bits and pieces · news from north peace applied research association bits and pieces stay tuned...

LIVESTOCK & FORAGE TOUR IN B.C. PEACE

Typical recovery of nitrogen fertilizer by the crop in year of application is about 50% (Jeff Schoenau, Farm-

Tech 2011)

Our weather is similar to what we had back in 1973-74. Trend is to colder, more snow, early frosts lead-ing to shorter growing season (Drew

Lerner, FarmTech 2011)

University of Saskatchewan has 30 acres of fruit trees for their research program and are world leaders with their sour cherry breeding program

(Bob Bors, FarmTech 2011)

Two pests to be on the look-out for this spring are the cutworm & lygus bug (Jennifer Otani, Direct Seeding

Workshop, Jan. 2011)

Pros for using tram lines: very few green kernels or late tillers, crop straight combined, weeds in tramlines stunted, 20% increased efficiency in seeding, harvesting and spraying and can travel through low spots even in wet years (Steve Laroque, Direct

Seeding Workshop, Jan. 2011)

2011 Insect Forecast for the Peace: low levels of Diamondback Moth and Bertha Armyworm while grasshoppers and cutworms may be an issue for some (Scott Meers, Farm Tech 2011)

Alberta is estimated to have more groundwater than surface water. However, only 0.01% of this ground-water is thought to be recoverable. (Facts About Water in Alberta)

A province wide Fusarium Head Blight survey was conducted in 2010 and the samples collected from this County were disease free.

DID YOU KNOW????????

Winter 2011 Volume 5, Issue 1

NEWS from North Peace Applied Research Association

BITS AND PIECES

STAY TUNED FOR MORE INFORMATION ..AND WE WELCOME SUGGESTIONS

We are collaborating with the Peace River Forage Association of B.C. to conduct another summer tour.

Together with Sandra Burton & Chris Thomson, we promise you a very informative, fun filled tour!

DATES: FRIDAY & SATURDAY, JUNE 10 & 11

LOCATIONS: Dawson Creek, Swan Lake, Pouce Coupe, Silver Valley

TOUR STOPS:

Year round solar watering system

Pasture to Plate Livestock Operation

Extended Grazing (this producer sold his haying equipment and purchases his feed)

3-D Wildlife Fencing

Custom backgrounding operation (pens constructed of electric page wire)

More stops to be announced

☺The County of Northern Lights will be reimbursing land owners the fee they paid to rent the County’s water pump-ing equipment last fall. No need to apply, cheques will be issued and mailed out. This is a result of grant monies re-ceived from the Government of Alberta

☺The Government of Alberta will pay 1/3 of eligible costs incurred for hauling water from January 1, 2010 to March

31, 2011 (to a maximum of $5000) . Application forms available from our office or from the website: www.agric.gov.ab.ca or call 301-FARM (3276)

☺NPARA staff can help you Age-verify your calves ☺The county owns a wand for reading RFID tags that is free

of charge for producers to use. It is stored in our office so please contact us if you wish to use it

Insect Identification Program CD-ROM

Alberta Yards & Gardens: What to Grow

Weeds of the Prairies

Weed Seedling Guide

Fencing with Electricity

Handling and Feeding Sheep – DVD

Beef Cow/Calf Manual

Meat Goats: 2nd Edition

Managing a Cow/Calf Busi-ness: An Essential Guide

Canola Growers Manual

Soil Survey for Hotch-

kiss/Keg River and Grim-

shaw/Notikewin areas

Sod Seeding

Stock Poisoning Plants of

Western Canada

Pulse Crops in Alberta

Soil Fertility Manual

Brush Management on the

Western Canadian Plains

Triticale Manual

Year Round Grazing

Manual

Pasture Planner Guide

Silage Manual

Building Added Value

through Farm Diversifica-

tion

Management of Canadian

Prairie Rangeland

NPARA LIBRARY - These publications are for NPARA members:


2011 FARM TRIALS, DEMOS & PROJECTS…

Variety Demos: Wheat, Oats, Peas, Barley, Corn, Lentils, Flax

Seeding Date Trial with Camelina: mid Sept & mid Oct 2010 vs May & June 2011

Perennial Forage Plots: wheat grasses, fescues, brome grasses, alfalfas, clovers, other grasses and legumes Pulse Agronomy: Fababean Demo

Annual Legumes/Pulses Green manure: featuring Hairy & Chickling vetches, Berseem clover, Fenugreek, field peas, lupins, soybeans and fababeans

Sub-Soiling Demo: AGROWPLOW demonstration plots on annual cropland and established forages Canola Diagnostic Field School

Shelterbelt Tree Project Establish Eco Buffer Demonstration Pea Inoculant Comparison

We are always looking for ideas for trials, demos and workshops and welcome your ideas and suggestions - call us!!

March 29, 2011 Rycroft Community Memorial Hall

Free 9:30 am—4:00 pm Lunch Included

Variable Rate Technology Controlled Traffic Farming Economics Local Service Providers and Dealers

VARIABLE RATE TECHNOLOGY

Register NOW!! Call 780-835-9158; 780-835-6799;

780-837-2900 or email [email protected]

Presented by:


GROWING FORWARD FUNDING PROGRAMS FOR PRODUCERS

GROWING FORWARD STEWARDSHIP PLANS

Stewardship Plans are designed to help producers dem-onstrate their environmental practices and plan for op-erational improvements that will reduce their environ-mental impact. Producers will be required to complete an Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) and a risk report based on their EFP which will direct them to one of three manage-ment programs that best suit their operation. Producers who apply to the Programs and are approved can receive 50/50 cost-share funding to help them achieve actions they have identified in their work plan. Stewardship Plans are divided into 3 programs and the maximum funding an Applicant can receive in each program is:

Integrated Crop Management - $20,000

Grazing & Winter Feeding Management - $15,000

Manure Management - $50,000

As of July 9, 2010, the Integrated Crop Management Pro-gram is no longer accepting applications. You are eligible to apply for funding if you have completed an Environ-mental Farm Plan and have a Growing Forward registra-tion number. Contact our office for more information.

On-Farm Energy Management

The On-Farm Energy Management program is designed to help improve energy efficiency in Alberta agricultural operations, resulting in cost savings, energy conservation, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. The program is intended to help Alberta producers reduce energy input per unit of production, by improving access to energy-efficient technologies, and helping to implement long-term energy management strategies. The program runs from 2009 to 2013.

The program presently consists of three components:

The On-Farm Energy Assessment is a review of a farm’s energy use, including electricity, natural gas, and petroleum fuels. Is currently available to all Dairy, Swine, and Poultry operations of any size, but are not currently available to other farm types.

The Energy Efficiency Retrofits program is a financial incentive to retrofit high-efficiency equipment into existing opera-tions, as part of a long-term energy management strategy. In exchange, program eligibility requires submission of one year’s worth of utility bills and production data, before and after the project, in order to populate the anonymous database of energy efficiency across Alberta. The program is not designed to assist with emergency equipment replacement, or to assist with purchase of standard efficiency equipment. Funding is available for up to 75% of cost of approved retrofit equipment, to maximum $50,000.

The Energy Efficiency Construction program is a financial incentive for using high-efficiency equipment methods in new building construction. Funding is available for approved energy-efficient equipment and materials in new construction up to 75% of cost of approved equipment, to maximum $50,000.

For more information, contact Jason Price, Project Manager, Energy Program @ 780-427-4181 or email [email protected] or call the Ag Info Centre @ 310-3276

2009-2013 LONG TERM

WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN

This 4 year program, offered through the Growing Forward Initiative, provides agricultural producers with technical and financial assistance to plan and construct secure water supplies. Program support is provided for 1/3 of eligible costs up to $5000. Installation of water use metering is eligible at 50% of cost up to $1000.

The first step is to register with Growing Forward to get a registration number. The next step is to complete the required work plan and a Long Term Water Management Plan. This is a simple assessment of 3 things:

water needs

current water supply

proposed improvement(s)

The registration forms and above mentioned documents are available from our office or Alberta Agriculture @ 310-FARM (3276) or the website: www.GrowingForward.Alberta.ca

The completed documents are then submitted and reviewed by Alberta Agriculture & Rural Development water specialists. It is important that producers go through the approval process BEFORE beginning construction.

ENVIRONMENTAL FARM PLAN Your EFP is needed to apply for funding to the Stewardship and Energy Management programs. We can assist you in completing your Environmental Farm Plan just give us a call.


FUTURE OF WEATHER FORECASTING HAS ARRIVED Source: CWB, Winnipeg New forecasting technology on WeatherFarm™ will greatly improve weather predictions, reducing error in short-term forecasts by as much as 50 per cent. This will assist in everything from spring flooding forecasts to storm watches to monitoring wind conditions – all of high importance in agriculture. WeatherFarm is an online weather information centre designed exclusively for Prairie farmers by the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) and Weather-Bug®, incorporating data from its own network of 800 monitoring stations located on farms and at grain elevators across the Prairies and 200 government sites. It is the first in Canada to incorporate automated "nudging" tech-niques, using live local weather information from its Prairie-wide network, to fine-tune weather predictions. The new system integrates a weather-modelling system used by the U.S. National Weather Service and the U.S. military with "nudging" techniques that fine-tune computer forecasts against actual surface weather conditions to adjust predictions for better accuracy. It is commonly accepted in the scientific community that these adjustments improve accuracy by as much as 50 per cent in forecasts of up to 12 hours. The new forecasting model is powered by WeatherBug, a brand of Earth Networks, integrating weather information from more than 8,000 weather sta-tions around the world, including its stations in Canada. Forecasts predict hourly conditions for temperature, wind, relative humidity, a heat and wind-chill index, dew point, sky cover and chance of precipitation. A new set of fore-casts for each local station is generated every six hours.

Another valuable enhancement is the introduction of radar imaging to generate birds-eye map views of weather systems (static or animated) that can move and zoom to within one kilometer above a particular farm, allowing producers to visually pinpoint immediate weather threats. The map views can also distinguish between rain, freez-ing rain and snow. The online WeatherFarm centre – which now serves over 10,000 users – has also been up-graded with colourful "visual gradient" temperature and precipitation maps, updated every 10 minutes, showing weather systems as they move across Canada, North America and the world. A handy scroll-down window enables users to choose between 10 different weather parameters for their maps. WeatherFarm is free to use, simply by registering at www.weatherfarm.com. Guests may also browse the site without registering. Producers who want to join the network can purchase a linked-in weather station through the CWB by contacting [email protected]. A high-speed Internet connection is required. Far surpassing original ex-pectations for its growth, WeatherFarm is on track to revolutionize the way weather information is gathered, shared and used in Canada – by farmers, media, business, government and the public – enhancing services from Environment Canada.

One Day Biodiesel Workshop

The Canadian International Grains Institute, in partnership with NPARA and Alberta Canola Producers Commission is pleased to offer hands-on training in biodiesel production.

Tuesday, April 12 : 8:30 am - 4:30 pm @ Battle River Ag Hall, Manning

Learn how biodiesel is made and used and make some from your own seed or oil.

Fee: $36.75 (includes lunch) To register call NPARA @ 780-836-3354 or email [email protected]

For more information call Dr. Rex Newkirk, CIGI @204-983-2031 or go to www.cigi.ca


.

USE OUR SEED COUNTER TO

MEASURE 1000 KERNEL

WEIGHTS

The 1,000 kernel (1,000 K) weight (the weight in grams of 1000 seeds) is a measure of seed size. Seed size and the 1,000K weight can vary from one crop to another, between varieties of the same crop and even from year to year or from field to field of the same variety.

By using the 1000 K weight a producer can ac-count for seed size variation when calculating seeding rates and calibrating seed drills. Seeding large seed and not compensating for it could re-sult in a thin stand.

Optimal (Target) Crop Densities:

Optimal plant densities for crops depend on the crop type, the intended end use for the crop, the region and the growing conditions. Cereals intended for silage, greenfeed or grazing often use higher target densities than grain crops. Similarly, cereals grown as cover crops with forages are seeded at lower plant densities than what is used normally for grain production.

Target plant densities are generally lower in areas of limited rainfall than in areas with plentiful growing sea-son moisture. Higher plant densities can increase crop competitiveness with weeds or can advance maturity by a few days in short season zones. High plant populations, however, can slightly reduce seed size and affect the quality of some crops such as malt barley.

After an initial rapid increase in yield with increasing plant density, there is a plateau of maximum yield over a broad range of plant densities. At very high densities, the yield then declines. The yield plateau occurs be-cause most crop plants are able to compensate for lower plant densities by increasing branches or tillers, heads or flowers and kernel size. An optimal plant density would be located in the initial part of the plateau, but the exact target would depend on the price of seed and risks. If you are interested, drop your seed samples off at our office and we will measure the 1000 kernel weights. Using your target plant density, seed germination and mortality, we can calculate your seeding rate using the seeding rate calculator available on the Alberta Agriculture website. Seeding based on desired plant stand will allow you to assess your seeding performance during seeding and after the crop emerges. For example, if you target 30 plants/ft² you can go out and count the seeds in each foot of row or after emer-gence you can count the plants that are there. If you seed in pounds or bushels, how do you assess your performance?

Effect of seeding rate on plant stand, yield and grain quality characteristics.

Seeding rate (seeds/sq.m)

Stand (plants/sq.m)

Yield (kg/ha) Protein

(percent) Plumps (g/kg)

150 109 4192 11.9 749

200 136 4297 11.8 737

250 167 4357 11.7 720

300 190 4444 11.5 721

350 221 4431 11.6 714

Source: McKenzie et al, 2005.

Objectives:

To promote, safe secure rural drinking water sources

To promote the importance of water quality testing

To analyze the safety of dugouts as a drinking water source

NPARA tested 16 dugouts in mid-December 2010 for water quality. Most of the samples were collected from the kitchen tap with the exception of two samples collected from livestock watering sites and one collected from a farm shop tap. Samples were submitted to ALS Laboratories for analysis of metals, bacteria as well as a routine analysis.

In developing

nations 80% of

diseases are water-

related.

Results and Discussion: The charts in this report represent the average (mean) as well as the minimum and maximum values obtained from the water sample analysis. The purple dots on the charts represent guideline values -absence of the guideline value indi-cates no guideline is set. There are no recommended maximum acceptable concentrations for aluminum, calcium, magnesium and potassium, as there is no evidence of adverse health effects associated with these nutrients. Mercury, antimony, cadmium, chro-mium, selenium, and silver were all below traceable levels for all samples submitted and therefore are not of concern. The aesthetic objective for manganese in drinking water is less than or equal to 0.05 mg/L. The maximum acceptable concentration (MAC) for arsenic in drinking water is 0.010 mg/L; every effort should be made to maintain arsenic levels as low as reasonably achievable. Arsenic is classified as a human carcinogen. The MAC for barium in drinking water is 1.0 mg/L. The interim acceptable concentration for boron in drinking water is 5 mg/L; all samples collected fell well below this concentration. The aesthetic objective for copper in drinking water is less than or equal to 1.0 mg/L; this was set to en-sure palatability and to minimize staining of laundry and plumbing fixtures. The analysis did not include pH; capturing pH will indicated if the cooper is naturally occurring or if the elevated levels in several of the samples are caused by the corrosive potential of the water on plumbing. The MAC for lead in drinking water is 0.010 mg/L; lead has been classified as a possible carcinogen to humans though there is inadequate data to fully support this. The interim maximum acceptable concentration for uranium in drinking water is 0.02 mg/L.

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(mg

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LOW HIGH MEAN Guidelines


The aesthetic objective for iron in drinking water is less than or equal to 0.3 mg/L; at concentrations above this iron can stain laundry and plumbing fixtures and produce undesirable tastes in beverages.

The aesthetic objective for zinc is less than or equal to 5.0 mg/L. Water containing zinc at concentrations above this tend to be opalescent, develop a greasy film when boiled and have an undesirable astringent taste. The aesthetic objective of sodium is less than or equal to 200 mg/L; the taste of drinking water is generally considered offensive at sodium levels above this concentration. The aesthetic objective for total dissolved solids (TDS) is less than or equal to 500 mg/L, at higher levels excessive hardness, unpalatability, mineral disposition and corrosion may occur. The most important aspect of TDS with respect to drinking water is its effect on taste. The palatability of drinking water with a TDS less than 600 mg/L is generally considered to be good, while levels greater than 1200 mg/L are unpalatable to most consumers. The measurement for turbidity is nephelometric turbidity units (NTU) and is measured with a turbidimeter. Where possible, filtration systems should be designed and operated to reduce turbid-ity levels as low as possible, with a treated water turbidity target of less than 0.1 NTU at all times. Excessive turbidity has often been associated with unacceptable tastes and odours. Turbidity in excess of 5.0 NTU also becomes visually apparent and may be objected to by consumers. For aesthetic purposes, turbidity should not exceed 5.0 NTU within the distribution system, especially at the point of consumption.

In surface waters and groundwater under the influence of surfaces waters, the particulate matter that creates turbidity can contain toxins, harbour micro-organisms and interfere with disinfection. In addition, organic matter in the water may react with disinfectants such as chlorine to create by-products. These by-products may cause adverse health effects. Recommendations:

The best way to make sure drinking water supplies are kept clean, safe and reliable is to take a preventive risk management approach. This means understanding each water supply from its beginning in nature to where it reaches you, the consumer. This understanding--about the water's charac-teristics, the ways it could become contaminated, and the type of treat-ment it needs--comes from collecting and studying data.

Regular testing

alerts you to prob-

lems with your

drinking water.

050

100150200250300350400450500

Calcium Magnesium Potassium Sodium Total Dissolved

Solids

Turbidity total Coliforms

(mg

/L)

LOW HIGH MEAN Guidelines


Peace River Watershed Planning and Advisory Council (WPAC) A Peace River Watershed Planning & Advisory Council Formation Workshop was held at the end of October, 2010. The purpose of the workshop was to bring together stakeholders and Aboriginal community members to share infor-mation and begin discussion about a Peace River Watershed Planning and Advisory Council (WPAC). The workshop was the initial step in the development process of a WPAC that will report on the state of the Peace Watershed, lead in watershed planning and stewardship, and make recommendations to decision makers within the basin. Time was provided at the workshop for stakeholders / community members to meet with other members of their sector / community to self-select one or two volunteers to participate on the future WPAC’s Initiators Group (IG).

The Initiators Group is advisory to the initial membership of the Peace River WPAC and has been struck to develop the foundational policy documents and governance structure of the future Peace River Watershed Planning and Ad-visory Council (WPAC) as described in Water for Life – Alberta’s Strategy for Sustainability. It is important to note the IG is not the WPAC. Upon WPAC designation the IG will be dissolved.

The following is an update on the progress to date of the IG:

The Initiators Group has held 3 meetings since November and will soon be submitting an application to Service Alberta for society status on behalf of the future WPAC

The formal name of the future WPAC will be the Mighty Peace Watershed Alliance Society, for the purposes of satisfying the Societies Act, under which it will be registered.

The IG continues to work on schedule. They have discussed and drafted bylaws on behalf of the future WPAC; de-veloped a Process Guide that includes rules for membership, voting, consensus, information sharing, etc; and have worked on a draft 3-year Strategic Plan that includes goals, strategies and actions. Additionally, the IG is preparing the paperwork to submit an application to Alberta Environment for funding for the WPAC’s first year of operations.

Also, the IG has started planning for the Initial Annual General meeting to be held some time in March, 2011. Date and time TBD. At the meeting, membership will be recruited, Initiators Group deliverables will be presented, and Board members elected. Once the Board is in place and requirements of the Water for Life Strategy are satisfied, Alberta Environment will be in a position to designate the 10th WPAC in Alberta under Water for Life. Should you have any questions about the work of the IG, please direct them to Lori Adams, B.A., Planner, Environmental Part-nerships and Planning at [email protected] or 780 - 427-7066


FEBRUARY 28 DEADLINE - PERENNIAL INSURANCE FOR HAY AND PASTURE

“Last year, a record amount of more than $3 million was paid on hay and pasture claims across the Peace region through our Perennial Insurance programs. ” says Chris Dyck, Senior Manager of Insurance Operations with Agricul-ture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC), the provincial Crown Corporation that administers crop insurance in Al-berta on behalf of the provincial and federal governments. Producers who sign up for Perennial Insurance tend to remain in the program each year to protect themselves from unexpected risks and to maintain their premium dis-counts, which can add up to more than 65 per cent over time, says Dyck. These include an Experience Discount of up to 38 per cent for hay producers based on their claims history, a Continuous Participation Discount of up to 20 per cent, a Multi-Type Discount for insuring multiple hay varieties, and an Early Payment Discount. The federal and pro-vincial governments continue to subsidize two-thirds of the premium cost and all administrative costs, he adds, “so producers tell us it’s affordable protection in the event of dry years like this.” AFSC added thirteen new weather stations its provincial network this year – 10 of them in the Peace region and northern Alberta, bringing the total to 196. “We try to add new stations every year, strategically locating them to reduce the distance between the stations and producers’ land bases,” explains Dyck.He adds that while Perennial Insurance helps livestock producers manage their feed risk when pasture and hay crops fail, a growing number of those individuals are also using the new Cattle Price Insurance Program (CPIP) for feeder cattle, launched in Novem-ber to protect against price risk on their herds.

For more details about the Cattle Price Insurance Program or Perennial Insurance for hay and pasture, producers can contact their nearest AFSC office or phone the AFSC Call Centre at 1-877-899-2372 before the February 28 Perennial Insurance deadline.

mailto:[email protected]


Tom Wolfe, Research Scientist, Saskatoon Research Centre

‘Spraying faster - what are the best nozzle choices? Claus Toerper, Toerper Tech & Precision –

‘The Fast Paced and Evolving World of Precision Agriculture’ Janine Paly, Ducks Unlimited & Bernie Schoorlemmer, Producer, Rycroft

‘Winter Wheat Production’

Calvin Yoder, Forage Specialist, Alberta Ag

‘Pre-seed Herbicides Prior to Seeding Annuals and Forage Crops’ Dave Wong, Market Specialist, Alberta Ag

‘Grains & Oilseeds Market Outlook‘

A PORTABLE SPRAYER WILL BE ON DISPLAY TO PROVICE HANDS ON EVALUATION OF NEW NOZZLE TECHNOLOGY

$20 buys NPARA

membership & lunch

North Peace Applied Research Association presents:

DOOR

PRIZES

NPARA AGM

& RESEARCH

RESULTS


Cow-Calfenomics 2011: STRATEGIES MOVING FORWARD TOPICS:

• Opportunities & Risks in the Global and North American Marketplace

• Financial Performance - Looking Forward Through the Rearview Mirror

• Kill’em or Keep’em? The Replacement Heifer Dilemma

• Let’s Figure it Out! Introduction to Rancher’s Return 2011

• Cattle Price Insurance Program

• Going beyond the Fall...Backgrounding, Finishing: Sense or Nonsense?

• Grass & Money are both Green!

DATE & LOCATION: MARCH 1 @ Dunvegan Motor Inn, Fairview: 9:30 - 3:30

TO REGISTER: Call 1-780-416-6046. Fee: $25 (includes lunch) payable at the door

FARM SUCCESSION PLANNING SESSION The purpose of this information session is to describe the process of exiting farming or transferring farm assets from retiring farmers to the younger generation by taking into account the needs and goals of the whole family. It is sponsored jointly by Mathieu Hryniuk, AFSC and InVision Chartered Accountants with speakers from each.

Date: Wednesday, March 2, 2011 Time: 1:15 – 3:30 pm Place: Manning Curling Rink Please call the Grimshaw AFSC office at 780-332-4494 to pre-register.

Explore Local Foods/Local Markets

March 8, 2011 • 9 am-3 pm • $20* • Legion Hall, Manning

Register by March 1, 2011 @ 780-836-3354 *Includes locally-sourced lunch.

Learn about industry trends; market oppor-

tunities; regulations, insurance and food safety;

production practices; and real-life producer ex-

periences from:

Don Ruzicka, Sunrise Farm

Lisa Lundgard, Nature’s Way Farm

Grande Prairie Farmers Market experiences from:

Ainsley Lamontaigne, Fresh Feast

Connections

Who Should Attend

Individuals who are:

new to selling direct to consumers;

intrigued about accessing new

markets; and

excited about new profit opportuni-

ties.

EVENT DATE TIME LOCATION CONTACT COST

Cornerstone Cattle Marketing

Course (Bud William) Feb. 25 & 26

Stonebridge Inn, Grande

Praire 1-877-799-4577

Cow-Calfenomics 2011 March 1 9:30 - 3:30 Dunvegan Motor Inn,

Fairview 1-780-416-6046 $25.00

Farm Succession Planning March 2 1:15-3:30 Manning Curling Rink 1-780-332-4494 No charge

Explore Local Foods/Local Markets March 8 9 am Legion Hall, Manning NPARA @ 780-836-3354 $20

Smoky River Agricultural Trade

Show March 17-19

Falher Regional Rec.

Complex, Falher, AB

SARDA

780-837-2900

NPARA AGRICULTURAL SPRING SHOWCASE March 23 9:30 am Ag Hall, Manning NPARA @

780-836-3354 $20

Variable Rate Technology Workshop March 29 9:30 am Rycroft Community

Memorial Hall NPARA @

780-836-3354 No charge

Farmer Appreciation Evening April 1 5:30 pm Ag Hall, Manning NPARA @ 780-836-3354

Bio-fuel Workshop April 12 8:30 - 4:30 Ag Hall, Manning NPARA @

780-836-3354 $36.75

Summer Livestock & Forage Tour June 10 &11 BC Peace NPARA @ 780-836-3354 TBA


UPCOMING EVENTS

AGE VERIFICATION INCENTIVE PROGRAM The Age-Verification Incentive Program is intended to encourage producers to adopt tagging and

age-verification, including applying radio frequency (RFID) ear tags and entering birthdates in the

CCIA Canadian Livestock Tracking System (CLTS). Great participation in age-verification will help

Alberta’s industry respond to market requirements, improve animal disease investigation and

response and is a vital part of the BSE Surveillance Program.

The Age-Verification Incentive Program provides a convenient “point-of-sale” discount of up to

$3 per radio frequency ear tag (RFID) purchased at a participating Dealer locations (i.e. UFA, Pea-

vey Mart & Vet Clinics).

In 2011, the maximum number of tags a producer is eligible to receive the incentive-discount on, is

based on the number of calves of their 2009 & 2010 calf crops that have been or will be age-

verified (less any previous incentive-discounts claimed under the program).

For example, if a producer had 200 calves born in 2009 that were age-verified and 225 calves

born in 2010 that were also age-verified, then the producer is eligible for an incentive-discount on

up to 425 RFID tags in 2011. If the producer claimed for a previous incentive-discount on 200

tags under the program, then only an incentive-discount on 225 tags is remaining for 2011.

For more info call 780-643-1572 or email [email protected] or call our office.

Box 750

Manning, Alberta

T0H 2M0

Phone: 780-836-3354

Fax: 780-836-2670

E-mail: [email protected]

[email protected]

We are on the web: www.npara.areca.ab.ca

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

North Peace Applied Research Association

President Bill Gaugler Vice President Arie Loogman Secretary/Treasurer Michael Scott

Directors

Esben Johansen

Ed Schmidt

Trevor Paulovich

Mark Ressler

Judy Bowcott

Representatives

County of Northern Lights Terry Ungarian Agribusiness

Tim Burdick, UFA

STAFF

NORA PAULOVICH Research Coordinator/Manager [email protected]

JANA UNGARIAN Assistant Research Coordinator [email protected]

Janet Vandemark Accounting

bits and pieces · news from north peace applied research association bits and pieces stay tuned...

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