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Volume 41, Number 12 | JUNE 9, 2015

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PRACTICAL PRODUCTION TIPS FOR THE PRAIRIE FARMER

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HERBICIDE-RESISTANT WEEDS CHANGING FARM PRACTICES Resistant weeds are driving U.S. farmers to actions like manual weeding By Lisa Guenther

glyphosate resistance. Scott said the difference between resistant and susceptible horseweed was like the difference between a Roundup Ready crop and a regular crop. Horseweed seeds are wind-borne, so resistant plants spread rapidly across the state. Scott said the weed also started emerging later in the spring. “So we were selecting for a biotype of this weed that was not only resistant to Roundup, but was emerging after the dicamba went out, after the burndown went out, and coming up in the Roundup Ready crop.” Other glyphosate-resistant weeds — common and giant ragweed, Johnsongrass — followed. Scott said

the state was averaging a new glyphosate-resistant weed every year and a half to two years. “We were throwing something in the tank. We were adding a burn-down. But we really hadn’t made a lot of wholesale changes in the way we farm,” said Scott.

The first signs of resistance In 2006, a farmer reported a Palmer pigweed patch that he’d sprayed several times with glyphosate. “So we came out and sampled some seeds, took them to the greenhouse, and had one of those ‘Oh, crap,’ moments,”

» continued on page 4

photo: laura rance

rkansas has been ground zero for herbicide-resistant weeds. For instance, the state is second only to Australia in the amount of herbicide-resistant ryegrass in wheat. “We’re actually running out of herbicides, making it difficult for us to even grow wheat in Arkansas, because of the levels of resistance that we have,” said Dr. Bob Scott. The state has had a large helping of resistance problems in other crops as well. Scott shared Arkansas’ herbicideresistance history with farmers gathered in North Battleford for Cavalier

Agrow’s farm forum. Scott, a weed scientist, works in extension through the University of Arkansas. By the 1990s, Arkansas farmers were already battling weeds that were immune to DNA herbicides. Farmers were also facing other problem weeds such as ALSresistant cockleburs. “In 1999, Roundup came along and rescued us,” said Scott. Farmers rapidly adopted glyphosate, and everything seemed great, he said. “But what we didn’t know at the time was that we were putting an astronomical amount of selection pressure on Roundup as a herbicide,” he said. Horseweed was the first to develop

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In This Issue

Wheat & Chaff .................. 2 Features . ........................... 5 Crop Advisor’s Casebook . 8 Columns ............................ 10 Machinery & Shop............. 14 Cattleman’s Corner .......... 20

ESN simplifies seeding lee hart page 5

New JD round balers

scott garvey page 19

FarmLife ............................ 39

/ grainews.ca JUNE 9, 2015

Wheat & Chaff STAMPEDE

BY JERRY PALEN Leeann Minogue

“You know that was your best work shirt!”

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n past issues, I’ve written about several different farm groups — levy collecting commodity groups, national groups where farmers work with industry reps to advocate for specific commodities and general farm groups where leaders speak for all types of farmers. Last month, I wrote about the Western Canadian Wheat Growers, who represent farmers on the right side of the political spectrum. This month, let’s turn to the right and take a look at the National Farmers Union. The NFU, its website says, “works toward the development of economic and social policies that will maintain the family farm as the primary food-producing unit in Canada.” Many people probably think of the NFU in conjunction with the Canadian Wheat Board, and remember watching NFU leaders standing on the left side of farm debate stages, opposing the demise of the single sales desk. Now that most of the questions about the end of the CWB have been answered, what is next for the NFU? To answer that question, I talked to NFU president Jan Slomp. Jan and his partner Marian are dairy farmers. They moved to Alberta from the Netherlands in 1989; now they’re setting up a farm on Vancouver Island. Slomp told me that the NFU is still adding its voice to many different policy files, and one of the most important of these is grain transportation. (For the record, you might remember that the Western Canadian Wheat Growers’ executive director Blair Rutter gave me almost the exact same answer to that question last month. Farmers,

Speaking of numbers After we published last month’s Editor’s Column about the Western Canadian Wheat Growers, former WCWG chair, Davidson farmer Gerrid Gust got in touch. While I had stated that they have 150 members, Gerrid said they actually have 450. “One hundred and fifty of them are very active,” he said. “They call the office all the time.” Thanks for calling, Gerrid. Gerrid didn’t have a lot of time to talk — the weekend he called he was also finishing seeding, returning from a meeting about foreign workers in the ag sector and taking his wife out on date night. No rest for farmers. †

and apparently farm groups, often turn out to be much more similar than different.) The NFU’s transportation focus, Slomp told me, will be to remind farmers, politicians and the public of the railroads’ statutory obligation to move product from the Prairies to port. “Since the loss of the single desk, when we are talking about railroads and creating incentives for railroads to move more grain, I have not heard (federal Minister of Agriculture Gerry) Ritz or anybody else talk about the statutory obligation that is still on the books.” “We can pride ourselves on having all kinds of gadgets to be modern farmers with massive production,” Slomp said, but in reality, “the signals are felt at the ports.” The railways are vital infrastructure connecting our farms to the world. “If that vital infrastructure is owned by one or two companies,” Slomp said, “we have a problem.” Slomp sees transportation to export markets as a historical problem for Prairie farmers. “We are mountain ranges away from the world market. That has not changed.” To get our grain to market, he said, “We can have all kinds of ideas of free enterprise, but if we have a bottleneck, free enterprise cannot offer a solution.” Where there is a lack of competition, Slomp says, “logistical problems can only be solved by regulation. Therefore you need regulation and you need a single desk that co-ordinates it.” Slomp would also like to see a full costing review. “Let’s not forget how many short line railways have been taken out of commission,” he said. “That is an efficiency gain at the expense of farmers that the railways are capitalizing.”

The voice of the NFU Anyone can join the NFU. Just visit its website at nfu.ca. A family NFU membership costs $195 per year. Youth can join for $98. “Associate members,” non-farmers who want to take part, can join for $65. If you really want to learn about the NFU, Slomp will tell you to register for its November convention in London, Ontario. “I will warn you in advance,” he said. “You may like it so much you may never want to miss a convention again.” (This is what happened to him — Slomp hasn’t missed a convention since he first found out about the NFU.) Slomp wasn’t interested in giving me a number when I asked how many NFU members there are. “We have thousands of members,” was all he would say. “I can assure you it is thousands.” It does have a big tent — the NFU represents organic farmers and conventional farmers, large farmers and small farmers, grain farmers and livestock producers. Slomp said the NFU’s revenue comes “strictly from membership,” and told me that the organization has no revenue to speak of from advertising.

Slomp is a bit sensitive to this sort of question. “We have been hurt tremendously in the last 15 years by media always labelling us as extreme, as left wing, as out of touch,” he told me. “Most publications, your own included, are run on revenue from advertising. We are not necessarily nice for the big companies that buy the advertising. There is a vendetta against us.” He also believes the NFU has been incorrectly labelled by the federal government. “Ritz labels the NFU as farmers from downtown Toronto and downtown Montreal,” he said. “Our membership is rooted on the Prairies in every region of the country.” While the NFU used to play a more vital part in federal policy decisions, Slomp feels the NFU (and other ag groups), are now less welcome to be involved in policy decisions. “The last decade and a half, we are not welcome at the table. That’s why we have these big shocks and problems like grain transportation and the loss of the single desk.”

All the voices I asked Jan Slomp how the NFU feels about the advent of new commodity organizations across the Prairies. He doesn’t see these groups as a negative, and thinks there is room for all types of associations. “We need commodity organizations on one side and general farm organizations on the other,” he said. “We cannot expect a commodity organization to be in tune with what is important on all aspects of farming. That’s where you need a general organization.” While he sees that they’re performing a useful service, Slomp is concerned that the commodity groups have access to stable funding from farmer levies while general farm groups have the more difficult task of persuading and reminding farmers to take out voluntary memberships each year. Slomp has a suggestion that would bring more members to all struggling general farm groups. “Fuel rebates should only be given if you belong to one of those organizations.” Slomp doesn’t want to tell you which one to pick: the Western Canadian Wheat Growers, the Keystone Agricultural Producers if you live in Manitoba, another group, or the NFU. Just lend your voice to the discussion. “Plurality is a wonderful thing,” he said. “There are never too many opinions out there.” Slomp would really like to see more farmers take part in policy discussions. “Farming is a wonderful business, but we have to get out of our ruts and we have to open up to the problems of the bigger world, and be part of the solution.” As for the NFU, Slomp left me with this. “We are real farmers. We all have dirt under our nails when we meet. And actually, all of us make good incomes.” † Leeann

JUNE 9, 2015 grainews.ca /

Wheat & Chaff Farm safety

Smart, savvy and safe farm kids

he value of hard work, a sense of responsibility and pride in a job well done are characteristics that all parents want to nurture in their children. There is nothing more gratifying than seeing your child accomplish great things through hard work and determination. Farm kids are lucky because they see first hand how to accomplish tasks successfully, be stewards of land and livestock and take pride in hard work. However, raising a successful, smart and savvy farm kid doesn’t have to come at the price of their safety. Discussions concerning the issues of farm safety and children often can be controversial and emotionally charged, but there is one point that everybody agrees on — the death of even just one child is a horrific tragedy. It’s important that parents and caregivers understand that children aren’t miniature adults. Even the most advanced eight-year-old is still a child.

And these wonderful young people don’t have the experience, physical strength or understanding to always make the right choices, handle large equipment or be entrusted with complicated farming tasks. Children grow and progress through different stages of physical, mental and emotional development. Physically, children are different than adults. Some children are big for their age, that’s true, but their stamina, strength, and fine motor skills are still developing. Mentally, children don’t always understand consequences of risky behaviour. Even the most mature child doesn’t have the life experience or critical thinking skills to always make the best choices. Emotionally, children haven’t developed the skills to balance impulses against risk or to always know when to ask for help. Take a critical look at your child. Do they always make the best choices? Are they always physically capable of doing mundane tasks? Do they act

impulsively? It’s up to parents and caregivers to establish boundaries and guidelines, not just in everyday life, but also when it comes to farm safety. Risk taking is an important part of growing up. Children who take age-appropriate risks and engage in age-appropriate tasks stand a better chance of growing up into skilled, capable and confident adults. The North American Guidelines for Children’s Agricultural Tasks is an excellent resource that parents and caregivers can use to guide decisions about what kinds of farming tasks are age appropriate. These are guidelines, you know your child best, but remember to take into consideration that parents often overestimate their child. Be critical and be truthful about your child’s ability when determining what tasks are appropriate. Children’s safety on the farm just doesn’t end with assigning appropriate farming tasks. It also depends on their role models and decisions that those adults make regarding safety

on the farm. According to the Canadian Agricultural Injury Reporting, there were 248 agricultural fatalities among children and youth in Canada under 15 years of age. Although 71 per cent of the agricultural fatalities among children were work related, in eight out of 10 cases, the victim was not actually doing the work. These young victims were killed by someone else who was engaged in agricultural work. What can we do to prevent these untimely deaths? First, we have to rethink “tradition.” Farmers are often on the forefront of new and exciting ideas, after all, it was farmers who championed minimal tillage and moved away from the traditional black dirt of summerfallow. The same kind of thinking needs to be applied to safety on the farm. It might be “tradition” to allow extra riders on the farm equipment. And it might be “tradition” to have children around farm machinery, but that doesn’t mean it has to be this way. Build new traditions. Talk

Agronomy tips… from the field

Does it pay to spray fungicide for blackleg?

hen you’re looking to guard your canola against blackleg, does it pay to spray a fungicide? The short answer is yes — especially if you’re running a tight canola-wheat rotation. Short rotations put you at the highest risk of developing a blackleg infection, since the fungus can overwinter on diseased canola stubble year over year and then infect your crop on a wider scale. The Canola Council of Canada recommends a one-in-three or a one-in-four canola rotation, which gives the infected canola stubble time to break down. In addition to longer rotations, a successful blackleg management system involves using resistant varieties, seed treatments — and foliar fungicides.

about the farm equipment, teach children how they work, show them the proper safety gear, explore your farm together in a safe and controlled way. Keeping children safe doesn’t mean that they can’t be involved in the farm. Instead, it means that your children will be around to be the next generation of farmers, who will in turn carry on the tradition of a successful farming operation. Our children are our greatest accomplishment and joy. Let them learn, run, jump, play and work. But let’s make sure they do it at acceptable risk levels. Take the time to understand the risks farm children face and how to nurture our future farmers in a healthy and safe way. For more information about children on the farm, please visit casa-acsa.ca. For more information about the North American Guidelines for Children’s Agricultural Tasks, please visit nagcat.org. † Canadian Agricultural Safety Association, www.casa-acsa.ca.

Weather Lore You might be from the Prairies if...

By Carson Demmans and Jason Sylvestre

By using a fungicide, you can protect from blackleg infection that may already be present, and help prevent new infection from spreading as you move forward. Your application timing window is going to be at the two-to six-leaf stages. Though, you’re going to see the best bang for your buck at the two-to fourleaf stages. Spraying during these stages will help you protect against early-season blackleg infection that has the best chance of reducing yield and damaging your crop. Also, make sure to control brassica weeds (like stinkweed) or canola volunteers that act as hosts for blackleg. † This agronomy tip is brought to you by Christine Spasoff, agronomic service representative, Alberta North, with Syngenta Canada Inc.

FUNGI FORECASTERS

ushrooms and toadstools are fungi and not true plants, but they are canny wee weather watchers.

If a toadstool greets you ‘ere morning’s flight Look for rain before the night. Mushrooms and toadstools need a fairly moist environment and thrive in the relative humidity that precedes a summer rain. If you find them appearing all over your yard don’t be surprised if the rains follow soon.

Mushrooms popping up in the grass, Rain will surely come to pass.

You still own a “Saskatoon Blues” Jersey.

Photo contest

GIVE US YOUR BEST SHOT Jon Copeland emailed us this photo. Jon wrote, “I was spraying down by Glamis Lake, 10 km north of Elrose, Sask., when I came around a corner and was surprised by a large moose! She stood up and from underneath her came running a day-or-two-old baby moose that was clearly only learning to walk, as his stance and walk were weak and wobbly. He was small enough to run out from under his mom to meet me, but then he was startled by my sprayer. He fell over, got up and ran back under his mom. I quickly stopped to take a picture but as I got my camera ready they made their way into the lake where the poor little guy could barely swim and his mom at times would have to keep him afloat. I noticed the guy struggling so I quickly took the picture and carried on with spraying. It was one of the cutest things I’ve seen while farming.” Thanks so much for sharing this picture and story Jon! We’re sending you a cheque for $25. Send your best shot to leeann.minogue@fbcpublishing.com. Please send only one or two photos at a time and include your name and address, the names of anyone in the photo, where the photo was taken and a bit about what was going on that day. A little write-up about your farm is welcome, too. Please ensure that images are of high resolution (1 MB is preferred), and if the image includes a person, we need to be able to see their face clearly. Leeann

Shirley Byers’ book, Never Sell Your Hen on a Rainy Day, explores over 100 weather rhymes and sayings. It is available from McNally Robinson at: www.mcnallyrobinson.com.

/ grainews.ca JUNE 9, 2015

Cover Stories Tip of the issue

Supervising summer farm workers

1 6 6 6 D u b l i n Av e n u e , W i n n i p e g , MB R 3 H 0 H 1 w w w. g r a i n e w s . c a PUBLI SHE R

If you’re putting summer students to work on your farm this season, these five survival tips could make it easier for everyone

Lynda Tityk

By Owen Peddie

Ed itor

ummer workers provide much-needed support in a farm’s busy season. But if you have summer students in the fields — family or otherwise — it can be easy to overlook the need to share essential information about your expectations and your operation. Here are some key human resources tips to keep in mind before busy season hits. They could save you some complications down the road.

1. Ridealongs aren’t just for farm kids Seeing is believing. If you’ve hired a worker who doesn’t know your operation as intimately as you do, take the time to familiarize them with the space. Drive through the land that you farm, and be sure to point out what

fields are part of your operation. If your farm covers a large area, or is intersected by neighbours’ fields, consider providing a map for new workers. When busy season comes, you’ll want to ensure everyone has a clear idea of which fields need attention, and how to find them.

2. Explain ‘whY’ and ‘what’ Some farm jobs can be time consuming and tedious — but it is essential they are done the right way. Whether you’re cleaning bins, or moving grain, workers will take more satisfaction in accomplishing a task if they understand the reason behind it. Take the time to communicate to summer workers why a job needs to be done a certain way to eliminate the temptation to take shortcuts.

3. Know the rules, and follow them Does your summer staffer have a driver’s licence that qualifies him or her to drive equipment with air brakes? Even if equipment is travelling a short distance between fields, a valid license is required if it’s using or crossing public roadways. Respect those requirements and save yourself a lot of grief at a critical time, should an accident occur.

4. Ensure young workers are alert Even the hardest-working summer students need downtime. Be realistic about whether they are prepared to work a 10or 12-hour day after an evening out, during an extremely hot day or consecutive long days.

And whether workers are well rested or not, beware the midafternoon slump. A swathing wheel, for example, can be hypnotic, particularly around 2 p.m. Encourage workers to get out frequently for short rests and walkarounds.

Associate Publisher/ Editorial director

John Morriss

Leeann Minogue fiel d Edito r

Lisa Guenther Cattleman’s Corner Editor

Lee Hart Farml ife Editor

Sue Armstrong Machinery EDITOR

5. Review safety procedures Often Have discussions ahead of time about safety procedures and emergency situations, and ensure your workers know what to do. What’s the plan if they spot a tornado? Do your summer staffers know where fire extinguishers are located in each cab, and how to use them? Be clear about your expectations and your plans for a safe, productive season. † Owen Peddie, human resources business partner, DuPont.

Scott Garvey Produ ction Di re cto r

Shawna Gibson De signe r

Steven Cote MARK ETING/CIRCUL ATION Directo r

Lynda Tityk

Circ ul ation man ag er

Heather Anderson president

Glacier farmmedia

Bob Willcox H e ad O f f i c e 1666 Dublin Avenue, Winnipeg, Man. R3H 0H1 Phone: (204) 944-5568 Fax: (204) 944-5562 Sal e s Di re cto r

Cory Bourdeaud’hui Phone: (204) 954-1414 Fax: (204) 944-5562 Email: cory@fbcpublishing.com

Crop protection » CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

HERBICIDE-RESISTANT WEEDS CHANGING FARM PRACTICES said Scott. They’d found their first resistant pigweed population. Palmer pigweed is a particularly vexing plant to deal with. If the weather cools after the pigweed emerges, it will only grow four or five inches before putting on a seed head, Scott said. But under ideal conditions, it will grow taller than a man. During one study, one pigweed plant produced over 1.8 million seeds, Scott said. If the weed emerges in a favourable spot, Palmer pigweed will produce plenty of seed and little pollen. The seeds will fall in that spot, Scott explained. But if the weed is under stress when it comes up, due to the location, it will embrace its masculine side, producing more pollen “so that its genes can be carried off to another spot. Pretty unique evolutionary adaptation for a weed,” said Scott. Palmer pigweed also readily hybridizes, crossing with other pigweeds and waterhemp, Scott said. “These pigweeds have no morals whatsoever.” Between 2006 and 2011, glyphosate-resistant Palmer pigweed had spread to most soybean-growing counties in Arkansas. Scott said it spread through pollen, to some extent, but he thinks the main culprit was farm equipment.

Manual weeding The rise of glyphosate-resistant weeds brought a host of problems to Arkansas farms. Resistant horseweed pushed farmers to apply more dicamba.

The herbicide was applied in every cotton field and many soybean fields, adding considerable production costs, Scott said. Dicamba also has long plant-back intervals, Scott added. Glyphosate-resistant weeds proved to be a huge problem for cotton growers. The crop has to be grown in wide rows, making weed control very difficult, Scott explained. “We saw the reintroduction of hoe-crews in fields where we had not seen them ever before,” he said, adding the cost was “unsustainable.” Scott related the case of one farmer who had a severe pigweed problem. Scott visited the farm when glyphosate-resistant pigweed started popping up in combine passes. He suggested switching to Liberty Link. But other advisers talked the farmer out of it, Scott said. Instead, they suggested tank mixes for the next crop. “The herbicides they chose to use to try to stay in Roundup, this pigweed happened to already be resistant to,” said Scott. They applied the mix a couple of times, to no avail. The pigweed overtook the crop. There were field areas where the farmer couldn’t run the combine, and Scott said he lost $230 per acre in those spots. The next year, Scott ran a demonstration plot in that field, with a residual program. They were able to control the pigweed, said Scott. Scott said cotton and soybean growers had to change the way they farmed. “Pigweed did not care how that guy wanted to farm. It didn’t care if he wanted to get one more year out of Roundup or not. It forced our hand, big time.” Farmers are back to using residual herbicides, he said. They also rely

on Group 14 chemistry, he added, although Group 14 resistance has been documented in other states.

Lessons learned Scott read through a list of glyphosate-resistant weeds in Western Canada, noting farmers here have some problems, too. He suggested growers look at herbicide use and production history on their own farms now, even if they don’t have big problems yet. “Maybe making a simple change now will prevent all of this kind of stuff from happening to you guys up here like it did to us in Arkansas.” Farmers should pay attention to weeds that survive herbicide applications, Scott said. “Act on them while you can because prevention is a lot better than the cure in some cases.” Running the combine through a resistant weed patch seeds the entire field for the next year, he added. Adding a second chemical to glyphosate will only give farmers one mode of action if they already have glyphosate-resistant weeds, Scott said. Farmers should also remember that there’s “no reverse selection pressure” for weed resistance, he said. Weeds will remain resistant in the years to come. Scott has a research plot with pigweed that is resistant to three modes of action. Two were selected for in the ’80s and ’90s, he said. Scott rarely recommends a single mode of action these days. Even with the Liberty Link system, he suggests residuals to get multiple modes of action. Farmers can get up to four modes of action out of that system, none of which have widespread resistance, he said. While the Liberty Link system

has helped Arkansas farmers, Scott said it’s being abused, too. For example, some people are spraying too late. A 12-day difference in application can mean the difference between 75 per cent and 100 per cent control, he said. Three or four years of residuals and concerted efforts to cut the seed bank make a big difference when it comes to knocking down pigweed on a farm, he said. Controlling glyphosate-resistant pigweed has forced farmers to manage other resistant weeds, too, and they haven’t been finding new resistant weeds lately, he said. Scott sees crops that can tolerate several modes of action in the future. He’s had an early look at Monsanto’s Roundup Ready Xtend system, which includes glyphosate and dicamba. Scott said it’s very good technology. It even cleaned up his resistant pigweed patch. But, he added, it “scares the living fire out of me.” The system only has one mode of action for glyphosate-resistant pigweed. He does, however, see a fit for Xtend in a resistance management program that has other modes of action. Asked whether he’s concerned about volunteers that are resistant to multiple modes of action, Scott said so far they’ve been able to control volunteers with different herbicides. “When we do start stacking these traits, that won’t be the case. And that is a really big concern,” he said. But BASF has decided not to with ALS tolerance, he said, so that farmers can control volunteers. “So I actually hope that between Dow and Monsanto, they’ll leave one trait out so that the other can be controlled.” † Lisa Guenther is field editor for Grainews based at Livelong, Sask. Contact her at Lisa.Guenther@ fbcpublishing.com or on Twitter @LtoG.

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The editors and journalists who write, contribute and provide opinions to Grainews and Farm Business Communications attempt to provide accurate and useful opinions, information and analysis. However, the editors, journalists and Grainews and Farm Business Communications, cannot and do not guarantee the accuracy of the information contained in this publication and the editors as well as Grainews 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.

JUNE 9, 2015 grainews.ca /

Features

Crop nutrition

ESN help keeps single shoot drill out in the field longer Fertilizer technology allows farmers to make one pass, putting all the nitrogen in the seed row at once, and also realizing higher protein values By Lee Hart

ale Wyatt hasn’t become a wholesale convert to ESN fertilizer on his southern Alberta farm, but so far it has allowed him to continue a one-pass direct seeding operation with cereals with his existing single shoot drill, and the controlled release fertilizer has definitely bumped up the protein level in spring wheat. Wyatt, who along with his wife Jennie and son Wade crops about 3,000 acres of grains, canola and pulse crops near Mossleigh, southeast of Calgary, says before he began using ESN fertilizer about four years ago, he was making two passes to get enough fertilizer applied without seedling injury. Another more costly option was to change the air seeder to a model with some type of fertilizer banding system. ESN is a polymer-coated urea that releases nitrogen to the crop over the growing season. “With my single shoot drill with two-inch openers I just couldn’t put down enough fertilizer at time of seeding without damaging the crop,” says Wyatt. From a gradual start, the past couple years he has been using a blend of 50 per cent ESN and 50 per cent urea, along with 10 pounds of sulphur and 25 pounds of phosphorus that’s all applied with wheat and oat seed at the time of planting. The blend is put together by his local fertilizer supplier. For his cereals he’s targeting about 80 pounds of actual N, made up of half urea and half ESN. With wheat, for example, that’s about 320 pounds of product per acre he’s putting into the narrow seed row — 220 pounds of all fertilizer and 100 pounds of seed.

at seeding and harvest. Dale produces canola, barley, wheat and oats, while Wade also grows peas and Durum. Wade has also seen a protein increase in durum using the ESN/urea blend. With a mixed farming operation that also includes a 200 head commercial cow-calf operation, the senior Wyatt also uses the ESN/urea fertilizer blend on oats, which are produced mainly for greenfeed. He hasn’t checked for a protein increase in the oats,

but he has observed improved regrowth on oats after the crop is baled. “We’re seeing quite a bit more regrowth on the oats after the greenfeed has been harvested and that makes good fall pasture for the cows,” says Wyatt. “There was always some regrowth, but since I started using ESN in the blend it is considerably more. The oats are obviously getting another shot of nitrogen from the ESN later in the season.”

While the 50/50 ESN/urea blend has had not adverse affect on wheat and oats, Wyatt is still a bit leery about using that fertility rate in a narrow seed row with canola. Being a much smaller seed, he’s concerned there might be seedling injury, and didn’t want to risk an expensive lesson. “I’d really like someone else to try it first,” he says. At the same time, he’s also thinking of doing a trial with a few acres this year just to see what happens.

Good solid product It may not be the best marketing line, but Ray Dowbenko, senior agronomist with Agrium — the developers and manufacturers of ESN — says the “good news” story with ESN is that there is nothing new. “We did our first research with ESN in 1997 and then launched the product in Canada in 2006,”

» continued on next page

Higher protein “It’s allowed me to keep using the equipment I had, and seed the cereals with a one-pass operation,” says Wyatt. Another real benefit has been a consistent bump in wheat protein levels. With his own on-farm trials, comparing wheat grown with the ESN/urea blend to wheat fertilized with spring-applied anhydrous ammonia and urea he saw a 1.5 per cent protein increase in the ESN/urea treated crop. Last year (fall of 2014) his wheat ranged from 14.2 to 14.7 per cent protein, compared to reports from other area farms where protein was about 12.5 per cent. “I haven’t necessarily measured a yield increase but the protein has definitely been higher,” says Wyatt. “It may not happen every year, but so far it has been higher.” He says the market pays a premium for each tenth of a per cent increase in protein. “With that higher protein if you can get $1 more per bushel on a 40 bushel crop that’s certainly worth going for,” he says. Dale and his son each own their own land, but pool their equipment and labour primarily

WE’RE GROWING WITH AGRICULTURE. In this business, people make the difference. Like you, we love what we do and we don’t let much slow us down. That’s how, through crazy weather and economic ups and downs, ATB Financial™ has helped Alberta farmers, ranchers and producers succeed. Our roots are here, and we take heart in the patience and knowledge of people whose hard work sustains the land and promises a solid future for our industry. Backed by knowledgeable professionals, ATB Financial will continue to provide the best products and services to support you and to make Alberta agriculture flourish. ATB Financial is a Founding Member of Ag for Life, a program that delivers educational programming to improve rural and farm safety. Ag for Life also builds a genuine understanding and appreciation of the impact agriculture has on the lives of all Albertans. To learn more about Ag for Life, go to agricultureforlife.ca. Visit ATB Financial at atb.com/agriculture.

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Features » CONTINUED FROM Previous PAGE

HOW ESN WORKS

UREA PARTIALLY DISSOLVED; SOME SOLID UREA REMAINS

UREA COMPLETELY DISSOLVED UREA STILL SOLID

EMPTY ‘CAPSULES’ photos: courtesy agrium

says Dowbenko. “And the reality is that it hasn’t changed. Since 1997 we have looked at it over a wide range of crops, in all types of farming conditions in Canada and the U.S. and in various countries around the world and it performs the same. It is just a very good, solid, consistent product.” ESN is patented polymer-coated urea. It is nitrogen fertilizer with controlled release into the soil depending on moisture and temperature. ESN provides controlled release of nitrogen and is different from other slow-release products known as inhibitors and stabilizers, which also manage the availability of nutrients to the crop. With the polymer-coated urea, ESN releases nitrogen to the crop over a period of time. With stabilizers and inhibitors the fertilizer is there in the soil, but the products alter the soil environment — the activity of soil microbes

— which are involved in the process of making nutrients available to the crop. All these products were developed with generally the same idea, but use different processes. ESN is designed to gradually release nitrogen from the polymer coated urea granule over much of the growing season. When used in a blend with regular urea or other form of nitrogen, the untreated nitrogen can provide nutrient to the plants sooner, with ESN releasing nitrogen over the coming days and weeks.

How it works As the polymer coated urea granules go into the ground, moisture is absorbed in through the polymer coating, that moisture dissolves the nitrogen inside the granule, and then is gradually released through the polymer coating into the soil. The product is designed so about 15 per cent of nitrogen is released within the first 10 days, within about 30 days as much as 40 to 60 per cent of nitrogen has been released, and within 60 days between 85 to 90 per cent of the nitrogen has been released. So for all the nitrogen to be released it’s going to take between 60 and 90 days. The benefit of the controlled release is to protect the nitrogen so it isn’t lost through leaching or into the atmosphere (a process known as volatilization) and to release it during the growing season when the plant most needs it. By protecting the nitrogen so it isn’t lost and then making it available to the plant when most needed, Dowbenko says, research has shown several benefits. First of all you get the full value from the nitrogen. Controlling nitrogen release keeps the nutrient available for the crop, and not weeds. More or all nitrogen can be placed in the seed row without risk of seedling damage — making direct seeding with single shoot seeding systems like Dale Wyatt’s still practical and relevant. With some crops like corn and potatoes, where growers commonly used split fertilizer applications to provide enough nutrients to the crop during the growing season, ESN makes it possible to apply all fertilizer at time of planting. With all nitrogen available to the crop and when needed by the crop, research again shows very consistent increase in protein and crop yield. Dowbenko says field research has shown protein improvements ranging from zero up to 1.5 per cent increase, with a good average range of 0.5 to one per cent. On the yield side, research has shown a very consistent five to eight per cent yield increase in wheat and eight to 10 per cent in canola. And, yes, he says research and farmer experience has shown higher rates of fertilizer with ESN products can be used with canola and cereals with equal confidence. Granted it is a more expensive form of fertilizer averaging in cereals and canola $4 to $6 per acre more than conventional urea, but Dowbenko says the added protein and yield returns more than make up for the added cost. † Lee Hart is a field editor for Grainews in Calgary, Contact him at 403-592-1964 or by email at lee@fbcpublishing.com.

June 9, 2015

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Herbicide resistant wild oats are gaining new ground More than half of prairie cropland affected – growers urged to step up the battle By Sandra Smith

s herbicide resistant wild oats continue to spread across the Prairies — affecting more than 35 million acres according to latest estimates — growers are urged to carefully scrutinize their fields in the weeks ahead to watch for suspicious weeds that escaped their sprayers. “We estimate over half of annually cropped acres on the Prairies are now affected by herbicide resistant wild oats,” says Hugh Beckie, a weed scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Saskatoon. That’s based on weed samples tested at provincial and private labs over the past few years, and previous weed surveys, he says, adding a new round of resistant weed surveys is currently underway in Western Canada.

Up to 30% yield loSSeS “We have no reason to believe wild oat resistance is slowing down. Every year we see more areas affected and greater populations,” says Beckie, noting the weed is costing many growers up to 30 per cent in yield losses each year. Resistant wild oats have been on the rise since the first case was discovered in Manitoba in 1990. Clark Brenzil, Saskatchewan’s provincial weed specialist, says growers typically don’t recognize wild oat resistance until it comprises about 15 to 20 per cent of wild oats in the field. “It’s not particularly visible until then because you’ve got so few escaped plants. It’s easy to dismiss them as sprayer misses, late germinators, or the odd plant that may have been shaded from the herbicide.” Growers need to be vigilant and control stray weeds before they set seed, warns Brenzil. “You can go from a few plants to full blown resistance within three to five years depending on your weed management strategy. Producers need to manage for herbicide resistance long before seeing a single resistant weed in the field — because once they see one or two resistant weeds, it can escalate quickly across their fields.”

repetitive USe of GroUp 1 and 2 fUelS Spread Heavy reliance on Group 1 and 2 herbicides is fuelling the spread of herbicide resistant wild oats, says Beckie. “Growers tend to use Group 1s and 2s until they fail. Repetitive use of a single herbicide group is a recipe for resistance. We have very limited modes of action for managing wild oats and that pool is shrinking as resistance grows.” Diversity is the key to managing wild oats, says Beckie. “We encourage growers to diversify crop rotations and to rotate herbicide groups from year to year, using multiple modes of action to reduce selection pressure.” Available modes of action for wild oats include Group 1, 2, 3, and 8 herbicides, glyphosate, and glufosinate. “Group 1s and 2s are still effective if you don’t have resistance to them yet,” says Beckie. Group 1 resistance is widespread, accounting for most resistant wild oats on the Prairies, with Group 2s responsible for nearly 25 per cent. With no documented case of Group 3 wild oat resistance, and Group 8 triallate resistance relatively low at around 15 per cent, Beckie suggests growers consider adding these soil-applied products to their herbicide rotations.

Soil reSidUal herBicideS recommended “For growers who haven’t encountered resistance to these groups, turning back to soil residual herbicides like Group 8 Avadex and Group 3 trifluralin or ethalfluralin would help diversify wild oat control to reduce selection pressure and wild oat populations,” says Beckie. “It may also allow producers to skip a post-emergent Group 1 or 2 within their rotations to help preserve the longevity of these herbicide groups.” He notes that use of Group 3s and 8s declined with the advent of no-till 40 years ago. Growers historically think of Group 3 or 8 herbicides as being applied to cultivated soil, but research has demonstrated you don’t need aggressive soil incorporation for these products to be effective, says Beckie. “They can work well with conserva-

Like an old friend.

SUBmitted photo

Rick Brown says rotating herbicides with products like Group 8 Avadex is helping him successfully manage Group 1 resistant wild oats on his family’s zero-till operation near Indian Head. tion tillage, either spring or fall applied.” Mike Grenier, Research and Development Manager with Gowan Canada, recommends applying soil residual herbicides in the fall to avoid missing the spring application window when growers are so busy. Gowan manufactures Group 8 Avadex and Fortress, a Group 3 and 8 product, at its new Winnipeg facility built last year to service Western Canada. “Avadex and Fortress granular provide pre-emergent weed control before wild oats start growing. They can be surface applied under zero till followed by a harrow incorporation in late fall or early spring,” explains Grenier. Fortress also provides broadleaf suppression on weeds such as wild buckwheat and kochia. Rick Brown has used Avadex on his family’s zero-till operation near Indian Head, Sask., for more than 20 years. They used it on cultivated land prior to that. “We apply it in mid-October on wheat and canary seed, rotating it with Group 1, 2, and 10 in-crop sprays. We use it on 25 per cent of our cropland each year in addition to fall or spring applied glyphosate.”

Zero till enhanceS GroUp 8 performance Brown says he rarely finds wild oat escapes in his fields, partly because zero till contributes to the effectiveness of Avadex. “In zero till, wild oat seeds become con-

centrated in the top inch of soil because you’re not mixing them deeper, allowing Avadex to get better control.” The few wild oat escapes Brown did find several years ago revealed very low levels of Group 1 resistance. “It hasn’t caused us any problems yet, probably because we’re trying to stay ahead of the game instead of playing catch up,” he says. Diversifying herbicide use is only part of the solution to slowing the spread of resistant wild oats, says Brenzil. Growers also need to embrace non-chemical weed management practices that reduce reliance on herbicides. He points to high seeding rates in cereals for greater weed competition, banding fertilizer close to the seed row to avoid feeding weeds, diversifying planting dates by not always seeding fields in the same order, and adding perennial forage crops to rotations to reduce weed seed banks.

GrowerS are headed in Same direction aS U.K. Ultimately, integrated weed management and using multiple modes of action can slow down resistance and help growers avoid a similar fate as the U.K. and Australia where herbicide-resistant weeds are forcing farmers to stop growing or reduce the acreage of certain cereal crops, or dramatically change cropping practices, says Beckie.

“I don’t want to be alarmist, but we are headed in that direction. Despite wild oat herbicide use in the past 50 years, populations continue to be at high levels. We have very limited modes of action and there’s probably nothing new in the pipeline for at least 10 years,” he warns. Unless more growers adopt better weed management and more diversified herbicide use, “we may reach a point where the loss of profitability causes producers to turn to other types of crops,” says Beckie. “Yield losses to wild oats are already significant, and some Manitoba growers have been forced out of cereals while they clean up their fields. Economics will dictate whether cereals remain an important part of Prairie rotations in the long run.” Nick Myers is an agronomist and Head of Crop Production with ProCam UK Ltd. He provides technical support to help farmers across the U.K. manage herbicide resistant black grass. Myers says U.K. growers have lost more than half of the herbicides previously available to battle black grass. He says that’s largely due to a combination of legislation and herbicide resistance caused by over-reliance on chemical control following a shift to minimum tillage, while ignoring the need for a more integrated weed management approach such as delayed seeding and more diverse crop rotations.

‘don’t Be complacent,’ warnS U.K. aGronomiSt “Our message to Canadian growers is don’t be complacent even if you only have a few resistant weeds in your field,” says Myers. “Jump on the problem before it’s too late, and don’t expect chemistry alone to solve the problem.” Grenier expects herbicide resistant weeds will be a topic of concern on growers’ minds as they attend Canada’s Farm Progress Show and Ag in Motion this summer. “We encourage growers with questions about soil residuals to talk to their local agronomist and to stop by the Gowan booth to find the answers they need before they get busy with harvest and that fall application window sneaks up on them.” Sandra Smith is a journalist at Media Message, a communications firm in Alberta that specializes in agriculture.

Avadex® and Fortress® pre-emergent herbicides have had your back for over five decades with early season weed control and alternative modes of action. The Results? Reduced resistance pressure on Group 1 and 2 herbicides, and minimized early season competition from wild oats.

Dependable. Trustworthy. Order your Avadex and Fortress today.

Avadex® and Fortress® are registered trademarks of Gowan Company. Always read and follow label directions. 1335-1 05.15

/ grainews.ca JUNE 9, 2015

Features

Crop Advisor’s casebook

Solving yellowing spring wheat By Josefine Natterqvist

owards the end of June, I got a call from Henry, who grows 5,600 acres of canola, wheat, barley and peas at his farm in Fairview, Alberta. One of his crops was looking very unhealthy, and he needed help figuring out what was going on. “I have a field where the spring wheat is yellowing and it’s very short. The whole field is yellow but there are some spots that are worse than others,” Henry explained. “I think a disease or a deficiency might be causing this but I’m not sure. I’ve been told by another agronomist it’s a sulphur deficiency.” Henry was considering applying a top dressing of sulphur to the field, but he wanted a second opinion before proceeding. I told him I’d come out right away to have a look. When I arrived at the farm, Henry told me the weather had been favourable that spring but his crops could use some rain. He also informed me the problem field was newly rented and he didn’t know much about its history, other than it had been seeded into wheat and forage grasses the last couple of years. Henry also knew that the previous grower had used nitrogen and sulphur-based fertilizer in his fertility program. We went out to the field, and I could see that the entire wheat crop was an uneven light green colour and that some areas looked worse than others. These patches appeared to be non-uniform in

Josefine Natterqvist is a sales agronomist with Richardson Pioneer Ltd. at Fairview, Alta. size and shape and were situated randomly throughout the field. They contained severely stunted plants that in the lower canopies had chlorotic, yellowing leaves and dead tissue at the leaf tips; some even had yellow spot mottling on their tillers. I couldn’t help but notice there was another spring wheat crop right beside the problem field that looked perfectly fine. There was clear dividing line between the two fields in terms of plant colouration, height and maturity — the crop in the healthy field had a lush, green colour, and the wheat within it was taller and clearly further along in development (even though it had been planted a little later). Initially, I thought herbicide damage might be to blame for the poor state of the plants in the

Henry had a field where the spring wheat was yellowing and very short. The whole field was yellow but some spots were worse than others. problem field, but the fact that the worst looking patches followed no discernable pattern ruled this out. There were some signs of root and/ or foliar disease on some of the wheat, but there was not much and the infected plants didn’t really match up with the discolouration patterns within the field. I had a closer look at the soil in the problem field, and could see it was a sandy loam with very little organic matter. This provided an important clue as to what was behind the ailing wheat plants; I sent some tissue samples in for testing to see if the results would confirm my diagnosis.

Do you think you know what’s going on in Henry’s wheat field? If you do, send your diagnosis to Grainews, Box 9800, Winnipeg, MB R3C 3K7; email leeann. minogue@fbcpublishing.com or fax 204-944-5416 c/o Crop Advisor’s Casebook. The best suggestions will be pooled and one winner will be drawn for a chance to win a Grainews cap and a oneyear subscription to the magazine. The answer, along with the reasoning that solved the mystery, will appear in the next Crop Advisor’s Solution File. † Josefine Natterqvist is a sales agronomist with Richardson Pioneer Ltd. at Fairview, Alta.

Casebook winner

he winner for this issue of Casebook is Walter Gross. Walter is part of Greenwood Farming Co. near Ft. Macleod, Alta. Thanks for entering, Walter, and thanks for reading Casebook! We’re renewing your Grainews subscription for a year and sending you a Grainews cap. † Leeann Minogue

Crop advisor’s solution

Herbicide carryover cause of stunted wheat By Audrey Bamber

ack, who grows 4,000 acres of wheat, canola and peas on his brown soil zone, dry land farm in southeastern Alberta, called me in early July to tell me about a problem he was seeing in one of his wheat fields. The crop looked thin and small and was clearly doing poorly, while right across the road from it was another wheat field where the crop was thriving. Jack was at a loss to explain what was going on, and he asked me to come out to take a look. When I arrived at Jack’s farm, I observed that plants in the problem field were only about 14 inches high and the wheat heads were similarly small at about 1.5 to two inches in length. In addition, I could

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see that affected plants didn’t appear in patches or along spray lines but were present throughout the entire field. There were no signs of disease, and the tissue and soil testing that I had arranged did not indicate a nutrient deficiency that might have explained the difference between the two wheat crops. However, when Jack filled me in on what had been planted the previous year as well as the herbicide history of the two wheat fields, I began to zero in on the root of the problem. The ailing wheat had been planted on pea stubble; the thriving wheat in the other field was on canola stubble. I also learned that Jack had applied an imazethapyr herbicide at a reduced rate on the peas the previous year, but it hadn’t been used at all on the canola. Clearly, the

wheat in the problem field was struggling because of herbicide carryover. It’s always important to follow herbicide labels, and in this case particular attention should have been paid to recommended soil types. Under dry land conditions, imazethapyr is registered only on black and grey wooded soils. While some producers do use imazethapyr at reduced rates on brown soil, it is an off-label use that can result in carry over and re-cropping issues. In addition, imazethapyr can break down slowly, especially on brown and dark brown soil and under conditions of drought, excessive cold or acidic soils. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much that could be done to salvage Jack’s stunted wheat crop, which ended up with a poor

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yield. For the following season, it was decided the best strategy would be to plant peas in the affected field and use a nonresidual herbicide that does not contain imazethapyr. Jack’s farm had other pea fields that had already been sprayed with imazethapyr, but we decided the best cropping plan would be to plant a variety of wheat that was tolerant to imazethapyr the next spring and also use a conventional non-residual herbicide unrelated to imazethapyr. The following year, after he had implemented all the changes, Jack had healthy fields of wheat and peas. † Audrey Bamber is a sales agronomist with Richardson Pioneer Ltd. at Shoal Lake, Man. She was a sales agronomist for the company in Dunmore, Alta., prior to joining the Shoal Lake office.

JUNE 9, 2015 grainews.ca /

Features Crop protection

Hard water hampers weed control To get the most from the herbicides you’re spraying in your field, check your water quality first By Julienne Isaacs

North Dakota State University extension specialist says the performance of some herbicides can be adversely affected by using hard water to prepare spray mixtures. According to Richard Zollinger, there are a variety of water quality issues that can impact herbicide efficacy, including the presence of clay, silt or organic matter in the water. But a key factor in “antagonizing” herbicides is hard water that includes high levels of mineral ion content. “Water hardness is based on the amount of calcium and magnesium in the water,” Zollinger explains. Hardness is expressed as the amount of calcium in the water added to the amount of magnesium present as calcium carbonate equivalent. “The presence of the other minerals would be additive to the hard water value,” he says. “Hard water may contain mostly calcium, magnesium, iron, and potassium. Soft water contains sodium, similar to how a water softener works in homes.” Minerals such as calcium, magnesium potassium, iron and sodium contain cations, or positively charged ions, that bind with herbicides, reducing absorption, which results in less activity from the herbicide.

Zollinger delivered a presentation entitled,a “Weed Control Issues: How Water Quality Can Affect Herbicide Efficacy” at Manitoba Ag Days, held at Brandon, Man. in January. During the presentation, Zollinger showed evidence that much of the water in the Prairie provinces is very hard, showing an up to or greater than 250 milligram per litre (ppm) concentration of hardness as calcium carbonate. Almost all “weak acid” herbicides are antagonized by minerals in hard water, he explained, including glyphosate (Group 9) and Liberty (Group 10), and other “weak acid” herbicides in various chemical groups. Calcium levels of 150 ppm and sodium levels of 300 ppm in spray water are enough to antagonize herbicides. According to an article on water quality and weed control prepared by Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Agriculture, hard water can also reduce the activity of 2,4-D Amine. If the water is hard enough, this herbicide’s effectiveness is severely reduced. Additionally, some Saskatchewan groundwater contains relatively high levels of bicarbonate ions. “Bicarbonate content can be a factor affecting the performance of some herbicides, particularly those in the “dim” group such

as Achieve (tralkoxydim), Poast Ultra (sethoxydim) and Centurion/Select (clethodim) as well as 2,4-D Amine,” explains the article.

Managing hard water There are a few steps you can take to mitigate the impact of hard water on herbicide efficacy. One strategy is to apply the maximum rates of herbicides when hard water is an issue. Also, water volume can be reduced to the minimum required for adequate herbicide coverage. This is effective for glyphosate in particular, due to a higher concentration of glyphosate in spray droplets. Zollinger recommends applying ammonium sulfate (AMS) fertilizer with glyphosate, as it prevents cations in hard water from binding to glyphosate and minimizing its effectiveness. AMS application rates should vary based on water hardness. Most glyphosate labels recommend an application rate of 8.5 to 17 pounds per 100 gallons, but as little as four pounds per 100 gallons may be enough to overcome most salt antagonism. Zollinger’s guideline for dry application rates is 8.5 pounds per 100 gallons, or 0.8 kilograms per acre. AMS can also be purchased in liquid form for easier appli-

cation. One guideline for liquid AMS application rates is 1.6 litres per acre. “This will overcome salts in the water and enhance all weak acid herbicides,” Zollinger says. AMS is not perfect — application requires lots of product, as well as time to let it dissolve in the spray water. In addition, it slows speed of loading and spraying overall, and impurities, as well as low water volume, may plug nozzles. However, Zollinger is convinced that the benefits outweigh the negatives. “AMS has been the cheapest and most effective method to overcome hard water antagonism of herbicides,” he says. “There are liquid water conditioners on the market that contain low amounts of AMS and other substances, but they are more expensive than AMS and some of them are less effective.” Zollinger concluded his presentation with a warning: “Know your water quality.” Growers who suspect they may have water quality issues should send samples for testing. In Saskatchewan, growers can refer to the ALS Environmental L a b o r a t o r y ’s t e s t i n g s e r v i c e s . I n Manitoba, Central Testing Laboratory offers water testing packages. † Julienne Isaacs is a Winnipeg-based freelance writer and editor. Contact her at julienne.isaacs@gmail.com.

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Columns Understanding market bulls and bears

Getting from good to great Farming is a numbers game. Make sure you make the most of the details on your farm Brian wittal

n March, I spent four days traveling from Grande Prairie to Lethbridge as part of the Leading Edge Farm Management series sponsored by the Alberta Canola Producers Commission and I had the good fortune to be in the company of some very accomplished individuals. Dr. Danny Klinefelter from Texas A+M University who, I would say, is the leading expert on agriculture financal management practices in North America talked about the five per cent rule. Dean Gallimore, who is referred to by some as the “world’s greatest accountant,” has a vast and amazing knowledge of farm finance and accounting information. My head still hurts from trying to absorb everything he shared during his talks.

Merle Good and Joel Bokenfohr did a tag team “farm financial health checkup” presentation where they gave producers some tools and ideas to help them better monitor and manage their farms financial situation. (For more information and great ag management tools and resources go to www.agriculture.alberta.ca/ farm-manager.) I gave a presentation on production and marketing risks that producers face and presented some ideas and strategies to help them better manage those risks. These included a review of Crop Insurance and Global Ag Risk Solutions’ production revenue insurance programs. Out of all of this information, the main message was that today’s farmers need to be better than just good business managers to be successful and remain viable. Attention to detail, looking after the little things, managing your risks and liabilities and planning ahead for the future are all critical components to keeping your farm business strong.

Small improvements I want to share some information from Dr. Klinefelter’s presentation, which was about improving your performance on your farm by just five per cent and what that can mean for your bottom line profitability. Let’s look at an example with some numbers to help bring this into context. These numbers may or may not reflect your farm’s costs but they will serve to show the net end result — better profits through detail management. Say, for example, your total costs of production (inputs, land, machinery, labour, etc.) to seed a barley crop this year are approximately $350/acre. You expect a 100 bushel crop at $4/bu., or $400/acre, gross revenue, leaving you with a net profit of $50/acre. Here is where the five per cent rule comes into play. If you could reduce your input costs by five per cent ($17.50/ac.) and your yield and price remain the same you would increase your net revenues to $67.50/

ac., an increase of 35 per cent. The critical factor here is not to cut back on crop inputs so as to reduce your yield potential, but to find cost savings through other avenues such as pre-purchasing. If you were to increase your sale price by five per cent (up to $4.20/bu.) that would earn you an additional $20/ac. of net revenues, a 40 per cent increase over your original $50/acre. Next, if you could increase your yield by five per cent, that would mean an additional five bu./ac. x $4/bu., for an additional $20/ac. of extra net revenues, which again is a 40 per cent increase over your original $50/acre. The real math magic happens when you are able to combine two or more of these three different components. If you could reduce costs by five per cent ($17.50/ac.) and increase your price by five per cent (increasing profits by $20/ ac.) you would net an extra $37.50/ac., bringing your net profit to $87.50, an overall increase of 75 per cent. If you were to increase yield by five per cent and price by five per cent you would end you would end up with a 105 bu./ac. yield at $4.20/bu. for a gross revenue of $441/ac. minus costs of $350/ac., leaving you with a net revenue of

$91/ac., which is an 82 per cent increase over your original net revenues. The last scenario combines all three aspects — reducing costs by five per cent and increasing yield and price by five per cent. Your end result would be an overall increase of $58.50/ac. bringing your total net revenue to $108.50/ac., which is an increase of 117 per cent. The message I took home from Dr. Klinefleter’s presentation: look after the details of your business and the business will look after you. I will continue to preach “know your numbers,” and “build a marketing plan and strategy, review it and stick to it!” These are key factors in helping you to achieve the five per cent rule on your farm. Pay attention and, yes, sweat the small stuff. Five per cent doesn’t seem like much but the facts speak for themselves and the numbers don’t lie. In business as in farming, good managers will survive tough times, but great managers will thrive! Let’s all aspire to make that move from good to great managers of our agri-businesses. † Brian Wittal has 30 years of grain industry experience, and currently offers market planning and marketing advice to farmers through his company Pro Com Marketing Ltd. (www.procommarketingltd.com).

Can’t take the farm from the boy

The noble life of a farmer Urban dwellers may have less awe for farmers when they learn we’re producing industrial products Toban Dyck

t’s important they keep believing us farmers are doing something noble; something base; something important. It is food production, after all. But the phrase, “You’re doing good work” always unsettles me to the core, because A: that’s a strange declaration to respond to with any degree of comfort, and, B: I usually feel the person issuing the praise doesn’t know, for instance, that most soybean seeds are put in the ground having bathed in a turquoise-coloured spectrum of life-preserving chemicals, and that soybeans are used in animal feed, in some foods and in the production of inedible industrial products. And that last year about 1.3 million acres of the crop was planted in Manitoba. I don’t think they know these

Tundra

things, and I don’t think they’d say that if they did. Perhaps we’d be doing better work growing less canola for cooking oil and more farm-totable foods. Would our urban champions still feel we’re doing good work if they knew that the many acres available to grow food on are being used for other purposes? Do they have the facts needed to appreciate the heavily nuanced contrast of taking great care to plant seeds in the right temperature, at the right depth, only to douse them in roundup multiple times per season? Probably not, and that’s important. In July of this year, we’ll celebrate three great years on this farm. We’ve learned a few things living here in the country. I began my time here excited to learn about a lifestyle and business I knew little about. Then, after falling in love with life outside the city and learning a smidge about how farm operations work, I became frustrated

with the many misconceptions about farming and agriculture that seemed to guide policy, provincially and federally. But then, which is now, came a third phase: I remain excited, and frustrated at times, but I am also starting to experience something resembling understanding. I’d say wisdom, but I’m only 35 and don’t have any children. I wrote about GMOs for Grainews last year, and I stand by everything I said, arguing for a position of hope and reticence on the issue of genetically modified crops. We might need them to meet current and anticipated food-production demands. But the science, as it’s currently being used in agriculture, is relatively young, and should be treated as such. I still believe these things. That article, and many of mine after, mentioned the gap between urban and rural attitudes on agriculture, a chasm pronounced to me over the last three years I’ve spent straddling the city life we

left behind and the rural life we’re in the throes of embracing. That gap — the gap I once saw as my job to bridge once and for all — must remain as is: strong, continually challenged by us, and perennially frustrating to us. Those without acres to seed who know little about the dayto-day business of what makes farms successful must continue believing we grow food. They must continue fighting for the things we brush off as ridiculous. Without counter pressure, political, cultural, you name it, I don’t need to tell you what the larger agriculture community would/ could do.

To change or not to change Whether or not I start down the road of converting my rented land to an organic operation, it’s helpful to know there are people who believe what I do is noble, who believe that farmers wear straw hats and grow fruits and vegetables, who want me to take the time and think outside the parameters of an ag market that is not immune to rewarding unsustainable, sometime harmful production practices. Survival for any farm is key, and I wouldn’t argue for any farmers to make decisions contrary to what the market will

Tundra

support. But there’s something artificial about the commodities market. That is, the market doesn’t tell us what is right; just what will potentially make us the most money. If we could plant Twinkies in the ground, and grow them for a market that priced them high and couldn’t seem to get enough of them, touting them as the answer to world hunger despite the adverse health effects, would we? I am unable to comprehend the consequences of converting, say, the 1.3 million acres of soybeans planted in Manitoba last year into crops that are used for nothing other than food. I don’t know if the arguments for the use of genetically modified crops are only solutions to specific food production demands we’ve created for ourselves. Perhaps things could work differently. It’s important to remember this. It’s important to appreciate the naysayer and those who idealize what we do. It’s good practice having to articulate a defense of your position to an audience that wouldn’t believe you without one. Every time I choose to go nonorganic on my 110 acres, I will do so fully aware and appreciative that there are many urging me not to. † Toban Dyck is a freelance writer and a new farmer on an old farm. Follow him on Twitter @tobandyck or email tobandyck@gmail.com.

JUNE 9, 2015 grainews.ca /

Columns

Soils and crops

Bring the world to your office With Google Earth, visit the whole planet from the comfort of your home les henry

n my youth we pounded a lot of pavement both summer and winter. Winter was for short courses and other extension events and summer was for research — soil fertility and drilling holes all over for soil salinity work. It is my great pleasure to have driven every mile of every Saskatchewan highway in the ag area. The last piece to fill in was the road from Big Beaver to Bengough, Sask. I made a special trip from Regina just to drive that piece and fill in the list. But now much of the travel is via Google Earth. When a news item comes up it is easy to just “fly over” the area and have a look around. With Google’s “street view” one can drive down the streets of surprising places. This winter, colleagues at U of S were working on a project at Ile-a-la-Crosse in northern Sask. To my amazement, Google had already been there and driven the streets so I landed and had a good look around. It’s a pleasant little place with neat houses and some good public buildings. That town celebrated its 200th anniversary in 1976. My hometown of Milden only had its 100th in 2011; we were latecomers. Speaking of Milden, while driving around Jolly Olde England I stumbled on Mildenhall — an RAF town about 100 km northeast of London. Made me wonder if the Milden name really came from Mills and Bryden — two early residents of Milden.

look and CANSIS lets me check out the soils. It is indeed a joy. When I become too old to learn it is time to be planted. My most sincere thanks to the many readers I have met via their letters, notes and book orders. If any reader has not had a chance to check out Google Earth be sure to give it a try. The basic version is a free download and it provides hours of fun and learning. † J.L.(Les) Henry is a former professor and extension specialist at the University of Saskatchewan. He farms at Dundurn, Sask. He recently finished a second printing of “Henry’s Handbook of Soil and Water,” a book that mixes the basics and practical aspects of soil, fertilizer and farming. Les will cover the shipping and GST for “Grainews” readers. Simply send a cheque for $50 to Henry Perspectives, 143 Tucker Cres, Saskatoon, Sask., S7H 3H7, and he will dispatch a signed book.

B:8.125”

photos: google earth

Left: Mildenhall, England 100 kmT:8.125” northeast of London. Right: Take a drive in the countryside near Mildenhall and this is what you find. Looks like winter canola to me. S:8.125”

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B:10”

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Many thanks to readers who have ordered a copy of my book and also offered kind comments. It is great encouragement and an incentive for me to look up where you come from. The Saskatchewan ones I know without looking up but I’ve made some interesting additional contacts from South Dakota, Caledon and Ancaster, Ontario, Grunthal and Nesbitt, Manitoba. Many of the Alberta places I have been but Rimbey was new — a grand little town southwest of Edmonton with a delightful countryside. Any place I do not recognize is cause for a trip via Google Earth and a drop down to see the town and major roads that are available. It is a great learning experience and a great joy. One highlight was a kind note and book order from Springcrest Farm on Old West Saanich Road north of Victoria, B.C. I took a drive down the road then went to CANSIS website and looked up the soils. When I emailed Jan, the farm owner, he said to take a drive south and I would see him bouncing along on his John Deere tractor. I did. Sure enough there he was. The list goes on and in each case where I encounter an unfamiliar area, Google Earth lets me take a

/ grainews.ca JUNE 9, 2015

Columns Agronomy management

1. How much water? 1. How much water does each irrigation system apply? First, you need to know the application rate of each irrigation system on your farm. The majority of irrigated fields in Western Canada are irrigated with pivot systems. Table 1 shows the gross water application of a low-pressure quarter section pivot, irrigating 133 acres, with various water outputs in U.S. gallons/minute (U.S. gpm) at different applications times. The gross water application rates are in millimeters (mm). Table 2 shows the net water application, assuming an 80 per cent efficiency rate. Net water application is the amount of water that is actually stored in the soil. Typically, low-pressure pivot systems with drop tubes and pressure regulated spray nozzles apply water with 80 to 85 per cent efficiency, depending on environmental factors including air temperature and wind speed. High-pressure pivot systems with impact nozzles typically have water application efficiency in the range of 75 per cent. Side roll/ wheel move systems have water application efficiency in the range of 70 per cent. As an example, a low pressure pivot with a 900 U.S. gpm output that makes a full circle in 48 hours has a gross water application rate of 14.6 mm but the net application rate at 80 per cent efficiency is only 11.6 mm (see the tables). A common mistake made by irrigators is not estimating the net water stored in soil. Further, if a pivot can only apply six mm of water per day, the irrigation system will not be able to keep up with water use during peak periods. Many crops will use eight mm of water per day at peak use!

2. How much water? 2. What is the soil’s water holding capacity in each field? Soil’s water holding capacity should be viewed similar to the varying sizes of fuel tanks on vehicles. Sandy soils have a lower water holding capacity or a small fuel tank; clay loam soil has a relatively larger water holding capacity or large fuel tank. Table 3 pro-

How much is needed? 3. How much water does each crop use at various growth stages throughout the growing season? Moisture use starts off at relatively low rates in early May, but as vegetative growth rapidly increases, so does daily water use. The graphs show typical water use curves for wheat and canola in southern Alberta. Peak water use can range from six to nine mm per day, depending on evapotranspiration conditions including maximum air temperature and wind speed. Southern Alberta farmers have access to the Irrigation Management Climatic Information Network (IMCIN) weather stations which provide daily crop water use information at sites across southern Alberta at: http://agriculture.alberta.ca/ acis/alberta-weather-data-viewer. jsp?stations=imcin. This is useful in predicting irrigation requirements.

4. What’s the best way to check field soil moisture levels? As crops are growing, irrigators must regularly monitor soil moisture in fields to ensure moisture levels don’t decline below the safe depletion point. There are various ways to monitor soil moisture. A simple and easy way is the “handfeel method.” Use a hand auger to auger down to 100 cm, then feel the soil moisture level at 25 cm incremental depths. For full descriptions about how different types of soil will feel at different moisture levels, see the table in the 2013 Alberta Irrigation Management Manual (on the Alberta government’s website [alberta.ca], and search for “irrigation management manual.”) A good place to start is to check soil moisture in fields the day after irrigating so you know how your soils feel at field capacity. Then get to know how soils feel at 75 and 50 per cent of field capacity. This takes a bit of time and practice but can actually be an effective, easy and inexpensive way to check soil moisture on a weekly basis.

In summary To pull all this knowledge together: 1. At least once per week or more, check soil moisture in each field. 2. Know how much water each crop is using on a daily basis during the growing season. 3. Estimate how many days you have before readily available water is used up based on soil moisture levels and crop water use. 4. Estimate when the next irrigation will be required and how much water to apply. 5. Take into consideration the time needed to apply the water and estimate the net water application. In summary, irrigation should be managed to maintain soil moisture between 60 and 100 per cent of field capacity throughout the growing season in the top 50 cm of soil. For most crops, it is best to ensure the root zone in the top 100 cm soil depth is irrigated to field capacity during vegetative grow stages to ensure enough water is available to the crop during peak water use. Regularly checking soil moisture to ensure soil moisture is maintained between field capacity and safe depletion point will go a long way to achieve optimum production. For more details, Alberta and Saskatchewan Agriculture web sites offer excellent information. Alberta Agriculture offers a useful free computer program, the Alberta Irrigation Management Model. † Ross H. McKenzie, PhD, P. Ag., is a former agronomy research scientist. He conducted soil and crop research with Alberta Agriculture for 38 years. He has also been an adjunct professor at the University of Lethbridge since 1993, teaching four-year soil management and irrigation science courses.

800

900

1,000

1,100

1,200

----------------------- Application in mm ----------------------5.6

6.4

7.3

8.1

8.9

9.7

11.3

12.8

14.6

16.2

17.8

19.4

16.9

19.2

21.9

24.3

26.7

29.1

22.5

25.6

29.2

32.4

35.6

38.8

This table shows gross irrigation water application on a 133 acre pivot with varying output in U.S. gpm and different times to complete a full circle. NET IRRIGATION WATER APPLICATION HOURS TO COMPLETE CIRCLE

U.S. Gallons/Minute 700

800

900

1,000

1,100

1,200

----------------------- Application in mm -----------------------

4.5

5.1

5.8

6.5

7.1

7.8

9.0

10.2

11.6

14.2

15.6

13.5

15.3

17.4

19.5

21.3

23.4

20.4

23.2

28.4

32.2

Net irrigation water application on a 133 acre pivot with varying output in U.S. gpm and different times to complete a full circle assuming 80 per cent efficiency of application. PLANT AVAILABLE WATER Soil Texture

50-cm root zone Total Available Water (Field Capacity) (mm)

100-cm root zone

Water needed to raise soil to field capacity at 40% depletion (Safe Depletion) (mm)

Total Available Water (Field Capacity) (mm)

Water needed to raise soil to field capacity at 40% depletion (Safe Depletion) (mm)

Loamy sand

114

Sandy loam

140

Loam

180

Clay Loam

100

200

Clay

192

Source: Adapted from Alberta Agriculture Agdex 112/561-2

The two tables above shows the plant available water for five different soil textures assuming effective rooting depths of zero to 50 and zero to 100 cm, and the amount of water needed to raise soil to field capacity when 40 per cent of water is used. CROP WATER USE CURVE FOR WHEAT IN SOUTHERN ALTA. 10

420 - 480 mm

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 0

Boot

Tillering

1 May

Heading and Flowering

Jun

Jul

Ripening Aug

Sept

Source: Alberta Agriculture Agdex 112/561-2

CROP WATER USE CURVE FOR CANOLA IN SOUTHERN ALTA. 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

Seeding Emergence

ften the most limiting nutrient in irrigated crop production is water! Many irrigation farmers tend to under-irrigate their crops, which limits yield potential. Often the main reasons for underirrigation are simply not checking soil moisture frequently and starting the irrigation system too late. Knowing the answers to these four questions can help.

How can you check?

700

Seeding Emergence

Ross McKenzie

vides the approximate amounts of total available soil water for five major soil texture classes and the amount of readily available soil water in the zero to 50 cm and zero to 100 cm depths. Total available soil water is the total amount of water the soil can hold, which is also called field capacity. As crops are taking up water, the amount of available water is drawn down. As this occurs, remaining soil water is held more strongly within soil pores and plants must gradually work harder to take up the remaining soil water. Readily available water is the amount of water crops can easily take up, but after this water is used, crops begin to suffer, wilting during the day and yield losses will occur. Two soil terms irrigators need to know and understand are field capacity and safe depletion point. Field capacity is the total amount of water a soil will hold or total available soil water. Safe depletion point is the amount of water that can be safely used by crops without crop yield loss. When when this point is reached it is time to irrigate soil back to field capacity. Ideally, for most irrigated crops, you should only use about 30 to 40 per cent of the total available water and then it is time to irrigate soil back to field capacity. Annual crops such as wheat and canola typically will root down to about 90 to 100 cm (36 to 40 inches) and can effectively take up moisture to 100 cm by the time of heading for cereals and flowering for canola. Under ideal conditions at heading of wheat or flowering of canola, crops will take up 70 per cent of water requirements in the zero to 50 cm depth and take up 30 per cent of water requirements in the 50 to 100 cm depth. To prevent yield loss for most crops, only 30 to 40 per cent of total available water should be used on the top 50 cm of soil, then irrigation is required to raise soil moisture back to field capacity.

U.S. Gallons/Minute

Daily water use (mm)

Use your irrigation system to its full potential by asking these four question about water needs

HOURS TO COMPLETE CIRCLE

Daily water use (mm)

Manage water to optimize production

GROSS IRRIGATION WATER APPLICATION

April

Bud Rosette

May

Source: Alberta Agriculture Agdex 149/561-1

Pod Development Flowering

June

July

Ripening Aug

Sept

JUNE 9, 2015 grainews.ca /

Columns Kelly’s AgExpert Tips and Hints

Generating customer statements Use AgExpert to input full or partial payments and generate statements Kelly Airey

ou can generate your own customer statements quickly and easily using AgExpert Analyst. Once you’ve recorded a receivable charge for a customer through either the Point of Sale Screen or the Transaction Entry Screen, you can generate a statement for that customer. The statement will show the balance forward, sales charged during the statement period, interest charged and payments received against the outstanding amount. Statements can be generated any time from the print queue or as part of your month end routine.

Setting up statements To set up your statements, follow these steps: 1. Setup > Preferences > Optional Features Tab > Place a check mark in the “Print Statements” box. 4. Click Save. 3. Setup > Preferences > Statements Tab. 4. Type of Statement > Blank. Sheet feed is most common choice. 5. Select your printer. 6. Select if you’d like to “Print your business name on the statement.” 7. You can choose to add your own message, such as “Thank you for your business.” 8. Copies: Choose the number of copies you’d like to print. 9. Click Save.

can apply the payment to one invoice or several, until the “Payment Amount” equals the “Total Applied” amount on the bottom right side of the screen. Hint: You can apply a full or partial payment amount against an outstanding invoice. Once the transaction is recorded, view your Accounts Receivable Report to see the changes. Reports > Reports Console > Receivables and Payables > Receivables >Summary or Detailed > Page View. Tip: If you need to make a change to the Accounts Receivable Selection Screen after you click okay, clicking on the pencil icon at the end of the top line in the transaction entry screen will

bring the Accounts Receivable Selection Screen up again. 11. M emo: I recommend typing a description such as “payment received.” The memo you type will be printed on the statement. 12. Click Record.

5. Account: Interest income account. 6. Memo: I recommend putting a description such as “month end interest charged.” Your member will be printed on the customer’s statement. 7. Record.

Recording interest charges

Generating customer statements

You may want to record interest charges on outstanding customer invoices. 1. Transactions > Transaction Entry. 2. Transaction Type: Receivable Charge. 3. Fill in Date, Customer, reference, description and total. 4. Type: IN Income.

Generate a Customer Statement that shows the balance forward, amounts invoiced, payments received, interest charged and total amount due at the end of the statement period. 1. Transactions > Print Queue > Statements. 2. Date Range: There are many

options. Common selections are current month, last month or current fiscal year. 3. Include Paid Invoices: Check this box to generate a statement for invoices that have been paid in full. 4. Select a customer by placing a check mark in box on left side of the contact list. 5. Click Print Preview > Print Statements will always be in the print queue for printing at any time. Next Article: Tips on editing, reversing, saving, reverting to snapshots and the “save as” feature. † Kelly Airey is a producer and Ag Consultant in Western Manitoba. She offers software setups & training, and discounts on software purchases. Contact Kelly at kelly.agconsulting@gmail.com or (204) 365-0136.

BUILT FOR SOIL PRODUCTIVITY

Recording payments on receivables In the last article, I covered the steps to create an invoice and charge the invoiced amount to your Accounts Receivable. Now, here’s what to do when you receive a full or partial payment: 1. Transactions > Transaction Entry Screen. 4. Transaction Type: Deposit. 3. Date: date money received. 4. Bank Account: the account the payment was deposited to. 5. Reference: of deposit made. 6. Description: customer name. 7. Total: the amount you deposited to the bank. 8. Type: RP (receivable payment). 9. Account: choose customer name. 10. The accounts receivable selection screen will pop up. The payment amount will be pulled from transaction entry screen total or can type in appropriate amount of the payment to be applied to the outstanding invoices. You’ll see a list of open invoices with a balance left owing to you. On the right side of the screen, check the box next to the invoice(s) you want to apply the payment to. You

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grainews.ca JUNE 9, 2015

Machinery & Shop

Machinery adventures

AGCO strikes for the Pole

A team of adventurers drives a Massey Ferguson 5610 tractor to the South Pole By Scott Garvey

e could make any number of comments about how normal it is for Prairie farmers to operate their tractors during severe winter weather. But for 38-year-old Manon Ossevoort, a Dutch actress and adventurer, driving a tractor through conditions like that was a dream come true. A few years ago Ossevoort left Holland on a unique adventure, driving a tractor 38,000 kilometres to Cape Town, South Africa. Her dream was to continue on to the South Pole, but without help, that wasn’t possible. After reaching Cape Town, the Massey Ferguson distributor in Holland and AGCO’s European division agreed to sponsor Ossevoort and put together at team of experts and a specially equipped Massey Ferguson 5610 tractor that would get her the rest of the way. A couple of years later, in late November of last year, she and the team arrived at Novo Base on Antarctica’s coast. The team, which included a couple of Canadian residents, then set off on their 5,000 kilometre trek to the pole and back. On December 9, they posed for a picture at the South Pole marker. A few days later they were back at Novo Base. Don’t be surprised if you see the polar 5610 tractor — or a stand in — commemorating the achievement at one of AGCO’s farm show displays this season — especially if you intend to go to a European show. For more on the adventure, visit antarctica2.com online. †

Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at Scott.Garvey@fbcpublishing.com.

The Antacrtica2 team pose for a photo during a rest stop about half way to the South Pole.

photo: antacrtica2

An Antarctic MF tractor for your farm

f the Massey Ferguson 5610 that made its way to the South Pole impressed you so much you want one for your own farm, AGCO’s newest marketing idea may be right up your alley. In late May, the brand sent out email notifications saying it is “proud to launch a Special Edition of the MF 5600 Series based on the iconic MF 5610 tractor which accomplished the record-setting Antarctica2 mission.” By press time, however, there wasn’t much information available beyond that description. It’s not clear if the special edition models will just sport a unique paint job or if they will see some options similar to those added onto the heavily modified 5610 used in the Pole trek. The email announcement from AGCO included an online link to a website where potential buyers could register their interest in buying a Special Edition 5600 Series. But when Grainews tried to access that portal, the link was still inactive. The brand’s website, agcocorp.com, didn’t contain any reference to it yet either. So I guess all we can say is, stay tuned for details. † Scott Garvey

JUNE 9, 2015 grainews.ca /

Machinery & Shop

Tire technology

Nokian sets ag tire speed record Hakkapeliitta TRI tires get the company a place in Guinness Book of World Records By Scott Garvey

t’s almost impossible to watch TV these days and not see some advertisement for an automotive product — or the latest Hollywood movie — with sporty cars drifting sideways around corners at high speeds. Seeing an ag tractor do that, however, is unusual to say the least. But if you log onto Nokian Tyres’ website you can watch a modified Valtra T234 tractor fitted with Nokians’ Hakkapeliitta TRI winter ag tires do exactly that on a snowy test track. The YouTube video is a promotion for the Guinness Book of World Records title the company recently claimed for the fastest tractor tire speed ever achieved. The Valtra tractor equipped with Hakkapeliitta TRI tires logged a verified track speed of 130.1 kilometres per hour. You may be wondering if this is just another in the long line of crazy stunts Europeans are fond of taking on to set a world record relating to farm equipment, like, say, the latest one which saw the most manure spread in 24 hours. Actually, the Hakkapeliitta TRI tires were just introduced in 2014, and Nokian is emphasizing their exceptional capability to handle high speeds, which is a feature all tire manufacturers are increasingly building into ag tires these days — just not crazy fast ratings like that. As farm machines get bigger, heavier and faster, the demands those characteristics put on tires is increasing, which challenges companies to come up with new technologies to make ag tires more capable. Nokian’s Hakkapeliitta TRIs aren’t your average tractor tire. They are designed specifically for winter conditions, and they don’t use the standard chevron-pattern tread bar design. They use a lug tread more common on truck tires with extensive siping for grip on slippery surfaces. The company, which prides itself on its history of building winter tires for all kinds of vehicles, tested the tires at its “White Hell” proving ground. (No, not Saskatchewan in the winter, their facility in Finland.) It put world champion rally driver, Juha Kankkunen, behind the wheel of the modified Valtra T234 to set the world record. “I have done top speed tests earlier with several cars,” says Kankkunen, in the Nokian press release. “This was the first time with a tractor, and we immediately got a world record. The tires and tractor worked really well, even though the weather was challenging,” The Hakkapeliitta TRI tires will likely appeal more to urban contractors that use tractors for commercial snow clearing operations than run-of-the-mill farmers, but if our prairie winters continue to be as long as they have been for the last few years, we may all need snow tires on our tractors to get into the fields for spring seeding. †

Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at Scott.Garvey@fbcpublishing.com.

photos: nokian

Nokian Tyres in co-operation with AGCO’s Valtra division recently set a world speed record for ag tires, getting a tractor up to 130.1 km/h during a test verified by Guinness World Records.

Nokian’s high-speed Hakkapeliitta TRI tractor tires are designed for winter conditions and use a lug tread rather than chevron-pattern bars.

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/ grainews.ca JUNE 9, 2015

Machinery & Shop

The machinery market

Used equipment offers good value Higher costs for new equipment make used machines more attractive to buyers By Scott Garvey

ver the course of the past few years, several factors have combined to push up sticker prices on new equipment. And the recent dramatic fall in the value of the Canadian dollar versus the U.S. Greenback has been one of the biggest influences. Not surprisingly there has been a significant cooling off of new equipment sales all across Canada. “In the last two years you’ve seen price increases from Tier 3 to Tier 4 and then Tier 4 Final (engine emissions regulations),” says Jim Wood, vice president, agriculture, at the Rocky Mountain Equipment (RME) dealer network. “And then you have the dollar swing by 10 or 15 cents. So you’ve seen new equipment go considerably higher, probably up to 20 per cent.” And that means the dynamics in the ag equipment market have changed. The rise in new machine costs has dragged latemodel used equipment values a little higher too, but there is a lot to choose from at the moment. The high rate of new equipment sales over the previous five years resulted in farmers trading in a lot of low-hour machines, creating a good selection to pick from. And their prices are still much lower than new models. So it may make sense for buyers to take a second look at a used machine before eating the cost of a new one, especially with many dealers now focused on moving their used inventory. “I think it (lower new machine sales numbers) is the new normal,” says Wood. “If you look at it from our side, we’re trying to sell a little less new, because our used is just that much more attractive.” He thinks a farmer who wants

photo: new holland

Late-model used equipment offers good value compared to the cost of buying new, which has been pushed up by the exchange rate on the lagging Canadian dollar. to update machines that have seen their third or fourth birthday may want to consider replacing them with one-year old models rather than looking at something brand new. There are also certified pre-owned warranty programs from all the major brands to help make that an even more attractive option. “It’s considerably cheaper for him to buy a one-year-old machine than a new one,” Wood says. “What we’re seeing is there continues to be a lot of used equipment. And

I think a lot of customers are just saying they can’t justify the additional cost (of new), even the guys that flip every year.” And most machinery built in the past couple of years shares similar technology with what is currently available in new models, with the possible exception of engine emissions features. The value offered by late-model, used equipment when compared to new may remain a good option for a while. “You know, right where [the

new equipment market] is today, I can’t see it changing unless someone brings on some new technology,” says Wood. “Because, let’s face it, a combine from five years ago will still go out and do what a new combine will today.” “There has to be a reason to trade,” he continues. “Some of it is taxation. But if you see a manufacturer come out with something that is value added, I think you’ll see a lot of customers see the value. But I really

don’t see a lot of new technology coming in the next two or three years that’s going to make that much difference from a harvesting perspective.” And if you’re in the market for a swather, you may find a real steal in the used market due to reduced demand. “Now you have canola varieties that can be straight cut,” says Wood. “So you’re going to see the windrower market drop off.” † Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at Scott.Garvey@fbcpublishing.com.

JUNE 9, 2015 grainews.ca /

Machinery & Shop New equipment

New equipment sales well below 2014 levels

Bucket Rake attachment for loaders ANBO’s bucket attachment is designed to turn a front-end loader into a rock picker

By Scott Garvey

fter the first two months of 2015, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers’ monthly reports showed sales of ag equipment in Canada had fallen off dramatically from 2014 levels. Four-wheel drive tractor sales were down an astonishing 55 per cent. And new combine sales slipped 60.6 per cent. However, by the end of April the numbers had shown some healthy improvement, although they remain well below last year’s levels. But the severe drop in sales reported early on this year may not have really painted a true picture, according to Jim Wood, vice president, agriculture, at Rocky Mountain Equipment. “Last January, February was a blip,” he says. “It was an anomaly. All of a sudden people look at the industry and go holy smokes it’s down so much over last year. Well that’s because last year was too high compared to the year before.” The reason the numbers may have been skewed was due to some changes in delivery schedules of new equipment based on customer orders, primarily from one major manufacturer. “I think the big thing was last year (sales numbers) gave such a false sense of what was going on,” Wood continues. “In December of 2013 and January, February of 2014, that’s when Deere delivered a lot of product, which they traditionally don’t do. For some reason last year they delivered a lot of product in December and January. And that really spiked the industry (numbers).” While some categories of equipment are still showing much lower sales volumes, others are faring better. Among those bucking the trend of lower sales this year are loader tractors and livestock equipment, so dealers serving primarily livestock customers will be happy. But the cash values of these smaller tractors are much lower than the bigger equipment, such as four-wheel drive tractors and combines, which doesn’t boost the overall dollar value of new machines sold out of dealerships that focus on cash crop customers quite as much. That means across the west, some dealers are seeing larger reductions in cash flow from new equipment sales than others. “I think you’ll find different views (on the machinery market),” explains Wood. “In our first quarter this year, we’re really, really, happy. Our used (sales) are way up, our new was consistent and our inventories are coming down.” † Scott Garvey

By Scott Garvey

“With this new attachment, customers can quickly turn their existing bucket into a tool which will remove rocks and debris from the field without picking up the dirt,” explained ANBO President, Chris Newman in a press release. “As you comb through the field, this product will sort the rocks from the dirt. The rocks will roll up into the bucket and can be dumped when the bucket is full.” The Rock Rake is available in sizes to fit tractors up to 100 horsepower. For more information visit the company’s website www. anbomanufacturing.com. †

f you need to pick a few rocks out of a field but don’t want to haul out the rock picker, ANBO Manufacturing thinks it has the ideal solution, the Bucket Rake. It’s designed to fit onto a standard front-end loader bucket and be held in place with ordinary chain binders, bolted on with the company’s optional mounting kit or permanently welded. Bars set at a three-inch spacing allow the Bucket Rake to pick up rocks or debris and let dirt fall through the gaps. With the Rock Rake attached, it is also possible to carry long material, like lengths of pipe, that wouldn’t fit inside a standard loader bucket. 7614F_MBLB_8125x10_VF.pdf

Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at Scott.Garvey@fbcpublishing.com.

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/ grainews.ca JUNE 9, 2015

Machinery & Shop

Forage equipment

John Deere introduces 900 Series round balers New models use pre-cutters to create a more densely packed bale 900 Series round balers are new from John Deere. They use a pre-cutter bar to cut hay entering the bale chamber to shorter lengths, allowing for denser, easier-to-feed bales, according to the company.

photo: john deere

By Scott Garvey

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or producers looking for a round baler that can handle both silage and dry forage hay, John Deere recently introduced its new 900 Series. These balers create a denser bale than the brand’s other models by using pre-cutter knives. Buyers can choose either a 13 or 25 blade pre-cutter to pre-process the hay flowing into the bale chamber. The resulting shorter stems allow more hay to pack into each bale, making later processing of the feed easier or unnecessary. “Many beef and dairy producers can save time and money by pre-processing silage and other forage crops when baling and put a denser, higher-quality forage in the bunk,” says Jeremy Unruh, product line manager of baling and mowing products, through a company press release. “This is especially true when baling and feeding high-moisture silage.” The two models in the 900 Series, the 960 and 990 use different platforms and produce 4x5 and 4x6 bales. If an operator doesn’t want the hay pre-cut, the cutter blade can be retracted for traditional baling. But regardless of how the bales are made, the 900 Series models can push them out the back in less than five seconds. To get the hay in, these balers use a new pickup design that features five-tooth bars and an inline rotor. The bale chambers are also a new design, using three rolls, an off-set density arm and side sheets that expand or contract as necessary. A full-width hydraulic drop floor allows plugs to be cleared quickly, from the tractor cab. When it comes to servicing, Unruh says access to moving parts has been improved and the number of grease points has been significantly reduced compared to other designs. The two 900 Series models are built on an independent frame. They can be purchased with options that include floatation tires along with heavy-duty chains, bearings and belts. A new net-wrap system is also available. Deere’s new twine-tying system is also built into these balers. And, of course, they offer some new panel styling. † Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at Scott.Garvey@ fbcpublishing.com.

JUNE 9, 2015 grainews.ca /

Machinery & Shop

New equipment

NH debuts new T6 and TS6 tractors Updated models introduced in the 90 to 125 PTO horsepower range By Scott Garvey

ver since ownership of the Case IH and New Holland brands was consolidated under Fiat’s CNH Industrial division, new product releases from the red and blue brands have become increasingly co-ordinated. At the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Kentucky, in February, Case IH launched its updated Maxxum and Farmall 100A Series tractors. Just a short walk away in the same exhibition hall, New Holland’s new T6 and TS6 tractors, which are a close match to the Maxxums and Farmalls, were being revealed at NH’s display. The T6 models offer buyers a higher spec’d choice, like Case IH’s Magnums, while the TS6 tractors mimic the same “value” alternative its Farmall 100A cousins represent. Speaking in a press release, Michael Cornman, NH’s dairy and livestock market segment leader says even though the TS6 tractors are value models, they can be ordered with a range of options. “With the choice of Value and Plus packages, two- or four-wheel drive, with or without a cab, they’re a smart choice for farmers who want a hardworking tractor that’s tailored to the way they want to work.” The Plus package for these 90 to 115 PTO horsepower tractors boosts the specifications up a bit from those available on the Value models. For example, the standard 8Fx8R shuttle shift transmission jumps to a much more versatile 16Fx8R, and top speed increases

from 19 to 25 m.p.h. (30 to 40 km/h). Hydraulic flow gets a lift as well, with an additional 9 g.p.m. (34 l.p.m.) At the rear, three-point hitch lift capacity goes up to 5,499 pounds from 3,735 (1,698 to 2,500 kilograms). TS6 tractors can be ordered with or without a cab and in two- or four-wheel drive configurations. Their overall appearance gets an update with new styling cues and an optional VisionView cab with increased glass area to better accommodate front-end loader work. Under those stylish new hoods, the TS6 line’s engines jump from Tier 3 directly to Tier 4 Final. They use FPT’s (Fiat Power train’s) four-cylinder, four-valve, SCRonly diesels.

The T6 models If you want more in the area of operator comfort and tractor capability, then the loader-ready T6 models that NH declares are an “all-purpose, premium tractor series” might be more to your liking. The five T6 models span the 116 to 145 engine (95 to 125 PTO) horsepower range. The brand’s Power Management engine control system will boost output on the largest model, the T6.180 to 175 under load. Just like the largest Case IH Maxxum, the T6.180 also boasts the only six-cylinder engine in the Series, using the FPT 6.7 litre diesel. The other T6 and TS6 tractors get FPT’s 4.5 litre, four-cylinder. To keep those engines running, T6 tractors get 52.2 gallon (197

litre) fuel tanks with an option to push that up to 58.6 (222 litres) with an auxiliary modular tank. To route power form the engine, buyers get a choice of transmissions. Depending on the model, options include the Electro Command semi-powershift, Electro Command with AutoShift semi-powershift or with creeper, as well as the Auto Command continuously variable transmission. And there is a 50 km/h option with the Elite tractor options package. NH calls the new T6 cab its Horizon version, which lowers the decibel level to 69 to make things a little more comfortable for the operator. And it uses the brand’s SideWinder II armrest, which includes most tractor controls. The Horizon cab gets exterior-mounted LED lights that are reported to be 77 per cent brighter than the standard lights on the previous T6 version. Again, like its updated Maxxum cousin, the T6 gets a little longer wheelbase. With NH’s SuperSteer front axle option, turning radius is about one foot (30.5 centimetres) less than the previous models. If you opt for the TerraGlide suspended front axle and SuperSteer option together, the wheelbase gets stretched out even further, to a maximum of 110 inches (279.4 centimetres). You can also opt for a suspended cab, to soften the T6’s ride a little bit more. T6 models also come auto-guidance ready and are compatible with ISOBUS II systems. † Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at Scott.Garvey@fbcpublishing.com.

photo: new holland

1. New Holland introduced updated versions of its T6 “premium” and TS6 “value” tractor lines in February. Both Series are expected to appeal to livestock producers. 2. TS6 tractors offer more basic cab interiors and control layouts. The premium T6 models use NH’s CommandArm control layout. 3. Both the T6 and TS6 cabs offer improved visibility with more glass area square footage to make loader work easier.

Digital technology

photo: new holland

New Holland has expanded the features available through its PLN Connect telematics system.

NH upgrades its telematics offering By Scott Garvey

ew Holland has announced some major upgrades to its PLM Connect telematics system, which are scheduled to come into affect this spring. Customers will now be able to wirelessly transfer a variety of real-time data between machines and the farm office via the cloud-based PLM Connect portal. The upgraded PLM Connect features will allow machines to be monitored from the farm office, and settings or operating instructions can be sent to an operator in real time. It also further increases the degree of interaction that is possible between the machine working in the field and the farm office, making wireless transfer of data, such as yield maps, fuel usage and job status, between the machine and the cloud-based PLM Connect portal possible. The information can then be accessed by the farm manager on a PC or tablet. † Scott Garvey is machinery editor for Grainews. Contact him at Scott.Garvey@fbcpublishing.com.

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/ grainews.ca

JUNE 9, 2015

Cattleman’s Corner Better bunks and pastures

Tips for improved horn fly control Even a couple hundred of the tiny horn flies can knock 20 pounds off a calf PETER VITTI

few years ago, a friend in Saskatchewan asked me to help him treat his beef cows before they went on pasture with pour-on insecticide for horn flies. His job was to push up the cattle in the chute and my job was to use the applicator-gun and squirt pouron liquid along each of the cow’s back. We ran through about 200 cows and he was amazed that we used about half of the insecticide he had calculated. I never told him, until there were about 10 cows left, that I discovered the pour-on jug had a breather-hole that I fail to punch open to allow air to replace the horn fly insecticide we were using. Two weeks later, he had to run his cattle through the chute once again because of an “unusual heavy” infestation of horn flies out on pasture.

IT DOESN’T TAKE MANY Oddly enough, it doesn’t take that many horn flies to have a significant pest problem on pasture. A

nominal count of 200 horn flies on the back of each cow or calf can: • Increase animal stress; make animals skittish and reduce grazing time. • Decrease forage intake linked to a 20 per cent decrease in milk production. • Encourage bunching and increased heat-stress severity. • Spring calves are 15 to 20 lbs. lighter at weaning time. • Reduce cattle immune function to fight disease. • Spread of disease among cattle such as anaplasmosis. • Replacement heifers have higher rates of infertility. As this picture (University of Wyoming) illustrates, one horn fly is very small (about four to five mm) and seems to get lost when hundreds of them are present on the back of an individual animal. Horn flies are much smaller than a common stable, house or common face-fly; gray in colour with two dark stripes running along its body. Its head has two reddish compound-type eyes and has biting-mouth parts which it uses to pierce and suck blood from its cattle host; taking up to 20 to 25 blood meals daily. Just imagine the explosive

implications of 1,000 horn flies on each cow that seem even more attracted to the herd’s breeding bulls! Case-in-point: the University of Arkansas research estimates that a heavy infestation of 1,000 horn flies/cow can draw about 10 cc of blood per cow per day.

EFFECTIVE TREATMENTS Luckily, when a population explosion of horn flies does occurs, there are several proven methods that effectively can reduce horn flies counts on cattle by as much as 90 to 95 per cent. Most of these programs involve commercial insecticides, such as two timeless chemicals, namely: organophosphates and pyrethroids, both of which kill horn flies by disrupting vital nerve functions. Another class of insecticides called endectocides (ivomectin) can also be used in a similar manner. Here is a breakdown of three of the most popular applications that dispense these insecticides in order to control horn fly numbers: • Ear tags — Plastic ear-tags are impregnated with either organophosphates or pyrethroids. One tag per season is recommended per cow. Most people should be aware that the efficacy of the insecticide in ear-tags is good up

to about five-month control. Most people are instructed to wait until June to maximize the ear-tag’s full benefits for tackling peak populations of horn-flies that occur in late-July and August in Western Canada. It’s also common practice for producers to alternate organoand pyrethrin-based tags every other year to reduce the chance of horn fly resistance. It is also recommended to remove ear tags at the end of the grazing season for the same reason. Note: a new ear tag has come out in recent years that contains both of these insecticides. • Back rubbers/oilers — A back rubber is usually a big, thick chain and mesh wrapped in a durable material and is treated with insecticide diluted with diesel fuel. Producers should check them on a weekly basis to see if they need to be recharged. If the pump-type back rubbers are used, it is a good idea to check them to assure that they are in good working order. It has been my experience to see the odd one leak insecticide all over the ground. Furthermore, the standard recommendation is to set them up to force cattle to pass by them. I asked a few cattle people about this advice and most of them said that cows are more than willing to regularly use

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More from your vet

Perhaps the biggest new tech potential is the world of metrics management. Creelman’s practice developed feedlot management software. Now it has developed software for the commercial cow-calf industry. “When we realized how many of our clients were using smartphones and mobile devices, we made the decision to build our latest software on a mobile platform to give them true in-the-field management.” The software is in its second year of use and meeting solid reviews by clients and other veterinarians. The system allows producers to input data at the speed at which cattle are processed. Most use a tablet or Android smartphone. Data is entered

There are many benefits to this new system, but one of the biggest is that it allows a much higher-quality relationship with your vet, says Creelman. You are working with actual numbers, not estimates. You can do it instantaneously and with complete mobility. A first benefit producers discover is it shows exactly how many animals are in the herd, and other relevant data such as age distribution and calf inventory. One of many examples is a treatment screen. “If a person enters the ID for a calf weighing 700 pounds with a joint infection, they get a suggested treatment,” says Creelman. “It gives the dose, the injection route and the withdrawal times, all proper treatment protocols set out by their vet.”

Smartphone technology can help efforts in animal health and improve ability to diagnose, says Dr. Cody Creelman (l) of Airdrie, Alta. There are many customizable reports such as calving intervals — how many born in the first, second or third cycle. “We can show the economics of that and suggest pre-breeding nutrition management changes to fine tune the program.” Another example is body condition scoring. Estimating that is tough, but actually measuring animals and entering that data tells producers exactly what their herd is doing. The same applies to herd mortality and morbidity. Program support

On an industry level, new technology has the potential to strengthen industry programs such as the Verified Beef Production program with sophisticated options to meet sustainability standards. New technology also allows a fresh approach for the beef industry to reach out to the world and tell our story, says Creelman.

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/ grainews.ca JUNE 9, 2015

Cattleman’s Corner The Markets

Market expected strong through ‘til fall Consumer spending appears to have an appetite for meats Jerry Klassen Market Update

ed and feeder cattle markets across Canada continue to trade at historical highs on the heels of very strong beef demand. Alberta fed cattle prices continue to hover in the range of $200 to $202 per cwt; higher quality Charolais cross steers averaging 700 pounds are reaching above $300 across Western Canada. Improving consumer incomes appears to be sustaining beef consumption levels while absorbing larger pork and poultry supplies. Wholesale beef prices reached all time highs in mid May supporting fed cattle prices which spilled over into feeder markets for all weight categories. Cow-calf pairs also reached up to $5,000 as producers look to expand herds. The beef complex is functioning to encourage production while price levels are not high enough to curb demand. I’ve received many inquiries regarding the price outlook for the cattle market and as long as we don’t see any slowdown in the economic situation, the markets are expected to stay firm through the summer and fall.

MONEY IN THEIR POCKETS Disposable income for the average North American continues to climb. The U.S. unemployment rate dipped down to 5.4 per cent in April and has potential to improve into the summer. At the same time, consumer confidence reached up to pre-recession type levels enhancing the outlook for consumer spending over the next three to four months. Seasonally, equity markets usually trend lower during May and June but this year major stock indexes have held value with positive economic data reinforcing the price structure. U.S. consumer awayfrom-home food spending during April jumped a whopping 10.7 per cent over year-ago levels and we will likely see similar numbers for May and June. People are eating out more after the long drawn out winter. The at-home-food spending is similar to year ago levels during early spring. The demand equation is fairly favourable moving forward. The only concern is the markets may have factored in all the positive fundamental factors. Unless we see further improvements in the above statistics, it may be difficult for wholesale beef and fed cattle prices to make considerable gains above current levels. The USDA increased their beef and pork production estimates for 2015 on their May report. Each quarter showed marginal upward revisions for 2015 which reflects that supplies are not tightening but rather coming in larger than anticipated. This is largely due to heavier carcass weighs which are running 25 pounds above year ago levels. Note, in the accompanying table, the first estimates for 2016 were also released with both pork and poultry showing year-overyear increases. U.S. cattle on-feed

inventories as of April 1 were similar to year-ago levels and analysts are expecting May and June inventories to also be equal with 2014.

CANADIAN PRODUCTION DOWN Canadian beef production for the week ending May 9 was 339,145 mt, down five per cent from last year. We will likely see this trend continue into the summer months due to year-over-year decrease in cattle on-feed numbers in Alberta and Saskatchewan. The number of cattle on feed in these two provinces as of April 1 was down 11 per cent compared to April 2014, but carcass weights are also running 30 pounds above year ago levels. Feedlot margins remain in

healthy territory with the fed cattle market trading $200. Breakeven pen closeout prices are in the range of $186 to $188 for May and June and then edge higher to $192 later in summer. This has allowed feedlot operators to bid up feeder cattle prices, which took a $20 jump through the March timeframe. We have since seen prices remain firm but volatile at the higher levels. Many major operations are using wheat in the rations instead of barley. Feed wheat was trading at $200/ mt delivered in the Lethbridge area in mid-May while feed barley was near $208/mt. Low quality milling wheat is also moving into feed channels as the domestic feed market is above world milling prices for mid protein wheat. Beef consumption is expected to

U.S. QUARTERLY BEEF PRODUCTION (MILLION POUNDS) Quarter

2012

2013

2014

EST. 2015

EST. 2016

6,283

6,172

5,868

5,664

5,780

6,475

6,517

6,183

6,265

6,300

6,584

6,608

6,178

6,230

6,300

6,571

6,420

6,023

6,115

6,125

Total

25,913

25,717

24,252

24,274

24,505

stay strong through the summer due to positive economic conditions, which favour increased consumer spending. Fed cattle prices are expected to hold value despite the marginal increase in U.S. beef production. A stronger Canadian dollar may temper the upside but I’m not expecting a major change in the exchange rate. Feeder cattle

prices are expected to trend higher due to favorable feedlot margins. Feed grain prices appear to be somewhat bearish late in summer baring any adverse weather. † Gerald Klassen analyzes cattle and hog markets in Winnipeg and also maintains an interest in the family feedlot in Southern Alberta. For comments or speaking engagements, he can be reached at gklassen7@hotmail.com or call 204 899 8268.

JUNE 9, 2015 grainews.ca /

Cattleman’s Corner Rancher’s Diary

Cows can’t wait to head for green grass Spring season gets underway with the end of calving, and time to start irrigating heather smith thomas

MAY 5

L photo: heather smith thomas

Lynn using the tractor and blade to clear grass and debris from a ditch that will carry water for hayfield irrigation.

ast Wednesday Andrea helped Lynn put up a temporary electric fence along the south side of the pasture where the cows and calves are. This will keep the calves from eating gravel along the ditch bank and keep them away from the elk panels on that side of the field (the backside of the stack yard). One year we had a calf get it’s head caught reaching through a panel so we want

to avoid that risk. That afternoon Lynn cleaned more of our ditches with tractor and blade, and we finally got some of our ditches turned on at the creek so we can start irrigating. Sunday Michael and Carolyn moved their cows from the fields on the upper place, herding them to our mountain pasture. They still have three cows left to calve, but they need to get that group away from the creek — which will soon be at highwater stage. They don’t want any calves drowning, trying to cross the creek. We are still waiting for two last slowpokes to calve, in our herd. Michael had an article published in this month’s Progressive Forage Grower magazine, and has

another assignment to write an article for a summer issue. He hopes to start doing more writing again. He and Carolyn, Andrea and Em are getting ready for their trip tomorrow. They are driving to Oskaloosa, Iowa for Nick’s graduation from William Penn University. Today Andrea and Carolyn drove to Idaho Falls to pick up a rental van for the trip. On their way home they picked up Carolyn’s mom at Arco. She will be going with them to Nick’s graduation in Iowa.

MAY 10 Early Wednesday morning they started their trip. Lynn took Andrea’s kids to the school bus an

hour later. The travellers made it as far as Rapid City, South Dakota (by 11 p.m. that night) to stop for the night, and continued on to Oskaloosa on Thursday. Saturday was Nick’s graduation, with 310 seniors graduating. As soon as it was over, Michael and Carolyn, her mom, and Andrea and Em loaded up all his stuff in his pickup and headed home. Em rode with Nick in the pickup. After chores, the girls helped me make pizza, and Charlie hiked down to join us for supper. Robbie got home from work in time to eat with us, and later took the kids home. Then Lynn and I stayed up late, periodically talking with Andrea on her cell phone as we tracked their slow progress through a terrible wind/ rainstorm. It started raining when they left the college and got worse as they went through Nebraska, changing to snow when they got into South Dakota. The road was treacherous. They counted six vehicles and two semis that slid off the freeway. Nick’s pickup didn’t have enough traction and slid around a few times but he managed to keep it on the road. Their rented van doesn’t have very good tires for winter travel; it was a slow and treacherous trip, finally getting to Rapid City at 1:30 a.m. to spend the night. This morning (Sunday) they had more than a foot of new snow in the motel parking lot. The snow plows were trying to keep the freeway clear, however, so they headed on home, with fog, rain/snow and poor visibility, but at least it was daylight.

MAY 21 We had rain last week. The field above the house where the cows and calves were living was muddy and we’re getting several cases of foot rot in the calves. We brought Buffalo Girl and her big steer, Gilbert, in from the field last Wednesday and gave him antibiotics to treat his sore, swollen hind foot. The cows were hungry for green grass, and tired of hay. We kept them on hay in the little field above the house until we had some pasture tall enough to put them out on. Sunday we moved them around to the lower end of the swamp pasture above the corrals. They are glad to be out on grass and we are glad to not be feeding hay. We didn’t quite run out of hay. We’re still feeding the 10 heifers some alfalfa (along with their pasture) until we can get them vaccinated, tagged, and put out with the cows. Today Dani’s class at school had a field trip to the Big Hole Battlefield in Montana. Andrea and Robbie went along with the class to help with the trip. This is Andrea’s birthday; she’s 45 today. Lynn and I silently celebrated the fact that we have a 45-year-old daughter and three very special grandchildren that would not exist if Andrea had perished in the fire 15 years ago this summer. We have much to be thankful for. † Heather Smith Thomas ranches with her husband Lynn near Salmon, Idaho. Contact her at 208-756-2841.

/ grainews.ca JUNE 9, 2015

Cattleman’s Corner Anyone can start farming

Procrastination paid off at lambing A change in weather forced a switch to Plan B which actually worked well Debbie Chikousky

ince the beginning of our farming career the one thing we can always count on is the weather to turn completely terrible when the first Chikousky lamb hits the ground. This year we thought we had weather beat. We were to start lambing around May 18 which absolutely had to be better than last year’s January event. Although this May wasn’t as cold as January 2014 we certainly were not expecting a foot of snow and -10 C temperatures. For a change, our tendency towards procrastination worked in our favour. Working near the quonset in our yard, my husband had built new penning for the sheep to lamb in. The goats and kids could then stay in the barn. The problem was he didn’t finish the outside penning because he thought we had more time than we did. So, when we heard about

the Colorado low coming we changed all our plans.

ever — so no time to fence. Goats really are the most amazing animals for finding the weak spot on their enclosure. If we leave a rope untied and forget it like that for a half hour, one goat or another will find it. This is part of the reason we prefer our sheep. They are much easier to keep where they belong.

PROCRASTINATION PAYS OFF With the weather forecast, the goats and kids went to the quonset. We figured at a month old, the kids could best handle temperature fluctuations. We didn’t want to be lambing outside in the pouring rain without proper fencing. The move went smashingly well actually. And right on schedule the first lamb was born during the worst May snowstorm we have ever. Fortunately the animals were all snugly warm in the barn. The procrastination worked out to be for the best too because our proposed pen was not suitable for that much moisture at all. The does with their kids all faired very well and have been able to enjoy the flush of green clover the melting snow has provided. One challenge was to make sure the goat hay feeders would work for the ewes. Sheep have bigger heads and they are not shorn yet — we shear post lambing. We were a bit concerned about the feeders but livestock panels with wooden supports in front of the cattle hay mangers have been working

PROPER NUTRITION BENEFITS

photo: debbie chikousky

Hard to believe this is a “May” photo, but a Colorado low dropped a foot of snow on parts of Manitoba just as lambing was to begin. very well. Absolutely no problems with stuck heads and they are not pulling a lot of the hay out. The biggest issue we are having is too many leaves falling off the alfalfa in transit from the bale to the barn. That is not horrible though because there is always a loose goat that is willing to clean up a mess like that. The reason for the loose goats is our fault though. The electric fence needs its spring tune up and we have had the fastest lambing

Our nutrition must have been more balanced through fall and winter than in previous years because so far we have lambed one third of the flock in one week. Plus we have doubled the amount of lambs on the ground from the year before. This is very encouraging. The ewes are lambing easily. The lambs are up and sucking unassisted for the most part. We have verified a few families, especially triplets, are getting where they need to go but mostly for our own peace of mind. This is also the first year in a long time there has been triplets in our goats and sheep. We are very happy with the new mineral product we are using. It contains 90 elements and the sheep love it. This is the only thing we changed last year, so we are now convinced we really do

need to pay attention to the whole diet. A great testimony to all the ranchers that have spent time and effort over the years covered in Grainews articles. It shows us they must have known a thing or two about the value of proper nutrition program. Our ewes are getting through lambing quickly and easily milking for their little ones.

BARN PROS AND CONS While the sheep were protected from the weather by lambing in the barn there was a downside. We had a very hard time with humidity and respiratory issues. It was hard to have lambs adjust from the inside temperature of around 0 C to an outside temperature of -30 C also. Winter had advantages though because parasites are easier to deal with and coccidiosis is not a problem. So far, spring lambing under a roof has not had any of these concerns. I think if we had lambed about two weeks later though the heat would have been an issue for the ewes. † Debbie Chikousky farms with her family at Narcisse, Manitoba. Visitors are always welcome. Contact Debbie at debbie@ chikouskyfarms.com.

Animal Health

Dealing with downers, not simple or easy There are many reasons a seemingly healthy cow can go down, and quite often no easy procedure to get her back up Roy Lewis animal health

armers and veterinarians since the beginning of time have pondered over the proverbial downer cow. Typically, a downer cow surprises the farmer. It is often a perfectly healthy animal with no presenting history suddenly found down and unable to rise. Because cattle, especially mature ones, are such heavy beasts, complications can ensue after being down for even a short time. Pressure sores, stiff muscles from trying to rise, or cattle becoming spread-eagled are common conditions after a cow has been down for a while. It is these complications, which the veterinarian must also treat in order to arrive at a favourable outcome. With many in-house blood testing tools now available at most veterinary clinics several tests may be performed on downer cattle to determine the cause. While “milk fever” is often implicated, deficiencies of calcium, phosphorus or magnesium can resemble one another greatly. With dairy cattle, the true “milk fever” results from a shortage of calcium generally at parturition when the demand for milk and thus calcium is greatest.

Beef cattle can have milk fevers show up at different times, either before calving or late into the lactation. Often poor mineral utilization or improper feeding is the root cause. Veterinarians now will often take a blood sample to test for levels of those three minerals. If deficient, then the diagnosis is made and treatment initiated to alleviate the situation. In my experience the grass tetany downer from magnesium deficiency is less likely to recover once down. Phosphorus leads to the proverbial “creeper” cow, which can take along time to get up. A producer needs to consider any cattle affected by these mineral deficiencies might just be the tip of the iceberg. The rest of the herd should be closely scrutinized and some cows possibly randomly checked (blood tested) to confirm the herd status and prevent other cases from developing.

INJURIES CAN CREATE A DOWNER Injuries to the neck or peripheral nerves can also cause downer animals, representing a great diagnostic challenge to your veterinarian. Once an animal is down, performing a thorough clinical exam can be difficult. Ambulation is better to check out severe lameness’s or trauma cases. A blown stifle (knee) or

broken leg can present as a downer animal. It is important to proper examine a downer that your veterinarian rolls the animal over and closely examines all four legs closely. Lightning strikes — where the animal has survived — damages the peripheral nerves and a downer may be the end result. With parturition, a difficult birthing can cause pressure on the obturator nerves where they run through the pelvis resulting in knuckling and weakness to the hind end. If caught early, anti-inflammatory drugs recommended by your veterinarian may help significantly. One must be careful. Bad mastitis, metritis (infected uterus), or cases of tetanus brought on by retained placentas can fool even experienced practitioners. They can occur just after calving. Sick enough cows will be unable to rise simply because of weakness and toxemia. Any condition, which results in dehydration: septicemias or toxemias may result in downer animals. These may be sudden or occur over several days. If the cattle appear sick and depressed a large number of maladies will cause enough weakness or toxemia to cause a downer situation. Severe electrolyte imbalances (as an example too much potassium (K) in the bloodstream) can cause cattle to go down. Again most of these electrolytes levels can

be tested by your veterinarian to make sure the proper ailment is being treated. If very excitable cattle get out and run for a considerable period they can go down due to muscle damage. It is called “capture myopathy” and happens when zoo animals are captured. Selenium may help, but once down prognosis is poor. You can see downers are caused by a multitude of medical conditions most with entirely different treatments. With some, treatment results in a very favourable prognosis while other outlooks are poor.

SEEK MEDICAL ADVICE The important thing is getting them looked at immediately by your veterinarian to determine the cause. In the meantime, provide soft footing to prevent pressure sores from developing. Roll the downers side to side several times daily to help prevent further nerve damage. Hobble the feet together to avoid splay legging and where indicated, antiinflammatory drugs may also be in order. Of course the essentials of life, good quality water and feed must be provided. Shade on very hot days is essential. Watch for fly strike around the rectal and vaginal areas. With broken legs or stifle injuries, it maybe necessary for emergency slaughter so do not rush in

and treat unless the exact cause is known. The transport of large downers is really frowned upon from an animal rights issue so it is best to emergency slaughter right on site. We also see some downers related to very thin cows late in pregnancy carrying twins or a large calf. With the increasing nutritional draw in heavy pregnancy cows can get so thin they are simply unable to rise. Hopefully the cow is close enough to full term so calving could be induced to alleviate the cow of all that weight and nutritional drain. Hip lifters and slings can be employed to lift cattle but I only suggest this if certain criteria are met. Cattle must be trying to rise and when lifted to bear some weight themselves. If the animal is just hanging, there is no point in lifting. Only lift for 15 to 20 minutes twice daily. The hiplifters also cause muscle bruising so you want the benefits to outweigh the negatives. The slings are less damaging but more labour intensive. In certain sectors of the dairy industry tanks are used to float cows with amazing results. I wish these could be more practical and available for the beef sector. Certain practitioners are having some success with acupuncture for the nervedamaged cases. † Roy Lewis is an Alberta-based veterinarian specializing in large-animal practice. He is also a part-time technical services vet for Merck Animal Health.

JUNE 9, 2015 grainews.ca /

The Dairy Corner

Test for, treat ketosis early It is easy for cows to slip into a negative energy balance and lose condition BY PETER VITTI

ears ago, I would lean over the feed bunk and smell the breath of a ketosis-suspect dairy cow. It convinced me that it had either bad breath or glue (acetone) breathing ketosis. Since then, I’ve come a long way. Dairy nutritionists like myself and dairy producers now have access to modern BHB (Betahydroxybutyrate) milk tests through regular Canwest DHI testing or from on-farm keto-testing kits. By detecting ketosis in problematic cows and implementing strong transition cow-feeding and management programs, we should be able to reduce early lactation

ketosis, which is detrimental to long-term dairy cow health and performance.

DON’T IGNORE IT Ignoring a ketosis cow doesn’t s o l v e t h e p r o b l e m , e i t h e r. Untreated clinical ketosis include a rapid drop in body condition, loss of appetite, decreased milk production, and yes, acetonesmelling breath. Most veterinarians will tell us that such clinical ketosis is relatively rare in dairy cows with the majority of ketosis symptoms in afflicted cows being hidden or subclinical in nature. Rather, these latter cows will suffer from a higher incidence of displaced abomasums, retained

placentas, mastitis, or weaken immune system. Subclinical ketosis has also been linked to milk fever and reproductive problems. Cows with subclinical ketosis lose about 25 per cent of their potential milk production per lactation. Early lactation cows are the most vulnerable to either type of ketosis because, by nature, they cannot meet all their energy requirements of maintenance and high milk production from just their diet. Therefore they are drawn into a state of “negative energy balance” (NEB) for about five to six weeks after calving. Even well-transitioned cows experience a period of NEB, but they tend to have good post-partum dry matter intakes, which

draws a lot of energy from their diets and as a result mobilize a health amount of body fat. This fat energy helps bridge this NEB gap during their early period of peak milk production. By comparison, ketosis-affected cows often have limited feed intakes or energy-unbalanced diets, which leads to high life-threatening rates of fat-breakdown. Serum (blood) concentrations of NEFAs and ketone bodies such as Beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), can determine a potential ketosis threat (and associated severity of NEB) in a chosen group of early lactation cows. It’s this BHB concept that also underlies the milk keto-screen available by DHI testing as an

™

GETTinG REady fOR SHOw TimE  Ag in Motion site preparation is underway As fArmers plAnt their crops and are seeing the first signs of emergence, the landscape at the Ag in Motion site is also changing with the arrival of spring. planting of crop plots and grass has begun and site construction is underway. Western canada’s first outdoor expo, Ag in Motion, will launch this summer, July 21-23. Unlike indoor tradeshows, the preparation for an outdoor venue is beholden to the elements. the expo site – a half-section (320 acres) of prime, agricultural land 35 km northwest of saskatoon, on highway 16 – was farmed in canola last year and has now been cultivated and heavy harrowed. this week, grass seed planting and rolling will take place in the business park area of the expo – where the exhibits and crop plots will be located. for year one of the expo, 42 acres of turf grass will be planted, thanks to Ag in Motion sponsor Brett Young. Another sponsor, crop production services, has provided enough seed to plant 60 acres of pasture grass blend for the expo parking areas. road building throughout the business park at Ag in Motion has also begun. the land has been surveyed and a local company from langham, sK, nemanishen contracting ltd., is constructing gravel roads. to date, the business park will consist of five east-west roads and three north-south roads for pedestrian use during the expo. Unique to Ag in Motion are the crop plot demonstrations. some exhibitors will begin planting crops on their exhibit plots this week. come show time, they will be able to

The Ag in Motion site is transforming as the soil is prepared for planting grass seed, culverts are being installed and gravel roads are constructed.

showcase their different varieties, products and technologies. “We are excited to be able to offer farmers an opportunity to see live crop plots from a wide range of different companies,” says Dan Kuchma, co-ordinator for the Ag in Motion crop plot Demonstration program. “there’s no other show in the West where they can see the latest seed and crop innovations first-hand in the field, all in one place.”

As of mid-May, the following confirmed exhibitors will be planting crop plots (with more to come): • monsanto canada • Dupont pioneer/ Dupont crop protection • engage Agro • stoller enterprises • top Krop fertilizers • Brett Young • BAsf canada • Alliance seed • Dow Agrosciences canada • canterra seeds • crop production services • Bayer cropscience • secan • oat Advantage • nufarm

SOmETHinG nEw iS in THE fiEld. ViSiT aG in mOTiOn THiS SUmmER - JUly 21-23 For more information about Ag in Motion please call toll free: (800) 563-5441 or email: info@aginmotion.ca www.facebook.com/AginMotion

SEE Technology ™ Denotes a trade-mark of Canada’s Outdoor Shows Limited Partnership.

TOUCH Innovation

BE Empowered

@AginMotion

www.aginmotion.ca

indicator of ketosis in dairy cows. Since, the first few weeks is considered the highest ketosis risk period in early lactation cows, DHI tests the milk samples of cows between five to 21 days in milk (DIM) and DIM 22 to 42 days. They mark and report “positives” of these samples, which exceed a BHB threshold of 0.15 mmol/l. Their report also shows the percentage of cows that have elevated BHB levels for that reported month as well as those from past threemonth increments.

INDICATOR TEST As a general indicator of subclinical ketosis, DHI suggests if 20 per cent or more cows’ milk samples in a particular herd test “positive,” it is designated a high ketosis status and might indicate a possible ketosis problem in any individual herd. On a similar note, Ontario DHI records (43,321 milk samples from June to September, 2014) have illustrated herd level prevalence of subclinical ketosis of 30.5 per cent in cows five to 21 DIM and of 14.7 per cent of cows DIM 22 to 42. Similar Quebec DHI results were reported. Although identification of subclinical ketosis in lactating dairy cows is helpful and warrants corrective actions, preventing ketosis in any given herd is strongly recommended. One should implement a proper transition diet (three weeks before calving and three weeks postpartum) in order to promote optimum dry matter intake and body condition scores in susceptible dairy cows. Initially, a good close-up dry cow diet should be palatable which ensures that pre-partum cows are consuming about 12 kg of dry feed daily. The diet should contain moderate energy forages with some room for lead-feeding grain. Close-up dry cows (even fat cows) should not be allowed to lose bodyweight in this period. Once cows calve, early lactation rations should promote good rumen function (re: effective forage fiber) and yet carry enough available dietary energy to support increasing milk production. The goal is to build up dry matter intake in early lactation cows to about 3.5 to 4.0 per cent of their bodyweight at about nine to 10 weeks after calving. Tying it together is good bunk management with all good feeding programs set up for both the close-up and early lactation dairy cows. This means that each transition cow should have enough bunk space and adequate time to eat. Matching the energy demands with a dairy cow’s energy needs in the closeup and early stages of lactation is critical in minimizing rapid body fat mobilization and ketosis. Alongside, we should have a ketosis monitoring program (such as DHI) that identifies subclinical cases as well as our progress in reducing ketosis. Your program might even include my glue-breath test! † Peter Vitti is an independent livestock nutritionist and consultant based in Winnipeg. To reach him call 204-254-7497 or by email at vitti@mts.net.

See the lAteSt in the FielD

Welcome to Ag in Motion – Western Canada’s only outdoor farm expo! 16

July 21 – 23, 2015

LANGHAM

15 min. NW of Saskatoon

Join us at Ag In Motion – the unique opportunity to get up close and personal with today’s agricultural technology. Experience live demonstrations of field equipment, crops, livestock and services all together on 320 acres near Saskatoon. Come to the farm show where there’s room to see it all – and how it all fits together.

SASKATOON

™

See Technology

tOUCh Innovation

™ Denotes a trade-mark of Canada’s Outdoor Shows Limited Partnership.

Be Empowered

www.aginmotion.ca

JUNE 9, 2015 grainews.ca /

canada’S farm progreSS Show June 17 - 19, 2015, regina, SK

Special event Section

GET READY FOR CANADA’S FARM PROGRESS SHOW

FARM PROGRESS SHOW

or three days in June, agricultural buyers and sellers from around the world come together to do business at one of the most important farm shows in Western Canada. More than 45,000 people from over 50 countries come to Regina each year to see what’s new in agriculture. Canada’s Farm Progress Show has established itself as the largest dryland farm technology and equipment show in Canada, and one of the most important farm shows in North America. Canada’s Farm Progress Show is about much more than just standard farm equipment. Tractors, livestock handling equipment and other tools of the trade do make up a large part of the Show, but the Farm Show also provides the opportunity for producers to market their products to an international audience, learn more about the business side of agriculture, and see the latest products and inventions that will make their jobs easier. Of course, Canada’s Farm Progress Show is a place for fun and entertainment too.

Farm Progress Show: the numbers Here are some numbers that describe the Farm Progress Show: • 1.8 million: square feet of total space at the show • 650,000: square feet of indoor space for displays • 50: at least the number of countries where delegates will come from to see the show • 12: the number of the Hall where FCC will hold its Farm Progress Forum • 45,000: number of visitors that come to see t he show every year • 9: the time in the morning that exhibits open each day of the show • 6: exhibits close at 6 p.m. • $0: cost of the complimentary shuttle offered to guests and exhibitors staying at a Regina Hotel Association member hotel • $15: cost for regular adult admission • $22: cost for a two-day pass • $30 million: economic spinoffs to the City of Regina from the show

MORE SELECTION MORE OFTEN MORE DEALS... OV

ER 30,000 PIECES OF A EQUIPMENT G !

Find it fast at

Ag Growth International (AGI) is a leading manufacturer of portable and stationary grain handling, storage and conditioning equipment. Batco (specialty crop belt conveyors), Wheatheart (grain handling and fencing equipment), Westfield (portable grain augers), Grain Guard (grain drying and storage equipment), Twister (galvanized grain bins), HSI (material handling and temporary storage equipment), Applegate (livestock equipment), REM (GrainVacs) and Westeel (storage equipment) are all leading brands, part of the AGI group. VISIT US AT CANADA’S FARM PROGRESS SHOW JUNE 17-19, 2015 FOR MORE INFORMATION ON OUR LATEST PRODUCTS AND INNOVATIONS INCLUDING: • Highest Capacity 16" Auger • Batco 2045 Field Loader • GULP Drive Over Hopper

• REM GrainVac VR12 • STORM Seed Treater • Westeel Storage Solutions

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WHERE FARM BUSINESS DOES BUSINESS. We are the largest agricultural credit union in Manitoba and no one has more respect for the agriculture industry than we do. The special agricultural products and services we offer lead to exceptional opportunities in all areas of farming. CALL OR VISIT US TODAY. 305 Main St, Steinbach 204.326.3495 | 1575 Lagimodiere Blvd 204.661.1575 2100 McGillivray Blvd 204.222.2100 | Toll-free 1 800 511.8776 | scu.mb.ca

Taking care of the world’s most important business... yours.®

/ grainews.ca JUNE 9, 2015

Special event section Canadaâ€™s farm progress show June 17 - 19, 2015, Regina, SK

5-Section

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Vertical Tillage at 42 Acres Per Hour.

BOOTH # 6101, 6102 LOT L

Introducing the Landoll 5-Section Vertical Tillage Machine. The Landoll 5-Section VTplus Ask About The 1632 Rear Steer Grader gives you the ability to anchor residue in shallow working depths, mix more soil and improve weed kill up to 49' 9" wide in a single pass. It is the next level of productivity in Vertical Tillage. The Landoll 5-Section VTplus is the ideal machine for the larger producer looking for the benefits of vertical tillage in a highly productive machine. Contact Landoll today to learn more about the 5-Section VTplus, or visit us online at www.Landoll.com

785-738-6613 | www.landoll.com/ag TeeJay Johnston (403) 556-0910 Covering BC and AB

Land-141B.indd 1

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5/27/15 11:18 AM

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CUSTOMER SINCE 2009

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“WE’RE CATCHING ON” COME SEE US AT THE FARM PROGRESS SHOW IN REGINA WWW.POWERRICH.COM • 1-800-663-4769

BOOTH # 80207 & 80209 HALL #08

/ grainews.ca JUNE 9, 2015

ATTENTION CANADIAN CUSTOMERS

Take advantage of the strong export dollar and your U.S. selling power • We hold three regularly scheduled equipment & truck auctions in nearby Grand Forks, ND each year, in addition to numerous on-farm single seller events annually

Special event section Canada’s farm progress show June 17 - 19, 2015, Regina, SK

• Major auctions offer simulcast online bidding and most units move easily across the border • We have qualified experience in handling large Canadian equipment packages • We have enjoyed many strong relationships with Canadian sellers and buyers alike and welcome your future business

Please visit us at

N INC.

TO BUY OR SELL EQUIPMENT OR TO JOIN OUR DIRECT MAIL PROGRAM

Booth #8417 Lot D

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EXPERTS IN STAINLESS STEEL STORAGE Call 701-757-4015

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DRY FERTILIZER BINS INTRODUCING A NEW LEVEL OF DURABILITY Novid’s stainless steel dry fertilizer bins are the longest lasting and most durable, maintenance free bins on the market today. An up-front investment in stainless steel, guarantees a long term ROI for the farm or Ag retail facility.

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(Outside opposite main entrance to Credit Eventplex) New

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SOYBEANS Made for Saskatchewan

Watson Moosomin Reston

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RR2Y

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You can be confident growing soybeans in Saskatchewan because our lineup of early maturing and high performing varieties make it easy on your farm. At NorthStar Genetics, we know beans. www.weknowbeans.com

© NorthStar Genetics 2015 ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Roundup Ready® crops contain genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup® brand agricultural herbicides. Roundup® brand agricultural herbicides will kill crops that are not tolerant to glyphosate. Genuity and Design®, Genuity Icons, Genuity®, Roundup Ready 2 Yield®, Roundup Ready®, Roundup WeatherMAX®, and Roundup® are trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC, Monsanto Canada, Inc. licensee. Respect the Refuge and Design is a registered trademark of the Canadian Seed Trade Association. Used under license. ©2012 Monsanto Canada, Inc.

RR2Y

/ grainews.ca JUNE 9, 2015

www.ritewaymfg.com 1-800-352-8822

Special event section Canada’s farm progress show June 17 - 19, 2015, Regina, SK

Rain or Shine, you will ﬁnd us outside at the 2015 Farm Progress Show

WEDNESDAY, JULY 29, 2015 • 9AM

Red River Valley Fairgrounds

This is a large multi-ring event selling Tractors, Combines, Heads, Trucks, Semis, Tillage, Construction Equipment, Hay & Livestock Equipment & Much More!

Don’t miss this event! Look for complete

listing & photos at SteffesGroup.com

800.726.8609 | 701.237.9173 | WestFargo@SteffesGroup.com

Come See US at Canada’S Farm ProgreSS Show in regina

June 17-19, 2015 Booth: 80203, 80205 - Hall #08

now buying HigH-PRoTEin RED SPRing wHEAT FOR FREE DTN PRICING CALL NOW P.O. Box 238, Letellier, MB R0G 1C0 Phone 204-737-2000 Fax 204-737-2102 Email roger@seed-ex.com

JUNE 9, 2015 grainews.ca /

canada’S farm progreSS Show June 17 - 19, 2015, regina, SK

Special event Section

I M P O R TA N T

N O T I C E

The Wolverine scrapes and spreads the soil in a single operation, creating and maintaining ditches faster and more efficiently than a scraper. The Wolverine: • eliminates the operation of leveling dirt piles left behind by a scraper

Grain farmers

• creates smooth ditches that allow field equipment to pass through with ease (no ridges or barrel cuts) • reduces field compaction compared to using a scraper

As of May 9, 2015, Naber Specialty Grains Ltd. of Melfort, Saskatchewan is no longer licensed by the Canadian Grain Commission.

• works in all soil types including heavy clay soils (not soils with rocks) • moves up to 750 yards per hour

If you do business with this company after May 8, 2015, you are not protected by security under the Canada Grain Act.

SEE US IN LOT D,

BOOTH 8304

1-800-853-6705 or 204-984-0506 TTY: 1-866-317-4289 www.grainscanada.gc.ca

Visit grainews.ca to sign up for enews.

Celebrating the Registration of Prosper & Faller Seed Depot is exãted to announce the successful registration of the Prosper and Faller wheat varieties. We have waited a long time for the opportunity to make these high yielding US milling wheat varieties available to Western Canadian farmers. We wish to celebrate this occasion by donating the entire production of Prosper wheat from the one of the first fields of Prosper sown since it became a registered variety, 105 acres just north of Crystal City, MB. The entire production will be donated to the Canadian Food Grains Bank to feed the hungry in third world nations. Richardson Pioneer® will be the exclusive retailer of Prosper certified seed, apart from Warburtons contracting opportunities. Faller Certified seed will be available at Seed Depot dealers for spring 2016. PIONEER® FOR THE SALE AND DISTRIBUTION OF SEED IS A REGISTERED TRADE-MARK OF PIONEER HI-BRED INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND IS USED UNDER LICENSE BY THE UNAFFILIATED COMPANY RICHARDSON PIONEER LIMITED.

t x e N e h t o t e m o c l e W ass l C t a e h W n o i t a r e n Ge

Prosper & Faller

Wheat

How to win enough seed to sow ¼ section of Prosper or Faller wheat (320 bu)

✔ Research Prosper data using Yield MB 2015

✔ Review Prosper agronomics at seeddepot.ca

✔ Have a look at the field on Hwy #3 just north of Crystal City

✔ Calculate the expected average yield in bushels per acre Thank you for the hard work and vision provided by the CGC, CFIA and the PGDC that have made registration possible.

✔ For contest rules and to submit your estimate visit seeddepot.ca

“Working Hard To Earn Your Trust”

/ grainews.ca JUNE 9, 2015

Special event section Canada’s farm progress show

Serving Manitoba, Saskatchewan, NW Ontario & Alberta....Since 1937

June 17 - 19, 2015, Regina, SK

YOUR PERFORMANCE ENHANCER

• Quality Commercial/Agricultural/Residential Overhead Doors & Operators. • Aluminum Polycarbonate Doors Available. • Non-Insulated and Insulated Sectional Doors Available. • Liftmaster Heavy Duty Operators. • Mullion Slide Away Centre Posts. • Commercial/Agricultural Steel Man Doors and Frames. • Your washbay door specialists. • Quality Installation & Service. • 24 Hour Service. • Replacement Springs & Cables.

Phone: 204-326-4556 Fax: 204-326-5013 Toll Free: 1-855-326-4556 www.reimeroverheaddoors.com email: kurtis@reimeroverheaddoors.com

MODEL 919® MOISTURE TESTER

Shown with digital scale. New storage/transport case for any Model 919® & dig. scale. Install tester inside the case along with any digital scale. Protects your meter when not in use & allows for easy transport. Also available: Test weight & canola equipment, digital scales, sample probes & thermometers.

TEST WEIGHT EQUIP. ABS Funnel with 0.5L measure & striker. Smart Scoop Dig. Bu. Wt Scale.

INFRA-RED BIN PROBE

10’ length total, 2 - 5’ sections that couple together. Quick temperature measurement without removing the probe. Temperature displayed digitally on small hand held unit.

SIEVES

REGINA FARM PROGRESS SHOW SPECIAL

Buy our complete Model 919® Kit & we will REFURBISH your old 919® tester for FREE!! New electronics will be installed with LED (red/green) indicator light. All parts of old 919® (dump & cell tube and main body) are required.

Canola, Flax and Cereal sieve sets. Full range of sizes, injection molded frame. Fits into existing metal sieves. Hand-held Smart Chart II

Come See Us at Canada’s Farm Progress Show

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Home Quarter Farm Life SEEDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT

Who am I as father, founder and farmer? You need to be intentional about being rich in relationships Elaine Froese

s an outsider looking in to the many farm families that I am honoured to share time with, it always saddens me to see folks who cannot seem to grasp happiness beyond what they do as farmers, especially when it is time to let go of control of decisionmaking and let the next generation be the key decision maker. This Father’s Day is a great time to sit down and reflect on your relationship to your father and your children. Dads wield a lot of influence as leaders of their families, and some farm men are not in a happy place this year because they have nothing to look forward to beyond farming. Sons are fathers, too. The sons of founders want a happy legacy for their young families. I think it is time for agriculture to confront the issue of “identity-based conflict” on farms. Dr. Megan Mckenzie, co-author of Farming’s In-Law Factor, says

“people get locked into their identity and it becomes inflexible. This hinders them from being able to reinvent themselves, be open to new ideas and new experiences, or to live fully to their potential.” Does what you do for a living define who you are? This is a tough question to sit with. When you are no longer the main manager, does that mean that you are useless? No! It means that your roles in life have shifted, you as a person still and always will have great value. You are valuable as a human being, not only as a human “doing.” “But Elaine, my passion and my whole life is farming.” I get that. You love to farm. Farming is your business. You have another system in your life… your family. Relationships that are healthy are your true wealth, because they are your legacy, regardless of the price of soybeans, corn or canola. You are grieving the loss of some deep part of your identity when you cannot be the ultimate decision maker on your farm. You need to let go and let the next generation succeed. Face your fear of “losing your identity and control.” This does not mean that you are “done.” Your new role is one

of “wiser elder” and “trusted adviser.” You can share your wisdom and experience when it is asked for. You can also be proactive and ask permission in a gracious way to share your insights by saying, “Would you like to have my input on this decision?” There is a verse in the Bible that cautions fathers not to exasperate their children. Ephesians 6:4 says, “Fathers, don’t exasperate your children coming down hard on them. Take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master” (The Message). As a father, what can you do in the next three months to build happier relationships in your family roles? I hear from many 30-something adult children who are ready to throw in the wrench and quit farming because of the conflict with a father founder who just cannot seem to switch roles. He has no interest in being the “hired man again,” and unless he gets to call the shots, he will just leave. Or not. Sometimes he stays, driving the future successors away. What could help? 1. Read Stephen Poulter’s book: The Father Factor. Hopefully you will choose to be a compassionate

mentor to your successor. Poulter says only 20 per cent of fathers are compassionate mentors. We have too many “time bomb” explosive angry fathers and founders. This needs to change. 2. Go to the doctor. Your negative mood may be depression, sleep apnea, thyroid issues, or something else that has a physical cause. 3. Grieve. Understand that you are feeling loss. No one has died, but your identity tied up in being a farmer is changing. Call a mental health worker or get some professional counselling. 4. Celebrate your marriage. Start dating your wife again and find joy as a couple in activities that connect you to other folks having fun. 5. Volunteer. Serve others. Reignite an old hobby that you have left by the wayside. When you give your time and energy to other people you stop dwelling on what’s sour in your life. You start building a new chapter and reinvent your role. 6. Travel to a Third World country. Sign up for the next Canadian Foodgrains Bank tour. Seeing how farmers in other parts of the world struggle to feed their

families will put your priorities in order. Start a food grains project in your community. 7. Write a letter of appreciation to your successor. Show leadership as the dad and thank your son or daughter for all the support that they have given you to grow an amazing farm. Their work, alongside yours, has created an amazing legacy of growth and wealth to be shared. Adult children — write a letter of appreciation to your father, and your mom. Respect and appreciation flowing both ways will encourage the heart of your farm. 8. Email Elaine@elainefroese with “encourage the farm” in the subject line and I’ll send you a word cloud of encouraging points to attach to your letter of appreciation. As a farm family coach my goal is to empower family, increase profits, and secure legacy. Be intentional about being rich in relationships! † Elaine Froese, CSP, CAFA, CHICoach was raised by a father who told her she could do anything. Engage her practical tools for your farm team, association at 1-866-848-8311. Visit www.elainefroese.com/store to buy Farming’s In-Law Factor, and start having more harmony on your farm. Like “Farm Family Coach” on Facebook. Tweet @elainefroese. Celebrate good times with your family this month!

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Features Home Quarter Farm Life

PRAIRIE PALATE

Searching out my farming roots in Russia Since childhood I had dreamed of this and finally the opportunity came Amy Jo Ehman

y farming ancestors came to Canada from Russia in the 1890s and, ever since I was a child, I dreamed of visiting their village on the Dnieper River. That opportunity came in April. Despite the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, which is unfolding east of the Dnieper, I made a trek to the little village once known as Klosterdorf. It was also a journey into the history of wheat. Some 2,500 years ago, farmers along the Black Sea — from the Danube to the Dnieper and beyond — supplied wheat to ancient Greece and Rome, neither of which could grow enough grain to meet the essential bread demands of their populations. The shores of the Black Sea are dotted with the ruins of Greek colonies such as Histria in Romania and Olbia in Ukraine, both of which I visited on my way to Klosterdorf. Beautiful pottery, delicate glassware and gold coins on display in the archeology museum of Odessa paint a picture of a prosperous agricultural society on the shores of what the Greeks called the Hospitable Sea. Fast-forward to the 1790s. The Russian army captured the area from the Ottoman

Empire. Czar Catherine the Great invited farmers to return to the land and they did, from all over Europe, including my German ancestors. A century later, the Port of Odessa handled 40 per cent of Russia’s grain trade. No doubt, some of that grain was grown on the fields of Klosterdorf. Today, Klosterdorf is no longer a place on the map. It has been amalgamated into a larger village called Zmiivka, Ukraine. That was my destination as I boarded a dusty bus on a sunny spring day in April along with my husband, John, and an English translator named Viktorya. The old bus rattled down the country road, gears grinding and shocks falling flat. Apple trees were blooming and the young wheat was green. On either side, the fields were so wide and flat and straight to the horizon it reminded me of home, where I grew up in Saskatchewan. We had not gone far when Viktorya began chatting up the old women at the front of the bus. They laughed, flashing gold teeth and peppering her with questions about our venture to the village at the end of the road. Before long, we had been invited in for tea, given a brief history of the village and pointed in the direction of Naberezhnaya Street, which was in former times the main street of Klosterdorf. It looked as it might have a century ago, long low cottages on tidy lots that run perpendicular to the road, hens in the yard and laundry on the line. Gardens were turned

and ready for potato planting. “We love our potatoes,” one lady told us through Viktorya. “Without potatoes we would probably starve.” Hmmm, reminds me of my dad. Another old-timer recalled a little German church at the far end of the street, but it’s gone now. Most of the German settlers left long ago. Today, Zmiivka is better known for its Swedish settlers who have maintained some ties with their former homeland. From a high point on the street, we had a spectacular view of the Dnieper by which grain was transported in former times. The river has been dammed upstream, flooding some of the land once associated with Klosterdorf, but it presents a picture of a contented and self-sufficient village that time forgot. We wandered back to the bus stop with time to sit and have a cool drink outside the little grocery store, where the clerk calculated our purchase on a wooden abacus. A curious gentleman sat down and asked our story, what had brought us from Canada to Zmiivka, which Viktorya related to him. He looked at me thoughtfully. “Yes,” he said. “When I look at your face I can see your ancestors.” This beet and potato salad is ubiquitous in Ukraine and a favourite in my kitchen back home in Canada. † Amy Jo Ehman is the author of Prairie Feast: A Writer’s Journey Home for Dinner, and, Out of Old Saskatchewan Kitchens. She hails from Craik, Saskatchewan.

photo: amy jo ehman

VINEGRET 2 potatoes 2 beets 3 carrots 2-3 pickles 1/4 c. onion, finely chopped 1 tbsp. vegetable oil 1 tsp. vinegar (optional) Salt and pepper Boil potatoes, beets and carrots separately until cooked. Cool and peel. Chop vegetables and pickles in a small dice. Mix with onion, oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.

EXTENDED OUTLOOK FOR THE PRAIRIES Weather Forecast for the period of June 14 to July 11, 2015

Southern Alberta

Peace River Region

Saskatchewan

Manitoba

June 14 - 20 Sunny with seasonal to warm temperatures, but showers or heavier thunderstorms on 1 or 2 days.

June 14 - 20 Sunny with seasonal to warm temperatures. Scattered showers or heavier thunderstorms.

June 14 - 20 Sunny with highs often in the 20s. Scattered shower activity or heavier thunderstorms.

June 21 - 27 Sunshine dominates but look for scattered thunderstorms on a couple of days. Highs often in the 20s.

June 21 - 27 Sunny. Highs often in the 20s. A couple of more humid says trigger showers or thunderstorms.

June 21 - 27 Warm and sunny, but a few showers or thunderstorms are expected on a couple of the more humid days.

June 28 - July 4 Often hot and sunny, but on a couple of occasions scattered showers or thunderstorms, heavy in places.

June 28 - July 4 Often warm and mainly sunny, but on a couple of occasions scattered showers or thunderstorms, heavy in places.

June 28 - July 4 Hot on several days under sunny skies, apart from a few spotty thunderstorms, some heavy.

June 28 - July 4 Sunny and often hot. Occasional muggy days set off heavy thunderstorms in a few localities.

July 5 - 11 Generally hot and sunny, but on a couple of more humid days expect heavier thunderstorms.

July 5 - 11 Generally warm and sunny, but on a couple of more humid days expect heavier thunderstorms.

July 5 - 11 Hot weather dominates under sunshine. Passing showers or thunderstorms on a couple of occasions.

July 5 - 11 Hot conditions dominate under sunny skies, apart from a few isolated showers or heavy thunderstorms.

9 / 21 Grande Prairie 67.9 mms

Precipitation Forecast 8 / 22 Edmonton 94.3 mms

7 / 21 Jasper

BELOW NORMAL

56.2 mms

6 / 20

51.2 mms

Banff

8 / 22 Calgary

Forecasts should be 80% accurate, but expect variations by a day or two because of changeable speed of weather systems.

69.9 mms

8 / 22 Red Deer 87.9 mms

11 / 25 Medicine Hat 19mms cms Lethbridge 40.9 45.3 mms 26 cms 10 / 24

11 / 23 North Battleford

11 / 22 The Pas

9 / 23 Prince Albert

68.2 mms

10 / 23 Saskatoon 58.0 mms

72.1 mms

70.2 mms

NEAR NORMAL

10 / 23 Yorkton

10 / 24 Dauphin

11 / 23 11 / 24 64.2 mms 69.3 mms 11 / 26 Gimli Regina 10 / 24 Moose Jaw 58.9 mms 75.0 mms Swift 54.1 mms 12 / 24 10 / 24 Current 11 / 26 Portage 11 / 24 Brandon 76.9 mms Winnipeg 48.9 mms Weyburn 72.1 mms 72.0 mms 60.0 mms 12 / 26 Estevan Melita 10 / 25 61.1 mms

64.8 mms

Precipitation Outlook For July Much Above Normal Below Much above normal normal below normal normal

JUNE 9, 2015 grainews.ca /

Home Quarter Farm Life FROM THE FARM

Explore the world of natural food colouring So many people have allergies so try some of these options Debbie Chikousky

here are so many parents telling us that their children react badly to regular food colouring, particularly red. We have family members who have proven allergies to food colourings, and with grandchildren now in our family, we’re going to explore the world of natural colouring. The hardest part of using natural (foods) for colouring is to get vibrant colour. The first project we tried was to create red icing for Winnie the Pooh on our grandson’s birthday cake. I found that, “The best homemade food colourings are intense in both colour and opacity.” Compare pomegranate and beets. Visually pomegranate juice looks intense. It’s a deep red. Now pour some in a clear glass and hold it up to the light. Even though it’s bright and intense, it’s also translucent. Now do the same with beet juice. It’s intense too, but when you hold it up to the light, it’s absolutely dark, not translucent, making it a much better option. The best choices are powders made from deep-coloured vegetables, fresh juice from intensely coloured fruits, vegetables or herbs, or concentrated syrups made from fresh fruit or vegetable juices. An added bonus is that food sources add nutrition. A printable chart for matching food colour to type of food needed can be found at http://nourishingjoy.com/ wp-content/uploads/2013/09/food-coloringprintable.pdf. To make a herb or vegetable into powder, simply slice the vegetable paper thin (herbs or berries can be left whole) and dry in a

food dehydrator or oven set at 150 F until completely dry (they will snap). Depending on the food this can take two to six hours. Place the cooled items into a coffee grinder or blender and grind to a fine powder. This will store in an airtight container for up to one year. Consider that the more vibrant a desired colour, the more colourant that will be needed. Beets, being opaque, will have less impact on taste, so the food shouldn’t taste too strongly of them. For my icing I used one-third cup of white kefir and added 1-1/2 teaspoon of beet powder. The colour was perfect and although there was a bit of a taste it wasn’t unpleasant. The added advantage to using beet powder for the icing is that it acts as a natural sweetener so the sugar can be reduced. Another option is to make food colouring syrups for a more concentrated dye, by reducing a deeply coloured liquid such as beet juice or the juice from purple sweet potatoes. The syrups will create more vivid colours and affect the flavour less than the powders. To make a concentrate, place about 1 cup of freshly squeezed juice over very low heat. (Mini slow cookers are good for this.) Leave the lid off the pot so the liquid can evaporate and heat until the juice begins to thicken and drips slowly off a spoon rather than running off easily, about 24 hours, give or take eight hours depending on your climate and pot. The liquid will be less than one-quarter of its original volume. Use this concentrated liquid as your colourant directly OR mix it with a bit of glycerin (found at some pharmacies) in a two parts colour/one part glycerin ratio, and store in the refrigerator for two to four weeks. Here’s a non-edible recipe that can be used to experiment with colours. †

photo: thinkstock

Making homemade playdough is a good way to experiment with colour.

HOMEMADE PLAYDOUGH (NOT EDIBLE) 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup salt 2 tbsp. cream of tartar

1 cup hot water 1 tbsp. olive oil 5-7 drops food colouring

Mix the flour, salt, cream of tartar, water, and oil in a medium pot. Have food colouring ready. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly. The moment you see it begin to thicken, drop in food colouring while still stirring, and continue to cook until dough has formed and pulls away from the sides of the pot. (Food colouring can also be kneaded in after the dough has formed.) Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. NOTE: If used warm, the food colouring may colour your tabletop or your child’s hands, but by the time the dough is cool, the dye has been absorbed into the dough. To keep the dough soft, store in a sealed container or resealable plastic bag. Make a fresh batch at least once a month.

Debbie Chikousky farms at Narcisse, Manitoba

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Home Quarter Farm Life SINGING GARDENER

Loving that Tema green bean Plus, Ted shares some letters and hears from some seniors ted meseyton

ccasionally my song “Green Beans and Ripe Tomatoes” gets aired over some radio station. Apart from that I sometimes sing it at personal appearances. Here on this Grainews page my audience and I get together via the printed word. For starters, I’ve something to say about beans. In my April 7, 2015 closing tag I asked: What’s the age of our eldest Grainews gardener who still gardens? Don’t be shy now if you think you qualify! Send your name, age and location with a bit of gardening insight to singinggardener@mts.net. Well good people, I’ve heard from readers and I’ll share their letters. Let’s get the show on the road with a Tip o’ my Welcome Hat and head out for a stroll along the path that leads to things green and growing.

WHAT’S TO LOVE ABOUT TEMA GREEN BEAN? It’s May 8, 2015 as I begin this. For several days since then, overnight temps. fell to between 0 C and -2 C; here where I am in southern Manitoba and cooler farther north. The tradeoff is much needed and appreciated rainfall that sprinkled and came down slow and steady; even misty at times. Out in the garden I inspected the Tema green beans that had been planted earlier and germinated by now in cool and moist soil. Much to my delight, I discovered that Tema beans do live up to their reputation. The twoinch-high Tema bean plants are still looking good and none the worse from exposure to the big overnight chills and low daytime highs in the 10 C range. This brown-seeded variety is noted for outstanding cold soil emergence and can be planted earlier in the spring than most other varieties. Mark Macdonald, communications officer at West Coast Seeds describes Tema “as a truly great bean and it has a very long harvest window for a bush bean.” Tema bean seeds for planting plus many other green, yellow, tricolour, purple and burgundy bush beans, plus broad beans, soya beans, runner beans, pole beans and drying beans can all be purchased from West Coast Seeds, www.westcoastseeds. com at Delta, B.C., V4K 3N2, or phone 1-888-804-8820.

BEAN POD WATER Pick as many fresh bush beans or runner beans as desired. Cut them into pieces; cover with pure room temperature distilled or spring-fed water and let soak overnight. Next

photo: courtesy west coast seeds www.westcoastseeds.com

Brown-seeded Tema bean has outstanding cold soil emergence so can be planted earlier in spring. Add to that masses of high-quality beans with gourmet flavour over an unusually long harvest window. Customer feedback has been extremely consistent. morning, simmer prepared beans in this same water for 30 to 40 minutes, then strain off the liquid. The usual dosage is one-half teaspoonful of bean water three or four times daily between meals. I, Ted, am sure you’ve noticed how most beans are shaped like kidneys. During days gone by bean pod juice was considered a valuable remedy for an assortment of ailments ranging from diabetes, kidney troubles and rheumatism to dropsy (retention of fluid), gout and weak heart circulation. Unshelled bean pods were allowed to shrivel and dry then stored to make the tonic during the off-season. This old folk remedy gives consumers a chance to rely less on modern-day prescriptions when appropriate in combination with dietary changes, exercise and lifestyle alternatives. Nature’s way takes time to alleviate unwanted symptoms and is not an instant panacea. Decide for yourself whether or not to try bean pod water. I personally love keeping in tune with Mother Earth and what she has to offer but do not diagnose, prescribe nor treat for any specific condition. That’s the job of your health-care provider.

AN EMAIL FROM RALPH AND LOIS SHUTE Subject: Re: Tomato planting dates — “We are near Leduc Alberta, just south of Edmonton. I’ve been growing about 15 varieties of tomatoes for years. Dates you recommended (moon sign) have done really well the last few years. I germinate the seeds on an old waterbed heater, and then I put the little plants out in the sun for a few hours if the temperature is 10 C or more and bring them in at night, so they are well hardened off by June when I plant them out in the garden. I have a very convenient deck right outside the room with the big window where they sit in the sun on cool days. What causes small black raised

spots on the skin of some of my tomatoes? It doesn’t damage the flesh and comes off with the skin when blanched but it is unsightly on the fresh tomatoes. Is it something in my garden plot? The plants I give away or plant at the lake are fine — produce beautiful tomatoes. I rotate my crops on a four-year cycle. My garden books don’t mention this under tomato diseases. No luck on the Internet either. After 40 years in the same spot, I wonder if we should cultivate a new garden plot. Where we garden was the best part of the hayfield when we bought the farm and it is still very productive. Thanks for your interesting column and for all your help with gardening. Lois Shute.” Ted’s reply: Having not seen the tomatoes Lois describes makes it a challenge to accurately diagnose and even then opposing views may not arrive at unanimity. My personal view is ‘it sounds like bacterial speck.’ This disease spreads from infected soil and splashes onto foliage and fruit during rainfall. Many gardeners save their own tomato seeds for future sowing. These seeds can also become infected. In such case they should first be disinfected via a hot water treatment as follows. Cover tomato seeds with hot water [50 C (122 F) using a thermometer]. Leave seeds to soak for 25 to 30 minutes then strain off the water. Spread out seeds to dry on a sheet of glass, or on a wooden cutting board covered with waxed paper. (Do not use paper towel.) Once completely dried, store tomato seeds inside a baby food jar with a piece of dry paper towel or dry powdered milk.

SIMPLE HOME SPRAY USING ASA TABS AND WATER Aspirin is the trade name but there are also many ASA (acetylsalicylic acid) house brands of uncoated 325-milligram tablets that can be used as a remedy for

fungal plant problems such as black spot, powdery mildew, and rust. Any of this trio of fungi can attack and debilitate plants such as tomatoes, raspberry canes, saskatoon bushes, hollyhocks, Monarda/ bee balm, squash vines and roses. Scientists have found that two plain uncoated ASA tablets (325 milligrams each) dissolved in one litre of water and used as a foliar spray can kick back these diseases. Note that ASA doesn’t completely dissolve so shake the mister or spray container frequently during application.

THANKFUL ME… FOR THOUGHTFUL YOU! The above words are in a card from Louise Bliss at Emo, Ontario who writes: “Thanks for the tomato seeds — Latah. I’ve planted them so hope they are successful. Was very happy to be in the second drawing.”

THANK YOU SENIORS Here’s what Helen Bially from Tolstoi, Manitoba writes: “The April 7, 2015 issue of Grainews is here, first thing first. What has Ted to tell us? I was simply amazed that you’ve gone through 381 entries for the tomato seeds and I was one of the winners. The seeds are planted. Thank U. I’m celebrating my 82 B/D in a week’s time. I’m also sure I’m not the youngest or the eldest who will go on with planting a garden. Just can’t wait to get my hands in the soil. I had my plan to get to the raspberry patch. It’s April 20 and it’s snowing today. With work in the garden, one is ‘never alone.’ Thanks for the introduction to the Never Alone rose and the cause. (That helps ensure cancer patients and their families are never alone in their journey.) Your column is so well balanced. Thanks for all the wonderful ideas and songs. Keep singing. Sincerely, Helen Bially.”

Today’s final letter begins as follows: “To the Singing Gardener: A reply to your question, ‘Who is the oldest gardener?’ My name is Leah Ziegler, age 97 years and I live on an acreage in Calgary. I’m hoping I will qualify as an elder gardener. I first became interested in gardening when I was about 10 years old. Some of our relatives came for a visit and they were taken around to all the points of interest in Calgary. That evening a question arose, ‘What was the most interesting thing you saw?’ One lady said ‘the flowers,’ so that got me to thinking! Over the years I started reading garden books, joined garden clubs and took a gardening course. Presently I have an orchard area in which are yellow raspberries and white Nanking cherries, apples, crabapples, plums, two pear trees, saskatoons, apricots, a bur oak tree grown from seed and a chestnut tree. Each year I have a small vegetable garden. Homegrown produce tastes the best. When Grainews arrives, your page gets read first. I enjoy it very much. Keep up the good work. From Leah Ziegler.” Ted adds this closing note: What beautiful, easy-to-read handwriting from all three ladies. Thank you so much Louise, Helen and Leah.

WEED KILLER SPRAY litres apple cider vinegar 2 (recommended) OR white vinegar 1/4 cup table salt 1/2 teaspoon Dawn liquid dish soap Mix together and pour into a spray bottle. Mist on weeds thoroughly; especially the middle part including flower centre and on leaves of trailing weeds. Roger Armstrong of Vancouver tells me the spray killed dandelions during a warm, sunny day after his first application. Dawn liquid dish soap is said to strip weeds of their protective oils, allowing the vinegar and salt to work with relentless force. You might also experiment with any ordinary liquid hand soap and compare results. Avoid hitting any ornamental and turf grasses, flowers, vegetables, perennials, shrubs and trees as they will suffer damage. †

This is Ted Meseyton the Singing Gardener and Grow-It Poet from Portage la Prairie, Man. The proceeds from gardening and music; my faith community, friends and family have nourished me and given me strength to do what I’ve been able to do during many years. This is not a mini sermon but is based on a homily I once heard. Long ago I discovered when we’re down to near nothing — God is up to something! Stepping out in faith helps us see the invisible, believe the incredible and receive the impossible. Our physical, emotional, mental, psychological and spiritual health and well-being come from somebody bigger than you and I. My email address is singinggardener@mts.net.

June 17 - 19, 2015 Evraz Place, Regina, SK, Canada

Farm Progress Forum

PRESENTED BY

Hear From The Experts

Farm Progress Forum puts you in front of Canada’s leading presenters in agriculture and business. Admission is included with your show ticket.

Join us each day at FCC Crossing in the Canada Centre Building, Hall #12 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17

11am - Derek Rude

Project Manager, Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute Maximizing your Machinery for Profit

2:15pm - Lynn Crawford

Food Network Celebrity Chef The Great Canadian Cookbook

1pm - Robert Wager Derek Rude

Robert Wager

Lynn Crawford

THURSDAY, JUNE 18

Laboratory Demonstrator, Vancouver Island University Food Safety is Alive and Well

11am - Lance Stockbrugger

Chartered Accountant and Farmer Understanding the Cost of Farmland

2:15pm - Greg Peterson

YouTube Agvocate Advocating Agriculture Through Social Media

1pm - Mary-Ann Kirkby Lance Stockbrugger

Mary-Ann Kirkby

Greg Peterson

FRIDAY, JUNE 19

Author and award-winning Journalist I Am a Hutterite

11am - Craig Klemmer

FCC Senior Agricultural Economist Surveying the Economic Landscape

1pm - Murad Al-Katib

Craig Klemmer

Murad Al-Katib

2:15pm - Mark Cohon

Former CFL Commissioner Reinvent Your Business in Any Environment

President and CEO, Alliance Grain Traders Inc. The Changing Face of Agriculture

Mark Cohon

Shuttle Program

Canada’s Farm Progress Show

In partnership with Chevrolet, the Official Vehicle of Canada’s Farm Progress Show – Stayinregina.com is pleased to offer a first-class complimentary shuttle service to all guests staying at a Regina Hotel Association member hotel. This service will operate from 7:30am to 8:00pm, please contact your hotel front desk for more information. Shuttle drivers are familiar with show events and tourist attractions in and around Regina. Guests are encouraged to ask their drivers for information, maps and directions. To book the STAYINREGINA.COM Shuttle Service, please contact your hotel front desk. To book your hotel please do so at www.stayinregina.com

Stop By Canada Centre, Hall #12 and view these Attractions -

FCC INNOVATIONS CENTRE FARM PROGRESS FORUM AXE WOMEN LOGGERS OF MAINE ANTIQUE TRUCK AND TRACTORS DISPLAY PLUS MANY MORE EXHIBITS

ADMISSION PASSES AVAILABLE ONLINE

BUY A 2 DAY ADMISSION PASS FOR $22 Visit our website for more details

www.myfarmshow.com

S:10.25”

Free fun ! y l i m a f e l o h w e h t r fo COMMUNITY

appreciation

EVENT

S:15.5”

To thank growers and their communities for their continued loyalty and support, InVigor® is hosting a series of free family events in communities across the Prairies. These ‘family night out’ experiences will include a free drive-in or outdoor movie night, along with other fun activities. For more information, please visit BayerCropScience.ca/InVigorDriveIn

PARADISE VALLEY, A B . . . . . . J U N E 2 0 TH STANDARD, AB ....... . . . . . . . . J U N E 2 5 TH AUSTIN, MB ........... . . . . . . . . J U L Y 2 2 ND CLAVET, SK .......... . . . . . . . . J U L Y 2 3 RD

S H O A L LAKE, MB .......... AUGUST 14 TH I N V E R M AY, SK ............. AUGUST 15 TH S O U T H E Y, SK .............. AUGUST 22 ND

BayerCropScience.ca or 1 888-283-6847 or contact your Bayer CropScience representative. Always read and follow label directions. InVigor® is a registered trademark of the Bayer Group. Bayer CropScience is a member of CropLife Canada.

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