NPARA - 25 YEARS YOUNGnpara.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/NPARA-Annual-Report-2013.pdf · North...

NPARA - 25 YEARS YOUNG

MES Grade 1 Class

HARVEST

North Peace Applied Research Association—2013 Annual Report 2


TABLE OF CONTENTS

2013 NPARA STAFF .................................................................................... 4

2013 BOARD OF DIRECTORS ...................................................................... 5

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................. 5

MESSAGE FROM STAFF & ARECA REPORT .................................................. 7

2013 EXTENSION ACTIVITIES ..................................................................... 9

ALBERTA PEST MONITORING PROGAM ................................................... 15

WHEAT VARIETY TRIAL ............................................................................ 17

BARLEY VARIETY TRIAL ............................................................................ 18

OAT VARIETY TRIAL ................................................................................. 18

ULTIMATE CANOLA CHALLENGE............................................................... 19

FLAX VARIETY TRIAL ................................................................................ 21

PEA INOCULANT TRIAL ............................................................................ 22

PEA VARIETY TRIAL .................................................................................. 23

SOYBEAN VARIETY TRIAL ......................................................................... 23

LENTIL VARIETY TRIAL ............................................................................. 24

FABABEAN VARIETY TRIAL ....................................................................... 24

DEEP TILLAGE TRIAL ................................................................................ 25

REGIONAL SILAGE VARIETY TRIAL ............................................................ 26

WATER QUALITY MONITORING PROGRAM .............................................. 28


North Peace Applied

Research Association

Mission: Serve agricultural producers in the North Peace area to meet the needs

that result from our unique climatic, geographic and soil conditions. To

meet these needs, NPARA conducts applied research and extension as

determined by producers and the Board of Directors.

Vision: Our vision is to work/collaborate with other organizations to promote soil

and water conservation, agricultural production, marketing and

technology awareness.

2013 Staff

Nora

Paulovich

Manager Email:

[email protected]

Shayli

Zatelny

Summer Staff

Tom Fromme Research

Coordinator Email:

[email protected]

Courtney

Vandemark Field Research Technician


NPARA would like to acknowledge the contribution of our membership, municipal, provincial and fed-eral governments, industry plus local and regional businesses. The success of our research program depends upon the dedication of numerous individuals who contribute their expertise, time, land and equipment to assist our association in achieving its goals. So we take this opportunity to say

Thank-you to: PEST MONITORING COOPERATORS: Doug Jaeger & Jarvis Asmussen & Trevor Paulovich

MAJOR FUNDING AGENCIES

Agricultural Opportunity Fund (AOF) Agricultural Research & Extension Council of Alberta (ARECA)

Alberta Agriculture & Rural Development (AARD) Alberta Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture (AESA)

County of Northern Lights M.D. of Peace #135

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

2013 North Peace Applied Research Association

Executive Committee

PRESIDENT: Bill Gaugler Hawk Hills 780-836-3652

VICE PRESIDENT: Trevor Paulovich Deadwood 780-836-2591

SECRETARY-TREASURER: Mark Kamieniecki Manning 780-836-0140

DIRECTORS:

Trevor Enders Manning 780-836-5483

Peter Bigler Hawk Hills 780-836-2131

Al Dumas Dixonville 780-971-3973

Judy Bowcott Grimshaw 780-332-1086

Ken Herlinveaux Grimshaw 780-332-1086

Representatives

AGRIBUSINESS: COUNTY OF NORTHERN LIGHTS:

Arie Loogman Chinook Valley 780-971-2103

Albert Michaud Pioneer 780-626-5010


PRODUCER GROUPS

Alberta Barley Commission (ABC)

Alberta Canola Producers Commission (ACPC)

Alberta Pulse Growers (APG)

Battle River Research Group (BRRG)

Chinook Applied Research Association (CARA)

Farming Smarter (FS)

Foothills Forage And Grazing Association (FFA)

Gateway Research Organization (GRO)

Grey Wooded Forage Association (GWFA)

Lakeland Agricultural Research Association (LARA)

Mackenzie Applied Research Association (MARA)

Peace Country Beef & Forage Association (PCBFA)

Peace Agriculture Research and Demonstration Association (PARDA)

Peace River Forage Association of British Columbia

Smoky Applied Research and Demonstration Association (SARDA)

West Central Forage Association (WCFA)

Alberta Conservation Association

AFSC

Agrowplow

ATB Financial

Battle River Agricultural Society

Becker Underwood

Berwyn Agricultural Society

Brett Young

Calvin Yoder, AARD

Cargill AgHorizons, Manning

Crop Production Services

DuPont

Farm Credit Canada

Greenfield Fertilizer Corporation

Hawk Hills Ag Society

Janet Vandemark Accounting

Leading Edge

Monsanto

Novozymes

Peace Country Health

Peace Regional Economic Development Association

Pioneer

Prairie Coast Farm Equipment

Richardson

Silvertip

UFA, Grimshaw & Manning

Venture Parts & Supplies, Manning

Viterra, Manning

Woodlot Extension Program

AGRI-BUSINESSES, CORPORATE SPONSORS, LOCAL INDUSTRY & PRODUCERS


MESSAGE FROM STAFF

We brought in the New Year by manning a booth at the Ag Service Board Conference in Edmonton, followed by attending FarmTech. The latter is always a dynamic and information-filled event and in 2013 it was capped off by a presentation by Ron

McLean from Hockey Night in Canada. From FarmTech we boarded the plane for Argentina. Leader Tours provided an awesome look at the Humid Pampa area for 23 Peace Country travelers. A capsule description of the trip follows on page 9. Tom is settled in the camp shack on the research farm and hopes to complete landscaping in 2014. This has been a big

improvement in productivity and workplace safety; hosting farm tours and other visitors is definitely easier now. NPARA

continues to enjoy the support of the County of Northern Lights who increased funding for NPARA in

2014! NPARA conducted 3 farm tours in July and August and this really worked to increase participation.

Evening tours are standard but a “Morning Coffee Tour” was also well-attended. Casual “drop-in” inspections were numerous also and added effort will be made in 2014 to adequately identify projects

and plots to enable more self-tours. The idea is to increase traffic at the farm and build awareness of NPARA as a community resource. With regret we saw president Michael Scott leave the NPARA board, along with Ed Schmidt. Both have

contributed greatly to the association; new president Bill Gaugler and member Peter Bigler are filling their shoes very well.

We are frankly very fortunate to work with a connected, cooperative group. Their insight into current agricultural issues and

trends makes it easy to identify potential research trials and extension events. One event that certainly excited interest was a visit from Gabe Brown and his experience with cocktail cover crops. Several

NPARA producers plan on-farm cover crop seedings in 2014 and the research farm will begin a 3-5 year cocktail cover crop

research project. Already a cooperative seed order has been placed - look for a great tour of these sites this summer. NPARA is your association and the door is open. Please make yourself known to all of us, visit the office and farm, share your

experience and ideas and let us know how we can help you. - Nora & Tom

A year in review... Message from the Executive Director of ARECA

2013 provided opportunities as we repainted the wagon! We began by evaluating and re-fining the operational and Board functions of ARECA for the benefit of our Association members, clients and partners. We hired a consultant, John Souman with Can-Europe Consulting, who is an expert in the field of strategic planning to visit each of our Associations. At the same time, the ARECA Board moved to becoming a governance board with the coaching of Graham Gilchrist and revised the policy manual. To support the policy, the Board approved an operational manual for ARECA (these documents are posted on the ARECA information folder that can be viewed by all). Over the past eleven months, we’ve spent a tre-mendous amount of effort and resources to address issues of conflict resolution, organizational restructur-ing and policy governance. We utilized the expertise of John Souman and adopted a new structure recom-mended by Mr. Souman which provides more transparency, clarity and accountability for our member As-sociations. With these changes, we expect all aspects of our operations, including communications, succes-sion planning and HR, will be improved to better serve all ARA’s and Forage Associations. The ARECA board has taken training with Graham Gilchrist to improve our understanding and implementa-tion of policy governance. One focus was the separation of our governance and operational policies which


has resulted in simplification of the policy manual. A review process has been established in the new policy manual which will help the board to review the manual in its entirety over the next twelve months. As we move forward with ARECA’s new structure, the Forage & Livestock Team, Crops, Environment and Planning Team have put together new Terms of Reference. The team chairs are Lacey Ryan (CARA) Environment, Kabal Gill (SARDA) and Tom Fromme (NPARA) Crops, Morgan Hobin (PCBFA) Forage/Livestock and Dianne Westerlund (CARA) Planning. The Planning Team consists of Association manag-ers and has worked with the Executive Director to put together the ARECA busi-ness plan and budget for 2014. A special meeting was held last fall at which the ARECA bylaws were changed. The new bylaws have been posted and they expand the ARECA board to include three managers who are voting members on the Board. Currently, these posi-tions are filled by Nora Paulovich with NPARA and Laura Gibney with FFGA. The third manager will be added to the Board at the time of the ARECA Annual General meeting in Leduc on March 5.Our Chair, David Eaton along with board members Herman Wyering and Association staff Dianne Westerlund (CARA), Ken Coles (FS) and myself were active in telling a great story to government and the opposition. The meetings began with the Minister of Agriculture in February and were followed by a meeting with the Calgary caucus in the spring and the Rural Caucus in November. A brief which was an overview of ARECA and its members was provided at each meeting. Our delegation met with the Opposi-tion and their Agriculture critic in early January to discuss ARECA and Association’s impact and outcomes. The ARECA website continues get about 4000 page views per month while the e-newsletter has about 55% readership. The Twitter (@ARECAResearch) account became functional in August and currently, we have about 367 followers. Please make sure to follow us on @ARECAResearch and get the word out. Data for crop varieties in Alberta is generated through the Regional Variety Testing trials by a partnership of ARECA Associations, government and industry. RVT’s compare different crop varieties side by side in actual field and weather conditions. They allow farmers to decide which variety will perform best in their soil zone, climate and management style. The pulse Regional Variety Trials received significant funding from the Pulse Cluster for the next five years. Barley 180 What does it take to achieve 180 bus/ac? Re-searchers evaluated crop management strategies using the cool growing conditions of central Alberta and were successful in achieving 190 bus/ac in 1990. Despite advances in yield improvement, overall barley yield in Alberta has remained relatively low. There is interest to develop a set of Best Management Practic-es (BMP) and evaluate the concept of maximum yield and maximum economic yield on a field scale basis in Alberta. So far top yields in this project have been 156 & 141 bu/ac on 80 acres in central Alberta. BMP’s have included plant growth regulators to keep the crop standing and prevent lodging. High nitrogen rates in the spring have been successful in improving yields along with key timing of fungicides to manage dis-ease levels. Funding for this project is being provided by the Alberta Crop Industry Development Fund and the Alberta Barley Commission. This summer ARECA became involved in delivering the Environmental Farm Plan under the leadership of Fiona Briody. She has been able to engage Commissions, agencies and producer associations with pro-moting it to their membership. Our mission is to support member associations as leaders in applied agricultural research and extension in Alberta. As we go forward in 2014, I wish to thank everyone for their contributions and efforts this past year. Ty Faechner, Executive Director, ARECA


2013 EXTENSION ACTIVITIES

PEACE AGRONOMY UPDATE This full day event was held on January 17 in Fairview, Alberta at the Dunvegan Motor Inn with producers from both the Alberta and B.C. Peace and all points in between, in attendance. There was great support for the workshop from industry, municipalities from across the Peace, and the provincial government. Industry sponsors had their displays set up at the back of the room. The main speaker of the day was Peter Johnson, Provincial Cereal Specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture sharing his research on “Breaking the Yield Barriers in Wheat Production”. Scott Meers, Insect Management Specialist with Alberta Ag gave an Insect Update and Calvin Yoder, Forage Seed Crops Agrologist gave an update on research in the Peace. The day was rounded out with Greg Sekulic giving his address: “2012: A Canola Odyssey”. EXTENDED WINTER GRAZING UPDATE In late January interested producers gathered to listen to research scientists with Ag Canada, Alberta Agriculture and the University of Manitoba for updates on recent research on winter grazing systems. They also learned about tools that are available to assess livestock wintering sites and environmental impact. The session ended with information relating mineral requirements and winter grazing systems. ARGENTINA FARM TOUR

In February, 23 members and staff from NPARA braved the warm temperatures of an Argentina summer for purposes of curiosity, cultural exchange, fact-finding and general fun. With Agriculture as the overall theme, the group visited the Argentine Board of Trade, ag cooperative and agribusinesses, and farms. The interchange of ideas, methods, successes and problems was barely impeded by language barriers; farmers around the world seem to understand the issues and with a bit of translation both hosts and guests gained some understanding through this “hands across the Americas” tour. The tour included parts of Buenos Aires city, Buenos Aires Province and the province of Santa Fe. Soybeans dominate the landscape in the Humid Pampa region, while cattle, corn, grain sorghum and wheat add to the mix. At about 35 degrees south latitude, these

crops do not correspond to the North Peace region (57° north latitude); much was new to our producers who spent time in the fields when possible. Visits to the Board of Trade, a deep port shipping facility, inoculant manufacturer, a coop, a government research farm and a forage seed company were also part of the excursion. In addition, we also visited a family owned and operated feedmill and feedlot. At the feed mill, the base for the cattle supplements is corn, sorghum, and byproducts of soybean, wheat and barley. Hormones are not allowed in Argentina but Rumensin can be added to the supplements. When we arrived at the feedlot they had a Canada flag up! Feedlots are very new to Argentina (in the last 10 years) and prior to this all beef was finished on grass. The owners told us that it took a long time to change the consumers taste - they had to get used to the marbling and smaller cuts. Crop production is replacing grazing land so they have been forced to


establish feedlots. Two aspects that they pay very close attention to is the environment and welfare of the cattle. In their environmental plan they have initiated biological control of the flies by releasing wasps which parasitize the eggs of the flies. They are conducting research in collaboration with universities measuring GHG emissions and age of castration.

Argentina manufactures much of their own machinery. We toured a machinery manufacturing site and saw all the different stations: welding, painting, assembling, etc. This company was exporting their drills to the Ukraine & Russia, completely assembled and shipped in 40 m secans. Agricultural production is a completely different model in

Argentina. Land was initially granted in large lots by the queen of Spain to families of importance, some of whom never saw Argentina. Immigrants (60% of them Italians) came on promises of free land to farm, but they found they were free to farm the land, but on shares with landowners. It takes three entities to produce a crop or raise cattle: landowners or their agents rent land to the highest bidder, but in most cases landlords take their pay in a portion of the crop, e.g. 1800 kg of soybeans/hectare. The renter usually does not own equipment, but relies on contractors to seed, maintain and harvest. This payment is cash or again, a portion of the crop. Owner/operators of farms are a minority of producers. In the past 10-15 years the great plains of Argentina have become primarily fields of soybeans because that`s where the money is. Cattle, for which the country remains famous, have been pushed west and north to more marginal and drier pastures. Corn requires a much higher level of inputs and even though it is potentially the higher return, soy is less expensive to plant, maintain (Argentina was an early and ardent adopter of Roundup Ready seed), harvest and transport (60 bushels per acre of soy vs. 200 bushels of corn to combine and haul). The result is farmers plant soy after soy, sometimes many years without a rotation. By using the same herbicide, year after year, there is a “natural” selection of superweeds of various species. This is happening, of course, around the world but the production model in Argentina is just doing it a bit more aggressively, and glyphosate-resistant johnsongrass (Sorghum jalpense) is becoming a big problem. Of course it can be controlled by other herbicides but this adds to the cost of production. Furthermore, the soy monoculture is setting itself up for potential and significant disease and insect problems. Winter wheat does play a role in rotations as it can be sown in May after harvest of corn or soy, and harvested in November allowing a second crop of soybeans to be produced that same year. The two farms we visited were both owner-operated with both owned and rented land, and these producers indeed thought rotations were very important to their long-term production goals. It’s not like Argentinean producers don’t recognize the advantages of stewardship but things are, of course, driven by economics.

In Argentina we ate meat, meat and more meat!! Well known as the highest per-capita consumers of red meat in the world, we had no indication that Argentine poultry and pork were getting off easy either. Opinions on quality of the steak were too varied for comment but no omnivores went hungry on the tour. There were also no complaints whatever regarding the wine we were offered, though Quilmes beer was also highly thought of by the North Peace travellers!!


Our tour of Argentina concluded with an evening of watching the infamous Tango and we were not disappointed!! It was an excellent way to end our visit to Argentina before embarking on our arduous journey back home!!! WATERWORKS DAY In collaboration with Peace Country Beef & Forage Association, Craig Sponholtz of Dryland Solutions Inc was brought up to the Peace. He addressed erosion control, stream restoration and bringing water back to the land to complement the producer’s production system . ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING NPARA’s AGM was held on March 27 at the Ag Hall. 2013 marked the 25th Anniversary since NPARA was formed. Registrations were at 4 pm followed by the AGM and a presentation on NPARA’s 2012 research and extension program. Following supper, Scott Meers, Insect Management Specialist gave a crop insect update and forecast. The evening wrapped up with Michael Harding , Plant Pathologist with Alberta Ag, giving an update on current crop diseases and what the trends are. There were approximately 40 people in attendance plus a few industry booths.

FARMER APPRECIATION EVENING NPARA hosted the fourth Annual Farmer Appreciation Evening on Friday, April 12 with great support from local businesses, Ag Societies, the County, and AFSC. Producers sat down to a delicious meal and then were entertained by radio and TV personality Bob Layton. The event was very successful with approximately 100 people attending. MANNING ELEMENTARY GRADE ONE CLASS

It started off as an idea presented to us by Coree Reinders, Grade One teacher (past employee of NPARA) to bring her class out to the farm as part of the Plants & Animals Unit of their Science curriculum. They visited the farm 3 times in May & June and were invited to continue their visits throughout the summer. During their visits they accomplished and learned quite a few things: they toured the Shelterbelt Tree Project, got to help plant a row of trees, and planted their own garden!! They also toured the various plots and learned what the different seeds looked like. Their visits were definitely a highlight !! FARM SAFETY COURSES

In late April an adult Farm Safety Course was held, taught by Ed Masson of Aztec Safety Inc. At the end of June NPARA took Farm Safety to the local schools!!! We had 8 different stations which the students rotated through. These included: hearing display, grain safety, hazard hunt, ATV & helmet safety, chemical look alike display, an electricity display plus an ambulance visit. We were very well received and it was a great experience for staff to connect with the students. A huge thank-you to Leanne Pharis who helped us on both days, and also to Janine Gray with Peace Country Health for helping

to organize, set up and keep us all on track!!!


ULTIMATE CANOLA CHALLENGE & CROP DISEASE WALK In collaboration with the Alberta Canola Producers Commission & Canola Council of Canada, a 13 treatment trial was seeded including extra N, seed primers, top dressing N, addition of Boron, higher seeding rates plus others. On July 6, Greg Sekulic with the Canola Council of Canada joined us for a tour of these plots. Please see pg 19-20 for detailed descriptions of these demonstrations. Also joining us for the day was Plant Pathologist, Ralph Lange, who walked the various plots to discover and identify different crop diseases. Even though we had been experiencing very wet weather - Ralph did not find a lot of diseased plants!! However, it was a very informative day. We also had Ralph repeat these crop disease walks in the Grimshaw and Fairview areas the following day. ALBERTA 4-H’S NORTHWEST TERRITORIES TRIP 4-H members from across the province stopped in to visit us at the research farm on their way to Yellowknife. For Friday, July 12, it was a very wet cold windy day so we were unable to show them the farm. However, we gathered in the shop - served them hot chocolate to warm them up and gave them an overview of what we do and showed them our seeding and harvesting equipment. Some of the members knew of the ARA in their area so we had a good discussion and invited them to keep us in mind for future employment! ANNUAL FIELD TOUR The annual NPARA field tour was in the evening of Wednesday, July 31st. First the attendees were fed supper and then they climbed on board the NPARA trailer and toured the plots and trials. There was lots of discussion over all the plots, but in particular over the variety plots (especially the wheat & pea variety trial), inoculant plots and of course, intrigue over the soybean plots. Complete information on each trial follows in the Harvest Results section. GRAIN STORAGE SEMINAR In early August, Joy Agnew, Project Manager of Agricultural Research Services at the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute, travelled across the Peace giving presentations on “The ABC’s of Grain Storage”. She covered aeration, bins vs bags and the challenges and costs of grain storage. Producers in attendance found it to be an excellent presentation and learned a lot. MORNING FIELD TOUR We tried an early morning tour this year in mid August which attracted some different producers and went very well. We started off with coffee and muffins and then toured the plots and trials noticing significant growth and changes since the last tour. ALBERTA AGRICULTURE STAFF VISIT NPARA In late August we were delighted to a host a team of dignitaries from Alberta Agriculture to the research farm. This delegation included Branch Heads and Grant Manager's, Project Managers and other Specialists. It was a great opportunity for NPARA to showcase their accomplishments with funding received from the Agriculture Opportunity Fund and


other programs administered by Alberta Agriculture. Bryan Shields, Leading Edge, graciously donated the use of his van and chauffeured us around the farm so we could show the group the multitude of research projects that we have on the go. Following the tour, the delegation met with NPARA’s board of directors for a question and answer period and general discussion. MURDOCH LAKE In October folks from Ag Canada, the Woodlot Extension Program and DMI came and toured the Murdoch Lake Agroforesty Project to familiarize themselves with the project - new employees - and to discuss the future project ideas. COCKTAIL COVER CROPS World renown producer, Gabe Brown from North Dakota shared his practical knowledge and expertise on cover crops with a keen group of producers. By growing a medley of cover crops on his farm, Gabe has successfully eliminated the need for all commercial fertilizers and almost all pesticides on his farm- he still uses a small amount of herbicides - and improved his farm’s profitability. His presentation sparked a lot of interest with local producers. Following Gabe’s visit, an informal group of producers formed and they have collaborated to order seed and they are each doing their own version of cocktail cover crops. At NPARA this will play a huge part in our research projects in 2014 and beyond. Stay tuned…!!!! This summer there will be a very interesting tour of all of these different cover crops. SURFACE RIGHTS INFORMATION MEETING Held in Grimshaw in late November, 3 topics were addressed: Fracking by the President of Canadian Society for Unconventional Resources; Negotiating Surface Leases by the Farmer’s Advocate and Alberta Energy Regulator by Leanne Chartrand. The Fracking presentation led to some controversial discussion. Good information was presented on all topics. WINTERING SITE WORKSHOP A workshop on site selection for wintering and feeding livestock was held on November 27 with specialists from Ag Canada and Alberta Ag discussing management strategies to minimize the environmental impact. They also presented the newly published “Winter Site Assessment Guide” plus the “Nutrient Loading Calculator” which are available on the Alberta Ag website. There was a lot of good discussion with the producers in attendance. A Gallagher representative also did a short presentation on electric fencing which is an important part of winter grazing. WHEAT MIDGE MEETINGS In mid-December a series of meetings were held across the Peace to inform producers about this relatively new pest to the Peace which hit the Falher area hard this past year. The biology of the midge was explained, how it can be managed, results of the survey that has been conducted in the Manning area the last 3 years, impact on seed quality and grade and wheat midge tolerant varieties that are available to growers. It was a very informative session and made producers aware that this pest is here to stay and strategies to manage this pest will have to be included in their overall management plan.


SHELTERBELT TREE DEMONSTRATION One of the most visited projects at NPARA is the shelterbelt. Begun in 2007, the 40+ species of trees and shrubs continues to provide the community with real-life examples of what their own shelter belts can be. Trials conducted by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Shelterbelt Center have found that homes on sites protected by shelterbelts have a reduction in fuel use by 18-25%. Field shelterbelts will reduce wind and soil erosion and increase snow retention resulting in increased soil moisture. Shelterbelts also provide habitat for diversification of wildlife, encouraging nesting sites and hunting habitat for raptors (birds of prey) which will help control agricultural pests. Additional benefits include wood for fuel and depending on the species of tree - fruits for human consumption. There is new evidence that shelterbelts have significant positive impact for pollinators.

For your own project’s success, be sure to inspect the NPARA shelterbelt several times throughout the year so you will know what it will look like in all seasons.

ECO-BUFFER PROJECT As a complement to your shelterbelt or as an alternative, be sure to see the eco-buffer at the NPARA farm. 5-row and 3-row buffers of numerous species of trees and shrubs planted in a narrow, dense arrangement can have an even greater benefit for conservation and as a wildlife habitat. This alternative design, developed from a combination of systems found in Denmark and North Dakota, will function as well as the traditional Prairie shelterbelts to conserve soil and water, manage snow and protect yards, crops and livestock from wind, while providing wildlife habitat. The advantage over the traditional design is that an eco-buffer enhances biodiversity to a greater extent - connected to natural areas, such as a riparian zone, wildlife corridor or wooded area.


ALBERTA PEST MONITORING PROGRAM Funded by Agricultural Opportunities Fund and Alberta Agriculture

Through network surveys and mapping - insect outbreaks across Alberta are identified and provide an early warning for the prevention and control of insect pests. Transfer of information on pests and control measures allows producers to implement effective integrated pest management (IPM) strategies to reduce crop damage and costs to producers. Pest monitoring is a cornerstone for an effective Integrated Pest Management system, enabling us to predict pest outbreaks and historically track their progress. This system results in a well prepared industry that is able to manage risk and reduce crop losses. It also enables us to work toward a more integrated approach to pest management, reducing the impact on the environment. NPARA participated in the provincial pest surveys of diamondback moths and bertha army worms. Traps were erected on canola fields east of Manning and Notikewin on Jarvis Asmussen`s and Doug Jaeger’s fields. NPARA also participated in the province wide wheat midge survey by submitting soil samples from 5 fields plus erecting and monitoring traps on one field. Diamondback moth: Diamondback moth rarely overwinters in western Canada so major outbreaks are often the result of migrations from the United States and warm dry conditions that allow multiple generations to develop. A network of 38 monitoring sites were established across Alberta in 2013. Very low numbers of larva and adults were the story throughout the season. Bertha armyworm: A total of 285 monitoring sites were set up across Alberta with 40 sites part of an intensive study of the pheromone monitoring system. Counts for 2013 included 203 sites categorized as “low risk”, 78 sites were “uncertain risk “, 3 sites were “moderate” and only one site was categorized as “high risk”. Within the Northern Lights County, a field near Manning also dealt with bertha armyworm densities exceeding the economic threshold resulting in approximately 5000 acres being sprayed. It is interesting to note that several fields were checked in the Lamont County that had high moth catches, evidence of early feeding on lower leaves but very little to no population later in the season. As the season progressed many reports of dead and dying bertha armyworms from what appeared to be both virus and fungal infections. There was reported feeding by berth armyworm on fababeans in several locations and is certainly something to watch for in the future. Wheat Midge: There was serious damage in the Falher area including Eaglesham to High Prairie north to Nampa. Some head samples showed up to 50% kernel damage. The fall 2012 survey did not show the potential risk partially because of the few samples that were taken in that area. Scouting continues to be a concern for producers and agrologists because of the narrow application window. Some initial work with pheromone baited sticky cards is showing some promise to indicate the timing of the flight. A serious monitoring concern relates to evening scouting north of 55°to detect wheat

midge flight at dusk. In July there are few hours of dark and dusk lasts several hours, plus evening temperatures remain warm well into the wee hours. Soil core surveying was conducted across the entire province with over 300 samples being processed. NPARA sampled 5 fields across the county and no midge larvae were found, however, one parasite was present. NPARA staff joined Scott Meers this spring and did an intensive look in a field east of North Star for parasitoids associated with the larval cocoons. Twenty midge were found and only one was parasitized. Staff, Courtney Vandemark and Shayli Zatelny managed this activity from training, trap installation, monitoring and data collection to shipping specimens and reporting.


The following is a request from Scott Meers, Insect Management Specialist with Alberta Agriculture:

ATTENTION PRODUCERS: Every year we (Alberta Agriculture) survey around 300 fields for canola insects, another 300 for wheat insects and 150 for pea leaf weevil. This is in addition to the pheromone traps that are monitored by Provincial government personnel, industry agronomists, Applied Research Associations, Agricultural Fieldmen and cooperating growers to maintain the pheromone trap network. The cumulative moth count maps are maintained by Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. The grasshopper survey is carried out by the Agriculture Fieldmen in each county. In order to improve the quality of our surveys we would like to create a network of cooperative producers that will work with us to help us select appropriate fields to work in. If you are interested in working with us please send your email to [email protected] and include the TOWNSHIP and COUNTY that your home quarter is in (this is how we will sort our database). Surveys that require preapproval in this way are: Wheat Midge, Canola insect survey, and Pea Leaf Weevil. These surveys give us an idea of populations for severity, forecasting and tracking insect range expansion. We will be conducting our correspondence via email BUT if you have specific questions we will be happy to talk to you. We have an administration person that will work through the process with you but program staff will be visiting your field. The information collected for this database will be used only for pest surveys and will not be shared in any way. All individual field data is kept confidential and will not be shared in its raw form. The data will be rolled up into province wide maps showing the insect counts and/or forecasts. Once we have completed the data compilation and verification we will share with you what we have found in your fields along with an explanation of those findings. Most of our communication will be done via email to streamline the workload but if you have questions please do not hesitate to contact us. We have strict biosecurity protocols that we follow closely. In short we NEVER drive into fields. If needed we will walk in to access sampling locations, all footwear and tools are sterilized between fields If you want to see more on our biosecurity protocol, please go here: http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$Department/deptdocs.nsf/all/prm13779/$FILE/field_entry.pdf Thank you for agreeing to work with us. Scott Meers Insect Management Specialist, Pest Surveillance Branch, Alberta Agriculture & Rural Development, Brooks

Go to Alberta Agriculture's website for full information on insect forecasts and continue to monitor the website for updates and maps as the 2014 growing season progresses. The maps are easy to use and, during the growing season, are updated in real time, giving Alberta producers access to the most current information possible. Forecast maps have been posted to the website and can be viewed and downloaded by visiting:

www.agriculture.alberta.ca/bugs-pest


CEREAL VARIETY TRIALS

Barley, Oat and Spring Wheat variety trials were seeded on May 16 with 61 lbs/ac of urea and 125 lbs/ac of 11-51-0-0. Trial design was randomized complete block with 4 repetitions. Plots were 1.4 m x 8 m, trimmed to 6 meters for harvest. In-season weed control was MCPA plus Sencor on June 3. Grass-hoppers were present on the farm all summer and the decision whether or not to treat was a daily one. In the end, one application of Decis on June 21 was made. No further treatment was required; subsequent damage was negligible. Disease pressure was low and no fungicide applications were made.

If you do not see “your” wheat, barley or oat varieties in these trials please let us know so we can include them in the 2014 trials.

WHEAT Thirty spring wheat varieties were included in the NPARA 2013 trial. Harvest was September 11 and almost all samples tested


BARLEY The barley varieties stood well all year and harvested easily. Almost all plots were less than 14% at har-vest on September 12.

OATS Oat varieties also stood well through harvest and had very little disease or insect pressure. Yields re-flect the very favorable growing conditions experienced in 2013

VARIETY TYPE

Triactor Milling

Stride Milling

Jordan Milling

AC Morgan Milling

CDC Baler Forage

Bradley Milling

CDC Haymaker Forage

Waldern Feed

Murphy Forage


ULTIMATE CANOLA CHALLENGE Funded by Alberta Canola Producers Commission

NPARA enjoys partnerships in research and extension with several commodity organizations. One of the most vigorous is our cooperation with Alberta Canola Producers Commission (ACPC) and Canola Council of Canada (CCC). NPARA maintains an information stream to producers and industry in the North Peace through meetings, seminars and field tours of our research farm. The contribution and dedication of CCC staff is what makes it all work so well. Producers in our area have benefited from the canola diagnostic school and can recognize CCC staff from their numerous visits to Manning. This relationship encourages discussion, sometimes lively, in the relaxed atmosphere of a farm tour. We are grateful for this support on behalf of our membership. In past years a “Canola Diagnostic School” was featured at our farm tours. This year research scientists changed the format of our research and extension, designing the “Ultimate Canola Challenge” trial, also known as UCC Test 75. Research organizations were invited to carry out a 6 or 13 treatment trial using various products available to producers, costing ~ $15/Acre. The “check” was a standard treatment using Best Management Practices (BMPs) recommended by ACPC and CCC. Of course we chose to carry out the full 13 treatment trial and were hard pressed to keep up with the treatment schedule and data collection, but our results are worth it. Treatments and links to each product website are as follows:

1. Standard – 100 seeds/m2, no primers or foliar-applied products

2. Extra N: 125% of recommended in the sideband

3. Seed Primer: Protinus seed primer –http://www.wolftrax.com/_uploads/PageContent/documents/PROTINUS%20Canola%20Performance%20Update_October%204_2012_Final.pdf

4. Stress Relief: C3 with herbicide – http://www.omexcanada.com/c3

5. Top dressing: 100% N at seeding, 10 gal/A 28-0-0 added at 5 weeks.

6. Boron (Nexus): http://www.nexusag.com/products/label_NexusLiquidBoron.pdf -

7. Higher seeding rate (150 seeds/m2)

8. Reduced N: 75% of recommended in the sideband

9. Precede seed primer - http://www.atpnutrition.ca/precede http://www.atpnutrition.ca/_uploads/documents/ATP_sellsheet_Precede_Final.pdf

10. Biostimulator – Penergetic P - http://www.penergetic.ca/penergetic-p.html

11. Fortified Foliar- http://www.alpineplantfoods.com/fertilizer/ALPINE_Fortified_Foliar.pdf

12. Boron (Alpine): - http://www.alpineplantfoods.com/fertilizer/ALPINE_MicroBolt_B.pdf -

13. CO2 greenhouse effect: AGROSOLution - http://greenfield-fertilizer.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/AGROSOLution-ENG_sm.pdf


This test, at least at the NPARA site, indicates no advantage to any treatment as compared to the standard, as any yields superior to the standard treatment are not statistically significant. The take-away message is to continue with CCC/ACPC agronomic guidelines for best canola performance.

The Ultimate Canola Challenge will be continued in 2014.

The NPARA field research tour on July 9 featured the canola diagnostic school and inspection of Test 75 with Greg Sekulic, who always fields the questions and comments of attendees with good knowledge and evidence to back his observations. We consider Mr. Sekulic to be an important partner with NPARA and we consult him as needed. Ralph Lange, Provincial Plant Pathologist, also presented and fielded questions. Greg returned on August 15 for our “Morning Coffee Tour” and was again helpful in discussing production issues.


FLAX VARIETY TRIAL

Flax may become more important in North Peace rotations for several reasons. Lower costs of production, higher yields due to variety development, and steady prices relative to other oilseeds and grains, plus the possibility of enhanced grain plus fiber opportunities may work to build a stronger flax sector. As of December prices were around $13.25/bu and estimated Stats Canada average yield of 27.5 bu/A was estimated. A workshop for Bio-Industrial Opportunities for Hemp and Flax was held in Grande Prairie and

attended by NPARA staff. Recent news about this initiative may be found by contacting Lisa Houle

([email protected]).

mailto:[email protected]


PULSE CROP TRIALS Funded by Alberta Pulse Growers

PEA INOCULANT TRIAL Extensive pea inoculant treatments were tested in 2013, including several dual treatments. Results compel us to continue the trial, as the untreated check showed very good results. Are the bacteria still present in soil that has grown peas in recent years? We plan to look at recent literature on the subject and possibly test by seeding peas without inoculant where we know they have not been grown for sev-eral years. We can then assess nodulation, growth habit and com-

pare yield to an inoculated trial. This inoculant trial should be repeated also, with an eye toward digging many roots and assessing nodulation on those plots. The trial design will be changed to include buffer plots of wheat between the treated plots to prevent cross-inoculation.


PEA RVT Date Harvested:

September 5, 2013

YELLOW PEA VARIETY YIELD

MP1899 108.1

CDC Amarillo 101.5

CDC Meadow 97.2

CDC Saffron 94.8

Abarth 87.3

AAC Peace River 86.5

GREEN PEA VARIETY YIELD

CDC Limerick 86.8

CDC Patrick 85.9

CDC Pluto 79.1

CDC Raezer 78.9

CDC Tetris 74.7

PEA VARIETY TRIAL NPARA participated in the Regional Variety Trials (RVTs) for green and yellow peas. They were seeded May 15 using Nodulator inoculant and 125# 11-51-0-0. Emergence and stands were very good and the peas stood well until two weeks before harvest. There was very little disease pressure. At the NPARA July 9 tour, Provincial Pathologist Ralph Lange was frustrated in showing any disease symptoms to the participants. One application of quilt + matador was made on June 29. The MP 1899 yellow pea attracted local pea-grower attention all season. It stood exceptionally well and was the last to lodge, which it eventually did just like the rest. The final 1899 yield was very good as were yields for all the peas. Provincial pea RVT results are available at www.seed.ab.ca/

SOYBEAN VARIETY TRIAL

Soybeans! It is great to see that folks in the North Peace can get interested in soybeans; it means I’m not the only one. You want to skip to the graph and form your opinions, but please read this fine print. The CV of the data is very high, reflecting high variability between individual plots; it is not known why, we will just have to take it with a grain of salt. This is an excellent trial, however, for a “new” crop, as it indicates potential. To be considered a competitive addition to the crop options in our area a plot average of ~40 bushels/acre would be required, as well as some consistency from year to year. I am encouraged by these results but considerably more research and development is needed. The soybean plots, both the variety trial and the inoculant trial, looked very healthy and vigor was great. The plots were seeded May 26 and I doubt that earlier seeding would have much impact, as emergence was slow. Plant development took time also, as the first flowers did not appear until July 13 at the V5 to V6 stage (4th or 5th trifoliate leaf). We would like to see a variety that flowers just after summer solstice but even as light-sensitive plants, soybeans need some amount of vegetative growth before flowering, and the V5 stage is the earliest flowering stage I have seen. It would be hard to hurry them by seeding earlier as the soil must be at least 10C for emergence; warmer is much better. Our first frost on September 19 ended the race to maturity and many pods held immature green beans. Moosomin and Pioneer P001T34R were the most mature varieties. Harvest is easy as the plants stood well through harvest on October 19. Some pods were low on the plant, escaping our plot combine, but commercial machines would have had no problem. Harvest samples were, for lack of a better term, ugly, with green and


Treatment

Number Variety

Moisture

%

Average/

ac

6

NSC

Moosmomin 11.5 24.4

4

NSC Reston

RR2Y 11.6 23.1

2 LS002R23 11.8 21.3

3 LS3600 12.4 20.6

5 NSC Vito 11.6 19.8

8 HS006RYS24 12.4 16.5

7 HY00703 12.7 14.2

9 900Y61 12.6 13.8

1 P001T34R 13.6 13.6

Soybean Variety Trial Summary Yield

immature seed. Samples are submitted for protein and oil analysis and this information is forthcoming. Soybeans are an oilseed directly related to canola in the markets. Agronomically they are in the pulse arena, as a legume and nitrogen-fixer. If the yields can be improved soy could substitute for cereals in a rotation. I am very interested in producer’s thoughts on this. Stay tuned for more soybean trials in 2014, including some investigation of forage soy varieties.

LENTIL VARIETY TRIAL

We continue to seed this trial, and maybe we are making (slow) progress as the plots were able to be harvested this year. Harvesting lentils is not for the faint of heart; there’s a fine line between scooping up soil and rocks and cutting lentil plants. The trial was rolled this year which helped immensely and we had no mishaps. Finally, though, there is so much variability in the data that statistical analysis is not valid. Individual plot yields were from 7.8 to 26 bushels/acre and quality is very good.

FABABEAN VARIETY TRIAL Fabas are very interesting and the yields this season really surprise me. They are best seeded very early and require some management, especially for foliar diseases such as chocolate spot. One application of fungicide was sufficient to halt spread of chocolate spot this year. Grasshoppers did not bother them, but in 2012 blister beetles were a problem. Harvest was easy as the plants did not lodge.


DEEP TILLAGE TRIAL Background There is the perception that soils that have been ‘no-tilled’ for many years have become compacted. Also, our subsoils have inherent high clay content with very low infiltration rates. Tillage or other measures are suggested to improve crop production on these soils. Objectives Establish field trials to study the effects of sub-soiling vs tillage radish on crop production and physical properties of the soil . Methods and materials 2011: There are 3 treatments in this trial: subsoiling with the Agrowplow; no treatment and tillage rad-ish. It is a randomized replicated trial with 4 replicates. Parameters that were and will continue to be measured are: soil moisture, water infiltration rates and soil compaction. On September 15 the sub-soiling was done with the Agrowplow and all parameters measured and soil samples taken. The sub-soiled area and non-treatment areas will be seeded to a cereal crop next spring and the tillage radish sown in August. On the south end of the trial is a smooth bromegrass field on which we also did strips with the Agrowplow.

Results & Discussion Barley was seeded in 2012 on the untreated and the deep-tilled plots, and tillage radish was seeded on the third portion. Canola was seeded on all treatments (no tillage, deep tillage, tillage radish) in 2013. 2014 will see a pulse crop on the trial. An interim report will be prepared in 2014 to summarize the project to date.

Measuring infiltration rates The Agrowplow subsoiler Hard pulling in the brome field

Tillage radish sown July 21, 2013 as a start to our cocktail cover crop projects for 2014


REGIONAL SILAGE VARIETY TRIAL Cooperators: Under the umbrella of the Agricultural Research and Extension Council of Alberta, 8 applied re-search groups participated at 12 locations throughout the province: Battle River Research Group, Forestburg; Chinook Applied Research Association, Oyen; Gateway Research Organization, Westlock; Lakeland Agricultural Research Association, Bonnyville; Smoky Applied Research and Demonstration Association, Falher; West Central Forage Association, Evansburg; North Peace Applied Research Association, Manning; Peace Country Beef and Forage, Fairview. Major Sponsors: Government of Alberta (ARD); A & L Canada Labs Inc; Association of Alberta Co-op Seed Clean-ing Plants; Alberta Seed Growers`Associaiton

Project Objectives: 1. To identify annual crop species/varieties that have superior forage production. 2. To determine if alternative annual forage crops are a viable option when compared to conventional cereal crops (yield, quality, cost of production). 3. To identify nutritional differences between annual crop species and to assess the effect this may have on beef cattle performance and the implementation of feeding systems. 4. To identify regional differences (Alberta) in forage production for annual crop species/varieties. Cattle producers grow ever increasing amounts of annual crops for feed (silage, green feed and swath grazing), and measuring those that produce the highest forage yield becomes increasingly important. Silage is an integral forage source in feedlots across the province and has become more prevalent in cow herds as well. With many producers trying to lower production costs, swath grazing of cow herds has increased dramatically in the last few years. It could also be argued that there is more grain forage than cereal grain fed to take a market animal from conception to plate. Trial Information This is the 5th year the groups have conducted forage testing of various varieties. Varieties of barley, oats, triticale and peas commonly used for silage, greenfeed and swath grazing were included in the trial as well as new varieties showing good potential for these uses. The pulse mixture trial looked at increasing the nutritional value of silage as well as decreasing nitrogen costs. The pulse mix plots were seeded with 50 pounds of 11-52-0-0 only, while the monoculture cereal comparison plots were ferti-lized with 50 per cent of the recommended cereal rates. Peas were seeded at 75 per cent of their rec-ommended seeding rate and cereals at 50 per cent when in mixtures. The monoculture cereal compari-son crops were seeded at 100 per cent the recommended seeding rate. The other trials (Barley, Oats & Triticale) were seeded at recommended rates and at recommended fertility. Nutritional Analysis Nutrition was assessed using wet chemistry analysis. Full nutritional analysis was done on each sample, however, we have only reported on six nutritional categories; crude protein (CP), total digestible nutrients (TDN) which is an estimation of energy, calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and magnesium (Mg). All yield information was published in the Spring 2014 Alberta Seed Guide which can be found online at www. seed.ab.ca


METHODS, RESULTS & DISCUSSION FROM NPARA SITE The 2013 trials flourished with the steady rains and harvest was ahead of 2012 by 7-10 days. Four trials were completed and the most interesting may be the cereal/pulse mixtures. These were harvested lat-er than the single-species trials and the tonnage was very good. All cereal silage received 61 lbs/ac of urea and 125 lbs/ac of 11-51-0-0. The Barley was seeded May 17 and harvested July 24. The Oats were seeded May 17 and harvested July 30. The Triticale was seeded May 17 and harvested August 7. And the Pea/cereal trial was seeded May 17 with 125 lbs/ac of 11- 51-0-0 at and harvested August 7.


WATER QUALITY MONITORING PROJECT Funding partners - County of Northern Lights & Alberta Environmentally Sustainable Program

component of Agriculture Opportunity Fund

Background The County has had a watershed consulting re-port completed on all the major rivers in the County. The report recommended implementa-tion of a water quality monitoring program and identification of riparian area buffers. This report identified opportunities to instigate a long term water quality monitoring program, the formation of a watershed group, conduct riparian health assessments and collect baseline data to estab-lish benchmarks so a 5 year plan can be made targeting key environmental issues.

Objectives

Safe and secure surface water supplies and healthy riparian areas

Education & awareness of best management practices

Materials and Methods The County of Northern Lights and NPARA worked with Aquality Environmental Consulting Ltd to start a long term water quality monitoring study on the rivers in the County. Samples were collected at four sites from the Notikewin River in October of 2011, followed by sampling 4 times in 2012 and 4 times in 2013: early spring, early summer, late summer and early fall. The Keg River was sampled at one location for the first time in 2013 at the same time periods. Samples were submitted to the lab for analysis:

Routine water chemistry Nutrients Bacteria Pesticides Total metals Dissolved metals Results & Discussion The report for 2013 has not been received from Aquality. Once the report is received, a summary will be included in our newsletter.

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