AgriPost May 27 2016

May 27, 2016 1The Agri Post

By Les Kletke

Anne Toews describes it asan event that has somethingfor everyone with any inter-est in antique tractors. “It” isthe Tractor Trek that is a jointventure of the Mennonite Vil-lage Museum and the EdenFoundation. This year will bethe seventh event that raisesmoney for the Eden MentalHealth Centre. The past 6events have attracted tractorsfrom across the southeast andas far away asSaskatchewan.” “It allows the fellows toshow off the tractors theyhave restored and get themout on the road for a drive,”said Toews who Coordinatesthe event on behalf of theMennonite Heritage Village(MHV). “The parade itselfalso allows anyone with aninterest in tractors to watchthese machines roll by.” Theevent is restricted to 50 trac-tors and they must be able tomaintain a speed of 10 milesan hour to minimize the dis-turbance to normal traffic. “We have what we call the50-50-50 rule,” said Toews.“We restrict it to 50 tractors,and they have to be 50 yearsold, and we want to raise 50thousand dollars with theevent.” To attain the final goal

Trekking Through Time

Fifty tractors, at least 50 years old and raising $50,000 for a good cause is the goal of this year’sTractor Trek that begins at the Steinbach Heritage Village Museum on June 11. It will make its lunchstop in Richer and everyone is invited to check out the tractors.

it is suggested entrants raise$1,000 each in sponsorship. “Some raise the minimum forentry while others raise muchmore,” said Toews. “We hadone driver who raised over$9,000 on her own, and sev-eral who raised over $3,000.”The drivers are a mix of re-turning and new participants.Some have been on the ridesince the beginning and oth-ers take a year or two off be-fore returning.

The day is about much morethan showing off their re-stored tractors. “We startwith a breakfast and thenhead over to Richer forlunch,” said Toews. “Wespend about an hour and halfthere and that gives the driv-ers some time to visit andsome time for people to seethe tractors, and to vote forthe People’s Choice award.”Toews said that communitieslike Richer are important to

make the event as popular asit has become. “The commu-nity can make it as big anevent as they wish.” Afternoon coffee will beprovided by Penner’s Pump-kins and the drive concludesback at the Mennonite VillageMuseum. “That is where wehand out the awards andthere is always some fun withthat. Depending on theweather, we might revive theDirties Tractor Award, one

year that got the driver a carwash kit,” she said. The Tractor Trek givesowners a chance to show offtheir restoration skills and for

some it is a family affair likeAl Brandt of Blumenort whomakes it an annual event withhis grandsons.

By Les Kletke

Ask Al Brandt if he is going to drive in the Tractor Trekand the answer is in the form of a question. “Can’t seewhy not?” Brandt has driven in the first 6 editions and plans tomake it 7 straight. “I drive with two sons and three grand-sons,” said Brandt with obvious pride. He has sixMcCormick tractors ready for the event. The tractors arestored in a shed on his son’s yard, which was the family’shome place. The family tradition runs deep with the Brandt’s and itis not just these three generations. “I have a Super W Fthat my Dad bought new in 1955,” he said. “And I havethem up to the WD9 which was the biggest tractor theymade on rubber tires at the time.” While all the othertractors in his collection are gasoline powered, the WD9starts on gasoline and when warm is switched over todiesel. He has restored all the tractors himself up to the stageof painting which he has trusted to someone else. Theonly one that he has not had painted is the WD9, and it isthe one he will drive in the upcoming Tractor Trek. “It isthe biggest and a little clumsier,” he said. “So I drive thatmyself, the boys [grandchildren] are not farm boys andnot used to handling the tractors so I take that one.” Brandt takes the tractors to a few other local showssuch as a similar event in Winkler and the July 1 parade inVita. Brandt said that farming in his time did not include anyrow crops in the Blumenort area so he has neither rowcrop tractors nor ones equipped with a 3-point hitch. “Rowcrops were grown in the lighter land, so we did not haveany row crop equipment,” he said. “A lot of theMcCormick A’s and C’s were used for row crop and stayedaround for a long time.” For the Brandt’s the Tractor Trek is a family affair andhe says his grandsons seem to enjoy the event as muchas he does so he has plans to continue on Trekking. The June 11 Tractor Trek begins at the Mennonite Heri-tage Museum, continues to Richer for lunch before wind-ing back to the museum for supper and awards.

Tractors AreFamily Affair

May 27, 20162 The Agri Post

May 27, 2016 The Agri Post2

Manitoba Pork is extremely disappointed andconcerned that earlier this month the Government ofCanada has removed the emergency protocol, whichrequired hog transporters, returning to Canada emptyhave their trailers washed and disinfected at a certifiedCanadian facility they insist has kept Porcine EpidemicDiarrhea (PED) in check. PED is a swine disease that is almost 100% fatal topiglets, and to date has killed roughly 8 million new-born pigs in the US since the first cases appeared therein 2013. When the PED virus first began circulating inthe US, in the interest of preventing the disease fromentering Canada Manitoba Pork and the CanadianFood Inspection Agency (CFIA) agreed to suspendSection 106(5) of the Health of Animals Regulationand launch a trailer wash pilot project. Under an emergency protocol, the pilot project

One PED Safeguard ROne PED Safeguard ROne PED Safeguard ROne PED Safeguard ROne PED Safeguard Removedemovedemovedemovedemovedallowed swine transporters returning to Canada fromdeliveries to US farms to have their trailers washed anddisinfected in disease-free, certified Canadian facilities,rather than be washed in US facilities in regions wherePED had become rampant. To date, the project has beenextremely successful in keeping western Canada free ofPED, with only five on-farm cases of the virus found inManitoba since the launch, all of which have beencontained. Along with other strict biosecurity measures,this washing protocol has kept the PED virus at bay eventhough Manitoba continues to ship almost three millionweanlings to US finishing farms each year. The federal government now demands that livestocktrailers be washed at US facilities before crossing theborder into Canada, even though there is no evidence thatsuch facilities will not contaminate disease-free Canadiantransporters. According to Manitoba Pork, this procedureonce again complies with the decades-old border regula-

tion, which threatens the health of Canada’s swineherd.Manitoba Pork is accusing the government of ignoringprofessional advice from practicing veterinarians, allthe major swine producer groups, the chief veterinaryofficers of the three Prairie Provinces, and swine healthresearchers. Manitoba Pork is viewing this as a crisis moment forthe Canadian swine industry and is advising all swineproducers in western Canada to insist that any trailerreturning from the US be properly washed and disin-fected in a certified Canadian facility. They sayproducers should assume that trailers washed only atUS facilities are almost certainly contaminated with thePED virus. Manitoba Pork is calling upon the Federal Minister ofAgriculture and Agri-Food to intervene and have CFIAcommit to working collaboratively with industryrepresentatives to re-evaluate the decision.


Disease prevention is thekey to minimizing losses andmaximizing the success ofyour canola crop thisgrowing season. Increasing acres of canolaspreading across theprovince and tighter croprotations are creating theperfect recipe for blacklegdisease to thrive. In fact,according to provincialdisease surveys, blackleghad a prevalence of 80%and an incidence rate of14% recorded in fieldsacross Manitoba last year. “The risk of blacklegcausing economic losses incanola fields in Manitobathis growing season is veryreal,” said Glen Forster,Technical MarketingSpecialist (Fungicides)BASF Canada. “Known forits persistence, the disease,particularly under dryconditions, can live on cropresidue for several years.Even on resistant varietiesgrown for blackleg, if notmanaged properly, growerscan expect to see blacklegrobbing yields.” Although blackleg canaffect canola from seedlingto harvest it is critical tocontrol early, on the mainraceme of canola, to

Blackleg in Manitoba Poses Threat to Canola

Above: Surveys across westernCanada, including Manitoba, havefound that blackleg has increasedin both incidence and prevalence,with evidence showing thatblackleg is shifting to more virulentstrains that can overcome orreduce the effectiveness oftoday’s resistance genetics.

Left: Blackleg overwinters oninfected canola stubble and cansurvive for up to four years,leaving this year’s crop at highrisk for the disease.

minimize the impact of thedisease on crops. Due totightening of canolarotations, which increasethe potential inoculumsource, there is alsoevidence that blackleg isshifting to more aggressivestrains. Growers should remainvigilant to ensure the long-term success of currentresistant genetics. “Grow-ers, particularly undertighter rotations, shouldconsider something morethan only seed genetics toprotect canola from black-leg,” said Forster. “We aredefinitely seeing increasesin blackleg over time, whichwill increase the pressure onresistance. That is why werecommend that growerstake a more integratedapproach.”You are at increased riskfor blackleg disease if you:- Are seeding canola everythree years or less- Are using the samevarieties repeatedly- Have the presence of hostweeds in non-canola years- Are not routinely scoutingfor the disease, both duringthe season and in the fall atswathing-Are not using blackleg

fungicidesBlackleg prevention tipsand best practices:- Ensure a one in four-yearcrop rotation- Rotate resistant varieties- Properly scout andassess risk- Use a foliar fungicide, likePriaxor- Implement an integratedmanagement approach tomanage blackleg on yourfarm.

Chris Grenier farms fourthousand acres of cerealsand oilseed along with hisbrother, father and nephew

in St. Leon, Manitoba. In2015, Grenier utilized afungicide on all of theircanola acres as part of their

integrated managementapproach to protect theircanola crop from blackleg.“Blackleg is a very, very big

concern for us. It could wipeout our entire crop and thatis why we spray for it,” saidGrenier.


by RolfPenner

PennersPoints

[email protected]

As I sat in the audience atthe recent convocation ofthe School of Agriculture’s2016, I could not help but betransported back to the1970s. Not because that wasthe time that I attended theschool but it was the timethat American brewing giantMiller introduced light beer.Some would say it was fitting

that a Diploma graduation makes you think of a malted beveragebecause over the years, students have consumed a few, but it wasthe marketing of their light beer that captured my mind. “Tastes great,” said one voice on those now iconic commer-cials. “Less filling” argued another equally as vehemently. Thatwas what came to mind as I saw the procession making its wayto the dais with fitting pomp and ceremony. The procession included both the Minister of Agriculture andthe Minster of Education, and I could not help but wonderwhose jurisdiction this even fell under. I have been to more thantwo dozen of these events and cannot remember one being gracedwith the presence of two ministers; in fact, there have been yearsthat no Minister deemed it worthy of their attendance. My mind wandered to a discussion that could have taken placeand most liked did only in my mind. “It is an agriculture event(tastes great),” says Ag Minister Ralph Eichler. “It is an educationevent,” insists Ian Wishart, who ironically holds a degree inAgriculture from the University of Manitoba. The discussion carried on in my mind, but in reality, what matteredis that two newly minted Ministers thought it worth their while toattend the event and that speaks volumes. Yes, I know they are newand still in the baby kissing stage of campaigning. But they bothshowed up and I think I mentioned, there were some years no one

Regular readers of this column know its author is not a big fan of intrusive, top-downsolutions to problems. Does socialistic or central planning ever work? As a matter of fact,it sometimes does. The key to success for such schemes involves the size of the groupunder regulation. They only work if the group is quite small. A recent article in the Western Producer titled “Many Voices, Mixed Messages” la-mented that “Canada’s 200,000 family farms rarely speak with a unified voice to ministersand people in power.” Why? Because there are hundreds of different farm groups; evenwithin those groups, many members feel that their leaders don’t really represent their trueinterests. A real consensus is only possible when the groupings are small. In The Freeman magazine, economist Steven Horwitz goes into specifics with his article“When Socialism Works”. He describes the problem in trying to apply across-the-boardsolutions to a large-scale, heterogeneous group. We’re all farmers. But the professionincludes many different people, lots of different interests and subsequently differentneeds. One of the other confounding factors is anonymity. Horwitz writes, “There’s no way forany one person or group to acquire enough knowledge about everyone’s preferences orabout how best to use existing resources to make the things others might want.” So cattle farmers may not know what works for dairy, canola growers don’t necessarilyknow eggs, pork producers could have trouble relating to corn growers, and so on. Add inother variations between Provinces that arise simply from geography and it’s not hard tosee what a smorgasbord of different interests farmers possess. What’s required for socialism to work are groups that are small and just as importantlyhomogenous. Nobel Prize-winning economist Friedrich Hayek would also add the word“intimate” to the list. If you look back through our evolutionary history, humans spent most of their time infamily-based groups of maybe a few dozen people. Our brains are wired for this kind ofsetting where we know everyone through personal interactions. This kind of intimacymeans that we know what others like and what they might need. This kind of knowledge,according to Professor Horwitz, “Enables us to be collectivist and altruistic.”

When It Works, When It Doesn’t Obviously, in a family setting you don’t need pricesor markets to decide how to allocate things. Sports teamswould be another example of socialistic institutions thatcan work. Others would be the military, and even com-panies can successfully organize in a way where everyone agrees on particular goals. Acompany wants to make money, a sports team wants to win games, and armies want to winwars. As Horwitz explains, “With a clear and agreed-on ranking of ends, each group membercan understand their role in achieving them. This makes them willing to engage in whatwould otherwise be pure sacrifices.” Hockey player’s block slap-shots, a soldier mightthrow himself on a grenade, workers might do jobs they don’t like to achieve a commongoal. Family members recognize when one of them needs more of something than the others.Horwitz again says, “Where the organization is intimate, simple, and transparent, memberscan come together, agree on goals, and reach mutual understanding about each person’srole in achieving them.” The problems begin when we scale up these arrangements, when we get beyond small,face-to-face, intimate settings and venture out into larger, extended, more anonymousones. That’s when conflicts start. The goals and the means of achieving them are nolonger agreed upon. That’s why trying to get all farmers to move in a certain direction islike trying to herd cats. Socialist principles can work. The problem is that they can’t work very well beyond thesmallest and most familiar situations. What to do then? Hayek would argue that all of thesecompeting groups should be able to interact in ways that, “Produce peace, prosperity andsocial cooperation.” And for that, you need a free market. As Professor Horwitz reminds us, the alternative generally leads to, “Conflict, poverty,and totalitarianism.” Successful solutions fall apart when forced on large groups whichcontain differently perceived, sometimes competing interests. Open societies work be-cause they allow those real differences to be expressed and applied.

Graduation 2016 Momentous for AllGraduation 2016 Momentous for AllGraduation 2016 Momentous for AllGraduation 2016 Momentous for AllGraduation 2016 Momentous for Allfrom government thought it worth their while to make the trip toFort Garry to be a part of a big day for many rural Manitobafamilies. Dean of the Faculty, Karin Whittenburg noted after that it wasindeed a momentous occasion to have both ministers present. AsI stood chatting with a couple of instructors Ian Wishart cameover to bring greetings to our group and I asked him aboutattending the event and if it really was his domain.

He pointed out in no uncertain terms that it was, and made astrong case for being there. Thanks for the clarification, Ian. Wellthought and well said. It looks like agricultural training programsand the delivery of new information has secured a place in thenew government and will be well represented at the Cabinet table. That is a good thing and speaks well for the future of theSchool of Agriculture as it heads into its twelfth decade.Congrats to the grads of 2016.


I took the opportunity as amedia representative to attendthe recent swearing in cer-emony of Brian Pallister andthe PC Manitoba governmentat the Canadian Human RightsMuseum. First off, southern Manitobahas a number of ministers inthis new Pallister government,Cam Friesen, Winkler-Morden as Finance Minister,Kelvin Goertzen, Steinbach,Minister of Health, Seniorsand Active living, Cliff Cullenof Boissevain as Minister ofGrowth, Enterprise and Tradeand Blaine Pederson, Minis-ter of Infrastructure. While listening to the fiveministers chosen to speak tothe media immediately afterthe ceremony, they all madetheir appropriate commentsrelating to their charge, but allsaid, “The challenges are big,but I will work hard to makeManitoba a better place. Knowing the Pallister fam-ily, especially Brian’s brotherJim, being successful is abouthaving a plan, implementingthat plan as best as possible,and working hard at making itwork for the betterment ofManitoba. However, my focus is on the

Renewal of rail provisions wouldopen window to build a system farm-ers can count on. Canada’s world-class grain industryspurs economic growth, job creationand broad-based prosperity acrossCanada. The industry brings over $20billion to the farm gate, and generatesabout one-third of Canada’s agricul-ture and food exports. Canada’s grain farmers depend onexports for a significant portion oftheir income. In fact, on average, oneof every two bushels of grain fromCanadian farms is exported – 40 mil-lion tonnes in a typical year. That’swhy a reliable, efficient, predictablegrain transport system is vital toCanada’s grain industry. An efficient rail system also under-pins and builds Canada’s global repu-tation for quality, consistency and re-liability. Canada’s customers aroundthe world need the certainty that thequality product they’re accustomedto will reach them on time. The Federal Government is commit-ted to working with industry to en-sure a predictable and stable transportsystem – for both grain and other com-modities that depend on rail. That iswhy on April 22, my colleague Trans-port Minister Marc Garneau and I an-nounced the intention to renew, forone year, certain provisions of theCanada Transportation Act that wereenacted in 2014 by the Fair Rail forGrain Farmers Act. This is a one-year extension of theGovernment’s authorities over fourkey provisions of the Act: minimumvolumes, level-of-service agreements,compensation and extendedinterswitching. The renewal of these provisions will

The Swearing in of a New Government Gives Room for Optimism

Minister of Agriculture, RalphEichler because that is wheremy top interests lie. In an in-terview with MLA Eichler, heanswered some of the ques-tions posed to him before theelection. As an aside, I’m sohappy to see them delete thelong-name-no-one can remem-ber, ‘Minister of Agriculture,Food, and Rural Affairs’, orMAFRA for short and callRalph simply the Minister ofAgriculture. “Right off the bat we havethe new Growing Forward 2program up for renewal thatwill be a priority for us,” saysEichler in the interview. “If youremember going back when Iwas the previous Ag critic, Italk much about consultation.

We have to get this programright, our staff in the depart-ment has been working on that,and I look forward to makingit right.” The new Ag minister toldme he’s happy to retain theservices of Dori GingeraBeauchemin, who became theDeputy Minister back in2013. “I’m tickled to deaththat she stayed on as DeputyMinister and things are prettysmooth in the department,but they need some tweak-ing. We need to find thosethings that need tweaking andfix them, and make them bet-

ter for Manitobans,” he says.“And of course our red tapeprogram we want to do as well,making it more simple to dosome things, if possible.Those are the first things weneed to be working on. I havea great team and look forwardto working with them.” That took me right into mynext question because in myopinion regulations have re-ally squeezed the Ag indus-try unduly and I know wecan’t live without them but isthere any way we can finetune some of them as it per-tains to raising hogs, and those

kinds of things. “Wellyou know all of thosekinds of things are upfor discussion. We willlook at those on a caseby case basis, but wehave a very aggressiveprogram we want tomove forward on, an-nouncing that as we go for-ward,” says Eichler. Another point asked of theAg Minister has to do withgoing back when I started as afarm journalist in 1971, I re-lied heavily on what we thencalled the Ag reps. And therewere and are good ones acrossthe province that gave of them-selves and the things they knewto help farmers improve wher-ever possible. We had reallytop-notch extension peopleout in the field. I know we needspecialists, and pencil push-ers, but that was a time whenfarmers in Manitoba really gota bang for their buck from theirextension service. That’s a good point saysEichler and all that will be upfor review. “As you know, I

was so disappointed with theclosure of many of the ruralAg offices, but what’s done isdone. We will look forward notbackward.” “All that will be up for re-view and working with mystaff to ensure we get the bestbang for our buck. You are bangon with those comments and Isupport them, but as far asmoving forward with them, itis just a little premature,” hesays. As you know, we want anopen and transparent govern-ment, an accountable govern-ment, a government the peoplecan trust, and we want to makeManitoba the miracle that itreally is. That is what we wantto focus on, he adds.

KKKKKeeping Canadaeeping Canadaeeping Canadaeeping Canadaeeping Canada’s Grain Industry’s Grain Industry’s Grain Industry’s Grain Industry’s Grain Industryon Ton Ton Ton Ton Track for Growthrack for Growthrack for Growthrack for Growthrack for Growth

allow all stakeholders in the grainhandling and transportation sys-tem the time they need to planfor the coming crop year underpredictable conditions. It will also provide time to fullyconsider the recommendations ofthe Canada Transportation ActReview Report, which MinisterGarneau tabled in February. Iwant to ensure that we have asystem that is sustainable andbuilt not for the next two, five or10 years, but for 25 years or more. Canada needs a reliable rail sys-tem to deliver on the existing andexciting new opportunities thatare opening up on the world stage.The Food and Agriculture Orga-nization predicts that annual glo-bal demand for cereals will growby one billion tonnes over the nextthree decades. The measures we have an-nounced will provide stability forthe short term while we work to-gether to build a system that Ca-nadian farmers can count on toget their products to growingmarkets around the world.Lawrence MacAulay is FederalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

Premier Brian Pallister Health Minister KelvinGoertzen.

Agricultural Minister RalphEichler.

By Lawrence Macaulay


By Les Kletke

John Van Gorp would liketo know the rules aboutputting tile drain into hisland at Sprague. “We need a drainagepolicy in Manitoba,” hesaid. “There has been onein Ontario for over 100years and Manitoba has nopolicy in place and no oneable to make a decision.” Van Gorp knows of whathe speaks to, as he hasbeen a farmer his entire lifesouthwest of London,Ontario and operated acompany that specializes intile drain. “My sons nowrun the company and theyput in 3 and half million feetof drain a year,” he said.“We would like to knowwhat we can do on the landin Manitoba.” Van Gorp bought 2,450acres last year and is plant-ing his second crop on thesandy soil near Sprague. Hehas 1,000 acres of springwheat and 1,350 of soy-beans. He stayed with onevariety of beans through-out. “We like to keep itsimple,” he said with asmile just as three unitswere finishing up on onefield. One unit was discing,he was harrowing and an-other hired man was oper-ating the planter. Hespends as much time asneeded in Manitoba andreturns to southwesternOntario and his construc-tion business in the downtime. “I work with pullingdrains under roads,” hesaid. “The boys do the tiledrain and I am here for

Sprague Farmer Wantsto See Drainage Rules

John Van Gorp says Manitoba needs a drainage policy. VanGorp farms near London Ontario as well as Sprague and saysthat province has had one for 100 years.

seeding and harvest. I havea fellow who looks after theoperation the time be-tween.” He said he was attractedto Manitoba mainly on onepoint. “The price of land,”he noted. “Land is $20,000an acre where I live, and youcan’t farm that. This was alarge block in close proxim-ity and it is an opportunity,”said the 68 year old. VanGorp said his sons do notshare his passion for farm-ing. He is not sure they willtake over the operation buthe relishes the challenge offarming on a large scale. “We need to know whatwe can do,” he said. “Lastyear was my first crop here

and I got hurt by the ex-cess moisture. I probablylost money on the farmingoperation because of themoisture.”Area farmers met with thelocal RM in late May todiscuss the issue. “We aretold that they [the RM]want to get some things inplace to allow us to put indrains but no one is sure,and no one has the juris-diction. We need a drain-age policy in Manitoba.” He hopes the provincesets some policy or regu-lations soon so that heplan some drainage thisyear after taking off thecrop, a crop that ironicallyneeds rain now.

Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) is pleased to announce it will again award six $500bursaries to deserving Manitoba students in 2016. The bursaries are available to MBP members, or their children, who are attending auniversity, college or other post-secondary institution. Students pursuing trades trainingare also eligible. Preference will be given to students who are pursuing a field of studyrelated to agriculture or those acquiring a skilled trade that would benefit the rural economy. “We are proud to offer these bursaries to our members and their children,” said ManitobaBeef Producers President Heinz Reimer. “Investments in education reap strong dividends.Our past recipients have gone on to careers in the trades and veterinary services, amongothers with many of them settling in rural Manitoba and making significant contributionsto their communities.” Those applying must be at least 17 years old as of January 1, 2016 and be an activebeef producer or the child of one. Applicants must use the bursary within two years ofreceiving it and the program they are attending must be at least one year in duration. Interested students are required to submit an essay no more than 600 words in lengthdiscussing what the beef industry means to them, their family, community and Manitoba atlarge. Students are also asked to include the reasons they enjoy being involved in agricul-ture. Applicants must also submit either a high school or post-secondary transcript, proof ofenrolment in a recognized institution, a list of their community involvement and threereferences. The application can be found at mbbeef.ca/producers/mbp-bursary. Completed applications must be submitted to MBP by June 3, 2016. All entries will bereviewed by the selection committee and the winners will be notified on July 31, 2016.

Manitoba Beef PManitoba Beef PManitoba Beef PManitoba Beef PManitoba Beef Producers toroducers toroducers toroducers toroducers toOffer Six BursariesOffer Six BursariesOffer Six BursariesOffer Six BursariesOffer Six Bursaries


By Harry Siemens

Robert Wager is a facultymember of the Biology De-partment, Vancouver IslandUniversity in Nanaimo BC.His training is in biochem-istry and molecular biologyworking as an independentscientist with zero financialconnection to the biotech-nology industry. Wager’s focus is on ge-netically engineered re-search, educating the pub-lic by giving many talks andwriting articles that explaindifferent aspects of geneticengineering (GE) technol-ogy. In a recent interview, Wa-ger said GE crops are wherescientists have changedcertain traits by moving inDNA from other sources.These crops are very popu-lar with farmers and todayover 90 percent of corn,cotton, soybeans, sugarbeets are GE crop varietiesin North America, includingcanola. He delivers his message

Genetically Engineered Crops the MostPrecise Method to Develop New Varieties

directly to farmers and sup-ports what they do. “Farm-ers would not plant thesecrops in the acreages thatthey do unless they believethese crops benefit the en-vironment, and the farmers’bottom line,” he said. “Inboth these cases, economicand environmental benefitsare well documented forthese crops.” What asked about thenegativity surrounding GEcrops he said the vast ma-jority of that comes frompeople who are scared, be-cause they have read falseinformation on the internet.Often people trying to sellalternative products putthis false information for-ward. But some of the nega-tivity is coming from oth-ers as well he said. “Somepeople have ideologicalreasons against this typeof technology but the real-ity is agriculture is by defi-nition the manipulation ofthe DNA of plants and ani-mals to suit our needs. Thatis what agriculture is. GE

technology is just the lat-est technique and by far themost precise method we’veever use to change theDNA of our foods.” Some years ago, scien-tists even changed insulinfrom what it was before, towhere it is not nearly as al-lergic for people needing itto live a normal life. Virtu-ally all the insulin that is onthe market now is a geneticengineered product. “Theytook the human gene forinsulin and now grow it upin microorganisms,” saidWager. “In the past we hadto isolate the insulin fromthe pancreas of cows orpigs so there were manyissues with cross reactiv-ity when you are injectingproteins from another spe-cies into humans. So nowwe use just the human pro-tein that is grown up in mi-croorganisms.” Wager said farmers couldchange attitudes by speak-ing on what they do andknow. “Farmers tradition-ally have always worried

about farming and are verygood at it,” he said. “Cana-dian farmers are some of themost productive farmers inthe entire world. They haveconcentrated on how toproduce the best qualityfood, and the highestyields, and with the leastamount of environmentalimpact. GE crops havehelped in that respect.However today there arelarge amounts of moneybeing spent to try and con-vince people GE crops tech-nology is not in fact good,but bad. We’re talking bil-lions of dollars, which doesbuy much influence.” Wager said farmers arefinding themselves facinga backlash of people whothink they know what thetechnology is about andfarmers are not quite surehow to deal with it. In thepast the average persondid not care about primaryfood production, all theycared about was price andquality at the supermarket.Today people are more in-terested in how food is ac-tually produced at the pri-mary level. So farmers arefaced with questions thatthey have not had to reallythink about in the past. “I would argue farmersknow this technology bet-ter than anybody becausethey have used it for 20years,” he said. “Whatfarmers need to do is tellthe public or whoevercomes asking questionsexactly what they do andwhy they do it. They don’tneed to get into the sciencebecause that is debated atanother level, they need totalk to the public about whythey plant a GE crop in afield and how it haschanged the way they farmcompared to previousyears when these optionswere not available.”

The National FarmersUnion (NFU) wishes toexpress sincere condo-lences to the family ofRoy Atkinson, whoserved as theirorganization’s firstPresident from 1969 until1978. “It is often said that wecan see as far as we dotoday because we standupon the shoulders ofgiants,” said Jan Slomp,NFU President. “RoyAtkinson is certainly oneof those giants. Hislegacy as our farmmovement’s leader isunmistakable. He was oneof the visionaries whobrought provincial farmunions together to createthe foundation of ourpresent national organiza-

NFU Mourns the Passing of Founding Presidenttion.” Former NFU President(2001-2009), StewartWells, places RoyAtkinson in the sameleague as theSaskatchewan WheatPool, the Canadian WheatBoard, Tommy Douglas,Woodrow Lloyd andMedicare. “Roy was aman of tremendousintellect and discipline,”said Wells. “He believed ifyou gave people all theinformation they wouldmake the right decision,and that people should beable to control their ownmeans of production andmarketing.” “Roy Atkinson dedi-cated his life to confront-ing the powers that areintent on unravelling

farmers’ livelihoods. OlderNFU members recall themassive tractor rallies andblockades that farmersorganized with Roy at thehelm. His sharp analysisof economic and politicalforces informed his verypractical and uncompro-mising positions indefence of family farmers’interests,” said NettieWiebe, who was NFUPresident from 1995 to1998. “Roy was a courageousleader. He fought for andwith farm families to

protect their economicinterests and their way oflife,” continued Wiebe.“He was a clear-eyedstrategist who under-stood the politicaldynamics of his times.Time and again, he madesure that politicians hadto face the farmers ontheir own terms and seethe people whose liveswere affected by theirpolicies. Farmers of ourgeneration continue tobenefit from Roy’slegacy.” Roy Atkinson was the

President of theSaskatchewan FarmersUnion from 1962 until1969. He was a key figurein creating the NationalFarmers Union in 1969,which brought togetherthe Ontario, Manitoba, BCand SaskatchewanFarmers Unions, with thesupport of the Maritimeorganizations. He servedas NFU President until1978. After retirement fromelected office at the NFU,he continued to promotefarmers’ interests as anactive leader in the

Saskatchewan WheatPool and other co-operatives. In 2002, hewas named to the Order ofCanada.

Roy Atkinson


As a dairy nutritionist, I’ve noticed a new trend amongstdairy farmers in the last few years in feeding and manage-ment of their dry cows. The line between a faraway dry cow and close-up drycow has faded and we are feeding much more nutrientpacked rations to them than we used to. I am not sayingthat this trend is necessarily a bad thing, but I feel thatfaraway dry cows still have their own special nutrient needscompared to close-up dry cows, which should be recog-nized and managed for optimum milk production later on inthe lactation barn. I believe that a successful faraway dry cow nutrition andmanagement period parallels four objectives, 1. Post-lacta-tion udder goes through a period of rejuvenation, 2. Ru-men rebounds by repairing tissue lining and muscle tone

Ray Mangin, DFM Director/MFGA Board Member(left) presents John McGregor, MFGA Hay Expert, witha cheque from DFM, a long-time supporter of theMFGA’s Green Gold program. The Green Gold pro-gram, now in its 21st year, helps alfalfa growers acrossthe province identify the optimum harvest date fortheir forage know as Hay Day.

Prepare the Faraway Dairy Dry Cow for Lactationcompromised by consuming high starch diets, 3. Internalorgans such as the liver damaged by metabolic digestiveproblems (ketosis and fatty liver syndrome) is also repairedand 4. Immune function is built back up. All of which shouldhappen within a 60 - day total dry cow period, which is stilla common practice; 40 days for faraway cows and about 20pre-lactation days for the close-up animals. I realized that some dairy specialists say that dairy lacta-tion cows really don’t need a 60-day dry cow period toprepare for lactation. They point out that many high milk-producing cows produce significant amounts of milk dur-ing the latter part of their lactation and it would be of greatereconomic benefit to allow additional days of lactation ratherthan dry them off on a man-made schedule. Aside from the duration of a proper dry cow period, whichshould I believe should include 40 faraway dry days; thenutrition of faraway dry cows is also very important. TheNational Research Council (NRC) requirements for energy,protein, minerals and vitamins of the faraway dry cow are

approximately 80 - 85% of a lactating counterpart cow milk-ing 30 litres during later lactation. Consequently, a dairy cow taken off the milk-line shouldbe brought into the non-lactation period with an optimumbody condition score at around 3.0 – 3.5 (1 = thin, and 5 =fat) and fed a well-balanced diet based on a maintenanceplane of nutrition. While it seems tempting to build back body condition onthinner dairy cows, this exercise should be handled back inlater lactation. Similarly, over-conditioned faraway dry cowsshould be fed like their optimum BCS pen-mates, whichavoid putting them a “diet” that leads to metabolic prob-lems such as ketosis and fatty liver syndrome during earlylactation. With a proper faraway feeding program, it is not particu-larly difficult to maintain the dry cow body condition ofany animal in the dry cow pen. One should target dry mat-ter intake at 1.8 – 2.0% or about 11 – 12 kg (23 – 25 lbs) ofdry feed based on a forage level of at least 60% of totalration dry matter. Most sound recommendations advisethat good quality bulky feed such as long stem grassymixed hay is the best choice for faraway dry cow diets. Itshould contain enough energy and protein to meet theiressential NRC requirements as well as have enough di-gestible fibre to keep the cows’ rumen functioning. Some research from Penn State (2003) suggests that far-away dry cows fed these traditional high forage feeds al-lows the dairy cows’ rumen to lose its capacity to digestand absorb milk-producing nutrients. This is an invisibleproblem, which makes lactating cows play nutritional“catch-up” when they are put back on the milk-line. Subse-quently, Penn State says it might be necessary to look atfeeding faraway dry cows in a different way. These researchers suggest that faraway dry cows shouldbe fed limited amounts of moderate energy foragescomplimented with non-forage high fibre feeds such assoy-hulls, cottonseed hulls or corncobs. Known as “one-group dry cow diets”, these diets can be also be dove-tailed into the close-up dry cow program, which primes drycows for lactation. Other similar diets use a combination ofcorn silage and straw as proposed by the University ofIllinois achieve respective nutritional goals. Aside from the energy and fibre status of these diets, Irecommended the entire faraway dry cow diet provide suf-ficient 14 – 16% protein (dm, basis), particularly for 1stlactation cows coming off the milk-line. I also advocate awell-balanced mineral-vitamin pack containing a high pro-portion of chelated/organic copper; zinc and selenium aswell as high levels of Vitamin A, D and E. Lastly, 10 – 20 gper head per day of commercial cultured yeast should beincluded. Meeting such nutritional needs of faraway dry cowsdoesn’t seem difficult to me. I have seen a lot of differentdiets put in front of them, given the availability to goodquality forages and other feed ingredients. I have foundthat the successful programs are the ones that best matchedwhat nutrients and management that any individual far-away group needed in the first place.

Dairy Farmers SupportDairy Farmers SupportDairy Farmers SupportDairy Farmers SupportDairy Farmers SupportGreen Gold ProgramGreen Gold ProgramGreen Gold ProgramGreen Gold ProgramGreen Gold Program


By Les Kletke

There is some new hous-ing on the campus of theUniversity of Manitobaand it is not for students, itis for bees. The bee housesare also being tested at theGlenlea Research Stationand the University’sCarman Farm. The designsof the new structures werepart of a contest sponsoredby the University that at-tracted entries acrossCanada and eight othercountries. It had no cash prizes butbrought the honour of hav-ing successful entries con-structed and tested fortheir bee likability. “Therewere no prizes but the brag-ging rights to the contestand seeing their designsbeing built and tested,” saidRob Currie one of the eventorganizers. The contest called forstructures that wouldhouse 80-100 individualbees and be more attractivethan the current models onthe market. “Bees can livein trash or build houses indead branches but peopleare not too keen about hav-ing that around their yard,”said Currie. “So the idea isto have something thatpeople might find attrac-tive and put in their yard,but it still has to be func-tional and house the bees.So that is why they arebeing tested to see if thebees will inhabit them.”

By Les Kletke

A contest calling for new more aseptically pleasing housingfor bees has exceeded organizers expectations. The contest sponsored by the University of Manitoba calledfor entrants to provide a design for a practical bee house thatindividuals may choose to put in their yard. Ian Hall of the University of Manitoba said that not onlywere the designs new and innovative so were the materialsused in the construction. “We had one entry that was printedby a 3-D printer in plastic,” said Hall the Director ofSustainability at the U of M. The winning entries were placedat various sites including the Fort Garry Campus and the St.Norbert Farmers Market. Some will be placed in more urbansettings like the Forks or the U of M campus on Bannatyne. “We are hoping to raise the awareness of people while test-ing the houses design for practicality,” said Hall. “With thenew designs people might choose to have a bee house in theiryard and we hope to find that is, considering the commercial-ization of the new designs if they prove practical for thebees.” The houses are not designed for specific varieties of bees.“The holes for the bees vary from 1 mm to 8 or 9 mm,” saidHall. “That is something that a bee might deposit a part of aleaf in.” While the houses are not intended for leaf cutter beesthat are used to pollinate forage fields the behaviour of someof these bees is similar and they would bring clippings fromleaves back to deposit in the holes. “The designs are much more playful than what is on themarket and one of them looks like a flower,” he said. “Wewant the bees to come back and lay eggs in these structures sothat is what we will be testing for to see if the bees like thestructures.” There are no insects being released with the trial, it is in-tended to provide a home for wild bees to replace naturalhabitat that people might not find as attractive and have in-stead cleaned up. “The designs are unlike anything on themarket and we have no way of knowing what bees will likeuntil we test it. That is what we are doing by placing these arevarious sites. We will see how the bees react to the newdesigns.” Each of the houses are intended to hold up to 100 bees.

New Housing Goes Up on Campus

Currie acknowledges thatthe designs are a bit unusualand more concerned with ap-pearance than normallythought of. “There were somethat looked like x’s and somethat looked like o’s, which isnot what I would havethought of but we will see ifthe bees like them,” he said.“Theories are being tested oncampus and various sites sowe can get a reading of howthe bees respond.” The houses vary in size butmost are less than one cubicfoot in volume. One is in theshape of a bench that couldaccommodate flowers. Curriesaid that bee populations havebeen depleted in recent yearsand the contest is part of aneffort to maintain and rebuildthe population. “While pesti-cides are often implicated inthe decrease in populationthey are a number of other fac-tors that have contributed tothe decline in population,” hesaid. “There have been para-sites and disease problemsthat are a factor, as well asweather issues.” He is hopeful the contestwill become an annual com-petition, and at least oneManitoba firm is consideringcommercializing productionof the houses if they provesuccessful in attracting bees. Unlike human real estate, itis about not only location, lo-cation, location there is also astrong element of design thatbees consider before movinginto a new modernized home.

Photo Courtesy of Robert Currie

New bee houses are being tested for functionality at several sites at the University of Manitoba campus and at the farmand food discovery centre. The design contest attracted entries from 9 countries.

Designs TDesigns TDesigns TDesigns TDesigns Tested to Attractested to Attractested to Attractested to Attractested to Attractthe Next Bee Generationthe Next Bee Generationthe Next Bee Generationthe Next Bee Generationthe Next Bee Generation


By Peter Vitti

It’s a funny thing aboutwalking amongst beef cattle; Itend to catch things that Iwouldn’t otherwise see just bystaring at them from a truck.Take spotting cattle with pink-eye for instance. The otherweek, I was walking along withthe feedlot manager after thefeed-bunk was filled. Most ofthe beef finishers were up tothe bunk cable and eating, butabout a dozen animals hungback. I saw that two of these steershad each something wrongwith one eye; one animal hadan inflamed dripping eye thatwas closed shut, while theother steer had a visibly cloudyeye. The manager took theirear-tag numbers and treatedthem that afternoon for pink-eye. By now, I understand thatthe patches used to protecttheir infected eyes had fallenoff and both animals are up tothe bunk with the rest of thecattle, like nothing happened. This story is a good re-minder that early detection,rapid treatment and a goodprevention program shouldhalt the advancement of pink-eye in most cattle herds. Weshould also be reminded thatuntreated cattle that go blindin one diseased eye consumeless feed and don’t gain as wellcompared to cattle with ac-ceptable two-eye vision. Forexample, mid-American re-search [SDSU, 2013] statesthat spring calves diagnosedwith pinkeye weigh about 20lbs. less than normal, whichtranslated in hard cash is about$30 of lost revenue at wean-ing time. Even with a respective pink-eye program in place, somepeople are shocked when astring of their cattle comesdown with this highly conta-gious and painful diseasecaused by Moraxella bovisbacteria. In itself, the healthybovine eye has adequate de-fence mechanisms to preventM.bovis growth, but a num-

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Halt the Advancement ofPinkeye in Your Beef Herd

ber of factors particularly dur-ing the summer months cometogether that breakdown thisnatural protection and cause apinkeye outbreak. I find it surprising that pink-eye can literarily start withone animal; a cattle’s eye forwhatever reason starts to tear,which underlies the perfectenvironment for the M.bovisbacteria to thrive. The initialsource of eye irritation cancome from anywhere such asabrasive pasture grass, dust,wind, or excessive sunlight,yet by far the primary sourceof cattle eye irritation is thecommon face fly. Face flies are naturally at-tracted to the head of cattle onpasture, and specifically at-tracted to the discharges of theeye. These flies have abrasivespongy mouthparts thatstimulate the eye to tear, sothey can feed off the secre-tions. Inadvertently, they flyfrom one individual transfer-ring m.bovis from animals withclinical pinkeye or recoveredpinkeye carriers (still harborbacteria in inner eyelid surface)to healthy cattle. These fliesalso cause small scratches onthe conjunctiva and corneas ofthe eyes when they feed,which makes it much easier forthe M. bovis organisms to at-tach to the eye tissue andthrive. Treating cattle infected withpinkeye can be straightfor-ward, but nobody should waitfor it to appear before medicalaction is taken. A sound pro-gram for pinkeye preventionmay start with insecticidal andnon-chemical control, whichfocuses around the head of theanimal as well as takes intoaccount that face flies spendonly about 10% of their adultlife on the face of cattle. Faceflies are usually found spend-ing most of their time onfences, trees and other objects.In the fall time, face flies tendto overwinter in cattle build-ings. Consequently, the underly-ing foundation of a good pink-

eye control programs are:- Ear-tag protection – Plasticear-tags are impregnated witheither organophosphates orpyrethroids. One tag per sea-son is recommended per ani-mal. Most people should beaware that the efficacy of theinsecticide in ear-tags is goodup to about five-month con-trol.- Strategic rotation of insecti-cides - It’s also common prac-tice for producers to alternateorgano- and pyrethrin-basedtags every other year to re-duce the chance of face-fly re-sistance. Note: a new ear taghas come out in recent yearsthat contain both of these in-secticides.- Non-chemical and animalmanagement – Some produc-ers keep their cattle out of tallgrass pasture and overgrownbush, which is not alwayspractical, but reduces the inci-dence of eye irritation. In dry-lots, excessively dusty areasare controlled by variousmeans. Ideally, infected ani-mals should be isolated fromthe rest of the herd, becausethey are highly contagious.- Nutrition prevention - Makesure nutrients that promotegood eyesight and a function-ing immune system (such asvitamin A, vitamin E, zinc,copper and selenium) are fed.- Feed management - I knowof one feedlot producer whoadds water to his beef growerdiet to keep the dust, down.Another producer quitempting dusty feedlot rationon the heads of the cattle dur-ing feeding time to avoid irri-tating feed getting in thecattle’s eyes. Such methods to halt pink-eye in cattle are important be-cause of the serious economiclosses when an animal losessight of even one eye. Pink-eye might be a summer-timedisease because of the associ-ated risks involved, but imple-menting the proper treatmentand prevention programs canhelp producers combat the ef-fects of pinkeye, all yearround.

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By Joan Airey

Grim Acres Scare Away Can-cer located between Brandonand Kemnay is a projectstarted six years ago by Brianand Amber Sutherland, a

young couple to raise money for Cancer Society inManitoba. The original setting for this event was in theiryard in Brandon but they have moved to a farmyard andspent the past year expanding the event by turning anabandoned house and farm sheds into a maze with moreanimatronics and displays. Last year forty volunteers andactors helped stage the four-day event. “Amber and I had always been a fan of the local fundraiserhaunts in Shoal Lake and Brandon, and had always wantedto somehow get involved locally in helping out at one. Astime went on, we soon realized that Grim Acres was begin-ning to take on a life and purpose of its own. Six year ago,we really decided to take the leap and recreate Grim Acresas a fundraiser maze during Halloween season. It was anatural progression for us and our project. Both Amberand I had lost our mothers to cancer over the years. Myfather fought a long battle with lung cancer, before finallypassing away a few yearsago as a result of complica-tions from only having onelung,” said Sutherland. Grim Acers Scare AwayCancer has become a hugeevent and requires a lot oftime, effort and financial in-vestment. The Sutherlandsare often asked, if theyspend so much of their ownon the event, why they donot charge to offset thecost. The reality is that

Abandoned Farm Houseto Scare Away Cancer

while it costs them a large amount ofmoney to finance the event their solepurpose is to keep raising money toscare away cancer. They accept cashdonations at the door for a tour of Grim Acres in Halloweenseason and those donations are all turned over to the Can-cer Society. “We had over 1,200 square feet of haunt space on threefloors, as well as space outdoors, which we maximized forconcessions, a kids laser tag area, and a professional DJ tohelp keep the crowd entertained. Additionally we also hadour hugely successful flash mob come back from last year,which is instrumental in our success every year. For the2015 season we had over 3,000 visitors and guests overthe four day event, with some coming from as far away asWinnipeg, a busload of people from Rossburn, and on ourbiggest night had a crowd of well over eight hundred stand-ing in attendance. All told, we were able to raise over $12,000,taking our five-year total to over $33,000 for the CancerSociety. We also have a Grim Acres Scare Away Cancerrelay team in the Canadian Cancer Society Relay for Lifeand volunteered to help out at the ‘Stick it to Cancer’,”said Sutherland. “Many business in the area help the project grow. Thenew location needed electrical service for which ChownElectric donated material and labour. C & C donated theuse of a port-a-potty and Hertz loaned us a large light and

generator for the parking area. Centum Mortgage and RDIRoofing covered the cost of shingles and labour for thenew haunt. Behlen has donated the cladding so Amberand I can close in the 3,000 sq foot pole shed during thissummer. This will mean more mazes for visitors to passthrough. We are always looking for volunteers and actorsto wear costumes,” said Sutherland. “We invested our own money to build a new shed thisspring for our concessions and volunteers. Grim Acres islocated at 52030 Stanley Road and we plan to be openOctober 28 -30 from 6 -10 pm and October 31 from 6 - 11pm,” said AmberSutherland. If you would like tolearn more about thisfour-day countryevent, you can checkout grimacres.ca oron Facebook under“Grim Acres ScareAway Cancer”.


By Les Kletke

Rylan Laudin knew the value of friends. In his Vale-dictory Address to the School of Agriculture 2016,Laudin stressed that long after students had forgottenthe names of the reproductive parts or the internal or-gans of a chicken the friendships they had struck dur-ing the two years in the program would still be will themand still be just as valuable. Laudin, aged 23 was tragically killed in a farm accidentthe day after graduation. In his address, he joked that intrue to tradition he had completed the address at 2 amthat morning. “But had got it done before the dead-line.” “It was just like so many things we did in the last twoyears,” he said. “We did it together, whether it was aFacebook group chat or in person, we helped each otherand that is what mattered.” He went on to talk about reaching out to others in theAg community. “There are Aggies everywhere and wecan call on them. It was an honour to go through thefinal presentation and have the opportunity to presentour budgets and ratios to those people who had comeback because they have an interest in the program.”

By Les Kletke

Kelly Beaulieu hateswaste and wanted to dosomething about it, soshe started CanadianGarden Puree a company

The Value of Friends Addressing the programs’ instructors, he offered thanks.“You made it manageable, you supported us when weneeded it,” said Laudin. “That was what got us throughand we thank you.” In an interview after the ceremony he shared with a smile,“I am a bit more ‘mature’ than some of the other students.“Laudin had spent 5 years working in the industry in theseed sector, had worked on a farm in Australia and wasplanning to continue his education by attending the dieselmechanics course at Red River Community College in thefall. “Something I will be able to use on the farm, or do somework for the neighbours,” he said. He was returning to thefamily farm at Brunkild, a 2,500-acre operation that pro-duces alfalfa seed, wheat, oats and soybeans. When asked about what farmers need to do better he didnot hesitate. “Succession planning,” he said. “We do agood job on the day to day things, we are growing a goodpool of knowledge but we need to do more about planningfor the future.” Rylan was clear on another thing. “My dad taught me so much when I went to University, itseems that so many of the things he did make sense now,”he smiled and his eyes twinkled.

Rylan Laudin told the grads of 2016 that friendships willlast long past when they forget the names of a chicken’sinternal organs.

Portage EntrepreneurInsists on Doing it Right

Kelly Beaulieu was awarded the Certificate of Merit at the2016 Graduation Ceremony for her work with processingManitoba foods into purees. She established a state of the artproduction plant at Portage for Canadian Garden Purees.

that is making greatstrides in reducing thewaste of vegetablesgrown in Manitoba. “We waste 30-60% ofthe production ofManitoba vegetables,”

said Beaulieu. “Becausethey are not perfect. Justbecause they have, ablemish does not de-crease their value as food.We are going to have 9.5billion people in the worldby 2050, we need to feedthem.” Beaulieu was awardedthe Certificate of Merit forher achievements inagriculture at the 2016Convocation of theSchool of Agriculture butit is the future she wantsto talk about not her pastachievements. “Our plantin Portage will be able toprocess 50 million poundsof vegetables a year,” shesaid. “We will buy thefarmers total production,not just the vegetablesthat are perfect.” By process Beaulieu,means turn the produceinto puree and packageaseptically for shipmentto customers around theworld. Although hercompany is calledCanadian Garden Puree, ithas expanded too muchmore than vegetablecrops. It also processesdry pulse crops intoproducts that can be usedas binders in the meatindustry. “We buy chick

pea and navy bean flowerfrom local plants, processand package it and ship itoff to meat processors,”she said. “It replaces whatwas formerly flour andegg mixture and is glutenfree. It also reduces themicrobial load that occurswhen manufactures soakthe crops themselves.” The 16 million dollarplant is fully automatedand will be able to runwith 50 people when fullyoperational and up tocapacity. Currently thePortage companyemploys 10 people.Beaulieu a professionalAgrologist with both a

BA (English and History),a BSc in Agriculture(Horticulture) andcredentials earned fromthe Manitoba Institute ofAgrologists is a firmbeliever in practicing whatshe preaches so when shestarted to look forequipment she insisted onequipment that wouldhave a minimal footprinton the environment. “Wecould not find anythingthat met our expecta-tions,” she said. “So wedesigned the equipmentour selves and put it inthe food lab in Portage laPrairie, next might be astandalone plant but we

have to get established inthe business.” Her first year hasalready resulted in $10million in sales, and shesaid that is only the tip ofthe iceberg in the foodindustry. She lists herclients as the majormanufactures in the soupand baby food industryas well as food proces-sors and the restauranttrade that uses her pureein soups. The puree isshipped out in 1,300 kgtotes and 50-gallon drumsthat contain a plastic liner. Looking to the future,she is not only positiveabout the growth of hercompany but sees thingsthat could impactManitoba vegetableproduction on a largerscale. “We get half ourvegetables from Californiaand with the water issuesthere we will find theirproduction reduced andprices increasing. Theprairies are going tobenefit from globalwarming and we alreadyhave 80,000 acres ofirrigated land inManitoba, the potential istremendous. Kelly Beaulieu wasrecognized with theCertificate of Merit butshe is only beginning ajourney to put Manitobafood processing on theworld map.


By Les Kletke

Dean, Dr. Karin Wittenbergtold the graduating class of theSchool of Agriculture, that ag-riculture had been left outagain. “We have been left outof the current down turn inthe economy,” she said in heraddress to the class of 2016,“We have been left out againjust as in the last two downturns.” She went on to say that, thisis a good time to be in the busi-ness of agriculture and the fu-ture looks as bright as at anytime. “We see numbers thatare predicting a growth rate of5-6% in our sector and thatmakes it one of the brightestsectors of the economy,” saidWittenberg. She also had a word of warn-ing for those who might havethought her address was allabout sunshine and lollipopsin the future. “We did not teachyou everything, in the past 4years the world has gained as

By Les Kletke

The province’s agriculturalorganizations have given thenew Agricultural Minister aconservative vote of confi-dence while adopting a waitand see approach to what thenew government will bring tothe industry. Ralph Eichler was namedMinster of Agriculture by Pre-mier Brian Pallister and whilenot a farmer does bring someagricultural business savvy tothe position. He is the formerowner of Prairie Ranch andFarm Supply and currentlyowns Ray’s Auction Serviceat Tuelon. The Manitoba Pulse andSoybean Growers (MPSG)Association said it is ready to

Taking Our Place in the Communitymuch information as it had inthe previous 3,000 so it is im-possible to have taught youeverything you will need toknow.” Wittenberg did not restricther remarks to the economyand the job market butbroached the place that theschool of agriculture plays inthe community. It was the firstgraduation ceremony that fea-tured a traditional nativehonour song to open the cer-emony. Justina Mckay opened theceremony with a song tohonour mother earth.Wittenburg said it was onlyfitting to have a song recog-nizing the native traditions ata time when the Universityhad to concern itself with morethat teaching methods of agri-culture. “We have to be con-cerned about our place in thecommunity and how we in-teract with the community; wehave to recognize the treatiesbetween our nations and the

history of our province.” Fittingly both the Ministerof Education and Minister ofAgriculture attended the eventand were part of the officialevent. In the reception thatfollowed, Wittenberg notedthat it was great to have analumnus of the Faculty of Ag-riculture as the Minister ofEducation. MLA Ian Wishart joked thathe had never been luckyenough to be a dip, “I was only

Adamson, Jody Ruth; GladstoneAdriaansen, Adam V.; DouglasAnseeuw, Cale D.; Oak BluffAudet, Russel Z.; St. Pierre-JolysBashford, David E.*; BinscarthBergen, Magdalene M.; AltonaBlerot, Daniel; Grande PointeBoonstra, Chelsea D.; MeadowsBruneau, Gregg N.; St. ClaudeBruneau, Jenna L.; St. ClaudeBuchanan, Jayden K.; Crystal CityBueckert, Cody Ryan+; AltonaChandler, Morgan Paige; GladstoneDavy, April J.; Fisher BranchDodds, Rhett D.; ElginDoerksen, Joel E.*; MacGregorDoornbos, Geertje J.; CarmanDrewry, Robert Connor; CartwrightDyck, Jenilee K.*; WinklerFerguson, Cord D.; GladstoneFindlay, Evan; RosserFriesen, Kenleigh J.; ReinlandFrieze, Nolan T.; RussellGerber, Tobijah J.; Fort Frances, ON

Dean of Agriculture Karin Wittenberg says it is good tohave alumni Ian Wishart as the Minister of Education.

in the degree program,” hesaid. Director of the School,Michele Rigalosky, challengedthe 70 graduates to take theirplace in the community notonly in production agriculturebut also in leadership roles.She noted that perhaps a fu-ture Minister of Agriculturemight be in the class of 2016.“A classmate of mine, CliffCullen, from 1984 is now anMLA so it is up to you.”

High Hopes for New Ministerand Rural Manitobans

Ralph Eichler, Minister of Agriculture, and Ian Wishart, Ministerof Education both attended the School of Agriculture gradua-tion and both are expected to bring a strong rural presence tothe new Cabinet.

work with Eichler. “Agricul-ture is such an integral part ofour province,” said PresidentJason Voth. “Pulse and Soy-bean acres are strong here, andit should be encouraging to ourmembership that someonewith Mr. Eichler’s expertise isat the helm. We look forwardto collaborating with him.” “This is an exciting time forManitoba,” said MPSG’s Ex-ecutive Director FrancoisLabelle. “The province’s fu-ture looks bright. We are con-fident in Mr. Eichler’s abilityto lead and make sound, pru-dent decisions, and we’re ex-cited for the opportunity tocultivate strong relationshipswith him and his office.” Keystone Agriculture Pro-ducers (KAP) is happy with

the rural representation in thenew cabinet of which at leasttwo have formal training inagriculture. Ian Wishart aformer KAP President hasbeen named Minister of Edu-cation, and Cliff Cullen is agraduate of the School of Ag-riculture. KAP President Don Mazursaid that representation fromrural Manitoba could only bea benefit. “The premier setsthat tone and anytime they canmention all of Manitoba, andrural Manitoba especially, Ithink it bodes well for agricul-ture in general. We know atleast it’s in the background oftheir thoughts when they’retrying to decide some impor-tant situations.” Eichler is not a stranger toAg policy and has been activerepresenting Manitoba inter-nationally. His peers electedhim as a Director to the StateAgriculture Rural LeadersBoard, a cross-border groupwith members from Canada,the United States and Mexico.The group brings togetherstakeholders from provincial,state, and federal governmentsto discuss and develop agri-culture policy and to exchangebest practices. Most organizations ac-knowledge that the provincialgovernment will be workingwith strict fiscal controls anddo not expect a windfall ofprovincial programs but all arehopeful the programs in placewill be maintained.

Gilmore, Benjamin J.; Oak BluffGregory, Campbell P.; Fisher BranchHamblin, Janessa R.; WarrenHamilton, Andrea; GlenboroHenderson, Tyler G.; La RiviereHildebrand, Matthew A.; AltonaHolod, Ryley A.; StonewallHoltmann, Joseph T.*; RosserJanssen, Monique*; BrunkildJoyal, Jared D.; WinnipegKarpinchick, Elizabeth E.*; St. Pierre-JolysKiel, Elliott D.; TeulonKieper, James Wyatt; RussellKirchner, Ralf; Oak BluffKlippenstein, Julianna R.*; NivervilleKostal, Brandon J.; WinnipegLaudin, Calder B.; BrunkildLaudin, Rylan E.; BrunkildLepp, Jodi D.; BrandonMartin, Cory J.; Swan RiverMartin, Daniel A.*; East SelkirkMazinke, Dylan J.; MorrisMazinke, Matthew Ryan++; Morris

School of Agriculture, University of Manitoba Diploma inSchool of Agriculture, University of Manitoba Diploma inSchool of Agriculture, University of Manitoba Diploma inSchool of Agriculture, University of Manitoba Diploma inSchool of Agriculture, University of Manitoba Diploma inAgriculture 109th Graduating ClassAgriculture 109th Graduating ClassAgriculture 109th Graduating ClassAgriculture 109th Graduating ClassAgriculture 109th Graduating Class

By Les Kletke

Marlene Baskerville’s namemight not have been recog-nized by many before she wasnamed as a winner of the Cer-tificate of Merit from the Fac-ulty of Agriculture during theSchool of Agriculture’s Con-vocation but there is littledoubt most have felt the im-pact of the work she has done. Baskerville has spent a ca-reer helping organizationsmake things happen, even inretirement she is serving as theExecutive Director of theManitoba Association of Ag-ricultural Societies, the um-brella organization of theprovinces 59 Agricultural so-cieties. She is also the Finance

*With Distinction, (The Diploma in Agriculture with Distinction is awarded to Agriculture Diploma students who obtain a Grade Point Averageof 3.75 or better out of a possible 4.5). +October 2015 Graduate. ++February 2016 Graduate.

McLaren, Keean M.; CarberryMeggison, Sheena F.; GoodlandsMueller, Melanie; ArnaudMurphy, Luanne E.; TeulonOnyschak, Patrick C.; McCrearyParker, Jamie L.; SanfordPenner, Derek M.; WinklerPfrimmer, Josh Ryan++; RolandPouteau, Devin R.* ; SanfordRobertson, Jordan A.; TreherneSabourin, Jayden G. ; St. Jean BaptisteSchweizer, Kristina M.; CartierSiemens, Harley K.; RosenortSoper, Lyndon P.; GladstoneStewart, Maxwell D.; MarquetteStrang, Adam T.; DauphinTataryn, Kyle*; SelkirkThomson, Landon G.; MacGregorTurski, Erin I.; VermetteVuignier, Pierre N.; Notre Dame de LourdesWiebe, Cooper C.; StarbuckWright, Bradley A.*; MacGregorWytinck, Christian J.; Cypress River

A Leader Does Nothing in IsolationA Leader Does Nothing in IsolationA Leader Does Nothing in IsolationA Leader Does Nothing in IsolationA Leader Does Nothing in IsolationChair of the provinces largestAg society, which is respon-sible for the Red River Exhibi-tion, and the Vice Chair of theBoard of Directors of theHeart and Stroke Foundation. Baskerville was part of themovement establishing the 4-H organization and still playsan active role in its activitiesas a co-leader. This role as aleader is a return engagementfor Baskerville who has servedin every capacity in the orga-nization, member, leader, par-ent, and departmental staffbefore returning as a leader. Baskerville grew up on afarm at Rosenfeld and earneda teaching diploma from theManitoba Teachers College.After a stint teaching, she de-

cided to enter the faculty ofHome Economics. Upongraduation, she was hired bythe Department of Agricultureand began work in Bossevainas the Home Economist. Shemoved to Winnipeg as the Ag-riculture Curriculum Special-ist and remained there until2012. She also served as theActing Superintendent of Ag-ricultural Societies and wasinvolved with the CenturyFarm Program. In accepting the awardBaskerville commented, “Thatnothing is done in isolation.”There is little doubt that mostof the people in the industryof agriculture in the provinceof Manitoba have beentouched by work she has donein agricultural organizations.


Manitoba Growth,Enterprise and Tradereminds farmers, farmfamilies, employees andmotorists to be aware ofthe health and safetyrisks associated withspring activities.Manitobans areencouraged to take thenecessary steps toprotect themselves.To help improve safetyon and around the farm,Manitoba farmers can:- create a safe, separateplay area for children onthe farm;- identify which farm-related tasks may beappropriate for children,based on their age, skilllevels and the NorthAmerican Guidelines forChildren’s AgriculturalTasks, which areavailable at nagcat.org;- ensure equipment andmachinery is regularlyinspected and main-tained in good workingcondition;- use appropriatepersonal protective

By Elmer Heinrichs

The province’s crop report estimated that by mid-May seeding was 61% done. It alsonoted that the unseasonably cool weather had slowed progress, with some frost damagereported. Sunshine and warmer temperatures are now encouraging farmers to get on with seeding.A majority of cereals are seeded with progress ranging from 90 to 100%. Crops are emerg-ing nicely where moisture is adequate. However, some areas are noting slow emergenceand growth due to cooler air and soil temperatures, as well as drier soil conditions in someareas. Altona Farm Production Advisor Dennis Lange expects Manitoba will have 100,000 to120,000 acres of both edible beans and peas this year, with perhaps up to 1.4 million acresof soybeans, the newest favourite. Lower than normal snowfall, followed by high winds, helped to dry the topsoil in manyManitoba fields. The result has been spotty germination in some fields. At Plum Coulee, farmer Doug Dyck said the soil in their area is extremely dry and the earlyemerging crops is in difficulty with frost, dryness and wind all playing havoc with theyoung crop. “Right in our area and north to Kane we missed some of the rains and it’s asdry as it was in the 1980s. Unless we get some rains soon, it could be a pretty sparse crop,”noted Dyck. Central region reports excellent winter survival of winter wheat and fall rye. Most fieldsare tillering, with some stem elongation in fall rye reported. Eastern region, usually a bit later, reported 60% seeded by mid-month, consisting of 70%of spring wheat, 60% of the canola acres, as well as sunflowers, field peas and corn. Withfavourable weather forecasted, farmers were expected to make considerable progress. Also with warmer weather, quick emergence of canola, soybeans and corn is expected.Across the region, majorities of hay fields are in good condition, and pasture lands rangefrom good to fair. Livestock producers are moving cattle to pasture and supplementalfeeding.

FFFFFarmers on the Move to Finish Seedingarmers on the Move to Finish Seedingarmers on the Move to Finish Seedingarmers on the Move to Finish Seedingarmers on the Move to Finish Seeding

Wes and Ray Schroeder loading a seeder preparing to put in a quarter section of soybeans.

The Push to Plant

A private members bill tabled recently, Bill C-274 is taking on the inefficient tax treatment ofintergenerational transfers for small businesses, addressing a major issue for family farm andfishing businesses. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) is was to see MP GuyCaron’s bill propose amendments to the Income Tax Act that would ease the tax burden onfarmers seeking to transfer their businesses to the next generation. “Over $50 billion in farm assets are set to change hands over the next 10 years as farmers ageand future plans are made. In order to ensure the continuation of family farms in Canada, urgentefforts are needed to address the barriers hindering farm transfers to family members. We arepleased to see this issue move forward in Parliament and are hopeful it receives the politicalprofile and priority it deserves,” said CFA President Ron Bonnett. CFA regularly hears from farmers across the country encountering significant and costlyobstacles when attempting to pass their businesses on to family members. Specific tax rulespose disincentives to keeping farms within the family and actually incent sales to non-familymembers. In many instances, farmers find it markedly less costly to sell their farms to outsidebuyers. “Simply put, if taxation barriers aren’t addressed, we will see fewer and fewer familyfarms in Canada. We support Mr. Caron and his colleague’s commitment to addressing these taxburdens that could cause significant administrative burden, cost, and ultimately disruption towhat looks to be the most significant period of farm transfers in the history of Canadianagriculture,” added Bonnett. At this point, 98% of Canadian farms continue to be family-owned and operated and CFA iscommitted to working with government, and all parties, to ensure the Income Tax Act supportsthe continuation of this successful and valued farming tradition.

Photo by Elmer Heinrichs

CFA Supports Efforts to Keep theCanadian Family Farm Intact

Stay Safe During BusyFarming Season

equipment when workingwith chemicals, fuel andother potentially danger-ous materials;- understand the risksassociated with handlinglivestock, particularly ifthey may be under stress;- ensure all farm equip-ment is appropriately litand marked beforetravelling on roadways,with all required permits inplace;

- take extra precautionswhen driving past slow-moving farm equipment;- train new workers,including family members,about on-farm risks andregularly review thesematerials with all workers;and- take time to rest, evenduring busy periods.


By Joan Airey

For seventeen days at theend of March Ray Baloun, agrain see buyer from the Bran-don area, with other membersof the Canada Food GrainsBank visited Laos and partsof India. The group visited CanadaFood Grain Bank partnerprojects to learn how theirwork contributes to endingglobal hunger. “For years I’ve been a FoodGrains Bank board memberand growing project leader. Icoordinate a project calledKernels of Hope, where cityfolks sponsor the input costsfor growing a crop and withthe proceeds from the sale ofthat crop being donated to theFood Grains Bank andmatched by the Government,”said Baloun. At the Malto Village in a re-mote area near Pakur, India, inthe eastern central parts northof Kolkata and very nearBangladesh, the group visitedone of the projects. “The Maltos all live high inthe hills. The land there is notvery fertile. The crop that wascuring tasted something like adate. They gather it from theground under trees in March,dry it and take much of it tothe local weekly market thatis about twelve kilometresaway from the village where Itook the photograph. Once aweek people take things theycan grow or make to sell in themarket while buying food andsupplies there. They have norefrigerators and poor storagemeans that you don’t buymore than you will use withina week,” explained Baloun.“When we asked the peoplein this village if they were ableto grow enough food for theyear, they answered that itwould usually last about fourmonths. Some of them wouldneed to travel to cities or largefarms and get jobs for part ofthe year to survive.” World Relief Canada hasonly been working with themfor a few months. The villagehad a few fruit trees that werefenced off that would helpwith the local diet especiallysince life expectancy in MaltoVillages is currently at a maxi-mum of sixty. The village also had a schooland the younger children weretaking advantage of the oppor-tunity. The people over thirtylikely had little or no school-ing. Houses had small fire pitsfor cooking and heating ifneeded. “When we visited the vil-lage it was really hot out-doors,” said Baloun on notneeding warmth during thetour. Sugeet works for EFICOR aWorld Relief partner in Indiaguiding the group during thetour most of the time in India.The group visited with a

Canadians Helping Feed the Less Fortunate

farmer who showed them hisseed corn. “They have to wait till therainy season before they planttheir corn or maize on the sideof the hills and they need toprotect their seed until plant-ing season. Protecting seed inIndia is very different from inCanada. Here we might ordercanola seed with insecticide orsomething to keep diseasesaway. There they have to pro-tect the seed either by hangingit in the rafters of their houseswhere it’s away from rodentsand hopefully in the smokefrom their fires so bugs stayout off it. They also must pro-tect it from themselves, eatingthe seed. If you have no foodavailable and see the seed youneed to save to grow a crop,just hanging there, it must behard decision to not eat it. Sur-vival for now or for the fu-ture? At this same village theytold us, to protect the cropwhile it is growing a person isstationed in a small hut on thefield to guard it from wild pigsand monkeys who both candestroy the crop quickly,” saidBaloun. “The market is run everyMonday year round. It iswhere the village farmers getall their supplies. The mainguy sitting by the grain bagscaught my eye because Ithought of him as sort of hav-ing my job [The Grain Guy].He was buying and selling vari-ous kinds of beans, lentils andpeas of which most would beused for eating but I’m suresome would be used for seed.He was mostly selling and justhad a blanket in front that hewould pull back to accessmoney for change. He wasvery friendly and seemed tobe doing a brisk business. Wedidn’t find out any prices.There are currently about 50rupees in a Canadian dollar butthere would also be barteringgoing on,” said Baloun. Before going to India RayBaloun made a purchase fromLoonie Twoons in Brandonsome rubber balls represent-ing the globe since they wereunbreakable in a suitcase.“They were so cool to be ableto put perspective into theminds of the villagers of loca-

tion of both us and them. Of-ten I would give one to thevillage leader and draw an Xwith a pen on the middle ofManitoba and an X on theirpart of their country. Throughthe interpreter, I would saysomething like ‘Our Worldshave come a little bit closertoday’. The person in the ac-companying photograph wasvery intrigued with the globeand followed us all the way tothe bottom of the steep paththat led to their village to askmore questions about the ge-ography. Who knows howthose globes may havesparked someone’s imagina-tion of what is out there,” saidBaloun. The tour group was awayfor seventeen days and spentfifty-one hours flying. Theyalways traveled west goingaround the world once. Theyalso traveled with half-tontrucks, small SUVs, trains andon foot. Baloun said the localshad an amazing variety of con-veyances especially in India. “In the steep hills in Laos inthe province of Xianghoungthat is north west of Laos verynear Vietnam we saw a ladygetting ready to plant a crop.They will carve out fields onsteep hillsides and farm thefield for about four years tillmost of the nutrients are gone,then they move to a differentpiece of forest and start again.It is incredibly steep even towalk on. Lots of clearing isdone by fire and erosion is aproblem,” said Baloun. “In a village in Laos, all thehouses are elevated off theground about seven feet. Un-der a few of the houses werelooms. The ladies were busymaking fine detailed cloth onthe looms for skirts and otheruses that they would sell at alocal market. They were madeof cotton. The young girls weremaking the thread somehow. Iended up buying one finishedcloth that would be intendedfor a skirt. They asked100,000 KIP that was aboutfourteen dollars Canadian. Thememory will last longer thanthe cloth.” “This wasn’t silk but we didvisit a silk farm near the citythat they made everything

from start to finish. The silkworms eat the mulberry leaves3 times a day, which createsthe cocoons and then the silkthread, which is coloured natu-rally in up to one hundredcolours. The Alliance Churchof Canada is the main sup-porter of the silk farm,” said

Baloun. “In one village we visitedthey had gathered wood into atruck box for the first time.Normally the ladies had to goand get the firewood for cook-ing but the guys somehow gotaccess to the truck for a dayand they were excited to goout and cut the wood and haulit in. The village did have awell for water. That took twoof the biggest time and labouritems off their shoulders, lit-erally off the ladies who werepreparing the meals,” saidBaloun. Often the food grains bankwill supply poor families withtwo goats or maybe two pigs.The more well off families of-ten had cattle. “We ate in the villages in bothcountries. I’m a meat and po-tatoes and Lemon Pie guy butI learned to eat a little ofmostly everything they of-fered. Lots of chicken and ricein both countries. Otherwise,we stayed in adequate enoughhotels, in the cities power wasoften going off and on ran-

Sugeet works with EFICOR a partner with World Relief in Indiawho guided the group tour explaining about the farmer’s cropof Malto corn seed and how they look after the seed.

Having a truck in a village caused much excitement, as the women did not have to carry wood tobuild a fire to cook dinner, which is the normal way of life.

domly but we had runningwater,” said Baloun. Baloun said food is notshipped from Canada any-more. It is now untied whichmeans we can buy it in thecountry of need and move itto those in need or buy it nearby. This makes it much time-

lier in case of emergencies anddoes not upset the local mar-ket. It also provides them withfood that they are familiarwith, that is a big thing. The Food Grains Bank of-ten supplies seed, tools, andfishing equipment and knowhow projects so they can bet-ter feed themselves. Peopleanywhere are happier if they

Photos by Ray Baloun

The two cement rings are for collecting water that comes froma pipe inserted in a spring high on the hills near the village. Asmall stream of water comes in that really is not sufficient forthe village needs. Clean water means healthy people that canwork hard to feed themselves. It also saves an enormousamount of labour and time for the ladies.

A market in India.

can feed themselves and theirfamilies expressed Baloun. “The fifteen partners of theCanadian Food Grains Bankwork diligently in helpingpeople in about forty coun-tries a year to survive and tothrive when possible. Thereare many ways this is done

and it is always done so thatwe know the funds are goingto places that are accountablefor the proper use. HOPE is asmall word but it is a HUGEthing that Canadians are ableto provide to people they willlikely never meet on the otherside of world. The people wemet were so thankful that Ca-nadians care,” said Baloun.


By Harry Siemens

Sometime in 2015, then op-position leader Brian Pallistersaid if he became premier hewould not rule out shuttingdown construction of the $4.6-billion Bipole III transmissionline and relocating the massiveproject to the east side of LakeWinnipeg. Pallister said if it results in asavings to Manitobans, thenit would naturally be cancelled.Now that Pallister is the newpremier Jurgen Kohler afarmer at Brunkild and Chairof Manitoba BiPole Land-owner Committee is lookingfor the new PC government todo the right thing. “We expect the new govern-ment to put BiPole III on holdand have Public UtilitiesBoard [PUB] do a proper re-view,” said Kohler. “While thisreview is being done we wantthe new government to extendthe Land Values AppraisalCommission, [LVAC] deadlineby at least one to two years.If the result of the review is

By Elmer Heinrichs

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), in itsMay crop outlook report,says after taking into ac-count Statistics Canada’sMarch report on seedingintentions, it appears that2016 area seeded to fieldcrops in Canada will beonly marginally higher than2015. Manitoba should seeincreases in barley, peasand soybeans, says AAFCin its May outlook. Significantly, higher areaseeded to pulse crops,coarse grains and durum isexpected to more than off-set the lower area seededto non-wheat and oilseeds. In western Canada, thearea in summer fallow isforecast to continue itsdownward trend, which willopen up some area for seed-ing with crops. For all crops, average ortrend yields have been as-sumed despite the currentpersistence of dry condi-tions in parts of westernCanada. However, “It’s tooearly to tell,” what the im-pact will be on yields. In a review of the 2016crop, a little less wheat ispredicted and the reportnotes that western Canadaaccounts for 98 % of springwheat seeded area witheastern Canada coming inat two %. A slight increase in bar-

Land Owners Hoping Pallister GovernmentDoes the Right Thing on Bipole III

that BiPole III keeps goingahead, then we expect govern-ment to direct Manitoba Hy-dro to negotiate in good faithwith us through Canadian As-sociation of Energy and Pipe-line Landowner Associations,[CAEPLA].” Earlier, before the April 19election, Kohler saidManitoba Hydro refused tonegotiate in good faith, is notrespecting the property rightsof family farmer and wouldnot recognize the CanadianAssociation of Energy & Pipe-line Landowners Associations[CAEPLA]. “Manitoba Hydro and theNDP Government are usingpolice state tactics to bullyand intimidate landownerswhenever they meet opposi-tion to building the transmis-sion towers for Bipole III. In-stead of consulting with ruralcitizens, they are surveillingthem,” said Kohler. “Farmersand landowners know how tobest take care of their ownland, livestock, and agricul-ture. They have the best in-

centive to ensure environmen-tal protection and biosecurity,not the Government andCrown Corporation.” Now Kohler is waiting forthe PC government to do theright thing as they outlined ina release during the recent elec-tion campaign. “The SelingerNDP government’s approachto Manitoba Hydro is reck-less and dangerous,” saidPallister during the campaign.“It guarantees a focus not onconservation or energy effi-ciency, but on increasing ratesat home while selling powerat a loss to Manitoba’s com-petitors in the US. The focusshould be on protectingManitobans.” Pallister had gone on to say,“A PC government will returnManitoba to its place as aleader in energy efficiency andwill curb increases in Hydrorates. We will establish anarm’s-length demand-sidemanagement agency with a fo-cus on making Manitoba aleader in energy-savings pro-gramming.”

Blaine Pederson, the newinfrastructure minister, said inan interview in earlier 2016 theissue landowners were deal-ing with is not about whetherManitoba Hydro should go inor not, but about dirty drillbits, trucks, and equipmentmoving from field to field,farmer to farmer. “It is aboutthe landowners’ livelihood andwhether club root, or even thedreaded PED virus will showup later, when Manitoba Hy-dro is long gone,” saidPederson. “The stress is suretaking it toll.” Pederson referred to whatKohler called bullying by Hy-dro contractors in the farmingarea east of Steinbach, whenthey moved in equipment toerect new towers. Premier Pallister has takenfirst steps by replacing theentire Manitoba Hydro boardof directors.

Marginal Increases in CropProduction Forecasted

ley acres for livestock feed-ing is forecast, as well asfor corn as it gains someacreage due mainly to gainsagainst small cereals andspecial crops. In 2016, adds the report,oats is the only coursegrain too have its area re-main unchanged or de-crease in nearly everyprovince, except one. Thisis completely opposite fromlast crop year when allprovinces either increasedor remained unchangedfrom 2014. Due to lowstocks, Alberta acres areup. Manitoba soybean area isexpected to rise by 10 %largely due to the ability ofthe crop to withstand ex-cessive moisture. Overall,soybean area will be downas Ontario seeds more win-

ter wheat. Producers in Manitobaand across western Canadawere intending to increasedry pea seeded areas to 1.7million hectares, up 16 %largely due to good returnsand its value in a crop rota-tion. Total crop production isforecast to be marginallyhigher than 2015.


By Les Kletke

Mila Maximets believes thata crop introduced to the prai-ries to combat drought couldhave a future as a health food. Sea Buckthorn was intro-duced to the prairies at the AgCanada Station in Morden byResearcher Dr. L Skinner. Heimported some of the thornyshrub from his native Siberiaand believed it could be usedto combat the conditions thatwere causing widespread soilerosion in the 1930s. The de-ciduous shrub gained sometraction and gradually became

By Elmer Heinrichs

Seeding of Manitoba’sGrow projects for the Ca-nadian Foodgrains Bank(CFGB) this spring, “Hasbeen going very well,” saidHarold Penner, RegionalRepresentative for theFoodgrains Bank inManitoba. Penner added that whilehe does not have a goodcount of all acres inManitoba yet, “It’s a par-ticularly busy time for farm-ers but I’d like to remind allgrowing project people.Send me a quick text of

Marketing Sea Buckthorn a Thorny Issue

Mila Maximets of Solberry Seabuckthorn is working with somemechanical equipment to harvest the thorny crop. She saysthere is potential for the crop if it comes to the market at areasonable price.

one of the offerings of thePFRA tree nursery at IndianHead, Saskatchewan. Maximets companySolberry Seabuckthorn’swebsite notes that the nurs-ery celebrated the planting ofits 600 million trees, by plant-ing it on then Ag MinisterGerry Ritz’s yard. Ironically,he was the Minister that an-nounced the cut in funding andclosure of the nursery a shorttime later. The plantings from the In-dian Head facility have meantthe shrub spread across theprairies and was used for fencelines and the rehabilitation of

marginal land as Dr. Skinnerintended. However, there hasbeen little processing of thefruit. The plants thorns prove adouble edge sword. Theymade it attractive on fence linesand as cattle fences, but itmakes it difficult to pick theberries for processing. Maximets who also has East-ern Europe roots said she firstbecame aware of the plantfrom her Ukrainian grand-mother. She currently processthe berries at the Food Devel-opment Centre in Portage laPrairie. “The demand is therefor the product,” she said.“And we have growers whohave the fruit. Now it is a mat-ter of developing the industryand bringing the two together.”She said that she is still com-bating the get rich quick prom-

ises of the 1990s that had grow-ers believing the Sea Buck-thorn fruit had near magicalpowers and would bring as-tronomical returns in the mar-ket place. The leaves, berriesand roots can all be used indifferent forms and some re-search shows it is rich in anti-oxidants, essential amino ac-ids, vitamin E, rare Omega 7and 190 other bioactive nutri-ents. Currently she works with asmall number of growers andcan pay them roughly $3.45 apound for their fruit. “It is allpicked by hand,” she noted.“We are experimenting withsome mechanical pickers thatare used for grapes, but that isin the developmental stage.” Her products are availableat several stores around theprovince.

Manitoba’s Foodgrains Projects Off to a Great Start

your total acres for 2016and how many acres ofeach crop.” “Manitoba raised over $3million for the year endingMarch 31 from 6,000 acresin crop an amount beforeany matching dollars fromthe Government ofCanada,” said Penner. One project in the PlumCoulee-Altona area,CHUM (Communities Help-ing Undernourished Mil-lions), seeded a 150-acrefield near Rosenfeld tocanola on May 12-13. Doug Dyck, member of

the CHUM project commit-tee said one difference thisyear is that, “We raisedmoney to grow the crop byselling one-acre plots, a to-tal of $37,500 to cover theestimated growing cost of$250 acre. “This way,” said Dyck.“We should be able to do-nate the total crop to theFoodgrains Bank.” Kevin Nickel, Coordina-tor of the Common Groundproject, said theirFoodgrains project, a 300-acre field east of Rosenfeld,was seeded to soybeans

May 17-18. Seed for the field was do-nated by WesMar Farmsand seeded by Green Val-ley Equipment. Net pro-ceeds from the crop will gotoward the FoodgrainsBank. Penner added that theFoodgrains Bank is gearingup for the biggest eventever, for the CFGB and per-haps also for the ManitobaAgricultural Museum seek-ing to set a world recordthis summer with theworld’s largest pioneer har-vest near Austin.


By Les Kletke

The province’s winterwheat suffered minimalwinterkill and is off to agood start despite the cooltemperatures this spring. Inthe southwest part of theprovince, weed control isunderway and the crop isadvancing but still behind forthis date. At the Pineland Colony inthe southeast the crop istailoring and is about to get atreatment of fertilizer andweed control. A colonyrepresentative said thewinter wheat lookedexcellent and had shownlittle winter kill. “We also planted some fallrye last year and that islooking very good, it is talland won’t be long before itgoes into the shot blade,” acolony representative said.“I am not sure what we aregoing to do with it when weharvest but it looks like wewill get a good crop.”

FrostDoesn’tHamper

Growth inSoutheast

Corner

Winter wheat survived thewinter and is off to a goodstart. These plants at thePineland Colony near Pineyare faring well against anyweed competition.

The colony crops 4,800acres and splits it betweencereals and soybeans. Theywere completing seeding onMay 21 and finishing upwith soybeans. “We had thecereals done and were justwaiting to put the soybeansin, we needed the ground towarm up a bit,” he said. “Wedon’t have as sandy as soilas some in the area and ittakes a bit longer to warmup.” He reported that seededconditions were near idealthroughout the spring andcontinued into late May asthe final field of soybeanswas going in but it would notbe long before they wouldneed some rain. “Our heavyland is a bit better off but thefellows on lighter soil arelooking for rain already, andit won’t be long before weneed rain on all the crops.” Manitoba Agriculture’scrop report agrees with theobservations from thesoutheast reporting that ryein most regions is goingthrough stem elongation andmost fields are show littleweed pressure. Over all winter wheat,survival is rated as excellent.Examination of the plants atPineland showed excellentdevelopment of the plantsand were tillering well. Thestand was even across thefield with little competitiveweed pressure. “It came up

well last fall and had achance to get establishedbefore we went into winter,”said Gary Joe who did notoffer a last name. Hereported that early seededcereals were out of theground and had not sufferedbecause of extremely coldtemperatures the weekbefore. Temperatures dropped towell below freezing theprevious week but fieldcrops were not damaged,little canola had emerged atthe time of the frost.

AgriPost May 27 2016

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Transcript of AgriPost May 27 2016