agripost december 26 2014

December 29, 2014 1The Agri Post

By Joan Airey

A dream came true for a local horsewoman when Lynn andAngela Dyck a mother daughter team and Luella Jegel started“Austin Hick Chicks” a precision riding group in 2008. The group practices once or twice a week from April to tillthe end of October. They first performed at Austin Rodeodoing grand entry and drill patterns and now they are askedto perform at fairs across the province and in Saskatchewan. “We are a riding group of females from sixteen to fifty plus.We welcome new and experienced riders sixteen or older tojoin the group,” said Lynn Dyck co-leader of the group. “Wewere asked to perform at the Manitoba Rodeo Finals thisyear. It was a real successful year for our team of riders.” “We decided we wanted to give back to the community byhelping to raise awareness to various causes. Every year wehold a Christmas banquet with a turkey supper and pennyparade. This year we had Bert Wytinck cowboy poet andsinger from Cypress River performing. This year part of theproceeds will be donated to Sprucedale Industries here intown. Sprucedale Industries, which handles the recyclingfor the RM of Norfolk, works with mentally handicapped andchallenged individuals. They are planning to build a newworkshop,” said Dyck. The riders have also raised money to help the Austin Mu-seum. When not riding horses they take on Communityprojects like a pancake breakfast to celebrate July 1. “We have an on-going project to help a young rider nine-year-old Desiree Zacharias who lost her leg to cancer lastyear. We’re happy to say Desiree is doing great and back inthe saddle riding her horse,” said Dyck. When the ladies are not performing, they can be foundbehind the scenes helping at numerous community events.

Community Minded Austin HickChicks Lend a Helping Hand

Miriam Funk and Janelle Dyck getting ready to perform at Austinlast summer.

Photo by Joan Airey

By Les Kletke

Randy Tkachyk acknowledges that it was toughtimes in the beef industry that drove him to developa grass fed beef business that is much closer to theend consumer than the typical beef producer is. Healso acknowledges that in today’s market he doesnot see the same premium for his product but that hehas no intention to leave the marketing channel hehas built. Tkachyk was one of the speakers at the ManitobaForage and Livestock Symposium in Portage and toldthe audience that he may not be able to see the samepremium he did for his product as beef prices riseand there is speculation that consumption may de-cline. “We don’t know where that is going to go,” hesaid. “We do know we built our business at a timethe industry was struggling and we work hard tobuild customer relationships. We will continue to dothat.”

Beef Business Builtin Tough Times

Randy Tkachyk developed a grass fed beef businessduring tough times and plans to maintain it during theupswing in prices.

Photo by Les Kletke

Continued on page 3

“ “ “ “ “WWWWWe decided we wanted to give backe decided we wanted to give backe decided we wanted to give backe decided we wanted to give backe decided we wanted to give backto the community by helping toto the community by helping toto the community by helping toto the community by helping toto the community by helping to

raise awareness to various causes.”raise awareness to various causes.”raise awareness to various causes.”raise awareness to various causes.”raise awareness to various causes.”

December 29, 20142 The Agri Post

The Canadian Pork Council(CPC) welcomes the news thatthe Canada- Korea Free TradeAgreement (CKFTA) will beimplemented on January 1, 2015. “The completion of theCKFTA was of critical impor-tance for the Canadian pork sec-tor. South Korea has long recog-nized the quality of our pork andwe look forward to rebuildingmarket share lost in recent years,”stated CPC’s Chair Jean-GuyVincent. “The absence of an FTAwith Korea was causing substan-tial and growing prejudice to theCanadian pork industry due totariff rate disadvantages arisingfrom all of our key competitors,the United States, the EuropeanUnion and Chile which alreadyhaving FTAs with South Koreain place.” The CKFTA will allow thepork industry the possibility ofbeing on an equal footing withthose competitors in what has attimes been the industry’s thirdor fourth most important exportmarket. The high value of pork itemssold there, such as shoulder cutsand bellies, is significant enoughto have a major impact on Cana-dian hog prices and jobs in boththe farming and processing sec-tors. An American study evalu-ated the benefits for the US porksector of the FTA between USand Korea at US $10 per hog andthe benefits for the Canadianpork industry of a free trade dealwith South Korea should be simi-

New South Korean TradeDeal Begins January

lar as those in the US. Having the CKFTA imple-mented by January 1 was a criti-cal objective for the Canadianbeef sector as it enables Canadato keep pace with its US andAustralian competitors from atariff reduction perspective.“Now that both Parliaments haveratified the CKFTA, it can beimplemented in time to avoid theUS gaining another year’s tariffreduction ahead of Canada,” saidCCA President Dave Solverson.“I am very pleased that theCKFTA will be in place on timeto restore a competitive positionfor Canadian beef in the Koreanmarket.” Since the U.S. implemented itsown FTA with Korea in 2012,US beef has enjoyed an increas-ing tariff advantage over Cana-dian beef in Korea. Australia alsoreached a FTA with Korea inDecember 2013 and will have thatagreement come into effect onJanuary 1, 2015. The impact of the tariff disad-vantage is clear. In 2002, Koreawas a $40 million market forCanadian beef and its fourth larg-est export destination. In 2013,with a growing tariff disadvan-tage relative to US beef, Canadaexported $7.8 million. “TheCKFTA signals to Korean buy-ers that they can resume theirrelationship with Canadian beefand maintain a long-term com-petitive position,” Solversonsaid. Under the terms of the agree-

ment, the 40 % Korean tariffon fresh and frozen beef willbe fully eliminated in 15 equalannual steps and the 18 percent tariff on offals will be fullyeliminated in 11 equal annualsteps. “South Korea is a valuablemarket for Canadian grain pro-ducers,” said Gary Stanford,President of the Grain Grow-ers of Canada. The CKFTA will result in theelimination of tariffs on nearly90 % of Canada’s current ex-ports. This will give Canadianagricultural products preferen-tial access to the South Koreanmarket, placing them on a levelplaying field with SouthKorea’s current trade partners,such as the US and the Euro-pean Union. “Grain Growers’ membersstrongly support an aggressivefree trade agenda, and we com-mend the work of the FederalGovernment in negotiating thishistoric agreement,” said MattSawyer, Chair of the GrainGrowers Trade and MarketingCommittee. “Gaining access tothe extensive and growingSouth Korean markets willmean economic certainty formany years to come.” Canola farmers will also ben-efit from improved access tothe growing South Korean con-sumer market. “Farmers have been waitinganxiously to capitalize onCKFTA’s opportunities. Cana-

dian canola products, includingseed and oil, will now be on simi-lar tariff terms with our oilseedcompetitors including the US andAustralia,” said Brett Halstead,President of Canadian CanolaGrowers Association (CCGA). Under the CKFTA, South Ko-rea will eliminate the 5 % tariffapplied to canola seed. It will alsosee tariffs on refined canola oil andcrude oil tariffs removed withinthree and seven years, respec-tively. Today, South Korea im-ports of Canadian canola seed andoil are valued at $60-90 million an-nually. “Under the agreement, those ex-port numbers could grow substan-tially,” said Rick White, CEO ofCCGA. “It’s also encouraging to seeCanada’s first free trade agreementin the Asia-Pacific region, withother trade files including theTrans-Pacific Partnership and theCanada-Japan Economic Partner-ship Agreement still under nego-tiation. These agreements will im-prove market access even furtherfor our farmers.” Tabled in the Canadian Parlia-ment in June, the final text of theagreement between Canada and theRepublic of Korea was signed inSeptember by Prime MinisterHarper and Korean President ParkGeun-Hye. Bill C-41 was intro-duced in September and clearedboth the House of Commons andSenate quickly with strong sup-port by all parties.

By Les Kletke

Jason Dobbin knows that these are good times in the beefindustry and after a decade of difficult times producers wantto be in a position to take advantage of the highs in themarket. That means additional risk and the potential to waitpast the peak in market prices. Dobbin is with ManitobaAgriculture Services Corporation based in Portage la Prairieand was on hand at the Manitoba Forage and LivestockSymposium to explain the Western Livestock Price Insur-ance Program. “It allows you to lock in a floor price and guarantee your-self a level of return but still take advantage of an upside inthe market,” said Dobbin who is the Coordinator of the Live-stock Price Insurance Program. He acknowledged that there is a cost to the insurance butsaid that it is a reasonable price to pay for the removal of riskin marketing animals. “You are not insuring the price of your individual animals,”he said. “You are insuring the amount of cattle you will beselling and the program is based on the price at the time thatyou market your cattle.” Producers can choose their rangeof coverage and policy options to help them manage theprice risk. The program funding is through Growing Forward2 and gives producers in western Canada access to a riskmanagement tool in case of market volatility. He said that while prices are currently high this is a time theprogram is most needed to help cover losses should a dropin prices occur. Most of the producers in the audience agreedthat prices would fall eventually. “Prices drop,” said Dobbin. “You only need to look at whatgrain prices did last year, what oil prices are doing now andyou can see the potential is there. Cattle prices might staystrong for three years but we know that it will not last for-ever.” Dobbin said the program is set up to allow producers aquick turn around when a payout is coming and prices arebased on local auction mart prices around the province. “Youcan give it a try and get familiar with the program,” he said.“You do need a computer and an email address to enrol butif you don’t have that we will set something up that willallow you into the program and have someone act on yourbehalf.”

The CropConnect Conference is scheduled to take placeon February 17 and 18, 2015 at the Victoria Inn Hotel andConvention Centre in Winnipeg hosted by ManitobaCanola Growers Association, Manitoba Corn GrowersAssociation, Manitoba Flax Growers Association,Manitoba Pulse Growers Association, the National Sun-flower Association of Canada and Manitoba Wheat andBarley Growers Association. For more information go to cropconnectconference.ca.

Insurance ProgramLocks in Price

CropConnectCropConnectCropConnectCropConnectCropConnectConferenceConferenceConferenceConferenceConference

The NDP’s policies have been negatively affecting Manitoba’s hog industryfor years, and we are seeing a ripple effect in our province according to the PCparty and its opposition critic who discovered that the Maple Leaf Foods planton Panet Road in Winnipeg will closed on December 31. “High taxation and over-regulation have caused Manitoba to lose its com-petitive edge in the hog industry,” said Agriculture, Food and Rural Develop-ment Critic Blaine Pedersen. This past spring, a shortage of hogs forced Maple Leaf to reduce workinghours at its plant in Brandon because it wasn’t able to run at full production.The bottom lines of more than 2,200 workers took a hit as a result. “Well-paying and permanent jobs are being cut in Manitoba because of NDPpolicies,” added Pedersen. The NDP refuses to implement the reforms needed to save Manitoba’s hogindustry. As a result, jobs related to the industry continue to be put in jeopardy.

AnotherHit to

Manitoba’sHog

Industry


By Harry Siemens

In a year end interview, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said he thinks producers wouldagree with him, the future looks bright for Canadian farmers and agriculture as a whole. “We have growing middle classes in China, in India, both are big buyers of Canadianproduce and we certainly want to take advantage of that,” said Ritz. “We’re seeing a lotmore potential like markets in Korea with the free trade agreement coming into force onJanuary 1, 2015. And of course the Japanese market is constantly a good spot for Canadianproducers to park some product.” Q: AgriPost - Whether the new CWB or the old, defunct, dethroned Canadian WheatBoard whose wheels fell off, is up for discussion again. Some people seem to have anendless supply of money wanting to go back to the Supreme Court, and people are tellingyou Mr. Minister to make some decisions. Where are we at right now with the ‘new’CWB? A: Minister Gerry Ritz: As you know, the ‘new’ CWB is actively courting looking for apartner that will help them capitalize, continue to increase their footprint across Canada,not just western Canada any more. They’ve purchased export capacity through ThunderBay and down through the St. Lawrence Seaway and into Quebec. They’ve also puttogether a package to see their footprint increase with their own catchments throughoutwestern Canada. Four new builds on the map, two of them the concrete is rising. They’vebought two existing terminals with some shortline rail capacity. They are as I said looking for a partner with capacity. All of the tenders, certainly not apolitical process, the CWB is driving this themselves with the help of an internationallyaccredited accounting firm and a legal team to make sure that each offer is adjudicatedwhat’s in the best interests of farmers moving forward. Q: AgriPost - I like the term partner where on the one hand you say farmers can putmoney into the trust and then of course others are saying I’m not putting money in if itjust goes to a multinational and they get it for nothing. A: Minister Gerry Ritz - No one has ever said they will get anything for nothing. There is value to the CWB as they grow their footprint. The assets they brought forwardunder the old CWB were heavily leveraged. As you know, the rail cars are approachingsome 40 years of age and require lots of maintenance at that age. They don’t run forever. That is why court after court is finding that the assets are still there, they are still in playfor western Canadians and all Canadian farmers now. That is why the rulings favour thedirections we’ve taken and against the Alliance and the Friends of the CWB who keepbringing these court actions forward. Q: AgriPost - Why not make some of this a bit more transparent? A: Minister Gerry Ritz - It is possible, but it is up to the CWB as they seek moving towardsa private sector component to hold it in house. You don’t see the bottom lines of competi-tors. They give you certain indications and direction of how things are going for theirshareholders, but at the end of the day, the CWB has the right to withhold commerciallysensitive material. So when you see groups like FNA come forward, while wanting to be a part of the futureof the CWB, an admirable request, it was ruled inadequate by the group the CWB puttogether to adjudicate these applications. Q: AgriPost - Is supply management safe? A: Minister Gerry Ritz – We’ve been able to do that and deliver good trade for the tradefile. Our supply management is not a closed shop as such either. On the poultry side, about$400 million dollars is traded out of Canada, while on the dairy side, 100-120 million dollarsworth of processed dairy products comes into this country. We were able to complete the Canada European Free Trade agreement and maintain thestrong pillars of the supply managed system. That was our first foray into maintaining oursupply managed system while signing a very comprehensive free trade agreement. We use that as the model as we move forward on the multilateral and bilateral tradeagreements.

Many in the room agreedthat current high prices willnot last forever, it was bestto be prepared for the timeprices slide, and marketingbecomes more of an issue.“We get people questioningthe price but when they doa side by side comparisonthey are usually willing topay a premium for our beef,”said Tkachyk also addingthat many of his customersare repeat. His grass-fed operation isnot something that is easyto enter and leave since hehas spent time acquiring theproper genetics for his op-eration. When questionedabout breeds he said thatany breed could work in thegrass feed system. “It is more about the indi-vidual animal and the genet-ics are available in any breedto provide an animal that willwork on grass,” he said. Hisconcern is with the purebredindustry pushing animalsfor bull sales. “The purebred industrypushes those young ani-mals on a hot ration to getthem to a certain size asquickly as possible and thatis not a true rating of the ani-

mal or how it will work in agrass fed system,” he said. Heselects for smaller animalsthat will produce a good sizecalf. “I want my cows to be about1,200 lbs when they are ma-ture and my bulls to be about1,800. They don’t have to giveme the biggest calf but I wanta healthy calf that can survivewithout a lot of attention.” He finds that large cowscost more to maintain andbreak down sooner, “Theymay give you more poundsof calf at birth but long termin the herd they are not a goodinvestment.”

Continued from page 1

Beef continued...

Ag Minister SaysCanadian

AgricultureLooks Bright

By Les Kletke

The Assiniboine Park Zoois going to get a taste of agri-culture with a view of daysgone by. In a recent an-nouncement, the zoo will geta Heavy Horse facility as apart of its remodelling plans. Ray McFeetors hasstepped forward and commit-ted a considerable part of thefunding for a project with amillion dollars. Great WestLife where he served as CEO

Farm Life Comes to the Zoobefore his retirement has com-mitted another $250,000 to theproject. The barn and surroundingpaddocks will be home to ateam of Percheron horses thatwill be used for wagon ridesin summer and sleigh rides inwinter. The breed was chosen be-cause of its size and tempera-ment. He stated it was not hisfirst choice. “I would havepreferred Clydesdales, butthere are reasons for the

Percherons and we will likelyhave a Clyde and foal visitin the summer.” He saidplans are not yet completebut expectations are that thefacility will be similar to whatAmerican theme parks have. “It will be a top quality fa-cility where the animals can

be showcased in great sur-roundings,” said McFeetors. When asked why wouldsomeone not involved in agri-culture step forward to fundthe project he replied, “I grewup in Holland [Manitoba] andalways remember the horsesand going out to farms. Sothis is a way to make sure thatthey are remembered andpeople get to see the animalsthat made such a great contri-bution to this country,” hesaid. McFeetors recounts a milk-man in Holland making dailydeliveries with his horse andwagon in summer and sleighin winter. “I remember holding on theback of the sleigh and slidingalong the street,” he said witha chuckle. “I guess it was ourversion of bumper shining. Idon’t think that will happen inthe park but it was a lot of funfor us as kids.” McFeetors hopes to get aturn at the reins as well. “Idon’t think I could handle a 6horse hitch but I would reallylike to try a team,” he said.

“...this is a way to make sure that theyare remembered and people get to see

the animals that made such a greatcontribution to this country.”


Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) views the option for a fund-based model ofproducer payment security introduced through Bill C-48 as a step in the right direc-tion to addressing the problems with the current system but stresses that farmerinvolvement and oversight is required to ensure such a fund serves the needs ofproducers. Under the proposed amendments to the Canada Grain Act introduced recently, afund can be created by the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) to provide compensa-tion to farmers if grain buyers default on payments for grain purchased. This fund could replace the current bonding system the CGC has in place, and is analternative to the insurance-based option the CGC has explored. “We are pleased the Federal Government moved so quickly after negotiations failedon an insurance-based option,” said KAP President Doug Chorney. “KAP is eager towork with CGC, as well as other stakeholders, to develop a fund-based system that iscomprehensive and transparent.” The federal government has indicated money for the potential fund would not comedirectly from farm sales in the form of a check-off. It would instead be paid by licensedpurchasers and typically included in the basis [price] they offer to farmers. This issomething that Rob Brunel, Chair of KAP’s Grains, Oilseeds and Pulses Committee, isnot entirely comfortable with as a method. He told members of the committee who met today that a direct check-off to farmersto create and maintain the fund would be more transparent than collecting moneyfrom grain buyers who will pass the cost onto farmers. “As a solution to this, I strongly advocate that the rates the CGC would charge grainbuyers is made public, so farmers can calculate what basis they’re getting before therate is added on,” he said. Brunel also called for the establishment of an advisory board, with farmer represen-tation, that would oversee the fund to ensure both transparency in management andresponsiveness to changes in the grain industry. Chorney said another important point is the inclusion of feed mills in the program.“The current bonding system does not include feed mills, and those selling to feedmills are very vulnerable. When a major feed mill filed for creditor protection severalyears ago, Manitoba farmers lost hundreds of thousands of dollars, so you can seeit’s imperative these sellers are protected,” Chorney said. KAP urges the federal government to hold in-depth consultations with farm groupsand work with them to develop the mechanisms of the fund.

Producer Involvement NeededBefore Enacting Amendment to

Canada Grain Act By Harry Siemens

Dairy producers inManitoba can now exchangeunused production credits in-stead of moving cows fromfarm to farm, if they meet theright criteria says Rosser dairyfarmer Henry Holtmann andVice-Chairman of the DairyFarmers of Manitoba (DFM). The first transactions underthe new credit exchange forunused credits was scheduledto happen on the Dec 20,2014, and on the 20th of ev-ery month, if it falls on a busi-ness day. DFM received its approvalin November, and the officenotified producers in early De-cember they could put in bidsto sell and buy unused pro-duction credits. Once the bidsall come in, the calculationsare made and wherever thevolumes match, this deter-mines the price and who issuccessful in selling and buy-ing. Dairy farmers can use it ret-roactively in the currentmonth. For instance, if a dairyfarm is getting to the point ofproducing too much milk, itcan buy another dairy farmer’sunderproduction bids to makesure the milk producing is cov-ered and in quota, he added. For many years, to keep the

Manitoba Dairy Farmers NowHave a Credit Exchange Program

milk supply close to the de-mand across Canada, the pro-vincial milk marketing boardwould implement significantpenalties for over or underproduction. “The quota credit exchangeprogram allows producers totrade their underproductionand overproduction creditswith other dairy farmers,” saidHoltmann. “In Manitoba,producers can a have a rangeof 20 days of flexibility to fallbehind on the quota. Aproducer’s quota is based atday zero. He can fall belowhis quota by an equivalent of20 full production days with-out losing the right to refillthose underproduction days.” Holtmann said when a pro-ducer has a bump in produc-tion they can go right back tozero giving them lots of flex-ibility in the different seasons. “On some farms now whatthey can do is actually tradewith production credits on apublic exchange,” saidHoltmann. “Then farmerswho have already filled theirproduction quota, come to theend of their production daysand still have a flush of cowscoming, they can then buythose production credits andcover that rise of milk produc-tion on the farm.” In some cases, a dairy farmer

will pull out all stops to makesure they fill every litre of milkin their quota and there is noth-ing wrong with doing that, hesaid. “But sometimes you goover and there is no monetaryvalue in the milk when you goover,” he said. This will allow them to man-age production because thetool is quick and a dairy farmercan review production in themiddle of the month to seewhere it’s going. “Maybe your butterfat isoff, or your milk productionis off, and I don’t have enoughroom to make it to the end ofthe month so should I buysome under production cred-its and cover that off ,” saidHoltmann. “The milk theyproduce is a credit transferfrom farm to farm and the pro-ducer gets the same price forthe milk, and the value of themilk remains the same.” There is a cost to buy theproduction credit that canrange anywhere from 2 to 5dollars and all the way up to12 and 15 dollars per kilogram. Holtmann looks forward tousing it on his farm as a greattool and it is much safer tomove credits on paper fromfarm to farm rather than movecows back and forth especiallybecause of the greater empha-sis on biosecurity.


The CanadianCattlemen’s Association(CCA) is disappointed thatthe US appealed the WorldTrade Organization (WTO)Compliance Panel ruling ofOctober 20, which foundthat the U.S. had failed tobring its Country of OriginLabeling (COOL) programinto compliance with itsWTO obligations. While the appeal was ex-pected, it is the US’s finalprocedural option beforeCanada can exercise itsright to retaliate, and theCCA remains focused oneliminating the unfair dis-crimination on US importsof cattle and hogs. CCA President DaveSolverson said the moveby the US just means a littlelonger wait for the U.S.mandatory COOL battle tobe over. “When the WTO Compli-ance Panel released its de-cision on October 20, it wasthe third time the WTO hasfound the US has failed tomeet its international tradeobligations,” Solversonsaid. “Moreover, the com-pliance panel report madeit crystal clear that it is theUS COOL legislation thatis causing discriminationagainst imports of livecattle and hogs in the U.S.marketplace. This is a stall

un-COOL Appeal

By Harry Siemens

There was a time wherethe hog carcass competitionduring hog and poultry daysalternating between Brandonand Winnipeg, was notconsidered important to theindustry, as it has been mostrecently. This year, changing thename from Hog and PoultryDays to the Prairie Live-stock Expo and into brandnew venue saw thousands offarmers and suppliers take inthe one-day event that filledup the hall for the announce-ment of the carcass winners. Aspenheim Colony ofBagot, Manitoba claimed thetop award at the 2014 PorkQuality Competition held inconjunction with PLE inWinnipeg on Dec 14, whichattracted 36 entries fromfarms across the province.Wellwood Colony Farms ofNinette received the reservechampion carcass prize, andGlenway Colony Farms ofDominion City claimedthird. The event, in support oflocal, national and interna-tional charities chosen by thewinners and local foodbanks, brings together porkproducers to highlight theirproducts.

The Aspenheim Colony of Bagot, Manitoba takes the grandchampion trophy at the 2014 Hog Carcass competition duringthe one-day Prairie Livestock Expo.

The Wellwood Colony Farms of Ninette received the reservechampion carcass prize and Glenway Colony Farms ofDominion City claimed third honours.

The Hog Carcass Competition isWin-Win for Everyone

Jason Care, the Manager-Auditor of Manitoba HogGrading and one of the eventjudges, said they havedesigned the criteria for thecompetition to reflect whatthe processors are lookingfor. That is why thecompetition is important tothe producers and to theindustry as a whole. “A lot of those who enterinto the competition ship tothe processors, whether it’sMaple Leaf or Hylife or theother provincial abattoirs,”said Care. “They set up thiscompetition to what theywould call the best porkmarketable in Manitoba sothe guidelines are set tofollow it on that basis. It’s ajudging of the loin, the backfat, the belly, the colour of it,so it’s all levels that they setthe criteria and that’s whatwe move forward with.” He stated the biggest one isusually the loin, basing thewinner on the marblingbecause it is not verycommon to have a lot ofmarbling in pork. “In this competition whenyou look at these loins yousee this increased marblingand that comes down to thegenetics that we have here inManitoba which theprocessors are really lookingforward to,” said Care.

The hog competition judgesaid all 9,000 pounds ofpork from the producerswould be donated to localfood banks and the just over$21,000 in prize moneywould be shared amongstthe charities chosen by thewinners. Kenny Kleinsasser, thehog boss on the AspenheimColony and holder of lastyear’s grand championcarcass said it is a big thingfor the hog industry and awin-win for everyonebecause all the money andthe carcasses go to charity. “It is just a great feeling tobe able to win the numberone carcass. It is almostindescribable,” saidKleinsasser who runs a 500-sow, farrow to finishoperation. “We ship about14,000 pigs a year to MapleLeaf Foods at Brandon usingDanbred DNA Genetics.” Kleinsasser said there ishardly any extra preparationfor this competition. “Notmuch really. We did a littlebit of scaling, and a little bitof sorting to make sure ourweight was right,” he said.“Then we selected ten pigsand bring that number downto two for slaughter to enterthose carcasses in thecompetition.”

The Manitoba ForageSeed Association An-nual Conference will behappening on January11 and 12 at the VictoriaInn, Winnipeg. The conference prom-ises the most up to date,leading edge informa-tion in regards to forageseed agronomy or mar-keting. For a more detailedagenda contact theManitoba Forage SeedAssociation Office at204-376-3309 or go toforageseed.net.

ForageForageForageForageForageSeedSeedSeedSeedSeed

ConferenceConferenceConferenceConferenceConference

tactic by the US for sure,but one that can only endwith the US making an ap-propriate resolution toCOOL that is acceptable toCanada and Mexico in or-der to avoid retaliation.” At this stage, the CCA isinterested in the right fix asopposed to a fast fix,Solverson added. In a joint statement, EdFast, Minister of Interna-tional Trade and Gerry Ritz,Minister of Agriculture andAgri-Food said, “Canadafully expected the UnitedStates to live up to its inter-national trade obligationsand comply with the WTOruling, which reaffirmsCanada’s long-standingview that the revised USCOOL measure is blatantlyprotectionist and fails tocomply with the WTO’soriginal ruling against it.” Further they wrote, “Withthis delay, the United Statesis yet again preventingboth of our countries fromenjoying the benefits offreer and more open tradeand is hurting farmers,ranchers and workers in theUnited States and Canada.We are confident that theWTO Appellate Body in thecompliance process willuphold the principal findingof the report: that theamended U.S. COOL mea-

sure discriminates againstCanadian livestock. Thatfinding marks another clearvictory for Canada and rec-ognizes the integrated na-ture of the North Americansupply chain. Our govern-ment will always standwith our farmers and ranch-ers, and we will take what-ever steps may be neces-sary, including retaliation,to achieve a fair resolu-tion.” Canada will be in a posi-tion to request WTO au-thority to retaliate once adecision on this appeal isreceived. This process isexpected to take severalmonths with a decisionperhaps as early as thespring of 2015. The impact of COOL onthe combined Canadiancattle and hog sectors wasestimated in 2012 to beabout $1.1 billion per year;however, the impact hasincreased since the USDepartment of Agriculture(USDA) amended the regu-lation in 2013. The CCAwill continue to work withthe Government of Canadaon the COOL file until it isfully resolved, includingpreparing to impose tariffson U.S. exports selectedfrom the list of targetedcommodities, includingbeef.


by RolfPenner

PennersPoints

[email protected]

It just doesn’t go away, but maybe it will and maybe itwon’t, at this point, I really think no one knows for sure. On the one hand, the new CWB is working hard togetherwith government I believe at getting it ready for sale, or aquiet takeover by some multinational grain company, not

yet in the businessof moving grain fromfarmers’ yards to ex-port position and tothe final market des-tination. Here is one trickyissue. Should theCWB sell for a sum,

Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board could say it has realvalue and who gets to keep the cash. On the other hand, ifit goes for nothing, complaints from pro-monopoly peopleliving in the past will complain until the cows come home,or when the dust settles. Here’s the kicker. A group of farmers who wanted to keeptheir precious monopoly over wheat and malt barley saleshas formally applied for leave to have its class-action law-suit heard in the Supreme Court of Canada.Question: Where is this group of farmers getting the cashto pay the lawyers and travel, travel, travel. The group said last November it would be filing a requestfor leave to appeal its case to the Supreme Court, and onDecember 15, 2014, they did so. In December 2013, a Federal Court judge denied most ofthe group’s $17-billion class-action claim, which seeks fi-nancial compensation for things such as loss of goodwilland assets the group claims were expropriated when thefederal government took away the board’s single-deskmonopoly. But the Federal Court of Appeal gave the group the greenlight to proceed with the parts of the lawsuit based on itsclaim of a misallocation of CWB Pool account funds dur-

It is that time of year, one calendar ending and another about to begin. We are setupon to make the resolutions that we have been putting off for the past couple ofmonths. Oh, how have things changed from back when I started to attend farmermeetings. The chairs were set with ashtrays, yes people used to smoke inside. Now there are not even enough smokers to make it a trendy resolution, and theindustry has gone its way in southern Ontario, to be replaced by something else.The resolution to lose some weight and get into better shape is still trendy but reallyis that going to happen? Not too likely. We have come through a relatively good period in our industry, the red meat

sector is facing some good times after adecade of struggles and the grain sector isfighting with the railway. So it is good toknow there are some constants in our busi-ness. Tough times have come and gone, as wellas some of the people in our industry butthe ones who remain are indeed experienced.What have kept them here are tough deci-sions they have made. The decisions that

are not easy and often avoided but need to be done. Succession planning has become a popular topic at farmer meetings. I am rating ita solid number 2 behind only insurance programs. From the meetings I have at-tended this year the only thing that you cannot insure is the cost of your insuranceand I am sure that someone from that industry is working on it. That is my predictionfor 2015 watch for insurance of your insurance costs. This past month I heard a fellow from Montana talk about his business of consult-ing with ranchers. That is a tough job. Imagine going to a ranch, and telling a rancherwhat to do and then asking him to pay you. I didn’t ask if he was a Navy Seal in aprevious career but this falls in that ‘the difficult we do right away, the impossibletakes a little longer’ category. Roland Kroos makes a living making tough calls butchooses to help people stay in business. He said a few things that helped as well. It might have been easier to quit smoking, it might be easier to lose weight, but itis time to take careful stock of the operation and eliminate the things that aren’tmaking money and concentrate on the ones that are. Then the next step is decidinghow to turn it over to the next generation. Wow, there is a lot to do in 2015. Happy New Year.

As a political system, democracy is, of course, far pref-erable to dictatorship. But a voluntary society – one inwhich the total effect of politics on our lives is minimized – trumps both of those conceptseasily. Far too many people treat political processes as sacred. They shouldn’t. No one getsany more ethical or smarter the second they step into a voting both. As John Stossel saidin a recent op-ed, “If anything, the decisions we make there are more ignorant and recklessthan the ones we make when buying a car.” A new poll conducted by Ipsos MORI backs up his statement. The company did asurvey in 14 different countries to see how closely voters’ perceptions on particular issuesactually lined up with reality. Italians did the worst, with Americans coming in second last.Swedes did the best, while Canada ranked number eight out of fourteen. The questions asked had to do with how old one believes the population to be, howmany Christians and Muslims live in one’s country, rates of unemployment, teenage preg-nancy and murder, the numbers on immigration and voter turnout in elections. And anumber of other such items of general knowledge. While some countries did better than others, in the end none of them did spectacularlywell. One reporter for the Huffington Post UK summed up the results this way, “Everyoneis wrong about almost everything.” This doesn’t bode well for the overall democraticprocess. It means that politicians cater more and more to the perceptions of voters withlow or poor levels of information, rather than accurate real-world data. None of this is particularly good news for farmers in general or agriculture as a whole. Asa very small percentage of the population, our votes really don’t count for much. Break theindustry down into all of the various specialties – grains, oilseeds, hogs, cattle, dairy,greenhouses, etc. – and that voice is even more fragmented. So the more the process offood production is politicized, the more it becomes subject to the ever-changing whims ofpeople who have little to no knowledge on how any of it really works, and no incentive tofind out. In a November article titled, “Too Dumb for Democracy,” a long-time economics maga-zine called The Freeman points out that, “Ignorance, like knowledge, tends to be special-ized. We all know highly educated people who haven’t a clue how prices and wages work.”The writer goes on to say that, “The problem isn’t that Americans (and Italians, and votersin every country) are ‘wrong about almost everything’. The problem is that they’re beingasked to make decisions outside those fields in which they have plenty of knowledge.” This is where some people jump in and say we need to put “experts” in charge, who reallyknow what’s going on. But that doesn’t work either. Agriculture is far too complex and fartoo dynamic for any base of centralized knowledge to know what works best for every farmall the time. It’s like asking someone who doesn’t know how many people are in yourfamily, or what’s in your fridge and cupboards, to go grocery shopping for you. What works best is the kind of spontaneous order that emerges from voluntary relation-ships. As The Freeman article says, this has the, “Means of directing specialized knowl-edge to the benefit of the general welfare while minimizing the consequences of ourignorance,” and that “The solution to our irreparable ignorance is simple; we need lessgovernment policy and more voluntary interaction.” Entertainer and outspoken libertarian Penn Jillette has a less eloquent, but relevant takeon the subject. “Democracy without respect for individual rights sucks. It’s just gangingup against the weird kid, and I’m always the weird kid.” Indeed, and to the rest of the world so is agriculture. That means it works better if, as faras possible, we take politics out of it.

TTTTTough Times Donough Times Donough Times Donough Times Donough Times Don’t Last, T’t Last, T’t Last, T’t Last, T’t Last, Tough Decisions Doough Decisions Doough Decisions Doough Decisions Doough Decisions Do TTTTTakakakakake Pe Pe Pe Pe Politics Out ofolitics Out ofolitics Out ofolitics Out ofolitics Out ofAgricultureAgricultureAgricultureAgricultureAgriculture

Who is PWho is PWho is PWho is PWho is Paying andaying andaying andaying andaying andWho Gets What?Who Gets What?Who Gets What?Who Gets What?Who Gets What?

ing the board’s transition away from a mandatory marketing organization. So when you are already talking about alleged $17 billion losses – why not toss inanother 5 billion? That it seems is the latest strategy from former NFU President and lead hand for thegroup trying to sue Ottawa over revocation of the CWB monopoly. Stewart Wells says ontop of the $17 billion loss through CWB business ventures, “hard assets” and the elusive“contingency fund” another $5 billion is now owed farmers. To some – this on-going campaign and continuous hand wringing over the former CWBmonopoly position, appears to be a waste of time and money. And they may be correct. However, lest anyone think it’s a slam-dunk that Stewart Wells and the “Friends” willlose this case – we think they should consider two words – Anders Bruun. Those like me who have heard and even participated ad nauseum in these wheat boardmonopoly discussions may recall that back in the nineties – there were a few months ofglorious marketing freedom called the “ dual barley market” – when people went crazy withcontracts to move barley into the US market without the blessings of the CWB. Insiders know that as legal counsel for Manitoba Pool Elevators of the day, AndersBruun successfully quarterbacked the legal decision, which scuttled aforementioned dualmarket. Is he good enough and smart enough to turn around the federally mandated“marketing freedom” era put in place August 2012? Yes, he may well be. My other question is where is barley today? The only concern Ihave is whether the feds will take this seriously enough to present their case if it comes tothat. Under former CWB minister Chuck Strahl, they lost because they didn’t take itseriously. Under Ag Minister Gerry Ritz, they did and won. I have some real concerns that those farmers who fought hard for this to happen, thinkthey will always have their cake and eat it too. Case in point - CWB supporters inSaskatchewan run the newly elected cereals committee and got on their almost by default. It might make for interesting bedfellows should this go to the Supreme Court and maybeit would open up some things that people don’t want to see.


Dear Editor: A couple of weeks ago the Harper government gave multi-national seed companies more power and RIGHTS. Thesenew rights are enshrined inside the legislation. At the same time, the Harper government allowed farmersa narrowly defined PRIVILEGE to replant some of their seeds.But this privilege is not enshrined - it can be limited orwithdrawn by regulations, which can be created by theMinister at any time he sees fit. So, seed companies get more RIGHTS. Farmers get a tem-porary PRIVILEGE and another knife in the back from theHarper government.Yours truly,Ron WatsonLancer, SK

Dear Editor: While Manitobans turn their focus to friends, home andfamily this holiday season, the NDP is using a cabinet or-der to attack rural families. In a closed door meeting, theNDP ordered Manitoba Hydro to stuff landowners’ stock-ings with expropriation orders to seize land that, in manycases, has been part of a family farm for generations. AllManitoba homeowners should be alarmed at the NDPGovernment’s reckless disregard for property rights anddue process. By unilaterally stripping landowners of their private prop-erty this holiday season, the self-serving NDP Governmenthas reminded Manitoba families, yet again, the NDP be-lieves it can impose massive tax hikes or seize private prop-erty whenever they see fit to do so. For months the NDP Government denied farmers theirright to bargain collectively to protect their property fromthe BiPole III boondoggle. The NDP Government has nowhijacked the process to punish rural families for standingup for their rights as Manitobans. By resorting to the extreme step of expropriation the NDPhas signaled its willingness to sacrifice not only the pros-perity of farmers but the property rights of all Manitobans.MLA Blaine PedersenMLA Ralph Eichler

Not on Same Page

NDP Government Stoopsto Desperate New Low

By Harry Siemens

The new CWB is conditionally sold but the deal to grow anew future for the Canadian Wheat Board is still a work inprogress. President and CEO Ian White said the sale of the 143,000-squarefoot, eight-storey head office at 423 Main St. inWinnipeg would close around the end of January or earlyFebruary. The deal specifies that the board will lease twofloors of office space, up from the one floor it currentlyoccupies. “It is conditionally sold saying they aren’t in the businessowning property and lease out to others,” said White in aninterview. “We had the building on the market for a coupleof years and this is the best offer we could find. We are veryfortunate in this, although we won’t recoup all the value wehave on the books; there is a small difference and as part ofthe transition, the government agreed to reimburse the dif-ference.” White said they are serious at growing the business andcontinuing to serve the farmer. “That’s our aim. As part of our future plans we have afarmer equity plan, really the value of the CWB today,” hesaid. “Whatever that value is by and large, part of our planis to provide that to farmers in a future equity plan as theydo business with us, they start to get equity metered outover a number of years.” The CWB’s current program will allow farmers to obtain$5 in equity for every tonne of grain delivered against a2013-14 or 2014-15 CWB contract. When asked how the farmers are responding to whomthey are actually doing business with, White said there wasa period where farmers dealt with the CWB through othercompanies. “Through our handling partners, farmers have had some

The New CWB is Serious and Moving Forwardgood experiences with that, and then not so good expe-riences,” he said. “We always knew that over time, thatwould be a limiting factor for the CWB.” White said that by buying the Great SandHills Termi-nal at Leader, Saskatchewan, Prairie West Terminals thatowns three facilities, and building four of their own el-evators, they started to see a different attitude from farm-ers. “Farmers by and large are welcoming us, as they lookat an increased competitive position on the Prairies andseeing the CWB put money into high quality, high speedfacilities that will take and ship their grain quickly. Thereis a lot of interest from that perspective,” he said. When asked about Agricultural Minister Gerry Ritz’srejection of the offer from Farmers of North America,White said the minister explained it and in his view, hesaw no issues. “We have a set of criteria, and those are

fairly extensive, we need a company that has the neces-sary capital, not just for today, but for the future of thebusiness and to be able to take that business forward intothe larger agribusiness world,” said White. “And to beable to provide a world class element hooked into the restof the world, in much greater ways than the CWB is doingright now.” He said the goal is to put together a network of assets,both at port and in the country. The experience in the portinfrastructure side of things from their perspective is veryimportant he said. “The new CWB wants a partner company where togetherwe can provide a real competitive alternative and not justmerged and/or absorbed,” said White. “From our perspec-tive we want to create a real alternative competitive forceon the Prairies for farmers. From that perspective we willchoose a partner that can help us do that.”


Once the threat of heat stress is over andautumn quickly turns into a long Canadianwinter, we tend to forget that water is stillimportant for the health and performance ofhigh milk producing dairy cows. After all,water makes up 65% of their bodies andmilk is 87.5% water. Therefore, producersshould make a conscious effort that all watertroughs and other waterers provide enoughhigh quality drinking water to dairy cows onthe milk-line. Leave it to Mother Nature that says thereis absolutely no substitute for good drinkingwater for dairy cows in winter. She dictatesthat a mature dairy cow must drink a lot ofwater, which provides about 90% of thecow’s overall water requirements for vitalfunctions as well as supports good milk pro-duction, while a small remainder comes frommoisture found in her lactation diet. Although, this actual amount of water de-pends on the dairy cow’s age, health status,body size and milk production water con-sumption for most milk cows during a typi-cal lactation cycle can be estimated with rela-tive accuracy in two major ways: (1) pro-vide 4 – 5 litres of water for every 1.0 kilo ofdry matter feed consumed or (2) provide 3 –3.5 litres of water for every litre of milkproduced. Reported university observations haveshown that dairy cows spend approximately6 – 8 hours per day at the feed bunk, yetspend a nominal total of 20 – 30 minutes perday drinking water. They also demonstratedthat most dairy cows prefer to do the major-ity of their drinking time, right after exitingthe milking parlor. Cows have been shownto consume about 50 – 60% of their dailywater intake within an hour after each milk-ing. These facts highlight that good design andplacement of any water system should besetup to help optimize water consumptionby the lactating dairy herd. For example in afree-stall loafing barn, it is recommended thatat least two feet of trough space be providedper 20 cows and at a height of about 24 – 30inches off the floor. The tank should alsohave enough depth that allows cows to sub-merge their muzzles by a couple of inches. Furthermore, a free-stall trough should beplaced near the milking parlor exit and within20 metres of the feed bunk or at the cross-alleys in the barn. Tanks should also have a

Little Aislynee Coulthardwas thrilled to pet a reallive horse named ‘When’belonging to MableElliott at Agribition. Elliottis an internationally li-censed Teacher of Psy-chosomatic Therapyteaching compassionatechoices with Horse Senseand Cowgirl Logic andmakes her home atLangham, Saskatchewan.

Water Important for Good MilkProduction in Winter Months

recovery fill-rate of about 30 to 40 litres per minute.Since most troughs are metal (plastic ones are be-coming popular), each tank should be regularlychecked to be guaranteed free of stray-voltage. Regardless of accessibility, drinking water for lac-tating dairy cows must be high quality and goodtasting. Consequently, here are a few familiar pa-rameters that determine water quality for dairycattle:- Total Dissolved Solids (TDS): TDS provides anoverall evaluation of water quality in a single index.Salinity makes up a large part of TDS. TDS of lessthan 3,000 mg/ml is considered safe.- Water pH: Water should fall within a pH of 6.5 –8.5 for cattle. Values outside these limits cause re-duced feed intakes and interfere with feed diges-tion.- Mineral concentrations: Sulphates and trace min-erals such as copper and iron are suspect to eitherbind nutrients or compete with them for specificabsorptive sites in the gut, thereby increasing thecows’ nutrient requirements for essential nutrients.- Bacteria contamination: Even cold water near itsfreezing point can teem with bacteria. PathogenicE.Coli (causes disease), coliform bacteria (includingfecal) and salmonella counts should be zero.- Algae and feed contamination: Algae growth anddecaying feed (black sludge) are a common phe-nomenon even during winter. On occasion, shut offthe water, empty the water from the trough andscrub it down with a mild chlorine solution. Given these water quality parameters, watersamples from incoming sources should be taken ona seasonal basis (including wintertime) to deter-mine its quality entering the dairy barn. Propersample bottles and procedures for collecting watersamples should be obtained and sent away and testedfor the above TDS, pH, mineral and bacteria con-tamination. Once, the analysis is completed andreviewed, appropriate action can be taken if waterquality problems are identified. Even if no water quality problems are discovereda typical water analysis sheet is written confirma-tion that a clean source of water is available foryour dairy herd. On the same farm, a thawed-outwater line is practical experience that water is stillimportant to lactating dairy cows in the wintertimeand only beneficial when they are able to drink it.

HorsesCan BeHealthyChoices

Photo By Joan Airey


By Harry Siemens

Any audit can producesweaty palms and tensionheadaches but the seed auditfor seed grower and retailerSimon Ellis of Ellis FarmSupplies Ltd., a seed andagri-service business inWawanesa it was well worthhis while. To maintain certificationthe Canadian Food Inspec-tion Agency (CFIA) sendsout a third party inspectorevery few years to inspecthis retail seed growingoperation and audits the seedgrowing and sale records. “Proper record keeping ofseed and sample tags,keeping samples of all of theseed grown and processed atour location and anything wesell,” said Simon on thescope of the audit. “So thatif in the future an issuearises, we have the properdocumentation and propersamples to prove what wehave on hand and what wesaid it was.” While the actual inspec-tion, may take three to fourhours, or a morning inSimon’s case, the prepara-tion and paper workhappens all year. “We keep all our samplesfor about two years and afterthat we can dispose ofthem,” he said. “For everylot of seed that goes off thisyard we have to keep asample as well as a sampleof everything we grow. Itsounds like it could be a lot

By Joan Airey

Sixty-one lots were sold andgrossed $295,650 with an av-erage sale price of $4,846 dur-ing the Manitoba KeystoneClassic held on December 6 inBrandon Sale results included17 BlackAngus Heifer Calves at an av-erage of $3,952.94, 17 BlackAngus Bred Heifers that aver-aged $6,602.94, 16 Red An-gus Calves averaging$3,609.38 and 11 Red AngusBred Heifers averaging$5,313.64. The highest selling BlackBred heifer was BrookmoreDisy 116A purchased by CorVet Cattle Co. of Melita for$14,000. Cor Vet Cattle Co.also picked up the highest sell-ing Black Heifer calf, HBHKarama 409Bfor $8,000. A

Purebred Cattle Prices onthe Up Swing in Manitoba

Helge By opens No Borders Sale in Virden on December 9. Warm weather brought buyers out and sales management was busytaking bids via phone from across Canada. Photo by Joan Airey

Red Bred heifer, Red Mar MacRuby Lee 59A, was purchasedby Nu-Horizon genetics ofLipton, Saskatchewan for $8,000and the high selling Red HeiferCalf was Red Fraser Heather460B that was purchased byKenray Ranch Redvers,Saskatchewan for $5,500. The No Borders PurebredCharolais Sale held in Virden inDecember saw 49 lots sold andgrossed $293,100 with an aver-age price of $5,982. The sale in-cluded a Cow/Calf pair, whichsold for $6,800, 2 bred cowsaveraged $10,500, 38 bred heif-ers averaged $5,886, 7 heifercalves averaged $4,879 and 1Flush sold for $7,500. The highest selling bred cowwas High Bluff Esperenza 7Xthat sold for $13,000 to Pro-CharCharolais. Glenevis, Alberta.The highest selling bred heifer

was Steppler Miss 264Asold for $10,200 to A. Spar-row Farms, Vanscoy,Saskatchewan and the high-est selling heifer calf, SCFBella 223B, sold for $8,600to Silver Lake Farms,Cartwright, MB. The 36th Annual Key-stone Simmental Associa-tion Sale was held on De-cember 9 with an enthusias-tic crowd of Simmentalcattlemen in attendance. The day started with theSim Acta heifer calf show.Winners were Mar MacFarms in 1st place, BrokenOak 2nd and 10 WorkmanFarms placed 3rd. Three bulls sold for a to-tal of $23,600, averaging$7,867 each, 16 heifer calveswere sold for a total of$55,550, averaging $3,472

and 22 breds sold for a total of$105,400, averaging $4,791each. The sale saw 41 lots go-ing for $184,550. The highest selling bull wasCherry Creek Richview 28Athat sold for $12,750 to BillSeymour of Saskatchewan.Highest selling bred femalesincluded Antrim MissWitichita 3A which sold for$7,800 to City View Simmen-tals, Saskatchewan and Crest’sView 73A sold to Dana andMegan Johns, Kenton for$7,500. The highest sellingheifer calf was Mar Mac Miss32B selling at $5,500 to CodyCarson, Rossburn and BrokenOak Black Betty, an UpgradeBlack Purebred Female, soldfor $4,600 to Bert’s NR Sim-mentals, Haywood, Manitoba.

Simon Ellis of Ellis Farm Supplies of Wawanesa said the seedcertification system is another great traceability system inCanadian agriculture.

Great Traceability Says Seed Growerof seed but actually lots canrange in size from 50 bushelsall the way up to 50,000 ormore and onward.” By the end of the day, thesamples he keeps aredependent on the variety andamount of seed lots EllisSeeds sells. Individual seedsamples weigh about 4.5 kgon his seed farm, while CFIArequires them to be 2 kg. In his short time, sellingseed there have been no realissues, but back in his dad’stime, they had to go back toa sample here and there.“Just to make sure;everything turned outalright,” said Ellis. “I’veheard of where in some othercases, seed mixture got into aseed lot and they’ve had togo back to their samples,find the sample and provewhat actually happened.” This young farmer andseed grower thinks it isanother great traceabilitysystem in Canadianagriculture. “It is a great toolfor retail seed people.Absolutely,” he said. “It is avery good tool and limits ourliability and increases thetraceability of seed sold fromour location. This is one ofthe side benefits farmers getwhen they buy certifiedseed, the knowledge andtraceability, knowing exactlywhere all their seed comesfrom.” To become a certified seedgrower, a seed grower mustapply to the CFIA throughthe Canadian Seed Institute,

and take a grading course toactually apply grades toseed. Growers also, take anoperator’s course and othertraining to become a seedretailer in order to grade,store and sell retail seed off

the farm. Depending on the degree ofinfraction, the consequencescan be either an order toimprove by the next inspectionor a licence suspension inextreme cases.

“Where earlier, it took alot grunt work and evenmore hand paperwork,computers and iPads andthings like that limits thepaper, but the actual work

is still there,” said Simon. “Italso needs doing on time asnot to miss anything that cancome back to bite the growerin the backside later on.”


By Les Kletke

Clayton Robbins is not afraid to challenge conven-tional thinking. In fact, he prides himself on this. Robbins told the attendees at the Manitoba Forageand Livestock Symposium that some non-traditionalcrops might soon have a place in this provinces foragerotation. One that he touts as having great potential isChicory. He said that it is time to think about seeding, “Cock-tails of crops with several different species that pro-duce at different times providing a healthy pasture fora longer period of time.” Robbins explained that Chicory has an aggressiveroot system that can improve degraded soils as well ashelp with compaction issues while providing a nutri-ent rich gazing crop. He has worked extensively onenergy-dense forages because of the huge market po-tential when these crops are introduced into rotation. “Any forage has the potential to be an energy densecrop, though it might be only a small window of the

By Joan Airey

N7’s BLK Woodlady 2T andher Calf N7’s BlackwoodLady 48D were recentlyawarded National GrandChampion Black Angus Fe-male at Canadian WesternAgribiton in Regina,Saskatchewan. She was also awarded Su-preme Champion Female atHarding Fair in Harding,Manitoba and Grand Cham-pion Black Angus Female and

Three Time Champ Qualifies forRBC Beef Supreme Challenge

Pictured from left to right: Jerry, Wendy, Cameron and Kaitlin Nykoliation alongside competitionjudge Jay Holmes holding the banner as a Saskatchewan Cattleman’s Association representativewith a John Deere Corporate representative holding a prize jacket.

Photo Courtesy of Grant Ralston

Supreme Champion Femaleover all breeds at the ManitobaLivestock Expo in Brandon.That made her a three-timequalifier for the RBC Beef Su-preme Challenge at Agribition. N7’s BLK Wood Lady 2Tis owned by N7 Stock FarmsJerry and Wendy, Alan andCarolyn Nykoliation fromCrandall and NYK CattleCompany owners Cameronand Kaitlin Nykoliation ofDouglas. The cow/calf pairwas raised by the Nykoliation

family. “Wendy and Jerry firstbought a package of six purebred Black Angus heifers in1999. The family has built upa herd of over hundred andfifty head of purebred Anguscattle. Cameron and I movedour twenty head to a farm nearDouglas this year. This makesit easier for us to work withthe cattle as our jobs are inBrandon,” said KaitlinNykoliation.

“Crop Cocktails” Beneficial

Nuffield Scholar Clayton Robins challenged theconventional crop mix in forages explaining howChicory could increase soil nutrients.

Photo by Les Kletke

growing season,” he said. He definesenergy dense crops as having highdigestibility and low non-digestivefibres as well as above normal lipids.Using chicory as an example he ex-plained that it provides a similar nu-trient profile to barley, it is a nutri-ent scavenger, does a much better jobat getting nutrients from the soil andis great for grazing. Robbins has just completed hisNuffield Scholarship for which hetravelled much of the world lookingat options for grazing programs. Onhis farm, he took the concept ofswath grazing one-step further stor-ing his feed in small square bales inthe field. “That way the cattle are eatingthem in the field and depositing thenutrients where it should be back onthe field and saving me the cost ofyardage and cleaning a feedlot,” saidRobbins. He has also done some work withFistulous, which is a cross of ryegrass and meadow fescue. At leastone Manitoba seed company hasadded Perseus a fistulous variety totheir seed line up for the current yearand he said it is deep-rooted cropthat shows well in their testing. Robbins continues his research forthe right mix of crops that will pro-vide continuous growth throughoutthe growing season. “In this situa-tion you have to be very aware ofthe disease challenges as well,” hesaid. “You need to select varietiesthat have a good disease resistancepackage.”


By Harry Siemens

With flexibilityManitoba, farmers canmeet the challenges thatthe market dictates. That is what an on-farmseed grower and seedretailer, Simon Ellis of EllisFarm Supplies Ltd, atWawanesa explained. Ellis said he saw a fairbit of soybeans and somewheat booked up last fallwhen farmers could cashin on good discounts. Stillfor the most part, farmerswill wait and decide whichvarieties will work best forthem in the upcomingcrop year.

Manitoba Agricul-ture, Food and RuralDevelopment(MAFRD) is hosting aFruit PreservationWorkshop at the FoodDevelopment Centreon Thursday, January15, from 8 am - 4 pm. Cost is $99 andincludes lunch andmaterials. Participantswill learn all aboutfruit processing,including food safetyprotocols and qualitycontrol, and willprocess jam and aspread using theCentre’s equipment.Space is limited.Contact 204-239-3362or [email protected].

FFFFFruitruitruitruitruitPPPPPreservationreservationreservationreservationreservation

WWWWWorkshoporkshoporkshoporkshoporkshop

Transport Minister Lisa Raitt and Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced that mini-mum grain volume requirements would be extended until March 28, 2015. This measure,initially introduced in March 2014, will help to maintain Canada’s reputation as a reliablesupplier to world markets. The government has put in place volume requirements that are designed to move theremainder of last year’s crop along with this year’s crop and ensure that the grain supplychain will return to normal operations. The Order maintains direct legal obligations onrailways to move grain and if not then penalties for non-compliance amount up to $100,000per violation. The requirement for railways to report on demand and volume remains ineffect. To further support the efficiency of the grain supply chain, the government expects bothCanadian National (CN) and Canadian Pacific (CP) railways to submit formal winter contin-gency plans that include service plans for producer car loaders and short line railways forthe remaining crop year. In order to expand transparency railways are also expected toprovide information on car order fulfillment by corridor, including the placement of rail carsat producer car loading sites and along short line railways to the Grain Monitor. “The Grain Growers look forward to continuing to work closely with all parties to buildon the improvements that have already taken place,” said Gary Stanford, President of theGrain Growers of Canada. “The reliable movement of Canadian product is of vital impor-tance to the livelihoods of our members across the country.” Grain Growers are particularly pleased to see that CN and CP railways will be required tosubmit formal winter contingency plans. These plans will be integral in responding rapidlyto changing winter conditions and will provide confidence to grain shippers. “These minimums and contingency plans are absolutely necessary to avoid financialstress for farmers,” said Brett Halstead, President of the Canadian Canola Growers Asso-ciation (CCGA). “We’ve seen producer deliveries, terminal receipts and exports all upsignificantly, compared to the same time last year. With this heavy shipping season aheadof us, now is not the time to ease up on railway accountability to farmers and the nationaleconomy.” “While CCGA prefers more market-based solutions that benefit all shippers and wouldaddress the grain movement issue, there remains nothing commercially available to com-pel the railways to maintain accountability in the face of ample supply, a strong commercialgrain marketing program and impending cold weather,” said Rick White, Chief ExecutiveOfficer of the CCGA. “The provision of information on car order fulfillment by corridor willbring a new degree of transparency to the logistics system.” Under the new Order in Council, which took effect on November 30, CN and CP musteach move the following amounts of grain:

Minimum Grain VolumeRequirements for Railways Extended

FarmersGrow

What theMarketDictates

“Certainly in westernManitoba soybeans arepicking up acres in a bighurry. They had anothergood year where farmersplanted them in the 2014growing season,” Ellissaid. “Wheat is another onewhere there are somestrong varieties out theretoday. The spring wheatwill be taking over insome areas from winterwheat where fusariumcounts came in too high.But barley seems to begoing by the waysidewith poorer crops andweaker malting con-tracts.” Ellis added that therewas a time farmers did nothave as many optionscompared to today’s seedvarieties. Even whenmarkets dropped, theywould continue growingthe same crop year afteryear, storing as much asthey could afford, and fireselling the rest.


Manitobans looking for another environ-mentally friendly energy source for spaceand water heating may soon find it in theirbackyards. The 2015 Biomass Workshop and Tourheld at the end of February or early Marchwill cover the latest research in the provinceand the equipment needed to create biomasscubes. Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute(PAMI) is testing a practical mobile densifi-cation system that may make it easier foragricultural producers or communities to cre-ate a valuable fuel source out of biomasssuch as straw, grass or wood. “The technology to compress material intocubes or pellets isn’t new, but our systemis,” said Lorne Grieger, Project Manager withPAMI. “It is fully contained on a semi-trailerand is designed to be moved from field tofield to allow the biomass to be processedwhere it is available.” The mobile densification system forcesbiomass material through dies. Pressure heatsthe material and causes it to harden into us-able cubes that, like coal, can be burned forfuel. The cubes can be transported in a regu-lar auger. Many farmers have bales in their back yard,but are unable to convert them to fuel, asthey do not have access to the necessaryequipment. Introducing mobile densificationsystems to producers or co-ops would makeit easier to use readily available resources forheat. “This system is especially important forpeople in Manitoba who are adopting a newfuel source to convert from coal which isbeing banned due to its impact on the envi-ronment,” said Grieger. “From Manitoba Agriculture, Food andRural Development’s (MAFRD) perspec-tive, we’re always encouraging farmers toreplace coal with biomass as it’s better forthe environment,” said Eric Liu, Business

Like most years in the beef industry, it has been a busy one with many unexpected issues arising. The industry weathered a protracted winter, and when repeated heavy rains came in June andJuly, we knew we were in for a challenging year. Many areas of Manitoba struggled with prolongedrain events, flooding rivers and lakes and the unwelcome consequences that arose in pasture andforage shortfalls. Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) has been working with governments and pro-ducers to address both the immediate and long-term issues. Once we ensured no herds were in immediate danger MBP worked on securing short-termprogramming such as a needs-based forage shortfall and a feed and livestock transportation pro-gram. From the outset, MBP asked the federal and provincial governments to provide meaningfulassistance that would lessen the risk of the continued herd contraction we have seen in Manitoba.As well, we asked the federal government to consider enacting the livestock tax deferral provisionto provide support for producers forced to significantly downsize breeding animals to offset thelack of winter-feed supplies. In the past, these programs have been used to provide some assis-tance in times of emergency and devastating losses. Longer term, MBP has been working to ensure the provincial and federal governments addresswater management issues so we can move away from ad hoc compensation programs and get backto the business of planning for our production year and marketing a calf crop. In November, the federal and provincial governments announced the Canada-Manitoba ForageShortfall and Transportation Assistance Initiative under AgriRecovery. These programs are beingrolled out but we are actively engaging both governments to discuss their limitations and to reassessfor inclusion those hard hit areas of the province that have been excluded from the forage shortfallprogramming. MBP continually lobbies governments to provide policies and programming that will help leadus to a position that will see Manitoba’s beef industry grow. Manitoba and Canada’s beef indus-tries are at a critical juncture. In the last year, we have seen tremendous work done by industry andgovernments to open up significant international markets. Many of these markets were lost to uswhen we dealt with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in 2003. Of note is the Canadian-European Trade Agreement, which once ratified will provide new duty free access for 64,950tonnes of Canadian beef worth approximately $600 million annually. This European deal is forhormone free beef and will provide an additional marketing stream for our beef producers. That is just the tip of the iceberg as we see many Asian markets opening up for Canadian beef.The Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement was signed in September and over time; we will see theirtariff on fresh, frozen and offal products eliminated. As markets in Korea and Taiwan open up toCanada and as the populations in Asian countries, including China grow the demand for our highquality beef will grow as well. More markets will mean more opportunities. Does this mean smooth sailing from here on? No, even with these opportunities we will deal withchallenges. One of the significant barriers has been COOL or Country of Origin Labelling. Imple-mented in 2008, this American policy has cost the Canadian cattle and hog industries a minimum of$1.1 billion dollars annually. Despite a second successful ruling by the World Trade OrganizationsCompliance Panel indicating that the US continues to discriminate against live imports, the UnitedStates has once again appealed this decision. It may seem like we continue doing the same thingover and over again without any results but in reality, we are one step closer to initiating retaliatorytariffs on certain US exports into Canada. This step will send a clear message that Canadians willnot continue to accept this trade barrier. After fighting this issue for several years, we are startingto see a light at the end of the tunnel, and we applauded the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association andgovernments for their ongoing attention to this important issue. MBP is your provincial voice and is also represented nationally on various boards, including theCanadian Cattlemen’s Association and the National Cattle Feeders Association. We have had a verybusy year working on these and many other important issues and challenges. I want to leave youwith one last thought, one that is critical to our industry. For some time we have struggled withfinding skilled workers for farms, feedlots and packing plants. Many young and skilled workershave gone to the resource rich areas of Canada to work in the oil and gas industries. Now granted,the tide is turning somewhat with the current price of oil, but we have for a long time struggled withlabour shortages. At first, I did not think this was a significant issue here in Manitoba until we were on the road atour fall district meetings. I ran into a former colleague who, after retiring from his career said he isnow working harder than ever on his farm. When I asked what was happening he told me his hiredman quit, as he had retired at the youthful age of 70. While I am pleased that my friend’s hired handhas retired and will enjoy the fruits of all his years of hard work, I can now see the start of a crisishere. More and more we hear of producers struggling to find a skilled hired hand or labourer. Moreand more we hear of feedlots and packing plants struggling to find enough skilled labourers to runat full capacity. Now if I think back to the ‘dark ages’ of BSE and how, despite the closed borders, we were stillable to move animals, albeit slowly, through our value chain. Imagine that scenario now knowingthese key players in the beef industry are no longer running at full capacity. It paints a frighteningpicture if we do not find some potential solutions. This issue continues to be a priority issue forMBP. The beef industry did have a win this summer when we successfully lobbied to have feedlotslisted as ‘primary producers’ thus allowing them access to the federal Temporary Foreign WorkerProgram. It is challenging to present to you all the activities MBP has been involved in this past year butI hope I was able to highlight a few of the major issues and opportunities. Perhaps our paths willcross over the next year and I can fill you in on the exciting extension and education activities wehave been involved in as well. If you have any questions or comments and we missed you at your district meeting please markyour calendar for our Annual General Meeting at Brandon’s Victoria Inn on February 5 and 6. Wehave an exciting line-up of presenters and we would be happy to discuss any issues or ideas youhave in mind. Stay safe and warm this winter season and from Manitoba Beef Producers we wishyou and your family a happy holiday season. Melinda German is the MBP General Manager.

A Year in Reviewfor Manitoba

Beef Producers

20142014201420142014 Mobile Biomass Fuel Highlightfor Spring Workshops

PAMI’s mobile densification system.

Biomass cubes created out of cattails.

Development Specialist, fibre and compos-ites with MAFRD. “This system could cre-ate a practical solution to burning more harm-ful materials, and also could create extra in-come for farmers or co-ops if they own themachine and choose to rent it out or sell thebiomass cubes.” PAMI has tested multiple types of straw inthe unit, including cereal crop, corn, forestryresidue and even cattails. Most of the testedmaterials were converted successfully to us-able fuel sources. “We’re still testing the system, but we be-lieve that it could be a feasible solution forproducers in Manitoba for the future,” saidGrieger. “It is definitely something we willkeep improving and exploring.” PAMI’s test facility is in Portage la Prairieand trials are still taking place.


By Les Kletke

Hog producers have been waiting for the light at the end of thetunnel for the past 6 years and now that it is here, they need tomake the right decisions on what to do with their returns. “Producers have gone through a period of poor returns andnow they are making money,” said Lee Whittington. “Now they

By Peter Vitti

Late-gestating beef cattle that are a few months away fromcalving are going to need more dietary energy to maintain goodbody condition until calving and to keep warm. Although, mostpeople estimate the amount of cattle feed needed at the beginningof winter, it is a good idea to do a mid-winter review of theimmediate feed inventory to assure all cows receive adequatedietary energy and other nutrients that prepares them for a suc-cessful calving season. It becomes a matter of supplying enough dietary energy toyour mature cows in order to maintain or achieve a BCS of 2.5 –2.75 (thin = 1, and 5 = obese) by calving time, while replacementheifers should calve out a little better BCS of 3.0. With a growing fetus (and placenta), their energy requirementsare up about 25% and protein needs increased by 10 – 15%compared to the start of the winter. The nutrient requirements ofthe 1st calf heifers are slightly more, because their bodies are stillgrowing. They should be fed to gain 0.25 – 0.50 kg daily inaddition to fetal weight gain. Thin mature cows can be fed, simi-larly. Regardless of gestation stage, when outside temperatures inmid-winter go into an arctic free-fall the total energy require-ments of every cow dramatically increases. University and ex-tension environmental study on beef cattle has come up with alinear cold weather rule of thumb as follows: for every 1 C dropin temperature below 0 C, the beef cows’ TDN energy mainte-nance requirements are increased by about 2%. This means that ifan early morning temperature is -25C, there is an increase ofabout 50% in the cows’ basic dietary energy needs. Knowing that beef cows will need more energy for late-gesta-tion (assuming - April 1 calving date) and to get them through thecoldest months of the winter (January and February), gives us abasis to take an informative mid-winter feed inventory. This means most beef cows with a decent BCS will requireforage-based diets (supplemented with grain and protein feeds);of about 55 – 58 % TDN (total digestible nutrients) and about 11– 12% protein to maintain good body condition until calving.Given that a mature gestating beef cow (re: 500 - 600 kg) con-sumes about 2 – 2.25% of her body weight (dmi, basis) or about11 – 13 kg of dry-based feed and wastes an additional amount ofabout 15%; encompasses a mid-winter inventory of hundreds ofavailable over-wintering diets that can be fed on a cow-calf opera-tion. Here is a breakdown feed inventory of a typical over winteringdiet, which takes into account these variables and could be fed ina 200-cow sample operation for a 90 day period until the firstcow calves:

Note: we are assuming an April 1 calving date, better qualityalfalfa-grass forage; grain was saved and will be fed for 30 daysafter calving until beef cows are released on pasture.

For demonstration purposes, this practical example actuallyillustrates the feed inventory for 200 mature beef cows. How-ever, one’s own feed table should be customized depending onthe individual situation by # of mature cows, # of 1st calf heifers,# of replacement heifers and # of thin cows in the herd. There might be some late spring calves that were not sold in thefall. These calves require the same feeds. Compared to the maturecows, these latter groups of cows might have lower feed intakes,but slightly higher energy and other nutrient requirements. After we draw up such a comprehensive mid-winter inventory,we can anticipate potential feed shortages by the time of calving.For example, if our cowherd is caught short of important forageand we need to stretch current inventory, there are a few availableoptions, such as: (1) specifically match feed inventory with late-gestation needs, (2) reduce feed and storage waste, (3) reducewildlife damage and even (4) purchase forage shortage beforecalving season. Whether our mid-winter feed inventory shows us a shortage orample feed supply for our late-gestation cows until calving, it isa good diagnostic tool. It helps us determine and assure that theyreceive the proper amount of nutrition, which they need to pre-pare for calving and to survive a typical Canadian winter. Thosecows that come through successfully will likely give birth tostrong, healthy and profitable calves.

Time to Take aMid-Winter Feed

Inventory

Prioritize Those Barn Repairs

Be Les Kletke

Lee Whittington is borrowing a concept from the well knowtelevision program, House Hunters, to help hog producerstransition to group housing for sows. Whittington, the President of the Prairie Swine Centre inSaskatoon is searching for two producers in each provincewho will be a part of the program to transition existing barnsto group housing. “We are hoping to work with two producers in each prov-ince and develop plans that would allow them to transition toa new system,” said Whittington. The program will provide the producer with three optionsjust like House Hunters. The options will be developed aftera series of interviews with the producer to determine thefeatures he would like to see in the renovated facility com-bined with budget considerations. “We want to provide them with a look at what they canhave and help them determine what makes economic sense,”he said. “On location in Ontario the producer decided toconvert the existing barn to a feeder facility and build a newsow barn.” The intent of the program is not just to benefit a smallnumber of producers. Development of the facilities will bemonitored and hopefully be a value to others who are makingthe same transition. “We can’t offer the next producer tours of the barn after itis populated [because of biosecurity] but with video cameraswe can offer them virtual tours and the option of speaking tothe producer that has gone through the transition and theoption of finding out which features of the new barn are mostvaluable.” Whittington stated he is working with the University ofManitoba on the program with a start date in early 2015. Whittington was in Winnipeg for the Prairie Livestock Expoin early December. The Prairie Swine Centre works withindustry, academia and producers to provide information thatadvances the swine industry and benefits participants in itsunique blend of research and production.

Lee Whittington of the Prairie Swine Centre in Saskatoon wasin Winnipeg to talk to producers about the possibility ofrenovating existing barns in preparation for group housing.

need to decide where to spend that money.” Whittington is thePresident of the Prairie Swine Institute in Saskatoon and was inWinnipeg for the Prairie Livestock Forum. He estimates it willtake another six months of profits to pay off expenses that haveaccrued. “Then it is a matter of upgrading their facilities,” he said. “Manybarns have been under a limited maintenance program during thetough times and now producers can make some repairs but it isimportant that they make the right repairs.” Whittington maintains that the light producers carry should bea good quality flashlight while doing their barn evaluations. “Whether it is going down into the pit or up into the attic theyneed a good quality light to see what has happened to their barnin recent years and then make the choices to fix the things thatcould have disastrous effects if not repaired.” He uses the example of worn floors versus rusted rafter plates.“Producers with a pit may see worn floors where concrete hasbeen chipped away from the rebar. That is a visual problem butnot a structural issue,” he said. “If left untreated it may result inan animal falling through the floor – bad but not devastating.” He recounted that he has visited barns where a trip to the atticrevealed the plates on the rafters have rusted to the point that hewonders what is holding the rafters in place. “This if left un-treated could result in collapse of the barn, that is devastating,”he said. Whittington suggests that producers make a thorough inspec-tion and include an outside opinion. To help, he has prepared adocument that can be used while evaluating their barns with ascale of 1-5 for each issue that requires attention. “Then they can decide where that first dollar should go andprioritize their list of items that they want to upgrade as moneybecomes available,” said Whittington. Currently the form is available as a spreadsheet and he expectsit be in electronic format soon.

House Hunters for HogsHouse Hunters for HogsHouse Hunters for HogsHouse Hunters for HogsHouse Hunters for Hogs

Photo by Les Kletke


By Harry Siemens

Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers (OYF) for 2014 are grain farmers Myron and JillKrahn of Carman and potato farmers Andrew and Heidi Lawless of Kinkora, PEI. These twofarm families were chosen from seven regional farm couples across Canada, at the annualnational OYF event held recently in Quebec City, Quebec on December 2. “It was great, just fantastic,” is how Myron Krahn described winning this award togetherwith his wife Jill. “We learned lots, had loads of fun, met some really, really interesting andpositive people. Something we will certainly never forget.” The judges scored the applicants based on criteria that included environmental stewardship,farm progress, where the farm was, to where it is today, where they are going with theoperation, and being an ambassador for agriculture. “Graded on our presentation, reviewing our financial progress, from where we started towhere we are now, community involvement, the ways you promote agriculture, and being anambassador, all those criteria were factored in,” said Myron. “We present that to the judges andthey score you.” The Krahn’s farm continues to grow with diversity in grain, seed production and seed retail,since they took it over from their parents about ten years ago. Myron and Jill Krahn farm for one simple reason, they love it. “We farm because weabsolutely, genuinely love to farm even through the good days and bad days. Every part of it weseem to enjoy,” said Myron. After they both completed agriculture degrees from the University of Manitoba, they tookover the 900-acre farm, Krahn Agri Farms Ltd. several miles north of Carman, increasing thesize to 3,000 acres of grain, corn, canola and soybeans. An independent seed retail arm, a newon-site seed treating system, custom seeding, harvesting and grain drying has diversified thefarm operation. They explained that taking over the family farm required significant changes tomaintain profitability. With their appreciation for where food comes from, they also share theirpassion and work ethic with their two daughters, Cadence and Keira. The couple let theirchildren know the farm is here because of hard work and a business plan that they actuallyfollow. “We have a passion for farming, also the fact we are honing our children’s skills in agricultureand that goes beyond just having them sit with us in the tractor cab,” said Myron. “We aredoing our best to teach our children about farming, where their food comes from, about plants,soils, and the business side of farming.” Their farm has three distinct segments, grains and oilseeds production, which is a big part ofthe farm and the independent seed retail business. “An independent seed retailer simply means not tied to any other company large or small, astand alone seed business, meaning just us,” he said. “We grow our own seed for sale and buywholesale from other seed growers for resale.” The Krahns added that environmental stewardship for them is taking care of their land thatmake’s their living.

By Les Kletke

Dan Undersander’s messagewas clear to the Manitoba

So, you plan to do a renovation project. Let’s say for a moment that you have a business and yourent out a portion of your building to another business.You hire a contractor to do the work and while doing this,they start a fire or cause some other damage to the build-ing. Tenants or customers may be injured; your business couldbe shut down leaving you with loss of income. Maybe youare fortunate enough to be able to re-locate temporarilywith added expenses and therefore less loss of income.Your tenants may also have to do business elsewhere,which may leave them with loss of revenue. The contentsof your building would be damaged and the building nextto yours could suffer damage. If the contractor is adequately insured, their insurancepolicy may respond to all of these losses. If this contractordoes not carry insurance and has no other resources, youmay be held responsible for all of the losses. Your insur-ance policy may cover these but you would still be respon-sible for your deductibles and there is the risk of yourrenewal premium increasing at renewal. If you did not buyadequate insurance, you would have to cover the unin-sured losses on your own and you could suffer the poorPR with your clients. For example, the lack of services or acustomer is injured. All of this is irrespective of whether ornot you are the negligent party. The above scenario could put you into a serious finan-cial situation. What can you do?- Only hire contractors or sub-trades that have insurance.- Request Certificates of Insurance to confirm insurancecoverage and limit.- Implement a system to track and verify these certificates. Set minimum standards for coverage and limits carried bythe certificate providers. Hiring capable people and having appropriate processesin place to obtain and verify insurance certificates is yourbest defense. 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 Farmand Business Ph 204-746-5589, F 866-765-3351,[email protected] / rempelinsurance.com /valleyfinancial.ca.

Hire Insured ContractorsHire Insured ContractorsHire Insured ContractorsHire Insured ContractorsHire Insured ContractorsCarmen farmers and winners of this year’s Outstanding Young Farmers award, Myron andJill Krahn have seen their family farm thrive through hard work, determination anddedication. They share their passion and work ethic with their two daughters, Cadenceand Keira, and an appreciation for where their food comes from.

Carman Couple AwardedCanada’s Outstanding

Young Farmers for 2014

Low Cost ChangesDrives Up Quality

Dan Undersander of Wisconsin was in Portage for the ForageSymposium speaking to producers about low cost changessuch as a pre-cutting tool that ensures quality feed whilereducing waste.

Forage and Livestock Sympo-sium to survive in current con-ditions any livestock opera-tion needs high quality feed

and not high cost feed. Undersander from the Uni-versity of Wisconsin is a regu-lar speaker at forage events inManitoba and has developeda dedicated following, whilenormally targeting dairy pro-ducers he adapted his infor-mation to the mainly beef pro-ducing audience in Portage laPrairie. “We used to have a lot oftower silos but those days aregone,” he said. “The silagepacked itself in those struc-tures, now we have to rely onpacking the silage and it is animportant part of the opera-tion, too often overlooked andunder done.” He recommends a packeddensity of 45 lbs per squarefoot or 20 kg per 30 squarecentimeters. “If you wonderwhat that is, it is about thedensity of gyproc. If youpunch with your fist and itgives a half inch you need morepacking. That should not givea bit when you punch it,” saidUndersander who suggests thelargest tractor available be usedand if possible have someadded weight. Undersander recommendsthat paying attention toweather forecasts is a low costfactor that can show a goodreturn on quality of forage. “The reliability of forecastshas gotten much better and es-pecially for the next day ortwo,” he said. “When theweather forecaster is callingfor rain you are best to getyour silage put up becauseeach day it is out in the field itis declining in quality and youcan’t afford that in this mar-ket.” He recommends 60-65%moisture for corn silage and75-80% for grass. “If you’recutting grass to dry down youshould be using a system thatputs down a wide swath,about 70% of the area that youare cutting,” he said. He also noted that a pre-cut-ting tool for taking silage fromthe pile to reduce waste, andoxygen getting into the pileshould be used. “If you’re lift-ing that feed with a loaderyou’re letting oxygen in andthat causes waste, our researchshows that a pre-cutting toolgives a good return from thereduced loss,” saidUndersander. He said proper wrapping isthe key to quality bales andrecommends as much six lay-ers of plastic for the best pro-tection for feed. “Cows will eat mouldy feedwhen they are forced to buttheir production will drop,even a small amount of meldwill impact them, so when yousee meld in your feed get itout of there. Amounts that aresmall to measure can have adramatic impact on the herd,”he said.

Photo by Les Kletke


In a 1905 edition of Canadian Thresherman and Farmer magazine the first gasolinetraction engine was reported in Manitoba and the Northwest Territories. The Waterous traction engine was on a 25 hp tractor combined with a McCloskeythresher owned by the Beavis Brothers threshing outfit. Waterous gas tractors were not a common site at the time and it appears very fewwere made and none has survived. What is known is C.H. Waterous owned a foundry

located in Brantford, Ontario and later en-tered the steam engine business by pur-chasing the Canadian rights to the Cham-pion steam engine from Champion’s Ameri-can owner. Eventually, C.H. Waterous sent his twosons west to Winnipeg in 1881 to operatea plant making fire equipment. However,in 1886 the two sons moved the operationto Minneapolis in response to US stateincentives. The Minneapolis branch ofWaterous was very innovative and builtthe first fire pump driven by a gasolineengine, the first fire engine propelled by agasoline engine and the few Waterousgasoline traction engines ever made.

The John Goodison Threshing Machine Company was formed in 1889 by JohnGoodison of Sarnia, Ontario who purchased the Sarnia Agricultural Implement Com-pany from the Sawyer Massey Company, which had purchased the Sarnia Companythe preceding year when it went bankrupt. John Goodison rapidly built up a suc-cessful threshing machine business managing to penetrate the US market. By 1890, John McCloskey of Sarnia was making a reputation for himself withdesigns for cutting edge threshing machines. In 1892, Goodison secured the rightsto build a threshing machine designed by McCloskey and persuaded McClosky towork for Goodison for 10 years.

Over the next few years, Goodison become the first manufacturer to add windstackers, high grain elevators able to fill grain bins and self-feeders to their thresh-ers. Goodison never had a western Canada branch. Instead, they had branch opera-tions in the US and today Goodison threshing machines are better known there thanin Canada. Goodison went on to building their own steam engines beginning in1904. The Beavis Brothers outfit was state of the art for 1904. The Goodison thresher hasa “high bagger” elevator, a wind stacker and a self-feeder. The Waterous gasolinetraction engine appears to be powered by a massive single cylinder engine. Thelarge square box above the engine is a cooling water tank set up for thermosyphoncooling of the engine. The long tube running up through the canopy looks to be anengine exhaust. The short elbow seen coming out of the cylinder head is believed tobe the air intake feeding the fuel mixer. No one at the time was concerned about dustgetting sucked into the engine through the air intake. Very noticeable are the whistles mounted on the canopy. This was a feature onearly gas tractors and the whistles were fed from the engine exhaust. Exhaust whistlesended up disappearing by 1909. Also of note is the shotgun leaning against the operator’s platform on the tractor.The Beavis crew may have been supplementing the dinner table with prairie chickenand other wildlife. The Beavis Family is one of the pioneering families in the Crystal City area, havingcome to the area with Thomas Greenway in 1879. According to the family, the thresh-ing outfit was owned in partnership between the J.H. Beavis and William Pyper alocal farmer who grew and sold registered seed.

By Les Kletke

Leona Dargis could have sat back andsaid, “Life isn’t fair,” and complainedabout the fate it dealt her but she didnot. She and her four sisters decided tocarry on with the family farm her par-ents had built after both her parentsand grandmother were killed in an air-plane crash. Today Dargis tells the story aboutthe struggle the five girls went throughtaking over the farm and thanks thepeople who helped them. She also en-courages farmers to have a successionplan in place and to keep it updated. “My parents had a will but it hadbeen written when there were only twochildren,” she told an audience in Por-tage at the Manitoba Forage and Live-stock Symposium. “We had to workthrough some of the things at a verydifficult time.” Dargis a graduate of the Agri Busi-ness Program at Olds College and aNuffield Scholar tells the story to agri-cultural audiences across the country.The farm had grown to 4,000 head ofcattle and 7,000 acres at the time of herparent’s death is now scaled back andmanaged by her younger sister. Theother sisters have chosen off farm em-ployment. “That was one thing that our par-ents always encouraged us to do… fol-low our dreams. So one of my sistersis in the fashion trade and another is adietician. We had different interests,”said Dargis. She said that her opportunity totravel and experience agriculture inother parts of the world has strength-ened her tie to the family farm in north-ern Alberta.

By Les Kletke

While speaking at the Manitoba Forage andLivestock Symposium in Portage in early De-cember Kroos a Montana farm advisor said, thereis no excuse for not being profitable even in chal-lenging times. Kroos said the first step is to be business mindedand design a way to be profitable. “There is noexcuse for not being profitable. It is not the mar-ket that is the problem it is the expenses youhave that don’t allow you to make a profit.” He suggested the first change is in the approachto profit. “Income is what is left after planned

Beavis BrothersThreshing Outfit

Life is How You Live It

Leona Dargis and her four sisters took over theirAlberta farm after the death of her parents in anaccident, she advised producers to update their willsand succession plans.

Photo by Les Kletke

“Seeing the difference rotational grazing can make inKenya when people only have one cow had a tremen-dous impact,” she said. “I would like to go back and seehow the village has changed and hope that everyone hastheir own cow.” “The community gardens in Singapore made me muchmore aware of what can be done on limited space andwhat the potential is. We are going to have to deal withsome of these issues to feed the world in the next de-cades.” Dargis has also picked up the crusade to reduce waste.“We can do a lot to feed the world by reducing the wasteof what we have. It is estimated that at this time 1/3 ofthe food produced in the world goes to waste,” saidDargis. Her final comment to the crowd was a challenge, “Don’tcomplain about the things that you are not willing tochange.”

No Excuses to Making Profits

Roland Kroos said it is time to change ourapproach to farming, and if we are not makingmoney, it is time to make some changes.

Photo by Les Kletke

profit and expenses. If you don’t plan on a profitwhy are you in business and more importantlywhy do you expect your children to stay in theoperation after they have seen you barely breakeven for 20 years?” questioned Kroos. He advised producers to challenge every as-pect of their operation. “Just because Dad andGrandpa did it that way does not make it right,and you might not be able to afford to do it thatway,” stated Kroos. According to Kroos, producers can increasetheir profits by 50% in feed cost savings with achange in calving time from February to May. “That is a tremendous amount on the bottomline, if you can maintain your cows on a lowcost ration when you don’t have grass. That is abig saving,” he said. “If you’re buying grain thatis your most expensive feed and you need itduring the third trimester of pregnancy whenconsumption is high. Get away from it.” He related the story of a well-integrated cattleoperation that had a purebred, commercial herdand feedlot as well as back grounding calves.“He loved his purebred operation but when wedid the math we found it wasn’t carrying itselfand would soon pull down the entire operation,”he said. “When I showed him that the purebredcattle were gone within a month.” Kroos said buying expensive cattle is not of-ten the best economic decision. “I have a friendthat sold his cows, bought lower price cows thatwere out of condition and he can improve withjust a bit of feed.” He advises producers to be aware of their realcosts and use the numbers to make their deci-sions. “If you know your real costs you candecide if a part of your operation needs improv-ing or should be eliminated,” said Kroos.


By Harry Siemens

Dr. John Carr, worldwidelivestock consultant finallyhad it confirmed that thesame highly-virulent por-cine epidemic diarrhoea vi-rus (PEDv) has spread toEurope, increasing the riskof spread to Britain, whileAfrican swine fever hasalso been reported inUkraine this year. “The Europeans are con-cerned as the China/USPEDv is now confirmed onthe continent,” Carr re-ported late Thursdayevening from London, En-gland. In late November Dr. Carrdealt with three outbreaksof PEDv on pig farms inUkraine. Carr, who advisedthese farmers, struggled toget the disease typed in theregion, is now able to con-firm the strain sequencedin Britain. Having seen PEDv in itsvarious guises around theworld over the past 20years, he suspected thatwhat he saw in Ukraine wasmuch like the Chinese-American PEDv than itsmilder European counter-part. The high mortality he ob-served on the Ukraine unitsshocked him profoundly,with thousands of three-and-four-day-old pigletsvomiting themselves todeath. With his help, the out-breaks were brought undercontrol, but they throw intosharp relief the importanceof irreproachable transporthygiene on British pigunits.

By Harry Siemens

According to Dr. JohnCarr of England an interna-tional livestock consultantand veterinarian, a PED vi-rus outbreak at several sowfarms in the Ukraine couldlead to the deaths of mil-lions of pigs in Europe andhave a major impact on glo-bal pig numbers. In an interview from Lon-don near the Heathrow Air-port, after spending tendays in the Ukraine on thethree farms with PEDv, Dr.Carr said because of otherthings happening in theUkraine, diseased pigs arenot a high priority. “I’m still struggling to getit typed because theUkraine doesn’t have thetechnology and obviouslythe people in the Ukrainehave some other issues toworry about,” he said.“Normally, I’d send mysamples to Russia but theyaren’t quite talking to me atthe moment either, makingthis situation a bit awk-ward.” From what Carr can see,and he has dealt with PEDvoutbreaks in different partsof the world for 20 yearsspotting it as early 1972 onlocal farms, the PEDv out-break in Ukraine is certainlysimilar to China andAmerica, but not like theearlier Europe cases. “So it is a bit of a problemand I suspect this is the be-ginning of the Europeanoutbreak,” he said cau-tiously. “My estimation isthis will kill 25 million to 35million pigs over the next18 months and it will notstop until it gets to Spain,having a substantial impacton the European and glo-bal pig numbers if Europeloses 30 million pigs overthe next 18 months.” When he talks to produc-ers in the US, the PEDv out-break there is much worsethan officials are letting on.US producers are trying toproduce bigger hogs tomaintain and increase meatoutput. “It isn’t a game I wouldplay but you must alsothink of your pig flow,” saidCarr. “If you are going tokeep your pigs for two moreweeks, you haven’t put twomore buildings down.” He questions whether thebiosecurity and efficienciesare as tight with the pushfor extra weight and howwill those producers handlethe all in and all out systemof batching, the truckwashing and cleaning. “The three big farms Ihave in the Ukraine, two areunder control, and theother one is getting undercontrol,” said Carr. “Thissow outbreak in the

Ukraine’s PEDv Could Be the Start of a Major European OutbreakUkraine is certainly worsethan I’ve ever experiencedin Asia.” Dr. Carr shared that thereis an urgent need for hogproducers, support work-ers, and industry partici-pants around the world totighten up biosecurity. Hestated this is the best lineof defence. “I lost 10,000 pigs in fourdays; being a larger farm

makes the problem so muchbigger,” he said. “I can tellyou, it is heart-breaking.” While in Ukraine, Carrwalked around looking atvarious pens, explainingand pointing out to the twolocal vets, that they aregoing to die, those will die,and so will those. When hefinished his rounds, one ofthe local vets told him thatthe tally was over 10,000

pigs. “The two vets arguedwith me and said no, nowe’ll save them. Well,you’re better vets than Iam, I said. The next morn-

ing these, three and four-day old piglets were alldead. Next, those same vetseuthanized the other pigshe had asked them to do,to try to create a firebreak.

They said they had neverseen anything so sad. Youhave a three or four day oldpiglet just vomiting itself todeath. Pretty horrible wayof going,” he recounted.

Dr. John Carr sitting in a hotel near the Heathrow Airport,London, England on Sunday, Nov 23 after consulting in Ukraineis very concerned that Europe’s pig industry is on the verge ofa major PED virus outbreak.

PEDv Strain in Europe Same asPEDv Strain in Europe Same asPEDv Strain in Europe Same asPEDv Strain in Europe Same asPEDv Strain in Europe Same asin China and the United Statesin China and the United Statesin China and the United Statesin China and the United Statesin China and the United States

“To be honest, it shockedme deeply after all my yearsof dealing with this, whenit’s your pigs and yourguys and I’m the one sit-ting there trying to stop it,I cannot do anything. Icried ... nobody watching,tears rolling asking pleaselet me do something. Itchanges you a bit,” he said. Dr. Carr recounted hisemotional Ukraine experi-ence to stress the need foreveryone whether inCanada, the US, Ukraine, orAsia to clean the trucks justa little more and heightenall biosecurity measures.

agripost december 26 2014

Documents

community byhelping

beef industry

precision riding group

riding group of females

numerous community events

janelle dyck

beef prices riseand

year wehold