Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
The Saskatchewan canola industry got a big boost last week with the announcement that Cargill Ltd. is expanding its canola processing plant in Clavet by 25 per cent.
Construction on the project will begin this fall, and is expected to conclude by the spring of 2007. When completed, it will expand the plant's processing capacity to 3,000 metric tonnes per day from its current 2,400-tonne volume.
"We firmly believe that Canada, in particular Saskatchewan, is one of the areas of the world best-suited to an expanding production of vegetable oil in the form of softseeds," said Wayne Teddy, president of Cargill's Grains and Oilseeds Supply Chain business unit for North America.
The investment, he added, will "help better position Cargill and its canola producers as a go-to source in serving the growing global demand for fuel and food applications derived from canola."
The Clavet plant crushes canola for use in margarine, salad oil and other food ingredients. Lower quality grades processed at the facility may be used in biodiesel fuel production.
Located east of Saskatoon, the plant opened in the mid-1990s, and currently employs 50 people. Already one of the largest facilities of its kind in the world, the expansion will build on a success story that has delivered value-added processing to the province's agricultural sector for the past decade.
A major presence on the international grains and oilseed market, Cargill Ltd. operates in 61 countries with 142,000 employees. Its selection of Saskatchewan as a place to expand is a vote of confidence in the province's canola industry and its agricultural producers.
"It is our commitment to expand Cargill's Canadian footprint into those areas that will deliver the greatest value to our farm and end-use customers," noted Cargill Ltd. President Len Penner. Expanding the Clavet facility, he added, will "ensure domestic consumers have access to a reliable, consistent, high quality ingredient for fuel and food."
For more information contact:
Robert Meijer, Director of Public Affairs, Cargill Ltd.
Phone: (204) 947-6370
E-mail: robert_meijer@cargill.com
www.cargill.ca
Monday, August 07, 2006
Whet Your Appetite for the First Annual "Taste of the Southwest"
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
Get ready for the mouth-watering taste sensations of the southwest! We're not referring to tortillas and tacos: we're talking about Saskatchewan's southwest.
A number of partners have come together to create the first annual "Taste of the Southwest" gala that will take place at the Swift Current Exhibition Grounds on August 12. The event is a part of the Fun Fest Weekend in Swift Current.
"We have a lot of unique products that are produced or grown in this region. This is great way to showcase them," said Shawn Hermanson, an Agri-Business Development Specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food.
More than 14 producers, processors, caterers and restaurants from throughout the region have already signed up, offering a wide variety of tantalizing products, ranging from New York Meat Sticks (the missing link between beef jerky and a hamburger) from Classic Meats of Fox Valley, to cinnamon buns from the House of Heart Café in Cabri.
"We still have space available if there are other producers who want to take part," said Hermanson.
Once your tummy is full of fine southwest fare, you can enjoy the entertainment, or wash it all down in the beer gardens.
The event runs from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the Stockade Building at the Swift Current Exhibition Grounds.
The Taste of the Southwest is hosted by a committee consisting of Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food, Regional Economic and Co-operative Development, the Southwest REDA, Southwest Community Futures, the Cypress Hills REDA, the Swift Current Agricultural and Exhibition Association, and local producers.
For more information or to register a food booth, please contact Keleah Herron, Community Economic Development Officer, Southwest REDA, at www.southwestreda.ca or (306) 778-4243.
For more information, contact:
Shawn Hermanson
Agri-Business Development Specialist
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
Phone: (306) 778-8216
E-mail: shermanson@agr.gov.sk.ca
Get ready for the mouth-watering taste sensations of the southwest! We're not referring to tortillas and tacos: we're talking about Saskatchewan's southwest.
A number of partners have come together to create the first annual "Taste of the Southwest" gala that will take place at the Swift Current Exhibition Grounds on August 12. The event is a part of the Fun Fest Weekend in Swift Current.
"We have a lot of unique products that are produced or grown in this region. This is great way to showcase them," said Shawn Hermanson, an Agri-Business Development Specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food.
More than 14 producers, processors, caterers and restaurants from throughout the region have already signed up, offering a wide variety of tantalizing products, ranging from New York Meat Sticks (the missing link between beef jerky and a hamburger) from Classic Meats of Fox Valley, to cinnamon buns from the House of Heart Café in Cabri.
"We still have space available if there are other producers who want to take part," said Hermanson.
Once your tummy is full of fine southwest fare, you can enjoy the entertainment, or wash it all down in the beer gardens.
The event runs from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the Stockade Building at the Swift Current Exhibition Grounds.
The Taste of the Southwest is hosted by a committee consisting of Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food, Regional Economic and Co-operative Development, the Southwest REDA, Southwest Community Futures, the Cypress Hills REDA, the Swift Current Agricultural and Exhibition Association, and local producers.
For more information or to register a food booth, please contact Keleah Herron, Community Economic Development Officer, Southwest REDA, at www.southwestreda.ca or (306) 778-4243.
For more information, contact:
Shawn Hermanson
Agri-Business Development Specialist
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
Phone: (306) 778-8216
E-mail: shermanson@agr.gov.sk.ca
Extended Agenda for Tenth Annual Western Canada Feedlot
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
The tenth annual Western Canada Feedlot Management School (WCFMS) will feature more than a dozen in-depth sessions running over four days, July 31 to August 3 at the University of Saskatchewan.
The school is designed for those in the cattle feeding business, considering expansion, or just getting started.
"The school provides a great learning environment because you have people coming from all sides of the business. It's very hands on. You get both classroom type presentations and the opportunity to get out into the feedlot to apply some of that learning in the real world," said Sandy Russell, a beef economist with Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food.
"It's a highly sought after school. Every year we have had full attendance, and it looks like we will be full again this year," said Russell.
Session topics include: Evaluating Feeding Alternatives to Maximize Profit, What Cattle Buyers Look for in Feeder and Slaughter Cattle, and Growth Promotion and Implants - How to Maximize Your Gains.
The WCFMS is a direct response to the need in the cattle industry for knowledgeable feedlot operators who can adapt to changes in production and marketing practices. Experts from industry and the fields of research and development will deliver sessions on topics that are at the forefront of the feeding industry.
The WCFMS is organized by the Saskatchewan Cattle Feeders Association, the University of Saskatchewan Department of Animal and Poultry Science, and Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food.
For more information, contact:
Jamie Blacklock,
General Manager
Saskatchewan Cattle Feeders Association
Phone: (306) 933-5570
E-mail: jamie@saskcattle.com
www.saskcattle.com
Sandy Russell
Beef Economist
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
Phone: (306) 382-2333
E-mail: srussell@agr.gov.sk.ca
The tenth annual Western Canada Feedlot Management School (WCFMS) will feature more than a dozen in-depth sessions running over four days, July 31 to August 3 at the University of Saskatchewan.
The school is designed for those in the cattle feeding business, considering expansion, or just getting started.
"The school provides a great learning environment because you have people coming from all sides of the business. It's very hands on. You get both classroom type presentations and the opportunity to get out into the feedlot to apply some of that learning in the real world," said Sandy Russell, a beef economist with Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food.
"It's a highly sought after school. Every year we have had full attendance, and it looks like we will be full again this year," said Russell.
Session topics include: Evaluating Feeding Alternatives to Maximize Profit, What Cattle Buyers Look for in Feeder and Slaughter Cattle, and Growth Promotion and Implants - How to Maximize Your Gains.
The WCFMS is a direct response to the need in the cattle industry for knowledgeable feedlot operators who can adapt to changes in production and marketing practices. Experts from industry and the fields of research and development will deliver sessions on topics that are at the forefront of the feeding industry.
The WCFMS is organized by the Saskatchewan Cattle Feeders Association, the University of Saskatchewan Department of Animal and Poultry Science, and Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food.
For more information, contact:
Jamie Blacklock,
General Manager
Saskatchewan Cattle Feeders Association
Phone: (306) 933-5570
E-mail: jamie@saskcattle.com
www.saskcattle.com
Sandy Russell
Beef Economist
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
Phone: (306) 382-2333
E-mail: srussell@agr.gov.sk.ca
Scholarship Recipient "An Inspiration"
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
"She's an inspiration."
That's how the Executive Director of the Saskatchewan Association of Agriculture Societies and Exhibitions (SAASE) describes the first recipient of the Clark Lewis Memorial Scholarship.
SAASE Executive Director Glen Duck says Andrea Hemsley from Sylvania (southeast of Melfort) was a stand-out among a strong field of contenders.
"We had a very difficult decision in selecting the first recipient of this scholarship. Agriculture societies across the province selected only the best from their regions, so the by the time we had to choose from the final 13 applicants, we were working from a list of outstanding young leaders," said Duck.
Hemsley, who is pursuing an education degree at the University of Regina, is blind.
"Andrea is heavily involved in her community and with the Golburn Agriculture Society. She has been an inspiration to her classmates and her community for how she has faced her disability," said Duck.
The Clark Lewis Memorial Scholarship was created earlier this year to recognize the agricultural leader who passed away in March of 2005. The successful applicant receives $1,500.
Clark Lewis had a long history with SAASE. He was an active board member of the predecessor of SAASE, the Saskatchewan Agricultural Societies Association (SASA), was a member of the Minister's Review Committee in 1986, and served on the steering committee responsible for the amalgamation of the SASA and the Saskatchewan Association of Fairs and Exhibitions. Through numerous re-elections to the board by his peers, and until his retirement in 1995, Clark served on all committees and offices of SAASE.
The legacy of his leadership style of patient perseverance and dedicated service remains with agricultural societies and exhibitions throughout Saskatchewan. It was felt by the SAASE Board of Directors that the immense contributions and dedication of Clark Lewis to the organization could best be honoured through a scholarship bearing his name.
To fund the award on an ongoing basis, SAASE is soliciting contributions from agricultural societies to form a pool of money from which the interest will be utilized annually. In addition to these donations, SAASE will be using 50/50 lottery revenue, as well as money from a silent auction at its convention, to support the scholarship on a yearly basis.
For more information, contact:
Glen Duck, SAASE Executive Director
Phone: (306) 565-2121
"She's an inspiration."
That's how the Executive Director of the Saskatchewan Association of Agriculture Societies and Exhibitions (SAASE) describes the first recipient of the Clark Lewis Memorial Scholarship.
SAASE Executive Director Glen Duck says Andrea Hemsley from Sylvania (southeast of Melfort) was a stand-out among a strong field of contenders.
"We had a very difficult decision in selecting the first recipient of this scholarship. Agriculture societies across the province selected only the best from their regions, so the by the time we had to choose from the final 13 applicants, we were working from a list of outstanding young leaders," said Duck.
Hemsley, who is pursuing an education degree at the University of Regina, is blind.
"Andrea is heavily involved in her community and with the Golburn Agriculture Society. She has been an inspiration to her classmates and her community for how she has faced her disability," said Duck.
The Clark Lewis Memorial Scholarship was created earlier this year to recognize the agricultural leader who passed away in March of 2005. The successful applicant receives $1,500.
Clark Lewis had a long history with SAASE. He was an active board member of the predecessor of SAASE, the Saskatchewan Agricultural Societies Association (SASA), was a member of the Minister's Review Committee in 1986, and served on the steering committee responsible for the amalgamation of the SASA and the Saskatchewan Association of Fairs and Exhibitions. Through numerous re-elections to the board by his peers, and until his retirement in 1995, Clark served on all committees and offices of SAASE.
The legacy of his leadership style of patient perseverance and dedicated service remains with agricultural societies and exhibitions throughout Saskatchewan. It was felt by the SAASE Board of Directors that the immense contributions and dedication of Clark Lewis to the organization could best be honoured through a scholarship bearing his name.
To fund the award on an ongoing basis, SAASE is soliciting contributions from agricultural societies to form a pool of money from which the interest will be utilized annually. In addition to these donations, SAASE will be using 50/50 lottery revenue, as well as money from a silent auction at its convention, to support the scholarship on a yearly basis.
For more information, contact:
Glen Duck, SAASE Executive Director
Phone: (306) 565-2121
SIAST Meeting Demand for Meat Processing Tradespeople
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
The Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST) is offering training courses for a variety of trades needed by the province's expanding meat processing sector.
The closure of the U.S. border to Canadian cattle during the recent BSE crisis was a stark demonstration of Canada's need to enhance its domestic slaughter capacity. With the most stringent border restrictions now lifted, the livestock sector is once again on the rebound, but the need to slaughter and process more of our own livestock remains.
The continued growth in domestic livestock processing is creating a big demand for tradespeople possessing a variety of skills needed in the industry. Unfortunately, there are not enough qualified people to meet that demand.
This has generated increased opportunity - particularly for meat cutters, slaughterers and processors - in several jurisdictions, particularly Saskatchewan. SIAST responded by creating courses to meet the specific needs of the processing industry.
To learn the meat cutter trade through apprenticeship, for example, individuals enrol in a course that has them working 85 per cent of the time (1,800 hours) with a certified journeyperson, earning while they learn. This is followed by 15 per cent (eight weeks) spent studying the technical aspects of the trade at the SIAST Kelsey Campus in Saskatoon. The process is repeated for three years to achieve journeyperson status. SIAST is constantly accepting applications for these courses. The classroom portion begins in August and the practicum begins in January.
"The BSE crisis taught us to put more emphasis on handling our own animals rather than shipping them elsewhere," said Jim Moldenhauer, Chair of the Meat Cutter Trade Board. "Industry expansion opens up great opportunities for Saskatchewan people to build careers in the skilled trades, such as meat cutting, that support this growth."
For more information on the requirements or enrolment process for these courses, contact the Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission at 1-877-363-0536 or visit their website at www.saskapprenticeship.com (click on "designated trades").
For more information, contact:
Jim Moldenhauer, Chair
Meat Cutter Trade Board
Phone: 306-955-2537
The Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST) is offering training courses for a variety of trades needed by the province's expanding meat processing sector.
The closure of the U.S. border to Canadian cattle during the recent BSE crisis was a stark demonstration of Canada's need to enhance its domestic slaughter capacity. With the most stringent border restrictions now lifted, the livestock sector is once again on the rebound, but the need to slaughter and process more of our own livestock remains.
The continued growth in domestic livestock processing is creating a big demand for tradespeople possessing a variety of skills needed in the industry. Unfortunately, there are not enough qualified people to meet that demand.
This has generated increased opportunity - particularly for meat cutters, slaughterers and processors - in several jurisdictions, particularly Saskatchewan. SIAST responded by creating courses to meet the specific needs of the processing industry.
To learn the meat cutter trade through apprenticeship, for example, individuals enrol in a course that has them working 85 per cent of the time (1,800 hours) with a certified journeyperson, earning while they learn. This is followed by 15 per cent (eight weeks) spent studying the technical aspects of the trade at the SIAST Kelsey Campus in Saskatoon. The process is repeated for three years to achieve journeyperson status. SIAST is constantly accepting applications for these courses. The classroom portion begins in August and the practicum begins in January.
"The BSE crisis taught us to put more emphasis on handling our own animals rather than shipping them elsewhere," said Jim Moldenhauer, Chair of the Meat Cutter Trade Board. "Industry expansion opens up great opportunities for Saskatchewan people to build careers in the skilled trades, such as meat cutting, that support this growth."
For more information on the requirements or enrolment process for these courses, contact the Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission at 1-877-363-0536 or visit their website at www.saskapprenticeship.com (click on "designated trades").
For more information, contact:
Jim Moldenhauer, Chair
Meat Cutter Trade Board
Phone: 306-955-2537
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Study on Disease Management For Mexican Bound Seed Potatoes
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
It is partly about the customer always being right. A research project at the University of Saskatchewan, funded by the Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food's (SAF) Agriculture Development Fund, is looking to ensure Saskatchewan-grown seed potatoes are always welcome in countries like Mexico.
"Saskatchewan has a well-deserved reputation for producing some of the best seed potatoes anywhere," says Doug Waterer of the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan, who, along with Jill Thompson, is conducting the project. "The growers have been very successful in terms of expanding their markets, so Saskatchewan is supplying seed potatoes basically right across Canada. We have been very successful in moving product into the United States as well, and Saskatchewan is recognized as having excellent seed potatoes by American growers. But we are looking at other horizons. Mexico has a large potato industry.
"They are very interested in high-quality seed, but they have extremely stringent disease standards. And you can appreciate that, if you are sending a load of seed all the way down to Mexico, you want to avoid even the slightest possibility that it will not be accepted by the buyer down there."
Therefore, Waterer's team is working in conjunction with the Saskatchewan Seed Potato Growers Association to make absolutely sure they are using the best possible techniques to meet the extremely stringent disease standards of Mexico.
"We are using an integrated approach, combining factors such as land selection, crop management, the use of appropriate pesticides and, in some cases, the development of new pesticides. We look at handling practices, grading practices and shipping procedures. In some cases, we are looking to test and support the registration of new pesticides. That is what makes it an integrated project.
"We are working with the seed growers, but also in conjunction with the grade standards folks at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in Canada, and their counterparts in Mexico."
As Waterer puts it: "there is no sense in us doing something if our Mexican friends don't agree with us. 'The customer is always right' is all it boils down to."
The University of Saskatchewan scientist is also pleased with the level of collaboration his team enjoys from the Saskatchewan Seed Potato Growers Association.
"We will be working very actively with the growers because they are really the experts as to what the customers want," he concludes.
One of the very significant advantages that Saskatchewan has in seed production is that the seed farms are very isolated, which hinders the spread of disease.
"Our relatively short, cool and dry growing season, and our long, rigorous winters tend to reduce disease pressures."
For more information, contact:
Doug Waterer
Department of Plant Sciences
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-5860
ADF file #20050710
It is partly about the customer always being right. A research project at the University of Saskatchewan, funded by the Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food's (SAF) Agriculture Development Fund, is looking to ensure Saskatchewan-grown seed potatoes are always welcome in countries like Mexico.
"Saskatchewan has a well-deserved reputation for producing some of the best seed potatoes anywhere," says Doug Waterer of the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan, who, along with Jill Thompson, is conducting the project. "The growers have been very successful in terms of expanding their markets, so Saskatchewan is supplying seed potatoes basically right across Canada. We have been very successful in moving product into the United States as well, and Saskatchewan is recognized as having excellent seed potatoes by American growers. But we are looking at other horizons. Mexico has a large potato industry.
"They are very interested in high-quality seed, but they have extremely stringent disease standards. And you can appreciate that, if you are sending a load of seed all the way down to Mexico, you want to avoid even the slightest possibility that it will not be accepted by the buyer down there."
Therefore, Waterer's team is working in conjunction with the Saskatchewan Seed Potato Growers Association to make absolutely sure they are using the best possible techniques to meet the extremely stringent disease standards of Mexico.
"We are using an integrated approach, combining factors such as land selection, crop management, the use of appropriate pesticides and, in some cases, the development of new pesticides. We look at handling practices, grading practices and shipping procedures. In some cases, we are looking to test and support the registration of new pesticides. That is what makes it an integrated project.
"We are working with the seed growers, but also in conjunction with the grade standards folks at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in Canada, and their counterparts in Mexico."
As Waterer puts it: "there is no sense in us doing something if our Mexican friends don't agree with us. 'The customer is always right' is all it boils down to."
The University of Saskatchewan scientist is also pleased with the level of collaboration his team enjoys from the Saskatchewan Seed Potato Growers Association.
"We will be working very actively with the growers because they are really the experts as to what the customers want," he concludes.
One of the very significant advantages that Saskatchewan has in seed production is that the seed farms are very isolated, which hinders the spread of disease.
"Our relatively short, cool and dry growing season, and our long, rigorous winters tend to reduce disease pressures."
For more information, contact:
Doug Waterer
Department of Plant Sciences
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-5860
ADF file #20050710
Site Selection is Crucial to an Intensive Livestock Operation's Profitability
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
Site selection is a key component to keep in mind when assessing profitability for an intensive livestock operation (ILO) project, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food (SAF) Agri-Business Development Intern Tanner Bradley.
"Groups considering ILOs are usually tempted first to go out and buy the land, and then they start the planning phase, but what SAF is trying to emphasize with them is the importance and impact that site selection will have on the profitability of that feedlot. By ensuring that you do the proper planning beforehand, we will help ensure that there are no unpleasant surprises as you get to the construction phase and then the operations phase."
The site chosen will have a direct impact on both initial capital costs and variable costs once the ILO becomes operational, says Bradley.
"The feeding industry is a low-margin business; therefore, minimizing all costs is important for an ILO to remain viable. Careful planning needs to take place before the land is purchased or construction begins."
First of all, the selected site must meet requirements for the ILO permitting process. Mitigating the risk of ground water contamination is a major component of the ILO approval process. Certain soil types increase the contamination risk. Less desirable soil conditions will result in increased site engineering and construction costs. There may also be limitations on the potential capacity of the ILO which could affect possible expansion plans. Topographic maps will provide good preliminary site information, and can be accessed free-of-charge through the Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food Agriculture Operations Branch.
Water access in another issue to consider, Bradley points out.
"There must be sufficient water to meet the requirements of the ILO. Piping in water from another location is another added cost that could be avoided. The Saskatchewan Watershed Authority should be contacted to get initial information on the site."
In addition, site selection will also have a direct impact on the variable costs-the reoccurring costs-of an operation. For example, locating the site near a primary highway rather than a secondary highway will reduce transportation costs. Being located on a primary highway means larger loads can be sent and received.
"The result is a lower per unit cost for transportation. Each rural municipality (RM) has different rules on the weight restrictions on their roads; therefore the RM should be consulted.
"Another factor that will affect an ILO is the manure removal costs. Having a land base on which to spread the manure within close proximity to the ILO is important to minimize manure removal costs. It is also important to be able apply the manure on the land which is the greatest benefit to the shareholders."
Careful planning prior to "putting the shovel in the ground" will increase the profitability potential of an ILO, Bradley points out. The examples discussed here are just some of the factors that must be considered prior to selecting an appropriate site for an ILO development. There are many organizations that should be consulted.
"Initial contact with your local SAF livestock development specialist can help streamline the process during the initial planning phase. Most initial information can be provided to the proponent for little or no cost, and the information is readily available. By working closely with your livestock development specialist, this information can be gathered and analysed in a few weeks."
The resulting analysis can help to ensure lower per-unit costs once the ILO is operational, and will minimize unwanted surprises during the construction phase.
For more information, contact:
Tanner Bradley
Agri-Business Development Intern
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
(306) 953-2772
Site selection is a key component to keep in mind when assessing profitability for an intensive livestock operation (ILO) project, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food (SAF) Agri-Business Development Intern Tanner Bradley.
"Groups considering ILOs are usually tempted first to go out and buy the land, and then they start the planning phase, but what SAF is trying to emphasize with them is the importance and impact that site selection will have on the profitability of that feedlot. By ensuring that you do the proper planning beforehand, we will help ensure that there are no unpleasant surprises as you get to the construction phase and then the operations phase."
The site chosen will have a direct impact on both initial capital costs and variable costs once the ILO becomes operational, says Bradley.
"The feeding industry is a low-margin business; therefore, minimizing all costs is important for an ILO to remain viable. Careful planning needs to take place before the land is purchased or construction begins."
First of all, the selected site must meet requirements for the ILO permitting process. Mitigating the risk of ground water contamination is a major component of the ILO approval process. Certain soil types increase the contamination risk. Less desirable soil conditions will result in increased site engineering and construction costs. There may also be limitations on the potential capacity of the ILO which could affect possible expansion plans. Topographic maps will provide good preliminary site information, and can be accessed free-of-charge through the Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food Agriculture Operations Branch.
Water access in another issue to consider, Bradley points out.
"There must be sufficient water to meet the requirements of the ILO. Piping in water from another location is another added cost that could be avoided. The Saskatchewan Watershed Authority should be contacted to get initial information on the site."
In addition, site selection will also have a direct impact on the variable costs-the reoccurring costs-of an operation. For example, locating the site near a primary highway rather than a secondary highway will reduce transportation costs. Being located on a primary highway means larger loads can be sent and received.
"The result is a lower per unit cost for transportation. Each rural municipality (RM) has different rules on the weight restrictions on their roads; therefore the RM should be consulted.
"Another factor that will affect an ILO is the manure removal costs. Having a land base on which to spread the manure within close proximity to the ILO is important to minimize manure removal costs. It is also important to be able apply the manure on the land which is the greatest benefit to the shareholders."
Careful planning prior to "putting the shovel in the ground" will increase the profitability potential of an ILO, Bradley points out. The examples discussed here are just some of the factors that must be considered prior to selecting an appropriate site for an ILO development. There are many organizations that should be consulted.
"Initial contact with your local SAF livestock development specialist can help streamline the process during the initial planning phase. Most initial information can be provided to the proponent for little or no cost, and the information is readily available. By working closely with your livestock development specialist, this information can be gathered and analysed in a few weeks."
The resulting analysis can help to ensure lower per-unit costs once the ILO is operational, and will minimize unwanted surprises during the construction phase.
For more information, contact:
Tanner Bradley
Agri-Business Development Intern
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
(306) 953-2772
Saskatchewan Forest Centre Field Days Coming Up
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
If you have been considering producing trees on your farm, the Saskatchewan Forest Centre has scheduled three field days during the month of July that you might find useful to attend.
These events will include discussions on the establishment and management of tree plantations on farms, vegetation and weed management, pruning hybrid poplar, hybrid poplar clonal trials and silvopasture (tree farming) management, explains Larry White, an Agro-forestry Specialist with the Centre.
"On the morning of July 13, we are touring Vern Anderson's hybrid poplar planting at Rose Valley to look at his three-year-old hybrid poplars. In the afternoon, we will be going to Zosel's Tree Farm at Pleasantdale to look at the hybrid poplar clonal trial. As well, we are going to Bill Sullivan's silvopasture project at Pleasantdale. The last stop in the afternoon will be at Bruce LeBarre's at Pleasantdale to look at a hybrid poplar and larch planting that he did three years ago."
White says anybody considering silvopasture would find it well be worth their while to come out for the day.
A second field day, on July 20, will go to Craik's Eco-Centre, where there is a forest 20/20 demonstration plantation that was planted in 2004, and, in the afternoon, to Neil Kettilson's site at Blackstrap Lake.
There are interesting hybrid poplar plantings worthy of a visit there, according to White: "We want to see how it is done; talk about weed control and other issues; different clones, planting and maintenance of hybrid poplar sites."
The third field day, on July 25, will take participants to Meadow Lake.
"We will be taking a look again at hybrid poplar clones; at some fertility work that is being done there and at weed control. The Meadow Lake planting is approaching nine years old now, so they are getting some reasonably mature trees. This is a chance to see some older plantings of hybrid poplars."
White believes these field days are a good opportunity for people to get out and meet some of the specialists in the industry.
"There will be representatives of the University of Saskatchewan and the PFRA Shelterbelt Centre at Indian Head, as well as the farmers who have participated in the projects. It is an opportunity to talk to a few people in the know and to see what some of these plantings look like, as well as to gauge the viability of the silvopasture option. There is always the question: 'can I make money doing this?'"
White reports that there has been lots of interest from landowners in the last couple of years in returning some of their cleared land back to some permanent cover, either grass or trees.
"People often say to us: 'They are closing down pulp mills and you guys are promoting growing trees.' But there are other opportunities in wood products, whether it is engineered wood products or the opportunities here for using tree biomass for energy production in the future. There are a lot more uses for tree biomass than just pulp."
For more information, contact:
Larry White
Agroforestry Specialist
Saskatchewan Forest Centre
http://www.saskforestcentre.ca/
(306) 765-2860
If you have been considering producing trees on your farm, the Saskatchewan Forest Centre has scheduled three field days during the month of July that you might find useful to attend.
These events will include discussions on the establishment and management of tree plantations on farms, vegetation and weed management, pruning hybrid poplar, hybrid poplar clonal trials and silvopasture (tree farming) management, explains Larry White, an Agro-forestry Specialist with the Centre.
"On the morning of July 13, we are touring Vern Anderson's hybrid poplar planting at Rose Valley to look at his three-year-old hybrid poplars. In the afternoon, we will be going to Zosel's Tree Farm at Pleasantdale to look at the hybrid poplar clonal trial. As well, we are going to Bill Sullivan's silvopasture project at Pleasantdale. The last stop in the afternoon will be at Bruce LeBarre's at Pleasantdale to look at a hybrid poplar and larch planting that he did three years ago."
White says anybody considering silvopasture would find it well be worth their while to come out for the day.
A second field day, on July 20, will go to Craik's Eco-Centre, where there is a forest 20/20 demonstration plantation that was planted in 2004, and, in the afternoon, to Neil Kettilson's site at Blackstrap Lake.
There are interesting hybrid poplar plantings worthy of a visit there, according to White: "We want to see how it is done; talk about weed control and other issues; different clones, planting and maintenance of hybrid poplar sites."
The third field day, on July 25, will take participants to Meadow Lake.
"We will be taking a look again at hybrid poplar clones; at some fertility work that is being done there and at weed control. The Meadow Lake planting is approaching nine years old now, so they are getting some reasonably mature trees. This is a chance to see some older plantings of hybrid poplars."
White believes these field days are a good opportunity for people to get out and meet some of the specialists in the industry.
"There will be representatives of the University of Saskatchewan and the PFRA Shelterbelt Centre at Indian Head, as well as the farmers who have participated in the projects. It is an opportunity to talk to a few people in the know and to see what some of these plantings look like, as well as to gauge the viability of the silvopasture option. There is always the question: 'can I make money doing this?'"
White reports that there has been lots of interest from landowners in the last couple of years in returning some of their cleared land back to some permanent cover, either grass or trees.
"People often say to us: 'They are closing down pulp mills and you guys are promoting growing trees.' But there are other opportunities in wood products, whether it is engineered wood products or the opportunities here for using tree biomass for energy production in the future. There are a lot more uses for tree biomass than just pulp."
For more information, contact:
Larry White
Agroforestry Specialist
Saskatchewan Forest Centre
http://www.saskforestcentre.ca/
(306) 765-2860
Milk Fever Prevention in Beef Cows to Be Explored
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
Scientists at the Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences of the University of Saskatchewan will be able to take a nutritional look at the prevention of milk fever in beef cows, thanks to funding from Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food's (SAF) Agriculture Development Fund.
John McKinnon of the Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences at the University will direct the project.
"This project is based on a Saskatchewan Beef Development Fund project that we carried out in 2002 and 2003. In the North Battleford area during the 2002 calving season, there was a wide incidence of tetany-like symptoms, such as nervousness and muscle twitching, among cattle. They would stagger, and become paralyzed and even comatose. Some were dying.
"We were trying to decide whether we were dealing with milk fever or with another condition called tetany. These are both disruptions in the electrolyte balance in the animal. A lot of the herds experiencing these symptoms had been fed on cereal silage and barley or oat greenfeed.
McKinnon and his team worked with SAF Livestock Development Specialist Bryan Doig and Dr. Tom Schmidt of Lakeland Veterinary Services to conduct a survey of what was fed to the animals. After examining the symptoms and analyzing blood samples, they concluded they were dealing with milk fever.
"We concluded that the problem was caused by the high potassium content in the greenfeed that had been fed to these cows, which led to an imbalance of electrolytes," says McKinnon. The problem has now been identified in cattle herds across Western Canada.
McKinnon explains that scientists look at the Dietary Cation Anion Balance (DCAB) ratio to evaluate blood electrolytes. This compares the ratio of cations to anions in the diet, and, in particular, the ratio of sodium and potassium to chloride and sulphate. Pregnant dairy cows with a DCAB ratio very close to zero or slightly negative will have few problems with milk fever; the beef cattle MacKinnon studied had DCAB ratios of nearly 450.
"We believe that it was the potassium content in the greenfeed that caused this high DCAB ratio, which eventually led to milk fever. There is very little research on beef cattle, so the intent of our current research is to try to define the actual DCAB ratio that is needed to minimize milk fever in beef cows approaching calving."
For more information, contact:
John McKinnon
Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-4137
John.mckinnon@usask.ca
ADF file #20050724
Scientists at the Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences of the University of Saskatchewan will be able to take a nutritional look at the prevention of milk fever in beef cows, thanks to funding from Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food's (SAF) Agriculture Development Fund.
John McKinnon of the Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences at the University will direct the project.
"This project is based on a Saskatchewan Beef Development Fund project that we carried out in 2002 and 2003. In the North Battleford area during the 2002 calving season, there was a wide incidence of tetany-like symptoms, such as nervousness and muscle twitching, among cattle. They would stagger, and become paralyzed and even comatose. Some were dying.
"We were trying to decide whether we were dealing with milk fever or with another condition called tetany. These are both disruptions in the electrolyte balance in the animal. A lot of the herds experiencing these symptoms had been fed on cereal silage and barley or oat greenfeed.
McKinnon and his team worked with SAF Livestock Development Specialist Bryan Doig and Dr. Tom Schmidt of Lakeland Veterinary Services to conduct a survey of what was fed to the animals. After examining the symptoms and analyzing blood samples, they concluded they were dealing with milk fever.
"We concluded that the problem was caused by the high potassium content in the greenfeed that had been fed to these cows, which led to an imbalance of electrolytes," says McKinnon. The problem has now been identified in cattle herds across Western Canada.
McKinnon explains that scientists look at the Dietary Cation Anion Balance (DCAB) ratio to evaluate blood electrolytes. This compares the ratio of cations to anions in the diet, and, in particular, the ratio of sodium and potassium to chloride and sulphate. Pregnant dairy cows with a DCAB ratio very close to zero or slightly negative will have few problems with milk fever; the beef cattle MacKinnon studied had DCAB ratios of nearly 450.
"We believe that it was the potassium content in the greenfeed that caused this high DCAB ratio, which eventually led to milk fever. There is very little research on beef cattle, so the intent of our current research is to try to define the actual DCAB ratio that is needed to minimize milk fever in beef cows approaching calving."
For more information, contact:
John McKinnon
Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-4137
John.mckinnon@usask.ca
ADF file #20050724
Friday, August 04, 2006
2006 Saskatchewan Horse Federation Directory Being Compiled
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
If you are part of the Saskatchewan horse industry and you want to let the world know about it, there is no better way than to ensure your operation or business is listed in the 2006 edition of the Saskatchewan Horse Federation (SHF) Directory.
“We started the directory to develop and promote the horse industry, and spread the good word far beyond as a vehicle for the industry,” Saskatchewan Horse Federation executive director Mae Smith said. “It has come to the point where a lot of the members are finding a lot of value in it.”
The previous edition of the directory was circulated through international trade fairs and equine shows in Germany, France and Spain. The directory has also been distributed in Australia and the United States, and at Agribition and Farm Progress Show in Regina.
Smith believes the growing popularity of the directory is due to the growing importance of the horse sector in Saskatchewan’s economy.
“We know that there are in the neighbourhood of 100,000 horses in Saskatchewan, and we are the third largest horse producing province in Canada” Smith said. “I think the horse industry is very viable in Saskatchewan because it has so many spin-off benefits to it. There is a huge recreation component with the competition and sport part of it. It’s an enormous economic vehicle when you look at it in that manner.
“The directory is a resource that is very valuable in marketing. Breeders, and businesses associated with the horse sector – for example, those dealing with insurance, vehicles, trucks and trailers – are included in the directory. Many of our exhibition associations advertise in there.”
The SHF has more than 6,000 members in 140 clubs and affiliate member associations. Members, and other agencies like the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, are contacted to collect their information for the directory. The SHF also publishes a bi-monthly magazine called Show Trail in which people are invited to participate.
The SHF is increasing the number of copies of the directory published this year. It will be distributed to all SHF members, and will also be available at tack stores, feed suppliers, and Canadian Western Agribition. The directory, provided as a service to SHF members and the horse industry, is free to anybody interested.
“One of the things we want to do with this publication is circulate it to our membership,” Smith said. “A recent horse industry study indicated that between 75 and 80 per cent of all the horses in Saskatchewan are bought and sold within the province. So for the producer, there is a very strong market right here in their own backyard. It is important to reach out to them.”
Anyone interested in participating in the directory has until the end of August to submit content to the SHF.
For more information, contact:
Mae Smith
Executive Director
Saskatchewan Horse Federation
(306) 780-9244
SHFDirector@sasktel.net
If you are part of the Saskatchewan horse industry and you want to let the world know about it, there is no better way than to ensure your operation or business is listed in the 2006 edition of the Saskatchewan Horse Federation (SHF) Directory.
“We started the directory to develop and promote the horse industry, and spread the good word far beyond as a vehicle for the industry,” Saskatchewan Horse Federation executive director Mae Smith said. “It has come to the point where a lot of the members are finding a lot of value in it.”
The previous edition of the directory was circulated through international trade fairs and equine shows in Germany, France and Spain. The directory has also been distributed in Australia and the United States, and at Agribition and Farm Progress Show in Regina.
Smith believes the growing popularity of the directory is due to the growing importance of the horse sector in Saskatchewan’s economy.
“We know that there are in the neighbourhood of 100,000 horses in Saskatchewan, and we are the third largest horse producing province in Canada” Smith said. “I think the horse industry is very viable in Saskatchewan because it has so many spin-off benefits to it. There is a huge recreation component with the competition and sport part of it. It’s an enormous economic vehicle when you look at it in that manner.
“The directory is a resource that is very valuable in marketing. Breeders, and businesses associated with the horse sector – for example, those dealing with insurance, vehicles, trucks and trailers – are included in the directory. Many of our exhibition associations advertise in there.”
The SHF has more than 6,000 members in 140 clubs and affiliate member associations. Members, and other agencies like the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, are contacted to collect their information for the directory. The SHF also publishes a bi-monthly magazine called Show Trail in which people are invited to participate.
The SHF is increasing the number of copies of the directory published this year. It will be distributed to all SHF members, and will also be available at tack stores, feed suppliers, and Canadian Western Agribition. The directory, provided as a service to SHF members and the horse industry, is free to anybody interested.
“One of the things we want to do with this publication is circulate it to our membership,” Smith said. “A recent horse industry study indicated that between 75 and 80 per cent of all the horses in Saskatchewan are bought and sold within the province. So for the producer, there is a very strong market right here in their own backyard. It is important to reach out to them.”
Anyone interested in participating in the directory has until the end of August to submit content to the SHF.
For more information, contact:
Mae Smith
Executive Director
Saskatchewan Horse Federation
(306) 780-9244
SHFDirector@sasktel.net
Updated Pasture Development Costs Resource Available Online
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
Producers considering converting cropland to pasture might find it beneficial to consult the updated Pasture Development Costs resource available on Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food’s website.
“The pasture development cost document is a good way to get information on the cost of establishing pasture and the annual operating costs for pastures,” Forage Development Specialist Wally Vanin, who compiled the publication, said. “This information can then be used to evaluate the profitability of converting cropland to pasture.
“The publication looks at the costs for the brown, dark brown and black soil zones. It is based on a moderate stocking rate. Annual costs are calculated, but will depend on your stocking rate.”
The publication provides a format for calculating the cost of developing a new pasture. The costs of establishing a pasture with crested wheatgrass/alfalfa or meadow bromegrass/alfalfa blends are shown on a soil zone basis. Machine costs are similar for each soil zone, and are calculated based on the cost of developing 160 acres of new pasture.
Machinery costs are based on figures in the 2004 Farm Machinery Custom and Rental Rate Guide, also available on the department’s website. As costs and machine size can vary significantly, actual costs should be used when available.
Costs are broken down into variable (fertilizer, herbicide, fuel, lubrication and repairs) and other (machine depreciation, investment) costs. Investment costs include the construction of two miles of four-strand barbed wire fence and a 3,000 cubic-yard dugout.
“When considering any water source, be sure to contact your nearest PFRA office before construction, for more information on water quality and quantity. Ensure that any buried infrastructure is located before any excavation is started.”
Forage is to be seeded into standing crop stubble in the spring. A one litre per acre glyphosate pre-seed burn-off treatment is used for weed control. Straw and chaff must be properly spread in the fall of the year prior to seeding the forage.
Seeding rates vary based on soil zones, specific areas and conditions.
Vanin found that annual per acre operating costs were similar in all three soil zones.
“However, based on moderate stocking rates, the cost per animal unit month is lower as you go north.”
The pasture development document was originally produced in 1999 and includes a worksheet where producers can enter their own data to calculate costs.
“With this publication, the establishment costs were amortized over the first seven years of the pasture. The producer actually has a choice of amortizing those costs, or simply absorbing those establishment costs out of his or her current operation. Most often, producers pay those costs right off the bat.
“The publication uses full costs for all items. The costs tend to be high, and producers may find lower cost fencing materials to reduce their costs. For the sake of the publication, we used full costs on all items. Therefore, costs are fairly high, but producers could probably do it for less.”
The publication is available on the website at www.agr.gov.sk.ca. Click on Crops, Forage/Pasture, Forage Management/Production, then click on the document name.
More detailed information on grazing capacity, agronomics, seed varieties, lease arrangements, fencing and machinery costs can be obtained from Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food’s Agriculture Knowledge Centre at 1-866-457-2377, or from Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food’s website.
For more information, contact:
Wally Vanin
Livestock Development Specialist
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
(306) 933-8268
Producers considering converting cropland to pasture might find it beneficial to consult the updated Pasture Development Costs resource available on Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food’s website.
“The pasture development cost document is a good way to get information on the cost of establishing pasture and the annual operating costs for pastures,” Forage Development Specialist Wally Vanin, who compiled the publication, said. “This information can then be used to evaluate the profitability of converting cropland to pasture.
“The publication looks at the costs for the brown, dark brown and black soil zones. It is based on a moderate stocking rate. Annual costs are calculated, but will depend on your stocking rate.”
The publication provides a format for calculating the cost of developing a new pasture. The costs of establishing a pasture with crested wheatgrass/alfalfa or meadow bromegrass/alfalfa blends are shown on a soil zone basis. Machine costs are similar for each soil zone, and are calculated based on the cost of developing 160 acres of new pasture.
Machinery costs are based on figures in the 2004 Farm Machinery Custom and Rental Rate Guide, also available on the department’s website. As costs and machine size can vary significantly, actual costs should be used when available.
Costs are broken down into variable (fertilizer, herbicide, fuel, lubrication and repairs) and other (machine depreciation, investment) costs. Investment costs include the construction of two miles of four-strand barbed wire fence and a 3,000 cubic-yard dugout.
“When considering any water source, be sure to contact your nearest PFRA office before construction, for more information on water quality and quantity. Ensure that any buried infrastructure is located before any excavation is started.”
Forage is to be seeded into standing crop stubble in the spring. A one litre per acre glyphosate pre-seed burn-off treatment is used for weed control. Straw and chaff must be properly spread in the fall of the year prior to seeding the forage.
Seeding rates vary based on soil zones, specific areas and conditions.
Vanin found that annual per acre operating costs were similar in all three soil zones.
“However, based on moderate stocking rates, the cost per animal unit month is lower as you go north.”
The pasture development document was originally produced in 1999 and includes a worksheet where producers can enter their own data to calculate costs.
“With this publication, the establishment costs were amortized over the first seven years of the pasture. The producer actually has a choice of amortizing those costs, or simply absorbing those establishment costs out of his or her current operation. Most often, producers pay those costs right off the bat.
“The publication uses full costs for all items. The costs tend to be high, and producers may find lower cost fencing materials to reduce their costs. For the sake of the publication, we used full costs on all items. Therefore, costs are fairly high, but producers could probably do it for less.”
The publication is available on the website at www.agr.gov.sk.ca. Click on Crops, Forage/Pasture, Forage Management/Production, then click on the document name.
More detailed information on grazing capacity, agronomics, seed varieties, lease arrangements, fencing and machinery costs can be obtained from Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food’s Agriculture Knowledge Centre at 1-866-457-2377, or from Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food’s website.
For more information, contact:
Wally Vanin
Livestock Development Specialist
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
(306) 933-8268
Agri-ARM Program Field Days Coming Up Across the Province
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
The Agriculture Applied Research Management (Agri-ARM) program, a network of applied research sites focussed on increasing per acre income and provincial gross domestic product from crops, will once again host a series of summer field days.
“Each Agri-ARM site has a tour to view projects that are of interest to producers and industry,” Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food Crop Business Section Manager Dr. Larry Gutek said. “Projects are related to production, technology transfer, new varieties and development and processing opportunities for new crops. Quite a range of demonstrations are offered to interested producers.”
There are eight Agri-ARM sites located across the province. Each site has the necessary infrastructure to carry out quality research and demonstration, including a manager responsible for technical issues and an affiliated regional crop development specialist to support technology transfer.
“During the tours, you actually view research projects, and talk with research scientists and industry representatives,” Gutek said. “It is a highly interactive experience.”
Projects may include applied research, in which replicated experiments are used to validate or evaluate data, or demonstrations of new crops, technology and practices. The Agri-ARM program results in knowledge, information products/events, and research and technology transfer services.
“These are all facilities that are engaged in research on a regular basis, although some have more capacity than others in doing replicated experiments, while others are more focused on demonstrations of new crops, technology and practices. There is a broad range of events, and we have good sponsorship from industry as well as from federal research centres at Scott, Melfort, Indian Head and Swift Current.”
Agri-ARM has now completed five field seasons of quality applied research and demonstrations to address emerging crop opportunities. The program is designed to assist Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food (SAF) in meeting goals focused on developing a thriving, environmentally sustainable and diversified agricultural industry through working with strong, resourceful agricultural people.
In addition to applied research and demonstration, a business incubation component has also been introduced. Project specific funding will be allocated to sites that are fostering new opportunities in agriculture business development.
Dates and contact phone numbers for 2006 Agri-ARM field days follow:
-July 7 - Canola Day at Seager Wheeler Farm in Rosthern - (306) 232-5959
- July 12 - Western Applied Research Corporation at Scott Research Farm - (306) 446-7475
- July 13 - Wheatland Conservation Area at Swift Current - -(306) 778-8285
- July 18 - Indian Head Agricultural Research Foundation at Indian Head - (306) 695-4244
- July 20 - South East Research Farm at Redvers - (306) 452-3161
- July 21 - East Central Research Foundation in Canora - (306) 563-5551
- August 1 - Conservation Learning Centre in Prince Albert - (306) 953-2796
- July 19 - Northeast Agriculture Research Foundation in Melfort - (306) 878-8807
For more information, contact:
Larry Gutek
Manager, Crop Business Section
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
(306) 933-5568
The Agriculture Applied Research Management (Agri-ARM) program, a network of applied research sites focussed on increasing per acre income and provincial gross domestic product from crops, will once again host a series of summer field days.
“Each Agri-ARM site has a tour to view projects that are of interest to producers and industry,” Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food Crop Business Section Manager Dr. Larry Gutek said. “Projects are related to production, technology transfer, new varieties and development and processing opportunities for new crops. Quite a range of demonstrations are offered to interested producers.”
There are eight Agri-ARM sites located across the province. Each site has the necessary infrastructure to carry out quality research and demonstration, including a manager responsible for technical issues and an affiliated regional crop development specialist to support technology transfer.
“During the tours, you actually view research projects, and talk with research scientists and industry representatives,” Gutek said. “It is a highly interactive experience.”
Projects may include applied research, in which replicated experiments are used to validate or evaluate data, or demonstrations of new crops, technology and practices. The Agri-ARM program results in knowledge, information products/events, and research and technology transfer services.
“These are all facilities that are engaged in research on a regular basis, although some have more capacity than others in doing replicated experiments, while others are more focused on demonstrations of new crops, technology and practices. There is a broad range of events, and we have good sponsorship from industry as well as from federal research centres at Scott, Melfort, Indian Head and Swift Current.”
Agri-ARM has now completed five field seasons of quality applied research and demonstrations to address emerging crop opportunities. The program is designed to assist Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food (SAF) in meeting goals focused on developing a thriving, environmentally sustainable and diversified agricultural industry through working with strong, resourceful agricultural people.
In addition to applied research and demonstration, a business incubation component has also been introduced. Project specific funding will be allocated to sites that are fostering new opportunities in agriculture business development.
Dates and contact phone numbers for 2006 Agri-ARM field days follow:
-July 7 - Canola Day at Seager Wheeler Farm in Rosthern - (306) 232-5959
- July 12 - Western Applied Research Corporation at Scott Research Farm - (306) 446-7475
- July 13 - Wheatland Conservation Area at Swift Current - -(306) 778-8285
- July 18 - Indian Head Agricultural Research Foundation at Indian Head - (306) 695-4244
- July 20 - South East Research Farm at Redvers - (306) 452-3161
- July 21 - East Central Research Foundation in Canora - (306) 563-5551
- August 1 - Conservation Learning Centre in Prince Albert - (306) 953-2796
- July 19 - Northeast Agriculture Research Foundation in Melfort - (306) 878-8807
For more information, contact:
Larry Gutek
Manager, Crop Business Section
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
(306) 933-5568
U of S Crop Diagnostic Tour to Provide In-depth Look at Field Issues
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
If you want to get a snapshot of agricultural field conditions and issues around Saskatoon, the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Diagnostic Tour on July 5 may be just what you need.
The Crop Diagnostic Tour is a unique learning experience in field scouting and problem assessment, providing a hands-on approach to crop management practices and issues and offering a networking opportunity for agronomists and producers.
“In the past, we’ve done the entire crop diagnostic school on university land. This is no longer an option due to human and financial resource challenges,” University of Saskatchewan agriculture, food and horticulture program co-ordinator Kari Nicolas said. “This year, it is in a tour format instead. We are planning on touring plots in and around Saskatoon – probably no more than an hour outside the city – to look at some production issues.”
While the event is intended for agrologists, producers are also welcome to attend.
“There will be a number of agricultural companies represented on the tour. We target anyone doing crop-related advising for a living – anybody working with retail outlets; chemical companies; the provincial government; crop insurance people; Federated Co-op. This tour is for anyone whose work requires them to have some skills in the crop diagnostic area.”
Nicolas says independent consultant Dave Rhyhor is the field scout who has been hired to go out around the city and look at different fields, and work with university researchers to see what projects they have slated for the summer.
“He will also talk to producers in the area to see if they have anything interesting we can look at,” Nicolas said. “We look for crops with disease; herbicide issues; fertility issues; seeding stage issues, anything and everything that we can pretty much see in and around the area.”
The crop diagnostic tour is how most of the companies do their in-house training, Nicolas said, and is why the event is different from typical crop tours.
“It is not just driving by and looking at fields. People will get off the bus and we will have resource experts talking to them in the field. Whatever it is they are looking at, we will have them doing some hands-on work.”
The registration cost of $200 includes materials; transportation; refreshments and lunch. The fee also covers the cost of bringing out the resource people and field scout, plus a workbook for tour participants.
Participants should plan on a full day of activity. For more information, or to register for the tour, call (306) 966-5592 as soon as possible. For tour details, visit http://www.extension.usask.ca/go/cropdiagnostictour.
More details will be posted on the website as they become available.
For more information, contact:
Kari Nicolas, Program Co-ordinator
Agriculture, Food and Horticulture Programs
Extension Division
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-5592
If you want to get a snapshot of agricultural field conditions and issues around Saskatoon, the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Diagnostic Tour on July 5 may be just what you need.
The Crop Diagnostic Tour is a unique learning experience in field scouting and problem assessment, providing a hands-on approach to crop management practices and issues and offering a networking opportunity for agronomists and producers.
“In the past, we’ve done the entire crop diagnostic school on university land. This is no longer an option due to human and financial resource challenges,” University of Saskatchewan agriculture, food and horticulture program co-ordinator Kari Nicolas said. “This year, it is in a tour format instead. We are planning on touring plots in and around Saskatoon – probably no more than an hour outside the city – to look at some production issues.”
While the event is intended for agrologists, producers are also welcome to attend.
“There will be a number of agricultural companies represented on the tour. We target anyone doing crop-related advising for a living – anybody working with retail outlets; chemical companies; the provincial government; crop insurance people; Federated Co-op. This tour is for anyone whose work requires them to have some skills in the crop diagnostic area.”
Nicolas says independent consultant Dave Rhyhor is the field scout who has been hired to go out around the city and look at different fields, and work with university researchers to see what projects they have slated for the summer.
“He will also talk to producers in the area to see if they have anything interesting we can look at,” Nicolas said. “We look for crops with disease; herbicide issues; fertility issues; seeding stage issues, anything and everything that we can pretty much see in and around the area.”
The crop diagnostic tour is how most of the companies do their in-house training, Nicolas said, and is why the event is different from typical crop tours.
“It is not just driving by and looking at fields. People will get off the bus and we will have resource experts talking to them in the field. Whatever it is they are looking at, we will have them doing some hands-on work.”
The registration cost of $200 includes materials; transportation; refreshments and lunch. The fee also covers the cost of bringing out the resource people and field scout, plus a workbook for tour participants.
Participants should plan on a full day of activity. For more information, or to register for the tour, call (306) 966-5592 as soon as possible. For tour details, visit http://www.extension.usask.ca/go/cropdiagnostictour.
More details will be posted on the website as they become available.
For more information, contact:
Kari Nicolas, Program Co-ordinator
Agriculture, Food and Horticulture Programs
Extension Division
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-5592
Regina Pig Genetics Company Lands Major Deal in China
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
Hypor may not be a household name in Saskatchewan, but perhaps it should be.
The international pig breeding company recently signed joint venture agreements with two of China's largest agri-business companies. The agreements with Sichuan South Hope Company Ltd. (New Hope) and Shandong Liuhe Group Co., Ltd. (Liuhe) are for the production and distribution of breeding pigs in China.
“Our Chinese partners have access to the market, and we have the pigs and the technology,” Hypor Chief Marketing Officer Marc Broadbent said. “Together, you could say we have a winning team.”
The investment involves 600 pigs in each joint venture, worth about $2 million, and will produce six million slaughter pigs per year. There is also investment in the farms, equipment and land.
Hypor will supply the pigs from the three barns it operates in Saskatchewan.
“For Hypor as a whole, Saskatchewan is a very important part of the business. The barns located in Saskatchewan are very healthy, as are the animals, due to low populations of people and pigs. This is an ideal place for breeding, raising and distributing pigs all over the world.”
For Broadbent, the agreement is a reward after a major investment of time and effort. Lately, he has travelled to China monthly.
“To come up with a deal like this takes a lot. New Hope was a company that I was doing business with when I was working for a previous employer. So it took two jobs, in a way, to achieve this,” Broadbent said.
“It also took several generations. My father worked in agriculture in China before me. You can appreciate the importance of adaptation to the culture, and the importance of understanding the local culture through living and working overseas for a number of years. The Chinese are tough negotiators and dealing with them in business can be very demanding. But perseverance pays off.”
One of the greatest assets Hypor has is the way in which being Canadian opens a lot of doors, Broadbent said.
“China has a strong affinity for Canada as a brand itself. It is not just Hypor that sold these pigs. It is also Canada that sold these pigs. It is a result of the strong relationship between Canada and China,” he said.
Saskatchewan will benefit over the long run from the initial delivery of pigs, Broadbent said. Some of Hypor’s employees will go over to China to deliver technical service and follow-up, and the breeding program will be supported from Saskatchewan over the long term.
In hindsight, Broadbent is also appreciative of the vision companies like Genex had when they started breeding pigs in the province.
“Genex had a lot of foresight putting their business here because of the low populations of pigs and people. There will always be a strong pig breeding business in Saskatchewan,” he said. “When we put that seed stock into another country, the idea is to create another Saskatchewan, in a way, where those pigs can then support their local area.”
For more information, contact:
Marc Broadbent
Chief Marketing Officer
Hypor
(306) 721-2528
www.hypor.com
Hypor may not be a household name in Saskatchewan, but perhaps it should be.
The international pig breeding company recently signed joint venture agreements with two of China's largest agri-business companies. The agreements with Sichuan South Hope Company Ltd. (New Hope) and Shandong Liuhe Group Co., Ltd. (Liuhe) are for the production and distribution of breeding pigs in China.
“Our Chinese partners have access to the market, and we have the pigs and the technology,” Hypor Chief Marketing Officer Marc Broadbent said. “Together, you could say we have a winning team.”
The investment involves 600 pigs in each joint venture, worth about $2 million, and will produce six million slaughter pigs per year. There is also investment in the farms, equipment and land.
Hypor will supply the pigs from the three barns it operates in Saskatchewan.
“For Hypor as a whole, Saskatchewan is a very important part of the business. The barns located in Saskatchewan are very healthy, as are the animals, due to low populations of people and pigs. This is an ideal place for breeding, raising and distributing pigs all over the world.”
For Broadbent, the agreement is a reward after a major investment of time and effort. Lately, he has travelled to China monthly.
“To come up with a deal like this takes a lot. New Hope was a company that I was doing business with when I was working for a previous employer. So it took two jobs, in a way, to achieve this,” Broadbent said.
“It also took several generations. My father worked in agriculture in China before me. You can appreciate the importance of adaptation to the culture, and the importance of understanding the local culture through living and working overseas for a number of years. The Chinese are tough negotiators and dealing with them in business can be very demanding. But perseverance pays off.”
One of the greatest assets Hypor has is the way in which being Canadian opens a lot of doors, Broadbent said.
“China has a strong affinity for Canada as a brand itself. It is not just Hypor that sold these pigs. It is also Canada that sold these pigs. It is a result of the strong relationship between Canada and China,” he said.
Saskatchewan will benefit over the long run from the initial delivery of pigs, Broadbent said. Some of Hypor’s employees will go over to China to deliver technical service and follow-up, and the breeding program will be supported from Saskatchewan over the long term.
In hindsight, Broadbent is also appreciative of the vision companies like Genex had when they started breeding pigs in the province.
“Genex had a lot of foresight putting their business here because of the low populations of pigs and people. There will always be a strong pig breeding business in Saskatchewan,” he said. “When we put that seed stock into another country, the idea is to create another Saskatchewan, in a way, where those pigs can then support their local area.”
For more information, contact:
Marc Broadbent
Chief Marketing Officer
Hypor
(306) 721-2528
www.hypor.com
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Alberta Family Establishes New Cattle Operation in Saskatchewan
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
If the Chern family has landed near Stockholm, Saskatchewan, it is probably because of a mixture of good luck, intuitive decision-making, and the simple attractiveness of the destination for agricultural endeavours.
"We are a family with four kids," says Bruce Chern. "The youngest is five and the oldest is 12. We moved here in 2003. We used to run a business in Alberta, building self-loading and self-unloading round bale trucks. But we didn't want to run that business forever. We wanted to go more into ranching.
"We are from Smoky Lake, Alberta, an hour northeast of Edmonton. We were ranching there and ran about 300 cows. We found it was really tough to connect land-to block it. There wasn't much land for sale there, and what was for sale was overpriced for its production capability."
In 1998, Chern had to deliver a bale truck to Theodore, about 20 minutes northwest of Yorkton.
"It was late August. This was for a couple of producers who didn't have any kids and for whom succession would be an issue. They wanted to show me their land. I thought that I'd entertain that, so we went out and we toured the land. I just could not believe the topography. The rolling hills, the sloughs and the willow bluffs and the trees. I saw the black soil in between all of it and I thought 'Wow, this is cow topography with grain soil. What a perfect combination.'
"When I saw what that land produced, I thought this was a place that I was going to keep in the back of my mind."
In 2002, Bruce Chern found himself coming back again to the region, while in the process of selling the rights to his round bale truck business to a Manitoba company.
"I had to work at the Western Canada Farm Progress Show in June. Meanwhile, it was pretty much big time drought in Alberta already. We were looking around, and I went inside and all the real estate agents were lined up there. From my experience with bale trucks, usually the guys who buy these trucks are new to the market and are the real forward-thinking guys, and what they were telling me was if you can find land within a 45-minute radius of Yorkton, your chances of being very consistent as far as rainfall or soil and all that were good.
"I went to a real estate agent and I asked what they had for sale within a 45-minute radius of Yorkton. This is pre-BSE. They asked what kind of land I was looking for: grain land or ranch land. I said 'ranch land.' Well, they pulled up what they had available."
Chern was looking for 15 quarters at least, and closer to 20 if at all possible.
"There was nothing with anything near that. There was maybe something with old grass and worn out old fence, but everything was primarily grain soil. Some had grass. Being pre-BSE, there were too many zeros on the end of the price tag. I knew that if this stuff was being cropped right now, then it was ready to be seeded into grass. We would just fence it and manage it properly.
"I asked: 'what do you have for grain land? We need all that in a block.' They had a couple of blocks within that 45-minute radius. And 10 days later, I convinced my wife to make a little trip with me."
Together, Bruce and Patty Chern ran the math and budgeted how much it would cost to seed and fence the land.
"We drove out and looked at it and we were very satisfied with both packages. But one was much closer to a good school bus route and a lot of amenities, while the other was sort of right in the middle of three major centres and 40 kilometres from any of them. The choice was easy. We took the place that was closest for the bus ride.
"We drove home, talked some more. The economy was still strong on the grain side and the ranching side then. There was some pressure on this land we were interested in from other potential buyers. We came out a second time and we brought a couple of friends of ours. One had a plane and flew us out."
In the back of their minds, the Cherns figured there was no better way to make a decision about buying cropland than to take two people who had farmed all their lives, let them kick it around and see what they had to say about it.
"So they looked at it and they thought it was very adequate soil, which made our decision a little easier. We made a deposit on the land. We put our place up for sale in Alberta and there was a transition period of eight months. What was on the land was in its own growing season. It would soon be April and we'd take possession then."
This would give the family enough time to prepare for the big move to Saskatchewan.
The journey of moving from one cattle operation in Alberta to establishing a new one from scratch in Saskatchewan can be strewn with obstacles. For the Chern family, it seems, good fortune was a reliable companion. Bruce Chern explains how their new ranch near Stockholm took shape.
"We sold our land in Alberta; bought the land here and we ended up putting in a lot of grass in 2003. It was a dry year and the catch wasn't as good as we had hoped for. There were grasshoppers. But, I am a very positive-minded person so I was not going to pout about it.
"One thing I did, because all the sloughs had dried up, is take advantage of the low rain situation to put in a fence. It is much easier to do when you can drive right through the sloughs. We got here in August and we fenced about 24 miles-a four-wire barbed wire perimeter fence that year."
The Cherns had sold their cows in December of 2002. They knew they were moving to a place with no fence or grass.
"We sold our entire cow herd, luckily before BSE, and we sold all our yearlings two weeks before BSE. So we were sitting out here building fences and seeding grass with no cows and money to buy cows. The cattle buyers in Alberta knew that, so they wouldn't stop phoning us with hot deals on cows when BSE hit. Every time we said no, the deals got sweeter. So we ended up buying back 600 cows during the course of BSE. They probably cost us what we got for the 300 that we sold in Alberta.
"It was just dumb luck. We paid the price in some ways, but we gained in other ways, so it all kind of washes. We have our own little block and we have 25 quarters here, and we are running 550 cows at the moment. We retain ownership of all our calves right through to slaughter, and we belong to a group called Prairie Heritage Producers. We mainly direct-market right now to one grocery store chain on Vancouver Island, and we're just coming on with more marketing avenues all the time."
So, what do the folks the Cherns know back in Alberta think of all this?
"People ask us all the time: 'What is it like in Saskatchewan?' We answer: 'People are very friendly; the land does what we want it to do and more; and the climate is fine.' Remember that we came from northeast of Edmonton, so it is the same as here. Everybody thinks that people move in from southern Alberta, where the Chinook belt prevails. The rainfall is good here and the people are good.
"We try to be good community participants. Kids have adjusted to school and become involved in sports. The way we see Saskatchewan-and people tell us how they have shipped all their kids out-we say: 'if you can't make it ranching in Saskatchewan, you can't make it ranching anywhere else in the world, because where else can you buy grain-quality land with cow topography for cow-land prices that produces like this?' Growing conditions are great. The groundwater is incredible; the price of land and the availability is unparalleled."
To help them stay on top of things, Bruce Chern confides the family has linked up with other nearby producers.
"We make our own feed and we are engaged in holistic grazing. We are connected with positively minded people who want to move forward, challenge each other, and work together to make things better."
Chern shares that, just recently, a huge block of land sold just north of his place.
"A ranching group out of Alberta bought it, and they hired me to do the complete set up of that ranch as far as the grass establishment, the water system and the fencing; and it has been very good for us.
"We have water pipelines running throughout our entire ranch, and we seeded all the grass. A lot of people out of Alberta come around and tour out here. We show them what we have done, and some of the other guys show them what they have done, and they are absolutely impressed with this countryside and the horsepower of the growing conditions here, especially if we use legumes in our grazing stands. We are just sucking up the nitrogen out of the atmosphere and plugging it into the ground. Our cows are grazing alfalfa there. It has just supercharged the land, and the cows are just smoking on it. No government in the world has figured out how to tax that nitrogen bill yet. We are just jamming it in. If that isn't sustainable, I don't know what is."
Chern makes no bones about the future he envisions for agriculture on the Prairies.
"There are huge synergies going on here. The momentum had been absolutely negative. It is now shifting to absolutely positive. It is all on the verge of taking off. With the coming of ethanol and biodiesel, it creates a feeding industry, which will grow the slaughter industry, and that all will lead to value-added agriculture.
"Everybody looks at the price of oil as being a negative. I look at it as good because it is making everybody think. It is creating options. If you always hauled every load of wheat to the elevator, your options were limited. Sure, the boys in the '70s had it good, and the wheat prices were high when you were hauling it to the elevator, but that time is gone, and now is the time to move on. That is the way I look at it."
For more information, contact:
Bruce Chern
Golden View Ranch
Stockholm, Saskatchewan
(306) 793-2125
Chern@sasktel.net
If the Chern family has landed near Stockholm, Saskatchewan, it is probably because of a mixture of good luck, intuitive decision-making, and the simple attractiveness of the destination for agricultural endeavours.
"We are a family with four kids," says Bruce Chern. "The youngest is five and the oldest is 12. We moved here in 2003. We used to run a business in Alberta, building self-loading and self-unloading round bale trucks. But we didn't want to run that business forever. We wanted to go more into ranching.
"We are from Smoky Lake, Alberta, an hour northeast of Edmonton. We were ranching there and ran about 300 cows. We found it was really tough to connect land-to block it. There wasn't much land for sale there, and what was for sale was overpriced for its production capability."
In 1998, Chern had to deliver a bale truck to Theodore, about 20 minutes northwest of Yorkton.
"It was late August. This was for a couple of producers who didn't have any kids and for whom succession would be an issue. They wanted to show me their land. I thought that I'd entertain that, so we went out and we toured the land. I just could not believe the topography. The rolling hills, the sloughs and the willow bluffs and the trees. I saw the black soil in between all of it and I thought 'Wow, this is cow topography with grain soil. What a perfect combination.'
"When I saw what that land produced, I thought this was a place that I was going to keep in the back of my mind."
In 2002, Bruce Chern found himself coming back again to the region, while in the process of selling the rights to his round bale truck business to a Manitoba company.
"I had to work at the Western Canada Farm Progress Show in June. Meanwhile, it was pretty much big time drought in Alberta already. We were looking around, and I went inside and all the real estate agents were lined up there. From my experience with bale trucks, usually the guys who buy these trucks are new to the market and are the real forward-thinking guys, and what they were telling me was if you can find land within a 45-minute radius of Yorkton, your chances of being very consistent as far as rainfall or soil and all that were good.
"I went to a real estate agent and I asked what they had for sale within a 45-minute radius of Yorkton. This is pre-BSE. They asked what kind of land I was looking for: grain land or ranch land. I said 'ranch land.' Well, they pulled up what they had available."
Chern was looking for 15 quarters at least, and closer to 20 if at all possible.
"There was nothing with anything near that. There was maybe something with old grass and worn out old fence, but everything was primarily grain soil. Some had grass. Being pre-BSE, there were too many zeros on the end of the price tag. I knew that if this stuff was being cropped right now, then it was ready to be seeded into grass. We would just fence it and manage it properly.
"I asked: 'what do you have for grain land? We need all that in a block.' They had a couple of blocks within that 45-minute radius. And 10 days later, I convinced my wife to make a little trip with me."
Together, Bruce and Patty Chern ran the math and budgeted how much it would cost to seed and fence the land.
"We drove out and looked at it and we were very satisfied with both packages. But one was much closer to a good school bus route and a lot of amenities, while the other was sort of right in the middle of three major centres and 40 kilometres from any of them. The choice was easy. We took the place that was closest for the bus ride.
"We drove home, talked some more. The economy was still strong on the grain side and the ranching side then. There was some pressure on this land we were interested in from other potential buyers. We came out a second time and we brought a couple of friends of ours. One had a plane and flew us out."
In the back of their minds, the Cherns figured there was no better way to make a decision about buying cropland than to take two people who had farmed all their lives, let them kick it around and see what they had to say about it.
"So they looked at it and they thought it was very adequate soil, which made our decision a little easier. We made a deposit on the land. We put our place up for sale in Alberta and there was a transition period of eight months. What was on the land was in its own growing season. It would soon be April and we'd take possession then."
This would give the family enough time to prepare for the big move to Saskatchewan.
The journey of moving from one cattle operation in Alberta to establishing a new one from scratch in Saskatchewan can be strewn with obstacles. For the Chern family, it seems, good fortune was a reliable companion. Bruce Chern explains how their new ranch near Stockholm took shape.
"We sold our land in Alberta; bought the land here and we ended up putting in a lot of grass in 2003. It was a dry year and the catch wasn't as good as we had hoped for. There were grasshoppers. But, I am a very positive-minded person so I was not going to pout about it.
"One thing I did, because all the sloughs had dried up, is take advantage of the low rain situation to put in a fence. It is much easier to do when you can drive right through the sloughs. We got here in August and we fenced about 24 miles-a four-wire barbed wire perimeter fence that year."
The Cherns had sold their cows in December of 2002. They knew they were moving to a place with no fence or grass.
"We sold our entire cow herd, luckily before BSE, and we sold all our yearlings two weeks before BSE. So we were sitting out here building fences and seeding grass with no cows and money to buy cows. The cattle buyers in Alberta knew that, so they wouldn't stop phoning us with hot deals on cows when BSE hit. Every time we said no, the deals got sweeter. So we ended up buying back 600 cows during the course of BSE. They probably cost us what we got for the 300 that we sold in Alberta.
"It was just dumb luck. We paid the price in some ways, but we gained in other ways, so it all kind of washes. We have our own little block and we have 25 quarters here, and we are running 550 cows at the moment. We retain ownership of all our calves right through to slaughter, and we belong to a group called Prairie Heritage Producers. We mainly direct-market right now to one grocery store chain on Vancouver Island, and we're just coming on with more marketing avenues all the time."
So, what do the folks the Cherns know back in Alberta think of all this?
"People ask us all the time: 'What is it like in Saskatchewan?' We answer: 'People are very friendly; the land does what we want it to do and more; and the climate is fine.' Remember that we came from northeast of Edmonton, so it is the same as here. Everybody thinks that people move in from southern Alberta, where the Chinook belt prevails. The rainfall is good here and the people are good.
"We try to be good community participants. Kids have adjusted to school and become involved in sports. The way we see Saskatchewan-and people tell us how they have shipped all their kids out-we say: 'if you can't make it ranching in Saskatchewan, you can't make it ranching anywhere else in the world, because where else can you buy grain-quality land with cow topography for cow-land prices that produces like this?' Growing conditions are great. The groundwater is incredible; the price of land and the availability is unparalleled."
To help them stay on top of things, Bruce Chern confides the family has linked up with other nearby producers.
"We make our own feed and we are engaged in holistic grazing. We are connected with positively minded people who want to move forward, challenge each other, and work together to make things better."
Chern shares that, just recently, a huge block of land sold just north of his place.
"A ranching group out of Alberta bought it, and they hired me to do the complete set up of that ranch as far as the grass establishment, the water system and the fencing; and it has been very good for us.
"We have water pipelines running throughout our entire ranch, and we seeded all the grass. A lot of people out of Alberta come around and tour out here. We show them what we have done, and some of the other guys show them what they have done, and they are absolutely impressed with this countryside and the horsepower of the growing conditions here, especially if we use legumes in our grazing stands. We are just sucking up the nitrogen out of the atmosphere and plugging it into the ground. Our cows are grazing alfalfa there. It has just supercharged the land, and the cows are just smoking on it. No government in the world has figured out how to tax that nitrogen bill yet. We are just jamming it in. If that isn't sustainable, I don't know what is."
Chern makes no bones about the future he envisions for agriculture on the Prairies.
"There are huge synergies going on here. The momentum had been absolutely negative. It is now shifting to absolutely positive. It is all on the verge of taking off. With the coming of ethanol and biodiesel, it creates a feeding industry, which will grow the slaughter industry, and that all will lead to value-added agriculture.
"Everybody looks at the price of oil as being a negative. I look at it as good because it is making everybody think. It is creating options. If you always hauled every load of wheat to the elevator, your options were limited. Sure, the boys in the '70s had it good, and the wheat prices were high when you were hauling it to the elevator, but that time is gone, and now is the time to move on. That is the way I look at it."
For more information, contact:
Bruce Chern
Golden View Ranch
Stockholm, Saskatchewan
(306) 793-2125
Chern@sasktel.net
Optimal Use of Flax in Pig Diets Explored at the Prairie Swine Centre
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
Researchers at the Prairie Swine Centre in Saskatoon are embarking on a research initiative involving flax use in swine production, funded by Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food's Agriculture Development Fund (ADF #20050724).
Dr. John Patience is with the Prairie Swine Centre.
"This involves taking a locally grown ingredient, i.e. flax, and taking advantage of a particular feature of flax seed - the oil content, and in particular, the unique fatty acid composition - which makes it rich in what is called Omega-3 fatty acids.
"These have been identified in human nutrition as desirable from a health point of view. You will see on the shelves in stores, for example, Omega-3 enriched eggs, or you can and buy tablets containing Omega-3-rich supplements. What this particular project seeks to do is to create pork which is also enriched with Omega-3 fatty acids, and thereby to create a pork product which can be segregated or identified on the store shelf as unique or special in its nutritive value or functional properties."
Dr. Patience points out that, long before his team submitted its application for research funding to ADF, it knew that it was possible to enrich pork with Omega-3 fatty acids.
"That research was done a long time ago. What we are doing with this four-year project is developing a template for how to most effectively feed flax to the pig in order to get the enrichment that is desired on a consistent basis at the optimum cost, and to do so in a manner that doesn't bring any undesirable characteristics.
"Over the next four years, we will be looking at methods of processing flax seed to best deliver the product to the pig. We will look at various combinations of how much flax, or fractions of flax seed, we would feed to the pig, and for how long, in order to consistently achieve this Omega-3 enrichment, so that we are providing a consistent and dependable product to the consumer marketplace."
Patience says his team would also carry out taste panel work and other evaluations of the final pork product, to make sure that it offers the same excellent flavour, texture and tenderness of conventional pork.
"We have to be careful when we feed a flax product like oil to pigs, so that we don't overdo it, because if you overfeed the product, it can result in soft fat, for example, which is undesirable from both a consumer point of view and from a processed pork point of view."
Surely, finding new opportunities for locally produced flax can only be beneficial for Saskatchewan producers.
For more information, contact:
Dr. John Patience
President and Chief Executive Officer
Prairie Swine Centre
(306) 667-7442
Researchers at the Prairie Swine Centre in Saskatoon are embarking on a research initiative involving flax use in swine production, funded by Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food's Agriculture Development Fund (ADF #20050724).
Dr. John Patience is with the Prairie Swine Centre.
"This involves taking a locally grown ingredient, i.e. flax, and taking advantage of a particular feature of flax seed - the oil content, and in particular, the unique fatty acid composition - which makes it rich in what is called Omega-3 fatty acids.
"These have been identified in human nutrition as desirable from a health point of view. You will see on the shelves in stores, for example, Omega-3 enriched eggs, or you can and buy tablets containing Omega-3-rich supplements. What this particular project seeks to do is to create pork which is also enriched with Omega-3 fatty acids, and thereby to create a pork product which can be segregated or identified on the store shelf as unique or special in its nutritive value or functional properties."
Dr. Patience points out that, long before his team submitted its application for research funding to ADF, it knew that it was possible to enrich pork with Omega-3 fatty acids.
"That research was done a long time ago. What we are doing with this four-year project is developing a template for how to most effectively feed flax to the pig in order to get the enrichment that is desired on a consistent basis at the optimum cost, and to do so in a manner that doesn't bring any undesirable characteristics.
"Over the next four years, we will be looking at methods of processing flax seed to best deliver the product to the pig. We will look at various combinations of how much flax, or fractions of flax seed, we would feed to the pig, and for how long, in order to consistently achieve this Omega-3 enrichment, so that we are providing a consistent and dependable product to the consumer marketplace."
Patience says his team would also carry out taste panel work and other evaluations of the final pork product, to make sure that it offers the same excellent flavour, texture and tenderness of conventional pork.
"We have to be careful when we feed a flax product like oil to pigs, so that we don't overdo it, because if you overfeed the product, it can result in soft fat, for example, which is undesirable from both a consumer point of view and from a processed pork point of view."
Surely, finding new opportunities for locally produced flax can only be beneficial for Saskatchewan producers.
For more information, contact:
Dr. John Patience
President and Chief Executive Officer
Prairie Swine Centre
(306) 667-7442
Using Pesticide Products as Quickly as Possible Key to Farm Safety
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
In a world where environmental concerns and safety are increasingly central to our lives, it only makes sense to minimize risks of exposure to potentially harmful chemicals, especially on the farm.
Cameron Wilk is Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food's Provincial Pesticides Specialist.
"The most important thing, if you must carry pesticide products on your farm, is to use it up as soon as possible after you acquire these products. They are expensive, and there are security issues around others wanting to steal these things. It is always best to use them up promptly."
Proper storage of pesticides on the farm is an important aspect of risk management. The trend towards increasing farm size and more intensive farming systems has increased the need for on-farm pesticide storage facilities. Regardless of farm size, any time chemicals are stored on site, security risks increase, along with risks to environment and human safety. This increased risk underscores the need for properly designed and sited chemical storage facilities.
"On-farm pesticide storage may take on many forms," according to Wilk. "They can be newly constructed buildings or compartments, renovated existing buildings and containers. Your own budget will dictate what solution works best on your farm. As you undertake to set up a pesticide storage facility, ask yourself the following question: Is the storage structure to be used as a single-use facility? Utilizing the building for storage of other farm inputs, equipment storage or a maintenance facility can defeat the purpose of a pesticide storage facility. As a safety precaution, you should not store food, feed, fertilizer or livestock medication with pesticides."
Wilk then suggests a review of the following:
"Can you access running water near the site in the event of a spill? Water is the most suitable means for personal decontamination at or near the storage area. Can the container or the shed be locked? Do you have protective clothing, a first aid kit and a respirator appropriate to the pesticide stored? Is the equipment properly maintained and working? Can the flooring contain spills or leaks? Is there a floor drain or catch basin? And where does any material go that enters the floor drain? Can the floor be readily cleaned and decontaminated of pesticides? Is there adequate ventilation to prevent the accumulation of toxic or flammable vapours? Do you have absorbent material to soak up a spilled pesticide? That material may include lime, coarse clay, sand and sawdust. Can you prevent liquid products from freezing during winter months?"
If your farm is in a location protected by a municipal fire department, you are required to provide a list of pesticides stored and estimated quantities on hand to the chief of the fire department, Wilk says. This is to be done semi-annually and whenever significant changes in inventories occur.
You will also be required to post a "Danger - Stored Pesticide" sign printed in block letters. The letters should be five centimetres or more in height and posted on each entrance.
Siting pesticide storage facilities is also an important consideration. These facilities should be in a low-traffic area away from residences, watercourses, and water intakes and wells used for domestic purposes.
Should your on-farm pesticide storage facility stock more than 2,000 kilograms of pesticides, additional requirements will come into effect under The Hazardous Substances and Waste Dangerous Goods Regulations.
"Your containers, where possible, if they are under the 23-litre size, should be triple-rinsed and returned to a container recycling program offered by the pesticide industry. If you are moving towards larger totes and shuttles, the manufacturers have their own return programs where they charge a significant deposit on those types of containers and they are returned to the point of sale so the manufacturer of that particular product can deal with the recycling of that container.
"Those producers who have to store product on-farm tend to be very aware of the environmental responsibilities. Current trends are towards the totes and shuttles with closed systems, where the applicator or the farm operator does not have to touch the product. They are equipped with special valves and pumping systems to transfer the product from their containers to the spray tanks. It is a much safer system."
If you require technical information about pesticide storage and handling, contact the Saskatchewan Agriculture Knowledge Centre at 1-800-457-2377.
Keep in mind that producers who have completed an Environmental Farm Plan through the Provincial Council of Agriculture and Diversification Boards (PCAB) can apply to the Canada Saskatchewan Farm Stewardship Program (CSFSP) for assistance in improving on-farm storage of pesticides. The CSFSP provides 30 per cent cost-shared funding up to a maximum of $15,000 for improved on-farm storage and handling of agricultural products. The program is restricted to non-commercial storage facilities only.
For further information about Saskatchewan's Environmental Farm Planning Program, contact your local PCAB facilitator listed on the PCAB website at www.saskpcab.com.
For further information about the CSFSP, contact Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Client Service Centre at 1-800-667-8567.
For more information, contact:
Cameron Wilk
Provincial Pesticides Specialist
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
(306) 787-2195
In a world where environmental concerns and safety are increasingly central to our lives, it only makes sense to minimize risks of exposure to potentially harmful chemicals, especially on the farm.
Cameron Wilk is Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food's Provincial Pesticides Specialist.
"The most important thing, if you must carry pesticide products on your farm, is to use it up as soon as possible after you acquire these products. They are expensive, and there are security issues around others wanting to steal these things. It is always best to use them up promptly."
Proper storage of pesticides on the farm is an important aspect of risk management. The trend towards increasing farm size and more intensive farming systems has increased the need for on-farm pesticide storage facilities. Regardless of farm size, any time chemicals are stored on site, security risks increase, along with risks to environment and human safety. This increased risk underscores the need for properly designed and sited chemical storage facilities.
"On-farm pesticide storage may take on many forms," according to Wilk. "They can be newly constructed buildings or compartments, renovated existing buildings and containers. Your own budget will dictate what solution works best on your farm. As you undertake to set up a pesticide storage facility, ask yourself the following question: Is the storage structure to be used as a single-use facility? Utilizing the building for storage of other farm inputs, equipment storage or a maintenance facility can defeat the purpose of a pesticide storage facility. As a safety precaution, you should not store food, feed, fertilizer or livestock medication with pesticides."
Wilk then suggests a review of the following:
"Can you access running water near the site in the event of a spill? Water is the most suitable means for personal decontamination at or near the storage area. Can the container or the shed be locked? Do you have protective clothing, a first aid kit and a respirator appropriate to the pesticide stored? Is the equipment properly maintained and working? Can the flooring contain spills or leaks? Is there a floor drain or catch basin? And where does any material go that enters the floor drain? Can the floor be readily cleaned and decontaminated of pesticides? Is there adequate ventilation to prevent the accumulation of toxic or flammable vapours? Do you have absorbent material to soak up a spilled pesticide? That material may include lime, coarse clay, sand and sawdust. Can you prevent liquid products from freezing during winter months?"
If your farm is in a location protected by a municipal fire department, you are required to provide a list of pesticides stored and estimated quantities on hand to the chief of the fire department, Wilk says. This is to be done semi-annually and whenever significant changes in inventories occur.
You will also be required to post a "Danger - Stored Pesticide" sign printed in block letters. The letters should be five centimetres or more in height and posted on each entrance.
Siting pesticide storage facilities is also an important consideration. These facilities should be in a low-traffic area away from residences, watercourses, and water intakes and wells used for domestic purposes.
Should your on-farm pesticide storage facility stock more than 2,000 kilograms of pesticides, additional requirements will come into effect under The Hazardous Substances and Waste Dangerous Goods Regulations.
"Your containers, where possible, if they are under the 23-litre size, should be triple-rinsed and returned to a container recycling program offered by the pesticide industry. If you are moving towards larger totes and shuttles, the manufacturers have their own return programs where they charge a significant deposit on those types of containers and they are returned to the point of sale so the manufacturer of that particular product can deal with the recycling of that container.
"Those producers who have to store product on-farm tend to be very aware of the environmental responsibilities. Current trends are towards the totes and shuttles with closed systems, where the applicator or the farm operator does not have to touch the product. They are equipped with special valves and pumping systems to transfer the product from their containers to the spray tanks. It is a much safer system."
If you require technical information about pesticide storage and handling, contact the Saskatchewan Agriculture Knowledge Centre at 1-800-457-2377.
Keep in mind that producers who have completed an Environmental Farm Plan through the Provincial Council of Agriculture and Diversification Boards (PCAB) can apply to the Canada Saskatchewan Farm Stewardship Program (CSFSP) for assistance in improving on-farm storage of pesticides. The CSFSP provides 30 per cent cost-shared funding up to a maximum of $15,000 for improved on-farm storage and handling of agricultural products. The program is restricted to non-commercial storage facilities only.
For further information about Saskatchewan's Environmental Farm Planning Program, contact your local PCAB facilitator listed on the PCAB website at www.saskpcab.com.
For further information about the CSFSP, contact Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Client Service Centre at 1-800-667-8567.
For more information, contact:
Cameron Wilk
Provincial Pesticides Specialist
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
(306) 787-2195
Researchers Develop New Oat Variety for the Ruminent Feed Market
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
Scientists at the University of Saskatchewan are looking into the development of a new variety of oat specially bred for the feed market, according to Dr. John McKinnon of the Department of Animal and Poultry Science.
"The Crop Development Centre has developed a new variety of oat. Currently, it is referred to as Low Lignin Hull High Oil Groat (LLH-HOG). That description encompasses its unique characteristics. You see, normally 20 to 25 per cent of the oat is comprised of the hull. The hull is typically high in lignin, which contributes to low digestibility, and thus, a lower energy value for oat relative to barley for ruminants.
"Cattle just don't gain as well on normal oat as they do on barley because of the hull's high lignin content. This new variety still has as much hull as other oats, but it is more digestible-more useable as an energy source."
The second component of this variety is the high-oil groat. The groat is the actual seed once the hull has been removed.
"The oil or fat content of the groat in this new product is slightly greater than eight per cent, whereas typical varieties only average five per cent. So it is a significant improvement in oil content. The higher the oil content, the more potential energy is available to the animal. The Crop Development Centre has focused on developing this line of oat with low lignin and high oil, and the Department of Animal and Poultry Science is where we looked at how it could be used in beef and dairy feeding."
This research effort is the fruit of the work of a number of participants, McKinnon explains. Specific funding came from Super Oats Canada and Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food's Agriculture Development Fund, as well as from the University of Saskatchewan.
"The crop breeding work has been done by the Crop Development Centre at the University of Saskatchewan, particularly Dr. Brian Rossnagel. In the Department of Animal and Poultry Science, the work has been done by Dr. David Christensen, Vern Racz of the Prairie Feed Resource Centre, and I. There are also two graduate students working on the project.
"We have carried out studies on backgrounding calves using the facilities at the university feedlot in Saskatoon and at the Western Beef Development Centre in Lanigan. We looked at a finishing trial, where we compared this new oat to barley and corn. The results of the backgrounding study were particularly interesting. We found that cattle fed either the oat-based or a barley-based diet showed similar intakes and delivered equal performance in both average daily gain and feed conversions."
The oat-fed cattle in the backgrounding period gained every bit as much as the barley-fed cattle, says McKinnon, which indicates that this would be a product that would fit very nicely in backgrounding diets.
"The important part of this is that, agronomically, when you look at oat relative to barley or other cereals, the input costs aren't as high. As well, with this new variety, you are still getting the benefit of oat's typical high yield. So it is cheaper to grow this new line of oat than barley, and producers are getting the same performance with backgrounding cattle.
For more information, contact:
John McKinnon, Ph.D. or Brian Rossnagel, Ph.D.
Department of Animal and Poultry Science and Crop Development Centre
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-4137 and (306) 966-4976
Scientists at the University of Saskatchewan are looking into the development of a new variety of oat specially bred for the feed market, according to Dr. John McKinnon of the Department of Animal and Poultry Science.
"The Crop Development Centre has developed a new variety of oat. Currently, it is referred to as Low Lignin Hull High Oil Groat (LLH-HOG). That description encompasses its unique characteristics. You see, normally 20 to 25 per cent of the oat is comprised of the hull. The hull is typically high in lignin, which contributes to low digestibility, and thus, a lower energy value for oat relative to barley for ruminants.
"Cattle just don't gain as well on normal oat as they do on barley because of the hull's high lignin content. This new variety still has as much hull as other oats, but it is more digestible-more useable as an energy source."
The second component of this variety is the high-oil groat. The groat is the actual seed once the hull has been removed.
"The oil or fat content of the groat in this new product is slightly greater than eight per cent, whereas typical varieties only average five per cent. So it is a significant improvement in oil content. The higher the oil content, the more potential energy is available to the animal. The Crop Development Centre has focused on developing this line of oat with low lignin and high oil, and the Department of Animal and Poultry Science is where we looked at how it could be used in beef and dairy feeding."
This research effort is the fruit of the work of a number of participants, McKinnon explains. Specific funding came from Super Oats Canada and Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food's Agriculture Development Fund, as well as from the University of Saskatchewan.
"The crop breeding work has been done by the Crop Development Centre at the University of Saskatchewan, particularly Dr. Brian Rossnagel. In the Department of Animal and Poultry Science, the work has been done by Dr. David Christensen, Vern Racz of the Prairie Feed Resource Centre, and I. There are also two graduate students working on the project.
"We have carried out studies on backgrounding calves using the facilities at the university feedlot in Saskatoon and at the Western Beef Development Centre in Lanigan. We looked at a finishing trial, where we compared this new oat to barley and corn. The results of the backgrounding study were particularly interesting. We found that cattle fed either the oat-based or a barley-based diet showed similar intakes and delivered equal performance in both average daily gain and feed conversions."
The oat-fed cattle in the backgrounding period gained every bit as much as the barley-fed cattle, says McKinnon, which indicates that this would be a product that would fit very nicely in backgrounding diets.
"The important part of this is that, agronomically, when you look at oat relative to barley or other cereals, the input costs aren't as high. As well, with this new variety, you are still getting the benefit of oat's typical high yield. So it is cheaper to grow this new line of oat than barley, and producers are getting the same performance with backgrounding cattle.
For more information, contact:
John McKinnon, Ph.D. or Brian Rossnagel, Ph.D.
Department of Animal and Poultry Science and Crop Development Centre
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-4137 and (306) 966-4976
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