agripost august 29 2014

August 29, 2014 1The Agri Post

August 29, 20142 The Agri Post

By Harry Siemens

Canada’s Agricultural minister Gerry Ritz said Russia’s sanc-tions show short-sighted desperation from the Putin regimeand negatively impact the citizens of Russia far more thanCanadians. “Thanks to the continued efforts of our government andindustry, Canadian pork producers have access to numer-ous other lucrative markets around the world,” Ritz said. “Our Government will continue to put Canada’s nationalinterests first, but we cannot allow business interests aloneto dictate our foreign policy.” On the day after the announcement by Russian PresidentPutin, Brennan Turner, President of FarmLead, in Saska-toon, Saskatchewan said the big news the market is watch-ing right now is Russia. They signed an agreement for500,000 barrels of oil per day with Iran or 1/3 of their totalexports and banned agricultural imports for one year frommost of the western world. “While the ag import ban is surely significant, the oil dealwith Iran is another push away from the US Dollar being theworld’s reserve currency, echoing the Russia-China energydeal signed in May,” said Turner. “Power is everything inRussia and according to one Russian sociologist, VladimirPutin can’t afford to look like a loser in the eyes of the people.” As such, many experts agree the risk of direct interventionin the Ukraine is growing as a victory for pro-Russian sepa-ratists in Ukraine only seems likely if it involves Russiantroops. Further to the August 6 ban, Russia placed a one-year banor limitation on the import of food including fruit, vegetables,meat, fish, milk and dairy products and nuts from the US,Europe, Australia, Canada and Norway. “For Canada, the pork sector looks to take the biggest hit,as from January to May, Canadian pork exports to Russiaequalled $207 million, an increase of 103 percent of the sameperiod in 2013,” he said. “Moreover, Russia accounted for21.5 percent of EU vegetable and 28 percent of EU fruit ex-ports in 2011 and the second largest buyer of Americanchicken last year.” Turner said the ban on agricultural trade could send foodprices inside Russia higher, given the fact they import abouta third of their food consumption needs and are the fifthlargest food importer in the world. “So who benefits? Likely Latin and South America, espe-cially the Brazilian beef sector and other former Soviet Unionstates like Kazakhstan and Belarus,” he said. “So now, bothnew and old trade partners watch Russia earnestly as thesituation continues to unfold.” Karl Kynoch, Chair of Manitoba Pork said the loss of theRussian market will force Canadian processors to seek alter-native markets impacting pricing for awhile. “Russia is actually the fourth largest pork buyer of porkout of Canada right behind the United States, Japan andChina and then we have Russia coming into place,” saidKynoch. “In 2012 Canada exported $492 million of Canadianpork to Russia, in 2013, $260 million, but in 2014 we wereheaded for very good numbers. From January to May, Canadahad already exported $213 million of Canadian pork into Rus-sia.” So any time, the Canadian pork industry loses somethinglike Russia, it will definitely have an impact on product leav-ing Manitoba as well as Canada for now, he added.

RRRRRussia Says Nyetussia Says Nyetussia Says Nyetussia Says Nyetussia Says Nyet


By Les Kletke

A former soil scientist withAgriculture Canada said it istime to rethink the use ofglyphosate. Dr Theirry Vraindoes not find fault with theregistration system rather hesaid, that at the time theproduct was registered noone could imagine how theuse of the product wouldexpand to the point thattoday there is traces of it inmost foods in NorthAmerican stores. Dr. Vrain retired fromAgriculture Canada 12 yearsago after beginning hiscareer as a soil scientist,moving to molecular biologyand eventually heading themolecular biology depart-ment for the FederalAgency. Today he speaksabout the dangers ofglyphosate in the foodsupply but does notdiscredit genetic engineer-ing or blame it for unsafefood. He was in Manitobarecently as part of a crosscountry speaking tour. He began by giving ahistory of the product. “Themolecule was developed bythe Stoffer company toclean boilers and pipes, the

Making Sense of the GMO Debate

kind of scum you get builtup in your kettle afterboiling water for a longtime,” he said. “It was adescaling agent and veryeffective, it was patented asa chelating agent in 1964.”The molecule was effectivefor what it was intended andworked by removing metalmolecules from the water bybinding to them. ThenMonsanto purchased thetechnology from Stoffer andpatented it 1969. Vrain said the registrationsystem was not at fault andwas not flawed. “No,” said Vrain. “At thetime it was registered as anyother herbicide and thetesting protocols werefollowed. No one could

imagine how the use of theproduct would expand.” He was a graduatestudent at the time and saidit was viewed as one ofmany herbicides that wereavailable to farmers. It’smethod of action made itappear very safe. “It grabs onto mineralsand holds them,” heexplained. “It kills plantsand bacteria by notallowing them to manufac-ture necessary amino acids,these are not required byanimals and so it wasviewed as extremely safe,”said Vrain. The company went on toregister it as an herbicide in1970. The glyphosateherbicide was effective onmost plants but did notwork on a few plants whereit was not absorbedthrough the leaves. In 1996 with development

of bio engineering, theresistance gene could beplaced into crops and theuse of glyphosate exploded,the price was reduced furtherincreasing the use. “It is not the geneticengineering that makes theproduct unsafe,” said Vrain.“That just allowed scientiststo make tolerant plants andthat further increased the usebecause the herbicide was soeffective and economical.The resistance gene wasintroduced to major cropslike corn, sugar beets andcanola.” “It is not used in vegetableor fruit production, but if youlook at the items in the centreof our grocery store themolecule is found in mostfood items,” said Vrain. “80%of our food supply containsengineered crops and that iswhere the problem arises.” He said he was surprised

when he heard of tests withlaboratory animals beingfound harmed by being feedglyphosate grain. “As a scientist I could notunderstand it,” he said.“Genetic engineering is thetransfer of DNA to anotherorganism. DNA is notharmful, how can this be?”He said the molecule is aseffective as it was whendeveloped and continues totake metals out of thesubstance it is applied to. The molecule continues totake the metals out of thesystem and these are theelements that are requiredfor life. Vrain cites studiesdone by Dr. Nancy Swansonin the US. “She has found a correla-tion between the increaseduse of glyphosate herbicideand diseases like thyroidcancer, Alzheimer’s, autismand celiac,” said Vrain. “Sheused data from the Centerfor Disease Control inAtlanta and the USDA. Herwork is very credible and itshows a correlation but thatis not enough to have theproduct banned. A correla-tion is not scientific proof.” Vrain also makes the point

that glyphosate is toxic tobacteria and was registeredas an antibiotic in 2010. “It is very effective as abroad spectrum antibiotic,but that means that it killsbacteria and it kills some ofthe bacteria in the gut thatwe need to live,” said Vrain.“It is like we are taking asmall dose of bacteriaeveryday in our food supplybecause the molecule is inalmost every part of ourfood supply.” He said thestudy of bacteria in thesystem has gained muchmore attention and is nowconsidered to be asimportant as the heart orlungs to the human body.This is why it has beengiven its own name,‘bionome’. Thierry Vrain does not findfault in the system that hasallowed the growth ofglyphosate herbicide; hisconcern is for the future andmaking food supplies safe.He does not offer anabsolute cure all but ratherencourages people to beaware of their food supplyand asks that regulatorsalso consider the possibili-ties.

“It is like we are taking asmall dose of bacteria everydayin our food supply because the

molecule is in almost everypart of our food supply.”

By Les Kletke

The United States con-tinues to uphold COOLlegislation despite rulingsfrom the World Trade Or-ganization (WTO). The U.S. COOL measurehas forced the livestockindustry in Canada andother trading countrieswith the U.S. to go througha lengthy labelling andtracking system with anunnecessary paperworkburden and additional redtape, the Provincial Agri-cultural Minister RonKostyshen explained. Hefurther noted that it has ledto disintegration of theNorth American supplychain, createdunpredictability in themarket and imposed addi-tional costs on producerson both sides of the bor-der. Since COOL was intro-duced in 2009, theManitoba government hasbeen working with the fed-eral government and in-dustry groups to lobby theU.S. government to over-turn the rules. Kostyshen has come out

Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz recently addressed theU.S.’s National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA)summer conference where he stressed the importanceof ending the discrimination against Canadian cattleand hogs under mandatory Country of Origin Labelling(COOL) and emphasized the growing recognition thatCOOL is harming farmers and industry in the U.S. andCanada alike. Ritz stressed that should Canada prevailin the compliance proceedings as anticipated, the Gov-ernment will seek authorization from the World TradeOrganization (WTO) to impose retaliatory tariffs on U.S.imports. While in Denver, Ritz took the opportunity to meetwith key U.S. meat stakeholders, business and govern-ment leaders to discuss next steps for advocatingagainst COOL in the coming months. “With the full support and active engagement of Ca-nadian and U.S. industry, our government will continueto fight against this protectionist policy which is hurt-ing producers and consumers alike. We will continue touse whatever tools necessary to achieve a fair resolu-tion of this issue so that our livestock sectors on bothsides of the border can realize their true economic po-tential,” stated Ritz. COOL continues to significantly disrupt the NorthAmerican supply chain, creating unpredictability in themarket and imposed additional costs on producers onboth sides of the border. Following Canada’s successful challenges of COOLat the WTO in 2011 and 2012, a WTO compliance panelwas established on September 25, 2013, to determinewhether the U.S. has brought COOL into conformity. On 26 March 2014, the WTO Chair of the compliancepanel had informed Canada that the compliance panelexpected to issue its final report to the parties towardsthe end of July 2014.

Opposition to COOL Continuesin support of the Canadianposition citing the impact ithas on the nearly 24,000 jobsdependant on the livestockindustry in this province. “We are disappointed bythe ruling and surprised theU.S. court ruled against itsown meat industry, which hasbeen clear for several yearsthat this legislation is bad forproducers and processorswhile doing nothing to en-hance food safety,” saidKostyshyn. “Manitoba hasmaintained from the begin-ning that country of originlabelling (COOL) harms ourlivestock producers and isinconsistent with our effortsto create jobs in the agricul-tural industry.” Melinda German the GeneralManager of the ManitobaBeef Producers Associationsaid the opposition to theAmerican position is growingin the US and that might begood news for Canadians. “We are hearing aboutplants that are being cut backor shut down by the addi-tional costs of the COOL leg-islation and they are lobby-ing the American governmentto drop the legislation,” shesaid. German said that the

lower number of live animalsmay also be having positiveimpacts. “We are seeing it withplants in the northern USthat were built to handle Ca-nadian cattle,” she said.“They are getting fewercattle because of the num-bers and it would be difficultfor them to be competitivewith other plants that don’thave the costs incurred withCOOL.” Kostyshen agreed thatpressure from within and theUS economy might have agreater impact on stoppingCOOL than internationalcourt decisions. “I have heard of at leastone plant in the US shuttingdown because of the short-age of cattle and that willbring pressure on the USgovernment to step back,”he said. Kostyshen himselfa long time cattle producersaid that the current strongprices for cattle are some-thing that producers havebeen waiting for and shouldnot be taken away by legis-lation. “As a producer myself Ialways said that you needthree good years to recover

from a bad one, and beef pro-ducers have had 10 bad yearsgoing back to BSE, I don’tthink they will get 30 goodyears to make up for it, butcattle numbers are low and thatshould translate to strongprices,” said Kostyshen. The Minister said that he metwith the head of the ManitobaPork Council the week of Au-gust 22 and was pleased thatthe Russian embargo has nothad as severe an impact asfirst thought. “While Russia is a signifi-cant market there have beenadvances in other internationalmarkets that have made up forthe Russian situation,” hesaid. “We would like to seethings get back to normal withthe Russian situation but atthis time Manitoba pork pro-ducers are doing alright.” Kostyshen said that hewould like to see better rela-tionships with Russia for thepork industry but also to fur-ther expand the use theChurchill port. “We think of it as an exportport, but it could be an importport as well and with conjunc-tion with CentrePort could bea very important part of theCanadian transportation sys-tem,” he added.

Ritz Continues Fight on COOLRitz Continues Fight on COOLRitz Continues Fight on COOLRitz Continues Fight on COOLRitz Continues Fight on COOLat Uat Uat Uat Uat U.S.S.S.S.S. National Cattlemen. National Cattlemen. National Cattlemen. National Cattlemen. National Cattlemen’s’s’s’s’sBeef Association ConferenceBeef Association ConferenceBeef Association ConferenceBeef Association ConferenceBeef Association Conference


by RolfPenner

PennersPoints

[email protected]

What if a great product came along then theprice came down so that it was affordable for even

more uses than you imagined and then they expanded the range to where it could be used?What if there was a danger of using the product so much that you might lose it entirely.Would you be angry at legislators for taking it away or might you cut back on the use of itto ensure that it stayed in the market place. That is the situation with glyphosate. The Roundup Readiness has become a relativelyeasy gene to transfer into plants and it has become so popular that it is used on somecrops destined for most of our food products. Lets clear one thing up from the get go. I have not become a long hair, shaggy beardprotestor that is for hire to march against any cause. I have no problem with Monsanto andthe way they operate their business. Keep that in my mind, it is their business. The man who is often called the Father of Conservation Tillage, Dr. Elmer Stoebbe issomeone I count as a friend and he shared with me that the biggest tipping point inreducing tillage was not his lectures but the drop in price of Roundup to where it was amore affordable option than tillage. Stoebbe says his lectures were just as riveting whenthe price was $30 a litre but when the price dropped to $12 he became a visionary. The use of the product took off because it was affordable, and then along came cropsthat were tolerant of the product and its use expanded even further. It was an affordableway to control weeds with an exceptional success rate, in fact you could even use a higherthan recommended rate and not damage the crop. It was that safe. There are probably a few more reasons why the usage continued to climb, things like theavailability of an even lower priced generic and things I don’t have the space to list.The issue here is not the morals of Monsanto, or the testing procedures of products, or theregistration of agricultural products. Glyphosate has become wildly more popular thatimagined and if even a trace is found in the crop it is applied to, when it is used on so manycrops that form so much of our diet it could have a detrimental effect. Could it be that farmers might have to be the ones to make the choices and cut back onhow much of a good thing they use, not because of legislation but before legislation to

ensure the availability of the product in the future and thehealth issue may just be a bonus like conservation was tothe economics when it was introduced?

Battle lines are hardening over a growing controversy, the use of antibiotics to raiselivestock. People are rightly concerned about the possibility of a dangerous trend, anincrease in human resistance to antimicrobial medical treatment – in short, germs that can’tbe defeated with antibiotics. Animal agriculture is taking at least some of the blame for this. This has stirred up a lot of talk about eliminating the useof antibiotics as growth promoters. That would be a mis-take. In his regular FoodLaw column, Ronald Doering, alawyer and past President of the Canadian Food Inspec-tion Agency, points out why. Doering notes that an estimated 90 percent of on-farmmedications are used for the purpose of disease controland prevention. Growth promotion is just an added bo-nus, a side-effect. So banning antibiotics used only forgrowth promotion would cut their use by only 10 percent. Some argue that antimicrobials shouldn’t be used to fight disease but that their useshould be limited to treating infections. Others work the opposite side of the question;they say that there is scientific evidence that giving small amounts of antibiotics to animalsover time contributes to resistance in humans is insufficient. Eliminating the practice mightjust make things worse, as more drugs would then be needed to deal with an inevitableincrease in severe outbreaks. Instead, Doering advocates a strengthening of veterinary oversight and a concept knownas ‘One Health’. He believes that we can be more prudent with how we use these drugs. Hethinks Canada’s veterinarians and their provincial regulatory bodies need to take a greaterleadership role when it comes to the issue. First off, vets need to be aware of the potential problem and to follow the recommendedguidelines. Right now they are not all doing so. Doering suggests a mandatory continuingeducation program similar to what Quebec is currently doing. Another problem is that wereally don’t have a good handle on what or how much is being used right now; there is a‘gap in reliable usage data’. That has to change if we really want to figure out what’s goingon and what isn’t. Veterinarians also face a potential conflict of interest, as many derive an income streamfrom the sale of antimicrobials. Veterinarians need to do a better job defending this practiceand convincing the general public that they adhere to the highest ethical standards. We also have to remember that while the practice of using antibiotics in animal produc-tion carries risk, so does not using them. “Two thirds of animal diseases are zoonotic,meaning the disease is transferable to humans,” Doering reminds us. That’s a good reason,he argues, to strengthen the connection between animal and human health, a conceptknown as ‘One Health’. It makes sense. We can’t have a healthy human population if we don’t also have ahealthy animal population. Just because the animals seem to be isolated from the generalpopulation on farms outside of cities doesn’t mean that urbanites are necessarily safe fromzoonotic diseases. Policy makers would be wise to remember this reality if they are consid-ering a new regime of regulation to address the problem.

I like mushrooms, but learnt a long time ago that not allmushrooms are good for you. The same holds true forother fungi that like to grow on grain. Some are harm-less, but others produce toxins that are detrimental tohuman health. The toxins that these fungi produce arebecoming more and more heavily regulated both here inCanada as well as in our international markets. It’s harvest time – and it’s busy. But even during thisbusy time of year, farmers can take a few steps to helpreduce fungi in grain. Not only will this help yourbottom line, it will help preserve Canada’s well-deservedreputation for food safety and high quality. There are two basic types of fungi that cause prob-lems for Canadian grain producers. The first kind is themost visible – diseases like fusarium that cause visibledamage resulting in yield loss and shrunken kernels.There will be a lot of discussion about fusarium thisyear in coffee shops, boardrooms and offices ofgovernment regulatory agencies, since this year’sconditions in many parts of Canada were right for thegrowth of the fungus. Fusarium damage may be asignificant degrading factor, despite the best manage-ment practices used by producers.

What if WeDid It Before

It’s Legislated?

The Battle Lines onAntibiotics and Animals

Fungi, Grain, Youand Your Pocketbook

The fungi that cause visible head and kernel damage also produce a toxin calleddeoxynivalenol or DON that is a food-safety concern in many parts of the world. DON ispart of a family of toxins called mycotoxins and it is not the only member of this familythat we are concerned about. Other fungal infections also produce mycotoxins, exceptthese do not leave the visible damage like fusarium. Also unlike fusarium, these otherfungi grow in storage and transport. These are problems we can do something about. One of these fungal infections that grows in stored grain is Penicillium verrucosumthat produces ochratoxin A. What is ochratoxin A? You can’t see it. You can’t taste it.You can’t smell it. It is not easy to test for it. However, ochratoxin A can definitelyimpact your pocketbook. Our ability to detect minute levels has significantly increased over the past decade.This has resulted in countries putting regulations in place for things that we could notdetect in the past. Ochratoxin A is one of those things that has recently been regulated.For example, both the European Union and China have a limit of five parts per billion inraw grain. If you can visualize five seconds in thirty-two years, you will understand fiveparts per billion. So why does this matter to you and what can you do about it? It matters to youbecause the presence of detectible levels of mycotoxins can be used by importingcountries as an excuse to block trade. These kinds of tactics are used to protect theirdomestic industry or simply to negotiate a lower price. Either way Canadian producerswill get less for their grain. So what can you do about it? Think like a fungus for a moment. A mushroom likes togrow in a moist, warm dark place. Don’t let your grain bin be that place. I know that thisis just best practice, but keep grain temperature and moisture content low, aerate yourbins regularly and be careful about what you deliver to the elevator. Fungal infectionscan begin long before there is visible evidence of spoiled grain. But if you do see visualevidence of mold or other spoilage, do not put it onto the truck. This is not just aboutgrade and dockage but about Canada’s reputation for constantly delivering the highestquality safe food. That reputation matters to your pocket book. Cam Dahl is President of Cereals Canada.


By Harry Siemens

Harvest 2014 is underway in parts of Manitoba with firstreports coming in from the Pembina and Red River Valleysas well as the United States. Provincial reports to date on yields vary greatly includ-ing canola yields of 50 bushels an acre to red spring wheatat Lowe Farm of 80 bushels and acre. Overall, the earlieryield reports are averaging, 60 - 70, depending on the con-ditions of geography, location and rain or lack of rainfall. Dale Gall, the elevator Manager at Viterra, just west ofWinkler, said that in about the first dozen or so samples ofwinter wheat the yields range from 60 to low 60’s and thereis significant Fusarium damage varying from a low of onepercent to a high of five percent. “Those samples range from below the escarpment atMorden, east to Altona, north to Roland and south to theUnited States border,” Gall said during an interview. “Allcrops could use an inch of rain and soybean leaves arestarting to curl a little,” he further added. According to Gall one farmer north of Plum Coulee hadsaid at the beginning of August, his field of soybeans hadstopped blooming and another said his beans were in theretracting stage going dormant although not completelystopped. Bud McKnight of Carman said some of the earlier samplesof winter wheat are showing up with close to 17 percentFusarium Head Blight. The reason farmers’ plant winter wheat is to get that headstart in spring and in some cases hoping to beat the on-slaught of Fusarium Head Blight. The early planting doesnot appear it to be much of an advantage in the PembinaTriangle according to Jake Davidson, the Executive Direc-tor of Winter Cereals Canada. He said excess moisture tooka dramatic toll on the quality of winter cereal crops plantedlast fall. Because of last year’s late harvest farmers planted feweracres of fall seeded cereal crops. In western Canada abun-dant snow cover protected the crops from winter kill butexcess moisture during the growing season caused prob-lems. Davidson said the growers he spoke with indicated theyhave never seen their crops take so long to start growing. “My group of farmers, extending from east Selkirk throughto Outlook, Saskatchewan, generally figure they’re goingto get an average yield with quality a bit of a concern,” hesaid. “There seems to be a significant amount of Fusariumshowing up in one variety in particular and it’s a little wor-risome. It’s Flourish that’s showing a little more Fusariumthan we expected.” He noted that Emerson is the Fusarium resistant varietywhich is still in multiplication and it is showing good resis-tance.

Fusarium Head Blight Affects Yields

Left: Canola is looking good with yields of 50bushels an acre or more in the Red River Valley.Above: While farmers are cutting and combining,some are still spraying.Right: Dale Gall, Manager of the Viterra elevatorwest of Winkler said early winter wheatsamples had lots of Fusarium Head Blight.

Western grains and oilseeds producers who have been unable to market their crops due to rail transportationchallenges and flooding have been granted more time to repay their 2013 cash advances under the AdvancePayments Program (APP). Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced a stay of default on the repayment of advances for producers whoreceived an advance through the Manitoba Corn Growers Association (MCGA) on their 2013 crops. The stay of default extends the 2013 repayment deadline by six months to March 31, 2015 and affected producerswill have the option to repay their APP advances in cash without penalty. Technical changes are also beingimplemented to make it easier for all producers to repay their advances by allowing them until the end of theproduction period to provide proof of sale on any commodity covered by APP. “The Manitoba Corn Growers Association is very pleased with the granting of the stay of default. Due totransportation issues and flooding in some areas of the province, many producers have been unable to move their2013 crop. This will be extremely well received as it will take the pressure off and bring much needed relief to thoseproducers,” said Myron Krahn, President of the Manitoba Corn Growers Association. Producers in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia who received a 2013 APP advance on theircrops through the MCGA are eligible for the six-month stay of default and are encouraged to contact the MCGA formore details. On July 10, a stay of default with the same terms was announced for western crop producers who received 2013APP advances from the Canadian Canola Growers Association.

Crop PCrop PCrop PCrop PCrop Producers Granted More Time to Rroducers Granted More Time to Rroducers Granted More Time to Rroducers Granted More Time to Rroducers Granted More Time to Repay Cash Advancesepay Cash Advancesepay Cash Advancesepay Cash Advancesepay Cash Advances

On August 21 at approximately 6 pm, St. Pierre-Jolys RCMPresponded to a call of a pig barn fire in the RM of Hanover,approximately 10 kilometers southwest of La Broquerie. When police responded, the barn was already engulfedin flames and three local fire departments were on scenekeeping the blaze under control. It took fire crews over 5 hours to extinguish the fire. All1,100 pigs inside the barn perished and no people werehurt. The barn was completely destroyed. The Office of the Fire Commissioner is assisting with theinvestigation and the cause of the fire is unknown at thistime.

Investigation into PigBarn Fire Continues


Summer is traditionally a time when Manitobansregroup. They engage in some fun, food and festivities.Unfortunately the summer of 2014 brought some differentkinds of ‘f’ words to the fore for our cattle producers inflooding, feed shortages and frustration. Manitoba’s beef producers truly are a determined group.In the past decade, they’ve battled through BSE, tradedisputes and a daunting series of natural disasters.Unfortunately these challenges proved too much for some,forcing them out of the business. But many persevered. Recently, prices have beenimproving, allowing producers to rebuild lost equity and toconsider herd expansion. There has been a growing sense ofoptimism and for good reason. Governments and industryhave been working diligently to secure new trade opportu-nities in Europe, Asia and beyond. It’s essential thatManitoba’s beef industry ? be it primary producers orprocessors – is positioned to capitalize on these emergingopportunities. Not surprisingly, the 2014 flooding and excess moistureconditions are causing some producers to re-consider theiroptions, especially if they cannot source enough feed forthe winter. These producers need to be able to moveforward from a position of confidence and to know thatgovernments are listening to their concerns. To that end, MBP is seeking a forage shortfall programand accompanying transportation program to helpproducers facing feed shortages. We have also requestedthat the Livestock Tax Deferral provision be made availableshould producers have to sell off breeding stock due toflood-related feed shortages. We are also seeking adjust-ments to business risk management programs, like forageinsurance, to make them more responsive. When I speak to decision makers in government, I remindthem of the need for sound policies and programs that willlead to the beef industry’s expansion, instead of thecontinued contraction. I also remind them of the manytrade opportunities that we worked collectively to achieveand how we need to position the beef industry to takeadvantage of them. Canada’s beef industry is at a critical junction. I worrythat our current weather-related challenges will cause moreproducers to exit the industry. I am concerned we will nolonger have the producer numbers to ensure Manitoba is astrong industry player and is positioned to drive the buson the new opportunities. That is why it’s so important tohave the right programs and policies to address the shortand long-term challenges and to provide us with theinfrastructure to help capture the emerging opportunities. Despite the challenges, Manitoba’s beef producerscontinually demonstrate their determination to move ourindustry forward. A case in point is the Manitoba Youth Beef Round-Up inNeepawa. It has been a long time since I was at an eventwhere the energy and passion for our industry was socontagious. I must commend the organizing committee thathas worked so diligently to host this event, year after yearand make sure the attendance from youth and sponsors hasgrown. It is a dangerous game to name names, as one willalways leave someone out, but I feel I must congratulateBlair and Lois McRae for their hard work, dedication andsupport of our industry and our youth. At this event, I had the extreme pleasure of judging theteam marketing competition and the cook-off. I am not surewhich one I enjoyed the most, but I do know the futurebeef producers from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba andOntario could outshine any master chef in Canada, cookingsolely off of a BBQ. The fun events were also combinedwith a great show of beef cattle genetics. The youth andthe cattle at this event truly are the future of our industryand I know we are in good hands. I truly believe this event and others like it reflect ourindustry’s potential, as well as the unflagging power of ouryoung producers. Yes, our industry will always facechallenges and they will come in various forms. But I dobelieve we can climb over them and continue to moveforward. The youth are the future. We will continue topush for smart programs and policies to help ensure wehave an industry in which our youth can stay, or return to,so that we can prosper and capture new and emergingopportunities.

Statistics Canada data show that the number of honey-bees in Canada has reached near-record levels in the pastdecade, with more than 700,000 colonies Canada-wide in2012, up from 600,000 in 2000. More than 70 percent ofthese colonies are in western Canada because canola isthe main crop for honey production in western Canada. “Bees tend to do very well on canola. The crop has pro-fuse blooms and nutritious pollen high in protein as well asfat and with all the amino acids bees need to complete theirlifecycle,” said Shelley Hoover, an apiculture research sci-entist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development.“Bees can produce quite a good honey crop off of canola.” Hoover along with beekeepers and canola growers arefeatured in a new series of videos produced by the CanolaCouncil of Canada (CCC) with cooperation from the Cana-dian Honey Council. One video posted at youtube.com/canolacouncil, titled “Canola and Bees — A Sweet Rela-tionship,” describes how beekeepers and canola produc-ers benefit from each other. “Honey producers are not the only ones who gain fromthis relationship. Canola growers also know it is in theirown best interest to protect bees,” said Gregory Sekulic,agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada(CCC). “Bees and other pollinators are needed for produc-tion of quality hybrid seed, a vital component of the indus-try. And research suggests that pollination by bees mayalso encourage higher canola yields by increasing the num-ber of pods per plant and seeds per pod.” “Our bees have a few crop options in our area, but canolais the most common flowering crop and the bees seem todo well on canola,” said Lorne Peters who operates a honeyfarm with his brother near Kleefeld. “Our honey season is intense. It only lasts as long as thecrops are flowering,” he explained. “We have long-standing relationships with many of thecanola growers around us and we try to work with them asclose as possible so we can keep our bees safe during thisshort flowering period and so they can protect their cropswhen necessary.” The CCC promotes insect management practices that takebee health into account by recommending the avoidanceof spraying insecticide on flowering canola since bees areactively working the crop when it is flowering. The CCCalso urges the use of economic thresholds when makingcontrol decisions. This ensures that growers only spraywhen it is economically beneficial to do so. A few pests inthe crop are normal and control should never be enactedunless the damage exceeds the cost of control. The coun-

Disease surveys show an increase in blackleg incidence acrossthe Prairies over the past few years. Canola growers may need toredeploy a more integrated approach to manage the disease. “After 15 to 20 years of good control from resistant varietiesalone, growers may have to implement other practices to protectcanola yields and preserve the efficacy of genetic resistance onsome fields,” said Clint Jurke, agronomy specialist for the CanolaCouncil of Canada (CCC). “Growers and agronomists who mayhave forgotten what the disease looks like and how to manage itwill have to rebuild their knowledge and experience base.” To scout, visit canola fields in the week or two before swathingor straight cutting. Pull up a few random plants and clip the stemjust below ground level. Look for black discolouration of thecross section. A rating of “0” means no blackleg stemdiscolouration. A rating of ‘5’ means the stem is completelydiscoloured and blackleg has killed the plant. A wedge of blackthat covers 26-50 percent of the cross section is considered a ‘2’on the severity scale. Repeat this at a few sites within the field. If average severity is1.5 or more, blackleg races in that field are likely starting toovercome the genetic resistance in that particular variety. Rotat-ing varieties to bring a mix of blackleg resistance genes to the fieldover time can help prevent or delay the breakdown of resistance. A key component of integrated pest management (IPM) ofblackleg is to combine agronomic best practices and stewardshipof blackleg resistance, if the disease is present in the field. “A two- to three-year break from canola on a high-risk fieldalong with genetic resistance is recommended,” said Plant Pa-thologist Ralph Lange. “In that time, most of the infected canola

The Road toTomorrow

A Sweet Relation BetweenCanola and Honey Producers

cil asks that insecticide use should be for the targeted pestand that the product used is with lower toxicity to benefi-cial insects. Other measures are take measures to minimize drift byconstantly monitoring wind speed and direction leaving abuffer area (50 metres) from beehives and use drift reduc-ing nozzles. If economically necessary to apply products to flower-ing canola, apply after 8 pm until dusk or at night whenbees aren’t actively foraging. Producers are asked to stopspraying in the morning when temperatures approach 15°C. Producers should maintain a dialogue with beekeepers.Knowing where beehives are, when safe times to applyproducts occur and who will be there can go a long way tomitigating any potential problems. The beekeeper may beable to move bees during spraying, or cover the hives. “We also encourage beekeepers to report pesticide dam-age when it happens,” Sekulic said. “With an accurate log of pesticide damage, including thetiming, location and product used beekeepers, the canolaindustry and regulatory bodies have accurate data to usewhen making decisions.”

Up Close and Personal with Blacklegresidue will have decomposed, reducing the spores available toinfect the next canola crop.” Controlling volunteer canola and other Brassica weeds in allcrops in the rotation will also prevent blackleg buildup, Langeadded. Applying fungicides could also help although research is ongo-ing to determine the best methods. Agriculture and Agri-FoodCanada found no benefit to tillage or burning stubble for blacklegmanagement.


New research supports increased use of canola meal in the diets of weaned pigs. Theresearch team of Dr. Martin Nyachoti at the University of Manitoba demonstrated recentlythat canola meal can be included in the diets of weaned pigs at levels up to 25 percent whilesupporting high growth performance. Canola meal is often limited in the diets of weaned pigs due to its high fibre levels, but asNyachoti’s team has shown, proper diet formulation practices can allow canola meal to beutilized at higher levels when economically favourable to do so. Nyachoti’s new research also supports findings from Dr. Ruurd Zijlstra and Dr. EduardoBeltranena from the University of Alberta, which showed positive results with canola mealinclusion up to 20 percent in the diets of weaned pigs. “These research projects show how outdated perceptions on maximum inclusion levelsof canola meal in weaned pig diets are no longer relevant in diets formulated on net energyand digestible amino acids,” said Brittany Dyck, Canola Meal Manager for the CanolaCouncil of Canada. Dr. Arnold B. Pierce of Preferred Animal Nutrition Services Inc., says nutritionists formu-lating rations can soften their canola meal restrictions in least cost feed formulations.“This new information requires further validation but will allow formulating nutritionists toprovide lower cost diets containing canola meal that still support high production levels,”Pierce said. Additional canola meal research was showcased this summer at the American DairyScience Association Joint Annual Meeting in Kansas City, Missouri and at the AnnualPoultry Science Association meeting in Corpus Christi, Texas. Researchers and industryprofessionals from across the U.S. and Canada attended these meetings. “The CCC prides itself in funding research that is applicable to the livestock nutritioncommunity. If a swine nutritionist in Canada has easy access to canola meal and access toresearch demonstrating its full utilization potential, then fewer high cost ingredients mayneed to be brought into the ration,” Dyck said. Canola meal also helps dairy performance. Canola meal got a boost this summer in thedairy sector, too. Researchers from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Sherbrooke,Quebec, University of California, Davis, South Dakota State University, University ofWisconsin and University of Nevada, Reno were also at the American Dairy ScienceAssociation meeting in Kansas City. The dairy team of researchers presented new ab-stracts that continue to demonstrate increases in milk production when dairy cows are fedcanola meal over other protein ingredients, such as soybean meal. These results have driven the dairy team of researchers to further examine the mecha-nisms in how the cow digests and utilizes canola meal. “Key findings indicate that canola meal provides the cow with higher levels of rumenbypass protein than is reported in popular literature,” Dyck said.

Weaned Pigs Perform onHigh Canola Meal Diet


Cystic ovaries seem to be a dairy cow’s disease, which affects between 5 to 20% of thecows on most herds. Mature cows have a higher reported incidence (as high as 40%),compared to freshened 1st calf heifers (about 10%), while replacement heifers of breedingage have a low natural incidence of less than 3%. From these simple statistics, one could think that a number of cystic ovaries among theolder ‘profit-makers’ could have dire economic consequences, if they couldn’t get rebredand conceive with their next calf. Therefore it is important to identify cows within yourherd, successfully treat them and also have a good feed and management program thathelps reduce its occurrence. Such cyst identification might start off with some speculation that a high producingdairy cow should be in heat, but exhibits abnormal breeding behaviour or shows no signsof heat at all. At this point, the veterinarian should be called in, to confirm that a cystic caseexists by rectal palpation or preferred ultra-sound exam. Once an actual cystic is identified,it falls into two main categories, namely a follicular or luteal cyst. Follicular cysts occur in about 70% of the positive herd-health cases at about 15 – 45days in milk. Instead of ovulating and releasing the egg (no ovum is released for fertiliza-tion and conception), the follicular cyst disrupts the normal 21-day estrus cycle of theinfertile cow by growing into a thin-walled soft structure with an abnormal size of about 2.5cm (one inch) structure. Luteal cysts on an infertile cow’s ovaries are similar to follicular cysts in that they alsoincite ovulation failure, but some luteinisation (the process of hormone and structurechanges after ovulation) occurs. Consequently, some reproductive physiologists believethat luteal cysts are likely follicular cysts in the later stages of follicular development,because luteal cysts produce hormones such as progesterone that blocks normal folliculardevelopment. By comparison, luteal cysts tend to be much firmer structures than follicularcysts. Some reproductive physiologists also believe that many ovarian cysts regardless oftype; originate from failure of pre-ovulatory release of luteinizing hormones by the pitu-itary gland. Normally, these hormones would trigger normal ovulation, luteinisation andlead to the development of the corpus luteum (follicular structure involved in pregnancy). With this in mind, subsequent treatment of follicular cysts involves the therapeuticadministration of gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH), which stimulates problem-atic dairy cows to release luteinizing hormone that promotes ovulation. GnRH treatmentsare often given 30 days post-partum because many follicular cysts can regress on theirown accord. Luteal cysts are treated in a similar manner, but are also induced with prostag-landins, which is effective in causing their significant regression. Each follicular and lutealprotocol has about an 80 – 85 % success rate in returning cystic dairy cows to a reproduc-tive life. Such successful cystic ovarian treatments are hard to ignore, yet preventative measuresmight be a better alternative to often costly therapeutic treatments, despite the seeminglywidespread spontaneity of cystic ovaries in dairy cattle. It is known that controllingreproductive disorders at calving and shortly afterwards, namely dystocia, retained pla-centas, ketosis and uterine infections often decreases the occurrence of cystic ovariandisease in a lactating dairy herd. There might be a nutrition and management link as well. Here is a brief summary of somerecommendations that could be implemented on an ‘everyday’ basis that might help re-duce cystic ovaries in a typical dairy herd:- Monitor body condition scores (BCS) – Post-partum dairy cows that have low BCS (lessthan 2.5) often exhibit anestrus. Researchers at Colorado State University also showedthat over-conditioned cows were 2.5 times more likely to develop ovarian cysts. It isadvised that cows have a BCS of 3.5 to 3.75 at dry-off and dairy producers should maintainthis BCS level to calving.- Maintain energy balance - Implement a proper transition feeding program (three weeksbefore cows calve and three weeks post-partum) in order to promote good dry matterintake and optimum body condition (above). Such close-up dry cow diets should dovetailinto early lactation rations. Both diets are formulated with the central idea of maintaininggood rumen function (by providing adequate effective forage fibre) and yet carry outenough available dietary energy to meet respective vital and production needs. Anothergoal is to maintain adequate DMI in dairy cows prior to calving (re: 12 kg, DM basis), whilebuilding up feed intake in early lactation to about 3.5 – 4.0% of their bodyweight at about9 – 10 weeks post-partum.- Maintain good trace mineral status – Copper, Manganese, Zinc and Selenium are part ofseveral enzyme systems that are involved in production and release of many reproductivehormones. This means a marginal deficiency in one of these trace mineral could adverselyaffect endocrine activities. For example, Copper deficiencies have been linked to changesto hormone behaviours due to repeat breeding and inactive ovaries. Zinc deficiencieshave been shown to lower follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone(LH) levels. Lastly, Ohio State University animal scientists reported that cystic ovarieswere diagnosed in 19% of a split group of dairy cows injected with Selenium compared toa 47% incidence of cystic ovaries in untreated cows.- Record and monitor cystic cows – It is a good idea to record all cows that have confirmedcystic ovaries, age of cow, parity, whether it is of follicular or luteal type and reoccurrenceamongst individual cows. Record cows that do not respond to hormonal treatment. Con-sider the profitability of all cystic cows and those respective cows that should be culled. Nobody will argue that taking the above herd-health or on-the-farm actions will totallyeliminate ovarian cysts from occurring on any commercial dairy herd. However, it will takemuch of the mystery out of this reproductive challenge by identifying cystic candidatesand successfully deal with their immediate problem as well as implementation of one ormore above suggestions in order to help prevent its incidence. Even the reduction of onecystic cow in any herd helps restore reproductive performance in a big way.

Take the MysteryOut of Cystic Ovaries

in Dairy Cows


By Les Klekte

Rose Stevens says it isthe desire for healthy foodthat got her involved in theanti-GMO movement andhas her raising her ownfood organically on a farmat Beausejour. “I have always been anactivist and was involvedin the health industry,” shesaid. “I saw people gainingweight and having morehealth problems and Iblame it on the food theyare eating. I just want toraise healthy food for myfamily, I wish I could get tothe point I was providing itfor others.” Stevens was one of theorganizers that brought Dr.Theirry Vrain a former ge-netic engineer and soil bi-ologist with AgricultureCanada to Manitoba aspart of the Cross-CanadaSpeakers Tour on Geneti-cally Engineer Foods andYour Health. The tour had3 stops in Manitoba andattracted the largest crowdin Winnipeg with 350, while50 turned out for the eventin Lac du Bonnet and 30 inBrandon. “The Brandon crowd wasnot large but it was farm-ers,” said Stevens. “And itwas what I call good farm-ers, the ones that are con-cerned about the safety ofthe food they produce.” Stevens was previouslyinvolved in the productionof a video opposingRoundup Ready alfalfa. “That took a lot of re-sources,” she said. “Itcould have been inherit-ance for my kids but I felt itwas important and I wanthealthy food for my grand-children.” Stevens said the veryregulatory process that sheis lobbying to strengthenis keeping her from produc-ing the food she wants.

Canadian livestock producers will benefit from more export opportunities in theAmericas as Jamaica has approved all imports of beef from Canada. Effective immediately, Canadian producers can export beef to Jamaica, with fullaccess now restored after the closure of this market in 2003 due to BSE. Canada BeefInc. estimates that the Jamaican market for Canadian beef is annually worth roughly$4.5 million, or 1.5 million pounds of beef. Jamaica is Canada’s second largest market for agricultural exports within the Carib-bean region, only after Cuba, with 2013 agricultural exports to Jamaica totalling $54million. Canada’s top agricultural exports to the Jamaican market include non durum wheat,frozen french fries, whey, pig fat and skim milk powder.

She JustWants

HealthyFood

“The regulatory bodiesare treating organic prod-ucts the same way as com-mercially produced pesti-cides,” she said. “I cannotget neem oil from India be-cause it is not a registeredproduct here and becauseit is not protected by apatent no company will gothrough the registrationprocess and the costs.” Neem oil is a naturally oc-curring pesticide found inseeds from the neem treethat act as a repellent forinsects such as aphids,cabbage worm, moth lar-vae, mushroom flies, locustand nematodes. It is con-sidered toxic for bees andshould not be applied whenbees are active just like anyother pesticide. It isslightly soluble in waterand can be dispersed.There has been no associa-tion with increased cancerrisk when exposed directlyand it is registered with theUS Environmental Protec-tion Agency as a pesticide. She argues that it is amatter of common sense

with products like the con-trol measures she wants tobring in but agrees there isno easy answer. “What’s next citronellaoil?” she asks. “I can seethe need for a regulatorybody but when a producthas been used for genera-tions we have to be able touse some common sense.”Citronella oil is also a plant-based insect repellentwhich has been registeredin the United States since1948. It is insoluble in wa-ter and considered toxic toaquatic organisms. Stevens believes that theextensive use ofglyphosate on crops haslead to the removal of sev-eral minerals in the plantsand resulted in poor dietaryproducts. “I take organic sulphureveryday to make up forit,” she said. “We need toeducate people about theproblems of these crops.”She would like to see astronger regulatory pro-gram for labelling of foodproducts.

Jamaican MarketOpens to Beef

The Organic Federation of Canada (OFC) will receive $8 mil-lion from the Federal Government to lead an organic sciencecluster that will help the sector respond to market demand andcapture new opportunities. The cluster brings the best and brightest together, from academia,government and industry, to focus on cutting-edge research anddevelopment that will improve the organic sector’s competitive-ness, market potential, adaptability and sustainability. This willbe accomplished through a series of activities focused on expand-ing organic production in response to market demand for hops,sprouts, ornamental potted plants and poultry. Two hundred collaborating scientists will work on several pri-orities, including crop breeding for improved cultivars, develop-ing new reduced tillage systems for organic crops, enhancing soilto improve plant health and developing new approaches to man-age crop pests, diseases and livestock parasites. “This project involves researchers across the country workingtogether to provide us with the tools needed to expand produc-tion to meet the ever-growing consumer demand for organic food,”said Ted Zettel, President of the Organic Federation of Canada. Canada’s organic exports have been valued at over $458 mil-lion, with most going to the U.S. and the European Union.

Scientists Look atExpanding Organic Sector

Organic Federation ofCanada receives $8million for researchactivities focused onexpanding organicproduction and marketdemand for hops,sprouts, ornamentalpotted plants andpoultry.


By Joan Airey

On August 10, a heritagecelebration and openhouse was held in memoryof Tim (Vernon) Clack whodonated the museum to theClack Family Heritage Mu-seum Foundation Inc. in1997. “The museum was puttogether by Tim and hisbrothers Doug and Fredwho predeceased him. Timpassed away this summerat the age of ninety-six,”said Margaret Burt one ofthe volunteer board mem-bers who manage the mu-seum. The museum byBlanchard, Manitoba isopen during the summermonths and in July andAugust the board employsstudents to help managethe heritage museum andevents. Tim built numerous min-iature replicas of antiquemachinery which are ondisplay along with every-thing related to agriculturalin the past,” said MargaretBurt. Along with the hand madereplicas, visitors enjoyednumerous contests such aslog sawing and spinning

Clack Heritage Museum Celebrates Days Gone By

Using their Louet spinning wheels brought from Holland, RinaSchueler and her daughter Rebecca from Minnedosa demon-strates the art of spinning wool at the Clack Heritage Museumopen house.

Photos By Joan Airey

Dick Heapy and Jim Brownof Oak River compete in thelog sawing contest at ClackHeritage Museum OpenHouse on August 10.

wool demonstrations. The museum is located inthe Rural Municipality ofBlanshard and has numer-ous buildings housing ev-erything from what youwould find in an old railwaystation to a drugstore indays gone by.

Harry Matis a farrier from Portage trims Ty a geldinghooves on one of his regular calls in western Manitoba.Hoof care should be just as routine as watering or feed-ing and horses should have their hooves trimmed regu-larly to maintain their health.

Horses GetPedicures Too!

Photo By Joan Airey


By Les Kletke

Manitoba Pulse Growers are seeing their check-offdollars at work while attending the Field Day in earlyAugust. The event was held at the Agriculture CanadaResearch Facility in Morden and variety trials were oneof the stops that got the most interest. According to Francois LaBelle the General Managerof the Manitoba Pulse Growers Association the varietytrials were always a popular stop this year and particu-lar interest was seen in the bean varieties. “Some of the trials that are going on are partially fundedby the check-off dollars.” said LaBelle. “So the fellowscould see their money at work and that there are somenew varieties that are only a year or two away fromregistration.” He says that edible beans are in a catchup situation because there has not been the same em-phasis placed on edible beans compared to soybeans. “The life of a soybean variety is probably 4 or 5 years,”he said. “The large private companies are involved andthey see the potential for the acreage of the crop toexpand in western Canada. The edible bean varietiesthat we are growing are much older and have not hadthe advantage of recent breeding programs.” Someedible varieties are more than 25 years old he furthernoted. La Belle said that even smaller companies have got-ten involved with the soybean breeding programs in aneffort to get involved with the increase in soybeans. “Saskatchewan is ready to grow the crop.” he said.“But, they are more prone to drought and I don’t thinkthey will see the same yields as we have in Manitoba.But, they still make sense in some crop budgets andguys are willing to give them a try.”

Check-Off Dividendsin Research Success

Bob Connor tells growers attending the Manitoba PulseGrowers Field Day about disease control efforts and a jointprogram with North Dakota State University.

La Belle advises growers in Manitoba to be on thewatch for disease and insect problems which have notchallenged the crop seriously to date. “The insects and diseases do not need a passport andwill cross the border and easily,” he said. “We may seesome advantage with our winters helping control prob-lems but they will blow in and there is a channel of cropsthrough North Dakota.” La Belle explained that program that is operating inconjunction with North Dakota State University and islooking at anthracnose control that makes sense. An-thracnose infections on deciduous plants are more se-vere in areas where prolonged spring rains occur afternew growth is produced because the fungi need waterto be disseminated and infect. The fungi do not spreadunder dry conditions. “The problem is the same and the varieties are thesame, so it makes sense that we have a joint venture inlooking for control,” said La Belle on one of the joint-venture field presentations.

If you have an insurance claim with any of your machin-ery you will likely need to rent a replacement while thedamaged one is being repaired or replaced. This can bevery costly unless your insurance policy covers the ex-pense. The Machinery Loss of Use Coverage will pay the rentalcost of the replacement machinery if the damage to yourequipment is covered by the insurance policy. Also youhave to explain that you need the replacement. It will notpay if you simply experience a breakdown and the cover-age will not pay the full cost of custom work service but itwill very likely pay a good portion. In all cases the rental unit or custom work has to beapproved by the adjuster. In a number of situations we have seen the Loss of Useclaims add up to be more than the machinery claim itself. You also need to make sure you have enough coverage.It used to be that $2,000 per day rental coverage wasenough but today machinery rental rates are higher. Dailyrentals can now exceed $3,000. For a very minimal difference in cost you should con-sider insuring at the higher level. Be sure to seek advice and purchase insurance from thosewho understand your business! Andy Anderson is an Associate Insurance Broker spe-cializing in General, Life and Group Benefits for Farm,Commercial/Agri-business P 204-746-5589 F 866-765-3351 [email protected]/rempelinsurance.com/valleyfinancial.ca.

Machinery Loss ofUse Coverage


Sixty-five Juniors from Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewanand Alberta’s enthusiastic Junior Cattle Producers attendedthe 7th annual Manitoba Youth Beef Roundup August 1 -3 in Neepawa. Excitement in the cattle industry broughtout a top notch group of interested cattle producers and115 head of cattle. This was not just a cattle show. It was an all around eventto promote youth continuing on in the livestock industry.

Neepawa Hosts YouthBeef Roundup

The 65 youth gathered for the 7th Annual Manitoba Beef Roundup pose for a group photo.

Roundup Grand Aggregate winners - Vanessa Sheppard,Royce Mollenbeck, Naomi Best and Carson Baker on thetractor. Far right Sponsor Justin Pollock of Enns Brothers.

By Harry Siemens

Gordon Ginter of Winklersaid he’d like to start a differ-ent kind of farming by har-vesting trees meant for thetrash heap and destined to be-come ashes in short order.

Harvesting Old Trees from Farm Yards “I’m trying set up a busi-ness that uses up trees thatwould other wise be de-stroyed via harvesting due todevelopment, age, disease,etc.,” said Ginter. “I believe itis better for our provincial for-ests that we use these trees

for camp fires rather than...going into our provincial for-est to harvest lumber qualitytrees for camp fires.” He is willing to harvest someof the shelterbelt trees, ifpeople are willing to pay him.Even if it is somewhat com-

plex, he enjoys the work. “A lady west of Morden, hadsome trees on either side ofthe ones needing harvestingthat she wanted to maintainas is,” said Ginter. “A powerline ran at a 90 degree anglethrough these trees. So, need-less to say, problematic. I sim-ply fastened my chain to allthe trees and forced them tofall in the right direction.” In another case, a couple hadsome very aged towering pop-lars. Their neighbour was un-able to clean them up, butGinter could. The yard in townleft little room to manoeuvre,so he used his winch block,pulled the trees in a differentdirection and harvested thepoplar trees for someone elseto use as firewood and ulti-mately saved a tree or two inthe wooded forests. So far, sales are slow, yet heis hopeful to see a return forhis time and invest in addi-tional harvesting equipment.“Since I’m harvesting mostlypoplar, most clients want oakor ash,” said Ginter. “Oak andash trees take a considerableamount of time to re-grow,about 90 to 150 years, pop-lars re-grow in 40 years.” Ginter thinks that with har-vesting at the present rate, oakand ash may disappear andleave the next generation withonly poplar. “Poplar is a hardwood. Trydriving a nail into a poplarboard. It does not spatterwhen you sit close to it arounda campfire,” Ginter said. He explained that the ideacame to him one day as he wascutting down trees and clean-ing up some lot lines. Some-one told him he couldn’t com-pete with the big companiesup north who harvest treescommercially and sell for fire-wood. That is when he real-ized that these companies har-vest from crown lands some-times for only firewood andend up taking down the for-ests. His current stack of about70 trees is being sold mostlyto campers in half cord lotsand carried away by pickuptruck or put into bags. “I get the best price fromcampers - or people in townwho want to burn it in theirlittle fire pit,” said Ginter.


By Les Kletke

Brenda Dyck says the weather this spring has caused allkinds of problems, she operates a greenhouse near Vitaand while the colder than usual temperatures drove herheating bill up they also kept customers away when herplants were ready. “We had plants ready but people weren’t ready to plantthings outside,” she said. “Then by the time the weatherwarmed up people thought it was too late to be putting intheir garden.” It is a problem faced by many of the green-house operators around the province this year. The ex-tended cold winter drove up their initial costs and keptclient from their doors when plants were ready. Dyck has salvaged some of this year by placing the plants

By Les Kletke

Ask Dennis about thecolour of the raspberries athis stand and the answercomes quickly. He offeredboth the traditional deepred berries and a yellowvariety for the same price. “Only the colour,” he saidwith a smile. “They bothtaste great.” He is rightabout the great taste, theultimate raspberry connois-seur might be able to find adifference but most cus-tomers are happy just tohave the fruit as fresh ashis stocks are. Bogen and his familyfarm at Winkler and are partof the regular Friday after-noon Farmers Market atVita. He acknowledges thatit is a long drive from thehome farm to the market,“But we were invited so wethought we would try it.” He was doing a brisk busi-ness in honey and takingorders for other types thatwould be available later inthe season. Bogen’s firstvisit to the market was inearly August and heplanned to return for othermarkets and deliver the

Vita Farmers Market Sweetenedwith Berries and Honey

honey for later crops. “We have canola honeynow.” said Bogen. “Butthere the sunflower honeywill be coming later and wewill have buckwheat honeyas well. There is more inter-est in the Buckwheat honeyin this area and people areasking if we have some, itwill be later.” He said theslow cool spring had de-layed honey productionbecause most crops wereplanted later than usual andcame into bloom late. The Bogens are not look-ing to control the honeymarket but rather supplypeople with the specialtyhoney they want. The fam-ily has 4 hives and the beeswork various crops aroundthe families 2 and half acrefarm at Winkler. The hivesyield about 200 lbs ofhoney for the season. “The buckwheat honey isa little stronger in taste.” hesaid. “Not everyone likes itbut the people that prefer itover the canola honey re-ally like it but, have a diffi-cult time finding it becauseof the small acreage of thecrop.” Bogen said that the mar-

keting venture grew out ofselling the excess producefrom their farm, “We startedto grow the vegetables for

Photos by Les Kletke

Denis Bogen of Winkler offers customers a choice ofraspberries at this stand at the Vita Farmers Market. Bogenalso took orders for honey from later crops.

ourselves and then beganselling the extra, now we aregrowing some for the Farm-ers Market.” His booth offered straw-berries, cucumbers andzucchini along with the redand yellow raspberries andthe honey.

By Les Kletke

For Dean and Sara Wall a trip to the Vita Farmers Marketand setting up their booth was an exercise in multi-tasking.They were there to test market, find a commercial kitchenfor preparation of their product and sell some of the pro-duce from their farm. It appeared they accomplished allthree on one of the early market dates. “We are looking for a kitchen to produce our bars,” saidDean Wall who proudly claims to be the developer of therecipe that contains locally sourced Quinoa. “We havelooked at some in halls or community centres but have notfound a good fit. We are talking to the baker in the nextbooth and it sounds promising.” The Zhoda couple need a kitchen that has been inspectedand certified to produce the healthy snack bar. They try touse as much of their own production as possible and whenthey are forced to go elsewhere they still make an effort toshop local. “We found some Quinoa that is produced in Saskatchewanand we use that.” He said. “We have it shipped in butwould love to work with a local producer if we could findsome closer.” The couple say they access the crop by amail order business on the internet. Sara Wall has the same approach to her jams and usesberries that she picks on their farm or in the wild nearby.The couple operate Zhoda Family Farms and have a120acres which is mostly grass and trees but have an acre ofcrops for their own use and in the foods they bring to themarket. The have chosen not to certify organic but try toproduce their products without commercial inputs. “We haven’t certified organic,” said Dean. “We mightconsider it in the future, but for now we could not see theadvantage and there are several bodies that certify. It issomething we might look into.” One of their best crops this year was rhubarb. “We havehad a great crop, and I use it in some of the jams,” saidSara. “It is hard to keep up with the growth this year.” The couple also have some less traditional products likenettle and wild mint. “There is a growing interest in these plants for medicinalreasons,” explained Dean. “So we offer them for peoplewho might want to use them in making tea or other com-pounds; people who may not have access to pick them.” He acknowledges that the nettle plant does offer somechallenges to giving up its growth.

Looking for a Kitchen

Dean and Sara Wall are looking for a commercial kitchen toproduce their new energy bar. They source local material forthe bar.

Late Spring Toughon Greenhouse

Operators

in her garden and marketing them at the Vita Farmers Mar-ket. “Even at this time [early August] we are way behind be-cause of the late cold spring,” she said. “We should havelots of cucumbers by this time and we don’t have any.” “When we finally did get some heat in May it was toolate and people don’t want to plant a garden in June, “ saidDyck. Dyck has seen a steady increase in herbs in recent yearsboth at her greenhouse and at the summer market. “Peopleare buying more rosemary and basil,” she said. “They get-ting used to having fresh herbs and like to have some oftheir own in pots even in winter.” She did have a good supply of peppers for the earlymarket and a good range of colours from purple throughyellow and green. “But the red ones are late and we have not had many ofthem yet,” she said. She also has a plant that can be used as a sugar replace-ment and said that it has caused considerable interest atthe market. “I don’t know if people are using it as a sweetener ordrying some of it themselves,” she said. “But there hasbeen good interest in the plant in the spring and now at themarket.” Overall, customers at the market are aware of the latespring and seemed patient about the arrival of vegetableslater in the season than usual.

Brenda Dyck says the late spring impacted her greenhousesales and has delayed harvest of her vegetables as well.

Farmer’sMarkets

Adding VAdding VAdding VAdding VAdding Value withalue withalue withalue withalue withDirect SalesDirect SalesDirect SalesDirect SalesDirect Sales


By Les Kletke

Craig Linde has no illusions that Manitoba will becomethe centre of hop production in North America. That honourbelongs to the state of Washington and they are likely tomaintain that title for the foreseeable future. Linde is with the Canada Manitoba Crop DiversificationCentre in Carberry and with the help of Going Forward 2funding is conducting trials on hop production in the prov-ince. He said the immediate results are promising and alocal market exists for some small scale production andlocal producers have cultivated the provincial microbreweryand home brewing market. “There is some production and there is a market for whatis produced but it is limited and the harvest of hops isdifficult without expensive equipment,” said Linde. “So itis not likely to go to large scale commercial production inthe near future.” His early results show promise and justifymore work with the crop. Hops are a perennial and can last for several years whenestablished, they also spread by rhizome and a stand willincrease but the plant is not as aggressive as some cropsthat have been tested and later became problems in thefield. “We have had small plots and have been testing theirability to over winter,” said Linde. “That has shown prom-ise especially after the harsh winter we had last year, thoughthe crop did have good snow cover and that helped.” The next issue the program will be testing for is diseasesand Linde said hops are susceptible to mildew and spidermites. “We have not seen them be a problem in Manitoba yet,but we need to carry out further testing to see it thosethings will be a problem or if there is something else that

Hop Trials andResearch Being

Conducted

will affect the plant,” said Linde. The hop plant responds well to fertilizer and is grownunder irrigation in Washington State but it is too early totell where the production would fit in Manitoba. Testing is also being done in Arborg at the Prairie EastSustainable Agriculture Initiative. Farmery Brewery owned by brothers Lawrence and ChrisWarwaruk has show interest in the crop and the brothershave done some testing on their farm at Neepawa. Theybegan plantings in 2011 and hope to harvest some hopsthis year. “It is unlikely to get any production in the first year.” saidLinde. “We would hope for some in the second year butrealistically it takes a couple of years to get the plant estab-lished.”

By Les Kletke

Tanja Parisien loves animals and a lone gosling propelled her to operating a rescue farm.“I found a gosling last year but could not find anyplace that would take it,” she said. “Inursed it back to health and when I took it to the sanctuary they said if it had imprinted onme they would have to kill it.” That was the motivation that lead her to what is now a homefor 40 chickens and a half dozen horses.

“When I told my husband about it and that I wanted to start a rescue facility, he saidokay and we bought this place,” said Parisien of a farm just north of Sprague. The farm washome to a standard bred horse operation that raised horses for the American market butcame up for sale when the operation was splitting up. The Parisiens bought the farm anduse it to house the horse rescue operation. They had about 30 horses go through the farm in the first year and she still cries whenone leaves. “But in a good kind of way,” she said There is no outside funding for rescue operations so she tries to sell the recoveredhorses for a price that will cover her input costs. “I go to some auction rings and buy horses that would be going to the packers,” shesaid. “I also get some from people who no longer want the horse. It could be kids that areno longer riding or people that are getting older and can’t look after them, the reasons areas varied as the horses.” Parisien says she tries to heal the horses before finding them newhomes. “They may have some physical problems or they may have physical injuries. I get themback to shape and sell them to cover my costs,” she explained. They expanded to another species this spring when she heard of a poultry farm loosingits quota. “Someone told me that this farmer was going to destroy 2,000 chickens,” shesaid. “I could only take 40 but, I did and now I have them laying eggs. When they got heresome of them didn’t even have feathers because of the small cages.” Parisien and her nephew Carter Spafford created nests for the birds from old bananaboxes and Tupperware containers. “They are loose during the day but we have to close them up at night because of thefoxes and wolves in the area,” she said. “We are working on getting them some morepermanent housing and I hope to sell the eggs to cover the costs.” She laughs as sheexplains that the meal worms she uses as treats are expensive but the birds enjoy them. “I talk to them and give them treats. They do respond,” she added. Her egg production is 1.25 eggs per bird per day. “We get about 50 eggs from the 40birds,” she said.

It Started with a Goose

“When I told my husband about it and that Iwanted to start a rescue facility, he said

okay and we bought this place.”

Cereals Canada releasedits first strategic planningdocument in August thatwas built on inputgathered from a broadspectrum of organizationsand individuals fromacross the value chain. Greg Porozni, Chair ofthe Board of Directorsstated, “Cereals Canadabrings together a broadand diverse collection ofpartners from all parts ofthe cereals sector. Ourgoal is to ensure aprofitable and vibrantfuture for all links in valuechain.” The three priority areasthat have been estab-lished are in providingleadership for theCanadian cereals industry,building and implement-ing a market developmentplan for Canadian cerealsand shape the environ-ment for innovation incereals. “Our overarching goal isto ensure that all links inthe Canadian cerealsvalue chain are profit-able,” continued Porozni.

Cereals CanadaReleases

Strategic Plan“We will accomplish thisby meeting the demandsof our customers forconsistent, high-valuedquality products.” “The cereals sector inCanada is in a period oftransition that presentsthe industry with a uniqueopportunity to create theenvironment that willallow Canada to realize itsfull potential in interna-tional and domesticmarkets,” concludedPorozni. The plan is available atCerealsCanada.ca.


By Elmer Heinrichs

Continued warm to hot weather, occasional showers and hot humid conditions hasadvanced crops and allowed swathing and combining of early crops in central andeastern regions to proceed. Doug Chorney, President of Keystone Agricultural Producers, has noted that al-though the winter wheat harvest has begun there will be no harvest from over a millionacres affected by flooding. Manitoba moisture has been lurching from one extreme to the other this year. Chorney, said in the spring the fields were sopping wet and now it’s so dry someproducers are worried about what’s happening to their late crops. The winter wheat harvest continues, yields range from 30 - 90 bu/acre with averagequality. Harvest is wrapping up in eastern areas of central with western areas reportedabout 50 per cent done. With winter wheat harvest beginning in the eastern area by mid-August early yieldsranged from 55 - 80 bu/acre and the crop will be downgraded due to fusarium damage. Harvest of spring cereal crops in the central region has started with much of the barleycrop in eastern areas harvested, with respectable but lower yields than last year. Thefirst of the spring wheat fields was combined with good yield and quality reported. Altona farm production advisor Dennis Lange says the dry beans look variable, a littleset back and ripening early. Harvest should begin in early September. Some of thesoybean yields may be affected by little moisture in the critical R4 to R5 pod fillingstages. A mid-September harvest is likely, said Lange. Winter wheat in the Altona-Morris area has yielded 55 - 65 bu/acre, with quality down,he added. Isolated thundershowers, including some over the August 15-17 week endresulted in variable precipitation. Carman, Rosenort, St. Adolph, Starbuck and Portagein the central region received from 25 - 50 mm. Most areas are still looking for rain,especially for later maturing crops. Central areas also reported that topsoil conditions are poor with large cracks evidentin many fields. Crops are maturing and turning colour rapidly in areas that have poorersoil moisture-holding capacity. Moisture stress is evident in corn, soybean and edible bean fields due to lack of rainand lower leaf drop has occurred. Crop fill is a concern in the later maturing crops,unless they receive rain. Pre-harvest applications continue, as does swathing. Oats are turning rapidly, whichmay result in lower bushel weights and yields. Some oats are harvested with earlyreports of average yields. The later-seeded canola fields are close to the end of flowering. Swathing of canolahas started with 10 to 20 per cent cut in the more advanced areas. A few fields have beenharvested. Soybeans are podding, edible beans are podding and filling and some are turningearly due to dry conditions. Corn is variable; most are advancing well, although somefields are impacted by a lack of moisture. Sunflowers are in bloom. Eastern region reports that winter wheat harvest has begun with 55 - 80 bu/acreyields. Grain quality is low due to fusarium damage and will be downgraded. Springcereals are progressing rapidly. Haying is in full swing in both eastern and central regions.

By Peter Vitti

For those producers, whom decide to take advantage of a pre-condition feeding program that isimplemented weeks ahead of weaning should also consider the importance of feeding balancedlevels of essential trace minerals and vitamins (TMV). This wise choice helps build good health status in calves before and after, they are shipped off toa feedlot. As a result, up to an extra couple hundred dollars are likely returned for each healthyfeeder sold. That’s because good trace mineral status (along with fat-soluble vitamins) underlies good healthstatus in young cattle by the time they are weaned. A long time ago, bovine scientists discoveredthat essential minerals and vitamins although required in very small amounts in their diet werecritical to prevent or fight disease. Unseen by our naked eye, microscopic amounts (re: milligrams) of trace minerals; copper, zinc,manganese, iron and selenium act as ‘on switches’ in specialized proteins (enzymes), which in turnare activated antioxidants that destroy dangerous ‘free radicals’ that are produced during a normalimmune response against disease. Without sufficient levels of these essential trace minerals in thecalves’ body to activate these protective enzymes, free radical compounds would be simplyallowed to multiple. As a result, they oxide and destroy vital immune cells and thus may compro-mise the entire calves’ immune system. Even a single marginal deficiency of trace minerals such as copper, zinc, manganese, iron andselenium in cattle has specifically been linked to lower immunity against disease in many very goodstudies. For example, zinc is required for the activity of over 300 enzymes in the body and thus tied tomany cellular functions. Rather, than a direct link between zinc and immune function, research hasdiscovered that a primary zinc deficiency causes a number of abnormalities in both the innate- andcell-mediated immunity. Specifically there is a reduction of thymus weight and hormones, thatleads to reduction of T-cell participation in antibody production as well as interferes with T-cellhelper function and results in lower humoral immune capacity. On the bigger picture, American field trials have shown that infectious bovine rhinotracheitis(IBR) may contribute to a vicious cycle associated with a dietary zinc-deficiency. This disease/compromised immune system increases urinary excretion of essential zinc, which may furthercompound an already existing zinc problem in stressed weaned cattle. In addition, feed intake isoften depressed in these zinc-deficient situations and further results in less zinc (as well as otheressential trace minerals) being consumed. In contrast, University of North Carolina experiments showed that supplementing zinc to thediets of weaned and transport-stressed calves increased their feed intake. As well Texas A&Mresearchers discovered that zinc supplementation increased the recovery rate of IBR-infectedcattle. Such trace mineral studies dictate that weaned calves should be pre-conditioned with a daily doseof these essential trace minerals, whose levels at least match published NRC recommended levels.These trace minerals also need to be added in forms that are also biologically available to cattle;absorbed, metabolized and retained, so animal tissue levels can be drawn upon at critical times inorder to support good immune function that directly promotes good animal health. Another reason, we want to build up immunity in pre-weaned calves with a good summer-autumn mineral program is that most pre-conditioning calf vaccination programs become muchmore effective. It is well established that many cattle fail to acquire good ‘vaccination take’(increase antibody titers) not because there is something wrong with the vaccine, rather beef calvesare marginally or severely deficient in certain trace minerals that are essential for a strong immuneresponse. Active immune cells must be stimulated in order to induce immunity against an inducedantigen or vaccine. Consequently, the best practical feed option that avoids such a TMV shortfall is for fall-weanedcalves to consume a well TMV-fortified nutritious pre-conditioning (creep) feed in the next 4 – 8weeks ahead of weaning. Most pre-conditioning field studies have demonstrated that pre-weaned calves on a decliningplane of late-summer/fall pasture nutrition, nominal cow milk intake and supplemented with goodcreep feed can potentially maintain a daily bodyweight gain of about 1.8 – 2.5 lb/head/day bywhich 30 – 60 lbs of this gain can be traced back to creep feeding. From its core formula, this pre-conditioning diet should contain levels of copper, zinc, manga-nese, cobalt, iodine and selenium (as mentioned: meet at least the calves’ NRC requirements) toprevent a basic or primary deficiency. Some trace mineral levels should be heightened even further,such as copper to correct possible secondary mineral deficiencies caused by antagonistic dietaryfactors that bind copper and makes it biologically unavailable to pre-weaned calves. Some research also suggests pre-weaned and weaned calves be fed ‘organic or chelated’ traceminerals (i.e. – mineral-proteins), which respond more favourably to disease challenges or stressfulconditions due to assured good trace mineral status of a strong immune system. This class ofspecialized trace minerals offer the advantages of superior absorption, retention and metabolism inthe cow’s body compared to respective inorganic trace minerals. Aside from the trace minerals put into the pre-weaned feeding program; Vitamin A, D and E areoften included to meet the calves’ own respective requirements. In particular, Vitamin A is involvedin the immune response against pathogens, where it is required for the production of white bloodcells to fight disease. Vitamin E (along with selenium) plays an anti-oxidant role in animal cells,which again is associated with a strong immune system. In reality, the actual amount of TMV added - is a very small part of the overall formulation ofmost sound pre-conditioning feeding programs that also contain large amounts of carbohydrates,protein, fibre and macro-elements. However from a daily feeding of a couple hundred milligrams ofcopper to a few pounds of protein to pre-weaned beef calves; all these nutrients have equalbiological value. They work together to reduce: cattle stress, build good healthy calves and promote pre- andpost-weaning gains; all of which should add solid profits to most cow-calf operations.

Value of Trace Minerals andVitamins in Pre-Condition

Feeding ProgramsCentral, Eastern Farmers

Harvest Average Crop

Winter wheat combining in progress near Altona in early August.

Photo By Elmer Heinrichs

Over 1,000,000 acres no crop this yearOver 1,000,000 acres no crop this yearOver 1,000,000 acres no crop this yearOver 1,000,000 acres no crop this yearOver 1,000,000 acres no crop this year.....


The Federal Government announced fundingof over $2 million to the Canadian Animal HealthCoalition (CAHC) to develop and update poul-try codes and further advance best practices forthe care and handling of other farm animals. The CAHC is a not-for-profit organization serv-ing Canada’s farmed animal industry and is apartnership of organizations that recognize theshared responsibility for an effective Canadiananimal health system. Building on previous work done with the Na-tional Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC), theCAHC will update existing animal care codes forthe poultry sector and develop three new codesof practice for additional sectors. Guidance ma-terials will be developed to ensure that farmershave access to the latest, most up-to-date codesand assessment programs, assuring customersthat the product they choose has been raised tothe strictest standards of animal welfare.

By Harry Siemens

Doug Redekop, Presidentand General Manager ofSteinbach based PrecisionPumping, a custom swinemanure applicator is callingfor more open reporting ofPED virus to give thosewho provide services tothe swine industry the bestopportunity to avoidspreading the infection. Under more stringentManitoba governmentregulations, the swine ma-nure fertilizer applicationseason runs from April 10to November 10. Redekopsaid that to reduce the riskof transmitting PED virusfrom one farm to another,custom swine manure ap-plicators use strategies toeliminate any contact be-tween manure applicationequipment or personneland anyone or anythingthat might come into con-tact with pigs. “People are quite con-cerned about the epidemic,especially since so manyherds broke with it in theU.S. and closer to home inOntario so that it’s high onthe radar,” he said. “Butwhat I will say is as theweeks go on and we don’t

Swine Manure Applicator Calls for More Open PED Reportinghave any new cases, I havea feeling that people willstart to get a bit compla-cent.” Since PED is a reportabledisease within Manitoba,he hopes as a service pro-vider, the industry couldhelp remove this cloak ofsecrecy around the an-nouncements of new cases. “This way, we could doour best to minimize thetransmission of disease ifand when they identifynew outbreaks,” he said. Redekop further added, ifcustom applicators can ac-cess roadways away fromthe barn, to wash and dis-infect the equipment thatcomes into contact with thelagoon and any heavilymanure equipment in thefield that will do a lot to mini-mize the transmission risk. “Our focus is always tostart at the top of a healthpyramid. Either the nucleusor sow barn and then workour way down within thepyramid,” said Redekop.“This gives us some assur-ances the health statusesare constant. We commu-nicate directly with our cus-tomer and nutrient plannerthe health status and all ofthose factors play a role.

A manure applicator takes the manure from the attached hose, inserts the liquid into the groundand covers it up, all in the same pass.

That’s number one.” He said the cooperativebought a wash trailer withits own holding water spe-cifically to wash equipmentand work closely with thefarm to identify critical ar-eas to stay away from likeroadways close to the barnoffices and feed bins. “We ask for separatedriveway access to the la-goons to stay as far awayas possible from the nor-mal day to day activities ofthe farm and also washingand disinfecting a lot morefrequently than we did be-fore this breakout,” he said. Redekop said that evenwith only two Manitoba

Doug Redekop, President ofPrecision Pumping inSteinbach said closercommunications within thehog industry will benefit all.

cases on farms he encour-ages the industry to workeven more closely, whilestepping up the biosecurityprotocol. A recent survey of customswine manure applicatorsshowed they are communi-cating more closely withtheir clients, while takingmore time to plan manure ap-plications to help reduce therisk of spreading PED.

The Manitoba LivestockManure Management Ini-tiative (MLMMI) releasedthe first results from theirsurvey together with theUniversity of WisconsinMadison. MLMMI Executive Di-rector John Carney saidone of the first things, thesurvey showed is that hogproducers and their com-

mercial manure applicatorsare talking much moreabout how to contain thespread of this virus. “Discussions betweenthe farm and the manureapplicator about when theyare you coming, wherewere you before coming tomy farm, what are you go-ing to do, and who’s com-ing,” said Carney.

Poultry Codes toGet Updated

Building on previous work done with the National Farm AnimalCare Council, the CAHC will update two existing codes anddevelop three additional codes.

Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and Transport Minister Lisa Raittannounced recently the coming into force of a series of importantregulations and an Order in Council (OIC) related to the implemen-tation of the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act (Bill C-30), which re-ceived Royal Assent on May 29, 2014. The Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act amended the Canada Trans-portation Act and the Canada Grain Act to ensure that Canada’s railtransportation network moves grain to markets as quickly and effi-ciently as possible, following a record crop year for Canadian farm-ers. The measures take effect immediately and include the passing ofan OIC, which sets out the minimum grain volumes of 536,250 met-ric tonnes a week that Canadian National Railway Company (CN)and Canadian Pacific Railway Company (CP) are each required tomove from August 3, 2014 to November 29, 2014. Potential volumerequirements would take into consideration weather and other fac-tors and could be in the range of (in metric tonnes, per railway.Specific minimum volumes by month are in December approximately430,000 per week, January to February approximately 400,000 perweek, March approximately 455,000 per week and April to the endof the crop year approximately 536,250 per week. The maximumpenalty amount payable for each violation to the regulations is$100,000. The regulations also require CN and CP to provide additionaldata on grain movement to better monitor the overall performanceof the rail-based supply chain. The new regulations clarify the op-erational terms in a service level agreement that can be arbitratedby the Canadian Transportation Agency, to support commercialnegotiations between shippers and railways. Two further changes that comes into force is an amendment tothe Railway Interswitching Regulations extending the limit for railinterswitching from 30 kilometres to 160 kilometres in the provincesof Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba for all commodities to in-crease competition among railway companies and give shippersaccess to alternative rail services and there are provisions to pro-vide farmers with better protection through more accountability forgrain companies in contracts.

With the announcement of the regulations that will bring C-30, the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act, into effectCereals Canada sees grain logistics moving forward. “The Government of Canada has recognized the seriousness of transportation failures,” noted Cam Dahl,President of Cereals Canada. “Cereals Canada thanks the Hon. Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, for his efforts to clear the logistics logjam and move towards long-term solutions that will prevent thetransportation problems from happening again.” “Restricted grain movement during the last fall and winter placed a significant economic strain on westernCanadian farmers and has put at risk Canada’s international reputation as a reliable supplier of high qualitygrains, oilseeds and special crops,” continued Dahl. “The Order in Council adopted in spring and the Fair Rail for Farmers Act recently passed by Parliament helpto reassure our customers that Canadian will be a reliable supplier. Maintaining this reputation is critical to thegrowth and development of our industry,” concluded Dahl. The next step is the comprehensive review of the Canada Transportation Act that has been accelerated by theGovernment of Canada because of the recent transportation failures. Cereals Canada will be an active participantin this review.

Grain Logistics Move Forward

Changes to Grain Handlingand Transportation System

Now in Force


By Harry Siemens

On Tuesday, August 5 the short shipping seasonbegan for the Port of Churchill which moves less than amillion tonnes of wheat annually. OmniTRAX Canada is a Manitoba based transporta-tion and logistics company, run by Manitobans andowned by Americans in Denver, Colorado. “Our transportation network provides a criticalconnection for northern Manitoba and the Arctic to therest of Canada,” said OmniTRAX Canada PresidentMerv Tweed. “For more than 16 years, OmniTRAXCanada has provided access to people and businesses innorthern Manitoba and supporting a variety of indus-tries including grain companies, farmers, tourist opera-tors and petroleum producers.” On that Tuesday in August the Port of Churchillcelebrated its 85th anniversary by holding its annualFirst Vessel Ceremony to mark the start of the shippingseason. Captain Saw Din Maung hosted the ceremonyjoined by more than 50 people including ManitobaMinister of Agriculture Ron Kostyshyn, Federal MPLarry Miller who chairs the House of Commons Trans-portation Committee, Senator Don Plett and RichardsonInternational, whose spring wheat is on this season’sfirst vessel. As the ceremony took place, port employeesloaded the wheat onto the M.V. Ikan Suji destined forMexico. “We’re looking forward to another successful shippingseason with our dedicated shippers, like RichardsonInternational, who provide continued, long-standingsupport to the Port of Churchill,” said Tweed. “Followinglast year’s record crops we are preparing for anotherstellar shipping season.” As Canada’s only deep sea Arctic port, the Port ofChurchill operates from late July through mid-Novembershipping grain, as well as other crops around the world.

By Elmer Heinrichs

The first Manitoba field of the Canadian Farm Grain Bankin the 2014 harvest was combined in the afternoon of Au-gust 7, said Harold Penner, Coordinator for Manitoba andNorthwest Ontario regions. It was 45 acres of Perennial Rye grass; part of the HelpingOther People Eat (HOPE) project centered at Arnaud and ispart of seven fields making up 434 acres in 2014. This field is located on Marsh River Farms, near Ste.Elizabeth. Penner said he is still waiting to hear if any winter wheatis being harvested for CFGB. He said other projects wereplanning to harvest, but that he’s still waiting to hear ifthey did and of their results.

The North American Equipment Dealers Association(NAEDA) named KIOTI Tractor a Gold Level statusaward recipient in 2014. The Gold Level status awardrecognizes those manufacturers who have achieved ex-ceptionally high dealer rating levels as part of NAEDA’aManufacturer recognition program. KIOTI Tractor was one of eight tractor manufacturersevaluated by over 1,400 dealers. The company receivedratings well above average. “We are honored that KIOTI Tractor has been well-received within our dealer network and recognized byone of the industry’s leading associations,” said PeterDong Kyun Kim, Chief Executive Officer, Daedong-USA,Inc. KIOTI Tractor Division. In its annual Dealer-Manufacturer Relations Survey,NAEDA sought out agricultural and outdoor powerequipment dealers and asked them to rate the compa-

The vessel, M.V. Ikan Sujiloading grain at the Port ofChurch on August 5. Thefirst vessel to load grain thisshipping season with 34,000metric tonnes of No. 2 wheatheaded to Mexico.

Port of Churchill Marks theBeginning of 85 Years Shipping Grain

The Port of Churchill, a division of OmniTRAX Canada,also handles various cargos and provides customhandling services including; consolidation, marshalling,packaging and heavy equipment moving. Tweed and OmniTRAX Canada chartered a PerimeterAir Dash 8-turboprop airplane with 39 seats filled near tocapacity to give us a tour of this wonderful event andcelebration. Not only did the group participate in theceremony and have lunch up in the captain’s quarters,we also took a ride on a tugboat looking for belugawhales and rode up to the mouth of the Churchill Riverand Hudson Bay. Tweed of OmniTRAX Canada said to really make thisan outstanding, long-term viable port, it will take a

cooperative effort, already underway, between thefederal government, Saskatchewan and Manitobagovernments, people of the North and companies liketheirs. “We bought the Port and the Hudson Bay Railway(HBR) in 1997 at a time when service was poor and theinfrastructure of both had fallen into disrepair,” he said.“We believed then, as we do now, in the promise of thenorth. We have invested over $110 million, along with anadditional $40 million from the Canadian and Manitobagovernments, to repair and upgrade the rail line and port.We’ve dramatically improved safety and travel times sothat we can provide better access to the north andexpand our operations.”

Photos by Harry Siemens

In the captain’s bridge of theM.V. Ikan Suji, [left - right]Captain Saw Din Maung,Manitoba’s AgriculturalMinister Ron Kostyshyn andMerv Tweed, President ofOmniTRAX Canada.

Manitoba CFGBHarvest Begins

KIOTI Recognized as Top PerformingTractor Manufacturer in 2014

nies whose products they represent on 12 key catego-ries of dealership operations and support. The surveycategories include: overall satisfaction, product avail-ability, product quality, product technical support, partsavailability, parts quality, return privileges, communica-tions with management, warranty procedures, warrantypayments, marketing and advertising support and manu-facturer response to dealer needs and concerns. One Manitoba Dealer, Crikside Enterprises from justoutside Steinbach agrees with the industry’s decisionto elevate KIOTI with the gold level status. “In our local market we have experienced great marketacceptability,” says Bob Brandt of Crikside. “People arelooking for tractors that are sturdy, handle great, havefast hydraulics and don’t break down… these are thequalities that are used to evaluate before the awards arehanded out.”


By Harry Siemens

The harvest is well underway in southern Manitoba, es-pecially the winter wheat, canola and some barley. The soybeans have about another month to go. Farmersare hoping that the low’s stay above the freezing mark forat least another month. Those areas that did not receivethe most recent rain are still looking for it, especially insoybeans, corn, sunflowers and potatoes. The crop insurance deadline is less than a month awayand to get coverage on next year’s winter wheat farmersmust plant before September 15. Ron Krahn of Rivers started cutting canola on August 14and sampled some red spring wheat that also looked good.While canola is a little light, he said, the winter wheat samplehas no Fusarium Head Blight. Fraser Redpath at Mather also cut his canola, but it is allweather dependent and sensitive because canola lying inswath matures even better with rain on it. “We’re actually quite a bit later this year cutting canola,”said Redpath. “We should be finishing up cutting now, notjust starting the first field.”

When It’s Hot andDry Canola Should

Not be Cut

“You never know how the pods have filleduntil the combine gets into the field ofcourse, but there will be lots of stuff to putthrough the combine,” he said. “It is swath-ing easy for the most part and standinggood. That is encouraging.” This is his very first crop he’s swathing,although his barley last weekend was ready,and depending on the weather he was notsure if was going to cut more canola or bar-ley. Farmers do not like to cut canola when itis too hot and dry for fear of shattering theripened pods, but barley can be cut when itis 25 to 30 degrees Celsius. When asked about his barley and diseasepotential, Redpath said with so muchFusarium Head Blight in neighbours’ win-ter wheat fields; he is a little hesitant tocheck out the barley fields. “From walking in a little ways, the barleydoesn’t look to have it, but hearing someneighbours having it in winter wheat; theFusarium, it is a little scary,” he said. “I guesswe’re just sitting with our fingers crossedthat it will be okay until the combine getsthere, but who knows.”

Ron Krahn of Rivers cutting canola in August which he saidlooks good.

Cereals Canada is pleased towelcome the Manitoba Wheatand Barley Growers Associa-tion (MWBGA) as a newmember. Greg Porozni, Chair of theBoard of Directors stated,“Cereals Canada brings to-gether a broad and diverse col-lection of partners from allparts of the cereals sector andacross the country. Represen-tation from farmers from allregions is a critical element toour future success. It is veryimportant to us to have thevoice of Manitoba growers atour table.” “The MWBGA is in fullsupport of a collaborative andcoordinated approach to anumber of major cereal mar-ket development and researchissues. We support CerealsCanada as the primary organi-zational vehicle to coordinateand provide leadership onhow much of that work getsdone,” stated Don Dewar,Chair of MWBGA. “The Cereals sector inCanada is in a period of tran-sition that presents the indus-try with a unique opportunityto create the environment thatwill allow Canada to realize

MB Wheat and Barley GrowersMB Wheat and Barley GrowersMB Wheat and Barley GrowersMB Wheat and Barley GrowersMB Wheat and Barley GrowersAssociation Joins Cereals CanadaAssociation Joins Cereals CanadaAssociation Joins Cereals CanadaAssociation Joins Cereals CanadaAssociation Joins Cereals Canada

its full potential in interna-tional and domestic markets.Cereals Canada was created toseek out opportunities for theentire value chain and fill gapsin industry leadership, marketdevelopment and innovationstrategy,” concluded Porozni.

agripost august 29 2014

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