Issuu

WINTER WHEAT DESERVES A SECOND LOOK

Supporting Canadian Farm Families SUMMER 2016 $5

‘ PRAIRIE STICKS’ Hits a home run

Technology

Business

Production

Farm Life

Proper application key to maximizing fungicides

Born and raised to farm

Tap into the global potential of pulses

So that was El Niño: what's next?

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* 5 Demonstration strip trials under high sclerotinia pressure 2014-15. Applied between 20-50% bloom stage. High sclerotinia pressure was measured by a susceptible check that was greater than 10% disease incidence. Results may vary on your farm due to environmental factors and preferred management practices. O-68-04/16-10552405-E

farm forum / summer 2016

CONTENTS COVER STORY

‘ PRAIRIE STICKS’ Hits a home run / 6

features

PRODUCTION

business

Editor's Note: / 4 Winter wheat deserves a second look / 14 Take control of herbicide resistant Canada fleabane / 14 Tap into the global potential of pulses / 10

Technology

Canola crop looking good?: Keep sclerotinia at bay so it stays that way / 35

Proper application key to maximizing fungicides / 24

Born and raised to farm / 20

FARM LIFE

So that was El Niño: what's next? / 30

FARMFORUM.CA / SUMMER 201 6

EDITOR’S NOTE

— Sherry Warner

Publisher Bayer CropScience Inc. Editor Sherry Warner Contributors Jennifer Barber, Dianne Finstad, Joy Gregory, Gerald Pilger and Andrew Nadler. Design/Production Farm Business Communications Farm Forum is published seasonally by Bayer CropScience Inc. Contact Farm Forum at: Bayer CropScience Inc. Suite 130 160 Quarry Park Blvd. SE Calgary, AB T2C 3G3 T. 1 888-283-6847 F. 1 888-570-9378 E. farmforum@bayer.com www.cropscience.bayer.ca Contents of this publication are copyrighted and may be reproduced only with written permission of the publisher, Bayer CropScience Inc. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher. Publications Mail Agreement Number 40743517 Registered in Canada Copyright 2016 Website www.farmforum.ca Return undeliverable copies to: Bayer CropScience Inc. Suite 130 160 Quarry Park Blvd. SE Calgary, AB T2C 3G3

Photo: genesis studio

e’ve changed things up a bit this issue and lead with a story that has nothing to do with farming but is a popular pastime in rural communities — and that’s the game of baseball. Prairie Sticks Bat Company is the brainchild of former baseball player, Jared Greenberg. In his Red Deer shop, he creates custom wooden baseball bats mostly for the sport’s amateur ranks. Each summer, Prairie Sticks sets up a booth at close to 20 baseball tournaments throughout western Canada and sells its bats. To find out how these baseball bats are made and how to enter to win a Prairie Sticks equipment package, turn to Page 7. Batter up! Canada is the world’s largest producer and exporter of dry peas and lentils, just two pulse crops that make up an industry valued at more than $4.2 billion. If you haven’t already added pulses to your rotation, what are you waiting for? Turn to page 10 to find out how you can tap into the potential of pulses. Winter wheat is another crop growers should consider adding to their rotation. Unfortunately, concerns about winter kill, disease pressure, how to market the crop and transportation issues, have cooled grower enthusiasm for seeding this high-value crop. But, say experts, winter wheat has really good profit and agronomic potential and is definitely worth a second look. See if you agree in our story on Page 15. In our OYF story, we meet the Kehler family, potato farmers from southern Manitoba. Jason Kehler is a fourth generation producer who knew from a very young age that he wanted to be a farmer. Fortunately, Jason had a terrific mentor, his father, who taught him the operation inside and out, instilled in him a strong work ethic, and motivated him to reach his goals. Now, Jason and his wife Laura, hope to pass on their passion for farming to their children. One of the most effective ways to realize better yields and improve your bottom line is through the proper use of fungicides. And the key to getting the most from this input is to apply it properly — choose the right product, in the right concentration and use the right equipment. Find out how in our story on Page 24. For Ontario farmers, Canada fleabane has become a serious management issue. Once just a pesky roadside weed, herbicide resistant Canada fleabane has been confirmed in 28 counties in the province, and is particularly problematic for soybean growers. Turn to Page 27 and learn how to get this weed under control. In our final story, agricultural meteorologist, Andrew Nadler, explains the El Nino phenomenon and what affect it has on the weather as we move through the 2016 growing season. If forecasters are correct, we can expect a hot and dry season across the prairies.

On the cover Jared Greenberg, president of Red Deer-based Prairie Sticks Bat Company, knows a thing or two about how to craft a superior baseball bat.

FA R M FO R U M .C A / SUMMER 2016

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photography: genesis studio

cover story

FAR M FORU M .C A / SUMM ER 2 016

‘ Prairie Sticks’ h its a home run By Dianne Finstad

aseball’s familiar call to action — batter up! — echoes in ballparks big and small across Canada, as summer’s favourite pastime proves it has not lost its relevance, even in this tech-focused age. When a player steps up to the plate to stare down the opposing pitcher, he comes armed with his instrument of choice — a bat to help “hit one out of the park.” It’s a piece of equipment that has to fit the player’s hand, stature and swing — it has to feel right so the batter can do his job. Yes, a bat is much more than just a stick. And yet, as in the early days of the sport, a bat still begins as a simple piece of wood. In the workshop of a Red Deer company, that piece of wood is carefully selected, weighed, shaped and customized to each ball player’s specifications. Prairie Sticks Bat Company is the goto place in western Canada for custom wooden baseball bats. President Jared Greenberg, a baseball player himself, launched the company out of his garage in 2001, along with a fellow player. From those humble beginnings, Prairie Sticks has become the service-oriented supplier of choice for players from young amateurs all the way up to major league swingers. The journey from hunk of wood into baseball magic begins in the forest. There are three types of trees that produce the kind of wood best suited for baseball bats, Greenberg says. About 85 per cent of

Prairie Sticks’ amateur bats are made of maple, 12 per cent are made of birch with a few made from ash. “Maple is best because of its strength, hardness and durability,” explains Greenberg. “And birch is a little bit more flexible than maple.” Prairie Sticks has its wood shipped in from mills in Quebec and New York. It comes in “billets”, each measuring 37 inches long and 2¾ inches in diameter. The billets hit the scale for the first of at least four weigh-ins, and are then sorted by weight, which is marked on their ends. »

Jared Greenberg's (left and above) company, Prairie Sticks Bat Company, sells its wooden bats mainly to players in amateur ranks but some have made it all the way to the big leagues.

FAR MFORUM.CA / SUMMER 2 01 6

cover story

A lot of steps go into making a great baseball bat. Every bat begins with a simple piece of wood, usually maple, that's carefully selected, weighed, shaped and customized to each ball player's specifications.

Then it’s time to check the order list, where customers indicate their preference for length, weight, colour, shape and sometimes even a name stamp on their bat, before wood is placed on the lathe. “We started with the kind of hand lathe you’d find in your Grade 9 shop class,” says Greenberg. “Then we went to another type of tracing lathe, and now we use a hydraulic tracing lathe.” Prairie Sticks has a wide variety of handmade templates used on the lathe, each with different specifications. Bat sizes range from 21 inches, ideal for youth, up to 35 inches long for adults. Greenberg says a rule of thumb is generally a 3:1 weight-to-length ratio. Pinpoint accuracy is key. As Greenberg points out, even a hundredth of an inch can make a difference to the feel of a bat. In just two minutes, the bat takes shape on the lathe. The ends are then cut off to achieve the correct length and the 8

FAR M FORU M .CA / SUMM ER 2 016

first sanding happens before the product heads to the finishing room. There, each bat is hand dipped in a special lacquer stain to match colour requests, hung up to dry and dipped again for as second coat. “We weigh everything out so the mix has the proper viscosity, and runs well on the bats,” says Greenberg. “There’s a sanding step between each coat,” he says, “That’s where the aesthetics part comes in.” The bats are sanded to a rich, smooth-as-glass finish. “That’s kind of the trend the last couple of years — who can make the shiniest bats,” Greenberg laughs. A laser engraving machine adds the model number, logo, player or team name and sometimes even a player’s signature. “Everyone wants some sort of personalization this day and age!” The final step, “cupping”, involves hollowing out a small portion at the top of the bat, which allows Prairie Sticks to adjust the overall bat weight to the desired number. After that, the bat is ready to be shipped to its new owner. Prairie Sticks usually needs about a week to 10 days to fill an individual order. Prices range from around $85 for a youth bat to upwards of $110 for a high-end professional bat. The company’s website even has a “visualizer” to help customers see what their order will look like. While the company has some minor league business and some bats have even gone to the big leagues, its bread and butter remains the sport’s amateur ranks. Prairie Sticks sets up a booth, selling bats on site, at close to 20 baseball tournaments each summer in western Canada. “Being present shows we’re committed to the grassroots level,” says Greenberg. Working with a natural resource like wood, which has natural density differences, and catering to a sometimes hard-to-quantify goal has its challenges, but that’s what Greenberg enjoys. “As a baseball player, you just pick up a bat and say, ‘OK, this feels good,’” he says. On the flip side, taking an unfinished piece of wood all the way to a glossy customized bat that gives ball players exactly what they’re looking for is a fulfilling task for Jared Greenberg. It’s grown into a business that, for him, is definitely a “home run!” FF For more information visit www.prairiesticks.com

Let Farm Forum get you ready for ball season! We're giving away a full package of Prairie Sticks equipment — custom made bat, cap, gloves and t-shirt. A random draw will be made from all emails, with the subject line, Prairie Sticks, sent to farmforum@bayer.com before the deadline on June 15. You will be required to answer a skill testing question, then your baseball equipment will be on the way!

FAR MFORUM.CA / SUMMER 2 01 6

PRODUCTON

Tap into the

global potential of

pulses

photo: thinkstock

By Joy Gregory

FA R M FO R U M.CA / s umm er 2 016

he United Nations (UN) declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses. No one expects cake or fireworks, but with markets priced for profit and a growing number of varieties and types to choose from, the Canadian pulse industry should hit record production levels in 2016 — and still not outpace global demand. Is it any wonder pulse growers have one question for prairie farmers who haven’t yet worked them into their rotations: “What are you waiting for?” The UN declaration is an international high five to provinces like Saskatchewan where pulse crops are expected to hit 20

per cent of total seeded acreage in 2016, says Carl Potts, executive director of Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG). Most of those 10 million acres will be seeded to varieties of dry peas and lentils developed with home-grown ingenuity that’s made Canada the world’s largest producer and exporter of those two commodities. Indeed, the country’s industry currently ships pulses, including chickpeas and dry beans, to more than 150 countries. Fuelling an industry valued at more than $4.2 billion, are exports. The majority of Canadian-grown pulses are sold to south Asian countries where the population is

growing significantly but production is not keeping up with demand, says Potts. “Because western Canadian farmers are among the most competitive pulse crop producers in the world, we can meet demand from traditional food markets and from markets driven by increased interest in health, nutrition and environmental sustainability.” Positioned for growth Bert Vandenberg says the Canadian pulse industry has a lot of untapped potential. A plant breeder with the Crop Development Centre at the University of Saskatchewan, Vandenberg has been developing pulse varieties since he moved to Saskatchewan in 1983. At that time, he says: “Canada was one of the few places on earth where farmers didn’t know much about legumes.” Corey Loessin, an SPG board member since 2013, has been growing peas and lentils near Radisson, SK since 1991. Returns fluctuate with cash markets, but pulses are profitable, he says. He also likes what the crops do to improve soil tilth and nutrient levels on his farm. Science supports Loessin’s contention, says Vandenberg. “Legumes are a natural part of healthy biological plant systems and that makes pulse crops a good fit with crop diversification,” he says. “Pulses have allowed us to decrease summer fallow, increase cropping intensity and diversify crop ecology — and they are good for the soil.” The pulse crop’s capacity to fix soil nitrogen and make it available to next year’s crop is just the start, says Neil Whatley, a crop specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry (AAF). By extending rotations, pulse crops positively impact disease and weed pressures. Because pulses are more shallow-rooted than cereals and oilseeds, their root systems improve soil moisture penetration and the soil’s capacity to hold water. Pulses are also a good fit with conservation tillage practices. “The decomposing roots and nitrogen fixing nodules on the roots create a nitrogen flush for the next crop,” says Whatley. Loessin says those agronomic advantages save him money. Now growing green and yellow peas and red lentils, he does not add any supplemental nitrogen to fields with pulse crops. “We notice that wheat crops grown on pea stubble produce »

FARMFORUM.CA / S UM ME R 201 6

PRODUCTON higher yields and are almost always one per cent higher in protein,” says Loessin. Looking ahead, Vandenberg says he foresees a time when farmers will think beyond four-year rotations. “What if you had two pulse crops and you grew them every eight years? You might have peas in year one and again in year nine, but faba beans in year four.” According to Vandenberg, this would provide all the benefits of including legumes in rotation while simultaneously reducing disease pressure and herbicide resistance. Getting a handle on production As for what it takes to grow pulse crops in Canada, there’s no question these crops demand different field strategies, says Whatley. Based in Stettler, AB, his office services a region of east-central Alberta where pulses, particularly lentils and peas, are rapidly gaining ground.

Whatley says floating or flex headers are an industry staple for harvest and producers know they have to roll pulsecrop fields after seeding. The rolling pushes rocks into the soil, making harvest easier. He recommends seeding into fields with good drainage, since water-logged soil isn’t good for legumes. “I tell guys to think about seeding early, too. Make your pulse crop your first crop so it can grow to the flowering stage before the July heat causes the flowers to abort.” And seed inoculation is critical, adds Whatley. “Every pulse needs a different rhizobia strain so you have to know what your crop needs to make sure you don’t waste your money.” Loessin, who worked for AAF in northern Alberta before returning home to farm, says production information is easy to get from industry and extension specialists. “If you’re new to pulses, there is a lot experience to draw from.” FF

Pulse Positives

1. Lower input costs. Pulses fix nitrogen and make it available to next year’s crop. Data from Alberta Agriculture and Forestry shows that nitrogen equals double-digit yield increases in canola, wheat and barley grown after a pulse crop. 2. Improved soil health. Adding pulses to a four-year crop rotation plan improves the water-holding capacity of soil. 3. Multiple markets. Pulse crops are sold into human, animal and ingredient markets — all of which are growing. These are the crops the world wants.

Farmers can help bring new varieties to market faster

askatchewan plant breeder Bert Vandenberg knows Canadian farmers are anxious to access new pulse varieties with improved traits for increased yield and drought tolerance. But as a scientist who’s made a career of pulse crop development, he also wants Canadian farmers to take more responsibility for their role in keeping new varieties from the market.

A four-year crop rotation would also aid the scientific struggle against herbicide resistant weeds. “Every F1 plant we grow for lentils in the breeding program at the Crop Development Centre is already 100 per cent tolerant for Group 2 herbicides. Our goal is to work on additional herbicide tolerance that can be worked into crop rotations,” says Vandenberg.

Although developments in genomics, the science of gene mapping, make it easier for plant breeders to generate new varieties faster, it’s not enough, says Vandenberg, who works for the Crop Development Centre at the University of Saskatchewan.

Farmers can help by planning rotations that alternate crops and herbicides. “Legumes aren’t competitive with weeds. That’s a fact. So farmers have to look at ways to manage the weed populations, including those with resistance.”

“When farmers grow the same pulse crop back-to-back, they give fungi the upper hand. We have a number of serious diseases in lentils and we don’t have the resources to work on all of the diseases simultaneously, especially when we also need to be working on other traits, like drought tolerance and yield,” he explains.

Farmers need to be more proactive about controlling perennial weeds before they plant their crops. The bottom line is that crops are produced within a dynamic biological system. “Mother Nature will respond to every pressure on the system,” says Vandenberg. “Over time, that will mean increased resistance, or bigger problems with disease.”

And the problem is bigger than growing lentils or peas two years in a row. Diseases like sclerotinia stem rot affect lentils, peas, beans and canola, making a lentil-canola rotation on a field with sclerotinia bodies as bad as growing lentils after lentils.

And those bigger problems are always harder to solve. “This is an old message,” he says. “Right now, farmers are giving fungi and herbicide resistance the upper hand. That increases the work of plant breeders and it slows down progress on developing other economic traits.”

FA R M FO R U M .C A / s umm e r 2 016

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photos: bayer cropscience

PRODUCTON

FA R M FO R U M .C A / SUMMER 2016

WINTER WHEAT DESERVES A SECOND LOOK By Jennifer Barber

cross the prairies, winter wheat has been one of the top income-producing crops for the past several years in a row. But even with this income potential and winter wheats’ many other benefits — yield advantage over spring wheat, a surplus of available markets and a great tool to fight herbicide resistance — why have seeded acres remained neutral? “There are a lot of misconceptions about winter wheat and those are behind why growers may choose not to seed it,” says Paul Thoroughgood, regional agrologist with Ducks Unlimited Canada. “Many growers think they can’t seed in time in the fall, and much of this can be attributed to recent prolonged harvest seasons that have afforded little time to seed before winter sets it,” he explains. “Growers can always find a way to get the crop in — whether that’s in the fall or spring. Seeding in the fall does take planning but once growers do it that first year, it almost always becomes part of their rotation.” Over the past few years, warmer than average winters have resulted in reduced, or even no snow cover in many areas on the prairies. Many winter wheat growers are under the assumption that snow cover helps to prevent winter kill. However, it’s not the snow, it’s the ground temperature that protects the crop over the winter months, says Thoroughgood. On average, winter-kill rates in Canada hover around nine per cent, on par with much warmer areas, such

as Kansas, which is the largest producer of winter wheat in North America. “Warm winters are both a blessing and a curse for winter wheat,” says Thoroughgood. “On the plus side our winters recently have been more like those in areas where winter wheat is the norm and spring sown wheat the exception. We grow varieties that are more winter hardy than areas like Nebraska, Kansas and South Dakota, which should mean excellent winter survival. “On the negative side, some diseases, such as stripe rust, appear to be overwintering during warmer years,” he says. “Presence of stripe rust in the fall may not necessarily mean infection in the spring, particularly in resistant varieties. Growers need to check new leaves for the development of rust pustules. If rust infection is confirmed in spring, then fungicide applications may need to occur earlier than usual.” One of the biggest challenges for winter wheat growers is marketing it to its full potential. While it is easy to find buyers, it is not generally as simple as hauling it to the local elevator immediately after

harvest. But Thoroughgood says there are some things that growers don’t always consider when marketing winter wheat. “First, growers often overlook feed markets for milling markets, which are seen as the most desirable,” he says. But growers looking for quick cash can move their wheat off the combine into feed or ethanol markets, as supplies, just after harvest, are usually very low. “Yes, the price is a little lower than milling markets, but the yield gains from a well-managed winter wheat crop still mean a solid return on investment.” In addition, Thoroughgood says that if growers are watching the spot prices on wheat carefully, sometimes winter wheat and spring wheat prices will be near par if growers are willing to wait to move their product. Most prairie mills will seek out winter wheat due to its blending strength and high-flour yield, which allows them to get more flour out of a tonne of grain. Given the higher yield expectations from winter wheat, growers can still achieve a good return even if they have to haul their crop a little further. »

FARMFORUM.CA / SUMMER 201 6

photos: top: bayer cropscience, bottom: wendt dudley

PRODUCTON

FA R M FO R U M .C A / summer 2 016

Brian Wittal, owner of ProCom Marketing in Didsbury, AB, says there are markets for all types of winter wheat but they can be dependent on volumes. “Often growers don’t have enough milling-quality wheat to fill a rail car, so they end up trucking it directly to the mills,” he explains. “This can still be very cost effective when you have highquality, high-yielding winter wheat. But that demand changes from year to year, so growers need to be in constant contact with the end customer to make sure they need what you have to offer.” Transportation may prove to be one the biggest hurdles winter wheat growers face when marketing their wheat, says Wittal. “They have to be willing to move the product to where the customers are located.” But winter wheats’ longer growing season usually means decent yields, so growers can still achieve a high return on their investment, he says. The recent decline in the Canadian dollar has opened up more markets in the northern U.S., adds Wittal. While these areas always welcomed Canadian product,

the incentive wasn’t there before. Today, growers are able to offset the costs of transporting their grain to U.S. consumers by selling their grain in U.S. dollars and taking advantage of the exchange rate. “The key with winter wheat is being patient if you want to get the best prices,” says Wittal. “The markets are there — be it the U.S., other prairie provinces or even into B.C. Once you know the quality of your crop, there is almost always a way to sell it that works if you are willing to look at different options.” Winter wheat remains a crop with profit and agronomic potential that should outweigh any grower concerns. “If we are talking about climate change or climate variability, the value of having a crop that’s different has never been greater,” says Thoroughgood. “All of our spring crops are dependent on the same time window for seeding, herbicide and disease management, flowering and harvest. When you take part of your crop out of the traditional spring-summer cycle, you have a backup for your growing season.” »

“Seeding in the fall does take planning but once growers do it that first year, it almost always becomes part of their rotation” Paul Thoroghgood regional agrologist, ducks unlimited canada

Storing winter wheat is one pricing strategy for producers willing to wait for higher prices. Millers seek winter wheat due to higher flour yields and may pay a premium.

FARMFORUM.CA / summer 2 01 6

PRODUCTON

“The key with winter wheat is being patient if you want to get the best prices” Brian Wittal procom marketing

Winter wheat can also be an important herbicide resistance management tool. “Fall seeding leads to earlier stand establishment in the spring, which often outcompetes weeds, including resistant biotypes,” says Thoroughgood. “Herbicide applications in winter wheat also occur much earlier than spring sown crops, providing a different selection pressure on weed communities. So by choking out weeds, or getting ahead of grassy weeds, we can either change how much herbicide we need to use, or alter when that herbicide is applied.” Variety development is improving, too, with agronomic packages designed to deliver top performance. For the eastern prairies, particularly in the Red River Valley, AC Emerson is a fusarium resistant variety recently introduced to the market. AAC Gateway is a shorter variety that’s a solid choice for highyielding environments. In the brown and black soil zones, new milling varieties

such as Moats and AAC Elevate have a stronger disease package to replace previous high-performing varieties such as CDC Buteo and Radiant. There are also new varieties developed for specific markets, such as Pintail — a good general purpose variety suitable for the ethanol market. There are also several new varieties currently under multiplication, including a new hard white for milling markets. Far from a secondary performer, intensively managed winter wheat has been achieving higher yields than its spring-seeded counterpart. In recent years, winter wheat has had a 15 to 40 per cent yield advantage over spring wheat, with average yields clocking in 25 per cent higher than spring wheat. While winter wheat requires a bump in fertility, when the crop performs, the economics still work out. “I would encourage all growers to consider winter wheat in their rotation,” says Thoroughgood. FF

Initiative helps build awareness of winter wheat The Western Winter Wheat Initiative is a collaboration between industry members including Ducks Unlimited, Bayer, Richardson International, Canada’s largest agri-business and its newest partner, The Mosaic Company Foundation. (The Mosaic Company is the world's leading producer and marketer of concentrated phosphate and potash.) The initiative helps open new markets and build awareness for winter wheat as a highly productive crop option for western Canadian farmers. The group works cooperatively, investing in all aspects of the winter wheat value chain. It supports agronomy research, the development of new varieties and offers agronomic support to growers and the industry when it come to winter wheat production.

photo: bayer cropscience

For more information about this initiative visit: www.growwinterwheat.ca.

FA R M FO R U M .C A / summer 2 016

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business

Jason and Laura Kehler, pictured here with their children, Wyatt (2) and Paisley (4), are potato farmers and winners of the 2016 Outstanding Young Farmers' Program award for the Manitoba region.

Born and raised to farm 20

FA R M FO R U M .CA / s umm e r 2 016

By Dianne Finstad

hen the lady sitting next to Jason Kehler on the airplane asked what he did for a living, he saw it as an opening to tell a story — the story of a young boy who always wanted to farm, like his father and grandfather before him. It’s a story where hard work, determination, drive and great passion propel a young family forward. It’s the story of Jason and Laura Kehler, winners of the 2016 Outstanding Young Farmers’ Program award for the Manitoba region. The Kehlers farm 5,600 acres in the Carmen area of southern Manitoba. Much of that is potatoes, but they also grow seed soybeans, edible beans, corn, canola, oats and wheat. “I grew up in the cab of a tractor around the farm. I knew I wanted to farm since I could keep both ends of a wrench off the ground,” chuckles Jason, a fourth generation producer. “My dad went out of his way to spend time with me, taking me along and immersing me in the farm.” Despite being clear about his career intentions, Jason took the long road to get there — literally. Enamored by big rigs, trucking was his first real enterprise. It allowed him to meet a lot of people and see all four corners of North America. Income from his truck — hauling everything from flax straw to furniture to Mexican produce — helped build his initial investment in the farm. “One of the biggest things I learned on the road was to have patience,” he says. “It’s not something I was born with! Ultimately that taught me to be tolerant of other people. It’s a good virtue to have no matter who you’re dealing with. In business, and working with hired people, having patience and tolerance, and being a good person, is what gets you along.” When his father said: “If you want to farm, I guess you should farm,” and offered him a 20 per cent share in the family operation, Jason jumped at the chance to get off the road and go “all in.” The farm’s location, in the productive

Red River Valley, means plenty of specialized crop options. “Dad’s always been on the cutting edge that way,” says Jason. “Our family grew sugar beets for years and years. My grandfather was one of the initial beet growers in Manitoba.” But several years before the local sugar plant shut down, Jason’s father decided to get out of sugar beets, tired of seeing profit from even a bumper crop eaten up by freight costs, and the primary focus moved to potato production. Raising potatoes is an intensive record keeping adventure, with traceability and food safety requirements a longstanding part of growing this crop — measures that are now becoming a big part of all food production. “We’re so used to it because of the potato business, I feel like we have a real leg up on grain producers,” says Jason. “Now when you take a load to the elevator, you have to sign a noncontamination slip. And more detailed record keeping is coming — it’s already getting that way with our edible beans.” Jason points out that complete

traceability has been possible with potatoes for more than a decade. “If somebody buys an order of french fries at a McDonald’s in Chicago, the whole system is set up so if something goes wrong with that order of fries, they know who produced it, and what field (the potatoes) were grown on within two hours.” Fortunately, Jason has just the right person in charge of the farm’s extensive food safety record keeping — his wife, Laura. She came to the farm with a masters degree in meat science from Oklahoma State University, plus past experience working with both Tyson Foods and Nestle. She grew up on a sheep and grain farm in northeastern Ohio. The two met eight years ago, thanks to the uniquely focused online dating service FarmersOnly. com. Laura worked as a senior food scientist with Manitoba Agriculture before taking on the bookkeeping, food safety and workplace health and safety programs at Kehler Farms. “She’s extremely busy with that, and the kids, and feeding us,” laughs »

FARMFORUM.CA / s ummer 2 01 6

business

Jason. “We all know combines don’t run well on empty!” Daughter Paisley (4) and son Wyatt (2) are already well versed in farm life and loving it. Along with taking on more of the farm’s ownership from his father, Jason and Laura have also increased their total crop production land by nearly 50 per cent since 2014, doubling their acres in potatoes. But, such rapid expansion is not for the faint of heart. “As the saying goes, there is no perfect time (to grow),” says Jason. “It wasn’t so much our intent, as the opportunities kind of came to us.” Just months after completing a deal that increased their potato production by two pivots (135 acres of potatoes equals a pivot), Jason found himself talking with another grower who wanted to lease out his potato farm. The Kehlers consulted with their banker and accountant, and then plunged in again, increasing production by another two and a half pivots in 2015. “I don’t know if there’s anything glamorous about expanding that quickly,” he says. “It’s hard work, but we had a lot of people in our corner who helped make the transition relatively smooth.” 22

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That kind of growth doesn’t come without some stress, and Jason confesses there were a few sleepless nights. “If I ever had to give any young guys advice, I’d say yeah, follow your opportunity. But expanding quickly has big cash flow requirements,” he says. “We made it all work, though, and going forward looks very positive. There’s a quote Grandma told me I’ve kept in mind my whole life: ‘nothing worth doing is easy.’” Despite the timing not being his choice, Kehler believes he was prepared to take on the business test. “Looking back, I didn’t always realize it or even appreciate it, but Dad was grooming me to be a good farmer since I was a kid. He made me work my way up from the ground, so I knew the operation inside, outside and backwards. That, and a good strong work ethic, gave me the drive and ability to do it. “As a young farmer, I also want to make my mark,” he says. “My Dad had brought the farm such a long way from where his dad had left it, and I felt it was my duty, given a good opportunity, to take it to the next level. I wanted the challenge.” Jason knew the potato business needed

“I grew up in the cab of a tractor around the farm. I knew I wanted to farm since I could keep both ends of a wrench off the ground” Jason Kehler

to get bigger to achieve economies of scale, and already he and Laura are seeing the cost of production come down as efficiency levels go up. He’s also quick to point out they’ve got a great crew of employees and agrology experts in their corner. Plus, the farm takes advantage of technology where it makes sense, like variable rate fertilizer applications. He’s also taken steps to minimize weather risks, by tiling all of the potato acres to help manage excess moisture in the soil. “Working smart is very important these days, just as important as when Dad and Grandpa considered hard work to be physical,” he says. “I have to embrace technology to get my job done. It’s not all about having a sweat on your brow at end of day.” For Laura and Jason, having a future on the land means they are always considering how to farm in an environmentallyconscious and sustainable way. It’s a message they believe needs to be shared. “That’s very important to me,” says Jason. “Obviously farmers are a pretty small percentage of the population. Any time we have chance to tell a good story, or invite people out to see what we’re doing and explain it, it’s an opportunity to represent agriculture.” Which is why Jason shared his story of farming with the lady sitting next to him

on the airplane. At the end, she admitted she never realized all that went into raising food, and appreciated hearing his perspective. It was a good opportunity, and Jason Kehler doesn’t like to pass those up. The Kehlers will represent Manitoba at the Outstanding Young Farmers’ Program national event this November in Niagara Falls. FF

Would you like fries with your golf ball? No one wants to find foreign material in their french fries, so when it comes to potato production, food safety measures are critical. Potatoes come from the field to the grading table before being stored. They’re shipped from there to McCain Foods or Simplot Foods in the U.S. for processing. The grading table is where any debris is picked out and Jason Kehler says you’d be amazed at what they find. They’ve removed golf balls, clay pigeons and shotgun shells (from skeet shooting), jawbones and wood. “Harvesting potatoes in a field, it’s amazing how much history you dig up, because you’re sifting through those top six inches of soil,” he says. “We find lots of those old glass insulators from hydro lines and we’ve found dozens of those old clothes irons and household items like cast iron pots. I even ended up with the grill off a ’56 Chevy in my digger!”

FARMFORUM.CA / s ummer 2 016

TECHNOLOGY

Proper application key to maximizing fungicides

here’s a mountain of available data showing that the proper application of fungicides results in higher yields, higher bushel weights, better grain quality and lower disease losses in wheat and barley. Properly applied fungicides have also proven to be cost effective and improve the returns per acre. The key words here are: “proper application.” In order to reap the many benefits of fungicides, it’s critical that the right product is applied, in the right concentration, with the right equipment, during a narrow application window. Improper product choice, poor application equipment and/or practices, or spraying at the wrong time can render fungicides ineffective, decrease margins and can even decrease grain quality.

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Step One: Understand what fungicides actually do Step one in proper fungicide use is to remember that fungicides are not the same as herbicides. Herbicides are curative tools — you see a problem, you apply herbicide, problem solved. Fungicides are primarily preventive tools. By the time you see signs of disease, yield loss is already occurring and fungicides will not solve the problem — they can only prevent spores and mycelia from continuing to infect the plant, for a while at least. With fungicides you have to have a proactive approach. Step Two: Understand the disease Know what diseases can be a problem, assess the risk of outbreak (field history and current environmental conditions) and know which fungicides control the diseases you want to protect against.

Wheat and barley diseases that are most troubling for Canadian growers are rust diseases, especially stripe rust; leaf spot diseases such as tan spot and spot blotch; and head diseases, particularly fusarium head blight (FHB). Many of these diseases are seed borne, which is why the first fungicide application many farmers make every year comes in the form of treated seed. But later season infection can still occur via fungal spores in crop residue and soil, or by blowing in from neighbouring fields. Growers also have to consider the resistance package for the cereal variety they’re growing and whether environmental conditions are conducive to disease development. If you plant a variety with excellent disease resistance and conditions are hot and dry, a fungicide application is not as critical as when you plant a susceptible variety and experience humid or wet conditions.

photo: istock

By Gerald Pilger

photos: bayer cropscience

If you want fungicides to work, always follow label instructions for rate, timing, water volumes, number of applications allowed in a season and pre-harvest intervals, especially if you’re applying the fungicide at heading. Step Three: Timing It has been a common practice to apply half rate fungicide (along with a herbicide) at herbicide timing. Kelly Turkington, research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Lacombe, AB, questions that. He notes there’s typically little disease around when herbicides are applied, and if you delay the herbicide application until disease appears, the potential loss from weed competition is greater than the savings in disease prevention. An exception is stripe rust. Turkington says growers should scout for stripe rust at herbicide timing since it can appear very early. If it is present, he recommends a full rate of fungicide should be considered, along with a herbicide, at herbicide timing. Many growers are applying fungicides at the flag leaf stage. Research has proven that protecting the flag and penultimate leaves — which are primarily responsible for grain fill — from infection is often economically beneficial, even when disease pressure is low. However, this timing provides no protection against head diseases. If you need to protect against FHB, or other head diseases, the application window at heading is very narrow. It is important to note that application at head timing will still provide protection against leaf diseases. Ideally you should spray wheat when 15 per cent of the crop is flowering, which occurs shortly after heading is completed. In barley, flowering begins before the head is fully out of the sheath. Optimal spray windows can come and go very fast — less than a week in most cases and in as little as a day, if conditions are right. So if you are spraying at heading, you must scout daily, have your sprayer ready to go and be prepared to cover all acres in a very short time period. Bayer has conducted over 100 side-byside field trials over the past eight years across the prairies to determine the best fungicide application timing in cereals. To see trial results specific to your area, go to itpaystospray.ca. »

Bayer Canada has conducted over 100 side-by-side field trials over the past eight years across the prairies to determine the best fungicide application timing in cereals.

Knowing which diseases affect grains such as stripe rust (top) and fusarium head blight (above) and assessing the risk of outbreak will help you choose the right fungicide for the job.

FARMFORUM.CA / s umm er 2016

TECHNOLOGY

Step Four: Equipment Your sprayer must be specifically set up for a fungicide application because the product has to penetrate a four- or fivefoot plant canopy and, because fungicides don’t have the same translocation properties that herbicides do, thorough plant coverage is critical to disease control. And that’s not easy when you’re looking to make contact with vertical (heads and stems) and horizontal (leaves) plant parts through a thick canopy. Tom Wolf, a spray technology specialist and self-described “Nozzle Guy”, has done extensive research into best practices for fungicide application in cereals. On sprayers101.com, he writes that while application timing is key, water volume is the most important application parameter when it comes to achieving good coverage. Increasing water volumes has a greater affect on fungicide performance than droplet size or spray pressure. Other variables like nozzle type, nozzle spacing, travel speed, droplet size, flow rate, spray angle, boom height and spray pressure can all differ depending on the disease you want to control and crop conditions. The one constant is that you need to pay attention to all of them if you’re going to get the full benefit of spraying a fungicide. Check out sprayers101.com. FF itpaystospray.ca sprayers101.com www.saskwheatcommission. com/producer-info/ fusarium-risk-assessment-map/

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photo: bayer cropscience, Matthias Sandmann

Increasing water volumes has a greater affect on fungicide performance than droplet size or spray pressure.

PRODUCTON

TAKE CONTROL OF HERBICIDE RESISTANT CANADA FLEABANE BY JENNIFER BARBER

nce a persistent but manageable roadside weed, Canada fleabane has become a serious management issue for Ontario farmers. Over the past six years, herbicide resistant Canada fleabane has spread quickly over a large area of the province and, depending on the crop, has been a challenge to eliminate. “We first confirmed glyphosate resistant Canada fleabane in Essex County in 2010, which is in the far southwest area of Ontario near the Michigan border,” says Peter Sikkema, professor of weed management with the University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus. And in five years since that time it has moved more than 800 kilometres and has been confirmed in 28 counties — as far east as the Quebec border. Canada fleabane is a common winter and summer annual weed whose seeds are spread through the air. It germinates mostly

in the fall while a small portion of seeds will germinate in the spring. Emergence has sometimes been observed during the winter months during warm spells, which shows this plant’s adaptability. Fall-emerging Canada fleabane grows to a rosette stage before overwintering, then resumes its growth in the spring when it bolts and flowers. Spring emerged individuals go straight to the flowering stage. Canada fleabane, growing in an uncompetitive environment, can produce more than 200,000 seeds per plant, which are blown through the air, much like a dandelion, for an almost endless supply of seed. Plants can grow up to two metres in height, higher than many crops, and compete with the crop for moisture, light and nutrients. “Canada fleabane has always been around but it somehow flew under the

radar,” says François Tardif, professor of plant agriculture at the University of Guelph. “You would see it in old fields and in pastures. It wasn’t until no-till caught on that we started seeing it a lot more in field crops, but even then we just sprayed it with glyphosate and it was gone,” he says. “When glyphosate resistant Canada fleabane was confirmed in soybean in the U.S. in 2001, we knew there was a possibility for resistance in Ontario and we started to look at it more closely.” While Tardif says he has also seen Group 2 resistant Canada fleabane, (see table on next page for modes of action) he has yet to confirm it independent of Group 9 glyphosate resistance in Ontario. Unfortunately, this secondary resistance adds another level of complexity because it takes Group 2 chemistries out of the mix for possible weed management solutions. »

FARMFORUM.CA / SUMMER 2016

PRODUCTON HERBICIDES BY GROUP NAME

GROUP

Glyphosate

Group 9

Infinity

Group 27+ Group 6

Callisto

Group 27

Atrazine

Group 5

Banvel

Group 4

Distinct

Group 19+ Group 4

Marksman

Group 4+ Group 5

Integrity

Group 14+ Group 15

Pardner

Group 6

Eragon

Group 14

2-4D

Group 4

Gramoxone

Group 22

Metribuzin

Group 5

Tardif’s research looks at the mechanism of resistance in Canada fleabane. “We have been looking at the biology of Canada fleabane to determine the genetic diversity within the population to see how it is selecting for resistance,” he says. “We are looking to see if there are ways you can eliminate resistance within the weed by methods such as spraying glyphosate when the weather is cold. Anecdotally, we have heard that could be part of the solution but I would be skeptical to say that works unless we can prove it.” Tardif says there has been a lot of research into the development of glyphosate resistance in fleabane in the U.S. as researchers there look for alternative ways to control the weed, and his research looks at applying those ideas within a Canadian context. But, he says, all are in the early stages of finding solutions. “One of the things we are looking at is if you can apply products that are normally injurious to the crop in a way that would be safe for the crop and still kill the resistant fleabane,” he says. “An example would be the use of Wick Weeders. These applicators “paint” the surface of the weed with herbicide which is then translocated down throughout the roots without harming the crop. This could be one

Glyphosate resistant Canada fleabane control with experimental herbicide in Essex County.

FA R M FO R U M .C A / SUMMER 2016

way to offer growers more weed control options on resistant species.” MATCHING THE CROP TO THE SOLUTION Resistant fleabane can be found in any crop in Ontario, but it is particularly problematic in soybean. In winter wheat, growers are able to use a post-emergent application of Infinity herbicide for safe and effective control of the weed. In corn, glyphosate has historically been the chemistry of choice for a pre-seeding burndown of fleabane. But with the spread of glyphosate resistant fleabane, the yield losses can be significant if no weed management tactics are employed. “In fields where we have conducted research on glyphosate resistant Canada fleabane, the yield losses have been substantial,” says Sikkema. “This is not in every corn field. I want to stress that the fields where we conduct our research tend to have the most severe densities of resistant weeds. In those corn fields, average yield loss is 65 per cent due to glyphosate resistant Canada fleabane interference, and in fields with the heaviest weed pressure, corn yield can be reduced by 99 per cent.” Sikkema says that his research focused on both pre-plant and post-emergent control and he was able to find solutions

Glyphosate resistant Canada fleabane control in Roundup Ready Xtend soybean in Kent County.

that worked in both cases. “For pre-plant control, we studied which herbicides provided commercially acceptable control when combined with glyphosate,” he says. “We found four products — Callisto + atrazine, Integrity, Banvel and Marksman — which all provided greater than 90 per cent control of glyphosate resistant Canada fleabane applied pre-plant in corn.” For post-emergent control in corn, he found some of the better options were the dicamba-based herbicides including Banvel, Distinct and Marksman. In addition, a tank-mix of Pardner with atrazine also provided acceptable control. Soybean has presented the greatest challenge for managing glyphosate resistant Canada fleabane, since removing a broadleaf weed in a broadleaf crop can be very difficult at the best of times. In fields with high densities of glyphosate resistant Canada fleabane, Sikkema says they documented yield losses anywhere from 70 to 99 per cent. Unfortunately for growers who have glyphosate resistant Canada fleabane in their soy, Sikkema and his team trialed all registered broadleaf herbicides in soybean, and none of them provided consistent control of glyphosate resistant Canada fleabane. “We conducted three different

experiments with glyphosate tank-mixes for the control of glyphosate resistant Canada fleabane,” he says. This included products aimed at effective control at burndown, those applied at burndown with full season residual control, and those applied post-emergence. “Not one of the registered broadleaf herbicides in soybean applied in a tank mix with glyphosate consistently provided 90 per cent control, which is the minimum growers consider acceptable.” However, all hope is not lost. Sikkema’s team was able to achieve greater than 90 per cent control consistently when using a three-way tank mix. The top performers were glyphosate mixed with Eragon and 2-4-D at 92 per cent control, and glyphosate with Eragon and Gramoxone at 95 per cent control. The top performing option was glyphosate with Eragon and metribuzin which provided 97 per cent Canada fleabane control. KEEPING YOUR OPTIONS OPEN While tillage is one component of an overall integrated weed management strategy for the the control of glyphosate resistant Canada fleabane, Sikkema cautions against the use of aggressive tillage. “We would really be taking a step backward by relying on tillage for weed

management as we would quickly deplete our topsoil resource,” he says. “However, by incorporating tillage in a long-term diversified crop rotation, it could help reduce the incidence of the weed.” While Tardif also has concerns with wide-spread tillage, he is researching the minimal level of disturbance that will best preserve the soil while still killing the fleabane. “We are also looking at the timing of that low level of tillage,” he says. “Perhaps a grower can till the soil less in the fall than in the spring, and still kill the fleabane. Our research is looking to find answers.” Sikkema says that growers need to consider an integrated weed management approach on their farms to reduce the incidence of herbicide resistance. “To keep our herbicides working longer we have to diversify our crop rotation and we need to make sure we are using multiple modes of action on every acre,” he says. “We should be using more cover crops to prevent weeds from becoming established and possibly incorporate tillage at strategic points in a long-term diversified crop rotation,” adds Skikkema. “In addition, growers should aim for near perfect weed control in order to reduce weed seed return to the soil. By using all these strategies, hopefully the selection for herbicide resistance will be reduced.” FF

FARMFORUM.CA / SUMMER 2016

farm life

So that was El Niño: what’s next? By Andrew Nadler | Agricultural meterorologist

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While still present, this massive El Niño is gradually weakening and expected to disappear by early- to mid-summer. So the big question is, what’s next? This is where the models tend to be less in agreement. back to the El Niño of 1997, the following year, 1998, ended with the warmest spring, summer and fall on record throughout much of Canada. National record high temperatures were set for April, May, July, August, and September. July was the warmest month since records have been kept. Combined with the heat, 1998 was also one of the driest years on record. This year, temperatures across the

prairies in May and June are expected to be above normal, particularly as you move west into Alberta. For areas that have been dry, this does not bode well as warmer temperatures mean thirstier crops and the possibility of drought. At this point, there is only a slight chance that anywhere in the west will receive above average rainfall. For areas that have been too wet over the past few years, this probably comes as welcome news. An early spring has meant early seeding in much of the prairies. But germination, crop establishment, and yield will depend on getting adequate moisture at the right times, particularly in areas with little soil moisture reserves. Also as I recall, in 1998, earlyseeded crops, rapid crop development, and timely rains resulted in some of the best crops in years. FF * Worth mentioning that all but one forecast called for a mild and dry winter in western Canada. The Old Farmer’s Almanac predicted cold and snowy for the prairie provinces.

photo: thinkstock

ver the past year, El Niño has been the main topic of conversation when it comes to weather. Thanks to El Niño, much of Canada enjoyed a mild, pleasant winter, which is quite typical of what accompanies this phenomenon. El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) refers to the periodic warming up of the sea surface in the south Pacific Ocean, accompanied by high pressure air in the western Pacific and low pressure in the eastern Pacific. The ENSO event of 2015 is considered to be one of the most substantial in terms of sea surface temperature anomaly and duration, rivaled only by 1997, the year that Winnipeg, Saskatoon, and Edmonton had a green, or rather brown, Christmas. Long-range weather forecasters like El Niño events because they make their jobs easier. More specifically, these events tend to make their forecasts correct more often. Six months ago, all of the models, and thus all of the forecasters, agreed that the winter of 2015/2016 would be mild and dry.* Lo and behold, that’s exactly what happened for much of Canada. Forecasters can hold their heads high because they told us so. While still present, this massive El Niño is gradually weakening and expected to disappear by early- to mid-summer. So the big question is, what’s next? This is where the models tend to be less in agreement. For example, as this El Niño event peters out, there is currently some debate around whether the Oceanic Niño Index (ONI) will go negative — referred to as La Niña where sea surface temperatures are below normal — or remain neutral, sometimes referred to as La Nada. If La Niña prevails, like El Niño, there are typical conditions that normally prevail including cold and wet weather in western Canada. If neutral (La Nada), well, we can expect the usual range of unpredictable weather. At this point, there’s about a 5050 chance of La Niña versus La Nada. So where does that put the summer forecast? At this point, the lingering effects of El Niño appear to be persisting. Looking

WHAT’S NEW WITH BAYER PRODUCTS

Canola crop looking good? Keep sclerotinia at bay so it stays that way

PHOTo: jeannette greaves

any growers believe that a healthy canola crop indicates a lack of disease and therefore does not have to be protected with a fungicide application. But the truth is that sclerotinia can affect all canola fields, and it’s your bestlooking canola crops that are the ones most worth protecting. Harness the potential of your high-value crop by safeguarding it from sclerotinia with Proline® fungicide. No Prairie regions are immune from disease – surveys have shown that 60% to 87% of all fields across the Prairies are affected by sclerotinia,** with tighter canola rotations further increasing those numbers. While sclerotinia infection rates vary year over year, region by region and from field to field – the fact remains that sclerotinia is likely on your farm and ready to rob yield from your canola crop. So why can’t we eliminate the threat of sclerotinia? The sclerotia bodies that cause sclerotinia have been known to overwinter in the soil for five or more years. While the severity of the disease is directly related to moisture levels, even in a dry growing season all it takes is moisture in the weeks leading up to flowering – from either rain or humidity – for an infection to take off. The best way to protect your crop is with a timely application of a foliar fungicide – such as Proline. The ideal time to apply Proline, or any canola fungicide, is at 20% to 50% bloom and before you see any signs of disease in the crop. Once you see disease presence, the damage is already done. And that damage will cost you. Yield loss is estimated at half the percentage of the overall infection rate – which means that a 20% rate of infection, which is not uncommon, will deprive you of 10% yield. Sclerotinia infection can result in: • Decreased yield • Plant death before seed development • Uneven maturity • Underdeveloped pods • Lower seed weights • Shattering at swath A well-timed application of Proline can effectively reduce infection rates by up to 80% – which is better than any other tested fungicide in its class. New Demonstration Strip Trial data from 2015 shows that Proline fungicide applied between 20% and 50% bloom in fields with high sclerotinia pressure provided a +10.6 bu./ **Source: “Vigilance required in management of sclerotinia.” Carolyn King, January 2013. http://www.agannex.com/field-crops/vigilance-required-in-management-of-sclerotinia

ac. increase over the untreated and a +3.1 bu./ac. increase over the tested competition. It is important to remember that with sclerotinia there is no single “perfect storm,” rather a multitude of scenarios can trigger the rapid spread of infection and a disastrous harvest. Sclerotinia can be expected in every canola field and growers should proactively protect themselves with a fungicide application. Ask your retailer about Proline today.

Purchasing 300 acres or more of InVigor hybrids makes you eligible to save an additional 8% on your Proline purchases through BayerValue. Visit cropscience.bayer.ca/BayerValue to learn more.

FARMFORUM.CA / SUMMER 201 6

Cereal disease control

oth leaf and head disease can be devastating to your bottom line and can brutally limit the yield potential of your cereal crop. The added danger of fusarium head blight (FHB) is that it can severely downgrade your grain and, in some extreme cases, eliminate your ability to market your harvested crop. But in a sea of potential fungicide products, which ones will give you your best return and when should you apply? WHEN SHOULD YOU APPLY YOUR FUNGICIDE? It’s all-too-familiar advice – protect your cereal crop by controlling disease at the flag leaf stage. But today, evidence is telling a different story. Over eight years of independent and Bayer-led trials from 2008 to 2016 have shown that you will get better disease control, better yield protection and an increase in quality when you apply your fungicide at head timing, while also protecting against leaf diseases. Data from the 2015 Bayer Demonstration Strip Trials (DSTs) showed that a fungicide applied at head timing provided a better grade 22% to 24%* of the time vs. untreated, compared to flag leaf applications which only improved the grade 6% to 12%† of the time.

consistently shown an increase in yield when Prosaro or Folicur EW was applied at head timing. With over eight years of trial results across the Prairie provinces, Prosaro fungicide has provided a +7.7 bu./ac.* advantage over the untreated check, while Folicur EW has averaged a +5.9 bu./ac.† increase. *Source: 2008-2015 grower-cooperated replicated Cereal DSTs, 107 trials †Source: 2009-2014 grower-cooperated replicated Cereal DSTs, 55 trials

*Source: 2008-2015 Bayer grower-cooperated replicated Cereal DSTs †Source: 2008-2014 Bayer grower-cooperated replicated Cereal DSTs

Does that mean you should never spray at flag leaf? Not at all. A good rule of thumb is to scout often and immediately protect your crop from leaf diseases that show up on the upper leaves and/ or flag leaf. Application at this point will still provide positive yield results and prevent disease from getting out of control. However, if disease pressure is minimal at flag leaf timing and is restricted to lower leaves, you are better off to wait another 7 to 10 days before applying your fungicide at head timing for increased yield benefits to the crop. Better Crop Quality There are many factors that can downgrade your grain, including disease,

FA R M FO R U M .C A / summer 2 016

colour, thin kernels, and more. By applying Prosaro® and Folicur® EW fungicides you can help preserve the quality of your grain, which helps your bottom line. Wheat crops treated with Prosaro experienced an average +1 lb/bu. increase 29% of the time, and a +2 lb/bu. increase 11% of the time. Wheat treated with Folicur EW at head timing has an average 1 +lb/bu. increase 21% of the time, and a +2 lb/bu. increase 7% of the time.* *Source: 2008-2014 Bayer grower-cooperated replicated Cereal DSTs

Protect Your Yield At the end of the day – there’s nothing like a high-yielding crop. Eight years of demonstration strip trials have

To get the most out of a fungicide application at head timing: • Increase your seeding rate for a consistent crop stage • Use a forward/backward nozzle formation to fully cover both sides of the head • Consult your equipment manufacturer’s nozzle charts to identify the best speed for maximum crop coverage • Target a medium to coarse droplet for optimal coverage at the head • Set your boom 12 to 15 inches above the crop canopy for better coverage and to reduce drift Applying a foliar fungicide at head timing protects the flag leaf, the penultimate leaf and the head throughout the grain-fill period. If disease pressure is low leading up to the flag – target the head for for unsurpassed quality and yield protection.

WHAT’S NEW WITH BAYER PRODUCTS

Healthy, high-yielding pulses with Delaro fungicide

ulse growers on the Prairies know just how devastating disease can be to their yield. The good news is that disease can be contained and yield preserved with a proactive and timely fungicide application at the beginning of flowering. Launched for Western Canadian pulse growers in the 2015 growing season, Delaro® has quickly proven that it can substantially decrease the risk of disease in Prairie pulse crops and significantly increase yield potential. The 2015 Bayer Fungicide Demonstration Strip Trials (DSTs) showed the clear benefit of Delaro, even though the season was dry and disease pressure low across most regions. On lentils, fields treated with Delaro had a +4.5 bu./ac. increase or a 15% improvement over the

untreated check.* In field peas, every fungicide tested saw a yield improvement over the untreated check, but Delaro was the clear leader, with an average +2.9 bu./ac. yield increase – an improvement of 5%.† *Source: 2015 Bayer grower-cooperated replicated Pulse DSTs, 12 trials †Source: 20015 Bayer grower-cooperated replicated Pulse DSTs, 12 trials

The Delaro formulation combines the power of two different fungicide active ingredients, providing both preventative and curative properties for best in class protection against all major stem, pod and leaf diseases in pulses, including: • Anthracnose • Ascochyta • Gray mould

• White mould • Mycosphaerella blight

Although a treatment timed for the beginning of flowering will provide the best result, Delaro can be applied at the first signs of disease and provides exceptionally long-lasting disease protection for all pulses and soybeans.

The United Nations General Assembly has named 2016 the International Year of Pulses. This is significant for Prairie growers, as Canada is the world’s largest pulse-exporting nation, with 77% of our pulse crops exported to over 150 countries globally. Finding ways to maximize yield is one way to sustain the growth of the pulse industry in this country in order to increase on-farm productivity and profitability into the future. Effective disease control will go a long way to achieving the high-yield expectations of an international market.

To see how Delaro is performing in your area and the positive effect a fungicide can have on your operation, please visit

Infinity FX: changing the landscape of broadleaf weed control

ake control of broadleaf weeds in your cereal crop with new Infinity® FX. This latest formulation in the Infinity product line combines three powerful broadleaf herbicides for fastacting control on tough weeds. Infinity FX provides contact and systemic control of more broadleaf

weeds than any other broadleaf herbicide currently on the market. This includes, tough-to-control broadleafs, such as: • Cleavers • Kochia • Wild buckwheat • Volunteer flax

With Infinity FX you get the activity of three different herbicide Groups (27, 6 and 4), on the same weed species, which has proven to be an excellent resistance management strategy. Powered by pyrasulfotole, supercharged with bromoxynil and boosted with fluroxypyr, Infinity FX has speed of activity that will exceed your expectations.

FARMFORUM.CA / summer 2016

After eight years, the message remains the same: when it comes to fungicides, it pays to spray

ast year marked the eighth consecutive year of the Bayer Fungicide Demonstration Strip Trial (DST) program and the results are hard to argue with. A timely application of a foliar fungicide can deliver a very healthy return on investment. The Bayer DSTs follow a set of rigorous protocols that stand up to close scrutiny. The results from more than 200 grower-cooperated trials represent the largest dataset of its kind in Canada. The conclusions are consistent across data points – fungicides pay. As part of the ItPaysToSpray.ca initiative designed by the Market Development Team, Bayer has recently

added numerous pulse crop trials across the Prairies, including; lentils, field peas and soybeans. Early results from these trials indicate the same type of results as the cereal trials. Applying a pulse fungicide is a great investment that will have a positive impact on yield and profit.

For more information on DST results in your area – including a return on investment calculator – please visit

Pod-shatter technology allows you to straight cut your canola safely

eather and Time. Ask any grower from the Canadian Prairies to name their biggest operational challenges, and that’s exactly what you get. The short-season growing zones of Western Canada pits growers against potentially severe late-season weather; and a rush to complete harvest before early fall frosts can wreak havoc on their yield. However, the new pod-shatter reduction technology of InVigor® L140P helps growers deal with both of these challenges. InVigor L140P is the first canola hybrid with the patented InVigor pod-shatter reduction trait. This trait allows seed to fill naturally and ripen safely within a pod that is securely attached to the plant. This in turn helps prevent premature shelling associated with adverse lateseason weather and provides growers with greater harvest flexibility in terms of their ability to straight cut their canola or cropscience.bayer.ca 1 888-283-6847

consider delayed swathing. For 2017 Bayer will be launching a new InVigor hybrid with the pod-shatter reduction trait. This new hybrid will offer grower improvements in yield, standabilty and earlier maturity than InVigor L140P. In response to a 2015 survey, more than 70% of growers who grew InVigor L140P opted to straight cut at harvest. This is a testament to the flexibility provided by this hybrid and amazing trust and grower acceptance of this new trait technology. Most Prairie growers already have a straight cut header for harvesting cereals and pulses. This generally requires only a few minor adjustments to the front end to harvest the bushy canola crop.

Cutting Edge Expo You can learn more about straight cutting and pod-shatter reduction technology at a series of InVigor grower events this spring. In association with industry partners, Bayer will be presenting the Cutting Edge Expo, where industry experts across different sectors will present information on: • Optimizing your combine for straight cutting • Appropriate speeds and equipment settings • Managing harvest losses • Increasing canola production • The latest in pod-shatter canola genetics

For more information on the next Cutting Edge Expo near you, visit cropscience.bayer.ca/CuttingEdgeExpo

@Bayer4CropsCA Always read and follow label directions. Delaro®, Folicur®, Infinity®, InVigor®, Proline® and Prosaro® are registered trademarks of Bayer Global. Bayer CropScience Inc. is a member of CropLife Canada

FA R M FO R U M .CA / summer 2 016

Break the mould. A revolution in dry bean and faba bean disease protection, NEW Propulse速 fungicide has exceptional activity on anthracnose and, most importantly, white mould. By combining the proven protection of prothioconazole and NEW fluopyram, Propulse offers groundbreaking disease protection and exceptional yields.

cropscience.bayer.ca/Propulse

1 888-283-6847

@Bayer4CropsCA

Always read and follow label directions. Propulse速 is a registered trademark of Bayer Global. Bayer CropScience Inc. is a member of CropLife Canada.

P-81-04/16-10552405-E

Quality meets quantity. In addition to providing an exceptional yield increase, Prosaro® fungicide protects the high quality of your cereals and helps ensure a better grade. With two powerful actives, Prosaro provides long-lasting preventative and curative activity, resulting in superior protection against fusarium head blight, effective DON reduction and unmatched leaf disease control. With Prosaro you’ll never have to settle for second best again.

cropscience.bayer.ca/Prosaro

1 888-283-6847

@Bayer4CropsCA

Always read and follow label directions. Prosaro® is a registered trademark of Bayer Global. Bayer CropScience Inc. is a member of CropLife Canada.

C-50-03/16-10552405-E