Country guide west

How to invest like the big Agfunds 30 | Canada’s worsening research gap 12

western EDITION / COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA / March 15, 2016

FEATURE PROFILE

Starting From

scratch

Jolene and Lauchie MacEachern make non-family succession work  16

CROPS GUIDE

Finally, flax makes its big comeback 40 10 better ideas for your on-farm trials 42

PLUS: The Spensts make their big beef gamble 24

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6 MACHINERY Case IH goes high speed

Launching the all-new, highspeed version of the Early Riser

Inside country guide / Vol. 135 Issue no. 5 / March 15, 2016

Business

33 CROPS GUIDE

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anage your M farm fleet What can the trucking industry teach us about how to improve the effiency of our drivers, and lower the costs of our machinery?

30

Agtech funds The big funds cut back on land, but they’re hot for high-return farm technology. Here’s what they’ll buy.

44 A return to marketing With gaps in their assembly lines for the first time in years, tractor manufacturers push their marketing. 46

F arming in a troubled economy That lower dollar may not be the farmer’s best friend after all, especially when it’s time to pay for inputs.

49

orth of Superior N Farmland is as close to free here as it is anywhere in Canada. Are you up to it?

33 Long-term battle 36 A fine balance 40 Triffid recovery 42 10 steps to better

on-farmexperiments

Guide Life

60 Time to get cooking Farm groups create lifelong friends in the kitchen. 62 Health 63 Hanson Acres 64 Reflections

56 O ur own land It turns out those rumours about overseas buyers are only rumours. Almost all farmland still gets bought by… you guessed it… farmers. 58

HR Have your neighbours caught affluenza? Or maybe it’s you?

16 Starting from scratch It took seven years of hard work, plus plenty of communication and some sophisticated business tools, but Lauchie and Jolene now own Nova Scotia’s Folly River Farm.

Features 12 Our research deficit Just when we need science more than ever, Canada’s public ag research withers even more.

24 Location, location If consumers won’t come to the farm, the Spenst family decided, they better go to town.

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EDITOR’S NOTE

1666 Dublin Ave., Winnipeg, MB R3H 0H1 (204) 944-5765 Fax (204) 944-5562

Writing the book on Canada’s farms (2) Two issues ago, I asked, what would it look like if the business section at Chapters was crammed with books about our farmers? Business books are popular for a reason. It’s easy to mock them, I know, especially the ego strokers that get written so breathlessly by ghost writers who understand there is only one reader who matters… i.e. the person who hired them. It’s easy too to scoff at the latest buzzword-ofthe-month hardback, and the books that really seem to belong more in the self-help aisle than in business.

The business world that used to look down on farming should be looking now and learning.”

For all that, however, it bears repeating. Business books are popular for a reason, and the reason has a lot to do with the nature of business itself. There is an art (some would say a magic) to business because success depends on such a large number of traits and characteristics working together to keep the ship balanced. Business takes courage, but it punishes foolhardiness. It takes imagination, but it punishes anything except the tightest of grips on reality. It takes insight, it takes iron-fisted determination, it takes endurance, it takes insight, it takes intelligence, it takes leadership, it takes… well, you get the picture. Business takes the full person. But none of us are “the full person.” Psychologist Pierrette Desrosiers wrote for us in January that when researchers recently studied “great” versus “not great” business leaders, they found that the great leaders excelled in two areas. They ranked very high for being task oriented, and also very high for being so peoplefocused that others wanted to work with them and achieve great things. But not both. Fewer than one per cent of the great leaders actually scored above average in both the

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MARCH 15, 2016 / COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA

results-focused and the peoplefocused categories. Instead, the business leaders were lopsided — as everyone usually is. They were well above average on one score, and below average on the other. A mere five per cent of great leaders managed to be even average in both. It’s just more proof of why insight is so crucial to business success. No one knows it all. We are all looking for the secrets that will let us put the complete package together. It’s why I think a defining characteristic of good business managers is that they know how to say “Ah ha!” It’s like they have a special receptor so that when they hear the advice they need, it goes instantly to the core of their brains. Hence the success of business books, which only need to deliver one flash in order to be successful. If I could add an ambition to agriculture’s already busy agenda for 2016, it would be to get more farmers on more business panels, and to get them integrated into more business organizations and think-tanks this year. Things are going on in agriculture which ought to be watched in the rest of the economy. Business thinkers are leading our farms who can share the foundations of their success. Books about farmers should line the shelves at Chapters, and the business world should learn what farmers have learned, that it is possible to become as sophisticated as this new age demands, and to keep your values. Am I getting it right? Let me know at tom.button@fbcpublishing.com. Tom Button

EDITORIAL STAFF Editor: Tom Button 12827 Klondyke Line, Ridgetown, ON N0P 2C0 (519) 674-1449 Fax (519) 674-5229 tom.button@fbcpublishing.com Associate Editor: Gord Gilmour (204) 453-7624 Cell (204) 294-9195 Fax (204) 942-8463 gord.gilmour@fbcpublishing.com Associate Editor: Maggie Van Camp mvancamp@fbcpublishing.com (905) 986-5342 Fax (905) 986-9991 Production Editor: Ralph Pearce ralph.pearce@fbcpublishing.com (226) 448-4351 Design & Layout: Jenelle Jensen

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Machinery

Case IH goes high speed Introducing an all-new, higher-speed version of the Early Riser planter By Scott Garvey / CG Machinery Editor

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its all-new row unit design, or so says the company’s initial press release, adding “… these rugged new planters have been engineered to operate at higher speeds to deliver fast and uniform emergence.” The new row-unit design has impressed a few in the industry. In fact, it has already won an ASABE 50 award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, which chooses the year’s 50 best ag engineering designs. “After years of customer feed­back and extensive engineering development, we are proud to announce a new generation of smart planting technology,” said Tony McClel-

MARCH 15, 2016 / COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA

land, planter marketing manager, in the same press release. “This new Early Riser planter series provides the first factory integration of Precision Planting components in North America, resulting in what we believe is the industry’s most accurate planter. But make no mistake, we didn’t just put a new meter on our current toolbars. This is an allnew row unit designed by Case IH with toolbars engineered to deliver top accuracy at higher speeds.” The 2000 Series toolbars provide for 66 centimetres (26 inches) of ground clearance, and the row units have 60 per cent more vertical travel than previous designs. Row units are

The 2000 Series Case IH Early Riser planter will be available in time for the 2017 seeding season.

photo: case ih

F

or the last generation of planter designers, the goal has been clear. It’s been to achieve ever-higher ground speeds while still seeding the crop with perfect uniformity of depth and spacing. The dream is understandable. A machine that goes faster will cover more acres in a day, which in turn has got to be a huge sales advantage. But that doesn’t make the challenge any easier. Can you really achieve perfection while bouncing across a field at something near 10 m.p.h. Now, Case IH has come a big step closer with the introduction of the 2000 Series Early Riser planter and

equipped with the brand’s proprietary Earth Metal alloy blades, which the company says provide long-lasting durability. An offset design allows the leading opener to slice through crop residue and ensures proper seed-to-soil contact, with the self-adjusting mud scrapers reportedly capable of handling heavy, wet soils. Engineers have increased the size of the inverted closing discs with the aim of providing gentle and consistent soil coverage back over the seed. An in-cab adjustment option can fine-tune down pressure on the closing discs to suit different field conditions, and row-unit depth adjustments are made in 1/8-inch increments with a T-handle. An all-new electrically driven seed meter is capable of handling a variety of crop types. Additionally, the new minihopper and its single air-intake screen is easy to access and clean. The Advanced Seed Delivery option on the 2000 Series includes the brand’s new SpeedTube. Available for corn and soybeans, it uses a flighted belt to control seed travel from the meter down to the furrow, eliminating the free fall and tumble typical of gravity drop tubes.

“Every row unit reacts automatically to its own particular conditions, from curve-compensated spacing to an automatic up-down force system for precise depth control,” added McClelland. “In addition, row-by-row shut-offs for seed, liquid fertilizer and chemical can greatly reduce input costs.” When it comes to in-cab controls, producers can choose between Advanced Seed Information, which is available on a single screen through Case IH’s AFS Pro 700 display, or FieldView with the 20/20 SeedSense options. The company also says 12-, 16- and 24-row, 30-inch front-fold Early Riser 2000 Series planters will be available in time for the 2017 seeding season. If, however, you don’t want to fork over the cash for all this sophistication, Case IH will continue to offer a lower-cost alternative. “Case IH will still be producing... the cost-efficient Early Riser with ASM (Advanced Seed Meter) technology,” said McClelland. “In addition, there will be the option to order the current Early Riser planter factory-ready for integration with Precision Planting components.” CG

Horsch adds second toolbar size

Horsch’s Maestro high-speed planter is now available in both 60- and 40-foot working widths. Horsch announced late in 2015 that it is giving farmers another choice of toolbar size on its Maestro high-speed planter. Until now, the Maestro has only been available in a 60-foot working width, but a second, 40-foot toolbar is now available. “When we introduced the planter, we introduced it with a 60-foot toolbar, a 24-row, 30-inchtype planter,” says Jeremy Hughes, product manager for Horsch. “We had interest in smaller planters from different markets so we introduced the 40-foot toolbar. With the 40-foot planter the standard spacing on that is 16-row, 30-inch. We also have a 32-row on a 15-inch spacing, or a 24-row on 20-inch spacing.”

bottom photo: case ih, top Photo: Horsch.

The 60-foot toolbar carries a 1,000-gallon liquid tank and a 140-bushel seed hopper. The new 40-foot version gets an 80-bushel seed tank along with 780 gallons of liquid fertilizer capacity. “That’s the largest in the industry for any 60-foot toolbar,” says Hughes. “That’s where we gain a lot of efficiencies in the field. Not only can we drive faster, we can drive longer, because we don’t have to be stopping and filling all the time.” Along with a new “Touch 1200” in-cab monitor for 2016, software updates including turn compensation and automatic row-unit down-pressure.

The 2150’s row units are made of cast iron in order to stand up to higher field speeds. COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA / MARCH 15, 2016

7

business

Manage your farm fleet The trucking industry is adopting technology to ramp up its strategic fleet management. Is it time for farmers to get on board too? By Maggie Van camp / CG Associate Editor

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t’s standard now for truck companies to use GPS and sensors to track operations and vehicle maintenance from a central office. Driver performance gets recorded, efficiency gets analyzed and truck costs get scrutinized, not to mention all the stats that need to get pulled together for government paperwork in the transportation sector. On the farm, though, progress isn’t so fast. And it’s true that finding out whether our tractors are idling at Tim Horton’s isn’t really a problem for most of us, and we don’t need to file the same kind of endless road reports. Even so, the costs to own, operate and 8

MARCH 15, 2016 / COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA

maintain farm equipment are huge for today’s farmers, and the pay offs for efficient co-ordination of equipment and reduced downtime can be bigger than ever. But how do we achieve those goals? Rob Saik, founder of AgriTrend Agrology, based in Red Deer, Alta. still remembers the day 30 years ago when he was putting in some crop and he needed a wrench, but was eight miles from home. He drove all the way back to the shop only to find out when he finally got back to the field that a bolt had snapped too, and he had to make the round trip all over again.

Fleet management technology is already pre-wired into an increasing number of tractors and combines. To date, uptake has been modest, but the machinery sector expects interest to explode in the next two years.

It’s the sort of snafu that most farmers at the time experienced. Talk about downtime… and frustration! Then along came two-way radios, cell phones, texting and, more recently, GPS, and the picture felt like it was getting a lot better. But there is more. Beyond agronomic data, today’s GPS systems and the computer sensors on our farm equipment can wirelessly transfer data that can be used to maintain, fix, move and co-ordinate equipment like never before. Plus, that wireless capability brings in the potential to link our machines directly to the experts at the dealership. Welcome to the new world of farm fleet management. Farm equipment that can communicate data directly to the home office or a dealership’s computers will facilitate tracking a machine’s exact location, how it is operating, and whether something will fail shortly or needs to be fixed. A crew can then be sent out to the field right away with the proper part, reducing or potentially even eliminating downtime. No more frustrating wrench runs. Plus, since locations are known, the job of co-ordinating equipment and inputs can be more efficient. If fuel or fertilizer is getting low, a truck can be organized so it’s waiting at exactly the right time at exactly the right end of the right row. Even lunch could be delivered hot. One example of this type of system is AGCO’s AGCommand Fuse. This enables a central program to connect data with vehicles, either by USB or wireless. A typical new Challenger tractor has eight to 10 computers on board, all measuring and controlling things like RPMs and engine temperature, but also tracking maintenance needs, plus watching sensors that indicate if a part or a system is at risk of failure — not to mention collecting and processing the agronomic and field information. As already noted, today’s technology can shoot all this data wirelessly to a home office or directly to a dealership. But there’s more. A web-based application can also make it easy to access that data, along with iPad and iPhone mobile apps. Wireless transmission of data is also making it faster to use the data in real time. This is particularly useful when co-ordinating movement of people and equipment over vast farms with multiple locations, especially in variable weather with limited application windows. The data can be linked directly to the farm’s main office computer and/or to

AGCO’s Fuse technolgoy, for instance can monitor tractor location, engine performance, hopper levels and more, enabling farmers to cover more acres more efficiently, especially in tight windows.

the dealership’s condition monitoring centre, or even shared with a trusted adviser. In Alberta this past summer, Saik talked with a large farm customer with two farms, one south of Calgary and one near Peace River. While they chatted, the farmer watched his equipment on his iPad as both farms were being seeded simultaneously. Saik has also witnessed first-hand how a large-farm manager in Ukraine tracked 25 to 30 tractors. Employees inserted ID cards under their tractor seats to ensure their butts were in the seat, and sensors measured seeding depth relaying the information back to the main office to ensure the job was getting done correctly. “It’s on these multi-person, multi-equipment farms where fleet management really starts to pay for itself,” says Saik. Yet in Canada, it’s generally the mediumsized farmers, not the really big farmers, who are making the jump to high-tech solutions. It seems easier to integrate wholesale changes like this to moderately sized farms, believes Saik. The 20,000-acre-plus farms are focused on trying to move large amounts of equipment as quickly as possible. To fully leverage GPS technology takes time, technological expertise and sometimes patience and imagination, and it’s a whole other leap to integrate the data into a fleet management system.

Across Canada, it’s actually our mid-size farms that are fastest to pick up on fleet management

Continued on pAGE 10

COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA / MARCH 15, 2016

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business

By integrating the dealership into field operations, fleet management technology can not only prevent breakdowns, but improve efficiency and curb operating costs too.

New tractors often come pre-wired for electronic fleet management, although few farms are taking advantage… yet

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

“Adoption of this type of technology is psychographic, not demographic,” says Saik. To date, the uptake of technology has been limited by the lack of easy interfaces and the time it takes to cobble together systems and to manage the data. Once these get easier, more farmers will jump on board, says Saik. The AGCO Fuse program works with all makes and sizes of equipment. The ability to send data has been on their new equipment for the last few years. The software is part of the maintenance agreement and for the first year it’s free. Yet very few people take advantage of it — so far. Two buckets of data “There are basically two buckets to this data,” says Jason O’Flanagan, AGCO’s North American field marketing and sales support manager for advanced technology solutions. “One is for agronomic data (for example, yield data) and the other is mechanical and performance.” Spatial positioning platforms that tell you where things are at any given time has been revolutionary and it’s everywhere. Outside of agriculture, it’s as ubiquitous as cell phones. Now it’s becoming ubiquitous on the farm too, allowing us to integrate geography, application and weather into a data summary locked into the system forever. Today, the data from scouting, tissue and soil sampling, and yield monitors can also

be layered over each other throughout the season and over years to become more and more accurate, says Saik. “This last summer we (Agri-Trend) had some 79,000 in-season scouting images on our Agri-Data platform, all meta-tagged and geo-coded, so we knew the exact time and place of any event. We could see that at 3:44 p.m. on the northwest corner of a specific field, there was herbicide carryover on the headlands.” Fleet management by contrast depends on the data from the mechanical and performance bucket. One of the big opportunities is to co-ordinate equipment with deliveries of inputs and outputs. “It can help you get maximum efficient use of the equipment and labour,” says O’Flanagan. Similar to AGCO’s software, Trimble’s Connected Farm Fleet can compare the use of each vehicle during a 24-hour period, capturing time spent idling, moving, working and travelling and any reasons for delays. It can also monitor fuel usage, battery voltage, oil pressure and help you view trends of vehicle health and performance graphed over time. Preventive maintenance, tracking, fuel use, stress alerts, engine use and efficiency, driver in seat, and RPMs can be monitoried, and alarms can be sent calling for help when warranted. For example, with the AGCO system, if a cable harness is fraying, an error code can be immediately sent so the farmer or mechanic knows exactly what part needs to be replaced. Then they can get out to the field right away to replace it before the whole machine goes down. Preventing downtime during the critical season is where the payback can be huge for this system, no matter how big the fleet, says O’Flanagan. This data can also be used to create bigger-picture analysis of a fleet. For example, a graph can give you an exact number of operator hours and how long equipment sat idle at the side of a field in the year. Instead of estimating, this can tell you if the implement isn’t sized appropriately for the tractor and operation. It can also give an indisputable record of what the equipment did at any given location and time, which may be necessary as more environmental regulations and litigation are pushed onto farmers. There’s no doubt that having and sharing information can be powerful. Using it to increase efficiency and decrease downtime, in real time, could be revolutionary. Which leads us to the potential next step ­— driverless tractors and combines. CG

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business

Our research deficit Public ag research in Canada gets cut again and again, all while proof grows that science is needed more than ever

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et public research right and the results can be impressive, whether the benefit is incremental, like the new crop varieties that, year after year, edge farm productivity up, or if it’s transformative like the invention of canola or the equally ground-shifting release of early genetics that saw corn and soybeans to sweep the East and then head west. Research can even be a systemic thing, perfecting new ways to grow crops with reduced tillage, for

instance, thus conserving soil while also saving growers untold hours and dollars. All are built on sound public research, and all are undeniably good news for Canada as well as for Canadian farmers. But with all the cuts, is there any way public ag research will be able to keep delivering, at least on the kind of pace or at the kind of scale that the Canadian industry will need in the years ahead?

The researchers It’s impossible to hide the head count, says recently retired AAFC wheat breeder Ron DePauw. He joined AAFC’s research branch in the fall of 1973, when there were nearly 900 scientists on staff. When he retired in late winter of 2015, there were fewer than 400. But there were other kinds of losses too. Increasingly, scientists and the managers that were overseeing them were being asked to do more with less. “It’s been a long-term erosion,” DePauw says. “It hasn’t been just one government, or anything like that.” Over decades, funding trended downward, punctuated by two periods of deep cuts, one under each party. In the mid-1990s the Chretien government slashed funding in an effort to balance the budget, and in 2012 the federal Conservatives under Stephen Harper did much the same, for many of the same reasons. On one hand, Canada was hardly unique, but the questions are getting louder. What will happen when the research doesn’t get done?

“There are some kinds of research that only the public sector will do,” DePauw says. “Not everything has a clearcut motive for the private sector.” DePauw’s area of expertise is a good example of this. There are only a handful of privately employed cereal breeders, because they’re not crops with a big economic incentive attached to them. Cereals self-pollinate, so farmers can save their own seed instead of going back to the seed company. As a result almost all current cereal breeders work for AAFC, the universities, or other public institutions. Public researchers are also the only ones who will do certain kinds of work, DePauw says. For example, soil and agronomic practices are vital but don’t have a clearcut path to reward the organization doing that research, since knowledge spreads freely and information that makes farms more efficient can’t be unlearned. DePauw believes there’s a clear economic case for investing in public research, perhaps through a new, independent funding agency that operates at arm’s length from government, freeing the process up from politics. “They’ve done that in other places recently,” DePauw says. “New Zealand did it in the 1980s when it had that big budget crisis, and the United Kingdom did something similar very recently.” Retired AAFC cereals breeder Julian Thomas confirms much of Ron DePauw’s view on the state of public agriculture research in Canada. He joined the AAFC research branch in 1978 and worked successively at Beaverlodge, Lethbridge and finally at the recently demolished Cereals Research Centre in Winnipeg, a fact he feels serves as a nice metaphor for the public commitment to agriculture research. “When I joined, it was the beginning of soft money

“Not everything has a clear-cut profit motive for the private sector,” says wheat breeder Ron DePauw.

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MARCH 15, 2016 / COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA

Photography: Allan dawson

By Gord Gilmour / CG Associate Editor

coming into research — money from outside agencies,” Thomas says. “One of the first was a program by the Alberta government called ‘Farming for the Future’ which was investing some of its oil money into agriculture research.” While the money was welcome, because good agricultural research and breeding programs always in the end boil down to money and resources, it was the “soft” part of the equation that has proven to be difficult over the years. “Plant breeding requires a constant flow of investment so that it’s not interrupted,” Thomas explains. Thomas says the key to success in the future is going to be adequate, predictable funding, and just as importantly, clearly focused breeding objectives that limit major funding to a handful of classes to get the best bang for the buck. For example, there would be less chasing of specialty wheat classes. If Thomas had his druthers, he’d like to see public research focus on three main classes. “I’d focus on durum, red spring and red winter wheat, and let the rest go to hell,” he says. It sounds brutal, but similar decisions would await all sectors. How else would the individual programs be assured of sufficient resources to achieve their objectives? Thomas says farmers should be willing to fund this research, at least in part, because other crops with far higher seed costs show what might happen if they don’t. “I think if they fund it themselves, in the long run it will cost them a lot less,” he says. It wouldn’t be cheap. The wheat program in Western Canada alone would cost $6 million to $10 million a year, but the alternatives aren’t great. “I don’t think the provinces, either through their governments or the provincial wheat organizations, should be working separately, they should be working together.” Thomas adds, “We also have common research interests with the northern tier of U.S. states.” But, Thomas says, “Unfortunately, collaboration is not as strong as it might be across the political boundary.”

The administrator Steve Morgan Jones confirms there’s been a long-term trend towards less research capacity at AAFC. He should know. A research scientist by training, he also spent a significant portion of his career as a senior administrator for AAFC before retiring and becoming an agricultural consultant in recent years. Morgan Jones says the trend began sometime in the early ’80s and continues today. At times it’s been slow and steady, and at other times the cuts have slashed at budgets, such as under 1995 Chretien and the 2012 Harper governments. “The result was a considerable reduction in people and less capacity to do research,” Morgan Jones says. The vacuum this has created has only been partially filled. Significant amounts of research have been picked up by the private sector, especially by producer groups funding varietal development and agronomy through checkoffs. While Morgan Jones concedes those groups aren’t strictly private business, he says they do share some of the same priorities when it comes to research. “I view producer organizations as private research, because they have many of the same goals and expectations when it comes to research for relatively quick returns on their investment,” Morgan Jones says. “That’s not necessarily a bad

It’s this type of research that doesn’t get done by private industry until it is closer to becoming a commercial reality.” thing or an unreasonable approach either — it’s just the reality of the situation.” That does however, leave a gap, for discovery research that may or may not pay dividends in the future. For example, much of the early work that transformed rapeseed into canola was done at public institutions, and was even occasionally held up to ridicule as non-agriculture pundits wondered why the government was investing in the crop with the strange and off-putting name. “It’s this type of research that doesn’t get done by private industry until it is closer to becoming a commercial reality,” Morgan Jones says. “I think you need to fund public research to ensure there is a pipeline of discoveries.” There’s another problem too. Since the federal government has scaled back, nobody is entirely sure exactly who’s doing what across the country, leading to the risk of either duplicating efforts or having no one take on a problem. continued on page 14

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business Can we make the big discoveries? At University of Guelph, agriculture economist John Cranfield confirms the reduction in public research affects the industry Canada-wide and from sector to sector. “It’s absolutely an issue that affects farmers across the country,” Cranfield says, adding that the issue isn’t so much that no research is being done, but that the demand for ‘practical’ research is dictating where that money gets spent, often thanks to matching investments from either private firms or nongovernment organizations such as grower groups. “Governments see that and they see industry support, and that the research is serving a need,” Cranfield says. Then there’s the harsh political reality — governments want to fund projects that show results quickly, because they want to be able to demonstrate to voters in four years’ time that they’ve accomplished something. That can be a problem for agriculture research, where results can be tangible, but slow to come. “We know the return to agriculture research is often seen over the long term — 10, 20, even 30 years,” Cranfield says. That’s especially true of what’s known as lab-bench research — the theoretical work that can lay the foundation for breakthroughs in the future. They typically aren’t seen as commercially viable, and in other industries might even be something a group of competitors form a consortium to perform, with the understanding that the work is what’s known as “pre-competitive” but would benefit all the players. “This is where we’re falling behind — and it’s not even the red queen effect where we have to run to stay in place — we are falling behind,” Cranfield says. That’s troubling because this is the very foundation upon which later practical research is based, Cranfield explains. “People get nervous when they hear a university professor talk like this, but sometimes you do need to do that sort of navel gazing.” 14

MARCH 15, 2016 / COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA

Sweet Spot One of the strongest proponents for public research in Canada has been University of Saskatchewan agriculture economist Richard Gray. The numbers, he says, are too impressive to ignore. For instance, in a presentation this winter to the Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association, Gray analyzed numbers for zero-till research. Between 1960 and 2009, a total of just over $144 million was invested in the sector. Public institutions invested 70.6 million, while private machinery firms invested $74.1 million. That initial investment generated more than $24 billion in measurable benefits, almost all of that going directly to the farmers who adopted the system. Those producers enjoyed higher productivity due to the elimination of fallow, higher production, more efficient water use, less soil erosion, higher organic matter and less salinity. Put another way, every dollar spent on developing this innovative system has returned $60 to growers already, and the benefits continue to accumulate year after year. Nor does he think those days should be done. Canadian research could be just as vigorously helping our farmers become the best in the world at precision agriculture. “Technology from the equipment manufacturers, has been around for a decade or more,” Gray says. “However, the management and agronomy to optimally exploit the technology has been slow to develop.”

Canada should be the world leader in precision agriculture, Gray says, but will need both private and public dollars Gray says what’s needed is a model where public and private organizations can take different tasks on. Basic science should be publicly funded because there’s frequently little economic incentive for any private organization to do it. Plant breeding can be divided between public and private sectors, depending on property rights. “I think a strong case can be made for producer involvement in funding research and breeding of open-pollinated crops,” he says. What sort of funding model is used for the public side of the equation is an interesting question. While some call for separating it from government by creating an arm’s-length agency, Gray notes that even so, the federal government can only commit to funding something for five years, which means political pressure and budgetary realities would, eventually, likely come home to roost. An endowment system would work, but to be meaningful the endowment would have to be quite large. “The Australian Grain Research Development Corporation model is interesting, because the government has made a long-term commitment to match industry checkoffs, up to the first half a per cent of total sales,”

Gray says. “This matching agreement has kept both the public and producers at the table.” Agriculture consultant John Groenewegen is a widely acknowledged expert in agri-food strategy, first with Deloitte & Touche, where he was a partner and led Canadawide agri-food strategy projects out of Guelph. Later he founded JRG Consulting Group, where he’s become a go-to consultant for complex topics in the Canadian agriculture sector. “Certainly we’ve seen a reduction in agricultural research by the public sector, in part because of budgetary constraints,” Groenewegen says. “There’s also the question about whether more of this research should be funded by industry, since they’re the ones that will benefit first and most from it, though the country as a whole can certainly

benefit from things like greater productivity and more trade.” Groenewegen agrees there are areas where private industry is doing a very good job — for example, there’s little need for public money to ensure a continuous flow of new canola or corn hybrids, for example. In other areas, the need for public research is compelling, like basic discovery research, which frequently lacks any near- or medium-term economic rationale, as well as basic questions of agronomy which aren’t attractive to private funding. “In economists’ jargon, these are ‘public goods’ and are areas where we could see taxpayer research funding continue to dwindle,” he says. Groenewegen says in some cases this research is vital, because it helps us stay ahead of our competition in other jurisdictions, and in

its absence Canada could become less competitive. It’s also the type of research that has, over the years, led to game-changing breakthroughs. But public research should have a broader role too. “If we’re talking about varietal development, there’s a whole host of research topics that are ‘pre-breeding,’” he says. “The public sector should be involved in this space.” Producers are the major beneficiaries, and at the end of the day, he says, if the public sector is not devoting sufficient resources, next in line is the producer community.” Yet Groenewegen also says research is always going to be a balancing act between public and private research, and the best results will come in finding the sweet spot. But, he warns, “I don’t know that anyone really knows where that sweet spot is.” CG

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FEAture Profile

Lessons

From a non-family

farm succession For Lauchie and Jolene MacEachern, a seven-year dream becomes a reality By M ag g i e Va n C a m p, C G A s s o c i at e E d i t o r

Photography: Light & Lens Photography

I

s it still possible to start farming from scratch? “If scratch means no farm assets and a good work ethic with a passion for agriculture, yes it can be done,” says Elaine Froese, farm succession coach from Boissevain, Man. But how? Especially when the capital assets needed to be competitive have become so huge? Today, new farmers are finding more and more creative solutions. Some use the traditional small start, which means they rent equipment and land. Others try their hands at direct or niche marketing. Or in some sectors they use new entrant programs, like those offered by the supply-managed boards. They also excel at creating partnerships, swapping sweat equity for access to assets, and using creative financing. It turns out their passion is so deep, they’ll beg, barter and borrow their way into farming. Yet succession to non-family members remains rare. Outside the family Even so, non-family succession actually is happening, mostly it seems in Eastern Canada where a cluster of enthusiastic young starters

and a number of retiring farmers are working together to find ways to make it work. Usually these are smaller operations where the older farmer has no children wanting to take over and “adopts” a young ambitious couple instead. Usually too, the young couple also has off-farm income. Jolene and Lauchie MacEachern are one such couple, and together they now own Folly River Farms Ltd. a 90 kg, 300-acre dairy farm near Truro, N.S. Their road to farming certainly wasn’t straight. Nor was it remotely easy, or predetermined by family. It was long and winding, but luckily they took the right fork in the road early when they met a farmer who wanted to keep his dairy farm intact when he retired. It took patience, hard work, respect and openness. Both the seller and the buyers needed strong, unwavering vision — and it helped to have some good outside advice and happy timing. The message is, trustworthy people with good intent and the ability to work hard can still create success. Here are the lessons the MacEacherns learned along the bumpy trail to non-family succession. continued on page 18

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FEAture Profile 1. Work hard and keep options open The story starts in an ordinary way. Lauchie and Jolene met as students earning their agricultural degrees at Nova Scotia Agricultural College in Truro. While Jolene finished up her final year and started her career, Lauchie got a job working for a nearby dairy farmer, Henry Eisses. A few years later the couple decided to go out west to try their fortune. However, it was 2004. Grain prices were weak and BSE flared, so instead of finding good-paying careers in Alberta, they ran into a hiring freeze. After eight months of Lauchie working in a welding shop and both of them missing home, they headed back to the Maritimes with no plans for the future. On the drive home, though, Jolene had an interview and she got the job at Dalhousie Agricultural Campus, where she still works while completing her MBA. Soon after, Lauchie’s former employer called. His original plan of succeeding the farm to his sons hadn’t worked out and he needed some help. He and Lauchie had worked well together and had mutual respect. 2. Strong vision Henry Eisses had an idea. Would the MacEacherns be interested in working on a non-family farm succession while Lauchie worked for him? He also had a clear vision, and an opportunity in mind for the young couple. “Henry knew exactly when he wanted to retire and how much he wanted for the farm,” says Jolene. “He’s a standup person. He never deviated once from his goals and neither did we, and that helped so much.” That set end point gave them all something to hold onto during the long process of planning and transferring. The proposal was that Lauchie would be paid with shares as well as wages so he could slowly build equity. It would also give them time to work out all the details of the final sale and for Henry to do some tax planning so he would be ready to retire at 62 years old. It was a long transition that would see Lauchie working for Henry for seven and a half years, so it took a leap of faith for the young ambitious couple. “I was pregnant with my first child and it took some trust to enter into this agreement,” says Jolene. “At first there was nothing on paper.” Instead of immediately meeting with a lawyer, they got together and discussed what they each wanted out of their 18

MARCH 15, 2016 / COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA

I learned the patience game,” says Lauchie, “especially nearing the end of the seven years when I wanted to get things moving.”

arrangement. They found that neither party wanted to start out with an agreement that was legally binding. They all wanted the ability to walk away. So they simply agreed on wages and that the Lauchie would be granted preferred shares on a yearly basis. This meant the MacEacherns could sell them back to Henry at any time and not be out for their work, or Henry could simply buy back the shares if it wasn’t working out. Having a corporation allows some flexibility in how ownership transitions happen. First, shares can be incrementally gifted as the management is transferred to the next generation, and then the ownership. Another

benefit is that shareholders can match dividends to their own personal income needs and maximize personal tax credits. Lauchie and Henry had a good working relationship and over the seven years neither veered from the original goal. Lauchie slowly took over decision-making roles and had an ownership stake in the farm while Henry mentored him and still owned the farm. 3. Resources The MacEacherns also went to workshops and conferences, and they read anything about succession they could get their hands on. It helped that Jolene took a keen interest in studying farm succession and dispute resolution in university. They found there wasn’t a lot of good information available about non-family succession and that theirs’ was not a typical acquisition. So once again they simply met with Henry and his wife Janet and went through a checklist from a succession factsheet downloaded from the Canadian Association of farm Advisors website. It guided them through some tough decisions. For example, it included risk management planning which brought up questions like what would they do if the house burned down or

if one of their marriages broke up. Everyone’s opinion counted, including the wives. They also learned they needed contingency plans for death, divorce, disability and disagreement, four topics that are very difficult to talk about, let alone to come to an agreement over. At the end of that fact sheet is a roster of farm business advisers and other resources. For most farm business owners and new-generation farmers, obtaining outside advice during the succession process is crucial. Some farm financial advisers are particularly good in seeing ways to deal with tax implications of transition, which is imperative for the retiring generation. They can really help coordinate the succession plan with personal tax planning for retirement and the distribution of your estate. The advisers that the MacEacherns and Eisses tried working with strongly argued for a written legal agreement. However, the couples trusted each other deeply and felt they could better build their relationship by not drawing legal lines along the way. Instead they forged ahead together with outside help for specific jobs. Every six months the farm would review the financials with their banker, who proved to be one of their best advisers. He

really understood their plan, knew their situation intimately and could identify the possible pitfalls and risks. To come up with the valuations, they got an external third-party appraisal, which really helped build a layer of trust. They also had a financial adviser crunch worstand best-case scenarios for them. These outside voices were something they all could trust. In the end, the sale agreement — which of course was legally drawn — saw the MacEacherns purchase the shares of the company for a value not equal to the total market value of the individual assets, but a value that could be financed and carried by the farm going forward. The preferred shares were valued in their personal net worth but were not a major contributor to the purchase of the farm. To finance the debt, the Eisseses were willing to leave some money in the farm for a negotiated, written payback agreement. “We decided to use the transition loan product from FCC in order to take advantage of a sustainable debt structure without Henry taking the risk,” says Jolene.

continued on page 20

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FEAture Profile 4. Trust replaces fear Most of the major decisions to be made are personal, and the process used depends on the issues involved and the personalities at the table. No single approach will work for all business owners. “If you go in protecting yourself and not caring about the other person, it’s not going to work,” Jolene says. For something like this to work, the MacEacherns say it helped that the spouses were committed to farming. “We learned that you should treat succession relationships like a marriage,” says Jolene. This means being honest and open about your own feelings, but sensitive to everyone else’s too.

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Fear can also result in being too focused on trying to protect your own family. For the older generation there’s also the fear of retirement, and the business succession process will probably have to deal with the owner moving from a long-time family home, as well as a possible retirement identity crisis. To his credit Henry let go of the management and is enjoying retirement time in Florida in the winter, and it helped that at first he had a little break from coming to the farm at all. “We joked around about transition a few years before it happened so it wasn’t such a shock,” says Lauchie. In one of their first attempts to hash out a buy-sell agreement, they included a

COLD.

10-year clause saying the Henry had the first right to buy back the farm. However, by the end of seven years, their commitment was obvious and Henry had come to terms with the transition and didn’t want to look back. The MacEacherns have quantified and examined all the risks and threats. So why go into an intensive capital sector like dairy farming, with all the political risk tied to quota? There really weren’t many viable alternatives in the Maritimes at the time, says Lauchie. Besides, he liked working with the cows and Jolene grew up on a dairy farm in Cape Breton. Moreover, the banks like the guaran-

BIG.

teed income that quota provides, and dairy farming is a good cash-flow business. Also, the farm was close enough to the university at Truro to allow Jolene to have a good job off-farm. Their growing family could live off that wage while Lauchie was trading sweat equity for shares. Now that they own the farm, it’s even more important to have that off-farm income, especially during the first three years when they were investing in improvements. 5. Communicate, a lot If you aren’t willing to have the tough conversations, you should do a straight-up buy and sell, says Jolene. In this case that

SMALL.

would have meant that the Eisseses would have had to piecemeal the farm and lose the efficiencies gathered in the whole operation. Besides, in his heart, Henry wanted to keep it as a dairy farm. So they met, and talked and talked and talked. They worked through their checklist and came up with agreements on contentious issues. In the process they learned details about each other and the farm business. “The conversations were worth more than the agreement,” says Jolene. Everybody has to be included. The wives attended the meetings and shared their wants. “If I was a wife nattering in Lauchie’s ear, it wouldn’t have worked,” says Jolene.

EARLY.

Jolene credits how the men dealt with these meetings. She’d drop in, they’d have these emotion-heavy conversations and the next morning the men had to work together. She could go back to her job, but they’d have to get up and work together the next day. It also depends a lot on personalities and both men liked and respected each other before embarking on the heavy lifting involved in succession planning. “Keep it light and real,” says Lauchie. “Don’t dwell on what you can’t change and leave the conversation out of the day-to-day work.” continued on page 22

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FEAture Profile

Lauchie and Jolene agree it took trust to invest so much of their energy into the farm while raising a young farmily.

Good things come to those who wait,” says Jolene. “Better things happen to those willing to put in the work.” 6. Patience/Time At the end of the seven years, on January 1, 2013, the MacEacherns bought the remaining shares and Henry retired, although he still holds some of their mortgage and helps occasionally when he wants. They now had an official document — a purchase and sale agreement and financing. A few years prior to the sale, they had worked out all the hard stuff and had a better idea of cash flow, including a more accurate number for interest rates. The market value they first agreed on stood, although land had gone up and quota had gone down in value. “We were lucky that we hadn’t seen a massive increase in values. That might have made it more difficult,” says Jolene. Also interest rates decreased. They had done projections with six per cent interest; they ended up booking terms for about half of that rate. Several years before the final transition, Lauchie took a course on a farm book22

MARCH 15, 2016 / COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA

keeping software and took over doing the books. He got a deep understanding of the expenses and cash flow of the farm before actually buying it. He started keeping detailed records so they had five years of numbers to use in their business plan and financing. Having seven years helped Henry do some tax planning and let him emotionally prepare for retirement. In retrospect, when they first started their arrangement they should have examined the option of an estate freeze. An estate freeze is a way for the older generation to retain ownership in the corporation as preferred shareholders, but allows the new generation to participate in growth. The value of the older generations’ shares in the corporation are set at a fixed, predetermined amount. The common (also called growth) shares are re-issued and the successors come in as new common shareholders, entitling them to any future

increase in the value of the corporation’s shares and assets. These “frozen” shares can still pay a dividend, yet the tax liability associated with the value is set, and they can be voting shares or not. That share-freezing process would have made reinvestment more attractive during this transition. Although Henry kept farming with best management practices, maintaining fertility and equipment, he didn’t want to make big capital investments and the MacEacherns didn’t own the farm so couldn’t make costly changes. Succession fatigue also set in. They could see why a less committed couple could have given up halfway through. The end can seems far away at times, and the tough conversations can be wearing. But it takes time to thoughtfully address issues, says Froese. Planning for your succession is a process rather than an event. “Agriculture is constantly offering new opportunities,” says Froese. “The next generation can bring a strong work ethic, plus technology skills to manage data for great decision-making. The founding generation has the wisdom of experience, ability to live through cycles, and usually the luxury of debt-servicing capability.” Froese has seen a dairy farmer create opportunity for a young employee with a 10-year contract, a place to build a home and a way to profit share with the business over time. A young town kid from her area linked up with a local farmer as a teenager and proved he could work and learn on the job. He’s being given the opportunity to rent land with the “access first, ownership maybe later” concept. In a way, he has been adopted into the farm partnership for all parties to benefit. “Those young people wishing to start from scratch in today’s business culture would be wise to get a good ag education foundation, work long hours to prove their passion, and communicate clear expectations. That’s the triple crown of success that founders would be willing to bet on,” says Froese. But then, family successors also need to be very grateful when they get a leg up, says Froese. “Entitlement is a problem.” CG

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FEAture

Location, location The Spenst family are farmers first, but with a farm that extends right to the store counter

W

hen Garry Spenst and his sons, Paul and Garreth, heard that the Real Canadian Superstore was coming to Winkler, Man. they took the biggest gamble of their lives. The family paid $100,000 to buy the lot right next door. Soon, they were building their family-owned retail meat store, Spenst Brothers Premium Meats, a project that has proved so successful, they’re now preparing to move

into a new, $2.3 million facility, three times the scale of the original. Yet Winkler hadn’t been their original plan, says Paul Spenst, who explains the family initially considered building a small abattoir on their farm near Rosengart in south-central Manitoba, where they would cut and wrap the beef they raise and sell it direct from the farm gate. But when they investigated the business opportunity, the family began to question the home-based

By Angela Lovell

location. Would consumers really drive 20 minutes to the farm? “We wanted to be right with Superstore,” Paul says. Since the start, not surprisingly, they’ve heard the David and Goliath comparison of Spenst Brothers versus Superstore. But they didn’t like it then, and they don’t like it now. The comparison misses the point, Paul says. “We are not trying to compete with Superstore, that’s not the idea. We have products they don’t have, and a quality of service they don’t have.”

PhotoGraphy: Sandy Black

Garreth (l), their mother Connie and Paul check orders for the diversifed retail Spenst Brothers business, where eight years has gone into developing a reputation for consistent quality.

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MARCH 15, 2016 / COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA

365 Cows and No Market What prompted the brothers and their parents, Connie and Garry, to think about a retail business was the BSE crisis in 2003, which closed the border and left them with 365 cows — one for every day of the year — with nowhere to go. “It was do or die. Where was our income going to come from?” says Paul. “At that time, Garreth and I were working nights at Saputo Cheese, just to try and pay the farm bills, then during the day we’d work on the farm.” Those were some pretty tough years, Paul remembers. “Mom and Dad were secure, they weren’t going to lose the farm, but Garreth and I had just bought four quarters of land, and we had all these cattle. We had our backs to the wall. We had to make it work.” But the Winkler building plans weren’t exactly a piece of cake either. Just as they were ready to pour the foundation, the contractor pulled out. “That was when we said, we

Garreth and I had just bought four quarters of land, and we had all these cattle,” Paul recalls. “We had our backs to the wall.” have to do it ourselves,” says Paul. The whole family pitched in and literally built the facility themselves from the ground up, often to the amusement of the stream of gawkers checking out the huge Superstore going up next door. “We must have looked a bit strange,” says Paul. “Superstore was building and they had 10 payloaders and trucks hauling gravel and packing, and there was lots of noise and dust. When we started packing gravel here at the same time, we were using the farm loader and a tandem.” Continued on page 26

COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA / MARCH 15, 2016

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FEAture Continued from page 25

Halfway through construction, Connie, together with Paul’s wife Felisha, and Garreth’s wife Marianne, suggested they also offer pizzas, exclusively made with their own deli meats and sausages, so the plans were changed to incorporate a 15 ft. x 20 ft. kitchen. It was another good decision. Today, pizza sales aren’t far behind their retail beef.

With daughtersin-law Marianne (l), and Felisha, Connie built the pizza business into a major contributor to the success of Spenst Brothers.

Giving People What They Want Besides its own retail outlet, Spenst Brothers supplies 45 other local stores with their fresh and frozen beef products, pizzas, deli meats, cured bacon, meat pies, sausages, and perogies, plus fresh-baked buns and cakes. In summer, they sell more than 100,000 hamburger patties a month, with ground beef that is just that — no other cuts are thrown in. “We have a different idea of

what ground beef is,” says Paul, who believes giving people what they want, and making it good, is the only way to build repeat business. “I can sell anybody anything one time, that’s easy, and if that person likes it, they’ll come back,” Paul says. “You aren’t going to change people’s mind about what they like or don’t, so you have to be careful that you make what people want. Winnipeg, for example, is a kubasa market, but here we sell farmer sausage because that is what people love.” Kubasa might be in Spenst Brothers’ future though, because with the expanded facility, they are looking to expand their retail and wholesale markets. “Our problem has always been in the last eight years that we can’t produce what we can sell,” says Paul. “With our new site we won’t sell what we can produce, so that is motivating us to find new opportunities in Winnipeg, Brandon and Portage la Prairie. We haven’t really touched any of those markets yet.”

Without the farm,” says Connie, “we wouldn’t be here.”

A New Facility The federal and Manitoba governments have provided $250,000 in funding for the new facility through the Grow ing Value prog ram, designed to assist existing agribusinesses compete in domestic and international markets. The kitchen will move to the new facility, which provides a lot of space and incorporates new technology and equipment, such as state-of-theart packaging and refrigeration systems, conveyors, and ovens. It will also automate some processes currently done by hand, like forming 2,000 dough balls a day. “We’ll have more automation but we don’t want to give up on the way the product looks,” says Paul. “It will still be buns the way Mom made them. If we have to, we will change equipment to make it work for the recipe, not change the recipes to suit the equipment.” It’s an important distinction, because Spenst Brothers’ business is built partly on their service, but mostly on the quality and consistency of their products. Paul says he knows that local people support the store, and the Spensts try to reciprocate by supporting local charitable causes and using local ingredients. But Paul doesn’t expect people to buy from his store. “I never want to say, please shop here because you live here,” he says. “I acknowledge the importance of supporting local people, but I don’t ever want it to be a crutch.” Farmers First The family farm still supplies all of the beef — raised on a special diet without hormones — and the herd has grown significantly to around 600 head. It’s still very much a working farm, and Connie Spenst says the family will always consider themselves to be farmers first. “Without the farm we wouldn’t be here,” Connie says. The farm land base has expanded to around 2,300 acres, about a third of which is needed to grow feed, while the rest is seeded to corn, cereals and oilseeds. These days Paul splits his time Continued on page 28

26

MARCH 15, 2016 / COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA

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FEAture

Clear but overlapping roles see Garreth in the kitchen and store while Paul heads up the farm and manages overall finances. Their days aren’t what they had expected, but the family focus works.

For Garreth and Paul, the key to adding retail to their farm has been to listen — really listen — to consumers, and then deliver every time

28

MARCH 15, 2016 / COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA

Continued from page 26

between being the general manager at the store, dealing with financial and administrative duties, and helping his dad Garry with the daily farm operations. Even the farm succession hasn’t gone exactly as they all thought it would. The brothers had grown up working on the farm and both knew they wanted to come back to it once they finished their post-secondary education. A meat processing business wasn’t in the cards back then. At first it was Paul and his wife Felisha who seemed to be spending most of their time at the store after it opened in 2005, while Garreth continued to help his dad out on the farm. Logically, it appeared that Garreth was going to be the one to take over the farm, until the store unexpectedly lost a key employee; their sausage maker. “That’s when we discovered that Garreth has a gift for figuring out a recipe… he was just a natural fit in the kitchen,” says Paul. “He went to work with an older German meat cutter and sausage maker for a while, but basically he just really went to the draw-

ing board and taught himself the concepts of sausage-making and curing meats. He has an incredible talent and he is just terrific with the customers and the staff too.” With Garreth at the store, everyone realized that Paul, who missed farming, should take over the farm operations, and Connie and Garry told him it was time to move his family to the farm, which they did. Paul gives his parents a lot of credit for supporting their sons’ decisions. “We don’t always agree but we have to come to a resolution,” says Paul. “What I appreciate about Mom and Dad is that they will allow us to make a decision that they maybe don’t agree with.” A Lot to Learn Paul has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Manitoba and Garreth has a Diploma in Agriculture also from the U of M. It was hardly the kind of education geared to running a meat processing and retail facility and, as a result, the brothers have probably had to fly by the seat of their pants more than might have liked. They’ve turned to mentors, like the veteran sausage

maker in Winnipeg who helped Garreth unravel the complexities of sausage-making, and they hit the books hard, studying up on everything from finances to management. Paul says he realizes that a lot of his management style stems back to lessons learned from the first boss he ever had. “I was 15 and bought a bike and biked to work at MacDonald’s. That was pivotal for me because the manager was so fussy about cleanliness and customer service,” says Paul. “To this day, I will send staff out to pick up cigarette butts outside, and they roll their eyes at me just like I did years ago when he sent me to do the same thing. He taught me to look at customers, to make conversation, and serve them like they’re my favourite aunt. Another thing I remember is that whenever I walk through the store, I look with a critical eye. I try to pretend I am a customer, trying to find something wrong because we always want to continue to improve.” A Passion for Feeding People The Spenst family simply has a passion for feeding people, whether it’s at a family barbecue, or at a farmers’ market, or through the epic charitable events they put on to raise funds for the children’s ministry in Mexico that Connie and Garry volunteer with each December. “Twice a year we put a tent on the lot next to us and set up a food booth and invite people to come,” says Connie. “One hundred per cent of the proceeds from the food they buy goes to feed these Mexican children.” The event touches many people in the community because Winkler has a high Mennonite population, many of whom came from and still have family in Mexico. Last year the event raised $38,000, which the ministry used to purchase an oven that allows it to feed 300 children, three times a week, adds Connie. The family members all have hectic schedules, but they’ve all carved out their own niches and enjoy what they do. Connie and Garry love serving people food and, with the occasional help of Felisha and Marianne — both busy moms — they cater events in the community and attend the weekly St. Norbert’s farmers’ market near Winnipeg throughout the summer. Garreth is busy at the store making new and favourite recipes for the customers. Paul divides his time between the office and the farm, often taking orders or ordering supplies from the tractor cab.

“Our plate is full but we enjoy it,” says Paul. “I love what I do. I enjoy working on the farm, but I try to make a point of being at the store on Saturdays and serving because I like to be in touch with what’s happening here and interact with the customers and make sure we keep on track.” If they had to do it all over again they

would love to have time for some formal training, says Connie. The big lesson though is one they learned for themselves. “You can’t let fear take over,” Paul says. “Not making a decision is still a decision. You have to try something and go with it. Be OK with it if people laugh at you and if you fail, try again.” CG

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45829-02_NFC_2016_CerealsPortfolioCreative_4.58x7.5_CGW_a14.indd 1

29

12/18/15 9:32 AM

Business

Agtech funds AVAC and Bioenterprise investments point to amazing opportunities to participate in technology that will revolutionize farming By Maggie Van Camp / CG Associate Editor

T

he dollars are big, and the y’re quickly ge t ting bigger. An influx of capital is pouring into innovations all along the food value chain, from logistics and food processing to primary production. According to Agfunder, an online equity crowdfunding platform for agricultural technology, interest is accelerating, with 2014’s wholeyear total of $2.36 billion getting matched in barely the first six months of 2015. Momentum is building with interest from some big names. Last May, for instance, Google Inc.’s venture capital arm invested $15 million in Farmers Business Network Inc., a computer platform to gather and apply data collected on farm. Previously, agricultural funds had focused on land purchases and they left any product and business development to established ag companies and individuals. Now these newly emerged agtech funds are gathering and applying dollars to help venture capital and other companies bring innovations to market. As well, other larger funds in

past sometimes invested in ag technology, but not exclusively, and the multinational ag companies had their own venture capital branches. Now, larger well-known funds are working with these specialty agtech funds, and their staffs are specialized in agriculture and food. Today, in North America six agtech venture capital funds exist. Half are in Canada, and it seems Canadian companies are aggressively pursu­ing and creating new technology. Agfunder says Canadian tech companies captured seven of the top 20 international investments in 2014, and the world is beginning to take notice. During the first half of 2015, the investments were mostly from California. Two of those funds are offshoots of well-known and well-established government-supported innovation centres, namely AVAC in Alberta and Bioenterprise in Ontario. Both AVAC and Bioenterprise are continuing with their original mandate of giving advice on business planning and on financial and marketing strategy development. They also assist with investment prepara-

We not only invest in the idea, we invest in the team,” says AVAC’s Carlson

tion, linking companies, resources and ideas, as well as sourcing a variety of capital funding. However, recently they’ve both taken the leap into investment funds. By setting up funds to invest in ag technology, both groups can take innovation up a level to larger companies and bigger, more complicated ideas. Bioenterprise Capital fund is intended to be $100 million and is starting to make investments. Verdex Capital and Finistere Ventures’ FVI fund should reach the $150-million target and has already made purchases. Other funds, investment companies, and large companies, like Bayer, are investing in these funds. This is venture capitalism aimed at agricultural technology, and there’s a much higher expectation these investments will make high returns. Mark Carlson is vice-president in charge of investments for AVAC and he is also managing partner of AVAC’s agtech investment group Verdex Capital Inc., which was spun out of AVAC as a venture capital fund specializing in technology applied to agriculture and food. Country Guide met Carlson in his Edmonton office, with the conversation spanning from the farm he grew up on near Taber, Alta., to Silicon Valley to Africa. Carlson began by saying that for these funds, the goal is of course to make money, but there’s also some higher-level thinking at play. Developing technologies in Canada and bringing them to market Continued on page 32

30

MARCH 15, 2016 / COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA

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Cool ideas

• Sensors and satellites T he big story from the precision farming expo in Washington state was around sensing. The remote sensing panel had the largest turnout packing the hall with nearly 150 attendees. “We can’t avoid the fact that the whole drone thing has made everyone more aware of the potential benefits of high-quality sensing, be it from devices on site, in the air or from space,” says Jeff Lorton, Precision Farming Expo organizer. C arlson agrees and Verdex has invested into CropX, an ag-analytics company from Tel Aviv. CropX has developed an adaptive irrigation service, which automatically optimizes irrigation by controlling irrigation based on sensors. cropx.com

• Food e-commerce F rom grocery deliveries to grocery flyer apps, technology is morphing the retail food industry. Verdex has invested in Shopwell, a free website and mobile app that scans and tells the ingredients of products on the grocery store shelf. Consumers can learn about the health benefits of foods, find healthier alternatives for their nutrition goals and avoid allergens. Potentially this application is also a way for retail and processors to get a handle on consumers’ shopping habits. shopwell.com

• Sustainable protein R eally? It might seem hard for some readers to swallow but there’s momentum behind insect farming, with flour, snacks and animal feed made from insects like crickets and mealworms. High in protein, healthy, sustainable and made in Norwood, Ontario. entomofarms.com

• Keeping it clean A ntibacterial apps and other solutions are cleaning up the food industry. Toronto-based Agri-Neo’s first product Neo-Pure is an organic, non-toxic, biodegradable sanitizer that reduces post-harvest microbial pathogens on raw foods. This product can be especially useful for loads of raw edible seeds, like hemp or sunflower seeds, instead of relying on random samples to see if a whole load is safe. agri-neo.com

• Sensors and satellites T aking drone technology a little higher, satellite imagery is now being used to monitor crops from space. Like drones, they give more than a picture. They include soil and canopy temperatures, soil moisture, crop health and moisture indices, and yield indices. There’s also some discussion about linking this data with on-the-ground sensors. O ne company, Planetary Resources, is deploying 10 small satellites in a constellation to gather and process data from “any acre on the planet” and is billing this technology as a way to remote check crop insurance claims. http://www.planetaryresources.com/earthobservation/#eo-ceres-constellation

32

MARCH 15, 2016 / COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA

here should keep us ahead of other countries and help us manage our agricultural resources. “It’s going to drive innovation in new ways,” says Carlson. Agtech funds are actively seeking the best technology in the world, Carlson says. He believes it’s a race they must win. After all, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the world must produce 100 per cent more food by 2050, and 70 per cent of the increased production must come from efficiency-enhancing agricultural technologies. There’s a self-interested angle too. Although the innovations may not necessarily come from Canada, having agtech funds based here should enable our industry to adopt them faster and better “It’ll give us the close-up details to analyze and apply new technology for Canadian agriculture first,” agrees Michelle Kienitz, Bioenterprise’s manager of strategic partnerships. “The resulting influx of innovation into this country should help give our farmers a competitive edge globally.” The trick is to weed out the second-string or the also-ran ideas from the truly great opportunities. Focus also gets put on the team. Often companies will have the science, but the management team has to understand and get through rigorous regulations, plus have a diverse talent set. “We not only invest in the idea, we invest in the team,” says Carlson. Where the Agtech Funds are investing To date, AVAC has invested over $139 million in companies and farmers adding value to farm products produced in Alberta since 1997. Bioenterprise is there too. “Acting as coach and catalyst, we work with companies at all stages, from startups to emerging and well-established businesses,” Kienitz says. Could the trends that these agtech fund managers watch be a window into future developments? In general, Carlson is seeing

agtech funds and companies deploying capital toward ways to increase on-farm margins with genetics, precision agriculture, more efficient use of water, and human resources. “If it helps yield and feed conversion, we can sell that into the marketplace,” says Carlson. There’s also a trend toward creating systems to help farmers manage more safety and compliance data. “Farms are going to need to be more efficient,” says Carlson, “… and to manage labour more efficiently.” However, the dream technology will manage data. Creating a platform for on-farm decision support tools will catapult the industry ahead, says Carlson. Investors are looking for a good platform that isn’t linked to one ag supply company and that would integrate a group of data capabilities — GPS, soil sampling, weather data, and marketing among others — for on-the-go decision-making. “The big six ag companies and the machinery companies are all looking for ways to do this,” says Carlson. Precision agriculture has already seen quite significant investment, including the Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers 2014 purchase of Winnipeg-based Farmer’s Edge. This will continue to be a big part of the portfolio of agtech funds. After all, venture capitalist companies generally know and love software and data. The agtech funds are investing in food safety, delivery systems and decreasing waste all along the value chain. There’s also interest in ways to reuse waste and water.” Kienitz says they’re seeing more technologies from other industries being applied to agriculture. “Pathways into agriculture aren’t always direct,” says Kienitz. “Everyone tends to think of ag last.” But don’t forget the unexpected. About a dozen weedtech and hemp companies captured a smoking $23 million in total funding for 2014. The largest slice went to GrowLife ($12.1M), which produces cultivation technology for growers, and Agfunder points out that a company called Eaze has raised $1.5M for its marijuana drone delivery service. CG

Seed treatment Guide Wheat Oats Canola Barley rye So y b e a n s co r n

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2016 Seed treatment Guide

Introduction Many options are available to control pests and diseases. This comprehensive guide of seed treatments can help you make the right choices By Johanne van Rossum, agronomist

C

hoosing the right cultivar and genetic characteristics is the first step in a sound pest-control program. The next step is the use of seed treatments that protect the seed right after it is sown. To respond to different problems, several approaches are possible. If you know the insect pests and diseases from previous years, it is easier to make the right choice. To reduce both environmental impacts and the risk of pests becoming resistant to a pesticide, it is essential to know the target pest or organism. Several approaches are often necessary to achieve these goals and ensure optimal yield. This document presents the different seed treatments available for controlling diseases and insect pests. In the table for corn, we have included a list of the genetic traits that can help protect the plant against insects.

For each of the major field crops listed, we describe the corresponding seed treatments according to their active ingredients and activity against one or more of the main diseases and insects. This table is for guidance only. Always refer to the label to find the correct field application rate and to know what restrictions must be respected. There are many possible combinations of seed treatment products, particularly between fungicides and insecticides. Some of these are already premixed by the manufacturer. Many others have not been described in this guide.  Consult your provincial guide to crop protection for direction for safe and effective use of all products. Please note that most of these seed treatments are only available in a seed treatment facility. Hence, it is important to check with your seed dealers to determine which formulations they use. To  protect insect pollinators, it is vital to take precautions when using seed treatments. For more information on best management practices for protecting pollinators, visit the CropLife website at www.croplife.ca.

Insect pests

Seed-borne diseases

Early-season diseases

C o m m e rci a l Na me

Act ive I n g redient

Wireworm

Loose smut

Septoria

Fusarium

Dwarf bunt

Dwarf bunt

Common bunt

Common root rot

Take-all

Seedling blight (Pythium)

Fusarium

Powdery mildew

Septoria

Soil-borne diseases

European chafer

wheat

Allegiance FL

metalaxyl

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

-

Apron XL RTA

metalaxyl-M

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

-

Cruiser 5 FS

thiamethoxam

+

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

DB-RED L

maneb

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

+

-

-

-

+

-

-

Dividend XL RTA

difenoconazole + metalaxyl-M

-

-

+

+

+

+

+

+

pc

pc

+

+

-

+1

EverGol Energy

penflufen + metalaxyl + prothioconazole

-

-

+

-

+

-

-

+

pc

pc

+

+

-

-

Maxim 480FS, Proseed

fludioxonil

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

Rancona Apex

ipconazole

-

-

+

-

+

-

-

+

pc

-

-

+

-

-

Raxil MD

tebuconazole + metalaxyl

-

-

+

+

+

-

-

+

pc

-

+

+

-

-

Raxil Pro MD

tebuconazole + metalaxyl + prothioconazole

-

-

+

+

+

-

-

+

pc

pc

+

+

-

-

Raxil T

tebuconazole + thiram

-

-

+

+

+

-

-

+

pc

-

+

+

-

-

Stress Shield for cereals, Alias

imidacloprid

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Vibrance Quattro

difenoconazole + metalaxyl-M + sedaxane + fludioxonil

-

-

+

+

+

+

+

+

pc

pc

+

+

-

+1

Vibrance XL

difenoconazole + metalaxyl-M + sedaxane

-

-

+

+

+

+

+

+

pc

pc

+

+

-

+1

Vitaflo 280

carbathiine + thiram

-

-

+

-

+

+

-

+

+

-

-

+

-

-

Legend

4

+: recommended

pc: partial control

Seed treatment guide 2016

-: not recommended

Note 1: Winter wheat only.

wheat / oats / Canola / Barley / rye / soybeans / corn

Oa t s

C omm e r c ia l Name

Ac tive I n gredient

Seedling blight

Covered smut

Loose smut

Seedling blight (Pythium)

Root rot

Diseases

Wireworm

Insect pests

Allegiance FL

metalaxyl

-

pc

-

-

+

pc

Apron XL RTA

metalaxyl-M

-

pc

-

-

+

pc

DB-RED L

maneb

-

+

+

-

-

-

Dividend XL RTA

difenoconazole + metalaxyl-M

-

+

+

+

+

pc

EverGol Energy

penflufen + metalaxyl + prothioconazole

-

+

+

+

+

pc

Maxim 480 FS, Proseed

fludioxonil

-

pc

-

-

-

pc

Raxil MD

tebuconazole + metalaxyl

-

+

+

+

+

pc

Raxil Pro MD

tebuconazole + metalaxyl + prothioconazole

-

+

+

+

+

pc

Raxil T

tebuconazole + thiram

-

+

+

+

-

pc

Stress Shield for cereals, Alias

imidacloprid

+

-

-

-

-

-

Vibrance Quattro

difenoconazole + metalaxyl-M + sedaxane + fludioxonil

-

+

+

+

+

+

Vibrance XL

difenoconazole + metalaxyl-M + sedaxane

-

+

+

+

+

pc

canola

C om m e r c ia l Na me

Ac tive I n g redient

Seed rot and seedling blight (Aspergillus)

Seed rot and seedling blight (Fusarium)

Seed rot and seedling blight (Rhizoctonia)

Seed rot and seedling blight (Alternaria)

Seedling blight (Pythium)

Blackleg

Diseases

Flea beetle

Insect pests

Allegiance FL

metalaxyl

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

Apron XL

metalaxyl-M

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

Dynasty 100 FS

azoxystrobin

-

-

-

+

-

-

-

Fortenza

cyantraniliprole

+

-

-

-

-

Gaucho 480 L

imidacloprid

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

Gaucho CS FL

imidacloprid + carbathiine + thiram

+

-

-

+

+

+

+

Helix Vibrance co-pack

thiamethoxam + metalaxyl-M + fludioxonil + difenoconazole + sedaxane

+

-

+

+

+

+

+

Helix XTRA

thiamethoxam + metalaxyl-M + fludioxonil + difenoconazole

+

-

+

+

+

+

+

Integral

Bacillus subtilis, a natural bacterium

-

-

pc

pc

-

-

-

Maxim 480 FS

fludioxonil

-

+

+

+

-

-

-

Nisso Foundation Lite

iprodione + thiram

-

-

-

+

+

-

+

Poncho 600 FS

clothianidin

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

Prosper Evergol

clothianidin + penflufen + metalaxyl + trifloxystrobin

+

-

+

+

+

+

+

Rancona Apex

ipconazole

-

-

+

+

-

-

-

Vault

acetamiprid

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

2016 Seed treatment guide

-

5

Protecting Pollinators on the Farm Bees are vitally important to the sustainability of agriculture. At least one third of the human food supply from crops and plants depends on insect pollination, most of which is performed by bees. The estimated value of their contribution to Canadian agriculture alone is as much as $2 billion. Farmers are well known to be excellent stewards of the land. Following Best Management Practices will help maximize the benefits of seed treatments while also protecting bees around farm operations. As always, when handling any crop protection product, it is important to start by reading and following all label directions.

Best Management Practices* (BMPs) are approaches based on known science that, when followed, support healthy crops, healthy bees and a healthy environment. * BMPs developed in conjunction with CropLife Canada and its member companies.

Best Management Practices Prior to planting

During planting

• Learn about bees that may forage on your land. Know how to contact neighbouring beekeepers.

• Avoid transfer of dust from the seed bag into the planter.

• Talk to neighbouring beekeepers about protecting bees during planting; discuss alternative locations for hives or ways to shield bees during planting. • Store treated seed under appropriate conditions, protected from the elements and pests. • Wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when handling treated seed.

• Manage lubricants: Lubricants ease seed singulation, improve drop and reduce wear and tear on equipment and seed. A dust-reducing fluency agent is the only seed lubricant permitted for use when planting corn and soybean seed with a pneumatic (vacuum) meter planter.** ** One hundred percent graphite may continue to be used as a mechanical lubricant in finger pickup or mechanical planter meters only. Graphite must not be used in pneumatic (vacuum meter) planters when the corn or soybean seed has been treated with an insecticide.

• Always clean and maintain planting equipment.

• Depending on the type of planter, deflectors may be an option to reduce the off-field movement of seed dust generated during planting. Speak with your equipment dealer or manufacturer regarding the availability of deflector kits for your planter.

• Always use high-quality seed that is free of excessive dust.

• Plant at the recommended seeding rate.

• Do not reuse empty seed bags for any purpose other than storing the original treated seed.

• Check headlands, rough areas and the main body of the field for exposed seed. Spilled or exposed seeds and dust must be incorporated into the soil or cleaned up from the soil surface. • Be aware of wind direction when planting near a source of pollen or nectar for bees (i.e. nearby flowering crops or weeds).

After planting • Vacuum treated seed from the seed box and return it to the bag from which it came. • Collect empty seed bags and lubricant packaging and dispose of them according to provincial regulations. • Do not leave empty bags or left over treated seed in fields.

For more information about these Best Management Practices and bee health, visit www.beehealth.ca.

• Do not load or clean planting equipment near bee colonies and avoid places where bees may be foraging, such as flowering crops or weeds. • Check that the planter is set up correctly and calibrated for correct depth and seed placement. • When turning on the planter, avoid engaging the system where emitted dust may come in contact with honey bee colonies and foraging bees. • Manage dandelions and other flowering weeds in the field prior to planting to reduce exposure of bees to seed dust. Always read and follow label directions. The Syngenta logo is a registered trademark of a Syngenta Group Company. © 2016 Syngenta.

2016 Seed treatment Guide C O RN

C o m m e rci a l Name

Ac tive In gredient

European chafer

Wireworm

Seedcorn maggot

Black cutworm

Corn flea beetle

Seedling blight (Fusarium)

Seedling blight (Rhizoctonia)

Seedling blight (Pythium)

Ear rot (Aspergillus)

Blue-eyed mould (Penicillium)

Diseases

Corn rootworm

Insect pests

Acceleron for corn

clothianidin ( 0.250 mg a.i./seed)+ ipconazole + trifloxystrobin + metalaxyl

-

+

+

+

+

+

+

+

+

+

+

Acceleron for corn without insecticide

ipconazole + trifloxystrobin + metalaxyl

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

+

+

+

+

Agrox B-2

diazinon + captane (TS)

-

-

-

+

-

-

+

-

-

+

+

Agrox CD

diazinon + captane (TS) (PRE)

-

-

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Allegiance FL

metalaxyl

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

Apron XL

metalaxyl-M

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

Cruiser 5 FS

thiamethoxam (0.125-0.250 mg a.i./seed)

-

+

+

+

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

Cruiser 5 FS

thiamethoxam (1.250 mg a.i./seed)

+

+

+

+

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

Dynasty 100 FS

azoxystrobin

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

+

-

-

Fortenza

cyantraniliprole

-

+

+

-

+

-

-

+

+

-

-

Gaucho 480 L

imidacloprid

-

-

+

-

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

Maxim 480 FS, Proseed

fludioxonil

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

+

-

+

+

Maxim Quattro

azoxystrobin + fludioxonil + metalaxyl-M + thiabendazole

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

+

+

+

+

Poncho 600 FS (250)

clothianidin (0.25 mg a.i./seed)

-

+

+

+

+

+

-

-

-

-

-

Poncho 600 FS (1250)

clothianidin (1.25 mg a.i./seed)

+

+

+

+

+

+

-

-

-

-

-

Rancona 3,8 FS

ipconazole

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

+

-

+

+

Vitaflo 280

carbathiine + thiram

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

+

-

-

-

Barley

Ac tive Ing redient

Covered smut

Loose smut

False loose smut

Root rot

Allegiance FL

metalaxyl

-

-

pc

-

-

-

pc

Cruiser 5FS

thiamethoxam

+

+

-

-

-

-

-

DB-RED L

maneb

-

-

+

+

-

+

-

Dividend XL RTA

difenoconazole + metalaxyl-M

-

-

+

+

-

+

pc

EverGol Energy

penflufen + metalaxyl +prothioconazole

-

-

+

+

+

+

pc

Maxim 480 FS, Proseed

fludioxonil

-

-

+

-

-

-

pc

Rancona Apex

ipconazole

-

-

+

+

+

+

pc

Raxil MD

tebuconazole + metalaxyl

-

-

+

+

+

+

pc

Raxil Pro MD

tebuconazole + metalaxyl + prothioconazole

-

-

+

+

+

+

+

Raxil MD

tebuconazole + metalaxyl

-

-

+

+

+

+

pc

Raxil Pro MD

tebuconazole + metalaxyl + prothioconazole

-

-

+

+

+

+

+

Raxil T

tebuconazole + thiram

-

-

+

+

+

+

pc

Stress Shield for cereals, Alias

imidacloprid

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

Vibrance Quattro

difenoconazole + metalaxyl-M + sedaxane + fludioxonil

-

-

+

+

+

+

+

Vibrance XL

difenoconazole + metalaxyl-M + sedaxane

-

-

+

+

+

+

pc

Vitaflo 280

carbathiine + thiram

-

-

+

+

+

+

pc

8

Seed treatment guide 2016

European chafer

C o mm e r cia l Name

Seed rot and seedling blight

Diseases

Wireworm

Insect pests

wheat / oats / Canola / Barley / rye / soybeans / corn Insect pests

C o m m e rcia l Na me

Act ive In gr edient

Seedling blight

Seed-borne Septoria

Common bunt

Dwarf bunt

Seedling blight (Pythium)

Root rot

Diseases

Wireworm

Rye

Allegiance FL

metalaxyl

-

pc

-

-

-

+

pc

Apron XL RTA

metalaxyl-M

-

pc

-

-

-

+

pc

DB-RED L

maneb

-

+

-

+

-

-

-

Dividend XL RTA

difenoconazole + metalaxyl-M

-

+

+

+

+

+

pc

EverGol Energy

penflufen + metalaxyl + prothioconazole

-

+

-

+

-

+

pc

Maxim 480 FS, Proseed

fludioxonil

-

+

-

-

-

-

pc

Rancona Apex

ipconazole

-

+

-

-

-

-

pc

Vibrance Quattro

difenoconazole + metalaxyl-M + sedaxane + fludioxonil

-

+

+

+

+

+

+

Vibrance XL

difenoconazole + metalaxyl-M + sedaxane

-

+

+

+

+

+

pc

Vitaflo 280

carbathiine + thiram

-

+

-

-

-

+

pc

s oy b e a n s

C o m m e rc ia l Name

Ac tive In gredient

Seedcorn maggot

Soybean aphid

Bean leaf beetle

Wireworm

Phytophthora rot

Phomopsis seed decay

Seedling blight (Fusarium)

Seedling blight (Rhizoctonia)

Seedling blight (Pythium)

Diseases

Soybean nematode cyst

Insect pests

Acceleron for soybean with insecticide

imidacloprid + fluxapyroxad + metalaxyl + pyraclostrobin

-

+

+

+

+

+

+

+

+

+

Acceleron for soybean

fluxapyroxad + metalaxyl + pyraclostrobin

-

-

-

+

+

+

+

+

+

+

Agrox B-2

diazinon + captan (TS)

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Agrox CD

diazinon + captan (TS) (PRE)

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

+

+

-

Allegiance FL

metalaxyl

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

-

+

Anchor

carbathiine + thiram (TS)

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

+

+

-

Apron Maxx

metalaxyl-M + fludioxonil

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

-

+

Apron XL

metalaxyl-M

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

-

+

Clariva pn

pasteuria nishizawae

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Cruiser Maxx Vibrance Bean

thiamethoxam + metalaxyl-M + fludioxonil + sedaxane

-

+

+

+

pc

+

+

+

+

+

EverGol Energy

penflufen + metalaxyl + prothioconazole

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

+

+

+

Maxim 480 FS

fludioxonil

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

+

+

-

Stress Shield for cereals and soybean, Alias

imidacloprid

-

+

+

+

+

-

-

-

-

-

Vibrance Maxx

metalaxyl-M+ fludioxonil+ sedaxane

-

-

-

-

-

+

+

+

+

+

Vitaflo 280

carbathiine + thiram

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

+

+

-

Legend

+: recommended

pc: partial control

-: not recommended

2016 Seed treatment guide

9

2016 Seed treatment Guide

To make an informed choice

S

eed treatments are the armour that protects seeds against invaders. Seed companies add another layer of protection built into the genetic code of the plant. These genes, commonly known as “technological traits,� are the result of biotechnology breakthroughs. They play an important role in pest control. These two technologies combine to protect crops like never before. However, it is still important that you find which combination is best adapted to meet your needs. For corn, there is a multitude of technological traits. The following chart lists the different traits offered, and their properties. Combining the information from this chart with the one on page 8 will help to better understand their different roles in order to make an informed decision. Johanne Van Rossum is an agronomist and crop producer in St. Bridget Iberville, Quebec

C O RN Corn rootworm

European chafer

Wireworm

Seedcorn maggot

Black cutworm

European corn borer

Western bean cutworm

Corn earworm

Fall armyworm

Insect pests

Agrisure CB/LL

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

-

Agrisure GT/CB/LL

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

-

Agrisure 3000 GT

+

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

-

Agrisure Viptera 3110

-

-

-

-

+

+

+

+

+

Agrisure Viptera 3111

+

-

-

-

+

+

+

+

+

Agrisure 3122

+

-

-

-

+

+

+

-

+

Agrisure Viptera 3220

-

-

-

-

+

+

+

+

+

Agrisure Duracade 5222

+

-

-

-

+

+

+

+

+

Agrisure Duracade 5122

+

-

-

-

+

+

+

-

+

Herculex 1 and Herculex 1/ RR2

-

-

-

-

+

+

+

-

+

Herculex XTRA and Herculex XTRA/RR2

+

-

-

-

+

+

+

-

+

Yield Gard CB and YieldGard CB/RR2

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

-

YieldGard VT/Triple (VT3)

+

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

-

Genuity Smartstax ( Monsanto) / Smartstax ( Dow)

+

-

-

-

+

+

+

+

+

Genuity VT Double Pro

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

+

+

Genuity VT Triple Pro

+

-

-

-

-

+

-

+

+

Optimum AcreMax / Optimum Intrasect

-

-

-

-

+

+

+

-

+

Optimum AcreMax Xtreme

+

-

-

-

+

+

+

-

+

Optimum AcreMax Xtra/ Optimum Intrasect Xtra

+

-

-

-

+

+

+

-

+

Genetic traits added through genetic engineering against insects

C o m m e rc i a l Name

Legend

10

+: recommended

pc: partial control

Seed treatment guide 2016

-: not recommended

The Value of Seed Applied Insecticides: Advanced Seed Protection Technology Seed Applied Insecticides (SAIs) are one of the most advanced forms of crop protection technology, offering growers a targeted, environmentally sustainable means of pest management. SAI technology protects seeds and emerging plants from insect damage during the critical first weeks of development.

Seed Applied Insecticides enhance crop quality and yield

• Reduced impact on non-target organisms, including beneficial insects

SAIs protect the seed and seedlings from pests, ensuring that the plants get off to a healthy, vigorous start, which ultimately translates into quality and yield improvements. This protection is key to agricultural production in Canada, as damaging insect pests have been documented in all growing regions of the country for each major agricultural crop.

• Protection from increased pest pressure associated with a range of agronomic practices including reduced/no-till field conditions

SAI protection is particularly important in instances where there is no curative option for salvaging plant health after insect damage has occurred.

Seed Applied Insecticides offer numerous environmental advantages These benefits include: • A significantly lower amount of active ingredient per acre compared to foliar and soil-applied pesticides • Direct application to the seed, which minimizes off-target drift

Seed Applied Insecticides also deliver agronomic and production benefits The value of SAIs extends beyond pest control by: • Optimizing seeding rates due to improved plant stand • Minimizing the need for replants • Extending the application window for in-season, foliar pesticide applications (when needed) • Supporting earlier planting practices, which helps to maximize labour and production efficiency • Complementing trait technology to manage insect pests (where there are no traits available to control insect pests and/or to provide a different mode of action for resistance management)

Always read and follow label directions. The Syngenta logo is a registered trademark of a Syngenta Group Company. © 2016 Syngenta.

Seed Applied Insecticides deliver benefits even in situations of low-to-moderate insect pressure Insect pests can cause damage to crop growth, quality and yield, even at low-to-moderate pressures. Small populations of certain pests may have a detrimental effect, with the result that the seedling may never emerge or the health of the plant may be compromised. If untreated seed is put into the ground where pests exist, there is no way to protect the seed retroactively. In either of these scenarios, the crop may have to be replanted at significant cost. In addition to insect control, SAIs also provide strong plant establishment, health and vigour by protecting and strengthening the plant at crucial times of development (i.e. germination and root growth). This allows plants to better compete with weeds and diseases and deal with abiotic stresses such as cool soil temperatures or dry conditions at planting.

For product-specific information, please visit Syngenta.ca

The built-for-Canada-all-in-oneso-your-cereals-can-thrive treatment. We know you love to see your cereal crops grow to their fullest potential. And in true Canadian fashion, we’d like to give you a hand with that. Meet our Cruiser ® Vibrance® Quattro seed treatment. With four fungicides, an insecticide and the added benefits of Vigor Trigger ® and Rooting Power™, this all-in-one liquid formulation offers superior protection plus enhanced crop establishment for early-season growth. Just the helping hand you can use, eh?

TRUE GROWTH, STRONG AND FREE. FOR

For more information, visit Syngenta.ca, contact our Customer Interaction Centre at 1-87-SYNGENTA (1-877-964-3682) or follow @syngentacanada on Twitter and tweet us your questions using #AskSYN. Always read and follow label directions. Cruiser ®, Rooting Power™, Vibrance®, Vigor Trigger ®, the Alliance Frame, the Purpose Icon and the Syngenta logo are trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company. © 2016 Syngenta.

PG. 36 Three-pronged strategy

to stop crop diseases PG. 40 Flax acres can finally

rebound from Triffid PG. 42 Get more from your

on-farm trials

CROPS GUIDE Long-term battle Fighting crop disease isn’t a single-season job — you’ve got to be in it for the long haul and protect and maintain the capacity to do the work By Gord Gilmour / CG Associate editor

I

First discovered in Uganda, the Ug99 strain of rust is virulent against most most varieties and can cause losses up to 100 per cent. In 2014 AAFC scientists at Morden, Man., registered AAC Tenacious, the first wheat variety with true Ug99 resistance.

n the winter of 1820, farmers at the embryonic Red River Settlement, at what is now Winnipeg, faced disaster after their seed grain was destroyed. The colony had dabbled in wheat production for the previous few years, but with little success. It was make-or-break time for the cold-hardened and dispossessed Scotsmen who had migrated via Hudson’s Bay, following the Highland Clearances. Late that winter they set off on snowshoes to Wisconsin to secure replacement seed, and that spring they freighted back 250 bushels in the flatboats of the day, by way of the Mississippi, Minnesota and Red rivers, arriving back just in time for sowing, and produced a “fine crop” according to the reports that year. It was the first wheat harvest of any meaningful size on the Canadian Prairies, and fittingly it revealed both the challenges and rewards of farming in this isolated, climate-challenged fringe. About 100 years later another challenge loomed in what had become one of the acknowledged breadbaskets of the world. By the 1920s wheat stem rust had become the feared disease. First identified positively in Italy in 1767, it had made the jump to the New World when Continued on page 34

COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA / MARCH 15, 2016

33

crops Guide Continued from page 33

In 1930 Joseph McMurachy found two heads of rust-free wheat while harvesting his farm in Strathclair, Man. He sowed the seeds of these plants, and by 1935 he had developed six acres. The seed was used to developed Selkirk wheat, which saved millions of acres from the rust scourge of the 1950s.

wheat became a major crop on the virgin lands of the central plains. Running riot through this near-monoculture, it took an enormous bite out of agriculture’s profitability and threatened the future of the hardy pioneer farmers. Once again Winnipeg played a central role in this fight, with the government of the day establishing the Dominion Rust Laboratory, better known as the “Rust Lab,” in 1925 to combat rusts of all types in cereal crops. Stem rust battle Brent McCallum, a research scientist and plant pathologist with the federal agriculture department in Manitoba, is also president of the Canadian Phytopathological Society, the professional organization for plant pathologists. “Stem rust was the initial focus because of the damaging nature of the disease,” McCallum explains. “Through breeding for resistance, stem rust was controlled through the 1930s and 1940s. Then the pathogen mutated and Race 15B caused more epidemics in the 1950s, which were also controlled through new cultivars such as Selkirk, Manitou, Neepawa and Katepwa.” That encapsulates the nature of the struggle against crop diseases almost in its entirety — an ongoing struggle to stay ahead of a constantly evolving foe. It requires a special type of person, and is perhaps one of the most important and unheralded contributions to grain agriculture. McCallum says the attraction for most of his colleagues is a chance to do interesting scientific research, the special challenge of disease and host interactions and the undeniable appeal of being able to make a tangible difference. “It really is very interesting work, especially when 34

MARCH 15, 2016 / COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA

you realize you’re dealing with not one, but two organisms, and how they interact together,” McCallum says. “It’s also really satisfying when you realize you’ve made a contribution to solving a problem that affects people’s livelihood.” The process While each challenge is unique, there is a certain methodical similarity in how the problem is approached by the research establishment whenever a new crop disease rears its ugly head. “Accurate identification is a key first step,” McCallum says. “Provincial plant pathologists and diagnostic labs are often the first to encounter new diseases.” Those individuals have the expertise to determine if the disease is something that’s been seen before but hasn’t been around for a few years, or if it’s something new entirely. Often the “new” diseases are actually something that’s been around in previous seasons but hasn’t really taken off. “Then they begin to increase dramatically due to changes in weather, cropping practices or the planting of susceptible cultivars,” McCallum says. Once the “what” has been determined, it’s time to move on to the next question — where is the disease present? That’s something that’s only reliably accomplished through field surveys, which determine how widespread the pathogen is. These two pieces are then put together and it’s time to start looking for solutions. In some cases it may be as simple as switching to already-available varieties that carry genetic resistance to the disease. In other cases it could mean incorporating certain cultural practices into a production system, or determining what fungicides or other control products might be effective. In the most challenging cases, the disease is something for which almost no controls exist, as was the case with fusarium head blight through the 1980s and 1990s. Team approach It’s when this happens that one of the most important relationships in the industry bears fruit — the interaction between plant pathologist and plant breeder. Brian Rossnagel spent much of his career as a barley breeder at the Crop Development Centre at the University of Saskatchewan. He speaks admiringly of the skill set his colleagues in plant pathology bring to the table and points out that in past years, there wasn’t always a clear division between the two fields of endeavour. “Not many people realize this, but in the 1950s and 1960s, most of the plant breeders actually came from plant pathology; that was their training,” he says. “By my day, it had switched over to plant science, which is what my background is in, and these days it’s mainly people from a molecular biology background.” Rossnagel describes himself as “extremely fortunate” to have worked in an early job at the University

Photo: AAFC

Perhaps the first woman in Canada to work in plant pathology, Margaret Newton was one of the scientists who first determined that stem rust fungus was genetically variable, and composed of more than one strain or race.

disease management

of Manitoba for some of these previous generation of plant pathologists turned plant breeders. “It was very good for me to be exposed to those ideas and that way of approaching problems,” Rossnagel says. The information from the plant pathology community gives plant breeders the basis upon which to begin looking for genetic resistance and make the appropriate crosses, shaving valuable seasons off the hunt for a cure. They also act as the eyes and ears for the industry, maintaining constant vigilance against newly developing threats. Ongoing Effort Keeping that effort ongoing is important — but it’s often not the easiest thing to do, especially if there’s no immediate threat from any particular disease. Take a disease like wheat stem rust, for example. It hasn’t been a major problem in many years in North America, with the last major economic losses occurring in the 1950s. But just a few years ago, in a field halfway around the world in Uganda, a new race, dubbed Ug99, was discovered. The new strain was virulent against many existing resistance genes and caused yield losses as high as 100 per cent. It was an existential threat to wheat production and global food security and could not be ignored. Out of the public research establishment a team of plant pathologists and breeders, led by AAFC research scientist Tom Fetch out of Morden, Man., was pulled together to tackle the problem. They began by testing existing lines for resistance and susceptibility and discovered about 80 per cent were susceptible and 20 per cent offered some line of resistance — a key first response if the issue does spread out from it’s current location. In 2014 the first wheat variety with true Ug99 resistance, AAC Tenacious, was registered by the CFIA. Public research decline Any outside observer would likely look at this response and judge it to be a textbook case — the distant early warning system keyed in on a problem and a solution was found before it was needed. Crisis averted. However, that masks an uncomfortable reality that increasingly public research funding is coming under pressure, and this is one area where private industry is unlikely to fill the void, Rossnagel says. “You can’t really blame the companies, they’re commercial entities, and from a commercial perspective, there is no incentive for them to do research like this, where a market doesn’t exist,” Rossnagel says. Unless public interest research is funded adequately through government — and decades of accumulating experience teach us that will probably be a tough

sell — it’s likely going to be left to grower organizations to pick up the slack. Both Rossnagel and McCallum are quick to point out that’s already happening in some cases, and both singled out the Western Grains Research Foundation for praise for taking a forward-looking view of the importance of crop disease research. Rossnagel urged other groups to look at the model and consider adopting it. “I just hope like hell they can find a way to work co-operatively together to make sure this is happening,” Rossnagel says.

You can’t really blame the companies, they’re commercial entities, and from a commercial perspective, there is no incentive for them to do research like this, where a market doesn’t exist.” Brian Rossnagel Disappearing skills Rossnagel says if we want to see the effects of a critical shortage of plant pathology skills, we need look no farther than Europe. Growers there have long relied on fungicides to control disease, rather than a genetic approach. Now as European farmers grapple with growing environmental pressure to reduce chemical use of all kinds, they find they need more plant pathologists. “They’re really struggling to find them,” Rossnagel says. “They haven’t been training them and hiring them for decades and now there’s a real shortage.” We’re not quite there yet, but it’s a growing challenge here too, and one that McCallum acknowledges, saying the plant pathology organization he heads has long advocated more attention be paid to this growing problem. “We’re concerned about maintaining the research capacity to effectively deal with future diseases,” he says. “As plant pathologists retire across Canada, the CPS has encouraged governments, universities and private companies to hire new and highly trained plant pathologists to continue this vital work. It’s a bit like firefighters — we don’t want to have to hire a firefighter when our house is burning down. We want them in place and well trained so that if a fire does break out they can respond and limit damage.” CG

COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA / MARCH 15, 2016

35

crops Guide  Spraying fungicide might not have to be a routine part of the program if better weather forecasts were available.

A fine balance Controlling crop diseases is a classic example of where short-term decisions can mean long-term problems By Gord Gilmour / cg Associate editor

R

andy Kutcher recalls that when he moved to Saskatchewan 25 years ago, farmers were using hardly any fungicide. “They were using a bit of fungicide for sclerotinia in canola, and that’s about it. Now it’s pretty much part of the program, and often crops are getting two or more applications, and it’s almost become like the European approach.” Kutcher has spent his career puzzling over the problems of controlling crop diseases. He started as a commercial agronomist in Winnipeg, then moved to pursue graduate studies at the University of Saskatchewan. After earning his PhD, he spent 15 years with AAFC in Melfort, Sask., working as a plant pathologist on sustainable cropping systems. In 2011 he returned to the U of S to join the Crop Development Centre where he holds a strategic research program chair. In a recent discussion with C ountry Guide, Kutcher said recent high crop prices gave growers a strong incentive to protect yield. 36

MARCH 15, 2016 / COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA

“When canola was $14 a bushel and wheat was $8 to $10, it was certainly easier to justify fungicide applications for smaller yield savings,” Kutcher says. But with crop prices falling, growers are looking at a new era of cost containment and Kutcher says a new look at how crop diseases are controlled might not be amiss. He’s not calling for eliminating fungicides, but rather looking at them as a part of a complete package that takes an integrated approach to controlling crop diseases. He sees three main pillars in a robust integrated approach to disease management. Three pillars “Genetic resistance, robust crop rotation and appropriate use of fungicides are the three key pieces,” Kutcher says. When he says genetic resistance, he means taking a more strategic view than simply using it, but rather using it in a way that’s both more effective and protects the value of genetically resistant varieties. That’s because resistant varieties are like any other crop protection tool — the sec-

ond you start to use them, nature is going to start trying to defeat that protection. Applying the same pressure over and over will eventually yield results you don’t want. “If you overuse the same resistance genes, especially year after year, you’re going to contribute to that resistance breaking down,” Kutcher says. “It’s not unlike resistant weeds, and we’ve seen what a big problem that can become.” Gary Peng, a research scientist with AAFC in Sask­atoon, says it’s a hard truth but one everyone in the business needs to understand — any crop protection mechanism, be it genetic resistance or a spray, needs to be protected right from the start. Those shiny new genes will eventually become less effective, and the job of forestalling that eventuality starts with the first use. “Most resistance will eventually break down,” Peng says. “That’s a given, and all the management strategies we talk about are simply to delay that. It’s a real challenge, but the truth is, eventually the pathogen will always win the arms race temporarily until something new is used.” That means rotating to different resistance genes — but that’s frequently easier said than done. It’s not like herbicides, where chemical groups are printed in a handy crop protection guide. “Exactly what genes are in a variety is viewed as proprietary information, and isn’t readily available,” Kutcher says. “The Australians actually have a more advanced system, I think, and their system does make that information available to farmers.” Rotation is always key The dearth of information can make the right variety selection a tough call, which makes the other pillars even more important, especially rotation. “Better than just rotating between varieties is rotating between crops,” Kutcher says. “There are exceptions — leaf rust for example — but the majority of crop diseases does appear to respond to rotation, diseases like blackleg in canola and fusarium in wheat — especially fusarium, because you really need that stubble to break down to reduce the inoculum level. Even clubroot — which we initially thought might not respond because it’s a soil-borne disease — even that appears to respond to rotation.”

Disease management Longer rotations have long been a key message from agronomists, plant pathologists and everyone in between, but most observers admit it’s an uphill battle to get farmers to adopt them. In part the problem may be uncertain returns from crops like wheat, which have generally been less profitable than canola. Kutcher says another problem may be the challenge of managing more than a couple of crops over some of today’s highacreage farms. “I can certainly see what a challenge that would be — you have to not only understand the crops and their biological cycle, you’ve got to know all the diseases and pests and available crop protection products,” he says. Peng’s major focus is on the canola disease trio — blackleg, sclerotinia and clubroot. They vary in their infection mech-

anism — sclerotinia is weather driven and highly variable, while soil-borne clubroot inexorably creeps along year upon year. But to a varying degree, they all respond positively to longer crop rotations. Rotation, rotation, rotation “Rotation is one of the most important tools for disease management,” Peng says. “Quite a few of our common diseases in both canola and cereals are caused by inoculum from past infections on crop residue, which can take two to three years to break down.” He also notes that more than 90 per cent of crops in the region are now grown under a zero-till or minimum-till system. While that provides soil conservation benefits, it also slows the breakdown of crop residues that aren’t incorporated into soil.

Most resistance will eventually break down,” says AAFC scientist Gary Peng. “That’s a given, and all the management strategies we talk about are simply to delay that. It’s a real challenge.”

Continued on page 38

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37

crops Guide Blackleg, sclerotinia and clubroot: the methods of infection are different, but they all respond to crop rotation.

Continued from page 37

It all adds up to a three- or four-year rotation, though Peng acknowledges that advising that from a laboratory in Saskatoon is easier than making it happen in the field. In areas such as central Alberta, for example, it’s hard to find crops to rotate to, and thanks to lower grain prices, it’s a painful reality that canola is the only thing that reliably pays the bills. “In a lot of cases they’re only growing cereals as a place holder,” Peng says. But he hopes that could change if more cropping options are developed, such as the burgeoning corn and soybean acreage in some parts of the Prairies. “Corn, canola, soybean and wheat — if you were able to combine those four crops I think you would get a rotation that could be practical,” he says. In the end, crop rotation will ensure long-term sustainability. Under the right conditions, resistance can crop up after just a few seasons and no matter how good plant breeders and crop protection companies are at their jobs, staying ahead of Mother Nature is going to be a perennial challenge, and rotation has to be part of the answer. “I keep having discussions at meetings with growers that start, ‘I know I should have a longer rotation, but if I can’t what’s the next best thing I can do?’” Kutcher says. Protecting the fungicide option The last of the three disease protection pillars is appropriate use of fungicides, and this strategy also requires careful management to prevent resistance. That includes rotating among fungicides with different modes of action, and avoiding them altogether if they aren’t needed. If the weather conditions are right, growers can get away without an application. The key — and hard to predict — part of that statement is, “if the conditions are right.” “The problem is you can know what the weather did for the past month, but that can change right at the key period,” Kutcher says. “If you could predict reliably what the weather was going to be like two weeks into the future, then you’d really have something.” 38

MARCH 15, 2016 / COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA

Larger farm size may also play a role, since more acres are tougher to scout at the crucial — and narrow — periods of crop development where infection can occur and protection is effective. Even a smaller farm can be tough to cover in the appropriate time period, and bigger farms just mean greater challenges. “I can only imagine how difficult it would be to scout 10,000 acres,” Kutcher says. “This may really be a case of hiring someone to do it.” More scouting Peng also calls for more crop and field scouting, and he says gaining insight into disease levels early will always be better in the long run. It can prevent being caught unaware by a disease like clubroot that develops slowly over years and only leaves signs of the infection below ground. It can also drive better decision-making for protective applications of fungicides, or to choose varieties to plant the next spring. Peng tells growers to always be thinking of field scouting, even at times when it might not be top of mind. “One thing I tell farmers about blackleg is to take a few minutes when they’re swathing canola to stop and pull 50 or so plants at random and see what percentage are showing blackleg,” he says. “If it’s less than five per cent, your variety is probably still working quite well. But if it’s up at 30 per cent, something is happening there and it’s clearly not performing.” In all likelihood that’s the disease population turning over, meaning it’s

probably time to try a new variety with a different type of genetic resistance the following spring. By staying on top of it growers can proactively prevent the periodic train wreck and stay one step ahead of nature, although Peng again concedes the time challenge. Complexity versus simplicity The bottom line is that a complex approach is needed to respond to nature’s complex methods of introducing disease. “We need to look at integrated pest management for crop diseases,” Peng says. His top recommendations are robust crop rotations where possible, careful management of resistant varieties including monitoring them for signs of breakdown, and use of chemical control options when necessary, but paying attention to the issue of chemical resistance and rotating them properly. Cultural practices like field scouting will play a role. The emerging world of precision agriculture may also help limit fungicide use, as growers consider a zone approach to applying everything from fertilizer to crop protection products. Some cutting-edge producers are breaking out the low spots in their field, where wetter conditions in the crop canopy can act as a disease incubator, for spot applications. In the end Kutcher hopes growers take a look at the complete disease control picture and find biologically and economically sustainable solutions. “I really do believe the best approach to disease control is an integrated one,” he says. CG

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crops Guide

Triffid recovery Flax is back now that a GM variety is flushed out of the system, but there’s new competition from the former Soviet Union By richard kamchen

A

40

MARCH 15, 2016 / COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA

Rigid testing protocol Canada’s flax industry responded to European concerns with stringent sampling and testing protocols, and has since recovered some market share to the point the EU now represents about 20 per cent of Canadian flax exports. “It’s fair to say there’s no crop grown in Canada that undergoes more strict scrutiny in terms of sampling and testing than flaxseed,” says Kerr, explaining protocols extend from the producer to the end-user to ensure customers are confident in the system’s integrity. Another precaution was making reconstituted certified seed available to farmers. Grown and produced in New Zealand under strict conditions to guarantee the seed was GMO free, it was supplied to farmers in 2014. “Growers basically consumed all of the supplies. The second generation became available this year, and that was provided to producers who didn’t have a chance to plant the reconstituted seed last year,” says Kerr. “So now we’ve covered a vast majority of growers in Western Canada with reconstituted seed,

and we’ve encouraged the growers if they’re going to store seed, that they store that reconstituted seed. And I think growers have responded very positively.” Black Sea competition Germany, however, continues not to import Canadian flaxseed, and the Black Sea took market share in the rest of Europe while Canada was shut out. Record flaxseed production in Russia and Kazakhstan means Canada has its work cut out. Weather and transportation challenges in Kazakhstan, though, make Kerr believe Canada can compete. “They don’t have the infrastructure that we do, and one of the things that is an advantage for Canada is we are a reliable supplier,” adds Jonathon Driedger, senior market analyst with FarmLink Marketing Solutions. But he notes South America also faces logistics problems such as port congestion, and yet their soybeans still manage to find a way to market. “If you start getting a consistently reliable supply out of the

Photo: Flax Council of Canada

fter six years, the “Day of the Triffids” appears to be ending for Canada’s flaxseed industry. Triffid is a genetically modified variety of flax that was rather unfortunately named after the creatures in The Day of the Triffids, a 1951 novel about carnivorous plants bioengineered in the USSR that escape and blind people with their poisonous stingers. Although the variety received Canadian regulator y feed and environment safety authorizations in 1996 and food safety authorizations in 1998, Triffid was never released for commercial production in Canada. It was de-registered in 2001 over concerns the variety could disrupt export trade, and it was thought to have been destroyed. But like its namesake, it escaped and was detected in shipments to Europe in 2009, effectively shutting down sales to Canada’s largest customer. “We are approaching the time when we will hopefully see an end to any concerns over this issue in Canadian production,” says Don Kerr, president of the Flax Council of Canada. Although many strides have been made down this hard road, Triffid isn’t yet gone and forgotten. “There is always the possibility that in the sampling and testing process we could come across a sample that shows a positive result,” says Kerr, adding measures are in place to prevent a positive-testing shipment from reaching a customer. Before discovering traces of Triffid, exports to Western Europe represented about 65 per cent of Canada’s total flaxseed exports. By 2011-12, Canadian sales to Europe were down to as little as 20,000 tonnes, versus the all-time high of 400,000.

FLAX OUTLOOK Black Sea region in a growing way, maybe that whittles away our role in Western Europe,” Driedger says. When Canadian sales to Europe were cut off, China came in as a buyer and has become Canada’s most important flaxseed customer. If any customer is responsible for flaxseed production returning to pre-Triffid levels, it’s China. “We’re at about 850,000 tonnes [production], and China (buys) in excess of 350,000 tonnes of Canadian flax. So they are 50 per cent of our market at the moment,” says Kerr. “When we had that Triffid episode, if it hadn’t been for China stepping in, it would have been a colossally worse train wreck than it ended up being,” says Driedger. “But when you rely heavily on one market you are vulnerable to a slowdown in purchases.” Diversifying beyond China Driedger says Kazakhstan’s direct rail link to China could also be a competitive threat. Kerr, however, doesn’t sound worried, saying “The market in China is certainly big enough to take even more flax than they’re taking now.” And Driedger indicates Chinese demand hasn’t necessarily peaked. “Their demand for some of these crops has just continued to grow, and flax is just one on the list. Maybe potentially that continues to grow,” Driedger says. Nevertheless, Kerr is aware of the potential pitfalls with Canada’s heavy reliance on China, and the

Flax Council is working on ways to diversify sales. Japan, another country that detected trace amounts of GM flax in 2009, is one of those destinations. “Japan has always been an important market for Canadian product, and at the moment Japan is in the process of looking at accepting flaxseed for feed and industrial use,” says Kerr. “So far the food use of flaxseed in Japan is still somewhat inaccessible to Canadian seed, so we’re working to try and resolve that issue. It’s partly because of GMO protocols and partly because of cyanogenic glycoside issues within the Japanese market.” Cyanide glycoside is a natural component of some plants. Japan sets a maximum content of 10 parts per million in flaxseed. India is another possible market, and one Kerr says has huge potential. India produces its own flax, but there are other crops competing for acres. The Flax Council believes it can make inroads into India’s food market by promoting the health and nutritional benefits of flaxseed. “At the moment there isn’t a lot of flaxseed going into India, but it’s certainly on the radar screen and something that we’re looking at trying to change,” Kerr says. The U.S. has also become a significant buyer, taking as much as 25 per cent of Canadian flax exports. Although its own production has been increasing, Driedger doesn’t anticipate Canadian sales there will dry up. He ties greater U.S. flax acres to attractive prices more than any structural shift, and expects Americans to remain significant buyers.

“For them to ramp up production to the degree that they don’t need to buy any of our flax, I don’t anticipate that likely being the case in the foreseeable future.” New varieties and markets Kerr expects acres to grow in 2016, but acknowledges higher yields would help, saying “We’re now investing a good deal of our financial resources into research programs that are going to hopefully result in better yields for growers. And that’ll pencil into better returns.” The Flax Council is also aiming to grow its share in the food and feed sectors. Launched last February, the HealthyFlax.org marketing program targets consumer awareness of flax’s health benefits, particularly the claim approved by Health Canada linking ground whole flax to lowering cholesterol. “That’s where we see a huge potential to grow the flax market in North America and abroad,” says Kerr. Omega, a golden flax variety, was added to Canada eastern and western classes in August. Kerr estimated 10 to 20 per cent of varieties coming on stream are golden flax, and he expects more will be introduced over the next few years. “The demand is good, it commands a premium right now over brown flax, and it seems to be a product that’s preferred in some of the baking industry. It’s something that we want to ensure we can provide.” CG

Prairie flax acreage 2011-15 2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

Manitoba

135,000

155,000

120,000

120,000

140,000

Saskatchewan

535,000

775,000

860,000

1,350,000

1,435,000

69,743

50,000

90,000

115,000

115,000

739,743

980,000

1,070,000

1,585,000

1,690,000

Alberta Total

Saskatchewan dominates Prairie flax production, where acreage has more than doubled from its Triffid-reduced level in 2011.

Source: Statistics Canada

COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA / MARCH 15, 2016

41

crops Guide

10 steps

to better on-farm experiments Do you have a nagging agronomy question you want answered? Follow these steps to set up an on-farm trial and put that question to the test By Jay Whetter / Canola Council of Canada

A

dam Gurr wanted to know if he could cut his canola-seeding rate and not sacrifice yield or extend maturity. So the Brandon, Man. farmer set up a three-year trial to answer the question. Gurr compared his usual seeding rate to one that was 20 per cent less and one that was 50 per cent less. He ran the trial on four different sites — two in year one and a single site in each of the next two years. These sites included four different fields and three different soil types. “We concluded that indeed we could cut our rates by 20 to 50 per cent depending on TKW (thousand kernel weight), and in the process we developed a different way of determining our seeding rate,” he says. “We now take our TKW in grams and subtract 20 to 30 per cent to come up with a seeding rate in pounds per acre.” If canola seed has a TKW of six grams, subtracting 30 per cent gives 4.2. That becomes his seeding rate — 4.2 lbs./ac. “In the trial, we also noticed that our seed mortality rates are really low,” Gurr says. “We are confident that our seed sur-

Stuff happens at seeding and harvest and it’s easy to say, ‘Nope, I’m not doing it’. Committing to the trials is the most important step.” Nicole Philp

42

MARCH 15, 2016 / COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA

vival will be 80 per cent or more, and ultimately that low mortality rate allows us to cut our seeding rates.” Gurr’s whole canola-seeding operation is based on achieving a final stand of six to eight plants per square foot. “After our on-farm trial, now we target seven to eight plants per square foot for our seeding rate as we are confident the final plant stand will meet our target.” This is one example of the value a trialdriven decision can provide. The key is to create an effective trial and keep the results in perspective. Confidence in on-farm trials depends on the following 10 steps. 10 steps to useful on-farm trials These few steps will take on-farm experiments to another level, making them fair to all treatments and putting results in proper perspective. Canola Council of Canada (CCC) agronomy specialist Nicole Philp and Alberta Agriculture and Forestry oilseed specialist Murray Hartman provide the following 10 steps: 1. Commit to finishing the trials. If the trial is worth doing and will provide information that will benefit the farm’s profitability, then set a goal to take it to harvest. “Stuff happens at seeding and harvest and it’s easy to say, ‘Nope, I’m not doing it,’” Philp says. “Committing to the trials is the most important step.” 2. Keep it simple. “It doesn’t have to be complicated,” Philp says. Start with a question you want answered, such as: Will 50 per cent more nitrogen increase my canola yield AND profitability? Does a second in-

crop herbicide application pay? Does boron applied at flowering reduce flower abortion and increase overall yield? One variable makes for an easier trial setup and more straightforward statistical analysis. Simplicity also makes it easier to accomplish Step 1. 3. Avoid “confounding.” The only difference between the two strips should be the treatment in question — otherwise the result will be confounded. An example of a confounded study would be comparing the effect of boron added to fungicide versus a check strip with neither one. In that situation, you can’t tell if the effect is due to fungicide or boron. If you want to test boron at flowering, use fungicide in both treatments. If you want to test fungicide, leave boron out or have it in both treatments. 4. Arrange the strips fairly. Place two strips beside each other in an area of the field where they cover similar slopes and soil quality. Multi-year yield maps can help identify good locations. Have at least 500 feet of length per strip and make them wide enough for a windrow to fit well within the boundaries. 5. Replicate the strips. More strips mean more data points, which will increase statistical relevance of the result. Include three or four treatment/no-treatment pairs through the trial area. Also, if treatment strips are 100 feet wide, this allows for two windrows within each strip. Each windrow could be combined and weighed separately, providing more information for statistical analysis. “If you are taking the time to set up an on-farm trial, take the time to replicate,” Gurr says. “Replication adds very little time to trial setup. It does add a little bit more time at harvest, but this is worth it as it facilitates the use of statistical analysis.” Hartman adds that replication in one field one year really just tells you how the treatment worked in those specific conditions. “For results that can be applied to most fields, most years, I like to see 15 to 20 site years of data gathered from multiple fields over multiple years,” he says. That is where Step 10, below, can help. 6. Weigh the strips. An accurate scale increases confidence in the results. A weigh wagon is ideal, but keep it parked in one level location and don’t move it between strips.

canola Yield monitors can be accurate if calibrated against the specific crop condition. “The risk here is that if treatments show clear differences, the combine yield monitor should be calibrated between each strip,” Hartman says. “For this reason, a weigh wagon remains the simpler and more accurate option.” 7. Take time to make in-season observations. Keep a list of all field and treatment

information, including rainfall. Try to walk the full length of plots a few times during the growing season to check for differences in drown-out spots, plant densities and calendar dates for bolting and first flower, for example. “Identify and record conditions that may have influenced the final result,” Philp says. Hartman adds that these observations are important to spot differences that may sway the trial result. “If the treatment is going on after these differences were already observed, it may be difficult to determine whether any yield difference between strips was the result of the treatment or the pre-existing conditions.” 8. Go beyond averages. In addition to calculating the average yields of two strip treatments over many sites, estimate the probability that the difference is due to chance. See the example in the sidebar. 9. Do statistical analysis of the results.

“This allows one to sort out whether the differences in yield are a result of the treatment applied or simply a result of natural variability,” Gurr says. “The danger without statistical analysis is that you make changes to your system based on differences that are not ‘real.’” The sidebar also expands on this idea. 10. Share your results. Collaborate with other growers to learn from others and share your results. That way, you don’t have to make all the discoveries and mistakes yourself. Communicate results with research and extension personnel. “Sharing results from the same trial repeated on other fields with a mix of soil types and weather conditions provides a result that you can more confidently extrapolate to most situations,” Hartman says, adding to his comments for Step 5. CG

Jay Whetter is communications manager with the Canola Council of Canada. He is also editor of the free and timely canola agronomy newsletter Canola Watch. Subscribe at www.canolawatch.org.

A quick statistics test Adam Gurr took part in the Canola Council of Canada’s Ultimate Canola Challenge in 2015. He ran a boron test with five paired strips on his farm site at Rapid City, Manitoba. His trial produced the results shown in the table. When these results are plugged into the Paired T-test calculator that Murray Hartman recommends, it spits out the results in yellow at the bottom of the table. (Find the calculator here: http://www.physics.csbsju. edu/stats/Paired_t-test_NROW_form.html.) Mean: This is the average of the five yields for each treatment. The mean difference between Treatments A and B is 1.7 bu./ac. Probability of this result: Due to the fairly consistent yield results, the calculator shows a low probability — 5.6 per cent — that this result could have occurred by chance alone. The lower the better. “When analyzing field data, we generally have more confidence in a result when the probability is five per cent or lower,” Hartman says. The Indian Head Agricultural Research Foundation (IHARF) data analysis tool (http://iharf.ca/on-farm-tool/), which Gurr uses, provides an instant analysis of least significant difference (LSD). LSD: As the IHARF tool says: “A p-value of 0.05 is chosen most frequently in scientific experiments. However, 0.10 is sometimes

Brandon, Manitoba farmer Adam Gurr used a three-year on-farm trial to develop a new approach to canola-seeding rates. recommended for large-scale field trials to account for increased overall variability relative to small-plot studies. At p=0.05, there is a five per cent probability of either (1) concluding there is a difference between two treatments when, in actuality, there is no difference, or (2) concluding there is no difference between the two treatments when a difference actually existed. At p=0.10, the probability that one of the previous two errors will occur is 10 per cent. For complete results from the CCC Ultimate Canola Challenge boron trials, go to canolacouncil.org/crop-production/ultimatecanola-challenge/ and look for the “2014-15 results summary.” The overall conclusion is that three years of small-plot boron trials from Gurr’s and all other sites did not show any consistent, significant or statistical differences in canola yield or quality. Growers who want to participate in on-farm Ultimate Canola Challenge trials in 2016 can contact Nicole Philp at philpn@canolacouncil.org.

Strip pair

Treatment A (untreated check)

Treatment B (added boron)

1

52.8 bu./ac.

52.1 bu./ac.

2

47.7 bu./ac.

50.1 bu./ac.

3

47.5 bu./ac.

50.4 bu./ac.

4

47.6 bu./ac.

49.2 bu./ac.

5

47.4 bu./ac.

49.6 bu./ac.

Mean

48.6

50.3

Mean difference (B over A)

1.7 bu./ac.

Probability of this result

0.056

LSD (p=0.05)

2.1

LSD (p=0.10)

1.6

COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA / MARCH 15, 2016

43

business

A return to

marketing There are gaps in tractor assembly lines again, and manufacturers are looking to marketers to fill them By Scott Garvey / CG Machinery Editor

I

44

MARCH 15, 2016 / COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA

tractor is being prepped for will involve more than dragging out a look-at-me museum piece. It’s also an anniversary celebration of sorts, because it was 50 years ago that the brand built its first tractor at that same Winnipeg factory, easily selling out its first-year production run of about 100 machines. Adding to the eye-catching displays at farm shows this winter, Versatile will also be showing off the Legendary Limited Edition production models it plans to offer buyers for delivery in mid2016. Sporting paint schemes similar to the Series II models of early 1980s vintage, only a few of these tractors will be built and sold on a get-them-whilethey’re-hot basis. This latest marketing initiative is happening in an environment that has seen overall sales of Versatile’s bread-and-butter product, four-wheel drive tractors, decline 28 per cent in Canada, 39 per cent in the U.S., and about 34 per cent in Russia, a significant export market for the brand. So the question had to be asked: with so much free space on machinery assembly lines at all the major brands,

Adam Reid, director of marketing for Versatile, plans their campaign for a tougher 2016 tractor market.

A “heavy-weight champion” from Versatile’s past will will roar back to life this summer to boost the company brand.

Photos: Scott Garvey

t was a rare sight to see this tractor return to the factory where it had been built nearly four decades earlier. But that was exactly what I saw while standing inside the R&D facility at Versatile’s Winnipeg tractor assembly plant earlier this winter. The one-off prototype model 1080 tractor, which became affectionately known as “Big Roy” had rolled out the plant doors in 1977, but now was back for a complete restoration. As Country Guide web editor Greg Berg and I looked over the tractor, we were surprised to find that one of the mechanics working on it had actually helped build it 39 years ago. Hearing first-hand how some components had to be hand-fabricated while others were picked off the assembly line, and how everything was blended together to create this unique, eight-wheel drive tractor was a kind of adventure in tractor archaeology. Country Guide and our sister publication Grainews were given exclusive access to the plant for the duration of the restoration to document the process so we can show readers how it evolved. But why the tractor was there and what the brand has in mind for it are equally interesting. In a sense, the tractor will return to doing the only thing it really ever did: generate attention for Versatile and provide proof of its forward-looking corporate vision. “For us this is a branding exercise,” explains Adam Reid, Versatile’s director of marketing. “We want to really tap into the guys who have a long history with Versatile and may not have thought of us in recent years.” When the restoration is complete, Big Roy will begin making the rounds to selected shows where it will be put on display to capture the attention of farmers and get those former customers thinking about the brand again. After a VIP event at the Winnipeg factory in July, Big Roy will head out to the Ag in Motion farm show at Saskatoon for its second major public debut, 39 years after its first one. “It gives us an excuse to get farmers’ attention, maybe a little bit more than if we were just rolling out a normal campaign,” Reid adds. But the upcoming marketing campaign that the

is this an example of a return to the importance of marketing for manufacturers? “I think maybe it (marketing) will be more appreciated now,” agrees Reid. “I’m not sure it ever really went away. Obviously, we’re coming out of a condition where the phone was ringing. Our dealers were getting the calls and they didn’t have to be as aggressive as they will going forward.” The fact that 2016, with its slower sales outlook, just happens to land on the 50th anniversary of tractor production at Versatile is a golden opportunity from a marketing perspective. “You can’t celebrate your 50th anniversary every year,” Reid says. “I can tell you that the bringing back of Big Roy and the 50th anniversary editions, those were on the table anyway. We planned on doing this. It’s been years in the making. We didn’t necessarily say, OK, the economy is slowing down we need to do something to put our name out there.” However, many marketing executives across the industry may actually be saying those very words and feeling the need to get more aggressive with their marketing campaigns. According to the global manufacturers association Agrievolution, there is a lot of pessimism in board rooms these days. Their Agritech Business Barometer survey of ag equipment manufacturers, published in October, reports 32 per cent of U.S. companies said they expect to reduce their workforce in the coming year, and 57 per cent rated the current business environment as “unfavourable.” “The next few years are going to be a real strong indicator of how the agricultural landscape is going to look in the five or 10 years after that,” Reid suggests. “A lot of companies that have been enjoying success with the commodity prices and ag economy being strong are going to have challenges.” “Marketing is going to have to work harder and smarter. We’re going to have to take those extra steps to make sure we’re servicing our existing customer and to make sure our staff sales people and dealership sales people are equipped with the knowledge they need, because without that it’s going to be really tough.” How, though, do you work smarter when it comes to marketing? “I think where it’s going is we in marketing are going to have to be a lot better at getting the customers’ attention, holding their attention and giving the sales department the tools they need to close the deal, whether that be features and benefits or competitive analysis, things we didn’t have to concentrate as much on.” says Reid, “That’s why I say marketing is going to be appreciated a little bit more. It’s just going to be a different environment going forward. We’re not going to be selling the volume that we were. We’re going to have to try that much harder to keep our name in front of the customer and make sure we’re on that list when they do go to make the purchase.”

For Versatile, what tactic could be better when it comes to keeping their brand name on the minds of potential buyers than rolling out what is arguably the industry’s most identifiable tractor, Big Roy, and building a marketing campaign around it? But the trick will be in getting customers to look at past accomplishments and still see the future. “We don’t want to get lost in the heritage of Versatile,” says Reid. “It’s an important part of who we are and where we’ve come from, but we also now need to be extending that into the line extensions we have. We have a full product line. We need to use this 50th anniversary as a springboard to make sure those products are also at the

top of mind for customers. Who we are, where we’re going and what we’ve done all tie into that 50th anniversary.” In the short term, Reid notes that the lower value of the Canadian dollar is giving his company an edge when it comes to writing retail prices on window stickers. “In Canada our competitors are having to put surcharges on or raise prices,” he says. “We’re enjoying a time period right now where we’re able to maintain our market share or even increase it.” But in a volatile geopolitical world where so much hinges on the price of oil and how it affects the Canadian dollar, that advantage could evaporate just as quickly as it seemed to come. So the company can’t sit back and coast with the tailwind. “I know our competitors aren’t getting any slower and they’re not getting any dumber, so it’s going to be really important that marketing step up its game,” Ried sums up. “All marketing in the ag sector is going to need to step up its game going forward.” CG

Over half of tractor makers rate the 2016 outlook as “unfavourable”

Workers at the Winnipeg tractor assembly plant disassemble Big Roy in preparation for a complete restoration.

COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA / MARCH 15, 2016

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business

Farming in a troubled economy It looks like a weak dollar isn’t so good for agriculture after all By Gerald Pilger

F

armers almost universally accept the premise that a drop in the Canadian dollar is bullish for our agriculture because our commodities are priced off the U.S. This increases our prices domestically and also makes us more competitive both in the U.S. and in regions where commodity transactions are made in American dollars. But is this premise valid? Are Canadian farmers truly better off with low energy prices and the low Canadian dollar that those oil prices have produced? For example, while there is no question a lower Canadian dollar increases the competitiveness of commodities sold into the U.S. it only means we are more competitive against U.S. farmers. Yet the currencies of some our competitors, like Russia and Brazil, have fallen even more against the U.S. dollar than the loonie. On a global scale some of our competitors have become more competitive than both the U.S. and Canada. Fortunately for Canadian farmers, Farm Credit Canada chief economist J.P. Gervais notes countries like Russia and Brazil are actually in recession As a result,

When oil prices rise and the loonie climbs, we will wish we had worked harder to improve our competitiveness exporters there are running into infrastructure problems as well as inflation pressures. This erodes some of their ability to export their commodities. While a low dollar supports our exports, Canadian farmers are seeing price increases for inputs that are priced in U.S. dollars. There is significant sticker shock for anyone pricing new equipment due to the exchange rate. Even used equipment value is supported as savvy American farmers look north of the border to purchase used equipment with their stronger greenback. The bottom line is that any inputs purchased in U.S. dollars are more expensive. 46

MARCH 15, 2016 / COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA

Higher prices can even apply to inputs produced in Canada. Fertilizer, a major expense for Canadian farmers, is traded and priced in U.S. dollars. What’s more, the price that Canadian farmers pay for fertilizer isn’t set based on Canadian supply and demand fundamentals, or even on the cost of production in Canada. Instead, Canadian fertilizer prices are backed off international prices, either from the Black Sea market (the largest fertilizer market) or at the U.S. Gulf Coast. Even though much of the fertilizer Canadian farmers use is produced right here in Canada, we pay an international price plus transportation costs in U.S. dollars. This means Canadian farmers face the double whammy of not getting the full benefit of lower prices in the world fertilizer market resulting from the decline in energy costs, plus we get to pay for the fertilizer in U.S. currency. Gervais admits that specific sectors of the industry such as feedlots and packing plants will face tighter margins as they are competing with U.S. feedlots for the purchase of cattle. When asked what management steps farmers should be taking in light of the low commodity prices and our low dollar, Gervais had this advice: “Be aware of the trends in commodity prices.” We need to recognize that global grain prices are falling, even though the fall has been masked by the decline of the loonie. His second point was “risk management.” He believes the best way farmers can protect themselves as well as benefit in times like these with volatile energy and currency rates is good risk management in their farm operation. Still, Gervais says: “overall there will be benefits to agriculture resulting from low energy costs. I do not see our currency or interest rates going up.” Dina Ignjatovic, economist with the TD Bank, wrote the report “As Oil Prices Scrape the Bottom of the Barrel What Lies Ahead,” December 15, 2015. She predicts prices will stay below US$45 per barrel through mid2016 due to a massive supply glut. Furthermore, we are Continued on page 48

SOIL CONSERVATION COUNCIL OF CANADA CONSEIL CANADIEN DE CONSERVATION DES SOLS SOIL CONSERVATION COUNCIL OF CANADA CONSEIL CANADIEN DE CONSERVATION DES SOLS

The face and voice of soil conservation in Canada Le visage et la voix de la conservation des sols au Canada

Soil Care Awards Recognizing long-standing commitment and advocacy for soil conservation

T

he Soil Conservation Council of Canada (SCCC), as the face and voice of soil conservation in Canada, understand the importance of profiling important soil care activities. The Council brings focus to good work through two awards.

NATIONAL

Canadian Conservation Hall of Fame The Canadian Conservation Hall of Fame provides recognition of individuals who have had a national impact as they furthered the conservation ethic and have made an outstanding contribution to the care of soil and the water, air and environment that it affects. The Hall of Fame was established by Soil Conservation Canada in 1990 and now has 28 inductees – the most recent being Dr. David Lobb, a research scientist at the University of Manitoba. Others have included agricultural extension specialists, soil care leaders from university, government and supportive organizations. Nominees may also be individuals who have campaigned for soil conservation and demonstrated that soil protection and care contributes to sustainable, reliable and profitable crop production. The home of the Hall of Fame portraits has been in Ottawa and located

in Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) facilities. A move is underway for the “Hall” to be located with a soil exhibit at the Canadian Agricultural and Food Museum, also in Ottawa. Here, the “Hall” will change to a digital format featuring pictures and stories of inductees. This will also be available on the SCCC website. With wide and easy access to the “Hall”, the achievements of inductees can more effectively influence soil care interest and activity.

REGIONAL

L.B. Thompson Conservation Award The L.B. Thompson Conservation Award was introduced in 1988 by the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA) Alumni. Until 2010, all recipients were from the Canadian Prairies. When the PFRA was rolled into the Agri-Environmental Services Branch of AAFC all Canadians became eligible to win this award. In 2016, it has been entrusted to the SCCC and will recognize soil care achievements, adoption and advocacy by individuals or groups that have had a strong regional impact anywhere in Canada. For information and details on these annual awards, contact Jim Tokarchuk, Executive Director, SCCC.

SENATOR HERBERT O. SPARROW 1930-2012

Senator Herbert O. Sparrow was a rancher from North Battleford, Saskatchewan. As a Senator, he led an investigation into the state of Canada’s soil, “The Soil at Risk” report that brought focus to the need for national soil conservation action. The Senator’s enthusiasm and commitment to that “action” brought real improvement.

LEONARD BADEN (L. B.) THOMSON 1900-1956

Leonard Baden (L. B.) Thomson was a member of the original group of agrologists that developed methods in the 1930s to stop the devastating soil erosion. He campaigned across the Prairies for this cause with a missionary’s zeal. He was Director General of PFRA from 1948-56.

The Council brings focus to good soil conservation work through two awards.

info@soilcc.ca

204-792-2424

www.soilcc.ca

@soilcouncil

193

business Chart 1: Currency Impact on Ag prices % Chg. July 2014 to October 2015

US$ ■

CDN$ ■

30.0 20.0 10.0 0.0 -10.0 -20.0 -30.0 -40.0 -50.0 Corn

Soybean

Wheat

Canola Barley

Cattle

Hogs

Source: Haver Analytics

continued from page 46

not going to work through that glut any time soon given that world oil production was up 4.0 per cent year over year while world demand only grew at 2.4 per cent. “Over the last few months, the world has been producing roughly 1.5 million to two million barrels per day in excess of demand,” Ignjatovic wrote, and she believes supplies will continue to grow for the next six to nine months. It is this glut of oil which has led to the low price of oil. According to Ignjatovic, the low energy prices have an impact on the value of the loonie. Because we have an energy-based dollar, she foresees no increase in interest rates. Furthermore, the low dollar will continue to help farmers selling commodities in U.S. dollars. As well, since oil and gas products contribute significantly to the costs of inputs used on farms, the lower energy costs will support farm margins. However, she also sees some negative pressures on Canadian agriculture. Farmers need to be aware of the “knock-on effect” low energy prices have on the global economy. The low price for oil has contributed to a negative sentiment in both financial and commodity markets around the world. “This sentiment is weighing on paper sales of commodities” warns Ignjatovic. She also warns that many countries have seen a devaluation of their currencies against the U.S. dollar and this will have an impact on our competitiveness in commodities. While there will be good opportunities for marketing crops such as canola, other crops like wheat will be harder to sell as other countries will be even more competitive due to the difference in currencies. She reminds growers that the world is coming out of three years of bumper crops and that world grain supplies are high. Therefore there is supply/demand pressure on commodity prices. In her TD Special Report: “Canadian Agriculture Sector: Prices Down, but Loonie Providing Some Offset,” November 6, 2015, she included a chart from Haver Analytics showing the change in agricultural commodity prices from July 2014 to October 2015 in both U.S. and Canadian dollars. 48

MARCH 15, 2016 / COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA

Priced in U.S. dollars, ag commodities are down across the board. However, in Canadian dollars, prices are up for corn, barley and cattle. While it is a great graphic for showing the impact of currency on prices, more importantly it shows how the rise in the Canadian dollar has offset some of the real decline of commodity prices in the world (see Chart 1). When asked about biofuels, Ignjatovic feels this market may not grow as fast. However, because of the push to green energy and the mandated use of biofuels, she does not see a reduction in demand, even though there has been talk in the U.S. of reducing the mandate. Such a reduction could have a profound effect on commodity prices given 40 per cent of the U.S. corn crop goes to ethanol production now, and biodiesel is a major use of our canola crop. Ignjatovic’s advice to farmers is to be conscious of what is going on in currency, energy and commodity markets. She feels there will better opportunities in some crops than others. For example, she feels “canola will outperform some other crops.” However she warns farmers of the importance of agronomics and to consider good stewardship and management practices when deciding the crops to plant this year. Ignjatovic agrees farmers need to protect themselves. “Don’t run up debt; know your costs of production and your revenues and expenses. Don’t expect to see commodity prices rising anytime soon.” Since both Gervais and Ignjatovic said risk management was very important, I turned to Rick DeHod, farm financial specialist with the Alberta agriculture ministry and asked what management practices farmers should consider for risk management in light of the low dollar and low energy costs. He was very direct in his answer: “Farmers need to know their costs!” He went on to say this is not only the cost of production but also household costs and the amount of money they were withdrawing from the farm for living expenses. DeHod also referred to the 2015 study “DOLLAR$ AND SENSE, Measuring the Tangible Impacts of Beneficial Business Practices on Canadian Farms,” a joint effort of the Agri-Food Management Institute and Farm Management Canada. According to the study, successful farm managers: 1. Never stop learning. 2. Keep finances up-to-date to help make business decisions. 3. Seek the help of advisers/consultants. 4. Write down a business plan, follow it, and review it annually. 5. Know cost of production and what it means for profits. 6. Complete a risk assessment. 7. Develop a budget and financial plan. DeHod feels Canadian farmers need to practice these seven steps every year, but they are even more critical given the current volatility in commodity prices and the low dollar. CG

Business

PHOTOS: charles lumsden

A northern Ontario mill town with a proud agricultural past and lots of essentially free land isn’t quite ready to call it quits yet

When it’s overworked, the clay becomes concrete, but when treated right, it grows dependable pasture.

North of Superior By Gord Gilmour / CG Associate Editor

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oming from the west, it’s unexpected. You pass out of the Prairies just east of Winnipeg, then drive through mile after mile of rocks, trees and water — the typical geography of the Canadian Shield. But somewhere east of Kenora, something begins to happen… small meadows start to appear, finally broadening out and breaking up the forest. Then the fenced pastures begin to appear, here and there with cattle dotting them. More often, though, they’re empty, lush, and ignored. This is the “Dryden Clay Plain” as it was called in a 1944 Ontario Soil Survey, comprising mainly a clay sedimentary deposit from the glacial Lake Agassiz, with the small community of Oxdrift as its hub and stretching towards and even past Dryden. It’s not a big pocket. There are at most about 150,000 acres of land suited to agriculture, depending on how you classify the various parts of the region, but the area has a long agricultural history, having originally been settled in the late 1800s as a farming community. Local lore has it that then-

Ontario minister of agriculture John Dryden was inspired to establish an experimental farm in the area after spotting wild clover when his train stopped to take on water. Today Dryden is primarily thought of as a mill town, however, with a local pulp mill and a long history of paper production. The surrounding region has also become a bit of a sportsman’s paradise as well, with countless fishing lodges dotting local lakes and with Fridays seeing the highways clogged with American anglers and hunters during the seasons. What it’s not viewed as is an area for agriculture. Sure, a few locals would challenge that statement, but the reality remains. This is farmland almost without farmers, slowly returning to bush and being bought up by foreign hunters who find it affordable and who visit just a few times a year. Hanging on One farmer who isn’t ready to throw in the towel yet is Roger Griffiths. Griffiths has a 300-cow beef operation near Oxdrift, where he operates on 1,800 continued on page 50

COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA / MARCH 15, 2016

49

Business continued from page 49

We have a lot of land that’s available to us… more than I want,” says beef producer Roger Griffiths. In fact, he’d like to see more beef operations start in the area

Local beef sales tie Paul and Maria Wildhaber’s farm to the community with close, lasting links.

50

MARCH 15, 2016 / COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA

acres he owns and another 1,000 or so acres of what he terms “underutilized” land nearby. It is, he admits, probably a situation a lot of other farmers from areas where land values have spiked would have trouble understanding. “We have a lot of land that’s available to us,” Griffiths says. “More than I want. At this point in the cattle cycle, I’m just not looking to invest and expand.” It’s not an entirely unexpected situation, he goes on to explain. The land isn’t great; it’s really best suited for growing grass and running livestock. Back in the day, local producers grew a lot of clover seed for export but that business is long gone, moved to other areas. Here and there some grew grain, tempted by the high prices of the 1970s, but the fragile clay soils just won’t take that kind of treatment for long, he says. “You don’t want to grow crops here, I know people that have tried,” Griffiths says. “You can get a tonne, tonne-and-a-half of barley or oats off our fields. Yeah, you could do it — but if you start working this grey wooded soil on a regular basis, you get cinder blocks. It’s fragile. You have to be careful with it.” The lone exception that might work is to very occasionally — maybe a five-year or longer rotation — grow feed grains for a mixed operation that’s producing something like hogs or chickens. Griffiths also says the climate isn’t great for other crops, with a short, cool, growing season

that usually garners somewhere between 1900 and 2100 corn heat units, and a frost-free period that hovers around 95 days. “This is definitely livestock country,” Griffiths says. Finding qualified help can be a bit of a problem, Griffiths agrees, and during our discussion he notes he is coming close to the end of the local farm kids. This lack of available help actually underlines a long-standing problem for agriculture in the area, with an abundance of other opportunities that began years ago with the pulp mill’s arrival in Dryden, and has actually resulted in more than one farming family taking a different path over the years since the end of the Second World War. “The mill dragged everyone in — big wages, 40 hours a week… why wouldn’t you take it instead of just having a quarter section and struggling?” Griffiths asks. Paul and Maria Wildhaber say the lack of good help played a big role in their recent re-think of their business. Paul’s dad originally ran their operation, Milkwell Farm, as a dairy, and Paul took it over in 1997. But a busy family life, including two boys and a girl with special needs, made them question the demands of twice-daily milking, especially after a few disappointing attempts at meeting the labour crunch. “You’d work a week to get everything lined up to go to a doctor’s appointment, then have to rush back here right away, and it felt like you’d be a week getting caught back up,” Paul says while we talk in his machine shop.

Meantime they’re primarily concentrating on maintaining their local customer base for freezer beef, something that’s taken time to develop. Right now it’s a lot of work for what in this market amounts to the same money, but both of the Wildhabers say sticking with it seems the best long-term strategy. “We don’t advertise, it’s basically through the farmers’ market and word of mouth,” Maria explains. “They know we’re here now, but it takes time.” If they turned their back on it now they’d have disappointed customers and a big challenge rebuilding when the cattle cycle inevitably turns, Paul says. “Right now I could ship to the auction and almost get the same, but if prices drop then you have to go back and take time building up another customer base,” he says. “This way you were making better money two years ago, now you’re about even, maybe in two years you’ll make a lot more again.”

These days, the Wildhabers are raising and finishing beef, primarily for the local market, using a combination of pasture and silage. They market by the side or by the piece through outlets like a local co-operative and a thriving farmers’ market. “In the end the price was right to sell the quota, and the dairy industry was in decline around here — there were only three left,” Wildhaber says. Down South, he explains — and you can hear the capitalization — there are simpler ways to run a dairy, built around corn rations. “Here you have to do it all with grass, and that’s a lot of work,” he says. These days Paul and Maria are feeding only about 50 cows, after taking advantage of the hot cattle market to cull their herd of older animals and lesser genetics at a profit. Now they’re finishing about 50 head of calves and looking at rebuilding later, if cattle prices fall in coming years. “Wait until it’s cheap if you want to get bigger,” Wildhaber says with a chuckle.

Volume 40, Number 15 | SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

continued on page 52

$4.25

PRACTICAL PRODUCTION TIPS FOR THE PRAIRIE FARMER

Search news. Read stories. Find insight.

www.grainews.ca

SAFER GRAIN STORAGE Whether you’ve got enough storage space this year after last year’s bumper crop or you need temporary solutions, try these four tips BY ANDREA HILDERMAN

W

1. BRING IT IN DRY

e were probably all expecting a tough harvest, despite hoping for the luxury of good weather and an open fall. Rain, frost and even snow in early September likely mean there will be an even greater need to ensure grain storage management strategies are well in hand. “Just because you are done combining does not mean you are done managing the crop,” says Joy Agnew, an agricultural engineer and project manager of agricultural research services at the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute in Humboldt, Saskatchewan. “Grain requires regular monitoring while it is in storage to ensure it does not go out of condition — that is going to be the challenge from here on out.” Considering the value of the inputs and the hours and months of time and effort put into producing the crop, this is good advice. But surprisingly, it is advice that is often not heeded as carefully as it should be.

Grain going into storage should ideally be binned clean and dry. It’s debatable if that will be entirely possible this fall, and if not there should also be the means to either dry the grain or to aerate the bin throughout the storage period and a plan in place to monitor the grain in the bin on a regular basis. “Temperature cables are very popular and cost effective to monitor the temperature of the grain throughout the bin,” says Agnew. “The cables are put in place before the bin is filled and a reader hooked up on the outside provides a temperature profile of the grain in bin at any time.” This technology, like any other, is constantly advancing. Now there are wireless systems that will send email or text notifications when the temperature rises beyond pre-set limits. For farmers harvesting damp or wet grain, there will be added work to ensure the grain does not degrade or spoil in storage. “Ideally grain should go into storage dry,” says Agnew. “If that is not possible, natural air drying with the right capacity fans, even

under conditions of high humidity and low temperatures will draw off a lot of moisture. Any airflow through damp grain is beneficial.” Getting the grain cooled off is important to prevent any further degradation in quality. Turning grain in the fall or winter can have beneficial outcomes when it comes to mixing and cooling. Avoid turning grain in the spring when temperatures are on the rise.

0.1 cubic feet per minute (cfm) of airflow per bushel. A 5,000 bushel bin would require about 500 cfm from fans to cool the grain. Natural air drying requires at least 10 times that amount of air to dry grain in storage — one cfm per bushel of grain or 5,000 cfm for a 5,000 bushel bin. Aeration fans could never achieve those air flow rates. Moisture removal would be minimal and grain would spoil.

2. KNOW YOUR DRYING CAPABILITY

3. KNOW THE LIMITATIONS OF BAG STORAGE

“The next biggest misconception out there is the difference between aeration and natural air drying,” says Agnew. “Drying and cooling are very different and it’s critical farmers know this as there is a lot at stake if they don’t.” Aeration is cooling only and is a valuable part of grain storage management. Natural air drying, on the other hand, will actually remove moisture from the grain but requires much higher airflows than aeration fans can typically provide. High capacity fans are required to dry grain in the bin. Aeration requires about

Because of winter logistics problems and the 2013 bumper harvest, many farmers may need temporary storage for their 2014 production. “Grain storage bags are quite popular with farmers in recent years,” says Agnew. “Bags offer a convenient storage option, however, they also require diligent management to ensure the grain is maintained in good condition over the storage period.” Bags are prone to damage by wildlife so weekly monitoring is recommended

» CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

In This Issue

Publications Mail Agreement Number 40069240

Wheat & Chaff ..................

2

Features ............................

5

Crop Advisor’s Casebook

6

Columns ........................... 16 Machinery & Shop ............ 26

Protect your crop sale

NEIL BLUE PAGE 15

CALL A FARMER FIRST

There’s lots of rental land around here you could have basically for free,” says Paul Wildhaber. “People would just be glad you cut it.”

Home ec teacher promotes local ingredients » Pg 27

Cattleman’s Corner .......... 35

John Deere’s 9R tractors get new features

FarmLife ............................ 41

SCOTT GARVEY PAGE 36

TAKING TIME FOR OTHERS

Rely on the unrivalled standability of Proven Seed

BREEDING BIG BIRDS

Busy farmers take time for CFGB growing projects » Pg 18

Just how did today’s poultry become so large? » PG 3

Learn more at provenseed.ca or ask your CPS retailer

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october 16, 2014

SerVinG manitoba FarmerS Since 1925 | Vol. 72, no. 42

Forage concerns after wet season High nitrate levels in frost-stressed crops can be fatal for cattle By Meghan Mast Co-operator staFF

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attle farmers should test their feed this year because wet weather has compromised the nutritional value in late-seeded cereal crops, and cold weather could make them potentially dangerous, a provincial forage specialist says. “We’re quite concerned about nitrates this year after the stress that the plants have been under all summer and then with the recent frost and the crops being late,” said Pam Iwanchysko, from MAFRD, during the year’s first StockTalk webinar on September 16.

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Poor weather impacts wild rice operations Wild rice has been harvested in northern Manitoba for thousands of years, but modern demands may outstrip supplies as the grain increases in popularity By Shannon VanRaes Co-operator staFF

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Publication Mail Agreement 40069240

see FORAGE on page 7 »

20 OCTOBER

manitobacooperator.ca

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Murray Ratuski of Shoal Lake Wild Rice Ltd. at the company’s processing facility in the Rural Municipality of Springfield. photo: shannon Vanraes

all it too much of a good thing. Wild rice needs plenty of water to grow, but heavy rains and high water coupled with cool temperatures has hit producers hard this season, particularly in northwestern Manitoba and northeastern Saskatchewan. “There’s this little pocket that covers the majority of Canadian production and they had a terrible year. Some of the people I was inspecting, they were going to harvest nothing,” said Stuart McMillan, an independent organic inspector. “It’s hard to imagine with an aquatic plant, but they got drowned out,” he said. “At some stages of growth it’s really sensitive to rapid fluctuations in water levels.” Ideally, wild rice needs between three and five feet of water as a growing medium. “We’ve been calling it a perfect storm,” said Tracy Wheeler-Anderson, owner of Naosap Harvest in Cranberry Portage. “It’s just been a very, very odd year. The water table was high last fall, then we had an abnormal amount of snow and then we had an abnormal amount of rain, so come spring the water levels were way higher than what they normally are.” see WILD RICE on page 6 »

VO LU M E 1 1 , N U M B E R 2 2

High costs slowing cattle herd expansion Canada’s beef cattle industry is poised for expansion, but will high capital costs cause delays?

O C T O B E R 2 7, 2 0 1 4

Big shows offer a chance to reconnect Every year, Alberta’s farm shows attract hundreds of thousands of visitors — and socializing remains the major draw

BY JENNIFER BLAIR

AF STAFF

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trong prices are signalling that it’s time to start retaining heifers and build the herd — but rising capital costs could cause some producers to hold off. “There’s lots of opportunities, but it’s costly,” said Rick Dehod, farm financial specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. A decade of pain and low prices means many producers have other priorities than expanding at the moment, he said. “A lot of those ladies and gentlemen for the last 13 years have kept their cost of production down, and they’ve really managed their farms well and survived,” he said. “But they’re behind on some of their working capital and some of the things that need to be done. “I’m sure they’re going to take their profit and meet some personal goals and some farm goals prior to keeping those cows back.” That’s the plan on Jake Meyer’s farm south of Lethbridge.

SEE HIGH COSTS  page 7

BIG NEW MARKET FOR HORMONE-FREE CATTLE » PAGE 34

THE TIME IS

NOW

YOUR MISSION IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE. You just need to accept it by October 20th. To date we have received over $45 million of non-binding commitments from farmers who want to participate in this opportunity to build a grain handling and fertilizer distribution company. It is now time to make a full commitment. We have released our offering memorandum outlining the details of this opportunity, but we need your commitment.

The cattle on show are only one of the attractions at Farmfair International.

Before there were smartphones, Twitter and Facebook, farmers perfected the art of social networking the good oldfashioned way — face to face at meetings, trade shows, and conferences during the busy winter season.

PHOTO: FARMFAIR

BY JENNIFER BLAIR

AF STAFF

A

nd that’s still what keeps ’em coming back for Alberta’s two biggest farm shows. “For agricultural folk, whenever they gather, networking is a major component of what they do,” said Dave Fiddler, show manager for Farmfair International. The Edmonton event has grown from humble beginnings 41 years ago into one of Western Canada’s largest — and lon-

gest running — farm shows. With nearly 300 exhibitors and 90,000 visitors over the week-long show, Farmfair attracts farmers from across the country who come to talk shop about beef. “It’s where the beef industry comes to meet,” said Fiddler. “It’s the largest beef event in Alberta, and that is the major draw.” Over the years, Farmfair has added equine events and sales, entertainment, and competitions to appeal to a broader audience

Network

SEARCH

SEE BIG SHOWS  page 6

The first closing of this offering is currently scheduled to take place on October 20, 2014. Visit us online or call us toll-free to participate.

FNA.CA/GRAIN or 1-877-362-3276

CENTURY OF SOLUTIONS

AG SCHOOL SAVOURS ITS SUCCESSES  PAGE 2

Participation is limited to accredited investors or those that are otherwise exempt. You do not need to be an FNA Member to participate.

COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA / MARCH 15, 2016

51

Business

For retired vet Clayton Schneider, it just seems wrong to let farmland go unfarmed. Earlier generations worked too hard to clear it, he says with feeling. “This was my dad’s place.”

52

MARCH 15, 2016 / COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA

continued from page 51

Room to grow At one point during our conversation the Wildhabers and Mel Fisher, a local agricultural proponent who’s acting as our local guide, begin to discuss how very few farmers are left, and they try to sort out who might be the next farmer who might compete for land. Eventually they decide it’s probably someone from the Oxdrift area, across the river and miles away. I ask if this means there might be an opportunity here for young farmers, something Maria agrees with. “There’s lots of land around here,” she says. Paul goes further, saying in a lot of cases the land is probably available as close to free as you’ll ever find it. Non-farming landowners are growing increasingly concerned about what happens to fields in this part of the world when they’re not farmed. “There’s lots of rental land around you could have basically for free — people would just be glad you cut it,” Paul says. A typical deal might see a renter pay a nominal rent of something like $50 or $100 to cut, or perhaps giving a landlord with horses a few hay bales, he says. “Otherwise all those fields are growing into bush, and you’ll never be able to use them again,” Paul says. “I bet every year we get a call, ‘I’ve got 30 acres close by.’ And I have to say ‘No, thanks.’ There’s just nobody around.” This is a very real concern for the area, which has already seen its agricultural land

base shrinking over time. Just before the Second World War there were about 50,000 acres of land being used for farming and ranching. Today there’s something less than 30,000 acres, and really, only a small portion of that remains in production. Even Griffiths, the area’s largest cow-calf operator by far, says he wouldn’t be upset to see a small handful of operations the same size as his move into the area. He says it will be some time before land becomes a limiting factor, and having more operations could mean better local availability of supplies or at the very least more opportunities to minimize shipping costs or work together to bring in supplies in larger lots. However, Griffiths says anyone considering it needs to be aware of all the pros and cons, and realize exactly what they’re getting themselves into. “We’re four hours from supplies here,” Griffiths says. “You just get used to it. I get used to a $25 to $30 a tonne freight basis on everything I bring in.” He also says you get used to bringing a lot in, and thinking in terms of getting your annual supply laid in. “When I go to Winnipeg, I say I should have a trailer, because my three-quarter ton is full coming back,” Griffiths says. “I get things like my annual supply of filters and my barrels of oil and all that — it’s just what I have to do. All my wear parts like knives for the disc mower as well, and things like always having spare belts for my round baler. I have to carry more parts inventory out here. If I had a dealer half an hour away, I’d just drive there and let them inventory my parts.” Griffiths adds that the few farmers who remain in the area accept that this is part of life and they’re always willing to lend a hand, or a belt or bolt, as the case may be, because sooner or later it’s going to be them that needs it. “I think we just have to help each other out a bit more because we all know it could be us that’s next,” Griffiths says. After all, a three-day shutdown waiting for a simple part isn’t unheard of, and neighbours have become used to leaning on each other to keep equipment up and running, he says. Young farmers Sometimes, even cheap land is hard to finance. Some young, potential farmers in the area say it’s a problem, especially without an established operation, to access capital to continued on page 54

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THE REAL STORY OF AG

“We take pride in knowing we would feel safe consuming any of the crops we sell. If we would not use it ourselves, it does not go to market.” – Katelyn Duncan, Saskatchewan

“The natural environment is critical to farmers – we depend on soil and water for the production of food. But we also live on our farms, so it’s essential that we act as responsible stewards.” – Doug Chorney, Manitoba

“The welfare of my animals is one of my highest priorities. If I don’t give my cows a high quality of life, they won’t grow up to be great cows.” – Andrew Campbell, Ontario

Safe food; animal welfare; sustainability; people care deeply about these things when they make food choices. And all of us in the agriculture industry care deeply about them too. But sometimes the general public doesn’t see it that way. Why? Because, for the most part, we’re not telling them our story and, too often, someone outside the industry is. The journey from farm to table is a conversation we need to make sure we’re a part of. So let’s talk about it, together. Visit AgMoreThanEver.ca to discover how you can help improve and create realistic perceptions of Canadian ag.

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Business

For Linda and Evan Debney low land prices are a chance to raise a family on the farm. “I always swore I’d never come back,” Evan recalls.

continued from page 52

buy the home place they need because lenders aren’t interested in the value of the land, but will only loan to the value of the yard and house that might be present. That’s a reality, but Paul Wildhaber says it’s even harder in other areas like southern Ontario where he has friends farming in areas with $10,000-an-acre land prices. “There it’s really hard for young people to get started,” he says. “If you can’t inherit the land, you simply can’t get started. You could come here and buy land, and you don’t even have to buy that much, because there is so much around that you could probably just use for symbolic rent — virtually free.” In the Dryden area, he can see a scenario where a young person could move up and buy a house with a little land, situated in an area with lots of available land that’s not being worked, and make a start by working with those local landowners. “They’d probably be more than happy to let you work it,” he says. One young couple that’s doing exactly that is Evan and Linda Debney. They’re running a modest cow-calf herd on a few of their own acres and other pasture in the area by private arrangement with the landowners. Both work off-farm, and Evan is the 54

MARCH 15, 2016 / COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA

president of the Kenora chapter of the Beef Farmers of Ontario — a spot that he finds a bit surprising considering his thoughts just a few years ago. “I always swore I’d never come back to northwestern Ontario,” he admits. “I went to college in Alberta, but to start there — land is $3,000 an acre. You can buy a lot of land here for $3,000 — more than just an acre, that’s for sure. There are opportunities here, but they’re not easy.” Those opportunities largely exist because of the remorseless demographics of farming in the region, Evan adds, noting that each year there are two or three more farmers getting out of the game, and there aren’t the same number looking to get in or to take an operation over, though he notes a couple of young locals have left to attend agriculture college. “Who can say what the odds are of them coming back to area,” wonders Linda. “It depends what they have to come back to, whether there’s a farm they think they can take over. To start out all on their own, it’s a pricey business.” Evan says part of the solution for them has been his off-farm job, working for Egli’s, a sheep products company started by a local farming family that maintains a small livestock component. “If I didn’t work for them, I don’t think

we would farm,” Evan says. “We’re able to network our equipment and make it more efficient for both of us. Not many people with 50 cows could afford half a million dollars worth of equipment, and the truth is half a million dollars isn’t even that much equipment these days.” Also making life difficult for the new entrant is the high cost of good beef animals, after a prolonged run of trade problems and low prices. “These days prices for the beef industry are close to what they are for dairy,” Evan says. These difficulties aside, both of the Debneys say the life they’re making on the farm works for their young family, and they’re still both hopeful that agriculture in the region will turn around. “It will come. But I’m not sure if it will come in my lifetime. More people, that will mean the need for more food,” Evan says. Labour of love Clayton Schneider makes it clear right off the bat that he’s not really a farmer. He’s a recently retired veterinarian who was born and raised and who worked his whole career in the area, leaving only to go to school. Over the years he’s dabbled in a wide range of interests including a competitive sled dog team that still consumes much of

his time and energy. But these days, following the sale of his practice, he’s turned his interest, energy and some money to another project — rejuvenating pasture on land he owns, halting the return to bush, and running a few head of cattle on it. As he takes us on a tour of his place, it quickly becomes apparent that he’s taken on this challenge for non-economic reasons, pointing out this piece of ground, then that one and making clear, without actually saying so, that what he’s really engaged in is a labour of love. “This was my Dad’s place,” he says, then points down the road a bit. “And that was my uncle’s.” He does what he does, in no small part, to pay tribute to that generation of farmer, saying it would feel wrong to see the land go back to bush and their legacy to be forgotten. Jumping into his truck he takes us out to see his cow herd and have a look at the clearing that’s going on. There’s a pile of logs in one corner of the pasture and off in

the distance the rumble of a piece of heavy equipment felling trees and clearing brush. “It just starts to creep in from the bush,” Schneider explains. “It doesn’t take long at all, if you’re not using it.” That in a nutshell is the race against time that local landowners find themselves in — there’s little call for agricultural land among the locals, though there are a few newbies interested in small-scale production, and almost no one in the wider agricultural industry knows this place exists. Among the older generation, the greatest and more recurring concern is that the work of the pioneers in the area is beginning to come to naught, forgotten. Our guide Mel Fisher probably puts it best during one of our drives through the region between farm operations, noting that one homestead is in the process of being planted back to trees, something that would no doubt have upset the original pioneer who cleared it. “Right now,” Fisher tells me, “he and his team of horses are probably rolling over in their graves.” CG

It starts to creep in from the bush,” Schneider says of the fear that many pastures are going back to forest. “It doesn’t take long at all, if you’re not using it.”

the country guide mobile app is ready when you are! Keep up to date on all the latest agriculture news that matters to you with the new Country Guide mobile app! INSTANT ACCESS TO: • • • • • • • •

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55

Business

Our own land The West is clamping down on foreign ownership of farmland, and even in Ontario, where there are few controls, overseas purchases are much lower than the rumour mill says

A In Ontario, this Guelph estimate says,

1.0%

is foreign owned

56

lmost every rural coffee shop has its own version of the same story. Foreigners are buying up Canadian farmland and they’re making land prices soar beyond the reach of local farmers as a result. But is it true? Maybe. But not likely. In fact, according to the people with their fingers on the pulse, such stories are usually idle rumours at best. Typically, they’re flat out wrong. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t something that needs explaining at the bottom of it all, with many farmers suspicious about the rapid rise in the price of land. The numbers are dramatic. Farmland and buildings in Canada doubled in value between 2004 and 2014, according to Statistics Canada. Ontario led the way by a wide margin, reaching $9,243 per acre as of July 1, 2014, but the increases in the West were healthy too, with Alberta rising to $2,092 per acre, followed by Manitoba at $1,583 and Saskatchewan at $1,043. Farm Credit Canada has pegged the average increase of Canadian farmland at 14.3 per cent in 2014, followed by 22.1 per cent in 2013 and 19.5 per cent in 2012. But FCC’s chief ag economist, J.P. Gervais, says there’s a simple reason for the price gains, and it has little if anything to do with mysterious overseas buyers. Instead, record farm revenues, coupled with record low interest rates, have had the greatest impact on farmland values. Heading through 2016, Gervais believes Canadian farmland prices will be stable, mainly because he also forecasts stable crop receipts over the next couple of years and steady domestic interest rates.

MARCH 15, 2016 / COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA

By Richard Kamchen

“The big increases seen over the last few years are behind us, but we will be able to sustain current levels,” Gervais says. Gervais adds the vast majority of farmland transactions are between farmers. “I’m not denying there’s an interest from an investors’ standpoint, whether domestic or foreign, but in terms of the impact on the marketplace, it’s anecdotal at best,” he says. Getting heavy with penalties Despite the reassurances from Gervais, however, and even though foreign buying is heavily restricted, there’s a sense that “everyone knows” that foreigners purchase farmland — possibly through Canadian citizens acting as fronts — and sometimes in large tracts. In Alberta, non-residents, foreign residents and foreign-controlled corporations can only own the stipulated maximum of two parcels of land with an aggregate area of 20 acres. In Saskatchewan, the amount is a mere 10 acres, and in Manitoba, it’s 40. No restrictions exist on foreign ownership in Ontario. But, says the National Farmers Union’s Cathy Holtslander, “To find out the acres owned by foreign purchases would require a detailed investigation of land titles and the titleholders of each parcel. In provinces that permit foreign ownership, there is no monitoring.” Holtslander points out Sask­ atch­e wan has further restricted ownership after passing farmland ownership amendments. The province’s Farm Land Security Board general manager Mark Folk says the board has always reviewed each

farmland transaction to ensure it complies with the legislation. But with recent amendments to the Saskatchewan Farm Security Act, the board gets additional powers and tools to assist with enforcement. All financing of farmland purchases must be through a financial institution registered to do business in Canada, or a Canadian resident, says Folk. Also, the new amendments place the onus on the purchaser to prove compliance with the legislation. If they can’t prove they are in compliance, they won’t be able to buy farmland, or will be asked to divest their farmland holdings. “Fines are also increasing for being in contravention of the legislation from $10,000 to $50,000 for individuals, and from $100,000 to $500,000 for corporations,” says Folk. The board can also impose administrative penalties of up to $10,000 if, for example, a purchaser doesn’t provide required information in a timely manner. That story about China China-origin buying is always near or at the top of the foreign-buying rumour mill. But Tim Hammond, president and CEO of Hammond Realty, believes everyone who has purchased farmland in Saskatchewan over the past few years is a Canadian citizen, Canadian resident, or has an exemption to do so. “The local coffee shops love to talk about ‘foreigners’ buying Sask­ atchewan farmland, but most of it is non-verified chatter,” says Hammond, whose Biggar, Sask., firm specializes in the province’s farm and ranch real estate. “The vast majority of farmland transactions

are neighbour to neighbour and farmer to farmer” Farmland values are primarily driven by farm receipts and net farm income, Hammond says. “The public perception is that ‘foreigners’ or ‘investors’ are driving farmland values out of reach for farmers. There might be isolated incidents of this, but the vast majority of market movements have been driven by producers,” says Hammond. Manitoba too has seen farms snapped up by producers, often before they even hit the market. Realtor Sheldon Froese of Canadian Farm Realty in Steinbach, Man., recalls when most of his business came from European buyers. Before the 2007 to 2009 financial crisis, about 80 per cent of his business came from producers immigrating to the province to farm. But that changed following the worldwide economic collapse, and then the barrier got even higher when land values raced upward. “We used to spend about five weeks a year overseas doing seminars, and I think the last time we did that was about five years ago. It just isn’t worth it anymore. That has completely dried up,” says Froese, guessing European buying may not even represent as much as five per cent of his business. Froese finds that if Manitoba land isn’t going from one local farmer to another, it’s to producers from other provinces like Ontario, B.C., Alberta and even Quebec, where land prices are higher. “Manitoba and Saskatchewan are still the most affordable places to go for good quality land,” Froese says. “(Buying’s) mainly within country right now.” Investors look elsewhere Interest from non-ag investment funds is off too. “About four or five years ago that was a big thing; there were lots of investment funds buying land and renting it out, but that’s slowed down,” says Froese. “Right now we

We used to spend about five weeks a year overseas doing seminars,” says Manitoba realtor Sheldon Froese. “It just isn’t worth it anymore. That has completely dried up.” are in a market where it’s basically farmers buying land to farm.” In Alberta, the province encourages joint ventures between nonCanadian enterprises and Alberta companies, and Service Alberta’s Fo re i g n O w n e r s h i p o f L a n d Administration (FOLA) does work to keep on top of who’s doing what. Whenever Alberta farmland is acquired by a Canadian citizen or a Canadian-controlled corporation, the purchaser is required to provide a statutory declaration that includes a sworn oath confirming they aren’t holding the land as a trustee or on behalf of anyone else. Even in Ontario, it’s no Wild West. “We are still selling land to foreign buyers, but I think there’s a lot less than what the general public has been led to believe,” says Phil Spoelstra of Remax Farm Ontario Team. “I have sold two farms to Chinese buyers and they were both Chinese Canadians and they live on the farms and rent them out.” European buying spiked in the 1970s, but has dwindled signifi-

cantly. “It’s much, much smaller; I would say far less than 10 per cent of our sales,” says Spoelstra. University of Guelph’s Brady Deaton thinks the percentage of foreign ownership of Ontario farmland is likely very small. “In a 2013 random survey of southern Ontario farmers, farmers identified approximately one per cent of the land they rented as ‘foreign’ owned,” Deaton says. In the survey, 207 Ontario farmers were asked questions about the largest parcel of farmland they rented, and only two indicated that their landlord was based outside of Canada. “While this is the result of a small sample and more research is needed, this small percentage parallels foreign ownership of farmland in the United States,” says Deaton, noting the USDA reports show less than two per cent of U.S. forest and farmland is owned by foreign investors. “Interestingly,” Deaton says, “Canadians are the largest foreign owner of forest and farmland in the United States.” CG COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA / MARCH 15, 2016

57

GUIDE LIFE hR

By Pierrette Desrosiers / work psychologist

Have you caught affluenza?

D

o you always want more stuff, more land, more money, or more status? Do feel constantly unsatisfied and envious of others? Are you overburdened, and do you suffer from anxiety? If so, you may have contracted affluenza. This term comes from two words: affluence and influenza. It’s a painful and contagious disease that is transmitted socially, with tortured feelings of dissatisfaction. It’s the result of the pursuit of “the American Dream,” which too often turns out to be “the American nightmare.” If you suffer from affluenza, don’t worry — you are not alone. It’s epidemic in industrialized countries. It infects millions, if not billions, with an insatiable desire for more.

our desire for ‘more’ can Y become an addiction, and all bad things that come from addictions can soon follow.”

Why should we care? “If the economy has been doing so well, why aren’t we becoming happier?” asks Clive Hamilton and Richard Denniss’s book, Affluenza: When Too Much Is Never Enough. Despite the higher GDP, statistics show that people in the U.S. are no happier now than they were in 1957, even though consumption has gone up by over 50 percent. It’s important to recognize that having more usually starts with working more. People who suffer from affluenza are much more preoccupied and suffer more from anxiety and burnout. In North America, we work more hours than 58

MARCH 15, 2016 / COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA

ever. It’s true for farmers too. I often hear my 50-year-old clients confess that they work more hours than they did in their 20s. They realize that their parents and grandparents — who worked very hard — seemed to have more time. One of my clients said, “Even though we have better equipment and the latest technologies, it seems that our ambitions are sometimes too high or unrealistic.” When you are obsessed with something, you are not in control of your life. You worry about it, investing your time, energy, and money in “stuff.” That stuff may be land, equipment, cars, tractors, TV, or jewelry. At some point, you do not possess things — your things possess you. And while we’ve been focused on constantly increasing productivity and expanding our economy, we can lose a sense of the purpose of things. We make food faster and more convenient, but we’ve also made it more fattening, less wholesome, and less nourishing. The logic of productivity becomes illogical. For years, we have listened to experts who overvalue the productivity model. Produce more and more, and you’ll be happy, they have said. And even though it has not turned out that way, we still follow their advice. The question we have to ask ourselves is: why do we want the things that we are pushing ourselves so hard to get? Can we cure affluenza? We all suffer from affluenza on some level. However, like a fever, if it goes too high, it will kill the organism. Are you in jeopardy? In my practice, I meet hundreds of farm owners. When they tell me

they want to have more, expand their land, produce more products, and sell to other countries, I ask, “What motivates you?” Some just want to have or produce more for the sake of possessing more. On some level, our accomplishments and possessions can define us. But if you suffer from affluenza, you will be defined by your possessions to an unhealthy degree. They will run the show. When you are not in control of your life — thinking that if you have more, you will be happier — you have to think twice. A fever is a higher-than-normal body temperature, and consuming or desiring more than normal or more than what you and your environment can afford is a symptom. Like a fever, affluenza can occur in anyone at any age, and it comes in various forms. A fever that is equal to or above 106.7 F constitutes a medical emergency. Likewise, if you or your surroundings are in considerable debt, if you suffer from high anxiety or depression, or if you feel you have lost control of your life, you should consult a professional to help you work through it. It’s good to have goals and objectives. However, if you’re reaching past the point of cultivating a comfortable life and falling into the trap of affluenza, who are you actually working for? CG

Pierrette Desrosiers, MPS, CRHA is a work psychologist, professional speaker, coach and author who specializes in the agricultural industry. She comes from a family of farmers and she and her husband have farmed for more than 25 years. Contact her at: pierrette@pierrettedesrosiers.com. www.pierrettedesrosiers.com

The Canadian Association of Farm Advisors (CAFA) Inc. is a national, non-profit professional umbrella organization dedicated to assisting farm families and businesses by increasing the skills of farm advisors and consultants.

www.cafanet.com

Growth through Farm-Focused Networks By Liz RoBeRtson, CAFA exeCutive DiReCtoR

I

t is quite energizing to meet people involved in farming across the country. It’s inspiring to meet like-minded individuals and exciting to run into them in unexpected places. Recently I was at the Pacific Ag Show in Abbotsford, BC. It is a great show, very different than any other farm show in the country because agriculture is so different there: land selling at $100,000 an acre and net on blue berries over $14,000 an acre left my head spinning! What was almost more astounding than the dollars involved was running into familiar faces in an unexpected place: I ran into two people I know from Ontario, another from Winnipeg and another I met in Alberta, and this was in BC! All involved in farming in some capacity. Here is what is so fantastic about continually building my (farm-focused) network — as it grows, so does my farm knowledge, resources and contacts. Farmers and farm advisors can benefit from increasing their networks as well and there are numerous ways that it can be good for you and your business.

First of all, networking opens your world to more - more of everything. After all, your own experiences are limited to, well, your own experiences. When you listen to others your world grows. You have tapped into their insight, knowledge and expertise and have the opportunity to learn from them. One of the greatest gifts we have in life is the option to continually learn and grow. And it works both ways. As you are building your network you are sharing your experiences and insight with others and may get recognized for the skills and knowledge you bring to the table, maybe even become the go-to person for advice in an area. Making contacts is necessary for your business to grow. Business is a contact sport - it takes contact to make sales. If people see value in what you do, what you offer and who you are, they will send business your way. The larger your network, the more contacts you have, so it follows that more business will come your way. CAFA’s mandate is to increase the skills and knowledge of farm advisors and we do this through local meetings and

provincial conferences. At these meetings, members hear from speakers on matters of common interest and have an opportunity to network with other farm advisors and learn from their peers, and peer learning is a critical component of continual professional development. CAFA offers networking / learning opportunities that you don’t want to miss: Farm Succession Update: The 3 Circle Model -In-Depth being held on May 18 in Ajax, ON and November 3 in Saskatoon, SK (and via AgriWebinar), and our Farm Management Update in Woodstock, June 2. These are unparalleled opportunities to learn from top farm advisors about the issues and challenges in farm transition and management and, network with farmfocused individuals. Updates in other provinces coming soon. Join CAFA to grow - as an advisor or if a farmer, as an Associate Member. Membership will assist you to stay current with the farm sector and connected to other farm professionals. To learn more, contact me at 1-877474-2871 or info@cafanet.com . You can also visit our website at www.cafanet.com/ Conferences.aspx.

Save the dateS! May 18, 2016: Farm Succession Update – 3-Circle Model In-Depth, Ajax, Ont. & via webinar June 2, 2016: Farm Management Update, Woodstock, Ont. & via webinar Fall 2016: Farm Tax Update

More information available at www.cafanet.com/Conferences

Toll free: 1-877-474-2871 Email: info@cafanet.com PO Box 270 • Seven Sisters Falls, MB • R0E 1Y0

Follow us on Twitter @CAFANET

GUIDE LIFE

Time to

get cooking These farm groups are building lifelong customers by teaching kids how to help themselves in the kitchen By Helen Lammers-Helps

F

or more and more of today’s kids, basic cooking skills are a lost art. With two parents working non-stop and with a full slate of after-school activities for the kids, families are eating more prepared meals or picking up food on the go. Mary Carver, food literacy specialist at the Ontario Home Economists Association (OHEA) sees it as the culmination of a trend that’s been building for at least a couple of generations. Should farmers care? Increasingly, the answer is yes, and not only because some of these noncooks are farm kids. That’s because there’s an additional question that’s getting asked. If families don’t respect their food, will they respect the farmers who produce it? It’s a worry for the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, which has identified food literacy as part of its National Food Strategy. Picking up on that theme too is the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) which has launched its Six by Sixteen campaign. The goal of the Six by Sixteen campaign is to help young people learn to plan and prepare six nutritious, locally sourced meals by the time they are 16 years old. By arming them with lifelong healthy habits and skills, they’ll be supporting local farmers, food processors and our economy. The plan is not to duplicate all the good information already available on commodity group and government websites, says Tyler Brook, e-communication co-ordinator at OFA. Instead, the “sixbysixteen.me” website will link to existing information found on the websites of collaborating partners, which include Chicken Farmers of Canada, Ontario Pork, Foodland Ontario, Dairy Farmers of Ontario and more.

The struggle to find time to prepare healthy meals from scratch isn’t unique to urban families. On farms across Canada, parents are busy working on and off the farm, shuttling kids to sports and other extra-curricular activities while also deeply involved in agricultural and community organizations. The OHEA recently published a beautiful colour recipe book filled with helpful tips on buying, storing and cooking healthy food grown in Canada along with information on how that food is grown. Here are a few recipes selected from the cookbook, Homegrown (Whitecap, 2015).

The Ontario Home Economists Association wants to see food literacy become part of the mandatory secondary school curriculum. There is a petition on the organization’s website at www.food-literacy.ca. There are almost 3,000 signatures on the petition so far. Its goal is to add another 2,000 signatures.

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MARCH 15, 2016 / COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA

Gluten-Free P.E.I. Potato Lasagna Janet Buis, PHEc

INGREDIENTS

METHOD

• ½ lb. (250 g) extra-lean ground beef • ½ onion, chopped • 1 cup (250 ml) sliced fresh mushrooms • ½ green pepper, chopped • 1 stalk celery, chopped • 2 cloves garlic, minced • 1, 24-oz. (640-ml) jar gluten-free tomato pasta sauce • 1, 19-oz. (540-ml) can no-salt-added kidney beans, well rinsed and drained • 1 tsp. (5 ml) dried thyme leaves • ½ tsp. (2 ml) ground cumin • 1 tsp. (5 ml) chili powder • 4 small baking potatoes, scrubbed and very thinly sliced • ½ cup (125 ml) packed shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C). Line a 9 × 13-inch (23 × 33-cm) baking dish with wet parchment paper and set aside. 2. Brown beef in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add onion, mushrooms, green pepper, celery and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes or until softened. 3. Stir in pasta sauce, kidney beans, thyme, cumin, chili powder and cook until heated through. 4. Arrange half of the potato slices over bottom of prepared dish, overlapping if necessary. Top with half of the beef mixture. Layer the remaining potato slices and cover with the rest of the beef mixture. 5. Cover with foil. Bake for 50 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. 6. Uncover and sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake until cheese melts, about 10 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Makes 10 cups (2.5 l) One serving = 1 ½ cups (375 ml)

Nothing warms up the hockey crowd like potato lasagna when they come home hungry after the game. ”

Per serving: 298 Calories, 5.7 g Total Fat, 2.7 g Saturated Fat, 0.1 g Trans Fat, 349 mg Sodium, 43.8 g Carbohydrate, 9 g Fibre, 11 g Sugars, 0 g Added Sugars, 18.5 g Protein

West Indian–Style Curry Chicken Rosemarie Superville, PHEc

INGREDIENTS

METHOD

• 2 tsp. (10 ml) ground cumin • 1 ½ tsp. (7 ml) ground coriander • 1 tsp. (5 ml) ground black pepper • ½ tsp. (2 ml) turmeric • ½ tsp. (2 ml) iodized salt • ½ tsp. (2 ml) ground ginger • ¼ tsp. (1 ml) cayenne pepper (or to taste) • 1 lb. (450 g) boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) chunks • 1 tbsp. (15 ml) canola oil • 1 onion, chopped • 2 cloves garlic, minced • 1 medium potato, peeled and cubed (approx. ½ inch/1 cm) • 2 small tomatoes, chopped • 1 medium carrot, scrubbed well and thinly sliced • 1 ¼, cups (310 ml) sodium-reduced chicken broth

1. In large bowl, stir together the cumin, coriander, black pepper, turmeric, salt, ginger and cayenne; toss with chicken pieces and let stand 15 minutes or longer in the refrigerator. 2. In a large deep non-stick skillet over medium heat, add the oil and onion, sautéing for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. 3. Add chicken pieces and garlic and cook until lightly browned, about 3 to 5 minutes. 4. Add potato, tomatoes, carrot and broth and bring to a boil; cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally or until the chicken and vegetables are tender. Any leftovers can be covered and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Makes 4 cups (1 l) One serving = 1 cup (250 ml) Per serving: 242 Calories, 5.4 g Total Fat, 0.7 g Saturated Fat, 0 g Trans Fat, 564 mg Sodium, 18.3 g Carbohydrate, 3 g Fibre, 4.6 g Sugars, 0 g Added Sugars, 32.2 g Protein

This is one of my ‘go-to’ recipes when I feel like an island dinner. You can control the degree of ‘heat’ by the amount of cayenne used.”

COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA / MARCH 15, 2016

61

GUIDE LIFE health

By Marie Berry / lawyer & pharmacist

Should you take non-prescription codeine?

T

he major it y of narcotic drugs can only be obtained by seeing your doctor and getting a prescription. However, one class of codeine-containing drugs can be purchased without a prescription. These are known as exempted codeine products, and you need to ask your pharmacist for them because they are all kept behind the pharmacy counter in the dispensary. But there have been recent changes to how these products are supplied.

Codeine isn’t actually a good pain reliever. Non-drug therapies are often better Federal legislation allows for products with no more than eight milligrams of codeine per tablet and 20 milligrams of codeine per 30 millilitres of liquid to be sold without a prescription. However, there can be additional provincial regulations. In some provinces when you purchase one of these products, the transaction must be entered into the provincial electronic health network, and there can be limits on the quantity and size that you can purchase. The most recent change has occurred in Manitoba where all exempted codeine products now require a prescription. Your doctor can write this prescription, but so can your pharmacist, after an assessment and within limits on the quantity prescribed.

Two factors have led to these changes. First, exempted codeine products are not considered effective pain relievers, and second, misuse and abuse commonly occurs among users of these products. About 15 per cent of Canadians use narcotic drugs, and about two per cent admit to abusing them. With only two per cent of people admitting abuse, you wonder why there is a problem, but these numbers do not include people who don’t admit abuse, and exempted codeine products are not usually included in the numbers. Codeine is actually considered a poor pain reliever. Plain acetaminophen or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen or naproxen provide better relief for all kinds of pain ranging from muscle “pulls” and back injuries to dental pain. As well, non-drug approaches such as heat or cold therapy, physiotherapy, rest, massage, exercise, improved sleep, and yoga are often just as effective. Besides dependency, exempted codeine products are associated with other problems. Codeine can cause constipation, dizziness, increased risk for falls, and even nausea and vomiting, and combination products can contain acetaminophen which causes liver damage. If you use only plain acetaminophen, then it’s easy to track your limit, and of course you need to remember that alcohol can exacerbate this adverse effect. Also remember that exempted codeine products are not recommended for pregnant women or nursing mothers, children, or the

elderly. Health Canada does not recommend any cough syrups, including those containing codeine, for children six and under, and for children six to 12 years old, this labelling is quite specific. Increasing the humidity and drinking plenty of fluids (yes, even chicken soup) are better options. Dependency is one issue with overuse of exempted codeine products, and rebound headaches are another. You may find the headache returning after you finish your last tablet, and then you realize you need to take more tablets to have the same pain relief. If you are using an exempted codeine product more than twice a week to manage your headache pain, you probably have a rebound headache. If you do take an exempted codeine product, ask yourself what you are trying to treat, and whether you are self-medicating or following your doctor’s advice. Also ask if you have tried non-drug approaches. You may surprise yourself and realize that there are better options that will alleviate your pain and give you a better quality of life. CG

Marie Berry is a lawyer/pharmacist interested in health and education.

Next Issue None of us are getting younger and you may wonder how to keep your memory sharp. While Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are concerns, some drugs may have an impact on your memory while you may believe it just to be natural aging. Next issue we’ll talk about your memory and drugs.

62

March 15, 2016 / COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA

By Leeann Minogue / grainews editor

I

t was a great vacation, but it was definitely over. Jeff Hanson, his wife Elaine and their two small kids had spent 10 days at a sunny resort with perfect weather and soft sand beaches. Connor and Jenny spent every day paddling around in the ocean and the pool, building sandcastles and making friends with the other kids. Jeff took diving lessons. And after a lifetime of avoiding it, Elaine learned that she loved coconut after all. But the fun came to a crashing halt on the afternoon of the last day of the trip, when three of them came down with terrible head colds and went to bed early. Jeff assumed he’d gotten off easy, but his cold struck the next morning. Before their noon flight, he was using all the Spanish words he knew and making a few up to negotiate the purchase of enough cold medicine to keep other passengers from throwing his coughing, runny-nosed family out an airplane window on the way home. It was even more obvious that the holiday was over when Jeff and his family stepped out of the airport. “Wow!” said Connor. “How are we going to find the car?”

Winter gets hard, and spring harder The Hansons hear the bad news even before they get home. It’s time to get back to work “Because our dollar’s no good anywhere else,” Jeff said. He didn’t really mean it either, but he was wondering what it would be like to live full-time in a place where the weather wasn’t cold enough to actually kill you. “Mommy, can we go to the beach tomorrow?” Connor asked from the back seat. This made Jeff and Elaine laugh until Jeff started coughing. “No, buddy,” Elaine answered. “Our beach days are over. But if your nose stops running you can go to playschool while your dad gets over his cold.” “Oh,” Connor said, sounding a little confused. “Good.” “We’ll see if he makes it to playschool,” Jeff said, coughing. “With

Maybe the oil collapse is good for something,” Elaine said. “There should be someone you can hire.” Regina was under a storm warning. There was a foot of new snow on the ground, and more snow swirling and falling. They squinted against the cold and dragged their suitcases over the snow-covered pavement. Eventually, they found their SUV. They loaded the luggage, scraped the windows, buckled in the kids and headed for home. The going was tough. There wasn’t much visibility, and the sinus medication made it harder than usual for Jeff to concentrate. “Why did we come back here?” Elaine said, not really meaning it, but missing the warm weather.

Hanson Acres

this cold, I think I’m going to need to stay home and rest for a few days to recover from our vacation.” “Well, we don’t have anywhere to be,” Elaine said. “I’m sure your mom and dad have everything under control on the farm. We can take a few sick days before we have to do anything important.” But there would be no staying home for Elaine. Her phone rang before they were 20 miles out of the city. “I have to go to Saskatoon tomorrow,” she explained to Jeff when she’d hung up. “There’s been some federal ag research

announcements, and my policy committee’s having a meeting to figure out our position.” “Are you sure you’re up to it?” Jeff asked, sniffing. “I wouldn’t be.” “I guess I’ll manage,” Elaine said. “I phoned in for the last couple of committee meetings. If I don’t actually show up at one pretty soon, they’re all going to forget who I am.” “Good luck. I’ll look after the kids,” Jeff said. When the Hansons passed through Weyburn, they made a quick stop at the grocery store. “I’ll just run in and pick up some milk and fruit,” Elaine said. “You guys keep warm in the car.” Elaine was trying to choose the best looking bananas when Ethel Anderson, one of their widowed farm neighbours, tapped her on the shoulder and made her jump. “I didn’t notice you there,” Elaine said. “I’m so sorry dear. I hope you’re alright,” Ethel said. “I’m fine, Ethel,” Elaine said. “It’s just a cold. It’ll clear up right away.” “No, no. I meant coping with Ed,” Ethel said. “Coping with Ed?” Elaine parroted back. “Is he doing better? I’ve heard he was likely to have a pretty slow recovery. That’ll leave a real gap for you,” Ethel said. “I understand Ed still does quite a bit of farm work.” When Elaine just looked blankly back, Ethel kept talking. “It’s hard to recover from strokes, dear,” Ethel said. “Everyone takes these things at their own speed. Continued ON page 64

COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA / MARCH 15, 2016

63

GUIDE LIFE

Reflections by Rod Andrews retired Anglican bishop

Continued from page 63

Stroke? Jeff ’s grandfather? Elaine saw a spark in Ethel’s eye, and remembered how much Ethel enjoyed being the first to know the bad news. She dropped her bananas back in the bin and backed away from Ethel. “I have to go. I… I left something in the car.” Back at the SUV, Jeff was hanging up his cell phone. “Elaine. Grandpa’s had a stroke,” Jeff said. Dale and Donna Hanson hadn’t wanted to ruin their son’s vacation by giving him the bad news while he was away. “It’s not like Jeff can do anything about it from there. And even if they changed their flights and came home early, there’s nothing Jeff and Elaine can do for Ed,” Dale had said. But when Jeff had phoned his dad from the grocery store parking lot, Dale thought he’d better break the news of Ed’s stroke before someone else did. “I already heard,” Elaine said. They talked it over on the way home. It was still too early to know how long it would take Ed to recover, or if he would fully recover. “I’ll have to get busy, finding someone else to help out during seeding,” Jeff said. “Grandpa’s been putting in quite a few shifts in the field. And Dad hasn’t had time to think about that yet.” “Maybe the oil collapse is good for something,” Elaine said. “There should be someone you can hire.” “I hope so. I’m probably going to need help sooner. Dad said there’re a few things that needed fixing in the cleaning plant. He’s been too busy driving Grandpa and Helen back and forth to the city for doctor appointments to do any work. I’ll start in on that tomorrow.” Jeff ’s phone rang again, and he answered over the SUV’s Bluetooth system. “I heard about Ed, so I didn’t want to bother your dad,” the caller said. “But I’d sure like to come and pick up that flax seed tomorrow afternoon.” After he hung up, Jeff turned to Elaine. “Geez. It’s going to take all morning to move enough snow away from those north bins to get that flax seed out. There won’t be any time for me to stay in bed.” “I’ll find a sitter for Jenny,” Elaine said. They drove in silence for a few miles, except for the sound of Jeff ’s coughing, until Elaine finally spoke again. “You’ll be filling in for your dad and Ed quite a bit for the next while,” Elaine said. “Yeah.” Jeff thought for a few minutes. His mind drifted off to the view of the ocean from his beach chair, then jolted back to the driver’s seat of the SUV, and his view of swirling snow. “This is going to be a rough spring.” CG Leeann Minogue is the editor of Grainews, a playwright and part of a family grain farm in southeastern Saskatchewan.

64

MARCH 15, 2016 / COUNTRY-GUIDE.CA

A

beep from my cell phone alerts me to a text message. “Hi Rod. I just wanted to let you know we are putting Sophie down tomorrow. Please pray for us.” A lovable white dog has been a companion for my friend Naomi and her family for years. Sophie has not been well and they have made a difficult decision. It is the best choice for Sophie. Sophie’s departure will leave a large gap in Naomi’s life. She is a busy person, working as a caregiver for elderly folks, keeping an eye on her aging mother and caring for a husband and two children. She and a group of energetic, creative women raise many thousands of dollars for our cancer centre every year. Naomi will miss Sophie’s friendly welcome when she arrives home, and their walks in the park. My first dog was a black spaniel. He had a habit of digging in a neighbour’s flower bed and she complained to the city dog catcher. I still have childhood memories of my dog being loaded into a black van. I never saw him again. To mark important occasions, the RCMP presented Queen Elizabeth with some fine horses. In a high-level gift exchange, the Queen gave the Mounties a yellow Labrador retriever. The dog has a long formal name but goes by Suzanna. She did not make the grade as a working police dog so she became a mascot for the RCMP training facility in Regina, Sask. Suzanna lived with the commanding officer, assistant commissioner Roger Brown, and his family. Cadets missed their pets when they left home for police training. They would stop by the Brown home and ask to take Suzanna for a walk. Brown would tell them, “If you lose her, you will write the letter to the Queen.” Suzanna is still with the Browns, but now in New Brunswick. When my children were young, we had a golden cocker spaniel named Roger. I was a minister on the Blood First Nation in the southwest corner of Alberta. Many of the people speak Blackfoot. One morning I was in a grocery store when I overheard a woman speaking in a loud animated voice. Her Blackfoot was punctuated with the word “Roger.” I discovered my dog had followed me into the store. The lady was scolding him. He headed for the door. I did not know he understood Blackfoot. We have much to learn from animals. When I see a cat lazing in the sunshine, or a dog sitting at a window hour after hour, I think of a quote by Samuel Butler. “All animals, except humans, know that the principal business of life is to enjoy it.” Some churches set aside one Sunday a year as Good Shepherd Sunday. Jesus used the imagery of a shepherd to describe the nature of God. A good shepherd leads his flock to water and pasture. If a sheep falls into a rocky crevice, the shepherd pulls it to safety with his curved staff. As a bishop I show children my pastoral staff formed in the shape of a shepherd’s crook. On Good Shepherd Sunday I bring some plush sheep to church, some black and some white. All sheep are not white, fluffy and well behaved. Some, like humans, are “black sheep” but all are loved. I think Jesus had this in mind when he talked about “one flock, one shepherd.” “All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small… the Lord God made them all” (familiar hymn by C.F. Alexander). Suggested Scripture: Psalm 95:1-7, Luke 15:1-7

Rod Andrews is a retired Anglican bishop. He lives in Saskatoon.

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