether year-end wheat stocks will begin to fall next year might be harder to pin down, but Penner said that while production has increased, so has consumption. Especially as a smaller barley crop has meant a greater need to use wheat in livestock feed. “The markets have generally been negative towards wheat, I’m not as much, I’m more of an optimist on wheat,” he said. shannon.vanraes@fbcpublishing.com

JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

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It’s not just cattle roundups that can bring traffic to a halt. This herd of elk had vehicles stopped while it jumped the fence and crossed the highway, west of Okotoks, in southern Alberta. Photo: Wendy Dudley

Ag Canada raises ending stocks projections

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Ending stocks of Canada’s major grain and oilseeds for 2014-15 will likely be larger than earlier forecasts, says Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s market analysis branch. Total ending stocks for the major grains and oilseeds are expected to total 10.490 million tonnes by the end of the 2014-15 crop year, according to its December estimates. That’s up from the November estimate of 8.495 million. Wheat and canola saw some of the largest adjustments. Total grain and oilseed ending stocks for the 2013-14 crop year came in at 16.974 million tonnes. Ag Canada forecast total grain and oilseed production in 2014-15 at 73.594 million tonnes, which was up from the November estimate of 69.959 million, but below the 90.293 million tonnes grown in 2013-14. Exports of the major grains and oilseeds for 2014-15 projected at 42.560 million tonnes, were up from the November estimate of 41.310 million. Exports in 201314 were estimated at 43.421 million tonnes. Total domestic usage of the various grains and oilseeds for the 2014-15 crop year was revised to 39.592 million tonnes, versus 38.901 million tonnes in November and 39.950 million tonnes last year. — Commodity News Service Canada

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 19, 2015

USDA report says pesticide residues in food nothing to fear By Carey Gillam Reuters

Lack of loading rather than lack of nutrition may be the reason

he invention of agriculture may have allowed for many human advances, but strong bones may not be one of them, say researchers at the University of Cambridge. Writing in the journal PNAS, they say that human skeletons have become much lighter and more fragile since the invention of agriculture. Hunter-gatherers from around 7,000 years ago had bones comparable in strength to modern orangutans, but farmers from the same area over 6,000 years later had significantly lighter and weaker bones that would have been more susceptible to breaking. After ruling out diet differences and changes in body size as possible causes, the researchers concluded that reductions

“Sitting in a car or in front of a desk is not what we have evolved to do.”

Colin Shaw

in physical activity are the root cause of degradation in human bone strength across millennia. The findings have implications for current health research, as

These images show a comparison between bone mass in a huntergatherer and an agriculturalist hip joint. Photo: Timothy Ryan and Colin Shaw they support the idea that exercise rather than diet is the key to preventing heightened fracture risk and osteoporosis in later life.

“There’s seven million years of hominid evolution geared towards action and physical activity for survival, but it’s only in the last, say 50 to 100 years, that we’ve been so sedentary — dangerously so,” said co-author Colin Shaw in a University of Cambridge release. “Sitting in a car or in front of a desk is not what we have evolved to do. “The fact is, we’re human, we can be as strong as an orangutan — we’re just not, because we are not challenging our bones with enough loading, predisposing us to have weaker bones so that, as we age, situations arise where bones are breaking when, previously, they would not have.”

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More than half of food tested by the U.S. government for pesticide residues last year showed detectable levels of pesticides, though most were within levels the government considers to be safe, according to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA looked at fresh and processed fruits and vegetables as well as infant formula, apple juice, and other products. Before allowing a pesticide to be used on a food commodity, the Environmental Protection Agency sets “tolerance levels,” for how much of a pesticide can remain in the food that reaches the consumer. The USDA’s sampling is designed to help ensure that pesticide residues are kept within those tolerance levels. As has been the case with past analyses, the USDA said it did not test this past year for residues of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup herbicide and the world’s most widely used herbicide. A USDA spokesman who asked not to be quoted said that the test measures required for glyphosate are “extremely expensive... to do on an regular basis.” Concerns about glyphosate and other pesticide residues on food have been a hot topic of debate recently, and contributed to the passage of the country’s first mandatory labelling law for foods that are genetically modified in Vermont earlier this year. Many states are pursuing similar labelling laws. Some local governments have also been trying to rein in pesticide use on food due to health concerns. Many genetically modified crops can be sprayed directly with glyphosate, and some consumer and health groups fear glyphosate residues in foods are harmful to human health, even though the government says the pesticide is considered safe. Last year, Monsanto Co., the developer of Roundup, requested and received EPA approval for increased tolerance levels for glyphosate. The USDA said that for the pesticides that it did test for, 99 per cent of the samples showed residue levels within tolerance levels. It said “over 40 per cent” showed no detectable pesticide residue, and residues exceeding tolerance levels were seen in a mere 23 samples out of 9,990. Additionally, residues of pesticides with no established tolerances were found in 301 samples, USDA said.

Hunter-gatherers had strong bones — farmers not so much

JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Weeds and weather woes included in new board game A new card game aims to meld farming with fun, while teaching kids a little bit about how agriculture works By Shannon VanRaes staff

Trevor Lehmann holds up cards he designed and developed for the game Crop Cycle, which feature photos from around Manitoba. SEC_CAR11_T_MC.qxd 8/26/11 4:23 PM Page 1Photos: Shannon VanRaes

revor Lehmann can’t say exactly what the cards have in store for him, but he hopes it’s something good. The international student adviser at the University of Manitoba has been a lover and creator of board and card games since he was knee-high to a grasshopper. Now he hopes his latest creation called Crop Cycle will take root with Manitobans, urban and rural alike. “The idea behind it was to try and find something that would really showcase Manitoba agriculture,” he said. “I’m not a farmer myself, but I have many family members who grew up or worked in agriculture.” And as a former high school teacher, he knows how challenging it can be to get kids interested in farming and where their food comes from. “It’s kind of hard to get kids into it, particularly if you’re teaching in an urban setting, so a lot of the game is about bringing out the basics, when you’d plant a crop, when you’d harvest a crop and the frus-

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Trevor Lehmann lays out game cards on his kitchen table. Trevor Lehmann trations of getting to that point,” he said, adding players are sidelined by inclement weather and pests — just like real farmers. The game can be played by two to five people and lasts between 20 and 40 minutes. Players use crop cards to plant, during the appropriate season of course, while implement and input cards help players move their crops forward. For the more nefarious players, there are even weeds that can be planted in your competitor’s fields. “There are also cards that represent natural disasters as well, but if you play them they affect everyone, including yourself, so it’s this balancing act,” he said. Crop Cycle rewards good crop rotation and discourages monocropping as well; the greater your diversity, the less likely you’ll be knocked out of the running by a single pest or weather event, the developer said. “The game is won by getting to a certain number of points, basically by successfully harvesting crops,” said Lehmann. Now the owner of Convergent Games is looking to commercialize his creation, something he hopes to do with the aid of crowdfunding. In October, the entrepreneur launched a kick-starter campaign, but while 89 people pledged support worth $3,700 it wasn’t enough to reach his goal of $10,000 and trigger payment. But that hasn’t deterred Lehmann, who said he plans to launch another kick-starter campaign in March. If the campaign is successful, all those who contribute will receive a copy of the game. “I got a lot of good feedback the first time,” he said, adding he is

“There are cards that represent natural disasters as well, but if you play them they affect everyone, including yourself, so it’s this balancing act.” Trevor Lehmann

tweaking the game based on some of the comments he received. He’s also contacted various farm associations to seek out information and explore collaborations. Right now, Crop Cycle doesn’t include animal agriculture, but in the future Lehmann said he may expand it to incorporate animal husbandry. He’s also exploring manufacturing options to see if he can cut down on costs. And while he’s competing against things like video games and online activities, Lehmann said his game offers something all the technology in the world can’t duplicate. “One thing I really always liked about the board game world was that it brings people together to play face to face,” he said. “And I think there’s something really powerful about that, there’s a shared sense of community there.” shannon.vanraes@fbcpublishing.com

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 19, 2015

Representative sample critical in grading grain Norm Woodbeck also says the U.S. and Canadian wheat-grading systems are as different as apples and oranges By Allan Dawson staff

laying the grain-grading game successfully starts with collecting a truly representative sample from your crop, says the former chief grain inspector for Canada. It also requires understanding the differences between Canada and the U.S. grading systems, said Norm Woodbeck, who retired from the Canadian Grain Commission in 2011 and now works for private grain grader Intertek Commodities Services. “I don’t care how good you are as an inspector. I don’t care what you have for equipment — you could have the fanciest lab in the world — everything that you do is based on that sample,” Norm Woodbeck told farmers at the annual meeting of the Boundary Trails Railway last month. Farmers are generally good at collecting grain samples from every load as they move grain from the combine into storage bins. They should also make sure grain buyers are getting a representative sample when the grain is delivered to the elevator, said Woodbeck, That means getting multiple samples from a load and not a few scoops as grain first pours out the back of the truck. “That’s where all the chaff is so you’re going to get an unrepresentative sample for dockage,” he warned. “Sample it from start to finish, that is the key.”

Varying samples is why sometimes farmers get different grades from different grain buyers for what is supposed to be the same grain, Woodbeck said. “In theory they could be both right.”

No swirling

Swirling a grain sample around in a pail and then dumping it isn’t the best way to get a representative sample either, especially in a crop such as soybeans where a bit of shaking sends all the lighter dockage to the bottom. Large grain samples need to be reduced. Placing a piece of paper between two adjoining tubs is a relatively accurate way to divide a sample. But even when very expensive reducing equipment is used, there will be variability. Woodbeck ran a test using the Boerner divider, an expensive piece of equipment the grain commission and Intertek use to reduce samples. He took 1,000 grams of durum wheat and dyed five grams creating a sample that contained 0.5 per cent dyed kernels. The sample was divided 25 times. Each time Woodbeck weighed the dyed kernels. The results varied a lot with the lowest level of dyed kernels at 0.08 per cent and the highest at 0.92 per cent. But when averaged, the dyed kernels came out at 0.52 per cent dyed — almost exactly the percentage of the original sample. If the dyed kernels were in fact fusarium-damaged kernels,

one of the samples would have graded a No. 3 and another a No. 1 Canada Western Amber durum, Woodbeck said. “You have sampling error, dividing error and then you throw a bunch of grain inspectors into the mix and they have different eyes and the way they look at it you’ve got more variability in there,” he said.

‘Nugget effect’

In addition to visually grading grain, laboratory tests are often done on wheat to assess its falling number and levels of DON (deoxynivalenol), a toxin sometimes produced by fusarium head blight. In a 1,000-gram sample, one badly sprouted or DON-laden kernel — the so-called “nugget effect” — “can throw your test right out the window,” Woodbeck said. A low falling number or high level of DON will lower the grade and the value of a farmer’s wheat. (See accompanying story on next page.) He advised farmers to get their wheat graded before marketing. To attract harvest samples in the fall, the Canadian Grain Commission will provide farmers with a free protein test and grade. Grain companies will also grade grain for farmers.

Apples and oranges

Farmers shipping grain on the Boundary Trails Railway (BTR) get free grading through Intertek. Some farmers using BTR are ship-

Good samples are critical, says Norm Woodbeck, a former chief grain inspector with the Canadian Grain Commission. photo: allan dawson ping grain to the U.S., which has a very different grading system. “My advice to producers... is to learn both systems, understand the different terminologies and the different factors and don’t try to compare them,” he said. “They are apples and oranges.” For example test weight in the U.S. is based on a Winchester bushel, which is smaller than a Canadian bushel. Both countries use the same moisture-testing equipment, but they are calibrated differently so results will differ too. The grain commission’s website has test weight and moisture conversion tables.

Instead of wheat grades dropping from a No. 1 to a No. 2 and then a No. 3, in the U.S. a No. 1 Dark Northern Spring wheat will drop to a No. 1 Northern Spring and then to a No. 1 Red Spring. “In theory you could go down (to the U.S.) and get two per cent severely sprouted wheat, (which) in Canada would be a feed wheat and it would still qualify for a No. 1 wheat in the U.S.,” Woodbeck said. “Now that’s why they want to know the falling number and with fusarium, they want to know the DON (levels) besides the grade.” allan@fbcpublishing.com

Perennial Crop Insurance Deadline February 28, 2015 PROTECTION FOR PERENNIAL CROPS Call your local AFSC Branch for a customized hay and pasture insurance estimate before the February 28, 2015 deadline. AFSC provides tools to Alberta’s agriculture producers and businesses. Phone 1-877-899-AFSC (2372) or visit www.AFSC.ca for more information. Growing Forward 2 is a federal-provincial territorial initiative.

JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Visually assessing grain quality more challenging this year Falling numbers are down but still good, says the CGC’s David Hatcher By Allan Dawson staff

he visual factors grain inspectors use to estimate falling number and vomitoxin in wheat are never exact, but this year there’s even more variation than usual, says Norm Woodbeck, manager, agri operations with Intertek Commodities Services, a private grain-grading company. “This has driven the industry to do a lot of testing (for the toxin deoxynivalenol) to verify what they’ve got because they just can’t take a chance,” said Woodbeck. There’s no quick elevator test for deoxynivalenol (DON), a toxin produced by fusarium head blight. But researchers have established a correlation between fusarium-damaged kernels (FDK) and DON levels. The percentage of fusarium damage affects the wheat’s grade.

“I think this year we’re seeing, for whatever reason, with the vomitoxin that the relationships aren’t there that we maybe saw in the past,” Woodbeck said. Some wheat samples contain more DON than would be expected given the percentage of fusarium-damaged kernels and some less, he said. Sometimes the culprit is the so-called “nugget effect” when one or several kernels of wheat in a 1,000-gram test are heavily laden with DON, said David Hatcher of the Canadian Grain Commission’s Grain Research Laboratory. “The CGC — I can’t stress this enough — takes this very seriously because grain safety is paramount to both domestic and international sales,” said Hatcher “We feel it’s critical to stay on top of this.” The CGC is exploring ways to conduct a quick DON test grain buyers can use on the elevator driveway to replace the current system based on damaged kernels, he said.

Varying weather conditions and different types of fusarium head blight, a fungal disease, can all result in different levels of DON, Hatcher said. Sprouting wheat produces the enzyme alpha amylase, which reduces dough elasticity and undermines bread quality. Grain inspectors use the percentage of sprouted wheat kernels as a quick way to estimate the damage. A more reliable but timeconsuming measure is falling number — the length of time, measured in seconds, it takes a plunger to drop through a slurry of water and flour in a test tube. A higher falling number means the dough will have more elasticity and produce better bread. Woodbeck said he’s seeing lower falling numbers in wheat that doesn’t appear to have any sprouting. He suspects, however, there’s “incipient sprouting.” That’s when the sprouting process has started but isn’t visible.

allan@fbcpublishing.com

Canadian feed barley values ‘popping’ in January: analyst

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“Our falling numbers are excellent this year. There’s not a problem, but they are somewhat lower than last (crop) year, however,” Hatcher said. “But the numbers are well within the 10-year average and well within a good rating. “Sprouting was not a problem this year in our CWRS (Canada Western Red Spring wheat).” Last crop year CWRS wheat routinely had falling numbers of 425 to 450, while this year they generally range between 380 and 400, “which is still totally acceptable and is well within our normal experience for a No. 1 CWRS,” Hatcher said. The critical thing for millers and processors is knowing how wheat is going to perform, Woodbeck said. Then they can adjust their equipment and processes accordingly.

UFA.com

Western Canadian feed barley prices remained firm to start the year with bids having enjoyed a gradual rise from the $190-pertonne range in late November to about $210 per tonne in early January, said an industry watcher. “Bids have firmed up, not surprisingly it’s kind of popping in January,” said Allen Pirness, a trader at Market Place Commodities in Lethbridge. He says wheat has been a strong market as of late and barley has followed suit. The 2014-15 crop year saw a sharp reduction in barley production across Western Canada, with estimated ending stocks by July 31 of just 700,000 tonnes versus more than one million tonnes a year earlier. “Barley is bullish by itself with low acres, but if some of this higher-quality feed wheat hits the market that could check barley in a hurry,” said Pirness. U.S. corn has also ceased to be a feed option for many producers moving forward, he added. “The idea of replacement corn gets further and further away as corn rallies and the Canadian dollar falls,” he said. Cheaper gasoline has also started to impact the barley market in an indirect way. Last year, Pirness says some trucking companies were forced to park some of their vehicles due to a shortage of drivers; many of whom found jobs in the oil and gas sector. But with the plunging price of crude oil dissuading many Alberta energy companies from operating at full capacity this year, he says more trucks seem to be on the road. “You know there’s barley and wheat from Saskatchewan that’s making its way into southern Alberta again fairly regularly. I think that could be measured as an effect of the oil thing,” said Pirness.

} forecasts

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 19, 2015

El Niño odds drop

Smoky grapes feared

The U.S. weather forecaster is now projecting a 50 to 60 per cent chance of El Niño conditions over the next two months, compared with the 65 per cent chance it predicted for the Northern Hemisphere winter a month earlier. The Climate Prediction Center said in its January report that the agency remained on El Niño watch, but said it expects a “weak event,” a slightly reduced forecast from its outlook last month. The lower outlook follows a report in early January from Australia’s weather bureau showing Pacific Ocean temperatures have eased from El Niño thresholds. — Reuters

Climate change has been fingered for lengthening the duration and severity of Australia’s bushfire season — and that’s now threatening the country’s wine industry in the southeast. Vineyards in the Adelaide Hills wine region have so far escaped the direct ravages of the worst bushfires in 30 years, but winemakers fear their grapes may have fallen victim to “smoke taint,” which results in wines that taste like an ashtray and can ruin an entire vintage. “It’s a nightmare of a problem,” said Mark Krstic, a specialist with the Australian Wine Research Institute. — Reuters

It wasn’t a typical year — but it was still an average one It averaged out in the end, but 2014 was frequently warmer or colder and the farther north you went, the drier it was

By Daniel Bezte

ow that we’ve settled into the new year, it’s time to take a look back at the previous year’s weather. There are a number of different ways we could do this, but I think the easiest is to summarize the year as a whole and then do a month-by-month review, hitting the high and low points for each month. For this year’s review I’ll be using data from Calgary and Edmonton. I know I added in Peace River as a third centre for Alberta, but unfortunately, Environment Canada does not have archived data for that site from last January to May. When all monthly numbers were added up for the two main centres, the average yearly temperatures at both Edmonton and Calgary were near to just slightly below average. Looking at precipitation for the year, Calgary saw slightly below-average amounts, while the Edmonton region saw well-below-average amounts. Last year started off with a very warm January. While areas east of Alberta were shivering through bone-chilling temperatures, most of Alberta was basking in relative warmth. Both regions saw mean monthly temperatures that were at least 4 C above average. Calgary only reported seven days where the high temperature didn’t make it above freezing, while Edmonton saw 15 days make it above the freezing mark. Interestingly, while overall the month was warm, Edmonton did report an overnight low on Dec. 5 of -38.3 C. After such a nice start to the year a lot of Albertans were likely thinking that maybe, just maybe, they would escape the cold weather, but Mother Nature thought differently. The next four months (February to April) saw Alberta fall under the same massive area of cold air affecting areas to the east. February was the coldest month, with mean monthly temperatures running about 7 C below average. Luckily, February was also a fairly dry month. Not so for March and April, where cold weather and near-average precipitation

This map shows the 2014 yearly temperature anomaly for the lower troposphere as calculated by The University of Alabama in Huntsville. According to its readings, calculated using satellite-based instruments that measure the temperature of the atmosphere from the surface up to an altitude of about eight kilometres above sea level, 2014 was the third-warmest year in the 36-year global satellite temperature record. Looking at the map you can easily see that the coldest part of the planet last year, compared to average, was over central and eastern North America.

amounts resulted in snow still being on the ground three weeks into April in Edmonton. Even Calgary reported snow on the ground as late as April 19! The cold weather continued into May, with both regions receiving measurable snow early in the month. It wasn’t until about May 20 that more summer-like conditions finally moved in. Precipitation during the month was a little below average around Edmonton, despite the heavy snow early in the month. Farther south around Calgary, precipitation was right around average. Unfortunately, the late-May warmth didn’t continue into June. While June wasn’t that cold it wasn’t overly warm either, at least compared to average. June’s mean monthly temperature at both Edmonton and Calgary was a good 1 C below average. Precipitation-wise, Edmonton continued to be on the dry side, while Calgary

was only slightly drier than average. July and August finally saw warmer-than-average conditions return to Alberta, with both regions reporting mean monthly temperatures that were 1 to 2 C above average. Significant rains fell in July around Edmonton and for one of the few times last year the city saw near-average amounts of precipitation. Calgary, on the other hand, had its driest month compared to average in July, when only 25 millimetres of rain fell. In August, the rainfall pattern reversed itself, with Calgary seeing near-average amounts and the Edmonton area having its driest month compared to average. September and October continued to be mild across Alberta, with mean monthly temperatures ranging from 1 to 3 C above average. Precipitation continued to be below average around Edmonton, while Calgary saw near-average amounts. What gets hidden in the monthly

data was the fact that while the month as a whole was mild, both Calgary and Edmonton saw an early cold snap in September that brought the first snow of the season from the 8th to the 10th. Calgary in particular was hard hit, with 28 centimetres of wet snow falling during this period. Less than a week after this event, daytime highs were once again making it into the low to mid-20s. November saw a return of the cold weather, which had many Albertans wondering if this winter was going to pick up where last winter left off. Temperatures across the province were a good 2 C to 3 C below average for the month. Snow came early and often during November, with all regions seeing above-average amounts. Both the Edmonton and Calgary regions reported snow on the ground and sticking around by Nov. 9. After a cold and snowy start to winter, the mild weather returned with a vengeance

in December. Daytime highs soared into the double digits in both Edmonton and Calgary by the 9th of the month, and highs continued to be a little above or below the freezing mark until a few days after Christmas. Snowpack in the Edmonton area went from an official depth of 28 centimetres at the beginning of the month, to only eight centimetres by Christmas. In Calgary, the snow cover had completely melted by the 11th of the month. All this snowmelt was helped along by little to no new snow falling during the month. Now the big question is, what’s going to win out this year? Cold or warm? You’ll have to wait until the next issue to find out what those predictions are! Daniel Bezte is a teacher by profession with a BA (Hon.) in geography, specializing in climatology, from the U of W. He operates a computerized weather station near Birds Hill Park. Contact him with your questions and comments at daniel@bezte.ca.

JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 19, 2015

Dumping milk in China

Brazil beefs up

Small dairy farmers in China are dumping milk and selling cows as demand from processors slows in a sharp turnaround from last year, when a scramble for supplies prompted a huge surge in milk powder imports. Slower growth in milk product consumption, higher yields from modern dairy farms and the excess stocks of imported powders have combined to reduce demand for fresh milk in what has been one of the world’s fastest-growing dairy markets. Small farmers in some provinces are pouring milk down drains or feeding it to pigs, according to local media reports. — Reuters

Brazil, the world’s top beef exporter, shipped 1.56 million tonnes of meat abroad in 2014. That’s up 3.3 per cent from a year ago and not far off the 2007 record of 1.62 million tonnes. But higher prices mean the value of those exports hit a record — $7.2 billion. Hong Kong is the top buyer of Brazilian beef, and it bought nine per cent more in 2014, or 400,000 tonnes, in 2014. Part of the beef Brazil exported to Hong Kong is thought to have been smuggled to China, which lifted an embargo on Brazilian beef in July. Russia is Brazil’s No. 2 beef customer. — Reuters

HEARTLAND Baling hay helps drought-hit Kenyan pastoralists cut losses Fewer must migrate with their herds in search of forage By Kagondu Njagi

alago alba, kenya / reuters

sually at this time of the year, Ibrahim Hassan would be preparing his livestock for a lengthy trek toward greener pastures along the River Tana, some 100 kilometres away from his village in Dertu, Northern Kenya. Like many here, Hassan knows his livestock will die if he does not move the herd ahead of the looming dry season, which hits between the months of January and March. But this year the 58-year-old has decided not to move. His reason is stacked in heaps of hay protected under a grass-thatched shed at his home in Alago Alba. “When the rains have fallen and there is pasture, I collect as much as I can and then store it in bales to prepare for the dry season,” explained the father of six. “This saves me the long and dangerous journey in search of pasture.” An old technology — cutting and baling hay — is making inroads as a form of climate change adaptation in Northern Kenya, where worsening droughts have increased the length and uncertainty of migrations to find pasture, and at times led to worsening conflict over scarce water and grass. The problems faced by livestockowning families in Northern Kenya is clear from a remote automated weather station at the Dertu Millenium Village centre, which shows that rainfall readings can remain at zero for many days during the dry season. The solar-powered unit also shows that wind speeds can be as

high as 40 kilometres per hour, and daytime temperatures increasingly high. The station operates as “a drought early-warning system,” explained Samuel Mbalu, a database manager at the station. Without such help, “herders lose their livestock to the drought while families flee their homes in search of food and water,” he said. The Dertu Millennium Village is one of a set of communities testing means of ending extreme poverty through sustainable development. The villages were established by organizations including the Earth Institute at Columbia University and the United Nations Development Program. For the decade or so he has worked at Dertu, Mbalu has repeatedly tried to convince the community in the area to reduce their herds of livestock to manageable levels when the dry season is about to set in. But few have been persuaded. “The herders believe that reducing the livestock is taking away (their) livelihood and prestige in society,” Mbalu said. “They would rather have their stocks die than sell.” However, a few, like Hassan, have taken up other of Mbalu’s ideas, including baling hay to get animals through the dry times.

Benefits of baling

Saving more animals in drought periods is having far-reaching effects in the community. At the Dertu Boarding Primary School, classrooms are full of children busy with lessons — a change from the times when boys would have been home assisting their families with

A Maasai man waits for his cattle to finish drinking water near the Rift Valley town of Suswa, about 70 km (43 miles) west of the capital Nairobi, March 2, 2013. Kenya will hold its presidential and parliamentary elections on March 4. Photo: REUTERS/Karel Prinsloo preparations for the migration in search of pasture, said Sofia Ali, the school’s head teacher. The girls, she says, at this time would have been married off to reduce the families’ burden of coping with drought. One of these would have been 13-year-old Halima Hassan, who is in class four. She is Ibrahim Hassan’s daughter. “I was tempted to marry her off but I am happy I did not. She is now getting an education thanks to a settled life,” said Halima’s father, as he rationed handfuls of hay to his healthy-looking herd of cattle at his home. Other changes are also underway. Nunow Rage, 35, said her husband’s decision to begin

reducing his herds and to cut hay rather than migrating has allowed her to invest in a clothing business at the Dertu shopping centre. “When my husband sells the livestock he gives me a share of the money to buy stock for the business,” said the mother of four. “When the drought is too much I use the savings to buy food for my family.” Nunow said a settled life has also helped cut child mortality in the area, in part because she and other mothers can take their children to the Dertu Health Centre if they face problems. And it is not only in Northern Kenya that hay baling is winning converts. At the Mwea irrigation scheme in Central Kenya, youth

groups are baling dry rice straw and selling it as livestock fodder, said David Bundi, chairman of the Kiratina Hay Product youth group. A bale of hay weighing about 14 kg can fetch as much as US$7 (Ksh. 700), and some of the group’s production has been transported as far as Northern Kenya, to feed livestock dying of drought there, he said. He hopes the government will begin supporting such innovations, both to provide youth jobs and to help the country deal with worsening drought. “We would like the government to give us tenders to supply hay to drought-struck regions as well as (to) public institutions that keep livestock,” Bundi said.

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CFIA losing its experts and pork producers could pay the price The president of Canadian Pork International says CFIA’s experts in trade support are retiring and not being replaced By Alex Binkley af contributor

Photo: Thinkstock

wave of retirements in Canadian Food Inspection Agency could hurt international pork sales in the future, says the president of Canadian Pork International. “A growing concern is the loss of expertise and the lack of resources allocated to meat exports at the CFIA,” Jacques Pomerleau told the Senate agriculture committee recently. “The expertise required is very specialized and cannot be easily replaced. The lack of

resources is already resulting in delays that have proven to be costly when dealing with pressing issues. This situation needs to be looked at very quickly as it has the potential to become another impediment to further expand our exports.” Pomerleau warned the senators, who are studying Canada’s international agricultural competitiveness, that the dwindling expertise isn’t just a pork or meat industry problem. “With the new CFIA structure, it will also have an impact on all the other exported food products and commodities,” he said.

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When asked for more details by Senator Fern Robichaud, Pomerleau linked the problem to the transfer of responsibility for CFIA to the minister of health from the minister of agriculture. CFIA’s traditional role of both monitoring food safety and helping the food industry increase exports is shifting to health issues.

Expertise lost

“In the past, there was a full division that took care of meat inspection and exports,” Pomerleau said. “Now, there is a single group that looks after imports and exports and, unfortunately, all the experts have retired, which means that there are very few people with this expertise, and that is the problem.” CFIA has not been training people to be able to replace the experience of the retirees, he said. “This is something that is learned within the agency. It is training that the government, itself, must give, because it cannot be learned anywhere else. There has to be a conscious effort to recruit and train, just to fill these positions.” The last 20 years have seen remarkable growth in pork production and exports, Pomerleau said. “With close to 20 per cent of the total world’s pork trade, Canada is the third-largest pork exporter behind the United States and the European Union. More than 60 per cent of the Canadian pork production is exported which makes our industry very dependent on exports.”

Exports now global

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Canada once shipped 75 per cent of its port exports to the U.S. Now that figure is 30 per cent. In 1991, Canada shipped 250,000 tonnes of pork, worth $600 million to 54 countries. Now it exports 1.1 million tonnes, worth $3.2 billion, to more than 100 countries. “The value of our exports could even reach $4 billion,” said Pomerleau. The growth would not have been possible without close working relationships with CFIA, the market access secretariat of Agriculture Canada and Trade Department, he added. “To maintain access to existing foreign markets and to access new ones, the Canadian pork industry has to completely rely on the Canadian government which has the exclusive mandate to negotiate not only bilateral and multilateral trade agreements but also the veterinary and sanitary agreements required to be able to export to any given market,” he said. World trade in meat and meat products are already highly regulated and many countries are bringing in new veterinary and sanitary import requirements, he said. “It is definitely expected that it will not get any easier, given that many countries will continue to implement new technical measures in an attempt to limit their imports.”

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 19, 2015

Successful calving starts with healthy cows Undernourished cows will hit you in the pocketbook this year and next By Meghan Mast staff

ow is the time to body condition score your spring calving herd. Separate the thin cows, from the aggressive larger cows, so you can give the little ones extra feed. And don’t wait too long. “The longer you wait to put condition back on cows, the more expensive it becomes,” said Dr. Wayne Tomlinson, an extension veterinarian with Manitoba’s Agriculture Department. Healthy calves start with cows that are well fed and strong. Mid-gestation is the ideal stage to put on weight as that’s nearly impossible during the last trimester of pregnancy or the early lactation stage. ‘Thin-cow syndrome,’ otherwise known as malnourishment, leads to a cascade of events including abortions, stillbirths, weak calves and reproductive inefficiencies. As the body condition score drops so does the production value. Cows with a score of two produce threequarters of the value of a healthy cow with a score of three. “If they get skinny now it’s going to affect the next two calf checks,” said Tomlinson. “Not just the one in 2015, it’s going to affect the 2016 calf crop as well. “There’s just no place for skinny cows in my books.” Malnourishment, is a preventable risk, he added. Administer pregnancy tests to your cows now, if you haven’t already, so you can sell the open cows and funnel resources towards the ones that are carrying calves. “It is difficult for an open cow to make up for a year of lost production,” he said, noting the average annual cash cost to carry a cow in 2014 was $366. “I look at how many years a cow will be productive,” said Tomlinson. “When she starts sliding that’s a sign she’s starting to show her age and that’s when you can start getting rid of her.” Pregnancy tests are also a good time to weigh the cows, treat lumps and parasites, and administer scour vaccines and vitamins. After culling the herd, focus on raising the body condition score on the remaining cows by 0.5. That means, for most cows, weighing an average of 1,350 pounds, gaining another 90 pounds over 60 days. To do so, Tomlinson recommends feeding five pounds of barley, six pounds of pellets, 21 pounds of barley silage or eight pounds of good alfalfa hay. Next, spend some time preparing your calving area and equipment. “This is a good time of year to do this,” said Tomlinson. “It makes things easier so if you do have to assist with calving, you’re ready.” Be prepared is the golden rule as between 50 and 60 per cent of calf deaths occur within the first 24 hours after birth. So Tomlinson also recommends having colostrum on hand (natural colostrum if possible), having a place where you could warm a cold calf, house a scouring calf, or perform a C-section.

Photo: Thinkstock

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JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Researchers say shooting wolves can increase predation The theory is that killing wolves upsets the social order, leading to more breeding pairs and more cattle predation Staff he best way to control wolf populations and minimize livestock predation may be to stop shooting, trapping and poisoning them, Washington State University researchers say. A review of 25 years of data from lethal control programs from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services found that shooting and trapping the carnivores leads to more dead sheep and cattle in subsequent years, rather than less. Writing in the journal PLOS ONE, wildlife biologist Rob Wielgus and data analyst Kaylie Peebles say that, for each wolf killed, the odds of more livestock depredations increase significantly. The trend continues until 25 per cent of the wolves in an area are killed, a rate of removal that is unsustainable for maintaining the species. Researchers found that killing one wolf increases the odds of depredations four per cent for sheep and five to six per cent for cattle the following year. If 20 wolves are killed, livestock deaths double. The researchers had previously found lethal controls of cougars also backfire, disrupting their populations so much that younger, less disciplined cougars attack more livestock.

Wielgus did not expect to see the same result with wolves. “I had no idea what the results were going to be, positive or negative,” he said. “I said, ‘Let’s take a look at it and see what happened.’ I was surprised that there was a big effect.” Wielgus said the wolf killings likely disrupt the social cohesion of the pack. While an intact breeding pair will keep young offspring from mating, disruption can set sexually mature wolves free to breed, leading to an increase in breeding pairs. As they have pups, they become bound to one place and can’t hunt deer and elk as freely. Occasionally, they turn to livestock. Wielgus said wolves generally account for between 0.1 per cent and 0.6 per cent of all livestock deaths — a minor threat compared to other predators, disease, accidents and the dangers of calving. He encourages more non-lethal interventions like guard dogs, “range riders” on horseback, flags, spotlights and “risk maps” that discourage grazing animals in hard-to-protect, wolf-rich areas. “The only way you’re going to completely eliminate livestock depredations is to get rid of all the wolves,” Wielgus said, “and society has told us that that’s not going to happen.”

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 19, 2015

Ryder Lee heads animal care council By Alex Binkley af contributor

Ryder Lee, the new chairman of the National Farm Animal Care Council, plans to stay on the same course as his predecessor charted for the organization. The NFACC will focus on completing and updating livestock codes of practice and developing an improved humane transportation code, said Lee, the Ottawa-based manager of federal-provincial relations with the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. The council, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2015, has always been about bringing together farm, humane society and food industry representatives to set the standards for the proper care of farm animals, and then leaving it to the livestock groups to ensure farmers implement and follow the codes of practice, Lee said. “We’re not a lobby group — we’re a forum for conversations on raising livestock.” Lee has been an NFACC director since 2010 and replaces Edouard Asnong, chair of Canada Pork International, who had chaired the animal care council since 2006. Lee says it’s the job of the industry groups such as CCA and CPC to talk with the public about the measures being undertaken to ensure animal welfare and respond to the occasional, but always shocking revelations of animal abuse on a farm. The incidents at the Chilliwack dairy operation and the Red Deer hog barn “shines the light on what we’re trying to do,” said Lee. It’s not just animal rights activists that are monitoring the industry; the retail sector is paying more attention to livestock production, he added. Lee says the council doesn’t have the finances or the mandate to become publicly engaged in the debate over the treatment of farm animals. It needs to grow its membership and ensure it has the funding in place to upgrading the codes. “Producers get a lot of benefit from our work and it gains the industry political support and funding.” The attention in the news media to a recent $6,000 fine levied on a trucker for leaving hogs in a trailer in sweltering heat underscores the council’s plans for a better humane transport code. Lee says the existing code must be updated or something more meaningful has to be adopted that would include the collection points where the animals are brought for shipment. He quickly points out that 99.9 per cent of livestock shipments reach their destination in good condition. Lee’s upbringing on an Alberta cattle farm shows through when he talks about animals. “People are in the livestock business because they like animals. When they hear the reports about animal abuse, it makes them angrier than anyone else because it is unacceptable. It’s about animal care and that’s what they do.”

Will you have enough water when you need it? Growing Forward 2 funding is available for new water sources such as wells and dugouts Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development release

inter is a good time to review your water resources and identify any risks, says a provincial water engineer. “It’s the perfect season to spend some time working on your long-term water management plan,” said Melissa OrrLangner. The goal of the plan is to ensure a farm has adequate and sustainable water sources to meet its present and future water supply and water quality needs, she said. “All plans should address the security of a supply dur-

ing drought periods, as well as ways to protect the supply from contamination or improve water quality,” said Orr-Langner. A plan should cover both owned and regularly rented acres that allow access to water. More remote quarters or parcels of land can be left out if they do not have a water shortage and the water cannot be considered a water asset that can be shared with the rest of the farm, she added. The key parts of a longterm water management plan are: • A map identifying all the water sources on a farm including those not currently in use;

• A n estimation of the total amount of water the operation needs in a year; • An estimation of the amount of water the operation has or is capable of producing; • A calculation of whether there is a surplus or shortfall in water sources; • A n assessment of any risks that might impact sources; • I d e n t i f y i n g a c t i o n s t o address any risks. “Some of the examples of risks you might identify might be inadequately sized or poorly placed dugouts, or old wells that might pose a contamination threat of the groundwater source,” said Orr-Langner. “You should also identify any sources that are susceptible to

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drought or any contamination risks that are on the farm.” Action plans might include expanding undersized dugouts; creating new dugouts or wells, or adding pipelines. “There is funding available under Growing Forward 2 for new water sources such as wells and dugouts, as well as for decommissioning of old wells or well pits,” said Orr-Langner. “In order to be eligible for this funding, you’ll need a long-term water management plan and have it reviewed and approved by an ARD water specialist prior to the project being started.” For more information, go to www.agriculture.alberta.ca and type ‘on-farm water management’ in the search box.

JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

It was a ‘bull of all bulls’ kind of year

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ast year may be remembered as the “bull of all bulls” when it comes to reflecting on good years in the cattle industry, according to one market watcher. “It was an amazing 2014,” said Anne Wasko, an industry market analyst with Gateway Trading in Taber. “We had record highs that we weren’t even randomly thinking about at this time last year.” A shortage of cattle in North America, largely caused by selloffs following the U.S. droughts of 2011 and 2012, sent beef prices soaring, and the falling loonie further boosted prices for Canadian producers. However, prices softened prior to Christmas, as producers hurried to

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get their animals to market prior to the end of the calendar year. The price for 400- to 500-pound steers fell from $290 to $337 (per hundredweight) at one Manitoba auction mart in late November to $260 to $323 (per hundredweight). Although tight volumes may have exaggerated the differences in prices, there’s no doubt values have stepped off the record highs they saw in the fall, said Rick Wright of Heartland Order Buying Co. “Oil futures have a lot of effect on the global economy. That’s had one of the major effects in pushing the cattle futures down,” said Wright. Higher grain prices have also put a damper on the feeder cattle market. “They (grain prices) seem to be finding some strength as of late which is a key factor in what’s going on with feeder cattle prices too,” Wasko noted.

U.S. OK’s imports of Irish beef, first EU shipments in 17 years Imports were initially banned because of mad cow disease

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reland has become the first European Union country allowed to export beef to the United States, 17 years after Washington banned EU imports over mad cow disease. This follows a successful inspection by U.S. authorities of Ireland’s beef production system completed in July. “This isn’t just a new market, it’s the highest-value market in the world now. I’d be very disappointed if we weren’t selling somewhere between 50 million and 100 million euros’ worth of beef into the U.S. this year,” said Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney. The U.S., the world’s top buyer of beef, banned imports from the EU in 1998 following a BSE epidemic that spread from Britain to mainland Europe. The latest U.S. decision clears the way for Irish authorities to approve

individual beef plants to export to the United States, the Irish government said. It did not give a date for when beef exports might resume, but said it would step up work with Irish beef plants so the trade could start as soon as possible. A report on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s audit of Ireland’s beef slaughter inspection system concluded that Ireland had “consistently and effectively implemented a beef slaughter inspection system that satisfies all criteria for equivalence with the United States system.” The EU’s executive commission urged Washington to act quickly to extend the approval to the rest of the 28-nation bloc. “This announcement sends an important and positive signal to the other EU member states who have requested the U.S. to re-establish access to the U.S. beef market,” it said in a statement.

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airy futures could help British farmers cope with volatile milk prices, said U.K. Farming and Environment Minister Elizabeth Truss, adding the government was supporting a feasibility study conducted by the National Farmers Union. “Futures could have strong potential to bring added security to farmers,” Truss said at the annual Oxford Farming Conference. She noted that milk prices received by farmers in Britain have fallen sharply from around 33.8 pence ($1) per litre at the start of

last year to the low 20s in some cases now. The fall in prices has been driven by increased global production, reduced demand from China, and a European supply glut resulting from Russian dairy import bans. European exchanges operator Euronext has said it will launch a range of European dairy futures and options later this year which could help British farmers hedge their risk. Germany’s Eurex exchange quotes butter, skimmed milk powder and whey powder derivatives, but traded volumes are thin. — Reuters

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 19, 2015

Lessons from the front line of the rural stress line Doug Grossart, who lost a loved one to mental illness, now helps other people cope with their internal struggles

ome people are recruited into politics, while others are recruited into the police force. Doug Grossart was sought out for an equally important, albeit unpaid, public service as volunteer for the Manitoba Farm and Rural Stress line. “We did kind of chase him around for a while before he agreed to do it,” laughs Kim Moffat, one of the counsellors. She first saw Grossart when he presented at a conference and spoke about the difficulties of losing a loved one to mental illness. “I was just so impressed by how honest and authentic and real and brave he was to be talking about this in such a public way. I thought that’s the kind of person we need working on these lines.” Grossart lost his son in 1990 to suicide, and said his personal experience has strengthened his empathy and helps him better understand the struggles other people go through. “I guess it’s made me more accepting that what you think is normal may not be normal for a lot of people,” he said. Grossart is one of several volunteers working for the stress line, a program of Winnipegbased Klinic Community Health Centre. Klinic, along with the Winnipeg Suicide Prevention Committee and Winnipeg-based Tactica Interactive recently launched an app, called The Calm in the Storm, available this month for free through iTunes and the Google Play store. The idea was born during the 2011 flood when rural Manitobans and farmers were experiencing higher-than-average stress. Initially the organizations put together a small booklet about resources and coping skills. When the 2014 flood hit, staff decided to build an app that was free and easily accessible. “There are a number of healthbased mental health support apps out there, but this is the first one we’re aware of that ties in the idea of stress and suicide prevention,” said Janet Smith, program manager for the Manitoba Farm and Rural Support Services. The app has users rate their stress level, and then depending on the rating, suggests steps for managing that stress. Those with medium ratings may be

Doug Grossart said he has learned a lot about empathy through SEC-REDW14-T_AFE.qxd 10/15/14 12:46 AM Page 1 his work at the Manitoba Farm and Rural Stress line. photos: MegHAN mast

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directed towards guided meditation or breathing exercises, while people experiencing high levels of stress may be directed to call 911 or the local crisis line. Research on suicide doesn’t often survey rural populations, but there is reason to believe it occurs more often in remote areas. Farmers often face unexpected challenges — such as inclement weather, crop loss, or biosecurity issues. “In rural areas as a whole there’s less access to services and less anonymity,” said Smith. “So it can be a barrier to people getting the help they might need.” The app, along with the helpline, provides a safe space for people to call in and speak with someone disconnected from their community. Grossart said he has learned a lot since starting at the crisis line. Not much surprises him anymore, and he has learned the importance of asking difficult, but crucial, questions. He has found asking someone whether or not they are suicidal can be a relief to them. Sometimes he is the first person they admit this to. “It’s a matter of providing some hope,” he said. “A lot of people for whatever reason might have been made to feel like they didn’t count. We try and tell people they’re a worthwhile person.” Some calls hit closer to home than others. One that particularly stands out to Grossart was when a father phoned in because he was worried his son was suicidal. Though he is sensitive to the fact that everyone’s experience is his or her own, Grossart felt that he could really understand what that father was going through. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association mental illness indirectly affects all Canadians at some point through a friend, colleague or family member. Twenty per cent of Canadians will personally experience a mental illness in their lifetime. And yet the stigma remains, because people are often afraid to admit their invisible struggles. At his son Bill’s funeral, Grossart said, the funeral director told him that his family was the only one to acknowledge the death was a suicide. “I think we got off on the right foot by doing that,” he said. “None of us can go back to yesterday. You do what you can and you hope for the best.”

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JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

‘Nazi’ cattle prove too hard to handle Breed was an attempt to recreate cattle’s wild ancestors Staff

British farmer has culled his herd of “Nazi” cattle from 20 to six because the animals were considered too dangerous to handle. According to a story in The Guardian, in 2009, Derek Gow imported 13 Heck cattle to his Devon farm for study and as subjects for photography. Wikipedia says Heck cattle originated in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s in an attempt to breed back domestic cattle to aurochs or wild ox (Bos primigenius primigenius), their ancestral wild form. Two brothers, Heinz and Lutz Heck, independently used a different selection of cattle breeds including Spanish fighting bulls. Their efforts reportedly captured the attention of some Nazi

leaders who dreamed of allowing the animals to roam free so they could once again be hunted. However, Gow’s beasts became too difficult to handle. “The ones we had to get rid of would just attack you any chance they could. They would try to kill anyone. Dealing with that was not a lot of fun at all. I have worked with a range of different animals from bison to deer and I have never come across anything like these. They are by far and away the most aggressive animals I have ever worked with,” Gow told The Guardian. “We made sure no one went near them so there were never any incidents. To get them into the trailer to get them off the farm we used a young and very athletic young man to stand on the ramp and they charged at him before he quickly jumped out of the way.”

Heck cattle were named after two German brothers who bred them in the 1920s and 1930s. Photo: Altaileopard/Creative Commons

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Albertafarmexpress.ca • january 19, 2015

Study finds buffers around feedlots may be too narrow Researchers, who looked for E. coli contamination in leafy greens grown downwind, said the risk is high even 180 metres away Staff

he current U.S. recommended buffer zone between cattle feedlots and vegetables may be too narrow, say scientists writing in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology. “The high percentages of leafy greens contaminated with E. coli suggest great risk for planting fresh produce 180 metres (590 feet) or less from a feedlot,” the investigators write. That suggests that current buffer zone guidelines of 120 metres (400 feet) from a feedlot may be inadequate.

A news release on the study says investigators sampled leafy greens growing in nine plots; three each at 60, 120, and 180 metres downwind from a cattle feedlot over a two-year period. The rate of contamination with the pathogenic E. coli 0157:H7 bacteria declined with distance from an average of 3.5 per cent of samples per plot at 60 metres to 1.8 per cent at 180 metres. This is the first comprehensive and long-term study of its kind, says first author Elaine D. Berry, of the USDA’s Meat Animal Research Center. A variety of conditions can affect

the level of contamination, says Berry. For example, following a period of high cattle-management activity when the feedlot was dry and dusty, including removal of around 300 head of cattle for shipping, the rate of total nonpathogenic E. coli-contaminated samples per plot at 180 metres shot up to 92.2 per cent. Conversely, total E. coli-positive leafy green samples were notably lower on one August sample date than on any other date, a finding the investigators attribute to cleaning and removal of feedlot surface manure from the nearby pens a few weeks earlier.

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JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

U.K. farmers fear loss of subsidies from an EU pullout British farmers are expected to receive $36 billion in supports in the current six-year program period

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referendum on European Union membership is the biggest threat facing British farming, according to the cabinet secretary responsible for agriculture in Scotland’s parliament. “Westminster’s in-out referendum on the EU is a 20-billionpound gamble with the future of Scottish and British farming,” Richard Lochhead said at the annual Oxford Farming Conference. Britain’s Conservative party, the leading partner in the current ruling coalition, has said it will renegotiate the terms of EU membership if it wins a general election to be held in May and then hold an in-out referendum before the end of 2017. “The stakes are high, especially for Scottish farmers and crofters for whom CAP (the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy) support is a vital lifeline,” Lochhead of the Scottish National Party said. He estimated direct EU support for British farmers was worth 20 billion pounds ($36 billion) during the current CAP period (2014-20). “It is more difficult to make a living from the land in Scotland — of which 85 per cent is classified Less Favoured Area — and we have a predominance of livestock sectors which often face the biggest challenges in terms of profitability.” George Eustice, Britain’s junior farming minister, said it was important to have a renegotiation and referendum. “Those who say you shouldn’t have a referendum because people might want to leave have got to have a little bit more confidence in our democracy,” Eustice, a Conservative, said. “I think the right thing to do is carry out a renegotiation, get them to return some powers, go to the country, get a mandate and settle this debate once and for all.”

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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 19, 2015

Herders with machine guns intensify South Sudan land, food woes Disease and strife are spreading as cattle herds migrate farther afield in search of feeding grounds By Chris Arsenault rome / reuters

ensions are rising in South Sudan as displaced pastoralists migrate onto lands occupied by farming communities, stoking a new series of conflicts in the wartorn nation and threatening food supplies. Due to changes in migration patterns because of violence, the world’s youngest country is seeing increased strife in once reasonably peaceful areas, said Sue Lautze, a representative of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in South Sudan. Fighting erupted in South Sudan in December 2013, two years after it declared independence from Sudan. The UN says the civil war has killed more than 10,000 people, caused more than a million to flee, and driven the country of 11 million towards famine. “We are seeing pastoralists moving into farming areas with automatic weapons,” Lautze said in a phone interview from Juba, the capital. “We can feel the pressure mounting.” The UN could not provide numbers on how many have died in recent violence, as much of the fighting is happening in hard-to-access areas.

The increased movement of livestock has led to diseases including east coast fever, foot-and-mouth disease, and trypanosomiasis spreading to previously uninfected areas, hurting the cattle industry, a key source of sustenance for much of the population. The spread of diseases due to unusual livestock migrations because of conflict and environmental pressure represents a “silent emergency,” Lautze said. In some areas such as Renk County, in the northeast Upper Nile region, agricultural planting has dropped by up to 40 per cent due to insecurity, the FAO said, driving up prices for basic crops by as much as 400 per cent. The UN said it had begun delivering food aid to South Sudan via the Nile River for the first time since it became independent from northern neighbour Sudan in 2011 after a civil war, warning the country could face a “hunger catastrophe.” Aid groups have had difficulty reaching many areas because of the fighting and the lack of tarmac roads in South Sudan which become impassable during rainy seasons. Following independence, a political battle erupted in 2013 between supporters of President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar and peace

An armed cattle keeper fires bullets in the air to intimidate raiders as they prepare to lead their herds of cattle home after grazing at a camp outside the capital Juba Oct. 18. Photo: REUTERS/Jok Solomon talks have shown little sign of progress. Lautze said the government’s security forces are preoccupied by the political T:10.25” showdown

between supporters of Machar and Kiir so troops are not keeping the peace in rural communities. “Conflicts between pastoral-

ists and farmers, and between different pastoralist groups, are usually constrained by the security forces,” Lautze said. “We expect the conflict to intensify.”

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JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Why a small North Dakota town is taking on Big Rail By Ernest Scheyder enderlin, n.d. / reuters

fter her shift at the TraXside Cafe in the southeast North Dakota hamlet of Enderlin, all Karla Souer wants to do is go home. Unfortunately for the 38-year-old waitress the commute, which should only last a minute or two, can take half an hour. That’s because, chances are, there’s a CP Rail train blocking the tracks somewhere on her route. She has a lot of company. Partly thanks to North Dakota’s energy boom, 28 of the railroad’s trains now traverse the city every day. Each carry hundreds of tank cars filled with oil or grain. Some idle as long as four hours, inconveniencing motorists, stranding pedestrians and posing logistical challenges for ambulances and firefighters. Desperate for a solution, Enderlin’s city councillors last month banned train breaks longer than 10 minutes. The railroad has, in turn, sued the city of nearly 900 in Federal Court. Canadian Pacific contends the order violates interstate commerce laws. The railroad’s lawyers also asked a judge to grant a temporary injunction. The verdict in the trial, which hasn’t been scheduled, may have national implications. While courts have historically supported unfettered interstate commerce, an Enderlin victory could embolden other communities to impose restrictions. That would snarl transcontinental rail traffic, Canadian Pacific’s lawyers said, and could

A two-mile Canadian Pacific train loaded with oil tank cars idles on a track in Enderlin, North Dakota, November 14, 2014. A new city resolution forbids idling, which cuts the town in half, longer than 10 minutes, prompting a federal lawsuit from the railroad. Photo: REUTERS/Ernest Scheyder stifle the oil industry in states like North Dakota. “This case has a huge reach,” said Bob Pottroff, a Manhattan, Kansas, attorney special-

izing in interstate commerce and rail safety litigation. “Right now cities don’t have the right to tell a railroad it can’t park in the middle of their town.”

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A divided city

The stakes are particularly high for North Dakota. More than 60 per cent of the 1.1 million barrels of oil produced each day in the state is transported via rail, far higher than the national average. Pipeline capacity isn’t adequate to handle the production, so Canadian Pacific, Berkshire Hathaway’s BNSF and other railways are relied upon to ship oil to the U.S. Gulf Coast, as well as the east and west coasts. Enderlin, which was founded by railroad executives in 1881, is key to transporting much of that oil. As a rail yard and regional hub for 140 Canadian Pacific employees, the city is a place where engineers and conductors swap out after their shifts; test air breaks — a federally required step — and grab a bite from Souer at the café. But Enderlin’s three major crossings are cut off when a changeover happens, dividing the city. “It used to be just a few minutes,” said Myrene Peterson, president of the Enderlin Historical Society. “Now it takes hours.” An overpass three miles outside town does offer some relief. But each idled train means it takes much longer — as much as 13 minutes — for the city’s firemen to reach some parts of Enderlin, including the Archer Daniels Midland plant, which employs as many as 250 people. “If you’re a first responder in Enderlin and worried about getting across the track to help someone with a heart attack, it’s not too much to ask that folks have access,” said Democratic senator, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota. Enderlin’s mayor, Deon Maasjo, and Canadian Pacific declined to comment, as did attorneys for both sides, all citing the ongoing litigation. Just after the suit was filed last

month, though, Maasjo told the Grand Forks Herald the problem of train delays “just seems to be getting worse.”

Jail time?

The line through Enderlin is a key part of Canadian Pacific’s already-packed transcontinental line. Complying with the Enderlin ordinance would cost at least $1,750 for each violating train — and curb the flow of oil as well as grain and other commodities, the company said in filings with the U.S. District Court for North Dakota.

“Clearly, if the train crews are in jail, they cannot operate the trains.” CP Rail court filing

Canadian Pacific ridiculed part of Enderlin’s ordinance that imposes criminal penalties — including an automatic twoday jail sentence — on conductors who idle trains. “Clearly,” the company said in filings, “if the train crews are in jail, they cannot operate the trains.” So far, no arrests have been made, the county sheriff’s office said. Fighting back, Enderlin said in its own court filings that human safety should trump any financial harm to the company. It’s not clear how much Enderlin is spending to defend itself, and city officials did not have data readily available. But Canadian Pacific has asked for the city to pay the railroad’s legal fees should it prevail.

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 19, 2015

Manure recycled into soft, odourless bedding for dairy cows Producers can save time and money by not having to bale or buy, then transport straw By Shannon VanRaes staff

enry Holtmann reaches into a large pile of what looks like a cross between wood shavings and down feathers, then lets the soft fibres slip through his hands. “When you grab it in your hand, it’s like a brown fluff — that’s the best way to describe it; it’s not like sand and it’s not like straw,” said the dairy farmer, co-owner of Rosser Holsteins just outside Winnipeg. “It’s almost like a wet shavings sort of feel to it, and when you squeeze it in your hand, it doesn’t stick, it falls out, even though it’s at 30 per cent moisture, so it’s very soft.” Only 30 hours earlier, this highquality bedding for dairy cows was something not so nice to touch — manure. The farm is the first in the province to install and operate what is called a bedding recovery unit. “It’s not a cheap venture to get into, but for us, the benefits have a lot of merit, especially with the animal care side of things coming down,” said Holtmann, adding the fluffy bedding has done an excellent job of keeping animals both comfortable and clean. It also means that he isn’t buying or baling straw to bring into his barns, although some straw is still used for calves and calving. Provincial nutrient management specialist Clay Sawka is working with Rosser Holsteins to study the system’s impact on nutrients and bacteria. “If we can remove some of that phosphorus that’s in the solid portion of the manure and reallocate that around the farm, that helps,” said Sawka. “You still have the nitrogen-rich liquid material, so your crops are still getting the good nitrogen fertilizer. “As well, you’re not bringing in as much straw, so you don’t have to import nutrients onto the farm — or spend that time and effort baling. Straw does a good job in the field, so if you leave it in the field that’s great.” The bedding recovery unit works by separating manure solids from liquids using a screw press; the solids are then put into a rotating drum that allows the material to heat to around 70 C. Liquids go off to traditional manure storage to be land applied, while the fibrous solids emerge with all the harmful bacteria killed off. Ongoing research at the farm is aimed at answering remaining questions about the process, particularly what bacteria remains after the heating process and how does the process affect nutrient loads. “But the biggest question that dairymen have, is, is it safe for my cows?… and all the studies we’ve seen, and the producers we’ve met who are using it, say it is,” said Holtmann. “But we need to see how it works in our cold climate conditions and so forth.” “The next thing I’m particularly interested in is to see how much nutrients are actually being removed from that liquid stream,” Sawka said. There are also economic aspects that bear further investigations. Depending on a farm’s existing

Cows exhale while waiting to be milked. Photos: Shannon VanRaes

Henry Holtmann holds a bedding product made from manure. infrastructure, installing a bedding recovery system can cost between $500,000 and $700,000, said Sawka. How that compares to cost offsets, sustainability and time saved needs further examination. Holtmann said he would also like to investigate the possibility of marketing surplus bedding material. “We’re really interested in solving that question, because right now we do produce about 25 per cent more than we require, and right now we’re just putting it on our land, but maybe there is an opportunity there for other farms

Henry Holtmann stands in a barn where bedding recovered from manure is used.

Bedding is extruded. to use it as premium bedding material,” he said. Currently, bedding recovery units are quite common in parts of the United States. But they have been slow to catch on in Canada. “It’s looking to do a pretty good job, production numbers are actually going up in the barn, so they’re producing more milk on average, for sure not less and it’s doing a good job on cow comfort,” Sawka said. “So from that perspective (it) does seem to be living up to expectations.” shannon.vanraes@fbcpublishing.com

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JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Community news and events from across the province

Stewardship is also good business on Bar S Ranch

what’s

Send agriculture-related meeting and event announcements to: glenn.cheater@fbcpublishing.com Jan. 20: Cow-Calfenomics, Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites, Grande Prairie (also Jan. 21 in Barrhead, and Jan. 22 in Vermilion). Contact: Ag-Info Centre 1-800-387-6030 Jan. 20-21: Agronomy Update 2015, Lethbridge Lodge Hotel, Lethbridge. Contact: Ag-Info Centre 1-800-387-6030 Jan. 22: Tiffin Conference 2015, Lethbridge Lodge, Lethbridge. Contact: Leslie Warren 403-845-5694 Jan. 23-24: Canadian Bull Congress, Camrose Regional Exhibition, Camrose. Contact: Jennifer Filip 780-672-3640 Jan. 26: Looking Beyond Conventional Models, Evansburg. Contact: West-Central Forage Association 780-727-4447 Jan. 27: On-Farm Retail Tour: WOW (Workshop on Wheels), bus tour starts and ends in Leduc (stops at Gone Green Farms/ Westerose; Brown Eggs and Lamb/Lacombe; and Billyco Junction Gardens/Lacombe). Contact: Delores Serafin 780-427-4611 Jan. 27: Antimicrobial Stewarship & Pain Mitigation in Livestock: Current Developments Conference, Pomeroy Inn & Suites, Olds. Contact: Heather Matheson-Bird 403-554-7542 Jan. 27-29: FarmTech 2015, EXPO Centre at Northlands, Edmonton. Contact: 1-844-232-3584 Jan. 28: Starting from Scratch, 2320 Hwy. 16, Yellowhead County, Manly Hall. Contact: Tina 780-727-4447 Jan. 31: Winter Watering Systems Tour, bus tour starts at Savanna School, Silver Valley. Contact: Stacy 780 772-0277 Feb 5: Current & Connected conference, Black Knight Inn, Red Deer. Contact: Liz Robertson 306-466-2294 Feb. 9: Getting into Restaurants workshop, Agri-Food Business Centre, Leduc. Contact: Eileen Kotowich 780-853-8223 Feb. 10: HedgingEdge Commodity Marketing Course, Executive Royal Inn, Nisku. Contact: Rick Taillieu 780-780-6167

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By Alexis Kienlen af staff

ood stewardship is also good for the bottom line, says this year’s winner of Alberta Beef Producers’ environmental stewardship award. “Environmental benefits go hand in hand with sustainable management principles,” said Clay Chattaway of Bar S Ranch, located in the Chain Lakes area near Nanton. “If you’re using good management practices, the environment benefits because you’re sequestering more carbon and increasing the organic content of your soil through the use of prudent, sustainable practices.” Working on horseback along with rotational and winter grazing are mainstays at Bar S. Clay, wife Avril, and sons Scott, Chris, Morgan and their families now jointly run the operation and adhere to many of the same ranching practices employed by Chattaway’s grandfather, who founded the ranch in 1919. Keeping costs low is always a priority, said Chattaway. “That’s the only weapon we have in the cattle business — the only thing we can control is our costs,” he said. “You try and control your costs and increase your unit production. “We’re not big into machinery. Although we do have tractors, we don’t want to have a lot of iron laying around.”

Working on horseback is a mainstay at Bar S Ranch, this year’s winner of Alberta Beef Producers’ environmental stewardship award. Photo supplied. The ranch has a 1,000-foot variation in elevation and the Chattaways use horses to move cattle in accordance with their highly planned grazing system, which utilizes higher ground in summer and lower-elevation land in winter. They are also shareholders in the Waldron Grazing Co-operative and the Spruce Grazing Co-operative. “We have a rough idea of what the production would be on a paddock or an acre in a normal year,” said Chattaway. “We work backwards from that with the

number of cattle we have and try to organize it so that the rest periods between grazes are 70 or more days. That’s kind of a ballpark that we use.” The ranch has between 35 to 40 springs, many of which have been put into gravity-flow, year-round water troughs to produce better water. Dams and dugouts aid in dispersing the grazing. Scott and Morgan are the dayto-day managers of the ranch, with big decisions managed by committee. “No one in particular makes all

the major decisions,” said Chattaway. “It’s a collaborative effort between my sons and I, but they’re more on the front lines now than I am. And of course, we’ve all got pretty good women.” The Environmental Stewardship award nominees are nominated by their peers. Three ranches were nominated for the 2015 awards, with the Chattaways chosen by members of an Alberta Beef Producers’ committee who interview and visit the nominees. akienlen@fbcpublishing.com

Enchant couple honoured by Outstanding Young Farmers program

OFY release

nchant seed growers Marian and Richard Stamp were recently awarded the W.R. Motherwell award by Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers. The award recognizes outstanding service to an individual or couple dedicated to Canada’s OYF program. The Stamps were regional OYF winners in 1998 and since then have been dedicated supporters of the program. “Rick and Marian have been the backbone of the Alberta OYF program for more than 10 years, sharing their time, expertise and passion for agriculture to strengthen the entire OYF program,” says Luanne Lynn, the program’s vice-president (west). Rick began farming in 1978 after buying two quarter sections of land with the help of a beginning farmer’s loan and the sale of his hot rod. Within a few years, he and Marian were married and achieved “select seed grower” status.

The Stamp clan (from left to right): Richard, Marian, Christine and son Bennett, Nathan, Dynae, Matthew, Aimee, Sarah and son Paul, and Greg. In front are Abigail, Hannah, and Julia. Photo: Supplied Marian spent much of her efforts at the regional level of OYF, including serving as hosting committee chair, on sponsor-

ship committee, secretary, board adviser, and local co-ordinator when the national event was held in Alberta in 2008. She and

Rick were co-chairs for the OYF Alberta/NWT region for two years, and Rick served eight years on the national board.

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 19, 2015

Tips on dealing with excessive snow load Can your farm buildings withstand the weight of snow and ice? The Co-operators release

he effects of heavy snow and ice on your farm building’s roof can pose serious risks to the structure, as well as threaten personal safety. The Co-operators is offering these property maintenance and safety tips for your consideration during times of heavy snowfall in your area. Snow load is the downward force on a building’s roof by the weight of accumulated snow and ice. The roof or the entire structure can fail if the snow load exceeds the maximum weight the building was designed to shoulder; leading to a loss of the structure, any livestock and machinery within it, as well as valuable income while the damage is repaired. Remember, it doesn’t take a blizzard to cause problems; an imbalance of drifting snow on

one part of the roof can cause it to fail, triggering a domino effect that affects the rest of the structure.

Signs of excessive snow load

Since the weight of snow and ice can vary from five to 58 lbs. per square foot, here are signs that a structure failure may be imminent: • Audible creaking; • Visible bowing of rafters; • Small gaps appearing between ceiling panels; • D istortion of ceiling coverings. Metal structures don’t always exhibit signs of stress before failure, so using the following tips will help prevent damage from excessive snow load.

Preventing structure failure

We strongly recommend hiring

a qualified snow-removal contractor; however, if you attempt to do this yourself, please use these safety tips: • Use caution if standing on the roof; • Make sure to wear a safety harness; • Use securing ladders; • Use a snow rake; • A void chipping or picking away at ice, to prevent damage to the roof covering; • Remove the snow in narrow strips from side to side, in an attempt to balance the stress on the roof.

Contact your adviser

Not all structures qualify for coverage for collapse due to the weight of ice or snow. If you have any questions or concerns, or to check if your structure qualifies for coverage, please contact your adviser.

Photo: Supplied

New hotline for reporting rats Province says even calls left after hours or on weekends will be responded to within 24 hours AARD release

Albertans now have a new way to report rat sightings. “Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development has a new easily remembered phone number, 310-RATS (7287), for all Albertans to report possible rat sightings,” said rat inspector Bruce Hamblin. “It’s not a replacement for the current system of reporting rats, but it is an addition to it.” Currently, municipalities are responsible for rat control in their jurisdictions, and have phone numbers available to contact bylaw officers, agriculture field men, or pest control companies. “310-RATS is an extension to this network for someone who thinks they saw a rat and isn’t sure who to call,” said Hamblin. Calls to 310-RATS will be answered immediately during normal business hours. Messages left after hours or on weekends will be responded to as quickly as possible, within 24 hours at the most. The new number is in response to some of the time delays people were getting when trying to report possible sightings said Hamblin. “We talked to people who couldn’t find an easy number to call,” he said. “Sometimes calls were going to fish and wildlife officers and some of the other agencies before finally being directed to AARD, which is the agency for rat control. The new 310-RATS phone line is just a more efficient tool to help ensure Alberta remains rat free.” More information on Alberta’s rat control program is available at www.agriculture. alberta.ca

Increase your yields by using Authority and removing weeds early Kochia and cleavers were put to rest by a group 14 mode of action with extended residual weed control. Lamb’s quarters, redroot pigweed, wild buckwheat and others met the same fate. Authority is registered in peas, flax, soybeans, chickpeas and sunflowers. www.fmccrop.ca

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JANUARY 2015

10th Annual Family Day Sale

February 16, 2015 SELLING: 150 RED & BLACK ANGUS TWO YEAR OLD BULLS. STRONG SET OF 150 COMMERCIAL BLACK ANGUS BRED HEIFERS. DUE TO START CALVING MAY 1ST

1:00 p.m. at the farm at Athabasca, AB Lunch at 11:30 a.m.

Bull Buyers Guide 2015

Gone in record time

Bull-buying season is almost here, so if you’re in the market check out the Western Canadian Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide, featured in this issue. This year’s guide is 25 pages long and features top-quality stock from across Western Canada. Turn to page 56 to see top genetics, sale information and much more.

Missed out on getting a ticket to FarmTech? You’re not alone. “We’ve sold out seven or eight years in a row and every year it gets earlier,” said conference co-ordinator Rick Taillieu. This year’s event sold out on Jan. 5 — that’s 1,750 spots — and several hundred people were on the waiting list when it was closed on Jan. 9. Organizers have looked at expanding the event but are pretty much maxing out the capacity of the Expo Centre at Northlands already, said Taillieu, adding the best advice he can offer is to register early. Registration is always open by Nov. 1, he said. — Staff

CANADA’S LARGEST SELECTION OF 2 YEAR OLD ANGUS BULLS

www.olefarms.com

HEARTLAND Keeping farmers on the leading edge FarmTech 2015 features nearly three dozen speakers, with topics ranging from weed resistance to how to work with generation Y By Jill Burkhardt af contributor

he goal hasn’t changed since the first FarmTech conference in 2000 — helping farmers who are seeking to gain an edge from the latest technolRick Taillieu ogy, innovations, and top-flight experts. “Producers will be able to choose from a variety of concurrent speakers whose only appearance in Alberta this year will be at FarmTech 2015,” said conference co-ordinator Rick Taillieu. This year’s event features nearly three dozen speakers, but a couple of big names has Taillieu particularly excited — keynote speakers Jason Dorsey, known as the ‘Gen Y Guy,’ and CBC news anchor Peter Mansbridge. “Dorsey got rave reviews and covers four generations, just like many family farms do,” said Taillieu. “And Mansbridge loves Canada as much as farmers do.” This year the FarmTech committee put more dollars and effort into the lineup of concurrent speakers. The lineup includes Canadian International Grains Institute CEO JoAnne Buth (Durum, Dumplings, and Dollars — What Wheat Customers are Saying), family business expert John Fast (The Ultimate Management Challenge: Succeeding at Succession), and Jim Painter, a professor emeritus from Eastern Illinois University who will speak on selling

food on flavour and visual appeal as well as nutrition (Sensual Nutrition). With the debate on neonics capturing headlines across North America, Alberta honey producer Lee Townsend is likely to be a big draw, with the Spruce Grove beekeeper addressing not only what is happening to bees in Canada, but also locally. Of course, agronomic issues will also be in the spotlight. “There will be sessions where producers can take home information and put it to work on their farm,” Taillieu said. This includes sessions on fertilizer seed placement, canola clubroot resistance, and resistant weeds. Attendees will also have the option to take in producer group meetings or events. The Alberta Canola Producers Commission and the Alberta Pulse Growers will be holding their 25th annual general meetings during the conference. The Alberta Wheat Commission will also hold its AGM, and the Alberta Barley Commission and the Alberta Seed Growers Association will be holding special events. FarmTech also has a trade show for event sponsors, with a specially chosen organization given feature billing. “Every year the FarmTech Foundation donates booth space to an organization,” Taillieu said. “Last year was the Man Van (which raises awareness of the importance of early detection of prostate cancer). This year STARS (air ambulance) will have a display of what to expect if it is ever needed on your farm.” Offering farmers relevant information for their operations is always the key goal, but the planning committee crafts

FarmTech Foundation donates booth space to an organization each year — last year was the Man Van and this year it is the STARS air ambulance. Photo: Earl Greenhough the lineup to give them a better understanding of both where their individual farm and Alberta is positioned. Taillieu said he hopes producers take away and implement new ideas from one of four areas: technology, environment, agronomy, and management. The event, which runs from Jan. 27 to 29 at Edmonton Expo Centre at Northlands, is hosted by the FarmTech Foundation

of Alberta. The foundation is a registered not-for-profit society committed to agricultural extension, specifically crop production and farm management. Its members are also the event’s host groups: Alberta Canola Producers Commission, Alberta Pulse Growers, Alberta Barley Commission, Alberta Wheat Commission, and the Alberta Seed Growers’ Association.

Share your FarmTech highlights By Glenn Cheater Alberta Farmer editor

armTech is a feast of plenty and it’s impossible for one person — or even a small group — to take in everything. This year’s event features nearly three dozen presenters, four keynotes, eight concurrent sessions, and five producer group meetings in three jampacked days. Of course, every attendee will not only have his or her own ‘must-see’ list, but also their own set of highlight moments. Often, that’s just one small, but key, part of a particular presentation. It might be new infor-

mation, a single insight, or just the way the speaker presents a familiar challenge or issue in a new light. Alberta Farmer’s four-person team is hoping to capture as many of those ‘aha’ learning experiences as possible for our readers. But it’s a challenging task, so we’re asking for help. If you have a take-away that you’d like to share with your fellow producers, please let us know. We’d love to chat and if you can’t find us in the crowd, all of us have picked up the bad habit of constantly checking our smartphones (although not, heaven forbid, during presentations), so we’re always reachable.

alexis kienlen

JILL Burkhardt

akienlen @fbcpublishing.com

crookedlake03 @gmail.com

@alexiskienlen

@Crookedlakecows

jennifer blair

gLENN Cheater

jennifer.blair @fbcpublishing.com

glenn.cheater @fbcpublishing.com

@FairfieldJen

@glenncheater

JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

Grab the info you need on your farm It’s easy to get information overload at FarmTech so look for one or two key learning experiences, says one longtime attendee By Jill Burkhardt af contributor

ent Erickson is one of FarmTech’s biggest fans. The Irma-area farmer began Kent Erickson a t t e n d i n g t h e event in 2001 as a university student, has only missed one conference, and since 2007 has served on the planning committee, including a stint as the group’s chair.

Kent Erickson, seen here at FarmTech 2012, began attending the event in 2001 and has only missed one conference since then. Photo: Earl Greenhough

Global Perspectives …Local Knowledge. RegisteR today! January 27-29, 2015

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Canada’s premier crop production and farm management conference. FarmTech 2015 features an outstanding line-up of speakers delivering more than 65 concurrent sessions covering the latest in technology, environment agronomy and farm business management. The Agricultural Showcase is home to the most innovative companies displaying their products and services along with special events and networking opportunities.

peter Mansbridge Chief Correspondent of CBC News and anchor of The National

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“FarmTech is important because it focuses on the education side (of farming),” said Erickson, who crops 5,000 acres along with his dad, wife and four children. He points to speakers such as Lutz Goedde, a partner in McKinsey & Company — the huge 11,000-employee international consulting firm — who will be giving a keynote presentation on the global agricultural outlook. Producers need to keep abreast of issues that impact their farms, whether that’s the political turmoil in Ukraine, China’s appetite for food imports, or how online information and social media is making our world smaller, said Erickson, who is chair of the Alberta Wheat Commission. “Most of our grain now goes to clients in other countries — it is good to get a good perspective as to what is going on in another country,” he said. A specific issue on Erickson’s radar is pesticide residue levels and he’s looking forward to a presentation at this edition of FarmTech on consumer attitudes towards chemicals used on farms. Increasingly sophisticated technology that allows for residue testing in the parts-per-billion range has come along at the same time as farms are under unprecedented scrutiny by consumers, he noted. “In Canada we tend to get a good understanding on restrictions on certain chemicals,” said Erickson. “It comes down to sound science and sound decisions.” Still, will that be good enough for consumers? Erickson is hoping to gain some insights on that issue from Joe Schwarcz. The director of McGill University’s Office for Science and Society is best known as “Dr. Joe,” thanks to his popular radio show, TV appearances, and bestselling books. Schwarcz will be looking at Agriculture Myths and Facts in terms of pesticides, fungicides, herbicides and how farmers need to demonstrate they are using agrochemicals responsibly. “Consumers are going to make the decisions, — farmers need to be using education and following labels as well,” said Erickson. Of course, all of these are huge topics, and Erickson concedes many attendees may feel overwhelmed by an avalanche of information. His advice for coping with information overload? If you take one or two key points away, you’ve had a successful conference experience, he said, using global marketing as an example. “How does your grain, sales, decisions along with the application of technology fit into the big picture?” Over the years, Erickson has taken in a lot of presentations on global economic issues and he said he now feels comfortable looking at those factors as one component when developing a pricing strategy on his farm. “You can see why grain prices are the way they are and how they are influenced. When Ukraine was having political unrest, wheat prices were affected.”

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 19, 2015

Explore your ‘soft’ side at FarmTech Succession and the generation gap are just as important on the farm as technology and agronomic advances By Jill Burkhardt af contributor

n the “not so good days” of grain farming, Todd Hames attended FarmTech because it was an uplifting Todd Hames experience. The third-generation farmer from Marwayne was able to meet people who were excited about farming when farming was not that great. Now, he keeps coming back because he wants to be with innovative farmers and keep abreast of new ideas and technology. “As we evolve we become more mature, seek out new ideas, and there is more information out there,” said Hames, who has been farming for more than 20 years.

“Some changes are easy, such as new products or equipment, but others are harder as they involve a whole new way of dealing with a problem.” Todd Hames

That’s reflected in the lineup of speakers at this year’s event, which runs from Jan. 27 to 29 at Northlands. In its early days, FarmTech focused on things such as zero tilling, weed control, and other agronomic topics. Now the show offers “something for everyone,” running the gamut from comedian Colin Mochrie and new technology, such as drones, to presentations on healthy living and lifestyle. This includes “soft issues” such as succession. Among the speakers is John Fast — a.k.a. the Family Business Doctor — who will help participants identify and begin to practise the Six Key Habits of Highly Successful Farm Families. “Soft issues open people’s minds to other issues that affect farming,” said Hames, who is the 2014-15 chair of the FarmTech Foundation board. When he began farming, Hames farmed with his brother, but that setup wasn’t the best fit. “Family structures change, so early on, we set out to own separate farms,” he said. Many people may think the succession planning drum has been overbeat. However, Hames has a different view. These type of issues take a long time to deal with, and it can take years before advice on succession, working with family, and developing strong life skills takes hold, he said. One of the speakers Hames is especially looking forward to is Jason Dorsey, who has copyrighted his title: The Gen Y Guy. The American speaker and consultant is an expert on multi-

Along with a trade show for event sponsors, FarmTech offers up to seven presentations at a time during concurrent sessions. Photo by Earl Greenhough generational workforces and the strains that can develop because each generation has its own viewpoint and set of values. Finding workers is a challenge on his operation, said Hames, and the younger generation’s attitude towards food production is having a big impact on all farms. “How do we sell products to, hire, and work with the generation below us?” Hames asked. The goal for FarmTech orga-

nizers is to both inform and challenge attendees — to get farmers thinking about new ideas and make them keen to improve their operations when they get home. “Some changes are easy, such as new products or equipment, but others are harder as they involve a whole new way of dealing with a problem,” said Hames. “Either way, FarmTech is about innovation of new ideas or sup-

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porting current ideas and sharing this with fellow farmers.” Dealing with soft issues can help people become more aware of their own attitudes and how they make choices, he said. Ultimately, the better we are at learning, the better we get at making life and management decisions, he added. And that goal hasn’t changed since Hames first began attending FarmTech.

JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

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Family Day Sale 10th Annual

February 16, 2015

1:00 p.m. at the farm at Athabasca, AB Lunch at 11:30 a.m.

150 Red & Black Angus Two Year Old Bulls Strong set of 150 Commericial Black Angus Bred Heifers Due to start calving May 1st

CANADA’S LARGEST SELECTION OF 2 YEAR OLD ANGUS BULLS

“Sharing in the Excitement of Agriculture”

Sale Managed by:

Kelly & Anna Olson: 780-675-4664 Kelly Cell: 780-689-7822 Travis: 780-689-8324 Graham: 780-675-0112 P.O. Box 420, Athabasca, Alberta T9S 2A4

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Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development release

he website www.foragebeef. ca contains the latest information on forage and beef research for producers in Canada and the northern United States. “The site summarizes research for farmers and ranchers,” said Ken Ziegler, provincial beef and forage specialist. “It’s a unique approach to developing and organizing North American research information for the Canadian forage and beef cattle industry.” As an example, extending the grazing season is a popular topic at this time of year, and foragebeef.ca has info in various folders on the subject. “The grazing season can be extended in different ways at different times of the feeding season,” said Ziegler. “Either at the beginning of the season using well-established forage regrowth that is grazed into the Christmas season; during the winter months using swath grazing of annuals like barley, oats, or triticale; (or) by saving carry-over forage over from the previous summer as fine youthful regrowth that the nursing cows or backgrounded yearlings can use as soon as the snow has melted off.” The website also has folders on other strategies such as using brassicas or using corn, he said. Foragebeef.ca is updated regularly as fact sheets and research papers are added to the folders on the website. Approximately 200 research papers have been added over the past year. “The site is a living library for research and extension informa-

tion that is useful to Canadian beef and forage producers,” Ziegler said. The website provides three levels of information. The top level is “cut to the core” information on a particular topic. Called “Knowledge Nuggets,” this level provides the most important pieces of understanding on that topic. The next level is for the reader who wants more information about that topic. Links are provided to the best related information, usually in fact sheet format. The objective is to select the most comprehensive and applicable information for Canadian and northern U.S. agriculture. The third level is for people who want research-related information. This level focuses on relevant scientific review papers, research abstracts, research papers, major publications and links to research communities throughout Canada and the world. The site features in-depth information on forage production, silage management, forage seed production, beef cow-calf management, animal health issues, grazing management, and range management in addition to many other topics. “This is a living website and news items, research results and summaries will continually be added to the site,” added Ziegler. “With these knowledge summaries, fact sheets, and research reviews, Foragebeef. ca is the gateway to the future for forage and beef information for the forage and cow-calf industry.” For more information, or to offer potential fact sheets or research papers for the site, contact Ken Ziegler at ken.ziegler@gov.ab.ca or 403-742-7901.

Nominations sought for AFAC’s Awards of Distinction Alberta Farm Animal Care release

Alberta Farm Animal Care (AFAC) is seeking nominations for its Awards of Distinction. The award program was initiated in 2001 to recognize individuals or groups who have made exceptional contributions in the field of livestock welfare. Those who: • Promote responsible, humane animal care within the livestock industry; • Engage in discussion with the public about today’s animal agriculture; • Monitor and participate in issues and legislation that affect animal care; • Encourage research relevant to farm animal care. Award winners work hard to advance the mandate of AFAC and the welfare of livestock in Alberta. They apply new, innovative ideas and management practices to improve and ensure high standards of animal well-being. They understand the public’s need for assurance that the farm animals are raised humanely.

They can be held up as examples of those who are making a difference. Nominees must demonstrate a strong commitment to others through contributions to his or her community or society, and be recognized by peers as having reached a high level of accomplishment and expertise in his or her field. There are many talented individuals and organizations that deserve to be recognized for their outstanding achievements. If you know an individual or an organization whose contributions to animal care enhance their community and inspire others, please take a few minutes to summarize (in letter format) why you believe they deserve the award. Please address the accomplishments of the nominee as outlined above. Email nominations to lcc@ afac.ab.ca or fax the information to 403-663-3035 (Attention: Lorna Baird). For more information, contact the AFAC office at 403-662-8050. The nomination deadline is Feb. 15.

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 19, 2015

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SPRAyING EqUIPMENT Sprayers Spray_Various_ TIllAGE & SEEDING Air_Drills_ Air_Seeders_ Harrows_&_Packers_ Seeding_Various_ Tillage_Equipment_ Tillage_&_Seeding_Various_ TRACTORS Agco_ Allis/Deutz_ Belarus_ Case/IH_ Caterpillar_ Ford_ John_Deere_ Kubota_ Massey_Ferguson_ New_Holland_ Steiger_ Universal_ Versatile_ White_ Zetor_ 2-Wheel_Drive 4-Wheel_Drive_ Various_ Fencing_ Firewood_ Fish_Farm_ Forestry/Logging_ Fork_Lifts/Pallet_Trucks_ Fur_Farming_ Generators_ GPS_ Health_Care_ Heat_&_Air_Conditioning_ Hides/Furs/Leathers_ Hobby_&_Handicrafts_ Household_Items_ Iron_&_Steel_ lANDSCAPING Greenhouses_ Lawn_&_Garden_ lIVESTOCK Cattle Cattle_Auctions__ Angus_ Black_Angus_ Red_Angus_ Aryshire_ Belgian_Blue_ Blonde_d'Aquitaine_ Brahman_ Brangus_ Braunvieh_ BueLingo_ Charolais_ Dairy_ Dexter_ Excellerator_ Galloway_ Gelbvieh_ Guernsey_ Hereford_ Highland_

Holstein_ Jersey_ Limousin_ Lowline_ Luing_ Maine-Anjou_ Miniature_ Murray_Grey_ Piedmontese_ Pinzgauer_ Red_Poll_ Salers_ Santa_Gertrudis_ Shaver_Beefblend_ Shorthorn_ Simmental South_Devon Speckle_Park Tarentaise_ Texas_Longhorn_ Wagyu_ Welsh_Black_ Cattle_Composite_ Cattle_Various_ Cattle_Wanted lIVESTOCK horses Horse_Auctions_ American_Saddlebred_ Appaloosa Arabian_ Belgian_ Canadian_ Clydesdale_ Draft_ Donkeys_ Haflinger_ Miniature_ Morgan_ Mules_ Norwegian_Ford_ Paint_ Palomino_ Percheron_ Peruvian_ Pinto_ Ponies_ Quarter_Horse_ Shetland_ Sport_Horses_ Standardbred_ Tennessee_Walker_ Thoroughbred_ Warmblood_ Welsh_ Horses_For_Sale_ Horses_Wanted_ lIVESTOCK Poultry Poultry_For_Sale_ Poultry_Wanted_ lIVESTOCK Sheep Sheep_Auction_ Arcott_ Columbia_ Dorper_ Dorset_ Katahdin_ Lincoln_ Suffolk_ Texel_Sheep_ Sheep_For_Sale_ Sheep_Wanted_

display Classified

• Minimum charge — $15.00 per week for first 25 words or less and an additional 60 cents per word for every word over 25. Additional bolding 75 cents per word. GST is extra. $2.50 billing charge is added to billed ads only. • Terms: Payment due upon receipt of invoice. • 10% discount for prepaid ads. If phoning in your ad you must pay with VISA or MasterCard to qualify for discount. • Ask about our Priority Placement • Prepayment Bonus: Prepay for 3 weeks and get a bonus of 2 weeks; bonus weeks run consecutively and cannot be used separately from original ad; additions and changes accepted only during first 3 weeks. • If you wish to have replies sent to a confidential box number, please add $5.00 per week to your total. Count eight words for your address. Example: Ad XXXX, Alberta Farmer Express , Box 9800, Winnipeg, R3C 3K7. • Your complete name & address must be submitted to our office before publication. (This information will be kept confidential & will not appear in the ad unless requested.)

• Advertising copy deviating in any way from the regular classified style will be considered display and charged at the display rate of $34.30 per column inch ($2.45 per agate line). • Minimum charge $34.30 per week. • Illustrations and logos are allowed with full border. • Advertising rates are flat with no discount for frequency of insertion or volume of space used. • Terms: Payment due upon receipt of invoice. • Price quoted does not include GST.

Published by Farm Business Communications, 1666 Dublin Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3H 0H1 WINNIPEG OFFICE Alberta Farmer Express 1666 Dublin Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3H 0H1 Toll-Free in Canada 1-800-665-1362 Phone 403-341-0442 in Winnipeg FAX 403-341-0615 Mailing Address: Box 9800, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 3K7 • •

•

AGREEMENT The publisher reserves the right to refuse any or all advertising for any reason stated or unstated. Advertisers requesting publication of either display or classified advertisements agree that should the advertisement be omitted from the issue ordered for whatever reason, the Alberta Farmer Express shall not be held liable. It is also agreed that in the event of an error appearing in the published advertisement, the Alberta Farmer Express accepts no liability beyond the amount paid for that portion of the advertisement in which the error appears or affects. Claims for adjustment are limited to errors appearing in the first insertion only. While every endeavor will be made to forward box number replies as soon as possible, we accept no liability in respect to loss or damage alleged to a rise through either failure or delay in forwarding such replies, however caused, whether by negligence or otherwise.

(2 weeks prior)

ORGANIC Organic_Certified_ Organic_Food_ Organic_Grains_ Outfitters_ Personal_ Pest_Control Pets_&_Supplies_ Photography_ Propane_ Pumps_ Radio,_TV_&_Satellite_ REAl ESTATE Commercial_Buildings_ Condos_ Cottages_&_Lots_ Houses_&_Lots_ Land_For_Rent_ Land_For_Sale_ Mobile_Homes_ Motels_&_Hotels_ Resorts Vacation_Property_ Farms & Ranches British_Columbia_ Alberta_ Saskatchewan_ Manitoba_ Acreages/Hobby_Farms_ Farms/Ranches_Wanted_ Pastureland_ RECREATIONAl VEhIClES All_Terrain_Vehicles_ Boats_&_Water_ Campers_&_Trailers_ Golf_Carts_ Motor_Homes_ Motorcycles_ Snowmobiles Recycling Refrigeration Restaurant_Supplies Sausage_Equipment_ Sawmills_ Scales_

COMMON SEED Cereal_Seeds_ Forage_Seeds_ Grass_Seeds_ Oilseeds_ Pulse_Crops_ Common_Seed_Various_ SEED/FEED/GRAIN Feed_Grain_ Hay_&_Straw_ Feed_Wanted_ Grain_Wanted_ Hay_&_Feed_Wanted_ Seed_Wanted_ Sewing_Machines_ Sharpening_Services_ Silos_ Sporting_Goods_ Stamps_&_Coins_ Swap_ Tanks_ Tarpaulins_ Tenders_ Tickets_ Tires_ Tools_ TRAIlERS Grain_Trailers_ Livestock_Trailers_ Trailers_Miscellaneous_ Travel_ Water_Pumps_ Water_Treatment_ Welding_ Well_Drilling_ Well_&_Cistern__ Winches_ CAREERS Career_Training_ Child_Care_ Construction_ Domestic_Services_ Farm/Ranch_ Forestry/Log_ Health_Care_ Help_Wanted_ Management Mining_ Oil_Field_ Professional_ Resume_Services_ Sales/Marketing_ Trades/Tech_ Truck_Drivers_ Employment_Wanted_

MAiL TO: Alberta Farmer Express, Box 9800, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 3K7 FAx TO: 403-341-0615 PhOnE in: Toll-Free in Canada 1-800-665-1362 OR (403) 341-0442 in Alberta

NAME_ ___________________________________________________________ ______PHONE_#_______________________________ ADDRESS_____________________________________________ ______TOWN_____________________________________________ PROVINCE____________________________ _____POSTAL_CODE__________________________

All classified ads are non-commissionable.

advertising deadline Wednesday noon

Livestock_Equipment_ Livestock_Services_&_Vet_Supplies_ Miscellaneous_Articles_ Miscellaneous_Articles_Wanted_ Musical_ Notices_ On-Line_Services_

CERTIFIED SEED Cereal_Seeds Forage_Seeds Oilseeds Pulse_Crops Specialty_Crops

AD ORDER FORM

adveRtising Rates & infoRmation

RegulaR Classified

lIVESTOCK Swine Swine_Auction_ Swine_For_Sale_ Swine_Wanted_ lIVESTOCK Specialty Alpacas_ Bison_(Buffalo)_ Deer_ Elk_ Goats_ Llama_ Rabbits_ Emu/Ostrich/Rhea_ Yaks_ Various_

Even if you do not want your name & address to appear in your ad, we need the information for our files.

PLEASE_PRINT_YOUR_AD_BELOW_ ______________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________

CAUTION The Alberta Farmer Express, while assuming no responsibility for advertisements appearing in its columns, exercises the greatest care in an endeavor to restrict advertising to wholly reliable firms or individuals. However, please do not send money to a Manitoba Co-operator box number. Buyers are advised to request shipment C.O.D. when ordering from an unknown advertiser, thus minimizing the chance of fraud and eliminating the necessity of a refund where the goods have already been sold. At Farm Business Communications we have a firm commitment to protecting your privacy and security as our customer. Farm Business Communications will only collect personal information if it is required for the proper functioning of our business. As part of our commitment to enhance customer service, we may share this personal information with other strategic business partners. For more information regarding our Customer Information Privacy Policy, write to: Information Protection Officer, Farm Business Communications, 1666 Dublin Ave., Winnipeg, MB R3H 0H1. Occasionally we make our list of subscribers available to other reputable firms whose products and services might be of interest to you. If you would prefer not to receive such offers, please contact us at the address in the preceding paragraph, or call (204)-954-1456. The editors and journalists who write, contribute and provide opinions to Alberta Farmer Express and Farm Business Communications attempt to provide accurate and useful opinions, information and analysis. However, the editors, journalists and Alberta Farmer Express and Farm Business Communications, cannot and do not guarantee the accuracy of the information contained in this publication and the editors as well as Alberta Farmer Express and Farm Business Communication assume no responsibility for any actions or decisions taken by any reader for this publication based on any and all information provided.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ CLASSIFICATION__________________________ ❏ I would like to take advantage of the Prepayment Bonus of 2 FREE weeks when I prepay for 3 weeks. _

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❏

VISA

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MASTERCARD

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Add $2.50 if being billed / Minus 10% if prepaying ________________ Expiry_Date___/__/_____/__/

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JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Miscellaneous

ANNOUNCEMENTS

BASF Knowledge Harvest Join growers from your area to hear from industry experts and watch live plant demos. Hear a presentation on leadership from former NHL All-Star, Lanny McDonald. Register at www.agsolutions.ca/knowledgeharvest Feb 12th, Brandon-Feb 17th, CalgaryFeb 19th, Edmonton-Feb 24th, SaskatoonFeb 26th, Moose Jaw

Tillage & Seeding

TracTors

TILLAGE & SEEDING Tillage Equipment

TRACTORS Various

GAUGE WHEEL & GAUGE WHEEL KIT

JD 2130 3 pth with loader JD 4255 FWA, 3 pth hitch, ldr. avail. JD 4255 2 WD, ldr. available JD 4440, loader available JD 7410 c/w ldr. 3 pth hitch CASE IH 4700 Vibra Shank, 34ft. Clamp on Duals, 20.8x38-18.4x38

3” & 4” OPTIONS

Barb Wire & Electric High Tensile Wire Spooler & Water Hose Roller

BUILDINGS

ridgemetal@hotmail.com

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Miscellaneous

- Wire Roller can now be converted to roll up & unroll flat plastic water hose up to 6” diameter (11” flat) - Hydraulic Drive (roll or unroll) - Mounts to tractor draw bar, skidsteer front end loader, post driver, 3pt. hitch or deck truck (with receiver hitch & rear hydraulics) - Spool splits in half to remove full roll - Shut off/ Flow control valve determines speed - Works great for pulling out old wire (approx. 3--5 minutes to roll up 80 rod or 1/4 mile) - Also works great for swath grazing or rotational grazing

1999 CAT 460 1,400 sep. hrs, rake up, $42,500; MacDon 962, 36-ft pick-up reel, $13,500; MacDon 871 CAT 460 adapter, $1,000. Call:(403)665-2341, Craigmyle, AB.

The Level-Winder II Wire Roller rolls wire evenly across the full width of the spool automatically as the wire is pulled in

FARM CHEMICAL SEED COMPLAINTS We also specialize in: Crop Insurance appeals; Chemical drift; Residual herbicide; Custom operator issues; Equipment malfunction; Yield comparisons, Plus Private Investigations of any nature. With our assistance the majority of our clients have received compensation previously denied. Back-Track Investigations investigates, documents your loss and assists in settling your claim. Licensed Agrologist on Staff. For more information Please call 1-866-882-4779

FARM MACHINERY

ACREAGE EQUIPMENT: 3-PT. CULTIVATORS, Discs, Plows, Blades, Harrows, Etc. (780)892-3092, Wabamun, AB.

Alberta Farmer Express classifieds, 1-800-665-1362.

FARMING IS ENOUGH OF A GAMBLE...

MACHINERY LTD. (403) 540-7691 ronsauer@shaw.ca

846 Ford Versatile Designation 6, 4WD Tractor 1990, newer 18.4 x 38 dualled tires,12 speed manual, 4 hyds., 6036 hrs., looks & runs good .............................. $28,500 555 JD Crawler Loader, 250 hrs. on rebuilt engine, good condition ................................................... $17,500 8070 AC Tractor, FWA, wheel base extended, duals .. $22,500 275 MF Tractor, diesel, multi power, 3 pth, new 18.4 x 30, front weights, loader available, looks and runs great ... $12,500 B275 IHC Tractor & Loader ................................ $3,500 51’ Degelman Landroller, only done 3,000 acres, as new.... .......................................................... $40,000 Degelman Dozer Frame MF 4000 Series 4WD .. $1,000 41’ Flexicoil 300 B Chisel Plow, 3 bar harrows, excellent condition .............................................. $12,500 Flexicoil 6 Run Seed Treater .............................. $1,000 134’ Flexicoil S68XL Sprayer, 2007, suspended boom, auto rate, joystick, rinse tank, triple quick jets, auto boom height, electric end nozzle & foam marker............. $32,500 100’ 65XL Flexicoil Sprayer, complete withwindguards,elec. end nozzles single tips, auto rate,excellent condition ... $12,500 10 Wheel MATR (Italy) Trailer Type V-Hayrake, hyd. fold, as new.................................................. $5,000 7 x 1200 (39.37’) Sakundiak Auger, 18 HP Koehler engine, c/w sweep hyd. drive....................................$2,500 1390 Brandt XL Swing Auger, elec. power swing, spout, adj. axle, as new ...................................... $22,500 225 Kello-Bilt Tandem Disc, 28” smooth front & rear blades, 10.5” spacing, oil, bath bearings, line new ............ $62,500 50’ Brandt Heavy Harrow, 27.5 x 5/8 tines, low acres ........................................................... $32,500 47’ 820 Flexicoil Chisel Plow, 4 bar harrows, line new ............................................................ $67,500 2009 GMC Topkick 20 ft. Grain Truck, automatic, silage gauge, air brake suspension,approx. 7,000 kms ..$105,000 40’ 5710 Bourgault SS Air Drill, 9.8” spacing, 3” steel packers w/ 3225 tb tank, c/w 3rd tank, new augers, drive sprockets, main clutch, excellent condition...... $25,000 New E-Kay 7”, 8”, 9” Bin Sweeps available.........Call 8” Wheat Heart Transfer Auger, hydraulic drive .. $1,500 New Outback RTK BASE stn ...................................... Call New Outback MAX & STX guidance & mapping ...In Stock New Outback E-Drive, TC’s .................................In Stock New Outback E-Drive X, c/w free E turns ............In Stock New Outback S-Lite guidance ............ **In Stock** $900 New Outback VSI Swather Steering Kit...........In Stock New Outback E-Drive Hyd. kit, JD 40 series ........ $1,000 Used Outback E-Drive Hyd. kits..............................$500

**NuVision (Spray Air) & Meridian-Sakundiak Augers, Outback GPS Systems, EK Auger Movers, Belt Tighteners, Bin Sweeps & Crop Dividers, Kohler, Robin Subaru & Generac Engines, Headsight Harvesting Solutions, Greentronics Sprayer Auto Boom Height, Kello-Bilt Discs**

JD 9400, 9420, 9520, 8970 JD 9860, 9760, 9750, 9650, 9600 JD 9430, 9530, 9630 Case STX 375, 425, 430, 450, 480, 500, 530 CIH 8010-2388, 2188 combine CIH 435Q, 535Q, 450Q, 550Q, 600Q pto avail. JD 4710, 4720, 4730, 4830, 4920, 4930 SP sprayers JD 9770 & 9870 w/CM & duals CIH 3185, 3230, 3330, 4430, 4420 sprayers

WANTED: NH BALE WAGONS & retrievers, any condition. Farm Equipment Finding Service, P.O. Box 1363, Polson, MT 59860. (406)883-2118

STEIGER TRACTOR SPECIALIST

FEED GRAIN WANTED! ALSO buying; Light, tough, or offgrade grains. “On Farm Pickup” Westcan Feed & Grain 1-877-250-5252

RED OR GREEN 1. 10-25% savings on new replacement parts for your Steiger drive train. 2. We rebuild axles, transmissions and dropboxes with ONE YEAR WARRANTY. 3. 50% savings on used parts.

www.bigtractorparts.com

1991 HESSTON 4655 INLINE square baler, $6,500; 1033 NH square bale PU wagon, $4,000; 1948 wide front Farmall M w/live hyds (2 outlets) & spare parts, $3,200; DEMKIW & YAKIMETZ 30-in. breaking plow rubber tires, hyd life, manufactured in Vegreville, $1,500 OBO. All equip can be delivered to Edmonton. Call (780)841-2984, La Crete, AB. WANTED: JD 7810 c/w FEL & 3-PTH; sp or PTO bale wagon; JD or IHC end wheel drills. Small square baler. (403)394-4401

Combines COMBINES Accessories RECONDITIONED COMBINE HEADERS. RIGID & flex, most makes & sizes; also header transports. Ed Lorenz, (306)344-4811 or Website: www.straightcutheaders.com Paradise Hill, SK.

Where the stories go. Network

If you want to sell it fast, call 1-800-665-1362.

SEED/FEED/GRAIN Grain Wanted BUYING HEATED/DAMAGED PEAS, FLAX & GRAIN “On Farm Pickup” Westcan Feed & Grain 1-877-250-5252 BUYING SPRING THRASHED CANOLA & GRAIN “On Farm Pickup” Westcan Feed & Grain 1-877-250-5252

SEED/FEED/GRAIN Feed Grain

FEED OATS

• Mildew • Damaged Advertise in the Alberta Farmer Express Classifieds, it’s a Sure Thing!

1-800-665-1362

• Wild Oats • Offgrade

• Light • Tough

“ON FARM PICK UP” 1-877-250-5252

HAYING & HARVESTING HAYING & HARVESTING Baling Equipment

SEED/FEED/GRAIN Feed Grain

BUYING:

FOR SALE: D7F CAT PS angle dozer, ripper, bush equipped, A1; MF 2675 dsl cab w/Degelman dozer blade. Phone:(306)238-7501.

RON SAUER

SEED / FEED / GRAIN

BUYING ALL TYPES OF feed grain. Also have market for light offgrade or heated, picked up on the farm. Eisses Grain Marketing 1-888-882-7803, Lacombe.

1-800-982-1769

Ken Lendvay (403) 550-3313 Red Deer, AB email: kflendvay@hotmail.com Web: www.levelwind.com

FARM MACHINERY Machinery Wanted

1-800-587-4711

Big Tractor Parts, Inc. Geared For The Future

204-866-3558

• Sprayed foam insulation • Ideal for shops, barns or homes • Healthier, Quieter, More Energy Efficient®

www.penta.ca

Go public with an ad in the Alberta Farmer Express classifieds.

www.ridgelandmanufacturing.ca

BUSINESS SERVICES Crop Consulting

The Icynene Insulation System®

FINANCE, TRADES WELCOME 780-696-3527, BRETON, AB

STEEL STORAGE CONTAINERS, 20-ft & 40-ft. Wind, water & rodent proof. 1-866-517-8335, (403)540-4164, (403)226-1722 magnate@telus.net

BUSINESS SERVICES

HEAT & AIR CONDITIONING

TILLAGE & SEEDING Air Drills

TECHNOLOGY MADE SIMPLE

$33,440 ANNUAL PAYMENT

AB and Western SK, call Larry at (403) 510-7894 www.versatile-ag.com/seeding

Search news. Read stories. Find insight.

SPRAYING EQUIPMENT Sprayers

*Model AC600 shown.

4955 JD low hrs, 3 pth, very clean S670/680/690 JD Combine low hrs 4730 JD Sprayer, 100 ft. JD 8770, 4WD, 24 speed with PTO Case IH 9170, 4WD 854 Rogator SP Sprayer, complete with JD auto steer, swath pro GOOD SELECTION OF JD & CASE SP SPRAYERS AND 4WD TRACTORS

“LIKE MANY BEFORE, WE’LL HAVE YOU SAYING THERE’S NO DEAL LIKE A KEN DEAL” • Phone: (403)526-9644 • Cell: (403)504-4929 • Email: kendeal@shaw.ca

Based on the 40' ML930 air drill and AC400 air cart on a retail lease contract amortized over 60 months at 4.49% APR. Other product configurations available. See dealer for details.

WWW.VERSATILE-AG.COM

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 19, 2015

SEED/FEED/GRAIN Grain Wanted

TRAVEL

BUYING:

AGRICULTURAL TOURS

• Competitive Prices • Prompt Movement • Spring Thrashed

Costa Rica ~ Feb 2015 South Africa/Zambia ~ Feb 2015 India ~ Feb 2015 Greece ~ April 2015 Japan ~ May 2015 Ireland/Scotland ~ June 2015 Scandinavia ~ June 2015 Alaska Land/Cruise ~ July 2015 NWT/Yukon ~ July 2015

HEATED & GREEN CANOLA

“ON FARM PICK UP”

1-877-250-5252

TRAVEL

*Portion of tours may be Tax Deductible

We know that farming is enough of a gamble so if you want to sell it fast place your ad in the Alberta Farmer Express classifieds. It’s a Sure Thing. Call our toll-free number today. We have friendly staff ready to help. 1-800-665-1362.

Select Holidays 1-800-661-4326

www.selectholidays.com

Prairie-Wide Display Classifieds

BOW VALLEY TRADING LTD.

WE BUY DAMAGED GRAIN Wheat, Barley, Oats, Peas, etc. Green or Heated Canola/Flax

MORE OPTIONS TO SAVE YOU MONEY

Buy and Sell anything you need through the

1-877-641-2798 TRAVEL

Buy one province, buy two provinces or buy all three. Great rates whatever you choose

C1-800-665-1362 lassifieds

KING SALMON CHESAPEAKE CHARTERS

**ALL INCLUSIVE** 3 & 4 DAY CHARTERS 250-600-2055 or 778-983-2018

Contact Sharon

Email: sharon.komoski@fbcpublishing.com

claudegourlin@hotmail.com www.salmoncharters.ca PRINCE RUPERT BRITISH COLUMBIA BEST PRICES: NO fISH, NO PAY

What’s on the horizon in agriculture? Watch This Country Called Agriculture and be informed. This Country Called Agriculture is a new on-demand video series that delivers relevant news & information on the agriculture industry. Host Rob Eirich interviews ag pioneers, professionals and academics that offer insight into today’s trends and what the future holds for agriculture – on and off the farm. Video topics include:  Sustainability

 Ag innovations

 Exporting

 Starting a new farm

 Renewable energy

 Alternative energy

 New technology

 Production

& fuel sources  AND MORE

 Food production

and marketing

Start watching now at AGCanada.com/TCCA Or scan the code with your phone to watch.

TCCA CURRENT EPISODES Consumer Benefits from Genomics Rob Eirich talking with Tom Lynch-Staunton of Livestock Gentec, and Colin Coros of Delta Genomics, about the benefits of animal genomics for consumers.

Brought to you by

JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

JANUARY 2015

10th Annual Family Day Sale

February 16, 2015 SELLING: 150 RED & BLACK ANGUS TWO YEAR OLD BULLS. STRONG SET OF 150 COMMERCIAL BLACK ANGUS BRED HEIFERS. DUE TO START CALVING MAY 1ST

1:00 p.m. at the farm at Athabasca, AB Lunch at 11:30 a.m.

CANADA’S LARGEST SELECTION OF 2 YEAR OLD ANGUS BULLS

www.olefarms.com

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 19, 2015

JANUARY 2015

Y R A S R 30 E V I N N Le

u ll

February 28, 2015 1:00 pm Spruce Grove, AB

s Far i w

SELLING: 140 Simmental Yearlings  120 Extra Age  40 Angus Yearlings

e l Sa

LFE 319B

LFE 833A TICKET X 514N

SPRINGSTEEN X ACE

Volume Discounts

LFE 323B

LFE 816A BEER MONEY X DARK KNIGHT

GOTHAM X TANKER

Many Bulls Homozygous Polled

Bulls Fertility & Semen Tested

LFE 524B AUTHORITY X ROCKET

ANGUS

LFE 509B CHESAPEAKE X SAMURAI

ANGUS

LFE 357B HARVESTOR X FINAL ANSWER

LFE 397B TURBULANCE X RIBEYE

Website: www.lewisfarms.ca Office Ph.: 780-962-5050 Fax: 780-962-2467 Kyle Lewis: 780-220-9188 Jordan Buba: 780-818-4047 Ken Lewis: 780-818-3829 emails: kyle@lewisfarms.ca jordan@lewisfarms.ca lewis@xplornet.com Fullblood Bulls: Mark Land & Cattle , Lenny Mark 780-842-7207

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

JANUARY 2015

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 19, 2015

JANUARY 2015

MRC BOLD RULER 183B

Legends of the Fall Champion, Farmfair Reserve Grand Champion Bull, Agribition

MRC SUPREMACY 260B

Reserve Champion Senior Bull, Farmfair

WHS HANNAH 3B

DCC Poker Face 2X x CMS Tila 725T

WHS HANNAH 6B

DCC Poker Face 2X x Meck Zoey 829U

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

WHS HANNAH 8B

MAF Horizon 7Yx CMS Rose 134Y

MRC BROKER 60B

Junior Champion Bull , Farmfair

JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

JANUARY 2015 d

Carlrams Ranching Ltd

6th Annual Sale ~ Thursday, February 12, 2015

2:00 pm ‘Sask Time’ ~ Join us for lunch prior to the sale! ~

45 Ranch Ready Hereford Bulls ~ 13 Black Angus Bulls ~

LOT 170A

LOT 95A

CARLRAMS 87R STD ROYAL170A ~ Selling Half Intrest ~

CR 181U LAD 95A

LOT 387A CARLRAMS 53Y STD LAD 387A

LOT 238A

LOT 196A CARLRAMS 501R LAD 196A

CR 35W LAD 238A

LOT 431A CARLRAMS 501R EXTRA 431A

RNRF 159A

~ 50 Commercial Heifers ~

Selling a maternal brother & four paternal brothers to the Lloydminster Stockade Roundup Black Angus Champion & RBC Supreme Challenge Top Ten Finalist.

Black Bulls from RNRFlicek Angus, Neilburg, SK Rick Flicek - 306.823.7266 ~ Larry Flicek - 306.823.3957

Cal & Marilyn (306) 398-7343

Carl & Dalynn (306) 398-7879

Randy & Robin (306) 823-3912

Cut Knife, Saskatchewan, Canada Sale held in Carl & Dalynn’s Yard 5 Miles North, 1 Mile West of Cut Knife Visitors always welcomed at the Ranch! Catalogue will be avaliable online January 6th!

www.CarlramsRanching.com Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 19, 2015

JANUARY 2015 26th Annual

Bull Power

& Select Female Sale

February 20th 2015

90 15

At the Mader Ranch Carstairs AB

Red & Black Simmental & Simm/Angus Bulls

Red & Black Simmental Heifers

Easy Calving Bulls for Heifers High Performance Bulls for Cows

Watch & Bid online @

Ryley & Jill Mader & Family 403.807.8140 maderranches@gmail.com Randy & Ronda Mader 403.337.2928 rrmader13@gmail.com

Call for a catalogue or view it online at

www.maderranches.com

40 Angus Long Yearlings and Two’s

March 07, 2015 1:00 pm. Fairgrounds

Pincher Creek, AB.

45 Charolais Yearlings and Two’s

Free Delivery or Bring your trailer and get $75 off per bull

A&L Robbins Ranching 403-627-7398 HD Ranching 403-627-7737

Turnbull Charolais 403-627-6951 Char-Lew Ranch 403-627-9412

Watch for the catalogue online @ www.charolaisbanner.com Follow @char_lew_ranch on twitter for sale updates

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

JANUARY 2015

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 19, 2015

JANUARY 2015

LLB

th AnnuAl

Bull & FEMAlE SAlE at the farm, Erskine AB

MARCh 14, 2015

Spring Spectacular

Offering over 700 head of Quality Black & Red Angus Cattle Canada’s largest Angus Production Sale

•

100 yearling heifers •

•

150 yearling bulls

300 commercial heifers

LLBAngus

•

100 two year old bulls

50 commercial bred heifers

llbangus@xplornet.com catalogue online www.llbangus.com

Lee, Laura & Jackie Brown Trish & Tim henderson Box 217, erskine, alberta T0c 1G0

Phone: 403-742-4226 Fax: 403-742-2962

BONCHUK FARMS BULL SALE SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2015 AT HEARTLAND LIVESTOCK, VIRDEN, MB SALE AT 1:00 • JOIN US FOR LUNCH AT 11:00

Dave Bonchuk - 204-773-0467 or 204-842-3706 Wayne Bonchuk - 204-796-0004 Amy Bonchuk - 204-773-6140

70 BULLS REDS, BLACK, FULLBLOOD/FLECK SIMMENTAL BULLS

Check catalogue online at

www.bonchukfarms.com or www.bouchardlivestock.com

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

JANUARY 2015 Black Pearl Bull & Female Sale March 15, 2015 Edwards Livestock Centre Tisdale, SK

Yellowstone 286W

Youngdale Excaliber 32X

RAF World Wide 920

EXAR Upshot 0562B

Selling Yearling & Two Year Old Bulls & Select Heifers Royal Angus Farm

Glenn and Mel Sisson Box 22 RR 1, Ridgedale, SK S0E 1L0 Ph: 306.873.4882 (Glenn) Ph/Fax: 306.873.4890 (Mel) Located 18 miles North of Tisdale 2 miles West and 2 miles North

T Bar C Cattle Co. Ltd.

4-3342 Millar Ave., Saskatoon, SK S7K 7G9 info@tbarc.com | www.tbarc.com Chris’ Cell: 306.220.5006 Ted’s Cell: 306.221.2711 Shane’s Cell: 403.363.9973

View the Catalogue online at: www.sissonbros.com or www.buyagro.com

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Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 19, 2015

JANUARY 2015

Family Day Sale 10th Annual

February 16, 2015

1:00 p.m. at the farm at Athabasca, AB – Lunch at 11:30 a.m.

150 Red & Black Angus Two Year Old Bulls Strong set of 150 Commericial Black Angus Bred Heifers Due to start calving May 1st

CANADA’S LARGEST SELECTION OF 2 YEAR OLD ANGUS BULLS

“Sharing in the Excitement of Agriculture”

Sale Managed by:

Kelly & Anna Olson: 780-675-4664 – Kelly Cell: 780-689-7822 Travis: 780-689-8324 – Graham: 780-675-0112 P.O. Box 420, Athabasca, Alberta T9S 2A4

www.olefarms.com

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

JANUARY 2015 eights Bull weaning w s! averaged 924 lb

Gerry & Linda Bertholet & Family

Hartney, MB, Canada Gerry & Linda (204) 858-2086 Gerry (204) 741-0340

glbertholet@hotmail.com

Andrea (204) 483-0319

adbertholet@hotmail.com

t the Bullon Check ouu r video o Pasture Twebsite! the

60 Bulls

SimAngus ▪ Simmental ▪ Angus Yearlings ▪ Fall Born ▪ 2 yr Olds

March 23, 2015

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

2pm Grande Clairiere Hall

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 19, 2015

JANUARY 2015

MENTALS

R PLUS SIM

s anc & Son

R PLUS SIMMENTALS Ross LeBlanc & Sons Box 1476 Estevan, SK S4A 2L7 Marlin 306.634.8031 Cell 306.421.2470 Ross

306.421.1824

LeBl RossSIMMENTALS S4A 2L7 R PLUS SIM R PLUS tevan, SK Box 1476 Es 31

6.634.80 30Sons Ross LeBlanc Marlin & 6.421.2470 30 l Cel Box 1476 Estevan, SK S4A 2L7 Ross

Marlin 306.634.8031 306.421.9909 Jason Cell 306.421.2470

Marlin 306.63 Cell 306.42

Ross

306.421.1824

Ross

306.42

Jason

306.421.9909

Jason

306.42

Jason an306.421.9909 ement: Sales M ag

R Sales Management:

OBI Rob Holowaychuk 780.916.2628 Mark Holowaychuk 403.896.4990

Management: PLUSSales SIMMENTALS

OBI& Sons Ross LeBlanc Box 1476Rob Estevan, SK S4A 2L7 Holowaychuk 780.916.2628 Marlin 306.634.8031 Cell

OBI

Ross

306.421.2470 Mark Holowaychuk 403.896.4990 306.421.1824

Jason

306.421.9909

306.421.1824

Ross LeBlanc & Box 1476 Estev

uk Management: Sales aych Rob Holow 28 26 6. 91 780. waychuk Mark Holo 90 Rob Holowaychuk 403.896.49

OBI

780.916.2628

Mark Holowaychuk 403.896.4990

agement:

waychuk 28

owaychuk 90

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

JANUARY 2015

Rivercrest - Valleymere 12

Annual

Spady Bull Sale

Selling: 120 Black

Wednesday, April 15th, 2015 Sons selling from these top herd sires:

Lead Off Bull & 2nd High Selling Bull at LLB 2012 Spring Sale Sire: Limestone Darkhorse U322 MGS: SAV Net Worth 4200

LLB Darkhorse 328y BW WW YW MILK TM +5.0 +58 +105 +22 +51

at the Ranch near Alliance, AB

Angus Bulls

Peak dot eliminator 780z

soo line kodiak 9169

2nd High Selling Yearling Bull at Peak Dot 2013 Spring Sale Sire: SAV Eliminator 9105 BW WW YW MILK TM MGS: SAV 004 Predominant 4438 +2.9 +53 +96 +24 +50

Sire: HF Kodiak 5R MGS: Bon View New Design 878

BW WW YW +1.7 +55 +97

MILK TM +21 +49

* Volume Buyer Incentive * Sight Unseen Guarantee * Free Delivery or $50 Credit if you take your bulls home Sale Day

High Selling Yearling Bull at Bar E-L 2011 Spring Sale Sire: HF Tiger 5T MGS: Rainbow Hills Prime Cut 114P

bar e-l executor 23x BW WW YW MILK TM +3.3 +66 +105 +29 +62

FV Mandate Man 146y

High Selling Yearling Bull at Johnson 2012 Spring Sale Sire: Sydgen Mandate 6079 BW WW YW MILK TM -0.2 +66 +118 +25 +58 MGS: FV 20K King 308M

Visit our website for more details www.rivercrestangus.com

Craig Spady 403-740-4978 Travis Spady 780-879-2298 Tom Spady 780-879-2180 Brian Spady 780-879-2110

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 19, 2015

JANUARY 2015

C R y Laz h c n a R

Herd Sires in Use

LONG YEARLING

BULL SALE

Red YY Thor 750T

Lazy RC Legacy 0144X

Crowfoot Logic 4019P

Red Lazy RC ElSenro 8125U

McRaes Mid Nite 26X

Red McRaes Top Cut 78X

60+

Red & Black Long Yearling Bulls (coming twos)

February 2, 2015

•

1:00 PM CST

Sale Location: Lazy RC Ranch, Beechy, SK Lunch @ 11:00 am

Lazy RC Ranch

Russ & Cindy Sibbald Box 329 • Beechy,SK • S0L 0C0

306-859-2244 home 306-859-7726 cell lazyrcranch@xplornet.ca

Infor mation and Catalog

www.lazyr cr anch.com

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

JANUARY 2015 PROGENY SELL

BULL & SELECT FEMALE SALE MARCH 16, 2015 S A V Resource 1441

PROGENY SELL

1:00 PM AT THE FARM 75 Black Angus Yearling Bulls

Remitall F Prospector 110Z

2014 Grand and Supreme Champion Bull FarmFair and Canadian Western Agribition

30 Black Angus Yearling Heifers

Remitall F Odyssey 67X

PROGENY SELL

S A V Harvestor 0338

- Low Birth Weights, Calving Ease - Carcass Evaluated - Sound, Athletic - High Performance - Semen Tested - Free Delivery - Customer Guarantee

Plan now to attend ....

Rawes Ranches Ltd. 32 Annual Performance Tested Charolais Bull Sale nd

y February y 17, 2015 at the ranch, Strome, AB. Tuesday,

On offer: 140 TWO YEAR OLDS

Proven genetics ★ Many ½ & ¾ brothers ★ Single and Pair lots ★ Internet bidding In house warranty program ★ Video sale with bulls available for on-site viewing ★ Personal guarantee

This is your opportunity to purchase bulls from a family that has been selling Charolais bulls for forty years. We offer you the largest selection of Two Year Olds from a program that guarantees sound, functional, uniform bulls, with built in performance to sire calves that will top the market. Catalog and Bull Video Available Online

www.rawesranches.com The Ranch where performance is no accident!

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

John & Myrna Rawe 780-376-3598 Philip & Marie Harty 780-376-2241

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 19, 2015

JANUARY 2015

poplarMeadows_bullBuyersGuide_1230.indd 1

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Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

JANUARY 2015 5thh Annual Ranch Raised

Highwa wa ayy We st Multi-Breed Mult l i Breed Bull Sale lt

 calving ease  grass-based  strong maternal

MARCH 21, 2015 • 1:00 PM MAYERTHORPE AG BARN

 longevity  moderate frame

VIEWING: 10:00 AM • LUNCH: 12:00 PM

550 0

BULLS LIKE THIS

BULLS ON OFFER

THESE ARE ALL PAPERED, 100% GUARANTEED BREEDING BULLS.

BLACK ANGUS

GELBVIEH

SIMMENTAL

KALA RANCH

HMR GELBVIEH

HORNBACK SIMMENTALS

Kristine Lange & Geza Szucs (780) 325-2224

RONAN R ANGUS Ralph & Lorree Erdell (780) 786-2961

TRI A ANGUS

Henry & Michelle Roy (780) 723-2361

Dave Holroyd (780) 723-3974

NOLARA FARMS

Larry, Nola & Sara Van Sickle (780) 786-4341

Shellmouth, MB 204-564-2540

Andy & Darlene Becker (780) 723-2683

Auctioneering By

FROM COWS LIKE THIS

(780) 542-7323

VIEW THE CATALOG ONLINE AT WWW.TIMBERLINDAUCTIONS.COM

2 yr old bulls sold private treaty off the ranch!

Our 2014 heifer promotion has been continued into 2015, check website for details!

www.nerbasbrosangus.com

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

aaMore650yMore ears serForvice onayears yge-our buDl ievelnveservi stmeontpedcebulonals65sol0your Foradge-Dtoevebullsatopedibslufil isensodlvestment to satisfied sd matoter-ndealatAngrass-based customermaternal s toin-dadite acratos eCanveradaAngus isndaticatielivterysa,til tgeneti y, cs etics aaPredcusticPredi table goramers -bacsetabl geus gacrenetiocsss Canada e! bull supplier plier aa65 yviea65rsi&li3trdyyears g,eandnerationvalpu&reburee!3rd d bul supgenerati lier vir lity,oandnvalupurebred ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 19, 2015

9th Annual 9th Annual Two Year Old Two Year Old Angus & Red Angus Angus & RedBull Angus Bull Sale Sale

February February 12th,12th, 2015 2015

JANUARY2:00 2015 pm Stettler 2:00Auction pm Stettler Auction Mart Mart Stettler, AB Stettler, AB

9th Annual 9th Annual 9th Annual “Foraged-Developed” “Foraged-Developed” Two Year Old9th Annual Year Old AngusAngus & Red & Angus Bull SaleBull Angus & Red Angus RedTwo Bull Angus Sale Sale

Angus & Red Angus Bull Sale February 12th, th2015 th February 12th, 2015 2:00 pm Stettler Auction Mart 2:00 pm Auction Mart Stettler 2:00 pm Auction Stettler Auction Mart Mart Stettler, ABStettler 9th AnnualStettler, AB Stettler , AB Stettler, AB 9th Annual “Foraged-Developed” “Foraged-Developed” Angus & RedAngus Angus&Bull Sale Bull Sale Red Angus

February February 12 ,122015 , 2015 2:00 pm

pmancattle. www.www.chapm chapmancact lome.com th February 12 , 2015 February 12th, 2015

2:00 pm Stettler Mart 2:00Auction pm Stettler Auction Mart Stettler, AB Stettler, AB

CHAPMAN MEMENTO CHAPMAN MEMENTO 0513X 0513X pictured as a pictured frame asMEMENTO a frame 5, 2,346 5, 2,346 lb,lb, CHAPMAN MEMENTO CHAPMAN 0513X 0513X CHAPMAN MEMENTO 0513X pictured as a frame pictured as5, a frame 2,346 5, sire 2,346 lb, lb, sold four-year-old four-year-old herd sire herd who who sold pictured as a frame 5, 2,346 lb, four-year-old herd four-year-old sire herd who sire who sold sold through our 2012 through our bull 2012 bull sale sale to to a a four-year-old herd sire who sold through our 2012 through bull our 2012 sale bull sale to to a a progressive commercial progressive commercial outfit.... outfit.... through our 2012outfit.... bull sale to a progressive commercial progressive commercial outfit.... 100% “Forage-Developed” 100% “Forage-Developed” progressive commercial outfit... CHAPMAN MEMENTO 0513X 100% “Forage-Developed” 100% “Forage-Developed”

741-2099 • ShaneSilas CCastl hapman (e403()37406)1-2Silas 09 741-7485 • ShaneChapman Castle (306) 741-7485 (403) 741-2 pictured asMEMENTO a frame 5, 2,346 lb, CHAPMAN 0513X “Forage-Developed” CHAPMAN 100% MEMENTO 0513X pictured as a frame 5, sire 2,346 lb, sold four-year-old herd who pictured asMEMENTO a frame 5, 2,346 lb, CHAPMAN 0513X four-year-old herd sirebull whosale sold through our 2012 to a pictured as a frame 5, sire 2,346 lb, sold four-year-old herd who through our 2012 bull sale to a progressive commercial outfit.... four-year-old herd sire whosale sold through our 2012 bull to a progressive commercial outfit.... 100% “Forage-Developed” through our 2012 bull sale“Forage-Developed” to a progressive commercial outfit.... 100% progressive commercial outfit.... 100% “Forage-Developed” 100% “Forage-Developed”

a a a Developed 85% Developed predominantly bulls sold on grasspredominantly and to hay repeat customers a 85% bulls soldon toannually repeat grass customers annually and hay a a a Sound, Environmentally Sound, athletic bulls that athletic gain weight breeding sorted bulls to a be that Environmentally the gain right sorted kind weight to be the of right bulls kindbreeding of bulls forfor most commercial cattle most commercial cattle more operations a a Highly Highly fertile bulls - willfertile settle more cows bullsoperations - will settle cows a on grass and hay a 85% soldbulls to repeat annually a a a More 650 years More service Forage-Developed onDeveloped years your bullpredominantly investment service bulls on a 650sold your Forage-Developed tobulls bull satisfied investment soldcustomers to satisfied a Sound, athletic bulls that gain weight breeding a Environmentally sorted to be the right kind of bulls for a Predictable Predictable grass-based maternal Angus grass-based genetics maternal Angus genetics customers to-date across Canada customers to-date indicate across Canada versatility, indicate versatility, aa Developed predominantly on grass and hay a 85% bulls sold to repeat a Highly fertile bulls - will settle more cows mostcustomers commercialannually cattle operations a 65 years 65 & 3rd years generation purebred &breeding 3rd bull supplier generation purebred bull supplier virility, and value! virility, and aa Sound, athletic bulls that gain weight a Environmentally sorted to be the right kind bulls of bulls a More years service on your bull investment avalue! 650 Forage-Developed soldfor to satisfied

er: Don Raffan (250) 558-6789 Auctione r: Don Raf an (250) 5 8-6789 Auctioneer: Do

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plier

pma www.chapmancattle.com n w ca w t tw. le.c co h m apm mostgenetics commercial cattle operations a Highly fertile bulls - willasettle more cows customers to-date across Canada indicate versatility, Predictable grass-based maternal Angus a More years service on a your investment a bull 650supplier Forage-Developed bullsand sold to satisfied 65bull years & 3rd generation purebred virility, value! customers to-date across Canada indicate versatility, a Predictable grass-based maternal Angus genetics virility, and value! a 65 years & 3rd generation purebred bull supplier

741-2099

•

www.chapmancattle.com

Shane Castle 741-7485 Silas Chapman (403)(306) 741-2099 Silas • ShaneChapman Castle (306) 741-7485 (403) 741-2

www.chapmancattle.com

er: Don Raffan (250) 558-6789 Auctioneer: Don(403) Raffan (250)• 558-6789 Auctioneer: Do Silas Chapman 741-2099 Shane Castle (306) 741-7485 Auctioneer: Don Raffan (250) 558-6789

Silas Chapman (403) 741-2099 • Shane Castle (306) 741-7485 Auctioneer: Don Raffan (250) 558-6789 Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

JANUARY 2015

Quality affordable ranch raised Bulls For ranchers

Mon. March 16, 2015 Foothills auctioneers Inc. Stavely, aB

Gloria Blades Nanton AB 403-646-2101

If you are interested in Genomics we genotype tested 70 bull calves for the most important traits in beef production resulting in Leptin - Feed Efficiency 58% homozygous TT 42% CT PMCH Tenderness & Marbling 82% AA 18% AT Catalogue Online After Feb 20th

www.foothillsauctioneers.com

DON’T MISS OUT ON OUR NEXT ISSUE OF THE

MARCH ISSUE

Deadline: Feb. 9, 2015

Stewart Cattle Co. & Guests

7th Annual Black Angus Bull Sale 50 Black Angus Bulls & Simmental x Angus Bulls

FEBRUARY 26 / 2015 1:00pm NEEPAWA AG-PLEX

Phone or email for catalogue: stewartcows@wificountry.ca Sale catalogue & video will be available from consignors or online @

www.stewartcattle.com

FREE BOARD on all bull purchases until April 1, 2015 Stewart Cattle Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204.773.6392 DJ Cattle Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204.841.3880 Legaarden Livestock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204.546.3052

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

“Where the serious bull buyers are looking”

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 19, 2015

JANUARY 2015

Year Old

Black Angus Bull Sale

FEBRUARY 12, 2015

FORT MACLEOD AUCTION FEATURING:

Rugged Rising Two Year Olds! Summer grazed on grass from April 26 to October 15 for development of their future. Many 1�/2and 3�/4 brothers. Bred & Owned STACEY & MICHEL STAUFFER & FAMILY Contact Us For A Catalogue

Box 2377, Pincher Creek, AB T0K 1W0

sranches@telus.net Office: 403-627-2190 Stacey’s Cell: 403-627-8229

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

JANUARY 2015

BUY ALL THE BULL

Y U B N A C Y OU

MARCH 28 , 2015

INVEST IN MANITOBA SIMMENTAL BULL POWER NOW AND CASH IN FOR YEARS TO COME

Lunch 12 Noon - 1 PM at the farm, Swan River MB

50 TWO YEAR OLD & YEARLING RED AND BLACK ANGUS BULLS

February 13 M&J Farms Simmental and Angus Bull Sale Russell, MB February 16 Rendezvous Farms Bull & Female Sale Ste. Rose du Lac, MB February 22 Bonchuk Farms Bull Sale Virden, MB March 11 Mar Mac Farms & Guests Simmental & Angus Bull Sale Brandon, MB March 15 Rebels of the West Bull Sale Virden, MB

Bulls Sired by:

March 16 Genetic Source Simmental Bull Sale Brandon, MB

Anderson’s Next Generation 20U Anderson’s Who’s Next 39S Brookmore Upward 116Y Kembar Kodiak 10Y Crescent Creek Pacesetter 128Z Red McRaes Mohican 40X Red D Bar Dynamo 67Y

March 17 Prairie Partners Bull Sale Killarney, MB March 18 Premium Beef Bull Sale Neepawa, MB March 20 Family Tradition Bull Sale Dropmore, MB March 23 Maple Lake Stock Farm Bull Sale Grand Clairiere, MB March 24 WLB Livestock 11th Simmental & Hereford Bull Sale Douglas, MB April 9 Transcon’s Winnipeg Bull Sale Winnipeg, MB April 11 Transcon’s Cattle Country Sale Neepawa, MB For Catalogues and more information please visit our website

Bruce: (204) 734-2073 Shane Castle (306) 741-7485 Ryan Hurlburt (306) 292-9812

www.mbsimmental.com Manitoba’s Breeders Are Among the Best In The Business

Manitoba Simmental Association Box 142, Cartwright, MB R0K 0L0

www.andersoncattle.ca

President, Everett Olson (204) 826-2643 Secretary/Treasurer, Donalee Jones (204) 529-2444

Selling Two Year old 20 red & Black Polled limouSin BullS 60 red & Black anguS BullS GReat SeleCtion of low BiRth weiGht, CalvinG eaSe BullS and peRfoRManCe GenetiCS with hiGh MateRnal tRaitS Box 85, Simpson, SK S0G 4M0 Rob Garner: 306-836-2035 C: 306-946-7946 nordallimousin@sasktel.net

view the catalogue online at www.nordallimousin.com Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 19, 2015

JANUARY 2015

Annual Bull Sale Thursday, February 19, 2015 on the Ranch Russell, Manitoba

50 Two Year

Old Red & Black Simmental & Angus Bulls Also Selling Purebred & Commercial Females

Sale Managed By:

306-933-4200

Miles, Bonnie & Jared Glasman Box 1179, Russell, MB R0J 1W0 Home: 204.773.3279 Miles’ Cell: 204.773.6275 Jared’s Cell: 204.796.0999

www.mjsimmentalangus.com

Matthew & Leanne Glasman Box 1467, Russell, MB R0J 1W0 Home: 204.773.3209 Matt’s Cell: 204.773.6055

www.glasmanfarms.com

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Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

JANUARY 2015

FEATURING 50 BULLS TOTAL ON OFFER 20 COMING 2 YR OLDS

3rd Annual

February 17 2015 AUCTIONEER:

DON RAFFAN 250-558-6789 587-728-1004

SALE STAFF:

FOOTHILLS AUCTIONEERS INC

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • JANUARY 19, 2015

JANUARY 2015

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide

JANUARY 19, 2015 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA

JANUARY 2015

Your Next Bull

.ca

Performance you Can Trust Canadian Hereford Association • 5160 Skyline Way NE, Calgary, AB T2E 6V1 • 1-888-836-7242 • herefords@hereford.ca

Western Canada’s Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide